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Emlen and Jones Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: HC.MC-1194

Scope and Contents

Included in these volumes is ancestral information on the Emlen and Jones family going back to the time of William Penn and Francis Daniel Pastorius in the 17th century and composed of genealogy and biography, letters, documents and photographs. The information was compiled by John Thompson Emlen and his father, James Emlen, with an abbreviated volume prepared by Woodruff J. Emlen in 1976 using copies from the other volumes. Some significant letter writers include: Clement Biddle, George Dillwyn, Sarah Foulke Emlen, Samuel Emlen, Abel James and Jonah Thompson. Emlen family members include: Thomas Chalkley (1675-1741); George Emlen (d. 1710), George Emlen (1695-1754), Samuel Emlen (b. 1697), George Emlen (1718-1776), ,James Emlen (1718-1778), James Emlen (1760-1798), James Emlen (1792-1866), Samuel Emlen (1789-1828), Samuel Emlen (1829-1920), John Thompson Emlen (b. 1878), John Thompson Emlen, Jr. (1908-1997); Edward Foulke (1651-1741); George Guest (d. 1685); Abel James (1724-1790); Warner Mifflin (b. 1745); Nathaniel Newlin (1665-1729); John Thompson (1744-1819); Newbold Trotter (1827-1898); and George Williams (1793-1779). Jones family members include: Samuel Carpenter (1649-1714); William Cooper (1632-1710); Matthew Dripps, Sarah E. Dripps; Thomas Firth (1776-1861); Griffith Jones (1690-1747), Aquilla Jones (1724-1800), Hannah F. Jones (1778-1854), Isaac C. Jones (1769-1865), Isaac C. Jones, Jr. (1814-1895), Woodruff Jones, Mary Carpenter Jones (b. 1880); Thomas Kunders (1648-1729); Thomas Lloyd (1640-1694); Samuel Preston (1665-1743); Ann Whitall (1716-1797); Aaron D.Woodruff (1762-1817), Elias Woodruff (1787-1824). See also the genealogical chart which accompanies this collection.

Dates

  • Creation: 1767-1976

Biographical / Historical

John T. Emlen (b. 1878), a birthright Quaker, son of James Emlen and Susan Thompson Emlen, graduated from Haverford College in 1900. He married Mary Carpenter Jones in 1906. Emlen developed the Germantown Industrial Home for Colored Women in Germantown, Pa. after it was laid down by local churches. He became its president. He was a talented artist.

John T. Emlen Jr. (1908-1997), a birthright Quaker, son of John T. Emlen and Mary Carpenter Jones, graduated from Haverford College in 1931 and received a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1934. Interested from a young age in ornithology, he joined the zoology department at the College of Agriculture in California. Emlen was a C.O. during W.W. II, working as rat control officer in Baltimore, MD. After the war, he taught ornithology, mammalogy, ecology and animal behavior at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He also studied gorilla behavior in Africa, as well as bird behavior in various locations. He published numerous scientific papers and designed experiments relating to his natural history observations. He married Virginia Merritt in 1934. He was a member and president of the American Ornithological Union and was a member of other related organizations. He received an honorary doctorate from Haverford College in 1970.

(Information from: Internal evidence and Emlen Family, 1877-1951. [n.p., 195-?])

Extent

1.25 linear ft. (3 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Ancestral information on the Quaker Emlen and Jones families going back to the time of William Penn and Francis Daniel Pastorius in the 17th century and comprised of genealogy and biography, letters, documents and photographs.

Arrangement

There are two volumes containing the genealogical records of John Thompson Emlen (b. 1878) and Mary Carpenter Jones Emlen (b. 1880) indicating English, Welsh and Scottish ancestry. The records are laced with photographs and silhouettes of the individuals and illustrations, such as the original drawing of the Ferguson tartan, the map of Germantown, drawn by J. Riegel in 1933 and others.

There are seven volumes, numbered I-VII, containing detailed typed information on family members, and arranged alphabetically by family name. Types of information are: • biographical (sometimes quite lengthy), • descriptions of homes, • photographs (originals and copy prints) or other graphic depictions of the individuals and their homes, such as the silhouette of Samuel Emlen (vol. III, Samuel Emlen), • early ship passage to Pennsylvania, • coats of arms, • newspaper clippings (some as early as 18th century), • marriage certificates, • originals and copies of letters and documents, such as A.L.S. by Samuel Emlen and George Dillwyn, London, July 27, 1793 (vol. III, Samuel Emlen), A.L.S. by Sarah Foulke Emlen (vol. III, Sarah Foulke Emlen), A.L.S. by Abel James; (vol. IV, Abel James), A.N.S. by Clement Biddle in 1786 (vol. II, p. 16), A.L.S. by James B. Thompson (vol. VI, James B. Thompson), A.L.S. by Jonah Thompson to James Pemberton (vol. VII, Jonah Thompson), A.L.S. by Nathan Trotter (vol. VII, Nathan Trotter), • deeds, as of Samuel Emlen Jr. to Isaac Snowdon for property in Phila. in 1767 (vol. III, Samuel Emlen), • original drawings (e.g. by John T. Emlen), • examples of 18th century Pennsylvania currency (vol. II, p. 14), • Haverford College memorabilia (vol. II, James Emlen), • printed materials, e.g. booklets such as Biographical Notices of Samuel Emlen, James Pemberton et al. [Phila.]., 1826 (vol. III, Samuel Emlen), • dreams (vol III, Sarah F. Emlen), excerpts from diaries, • genealogical information (Emlen family tree, vol. V, pasted down to back cover).

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of John T. Emlen, Jr. and Woodruff J. Emlen, February, 1992.

Accession # 5571

Related Materials

The Thompson Family Papers, collection 855, part of the Haverford College Quaker Collection, contain the letters of Jonah Thompson (1702 or 3-1780) and his descendants.

Subject

Title
Emlen and Jones Family Papers, 1767-1976
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

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