Ask Joan: Postal mail edition
In general, I ask everyone submitting Ask Joan questions to submit them via email. It’s mostly done to make sure everyone’s question gets filed and answered; also, it helps me more promptly respond to timely questions. But I realize that isn’t an option for everyone, so when letters come in via postal mail, I’m glad to see if we can’t answer those as well. That’s where all of today’s questions are from, and they’re great ones!
What’s inside
1. Seeking Mt. Pleasant Cemetery information
2. Clarifying about those celebratory arches
3. Looking for Anstine’s Hotel details
1. I have a relative who died in 1857 and was buried in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery (Mt. Pleasant was later renamed Strinestown). Can anyone tell me the location of this cemetery or give me any other information concerning it they may have?
– Nelson Hollerbush
When I read Nelson’s letter, I immediately thought of one person: Blake Stough! You guys know Blake; he’s a frequent commenter and a member of our Yorkblog network with his awesome blog Preserving York, and most relevant to this question, he’s a pretty noted expert on a lot of local cemetery history. Blake is looking in to this and promises to keep us posted on what he finds out, but in the meantime, does anyone else have any info on this cemetery?
2. I also received in the mail a clarification to this November Ask Joan, in which my husband was asking about the arches seen in an image in this May post. The image, submitted by Dianne Bowders, shows arches that Jim McClure was able to tell us were made from a type of papier-mache over a frame. They were erected to celebrate York County’s sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) in 1899.
I had said they were of York’s sesquicentennial, but as reader Art Hennig of Dallastown noted, I was not totally clear – the celebration marked the sesquicentennial of York County, not the city. My apologies for not making that clearer! I’ve updated our previous posts now to better reflect that for future searches; thank you, Art! (And if you’re interested, read more about the celebration here on the York Town Square blog.)
3. This picture (above) is of a property at the intersection of Windsor Rd. and Freysville Rd. in Windsor Township. I was wondering if you could check if anyone living today knew the history of it. I was born there in 1932. My parents rented it until 1938; I was five. All I can remember is that it was called “Anstine’s Hotel.” I don’t know what Mr. Anstine’s name was, but they called her “Till” or “Tilley Anstine.” I have a lot of memories from back then. One was the township held elections in the basement, facing Windsor Road. My parents are both gone, so I don’t know anyone that would know. The house is empty for several years, and in very poor condition. I’m afraid it will be destroyed before long.
– Ethel M. Keller, Red Lion
Trying to ascertain for myself where this is – and realizing I’ve, in fact, been past this many times – I found this image in Google Street View, showing the building more recently.
If anyone has any details for Ethel, I would be thrilled to pass those on. What I’ve found is some background from Windsor Township’s history page online – that the Freysville area was known to have cigar manufacturing by Daniel Anstine as one of its main businesses; and, that in its early history, Windsor Township had 14 community schools, one of them Anstine’s. That’s where the trail ends for me, though, so any details are greatly appreciated!
Got any questions? Ask Joan using the form at right. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future “Ask Joan” column on this blog. I get a large volume, but I will feature three each week and answer as many as possible!
As of a few months ago someone has moved into the old hotel. From what I understand they are fixing it up. As to it being a family home or restored as a hotel I do not know.
Daniel Anstine (1855-1915) WAS the son of Simon Aquilla Anstine and Elizabeth Smith. At the age of 15, Daniel learned cigar making as a journeyman and became very successful in that business. According to the auction notice of the hotel in 1916, Daniel built his Anstine Hotel in about 1875 at the early age of 20. According to the 1900 Census, Matilda had been married to Daniel for 16 years, which would have made their wedding date some time in 1884 when Tilly was 24 and Daniel 29. This census also states that Tilly was working in Daniel’s cigar business. In April 1884, Daniel filed for a Tavern License for his hotel. However, he must have been unaware that there was a stipulation that no alcohol was to be sold within a certain proximity of a church — and, there were and still are several churches near the Anstine Hotel!
As listed on his death certificate, Daniel Anstine died at the age of 60 on November 18, 1915. Tilly continued to run the hotel until an article in The York Dispatch on March 22, 1935 states, “Held Public Sale — Mrs. Matilda Anstine held public sale of her household furniture and personal effects on Wednesday afternoon at her home in Freysville. There was a large attendance and good prices were realized. P.H. Smith was the auctioneer and the Rev. M.B. Heiland, clerk. At present Mrs. Anstine is living with a family in Dallastown. About a year ago, she presented a tract of woodland on the Freysville-Chestnut Hill Road to Emmanuel’s Reformed Church. Freysville, which has been improved and fixed up as a picnic ground.”
After the auction, Tilly lived for several years with a distant cousin, Artemus and his wife, Esther (Gladfelter) Stine at 443 E. Main Street in Dallastown until she died of heart disease on December 31, 1943 at the age of 83. Daniel and Tilly are buried in Freysville Cemetery. They had no children.
Article compiled by Anne Tempera, – Anstine Family Historian — Cousin of Daniel & Matilda Anstine