PA Photos and Documents

The six letterpress books of West Chester resident A. D. Sharples document his many business and philanthropic interests, and a number of letters also include news of the Sharples, Paschall, …

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 the volume which describes …

The diary of Chester County travels undertaken by Thomas L. Montgomery (the “Dragon”), John Thomson (“St. George”), Edward J. Nolan (“General Wheeler”), and Clarence Kates (the “Cherub”) consists of 79 …

The digitized papers of Charles J. Pennock consist of a small number of letters, most by or addressed to Charles J. Pennock; two bird log books; a manuscript copy of …

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 by the Act of …

This selection of digitized diaries by David Evans dates from 1835 to 1879. In these diaries, Evans notes his early studies in school; his experiences as a teacher, farmer, and …

This diary of Edmund D. Cleaver (1833-1888) consists primarily of entries devoted to spiritual introspection. Most entries reflect Cleaver’s assessment of his own spiritual state while also noting his attendance …

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 her daily life, including …

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 as a school teacher, …

This collection contains 11 volumes of writings and additional manuscripts, ca. 1793-1818, composed or transcribed by Halliday Jackson. These manuscripts primarily relate to his observations on Seneca Native American life, …

These two volumes belonged to Jacob M. March (1840-1913) who served with Company G in the 1st Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, having mustered June 6, 1861, and been discharged June 13, …

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 from 1900 to 1920. …

This digitized volume is a copy of John Churchman’s survey work of the Nottingham Lots. The location of the original is unknown. Gilbert Cope, a Chester County, Pa. historian and …

The digitized reminiscences recorded by John Hill Brinton consist of five volumes (three original and two typed transcripts) and date from 1856 to 1868. Found within the collection are descriptions …

John Townsend kept this diary during a trip on horseback from his home in Goshen, Chester County, Pennsylvania, to North Carolina and back home in February through early April 1752. …

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 descriptions of geologic formations, …

This digitized volume contains the meeting minutes of the Liberty Cornet Band dating from 1920-1932 and 1937, and includes the names of appointed officers and members of the band. The …

This digitized diary includes a range of daily life events recorded by Mary Eliza Brinton Hopkins. Mary Eliza Brinton was born in 1830/31 to William Brinton (1785-1878) and Gulielma Cooper …

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 August 16, 1829, the …

This digitized diary of Rebecca Townsend Brown describes time spent accompanying her husband, career army officer Major William H. Brown, during his service with the 18th Infantry in Arizona and …

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 the diaries are entries …

These three digitized memorandum books belonged to Timothy Kirk, born circa 1786 in West Marlborough, Chester County, Pennsylvania. He married Orpha Strode (or Stroud) (1796-1875) on April 5, 1821, and …

The digitized diaries of Walter Finney consist of three volumes with accompanying typed transcripts and date from 1778 to 1786. The diaries document Walter Finney’s observations and notes during his …

William Darlington was born in Birmingham Township, Pennsylvania, on May 28, 1782. He graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1804 and spent most of his …

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 of Darlington’s outbound correspondence …

This digitized diary of William H. Brown (1827-1883) details information from specific times in his life during his service with the army. Born to William H. and Lydia P. Brown …

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 accounts of his service …

These two digitized diaries were kept by William W. Heed (1843-1927) of West Chester, Pennsylvania, while he served in the armed forces during the Civil War. Stationed first in Annapolis, …

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 to 1917. Found within …