Historical Society of Pennsylvania Special Collections Library

Resources (38)

• American Latvian Association in the United States, Records (1949-1973)

  2 ft. The records of the Association include minutes, correspondence, reports, proposals and miscellaneous items. They are divided by records type and arranged chronologically within each folder. The correspondence is divided into two series. The first consists of general correspondence files, and the second consists of correspondence files on specific topics. Both are arranged chronologically
  
  A large quantity of periodicals, including many sample newsletters from local Latvian organizations and congregations, were received along with the records. They will. be found in the serials section of the library. In addition, there are printed meeting announcements, programs, and other ephemera from local Latvian organizations and congregations which were removed to the library collection. Related photographs will be found in the photograph collection.
  
  Approximately half the materials in this collection are in Latvian. The other half are in English. Finding aid available: http://www2.hsp.org/collections/Balch%20manuscript_guide/html/amr_latvian_assoc.html

• Atherton Blight

  Papers, 1849–56, 2 vols. Diary and account book. Includes notes on the Crimean War. (NUCMC 60–2015) (AM.02555)

• Balch Collection

  Ca. 2,000 items, 1699–1923. Thomas W. Balch was a lawyer, author, and collector. Includes a letter, 3 February 1899, from George Peirce concerning the Russian fleet's visit to New York in September 1863, and material on an Alaskan boundary dispute in 1854.

• Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

  Papers, in process, 1,000 items. Statesman, inventor, scientist, writer, and printer. Includes some material pertaining to early Russian-American relations.

• Benjamin Sherman audio interviews, 1982-1983

  0.5 Linear feet 0.5 linear feet, 2 boxes. Benjamin Sherman was born in the Ukrainian shtetl of Romanov in 1896. He immigrated to the United States in 1913 and settled in Philadelphia, where he became active in a South Philadelphia branch of the socialist fraternal order, Workmen's Circle. Sherman was also a member of a Jewish branch of the Socialist Party. Sherman joined the Yiddish-speaking Jewish local of the Bakery and Confectionary Workers, serving as a business agent, and was active in United Hebrew Trades, serving a term as chairman. He has also been active in union political and cultural affairs. The collection consists of recordings (12 audiocassettes) of a series of interviews with Mr. Sherman. The interviews focus on his early participation in Workmen's Circle and other Jewish labor and social organizations. A detailed index to the interviews by subject is available. For related materials see records of Workmen's Circle, Philadelphia District.

• Boats and Cargoes

  Includes 2 inward manifests of goods from Russia, 1795. The first, 2 May, is for the brig Henrietta; St. Petersburg articles were consigned to F. H. LeComte and Richard Gernor, and declared by Thomas Hunt. The second, 28 October, shows that the ship Sedgley from St. Petersburg carried cargo consigned to William Cramont of Philadelphia. (Part of Society Miscellaneous Collection)

• Cadwalader Collection

  Ca. 100,000 items, 1630–1900. In 1 section of the collection, materials of J. Francis Fisher, there are 3 boxes (4, 5, and 8) that include letters of the sisters Mary Helen (Hering), Maria, and Eliza Middleton, daughters of Henry Middleton, ambassador to Russia. Mary Helen (d. 1850) wrote 14 lengthy letters from St. Petersburg, 1820–29, to another sister, Mrs. H. M. Rutledge. They discuss family and social concerns, the Russian court, and diplomatic affairs in Russia. All are ALS. There are over 200 items of Maria's correspondence, ca. 1821–33; she received letters from various people in England and Russia, in English and French. Eliza (1815–1890) corresponded and collected miscellaneous invitations, programs, and other papers during her St. Petersburg stay, 1820–30.

• Charles Godfrey Leland (1824-1903)

  Papers, 1835–1906, ca. 5,000 items. American journalist. Contains an undated "memorial" to the Amon (i.e., the Russian Pacific Land) Company.

• Charles Jared Ingersoll (1782-1862)

  Papers, 1803–62, ca. 675 items. Author and U.S. representative from Pennsylvania. Includes material on early Russian-American relations.

• Charles Thompson (d. 1824)

  Papers, 1774–1811, 9 vols. Includes material relating to commerce with Russia.

• Chew Family

  Papers, 1659-1986 (bulk 1740-1930). 848 boxes, 311 flat files, 36 rolls, 288.5 linear feet. This extensive collection documents the lives of the Maryland and Pennsylvania branches of the Chew family through seven generations. Series 8 contains the papers of William White Chew. Chew served as secretary of legation (St. Petersburg) to George M. Dallas and charge d'affaires ad interim. The series contains correspondence, calling cards, pamphlets, and books, in part pertaining to his diplomatic service in Russia, 1837–40. Finding aid available: http://hsp.org/sites/default/files/legacy_files/migrated/findingaid2050chewseries810.pdf

• Citizens' Permanent Relief Committee, Philadelphia

  Records, 1885–99, ca. 10,000 items. Philanthropic organization. Business correspondence and other records. One of its efforts was to aid suffering Russians in the great famine of 1892–93. (NUCMC 61–81)

• Clifford Family

  Papers, 1722–1832, 10,000 items. Philadelphia family engaged in trade worldwide, including with Russia, over several generations. Letters, invoices, bills, receipts, a diary, vessel charters, legal instruments, insurance policies, and printed matter. (NUCMC 60–1764)

• Colonial-Revolutionary Manuscripts

  Part of Society Miscellaneous Collection, 1738–1808, ca. 150 items. John Adams's letter, 10 April 1780, to Samuel Huntington encloses a memoire/ letter signed by Prince D. A. Gallitzin, Catherine II's envoy to the Estates General. The prince notes that the Russian position in the American Revolutionary War is one of neutrality but that Russia is determined to maintain her honor, commerce, and navigation. (NUCMC 60–1707)

• Edward Carey Gardiner

  Collection, 1632–1939, ca. 12,000 items. Includes, ALS, 10 October 1827, from Thomas Monroe to Thomas J. Baird describing Russian arms and telling of Baird's sending a musket to the Grand Duke Constantine; ALS, 10 March 1820, of Peter H. Schenck to Matthew Carey concerning the new Russian tariff; letter, 30 May 1858, from E. Penshine Smith to Henry C. Carey discussing the emancipation of the serfs in Russia; ALS, 18 January 1863, from Bayard Taylor to Henry C. Carey describing his experiences as charge d'affaires in Russia and "the Emperor's wise rule"; and a letter, 29 July 1859, from Julia V. Wiltbank to Henry C. Carey which speaks of the Russians and their hospitality.

• George S. Hillard

  Letter, 3 January 1872, to J. F. Fisher concerns Russia's treatment of the Poles. (Part of the Francis F. Hart Collection)

• Gilbert Cope

  Historical and Genealogical Collection, 1682–1924, ca. 30,000 items. Includes consular papers, 1807–24, from U.S. consulates in London and Riga; ship registers; and materials relating to legal cases in Russia.

• Gilpin Family

  Papers, 1727–1872, ca. 20,000 items. Includes ca. 700 letters of Joel R. Poinsett (1779–1851), an American diplomat who traveled in Russia in the early 1800s, The Gilpins were distinguished in politics, scholarship, and commerce. Published guide. See also under Joel R. Poinsett.

• Gustav Heinrich von Rosenthal (John Rose) (1753-1829)

  Russian baron of Baltic origin. He fled his homeland in the early 1770s and eventually came to America, where, as John Rose, he played an active role in the Revolutionary War. Some of his letters are in the Irvine Papers.

• James Buchanan (1791-1868)

  Papers, 1815–68, 114 boxes, ca. 25,000 items, on microfilm. Minister to Russia, 1832–33, and president of the U.S., 1857–61. 6 microfilm reels contain dispatches from U.S. ministers to Russia in the years 1830–34 and 1852–56. 1 box of Buchanan's own papers relates particularly to his service in Russia. His correspondence at the time was not voluminous. Letters, reports, notes, writings, speeches, scrapbooks, and other materials from various phases of his career are also in the collection. One of his correspondents was Secretary of State Edward Livingston. All the papers are microfilmed. For the microfilmed edition there is a published guide.

• James M. Greene (Part of the Society Miscellaneous Collection)

  Includes an ALS, 11 March 1826, to him from George W. Backus discussing the death of Alexander I and efforts to place Nicholas on the throne in place of Constantine.

• Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851)

  Papers, 1785–1851, ca. 4,250 items. Congressman from South Carolina, 1821–25, minister to Mexico, 1825–29, and secretary of war, 1837–41. He traveled to Russia, became a friend of Alexander I, and toured the Caucasus and Caspian Sea regions (including Baku), ca. 1807. Papers are arranged chronologically, in 16 vols. of correspondence and 7 vols. of miscellaneous papers. (The poinsettia is named for him.)

• Jonathan Potts (1745-1781)

  Papers, 1766–80, 500 items. Army surgeon. Includes an intelligence report, 7 May 1777, from France that the courts of Spain, the Netherlands, Prussia, Austria, Sweden, and Russia have applied to Benjamin Franklin for ambassadors to be sent to their countries.

• Joseph Fels (1854-1914)

  Papers, 1865–1952, ca. 3,500 items. Soap manufacturer and philanthropist. In 1907 he lent money to the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. Box 1 holds a receipt for the sum of £1,700 signed by all the delegates of the Last International Convention of the RSDLP in London, May 1907; and a September 1908 document, probably dictated by V. I. Lenin, explaining why payment of the loan had been delayed. Lenin, who presided at the 1907 meeting, did not sign the receipt, photocopy from Party archives in Moscow, 5 pp. The 1908 document is handwritten, 3 pp., accompanied by a typed translation, 2 pp. In box 5 are some notes of Arthur P. Dudden for his biography of Fels; they refer to the RSDLP (1907 loan folder). Papers also contain a letter of Mary Fels about Efrem Zimbalist. (NUCMC 70–1247)

• Joseph Harrison (1810-1874)

  Letterbook, 1844–65, 6 vols. Railroad engineer and locomotive designer. Includes information on commerce with Russia. (AM.07194)

• Lewis-Neilson Collection

  Papers, 1800–1918, 15,000 items. Includes papers of William D. Lewis (see preceding): Russian notebooks for 1815–18, with data on commerce, and 3 boxes of correspondence from his brother John in Russia.

• Myer Asch

  Papers, 1867–87, 50 items, 1 vol. Colonel, secretary of the U.S. Centennial Exposition. Letters and documents, including items from Russian (and other) envoys, expressing their government's high regard for Colonel Asch. (NUCMC 60–2034) (AM.0085)

• Powel Family

  Papers, 1700–1925, ca. 50,000 items (4 sets of family papers under this heading). Includes the manuscript of the book Travels Through Part of the Russian Empire and Country of Poland (London, 1815) by Robert Johnston, who journeyed through northern Europe and Russia in 1814. (NUCMC 61–738)

• Richard O'Bryen

  U.S. consul-general in Algiers. Journal for 1789–91 discusses Russian and other European diplomatic interests, 1 vol. (AM.109)

• Richard S. Smith (b. 1789)

  Memoirs, 1 vol. Comprises his "Reminiscences of Seven Years of Early Life," ca. 1808–13, which contain information on wars of Russia and other countries. (AM.155)

• Rudolph Blankenburg (1843-1918)

  Papers, 1881–1918, 150 items. Philadelphia mayor. Includes several items relating to famine relief for Russia in 1892–93: letter, 2/14 March 1892, from E. W. Brooks about funds raised by the English Society of Friends for the famine-stricken population of Russia; letter, 3 March 1892, from C[ount?] Worongrow Daschkow [Vorontsov-Dashkov] regarding the sailing of the ship Indiana, carrying food for relief of Russian famine victims; letter, 17 March 1892, from Blankenburg to "Your Excellency" (Vorontsov-Dashkov?), presenting him with a photograph of the sailing of the Indiana from Philadelphia; letter, 27 May 1893, about honoring Blankenburg with a Russian loving cup in appreciation of his help in delivering flour to Russia via the Indiana; a pamphlet entitled Shall Russian Peasants Die of Starvation?; and an account of receipts and expenditures for J. P. Blessig's Famine Relief Fund, 1892. (NUCMC 61–1066)

• Simon Gratz

  Autograph collection, 1383–1921, ca. 175,000 items. Miscellany section includes documents on Russian and other celebrities and royalty. Also, 2 certificates of health, 1830, relating to Russia. Unpublished finding aid.

• Solomon Solis-Cohen (1857-1948)

  (Part of the Society Miscellaneous Collection) Includes a letter, 17 January 1942, to him from Helena Day concerning Russian war relief and a planned benefit for the USSR.

• Tench Coxe (1755-1824)

  Papers, 122 microfilm reels. Assistant secretary of the treasury. Includes material on early Russian-American relations. Published guide.

• Watermarks

  2 sheets of Russian paper, 1965, bearing watermarks.

• William David Lewis (1792-1881)

  Letterbook, 1821, 1 vol. Merchant, banker, politician and literary dilettante. Contains letters to his brother John D. Lewis, a merchant in Russia. (AM.09244)

• Workmen’s Circle, Philadelphia District

  Records (additions), 1940-1981. 2.6 linear feet (5 boxes, 3 volumes). The Workmen's Circle, a national Jewish fraternal organization, was founded in 1892 by Russian Jewish immigrants. The first Philadelphia branch was probably chartered in 1904. The organization promoted the development and preservation of Yiddish culture in the United States, and its members were active in the labor movement. The Workmen's Circle was aligned with the Socialist Party for three decades, then increasingly supported liberal democratic policies and Jewish nationalism. For related materials see the Workmen's Circle Philadelphia District Records (MSS042). Finding aid available: http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/w/WorkmensCircleMSS045.pdf

• Workmen's Circle, Philadelphia District

  Records, 1931-1968. 10 ft. The Wormen's Circle is a Jewish fraternal organization, founded in New York City in 1892 and federated as a national organization in 1900. Its early members were immigrants from the Russian Pale of Settlement, Yiddish-speaking working class people with strong Socialist, tradeunionist, and secular Jewish identification. The records include minutes, correspondence, financial records, and membership records from the City and District Committee, its predecessor the Joint Committee, and the District Organization Committee, the Cemetery Department, the Medical Department, and the Educational Department. Interview Recording: Benjamin Sherman, longtime Workmen's Circle member, provided information about the history of the Philadelphia district in several interviews. Tape cassettes of the interviews are available for research use. Finding aid available: http://www2.hsp.org/collections/Balch%20manuscript_guide/html/workmenscircle.html