I noticed Prospect Hill Cemetery has been posting historical information on their Facebook page about notable people from York County’s past who are buried there. Today’s was on Henry Lee Fisher, attorney, historian and Pennsylvania German poet. Fisher is one of my favorites from the past, and I realized I
York attorney Thomas Hambly argued Prigg v. Pennsylvania before the United States Supreme Court.
You never know what fascinating stories you might uncover in the York County History Center files. I never expected to find one on a Soviet spy who allegedly hid from the world in plain sight in the little village of Delroy. (Delroy is in Lower Windsor Township on Route 124,
Arthur Briggs (A.B.) Farquhar is a familiar name in York County history, mostly because of his huge agricultural equipment manufacturing establishment. Son Francis stayed in York, an attorney and businessman. But have you heard of another son, Percival Farquhar (1865-1953)? He also gained enormous success in business, but not on
History is full or “what ifs.” We can only speculate on how a different path could have affected outcomes of important events in our history. We might be familiar with the life of Thaddeus Stevens and his role in Congress as a strong advocate for the Emancipation Proclamation and the
Samuel Bacon (1782-1820) packed a lot into his 38 years. He is described in the History of the York County Academy, as “educator, lawyer, Marine, Episcopal clergyman and missionary.” In 1814, within two years after coming to York to teach at the academy, he married Anna Mary Barnitz, the daughter
York attorney and Pennsylvania German poet Henry Lee Fisher was born on November 3, 1822. Looking through his file today, November 3, 2012, at York County Heritage Trust, I found a unpublished poem he wrote on November 3, 1908 (his 86th birthday) for his young grandson. Since the subject is
After the Civil War ended, the battle often still wasn’t over for the soldiers or their survivors. It wasn’t easy to get the pensions they were due, and they usually had to rely on the assistance of attorneys who could keep up with the changing pension laws. One of the
Richard Rush (1780-1859) served the United States in many important posts at various times, including Secretary of the Treasury, Attorney General, acting Secretary of State, Minister to Great Britain and Minister to France. The Rush-Bagot Convention (treaty) which he negotiated with Great Britain shortly after the War of 1812 is