Lignum vitas wood caster with round, bowl-like top, pierced for shaking out pounce. Base is ring-turned tapers smaller to broad top, flat bottom. Small, shallow dotted pattern in two bands near bottom. Lip at top has thin groove. Top screws onto base that would be filled with pounce, which is a fine powder made from powdered cuttlefish bone. Pounce was used both to dry ink and to sprinkle on a rough writing surface to make it smooth enough for writing.
Esther 'Hetty' Parker, James Buchanan's housekeeper, chose this among several other household items that Buchanan noted she was to be allowed to choose after his death. Miss Hetty gave this to the daughter of her neighbor. Miss Steckman donated this to the Wheatland collection in 1938.
Wine bottle. Brown glass, shallow pontil, seamed shoulder and neck. Cork with red wax to seal mouth. Wine inside almost to shoulder level. Found by volunteers sometime during the early years of the James Buchanan Foundation. Bottle was found in the east end of the basement level in the Wheatland mansion.
Sheraton-inspired mahogany veneer night table with satinwood inlay accents that outline the apron, drawer and keyhole, as well as the legs. The table top has eight sides and surmounts four saber legs that also support a lower inward-curved shelf.
Fraktur birth certificate for Lydia Glasz / Glass, daughter of Leonard Glass and wife Christina, nee German. Hand drawn and colored on paper. Unusual confronting women with yellow dresses and red parasols flank central textblock within border. Tree of life above textblock; undulating plant w/ flowers sit on shelf at sides. Triple-line outside border.
German text translates to "Lydia Glasz daughter of Leonard Glasz and his wife Christina a born German. Was born 25th day of Jan. in the year of our Lord 1811.
Some buckling of paper overall. Some bleeding of ink, causing brown marks around letters; also in entire upper left corner. Small 1.4" brown streak below the word "Christina" in center panel.
Condition report of 1986 by the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts in Phila. in file. No documented treatment. Matted and framed in 1996 by conservator Brian Howard.
Object ID
P.77.12
Notes
Similar to designs of Plate #61 in Weiser & Heaney, Penna. German Fraktur of The Free Library of Phila., v.1.
Research: Ancestry.com gives the marriage of fraktur recipient Lydia Glass to John Kempfer on 20 Nov. 1828 in Ephrata at the Bethany United Church of Christ. Husband John was born 19 Feb. 1809, died 4 April 1865. Lydia died 24 June 1853. Their daughter Elizabeth Kempfer (1836-1909) married David Rudy Buch (1834-1925) and lived in Lititz.
Ancestry also gives the 1810 Census in Earl, Lancaster Co. that lists Leonard Glase with 4 household members under 16 yrs., 1 at 16-25 yrs., and 2 over 25 yrs. Total of seven in home. Lydia was born the following year in 1811.
Place of Origin
Lancaster County
Credit
Gift of the James Hale Steinman Foundation, Heritage Center Collection
Wooden gavel with metal plate, engraved "To Joe Wissler from his fellow Blackstonians, Dec. 12, 1941".
Provenance
Joseph Buch Wissler attended Lititz H.S., graduated from Franklin & Marshall College and earned his law degree from Harvard. He was Dist. Attorney of PA from 1924 to 1928. Elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1941 and served in that position for 29 years. F&M presented him with an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1952.
Flat shaped tool is constructed of two sheet brass sides riveted together at the handle end, allowing a flat triangular iron blade that is sandwiched between to slide out at the other end for cutting. Blade slides via a small riveted guide that slides along a slot in the brass sides. Cutter's brass sides have a fleur-de-lis-shaped handle and scalloped sides and each slot has a measuriing scale numbered from one to ten.
Inscription: The sliding guide on both sides of the slot reads "D.M.CO. / PAT SEPT. 3, 72 / BPT.CONN."
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Small tool with thin curving blade set into a turned wood handle and brass ferrule. Saber-like blade is brass, having a small slot cut into bottom edge near tip.
Used for warping a loom by pulling warp ends through the reed.
Fireman's hat - 1820. Decorative border in relief around brim. decorative impressions in leather forming the helmet. Emblem impressed on underside of back of hat "Wilson maker _ _ BOWERY." Of eight vertical ridges on the helmet, four ridges, painted gold, widen to .5" high at the top. An eagle neck and head of gold colored metal has been attached to the front ridge with two metal pins or nails. The eagle has detailed feathers and a berry in its beak. "1820" in red and gold is painted on top of rear brim.
