Finding Aids

Abstract:

All American Engineering Company was an aeronautical engineering and research firm that was incorporated on October 31, 1952. The records consist of scrapbooks of newspaper clippings and news releases that document the development, testing, and applications of the company's products.

Abstract:

The Allen D. Cardwell Manufacturing Corporation was a major producer of radio and telecommunications equipment during the twentieth century. Cardwell sold its products to the United States Government, major corporations, and individual consumers. The records contain technical information such as patents and design drawings, as well as a vast array of sales and promotional material from the 1920s.

Abstract:

Charles Lee Reese, Sr. (1862-1940) was a chemist and scientist at the E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company from 1902 to 1931. The Charles L. Reese papers are a group of material from his student days, the texts of lectures and articles, biographical materials and genealogical notes.

Abstract:

Members of the Curtis family were paper manufacturers at Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts, and Newark, Delaware. Alfred A. Curtis (1848-1945) was president of the family paper company from 1911 to 1926. The papers consist of personal and family items collected by Alfred A. Curtis. Included in the collection is a scrapbook of photographs and newspaper clippings, a number of loose papers and clippings, and several histories of the Curtis Paper Company. The papers also contain some letters and notes of Alfred A. Curtis, many connected with genealogy and family history.

Abstract:

Edith Marion DeBlois (1920-2000) was a native Canadian with an interest in foreign travel and a season pass to the Expo 67. Expo 67 was an international exposition that took place in in Montréal, Québec from April 27 to October 29, 1967 to celebrate Canada's centennial. The theme was "Man and his World." These materials were collected by DeBlois while attending Expo 67. This small collection includes many of the official guides and maps issued by the fair, as well as specialized pamphlets dealing with particular themes or exhibits. DeBlois also compiled a series of scrapbooks documenting her attendance at various exhibits and performances.

Abstract:

The Erie City Iron Works was founded by Pennsylvania capitalist Bethuel Boyd Vincent (1803-1876) as the Presque Isle Foundry in 1840. The Works was a major manufacturer of boilers, stationary and portable engines and machinery for sawmills and steam riveting as well as railroad freight and passenger cars. Their records are largely comprised of accounting records.

Abstract:

Eugene Eleuthère du Pont (1882-1966) was an industrialist and a descendant of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) and his son, Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834), who founded E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company in 1802, a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. He attended Harvard University from 1899 to 1903, graduating with an A.B. degree before joining the family business. Eugene E. du Pont kept this scrapbook during his years at Harvard, continuing to the year of his world travels. There are a few pieces relating to the Harvard Class of 1903. However, the bulk of the material consists of articles, particularly poetry.

Abstract:

Francis Gurney du Pont (1850-1904) was the youngest son of Alexis I. du Pont (1816-1857) and Joanna Smith du Pont (1815-1876), and grandson of Éleuthère Irénée "E.I." du Pont (1771-1834), founder of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. His scrapbook includes newspaper clippings on a variety of subjects, including astronomy, religious and church matters, DuPont Company fires and explosions, the statue of Samuel Francis du Pont in Washington, Swedish colonists in Delaware, and obituaries.

Abstract:

Francis Victor du Pont (1894-1962) was a civil engineer and political figure in Delaware and Maryland. This collection combines papers and memorabilia of Francis Victor du Pont and those of his parents and ancestors.

Abstract:

Gabrielle Shubrick Crofton (1835-1894) was the daughter of Irvine Shubrick (1797-1849) and Julia du Pont (1806-1882), and the wife of Colonel Robert Crofton (1834-1898). His military service meant the family moved to where he was stationed. The papers consist primarily of correspondence between Crofton and her husband and mother, including an eight-year span living in army posts in the Dakota Territory.

Abstract:

Thomas William Harvey (1795-1854) and his son, Hayward Augustus Harvey (1824-1893), were two important inventors in the arts of metalworking and metallurgy. The Harvey Steel Company constructed a furnace for making file and tool steel in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1887. In 1889, the company erected a much larger plant near Brills Station in Newark, and expanded it into the treating of armor plate. Thomas W. Harvey is represented in this collection by a selection of documents covering his business career. These include deeds to family property. There are small amounts of correspondence regarding his inventions and the patent laws, including an "Essay upon Iron," affidavits regarding his screw machine, and sketches for several inventions. The papers of Hayward Augustus Harvey include copies of patents and drawings of his various inventions and documents arising from patent litigation. However, the bulk of papers concern the Harvey Steel companies and the Harvey process.

Abstract:

Henry Algernon du Pont (1838-1926) was a military officer, a politician from Delaware, and vice president of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. The leather-bound scrapbook serves as a testimonial to the memory of du Pont. It includes records of the West Point class of 1861, the military record of du Pont, his award for gallantry in action, his obituary from the DuPont Company annual report, and photographs of H. A. du Pont and scenes of West Point in 1861 and 1961.

Abstract:

The Hiebler family papers include documents pertaining to four generations. The bulk of the collection consists of letters written by Alfred I. du Pont to his grandsons Bayard Hiebler and Benno Hiebler, dated 1927 to 1935.

Abstract:

Levi C. Stang (1890-1962) was an electrical engineer and general manager of several electric companies throughout the Midwest. His scrapbook chronicles his career and employment as an electrical engineer through selected letters and correspondence, newspaper and other clippings, blueprints, and photographs.

Abstract:

Marguerite Lammot du Pont Lee (1862-1936) was activist for women's suffrage, child labor, and other social issues. The scrapbook contains religious poems, newspaper clippings, editorial comments, gunpowder labels, as well as a few photographs of the area near the DuPont Powder Yards.

Abstract:

John Drake Fitzgerald (1902-1969) was the chief of the Radio Division at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) in the early 1940s. While at NAM, Fitzgerald oversaw the “Defense for America” radio series that aired on NBC Red Network and “Your Defense Reporter” series which aired on Mutual Network. This scrapbook (digital copy), created by Fitzgerald, documents some of the work the Radio Division of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) did in 1941. Particular emphasis is on two radio programs: "Defense for America" and "Your Defense Reporter." Fitzgerald was the chief of the Radio Division.

Abstract:

The Pennsylvania Railroad Company was the largest railroad in the United States in terms of corporate assets and traffic from the last quarter of the nineteenth century until the decline of the northeast's and midwest's dominance of manufacturing. This item is a scrapbook kept by a railroad station agent(s) somewhere near or south of Philadelphia between 1887 and 1888. The purpose of the volume was to enable the agent to make out waybills for freight by containing updated information as to the rates to be charged on various specific goods, the division of rates with other companies for interline movements, and any embargoes or restrictions on routings. The volume offers a snapshot of the types of traffic, mostly iron and steel, livestock and agricultural products, most common to this territory and of the various through routings common at this time.

Abstract:

Porta L. Young (1920-2015) was part owner of a mom-and-pop family furniture store, Kepner & Romich Furniture Store, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The album was prepared by Young to document her family's activities between June 6, 1964 and April 2, 1965. Like a scrapbook, it contains a wide assortment of objects and ephemeral literature, including Christmas, birthday and valentine cards, snapshots, tourist literature and souvenirs, picture postcards, guide maps, programs, tickets, newspaper clippings, and pin-back buttons issued to visitors and in the 1964 presidential race, down to placemats, decorative sugar packets, cardboard badges and a dried magnolia leaf from Mount Vernon. Unlike many family scrapbooks, each object or group of objects is accompanied by substantial typed text describing the family's experiences and reactions.

Abstract:

The Pusey & Jones Corporation were shipbuilders, founders, and machinists of Wilmington, Delaware, which later expanded into papermaking machinery manufacturing. This collection includes the files of John Biggs III (1927-), attorney, who oversaw the bankruptcy proceedings and dissolvement of the company.

Abstract:

Richard Douglas Caney (1918-1994) was a chemical engineer with E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, working in the Explosives Department on the Manhattan Project. To remember his participation in the Manhattan Project, Caney prepared a scapbook of newspaper clippings of articles that flooded the media after the atomic bombs were dropped and the secrecy around the project ended.

Abstract:

This collection includes materials related to Richard C. du Pont (1911-1943), pioneer in early aircraft and gliders and includes news clippings, official governmental documents related to his work as well as the logbook of his yacht, Nahma.

Abstract:

Sophie du Pont Ford (1871-1957) was the daughter of Victor du Pont (1828-1888) and Alice Hounsfield du Pont (1833-1904) and the wife of Bruce Ford (1873-1931). Her papers consist primarily of her diaries but also include a scrapbook with news clippings relating to the DuPont Company, an address book with family birth dates, and a book with watercolor and text entitled "Life of Branch H. Giles."

Scope and Content: The Strawbridge & Clothier records are not a complete corporate archive but rather a mix of corporate and legal documents and materials collected for a two-volume anniversary history. Nevertheless, they give a good overall picture of the evolution of retailing in the Philadelphia area, particularly in the twentieth century.The Corporate records include incorporation papers, board and committee minutes, and annual reports, which give an overall view of the firm's operations.The Management records are limited to very fragmentary correspondence of the corporate secretaries and president Herbert J. Tily. Much of it concerns bank financing, authorizations, and accounts. There are also executive payrolls (1931-1950), employment contracts for top executives, and notes on executive development programs.Financial and accounting records include fragmentary runs of journals and ledgers, including a sales ledger (1881) and a sales & salaries ledger (1903-1906); financial statements for S&C and the rival Lit Brothers chain; and tax papers.Legal records include trial records relative to the failed hostile takeover attempt made by Ronald Baron in 1985-1986. There are transcripts of testimony from the major parties on both sides. This subgroup also contains a variety of miscellaneous legal papers, including settlements with S&C's foreign offices and various suppliers in London, Paris, and Berlin (1921-1926); merchandising agreements with domestic and foreign manufacturers (1896-1907); and claims case files (1906 and 1911).Real estate records include title papers for the company's flagship store at 8th & Market Streets (1793-1922); contracts for store construction; and some plans for twentieth century construction. Four linear feet of store appraisals for the flagship store are detailed lists for insurance purposes of the store, its fixtures, and contents (1948-1970).Branch store records include plans, publicity articles, brochures, and scrapbooks, plus leases, mortgages, contracts, and insurance appraisals of store and contents for the following branch stores beginning in 1930: Ardmore, Jenkintown, Springfield, Neshaminy, Plymouth Meeting, and Exton, Pennsylvania; Cherry Hill and Echelon, New Jersey; and Wilmington and Christiana, Delaware. This subgroup documents the growth of suburban shopping strips and shopping malls during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, including malls...

Abstract:

Thomas J. Godson (1894-1992) was an employee of the DuPont Company for thirty four years, primarily working in the Paint and Varnish Division. This collection relfects the career of Godson and includes sales materials, manuals, newsletters and other documents primarily related to DuPont's "Duco" paints.

Abstract:

Wayne W. Light (1882-) was a lawyer andlight delivery vehicle inventor. The collection consists of items amassed by Light to document his attempts to become an automotive inventor and manufacturer.

Abstract:

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.