Power Library - Pennsylvania's Electronic Library Pennsylvania's Electronic Library PA's
Electronic
Library

Winona Garbrick was one of the most prolific teachers in Bedford High School history. Her legacy includes National Bestselling Author Dean Koontz, who wrote a personalized more letter about Ms. Garbrick for the Winona Garbrick Reading Room in the Bedford Public Library. This collection contains materials donated by her family including family photos, location photos from the early 1900s in Bedford County, letters and drawings from various correspondences throughout her life, and documentation from the time she was in the Army during World War II through her teaching career. less

Compositions on abstract concepts created by a young Mary E. D. Wilson of Bellefonte, PA and written while attending the Lawrenceville Female Seminary in New Jersey more circa 1851 and 1852. Concepts include: twilight, intemperance, ignorance, falsehood, liberty, peace, sad and dreary, friendship, sunset, evening, childhood, night, love, the importance of a well-spent youth, the life of man, sadness and mirth, and home. Also includes daguerreotype and B&W photographs of Mary E. D. Wilson and several of her report cards from the school. less

This digitized diary of Abigail Speakman opens with entries from November 1871 spanning several pages. Nothing further is recorded until July 1882, introducing the bulk of more the volume which describes a trip by Speakman to Scotland and England. Abigail Speakman, known informally as Abbie, was one of eight children, born on May 17, 1842, to Nathan (1791-1860) and Ann Thomas Speakman (1797-1874) at their family home at Brandywine Summit in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Speakman spent most of her adulthood in Wilmington, Delaware, and traveled widely in the United States and Europe. In the 1920 census, Speakman was living in West Chester, Pennsylvania, as a boarder with the M. B. Hickman family. That same census lists her occupation as “editorial contributor to a magazine.” Speakman died in West Chester in her 90th year on January 22, 1932. She is buried in Concord Friends Cemetery, Concordville, Pennsylvania, where her family were members of Concord Friends Meeting. Speakman did not marry. The earliest entries in the diary reference the last days and death of Speakman’s mother along with other family news including the efforts of her brother Edward to save the inventory in his bookstore in Chicago during the fire in October that year. Entries regarding a trip to Scotland and England begin July 1, 1882; subsequent entries are rarely dated, and the descriptions end while Speakman is in London, around July 20. She wrote about shipboard life, including comments on other passengers, dealing with seasickness, and the celebration of the Fourth of July. The group was in Glasgow on July 13, and visited the Highlands, Stirling, Edinburgh, and Melrose. There is also a quick visit to York before proceeding to London. Speakman comments on places visited; the varying quality of the tour guides; her impressions of the landscapes; a run-in with beggars on the return from Dryburgh Abbey and the noise of Covent Garden. A number of items are laid into the volume, including several cyanotypes, one of which was taken aboard ship. Printed material laid into the volume includes a list of passengers on the ship S.S. Circassia; a list the tour group of which Speakman was a member; advertisements for several hotels; track charts of Anchor Line steamships, and some engravings of places visited. Dried plants are attached to some pages. Also laid into the volume are writings which are possibly drafts of travel articles, including one that describes Speakman’s visit to Dryburgh Abbey. The volume closes with an undated article describing a trip by steamship on the St. Lawrence River from Kingston, Ontario, to Quebec. less

The digitized diary of Elizabeth Passmore consists of 382 scanned pages and dates from January to December of 1891. Found within the diary are descriptions of more her daily life, including family affairs, social engagements, housework, education, and religion. Elizabeth Broomell Passmore (1839-1932) was born to John and Esther Moore Hambleton Broomell of Upper Oxford Township. After teaching school in Upper Oxford, Elizabeth married George Birdsall Passmore in 1862. Together, they had 8 children, Hanson, Louella, Ellen, Andrew, George, Norman, and two children who died in infancy. George Passmore was an educator who taught for several years in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and Rising Sun, Maryland before moving to Oxford Township where he established George B. Passmore and Sons, a coal, coke, and wood supply business. Both George and Elizabeth were actively engaged in the temperance and abolition movements, and after the death of her husband in 1890, Elizabeth became increasingly engaged in progressive efforts on the behalf of women’s suffrage, temperance, abolition, child welfare, and education. For over twenty years, Passmore was a board member of Swarthmore College, and she served fifteen years as a manager of the Chester County Children’s Aid Society. In addition, she served as President of the Oxford Public Library and was a working member of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. The diary covers Passmore’s lamenting of her husband’s death and her memories of their life together. She also documents her daily activities, including visits with family and friends, Society of Friends meetings, and volunteer meetings and events in the community. Many diary entries include quotes and selections from published writers and poets. The entirety of the Elizabeth Broomell Passmore Diary Collection, which consists of 40 bound volumes and dates from 1891 to 1930, is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center. less

This digitized selection from the Jean Kane Foulke papers measures 1.4 linear feet and dates from 1850 to 1955, with the bulk of the materials dating more from 1900 to 1920. Found within the scanned papers are correspondence, notes, news clippings, and printed materials related to Foulke’s work as a suffragist, community service leader, and organizer supporting the homefront during World War I. Correspondence and printed materials highlight Foulke’s work as a suffragist leader. From 1913 to 1920, Foulke sat on the board of both the Women’s League for Good Government and the Equal Franchise Society of Pennsylvania. She also served as chairwoman of the State Federation of Pennsylvania Women’s committee for rural women. Materials include internal organizational memoranda, membership form letters and mailings, printed ephemera, and 1920 election campaign materials. In addition, Foulke was actively involved with public health issues in Chester County, as documented by correspondence and printed material covering smallpox vaccinations, consumption, a scarlet fever outbreak, and the West Chester sewage system. Materials also document Foulke’s work with The Grange, Acorn Club, Chester County Historical Society, and College Club. Additional folders focus on women’s contributions to the war effort during World War I. These materials document the Women’s Land Army’s efforts to counteract food and farm labor shortages, women’s war work/labor, and other local safety and educational campaigns. The entirety of the Jean Kane Foulke papers is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center. less

The three diaries kept by Phebe Ann Sharpless (now digitized) span 1849 to 1855, a time when Sharpless was in her twenties. Phebe Sharpless was born more August 16, 1829, the daughter of Samuel Sharpless (1804-1872), a farmer, and his wife, Abigail Garrett Ashbridge Sharpless (1808-1857). Phebe Sharpless had two younger brothers: Thomas Ashbridge Sharpless (1831-1875) who married Margaretta Tucker Evans; and Theodore Sharpless (1835-January 18, 1870). The family resided in East Goshen township and later in West Chester. They attended Goshen Friends Meeting. Phebe Sharpless died in the home of her nephew, Clarence D. Sharpless, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. In the diaries, Sharpless records family news, plus thoughts on her Quaker faith and practice as well as issues of the time including temperance, abolitionism, women’s rights, and the death penalty. She wrote about a talk by William Lloyd Garrison and her support of the African colonization movement in August 1851. As she approached her 25th birthday, Sharpless wrote about her thoughts on marriage for herself and whether other marriages were happy. Domestic activities such as cleaning, sewing (including quilting with her mother and some embroidery work), baking, and other food preparation are discussed. Much of this was Sharpless’s responsibility because her mother was in poor health, and she notes that girls (some immigrant, primarily Irish, and some African American) were employed at times in the household. Sharpless also planted and tended vegetable and flower gardens. She wrote about her appreciation of nature, opining that cutting down forests seemed to lead to milder winters and that native wildflowers were dying out. She attended lectures on a variety of subjects including a series on physiology which she found informative and useful. Leisure time was spent reading (Jane Eyre and Uncle Tom’s Cabin are mentioned), drawing (a small pencil sketch of a flower is in volume 3), attending concerts and picnics, visiting art exhibits, and shopping in West Chester and Philadelphia. Visits to family in Philadelphia and Wilmington are noted, along with travel to New York City, Maryland, and Cape May, New Jersey. The earliest diary is a small paper-bound volume, “Lipman’s Diary” with pre-printed dates. Regular entries ended in 1850, but the following family deaths were noted at the end of the volume: Sharpless’s aunt Hannah G. Ashbridge in 1860, her grandmother Phebe Garrett Ashbridge in 1870 and her brother, Theodore, also in 1870. The second and third diaries were blank volumes. The second volume includes poems written by Sharpless between 1856 and 1876. The third volume includes a partial index in the front of the volume, referencing entries in that diary. less

This digitized selection of eight diaries from the Sheeder Family Account Books and Diaries measures 0.5 linear feet and dates from 1870 to 1879. Found within more the diaries are entries documenting Anna Mary Sheeder’s life and daily routines on her family’s farm in East Vincent Township. Anna Mary Sheeder (1854-1943) was raised on the Sheeder family homestead in a community originally known as Sheeder Postoffice and later referred to as Red Hill. The farm was founded by Sheeder’s grandfather, Frederick Sheeder (1777-1865), an immigrant from Germany who arrived in Pennsylvania at the age of 16. In 1799, Frederick Sheeder purchased a plot of land bordering French Creek and began farming land that would be passed on to Joseph Sheeder, J. Frederick Sheeder, and Anna Sheeder. The diaries cover Anna Sheeder’s life as a young adult from age 16 to 25. During this period, Sheeder completed high school, attended West Chester Normal School (now West Chester University), and, following her graduation in 1874, worked as a schoolteacher for several years. From 1888 to 1901, she maintained the Sheeder farm account books and would eventually oversee the operation of the family farm, which specialized in dairy cattle. Diary entries are intermittent and limited to no more than a page a day—for some periods, there are entries every day interspersed between gaps of months or even seasons. Topics include the weather, chores, leisure activities, teaching, notable events in her daily life, and a summer vacationing in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Some notable events include seeking employment at a mill, choking on a raw oyster, beginning a star quilt, romantic interests, disciplining students, and the death of an acquaintance. The entirety of the Sheeder Family Account Books and Diaries is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center. less

The digitized copybook of William Darlington consists of 170 scanned pages and dates from 1845 to 1851. Found within the bound volume are handwritten ink-on-paper transcriptions more of Darlington’s outbound correspondence to family, friends, acquaintances, institutions, and businesses. William Darlington (1782-1863) was born to a Quaker family near Dilworthtown, Chester County and spent his childhood on his family’s farm. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a medical degree, Darlington served as a surgeon on a merchant ship for several years before returning to Chester County to practice medicine. A prominent member of the community, Darlington served as a major in the War of 1812, was the president of the Bank of West Chester for thirty-three years, and served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms (1815-1817 and 1819-1823). After studying medical botany under Professor Benjamin Smith Barton at the University of Pennsylvania, Darlington continued to nurture a lifelong interest in botanical studies. In 1826, he published Florula Cestrica, a catalog of the plants native to West Chester, and that same year, was one of ten original members to establish the Chester County Cabinet of Natural Sciences. In 1837, he published an expanded volume of his catalog, Flora Cestrica, which contained a complete classification for every known plant in Chester County. Other works of note include Agricultural Botany (1847) and Memorials to John Bartram and Humphry Marshall (1849). The copybook covers Darlington’s outbound correspondence from 1845 to 1851. Correspondents include his sister, Jane Hough, and friends in the community, including the Batchelder and Jeffrey families. With these correspondents, Darlington shares thoughts on his family, women’s interest in science, and appreciation for condolence letters received upon the death of his son. A significant portion of correspondence relates to Darlington’s interest in botany, including detailed descriptions of plant specimens and their classification, and the exchange of printed publications with other botanists, plant collectors, and naturalists. Frequent correspondents include Dr. F. Boott, Anna Maria Collinson, Asa Gray, and H.W. Richardson. Additional correspondence to institutions and businesses relate to personal accounts, invitations to speak, society memberships, and other academic topics. The William Darlington Letterpress Copybook is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center. less

The Women’s Suffrage and Civil Rights Collection measures 0.3 linear feet and dates from 1852 to 1933, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1893 more to 1917. Found within the collection are published materials, letters, manuscripts, and ephemera related to women’s suffrage. Materials document the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association (PWSA) at the state and chapter levels, as well as the larger National Woman Suffrage Association. The Chester County Equal Suffrage Association is also represented. Some organizational materials for men, sympathetic temperance materials, and anti-suffrage materials are also included. When Elizabeth Cady Stanton introduced a suffrage resolution at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in New York, equal suffrage became a central part of the national woman suffrage platform. Just a few years later, West Chester’s Horticultural Hall became the host location for the Pennsylvania Woman’s Rights Convention in June 1852. In the first afternoon session, voting rights was the first resolution debated and adopted in West Chester. In 1869, the National Woman Suffrage Association was founded in response to the 15th amendment. By the early 20th century, auxiliary chapters of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, as well as similarly focused organizations for men, existed in Chester County. The collection includes correspondence regarding the planning of the 1894 PWSA Convention in West Chester, including letters between Lucy Anthony and her aunt Susan B. Anthony. A notebook by Mary Heald Way details women’s suffrage events, club activities, and quotes from publications related to women’s rights. Printed materials include flyers, tracts, and publications promoting suffrage activity dating from 1893 to 1917. In some cases, only the cover, title page, and individual relevant pages have been scanned from published materials. The entirety of the Women’s Suffrage and Civil Rights Collection is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center. less

Since its founding in 1764, the German Society provided charitable assistance to German-speaking immigrants in the community. The Women’s Auxiliary of the German Society of Pennsylvania more was founded in 1900 to serve as an additional charitable arm of the Society, with particular emphasis on charity for families in distress in the Philadelphia area. The collection includes annual reports, meeting minutes, correspondence, photographs and ephemera. less

The Welfare History Collection documents the roles and importance of several welfare organizations formerly located in and/ or associated with the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia spanning more the years circa 1881-1921. The records include annual reports, charters, and by-laws of the Americanization Committee of Germantown, the Pauline Temporary Home, the Germantown Door of Hope, the Florence Crittenton Home, and the Philadelphia Home for Incurables. The materials document the roles that women had in these organizations, and by extension, in the larger community. less

Williamsport Women: Voices, Images, Actions Source material related to the history of women in Lycoming County from Lycoming College, the Lycoming County Historical Society, and the J.V. more Brown Library.  Documents selected highlight the history of local women in volunteer and reform organizations, education, the arts, the workplace, and private lives. The first part of the collection will cover the time period 1875-1925. "This material will have national, perhaps international, significance as it relates to women's history and studies during a time period when there is a scarcity of materials about women's contributions to local communities. All three cooperating facilities are very limited in staffing and available hours, so the materials will reach users who either cannot physically come to the collections or did not previously know of their existence. This collaborative project is funded through an LSTA grant. less

Photographs and postcards depicting various organizations, such as the town band and women's clubs, and employee groups, like the Buttorff and Kline carpet factory workers.

This collection contains scanned images of scrapbooks from individuals and organizations related to New Cumberland. Themes vary from book to book. One scrapbook more contains statistics and news articles about the New Cumberland baseball team that participated in the Twilight League during the 1940s. Another is a series of photographs from the Disciplinary Barracks at the New Cumberland Army Depot from the mid 1950s. Future additions will include scrapbooks from the Women's Civic and Junior Civic clubs, among others.

Started in 1923, the Johnstown Branch of the American Association of University Women has been supporting women's issues and improving the lives of women and girls more in the Johnstown region. The collection contains minutes, newsletters, and photos of the branch since its earliest dates. less

An extensive midwifery manuscript (Hebamme Büchlein) in the archive of the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center, penned between the years 1770-1819, is attributed to Rosina Heydrich, more a midwife and member of the Schwenkfelder community in the Upper Perkiomen Valley. This unique manuscript served as both a birth register and a compendium of specific remedies, treatments, and recommendations for women’s health. The largest and most significant portion of the text is devoted to listing the dates and names associated with 1,739 births to which she dutifully attended, detailing the breadth of five decades of service to the community as an experienced lay practitioner of obstetric medicine. less

The following cased images consist of daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes in the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center’s photograph collection. The people are a cross-section of middle-class more men, women and children of mid-19th Century, mostly from the Pennsylvania-German milieu of northern Montgomery County and the adjacent counties of Berks, Bucks and Lehigh. The collection is also a good representation of young and old, men and women, Schwenkfelder and non-Schwenkfelder families and individuals. The oldest known person photographed is Susannah Yeakel Schultz who was born in 1782, the second-to-last year of the Revolutionary War and she died in 1861, the first year of the Civil War. The youngest known person is Charles Samuel Wieand, who was born in 1848, the final year of the Mexican-American War and died in 1919, the final year of World War One. less

The Century Club of Scranton is a women's club that was founded in 1911 by prominent women of Scranton.  During the long history, which continues today, more the club hosts a variety of games, programs, and socials for the women in the area.  This collection contains scrapbooks, and bulletins starting in 1911.  The club has had many famous Americans as guests in its doors. less

This collection is comprised of photographs of the blazers, uniforms, and commencement gowns of the girls and women of The Baldwin School, dating from the 1800s more through the present day. The pieces are a valuable part of the School's history and traditions, and they also reflect trends in women's fashion from the late 19th century through the 21st century. less

In 1888, Miss Florence Baldwin founded "Miss Baldwin's School for Girls, Preparatory for Bryn Mawr College" in her mother's house at the corner of Montgomery and more Morris Avenues. Thirteen girls were enrolled in the first class. The establishment of the school was frowned upon by many as a "preposterous extravagance" because in the latter part of the nineteenth century the education of a woman still was considered not only unnecessary but also potentially dangerous. Today, as a college preparatory school for girls in Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade, Baldwin still honors the aims set by Miss Baldwin, adapting them to the needs of today. The Baldwin School Archives collection includes photos, documents, ephemera, and memorabilia, dating from 1888 through the present day. The collection reveals fascinating details about the education of young women in the United States; the history of Bryn Mawr, Philadelphia, and the Main Line; and the architecture of the magnificent 1892 Frank Furness Bryn Mawr Hotel (later the Residence of the Baldwin School). less

Annie Evaline Sanford was born on February 4, 1873 in Springfield, Illinois and graduated from Carthage College in 1894. Annie Sanford completed five missionary terms in more India from 1895-1902, 1904-1911, 1913-1920, 1922-1929, and 1931-1938. Primarily stationed at the Guntur Girls' School in Guntur, India, Miss Sanford assisted in hospital duties, taught Sunday school, and completed local missionary work during her service. During travel and work, Miss Sanford kept a journal that she would write for several months, then would send back to her family as a letter. For consistency purposes, this finding aid refers to the documents as letter journals to express their dual function in Miss Sanford’s life. In her letters, she chronicles her experiences spreading education and Christianity with communities in India. She also highlights local customs, the rigid Indian caste system, the weather, traveling throughout India, and current events in India and in the U.S. Each time Miss Sanford would travel between the U.S. and India, she would take a different route to tour parts of North Africa, Asia, and Europe, and this is reflected in her letters. less

Books and serial publications published by the various Lutheran Deaconess Communities in the United States, focused on those with Motherhouses in Philadelphia and Baltimore. The “In more Her Own Right” project has been made possible in part by a Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Foundations Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in site do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. less

Books and manuscripts published or created by the various Lutheran Women's Missionary Societies of the General Synod, General Council, and United Synod of the South. Included more here are both published materials from all three communities and manuscript minutes for the General Council's Women's Missionary Society. The “In Her Own Right” project has been made possible in part by a Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Foundations Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in site do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. less