Philadelphia (Pa.)

Abstract The Catholic Club of Philadelphia, formerly the De Sales Institute of Philadelphia, was founded January 2, 1877. The Club offered wealthy men of a certain socioeconomic background cultural, intellectual, and social opportunities. This collection contains administrative records, including by-laws and reports, as well as general correspondence. Programs, souvenirs, and ephemera related to club-sponsored events and events sponsored by other local Catholic societies are also...

Abstract Patrick Coad (1783-1872), an Irish immigrant who settled in Philadelphia, was the first patentee of a graduated galvanic battery with insulated poles. Touting his battery among other uses as an instrument that helped cure various diseases, Coad’s invention attracted a good deal of attention within the scientific and medical communities. A teacher whose interests focused on medicine and the sciences, Coad also travelled throughout Pennsylvania and the surrounding area as a lecturer on the...

Abstract The Fenian Brotherhood, the American branch of the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood, was established in 1858 with the goal of establishing an independent Ireland. As well as raising money and gathering arms to send back to Ireland, the Fenians also engaged in military activity against the British, leading two failed invasions of Canada. Factionalism within the organization led to the Brotherhood's decline by the 1880s. This collection primarily contains the correspondence of...

Abstract Herman Joseph Heuser, D.D. (1851-1933) was a Catholic intellectual and prolific writer who influenced scholarly circles and clerical life in the United States and abroad through his literary work. Heuser edited the American Ecclesiastical Review (1889-1975) as well as published The Dolphin (1900-1908), a Catholic literary magazine. These publications reflected Heuser's varied interests from clerical subjects to the arts. ...

Abstract Elizabeth Sarah Kite (1864-1954) was a teacher, social scientist, historian, author, and archivist. Born in Philadelphia to Quaker parents, Kite was educated at Westtown Boarding school and the Philadelphia Friends’ Select School; and then studied extensively in Europe. In 1906, she converted to Catholicism, after her experiences with French Catholics. From 1909 to 1918, Kite was employed in the research laboratory at the Vineland Training School, and conducted research in the Pine Barrens...

Abstract This collection contains papers that document several generations of the Martin, Campbell, and Furlong families with the Martin family receiving the most coverage. To a lesser extent, the Kennedy and Jenkins families, who had strong personal and mercantile ties to the Martin family, are also represented. These interrelated middle class Irish Catholic families from Philadelphia were involved in several prominent industries in the region, including overseas commerce. Devout in...

Abstract This small collection includes letters from Elizabeth Ann Seton to Matthias and Joseph O’Conway. Matthias, a prominent Philadelphian especially within the Catholic community, was the father of Cecilia O’Conway, Philadelphia’s first nun and the first women to join Seton’s order, the Sisters of Charity. The correspondence is personal in nature and relates to several members of the O’Conway family, particularly Cecilia. Also included is a letter from Elizabeth to her sister-in-law Rebecca Seton...

Abstract This collection contains mostly incoming correspondence to Mary Brackett Willcox (1796-1866), wife of James M. Willcox (1791-1854) whose family owned one of the most significant paper mills in the country in Ivy Mills, now Glenn Mills, Pennsylvania. Along with their status in industry, the Willcox family was also one of the most prominent families within the Catholic community in the Philadelphia area. The family’s mansion became the center of Catholicity in Delaware County, and served as...