Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Year 1600 to 1649

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]

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]

Samuel X Radbill papers, 1800-1987 (bulk) 1800-1987 1635-1987 (inclusive)

Extent:: 47.8 linear feet and 52 containers, 64 volumes
Abstract:: Samuel X Radbill (1901-1987) began his medical career as a general practitioner in 1926 and became a pediatrician in 1938, when he was certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. Radbill was perhaps better known as a medical historian, and collector of bookplates and old and rare medical texts than as a pediatrician. He believed that the study of medicine’s past was useful to its practice, and he encouraged many of his professional colleagues to examine the history of their specialties. The Samuel X Radbill papers evidences Radbill’s deep and unrelenting interest in the history of medicine, particularly the history of pediatrics and dermatology, folklore, ancient medicine, medical art and medical bookplates. Of note, in the collection are three of Radbill’s personal collections related to the history of medicine: collections of pamphlets, brochures and articles; medical art and other pictorial works; and medical journals and texts--all dating from the eighteenth to the twentieth...(see more)

Held at: Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Collection of Italian medical documents, 1618-1723 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1 folder (5 items)
Abstract:

Held at: Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Ferdinand J. Dreer autograph collection, 1492-1925 (inclusive)

Extent:: 105.0 linear feet (; 330 boxes, 133 volumes, 2 flat files)
Abstract:: Ferdinand Julian Dreer’s chief hobby was collecting autographs. He started with two documents and over time he was able to amass more than 15,000 items from some of the world’s most prominent and intriguing public figures. Owing to this interest, Dreer became acquainted with many people in the world of arts and letters, politics, education, clergy, business, and international affairs. As he was aware of such a collection’s potential impact on scholarship and society, Dreer donated all of his holdings to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, with which he had been associated for many years as the institution’s vice president.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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]

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]

Logan family papers, 1670-1872 (bulk) 1638-1964 (bulk 1670-1872) (inclusive)

Extent:: 34.8 linear feet (65 boxes, 79 volumes, 12 flat files)
Abstract:: The Logan family was a prominent Philadelphia family dating back to 1699, when James Logan, the family patriarch, arrived in Philadelphia to serve as the first secretary of the Pennsylvania colony. Through work in agriculture and politics, Logan and his descendants were intimately involved in the development of the Pennsylvania colony and, later, the fledging United States. James Logan's prominence resulted in connections, both professional and familial, with other prominent colonial families, including the Norris and Dickinson families. The Logan family papers, 1638-1964 (bulk 1670-1872), documents James Logan’s personal and professional life, as well as that of several generations of his descendents. There are papers documenting the lives of his son William, his grandson George Logan, his great-grandsons Albanus Charles Logan and Algernon Sydney Logan, and the subsequent relationships with the Dickinson and Norris families. John Dickinson, who married one of James Logan's...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Penn family papers, 1629-1834 (bulk) 1592-1960 (bulk 1629-1834) (inclusive)

Extent:: 56.0 linear feet (51 boxes; 222 volumes)
Abstract:: The British colony of Pennsylvania was given to William Penn (1644-1718) in 1681 by Charles II of England in repayment of a debt owed his father, Sir Admiral William Penn (1621-1670). Under Penn's directive, Pennsylvania was settled by Quakers escaping religious torment in England and other European nations. Three generations of Penn descendents held proprietorship of the colony until the American Revolution, when the family was stripped of all but its privately held shares of land. The Penn family papers house the personal and governmental records of William Penn, the proprietor of Pennsylvania, and his family. This collection, which dates from 1592 to 1960 (bulk of materials dating 1629 to 1834), consists primarily of correspondence, legal records, governmental records, surveys, deeds, grants, receipts, and account books; there are also 19th and 20th century auction catalogs and other secondary materials. This collection documents the creation of the Pennsylvania colony through...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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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