Appraisements of real estate for inheritance tax. Some personal property appraisals are also included. Appraisals include: name of decedent; location and description of real estate; description of personal property; valuation of real estate and personal property; and assessed tax. May also include names of heirs. Arranged chronologically by year, then alphabetically by first letter of decedent's last name. Handwritten; from 1886, handwritten on printed forms.
System of Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year, then alphabetically by first letter of decedent's last name.
The Paul A. Mueller, Jr. Collection contains a deed for property in Lancaster Borough, an early collection of recipes, a receipt book for the Hamilton Lots, a valentine, stock certificate books for the New Process Steel Corporation, and Civil War letters. The Honorable Paul A. Mueller, Jr. is a descendant of the Zahm, Shreiner, and Cochran families on his mother's side. The items in this collection were passed down through the family for several generations.
Admin/Biographical History
Klein, Huffnagle, and Mussertown
The deed shows the sale of property in Mussertown by innkeepers Leonard and Rosina Klein to Peter Huffnagle. Leonard (1725-1793) married Amalia Rosina Waidlin (1732-1795) at Warwick, Lancaster County in December 1749. At that time he was a saddler in Lancaster. Although they did not have children, they were sponsors at several baptisms at the Moravian Church and Trinity Lutheran Church, both in Lancaster. Peter Huffnagle (1746-1806) and his wife, Charlotte, had their children baptized at the First Reformed Church in Lancaster. They were also buried in that churchyard. Mussertown was laid out in 1760 by John Musser, and was later added onto by Henry Musser. Its original boundaries were the streets now called Church, Strawberry, Locust, and Rockland.
Hamilton Lots
In 1730, Andrew Hamilton, a skilled lawyer, purchased a tract of land in the newly incorporated Lancaster County and convinced the commissioners to place the county seat within his holdings. Queen Street and King Street run through that tract. James Hamilton (1710-1783) acquired 500 acres of land from his father in 1734, and started selling lots by 1735. Although Hamilton sold the lots, he imposed ground-rents so tenants had to pay for the right to occupy and improve the land that they owned. Tenants were also required to build dwellings on their property within two years and to meet certain building specifications. He continued to acquire and sell lots until 1773. Ground-rents were still being collected on the Hamilton Lots after World War II.
Zahm and Shreiner
Godfried Zahm was a brushmaker in Lancaster. His son, Michael (d.1883), learned the brushmaking business from his father and then learned the watchmaking and jewelry business from his brother-in-law, Martin Shreiner, Jr. (1767-1866). Godfried's daughter, Maria, married Martin Shreiner who is best remembered as a Lancaster clockmaker. Maria kept a trimming shop on North Queen Street in Lancaster.
Cochran and New Process Steel Corporation
Harry B. Cochran, great-grandfather of Paul A. Mueller, Jr., was the president of New Process Steel Corporation in 1916. New Process Steel Co. began as New Process Steel Wire Manufacturing Co. and was renamed in 1907. This manufacturer of drill rods and special steel shapes became a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation in 1919. It is significant that Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. owned stock in the New Process Steel Corporation in 1916. Sloan was president of Hyatt Roller Bearing Company when it merged with the United Motors Corporation in 1916. He then became president of United Motors which merged with General Motors Corporation in 1918. Sloan was president and CEO of General Motors from 1923-1946.
Shand, William and Dean Keller. 1965. "Twentieth Century Industrial Development of Lancaster." Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society 69: 151-162.
Wood, Stacy B. C. 1994. "Martin Shreiner: from Clocks to Fire Engines." Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society 96: 114-137.
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Paul A. Mueller, Jr. Collection (MG0360), 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-360
Other Number
MG-360
Classification
MG0360
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Folders 1-9 cataloged in 2005. Folder 10 cataloged in 2009. Added to database 7 September 2017.
This collection contains Thomas Baker's three surveying books which document land and property ownership in southern Lancaster County, primarily Colerain Township from 1856-1902. Octorara Creek, Kirkwood, Christiana and Upper Oxford Twp. are among the place names.
Admin/Biographical History
Thomas Baker traces his ancestry back to Sir Richard Baker (1568), born in the county of Kent, England. In 1685, seven generations before Thomas Baker was born, Joseph Baker immigrated to Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Born in Chatham, Chester County to Lewis and Diana Baker, Thomas was well-educated; a teacher until 1840, when he commenced the study of surveying. Land surveying is the location of points on, above and below the surface of the earth and the relation of those points to a common reference system. Employed at Jonathon Goss, at Unionville Academy in Chester, he surveyed over 650 farms in Lancaster County's Colerain Township. He married in 1855; his family adhering to his Quaker faith. The Biographical Annals in Lancaster, published in 1903, describes Baker as "…a man esteemed by his neighbors for his many good qualities and excellent character, and in disposition he is a man of warm heart and kindly feeling."
Account Book of Robert Baldwin,Salisbury Township with reference to Waterloo, Salisbury Township in the second pagination.
NOTE: This is a combination Account and Day Book. The first part is an account book and the back part is a day book.
Contains 249 leaves plus an 22 page index. Covers are marbleized inside. The 1st leaf has accounting information written on it and the second leaf is blank. There are 2 separate paginations: The front pagination (pp. 1-390) is a listing of accounts of various customers. The back pagination (pp. 1-112 + 3 additional leaves and the first 2 leaves are p. 1) is a day book of daily transactions.
Book references to cash paid on accounts, purchase of sundries, whisky, tobacco, butter, Cheese, apples, beef, bacon, wool, calico, leather, cattle, coffee, fur hat, molasses, etc.
Three newspaper articles are glued to front leaves 2 and 3: Recipes for Raspberry Syrup, Blackberry Syrup, Current wine, White Wine, Elder Wine, Black Current Wine and Current Jelly; Acceptance letters of July 1850 Whig Candidates from Bucks County, and Selins Grove (sic), and Washington, Pa.
Insert 1 - Blue donor card.
Insert 2 - Four pieces of paper that were inserted between pages with miscellaneous writing, one with Robt. Baldwin signature, one with reference to William Ross and one with name Mr. Thomas.
Admin/Biographical History
From: Donor Card and Salisbury website
Robert Baldwin (1805-1888)
1827 - Robert Baldwin, school teacher came to Cains to reside at The Bull's Head.
1830 - Robert Baldwin and John Cains opened a store in Cains.
1843 - Robert Baldwin built his store and home on the corner of Cains Road and the Old Philadelphia Pike.
1849 - Robert Baldwin was elected to the State Legislature.
Book covers are worn, have red rot but are intact; two index tabs P-Q and R-S are missing. Pages have foxing. 15 leaves have been cut out or torn out: (pp. 4-5), (pp.18-27) and (pp.84-105).
The front third leaf is unattached.
Object ID
MG0963_F002
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
Original documents may be used by appointment--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection items may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Signers of petition: John [Kimersby], Samuel Shroy Jr., Robert Tomlinson, Benjamin Althouse, Samuel Martin, Eli Althouse, Samuel Ranck, William G. Bitzer, John S. Landis, Christian John, John Deickley, Abraham Landis.
Receipt to keep a tavern.
3 items, 3 pieces
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
Signers of petition: Isaac Messner, Andrew Shimp, Isaac Bicher, Michael Martin, Jacob Kern, David McCohn, John Youndt, Peter Martin, Joseph Oberholzer, John Miller, Isaac Weaver, John McCohn, Richard Davis, David Bixler.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
Located on the road leading form Messner's tavern to Hahnstown.
April term.
Signers of petition: Peter Martin, Samuel Fanckhouser, Jacob Fanckhouser, Jacob [Kern], Jonas Leinbach, Isaac Weaver, J. B. Good, Michael Martin, David Bixler, George Martin, Richard Davis, John Brusman, Joseph Oberholzer.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
Signers of Petition: Peter Martin, Jacob [Fanckhouzer], Richard Davis, Samuel Martin, Samuel Franckhouser, John McColm, Isaac Frey, [J. F. Miller], R. N. Davis, David Bixler, [signature in German], John Miller, Jacob Colden, Jacob Kerns, Henry Mayer, William [Gehlabach], George Martin.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.