LibGuides: University Archives Drexel Family Research Guide: Material at Other Archives and Libraries

Other Archives and Special Collections with Drexel Family Material

There is no repository that has a comprehensive collection of Anthony J. Drexel or his family and Drexel descendants. Because Drexel destroyed much of his personal correspondence, any material he created is especially significant. A number of archives and libraries hold Drexel family-related material, and there is currently an effort to confirm the existence and location of these materials.

Confirmed - Catholic Historical Research Center of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
The CHRC holds the archives of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a Catholic order of nuns founded by Saint Katharine Drexel. While the collection is predominantly comprised of records of the order, it includes letters written by Anthony J. Drexel to his nieces and a variety of other Drexel family correspondence and material.
Confirmed - Dornbirn City Archives (Stadtarchiv)
The city archives of Dornbirn, Austria, ancestral home of the Drexel family and birthplace of Francis M. Drexel, holds documents important to understanding early family history. These include division of estate documents, tax documents, and the Dornbirner Familienbuch (Dornbirn Family book) that records the majority of residents from 1500-1920 and is searchable online.

Dornbirn Archives. Franz (Francis) Martin Drexel documents
This PDF contains a timeline and lists relevant documents held at the Dornbirn Archives and secondary sources about Franz Martin Drexel and his family in Austria.

Confirmed - David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University
These collections feature material created by and about Drexel-Duke family members:
Angier Biddle Duke papers, 1915-1990s and undated.
Anthony Drexel Duke Papers, 1953-1991.
Semans family papers, 1809-2008 (bulk 1920-1991).
Mary Duke Biddle Family papers, 1894-1960 (bulk 1920-1939).
Celebration of the Life of Benjamin Newton Duke Collection, 1979.
Cordelia Biddle Duke Robertson scrapbooks, ca. 1933-1962.
Confirmed - Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Collection 3110 Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle Papers, 1912-1961, undated. These papers document Biddle's diplomatic career and his military career, and include correspondence, photographs, clippings, and ephemera. Collection 3905, Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle and Margaret Biddle Robbins papers, includes additional papers of Biddle's and those of Robbins. HSP also possesses a manuscript (Am.8248) of excerpts of literary works, written by Joseph William Drexel and Lucy Wharton.
Confirmed - New England Historic Genealogical Society
The NEHGS is in possession of a 179-page typescript and PDF of a genealogy of Francis Martin Drexel and his descendants for five generations by David R. Oakley. The genealogy contains biographical information and Oakley's sources. Drexel University Archives has a copy for researchers to use upon request.
Confirmed - Smithsonian Institution: Archives of American Art
Livingston L. Biddle, Jr. papers, circa 1940-2002. Biddle, Jr. was an arts administrator and novelist, who helped create and run the National Endowment for the Arts.
Confirmed - Special Collections, University of Delaware Library
MSS 562: Helen Farr Sloan Philadelphia Inquirer notebooks, 1886-1896. The third series in the collection includes Sloan's research on the Drexel family and George W. Childs, mainly clippings about philanthropic activity and social life.
Morgan Library & Museum (formerly Pierpont Morgan Library)
The Morgan Library and Museum has material related to the business partnership of Anthony J. Drexel and John Pierpont Morgan.
ARC 1196 Pierpont Morgan papers, 1803-1934 (bulk 1847-1890). Several ledgers and boxes dealing with Drexel, Morgan, & Co. and its successor, J.P. Morgan & Co. Includes sparse Anthony J. Drexel correspondence.
Guest book : Cragston, 1874-1924. Contains the signatures of guests and the dates of their visits to Cragston, the Morgan's home in Highland Falls, New York, including Anthony J. Drexel.