This collection contains ephemera related to Alice Potter Fordney, antiques dealer and rugmaker. Items in the collection include business correspondence with Armstrong, F. Schumacher & Co., and the Montclair art museum; personal correspondence with friends and family; hooked rug patterns; and antiques sale flyers from the early 20th century. Also included in the collection are newspaper clippings, including the obituary of Fordney's sister Ellen Franklin; reference material for rug making and interior design (informational sheets, books and patterns); several items related to the Yeates School, which Fordney's brother William Bush Fordney attended; several photographs of unidentified persons; and a statement related to the will of William J. Fordney, her uncle.
Admin/Biographical History
Alice Potter Fordney was born June 21, 1887 in Lancaster, the daughter of Ida Cox and Thomas Potter Fordney. A prominent antique dealer from the late 1920s to her retirement in 1965, Fordney also made and sold hooked rugs.
Fordney's family features prominently in Lancaster County history. Her maternal great-grandfather was John Michael, who owned the historic Grape Hotel from 1805-1839. Fordney's paternal great-grandfather William Jenkins built Wheatland in 1828 and later sold the property to President James Buchanan. Colonel William Bush Fordney, her paternal grandfather, was a prominent lawyer in Lancaster. He served as district attorney from 1839-1845 and negotiated for the loan that enabled Lancaster city to build the "water works" in the 1830s. Sarah Cox, her maternal grandmother, was a known philanthropist and for years helped to manage the Home for Friendless Children in Lancaster. Her sister, Ellen Fordney Franklin, was a "pioneer" in the industry of women's knit suits, opening her first shop in 1929 in Philadelphia.
Fordney never married. She kept in contact with her nieces and nephews, as evidenced by letters in the collection. According to notes provided by Wendell Zercher, Sarah Ellmaker McIlvaine Muench, her niece and the donor of the collection, recalled her as "warm and artistic," and "a character." She died April 17, 1973, at the age of 85.
Works Cited:
"Mrs. Franklin, pioneer of women's knit suits, dies." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], 10 May 1963, p. 2.
"Accident Fatal to Mrs. Sarah A. Cox." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], no date, page unknown.
"Miss Fordney, Antique Dealer, 85, Succumbs." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], 18 April 1973, p. 2.
"One of Lancaster's Most Prominent and Venerable Citizens Passes Away." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], 29 July 1889, p. 1.
3 boxes, 37 folders, 333 items, 1,015 pages to scan, 4.5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
HC0001
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Associated Material
Sarah McIlvaine Muench Family Papers, MS 44 at Archives and Special Collections, Shadek-Fackenthal Library, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA.
Related Item Notes
See photograph collection.
See curatorial collection for examples of rugs.
Fordney Family Diaries (MG0539)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Archive of Alice P. Fordney (HC0001), Box #, Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
The kraft paper patterns in Folders 33-37 are restricted. Please make an appointment with the Director of Archival Services to view these items.
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
G.04.23.52
Classification
HC0001
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
From the Heritage Center of Lancaster County collection, G04.23.52.
Processed and finding aid prepared by MJ, June 2018.
This collection contains letters, correspondence, documents, a copy book, marriage license, an issue of the Wrightsville Star newspaper and other ephemera of the family of James Fleming Smith (1807-1854) and his son, Howard Persifor Smith (1847-1872).
Admin/Biographical History
James Fleming Smith, son of Isaac Smith and Margaret Fleming, was born in 1807 in Lancaster County and died in 1854 in Wrightsville, York County. He married Elizabeth Schall, 3 September 1845, and had one child, Howard Persifor Smith, born in 1872.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), James Fleming Smith Family Papers, 1821-1924 (MG0912), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions. Please request at the Reference Desk or 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
Accession Number
Unknown.MG0912
Other Numbers
MG-912
Classification
MG0912
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Transferred from Robert Smith family file 26 September 2002. Transferred from Document Collection, Box 32, Folder 3, 8 April 2022.
This collection contains ephemera related to Julius J. "Jule" Ritchey of Lancaster and his career as a middleweight boxer.
Admin/Biographical History
Julius J. "Jule" Ritchey was born in 1895 in Lancaster's Cabbage Hill neighborhood. During his career as a middleweight boxer, he fought 75 bouts, won 65 of them and had 4 KOs. He fought alongside local contemporaries Leo Houck, Rosey Stoy, and Tim Droney. He trained in various places around the world, including Havana, Cuba. Ritchey later worked from Armstrong until he retired in 1960. He died 9 January 1983 in Lancaster.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Jule Ritchey Collection (MG0913), Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions. Please request at the Reference Desk or 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
Accession Number
Unknown.MG0913
Other Numbers
MG-913
Classification
MG0913
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Transferred from Boxing Information File, 13 May 2003. Transferred from Document Collection, Box 32, Folder 9, Items 1-7, 13 April 2022.
This collection contains deeds, articles of agreement, descriptions of property, and a land draft pertaining to property on Gibney Road in West Lampeter Twp. and one deed for property in Penn Twp.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Gibney Road Property Records, 1846-1955 (MG0919), Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions. Please request at the Reference Desk or 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
Accession Number
2004.MG0919
Other Numbers
MG-919
Classification
MG0919
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Transferred from Document Collection Box 33, Folder 9, 15 April 2022.
Masonic Homes of Lancaster County Collection, 1910-1957
Description
This collection contains programs, booklets, and leaflets about the Masonic Homes at Elizabethtown; a booklet about the Louis H. Eisenlohr Home for Girls at the Masonic Homes; and information, correspondence and an admission application for the Thomas Ranken Patton Masonic Institution for Boys.
Admin/Biographical History
The Masonic Homes of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania was established in Elizabethtown in 1910. It is known today as the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Masonic Homes of Lancaster Collection, 1910-1957 (MG0929), Box #, 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. Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series G Papers from the families of Gen. Thomas Welsh and Blanton C. Welsh
Description
The General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series G contains letters, newspaper clippings, documents, ephemera, and photographs from the family of Gen. Thomas Welsh and from the family of his son, Blanton C. Welsh. The collection items are related to General Thomas Welsh his wife Annie E. Welsh (Nancy Eunice Young), and their children Alice "Alla" Welsh, Mary Young Welsh, Effie H. Welsh, Lilian R. Welsh, Blanton Charles Welsh, and Thomas Anna Welsh. Blanton C. Welsh was the only child of Gen. Thomas Welsh to marry and have a family of his own. The collection also includes items related to his wife Emilie Benson Welsh (Sr.) and their children Thomas Whitney Benson Welsh and Emilie Benson Welsh Jr.
The correspondence in Series G includes letters to Blanton C. Welsh regarding business, letters to Emilie Benson Welsh Jr. from Jessie M. Cleland regarding Mary Y. Welsh, a letter to Lilian R. Welsh from James A. Beaver most notably recalling fond memories of Gen. Thomas Welsh, family correspondence, invitations, and Christmas cards. The series contains newspaper clippings of elections, dedications, legacies, careers, and an obituary in relation to the family as well as an entire newspaper issue from 4 January 1800 about the death and funeral of George Washington. Documents include an account book and trust agreement from Mary Y. Welsh's estate naming Blanton C. Welsh, her nephew, as executor and Alice Welsh's Daughters of the American Revolution certificate. Ephemera and other items contained in Series G include Blanton C. Welsh's 1939 membership card to the American Dahlia Society, programs for the dedication of Columbia High School in Mary Y. Welsh's honor and a military monument, handwritten notes about various family members, a military related reunion ribbon and G.A.R. post roster, and a book titled West Point Tic Tacs, A Collection of Military Verse that belonged to Blanton C. Welsh and holds loose photographs and signature pages within.
Photographs within Series G include loose photographs as well as a photograph album and loose photograph album pages. Both of the latter were likely kept by Emilie Benson Welsh and Emilie Benson Welsh Jr. Types of photographs in the collection include ambrotypes, tintypes, cartes de visite, cabinet cards, photographic prints, glass plate negatives, and film negatives. Photograph subject matter includes portraits of family members, group photographs with family, friends, identified Native Americans, and some unidentified individuals, action shots of the family, landscapes and cityscapes, buildings, Blanton C. Welsh's dahlia flower called the Nancy Jane Wiggin Dahlia, and Emilie Benson Welsh Jr.'s dog, Captain Hector. Locations of these photographs include family homesteads in Columbia, Pennsylvania and in New Jersey and military posts including Fort Sheridan.
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 Ciivil 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
Provenance: Passed down through the family, Blanton Charles Welsh to Emilie Benson (Welsh) Wiggin to Nancy Jane (Wiggin) Townsend.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact research@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, Pennsylvania.
Accession Number
2021.030
Classification
MG0828
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Folders 1-xx organized by Richard C. Wiggin prior to donation.
The United Brewery Workers Collection contains membership books, roll book, ledger, and daybooks for Local 206 of the International Union of United Brewery Workmen of America, then the International Union of United Brewery and Soft Drink Workers of America, and later the International Union of United Brewery, Flour, Cereal, and Soft Drink Workers of America. Most membership books show name of member, place and date of birth, date of initiation into the union, industry, department, international book number, local ledger number, local union number, locality, and the signatures of union officials. The "Declaration of Principles" is printed at the front of the book and most have stamps showing dues paid.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), United Brewery Workers Collection, 1900-1951 (MG0287), Box #, Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions. Please request at the Reference Desk or 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.
Accession Number
Unknown.MG0287
Other Numbers
MG-287
Classification
MG0287
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Added to database 1 August 2022. Source unknown unless stated at item level.
The Phares E. Will Collection contains photocopied records kept by Mr. Will regarding the events in Penryn and burials at Penryn Cemetery. He also recorded some of the history of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. The collection included images of tools made by Mr. Will and his obituary.
Admin/Biographical History
Phares E. Will (1867-1933), a blacksmith in Penryn, Lancaster County, was better known as P. E. Will. He dedicated his life to his profession and his church. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/57505582/phares-e-will
Original records are at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Penryn, Pennsylvania.
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Phares E. Will Collection, 1924-1933 (MG0332), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions. Please request at the Reference Desk or contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may be photographed Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.
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 by contacting St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Penryn, Pennsylvania.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
The Rose Family of Safe Harbor Collection contains correspondence and genealogy about the family of William Rose. Civil War letters from Samuel Rose mention battles and troop movements.
Admin/Biographical History
William Rose moved to Pennsylvania from [Connecticut] and settled in Safe Harbor. He married Mary Ann Tripple, whose parents were from England. They had seven children. He owned a canal boat and worked along the canals in Pennsylvania. Their house stood near the Conestoga River.
William's brother Samuel fought in the Civil War. Family tradition states that Samuel Rose died 2 May 1863 at the Battle of Chancellorsville, nine days before his enlistment expired. He was wounded and carried to the edge of the woods. The woods were later set on fire and it is believed that Samuel perished there.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Rose Family of Safe Harbor Collection (MG0338), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Restrictions are noted at the item level. Please request at the Reference Desk or 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
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.
MG0205 Yeates, Lancaster County Historical Society Collection https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/cd817511-4306-430b-9f8f-242553026746
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.
