%eadnotat; ]> An Inventory of the Richard Humphreys Foundation Records, 1837-1982 Finding Aid Prepared by FHL staff Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2001 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, December 2000. ENG Richard Humphreys Foundation Records, 1837-1982 FHL staff Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. ca. 1975 Descriptive Summary Records, 1837-1982 RG 4/059 Richard Humphreys Foundation 13 boxes (6 linear feet) Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081-1399 U.S.A.
For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog. The Richard Humphreys Foundation was created as the result of a bequest of Richard Humphreys (1750-1832), a Philadelphia Quaker who left funds for the establishment of a school for blacks in Philadelphia. The school was founded as the Institute for Colored Youth. A group of Quakers, known first as the Association and after 1842 as the Corporation, oversaw the Institute. Actual management was performed by a board of managers who reported to the Corporation. The Corporation was successively known as the Corporation of the Institute for Colored Youth at Cheyney and the Corporation for Cheyney Training School for Teachers. In 1922, the State of Pennsylvania assumed control of the School, and the corporation changed its name to Richard Humphreys Foundation, with funds from the endowment to be used for promoting education of blacks to become teachers. The collection contains charters and bylaws, minutes of the Corporation and Board of Mangers, annual reports, financial records, correspondence, and other papers.

Repository:

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081-1399

Phone: (610) 328-8496 FAX: (610) 690-5728

 BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE

Richard Humphreys was a Quaker who was born on the Island of Tortola in 1750. As young men he and his brother, Thomas, were sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as apprentices, Richard as a goldsmith and silversmith, Thomas as a tanner.

Richard Humphreys became a well-known and successful silversmith whose shop was at 54 High Street, Philadelphia. At his death in 1832, he left an estate of over $90,000, $10,000 of which he bequeathed to 13 members of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends for the purpose of establishing a school for "...instructing the descendants of the African Race in school learning, in the various branches of the mechanical arts and trades and in Agriculture...in order to prepare and fit and qualify them to act as teachers in such of those branches of useful business as in the Judgment of the said society they may appear best qualified for..."

Chronology 2/25/1837: Preamble and Constitution drawn up for an association of Friends to be called The African Institute; its object: ...the education and improvement of the Children and youth, of the African race, by instructing them in literature, Science, Agriculture, and the Mechanical Arts. April 1837: The name of the Association was changed to The Institute for Coloured Youth. 1839: A 136 acre farm on Old York Road, about 7 miles from the City of Philadelphia, was purchased as the site for the school and farm. 1840: School opened with 5 pupils from the Shelter for Coloured Orphans. 1846: Farm/school failed and the school was closed, the farm sold. 1848: Apprenticing committee was named to set up a program for an evening school for apprenticed Negro youth. 1849-52: Evening school for apprenticed youths held in one room, Barclay St. 1852: Lombard Street School was completed. Day school for both boys and girls, tuition-free. Evening school continued until 1857. 1863: A lot on Shippen Street (now Bainbridge) above 9th St. was purchased and plans for 400 students made. 1866: Bainbridge Street School opened. Continued in operation until 1903. 1902 George Cheyney's farm, 25 miles from Philadelphia, was purchased as the site for the new school/farm. Cornerstone laid in 1903. 1904 Institute for Colored Youth reorganized, opened at Cheyney in 1904, the formal opening was 5-9-1905. 1905 Summer sessions for Negro teachers held at Cheyney. Andrew Carnegie gave $10,000 for a library which was dedicated in 1910. 1914 Association for the Care of Coloured Orphans (the Shelter) moved to five acres of the Cheyney farm. July 1914 Name of the Institute for Coloured Youth changed to Cheyney Training School for Teachers. 1920 Cheyney became State (of Pennsylvania) Normal School, with graduates receiving a State teaching certificate. 1-1-1922 Management of Cheyney Training School for Teachers taken over by the State of Pennsylvania. The State paid $75,000 to the Corporation. 1923 Home for Destitute Colored Children (later Sunnycrest Farm for Boys) moved to the Cheyney site. 1932 Cheyney became a State Teachers College, granting Bachelor degrees.

In 1922, the State of Pennsylvania assumed control of the School, and the corporation changed its name to Richard Humphreys Foundation, with funds from the endowment to be used for promoting education of African-Americans to become teachers.

 SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE RECORDS

The collection contains charters and bylaws, minutes of the Corporation and Board of Managers, annual reports, financial records, correspondence, and other papers.

 Accession information 1975Deposited by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting 1978, 1983Gift of Richard Humphreys Foundation Provenance

Deposited by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 1975. Additional material from Richard Humphreys Foundation and Charlotte Tinker, 1978, 1983.

Parts of the collection have been microfilmed and are available in the repository:

Board of Managers Minutes, 1922-77; Corporation Minutes, 1923-65; Annual Reports (bound), 1856-1900Board of Managers Minutes, 1866-1914 Trustees Minutes, 1823-1838; Board of Managers Minutes, 1914-1922 Corporation Minutes, 1837-59; Apprenticing Committee Minutes, 1848-1851; Corporation Minutes, 1860-1922; Discipline and Instruction Committee Minutes, 1871-1884; Board of Managers Minutes 1837-66 Access

Access is through microfilm when available. 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 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], Richard Humphreys Foundation, Records, 1837-1982, RG 4/059, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.

 Related Material

RG 4/043 Sunnycrest Farm for Negro Boys (Cheyney, Pa.)

SG 3 Cheyney Training School

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:

 Institute for Colored Youth at Cheyney Institute for Colored Youth (Philadelphia, Pa.) Cheyney Training School for Teachers African-Americans--Pennsylvania Philanthropists--United States African-Americans--Education--Pennsylvania Education--Pennsylvania Charities - Quakers - Pennsylvania Quakers--Pennsylvania Quakers--Charities Endowments--Pennsylvania Quakers--Education--Schools Normal schools--Pennsylvania Pennsylvania--Charitable and social work Nonprofit corporations - Education Quakers--Social service Teachers colleges--Pennsylvania Richard Humphreys Foundation Institute for Colored Youth at Cheyney Institute for Colored Youth (Philadelphia, Pa.) Cheyney Training School for Teachers Children--Institutional care--Pennsylvania Humphreys, Richard--1750-1832 Pennsylvania--Education--African-Americans COLLECTION SUMMARY 1 Ser.1 History 1842-1967 .2 lin.ft. Ser.2 Administrative papers 1-4 Board of Managers Minutes 1837-1980 1.8 lin.ft. 5 Corporation Minutes 1837-1965 .1 lin.ft. 5 Trustees Minutes 1823-1838 .1 lin.ft. 5 Committees of the Board of Managers 1848-1894 .3 lin.ft. 6 School Reports to the Board of Managers 1884-1963 .3 lin.ft. 6 Miscellaneous 1837-1922 .2 lin.ft. 7 Ser.3 Correspondence of the Board of Managers 1856-1976 .1 lin.ft. 7 Ser.4 Annual reports 1856-1911 .4 lin.ft. 8-12 Ser.5 Financial records 1838-1981 3 lin.ft. 13 Ser.6 Legal papers 1914-1982 .1 lin.ft. 13 Ser.7 Memorabilia 1907-1909, n.d. .3 lin.ft. 13 Ser.8 Reference material 1902-1919 .1 lin.ft. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

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

 Ser. 1 History History of the organization, 1842-1967 1 Charter, 1842 (amended 1914, 1922, 1972) 1 Bylaws and Rules, 1915, 1921-22, 1967 1 Ser. 2 Administrative papers Board of Managers, Minutes 3 vols. 1837-1884 1 1884-1910 2 1910-1919 3 1919-1922 4 1922-1977 4 1977-1980 4 Corporation, Minutes: 1837-1907 2 vols. 5 1908-1922 5 1923-1965 5 Trustees Minutes: 1823-1838 5 Committees of the Board of Managers: - Apprenticing (at back of book of Corporation, Minutes, 1860-1907) 1848-1851 5 - Building 1864-1866 5 - Bylaws 1884, 1894, n.d. 5 - Discipline and Instruction. 1871-1884 5 - Real Estate 1884 5 School Reports to the Board of Manager: 1884-1889 6 1892-1893 6 1894-1897 6 1950-1963 (gaps) 6 Miscellaneous: - Membership, Board of Managers and Corporation 1837-1922 6 - Cheyney Opening 1904-1905 6 - Miscellaneous papers 1896-1921 6 Ser. 3 Correspondence of the Board of Managers 1856-1976, n.d. 6 Ser. 4 Annual Reports Annual Reports (printed) 1856-1900 2 bound vols. 7 Annual Reports (printed, not complete run) 1899-1911 7 Annual Reports (typewritten drafts) 1896, 1904, 1906, 1908 7 Ser. 5. Financial Records Receipts, cancelled checks, reports, etc. 1895-1901 3 pkg. 8 Legacies, Securities, etc. 1838-1889 8a Vouchers 1889-1990 8a Trial Balance 1920-1934 9 Appraisal 1922 9 Cash Books 3-4, 5-6 1925-1958, 1958-1981 9a Ledgers (2) 1919-1941 10 Checkbook stubs 1947-1960 10 Receipts, cancelled checks, bank statements, Cheyney Homestead Development information, etc. 1958-1966 10 8 fols. Securities: - Wm. S. Vaux Fund, statements 1942-66, 1979 11 - General Fund Annual statements 1943-1977 11 - General Fund Monthly statements 11 1958-1966 Treasurer's reports (not complete run) 1901-1976 11 Cheyney reports to the Board of Managers (gaps) 1950-1977 11 Tax returns and miscellaneous tax papers 1971-1981 12 Financial correspondence and papers 1842-1975 9 folders 12 Ser. 6 Legal Papers Vaux Scholarships 1979 13 Merger 1981-1982 13 Ser. 7 Memorabilia Miscellaneous Memorabilia 1907-1909 13

Includes: Commencement programs, report cards, address book of those to whom The African's Friend was sent.

 Ser. 8 Reference Material The Negro in America, Andrew Carnegie. Address delivered 10-16-1907 13 Philadelphia Negro Educator: Jacob C. White, Jr., 1837-1902, Harry C. Silcox 13 Prepared for Conference Schools of the Society of Friends for Colored People in the United States, Nov. 4, 1919 13