Excerpt from Biographical Catalogue of the Matriculates of the College: Together With Lists of the Members of the College Faculty and the Trustees Officers and Recipients of Honorary Degrees, 1749-1893

The present catalogue is the outcome of a resolution adopted at its annual meeting in 1885 by the Society of the Alumni. A short time previously at a reunion of the Class of 1862 the attempt had been made to provide brief notes of the careers of its members, and it was thought that similar notes of all who had ever attended the Departments of Arts and of Science in the University of Pennsylvania would be interesting and useful.

It was almost immediately recognized that a book of this kind would require so much labor in its preparation as to justify going a little farther than was at first contemplated and obtaining additional data which would be valuable to anyone desiring to prepare a complete biography of any matriculate of the College. The determination to perform the task in this way transformed the work from a mere catalogue with occasional notes as to date of death, etc., into a collection of short biographical sketches.

The Committee did not consider itself absolved from its obligation toward the Alumni Society and the University by the failure of those addressed to respond to its inquiries, and has sought information from all sources, though not always with success. It must be remembered that the problem with which the Committee has had to deal is one of a biographical catalogue commencing in Colonial days, relating to an institution situated in the centre of the scene of the war of Independence, and. Therefore deprived of many of the archives which at a less distracted locality or in' a more peaceful era would have been obtainable.

With a view to obtaining necessary information of the persons designated without invading their rights to privacy, a carefully considered question-sheet was sent out by the Committee to all matriculates or their representatives. Editing the material collected has not been easy. Believing it necessary to limit itself to the bare statement of facts, without elaboration of any kind, the Committee feels that injustice seems to be done to some eminent matriculates who were neither authors nor holders of public office, and whose records therefore appear meagre. This could not be remedied without the preparation of much fuller biographies than space and means would permit. Other dith culties were supplying deficiencies in cases where the returned question-sheet omitted items proper for insertion, and the excision of matter, in cases where the returns were too full.

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