Scope and Contents
The Edward Parker Read Papers contain the professional papers of Edward Parker Read and the personal papers of Read and his wife, Alphonsenia Smith, and her family. Professional papers include business records, advertisements, correspondence, pamphlets, judicial documents, and real estate documents. Personal papers include family photographs, identification cards, social organization membership documents, correspondence, and family history documents.
The professional documents cover Read's professional life as a "doctor", as well as his work in real estate development. Work regarding his businesses in health are primarily advertisements, but also include Read's writings as well as patent applications. There are no business records, excepting correspondence between Read and people who acted as agents to sell his products. Material regarding his work as a real estate developer and civic leader includes judicial papers, city diagrams, and advertisements aimed at the Black American population.
The personal documents primarily document the lives of Read, Alphonsenia Smith, and her family. This includes photographs of the family, but does not identify any of the family members in particular.
Dates
- 1842-1955
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research
Conditions Governing Use
The Edward Parker Read Papers is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Waiting for Godot Books, 2014.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into two series: I. Professional papers, 1842-1955; II. Personal papers, 1898-1944. The Professional papers series is further organized into two groupings: Tonics and Cures, and Legal Papers.
Extent
3.33 Linear Feet (4 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Biographical / Historical
Edward Parker Read (circa 1869-1944) was a Black American businessman, author, publisher, real estate developer, legal figure, and self-proclaimed doctor who worked primarily in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Lawnside, New Jersey. Read was born in Keysville, Virginia, and was the youngest of seven children. He claimed to have opened the first Black American owned drugstore in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in 1899. In 1900 he opened a drugstore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In 1910 Read married Alphonsenia (Allie) Smith, who acted as a partner in Read's businesses and organizations. Smith's family was a prominent Black American family in Lawnside, New Jersey, and her parents, Charles and Josephine Smith, owned properties including the Woodland Terrace Hotel. During this time he increased his business activity, both as a "doctor" and as a real estate developer.
Read's work as a doctor was primarily in the sale of cures, which included mineral water supplements and incense. Despite his assertions, he did not have a medical degree. He also published material that related to his medical work, which includes encyclopedias and publications aimed at the Black American community. In 1920 Read was indicted of illegally calling himself a doctor and found guilty of fraud.
Read's work as a real estate developer was focused in the the town of Lawnside, New Jersey, one of the first independent and self-governing Black American communities in the Northeastern United States. He encouraged the purchase of properties by Black Americans, as well as developing civic buildings and other buildings for his personal businesses. He also served as a justice of the peace.
Processing Information
Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, competing priorities, and whether or not further accruals are expected. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.
These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards. For more information, please refer to the Beinecke Manuscript Unit Processing Manual.
- Title
- Guide to the Edward Parker Read Papers
- Author
- Compiled by Camila Zorrilla Tessler
- Date
- September, 2023
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.