The American Catholic Historical Researches Vol. 15 papers
Collection MC 56
ca. 1810-1898(0.2 Linear feet ; one small box)
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center
- Creator
- Griffin, Martin Ignatius Joseph, 1842–1911
- Title
- The American Catholic Historical Researches Vol. 15 papers
- ID
- MC 56
- Date
- ca. 1810-1898
- Extent
- 0.2 Linear feet ; one small box
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Processing Intern, Hoang Tran
- Language
- English
- Language of Materials note
- A majority of records are composed in English, with the exception one handwritten letter in folder 15 which was written in French.
- Abstract
- Started in 1884, the Historical Researches in Western Pennsylvania—Principally Catholic was a quarterly magazine that facilitated the gathering of information--documents, comments, correspondence, etc.--that helped document the activities and history of the Church and Catholics in America for future scholars, historians, and Catholics interested in American Catholicism. By 1886, the quarterly magazine was renamed to American Catholic Historical Researches and Martin I. J. Griffin became both the editor and publisher. The purpose of the quarterly magazine remained the same under the direction of Griffin. Materials in The American Catholic Historical Researches Vol. 15 Papers, ca. 1810-1895, were most likely compiled by Martin I. J. Griffin and specifically consists of papers that document Reverend Samuel Cooper's activities before and after he became a Christian convert. It specifically focuses on his altruism after his religious conversion. The collection was mostlikely used for the publication of the Toothless Priest, Rev. Samuel Sutherland Cooper, The Founder of Mother Seton's Institution published in the 1898 American Catholic Historical Researches Volume 15. Materials in this collection comprise of newsclippings, correspondence, a telegram, and various research materials.
Preferred Citation note
Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], The American Catholic Historical Researches Vol. 15 Papers (MC 56), Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center.
Biographical/Historical note
In July 1884, the Right Reverend A.A. Lambing, A.M., of Wilkinsburg, PA began to edit and publish a quarterly magazine entitled “Historical Researches in Western Pennsylvania—Principally Catholic”. The magazine was born out of the desire to not only collect and preserve past and present records of Catholic history in this geographic region of America, but to also document it for posterity. The Historical Researches provided a central point for compiling a detailed history of the multiple facets in the Catholic community. Not only would the magazine serve as a reminder of the rich history of Catholics in America, but the magazine also served as a suitable form of preservation so future historians, scholars, and Catholics can utilize.
By 1886, the magazine was transferred to Martin I. J. Griffin who became the publisher and editor. In addition, the name of the quarterly also changed to American Catholic Historical Researches. Griffin was a prominent American Catholic historian, secretary to the American Catholic Historical Society, and founder of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia. Even though the quarterly was transferred to Griffin, the purpose of the Historical Researches continued as it was under the direction of Reverend Lambing—the interest in the collection and publication of material relating to the Church in America. The quarterly continued for a total of twenty nine volumes which ended in July of 1912.
Samuel Cooper was born in 1769. He was a very wealthy shipping merchant. He was converted to the Catholic Faith and entered into the Sulpitian Seminary in 1808. He met Mother Seton there and assisted her financially in the work she was doing. Cooper was not in a rush to become a priest since it took nearly ten years before he was ordained in 1818. After he was ordained he worked with the community at Emmitsburg, and after this he was assigned to Augusta, Georgia where he served as priest at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity from 1819-1821. He returned to Philadelphia a few years later and assisted Bishop Conwell during his controversy with Reverend Hogan. He went to the Holy Land and then he went to France, where he died in Bordeaux on December 28, 1843.
The Reverend Samuel Cooper Papers comprise of draft materials (both typed and handwritten) compiled for the 1898 publication of the Toothless Priest, Reverend Samuel Sutherland Cooper, The Founder of Mother Seton’s Institution. The publication was eventually published in the 1898 American Catholic Historical Researches Vol. 15, pages 17-32.
Scope and Contents note
The American Catholic Historical Researches Vol. 15 Papers, ca. 1810-1898, comprise of research materials (both typed and handwritten) compiled for the 1898 publication of the Toothless Priest, Reverend Samuel Sutherland Cooper, The Founder of Mother Seton’s Institution. The materials contain details on Samueul Sutherland Cooper's activities throughout the 19th century which include the times before he converted to Catholism, his journey to priesthood, and his pious activities after being ordained. A majority of the materials are undated, but were most likely compiled in the late 19th century. This small but useful collection includes correspondence, memos, a telegram, and newsclippings.
Arrangement note
The American Catholic Historical Researches Vol. 15 Papers is arranged into one series.
Series I. Reverend Samuel Cooper Papers - The Toothless Priest
In order to promote the preservation of the Reverend Samuel Cooper Papers, the collection was processed at the item-level. Upon further review, Griffin compiled the papers in sequential order by numbering the papers on the top right corner for his personal reference--pages 1-14 which are found in folders 1-14. Folders 15, 16, and 17 contain materials that provide the closing passages to the essay Toothless Priest, Rev. Samuel Sutherland Cooper, the Founder of of Mother Seton's Institution, which can be found in the 1898 American Catholic Historical Researches Vol. 15.
Titles to the folders were chosen by the topic(s) discussed in the papers. Titles for folders 1-14 also contain the page numbers that correlates with what Griffin assigned.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center March 2013
100 E. Wynnewood Rd.Wynnewood, PA
Conditions Governing Access note
There are no restrictions to access this collection. Please note that the archives reserves the right to restrict access to materials of sensitive nature.
Conditions Governing Use note
There are no restrictions to use this collection. Please note that copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Controlled Access Headings
Genre(s)
- Clippings
- Correspondence
- Letters
- Research notes
- Telegrams
Geographic Name(s)
- Baltimore (Md.)
- Europe--Description and travel.
Personal Name(s)
- Cooper, Samuel Sutherland, Reverend, 1769-1843
- Seton, Elizabeth Ann, Saint, 1774-1818
Subject(s)
- Catholic Church--United States--History--19th century.
- Catholic Church--United States--History.
Bibliography
Griffin, Martin I. J. (1898). The American Catholic Historical Researches. Philadelphia.
Lambing, A. A. (1884). The Historical Researches in Western Pennsylvania—Principally Catholic Volume 1.
Collection Inventory
Series I. Reverend Samuel Cooper Papers - The Toothless Priest |
||||||||||||||||
|
Article regarding Reverend Cooper's biographical background (Page 1), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Group of letters from Bishop of Montauban, Sister Mariana, descendent of the Hughes Family (Page 2), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Passage from Father White's "Life of Mother Seton" regarding Reverend Cooper's path to religious conversion (Page 3), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Passage indicating Reverend Cooper entering the Sulpitian Seminary in 1808 (Page 4), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Passage from the "Recollection of Samuel Breck" dated 1807 describing Reverend Cooper's time at the Seminary (Page 5), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Passage from Father White's "Life of Mother Seton" regarding Reverend Cooper's donation to start school in Emmitsburg (Page 6), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Passage indicating Reverend Cooper as successor to Rev. Robert Browne in Augusta, Georgia (Page 7), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Undated memo and telegraph dated January 28, 1886 to Martha Griffin, relates to Reverend Cooper's travel (Page 8), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Passage indicating Reverend Cooper's meeting with Bishop England on January 25, 1821 and leaving Augusta, Georgia (Page 9), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Passage indicating Reverend Cooper arrived in Philadelphia and assisted with Bishop Conwell's controversy with Rev. Hogan (Page 10), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Article regarding a Mass Reverend Cooper preached and how the Body of Christ turned into Bleeding Flesh (Page 11), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Article regarding a letter Reverend Cooper wrote to Miss Maria Jones relating to his visit to the Holy Land in 1824 (Page 12), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Passage and article regarding Reverend Cooper meeting Father John Grassi, S.J. and building a friendship with George Ticknor of Boston (Page 13), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Article regarding Reverend Cooper's work in Bordeaux, France and friendship with George Strobel (Page 14), 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Correspondence in French dated October 22, 1824 from Leghorn, ca. 1810-1898
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Article contains two letters announcing the death of Reverend Cooper, 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Passage from the 1845 Catholic Directory announcing the death of Reverend Cooper, 1890s
|
||||||||||||||||