Finding Aids

Joshua Gilpin (1765-1841) was a merchant and paper manufacturer in Delaware. This collection is a microfilm of letters in a scrapbook, including correspondence from Gilpin, Thomas Gilpin (1776-1853), and others.

Joshua Gilpin (1765-1841) was a merchant and paper manufacturer. The papers consist of copies of four typescript letters written to Matthew Boulton (1728-1809), a British engineer from Joshua Gilpin.

Joshua Gilpin (1765-1841) was a Philadelphia merchant and paper manufacturer. His notebook describes the process of chlorine bleaching, with drawings and formulae.

Joshua Gilpin (1765-1841) was a Philadelphia merchant and paper manufacturer. The collection includes microfilm copies of Gilpin's notes on the bleaching of pulp in the manufacture of paper, with others on the same subject by Lawrence Greatrake (manager of the Gilpin mills) and William Stidolph.

The Joy Manufacturing Company was a major manufacturer of mining and materials handling machinery built upon the invention of the first practical coal loading machine by Joseph F. Joy (1883-1957). It is a somewhat random collection of documents assembled and preserved by the former corporate secretary James Packer (1920-2008) for the purpose of writing a never-completed company history. They include the sorts of documents normally in possession of a corporate secretary, such as copies of meeting minutes, corporate family tree information, historical notes, and promotional publications.

Jules Guex (1833-1918) was a Swiss national who was caught in the German siege of Paris from September 1870 to January 1871. He and his wife, Louise Adele Begue Guex (1839-1884) helped to organize a Swiss ambulance in the Collège Chaptal (now the Lycée Chaptal). His activities in rescuing the wounded enabled him to view the movements of both French and Prussian troops. In this 250-page journal Guex describes the siege of Paris from September 19, 1870 to January 28, 1871 during the war between France and the German states (North German Confederation led by Prussia) which began in July 1870. It reports on the establishment of the Paris Commune, a socialist government, which lasted from March to May of 1871.

Kenneth A. Browne (1905-1985) was the research director attached to the president of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway system. This collection consists of his files and documents the history of the development of Train "X" from its beginnings in 1945 to the point at which the New York Central's "Xplorer" was introduced in 1956.

The Kaehni brothers, William "Bill" L. Kaehni (1895-1950) and Francis "Frank" J. Kaehni (1897-1986) were electronics engineers, inventors, and entrepreneurs. The brothers invented radio transmitters, navigational devices for airplanes and ships, transistorized car ignitions, and heat control systems. They also built and installed public address systems. This small collection primarily consists of the Kaehni brothers' class notes from courses taken at the Case School of Applied Science (now folded into Case Western Reserve University). The notes are most likely Bill Kaehni's, but could also be Frank Kaehni's, as they are mostly undated. Of significance is a bound biography written in 1998 by David C. Barnett using documents from the Kaehni family and firsthand accounts from their sister, Marie Kaehni, who provides her own memories in the afterword.

Karen du Pont Farquhar (1947-) is the great-granddaughter of T. Coleman du Pont (1863-1930), president of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company in the early 20th century. This collection of photographs is part of a larger group of du Pont family papers, which are housed in the Manuscripts and Archives Department. The photograph collection includes many photographs of the du Pont family from 1882 to 1960.

Karl Gabosch (1932-2008) was an employee of Pennsylvania Railroad Company and its successors, Penn Central and Conrail. The collection consists of a sample of company manuals, internal publications, and maps that were issued to him over the course of his career.

Peter Arnold Karthaus (1765-1840) immigrated to the United States from Hamburg, Germany in 1796 and established a mercantile business in the West Branch of the Susquehanna River Valley. The collection documents Karthaus' mercantile business, land development in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and his partnership with fellow German immigrant, Frederick W. Geissenhainer, a pioneer in using coal to smelt iron.

Stephen Onion (d. 1754) was an important ironmaster in the Chesapeake colonies during the early 18th century. The document is a three-page biographical sketch of Stephen Onion, copied from more extensive genealogical notes. The sketch includes several quotations from Onion's letters, which are not otherwise identified.

Kay Brownlee (1912-1971) was employed at the Philadelphia department store B.F. Dewees. She was originally a buyer for women's fashions, but later rose to be personnel director, a post she held until the store closed in the late 1960s. This collection contains personal and family items from Kay Brownlee, records from Brownlee's work as personnel director of B.F. Dewees department store, and documents regarding the operations of the store and its female employees.

Keith Reeves Rodney (1875-1956) was a metallurgist at the Fairmount Steel Company in Philadelphia. His diaries document his 1905 European tour of a number of steel mills and machine shops. He visited Italy, France, Germany, and England.

Kelvinator was founded in Detroit in 1916. Nathaniel B. Wales (1883-1974) was the founding engineer, and he had been developing home refrigeration units. By 1923, Kelvinator had the lion’s share of the electric refrigerator market at eighty percent. This album appears to be a wholesaler's catalog showing sketched illustrations of the exteriors and interiors of Kelvinator refrigerator models.

KEMET Electronics Corporation specializes in passive electronic components, including getters (an essential element in vacuum tubes) and capacitors. The name "KEMET" was derived from the words "chemical" and "metallurgy." This small collection consists of employee newsletters and ephemeral publications from KEMET Electronics dating from the 1970s through the 2000s, with some related materials, including a small group of annual reports from Union Carbide from the 1950s.

Ken White Associates, Inc., formed by industrial designer Ken White in 1947, was a design firm that developed plans and designs for thousands of independent and academic bookstores throughout the United States, as well as many other types of retail businesses. The company also played a leading role in introducing convenience stores and innovative food service options on college campuses. The records of the company include organizational files documenting the corporate organization; financial papers; project files; publications by White and his son, as well as the records of the partnerships and other companies White formed as he expanded his business and services. The collection also contains files on White's professional activities, including papers related to conferences, conventions, and trade shows, memberships in various organizations, and seminars and talks.

Kennard-Pyle Company was a department store known for its women's clothing, and in the late-twentieth century it was one of Delaware's oldest independent clothing retailer. The collection consists of photographs relating to the Kennard's Department Store centennial celebration (1846-1946).

Kennard-Pyle Company was a department store known for its women's clothing. By the late twentieth century, it was one of Delaware's oldest independent clothing retailers.

The Kennett Turnpike (Delaware Route 52) was built between 1811 and 1814 intended to provide a connection between Wilmington, Delaware and nearby areas in southeastern Pennsylvania, where it would connect to other turnpike leading to western Pennsylvania. The scale map shows the road and properties east of it including Mary Belin du Pont's (1839-1913) and Rising Sun Lane. The map was done by W.S. [William Smith] Morison (1866-1905).

Lurelle Guild (1898-1985) was an architect, industrial designer, and interior designer. The collection contains a three-piece "Mayfair" coffee set designed by Guild, a coffee pot, creamer, and sugar bowl, manufactured by Wear-Ever Aluminum, a subsidiary of the Aluminum Company of America as part of its Kensington Ware line.

Keys & Miller Lumber Company were dealers in lumber, grain, hay, lime, fertilizers, and coal. Located in Elkton, Maryland, the company incorporated in 1892. The records consist of inbound correspondence regarding orders received primarily between the years 1892 and 1895.

Keystone Mushroom Farms, Inc. was a producer, canner, and distributer of mushrooms in Coatesville, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was the successor of two previous businesses, L.F. Lambert Spawn Co. and Keystone Mushroom Company, Inc., which were formed in the early 1920s with complementary functions of spawn research; production and sales; and mushroom propagation, canning, and distribution. These records document the L.F. Lambert Spawn Co. and the Keystone Mushroom Company, Inc. The collection includes financial records, correspondence, payroll, reports, and shipment and inventory information. Of special interest are the records documenting Lambert's work with the War Production Board to produce penicillin.

The Keystone View Company was a major distributor of stereographic images. The company was founded by amateur photographer, B. L. (Benjamin Lloyd) Singley (1864-1938) in Meadville, Pennsylvania, in 1892. There are two stereographs in this collection, the first card shows "The Most Costly Docks in the Western Hemisphere, Buenos Aires, Argentina" and the second shows "Market Scene in Berkovitza, Bulgaria."

Kim Burdick is a public historian, preservationist and former advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Louise du Pont Crowninshield (1877-1958) was an early leader in the field of historic preservation. The collection includes photocopies of all known surviving Crowninshield letters and Burdick's notes.

The Klots Throwing Company was one of the largest silk manufacturers in the United States, incorporated in Pennsylvania in 1894. The collection consists of only fragmentary records from the Mills at Scranton, Carbondale, Archbald, and Forest City in the Lackawanna Valley.

Organized in Philadelphia in 1869 as a general labor organization to protect and promote American laborers, the Knights of Labor began a strike against the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company in December 1887 after members were fired for refusing to switch cars to a non-union grain elevator in Philadelphia. The handbill, "An appeal to the wage-workers and businessmen of New York," appeals for donations to aid the striking Coal and Iron Company miners and appeals to the public to attend a sympathy and fundraising meeting on February 12, 1888.

The L. & R. Organic Products Co., Inc. records consist of invoices for imports as well as business and personal correspondence.

L. Robert Oaks (1906-1981) worked for the National Association of Manufacturers for eighteen years, directing its audiovisual programs. This collection contains some of his papers from his tenure and includes NAM News, films, speeches, motion picture bulletins, pamphlets, scripts, and more general information about NAM.

Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) was a French political economist, writer, publisher, and public administrator. He was an advocate for a national educational system and promoted Franco-American trade relations. This is a printed copy of the third edition of La philosophie de l'univers (The Philosophy of the Universe), written by du Pont de Nemours in 1799, redated to 1814, with numerous revisions and additions in the form of annotations and interleavings. It is much more introspective than earlier editions and reveals a good deal about du Pont de Nemours' worldview as he was approaching the end of his life. The revised text is part philosophy and part memoir and includes long sections about death, religion, gender, and reincarnation that were not present in earlier editions.

The author appears to have been a young man living on his mother's farm near Danville, Montour County, Pennsylvania, who earned additional money by casual day labor. The diary is a standard pocket diary of the period with notations of work done and other daily activities, with a small cash book section at the rear.

The Laflin and Rand Powder Company, one of the largest gunpowder manufacturers in the nineteenth century, was formed from several predecessor companies, including the Laflin Powder Company and the Smith & Rand Powder Company. This item is the 1899 calendar with an illustration of a sailor from the U.S.S. Oregon.

The Laflin and Rand Powder Company, one of the largest gunpowder manufacturers in the nineteenth century, was formed from several predecessor companies. The company was acquired by DuPont in October of 1902, and it was operated as a subsidiary. This is a group of four display card advertisements for Laflin & Rand Powder, probably for point-of-sale or counter display.

The Laflin & Rand Powder Company was one of the largest gunpowder manufacturers during the nineteenth century. Frederick W. Beers (1839-1933) was a New York map publisher. This item is a lithograph depicting the powder mills and surrounding landscape, and it is pages 16 and 17 of "County Atlas of Ulster, New York: From Recent and Actual Surveys and Records," by author F.W. Beers.

The Lainé family was related to Peter Bauduy (1769-1833) a French refugee from Santo Domingo who was a business partner of Eleuthère Irénée "E.I." du Pont (1771-1834) of the DuPont Company. The family papers contain items from several generations and include a diary from Pierre-Francois Lainé's (1775-1846) captivity in Russia, Francois Damas Laine'ś (1823-1901) diary from his visit to France, Marie Lainé Santa Maria's (1866-1961) memoirs as a child living on a sugar plantation in Cuba, translation, and typescripts of the diaries, and genealogical information.

The Lake Mohonk Mountain House was a noted summer resort hotel located on Lake Mohonk in the Shawangunk Mountains of Ulster County, northwest of New York City. The collection consists of tear sheets from the trade press, advertisements, trade literature, trade catalogs and other publications collected by Daniel Smiley (1796-1878), former manager of the Lake Mohonk Mountain House, in the course of planning and executing new projects, maintaining the building and grounds, and purchasing new furnishings and equipments. This material is accompanied by fairly routine letters of request and replies from sales representatives. There are also some copies of hotel menus and programmes for social events.

Lammot du Pont, Jr. (1909-1964) was Assistant Vice President of the Wilmington Trust Company. He began his employment there in 1931, previously he was employed at the Fokker Aircraft Corporation. Lammot, Jr., assembled a large collection of books, manuscripts, prints, drawings and photographs. This collection documents the history of aviation and primarily consists of images of aircraft which date from 1915 through 1950. A majority of the images are various views of aircraft only and are devoid of people, though there are a number of images that include pilots. There are prints and lithographs of early aircraft and balloons (dirigibles) which date as early as the 1780s. The collection has been arranged into five series by format.

Lammot du Pont Copeland (1905-1983) was an American businessman, great-great-grandson of E.I. du Pont (1771-1834), and chief executive officer of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. This collection primarily consists of portrait photographs of members of the du Pont, Belin, Copeland, Gratiot, La Motte, and related families. There are also two small booklets containing prints of various du Pont and Cunningham homes.

Lammot du Pont Copeland (1905-1983) held various roles at E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, culminating in his tenure as the company's president from 1961 to 1971 and chairman of the board from 1967 to 1971. The collection documents Copeland's years as President and Chairman of the Board. There is also limited material from his earlier roles as Secretary and Vice President. The papers reflect the company's strategy of international expansion during the 1960s, apparent in Copeland's voluminous correspondence with the International Department.

Lammot du Pont (1831-1884) was an accomplished chemist who managed gunpowder manufacturing at the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (commonly called the DuPont Company). He later organized the Repauno Chemical Company to manufacture dynamite. The papers describe his innovative work in the explosives industry, outside investments in coal mines and railroads, and correspondence with family members. There is also a small subset of materials compiled by his son, also named Lammot du Pont (1880-1952), on various du Pont family and company historical topics.

The Lamson & Sessions Company was a top manufacturer of bolts, nuts and other fasteners. In 1866, the Mt. Carmel Bolt Company was formed by brothers Thomas H. (1827-1882) and Isaac P. Lamson (1832-1912) with Samuel W. Sessions (1824-1902) in Southington, Connecticut. The company moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1869. During World War II, the company was one of the largest manufacturers of fasteners in the United States. In 1981, the company sold its industrial fastener division to Russell, Burdsall & Ward Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio. Lamson & Sessions Company survives today through two business segments: Carlon and Lamson Home Products.

The collection contains nineteen 16mm films dating from the 1940s to 1973. Many of the films are documents of employees working in Lamson & Sessions factories. Some of these depict female employees in the workplace. Several more show machines and presses being run in the creation of bolts or nuts.

Lanman & Kemp was a multi-generational family firm of wholesale druggists in New York City. Their records document the operations of the wholesale drug business in the years before the development of modern pharmaceuticals. They also show the importance of New York City as a center for the import, export and re-export business and of London bankers in financing international trade and extending credit.

Local Maryland historian and private collector Larry R. Paul (b. 1935) has had an extensive career as an exhibit designer, cataloger, and antiques dealer. The collection consists of a database, created by Larry R. Paul, of over 20,000 hotels operating in the United States during the eighteenth century up to the year 2000, although it includes some details on more recent changes to buildings.

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company was established in 1802 by Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) and his son Eleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834). Throughout the 1900s and 1910s, the company shifted its focus away from gunpowder production and towards chemistry innovations. This item is the Spanish language version of "Wonder World of Chemistry" which shows chemical products produced by the DuPont Company.

Lavinia Dimmick (1874-1946) was a descendant of the founders of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, a chemical research and manufacturing company. She was the daughter of Irene du Pont (1845-1877) and Edward Dimmick (1843-1895). Alfred Rée (1864-1933) was a chemist in England. This collection primarily consists of letters that passed between Alfred and Lavinia Rée during their courtship, ending with notes on their wedding reception, honeymoon travel and return to England.

Lavinia Dimmick Rée (1874-1946) was a descendant of the founders of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, a chemical research and manufacturing company. She was the daughter of Irene du Pont (1845-1877) and Edward Dimmick (1843-1895), and a great-niece of Sophie M. du Pont (1810-1888). The records consist of two copies of a typewritten transcription of "Memories of Aunt Sophie" written by Rée about du Pont's home, Lower Louviers, during the late 1870s and 1880s.

The Lawrance Engineering and Research Corporation manufactured auxiliary power plants for airplanes. The firm was founded in 1930 in Linden, New Jersey, by aviator Charles L. Lawrance (1882-1950). This small collection of blueprints shows auxiliary power plant equipment.

The Lea family was among the largest flour mill operators at the Brandywine Falls, near Wilmington, Delaware, since the 1770s, when Thomas Lea (1757–1823) joined in partnership with Joseph Tatnall (1740–1813) to operate mills on the north bank of the stream. This small collection of Lea family papers documents Delaware and Pennsylvania land use and ownership, elite family and social relationships, and agricultural business operations from the early eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century. The materials are from four generations of the William Lea (1805-1876) family lineage. The collection is arranged into four series: Real estate and financial papers, Correspondence, Personal papers, and Newspaper clippings.

Thomas Lea (1757–1823) joined in partnership with Joseph Tatnall (1740–1813), and passed on the Tatnall-Lea grain mills in Wilmington, Delaware to his son William Lea (1805-1876), who took over operation of the mills in 1837. In 1864, William Lea brought his sons Henry Lea (1839-1888) and Preston Lea (1841-1916) into the firm, changing the name to William Lea & Sons Company. This collection includes portraits of members of the Lea and related families. These include such family names as Tatnall, Warner, Preston, Ferris, Downing, Spruance, Lovett, Moore, Bush, Ely, and others.

This reproduction (copied from an original cabinet card) is of Lea Pusey (1820-1896) photographed through a large block of clear ice. Pusey created the plate process, a method to make commercial ice and was the founder of Diamond Ice Company.