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Collection
Quarter Sessions
Title
Quarter Sessions
Object ID
NOV 1788 F003 QS
Collection
Quarter Sessions
Title
Quarter Sessions
System of Arrangement
Organized by Court of Quarter Sessions term.
Arranged by case number within each term.
Year
1788
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
People
Donally, James
Peirsol, Mordecai
Kittera, John
Subcategory
Documentary Artifact
Search Terms
Quarter Sessions
Letters
Object Name
Record, Judicial
Language
English
Condition
Fair
Object ID
NOV 1788 F003 QS
Additional Notes
Letter from Mordecai Peirsol to John Kittera.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
Classification
RG 02-00 0908
Description Level
Item
Less detail
Collection
Quarter Sessions
Title
Quarter Sessions
Object ID
AUG 1781 F003 QS
Date Range
1781/08
Collection
Quarter Sessions
Title
Quarter Sessions
System of Arrangement
Organized by Court of Quarter Sessions term.
Arranged by case number within each term.
Date Range
1781/08
Year
1781
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives West
People
Hibshman, Wendel
Houk, George
Knop, Christian
Subcategory
Documentary Artifact
Search Terms
Quarter Sessions
Letters
Cocalico Twp.
Object Name
Record, Judicial
Language
English
Condition
Fair
Object ID
AUG 1781 F003 QS
Additional Notes
(Scathing) Letter to State Attorney and Justices of the General Quarter Sessions and Court of Common Pleas for appointment of new Supervisors of Roads and Highway for Cocalico Twp.
Additional names: George Houk, Christian Knop.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
Classification
RG 02-00 0908
Description Level
Item
Less detail
Collection
Quarter Sessions
Title
Quarter Sessions
Object ID
MAY 1785 F001 QS
Collection
Quarter Sessions
Title
Quarter Sessions
System of Arrangement
Organized by Court of Quarter Sessions term.
Arranged by case number within each term.
Year
1785
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
People
Cook, Jacob
Burd, Edward
Subcategory
Documentary Artifact
Search Terms
Quarter Sessions
Letters
Object Name
Record, Judicial
Language
English
Condition
Fair
Object ID
MAY 1785 F001 QS
Additional Notes
Letter to Edward Burd, stating that he is unable to attend court.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
Classification
RG 02-00 0908
Description Level
Item
Less detail
Collection
Black History Collection
Title
Black History Collection, Series 2
Object ID
MG0240_Ser02
Date Range
1779-1984
Collection
Black History Collection
Title
Black History Collection, Series 2
Description
Series 2, Black History Records, contains the Mayor's Register of Coloured Persons or Negro Entry Book, a census of free persons of color living in Lancaster city; a biographical account of Rev. James William Charles Pennington; and items related to early twentieth century Black History in Lancaster County. The collection also contains letters from anti-slavery societies, papers related to abolitionist activity, a letter regarding the American Colonization Society, and a manumission paper from the state of Virginia.
Date Range
1779-1984
Year Range From
1779
Year Range To
1984
Date of Accumulation
1779-1984
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 06
People
Allen, Richard
Anderson, George L.
Anderson, Mildred
Bailey, Bessie
Bailey, Charles
Ball, James H.
Barber, Florence
Beaubian, Beulah
Beaubian, Charles S.
Blonden, Louisa
Book, Anna H.
Book, Simon
Bradley, Daniel
Bridgett, Alexander
Broadnax, Joseph
Brown, E. D.
Brown, Ernest
Brown, H. H.
Brubaker, Marianna Gibbons
Cain, Annie
Cain, Jennie
Cain, John
Cain, Louisa
Carter, John C.
Carter, John W.
Carter, Laura
Carter, Nettie
Clark, Josephine
Clark, Russia
Clark, Ruth
Cohn, Jason
Cooper, Bella
Craig, Mary
Craig, Samuel
Davis, Emily
Davis, Robert
Dorsey, Steven
Edwards, Mary
Edwards, Thomas L.
Foster, Carrie
Foster, Daniel
George, H. E., Mrs.
George, Harriet
Goins, Dora
Green, Annie
Green, Charles
Green, Cora
Green, Jane
Green, Mary A.
Hardy, Laura
Hayes, Hannah
Hayes, O. H.
Heard, William Henry
Henry, Ella
Henry, Mary
Hill, Emily
Hill, Harriet
Hood, Solomon Porter
Hopkins, Ada
Hopkins, Sadie
Hopkins, Stanton
Hunter, Mabel
Hunter, Rosie
Hurdle, Emma
Hurdle, James
Jackson, Florence
Jackson, Letitia
Jackson, Rebecca
Johnson, Chester A.
Johnson, Estella Book
Johnson, Florence
Kelley, Calvin
Kelley, David
Keyes, Emma
La Barre, John
Link, John Lewis
Lynch, Dora
MacNeal, William
Mason, Alice
Mitchell, Blanche
Moore, Martha
Morrison, J. S.
Morrison, J. S., Mrs.
Moton, Charles
Murray, Clara P.
Nickumn, Theresa
Palmer, John M.
Payne, Benedine
Polite, Abraham L.
Polite, Blanche
Price, J. C.
Richardson, Ella M.
Robinson, Sara
Rosenthal, Isidore
Shissler, Simon
Shorter, George
Snow, Josephine
Spraggan, R. F.
Stewart, J. O.
Tall, Rebecca
Thomas, Virginia
Thornton, Elizabeth
Toney, Joseph M.
Trout, Henry Leightner "Harry"
Tryman, Mary
Turner, Ruth
Waters, Ruth
Webster, Frank T. M.
William, Ella
Williams, Mary
Wilson, Albert E., Sr.
Wilson, Edith
Wilson, Helen
Wilson, Laura
Wilson, Maude
Winston, Charity
Winston, William
Witcher, W. E.
Wolford, Edward
Woods, Elizabeth
Other Creators
Pennsylvania. Court of Quarter Sessions (Lancaster County)
Subjects
Abolitionists
African Americans--History
Antislavery movements
Free Black people
Freedmen
Letters
Slaveholders--Pennsylvania--Lancaster County
Slavery--Pennsylvania--Lancaster County
Search Terms
Abolitionists
Antislavery movements
Certificates
Correspondence
Court of Quarter Sessions
Enslaved persons
Free persons of color
Freedmen
Letters
Persons of color
Slaveholders
Slavery
Extent
17 folders, 35 items, .5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0240_Ser02
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
Black History Collection (MG0240) https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/2b3d42c6-a313-4ebc-966f-516114048136
Conestoga Elks Lodge Records (MG0760)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Black History Collection (MG0240), Series 2, 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 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.
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, Series 2
Classification
MG0240
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Processed prior to 1997 and updated from 2007-present. Added to database on 17 January 2022.
Digitization of this document was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 202010016624, 2020-2023.
Less detail
Collection
Brinton Family Collection
Title
Brinton Family Collection
Object ID
MG0038
Date Range
1808-1946
  1 document  
Collection
Brinton Family Collection
Title
Brinton Family Collection
Description
The Brinton Family Collection contains genealogy, estate records, receipts, school workbooks, correspondence, farm records, tax records, bank records, wedding and funeral announcements, invitations, visiting cards, and postcards.
Admin/Biographical History
The Brintons were a prosperous family, owned farms and mills, and participated in other business ventures. They were of English heritage and members of the Quakers, or Society of Friends. In order to escape religious persecution in England, William Brinton purchased 200 acres in Birmingham Twp., Pennsylvania in 1684. His descendants eventually moved further west to eastern Lancaster County.1
Cyrus Brinton (1830-1917), the fourth of six children, was the son of Samuel and Lydia P. Jackson Brinton. In 1813, Samuel purchased 200 acres of land in Christiana (land that was later bounded by the Christiana Machine Shop on the south, Pine St. on the west, Sadsbury Ave. on the north, and Rte. 41 on the east). The land was not ideal for farming, but the property was picturesque and the farm was successful. Cyrus married Rebecca Whitson and they farmed on his father's property for about ten years. At that time they purchased a farm and mill on the road from Cooperville to the Noble Road. The original woolen mill was later turned into a grist mill, then a creamery. Cyrus and Rebecca had five children: Francis, Thomas Luther, William Haslam, Anne Haslam, and Martha Alice.2
Genealogy:3
Thomas Whitson m. Martha Hobson
b. 7 February 1796 b. 10 November 1800
d. 27 November 1864 d. 18 June 1889
(Sadsbury, Chester County) (Sadsbury)
They were married at New Salem Meeting, 17 May 1827. Rebecca was one of their eight children.
Cyrus Brinton m. Rebecca Whitson
b. 28 December 1830 b. 3 February 1832
d. 9 February 1917 d. 29 October 1903
(Sadsbury, Lancaster County) (Lancaster County)
They were married at Christiana, PA, 12 February 1857.
Thomas Whitson m. Hannah Starr
b. 27 September 1760 b. 3 February 1765
d. 1 June 1826 d. 20 April 1836
(Sadsbury)
The parents of Thomas Whitson, they were married 31 October 1787.
Francis Hobson m. Ann Johnson
b. 14 February 1768 b. 15 December 1775
d. 1835 (Lancaster County)
farmer and shoemaker d. 1852
(New Garden) (New Garden)
The parents of Martha Hobson, they were married 14 September 1797.
1 Garrett, Mary. 1979. "Brintons of Sadsbury Township, Lancaster County: Where they originated, what they accomplished, and where they have gone." Octorara Area Historical Society 1:13.
2 Ibid.
3 Whitson Family Chart, August 1951. The Albert Cook Myers Collection. Chester County Historical Society (Pa.)
Date Range
1808-1946
Year Range From
1808
Year Range To
1946
Date of Accumulation
1808-1946
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
Bacon, Benjamin C.
Brinton, Samuel
Garrison, William Lloyd
Whitson, Martha Hobson
Whitson, Thomas
Subjects
Abolitionists
Antislavery movements
Finance, Personal
Invitation cards
Letters
New-England Anti-Slavery Society
Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society
Personal correspondence
Receipts (Acknowledgments)
School notebooks
Social reformers
Visiting cards
Search Terms
Abolitionists
Antislavery movements
Calling cards
Correspondence
Finance, Personal
Finding aids
Invitations
Land records
Letters
Manuscript groups
New-England Anti-Slavery Society
Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society
Receipts
Sadsbury School District
Sadsbury Twp.
School books
Sharon Boarding School
Social reformers
Surveys
Visiting cards
Extent
4 boxes, 40 folders, 2 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0038
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Associated Material
The Chester County History Center (Pa.) also has information on the Brinton and Whitson families.
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Brinton Family Collection (MG0038), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Folder 40 was a gift of Betsey Collins, 5 March 1993.
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-38
Classification
MG0038
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Cataloged prior to 1997. Box 1 was recataloged by JB, Fall semester 2006. Added to database 16 June 2021.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Hager Store Collection
Title
Hager Store Collection
Object ID
MG0104
Date Range
1774-1953
Watch Company Invoices Lancaster Agricultural Fair Association Lancaster Free Press Weekly Lancaster New Era Letters Maps N. Trotter and Company Newsletters Newspaper clippings Pennsylvania Railroad Philadelphia Electric Company Postcards Quarter Century Club Receipts Stocks Stores Stores, Retail Taxes
  1 document  
Collection
Hager Store Collection
Title
Hager Store Collection
Description
The Hager Store Collection contains anniversary booklets, invoices, advertisements, family papers, and newsletter of the Hager Department Store which was founded in Lancaster. The collection includes a children's book that was distributed by the store and a Christmas catalog. Among the Hager family papers are deeds, land patents, and probate records.
Date Range
1774-1953
Year Range From
1774
Year Range To
1953
Date of Accumulation
1774-1953
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Arnold, Anna
Arnold, Frank W.
Cain, James M.
Cain, Kathryn
Conyngham, David H.
Dehaven, J. Harry
Demuth, Jacob
Diller, Isaac
Dowd, M. Jane
Dubbs, T. Wilson
Frey, Caroline
Frey, Jacob L.
Frosart, John
Gast, Emma L.
Gast, Henry
Graybill, Daniel
Hager, Anne Graham
Hager, Betty Rick
Hager, Charles F.
Hager, Christopher
Hager, Edward T.
Hager, Frances
Hager, Helen R.
Hager, John C.
Hager, John C., Jr.
Hager, John J.
Hager, Katherine
Hager, Margaret H.
Hager, Mary W.
Hager, Nathaniel E.
Hager, Redmond
Hager, Sarah Ellen
Hager, Susan B.
Hager, William H.
Hager, William H., Jr.
Hamilton, Margaret
Hartman, Annie M.
Hartman, George H.
Herr, Alice
Herr, C. S.
Herr, Magdalena
Herr, Rudolph
Hull, William
Keller, H.
Landis, Jacob
Lefevre, Mrs.
Miller, Charles
Randolph, Grace Lee
Randolph, John H.
Randolph, Margaret H.
Reigart, E. L.
Roy, Sue
Slaymaker, Henry
Stark, Martin N.
Steinman, George Michael
Stewart, Charles
Weber, George
Wentz, Jacob H.
Zimmerman, Mary Regina Malone
Zimmerman, Simon Ralph
Subjects
Catalogs
Deeds
Department stores
Probate records
Stores, Retail
Search Terms
Advertisements
Anniversaries
Business Historical Society Bulletin
Catalogs
Deeds
Department stores
Express (Lititz)
Financial records
Finding aids
Frank T. Riley Publishing Company
Fulton Theatre
Hager's Department Store
Hamilton Watch Company
Invoices
Lancaster Agricultural Fair Association
Lancaster Free Press Weekly
Lancaster New Era
Letters
Manuscript groups
Maps
N. Trotter and Company
Newsletters
Newspaper clippings
Pennsylvania Railroad
Philadelphia Electric Company
Postcards
Quarter Century Club
Receipts
Stocks
Stores
Stores, Retail
Taxes
UGI Corporation
Wills
Wondertown
Extent
2 boxes, 37 folders, 1 framed document, 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0104
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
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection 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-104
Classification
MG0104
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Recataloged by MM, Summer 2011. Added to database 7 February 2019.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Dodge Family Papers
Title
Letter Acknowledging the Transfer of Patent Assignments to Byron G. Dodge, Owner of The Safety Buggy Company
Object ID
MG0836_F021_In04
Date Range
November 1, 1899
Collection
Dodge Family Papers
Title
Letter Acknowledging the Transfer of Patent Assignments to Byron G. Dodge, Owner of The Safety Buggy Company
Description
Letter acknowledging the transfer of patent assignments from The Safety Buggy Company and from Alfred H. Worrest to Byron G. Dodge. Signed by William R. Gerhart, Solicitor of Patents, Lancaster, PA, November 1, 1899.
Date Range
November 1, 1899
Creator
Clifford Dodge
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 19
Storage Container
Box 0002
People
Gerhart, William R.
Worrest, Alfred H.
Dodge, Byron Griswold
Subjects
Letters
Search Terms
Correspondence
Letters
Patents
Safety Buggy Company
Object Name
Letter
Object ID
MG0836_F021_In04
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please contact Research Staff or Archives Staff with questions.
Description Level
Item
Less detail
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series E Post Civil War
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesE
Date Range
1866-1925
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series E Post Civil War
Description
The General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series E is a collection of eight documents, which covers the years 1866 through 1925 and consists primarily of recollections by various family members of the life of Thomas Welsh. The series also includes a family history and poems written by Thomas Welsh and his daughter Effie Welsh.
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
1866-1925
Creation Date
1866-1925
Year Range From
1866
Year Range To
1925
Creator
Wiggin, Richard C.
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 19
Storage Container
Box 0001
People
Welsh, Thomas
Subjects
Autobiographies
Letters
Mexican War, 1846-1848
Poetry
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Search Terms
Autobiographies
Civil War
Family history
Genealogy
Letters
Mexican War
Poetry
Extent
8 folders
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Condition
Poor to excellent
Condition Date
2020-12-29
Parent Object ID
MG0828
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesE
Notes
Added to PP 12/29/2020 by HST
Provenance: Most items passed down through the family, Blanton Charles Welsh to Emilie Benson (Welsh) Wiggin to Nancy Jane (Wiggin) Townsend. Acquired from: Chuck Townsend, Knoxville, Tennessee, 2016/05/15.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact research@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, Pennsylvania.
Classification
MG0828
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Organized by Richard C. Wiggin prior to donation.
Less detail
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series F Miscellaneous Family Papers
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesF
Date Range
1815-1938
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series F Miscellaneous Family Papers
Description
The General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series F is a collection of documents, newspapers, and newspaper clippings that covers the years 1815 through 1929, as well as genealogy and ephemera from the Welsh family Bible from 1850 through 1938. The series also includes two scrapbooks - the first contains articles from the late nineteenth century pertaining to Thomas Welsh and his family; the second contains newspaper articles and ephemera related to Thomas Welsh and his family from 1854 through 1936.
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
1815-1938
Creation Date
1815-1938
Year Range From
1815
Year Range To
1938
Creator
Wiggin, Richard C.
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 19
Storage Container
Box 0001
People
Welsh, Thomas
Subjects
Condolence notes
Letters
Genealogy
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Mexican War, 1846-1848
Search Terms
Condolence notes
Letters
Correspondence
Mexican War
Genealogy
Civil War
Extent
35 folders
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Condition
Poor to excellent
Condition Date
2020-12-29
Parent Object ID
MG0828
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesF
Notes
Added to PP 12/29/2020 by HST
Provenance: Passed down through the family, Blanton Charles Welsh to Emilie Benson (Welsh) Wiggin to Nancy Jane (Wiggin) Townsend.~~Acquired from: Chuck Townsend, Knoxville, Tennessee, 2016/05/15.
In Boxes 1 and 2
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact research@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, Pennsylvania.
Classification
MG0828
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Folders 1-35 organized by Richard C. Wiggin prior to donation.
Less detail
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
Thomas Welsh Scrapbook
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesF_Scrapbk2
Date Range
1854-1936
  5 documents  
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
Thomas Welsh Scrapbook
Description
Scrapbook appears to be the work of Thomas' son, Blanton Welsh. The volume was origianlly a record book for the Commonwealth Insurance Company, for which Thomas Welsh was an agent in Columbia. The scrapbook contains newspaper articles from the Columbia Spy, beginning with articles on the cholera epidemic of 1854, Welsh's cases as Justice of the Peace, and published war correspondence by Thomas Welsh under the names "Thirsty Squad" and "45". Blanton continued the scrapbook with newspaper articles about his father and sisters, and a lawsuit against him in 1930; his mother's obituary; his wedding announcement; his visiting cards; a letter from Lillie to Blanton; and letters to Thomas Welsh. The letters to Thomas Welsh are scanned and transcibed as MG0828_SeriesD-61_F03, MG0828_SeriesD-61_F04, MG0828_SeriesD-61_F05, MG0828_SeriesD-61_F07, MG0828_SeriesD-61_F08, MG0828_SeriesD-61_F09, MG0828_SeriesD-61_F10, MG0828_SeriesD-61_F11, MG0828_SeriesD-61_F12, MG0828_SeriesD-61_F13, MG0828_SeriesD-63_F10, MG0828_SeriesD-63_F14, and MG0828_SeriesE_F04.
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. See MG0828 for more biographical information.
Date Range
1854-1936
Creation Date
1854-1936
Year Range From
1854
Year Range To
1936
Creator
Welsh, Thomas, 1824-1863
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 19
Storage Container
Box 0004
People
Buchanan, James
Welsh, Blanton Charles
Welsh, Alice
Welsh, Annie Eunice Young
Welsh, Effie
Welsh, Lilian
Welsh, Mary Young "Mazie"
Welsh, Thomas
Other Creators
Welsh, Blanton Charles, 1860-1939
Subjects
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Columbia (Pa.)
Commonwealth Fire Insurance Company
Justices of the peace
Letters
Newspapers
Obituaries
Personal correspondence
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
West Point (N.Y.)
Zurich (Switzerland)
Search Terms
Buchanan Collections
Civil War
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Columbia
Commonwealth Fire Insurance Company
Correspondence, Personal
James Buchanan
Justices of the peace
Letters
Newspaper clippings
Obituaries
Scrapbooks
West Point, New York
Zurich, Switzerland
Extent
1 item
Object Name
Scrapbook
Language
English
Condition
Fair
Condition Notes
Casing and binding are worn.
Parent Object ID
MG0828_SeriesF
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesF_Scrapbk2
Notes
Added to PP 12/29/2020 by HST
Provenance: Passed down through the family, Blanton Charles Welsh to Emilie Benson (Welsh) Wiggin to Nancy Jane (Wiggin) Townsend. Acquired from: Chuck Townsend, Knoxville, Tennessee, 2016/05/15.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact research@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, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
TW-F-XX-XX
Classification
MG0828
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Cataloged by Richard C. Wiggin prior to donation.
Documents

MG0828_SeriesF_MYWobit.pdf

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MG0828_SeriesF_TAWobit.pdf

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MG0828_SeriesF_wedding.pdf

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MG0828_SeriesF_AWobit.pdf

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10 records – page 1 of 1.