Resources in Early American History
 All
Sorted by:  
Results:  27 Items   Page: 1 2  Next

Subject

Abolition, emancipation, freedom (1)
Agricultural colleges -- Pennsylvania. (1)
Agriculture (1)
Americans -- China -- Social life and customs. (1)
Anishinaabe (1)
Astronomy -- 18th century (1)
Botany. (1)
British -- China -- Social life and customs -- 1644-1912. (1)
Business and politics -- Pennsylvania. (1)
Caddo Indians (1)
Canals -- New York (State) (1)
Chickasaw Indians (1)
Chippewa Indians (1)
Commerce. (2)
Compass. (1)
Court calendars -- Pennsylvania. (1)
Culture, community, organizations (1)
Dakota Indians (1)
Exploration (2)
Fort Augusta (Pa.) (1)
Fort Duquesne (1)
Fort Granville (Pa.) (1)
Fort Hunter (1)
Fort Pitt (Pa.) (1)
Fort William Henry (N.Y.) (1)
Fortification -- Pennsylvania. (1)
Fur trade -- Great Lakes (1)
Fur trade -- United States. (1)
Home economics -- United States -- Accounting (1)
Horticulture (1)
Hot springs -- Arkansas (1)
Household supplies -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia. (1)
Indians of North America -- Treaties (1)
Insurance agents -- United States. (1)
International trade (1)
Iroquois Indians (1)
Judges -- Pennsylvania. (1)
Lancaster County (Pa.) -- History (1)
Land speculation (1)
Law. (1)
Learned institutions and societies. (1)
Louisiana Purchase -- Discovery and exploration. (1)
Medical publishing (1)
Medicine -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia. (1)
Merchants -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia. (1)
Meteorology -- Louisiana (1)
Meteorology -- Observations. (1)
Meteorology -- Pennsylvania -- Observations (1)
Military supplies. (2)
Natural history -- Louisiana (1)
Neutrality (1)
Ojibwa Indians (1)
Osage Indians (1)
Osage Indians -- Treaties (1)
Ottawa Indians (1)
Pennsylvania -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 (1)
Pennsylvania -- History -- French and Indian War, 1755-1763 (1)
Philadelphia (Pa.) -- Commerce (1)
Philadelphia (Pa.) -- Social life and customs (1)
Quakers (1)
Race, race relations, racism (1)
Real property -- Pennsylvania. (1)
Reconstruction (1)
Religion, religious organizations (1)
Shippenburg Library Company (1)
Slaves, slavery, slave trade (1)
Social conditions, social advocacy, social reform (1)
Social problems. (1)
United States - Discovery and exploration. (1)
United States -- History -- French and Indian War, 1755-1763 (1)
United States. Army. Supplies and stores (1)
Voyages and travels. (2)
 Author:  Alexander, William, 1726-1783Requires cookie*
 Title:  Variation of the compass, 1773     
 Dates:  1773 
 Abstract:  This slender volume is an essay by William Alexander, a prominent figure in New Jersey politics and business. Alexander wrote this essay with the hope that it would spur the American Philosophical Society to support the study of variations in compasses. Alexander's interest in this subject likely had to do with his background as a merchant. He realized compass variations created inefficiencies and risks for captains and the merchants that relied on them. Alexander appeals specifically to the APS's mission by stating that such a study would be "useful to mankind." Alexander's essays shows that he is conversant in many of the current theories about variations. He also proposed a plan for the APS to facilitate a systematic study of compass variations that he believed would produce a clear general law for variations in compasses.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.522.76.Al2 
 Extent:  1 item(s) 
 Topics:  Science and technology | Surveying and Maps | Trade 
 Genre:  Scientific Correspondence | Scientific Data 
 Subjects:  Astronomy -- 18th century | Compass. | Learned institutions and societies. 
 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.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 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.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 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:  Billings, William, 1746-1800Requires cookie*
 Title:  Journals of the Ship Apollo, 1789-1791     
 Dates:  1789-1791 
 Abstract:  These journals (three volumes) chronicle the voyages of Apollo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1789-1791. William Billings was the captain of this Philadelphia-based ship. The destinations were Oporto and Corunna, and trade was the purpose for the voyages. Nonetheless, the ship's captain, William Billings, used the opportunity to study the Gulf Stream. He made numerous observations about the ocean temperature and weather with the apparent intention of submitting his findings to the American Philosophical Society. He paid particular attention to marking and studying the Gulf Stream. The journals were partially published in with a note in Transactions of the American Philosophical Society shortly after they were received in 1793. The originals are much longer than those published and include additional observations not published and graphs that could not be replicated.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.656.B49 
 Extent:  2 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Business and Skilled Trades | International Travel | Trade 
 Genre:  Meteorological Data | Scientific Data 
 Subjects:  Meteorology -- Observations. | Voyages and travels. 
 Author:  Bohlen, JohnRequires cookie*
 Title:  John Bohlen Collection     
 Dates:  1889-1912 
 Abstract:  John Bohlen was a prominent Philadelphia merchant in the nineteenth century, dying a millionaire. Bohlen, a Hollander, established a firm with his brother that specialized in trade with his native country. His greatest success came in the lucrative gin trade. As his business increased, so too did his connections. He served on the Board of the first Bank of the United States and was well-connected with highest the political and business leaders in the nation. Although John Bohlen was a prominent and successful businessman, these documents have little bearing on Bohlen himself. Instead, they are a series of letters (ten total) written by prominent Americans either to Bohlen or to his relatives.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.B.B63 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Business and Skilled Trades | International Trade. | Philadelphia History | Religion | Trade 
 Genre:  General Correspondence 
 Author:  Burd, James, 1726-1793Requires cookie*
 Title:  Burd-Shippen Papers     
 Dates:  1708-1792 
 Abstract:  This collection is one of the largest early American collections the APS holds. Its breadth of sources provides insight into colonial Pennsylvania history, especially that of Lancaster County. Although largely material composed of material from James Burd, there are also significant documents relating to the Shippen family. Documents touch on matters financial, political, and social. While the collection is of wide ranging material, its strength lies in three main parts: the Seven Years' War and Pontiac's Rebellion in Pennsylvania, Burd's business records, and life in Lancaster County from 1754-1776.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.B.B892 
 Extent:  6.5 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Business and Skilled Trades | Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Land and Speculation | Military History | Native America | Pennsylvania History | Seven Years' War | Surveying and Maps | Trade 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Diaries | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Miscellaneous | Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Court calendars -- Pennsylvania. | Fort Augusta (Pa.) | Fort Duquesne | Fort Granville (Pa.) | Fort Hunter | Fort Pitt (Pa.) | Fort William Henry (N.Y.) | Fortification -- Pennsylvania. | Iroquois Indians | Lancaster County (Pa.) -- History | Meteorology -- Pennsylvania -- Observations | Military supplies. | Pennsylvania -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 | Pennsylvania -- History -- French and Indian War, 1755-1763 | Philadelphia (Pa.) -- Commerce | Shippenburg Library Company | United States -- History -- French and Indian War, 1755-1763 | United States. Army. Supplies and stores 
 Author:  Carson, Joseph, 1808-1876Requires cookie*
 Title:  Joseph Carson papers, 1810-1877     
 Dates:  1810-1877 
 Abstract:  The APS collection of Joseph Carson's letters is relatively small, especially for the purposes of this guide. Joseph Carson was a Philadelphia born and educated physician who spent time serving as a ship's physician. The collection has six documents from before 1850. They range from letters to receipts to notes from a lecture. Of particular significance is a very long letter Carson wrote from Calcultta in 1830 to Samuel Grant, an associate in the U.S.. Carson had been asked to carry a bill of exchange for Grant, which he had some difficulty disposing of because Grant's credit was not well-known, and to purchase goods on Grant's behalf for sale in the U.S.. Carson details the process and availability of goods in India, and the reasons for his decision to purchase silk and indigo for Grant. Carson then goes on to describe his experience on the trip, stating that he "played the part of merchant and doctor."

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.B.C239 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Americans Abroad | Education | Medicine | Trade 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Educational Material | General Correspondence | Notebooks 
 Subjects:  Botany. | Medical publishing | Medicine -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia. 
 Author:  Clark, William, 1770-1838Requires cookie*
 Title:  William Clark diary, August 25, 1808 - September 22, 1808     
 Dates:  August 25, 1808 - September 22, 1808 
 Abstract:  This document is a private journal of William Clark from his time as an Indian agent in the Midwest after the completion of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The journal chronicles his expedition to treat with the Osage Indians. The journal contains a wealth of information, including a vivid account of every days' events, a sketch of a map, and a chronicle of the Indian-white relations.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.917.3.L58c 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Native America | Trade | Travel 
 Genre:  Sketchbooks | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Indians of North America -- Treaties | Osage Indians -- Treaties 
 Author:  Clark, William, 1770-1838Requires cookie*
 Title:  William Clark journal, January 6-10, 1806     
 Dates:  January 6-10, 1806 
 Abstract:  This document is a private journal of William Clark, one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It describes possible trade routes in the west and also contains a sketch, estimated locations of places, and distances between them. There are also extended entries on daily activities for January 6-10, 1806. It is believed that this daily account is either a rough draft or another account of the days' events.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.917.3.L58.cl 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Native America | Trade 
 Genre:  Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Exploration | Fur trade -- United States. | Louisiana Purchase -- Discovery and exploration. | United States - Discovery and exploration. 
 Author:  Dunbar, William, 1749-1810Requires cookie*
 Title:  Expedition Journals     
 Dates:  1804-1806 
 Abstract:  The William Dunbar expedition journal contains a variety of information on his travel through what would become Arkansas. His writing is lucid and detailed. Dunbar noted meteorological observations and a variety of flora and fauna the expedition encountered, sometimes drawing comparisons to what other naturalists had observed, such as William Bartram in East Florida. He also described encounters with settlers and comments on the geopolitical history of the region. Finally, he chronicles the customs of Native Americans in the area, which are often based on not personal interactions. Notably, George Hunter, the second in command on the expedition, did tend to note interactions with Native peoples. His journal is also held at the APS.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.917.7.D91 
 Extent:  0.1 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Exploration. | Native America | Trade | Travel 
 Genre:  Meteorological Data | Sketchbooks | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Caddo Indians | Chickasaw Indians | Chippewa Indians | Dakota Indians | Exploration | Hot springs -- Arkansas | Meteorology -- Louisiana | Natural history -- Louisiana | Ojibwa Indians | Osage Indians 
 Author:  Galiani, Ferdinando, 1728-1787Requires cookie*
 Title:  Laws of neutrality     
 Dates:  1775 
 Abstract:  Sometime in the 19th Century, Stephen Du Ponceau translated Ferdinando Galiani's famous tract on the laws of neutrality. These two bound volumes of Galiani's work appear to be in Du Ponceau's hand and bound within the text are long and detailed notes on the work. Du Ponceau's interest likely had to do with his legal career that dealt with issues of international trade, a focus that is a prominent part of Du Ponceau's papers at the APS.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.341.3.G13 
 Extent:  2 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Diplomatic History | International Affairs | Trade 
 Genre:  Manuscript Essays 
 Subjects:  International trade | Law. | Neutrality 
 Author:  Girard, Stephen--Estate, 1750-1831Requires cookie*
 Title:  Stephen Girard Financial data and analysis     
 Dates:  Circa 1775-1800 
 Abstract:  This collection contains a detailed analysis of Stephen Girard's finances compiled by an economic historian. The box contains computer print outs that analyzes his finances on an annual basis.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.B.G44bo 
 Extent:  1 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Business and Skilled Trades | International Trade. | Trade 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Research Records and Reports 
 Author:  Hicks, Isaac.Requires cookie*
 Title:  Isaac Hicks account books, 1772-1797, 1810-1824     
 Dates:  1772-1824 
 Abstract:  These two volumes record Isaac Hick's financial transactions in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where Hicks was a magistrate (justice of the peace). The volumes cover the American Revolution and early republic. The types of transactions recorded are generally payments for services, although other transactions are recorded, such as how much he paid for whiskey. The volumes contain a name index in the front.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.B.H521 
 Extent:  2 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Business and Skilled Trades | Government Affairs | Law | Trade 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Legal Records | Official Government Documents and Records 
 Subjects:  Judges -- Pennsylvania. 
 Author:  Latrobe, Benjamin Henry, 1764-1820Requires cookie*
 Title:  Opinion On A Project For Removing the Obstructions To A Ship Navigation To Georgetown, Col.     
 Dates:  1812 
 Abstract:  This volume from Thomas Jefferson's personal library contains a series of pamphlets dealing with internal improvements that Jefferson bound together. The earliest and first one in the series dates to 1812 and is by Benjamin Latrobe. There are also official state reports on internal improvements, most notably from New York, and one from France and another from Great Britain. One of the pamphlets has detailed sketches of canal boats.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.626.L35o 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Engineering | International Trade. | Science and technology | Trade 
 Genre:  Printed Material 
 Author:  Morris, Anthony,1766-1860.Requires cookie*
 Title:  Anthony Morris papers, ca. 1690-1830     
 Dates:  Circa 1690-1830 
 Abstract:  The Anthony Morris Collection is a miscellaneous collection of materials relating to the life of this Philadelphia businessman. The type of material includes some correspondence, many receipts, various business records, and a few deeds, one of which dates to 1681. Most of the documents come from early to mid nineteenth century. There is a particularly large collection of Anthony Morris's correspondence, dating mostly to the early nineteenth century. There are also architectural drawings of a Fellenberg Institution, a school that would use the educational techniques created by a Swiss educator. The Institution was proposed to be built on Morris' property. Morris, born in 1766 and dying in 1860, was from a prominent Philadelphia family and served as a merchant and legislator.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.B.M836 
 Extent:  1 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Business and Skilled Trades | Education | Trade 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Educational Material | General Correspondence | Sketchbooks 
 Subjects:  Agricultural colleges -- Pennsylvania. 
 Author:  New York (State). Canal CommissionersRequires cookie*
 Title:  New York (State). Canal Commissioners. Records     
 Dates:  1825-1826 
 Abstract:  This collection contains official documents and correspondence of the New York State Canal Commission for the years 1825-1826. Although a small collection, it does contain some interesting documents, including correspondence among officials who discuss building new canals, a petition from inhabitants near Seneca Lake that offers their opinion on the best route for a canal near them, and official reports of the commissioners.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.629.9.N47d 
 Extent:  7 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Business and Skilled Trades | Colony and State Specific History | Engineering | Government Affairs | Trade 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Miscellaneous | Official Government Documents and Records 
 Subjects:  Canals -- New York (State) 
 Author:  Pemberton, Israel, 1715-1779Requires cookie*
 Title:  Israel Pemberton, Letterbook D, 1744-1747     
 Dates:  1744-1747 
 Abstract:  The Israel Pemberton Letter book contains a range of data on Philadelphia shipping and trade. Pemberton was a merchant who had connections to Samuel Coates (Mss.B.C632 , Mss.C.632.1d , Mss.B.C632.1). These records precede Coates and pertain to trade in Philadelphia during the 1740s. They show a merchant with strong ties throughout the Atlantic World. His letters discuss a range of business matters, such as prices of commodities, costs of insurance, and general trade environment. Pemberton's letters discuss intercolonial trade with Maryland and Virginia (tobacco in particular), while others with matters in Europe and the Caribbean (sugar, rum, bar iron), reflecting his various trading interests. In addition to the business correspondence, Pemberton's letters occasionally discuss more quotidian matters, describing events in Philadelphia and relaying news he hears from abroad and on very rare occasions his family affairs.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.380.P36 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Business and Skilled Trades | International Trade. | Philadelphia History | Social Life and Custom | Trade 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | General Correspondence 
 Subjects:  Commerce. 
 Author:  Reynell, John,1708-1784.Requires cookie*
 Title:  John Reynell daybook, 1731-1732     
 Dates:  1731-1732 
 Abstract:  Although the John Reynell daybook is most often noted for its early reference to Benjamin Franklin, the content of this slender volume also provides insight into the economy of Philadelphia for this period. The daybook contains Reynell's financial records for 1731-1732. Reynell's business interests seem focused on the West Indies trade, and he records shipments and sales of sugar, indigo, and other goods to Philadelphians.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.B.R33 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Business and Skilled Trades | International Trade. | Philadelphia History | Trade 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts 
 Subjects:  Commerce. | Merchants -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia. 
 Author:  Rogers, Robert, 1731-1795Requires cookie*
 Title:  Estimate of the Fur and Peltry Trade in the District of Michilimackinac     
 Dates:  1767 
 Abstract:  This rich document provides insight into a facet of post-Seven Years War British imperial thought and planning as officials tried to consolidate their holdings. Robert Roger's manuscript essay includes a detailed plan for how the British Empire should handle its expansion, estimates the fiscal needs of western posts, and proposes a form of government for these new areas that would maintain peace for Indians, British troops, and settlers.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.970.1.R63 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | International Trade. | Native America | Trade 
 Genre:  Manuscript Essays | Official Government Documents and Records 
 Subjects:  Anishinaabe | Fur trade -- Great Lakes | Ottawa Indians 
 Author:  Shippen, EdwardRequires cookie*
 Title:  Edward Shippen letters and papers, 1727-1781     
 Dates:  1727-1781 
 Abstract:  The Edward Shippen Collection is composed of two discrete sections: two boxes of manuscripts and ten letter books. What follows is an overview of some of the most notable documents and themes in the correspondence.

View finding aid for a full description

 
 Call #:  Mss.B.Sh62 
 Extent:  10 volume(s) 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Americans Abroad | Business and Skilled Trades | Colonial Politics | Education | International Travel | Marriage and Family Life | Military History | Pennsylvania History | Philadelphia History | Seven Years' War | Social Life and Custom | Surveying and Maps | Trade | Travel 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Maps and Surveys | Military Records | Political Correspondence | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Business and politics -- Pennsylvania. | Military supplies. | Real property -- Pennsylvania. 
Page: 1 2  Next