The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION
Creator: Wistar family
Title: Papers
Dates: 1739-[ca.1854]
Call No.:
Acc. No.: [various
– see detailed description]
Quantity: 7 cu. ft.
Location: 15 I 1-5
BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT
The members of
this family were descendants of Johannes Caspar Wister and his wife, Anna
Katherine Wüster, of Hillspach (near Heidelburg),
The personal
papers are from later generations of Wisters, descendants of John’s grandson,
John (1776-1862). Fortunately, a
genealogical chart included with the papers helps to keep straight who is
who.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
Business papers
consist of 18th and 19th century bills, receipts, deeds, and account
books. Included are records of merchants
William Wister, John Wister, Charles Jones Wister (Sr. and Jr.); and of the
firms Wister and Ashton; Miles and Wister; and Wister, Price and Wister. In
addition, there are record books of Adam Konigmacher and Co., William Rotch,
and J.H. Stevenson and Co., as well as a group of deeds to various properties
in
Rounding out the
business papers are about 70 manuscript volumes (receipt books, account books,
bank books, checkbooks, memorandum books, index books, order books, invoice
books, ships records, and diaries) and miscellaneous loose items.
In addition to
the business papers described above, there is a small collection of personal
papers. These include diaries of Elizabeth Wister (b.1870); invitations sent to
Sarah Logan Starr (b. 1903, daughter of Sarah Logan Wister and James Starr); a
notebook kept by Elizabeth Wister containing poems written by French poets, but
the bulk of which is an address book; a notebook containing extracts from the
writings of others, and genealogical information, which belonged to Sarah Logan
Fisher Wister; papers relating to the estate of Sarah Edythe Wister Chichester
(1860-1935); a genealogical chart of the descendants of John Wister
(1708-1789), compiled in 1927; and bound copies of The Swallow, a newsletter printed by members of the Wister family.
ORGANIZATION
The papers are
in two series: business papers and personal papers. The business papers are roughly organized by
type and date. The personal papers are
arranged in accession number order.
PROVENANCE
Gifts and
purchases from various sources.
RELATED MATERIALS
Wurts Family
Papers, Col. 544 (a member of the Wister family married a Wurts, and Wister
family materials came in with the group of papers which are now Col. 544;
specifically there are copy books of Sarah Logan Wister, Jr., business cards of
Francis Wister, William Wister’s gas bills, 1866-1873, some invitations sent to
members of the Wister family, and Germantown Cricket Club bills sent to James
Starr (who married a Wister).
The recipe book
of Elizabeth Emlen Randolph Wister, Doc. 1190.
Books written by
several members of the Wister family are in the Collection of Printed Books and
Periodicals.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Wister, Daniel, 1738-1805.
Wister, Charles Jones,
1782-1865.
Wister, Johannes,
1708-1789.
Wister, William,
1746-1800.
Konigmacher, Adam.
Rotch, William.
Price, J. M.
Miles, Samuel.
Krug, Frederick V.
Hoxie, John M. S.
Wurts, Elizabeth Wister,
1870-1953.
Starr, Sarah Logan, b.
1903.
Wister, John, 1776-1862.
Wister, Sarah Tyler
Boas, b.ca.1842.
Wister, William,
1784-1806.
Topics:
Fisher
family.
Rodman family.
Wistar family – Periodicals.
A.
Konigmacher
and Co.
C.J.
Wister and Co.
Wister
and Ashton.
Wister,
Price and Wister.
Miles
and Wister.
J.H.
Stevenson and Co.
United
Society of Journeymen Cabinet and Chair Makers of the City of
Textile
fabrics -
Hardware
-
Grocery
trade -
Retail
trade -
Shipping
-
Merchants
-
Business
records -
Children’s
periodicals, Ameican –
Children’s
writings, American –
Inventories
of decedents’ estates –
Girls
– Diaries.
Duncannon
(
Account
books.
Bankbooks.
Checkbooks.
Checks.
Bills
(financial).
Bonds.
Cashbooks.
Daybooks.
Deeds.
Indexes.
Insurance
policies.
Inventories.
Journals
(bookkeeping).
Ledgers.
Memoranda.
Notes
(financial).
Receipts.
Releases.
Ship's
papers.
Diaries.
Merchants.
Title:
Wister family papers.
Swallow (
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 15 I 1-5
Folders 1-12 Wister, Charles
Jones, Sr.: bills and receipts, 1802-1817
(71x103.1-.445;
see separate index to names, attached to this finding aid)
Folders 1-10 Wister, Charles Jones, Sr.: bills and
receipts, 1818-1827
(71x103.446-.900;
see separate index to names, attached to this finding aid)
Folders 1-9 Wister, Charles Jones, Sr.: bills and
receipts, 1828-1836
(71x103.901-.1434;
see separate index to names, attached to this finding aid)
Folders 1-3 Wister, Charles Jones, Sr.: bills &
receipts, 1837-1839
(71x103.1434-.1609; see separate index to names, attached to this
finding aid)
Folder 4 Wister, Charles J., C.J. Wister &
Co.: bills, ca. 1840s-1860s
(71x103.1610-.1634
and .1708b; see separate index to names, attached to this finding aid)
Folder 5 Wister, Charles J.: bills,
miscellaneous
(71x103.1635-.1682,
see separate index to names, attached to this finding aid)
Folder 6 Wister, Charles Jones, Sr. & Jr.:
miscellaneous accounts & papers
(71x103.1683-.1714,
except for numbers listed as being in Folder 7; see separate index to names,
attached to this finding aid)
Folder 7 71x103.1701 Receipt book, Elizabeth Baynton receiving
money of Charles Wister, 1821-1825
71x103.1702 Receipt book, George Peiffer receiving money
from Charles Wister,
1808;
also accounts for a lodger named Richard Hollow, 1824; statements about bonds,
mortgages, and stocks, n.d.
71x103.1708a Memorandum book for Charles Wister & Co.,
1850
71x103.1709 Memorandum book for Charles Wister & Co.,
1850
Folder 8 Wister, Charles J.: five bank books,
accounts at Bank of Germantown, 1820-1836
(71x103.1703-.1707)
Folders 9-10 Wister,
Charles J.; checks, 1811-1822. Includes
blank checks for Bank of Germantown.
(71x103.1715-.2183)
Folders 1-3 Wister, Charles J.: checks, 1823-1839
(71x103.2184-.3929)
Folder 4 Daniel Wister: Order book, 1762-1768, for textiles, hardware, metal wares, etc.
(56 x 17.8)
Folder 5 Miles
& Wister: Order book, 1771-1774, mostly textiles, also hardware, etc.
(56 x 17.9)
Folder 1 Wister business: Order book,
1784-1789, mostly textiles
(56 x 17.10)
Folder 2 Wister, Price & Wister: Cash
book, 1798-1799
(56 x 17.15)
Folder 3 Wister & Wister: Cash book,
1799-1800
(56 x 17.16)
Folder 4 Wister business: Account book,
1805-1812, textile sales
(56 x 17.24)
Folder 5 John
& Charles Wister Co., and Wister, Price & Wister: Account book,
1802-1821 (56 x 17.27)
Folder 6 Wister
business: Cash books, 1801-1812, monthly merchandise and cash summary
(56 x
17.28-29)
Folder 1 Wister,
Price &Wister, John Wister: Journal listing bills payable & receivable,
1825-1826
(56 x 17.34)
Folder 2 Wister family: list of notes, bonds
& mortgages, 1778-1800
(56 x 17.35)
Folder 3 A. Konigmacher: Memorandum book,
1817-1820
Comprised mostly of
notes to himself about things which need to be done in connection with his
business, both domestic duties and the settling of affairs with agents in the
West and South.
(56 x 17.36; see separate index to names, attached to this finding aid)
Folder 4 Wister
family: Order books, 1810-1820, memorandum; includes several lists for hardware
and tools available from John Spear of Sheffield, and John Sorby & Sons,
possibly also of Sheffield
(56 x 17.37-38)
Folder 5 “List of Sundry Patterns from Smith
Sons & Russell,
list of goods and prices (no illustrations)
(56 x 17.39)
Folder 6 “Account
of stock taken January 1st, 18[07?]” and also in 1808, mostly hardware; (56 x
17.40)
Folder 7 "The Constitution and Bye-Laws
of the United Society of Journeymen Cabinet &
Chair Makers of the City
of
inscribed with name of
J. M. I. Hoxie, 1825
(56 x 17.41a)
Folder 8 William Wister: Bankbook, 1800-1807
(56 x 17.50)
Folder 9 William & John Wister, Jr.:
Bankbook, 1801-1803
(56 x 17.51)
Folder 10 John Wister: Bankbooks, 1803-1810,
1817-1834
(56 x 17.52, and .58)
Folder 11 John Wister, Ex. of William Wister
Estate: bankbooks, 1807-1837
(56 x 17.53 and .55-56)
Folder 1 John & Charles J. Wister:
Bankbooks, 1810-1840
(56 x 17.54, and .57)
Folders 2-6 Notes,
bonds, stocks, probably from William Wister estate, A-S (continues in next box)
(56 x 17.63)
Folder 1 Notes,
bonds, stocks, probably from William Wister estate, T-Z (continued from the
previous box)
(56 x 17.63)
Folder 2 Llewellynn
W. Price: Copy book, 1818, mostly writing exercises but also some mathematical
rules, examples, and problems
[Susannah
Wister, 1773-1862, married John Morgan Price; this must be a son.]
(56 x 17.64)
Folder 3 Book
recording packages (and sometimes their contents) received from A. Konigmacher
& Co., to whom the packages belonged, to whom the packages were delivered,
and the date of delivery, 1809
(56 x 17.66)
Folder 4 Shipping records for Brig Susan & Elizabeth, 1825-1827
(56 x 17.70)
Folder 5 56
x 17.71 Deed, 1761, Mary Richardson
et al. to Daniel King & wife, land in Bristol Twp.,
56
x 17.72 Deed, 1761, Michael
Hillegass & wife to King, land in Bristol Twp.,
56
x 17.73 Deed, 1761, John Richardson
by his attorney, Daniel King to Michael Hillegass, land in Bristol Twp.,
56
x 17.74 Deed, 1761, Daniel King
& wife to Charles Hay, land in Bristol Twp.,
56
x 17.75 Deed, 1764, John Wister to
Conrad Weaver, land in Bristol Twp.,
56x17.76 Deed, 1764, Richard Richardson to John
Wister, land in
56x17.77 Deed, 1768, Elizabeth Chanel to John
Engle, land in
Folder 6 56 x 17.78 Deed, 1784, Thomas Proctor to Daniel King, land in
56 x 17.79 Deed, 1790, Executors of William Logan, to James Logan, deed
to "Logania", 278 acres in Northampton Co.,
56 x 17.80 Deed, 1791, Daniel King & wife to William Dagnia, land in
Bristol Twp.,
56x17.81 Deed, 1795, Jacob Baker et al., assignees of John Mayo, to
Thomas Fisher, land known as "Rural Felicity" in Philadelphia,
bankruptcy proceedings of John Mayo
56
x 17.82 Deed, 1799, William Dagnia
to Thomas Fisher, land in Bristol Twp.,
56
x 17.83 Deed, 1816, Thomas Paschall
& Duncan Campbell to Samuel Fisher, land in
56
x 17.84 Deed, 1852, William Logan
Fisher's deed to land in
56 x 17.85 Fire insurance policy, 1825, for John
Wister's house,
Folder 7: Deeds, 1693-1739 (all accession 56x17, but not individually
numbered):
deed, William Penn,
proprietor, to William Clark and William Darvall, for land in Kent County,
Delaware, November (9th month) 20, 1683. Signature and deed are torn.
On back: note about
recording deed on
Deed,
Thomas Griffith, cordwainer of
Deed,
William Penn, proprietor, to Israel Pemberton,
Signed by Richard
Hill, Isaac Norris, and James Logan, but not by
Land indenture,
between William Branson, merchant of
[note: deed is
torn]
Land indenture,
between Sarah Shoemaker, widow of Isaac Shoemaker, a turner late of
Deed, John, Thomas,
and Richard Penn, proprietors, to William Attwood, merchant of
Folder 1: Deeds,
1740-1789:
Land indenture,
between John and Katherine Erskine (or Eckstein), rope maker and wife of
Deed (land
indenture), John and Barbara Keyser, mason and wife of
Deed (land
indenture), Daniel King, brass founder of Philadelphia, to William Poyntell, stationer
of Philadelphia, for property called “Rural Felicity,” located about six miles
from the court house in Bristol township, April 23, 1785.
Deed (land
indenture), William and Ann Poyntell, stationer and wife of
Document in German,
Deed poll, James
Ash, high sheriff of
Other names: Joseph
Cowperthwaite, the late high sheriff, and Elhanan Winchester.
Parts of this
document are missing.
Indenture of lease,
Francis Wade to Thomas and Charles Moore,
Folder 2: Deeds,
1790-1799:
Deed, Jonathan and
Elizabeth Meredith, merchant and wife, to John Swire, merchant, for “Rural
Felicity,”
Deed, John Swire,
merchant of
Deed, William and
Mary Adcock, merchant and wife, to John Mayo, merchant, for “Rural Felicity,”
Articles of
agreement, between William Dagnia or
Land indenture (not
completely filled out; draft of a deed), William Dagnia and his wife [name left
blank], to Thomas Fisher, October 1799.
Regards some property once owned by the
Folder 3: Deeds,
1822:
Statement of Charles Jones Wistar [spelled Wister] about a piece of
property in the Northern Liberties at the corner of
Land indenture, between James B. and Maria Murray of
Folder 4: Deeds,
miscellaneous deeds, releases
“Brief of Title, Meases lots in Southwark,” 1687/88-1739.
And a brief of title for another piece of property, 1722-1752.
Release, Benjamin
Shoemaker to James Channell, shipwright for ground rent at
Land indenture,
Barbara Eckstein of
Articles of
agreement between Caspar David Dumernicht [or Dumernight], and Christian
Eckstein (spelled Exstein), about land in
Deed, Caspar David
and Mary Catherine Dumernicht, yeoman and wife of
Folder 5 Promissory
notes & protests, 1792-1799. William
Wister, or his estate, is named in many of the documents.
Folder 6 Legal documents pertaining to estate
of William Wister, 1800, 1810.
Folder 7 John Wister: Miscellaneous business
papers, 1822-1849
Folder 8 John
Wister family: Miscellaneous business papers, 1850-1859
Folder 9 Wister
family: Miscellaneous papers (mostly financial), ca.1786-ca.1860.
Also an astronomy
problem dated
Folder 10 Caspar Wistar, receipt for money
received from James Steel,
(75x103)
56x17.12 Day book, 1830-1832, mostly selling
hardware and tools
56 x 17.26 Account book, 1787-1789, Wister &
Ashton? (goods sold listed merely as sundries or merchandise)
56 x 17.30 Account
book, 1816, listing notes receivable and creditors
56 x 17.59 Index
(possibly to an account books in this collection)
Bound volumes:
(on shelves, not in document boxes)
56 x 17.1 Receipt book, 1739-1746, John Wister;
volume includes some receipts of David Deshler, 1736, and Richard Johnson,
1737; also a photocopy of this volume
56 x 17.2 Receipt book, 1771-1781, William Wister,
Miles & Wister, Samuel Miles, John Wister
56 x 17.3 Receipt
book, 1783-1797, William Wister, Wister & Ashton, Miles & Wister
Joseph Richardson signed the book in several places. James Madison, Jr. signed on p. 202. The signature of John Adams is also supposed
to be found in this volume.
56 x 17.4 Receipt
book, 1802-1812, John & Charles Wister
56 x 17.5 Account
book, 1796-1810, John & Charles J. Wister
56 x 17.6 Invoice
book, 1806-1808, John & Charles J. Wister
56 x 17.7 Invoice
book, 1818, J. Wister, J.M. Price, C. J. Wister
56 x 17.11 Account
book, 1820-1822, country orders
56 x 17.13 Journal,
1774-1776
56 x 17.14 Journal,
1797-1798, Wister, Price & Wister
56 x 17.17 Cash
sales book, 1810-1812; mostly hardware
56 x 17.18 Journal,
1815-1816
56 x 17.19 Account
book, 1820-1821; grocery business
56 x 17.20 Account
book, 1820-1821; grocery business
56 x