The Mayor James H. Ross Collection documents Ross's political career from 1933-1937. James Ross, a businessman and civic leader, served as mayor of Lancaster from 1934-1938. The collection consists primarily of correspondence and a scrapbook. The letters are related to his mayoral election and responsibilities, the James H. Ross Ready to Wear Department Store, and personal matters. The scrapbook, compiled by his wife, contains information about his political career, the department store, and other local merchants, and provides a good background on the housing issues that threatened Lancaster City. The collection gives a fragmented picture of life in Lancaster in the 1930s, including commercial transactions, the Depression, religious charitable organizations, politics, and the Democratic Party.
Admin/Biographical History
James H. Ross was born in Green County, Ohio. When he was six, Ross's family moved to Monroe County, West Virginia where he attended school until he was seventeen. His family moved back to Ohio where he finished his schooling at Bowersville High School. After graduating, Ross moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania and began working for M. T. Garvin & Co. Ross left M. T. Garvin & Co. in 1928 and established his own store, James H. Ross Ready to Wear Department Store, in December of that same year. James H. Ross was elected Mayor of Lancaster as a Democrat in 1934.
Please make an appointment with the Research Center staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org to view the scrapbook.
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-58
Classification
MG0058
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Scrapbook, Career of James Ross, Former Merchant and Mayor, was previously housed in the Scrapbook Collection, Book 121. Scrapbook, Career of James Ross, Former Merchant and Mayor, was cataloged and preserved with funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, ME60112, 2007-2008.
The James Buchanan Collection, 1816-present, contains material that pertains to the life and legacy of James Buchanan and his Lancaster home, Wheatland. The collection includes correspondence of James Buchanan and letters written by his niece, Harriet Lane Johnston. Newspaper articles discuss Buchanan's life and Wheatland, tell the story of Buchanan's romance with Ann Coleman, and report on commemorative events. Legal and personal business are represented by deeds, financial matters, and Buchanan's probate records.
Political papers include the Presidential appointment of Buchanan as Minister to Russia, certification to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, and a series of letters regarding the Atlantic slave trade in 1819 and Liberia in 1858. In letters, Buchanan outlined his reasons for not wanting to run for Governor, wrote about the confidence bestowed on him by the Democratic Party, and established a fund for the city of Lancaster to purchase wood and coal for poor women during the winter. After the Crimean War, Buchanan wrote to the ambassador to the United Kingdom and observed that Russia seemed to be intent on recovering its military prestige and had made vast naval preparations.
There is an assortment of ephemera, such as programs for memorial celebrations, material related to John Updike's play Buchanan Dying, commemorative stamps, sheet music, and invitations. Souvenir pamphlets from Wheatland provide history about Buchanan's home and the museum. Speeches range from those given by Buchanan to several that honor his life and Presidency. A scrapbook describes the establishment of Wheatland as a museum and contains newspaper articles about archaeology on the site in 1948.
Admin/Biographical History
James Buchanan was born on April 23, 1791 to James Buchanan and Elizabeth Speer. He was the second child born out of ten children, and he would go on to outlive all but one of his siblings. Most popularly remembered as Pennsylvania's only President and as a lifelong bachelor, Buchanan committed a lifetime to politics. In 1821, he left his law practice and embarked on his political career after having been voted into the U.S. House of Representatives. He would remain in the House for five consecutive terms before serving as the U.S. Minister to Russia, a Senator in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Secretary of State, the U.S. Minister to Great Britain, and finally, the 15th President of the United States. He died in his bedchamber at Wheatland at 8:30 AM on June 1, 1868. He was 77 years old.
James Buchanan Papers, Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections http://archives.dickinson.edu/collection-descriptions/james-buchanan-papers
James Buchanan and Harriet Lane Johnston Papers, Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/collections/james-buchanan-and-harriet-lane-johnston-papers/
James Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/b/Buchanan0091.html
James Buchanan Papers, Penn State University Libraries, https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1458.htm
Related Item Notes
James Buchanan Family Papers (JBFP)
Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm in the LancasterHistory Research Library
LancasterHistory Library collection
Photograph collection
Curatorial collection
Wheatland Mansion
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.
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.
To make a request, please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Classification
MG0096
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Digitization of the James Buchanan Collection was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 201808013051, 2019-2020.
James Buchanan and Wheatland Scrapbook, February 1936-May
1948 was cataloged as part of a project funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, ME60112, 2007-2008.
The James Buchanan Family Papers collection is organized into eight parts: Part 1 Papers of James Buchanan, Part 2 Papers of Harriet Lane Johnston, Part 3 Papers of James Buchanan Henry, Part 4 Papers of Edward Young Buchanan, Part 5 Papers of Other members of the Buchanan Family, Part 6 Papers of Hiram B. Swarr, Part 7 Papers of Jonathan Messersmith Foltz, and Part 8 Papers of Others (Not Part of the Family). The papers are arranged by category within each part.
The correspondence is both professional and personal. The letters provide information about family and social events, business and military affairs, social and political history, health and illnesses, religious beliefs, education, friendships, domestic staff, and Wheatland. Political letters specifically highlight the Democratic Party in the United States in the early to mid-nineteenth century, as well as foreign policy and politics while Buchanan was the ambassador to Russia and England. Personal letters share family, local, regional, and international news between family members and friends.
Financial and legal documents include business papers, property records, estate papers, plans for James Buchanan's tomb, and investments. James Buchanan's 1856 presidential campaign and 1857 inauguration are captured in campaign ephemera, political cartoons, Democratic tickets, invitations to the inaugural ball, newspaper articles, and a political song. Other items in the collection include speeches, ephemera, genealogy, diplomas and certificates, account books, scrapbooks, newspaper articles, invitations, programs, pastoral records, and poetry.
Admin/Biographical History
James Buchanan was born on April 23, 1791 to James Buchanan and Elizabeth Speer. He was the second child born out of ten children, and he would go on to outlive all but one of his siblings. Most popularly remembered as Pennsylvania's only President and as a lifelong bachelor, Buchanan committed a lifetime to politics. In 1821, he left his law practice and embarked on his political career after having been voted into the U.S. House of Representatives. He would remain in the House for five consecutive terms before serving as the U.S. Minister to Russia, a Senator in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Secretary of State, the U.S. Minister to Great Britain, and finally, the 15th President of the United States. He died in his bedchamber at Wheatland at 8:30 AM on June 1, 1868. He was 77 years old. [https://www.lancasterhistory.org/about-wheatland, accessed 10/24/2019]
System of Arrangement
The James Buchanan Family Papers collection is arranged in eight parts:
English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Latin, Italian
Object ID
JBFP
Associated Material
James Buchanan Papers, Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections http://archives.dickinson.edu/collection-descriptions/james-buchanan-papers
James Buchanan and Harriet Lane Johnston Papers, Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/collections/james-buchanan-and-harriet-lane-johnston-papers/
James Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/b/Buchanan0091.html
James Buchanan Papers, Penn State University Libraries, https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1458.htm
Related Item Notes
James Buchanan Family Papers
James Buchanan Collection (MG0096) https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/lhdo3760
Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm
Photograph Collection
Curatorial Collection
Wheatland Collection
Wheatland Mansion
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.
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.
Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
The James Buchanan Family Papers were collected by the James Buchanan Foundation for the Preservation of Wheatland. This collection was relocated from the Wheatland mansion to the LancasterHistory archives in the Spring of 2009. Digitization of the James Buchanan Family Papers was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 201808013051, 2019-2020.
The David Lynch Collection consists of personal and business correspondence. The bulk of the collection is political and legal correspondence between David Lynch, Esq. and James Buchanan. There are also personal and business letters of David Lynch, Mrs. David (Mary) Lynch, Robert S. Lynch, as well as letters to President James K. Polk.
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).
This collection was given in memory of the donor's maternal grandparents, David S. Warfel and Clara Haverstick Warfel.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
This collection has not been cataloged. Original documents may be used by appointment--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
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 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 Denues Family Papers contain documents related to the professional and military career of Charles Denues, as well as information about the Denues family. This collection also contains Civil War era items, including a $20 South Carolina note, and a presidential ticket from the 1864 election.
Admin/Biographical History
Charles Denues was born on 28 August 1923 in Shrewsbury Pennsylvania. He married Fannie Haines on 21 August 1859, and the couple had 8 children. Before enlisting to fight with the Union Army, Denues was a lawyer and a school teacher. In 1862 he enlisted, and became captain of the 135th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, Company E on 12 August 1862. On 24 May 1863 he was honorably discharged with the rest of his company.
