text:
The bulk of this collection is in English; there are, however, a few documents in French.
The Biddle family has a long history on American land with Quaker ancestors emigrating in 1681 and settling in Philadelphia around 1725. This collection documents six generations of one branch of that family, starting with Clement Biddle (1740-1814), who served as a Revolutionary War soldier, the first U.S. Marshall for Pennsylvania from 1789 to 1793, a notary, scrivener, and a broker. He and his wife, Rebekah Cornell (1755-1831), were the ancestors of both Julia Biddle (1858-1952) and Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), who appear to be the center of this particular collection's content.
The collection best documents the descendants of two of Clement Biddle's sons: Thomas Alexander Biddle (1776-1857) and Clement Cornell Biddle (1784-1855). Thomas Alexander Biddle married Christine Williams (1780-1861), daughter of General Jonathan Williams (1751-1815) in 1806. They had five children, including a son, Thomas Alexander Biddle (1814-1888), who married Julia Cox (1819-1896) in 1845 and together, they were the parents of seven children. Their daughter, Julia Biddle (1858-1952), married her cousin, Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), grandson of Clement Cornell Biddle (1784-1855).
Clement Cornell Biddle (1784-1855) married Mary Searle Barclay (1785-1872), daughter of John Barclay (1749-1816), Revolutionary War soldier and mayor of Philadelphia, in 1814. They were the parents of four children including George Washington Biddle (1818-1897), a Philadelphia lawyer who married Maria Cox McMurtrie (1818-1901). They had three children including Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), a Philadelphia lawyer, who married his cousin, Julia Biddle (1858-1952), granddaughter of Thomas Alexander Biddle (1776-1857).
Julia and Arthur Biddle had three children: Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938); Alfred Alexander Biddle (1885-1967) who married Gertrude Heckscher (1894-1942); and Julian Cornell Biddle (1890-1917). While the collection documents all three of Julia and Arthur's children, the bulk documents Alfred A. and Gertrude Biddle, and their children: Constance Monica Biddle (1923-2005) who married her cousin Sydney Francis Biddle (1918-2004) and was the mother of the donor's wife, Alexandra (1949-2008); Anne Gertrude Biddle (1925-2006); Julian Cornell Biddle (1929-2008); and Edith Sheila Biddle (born 1931).
The Biddle family was prosperous and influential; thus they interacted socially with (and indeed married) a number of equally prosperous and influential people. Families attached to this line of Biddles include Barclay, Blair, Cadwalader, Cox, Lyman, Meigs, Rush, and Williams. John Barclay (father-in-law of Clement Cornell Biddle) corresponded with Aaron Burr and Alexander J. Dallas. Military service appears to have been engrained in the family, with individuals serving in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War I and World War II. Despite their power, prestige, and influence, however; the family was first and foremost, a family. Their papers document their work (largely in finance and law), their relationships, their patriotism, and their pride in their heritage.
This collection documents the family relationships, and to a lesser extent, the work and military service of six generations of the prominent Biddle family of Philadelphia. These papers tell the stories, to varying degrees, of more than 30 individual Biddle family members. The correspondence in the collection occasionaly describes world events such as politics and government in the United states, the Quasi War with France in 1800, Native Americans, the Panic of 1837, slavery, the American Civil War, World War I, and to a limited degree, World War II; business and financial matters, including canal and railroad companies, the coal industry, the effect of the Panic of 1837 on the Biddle businesses, the stock market, and banking issues; and family matters, including news of births, deaths, health, education, travel, etc., as well as advice. As is typical with family correspondence, there are constant requests for more letters and more news.
The lineage of the family is complex, primarily because Julia Biddle (1858-1952) and Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), who married in 1880, were cousins. Their grandfathers (Thomas Alexander Biddle and Clement Cornell Biddle) were brothers and their descendants (including Julia, Arthur, their children, and their grandchildren) generated the bulk of the material in this collection.
The collection is arranged in seven series: Series I. "Julia and Arthur Biddle and descendants;" Series II. "Julia Biddle's siblings and ancestors;" Series III. "Arthur Biddle's sibling and ancestors;" Series IV. "Julia and Arthur Biddle's ancestors;" Series V. "Images;" Series VI. "Wills, trusts, and legacies;" and Series VII. "Research on family history and genealogy." Information regarding the family members and the contents of material in each series can be found at the series level.
Prior to donation, John Basinski (donor and family member) identified many of the senders and recipients of letters and created document summaries of a large majority of the documents in the collection. Copies of his summaries remain throughout the collection with the relevant documents.
Researchers interested in Philadelphia families, life in Philadelphia from the late 18th to mid-20th century, early national period finances (via John Barclay, largely), and responses to events in American history over a period of more than 200 years will likely find this collection to be of value.
Gift of John Basinski, 2017.
Primarily overlapping in content for Clement Biddle (1740-1814), Thomas A. Biddle (1776-1857), Christine Williams Biddle (1780-1861), and Alexander W. Biddle (1819-1900).
Primarily overlapping in content for Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), Julia Biddle (1858-1952), Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938), Alfred Alexander Biddle (1885-1967), Gertrude Heckscher Biddle (1894-1942), and Julian Cornell Biddle (1890-1917).
Primarily overlapping in content for Clement Biddle (1740-1814).
Primarily overlapping in content for Clement Biddle (1740-1814), Thomas A. Biddle (1776-1857), Clement Cornell Biddle (1784-1855), Clement Biddle (1810-1879), Alexander W. Biddle (1819-1900), Henry Jonathan Biddle (1817-1862), George Washington Biddle (1818-1897), and Algernon Sydney Biddle (1847-1891).
Jordan, John W. Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania. Baltimore: Clearfield Company, 1911.
The Pennocks of Primitive Hill (http://www.pennock.ws//surnames/names13.html#Biddle), accessed 2018 June 18.
Series I. Julia and Arthur Biddle and descendants.
Series I. "Julia and Arthur Biddle and descendants" includes papers of Arthur Biddle (1852-1897); his wife Julia Biddle (1858-1952); their children, Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938), Alfred Alexander Biddle (1885-1967), and Julian Cornell Biddle (1890-1917); their daughter-in-law, Gertrude Heckscher Biddle (1894-1942), who was married to Alfred; and their grandchildren, the children of Alfred and Gertrude: Constance Monica Biddle (1923-2005), Anne Gertrude Biddle (1925-2006), Julian Cornell Biddle (1929-2008), and Edith Sheila Biddle (born 1931). There are also a few documents from Gertrude Heckscher Biddle's family documenting her parents, Maurice and Constance Spencer Heckscher, and her sisters Constance (1893-1909) and Eleanor (1895-1897). This series is arranged into seven subseries, one for each of the main groups documented in the collection. Within the series (and the collection as a whole) letters have been arranged by recipient in order to reassemble what a family member might have had in his or her possession. All members of the family represented in this series are also represented in Series V. Images.
Arthur Biddle was born on September 23, 1852, the son of George Washington Biddle (1818-1897) and Maria Cox McMurtrie (1818-1901). He was educated at Faires Classical Institute and Yale University. Following his graduation from Yale, he studied and traveled in Europe for two years before beginning to work in his father's law office. In addition to working in two law firms, Biddle and Jayne and Biddle and Ward, Arthur authored several papers/books on legal subjects, including Treatise on the Law of Warranties in the Sale of Chattels, which was used as a text book by Harvard Law School; The Law of Stockbrokers, which he co-authored with his brother George; and The Law of Insurance. He was active in his community, serving as a member of the American Philosophical Society, on the school board, and as the 1896 Democratic candidate for city solicitor. He married his cousin Julia on November 18, 1880 and they were the parents of Edith, Alfred, and Julian. He died March 8, 1897, after a severe attack of influenza." [pages 71-73, Faires Classical Institute] There is only a small amount of material directly related to Arthur in this collection--a few letters, his marriage certificate, a few documents from his time at Yale, and his writings. There are also a number of memorials created following his unexpected death in 1897 at age 45. Researchers will find letters from Arthur in I. B. "Julia Biddle (1858-1952)," C. "Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938)," and D. "Alfred Alexander Biddle (1885-1967);" and III. B. "George Washington Biddle (1818-1897)" and C. "Maria Cox McMurtrie Biddle (1818-1901)."
Julia Biddle was (1858-1952) married her cousin Arthur in 1880. She was the daughter of Thomas Alexander (1814-1888) and Julia Cox (1819-1896) Biddle. At the time of her husband's death, her children were aged 16, 12, and 7. Her papers document her role as a single parent, with financial records; letters from a large group of family and friends (including some from Arthur prior to his death as well as an impressive number from her son, Alfred); some travel documentation largely related to a trip to Japan, probably with her son Julian, circa 1912; scrapbooks documenting her family history and her life with Arthur and her children; and a limited amount of collected ephemera. Letters are largely personal and provide a researcher with a clear picture of the Biddle family lifestyle and Julia's own life at The Crossways in Gwynned Valley and at 1812 Delancey Street in Philadelphia. Of particular interest may be the letters written to Julia following the death of her daughter Edith in 1938. Letters from Julia can be found in I. E. "Julian Cornell Biddle (1890-1917)," II. D. Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896)," and III. C. "Maria Cox McMurtrie Biddle (1818-1901)."
Edith Frances Biddle was the oldest child of Arthur and Julia Biddle. She was born in 1881 and during World War I, worked at the Galsworthy House in London, a hospital for wounded Belgian soldiers. According to obituaries (box 8, folder 8), she was decorated by the Belgian Government for her efforts. Later, she attended the Inter-Allied Conference which was called to address methodologies of rehabilitating the wounded. On her return to the United States, Edith served as manager and/or director of the Orphan Society of Philadelphia near Media. She lived at the Crossways, her home in Gwynned Valley, and died of pneumonia on June 10, 1938 at the age of 55. The bulk of Edith's material consists of letters from family and friends; but there are also a few financial documents. her passport; and a small number of documents relating to her World War I service. Letters from Edith can be found in I. B. "Julia Biddle (1858-1952)," D. "Alfred Alexander Biddle (1885-1967)," E. "Julian Cornell Biddle (1890-1917)," and G. "Children of Alfred A. and Gertrude Heckscher Biddle;" II. D. "Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896);" and III. C. "Maria Cox McMurtrie Biddle (1818-1901)."
Alfred Alexander Biddle (1885-1967) was the second child of Arthur and Julia Biddle. He was educated at Saint Mark's School and graduated from Yale University in 1909. He also studied at Balliol College, Oxford University. During World War I, he attended Officer Training Camp in Fort Meyer, Virginia from May 8 to August 15, 1917, from which he graduated as Captain and was assigned to the 4th Company 2nd Battery. From September 1 to March 1, 1918, he was at Camp Lee, Virginia; and from March 1 to September, 1918, he served as Aide-de-Camp to Major-General Biddle, Commanding General, Base Section No. 2, AEF. From September to December, 1918, he was at the Saumur Artillery School, AEF, and from December 1918 until June 1919, he served with the Ammunition Train, 88th Division and as Assistant G-1, 88th Division, AEF. He worked as a stockbroker for Biddle, Whelan and Co. until the company was dissolved in 1953. He married Gertrude Heckscher in 1922 and they were the parents of Constance, Anne, Julian, and Edith. He died on August 25, 1967 at the age of 81. His records include financial records, information regarding horses and horse breeding (one of his greatest interests), letters from family and friends (particularly from Balliol College, Oxford), records and letters from his World War I service (including many references to General Pershing, writings and talks relating to education and the economy, a poem and short story, and records related to his time at Yale University. Letters from Alfred can be found in I. B. "Julia Biddle (1858-1952)," C. "Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938)," E. "Julian Cornell Biddle (1890-1917)," and G. "Children of Alfred A. and Gertrude Heckscher Biddle;" and II. A. "Anna Sitgreaves Biddle Blair (1850-1932) and Andrew Blair (1849-1932)," B. "John Cox Biddle (1846-1865); Henry Williams Biddle (1848-1923); and William Lyman Biddle (1852-1920)," and D. "Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896)."
Julian Cornell Biddle (1890-1917), the youngest of Arthur and Julia's children, was born April 19, 1890. He was educated at St. Mark's School in Southboro, Massachusetts, and graduated from Yale in 1912. He served as a secretary at the American Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, for six months following his graduation from Yale. When he returned to Philadelphia, he began working for the banking house Montgomery, Clothier & Tyler. In 1916, he earned his pilot's license; and by 1917, he was enlisted in the Foreign Legion, sent to the French Military Aviation School at Avord, sent to Pau for training; and assigned as a battle pilot to Escadrille No. 73, Groupe de Combat No. 12. On August 18, on a practice flight, his plane went down and once his body washed to shore 8 days later, it appeared that he had been shot down. He appears to have been the first American who volunteered after the United States entered the war to be killed at the front. Documents related to Julian C. Biddle include letters from family and friends and a small amount of information from his time at both St. Mark's and Yale University. Letters from Julian can be found in I. B. "Julia Biddle (1858-1952)," C. "Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938)," and F. "Gertrude Heckscher Biddle (1894-1942)."
Gertrude Heckscher (1894-1942) married Alfred Alexander Biddle in 1922. She was the daughter of Maurice and Constance Heckscher. Her father died at age 39, and her sisters died at age 15 and 1; as a result, she and her mother appear to have traveled together to Europe and lived together at Box Mead Farm. Prior to her engagement to Alfred, Gertrude appears to have enjoyed an active social life. She corresponded with several World War I soldiers (her letters are not present, only the letters addressed to her). She and Alfred married in 1922 and children quickly followed: Constance was born in 1923, Anne in 1925, Julian in 1929, and Edith in 1931. The family lived at Box Mead Farm. She died in 1942 at age 52. Her papers include journals from a trip to Europe, some family material including Bibles and financial material, and letters, mostly from friends and soldiers in World War I. Letters from her can be found in B. "Julia Biddle (1858-1952)" and D. "Alfred Alexander Biddle (1885-1967)."
The final subseries in this series contains limited information regarding three of Alfred and Gertrude's four children, Anne, Constance, and Julian. Constance M. Biddle, the oldest of the children is best documented with academic records and a letter, but there is also a newspaper clipping regarding Anne and Julian's baby book. Their letters can e found in I.B. "Julia Biddle (1858-1952)" and C. "Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938)."
Letter from Arthur Biddle to his doctor (unsent) and Hamilton Disston, Esq., 1873, 1887.
Letters to Arthur Biddle from John Baird, Alfred G. Baker, Edwin N. Beasley, Maria McMurtrie Biddle (his mother), G.E. Burnham, and [S.M.] Da Costa, 1877, 1887.
Marriage certificate, 1888 November 18.
Memorials, letters, and obituary for Arthur Biddle (includes numerous newspaper clippings, memorial addresses given at the American Philosophical Society and the Bar of Philadelphia, and letters reflecting upon his life), 1898.
Travel memorabilia: saloon passenger list and luggage tag for trip on board S.S. Westernland, sailing from New York, 1896 July.
Writings: Published articles on law and reviews of A Treatise on the Law of Warranties in the Sale of Chattels, by Arthur Biddle (1884), 1879-1884.
Yale student essay: "Benedick and Beatrice", 1871 February 25.
Cards (calling cards, mourning cards, and business cards), undated.
Clippings (miscellaneous topics including family history, household tips, gardening, recipes, and the weather), circa 1880s-1950s.
Financial records: Account book, 1918-1935.
Financial records: Account book, 1935-1941.
Financial records: Account book, 1941-1947.
Financial records: Gasoline accounts, 1940-1941.
Financial records: Ledger of Bar Harbor expenses, 1893.
Financial records: Tax documents, 1932.
Financial records: Tax return (federal income), 1930.
Financial records: Trust account, 1878-1882.
Letters from Adeline (last name unknown), 1922, undated.
Letters from Anne Biddle (1925-2006), granddaughter, 1931-1945.
Letter from Constance Elizabeth Biddle, 1922.
Letters from Constance Monica Biddle (1923-2005), granddaughter, 1931-1944.
Letters from Alfred A. Biddle (1885-1967), son, 1899-1910.
Letters from Alfred A. Biddle (1885-1967), son, 1912-1945, undated.
Letters from Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), husband, 1880-1881, 1891, 1893, 1895.
Letters from Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938), daughter, 1895, 1900, undated.
Letters regarding the death of daughter Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938), 1938 June 10-July.
Letter from Frances Biddle (possibly Frances Robinson Biddle), 1902 October 6.
Letter from Francis Biddle (1853-1920), brother, 1871 October 1.
Letter from Georgina Biddle, niece, 1947 October 14.
Letter from Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896), mother, circa 1858.
Letter from Julian C. Biddle (1929-2008), grandson, 1942.
Letters from Gertrude Heckscher Biddle (daughter-in-law), 1923-1932, 1940, undated.
Letters from Julian Cornell Biddle (1890-1917), son, 1905, 1911-1912, undated.
Letters from Katherine, probably wife of Francis Beverly Biddle (Julia's nephew), 1922-1923, 1933, undated.
Letters from Moncure Biddle (1882-1956), nephew, 1897, 1923, 1950.
Letters from M.H. Biddle, circa 1900-1902.
Letter from Oliver Caldwell Biddle, 1951 August 29.
Letters from Sheila Biddle (born 1931), granddaughter, 1937-1944.
Letter from Andrew Blair, brother-in-law, 1902 June 2.
Letters from Anna Sitgreaves Biddle Blair (1850-1932), sister, 1900, 1902.
Letters from Frank Blair, nephew, 1938-1941.
Letter from Johnny Blair, nephew, 1940 July 9.
Letter from A.H. Borie, undated.
Letter from Natasha Boyer (includes Lord Kitchener's Message to the Troops), 1918 July 31.
Letter from Margaret Cadwalader, 1941 February 21.
Letter from Eugenia Cassatt, 1922 October 4.
Letters from Reverend Joseph Cook, 1867 September-October.
Letter from V. Desaeyer (in French), 1919 February 7.
Letter from Henrietta Fredericka, nanny, 1895 April.
Letter from F.J. Harris, 1914 April 15.
Letter from Hotel des Thermes director, 1913 June 25.
Letter from Jane Hunt, 1940 August 31.
Letter from Josephine Ingersoll, undated.
Letters from Agnes Irwin, 1894, 1909, 1912, undated.
Letters from H. LaBarre Jayne, law firm partner of her husband, Arthur, 1897, 1902.
Letter from Clement Jones, 1935 September 25.
Letters from Laura Loyson, 1946 November-December.
Letter from J.F. Alexander & Co., 1950 August 1.
Letter from Mary Lyman, undated.
Letter from George McCall, cousin, 1922 September 27.
Letter from S. Weir Mitchell, undated.
Letter from W.H. Reeves, before 1880.
Letter from Lillie Rhoads, 1938 May 18.
Letter from Mona Robinson, undated.
Letter from Caroline Sinkler, before 1922.
Letter from [Elizabeth Sinkler], undated.
Letter from Ann Ingersoll Smith, 1922 September 23.
Letters from William G. Thayer, 1901, 1924.
Letter from Angela Toland, 1925.
Letters from Lilian B.T., 1896, 19236.
Letter from K.J. Wharton, 1922 September 27.
Letter from S.B. Wister, undated.
Letters to and from unidentified, 1914-1938, undated.
Recipe book and loose recipes, 1938, undated.
Scrapbook on family history, circa 1880s-1910s.
Scrapbook documenting Arthur Biddle, his death, and family, circa 1870s-1907.
Scrapbook containing clippings on World War I, etc., circa 1917-1919.
Travel diary, Yokohama, Japan, circa 1912.
Travel memorabilia, Asian dagger, circa 1912.
Travel memorabilia: Japan Advertiser, 1912 September 10.
C. Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938).
Clippings (miscellaneous topics including estates, Ezra Pound, and recipes), 1934, undated.
Poem, "My Brother Julian", 1890.
Letters from Alfred A. Biddle (1885-1967), brother, 1900-1901, 1937.
Letters from Anne Biddle (1925-2006), niece, 1937, undated.
Letters from Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), father, 1895 April.
Letters from Julian Cornell Biddle (1890-1917), brother, 1903-1904.
Letter from William Lyman Biddle (1852-1884), uncle, 1899 November 24.
Letter from S.C. Brent, 1911 April 20.
Letters from Nadine de Wahl, 1899, 1901.
Letters from Horace Howard Furness, 1908 December.
Letter from Katherine Hutchinson, 1894 July 12.
Letter from [illegible] Klock (in French), 1917 November 6.
Letter from Malcolm MacLeod, 1900 January 29.
Letter from [G.]S. Spalding, 1917 May 12.
Letters from unidentified, 1899, 1926, undated.
World War I: Identity card and work of her students who were studying English, 1916-1917.
D. Alfred Alexander Biddle (1885-1967).
Childhood magazines: The Bubble and The Contemporary, 1891, 1896.
Financial records: Account records for National Bank of Petersburg, 1917-1918.
Financial records: Bank statements for Girard Trust Company, Philadelphia-Girard National Bank, Philadelphia National Bank, and Philadelphia Trust Company, 1924-1939.
Financial records: Brokerage and tax records, 1920-1924.
Financial records: Brokerage statements, 1929.
Financial records: Federal tax returns, 1921-1932.
Financial records: Ledger (five pages only), 1918 December 31.
Financial records: Letters and documents regarding family estates, 1919.
Financial records: Passbook for Messrs. Brown, Shipley, & Co., London, 1917-1919.
Financial records: Pennsylvania Securities License, 1966-1967.
Financial records: Thomas A. Biddle & Co. account statements, 1928.
Holiday card from Alfred Biddle and family, undated.
Horses, information regarding (includes some photographs), circa 1955-1959.
Legal records: Lawsuit against Magee, 1918 March-May.
Letters from Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), father, 1895 April 11-21.
Letters from Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938), sister, 1899, 1904.
Letter from Gertrude Biddle, wife, 1904 May 9.
Letters from Juliet and Mildred Biddle (probably his nieces), 1882.
Letter from William Lyman Biddle (1852-1884), uncle, 1869 March 2.
Letter from Helen Cadwalader, cousin, 1922 October 2.
Letters from Charles Goodwin, 1947, 1951.
Letters from family and friends congratulating him on his engagement to Gertrude, 1922.
Letters from family and friends on the occasion of Gertrude's death and information regarding her funeral, 1942.
Letters from friends from Balliol College, Oxford, 1912-1917.
Letters to "Cousin Tom", 1901 April 18.
Letters to teachers regarding his children's education (Constance, Anne, and Julian), 1937-1940.
Obituary and memorial tribute, 1967.
World War I: Official documents and letters, 1917-1919.
World War I: Memorabilia and clippings (including a printed bulletin from St. Paul's Cathedral's "A Solemn Service to Almighty God on the Occasion of the Entry of The United States of America into the Great War for Freedom" on April 20, 1917), 1916-1917.
Writings and talks: RadioTalk regarding the New Deal, 1934 February 20.
Writings and talks: Education, 1938-1967.
Writings and talks: Poem and short story, undated.
Yale University fraternity paddle, 1909.
Yale University newspaper: Yale News, Volume XXXI, No. 46, 1907 November 16.
Unidentified notes and miscellaneous clippings, undated.
E. Julian Cornell Biddle (1890-1917).
Letters from Alfred A. Biddle (1885-1967), brother, 1900, 1909, undated.
Letters from Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938), sister, 1904-1905.
Letters from Julia Biddle (1858-1952), mother, 1900, 1904, 1912.
Letters from Felton B. Elkins, 1905 March-April.
Letter from Clarence Fisher, 1902 October 2.
Letters from Elizabeth [Sherman] Hoyt, 1910.
Letter from Mrs. Hamilton Fish Kean and Miss Catherine Livingston Hammersley, circa 1910-1911.
Letter from Shaw McKean, circa 1910-1911.
Letters from Lily Sears, 1909 September.
Letter from Woodrow Wilson, president of Princeton University, 1909 January 4.
Letters from Leta C. Wright, 1910.
Letters from unidentified, 1904, 1910-1911, 1916.
Letter to Mr. Jayne, 1912 May 4.
Photographs of friends (found with correspondence), undated.
St. Mark's School, bill and football schedule, 1904.
Yale University senior class questionnaire and gymnasium measurements, 1908-1912.
F. Gertrude Heckscher Biddle (1894-1942).
European journal, 1905 December-1906 May.
Family Bibles (belonging to Maurice Heckscher, Constance L. Heckscher, and Gertrude S. Hesckscher), circa 1860s-1940s.
Family material: Maurice Heckscher diploma from Harvard, 1887 June 29.
Financial records: Bank book, 1918.
Financial records: Box Mead Farm documents (including deed from 1709), 1709, 1917.
Letter from Julian C. Biddle (1890-1917), 1917 May 24.
Letter from George Brooke, 1918 November 2.
Letter from Amory Hare Cook, 1921 April 27.
Letter from I.I.R. Henry, 1919 October 23.
Letters from Dr. William Pinkney Herbert, 1916 April-May, 1919 March 23.
Letters from L. Scott Landreth, 1918-1921.
Letter from Sally Scull, 1917 August 27.
Letters from Josephine Stewart, 1921-1922.
Letters from Sheila Biddle (born 1931), daughter, undated.
Letters from family and friends congratulating her on her engagement to Alfred A. Biddle (1885-1967), 1922.
Letters from family and friends while she was in the hospital, 1942 April, undated.
Marriage announcements (in newspapers), 1922.
Wedding invitation, 1922 December 30.
G. Children of Alfred A. Alexander and Gertrude Heckscher Biddle (Constance M., Anne, Julian, and Sheila).
Anne Biddle (1925-2006), newspaper clipping, 1943.
Constance M. Biddle (1925-2005), academic records (mostly photocopies) for Bryn Mawr College, University of Pennsylvania, University College of London, Yale University, and University of Alberta, 1945-1965.
Constance M. Biddle (1925-2005), letter from Alfred Alexander Biddle (1885-1967), father, 1945 July 7.
Julian Cornell Biddle (1929-2008), baby book, circa 1929.
Series II. Julia Biddle's siblings and ancestors.
Series II. "Julia Biddle's siblings and ancestors" documents Julia's siblings Anna Sitgreaves Biddle Blair (1850-1932), John Cox Biddle (1846-1865), Henry Williams Biddle (1848-1923), and William Lyman Biddle (1853-1920); her uncle Henry Jonathan Biddle (1817-1862) and his wife Mary D. Baird Biddle (1829-1900); her uncle Clement Biddle (1810-1879); her mother Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896), her father Thomas Alexander Biddle (1814-1888); her grandmother Christine Williams Biddle (1780-1861), her grandfather Thomas A. Biddle (1776-1857); and her great-grandfathers General Jonathan Williams (1751-1815) and William Lyman (1755-1811). This series is arranged into ten subseries, one for each of the main individuals or family groups documented in the series. Within the series (and the collection as a whole) letters have been arranged by recipient in order to reassemble what a family member might have had in his or her possession. Many of the members of the family represented in this series are also represented in Series V. "Images."
Anna Sitgreaves Biddle Blair was born in 1850 and was Julia Biddle's only sister. In 1872, she married Andrew Blair (1849-1932), the son of Major General Francis "Frank" Blair (1821-1875) and Appoline Agatha Alexander (1828-1908). She was the mother of two adopted sons, Frank and John. Before and after her marriage to Andrew Blair, she received many letters from her mother, Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896). In fact, with the exception of a few letters from her cousin, Florence, and a few empty envelopes addressed to her husband from her nephew Alfred A. Biddle (1885-1967), all letters in this subseries were sent by Anna's mother. Letters from Anna can be found in Series I. B. "Julia Biddle (1858-1952)" and Series II. D. "Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896)."
Julia had five brothers, three of whom are represented in this collection: John Cox Biddle, Henry Williams Biddle, and William Lyman Biddle. John Cox Biddle, the son of Thomas Alexander and Julia Biddle, was born on April 21, 1846, and was educated at Faires Classical Institute and the University of Pennsylvania. During the Civil War, he enlisted in Landis' Battery and "behaved with great gallantry in the Battle of Carlisle, where he had charge of the caisson commanded by Mr. C. Stuart Patterson (Cohen, page 86). According to Charles J. Cohen, "he was generally called 'Little Johnny,' as he was small and did not look strong." His health suffered in the army and he was sent home after only a few months. It appears that he returned to the University of Pennsylvania, but left after his junior year. He began working for Thomas A. Biddle Co., but died on January 29, 1865, at the age of eighteen. Documents relating to John Cox Biddle include a few academic records from Faires Classical Institute and the University of Pennsylvania, a few financial records, a few items documenting his Civil War Service, and letters and resolution written and made at the time of his death. Letters from John Cox Biddle can be found in Series II. D. "Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896)" and E. "Thomas Alexander Biddle (1814-1888)." Henry Williams Biddle, brother of John Cox and Julia Biddle, was born on April 7, 1848. He, too, was educated at Faires Classical Institute and the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1866 at age 18. Following his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, Henry worked at Thomas A. Biddle Co., becoming a partner in this brokerage/banking business. He married Jessie Duncan Turner and they were the parents of two daughters. He died on July 2, 1923, at the age of 75. There are a few compositions from one of his schools, a letter from his nephew, Alfred Alexander Biddle, and his obituary. Letters from Henry Williams Biddle can be found in Series II. G. "Christine Williams Biddle (1780-1861)." William Lyman Biddle, was born on October 8, 1853. He was educated at Faires Classical Institute, St. Paul's in Concord, New Hampshire, and Princeton University, graduating in 1874. Following graduation, he traveled through Europe; and on his return, he began working first for F.W. Gilley, Jr. and Company in New York, and then for Thomas A. Biddle Co. where he remained until the time of his death on July 5, 1920. There are only a few letters relating to William Lyman Biddle, from Dr. Henry A. Cort and his nephew, Alfred Alexander Biddle.
Henry Jonathan Biddle, Julia's uncle, was born on May 16, 1817 and was educated at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1834. Prior to the Civil War, he worked as a stockbroker, probably for Thomas A. Biddle Co. On August 3, 1861, he enlisted in the United States Volunteers, became a captain, and died on July 20, 1862 at the Battle of Glendale, Richmond City, Virginia. In 1854, he had married Mary D. Baird (1829-1900) and they were the parents of at least five children: Lydia Biddle (who married Moncure Robinson), Jonathan William Biddle, Spencer Biddle, Christine Williams Biddle, and Henry Jonathan Biddle. Letters from Henry Jonathan Biddle can be also be found in Series II. E. "Thomas Alexander Biddle (1814-1888)" and H. "Thomas Alexander Biddle (1776-1857)." Letters from Mary Baird can also be found in Series II. D. "Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896)."
Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896), Julia's mother, was the daughter of John and Martha Cox and the granddaughter of William Lyman. She was born in 1819 and married Thomas Alexander Biddle (1814-1888) in 1845. They were the parents of John Cox Biddle, Henry Williams Biddle, Anna Sitgreaves Biddle Blair, Alfred Biddle, William Lyman Biddle, Francis Biddle, and Julia Biddle. She appears to have maintained close relationship with her children and extended family--the bulk of the material in her subseries is correspondence. There are also annual diaries for intermittent years during the 1860s through the early 1880s which contain short, concise descriptions of daily activities. Letters from Julia Cox Biddle can be found in Series I. B. "Julia Biddle (1858-1952)" and Series II. A. "Anna Sitgreaves Biddle Blair (1850-1932) and Andrew Blair (1849-1932)," E. "Thomas Alexander Biddle (1814-1888)," and G. "Christine Williams Biddle (1780-1861)."
Thomas Alexander Biddle (1814-1888), the son of Thomas Alexander (1776-1857) and Christine Williams (1780-1861) Biddle, was born on August 22, 1814. According to John W. Jordan, he was a broker and established the Thomas A. Biddle Co. firm (although records at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania indicate that the business may have been formed by his father, Thomas A. Biddle (1776-1857)). His marriage to Julia Cox Biddle occurred on July 1, 1845, and they were the parents of seven children who lived into adulthood. He died on February 1, 1888. His papers consist largely of correspondence from family and friends. There are many letters written from the Hankey family (Appoline Alexander, Barnard, George, John Alexander, Philip F., Thomson, Sr. and Thomson, Jr.). While Appoline's letters are largely social and full of news, the letters of Thomas, Jr., a British banker and politician, are almost entirely business and financial in nature. It appears that Thomas traveled to Europe in 1836 and 1856 and there are numerous letters of introduction written on his behalf for his trip to Paris in 1836. Letters from Thomas Alexander Biddle can be found in Series II. B. "John Cox Biddle (1846-1865); Henry Williams Biddle (1848-1923); and William Lyman Biddle (1852-1920)" and G. "Christine Williams Biddle (1780-1861)."
Clement Biddle (1810-1879) was Julia's uncle (brother to her father Thomas Alexander Biddle). He was born on September 14, 1810 and was considered a prominent Philadelphia lawyer, although his obituary states that "having inherited wealth, he had not practiced his profession for many years" before his death ( Philadelphia Press, March 18, 1879, page 6). At the outbreak of the Civil War, he volunteered as a private in Landis' Battery, Pennsylvania Militia Light Artillery, serving first from September 15 to September 26, 1862, and again from June 27 to July 30, 1863. His obituary states that he was artistic in nature, and was skilled both as a painter and as an author. He died, never having married, on March 11, 1879. His material includes a few letters as well as a published version of his poems, Airdrie and other poems. Letters from Clement can be found in Series II. D. "Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896)" and E. "Thomas Alexander Biddle (1814-1888)."
Julia's grandmother, Christine Williams Biddle, was born in 1780 and was the daughter of General Jonathan Williams (1751-1815). She married Thomas Alexander Biddle (1776-1857) in 1806 and they were the parents of five sons: Clement, Thomas Alexander, Henry J., Alexander W., and Jonathan W. Biddle. The bulk of the letters addressed to her were written from Julia Cox Biddle, her daughter-in-law, indicating a warm relationship between the two. Letters from Christine can be found in Series II. D. "Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896)" and E. "Thomas Alexander Biddle (1814-1888)."
Thomas Alexander Biddle, Julia's grandfather, was born on June 4, 1776. He was the son of Clement (1740-1814) and Rebekah Cornell (1755-1831) Biddle and was educated at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1791. He worked as a broker and banker, and it is unclear if he or his son, Thomas A. Biddle, established the firm, Thomas A. Biddle Co. He died in 1857. There are only two letters in the collection that were addressed to him, one from his niece and one from a son. Letters from him can be found in Series II. E. "Thomas Alexander Biddle (1814-1888)" and Series III. D. "Clement Biddle (1784-1855)."
Jonathan Williams, Julia's great-grandfather, was the father of Christine Williams. He was born on May 20, 1751, in Massachusetts and was a nephew of Benjamin Franklin. During the Revolutionary War, he served as an agent to the United States Commission in France. Following the war, he served as the first Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He also served in the New York State Militia, and was elected to Congress, but died on May 18, 1815, before taking office. This collection contains two letters from him, one to his father and one to his mother.
William Lyman, Julia's great-grandfather and Julia Cox Biddle's grandfather, was born on December 7, 1755 in Northampton, Massachusetts, the son of William and Jemima Lyman. He was educated at Yale University, graduating in 1776, and served in the militia during the American Revolution and as an aide to General William Shepherd during Shay's Rebellion. He served as a representative for the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1787, as a senator in the Massachusetts Senate in 1789, and as a representative for Massachusetts in the United States Congress from 1793 to 1797. He also served as United States Consul in London from 1804 until his death. He married Jerusha Welles and they were the parents of ten children, including William Lyman Jr. and Jerusha Lyman, both of whom appear to have died the same year he did, 1811. Material relating to Lyman includes a bond/loan agreement; letter to Jerusha Lyman, Jr., his daughter; letter from James Madison, serving as Secretary of State under Jefferson; appointment of William Lyman, Captain in Regiment of Light Artillery, signed by James Monroe, President and J.C. Calhoun, Secretary of War; and letters to his son, William Lyman, Jr.
A. Anna Sitgreaves Biddle Blair (1850-1932) and Andrew Blair (1849-1932).
Anna Blair, letters from Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896), mother, 1869-1870.
Anna Blair, letters from Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896), mother, 1871-1874.
Anna Blair, letters from Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896), mother, 1874-1891.
Anna Blair, letters from Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896), mother, 1892-1896.
Anna Blair, letters from Florence, cousin, 1929.
Andrew Blair (husband of Anna Sitgreaves Biddle Blair), empty envelopes from Alfred A. Biddle, 1917.
B. John Cox Biddle (1846-1865); Henry Williams Biddle (1848-1923); and William Lyman Biddle (1852-1920).
John Cox Biddle, Civil War service records, including enrollment documents, notes, sketch, photograph, and clipping, 1863-1964.
John Cox Biddle, compositions for the University of Pennsylvania, 1861, 1963, undated.
John Cox Biddle, diploma from Faires Classical Institute, 1861.
John Cox Biddle, financial records, including expenses and promissory note, undated.
John Cox Biddle, financial records, letter from his father, Thomas A. Biddle (1814-1888), 1856 April 14.
John Cox Biddle, letters and resolutions on the occasion of his death, 1865.
Henry Williams Biddle, compositions, 1858.
Henry Williams Biddle, letter from Alfred A. Biddle (1885-1967), his nephew and calling card, 1916, undated.
Henry Williams Biddle, obituary, 1923.
William Lyman Biddle, letters from Alfred A. Biddle (1885-1967), his nephew, 1896, 1917, 1919.
William Lyman Biddle, letter from Dr. Henry A. Cort, 1876 July 4.
C. Henry Jonathan Biddle (1817-1862) and Mary D. Baird Biddle (1829-1900).
Henry Jonathan Biddle, letter to Thomas Biddle Co., 1858 August 6.
Mary D. Baird Biddle, "Mollie," wife of Henry Jonathan Biddle (1817-1862), letter to Ellen, undated.
D. Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896).
Annual diaries, 1874, 1879, 1881-1882.
Hair clippings, calling cards, and wedding invitations, 1850s, 1862.
Letter from Alexander Biddle (1819-1899), brother-in-law, 1854 July 15.
Letter from Alexander Biddle (1819-1899), brother-in-law, 1866 January 5.
Letters from Alfred Biddle (1851-1884), son, 1878-1879.
Letters from Alfred Alexander Biddle (1885-1967), grandson, 1896.
Letters from Christine Williams Biddle (1780-1861), mother-in-law, 1854.
Letters from Christine Williams Biddle (1780-1861), mother-in-law, 1854-1855.
Letter from Clement Biddle (1810-1879), brother-in-law, 1878 October 10.
Letter from Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938), granddaughter, 1892 June 24.
Letters from Francis "Frank" Biddle (1853-1920), son, 1871, 1873, 1877, 1883.
Letter from John Cox Biddle (1846-1865), son, 1863 July 10.
Letters from Julia Biddle (1858-1952), daughter, 1892, 1896, undated.
Letter from Lydia McFunn Biddle, niece, 1880 April 2.
Letters from Mary "Mollie" D. Baird Biddle (1829-1900), sister-in-law, 1862, 1880.
Letters from Thomas A. Biddle (1814-1862), husband, 1855-1856.
Letters from Thomas A. Biddle (1814-1862), husband, 1866-1879.
Letter from Christine Biddle Cadwalader, niece, 1875 July 8.
Letter from Sarah C. Case, 1867 October 10.
Letter from E.B. Coxe, 1876 May 31.
Letters from James Cox, 1862, 1866, 1880.
Letters from John Cox, 1856, 1862.
Letters from Samuel "Uncle Sam" Cox, 1866-1867.
Letters from Sarah Cox, 1867.
Letters from Mrs. Greene, 1854-1855.
Letters from Appoline Agatha Alexander Hankey, 1861, 1878.
Letter from Anna Sitgreaves, 1854 July 26.
Letters to Helen Cox (cousin), 1939-1941.
Letters to Frances Cox Henderson (sister), 1940-1941.
Souvenir drawing from Mathilde, Countess [Wartenslibin], 1841.
Writing: "History of the Loss of My Velvet Cloak", 1954 November 29.
E. Thomas Alexander Biddle (1814-1888).
Certificate of arrival in the Port of Dover from Calais, 1856 May 31.
Letter from Bethia Alexander, 1836 September 11.
Letter from Alexander Biddle (1819-1899), brother, 1856 April.
Letter to Alexander Biddle (1819-1899), brother, 1856 March 12.
Letter from Annie E. Biddle, cousin, 1856 June 2.
Letter from C. Biddle, 1837 March 14.
Letters from Christine Williams Biddle (1780-1861), mother, 1836, 1839-1840, 1846, 1856.
Letter from Christine Williams Biddle (1780-1861), mother, 1856 October 31.
Letters from Clement Biddle (1810-1879), brother, 1836-1837.
Letter from Edward R. Biddle, uncle, 1840 January 11.
Letter to Edward R. Biddle, uncle, 1837 April.
Letters from Henry Jonathan Biddle (1817-1862), brother, 1837-1838, 1856 .
Letter from Henry Jonathan Biddle (1817-1862), brother, 1862 April 1.
Letter from James Cornell Biddle, uncle, 1837 June 11.
Letter from John Cox Biddle (1846-1865), son, 1856 May 1.
Letter from John Cox Biddle (1846-1865), son, 1863 June 26.
Letter from J[onathan W.] Biddle (1821-1856), brother, undated.
Letters from Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896), wife, 1856 January-March.
Letter from Thomas A. (1776-1857) and Christine Williams (1780-1861) Biddle, parents, 1839 July 8.
Letters from Thomas A. Biddle (1776-1856), father, 1936-1939, 1855.
Letters from Horace Binney, 1837, 1867.
Letters from Henry Wollaston Blake, 1837-1839.
Letters from Joseph Bonaparte, Comte de Survilliers, 1837, undated.
Letters from L.B., 1839 July 16.
Letters from R.B. Chapman regarding Henry Jonathan Biddle (1817-1862), 1862 July 22.
Letter from George Emlen, 1837 March 14.
Letter from Mr. Greene, 1836 December 20.
Letters from Appoline Agatha Alexander Hankey, 1836-1839.
Letters from Appoline Agatha Alexander Hankey, 1858, 1860.
Letter from Barnard Hankey, 1837 April 18.
Letter from George Hankey, 1837 September 18.
Letters from John Alexander Hankey, 1837.
Letter from Philip F. Hankey, undated.
Letter from Thomas Hankey, 1861 October 10.
Letter from Thomson Hankey, Sr. and T. Alexander Hankey, 1837 April 29.
Letter from Thomson Hankey, Jr., 1831 June 20.
Letters from Thomson Hankey, Jr., 1835-1840.
Letter from W.B. Reed, 1858 July 14.
Letter from Moncure Robinson, 1865 July 1.
Letter from M. Robinson, undated.
Letter to unidentified, 1861 December 10.
Letters of introduction on his behalf, 1836.
Airdrie and other poems, by Clement Biddle (Anna Blair's copy), 1872.
Letter from Alexander Biddle (1819-1899), brother, 1866 March 18.
Letter from Sarah Peter, 1853 April 27.
Letter from William Makepeace Thackeray, 1853 January 23.
G. Christine Williams Biddle (1780-1861).
Letters from Henry Williams Biddle (1848-1923), grandson, 1861.
Letters from Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896), daughter-in-law, 1846, 1855.
Letters from Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896), daughter-in-law, 1855, 1860.
Letter from Thomas A. Biddle (1814-1888), son, announcing the birth of Francis "Frank" Biddle (1853-1920), 1853 October 30.
Letters from M. Craig, 1804-1806.
H. Thomas A. Biddle (1776-1857).
Letter from Ann Elizabeth Biddle (born 1822), niece, 1854 December 27.
Letter from Henry Jonathan Biddle (1817-1862), son, 1839 May 13.
I. Jonathan Williams (1751-1815), General.
Letter to Grace Williams, mother, 1780, 1783.
Letter to Jonathan Williams, Sr., father, 1779 November 4.
J. William Lyman (1755-1811) and William Lyman, Jr.
William Lyman (1755-1811), bond/loan agreement; letter to Jerusha Lyman, Jr., his daughter; letter from James Madison, serving as Secretary of State under Jefferson; and appointment of William Lyman, Captain in Regiment of Light Artillery, signed by James Monroe, President and J.C. Calhoun, Secretary of War, 1794, 1805, 1819-1820.
William Lyman, Jr. letters from William Lyman (1755-1811), father, 1802-1803.
Series III. Arthur Biddle's sibling and ancestors.
Series III. "Arthur Biddle's sibling and ancestors" documents Arthur's brother, Algernon Sidney Biddle (1847-1891); his father, George Washington Biddle (1818-1897); his mother, Maria Cox McMurtrie Biddle (1818-1901); his grandfather, Clement Biddle (1784-1855); and his great-grandfather, John Barclay (1749-1816). This series is arranged into five subseries, one for each of the main individuals documented in the series. Within the series (and the collection as a whole) letters have been arranged by recipient in order to reassemble what a family member might have had in his or her possession. Many members of the family represented in this series are also represented in Series V. Images.
Arthur had two brothers, but only Algernon Sidney Biddle is represented in this collection. Algernon was born October 11, 1847, and received his education at Dr. Faires Classical Institute and Yale University, graduating in 1868. He continued his studies for two years at the University of Berlin in Germany. After his return to the United States, he was admitted to the Philadelphia Bar in 1872. He served as the president of the Law Academy, as Secretary of the Law Association of Philadelphia, and "at various times ... as editor of the Weekly Notes of Cases, The Law and Equity Reporter, and The American Law Register," (http://www.pennock.ws/surnames/nti/nti62975.html). As a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, he taught "practice, pleading, evidence at law and crime ... torts, [and] evidence and practice at law" (Cohen, page 76). He married Frances Robinson in 1879 and died on April 8,1891. The University of Pennsylvania's law library, the George and Algernon Sydney Biddle Law Library, is named after him and his father. Very limited material is contained within the collection relating to him; but researchers will find his obituary, as well as two letters.
Arthur and Algernon Sydney Biddle's father, George Washington Biddle was, according to his obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer on April 20, 1897, "a well-known lawyer and public spirited citizen." He was born on January 11, 1818 and earned his education at St. Mary's College in Baltimore, Maryland. He was admitted to the Philadelphia Bar in 1939 and went on to become a prominent member of the law firm Biddle and Ward. He served as chancellor of the Law Association for six years and earned an honorary LLD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1882. In addition to his legal career, he was also active in politics and his community. He married Maria Cox McMurtrie (1818-1901), daughter of William McMurtrie, and they were the parents of George Washington Biddle (1834-1886), Algernon Sydney Biddle (1847-1891), and Arthur Biddle (1852-1897). He died in 1897. In this collection, there are five letters addressed to him. Letters from him can be found in Series III. D. "Clement Biddle (1784-1855)."
Clement Cornell Biddle, father of George Washington Biddle and grandfather of Arthur, was born on October 24, 1784, the son of Clement (1740-1814) and Rebekah Cornell (1755-1831) Biddle. In 1799, he joined the United States Navy as midshipman, serving until 1804 when he returned to Philadelphia to study law. He was admitted to the bar and practiced law. Around 1807, however, he joined the United States Army and served as a captain of a company in the Regiment of the Light Dragoons for about six months from May to September 1809. He returned to the practice of law until the outbreak of the War of 1812 when he first served as captain of the "State Fencibles," a company he raised, and later as colonel of the First Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was one of the founders of the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society in 1816 and served as its first president. Clement C. Biddle married Mary Searle Barclay (1785-1872) in 1814. He died in 1855. With the exception of a few military records related to the First Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and several letters related to the Bank of Columbia, the bulk of the letters addressed to Clement Cornell Biddle are family letters, from his father and mother, brothers and sister, and two cousins. Many of the letters to him were written while he was serving in the Navy, particularly in 1800 and appear to be responding to news in Clement's letters to the family.
John Barclay, Arthur's great-grandfather, was born in 1749. He served as a soldier in the American Revolutionary War, first as an ensign in Captain John Lacey's company (1776) and later promoted to the rank of lieutenant, retiring in 1782 as a captain. After the war, he served as Justice of the Peace, President Judge of the Courts of Bucks County, a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1790, the mayor of Philadelphia in 1791, and president of the Bank of Northern Liberties of Philadelphia. On December 11, 1781, he married Mary Searle and they were the parents of Mary Searle Barclay, Arthur's grandmother. He died in September of 1816. There are a few records relating to the New Geneva Sand Company and letters from James Biddle; T.B. Alston; Aaron Burr (politician and vice president under Thomas Jefferson); Alexander J. Dallas (the secretary of the treasury under James Madison); and John Fine (politician from New York).
A. Algernon Sidney Biddle (1847-1891).
Letter from George Sharswood and to unidentified, 1873, undated.
B. George Washington Biddle (1818-1897).
Letters from Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), son, 1873-1875, 1886, 1889.
Letter from John W. Biddle, 1877 November 5.
Letter from John A. Clark, 1897 March 12.
Letter from John Wylie Faires, 1897 March 12.
Letter from William Ashman, 1897 March 11.
Letter from Theodore von Bunsen, 1874 October 29.
C. Maria Cox McMurtrie Biddle (1818-1901).
Letters from Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), son, 1873-1874, 1880-1897.
Letter from Caroline Biddle, sister, 1897 March 14.
Letter from Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938), granddaughter, and Julia Biddle (1858-1952), daughter-in-law, 1897 July 3-4.
Letters from Julia Biddle (1858-1952), daughter-in-law, 1893, 1897, 1900, undated.
Letter from W.J. and F.[R.] Stockton, 1897 June 3.
Letters from unidentified, circa 1897.
First Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, estimate of pay and payroll and expense ledger, 1814-1815.
Letters from Clement Biddle (1740-1814), father, 1800 August-December.
Letters from Clement Biddle (1740-1814) and Rebekah Cornell Biddle (1755-1831), parents, 1800 May-November.
Letters from George Washington Biddle (1779-1812), brother, 1800, 1807.
Letter from Lydia, Sarah, and Ann Biddle (sisters), 1800 October 19.
Letter from Nicholas Biddle (1786-1884), cousin, 1800 November 5.
Letters from Thomas Alexander Biddle (1776-1857), brother, 1800 July-November.
Letters from John E. Hall, 1800 October 1.
Letters from Joseph Biddle Wilkerson, cousin, 1800 October 15.
Letters to John Mason, president of the Bank of Columbia, 1803.
Letters to William Whann, cashier of the Bank of Columbia, 1803.
Letters from James Biddle, 1785 September-October.
Letter from T.B. Alston, 1807 February 8.
Letters from Aaron Burr, 1797-1798, 1804-1807.
Letters from Alexander J. Dallas, largely relating to financial matters, 1795-1796.
Letter from John Fine, 1843 January 5.
Records relating to the New Geneva Sand Company, 1795.
Series IV. Julia and Arthur Biddle's ancestors.
Series IV. "Julia and Arthur Biddle's ancestors" documents Julia and Arthur's shared ancestors, in particular their shared great-grandparents, Clement (1740-1814) and Rebekah Cornell (1755-1831) Biddle. There is also one letter from their shared great-uncle James Cornell Biddle (brother to Arthur's grandfather Clement Cornell Biddle and Julia's grandfather Thomas Alexander Biddle), as well as all the documents where a creator or recipient could not be identified. Within the series (and the collection as a whole) letters have been arranged by recipient in order to reassemble what a family member might have had in his or her possession. Clement and Rebekah Biddle are also represented in Series V. "Images."
Clement Biddle (1740-1814) was born on May 10, 1740 in Philadelphia, son of John (1707-1789) and Sarah Owen (1711-1773) Biddle. He worked with his father and his brother Owen (1737-1799) in the shipping and importing business. He was among the first Philadelphians to sign the non-importation agreement in October 1765. From the outset of the Revolution, Biddle was a patriot and "he gave practically his whole time to the service of his country," (Jordan, page 740). He served as an officer in the Quaker Light Infantry, was appointed quartermaster-general of the Flying Camp, fought in the Battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Germantown, as well as participating in the crossing the Delaware River on Christmas 1776. He served with General Nathanael Greene in New Jersey. He was appointed United States Marshal of the Court of Admiralty in 1780 and the Supreme Executive Council appointed him as quartermaster-general of Pennsylvania in 1781. Following the American Revolution, he was made Prothonotary (1788) and Judge (1791) of the Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia County. He first married Mary Richardson in 1764. After she died in 1773, he married Rebekah Cornell (1755-1831) on August 8, 1814. They were the parents of eight children who lived into adulthood. There are a few official documents relating to his service as notary public as well as a few letters to William Whann. Letters from Clement can be found in Series III. D. "Clement Biddle (1784-1855)."
Very little is known of Rebekah Cornell Biddle. She was the daughter of Rhode Island Chief Justice Gideon Cornell. In her 1831 obituary (box 31, folder 7), she is described as "exercising benevolence without parade, and piety without affectation, and endearing herself to her immediate connexions [sic] by a cheerful and exemplary performance of her domestic duties, and to a large circle of friends, by the uniform excellence of her disposition, the vivacity of her intellect, and the active kindness of her character." Her obituary is included in this series; but letters from her can be found in Series III. D. "Clement Biddle (1784-1855)."
The material with no identifiable creator or recipient includes a few letters, prayers, newspaper clippings, religious cards, collected publications relating to World War I, and writings.
Clement Biddle (1740-1814), letter to William Whann and to an unidentified person to whom he introduced Thomas Paine, 1776, 1803.
Clement Biddle (1740-1814), power of attorney document notarized by Biddle, 1791 December 31.
Clement Biddle (1740-1814), official document authorizing him as Notary Public, 1796.
James Cornell Biddle (1793-1826), letter to unidentified, undated.
Rebekah Cornell Biddle, obituary in National Gazette and Literary Register, 1831 November 26.
Unknown family member(s): "A. Biddle (Private) Personal Matters," black metal box, circa 19th century.
Unknown family member(s): "Account with Mr. Biddle of Family Expenses", 1835-1847.
Unknown family member(s): Household inventory of 1821 Delancey Place, 1905.
Unknown family member(s): Italian newspaper, Il Papagallo, Anno. III, N. 52, 1875 December 26.
Unknown family member(s): Letters, to and from unidentified, and lists, 1878-1939.
Unknown family member(s): Letters, neither to nor from Biddle family members, 1819-1836-1837, 1904.
Unknown family member(s): Newspaper clippings (not related to Biddle family members), circa 1860s-1880s.
Unknown family member(s): Newspaper clippings related to the World War I Armistice, 1919 August 17.
Unknown family member(s): Prayers, undated.
Unknown family member(s): Publication of "Entretiens d' Été de Pontigny", 1927.
Unknown family member(s): Religious cards (in French), undated.
Unknown family member(s): Sketch with illegible pencil notes in French, undated.
Unknown family member(s): World War I commemorative souvenir celebrating the Great Peace Celebration in London, 1919 July 19.
Unknown family member(s): Writings (including "Rex," poem/letter about a dog; "A Bird's Tale," composition; and poem, 1927, 1937, undated.
Series V. "Images" in arranged in three subseries: A. "Photographs," B. "Prints," and C. "Other." Researchers will find a significant number of family photographs which are arranged alphabetically by subject. There are also a number of photographs where the subjects are unknown--no labeling on the photographs was present and the processor was unwilling to make guesses as to the identity of the subjects. If a researcher is looking for a particular individual who is not in the alphabetical listing, he or she should consult the unidentified photographs.
B. "Prints" consists of formal portraits that appear to have been printed in volumes. The subjects of these prints predate photographs and appear to have been collected intentionally in order to document the family's history. Some of the connections to the Biddle family is unknown. These prints are arranged alphabetically by subject. There are a few prints which were not labeled and the identity of the subject is unknown.
C. "Other" contains only two items: an original painting of Eleanor Heckscher, sister of Gertrude Heckscher Biddle, who died at only one year old (she is also represented in A. "Photographs"); and a lithograph of Gertrude Heckscher Biddle.
Alexandra Biddle (1949-2008), candid photographs, circa 1949-1953.
Alfred A. Biddle (1885-1967), portraits and candid photographs, 1887-1960.
Alfred A. Biddle (1885-1967), Oxford University, Balliol College, group portrait, 1912.
Alfred A. Biddle (1885-1967), Oxford University, Balliol College, photograph album, circa 1912.
Alfred A. Biddle (1885-1967), St. Mark's School, 1901, 1904, 1906-1907.
Alfred and Gertrude Biddle's children, portraits of Constance, Anna, and Julian C. Biddle, circa 1923-1931.
[Alfred and Gertrude Biddle's children], portraits and candid photographs, circa 1930s-1950s.
[Alfred and Gertrude Biddle's children], album, circa 1920s-1930s.
Anna G. Biddle (1925-2006), portrait, circa 1925-1927.
Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), portraits, circa 1860s-1890s.
Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), portraits, 1870s-1897.
[Bar Harbor] vacation, photograph album, possibly 1893.
Constance M. Biddle (1923-2005), portraits, circa 1923-1930.
Constance M. Biddle (1923-2005), portraits, circa 1930s-1940s.
Constance M. Biddle (1923-2005) and Sydney Francis Biddle (1918-2004) wedding photographs, circa 1940s-1950s.
Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938), portraits and photographs of World War I service, circa 1887-1930s.
Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938), portrait with Kate Hutchinson, undated.
Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938), photograph album of trip to Santa Barbara, 1912.
Edith Sheila Biddle (generally referred to as Sheila) (born 1931), 1937, circa 1940.
Family photograph album, inscribed to Edith from Uncle Lyman, 1894.
George Washington Biddle (1818-1897), circa 1880s-1890s.
Georgina Biddle, Bryn Mawr college portrait, circa 1910.
Gertrude Heckscher Biddle (1894-1942), portraits, candid photographs, wedding portrait, and portraits with her children, 1918-circa 1932.
Gertrude Heckscher Biddle (1894-1942), portraits, portraits with her children, and wedding portrait, circa 1920s-1930s.
Gertrude Heckscher Biddle (1894-1942), wedding party portrait, 1922 December 30.
John Biddle, General, portrait in military uniform, 1919 July.
Julia and Geoffrey Biddle (children of Owen and Anne Biddle), 1951.
Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896), portraits with Thomas Alexander Biddle (1814-1888) and child and portrait with children, circa 1860s.
Julia Biddle (1858-1952), portraits, circa 1880s.
Julian Cornell Biddle (1929-2008), portraits and candid photographs, circa 1930s-1950s.
Julian Cornell Biddle (1929-2008), portrait, circa 1930-1932.
Julian Cornell Biddle (1890-1917), 1902, 1917.
Julian Cornell Biddle (1890-1917), Yale University group, circa 1912.
Sydney Biddle (possibly 1889-1954), undated.
Thomas A. Biddle (1814-1888), portrait, circa 1870s-1880s.
Heckscher family photographs (Maurice, Gertrude, Constance, and Eleanor), portraits, circa 1880s-1890s.
Heckscher family photographs (Gertrude, Constance, and Eleanor), portraits, circa 1896-1897.
Holiday cards (photo cards) from non-Biddles, circa 1950s.
Non-Biddle portraits (frequently gifts to Biddles), circa 1890s-1930s.
Unidentified children and women with children, circa 1870s-1950s.
Unidentified homes and properties, undated.
Unidentified groups, portraits and candid photographs, circa 1880s-1930s.
Unidentified group at Yale, portrait, circa 1900-1912.
Unidentified men, portraits and candid photographs, circa 1890s-1950s.
Unidentified men, portraits, circa 1880s.
Unidentified travel (slides and prints), undated.
Unidentified women, candid photographs, 1890s, undated.
Unidentified women, portraits, circa 1880s-1930s.
Unidentified women, portraits, circa 1880s-1920s.
William Alexander (Lord Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer, England, 1824-1831), portrait, undated.
James Barclay (1749-1816), portrait, undated.
Alexander William Biddle (1819-1899), portrait, undated.
Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), portrait, undated.
Clement Biddle (1740-1814), portraits (including as Colonel and Deputy Quartermaster of the Army of the Revolution), undated.
Clement Biddle (1740-1814), framed miniature portrait, undated.
Rebekah Cornell Biddle (1755-1831), portraits, undated.
Rebekah Cornell Biddle (1755-1831), framed miniature portrait, undated.
Mary Searle Barclay Biddle (1785-18725), portrait, undated.
Craig Biddle (Judge of Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County), portrait, undated.
Edward Biddle (General), portrait, undated.
George Washington Biddle (died 1812), portrait, undated.
George Washington Biddle (1818-1897), portrait, undated.
Maria Cox McMurtrie Biddle (1818-1901), portrait, undated.
James Cornell Biddle (died 1838), portrait, undated.
James Biddle (1731-1797), (Deputy Commissary of the Court of Admiralty), portrait, undated.
John Barclay Biddle (1815-1879), portrait, undated.
Nicholas Biddle (1750-1775), (Captain), portrait, undated.
Jane Margaret Craig Biddle, wife of Nicholas Biddle (1786-1844), portrait, undated.
Thomas Alexander Biddle, portrait, undated.
Mrs. Thomas Alexander Biddle, portrait (either Christine Williams Biddle or Julia Cox Biddle), undated.
Mary Biddle Cadwalader (1781-1850), portrait, wife of Thomas Cadwalader, undated.
Daniel Coxe, portrait (Colonel), undated.
Mrs. John Cox, portraits, undated.
Mrs. William Coxe, née Smith, portrait, undated.
Sir Philip Francis, portrait, undated.
Sarah, Countess of Kinnoull, portrait, undated.
William Lyman (Lieutenant), portrait, undated.
William Lyman (General), portrait, undated.
Mrs. William McMurtrie, née Coxe, portrait, undated.
Clement B. Penrose, portrait, undated.
Jonathan Williams (1781-1815), portrait, undated.
Eleanor Heckscher (1895-1897), original painting, circa 1897-1900.
Gertrude Heckscher Biddle (1894-1942), lithograph, circa 1920s.
Series VI. Wills, trusts, and legacies.
Series VI. Wills, trusts, and legacies document the long and complicated financial legacies of the Biddle family. Although, these documents were initiated by individuals whose papers are found throughout the collection, they were intentionally kept separate because changes were made to documents and correspondence regarding the finances resulting from the documents were created long after an individual's death. These records are arranged in alphabetical order, and dates hopefully reflect the iterations and long legacy resulting from these wills, trusts, mortgage bonds, accounts, and other legal and estate records contain herein.
Alfred Alexander Biddle (1852-1967), Balliol College Alumni Fund, 1946-1960.
Alfred Alexander Biddle (1852-1897), will and legal trust issues, 1945-1975.
Arthur (1852-1897) and Julia (1585-1952) Biddle, mortgage bond and warrant, 1893 July 31.
Christine Williams Biddle (1780-1861), trust documents, 1879-1929.
Edith Frances Biddle (1881-1938), will, 1937-1938.
George W. Biddle (1818-1897), will and petition, 1897.
Gertrude Heckscher Biddle (1894-1942), letters testamentary and mortgage documents, 1926, 1942.
Gertrude Heckscher Biddle (1894-1942), trust accounts, correspondence, and tax documents, 1944-1960.
Henry W. Biddle (1848-1923), will, 1923.
Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896), wills and trusts, 1933, 1942-1945, 1964.
Julia Biddle (1858-1952), will, deeds of trust, and estate records, 1941-1949.
Maria Cox McMurtrie Biddle (1818-1901), will, 1901.
Thomas A. Biddle (1814-1888), will (copies), 1929-1930, 1937.
William Lyman Biddle (1852-1884), wills (copies), 1916, 1956.
William Lyman Biddle (1852-1884), deed (trust of William Lyman Biddle), 1922.
Andrew Alexander Blair, will, 1930-1931.
Anna Biddle Blair (1850-1932), correspondence regarding trusts and wills, 1932-1943, 1974.
Lucretia Ledyard Heckscher, will schedule, undated.
Series VII. Research on family history and genealogy.
Series VII. "Research on family history and genealogy" is indicative of the family's pride in the Biddle name and history, as well as the other families connected to the Biddle family including the Barclay, Blair, Cadwalader, Cox, Lyman, Meigs, Robinson, Rush, and Williams families to name only a few. This series is arranged into two subseries: A. "Genealogical research and notes" and B. "John Basinski research and notes." A. "Genealogical research and notes" contains some professionally created reports on Biddle family genealogy, genealogies of specific branches of the family, copies of family documents, newspaper clippings about the family history, notes and memories of a few members of the family as well as a couple of published books on the more influential members of the family.
B. "John Basinski research and notes" contains the immense work performed by the donor of the collection (and a member of the family). John Basinski was married to Alexandra Biddle (1949-2008), great-great-great-great granddaughter of Clement and Rebekah Cornell Biddle. Prior to donation, Mr. Basinski identified many of the senders and recipients of letters and created document summaries of a large majority of the documents in the collection. Copies of his summaries remain throughout the collection with the relevant documents, but there are several folders of the complete group of summaries in this subseries. He also did research of individual family members and his copies of biographies, obituaries, and notes can be found here.
A. Genealogical research and notes.
Reports on Biddle family genealogy (some professionally compiled), 1984, undated.
Reports on the Biddle family in America, undated.
Genealogies and histories of William Alexander, George Washington Biddle, Henry Jonathan Biddle, Henry Williams Biddle, Owen Biddle, Rebekah Biddle, Symon Biddle, and William Biddle, undated.
Genealogies of Biddle family from 1681 through Owen and Clement Biddle (copied from Clement C. Biddle's Bible), after 1831.
Copies of historical family documents, largely from England, undated.
Copy of letter confirming that Sarah Kempe was 40 years old when she married William Biddle in 1665, 1877 November 28.
Newspaper clippings and notes, circa 1930s-1980s.
Notes by Constance and Sheila Biddle, circa 1980s.
Letters to and from Sidney Geoffrey Biddle (1889-1954), obituary and photograph, 1954.
Information regarding Alfred Alexander Biddle (1885-1967), 1966-1967.
Letters and notes regarding burial places of Biddles, 1950.
Research on family furniture and antiques, circa 1990s.
Research on the Williams family, undated.
Historical Catalogue of the St. Andrews Society of Philadelphia, 1907.
Owen Biddle and His Descendants, by Henry Biddle, 1927.
B. John Basinski research and notes.
John Barclay (1749-1816), notes, circa 2012-2017.
Alfred A. Biddle (1885-1967), notes, circa 2012-2017.
Clement Cornell Biddle (1784-1855), notes, circa 2012-2017.
Henry Jonathan Biddle (1817-1862), notes, circa 2012-2017.
Julia Cox Biddle (1819-1896), notes, circa 2012-2017.
Julian Cornell Biddle (1890-1917), biographical note, circa 2012-2017.
Sydney Francis Biddle (1918-2004), obituary, circa 2012-2017.
Thomas A. Biddle (1776-1857), notes, circa 2012-2017.
Thomas A. Biddle (1814-1888), notes, circa 2012-2017.
Henry Wollaston Blake (1815-1899), obituary, circa 2012-2017.
Aaron Burr (1756-1824), biographical sketches and articles, circa 2012-2017.
Tench Coxe (1755-1824), notes, circa 2012-2017.
Alexander James Dallas (1759-1817), biographical sketches, circa 2012-2017.
George Emlen (1814-1853), biographical sketch, circa 2012-2017.
John Elihu Hall (1783-1829), notes, circa 2012-2017.
Thomson Hankey (1805-1893), biographical sketch, circa 2012-2017.
William Lyman (1755-1811), biographical sketch and notes, circa 2012-2017.
Moncure Robinson (1802-1891), biographical sketch and notes, circa 2012-2017.
Jonathan Williams (1751-1815), biographical sketch and notes, circa 2012-2017.
Related archival collections, circa 2012-2017.
Document abstracts (arranged chronologically), circa 2012-2017.

matches: V. V. V. V. V. V. V.