The finding aids links on this Swarthmore page are where I've found some of the material of most use to some of my family research. Somehow it's easy to miss this and even when I go back I end up poking around the site missing it even when I know it's there. These don't seem to show in the Tripod search, or didn't last time I tried. See: http://www.swarthmore.edu/Library/friends/search.htm From there follow: http://www.swarthmore.edu/Library/friends/rg5.htm and you find a summary of the manuscripts collection. That gives you a summary, but the links from there to finding aids on the individual collections. For example, the Eyre family papers are from a surname I know is of interest to some folks on this list. The summary page of all collections gives some info, but the finding aid offers much more detail: http://www.swarthmore.edu/Library/friends/ead/5179eyre.htm " Background note: Isaac Eyre (1778-1843) was a prominent Philadelphia shipbuilder. In 1801 he married Eleanor Cooper (1778-1851) of Camden, N.J. In 1828, he removed to a farm in Bucks County, Pa. Isaac and Eleanor had ten children, six of whom survived to maturity. William Eyre (1804-1885) was their oldest son, a Philadelphia architect and builder. At the time of his death, he was president of the Carpenters' Company in Philadelphia which owns and maintains Carpenters' Hall. He married Elizabeth Ann Davies of New York in 1827, and they had three children. Late in life he married a second time, to Keziah R. Bunting. His brother, Isaac (1819-1904) remained on the family farm and eventually removed to a farm near Newtown. He was a promoter and builder of the railroad between Philadelphia and Newtown and other rail projects. He was also one of the founders of the George School, Newtown, Pa., and active in Quaker concerns. He corresponded regularly with Isaac Hicks (1815-1900) of Westbury Monthly Meeting. Isaac Hicks established the Hicks Nursery on Long Island, NY, and was a Quaker minister. Scope and content The collection contains extensive correspondence of Isaac Eyre to Isaac Hicks and other prominent Quakers about Quaker interests, farming, and railroad projects; also eighteen diaries of William Eyre (1840-1880 with gaps, microfilmed) and some miscellaneous family material. The letters are useful as a social commentary of Quaker life of the era and mention many prominent Friends. The diaries include information on topical events as well as work related notes." This is exactly the kind of resource that I think gets easily overlooked but holds much promise for solving long hidden mysteries and anecdotal records of our ancestors via their family and friends. It's where you may find the kind of details that didn't make it into books, or that were overlooked by previous researchers who had specific focus when they referenced these archives in the past. I would imagine this would be of interest to some of the Sharpless researchers: "Joshua Sharpless (1746/7-1826) was a Quaker minister, and included in the collection is a journal of a visit to the Indians in 1798." Here's another that seems of interest, covering account records of Malin and Miller families: "John M. George (1802-1887) was a birthright Quaker and member of Radnor Monthly Meeting. The George family came to Pennsylvania from Wales in 1708 and settled in Blockley Township, Pennsylvania. The George family papers include correspondence (1705-1864), other personal papers (1681-1887), business and financial accounts (1734-1887), and estate papers (1714-1883). Of particular note are the estate accounts of many family members and other individuals for whom John M. and Joseph W. George acted as conveyancers and administrators, including Joseph George (1773- 1846 ?), Jesse George (b. 1785), James Malin (d. ca 1859), John Malin Jr. (ca. 1778-1868?), and other members of the Malin family, Miller family, Price family and many others who lived in the Blockley area." Buried in the finding aid are clues pointing to things like a list of marriages in the Roberts family from 1684-1764, wills and deeds of Price, David, Evans and many others that you might easily miss if you didn't browse the finding aid for the George family records. I know someone was looking to identify a particular Price line and I suspect this might help: Price, Elizabeth, Will 1734. Box 2: 90 Price, Hannah, Receipt of distribution from her will 1797 Box 2: 91 Price, John (d. 1792) Book of accounts for his estate 1792-1801 Box 5: 209 Price, John (d. 1792), various papers If you use Google Desktop you can browse all these finding aid pages once and the next time you search on a name in Google Desktop it will find matches in these results. It's a great way to index and keep rare resources like this at your fingertips.