American Philosophical Society Archives
1743-1984
(192.25 ln ft)

© American Philosophical Society
105 South Fifth Street * Philadelphia, PA 19106-3386
 American Philosophical Society 105 South Fifth Street Philadelphia, PA 19106-3386
Table of contents Abstract
Founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin, the American Philosophical Society was the first learned society in the United States. For over 250 years, the Society has played an important role in American cultural and intellectual life. Until the mid-nineteenth century, the Society fulfilled the role of a national academy of science, national library and museum, and even patent office. Early members of the Society included Thomas Jefferson, David Rittenhouse, Benjamin Rush, Stephen Peter Du Ponceau, George Washington, and many other figures prominent in American history.

The Archives of the American Philosophical Society consists of 192.25 linear feet of material, organized into thirteen record groups dating back to 1743. The Society's archives extensively documents not only the organization's historical development but also its role in American history and the history of science and technology.
Background note
Philosophical Hall from State House Square, 1790
Philosophical Hall from State House Square, 1790

Founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin, the American Philosophical Society was the first learned society in the United States. For over 250 years, the Society has played an important role in American cultural and intellectual life. Until the mid-nineteenth century, the Society fulfiled the role of a national academy of science, national library and museum, and even patent office. Early members in the Society included Thomas Jefferson, David Rittenhouse, Benjamin Rush, Stephen Peter Du Ponceau, George Washington, and many other figures prominent in American history.

The American Philosophical Society originated in the mid-eighteenth century, when it was felt a suitable piece of civilization had been carved into the wilderness to allow the pursuit of matters regarding natural philosophy. "Natural philosophy" at that time referred scientific and technological investigations in the broadest sense. The concept of the Society was based on scholarly societies in Europe, such as the Royal Society of London. The membership was comprised of doctors, lawyers, clergymen, artisans, tradesmen, and merchants with an interest in science. By improving methods of agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation the Society hoped to encourage America's economic independence. The Society's place among other international scholarly societies was secured in the 1760s when David Rittenhouse plotted the transit of Venus on a platform behind Independence Hall using one of his telescopes and publishing his findings in the first volume of the Society's Transactions. After a brief lapse during the American Revolution, the Society continued to elect members and became an active participant in the development of the young nation.

Library inside Philosophical Hall, early 20th Century.
Library inside Philosophical Hall, early 20th Century.

During the nineteenth century the Society began to collect important documents of the Colonial and Revolutionary periods under the direction of the Literary and Manuscript Committee. As the Society's membership grew and diversified, so did the Society's interests. Many members in the early 1800s (such as Jefferson, DuPonceau and Benjamin Smith Barton) were interested in the origins and ethnography of Native Americans. The Society's growing Library therefore became a repository for documents on Native American linguistics and ethnography. Based on their vast scientific knowledge, members of the Society were asked to serve as scientific advisors to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the U.S. Exploring Expedition (or Wilkes Expedition), and the Stephen Long Expedition. The Society also encouraged advances in science and technology through its awarding of the Magellanic Premium. In 1838 the Society increased its publications to include the Proceedings. During the latter half of the century, the Society's primary interests were in the fields of American paleontology, geology, astronomical and meteorological observations, and Indian ethnology.

The twentieth century's advances in transportation and communication brought a new vigor to the Society as members from outside the Philadelphia region played an increasingly active role in the Society's administration. The Society continued to support advancements in "useful knowledge," which grew to include the humanities and social sciences, through its publications and new grant program. During World War II the Society broadcast weekly radio programs on science to Europe. The Society also grew physically. During the second half of the twentieth century Library Hall was constricted to house the growing collection of manuscripts and printed material, and the purchase and renovations of Franklin Hall and Richardson Hall provided a state-of-the-art meeting facility and additional space for staff and collections. Through its annual meetings, grant programs, publications, and Library the Society continues to encourage the discussion and advancement of "useful knowledge."


Scope and content
The Archives of the American Philosophical Society consists of 192.25 linear feet of material, organized into thirteen record groups dating back to 1743. The Society's archives extensively documents not only the organization's historical development, but also its role in American history and the history of science and technology. This amassed documentation can be accredited to many of the Society's diligent secretaries who saved the Society's records and the Society's residence in the same building since 1789.

The record groups are organized around specific categories, such as minutes and bylaws (I), Officers (V), and Financial Records (IX). Within each record group, sub-groups have been created around specific types of documentation. Sub-groups can vary in size from 1 volume to 5 linear feet, with the arrangement alternating between chronological and alphabetical. Early records tend to be better cataloged than later records. To date, the archives documents the activities of the Society through the mid-1980s. Records for the late twentieth century to present still reside with the office of origination.

For the most part, the Archives documents the history of the Society and its many activities. The primary areas of interest are the Society's members and their regular meetings. Minutes and By-Laws (I), for example, is comprised of the records of early meetings and rules of the Society through the nineteenth century. Additional information on the membership can be found in Record Group IV - Members. The bulk of this record group contains records about members from the nineteenth century but does flow into the twentieth century. It includes letters of nomination, letters of acceptance, as well as biographical sketches and lists of attendance at meetings. Record Group X - Meetings - relates primarily to planning and programs for twentieth century meetings. The activities of the Society as an organization can be found in the record groups for Officers (V), Committees (VIII), and Financial Records (IX); the Society's activities as a collecting institution are documented in the materials for Curators (VI), and Library (VII).

The Archives of the Society also provides a useful source for historians of science and technology. During the early years of the Society, papers on innovations in agriculture, technology, and science were presented at the meetings. Communications (III.1) consists of letters and papers on a variety of topics sent to the APS between the 1770s and 1830s. Many of the papers were read at meetings of the Society, some were published in Transactions, and others were submitted for consideration for the premiums offered by the APS. The letters and papers are on topics such as natural history, mechanics, machinery, and engineering, to name a few. Additionally, Record Group II - "Archives" - provides insight into the Society's activities in promoting scientific expeditions and contact with sister institutions. For example, in the correspondence for the 1836 period can be found reports from certain members of the Society to the Secretary of the Navy in preparation for the United States Exploring Expedition for 1838-1842. Material from Committees (VIII.4, 5, 23, 26, 27 & 34) and Miscellaneous (XI 3 & 4) also relate to the history of science and technology.

Record Group I. Minutes and By-Laws 1758-1971 7 ln. ft.
Record Group II. "Archives" 1743-1984 28 ln. ft.
Record Group III. Communications 1748-1837 4 ln. ft.
Record Group IV. Members 1743-1973 15.25 ln. ft.
Record Group V. Officers 1769-1978 43 ln. ft.
Record Group VI. Curators 1769-1978 2.75 ln. ft.
Record Group VII. Library 1798-1977 48.75 ln. ft.
Record Group VIII. Committees 1793-1977 27.25 ln. ft.
Record Group IX. Financial Records 1866-1957 4.75 ln. ft.
Record Group X. Meetings 1901-1980 .75 ln. ft.
Record Group XI. Miscellaneous 1794-1963 6 ln. ft.
Record Group XII. History 1840-1945 .25 ln. ft.
Record Group XIII. Wistar Association 1818-1968 4.5 ln. ft.

Administrative information
Restrictions
None.

Provenance
All records originated from the American Philosophical Society.

Preferred citation
Cite as: Archives, American Philosophical Society.

Processing information
Initially organized and described by Whitfield J. Bell, Jr., and Murphy D. Smith, with additional entries made by J. Stephen Catlett, and Robert S. Cox. EAD mark up by J.J. Ahern.

Other finding aids
The material in the American Philosophical Society Archive is referenced in the majority of subject guides which the Library has produced over the years. These subject guides can be accessed online at Published Guides to APS Collections.The initial guides to the Archive were published in:

Bell, Whitfield J., Jr. and Murphy D. Smith. Guide to the Archives and Manuscript Collections of the American Philosophical Society. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1966. Call No. 016.091 Am3g

Bell, Whitfield J., Jr. Catalog of Manuscripts in the American Philosophical Society Library, including the Archival Shelflist. Westport, CT: Greenwood Pub. Corp., 1970. Call No. 017Am4cm Vol. 1-10

Catlett, J. Stephen, ed. A New Guide to the Collections of the American Philosophical Society. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1987. Call No. 506.73 Am4me vol. 66s

Additional information
Related material
In addition to the Archives, there are a number of manuscript collections that document the activities and history of the Society. The Library houses the papers of a number of members who were active in the Society, these include the Benjamin Smith Barton Papers (B B284), Albert Francis Blakeslee Papers (B B585), Henry Grier Bryant Papers (Ms. Coll. 38), Walter Bradford Cannon Papers (B C163.1), Hans Thacher Clarke Papers (B C55), Henry Herbert Donaldson Diaries and Papers (B D713; D713m; D713p), George William Featherstonhaugh Papers (B F31), John Fries Frazer Papers (B F865), Ebenezer Hazard Papers (B H338), John Frederick Lewis Papers (B L585), Francois Andre Michaux Papers (B M58.1), Robert Cushman Murphy Papers (B M957), George Ord Letters (B Or2), Joseph Priestley Papers (B P931), William Jacob Robbins (B R538), George Gaylord Simpson Papers (Ms. Coll. 31), and Elihu Thomson Papers (Ms. Coll. 74). Additionally, a few of the Society's officers have deposited their papers in the Library: George Washington Corner, III Papers (Ms. Coll. 11), William Ezra Lingelbach Papers(B L635), and Richard Harrison Shryock Papers (B Sh86). Material relating to the Society's Historical and Literary Committee can be found in the Peter Stephen Du Ponceau Papers (B D92p), as Du Ponceau was a driving force behind the committee's development of Native American linguistic material. The activities of the Society are also documented in the Jane Aitken Papers (B Ai9) - which were origninally part of the Archives (see II "Archives"), the John Fishbourne Mifflin Receipt Book (B M585), Samuel Rush's "Occasional Glimpses at the World, 1824" (B R895.o) - in which he comments on the Society and the Wistar Association, and in the Kane Miscellaneous Collection (B K13).

Three other items that might be of interest include Alexander Graham Bell's address on "Aerial Locomotion" which was delivered before the Society on May 7, 1909 (533.6 B41a); James Bryce's personal reminiscences of Charles Darwin and of the reception of the Origin of Species given before the APS on April 23, 1909 (B D25b); and Randolph Shipley Klein's 1965 master's thesis from Brown University, "The American Philosophical Society and the American Revolution" (506.73 Am4xk).

References
Bell, Whitfield J. Patriot-Improvers: Members of the American Philosophical Society, Volume One: 1743-1768. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1997. Call. No. 506.73 Am4me v.226

Bell, Whitfield J. Patriot-Improvers: Members of the American Philosophical Society, Volume Two: 1768. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1999. Call. No. 506.73 Am4me v.227

Carter, Edward Carlos II."One Grand Pursuit" : A Brief History of the American Philosophical Society's First 250 Years, 1743-1993 Philadelphia : American Philosophical Society, 1993. Call. No. 506.73 Am4xc

Du Ponceau, Peter Stephen. An Historical Account of the Origin and Formation of the American Philosophical Society. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1914. Call. No. 506.73 Am43

Smith, Murphy D. Oak from an Acorn: A History of the American Philosophical Society Library, 1770-1803. Wilmington, DE.: Scholarly Resources, Inc., 1976. Call. No. 506.73 Am4xsm

Vaughan, John. "An Account of the American Philosophical Society (1841)." Philadelphia: Friends of the Library, American Philosophical Society, 1972. Call. No. 506.73 Am4x no. 41

Additional information on the history and activities of the Society can be found in its publications: Proceedings, Transactions, and Year Book.

Added entries
Subjects
  • American Philosophical Society.
  • History of science and technology.
  • United States History.

    • Contributors
  • American Philosophical Society
  • Bache, Alexander Dallas, 1806-1867
  • Bache, Franklin, 1792-1864.
  • Barton, Benjamin Smith, 1766-1815.
  • Bell, Whitfield J. (Whitfield Jenks)
  • Conklin, Edwin Grant, 1863-1952.
  • Dercum, Francis X. (Francis Xavier), 1856-1931
  • Du Ponceau, Peter Stephen
  • du Pont, Pierre S.
  • Dunbar, William
  • Ellicott, Andrew, 1754-1820.
  • Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
  • Hanson, Laura E.
  • Hays, Isaac Minis, 1847-1925
  • Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
  • Keen, William Williams, 1837-1932.
  • Latrobe, Benjamin Henry, 1764-1820
  • Lingelbach, William E. (William Ezra), 1871-1962.
  • Long, Stephen
  • Morris, Roland Sletor, 1874-1945
  • Patterson, Robert M. (Robert Maskell), 1787-1854
  • Poinsett, Joel Roberts, 1779-1851
  • Priestly, Joseph R.
  • Rittenhouse, David, 1732-1796.
  • Rush, Benjamin, 1746-1813
  • Scott, William B.
  • Shryock, Richard Harrison, 1893-1972.
  • Vaughan, John, 1756-1841
  • Wistar, Caspar, 1761-1818.
  • Wood, George Bacon, 1797-1879

    		•
    Contact information
    American Philosophical Society
    105 South Fifth Street
    Philadelphia, PA 19106-3386
    [http://www.amphilsoc.org/]

    ©2005


    Collection overview

    		 Record Group I. Minutes and By-Laws 1758-1971 7 ln. ft.

    The Archives contains minutes of both the American Society and the American Philosophical Society, which united in 1769 to form the American Philosophical Society, held at Philadelphia, for Promoting Useful Knowledge. The records of the first-named give its title variously as American Society for Promoting and Propagating Useful Knowledge, held at Philadelphia; and American Society held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge. For convenience, it is referred to here as the American Society. In addition, the Archives has minutes of a predecessor of the American Society, which was sometimes called the "Young Junto," but is here identified by the binder's title as the "Junto."




    		Record Group II. "Archives" 1743-1984 28 ln. ft.

    This group of miscellaneous materials, called "Archives," consists of some 12,000 pieces; each is separately filed and catalogued. The collection contains every sort of material relating to the business of the society such as drafts of minutes, committee reports, letters of officers and others, memoranda, scientific papers and proposals, orders, receipts, etc. A few large, well-defined groups of papers, such as those of the printer and binder Jane Aitken, have been removed from the "Archives" and constituted as independent collections under their own names, while some single pieces, such as John Vaughan's History of the Society, which are properly part of the "Archives," were removed years ago, and separately bound and catalogued. From time to time small lots of manuscripts are absorbed into the "Archives."




    		Record Group III. Communications 1748-1837 4 ln. ft.

    Consists of scientific communications with the Society, both written and verbal. The Manuscript Communications (III.1) were originally arranged chronologically under one of seven categories: 1. Mechanics, Machinery, and Engineering; 2. Trade, Navigation, Manufactures, Agriculture, Economics; 3. Medicine, Anatomy, Physiology; 4, Natural History; 5. Philology, Literature, Antiquities, Geography, Education; 6. Naturally Philosophy; and 7. Mathematics and Astronomy. They have since been organized alphabetically into one series by the author's last name. Many of the papers are mentioned in the Minutes, and some were printed in the Transactions. Several papers are those submitted in the Society's contest for the best essay on education in a republic, 1795-1797. A few are entries and winners of the Society's Magellanic Premium. Verbal Communications (III.2) records various reports and findings communicated to the Society by its members.




    		Record Group IV. Members 1743-1973 15.25 ln. ft.

    This record group consists of 13 sub-groups which documents the membership of the Society. It contains such items as letters of nomination (IV.2), letters acknowledging election (IV.3), membership rolls (IV.6), membership certificates (IV.11), and a photograph album (IV.12).




    		Record Group V. Officers 1769-1978 43 ln. ft.

    Contains records for various officers of the Society (president, secretary, executive officer, treasurer, and officers and council). This record group does not contain the records for all the Society's presidents and officers. However, it does provide an account of the operation of the Society to the early twentieth century.




    		Record Group VI. Curators 1769-1978 2.75 ln. ft.

    Documents donations to the Society's cabinet of curiosity, as well as other artifacts.

    		Record Group VII. Library 1798-1977 48.75 ln. ft.

    Consists of 14 sub-groups which document through correspondence, minutes, reports, record books and catalogues the development and routine business of the Society's Library and its collections. Additionally, there are records which relate to the building of Library Hall in the late 1950s.




    		Record Group VIII. Committees 1793-1977 27.25 ln. ft.

    Consists of 36 sub-groups which document the activities of various committees formed over the Society's history to handle specific topics ranging from finance and grants to the Franklin Bicentenary and the construction of Library Hall.




    		Record Group IX. Financial Records 1866-1957 4.75 ln. ft.

    Documents the Society's efforts from the mid-nineteenth through early twentieth centuries to raise funds in order to construct a new building in Philadelphia.




    		Record Group X. Meetings 1901-1980 .75 ln. ft.

    Contains records relating to the Society's annual meetings during the twentieth century.

    		Record Group XI. Miscellaneous 1794-1963 6 ln. ft.

    This record group consists of items which document the activities of the Society, but do not readily fall into one of the other record groups, and includes such items as the Society's weekly broadcasts during World War II, a register of visitors, and architectural plans of the Society's halls.




    		Record Group XII. History 1840-1945 .25 ln. ft.

    Consists of four accounts on the early history of the Society.

    		Record Group XIII. Wistar Association 1818-1968 4.5 ln. ft.

    Composed originally of eight members of the APS, the Wistar Association was organized in 1818 to continue the agreeable social entertainments which the Society's late President Caspar Wistar had held regularly for many years for members and distinguished visitors to the city. The Association suspended meetings during the Civil War, and did not meet after 1866. In 1884 the Fortnightly Club was formed for purposes similar to those of the old Wistar Association, although not all of its members were also members of the APS. When the Fortnightly sought to change its name to the Wistar Club, two ancient survivors of the older group revived the association, elected new members, and absorbed the upstart. In 1898, membership in APS was restored as a prerequisite for election. The Association has met regularly since 1886. Its membership is now over twenty, and modern transportation has made it feasible to include persons not residents of Philadelphia.



    Detailed inventory

    		 Record Group I. Minutes and By-Laws 1758-1971 7 ln. ft.

    		I.1. Junto.
    Minutes     		1758-1762 1 vol. (101 pp.)

    		I.2. American Society.
    Minutes     		1758-1768 1 vol. (163 pp.)

    		I.3. American Society.
    Rules and statutes     		ca. 1768 1 vol. (11 pp.)

    		I.4. American Philosophical Society.
    Minutes     		1768 1 vol. (38 pp.)

    		Contains the signatures of members under each of the six standing committees.

    		I.5. American Philosophical Society, Held at Philadelphia, for Promoting Useful Knowledge.
    Minutes     		1769- 19 vol.

    		Volumes to 1932 are in the Library. The minutes of 1768-1837 have been abstracted by Henry Phillips, Jr., in "Early proceedings of the American Philosophical Society ... 1744 to 1838," in APS Proceedings 22, 3 (1885). Beginning in 1838 abstracts were printed in the current APS Proceedings until 1937, since which date they have appeared in the Year Book.

    		I.6. American Philosophical Society, Held at Philadelphia, for Promoting Useful Knowledge.
    Rough minutes     		1771-1804, 1819-1927 40 vol.

    		In particular instances the rough minutes are fuller than the minutes as finally transcribed. After about 1900 the principal articles in the minutes were prepared in advance of meetings. The first volume contains a few original reports of committees appointed to examine certain scientific undertakings proposed by individuals to the Society.

    		I.7. American Philosophical Society, Held at Philadelphia, for Promoting Useful Knowledge.
    Laws and regulations     		1804 1 vol. (42 pp.)

    		A formal record, required by the by-laws of 1804, of the Fundamental Laws of 1769; the Act of Incorporation of 1780; the Act of Assembly of 1785, with supplements, granting the Society a piece of State-House Square; the conditions of the award of the Magellanic Premium; and the by-laws adopted May 4, 1804. Also included is a list of members of various committees.

    		I.8. American Philosophical Society, Held at Philadelphia, for Promoting Useful Knowledge.
    Amendments to Laws     		1928-1971 11 items

    		I.9. American Philosophical Society, Held at Philadelphia, for Promoting Useful Knowledge.
    Standing orders     		1885-1925 1 vol. (57 pp.)

    		A compilation from the minutes of orders, or procedures covering the operations of the Society.

    		I.10. American Philosophical Society, Held at Philadelphia, for Promoting Useful Knowledge.
    Minutes     		1838-1871 Index. ca. 3500 cards

    		Card file index prepared by Associate Librarian Murphy D. Smith during the 1960s.

    		I.11. American Philosophical Society, Held at Philadelphia, for Promoting Useful Knowledge.
    Charter of the American Philosophical Society, ...     		1780 2 items

    		A copy of the act for incorporation the Society. There is also a printed version included

    		Record Group II. "Archives" 1743-1984 28 ln. ft.

    		II.1. "Archives" 1743-1984 28 ln. ft.

    		The collection contains every sort of material relating to the business of the Society, such as drafts of minutes, committee reports, letters of officers and others, memoranda, scientific papers and proposals, orders, receipts, and other material.


    		Record Group III. Communications 1748-1837 4 ln. ft.

    		III.1. Manuscript communications 1748-1837 3.5 ln. ft.

    		Scientific communications, about 560 in number, originally a part of the "Archives" but removed at an earlier date, bound in volumes, and arranged chronologically under one of seven topics. They are now organized alphabetically in one series under the author's name.
    Link to detailed finding aid

    		III.2. Verbal communications 1801-1807 1 Vol. (34 pp.)

    		Notes of observations, discoveries, publications, and other facts communicated to the Society by members. Among them are reports by Robert Patterson, Benjamin H. Latrobe (on bilious and noxious gas in wells), Caspar Wistar, John Wister (on tree growth), Thomas Gilpin (on placing rafters), Johnathan Williams, and Benjamin S. Barton; also extracts from letters to Barton from Sir Joseph Banks, Peter Curtis, and Richard P. Barton; and extracts from letters from James Winthrop to Francis Nichols, from Thomas Cooper to John Vaughan, and from John Clifford to Caspar Wistar; and also James Wright's description of the Mastodon, copied fromPhiladelphia Medical and Physical Journal1, (1804): p. 154.

    		Record Group IV. Members 1743-1973 15.25 ln. ft.

    		IV.1. Membership and Attendance lists 1792-1932 6 vols. and 1 box

    		Contains the following lists: Lists of members, 1792, 1846, 1874, and undated, 4 vols.; List of surviving members, 1885, 1 vol.; List of resident members, 1842-1886, with record of attendance and payment of dues, 4 vols.; Roll of members present at meetings, 1845-1850, 1929-1942, 7 notebooks, 1 ledger.

    		IV.2. Nominations for membership 1773-1931 5.5 ln. ft.

    		Arranged alphabetically, principally covering the period after 1815, but with a cap fro the 1891-1898 years. Nominations of persons not subsequently elected are, by Society rule, destroyed (an exception is listed below). By the middle of the nineteenth century, nominations were usually conventionally phrased; after 1888 printed forms were often used. See also the minutes of the Committee on Nominations, 1914-1940 (VIII,29).

    		IV.3. Letters acknowledging election 1840-1930 5 ln. ft.

    		Mostly formal letters of acceptance, addressed to the secretary, arranged alphabetically. At one time they were arranged chronologically in six volumes.

    		IV.4. Membership and elections 1897- 2.5 ln. ft.

    		Includes printed forms used to notify the membership of nominees; lists of those elected, etc. (New members are listed each year in theYear Book).

    		IV.5. Annual elections ca. 1771-1931 1 box

    		Ballots, tabulations, certificates of outside judges authenticating the election of members to the Society.

    		IV.6. Rolls of members 1743-1898 2 vols.

    		One volume, containing the Act of Incorporation and obligations of 1780 on extra pages bound into a copy of APSTransactions, o.s., 1 (1771), has signatures of hundreds of members form Thomas Bond to Emlin Hutchinson in 1898; these pages were reprinted in facsimile in a volume without title, 1896. The second volume, entitled "Laws and Rules of Order of the American Philosophical Society ... followed by a Complete List of Members," prepared by William Fite, and expert calligrapher, 1837, contains similar material and also the name and style of every elected member. After 1837 members (including some elected before that date) signed this roll upon being admitted into the Society. This volume was closed in 1897, when it was superseded by a similar volume, which is still in use. Some members signed both books.

    		IV.7. Records of deceased members 1837 1 vols. (20 pp.)

    		Alphabetical list of members whose dates of death have been ascertained. See the printed lists in Laws and Regulations (1860), p. 25. The record is in John Vaughan's hand.

    		IV.8. Memoirs of deceased members 1783-1855 1 box

    		Some of the memoirs, or obituaries, listed below were published in Society publications. Prior to 1838 memoirs or obituaries, when published, were done so on an ad hoc basis. After that date and until 1937 they appeared in the Prodeedings, and since 1937 they have been printed in the Year Book . The volume contains the following memoirs:
    • Frederick Beasley, by George Bacon Wood
    • Clement C. Biddle, by George Ord
    • Mathew Carey, by Isaac Lea
    • Redmond Conyngham, by Alonzo Potter
    • William H. Dillingham, by Charles B. Trego
    • Louis Stephen Duhail, by M. Davezac
    • William Gaston, by William H. Dillingham
    • John Gummere, by Robert M. Patterson
    • Justus Heinrich Christian Helmuth, by his son
    • Joseph Hopkinson, by John Kintzing Kane
    • Isaac Rand Jackson, by John Kintzing Kane
    • William Stephen Jacobs, by William E. Horner
    • Severin Lorich, by F. S. Lorich, with a note by Condy Raguet
    • William McIlvaine, by George Ord
    • Christian Mayer, by J. M. Buthe
    • Joseph Nicholas Nicollet, by John J. Abert
    • William Peter, by Job R. Tyson
    • Philip Syng Physick, by William E. Horner
    • Joseph Priestley, by Joseph Priestly Jr.
    • Christian Rask, by George B. Depping
    • Henry Reed, by John F. Frazer
    • Benjamin Wood Richards, by John Kintzing Kane
    • John Sanderson, by John Seely Hart
    • Francisco Borja Caracao Stockler, by José Maria Dantas Pereira
    • William Strickland by John Kintzing Kane
    • Lardner Vanuxem, by Isaac Lea
    • Daniel Webster, by Henry A. Boardman
    • John Price Wetherill, by John Kintzing Kane
    • William White, by William Heathcote DeLancey
    • Caspar Wistar, by José Francesco Corrêa da Serra

    		IV.9. Autographs of members ca. 1876-1880 1 vol. (ca. 65 pp.)

    		This scrapbook contains signatures of members, alphabetically arranged, clipped from return postal cards and acknowledgments of the receipt of the Society's publications.

    		IV.10. Members book 1808-1896 1 vol. (ca. 702 pp.)

    		This was compiled between the 1840's and 1896, but is includes names of members prior to that date, as well as their date of election, death (a few obituaries are attached), and there are citations of mentions of the individual in theProceedings.

    		IV.11. Membership certificates 1786- ca. 60 items

    		In 1786 the Society for the first time provided members with formal, engraved certificates of election. This is a collection of such certificates, issued to about 60 different members, signed by Benjamin Franklin and other presidents and officers from 1786 to the present time.

    		IV.12. Photograph Albums ca. 1880-1900 5 vols.

    		These photographs of members, collected in the late nineteenth century, include some photographs of paintings. A few are autographed. The images are in no order, but each volume is indexed. There is a separate collection of loose photographs of members which is added to on a more consistent basis presently.

    		IV.13. Biographical Register ca. 1800-1973 2.5 ln. ft.

    		This register was compiled by Dr. Marion Elderton during the period 1964-1968 and 1970-1974. It includes members elected since 1800 and deceased as of 1968, with a few entries to 1973.

    		Record Group V. Officers 1769-1978 43 ln. ft.

    		V.1. President 1853-1938 3 ln. ft., 3 vols.

    		V.1.a. Bache, Franklin (President 1853-1855).
    Presidential Addresses     		1853 and 1854 1 vol.

    		The address of 1853 is principally on scientific associations; that of 1854 is on APS business. Brief resumes are printed in APSProceedings5 (1848-1853): 360, and 6 (1854-1858): 67.

    		V.1.b. Wood, George Bacon (President 1859-1879).
    Presidential Addresses     		1860 1 vol.

    		He discusses hasty generalizations in science, and also Society business. Printed in APSProceedings7 (1859-1861): 331.

    		V.1.c. Keen William Williams (President, 1908-1918).
    Presidential reports     		1908-1909, 1911-1916 2 folders

    		Manuscripts of reports read at the annual meetings of the APS. These do not appear in the printed minutes in APSProceedingsof the period.

    		V.1.d. Scott, William B. (President, 1918-1925).
    Correspondence     		1921-1925 1 folder

    		V.1.e. Dercum, Francis X. (President, 1927-1931).
    Correspondence     		1927-1931 2.5 ln. ft.

    		V.1.f. Morris, Roland Sletor (President, 1932-1942).
    Correspondence     		1932-1938 0.5 ln. ft.

    		V.1.g. Conklin, Edward Grant (President, 1942-1945).
    Miscellaneous papers     		1913-1921 1 folder

    		Correspondence and other data relating to his participation in APS affairs, but prior to his term as President. It is mainly routine correspondence, including notices of committee appointments and meetings, etc. For his term as Executive Officer of the APS (1936-1942) see his correspondence under Archives V,c.

    		V.2. Secretary 1789-1939 34 ln. ft., 3 vols.

    		V.2.a. Journal of the proceedings 1789-1823, 1837-1852 3 vols.

    		Drafts and copies of outgoing letters, principally to newly elected members and to booksellers and agents, mostly in the hand of John Vaughan (to 1841) and Charles B. Trego. Typed index (18 pp.)

    		V.2.b. Correspondence 1887-1888, 1891-1921 5.5 ln. ft.

    		Press and carbon copies of outgoing letters, mostly of a routine character, but giving a very clear picture of behind-the-scenes activities at the Society.

    		V.2.c. Correspondence 1909-1939 28.5 ln. ft.

    		A miscellaneous collection of incoming correspondence, primarily on routine Society business. Because many committee members lived away from Philadelphia, as well as some of the Presidents and Officers, the series includes correspondence with these individuals as well. All types of Society business are to be found discussed in the correspondence.

    		V.3. Executive Office 1940-1941 3.5 ln. ft.

    		V.3.a. Conklin, Edwin Grant (Executive Officers, 1936-1942).
    Correspondence     		1940-1941 3.5 ln. ft.

    		V.4. Treasurer 1772-1936 9.5 ln. ft., 41 vols.

    		V.4.a. Accounts 1782-1920 11 vols.

    		Later called Cash Books. In the first volume are memoranda on leases of space to the College of Physicians, the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Athenaeum of Philadelphia, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Kappa Lambda fraternity, Charles Willson Peale, and Thomas Sully; accounts with Robert Aitken and George Turner; subscriptions for the portrait of Joseph Priestley; accounts of the Observatory Fund and the Magellanic Fund.

    		V.4.b. Accounts 1772-1899 19 items

    		A miscellaneous group of accounts includes records (1785-1792) relating to the construction of Philosophical Hall; repairs to the Hall (1816-1820); receipts of Benjamin Franklin's bond (1791-1792); a receipt signed by Franklin; a few accounts of the Pennsylvania Silk Society (ca. 1770-1784); and a few other items. These records were discovered in the Philosophical Hall vault in 1979 (for an account of this see: Committee on Library Report, 197.Year Bookpp. 158-160). A few other items were not strictly Treasurer's accounts (e.g. André Michaux's subscription list for exploring the American West, 1793) and they are catalogued separately. table of contents (1 p.).

    		V.4.c. Ledgers 1844-1919 6 vols.

    		V.4.d. Miscellaneous financial records 1779-1937 4.5 ln. ft.

    		Treasurer's yearly accounts (ca. 1779-1930); bank books (1798-1863), check books (1836-1920), canceled checks (1837-1920), bills and receipts (1834-1937)

    		V.4.e. Financial Statements and Reports 1914-1936 0.5 ln. ft.

    		Printed

    		V.4.f. Subscription books 1817-1826, 1838 11 vols

    		Three volumes, 1817-1826, kept by John Vaughan, contain records of subscriptions for (1) the purchase of Gotthilf H. Muhlenberg's herbarium, 1817, and for the works of Buffon in 127 vols., 1817-1818; (2) for the second volume of theTransactionsof the historical and Literary Committee and for the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, 1825; and (3) for the Chamber of Commerce (the latter apparently one of Vaughan's other interests). Two volumes contain subscriptions for the publication ofTransactions, n.s., 3 (1826); and on of the publication of DuPonceau's treatise on the Chinese language, 1838.
    In addition, there are invoices, receipts, records of members' annual contributions, lists of securities, and "Contingent Expenses and Post Office" which records expenditures for printing and postal expenses; and minutes of the auditing committee, 1922-1937 (1 vol.)

    		V.5. Officers and Council 1804-1926 2 vols.

    		V.5.a. Minutes 1804-1926 2 vols.

    		The officers and council acted as a kind of executive committee of the Society, under the by-laws of 1804.

    		Record Group VI. Curators 1769-1978 2.75 ln. ft.

    		VI.1. Curator's records 1793-1978 2 ln. ft.

    		Includes items in individual folders that have been separately catalogued in the library; reports of curators, 1876-1938 (1 box); correspondence, lists of items, etc., 1818-1943, 1978. There are also records, 1957-1965 (2 boxes), kept by Henri Marceau (Curator, 1957-1969); and one unsorted box of miscellaneous items (ca. 1780's-1890's)

    		VI.2. Donation book 1818-1831 1 vol.

    		Rough notes by John Vaughan, with miscellaneous letters, concerning gifts to the cabinet of APS.

    		VI.3. Donation to the cabinet 1834-1899 1 vol.

    		A continuation of the Donation book; a record of gifts of fossils, minerals, coins, medals, etc., by Thomas Jefferson, Joseph Sansom, William Short, Joel R. Poinsett, William H. Keating, and others.

    		VI.4. Curator's record books 1769-1900 6 vols.

    		Gifts to the cabinet and all actions of the Society respecting its collections, abstracted from the minutes. Two of the volumes are indexes to donors and gifts. Presented by Curators, 1899.

    		VI.5. Sachse, Julius F. (1842-1919).
    Portraits and busts in the collections of the American Philosophical Society     		1898 1 vol.

    		69 prints from negatives made by Sachse, most of them superior to the photographs reproduced inCatalogue of Portraits ... in the ... American Philosophical Society(APSMemoirs54), which otherwise supersedes it.

    		VI.5. Petit, Henry (1842-1921).
    Preliminary notes for Curator's catalogue of portraits, busts, and bas-reliefs in the collection of the American Philosophical Society     		1898-1901 1 vol.

    		Biographical sketches and memoranda.

    		Record Group VII. Library 1798-1977 48.75 ln. ft.

    		VII.1. Librarian 1862-1977 81.5 ln. ft., 1 box

    		VII.1.a. Annual and Special Reports 1862-1936 1 box

    		VII.1.b. Correspondence 1900-1977 81.5 ln. ft.

    		A large, diverse, and comprehensive series of correspondence, reports, lists, and miscellaneous materials collected during the tenures of five Librarians (to date): Isaac Minis Hays (1897-1922), Laura E. Hanson (1926-1941), William E. Lingelbach (1942-1958), Richard H. Shryock (1958-1965), and Whitfield J. Bell, Jr. (1966-1980). The correspondence prior to about 1940 tends to be more routine in nature. As the focus of the Library and its collections was better defined after 1940, an under the dynamic leadership of Lingelbach, Shryock, and Bell, the data produced and saved was more diverse, reflecting on all aspects of the Library's development, both internal, and external sponsorship in the wider library community (e.g. there is correspondence with Library research associates; records concerning local and national meetings, conferences and symposia participated in or sponsored by the Library; Library committee records, 1942-1976, pulled from the Librarian's correspondence files, which includes notes and other background data not found in the Library Committee Minutes).
    The scholarly interests of each of these later Librarians - Lingelbach (American history, Benjamin Franklin, European diplomatic history, historic conservation), Shryock (history of medicine and science), Bell (history of medicine, early American history, history of science) - is reflected in their Librarian's papers, since they participated as Librarians, on numerous committees and organizations which interested them, not all of which pertained strictly to APS Library business. There is, for example, much on the development of Independence National Historical Park, and the larger interest of conservation in Pennsylvania and nation-wide, in Lingelbach's files.

    		VII.2. Collections 1798-1954 59 vols., 24.5 ln. ft.

    		VII.2.a. Accession records n.d. 16 vols.

    		VII.2.b. Bills of parcels of books 1815-1832 2 vols.

    		Records and receipts of books from booksellers and at auction, including purchases from the libraries of Benjamin Smith Barton, Nicholas Collin, Alexander J. Dallas, and Joseph Priestly.

    		VII.2.c. Donation books 1899-1954 11 vols. & 1 index vol.

    		Record of gifts to Library and Cabinet, including books, portraits, busts, medals, artifacts, specimens of natural history, and mechanical models.

    		VII.2.d. Library withdrawals 1915-1949 1 vol.

    		Record of books, mostly periodicals, withdrawn from the catalogue, principally for sale or gift to other institutions. The most unusual item is the Tribute Roll of Montezuma, presented to the National Museum of Mexico, 1942.

    		VII.2.e. Loan books 1803-1941 3 vols.

    		Record of borrowings from the Library of members and others. The first and third volumes, 1803-1835 and 1889-1941, are in the form of printed promissory notes to return the volume or forfeit a sum of money (the financial forfeiture was disregarded after about 1900). The first volume is indexed by borrower. This volume also contains a copy of the library regulations drawn from the minutes and by-laws, 1802-1816, and several pages headed "Account of Importation of Journals by the Treasurer," 1803-1831.

    		VII.2.f. Library book 1873-1883, 1885-1888 1 vol.

    		Record of letters, accessions, borrowings, and other library business.

    		VII.2.g. Catalogues 1798-1884 10 vols.

    		The following manuscript catalogues of the Library are preserved:

    		Catalogue of the Library 1798 2 vols.

    		Apparently prepared with a view to publication.

    		Nicholas Collin.
    Catalogue of the Library     		1799 2 vols.

    		Catalogue of the Library 1814 1 vols.

    		The titles are arranged alphabetically by author, with case and shelf number of the volume, and the name of the donor. Notation explains: "This Book was delivered by the Stationer on Tuesday 18th of January 1814 - the Catalogue was finished on Friday the 25th of February 1814, i.e., a Space of 33 days (Sundays excepted.)"

    		Catalogue of the Library 1836 1 vols.

    		Begun by John Vaughan, one volume is rough, the other volume is fair..

    		Catalogue of manuscripts register ca. 1840 1 vol.

    		An alphabetical list of authors, translators, editors, etc.

    		Index to catalogue of the Library, Vol. 2. List of authors, translators, &c, ca. 1840 1 vol.

    		Author index to Catalogue of the American Philosophical Society Library 1863-1884 1 vol.

    		VII.2.h. Collections Files (legal file)
    		24 ln. ft.

    		VII.2.i. Collections not acquired 1972- .5 ln. ft.

    		VII.2.j. Serial Records 1896-1912 4 vols.

    		VII.2.k. Exchange Records 1936 1 vol.

    		VII.3. Library.
    General correspondence and records     		1942- ca. 44 ln. ft.

    		Files of selected professionals in the Library (e.g. Gertrude D. Hess, Carolyn Milligan) who were involved in administrative duties relating to the operation of the Library, and who had contacts outside of the Library.

    		VII.4. Library Committee 1897-1967 2 vols. & 2 ln. ft.

    		VII.4.a. Committee Minutes 1897-1967 2 vols. & 1.5 ln. ft.

    		There are both original manuscript minutes, and more recently typed copies of same.

    		VII.4.b. Report of the Committee on the Library 1944 0.5 ln. ft.

    		Survey data on specific subject areas represented in the Library's collections (Agriculture; Archaeology, Ethnology and Philology; Chemistry; Egyptology; Engineering; Geology; Indian linguistics; Medicine; Physics; and Serials) brought together by various scholars on the Library Committee. It was used in implementing the collection policy enunciated by the Farrand Committee in 1941 (see: "Report of the Special Committee on the Future Policy of the Library,"Year Book, 1941 pp. 275-281; and, "Report of the Committee on Library,"Year Book, 1944 pp. 51-57).

    		VII.5. Library Administration.
    [Consult Manuscripts Dept. Staff]



    		VII.6. Conservation Department.
    [Consult Manuscripts Dept. Staff]



    		VII.6.a. General correspondence



    		VII.6.b. Treatment reports



    		VII.6.c. Binding orders



    		VII.6.d. Interns and volunteers



    		VII.7. Manuscript Department.
    [Consult Manuscripts Dept. Staff]



    		VII.7.a. Correspondence



    		VII.7.b. Reader registration forms



    		VII.7.c. Orders and permissions



    		VII.8. Printed Materials Department.
    [Consult Manuscripts Dept. Staff]



    		VII.9. Building and facilities



    		VII.9.a. Correspondence of the Library building 1954-1960 4 ln. ft.

    		Concerns specifications, equipment, and servicing the new library building, opened 1959.

    		VII.9.b. Building Committee, Minutes 1954-1957 1 folder

    		Concerns the construction of the new library.

    		VII.10. Exhibits.
    [Consult Manuscripts Dept. Staff]



    		VII.10.a. Library Hall Exhibit materials 1971-


    		VII.10.b. History of the Library Exhibit



    		VII.10.c. Benjamin Franklin Hall Exhibit



    		VII.10.d. APS and Exploration Exhibit



    		VII.10.e. Loans to external exhibits (includes Legacies of Genius)



    		VII.11. Conferences.
    [Consult Manuscripts Dept. Staff]



    		VII.11.a. Scientific Reprints Conference 1984


    		VII.12. Publications.
    [Consult Manuscripts Dept. Staff]



    		VII.12.a. Mendel Newsletter



    		VII.12.b. Library Bulletin (revived)



    		VII.13. Friends of the Library.
    [Consult Manuscripts Dept. Staff]



    		VII.13.a. Newsletter



    		VII.13.b. Miscellaneous Publications and Ephemera



    		VII.14. Financial Records.
    [Consult Manuscripts Dept. Staff]



    		VII.15. Miscellaneous Records.
    [Consult Manuscripts Dept. Staff]
    		6 ln. ft.

    		VII.15.a. Permissions to Publish



    		VII.15.b. Library Statistics



    		VII.15.c. History of Genetics Project Card File



    		Record Group VIII. Committees 1793-1977 27.25 ln. ft.

    		VIII.1. Committee Record 1793-1869, 1908-1915 4 vols.

    		A record of committees, their members, duties, dates of report, and disposition. The second volume contains a record of members' attendance, 1804-1833; and one volume - "Committee special" - lists three committees on "the State of the manuscripts," "the Franklin Mss.," and the revision of the society's laws and regulations, 1840-1842.

    		VIII.2. Advisory Committee.
    Minutes     		1933-1936 1 vol.

    		The committee was appointed to consider nomination of members.

    		VIII.3. Committee on Revision of Laws.
    Minutes     		1933 1 vol.

    		With letters and papers on the question whether residents of the District of Columbia were qualified, under the terms of the Society's charter, to vote and hold office in the Society.

    		VIII.4. Historical and Literary Committee.
    Minutes     		1815-1820, 1840-1843 2 vols.

    		The record of a committee which, under the leadership of Peter S. Du Ponceau, collected a large quantity of historical documents and letters of the colonial and Revolutionary periods of American history, and of materials on Indian Languages. An index of names and principal topics has been prepared.

    		VIII.5. Historical and Literary Committee.
    Letter books     		1816-1826 3 vols.

    		Copies of letters sent by the committee to owners of historical manuscripts and to scholars and others interested in the early history of America, soliciting their cooperation, asking for the gifts of documents, thanking them, and the like.

    		VIII.6. Finance Committee.
    Minutes     		1826-1898; 1913-1941 5 vols.

    		Established January 20, 1826, the committee was directed "to take charge, in conjunction with the Treasurer, of the investment of the Society's monies; and to have the general superintendence and management of the funds."