Calendar

The Gilded Age of the late 1800s is not typically recalled as an age of reform, though the Pendleton Civil Service Act was signed into law in 1883. This action to stem patronage in federal jobs was a response to the dramatic expansion in the size and scope of government. Reformers hoped its passage would initiate an era of civil service reforms at the state and local levels too, but Pennsylvania did not pass a comprehensive civil service reform law until 1941.

Brickwalls in African American genealogy can be caused by lack of records or improper research habits. Learning to research effectively can help to avoid these brickwalls. This presentation includes a case study on Alexina (Newman) Scott to demonstrate proper techniques for researching an African American family in Maryland, from evaluating known information to identifying parents to locating the final owner of an enslaved person.  Part one of a series of genealogy workshops in March.

So you have found the occupation of your ancestor, now what? Ancestral occupations can give clues to who our ancestors were, how they lived, where they lived, and most importantly, give them individual identity and personality. The sources that identify occupations are numerous. Church records, city directories, census records, wills, and land records are just a few that may list professions.  Part two in our series of genealogy workshops.

A vast number of immigrants came to America from Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Border changes, language differences, political considerations, and exotic-sounding surnames often complicate the search for Austrian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Rusyn, Slovak, Ukrainian, and other Eastern European ancestors.

Philadelphia’s strong tradition of neighborhood distinctiveness has lasting power and deep roots.  In this culmination of the series, we look at the foundations of community experience. How do neighborhood ties unite and sometimes divide us? Across neighborhood boundaries, how do we form the common bonds of civic life?  This panel will be moderated by Carolyn Adams of Temple University with panelists including Linn Washington of Temple University, Domenic Vitiello of the University of Pennsylvania, and Thoai Nguyen of SEAMAAC, and Louis Massiah of Scribe Video.

Every institution struggles with pressure to be visible on the web and to make its collections accessible to wider audiences, and many face daunting hurdles to implementing digitization programs. This program will cover basic issues in digital preservation, including an introduction to digitization, and will provide information on handling guidelines for digitization, selection of materials, conducting pilot projects, creating access to digitized materials, funding sources, and the benefits of collaborating with other institutions.

One hundred years ago the Titanic sunk to the astonishment of the world. On this anniversary we are taking a moment to honor and recognize two Philadelphia passengers, R. Norris Williams II and Harry Elkins Widener. One survived and one perished but both made an impact on the intellectual legacy of rare books and manuscripts in America.

This May marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Martin Delany, an African American abolitionist, Harvard-educated physician, and Civil War officer. Join us for a panel discussion about the history, science, and social ideologies surrounding Delany’s fascinating and powerful life story.

The Founder’s Award is HSP’s premier annual fundraising event, and recognizes individuals and/or organizations for their contributions to history and the preservation of cultural heritage.