The papers in this collection are the working notes, correspondence and other documentation compiled by Drs. Helmut von Erffa and Allen Staley in preparing The Paintings of Benjamin West (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1986), the catalogue raisonne of this American born artist of the eighteenth century. In 1976 Professor Staley was invited to complete the catalogue project originally begun by Professor von Erffa in 1951. The 606-page catalogue that resulted from their extensive research contains 739 entries and was funded by the Barra Foundation.

This collection consists of notes, typescripts, and reprints to three distinct research projects undertaken by Nicolas B. Wainwright between 1968 and 1976. Each project has been processed as a separate series in the collection. The working titles of the projects processed as Series 1 and Series 2, respectively, are "Landscape and Genre Painting of Nineteenth Century Philadelphia" and "Collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania: 1824-1974." The latter was published in 1974. Series 3 is an untitled project regarding the artist Rembrandt Peale. All three are works-in-progress and each is in a different stage of completion, from the early stages of gathering primary research to an edited typescript. The collection reflects Wainwright's deep interest and commitment to the art of early Philadelphia and to the preservation of its history through the efforts of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Records of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia, a non-profit organization dedicated to the encouragement and promotion of numismatic science and antiquarian research. Papers are largely from the 1970's when the Society was under the leadership of Raul Betancourt, Jr. Includes minutes, members' lists, correspondence, inventories and information on operating expenses.

The papers fall into two broad categories: Rex family history and the personal and professional papers of editor and author Barbara Clayton Rex. Those in the first part include genealogical materials, correspondence, and memorabilia of various members of the Rex family, beginning in the eighteenth century with Abraham Rex and continuing through Walter Edwin Rex, III (b.1927). In addition, there are a few papers, photographs, and memorabilia documenting related families, including the Bakers, Tolberts, Emorys, Browns, and Claytons.

The personal and professional papers of Barbara Clayton Rex are the primary focus of this collection. Barbara Clayton Rex (b. 1904) was a member of Philadelphia's upper class as well as an author, editor, and close friend of Catherine Drinker Bowen, renowned historical biographer, daughter of Henry Sturgis Drinker (prominent Philadelphia lawyer and president of Lehigh University), and niece of portraitist Cecilia Beaux. The personal papers contain Rex's diaries (1920-1997) and extensive incoming personal correspondence from Bowen (1934-1973). The professional papers relate to Rex's work as an editor and an author. These papers pertain primarily to her four published novels but also refer to her articles for magazines and her columns for several local newspapers.

The papers of Hope (Carson) Randolph and Evan Randolph II document the heritage of two of Philadelphia's foremost families. Hope Carson and Evan Randolph II were married in 1906. Hope, the daughter of Hampton L. Carson and Anna Lea (Baker) Carson, and Evan, the son of Evan Randolph and Rachel Story (Jenks) Randolph, established a home in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, where they raised five children.

The Carson-Randolph Family Papers include genealogical information spanning up to ten generations. The majority of this collection's material relates to Hope, Evan, their children, and Hope's parents, Hampton L. Carson and Anna Lea (Baker) Carson. By and large, the papers pertaining to male members of the family emphasize their professional careers, while papers pertaining to women are of a more personal nature. It is an eclectic collection, comprised not only of papers and photographs, but also of family memorabilia and incidental information about progenitors and distant relatives. A portion of the papers pertain to the related families of Baker, Becker, Hollingsworth, Humphreys, Jenks, Lea, Robeson, Stewardson, and Story.

The Coxe Family Mining Papers document the history of what once was, the largest independent anthracite coal producer in the United States. Between 1865-1905 the Coxe family established and operated numerous companies for the purpose of developing the coal property purchased by the family patriarch, Tench Coxe, between 1790-1824. By the 1890s members of the Coxe family controlled multiple companies, collieries and mining towns in the Eastern-Middle Anthracite Field of Pennsylvania. The various Coxe-owned mining operations competed in an industry, which was largely dominated by the major railroad lines of the region. Through the keen business management and ingenious engineering skill of Eckley B. Coxe, the Coxe family remained independent of the railroads for forty years. This distinction was brought to an end in 1905, when the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company purchased the capital stock of Coxe Brothers & Company, Inc.

Although the Coxe family surrendered the direct control of their mining operations, they did retain ownership of all their coal property. During the years 1905-1968, the Estate of Tench Coxe acted as land agents for their vast coal properties. In return for the coal-leases granted predominantly to Coxe Brothers & Company, Inc., the Estate of Tench Coxe received large monthly royalty payments, which were then distributed to the various Coxe Heirs. In 1950, the Estate of Tench Coxe cancelled its lease with Coxe Brothers & Company, Inc. Although this had the effect of placing Coxe Brothers out of business, the Estate continued to lease its property to various other operating agents. In 1962, the Coxe family began to liquidate its property, due in large part to the depressed condition of the anthracite industry. Six years later the remaining portions of the Coxe Estate were sold, ending nearly 200 years of active involvement in the coal business.

The William J. Wilgus Collection documents the valuation conducted by Wilgus during 1915 and 1916 on land and property either owned or leased by Coxe Brothers & Company, Inc. Coxe Brothers was a company that mined and leased anthracite coal lands in northeastern Pennsylvania.

The Sophia Yarnall Jacobs Papers contain research files, letter books, and other miscellaneous data pertaining to the Coxe family and their ownership of anthracite coal land and coal mining enterprises in the Eastern Middle anthracite coal field of northeastern Pennsylvania. Jacobs used these materials to write the novel The Clark Inheritance, a fictional account of the life and times of the Clark family that is based on the real-life story of the Coxes, of which Jacobs is a descendant.

In process.

In 1918 in Reading, Pennsylvania, approximately ten men and women of known Huguenot descent founded The Huguenot Society of Pennsylvania, one of the first societies for the descendants of Huguenots established in the United States. They settled on April 13, 1918 (the 320th anniversary of the Edict of Nantes) for their first official meeting, and set out to write a charter, find interested members, and decide upon the organization's structure. At this meeting, they developed a set of objectives for the organization, which included perpetuating and maintaining the history, principles, and beliefs of the Huguenots; "publicly commemorating at stated times the principal events in the history of the Huguenot;" maintaining a library and museum of materials pertaining to Huguenots in America and specifically in Pennsylvania; promoting scholarly study of their history; and above all, celebrating and preserving the spirit of a people who withstood persecution and intolerance "because of their adherence to the basic tenets of the Protestant faith and their devotion to liberty."

The collection consists primarily of membership applications, organized numerically by membership number assigned by the Society. The forms provide information on the member, such as spouse's name, occupation, educational history, and religious affiliation, as well as genealogical information on the member's family and connection to an established Huguenot line. The remainder of the collection consists of newspaper clippings and magazine articles about Huguenot communities in the United States and South Africa, other printed material, genealogical research notes, and a small number of administrative files and artifacts. The artifacts are all items used for Society publications and include metal printing plates and woodblocks.

The Old First Reformed Church of Philadelphia was founded as the German Reformed Church of Philadelphia in 1727. Its records document over two hundred years of one of Philadelphia's oldest congregations. The collection includes administrative, financial, pastoral, membership, and Sunday school records. Also included are materials from other church organizations and projects, church services and events, higher church bodies and related congregations, and the congregation's documentation and interpretation of its own history.

In process.

Alvah E. Simpson, (1883-1948), was a traveling salesman who sold home remedies, primarily in New York and Pennsylvania, beginning in 1905 and continuing until his death in 1948. During his more than forty years on the road, Simpson worked for a variety of businesses, including the Allen S. Olmstead Company, the O. F. Woodward Company, the Guarantee Medicine Company, and the Dr. Miles Medicine Company. This collection contains his forty-four journals, 1905-1948, twenty-nine expense accounts, 1917-1947, and miscellaneous items, all of which touch on both his professional and personal life. The collection provides insight into Simpson's life, the life and work of traveling salesmen, and the marketing and consumer world of the first half of the twentieth century.

The Dean Yabuki Papers relate to a selection of photographs taken by Dorthea Lange and others at various Japanese-American internment camps during World War II. In 1992, to mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of the camps, Dean Yabuki created, "Captured Memories," an exhibition of Dorthea Lange's photographs, which chronicled the removal of Japanese Americans from California. This collection contains copies of prints by Lange and others used in the exhibit at the Asian Resource Gallery in Oakland, California. The photographs are accompanied by various printed items, pertaining not only to the exhibit, but also the experiences of those who felt the injustice first hand.

The Indo-American Association of Delaware (IAAD) is a non-profit, secular, community association dedicated to enriching the lives of the people in the Indo-American community. The main objectives of IAAD are to promote unity and friendship in the greater community and to encourage the younger generations to preserve connections to their Indian heritage. This two-pronged objective is achieved through a variety of social, educational, and cultural programs, which are documented by the array of correspondence, newsletters, flyers, and event programs located in this collection.

The Vuong G. Thuy Papers document the many ways in which Dr. Thuy distinguished himself as a leading educator within the Asian American community. Thuy was born and raised in Vietnam and received an international education in Europe before he came to America in the mid-1960s. He began his teaching career at Cornell University and later taught at Temple University, and became a leading member of the Asian-American community through his association with numerous educational organizations for Indochinese refugees, such as the National Association for Vietnamese American Education, the Indochinese American Council, and the Asian American Council of Greater Philadelphia. The bulk of the material in this collection pertains directly to these organizations.

Francis Hilary Conroy, a Professor Emeritus of history at the University of Pennsylvania, has written extensively on Asian American history, with a focus on Asian immigration to the United States. The collection contains materials from Conroy's teaching and research files, and includes correspondence, essay papers, newspaper clippings and miscellaneous printed materials from various Asian American and historical associations.

The Tsiwen M. Law papers document the activities of Tsiwen Law, one of the leading advocates for the Asian American community in the Philadelphia region. In addition to being a practicing attorney, Law is an adjunct professor at both the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University, and participates in many Asian American organizations. This collection documents Law's participation in these organizations through his personal and business correspondence and various printed items.

The Papers of Rev. Yam Tong and Daisy Law Hoh span the years 1919 to 1977, and focus primarily on their lives while residing in the United States as emigrants from China. The collection reflects the work of Yam Tong as an educator and Reverend in both California and Philadelphia, as well as his untiring work for the True Light School of Hong Kong. The collection complements the Reverend Dr. Yam Tong Hoh Papers (MSS 126), located at The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, by providing biographical material on Yam Tong's first wife, Daisy Law Hoh, as well as Rev. Hoh.

The Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC) was established in Washington D.C. in 1979 as the Indochinese Resource Action Center (IRAC). The center serves as a national clearinghouse for information on Indochinese refugees, as well as a technical assistance center for the Southeast Asian American community. A group of concerned Americans founded the organization in the aftermath of the Cambodian Killing Fields and in the midst of the Vietnamese boat people crisis. IRAC has repeatedly redefined its mission, however, as its constituency of Indochinese refugees became United States citizens. In 1992, IRAC changed its name to the Southeast Asian Resource Action Center, because of the colonial overtones implied by the French term Indochina. Although the majority of the collection documents the activities of SEARAC through petitions, office files, and a technical assistance resource bank, there is also material pertaining to various Mutual Assistance Associations throughout the country.