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Charles F. (Charles Francis) Jenkins Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-073

Scope and Contents

Includes correspondence about "Signers' Walk" at Far Country, 1939-46, and general correspondence, 1897-1947, relating to Swarthmore College, Quaker meetings, William Penn, Pennsylvania history, Tortola, Anna T. Jeanes, and other topics. Correspondences include William I. Hull, J. Russell Hayes, Archibald Henderson, Paul Pearson, and others. Also included in the collection is a journal, 1865, possibly of Howard M. Jenkins, addresses, poems, stories, and genealogical papers relating to the Jenkins and associated families. Of particular interest is the 1931 correspondence relating to a pamphlet Jenkins wrote on the Society of Friends reunification.

Dates

  • 1865-1950

Creator

Limitations on Accessing the Collection

Collection is open for research.

Copyright and Rights Information

Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce items in this collection beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-RUU/1.0/.

Biographical / Historical

Charles F. Jenkins was born December 17, 1865, the eldest of seven children of Howard M. Jenkins and Mary Anna (Atkinson) Jenkins. His father was a scholar of Pennsylvania history, active in the Society of Friends, editor of Friends Intelligencer, and a member of the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College. In 1890 Charles Jenkins married Maria Cope, and he became editor and publisher of Farm Journal, a magazine founded by his uncle, William Atkinson.

Charles F. Jenkins was active in Quaker concerns, including serving as Clerk of Green Street Monthly Meeting (1901-43) and Treasurer of the American Friends Service Committee (1917-1930), the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (1919-1934), Friends Boarding Home Committee of the Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting, and the Quaker periodical, Friends Intelligencer. He was active with his father, Howard M. Jenkins, in the development of the Inn and Community of Buck Hill Falls in Pennsylvania. He was a Manager of Swarthmore College for 40 years and President of the Board from 1933 to 1944. He also was a founder of the Ozone golf club and the Friends Social Union, President of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, a member of the American Philosophical Society and many other learned, social, and philanthropic organizations. In addition, he was an historian of Germantown, Pennsylvania, an author, and poet, as well as interested in horticulture. His garden, "Far Country," on his estate in Germantown included a hemlock arboretum and a Signer's Walk with stepping stones commemorating the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Jenkins also collected autographs of prominent Quakers and other important reformers. He established the Howard M. Jenkins Professorship of Quaker History and Research (later the Howard M. and Charles F. Jenkins Professorship) at Swarthmore College in memory of his father. He died July 2, 1951.

Extent

5.5 Linear Feet (11 boxes)

Language

English

Overview

Charles F. Jenkins (1864-1951) was a prominent Quaker who was involved with Green Street Monthly Meeting, the American Friends Service Committee, the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (1919-1934), and Friends Intelligencer. He was also a Manager of Swarthmore College for 40 years and President of the Board from 1933 to 1944. Includes correspondence about "Signers' Walk" at Far Country, 1939-46, and general correspondence, 1897-1947, relating to Swarthmore College, Quaker Meetings, William Penn, Pennsylvania History, Tortola, Anna T. Jeanes, and other topics. Of particular interest is the 1931 correspondence relating to a pamphlet Jenkins wrote on the Society of Friends reunification.

Arrangement

The collection is divided into six series:

  1. Correspondence
  2. Signers Walk
  3. Speeches and Writings
  4. Business Papers
  5. Genealogical Papers
  6. Miscellaneous

Physical Location

For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Accession information:

Donor: Marie Jenkins, 1952

Donor: Charles F. Jenkins Booth, 1967

Donor: Thomas Leduc (1 folder of correspondence), 1977

The collection was given by the widow of Charles F. Jenkins. A folder of correspondence regarding Swarthmore College was given by Professor Thomas Leduc of Oberlin College.

Related Materials

See also:

  1. RG 5/005 William Atkinson Family Papers
  2. RG 5/074 Howard M. Jenkins Family Papers
  3. MSS 031 Charles F. Jenkins Autograph Collection

Processing Information

The collection was sorted and briefly described before 1967, maintaining the order established by Charles Jenkins. A file of correspondence concerning Swarthmore College, gift of Thomas Leduc of Oberlin College, was added to the collection in 1977. In 2001 the collection was reprocessed and a complete finding aid produced.

Title
Charles F. (Charles Francis) Jenkins Papers, 1865-1950
Author
SKM
Date
2001
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Find It at the Library

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Contact:
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Swarthmore Pennsylvania 19081 USA