MC 38 George W. Childs Scrapbooks, 1836-1874, 5 volumes
Volume 1 (1813-1867) begins with newspaper clippings about the 1836 “Philadelphia Public Ledger” and its owners Swain, Abell, and Simmons. There are also clippings from this time period regarding Childs’ own businesses, Childs and Peterson Publishers (announcements and reviews of books published and letters from authors and readers) and Childs Booksellers (advertisements). Volume 2 (1851-1866) contains additional information on the Philadelphia Public Ledger’s original owners, as well as a photograph of its original location on Chestnut Street. Also included are excerpts from Casper Sauder Jr.’s series on the history of Chestnut Street and its proprietors. Volume 3 (1867-1874) begins with announcements and advertisements for books published by Childs and Peterson, including “Bouvier’s Law Dictionary” and the “Dictionary of English Literature”. Volume 4 (1871-1874), the last scrapbook in the collection, contains newspaper clippings focused primarily on Childs’ social and philanthropic activities. This volume includes letters from Mayor Daniel Fox, George S. Phillips and David Stewart as well as letters from many prominent Philadelphians on such topics as gifts to the poor and to local hospitals, assistance for Horticultural Hall, the Edgar Allen Poe gravesite, and for the zoological society which Childs supported with A.J. Drexel.
George W. Childs (1829-1894) was the founder and editor of the Philadelphia Public Ledger, a noted philanthropist, and a longtime friend of Anthony J. Drexel. He was influential in encouraging Drexel to establish a school for the education of men and women, and he served on the institute’s board of trustees from the school’s founding until his death. The bulk of the collection consists of scrapbooks containing clippings published on the event of Childs’s death and shortly after it. The rest of the collection consists of publications about Childs, memorial addresses in his honor, and some correspondence, including a letter signed by President Grover Cleveland from 1891. Most of the material is from the 1890s, but a few later articles and letters about Childs were found with the collection.
This collection is partially processed. A preliminary inventory is available in the archives; contact the archivist at archives@drexel.edu for more information.
MC 1 Drexel family collection, 1826-1991, 9.3 cubic feet
The collection contains correspondence, memoirs, genealogical charts, newsletters, pamphlets, family reunion material, scrapbooks, legal documents, publications, and newspaper clippings related to the descendants of Francis Martin Drexel. Includes a diary written by Francis Martin Drexel in 1826-1830 and three letters authored by Anthony J. Drexel, the founder of Drexel University. The bulk of material dates from the twentieth century and is contained in eleven volumes of scrapbooks that begin with the death of Anthony J. Drexel in 1893.
MC 2 Frank Thomson papers, 1826-1915 (bulk dates 1863-1864, 1871-1872, 1897-1899), 2.6 cubic feet
Frank Thomson (1841-1899) was a senior administrator of the Pennsylvania Railroad and served as its president from 1897 to 1899. This collection documents his career on the railroad, beginning with his service with the United States Military Railroads in the South during the Civil War, detailing an official state visit by the Russian Grand Duke Alexis, and ending with his promotion to president of the Pennsylvania Railroad and his death in 1899. Records include Mr. Thomson’s personal and business correspondence; material such as timetables, tickets, maps, and publications relating to the U.S. Military Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad; various printed matter; and several photographs and drawings.
