Reinhardt, Hawley and Hewes family papers

This collection consists of fourteen series: "Correspondence," "Account Books," "Certificates," "Diaries and Household Information Lists," "Friendship Books," "Land and Insurance Records," "Marriage Certificates," "Miscellaneous Family Records," "Wills and Estates," "Genealogical Research," "Photographs," "Quaker Tracts and Poetry," "Newspaper Clippings," and Acts of the Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania. Before looking into the collection, a researcher should take advantage of the book, The Reinhardts and Hawleys of Chester County, PA: Lives and Letters, Also Including Related Families of Meredith, Mendenhall, Pugh, Etc. and the Hewes of Salem County, NJ, by Ann M. P. McCormack, which includes duplicated copies of much of this collection with family interpretation. Most of the letters have been transcribed which is extremely helpful as the handwriting of the Reinhardts, Hawleys, Hewes, Mendenhalls and Merediths is frequently difficult to read.

Series were largely determined from the original order created by Ann M. P. McCormack.

The "Correspondence" series is arranged alphabetically by family name. Although this list is not comprehensive, the bulk of the correspondents include: Esther T. M. Hawley, Jesse Hawley, Jesse G. Hawley, Anna Margaret Reinhardt, David Jones Reinhardt, Rebecca Hawley Reinhardt, and William Dell Reinhardt. One folder of Meredith family correspondence also exists. This correspondence is mostly related to family matters.

"Account Books," were kept by Isaac Meredith, the Hawley store (attributed to the Hawley store by Ann M. P. McCormack), and Jesse and Joel Hawley. These account books are arranged chronologically.

The "Certificates" series includes travel and church certificates of the Reinhardt family. There is also a certificate of membership in the National Washington Monument Society.

Many of the Reinhardts kept diaries and they may be found in the "Diaries and Household Information Lists." Household information lists were included in this series because, in some cases, they are an almost daily record of household work. Diary keepers include Rebecca Hawley Reinhardt, Esther T. M. Reinhardt, David Jones Reinhardt, Chrissie Reinhardt Hamar, Elizabeth Christina Reinhardt and Mary Bailey Reinhardt. These diaries are arranged in chronological order.

"Friendship Books" were kept by Chrissie Jones and Rebecca Meredith Hawley.

The "Land and Insurance Records" include deeds, mortgages and fire insurance records for land sold or purchased by the Pughs, Mendenhalls, Hawleys and Reinhardts. This series is organized in chronological order.

The collection contains "Marriage Certificates" for John Meredith and Ann Mendenhall, Thomas Hewes and Elizabeth Miller, and John Miller and Mary Test Andrews; and they are arranged in chronological order.

"Miscellanous family records" include financial agreements, a Quaker calendar, passports of David Jones and Margaret Hawley Reinhardt, and a sketchbook of Rebecca Hawley. Rebecca Hawley's sketchbook includes drawings of Kennett Square, Pughtown, General Wayne's residence, and studies of horse hooves.

Included in the collection is the will of Isaac Meredith, estate information for Jesse G. Hawley and Esther Hawley. These materials in "Wills and Estates," are arranged chronologically.

David Jones Reinhardt and his family performed a great deal of genealogical research on the Reinhardt, Hawley, Hewes and related families. This research is included in "Genealogical Research performed by the Reinhardts," and includes family trees, newspaper clippings, and information on the Hawleys, Hewes, Mendenhalls, Merediths, Moores, Reinhardts and Thomases. These materials are organized alphabetically by family name.

The "Photographs" in this collection are particularly rich and almost all are identified by Ann M. P. McCormack. They are arranged alphabetically by family name.

The last three series are less family centered and include "Quaker Tracts and Poetry," "Newspaper Clippings," and the " Acts of the Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania." Included newspaper clippings are from the National Anti-Slavery Standard, the Press, and the Village Record or the Chester and Delaware Federalist. The Acts of the Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania are contained in one volume (the first 18 pages are missing) running from 1682 to 1765. This volume is extremely fragile.

This collection will be of great interest to researchers interested in Quaker families, specifically in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The collection includes a wealth of documentation of family life for over a hundred years from the late 1700s to the early 1900s.