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Collection
Collateral Appraisements
Title
Collateral Appraisements
Object ID
Coll App 1912 F002 M
Date Range
1912
Collection
Collateral Appraisements
Title
Collateral Appraisements
Description
Appraisements of real estate for inheritance tax. Some personal property appraisals are also included. Appraisals include: name of decedent; location and description of real estate; description of personal property; valuation of real estate and personal property; and assessed tax. May also include names of heirs. Arranged chronologically by year, then alphabetically by first letter of decedent's last name. Handwritten; from 1886, handwritten on printed forms.
System of Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year, then alphabetically by first letter of decedent's last name.
Date Range
1912
Date of Accumulation
1849-1913
Year
1912
Creator
Register of Wills
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives West
Storage Container
Box 0011
People
McCullaugh, P. J.
McCullagh, P. J.
Subcategory
Documentary Artifact
Search Terms
Collateral appraisement
Lancaster
Letters
Affidavits
Place
Lancaster
Extent
16 boxes (8 cubic feet)
Object Name
Appraisal
Language
English
Condition
Fair
Object ID
Coll App 1912 F002 M
Box Number
011
Additional Notes
Or McCullagh, P. J.
Included letter and affidavit.
3 items, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at research desk. Photocopy made by staff member.
Classification
RG 03-00 0312
Description Level
Item
Less detail
Collection
Collateral Appraisements
Title
Collateral Appraisements
Object ID
Coll App 1892 F007 H
Date Range
1892
Collection
Collateral Appraisements
Title
Collateral Appraisements
Description
Appraisements of real estate for inheritance tax. Some personal property appraisals are also included. Appraisals include: name of decedent; location and description of real estate; description of personal property; valuation of real estate and personal property; and assessed tax. May also include names of heirs. Arranged chronologically by year, then alphabetically by first letter of decedent's last name. Handwritten; from 1886, handwritten on printed forms.
System of Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year, then alphabetically by first letter of decedent's last name.
Date Range
1892
Date of Accumulation
1849-1913
Year
1892
Creator
Register of Wills
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives West
Storage Container
Box 0007
People
Hobart, Henrietta W.
Subcategory
Documentary Artifact
Search Terms
Collateral appraisement
Collateral statement
Correspondence
Place
None
Extent
16 boxes (8 cubic feet)
Object Name
Appraisal
Language
English
Condition
Fair
Object ID
Coll App 1892 F007 H
Box Number
007
Additional Notes
Only: two correspondences and collateral statement.
3 items, 3 pieces
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at research desk. Photocopy made by staff member.
Classification
RG 03-00 0312
Description Level
Item
Less detail
Collection
Lancaster County Court House Collection
Title
Lancaster County Court House Collection
Object ID
MG0080
Date Range
1784-1976
Collection
Lancaster County Court House Collection
Title
Lancaster County Court House Collection
Description
Documents relating to the county courthouse in Lancaster. Consists mostly of proposals and bids for the construction in 1852. Also included are booklets, newspaper clippings from additional construction in the 1970s, court calendars and original affidavits of witness testimony in the investigation of the burning of the courthouse in 1784.
Date Range
1784-1976
Year Range From
1784
Year Range To
1976
Date of Accumulation
1784-1976
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Eckman, D. Richard
Lynch, David
Subjects
Courthouses
Letting of contracts
Search Terms
Bids
Courthouses
Finding aids
Manuscript groups
Petitions
Proposals
Extent
1 box, 20 folders, .125 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0080
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania (Lancaster, Pa.)
Notes
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).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions. Please request at the Reference Desk or by contacting 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
Lancaster County Court House Collection (MG-80), Folder #, LancasterHistory.org
Classification
MG0080
Description Level
Fonds
Less detail
Collection
Frederick S. Brown Collection
Title
Frederick S. Brown Collection
Object ID
MG0085
Date Range
1856-1913
Subject Headings: Bonds Letters Real property Receipts (Acknowledgments) Taxation Search Terms: Bonds Correspondence Finding aids Letters Manuscript groups Real estate Receipts Susquehanna River Taxes Processing History: This collection has been documented, preserved and managed according to professional
  1 document  
Collection
Frederick S. Brown Collection
Title
Frederick S. Brown Collection
Description
The Frederick S. Brown Collection contains tax receipts, bonds, and letters belonging to Mr. Brown. Also, an agreement for the sale of land along the Susquehanna River.
Date Range
1856-1913
Year Range From
1856
Year Range To
1913
Date of Accumulation
1856-1913
Creator
Brown, Frederick Street, 1875-1936
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Brown, Frederick Street
Subjects
Bonds
Letters
Real property
Receipts (Acknowledgments)
Taxation
Search Terms
Bonds
Correspondence
Finding aids
Letters
Manuscript groups
Real estate
Receipts
Susquehanna River
Taxes
Extent
1 box, 1 folder, .1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0085
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Frederick S. Brown Collection (MG0085), 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-85
Classification
MG0085
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Added to database 13 November 2018.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Musical Composers of Lancaster County Collection
Title
Musical Composers of Lancaster County Collection
Object ID
MG0099
Date Range
1869-1950
  1 document  
Collection
Musical Composers of Lancaster County Collection
Title
Musical Composers of Lancaster County Collection
Description
The Musical Composers of Lancaster County Collection contains sheet music written by local composers. Some local titles are "Lancaster German Waltz" and "Lancaster Theme & Gratitude Theme." Included in the collection is information about S. Becker von Grabill, composer and pianoforte teacher, and James L. Knipe of Aston, Knipe & McCarthy.
Date Range
1869-1950
Year Range From
1869
Year Range To
1950
Date of Accumulation
1869-1950
Creator
LancasterHistory
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Aston, Isaac Earle
August, Margaret Caroline Wagner
Hagen, Francis Florentine
Hammer, John B.
Keffer, Washington Henry
Knipe, James Lloyd
McCarthy, J. Clarence
Mueller, Julius E.
Springer, Abner
Sykes, Harry A.
Thornbann, Carl
von Grabill, Stanton Becker
Wind, John
Wyman, A. P.
Subjects
Music
Composers
Piano music
Violin music
Notated music
Sheet music
Search Terms
Armstrong Radio Program
Composers
H. T. Clauder, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Miss Billee's Studio of Dancing
Music
Pamphlets
Piano music
Sheet music
Violin music
Manuscript groups
Finding aids
Extent
1 box, 14 folders, 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0099
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-99
Other Number
MG-99
Classification
MG0099
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared in 1998; revised. Added to database 5 February 2019.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Fulton Opera House Collection
Title
Fulton Opera House Collection
Object ID
MG0103
Date Range
1867-1998
  1 document  
Collection
Fulton Opera House Collection
Title
Fulton Opera House Collection
Description
The Fulton Opera House Collection contains programs, tickets, and schedules for public performances and events at the Fulton Opera House in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The programs list cast members and celebrities, as well as advertising for businesses and sponsoring organizations. The collection also includes a booklet from the theatre's centenary celebration in 1952 and items related to the Landmark Campaign to restore and renovate the theatre in 1995.
Date Range
1867-1998
Year Range From
1867
Year Range To
1998
Date of Accumulation
1867-1998
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Abel, Walter
Armstrong, Charles Dudley
Balfour, Val
Barnes, Arthur K.
Bausmann, Walter
Beaver, James A.
Caballos, Larry
Caldwell, Anna
Carson, Jo
Caryll, Irwin
Chandler, Karen
Landis, Bertha Cochran
Darling, Mrs. A. H.
Decca, Marie
Donnelly, Dorothy
Fulton, Robert
Green, Morris
Grove, Dorothy Mary
Haas, F. W.
Hall, William B.
Hauptman, William
Hitchcock, Raymond
Hopwood, Avery
Hudson, Henry
Jones, A. L.
Kellerman, Annette
Kellogg, Clara Louise
Knipe, James L.
Piven, Byrne
Rawlins, Lester
Rea, John P.
Reinhart, Mary Roberts
Riddle, William
Romberg, Sigmund
Shearer, Sara A.
Stone, Fred
Thompson, Denman
Trostle, Don
van Bree, J.B.
Vyner, Louis
Warfel, Mary S.
Subjects
Advertisements
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Concerts
Ephemera
Musicals
Plays
Programs (Publications)
Theaters
Tickets
Fulton Opera House
Search Terms
Advertisements
Armstrong Cork Company
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Concerts
Ephemera
Finding aids
Fulton Opera House
Fulton Theatre
Junior League of Lancaster
Kiwanis Club of Lancaster
Lancaster Symphony Orchestra
Manuscript groups
Musicals
Newspaper clippings
Pennsylvania Council of the Arts
Performing arts
Theatrical performances
Programs
Theaters
Tickets
Extent
1 box, 24 folders, .5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0103
Location of Originals
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-103
Other Number
MG-103
Classification
MG0103
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Added to database 5 February 2019.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Hager Store Collection
Title
Hager Store Collection
Object ID
MG0104
Date Range
1774-1953
the: Hamilton Watch Company, PA Railroad Co., Lancaster Agricultural Fair Association, Philadelphia Electric Company, and United Gas Improvement Company. 19 Sept. 1947. Insert 2 Letter about Gas Improvement Company Stock. 1 Oct 1948. Insert 3 Empty Envelope. 1948. Insert 4 Letters about different
  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
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series D-61 Civil War, 1861
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesD-61
Date Range
1861
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series D-61 Civil War, 1861
Description
The General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series D-61 contains fifteen documents from 1861. The series consists of letters written by Thomas Welsh to his wife and children describing his experiences as an officer in the Union Army. The series also includes letters written by Welsh's wife and children describing events at home in Columbia. The letters show Welsh to be a devoted husband and father and his family to miss him very much. Welsh raised and organized the first company of volunteers from Lancaster County. The regiment served most of its 90-day enlistment in the Shenandoah Valley from where many of the letters were written. The series also includes a pass for Camp Curtin, Dauphin County where Welsh served as Commandant and a letter from Otter Island, South Carolina where Welsh later served as a Colonel in the 45th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
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
1861
Creation Date
1861
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
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Letters
Personal correspondence
Search Terms
Civil War
Letters
Correspondence, Personal
Extent
16 folders
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Condition
Fair to good
Parent Object ID
MG0828
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesD-61
Notes
Added to PP 12/23/2020 by HST
Provenance:
Most 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.
MG0828_SeriesD-61_F15 is a transcription provided by Dennis Buttacavoli via email. The original is presumed by donor to be in his possession.
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
Cataloged by Richard C. Wiggin prior to donation.
Less detail
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series D-62 Civil War, 1862
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesD-62
Date Range
1862
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series D-62 Civil War, 1862
Description
The General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series D-62 contains twenty-two documents from 1862. The series consists of letters and official papers related to the military activities of Thomas Welsh, in command of the 2nd Brigade of General Orlando Willcox's 1st Division, General Burnside's 9th Army Corps, command consisting of Regiments 45th and 100th Pennsylvania, 46th New York, and 8th Michigan. The series includes letters written by Welsh to his family and letters from his family written to him. Welsh's command participated in several battles during the year including South Mountain and Antietam. Official correspondence includes reports by General Willcox and others as well as Willcox's recommendation that Welsh be promoted to Brigadier General for his bravery and conduct in battle.
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
1862
Creation Date
1862
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
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Letters
Personal correspondence
Search Terms
Civil War
Letters
Correspondence, Personal
After action reports
Extent
22 folders
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Condition
Fair to excellent
Parent Object ID
MG0828
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesD-62
Location of Originals
The original of MG0828_SeriesD-62_F20 is in the Antietam National Battlefield Library, 45th Pennsylvania Regimental File.
Transcription of MG0828_SeriesD-62_F21 is in the Antietam National Battlefield Library, 45th Pennsylvania Regimental File. Original claimed to be in the collection of Dennis Buttacavoli.
Notes
Added to PP 12/26/2020 by HST
Provenance:
Some 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.
Some items: Transcription and photocopy acquired from Antietam National Battlefield Library, 45th Pennsylvania Regimental File.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
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Copyright
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Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Classification
MG0828
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Cataloged by Richard C. Wiggin prior to donation.
Less detail
Collection
Wolpert Family Papers
Title
Wolpert Family Papers
Object ID
MG0685
Date Range
1861-1945
  1 document  
Collection
Wolpert Family Papers
Title
Wolpert Family Papers
Description
This collection contains letters from Private Peter Wolpert to his brother during the Civil War. In addition here are records of Peter Wolpert's military service including the Company E, Regiment 1, Pennsylvania Reserves Infantry Muster Roll, plus that unit's Casualty Sheet and an information card from the Pennsylvania State Archives, all which indicate he died in action at Antietam. And the collection also has a Lancaster Intelligencer Journal newspaper article about Peter Wolpert's son, Charles, as he remembers President James Buchanan's funeral.
Date Range
1861-1945
Year Range From
1861
Year Range To
1945
Date of Accumulation
1861-1864, 1945
Creator
Wolpert family
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 14
People
Wolpert, Peter
Wolpert, Lorenz
Wittlinger, Johann
Wolpert, Charles
Buchanan, James
Subjects
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Letters
Family records
Search Terms
Civil War
Family records
Finding aids
Letters
Manuscript groups
Military records
Extent
1 box, 4 folders
Object Name
Archive
Language
English, German
Object ID
MG0685
Access Conditions / Restrictions
The items in Folder 4 are restricted.
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
Wolpert Family Papers (MG-685), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pa.
Other Numbers
MG-685
Classification
MG0685
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared 25 March 2013. Added to database 16 January 2018.
Documents
Less detail

10 records – page 1 of 1.