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This collections represents all extant records of the Chester County Board of Relief from 1861 through 1865. The Chester County Board of Relief was set up more by the Act of May 15, 1861 P.L. 749, entitled "An Act to Create a Loan and to Provide for Arming the State" to aid local families of Civil War soldiers. Funded by state appropriations, its members included the County Commissioners and Court of Common Pleas Associate Judges. Township boards of relief were set up individually without legal precedent when townships felt the County Board did not meet the need for aid. Townships could petition the Board to assist their families although the Board did not always agree to help and the township boards assisted families without assistance from the county. The materials in this collection document the actives of the Board of Relief and provides detailed information on the families who sought its assistance. This collection is divided into four record series: account books, applications, correspondence, and administrative records. A full index to the account books, applications, and correspondence can be found here: https://www.chesco.org/1702/Board-of-Relief-1861-1865. 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

The digitized account book of Ennion Cook consists of 256 scanned pages and dates from 1798 to 1836. Found within this volume are Cook’s financial records more as a school teacher, including student boarding fees, firewood purchases, and guardianship accounts. The back of the book also includes account records for the Birmingham Society of Friends’ burying grounds. Ennion Cook (1773-1841) was born to Stephen and Margaret Williams Cook in London Grove Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. A teacher by profession, Cook moved to Birmingham Township, Chester County in 1798 and was a prominent member of the Quaker community. Cook married Agnes Garrett in 1800, and, in 1802, began teaching in the four-sided school house located next to the Birmingham Meeting House. He later taught in the Octagonal Schoolhouse (known as Harmony Hall), a building recognized on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. In 1808, Cook was appointed Librarian of the Birmingham Library, which operated out of his residence, and within the year, also began serving as the sexton of the Birmingham graveyard. Cook’s account book includes an index of 89 names followed by detailed account records that list individual items purchased and amounts paid. Typical charges to account holders include school supplies, boarding fees, clothing, shoes, firewood, tuition, and tutoring fees. A listing of Agnes Cook’s boarders from 1798-1822 is provided on pages 111-112, and a record of eight personal bond purchases is listed on page 123. In the back of the book, Cook kept separate entries relating to his role as sexton of the Birmingham graveyard from 1809 to 1834, and these entries include account records for individual plot purchases and the amounts paid. The entirety of the Ennion Cook Account Book Collection 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 two digitized diaries of Lewis White Williams consist of 102 scanned pages and date from July to August of 1857. Found within the diaries are more descriptions of geologic formations, plants, animals, rivers, and minerals sighted during a wagon road survey of the southwest commissioned by the U.S. Government and under the command of Lt. Edward Beale. Lewis White Williams (1804-1873) was born to Richard and Martha Good Williams in East Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. A teacher by profession, Williams was also a well-regarded expert in local geology and mineralogy, and was one of the earliest members of the Chester County Cabinet of Natural Sciences. In amassing mineral samples for his personal collection, Williams traveled widely at home and abroad, arranging personal expeditions to all fifty states and territories, as well as China and Japan. In addition, Williams is credited with discovering corundum deposits near Unionville in Newlin Township, Chester County. A variety of Serpentine gemstone, named Williamsite, is also named for him. In 1857, Williams was appointed by President Buchanan’s administration to join a survey expedition organized by Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale to reconnoiter a wagon trail from New Mexico to California. As the Assistant Geologist and Naturalist for the “Camel Expedition,” White was tasked with noting the geologic formations encountered during the expedition, which used 77 camels to carry gear to Fort Tejon, California. Upon the successful completion of the survey, the Beale Road was used by the U.S. Army and settlers traveling west, and portions of the route’s corridor have been incorporated into Route 66 and Interstate 40. The first diary notes the expedition’s departure from the Gulf city of Indianola, Texas on June 6, and covers the group’s first 35 days of northwest travel to Leon Springs, Texas, just north of San Antonio. Entries in the second diary cover the expedition from July 15 to August 12 as the surveyors continued towards Las Cruces, New Mexico, and ends on Day 63 when the party passes through Albuquerque, New Mexico. In both volumes, Williams notes the daily activities of the camp, miles traveled per day, and the distinct geologic and botanical features of the rivers and valleys the group travels through. In addition, he includes notes on fossil and native plant specimens, local news, Native Americans, and individuals the party encounters during the journey, including rangers and local townspeople. The entirety of the Lewis White Williams Diary Collection is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center. 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 two digitized diaries of William Riley Blakeslee consist of 538 scanned pages and date from January 1862 to December 1863.  Found within the diaries are more accounts of his service in the Civil War, including personal accounting records, daily events, travels between camps, and visits to Coatesville. William Riley Blakeslee (1822-1909) was born to Benjamin and Sophia Lane Blakeslee in Springville Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.  After receiving his medical degree, Blakeslee moved to Coatesville, Pennsylvania where he practiced medicine as a surgeon and general physician.  Blakeslee was married three times and left seven children.  As a well-known figure in his community, Blakeslee was known for his house and gardens, and for opening one of the first drug stores in Coatesville. During the Civil War, Blakeslee served as a surgeon with the 115th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers from October 1861 until his discharge in March 1863, and returned to service from July to August 1863 in the wake of Gettysburg.  After the war, he continued practicing medicine in Coatesville and was employed as a surgeon for the Pennsylvania Railroad for over fifty years. The first diary notes Blakeslee’s arrival at Camp Constitution in Camden, New Jersey in May 1962, and documents the regiment’s travels to various locations in Virginia, including Fort Monroe, Harrison’s Landing, Centerville, northern Virginia, and Fredericksburg from June to December of 1862. Entries in the second diary describe marches near Falmouth, Virginia in January, and activities at Camp Muhlenberg and Camp Cook from July to August of 1863.  Blakeslee’s entries for 1863 provide greater description and details regarding fellow officers, daily news, events, and visits back to his home in Coatesville.  In addition, entries dating from September 9 onward include recollections and notes of daily activities from the previous year. 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