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Collection
Collateral Appraisements
Title
Collateral Appraisements
Object ID
COLLATERAL APPRAISEMENTS
Date Range
1848-1913
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
1848-1913
Year Range From
1849
Year Range To
1913
Date of Accumulation
1849-1913
Creator
Register of Wills
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives West
Subcategory
Documentary Artifact
Search Terms
Collateral appraisement
Extent
16 boxes (8 cubic feet)
Object Name
Appraisal
Language
English
Condition
Fair
Object ID
COLLATERAL APPRAISEMENTS
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please request photocopy or PDF at Reference Desk or Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Copyright
Please contact Research@LancasterHistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish. There is no fee for publication.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory and Lancaster County Archives, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
RG 03-00 0312
Classification
RG 03-00 0312
Description Level
Fonds
Less detail
Collection
Lancaster & Marietta Turnpike Road Co. Collection
Title
Lancaster & Marietta Turnpike Road Co. Collection
Object ID
MG0048
Date Range
1848-1916
  1 document  
Collection
Lancaster & Marietta Turnpike Road Co. Collection
Title
Lancaster & Marietta Turnpike Road Co. Collection
Description
Collection contains correspondence, accounts, newspaper clippings, Pennsylvania and federal tax returns, stock certificate book, minute books, record books, and a receipt and payment book.
Date Range
1848-1916
Year Range From
1848
Year Range To
1916
Date of Accumulation
1848-1916
Creator
Lancaster & Marietta Turnpike Road Co.
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 02
Subjects
Lancaster & Marietta Turnpike Road Co.
Roads
Toll roads
Business records
Stockholders
Letters
Search Terms
Business records
Conewago Trap Rock Company
Correspondence
Finding aids
J. E. Baker Company
John Goll and Company
Lancaster and Marietta Turnpike Road Company
Lancaster and Marietta Turnpike
Lancaster Automobile Club
Lancaster Motorist
Letters
Manuscript groups
Marietta Hollow Ware and Enameling Company
Muller and Bush
Roads
Stockholders
Taxes
Toll roads
Turnpikes
Extent
4 boxes, 26 folders, 7 volumes, 2 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0048
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-48
Classification
MG0048
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Collection was cataloged prior to 1997. Added to database 29 May 2018.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Stevens House Hotel Records
Title
Stevens House Hotel Records
Object ID
MG0246
Date Range
1897-1928
Content Note: The Stevens House Hotel Records include items from the Stevens House Hotel in Lancaster, PA. The hotel was considered one of the most elegant outside of Philadelphia. Two scrapbooks contain board meeting minutes, as well as menus and programs for events that took place at the hotel. The
  1 document  
Collection
Stevens House Hotel Records
Title
Stevens House Hotel Records
Description
The Stevens House Hotel Records include items from the Stevens House Hotel in Lancaster, PA. The hotel was considered one of the most elegant outside of Philadelphia. Two scrapbooks contain board meeting minutes, as well as menus and programs for events that took place at the hotel. The board meeting minutes record the management and modernization of the hotel. Researchers will find an example of how Prohibition affected the local economy. The second book preserves programs from New Year's Eve celebrations, balls and banquets, and class reunions, which contain menus and list entertainment.
Date Range
1897-1928
Year Range From
1897
Year Range To
1928
Date of Accumulation
1897-1928
Creator
Shoemaker, Robert Reed, 1925-2004
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 06
People
Griest, William Walton
Heisey, Martin Luther
McClain, Francis Bernard
Shoemaker, Robert Reed
Subjects
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Hotels
Menus
Minutes (Records)
Programs (Publications)
Scrapbooks
Search Terms
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Finding aids
Hotels
Lancaster Hotel Company
Manuscript groups
Menus
Minutes
Newspaper clippings
Pennsylvania State Hotel Association
Programs
Scrapbooks
Stevens House Hotel
Extent
1 box, 16 folders, .75 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0246
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
Menu Collection (MG0339)
Photograph Collection
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Stevens House Hotel Records (MG0246), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Folders 15-16 are restricted because they contain original newspaper articles that are too fragile to handle.
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.MG0246
Other Numbers
MG-246
Classification
MG0246
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by KB, January-May 2014. Added to database 3 January 2022.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
D. S. Sweeton & Co. Records
Title
D. S. Sweeton & Co. Records
Object ID
MG0320
Date Range
1886-1893
Note: The D. S. Sweeton & Co. Records are made up of orders to the company for wood wheels, receipts for payments made by Sweeton, price lists of the Lancaster Polishing Factory, and personal memorabilia including invitations and a checkbook from Northern National Bank of Lancaster. Creators: D. S
  1 document  
Collection
D. S. Sweeton & Co. Records
Title
D. S. Sweeton & Co. Records
Description
The D. S. Sweeton & Co. Records are made up of orders to the company for wood wheels, receipts for payments made by Sweeton, price lists of the Lancaster Polishing Factory, and personal memorabilia including invitations and a checkbook from Northern National Bank of Lancaster.
Admin/Biographical History
David S. Sweeton was born in Glassboro, New Jersey c.1827. He was a woodturner by trade and specialized in building staircases. He moved to Lancaster in 1881 and first appears in the Lancaster City Directory as a manufacturer of emery wheels in 1892. (An emery wheel has an abrasive coating that is used for buffing or grinding.) From 1897 to 1901 Sweeton is listed as the proprietor of the Lancaster Polishing Wheel Works located at 44 W. Liberty Street, Lancaster. After 1901, he is listed only as a manufacturer.
Sweeton lived at 414 W. Lemon St., Lancaster in 1886 and 1888, but by 1906 he had moved to 439 W. Frederick St., then to 33 W. Liberty St., and finally to 623 N. Shippen St.
Sources: Lancaster City Directories; Obituary, Daily New Era, 1 March 1906.
Date Range
1886-1893
Year Range From
1886
Year Range To
1893
Date of Accumulation
1886-1893
Creator
D. S. Sweeton & Co.
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 08
People
Coffin, Mathilde E.
Myers, Richard
Neidich, Mary F.
Ragan, Henry Harger
Sweeton, David S.
Other Creators
Sweeton, David S., 1827-1906
Subjects
Business records
Letters
Manufactures
Polishing wheels
Receipts (Acknowledgments)
Search Terms
Abrasive Material Company
Business records
Conestoga Machine Works
Correspondence
D. S. Sweeton and Company
Finding aids
Grey Iron Casting Company
Hanson, Van Winkle and Company
Lancaster Polishing Factory
Lancaster Polishing Wheel Works
Letters
Manuscript groups
Polishing wheels
Potts and Weber
Ragan Lectures
Receipts
Union Manufacturing Company
Zucker and Levett Chemical Company
Extent
1 box, 6 folders, .2 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0320
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), D. S. Sweeton & Co. Records (MG0320), 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-320
Classification
MG0320
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Added to database 3 January 2022.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Andrew B. Rote Collection
Title
Andrew B. Rote Collection
Object ID
MG0363
Date Range
1806-1950
Content Note: The Andrew B. Rote Collection contains the business records of C. V. Rote & Co., which later became A. B. Rote & Co., and some family records. The Lancaster company specialized in awnings and ironwork. Deeds, mortgages, and other property records are for property owned by the Rotes and used
  1 document  
Collection
Andrew B. Rote Collection
Title
Andrew B. Rote Collection
Description
The Andrew B. Rote Collection contains the business records of C. V. Rote & Co., which later became A. B. Rote & Co., and some family records. The Lancaster company specialized in awnings and ironwork. Deeds, mortgages, and other property records are for property owned by the Rotes and used for their business. The record books of the company, 1881-1942, show accounting, clients, cash flow, bids, and inventory. A catalog of architectural bronze and iron works illustrates their products. There are also stock certificates for a number of local and regional businesses such as Farmers Trust Company, Union Trust Company, and Meadia Heights Golf Club.
Admin/Biographical History
C. V. Rote & Company was founded by Charles V. Rote, Jacob F. Bender, and John W. Holman on 3 March 1881, specifically for the manufacture of awnings. Bender and Holman provided the financing, space for the shop, the time they could commit, and the use of their horse and buggy. Rote committed his labor and time in manufacturing the awnings. Their initial success continued when they added architectural bronze and iron work. Andrew B. Rote took over the business in 1894, which was then located at 111-117 E. Chestnut Street, Lancaster.
Date Range
1806-1950
Year Range From
1806
Year Range To
1950
Date of Accumulation
1806-1950
Creator
Rote, Andrew B., 1928-2015
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 09
People
Bender, Jacob F.
Holman, John W.
Rote, Andrew B. "Andy"
Rote, Andrew Baker
Rote, Charles Victor
Other Creators
A. B. Rote & Company
Subjects
Architectural ironwork
Awnings
Business records
Decorative cast-ironwork
Deeds
Ironwork
Patents
Stocks
Search Terms
A. B. Rote & Co.
Account books
Awnings
Bonds
Business records
C. V. Rote and Company
Deeds
Farmers Trust Company
Finding aids
Highway Emergency Service
Ironwork, Architectural
Ironwork, Decorative
Lancaster Concrete Tile Company
Manuscript groups
Meadia Heights Golf Club
Mortgages
National Building Units Corporation
Patents
Penn-Mont Mining and Milling Company
Pennsylvania Chautauqua Society
Stocks
Union Trust Company of Lancaster
Extent
3 boxes, 27 folders, 1.5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0363
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
See also the Photograph Collection
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Andrew B. Rote Collection (MG0363), 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
2003.MG0363
Other Numbers
MG-363
Classification
MG0363
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Added to database 3 January 2022.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Broadsides Collection
Title
Broadsides Collection
Object ID
MG0357
Date Range
1775-1958
717.392.4633 • www.LancasterHistory.org Box 1 Folder 1 Printed flier for Paradise Lyceum. Date, time, and subject are not filled in. Printed at The Job Printing Office by J. H. Bryson. Lancaster. ca.1840; Photocopy of wood backing from frame notes Elam Witmer Eshleman was secretary about 1860. Gift of Gary
  1 document  
Collection
Broadsides Collection
Title
Broadsides Collection
Description
This collection contains broadsides for lectures, stores, businesses, and organizations.
Date Range
1775-1958
Year Range From
1775
Year Range To
1958
Date of Accumulation
1775-1958
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 09
People
Bailey, Francis
Becker, John
Bomberger, M.
Bowman, Michael
Brinton, F.
Bryson, J. H.
Chryst, Drue Young
Chryst, James
Conyngham, Redmond
Cromwell, J.
Deshong, P. M.
Eply, John
Eshleman, Elam Witmer
Fahnestock, William B.
Funk, Amos H.
Gable, Jacob
Haines, Samuel B.
Harbaugh, Henry
Hershey, Benjamin
Jefferies, Thomas
Kennedy, J. P. M.
Landis, Benjamin
Landis, David
Landis, Jesse
Landis, John
Lefever, John
Lehman, John S.
Lindsay, John J.
List, Friedrich
Mathiot, John
Maxwell, Hugh
McCall, H. W.
Mercer, J. Q.
Messersmith, Jacob
Metzler, Christian E.
Michael, J.
Roosevelt, Theodore
Scott, Joseph
Shreiner, Martin
Steele, John F.
Stevens, Enos
Witmer, A. K.
Witmer, Henry
Wylie, S. A.
Subjects
Broadsides
Political posters
Posters
Search Terms
Advertisements
Announcements
Arithmetic
Boys Work Fund
Broadsides
Camons Island
Cheap Job Printer, Lancaster Inquirer
Court of Quarter Sessions
Cromwell & Bomberger
Finding aids
Flyers
Frantz's Mill
Ku Klux Klan (1915- )
Lancaster Adler
Lancaster County Prison
Lancaster Soil Conservation District
Lancaster Unemployed Council
Lititz Turnpike Company
Manor Turnpike Company
Manuscript groups
Mayors
Mount Vista Gold and Silver Mining Company
New York and Pennsylvania Oil and Coal Mining Company
Newspapers
Notices
Paradise Lyceum
Pennsylvania General Assembly, House of Representatives
Petitions
Philadelphia Mourning Store, Jones & Fisher
Poetry
Political posters
Posters
Programs
Railroads
Reports
Review Print
Russel & Myers
S. B. Cox and Company
Sheriffs
Slackwater Turnpike
Steam Book and Job Printing
Stockholders
Stocks
Tolls
Union and Tribune Office
Youth Appreciation Week
Extent
2 boxes, 23 folders, 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English, German, and Pennsylvania German
Object ID
MG0357
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Original documents may be used by researchers--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit or request at Reference Desk.
Copyright
Collection items 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.
Other Numbers
MG-357
Classification
MG0357
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Added to database 3 January 2022.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Lancaster County Court House Collection
Title
Lancaster County Court House Collection
Object ID
MG0080
Date Range
1784-1976
Collection
Lancaster County Court House Collection
Title
Lancaster County Court House Collection
Description
Documents relating to the county courthouse in Lancaster. Consists mostly of proposals and bids for the construction in 1852. Also included are booklets, newspaper clippings from additional construction in the 1970s, court calendars and original affidavits of witness testimony in the investigation of the burning of the courthouse in 1784.
Date Range
1784-1976
Year Range From
1784
Year Range To
1976
Date of Accumulation
1784-1976
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Eckman, D. Richard
Lynch, David
Subjects
Courthouses
Letting of contracts
Search Terms
Bids
Courthouses
Finding aids
Manuscript groups
Petitions
Proposals
Extent
1 box, 20 folders, .125 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0080
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania (Lancaster, Pa.)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Series #, Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions. Please request at the Reference Desk or by contacting Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Lancaster County Court House Collection (MG-80), Folder #, LancasterHistory.org
Classification
MG0080
Description Level
Fonds
Less detail
Collection
Calendar Collection
Title
Calendar Collection
Object ID
MG0070
Date Range
1867-1995
  1 document  
Collection
Calendar Collection
Title
Calendar Collection
Description
This collection consists of calendars containing photographs, drawings, and prints from Lancaster County and the surrounding region. Some depict local culture, architecture, historic sites, events, or have Pennsylvania Dutch sayings. There are also backs of calendars containing information about Lancaster.
Date Range
1867-1995
Year Range From
1867
Year Range To
1995
Date of Accumulation
1867-1995
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 02
People
Albright, R. A.
Bushong, Joyce
Ferguson, Novelda H.
Forney, Myrl
Hart, Deborah A.
Hough, Doris
Landis, David Bachman
Mellinger, C.
Reed, Anita
Rider, Jacob D.
Sweigart, Caleb K.
Taggart, M. W.
Warfel, Arthur
Wesley, Hazel S.
Wierman, Julia
Subjects
Calendars
Search Terms
Brown and Bigelow
Calendars
Chickaree Studio
De Laval
Denver Service Station
Drawing Board Associates, Inc.
Finding aids
H. M. Stauffer and Sons, Inc.
Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County
Intelligencer Printing Company
Lancaster County Association for the Blind
Lancaster County Farm Bureau Co-op Association
Lancaster County Postcard Club
Lebanon High School
Manuscript groups
Mount Joy Area Historical Society
Pearsol and Geist
Pensupreme Dairy
Sir Speedy
Southern Lancaster County Historical Society
Susquehanna Association for the Blind and Vision Impaired
Extent
3 boxes, 14 folders, 3 oversized folders, 2 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0070
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Restrictions noted at the item level. Restricted items may be used by appointment. 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-70
Classification
MG0070
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
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
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Object ID
MG0828
Date Range
1839-1932
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Description
The General Thomas Welsh Family Papers is a collection of original correspondence, official documents, and ephemera. Many of the papers were created by or directed to Thomas Welsh between approximately 1843 and his death in 1863. They provide glimpses into his youth, his experiences in the Mexican War, his life in Columbia between the wars, and his rise in rank to Brigadier General during the Civil War.
The collection contains correspondence with his wife and family from 1861-1863. There are also official correspondence and documents related to Welsh's military service, autobiographical pieces, correspondence following his death, obituaries, and family papers into the early twentieth century. Other items in the collection include genealogy pages from the family bible, photographic images of Thomas Welsh and family members, two scrapbooks, newspaper issues and newspaper clippings, written notes from recollections of one of Welsh's daughter, and a biographical sketch of Welsh written by his son.
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
1839-1932
Year Range From
1839
Year Range To
1932
Creator
Wiggin, Richard C.
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 19
People
Welsh, Thomas
Welsh, Annie Eunice Young
Welsh, Blanton Charles
Welsh, Effie
Welsh, Lilian
Welsh, Mary Young "Mazie"
Buchanan, James
Subjects
Letters
Mexican War, 1846-1848
Military orders
Military promotions
Personal correspondence
Political campaigns
Presidents--Election
Speeches, addresses, etc.
United States. Army--Military life
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Search Terms
Civil War
Correspondence, Personal
Letters
Mexican War
Military life
Military orders
Military promotions
Political campaigns
Presidential elections
Speeches
United States Army
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Condition
Fair to good
Condition Date
2020-12-18
Condition Notes
Items are in fair to good condition.
Object ID
MG0828
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
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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, Pa.
Classification
MG0828
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Almost all of the papers have been passed down through successive generations of Welsh's descendants, from Thomas Welsh's wife and children to his granddaughter, Emilie Benson (Welsh) Wiggin, to her daughter Nancy Jane (Wiggin) Townsend. After Nancy Townsend's death, her son Charles Townsend passed them on to his cousin, Richard Wiggin (grandson of Emilie Benson Wiggin) in 2015.
A few papers passed out of the family's possession and found their way into other collections. Richard Abel of Columbia, PA began collecting Welsh papers and artifacts some years ago, and subsequently transferred this collection of Welsh materials to Richard Wiggin in 2012.
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