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Collection
Yeates, Carson Collection
Title
Yeates, Carson Collection
Object ID
MG0207
Date Range
1700-1874
Collection
Yeates, Carson Collection
Title
Yeates, Carson Collection
Description
The Yeates, Carson Collection covers several generations and a variety of topics and gives insight into family and local social history from 1700-1874. The items in the collection include business and legal papers, receipts, estate accounts, correspondence, a biographical sketch of Jasper Yeates' grandfather, land surveys, indentures, financial records, and land agreements. The collection also contains a list of books sent to Phineas Bond for binding, certificates with seals, copies of poems, eviction notices, and requests for items to be delivered to Simon Girty and others in 1776.
Date Range
1700-1874
Year Range From
1700
Year Range To
1874
Date of Accumulation
1700-1874
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 05
People
Boreman, John
Girty, Simon
Morgan, George
Neville, John
Yeates, Jasper
Yeates, Sarah Burd "Sally"
Subjects
Business records
Delaware Nation (To 1795)
Letters
Ojibwa Indians
United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783
Search Terms
Business records
Chippewa (Ojibwa)
Correspondence
Delaware Nation
Finding aids
Letters
Manuscript groups
Ojibwa
Receipts
Extent
3 boxes, 94 folders, 1.5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0207
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
MG0205 Yeates, Lancaster County Historical Society Collection https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/cd817511-4306-430b-9f8f-242553026746
MG0206 Yeates, Aungst Collection https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/90dcee13-a58b-419d-8cf2-886364148420
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org for permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-207
Classification
MG0207
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared prior to 1997. Added to database 6 August 2022.
Less detail
Collection
Samuel R. Slaymaker II, White Chimneys Collection, Series 2
Title
Samuel R. Slaymaker II, White Chimneys Collection, Series 2
Object ID
MG0268_S02
Date Range
1759-1928
  1 document  
Collection
Samuel R. Slaymaker II, White Chimneys Collection, Series 2
Title
Samuel R. Slaymaker II, White Chimneys Collection, Series 2
Description
The Samuel R. Slaymaker II, White Chimneys Collection, Series 2 was carefully curated by Mr. Slaymaker and contains papers dating from the mid-eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. This series is primarily composed of correspondence related to business, railroads, legal affairs, and personal matters. The personal letters are rich in details of social history and genealogy. Legal documents include estate papers for the Fleming, Slaymaker, Leech, and Boyd families. The remaining documents include land surveys, receipts, tickets, accounts, bonds, and wills.
System of Arrangement
The Samuel R. Slaymaker II, White Chimneys Collection is divided into six series according to the original order; Series 1, 2 and 4 have been cataloged and are available for research.
Series 1 Trunk: SRS I and Minnie
Series 2 Document Boxes
Series 3 Family Papers
Series 4 Museum Cases and Metal Box
Series 5 Slaymaker Lock Company Records
Series 6 Papers of Samuel R. Slaymaker II
Date Range
1759-1928
Year Range From
1759
Year Range To
1928
Date of Accumulation
1759-1928
Creator
Slaymaker, Samuel Redsecker, 1923-1989
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 07
People
Slaymaker, Amos
Slaymaker, Henry Fleming
Slaymaker, Minnie Louise Cohr
Slaymaker, Samuel Cochran, 1828-1894
Slaymaker, Samuel Redsecker
Other Creators
Slaymaker family
Subjects
African Americans--History
Business records
Court records
Deeds
Family records
Invitation cards
Legal documents
Letters
Postmasters
Railroads--Pennsylvania
Railroads--Records and correspondence
Real property surveys--Pennsylvania
Kinzers (Pa.)
Lancaster County (Pa.)
Salisbury (Lancaster County, Pa. : Township)
Search Terms
Accounts
Business records
Columbia Store
Correspondence
Court records
Deeds
Enslaved persons
Family records
Finding aids
Invitations
Kinzers, Paradise Twp.
Legal documents
Letters
Manuscript groups
Persons of color
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company
Postmasters
Railroads
Railroads, Records and correspondence
Reading and Chesapeake Railroad
Reading and Columbia Railroad Company
Reading, Lancaster and Baltimore Railroad
Real property surveys
Receipts
Salisbury Twp.
White Chimneys
Wilmington and Reading Railroad
Extent
7 boxes, 113 folders, 3.5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0268_S02
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
See also Photograph and Object Collections
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Series #, Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Restrictions are noted at the item level.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org. Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-268, Series 2
Classification
MG0268
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Added to database 8 August 2022.
Much of this series was microfilmed by the Pennsylvania State Archives. The microfilmed items are noted within the finding aid and the microfilm is available in LancasterHistory's Research Center.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Lancaster City and County Medical Society Records
Title
Lancaster City and County Medical Society Records
Object ID
MG0373
Date Range
1844-1952
  1 document  
Collection
Lancaster City and County Medical Society Records
Title
Lancaster City and County Medical Society Records
Description
This collection contains minute books of the Lancaster City & County Medical Society.
Admin/Biographical History
The Lancaster City & County Medical Society, which was established in 1844, is a professional association for physicians in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Date Range
1844-1952
Year Range From
1844
Year Range To
1952
Date of Accumulation
1844-1952
Creator
Lancaster City & County Medical Society
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 09
Subjects
Associations, institutions, etc.
Business records
Lancaster City & County Medical Society
Minutes (Records)
Search Terms
Associations, institutions, etc.
Business records
Lancaster City and County Medical Society
Minutes
Extent
2 boxes, 7 folders, 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0373
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Associated Material
Collection at Lancaster Medical Heritage Museum https://lancastermedicalheritagemuseum.org/
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Series #, Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Original documents may be used by appointment--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied, but pages may be photographed without flash. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-373
Classification
MG0373
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
The volumes in Folders 1-7 were transferred from MG-266 Daybook and Ledger Collection, Series 1 on 3 March 2009.
Added to database 27 July 2023.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Armstrong World Industries Collection
Title
Armstrong World Industries Collection
Object ID
MG0032
Date Range
1870-2007
  1 document  
Collection
Armstrong World Industries Collection
Title
Armstrong World Industries Collection
Description
Collection contains information on Armstrong World Industries, formerly the Armstrong Cork Company, manufacturers of flooring, ceiling, and building materials. Several items concern military production during World War II. There are histories of the company, management correspondence, policy manuals, blueprints, consumer catalogs, annual reports, and copies of Armstrong Today, an internal magazine. Employee correspondence, convention programs and ephemera, advertising, and news articles were added to the collection in 2007-2008.
Date Range
1870-2007
Year Range From
1870
Year Range To
2007
Date of Accumulation
1870-2007
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
Brown, Hazel Dell
Dyke, Samuel Eugene
Other Creators
Dyke, Samuel Eugene, 1900-1985
Subjects
Business records
Search Terms
Armstrong Cork Company
Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
Business records
Extent
15 boxes, 184 folders, 1 scrapbook, oversized material, 10 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0032
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Armstrong World Industries, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Associated Material
Armstrong Archive, Armstrong World Industries, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Copies
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Series #, Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Classification
MG0032
Description Level
Fonds
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Empire Hook and Ladder Company Records
Title
Empire Hook and Ladder Company Records
Object ID
MG0519
Date Range
1856-1892
Collection
Empire Hook and Ladder Company Records
Title
Empire Hook and Ladder Company Records
Description
The Empire Hook and Ladder Company Records contain minute books, a committee report, responsibilities of the directors, a reunion program and banquet menu, financial records, and a membership book.
Folder 1 Minute book of the Empire Hook and Ladder Company, Lancaster. 1856-1865. Gift of Barry L. Dusel, 4 March 2003. (Accession # 2003.MG0519.F1)
Insert 1 Report of Committee on Constitution and By-laws for Hook & Ladder Co. Duties of Directors. No date.
Promissory note to John Waters, janitor. [1873].
4th annual reunion program and banquet menu, with list of members. 24 February 1892.
Folder 2 Ledger book. 1873-1884.
Folder 3 Roll book showing active members, 1866-1883 and honorary members, 1867-1881. (poor condition, loose boards)
Insert 1 Resolution regarding the death of member, Harry C. Hoffman. No date.
Folder 4 Minute book, including the constitution and by-laws and a list of active members. Handwritten transcription of a few pages at the front of the volume. Loose papers interleaved and newspaper articles pasted at the back. 1865-1876.
Folder 5 Minute book. 1879-1884.
Admin/Biographical History
The Empire Hook and Ladder Company was formed in June 1856 and incorporated in March 1861. (Ellis and Evans, History of Lancaster County, pp. 391-392)
Date Range
1856-1892
Year Range From
1856
Year Range To
1892
Date of Accumulation
1856-1892
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 11
People
Hoffman, Harry C.
Subjects
Business records
Fire stations
Minutes (Records)
Search Terms
Business records
Empire Hook and Ladder Company
Finding aids
Fire stations
Manuscript groups
Minutes
Extent
1 box, 5 folders, .5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0519
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
See the Curatorial and Photograph Collections
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The minute book in Folder 1 was a gift of Barry Dusel, February 2003. The records in Folder 2-5 were placed with LancasterHistory by the Lancaster City Archives in 1959.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Original documents may be used--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit or request at the Reference Desk.
Copyright
Collection items may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-519
Classification
MG0519
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
The volume in Folder 1 was transferred from MG-266 Daybook and Ledger Collection, Series 4 on 10 March 2009. The records in Folder 2-5 are part of the Lancaster City Archives and have been placed in this collection to provide easier access for researchers. LancasterHistory cares for and provides access to the historic records of Lancaster City.
Added to database 27 December 2023.
Less detail
Collection
Dodge Family Papers
Title
Dodge Family Papers
Object ID
MG0836
Date Range
1879-2003
Collection
Dodge Family Papers
Title
Dodge Family Papers
Description
The Dodge Family Papers collection consists of materials related to the Dodge family and their various business and personal concerns. The contents of the collection include a variety of materials, including personal papers, historical memorabilia, objects, ledgers, albums, patents, and Safety Buggy Company records.
Box 1
Legal papers, Richard K. Dodge (1914-1996) & Nancy Howle Dodge (1918-2003)
Box 2
Papers of Byron G. Dodge
Box 3
Box 4
Papers of Byron G. Dodge & Arthur B. Dodge, Sr.
Box 5
Papers of the Dodge Cork Company
Box 6
Box 7
Objects Produced by and for the Dodge Cork Company
Box 8
Plaque and Account Books, G.W. Dodge & Sons, Byron G. Dodge
Box 9
Account Books and Ledgers: The Safety Buggy Company and Dodge Cork Company
Date Range
1879-2003
Creation Date
1879-2003
Year Range From
1879
Year Range To
2003
Creator
Dodge, Clifford H.
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 19
People
Dodge, Arthur Byron, Sr.
Dodge, Byron Griswold
Dodge, George Washington
Dodge, Nancy Howle
Dodge, Richard Keller
Subjects
Business records
Search Terms
Business records
Cork
Dodge Cork Company
G. W. Dodge and Sons
Manuscript groups
Safety Buggy Company
Extent
9 boxes
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0836
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please contact Research Staff or Archives Staff with questions.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Accession Number
2021.019
Other Numbers
MG0836
Description Level
Fonds
Less detail
Collection
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 1
Title
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 1 Market Houses
Object ID
MG0545_Series01
Date Range
1827-1926, 1999
  1 document  
Collection
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 1
Title
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 1 Market Houses
Description
The documents in MG0545, Series 1 represent the business of the City of Lancaster related to the market houses, primarily in the nineteenth century. Payments to Market Masters and for gas lighting, advertising and maintenance show some of the costs associated with running the market houses in the nineteenth century. Market license certificates provide the names of stand holders and their products for 1925-1926.
System of Arrangement
This collection is organized into series:
Series 1 Market Houses
Series 2 Fire Department
Series 3 Bridges
Series 4 Railroads
Series 5 Lamps and Lighting
Series 6 Relief Fund
Series 7 Administrative Records
Date Range
1827-1926, 1999
Creation Date
1827-1926, 1999
Year Range From
1827
Year Range To
1999
Creator
Lancaster (Pa.)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 11
People
Snyder, John
Wilhelm, John
Bostick, John
Donley, Henry
Wilhelm, Henry
Book, John
Subjects
Business records
Lancaster (Pa.)
Markets--Pennsylvania--Lancaster
Search Terms
Business records
Finding aids
Invoices
Lancaster Gas Light and Fuel Company
Licenses
Manuscript groups
Market houses
Markets
Mellert Foundry and Machine Company
Extent
1 box, 40 folders, .5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0545_Series01
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory
Related Item Notes
Lancaster City Archives
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, MG0545
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions. Original documents may be used. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-545, Series 1
Other Number
MG-545, Series 1
Classification
MG0545
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Note: These documents are mostly administrative records, not permanent records, and were likely purged by the city offices when they were no longer needed. We are fortunate that they survived as they contain details about Lancaster's past.
Organized and preserved by MM, Summer 2011. Added to database 10 May 2021.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 4
Title
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 4 Railroads
Object ID
MG0545_Series04
Date Range
1833-1896
  1 document  
Collection
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 4
Title
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 4 Railroads
Description
The documents in MG0545, Series 4 represent the business of the City of Lancaster related to the Columbia and Philadelphia Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad, including correspondence, invoices and a petition.
System of Arrangement
This collection is organized into series:
Series 1 Market Houses
Series 2 Fire Department
Series 3 Bridges
Series 4 Railroads
Series 5 Lamps and Lighting
Series 6 Relief Fund
Series 7 Administrative Records
Date Range
1833-1896
Creation Date
1833-1896
Year Range From
1833
Year Range To
1896
Creator
Lancaster (Pa.)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 11
People
Ihling, Charles C.
Flick, Henry
Zimmerman, John
Subjects
Business records
Columbia-Philadelphia Railroad
Invoices
Lancaster (Pa.)
Pennsylvania Railroad
Petitions
Railroads
Search Terms
Business records
Columbia and Philadelphia Railroad
Correspondence
Finding aids
Invoices
Lancaster
Letters
Manuscript groups
Pennsylvania Railroad
Petitions
Railroads
Extent
1 box, 4 folders, .1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0545_Series04
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory
Related Item Notes
Lancaster City Archives
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, MG0545
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions. Original documents may be used. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-545, Series 4
Other Number
MG-545, Series 4
Classification
MG0545
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Note: These documents are mostly administrative records, not permanent records, and were likely purged by the city offices when they were no longer needed. We are fortunate that they survived as they contain details about Lancaster's past.
Collection was organized and rehoused by JP, Summer 2011.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 7
Title
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 7 Administrative Records
Object ID
MG0545_Series07
Date Range
1827-1897
  1 document  
Collection
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 7
Title
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 7 Administrative Records
Description
The documents in MG0545, Series 7 are invoices pertaining to payments made by the City of Lancaster during the 19th century. The documents represent a wide cross-section of Lancaster's history and include references to City Hall, the mapping of the city, officers salaries, charity donations, printing invoices, and bills and orders for coal. By far the largest groups of documents are those which record payments made for goods and services and for general labor completed for the city. These documents highlight the growth and improvements taking place in the city during the 19th century. Businesses or individuals are named on many of the invoices.
System of Arrangement
This collection is organized into series:
Series 1 Market Houses
Series 2 Fire Department
Series 3 Bridges
Series 4 Railroads
Series 5 Lamps and Lighting
Series 6 Relief Fund
Series 7 Administrative Records
Date Range
1827-1897
Creation Date
1827-1897
Year Range From
1827
Year Range To
1897
Creator
Lancaster (Pa.)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 11
Subjects
Invoices
Business records
Lancaster (Pa.)
Search Terms
Invoices
Business records
Lancaster
Finding aids
Manuscript groups
Extent
1 box, 8 folders, .25 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0545_Series07
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory
Related Item Notes
Lancaster City Archives
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, MG0545
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions. Original documents may be used. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-545, Series 7
Other Number
MG-545, Series 7
Classification
MG0545
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Note: These documents are mostly administrative records, not permanent records, and were likely purged by the city offices when they were no longer needed. We are fortunate that they survived as they contain details about Lancaster's past.
Organized and preserved by KH, February-March 2012. Added to database 11 May 2021.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Haldeman Family Papers and Business Records
Title
Haldeman Family Papers and Business Records
Object ID
MG0736
Date Range
1814-1957
  1 document  
Collection
Haldeman Family Papers and Business Records
Title
Haldeman Family Papers and Business Records
Description
The Haldeman Family Papers and Business Records collection contains correspondence between various members of the Haldeman family-the majority of which were sent or received by Samuel Haldeman or his daughter Eliza. The first sets of letters are between Samuel's parents and other family and acquaintances, then progress to Samuel and his family. The content includes Paris Haldeman's life during the California gold rush; Eliza's studies in Philadelphia and France; the Civil War; Carsten Haldeman's severe throat illness; and Samuel's travels throughout Europe. The letters span from 1814 to 1883. Mentioned in many of the letters to and from Eliza is her friend Mary Cassatt, an American Impressionist artist. As for the letters sent by Samuel, their content tends to be extremely detailed, sending home as good a description of his travels as he could with locations ranging from Philadelphia to Pompeii. Also included in the collection are several newspaper clippings concerning the Haldeman mansion and Chickies Rock as well as a ledger from the E. Haldeman and Co. furnaces at Chickies.
Admin/Biographical History
Samuel Steman Haldeman (1812-1880) born at the mansion in Bainbridge on August 12, 1812, was the oldest of seven children of Henry Haldeman (1787-1849) and his wife Frances Steman (1794-1826). His father, who appreciated culture, endeavored to foster a love of learning in his children. His mother, an accomplished musician, died when Samuel was fourteen years of age.
Samuel was educated in the public schools, at the classical academy in Harrisburg and at Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA. He found college routine irksome and left after two years at the age of eighteen saying, "I cannot learn from others, I must see for myself." Thereafter he educated himself by attending lectures, recording observations of bird habits, learning to stuff birds and mammals from a traveling Methodist minister, resulting in a large collection of specimens in natural history and also a scientific and linguistic library.
As a child Haldeman had a penchant for collecting specimens from nature and Native American stone implements found on and near the mansion site, keeping them in his own museum. His collection included skeletons of rabbits, opossums, muskrats, and field mice, which he prepared by boiling the carcasses. It also included fresh-water shells from both banks of the Susquehanna River and its islands. A letter from Samuel to a friend, dated 1844, says, "I collected shells on the banks of the Susquehanna long before I knew the meaning of genus and species." We'll see later what an influence these early shell-collecting days on the Susquehanna River had on Haldeman's scientific scholarship.
After his marriage in 1835 to Mary A. Hough of Bainbridge, he moved to a new residence at the base of Chickies Rock, Marietta. Not only did he design the stately home built by his father, he laid out the grounds with native specimens of trees and shrubs gathered from the surrounding woods, and some foreign varieties, all of which were planted with his own hands.
Not having a particular fondness for business, he continued his studies of nature, but did assist his father in a saw mill and later became a silent partner in the iron business with his brothers. He wrote articles on anthracite furnaces for Silliman's Journal, and contributed sound and practical suggestions for improvements to both the mill business and construction of the blast furnace.
At the age of twenty-three, Samuel contributed to the Lancaster Journal an article refuting Locke's "Moon Hoax". From then on, his life was devoted to science. For forty-five years he spent most of the time in his library, many times working sixteen hours a day. In 1836, Professor Haldeman became an assistant on the State geological survey of New Jersey, and was later transferred to a similar position in Pennsylvania. During extensive geological work, he discovered a new genus and species of fossil plant. Geology did not engross his whole attention, as he was now busy collecting and studying shells, and made substantial contributions in this field through an expertly illustrated massive work of copperplate engravings, drawn and colored from the original shells and living animals. This was finished in 1845.
One professional association of Samuel Haldeman during this period of 1840 to 1850 is particularly significant for his scientific development as well as for the development of American science. In 1844 he became a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a fledgling organization just beginning to function. At the request of this organization, he prepared a paper entitled "Enumeration of the Recent Freshwater Mollusk Which are Common to North America and Europe, with Observations on Species and their Distribution." Fifteen years later, an obscure British scientist had the following to say about this paper, "In 1843-44 professor Haldeman (Boston Journal of Natural History, United States, Vol. IV, pg. 468) has ably given the arguments for and against the hypothesis of the development and modification of species: he seems to lean towards the side of change." This scientist was Charles Darwin and he was writing in the preface to his Origin of Species, one of the most influential and controversial science books ever published. Samuel was said to have been the only American Naturalist with whom Charles Darwin corresponded, and whose opinion Darwin regarded as authoritative."
Samuel continued to write important and prize-winning essays and articles in philology, phonography, ethnology, natural history, and archaeology. His writings in all fields of science are literally innumberable, with well over one hundred articles on such scientific subjects as conchology and crustacea (the study of mollusks and shells), entomology (the study of insects), arachnidae (the study of spiders), annelids (the study of earthworms, leeches and related animals ), geology, chemistry and archeology.
He became professor of zoology at Franklin Institute of Philadelphia in 1841; chemist and geologist of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Society in 1852; professor of natural history at the University of Pennsylvania from 1850-1853; and the same position at Delaware College at Newark, Delaware from 1855-1858; and professor of comparative philology at the University of Pennsylvania from 1876 until the time of his death. This university conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws. Professor Haldeman was among the first to undertake the spelling reform of English words. He corresponded with Noah Webster, who credited him with many words and definitions in his dictionary, also contributing to Worchester's Dictionary, the National Dictionary, and Johnson's Cyclopedia. He studied the languages of our Indian tribes, and of various nations and tribes of other parts of the world. He considered his most outstanding accomplishments to have been his investigations in philology (the study of the evolution of speech sounds).
Dr. Haldeman was elected to twenty-eight honorary scientific societies, both in this country and abroad. With others, he formed the Entomological Society of Pennsylvania and was president of the American Philological Association. Letters of inquiry from all parts of the world came across his desk; publishers asking opinions of books; writers begging information; teachers with a pronunciation to be settled; naturalists forwarding packages of shells, insects, or minerals for identification; farmers and others sending clays to be analyzed; requests for lectures; requests for data from scientific newspaper articles; request for reviews from editors, and so on.
Samuel Steman Haldeman died on September 10, 1880 at the age of sixty-eight, at his study table, of heart paralysis. He left a wife, two sons, and two daughters. He is buried beside his wife in the Haldeman family plot in the Marietta Cemetery. At a meeting of scientists following his death, this remark was made of him, "He was no ordinary man whom you might compliment with a passing respectful obituary notice - in science and letters he was a great man." - HMPS Records www.haldeman-mansion.org/samuelstemanhaldeman.htm
The biographical information was provided by the Haldeman Mansion Preservation Society. www.haldeman-mansion.org
Date Range
1814-1957
Creation Date
1814-1957
Year Range From
1814
Year Range To
1957
Creator
Haldeman family
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 15
People
Haldeman, Samuel Steman
Figyelmessy, Elisa Jacobean Haldeman
Haldeman, Henry
Haldeman, Paris
Haldeman, Mary Ann Hough
Haldeman, Carsten N.
Haldeman, Victor Macholski
Haldeman, Horace
Haldeman, Preston Elder
Black, Mira H.
Black, Harry "Pep" Crawford
Figyelmessy, Loyos Philip Haldeman
Cassatt, Mary Stevenson
Solis-Cohen, Jacob da Silva
Subjects
Business records
Letters
Search Terms
Letters
Correspondence
Business records
Manuscript groups
Finding aids
Extent
1 box, 73 folders, 291 items, 1,115 pages to scan, .5 cubic foot
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0736
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Associated Material
Haldeman Mansion Preservation Society https://www.haldeman-mansion.org/
Related Item Notes
Curatorial Collection
S. S. Haldeman Papers, MG0344
Notes
The following notes, including a partial Haldeman Family tree, document only those who authored and/or received the letters:
Henry Haldeman (18 Dec 1787 - 21 Mar 1849)
m. (1) Francis Steman (1 Mar 1794 - 15 Feb 1826) on 1811
Children: Samuel Steman Haldeman; Horace Haldeman
m. (2) Margaret Armstrong (15 Aug 1804 - 17 May 1867) on 1830
Children: Paris Haldeman
Samuel Steman Haldeman (12 Aug 1812 - 10 Sep 1880)
m. Mary Ann Hough (12 Dec 1812 - 6 Jul 1883) on 1835
Children: Carsten N. Haldeman (13 Oct 1837 - 14 Apr 1892); Eliza (Itty) Jacobean Haldeman (5 Nov 1843 - 10-Dec 1910); Frances H. Haldeman (9 May 1840 - 20 Oct 1904); Victor M. Haldeman (29 Jul 1854 - 12 Aug 1924)
Horace Haldeman (14 Aug 1820 - 10 Sep 1883)
m. Annie Breneman Haines (1823 - 16 Jan 1892)
Paris Haldeman (30 Jan 1831 - 13 Aug 1893)
Preston Elder Haldeman was Eliza Haldeman's cousin
Mira/Myra H. Black (1847-1895) and her brother Harry (Pep) Crawford Black (14 Mar 1846 - 22 Mar 1921) were second cousins to Eliza Haldeman.
Loyos Philip Haldeman Figyelmessy (2 Sep 1877 - 8 Apr 1889) was Eliza Haldeman's son. Eliza was married to Col. Philip Figyelmessy (1822-1907).
Mary S. Cassatt (May 22, 1844 - June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She lived much of her adult life in France, where she first befriended Edgar Degas and later exhibited among the Impressionists. Cassatt often created images of the social and private lives of women, with particular emphasis on the intimate bonds between mothers and children. She was a close friend of Eliza Haldeman.
J. Solis-Cohen had a private medical practice in Philadelphia, where he concentrated on diseases of the throat and chest. www.collegeofphysicians.org
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org. Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Accession Number
2014.MG0736
Other Numbers
MG-736
Classification
MG0736
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
The letters and record book in this collection were kept by Eliza Haldeman and later sold by her son, S. Haldeman Figyelmessy, to his cousin and the donor's father, Guy K. Haldeman.
Processed and finding aid prepared by RR and SM in Summer and Fall 2015; and SW in Spring 2016. Added to database 23 May 2021.
Documents
Less detail

47 records – page 1 of 5.