Collection consists of family records of Mary Leaman Schlemm. Includes Sunday school booklets, property deeds, military booklets, invitations, telegrams, flower pictures and photographs, baptismal and marriage certificates, telegrams, and a Stehli Silk Mill booklet.
Admin/Biographical History
Debra Smith, former Executive Director of the Lancaster County Historical Society, conducted an interview with Mrs. Schlemm and compiled this biographical information:
Mary Leaman Schlemm's father, Isaac D. Leaman, Sr., came from England. He had 11 children, five died at birth including two sets of twins. Her siblings who were still living at the time of the interview were Alverta Leaman Miller, Isaac Leaman, F. Pauline Leaman, and Lester Leaman.
Mary was born in 1900. Her brother, Lester, was born in 1895 and was a member of the 42nd Rainbow Lodge. She started working at the Conestoga Cotton Mill No. 1 at the age of 13. Her father let her quit school to begin working there, under the condition that she continue her education in the evenings at Wade's Business School. She was a good friend of Wade's daughter so she was able to go to school free of charge. Young workers at the Cotton Mill were required by Pennsylvania law to take a minimum of two hours of schooling until age 16. Mary took four every evening at Wade's school in order to get her high school diploma. She met her husband, Raymond A. Schlemm, at the Cotton Mill. He later worked 33.5 years at the Stehli Silk Mill, and then at Dewalt.
Mary worked at the Cotton Mill five years and then married in 1918. She left when she became pregnant and went to work at Leinbach's Department Store after the birth of her son, James. One of the pictures in this collection is of the Leinbach employees at a company picnic at Accomac Park in 1921. Mr. Leinbach is in the center of the picture with his girlfriend at his right shoulder. His wife is down the line above the "D" in Darmstaetter, the girl wearing white nylons.
Mary's son, James, served during World War II. The orientation lecture and WW II photo are his. Several pictures are of conventions of the Golden Eagle Lodge, an auxiliary which met across from the Moose Lodge on E. King Street. The family was a member of First Reformed Church in Lancaster and the Sunday School papers in this collection were her children's.
This collection of Strasburg Pharmacy Records contains business records including receipt, prescription, price, and account books; a poison register; formulas for medication and other treatments; invoices and receipts; and advertising blotters.
Admin/Biographical History
The pharmacy was first operated by Dr. Samuel Keneagy and was known as Keneagy & Bros. The pharmacy was called Weaver's Drug Store under the ownership of W. J. Weaver and J. G. Weaver. In 1949, Kenneth W. Hood purchased the business, which was renamed Hood's Pharmacy until his retirement in 1962. The business was most recently known as Strasburg Pharmacy.
The Mary Brecht Pulver Papers contain papers related to the Brecht and Pulver families. The collection includes letters, newspaper articles, obituaries, and memorabilia. A biography of Mary Brecht Pulver accompanies samples of her poetry and a scrapbook of the work of her sister, Edith Brecht.
Admin/Biographical History
Mary Brecht Pulver, one of five children of Milton J. and Mary M. Wolfe Brecht, was born on 3 March 1882. Milton was an educator. Mary Agnes Brecht married George Winfield Pulver; their son, Gordon Winfield, was born in 1912. Mary Brecht Pulver was a poet and author of short stories.
Mary Brecht Pulver Photograph Collection, 147 Family photographs (MB-01-01-01 to MB-01-05-08)
National publications containing short stories "Pennsylvania Dutch Series" by Mary Brecht Pulver : and her biography, including a collection of her verse and a listing of her stories (810.54 P983 Oversize)
National publications containing short stories by Mary Brecht Pulver: and her biography, including a collection of her verse and a listing of her stories (810.54 P983s Oversize)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Mary Brecht Pulver Papers (MG0284), 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.
Accession Number
1997.Sumner
Other Numbers
MG-284
Classification
MG0284
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared 2012. Added to database 7 November 2017.
This collection contains the legal and personal papers of Judge Henry G. Long. The first ten boxes contain notes of argument and notes of testimony for civil and criminal cases. The remaining papers include receipts for local businesses and services, accounts, documents relating to turnpikes, speeches, stock certificates, deeds, correspondence, and petitions.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Judge Henry G. Long Collection (MG0283), Box #, Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Folders 1-120, gift of The Long Home, 19 January 2001. Folders 121-126, purchased from dealer, October 2013. Folder 127 purchased from The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., August 2014.
The items in Folders 121-126 were originally part of the collection at The Long Home, but were separated from the rest of the collection and purchased at auction by the dealer who sold them to LancasterHistory.
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-283
Other Number
MG-283
Classification
MG0283
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Boxes 1-15 processed by JM, finding aid prepared by HST. Added to database 7 November 2017.
Collection consists of records by Cassius Emlen Urban, a Lancaster architect. He supervised the construction of the Lancaster Post Office at 120 N. Duke St., Lancaster. Many letters from James H. Windrim, supervising architect of the Treasury Department, Washington, D. C. Book of correspondence contains details of the construction. Also includes letters he wrote to his son, Rathfon, dated February 14-29, 1939, while on the Italian liner, Roma.
Admin/Biographical History
C. Emlen Urban
Throughout Downtown Lancaster numerous iconic buildings make up the city's landscape giving it its unique and ornate character. Landmark buildings such as the Greist Building, the Watt and Shand Department Store, Hager Building, Southern Market, along with many more churches, residential units including the facade of the Fulton Opera House were the design of Cassius Emlen Urban. Urban was Lancaster's first architect and one of the most significant influences on the city. 1 Urban modernized the city's landscape as he designed buildings in a new era where technologies never before available to architects made it possible for himself to leave such a grand impression.
Urban was born on February 20, 1863 in Conestoga Township to a Civil War veteran Amos Urban, a distinguished citizen known for his modesty and community service. Urban finished high school in 1880 and would get his architectural training through an apprenticeship with Scanton, PA architect E.L. Walter. Later in 1884 Urban would move to Philadelphia where he served as a draftsman to Willis G. Hale. Upon returning to Lancaster roughly a year later Urban would open his own practice in Lancaster.2
Only a few years after Urban opened his practice through a family connection he would receive a commission to design Lancaster's Southern Market. Urban's career would take off leading him to design many more iconic buildings in Lancaster and Hershey as well. Urban, through his membership at the Hamilton Club made acquaintance with Milton Hershey who hired him to design such buildings as Hershey Chocolates original company offices and even his own mansion.3
Urban spent the majority of his life in Lancaster with the exception of his time studying as a young man. Urban is remembered for his buildings designed in Queen Anne and Beaux style architecture.4 Shenk in his A History of Lancaster County wrote of Urban, "Few men of Lancaster county can point to a finer array of useful and beautiful work than can Cassius Emlen Urban."
Nicole O. Sturla, "Cassius Emlen Urban: Lancaster's First Native Architect," Susquehanna Monthly Magazine, September 1980.
2 History of Lancaster County, ed. E.M.J. Klein (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company Inc., 1924), 443.
3 "Urban, C. Emlen; 1863-1939," Hershey Community Archives, accessed September 30, 2014. http://www.hersheyarchives.org/essay/details.aspx?EssayId=34&Rurl=%2Fresources%2Fsearch-results.aspx%3FType%3DBrowseEssay.
4 "Introduction," To Build Strong and Substantial: The Career of Architect C. Emlen Urban, (2009): 2-3.
The S. S. Haldeman Papers are an overview of Haldeman's career. The collection contains biographical information about and published works of Samuel Steman Haldeman on the freshwater univalve mollusca, language, and agriculture. There is also a handwritten biography on Ben Keywood.
Admin/Biographical History
Samuel Steman Haldeman was born in Locust Grove, Lancaster County circa 1812. He was the eldest of seven children of Henry Haldeman and Frances Steman. (Haldeman genealogy chart) Samuel was raised in the family mansion in Bainbridge and developed an interest in science and nature by wading in the Susquehanna River. There he collected shells, eels, Indian relics, minerals and insects. (Barber, 53) He was educated in public schools and attended Dickinson College for two years before withdrawing. Samuel left Dickinson because he found college to be irksome and that he could learn more on his own. After college Samuel educated himself by going to lectures, analyzing specimens, and studying books.
Also after college he moved into the mansion near Chickies Creek, which he designed. In 1835 S. S. Haldeman married Mary Hough of Bainbridge and they had four children. (Haldeman genealogy) Haldeman was not a religious man and was born protestant, but when he was in his thirties he converted to Roman Catholic and was a member of St. Mary's Church in Lancaster City.
During his life, Samuel was the author of scientific works, as well as many works on the study of language. One of his more famous works was A Monograph of the Limniades and other Fresh-Water Univalve Mollusca of United States. Samuel published these volumes during the 1840s. These volumes on mollusca were viewed as authoritative by most of the scientific world including Charles Darwin. (Sunday News, Lancaster, Pa.) Haldeman was considered an expert of many of the subjects he wrote about because of his attention to detail. He worked 16-hour days going over different specimens and spent time practicing the correct way to pronounce words and letters in different languages. (Croll)
Haldeman was the author of over 150 articles on natural science, zoology, ethnology, language, natural history, and archaeology. His publications include several newspaper articles for Lancaster County newspapers, the Marietta Times and the Intelligencer Journal. Additionally, he was the editor of the Pennsylvania Farm Journal for three years. Haldeman's articles were also published in Silliman's Journal, better known as The American Journal of Science, and Popular Science Monthly. (Croll)
However, Haldeman's career was not limited to publishing. His interest in the sciences led to careers in teaching and geology. In 1836 he began working for the State Geological Survey in New Jersey as an assistant and later held the same position in Pennsylvania. He received his first professorship to teach zoology at the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia in 1841. Haldeman was elected professor of natural history at the University of Pennsylvania in 1851, and then in 1855 he became a professor of natural history at the University of Delaware. He returned to the University of Pennsylvania as a professor in 1876 and retained that position until his death in 1888. (Barber)
Haldeman did not limit his career solely to science. He managed the First National Bank of Marietta. He was also a partner with his brothers in the iron business that his father had built. The original name of the furnace was Chiqusalungo. It operated under the name E. Haldeman and Co. The brothers later built another blast furnace, and called the two furnaces Chickies 1 and Chickies 2. These furnaces were located along the Susquehanna south of Marietta. Haldeman perfected the practice of smelting iron with anthracite coal. Some of his articles on the use of anthracite coal in blast furnaces were published in Silliman's Journal during the 1840s. (Gramm)
Samuel Steman Haldeman brought the forefront of science to Lancaster County. He worked on issues relevant to his home and community. He was never involved in any business that did not affect his home or family and worked hard to the end of his life. He returned home, tired and exhausted, from a convention in Boston in 1888. Samuel Steman Haldeman died six days later of a heart attack at age 68. "Thus peacefully ended a useful life, full of years and honors." (Barber)
Works Cited:
Barber, Edwin A. "The Late Professor S.S. Haldeman" The Museum; 1885. MG-344 S. S. Haldeman Papers, Lancaster County Historical Society.
Croll, P. C. "Famous Pennsylvania Germans; Professor Samuel S. Haldeman, LL.D." The Pennsylvania German, v.6 1905.
Gramm, Bertha Sue, The Ironmasters of Marietta and vicinity during the period 1848-1878, Lancaster County Historical Society: Lancaster, Pa. 1948.
Haldeman genealogy chart prepared by Horace L. Haldeman, 1893. Haldeman Family file, Lancaster County Historical Society.
Haldeman Mansion Preservation Society https://haldeman-mansion.org/
Related Item Notes
Haldeman Family Papers and Business Records (MG0736)
Curatorial Collection
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), S. S. Haldeman Papers (MG0344), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
See the attached finding aid for a list of S. S. Haldeman's publications.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use photocopies of newspaper articles.
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-344
Classification
MG0344
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Cataloged and finding aid prepared by AV, Fall semester 2006. Added to database 22 August 2017.
This collection of Steinman Family Business Records contains ledger and account books for George M. Steinman, J. P. Hale, Hale Lumber Company and the Steinman Hardware Store. There are also stock certificate and ledger books from Lancaster Broadcasting Service, Inc. and Kirk Johnson and Company.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Steinman Family Business Records (MG0563), Folder/Book #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Restricted access for Books 19-23. Please contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
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-563
Classification
MG0563
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Cataloged by HST, 4 February 2010. Added to database 31 August 2017.
Lt. General Daniel B. Strickler Collection (MG-0029)
Description
General Strickler was a three star general who served in the Mexican Conflict, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Far East Command in Japan. He was born in Columbia, Pa., educated as a lawyer, and served as Pennsylvania's Republican Lieutenant Governor from 1947-1950. Collection includes military citations and certificates, correspondence when elected, speaking engagements, clubs and organizations, and photographs.
Admin/Biographical History
Daniel Bursk Strickler
Personal Life:
Daniel Bursk Strickler was born on 17 May 1897 in Columbia, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His parents, Calvin Ruby Strickler and Harriet Bursk Strickler, raised him in Columbia. Strickler married Caroline Grace Bolton on 11 October 1924. Daniel and Caroline Strickler had two children, Nancy Cupper Strickler and Daniel Bursk Strickler, Jr. Daniel Bursk Strickler, Sr. died on 21 June 1992.
Military Career:
Daniel Strickler enlisted in the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry of the Army National Guard under the command of General Edward C. Shannon as a private on 31 January 1916. By April, Strickler was promoted to corporal and in July was assigned to the Mexican Border Conflict as a sergeant. He soon showed his value as a soldier and leader, and in April of 1917 was elected second lieutenant of Company C of the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry of the Army National Guard.
In September, Strickler was promoted once again to first lieutenant, at the same time that Company C became Company B of the 109th Machine Gun Battalion of the 28th Infantry Division of the United States Army. His company was deployed to France in September 1917 during World War I. Strickler served in five French campaigns including the Battle of Argonne Forest, which was when he received his Purple Heart. He obtained several commissions over the next eleven years including captain in 1918, major in 1922 and lieutenant colonel in 1928.
Just seven years after being promoted to colonel, Strickler was sent to France for a second time. He was in command of the 28th Division, Infantry Regiment during World War II. In 1942, he started command with the 109th Unit and then the 110th Unit of the 28th Division. In June of 1944, Strickler and his men landed at Omaha Beach. Strickler commanded troops during the Battle of the Bulge in the following December. He returned to the United States after three years of fighting.
Strickler was presented the honor of brigadier general in March of 1946 and on 24 December 1947, he was promoted to major general. Strickler remained in the Army and served in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. Afterwards, he served as an advisor for the Army as a diplomat to Korea until his retirement in 1957. Strickler's final commission occurred on 8 February 1960 to lieutenant general. He had been honored many times and received military decorations for valor, heroism, and dedication including three stars.
Education:
Daniel Strickler attended Columbia area public schools until he graduated from Columbia High School in 1916. He was the captain of the track team, president of the junior and senior class, and a member of the baseball and basketball teams. Upon his return from World War I in 1918, Strickler enrolled at Cornell University Law School in Ithaca, New York. He took on many more responsibilities at this stage of his life. Not only did he receive his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 1922, but he was also a member of various organizations, clubs and teams during his three years at Cornell University. He was captain of the track team and a member of the Senior Honor Society. Strickler was also president of the following organizations: Senior Class, Student Council, Quill and Dagger Society and Alpha Kappa Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.
Professional Career:
Daniel Strickler was admitted to the Bar of several courts during the 1920s including Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; Courts of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; Superior Court of Pennsylvania; United States District Court; and United States Supreme Court. He worked with several law firms after obtaining his degree and in 1930, between the births of his two children, he established his own law firm in Lancaster. His legal career was not much different from his military or educational careers. He was involved with various professional organizations such as Pennsylvania Bar Association, Lancaster Bar Association, The American Bar Association, the Blackstonian Club of Lancaster, and the Republican Club. Strickler served as Auditor for Lancaster County from 1927 to 1929 and on a Special Counsel for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1928 to 1930. In 1931, Strickler was elected to the Pennsylvania Legislature to serve in the House of Representatives, thus jump-starting his political career.
Political Career:
The political career of Daniel Strickler brought him several new titles including auditor, special counsel member, representative, commissioner, solicitor, committeeman, delegate and lieutenant governor. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives during 1931 and 1932, General and Special Sessions. In 1931, Strickler served as the delegate for Pennsylvania at the National Young Republican Conference in Washington, DC. He was the temporary president of the Young Republican State Committee (YRSC) during 1931 as well. After his temporary appointment, he became an executive committee member of YRSC until 1936 and was also appointed as treasurer from 1934 until 1936.
From April to December of 1932, Strickler became the commissioner of the police department of Lancaster City as a special temporary appointment. During this time, he was in charge of cleaning up the police department and taking a stand against corruption and crime. He was a strong prohibitionist and cleaned up the city. Upon selection, he became the solicitor for Lancaster County, the York-Lancaster Inter-County Bridge Commission, and the Lancaster Municipal Airport from 1933 to 1941. He also served as the Republican County Committeeman for the 1st Precinct, 6th Ward, in Lancaster City until 1941. In 1946, Strickler was elected lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, which he fulfilled from 1947 until 1950 when he resigned to serve in the Korean War.
System of Arrangement
Boxes 1-6 are organized by subject. Scrapbooks are organized by volume
Book 1: Daniel B. Strickler Scrapbook, Military Records, November 1918-February 1933
Book 2: Daniel B. Strickler Scrapbook, [1919-1922]
Book 3: Daniel B. Strickler Scrapbook, October 1923-January 1947
Book 4: Daniel B. Strickler Scrapbook, April 1932-November 1933
Book 5: Daniel B. Strickler Scrapbook, February 1942-September 1975
Book 6: Daniel B. Strickler Scrapbook, March 1945-January 1947
Book 7: Daniel B. Strickler Scrapbook, January 1947-May 1948
Book 8: Daniel B. Strickler Scrapbook, January 1947-October 1950
Book 9: Daniel B. Strickler Scrapbook, January 1958-March 1958
The Paul A. Mueller, Jr. Collection contains a deed for property in Lancaster Borough, an early collection of recipes, a receipt book for the Hamilton Lots, a valentine, stock certificate books for the New Process Steel Corporation, and Civil War letters. The Honorable Paul A. Mueller, Jr. is a descendant of the Zahm, Shreiner, and Cochran families on his mother's side. The items in this collection were passed down through the family for several generations.
Admin/Biographical History
Klein, Huffnagle, and Mussertown
The deed shows the sale of property in Mussertown by innkeepers Leonard and Rosina Klein to Peter Huffnagle. Leonard (1725-1793) married Amalia Rosina Waidlin (1732-1795) at Warwick, Lancaster County in December 1749. At that time he was a saddler in Lancaster. Although they did not have children, they were sponsors at several baptisms at the Moravian Church and Trinity Lutheran Church, both in Lancaster. Peter Huffnagle (1746-1806) and his wife, Charlotte, had their children baptized at the First Reformed Church in Lancaster. They were also buried in that churchyard. Mussertown was laid out in 1760 by John Musser, and was later added onto by Henry Musser. Its original boundaries were the streets now called Church, Strawberry, Locust, and Rockland.
Hamilton Lots
In 1730, Andrew Hamilton, a skilled lawyer, purchased a tract of land in the newly incorporated Lancaster County and convinced the commissioners to place the county seat within his holdings. Queen Street and King Street run through that tract. James Hamilton (1710-1783) acquired 500 acres of land from his father in 1734, and started selling lots by 1735. Although Hamilton sold the lots, he imposed ground-rents so tenants had to pay for the right to occupy and improve the land that they owned. Tenants were also required to build dwellings on their property within two years and to meet certain building specifications. He continued to acquire and sell lots until 1773. Ground-rents were still being collected on the Hamilton Lots after World War II.
Zahm and Shreiner
Godfried Zahm was a brushmaker in Lancaster. His son, Michael (d.1883), learned the brushmaking business from his father and then learned the watchmaking and jewelry business from his brother-in-law, Martin Shreiner, Jr. (1767-1866). Godfried's daughter, Maria, married Martin Shreiner who is best remembered as a Lancaster clockmaker. Maria kept a trimming shop on North Queen Street in Lancaster.
Cochran and New Process Steel Corporation
Harry B. Cochran, great-grandfather of Paul A. Mueller, Jr., was the president of New Process Steel Corporation in 1916. New Process Steel Co. began as New Process Steel Wire Manufacturing Co. and was renamed in 1907. This manufacturer of drill rods and special steel shapes became a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation in 1919. It is significant that Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. owned stock in the New Process Steel Corporation in 1916. Sloan was president of Hyatt Roller Bearing Company when it merged with the United Motors Corporation in 1916. He then became president of United Motors which merged with General Motors Corporation in 1918. Sloan was president and CEO of General Motors from 1923-1946.
Shand, William and Dean Keller. 1965. "Twentieth Century Industrial Development of Lancaster." Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society 69: 151-162.
Wood, Stacy B. C. 1994. "Martin Shreiner: from Clocks to Fire Engines." Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society 96: 114-137.
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Paul A. Mueller, Jr. Collection (MG0360), 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-360
Other Number
MG-360
Classification
MG0360
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Folders 1-9 cataloged in 2005. Folder 10 cataloged in 2009. Added to database 7 September 2017.
This collection contains a sketchbook and copybook of Jacob Stauffer and his son, David McNeely Stauffer. The sketch of a log house and watercolor of the Mathiot House are both attributed to David McNeely Stauffer. Letters written to D. M. Stauffer refer to The Intelligencer, genealogy related to a portrait, and his collection of signatures.
Admin/Biographical History
David McNeely Stauffer (1845-1913)
Stauffer's extraordinary life began in 1845, in Mount Joy. His father was Jacob Stauffer and his mother was Mary Ann McNeely. He was raised by his stepmother since his mother passed when he was only a year old. His childhood home had somewhat of a local legend which claimed it was haunted by the unpleasant pirate who built it.
Around 1858, economic trouble forced the Stauffers to relocate to Lancaster City. His father took a job at the Lancaster Athenaeum library (on the 3rd floor of the old city hall) for small pay with the arrangement that he could establish his patent office there. David was inseparable from his father and spent more time at the library than he did at his home on North Duke Street.
From a young age David was enormously successful in school, no doubt due to his long hours at the library and absorbing the teachings of his father who was interested in natural sciences. He graduated from high school at an accelerated pace and earned his diploma at the age of 16. From there, he attended Franklin and Marshall college on a scholarship.
A crisis strikes Lancaster in 1862 with the invasion of the confederate army into Maryland. David, along with fellow classmates, were raised into a slapdash and disastrously ill prepared unit. They were eventually involved in the battle of Antietam if one uses the term "involved" loosely. Having virtually no experience or training they were kept out of the fight. After the short-lived adventure David returned to school for another year but, possibly hoping to see more action, he rejoined the service as an artillery man. Later, he accepted a job on the railways before he was offered an appointment as Master's Mate in the navy and he once again joined the military.
After his service, he returned to railroad work where he was determined to become an engineer. By 1870 he had achieved this goal, being appointed head engineer for construction of a Philadelphia street bridge. David was 25 years old. He worked diligently as an engineer for many years and finally opening his own business in New York as a consulting engineer in 1882. Stauffer was in high demand as he was considered an expert in his trade and was widely known. He was the second American to ever become a member of the Institute of Civil Engineers in London. He also became part-owner and chief editor for "Engineering News" for 23 years.
He was very active socially, largely invested in civic improvement, and belonged to numerous societies and clubs. He was also well-traveled. Appreciative of many arts, he took a particular interest in engravings which he collected. He even published a book which is critical to many collectors today: "American Engravers upon Copper and Steel".
Stauffer married rather late in life, at the age of 47, but his meeting with his wife is so extraordinary it sounds more like a sketch from a Melville novel. A shipwreck is the romantic occasion upon which these two lovers met, David and his future wife, Florence Scribner. David had been asked on an assignment for the Engineering News and Florence had been accompanying her father on a steamship when it wrecked in the Caribbean. They were married no more than a year later and set up residence in Yonkers, New York where he died in 1913.
Stauffer's passion for sketching was no doubt due to his father whose botanical sketches are still widely admired today. Of note is David's bookplate design used by Lancaster County Historical Society, which is one of many that he designed. He also left a legacy of no less than 70 drawings of early Lancaster City buildings, an unparalleled collection. Some buildings he documented still stand today; some weren't even standing when he drew them. He drew some earlier buildings that had been destroyed using only the descriptions from those who remembered them and historical documents.
Sources:
"David McNeely Stauffer". Elizabeth Clarke Kieffer. Papers of the Lancaster County Historical Society, vol. 56. 1952 no.7David McNeely Stauffer could be called many things: scholar, soldier, traveler, engineer, artist, collector, author. Clearly a man of many talents and many pursuits, in his life he seemed determined to collect a wide variety of experiences.
"Biographical Sketch of David McNeely Knox Stauffer". John W. Jordan. The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 37. (Philadelphia : PA).
"David McNeely Stauffer: The Little-Known Legacy He Left to Lancaster." A Talk to the Lancaster County Historical Society by C. Eugene Moore. May 7th, 1996.
"David McNeely Stauffer Aids Today's Scholars" in Artists' Album/Lancaster County. Gerald S. Lestz. Science Press, 1983.
See also: David McNeely Stauffer drawings in the Curatorial Collection
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment. Patrons must make an appointment with the Director of Archival Services to view the sketchbook in Folder 1. 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.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-369
Other Number
MG-369
Classification
MG0369
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared 2010; revised 2014, 2015.
