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Archival material relating to Father Healy is found in multiple units within the Booth Family Center for Special Collections: in the Manuscripts Unit, in the Georgetown University Archives, and in the Archives of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. Additionally, one folder in the Woodstock College Archives, which are managed by the Woodstock Theological Library, has material about Father Healy. See below for a description of some of these materials. A portion of the Patrick F. Healy Papers, GTA-GAMMS57 have been digitized. An in-person visit will be required to work with the other materials listed in the Booth Family Center’s reading room on the 5th floor of Georgetown's Lauinger Library. Use the Aeon request system to request materials and to schedule a research appointment to examine them.
Researchers should be aware that very little of the archival resources described in this guide reflect either Father Healy's thoughts about his racial background or the thoughts and opinions of others on that topic.
The archival materials listed here are intended as a starting point for research. Researchers are also encouraged to explore the descriptions of other records in Booth’s and Woodstock’s collections through the Georgetown Archival Resources site. Use the search box or the search icon in the gray row at the top of the screen to begin exploring. Additional search words can be added to the results screen using the Filter Results box to the right. Note that given variations in the cataloging of manuscript collections, no one search will locate all of the materials on Father Healy which are described on the Georgetown Archival Resources site. Researchers should search sequentially on “P. Healy”, "Patrick Healy” “Patrick F. Healy”and “P.F. Healy” to find complete results (the search should include the quotation marks in each case.)
As with any archival research project, please note that not all material in the Booth Family Center for Special Collections relevant to research on Father Healy is described on Georgetown Archival Resources site; Booth staff are happy to discuss research projects and direct researchers to additional resources.
Patrick F. Healy, SJ, papers, GTM-GAMMS57
A portion of these papers have been digitized. Researchers should take note of the limitations of the papers both in terms of their extent (only 0.80 Linear feet) and also of the types of material present. The papers include: diaries, which for the most part record appointments; correspondence consisting of only one folder of correspondence written by Father Healy dating from 1871-1903 and two folders of correspondence received by him dating from 1853-1906; academic notebooks; and a small amount of material about his family, particularly his brother James. This family-related material includes photographs (images of Father Healy, as well as his brothers, are present), clippings dating from 1900-1983, and a page in one the diaries titled “Family Record” which records the birth and death dates of Father Healy’s parents, siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces
Francis A. Barnum, SJ papers, GTM-GAMMS56
Box 2, folder 3 Correspondence of F.A. Barnum., 08/10/1890-09/30/1919 includes correspondence about Father Healy dated 1906 (click on the Additional Description link at the bottom of the page to see the reference to this correspondence)
Box 2, folder 14: Edward I. Devitt, SJ: Correspondence., 11/14/1898-02/19/1918 includes correspondence about Father Healy dated 1907 (click on the Additional Description link at the bottom of the page to see the reference to this correspondence)
Box 3, folder 4: Alphabetized Correspondence to FAB: H., 05/31/1872-07/25/1920 includes correspondence of Father Healy, 1899 and his brother Michael, 1902 (click on the Additional Description link at the bottom of the page to see the reference to this correspondence)
Box 3, folder 27: J. Havens Richards, SJ Correspondence., 06/12/1890-10/09/1921 includes correspondence about Father Healy dated 1893 and his brother Michael dated 1894 (click on the Additional Description link at the bottom of the page to see the reference to this correspondence)
Box 5, folder 3: Biographical Notes on Jesuits and Others., 01/01/1900-12/31/1920 includes one page of handwritten notes on “The Healy Family” (click on the Additional Description link at the bottom of the page to see the reference to these notes)
Richard H. Clarke papers, GTM-GAMMS92b
Box 1, folder 6: Healy, Patrick F., S.J., Begins 05/09/1872 includes one handwritten signed letter from Father Healy to Richard H. Clarke, mostly regarding Ancient American history with emphasis on Mexico. This includes references to L'Abbe de Bourbourg, John Peter Secchi, S.J., and Georgetown University
Joseph M. Finotti, SJ papers, GTM-GAMMS10
Box 2, folder 15: Correspondence, So- We., 01/18/1876-09/03/1947 includes correspondence from Father Healy to Father Finotti
Jackson McElmell Papers, GTM-GAMMS241
Box 1, folder 58: 1895., 03/22/1895-08/26/1895 includes a letter from Father Healy to McElmell dated March 22, 1895, in regard to the case of an associate
John J. Ryan, SJ papers, GTM-GAMMS 047
Box 1, folder 2: Ryan, Rev. John J., SJ: Correspondence rec'd, arranged alphabetically., 01/01/1870-12/01/1913 includes a letter from Father Healy dated 1895 (click on the Additional Description link at the bottom of the page to see the reference to this letter)
James A. Ward, SJ Papers, GTM-GAMMS007
Box 3, folder 9: Correspondence., 09/15/1847-10/13/1892 includes correspondence with Father Healy
Edward Holker Welch, SJ papers
Box 1, folder 1: Correspondence to Welch., 11/16/1841-06/01/1904 includes correspondence from Father Healy to Welch
Father Healy was a member of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus and as President/Rector of Georgetown College, he reported directly to the Maryland Provincial (or head of the Province.) The Archives of the Maryland Province are on deposit at Georgetown and can be accessed through the Booth Family Center. As might be expected, the Province Archives contain correspondence and other materials by and about Father Healy. A listing of some of this material follows. Researchers are also encouraged to explore the description of the Province Archives on the Georgetown Archival Resources site, particularly to look at descriptions of records relating to Georgetown College between 1866 and 1883 which do not specifically reference Father Healy. Links in this description allow researchers to access digitized versions of some of these records.
Note that written permission from the Maryland Province is required for the publication of substantive portions of any material or publication-quality reproductions of any material.
Box 45, folder 3: Conewago (12 of 19), 1811-1920 includes letter from Patrick Healy to Fr. Zwinge dated April 13, 1905
Box 13, folder 5: Ignatius Brochard, S.J. (46 of 83), 1850 includes recommendations of Patrick Healy for the Society of Jesus dated September 3 and September 15, 1850
Box13, folder 2: Ignatius Brochard, S.J. (43 of 83), 1850 includes letter from Hugh C. Healy to Father George Fenwick on Patrick Healy's determination to enter Society, dated July 6, 1850 1850
Box 182, folder 10: Correspondence, Patrick Healy, S.J. (1 of 3), 1853 includes several letters from Father Healy. One of these dated November 23, 1853 contains the following reflection on life at Holy Cross: . . . Placed in a college as I am, near boys who were well acquainted either by sight or hearsay with me & my brothers, remarks are sometimes made (though not in my hearing) which wound my very heart . . . I feel, that whilst we are here, with those who know us but too well, we shall always be subject to some such degrading misfortune . . .
Box 182 folder 12: Patrick Healy, S.J. (3 of 3), 1854 includes several letters from Father Healy
Box 17, folder 3: harles Stonestreet, S.J. - Holy Cross College (50 of 82), 1856 includes an incomplete letter from Father Healy to Father Fenwick on misc. at Holy Cross, dated December 24, 1856, and a letter from Father Healy to Father O'Callaghan re holidays at Holy Cross, dated December 1856
Box 18, folder 32: Angelus M. Paresce, S.J. (2 of 33), 1862-1866 includes a letter from Father Healy to Father Paresce dated December 17, 1862, sending news from Louvain
Box 18, folder 15: Burchard Villiger, S.J. (3 of 18), 1859 includes a letter from Father Healy about the political situation in Italy dated May 22, 1859
Box 19, folder 8: Angelus M. Paresce, S.J. (17 of 33), 1865 includes a letter from Father Healy to Father Paresce dated March 3, 1865
Box 19, folder 5: Angelus M. Paresce, S.J. (7 of 33), 1864 includes letters from Father Healy to Father Paresce
Box 19, folder 3: Angelus M.Paresce, S.J. (5 of 33), 1863 includes letter(s) from Father Healy
Box 98, folder 3: Wills, Surnames (E-K), 1853-1909 includes copies of Father Healy’s wills dated 1896 and 1904
Box 22, folder 4: Maryland Provincials (19 of 21), 1872-1873 includes a letter re Patrick Healy dated September 10, 1873
Box 22, folder 5: Maryland Provincials (20 of 21), 1874-1877 includes letter about Healy and the Georgetown Rectorship dated August 17, 1874
Old Archives Collections
Father Healy’s records as Georgetown President do not exist as a discrete group in the Georgetown University Archives, as might be expected. Because the Archives collection was organized on a subject basis rather than by office of origin prior to 1971, his records are dispersed throughout the Archives collection. Additionally, many of the pre-1971 subject groupings, now labeled as the Old Archives collections, have not been described/described in detail and so researchers cannot effectively use the Georgetown Archival Resources site linked in the Overview section of this page to locate Healy-related materials in them. However, the pre-1971 subject system arranges records chronologically within subjects, so it is possible for researchers to easily locate the folders within any subject grouping which date from Father Healy’s presidency and to then search through them for relevant material. A list of the most important subject groupings can be found in this description of the University Archives Collection, see pages 168-170. Among the groupings Healy researchers should consider investigating are:Old Archives: Alumni Association, GTA000317
Box 1. This includes a circular letter from Father Healy about the projected constitution of the Alumni Society of Georgetown College, dated May 3, 1880
Box 2. This includes the text of a speech dated 1894 by an unidentified alumnus which references Father Healy
Old Archives: Buildings, GTA.000321
Box 2 contains Healy Hall files
Old Archives: College [No GTA number]
Box 1
Old Archives: Debate: Philodemic Society, GTA.000588
Boxes 6 and 7
Old Archives: Law School, GTA.000331
Box 1
Old Archives: Medical School, GTA.000293
Box 1
Old Archives: Students, GTA.000099
Box 1, folder 1 33-1., 1851, 1872-1948 includes a note by Father Francis Barnum on students from St. Mary's County, Maryland, which references Father Healy's instinct always . . . to insult those who were his superiors socially
Commencement Files, GTA.GAMMS8
Box 2, folder 2 includes Father Healy’s address at the 1878 Medical Department commencement
University Archives Photographic Collection, GTA.000109
Includes a small number of portraits of Father Healy and a number of early photographs of Healy Hall
Woodstock College Archives, WTL-761101
Box 110: IIF-168: Healy, Patrick F., S.J. - Two documents resigning property - Dated August 31, 1867
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License. | Details of our policy