Skip to main content

SFHL/FHL/RG5. Family and Personal Papers

 Record Group Term
Identifier: SFHL/FHL/RG5
The largest category of collections in Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College is that of Personal and Family Papers. These materials include correspondence, journals and diaries, and property records of Quaker individuals and family groups they date from the mid 17th century to the present.

Found in 20 Collections and/or Records:

Charles Smith Ogden family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-108
Overview Charles Smith Ogden (1822-1904) was a Quaker businessman, genealogist, and civic leader. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, educated in Friends' schools, and married Emma Corbit in 1848. He worked as a wholesale druggist before the Civil War, was active on the committee to elect Abraham Lincoln, and served as Consul to Quebec, Canada, 1860-1864. In 1886, he began a tour around the world, which is recounted in his travel letters, 1886-1891. This collection contains genealogical...
Dates: 1732-1938

Alfred Parrish family papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-342
Overview

Business letter books, estate papers, and personal correspondence of Alfred Parrish (1848-1921). He and his brother Dillwyn Parrish were involved with tramway (trolley) development internationally. A birthright Quaker from Philadelphia, Alfred Parrish left the United States in 1879 and spent the remainder of his life in Europe, mostly England and Italy. His daughter, Gladys Parrish Huntington, was a well-known novelist.

Dates: 1851 - 1957

Caleb Peirce letterbook

 Collection — Othertype RG5-340
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-340
Overview

Letter book of Philadelphia Quaker merchant Caleb Peirce (1763-1853). 270 complete business letters, 43 partial with alternating pages removed. Peirce operated a hardware store that offered all types of metalwork as well as related household and some fine goods. He corresponded with shippers, suppliers, fellow merchants, and customers, and the letters document the challenges of domestic and international commerce.

Dates: 1805 - 1812

Emma Johnson Power family papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-343
Overview

The collection contains primarily correspondence received by Emma Johnson Power, Swarthmore College Class of 1882 and a member of Green Street Monthly Meeting. A number of the letters were sent by her husband, Edward S. Power, a Philadelphia physician/pharmacologist, during his European travels. Also includes a file of genealogical and biographical information on the Johnson and Power families and a small amount of miscellaneous papers.

Dates: 1872 - 1990; Majority of material found within 1872 - 1922

Benjamin Sharp Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-136
Overview Benjamin Sharp (1858-1915), a zoologist who was primarily affiliated with the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, attended Swarthmore College (1876) and earned a M.D. and Ph. D. from the University of Pennsylvania. A birthright member of the Society of Friends (Quakers), Dr. Sharp was the son of Benjamin and Hannah B. (Leedom) Sharp of the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pa. He was married to Virginia May of Ridley, Mass. The family moved to Massachusetts in the early 20th...
Dates: 1809-1915

Stout-Alston Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-141
Overview

The Stout and Alston families were Quaker merchant families of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware and Maryland. This collection of paper contains the personal and business correspondence, business and legal papers of Quaker merchants in Delaware, Philadelphia, and Maryland. The papers are chiefly of Jacob Stout (1774-1855), of Smyrna, Kent County, Delaware, who served as Governor of Delaware and Judge of Court of Appeals, and Jonathan Alston of Leipsic, Delaware.

Dates: 1750-1905 (bulk, 1750-1830)

Charles and Priscilla Townsend Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-350
Overview

Members of the Charles and Priscilla Townsend family were active in the Society of Friends in Philadelphia and in Quaker concerns, especially penal reform, abolition, and the natural sciences. The collection includes journals, correspondence, and writings in addition to transcripts and reference material on family members. Much of the material is available in published form.

Dates: Majority of material found within 1811 - 1858; 1793-2020

Judy and Michael Van Hoy Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-341
Overview The papers of Judy and Michael Van Hoy, members of Green Street Monthly Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who have been deeply involved in social justice concerns particularly through the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Workcamps programs. Both also were active in international workcamps, especially in Kenya. Judy Van Hoy maintained correspondence with many international workcampers, including extensive correspondence with Jane Swart, a South African who worked at the Quaker Peace Centre...
Dates: 1967 - 2015

Walker-Stephens Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-168
Overview William Walker Stephens (1824-1902) was the son of Hannah Walker and Stephen Stephens of Chester Valley, Pennsylvania. The family were members of Valley Preparative and Radnor Monthly Meetings of Friends. William Walker Stephens worked as a businessman in Philadelphia and was married three times. His relation, J. Aubrey Anderson, was district attorney in Conshohocken, Pa. Papers include the diaries and day books of Hannah W. Stephens, 1857-1864, William W. Stephens, 1850-1902, and Annie R....
Dates: 1850-1919

Joseph Wharton Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-162
Overview Joseph Wharton (1826-1909) was a prominent Philadelphia Quaker merchant, industrialist, scientist, and philanthropist who was active in 19th century Delaware Valley manufacturing, business, and education development. The papers cover in depth his business activities as well as his career as Manager of Swarthmore College for over 35 years and as founder of the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania. The collection includes business correspondence, 1855-1908,...
Dates: 1691-1955