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Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Object ID
MG0828
Date Range
1839-1932
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Description
The General Thomas Welsh Family Papers is a collection of original correspondence, official documents, and ephemera. Many of the papers were created by or directed to Thomas Welsh between approximately 1843 and his death in 1863. They provide glimpses into his youth, his experiences in the Mexican War, his life in Columbia between the wars, and his rise in rank to Brigadier General during the Civil War.
The collection contains correspondence with his wife and family from 1861-1863. There are also official correspondence and documents related to Welsh's military service, autobiographical pieces, correspondence following his death, obituaries, and family papers into the early twentieth century. Other items in the collection include genealogy pages from the family bible, photographic images of Thomas Welsh and family members, two scrapbooks, newspaper issues and newspaper clippings, written notes from recollections of one of Welsh's daughter, and a biographical sketch of Welsh written by his son.
Admin/Biographical History
Thomas Welsh (1824-1863) was a Lancaster County native (born and raised in Columbia), who rose from hardscrabble origins to local fame, first as a Mexican War hero, and then as a brigadier general during the Civil War. He was well known and well respected as a no nonsense officer, for his leadership and gallantry in battle, for his dedication to the service of his country, and for his concern for the welfare of his men.
Welsh lost his father at the age of 2, and went to work to support his family at age 8. He had very little formal schooling, and was largely self-educated. In 1843, at age 19, he left Lancaster County for Washington City, then went west as an itinerant carpenter/laborer to Cincinnati, Little Rock, and Fort Smith.
When the Mexican War broke out in 1846, he enlisted in a Kentucky regiment, and was severely wounded at the battle of Buena Vista (1847) from which he never fully recovered. Returning home to Columbia, he re-enlisted as a second lieutenant, assigned to the 11th U.S. infantry regiment in Mexico City. Within days of his arrival in Mexico City, he was declared unfit for service on account of his battle wound, and sent home again.
Back in Columbia as a civilian, he dabbled in politics, and received a patronage job in the Pennsylvania Main Line of Public Works (the rail and canal system connecting Philadelphia and Pittsburgh). After several years, he opened up a grocery and dry goods store in Columbia's canal basin. He also became an insurance agent. In 1857, he was elected Justice of the Peace, and his reputation grew as a community leader. By 1860, he was president of the Borough Council, a founding member of the Columbia Board of Trade, Vice President of the Columbia Cricket Club, and a canal boat operator, in addition to a dry goods merchant, insurance agent, and Justice of the Peace. He had a wife, 5 surviving children, and legal guardianship of his sister's 4 children.
When Confederate forces shelled Fort Sumter, marking the beginning of the Civil War, Thomas Welsh raised and organized the first company of volunteers from Lancaster County, and took them into the field as their Captain. Within days, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment, which served out its 90-day enlistment in the Shenandoah Valley.
Returning to Harrisburg, he was appointed Commandant of Camp Curtin, the problem-plagued processing center for new recruits. In short order, Welsh cleaned up the camp's poor sanitary conditions, improved the health of the camp, and implemented soldierly discipline and training.
In October 1861, he resigned from his camp duties, and as Colonel of the 45th Pennsylvania, led his regiment into the field. After brief service outside of Washington, they were sent to South Carolina in December, where they were posted to Otter Island. After the battle of James Island, they were recalled to Newport News, in July 1862, then sent to guard Aquia Creek.
In September, now in brigade command in Burnsides' 9th Corps, Welsh chased Lee's Confederate army west into central Maryland. His brigade broke the enemy line in Fox's Gap, on Sept. 14, then 3 days later achieved the furthest Union advance at Antietam, reaching the edge of Sharpsburg, and nearly cutting off Lee's only avenue of escape. Welsh's gallantry earned him a field promotion to brigadier general, which Congress confirmed on March 13, 1863.
The 9th Corps (Welsh now in command of the 1st Division) was sent west in the spring of 1863, then dispatched south to support Grant's investment of Vicksburg. After Vicksburg fell, they turned east and defeated Confederate General Johnston at the Battle of Jackson. Welsh contracted malaria in the southern swamps, and died in Cincinnati upon their return north. One of his men later recalled, "Had he lived, Welsh would undoubtedly have attained a much higher command. 1
1. Beauge, Eugene, in Albert, Allen D., Ed., History of the Forty-Fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry 1861-1865, Williamsport, PA: Grit Publ. Co, 1912, p. 79.
System of Arrangement
The collection is arranged in series:
Series A Thomas Welsh before the Mexican War
Series B Mexican War, 1846-1848
Series C Between the Mexican War and the Civil War, 1848-1861
Series D Civil War
Series E Post-Civil War
Series F Miscellaneous Family Papers
Series G Papers from the families of Gen. Thomas Welsh and Blanton C. Welsh
Date Range
1839-1932
Year Range From
1839
Year Range To
1932
Creator
Wiggin, Richard C.
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 19
People
Welsh, Thomas
Welsh, Annie Eunice Young
Welsh, Blanton Charles
Welsh, Effie
Welsh, Lilian
Welsh, Mary Young "Mazie"
Buchanan, James
Subjects
Letters
Mexican War, 1846-1848
Military orders
Military promotions
Personal correspondence
Political campaigns
Presidents--Election
Speeches, addresses, etc.
United States. Army--Military life
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Search Terms
Civil War
Correspondence, Personal
Letters
Mexican War
Military life
Military orders
Military promotions
Political campaigns
Presidential elections
Speeches
United States Army
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Condition
Fair to good
Condition Date
2020-12-18
Condition Notes
Items are in fair to good condition.
Object ID
MG0828
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Some items are photocopies from other collections--researchers must obtain permission for reproduction and publication from the owner of the original material.
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, Pa.
Classification
MG0828
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Almost all of the papers have been passed down through successive generations of Welsh's descendants, from Thomas Welsh's wife and children to his granddaughter, Emilie Benson (Welsh) Wiggin, to her daughter Nancy Jane (Wiggin) Townsend. After Nancy Townsend's death, her son Charles Townsend passed them on to his cousin, Richard Wiggin (grandson of Emilie Benson Wiggin) in 2015.
A few papers passed out of the family's possession and found their way into other collections. Richard Abel of Columbia, PA began collecting Welsh papers and artifacts some years ago, and subsequently transferred this collection of Welsh materials to Richard Wiggin in 2012.
Less detail
Collection
Musical Events Programs
Title
Musical Events Programs
Object ID
MG0267
Date Range
1858-2005
December 1943. This item is a gift from Ilene Geller Heiney, 2008. St. John’s Lutheran Choir concert to benefit themselves. Includes list of works and some soloists. 16 November 1875. This item was transferred from Balls/Ballroom dancing information file, March 2002. Christmas Eve service program for the
  1 document  
Collection
Musical Events Programs
Title
Musical Events Programs
Description
This collection of Musical Events Programs contains programs for the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, Lancaster Conservatory of Music, Lancaster Community Concert Association, The American Guild of Organists, Pennsylvania Academy of Music, Musical Arts Society, The Oratorio Society, and Lancaster Opera Company. Venues include camp meetings, local schools, churches and the Fulton Opera House. There is also an autographed program for a concert by the Trapp Family Singers in 1949.
Date Range
1858-2005
Year Range From
1858
Year Range To
2005
Date of Accumulation
1858-2005
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 07
People
Adler, Larry
Alexay, Alexander
Algard, Erik
Allan-Allen, Baldwin
Amram, David
Ansara, Edward
Antoine, Josephine
Armstrong, Martha
Aument, Karl B.
Austin, Christopher
Badura-Skoda, Paul
Balogh, Erno
Bamboschek, Giuseppe
Baromeo, Chase
Barsumian, Puzant
Bartlett, Ethel
Baughey, H. B.
Bay, Emanuel
Beecham, Thomas
Benner, James
Benoist, Andre
Bentonelli, Joseph
Berberian, Ara
Biggs, E. Power
Birchall, Alice A.
Bjoerling, Jussi
Blair, Abbie
Bogue, Laurence
Borton, Michael
Bos, Coenraad V.
Bower, Jacob
Bowman, Charles L.
Breiner, Scott
Broderick, William
Buccelli, Luigi
Burdino, Andre
Burger, Chris
Burrows, Stanley
Bussotti, Carlo
Campbell, Edna
Campbell, John
Carter, John
Casadesus, Robert
Castor, Doris
Castor, Godwin
Cerny, William
Charnley, Milne
Collins, L. John
Colton, Charles
Connel, Horatio
Conner, Nadine
Cooper, E. Virgil
Cossack, Don
Costello, Marilyn
Cowhick, Fred E.
Crooks, Richard
Cummings, Eva
Darrenkamp, John
Davis, Peter
de Paur, Leonard
Dearborn, Harold
Demidoff, Eugene
Demus, Joerg
Devine, Maude Metzger
Devine, Ned
Diller, Carolyn V.
Dja, Devi
Dosia, Elen
Douglass, Myrtle
Douty, Nicholas
Drake, Victoria
Draper, Paul
Dravonette, Jessica
Duncan, Todd
Eby, Gordon M.
Echternach, Earle
Edson, Edward
Edwards, Thomas
Endich, Sara Mae
Esbenshade, Charles
Faas, Mildred
Farrell, Eileen
Fasano, Renato
Ferrante, Arthur
Ferrier, Kathleen
Fidele, David
Fiedler, Arthur
Fink, Arnold Frederick
Fisher, E. Ruth
Fisher, Violet
Fleisher, Leon
Flock, Allen W.
Forrester, Maureen
Fowler, Frederick C.
Fox, Virgil
Frailey, Minnie
Francescatti, Zino
Frey, Percy
Garner, Adam
Gast, Marie R.
Getz, Russel
Geyer, Gwynne
Gibson, Barbara
Giddings, Hart
Godden, Reginald
Graseck, James
Greco, Jose
Greenhouse, Bernard
Grossman, Ferdinand
Guilet, Daniel
Gunzenhauser, Stephen
Habecker, Dorothy S.
Haglegans, Marguerite
Hall, Ray B.
Harris, Edward
Harris, Roy
Harrison, Guy Fraser
Hay, Phillip Jeffrey
Hayes, Patrick
Heiney, lIene Geller
Helm, Enos
Hemberg, Eskil
Henry, Cora
Hershey, Laura
Hess, Mildred M.
Hilger, Elsa
Hill, Robert
Hollinger, Daryl
Hollister, Carrol
Holt, Dean
Hoover, Annie
Howell, Henry B.
Huss, Mildred M.
Iturbi, Jose
Jamanis, Frances Veri
Jamanis, Micheal
Janis, Byron
Jaroff, Serge
Johannesen, Grant
Johnston, Kathyrn Byers
Joio, Norman Dello
Jollif, Jonas, Marla
Jones, Carol
Kapell, William
Karlsrud, Edmond
Keenen, Margaret
Kent, Arthur
Kindler, Hans
Kirk, Florence
Koo, Katcha
Kooiker, Anthony
Kopleff, Florence
Kreider, Amos
Kreider, Jacob
Kreisler, Fritz
Krsmanovich, Branko
Kullman, Charles
Kunz, Alfred
Lambdin, Thomas
Lamson, Carl
Lang, J. M.
Lau, Daniel
LeFever, Elizabeth
LeFevre, Wayne
LeFevre, Wayne B.
Lehman, Barbara
Leindorf, Erich
Lewis, Jack R.
Liebling, Joseph
Lockwood, Charlotte Matthewson
Long, Emma
Lunt, Reginald F.
Malcolm, Scott
Mann, Bertha
Marsh, Ozan
Martin, Hildreth
Martin, Margaret
Martinelli, Giovanni
May, John
Maynor, Dorothy
McAllister, Gertie
McConnell, Frank A.
McNeal, Lem
Melchior, Lauritz
Melton, James
Mentzer, Edna J.
Messner, Lucile Lane
Mileradoff, Igor
Miller, Harry
Miller, Mitch
Miquel, Pablo
Mittler, Frank
Moeller, Edith
Moffo, Anna
Mohr, Katharine
Mohr, Margaret
Morgana, Nina
Morini, Erika
Mowrey, Helen
Moyer, Karl
Murr, Harry
Newmark, John
Olheim, Helen
Onegin, Sigrid
Oswald, Belinda
Oswald, Mark
Padwa, Vladimir
Pan, Xun
Papavasilion, Ernest
Paray, Paul
Parnova, Lisa
Paulee, Mona
Pavlovsky, Valentin
Piatigorsky, Gregor
Piston, Walter
Pleam, R. R.
Pratt, Charles E.
Quillian, James
Rakestraw, Sue L.
Ralston, Howard
Reiner, Fritz
Rex, Charles
Rich, Thaddeus
Riddle, George
Ringwall, Rudolph
Robertson, Rae
Rodgers, George B.
Rodzinski, Artur
Roland, Robert
Romero, Trini
Ross, Stuart
Round, Carrie
Round, Clara
Salvi, Alberto
Sander, Arpad
Sandoval, Miguel
Sangree, Margaret
Santelmann, William F.
Satcher, Herbert Boyce
Sayao, Bidu
Schauwecker, Frederick
Schick, George
Schmitt, Elvin
Schroeder, Carl E.
Schuller, Gunther
Seigel, Charles
Seiver, Rebecca
Serkin, Rudolf
Sessions, Roger
Seyfert, Otto
Shaw, Robert
Shuk, Lajos
Shuman, William
Sieger, P. George
Silba, Muri
Simons, John
Slenczynska, Ruth
Slichter, Emma
Smith, Brooks
Snavely, Annie E.
Snell, Milford
Snow, Harry
Sokoloff, Vladimir
Somer, Hilde
Sousa, John
Spalding, Albert
Spitalny, Phil
Steinberg, William
Stever, Eleanor
Stewart, Reginald
Stopak, Josef
Svetlova, Marina
Sykes, Harry A.
Szell, George
Taleff, Carol
Tamayo, Ernesto
Tedick, Feodore
Thomas, John Charles
Tochette, Charles
Traubel, Helen
Trees, Sylvia
Trovillo, George
Valente, Benita
Van Vliet, Cornelius
Veri, Francis
Vilee, Gergrud V.
Vyner, Louis
Vyner, Mary
Wager, Karl H.
Walker, Mallory
Warfield, William
Warren, Leonard
Watts, Andre
Weede, Robert
Welsh, Francis
White, Roger
Willhoite, Earl
Williams, Camilla
Williamson, Francis H.
Wisner, Charles E.
Wittel, Ivan
Wittemore, Arthur
Wolf, Andrew
Wolle, J. Fred
Wood, Edna
Zardo, Eric
Zercher, Kathryn M.
Subjects
Advertisements
Broadsides
Choirs (Music)
Choral societies
Glee clubs
Musicians
Orchestra
Programs (Publications)
Symphonies
Search Terms
Advertisements
American Business Club
American Guild of Organists
American Guild of Organists, Lancaster Chapter
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Benefactors
Boston Pops Orchestra
Broad Street Methodist Church
Broadsides
Brochures
Busch Symphony Orchestra
Chicago City Opera Company
Choirs
Cleveland Orchestra
Composers
Concerts
Conductors
Dancers
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Elizabethtown
Ephrata Cloister
Exchange Club of Lancaster
Finding aids
First Presbyterian Church, Lancaster
Franklin and Marshall Academy
Franklin and Marshall College Glee Club
Fulton Opera House
Gordonville Gotwald Chapel
J. B. Kevinksi's Music Store
J. P. McCaskey High School
Junior League of Lancaster
Kiwanis Club of Lancaster
Lancaster
Lancaster Church of the Brethren
Lancaster Community Concert Association
Lancaster Conservatory of Music
Lancaster County Choral Festival
Lancaster County Courthouse
Lancaster County Historical Society
Lancaster Drama Club
Lancaster Mennonite High School
Lancaster MusiComedy Guild
Lancaster Opera Company
Lancaster Stock Company
Lancaster Symphony Orchestra
Lancaster Trust Building
Landisville Camp Meeting
Leacock Twp.
Manheim Township High School
Manuscript groups
Metropolitan Opera Association
Metropolitan Quartet
Mount Joy
Music Naturally Summer Institute Festival
Musical Art Society of Lancaster
Musical instruments
Musicians
National Association of Organists, Lancaster Chapter
National Symphony Orchestra
Orchestras
Pearsol and Geist
Pennsylvania Academy of Music
Philadelphia Orchestra
Pianists
Pittsburgh Symphony Society
Programs
Recitals
Robert Shaw Chorale and Concert Orchestra
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Rocky Springs Park Theater
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London, England
Shindig at Cripple Creek
Six Piano Ensemble of the Musical Art Society
Soloists
Southern District High School Chorus Festival
St. John's Lutheran Church
St. Mark's Lutheran Church
Tableaux of the Young Ladies of the Conestoga Collegiate Institute
Trapp Family Singers
Trinity Lutheran Church
Twilight Concert Series
United States Marine Band
Violinists
West Orange Street
Youth Symphony
Zion Lutheran Church
Extent
1 box, 39 folders, .5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English, Pennsylvania German, German
Object ID
MG0267
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
Fulton Opera House Collection (MG0103)
Fulton Theatre Archives (MG0942)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Musical Events Programs (MG0267), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Restrictions 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-267
Classification
MG0267
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by AN, May 2013. Added to database 31 January 2022.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Jacob N. Beam Collection
Title
Jacob N. Beam Collection
Object ID
MG0224
Date Range
1758-1940
Presbyterian Church in McKeeport, PA, regarding the work of his father, Robert L. Clark, Sr., on the history of the Leacock Presbyterian Church and request for copies of said information. Insert 4 5 letters from various individuals concerning Dr. Beam’s request for information to assist his research of the
  1 document  
Collection
Jacob N. Beam Collection
Title
Jacob N. Beam Collection
Description
The Jacob N. Beam Collection contains information and papers relevant to Dr. Beam's research and writing on the history of the Leacock Presbyterian Church, which he presented in the church's bicentennial address in 1940. Materials in this collection include letters and correspondences, family histories, military and land records, and other publications, as well as copies of drafts and final publication of the bicentennial address.
Date Range
1758-1940
Year Range From
1758
Year Range To
1940
Date of Accumulation
1758-1940
Creator
Beam, Jacob Newton, 1869-1954
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 05
People
Adams, John Quincy
Anderson, Robert
Barton, John
Bausman, Lottie M.
Beam, Jacob Newton
Beam, Victor S.
Bishop, Louis Faugeres Jr.
Boehm, John Philip
Bower, Michael
Boyd, John
Brown, George
Buyers, William B.
Carpenter, Henry
Carpenter, Jacob
Clark, John
Clark, Robert L. Jr.
Clark, William
Connell, Moore
Cooke, William B.
Cooper, John
Craig, John
Crawford, David
Crawford, James
Crawford, Jessie
Creighton, Thomas
Creighton, William
Ellmaker, Watson
Ferree, David
Finley, John H.
Hamilton, James
Hamilton, William
Hasson, Alexander
Hawthorn, James
Hawthorn, Samuel
Hawthorn, William
Henry, John
Herbert, Stewart
Hinke, William J.
Huston, Alex
Kaufman, Jay Warren
Knox, James
LeFevre, Samuel
Le Rue, Jonas
Lyon, John
McCamant, Isaac
McCaskey, John
McCausland, John
McCausland, Mary W.
McCausland, William
McClung, Charles
McClung, Matthew
McCurdy, James
McCurdy, Robert
McFadden, Alexander
McGowan, John
McIlwain, Robert
McIlwain, William B.
Mercer, James
Montgomery, James
Moorehead, William
Morris, Roland S.
Parker, Robert
Patterson, Samuel
Patton, Robert
Pepley, Elizabeth
Porter, William
Quigley, James
Reese, John
Rodgers, William
Scott, Phillip
Slaymaker, Matthias
Smith, Robert
Stewart, George
Tetley, John
Timlow, P. J.
Torbet, John
Tout, Jacob
Truslow, John
Van Tyne, Claud Halstead
Vernor, John
Watson, John
Whitehill, James
Whitehill, John
Williston, Seth
Winslow, Ola Elizabeth
Wood, George
Woodhull, John
Woodhull, Sally
Woods, Adam
Woods, Thomas
Workman, David R.
Zimmerman, Heinrich
Subjects
Churches
Genealogy
Letters
Scrapbooks
Search Terms
Churches
Correspondence
Donegal Presbyterian Church
Dr. Robert Smith's Academy
Family history
Finding aids
Genealogy
Lancaster Morning News
Leacock Presbyterian Church
Leacock Twp.
Letters
Manuscript groups
Paradise Twp.
Pennsylvania State Archives
Presbyterian Historical Society
Revolutionary War
Scrapbooks
Strasburg Twp.
Extent
2 boxes, 26 folders, 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0224
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Jacob N. Beam Collection (MG0224), Box #, Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
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.
Other Numbers
MG-224
Classification
MG0224
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by KV, Fall 2013. Added to database 3 February 2022.
Documents
Less detail