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Philip W. Smith Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-224

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of Smith’s personal correspondence (to friends, family, editors, congressmen and business acquaintances), his writings, records of various associations, and dairy cattle records.

Organization: Organized in 6 series: 1. Correspondence; 2. Russia trips; 3. Journals; 4. Farm documents; 5. Writings and speeches; 6. Biographical and miscellaneous.

Dates

  • Creation: 1906-1981

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

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

Philip W. Smith (1889-1981) was a Quaker dairyman from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who was a prominent peace activist and active in Russian concerns. He was born May 3, 1889, on the family farm in New Hope to Heston Jacob and Anna (Johnson) Smith and was associated closely with his older brother, James Iden Smith, also a prominent Bucks County Quaker farmer. He attended the George School and later spent a few years at Penn State University. He married Edna Wood in 1913, and the couple had four children, but they later divorced. He subsequently married Anna Waterman. In 1925-1926, he and his wife and children lived in the U.S.S.R. where he worked with Russian Reconstruction, Inc., to learn about collective farming and give witness to his Quaker testimony. In 1958-1960 he again visited the U.S.S.R., and in later life, traveled widely for peace causes.

Smith was a member of Buckingham Monthly Meeting and as an ardent pacifist, wrote voluminous letters to congressmen, presidents, and newspaper editors. He died in 1981.

Extent

2 linear ft. (4 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Philip W. Smith (1889-1981) was a Quaker dairyman from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who was active in Russian concerns and a prominent peace activist. In 1925-1926, he spent two years on a collective farm in Russia, and in later life he traveled extensively for peace causes. He was a member of Buckingham Monthly Meeting. This collection contains his correspondence, several journals and day books, photographs, writings on Russia, dairy farm records, and information on various groups he was involved with.

Physical Location

For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Libraries' online catalog: http://tripod.brynmawr.edu

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Deposit, Lucille Smith Ulrich, 1981-82.

The collection was given to the Swarthmore College Peace Collection in 1981-1982 by Lucille Ulrich, who was the daughter of Philip W. Smith. The reminiscences were transferred to Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College in 1995, and the bulk of the papers transferred in 2000.

Related Materials

Memories of a Life Time, 1973-1975. 1 v., MSS 003/127 with genealogical notes.

Franklin's farm atlas of Bucks County, Penna. : from official records, private plans, and actual surveys. Philadelphia : Franklin Survey Co., 1948. Catalogued in FHL book collection.

Letters to the editor written by Philip W. Smith and others and some notes, pictures. Materials removed from Farm Atlas and catalogued by Swarthmore College Peace Collection, S Peace ArCDG-A.

Processing Information

In 1995, Memories of a Life Time, 1973-1975. 1 v. with genealogical information was transferred to Friends Historical Library and catalogued as a Miscellaneous Manuscript, MSS 003/127. About the same time, staff in the Swarthmore College Peace Collection made a preliminary sort and subsequently transferred the bulk of the remaining papers to Friends Historical Library in 2000. Processing completed at FHL and placed in RG 5. Also from the same donor, Franklin's farm atlas of Bucks County, Penna. with clippings of Smith's letters to the editor to various newspapers and other memorabilia are pasted on blank pages among the maps. These materials were photocopied and the photocopies and miscellaneous material retained by the Swarthmore College Peace Collection. The Farm Atlas was transferred to Friends Historical Library.

Title
Philip W. Smith Papers, 1906-1981
Date
2004
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting repoductions from Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Library

Contact:
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Swarthmore Pennsylvania 19081 USA