| | 1 | Author: | Bache, Catherine Wistar, 1770-1820 | Requires 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 | |
| 4 | Author: | Rittenhouse family. | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Rittenhouse family papers, 1774-1932
| | | | Dates: | 1774-1932 | | | | Abstract: | This small notebook contains copies of correspondence and other documents that someone in the Rittenhouse family transcribed in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The earliest document copied appears to be dated from the 1750s in Lancaster. The documents pertain to the family's past.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.R51f | | | | Extent: | 0.25 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | Marriage and Family Life | | | | Genre: | Family Correspondence | | | | Subjects: | Papermakers. | |
| 6 | Author: | Short, Charles Wilkins, 1794-1863 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Charles Wilkins Short correspondence, 1813-1867
| | | | Dates: | 1813-1867 | | | | Abstract: | The bulk of this collection pertains to the affairs of the Short family who were based in Kentucky. The bulk of the correspondence is between John Short and his brother Charles Wilkins Short, a doctor and member of the APS. Most of the letters are dated after 1850.There are a few letters that pertain to science and APS business, notably a long letter from John Vaughan.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.Sh81 | | | | Extent: | 0.25 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | Science and technology | | | | Genre: | Family Correspondence | | | | Subjects: | Botany. | Science. | |
| 9 | Author: | Bache, Benjamin Franklin, 1769-1798 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Benjamin Franklin Bache papers, 1779-1793
| | | | Dates: | 1779-1793 | | | | Abstract: | The Benjamin Franklin Bache Collection is composed primarily of correspondence sent from B.F. Bache. The vast majority dates to his time in Europe during the American Revolution while a young child under the care of his grandfather, Benjamin Franklin, who was then serving as one of America's ambassadors to France. These letters consist of B.F. Bache writing from his school in Switzerland to his grandfather in Paris (often in French) and to his parents in America (in English). Most of the letters relay information on B.F.'s formal education and his experience learning the printing trade. The only letter dated after Bache's time in Europe is a personal letter mourning the loss of Benjamin Franklin that he wrote to his soon-to-be-wife, Margaret Markoe. The letter contains one of the most detailed accounts of Franklin's last days.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.B122 | | | | Extent: | 0.5 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | American Revolution | Americans Abroad | Diplomatic History | Education | Printing and Publishing | | | | Genre: | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | | | | Subjects: | Aurora (Philadelphia, Pa.) | Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, with the United States of America (1794 November 19) | |
| 13 | 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. | |
| 15 | Author: | Kane, Elisha Kent, 1820-1857 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Elisha Kent Kane Papers
| | | | Dates: | 1810-1953 | | | | Abstract: | This large collection contains the papers of Elisha Kent Kane, a prominent Philadelphian who led the U.S. Exploring Expedition.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.K132 | | | | Extent: | 6.75 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | Americans Abroad | Exploration. | International Travel | Marriage and Family Life | Social Life and Custom | | | | Genre: | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Travel Narratives and Journals | | | | Subjects: | Abolition, emancipation, freedom | Africa | Arctic Indians | Arctic regions-Pictorial works | China -- Foreign relations -- United States | Colonization, repatriation | Exploration | Explorers -- United States | Geometry -- Study and teaching | Grinnell Expedition, 1st, 1850-1851 | Grinnell Expedition, 2d, 1853-1855 | Hospitals -- Pennsylvania | Indians of North America -- Nunavut | Inuit -- Canada | Inuit -- Greenland | Inuit -- Nunavut -- Baffin Island | Medicine -- Practice -- Pennsylvania | Medicine -- Study and teaching -- Pennsylvania | Meteorology -- Arctic Regions | Mineralogy -- Study and teaching | Northwest Passage | Obstetrics | Plantations | Slave trade -- Africa | Slaves, slavery, slave trade | United States -- Foreign relations -- China | United States. Navy | |
| 16 | Author: | Montgomery family. | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Montgomery family papers, ca. 1650-1900
| | | | Dates: | Circa 1650-1900 | | | | Abstract: | This collection consists of an assortment of documents relating to the Montgomery Family that settled in New Jersey around 1701. The documents include items from the 1680s written in England relating to property in New Jersey, a series of letters from the eighteenth century, and a couple of letters from the revolutionary era. The correspondence deals with a range of issues, including trade and business, but they are more often family letters. John Burnett and John and Anna Forbes are the most frequent correspondents. The letters are written variously from Aberdeen, Scotland, Perth Amboy, and even some from Barbados. The remaining collection deals with genealogical material, much of which was written in the nineteenth century, although some was also done in the eighteenth century.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.M763 | | | | Extent: | 0.5 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | Business and Skilled Trades | Colony and State Specific History | International Trade. | | | | Genre: | Business Records and Accounts | Family Correspondence | Miscellaneous | | | | Subjects: | Genealogy. | |
| 18 | Author: | Williams, Jonathan, 1750-1815 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Jonathan Williams Papers
| | | | Dates: | 1763-1802 | | | | Abstract: | The Jonathan Williams Papers contain Williams' correspondence, often of a personal nature, from the 1788-1803. This collection adds primary source materials to the H.J. Williams collection, which consists of genealogical material on the Williams family. Jonathan Williams was one of Benjamin Franklin's nephews. He attained high positions in the United States military and helped found West Point. The bulk of Jonathan Williams's papers contain letters from William Alexander to Jonathan Williams. Alexander was his father-in-law. Topics discussed include business, legal, and of course family affairs.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.W6765 | | | | Extent: | 0.25 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | Engineering | Law | Military History | | | | Genre: | Family Correspondence | Legal Records | Political Correspondence | | | | Subjects: | Wine and wine making | |
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