Name: Eli Cole
Class Year: 2025
Major: History, Minor: Museum Studies
Hometown: Durham, NC
Internship Organization: Girard College
Internship Title: Archival Intern
Location: Philadelphia, PA
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
For this internship I have been working with the papers of Stephen Girard, who was a wealthy Philadelphia merchant who made a lot of his fortune in the shipping industry. I am looking through records from the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century to find out more information about the sailors who worked on Girard's ships! I have been looking for information about sailors' age, race, and origins, as well as what roles they played on the ships and for how long. I am organizing this information and putting it into a database to make it more accessible to researchers.
Why did you apply for this internship?
I am interested in doing archival work, and I wanted to get some practical experience in the field. I am also interested in maritime history during this period, and I wanted an opportunity to do some research about people who were an essential part of the maritime economy but do not usually make it into the historical record.
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
I have really enjoyed finding stories in the records about incidents the sailors got involved in- most of the information is about the day-to-day running of the ship, but occasionally someone stages an escape from the ship, gets into a fight, or gets captured by the British, which is always exciting.
What is most rewarding about your internship?
The most rewarding this has been getting in contact with researchers who are interested in the information I am putting together, and hearing what they think about what I have been finding!
Career & Civic Engagement History Museum Studies