Biddle Family Papers, 1793-1951
General International Standard for Archival Description
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081-1399 Phone: (610) 328-8496 FAX: (610) 690-5728
Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, May 2002.
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Papers, 1793-1951
Biddle family
Biographical History for: Papers, 1793-1951
BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL This collection contains the papers of Philadelphia Quaker Owen Biddle (1737-1799), his son, Clement Biddle (1778-1856), and numerous descendants in six generations. The Biddles, who aligned themselves with the Hicksites following the separation of Philadelphia Quakers in 1827, were active in various causes, including Quaker education, public health, and the peace movement. Clement M. Biddle (1838-1902), Clement Miller Biddle (1878-1959), and Lucy Biddle served on the Board of Managers at Swarthmore College. Additionally, Lucy Biddle was responsible for the gift that was the basis of the Swarthmore College Peace Collection. Lydia Lewis Rickman's notes on the family genealogy are included in the collection. For more detailed information, see the collection summary (below).
SCOPE AND CONTENT The collection contains correspondence, journal, letterbooks, and account books, together with other manuscript material reflecting the social and cultural life and religious activities of a prominent Quaker family of Pennsylvania and Delaware. Owen Biddle (1737-1799) was assistant forage master for the army of the American Revolution and some of the papers relate to that work. Papers of Lucy Biddle Lewis (1861-1941) are important for association with the women's suffrage movement and for early activities of the American Friends Service Committee. Other names represented in the collection are Jane Addams, Emily Greene Balch, Clement Biddle, Clement Miller Biddle, William C. Biddle, Dorothy Biddle James, Henry Hollingsworth, Thomas Mifflin, Thomas Parke, Thomas Richardson, Lydia Lewis Rickman, and Ann Biddle Stirling. Item level checklist available in repository.
Quakers -- Pennsylvania
Quakers -- Delaware
Quakers -- Social life and customs
Quakers -- Social Service
Quakers -- Diaries -- 18th century
Pennsylvania -- Quakers
Delaware -- Quakers
Social Service -- Quakers
Suffrage - Quakers
Charities -- Quakers
War relief --Quakers
Reconstruction (1914-1939) -- Austria
Reconstruction (1914-1939) --France
Friends' Relief Mission
Austria - Quakers
Society of Friends -- War relief and reconstruction.
Society of Friends -- Pennsylvania
United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
United States-- History-- Revolution, 1775-1783
Quaker businesspeople
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Congress (1st: 1915: Hague, Netherlands)
Women and peace -- History
Biddle, Owen, 1737-1799
Biddle, Clement M. (Clement Miller), 1876-1959
Biddle, William Canby, 1864-
Lewis, Lucy Biddle, b. 1861
Rickman, Lydia Cooper Lewis, 1885-
Addams, Jane, 1860-1935
Balch, Emily Greene, 1867-1961
James, Dorothy Biddle
Hollingsworth, H. (Henry), 1737-1803
Mifflin, Thomas, 1744-1800
Parke, Thomas, 1749-1835
Richardson, Thomas, 1816-1867
Stirling, Anne Biddle, 1857-
Woolman School (Swarthmore, Pa.)
Westtown School
Swarthmore College
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
American Friends Service Committee
series
1. Owen Biddle
Creation of 1. Owen Biddle
Time of Creation of 1. Owen Biddle
Owen Biddle, a scientist and merchant, served as Deputy Forage Master General during the American Revolution. He became a member of the Free Quakers during the Revolutionary War, but in 1783 he was reinstated in Philadelphia Monthly Meeting and helped in the establishment of Westtown School (1799). Owen Biddle's papers, 1772-1793, (Series 1) include correspondence, and journals, some of which relate to his Revolutionary War activities. Three of his letterbooks, 1778-1779, have been microfilmed.
2. Clement Biddle (1778-1856), his wife Mary Canby Biddle, their children, relatives and friends
Creation of 2. Clement Biddle (1778-1856), his wife Mary Canby Biddle, their children, relatives and friends
Time of Creation of 2. Clement Biddle (1778-1856), his wife Mary Canby Biddle, their children, relatives and friends
Clement Biddle (1778-1856), a sugar refiner in Philadelphia who was active in Quaker philanthropic work such as helping to establish Friends Asylum in Frankford in 1813 (now Friends Hospital), aligned with the Hicksites following the separation of Philadelphia Quakers in 1827. His papers (Series 2) contain mostly family correspondence, 1792-1860, of Clement Biddle, his wife, Mary Canby Biddle (1780-1849), their children, Martha C. Biddle (1811-1833), Robert Biddle (1814-1902), William Canby Biddle (1816-1887), Clement Biddle (1819-1895), Anne Biddle (1822-1901), relatives, and friends
3. Clement Biddle (1838-1902), and his son, William C. Biddle
Creation of 3. Clement Biddle (1838-1902), and his son, William C. Biddle
Time of Creation of 3. Clement Biddle (1838-1902), and his son, William C. Biddle
Clement M. Biddle (1838-1902), grandson of Clement Biddle (1778-1856), was the son of William Canby Biddle, who founded with his brother Robert the R. and W. C. Biddle Company, a hardware firm in Philadelphia. Clement was involved in the hardware firm until 1873, when he became involved with the Centennial Exposition of 1876, serving on the Centennial Board of Finance. He had a special interest in Quaker education, serving on the Swarthmore College Board of Managers from 1874-1894 (his father also served on the Board), supporting Friends' Central School, participating in the Committee on Education of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Hicksite). His correspondence is in Series 3 along with papers relating to the Centennial Board of Finance. Also included in this series are papers of William C. Biddle (1864-1942), oldest son of Clement M. Biddle (1838-1902). William Biddle's papers pertain to war relief work in France with the American Friends Service Committee, 1918-1920, and to Quaker adult education at the Woolman School, 1928-1929.
4. Clement Miller Biddle (1876-1959)
Creation of 4. Clement Miller Biddle (1876-1959)
Time of Creation of 4. Clement Miller Biddle (1876-1959)
Clement Miller Biddle (1876-1959) was the youngest son of Clement M. Biddle (1838-1902). Active in civic and philanthropic affairs in New York where he lived, Biddle was president of Biddle Manufacturing Company and served on the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College from 1927-1950. His papers (Series 4) include material on the Friends' Relief Mission in Vienna, 1920-1921, operated jointly by American and British Quakers. Biddle was involved in the child feeding program and other war relief efforts in Austria and Poland which were based at the Mission in Vienna. Also in the collection are an account book, 1835-1856, of Clement Biddle (1778-1856), and an account book, 1855-1871, of William Canby Biddle (1816-1887), other Biddle family papers, and papers of his wife, Grace Anna Brosius Biddle (b. 1877), which relate to her family and to her Swarthmore College Class (1897).
5. Lucy Biddle Lewis and her daughter, Lydia Lewis Rickman
Creation of 5. Lucy Biddle Lewis and her daughter, Lydia Lewis Rickman
Time of Creation of 5. Lucy Biddle Lewis and her daughter, Lydia Lewis Rickman
Lucy Biddle Lewis (1861-1941) was the oldest child of Clement Biddle (1838-1902). A resident of Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, she was active in Quaker postwar reliefwork and the peace movement, serving on the American Friends Service Committee, as National Chairman of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and for over thirty years, 1908-1941, on the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College. Her papers in Series 5 are letters, mostly to her family, about the International Congresses of Women held in the Hague in 1915 and in Zurich in 1919 and war relief work. While a member of the Swarthmore College Board of Managers, Lewis in 1930 persuaded Jane Addams of Hull House to donate her papers relating to peace and social justice to Swarthmore College. With this gift the Swarthmore College Peace Collection was established. Other papers of Lucy Biddle Lewis can be found in the Swarthmore College Peace Collection (see Guide to Sources on Women in the Swarthmore College Peace Collection). Also in this series are papers of Lydia Lewis Rickman, daughter of Lucy Biddle Lewis, pertaining to her trip to Russia, 1917-1918, with the American Friends Service Committee for war relief work there and papers she collected about the Biddle family's English ancestry, 1593-1711.
Ser. 1. Papers of Owen Biddle, 1711-1887
Full inventory available in repository.
Correspondence
Creation of Correspondence
Time of Creation of Correspondence
Letterbooks of Owen Biddle
Creation of Letterbooks of Owen Biddle
Time of Creation of Letterbooks of Owen Biddle
Letterbooks of Owen Biddle [access is through microfilm]
Creation of Letterbooks of Owen Biddle [access is through microfilm]
Time of Creation of Letterbooks of Owen Biddle [access is through microfilm]
Journals: Diaries of Owen Biddle
Creation of Journals: Diaries of Owen Biddle
Time of Creation of Journals: Diaries of Owen Biddle
Family correspondence. Letters of the descendants of Owen Biddle
Miscellaneous Biddle family papers
Creation of Miscellaneous Biddle family papers
Time of Creation of Miscellaneous Biddle family papers
Ser. 2. Papers of Clement Biddle (1778-856); wife, Mary Canby Biddle (1780-1849), and family and friends; 1792-1860
Approx. 1,000 letters and related papers, arranged alphabetically by author and/or recipient.
Biddle, Anna Miller (1823-1891), wife of Robert Biddle
Biddle, Anne (1801-1850)
Biddle, Anne (1822-1901), to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895) and others
Creation of Biddle, Anne (1822-1901), to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895) and others
Time of Creation of Biddle, Anne (1822-1901), to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895) and others
Biddle, Clement (1740-1814), letter to W. James Lapeire (1798) and other business papers
Creation of Biddle, Clement (1740-1814), letter to W. James Lapeire (1798) and other business papers
Time of Creation of Biddle, Clement (1740-1814), letter to W. James Lapeire (1798) and other business papers
Biddle, Clement (1778-1856), to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895) and others
Creation of Biddle, Clement (1778-1856), to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895) and others
Time of Creation of Biddle, Clement (1778-1856), to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895) and others
Biddle, Clement (1778-1856) to wife Mary Canby Biddle, 16 letters, Includes accounts of visits to New York and Ohio.
Includes accounts of visits to New York and Ohio.
Biddle, Clement (1778-1856) to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895) and other family members
Creation of Biddle, Clement (1778-1856) to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895) and other family members
Time of Creation of Biddle, Clement (1778-1856) to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895) and other family members
Biddle, Clement (1778-1856) business and other papers
Creation of Biddle, Clement (1778-1856) business and other papers
Time of Creation of Biddle, Clement (1778-1856) business and other papers
Biddle, Clement (1778-1856) received by Clement Biddle
Biddle, Clement (1819-1895) to Clement Biddle (1778-1856) and other family members
Creation of Biddle, Clement (1819-1895) to Clement Biddle (1778-1856) and other family members
Time of Creation of Biddle, Clement (1819-1895) to Clement Biddle (1778-1856) and other family members
Biddle, John (1773-1815) to brother Clement Biddle (1778-1856)
Creation of Biddle, John (1773-1815) to brother Clement Biddle (1778-1856)
Time of Creation of Biddle, John (1773-1815) to brother Clement Biddle (1778-1856)
Biddle, Martha C. (1811-1833) to mother Mary Canby Biddle and other family members
Creation of Biddle, Martha C. (1811-1833) to mother Mary Canby Biddle and other family members
Time of Creation of Biddle, Martha C. (1811-1833) to mother Mary Canby Biddle and other family members
Includes description life at Westtown School.
Biddle, Mary Canby (1780-1849) to husband Clement Biddle (1778-1856) and others, mostly family
Creation of Biddle, Mary Canby (1780-1849) to husband Clement Biddle (1778-1856) and others, mostly family
Time of Creation of Biddle, Mary Canby (1780-1849) to husband Clement Biddle (1778-1856) and others, mostly family
Biddle, Owen (1737-1799)
Biddle, Rachel (wife of William Canby Biddle), to family
Creation of Biddle, Rachel (wife of William Canby Biddle), to family
Time of Creation of Biddle, Rachel (wife of William Canby Biddle), to family
Biddle, Rebecca Owen
Biddle, Robert (1814-1902)
Biddle, Robert (1814-1902) and other family members to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895)
Creation of Biddle, Robert (1814-1902) and other family members to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895)
Time of Creation of Biddle, Robert (1814-1902) and other family members to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895)
Biddle, William C. (1816-1887) to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895)
Biddle, William Walton (1842-1900) to father Clement Biddle (1819-1895),
Creation of Biddle, William Walton (1842-1900) to father Clement Biddle (1819-1895),
Time of Creation of Biddle, William Walton (1842-1900) to father Clement Biddle (1819-1895),
Letters and grade reports from Westtown school
Cadwallader, S.T. letter to sister
Canby, Frances (later Ferris) to mother Martha Canby and other family members
Creation of Canby, Frances (later Ferris) to mother Martha Canby and other family members
Time of Creation of Canby, Frances (later Ferris) to mother Martha Canby and other family members
Canby, Mary receipts and miscellaneous business papers
Creation of Canby, Mary receipts and miscellaneous business papers
Time of Creation of Canby, Mary receipts and miscellaneous business papers
Canby, Merrit
Creation of Canby, Merrit
Time of Creation of Canby, Merrit
Canby, William (1748-1830), letters sent
Includes an 1802 letter to John Dickinson and a copy of an 1813 letter to Thomas Jefferson.
Comly, John (1773-1850) letter to Martha Biddle (1811-1833)
Ferris, Fanny Canby to sister Mary Canby Biddle (1780-1849)
Field, Hannah and others to Mary Canby Biddle
Creation of Field, Hannah and others to Mary Canby Biddle
Time of Creation of Field, Hannah and others to Mary Canby Biddle
Ferris, Benjamin to Mary Canby Biddle and her father, William Canby
Creation of Ferris, Benjamin to Mary Canby Biddle and her father, William Canby
Time of Creation of Ferris, Benjamin to Mary Canby Biddle and her father, William Canby
Garrigues, Mary R. to Mary Canby Biddle
Creation of Garrigues, Mary R. to Mary Canby Biddle
Time of Creation of Garrigues, Mary R. to Mary Canby Biddle
Gibbons, Mary to Mary Canby Biddle
Creation of Gibbons, Mary to Mary Canby Biddle
Time of Creation of Gibbons, Mary to Mary Canby Biddle
Hartshorne, Isabel, will
Kimber, Emmor, and others to Clement Biddle (1778-1856)
Creation of Kimber, Emmor, and others to Clement Biddle (1778-1856)
Time of Creation of Kimber, Emmor, and others to Clement Biddle (1778-1856)
Pugh, Sarah to Martha Biddle.
Ralston, Robert to Clement Biddle (1778-1856)
Smyth, Anna Canby and others to Mary Canby Biddle and others
Stirling, William miscellaneous papers
Creation of Stirling, William miscellaneous papers
Time of Creation of Stirling, William miscellaneous papers
Tatum, Anna Biddle to Clement Biddle (1778-1856), Mary Canby Biddle, and others
Creation of Tatum, Anna Biddle to Clement Biddle (1778-1856), Mary Canby Biddle, and others
Time of Creation of Tatum, Anna Biddle to Clement Biddle (1778-1856), Mary Canby Biddle, and others
Townsend, Ezra, to daughters Grace and Susanna Townsend at Westtown School
Walton, James to Walton, Susan T.
Walton, Susan M. to Clement Biddle (1819-1895) and others
Walton, Susan? to Susan Walton Cadwallader Biddle (1823-1892)
Walton, William to Clement Biddle (1819-1895) and wife Susan Townsend Biddle
Creation of Walton, William to Clement Biddle (1819-1895) and wife Susan Townsend Biddle
Time of Creation of Walton, William to Clement Biddle (1819-1895) and wife Susan Townsend Biddle
Webb, Jane to Owen Biddle (1737-1799)
Webb, William to Clement Biddle (1778-1856)
Williams, Hannah to Clement and Mary Biddle
Ser. 3. Clement Biddle (1838-1902) and his son, William C. Biddle (1864-1942); 1747-1929
Biddle, Clement M. (1838-1902) papers relating to the Centennial Board of Finance
Creation of Biddle, Clement M. (1838-1902) papers relating to the Centennial Board of Finance
Time of Creation of Biddle, Clement M. (1838-1902) papers relating to the Centennial Board of Finance
Biddle, William C., and others certificates of membership in organizations, receipts, and other documents
Creation of Biddle, William C., and others certificates of membership in organizations, receipts, and other documents
Time of Creation of Biddle, William C., and others certificates of membership in organizations, receipts, and other documents
Biddle, William C. papers relating to war relief work in France with the Friends Reconstruction Unit of the American Friends Service Committee
Creation of Biddle, William C. papers relating to war relief work in France with the Friends Reconstruction Unit of the American Friends Service Committee
Time of Creation of Biddle, William C. papers relating to war relief work in France with the Friends Reconstruction Unit of the American Friends Service Committee
Middleton Family papers
Creation of Middleton Family papers
Time of Creation of Middleton Family papers
Woolman School
Creation of Woolman School
Time of Creation of Woolman School
Correspondence, mostly received by Clement Biddle
Full inventory available in repository
Ser. 4. Clement Miller Biddle (1876-1959); 1787-1921
Includes family papers collected by him in addition to his personal papers.
Clement Biddle (1740-1814) Order received from F. Hopkinson to return sloop (Photocopy)
Clement Biddle (1778-1856) Account book
Creation of Clement Biddle (1778-1856) Account book
Time of Creation of Clement Biddle (1778-1856) Account book
Clement M. Biddle (1838-1902) Notification to C. M. Biddle of his liability for military duty
Creation of Clement M. Biddle (1838-1902) Notification to C. M. Biddle of his liability for military duty
Time of Creation of Clement M. Biddle (1838-1902) Notification to C. M. Biddle of his liability for military duty
Clement M. Biddle (1876-1959) Papers pertaining to Quaker war relief
Creation of Clement M. Biddle (1876-1959) Papers pertaining to Quaker war relief
Time of Creation of Clement M. Biddle (1876-1959) Papers pertaining to Quaker war relief
In Austria, fresh milk plan for Vienna. In Poland, forms for office use in European relief centers.
Clement M. Biddle (1876-1959), Biddle family papers
Grace Anna Brosius Biddle (b. 1877), wife of Clement M. Biddle (1876-1959), family papers
Grace Anna Brosius Biddle (b. 1877), Swarthmore College Class of 1897 (removed to College Archives)
Ser. 5. Lucy Biddle Lewis (1861-1914) and her daughter, Lydia Lewis Rickman; 1593-1951.
Also includes Biddle family papers collected by Lydia Lewis Rickman. Papers are fully cataloged on cards in Repository.
Lucy Biddle Lewis (1861-1914), letters, mostly to her family
Creation of Lucy Biddle Lewis (1861-1914), letters, mostly to her family
Time of Creation of Lucy Biddle Lewis (1861-1914), letters, mostly to her family
Includes letters pertaining to the International Congresses of Women held in the Hague in 1915 and Zurich in 1919. Also includes letters concerning her association with Jane Addams, Emily Greene Balch and other women, and her efforts to support war relief work. See list in Repository.
Biddle and related family papers, collected in England by Lydia Lewis Rickman.
Genealogical chart
Creation of Genealogical chart
Time of Creation of Genealogical chart
Invitation to Clement M. Biddle from John Wels
Lydia C. Lewis (later Rickman) passport to visit Russia
Creation of Lydia C. Lewis (later Rickman) passport to visit Russia
Time of Creation of Lydia C. Lewis (later Rickman) passport to visit Russia
copy of marriage certificate, Lydia C. Lewis to Richard Rickman, Buzuluk, Soviet Union, March 19, 1918.
"Picture of Russian peasant life in the period August, 1916-Sept. 1918," by John and Lydia Rickman and other papers about Russia.