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American surnames

https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/lhdo8078
Author
Smith, Elsdon Coles,
Date of Publication
1986, c1969.
Call Number
929.4 S646
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Responsibility
Elsdon C. Smith.
ISBN
0806311509
Author
Smith, Elsdon Coles,
Place of Publication
Baltimore
Publisher
Genealogical Pub. Co.,
Date of Publication
1986, c1969.
Physical Description
xx, 370 p. ; 22 cm.
Notes
Includes bibliographical references (p. 327-329)
Subjects
Names, Personal - United States.
Location
Lancaster History Library - Book
Call Number
929.4 S646
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Announcement

https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/cb4e3c6b-47b2-4d75-add3-900131845954
Collection
James Buchanan Collection
Title
Announcement of the death of former-President James Buchanan
Object ID
MG0096 F069
Date Range
1868/06/02/, 1968/06/03
More detail
  1 document     2 images  
Collection
James Buchanan Collection
Title
Announcement of the death of former-President James Buchanan
Description
Special Order from the Navy Department announcing the death of former-President James Buchanan. With the official message from President Andrew Johnson and instructions from Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy. 2-3 June 1868.
Date Range
1868/06/02/, 1968/06/03
Creator
United States. Navy
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
Storage Container
Box 0002
People
Buchanan, James
Johnson, Andrew
Welles, Gideon
Subjects
Death
United States. Navy
Search Terms
Death
James Buchanan
Buchanan Collections
United States Navy
James Buchanan Presidential Library
Extent
1 item, 2 pages to scan, 21.5 x 14 cm
Object Name
Announcement
Language
English
Parent Object ID
MG0096
Object ID
MG0096 F069
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Associated Material
James Buchanan Papers, Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections,
http://archives.dickinson.edu/collection-descriptions/james-buchanan-papers
James Buchanan and Harriet Lane Johnston Papers, Library of Congress,
https://www.loc.gov/collections/james-buchanan-and-harriet-lane-johnston-papers/
James Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania,
http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/b/Buchanan0091.html
James Buchanan Papers, Penn State University Libraries,
https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1458.htm
Related Item Notes
James Buchanan Collection (MG0096) https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/lhdo3760
James Buchanan Family Papers
Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm
Photograph Collection
Curatorial Collection
Wheatland Collection
Wheatland Mansion
Notes
May 2020 PastPerfect Conversion
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents 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
2012.MG0096.F69
Other Numbers
MG-96, Folder 69
Other Number
MG-0096, Folder 069
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Digitization of the James Buchanan Collection was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 201808013051, 2019-2020.
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Architect's drawing of the original building of St. James's Church

https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/lhdo2259
Author
Worner, William Frederic.
Date of Publication
1931.
its obscurity, and has given to us the only out- line, so far as known, of the original building of St. James's church. LETTERS OF JAMES BUCHANAN By WILLIAM FREDERIC WORNER IN 1908, the J. B. Lippincott Company, of Philadelphia and Lon- don, published, in twelve volumes, "The Works of James Buchanan
More detail
  1 document  
Responsibility
by William Frederic Worner.
Author
Worner, William Frederic.
Place of Publication
Lancaster, Pa
Publisher
Lancaster County Historical Society,
Date of Publication
1931.
Physical Description
182-189 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.
Series
Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society ; v. 35, no. 8
Subjects
St. James Episcopal Church (Lancaster, Pa.)
Contained In
Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society. Volume 35, number 8 (1931), p. 182-189Lancaster History Library - Journal974.9 L245 v.35
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Archive

https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/81be846d-e894-4d66-8227-886427782510
Collection
E. Oscar Sneath Collection
Title
E. Oscar Sneath Collection (MG-31)
Object ID
MG0031
Date Range
1925-1982
More detail
  1 document  
Collection
E. Oscar Sneath Collection
Title
E. Oscar Sneath Collection (MG-31)
Description
This collection contains a high school yearbook, high school and college diplomas, high school and college commencement programs, college pennant and Niagara Falls pennant, and a college letter of E. Oscar Sneath. There are also newspapers and a newspaper article. Photographs, including several of the Low Grade Railroad at Frey's Hollow near Highville, Pa. Also includes photograph album, corn husk doll, and Father Christmas ornament.
Date Range
1925-1982
Year Range From
1925
Year Range To
1982
Date of Accumulation
1925-1982
Creator
Sneath, E. Oscar
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
Benedick, Janet
Benedict, H.
Bleacher, J.
Bleacher, M.
Bleacher, Maurice
Hallman, Alfred
Henry, Ada
Henry, Lloyd
Hoover, Maye
Mann, R.
Miller, Warren
Pickle, Paul
Ressel, Reba
Rice, Willis
Rineer, Earl
Shaifley, Willis
Shopf, Phares
Shopf, Willis
Sneath, E. Oscar
Sneath, Gertrude
Storch, Dorothy
Urban, Nand
Urban, Ralph M.
Urban, Susan Lines
Vengrin, Mrs. George
Subjects
Family records
Personal belongings
Photographs
Search Terms
Family records
Finding aids
Lebanon Valley College
Manuscript groups
Millersville High School
Pennsylvania State University
Personal belongings
Photographs
Extent
2 boxes, 11 folders, 4 items, 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0031
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-31
Classification
MG0031
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Cataloged by AS, 1998. Added to database 8 May 2018.
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https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/c896cf35-6efd-402c-b4f8-374968740180
Collection
M. T. Garvin Papers
Title
M. T. Garvin Papers (MG-34)
Object ID
MG0034
Date Range
1899-1988
More detail
  1 document  
Collection
M. T. Garvin Papers
Title
M. T. Garvin Papers (MG-34)
Description
This collection contains information and materials relating to Milton Thomas Garvin, his department store and the Garvin Lecture Series. The scrapbooks were complied by him through the years of 1899-1936. Other items in this collection include letters to family and business partners, several pamphlets from the Garvin Lecture Series, M. T. Garvin & Co. store information, receipts, invoices, banquet programs, and a sampling of financial records from the store.
Admin/Biographical History
Milton Thomas Garvin was born in Fulton Township around 1860. In 1874, at the age of fourteen, Garvin quit school and moved to Lancaster City. He worked various odd jobs before he was hired to work as an errand boy for R. E. Fahnestock's dry goods store in December of 1874.
At the age of sixteen, Fahnestock promoted Garvin to a salesman for the store. He continued to work there through his adolescent years and was promoted to manager at the age of twenty-one, when Fahnestock was in failing health. Garvin assumed that responsibility for twelve years and then bought the store when Fahnestock was ready to retire. Garvin renamed the store M. T. Garvin & Co.
Over the next ten years, Garvin bought the rest of the building and several surrounding buildings to expand his store to a four story and three lot property. He prospered in business and was a philanthropist throughout Lancaster County.
Other than a prominent businessman, Garvin served as a board member, trustee, director or president of the following organizations: The Shippen School for Girls, Lancaster General Hospital, Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, Meadville Theological Seminary, A. Herr Smith and Mechanics' Libraries, Lancaster Charity Society, Joseph Priestly Conference, and People's Octoraro Meeting House.
Milton Thomas Garvin died on 18 August 1936.
Date Range
1899-1988
Year Range From
1899
Year Range To
1988
Date of Accumulation
1899-1988
Creator
Garvin, Milton Thomas, 1860-1936
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
Bechtold, Walter
Bixler, Julius Seelye
Cayce, Hugh Lynn
Chaisson, Eric J.
Compton, Arthur H.
Cousins, Norman
Fitch, S. W.
Fosdick, Harry Emerson
Garvin, Milton Thomas
Hart, Hornell
Hocking, William Ernest
Hopf, Richard
Hupper, Jacob
Kennedy, Gerald
Kiehl, J. P.
Kring, Walter Donald
Lamont, Corliss
Maritain, Jacques
McMurrin, Sterling M.
Niebuhr, Reinhold
Northop, F.S.C.
Noss, John B.
Park, Charles E.
Ross, James H.
Rossner, John
Royden, Maude
Ruether, Rosemary Radford
Smith, Andrew
Sperry, Willard L.
Taylor, Jeremy
Thurman, Howard
Tillich, Paul
Other Creators
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Subjects
Business records
Civic leaders
Department stores
Scrapbooks
Search Terms
Civic leaders
Correspondence
Department stores
Elks (Fraternal order)
Hotel Brunswick
Lancaster Elks Lodge, No. 134
Letters
M. T. Garvin and Co.
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Stevens House Hotel
Williamson Park
Wills
Finding aids
Manuscript groups
Extent
5 boxes,12 folders, 13 scrapbooks, 4.5 cubic ft
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0034
Related Item Notes
See also the Photograph and Curatorial Collections.
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-34
Classification
MG0034
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by TH, April 2014. Added to database 10 May 2018.
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https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/0d331eac-058e-4ffb-ae2d-874372272038
Collection
Ellsworth Edwards Collection
Title
Ellsworth Edwards Collection (MG-37)
Object ID
MG0037
Date Range
1827-1933
More detail
  1 document  
Collection
Ellsworth Edwards Collection
Title
Ellsworth Edwards Collection (MG-37)
Description
Contains Edwards family materials including correspondence and family photographs.
Date Range
1827-1933
Year Range From
1827
Year Range To
1933
Date of Accumulation
1827-1933
Creator
Edwards, Ellsworth
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
Bair, Maggie
Edwards, Bessie
Edwards, Ellsworth
Edwards, Maggie
Smoker, Katie
Subjects
Family records
Letters
Search Terms
Correspondence
Family records
Letters
Photographs
Wills
Manuscript groups
Finding aids
Extent
1 box, 8 folders, .25 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0037
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-37
Classification
MG0037
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Cataloged prior to 1997; added to database 10 May 2018.
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https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/e70de309-3425-4abd-b527-052791527000
Collection
Blanche Nevin Collection
Title
Blanche Nevin Collection
Object ID
MG0039
Date Range
1905-1940
More detail
  1 document  
Collection
Blanche Nevin Collection
Title
Blanche Nevin Collection
Description
Collection contains correspondence, poetry, and newspaper articles.
Admin/Biographical History
Blanche Nevin (1841-1925), artist and poet, was born in Mercersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of John Williamson Nevin, a theologian, teacher, and minister, and Martha Jenkins, daughter of the politician and iron master at Windsor Forges, Robert Jenkins. When Dr. Nevin became the president of Franklin & Marshall College in 1855, he moved the family to Lancaster. They moved to Windsor Forges (or Windsor Place) from 1856 to 1858, while Dr. Nevin acted as executor of his mother-in-law's estate, and then moved permanently to Caernarvon Place on Columbia Avenue (the present site of Degel Israel Synagogue). The Nevin children were well-educated and cultivated for society, as their parents had been.
Blanche was the nation's first noteworthy sculptress. In 1889, she sculpted the statue of Revolutionary War General Peter Muhlenberg, which stands in the National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. She also sculpted the bust of President Woodrow Wilson. Lancastrians are most familiar with her Lion in the Park (1905) at Reservoir Park and her horse drinking fountain (1898) at the intersection of Columbia Avenue and West Orange Street. Blanche composed a number of poems and set several to music; many were inspired by Lancaster County, her travels, and family and friends. Her poems include: "Great-Grandma's Looking-Glass" (1895), "One Usual Day" (1916), and "To My Door" (1921).
She bought Windsor Place in Caernarvon Twp. in 1897, restored the mansion house and the name Windsor Forges, and added a studio. Furniture and other influences from her travels adorned the house and grounds. She also owned a house in Manasquan, New Jersey; spent time with friends in New York and Philadelphia; and traveled a great deal, especially during the winter.
Her obituary in a Lancaster County newspaper states, "The simple, unpretentious neighbors of Miss Nevin never questioned her foreign ideas and eccentricities, but accepted her for the true, human qualities which she so abundantly possessed."
Date Range
1905-1940
Year Range From
1905
Year Range To
1940
Date of Accumulation
1905-1940
Creator
Aungst, John
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
Appel, Roberts
Appell, John
Carmichael, Catharine
Dock, Mrs.
Forney, J. G.
Gable, S. Edw.
Jenkins, Catharine Carmichael
Jenkins, Robert
Magee, David F.
Nevin, Blanche
Shenk, H. H.
Shoemaker, Henry W.
Other Creators
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Subjects
Sculptors
Poets, American
Letters
Poetry
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Search Terms
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Lancaster Automobile Club
Letters
Newspaper clippings
Poetry
Poets
Sculptors
Windsor Forge
Manuscript groups
Finding aids
Extent
1 box, 3 folders, .15 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0039
Related Item Notes
MG-730 Blanche Nevin Papers
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-39
Classification
MG0039
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
This collection was cataloged in 1998; added to database 15 May 2018.
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https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/38234a61-7ddc-4816-aee0-093006284547
Collection
Captain John M. Groff Collection
Title
Captain John M. Groff Collection (MG-44)
Object ID
MG0044
Date Range
1905-1940
More detail
  1 document  
Collection
Captain John M. Groff Collection
Title
Captain John M. Groff Collection (MG-44)
Description
Collection contains photographs, many labeled and dated, and two scrapbooks. One scrapbook contains newspaper articles concerning the military and professional life of Captain Groff. The other scrapbook contains military records including special orders, certificates, passes, correspondence, and government requirements. There are also newspaper articles, maps, and other memorabilia.
Date Range
1905-1940
Year Range From
1905
Year Range To
1940
Creator
Groff, John M.
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 02
People
Davis, R.
Groff, John M.
Klein, Henry Martin John
Malone, John
Pershing, John Joseph
Subjects
World War, 1914-1918
Scrapbooks
Letters
United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces
Search Terms
American Defense Society
American Expeditionary Forces
American Expeditionary Forces, Supply Division, Postal Express Service
American Red Cross
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Finding aids
Letters
Manuscript groups
Maps
Newspaper clippings
Photographs
Postal Express Service
Scrapbooks
World War I
WWI
Extent
1 box, 9 folders, .5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0044
Related Item Notes
See the Photograph Collection.
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-44
Classification
MG0044
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Cataloged prior to 1997. Added to database 17 May 2018.
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https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/a1461ff2-5be5-4bbb-8742-302838722010
Collection
Samuel E. Dyke Collection of Papers
Title
Samuel E. Dyke Collection of Papers
Object ID
MG0061
Date Range
1670-1985
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Collection
Samuel E. Dyke Collection of Papers
Title
Samuel E. Dyke Collection of Papers
Description
Samuel E. Dyke was a noted authority on the Pennsylvania rifle and wrote on this subject. Collection consists of articles, correspondence, photographs, research notes, and working papers on firearms. Also included is information on gunsmiths, the Rockford Foundation, the Heritage Center, cabinetmakers, grandfather clocks, and the Armstrong Cork Company. 1670-1985
Date Range
1670-1985
Creation Date
mid-20th century-1985
Year Range From
1670
Year Range To
1985
Creator
Dyke, Samuel Eugene, 1900-1985
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 02
People
Armstrong, John
Atherton, Cornelius
Atkins, Wyatt
Beck, John Philip
Berry, Peter
Breitenhard, Johann Christoph
Brown, Parker B.
Buchele, William M.
Corridon, Raymond R.
Dobson, Thomas
Dubbs, Jacob
Dyke, Samuel Eugene
Fetter, George
Feder, George
Fondersmith, John
Grancsay, Steven V.
Grove, S.
Grubb, Peter
Hawkins, Henry
Henry, William
Hoff, H. Bare
Kendig, Joe, Jr.
Kuntz, Jacob
Kuntz, Peter
Landis, George
Landis, Henry
Lehn, Joseph
Lincoln, Abraham
Magee, D. F.
Manger, Henry
Meyhardt, Peter
Pennypacker, A. J.
Sprecher, Peter
Walker, Joseph E.
Yeates, Jasper
Subjects
Armstrong Cork Company
Gunsmiths
Kentucky rifle
Cabinetmakers
Clocks and watches
Search Terms
Armstrong Cork Company
Booklets
Cabinetmakers
Clocks
Conrad Weiser State Park
Correspondence
Flintlock Rifles
Gunsmiths
Halbach Pistols
Harpers Ferry Arsenal and Armory
Hopewell Forge
Kentucky Match Rifle
Kentucky rifles
Kentucky Rifle Association
Lancaster County Bicentennial Committee
Malsh Pistols
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Pamphlets
Pennsylvania Rifles
Rotary International
Pennsylvania Deithsch Eck
World War II
Extent
6 boxes, 113 folders, 4.25 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0061
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
Photograph Collection
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
Samuel E. Dyke Collection of Papers (MG-61), Folder #, LancasterHistory.org
Other Numbers
MG-61
Classification
MG0061
Description Level
Fonds
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Archive

https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/e4f4e8c5-3494-49ec-9562-210099148520
Collection
Willie Siple Collection
Title
The Willie Siple Collection
Object ID
MG0006
Date Range
1935-1962
: Boxers Correspondence Letters Newspaper vendors Blind People with visual disabilities Manuscript groups Finding aids Folder 1 Photographs: Most relate to Willy and his newsstand. One is of Archie Moore, and several of Willy in his boxing stance. Photographs transferred to the Photograph Collection, 3
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Collection
Willie Siple Collection
Title
The Willie Siple Collection
Description
The Willie Siple Collection includes photographs, postcards, correspondence, and newspaper clippings about Siple and related to his business and boxing career.
Admin/Biographical History
Wilbur "Willie" Siple (1904-1966) was the operator of Siple's News Stand for many years. He was originally a professional boxer when he was younger, and he had a successful, but short, boxing career. During those six years, Willie fought in 131 exhibitions with 71 wins, 9 losses, 22 draws and 29 KO's. Willie was what was called a "flyweight," weighing only 102 pounds in his heyday. However, Willie's boxing career was cut short after a 1925 automobile accident. Although many people speculated that Willie's loss of his eyesight was because of his boxing career, Willie explained the accident to a local newspaper. According to a sports news article that can be found in the Willie Siple Collection here at LancasterHistory.org, Willie was attempting to fix a car when a car tire exploded in his face, damaging his eyesight beyond repair and blinding him.
However, despite this tragedy, Willie didn't let the accident and blindness take over his life. On September 28, 1935, during the Depression, Willie made a brave move and opened his news stand in the Lancaster City Post Office, and named it Siple's News Stand. Due to an act of Congress, the Rudolph-Sheppard Act of 1935, Willie became "one of the first blind operators to set up shop in Federal Buildings," according to an article in the Willie Siple collection. Willie's news stand featured free news and weather reports, and sold newspapers, magazines, and candy. Rare coins and stamps, a personal passion of Willie's, were also available for purchase. Willie would travel far and wide in order to acquire rare stamps to be sold to stamp collectors. Willie would travel to places like Washington, D.C. Princeton, New Jersey, and Philadelphia in order to buy what were then called "first day issues" of stamps. One newspaper article even calls him a "philatelist," or a stamp expert, much to Willie's surprise. Siple was also extremely passionate about coin collecting, and could identify and appraise coins without needing to see them. Willie also loved to travel, and had even traveled to Canada and all around Pennsylvania with the help of friends.
Willie then became a well-known public figure. He was known for his friendly, talkative personality, and his eye-catching and "loud" shirts. WDAC-FM radio, then a Christian radio station, featured an editorial on Willie, which was subtitled "the personification of good humor." In this editorial, Willie is said to have had a "flamboyant and winning personality," as well as a "belief in man's basic honesty." Despite the fact that Willie was often taken advantage of because of his blindness, and that he "was the victim of an average of $40 worth annually in pilfered stock or dishonest dealings," Willie held on to the belief in the goodness of mankind all his life. This is not to say that Willie was completely dependent on the honesty of his customers. He was able to read dollar bills with his hands, and could tell the difference between each, much to the wonder of skeptical customers, and probably to the dismay of the rare customer who would try and take advantage of him.
Willie became a well-loved figure in the community, and anyone looking through his collection will be able to see just that. Siple was a philanthropist who supported the Tuberculosis Society with the proceeds from sales of Christmas seals (or stamps) for their charity. Willie would also dress up like Santa Claus every year, and would visit infantile paralysis victims. There are also multiple thank-you notes from school classes and the local boys club for his generous gifts of candy.
Many of Willie's friends also willingly helped him with his business, helping him with bookkeeping, driving him to and from work, taking him to lunch, helping take over the stand during lunch, and much more. He called these people his "assistants," and most of them were local business men and women who would take time out of their days to help. These people were unpaid friends, just willing to give Willie a hand. Their kindness, as well as Willie's generosity, show the kinship and kindness in the community that surrounded him in Lancaster city.
written by Elizabeth McIlhenney, 2016
Date Range
1935-1962
Creation Date
1935-1962
Year Range From
1935
Year Range To
1962
Creator
Hauck, Johnny
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
Siple, Wilbur H. "Willie"
Moore, Archie
Subjects
Blind
Boxers (Sports)
Letters
Newspaper vendors
People with visual disabilities
Search Terms
Boxers (Sports)
Correspondence
Finding aids
Letters
Manuscript groups
Newspaper vendors
People with visual disabilities
Extent
1 box, 3 folders, 2 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0006
Related Item Notes
Johnny Hauck Collection, MG0063
Photograph Collection
Notes
This material was part of the Johnny Hauck Collection, MG-63. Because of the specific nature of the material, it was extracted to create a separate manuscript group.
Photographs transferred to the Photograph Collection, 3 November 2017.
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-6
Classification
MG0006
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
This material was part of the Johnny Hauck Collection, MG-63. Because of the specific nature of the material, it was extracted to create a separate manuscript group.
Cataloged prior to July 1997; added to database 8 February 2018.
Documents
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Finding Aid

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10 records – page 1 of 1.