William John Williams papers

The William John Williams Papers, 1876-1923, consists of .7 linear feet of correspondence, copybooks, letterpress books, science notebooks, blueprints, patent documents, scientific documents, chemistry manuscripts, booklets, playscripts, advertisements, circulars, and notes. The bulk of the collection is dated between 1876-1896, with the exception of two letters, dated 1911 and 1923, which are found in Folder 1. The collection provides a glimpse of the family, personal, and professional life of a British chemist who immigrated to the United States in the late nineteenth century.

Three series comprise the collection: I. Correspondence, II. Professional Papers, and III. Personal Papers. Correspondence and professional papers in the collection indicate that Williams found and pursued numerous occupational opportunities within the dynamic fields of chemistry and manufacturing found in Philadelphia and the greater Delaware Valley in the second half of the nineteenth century.

The correspondence series consists of ten folders and 132 letters. Folders 1, 2, and 3 contain references to a disagreement between Williams' sisters and Henry Tanner in Great Britain over a disputed investment made by Tanner. Folders 4 and 5 relate to various property settlements for which Williams was responsible. Folder 6 includes information and advice related to Williams' search for employment. In Folder 7 is a large letterpress book containing copies of correspondence with family, friends, and colleagues from 1883 to 1885 in addition to the 132 letters mentioned above. The letterpress book also contains copies of reports, analyses, and balance sheets from Williams' professional work as a chemist. Folder 8 contains correspondence to Williams while he lived and worked in Great Britain. Mail that Williams received while he worked and lived in Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey, is found in Folder 9. Several envelopes in Folder 10 contain scientific notes and calculations made on their backs, as well as letters to Williams after he began work in Wilmington, Delaware.

Williams' professional papers comprise twelve folders. His papers have been divided into patents, scientific papers, balance sheets, analyses and reports, process descriptions, scientific notes, blueprints, and business papers. His papers included a number of British patents, including one of his own, and a number of scientific papers which were either published or presented at meetings. Balance sheets were cost and profit estimates for different chemical processes. Numerous reports of the results of different chemical processes, as well as descriptions of the process followed, are included. Assorted scientific notes, two blueprints for parts of a calcination machine, and various business receipts and advertisements round out the series. In addition to the material found in this series, the letterpress book found in folder 8 of the first series contains various reports, analyses, and balance sheets from Williams' professional work as a chemist from 1883 to 1885.

The final series of personal papers contains two folders. Two poems, a cantata, a description of a Japanese wedding, and excerpts from between five and eight plays (three of the items may be different acts from the same play) make up the last series. The several playscripts included in the collection suggest the possibility that Williams participated in various amateur theatrical productions.