%eadnotat; ]> 5065howe An Inventory of the Holmes-Webb Family Papers, 1839-1972 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. 1989 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, December 2000. ENG Holmes-Webb Family Papers, 1839-1972 FHL staff Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 1989 Descriptive Summary Holmes-Webb Family Papers, 1839-1972 RG 5/065 3 boxes; 1.5 linear ft. 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. William B. Webb was a druggist and member of Philadelphia Monthly Meeting of Friends (Hicksite). He married Rebecca Turner in 1853. Their youngest daughter, Rebecca St. Claire Webb, married Jessie Herman Holmes in 1892. Holmes was a prominent Quaker, taught philosophy and religion at Swarthmore College, and was active in AFSC relief in Europe after World War I. He also served as President of the National Federation of Religious Liberals and was an active member of the Socialist Party. The collection includes correspondence of the Webb and Holmes families, journals of Jesse Herman and Rebecca W. Holmes, and other miscellaneous materials. Of particular interest is the correspondence between the Holmes during his trip overseas and several letters from S. R. Sharma concerning the early Indian self-determination movement and the work of Mahatma Gandhi from 1930 to 1934.

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

William B. Webb was a druggist and member of Philadelphia Monthly Meeting of Friends (Hicksite). He married Rebecca Turner in 1853. Their youngest daughter, Rebecca St. Claire Webb, married Jessie Herman Holmes in 1892.

Jesse Herman Holmes was born 1864 1mo 5 in Iowa, the son of Jesse and Sara Morgan Paxson Holmes. He attended Nebraska State University and John Hopkins University, where he received a Ph.D. in chemistry. He married Rebecca S. Webb, daughter of William B. and Rebecca [Turner] Webb in 1892. Holmes taught at Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C. and then George School in Bucks County, PA until 1899, when he set sail for Oxford to prepare to teach philosophy at Swarthmore College. He continued to teach at the College until 1937. He was an active participant in AFSC relief after World War I, travelling to oversee work in reconstruction throughout Europe. Correspondence from Europe in 1920, included in this collection, detail the organizational hurdles that he encountered. Holmes was the president of the National Federation of Religious Liberals and an active member of the Socialist party.

Jesse and Rebecca had three children, Elizabeth Webb, Robert Sinclair, and Jesse Herman Holmes Jr. [III]. Elizabeth died at 16 of complications from diabetes. The family lived in Swarthmore and were members of Swarthmore Monthly Meeting.

 SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE RECORDS

Holmes-Webb Family Papers includes the correspondence and writings of Jesse Herman Holmes, a prominent Quaker and professor of philosophy and religion at Swarthmore College. It also contains family materials and genealogical data from his wife's [Rebecca Webb] family.

The Holmes-Webb Family Papers also contain correspondence between Rebecca Turner and William B. Webb before their marriage in 1852 and between members of the Webb family, mostly between Rebecca T. Webb and her sisters. It also includes correspondence between Rebecca W. Holmes and Jesse during his trips overseas (Oxford, the Middle East, Eastern Europe) and letters from Rebecca to her sisters. Several letters from a correspondent in India tell of the early Indian self-determination movement (1930 and 1934) and give a first hand opinion of Mahatma Gandhi's work there.

Three travel journals in the collection include anecdotes about Heidelburg (1898), Scotland (1913), and travel by ocean to Oxford (1899). The rough notes of several talks, poetry, and writings of Holmes speak of the lands he traveled to, but often his longing to be at Swarthmore and the Crum Creek.

Holmes-Webb Family Papers includes personal memorabilia and financial materials as well.

 Arrangement

The collection is divided into seven series:

Biographical and genealogical Correspondence Family memorabilia Journals and writings Financial and legal Pictures Miscellaneous ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Accession information

Donor: Gift of Kenneth and Anne Rawson, 1989

Biographical and genealogical materials in Series 1 were compiled by Rebecca T. Webb and trace the St. Clair and Turner lines of the family. The collection was compiled by Margaret Byrd Rawson, Swarthmore College, '23, a student of Jesse H. Holmes and Kenneth Rawson's mother.

 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], Holmes-Webb Family Papers, RG5/065, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

 Processing information

Received unprocessed. Sorted into series by FHL staff and placed Record Group 5.

 Related Material

See also:

RG 5/064, Jesse Herman Holmes Papers. Documents relating almost exclusively to academic concerns and projects. Wahl, Albert. Jesse Herman Holmes, A Quaker's Affirmation for Man. BX7796 +.H765 W2. Typed in manuscript form. SELECTED SEARCH 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:

Swarthmore College Society of Friends -- Relief work Quakers -- Pennsylvania--Swarthmore Swarthmore (Pa.)--Quakers Quakers -- Social service Quakers -- Diaries -- 20th century Quakers-- Social life and customs International relief -- Europe Europe -- International relief Travel -- Diaries -- Europe Webb family Holmes family St. Clair family Turner family India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947 Webb, William B. (William Barber), 1824-1894 Webb, Rebecca T. (Rebecca Turner), 1825-1900. Sharma, Shirpad Rama, 1879- Holmes, Rebecca W. (Rebecca Webb), 1868-1957 Holmes, Jesse Herman, 1864- Gandhi, Mahatma, 1869-1948 National Federation of Religious Liberals (U.S.) American Friends Service Committee DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

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

 Ser. 1. Biographical and genealogical materials, 1891-1896

By Rebecca T. Webb and others.

 General correspondence concerning genealogy 1894-1895 1 Correspondence with Charles St. Clair, concerning genealogy 1891-1896 1 Ser. 2. Correspondence, 1839-1973, n.d. Webb family 1839-1886 and n.d. 1 Rebecca Turner to William B. Webb 1852 and n.d. 1 William B. Webb to Rebecca Turner 1852 and n.d. 1 William B. Webb to Rebecca Turner Webb 1881-1885 1 Jesse H. Holmes to Rebecca Webb Holmes 1899-1900 2 Jesse H. Holmes to Rebecca W. Holmes 1920 2 Rebecca Holmes to sisters while in Europe 1914 2 Cassandra [Webb] Carr to sisters while in California 1908 2 S.R. Sharma (in India) to Jesse H. Holmes 1930 and 1934 2 Albert Wahl to Jesse Herman Holmes Jr. 1973-1973 2 Miscellaneous correspondence 1869-1972 2 Ser. 3. Family Materials, n.d. Obituaries 2 Memorabilia of Rebecca Turner Webb 2 Memorabilia of Rebecca Webb Holmes 2 Autograph book, Elizabeth Webb 2 Jesse Herman Holmes Jr. baby book 2 Jesse Herman Holmes Jr. memorabilia. 2 Ser. 4. Journals and Writings, 1899-1913, n.d. Journal, Jesse Herman Holmes, Oxford 1899 2 Journal, Rebecca W. Holmes, Germany and England 1898 2 Journal, Rebecca W. Holmes, England and Scotland 1913 2 Copybook containing suggestions for teaching children, n.d. no author 2 Jesse Herman Holmes writings: 2 General and poetry 3 India 3 Far East 3 Russia 3 Ser. 5. Financial and Legal, 1862-1958 Deeds and mortgages 1862-1872 3 Burial ground plots 1870-1927 3 William Webb estate 1954-1958 3 Ser. 6. Photographs, 1939, n.d. Photographs used for the Wahl biography of J.H. Holmes 3 Jesse Herman Holmes family 3 Webb/Holmes extended families 3 Jesse H. Holmes Jr. family 3 Swarthmore College Reunion 1939 3 Miscellaneous 3 Ser. 7. Miscellaneous Materials Printed material, includes poetry, map of the Rhine, and copies of presidential documents 3 Manuscripts, no author [19th c.] 3