The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Bickham Family Papers circa 1694-1975
© 2013 University of Chicago Library
| Title: | Bickham Family. Papers |
|---|---|
| Dates: | circa 1694-1975 |
| Size: | 7 linear feet (12 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | The Bickham Family Papers include family and business correspondence and legal documents. The collection date from 1694 to 1975, the bulk is the correspondences of Martin Bickham, his son Stephan Girard Bickham, grandson Martin Bickham and great grandson Martin Hayes Bickham, from 1820 to 1939. The documents include letters between family members, business associates, evidence collected for legal battles and estate papers, including wills, deeds, leases, account books and receipts. |
The collection is open for research
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Bickham Family. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
The Bickham Family emigrated from England to Chester, Pennsylvania in the late seventeenth century. Later generations of the family owned property and continued to live in the Philadelphia region.
The Bickham family included Martin Bickham, consul to Isle de France (Mauritius) from 1816 until 1826. His son, Stephan Girard Bickham, became a well-known merchant in the Philadelphia area, while his daughter LaDorie married the Comte DuPont and had one son, Arthur DuPont. Following the deaths of Comte and Comtesse DuPont, Martin Bickham and Stephan Girard Bickham became the managers of DuPont’s inheritance in the United States.
Stephan Girard’s son, Martin Bickham, who would later lease Conestoga Farm from Arthur DuPont, was the father of sociologist and activist Martin Hayes Bickham.
The Bickham Family Papers include family and business correspondence, memorabilia, and legal documentation, including deeds, indenture contracts, land surveys, banking material, account and estate records.
Series I: Genealogy, includes information relating to the genealogy of the Bickham family. This series includes a family tree.
Series II: Family Correspondence, contains correspondence sent to or from Bickham family members and is arranged chronologically. Letters relate to property, business transactions and family gossip. This series spans from 1809-1975. Letters written to Martin H. Bickham span the Great Depression and include personal accounts.
Series III: Legal Disputes, includes correspondence and legal documentation of two large legal disputes involving Bickham family members. The first, the White-Larramendi v. Martin Bickham Controversy, was ongoing between 1802 and 1829, and concerned a ship owned by Martin Bickham and the loss of property on the boat. Most of the documents pertaining to this controversy are in French. The second legal dispute is the Conestoga Farm Controversy, a dispute over land inheritance after Arthur DuPont’s death. Documents date from 1859 to 1930, though most are from 1921 and 1922.
Series IV: Legal Documents and Business Correspondence, documents legal transaction and business endeavors undertaken by Bickham family members from 1694 to 1955. This series includes invoices, receipts and account books as well as legal contracts.
Series V: Notes and Ephemera. This series includes “To Let” signs, newspaper clippings, medicine and home remedies, and notes about the French Revolution written in 1848. This series includes documents from 1821-1968.
Series VI: Ledgers, includes 4 ledgers used to keep track of accounts and help with estate management in the mid-19th century
Series VII: Oversize, includes two posters. One is from the estate sale held by Ellen Bickham after her husband’s death in 1922. The other is an advertisement for a 1897 sale relating to Eugenia Bickham’s musical instrument business.
Martin Hayes Bickham. Papers
Series I: Genealogy |
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Family Genealogy and Family Tree |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Notes from Genealogy Search |
Series II: Family Correspondence |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | Letters written by Martin Bickham, some in French, 1813-1836 |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | Journal 1830-1831 and letters to and from Martin Bickham 1815-1880 |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Mementos, including lock of hair, 1809 |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | Martin Bickham, notes and clippings, circa 1830s |
| Box 1 Folder 7 | Letters from Martin Bickham to his daughter and her husband the Comte DuPont, 1837-1848 |
| Box 1 Folder 8 | Papers relating to Martin Bickham’s estate collected by Stephan G. Bickham after M. Bickham’s death |
| Box 1 Folder 9 | Letters from Stephan Girard Bickham to his father Martin Bickham and others, 1816-1831 |
| Box 1 Folder 10 | Family correspondence, in French, 1825-1829 |
| Box 1 Folder 11 | Family correspondence, in French, 1836-1860 |
| Box 1 Folder 12 | Family correspondence, 1852-1859 |
| Box 1 Folder 13 | Letters from Ladorie Bickham (Comtesse de DuPont), written in French 1827-1841 |
| Box 1 Folder 14 | Letters written by Arthur DuPont, grandson of Martin Bickham, some in French 1837-1922 |
| Box 1 Folder 15 | Writings by and about Ladorie Bickham (Comtesse de DuPont) 1835 |
| Box 1 Folder 16 | Papers of Maurice Bickham, in French 1826-1828 |
| Box 2 Folder 1 | Papers concerning Stephan Girard Bickham’s appointment as Arthur DuPont’s trustee, some in French 1839-1859 |
| Box 2 Folder 2 | Undated Letters from Stephan Girard Bickham concerning Arthur DuPont’s estate |
| Box 2 Folder 3 | Writings by Stephan Girard about a legal problem, few dated 1863 most undated |
| Box 2 Folder 4 | Stephan Girard Bickham Letters regarding his father and nephew’s estates, few dated 1860 most undated |
| Box 2 Folder 5 | Letters to Stephan Girard Bickham 1857-1870 |
| Box 2 Folder 6 | Letters by Stephan Girard Bickham concerning his estates |
| Box 2 Folder 7 | Checks to Martin Bickham and Lidorie Bickham (Comtesse de DuPont) 1839-1853 |
| Box 2 Folder 8 | Stephan Girard Bickham business letters 1859-1873 |
| Box 2 Folder 9 | Miscellaneous Family Correspondence relating to Stephan Girard Bickham’s hospitalization |
| Box 2 Folder 10 | Letters from Martin Bickham to his son Martin H. Bickham while at University of Chicago September-October 1913 |
| Box 2 Folder 11 | Letters from Martin Bickham to his son Martin H. Bickham while at University of Chicago November- December 1913 |
| Box 2 Folder 12 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham January- June 1914 |
| Box 2 Folder 13 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham July-December 1914 |
| Box 2 Folder 14 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham January- May 1915 |
| Box 2 Folder 15 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham June-August 1915 |
| Box 2 Folder 16 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham September-October 1915 |
| Box 2 Folder 17 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham November-December 1915 |
| Box 3 Folder 1 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham January-May 1916 |
| Box 3 Folder 2 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham June-August 1916 |
| Box 3 Folder 3 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham September-December 1916 |
| Box 3 Folder 4 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham January-June 1917 |
| Box 3 Folder 5 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham July-August 1917 |
| Box 3 Folder 6 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham September 1917-January 1918 |
| Box 3 Folder 7 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham February-August 1918 |
| Box 3 Folder 8 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham September 1918-February 1921 |
| Box 3 Folder 9 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham March-August 1921 |
| Box 3 Folder 10 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham September-December 1921 |
| Box 4 Folder 1 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham January-March 1922 |
| Box 4 Folder 2 | Letters from Martin Bickham to Martin H. Bickham April-July 1922 |
| Box 4 Folder 3 | Miscellaneous Letters to Martin H. Bickham 1908-1920 |
| Box 4 Folder 4 | Letters written by Martin H. Bickham to his parents, includes newspaper clipping 1916-1919 |
| Box 4 Folder 5 | Letters from J.H. Styer to Martin H. Bickham concerning goods from Martin Bickham’s estate August-October 1922 |
| Box 4 Folder 6 | Notes from E.M. Bickham, wife of Martin Bickham, concerning payment of debt and sale of estate 1922 |
| Box 4 Folder 7 | Miscellaneous 1921-1941 mostly undated notes, one copy of letter, a letter from Cousin Galen (1933), a birthday card (undated), a death notice (1941), and Martin H. Bickham’s business cards |
| Box 4 Folder 8 | Letters from Arthur Bickham to Martin H. Bickham 1922-1930 |
| Box 4 Folder 9 | Letters from Martin H. Bickham to Comte Richemond, Martin Bickham and his sister Jennie Sietz August 1922 |
| Box 4 Folder 10 | Letters from Edith Mae Bickham to Martin H. Bickham 1917-1948 |
| Box 4 Folder 11 | Letters from Blanche (Bickham) Boehringer & husband William H. Boehringer to Martin H. Bickham 1917-1933 |
| Box 4 Folder 12 | Letters from Blanche (Bickham) Boehringer to Martin H. Bickham 1935-1941 |
| Box 4 Folder 13 | Letters of William Bickham and wife Mollie to Martin H. Bickham 1921-1941 |
| Box 4 Folder 14 | Letters from Aunt Weasie to Martin H. Bickham and one from Sam Bickham to Aunt Weasie 1922-1941 |
| Box 5 Folder 1 | Letters from Sam Bickham to Martin H. Bickham 1903-1933 |
| Box 5 Folder 2 | Letters from Sam Bickham to Martin H. Bickham 1936-1939 |
| Box 5 Folder 3 | Letters from Jean (Bickham) Seitz to Martin H. Bickham 1929-1941 |
| Box 5 Folder 4 | Letters from various cousins to Martin H. Bickham 1929-1938 |
| Box 5 Folder 5 | Letters from Ellen Bickham to stepson Martin H. Bickham 1926-1933 |
| Box 5 Folder 6 | Letters from Ellen Bickham to stepson Martin H. Bickham 1934-1938 |
| Box 5 Folder 7 | Letters from sister Bessie (Bickham) Styer, daughters Gladys and Suie and husband James Styer to Martin H. Bickham 1923-1941 |
| Box 5 Folder 8 | Letter from Emma (Bickham) Pitcher to father Martin H. Bickham 1940 |
| Box 5 Folder 9 | Letters from Robert E. Simpson to Martin H. Bickham 1954 and 1957 |
| Box 5 Folder 10 | Letters from his nieces and nephews to Martin H. Bickham 1966-1975 |
Series III: Legal Disputes |
This series contains documents detailing two major legal disputes: the White-Larramendi v. Martin Bickham Controversy and the Conestoga Farm Dispute. This includes legal correspondence, legal documents, and evidence from the disputes.
| Box 5 Folder 11 | Bickham’s account of the White- Larramendi Affair 1824 |
| Box 5 Folder 12 | Document about the White-Larramendi Controversy, written in French |
| Box 5 Folder 13 | Document about the White-Larramendi Controversy 1818-1823, written in Spanish and French |
| Box 6 Folder 1 | Document about the White-Larramendi Controversy, written in French with English translation (1823) |
| Box 6 Folder 2 | Bickham’s Statement for his defense undated |
| Box 6 Folder 3 | Legal Document in French |
| Box 6 Folder 4 | White’s Statement (in Spanish), Tribunal’s Sentence in Laramandy v. Bickham (French), and Currency Exchange 1818-1824 |
| Box 6 Folder 5 | Opinion of Don Manuel Bernalde, written in Spanish 1825 |
| Box 6 Folder 6 | Letters written in Spanish 1818-1824 |
| Box 6 Folder 7 | Undated Legal Document in French |
| Box 6 Folder 8 | Summation of Case in English 1824 and Letters to M. Bickham in English and French 1824-1825 |
| Box 6 Folder 9 | Letters relating to Conestoga Farm 1852-1861 |
| Box 6 Folder 10 | Letters to Martin Bickham, Stephan Girard’s son, about Conestoga Farm 1876-1930 |
| Box 6 Folder 11 | Arthur DuPont’s documentation of ownership of Conestoga Farm 1828-1877 |
| Box 6 Folder 12 | Letters concerning the leasing of Arthur DuPont’s property to Martin Bickham 1846-1906 |
| Box 6 Folder 13 | Receipts to Martin Bickham for paying rent on farm 1880-1891 |
| Box 6 Folder 14 | Receipts to Martin Bickham for paying rent on farm 1892-1913 |
| Box 6 Folder 15 | Letters by Martin Bickham about the family history on the farm 1920-1921 |
| Box 6 Folder 16 | Letters of between Martin Bickham and Comte Richemond on inheritance from Arthur DuPont 1880-1921 |
| Box 6 Folder 17 | Letters by Martin H. Bickham to his father Martin Bickham on ownership of farm 1920- August 1921 |
| Box 6 Folder 18 | Letters from Martin H. Bickham to his father Martin Bickham on ownership of farm September 1921- 1922 |
| Box 6 Folder 19 | Letters by Comte de Richemond to Martin and Martin H. Bickham 1921-1922 |
| Box 6 Folder 20 | Letters to and from Martin H. Bickham concerning the legal sale of Conestoga Farm 1920-1922 |
Series IV: Legal Documents and Business Correspondence |
This series contains material regarding legal transactions and business endeavors undertaken by Bickham family members, arranged chronologically. This includes deeds, surveys, contracts, checks, receipts and correspondences.
| Box 7 Folder 1 | Legal Documents (Will, Surveys) 1694-1804 |
| Box 7 Folder 2 | Notes regarding various surveys 1714-1792 |
| Box 7 Folder 3 | Indentures and Will of Jonathan Wright 1705-1778 |
| Box 7 Folder 4 | Documents of Thomas Bickham 1737-1789 |
| Box 7 Folder 5 | Documents of Richard Bickham 1714-1762 |
| Box 7 Folder 6 | 1763 Deed |
| Box 7 Folder 7 | Martin Bickham Documents Surveys 1742-1766 |
| Box 7 Folder 8 | Deed of Land between Lynford Landner and John Landner 1774 |
| Box 7 Folder 9 | Documents of Caleb Bickham 1778-1792 |
| Box 7 Folder 10 | Documents from Martin Bickham including deeds, a will, and power of attorney |
| Box 7 Folder 11 | Invoices and Business papers of Martin Bickham, written in French 1826-1832 |
| Box 7 Folder 12 | Business Correspondence to Martin Bickham, some in French 1813-1835 |
| Box 7 Folder 13 | Late 19th century notes, letters and Market Book 1855-1856 |
| Box 7 Folder 14 | Deeds and Land Rental agreements and Letters pertaining to the land rented 1825-1844 |
| Box 7 Folder 15 | Invoices and Business Papers of Martin Bickham, especially cotton import to Philadelphia 1831-1833 |
| Box 7 Folder 16 | Invoices and Business Papers of Martin Bickham 1830-1832 |
| Box 7 Folder 17 | Account Books from Martin Bickham 1832, 1851-56 |
| Box 7 Folder 18 | Business Correspondence to Martin Bickham, some in French 1831-1846 |
| Box 7 Folder 19 | Business Correspondence to Martin Bickham 1844-45 |
| Box 7 Folder 20 | Martin Bickham’s papers relating to lawsuit with James Dehaven, tenant of DuPont Farm |
| Box 8 Folder 1 | Anonymous Journal 1831-33 |
| Box 8 Folder 2 | Anonymous Journal 1837-39 |
| Box 8 Folder 3 | Account Books for Federal Hall Farm 1855 |
| Box 8 Folder 4 | Receipts and other financial papers of Stephan Girard Bickham and Martin Bickham relating to property held in trust for Arthur DuPont 1848-1863 |
| Box 8 Folder 5 | Accounts of Stephan Girard Bickham 1844-1871 |
| Box 8 Folder 6 | Legal papers and property maps belonging to Stephan Girard Bickham 1865-73 |
| Box 8 Folder 7 | Papers relating to various court cases in which Stephan Girard and his wife Sarah Bickham were involved circa 1860 |
| Box 8 Folder 8 | Paper books of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, containing cases of Stephan Girard Bickham |
| Box 8 Folder 9 | Receipts of Stephan Girard and Sarah Bickham 1866-1876 |
| Box 8 Folder 10 | Legal papers of Stephan Girard Bickham 1855-1865 |
| Box 8 Folder 11 | Letters and documents regarding Stephan Girard Bickham’s finances and estate |
| Box 9 Folder 1 | Stephan Girard Bickham’s accounts 1869-1871 |
| Box 9 Folder 2 | Account and Memorandum Books of Stephan Girard Bickham and Sarah Bickham 1859-1869/1870 |
| Box 9 Folder 3 | Account and Memorandum Books of Stephan Girard Bickham and Sarah Bickham 1870-1873 and undated |
| Box 9 Folder 4 | Account and Memorandum Books of Stephan Girard Bickham and Sarah Bickham 1873-74 |
| Box 9 Folder 5 | Book of Stephan Girard Bickham’s finances and estates |
| Box 9 Folder 6 | Receipts of Martin Bickham 1864-1879 |
| Box 9 Folder 7 | Account and Memorandum Books of Martin Bickham 1863-1887 |
| Box 9 Folder 8 | Financial Papers and Receipts of Martin Bickham 1869-1873 |
| Box 9 Folder 9 | Financial Papers and Receipts of Martin Bickham 1874-1878 |
| Box 10 Folder 1 | Correspondence from Eugenia Bickham to father Martin Bickham concerning musical instrument business January 1896-May 1896 |
| Box 10 Folder 2 | Correspondence from Eugenia Bickham to father Martin Bickham concerning musical instrument business June 1896-March 1897 |
| Box 10 Folder 3 | Business Correspondence from E.R. McCaa to Martin Bickham 1896-January 1897 |
| Box 10 Folder 4 | Banking papers from Fulton National Bank and financial papers belonging to Martin Bickham 1896-1898 |
| Box 10 Folder 5 | Banking papers from Ephrata National Bank to Martin Bickham 1897 |
| Box 10 Folder 6 | Banking papers from Ephrata National Bank and Fulton National Bank to Martin Bickham 1898 |
| Box 10 Folder 7 | Farm accounts and receipts and tax notices for Martin Bickham 1895-1920 |
| Box 10 Folder 8 | Miscellaneous receipts 1909-1955 |
Series V: Notes and Ephemera |
This series contains documents that are of interest to the family but that are not correspondence. This includes “To Let” signs, newspaper clippings, information about the formation of Conestoga County, Pennsylvania and San Fernando Valley, California, medicine and home remedies, and notes pertaining to the French Revolution.
| Box 11 Folder 1 | Miscellaneous Documents all but one in French and unsigned, other is from Bank of Pennsylvania 1822-1828 |
| Box 11 Folder 2 | Clippings and papers about free banking 1821-41 |
| Box 11 Folder 3 | Charter and Bye Laws of the Mutual Insurance Company of Lancaster Co, PA 1843 |
| Box 11 Folder 4 | “To Let” signs 1844 |
| Box 11 Folder 5 | Papers relating to the proposed formation of Conestoga Co, PA (never founded) 1845 |
| Box 11 Folder 6 | Documents relating to the French Revolution 1848-1852 |
| Box 11 Folder 7 | Documents relating to medicine and home remedies. Includes lock of hair. |
| Box 11 Folder 8 | Clippings concerning the founding of San Fernando Valley 1928 |
| Box 11 Folder 9 | Notes for speech delivered at Churchtown PA by Martin H. Bickham 1968 |
Series VI: Ledgers |
This series contains four ledges from 1837-1870 that are related to accounts and the running of the estate.
| Box 12 Folder 1 | Notes from Martin Bickham’s 1837 Ledger |
| Box 12 Folder 2 | Martin Bickham’s Ledger 1837 |
| Box 12 Folder 3 | Bickham Family Ledger 1856-1857 |
| Box 12 Folder 4 | Bickham Family Ledger also used as an exercise book for French 1868 |
| Box 12 Folder 5 | Account Book of Stephan Girard Bickham 1870 |
Series VII: Oversize |
| Box OVRZ Folder 1 | Instrument Sale poster 1897 and Estate Sale poster 1922
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