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Biddle and Heckscher families papers

Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), a prominent Philadelphia attorney and a great-grandson of General Clement Biddle (1740-1814), married Julia Biddle (1858-1952). They had three children: Edith Frances (1881-1938), Julian Cornell (1890-1917), and Alfred Alexander (b. 1885). Alfred married Gertrude Spencer H...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Biddle family (Creator), Heckscher family (Creator)
Contributors: Biddle, Sheila (Donor (dnr))
Collection:Biddle and Heckscher Families Papers
Collection Number:3906
Format: Manuscript
Language:English
Subjects and Genres:
Biddle, Arthur > 1852-1897.
Biddle, Julia > 1858-1952.
Biddle, Julian Cornell > 1890-1917.
Heckscher, Gertrude.
Brothers and sisters > Correspondence.
Children > Correspondence.
Family life > Personal correspondence > 20th century.
Personal Correspondence.
World War, 1914-1918 > France > Personal accounts.
World War, 1914-1918 > Participation, American.
World War, 1914-1918 > Personal correspondence.
World War, 1914-1918 > Personal Narratives.
World War, 1914-1918.
Philadelphia (Pa.) > Social life and customs > 20th century.
Correspondence.
Online Access:Link to finding aid
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Physical Description: 0.8 Linear feet ; 2 boxes
Access: The collection is open for research.
Summary: Arthur Biddle (1852-1897), a prominent Philadelphia attorney and a great-grandson of General Clement Biddle (1740-1814), married Julia Biddle (1858-1952). They had three children: Edith Frances (1881-1938), Julian Cornell (1890-1917), and Alfred Alexander (b. 1885). Alfred married Gertrude Spencer Heckscher, with whom he had four children. During World War I, Julian became a pilot, enlisted in the French Foreign Legion, and was assigned to Escadrille 73 of the French Air Force. He died when his plane crashed in the English Channel. The collection includes papers of the Biddle and Heckscher families, primarily Arthur and Julia Biddle, their children, and Gertrude Heckscher, including correspondence, photographs, government and military documents, clippings, ephemera, and other items. Of special note are letters by Julian Cornell Biddle to his mother and others while he was serving in the French military; an August 1914 letter by Gertrude Heckscher in London, detailing her experiences getting out of Germany and Belgium after the outbreak of war; and a 1783 children's copybook that contains detailed instructions for staging "Juvenile Theatre" plays, as well as schoolwork problems in mathematics and business. Also of note are childhood letters between Edith, Julian, and Alfred Biddle; Julian's medals and military documents (some of which were on his person when his plane crashed); a 1905-1908 photo album of Getrude and Constance Heckscher from their home in Bryn Mawr and travels in several European countries; printed materials from Britain during World War I; 1790s shipping bills of Clement Biddle and others; a telegram from J. P. Morgan concerning Julian Biddle's death; a George Washington letter; and what appears to be a contemporary handwritten copy that was owned by George W. Biddle (Arthur Biddle's father), of Joseph Townsend's narrative of the Battle of Brandywine.

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