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Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson papers, 1752-1795 (inclusive)

Extent:
6.0 volumes
Abstract:
Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson (1737-1801), considered to be the outstanding female poet of her place and time, was a leader in the literary world of colonial Pennsylvania and an avid writer, who composed poems, songs, travel accounts and other writings, referencing literature, natural history, religion, politics and current events. This collection consists of six volumes of writings which probably represent all of her work, most of which is unpublished. Researchers interested in Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson, women authors in colonial America and the early United States, or a female commentary on contemporary events will find this collection to be extremely valuable.

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Thomas Leiper and family business records, 1771-1947 (inclusive)

Extent:
47.0 volumes
Abstract:
Thomas Leiper (1745-1825) was introduced into the business of tobacco shortly after his arrival in Virginia in 1763. Within several years, he moved to Philadelphia where he opened a tobacco shop. During the Revolutionary War, Leiper became the principal tobacco provider in Philadelphia. In 1776, Leiper purchased land in Delaware County that included a mill at a waterfall on the Crum Creek. He established snuff mills and later purchased a stone quarry. The Thomas Leiper and family business records include correspondence, country estate records, and business and financial records of the family's paper, lumber and wood working businesses, quarry business, and tobacco business dating from 1771 to 1947.

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Logan family papers, 1684-1925 (inclusive)

Extent:
11.0 linear feet and 10 containers, 62 volumes
Abstract:
The Logan family was prominent in Philadelphia from the start of the province, serving the people in many capacities, including political, medical and literary. This is a collection of manuscripts obtained by the Library Company of Philadelphia that relates to the Logan family. The collection includes papers of the Logan family members Albanus Charles, Algernon Sydney, Deborah Norris, William Jr., and James as well as family materials collected by Frances A. Logan and William Logan Fox. The collection dates from 1684 to 1925 and consists of family papers, correspondence, diaries, writings, medical texts, lecture notes, financial records, poetry, visiting cards, and invitations.

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Gerard van Swieten dictata in materia medica, 1733-1756 (inclusive)

Extent:
8.0 volumes
Abstract:
Gerard van Swieten (1770-1772) was a Dutch-Austrian physician who served as the personal physician to Austrian Empress Maria Theresa in 1745 and transformed the Austrian health services as well as medical university education. This collection consists of eight volumes of medical writings in Latin concerning nutrition, pharmacy, and surgery. Several pages at the beginning of Volume I, and a few pages elsewhere, are translated into English on the facing pages.

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Christ Church records, 1695-2016 (inclusive)

Extent:
200.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Christ Church is an Episcopal church located in the Old City section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1695 as a condition of King Charles II of England's 1681 Charter to William Penn, which allowed for the formation of Church of England congregations in Pennsylvania. Several notable Philadelphians attended services at Christ Church including Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, and members of the Continental Congress. Christ Church records, 1695-2016, document Christ Church and its parish and congregation. The records consist of vestry minutes, parish records, accounting and financial records, deeds, architectural drawings, photographs, and audiovisual materials. In addition, there are materials from parish organizations and affiliated institutions such as Christ Church Hospital, Episcopal School, Christ Church Burial Ground, and Christ Church Preservation Trust. A detailed finding aid is available on-site.

Held at: Christ Church Archives [Contact Us]

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Patrick Coad family papers, 1798-1888 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.5 linear feet (; 2 boxes)
Abstract:
Patrick Coad (1783-1872), an Irish immigrant who settled in Philadelphia, was the first patentee of a graduated galvanic battery with insulated poles. Touting his battery among other uses as an instrument that helped cure various diseases, Coad’s invention attracted a good deal of attention within the scientific and medical communities. A teacher whose interests focused on medicine and the sciences, Coad also travelled throughout Pennsylvania and the surrounding area as a lecturer on the natural sciences. The collection includes Coad’s correspondence, his lecture and medical notes, and ephemera, such as newspaper clippings, pamphlets and broadsides, publicizing his galvanic battery and lectures. Several of Coad’s family members are also documented through correspondence, ephemera, and estate items, including his son Joseph R. Coad (1829-1868), a prominent Philadelphia physician. A family scrapbook with miscellaneous materials is also included.

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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Martin, Campbell, and Furlong families papers, 1825-1930 (bulk) 1795-1963 (inclusive)

Extent:
5.2 linear feet (; 13 boxes)
Abstract:
This collection contains papers that document several generations of the Martin, Campbell, and Furlong families with the Martin family receiving the most coverage. To a lesser extent, the Kennedy and Jenkins families, who had strong personal and mercantile ties to the Martin family, are also represented. These interrelated middle class Irish Catholic families from Philadelphia were involved in several prominent industries in the region, including overseas commerce. Devout in their religious beliefs, the families, the Campbells in particular, played a significant role in shaping Catholicity in Philadelphia. Members of the Campbell family were also actively involved in political and social movements of the nineteenth- and twentieth-centuries, including the labor movement and women’s suffrage. Distinguished members of these families are represented, including suffragist and writer Sarah Jane Campbell (1844-1928). Items in the collection date from 1795 to 1939 with the majority of...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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Rodrigue family papers, 1770-1875 (bulk) 1770-1975 (inclusive)

Extent:
4.59 linear feet
Abstract:
Marie Jacques Dominique D’Orlic (1748-1825) was a French colonist and a wealthy planter in St. Domingue, a French colony on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (now modern-day Haiti). D’Orlic and his wife and daughter were forced to flee the island during the slave uprisings of the 1790s, and lost their wealth. The D’Orlics eventually landed in Philadelphia by 1795, where D’Orlic served as a trusted advisor to other white refugees from St. Domingue. Jacques Andre Rodrigue (1759-1844) was also a French aristocrat and a wealthy merchant and sugar planter in St. Domingue. Rodrigue lost nearly all his wealth in the slave uprisings of the 1790s and was also forced to flee to Philadelphia, where he settled, married the daughter of D’Orlic, and built another large business as a merchant trading with France. The Rodrigue family papers date from 1770 to 1975, with the bulk of records dating from 1770 to 1875. This collection contains the papers of Jacques Andre Rodrigue (1759-1844) and the...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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Elizabeth Ann Seton letters, 1799-1818 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.2 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:
This small collection includes letters from Elizabeth Ann Seton to Matthias and Joseph O’Conway. Matthias, a prominent Philadelphian especially within the Catholic community, was the father of Cecilia O’Conway, Philadelphia’s first nun and the first women to join Seton’s order, the Sisters of Charity. The correspondence is personal in nature and relates to several members of the O’Conway family, particularly Cecilia. Also included is a letter from Elizabeth to her sister-in-law Rebecca Seton regarding members of the Seton family.

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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Daniel Branch collection, 1758-1828 (inclusive)

Extent:
uncertain items
Abstract:
Daniel Branch was a young man from Connecticut who had enlisted in the provincial army (American), which served mostly in a support capacity for the British regulars. Setting out for Lake George on June 7th, 1758, he arrived there some three weeks later,a nd was present at the disastrous British attack on Fort Ticonderoga on July 8th. Thereafter, he spent the remainder of his enlistment on the eastern shore of Lake George. The Branch diary and Branch family correspondence houses personal materials related to Daniel Branch and his family. The collection, which ranges from 1758-1828, provides information into the personal experience of a soldier in the French and Indian wars, as well as the life of the Branch family in Connecticut and Vermont.

Held at: Bryn Mawr College [Contact Us]

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Leon Gardiner collection of American Negro Historical Society records, 1860-1890 (bulk) 1715-1962, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
8.5 linear feet (, 15 boxes, 35 volumes)
Abstract:
The American Negro Historical Society was founded in 1897 by a group of Philadelphia blacks to study and preserve materials documenting the American black experience. Among the founders and early members were Robert Adger, W.M. Dorsey and Jacob C. White, Jr., who donated materials to the society, some of which are present in the collection. The collection is composed of administrative records of the society and materials collected by some of its members, including correspondence, minutes, reports, financial documents, membership lists, records of lectures and debates, library catalogues, baseball lineup and scorecards, speeches, printed matter, and portraits of distinguished black leaders and abolitionists.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Asylum Company papers, 1794-1820 (bulk) 1773-1851, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
0.8 linear feet (; 2 boxes (350 items))
Abstract:
Robert Morris, John Nicholson, and others organized the Asylum Company in April 1794 to develop and sell land in several unsettled areas of Pennsylvania. The land speculation venture was ultimately a failure and dissolved partially circa 1820 and fully in the 1830s. The Asylum Company papers include administrative and financial records as well as correspondence, title papers, shares of the company’s stock, and published material from 1773-1851.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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John Rutter Brooke papers, 1861-1902 (bulk) 1767-1918, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
13.9 linear feet (; 27 boxes, 37 volumes, 6 flat files)
Abstract:
The papers of John Rutter Brooke include correspondence, accounts, regimental reports, military orders, and pamphlets that primarily pertain to his career in the United States Army, 1861-1902. Brooke’s military papers document the activities of the 53rd Pennsylvania volunteer regiment during the Civil War; the 3rd Infantry division and 7th Cavalry during the Indian Wars; the 1st Corps of the Army during the Spanish-American War; and Brooke’s service as military governor of Puerto Rico and Cuba, as well as his service in the Departments of the Missouri, the Platte, the Gulf, and the East. The collection is particularly rich in its documentation of the United States Army’s “Sioux Campaign” during 1890-1891, containing extensive correspondence during the height of the Ghost Dance on the Standing Rock and Pine Ridge reservations, and the ensuing military build-up, which escalated into the massacre at Wounded Knee on December 29, 1890.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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James Buchanan papers, 1815-1868 (bulk) 1783-1895, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
35.0 linear feet (74 boxes, 25 volumes)
Abstract:
The James Buchanan papers span the entirety of Buchanan's legal, political and diplomatic career, including his service as Pennsylvania assemblyman, U.S. representative, minister to Russia, U.S. senator, secretary of state, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Great Britain, and president of the United States. The collection consists primarily of correspondence, but also includes speeches, notes, business papers, legal papers, manuscript drafts, pamphlets, books, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks. The most significant groups of materials in this collection are related to Buchanan's time as secretary of state, 1845-1849; minister to Great Britain, 1854-1856; and the growing differences between the North and South before the Civil War, 1857-1861.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Simon Gratz autograph collection, 1343-1928

Extent:
190.0 linear feet (; 633 boxes (18 volumes in boxes))
Abstract:
The collection was assembled by Simon Gratz, Philadelphia lawyer, school board member, and trustee of the Free Library. He began collecting at age 17 and, by the time he died, amassed about 175,000 manuscripts and portrait engravings and lithographs. Many of the latter he personally commissioned. In 1916 he became a vice-president of the Historical Society. Gratz continued until the end of his life to deal with such notable American collectors as George Brinley, Louis J. Cist, Adrien Joline, Charles J. Jones, E.H. Leffingwell, and Joseph J. Mickley. The dealers with whom he dealt included Charavay in Paris, Naylor and Maggs in London, Cohn in Berlin, Benjamin in New York, and A.S.W. Rosenbach in Philadelphia. The records of his transactions survive from 1861 to 1925 in his "Autograph Journals." On January 1, 1925, Gratz noted that his collection had, because of astute sales and exchanges, "cost less than nothing." Gratz acquired his collection by exchange with and purchase from a...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Simon Gratz autograph collection, 1517-1925 (inclusive)

Extent:
130.4 linear feet (; 326 boxes)
Abstract:
This autograph collection was created by Simon Gratz, starting in his late teens. A myriad of documents are included and represent Gratz’s philosophy of collecting and the many relationships he formed with other collectors in the United States and abroad. Contained here are autographed letters, legal documents, and artifacts from many prominent and well known figures and personalities in the arts, religion, government, education, and military. While there are some non-substantive letters written to Gratz much of the collection includes correspondence between prominent women and men across classes, professions, and nationalities. The collection dates from the sixteenth century to the early twentieth century. Besides date range, this collection differs slightly from the Simon Gratz collection (#250A) in its alphabetical arrangement, compared to the arrangement by categories/subjects (Case) in #250A. One other distinction in this collection are the personal letters and papers of Simon...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Henry Family papers, 1759-1914

Extent:
1.25 linear feet (; 9 volumes)
Abstract:
William Henry (1729-1786) was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, but lived most of his life in Lancaster County, where he raised a family and led successful business and military ventures. Before the Revolutionary War, he ran a hardware business from 1759 to 1773, and he was a dealer in supplies to Indian traders. During the war, Henry was a strong proponent of independence and was appointed to many public offices. He served on the board of war, was named the superintendent of arms and accoutrements, and held the office of assistant commissary general to the Continental Army to help supply arms. In Lancaster, he was also the fiscal agent of Pennsylvania and the United States and later served nine years as county treasurer. After his death in 1786, his wife, Ann Wood Henry took over in his position as Lancaster County treasurer, making her the first woman in the state of Pennsylvania to hold public office. The Henry family papers contain correspondence and other documents...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Andrew Atkinson Humphreys papers, 1850-1879 (bulk) 1708-1930, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
69.0 linear feet (120 boxes, 76 volumes, 15 flat files)
Abstract:
The papers of Andrew Atkinson Humphreys span the course of Humphreys's career, including his service in the Second Seminole War, his work as a civil engineer on surveys along the U.S. coast and the Mississippi River, as chief of staff for General George Meade; and as head of the United States Corps of Topographical Engineers. The collection consists of correspondence, orders, reports, payment vouchers, ephemera, maps, survey data, drafts and published works. The most significant groups of materials in this collection are documents from the Civil War, including muster rolls, reports, orders, and payment vouchers, which may have been collected when Humphreys served in the Army of the Potomac; and papers related to the survey of the Mississippi River in the 1850s and 1860s. Also of interest are Humphreys's later reflections on the Civil War in his notes and manuscripts for Gettysburg to the Rapidan and The Virginia Campaign. Also included in this...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Peale family papers, 1794-1858, undated

Extent:
1.2 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 7 volumes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) was a well-known Philadelphia artist, educator, and polymath in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is best known for his portraits of George Washington and other revolutionary figures, and for establishing the Philadelphia Museum, a natural history and art museum. He outlived three wives and many of his children. Several of his sons followed in their father’s footsteps, becoming artists and scientists and taking various roles in the family’s museum. Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860) was a respected portrait artist, best known for his “Porthole Portrait” of George Washington. Titian Ramsay Peale (1799-1885), the youngest of Peale’s sons, was a scientific illustrator, naturalist, and explorer who participated in many expeditions, including the U. S. Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842. Established in 1786, the Philadelphia museum displayed portraits and exhibits related to science and natural history, including a mastodon skeleton. The museum...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Robert Proud collection, 1681-1811 (bulk) 1681-1903 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.8 linear feet (; 7 boxes and 1 flat file)
Abstract:
Robert Proud was born on May 10, 1728 in Yorkshire England, and was trained formally in a Quaker school in classical studies. He moved to Philadelphia in 1759, and by 1761 was teaching Latin at the Friends School. Proud was a staunch Loyalist. From 1775 to 1780, Proud left his teaching post and went into seclusion, where he began writing on various subjects. Most of his writings were never published. Also during these years, he worked extensively on what became his most best-known work, The History of Pennsylvania in North America. The book was highly unsuccessful, due to its Loyalist leanings, and some very strong inaccuracies. Robert Proud died in 1813 at the age of 85. The collection is arranged into two series, the first consisting mostly of handwritten copies and drafts of The History of Pennsylvania in North America, and primary source materials used in the book. The second series consists of memoranda, poetry, and other personal papers.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Read family letters, 1716-1872 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.4 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:
The Read manuscripts collection contains information on the many facets of George Read’s far-reaching lifework, and includes significant material on the development of Delaware. The correspondence dates from April 23, 1716 (predating George Read’s life) to March 9, 1872. Read’s varied career encompassed, but was not limited to, participation in the Continental Congress as a representative from Delaware (1774-1777), President of Delaware (1777-1778), and membership in the United States Senate (1789-1793). The collection gives the reader insight into Read’s participation at the 1787 Constitution Convention as a representative from Delaware. Some day-to-day details of a personal nature are also reflected in letters to friends and family.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Reed and Forde papers, 1759-1829 (inclusive)

Extent:
9.5 linear feet (; 21 boxes, 13 volumes, 4 flat files)
Abstract:
The Reed and Forde papers consist of the manuscript records of Philadelphia merchants John Reed and Standish Forde, ranging from 1759-1829. The pair engaged in the importation of goods from various European countries and the West Indies, selling out of their Philadelphia store as well as trading west of the Ohio Valley and along the Spanish settlements of the Mississippi, including New Orleans. The documents mainly relate to foreign commerce and include accounts, receipts, invoices of goods, bills of lading, insurance policies, charters of vessels, with detailed accounts of business transacted in England, France, Spain, Holland, Portugal, the West Indies, and French and Spanish America. These materials describe the hazards of American shipping due to European wars, French and Spanish embargoes, capture by privateers and war vessels, litigations, trade and travel along the Mississippi and the prices and variety of goods traded, including grain, salt, furs, cloth, tea, metals, powder,...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Jonathan Roberts papers, 1780-1930

Extent:
3.5 linear feet (; 8 boxes)
Abstract:
These papers relate particularly to state and national political history during the Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe presidential administrations. Among the subjects dealt with in the papers from 1780-1848 are: Pennsylvania legislation, political affairs at Lancaster, Republican and Adamite factions, promotion of manufacture, controversies over the charter of the United States Bank, embargoes, the British orders in council, agitation for war with England, opposition of the Federalists to government war loan; French decrees affecting American ships and commerce, foreign trade, New England political factions, land claims, Andrew Jackson's conduct in Florida and New Orleans, restoration of the Capitol, political appointments, the Missouri question, ratification of the Spanish treaty, Marquis de Lafayette's reception at Harrisburg, presidential elections, religion, Texas slavery contest, California, Roberts's appointment as collector of the Port of Philadelphia, his dismissal by President...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Conrad Weiser papers, 1741-1783 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.33 linear feet (2 boxes, 4 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of Conrad Weiser (November 2, 1696 – July 13, 1760), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and became an Indian affairs agent and lieutenant colonel for the British forces in the French and Indian War. Weiser was responsible for negotiating many treaties with the Iroquois which transfered land ownership from the Native Americans to the colony of Pennsylvania and ensured the support of the Iroquois for the British during the war. His papers consist of correspondence, financial records, muster rolls, legal documents, a bound ledger, and a journal of a 1750 trip to Onondaga. The manuscripts in this collection were originally bound into two volumes, and their folders retain their volume and page numbers. The order of items in the volumes was loosely chronological and this arrangement has been kept.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Charles Francis Jenkins autograph collection, 1765-1810 (bulk) 1750-1827 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.6 linear feet (; 4 boxes )
Abstract:
The Charles Francis Jenkins autograph collection dates from 1750 to 1827 and consists of alphabetically-arranged letters, receipts, legal documents, portraits, and other materials containing the signatures of early members of the United States Congress. These individuals include delegates to the First and Second Continental Congresses, signers of the Delaration of Independence and Constitution as well as members of the Congress of the Confederation (under the Articles of Confederation). Also included are individuals who were elected to Congress but did not attend.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Coles Family Papers, 1819-1870 (bulk) 1760-1921, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
1.6 linear feet (; 3 boxes, 5 volumes, 4 flat files)
Abstract:
Edward Coles was the governor of Illinois from 1822 to 1826. Prior to that position, he was private secretary to President James Madison and special envoy to Russia. Coles was a staunch abolitionist and worked against the legalization of slavery in Illinois. The Coles family papers provide insight into the private and political life of Edward Coles, as well as glimpses of the lives of several other family members, including his son Edward Coles Jr. and brother John Coles. The collection provides information about planter family life, politics in Illinois, and the politics of abolition in general, as well as the personal activities of Edward Coles throughout his life. This collection contains correspondence, land deeds, ledger books, newspapers, scrapbooks, speech notes, tax forms, tariff papers, government appointment papers, certificates, and various miscellaneous material.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Wood and Bacon account books, 1773-1774, 1787-1827

Extent:
4.2 linear feet (; 19 volumes, 1 box)
Abstract:
Wood and Bacon was a general merchandise store located in Greenwich, New Jersey, that was run by Richard Wood and David Bacon. This collection consists of financial volumes kept by the store's proprietors during the late 1700s and early 1800s. The volumes are mostly daybook and ledgers, but there is also a general accounts book (Volume 7), and calculations book kept by David Wood (Volume 6), and a legal book that was used, at some point in its past, as a scrapbook (Volume 4).

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Waln family papers, 1759-1888 (inclusive)

Extent:
5.6 linear feet (; 14 boxes)
Abstract:
The Walns were a family of prominent Quaker merchants in Philadelphia. In 1774, Richard Waln, moved the family to Crosswicks, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, where he purchased "Walnford" and established a flour mill. The Waln family papers document primarily the family's business activities. Richard Waln (1737-1808) who was engaged in the milling business in Walnford, New Jersey, also was involved with financial concerns in Philadelphia. His nephew Robert (1765-1836) was the director of the Philadelphia Insurance Company from 1804 to 1813. Robert a successful merchant, joined into a partnership with his cousin Jesse, and traded with England and the West Indies, and later with East India and China. The collection consists largely of correspondence and financial records.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Parrish and Pemberton families papers, 1614-1880

Extent:
1.0 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 3 volumes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
The Parrish and Pemberton families were wealthy Quaker merchants living in Philadelphia during the 18th century. They shared a dedication to several benevolent causes, among them the abolition of slavery, improvement of relations with the Indians, penal reform, and the poor. This collection contains a selection of documents from and pertaining to both families. The Parrish documents focus on several noted family members, principally John Parrish (1728/29-1807), who was a Quaker minister active in promoting good relations with the Indians, and his nephew Dr. Joseph Parrish (1779-1840), a noted Philadelphia physician who was an outspoken abolitionist and crusader for penal reform. The Parrish family documents then follow Joseph Parrish’s sons Dillwyn Parrish (1809-1886), a prominent Philadelphia pharmacist who was also a dedicated abolitionist and crusader for racial equality, and his brother Samuel Parrish (1822-1872), who appears to be largely responsible for gathering much of the...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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John Meredith Read papers, 1818-1873 (bulk) 1746-1917 (bulk 1818-1873) (inclusive)

Extent:
11.0 linear feet (; 28 boxes)
Abstract:
John Meredith Read (1794-1874) was a Philadelphia lawyer, jurist, and politician. He served on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and was a founding member of both the Free Soil and Republican parties. This collection of John Meredith Read's papers deals mostly with his legal career and covers his political career to a lesser extent. The collection spans Read life and includes some papers from his ancestors as well as his children. There is both business and personal correspondence, legal papers, financial records, estate papers, papers on the Masons, miscellaneous ephemera and printed matter, and volumes.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Elizabeth Sandwith Drinker diaries, 1758-1807, 1975, undated

Extent:
1.5 linear feet (; 4 boxes, 41 volumes)
Abstract:
The diaries of Elizabeth Sandwith Drinker highlight the life of a Quaker woman living in Philadelphia in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Between 1758 and 1807, Drinker fastidiously wrote in her journals, usually about her family and their health and well being. Occassionaly, she also detailed medical practices and her own moral standards. She discussed major events insofar as they affected her family, such as the Revolutionary War and the 1793 Yellow Fever outbreak. As a member of the famous merchant family, the Drinkers, she also came in contact with many other well-known families, including the Shippens, Whartons, and Rawles, and such encounters are often noted. The collection includes her original diaries, as well as typescripts of excerpts from them and photocopies of the diaries from the years 1797 to 1807.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Logan family papers, 1731-1838 (bulk) 1704-1842 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.0 linear feet (; 1 box, 3 volumes)
Abstract:
The Logan family of Philadelphia, beginning with James Logan (1674-1751), secretary to William Penn, became one of the most prosperous and influential families in the region. This small collection contains in three volumes and one box a miscellaneous assortment of documents and letters, most of which revolve around James Logan; his son William (1717-1776), William's son George (1753-1821); and George Logan's wife, Deborah Norris Logan (1761-1839). William Logan's papers make up the bulk of the collection, and they primarily relate to business, horticulture, and estate settlement. Notably, the collection also contains an undated memorandum, initialed by William Penn, of Colonel Robery Quary's complaints against the administration of Governor William Markham.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Benjamin West drawings, circa 1765-circa 1819, undated

Extent:
0.95 linear feet (; 4 boxes)
Abstract:
Benjamin West was raised in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and worked most of his life as an artist in Pennsylvania and London, England. He created a wide variety of works during his career, from simple portraits to historical and religious scenes, and often utilized neoclassical elements in his designs. This collection consists of thirty-three original drawings and sketches by West, several of which served as studies or were made in preparation for larger paintings.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Batcheler, Hartshorne, and Sahlin families papers, 1789-2007 (inclusive)

Extent:
40.0 linear feet
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of the Batcheler, Hartshorne, and Sahlin families, descended from Axel (1826-March 5, 1909) and Axeline Sahlin (1834-1922), a Swedish couple whose children lived in Europe and the United States. Four generations of the family are documented here, with documentation centering around five families. In the United States, the family is represented by Gertrude Chandler (July 17, 1860-1953) and Axel Sahlin (1855-1937); their daughter Ellen Sahlin (February 21, 1895-June 4, 1988) and her husband, Judge Richard Hartshorne (February 29, 1888-September 19,1975); and their daughter, Penelope Hartshorne (1928-2007) and her husband, George Batcheler(1926-2009). The Swedish side of the family is represented by Axel and Axeline Sahlin and the family of their daughter, Essie Sahlin (1859-1950) and her husband, Simon Johannes Boëthius (1850-1924). The contents of this collection are mostly correspondence and other personal papers, including diaries, artwork,...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Woodlands Cemetery Company papers, 1798-1990 (inclusive)

Extent:
66.5 linear feet (50 boxes; 152 volumes; 1 flat file drawer)
Abstract:
The Woodlands Cemetery was founded in 1840 on the grounds of the Woodlands estate, formerly belonging to famed Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton (c. 1676 - 1741) and heavily renovated by his grandson, William Hamilton (1745-1813). Soon after its founding, the cemetery became a popular burial spot for prominent Philadelphia men and women. The historic mansion and carefully tended grounds also made it a frequently used public recreation spot. The cemetery is still functioning as of 2012. This collection documents the growth and activities of the cemetery from its founding in 1840 into the 1990s. It contains administrative materials, financial records, correspondence, burial records, deeds to land in West Philadelphia, deeds to burial lots, blueprints and maps of the cemetery grounds, and a small number of photographs. The heart of this collection is burial records and correspondence about burial lot maintenance, although there is also a good deal of Woodlands Cemetery Company...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Nathan Mantz papers, 1767-1925 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.2 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:
Papers of Nathan Mantz, of West Penn, Schuykill County, Pennsylvania. There are a number of items in the collection of other Mantz family members. Some items are written in English with a Pennsylvania German dialect. A few pieces of correspondence are in German.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Nicholas Haussegger orderly books, 1776-1778 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.13 linear feet (; 2 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection documents the orders given to and activities of the 1st German Battalion, 1776-1778, during the United States’ Revolutionary War. This battalion was raised from German settlers from Pennsylvania and Maryland. It was comprised of four companies from each state, and was the first battalion to be enlisted for three years. Colonel Nicholas Haussegger commanded the battalion from June 1776 to March 1777. Baron de Arendt commanded from March 19, 1777 to January 1, 1781, when the battalion was broken up. On February 26, 1778, the German Battalion was officially made a part of Maryland's quota to facilitate supply and recruitment. Although numbered the 8th Maryland, it was still usually referred to as the German Battalion.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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M. Garnier papers, 1763-1787

Extent:
9.0 items (; 2 folders)
Abstract:
The bulk of the collection consists of letters between Garnier, in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and friends elsewhere in the United States and in France. Also included are receipts for the sale of lots of slaves signed by Garnier as agent. The letter discuss personal matters, business, the American Revolution, slaves and freed slaves, life in the United States, and French-English antagonism in America. This collection also includes a folder of photocopies of card catalog cards and Garnier's original documents.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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John Frederick Lewis collection of autographs of engravers, 1775-1850 (bulk) 1721-1914 (inclusive)

Extent:
3.43 linear feet
Abstract:
John Frederick Lewis was a Philadelphia lawyer, philanthropist, and collector of writing samples. This collection contains letters, receipts, and other documents by British engravers. Most of the material was written in England between 1775 and 1850. Many of the letters discuss artistic matters and contain references to well-known engravings.

Held at: Free Library of Philadelphia: Rare Book Department [Contact Us]

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History of the Book and Illustrations collection, circa 1250-2000 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.46 linear feet
Abstract:
This collection contains material that shows the history of the book. The majority of the examples of manuscripts are illustrations but there are a few letters and other documents. The printed material in this collection spans the 13th to the late 16th centuries and contains examples of different printing techniques.

Held at: Free Library of Philadelphia: Rare Book Department [Contact Us]

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Historical manuscripts collection, 1775-1885 (bulk) 1347-1969 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.5 linear feet
Abstract:
This is a varied collection of historical manuscripts obtained by the Free Library of Philadelphia over the course of its history. The collection dates from 1347 to 1969 and is primarily an autograph collection. The collection includes American, British, and European materials; the majority of the items are American. There are typewritten transcriptions of some of the letters in the collection.

Held at: Free Library of Philadelphia: Rare Book Department [Contact Us]

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Alexander Kendrick papers, 1787-1994 (inclusive) 1930-1977 (bulk)

Extent:
11.51 linear feet (27 boxes)
Abstract:
Alexander Kendrick was a journalist, foreign correspondent, author, and radio and television reporter affiliated with The Public Ledger, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). He is best known for his reporting of international events in World War II and postwar years. The Alexander Kendrick papers comprise radio broadcast and television typescripts, correspondence, contracts, edited book typescripts, book research notes, clippings, long-playing records, and photographs.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Annenberg School for Communication Library Archives [Contact Us]

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Museum records, 1937-1941 (bulk) 1797-1984 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.66 cubic feet
Abstract:
This collection contains information on the activities of the Drexel Museum and Picture Gallery as well as past and present collections. The records, which include photographs and facsimiles of museum objects, date from 1797 until 1984; the bulk are from 1937 until 1941, Dorothy Grafly’s tenure as curator. The collection has been arranged into three series: I. Curator correspondence and notes, II. Catalogues, inventories and reproductions, and III. Collection reports and publications. The first series provides an in-depth look of the responsibilities and activities of the curator. The catalogues, inventories, and reproductions series is predominantly focused on the objects that the Museum has formerly and presently houses.

Held at: Drexel University: Archives and Special Collections [Contact Us]

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Hatfield and Hibernia Park records, 1743-1975 (inclusive)

Extent:
7.0 linear feet
Abstract:
The County of Chester owns the Hatfield and Hibernia estates, both of which played parts in the early iron industry in Pennsylvania. The families who lived on those estates (the Hatfields, Downings, Brookes and Swaynes, to name only a few) were involved with other ventures such as a general store and a convalescence home. The Hatfield and Hibernia Park records document the families, businesses, and property transfers of the families living in the Hatfield and Hibernia homes from the 1700s to the 1900s. Researchers interested in land and property records, iron works, 19th century general stores, and rest homes will find this collection to be extremely valuable.

Held at: Chester County Archives [Contact Us]

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George Sproule papers, 1884-1944 (bulk) 1784-1947 (inclusive)

Extent:
4.16 linear feet (3 boxes, 17 volumes)
Abstract:
George F. Sproule (1867-1928), known as an authority on the Port of Philadelphia, served on the Board of Port Wardens of Philadelphia from 1884 to 1907, as Secretary of the Board of Commissioners of Navigation for the Delaware River from 1907 to 1920, and as Director of Wharves, Docks and Ferries from 1920 to 1928. His son, Samuel Jackson Sproule served as Port Representative for the United States Shipping Administration, Recruitment and Manning Organization during World War II. This collection documents the professional life of George F. Sproule in the Philadelphia shipping and maritime industry in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the history of the Port of Philadelphia, and the World War II career of his son. The collection includes clippings, correspondence, appointment books, a scrapbook, business records, photographs, ephemera, and writings. The collection also includes a large number of maritime-related newspaper clipping volumes dating from 1891 to 1928.

Held at: Independence Seaport Museum, J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library [Contact Us]

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Ogden and Cuthbert family papers, 1760-1830 (bulk) 1750-1906 (inclusive)

Extent:
17.0 volumes and [1 box]
Abstract:
The Odgen and Cuthbert families joined when Anthony Cuthbert (1751-1832) married Mary Ogden (1770-1862) in 1799. Both families had strong connections to the rivers of Philadelphia. The Ogden and Cuthbert family papers consist largely of financial records (receipt, invoice and account books) of Joseph Ogden, his son George, and his son-in-law Anthony Cuthbert.

Held at: Independence Seaport Museum, J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library [Contact Us]

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Pennsylvania Horticultural Society records, 1791-2006 (inclusive)

Extent:
22.0 linear feet
Abstract:
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) was founded on November 24, 1827 by fifty-three prominent Philadelphians; among them Horace Binney, David Landreth Jr., William Davidson, George Pepper, Nicolas Biddle and Moses Brown. Emulating similar societies existing in England at the time, the men formed their Society to promote “a highly instructive and interesting science for the purpose of improving the growth of vegetables, plants, trees, fruits and flowers.” Since that time, the Society and its membership has fostered “…an appreciation of plants, acquiring scientific knowledge about them, disseminating horticultural information, and involving the public in gardening and beautifying the City of Philadelphia.” More recently, the Society has worked specifically to beautify the city and help realize William Penn’s founding vision for Philadelphia to be a “greene countrie towne.” This is a collection of administrative records from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. The...(see more)

Held at: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society [Contact Us]

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Weiss family of Weissport, Pennsylvania papers, 1777-1916 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.75 linear feet
Abstract:
The Weiss family was prominent in the coal business in eastern Pennsylvania during the late 1700s and 1800s. The Weiss family collection dates from 1777 to 1916 and documents, most fully, Jacob Weiss (1750-1839), Francis White (1773-1845), and Francis White (1819-1888). The papers include diaries, geological and surveying notebooks, maps and observations; personalia and biographical notes; transcribed documents, portraits, scrapbooks, business journals, daybooks, mercantile records and account books as well as correspondence of many members of the family.

Held at: Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Anne Hampton Brewster papers, 1845-1892 (bulk) 1777-1892 (inclusive)

Extent:
28.0 containers
Abstract:
Anne Hampton Brewster (1818-1892) was an American novelist, journalist and foreign correspondent who defied contemporary conceptions of womanhood and society during the nineteenth century. The papers date from 1777 to 1892, with the majority of the materials dating from 1845 to 1892. The materials primarily consist of diaries, journals, commonplace books, correspondence, newspaper clippings, notes about her writings and drafts of her writings. The materials document Anne Hampton Brewster’s personal life with friends and family, and they document her professional life as a journalist and writer.

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Dillwyn and Emlen family correspondence, 1770-1818 (inclusive)

Extent:
7.0 containers
Abstract:
The Dillwyn and Emlen family was joined in 1795 when Susanna Dillwyn married Samuel Emlen, Jr. Both the Dillwyn and Emlen families were prominent in early America as Quakers and advocates for abolition. This collection consists of five disbound volumes of letters written to and from William Dillwyn of London and his daughter Susanna Dillwyn in America from 1770 to 1795; and thereafter until 1818, to and from Susanna and her husband Samuel Emlen, Jr. of Burlington County, New Jersey. Although Susanna lived almost her entire life apart from her father, their letters are frequent and deal primarily with family matters and kin. However, there is frequent comment concerning such topics as yellow fever; abolitionism and slavery; Native Americans; breast cancer; and American and European politics, including the Napoleonic wars and the embargo, as well as their effects upon trade and merchants in Philadelphia and London.

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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The professional and personal papers of Edwin Wolf 2nd, 1920-1988 (bulk) 1798-1996 (inclusive)

Extent:
20.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Edwin Wolf 2nd (1911-1991) was a librarian, bibliophile, author, historian, Franklin scholar, and a civic leader in Philadelphia. Wolf was Curator of the Library Company from 1953 to 1955, and then served as Librarian from 1955 to 1984. During those years, he led the Library Company though a period of rejuvenation, growth, and prosperity. The Edwin Wolf 2nd papers contain correspondence, research files, volumes, publications, photographs, and other records that document the education, career, and personal family life of one of Philadelphia’s most prominent bookmen during the 20th century.

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Chestnut Hill Hospital School of Nursing records, 1906-1988 (bulk) 1769-1988 (inclusive)

Extent:
20.45 linear feet
Abstract:
The Chestnut Hill Hospital School of Nursing Records consist of 20.45 linear feet of hospital records, school administration records, faculty and student files, yearbooks, photographs, and some artifacts. The records extend from the school's creation in 1908 until its closing in 1987. The collection comprehensively documents the growth of a suburban community hospital nurse training program.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing [Contact Us]

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John Bartram Association collection on the Bartram family, 1768-2012 (inclusive)

Extent:
19.0 linear feet
Abstract:
John Bartram (1699-1777), the "Father of American Botany," created a botanic garden in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that is widely considered the first true botanic collection in North America. In 1891 the City of Philadelphia purchased his estate as a historic site, and the John Bartram Association--primarily constituted of his descendants--was established in 1893 to help with the administration and interpretation of the property. The John Bartram Association collection on the Bartram family, 1768-2012, includes various materials created by or on the subject of John Bartram (1699-1777) and his descendants. It includes some original and many copies of Bartram family documents, photographs, book research, genealogical research, and plant information.

Held at: John Bowman Bartram Special Collections Library [Contact Us]

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Seal family papers, 1752-1943 (inclusive)

Extent:
3.0 linear feet
Abstract:
William Heyburn Seal (1822-1910) settled in Birmingham Township (now Chadds Ford), Delaware County, Pennsylvania before 1850. He and his wife Deborah Twaddell, had six children. The Seal family papers, 1752-1943, include ledgers, teacher's lists, deeds, school workbooks, marriage certificates, a scrapbook, correspondence, a tax record, and many other materials from the Seal, Twaddell, and related families. Mary Emma Seal (1865-1941) and William Heyburn Seal (1822-1910) are especially well documented.

Held at: Chadds Ford Historical Society [Contact Us]

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James J. Reis Deed Collection, 1717-1881 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.25 linear feet
Abstract:
James J. Reis, a commercial real estate broker in Ambler, Pennsylvania, began collecting old deeds around 1987. The James J. Reis Deed Collection, 1717-1881, consists of 125 deeds for properties in the Philadelphia neighborhoods of Roxborough, Germantown, Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy, as well as Whitemarsh and Springfield townships in Montgomery County.

Held at: Chestnut Hill Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Chestnut Hill Historical Society local history collection, 1900-2011 (bulk) 1755-2011 (inclusive)

Extent:
18.8 linear feet
Abstract:
Chestnut Hill, in northwest Philadelphia, was a village of farmers and millers during the Colonial period. After the railroad reached the area in 1854, Chestnut Hill became a popular spot for Philadelphia's wealthy and it soon boasted magnificent estates designed by Frank Furness, T.P. Chandler, and Horace Trumbauer. The Chestnut Hill Historical Society local history collection, 1755-2011 (bulk 1900-2011) consists primarily of newspaper clippings and other printed materials, such as pamphlets, publications, and ephemera, relating to the Chestnut Hill neighborhood. There are some original records of local organizations, such as minute books and ledgers, as well as some family papers.

Held at: Chestnut Hill Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Craven Hall Historical Society local history collection, 1774-1973 (inclusive)

Extent:
3.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Warminster Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania was established 1711. It was home to religious leader William Tennent, steamboat inventor John Fitch, and the world's largest human centrifuge. The Craven Hall Historical Society local history collection, 1774-1973, contains ciphering books, account books, photographs, tax ledgers, deeds, scrapbooks, and other documents from local people, families, and organizations.

Held at: Craven Hall Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Howell family papers, 1830-1880 (bulk) 1798-1929 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.5 linear feet
Abstract:
The Howell family were members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) who resided in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The Howell family papers, 1798-1929 (bulk 1830-1880), consist substantially of routine personal correspondence between several generations of the Howell family, particularly Sally R. Howell, Israel Howell, Mary Mott Howell, Joshua R. Howell, and Elizabeth Howell. The collection also includes a sizeable amount of school records, about 17 manuscript volumes from the early to mid-1800s, and drafts of poems and other writings.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Delaware County Institute of Science manuscript collection, 1686-2014 (inclusive)

Extent:
20.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Delaware County was the first section of Pennsylvania to be settled by Europeans, specifically Swedes in 1643. The Borough of Media, located about 12 miles outside of Philadelphia, has been the county seat of Delaware County since 1850. A largely rural area prior to that point, the town grew rapidly in the second half of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century. The Delaware County Institute of Science manuscript collection, 1686-2014, consists of a variety of local history materials including organizational records, business records, personal papers, photographs, scrapbooks, blueprints, subject files, maps and atlases, and other materials. Most of the materials relate to Delaware County (Pennsylvania), but some items pertain to other locations in Pennsylvania and other states. Although the 19th century is the best represented among the materials, there is a significant amount of materials from the 18th century and a few items from the 17th century.

Held at: Delaware County Institute of Science [Contact Us]

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Darby Library Company records, 1743-2012 (inclusive)

Extent:
11.0 linear feet
Abstract:
The Darby Free Library is one of the oldest public libraries in the United States, and the first cultural institution in Darby, now part of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1743 as a subscription library, it became free to the public in 1898 and part of the Delaware County Library System in 1981. The Darby Free Library is still operational as of 2014. The Darby Library Company records, 1743-2012, include Board of Directors and stockholders' minute books, book acquisition and circulation records, financial records, other administrative papers, and various other materials from the Darby Free Library and the Darby Library Company, as well as other organizations that merged with the Darby Library Company, including the Delaware County Society for the Detection of Horse Thieves and the Recovery of Stolen Horses, and the Darby Home Protection Society.

Held at: Darby Free Library [Contact Us]

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First Baptist Church of Philadelphia records, 1690-1906, 1690-1906 (inclusive)

Extent:
8 boxes
Abstract:
Notable for its early leadership in Baptist organization and evangelism, the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia was prominent both in its region and city and in the transatlantic community of Baptists. Records include annual reports, membership records, bulletins, scrapbooks, and biographies as well as records specific to the Board of Deacons, Board of Trustees, Treasurer, Pew Committee, Bible School, Board of Christian Education, and various women's and missionary groups.

Held at: American Baptist Historical Society [Contact Us]

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The Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute Frankliniana collection, 1718-2006 (inclusive)

Extent:
4.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1824, in honor of America's first scientist, Benjamin Franklin, The Franklin Institute is one of the oldest and most important science institutes in the nation. Its mission is to inspire a passion for learning about science and technology. The Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute Frankliniana collection, 1718-2006, consists of prints, drawings, photographs, and a variety of ephemera and secondary-source materials relating to Benjamin Franklin and his activities. There is a small amount of 18th century materials signed or printed by Franklin.

Held at: The Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute [Contact Us]

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The Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute collection of oversized papers, 1790-1984 (inclusive)

Extent:
6.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1824, in honor of America's first scientist, Benjamin Franklin, The Franklin Institute is one of the oldest and most important science institutes in the nation. Its mission is to inspire a passion for learning about science and technology. The Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute collection of oversized papers, 1790-1984, consists of oversized materials such as technical drawings of machinery (some used for patents), posters, illustrations, prints, drawings, engravings, maps, photographs, certificates, blueprints, and newspaper pages.

Held at: The Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute [Contact Us]

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Fairmount Park Maps, Plans and Drawings collection, 1684-2010

Extent:
98.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Items in this collection relate to East and West Fairmount Park, the original components of what has become the vast Fairmount Park system. Unique in its composition, these areas not only contain naturalist landscapes, but they are also home to a truly diverse set of historic and functional structures. In addition to a vast trail system and traditional recreational facilities (such as swimming pools and baseball diamonds), these parks are also home to an array of 18th and 19th century historic houses, the nation's first zoo, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the imposing Fairmount Water Works, and Philadelphia's iconic Boathouse Row.

Held at: Fairmount Park Historic Resource Archives [Contact Us]

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Goschenhoppen Historians deeds collection, 1720-1923 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.5 linear feet
Abstract:
Goschenhoppen, one of the oldest continuously existing Pennsylvania German communities in America, is a geographic region in Montgomery County. The Goschenhoppen Historians deeds collection, 1720-1923, is primarily comprised of deeds, although there are also a few bonds, releases, wills, and other legal documents. The geographic region covered includes parts of Montgomery, Berks, and Philadelphia counties.

Held at: Goschenhoppen Historians, Inc. [Contact Us]

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Germantown Historical Society small manuscripts collection, 1701-1987 (inclusive)

Extent:
8.0 linear feet (one filing cabinet ("box 1"), two boxes ("box 2" and "box 3"))
Abstract:
Germantown, a neighborhood in the northwest section of Philadelphia, was the site of several nationally significant events. It was settled in the late 1600s by Mennonite and Quaker German-speaking emigrants and incorporated as a borough in 1689. Germantown is sometimes called the home of the American anti-slavery movement; the first organized protest against slavery in the Americas was begun by four members of the Germantown Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1688. In 1777, the courage displayed by American troops at the Battle of Germantown helped to spur the French to assist the United States in the Revolutionary War. During the yellow fever outbreak of 1793, government officials escaping the epidemic in Philadelphia relocated to Germantown, and it served as the temporary home of George Washington and the First Bank of the United States. Germantown was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia in 1854. The Germantown Historical Society small manuscript...(see more)

Held at: Germantown Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Headley family papers, circa 1788-1981

Extent:
3.5 linear feet
Abstract:
The Headley family was a prominent and socially-active family from Fallsington, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The Headley family papers, circa 1788- 1981, document several generations of the Headley family and related family members, particularly the family of Charles Moon Headley (b. 1865) and Elizabeth Schurz Headley (b. 1871), including their daughters Alice Headley Woodruff (1894-1989) and Eleanor Christina Headley (b. 1897). The collection is largely made up of photographs that document the family and the village of Fallsington, circa 1850-1950, and bound volumes including account books, minute books, and diaries. The collection also contains legal papers, personal papers, correspondence, genealogy research, and papers relating to Historic Fallsington, Inc.

Held at: Historic Fallsington, Inc. [Contact Us]

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Association of Friends for the Free Instruction of Adult Colored Persons Records, 1789-1905 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.5 linear ft. (3 boxes)
Abstract:
The Association of Friends for the Free Instruction of Adult Colored Persons was a Quaker organization organized in 1789 in Philadelphia to operate a charity school for black adults. The Association provided free adult education to African-Americans until 1904 when it was dissolved and its assets were transferred to the Institute for Colored Youth. This collection contains minutes, financial records, and some correspondence of the Association of Friends for the Free Instruction of Adult Colored Persons and its predecessors, the Society of the Free Instruction of the Black People, the Society for the Free Instruction of African Females, and the Association of Friends for the Free Instruction of Colored Women.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Grandom Institution (Philadelphia, Pa.), 1765-1971 (inclusive)

Extent:
8.5 linear ft. (17 boxes)
Abstract:
The Grandom Institution was a charity established in 1841 through the will of Hartt Grandom, a Philadelphia Quaker, to provide fuel, clothing, and financial assistance to poor Philadelphians. The collection contains minutes, reports, legal, and financial records, as well as similar records of two affiliated but independent organizations, the Fuel Savings Society of the City and Liberties of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Soup House and records pertaining to the William Keinath Fund, an endowment for free fuel.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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New York Female Association records, 1798-1988 (inclusive)

Extent:
1 linear ft. (16 volumes)
Abstract:
Formed in 1798 to give aid to the sick poor, the New York Female Association created the first public female school in New York in 1800. Until 1845, it worked with the Free School Society to establish and maintain public schools in New York while also continuing its efforts to help the indigent. Since 1845, the association has been a small gift-giving committee. The collection includes minutes and financial records.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Anna Pettit Broomell Papers, 1797-1919 (inclusive)

Extent:
2 linear ft. (2 boxes)
Abstract:
This collection contains papers and relics collected by Anna Pettit Broomell concerning Quaker families of Columbiana County, Ohio, and Salem County, New Jersey. It includes family correspondence, accounts, albums, school copybooks, notebooks, piece book, almanacs, clippings, printed material, and memorabilia of the Pettit, Hussey, Griffith, and related families. Includes letters from Hannah G. Pettit of Columbiana County, Ohio, to her sister, Hester G. Hussey, from David Pettit to his family in 1873 while on a tour of Indian reservations in Nebraska, as well as a letter from James Baldwin to Anna Pettit Broomell concerning the book, In My Youth.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Richard Tapper Cadbury Papers, 1799-1924 (inclusive)

Extent:
3 linear ft. (6 boxes)
Abstract:
Richard Tapper Cadbury (1853-1929) was a Quaker businessman, teacher, writer, and art connoisseur. His mother's brother, Earl Shinn, Jr., (1838-1886) was a well-known art critic. The collection contains correspondence and memorabilia of the Cadbury, Comfort, Haines, and Shinn families. The letters give a detailed picture of life in Philadelphia Quaker families of the mid 19th century, and of the hardships of those who participated in the California gold rush.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Bassett Family Papers, 1676-1846 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.5 linear ft. (1 box)
Abstract:
This collection contains deeds, will, land and other property documents of the Bassett, Wright, and other families of Salem County, NJ, many of whom were Quakers.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Coffin Family Papers, 1797-1932 (inclusive)

Extent:
3 linear ft. (6 boxes)
Abstract:
The Coffin family were Quakers of Wayne County, Indiana. Elijah Coffin was born in 1793 in Guilford County, N.C., the son of Bethuel and Hannah Dicks Coffin. His son and daughter-in-law, Charles F. and Rhoda M. Coffin were active in the peace movement, prison reform, reform of the treatment of the insane, and the temperance movement. Father and son both served as Clerk of Indiana Yearly Meeting. The collection contains family correspondence, journals, business papers, and miscellaneous writings. Includes documents and letters pertaining to Charles F., Rhoda M., and Elijah Coffin's prison reform activities and articles concerning the treatment of the insane, Indian rights, and temperance. Also incldues manuscripts having to do with Indiana Yearly Meeting of Friends and the Cincinnati Book Association of Friends.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Comly-White Family Papers, 1771-1961 (inclusive)

Extent:
3 linear ft. (6 boxes)
Abstract:
John Comly, a Quaker minister and school master, was born in 1773. He married Rebecca Budd, a fellow teacher at the Westtown School, in 1803. They operated the Pleasant Hill Boarding School on their Byberry farm from 1804-1815. The collection includes family correspondence, the journal of John Comly's brother, Isaac, other manuscript writings, financial and legal papers, and miscellaneous papers. Also includes the ledger and memorabilia of Pleasant Hill Boarding School and papers of Helen Comly White relating to her student years at Swarthmore College from 1870-75.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Margaret Roberts Eastburn Papers, 1786-1951 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.63 linear ft. (2 boxes ( approx. 200 items))
Abstract:
Margaret Roberts Eastburn (1880-1964) was a Quaker elementary school teacher and principal. The collection contains primarily correspondence relating to Eastburn's career as an educator in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and especially her activities (1905-1921) as teacher and principal at Aimwell school, Philadelphia, Pa., a Quaker school for poor girls. Also included are biographical and genealogical materials, and business, financial, and legal papers of the Eastburn family of Bucks County, Pa.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Emily Howland Family Papers, 1763-1929 (inclusive)

Extent:
7 linear ft. (17 boxes (plus photographs))
Abstract:
Emily Howland (1827-1929) was a Quaker humanitarian and educator who is particularly known for her work with formerly-enslaved African Americans in Virginia during and after the American Civil War. A birthright Friend, Emily Howland was the only daughter of Slocum and Hannah (Tallcot) Howland of Sherwood, N.Y. She was educated locally and for a brief period in Philadelphia, and then moved to Washington, D.C. in 1857 to teach at the Miner School for Freedmen. During the war she worked at a contraband camp in Virginia, establishing a school and coordinating relief activities. She returned to Sherwood after her father's death in 1881 and contributed time and money toward the maintenance of the Sherwood School. She continued her interest in the education of African-Americans in the south, and was also involved in woman suffrage and temperance. Emily Howland never married, and died in Sherwood at the age of 102. The collection contains correspondence, journals, other manuscripts,...(see more)

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Howland-Kirby Family Papers, circa 1790-circa 1973 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.5 linear ft. (3 boxes)
Abstract:
Howland and Kirby families were Quakers of Dartmouth, Fairhaven, and New Bedford, Mass. The collection contains primarily transcripts and photocopies of their papers. Of particular interest are dairies of Weston Howland, Jr., with notes on the arrival of whaling ships in New Bedford and details of a controversy over the New Bedford-Fairhaven bridge; those of Abby S., and Rachel, which describe a trip taken by Abby to New York, N.Y., and Washington, D.C. (1888) and women preaching at Friends meetings; and papers of George Kirby including town records (1827-1849) of Dartmouth, Mass., particularly relating to his duties as town treasurer; and genealogical materials.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Howard Malcolm Jenkins Family Papers, 1724-1904 (inclusive)

Extent:
3 linear ft. (6 boxes)
Abstract:
Howard Malcolm Jenkins (1842-1902), a birthright Quaker, was a scholar of Pennsylvania history and genealogy and published many books and articles based on his research. He was an active member of the Society of Friends, editor of the Friends Intelligencer, and served on the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College. The collection contains family papers and genealogical material on the Jenkins and Foulke families, correspondence of Howard M. Jenkins, and his publications and writings. Correspondents include William W. Birdsall, Isaac H. Clothier, Jesse Jenkins, Anna T. Jeanes, Graceanna Lewis, Joseph Swain, Joseph Wharton, Joseph Foulke, John W. Graham, and Thomas Hodgkin.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Hanbury-Aggs Family Papers, 1718-1914 (inclusive)

Extent:
5.5 linear ft. (11 boxes)
Abstract:
The Hanbury and Aggs families were prominent English Quakers who were involved in a variety of mercantile and philanthropic activities, predominantly in the 19th century. They were pharmacologists, silk merchant in Shanghai, travelers, and philanthropists (Thomas Hanbury was knighted in 1901 for his philanthropy). The collection contains correspondence, journals, business and financial papers, and other miscellaneous material. Includes Daniel Bell Hanbury's journals of his travels with William Allen, prominent English Quaker and abolitionist, to France and Germany in 1817 and 1822, as well as a visit with Czar Alexander at the Congress of Verona, and Anna Hanbury's journals of her trip to Bristol with observations on glass and pottery manufacture in 1815. Also included is correspondence with Thomas Hanbury, a silk merchant in Shanghai, concerning China trade and events in the Far East, and letters of Anna to her parents during a trip to Italy and France in 1860. Correspondence of...(see more)

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Elizabeth R. Lippincott (Elizabeth Roberts) Family Papers, 1793-1979 (inclusive)

Extent:
2 linear ft. (3 boxes)
Abstract:
Elizabeth Roberts Lippincott (1888-1979) was a Quaker genealogist from Moorestown, New Jersey. The collection contains chiefly genealogical and card files relating to the Lippincott, Shinn, Thorne, and related Quaker families of Moorestown and elsewhere, together with correspondence, journals, and essays, and collected materials relating to Quaker history, particularly various Friends Meetings and Moorestown Friends School.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Maulsby-Albertson Family Papers, 1763-1884 (inclusive)

Extent:
1 linear ft. (2 boxes)
Abstract:
The Maulsby and Albertson families were Pennsylvania Quakers. The collections includes genealogical material, family correspondence (1804-1846),, financial and legal papers. Some of the papers concern Jonathan Maulsby's term as postmaster at Plymouth Meeting House in the 1820's. The Maulsby family were also active in Norristown as merchants of lumber, coal, and iron.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Rodman-Rotch Family Papers, 1763-1865 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.75 linear ft. (2 boxes)
Abstract:
The Rodman and Rotch families were New England Quakers. Samuel Rodman (1753-1835) married Elizabeth Rotch (1757-1856) in 1780. He was a successful Nantucket and New Bedford, Massachusetts, whaling merchant and clerk of New England Yearly Meeting. Elizabeth (Rotch) Rodman was a birthright member of the Society of Friends, also from a family involved in the whaling business, and active in philanthropic and reform causes. They had nine children. The Rodmans and Rotches were closely intertwined by marriage; three of the Rodman siblings married three of the Rotch siblings. The families also had links to Philadelphia and English mercantile families. The collection contains chiefly personal correspondence (1763-1865) of the extended Rodman and Rotch families, along with travel journals (1805, 1807, 1809) and a manuscript copy of an autobiographical memoir of William Rotch (1734-1828), the father of Elizabeth Rotch Rodman, and some related material. The families had links to Philadelphia...(see more)

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Truman-Underhill Family Papers, 1755-1930 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.63 linear ft. (2 boxes (and oversized items,plus pictures))
Abstract:
The Truman and Underhill families were prominent Philadelphia-area Quaker families with close ties to Swarthmore College and active in social concerns. Best known is George Truman (1798-1877), Quaker merchant and doctor and a recognized minister who visited Indians in the American West and former Quaker settlements in the West Indies. He was one of the founders of Swarthmore College. This collection contains chiefly the papers of Benjamin Mott Underhill (1863-1930), with some Truman-Underhill family material including genealogical and family documents, one folder of correspondence, and a picture collection which includes family albums, cased photographs, and silhouettes of the Truman and Underhill families.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Walker-Conard-Cowgill Family Papers, 1699-1912 [bulk 1792-1912] (inclusive)

Extent:
1.5 linear ft. (3 boxes)
Abstract:
The Walkers, Conard, and Cowgills were Quaker families of Frederick County, Virginia, and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The collections contains papers of the Walker and allied Coates, Cowgill, and Conard families, including general correspondence (1792-1912), Civil War correspondence and diaries (1893-1900) of Union soldier Edward B. Conard (ca. 1844-1917), diaries (1896-1898) of Jacob Walker, ledger (1847-1887) of David Walker (1818-1889), journals, financial and legal papers, genealogical material, and memorabilia. Correspondents include Eliza Coates Cowgill (ca. 1790-ca. 1871) and Eliza C. Conard Walker, both of Montgomery County.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Walton Family Papers, 1725-1930 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.5 linear ft. (1 box)
Abstract:
The Waltons were a Quaker family from Byberry, Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia area, including Swarthmore. The lines represented in this collection were descended from Benjamin Walton (1701-1753) and Rebecca Homer Walton (d. 1783), of Abington Monthly Meeting and Byberry. The collection includes business and estate papers, mostly of Israel Walton (1789-1863), a diary of Mary D. Walton (1832-1915) which includes a roll book of Fallowfield Monthly Meeting First Day School, albums and verse by Emmaline Walton (1834-1913) and others, and family memorabilia.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Ann Paschall Jackson Family Papers, 1776-1856 [bulk 1814-1874] (inclusive) 1814-1874 (bulk)

Extent:
1.25 linear ft. (3 boxes)
Abstract:
The collection contains diaries of Ann Price Gibson Paschall Jackson (1792-1874) who served as a Quaker minister for over forty years. Ann P. Paschall (later Ann P. Jackson) was recorded as a minister of Darby Monthly Meeting (Hicksite) in 1831. In 1849, she moved to Birmingham Monthly Meeting where her children were members. The collection contains her manuscript diaries, 1814 to 1874, and a manuscript copy of extracts from her journals, 1813-1856, compiled by her daughter-in-law, Ann P. (Sharples) Paschall. The diaries concern religious and practical matters. The collection also includes a daily memo book kept by her father, Samuel Gibson; a brickyard account of Nathan H. Sharples of West Chester, Pa.; a daily farm diary of Nicholas W. Townsend of Birmingham Monthly Meeting, and some miscellaneous papers.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Joshua Evans Papers, ca. 1788- ca. 1804 (inclusive)

Extent:
1 linear ft. (2 boxes)
Abstract:
Joshua Evans, a Quaker minister and abolitionist, was born in 1731 in West Jersey. About the year 1754, he experienced a religious conversion and thereafter devoted his life to sharing his rigorous interpretation of the gospel through an ascetic and pious life style and simple ministry. Barely educated, he was nevertheless acknowledged as a minister by Haddonfield Monthly Meeting in 1759. Evans was a vegetarian and a fervent proponent of the peace testimony, Quaker plainness, and ending slavery. In 1798, he traveled through the southern states condemning slavery in the strongest terms. Returning to New Jersey, he died in July 1798. Evans is representative of the radical, "primitive" Quaker tradition and reflects the diversity of late eighteenth century Quakerism. This collection contains portions of the journals kept while traveling in the ministry among Friends in New York, New England, Canada, the South, and elsewhere, mostly in the period 1788-1798. The transcripts of the journal...(see more)

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Anna C. Stabler Family Papers, 1675-1864 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.5 linear ft. (1 box)
Abstract:
The Amna C. Stabler Family Papers are a collection of miscellaneous manuscripts relating to Quakers and the Society of Friends in southeastern New York State.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Frazer-Willets Family Papers, 1756-1995 (inclusive)

Extent:
2 linear ft. (5 boxes)
Abstract:
The Willets family were members of Westbury Monthly Meeting and lived at their farm, Homewood, from the mid 19th century until 1965. Eliza K. Willets, the last resident, was the daughter of Thomas Whitson Willets and Hannah Keese; known affectionately as Aunt Lila, she graduated from Swarthmore College in 1893. Her sister, Anna, married Edward Morgan Lapham of Chicago in 1908. In 1940, their daughter, Anne Willets Lapham, married E. Wayne Frazer, the son of John E. and Elizabeth Gamber Frazer, and moved to Pennsylvania.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Foster-Meyers Family Papers, 1765-2006 (inclusive)

Extent:
27 linear ft. (52 boxes (plus oversized items and photograhs))
Abstract:
Contains the papers of the Foster Family, a Wilburite New England Quaker family of Rhode Island, and the Meyers Family, conservative Orthodox Quakers of the Midwest. The families were united in 1924 by the marriage of Henry Cope Foster (1895-1987) of Warwick, Rhode Island, and Thyra Jane Meyers (1898-1984), born in West Branch, Iowa. The collection contains extensive personal correspondence of five generations of the Foster and Meyers families, school materials, diaries, writings, reminiscences and biographies which offer insight into conservative Quaker life in Iowa, Ohio, and New England in the late nineteenth and twentieth century. Also includes extensive records of the Foster family farm in Warwick, Rhode Island, memorabilia, pictures, and correspondence and related papers of John Henry Foster concerning his AFSC service at Friends Rural Center, Rasulia, India.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Joseph Brinton Family Papers, 1758-1931 (inclusive)

Extent:
6 linear ft. (10 boxes)
Abstract:
Joseph Brinton, an outspoken member of the Society of Friends from southeastern Pennsylvania, was active in the Wilburite schisms of the 1850s and 1860's in New England. His family papers include his own journals, as well as his extensive correspondence. This collection also includes the correspondence of his two wives, Mary H. Brinton and Anna H. Brinton.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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King Family Papers, 1773-1878 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.25 linear ft. (1 box)
Abstract:
The King family was a Quaker family of Rhode Island and New York. The collection contains genealogical and miscellaneous family papers of the Kings and the related Buffum and Bowne families.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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