Manuscript Collections

• Charles Roberts Autograph Letters Collection
• Special Manuscripts Collection
• Morley Family Papers
• Maxfield Parrish Collections
• J. Rendel Harris “Oriental” Manuscript Collection

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A letter signed by Queen Victoria of England to the Queen of Saxony in June 19, 1846 announcing the birth of her daughter, Princess Helena.

In 1677, astronomer Edmund Halley penned this letter probably to Sir Jonas Moore from the island of [St.] Helena, which he describes as being in the torrid zone, though he finds the weather most healthful, even while clouds covering the stars prevent him from making progress on his project.

While the concentration of our manuscript collections centers on Quaker materials, there are a number of other important collections that provide significant research interest. These are outlined below.

Charles Roberts Autograph Letters Collection

Charles Roberts, a graduate of Haverford College in 1864, was inspired to begin collecting what would become a magnificent collection of autograph letters after receiving a letter addressed to him personally by Abraham Lincoln while Roberts was still a Haverford undergraduate. Stopping at the Haverford railroad station on his way to Washington on February 22, 1861, Lincoln agreed to send his autograph to Roberts. That letter is now a part of this valuable collection, ranging from a set of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, letters of the Presidents of the United States, letters of foreign royalty, abolitionists, distinguished American and foreign authors and composers, scientists, educators and businesspeople. The letters date from ca. 1400 to the present; many are accompanied by fine prints and photographs.

When Roberts’ widow, Lucy B. Roberts, gave the collection to Haverford in 1902, it contained some 12,000 items. The collection continues to grow, and it now numbers over 20,000 letters and other original documents. The collection has drawn significant numbers of scholars over the years in quest of the wealth of data it contains.

Special Manuscripts Collection

Currently under this rubric are some 25 non-Quaker collections, ranging from the papers of legal scholars (Fred Rodell) to musicians (John Sebastian and John Davison) to literary papers (Ezra Pound and John Hawkins) to Civil War materials (Nathanial Peabody Rogers and Woodbury and Helen Wheeler Smith) and others. A description of one of these collections appears below.

Morley Family Papers

The extensive Morley family papers focus on versatile author, Christopher D. Morley (1890-1957), Haverford class of 1910 but also on his brothers, Haverford president Felix (1894-1982) and London editor Frank (1899-1985) and their parents. Frank Morley, a professor of mathematics recruited by Pres. Isaac Sharpless, and Frank Morley’s wife, Lillian. Included in the collection are letters, diaries, manuscripts and musical scores. Published works of Christopher Morley are housed in Magill library.

Maxfield Parrish Collections

Maxfield Parrish, Haverford College, class of 1892, was a well-known American artist and illustrator whose work is still much admired. The collection consists of letters and manuscripts, original sketches and drawings, reproductions of his work, books which he illustrated and other ephemera. One of his oil paintings, "Early Autumn, White Birch," is owned by the college and is often exhibited. At Haverford he is remembered with fondness for his chemistry lab notebook which he illustrated with figures of elves operating Bunsen burners, pouring liquids from test tubes and performing other related tasks.

J. Rendel Harris “Oriental” Manuscript Collection

J. Rendel Harris was brought to Haverford at the end of the 19th century from Cambridge University as a Professor of Biblical Languages by then-President, Isaac Sharpless. He spent as much time in the Middle East as possible, and during a leave of absence in 1889-90, he purchased 47 Hebrew, Latin, Arabic, Syriac, Armenian and Ethiopic rolls and codices dating from as early as the 13th century on biblical and grammatical themes. Harris, with Walter Wood, class of 1867, presented these manuscripts to the College. Asked about the source of the documents, Harris replied that "they were all acquired by the lawful, though sometimes tedious, processes of Oriental commerce." Another 25 items have been added to the original collection by various donors.