This collection contains Frank E. Witmer's original 1879 diary, as well as a transcription and index prepared by Dr. David H. Wallace. The diary provides a detailed record of the daily activities of all members of the family. He primarily records the work involved in running a truck farm--planting, maintaining, and harvesting crops, and preparing for market. Other entries of interest include helping a neighbor move a carriage house; building a hog pen; canning; attendance at several Mennonite churches in the area; the process of moving from one house and barn to a new house and barn on the property; frequent visits between relatives and neighbors; and a few mentions of school and the leisure activities of the young men.
Admin/Biographical History
In 1879, Franklin E. Witmer (1855-1931), at age 23, was the eldest son of Aaron L. Witmer, farmer of West Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and his wife Mary Ann (Herr) Witmer. The household also included his younger brothers Abraham (Abram), 21, and Jacob Elam (Elem), 19; two school-age girls Sarah Dunlap, 13, an apprentice servant, and Hettie Fritz, 8, a ward of Mr. and Mrs. Witmer; and for part of the year a teen-age boarder-farm hand , Thaddeus (Thad) Brackbill. In Frank's diary, each person's activity was recorded daily, almost as if he had set himself a deliberate project to do so.
Mr. Witmer's truck farm embraced fields of grain (wheat, oats and rye), several acres of tobacco, a varied fruit orchard, a large truck garden, and a greenhouse for vegetables and flowering plants, a small herd of dairy cattle, some hogs and chickens; enough variety to make year-round weekly visits to market in Lancaster. During the year the family moved into a new house, raised a new barn, stables, hog-pen and chicken-house, and rented the old house and barn to a tenant farmer, Jacob Dieter.
The Witmers were Mennonites, regularly attending church in Lampeter Twp. and Strasburg, and occasionally in New Providence and Lancaster. Sarah and Hettie and briefly Elam, attended the Lampeter School. Their chief source of entertainment seems to have been visiting among their extended Witmer and Herr families and neighbors, although Abram and Elam sometimes attended "singing school" and the Lampeter Lyceum and did some "driving about" of an evening. Only Abram seems to have had a special girlfriend.
Although all the men of the family did everything in the way of farm chores, each of the boys also had a specialty. Frank, the oldest, had his own corn and tobacco patches to tend and market, Abram tended to concentrate on the greenhouse and truck-garden, and Elam helped his father provide veterinary services to other farmers in the area.
Frank Witmer married Mary Ann Herr on November 30, 1881; he continued general farming in West Lampeter Township, died there on December 10, 1931, and was buried in the Mennonite cemetery in nearby Willow Street, Pennsylvania.
This history was prepared by Dr. David H. Wallace.
Please use transcription and index, MG0847_F002 and MG0847_F003.
Original diary may be used by appointment--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. 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.
Accession Number
2021.011
Other Numbers
MG-847
Other Number
MG-847, Folder 1
Classification
MG0847
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
PDFs of the transcription and index are attached to the correlating records.
This collection contains the marriage certificate of Thomas J. Wright and his wife, Kate V. McCauley, of Columbia, and a small scrapbook containing photographs, news clippings, and family Bible records of the family of Thomas J. Wright.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Thomas J. Wright Family Collection (MG0901), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
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
1945.MG0901
Other Numbers
MG-901
Other Number
MG-901
Classification
MG0901
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Transferred from Document Collection Box 29, Folder 11, Items 1, 2A and 2B, 10 March 2022.
This collection contains various deeds and land drafts for property owned by the Galbreath family in Donegal Township, Lancaster County; tracts of land in Warren County and McKean County, Pennsylvania; lands owned by Martin Mylin in Lampeter Township; lots in the borough (now city) of Lancaster; and a letter form James Buchanan to Col. Henry Carpenter regarding property in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Land Records from Elain Ewing Holden, 1747-1848 (MG0903), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
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
2001.MG0903
Other Numbers
MG-903
Other Number
MG-903
Classification
MG0903
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Transferred from Document Collection Box 30, Folder 13, 17 March 2022
This collection contains a report of opposition to the Northeast Air Base proposed to be constructed in East Donegal and West Donegal Townships, 1951.
Admin/Biographical History
The Farm and Home Committee was a group of more than 600 representatives of the farming community affected by the proposal to build the Northeast Air Base. The nucleus of the committee was formed as a result of a town meeting held in Lititz in September, 1951.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), The Farm and Home Committee Collection, 1951 (MG0904), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
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
2001.MG0904
Other Numbers
MG-904
Other Number
MG-904
Classification
MG0904
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Transferred from Document Collection Box 31, Folder 1, Item 1, 18 March 2022
Shoe Manufacturing in Lancaster County Collection, 1979-1988
Description
This collection contains a pamphlet from the FleetAir Corporation, a newspaper article and information about the rehabilitation of the Eby Shoe Company building in 1988 into the Artworks at Donecker's, and a National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form prepared by John J. Snyder and David H. Lynch fin 1979 or the Kreider Shoe Manufacturing Company building in Elizabethtown.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Shoe Manufacturing in Lancaster County Collection, 1979-1988 (MG0905), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
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
Questions on Africa, numbers 8 through 11; List of books in English and Latin belonging to Edward Young Buchanan and their cost; on back a plea from Elizabeth Buchanan for relief from her severe cough lasting for ten years and a poem by Elizabeth on the same topic dated 2 July 1834.
James Buchanan Papers, Penn State University Libraries,
https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1458.htm
Related Item Notes
James Buchanan Family Papers
MG-96 James Buchanan Collection
Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm
Photograph collections
Curatorial collections
Wheatland Mansion
Notes
May 2020 PastPerfect Conversion
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Photocopy may be used by appointment. Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact archives@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.
Accession Number
JBMS2007.002
Other Number
JBFP Part 4, Series 3, Subseries 1, Folder 4
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
The James Buchanan Family Papers were collected by the James Buchanan Foundation for the Preservation of Wheatland. This collection was relocated from the Wheatland mansion to the LancasterHistory archives in the Spring of 2009. Digitization of the James Buchanan Family Papers was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 201808013051, 2019-2020.
Civil War letters to Moses Long and Joseph H. Long's obituary
Description
Item 1 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his brother, Joseph H. Long. Camp Nevin. With transcription. 29 October 1861.
Item 2 Photocopy of newspaper articles. "Col. Hambright Slashes Red Tape, Gets Lancaster Regiment in Field" and "Local Troops Chowless on Stalled Train." Reprinted in the Lancaster Intelligencer, 24 November 1961.
Item 3 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Camp Nevin. With transcription and genealogy. 8 November 1861.
Item 4 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Camp Cooper near Shelbeyville. With transcription. 20 June 1863.
Item 5 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Louisville, Kentucky. With transcription. 1 October 1862.
Item 6 Map of Gen. O. M. Mitchell's campaign.
Envelope addressed to Moses Long. Postmarked Nashville, Tennessee, 18 July 1863.
Envelope addressed to Moses Long. Postmarked June 25.
Item 7 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Murfreesboro, Tennessee. With envelope and transcription.
6 June 1863.
Item 8 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Murfreesboro, Tennessee. With transcription. 22 June 1863. (see MG0018_SerA_F060_It08)
Item 9 Pass for a person of color to mend a fence along the Manchester Road. Written by Capt. M. D. Wickersham. 6 August 1862.
Item 10 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Camp King, Kentucky. With transcription. 13 July 1863.
Item 11 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long with praise for Mart Bachman. With transcription. No date.
Item 12 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Cowan Station, Tennessee. With transcription. 1 August 1863.
Item 13 Letter from Lt. Edward McCaffrey to Moses Long with news of Reuben's death. Chattanooga, Tennessee. With transcription. 28 September 1863.
Item 14 Letter from Samuel W. Lantz to Moses Long stating that Reuben's body was not recovered from the battlefield. With transcription. 26 October 1863.
Item 15 Photocopy of newspaper obituary of Joseph H. Long (1845-1934).
Admin/Biographical History
Reuben Clark Long (1843-1863) enlisted 30 September 1861 and served as a private with the 79th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, Company E until his death at Chickamauga, Georgia on 19 September 1863.
Letter from R. C. Long to his father, 1863 (MG0018_SerA_F060_It08)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Civil War Collection (MG0018), Series #, 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
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. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Heritage of Christiana Collection (MG0906), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
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
The Mining in Lancaster County Collection contains a typescript copy of a patent granted to William Allen, Esq., for the land encompassing the Gap Copper Mine dated 7 November 1763.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Mining in Lancaster County Collection (MG0907), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
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
The Washington Fire Company Records contain the eleven articles and a list of members for the Washington Fire Company of Lancaster in 1820, a minute book for 1857-1879, constitution and by-laws printed in 1857, and an undated account sheet.
Admin/Biographical History
The Washington Fire Company was organized in 1820 at the home of John Landis. (Ellis and Evans, History of Lancaster County, pp. 389-390)
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Washington Fire Company Records (MG0521), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
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
