1 (Juidti to the >mr$ti Collections OK NNSYLVANIA iilfimH H HI 1 'LI B RAFLY OF THE U N IVER.SITY Of ILLINOIS SURVEY ILL. HIST. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://archive.org/details/guidetomanuscriOhist Quide to the zJtfCanuscript Qollections OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA Second Edition PHILADELPHIA THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA DECEMBER 2, I949 Copyright, 1949, by The Historical Society of Pennsylvania 'Preface to the Second Edition The first edition of The Guide to the Manuscript Collections of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, published in 1940, was compiled by The Historical Records Survey, Division of Professional and Service Projects, Works Progress Administration. The Society's manuscript holdings at that time were estimated to be 2,500,000 items, contained in 1,141 listed collections. Within the last decade, these holdings have increased approximately 60%, so that now some 4,000,000 items are to be found in 1,609 collec- tions. Furthermore, whereas in 1940 only 30% of the manuscripts were arranged for ready use by students, today 98% are so arranged. During the past ten years, we have also made every effort to improve the manuscript catalogue which has grown from 200,000 to 500,000 cards. In spite of this tremendous increase, the number of items covered by each card has been reduced from 12.5 in 1940 to 8.0 at present. This represents real progress, but much work remains to be done. Excluding our holdings of foreign manuscripts, which number some 200,000 items of considerable importance, our collections deal primarily with Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Neverthe- ( less, because of Pennsylvania's importance to the country as a whole, our vast store of source material frequently assumes national significance. As in the first edition, the description of each collection in this volume is based upon actual examination of the material, but, since the collections represent an enormous body of manuscripts, these descriptions could not possibly be made exhaustive, and should, therefore, be treated simply as guides. No attempt has been made to list the collections alphabetically because of the continual addition of the many new accessions, and because the Index invariably refers to a collection number. For this reason, page numbers have been eliminated. Several changes have been made in the Index itself. Under headings which require numerous references, the major collec- tions are printed in bold face type. A number of important new classifications, such as Commonplace Books, Letter Books, Scrap- books, etc., will undoubtedly prove to be of considerable help to the student. These new classifications in the Index, as well as those for Business Records, Diaries, Travels and many others, have been subdivided into decades, thus greatly expediting the location of desired material for any given period. It is hoped that this new edition of The Guide will prove useful and more usable to students interested in the rich manuscript holdings of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Richard N. Williams, 2nd, Director December 2, 1949 The one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Society Cjuide to ^Manuscript (Collections Explanatory V^otes Each entry describes a collection or group of related collections. The spelling of the original is retained in citing titles of items and collections, but modern orthography is used in the descriptive text. Unless places are outside Pennsylvania, the state has not been given. Dates appearing in the heading and descriptive portion of each entry are the dates of the manuscripts described, except when they are enclosed in parentheses, in which case they indicate the life-span of the person whose name they follow. Information on circumstances of accession is included in the entry heading when the data were readily available. In cases where manuscripts are known to have been published, reference is made to the publication in which they may be found. Bibliographical notes mainly refer to periodical publications of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania in which the manuscripts described have been printed; in some instances, as indicated, they refer to accession notes published in The Pennsyl- vania Magazine of History and Biography. The following abbreviations are used in these notes: Memoirs— The Memoirs of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collections— The Collections of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania P.M.H.B.— The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography Guide to Manuscript Collections 1. John Adams Letters, 1781-1829. 1 vol. Presented by Pauline E. Henry, granddaughter of Francis Adrian van der Kemp. Approximately 150 John Adams' letters to his friend, Francis Adrian van der Kemp (1752-1829), Dutch scholar and preacher. The letters, 1781-1825, convey Adams' appraisal of political events, comments on the American Revolution, formation of the government of the United States, Napoleonic Wars, and the insurrections in The Netherlands, with comments on noted men, books, and satirical periodicals disguised with classic Latin titles. Included in the volume are 5 letters, 1826-29, of John Quincy Adams; copy of a letter of George Washington, 1788; Lafayette letter, 1788; notification of Van der Kemp's election to membership in the American Philosophical Society, signed by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Smith Barton, Caspar Wistar, and others; and a few miscellaneous items. 2. William Alexander Papers, 1788-1813. Approx. 65 items. Purchased by the Dreer Fund, 1926. The allotment of land in Pennsylvania to Alexander in return for military service in the Revolutionary War, 1788-1813; also letters and documents on construction of roads and improve- ment of waterways in Pennsylvania. 3. Elizabeth S. Allen Parchment Deeds, 1699-1858. Approx. 75 items. Presented by E. S. Allen. Deeds pertaining chiefly to lands in Middletown and Attle- borough townships, Bucks County. 4. George Allen Papers, 1828-43. 3 vols. Presented by the estate of Gregory B. Keen, 1931. These volumes contain criticisms, reviews, observations on liter- ature, art, philosophy, the Greek classics, and other academic subjects; there are also notes on the game of chess. Allen (1808-76) was professor of languages in Delaware College and the University of Pennsylvania. 5. James Allen Diary, 1770-78. 1 vol. Presented by Brinton Coxe, 1881. The diary of James Allen (1742-78), Philadelphia lawyer, con- tains information on the social, political, and cultural history of the colonial and Revolutionary periods in Philadelphia, with comments on military affairs, battles, and generals and other prominent persons. Published in P.M.H.B., IX (1885), 176-196, 278-296, 424-441. 6. John Jasper Allen Poem, 1804. 1 vol. "The Whippiad," a satire in the classical manner, on student life at Oxford University. 7. John W. Alloway Diary, 1863. 1 vol. A diary by John W. Alloway, member of Coppers' Battery, Bat- talion B, 1st Pennsylvania Artillery, in the Civil War. It gives an eyewitness account of camp life, marches, allocation of troops, and battles at Gettysburg, Rappahannock River, and Williamsford; also refers to draft riots in New York. 8. American Negro Historical Society Papers, 1790-1901. Approx. 3,000 items. Presented by Leon Gardiner. A collection of papers on American Negro cultural and eco- nomic advancement and the struggle for freedom. There are papers relating to some of the prominent men of the race: Ben- jamin Banneker, mathematician and astronomer, 1790-91; Jacob C. White, correspondence, 1832,-99; Isaiah C. Wears speeches and letters, 1856-1901; Frederick C. Douglass, 1870-95; and others. Negro civic activities: Daughters of Africa Society minutes, 1 vol., 1822-38, order book, 1821-29; papers on Ameri- can Negro slavery and equal rights, 1831-68; Agricultural and Mechanic Association of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, consti- tution, 1839, stock certificates and transfers, 1840-46, 2 vols.; Banneker Institute minutes, 1854-55, 1855-59, receipt book, 1855-68, roll books, 1854-65, 1866-72, order book, 1867-72, lec- tures and debates, 1859-60; Lebanon Cemetery, burial vouchers, payments for lots, etc., 1855-1901, letter books, 1874-80, 1881-86, receipt books, 1847-51, 1848-53, accounts, 1882-87; records of Pennsylvania State Equal Rights League, minutes, 1864-72; Frederick Douglass Memorial Hospital, Philadelphia, 1895-1901; Roberts Vaux Consolidated School, 1870-1901; First African Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, 1853-82; Second African Presbyterian Church, 1832-46; Negro baseball clubs material, 1867-70; other items are legal papers, deeds, bonds, portraits, magazines, pamphlets, programs, etc., 1854-96. 9. Edward Antill Manuscripts, 1780. 1 vol. Presented by Mrs. William Stansfield. These are scientific treatises written by Edward Antill while he was a prisoner of war at Flat Bush, Long Island, and dedicated to William Ferguson, captain of Proctor's Regiment of Artil- lery, in the United States Army. The subjects are: "The Prin- ciples of Geography and Astronomy," "The Elements of Chro- nology," "A Table of the Sun's Declination from 1764-95." 10. Anti-Slavery Papers, 1828-57. Approx. 1,000 pages. Pre- sented by Colonel John P. Nicholson. C. C. Burleigh's manuscripts on the Abolition movement, moral and political essays, and other material on the slavery question. Among the essays are: "The Southern Refugeeism," "Kansas," "The Church," "Journal of the Little Things of Life," "Res- cues and their Consequences," "Thoughts on the Death Pen- alty." 11. A. Margaretta Archambault Historical Papers, ca. 1917. Approx. 2,000 items. Presented by A. Margaretta Archam- bault. Notes for a guide book on art, architecture, and places of his- toric interest in Pennsylvania, compiled by the Art Committee of the State Federation of Pennsylvania Women, and edited by A. M. Archambault, 1917; histories of the 67 counties of Penn- sylvania, written by historians of the various counties; history of Philadelphia; illustrations. See A. M. Archambault, ed., Guide Book of Art, Architecture, and Historic Interests in Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, 1924).