I am doing research for an article I’m writing on the prolific York County Fraktur artist Daniel Peterman, who did the certificate above. So far I have recorded 79 examples of his work. His hand-down Taufscheine (Birth and Baptismal Certificates) cover six decades of the 19th century, from the 18-teens
William Gibson came from a talented York family. His great-grandfather, Dr. David Jameson, was a colonel during Revolutionary times. Grandfather Horatio Gates Jameson was a distinguished physician and surgeon. Mother Elizabeth Jameson was said to be one of the two most beautiful women in Baltimore when the family lived there.
Probably Site of Sherwood School on 1888 Fowler Map of York My previous two posts were on the Sherwood School, also called Bland’s academy, a boarding school allegedly attended by John Wilkes Booth in the 1850s. Now, for the location: There have been two or three different places on Prospect
Spengler/Spangler house, c. 1904 As I promised in my recent post on York and the Lincoln Conspiracy, below is more on the Sherwood School, where John Wilkes Booth was reportedly sent by his family for a time, probably as a teenager. It is said to have been housed in the
Spangler house–reportedly the site of the Sherwood-Bland school There are two that I know of, and they are intertwined. One is Ned (Edmund, Edman, Edward) Spangler, the son of a former York County sheriff, who was the stage carpenter accused of trying to help John Wilkes Booth escape Ford’s Theater.
Daguerreotype of William Wagner In I recent post on multi-talented Yorker William Wagner, I mentioned that besides being a nationally known engraver and maker of seals, artist, banker, and municipal officer, Wagner was York’s first known resident photographer. In 1845 he advertised his services taking “Daguerreotype Likenesses.” This was only
Sarah Bigler Porter and Benjamin Franklin Porter How would you like to pay your medical bills by trading goods or services? That was a fairly common practice with 19th century country doctors and their patients. For example: In 1882 George W. Riale was credited by Brogue physician Benjamin F. Porter
Was this ledger legally sold? Can you legally buy that document or ledger advertised at a public sale or online auction? More to the point–can it legally be sold? It is sometimes difficult to determine is a document is a public record, which can’t be sold, or a private one,
1903 Atlas of York The Billmeyer and Small Co. was one of the leading railroad car manufacturers in the country from the 1850s until the very early 1900s, building freight and passenger cars. General Jubal Early is said to have threatened to burn the car works during the Confederate occupation
Recently I quoted the notice for the 1858 annual meeting of the York County Horse Thief Detecting Society. Since the by-laws required that all members be present at the meeting, I am listing the names below. Perhaps one of your ancestors was among those charged to go out on “every