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Collection
Watt & Shand Collection
Title
Watt & Shand Collection
Object ID
MG0237
Date Range
1880-2003
(Provenance): The Watt & Shand Department Store scrapbook was cataloged and preserved with funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. ME60112. Accruals: LancasterHistory will continue to add items to Series 1. Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year
  1 document  
Collection
Watt & Shand Collection
Title
Watt & Shand Collection
Description
The Watt & Shand Collection contains materials related to the Watt & Shand Department Store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Series 1 includes employee handbooks, job description, beauty salon price list, bridal registry information, a history of the store, a Christmas catalog, a Historic Preservation Trust calendar, and children's books.
Series 2 is a record of the property at the downtown location and at Park City Mall beginning in 1880 with deeds, legal agreements, a building inspector's permit, and insurance policies.
Admin/Biographical History
On 22 February 1878, Peter Watt, James Shand and Gilbert Thompson advertised the opening of a new store, The New York Store, featuring new lines of foreign and domestic dry goods as well as fancy goods and notions. The New York Store opened on 9 March 1878 and was an immediate success focusing on customer service. The owners had an unwritten policy stating that they remained open until the last customer left. During that first year, partner Gilbert Thompson died. Watt and Shand purchased a building located at 8-10 East King Street and changed their name from The New York Store to Watt, Shand and Company. Then during 1885, the store name was shortened to Watt & Shand even though the business was expanding to acquire 6 East King Street. The Ladies' Ready-To-Wear Department was added in 1889 which included coats, suits, dresses, and underwear. The owners proceeded to expand the business over several decades and procured Appel & Weber jewelry store and Hager's Department Store during the 1950s and 1960s. The branch store opened in 1970 at Park City Mall. The Bon-Ton Stores purchased Watt & Shand in 1992 and the store officially closed in March of 1995
System of Arrangement
This collection is arranged by series.
Series 1 Items collected by LancasterHistory
Series 2 Gift of Penn Square Partners
Date Range
1880-2003
Year Range From
1880
Year Range To
2003
Date of Accumulation
1880-2003
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 06
People
Ammon, Cora Mae Fox
Ammon, John M.
Appel, Eva Rengier
Appel, Percy L.
Baker, Miriam Rengier
Bell, Louise Price
Berger, R. R.
Blatchley, Charles A.
Breyers, C. J.
Buchanan, James
Drukenbrod, Lee Roy
Fehl, J. Herbert
Frantz, I. E.
Fritz, C. C.
Goodhart, E. C.
Groff, Alpheaus S.
Groff, Ella L.
Hermansader, T. F.
Hirsh, Bertha
Hirsh, Gabriel
Hostetter, D. B.
Lively, Henry
Long, Jacob M.
Loss, Natalie M.
Loss, Nathan
Marshall, Elizabeth H. W.
Marshall, Elizabeth Weber
Marshall, George A.
Marshall, George W.
Marshall, Maria L. Good
May, Jennie H.
Miller, E. N.
Myers, Harry
Myers, Maria
Myers, Patricia Marshall
Myrtetus, George B.
Noonan, Ella O.
Noonan, Raymond Smith
Prangley, James
Reed, George R.
Reichley, Jacob Christian
Reifsnyder, Arden P.
Reifsnyder, Christine Kauffman
Rengier, Charles F.
Rengier, John S.
Rohrer, Adelaide C. Crohen
Rohrer, George Redsecker
Rohrer, Jeremiah
Rohrer, Mary Ann Redsecker
Roth, George R.
Rupert, L. H.
Schaller, Kimberly
Shand, James
Shand, Thomas Marshall
Sherrill, Anita B.
Sherrill, S. Edward
Short, Edwin P.
Skyllas, Drossos A.
Slaymaker, Peter J. Eckert
Stiles, H. A.
Stirk, Isaac
Stirk, Sarah C.
Swarr, Donald
Urban, Cassius Emlen
Watt, Laura Louise Geiger
Watt, Peter T.
Weber, May H.
Wisegarver, Harry P.
Witmer, Albert F.
Other Creators
Watt & Shand Department Store (Pa.)
Subjects
Advertising
Architectural drawings
Blueprints
Building leases
Calendars
Catalogs
Deeds
Department stores
Historical markers
Insurance policies
Letters
Menus
Newsletters
Penn Square (Lancaster, Pa.)
Scrapbooks
Stores, Retail
Search Terms
A and S Realty and Investment Corporation
A. B. Rote & Co.
Advertising
Agreements
Air conditioning
American Blower Corporation
Appel & Weber
Architectural plans
Automatic Sprinkler Corporation of America
Awards
Blueprints
Bon-Ton
Bon-Ton Beauty Salon
Booklets
C. J. Breyer and Associates, Inc.
Calendars
Catalogs
Central Automatic Sprinkler Company
Certificates
Columbia
Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company
Commonwealth Title Company of Philadelphia
Correspondence
Deeds
Department stores
DUSCO Property Management, Inc.
East Hempfield Twp.
Employee handbooks
Employees
Ephemera
Escalators
Finding aids
Fire sprinklers
Floorplans
Gatter and Diehl Consulting Engineers
Gift certificates
Ground-rent
Hager and Bro., Inc.
Hager Realty Corporation
Heating and ventilation systems
Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County
Historical markers
Insurance policies
Job descriptions
Kroll Electric Company, Inc.
Lancaster
Lancaster Parking Authority
Lancaster Trust Company
Leases
Letters
Manuscript groups
Menus
Mortgages
Newsletters
Oblender's Furnishing, Inc.
Park City Mall
Penn Square
Pennsylvania Company for Insurance on Lives and Granting Annuities
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Pennsylvania Power and Light Company
Permits
Poetry
PPL
Price lists
Principal Mutual Life Insurance Company
Reynolds and Reynolds Company
Scrapbooks
Stores, Retail
Total Energy Leasing Corporation
Trion, Inc.
Watt and Shand
Workers' Compensation Act
York Corporation
Extent
4 boxes, 59 folders, 1 scrapbook, 2 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0237
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
Preferred citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Series #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Folder 2 contains restricted items. With the exception of Folder 2, the items in this collection 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 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.
Other Numbers
MG-237
Classification
MG0237
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Scrapbook cataloged by CB, 2008. Series 2, Folder 1-48 cataloged by ML, Summer 2014. Added to database 13 January 2022.
The Watt & Shand Department Store scrapbook was cataloged and preserved with funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. ME60112.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Hubley Collection
Title
Hubley Collection
Object ID
MG0002
Date Range
1741-1864
  1 document  
Collection
Hubley Collection
Title
Hubley Collection
Description
The Hubley Collection contains legal documents, case papers, family and military papers, wills, deeds, bills and receipts, indentures for servants and enslaved persons, correspondence, petitions, and church-related information.
Admin/Biographical History
John Hubley and Joseph Hubley were Lancaster attorneys.
System of Arrangement
The legal papers are arranged chronologically. Case papers are arranged
alphabetically by surname of the plaintiff or defendant. Family papers are grouped by the family member's name and chronologically within that name. Box 6 is arranged chronologically.
Date Range
1741-1864
Year Range From
1741
Year Range To
1864
Date of Accumulation
1741-1864
Creator
Hubley family
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
App, Michael
Barr, John
Deshler, Adam
Ferree, Polly
Foulke, Caleb
Franklin, Thomas
Fromberger, John
Hubley, Adam
Hubley, Frederick
Hubley, George
Hubley, John
Hubley, Joseph
Hubley, Michael
Jones, Owen, Jr.
Lauman, Ludwig
Musser, John
Porter, Andrew
Rieger, Jacob
Rieger, Catherine
Thomas, Adam
Subjects
Court records
Deeds
Depositions
Family records
Indentured servants
Judgments
Law offices
Letters
Promissory notes
Slavery
United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783
Wills
Search Terms
Correspondence
Court records
Deeds
Depositions
Enslaved persons
Family records
Finding aids
Indentured servants
Judgments
Law offices
Letters
Manuscript groups
Military
Promissory notes
Revolutionary War
Slavery
Warder, Parker and Company
Wills
Yeiser & Weaver
Extent
6 boxes, 84 folders, 2.25 cu. ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0002
Related Item Notes
Hubley Family File in the library.
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-2
Classification
MG0002
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Collection was cataloged prior to July 1997; added to database 1 March 2018.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Daniel Reiber Collection
Title
Daniel Reiber Collection
Object ID
MG0210
Date Range
1805-1981
accruals are expected. Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Daniel Reiber Collection (MG0210), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. �230 North President Avenue • Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603-3125 717.392.4633 • www.LancasterHistory.org People: Rivalz
  1 document  
Collection
Daniel Reiber Collection
Title
Daniel Reiber Collection
Description
The Daniel Reiber Collection contains the personal papers of Martin Bickham, who married Mme. Emilie Raymonde Adeline Eugenie Rivalz de St. Antoine in 1805. Many of the documents and letters are in French, some have been translated into English. There is genealogy tracing lines of the McCamant, Jenkins, McCaa, and Andes families from 1722-1942. Obituaries, correspondence with the McCaa family, and deeds for the Caernarvon Cemetery are among other items in the collection.
Date Range
1805-1981
Year Range From
1805
Year Range To
1981
Date of Accumulation
1805-1981
Creator
Reiber, Daniel Grube, 1910-1990
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 05
People
Rivalz de St. Antoine, Emilie Raymonde Adeline Eugenie
Andes, John B.
Bickham, Alfred
Bickham, Stephen Girard
Bickman, Martin
Buchanan, James
Carpenter, William
Collins, Lavina Bickham
Curwen, Joseph
Diffenbaugh, Peter
Diller, Edwin Carpenter
Diller, John Vagan
Frailey, Charles R.
Girard, Stephen
Grube, Daniel Houder
Hull, Isaac
Hull, Louisa
Larramendi, Joseph Jean
Line, Gabriel
Marks, Elizabeth
McCaa, David G.
McCaa, David Jenkins
McCaa, James
McCaa, William J.
McCamant, Alexander
McCamant, James B.
McCamant, Thomas J.
McCamant, Wallace
McMichaels, William
Reed, George
Rivalz, Martin Stephen
Roland, George Oliver
Subjects
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Diaries
Genealogy
Letters
Obituaries
Search Terms
Bangor Episcopal Church
Caernarvon Cemetery
Caernarvon Cemetery Association
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Delaware River
Diaries
Finding aids
Genealogy
Leacock Twp.
Letters
Manuscript groups
Marriage certificates
Newspaper clippings
Obituaries
Port Louis, Mauritius
Raccoon Island, Gloucester County, New Jersey
Extent
1 box, 14 folders, .25 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English, French
Object ID
MG0210
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Associated Material
See collections related to Martin Bickham at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
See collections related to Martin Bickham and Stephen Girard at Girard College.
Related Item Notes
McCaa Collection (MG0281)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Daniel Reiber Collection (MG0210), 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-210
Classification
MG0210
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by CF, Summer 2011. Added to database 20 February 2022.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Adam Reigart Jr., John S. Murphy Collection
Title
Adam Reigart Jr., John S. Murphy Collection
Object ID
MG0331
Date Range
1762-2003
come by stage to Philadelphia and oversee the delivery and be back in time for court. 16 November 1798. Letter from Philip Wager to Adam Reigart, Jr.. Nathaniel arrived in Philadelphia complaining of great cold in his right leg. Philip’s daughter sent letters to their sister to describe domestic
  1 document  
Collection
Adam Reigart Jr., John S. Murphy Collection
Title
Adam Reigart Jr., John S. Murphy Collection
Description
The Adam Reigart Jr., John S. Murphy Collection contains correspondence between Adam Reigart, Jr. in Lancaster and Philip Wager in Philadelphia and their families. The letters are primarily from the early nineteenth century and provide information about family illness, travel, visits, business, and family chatter. The receipts and invoices show purchases made in Lancaster and Philadelphia, especially clothing, fabric, dry goods, and meat. The remainder of the collection is made up of newspaper articles, books, and an album of poetry and drawings. The items were housed in a gig trunk which is now in the museum collection.
Admin/Biographical History
Adam Reigart, Jr. (1765-1844) was born in Lancaster. He was the eldest son of Col. Adam Reigart, owner of the Grape Tavern which served as general headquarters during the Revolutionary War. Adam Jr. founded the Reigart Wine Store in 1785 and was in business with Philip Wager in Philadelphia and Philip's son Peter throughout his career. He was the first president of the Lancaster branch of the Bank of Pennsylvania, and was involved with the Conestoga Navigation Company and the Union Fire Company.
Adam Jr. married Mary Magdalena Wager (1772-1806) in 1791. Mary was the daughter of Philip Wager, a Philadelphia wine merchant. They had eight daughters and a son. Susan married Stephen C. Slaymaker and Margaretta married Henry Y. Slaymaker.
Date Range
1762-2003
Year Range From
1762
Year Range To
2003
Date of Accumulation
1762-2003
Creator
Murphy, John Slaughter, 1921-2011
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 08
People
Arnold, Benedict
Baker, W.
Bare, Jacob
Blight, Peter
Boughter, Charles
Breidenhart, George
Brien, Edward
Brown, Luke
Butter, Charles
Cassidy, Edward
Clarke, John
Clendenin, Samuel
Coleman, Edward
Coleman, William
Edwards, Susanna
Ehler, John
Fisher, Sammy
Fox, Sam M.
Frey, John
Gaskill, Edmund
Gay, Edward F.
Getz, John
Givens, John
Graeff, George
Greland, D.
Hahn, B. Christian
Harrison, George
Haverstick, William
Hopkins, A. R.
Hopkins, Ann
Houston, James
Hubley, Frederick
Hubley, Joseph
Hultzheimer, N.
Hyde, Charles
Irving, Robert
Jack, Joshua
Kauffman, Jacob
King, George
Kirkpatrick, William
Kline, Jacob
Lane, John
Leiper, George G.
Lowry, Robert
Lowry, Robert K.
Mayer, George Louis
Metzger, Emanuel
Metzger, George
Metzger, Jacob
Miller, Barbara
Miller, Henry
Miller, Martin
Miller, Philip
Montgomery, William
Morris, John
Mosher, Joseph
Murphy, John Slaughter
Myer, John
Myers, John
Newlin, Nathaniel
Nice, Levi
Nimrod, Maxwell
Ogilby, Joseph
Otto, Jacob S.
Otto, John C.
Pennington, Edward
Peters, Abraham
Phinney, Zina
Price, Joseph
Price, Richard
Reigart, Adam
Reigart, Adam, Jr.
Reigart, Ann
Reigart, Emanuel
Reigart, Henrietta
Reigart, Maria Wager
Reigart, Mary
Reigart, Mary C.
Reigart, Philip Wager
Reigart, Susan
Rimfast, John
Sample, Joseph
Schaubel, Johannis
Sener, Samuel Miller
Sewell, Charles S.
Shaeffer, Jacob
Shenk, Abraham
Shenk, Christian
Shippen, Peggy
Singer, A.
Slaymaker, Henry Edwin
Slaymaker, Mary Steele
Slaymaker, Stephen Cochran
Smith, Ann
Smith, Anthony
Smith, Ralph
Stein, Philip
Steinman, George
Stewart, William
Sullivan, Susannah
Wager, George
Wager, Hannah
Wager, James
Wager, Mary
Wager, Peter
Wager, Philip H.
Wager, Sally
Wager, Sophia
Wager, William
Walsh, Christopher
Wentz, Thomas
Wertz, Christian
Wharton, Charles
Whitaker, George
Whitaker, John
Wimer, Michael
Winroth, Margaret
Witmer, David
Woodmund, William
Yeiser, Philip
Other Creators
Reigart family
Subjects
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Invoices
Letters
Obituaries
Receipts (Acknowledgments)
Search Terms
Adam Reigart and Son
Albums
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Boston, Massachusetts
Brenner and Reed
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cape May, New Jersey
Charles C. and J. Watson
Christ Church Burial Ground
Cincinnati, Ohio
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Delaware
Dixon Walker and Company
Earp and Brothers
Finding aids
Grape Hotel
Greene County, New York
H. Behlen and Company
Illnesses
Invoices
J. Walker and Company
John Warden and Sons
Kentucky
Lancaster
Lancaster County Almshouse
Lancaster Bar Association
Lancaster Intelligencer
Lancaster Journal
Lancaster New Era
Lancaster Sunday News
Lane Slaymaker and Company
Letters
London, England
Lower Windsor Twp., York County, Pennsylvania
Lowry and Myers
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Manuscript groups
Margaretta Furnace
Marietta Bank
Morning News
Mount Auburn Cemetery
New York, New York
Newspaper clippings
Obituaries
Ohio
Pennsylvania German Society
Pensacola, Florida
Peter Wager and Company
Philadelphia Inquirer
Pratt and Kintzing
Race Street
Receipts
Reeve's Tavern
South Carolina
Southwark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Spain
St. James Episcopal Church
Union Fire Company
Vintners
Wager and Company
Washington Fire Company
West Point Military Academy
William Noyes and Company
Wine merchants
York Springs Boarding House
York Springs, York County, Pennsylvania
York, York County, Pennsylvania
Extent
2 boxes, 35 folders, 1.5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0331
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
Gig trunk (2003.078)
Adam Reigart Collection (MG0122)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Adam Reigart Jr., John S. Murphy Collection (MG0331), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Restrictions are 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.
Accession Number
2003.078
Other Numbers
MG-331
Classification
MG0331
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid created by KR. Added to database 8 March 2022.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Columbia Bridge Company Collection
Title
Columbia Bridge Company Collection
Object ID
MG0217
Date Range
1809-1843
provided for research purposes only. Please contact Research@LancasterHistory.org with questions or 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
  1 document  
Collection
Columbia Bridge Company Collection
Title
Columbia Bridge Company Collection
Description
The Columbia Bridge Company Collection is a valuable source of information concerning construction of bridges in the early 1800s. Documents concern the building of the first two bridges across the Susquehanna River in 1814 and 1832. Items in the collection include minutes, form for stock certificate, invoices, legal papers, proposals, receipts, stockholders, promissory notes, by-laws, settlement of stage tolls with Samuel Slaymaker 1813, salary receipts, circulars and announcements, bridge tolls, orders for payment, correspondence, and a stock certificate from 1842
Admin/Biographical History
First Bridge
Construction of the first Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge was begun in 1812 and completed December 5, 1814, by J. Wolcott, H. Slaymaker, S. Slaymaker at a total cost of $231,771, which was underwritten by the newly formed Columbia Bank and Bridge Company. The bridge was 5,690 feet (1,730 m) long and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide and had 54 piers and twin carriageways. Constructed of wood and stone, the covered bridge also included a wooden roof, a whitewashed interior and openings in its wooden sides to view the river and surrounding areas. It was considered the longest covered bridge in the world at the time. The bridge accommodated east-west traffic across the Susquehanna River for 14 years before being destroyed by ice, high water and severe weather on February 5, 1832.
Second bridge
Construction of the second Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge, also covered, started mid-1832 and was completed in 1834 (opening on July 8, 1834) by James Moore and John Evans at a cost of $157,300. It was 5,620 feet (1,710 m) long and 28 feet (8.5 m) wide and also enjoyed the distinction of being the world's longest covered bridge. The wood and stone structure had 27 piers, a carriageway, walkway, and two towpaths to guide canal traffic across the river. Much of the mostly oak timber used in its construction was salvaged from the previous bridge. Its roof was covered with shingles, its sides with weatherboard, and its interior was whitewashed. The structure was modified in 1840 by the Canal Company at a cost of $40,000 concurrent with the construction of the Wrightsville Dam. Towpaths of different levels and with sidewalls were added to prevent horses from falling into river, as happened several times when the river flooded. The roof of the lower path formed the floor of upper path. In this way, canal boats were towed across the river from the Pennsylvania Canal on the Columbia side to the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal at Wrightsville. Sometime after 1846, a double-track railway was added, linking the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad to the Northern Central Railway. Due to fear of fire caused by locomotives, rail cars were pulled across the bridge by teams of mules or horses.
Information from "Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia%E2%80%93Wrightsville_Bridge. Accessed 3 February 2020.
System of Arrangement
The papers of the First Columbia Bridge built in 1814 are filed in folders #1 to 157. The papers of the Second Columbia Bridge built in 1832 are filed in folders #158 to 181.
Date Range
1809-1843
Year Range From
1809
Year Range To
1843
Date of Accumulation
1809-1843
Creator
Goodell, Robert Hilliard, 1899-1992.
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 05
People
Albright, William
Chew, Benjamin
Coleman, Robert
Dickson, William
Gilpin, Joshua
Gilpin, Thomas
Grimler, Benjamin
Haldeman, C.
Hamilton, William
Harbaugh, Leonard
Hoff, John
Hopkins, James
Hubley, John
Hubley, Joseph
Lloyd, Evan
Mifflin, Joseph
Poulson, Zachariah
Reynolds, John
Rittenhouse, Joseph
Shaffner, Casper
Slaymaker, Henry
Slaymaker, Samuel
Varle, Charles
Wilson, Edward
Wilson, Thomas A.
Witmer, A.
Wright, William
Wolcott, John
Subjects
Bridges
Business records
Columbia (Pa.)
Letters
Minutes (Records)
Stockholders
Stocks
Susquehanna River
Search Terms
Advertising
Applications
Board of Directors
Bonds
Bridges
Broadsides
Business records
By-laws
Checks
Columbia
Columbia Bridge Company
Construction
Contracts
Correspondence
Farmers Bank of Lancaster
Financial records
Finding aids
Gatekeepers
Invoices
Letters
Loans
Manuscript groups
Minutes
Murray Draper and Company
Promissory notes
Receipts
Reports
Salaries
Stockholders
Stocks
Susquehanna River
Taxes
Tollhouses
Tolls
Extent
5 boxes, 190 folders, 3 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0217
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
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
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. The original items in Folder 69 may not be used due to their fragile condition. All other original documents may be used by researchers--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit or request at Reference Desk.
Copyright
Collection may be photographed. Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact Research@LancasterHistory.org with questions or 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. 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.
Other Numbers
MG-217
Classification
MG0217
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Added to database 13 January 2022.
Documents
Less detail
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.
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Collection
Military Collection
Title
Military Collection
Object ID
MG0078
Date Range
1764-present
  1 document  
Collection
Military Collection
Title
Military Collection
Description
This collection contains documents beginning with the American Revolution and continuing through the War of 1812, Mexican War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. There are account books, notes and written letters, vouchers, inspections of camps, receipts of payments, honorable discharge certificates, lists of absentees, envelopes used during the Civil War, and lists of unpaid fines during the service of the Pennsylvania Militia soldiers. There are also newsletters and articles relating to World Wars I and II and the Korean War for advertisement and description of items including the history of the Philadelphia Naval Base.
Date Range
1764-present
Date of Accumulation
1764-present
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Alexander, Peter
Andre, John
Andrews, George
Auxer, Jacob
Barton, David R.
Baughman, George
Bausman, Frederick
Bethel, Samuel
Bevins, George
Biddle, George
Bietz, George
Billman, William L.
Bitner, Abraham
Bowers, George
Bowers, Lerina
Bowers, M. F.
Bradd, John
Brant, John
Brenner, Henry
Brush, George
Buchanan, James
Calwell, James
Cassidy, John
Cockley, David
Coleman, Robert
Comstock, Elmo
Comstock, Willard
Conyngham, G.
Cooke, Jacob
Crider, David
Dallas, A. L.
Demuth, William D.
Diffenderfer, Jacob
Diller, Adam
Duchman, John H.
Eshleman, John
Eugstler, Philip
Ewing, William
Fulton, Eleanore J.
Gardner, Daniel
Garrison, Lindley M.
Gidy, Peter
Graeff, Matthias
Haerrs, Dane
Hamilton, William
Hamilton, Robert
Hand, Edward
Haughman, George
Hayes, Rutherford Birchard
Heitler, Richard R.
Hiester, Gabriel
Hubley, Adam
Irvine, William
Jackson, Cyrus E.
Jacobs, Barnet
Jameson, Samuel
Johnson, Edward
Johnson, Relief
Johnson, Thomas
Kearns, Christian
Keller, Adam
Kendig, Adam
Kendig, Benjamin F.
King, Alexander
King, Robert, Jr.
Kirkpatrick, William
Kissel, Frederick
Landis, Bertha Cochran
Landis, Charles
Light, John
Lloyd, Thomas
Longenecker, John
Lutz, John
McCarty, Isaiah
McConnel, Abraham
McElhattan, Alexander
McKean, Thomas
McSherry, J. L., III
Megrady, Patrick
Mifflin, Thomas
Morgan, Thomas
Morrison, A. K.
Morrison, Alexander W.
Morrison, Samuel W.
Neal, Thomas
Nicholson, John
Ohlen, John
Paster, Peter
Patterson, James
Price, Rebecca L.
Price, Robert C.
Reigart, Adam
Reigart, Christopher
Reinoehl, Adolphus
Roath, E. D.
Ross, James
Russell, A. L.
Sample, Nathaniel W.
Scarritt, Jeremiah M.
Scott, Hugh
Shippen, Joseph
Skiles, William
Skillings, Charles W.
Smith, John M.
Smith, Richard
Snyder, Eberhart Michael
Snyder, Eugene
Speel, Alexander R.
Strickler, M. M.
Sutherland, Thomas Jefferson
Thompson, R. W.
Wager, Philip
Weller, John
White, John
Witmer, David M.
Witmer, Sarah
Wolf, Joseph
Work, Joseph
Wright, Horatio G.
Zahm, Mary
Zeilin, William F.
Buchen, Martin L.
Hildebran, James
Pratt, J. E.
Elias, C. Harry
Martin, E. K.
McClain, Frank B.
Hewitt, A. G.
Negley, J. S.
Ritner, Joseph
Burrowes, Thomas
Eckman, Joseph
Subjects
United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
United States--History--War of 1812
Mexican War, 1846-1848
World War, 1914-1918
World War, 1939-1945
Korean War, 1950-1953
Letters
Business records
Programs (Publications)
Search Terms
Business records
Civil War
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Discharge certificates
Envelopes
Finding aids
Jackson Riflemen
Korean War
Lancaster Militia
Letters
Manuscript groups
Mexican War
Military history
Military records
Monuments
Newsletters
Pennsylvania Militia
Programs
Receipts
Revolutionary War
Soldiers and Sailors Monument
War of 1812
World War I
World War II
Reunions
Extent
2 boxes, 36 folders, 1 oversized item 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0078
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
Curatorial Collection
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Restrictions are 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-78
Classification
MG0078
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by DD, Summer 2000. Updated by HST, 2010, 2011.
Documents
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7 records – page 1 of 1.