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Miller and Prichard families papers
Series 1, Walter Pawson Miller Jr. and Anne Perley Prichard (1896-2000, undated), contains a variety of individual and family documents. Subseries 1.a., Walter P. Miller Jr., contains a few clippings, certificates, notes, and a small amount of correspondence. Subseries 1.b., Anne Perley Prichard, co...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Collection: | Miller and Prichard Families Papers |
| Collection Number: | 4465 |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Link to finding aid |
| Item Description: |
Processing Information: Materials were received in archival folders. The original organization scheme was essentially maintained, with folders being split for disparate materials. Some photograph albums were in poor condition and were disassembled to protect the contents. Photographs were sleeved and placed in archival albums. A few scrapbooks in three-ring binders were deteriorating; these were disassembled and placed in archival folders.
Two opalotype photographs have been temporarily pulled from the collection for conservation. They will returned to the collection once work is complete, and this finding aid will be updated accordingly. |
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| Physical Description: |
11.55 Linear feet ; 20 boxes, 36 volumes, 1 flat file |
| Access: |
Collection is open for research. |
| Summary: |
Series 1, Walter Pawson Miller Jr. and Anne Perley Prichard (1896-2000, undated), contains a variety of individual and family documents. Subseries 1.a., Walter P. Miller Jr., contains a few clippings, certificates, notes, and a small amount of correspondence. Subseries 1.b., Anne Perley Prichard, contains correspondence, musical compositions (Volumes 1-2), recital programs, travel diaries (Volumes 3-7, Box 1 folder 18), Easter party records, and estate papers. Subseries 1.c., Miller family, documents the couple’s honeymoon to Mexico and and the family’s life together. Notable items include a booklet published by Ward Lines advertising their cruise shipsMorro Castle andOriente (Box 4 folder 1) and the family’s World War II ration books (Box 3 folder 18). Subseries 1.d., Walter P. Miller Paper Box Company, contains a cash book (Volume 8) and a day book (Volume 9) of the Walter P. Miller Paper Box company. There is also an article written by Walter P. Miller Jr. from the Modern Packaging Encyclopedia.
Series 2, Miller children (1945-2008, undated), is a very small series containing the records of the Millers’ children, Anne Adams Miller, Walter P. Miller III, and Richard Coates Miller. There is a travel journal for Anne Adams Miller, a letter from Walter P. Miller III to his family, and a small assortment of school, work, and religious documents for Richard Coates Miller.
Series 3, Other family members (1945-2008, undated), contains documents from various family members of other generations and branches. It includes a large number of diaries and missionary journals written by Susan Matilda Wallington Miller (Boxes 6-7). Also notable are the travel diaries of S. M. W. Miller’s daughter, Laura W. Miller (Box 8, Volumes 16-17) and the commonplace book of Florence N. Tilton Prichard (Box 8 folder 17), mother of Anne Perley Prichard. The letters and poems of Frank Perley Prichard to his family and the papers of his daughter Margaret Tilton Prichard round out the series.
Series 4, Photographs and scrapbooks (circa 1865-2016, undated), contains a large array of family photographs, including daguerreotypes and a mid-nineteenth century family album (Box 11). There are baby albums for Anne Perley Prichard (Volume 18) and Anne Adams Miller and Walter P. Miller III (Volume 19). Miller family photograph albums continue through 1961. The series also includes a large number of photographs documenting the products of the Walter P. Miller Paper Box Company (Box 16). Additionally, there is an extensive group of combined travel diaries and scrapbooks, starting with the Millers’ 1936 cruise to the West Indies (Box 2 folder 14) and continuing to document family trips until the mid-1970s (Box 17 folder 9).
Series 5, Artifacts (1910-1951, undated), is a very small series containing a few artifacts, such as needlework, baby shoes, a political campaign button, and a corporate seal for the Walter P. Miller Paper Box Company.
Philadelphia residents Walter Pawson Miller Jr. (1901-1978) and his wife Anne Perley Prichard Miller (1910-2001) married in 1934, and they had strong local roots. Walter lived in Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy and ran the family business. He ran in Philadelphia's mayoral primary in 1951, served as president of the Chamber of Commerce, and he was instrumental in the establishment of the Philadelphia International Airport. His father Walter P. Miller Sr. (died 1935) formed the Walter P. Miller Company, which made paper boxes. His grandmother Susan M. Wallington Miller was a missionary in Philadelphia for the Baptist church. Anne Perley Prichard was trained as a concert pianist in Germany under the tutelage of German pianist and music scholar Rudolph Maria Breithaupt. Before she married, she performed regularly in the Philadelphia area, notably at the Academy of Music. Her father, Frank Perley Prichard, was a successful local lawyer and graduated from Central High School. Florence Tilton Prichard, Anne’s mother, was president of the American Women’s Club EV in Berlin. Walter and Anne had three children: Anne Adams Miller, Walter Pawson Miller III, and Richard Coates Miller. The couple traveled extensively in North America and Europe. This collection documents the Miller and Prichard families’ lives and work in and around Philadelphia through several generations, from the mid-nineteenth century into the twenty-first century. The material includes photographs and photo albums, scrapbooks, personal and travel diaries, family history records, cards, ephemera, letters, certificates, and music books. There are also two volumes of financial records of the Walter P. Miller Company. Material in the collection has been arranged according to family members, with the largest parts devoted to Walter and Anne’s records. Photographs and scrapbooks comprise a significant portion of the collection. |