The Mayor's Court was established at the incorporation of the City of Lancaster in 1818, and was composed of the mayor, recorder, and aldermen with powers and jurisdiction analogous to the Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace, Oyer and Terminer, and Jail Delivery. It was abolished on 6 February 1849.
System of Arrangement
Organized by court term.
Arranged with general materials first, then constables reports, tavern licenses, un-numbered cases, and numbered cases.
The Mayor's Court was established at the incorporation of the City of Lancaster in 1818, and was composed of the mayor, recorder, and aldermen with powers and jurisdiction analogous to the Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace, Oyer and Terminer, and Jail Delivery. It was abolished on 6 February 1849.
System of Arrangement
Organized by court term.
Arranged with general materials first, then constables reports, tavern licenses, un-numbered cases, and numbered cases.
This record group contains canceled orders that were issued by the county commissioners for payment to be made by the county treasurer. The orders show date, order number, amount, name of payee, purpose, and signatures of the county commissioners.
This collection contains papers and local government records related to Black history in Lancaster County, including an index to Lancaster County's register of enslaved persons, Mayor's Register of Coloured Persons or Negro Entry Book, and a biographical account of Rev. James William Charles Pennington. There are official records for enslaved persons and their children in Lancaster County, as well as freemen within Lancaster City. The collection also contains a manumission paper from the state of Virginia, a certificate for free persons of color, and letters from anit-slavery societies.
System of Arrangement
Series 1 consists of the "Slave Registers," official county records registering enslaved women and their children after 1780.
Series 2 contains the "Mayor's Register of Coloured Persons," a manumission paper, correspondence, and other records.
1 box, 33 folders, 128 items, 1,178 pages to scan, .5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0240
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
Black History Collection (MG0240) https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/2b3d42c6-a313-4ebc-966f-516114048136
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Black History Collection (MG0240), Object ID, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL. Date accessed (day, month, year).
LancasterHistory is committed to preserving and providing access to materials chronicling Lancaster County's heritage. As a historical resource, this collection 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.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment--contact research@lancasterhistory.org prior to visit. Restricted access for the Mayor's Register of Coloured Persons found in Series 2, Folder 2: Use transcript in Folder 3 or microfilm.
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-240
Classification
MG0240
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
The collection was formerly called "The Slave Records of Lancaster County Collection." Name changed to "African American Records Collection" and arrangement changed on 13 June 2007. Name changed again in 2022 to "Black History Collection."
Signers of petition: Adam Trout, Henry B. Myers, Daniel Altick, John Ditlow, George K. Bowers, Wilson Hindman, Philip Copland, J. Franklin Reigart, M. Carpenter, Daniel Harman, Robert Walker, Benjamin Miller, Christian Myer.
3 items, 3 pieces
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
Joel and Thomas Smedley’s Prospect Mills account book B
Description
Joel and Thomas Smedley’s Prospect Mills account book B contains an index of clients and what pages they appear on, an itemized list of their profits and expenses, an index of sales and where they are found, and the employees of the mill and what they were being compensated for.. The profits list ranges from selling corn, wheat, bran, oats, and flour, as well as sawing boards and planks. The recorded expenses include purchases from a brickyard (pg. 102), Susquehanna Canal Company (122), and Deer Creek Iron Works Company (125). Other mill expenses include employee wages, lumber, and potatoes.
Admin/Biographical History
Joel Smedley was born in 1799 to parents Joseph Smedley and Rebecca Lewis Smedley. Joel married Martha Wildman and fathered six children including Charles, Mary, John, Lewis, Anne, and Ellwood. Joel inherited the mill from his father in 1833 and expanded it by building a sorghum factory. Joel died in 1872.
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. Original documents 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 for permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Account Book of Jeremiah Brown’s gristmill, Book A, Little Britain Township, Fulton Twp.
Description
Account Book of Jeremiah Brown’s gristmill, Book "A", Little Britain Township, Fulton Township.
Book references itemized lists of profits and expenses, the employees of the mill and what they were being compensated for. The profits list ranges from selling and grinding corn, wheat, and rye as well as sawing boards. The recorded expenses for the mill include items such as employee wages, transportation costs, and a pair of new shoes.
Contains 225 leaves that are paginated, and a 10 page index of clients made by the book owner by cutting the page margins, and writing index tabs on the remaing margins.
Front cover has an "A" carved on it.
Front 2 leaves were incorporated into the index and end 2 leaves were used to continue accounting.
Insert 1 - Blue donor card.
Insert 2 - 7 loose items:
Item 1 Yellow Join the Great American Smoke book marker rom the Lancaster County Unit American Cancer Society.
Item 2 Six pieces of paper with names and calculations.
Admin/Biographical History
From: Donor Card
Jeremiah Brown was born 1750, descended from Joshua Brown. He received his father’s mill in 1775. Jeremiah’s business became quite prosperous and with the help of other prominent figures in Lancaster County, he helped establish the Farmers Bank of Lancaster. Jeremiah’s fathered several children including the honorable Judge Jeremiah Brown and Slater Brown, later leaving the mill to Slater. At the time of his death in 1831, he was thought to be one of the largest stockholders, if not the largest, of the Farmers Bank of Lancaster at 1,000 shares.
Book is intact, cover shows signs of red rot, front and back cover, as well as the spine, have pieces that have worn off, front and back covers have water damage as well as several front and back pages.
Tab "CD" on index page is missing "D".
Object ID
MG0963_F009
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
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. Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact Research@LancasterHistory.org at least two weeks 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.
This record group contains canceled orders that were issued by the county commissioners for payment to be made by the county treasurer. The orders show date, order number, amount, name of payee, purpose, and signatures of the county commissioners. In the case of "poor children," teachers were reimbursed by the county for tuition and/or the supplies purchased for students whose parents were unable to pay. Orders include: Poor Children, Almshouse, Bridges, Coroners' Inquests, Prisons, Roads, Court House, and Tax Exonerations.
System of Arrangement
The record group is organized chronologically, then arranged by order number within each year.
