%eadnotat; ]> 5005wiat Wilmer Atkinson Family Papers, 1881-1948 SKM Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2001 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, May 2002. ENG Wilmer Atkinson Family Papers, 1881-1948 SKM Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2001 Descriptive Summary Wilmer Atkinson Family Papers, 1881-1948 RG 5/005 Gertrude Atkinson (1874-1948) 4 boxes; 1.75 linear ft. Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081-1399

Phone: (610) 328-8496 FAX: (610) 690-5728 For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog Wilmer Atkinson (1840-1920) of Philadelphia, Pa., was a Quaker journalist and editor and publisher of the Farm Journal. He was active in social concerns, especially suffrage for women. The scrapbooks in this collection were compiled by his daughter, Gertrude Atkinson (1874-1948). The collection includes scrapbooks containing clippings and memorabilia concerning the Atkinson, Allen, and related families, and a typed copy of a journal which Wilmer Atkinson kept in 1917 concerning the War. BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL

Wilmer Atkinson was born June 13, 1840, the son of Thomas and Hannah (Quimby) Atkinson of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He was a birthright and lifelong member of the Society of Friends. Atkinson was educated at the Foulke Boarding School at Gwynedd and then at Freeland Seminary, which became Ursinus College. He served briefly in the Civil War, and in 1866 he married Anna Allen, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Allen of Philadelphia. His sister, Mary Anna Atkinson, married Howard M. Jenkins, who became a business partner. Wilmer and Anna had three daughters, Elizabeth Allen, Emily Quimby, and Gertrude. The youngest daughter, Gertrude (1874-1948) never married and compiled the scrapbooks in this collection.

Wilmer Atkinson was an editor of newspapers in Wilmington, Delaware, and Norristown, Pa., with his brother-in-law, Howard Jenkins. In 1877 he founded the Farm Journal, a monthly farm journal published in Philadelphia, Pa. His nephew, Charles Francis Jenkins, longtime member of the Swarthmore Board of Managers, succeeded him as editor of the Farm Journal. Atkinson was a journalist and active in social concerns, especially women's suffrage. He died May 10, 1920.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

Wilmer Atkinson (1840-1920) was a Philadelphia, Pa., Quaker journalist and publisher of the Farm Journal. The collection includes scrapbooks containing clippings and memorabilia concerning the Atkinson, Allen, and related families, and a typed journal which Atkinson kept in 1917 concerning the War. The family was involved with Ursinus College, women's suffrage, and Buck Hill Falls.

Arrangement

The collection is divided in two series:

Journal and notebooks Scrapbooks ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Accession information

Donor: Edward Jenkins, 1956

The collection was given to Edward Jenkins by Gertrude Atkinson. Gertrude was the daughter of Wilmer Atkinson, and Edward was her cousin.

Access

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Copyright has not been assigned to Friends Historical Library All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in to the Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Friends Historical Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by reader.

Preferred Citation

[Indicate the cited item or series here], RG 5/005, Wilmer Atkinson Family Papers, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Processing information

The collection was boxed and inventoried in the 1950s. In 2001, it was reprocessed and a new finding aid created. Related items which had been stored in PG 7 reference file were transferred to the collection, including: Two small notebooks on the Atkinson family, apparently compiled by Gertrude Atkinson, genealogical correspondence dated 1881 of Wilmer Atkinson, and a typed biographical sketch of Wilmer Atkinson by his daughter, Emily Q. Atkinson Ellis.

Bibliography PG7, Friends Historical Library Biographical/Genealogical reference files Atkinson, Wilmer, An Autobiography. Philadelphia: 1920. Related Material

See also:

Howard M. (Howard Malcolm) Jenkins Papers, RG 5/074 Charles F. Jenkins Autograph Collection, MSS 031 Farm Journal

SELECTED SEARCH TERMS/INDEX TERMS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Friends Historical Library (TRIPOD). Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings: Researchers are advised to search by subject and author, when applicable.

Quakers -- Pennsylvania Pennsylvania -- Quakers Buck Hill Falls (Pa.) Farm journal Allen family Atkinson family Quimby family Quakers -- World War, 1914-1918 Scrapbooks Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pa Atkinson, Wilmer, 1840-1920 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

Note to Researchers: To request materials, please note both the location and box numbers shown below:

Ser. 1. Journal and notebooks, 1917, n.d. War Journal of Wilmer Atkinson 1917 typed mss. 1 2 notebooks on family matters, genealogy 1 typed Misc. genealogical correspondence and biography of Atkinson by his daughter, Emily Ellis 1 Ser. 2. Scrapbooks, complied by Gertrude Atkinson, 1893-1948, n.d. Scrapbook "W.A." on life and death of W. Atkinson 2 Loose items removed from scrapbook, condolences, etc. 2 Family Records, 1893-1948 Family Records 1893-1914 2 Family Records 1914-1926 2 Family Records 1925-1935 3 Family Records 1932-1948 3 Samuel Allen Family Record Book 4 Historical clippings 2 scrapbooks 4