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Collection
Philip Schum, Son & Co. Papers
Title
Philip Schum, Son & Co. Papers
Object ID
MG0837_F001_In01
Date Range
No date
  1 document     2 images  
Collection
Philip Schum, Son & Co. Papers
Title
Philip Schum, Son & Co. Papers
Description
One piece of advertising ephemera that folds into an envelope. This advertisement highlights that the company has dyeing capabilities; that there is coal in supply for sale; and that they manufacture quilts and rag carpets. No date.
Admin/Biographical History
For information about Philip Schum, John Schum, and Philip Schum, Son & Co., see Portrait and Biographical Record of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. https://books.google.com/books?id=HuxHAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA350&lpg=PA350&dq=philip+schum+son+%26+co&source=bl&ots=kNLKl4SUmM&sig=ACfU3U3APEU8LXaqzX4bKc5unU9gW4wu3w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwih95i8g-n0AhUul3IEHU2iABoQ6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=philip%20schum%20son%20%26%20co&f=false
Date Range
No date
Creation Date
No date
Creator
Philip Schum, Son & Co.
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 19
People
Schum, John
Schum, Philip
Subjects
Advertising
Business records
Ephemera
Weavers
Search Terms
Advertising
Business records
Ephemera
Finding aids
Manuscript groups
Philip Schum, Son & Co.
Weavers
Extent
1 item, 2 pages to scan
Object Name
Advertisement
Language
English
Object ID
MG0837_F001_In01
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
See the Curatorial Collection
See the Photograph Collection
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Philip Schum, Son & Co. Papers, MG0837_F001_In01, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment-contact research@lancasterhistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Accession Number
2019.009
Other Numbers
MG-837
Other Number
MG-837, Folder 1, Insert 1
Classification
MG0837
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Cataloged by KEF, 04 December 2020. Added to database 16 December 2021.
Images
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Washington House (Churchtown, Pa.) Records
Title
Washington House (Churchtown, Pa.) Records
Object ID
MG0448
Date Range
1898-1918
  1 document  
Collection
Washington House (Churchtown, Pa.) Records
Title
Washington House (Churchtown, Pa.) Records
Description
Five guestbooks for the Washington House kept by John E. Boehringer & Son (1898-1900, 1906-1907) and Levi Alderfer (1909-1913, 1915-1918) contain the names of guests and advertisements for local buisnesses.
Admin/Biographical History
The Washington House has also been known as the Churchtown Hotel and is mostly recently referred to as the Washington Inn. The west end of building was built first, although it is unclear whether that was in the early 1700s or after 1784. The east end addition was added about 1812.
The mail stage stopped there regularly after 1820 because of the good accommodations, and the inn also attracted horseback riders. Churchtown was a popular vacation spot in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The inn, at one time, was famous for its chicken and waffle dinners. Despite more than a century of success, the invention of the automobile combined with prohibition eventually caused the business to decline.
The Washington Inn saw antique auctions on its grounds in the 1930s and continued as a restaurant through WWII. The building was renovated in 1968 by owners Mr. and Mrs. Harry Short. In 1993 the inn was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Weaver and Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth D. Draude.
Petrofske, Mary T. Recollections of Caernarvon Township: Portrait of a Lancaster County Community, 1930-1993. West Kennebunk, Maine: Phoenix Publishing, 1993.
Date Range
1898-1918
Year Range From
1898
Year Range To
1918
Date of Accumulation
1898-1918
Creator
Boehringer, John E., 1835-1920
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 11
People
Alderfer, Levi R.
Boehringer, John E.
Other Creators
Alderfer, Levi R., 1869-1925
Subjects
Advertisements
Business records
Guest books
Hotels
Search Terms
Advertisements
Business records
Finding aids
Frank A. Reiker's Star Brewery
Guest books
Hotels
Manuscript groups
Washington House
Extent
5 volumes, 2 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0448
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Associated Material
Guestbook, 1901-1902, is at the Caernarvon Historical Society
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Washington House (Churchtown) Records (MG0448), Book #, 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-448
Classification
MG0448
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Added to database 9 March 2022.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Opportunity Housing, Inc. Records
Title
Opportunity Housing, Inc. Records
Object ID
MG0464
Date Range
1965-1976
  1 document  
Collection
Opportunity Housing, Inc. Records
Title
Opportunity Housing, Inc. Records
Description
The Opportunity Housing, Inc. Records contain the by-laws and articles of incorporation, board meeting minutes, correspondence, bonds, deeds and shareholder certificates.
Admin/Biographical History
Opportunity Housing, Inc. was incorporated in 1965 during the country-wide Civil Rights movement. The volunteer organization's purpose was "to engage generally in the real estate business" and their goal was to help African-Americans and other minorities find housing in a racially segregated Lancaster and to encourage integration throughout the community. Opportunity Housing, Inc. purchased and/or managed properties at 726 First Street, 632 North Queen Street, and 146 East Lemon Street with apartments that could be rented.
Date Range
1965-1976
Year Range From
1965
Year Range To
1976
Date of Accumulation
1965-1976
Creator
Neuhauser, Robert
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 11
Subjects
Business records
Housing
Letters
Minorities--Housing
Minutes (Records)
Mortgages
Search Terms
Business records
Correspondence
Finding aids
Housing
Letters
Manuscript groups
Minutes
Mortgages
Opportunity Housing, Inc.
Extent
1 box, 11 folders, .25 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0464
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Opportunity Housing, Inc. Records (MG0464), 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
2008.MG0464
Other Numbers
MG-464
Classification
MG0464
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by CL, January-February 2012. Added to database 9 March 2022.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
United Steel Workers Union, Local 285, Records
Title
United Steel Workers Union, Local 285, Records
Object ID
MG0514
Date Range
1934-1990
  1 document  
Collection
United Steel Workers Union, Local 285, Records
Title
United Steel Workers Union, Local 285, Records
Description
The United Steel Workers Union, Local 285, Records contain minutes of union meetings, negotiations with Armstrong Cork Company and Kerr Group, Inc., publications of Local 285 and Armstrong, correspondence with national union representatives, union flyers and other documents related to labor issues and strikes at Armstrong.
Date Range
1934-1990
Year Range From
1934
Year Range To
1990
Date of Accumulation
1934-1990
Creator
United Steelworkers of America. Local 285 (Lancaster, Pa.)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 11
Subjects
Business records
Labor unions
Labor unions--Records and correspondence
Letters
Minutes (Records)
Newsletters
United Steelworkers of America. Local 285 (Lancaster, Pa.)
Search Terms
Armstrong Cork Company
Business records
Correspondence
Finding aids
Kerr Group, Inc.
Labor unions
Letters
Manuscript groups
Minutes
Newsletters
United Steel Workers Union, Local 285
Extent
8 boxes, 206 folders, 6 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0514
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
Armstrong World Industries Collection (MG0032)
Kerr Group, Inc. and Armstrong Cork Company Architectural Drawings, 1916-1992 (MG0372)
Photograph Collection
Notes
This finding aid is a box list showing folder titles in order to make the collection available to researchers. The documents within the folders have not yet been cataloged at the item level. LancasterHistory replaced the folders with acid-free archival folders and retained the original folder titles. The newsletters, Local 285 Spotlight and Floor Plant Journal, were organized and placed in folders.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), United Steel Workers Union, Local 285, Records (MG0514), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
This collection is not fully cataloged, but 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.
Accession Number
2009.MG0514
Other Numbers
MG-514
Classification
MG0514
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Box list prepared by FM, 2010. Added to database 12 March 2022.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Lancaster County Agricultural and Horticultural Society Records
Title
Lancaster County Agricultural and Horticultural Society Records
Object ID
MG0516
Date Range
1877-1879
  1 document  
Collection
Lancaster County Agricultural and Horticultural Society Records
Title
Lancaster County Agricultural and Horticultural Society Records
Description
This collection contains minute books and the library catalog for the Lancaster County Agricultural and Horticultural Society.
Admin/Biographical History
The Lancaster County Agricultural and Horticultural Society was organized in 1867. Presiding officers in the first 16 years were L. S. Reist, H. M. Engle, Johnston Miller, Calvin Cooper, Joseph F. Whitmer, and Henry G. Rush. (Ellis & Evans, History of Lancaster County, pp. 353-354)
Date Range
1877-1879
Year Range From
1877
Year Range To
1879
Date of Accumulation
1877-1879
Creator
Lancaster County Agricultural and Horticultural Society (Pa.)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 11
Subjects
Associations, institutions, etc.
Business records
Library catalogs
Minutes (Records)
Search Terms
Associations, institutions, etc.
Business records
Finding aids
Lancaster County Agricultural and Horticultural Society
Library catalogs
Manuscript groups
Minutes
Extent
1 box, 3 volumes, .25 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0516
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Lancaster County Agricultural and Horticultural Society Records (MG0516), 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-516
Classification
MG0516
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Added to database 12 March 2022.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Lancaster County Bible Society Records
Title
Lancaster County Bible Society Records
Object ID
MG0517
Date Range
1822-1921
  1 document  
Collection
Lancaster County Bible Society Records
Title
Lancaster County Bible Society Records
Description
This collection contains records of the Lancaster County Bible Society, including minute books, an account book, and ephemera.
Admin/Biographical History
This organization was also known as the Auxiliary Bible Society of Lancaster County and the Lancaster City Bible Society.
Date Range
1822-1921
Year Range From
1822
Year Range To
1921
Date of Accumulation
1822-1921
Creator
Lancaster County Bible Society (Pa.)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 11
Subjects
Account books
Associations, institutions, etc.
Business records
Minutes (Records)
Search Terms
Associations, institutions, etc.
Auxiliary Bible Society of Lancaster County
Business records
Finding aids
Lancaster City Bible Society
Lancaster County Bible Society
Manuscript groups
Minutes
Extent
1 box, 6 folders, .5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0517
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Lancaster County Bible Society (MG0517), 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-517
Classification
MG0517
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
These volumes were transferred from MG-266 Daybook and Ledger Collection, Series 1 on 3 March 2009. Added to database 12 March 2022.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Farmers' Southern Market House Company Records
Title
Farmers' Southern Market House Company Records
Object ID
MG0534
Date Range
1887-1935
  1 document  
Collection
Farmers' Southern Market House Company Records
Title
Farmers' Southern Market House Company Records
Description
This collection contains a minute book, petition, charter, and contract for the Farmers' Southern Market House Company in Lancaster.
Date Range
1887-1935
Year Range From
1887
Year Range To
1935
Date of Accumulation
1887-1935
Creator
Farmers' Southern Market House Company (Lancaster, Pa.)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 11
Subjects
Business records
Charters
Contracts
Farmers' markets
Minutes (Records)
Search Terms
Business records
Charters
Contacts
Farmers' markets
Farmers' Southern Market House
Farmers' Southern Market House Company
Finding aids
Manuscript groups
Minutes
Extent
1 box, 2 folders, .25 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0534
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Farmers' Southern Market House Company Records (MG0534), 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. There is no fee for publication.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Accession Number
1959.MG0534
Other Numbers
MG-534
Classification
MG0534
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
These volumes were transferred from MG0266, Daybook and Ledger Collection, Series 5 Municipal Records on 18 March 2009. Added to database 12 March 2022.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Dodge Family Papers
Title
Dodge Family Papers
Object ID
MG0836
Date Range
1879-2003
Collection
Dodge Family Papers
Title
Dodge Family Papers
Description
The Dodge Family Papers collection consists of materials related to the Dodge family and their various business and personal concerns. The contents of the collection include a variety of materials, including personal papers, historical memorabilia, objects, ledgers, albums, patents, and Safety Buggy Company records.
Box 1
Legal papers, Richard K. Dodge (1914-1996) & Nancy Howle Dodge (1918-2003)
Box 2
Papers of Byron G. Dodge
Box 3
Box 4
Papers of Byron G. Dodge & Arthur B. Dodge, Sr.
Box 5
Papers of the Dodge Cork Company
Box 6
Box 7
Objects Produced by and for the Dodge Cork Company
Box 8
Plaque and Account Books, G.W. Dodge & Sons, Byron G. Dodge
Box 9
Account Books and Ledgers: The Safety Buggy Company and Dodge Cork Company
Date Range
1879-2003
Creation Date
1879-2003
Year Range From
1879
Year Range To
2003
Creator
Dodge, Clifford H.
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 19
People
Dodge, Arthur Byron, Sr.
Dodge, Byron Griswold
Dodge, George Washington
Dodge, Nancy Howle
Dodge, Richard Keller
Subjects
Business records
Search Terms
Business records
Cork
Dodge Cork Company
G. W. Dodge and Sons
Manuscript groups
Safety Buggy Company
Extent
9 boxes
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0836
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please contact Research Staff or Archives Staff with questions.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Accession Number
2021.019
Other Numbers
MG0836
Description Level
Fonds
Less detail
Collection
William McCaskey Civil War Papers
Title
William McCaskey Civil War Letters
Object ID
MG0355
Date Range
1862-1865
  1 document  
Collection
William McCaskey Civil War Papers
Title
William McCaskey Civil War Letters
Description
The William McCaskey Civil War Papers contain letters written by William Spencer McCaskey to his brother, Jack and sister-in-law, Ellen during his service in the U.S. Army during the Civil War. In most letters, he writes about politics, life in camp, members of his unit, their brothers, and the campaigns in Georgia and South Carolina with General Sherman. Related biographical data and images are among the contents of this collection.
Admin/Biographical History
William Spencer McCaskey was born near Paradise, Lancaster County, in 1843. The family moved to Lancaster in 1855, where William received his education in public schools. And in 1859, he began an apprenticeship at the printing office of the Examiner, where he worked until the outbreak of the Civil War.
Just days after Fort Sumter was fired upon in April 1861, William joined the army and served with Company F of the 1st Pennsylvania Infantry until he mustered out in July. He joined Company B of the 79th Pennsylvania Regiment as 1st Sergeant in September of that year; this company of Lancastrians served under Col. Henry A. Hambright and Lt. Col. David Miles. They engaged in battles in Kentucky and Tennessee before they returned to Lancaster in 1864 and re-enlisted. Company B joined Gen. Sherman's army in May 1864. As they moved through Georgia and South Carolina in Sherman's March to the Sea, William wrote about the campaign, the residents, and affects that the Union Army's actions had on the South.
Capt. McCaskey mustered out in July 1865, and in spite of the many objections he had voiced about army life, he re-enlisted in 1866 after receiving a recommendation of the commission of second lieutenant from Thaddeus Stevens. William commanded troops throughout his career on the frontiers of Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Texas, and Missouri and also during the Spanish-American War in Cuba and the Philippines. He retired at the rank of Major General in October 1907.
John Piersol "Jack" McCaskey is better known to Lancastrians as J. P. McCaskey, a teacher and publisher. He began teaching at the Boys' High School in Lancaster in 1855, accepted the position of principal in 1865, and later became superintendent. Jack married Ellen Margaret Chase in 1860.
Date Range
1862-1865
Year Range From
1862
Year Range To
1865
Date of Accumulation
1862-1865
Creator
McCaskey, William Spencer, 1843-1914
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 09
People
Brown, Daniel
Brown, Mrs.
Hambright, Henry Augustus
Johnston, Joseph E.
Kaufman, Innis
Locher, Michael H.
McBride, John S.
McCaskey, Cyrus Davis "Cye"
McCaskey, Ellen Margaret Chase "Ellie"
McCaskey, John
McCaskey, John Piersol "Jack"
McCaskey, Joseph
McCaskey, Walter
McCaskey, William Spencer
Miles, David
Riley, George
Riley, George, Mrs.
Sherman, William Tecumseh
Stevens, Thaddeus
Subjects
Letters
Personal correspondence
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
United States. Army. Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, 79th (1861-1865). Company B
Wounds and injuries
Search Terms
Alexandria, Virginia
Atlanta, Georgia
Camp McCloud, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Civil War
Correspondence
Correspondence, Personal
Finding aids
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Letters
Louisville, Kentucky
Manuscript groups
Martha's Vineyard, North Carolina
Milledgeville, Georgia
Moorsville, North Carolina
Nashville, Tennessee
Richmond, Virginia
Savannah, Georgia
Washington, DC
Extent
1 box, 6 folders, .25 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0355
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available.
The original letters in Folders 2 and 3 may not be used. Transcriptions have been provided in Folder 1 for patron use.
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-355
Classification
MG0355
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Added to database 14 January 2021.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series D-61 Civil War, 1861
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesD-61
Date Range
1861
Collection
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers
Title
General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series D-61 Civil War, 1861
Description
The General Thomas Welsh Family Papers, Series D-61 contains fifteen documents from 1861. The series consists of letters written by Thomas Welsh to his wife and children describing his experiences as an officer in the Union Army. The series also includes letters written by Welsh's wife and children describing events at home in Columbia. The letters show Welsh to be a devoted husband and father and his family to miss him very much. Welsh raised and organized the first company of volunteers from Lancaster County. The regiment served most of its 90-day enlistment in the Shenandoah Valley from where many of the letters were written. The series also includes a pass for Camp Curtin, Dauphin County where Welsh served as Commandant and a letter from Otter Island, South Carolina where Welsh later served as a Colonel in the 45th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
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
1861
Creation Date
1861
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
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Letters
Personal correspondence
Search Terms
Civil War
Letters
Correspondence, Personal
Extent
16 folders
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Condition
Fair to good
Parent Object ID
MG0828
Object ID
MG0828_SeriesD-61
Notes
Added to PP 12/23/2020 by HST
Provenance:
Most 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.
MG0828_SeriesD-61_F15 is a transcription provided by Dennis Buttacavoli via email. The original is presumed by donor to be in his possession.
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Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Classification
MG0828
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Cataloged by Richard C. Wiggin prior to donation.
Less detail

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