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This collection is made up of 76 letters that Harry M. Horton of Terrytown, Pennsylvania, wrote to his brother George while attending Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between 1833 and 1835. In his densely written letters, Horton described aspects of his medical studies, his social and religious life, and local and national political events, such as the Philadelphia race riots of August 1834. Additional items include two letters George wrote to Harry in 1835, a letter Harry received from William Arms, a letter by Ezra Stiles Ely attesting to Harry's membership in Philadelphia's Third Presbyterian Church, and a retained copy of George's letter to Professor Samuel McClellan describing Harry's death in 1835.

This collection is made up of 76 letters that Harry M. Horton of Terrytown, Pennsylvania, wrote to his brother George while attending Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between 1833 and 1835. In his densely written letters, Horton described aspects of his medical studies, his social and religious life, and local and national political events, such as the Philadelphia race riots of August 1834. Additional items include 2 letters George wrote to Harry in 1835, a letter Harry received from William Arms, a letter by Ezra Stiles Ely attesting to Harry's membership in Philadelphia's Third Presbyterian Church, and a retained copy of George's letter to Professor Samuel McClellan describing Harry's death in 1835.

Harry corresponded with George during his time at Jefferson Medical College, writing 1- to 4-page letters regularly between October 1833 and February 1835. His letters provide detailed information about contemporary medical practices and medical education, as Horton described his lectures, medical experiments, operations, new theories, his professors, and his fellow students. He frequently commented on the sermons of Eliza Stiles Ely, who preached at Philadelphia's Third Presbyterian Church; on his social life; and on various aspects of student life, such as living with roommates. Horton often mentioned local and national political issues, such as the decline of the Second Bank of the United States, race relations, and abolition. In August 1834, he reflected on recent race riots in Philadelphia (see August 14, 1834, for example). On June 26, 1834, Horton gave his account of a balloon flight over Philadelphia, and on May 6, 1834, he wrote of a boating trip in Liverpool, England. In his later letters, Horton anticipated his upcoming graduation and potential career as a physician, and debated possible future relocations.

The remaining letters include 3 written by Harry's brother, George Firman Horton, a practicing physician in Terrytown, Pennsylvania. George wrote Harry 2 letters (March 9, 1835, and undated) about his upcoming plans to visit Philadelphia and about a recent religious discussion. In his third letter, a retained copy dated May 8, 1835, he informed Professor Samuel McClellan (of Jefferson Medical College) of Harry's death, and included a detailed account of his brother's final illness and attempts to treat it. Also included are a letter in which Ezra Stiles Ely recommended Harry M. Horton as a member of the Third Presbyterian Church and as an upstanding physician (March 24, 1835) and a friendly letter Harry received from William Arms, an acquaintance (April 18, 1835).

This collection is comprised of 53 letters addressed to Sophie Hoffman McLane, her daughter, Sophie, and her husband, Louis. Sophie received 12 letters from female friends between 1839 and 1849; her husband Louis received 3 letters in 1866; and her daughter Sophie received 9 letters from family members between 1871 and 1876. The collection also contains 29 undated letters addressed to either Sophie Hoffman McLane or her daughter of the same name, primarily from the elder Sophie's mother, E. Hoffman, and from female friends in Baltimore, Wilmington, and Philadelphia. Most letters concern the social and family lives of women in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware during the mid-19th century. One item is a set of "True Lovers Knots (in grass & in ribbon)."

This collection is comprised of 53 letters addressed to Sophie Hoffman McLane, her daughter Sophie, and her husband Louis. Sophie received 12 letters from female friends between 1839 and 1849; her husband Louis received 3 letters in 1866; and her daughter Sophie received 9 letters from family members between 1871 and 1876. The collection also contains 29 undated letters addressed to either Sophie Hoffman McLane or her daughter of the same name, primarily from the elder Sophie's mother, E. Hoffman, and from female friends in Baltimore, Wilmington, and Philadelphia. Most letters concern the social and family lives of women in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware during the mid-19th century. One item is a set of "True Lovers Knots (in grass & in ribbon)."

The first 12 items, and most of the undated items, are personal letters Sophie Hoffman McLane received from female acquaintances prior to her marriage, mostly dated in 1839 and between 1847 and 1849. The writers discussed aspects of their lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware, including family news, social events, and relationships between men and women. The women traveled in similar social circles and frequently mentioned the same mutual acquaintances. Among Sophie's most frequent correspondents were Mary A. Robeson (15 letters), Kate Milligan (6 letters), and her mother, E. Hoffman (8 letters). In the fall of 1866, her husband, Louis McLane, received 3 letters from friends in San Francisco, who wished him luck after hearing of his anticipated return to New York. Later letters, dated between 1871 and 1877, are primarily addressed to the younger Sophie McLane, including 4 letters from her father, Louis McLane, and 5 from her sister, Kate M. McLane (including letters from San Francisco). Both provided family news, such as updates on a newborn baby, and discussed traveling.

The collection's first letter is about the experiences of a woman named Ellen, who was visiting Paris (August 9, 1839). Two letters concern the birth of Charles McLane: Kate M. McLane's account (August 1, 1871), and Louis McLane's report of his health (August 17, 1871). Kate McLane wrote her sister Sophie about her experiences at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (November 3, 1876, 22 pages). Kate also drew a small diagram of a piece of machinery.

This collection is comprised of 11 letters by James Sproat Green of Princeton, New Jersey, to a longtime friend and future United States representative, John Jones Milligan, of Wilmington, Delaware, between 1813 and 1818. The letters concern Green's ideas about and experiences with romance, Milligan's financial affairs, and personal and political news.

This collection is comprised of 11 letters by James Sproat Green of Princeton, New Jersey, to a longtime friend and future United States representative, John Jones Milligan of Wilmington, Delaware, between 1813 and 1818. Green wrote 2 letters from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in August 1813, and 9 letters from his home in Princeton, New Jersey, between November 1813 and April 1818.

In his first 2 letters, written in August 1813, Green focused on his ideas about and recent experiences with romance and relations with women. On August 10, he shared his personal "theory of love," and both letters mention his relationship with a Lancaster native named Julia. The remaining letters, all written from Princeton, New Jersey, concern a variety of personal and political topics. The recent death of his brother caused Green to reflect on the subject as he dealt with his late sibling's financial affairs (November 2, 1813). He frequently shared his personal opinions on life. Many letters mention recent news, such as the peace negotiations following the War of 1812 and a visit by Christopher Hughes (April 8, 1815), the election of U.S. Representative Louis McClane (November 6, 1816), a riot at the College of New Jersey (February 24, 1817), and a recent scandal involving the Dupont family (April 27, 1818). Several letters concern Milligan's financial affairs and legal career. In Green's letter of July 3, 1817, he discussed the possibility of moving west to practice law and inquired about Milligan's plans. The letters also provide news of mutual acquaintances and of Green's family, and reflect a strong male friendship in the 1810s.

This 72-page journal chronicles J. E. Guild's travels from Boston to Washington, D. C.; Baltimore, Maryland; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during February and March 1843. Guild described his daily social activities, which included attending parties, meeting with acquaintances, and interacting with prominent individuals, including United States Supreme Court justices.

This 72-page journal chronicles J. E. Guild's travels from Boston to Washington, D. C.; Baltimore, Maryland; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during February and March 1843. Guild described his daily social activities, which included attending parties, meeting with acquaintances, and interacting with prominent individuals, including United States Supreme Court justices.

Guild left his home in Boston, Massachusetts, in early February, and arrived in Washington, D. C., on February 10, 1843. While in Washington, he wrote about his visits to the Capitol and recorded his impressions of political figures, such as Supreme Court justices John McLean and Henry Baldwin. Guild traveled to Baltimore on February 15 and to Philadelphia on February 22. In each city, he wrote about his social affairs, which included large gatherings and private meetings with acquaintances. He often mentioned his interactions with local women. Guild also reported his opinions about Baltimore and Philadelphia and, to a lesser extent, his experiences while traveling between cities. He returned to Boston on March 4, 1843.

This volume contains manuscript and typed minutes from meetings of "Kekwan," a group of friends who met monthly on the northeast side of Philadelphia during the years 1899 to 1917. At their meetings, often held at members' homes, the group ate dinners, smoked cigars, and discussed political matters. Some minutes contain references to Native American culture, African Americans, and women.

This volume contains approximately 350 pages of manuscript and typed minutes from meetings of the "Kekwan," a group of friends who met monthly on the northeast side of Philadelphia during the years 1899 to 1917. At their meetings, often held at members' homes, the group ate dinners, smoked cigars, and discussed political matters. Some minutes contain references to Native American culture, African Americans, and women.

The minutes cover the group's regular meetings between December 1899 and February 1907, with a few gaps, as well as two meetings held in 1911 and 1917. The members most frequently met at private residences in northeastern Philadelphia, though they occasionally traveled to suburban locations or cultural centers. The secretary sometimes utilized dialects or terminology from ethnic minorities, such as referring to women as "squaws." The minutes contain information respecting the foods eaten during the group's dinners and the cigars that followed many meals. The Kekwan members sometimes discussed current events.

Many minutes entered after 1905 were typewritten and pasted or laid into the volume. One member's formal resignation from the club and a manuscript that concerns the Kekwan's early history are also enclosed. The final entry in the volume, dated 1917, refers to the impact of the First World War on the group. Some of the members, too old for military service, had sons in the armed forces and were motivated to collect money for a war relief fund.

This collection contains 19 letters between Henry Charles Lea of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his fiancée, Anna Caroline Jaudon of Wilmington, Delaware, and Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as 3 letters from other members of the Lea family. Henry Lea, who wrote most of the correspondence, discussed his social life, his reading habits, and his love for Anna.

This collection (22 items) contains 19 letters between Henry Charles Lea of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his fiancée, Anna Caroline Jaudon of Wilmington, Delaware, and Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as 3 letters from other members of the Lea family. Henry Lea, who wrote most of the correspondence, discussed his social life, his reading habits, and his love for Anna.

Henry C. Lea wrote 19 letters to his future wife between September 11, 1842, and March 17, 1850. Most of his correspondence includes poetry, such as copied poems showing "Gradations of Style" (September 11, 1842), as well as original compositions. Lea often reported family news, including the death of his uncle in June 1845, and commented on the controversy surrounding Elizabeth Lea's marriage to William Woodhouse Bakewell in 1847. He frequently discussed his personal life and hobbies, which included reading and collecting books, and he occasionally commented on political issues, such as a proposal to move the United States capital to Cincinnati (December 7, 1845) and possible European reactions to increased American militarism (May 31, 1846). The correspondence also reflects the couple's relationship and anticipated marriage; in his final letter, Lea discussed his attempts to locate a house (March 17, 1850). One letter contains Lea's drawing of a lamp (December 16, 1849).

Anna C. Jaudon received letters from her future brother-in-law, Matthew Carey Lea (October 19, 1847), and from his uncle, Isaac Lea (November 28, 1847). Matthew Carey Lea commented on Elizabeth Lea's marriage to William Woodhouse Bakewell, and Isaac Lea discussed financial issues. Anna C. Jaudon also wrote one letter to Henry C. Lea from New Orleans, Louisiana, in which she lamented her sister's living situation in New Orleans and expressed her concern about locating a good home in Philadelphia (March 3, 1850). While Jaudon lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, she addressed her letters care of Christian Febiger, a relative.

The Pearce Atkinson papers contain correspondence between Atkinson and his parents, written primarily in the 1890s. The majority of the letters date from his time at Lehigh University and early engineering career with the Union Pacific Railway. These letters include descriptions of his college life and later railroad work in the mountains of Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado.

The Pearce Atkinson papers consist of 295 letters, primarily between Atkinson and his parents, written mostly in the 1890s. In several letters written to their father in 1879, a young Pearce and his brother Clarence told of their daily lives, and frequently mentioned their newborn brother Arthur. Most of the correspondence, however, dates from the time that Pearce entered Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and covers his collegiate years as well as his early career as a railroad engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad Company. While in Pennsylvania, he frequently wrote his parents about his coursework, financial situation, and social life, which often included visits to Philadelphia. His father sometimes sent him money, and occasionally offered advice on education and other topics; in one letter, he suggested five possible thesis topics, all related to railroads (March 18, [1888]). Additionally, several academic progress reports are interspersed among the letters (June 22, 1888, January 1889, et al.). After graduation, Atkinson wrote his parents from various locations in the western United States, and described his career and life while based in Salt Lake City, Utah; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Denver, Colorado; and several locations throughout California. Along with discussing his engineering work, he also wrote vivid descriptions of the local scenery and occasionally commented on politics. On May 30, 1894, he mentioned a group of Coxey's army members encamped near Denver, and he continued to report about strikers and additional unrest throughout June. Atkinson's final letters were written in early 1895, though his parents received a handful of later correspondence, including condolences for his death (July 19, 1898) and a letter from Charles Pollak, a family friend, regarding the death of Pollak's father (November 14, 1903). The ephemera item is a bloodstained handkerchief, labeled "Pearce Atkinson."

This collection contains correspondence and other materials related to the family of Samuel Prioleau Ravenel and his wife, Margaretta Fleming Parker Ravenel. Many of the letters concern life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Charleston, South Carolina, before, during, and after the Civil War (particularly during Reconstruction). Other items pertain to family news, European travel, and other subjects.

This collection is made up of correspondence, photographs, and other materials related to the family of Samuel Prioleau Ravenel and his wife Margaretta Fleming Parker Ravenel. Many of the letters concern life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Charleston, South Carolina, before, during, and after the Civil War.

The Correspondence series (215 items) comprises the bulk of the collection. Many of the earliest items are incoming personal letters to Clarissa Walton and Thomas Fleming from friends, their son. These and other early items largely pertain to everyday life and social activities in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Charleston, South Carolina. The series includes a group of letters that Thomas and Margaretta Fleming Parker wrote to the Flemings, his in-laws and her parents, about life in Charleston in 1861; Margaretta occasionally referred to the war. James McCarter wrote two letters from Charleston in June 1862 about the flight of civilians from the city and other effects of the war.

Ravenel family correspondence begins in the late 1850s with letters that Samuel Prioleau Ravenel received from a correspondent in Philadelphia; at the time, he lived in Pendleton, South Carolina. Ravenel began to correspond with Margaretta Parker in 1862, and they discussed their courtship, plans to marry, and daily lives until 1865. In letters to Margaretta and, in the late 1860s, to his father, Daniel, Samuel Prioleau Ravenel often wrote about Reconstruction policies, freedmen, and other political topics. Daniel Ravenel wrote to his son and his daughter-in-law about life in Charleston.

Samuel Prioleau and Margaretta Ravenel spent much of the late 1860s in Switzerland and in Paris, France, which Margaretta described in letters to her mother Clarissa Walton Fleming. Fleming responded with news from home, including comments about the 1868 presidential election and her life in Philadelphia. Throughout the 1870s, Samuel and Margaretta corresponded with their families about Charleston socialites and family news from South Carolina and their home in Highlands, North Carolina. They often discussed the births and growth of their children. A group of letters written in 1902 concerns the death of Samuel Prioleau Ravenel. Additional items from the early 20th century concern the Ravenel family's interest in a sugar mill and other topics.

The Photographs series (5 items) contains carte-de-visite portraits of S. Prioleau Ravenel in a military overcoat (1 item), Arthur Parker (1 item), and a woman, tentatively identified as Margaretta Ravenel or "Annie" (2 items), as well as a cabinet card photograph of three men around a table, taken in Mexico.

The Printed Items series (7 items) includes copies of a Supplement to Charleston Mercury (November 30, 1867), the Charleston Daily Courier-Extra (December 3, 1867), and The Charleston Mercury (May 2, 1868). Also included are a page from The Tri-Weekly Courier (December 9, 1867), a playbill for a production of Ten Nights in a Barroom at the Wardman Park theatre (April 23, 1929), a newspaper clipping containing a copy of "Mother Shipton's Prophecy" (undated), a calling card for "Miss Loat" of Balham Hill (undated); and a single book: Mason Smith Family Letters, 1860-1868, edited by Daniel E. Huger Smith, Alice R. Huger Smith, and Arney R. Childs (Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1950).

The Thomas Bradford family papers contain the incoming correspondence of the Philadelphia lawyer's family. The collection includes personal letters written by a variety of acquaintances, professional letters related to Bradford's financial affairs, and correspondence from his son Thomas, a Presbyterian minister.

The Thomas Bradford family papers contain the incoming correspondence of the Philadelphia lawyer's family. Many of the earliest letters in the collection relate to Thomas Bradford's personal finances, and much of the collection consists of letters written to Thomas and his wife Elizabeth by their children. Vincent L. and Juliet S. Bradford frequently wrote of their daily lives while living in Niles, Michigan, in the 1830s, where he worked as a lawyer. Thomas Budd Bradford also sent news to his father about his life in Michigan and about the Presbyterian Church in Warminster, Pennsylvania, after his return to Philadelphia. He frequently mentioned religion. Elizabeth Bradford, who married William T. Dwight, often wrote from her home in Portland, Maine, sharing family news. Other personal correspondence includes several letters of condolence written in March 1841, following a child's death, and a late letter from Thomas Bradford's grandson, Henry E. Dwight, who gave his opinion on American military action in Mexico (December 1, 1846). The collection also holds two drafts of an unsigned letter to President John Tyler, recommending William Bradford for the head of the Philadelphia Post Office (August 14, 1843).

Also included is a selection of personal correspondence addressed to Elizabeth Ann Bradford, wife of Samuel Bradford, Jr., of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, throughout the 1840s. She primarily received letters from female friends. Samuel and Elizabeth Bradford's relationship to the Thomas Bradford family is unclear.