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American and English genealogies in the Library of Congress

https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/lhdo6111
Corporate Author
Library of Congress
Edition
2nd ed.
Date of Publication
1919.
Call Number
929.1 U58
Responsibility
comp. under the direction of the chief of the Catalogue division.
Corporate Author
Library of Congress
Edition
2nd ed.
Place of Publication
Washington
Publisher
G.P.O.,
Date of Publication
1919.
Physical Description
iv, 1332 p. 27 cm.
Notes
Compiled and edited by M.A. Gilkey. cf. Prefatory note.
Subjects
Library of Congress - Catalogs.
United States - Genealogy - Bibliography - Catalogs
Great Britain - Genealogy - Bibliography - Catalogs
Additional Author
Gilkey, M. A.
Additional Corporate Author
Library of Congress. Catalog Division.
Location
Lancaster History Library - Book
Call Number
929.1 U58
Less detail

An open letter to the church members at Longenecker's Meeting House, West Lampeter Township, Lancaster Co., Pa

https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/lhdo6311
Author
Kachel, Solomon.
Date of Publication
1891.
Call Number
289.7 K11
Responsibility
Continued by Solomon Kachel and wife Catharine.
Author
Kachel, Solomon.
Place of Publication
Lancaster, Pa
Publisher
Commercial Print. House,
Date of Publication
1891.
Physical Description
44 p. ; 21 cm.
Notes
Cover title.
LCHS does not have first part.
Subjects
Longenecker's Reformed Mennonite Church (Lancaster County, Pa.)
Church discipline.
Additional Author
Kachel, Katharine.
Location
Lancaster History Library - Lancaster County
Call Number
289.7 K11
Less detail
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
Edward Hand Reunion and Genealogy Collection
Title
Edward Hand Reunion and Genealogy Collection
Object ID
MG0116
Date Range
1805-1984
  1 document  
Collection
Edward Hand Reunion and Genealogy Collection
Title
Edward Hand Reunion and Genealogy Collection
Description
Collection consists largely of information on the descendants of Edward Hand and on the Hand Family Reunion. Contains correspondence, genealogical materials, family charts, photographs, and commemorative booklet 1912, on Lancaster County in the Revolutionary War. Also, three documents concerning the settling of the Hand estate.
Date Range
1805-1984
Year Range From
1805
Year Range To
1984
Date of Accumulation
1805-1984
Creator
Hand family
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Hand, Edward
Lear, Robert H.
Brien, Edward
Brien, Dorothy Hand
Hand, Jasper
Subjects
Genealogy
Family records
Letters
Search Terms
Genealogy
Family records
Family reunions
Rock Ford
Correspondence
Letters
Manuscript groups
Finding aids
Extent
1 box, 27 folders, .5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0116
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
Edward Hand Reunion and Genealogy Collection (MG-116), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pa.
Other Numbers
MG-116
Classification
MG0116
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Added to database 1 May 2019.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Archive of Alice P. Fordney
Title
Archive of Alice P. Fordney
Object ID
HC0001
Date Range
1905-1974
: Archives North, Side 27 Scope and Content Note: This collection contains ephemera related to Alice Potter Fordney, antiques dealer and rugmaker. Items in the collection include business correspondence with Armstrong, F. Schumacher & Co., and the Montclair art museum; personal correspondence with friends
  1 document  
Collection
Archive of Alice P. Fordney
Title
Archive of Alice P. Fordney
Description
This collection contains ephemera related to Alice Potter Fordney, antiques dealer and rugmaker. Items in the collection include business correspondence with Armstrong, F. Schumacher & Co., and the Montclair art museum; personal correspondence with friends and family; hooked rug patterns; and antiques sale flyers from the early 20th century. Also included in the collection are newspaper clippings, including the obituary of Fordney's sister Ellen Franklin; reference material for rug making and interior design (informational sheets, books and patterns); several items related to the Yeates School, which Fordney's brother William Bush Fordney attended; several photographs of unidentified persons; and a statement related to the will of William J. Fordney, her uncle.
Admin/Biographical History
Alice Potter Fordney was born June 21, 1887 in Lancaster, the daughter of Ida Cox and Thomas Potter Fordney. A prominent antique dealer from the late 1920s to her retirement in 1965, Fordney also made and sold hooked rugs.
Fordney's family features prominently in Lancaster County history. Her maternal great-grandfather was John Michael, who owned the historic Grape Hotel from 1805-1839. Fordney's paternal great-grandfather William Jenkins built Wheatland in 1828 and later sold the property to President James Buchanan. Colonel William Bush Fordney, her paternal grandfather, was a prominent lawyer in Lancaster. He served as district attorney from 1839-1845 and negotiated for the loan that enabled Lancaster city to build the "water works" in the 1830s. Sarah Cox, her maternal grandmother, was a known philanthropist and for years helped to manage the Home for Friendless Children in Lancaster. Her sister, Ellen Fordney Franklin, was a "pioneer" in the industry of women's knit suits, opening her first shop in 1929 in Philadelphia.
Fordney never married. She kept in contact with her nieces and nephews, as evidenced by letters in the collection. According to notes provided by Wendell Zercher, Sarah Ellmaker McIlvaine Muench, her niece and the donor of the collection, recalled her as "warm and artistic," and "a character." She died April 17, 1973, at the age of 85.
Works Cited:
"Mrs. Franklin, pioneer of women's knit suits, dies." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], 10 May 1963, p. 2.
"Accident Fatal to Mrs. Sarah A. Cox." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], no date, page unknown.
"Miss Fordney, Antique Dealer, 85, Succumbs." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], 18 April 1973, p. 2.
"One of Lancaster's Most Prominent and Venerable Citizens Passes Away." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], 29 July 1889, p. 1.
Date Range
1905-1974
Year Range From
1905
Year Range To
1974
Date of Accumulation
1905-1974
Creator
Fordney, Alice Potter, 1887-1973
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives North
Storage Wall
Side 28
People
Appel, Charles Rengier
Bohlen, Sidney Franklin
Bowman, Mrs. Edward J.
Boyer, R. J.
Brenneman, Mary Rue Bard
Brown, Hazel Dell
Chiarell, Fred P.
Clark, George W.
Daugherty, Harvey P.
Demuth, Charles
Dodge, Arthur B.
Embsweiler, Ruth
Erb, Edna
Fordney, Alice Potter
Fordney, William Bush Jr.
Fordney, William Jenkins
Franklin, Ellen Julia Fordney
Gibbons, Alice McIlvaine
Gilbert, L. J.
Gingrich, Milton E.
Graybill, John M.
Griest, Charles J.
Higby, Everett
Hostetter, A. K.
Howe, John
Irvine, Blanche
Kent, William Winthrop
Knodle, Edward
Krone, Herbert B.
Lindenmuth, J. D.
Long, Yvonne
Maclay, Helen Hurley
Malone, Clarence
Morris, Charles R.
Morris, Grace M.
Nauman, Gertrude Colson
Orr, Barclay
Pennypacker, Charles A.
Pennypacker, James G.
Randall, Meda
Rannels, Paul
Stokes, Agnes M.
Strickler, Belle
Wolf, Emily
Other Creators
Muench, Sarah Ellmaker McIlvaine, d. 2006
Subjects
American newspapers--Sections, columns, etc.--Women
Antique dealers
Armstrong Cork Company
Armstrong World Industries
F. Schumacher & Co.
Farm Journal Media
House & Garden
Interior decoration
Letters
Montclair Art Museum
Patterns for crafts
Rugs
Rugs, Hooked
Student newspapers and periodicals
Woman's world magazine
Search Terms
Albert Steiger Company
Antique dealers
Antique sales
Armstrong Cork Company
Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
Berlinwork patterns
Blue and Brown (Yeates School)
Cheney Silks
Cheney Weaves
Christmas
Correspondence
Cricket Club
Dickinson Presbyterian Church
Estate sales
F. Schumacher and Company
Farm Journal Media
Fiber arts
Finding aids
Gilbert's store
Griest Homestead
Guernsey Sales Pavilion
Hager's Department Store
Hershey Fire Hall
Hooked rugs
House & Garden
Interior decoration
Kleinfelter's auction rooms
Letters
Manuscript groups
Montclair Art Museum
Odd Fellows Hall
Olson Rugs
Patterns for crafts
Rossmere Hotel
Rug patterns
Rugs
State Armory Hall
V-mail
Woman's World Magazine
Yeates School
Extent
3 boxes, 37 folders, 333 items, 1,015 pages to scan, 4.5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
HC0001
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Associated Material
Sarah McIlvaine Muench Family Papers, MS 44 at Archives and Special Collections, Shadek-Fackenthal Library, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA.
Related Item Notes
See photograph collection.
See curatorial collection for examples of rugs.
Fordney Family Diaries (MG0539)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Archive of Alice P. Fordney (HC0001), Box #, Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
The kraft paper patterns in Folders 33-37 are restricted. Please make an appointment with the Director of Archival Services to view these items.
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
G.04.23.52
Classification
HC0001
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
From the Heritage Center of Lancaster County collection, G04.23.52.
Processed and finding aid prepared by MJ, June 2018.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
John Leonard Ellmaker Collection
Title
John Leonard Ellmaker Collection
Object ID
MG0071
Date Range
1726-1922
Genealogy Letters Marriage records Stocks Wills Search Terms: Aoelian Hall Carnegie Hall Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.) Correspondence Deeds Ephrata Cloister Family records Finding aids Genealogy Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia Letters Manuscript groups Marriage records Metropolitan Opera
  1 document  
Collection
John Leonard Ellmaker Collection
Title
John Leonard Ellmaker Collection
Description
Collection of Ellmaker family papers, including original papers of the first immigrant, John Leonard Ellmaker of Germany. Papers include correspondence, genealogy charts, deeds and legal papers. newspaper clippings, photographs, articles on Jacob Eichholtz, and a diploma and teachers' certificate. There is also a blank book with paper made at Ephrata Cloister in 1796.
Date Range
1726-1922
Year Range From
1726
Year Range To
1922
Date of Accumulation
1726-1922
Creator
Ellmaker family
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 02
People
Cochran, Thomas B.
Eichholtz, Jacob
Elder, Thomas
Ellmaker, Alfred
Ellmaker, Amos
Ellmaker, Ana Margareta
Ellmaker, Benjamin Ellmaker
Ellmaker, E. Ben
Ellmaker, Edgar O.
Ellmaker, Elizabeth
Ellmaker, Enos
Ellmaker, John Leonard
Ellmaker, John Watson
Ellmaker, Leonard
Ellmaker, Lucy H.
Ellmaker, Nathaniel
Ellmaker, Thomas
Graunnon, Christiana Margaretta
Haverstick, H. B.
Hoofgardner, Ferdinand
Hornberger, Maria
Hubbard, Elbert
Huston, R. M.
Koning, P.
Mayor, Robert
Moor, John
Nicolaas, I.
Pancoast, Dr.
Schnierer, Jacob
Snyder, Edwin L.
Snyder, John A.
Snyder, Mrs. Edwin L.
Other Creators
Ellmaker, John Leonard
Subjects
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Deeds
Family records
Genealogy
Letters
Marriage records
Stocks
Wills
Search Terms
Aoelian Hall
Carnegie Hall
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Deeds
Ephrata Cloister
Family records
Finding aids
Genealogy
Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia
Letters
Manuscript groups
Marriage records
Metropolitan Opera House
Newspaper clippings
Obituaries
Philharmonic Society of New York
Roycroft
Stocks
Wills
Extent
2 boxes, 58 folders, 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English, German, Dutch
Object ID
MG0071
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
Photograph Collection
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
No restrictions. Please request at Reference Desk or 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.
Classification
MG0071
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Cataloged prior to 1997. Added to database 23 October 2018.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
David B. Hackman Collection
Title
David B. Hackman Collection
Object ID
MG0072
Date Range
1850-1896
  1 document  
Collection
David B. Hackman Collection
Title
David B. Hackman Collection
Description
Collection contains the original and typed copies of correspondence describing life in the gold fields of California in the 1850s, an account of crossing the desert on the way west, and a journal describing the sea voyage home. Also, two newspaper images relevant to the gold rush and Mr. Hackman's obituary. He sent many letters home to his family in which he related the details of his experience, hardships of finding gold, the high prices and lack of provisions, observations of life in mining towns, his health, and asked for news from home. He also wrote letters to his sweetheart, Harriet B. Miller asking her to write him back, and his uncle, regarding family financial information.
Admin/Biographical History
David Baer Hackman (1827-1896) was the second child of David Heistand Hackman and Susanna Frantz Baer. He was a third cousin, once removed, of Milton Hershey. David left Lancaster in the fall of 1849 with the hope of finding gold in California. In the spring of 1850, he went to Ohio and joined others headed west. They boarded a steamboat in Cincinnati that was bound for St. Louis and then travelled by wagon train to Sacramento City, where they arrived in September 1850. David found enough gold to buy food and supplies, and then had modest success in 1853. In 1854, he decided to return home, this time travelling by steamer and train from San Francisco to New York via Panama.
The adventure of travelling westward and his life in the gold fields of California are described in detail in David's journal and correspondence. He sent many letters home to his family in which he related the details of his experience, hardships, the prices and lack of provisions, observations of life in mining towns, and asked for news from home.
David also wrote to his sweetheart, Harriet B. Miller (1829-1870), the daughter of Adam and Rebecca Miller of Manheim. Although he did not receive any letters from her, they reunited upon his return to Lancaster in 1854 and married soon after. They had one son named Augustus, who became a minister. Harriet passed away in 1870. David later married Ella C. (1851-1907) and they had five children, Frank, Mabel, Harry, Walter, and Edith.
David's obituary shows that he was involved in the grocery, clothing, hat, and shoemaking businesses. In the 1860 Census he is listed as a hatter, and in 1880 as a saloon keeper. He was well-liked and respected in the community. David and Harriet are buried in Manheim Fairview Cemetery.
Date Range
1850-1896
Year Range From
1850
Year Range To
1896
Date of Accumulation
1850-1896
Creator
Hackman, David Baer, 1827-1896
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 02
People
Hackman, David Baer
Miller, Harriet B.
Hackman, Susanna Frantz Baer
Subjects
Letters
Diaries
Gold miners
Gold mines and mining
California
Manheim (Pa.)
Lancaster (Pa.)
Search Terms
California
Correspondence
Diaries
Finding aids
Gold miners
Gold mines and mining
Lancaster
Letters
Manheim
Manuscript groups
Extent
1 box, 4 folders, 52 items, 484 pages to scan, .25 cubic feet
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0072
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Original materials in Folder 1, Insert 1 and Folder 3 may not be used. Patrons may use the transcripts provided within this collection.
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-72
Classification
MG0072
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by DT, 1999; revised by JK, 2016. Added to database 30 October 2018.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Lancaster City and County Hospital Collection
Title
Lancaster City and County Hospital Collection
Object ID
MG0077
Date Range
1898-
Collection
Lancaster City and County Hospital Collection
Title
Lancaster City and County Hospital Collection
Description
Collection of materials from three hospitals in Lancaster: St. Joseph Hospital, Lancaster General Hospital, and Community Hospital of Lancaster (formerly the Osteopathic Hospital). Consists of histories, programs, in-house magazines and newsletters, annual reports, and fund-raising campaign materials.
The Lancaster General Hospital Scrapbook, 1916 contains typed and handwritten letters, staff lists, committee lists, and newspaper clippings. The items in the book discuss the financial, administrative and public state of the hospital in 1916. The book covers the Lancaster General School for nurses, staff lists, debts, and lists of committees and members. Individuals who supported the institution include Milton T. Garvin, F. L. Suter, Lilliam F. Wardell, Hugh R. Fulton, Elam H. Risser and William Shand.
Admin/Biographical History
Lancaster General Hospital opened in December 1893 with the mission to deliver the best possible care to anyone in need, regardless of ability to pay. In 1903, the hospital established the Nurses' Training School with the first graduating class of 1905. The hospital purchased its first motorized ambulance in 1916. The Department of Physical Therapy was started in the early 1950s. During 1970, Dr. Nikitas Zervanos developed the Family Practice Residency Program. Seven years later, Lancaster General Hospital received the equipment to make CAT scans possible. The Women's Health Pavilion, which was located inside Lancaster General Hospital, was completed in 1986. After many years of development and construction, the Lancaster General Health Campus was completed in 1994, and Women and Babies' Hospital opened in 2000; both are located on Harrisburg Pike.
Note: The Lancaster General Hospital Scrapbook was cataloged and preserved with funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. ME60112.
System of Arrangement
Arranged by hospital name.
A. St. Joseph Hospital
B. Lancaster General Hospital
C. Community Hospital (formerly Osteopathic Hospital)
Date Range
1898-
Date of Accumulation
1898-
Creator
Lancaster County Historical Society (Pa.)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Carter, John H.
Coyle, Harry B.
Eshelman, Mrs. Paul B.
Good, M. G.
Heiges, George Leonard
Hostetter, George F.
Lestz, Gerald J.
McDowell, Ephraim
Neuhauser, W. J.
Prizer, E. T.
Risk, Robert Blair
Shand, William
Singleton, Ross W.
Teitell, Conrad
Weidman, I. G.
Young, Michael A.
Other Creators
LancasterHistory.org (Lancaster, Pa.)
Subjects
Hospitals
Newsletters
Business Records
Marginalia
Scrapbooks
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Search Terms
Business Records
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Hospitals
Marginalia
Newsletters
Scrapbooks
Extent
3 boxes 46 folders, 1 scrapbook 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0077
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania (Lancaster, Pa.)
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please contact Research Staff or Archives Staff with questions.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Classification
MG0077
Description Level
Fonds
Less detail
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series E Post Civil War
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesE
Date Range
1866-1925
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series E Post Civil War
Description
The General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series E is a collection of eight documents, which covers the years 1866 through 1925 and consists primarily of recollections by various family members of the life of Thomas Welsh. The series also includes a family history and poems written by Thomas Welsh and his daughter Effie Welsh.
Admin/Biographical History
Thomas Welsh (1824-1863) was a Lancaster County native (born and raised in Columbia), who rose from hardscrabble origins to local fame, first as a Mexican War hero, and then as a brigadier general during the Civil War. He was well known and well respected as a no nonsense officer, for his leadership and gallantry in battle, for his dedication to the service of his country, and for his concern for the welfare of his men.
Welsh lost his father at the age of 2, and went to work to support his family at age 8. He had very little formal schooling, and was largely self-educated. In 1843, at age 19, he left Lancaster County for Washington City, then went west as an itinerant carpenter/laborer to Cincinnati, Little Rock, and Fort Smith.
When the Mexican War broke out in 1846, he enlisted in a Kentucky regiment, and was severely wounded at the battle of Buena Vista (1847) from which he never fully recovered. Returning home to Columbia, he re-enlisted as a second lieutenant, assigned to the 11th U.S. infantry regiment in Mexico City. Within days of his arrival in Mexico City, he was declared unfit for service on account of his battle wound, and sent home again.
Back in Columbia as a civilian, he dabbled in politics, and received a patronage job in the Pennsylvania Main Line of Public Works (the rail and canal system connecting Philadelphia and Pittsburgh). After several years, he opened up a grocery and dry goods store in Columbia's canal basin. He also became an insurance agent. In 1857, he was elected Justice of the Peace, and his reputation grew as a community leader. By 1860, he was president of the Borough Council, a founding member of the Columbia Board of Trade, Vice President of the Columbia Cricket Club, and a canal boat operator, in addition to a dry goods merchant, insurance agent, and Justice of the Peace. He had a wife, 5 surviving children, and legal guardianship of his sister's 4 children.
When Confederate forces shelled Fort Sumter, marking the beginning of the Civil War, Thomas Welsh raised and organized the first company of volunteers from Lancaster County, and took them into the field as their Captain. Within days, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment, which served out its 90-day enlistment in the Shenandoah Valley.
Returning to Harrisburg, he was appointed Commandant of Camp Curtin, the problem-plagued processing center for new recruits. In short order, Welsh cleaned up the camp's poor sanitary conditions, improved the health of the camp, and implemented soldierly discipline and training.
In October 1861, he resigned from his camp duties, and as Colonel of the 45th Pennsylvania, led his regiment into the field. After brief service outside of Washington, they were sent to South Carolina in December, where they were posted to Otter Island. After the battle of James Island, they were recalled to Newport News, in July 1862, then sent to guard Aquia Creek.
In September, now in brigade command in Burnsides' 9th Corps, Welsh chased Lee's Confederate army west into central Maryland. His brigade broke the enemy line in Fox's Gap, on Sept. 14, then 3 days later achieved the furthest Union advance at Antietam, reaching the edge of Sharpsburg, and nearly cutting off Lee's only avenue of escape. Welsh's gallantry earned him a field promotion to brigadier general, which Congress confirmed on March 13, 1863.
The 9th Corps (Welsh now in command of the 1st Division) was sent west in the spring of 1863, then dispatched south to support Grant's investment of Vicksburg. After Vicksburg fell, they turned east and defeated Confederate General Johnston at the Battle of Jackson. Welsh contracted malaria in the southern swamps, and died in Cincinnati upon their return north. One of his men later recalled, "Had he lived, Welsh would undoubtedly have attained a much higher command. 1
1. Beauge, Eugene, in Albert, Allen D., Ed., History of the Forty-Fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry 1861-1865, Williamsport, PA: Grit Publ. Co, 1912, p. 79.
System of Arrangement
The collection is arranged in series:
Series A Thomas Welsh before the Mexican War
Series B Mexican War, 1846-1848
Series C Between the Mexican War and the Civil War, 1848-1861
Series D Civil War
Series E Post-Civil War
Series F Miscellaneous Family Papers
Series G Papers from the families of Gen. Thomas Welsh and Blanton C. Welsh
Date Range
1866-1925
Creation Date
1866-1925
Year Range From
1866
Year Range To
1925
Creator
Wiggin, Richard C.
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 19
Storage Container
Box 0001
People
Welsh, Thomas
Subjects
Autobiographies
Letters
Mexican War, 1846-1848
Poetry
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Search Terms
Autobiographies
Civil War
Family history
Genealogy
Letters
Mexican War
Poetry
Extent
8 folders
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Condition
Poor to excellent
Condition Date
2020-12-29
Parent Object ID
MG0828
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesE
Notes
Added to PP 12/29/2020 by HST
Provenance: Most items passed down through the family, Blanton Charles Welsh to Emilie Benson (Welsh) Wiggin to Nancy Jane (Wiggin) Townsend. Acquired from: Chuck Townsend, Knoxville, Tennessee, 2016/05/15.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
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Copyright
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Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Classification
MG0828
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Organized by Richard C. Wiggin prior to donation.
Less detail

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