%eadnotat; ]> 5254sawa Finding aid for Samuel Walton Family Papers, 1813-1890 Finding Aid Prepared by FHL staff Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2007 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by FHL Staff, 2007 ENG Finding aid for Samuel Walton Family Papers, 1813-1890 FHL staff Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2007 Descriptive Summary Samuel Walton Family Papers 1813-1890 RG5/254 Edward F. Stratton, 1876-1968 (Collector) 4 boxes; 1.75 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 Waltons were prominent Quakers in Philadelphia, Pa., and Belmont County, Ohio. Joseph Walton (1817-1898) taught at Westtown School, edited the Quaker periodical, The Friend, and served as Clerk of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Orthodox). His brother, Samuel Walton (1827-1899), moved to Ohio in 1847 and in 1854 married Sarah James Edgerton at Stillwater Monthly Meeting, the center of Wilburite Quakerism in Ohio. The family was deeply involved in matters relating to the Society of Friends. This collection contains primarily family correspondence, particularly of Samuel and Sarah Walton of Stillwater Monthly Meeting and Joseph Walton of the Westtown School, Haverford College, and Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. Other correspondents include Rebecca Walton, Lydia L. Walton, and Mary and Nathan Kite. Topics include family and religious concerns, the Wilburite - Gurneyite controversy in Ohio, and related issues in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. There are lengthy descriptions of the yearly meetings and meetings for worship with visits by Quaker ministers including Thomas B. Gould, William Evans, and Ezra Comfort.

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

Walton family members were prominent Philadelphia Quakers. Joseph Walton (1784-1853) was a Philadelphia bookseller. He married Abi Kite (1787-1865), daughter of Benjamin and Rebecca (Walton) Kite, in 1813, and the couple had nine children: Rebecca (1814-1859), unmarried and a teacher; Charles (1815-1892), married Deborah Lightfoot; Joseph (1817-1898), married Lydia Lippincott of Chester MM, New Jersey, in 1858; Mary H. (1819-1857), married Nathaniel Brown in 1854; Henry (died in infancy, 1821); Anna (1822-1882); Abby (1825-1861) married Francis Lightfoot in 1848; Samuel (1827-1899), married Sarah J. Edgerton of Stillwater MM, Ohio, in 1854; and Jane (1830-1872), married Benjamin Lightfoot in 1852.

Joseph Walton (1817-1898) was a graduate of Westtown School and Haverford College (1836). He taught at Westtown School for about ten years, edited the Orthodox Quaker periodical The Friend, and served as Clerk of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. In 1858 he married Lydia Lippincott at Chester Monthly Meeting in Moorestown, N.J. Much of the correspondence is directed to him from other family members, especially his older sister, Rebecca, who was a teacher at Friends Select School in Philadelphia, and from his brother and sister-in-law, Samuel and Sarah Walton, of Barnesville, Ohio.

Samuel Walton (1827-1899) moved to Ohio in 1847 and in 1854 married Sarah James Edgerton, daughter of James and Anna (Hall) Edgerton, at Stillwater Monthly Meeting, Belmont County, Ohio. That year the family moved to Philadelphia, but returned to Ohio in 1857 where Samuel had a dental practice. Samuel and Sarah are both buried at Stillwater Monthly Meeting which was the center of Wilburite Quakerism in Ohio.

Samuel and Sarah Walton had five children: Joseph J., James, Anna, Samuel Francis, and Abby. James (1857-1951) was superintendent of the Barnesville Boarding School and active on its Board. He gave his home, which was across the street from the School, to Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) for use as a boarding home. It was in The Walton that this collection of letters was found.

 SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE RECORDS

This collection contains primarily family correspondence of the Walton family, especially letters to Joseph Walton from his siblings and the correspondence of Samuel and Sarah Walton of Stillwater Monthly Meeting. A large number of the earlier letters are to Joseph Walton from his sister Rebecca, while many of the later letters are from Samuel and Sarah Walton who lived in Barnesville, Ohio. Other correspondents include Rebecca Walton, Lydia L. Walton, and Mary and Nathan Kite. Topics include family concerns, the Wilburite - Gurneyite controversy in Ohio, and related tensions in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. The papers were preserved by Edward F. Stratton, Custodian of Records for Ohio Yearly Meeting.

Organized into two series:

Organization: Correspondence Miscellaneous papers ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Accession information

Gift, Edward F. Stratton, 1965

Edward Stratton was Custodian of Records for Ohio Yearly Meeting.

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 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], Samuel Walton Family Papers, RG5/254, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Walton-Kite family papers, 1789-1937, Haverford College Special Collections

 Processing information

The Walton family letters were given to Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College by Edward F. Stratton in 1965. Edward Stratton was Custodian of Records for Ohio Yearly Meeting and worked with the Meeting to find a suitable repository for Ohio Hicksite and Conservative records. Archival materials that he collected were received in a series of deposits beginning in 1961 until after his death. When received in 1965, staff at Friends did a rough sort of the Walton papers into multiple chronologically ordered folders. They were stored together with an earlier deposit of Maule and Stratton Papers with the title Stratton (Maule) Papers, under the authorship of Edward F. Stratton, collector. The Stratton-Maule-Williams Papers were interfiled and arranged chronologically, the Walton Family Papers stored separately.

In 2006, the collection was reprocessed and divided into two parts. The Stratton-Maule-Williams Papers were divided into appropriate series and described as Edward F. Stratton, Collector, Collected paper. The Walton Family Papers were removed into a separate Record Group, sorted and described in a new inventory.

 SELECTED SEARCH TERMS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

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:

Quakers -- Ohio Quakers -- Pennsylvania Society of Friends -- Controversy Quakers -- Social life and customs Lay ministry -- Society of Friends Quakers -- Social service Society of Friends -- Sermons Society of Friends -- Testimonies and concerns Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends (Orthodox : 1827-1955) Ohio Yearly Meeting of Friends (Orthodox : 1828-1854) Ohio Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative : 1854- ) Spiritual life -- Society of Friends Society of Friends -- Customs and practices Society of Friends -- History- 19th century Society of Friends -- Wilburite controversy Walton family Evans, William, 1787-1867 Walton, Joseph, 1817-1898 Walton, Samuel, 1827-1899 Walton, Rebecca, 1814-1859 Walton, Sarah J. (Sarah James), 1826-1911 Kite, Mary, 1793?-1861 Kite, Nathan Walton, Joseph, 1817-1898 Walton, Samuel, 1827-1899 Walton, Sarah J. (Sarah James), 1826-1911 Kite, Mary, 1793?-1861 Kite, Nathan DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

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

 Series 1 Correspondence To Joseph Walton from Stephen Pike 1813 1 folder 1 Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sister Rebecca 1832-1837 1 folder 1

Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sister Rebecca 1838-1839 1 folder 1 Letters from Joseph Walton, Westtown and Haverford School, most to his sister Rebecca 1833-1844 1 folder 1

Letters from Abi Walton to family, including her sister, Mary Kite 1835-1847, n.d. 1 folder Letters (2) from Aunt Mary Kite to Samuel Walton 1836, 1847, n.d. 1 folder 1 Letters from Mary Kite to Joseph Walton and others 1836-1857, n.d. 1 folder 1 Joseph Walton to Aunt Mary Kite 1837-1858, n.d. 1 folder 1

Includes account of visit to New England Yearly Meeting and stay at Thomas Gould's home.

 Samuel Taylor, Baltimore, to Mary Kite 1837, 1839 1 folder 1 Samuel Walton correspondence 1837-1846 1 folder Joanna Meader, Vasselboro, to Mary Kite 1838 1 folder 1 Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sister Rebecca 1838-1839 1 folder 1 Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sister Rebecca 1840-1841 1 folder 1 Walton family letters to Mary Kite 1841-1860 1 folder 1 Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sister Rebecca 1842 1 folder 1 Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sisters Rebecca and Abby 1843 1 folder 1 Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sisters Rebecca and Abby 1844 1 folder 1

Interesting letter of 5 month 8, 1844, concerning Catholic riots in City of Philadelphia.

 Kite family to Joseph Walton 1844-1858 1 folder 1 Joseph Walton from his brother Samuel 1844-1845 1 folder 1 Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford or Abby Walton 1845 1 folder 2 Samuel Walton to Mary Kite 1845, n.d. 1 folder 2

With an account of William Evans address and Phila. Monthly Meeting, Northern District, and discussion of New England separations.

 To Anna Walton from her siblings 1845-1846 1 folder 2

Interesting description of Ezra Comfort sermon at Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, Northern District from Samuel

 To Sarah Edgerton 1845-1849 1 folder 2 Miscellaneous Walton correspondence 1845-1853 1 folder 2 Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford or Abby and Anna Walton 1846 1 folder 2 To Joseph Walton, most from Rebecca 1846 1 folder 2 Ann Perry, Westerly, to Rebecca Walton 1847-1858 1 folder 2

Discusses New England Yearly Meeting, sudden death of Thomas Gould.

 To Joseph Walton, most from Rebecca 1847-1848 1 folder 2 To Anna Walton from family 1847-1849 1 folder 2 To Joseph Walton from Thomas Harvey 1848-1850 1 folder 2 Samuel Walton to his parents 1849 1 folder 2

With an account of Ohio Yearly Meeting.

 Walton family letters 1850-1854 1 folder 2

Including letter of 6mo 25 1850 visit by J. Walton to New England Yearly Meeting and others including tensions in Ohio.

 Sarah Edgerton correspondence 1850-1853 1 folder 2 Walton family, mostly to Samuel Walton 1850-1854, 1858 1 folder 2 Walton family, mostly Samuel and Sarah correspondence 1855-1856 1 folder 2 Walton family, mostly Samuel and Sarah correspondence 1857-1858 1 folder 2 Walton family correspondence, many from Samuel Walton 1858 1 folder 2

Concerning local Ohio Quaker issues.

 To Joseph Walton from Lydia Lippincott 1858-1868 1 folder 2 Jane Lightfoot to family 1855-61, 1868 1 folder 2 Jane Lightfoot to Mary Kite 1859 1 folder 2

With account of Quarterly Meeting.

 Walton family correspondence 1859 1 folder 2

Interesting account of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 10 mo 1859.

 Walton family correspondence, mostly Samuel and Sarah 1860 1 folder 3 Rebecca Shinn to Ann Walton 1860-1868, n.d. 1 folder 3 Walton family correspondence, most Samuel and Sarah 1861 1 folder 3 Joseph Walton from Kite family 1860-1877 1 folder 3 Walton family correspondence, primarily Samuel and Sarah 1862-1863 1 folder 3 Samuel Walton correspondence 1864-1869 1 folder 3 Hannah Warrington to Joseph H. Branson (?) 1866-1872 1 folder 3 Lightfoot family members to Joseph Walton 1866-1875 1 folder 3 John Kite to nephew 1870-1871 1 folder 3 Walton correspondence, mostly Samuel and Sarah 1870-1873 1 folder 3

Interesting discussion of scarlet color in children's clothing

 Barnesville Walton correspondence - Samuel, Sarah, Anna 1874-77, n.d. 1 folder 3 Lydia Walton to husband, Joseph 1875-1880, n.d. 1 folder 3 Francis Lightfoot to Joseph Walton 1876 1 folder 3 James Kite to cousin 1876-1879 1 folder 3 Letters from Sarah and Samuel 1876-1890 1 folder 3 Letters concerning B. F. Dixon 1880 1 folder 3 Walton family correspondence, Samuel and Sarah, and others 1876-1890 1 folder 3 Concerning Abigail Vail 1885-1886, n.d. 1 folder 3

Including her disownment in 1885, with earlier letter from her(1854).

 Letter from S. Francis Walton 1888 1 folder 3

Announcing his engagement to Louisa Sidwell

 Charles Evans to Joseph Walton n.d. 1 folder 3

Cover note returning Walton's letter to The Friend (rejected)

 Undated correspondence n.d. 1 folder 3 Fragments n.d. 1 folder 3 Series 2 Miscellaneous A list of the Names and Numbers of the boys at Westtown boarding school in the summer of 1840 1840 1 folder 4 Notes on Philadelphia Yearly Meetings 1850 1 folder 4

In three different hands. Discussions concerning pressures from other yearly meetings.

 Notes on Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, Women's minutes 1851 1 folder 4 Notes of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting 1854, 1856 1 folder 4 Notes on yearly meetings (Philadelphia and Ohio?) n.d. 1 folder 4 Student essay, Joseph and Anna Walton and others 1 folder 4 Verse, most copied, some written for family occasions 1 folder 4 Accounts of deaths of Joseph Walton (1853) and Rebecca Walton (1859) 1853, 1859 1 folder 4 Account of death of Christopher Healy 1851 1 folder 4 Miscellaneous writings n.d. 1 folder 4 Business papers, most from Samuel Walton 1832-1859 1 folder 4 Book on astronomy n.d. 1 folder 4