Finding Aids

The Whitaker family of Philadelphia founded and operated William Whitaker & Sons, Inc., one of the oldest Philadelphia textile mills. The collection consists of photographs related to the family of William Whitaker. A number of the photographs feature buildings and bridges in and around Cedar Grove, Pennsylvania, now a part of Philadelphia. William Whitaker's mansion is featured in several of these images, with family gathered on the porch.

Produced by 302 Stories, Inc. : Written, directed, photographed and edited by Michael Oates. Wilmington, DE : Berkana, Center for Media and Education, Inc., c2012.

Wilhelmina du Pont (1906-2000) was the daughter of William K. du Pont (1875-1907) and Ethel Hallock (1876-1951), a fourth generation descendent from E.I. du Pont (1771-1834). The item is a special Christmas calling card created for Wilhelmina du Pont by the Philadelphia artist M. Adine L. Robinson (1885-1982).

Wilhelmina du Pont (1906-2000) was the daughter of William K. du Pont (1875-1907) and Ethel Hallock (1876-1951), a fourth generation descendent from E.I. du Pont (1771-1834). The letters are to Wilhelmina du Pont from her cousin Alice (Belin) (Mrs. Pierre S. du Pont) (1872-1944); mother Ethel (Mrs. William Kemble du Pont); cousin Alice (du Pont) (Mrs. T. Coleman du Pont) (1863-1937); and uncle Pierre S. du Pont (1870-1954).

Wilhelm Melas (1869-1916) was an engineer and inventor who specialized in the design of furnaces and other industrial machines. He designed plant and foundry layouts, as well as developed materials for railroad stations. This collection consists of more than 700 drawings related to Melas’ work as an engineer, as well as a compilation of project notes, reference material, and data. This collection would be useful to researchers interested in industrial design, especially related to steel and iron production.

Willard S. Wilson (1897-1979) was a pioneer radio broadcaster and entrepreneur. He was founder of the first commercial radio station in Delaware. This small collection of newspaper clippings, articles, notes, and ephemera document Wilson's knowledge about the history of radio and some of his accomplishments related to the radio station WHAV/WDEL. There are also three reels of film, two related to aviator Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) and one documenting the arrival of a monument at Wilmington, Delaware marine terminal.

William Branford Shubrick (1790-1874) was an officer in the U.S. Navy and served from 1806 to 1861, including service in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and retired in the early months of the Civil War. The collection includes letters to Shubrick from Charles Henry Davis (1807-1877) and Samuel Francis du Pont (1803-1865) in appreciation of his naval services.

William Spruance (1873-1935) was an electrical engineer and corporate officer in the DuPont Company. The collection contains letters about shares in the E.I. du Pont de Nemours Powder Company awarded under the company's bonus system.

William Deas (1768-1806) was a merchant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Initially, Deas was in a partnership with David Knox (dates unknown) and James Henderson (1756-1801) Knox, Henderson, and Co., which formed in 1796. After that partnership was dissolved, William Deas and David Knox formed a new partnership, Knox and Deas, located at 30 Front Street in Philadelphia. The business imported and sold textiles and garment-making items as well as dry goods and other things. This collection consists of a letterbook of approximately 175 pages of business transactions from William Deas to his business partner, English merchant David Knox, from 1800 to 1803 inclusively.

William Douglass (1849-1925) worked his entire professional life in the steel industry. He was an educated steel worker and spent many years as foreman or superintendent at various jobs site, the majority being in Birmingham, Alabama. The papers are a collection of items partly documenting Douglass' career as a foreman in the steel industry in the Pittsburgh and Birmingham Districts from 1889-1915.

William du Pont, Sr. (1855-1928) was an industrialist and member of the prominent du Pont family of Delaware, whose family business was the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, also known as the DuPont Company which was a large manufacturer of gunpowder. He worked for the first DuPont dynamite manufacturer, Repauno Chemical Company, as secretary and treasurer (1880-1884) and after the tragic death of Lammot du Pont (1831-1884), as president (1884-1892). William du Pont, Jr. was the youngest child of du Pont, Sr. and Annie Rogers Zinn du Pont (1858-1827). Du Pont Jr. became the president of Delaware Trust Company in 1929, the youngest bank president in Wilmington at that time. In 1952, he became chairman of the board, retaining both positions until his death in 1965. The William du Pont family papers are organized into two record groups: William du Pont, Sr. papers and William du Pont, Jr. papers. The William du Pont, Sr. papers primarily encompass the years of his active business life from the early 1880s to his death in 1928. There are also some papers from his early life and after his death. The William du Pont, Jr. papers document areas of his activities predominantly concerned with land development in Wilmington, Delaware; farming, animal breeding and foxhunting in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia; and promotion of horse racing in the United States, especially in Delaware.

William du Pont, Sr. (1855-1928) was an industrialist and member of the prominent du Pont family of Delaware, whose family business was the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, also known as the DuPont Company which was a large manufacturer of gunpowder. He worked for the first DuPont dynamite manufacturer, Repauno Chemical Company, as secretary and treasurer (1880-1884) and after the tragic death of Lammot du Pont (1831-1884), as president (1884-1892). William du Pont, Jr. was the youngest child of du Pont, Sr. and Annie Rogers Zinn du Pont (1858-1827). Du Pont Jr. became the president of Delaware Trust Company in 1929, the youngest bank president in Wilmington at that time. In 1952, he became chairman of the board, retaining both positions until his death in 1965. This collections consists of photographic material mostly relating to the U.S.F. Powder Company, together with the Ball Grain Explosives Company which was in a way U.S.F. Powder Company predecessor. It also includes William du Pont's family photographs and negatives.

William du Pont (1855-1928) was an industrialist and member of the promienent du Pont family of Delaware, whose family business was the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, also known as the DuPont Company which was a large manufacturer of gunpowder. He worked for the first DuPont dynamite manufacturer, Repauno Chemical Company, as secretary and treasurer (1880-1884) and after the tragic death of Lammot du Pont (1831-1884), as president (1884-1892). This small group of papers encompass both correspondence and various financial and investment accounts, largely covering his ten years spent in England after leaving the United States in 1893.

William E. Morris (1812-1875) was a civil engineer and railroad executive. The notebook contains fourteen separate specifications for canal and railroad work copied in longhand and a fifteenth in the form of an inserted printed handbill. They offer a good snapshot of early civil engineering practice and construction techniques. Evidence points to Morris as the notebook's author.

William E. Mullestein (1911-2005) was president of the Lukens Steel Company from 1969 to 1974 and chairman from 1974 to 1978. These seven photographs relate to his career at Lukens Steel.

William F. Endress, Inc. was a coal and ice supplier at 66 Foote Ave. in Jamestown, New York. The company was founded by Colonel William Fries Endress (1855-1935). In 1897, Endress purchased three existing brickyards owned by M.J. Mecusker & Sons, Jamestown Shale Paving Company, and C.A. Morley, Jr., which he then consolidated into a wholesale and retail establishment selling brick, wood, cement, and tile, but which specialized in the sale of anthracite, bituminous, and lignite coal. In 1902, Endress expanded into the ice and cold storage business, opening the first freezer storage facility in the city.

This collection consists of ten perforated pages containing six coupons each. Each coupon was redeemable for twenty-five pounds of ice from William F. Endress, Inc.

William F. Gardner (1840-1907) was a minister for the Episcopal Church. The letter is a general farewell upon being assigned to a new parish, urging his parrishoners to keep in the faith and look to the upkeep of the parish.

William Ferris, II (1822-1909) was, along with Philip Garrett (1814-1896), a senior partner in the firm of the Ferris & Garrett company, a supplier of plumbing fixtures for gas, steam, and water service in Wilmington, Delaware. This collection consists of thirty-eight glass plate negatives, mostly of unidentified people and interiors, photographed by William Ferris, II.

The collection primarily consists of newspaper clippings, telegrams, resolutions, and correspondence regarding Ramsay's death and funeral.

William Gouverneur Ramsay (1866-1916) trained as a civil engineer at the University of Virginia, finishing his course work in 1887. After a career working at various times in canal, railroad, chemical, dynamite, and coal industries, in 1903, Ramsay became Du Pont's chief engineer and directed the construction of many of the largest explosives factories in the United States. In 1916, Ramsay became a director and vice president of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, in addition to retaining his position as chief engineer. The William G. Ramsay family correspondence comprises sixty-four letters. They are largely addressed to William himself, from a variety of interlocutors, but mostly members of his own family. The majority of the letters are written by women, and thus provide a powerful picture into women’s lives and roles in the Ramsay family at the turn of the century across the Eastern seaboard.

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 mostly unidentified snapshots possibly taken in the Pacific Northwest showing boats and logging subjects.

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. 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. 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.