The Jacob Smith Collection consists of the daybooks and papers of Jacob and Abraham Smith. The daybooks contain notes on workers' attendance, assignments, pay, mill equipment, and names of people with whom Abraham boarded. There is also a court order appointing six men to study the feasibility of a road from Jacob Smith's mill to Manor's skating rink.
Admin/Biographical History
The original grist and sawmill was built by Jacob Smith in 1774 on Pequea Creek, about eight miles from Lancaster. The stone mill was built by Jacob Smith circa 1800. The mill remained the property of Mr. Smith and his heirs until 1846, when it was purchased by Abraham Mylin. Mylin built an addition and put in another water wheel. Subsequent owners were Benjamin Harnish in 1857, Jacob B. Good in 1868, and Thomas Baumgardner in 1870. Mr. Baumgardner repaired the mill and put in new machinery. Later owners were Jacob Herr, Henry Hess, Edwin Diffenderfer, Enos Harnish, Sumner Brown, Clayton Hilton, and H. F. Eshleman.
Ellis, Franklin and Samuel Evans. 1883. History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia: Everts & Peck. p. 1011.
LancasterHistory is committed to preserving and providing access to materials chronicling Lancaster County's heritage. As a historical resource, this document reflects the racial prejudices and actions of the era. In order to maintain the historical integrity and context of collection items, LancasterHistory does not censor historical documents or edit language, titles, or organization names when transcribing original content.
Additional Notes
Enslaved children listed, one boy and two girls.
1 item, 2 pieces
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment-contact research@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish. There is no fee for publication.
Credit
Courtesy of Lancaster County Archives and LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Classification
RG-03-00-0133
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Digitization of this document was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 202010016624, 2020-2023.
Inventories of estates show name of decedent and township, date filed, itemized list of possessions and assets, appraised valuation, and signatures and affidavit of appraisers and administrators. Administrators' Accounts and Administrators' Bonds are also filed with this collection prior to 1776. Other estate related papers sometimes included before 1776 were: Orphans' Court papers, Renunciations, and Vendue Lists. Inventories were sometimes filed with the wills and may be at the courthouse. Appraisers often included widow's allotments in the inventories. Any additional information such as occupation, cause of death, or the listing of enslaved persons or indentured servants are noted in the database.
Prior to 1752, documents between the months of January and March were subject to double dating, as a result of the conflict between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Therefore, documents filed between 1 January and 25 March have two years listed; one from the old Julian calendar and one from the new Gregorian calendar.
System of Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically and then chronologically within each letter.
