The Winterthur Library

7The Winterthur Library

The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware 19735

Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Creator: McAllister family.

Title: Papers

Dates: 1803-1935; bulk 1830-1890.

Call No.: Col. 534

Acc. No.: [various – see detailed description]

Quantity: 1 box and 1 folder

Location: 34 J 1, and map case 2, drawer 2

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

The McAllister family operated a manufactory that produced whips, canes, eyeglasses, optical instruments, and mathematical instruments in Philadelphia during the 19th century. The firm was started by whip and cane maker John McAllister (1753-1830). He was a native of Scotland who moved to New York City in 1775 and then to Philadelphia in 1781. He began business as a whip maker at 16 South Third Street, Philadelphia, in 1796 and eventually partnered with a Mr. Mathews. On his 1803 trade label, he advertised "Spectacles, Hardware in general, also Whips and Canes, of every Description, ...."

McAllister's son, John (1786-1878), graduated with a degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1803 and began work for merchants Montgomery and Newbold. When Mr. Mathews left John McAllister Sr., John Jr. joined the firm; at that time it was renamed John McAllister & Son. After the death of John Sr., in 1830, John McAllister Jr. continued the business under the name of McAllister & Co. Later, his son, William Young (1812-1896), who continued the business at least into the 1880s, joined him.

John McAllister, Sr. was married three times, his first and third wives being named Elizabeth, while the mother of his children was his second wife Frances Wardale (1746-1814). John McAllister, Jr., married Eliza Melville Young (1790-1853), and they had a number of children, including Agnes Young (1817-1879), William Young, and Thomas Hamilton (1824-1898).

William Young McAllister had a number of children, including Dr. Anna Mitchell McAllister (1849-1922), who was a graduate of the Woman’s Medical College of Philadelphia. William also had a son, Francis W. McAllister (1853-1920) who became an optician and optometrist, first working with his father and then establishing his own business in Baltimore, Maryland. Francis related a story about how his great-grandfather John McAllister, Sr., got into the spectacles business when he bought out the stock of a hardware merchant, which included a basket full of spectacles. Francis also said that Thomas Jefferson order eyeglasses from his great-grandfather, and that his grandfather made the first pair of astigmatic eyeglasses in the U.S. Initially, the McAllister imported their lenses from Europe. [See The Optical Journal and Review, Oct. 20, 1920, for more of Francis’ stories about his family business.]

SCOPE AND CONTENT

Collection contains personal and business records compiled by the McAllister family of Philadelphia between 1803-1935. Among the items are a daybook used by John McAllister Sr., advertisements for the McAllister firm, letters, postcards, a menu, notice of meetings, committee reports, invitations, printed billheads from various firms, and a memorial speech for John McAllister, Jr., that contains biographical information about him.

Several photographs depict various family members. Two photos, both dated 1854, show the shop front of the family store. A pencil sketch depicts John McAllister Sr.'s house; there is a photo of the home of John McAllister, Jr.. Several trade cards, advertisements, and two trade catalogs of the firm are included. They note that the McAllisters manufactured spectacles, spyglasses, microscopes, magic lanterns, thermometers, gunther scales, protractors, surveying chains, and tape measures, as well as other optical and mathematical instruments and apparatus.

The daybook lists daily sales figures from the time "Sales Commenced Aug. 30th 1803, Tuesday" through Tuesday December 31, 1805. Typical listings are: "Silver Spects $6;" "Sword Cane $4;" "Whip & Ink Stands $2;" "Spy Glass & Microscope, $19;" "Opera Glass, $1.50;" "Pistol Tinder Box, Spects, & Whip, $3.75." Includes daily, weekly, monthly, and annual totals. Also includes a list of "The Profits of the Whips from 1st July 1805--Germantown Manufacture" and "Family Expences 1805."

ORGANIZATION

Divided by type of material.

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

The materials are in English.

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.

PROVENANCE

Accession 74x149 purchased from William Pennebaker.

Accession 82x138 purchased from Guthman Americana.

Accessions 84x131 and 84x132 purchased from Richard J. Labowskie.

RELATED MATERIALS

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania has a two-page catalog, “Description of Whips manufactured by John McAllister” (1809), as well as McAllister family papers (collection number 2139).

ACCESS POINTS

People:

McAllister, Agnes Young, 1817-1879.

McAllister, W. Y. (William Young), 1812-1896

McAllister, Elizabeth, circa 1755-1838.

McAllister, Anna M., 1849 or 1850-1922.

Topics:

William Y. McAllister (Firm)

McAllister & Brother

Drawing instruments.

Eyeglasses - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.

Home economics - Accounting.

Mathematical instruments - Catalogs.

Optical industry - Catalogs.

Optical trade - Catalogs.

Projectors.

Scientific apparatus and instruments - Catalogs.

Whips.

Whips - Prices.

Staffs (Sticks, canes, etc.)

Black-and-white photographs.

Advertisements.

Bills.

Daybooks.

Invoices.

Letters.

Trade catalogs.

Trade cards.

Retailers.

Additional authors:

McAllister, John, 1786-1877.

McAllister, John, 1753-1830.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location: 34 J 1, and map case 2, drawer 2

Box 1 of 1:

Folder 1: Daybook

82x138 Daybook of John McAllister, Sr., Aug. 30, 1803-Dec. 31, 1805:

McAllister listed what he sold or repaired each day, with prices, but did not include customers’ names. He sold whips, canes (including Mississippi canes), spectacles (sometimes with cases), tape measures, goggles, penknives, magnifying glasses, cases of instruments, bamboo (perhaps canes or whips made of bamboo?), pocket books, thongs, etc. At the end of 1804 and 1805, he tallied the sales for the year. There is also a chart for the profits from the whips for July-August 1805; this mentions the Germantown Manufacture.

Family expenses for 1805 are found at the end of the volume.

[The volume has leather covers, with writing on both front and back covers, and writing inside both covers. Sales books 1, 2, and 3 have been stitched together and laid into the front of the volume. Several pages at both front and end have been removed.]

Folder 2: Advertisements, Trade Cards, and Price Lists

75x318.4 trade card for John McAllister [Sr.]: “Spectacles, hardware in general, also Whips and Canes of every description, made and sold by John McAllister, no. 48 Chesnut [sic] Street, Philadelphia,” illustrated with a compass and a pair of glasses;

With note about changes in the trade card over time, written by John McAllister, Jr.

82x165 “Description of Whips manufactured by John McAllister,” 1805: printed price list (date added in pen) – IN OVERSIZE FOLDER IN MAP CASE

84x131.1 “Magic Lanterns and Slides for sale by McAllister & Co.,” with prices; illustrated with pictures of phantasmagoria lantern and dioptric lantern;

printed by Wm. A Maas, Feb. 7, 1853

84x131.2 “Catalogue of Mathematical Instruments for sale by McAllister & Co., no date, with prices; illustrated with pictures of “dividers or compasses,” “bow pens & pencils & spacing dividers,” “ruling or drawing pens, protractors, squares, &c.,” “squares, parallel rules, surveyors’ chains, &c.,” “ivory scale and protractors,” and “cases of drawing and mathematical instruments”;

Printed by Wm. A. Maas, Philadelphia

84x131.3 illustrated sheet of “Swiss Drawing-Instruments” available from McAllister & Brother; – IN OVERSIZE FOLDER IN MAP CASE

Lithographed by Schnabel, Finkeldey & Denne, Philadelphia

84x131.4 “Microscopes,” no date, with prices; illustrated with pictures of six different microscopes

Folder 3: Bills and receipts (chiefly business and estate papers):

Ph1356.2 photocopy of bill from John McAllister & Son to Geo. C. McCall, Aug. 1, 1822, for gold spectacles with side glasses; and silver spectacles

Original in the McCall family papers, Historical Society of Pennshylvania

63x88 receipted bill: W. Sellers paid McAllister & Co., April 12, 1847, for case of instruments, in flat morocco;

At top: list of items available, such as spectacles, goggles, spy glasses, thermometers, cases of mathematical instruments, etc., illustrated with a pair of spectacles

75x318.2-.3 billhead for John McAllister & Son, manufacturers of Whips, Canes, and Spectacles, no. 48 Chesnut [sic] Street; two samples

84x132.1 receipted bill: John McAllister paid Spencer Moffatt for reams of paper, March 4, 1813

84x132.2 shipping receipt: John McAllister & Son shipped a box on the Schooner Naomi, per Edward Lafferty, Sept. 3, 1825;

Printed form with address of John McAllister & Son, manufacturers of spectacles, whips & canes

84x132.4 check: John McAllister, Jr., executor of estate of J. McAllister, wrote a check on the Farmers’ & Mechanics’ Bank, Philadelphia, payable to Mrs. Wickham, May 20, 1830;

Printed form, with a design on it

84x132.5 receipted bill: estate of John McAllister paid William Fry for advertising in National Gazette, May 21, 1830;

Printed form

84x132.6 check: John McAllister, Jr., executor of estate of J. McAllister, wrote a check on the Farmers’ & Mechanics’ Bank, Philadelphia, payable to Mrs. E. McAllister, May 25, 1830;

Printed form, with a design on it

84x132.7 check: John McAllister, Jr., executor of estate of J. McAllister, wrote a check on the Farmers’ & Mechanics’ Bank, Philadelphia, payable to Messrs Levi Morris & Co., May 27, 1830;

Printed form, with a design on it

84x132.8 receipted bill: John McAllister paid Philadelphia Gazette, for advertising (executor’s notice), June 9, 1830;

Printed form

84x132.9 receipted bill: John McAllister, Jr. paid William Fry for advertising a country residence to let in National Gazette, Feb. 27, 1832;

Printed form

84x132.10 receipt: John McAllister paid for his annual subscription to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, May 2, 1833;

Printed form

84x132.11 receipt: J. McAllister paid for pew rent at St. Paul’s Church, Sept. 20, 1833

Printed form

84x132.12 receipt: John McAllister paid S. Hazard for subscription to the Register of Pennsylvania, July 15, 1835;

Printed form

84x132.13 check: John McAllister wrote a check on the Philadelphia Bank, Feb. 28, 1839, payable to W. Leybeck[?];

Printed form

84x132.14 check: John McAllister wrote a check on the Philadelphia Bank, March 11, 1839, payable to Messrs. A. Barber[?] & Co.

Printed form

84x132.15 receipt: John McAllister paid his share to the Library Company of Philadelphia, May 4, 1842;

Printed form.

84x132.16 receipt: John McAllister, executor, paid Jesper Harding for advertising property for sale, in the Inquirer and Gazette, Aug. 23, 1849;

Printed form, with design on it

84x132.17 receipt: John McAllister, Jr., paid his annual contribution to the Philadelphia Dispensary, 1866

Printed form

84x132.29-30 two samples of letterhead stationery for Wm. Y. McAllister, optician, optical and mathematical instruments, 728 Chestnut St., 188-

Folder 4: Correspondence and miscellaneous printed items:

84x132.3 letter, John McAllister, Jr., March 7, 1828, to William Y. Macallister [sic; his son], Mount Airy Lyceum:

Glad to hear that school is going smoothly; visitors to family; steamboat will be painted and cleaned in Wilmington next week; binding prints from the Columbian Magazine;

83x83.1 letter, Hyde & Goodrich, New Orleans, Feb. 9, 1830, to J. McAllister & Son:

the Chandler Price [apparently a ship] has not been heard from and is feared lost; order sword canes [and gives further descriptions of details of what wanted, including ivory heads and gold mounted]

84x132.18 printed circular: from Committee appointed by the Board of Managers of the Philadelphia Society for the Establishment and Support of Charity Schools, Oct. 7, 1836: because free public elementary schools are now available, it seems that this society no longer needs to provide basic education for indigent children, and the committee proposes adopting a plan of providing more advanced education, including sewing for girls

84x132.19 printed invitation to funeral of Mrs. Elizabeth McAllister, to be held on the 3d, dated January 2, 1838

Note: left side of invitation has been trimmed so that some letters were cut off, for example: instead of attend, what is present is simply ttend;

According to one family tree, John McAllister’s third wife was named Elizabeth Douglas, born circa 1755 in Trenton, N.J.

84x132.22 Bill of Fare, McAllister Hall, June 28, 1855, on stationery of McAllister & Brother, endorsed on back as “bill of fare at 194 Chesnut [sic] St., June 28, 1855”;

The dishes have names that undoubtedly referred to people or places important to the firm, such as “Hareug Sauret de la De La War” [a reference to Delaware], “Haricots a la Lizzie,” and “gelée a la 194.”

The brothers were William Young McAllister (1812-1896) and Thomas H. McAllister (1824-1898). The stationery announces the address of their new store, 194 Chestnut Street.

84x132.23 notice of meeting: Philadelphia Society for the Establishment and Support of Charity Schools to hold meeting on the 5^th, dated Sept. 2, 1859; addressed to John McAllister

84x132.24a letter, Wm Bargh, Philadelphia, Nov. 20, 1860, to W. Y. McAllister:

Bargh and wife have enjoyed the books which McAllister loaned them; will return them tomorrow;

[top part of letter, which had the printed letterhead, has been cut off]

84x132.26 printed item: “Memorial Notice of John McAllister, Jr., read by Charles M. Morris, before the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, January 14, 1878

84x132.27a-c three items attached to each other:

.27a printed “Memorial Notice of John McAllister, Jr., read by Charles M. Morris, before the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, January 14, 1878” [see also 84x132.26];

.27b letter from John Jordach[?], Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Jan. 19, 1878, to Miss Agnes Y. McAllister: enclosing copy of remarks made about her father [see .27a]; invites her to become a member of the Society; [with printed letterhead]

.27c handwritten copy of .26 and .27a

84x132.28 F.D. Stone, librarian, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, March 25, 1879, to Miss Agnes Y. McAllister, thanking her for gift of volumes of Philadelphia Ledger and Evening Bulletin;

Printed form

84x132.25 postcard, Charles Bargh, Philadelphia, Nov. 19, 1935, to John McAllister, Media, Pa., offering to write six letters for $5.00, and sign them Mahatmah Ghandi [sic], Haile Selassie, Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolino [sic], Huey Long, and Boob McNutt.

84x132.24b envelope labeled Bargh letter & postal reply, for P.O. inspectors

84x132.20 letter, Mrs. Dr. A. Bryant, no date, to Mrs. Eliza McAllister, Present:

unable to accept invitation to tea because cannot leave daughter for long, but hopes as the daughter ages, she will be able to spend more time away from her; remember me to friends from Broom Dale.

84x132.31 printed “Article II of Our Constitution,” by Dr. Anna M. McAllister, addressed to Mrs. President and Members of the Association; no date;

the association is not named, but was apparently the alumnae association of the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania; the paper also includes discussion of work of women physicians;

Lower half of first leaf is torn off;

Folder 5: Photographs and sketch:

74x149.1 Mr. W. Steventon [or Stevenson], married Frances McAllister;

Carte-de-visite of a portrait; with internal revenue stamp dated Nov. 5, 1864;

[William Stevenson (1772-1844) married Frances Wardale McAllister (1784-1823), the daughter of Frances Wardale and John McAllister, Sr.]

74x149.2 Frances McAllister (1746-1814);

Carte-de-visite of a portrait painted in 1812 by James Peale; other biographical information on back of photo; with internal revenue stamp dated Nov. 5, 1864;

[Frances Wardale McAllister was the wife of John McAllister, Sr.]

74x149.3 John McAllister, senior (1753-1830);

Carte-de-visite of a portrait painted in 1812 by James Peale; other biographical information on back of photo; with internal revenue stamp dated Nov. 5, 1864

74x149.4-.6 John McAllister, Jr., Dec. 1865; two poses in one photo; (three copies)

Taken by Cremer & Dillon, Philadelphia; with internal revenue stamp

74x149.7 photo of a street in Philadelphia, Dec. 1, 1854; with three of the buildings numbered, and a note on back about those 3 buildings; no. 3 is noted as being “the first property we owned,” and a sign reading Mathematical Instruments is on the side of the building; [note also Maas’ printing shop next door - see 84x131.1);

Carte-de-visite photograph, with internal revenue stamp dated Nov. 5, 1864