| | 1 | Author: | Lee, Richard Henry, 1732-1794 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Richard Henry Lee Papers
| | | | Dates: | 1766-1823 | | | | Abstract: | This collection of Richard Henry Lee correspondence is most notable for its rich content relating to the movement for Independence, military matters during the war, and the politics of ratification and the early republic. Because much of the correspondence is incoming, the letters offer insight into a wide range of other topics – and snapshots of events happening in areas beyond Lee's home state of Virginia. Frequent correspondents during the revolutionary era include John Dickinson, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Rush, and George Washington, among others. Almost all of these letters contain discussions of politics that offer significant insight into the letter writer's political thought and rich details on events happening throughout British America. Among Rush's correspondence is a series of letters written following the Battle of Princeton that relate the treatment Rush administered to a Hugh Mercer, who later died of his wounds.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.L51 | | | | Extent: | 0.5 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | American Revolution | Early National Politics | Military History | | | | Genre: | Political Correspondence | | | | Subjects: | Non-importation agreements, 1768-1769 | Stamp Act, 1765 | |
| 2 | Author: | unknown | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Samuel Miles Papers, 1776-1802
| | | | Dates: | 1776-1802 | | | | Abstract: | The Samuel Miles Collection contains three sets of documents. One includes correspondence. The other contains autobiographical information that covers Miles life from his time in the Seven Years' War to the American Revolution, and a third contains financial information pertaining to the family. Miles served in the Pennsylvania militia during the Seven Years' War. During the Revolution, he was an officer and a POW. Later, he was a Federalist official. These experiences are well-documented in the collection. An account book from his time as a POW provides insight on the daily activity of many prisoners of war. Entries include donations for funerals, coffins, and other items related to the prisoner of war experience. There are additional pieces of correspondence from the American Revolution. A letter from Catherine Miles, Samuel's wife, is included in the correspondence and discusses property in Philadelphia that she worried would be used by the Army. There are also a couple of letters from Joshua Loring, the British officer in charge of prisoners, reprimanding Miles and other American officers for their behavior.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.M589 | | | | Extent: | 16 item(s) | | | | Topics: | American Revolution | Early National Politics | Military History | Seven Years' War | | | | Genre: | Autobiography | Military Records | | | | Subjects: | Long Island (N.Y.), Battle of, 1776 | United States -- History -- French and Indian War, 1755-1763 -- Personal narratives | United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Personal narratives | United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Prisoners and prisons | |
| 5 | Author: | Dawes, Elizabeth F.,collector. | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Dawes Collection of Documents on American History
| | | | Dates: | 1681-1921 | | | | Abstract: | This is a collection of miscellaneous documents from early America. The earliest documents come from the early 18th century and the latest from the Civil War era. The collection contains a few documents from the revolutionary period, most of which are official governments documents or deal with business transactions. There is one long letter from Robert McPherson, a member of the Pennsylvania Flying Camp, that describes his experience. Perhaps reflecting her ancestral home, the collection contains a small but notable collection of materials from South Carolina, including a very early letter from Francis Le Jau and letters from the Marquis de Lafayette about an expected trip to South Carolina. There are a significant number of documents from Pennsylvania, especially legal documents, from the early republic. The letters from Clement Biddle, a former revolutionary war soldier, also provide insight on early national Indian relations Finally, there are also some significant autographs collected, including a Massachusetts legal form with the signature of John Adams, a letter from James Madison to the Mississippi Territory around the time of the Louisiana Purchase, and letters from Civil War era figures like John Calhoun (a rich letter in which Calhoun discusses his views on tariffs and nullification), James Buchanan, and William Seward.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.973.D32 | | | | Extent: | 0.25 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | American Revolution | Colony and State Specific History | Early National Politics | Native America | Pennsylvania History | | | | Genre: | Business Records and Accounts | General Correspondence | Miscellaneous | Official Government Documents and Records | | | | Subjects: | Publishers and publishing. | |
| 6 | Author: | Vaux, George, V, 1721-1803 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Vaux Family Papers, 1690-1996
| | | | Dates: | 1690-1996 | | | | Abstract: | The George Vaux Papers is a massive collection which is focused on the business and financial interests of a prominent Philadelphia family. What follows is a list of some of the more notable parts of this expansive collection:
- Correspondence: There is a massive amount of correspondence, much of which is personal and familial in nature. Nonetheless, the letters often discuss politics, current affairs, and society. The earliest records date to 1701, although the great bulk are focused on the revolutionary era to the first quarter of the nineteenth century.
- Almanacs, 1790-1870: The collection contains a large collection of small pocket almanacs from Philadelphia. Some of the earliest ones contain records of financial transactions and diaries.
- Charles Thomson Correspondence: The collection has a series of letters from Charles Thomson, the Secretary of the Continental Congress. These letters are from the 1780s, after Thomson had largely retired from the political arena.
- Legal and Estate Documents: This portion of the collection is extensive and difficult to summarize. The family owned a huge amount of property throughout the state. These papers contain deeds, information on rents, surveys of land, and other transactions. Moreover, the Vaux family had ties through marriage and friendship to other prominent families, and some of their estate business is included in this collection. Among the notable papers are documents pertaining to John and Sally Norris Dickinson's properties and the estates of the Emlens and the Sansoms. One document complements the Jane Aitken Collection, as it has an accounting of the Bible that she printed.
- Travel Accounts: Most notably, George Vaux VII made a trip to "Indian Country" in 1802-1803. He wrote numerous letters home and kept a small and incomplete travel journal.
- Philadelphia City Affairs: The Vaux were active in civic life. The collection contains information on city improvements, with specific letters and records relating to the water supply. The collection has letters that discuss building the Water Works, records of a Committee on the Sewers, and an agreement between the city and Peale's Museum.
- Business Affairs: The record of the Vaux's diverse business interests is contained in this collection. In addition to their land holdings, the Vaux's were very active in internal improvements, with records from numerous navigation companies held in the collection. The Vaux's were also involved in mining and mineralogy, including Pennsylvania's oil lands, which is also reflected in the content of this collection. Finally, there are partial records of some prominent Philadelphia institutions, such as the Bank of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Contributorship.
- Native American Documents - In addition to George Vaux's travels into Indian Country, there are extracts from Indian Treaties and some records of the Friendly Association in this collection.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.Ms.Coll.73 | | | | Extent: | 150 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | African American | American Revolution | Antebellum Politics | Early National Politics | Marriage and Family Life | Native America | Pennsylvania History | Philadelphia History | Social Life and Custom | Surveying and Maps | Travel | | | | Genre: | Business Records and Accounts | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Institutional Records | Legal Records | Maps and Surveys | | | | Subjects: | Abolition, emancipation, freedom | Genealogy. | Land speculation | Mineralogy. | Quaker businesspeople | Quakers -- Missions. | Seneca Indians | Slaves, slavery, slave trade | Social conditions, social advocacy, social reform | Yellow fever. | |
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