Finding Aids

At the time of his death, William G. Ramsay (1866-1916) was chief engineer, a director and vice president of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. This is a small collection of photographs of executives of the DuPont Company. Most of them are copies of other photographs. All but one is identified.

William H. Bollmann (1927-2023) worked for his entire career at the American Can Company in Jersey City and Edison, New Jersey, finishing his time with the company in South Brunswick, New Jersey, as manager of quality control. This small collection includes photographs and booklets from Bollmann's time at the American Can Company. The materials date from 1951 to 1982.

William H. Horstmann & Co. was a manufacturer and retailer of civilian and military equipment. The material is primarily receipts, a small amount of correspondence related to inspection of goods or contracts, and a newspaper clipping of an engraving of the Horstmann's Manufactory.

William H. Horstmann & Sons was a manufacturer and retailer of silk products for civilian and military clothing between 1815 and 1940. This item is a steel engraving by Samuel Sartain of the William H. Horstmann & Sons manufactory and sales room building in Philadelphia.

The William H. Jackson Company was established in 1827 as W. N. Jackson & CO. which specialized in making iron grates. The company's expertise in iron, brass and stone work eventually shifted the emphasis of the company towards the manufacturing of fireplace mantels, vases, fountains, benches, columns, and ornamental accessories. This collection consists of four photographs used as trade catalog illustrations of garden furniture and ornaments.

William H. Rau (1855-1920) was prominent Philadelphia photographer. During the 1870s and 1880s, William H. Rau would become best known for his work photographing scenic views from around the world. In 1895, Rau received a commission from the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Once again traveling in a customized passenger car, Rau traveled on the Lehigh Valley Railroad’s lines from New York City to the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania and upstate New York, documenting hundreds of landscapes along the way. Over two hundred images from this appointment would later be placed in Lehigh Valley Railroad terminals and public sites along the railroad’s reach.

William H. Rau (1855-1920) was a prominent Philadelphia photographer. During the 1870s and 1880s, Rau was best known for his work photographing scenic views from around the world. This is a small, artificial collection primarily consisting of Rau's stereoviews of city and countryside scenery, as well as a set of twelve images that depict a story. The glass negatives show the interiors of Rau's Philadelphia photography studio and workers. The materials date from around the 1890s to 1904.

William H. Savery (1865-1949) was a paper manufacturer and president of the Harpers Ferry Paper Company, the Harpers Ferry Electic Light Company, and the Shenandoah Pulp Company. He was also president and general manager of the Parsons Engineering Company. The collection documents Savery's involvement with the Parsons Engineering Company, the York Haven and Harpers Ferry Paper Company from 1899 to 1920.

William H. Savery (1865-1949) was a paper manufacturer and president of the Harpers Ferry Paper Company, the Harpers Ferry Electic Light Company, and the Shenandoah Pulp Company. He was also president and general manager of the Parsons Engineering Company. Consists of thirty-seven diaries and notebooks of Savery, dating from 1873 to 1918.

William Hasell Wilson (1811-1902) was a consulting engineer to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Wilson's notebook covers his early engineering career on the Philadelphia & Columbia and Philadelphia & Reading railroads. The notebook contains ink and wash drawings by Wilson, along with specifications and cost estimates for the construction of various types of track structure, bridges, turntables, stations and other buildings.

William Hasell Wilson (1811-1902) was a consulting engineer to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Wilson's notebook covers his early engineering career on the Philadelphia & Columbia and Philadelphia & Reading railroads. The notebook contains ink and wash drawings by Wilson, along with specifications and cost estimates for the construction of various types of track structure, bridges, turntables, stations and other buildings.

William Henry Radebaugh (1909-1996), was a public relations executive at the DuPont Company for over twenty years. He wrote, produced and directed many films about the company during his tenure there and for several years after his retirement. The bulk of the collection contains his scripts, storyboards, proposals and films, written and directed by William Henry Radebaugh. Several of the films are concerned about safety in the plants and in the use of DuPont products. Also included are four compilation reels of short news segments about different products, plants and services of the DuPont Company. There are also films about specific DuPont plants and laboratories including the Haskell Laboratory, the Spruance plant in Richmond, Va.; the Tecumseh plant in Tecumseh, Kansas, the Washington plant in Washington, West Virginia and the twenty fifth anniversary of the Victoria, Texas plant.

The Morris family of Philadelphia were brewers, merchants, land speculators, manufacturers, and prominent participants in public affairs. Their papers are primarily from Samuel and Isaac W. Morris. However, the collection includes papers from other family members from the first Anthony Morris to John Thompson Morris (1847-1915), the founder of the Morris Arboretum in Germantown. There are also papers from members of the Wistar, Paschall, and Mifflin families allied by marriage.

William Henvis (1809-1858) was an employee of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. The records are two property deeds of William and Margaret Henvis, one for purchase of land in 1849 and one for sale of land in 1850.

William Hilles Ward (1892-1961) was a chemist, who specialized in explosives serving in high positions at the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company and the Remington Arms Company, Inc. The collection includes press clippings, speeches, photographs of Ward and the DuPont Board of Directors, birth and death certificates for Ward and his wife Sophie Hodges Ward (1894-1968), obituaries and memorials.

The account book, internal evidence suggests, belonged to William Hitchcock (fl. 1800-1825) and was used to record his earnings and activities as a laborer in the Connecticut Valley between New Haven, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts.

William Hollis (1868-1908) was a telegrapher working a block station of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Marietta, Pennsylvania. The pocket diary primarily documents his record of work in 1891, including assignments, discipline for mistakes, travel to headquarters, and records of many accidents - but also includes occasional references to entertainment he attended.

William J. Barnard (1867-1957) was a merchant and general storekeeper of Westtown, Pennsylvania, and later of Newark, Delaware. The collection contains four account books that describe his dealings in produce, sponges, and lumber at various points in the Midwest and Delaware Valley.

William L. Hogg (dates unknown) was an employee of Haskell Works where gunpowder was manufactured. This collection consists of a circular photographic identification badge featuring a black and white portrait photograph as well as a Germansilver match safe with a DuPont Haskell label on the front and William L. Hogg's name written above.

The Lea family were among the largest flour mill operators at the Brandywine Fills, near Wilmington, Delaware, beginning in the 1770s until 1927. The mill operated under multiple company names, including Tatnall & Lea, William Lea & Sons, William Lea & Sons Company, Lea Milling Company, and Lea & Company. The records consist of letters, orders, receipts, and advertisements of the William Lea & Sons Company and its predecessors.

William Lescaze (1896-1969) was a Swiss-born American architect. He is best known for introducing the International Style of architecture to the United States. This is a poster for the exhibition William Lescaze and the Rise of Modern Design in America at the National Academy of Design in New York.

William Liseter Austin (1852-1932) was an executive of the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. Baldwin Locomotive Works was a manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 until 1972. This small collection consists of six pocket notebooks carried by Austin on separate business trips between 1879 and 1892. The trips were undertaken to confer with representatives of Baldwin's customer railroads concerning proposed designs or faulty performance of Baldwin locomotives.

William Liseter Austin (1852-1932) was an executive of the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. Baldwin Locomotive Works was a manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 until 1972. The papers include correspondence, most of which is technical in nature; there is also a vertical file on the construction, sale, and parts of locomotives; specifications; sketches and sketchbooks; and engineering drawings. A very small portion of the collection covers Austin's personal affairs.

William M. Henderson (1831-1904) was a mechanical engineer and inventor who spent most of his career in Philadelphia. The papers consist of two items: a scrapbook, which pertains to Henderson's career and inventions, and an atlas of twenty-nine plates of Bessemer and rolling-mill machinery.

William McKinley Keller (1901-1974) was a railroad engineer and executive who worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Association of American Railroads. The collection of papers relate to his engineering career working for the two companies as well as a consultant to the railroad industry and some personal correspondence throughout his career.

William P. Brobson (1786-1850) was an attorney, editor, and politician in Wilmington, Delaware. This is a copy of his diary on two reels of mirofilm. Brobson's diary contains details of his person life, but also reflects his political interests and includes his comments on current events, particularly during the John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) administration and the rise of Andrew Jackson (1767-1845).

The William Pahlmann papers provide a rich insight into the world of interior design in the middle of the twentieth century. Pahlmann (1900-1987) was well known for his use of bold colors, textures and mix of antique and modern furnishings. Stressed in all of his work, were the conventions of comfort and functionality as well as his clients individual tastes. The William Pahlmann Papers are organized into thirty unique series of varying sizes. The papers are organized into correspondence, publicity files, renderings, samples, artifacts, design plans, and client invoices.

William Parrott (1885-1971) was a partner of William Parrott Sons, dock builders. The account ledger covers 1911 to 1926, with index, and also includes five accounts of accidents.

William P. Allen (1881-1941) worked at the DuPont Company as vice president and director as well as general manager of the Cellulose Products and Paint, Lacquer & Chemicals Department. The papers document his work from 1928 to 1930, including meeting minutes, merger papers, and employee relations.

William Sellers & Co. was an iron works that manufactured machine tools used for turning, planing, shaping, drilling, boring, or cutting metal or wood. The company was founded in 1848 as Bancroft & Sellers by mechanical engineers and inventors Edward Bancroft (1811-1855) and William Sellers (1824-1905). The records consist of five volumes, as well as correspondence from William Sellers and the Sellers firm.

The William Shinn & Co. installed stamped sheetmetal ceilings, cornices, skylights, roofing, and ductwork and employed about a dozen workers and apprentices. It was founded in 1907 in Wilmington, Delaware by William Shinn (1883-1947), a tinsmith and cornice worker, and his brother John A. Shinn (1886-1955). The records are a very small sample of accounting items documenting the operation of a handicraft contracting business.

The firm of William Shinn & Co. installed stamped sheet-metal ceilings, cornices, skylights, roofing, and ductwork and employed about a dozen workers and apprentices. The company was founded in 1907 in Wilmington, Delaware by William Shinn (1883-1947), a tinsmith and cornice worker, and his brother John A. Shinn (1885-1955). This collection contains mages of the William Shinn shop with attached office and another view of their rooftop sign on the Shinn warehouse. There are interior and exterior views of the house of customer.

William W. Morris (1869-1931) was a farmer in Greenwood, Sussex County, Delaware. This is a collection of miscellaneous bills, checks, and receipts that was preserved primarily as a sample of late nineteenth century letterheads and billheads, although it also documents the typical purchases of a downstate Delaware farmer.

William Wallace Atterbury (1866-1935) was a career officer on the Pennsylvania Railroad and its president from 1925 to 1935. The collection consists of photographs and other materials relating to William Wallace Atterbury. Many of the photographs are portraits and other pictures of Atterbury and his family, friends, and associates, including his Yale classmates, business leaders, and notable figures such as President and Mrs. Herbert Hoover and Charles Lindburgh.

William Young (1755-1829) was a Philadelphia bookseller and later a manufacturer at Rockland, Delaware. Miscellaneous papers including genealogical and biographical information, letter, and paper samples produced by Young.

William Young (1755-1829) was a Philadelphia bookseller and later a manufacturer at Rockland, Delaware. This item is a photocopy of letter of introduction from William Young to Charles and Victor du Pont for Frederick Rapp.

William Young (1755-1829) was a Philadelphia bookseller and later a manufacturer at Rockland, Delaware. Letters to Young regarding paper business, two ship bill of lading, and two legal documents on paper produced by Young.

Engineer's notebook kept by future DuPont Company vice president Willis F. Harrington (1882-1960) while an entry-level engineer at the Barksdale Works in Wisconsin.

Wilmington is the largest city in Delaware located on the Christiana and Brandywine Rivers. Postcard views of miscellaneous sights in and around Wilmington, Delaware.

Wilmington is the largest city in Delaware located on the Christiana and Brandywine Rivers. This collection consists of three reproduction photographs of diverse subjects: an A5A steam locomotive #1167 of Reading Railroad crossing the road at Greenville, Delaware; a unoccupied trolley car in Wilmington, Delaware, originally built by the Peoples Railway Company in 1904; a postcard illustration of the Delaware Trust Building, Wilmington, Delaware.

Wilmington is Delaware’s largest city and can be found where the Christina River and the Brandywine Creek meet near the Delaware River. This panoramic color photograph shows office buildings in the city center.

Wilmington is the largest city in Delaware located on the Christiana and Brandywine Rivers. These are sixteen small, gummed, and perforated stamps showing sepia photographic views of Wilmington, Delaware.

Wilmington is Delaware’s largest city and can be found where the Christina River and the Brandywine Creek meet near the Delaware River. The city prospered throughout the Industrial Revolution, but the period of rapid economic growth came with the Civil War. By 1920, the population had reached over 110,000 residents. Wilmington experienced significant population loss after World War II as the suburban areas grew and I-95 dissected some of the city’s more stable neighborhoods. These items are postcards are of miscellaneous views of Wilmington, Delaware sites.

Wilmington is the largest city in Delaware located on the Christiana and Brandywine Rivers. The collection consists of eight postcards featuring scenes in and around Wilmington, Delaware. The postcards were published by Julian B. Robinson, a Wilmington printer.

The International Fur and Leather Workers Union of the United States and Canada was a labor union that represented workers in the fur and leather trades. This small collection of union items relating to the International Fur and Leather Workers Union, Local #201 of Wilmington, Delaware.

Based in Wilmington, Delaware, the Wilmington Public Library has been serving the public since it was established in 1754. This collection consists of eighty eight films, dating from 1914 to 1984, donated by the Wilmington Public Library. These films were de-accessioned from the library’s non-circulating collection. This collection is organized into nine series based on the film’s subject or type of production: American History, Archaeological, Business, Commercial films/television, Educational, Environmental, Experimental, Political Science and Urban/Rural Studies.

The Wilmington Savings Fund Society was established in 1831 as a "safe depository for the earnings of working people" which also promoted the opportunity for homebuilding and lending money for home mortgages. Their records consist primarily of minutes and account books.

The Wilmington Trapshooting Association (WTA) was organized in 1910 and continues to be active today. This collection consists of photographs of members of the Wilmington Trapshooting Association at various events from the early 1900s through the 1980s.

The Wilmington Trapshooting Association was organized in November 1916 with William Highfield (1884-1943) as President, C. Thorpe Martin (1880-1955) as Vice President, E.R. Galvin (dates unknown) as Secretary. The records include minutes, financial ledgers, handbooks, rulebooks, and membership lists.

The Wilmington Trust Company is a financial institution that was started as a banking, trust, and safe deposit company for the du Pont family and other Delaware wealthy families. It is now a subsidiary of M & T Bank. The records contain some information on the workings of the Trust Department, but are more useful for the information they contain on the individual companies in which the department invested. It includes account reviews, responsibility reviews, and security reviews, but is largely investment analysis files, by company.