Resources in Early American History
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Abolition, emancipation, freedom (5)
Africa (1)
Agriculture (1)
Agriculture -- United States. (1)
American loyalists. (1)
Americans -- China -- Social life and customs. (1)
Arctic Indians (1)
Arctic regions-Pictorial works (1)
Art -- United States. (1)
Avesta (1)
Balloons -- Early works to 1800 (1)
Bees. (1)
Botanical gardens -- New Jersey. (1)
Botany -- 18th century (1)
Bridges -- 18th century (1)
British -- China -- Social life and customs -- 1644-1912. (1)
Business and politics -- Pennsylvania. (1)
Cartography. (1)
Charities -- United States. (1)
China -- Foreign relations -- United States (1)
Civil engineering -- United States. (1)
Colonization, repatriation (1)
Craven Street Gazette (1)
Culture, community, organizations (1)
Drawing. (1)
Education -- United States (1)
Egyptian language -- Writing, Hieroglyphic (1)
Electricity -- Early works to 1800 (1)
Engineering. (1)
Epidemics -- United States (1)
Estate -- Valuation (1)
Exploration (1)
Explorers -- United States (1)
Finance,Personal (1)
France -- Description and travel (1)
France -- Politics and government -- 1789-1815 (1)
Funeral rites and ceremonies -- Egypt (1)
Gardening -- United States. (1)
Genealogy. (1)
Geological Survey of Pennsylvania (1)
Geology -- Maps (1)
Geology -- Nova Scotia -- Surveys (1)
Geology -- Pennsylvania (1)
Geometry -- Study and teaching (1)
Germany -- Description and travel (1)
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1789-1820 (1)
Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 18th century (1)
Grinnell Expedition, 1st, 1850-1851 (1)
Grinnell Expedition, 2d, 1853-1855 (1)
Hawaiian language (1)
 Author:  Bache familyRequires cookie*
 Title:  Bache family papers, 1770-1890 (bulk), 1770-1923 (inclusive)     
 Dates:  1770-1923 (Bulk 1770-1890) 
 Abstract:  The Bache Family collection contains a range of letters from members of the extended Franklin-Bache family, descendants of Benjamin Franklin. Although the vast majority are from the early republic, there are some papers from the twentieth century that involve Franklin's legacy (the collection appears to have been acquired by the APS in 1938). Among the correspondence included are letters to and from Benjamin Franklin Bache, William Temple Franklin, Sarah Franklin Bache, Richard Bache, William Bache and Catherine Wistar Bache.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.B121 
 Extent:  50 item(s) 
 Topics:  Law | Marriage and Family Life | Printing and Publishing | Women's History 
 Genre:  Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Legal Records | Miscellaneous 
 Author:  Bache, Catherine Wistar, 1770-1820Requires cookie*
 Title:  Catharine Wistar Bache Papers     
 Dates:  1788-1822 
 Abstract:  This relatively small collection contains rich correspondence often directed to Catherine Wistar Bache, the daughter of prominent doctor Caspar Wistar and wife of Richard Bache's son. The collection is one of the many to the Bache-Franklin collections at the APS. This specific collection contains numerous letters from other women, often wives and mothers, to Catherine. There are a few letters to Caspar Wistar and William Bache (Catherine's husband), which often discuss current events, specifically Anthony Wayne's victory at Fallen Timbers in 1794 and the Whiskey Rebellion. The letters to Catherine discuss current affairs, such as the Yellow Fever epidemic and the War of 1812. More often, however, the letters relate family and personal matters. The letters primarily discuss husbands, family activities, children, and other such topics. Some of the early letters also touch upon gender relations and courtship. For instance, a male correspondent wrote Catherine that he has not received any letters from his "female correspondents" and was thus hoping "to renew the friendly intercourse," and Mary Eddy discussed flirtations. The correspondence in this collection spans more than thirty years, and therefore also provides insight on the changing concerns of Catherine as a young single woman, wife, and mother. William Bache was sent to Louisiana in 1803 in an official post overseeing a hospital. Discussion of moving to Louisiana is included in the collection, during which references to "Captain Lewis" are made, likely Meriwether Lewis. Because of her position in society, these letters often provide portraits and anecdotes of prominent figures.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.B124 
 Extent:  0.75 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Early National Politics | Marriage and Family Life | Native America | Philadelphia History | Social Life and Custom | War of 1812 | Women's History 
 Genre:  Family Correspondence 
 Subjects:  United States -- History -- War of 1812 | United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1809 | Yellow fever -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia 
 Author:  Bache, Sarah Franklin, 1743-1808Requires cookie*
 Title:  Sarah Franklin Bache Papers     
 Dates:  1768-1807 
 Abstract:  The Sarah Franklin Bache Papers, along with the various other Bache family papers, provides great insight into the family relations of the extended Franklin family. The correspondence in this collection ranges from 1768-1807 and thus traverses a number of significant historical events. Much of the correspondence relates to family life and is personal in nature. The letters provide a clear picture of Sally as the central figure in the Franklin family, corresponding with all members of the family, including her brother William after he had been disowned by his father. Notably, most of the letters are to and from other women, showing that Sally was also a central figure in a network of prominent women in the Atlantic World and early republic who corresponded about their lives and current events.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.B1245 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Early National Politics | International Affairs | Marriage and Family Life | Medicine | Philadelphia History | Social Life and Custom | Women's History 
 Genre:  Family Correspondence | Political Correspondence 
 Subjects:  Yellow fever -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- 18th century. 
 Author:  Bancker familyRequires cookie*
 Title:  Charles Nicoll Bancker family papers, 1733-1894     
 Dates:  1733-1894 
 Abstract:  This extensive collection (13 boxes) contains a range of correspondence, although the bulk of it relates to Charles Nicoll Bancker, a prominent Philadelphia businessman in the 1800s. The letters provide a picture of the family life and business career of Bancker from his earliest beginnings to his success later in life. Aside from the Charles Bancker portion of the collection, the holdings contain a wide variety of other documents, ranging from colonial era documents written in Dutch in Albany to letters from James Madison to Thomas Jefferson from the nineteenth century on religious education.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.B22.c 
 Extent:  3.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Antebellum Politics | Business and Skilled Trades | Colonial Politics | Colony and State Specific History | Early National Politics | Education | Land and Speculation | Literature, Arts, and Culture | Marriage and Family Life | Pennsylvania History | Philadelphia History | Social Life and Custom | Trade | Travel | Women's History 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Literature | Manuscript Essays | Political Correspondence | Sketchbooks | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Insurance agents -- United States. 
 Author:  Bancker, James A.Requires cookie*
 Title:  James A. Bancker papers, 1842-1849     
 Dates:  1842-1849 
 Abstract:  This collection of letters (40+) consists primarily of James Bancker writing to his family from Asia in the 1840s. The collection offers a vivid depiction of an American's life abroad in the nineteenth century. The letters convey quotidian information, such as the type of food he is eating, to more remarkable events, such as witnessing a comet. Bancker also witnessed a number of significant political events while in China, including the acquisition of Hong Kong by Great Britain and resistance to this takeover from the Hong Kong residents (1842-1843). These events, the rioting in particular, are recounted in his often long and detailed correspondence to his Philadelphia-based family. Bancker spent much of his time in Canton, but he also described visits to the Philippines and voyage to and from China. Combined, the collection provides a lens in the experiences of a wealthy American traveling abroad in the midst of the nineteenth century.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.B22 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Americans Abroad | Beyond Early America | Business and Skilled Trades | International Trade. | International Travel | Marriage and Family Life | Trade | Travel 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence 
 Subjects:  Americans -- China -- Social life and customs. | British -- China -- Social life and customs -- 1644-1912. | Voyages and travels. 
 Author:  Cassin, Charles Luke, 1846-1878Requires cookie*
 Title:  Charles Luke Cassin papers, 1745-1878     
 Dates:  1745-1878 
 Abstract:  The Cassin Collection is heavily focused on Charles Luke Cassin's correspondence in the late nineteenth century. Charles Cassin was a physician in the U.S. Navy in the late-nineteenth century. His family's roots date to the colonial era. There are approximately seven documents from the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, however. This portion of the collection includes three legal documents from colonial Pennsylvania that were likely handed down through the family: one is a will for Aaron Thompson dated 1745, another is an indenture from 1758, and another is a copy of a court decision in Berks County in 1774. There are two letters from James Mullins to Eliza Cassin relating to their past affairs and children. Finally, there are official documents relating to Joseph Cassin, Charles Luke's father, including a commission in the U.S. Navy signed by James Madison.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.C274 
 Extent:  70 item(s) 
 Topics:  Marriage and Family Life | Military History 
 Genre:  Family Correspondence | Legal Records | Military Records | Official Government Documents and Records 
 Subjects:  Medicine -- United States. | Trust indentures. 
 Author:  Clymer, George, 1739-1813Requires cookie*
 Title:  George Clymer Papers, 1745-1848     
 Dates:  1745-1848 
 Abstract:  This small collection contains just twenty-seven documents relating to the life of George Clymer, one of the most prominent politicians in revolutionary Philadelphia. The majority of the collection dates to after Clymer's death and relates to his estate, beginning first with his will dated January 22, 1813. There are a few documents written by Clymer in the collection. The most notable one may be a long letter from Clymer that discusses education, particularly mathematics and mathematicians.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.C625 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Business and Skilled Trades | Education | Land and Speculation | Marriage and Family Life 
 Genre:  Educational Material | General Correspondence | Legal Records 
 Subjects:  Estate -- Valuation | Finance,Personal | Patents -- Pennsylvania | Power of Attorney -- Pennsylvania | Trust indentures-United States 
 Author:  Fisher family.Requires cookie*
 Title:  Fisher family papers, 1797-1825     
 Dates:  1797-1825 
 Abstract:  This collection houses an assortment of papers relating to the Fisher family of Philadelphia. Miers Fisher was a prominent Philadelphia lawyer. Assorted papers of his two sons are also included. Samuel Fisher was a merchant in Philadelphia and his brother, Miers Jr., was a merchant in Russia. This collection captures the breadth of this prominent family's social and economic connections.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.F530-F532 
 Extent:  1 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Americans Abroad | Business and Skilled Trades | Diplomatic History | International Affairs | International Trade. | Marriage and Family Life | Pennsylvania History | Social Life and Custom | Travel 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Diplomatic Material | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Meteorological Data | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Meteorology -- Observations -- Europe. 
 Author:  Fox familyRequires cookie*
 Title:  Fox Family papers, ca. 1690-1915     
 Dates:  1690-1915 
 Abstract:  This collection contains information on the prominent Philadelphian Fox family with a large portion of the collection focusing on the family's land holdings and business dealings. George Fox was a close friend of William Temple Franklin, who bequeathed to Fox his grandfather's papers. George Fox was a doctor educated at the University of Pennsylvania. His brother Samuel was a businessman. Samuel's son Charles became a doctor. The collection reflects various papers relating to the lives and careers of these three men.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.F832f 
 Extent:  2 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Americans Abroad | Business and Skilled Trades | Education | International Travel | Land and Speculation | Law | Literature, Arts, and Culture | Marriage and Family Life | Medicine | Pennsylvania History | Social Life and Custom | Surveying and Maps 
 Genre:  Commonplace Book | Diaries | Educational Material | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Maps and Surveys | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Author:  Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790Requires cookie*
 Title:  Benjamin Franklin Papers, 1642-1841     
 Dates:  1642-1841 
 Abstract:  The Papers of Benjamin Franklin are a rich source as varied and expansive as Dr. Franklin's storied life. The Collection has been calendared, catalogued, and much of it is transcribed in printed volumes and online at www.franklinpapers.org.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.F85 
 Extent:  85.5 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Americans Abroad | Business and Skilled Trades | Diplomatic History | Government Affairs | International Travel | Land and Speculation | Marriage and Family Life | Military History | Pennsylvania History | Printing and Publishing | Social Life and Custom 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Diplomatic Material | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Manuscript Essays | Political Correspondence | Printed Material | Scientific Correspondence 
 Subjects:  Abolition, emancipation, freedom | Electricity -- Early works to 1800 | Postal service -- United States | Printers -- Pennsylvania | Slaves, slavery, slave trade | Social conditions, social advocacy, social reform 
 Author:  Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790Requires cookie*
 Title:  James S. and Frances M. Bradford Collection     
 Dates:  1749-1898 
 Abstract:  The Bradford Collection contains a signficant portion of Franklin correspondence. It includes a miscellany of Franklin writings that includes things like vocabularies and a mock newspaper he composed in 1774. The bulk of the collection contains correspondence Franklin had with the Stevenson and Hewson families, especially with Polly Stevenson Hewson.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.F85.bra 
 Extent:  0.5 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Colonial Politics | International Affairs | Marriage and Family Life | Social Life and Custom 
 Genre:  Family Correspondence | General Correspondence 
 Subjects:  Craven Street Gazette | Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 18th century 
 Author:  Franklin, William Temple, 1760-1823Requires cookie*
 Title:  William Temple Franklin Papers     
 Dates:  1775-1819 
 Abstract:  This is a large collection of William Temple Franklin papers, most of which were written while he was serving alongside his grandfather in France as the secretary of the American mission there. The bulk of the collection is correspondence written to William Temple Franklin during the American Revolution. Franklin had a wide network of friends and associates, and this correspondence captures the range of dealings Franklin had in France. As secretary, he received intelligence, requests, reports of military actions, especially those pertaining to naval actions in the Atlantic, and various other communications. As a private individual, Franklin had relations with many merchants, traders, and land speculators and continued to cultivate these relationships while in Europe. The Collection also includes a diary kept in an almanac for much of 1785, catalogued separately in MOLE.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.F86 
 Extent:  4.75 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Americans Abroad | Business and Skilled Trades | Diplomatic History | International Travel | Land and Speculation | Marriage and Family Life | Military History 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Diplomatic Material | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Political Correspondence 
 Subjects:  Balloons -- Early works to 1800 | Mesmerism 
 Author:  Franklin, William, 1731-1813Requires cookie*
 Title:  William Franklin Papers     
 Dates:  1757-1813 
 Abstract:  This is a small but rich collection of William Franklin papers, most of which were written during the imperial crisis and American Revolution when Franklin served variously as royal governor of New Jersey and governor of occupied New York. The collection is a mix of official documents issued by William Franklin as governor and private correspondence with other prominent political officials, such as Joseph Galloway, speaker of colonial Pennsylvania's Assembly and a fellow loyalist. Among his private correspondence is a series of letters written to Thomas Wharton that touch upon the Franklin family's dealings in land speculation in Western Pennsylvania. William was involved in the New Jersey-based Burlington Land Company. There are also a few family letters William wrote to his son William Temple Franklin and Sarah Franklin Bache.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.F861 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Americans Abroad | Colonial Politics | Colony and State Specific History | International Affairs | Marriage and Family Life 
 Genre:  Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence 
 Subjects:  American loyalists. | Land speculation 
 Author:  Gibson, Elizabeth Bordley, 1777-1863Requires cookie*
 Title:  Elizabeth Bordley Gibson Papers     
 Dates:  1795-1863 
 Abstract:  This collection contains materials which may be of interest to students of Early American History.

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 Call #:  Mss.SMs.Coll.30 
 Extent:  1.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Marriage and Family Life | Social Life and Custom | Women's History 
 Genre:  Family Correspondence 
 Author:  Girard family.Requires cookie*
 Title:  Girard family papers, 1819-1880     
 Dates:  1819-1880 
 Abstract:  This collection contains photocopies of correspondence from and among members of Stephen Girard's family. Much of the correspondence deals with family matters.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.G44 
 Extent:  0.5 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Marriage and Family Life | Philadelphia History 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Family Correspondence 
 Author:  Hewson family.Requires cookie*
 Title:  Hewson family papers, 1767-1836     
 Dates:  1767-1836 
 Abstract:  The Hewson's were close to the Franklin family. Mary Stevenson Hewson was Franklin's landlady when he was in London, and they maintained a correspondence throughout their lives. This collection contains some of the family correspondence. Most are not originals, which are in private hands. The original manuscripts are primarily letters to and from Mary Stevenson Hewson. Of note is a poem/prayer written by Mary Stevenson Hewson. The MOLE record is very detailed, but the record does not mention records of a controversy Benjamin Franklin had with Dr. William Hunter that are part of this collection.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.H492.h, .br, .b1, .b 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Marriage and Family Life | Social Life and Custom | Women's History 
 Genre:  General Correspondence 
 Subjects:  Medicine. 
 Author:  Hutchinson, James, 1752-1793Requires cookie*
 Title:  James Hutchinson papers, 1771-1928     
 Dates:  1771-1928 
 Abstract:  The James Hutchinson Papers detail this prominent Philadelphian's medical education and life. The collection includes records of Hutchinson's formal education, lectures he either attended or delivered, and his travels throughout London to advance his career. The documents from the American Revolution provide interesting commentary on events happening in Philadelphia and how the Revolution affected Quakers.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.H97p 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Americans Abroad | Education | Marriage and Family Life | Medicine | Philadelphia History | Religion 
 Genre:  Educational Material | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Miscellaneous 
 Subjects:  Medicine -- Study and teaching -- England -- London -- 18th century. | Medicine -- Study and teaching -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- 18th century. 
 Author:  LeConte family.Requires cookie*
 Title:  LeConte family papers, 1827-1901     
 Dates:  1827-1901 
 Abstract:  This small collection has a few documents that are primarily correspondence within the family, most of which come after the Civil War.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.L493f 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Marriage and Family Life 
 Genre:  Family Correspondence 
 Subjects:  Natural history. 
 Author:  Lesley, J. P. (J. Peter), 1819-1903Requires cookie*
 Title:  J.P. Lesley Papers     
 Dates:  1826-1898 
 Abstract:  J.P. Lesley was a prominent Pennsylvanian who became a leading geologist. This collection contains a range of materials that relate to his life. The content of the correspondence is not just scientific. Instead, subjects span a wide-range of topics, including European travel, the Civil War, politics, art, literature, personal affairs, and family matters. The papers also reflect Lesley wide-ranging scientific interests. Although a geologist, Lesley also dabbled in demographic studies, religion, and philology. A fair amount of the collection is from the 1850s and beyond. Much of this early correspondence is among family members, but some letters are from prominent reformers, such as Lydia Maria Child. Among the Lesley papers are poems, journals, and notebooks. Two boxes date from 1841 to 1851, which, notably, deal with the period before Lesley became a full-time geologist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.L56 
 Extent:  7.75 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Americans Abroad | International Travel | Literature, Arts, and Culture | Marriage and Family Life 
 Genre:  Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Literature | Scientific Data | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Abolition, emancipation, freedom | Avesta | Cartography. | Charities -- United States. | Education -- United States | Egyptian language -- Writing, Hieroglyphic | France -- Description and travel | Funeral rites and ceremonies -- Egypt | Geological Survey of Pennsylvania | Geology -- Maps | Geology -- Nova Scotia -- Surveys | Geology -- Pennsylvania | Germany -- Description and travel | Hawaiian language | Javanese language | Nova Scotia -- Surveys | Obelisks | Paleontology -- Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania -- Surveys | Philology | Poems | Slavery -- United States. | Social conditions, social advocacy, social reform | Switzerland -- Description and travel | Transcendentalism | Unitarianism 
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