| | 1 | Author: | Smith Family | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Smith-Houston-Morris-Ogden Family papers, 1659-1985
| | | | Dates: | 1659-1985 | | | | Abstract: | The Smith-Houston-Morris-Ogden Collection is the APS's largest collection. It has a vast array of materials from early America. The APS has on file a 303-page survey of the collection that scholars may want to consult before beginning their research. In general, the collection contains information on business, politics, family and social life, Philadelphia history, land expansion, and estates. A good part Morris portion of the collection comes from Governeur Morris and his wife. The bulk of this material begins with his time as an emissary to France during the early republic and continues to his death. There is also a fairly extensive collection of his wife's correspondence, most of which follows Governeur's death. Her letters touch on issues relating to his estate and to other affairs. It includes discussions of slavery in Virginia and contains correspondence from memebers of the extended Jefferson family. The Ogden's were surveyors and land speculators in the late colonial and early national period. This portion of the collection contains discussion of land, business, politics, and family matters. A significant amount of these papers focus on the operations of a grist mill in New York. There are papers from numerous other prominent families, such as the Clemsons, Morgans, and Lewises, who were related through marriage.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.Ms.Coll.76 | | | | Extent: | 350 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | Business and Skilled Trades | Colony and State Specific History | Diplomatic History | Early National Politics | International Affairs | Land and Speculation | Pennsylvania History | Philadelphia History | Surveying and Maps | Trade | | | | Genre: | Business Records and Accounts | Diplomatic Material | Family Correspondence | Miscellaneous | Political Correspondence | | | | Subjects: | Land speculation | |
| 8 | 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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