Francis Biddle: Death - Corres. to Katherine Biddle., 10/04/1968-12/31/1971

File — Box: 1, Folder: 45

Identifier: 75107

Collection-level Scope and Content Note

From the Collection:

The Biddle Family letters comprise the third part of the Biddle Family papers and is organised into three series:

1. Francis Biddle and Katherine Biddle correspondence exchanged between 1912 and 1968. Of particular interest are the very early "courtship" letters from Katherine Biddle before her marriage to Francis Biddle; and the correspondence (primarily from her) sent in late 1945 to 1946 when Francis Biddle served on the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg.

2. George Biddle correspondence primarily to his brother Francis Biddle written between 1899 and 1972, with the bulk dating between 1940 and 1970. The letters provide biographical details on his work and rich connections in the art world. (cf. also George Biddle's autobiography, "An American Artist's Story" (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1939).

3. Miscellaneous family correspondence and material relating to other members of the Biddle clan including the families of Coxe, Chapin (note especially the letters of sculptor and artist Cornelia Chapin), McMurtrie, Randolph, and Robinson. Letters by the earlier members of the family provide much historical interest, offering insight into the lives of American nineteenth century men, women and their families.

Husbands and sons often wrote from abroad as necessities of work and education dictated. In particular, letters from William McMurtrie to his wife Elizabeth Coxe McMurtrie offer colorful descriptions of his experiences while serving in the U.S. Navy off the coasts of Italy, Turkey, and in Gibralter. Women's correspondence is typically replete with domestic news of births, deaths, and the general health of various family members. Mothers and aunts advised daughters and nieces on the social graces and especially matters of religion. Well-educated and literate, the women wrote to each other at length, often reporting on books they were reading, as well as the running of their own schools, as did Emily Coxe and her sister Ann Coxe, both married to ministers, the Reverend Charles Pettit McIlvaine and the Reverend Chauncey Colton, respectively. (cf. also the Franklin Sanborne Papers, for nineteenth century American women's correspondence.)

Other substantial correspondence of historical interest includes that of Clement Cornell Biddle (1784-1855), George Biddle (1843-1886), George Washington Biddle (1818-1897), his wife Maria Coxe McMurtrie Biddle, and her sister Elizabeth McMurtrie McColl. The collection is completed by several valuable files of information on the Biddle family genealogy tracing roots back to William Biddle (1630-1712) and wife Sarah Kemp, who arrived in America in 1681, as well as to William Randolph (1650-1711), whose grandson married a granddaughter of Pocahontas.

Dates

10/04/1968-12/31/1971

Collection-level Access Restrictions

Permission of the Biddle Family is required before accessing this collection. The Booth Family Center for Special Collections can provide information on the permission process.

Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.

Extent

From the Collection: 2.25 Linear Feet (3 Hollinger Document Cases, 1 Record Storage.)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Container Summary

Correspondence to Katherine Biddle regarding the death of her husband Francis Biddle (October 4, 1968). Includes: Virginia Bacon, Adolf * Beatrice Berle, Ruth Birkett ("Billy"), Randolph Chetwynd (2 ALS), Gladys & Jan Ciechanowski, Rosamond & Edward Corbett, Ben Curry, Jonathan Daniels (2 TLS), Robert Dechert, Paul H. Douglas, Elizabeth B. Drewry, Marthe Andre de Fels, Dwight D. Eisenhower family (printed card), Sergio & Bruna Fenoaltea, Mariana Fitzpatrick, Laura & Adrian Fisher, Alfred Friendly, Walter & Bernice Gilkyson, Caroline Hogue, Lelia & Hubert Howard, Jack Kahn, Eugene J. McCarthy (telegram), Katharine McCook Knox, Alexander Matsas, Umberto Morra, Katharine Schuyler Chambers Munoz, Eugene G. Kraetzer, Jr., Pierre LePaulle, Helen & Walter Lippmann, Robert D. Novak, Marjorie Oaksey, John de J. Pemberton, Jr., John A. Prince, Marjorie Post, Edna & Samuel Rosenbaum, Rosalind Wilson.

Subjects and Associated Physical Materials

BIDDLE, FRANCIS - DEATH: RELATED CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE 1968-71: Autographed Letter

BIDDLE, KATHERINE - CORRES. RECEIVED RE DEATH OF FRANCIS BIDDLE 1968: Autographed Letter

BACON, VIRGINIA - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Autographed Letter

BERLE, ADOLF & BEATRICE - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE FRANCIS 1968: Typescript

BIRKETT, RUTH - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Autographed Letter

CHETWYND, RANDOLPH - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Autographed Letter

CIECHANOWSKI, GLADYS & JAN - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE 1968: Typescript

CORBETT, ROSAMOND & EDWARD - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE FRANCIS: Typescript

CURRY, BEN - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Autographed Letter

DANIELS, JONATHAN - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Typed Letter Signed

DECHERT, ROBERT - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Typed Letter Signed

DOUGLAS, PAUL H. - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Typed Letter Signed

DREWRY, ELIZABETH - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Typed Letter Signed

DE FELS, MARTHE ANDRE (COMTESSE) - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE 1968: Autographed Letter

EISENHOWER, DWIGHT D. & FAMILY - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, K. 1968 (CARD): Printed Item

FENOALTEA, SERGIO & BRUNA - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE 1968: Typescript

FITZPATRICK, MARIANA - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCS: Autographed Letter

FISHER, LAURA & ADRIAN - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE FRANCIS 1968: Typescript

FRIENDLY, ALFRED - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Autographed Letter

GILKYSON, WALTER & BERNICE - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE FRANCIS: Typescript

HOGUE, CAROLINE - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Autographed Letter

HOWARD, LELIA & HUBERT - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE FRANCIS 1968: Typescript

KAHN, JACK - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Autographed Letter

MCCARTHY, EUGENE J. - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Typescript

KNOX, KATHARINE MCCOOK - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE FRANCIS 1968: Typescript

MATSAS, ALEXANDER - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Autographed Letter

MORRA, UMBERTO - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Autographed Letter

CHAMBERS, KATHARINE SCHUYLER - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE FRANCIS: Typescript

KRAETZER, EUGENE G., JR. - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE FRANCIS: Typed Letter Signed

LEPAULLE, PIERRE - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Autographed Letter

LIPPMANN, WALTER & HELEN - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE FRANCIS '68: Typescript

NOVAK, ROBERT D. - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Typed Letter Signed

OAKSEY, MARJORIE - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Autographed Letter

PEMBERTON, JOHN DE J., JR. - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE FRANCIS: Typed Letter Signed

PRINCE, JOHN A. - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Autographed Letter

POST, MARJORIE - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Typescript

ROSENBAUM, SAMUEL & EDNA - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE FRANCIS: Typescript

WILSON, ROSALIND - CORRES. TO BIDDLE, KATHERINE RE DEATH OF FRANCIS: Typed Letter Signed