Contents
Descriptive Summary
BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL
SCOPE AND CONTENT
SELECTED SEARCH TERMS
COLLECTION SUMMARY
1. Owen Biddle
1711-1887
2. Clement Biddle (1778-1856), his wife Mary Canby Biddle, their children, relatives and
friends
1792-1860
3. Clement Biddle (1838-1902), and his son, William C. Biddle
1747-1929
4. Clement Miller Biddle (1876-1959)
1787-1921
5. Lucy Biddle Lewis and her daughter, Lydia Lewis Rickman
1593-1951
Ser. 1. Papers of Owen Biddle, 1711-1887
Ser. 2. Papers of Clement Biddle (1778-856); wife, Mary Canby Biddle (1780-1849), and
family and friends; 1792-1860
Ser. 3. Clement Biddle (1838-1902) and his son, William C. Biddle (1864-1942);
1747-1929
Ser. 4. Clement Miller Biddle (1876-1959); 1787-1921
Ser. 5. Lucy Biddle Lewis (1861-1914) and her daughter, Lydia Lewis Rickman;
1593-1951.
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Biddle Family Papers, 1793-1951
FHL staff
1988
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Creator
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Biddle family |
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Title
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Papers, |
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Dates:
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1793-1951 |
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Abstract:
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This collection contains the papers of Philadelphia Quaker Owen Biddle
(1737-1799), his son, Clement Biddle (1778-1856), and numerous descendants. Owen Biddle, a scientist
and merchant, was a member of 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. The collection contains correspondence, journals, 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. 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. |
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Extent:
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8 boxes; 4 linear ft. |
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Identification:
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RG 5/ 177 |
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).
Return to the Table of Contents
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.
Return to the Table of Contents
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Friends Historical
Library (TRIPOD). Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should
search the catalog using these headings: Researchers are advised to search by subject and author,
when applicable.
Return to the Table of Contents
The collection is divided into five series:
Return to the Table of Contents
1. Owen Biddle
1711-1887
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
1792-1860
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
1747-1929
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)
1787-1921
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
1593-1951
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.
Box
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Correspondence
1772-1793
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Box
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Letterbooks of Owen Biddle
1771-1775
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Box
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| Film MS-B5 |
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Letterbooks of Owen Biddle [access is through microfilm]
1778-1779
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Box
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Letterbooks of Owen Biddle
1779-1781
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Box
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Journals: Diaries of Owen Biddle
1779-1782 6 vols.
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Family correspondence. Letters of the descendants of Owen Biddle
1822-1887, n.d.
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Miscellaneous Biddle family papers
1711-1831
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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.
Box
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Biddle, Anna Miller (1823-1891), wife of Robert Biddle
1842, 1847, n.d. 3 letters
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Biddle, Anne (1801-1850)
7mo 1843 2 letters
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Biddle, Anne (1822-1901), to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895) and others
1834-1892 25 letters
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Biddle, Clement (1740-1814), letter to W. James Lapeire (1798) and other business
papers
1788-1798 5 items
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Biddle, Clement (1778-1856), to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895) and others
1826-1851 26 letters
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Biddle, Clement (1778-1856) to wife Mary Canby Biddle, 16 letters, Includes accounts of
visits to New York and Ohio.
1830-1833. 16 letters
Includes accounts of visits to New York and Ohio.
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Biddle, Clement (1778-1856) to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895) and other family
members
1826-1851 26 letters
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Biddle, Clement (1778-1856) business and other papers
1809-1829 5 items
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Biddle, Clement (1778-1856) received by Clement Biddle
11mo 1835 undated 2 letters
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Biddle, Clement (1819-1895) to Clement Biddle (1778-1856) and other family
members
1832-1850 19 letters
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Biddle, John (1773-1815) to brother Clement Biddle (1778-1856)
1803-1809 3 letters
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Biddle, Martha C. (1811-1833) to mother Mary Canby Biddle and other family
members
1826-1832 32 letters
Includes description life at Westtown School.
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Biddle, Mary Canby (1780-1849) to husband Clement Biddle (1778-1856) and others, mostly
family
1829-1844 35 letters
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Biddle, Owen (1737-1799)
10mo 10, 1789. n.d. 2 letters
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Biddle, Rachel (wife of William Canby Biddle), to family
1842-1854 3 letters
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Biddle, Rebecca Owen
1792, 1794 2 items
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Biddle, Robert (1814-1902)
8mo 17 1837, 8mo 21 1841 2 letters
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Biddle, Robert (1814-1902) and other family members to Clement Biddle (1819-
1895)
1842-1892 21 items
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Biddle, William C. (1816-1887) to Clement Biddle (1819- 1895)
1834-1870 and n.d. 9 letters
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Biddle, William Walton (1842-1900) to father Clement Biddle (1819-1895),
1858-1859 14 items
Letters and grade reports from Westtown school
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Cadwallader, S.T. letter to sister
4mo 19 1857.
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Canby, Frances (later Ferris) to mother Martha Canby and other family members
1798-1811 6 letters
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Canby, Mary receipts and miscellaneous business papers
1810 10 items
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Canby, Merrit
1806-1847 3 letters
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Canby, William (1748-1830), letters sent
1802, 1813, n.d. 4 letters
Includes an 1802 letter to John Dickinson and a copy of an 1813 letter to Thomas Jefferson.
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Comly, John (1773-1850) letter to Martha Biddle (1811-1833)
10mo 15 1831
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Box
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Ferris, Fanny Canby to sister Mary Canby Biddle (1780-1849)
1798- 1833. 146 letters.
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Field, Hannah and others to Mary Canby Biddle
1808-1849 10 letters
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Ferris, Benjamin to Mary Canby Biddle and her father, William Canby
1804-1825 22 items
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Garrigues, Mary R. to Mary Canby Biddle
1802-1808 5 letters
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Gibbons, Mary to Mary Canby Biddle
1830-1834 13 letters
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Hartshorne, Isabel, will
1792.
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Kimber, Emmor, and others to Clement Biddle (1778-1856)
1828-1849 9 letters
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Pugh, Sarah to Martha Biddle.
7mo 23 1832
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Ralston, Robert to Clement Biddle (1778-1856)
6mo 30 1804 1 letter
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Smyth, Anna Canby and others to Mary Canby Biddle and others
1830-1844, undated 19 letters
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Stirling, William miscellaneous papers
1793-1828 4 items
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Tatum, Anna Biddle to Clement Biddle (1778-1856), Mary Canby Biddle, and
others
1802-1864 44 letters
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Townsend, Ezra, to daughters Grace and Susanna Townsend at Westtown School
7mo 12, 1809 1 letter
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Walton, James to Walton, Susan T.
2mo 2 1837 1 letter
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Walton, Susan M. to Clement Biddle (1819-1895) and others
1842-1845. 8 letters
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Walton, Susan? to Susan Walton Cadwallader Biddle (1823-1892)
1mo 12 1848 1 letter
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Walton, William to Clement Biddle (1819-1895) and wife Susan Townsend Biddle
1841-1843 12 items
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Webb, Jane to Owen Biddle (1737-1799)
4 mo 28 1772 1 letter
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Webb, William to Clement Biddle (1778-1856)
1805, 1815 2 letters
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Williams, Hannah to Clement and Mary Biddle
1mo 28 1833 1 letter
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Ser. 3. Clement Biddle (1838-1902) and his son, William C. Biddle (1864-1942);
1747-1929
Box
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Biddle, Clement M. (1838-1902) papers relating to the Centennial Board of
Finance
1873-1890
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Biddle, William C., and others certificates of membership in organizations, receipts, and
other documents
1800-1891
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Biddle, William C. papers relating to war relief work in France with the Friends
Reconstruction Unit of the American Friends Service Committee
1918-1920
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Middleton Family papers
1747-1835
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Box
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Correspondence, mostly received by Clement Biddle
1882-1899, n.d.
Full inventory available in repository
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Ser. 4. Clement Miller Biddle (1876-1959); 1787-1921
Includes family papers collected by him in addition to his personal papers.
Box
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Clement Biddle (1740-1814) Order received from F. Hopkinson to return sloop
(Photocopy)
April 3, 1787
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Clement Biddle (1778-1856) Account book
1835-1856
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Clement M. Biddle (1838-1902) Notification to C. M. Biddle of his liability for military
duty
1862
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Clement M. Biddle (1876-1959) Papers pertaining to Quaker war relief
1920-1921
In Austria, fresh milk plan for Vienna. In Poland, forms for office use in European relief
centers.
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Clement M. Biddle (1876-1959), Biddle family papers
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Grace Anna Brosius Biddle (b. 1877), wife of Clement M. Biddle (1876-1959), family
papers
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Grace Anna Brosius Biddle (b. 1877), Swarthmore College Class of 1897 (removed to College
Archives)
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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.
Box
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Lucy Biddle Lewis (1861-1914), letters, mostly to her family
1915-1922 24 letters
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.
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Biddle and related family papers, collected in England by Lydia Lewis
Rickman.
1593-1711 n.d. mostly photocopies
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Invitation to Clement M. Biddle from John Wels
187-
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Lydia C. Lewis (later Rickman) passport to visit Russia
1917
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copy of marriage certificate, Lydia C. Lewis to Richard Rickman, Buzuluk, Soviet Union,
March 19, 1918.
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"Picture of Russian peasant life in the period August, 1916-Sept. 1918," by John and
Lydia Rickman and other papers about Russia.
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