This is a graduate history paper and was the early research which led to Goldstein's later book, Philadelphia and the China Trade, 1682-1846 (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1978).

This is principally correspondence between Henriette Girard, niece of Stephen Girard, and her husbands, Henri Lallemand and John Yardly Clark. Correspondents include Stephen Girard and other members of the family.

In addition to family and business correspondence, the Charles Nicoll Bancker Family Papers contains various documents, such as a furniture inventory volume (30pp.); a Daybook, 1795-1800 (120pp.); and a very interesting journal (unidentified, but by one of the Banckers, and filed under "Description of a trip..."), from New York to Albany and back, between July 20-Aug. 15, 1793 (1 vol., 31 pp.). It contains detailed observations of the Hudson River and the towns along the way. Bancker was involved in business and trade prior to 1826, and in insurance after that date, so there is material relating to those topics in this collection. He owned a substantial library of the period, which was used by Charles Wilkes's Expedition after 1837 (see Reynell Coates to Bancker). This library, along with Bancker's notable scientific instrument collection, was sold after his death and there are published auction catalogues in the collection. There is much family correspondence from: Anne E. Bancker, Charles Gerard Bancker, Evert Bancker, Sarah U. Bancker, Violetta Bancker Talbot, Elizabeth Bancker Teackle, and John Teackle.

From the Board of Trustees of the Estate of Stephen Girard, these films are the complete archive of one of the largest mercantile and financial operations in the United States of his day. The collection includes correpondence, with translations of letters in French (139 reels). It also includes bank records, account books, ledgers, cash books, and journals; papers, documents, and records of trading voyages (arranged by vessel and date); records of Girard's country house, "The Place"; records of real estate, rents, etc.; prices current of ports of the world. There is a card index of correspondents and ships (14 reels). Included is a card file, a unique and invaluable research tool, this is an index of names and places and alphabetical abstracts of Philadelphia newspaper items and advertisements for the period covering ca. 1718-1795. Roach made a systematic search through eighteenth-century newspapers and several other sources, for biographical and subject information on Philadelphians and Pennsylvanians of the period. It is primarily biographical , but subject headings, such as "The Barracks," "Blue Lion, Sign of the," "Custom House," are scattered throughout. The source of each entry is cited, and there are brief annotations. There is also a miscellaneous assortment of volumes that were received with the Kane family papers.