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Collection
Linden Hall Seminary Collection
Title
Linden Hall Seminary Collection
Object ID
MG0010
Date Range
1817-1996
Hall Seminary is a girls' school located in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1742 by the Moravian community, it is the oldest continuously operated girls' school in the United States. Source of Acquisition: Items were collected by the LancasterHistory. Custodial History (Provenance): Accruals
  1 document  
Collection
Linden Hall Seminary Collection
Title
Linden Hall Seminary Collection
Description
The Linden Hall Seminary Collection contains school catalogs and Linden Hall Echo, the school yearbook. Other items include financial records, fundraising information, school workbooks, and a diploma from 1886.
Admin/Biographical History
Linden Hall Seminary is a girls' school located in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1742 by the Moravian community, it is the oldest continuously operated girls' school in the United States.
Date Range
1817-1996
Year Range From
1817
Year Range To
1996
Date of Accumulation
1817-1996
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
Beverly, Jane B.
Kepler, Mary
Subjects
Girls' schools
Linden Hall (Lititz, Pa.)
School catalogs
School notebooks
School yearbooks
Women--Education
Search Terms
Broadsides
Finding aids
Girls' schools
Linden Hall
Linden Hall Echo
Manuscript groups
School catalogs
School notebooks
Yearbooks
Extent
2 boxes, 22 folders, 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English, German
Object ID
MG0010
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Linden Hall Seminary Collection (MG0010), 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-10
Classification
MG0010
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
This collection was cataloged prior to 1997; added to database 8 Febraury 2018.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Grand Army of the Republic Collection
Title
Grand Army of the Republic Collection
Object ID
MG0017
  1 document  
Collection
Grand Army of the Republic Collection
Title
Grand Army of the Republic Collection
Description
Collection consists of records of the Grand Army of the Republic and allied organizations. Most papers are from G.A.R. Post 478 (Mount Joy) and Post 84 (Lancaster). Included are minute books, burial records, membership applications, correspondence, national and state G.A.R. orders, encampment information, and Post correspondence. Many records are in book form.
Soldiers and sailors honorably discharged from the Army, Navy or Marine Corps of the U.S. who fought in the cause of the Union from Apr. 12, 1861 to Apr. 9, 1865 were eligible to become members of the Grand Army of the Republic. Allied Orders include: Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, Woman's Relief Corps, Sons of Veterans U.S.A. (later Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War) and their Auxiliary, as well as the Daughters of Veterans (later Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War).
Creation Date
1861-1931
Year Range From
1861
Year Range To
1931
Date of Accumulation
1861-1931
Creator
Grand Army of the Republic Post 478
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
Cruikshank, William
Furgeson, Elizabeth
Leach, David
Long, George
Nissley, D. H.
Nissley, David H.
Stephenson, Benjamin F.
Thomas, George H.
Thumb, Tom
Veil, Chas. H.
Wimer, John
Wolf, Joseph
Other Creators
Grand Army of the Republic Post 84; Grand Army of the Republic Post 524.
Subjects
Business records
Grand Army of the Republic
Grand Army of the Republic. Department of Pennsylvania
Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic
Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic. Department of Pennsylvania
Sons of Veterans, U.S.A
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Woman's Relief Corp (U.S.). Department of Pennsylvania
Search Terms
Burial records
Business records
Civil War
Correspondence
Finding aids
Grand Army of the Republic
Iroquois Band
Stork's Orchestra
Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic
Letters
Lincoln Cemetery
Manuscript groups
Mount Joy Cemetery
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
Woman's Relief Corp (U.S.)
Extent
6 boxes, 56 folders, 24 volumes, 3 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0017
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory (Organization)
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-17
Classification
MG0017
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
This collection was cataloged prior to 1997; added to database on 6 March 2018.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Spanish-American War Collection
Title
Spanish-American War Collection
Object ID
MG0024
Date Range
1898-1986
  1 document  
Collection
Spanish-American War Collection
Title
Spanish-American War Collection
Description
Information and records regarding the Spanish-American War. Includes photographs, muster rolls, and newspaper clippings.
Date Range
1898-1986
Creation Date
1898-1986
Year Range From
1898
Year Range To
1986
Date of Accumulation
1898-1986
Creator
Lancaster County Historical Society (Pa.)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
Case, David B.
McCaskey, William Spencer
Witson, Thomas
Subjects
Spanish-American War, 1898
Veterans
Military history
Search Terms
Spanish-American War, 1898
Veterans
Muster rolls
Newspaper clippings
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Photographs
Torrey's Rough Riders
Military history
Fort D. A. Russell (Wyo.)
Manuscript groups
Finding aids
Extent
Oversized Items Box 2, Folder 5, .13 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0024
Location of Originals
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-24
Classification
MG0024
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Collection cataloged prior to 1997; added to database 6 March 2018.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Harriet Diller Collection
Title
Harriet Diller Collection
Object ID
MG0088
Date Range
1877-1842
Collection
Harriet Diller Collection
Title
Harriet Diller Collection
Description
Collection contains information on the Diller family, collected by Harriet Diller.
Date Range
1877-1842
Year Range From
1877
Year Range To
1942
Date of Accumulation
1877-1942
Creator
Diller, Harriet
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Diller, Harriet
Ellmaker, J. Watson
Subjects
Family records
Genealogy
Letters
Search Terms
Correspondence
Family history
Family records
Finding aids
Genealogy
Letters
Manuscript groups
Extent
1 box, 2 folders, .1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0088
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
Harriet Diller Collection (MG-88), Folder #, LancasterHistory.org
Classification
MG0088
Description Level
Fonds
Less detail
Collection
Samuel E. Dyke Collection of Papers
Title
Samuel E. Dyke Collection of Papers
Object ID
MG0061
Date Range
1670-1985
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 and watches
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
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, 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
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. 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.
Classification
MG0828
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Organized by Richard C. Wiggin prior to donation.
Less detail
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series F Miscellaneous Family Papers
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesF
Date Range
1815-1938
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series F Miscellaneous Family Papers
Description
The General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series F is a collection of documents, newspapers, and newspaper clippings that covers the years 1815 through 1929, as well as genealogy and ephemera from the Welsh family Bible from 1850 through 1938. The series also includes two scrapbooks - the first contains articles from the late nineteenth century pertaining to Thomas Welsh and his family; the second contains newspaper articles and ephemera related to Thomas Welsh and his family from 1854 through 1936.
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
1815-1938
Creation Date
1815-1938
Year Range From
1815
Year Range To
1938
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
Condolence notes
Letters
Genealogy
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Mexican War, 1846-1848
Search Terms
Condolence notes
Letters
Correspondence
Mexican War
Genealogy
Civil War
Extent
35 folders
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Condition
Poor to excellent
Condition Date
2020-12-29
Parent Object ID
MG0828
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesF
Notes
Added to PP 12/29/2020 by HST
Provenance: 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.
In Boxes 1 and 2
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. 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.
Classification
MG0828
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Folders 1-35 organized by Richard C. Wiggin prior to donation.
Less detail
Collection
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 1
Title
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 1 Market Houses
Object ID
MG0545_Series01
Date Range
1827-1926, 1999
  1 document  
Collection
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 1
Title
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, Series 1 Market Houses
Description
The documents in MG0545, Series 1 represent the business of the City of Lancaster related to the market houses, primarily in the nineteenth century. Payments to Market Masters and for gas lighting, advertising and maintenance show some of the costs associated with running the market houses in the nineteenth century. Market license certificates provide the names of stand holders and their products for 1925-1926.
System of Arrangement
This collection is organized into series:
Series 1 Market Houses
Series 2 Fire Department
Series 3 Bridges
Series 4 Railroads
Series 5 Lamps and Lighting
Series 6 Relief Fund
Series 7 Administrative Records
Date Range
1827-1926, 1999
Creation Date
1827-1926, 1999
Year Range From
1827
Year Range To
1999
Creator
Lancaster (Pa.)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 11
People
Snyder, John
Wilhelm, John
Bostick, John
Donley, Henry
Wilhelm, Henry
Book, John
Subjects
Business records
Lancaster (Pa.)
Markets--Pennsylvania--Lancaster
Search Terms
Business records
Finding aids
Invoices
Lancaster Gas Light and Fuel Company
Licenses
Manuscript groups
Market houses
Markets
Mellert Foundry and Machine Company
Extent
1 box, 40 folders, .5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0545_Series01
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory
Related Item Notes
Lancaster City Archives
George and Rhonda Andreadis Collection of Lancaster City Records, MG0545
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions. Original documents may be used. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-545, Series 1
Other Number
MG-545, Series 1
Classification
MG0545
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Note: These documents are mostly administrative records, not permanent records, and were likely purged by the city offices when they were no longer needed. We are fortunate that they survived as they contain details about Lancaster's past.
Organized and preserved by MM, Summer 2011. Added to database 10 May 2021.
Documents
Less detail

10 records – page 1 of 1.