top of page

Melmar's Prominent Families

The history of Melmar is associated with many prominent families that have made significant contributions in the areas of Government, Military, Business, Education, Sports, Entertainment, and Culture

Notable Relatives & Associates

Government

Military

Business

  • Joanna Wharton Lippincott's father (Sarah Biddle’s maternal grandfather) Joseph Wharton (1826-1909) founded Bethlehem Steel

  • Joanna Wharton Lippincott's father-in-law (Sarah Biddle’s paternal grandfather) J Ballinger Lippincott (1813-1886) founded publishing company J. B. Lippincott 

  • Nicholas Biddle’s grandfather ​Anthony Joseph Drexel (1826-1893) and Junius Spencer Morgan (1813-1890) formed Drexel Morgan & Co in 1871, and Drexel became the mentor of Junius's son, John Pierpont (aka JP) Morgan (1837-1913).  In 1895, after Junius (1890) and Drexel (1893) died, JP renamed the firm J. P. Morgan & Company, which eventually became what is today the world's largest bank, JPMorgan Chase

  • Nicholas Biddle’s nephew Jamie Biddle’s (1929) wife’s great-great grandfather Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours founded Du Pont

  • Nicholas Biddle’s uncle's, Cadwalader Biddle (1837-1906) and George W. Biddle (1843–1886), co-founded the Union League of Philadelphia

  • Nicholas Biddle’s uncle Samuel Biddle (1844-1919) co-founded Bailey Banks and Biddle, who began by producing distinguished medals for the United States, the Purple Heart and the Congressional Medal of Honor among others, and is America's oldest nationwide jeweler (originally founded in 1832 as Bailey & Kitchen, then re-established as Bailey Banks & Biddle in 1878)

  • Ellen Biddle Shipman (1869-1950) was a renowned landscape artist who worked for prominent clients including the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, DuPonts, Mellons, Roosevelts, and Astors

  • Sydney Francis Biddle's wife was a descendant of the Inventor of the Cotton Gin Eli Whitney II (1765-1825)

Education

Sports and Entertainment​​

The Happiest Millionaire.jpg

​​Walt Disney's The Happiest Millionaire follows the turn-of-the-century family of Nicholas's brother, Philadelphian millionaire Anthony J. Drexel Biddle (1896-1961), the patriarch of the Biddle family, proprietor of the Biddle Boxing and Bible School, and an enthusiastic alligator owner who takes an immediate shine to new butler John Lawless, fresh from Ireland. Anthony’s daughter Cordelia, or “Cordy,” is coming of age and having a difficult time relating to men of her age due to her homeschooling and tomboyishness, epitomized by her proficiency in a typically masculine recreational activity (boxing).  She convinces her father to send her to a boarding school for young women, so she can learn more about feminine activities of the era. At a party held by her Aunt Gladys for young women and men of their same social strata, she meets Angie Duke, a young man who is heir to his family’s business but would rather design automobiles. The two families clash, the Biddles representing Philadelphia’s traditional upper class, while the Dukes are “nouveau riche.”

The Age of Innocence was a novel by American author Edith Wharton, published on 25 October 1920 that won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, making Wharton the first woman to win the prize.  In 1993, Martin Scorsese directed a film adaptation, starring Michelle Pfeiffer as Countess Olenska, Daniel Day-Lewis as Archer, and Winona Ryder as May Welland Archer, with Richard E. Grant and Miriam Margolyes. Ryder earned an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for her performance, and the film also won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

  • Nicholas Biddle's 2nd cousin twice removed ​Sydney Biddle Barrows New York City madam and subject of the movie "The Mayflower Madam"

Inspired by the explosive scandal that rocked Manhattan in 1984, the infamous Sydney Biddle Barrows portrayed by Candice Bergen, a driven young socialite, opens an exclusive escort service catering to the wealthy and affluent. From Sydney's rise to become a million-dollar, modern-day madam to her notorious plummet into bankruptcy and public disgrace, experience a private glimpse into the forbidden world of high-class prostitution-where money talks...pleasure sells...and discretion is everything.

Culture

The Philadelphia Biddle's

Captain Nicholas Biddle

aka Nicholas "The Great"

Brigadier General Nicholas Biddle

The Biddle family are one of Philadelphia’s most prominent families, descended from English immigrants William Biddle I (1630–1712) and Sarah Kempe (1634–1709), who arrived in the Province of New Jersey in 1681 where William owned over 43,000 acres, including a 500-acre plantation where they build their home, Mount Hope in 1682, as well as a 278-acre island they named Biddle’s Island (278 acres).  William Biddle II (1669–1743) born in London and arrived with his parents at New Jersey in 1681 at the age of twelve. On his father's death, he inherited "Mount Hope" and 12,905-acres in the Lotting Purchase.  William Biddle III (1698–1756), and John Biddle (1707–1789), two third-generation brothers, moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the 1720s and 1730s. They constituted the first generation of the Philadelphia Biddle family, which became involved in the business, political and cultural life of Pennsylvania and the United States.  The second owner of Melmar, Nicholas Biddle (1893-1977) was a descendant of the William Biddle III (1697-1756) branch of the Philadelphia Biddle family.​​​​

Biddle Family Tree (William Biddle III branch)

William Biddle III (1697-1756) 0f "Mount Hope" - Nicholas Biddle's great x3 grandfather
m Mary (Scull) Biddle (1709-1789)

Brigadier General Nicholas Biddle

Anthony Joseph Drexel

AJ Drexel Biddle Sr.

AJ Drexel Biddle Jr.

Drexel Branch

Anthony Joseph Drexel (1826-1893) aka "The Man Who Made Wall St"

founded Drexel, Morgan & Co, which became what is now JPMorgan Chase, and was the founder of Drexel University

m Ellen (Rozet) Drexel (1832-1891)

Van Rensselaer Branch â€‹

Stephen Van Rensselaer III (1764-1839) of "Rensselaerswyk Manor", founder of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Van Rensselaer Branch (Biddle side)​​​​​

Duke Branch

James Buchanan "Buck" Duke (1856-1925) founder of American Tobacco Company, Duke Energy, and Duke University

Hopkins Branch â€‹â€‹â€‹

Johns Hopkins (1795-1873) founder of Johns Hopkins University - Mary Hopkins Great x2 Granduncle

  • Gerard Thomas Hopkins (1769-1834) - Johns Hopkins Brother & Mary Hopkins Great x2 Grandfather

  • m Dorothy Brooke (1776-1857)​

    • Elizabeth Hopkins (1802-1990) 

      • Johns and his cousin, Elizabeth, fell in love; however, the Quaker taboo against the marriage of first cousins was strong, and neither Johns nor Elizabeth​ ever married

    • Gerard Thomas Hopkins (1815-1900)
    • m Elizabeth Roberts Coates (1823-1896)

Hopkins Branch (Biddle side)​​​​​

Nicholas Biddle (1893-1977) of "Springhead" and "Melmar"

m â€‹Sarah (Lippincott) Biddle (1894-1962)

  • Nicholas Biddle Jr (1917-2013) of Gladwyne - Nicholas & Sarah's Son

  • m Mary "Polly" Hopkins - Nicholas & Sarah's Daughter-in-Law​

Cornell Branch 

Elijah Cornell (1730-1777) - Grandfather of Ezra Cornell and Brother of Gideon Cornell

Gideon Cornell (1730-1765 ) 1st Chief Justice of Rhode Island and one of the original signatories creating Brown University

  • Rebekah Cornell Biddle (1755-1831) - 1st cousin once removed of Ezra Cornell

  • m Clement Biddle (1740–1814) - 1st cousin twice removed of Nicholas Biddle​​​

Dupont Branch (Nemours Branch)

Eleuthere Irenee du Pont (1771-1834) Founder of DuPont - Louisa Biddle's Great x3 Grandfather

m Sophie (Dalmas) du Pont (1775-1828)

Lammot du Pont Copeland

Dupont Branch (Biddle side)​

Nicholas "The Great" Biddle (1786-1844) of "Andalusia" - Nicholas & Jamie Biddle's Great Grandfather

m Jane (Craig) Biddle (1793-1856)

  • Charles John Biddle (1819-1873)

  • ​m Emma Mather Biddle (1831-1918)

    • Charles John Biddle (1857-1923)

    • m Letitia Glenn Biddle (1864-1950)

      • Charles John Biddle (1890-1972) of "Andalusia​"

      • m Katharine Jennings Legendre Biddle (1892-1973)​​

      • ​Louisa (D'Andelot duPont Copeland) Biddle (1936- ) Eleuthere DuPont's Great x3 Granddaughter

      • ​m James Biddle (1929-2005) of "Andalusia​"- Nicholas Biddle's 2nd cousin​

Dupont Branch (Winterthur Branch)

Eleuthere Irenee du Pont (1771-1834) Founder of DuPont

m Sophie (Dalmas) du Pont (1775-1828)

  • Evelina (du Pont) Bidermann (1796-1863) of "Winterthur" Original owner

  • m Jacques-Antoine Bidermann (1790-1865)

    • Gen. Henry du Pont (1812-1889) of "Winterthur"

    • m Louisa (Gerhard) du Pont (1816-1900)

      • Henry Algernon du Pont (1838-1926)

        • ​Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969) of "Chestertown House" and "Winterthur"

          • "Winterthur" (pronounced "winter-tour") for the Swiss town near Zürich of Bidermann's ancestors was originally a 12-room mansion built in in 1839 by Evelina Dupont and Jacques Bidermann after they bought out her sibling's portion of their parents' estate

          • In 1865, the estate was inherited by their son, James Irénée Bidermann (1817-1890). But, just two years later he sold it to his uncle, Major-General Henry du Pont (1812-1889), who purchased it for his as yet unmarried son (James' first cousin), Senator Henry Algernon du Pont.

          • In 1874, H.A. du Pont married Mary Pauline Foster and in 1876 they moved into Winterthur. On the General's death in 1889 the title deed to the estate passed into the Senator's name and in 1902 he enlarged the house to 30-rooms, adding a new façade and library wing.

          • The Senator's only surviving son, Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969), was born at Winterthur and adored his childhood home.  In 1926 he built Chestertown House as an experimental precursor for his ultimate achievement at Winterthur. From 1928 to 1932, du Pont carried out an extensive building program - to his own designs - that saw Winterthur increase almost sixfold to 175 rooms. 

          • Du Pont lived at Winterthur from 1932-1951 with his wife, Ruth Wales (1889-1967), and their two daughters. Having established the non-profit Winterthur Corporation in 1930 as a first step towards creating a public museum, in 1941 he partially opened the house for the first time, though numbers of visitors were limited and they were required to write in advance for tickets.

          • In 1951, the du Ponts moved to a smaller home they built at nearby Clenny Run and Winterthur opened fully as a museum

Craig Branch

John Craig (1754-1807) established "Andalusia" in 1795 - Nicholas Biddle's Great x2 Grandfather

m Margaret (Murphy) Craig (1761-1814)

The 300th Anniversary of the Biddle's arrival in America

at Andalusia in 1981

The Wharton Family

Joseph_Wharton_and_his_family_in_1904.png

​​Joseph Wharton (1826 - 1909) was the founder of The Wharton School of Business, and the Bethlehem Steel Corporation.  He was the father of the original owner of Melmar, Joanna Wharton Lippincott, and the grandfather of the second owner, Sarah Wharton Lippincott Biddle.

Several historical artifacts were relocated from his other estates including "The Columns" at the Melmar front entrance as well as the ancient roman patio in Melmar's Rear Grounds known as "The Pergola".​​

Wharton was born in Philadelphia in 1826, the fifth chid of ten in a liberal Hicksite Quaker family. His parents, William Wharton and Deborah Fisher Wharton, were both from prominent early American immigrant families of Quaker descent.  Wharton's father was a typical gentleman and did not hold a regular job because he had several illnesses, but oversaw his estate, served on the Philadelphia School Board, and was active with his wife Deborah in the Hicksite ministry.  His mother, Deborah Fisher Wharton, co-founded Swarthmore College.

Wharton's youth was spent in the family's house near Spruce and 4th Streets in downtown Philadelphia and at the country mansion "Bellevue".  From their country estate, the family often went to the nearby Schuylkill River, visited neighboring estates such as Deborah's grandfather Joshua Fisher's "The Cliffs", and went on weekend horse and carriage excursions to the countryside surrounding Philadelphia, sometimes attending the smaller Quaker Meetings.

Wharton's maternal grandfather, Samuel R. Fisher ran a mercantile business and shipping packet line between Philadelphia & London​

Both of his grandmothers were named Hannah and were from Newport, Rhode Island. His grandmother Hannah Rodman was a descendant of Thomas Cornell, the ancestor of Ezra Cornell who founded Cornell University.​

In 1881 he endowed what would become the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania​​​

In 1904 Bethlehem Steel Corporation was formed by Joseph Wharton and Charles M Schwab (no relation to the financial Charles Schwab), who became the company's first president and first chairman of its board of directors.  Under their leadership, Bethlehem Steel Corporation became the second-largest steel provider in the nation.

Wharton Family Tree

Joseph Wharton (1707-1776) 0f "Walnut Grove"
m Hannah Carpenter, grand-daughter of Samuel Carpenter, Deputy-Governor of Colonial Pennsylvania

  • Charles Wharton (1743-1838) of "Walnut Grove" Philadelphia, Pennsylvania​

  • m Hannah (Redwood) Hollingsworth (1759-1854)​

    • William Wharton (1790-1856)​ of 336 Spruce Street, Philadelphia & "Bellevue" Germantown, PA​​

    • m Deborah (Fisher) Wharton (1795-1888) Co-founder of Swarthmore College

Fischer Branch

Joshua Fisher (1707-1783) of "110 S. Front Street" and "The Cliffs"​

​m Sarah (Rowland) Fischer (1716-1772)

  • Deborah (Fisher) Wharton (1795-1888) - Co-founder of Swarthmore College - Joanna Lippincott's mother and Sarah Biddle's Grandmother

  • m William Wharton (1790-1856)​ of 336 Spruce Street, Philadelphia & "Bellevue" Germantown, PA​​

Lovering Branch

Joseph Samuel Lovering (1796-1881) of "Oak Hill" â€‹Joanna Lippincott's Grandfather and Sarah Biddle's Great Grandfather

​m Ann (Corbit) Lovering (unknown-1875)

Note:  Many Relatives buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery

The Lippincott Family

Joshua Ballinger Lippincott

J. Bertram Lippincott

Melmar's first owner, J Bertram Lippincott (1857-1940) was the son of Joshua Ballinger Lippincott (1813-1886) who founded the global publishing company J. B. Lippincott Company. Melmar's 2nd owner, Sarah Wharton Lippincott (1894-1962) was the daughter of the original owners J Bertram & Joanna Wharton Lippincott. â€‹â€‹Joshua Ballinger Lippincott founded the J.B. Lippincott publishing house which began in Philadelphia in 1836 and became one of the largest and best-known publishers in the world by the end of the 19th century.  The publishers began by selling Bibles and then successfully expanded into trade books, which were published for a general audience. In the 1900s, the company expanded production of its successful line of medical and nursing books and journals. Today, the Lippincott imprint continues through a line of medical publications under Dutch-based Wolters Kluwer. 

Lippincott Family Tree

Jacob Wills Lippincott (1782-1834)

m Sarah (Ballinger) Lippincott (1789-1873)

Craige Branch

Seth Craige (1766-1831) of "Oak Hill" Joshua Bertram Lippincott Grandfather and Sarah Biddle's Great Grandfather

m Margaret (Wright) Craige (1761-1824)

Bucknell Branch 

William Robert Bucknell Jr. (1813-1886) founder of Bucknell University

m Harriet M. Ashton Bucknell (1815-1851)​

  • Sallie Bucknell Lippincott (1848-1919) - Sarah Biddle's Aunt

  • m Craige Lippincott (1846-1911) - Sarah Biddle's Uncle

  • Joshua Bertram Lippincott (1857-1940)

    • Sarah (Lippincott) Biddle (1894-1962)

Bucknell Branch (Lippincott side)

Joshua Ballinger Lippincott (1813-1886) of "1712 Spruce Street"

  • Walter Lippincott (1849-1927) of 2101 Walnut Street, Philadelphia & "Alscot" Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

  • Craige Lippincott (1846-1911)

  • m Sallie Bucknell Lippincott (1848-1919)  - Sarah Biddle's Aunt

  • Joshua Bertram Lippincott (1857-1940)   - Craige Lippincott's Brother and Sarah's father

    • Sarah (Lippincott) Biddle (1894-1962)

References

​​

​​

​

​

  • Joseph Bonaparte: From King of Spain to New Jersey - Shannon Selin

  • Joseph Hopkinson, Joseph Bonaparte’s Great Friend - Shannon Selin

  • ​Stephen Girard, America’s Napoleon of Commerce - Shannon Selin

  • Nicholas Biddle, Proud American - Shannon Selin

​

Disclaimer. All data and information is provided “as is” for informational purposes only, and is not intended for financial, investment, or any other purpose.  Contact us at m5carsandguitars with any recommended corrections along with supporting references and data sources.

bottom of page