An Inventory of the Richard Tapper Cadbury Papers, 1799-1924
General International Standard for Archival Description
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081-1399 U.S.A.
Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, December 2000.
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Papers, 1799-1924
Richard Tapper Cadbury (1853-1929)
Biographical History for: Papers, 1799-1924
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE Richard Tapper Cadbury was born on October 11, 1853, in Philadelphia, the son of Richard and Lydia Shinn Cadbury. He graduated from Haverford College in 1868 and received an M.A. from Harvard in 1878. Cadbury was a teacher, writer, businessman, and art connoisseur; as a child, he was very much influenced by his uncle (his mother's brother), Earl Shinn, Jr., art critic for The Nation. Among his various employments were serving as superintendent for the Deaf and Dumb Institute of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and as a trust officer at Provident Life and Trust Company. He also lectured on art topics. Richard Tapper Cadbury was married to Helen Nathans on August 28, 1884, and the couple lived in Haverford, PA, where Helen ran a school for small children. The couple had four children: Richard Cadbury (1885-1926) who donated the papers; Helen (1886-1974); Earl Shinn (1888-1970); and Leah Tapper (1892-). Richard Tapper Cadbury died October 29, 1929.
SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE RECORDS The collection contains correspondence and memorabilia of the Cadbury, Comfort, Haines, and Shinn families. The correspondence provides a detailed picture of life in Philadelphia Quaker families of the mid 19th century, and of the hardships of those who participated in the California gold rush. Also includes the journal of Richard Tapper Cadbury while he was a student at Haverford College, and the correspondence of Cadbury's uncle, Earl Shinn Jr., who often used pseudonym “Edward Strahan” and was an art critic for the Nation with artists with well-known artists of his day. Earl Shinn Jr. corresponded with the following artists: Thomas Eakins, Howard Roberts, William Chase, John Sartain, Carroll Backwith, B.C.Champney, and William T. Richards, Howard Nelmick, A.Quartley. Possible correspondents: R. Swain Gifford, Edward L. Scull, F.A.Bridgman, William Walton, R. Sturgis, P.F.Rothermel, G.W.H.Boughton, Henry Bacon, Jas. Hamilton, and R. Wylie. Artists with whom Shinn was acquainted in the Tile Club (or otherwise) include: Hopkinson Smith, Abbey, Reinhart, Walter Paris, O'Donovan, Laffan, Baird, Harry Bispham, Weber, Winslow Homer, Kenyon Cox, Roger Haydock, S.J.Ferris, John Yaber, Bradford, Heaton, T.B.Read, D.R.Knight, Humphrey Moore, and George Wood.
Quakers -- Philadelphia (Pa.)
Quakers -- Social life and customs
Philadelphia -- Social life and customs
Quakers - art criticism
California -- Gold discoveries
Richards, William Trost, 1833-1905.
Shinn, Earl, 1838-1886.
Eakins, Thomas, 1844-1916.
Sartain, John, 1808-1897.
Chase, William Merritt, 1848-1916.
Champney, Benjamin, 1817-1907.
Cadbury, Richard Tapper, 1853-1929
Cadbury Family.
Comfort family.
Haines family.
Shinn family.
Haverford College
series
List of writings by Richard Tapper Cadbury, NOT part of the collection.
“An Attempt to Reconcile Spencer with Kant, in their Ultimate Principles of Knowledge.”
“The Greek Comedy in Philadelphia.”
“The Influence of Gymnastics on Greek Art.”
“The Quaker Dialect.”
“Was Seneca's Moral Character in Harmony with his Ethical Philosophy?”
Plays
Most of his plays are unittitled.
“The Bronze Vase.”
“Divine Discontent.”
“Finger Marks.”
“Time's Call.”
Untitled poem.
“The Burnt Down Mill.”
“Count Esherhazy on Trial.”
“Does the Mind Ever Sleep?”
“The Elf Man.”
“The Fight in Charlie Allan.”
“The Football Season of 1912.”
“Forespent.”
“Homo Omnium Mensura.”
“How Far?”
“How Two Little Girls Were Seven.”
“How Debby Was Seven.”
“John.”
“Lincoln Enfabled.”
“Mag and Sal in Their Leathers.”
“The Magic coat.”
“My Paruvian Jar.”
“Near Dead.”
“Pasty's Ghost.”
“The Quack Doctor: A Movie.”
“Shorty's Latest.”
“Time and Space.”
“Washington Enfabled.”
Untitled Stories.
Ser. 1. Genealogical and biographical material, 1799-1869, n.d.
Genealogical chart of Richard Tapper Cadbury's ancestors
Includes members of Comfort and Shinn families.
Diary of Richard T. Cadbury 1869 while attending Haverford College
Notebook record of “Dutch, Irish, & English People I Have Known,” kept by Richard Cadbury, Jr.
Includes address book, including some while at Woodbrooke, about 906
Marriage certificate of David Comfort & Beulah Walton, great-grandparents of Richard T. Cadbury 3-13-1799
See marriage certificate files, F.H.L.
Deed of property for Byberry Friends' Meeting House, signed by David Comfort1834
David Comfort was the maternal great-grandfather of Richard T. Cadbury. See file of deeds, F.H.L.
Clipping from the Glasgow Gazette, “Valedictory to the Law Class of Glasgow,” by S. W. Comfort, of Glasgow, Ky.
Disownment of Rebecca Shinn 1-30-1828
Circular regarding taking over of drug store at N.E. corner of Broad & Spruce Sts. Phila., by Thos. H. Montgomery & Samuel Earl Shinn, the latter an uncle of Richard T. Cadbury.
Miscellaneous memorabilia of Richard T. Cadbury
Ser. 2. Manuscripts, 1858-1923, n.d.
Description of Abington Friends Meeting House, author unknown.
Written from the viewpoint of a child.
Descriptions of Friends' Select School, Haverford Grammar School Westtown Boarding School, by Earl S. Cadbury
Earl was presumably son of Richard T. Cadbury, lived 1888-1970.
Lecture notes on art, including lecture on Leonardo da Vinci, author unknown, probably E. Shinn
Miscellaneous essays, plays poems, stories
Includes “An Attempt to Reconcile Spencer with Kant,” & “The Greek Comedy in Philadelphia”, presumably by Richard Tapper Cadbury.
Miscellaneous “essays” by various young people
Includes binder entitled The Young Essayists, in which some of the compositions are dated 1858. Also, “Not Luck, but Work”, by Helen V. Nathans, who later became the wife of Richard T. Cadbury.
Nero, A Tragedy, by Richard Tapper Cadbury1880
Pub. Phila. under pseud. “Richard Comfort.” See printed copy in F.H.L. BX7617.C18N4
Illustration for Nero, drawn by Earl Shinn, Jr., uncle of Richard T. Cadbury
Writ, By Richard Tapper Cadbury
Creation of Writ, By Richard Tapper Cadbury
Time of Creation of Writ, By Richard Tapper Cadbury
Pub. Haverford. See printed copy in F.H.L. BX7617.C18W9
Ser. 3. Correspondence, 1818-1924, n.d.
Folders arranged alphabetically by individual, chronologically within each folder
Cadbury, Richard Tapper, rec'd & sent 1880-1924, n.d.
Cadbury, Richard, & wife, Lydia Shinn Cadbury, parents of Richard Tapper Cadbury, rec'd & sent 1858-1876 (?), n.d.
Comfort, Charles, sent 1838-1865, n.d.
Comfort, David, & wife, Beulah Walton Comfort, parents of other Comforts in this series, rec'd & sent 1818-1840
Comfort, Edmund, sent 1840-1887
Comfort, James, sent 1826-1835, n.d.
Includes lines on his death by shipwreck, 2-13-1835, written by a brother.
Comfort, Lydia, rec'd & sent1820-1865, n.d.
Comfort, Martha (Patty) sent 1840-1885
[Comfort, Richard] rec'd from H.W. Longfellow 1880 9mo 28
Comfort, Stephen, sent 1829-1857
Comfort, Thornton, wife, Joanna, sent 1827-1880, n.d.
Comfort, William, sent 1828-1845, n.d.
Haines, Elizabeth Shinn, & husband Henry Haines, sent 1843-1881, n.d.
Includes correspondence by Hillborn, Fanny, “adopted daughter” of Elizabeth Haines, sent, 1878-1882, n.d.
Neall, Hannah Lloyd, (Mrs.James), to Earl Shinn, Jr, sent 1857-1869, n.d.
Shinn, Earl Sr., & wife Sarah Comfort Shinn, parents of other Shinns in this series, rec'd & sent 1823-1863
Shinn, Earl, Jr., sent 1853-1886, n.d.
All of Earl Shinn Jr.'s correspondence is available on microfilm.
Shinn, Earl, Jr., letters, rec'd & sent, of special interest re: art and artists
Article about Thomas Eakins, publishing two letters from this collection. By Gerald M. Ackermen.
Shinn, Earl, Jr., rec'd 1855-1886, n.d.
Shinn, James Thornton, sent1866-1867, n.d.
Shinn, Rebecca, sent 1866-1878, n.d.
Shipley, Anna Shinn husband, Samuel R. Shipley, sent 1850-1887, n.d.
Miscellaneous1817-1885, n.d.