Swarthmore College Friends Historical Library: Difference between revisions

Friends Historical Library accessing the collections, Quaker history and genealogy, Swathmore College Archives, Swarthmore Hisorical Society Archives, copies and permissions, and catalog search.
Tripod Catalog Tri-College catalog searchable by keyword, author, title, subject, or call number, and on WorldCat.

Collection Description[edit | edit source]

The Friends Historical Library documents the history of the Society of Friends (Quakers) from their origins mid-1600s to the present. It has 45,000 books, 60,000 photos, and 9,000 volumes of original Quaker meeting records, plus local history of the Mid-Atlantic states. Founded by Hicksite Quakers, Swarthmore dropped its religious affiliation and became officially non-sectarian in 1933. Quakers were historically involved in major reform movements such as abolition, Indian rights, women's rights, temperance, prison and mental health reforms, and in the fields of science, technology, education, and business in Britain and America.^[3] ^[4]

Tips[edit | edit source]

Library researchers are asked to complete a registration form.

Guides[edit | edit source]

Genealogy Research Guide Quaker specific, and more general genealogy.
Tripod Research Guides List of class research guides.

Alternate Repositories[edit | edit source]

If you cannot visit or find a source at the Swarthmore College Friends Historical Library, a similar source may be available at one of the following.

Overlapping Collections

National Archives at Philadelphia records of federal agencies and courts for Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, censuses, ships lists, naturalizations, and military records.^[5]
Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg, indexes and original sources of Pennsylvania Archives, such as vital records, military records, naturalization, prisoners, land records, censuses, and ships lists 1728-1808. Also, unfilmed transcripts from many historical societies and courthouses.^[6] ^[7]
State Library of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, indexes and surname files, histories, atlases, land records, maps, ship lists, church and cemetery records, censuses, regimental histories, ethnic and religious groups, newspapers, obituaries, naturalizations, and city directories.^[8]

Similar Collections

Haverford College Library, Haverford, Quaker Collection of diaries, photos, family papers, meeting and organizational records; 35,000 books, 2,400 linear feet of manuscripts.^[9]

Neighboring Collections

Delaware County

Delaware County Archives, Lima, births 1852-1855, 1893-1907, deaths 1852-1855, 1893-1906, marriages 1852-1855, 1855-1930, civil and criminal cases, naturalizations 1795-1990, prisoners 1873-1917, wills 1789-1940.^[10]
Delaware County Historical Society, Chester, birth, marriage, burial, census, church, court, genealogical, and land records, maps, newspapers, telephone books, city directories, yearbooks.^[11]
Rachel Kohl Library, newspaper archives, online access to genealogy resources.

Repositories in surrounding counties: Pennsylvania: Chester, Montgomery, Philadelpia, New Jersey: Gloucester, and Delaware (State): New Castle.

Chester County

Chester County Archives and Records Services, West Chester, online indexes and births 1852-1855, 1893-1907, deaths 1852-1855, 1893-1906, marriages 1852-1855, 1855-1930.^[12]
Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, genealogy, local history, family papers, records of businesses, organizations, churches and schools, maps, newspapers, censuses, and databases.^[13]

Lancaster County

Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society (ERHS), Lancaster, Reformed Church records and genealogy resources including parish registers.^[14]
Franklin and Marshall College Library, Lancaster, "Hessian" (German) soldiers in the American Revolution, history, government, Pennsylvania-German culture, U.S. Civil War.^[15]
Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, card index to over 800,000 persons, genealogies, local histories, biographies, directories, passenger lists, census, deeds, obituaries, surname files.^[16]

Philadelphia County

Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records, Philadelphia, birth and death records 1906-present. Order in-person, order online through VitalChek, or order births by mail, or order deaths by mail.^[17]
Philadelphia City Archives births 1860-1915, marriages 1860-1915, divorces 1851-1975, deaths 1803-1915, naturalizations 1800-1933 (except 1905-1913), house deeds 1683-1952, tax lists, prisoners, mayors' warrants, cemeteries, constables, streets and city directories.^[18] ^[19]
Clerk of the Orphans' Court, Philadelphia, marriages 1885-present.^[20]
Office of the Prothonotary, Philadelphia, divorces 1875-present, and Court of Common Pleas records, Municipal Court records, and Orphans Court records since 1874.^[21]
Register of Wills, Philadelphia, wills 1692-present, and marriages records.^[22]
City of Philadelphia Department of Records deeds 1952-present, mortgages, and partnerships.^[23]
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, has early Quakers, Germans, Scots-Irish and other ethinc groups in PA, NJ, DE, and states east of the Mississippi River, Balch Institute passenger arrival lists, huge manuscript collection including many indexes, and Philadelphia neighborhood records.^[24]
Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, has great online indexes to books, periodicals, family folders, genealogies, and research aids for Pennsylvania and surrounding states.</ref>
Library Company of Philadelphia has huge German-American collection, Pennsylvanians in the Civil War, and early Philadelphia documents as if it were a second city archives.
Free Library of Philadelphia very large book collection, periodicals, genealogies, city directories, maps, family folders, vertical files, manuscripts, and Pennsylvania histories.
University of Pennsylvania Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, Philadelphia, many manuscripts, newspapers, county records, ethnic sources, denominational records, and county histories.
Temple University Urban Archives, Philadelphia, churches, fraternal groups, unions, guilds, clubs, businesses, and societies especially related to the growth of Philadelphia and vicinity.
U.S. District Court Clerk, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, court records.^[25]
American Swedish Historical Museum, Philadelphia, Swedish heritage in the Delaware Valley.^[26]
Chestnut Hill Conservancy, images, maps, real estate atlases, deeds, diaries, genealogies, and oral histories of the western-northern most part of Philadelphia.
German Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, church history, genealogy, immigrants, immigrant aid records, German newspapers, old GSP memberships, and German-American periodicals.
Germantown Historical Society (Germantown, Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill) manuscripts, maps, deeds, business records, newspapers, church and cemetery records, oral histories, and photos.^[27]
Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia, Melrose Park, Jewish genealogy research manuals, society newsletters, regional cemeteries, and resource guide for south PA, NJ, and DE.^[28]
Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia ELCA archives for Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Upstate New York (excluding New York City) and New England. Includes clergy and synod papers, and some parish registers (baptisms, marriages, funerals, confirmations) (some in German).^[29]
Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, national archives of the Presbyterian Church (USA).^[30]

Repositories in other surrounding states: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ontario.
Historical Society of Delaware Library, Wilmington, colonial records, newspapers, church records, state records, Revolutionary War records, Civil War records, Delaware histories, and genealogies.^[31]
Handley Regional Library, Winchester, VA, records of Germans and Scots-Irish who traveled the Great Valley Road from Penn. to Virginia, including manuscripts, newspapers, biographies, and histories.^[32]
Archives of Ontario, Toronto, births, marriages, deaths, wills, land, naturalizations, passenger lists, maps, cemeteries, church, court, military, hospital, schools, city directories, and voters’ lists.^[33]

Sources[edit | edit source]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Friends Historical Library in Swarthmore Friends Historical Library (accessed 27 September 2012).
↑ Visitors in Swarthmore College (accessed 1 January 2014).
↑ Friends Historical Library in Swarthmore College (accessed 24 December 2013).
↑ Swarthmore College in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia (accessed 1 January 2014).
↑ Family History at the National Archives in Philadelphia in National Archives (accessed 20 December 2013).
↑ William Dollarhide and Ronald A. Bremer. America's Best Genealogy Resource Centers (Bountiful, Utah: Heritage Quest, 1998), 97. At various libraries (WorldCat). FHL Ref Book 973 J54d.
↑ Research Topics at the Pennsylvania State Archives in Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (accessed 23 December 2013).
↑ Genealogy and Local History in Pennsylvania Department of Education (accessed 27 December 2013).
↑ About the Quaker Collection in Haverford Libraries (accessed 24 December 2013).
↑ Delaware County Archives in Delaware County, Pennsylvania (accessed 1 January 2014).
↑ Research Library in Delaware County Historical Society (accessed 1 January 2014).
↑ Archives and Records Services in Chester County, Pennsylvania (accessed 1 January 2014).
↑ Library in Chester County Historical Society (accessed 1 January 2014).
↑ Resources in Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society (accessed 9 September 2021).
↑ Genealogy Resources/Church Records in Franklin and Marshall College Library (accessed 24 December 2013).
↑ Genealogy Resources in Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society (accessed 24 December 2013).
↑ Birth and Death Certificates in Pennsylvania Department of Health (accessed 27 December 2013).
↑ Dollarhide and Bremer, 95
↑ Genealogy 101 in Free Library of Philadelphia (accessed 27 December 2013).
↑ Clerk of the Orphans' Court in City of Philadelphia (accessed 27 December 2013).
↑ Search Court Records in The Philadelphia Courts (accessed 23 December 2013).
↑ Marriage Records in Register of Wills (accessed 23 December 2013).
↑ Archives in City of Philadelphia Department of Records (accessed 23 December 2013).
↑ Dollarhide and Bremer, 95
↑ Office of the Clerk of Court in United States District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania (accessed 8 April 2021).
↑ About the Museum in American Swedish Historical Museum (accessed 24 December 2013).
↑ Library and Archives in Germantown Historical Society (accessed 24 December 2013).
↑ The JGSGP Library in Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia (accessed 24 December 2013).
↑ The Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia in The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (accessed 24 December 2013).
↑ Genealogy and Family History Research at the Presbyterian Historical Society in Presbyterian Historical Society (accessed 24 December 2013).
↑ Dollarhide and Bremer, 27.
↑ Dollarhide and Bremer, 113.
↑ Records in Ontario Ministry of Government Services (accessed 29 December 2013).

[FHL-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Friends Historical Library in Swarthmore Friends Historical Library (accessed 27 September 2012).

[2] Visitors in Swarthmore College (accessed 1 January 2014).

[3] Friends Historical Library in Swarthmore College (accessed 24 December 2013).

[4] Swarthmore College in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia (accessed 1 January 2014).

[5] Family History at the National Archives in Philadelphia in National Archives (accessed 20 December 2013).

[DB97-6] William Dollarhide and Ronald A. Bremer. America's Best Genealogy Resource Centers (Bountiful, Utah: Heritage Quest, 1998), 97. At various libraries (WorldCat). FHL Ref Book 973 J54d.

[7] Research Topics at the Pennsylvania State Archives in Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (accessed 23 December 2013).

[8] Genealogy and Local History in Pennsylvania Department of Education (accessed 27 December 2013).

[9] About the Quaker Collection in Haverford Libraries (accessed 24 December 2013).

[10] Delaware County Archives in Delaware County, Pennsylvania (accessed 1 January 2014).

[11] Research Library in Delaware County Historical Society (accessed 1 January 2014).

[12] Archives and Records Services in Chester County, Pennsylvania (accessed 1 January 2014).

[13] Library in Chester County Historical Society (accessed 1 January 2014).

[14] Resources in Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society (accessed 9 September 2021).

[15] Genealogy Resources/Church Records in Franklin and Marshall College Library (accessed 24 December 2013).

[16] Genealogy Resources in Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society (accessed 24 December 2013).

[17] Birth and Death Certificates in Pennsylvania Department of Health (accessed 27 December 2013).

[18] Dollarhide and Bremer, 95

[19] Genealogy 101 in Free Library of Philadelphia (accessed 27 December 2013).

[20] Clerk of the Orphans' Court in City of Philadelphia (accessed 27 December 2013).

[21] Search Court Records in The Philadelphia Courts (accessed 23 December 2013).

[22] Marriage Records in Register of Wills (accessed 23 December 2013).

[23] Archives in City of Philadelphia Department of Records (accessed 23 December 2013).

[24] Dollarhide and Bremer, 95

[25] Office of the Clerk of Court in United States District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania (accessed 8 April 2021).

[26] About the Museum in American Swedish Historical Museum (accessed 24 December 2013).

[27] Library and Archives in Germantown Historical Society (accessed 24 December 2013).

[28] The JGSGP Library in Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia (accessed 24 December 2013).

[29] The Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia in The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (accessed 24 December 2013).

[30] Genealogy and Family History Research at the Presbyterian Historical Society in Presbyterian Historical Society (accessed 24 December 2013).

[DB27-31] Dollarhide and Bremer, 27.

[DB113-32] Dollarhide and Bremer, 113.

[33] Records in Ontario Ministry of Government Services (accessed 29 December 2013).

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 *[http://www.americanswedish.org/ American Swedish Historical Museum], Philadelphia, Swedish heritage in the Delaware Valley.<ref>[http://www.americanswedish.org/frames.htm About the Museum] in ''American Swedish Historical Museum'' (accessed 24 December 2013).</ref>
 *[http://chconservancy.org/archives Chestnut Hill Conservancy], images, maps, real estate atlases, deeds, diaries, genealogies, and oral histories of the western-northern most part of Philadelphia.
-*[http://www.germansociety.org/library.html German Society of Pennsylvania], Philadelphia, church history, genealogy, immigrants, immigrant aid records, German newspapers, old GSP memberships, and German-American periodicals.<ref>[http://www.germansociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Horner-Library-genealogical-resources_cliff-notes-version.pdf Genealogical Resources at the Joseph P. Horner Memorial Library] in ''The German Society of Pennsylvania'' (accessed 8 April 2021).</ref>
+*[http://www.germansociety.org/library.html German Society of Pennsylvania], Philadelphia, church history, genealogy, immigrants, immigrant aid records, German newspapers, old GSP memberships, and German-American periodicals.
 *[http://www.germantownhistory.org/ Germantown Historical Society] (Germantown, Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill) manuscripts, maps, deeds, business records, newspapers, church and cemetery records, oral histories, and photos.<ref>[http://www.germantownhistory.org/library.htm Library and Archives] in ''Germantown Historical Society'' (accessed 24 December 2013).</ref>
 *[http://www.jgsgp.org/index.html Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia], Melrose Park, Jewish genealogy research manuals, society newsletters, regional cemeteries, and [http://www.jgsgp.org/Documents/ResourceGuidev5C.pdf resource guide] for south PA, NJ, and DE.<ref>[http://www.jgsgp.org/Pages/library.html The JGSGP Library] in ''Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia'' (accessed 24 December 2013).</ref>