tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11016538827832296832024-03-12T22:45:19.767-04:00Processing the Chew Family PapersThe Historical Society of Pennsylvania received a two-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to process the papers of the Chew Family.
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Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-14416310266209992372009-11-13T07:59:00.003-05:002009-11-13T08:06:19.095-05:00Please join us at Fondly, PennsylvaniaWhile our work on the Chew project has been completed for some time now, we at HSP continue to work hard on many other archives and conservation projects to make our collections accessible and available to the public.<br /><br />You can read more about our work on collections like the Friends of the Benjamin Franklin House, the Allen Family Papers, A.A. Humphreys, George Meade, and many others at our new blog <a href="http://processandpreserve.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Fondly, Pennsylvania: Notes from Archives and Conservation</span></a>. Please join us!Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-35577155497278032482009-09-25T08:10:00.003-04:002009-09-25T08:20:28.781-04:00A Chew Celebration<div style="text-align: right;"><h4 style="text-align: justify; font-style: italic;">Please Join Us for "A Chew Celebration" at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.<br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SryzfHvdNQI/AAAAAAAAAWA/_Lay5tbL5YA/s1600-h/0096_0001_001.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 158px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SryzfHvdNQI/AAAAAAAAAWA/_Lay5tbL5YA/s320/0096_0001_001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385376601663681794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />6 p.m. Wednesday, October 14</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><p style="text-align: left;">Join HSP as we celebrate the completion of the Chew Family Papers project, a two-year project to process and preserve one of the society’s most significant collections. The papers span 300 years and provide a rare insight into this elite Philadelphia family as well as into the lives of workers, slaves, servants, and women from early America. This project was made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and individual donations. Project Archivist Cathleen Miller will discuss the highlights of the collection and original documents will be on display. Refreshments will be served. FREE</p><p style="text-align: left;">To register for this event, please visit the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's website <a href="http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=10">http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=10</a>. <br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SryzfHvdNQI/AAAAAAAAAWA/_Lay5tbL5YA/s1600-h/0096_0001_001.JPG"><br /></a></div>Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-17975066615170596732009-07-31T12:11:00.003-04:002009-07-31T12:20:25.398-04:00The Long-Awaited Finding Aid<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SnMZcB7bzNI/AAAAAAAAAVo/juDegVDFsK0/s1600-h/vendue.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SnMZcB7bzNI/AAAAAAAAAVo/juDegVDFsK0/s320/vendue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364659550473145554" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Today is the last day of the Chew processing project, and I am proud to announce that the finding aid is now live and available on the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's website for your reading pleasure.<br /><br /></div><br />Finding Aids: (Scroll down to "C"), and there you will find the xml and pdf versions. The xml file does not include the inventories, but it is all there in the pdf files. Total page count: 650.<br /><a href="http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=35">http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=35</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-33306406345459704102009-07-30T09:22:00.003-04:002009-07-30T09:38:45.152-04:00Pennsylvania Lands: A guest post by project intern Dean WilliamsLikely obvious to anyone who has read previous entries to this blog, the Chew Family Papers contain a great deal of information about the family’s land holdings. Primarily through the speculative efforts of Benjamin Chew and his son Benjamin Jr., the Chews owned thousands of acres of land throughout Pennsylvania, as well as substantial tracts in Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey. Their land acquisition, spread out over the course of nearly a century, created a huge volume of paperwork. Many months of this project were spent sorting through and organizing the land papers. Within the collection, five series, containing approximately 30 linear feet of maps, surveys, and manuscript material, are devoted exclusively to land matters. As we come to the conclusion of this project, it seems appropriate to “speculate” on the various ways in which papers from these land series might be used.<br /><br />The first use that comes to mind, and probably the one that is most self-evident, is how the Chew family itself affected, and was affected by, their extensive land holdings. In this regard, perhaps the most striking impressions one obtains from the land series documents is a sense of the family’s increasing financial difficulties over time. The question might be asked; “Did the ownership of such a large landed estate serve them well, or was it in some sense a hindrance?” While their properties made up a sizeable portion of the family estate, as their financial fortunes dwindled, one can note the increasing urgency in correspondence about the need to find buyers willing to pay the asking price. The family’s pecuniary needs, combined with the ever-increasing cost of maintaining their lands, in the form of taxes and other administrative costs, contributed to a financial squeeze. By the mid-nineteenth century, family members in charge of administering the land were emphatic with their agents about the need to sell the land. Turning to the question of what effect the Chew’s ownership had on the land itself, one might look to the papers for evidence on land settlement and development. A study of this type could also be extended to examine how late eighteenth-century land speculation played out over time, at least for one family. In this scenario, documents within the collection could be mined to help make a case for whether the family’s extended tenure over such large tracts of land had positive or negative repercussions.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SnGiRpjsb0I/AAAAAAAAAVg/j2NjslKvQy8/s1600-h/map.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SnGiRpjsb0I/AAAAAAAAAVg/j2NjslKvQy8/s320/map.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364247055272013634" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Additionally, the land papers also provide numerous insights into family dynamics, such as the discrepancy between Benjamin III and his siblings over the settling of their father’s estate or the relationship between Henry B. Chew and his son Benjamin. Thus, the land papers might be used to supplement other information in the collection concerning inter-family relations. For example, papers from the land series help to complete the picture of how Benjamin III was replaced as chief executor by his brothers, Henry B. and William White, in addition to James M. Mason. In the case of the relationship between Henry B. Chew and his son Benjamin, personal correspondence between father and son provide the image of a demanding taskmaster, never quite satisfied with Benjamin’s efforts or behavior.<br /><br />One further use of the land papers as they relate directly to the Chews is the examination of their land speculation. Like most speculative ventures, Benjamin Chew and his son invested a great deal of money into purchasing property with the hopes of making still larger sums. Considering the context of the times, when a large part of the Pennsylvania lands were purchased in the 1790s, and the financial collapse that so many other land speculators of the times suffered, the land papers might be used to unearth how one family was not swallowed by the economic forces that bankrupted some and sent many others to jail.<br /><br />Expanding the focus beyond simply the immediate family, the land papers also provide a great deal of insight into people the Chews had contact with. With this in mind, the manuscripts might be searched for evidence documenting how the family dealt with those they did business with. For instance, one might examine the relationships between a well-to-do land owning dynasty and the many agents who administered their lands over time. The documents also provide a fair amount of information about numerous major and minor players involved in land speculation over the course of nearly a century. Related to this, the plethora of surveys and lists of land owners and renters lend themselves to a study of the patterns of land ownership and land conveyance.<br /><br />Brainstorming on a still broader scale, and going beyond the Chews, one could envision using the land papers from this collection to act as a case study for various elements of land owning--with subjects ranging from wider inquiries into land speculation, to generalized patterns of settlement and land use. Potentially fruitful topics of study that would benefit from an examination of these papers include the subjects of land use over time, spurs and detriments to backland migration during the nineteenth century, and localized settlement of particular counties. This last usage of the papers extends, in particular, to the settling of many counties in Western Pennsylvania that were formerly dubbed “Depreciation” or “Donation” lands. For those interested in how the land itself was changed over time, the papers include numerous references to clear-cutting tree growth, agricultural development, and mineral discoveries occurring on, or near, the Chew property holdings. Because there is also a great deal of documentation concerning the difficulty of resolving and obtaining clear land title, these circumstances suggest an evaluation of land transference procedures. As a further possible use, the extensive account records available with the collection could be used for quantitative studies of land prices and rents over time.<br /><br />These are just a few of the myriad of possible uses of the land papers within the Chew Family Papers.Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-9796495372144720812009-07-14T16:51:00.005-04:002009-07-14T17:16:51.499-04:00Coming to a CloseWe have been hard at work here in the 4th floor processing room, tidying up our finding aid, working on EAD tagging, labeling boxes, and just generally tying up loose ends. There are just 13 work days left in the project, and we are simply thrilled that we have managed to make this formidable collection much more accessible to researchers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SlzyEqBT2uI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/shf3XAqrwhA/s1600-h/charytracts+%28negro+glade%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 232px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SlzyEqBT2uI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/shf3XAqrwhA/s320/charytracts+%28negro+glade%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358423818477230818" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:78%;" >one of the many surveys in the collection</span><br /><br />Here is a sneak-peak at some of the subjects that this collection touches upon: agriculture, architecture, child-rearing, family relationships, city planning, colonial life and culture, the Revolutionary and Civil wars, slavery, economic development, industrialization, shipping, relations with the Delaware Indians, politics, international relations, diplomacy, legal history, real estate, health, early medical care, women's history, cartography, land speculation, class, and the history of Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware.<br /><br />These topics are only the beginning. The Chews were involved in nearly every major happening in Philadelphia, and kept the records of their activities for nearly 300 years. The finding aid should be available online in August.<br /><br />I hope to complete some subject-specific posts in the next few weeks to help guide researchers in their search through our very-lengthy finding aid. Stay tuned.Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-66884532688202004242009-06-17T10:06:00.007-04:002009-06-17T11:04:56.321-04:00The Concept of Property<span style="font-size:100%;">Since the completion of processing last week, I have had the chance to go back through previously processed series to tweak the finding aid description. This has also included the exciting task of numbering each folder, now that we are sure there are no more documents lurking around to be added.<br /><br />I started looking at Series 3, Samuel Chew (1737-1809), beginning with his account records. Throughout those files, I found many receipts that mentioned slaves from his plantations in Maryland. He owned five plantations, from all the accounts I have seen: Frisby's Meadows, the Great Plantation, Rich Neck, Swan Point, and Veazey Farm. All of them seem to have been located in Cecil County, Maryland, and there appear to have been 100+ slaves who lived on these farms. In the account records, there are bills from doctors who attended to "the people," as they are often called in the papers. There are many mentions of midwives, and lists of various medical treatments provided (usually the Latin names for herbs and compounds made into tinctures, pastes, and other preparations).<br /><br />Some of the most detailed records about the enslaved people on Samuel Chew's farms are from the inventories of his estate after his death in 1809. Every time I look at these kinds of records, I am struck by the fact that people's lives were given monetary value, based on their age, their physical ability, and other factors. There is something about seeing these lists of property that really drives home the view of slaveholders, making it clear how they could continue to own other human lives and profit from their trade.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/Sjj848JgZ0I/AAAAAAAAAUw/oZ7TARuDzfQ/s1600-h/schewestate003.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/Sjj848JgZ0I/AAAAAAAAAUw/oZ7TARuDzfQ/s320/schewestate003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348302612651337538" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/Sjj9JOFJ_GI/AAAAAAAAAU4/0676fFE7c9g/s1600-h/schewestate004.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/Sjj9JOFJ_GI/AAAAAAAAAU4/0676fFE7c9g/s320/schewestate004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348302892342836322" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">These pages are from an inventory registered in 1812. It lists all of the slaves who belonged to Samuel Chew's estate. They are listed by name, with the name of the person to whom they were sold and the price for which they were purchased.<br /><br />These inventories provide extensive details about how the Chews lived. For instance, in one inventory, the total value of the estate is listed as $42800.10, which in today's dollars would be over 3/4 of a million dollars. There are lines in these inventories that detail all types of property, including meat, sugar, fabric, and other common items.<br /><br />In the inventory below, Benjamin Chew Jr., who serves as the executor of Samuel's estate, lists "Eight single rose blankets, which as the black people on the Farms in Cecil were in want of bed clothing have been delivered unto those who needed it. (value: $16.00)"; and later, "1460 lbs. Bacon Sent from Chester Town to the Farms in Cecil where the black people were out of meat except what was reserved for the use of the family remaining at Chester Town + Except 25 hams sent to the residuary legatees in Philadelphia. (value: $183.50)<br /><br />On the second page shown here, Benjamin describes some of the slaves: "For the Negro man named Dick, who being very sickly has been permitted under the discretion given to the Executor in the Will, to go at large, hiring himself when he is able to work & liable to be maintained out of the Estate when he shall be too infirm to take care of himself appraised at $75.00." The next entry is even more wrenching: "For a child Called Harriett who died $5 a grey horse that died early in Summer 70$"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SjkEYl6CpCI/AAAAAAAAAVA/ibTcnlj73FY/s1600-h/schewestate001.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SjkEYl6CpCI/AAAAAAAAAVA/ibTcnlj73FY/s320/schewestate001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348310853018100770" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SjkEtOFyCrI/AAAAAAAAAVI/Pz2ktVuL_xM/s1600-h/schewestate002.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SjkEtOFyCrI/AAAAAAAAAVI/Pz2ktVuL_xM/s320/schewestate002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348311207402146482" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This collection is full of documents like these, and I imagine that these documents could open up a lot of doors for African-American genealogists, as well as scholars who are interested in the history of slavery in the Mid-Atlantic region.</span>Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-34974168280573082812009-06-11T17:01:00.004-04:002009-06-11T17:21:04.484-04:00Milestones<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SjFw-xRmaqI/AAAAAAAAAUc/u42l23fmyj0/s1600-h/bundles.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SjFw-xRmaqI/AAAAAAAAAUc/u42l23fmyj0/s320/bundles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346178456346847906" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SjFxaFQuKGI/AAAAAAAAAUk/ubNZ3eTkbRM/s1600-h/chew+030.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SjFxaFQuKGI/AAAAAAAAAUk/ubNZ3eTkbRM/s320/chew+030.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346178925568338018" border="0" /></a><br /> We have gone from this..............................................to This!<br /><br />I never thought I would be able to say this, but today, we are done with processing! Every document has a home in a neatly-labeled folder--all the horror of the unexpected 50 linear feet of material in the stacks has abated, and now we get down to the nitty-gritty work of polishing our finding aid, numbering all the folders, making labels, marking up the finding aid, creating catalog records, writing our reports to NEH, and cleaning up data. Of course, there is still much to be done, but today feels like a very good day. <br /><br />Leah and Jessica rolled up the last of the oversize maps today, and now there are a few lingering oversize folders to deal with, but all of this feels so much more manageable. I am buoyed by these accomplishments, and feel readier than ever to face the last month and a half of the project with energy and a clear head.<br /><br />Just wanted to share this day with you all! <br />(Even the water leaking from the ceiling can't upset me today!)Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-58976214923329417772009-05-28T16:42:00.022-04:002009-06-01T11:22:34.822-04:00We're on a Roll...Avid blog followers may remember <a href="http://chewpapers.blogspot.com/2008/08/conserving-chew-family-papers.html">this post</a> from back in August of 2008... Those oversized maps and documents that we unrolled for the first time so many months ago are finally receiving conservation treatment!<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div></div><div>The rolled documents arrived to HSP housed in long plastic bags, tied at both ends with cotton tape.</div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SiPkspQFN6I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/MdjGCGygSuw/s1600-h/IMG_3446.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342365038630221730" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SiPkspQFN6I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/MdjGCGygSuw/s320/IMG_3446.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div>Each document is removed from the bag, slowly unrolled and weights are used to hold the document open.</div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SiPmgmIsWWI/AAAAAAAAAKA/lpjIlAyJoes/s1600-h/IMG_3459.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342367030658750818" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SiPmgmIsWWI/AAAAAAAAAKA/lpjIlAyJoes/s320/IMG_3459.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div>Most of the maps are covered with a layer of dust, soot, and dirt that is removed with vulcanized rubber erasers and Nilfisk vaccuum.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SiPmg2gC8iI/AAAAAAAAAKI/6clg5T9DAms/s1600-h/IMG_3449.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342367035051668002" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SiPmg2gC8iI/AAAAAAAAAKI/6clg5T9DAms/s320/IMG_3449.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div>The documents are rolled around 4" diameter acid-free, lignen-free archival tubes with a layer of Microchamber paper and an outer layer of Tyvek. The tube is cut to size for each document using a hacksaw and then sanded smooth.</div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SiPmhNjdyUI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/K9NVMCek0Tk/s1600-h/IMG_3443.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342367041240025410" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SiPmhNjdyUI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/K9NVMCek0Tk/s320/IMG_3443.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SiPn3wyI04I/AAAAAAAAAKo/rhyiIqlUnR0/s1600-h/IMG_3444.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342368528165557122" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SiPn3wyI04I/AAAAAAAAAKo/rhyiIqlUnR0/s320/IMG_3444.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SiPn4Ngqf-I/AAAAAAAAAKw/SgNRKKvvWXI/s1600-h/IMG_3453.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342368535876894690" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SiPn4Ngqf-I/AAAAAAAAAKw/SgNRKKvvWXI/s320/IMG_3453.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342367051505316034" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SiPmhzy5sMI/AAAAAAAAAKg/qR0SaPtZUBk/s320/IMG_3457.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><div>Cotton tape is used to secure the Tyvek around the rolled document. The newly-housed documents will be labeled and stored on shelves.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-20705435329190494262009-05-14T12:32:00.011-04:002009-05-14T13:37:30.991-04:00I will explain about the "heavy religious messages"One of the good things about the latest find of material has been the addition of information about later generations of the Chew family. The boxes we are in the process of adding contain materials related to the children of Samuel Chew (d. 1887). In addition to all of the office files that document the management of the family's estates and property, there are personal letters from Elizabeth B. Chew, Anne S.P. (Chew) Alston, Oswald Chew, Samuel Chew Jr. and others. In one envelope, there were a series of "messages" that looked like correspondence. I put them into the batch to be processed with Samuel Chew Jr.'s papers.<br /><br />Last week, I was looking through the collection folders to try to find the original deed of gift, and I came across a bunch of inventories that proved to be very informative. In one of these inventories, there was a note about a group of messages from Samuel Chew Jr. that were written through the aid of a medium. When I asked Willhem if he had run across them, he said "Oh, <span style="font-style: italic;">that's </span>what those were!" He had put them aside to see if they made sense in the context of the rest of Samuel's materials.<br /><br />In a series of messages from 1920-1924, the Chew siblings attempted to contact their deceased brother Samuel Chew Jr. through a medium named Mrs. Duane. There are eight total communications, some of which read as sermons; others are more like question and answer sessions. In the first message, Samuel Chew addresses his friend John Ingram.<br /><br />"Well, old man, here I am in the world of spirits + quite alive + able to sit up + take notice, + believe me, dear John, there is something to see. I am not very high up in heaven being, as you know, quite an old sinner on earth, but still I am not in the very lowest place as I had a few virtues, among them that of <span style="font-style: italic;">Loving</span> not wisely but too well." He goes on to talk about his regrets and all of the things he has learned since his passage to the world of spirits. He also conveys pithy advice to his friend: "...use all the rest of your earth life for the good of mankind, forget yourself, your feelings, your loves, your hates in universal service for that is the only thing that <span style="font-style: italic;">Counts</span> over here." (May 20, 1920)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxIK11KiGI/AAAAAAAAATU/ghXPcBwZ5cU/s1600-h/spiritltr001.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxIK11KiGI/AAAAAAAAATU/ghXPcBwZ5cU/s320/spiritltr001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335719009613154402" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In a later (undated) message, Samuel speaks directly to Oswald (who transmits the message to his sister Anne in the form of a letter). The messages have a pretty weighty tone to them, infused with the humor that Samuel Chew exhibited in his letters while he was alive.<br /><br />The message to Oswald reads as instruction: "Oswald, old man, buck up about everything. I am the most alive of all of you, though so very well buried....You are really the pick of our bunch, though you thought I was. You are still young, as the world goes for a man, and I am proud of you, especially your war work. Now is your chance however to carry on, for never in the history of the world was there such a need of men. You have a lot more in you than you know and I am going to help bring it out.... I am ashamed that our generation of Chews should go down so unhonored, when the world needs us so much, and having made rather a mess of it myself, I am all the more anxious to see you make good....go slow, be sure where you go, and go straight."<br />Oswald closes the letter to Anne by saying that he read the message to their mother, who seemed glad to have seen it, but didn't believe in such things. He also notes that he will "explain about the heavy religious messages."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxQjR8dOvI/AAAAAAAAATc/qZmuH-ABMGY/s1600-h/spiritltr002.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxQjR8dOvI/AAAAAAAAATc/qZmuH-ABMGY/s320/spiritltr002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335728225569815282" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxQwUFJygI/AAAAAAAAATk/_iwpQPX0c5E/s1600-h/spiritltr2p2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxQwUFJygI/AAAAAAAAATk/_iwpQPX0c5E/s320/spiritltr2p2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335728449481460226" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxQ-zjpLxI/AAAAAAAAATs/0EcHk4K5hYE/s1600-h/spiritltr2p3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxQ-zjpLxI/AAAAAAAAATs/0EcHk4K5hYE/s320/spiritltr2p3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335728698449014546" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxRLdiuoFI/AAAAAAAAAT0/ugo-T8AxxhY/s1600-h/spiritltr2p4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxRLdiuoFI/AAAAAAAAAT0/ugo-T8AxxhY/s320/spiritltr2p4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335728915877896274" border="0" /></a><br /><br />All of the messages attempt to relay to their recipients how important it is for them to do good things on earth, and explaining the way of things in the spirit world. In the third or fourth message, dated June 13, 1922, Samuel speaks once again to his brother Oswald. He gets deeper into explanations about "life everlasting, as we call it here...."<br /><br />"It did not take me long to see I had made a lot of mistakes + no end of a mess of things on earth. I cannot very well go into details, but I want to say this, --that no one who does anything they know is wrong gets away with it here. One pays always.<br />Well, in some ways being a decent sort, I was not obliged to herd with the greatest sinners, but they were not as picked a group as the Philadelphia Club thinks it is. By the way, that is no criterion over here. Nothing counts but character--what you are....<br />I woke up here to my real self, I was a little upset + my first idea was 'Help me to keep others from these pitfalls," + that saved me. The desire to save others literally saved my life from depths I don't like to think about. So they keep me busy + I am right on the job. Day after day I help bring people out of Hell."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxVED0QEiI/AAAAAAAAAT8/q4yg8aR_1mw/s1600-h/spiritltr3p1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxVED0QEiI/AAAAAAAAAT8/q4yg8aR_1mw/s320/spiritltr3p1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335733186759496226" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxVSXjR6nI/AAAAAAAAAUE/RMMMdFd8rac/s1600-h/spiritltr3p2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxVSXjR6nI/AAAAAAAAAUE/RMMMdFd8rac/s320/spiritltr3p2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335733432575191666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxVhR37UgI/AAAAAAAAAUM/9c2g_uOABDg/s1600-h/spiritltr3p3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxVhR37UgI/AAAAAAAAAUM/9c2g_uOABDg/s320/spiritltr3p3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335733688749216258" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxVu2NsmJI/AAAAAAAAAUU/b4D88bx1El4/s1600-h/spiritltr3p4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgxVu2NsmJI/AAAAAAAAAUU/b4D88bx1El4/s320/spiritltr3p4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335733921842501778" border="0" /></a><br /><br />These messages are really interesting examples of spiritualism in the United States, and show a more personal side of the children of Samuel Chew.Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-40666089821779355672009-05-06T16:22:00.011-04:002009-05-06T18:41:44.360-04:00"It's funny how things never turn out the way you had them planned..."*A few weeks ago now, I was feeling pretty good about the progress of the Chew Papers processing project. We had just reported to NEH that we had only 8-10 linear feet to process, and I was finally able to <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> imagine the project being finished. I was nearly finished with the last large series of papers, and expecting processing to be completed by early May. And then, everything changed. (Okay, so I'm being quite dramatic here, but that is definitely how it felt.)<br /><br />Matthew walked into the processing room and told me that they had found some Chew materials in the stacks while surveying, and wanted to show them to me. He kept an optimistic tone, but I just knew that it wasn't good. He showed me these stacks (three full shelf sections, floor to ceiling), and my heart sunk. <span style="font-style: italic;">How did I overlook these materials??</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgH3gUNEMaI/AAAAAAAAASs/Q8pgW1ujxDE/s1600-h/shelves+of+madness.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgH3gUNEMaI/AAAAAAAAASs/Q8pgW1ujxDE/s320/shelves+of+madness.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332815568334762402" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-size:78%;">Now, nearly empty... two weeks ago, full</span><br /><br />I had never laid eyes on these boxes, despite the fact that they were only two rows away from the rest of the collection. Though it doesn't matter much now <span style="font-style: italic;">how</span> they didn't make it into my original processing plan, they weren't in it, and so I felt pretty overwhelmed by the idea that they somehow all needed to get processed in the next month and half. After a lot of tears and an afternoon of personal reflection on my skills as a project manager, I dove in and figured out what needed to go where and considered how it might get done and by whom. Luckily, we've got a wonderful team here, and pretty much everyone in the archives division is now working on processing the last few series. Most of the material is related to the Chew Estate Office, which operated (from approximately the 1890s-1960s) to manage the finances, legal matters, and property transactions of various members of the Chew and Brown families. The papers cover the management of the family's many properties and the settlement of estates, primarily, but also document the donation of the Chew Family Papers to the Historical Society, among other topics.<br /><br />There are some items in this new group of materials that have made the entire find worth it--like the handwritten list in the back of a volume related to the proceedings of the Benjamin Chew estate, which details how all of the records at Cliveden were stored. I called Matthew and told him that it felt like I had found the Rosetta Stone of the Chew collection. It lists the location of each group of materials, and offers a brief inventory of the contents of each packet. In many ways, this list is the archivists' dream...offering an actual glimpse into how the papers were stored and used.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgIMl9BRS1I/AAAAAAAAAS8/YGjJLhMtTNI/s1600-h/schew001.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgIMl9BRS1I/AAAAAAAAAS8/YGjJLhMtTNI/s320/schew001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332838754934672210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgIM4CuP7JI/AAAAAAAAATE/tWWOZStik9Q/s1600-h/schew002.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 254px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgIM4CuP7JI/AAAAAAAAATE/tWWOZStik9Q/s320/schew002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332839065703148690" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgINDyyA-8I/AAAAAAAAATM/VPQjuN1AOVs/s1600-h/schew003.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 254px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgINDyyA-8I/AAAAAAAAATM/VPQjuN1AOVs/s320/schew003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332839267582409666" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Series X. Samuel Chew, Estates; Court Proceedings in the Estate of B. Chew (1844-1863)<br /><br /></span>It reminded me, too, that there are many other detailed inventories done by various family members over the years in our collection files. All of these items provide a real wealth of information for writing up the background and processing notes. The fact that so many people--family members, lawyers, archivists, and others--have sorted through these papers makes them incredibly interesting as a group, as well as sometimes quite frustrating. There are papers that clearly are part of the same group scattered all over the collection, but it has not always been obvious until we've gone through about 10 series! <br /><br />After two weeks of working hard on this new group of papers, I am left with one cart of material that needs to be integrated into previous series, and a bunch of miscellaneous groups of documents that will likely fall into the "Other Family Members" series.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgH4BVihn8I/AAAAAAAAAS0/KIEqJApHx98/s1600-h/to+integrate.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SgH4BVihn8I/AAAAAAAAAS0/KIEqJApHx98/s320/to+integrate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332816135628890050" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">What's left to integrate into existing series</span><br /><br />Today, while talking to some visitors from another institution, I found myself laughing at the absurdity of it all. Somehow, with the help of a lot of supportive colleagues, we are getting through this seeming-crisis. I hope that we will emerge at the end of July with a collection that is well-described, accessible to researchers, and easily searchable online. As I have been constantly reminded, the papers are much more accessible now than they were. We have actually done a pretty good job of reconstructing the ways that these papers were grouped considering the circumstances and the unwieldy nature of a 400 linear foot collection. <br /><br />Dear researchers, soon there will be a finding aid online, I promise!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">*The title to this post is a quote from Bob Dylan's epic song "Brownsville Girl," a fitting summary of this processing project if I ever heard one!</span>Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-10788703939915048772009-04-29T10:07:00.006-04:002009-05-14T13:39:11.919-04:00For the FoodiesElizabeth J.J. Brown's cook book (ca. 1860) has come into the lab for repairs. And what a sweet little thing it is, especially the title page: <div><div><div><div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330117949900873874" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 267px; height: 400px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__FJ13BvCn7M/SfhiCQbGYJI/AAAAAAAABGQ/fD41hwuWd3I/s400/Cookbooktitlepage.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>The Historical Society also owns Martha Washington's Cook Book. Last June we had a Solstice Potluck with staff and interns using the recipes from Mrs. Washington's book. It was quite successful and we've been anticipating the second annual potluck all winter. But perhaps the format will need to change in honor of the Chews the year? </div><div>The cookbooks are interesting to compare. Both are written by one writer and were started at both ends. Each has interesting instructions and measurements. For example, Elizabeth has a recipe for Morning Rolls, which calls for "a piece of butter the size of an egg and a 1/2." However, Mrs. Washington's book was clearly written before foods of the new world became part of the diet. There is no mention of tomatoes, potatoes, or squash. Her book is also organized into two sections; one of "cookery" and one of "sweetmeats." Elizabeth's book is full of food from the new world including recipes for catsup of tomatoes and of mushrooms, and references for straining things "as you would for squash." There does not seem to be a logical organization of Elizabeth's book. </div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330118423429450898" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; height: 133px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__FJ13BvCn7M/Sfhid0dHDJI/AAAAAAAABG4/bWEFgbgZ6yk/s400/Kisses.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>Some of the more fun recipes include the "Kisses" above, and the Plumb Gingerbread. Although we have yet to find the plumbs in the gingerbread. </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330118418580601602" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; height: 156px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__FJ13BvCn7M/SfhidiZDewI/AAAAAAAABGo/2bmF943U5r0/s400/plumb+gingerbread.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>There are interesting recipes for Pickled Walnuts, and sevreal recipes for oysters, (boiled, fried, baked, or as a pie). A few of the eyebrow-raising items include: "Oily Mixture" and one "To Turtle Calves Head." </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330118425772245522" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 314px; height: 400px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__FJ13BvCn7M/Sfhid9LrQhI/AAAAAAAABGw/1twkNfX1Cm0/s400/Pickled+Walnuts.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>Along with recipes written down, there are a few dozen given to her by others, hastily written on scraps of paper or cut from the newspaper. She has several for Summer Complaint; this one sounds the yummiest - while others call for Gum Arabic and Laudanum. </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330118414372978722" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; height: 344px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__FJ13BvCn7M/SfhidSt4QCI/AAAAAAAABGg/gCgk9nUfeXU/s400/summer+complaint.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>And finally, one of the more interesting recipes to compare directly with Mrs. Washington's book is for Tomato Tart. </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330118412441523714" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; height: 186px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__FJ13BvCn7M/SfhidLhYlgI/AAAAAAAABGY/dUpqVV04hDs/s400/tomato+tart.jpg" border="0" />Without a doubt, the favorite surprise success recipe at last year's potluck was Mrs. Washington's Lettuce Pie. While the recipe sounded easy none of us trusted it to be any good. But Annie put it together it was the hit of the day. I suspect this one could be quite tasty with homegrown tomatoes completely ripened. I also suspect that it could inspire a very nice savory tart as well.<br /><div> </div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-66787566090700302742009-04-24T16:00:00.004-04:002009-05-14T13:41:53.061-04:00Fashion Tips from the CollectionThese photographs from Elizabeth Brown Chew's scrapbook are perfect for a Friday afternoon chuckle. Enjoy!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SfIcd16Dk4I/AAAAAAAAAJY/7kHm2tj-Ndc/s1600-h/lehighuniversityfancydress.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328352608145085314" style="width: 320px; height: 258px;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SfIcd16Dk4I/AAAAAAAAAJY/7kHm2tj-Ndc/s320/lehighuniversityfancydress.jpg" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-40689787108879696492009-04-16T09:22:00.028-04:002009-05-14T13:40:16.831-04:00David Sands Brown and Camden CountyI finished processing the David Sands Brown and Company series and found it to be a good example of the entrepreneurial spirit associated with the economic development of the United States, especially if looked at from a micro-history-based point of view. After taking American History classes that only covered the major aspects and events of the United States past, looking at the papers in this part of the Chew collection gave me a new perspective on how just one individual took a neglected town and propelled it to progress through sheer will power and financial savvy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t6sb8bNcr0M/SeiV2PYdVwI/AAAAAAAAAA8/QF-SPPqYofc/s1600-h/gloucester+iron001.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t6sb8bNcr0M/SeiV2PYdVwI/AAAAAAAAAA8/QF-SPPqYofc/s320/gloucester+iron001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325671318440204034" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t6sb8bNcr0M/SeiV7NzTucI/AAAAAAAAABE/ihxGgknc6gk/s1600-h/gloucester+iron002.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t6sb8bNcr0M/SeiV7NzTucI/AAAAAAAAABE/ihxGgknc6gk/s320/gloucester+iron002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325671403915295170" border="0" /></a><br />Between the 1840’s and his death in 1877, David Sands Brown was a determining figure in the development and industrialization of Camden County in New Jersey, particularly Gloucester City. After working at his brother’s firm, he established his own dry goods enterprise and went on to become a successful and influential textile merchant in the South Jersey-Philadelphia area. He also served as Director of Girard Bank from 1840 to 1843 and founded, among others, the Washington Manufacturing, Washington Mills and the Gloucester Manufacturing companies.<br /><br />According to Jeffery M. Dorwart, author of <i style="">Camden County, New Jersey: the making of a metropolitan community, 1626-2000</i>, Brown contributed to the development of urban neighborhoods through two other corporations he initiated: Gloucester Land Company (which provided housing to workers employed at his factories), and the Gloucester Saving Fund and Building Association that assisted workers in buying their own houses. He also bought Gloucester Iron Works and played a key role in planning and building the Camden, Gloucester, and Mt. Ephraim Railroad.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t6sb8bNcr0M/SeiUucAsiZI/AAAAAAAAAA0/6AipNdc6wMk/s1600-h/DSBandCo+Fabric+Sample4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t6sb8bNcr0M/SeiUucAsiZI/AAAAAAAAAA0/6AipNdc6wMk/s320/DSBandCo+Fabric+Sample4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325670084879616402" border="0" /></a><br />The papers that I processed are rich in details and descriptions of the daily operations of Brown’s enterprises and show different aspects of the development of Gloucester City. They are also rich in their variety. Besides business correspondence, accounts, financial reports and deeds, this part of the Chew collection features fabric samples, maps, broadsides and business cards, and even printed texts of songs about his companies. These songs are interesting in that they show a differing perspective on David Sands Brown so-called good business intentions. There is also a large group of maps, blueprints, and ground plans offering a visual description of the industrial and urban development of Camden County.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t6sb8bNcr0M/SeiUleyKgBI/AAAAAAAAAAs/it1kCajfDZU/s1600-h/DSB+company+songs002.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t6sb8bNcr0M/SeiUleyKgBI/AAAAAAAAAAs/it1kCajfDZU/s320/DSB+company+songs002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325669931005149202" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t6sb8bNcr0M/SeiUcwVP5kI/AAAAAAAAAAk/175Dj5as_uM/s1600-h/DSB+company+songs001.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t6sb8bNcr0M/SeiUcwVP5kI/AAAAAAAAAAk/175Dj5as_uM/s320/DSB+company+songs001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325669781096883778" border="0" /></a><br />In these papers we can also see a chronicle of David Sands Brown relationship with the Chew family. His daughter Mary Johnson Brown married Samuel Chew (1832-1887), who became Brown’s business associate and treasurer and took charge of his estate after his death in 1877. Papers that document both the personal and professional relationships of the Chews and the Browns can be reviewed in Series X-Samuel Chew (1832-1887), Series XI-Brown and Johnson Families, and the papers pertaining to Mary Johnson Brown in Series XVI-Cliveden.<br /><br />Papers related to all the companies Brown established can be found in this series of the Chew Family Papers and in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s Manuscript Collection 1586, David S. Brown & Co. Records, 1828-1910.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t6sb8bNcr0M/SeiUS6fwLUI/AAAAAAAAAAc/R4K1LynSN9I/s1600-h/davidsbrown+companies001.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t6sb8bNcr0M/SeiUS6fwLUI/AAAAAAAAAAc/R4K1LynSN9I/s320/davidsbrown+companies001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325669612026604866" border="0" /></a><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-53427561228258377142009-03-30T10:27:00.011-04:002009-03-30T11:28:27.962-04:00Greenwich Island Meadows surveysOver the past few weeks, I have been working on the papers of the Brown and Johnson families that are included in the Chew Papers. Mary Johnson Brown Chew's family and ancestors owned large sections of what is now the First Ward of Philadelphia, Southwark, Passyunk, the Navy Yard, and <a href="http://www.fws.gov/northeast/heinz/welcome.htm">Tinicum</a>. David Sands Brown, among others, developed land along the Delaware River to accommodate his growing manufacturing businesses, which were headquartered in Gloucester City, New Jersey. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SdDYm3xWprI/AAAAAAAAARg/_tFmxPsVVow/s1600-h/wmjonesmeadow004.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SdDYm3xWprI/AAAAAAAAARg/_tFmxPsVVow/s320/wmjonesmeadow004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318989322242139826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />This survey shows William Jones' Meadow, which is part<br />of Greenwich Island (Surveyed by John Lukens, 1770)<br /></span><br />This land passed down through the Johnson family from William Jones (a grazier in Kingsessing Township) to his daughters Mary (Morris, Pancoast) and Elizabeth (Garrett), then to Martha Morris, who married Joseph Johnson, a ship chandler. Johnson ran a booming business from his wharves in South Philadelphia during the late-18th century into the mid-19th century, and his descendants further developed the land as industrialization allowed for more manufactured goods to be moved from place to place. (Stay tuned for an upcoming post on the companies associated with David Sands Brown and the development of Gloucester City.)<br /><br />As I was sorting through the various deeds that make up a large portion of the material in this series, I was trying to create a mental image of how all of these plots of land fit together. One day, I found a series of maps and surveys that helped me to create a picture of the area the deeds described, and I realized how vastly different the land is today. Aside from the Tinicum Wildlife Refuge, this land has given way to industrial development. Here are a few representations of William Jones' meadows as they were in the mid-1700s.<br /><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SdDYyRr6QsI/AAAAAAAAARo/ar5GvgV4Kmw/s1600-h/wmjonesmeadow005.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 249px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SdDYyRr6QsI/AAAAAAAAARo/ar5GvgV4Kmw/s320/wmjonesmeadow005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318989518177190594" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SdDYZLGnf7I/AAAAAAAAARY/e5Df3jlTnPc/s1600-h/wmjonesmeadow003.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 248px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SdDYZLGnf7I/AAAAAAAAARY/e5Df3jlTnPc/s320/wmjonesmeadow003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318989086913429426" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">The first survey was done by John Lukens in 1768.</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">The second is the original survey done by Nicholas Scull in 1759.</span><br /><br />Last night, as I was returning from the New England Archivists' Conference, my flight passed over the area that these surveys portray. I looked out the window and imagined what these waterways and marsh lands would look like without the grid of roads, parking lots, and buildings. I tried to conjure the land as the Swedes found it, before they drained marsh land for grazing. I perform these kind of thought experiments a lot as I sift through documents that shift my relationship to the land that I walk on every day, navigating the grid of Philadelphia's streets, or hanging in the air above this place that is at once so familiar, and so surprisingly new.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SdDXwSYfxDI/AAAAAAAAARA/q9_2E6rUr-U/s1600-h/firstwardmap.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 118px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SdDXwSYfxDI/AAAAAAAAARA/q9_2E6rUr-U/s320/firstwardmap.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318988384492831794" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">This lithographic plan shows the emergence of the South Philadelphia<br />that we know today. This "Plan of proposed Wharves & Docks with<br />Railroad Connections in the First Ward" was made for Titus S. Emery<br />by L.N. Rosenthal's Lithographic shop in 1867.<br /></span>Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-34924131454051028062009-03-17T16:01:00.009-04:002009-03-17T16:49:16.013-04:00Conserving the Chew Papers: Mold Removal<em>This is the third in a series of blog posts devoted to the conservation being performed on the documents, books and manuscript materials in the Chew Family Papers Collection. See the first post on enclosures, <a href="http://chewpapers.blogspot.com/2009/02/conserving-chew-papers-enclosures.html">here</a>, and the second on paper conservation, <a href="http://chewpapers.blogspot.com/2009/03/conserving-chew-papers-paper.html">here</a>.<br /></em><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/ScAIpMoY_WI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/lqmcrInSABs/s1600-h/IMG_3276.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314257064155479394" style="WIDTH: 442px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 296px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/ScAIpMoY_WI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/lqmcrInSABs/s320/IMG_3276.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />From the basement to the attic to the stables, most of the Chew Family Papers were stored for many years in unstable environments. As a result, portions of the collection arrived to the Historical Society with significant amounts of mold. In order for the material to be processed (remember <a href="http://chewpapers.blogspot.com/2008/05/occupational-hazards.html">this post</a> from May 2007?), these documents had to be treated by our mold technicians.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/ScAJ6XJ2UmI/AAAAAAAAAIg/coYsQ4_pVhY/s1600-h/IMG_3284.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314258458549572194" style="WIDTH: 148px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/ScAJ6XJ2UmI/AAAAAAAAAIg/coYsQ4_pVhY/s320/IMG_3284.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/ScAKrNxc3dI/AAAAAAAAAI4/WBJQDGhfCqU/s1600-h/IMG_3279.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314259297844911570" style="WIDTH: 277px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/ScAKrNxc3dI/AAAAAAAAAI4/WBJQDGhfCqU/s320/IMG_3279.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />HSP has a designated mold removal facility with its own ventilation and air filtration system. The technicians wear Tyvek suits, nitrile gloves and respirator masks. Mold removal entails vacuuming with a HEPA-filtered vacuum and wiping book covers with alcohol.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/ScAJ6hhqcyI/AAAAAAAAAIo/f8gVS2JiRTs/s1600-h/IMG_3287.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314258461333812002" style="WIDTH: 232px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/ScAJ6hhqcyI/AAAAAAAAAIo/f8gVS2JiRTs/s320/IMG_3287.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/ScAJ7LBIoMI/AAAAAAAAAIw/DKVpAnh6Zs4/s1600-h/IMG_3288.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314258472471666882" style="WIDTH: 189px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/ScAJ7LBIoMI/AAAAAAAAAIw/DKVpAnh6Zs4/s320/IMG_3288.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Preservation Technicians Anni Altshuler and Watsuki Harrington vacuuming moldy documents.</span><br /><br />For the safety of researchers, items that have been cleaned for mold are clearly labeled, as seen in the image at the top of this post.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/ScAIpMoY_WI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/lqmcrInSABs/s1600-h/IMG_3276.JPG"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-51609051846621344702009-03-06T14:20:00.008-05:002009-03-06T16:11:56.708-05:00Whitehall PlantationThe records pertaining to Whitehall, a plantation the Chews owned in Kent County, Delaware, have garnered significant attention because of the detailed records the Chew family kept about the operation of the farm and the treatment of the slaves who worked there. Though there are deeds indicating that Benjamin Chew took ownership over this property in the 1760s, the majority of records that document the plantation's operation date from the period of 1780-1803, when Benjamin Chew sold the property.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SbF7FgmYPSI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/G3T49qzw5KQ/s1600-h/whitehallsurvey.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SbF7FgmYPSI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/G3T49qzw5KQ/s320/whitehallsurvey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310160770226994466" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This survey illustrates the plantation's layout over the 918 acres that it occupied. Some of the details provided include the locations of tobacco houses and "negroe quarters." The plantation's location was ideal for transporting crops by boat, as it was situated along Duck Creek, which offered access to the Atlantic Ocean. This land is now designated as the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The papers in this series of the collection are rich with details about farming and animal husbandry, and offer an in-depth view of how the Chew family managed the plantation and the overseers and slaves who produced salable goods there. Benjamin Chew employed several overseers for Whitehall over the course of its operation. George Ford was overseer from approximately 1789-1797, and Joseph Porter succeeded him from 1798-1803. Their letters provide extensive information about life on the plantation--from the impact of weather upon the crops to the birthing and slaughter of animals on the farm. They discuss the slaves, who they often refer to as simply "the people", and their need of clothing and sustenance. Benjamin Chew appears to be pretty hands-off in terms of the day to day workings of Whitehall, and there are some letters that suggest that he may have been neglectful of his workers. George Ford often writes asking for supplies. In one letter, he pleads with Benjamin Chew to send linen for the slaves' clothes, as "the Boys are so naked I Cant git much work out of them..." [April 26 1795].<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SbGEH_EbxqI/AAAAAAAAAQY/McDgzxTsyLI/s1600-h/ford002.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SbGEH_EbxqI/AAAAAAAAAQY/McDgzxTsyLI/s320/ford002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310170708370507426" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In another letter, Ford writes that he would have sent Chew another letter, except that he was "down the Creek after Mr Samuel Chew negors that runway from him..." [August 26 1796]. He also updates Benjamin Chew about the state of the stock at Whitehall: "the wheat that was left in the Barn I Sould for two dollars a bus marsh hay we have got about 30 stacks the sesson has been very much a gainst us or we Cold have got more our Corn is very good the back birds has bin very bad on it...."<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SbGJHK6N05I/AAAAAAAAAQg/tm2YONsJnlg/s1600-h/ford003.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SbGJHK6N05I/AAAAAAAAAQg/tm2YONsJnlg/s320/ford003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310176191927145362" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">There are letters in which Ford pleads with Benjamin Chew to come to the plantation to punish various slaves who attacked him, but equally interesting, in my opinion, are the letters that report that not much is getting done because the slaves are sick, lazy, indolent, or are receiving visitors. In a letter from August 3, 1797, Ford writes of his frustration that "the people are so slow and indlent about ther work that I have no comfort with them and some of them are solate home from ther wifes that they lose two ours time in the morning and that three or four times a weak and as for the women they are not worth ther vitles for what work they do. . . Rachel is hear amust every night in the weak and her husban which is free and bears avery bad name...."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SbGMC4rV1II/AAAAAAAAAQo/vm5uY-kg1b8/s1600-h/ford005p1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SbGMC4rV1II/AAAAAAAAAQo/vm5uY-kg1b8/s320/ford005p1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310179416848323714" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SbGMRqVD1AI/AAAAAAAAAQw/bvQofEA6BRo/s1600-h/ford005p2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SbGMRqVD1AI/AAAAAAAAAQw/bvQofEA6BRo/s320/ford005p2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310179670694810626" border="0" /></a><br />These letters shed light on the practice of slavery, which was far more complicated than popular conceptions suggest. There were relationships between free blacks and slaves, and some of the account records describe agreements and negotiations between the Chews and free blacks who purchased the freedom of their family members.<br /><br />There have been moments during the processing of this collection when I have thrown up my hands in frustration and asked "why did they have to save every scrap of paper?!", but when I look through the materials related to Whitehall, I am grateful that the Chew family preserved their history so religiously. These documents are a gift to our understanding of our past, and I am quite certain that the richness in these boxes will move people in many ways--intellectually, and emotionally. I'll leave off with just one more striking image that made the lists of slaves at Whitehall come alive for me. These two documents are measurements for the slaves' shoes, which illustrate the size of each person's foot with hash marks along a line.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SbGQVtWO9FI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/fE7BWZOTjNo/s1600-h/slaveshoes003.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 268px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SbGQVtWO9FI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/fE7BWZOTjNo/s320/slaveshoes003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310184138271028306" border="0" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-73119903024857590062009-03-04T17:06:00.015-05:002009-03-05T09:19:29.871-05:00Conserving the Chew Papers: Paper Conservation<em>This is the second in a series of blog posts devoted to the conservation being performed on the documents, books and manuscript materials in the Chew Family Papers Collection. See the first post, on enclosures, <a href="http://chewpapers.blogspot.com/2009/02/conserving-chew-papers-enclosures.html">here</a>.</em><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8C29yvRRI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/6uqycTZsgMU/s1600-h/wwchew+scraps.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309465629016671506" style="WIDTH: 254px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 181px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8C29yvRRI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/6uqycTZsgMU/s320/wwchew+scraps.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><br /><br />From large manuscript maps to tiny scraps of note papers, there is a wide range of documents in the Chew Family Papers and a variety of conservation procedures for these papers.<br /><br /><br />One of the least invasive conservation methods for paper is <strong>dry cleaning or surface cleaning</strong>. Removing the dirt and dust off a document not only improves the appearance of the document, it keeps the hands of researchers clean. Eraser bits and vulcanized rubber sponges are the two products that are used to clean documents at HSP. Extreme care and patience is needed for this process due to the fragility of paper. Attention must be paid to any pencil markings or writing on documents so they are not removed.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8DcW1RtaI/AAAAAAAAAHY/Dty4MZvKFG8/s1600-h/IMG_3197.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309466271393363362" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8DcW1RtaI/AAAAAAAAAHY/Dty4MZvKFG8/s320/IMG_3197.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />The vulcanized rubber sponge is used to clean the linen backing of a manuscript map.<br /><br /><br />Paper documents are best stored flat. In the Chew collection, many items have been folded or rolled requiring <strong>humidification and flattening</strong>. Over time, fibers in paper can become stiff and brittle. Humidification helps the fibers in paper to relax. When a folded, crumpled, wrinkled, or rolled document is humidified, it can then be opened with ease and without damage to the paper.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8EzC3FelI/AAAAAAAAAHg/tO-bR9dsLN4/s1600-h/IMG_3253.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309467760680860242" style="WIDTH: 351px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 183px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8EzC3FelI/AAAAAAAAAHg/tO-bR9dsLN4/s320/IMG_3253.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8EzVVK1BI/AAAAAAAAAHo/m6mhJZrFEwI/s1600-h/IMG_3271.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309467765638878226" style="WIDTH: 236px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 277px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8EzVVK1BI/AAAAAAAAAHo/m6mhJZrFEwI/s320/IMG_3271.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />The document is placed in a humidification chamber. The document is then unfolded or unrolled, placed between blotter papers and pellon, and put under weight.<br /><br /><br />A document is <strong>washed</strong> to de-acidify and clean the paper. Washing also reconditions the fibers making the paper pliable and malleable. Prior to washing a document, it is necessary to test to see if the ink is water soluble. The document is placed in a bath of deionized water. After twenty minutes, it is carefully removed and placed between blotters and pellons to dry.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8GhJO1SoI/AAAAAAAAAH4/6MIMT7tAo44/s1600-h/IMG_3178.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309469652176685698" style="WIDTH: 309px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 228px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8GhJO1SoI/AAAAAAAAAH4/6MIMT7tAo44/s320/IMG_3178.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8GgX0o1UI/AAAAAAAAAHw/QmT8_MBmenc/s1600-h/IMG_3176.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309469638913480002" style="WIDTH: 303px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 229px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8GgX0o1UI/AAAAAAAAAHw/QmT8_MBmenc/s320/IMG_3176.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Once papers have been cleaning, humidified and/or washed, they are ready for <strong>paper mending</strong>. HSP only uses wheat paste and Japanese papers for mending. Often the Japanese papers are dyed to match the color of the document using high quality acrylic paints. A thin coating of wheat paste is applied to a strip of Japanese paper. The glued-out strip is carefully placed on the tear, burnished into place and put under weight to dry flat.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8JhG6si3I/AAAAAAAAAIA/L28fs7KH9IQ/s1600-h/IMG_3263.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309472950090238834" style="WIDTH: 330px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 152px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8JhG6si3I/AAAAAAAAAIA/L28fs7KH9IQ/s320/IMG_3263.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8JhctS_cI/AAAAAAAAAII/TjGaYMKR6-8/s1600-h/IMG_3293.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309472955939618242" style="WIDTH: 330px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 161px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/Sa8JhctS_cI/AAAAAAAAAII/TjGaYMKR6-8/s320/IMG_3293.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Before and during mending. The excess Japanese paper will be trimmed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-43936423639450290332009-02-20T17:02:00.043-05:002009-02-27T13:56:49.788-05:00Conserving the Chew Papers: Enclosures<em>This is the first in a series of blog posts devoted to the conservation being performed on the documents, books and manuscript materials in the Chew Family Papers Collection.</em><br /><div><div><div><div><br /><div><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQ1VtK-LcI/AAAAAAAAAGs/jKXxrGh4vN4/s1600-h/IMG_3244.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306424907968425410" style="WIDTH: 123px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 141px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQ1VtK-LcI/AAAAAAAAAGs/jKXxrGh4vN4/s200/IMG_3244.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQ12drnh_I/AAAAAAAAAG8/8I_XBGlXQMg/s1600-h/IMG_3243.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306425470746068978" style="WIDTH: 295px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 141px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQ12drnh_I/AAAAAAAAAG8/8I_XBGlXQMg/s320/IMG_3243.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Creating custom enclosures for books and papers is necessary from a conservation and preservation standpoint. Enclosures are made in a variety of ways, specific to the needs of the collection material using chemically stable materials. Housing collection materials in a box or wrapper helps to provide protection from the threat of any environemental issues (such as dust, light, or moisture) and eases stress on a book as it is moved on and off a shelf.<br /><br /><strong>Multi-Use Boxes</strong> are constructed of corrugated acid-free blue board to the specific measurements of the material. The box opens like a clamshell and is made to be able to sit upright on a shelf like a book.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SZ8p-QC4XXI/AAAAAAAAAEk/utbVhfnaayg/s1600-h/Multi-use+box.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305005035501411698" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SZ8p-QC4XXI/AAAAAAAAAEk/utbVhfnaayg/s200/Multi-use+box.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SZ8qSElaARI/AAAAAAAAAEs/WlS-FN_wUOY/s1600-h/Mini+Multi-use+box.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305005376022380818" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SZ8qSElaARI/AAAAAAAAAEs/WlS-FN_wUOY/s200/Mini+Multi-use+box.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Compartments can be created for odd-sized objects or multiple items.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SZ8q9hOm3oI/AAAAAAAAAE0/A85Y2pxYAB8/s1600-h/IMG_3217.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305006122445758082" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SZ8q9hOm3oI/AAAAAAAAAE0/A85Y2pxYAB8/s200/IMG_3217.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SZ8si-89B1I/AAAAAAAAAFM/eFmSMK9dnPI/s1600-h/IMG_3218.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305007865591564114" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SZ8si-89B1I/AAAAAAAAAFM/eFmSMK9dnPI/s200/IMG_3218.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SZ8rP9JSK_I/AAAAAAAAAE8/839FK7xbgMA/s1600-h/IMG_3216.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305006439177268210" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 157px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SZ8rP9JSK_I/AAAAAAAAAE8/839FK7xbgMA/s200/IMG_3216.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SZ8r1YaX2eI/AAAAAAAAAFE/cxOCL9n8EYI/s1600-h/IMG_3212.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305007082151860706" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SZ8r1YaX2eI/AAAAAAAAAFE/cxOCL9n8EYI/s200/IMG_3212.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For special items, a <b>cloth-covered Clamshell Box</b> is constructed. Clam-shell boxes provide the same protection as a multi-use box, but allow for a much nicer presentation. Intern Ansley Joe created this clamshell box for a leather journal/case belonging to Elizabeth B. Chew.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQld-dHz9I/AAAAAAAAAFU/D6Wqae4oWqk/s1600-h/IMG_3228.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306407457860866002" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 172px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQld-dHz9I/AAAAAAAAAFU/D6Wqae4oWqk/s200/IMG_3228.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQm6fL8nTI/AAAAAAAAAFk/xQljWCFGk8c/s1600-h/IMG_3230.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306409047195163954" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 174px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQm6fL8nTI/AAAAAAAAAFk/xQljWCFGk8c/s200/IMG_3230.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQmivyxIvI/AAAAAAAAAFc/DHsrzGv6g6A/s1600-h/IMG_3229.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306408639336096498" style="WIDTH: 199px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 119px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQmivyxIvI/AAAAAAAAAFc/DHsrzGv6g6A/s200/IMG_3229.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><b>Inset Boxes</b> are created for items that need to be housed together or for smaller books. The boxes are constructed of a heavy-weight (20-pt. thickness) acid-free library board, with flaps to close over the inset portion. The box is then inserted into a custom-made slipcase. </div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQqd097OdI/AAAAAAAAAFs/7QeoN66f8Ew/s1600-h/IMG_3220.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306412952872237522" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 167px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQqd097OdI/AAAAAAAAAFs/7QeoN66f8Ew/s200/IMG_3220.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQtgcDBH5I/AAAAAAAAAGE/h95w6OyHjy4/s1600-h/IMG_3226.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306416296257200018" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQtgcDBH5I/AAAAAAAAAGE/h95w6OyHjy4/s200/IMG_3226.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>The book is easily lifted out of its compartment by a piece of cotton tape attached to a flap of 20-pt.</div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQqxB_qEWI/AAAAAAAAAF0/GYS9nux4bLY/s1600-h/IMG_3221.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306413282786677090" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQqxB_qEWI/AAAAAAAAAF0/GYS9nux4bLY/s200/IMG_3221.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQrKCrhv0I/AAAAAAAAAF8/-UBFm-n2AQ0/s1600-h/IMG_3225.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306413712467410754" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 151px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQrKCrhv0I/AAAAAAAAAF8/-UBFm-n2AQ0/s200/IMG_3225.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><div>Other enclosures performed on materials in the Chew Papers Collection are <b>Wrappers</b>. This approach is best for books or pamphlets that are too thin to create a multi-use box for, but require protective housing.</div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQ0X_nw1AI/AAAAAAAAAGM/qnkuDa7Gxps/s1600-h/IMG_3242.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306423847769134082" style="WIDTH: 176px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQ0X_nw1AI/AAAAAAAAAGM/qnkuDa7Gxps/s200/IMG_3242.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQ01_YQnWI/AAAAAAAAAGU/lM-dkPcz6Xw/s1600-h/IMG_3238.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306424363100183906" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 185px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQ01_YQnWI/AAAAAAAAAGU/lM-dkPcz6Xw/s200/IMG_3238.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQ02I0h-eI/AAAAAAAAAGc/vxtig0_nhr4/s1600-h/IMG_3233.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306424365634681314" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQ02I0h-eI/AAAAAAAAAGc/vxtig0_nhr4/s200/IMG_3233.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQ02OgYwRI/AAAAAAAAAGk/XQoJ_jj3HJc/s1600-h/IMG_3237.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306424367160803602" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 177px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SaQ02OgYwRI/AAAAAAAAAGk/XQoJ_jj3HJc/s200/IMG_3237.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-44418520044149671662009-01-29T15:21:00.010-05:002009-02-10T09:02:58.742-05:00On Loss<div style="text-align: justify;">I began processing Mary Johnson Brown Chew's materials yesterday. As I was working on a rough sorting, I was leafing through the various journals and diaries that she kept. The first one I opened was begun on Christmas Eve 1886, when her husband Samuel seemed to be moving closer toward death. She recounts the evening as being a happy one "because our dearest Sam was able to join us and he seemed to enjoy the delight of the children + to receive so gladly all the loving gifts that were offered to him...." The journal trails off for a few days, and then she picks up again on New Year's Eve 1886. She writes, "The Shadows fall darkly around us..."<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SYNcwuF5ujI/AAAAAAAAAPo/A0UVtBFg7Gw/s1600-h/mjbjournal1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 249px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SYNcwuF5ujI/AAAAAAAAAPo/A0UVtBFg7Gw/s320/mjbjournal1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297179578794097202" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Mary begins her entry on New Years Day 1887 with the words "A sad New Year dawns upon us today." There is a poignant sense of coming to terms with the inevitability of her husband's death that strikes me as being so divorced from the real emotional impact of this impending loss. She writes of her faith and trust in "His Mercy" as she is "dreading the dark future," illustrating her strong Christian beliefs, and her sense that she and her family will be cared for and healed by a personal relationship with their God.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The journal continues to recount events in the last days of Samuel's life, one of the most striking being a description of him waking in a kind of dream and engaging with the family within the dream state: "Tuesday January 4th--My Precious one about as yesterday but at night very restless and fancied we were all on board the Aurania + that the ship was sinking--So lovingly + tenderly he gathered us all together to try to save us--Bessy with such gentle tender tact as I have never seen equalled--soothed and coaxed him back to bed lay down beside him until he was quiet + slept--"<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SYNg3t38OgI/AAAAAAAAAPw/d4S7eRGiPzk/s1600-h/mjbjournal2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SYNg3t38OgI/AAAAAAAAAPw/d4S7eRGiPzk/s320/mjbjournal2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297184097041136130" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">These entries are heart-breaking to read. I felt tears gathering in my eyes as I read the account of Samuel's death on Monday January 10, 1887. "At two o'clock our best beloved, softly gently drew his last breath--'Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints' He has gone to 'the King in his beauty, to the land that is very far off' and we are left desolate"<br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SYNiHX59KYI/AAAAAAAAAP4/lhUDX-C38wE/s1600-h/mjbjournal3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 255px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SYNiHX59KYI/AAAAAAAAAP4/lhUDX-C38wE/s320/mjbjournal3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297185465533540738" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This Samuel Chew died just before his 55th birthday, leaving Mary Johnson Brown Chew to raise their children Samuel Jr., Anne, Bessie, Oswald and David Sands Brown Chew with the help of Anne Sophia Penn Chew and other family members.<br /><br />In an entry on January 13, the day of his internment at Saint Luke's Church in Germantown, Mary writes "This day our precious one was laid in his last resting place... + I look forward to the dreary years when I must meet all the anxieties + perplexities of life Alone--without his living hand to lead me--but I remember there is another Hand which will guide me if only groping in the darkness and the gloom I can find it--"<br /><br />Mary Johnson Brown Chew lived a full 40 years after Samuel's death. During the remainder of her life, she carried on Samuel's devotion to the Chew family history, taking on the responsibility of maintaining Cliveden and keeping the home in the family.</div>Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-55908711057979797822009-01-13T09:04:00.007-05:002009-02-10T09:03:29.670-05:00Generosity<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SWyhRvK0V6I/AAAAAAAAAPI/NlTCuddJJjA/s1600-h/dollarfront.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 138px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SWyhRvK0V6I/AAAAAAAAAPI/NlTCuddJJjA/s320/dollarfront.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290780988345178018" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We who work on the Chew Family Papers project would like to acknowledge a very generous gift from an individual donor that came at the end of December. While we don't want to use her name here, we do want to send her a hearty "Thank you" for her gift of $1,000 to the project. In these fiscally-difficult times, it is affirming to receive a gift such as this one.<br /><br />Thank you for making the important work we do possible. While grant funding is the source for much of the work done on this project, matching funds are extremely important to demonstrate that we are committed to the continued care and stewardship of our collections.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SWyg35TeziI/AAAAAAAAAPA/n_uFtYt9ACA/s1600-h/mending.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SWyg35TeziI/AAAAAAAAAPA/n_uFtYt9ACA/s320/mending.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290780544389271074" border="0" /></a>Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-55893633387644374932008-12-17T15:39:00.017-05:002009-02-24T14:17:20.370-05:00Women's health and the secrecy of illness<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Anne Sophia Penn Chew's correspondence represents the first major group of letters between women in the Chew Family Papers. Within this series, there are many discussions about marriage and childbirth; even though Anne herself never married and had children, she served as a confidant for many of her relatives. They wrote to her about their fears and apprehensions prior to their marriages, and they shared their joys and their difficulties after the births (and, often, the deaths) of their children.<br /><br />Childbirth was an especially precarious time for women, and they often experienced a difficult recovery period. While this is not particularly surprising, especially given the continuously-high infant mortality rate in the United States, women wrote about their bodies with a sense of secrecy and shame that is very different from their male counterparts. Even the fact that pregnancy and childbirth are conceived of as illness is remarkable; in these letters we see an increasing reliance on male doctors to diagnose and treat "female problems." In nearly every letter dealing with gynecological or specifically "female" disorders, there is a warning to Anne that asks her to keep the illness a secret. This is in marked contrast to other types of illness, such as scarlet fever or strokes, which are written about freely throughout the Chew family's correspondence.<br /><br />In one example, Virginia Mason writes to Anne about her impending travels to attend to her nieces: "I think I have before told you of Lucy's expectations for October, + also of Eliza B's for Sept. Both of them want me to be with them at the time they are sick; So I shall have a busy time. I shall not, however, have any household duties, for Jim + his wife will begin housekeeping the first of October." (Baltimore, July 27) The delicacy of the language she chooses, as well as her characterization of Lucy and Eliza as "sick" create the sense that their pregnancies were not "normal" conditions.<br /><br />After the birth of her baby, Lucy writes to Anne to report on her condition: "I was so far from being well after Landon's birth that I was advised by my physician...to consult one of the specialists here...and I am truly thankful that I came to him, as he assured me that I should have been a confirmed invalid for life had my troubles continued longer. . . .<br />I hope, dear Aunt, that you will not disclose the contents of this letter to any one but Cousin Mary, but I know you feel interested in my interests, and so I have spoken of it to you...." [n.d.]<br /></div><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SUlzsfyBh0I/AAAAAAAAAOI/01D4ID3n1O8/s1600-h/lmason1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SUlzsfyBh0I/AAAAAAAAAOI/01D4ID3n1O8/s320/lmason1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280879246351370050" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SUlz6ENKRBI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/WewVag6aCHA/s1600-h/lmason2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SUlz6ENKRBI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/WewVag6aCHA/s320/lmason2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280879479467164690" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">It is curious that pregnancy, or complications from birth, would need to be kept a secret, but women's modesty and shame about their bodies seems common in these letters.<br /><br />In another striking letter, Anne's niece Katherine writes concerning her fears for her sister Ida's health: "I am about to write to you of that which has been on my mind so long I am determined now to relieve it. Possibly you know of a lump that has been in Ida's breast for fully five years. I have been so urged not to say a word of it to any one....I am so anxious lest it may be that, which accounts for the giving way of Ida's health + strength....Dr. Lewis was told about it. I was at Clarens + Ida asked me to tell him of it + he felt it -- but I thought did it in a very careless unsatisfactory manner + made very light of it..." [n.d.] She continues that she spoke to the doctor and he urged her to say nothing to Ida, that perhaps the lump would disappear, but if it didn't, there was nothing they could do to treat it at that stage. Ida's letters never mention the lump, but toward the end of her life, she writes about pain in her lungs and her weak state.<br /></div><br /><br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SUl77pPI_HI/AAAAAAAAAOo/nPrpllsZ91I/s1600-h/ida1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SUl77pPI_HI/AAAAAAAAAOo/nPrpllsZ91I/s320/ida1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280888302680472690" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SUl8MaH-u4I/AAAAAAAAAOw/OPOsgMPPBnI/s1600-h/ida2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SUl8MaH-u4I/AAAAAAAAAOw/OPOsgMPPBnI/s320/ida2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280888590681684866" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">These letters portray women's experiences of their bodies as out of their control. This particular class of women were particularly reliant upon doctors, and seemed content to allow knowledge about their bodies to rest in the hands of "experts." I wonder, as I read this correspondence, what forces convinced women to cede control of this knowledge over their bodies and their reproduction.</div>Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-79701139837791866652008-11-24T15:18:00.012-05:002009-05-14T13:41:23.728-04:00The Chew TurkiesIn the past few months, there have been an extraordinary number of turkey references in the Chew collection. In celebration of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, Leah and I decided to share some of them here.<br /><br />The first document is selected from a larger group of surveys, agreements, and correspondence regarding a tract of land the Chews owned called "Turkey Nest." <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SSsfCxsDCWI/AAAAAAAAANo/bvvGtP5hY3Y/s1600-h/Turkey+Nest.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SSsfCxsDCWI/AAAAAAAAANo/bvvGtP5hY3Y/s320/Turkey+Nest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272341921325582690" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I found this initially interesting because many of the tracts in Delaware and Maryland have "Neck" as part of the name (e.g. "Rich Neck"). I assume that the "neck" refers to the areas where land juts out into a body of water. When I first glanced at this group of documents, I thought this tract was called "Turkey Neck."<br /><br />A more personal reference to turkeys in the collection comes from Samuel Chew's correspondence. He owned a farm in Maryland that was operated by John Mason. John experienced many upheavals in his work as a farmer--one of the more dramatic situations involved the barn, sheds, house, and hay catching fire. He lost most of his farm, but saved the animals and some of the structures. A relatively minor incident, by comparison, was the death of several turkeys. In his letter to Samuel Chew, he writes, "You may remember my showing you some Turkies I purchased. To my utter dismay, I found. on going out in the morning Two of my pets. dead. Upon investigating I discovered the painters had been here the day before. + had emptied the remains of paint on the ground...the Turkies had eaten too freely of white lead--no other casualties have occurred." (Dec. 1873) A sad tale, indeed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SSsh0X74CtI/AAAAAAAAANw/hp6ruzdKROo/s1600-h/Turkies1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SSsh0X74CtI/AAAAAAAAANw/hp6ruzdKROo/s320/Turkies1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272344972429363922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SSsiHxRjOxI/AAAAAAAAAN4/ggq5On7ZuH8/s1600-h/Turkies2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SSsiHxRjOxI/AAAAAAAAAN4/ggq5On7ZuH8/s320/Turkies2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272345305648675602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />All silliness aside, we hope you have a wonderful holiday. A little Chew-inspired card from Leah:<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SSsMZzqOqpI/AAAAAAAAANg/JKLQtx_6z_E/s1600-h/happythanksgiving.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SSsMZzqOqpI/AAAAAAAAANg/JKLQtx_6z_E/s320/happythanksgiving.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272321426270890642" border="0" /></a>Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-29167407967824569832008-11-14T09:04:00.012-05:002009-05-14T13:46:55.241-04:00The telegram as directiveWithin Anne Sophia Penn Chew's collection of correspondence are a large number of telegrams. This communication tool was widely employed by Samuel and Mary Johnson Brown Chew. Samuel and Mary split their time between Cliveden and Mary's family home in the city, so their belongings were housed in both places. Many of Mary's letters to Anne describe the day's events, give reports about the children, and, inevitably, ask for some article of clothing to be sent or some task to be completed at Cliveden in her absence. The telegrams serve as quick reminders to send this or that, notify Anne that the family will be coming to tea or dinner, or ask her to prepare something. Though Anne was not generally doing these things herself (she likely would have had her servants do them), the letters and telegrams have a tone of direction and expectation. Anne may have been living independently, but her life seems to have been lived in service to her nephews and their families.<br /><br />In one of the first telegrams I read, Anne's nephew Ben requests that she have a warm bath for him in the afternoon:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SR2Ksh1XirI/AAAAAAAAAM4/dw3TG-PETQk/s1600-h/bath.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SR2Ksh1XirI/AAAAAAAAAM4/dw3TG-PETQk/s320/bath.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268519636694436530" border="0" /></a><br />An audacious request, in my opinion, but not out of the ordinary.<br /><br /><br />Other noteworthy telegrams include a request from Mary to send salad "at once" and another from Samuel to send "a quantity of celery and some lettuce."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SR2Lxg6vFfI/AAAAAAAAANA/AFGX7hCEa3U/s1600-h/saladgram.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SR2Lxg6vFfI/AAAAAAAAANA/AFGX7hCEa3U/s320/saladgram.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268520821859489266" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SR2L7N4Lo9I/AAAAAAAAANI/IH0tgL0W4dY/s1600-h/celery.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SR2L7N4Lo9I/AAAAAAAAANI/IH0tgL0W4dY/s320/celery.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268520988547195858" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Another odd request reads "Do not send laundress tomorrow. Send David's gun by Charles tomorrow. Mary J.B. Chew"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SR2MrMYqmjI/AAAAAAAAANQ/SdEwVw2k-UM/s1600-h/gungram.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SR2MrMYqmjI/AAAAAAAAANQ/SdEwVw2k-UM/s320/gungram.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268521812780292658" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And finally, this request: "Please send some linen and underclothing today."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SR2NDjC6X3I/AAAAAAAAANY/2lS47PuL0-o/s1600-h/underthings.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SR2NDjC6X3I/AAAAAAAAANY/2lS47PuL0-o/s320/underthings.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268522231179927410" border="0" /></a><br />This last request is, it turns out, quite poignant. Samuel Chew was, at this time, taking care of his brother Ben before his death. In one 1885 letter, Samuel writes to Anne that Ben had lost all control of himself, and that he had used up all of the linen and underclothing in the house because of the constant changing that was required. It is unclear what disease finally caused Ben's death, but the symptoms Samuel describes include inability to express himself or understand what was happening around him and the inability to control his bodily functions. These letters (and other series throughout the collection) offer graphic representations of disease and care for the sick in the 18th and 19th centuries.Cathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-38520038444844287082008-11-12T17:38:00.004-05:002009-05-14T13:42:57.295-04:00An Old Approach in ConservationWe came across a few interesting documents in the past few weeks. It was not the information provided within the documents necessarily, but the conservation method performed upon the documents.<br /><br />The first, front and back:<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SRtbIW0IKTI/AAAAAAAAADg/PWR9oXA5aNA/s1600-h/sewndoc1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SRtbIW0IKTI/AAAAAAAAADg/PWR9oXA5aNA/s200/sewndoc1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267904388261226802" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SRtbZK8qeaI/AAAAAAAAADo/modr4zSy2qU/s1600-h/sewndoc2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SRtbZK8qeaI/AAAAAAAAADo/modr4zSy2qU/s200/sewndoc2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267904677133580706" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And the second:<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SRtbnWia1nI/AAAAAAAAADw/akoSaNbQUZg/s1600-h/sewndoc3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GDGOxf4DY7Y/SRtbnWia1nI/AAAAAAAAADw/akoSaNbQUZg/s200/sewndoc3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267904920762898034" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />This sewing is an intriguing non-adhesive conservation method that has actually held up fairly well in both documents over the years!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101653882783229683.post-84286954651825516872008-11-06T12:08:00.013-05:002009-07-23T08:52:01.625-04:00The Wilson Lands<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SRNcu9kBDQI/AAAAAAAAAMo/TrgDLhYtvH0/s1600-h/wilsondeeds.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265654351195606274" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 202px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SRNcu9kBDQI/AAAAAAAAAMo/TrgDLhYtvH0/s320/wilsondeeds.JPG" border="0" /></a>Two weeks ago, among the Chew papers, I came across stacks of deed polls, each one of which effectively transferred 400 acres of land from its original owner to James Wilson. For those of you unfamiliar with Wilson, he is one of only six framers to have signed both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. In addition, he was also a member of the first Supreme Court appointed by President Washington, and, beyond that, instrumental in the formation of the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1790. Surprisingly, with all these founding credentials, he is still a relative unknown. A large part of that anonymity can be attributed to the documents I found, because they act as a representative sample of the vice that likely cost Wilson his founding reputation – land speculation.<br /><br />To be sure, Wilson was only one of many leading figures from his generation that speculated in the “undeveloped” lands of the American West. Washington, Patrick Henry, Robert Morris, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Ben Franklin, along with many others, all were heavily involved in the practice that historian Alan Taylor maintains, “consumed the eighteenth-century American elite.” (Writing Early American History, 2005) Like Wilson, but perhaps not to the same degree, most of these speculators experienced the pitfalls of buying land on the early American frontier.<br /><br />A good deal of their problems stemmed from the quantities of land they attempted to purchase and the way purchases were financed. In simplified terms, speculators typically tried to purchase massive tracts of land on credit – in many ways the same type of risk-taking that has resulted in our present day financial crisis. Using a process known as leverage, speculators bought land with mainly borrowed money. They acted under the assumption that, as land prices rose, they could then sell the land for more than the purchase price, thus being able to repay the original loan and pocket a profit. As with our own financial crisis, this type of risky behavior created an extremely unstable economic environment. When land prices were rising, an immense profit could be made, but when the prices were stagnant or falling, the original investment became a drain as borrowed money came due – essentially the same problem that took down Lehman Bros. and Bear <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Stearns</span>.<br /><br />Because Wilson’s land speculation rose to the point of obsession, he was particularly hard hit during the economic depression of 1796-97. Both he and Robert Morris, to name just two, spent time in prison because of massive land debts; in the process staining their reputation for posterity.<br /><br />As for the multiple deed polls contained within the Chew papers, two questions arise: How did Wilson acquire all this land; and how did the Chew family end up with these documents? I am not certain of the answers to these questions at this time, but some clues are available within the documents themselves. First, the lands fell within Allegheny and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Luzerne</span> counties of Pennsylvania. Also relevant, the deed polls date from only two years,1794 and 1796. Additionally, the original warrant dates for when the land was first claimed by a private owner, all fall within the year 1792. It is important to note that this was just after the Pennsylvania legislature passed an act regulating the sale of land by limiting the number of acres an individual could buy; this, in an effort to keep lands newly open for sale out of the hands of speculators which could have effectively denied Wilson access.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SRNdFsq8H3I/AAAAAAAAAMw/A2lHB-N3WQY/s1600-h/wilsondeed.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265654741798231922" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 225px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z3MDA4w0M4o/SRNdFsq8H3I/AAAAAAAAAMw/A2lHB-N3WQY/s320/wilsondeed.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />However, if Elizabeth K. Henderson is correct, Wilson may have turned to underhanded means. According to her 1936 article on "The Northwestern Lands of Pennsylvania, 1790-1812," (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">PMHB</span>, Vol. 60) she claims that Wilson got around the intent of the law by taking out land warrants under "fictitious names" and then transferring the land to his own name by way of the deed polls. That claim is difficult to confirm from the documents available. Another possibility is that Wilson, or his agent, may have obtained the lands from Revolutionary war soldiers who first obtained them as payment for their military service in lieu of monetary remuneration. In any case, Wilson ended up with these lands.<br /><br />How the Chew family obtained the documents is, once again, uncertain, but likely has its roots in the massive borrowing Wilson did to finance his land ventures. It seems at least possible that Wilson borrowed money from Benjamin Chew and when he or his executors (Wilson passed in 1798) could not repay the debt, land title was transferred instead. Other evidence within the collection, such as account books and personal correspondence, may hold the key to solving this mystery. The answer to these questions, and many others await the interested researcher.<br /><br />Posted by Dean Williams, Chew Papers volunteerCathleen Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304895979621322846noreply@blogger.com1