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Lippincott Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-251

Scope and Contents

Horace Mather Lippincott (1877-1967) was a Quaker editor and historian. The collection contains his published and manuscript writings and speeches on topics primarily concerning the Society of Friends and Philadelphia history. Of particular interest is the scrapbook he compiled in 1946 of papers and photographs of the 1913-1914 Joint Group which met weekly to study the Separation in the Society of Friends, along with other papers on the topic and on the first joint meeting of the two Philadelphia Yearly Meetings in 1946. The collection includes deeds, genealogical research by Horace Mather Lippincott and his brother George E. Lippincott, and some family papers including albums and a journal of Cynthia Mather who became the wife Horace M. Lippincott.

Organized in five series.

Dates

  • Creation: 1752 - 2010

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Some of the items in this collection may be protected by copyright. The user is solely responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns to reuse, publish, or reproduce relevant items beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to the law. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/.

Biographical / Historical

Horace Mather Lippincott was a Quaker editor and author. He was born on April 20, 1877, and died January 12, 1967. A birthright Hicksite Quaker, he was the only child of Philadelphia lumber merchant Robert C. Lippincott and Cynthia Shoemaker Mather Lippincott (1847-1880). She was the daughter of Penrose and Lydia Shoemaker Mather of Abington Monthly Meeting. After Cynthia Lippincott's early death, Robert married secondly Catherine Koons, and they also had one son, George Eyre Lippincott (1889-1979).

Horace M. Lippincott was descended from Joseph Mather who arrived in America in 1682 on the ship "Submission." He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1897 and remained deeply involved in alumni activities in addition to his Quaker and other activities. In 1914 he married Sarah Styer Jenkins (1887-1965), daughter of Walter H. and Esther Lukens Jenkins, at Gwynedd meeting house. Not afraid of controversy, he was a supporter of the U.S. involvement in the First World War and worked towards re-unification in the Society of Friends. He was a member of Abington Monthly Meeting.

Their son, H. Mather Lippincott, Jr. (1921-2010), was a prominent Philadelphia architect, a partner in the firm Cope and Lippincott Architects. He graduated from Haverford College in 1943 and the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture in 1948. Active in many aspects of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, he served on the boards of the AFSC and Pendle Hill, a trustee of the Shoemaker Fund, and president of Friends Social Union. In 1949 he married Margaret ("Peg") Walker. She was the daughter of James F. Walker and Alice Nicholson Bell Walker. Her father was headmaster of the Westtown School where she grew up. Peg Walker graduated from Swarthmore College in 1945, and two of their four sons also were Swarthmore College graduates. In 1966, the family transferred their membership from Abington Monthly Meeting to Media Monthly Meeting and settled in Rose Valley, Delaware County, Pa.

Extent

6 linear ft. (9 boxes, 2 oversize folders, and photographs)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Horace Mather Lippincott (1877-1967) was a Quaker editor and historian. The collection contains his speeches and writings on topics primarily concerning the Society of Friends and the history of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Of particular interest is the scrapbook he compiled in 1946 of papers and photographs of the 1913-1914 Joint Group which met weekly to study the Separation in the Society of Friends, along with other papers on the topic and on the first joint meeting of the two Philadelphia Yearly Meetings in 1946. The collection includes genealogical research by Horace Mather Lippincott and his brother George E. Lippincott, deeds, and some family papers.

Physical Location

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

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of H. Mather Lippincott, Jr., Acc. 2000.055

Gift of Margaret Walker Lippincott, Acc. 2014.029

Existence and Location of Copies

Publications by Horace Mather Lippincott and some of his manuscripts are cataloged in the FHL book collection.

Separated Materials

Chester Monthly Meeting (Hicksite), Women's Minutes (rough), 12 month 1828 through 5 month 1830, transferred 8/2010 to RG2, Chester Monthly Meeting Records.

Book of subscriptions collected by George E. Lippincott for Green Street Preparative Meeting transferred 2/2020 to RG2/ Green Street Monthly Meeting Records.

Separated Materials

Family photographs were removed and processed as PA 182.

Processing Information

In 2000 H. Mather Lippincott, Jr., donated books and materials concerning organizations in which his father, Horace Mather Lippincott, participated. Included were bound manuscripts which were organized chronologically. These were processed as RG5/251, Horace Mather Lippincott Papers. The accession was sorted and cleaned. Duplicate publications were added to FHL duplicates. Minutes from Media Monthly Meeting Long-range Planning Committee from the 1970s were transferred to RG 2/ Media Monthly Meeting Records. Minutes of the Friends Social Union (H. Mather Lippincott, Jr.. was president of the organization 1970-1972) were added to RG 4/039. Historic Structures Report, the Richard Wall House, 1981, and The Jenkins Town Lyceum were added to FHL books. The Whittier House memorabilia (contents of cornerstone salvaged by HML just before demolished for Friends Center, included sampling of newspapers, publications, deeds, architectural plans, etc., 1913) added to RG 4/058, Philadelphia Young Friends Association Records.

In 2014, Mather Lippincott's widow, Margaret ("Peg") Walker Lippincott, donated additional papers which were delivered by her son and daughter-in-law, Hugh and Marge Lippincott. These were largely genealogical, family deeds, and photographs. Included were additional Horace Mather Lippincott writings, many of which were duplicate copies already cataloged, and some Mather family papers.

In 2015, vital record pages in the family Bibles which were loaned at the same time as the 2014 accession were scanned and sent digitally to the Lippincotts. In February 2016 the Bibles were shipped to the four Lippincott sons.

In 2017, the second accession was sorted into four groups: Horace Mather Lippincott papers, genealogical research, H. Mather and Peg Lippincott papers, and Lippincott family papers. Photographs and photo albums were removed to be processed as a Lippincott picture collection. Deeds were flattened and stored in oversize.

Duplicate publications and mimeographed manuscript copies were removed to return to the family as well as duplicate copies of the family trees and print proofs used in the Penn alumni publications, etc. Materials were cleaned. Duplicates that were moldy or badly damaged were removed. Family trees and rolled documents were flattened and stored in oversize.

Title
An Inventory of the Lippincott Family Papers, 1752-2010
Status
Completed
Author
Finding Aid Prepared by FHL staff
Date
2017
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Find It at the Library

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