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Collection
Willie Siple Collection
Title
The Willie Siple Collection
Object ID
MG0006
Date Range
1935-1962
: Boxers Correspondence Letters Newspaper vendors Blind People with visual disabilities Manuscript groups Finding aids Folder 1 Photographs: Most relate to Willy and his newsstand. One is of Archie Moore, and several of Willy in his boxing stance. Photographs transferred to the Photograph Collection, 3
  1 document  
Collection
Willie Siple Collection
Title
The Willie Siple Collection
Description
The Willie Siple Collection includes photographs, postcards, correspondence, and newspaper clippings about Siple and related to his business and boxing career.
Admin/Biographical History
Wilbur "Willie" Siple (1904-1966) was the operator of Siple's News Stand for many years. He was originally a professional boxer when he was younger, and he had a successful, but short, boxing career. During those six years, Willie fought in 131 exhibitions with 71 wins, 9 losses, 22 draws and 29 KO's. Willie was what was called a "flyweight," weighing only 102 pounds in his heyday. However, Willie's boxing career was cut short after a 1925 automobile accident. Although many people speculated that Willie's loss of his eyesight was because of his boxing career, Willie explained the accident to a local newspaper. According to a sports news article that can be found in the Willie Siple Collection here at LancasterHistory.org, Willie was attempting to fix a car when a car tire exploded in his face, damaging his eyesight beyond repair and blinding him.
However, despite this tragedy, Willie didn't let the accident and blindness take over his life. On September 28, 1935, during the Depression, Willie made a brave move and opened his news stand in the Lancaster City Post Office, and named it Siple's News Stand. Due to an act of Congress, the Rudolph-Sheppard Act of 1935, Willie became "one of the first blind operators to set up shop in Federal Buildings," according to an article in the Willie Siple collection. Willie's news stand featured free news and weather reports, and sold newspapers, magazines, and candy. Rare coins and stamps, a personal passion of Willie's, were also available for purchase. Willie would travel far and wide in order to acquire rare stamps to be sold to stamp collectors. Willie would travel to places like Washington, D.C. Princeton, New Jersey, and Philadelphia in order to buy what were then called "first day issues" of stamps. One newspaper article even calls him a "philatelist," or a stamp expert, much to Willie's surprise. Siple was also extremely passionate about coin collecting, and could identify and appraise coins without needing to see them. Willie also loved to travel, and had even traveled to Canada and all around Pennsylvania with the help of friends.
Willie then became a well-known public figure. He was known for his friendly, talkative personality, and his eye-catching and "loud" shirts. WDAC-FM radio, then a Christian radio station, featured an editorial on Willie, which was subtitled "the personification of good humor." In this editorial, Willie is said to have had a "flamboyant and winning personality," as well as a "belief in man's basic honesty." Despite the fact that Willie was often taken advantage of because of his blindness, and that he "was the victim of an average of $40 worth annually in pilfered stock or dishonest dealings," Willie held on to the belief in the goodness of mankind all his life. This is not to say that Willie was completely dependent on the honesty of his customers. He was able to read dollar bills with his hands, and could tell the difference between each, much to the wonder of skeptical customers, and probably to the dismay of the rare customer who would try and take advantage of him.
Willie became a well-loved figure in the community, and anyone looking through his collection will be able to see just that. Siple was a philanthropist who supported the Tuberculosis Society with the proceeds from sales of Christmas seals (or stamps) for their charity. Willie would also dress up like Santa Claus every year, and would visit infantile paralysis victims. There are also multiple thank-you notes from school classes and the local boys club for his generous gifts of candy.
Many of Willie's friends also willingly helped him with his business, helping him with bookkeeping, driving him to and from work, taking him to lunch, helping take over the stand during lunch, and much more. He called these people his "assistants," and most of them were local business men and women who would take time out of their days to help. These people were unpaid friends, just willing to give Willie a hand. Their kindness, as well as Willie's generosity, show the kinship and kindness in the community that surrounded him in Lancaster city.
written by Elizabeth McIlhenney, 2016
Date Range
1935-1962
Creation Date
1935-1962
Year Range From
1935
Year Range To
1962
Creator
Hauck, Johnny
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
Siple, Wilbur H. "Willie"
Moore, Archie
Subjects
Blind
Boxers (Sports)
Letters
Newspaper vendors
People with visual disabilities
Search Terms
Boxers (Sports)
Correspondence
Finding aids
Letters
Manuscript groups
Newspaper vendors
People with visual disabilities
Extent
1 box, 3 folders, 2 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0006
Related Item Notes
Johnny Hauck Collection, MG0063
Photograph Collection
Notes
This material was part of the Johnny Hauck Collection, MG-63. Because of the specific nature of the material, it was extracted to create a separate manuscript group.
Photographs transferred to the Photograph Collection, 3 November 2017.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-6
Classification
MG0006
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
This material was part of the Johnny Hauck Collection, MG-63. Because of the specific nature of the material, it was extracted to create a separate manuscript group.
Cataloged prior to July 1997; added to database 8 February 2018.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Pageant Collection
Title
Pageant Collection (MG-0014)
Object ID
MG0014
Date Range
1926-1977
  1 document  
Collection
Pageant Collection
Title
Pageant Collection (MG-0014)
Description
Collection contains material pertaining to pageants, festivals, and celebrations in Lancaster County. The majority of the collection pertains to the "Pageant of Liberty," celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence (1776-1926), and the "Pageant of Gratitude," commemorating the 200th anniversary of the formation of Lancaster County (1729-1929). Included are scripts, minutes, programs, invitations, correspondence, financial records, tickets, photographs, blueprints, and sheet music.
System of Arrangement
Organized by pageant:
Box 1, Pageant of Liberty
Box 2, Pageant of Gratitude
Box 3, Other Pageants
Date Range
1926-1977
Year Range From
1926
Year Range To
1977
Date of Accumulation
1926-1977
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
Bruder, Edward
Burrell, Percy J.
Groff, John M.
Kready, Laura F.
Metzger, T. Warren
Musser, Frank
Seltzer, Richard
Thorbach, H. Clifton
Subjects
Business records
Letters
Pageants
Search Terms
Correspondence
Finding aids
Letters
Manuscript groups
Minutes
Pageant of Gratitude
Pageant of Liberty
Pageants
Scripts
Sheet music
Extent
3 boxes, 32 folders, 1.5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0014
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
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-14
Classification
MG0014
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
This collection was cataloged prior to 1997; added to database 8 February 2018.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection
Title
John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection
Object ID
MG0019
Date Range
1850-1993
September 1955. Insert 7 Letter from Robert C. Batchelder of Saint James’ Church to John Andrews commenting on the paper he wrote on John Wise. Invitation to the Lancaster Public Library. 2-21 April 1956. �230 North President Avenue • Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603-3125 717.392.4633
  1 document  
Collection
John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection
Title
John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection
Description
The John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection contains material about John Wise, a pioneering balloonist from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and the history of ballooning. Articles written by and about John Wise provide information about the man and his career. The bulk of Series 1 is correspondence, research notes, and drafts of "The John Wise Story," by John H. Andrews. Series 2 contains material about the ballooning hobby, other early aircraft, and the history of air mail.
Admin/Biographical History
As an adventurous and inquisitive young boy, John Wise was drawn to the skies above his native Lancaster County. He was fascinated by aerial pursuits and began to conduct experiments. He tied his cat to his homemade parachute and observed the cat's safe descent from a local church steeple.
A keen interest in ballooning developed and Wise became a famous aeronaut. Although balloon ascensions were common at county fairs and carnivals he had never observed an ascension before he made his first one in Philadelphia in 1835. John Wise completed 462 balloon ascensions including Lancaster ascensions from Penn Square and the prison yard.
In the nineteenth century many ascensions were made just for the novelty of the event, but John Wise's approach was from a scientific perspective. Each ascension gave him a chance to conduct scientific investigations of the atmosphere, pneumatics and hydrostatics.
It also gave him the opportunity to develop a more advanced flying machine. Wise was the first to observe the "great river of air which always blows from west to east" in the higher regions of the atmosphere. Today we call this phenomenon the jet stream. He also developed the ripcord safety mechanism.
John Wise promoted the advantages of balloon transportation. In 1843 he conceived a project for crossing the Atlantic Ocean and asked Congress to appropriate $15,000 for the project. Congress rejected the appropriation. Wise suggested a plan to bomb the Castle at Vera Cruz during the Mexican War and during the Civil War the Bureau of Topographical Engineers requested his services as a balloonist. He is credited with the first airmail transportation in 1859.
Detailed descriptions of his ascensions and experiments are found in his book, Through the Air, published in 1873. The last ascent of John Wise took place on September 29, 1879 from St. Louis, Missouri. This flight ended disastrously in Lake Michigan where his balloon fell and his remains lie.
Prepared by the Lancaster County Historical Society, ca. 1995.
System of Arrangement
This collection is arranged into two series.
Series 1 John Wise
Series 2 History of Ballooning
Date Range
1850-1993
Creation Date
1850-1993
Year Range From
1850
Year Range To
1993
Date of Accumulation
1850-1993
Creator
Andrews, John H.
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
Albertson, Catherine
Andrews, John Henry
Atkinson, S. C.
Bache, Hartman
Ball, Charles I.
Bartlett, Mrs. R. A.
Batchelder, Robert C.
Beckwith, A.
Beller, William
Black, J. W.
Blanchard, Jean Pierre
Blitzstein, Madelin
Bradbury, Ray
Brown, Elizabeth B.
Bruce, George
Burlingame, Roger
Burr, George
Byars, W. W.
Casey, Louis
Cessna, Clyde
Coffman, Ramon
Cornish, Joseph Jenkins, III
Cox, Palmer
Douty, Esther
Douty, Esther M.
Drepperd, Carl W.
Edwards, Vincent
Elvin, Thomas
Evans, William
Field, Francis J.
Fischer, Hans
Fleck, Glen
French, Melvin
Galzer, Emmett J.
Gambetta, Francis Leon
Greeley, A. W.
Grimm, Janet
Gryzewski, Tad
Halmi, Robert
Harrell, D. Tudor
Hautrive, M.
Hayden, F. Stansbury
Hopkins, Philip S.
Hunt, E. F.
Ingle, Harold E.
Kehr, Ernest A.
Keith, Barbara
Kessler, F. W.
Klein, Frederic S.
Kouwenhoven, John A.
Kreider, Ira
Kriebel, Robert C.
Kriebel, Robert G.
Lamorisse, Albert
LaPaz, Lincoln
Lindbergh, Charles
Lindquist, H. L.
Long, Elmer R.
Lundgren, Laura May Gross
Madsen, Peter
Maier, Alfred D.
Maxwell, George T.
McCloskey, Lores
McDevitt, William
Mills, James
Myers, Wilfred
Naves, Glen W.
Nicklin, John
Pasquarella, Gus
Peers, W.
Prevost, John W.
Roland, John
Rosenfeld, Albert
Sanabria, Nicolas
Schatvet, H. C.
Serviss, Garrett P.
Smith, Philip R., Jr.
Stehling, Kurt R
Steinmetz, Rollin
Stilphen, George F.
Taylor, Florence
Thompson, Howard
Topping, A.D.
Waitt, Robert
Warner, B. H.
Watson, Marion A.
Wetherill, Richard B.
Whipple, A. W.
Wilbur, W. H.
Wise, John
Wiseman, Frederick J.
Wolcott, Charles
Wolf, Constance
Woodruff, J. C.
Wright, Wilbur
Young, Pearl
Other Creators
Lancaster County Historical Society (Pa.)
Subjects
Hot air balloons
Hot air balloons--Launching
Airships
Aeronautics
Letters
Air mail service
Hindenburg (Airship)
Reconnaissance aircraft
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Search Terms
Aeronautics
Air mail service
Airships
Aviation
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Finding aids
Hindenburg (Airship)
Hot air balloons
Letters
Manuscript groups
Newspaper clippings
Obituaries
Reconnaissance aircraft
Extent
3 boxes, 40 folders, 1 scrapbook, 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0019
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-19
Classification
MG0019
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
This collection was cataloged prior to 1997; added to database on 28 February 2018.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Hubley Collection
Title
Hubley Collection
Object ID
MG0002
Date Range
1741-1864
  1 document  
Collection
Hubley Collection
Title
Hubley Collection
Description
The Hubley Collection contains legal documents, case papers, family and military papers, wills, deeds, bills and receipts, indentures for servants and enslaved persons, correspondence, petitions, and church-related information.
Admin/Biographical History
John Hubley and Joseph Hubley were Lancaster attorneys.
System of Arrangement
The legal papers are arranged chronologically. Case papers are arranged
alphabetically by surname of the plaintiff or defendant. Family papers are grouped by the family member's name and chronologically within that name. Box 6 is arranged chronologically.
Date Range
1741-1864
Year Range From
1741
Year Range To
1864
Date of Accumulation
1741-1864
Creator
Hubley family
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 01
People
App, Michael
Barr, John
Deshler, Adam
Ferree, Polly
Foulke, Caleb
Franklin, Thomas
Fromberger, John
Hubley, Adam
Hubley, Frederick
Hubley, George
Hubley, John
Hubley, Joseph
Hubley, Michael
Jones, Owen, Jr.
Lauman, Ludwig
Musser, John
Porter, Andrew
Rieger, Jacob
Rieger, Catherine
Thomas, Adam
Subjects
Court records
Deeds
Depositions
Family records
Indentured servants
Judgments
Law offices
Letters
Promissory notes
Slavery
United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783
Wills
Search Terms
Correspondence
Court records
Deeds
Depositions
Enslaved persons
Family records
Finding aids
Indentured servants
Judgments
Law offices
Letters
Manuscript groups
Military
Promissory notes
Revolutionary War
Slavery
Warder, Parker and Company
Wills
Yeiser & Weaver
Extent
6 boxes, 84 folders, 2.25 cu. ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0002
Related Item Notes
Hubley Family File in the library.
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-2
Classification
MG0002
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Collection was cataloged prior to July 1997; added to database 1 March 2018.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Edward Hand Reunion and Genealogy Collection
Title
Edward Hand Reunion and Genealogy Collection
Object ID
MG0116
Date Range
1805-1984
  1 document  
Collection
Edward Hand Reunion and Genealogy Collection
Title
Edward Hand Reunion and Genealogy Collection
Description
Collection consists largely of information on the descendants of Edward Hand and on the Hand Family Reunion. Contains correspondence, genealogical materials, family charts, photographs, and commemorative booklet 1912, on Lancaster County in the Revolutionary War. Also, three documents concerning the settling of the Hand estate.
Date Range
1805-1984
Year Range From
1805
Year Range To
1984
Date of Accumulation
1805-1984
Creator
Hand family
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Hand, Edward
Lear, Robert H.
Brien, Edward
Brien, Dorothy Hand
Hand, Jasper
Subjects
Genealogy
Family records
Letters
Search Terms
Genealogy
Family records
Family reunions
Rock Ford
Correspondence
Letters
Manuscript groups
Finding aids
Extent
1 box, 27 folders, .5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0116
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Edward Hand Reunion and Genealogy Collection (MG-116), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pa.
Other Numbers
MG-116
Classification
MG0116
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Added to database 1 May 2019.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
F. W. Woolworth Collection
Title
F. W. Woolworth Collection
Object ID
MG0105
Date Range
1904-1979
  1 document  
Collection
F. W. Woolworth Collection
Title
F. W. Woolworth Collection
Description
The F. W. Woolworth Collection contains materials related to the F. W. Woolworth Store, including anniversary booklets, dinner menu, event program, and annual reports.
Admin/Biographical History
The first successful F. W. Woolworth Store opened in Lancaster, PA in July 1879.
Date Range
1904-1979
Year Range From
1904
Year Range To
1979
Date of Accumulation
1904-1979
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Landis, James D.
Woolworth, Frank Winfield
Subjects
Annual reports
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Ephemera
F.W. Woolworth Company
Letters
Menus
Programs (Publications)
Sales catalogs
Variety stores
Search Terms
Annual reports
Catalogs
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Ephemera
F. W. Woolworth Company
Finding aids
Letters
Manuscript groups
Menus
Newspaper clippings
Programs
Stores
Extent
1 box, 4 folders, .2 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0105
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Original documents 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-105
Other Number
MG-105
Classification
MG0105
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Cataloged prior to 1997; added to database 19 February 2019.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
World War I Papers of Thomas, James, and Victor Kegel
Title
World War I Papers of Thomas, James, and Victor Kegel
Object ID
MG0798
Date Range
1917-2014
  1 document  
Collection
World War I Papers of Thomas, James, and Victor Kegel
Title
World War I Papers of Thomas, James, and Victor Kegel
Description
The World War I Papers of Thomas, James, and Victor Kegel collection contains materials written and collected by three brothers who fought during World War I in the 109th Machine Gun Battalion. The collection contains letters written by the brothers to their families while in the service, and some other letters from their loved ones. There are also newspaper articles, literature on the battalion they fought in, post cards, military paperwork, and photographs.
Admin/Biographical History
Thomas Kegel (1895-1958), James Kegel (1891-1927), Victor Kegel (1898-1923) were three brothers who served together in the 109th Machine Gun Battalion during World War I. Their parents were Charles and Mary Rogers Kegel, and they had eleven children. Their family home was on 59 Locust Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They were all drafted in 1917, and were trained in Camp Hancock in Augusta, Georgia. After their extensive training, they were sent to fight in the trenches in France. On separate occasions, each brother was wounded during the war, but they all survived and came home to Lancaster after the war in 1919.
James L. Kegel was born on August 10, 1891. He was a poultry dresser and dealer and was married to Arabella E. Raymond Kegel (1884-1966) on August 27, 1911. They had three children: Charles, James, and Mary Annabelle. James passed away at the age of 35 on February 9, 1927, due to pneumonia.
Thomas Kegel was born on January 18, 1895. He married Veronica R. "Fannie" Karch Kegel. Together, they had four children: Thomas, Helen, Dorn Anne, and John. He was a watchmaker, in addition to other various occupations. By a doctor's recommendation in 1939, Thomas and his family moved to Miami, Florida, due to his injuries and struggles with PTSD. He passed away on February 18, 1958.
Victor A. Kegel was born on March 29, 1898. He was a poultry dresser after coming back to Lancaster from the war in 1919. He was married to Ellen F. Kegel. He passed away on December 26, 1923, due to inflammation of the brain. He was 25 years old.
Date Range
1917-2014
Creation Date
1917-2014
Year Range From
1917
Year Range To
2014
Date of Accumulation
1917-2014
Creator
Kegel, Thomas, 1895-1958
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 15
People
Delmarra, Red
Eickert, Earl
Fillinger, Joe
Grim, George
Heidig, Hen
Hersh, Ted
Kegel, James
Kegel, Thomas
Kegel, Victor
Kimmel, Fred
Metzger, George
Metzger, Harvy
Rodgers, Harry
Seachrist, Harry
Other Creators
Kegel, James, 1891-1927
Kegel, Victor, 1898-1923
Subjects
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Letters
Machine Gun Training Center (Camp Hancock, Ga.)
Photographs
Trench warfare
United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces
World War, 1914-1918
Search Terms
Camp Hancock, Georgia
Correspondence
Finding aids
Letters
Machine Gun Training Center
Manuscript groups
Newspaper clippings
Photographs
Trench warfare
United States Army, American Expeditionary Forces
World War I
WWI
Extent
1 box, 61 folders, 91 items, 281 pages to scan, .5 cubic feet
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Condition
Good
Condition Date
2019-03-05
Condition Notes
The dosuments in folders 24, 33, and 47 are fragile and require staff supervision.
Object ID
MG0798
Related Item Notes
World War I Collection, 1916-1972, MG-45
World War I Papers for Frank Schober, MG-797
Charles E. Schuler Papers, MG-780
William Barlow Papers, MG-781
William Raymond Elbert Papers, MG-784
Military Records for Charles A. Meisenberger, MG-782
Diary Collection, 1836-1978, MG-247
William J. Buch Papers, 1917-1958, MG-658
Notes
Donation was made possible with the assistance of Charles and Mary Brill.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Restrictions are noted at the item level. The documents in Folders 24, 33, and 47 are fragile and require staff supervision. 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-798
Other Number
MG-798
Classification
MG0798
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by EM, January/February 2019.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Judge Joseph Wissler Collection
Title
Judge Joseph Wissler Collection
Object ID
MG0090
Date Range
1913-1974
  1 document  
Collection
Judge Joseph Wissler Collection
Title
Judge Joseph Wissler Collection
Description
The Judge Joseph Wissler Collection documents his fifty-five year career as a lawyer and judge. He recorded and categorized criminal court cases in a handwritten volume. Two scrapbooks contain his certificate of admittance to the Lancaster County Courts, letters, photographs, and newspaper clippings about criminal cases.
Admin/Biographical History
Joseph Buch Wissler was born in Clay Township, Lancaster County on 7 August 1892. Wissler attended Lititz High School and later graduated from Franklin and Marshall College. He earned his law degree from Harvard University. Wissler became a member of the Lancaster Bar Association, of which he was president in 1964 and 1965. He returned to practicing law as a local attorney after holding the position of District Attorney of Pennsylvania from 1924 to 1928. In 1941, Wissler was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and served in that position for twenty-nine years. Judge Wissler served in the law profession for over fifty-five years. Phi Beta Kappa of Franklin and Marshall College made Judge Wissler an honorary member in 1950 and the college presented him with an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1952. He was also a member of the Lancaster Tucquan Club from 1949 to 1969.
Date Range
1913-1974
Year Range From
1913
Year Range To
1974
Date of Accumulation
1913-1974
Creator
Wissler, Joseph Buch, 1892-1983
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Wissler, Joseph Buch
Gibbs, Edward Lester
Subjects
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Criminal courts
Judges
Lawyers
Letters
Murder
Scrapbooks
Trials
Trials (Murder)
Search Terms
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Criminal courts
Finding aids
Judges
Lawyers
Letters
Manuscript groups
Murder
Newspaper clippings
Scrapbooks
Trials
Trials (Murder)
Extent
2 boxes, 1 handwritten volume, 2 scrapbooks, 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0090
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Related Item Notes
Portrait of Judge Joseph B. Wissler, by Florence Starr Taylor, 2003.408
Photograph Collection
Commonwealth vs. Edward L. Gibbs, 1950-1951, MG0476
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-90
Classification
MG0090
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Collection was cataloged prior to 1997. Added to database 22 January 2019.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Hager Store Collection
Title
Hager Store Collection
Object ID
MG0104
Date Range
1774-1953
the: Hamilton Watch Company, PA Railroad Co., Lancaster Agricultural Fair Association, Philadelphia Electric Company, and United Gas Improvement Company. 19 Sept. 1947. Insert 2 Letter about Gas Improvement Company Stock. 1 Oct 1948. Insert 3 Empty Envelope. 1948. Insert 4 Letters about different
  1 document  
Collection
Hager Store Collection
Title
Hager Store Collection
Description
The Hager Store Collection contains anniversary booklets, invoices, advertisements, family papers, and newsletter of the Hager Department Store which was founded in Lancaster. The collection includes a children's book that was distributed by the store and a Christmas catalog. Among the Hager family papers are deeds, land patents, and probate records.
Date Range
1774-1953
Year Range From
1774
Year Range To
1953
Date of Accumulation
1774-1953
Creator
LancasterHistory (Organization)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 03
People
Arnold, Anna
Arnold, Frank W.
Cain, James M.
Cain, Kathryn
Conyngham, David H.
Dehaven, J. Harry
Demuth, Jacob
Diller, Isaac
Dowd, M. Jane
Dubbs, T. Wilson
Frey, Caroline
Frey, Jacob L.
Frosart, John
Gast, Emma L.
Gast, Henry
Graybill, Daniel
Hager, Anne Graham
Hager, Betty Rick
Hager, Charles F.
Hager, Christopher
Hager, Edward T.
Hager, Frances
Hager, Helen R.
Hager, John C.
Hager, John C., Jr.
Hager, John J.
Hager, Katherine
Hager, Margaret H.
Hager, Mary W.
Hager, Nathaniel E.
Hager, Redmond
Hager, Sarah Ellen
Hager, Susan B.
Hager, William H.
Hager, William H., Jr.
Hamilton, Margaret
Hartman, Annie M.
Hartman, George H.
Herr, Alice
Herr, C. S.
Herr, Magdalena
Herr, Rudolph
Hull, William
Keller, H.
Landis, Jacob
Lefevre, Mrs.
Miller, Charles
Randolph, Grace Lee
Randolph, John H.
Randolph, Margaret H.
Reigart, E. L.
Roy, Sue
Slaymaker, Henry
Stark, Martin N.
Steinman, George Michael
Stewart, Charles
Weber, George
Wentz, Jacob H.
Zimmerman, Mary Regina Malone
Zimmerman, Simon Ralph
Subjects
Catalogs
Deeds
Department stores
Probate records
Stores, Retail
Search Terms
Advertisements
Anniversaries
Business Historical Society Bulletin
Catalogs
Deeds
Department stores
Express (Lititz)
Financial records
Finding aids
Frank T. Riley Publishing Company
Fulton Theatre
Hager's Department Store
Hamilton Watch Company
Invoices
Lancaster Agricultural Fair Association
Lancaster Free Press Weekly
Lancaster New Era
Letters
Manuscript groups
Maps
N. Trotter and Company
Newsletters
Newspaper clippings
Pennsylvania Railroad
Philadelphia Electric Company
Postcards
Quarter Century Club
Receipts
Stocks
Stores
Stores, Retail
Taxes
UGI Corporation
Wills
Wondertown
Extent
2 boxes, 37 folders, 1 framed document, 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0104
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-104
Classification
MG0104
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Recataloged by MM, Summer 2011. Added to database 7 February 2019.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Archive of Alice P. Fordney
Title
Archive of Alice P. Fordney
Object ID
HC0001
Date Range
1905-1974
: Archives North, Side 27 Scope and Content Note: This collection contains ephemera related to Alice Potter Fordney, antiques dealer and rugmaker. Items in the collection include business correspondence with Armstrong, F. Schumacher & Co., and the Montclair art museum; personal correspondence with friends
  1 document  
Collection
Archive of Alice P. Fordney
Title
Archive of Alice P. Fordney
Description
This collection contains ephemera related to Alice Potter Fordney, antiques dealer and rugmaker. Items in the collection include business correspondence with Armstrong, F. Schumacher & Co., and the Montclair art museum; personal correspondence with friends and family; hooked rug patterns; and antiques sale flyers from the early 20th century. Also included in the collection are newspaper clippings, including the obituary of Fordney's sister Ellen Franklin; reference material for rug making and interior design (informational sheets, books and patterns); several items related to the Yeates School, which Fordney's brother William Bush Fordney attended; several photographs of unidentified persons; and a statement related to the will of William J. Fordney, her uncle.
Admin/Biographical History
Alice Potter Fordney was born June 21, 1887 in Lancaster, the daughter of Ida Cox and Thomas Potter Fordney. A prominent antique dealer from the late 1920s to her retirement in 1965, Fordney also made and sold hooked rugs.
Fordney's family features prominently in Lancaster County history. Her maternal great-grandfather was John Michael, who owned the historic Grape Hotel from 1805-1839. Fordney's paternal great-grandfather William Jenkins built Wheatland in 1828 and later sold the property to President James Buchanan. Colonel William Bush Fordney, her paternal grandfather, was a prominent lawyer in Lancaster. He served as district attorney from 1839-1845 and negotiated for the loan that enabled Lancaster city to build the "water works" in the 1830s. Sarah Cox, her maternal grandmother, was a known philanthropist and for years helped to manage the Home for Friendless Children in Lancaster. Her sister, Ellen Fordney Franklin, was a "pioneer" in the industry of women's knit suits, opening her first shop in 1929 in Philadelphia.
Fordney never married. She kept in contact with her nieces and nephews, as evidenced by letters in the collection. According to notes provided by Wendell Zercher, Sarah Ellmaker McIlvaine Muench, her niece and the donor of the collection, recalled her as "warm and artistic," and "a character." She died April 17, 1973, at the age of 85.
Works Cited:
"Mrs. Franklin, pioneer of women's knit suits, dies." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], 10 May 1963, p. 2.
"Accident Fatal to Mrs. Sarah A. Cox." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], no date, page unknown.
"Miss Fordney, Antique Dealer, 85, Succumbs." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], 18 April 1973, p. 2.
"One of Lancaster's Most Prominent and Venerable Citizens Passes Away." Daily Intelligencer Journal [Lancaster, PA], 29 July 1889, p. 1.
Date Range
1905-1974
Year Range From
1905
Year Range To
1974
Date of Accumulation
1905-1974
Creator
Fordney, Alice Potter, 1887-1973
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives North
Storage Wall
Side 28
People
Appel, Charles Rengier
Bohlen, Sidney Franklin
Bowman, Mrs. Edward J.
Boyer, R. J.
Brenneman, Mary Rue Bard
Brown, Hazel Dell
Chiarell, Fred P.
Clark, George W.
Daugherty, Harvey P.
Demuth, Charles
Dodge, Arthur B.
Embsweiler, Ruth
Erb, Edna
Fordney, Alice Potter
Fordney, William Bush Jr.
Fordney, William Jenkins
Franklin, Ellen Julia Fordney
Gibbons, Alice McIlvaine
Gilbert, L. J.
Gingrich, Milton E.
Graybill, John M.
Griest, Charles J.
Higby, Everett
Hostetter, A. K.
Howe, John
Irvine, Blanche
Kent, William Winthrop
Knodle, Edward
Krone, Herbert B.
Lindenmuth, J. D.
Long, Yvonne
Maclay, Helen Hurley
Malone, Clarence
Morris, Charles R.
Morris, Grace M.
Nauman, Gertrude Colson
Orr, Barclay
Pennypacker, Charles A.
Pennypacker, James G.
Randall, Meda
Rannels, Paul
Stokes, Agnes M.
Strickler, Belle
Wolf, Emily
Other Creators
Muench, Sarah Ellmaker McIlvaine, d. 2006
Subjects
American newspapers--Sections, columns, etc.--Women
Antique dealers
Armstrong Cork Company
Armstrong World Industries
F. Schumacher & Co.
Farm Journal Media
House & Garden
Interior decoration
Letters
Montclair Art Museum
Patterns for crafts
Rugs
Rugs, Hooked
Student newspapers and periodicals
Woman's world magazine
Search Terms
Albert Steiger Company
Antique dealers
Antique sales
Armstrong Cork Company
Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
Berlinwork patterns
Blue and Brown (Yeates School)
Cheney Silks
Cheney Weaves
Christmas
Correspondence
Cricket Club
Dickinson Presbyterian Church
Estate sales
F. Schumacher and Company
Farm Journal Media
Fiber arts
Finding aids
Gilbert's store
Griest Homestead
Guernsey Sales Pavilion
Hager's Department Store
Hershey Fire Hall
Hooked rugs
House & Garden
Interior decoration
Kleinfelter's auction rooms
Letters
Manuscript groups
Montclair Art Museum
Odd Fellows Hall
Olson Rugs
Patterns for crafts
Rossmere Hotel
Rug patterns
Rugs
State Armory Hall
V-mail
Woman's World Magazine
Yeates School
Extent
3 boxes, 37 folders, 333 items, 1,015 pages to scan, 4.5 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
HC0001
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Associated Material
Sarah McIlvaine Muench Family Papers, MS 44 at Archives and Special Collections, Shadek-Fackenthal Library, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA.
Related Item Notes
See photograph collection.
See curatorial collection for examples of rugs.
Fordney Family Diaries (MG0539)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Archive of Alice P. Fordney (HC0001), Box #, Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
The kraft paper patterns in Folders 33-37 are restricted. Please make an appointment with the Director of Archival Services to view these items.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org. Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Accession Number
G.04.23.52
Classification
HC0001
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
From the Heritage Center of Lancaster County collection, G04.23.52.
Processed and finding aid prepared by MJ, June 2018.
Documents
Less detail

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