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Collection

Philadelphia (Pa.) Mayors collection, 1705-1976

52 items

This collection contains letters, legal documents, receipts, and printed images related to mayors of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1705-1976. The content pertains to Philadelphia commerce and politics, as well as to mayors' personal affairs.

This collection contains 52 individual letters, legal documents, receipts, and printed images related to 25 mayors of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The content pertains to Philadelphia commerce and politics, as well as to mayors' personal affairs.

Notable items include the following:
  • Four 18th-century documents, bearing the Philadelphia city seal and ordering the sheriff to assemble 24-person juries. Joseph Willcox (March 13, 1705), Nathan Stanbury (December 18, 1706), Richard Hill (June 17, 1715), and Thomas Lawrence (December 18, 1764)
  • A letter from John Inskeep to the Common Council, discussing administrative issues and forwarding "a copy of a letter…from Thomas Howell at New York containing propositions to furnish the Corporation of this city with three engines of a peculiar kind which he imported from England for the Corporation of New York" (December 4, 1800)
  • A partially printed order to apprehend Francis Barrett for being "an idle drunk or vagrant following no legal visible means for a support," signed by Robert Wharton (November 16, 1815)
  • A letter to Joseph Watson from Benneville Keim, president of the Farmer's Bank of Reading, regarding counterfeiting issues (May 16, 1827)
  • A letter from John M. Scott respecting his fire insurance policy and investments (July 11, 1827)
  • A letter of recommendation for "William Magill, late proprietor and Editor of the 'Daily Keystone,' for a Situation in the Customs. He has been an efficient co. laborer in the Democratic ranks, battled faithfully and long to maintain the continued supremacy of the Party, and is in our opinion highly entitled to a position commensurate with his services and merits," signed by Richard Vaux and others (November 1846)
  • Appointment of Addison B. Burk as Philadelphia's official delegate to the 1911 National Rivers and Harbors Congress, by John E. Reyburn (November 10, 1911)
  • 11 partially printed receipts from the Department of Receiver of Taxes for "city and school taxes" paid by Margaret B. Stewart, George F. Caldwell, and Elsie M. Caldwell (1919-1929)
  • Brief notes from 20th-century mayors responding to requests for autographs
Collection

Russell-McCabe autograph album, 1759-1920

1 volume

This album contains autograph manuscripts and signatures of famous American politicians, military figures, authors, artists, actors, and religious figures, begun by Boston resident "Mrs. Russell" in 1859. A small number of contributors wrote directly into the volume, which also includes pasted-in letters, documents, poetry, excerpts, and signatures.

This album (145 pages) contains autograph manuscripts and signatures of famous American politicians, military figures, authors, artists, actors, and religious figures, begun by Boston resident "Mrs. Russell" in 1859. The first few pages include notes and signatures written directly into the volume, mostly dated at Boston in 1859. The majority of the album consists of pasted-in letters, poems, fragments, and standalone signatures written as early as 1759 and as late as 1920; 3 items from 1912, 1917, and 1920 are addressed to James C. McCabe of Bay City, Michigan. The correspondence refers to politics and current events, the memory of George Washington, and other subjects. One letter from Maria Mitchell to "My Dear Emily" assured the recipient that she had consulted the stars for auspicious signs (p. 100). The contributions from John Quincy Adams and James Madison are unsigned handwriting samples. The album includes a financial document signed by Jenny Lind regarding the distribution of proceeds from a charity performance (p. 6). A small number of materials are accompanied by clippings containing biographical information about the contributors. A complete index is available in the Manuscripts Division.

Collection

Salem (N.Y.) collection, 1760-1891 (majority within 1785-1891)

0.25 linear feet

This collection is made up of correspondence, documents, financial records, newspaper clippings, and other items related to Salem, New York, and its residents, primarily from the 1780s-1890s.

This collection is made up of correspondence, documents, financial records, newspaper clippings, and other items related to Salem, New York, and its residents, primarily from the 1780s-1890s. Many of the items were once bound together.

The Correspondence series is comprised of around 60 incoming and outgoing letters related to Salem, New York, and to the history of the state of New York. Early letters between residents of Salem and other locales concern a wide range of topics including education, political offices and appointments, and legal cases. After 1856, most items are incoming letters to James Gibson, a native of Salem who was state senator, judge, and president of the Washington Academy. Three letters written during the Civil War concern military commissions and officers. Many of Gibson's incoming letters, particularly later items, relate to his genealogical work; some correspondents offered or requested information about their ancestors.

The Documents series contains over 140 indentures, financial records, petitions, and other items, primarily related to residents of Salem, New York, in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the indentures concern land ownership in Washington, County, New York, and personal financial agreements. Other material relates to the Washington Academy, including a list of pupils. Legal orders largely concern private debts, and one document pertains to a local election. Some documents have newspaper clippings pasted onto them, and others were once bound together. One item is a diploma that the Washington Academy issued to James McEl. A group of land indentures is housed in a large bound volume.

The collection's Printed Items include articles, programs, and newspaper clippings. The majority of newspaper clippings concern the Washington Academy in Salem, New York. Other articles concern the "Bench and Bar of Washington County," the Bancroft Public Library, and the family of William Williams. Some clippings are pasted onto large sheets of paper, with manuscript annotations; a small number of complete newspapers are present. The series also has several copies of a program from the dedication ceremony of the Bancroft Public Library in July 1890.

The Photograph, Essay, Notes, and Fragments series is made up of items pertaining to Salem, New York. The carte-de-visite photograph depicts J. B. Steele. The various notes, essay, and fragments pertain to genealogy.

Collection

Nova Scotia 18th-century legal and financial documents, 1762-1763, 1775 (majority within 1762-1763)

6 items

This collection consists of 6 documents related to the British governance of Nova Scotia in the 1760s and 1770s. The material concerns the taxation of alcohol, the provision of currency to the provincial governor and lieutenant governor, and the collection of evidence related to a complaint against Francis Legge.

This collection is made up of 6 documents related to the British governance of Nova Scotia in the 1760s and 1770s. The first two items are manuscript copies of legislative acts passed by the Nova Scotia Council and House of Assembly on June 30, 1762, concerning excise taxes and import taxes on alcoholic beverages. The legislation lists tax rates, outlines procedures for reporting imports and stores of alcoholic beverages, describes a permit system for merchants wishing to sell them, and lists penalties for noncompliance.

Three documents pertain to London resident Joshua Mauger's agreement to provide hard currency for the provincial governor and lieutenant governor in Nova Scotia, upon their request: Mauger's original proposal, addressed to John Pownall (March 5, 1763); an affirmative response from Charles Townshend, et al. (March 16, 1763); and Mauger's report for July 2, 1763-September 24, 1763 (December 8, 1763).

The final item is an extract from a letter that Francis Legge received from the Lords Commissioners of Trade and Plantations, who encouraged him to collect affidavits and other documents to defend himself against an unidentified claimant's complaints (February 27, 1775).

Collection

Daniel Morgan collection, 1764-1951 (majority within 1764-1832)

63 items

The Daniel Morgan collection is made up of financial records, legal documents, correspondence, and other items related to General Daniel Morgan and to Willoughby Morgan, his son.

The Daniel Morgan collection is made up of 63 financial records, legal documents, correspondence, and other items related to General Daniel Morgan and to Willoughby Morgan, his son. The majority of the collection consists of accounts, bonds, promissory notes, and other documents pertaining to Daniel Morgan's financial affairs. Accounts and invoices record Morgan's purchases of clothing, wagon-related equipment and services, and other items. Some of the later items do not concern Morgan directly but have his legal endorsement. Also included are two outgoing letters by Morgan, a 9-page legal document about a lawsuit against Morgan, and a deposition that Morgan gave in a different dispute. Other items are a bond regarding Morgan's marriage to Abigail Curry (March 30, 1773) and Morgan's political address to the citizens of Allegheny County about politics and the militia (January 17, 1795). Three of the documents pertain to enslaved and free African Americans (November 6, 1773; June 13, 1789; and March 28, 1799). Later items mostly pertain to the estate of Willoughby Morgan, Daniel Morgan's son. James Graham wrote two letters to unknown recipients in 1847 and 1856 about his efforts to write Daniel Morgan's biography, which he subsequently published.

Printed items include a map of the surrender of Yorktown (undated), a newspaper article from a Winchester, Virginia, paper about the possible disinterment of Daniel Morgan's remains (August 18, 1951), and printed portraits of Daniel Morgan with manuscript and facsimile autographs.

Collection

Pennsylvania Iron Furnace collection, 1777-1809

15 items

The Pennsylvania Iron Furnace collection is made up of accounts, receipts, and correspondence pertaining to iron furnaces in the state of Pennsylvania in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The Pennsylvania Iron Furnace collection is made up of accounts, receipts, and correspondence related to iron furnaces in the state of Pennsylvania in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Of the 11 financial records, 9 pertain to the Joanna Furnace in Berks County, Pennsylvania, including tax receipts and accounts related to its founders. An early document between Samuel Van Lear and James Old (September 11, 1777-May 25, 1782) and records of iron received from the French Creek Slitting Mill (June 4, 1802-December 14, 1802) are also present. The collection has letters written by Peter Astor at the Green Lane Forge (July 30, 1783), Robert Coleman at Elizabeth Furnace (February 7, 1798, and April 14, 1798), and Waters Dewees at Laurel Forge (April 11, 1803). The correspondence mostly concerns financial affairs.

Collection

Revolutionary War letter and document extracts, 1781-[1856] (majority within 1781-1782)

1 volume

This volume contains excerpts from correspondence, reports, and treatises concerning the relationships between the United States, Great Britain, France, and Spain during the Revolutionary War era. Two of the five excerpts originated from letters written by Silas Deane, an American agent in France; the other three narrate Benjamin Franklin's dealings with the French court, report on the British Army's finances, and analyze available options for amphibious military action. A later owner added brief biographical notes on the key Americans referenced within the volume.

This volume (117 pages) contains excerpts from correspondence, reports, and treatises concerning the relationships between the United States, Great Britain, France, and Spain during the Revolutionary War era. The first two segments (pp. 1-8 and pp. 9-33) are extracts of "intercepted letters" from Silas Deane to Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons (May 14, 1781) and Robert Morris (June 10, 1781) concerning diplomatic relations between the United States and the three major Continental powers (England, France, and Spain). Deane concentrated on the possible motives of France in assisting the American rebellion, noted the historical animosity between France and Great Britain, and shared his suspicion that France merely wished to see Great Britain's power diminished. He also questioned Spain's supposed neutrality and urged Parsons and Morris to consider reconciliation with Britain. The second letter focuses heavily on economic arguments, while the first primarily considers international politics and power relations.

The next excerpt is a third-person account of "Doctor Franklin's representations to the Court of France" (pp. 34-37), which recounts the American response to a recent French proposal. The summarized response cites the United States government's continuing desire to achieve full independence from Great Britain and its reluctance to accept the presence of large international military forces on its soil. Franklin also discussed French loans to the United States and reported his responses as the wishes of the United States Congress. The fourth, and lengthiest, excerpt, entitled "Extracts from the seventh report of the Commissioners of Public Accounts" (pp. 38-82), reflects the finances of British forces in North America from January 1, 1776-December 31, 1781. The report, issued on June 18, 1782, and later published, discusses funding for "extraordinary services of the Army" and notes specific amounts of money owed and supplies used during the Revolution.

The final essay, entitled "On Conjunct Expeditions" (pp. 83-114), discusses Great Britain's naval strength and posits a possible strategy for amphibious warfare combining infantry and naval forces. The treatise mentions several previous battles and examples and considers the drawbacks and benefits of these tactics. The essays are followed by brief biographies of Silas Deane, Samuel Holden Parsons, Robert Morris, and Benjamin Franklin, adapted from A Universal Biographical Dictionary, Hartford. S. Andrews & Son, 1856 (pp. 115-117).

Collection

Grew family collection, 1790, 1795

2 items

This collection consists of a commonplace book (approximately 50 pages) compiled by Ann Greene after 1790, and an account of a 44-day voyage John Grew and his family took from Liverpool to Boston in the summer of 1795. The 22-page travel diary also includes an 8-page copy of a letter Mary Grew, John Grew's mother, wrote to her family in England upon her arrival in Boston.

This collection consists of a commonplace book (approximately 50 pages) compiled by Ann Greene after 1790, and an account of a 44-day voyage John Grew and his family took from Liverpool to Boston in the summer of 1795. The 22-page travel diary also includes an 8-page copy of a letter Mary Grew, John Grew's mother, wrote to her family in England upon her arrival in Boston.

Ann Greene's commonplace book has two parts: 33 pages of transcribed poetry (24 poems) begin at the front cover, and 15 additional pages of personal reflections and letter drafts begin at the back cover. Much of the poetry was originally written by British authors whose work circulated widely in the eighteenth century, such as James Boswell, James Thomson, William Cowper, and Elizabeth Singer Rowe. Greene occasionally recorded the volume and page from which she transcribed poems. The other portion of the volume contains personal resolutions about making good use of one's time, interspersed with light-hearted notes about beaux or friends.

The travel diary records the Grew family's emigration from Birmingham England, to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1795. Daily entries, written between May 23 and July 8, 1795, detail several aspects of the voyage, such as the weather, passing ships, maritime wildlife, and the ship's progress. The diarist also mentioned an instance when another vessel mistook their ship for a French privateer, and the effects of a tumultuous storm.

The final 8 pages contain a copy of a letter Mary Coltman Grew (1756-1834) wrote to her mother in England from Boston, Massachusetts (July 24, 1795). She detailed her initial impressions of the city and of local customs. Among other topics, she reflected on the climate, housing, servants, dress, food, and religious customs. She also related an anecdote about Benjamin Franklin, who reportedly distributed printed cards to strangers in order to preempt any inquiries about him.

Collection

George Erving collection, 1796-1816

13 items

The George Erving collection consists of letters and a document about Erving's financial affairs, such as his attempt to receive compensation after fleeing his Boston home during the Revolution. Other items include letters that Erving wrote to his nephew, Samuel Waldo.

This collection contains 12 letters and 1 document about George Erving's financial affairs and Boston commerce in the early 19th century. Eight items pertain to Erving, including letters that he wrote to his nephew, Samuel Waldo, and incoming letters from merchants in Boston and England. In one letter to Waldo, Erving complained about his inability to receive compensation from the British government following the British evacuation of Boston in 1776 (February 19, 1796), and one document grants him power of attorney for his nephew. The remaining 5 items relate to life in Massachusetts in the early 19th century; writers commented on the tea trade (January 26, 1802), vacationing (August 23, 1816), and the death of Salmon Chase (August 12, 1806), among other subjects.

Collection

Fair American collection, 1801-1802

3 items

This collection is made up of 3 documents related to the Fair American, a vessel owned by Philadelphia merchant Stephen Dutilh. The ship was captured by a French privateer while sailing to Havana in January 1801.

This collection contains 3 documents related to the Fair American, a vessel owned by Philadelphia merchant Stephen Dutilh. The ship was captured by a French privateer while sailing to Havana in January 1801. See the Box and Folder list below for a detailed description of each item.