The history and topography of Dauphin, Cumberland, Franklin, Bedford, Adams, and Perry Counties; containing a brief history of the first settlers, notices of the leading events, incidents and interesting facts, both general and local, in the history of these counties, general & statistical descriptions of all the principal boroughs, towns, villages, &c. with an appendix, embellished with several engravingsj compiled from numerous authentic sources by I. Daniel Rupp
Principal faculty advisor: Benno M. Forman, Dept. of Art History.
Bibliography: leaves 50-55.
Contents
Chapters: Introduction - History of Lancaster Borough - The building and furniture trades in Lancaster - Economic Status of the Furniture and Building Trades in Lancaster - Success and Kinship - Products , perception , and use of material culture - Conclusion.
Summary
"Lancaster, Pennsylvania, flourished during the last half ofthe eighteenth century. The borough had been founded in 1729 as an inland supply center for the lucrative fur trade and as a gateway to western expansion. The financial opportunities Lancaster offered attracted merchants, professional men, tradesmen, and artisans. This thesis focuses on one group of craftsmen, woodworkers involved in thebuilding and furniture trades between 1750 and 1800. German immigration to southeastern Pennsylvania was high during the eighteenth century, and many of them settled in Lancaster. The ethnic ratio of the woodworkers reflected the town's five-to-one, German-to-British (that is, English, Irish, and Scotch-Irish ) ratio. These artisans shared a common technological skill and, in most cases, a common cultural heritage. This study will examine the growth of thewoodworking trade and will isolate factors that contributed to thewoodworkers' success or failure in the borough. The craftsmen's products will be discussed to determine the extent the Germans adaptedto the British culture and simultaneously retained their ethnic identity. [from the introduction]
History of Cecil County, Maryland, and the early settlements around the head of Chesapeake Bay and on the Delaware River, with sketches of some of the old families of Cecil County
"The loss of many of the early colonial and county records and the miserably dilapidated condition of many of those extant, have added greatly to the difficulty and labor of the work, and made it in some cases impossible to refer the reader to the sources from which important information has been obtained. Not withstanding which, the author has quoted largely from the archives of the State and county as well as from the writings and correspondence of many persons mentioned in the work " [from the preface]
A biographical history of Lancaster County: being a history of early settlers and eminent men of the county; as also much other unpublished historical information, chiefly of a local character
