The Groff Family Papers contain patents issued to Frederick F. Groff, deeds and related documents for the property of Fred F. Groff, Inc. Funeral Home, and a booklet about the history of cremation in Lancaster. Patents include drawings, petition and specifications, and signatures of Mr. Groff, his attorneys, and witnesses. The property records show the purchase of lots at 234, 236, 238, and 240 West Orange Street, Lancaster.
Collection consists largely of information on the descendants of Edward Hand and on the Hand Family Reunion. Contains correspondence, genealogical materials, family charts, photographs, and commemorative booklet 1912, on Lancaster County in the Revolutionary War. Also, three documents concerning the settling of the Hand estate.
Documents relating to the county courthouse in Lancaster. Consists mostly of proposals and bids for the construction in 1852. Also included are booklets, newspaper clippings from additional construction in the 1970s, court calendars and original affidavits of witness testimony in the investigation of the burning of the courthouse in 1784.
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
No restrictions. Please request at the Reference Desk or by contacting 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
Lancaster County Court House Collection (MG-80), Folder #, LancasterHistory.org
Contains pamphlets, booklets, and annual reports from various water and power companies on the Susquehanna River. They include information about dams, hydroelectric projects, and how electricity is generated; maps and history of the region; and pictures of the river and hydroelectric stations.
The Frederick S. Brown Collection contains tax receipts, bonds, and letters belonging to Mr. Brown. Also, an agreement for the sale of land along the Susquehanna River.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Frederick S. Brown Collection (MG0085), 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.
This collection consists of calendars containing photographs, drawings, and prints from Lancaster County and the surrounding region. Some depict local culture, architecture, historic sites, events, or have Pennsylvania Dutch sayings. There are also backs of calendars containing information about Lancaster.
3 boxes, 14 folders, 3 oversized folders, 2 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0070
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Restrictions noted at the item level. Restricted items may be used by appointment. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks 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.
Collection of Ellmaker family papers, including original papers of the first immigrant, John Leonard Ellmaker of Germany. Papers include correspondence, genealogy charts, deeds and legal papers. newspaper clippings, photographs, articles on Jacob Eichholtz, and a diploma and teachers' certificate. There is also a blank book with paper made at Ephrata Cloister in 1796.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions. Please request at 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.
Classification
MG0071
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Cataloged prior to 1997. Added to database 23 October 2018.
Collection contains personal and business papers of John H. Hook. His 1906 diary is a record of his family and social life, business meetings, local baseball games, weather and Lancaster businesses, such as Long's Park, the Stevens Industrial School, Ann Street School and Federal Cigar Co. The billhead is an example of purchases made by his customers.
Admin/Biographical History
Copied from Biographical Annals of Lancaster County, Pa., 1903 by J. H. Beers & Co., page 746-747:
JOHN H. HOOK, who is a prominent citizen of Lancaster, Pa., and one who has long been identified with the material improvement and growth of the city, was born April 5, 1858, in Lancaster, a son of John and Catherine (Klaus) Hook, natives of Greiss, Gross-Gerau, Hessen Darmstadt, Germany, although they met and were married in Lancaster, Pa. John Hook emigrated to America in 1831, while the date of his wife's emigration was one year later. They have their pleasant home in Lancaster, where he is employed as a stone-mason and stonecutter. He was born in October, 1823, a son of Jacob and Christiana Hook, natives of Hessen Darmstadt, Germany, the former of whom was born on April 14, 1804, came to America in 1831, and died March 2, 1871. Mrs. Christiana Hook died in Germany, in 1850, aged fifty-six years, four months and twenty days. Mrs. Catherine (Klaus) Hook was a daughter of Ernest and Margaret Klaus, of Dreiburg, Hessen Darmstadt, Germany, who came to Lancaster county, in 1834, where he died, and was buried at Strasburg, Pa. John and Catherine (Klaus) Hook are members of the German Lutheran Church. In politics he is a supporter of the Democratic party. They had born to them these children: John H.; Elizabeth, who married Frank Witmer, of Lancaster; Henry, who resides at home, unmarried; Adam P., who died of yellow fever in Havana; Catherine, who married William Zercher, a tobacco merchant of Lancaster; Frederick, who is a barber; and William F., unmarried, who lives at home.
John H. Hook was reared in a home where he was early taught the value of industry. Until he was thirteen years of age, he attended school and then became water boy on the railroad, retaining his connection with railroad work, from 1871, when he made this humble beginning, until 1898, when he quit the road. From 1884 to 1889 he was master stone-mason for the Frederick Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. In October, 1889, he made his beginning in contracting with J. F. Kellar and until his health failed, in June, 1898, he continued at that work. During that time Mr. Hook was engaged in building and contracting on a large scale, in Lancaster City, and in 1898, in association with Dr. M. L. Davis, began the building of garbage crematories, and in 1898 built a 100-ton crematory for the United States Government at Havana. Cuba. It would be a task to name all the work which has been completed by Mr. Hook in the building line, but a few of the notable constructions are: No. 13 bridge over the Juniata River, near Altoona, Pa., containing 10,700 cubic yards of masonry, built at a cost of $107,000, on the Middle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and for the same, a bridge over Stone Creek, at Huntingdon, Pa., containing 4,000 cubic yards of masonry; also a bridge for the same over Shaver's Creek, at Petersburg, Huntingdon Co., Pa., containing 3,500 yards of masonry. It was at this point that Mr. Hook was stricken with paralysis, the heavy demands made upon his physical strength being more that he could endure. His present business includes contracting and grading, and probably there is no more competent man in his line in Lancaster county.
In September, 1884, Mr. Hook was united in marriage with Mary E. Boud, who was born at Barren Hill, Montgomery Co., Pa., a daughter of James and Sarah ( Fisher) Boud, natives of that county. The former was a son of James and Elizabeth Boud, natives of New Jersey. Mrs. Hook's father was a contractor and builder, and he died in 1879, at the age of sixty-seven years. Her grandfather was a cooper. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Hook were George and Elizabeth Fisher, farming people of Montgomery county. Mrs. Hook's mother was born in January, 1821, and now resides at Audubon, Pa. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Boud were: William H., who keeps a hotel at Audubon; Kate F., who married Clinton Caster, and lives at Audubon, where he is engaged in brick manufacturing; Mary E., who became Mrs. Hook; and Margaret, who died unmarried. The children born to Mr. Hook and wife were: Adam, deceased; Henry B.; Irene M.; Josephine; Mary F. L.; John F.; and Paul R.
Mr. Hook has led too busy a life to have taken a very active part in politics, although no citizen of this locality is better qualified. For six years he consented to be judge of elections, but finally resigned the office. Until the silver question agitated the Democratic party, he had always adhered to its principles, but since that time, has been identified with the Republican party. For the past twenty-three years he has been an Odd Fellow, and also be longs to the order of Seven Wise Men. Mr. Hook was reared in the Lutheran Church, and is a most liberal contributor to its support, his family being regular attendants on its services and active in its work.
Although somewhat hampered by ill-health, Mr. Hook has retained in a very remarkable degree his energy, and still is the active and intelligent head of his business. It is to Mr. Hook that the city is indebted for the very satisfactory electric plant, erected at Slack Water, which supplies Lancaster with its light. He is also president of the South Mountain Kaolin Co., capitalized at $250,000, and president of the Cline Stock Car Co., capitalized at $100,000. Mr. Hook is one of the reliable, energetic and progressive citizens, who leave worthy monuments behind them, when called from life, and who can be but illy spared. He enjoys the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens, and also has a large circle of personal friends.
Guest register for the Swan Hotel in Strasburg, PA
Description
Guest register for the Swan Hotel in Strasburg, PA. Proprietor is Frank H. Pfautz. Blotter pages display local Strasburg business advertisements. Spenger's Lager is advertised on every page. 21 April 1896 - 29 September 1921.
The Diffenderffer Family Papers collection contains items that have been passed down through generations of the Diffenderffer family. Deeds for tracts of land in New Holland date back to the creation of New Design, the village that preceded New Holland. Correspondence and some manuscripts pertain to J. P. McCaskey's life and accomplishments. F. R. Diffenderffer's manuscripts on Easter Day and Conrad Weiser are preserved with this collection, as well as poems, a program for the C. Elvin Haupt School, and a claim of F. R. Diffenderffer & Co. against the State of Texas.
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).
Deeds in folders 1-18 were a gift of Fianna Diffenderffer and the Diffenderffer family, 4 November 2006.
Items in folders 19-23 were a gift from her nephew, David Diffenderffer, 14 August 2006.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Restrictions are noted at the item level--please use photocopies or transcriptions for those items. Other original documents may be used by researchers--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit or request at 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 collection 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
2006.MG0410_NOV
Other Numbers
MG-410
Classification
MG0410
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Cataloged by HST, November 2008. Added to database 28 July 2021.
The David B. Landis Collection consists primarily of his personal and business correspondence, as well as his poetry and writings. Of special interest are a booklet with a synopsis autobiography of his life and his picture. There are also family papers, genealogy, membership cards, and obituaries.
Admin/Biographical History
David Bachman Landis was born in Landisville, Pennsylvania on 12 February 1862, the son of Israel C. and Mary M. Landis. As a school boy, he worked in his father's dry goods store and published a paper for boys titled Keystone Amateur. He began his printing career by apprenticing at the Inquirer Printing and Publishing Company in Lancaster in 1878, and in 1883 he opened his own job printing office in Landisville where he published the Village Vigil.
Mr. Landis moved to Lancaster in 1888 and started Pluck Art Printery. He started out in Lancaster by publishing Pluck, a magazine dedicated to the fields of printing and photography, but soon devoted his business to commercial and society printing. The name was changed in 1914 to Landis Art Print.
Printing, however, was not his only passion. He was an avid bicyclist and belonged to the Lancaster Cycling Club and the League of American Wheelmen. Through these organizations, he helped to improve the condition of roads in Pennsylvania. He was active in the Lancaster County Historical Society, the Pennsylvania German Society, the Ben Franklin Club, and Grace Lutheran Church. He wrote poetry and essays, and dedicated many pieces to friends and family.
David B. Landis married Nora K. Baker of Landisville in 1885. They had four children. Nora passed away in 1910. David married his second wife, Bertha L. Cochran, in 1914.
The J. U. Neuhauser & Sons Records collection contains records of the hardware and farm machinery business of J. U. Neuhauser & Sons, Bird-in-Hand, Pa. The items include product inventories, records of sales and customers, territory lists and salesmen, financial records, and tax records.
Admin/Biographical History
Neuhauser Brothers was established in 1891. In 1901, brothers Isaac U. Neuhauser and Jonas U. Neuhauser bought land from Levi Rhoads at 2701 Old Philadelphia Pike in Bird-in-Hand. The transaction included buildings that the Neuhausers had been using since 1890. Jonas bought out Isaac's share in 1921 and the business name was later changed to J. U. Neuhauser & Sons. Jonas' sons sold the store to Abram E. Keener in 1958 who continued the hardware business, but did not deal in farm machinery.
The business was located on property formerly owned by the Bird-in-Hand Hotel, was The Old Village Store for many years, and is presently the Bird-in-Hand Village Antique Market (2008).
Employees in 1958 were Irvin Denlinger (shop), Aaron L. Hershey (store clerk), Miriam G. Neuhauser (bookkeeper), Aaron P. Miller (store clerk), Henry K. Blank (shop), Michael L. Fisher (shop).
Reference: Bird-in-Hand, 1734-1984: A History of Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania. 1984.
The source is unknown for the bulk of the collection. Record book of automobiles, farm machinery, and major appliances, 1922-1959 in Folder 12 was a gift of Robert G. Neuhauser, December 2006.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Folder 13 is restricted.
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-21
Classification
MG0021
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
The collection was cataloged prior to 1997; Folder 12 was added by HST in 2007. Added to database 29 July 2021.
Manufacturers' Association of Lancaster Collection
Description
The Manufacturers' Association of Lancaster Collection contains legal documents concerning property and lease agreements for 26-28 N. Queen Street and the Woolworth Building. The material also includes a membership directory, annual reports, conference materials, and correspondence for the Manufacturers' Association of Lancaster.
Of primary interest are premium list books from the Lancaster Fair. The books contain entry categories and prizes offered for winners, general rules and regulations, many advertisements, and photographs of the fairgrounds and acts performing at some of the fairs. There are also Fair Association stock certificates and pamphlets, exhibit entry blanks, promotional fliers, and premium lists from other fairs.
Lancaster County Agricultural Fairs, 1909-1914 scrapbook contains a variety of information pertaining to the Lancaster County Agricultural Fair. There are copies of letters that I. C. Arnold typed and sent out to notify the public about the annual fair, including letters to teachers and businesses. Photographs are scattered within the book. The book is also filled with admission tickets, stand-holder tickets, and exhibitor tickets. There are several pages that show the layout of the fairgrounds and where different exhibits and rides were located. An item of interest is a facsimile of a confederate fifty-dollar bill.
Admin/Biographical History
The Lancaster County Agricultural Fair was held annually starting in 1888 and was sponsored by the Lancaster County Agricultural Fair Association. The fair lasted for one week and was open to the public for four days. For the first ten years the fair was held at McGrann's Park. In 1909, Lancaster County Agricultural Fair moved to the newly constructed Lancaster Fair Grounds. The new fair complex consisted of fifty-five acres and contained 5,500 bleacher seats, cattle sheds for over 400 exhibits, 225 stables for racing and show horses, a poultry exhibition building for 3,000 exhibits, and two exhibit buildings for the horticulture, agriculture and fancy work exhibits. The animals and exhibits were on display during the fair and there were rides, food stands and other amusements available for the public.
Fair entries were judged in one of eight fair departments: Cattle; Sheep and Swine; Horses, Ponies and Mules; Poultry, Pigeons and Pet Stock; Farm and Dairy Machinery, Implements, Carriages and Vehicles; Agriculture and Horticulture; Home and Dairy; and Ladies' Fancy Work. The Cattle Department had three different classes of dairy breeds, beef breeds and overall. The Sheep and Swine Department was split in two classes between the sheep and the swine and each class held many divisions for breed classifications. The Department of Horses, Ponies and Mules was split between show animals and work animals used for pulling carts and machinery. Poultry, Pigeons and Pet Stock were judged as one category winning gold, silver, bronze and runner up medals. Items used for farming and dairy divided the fifth department and then carriages and vehicles shared their own category.
The Department of Agriculture and Horticulture was split into many different categories including grains, seed and flour; wheat; vegetables; potatoes; tobacco; apples; pear, plums and quinces; peaches; grapes; fall strawberries; nuts; wines, cider, etc.; flowers; floral designs; and the boy's corn growing contest. The categories of the Home and Dairy Department are bread and butter; cakes and pies; preserves and pickles; confections; and soaps and hams. The final department, Ladies' Fancy Work, included craft work such as knitting, crochet work, infant's clothing, lace and tatting work, Irish crochet, embroidery, cross stitch, silk embroidery, outline embroidery, punch work, drawn work, stencil work, beadwork, raffia work and the juvenile department. The annual Lancaster County Agricultural Fair's last year was in 1933.
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-146
Other Number
MG-146
Classification
MG0146
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Collection was processed and finding aid prepared in 1998; the scrapbook was cataloged by CB, 2007-2008. Added to database 5 August 2021.
Lancaster County Agricultural Fairs scrapbook was cataloged and preserved with funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 2007-2008. ME60112.
The Invoice and Receipt Collection contains billheads for purchases from Lancaster County businesses or by residents of the county. These invoices and receipts show some or all of the following information: the name of the customer, item(s) purchased, cost, location and description of business, date of purchase, and date of payment.
Billheads from the Commissioners' Orders for Payment Collection (MG0182)
Advertising and Promotional Collection (MG0153)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Invoice and Receipt Collection (MG0253), 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-253
Classification
MG0253
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
The Invoice and Receipt Collection was formerly called the Bills of Sale Collection. The title of the collection was changed on 25 August 2021 to reflect the items in the collection.
This collection was originally cataloged prior to 1997 and the finding aid is updated as items are added. Added to database 25 August 2021.
The Advertising and Promotional Collection contains materials for a wide variety of businesses and organizations in Lancaster County, including manufacturers, department and clothing stores, entertainment venues, grocery stores, restaurants, service providers, and social clubs. Of special interest is the use of both English and German in a brochure from the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co., as well as in the soap-making directions from the Pennsylvania Salt Co. There are also a 1921 program from Lancaster's Colonial Theatre and boxing programs that list Lancaster native, Leo Houck.
The Bucher-Ortmann Pharmacy Collection contains memorabilia from the Bucher Pharmacy and Ortmann Pharmacy in Columbia, including an account book and prescription formula books.
Admin/Biographical History
The pharmacy began with the Bucher family in 1895 and continued when Werner Ortmann purchased the business in 1953.
The Medical, Dental and Veterinary Collection contains records of doctors and a midwife who practiced in Lancaster County. Susanna Rohrer Müller's account book is a record of her work as a midwife from 1791 to 1815. The other volumes in this collection contain medical school notes, records of births, ephemera, and medicinal formulas.
