The Winterthur Library

The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Creator: C. W. Unger

Title: Papers

Dates: 1675-1936, bulk dates 1820-1870

Call No.: Col. 497

Acc. No.: 76x98 [note: not all of acc. 76x98 is included with the Unger papers]

Quantity: 3 boxes

Location: 9 C 5

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

C.W. Unger was a rare book and printed ephemera dealer from Pottsville, Pennsylvania. He became a member of the Pennsylvania German Society in 1935 and was active in researching eastern Pennsylvania German families.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The collection primarily consists of manuscript and printed items documenting several inter-related Pennsylvania German families whose last names were Unger, Martin, Marberger, Albright/Albrecht, Kiefer, Faust, and Kimmel, most of whom lived in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Items such as letters, essays, bills, promissory notes, birth certificates, marriage certificates, indentures, legal documents, bonds, and bank deposit receipts record aspects of their daily lives. A number of documents have to do with the administration of various estates. These include letters of administration, wills, inventories, accounts, appraisals, and broadsides advertising an estate vendue. Several wills were contested in court, and a variety of documents regarding legal proceedings are also present, including subpoenas, notes of trial proceedings, transcriptions of testimony, and a judge's verdict. Other adjudication involved unpaid bills or malicious words and threats, but most concerned land disputes. Finally, there are deeds and land surveys relating to real estate matters.

The collection also includes a diary kept by Anna Weber at the end of her life. She was born on January 16, 1796, to Anna Heatwole and Samuel Weaver (also spelled Weber). She was a Mennonite, never married, was nicknamed Anely, and kept a series of diaries and account books, most of which are in private hands. Anna died September 1, 1876, in the home that she had shared with her sister Magdelena Shirk in Akron, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. There is no known connection between Weber and the rest of the families represented in this collection.

ORGANIZATION

The collection is arranged into eleven series according to family, and when warranted, sub-arranged by family member.

PROVENANCE

Purchased at the Bates sale.

ACCESS POINTS

People:

Weber, Anna, 1796-1876.

Bennetch, John H.

Martin family.

Marberger family.

Albright family.

Albrecht family.

Keefer family.

Faust family.

Kimmel family.

Eisenhower family.

Medler family.

Unger family.

Topics:

Lancaster County Historical Society (Pa.)

Socialist Party (United States).

Pennsylvania Railroad.

Inventories of decedents' estates - Pennsylvania.

Distribution of decedents' estates.

Real property - Cases.

Real property surveys.

Administration of estates.

Surveying - Fees.

Probate records - Pennsylvania.

Decedents' estates - Pennsylvania.

Executors and administrators - Pennsylvania.

Women – Diaries.

Promissory notes.

Court records - Pennsylvania.

Lebanon County (Pa.) – Politics and government.

Deeds.

Wills.

Bills.

Invoices.

Inheritance and succession.

Letters.

Broadsides.

Accounts.

Marriage certificates.

Birth certificates.

Indentures.

Articles of apprenticeship.

Subpoenas.

Diaries.

Copybooks.

Students.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location: 9 C 5

[note: all accession numbers begin with 76x98]

Series I: Unger family

Box 1:

Folder 1a: .1047-.1055 manuscript and typed notes about various people; blank sheet of stationery for C. W. Unger

Folder 1b: .1080 document in German with the names Israel Unger, Philip Jacob, and other names, with the dates 1721 and April 17, 1749. Signed by Unger and bears a red wax seal.

Box 3: [oversize]

Folder 1: .1007 Certificate of membership in the Pennsylvania German Society for C. W. Unger, 1935

Folder 5: .926 Certificate of membership in the Trinity Reformed Church, Pottsville, Pennsylvania, for Samuel Unger, April 5, 1901

Series II: Martin family

Box 1:

Folder 2: .154, .168-.197 papers relating to estate of Alexander Martin, of Lancaster County, Penn., ca.1818-ca.1832

Folder 3: .139-.159, .198-.200, .710-.717 papers relating to the estate of Alexander Martin, ca. 1821-ca.1852, includes copy of his will, an inventory of estate, and papers relating to the sale of property; and a few family letters

Series III: Marberger family

Folder 4: .658-.661 Gabriel Marberger: legal and financial documents, 1807-1821

Folder 5: .681-.709 Simon Marberger: legal and financial documents, ca.1813-ca.1829, includes a document printed in German

Folder 6: .664 Sarah Anna [also written as Sara Ann] Marberger: writing copybook, 1848, West Brunswick Township, Schuylkill [County]

Folder 7: .663, .665 John Marberger: book listing names and dates of birth of members of the Marberger family, in German, 1810-1854; legal document, 1858

Folder 8: .662 Christian Marberger: legal document, 1845

Folder 9: .595 Johann Marberger: certificate of marriage to Sara Albrecht[?], 1810, form printed in German

Folder 10: .669-.680 Samuel Marberger: legal documents,1809, 1840-1845

Series IV: Eisenhower family

Box 1:

Folder 11: .626-.652, .656 John and Albert Eisenhower: plats of land owned by John Eisenhower, 1788 and 1824, legal document, 1812; financial and legal documents of Albert Eisenhower, ca. 1818-1856

Series V: Medler family

Box 1:

Folder 12: .718-.721 financial obligations, 1820-1828

Series VI: Albrecht/Albright family

Box 1:

Folder 13: .608-.611, .613, .621- .622 Anna Maria Albrecht: legal documents, 1802-1822 (some documents in German)

Folder 14: .599-.603, .615, .619, .620 Johan Albrecht (a.k.a. John Albright): legal documents and plats, 1758, ca.1815-ca.1826 (some material in German)

Folder 15: .18, .596-.598, .604-.607, .612, .614, .623-.624 Solomon, George, Peter, Jacob, Abraham, Michael Albrecht/Albright: bills, legal and financial documents, some of which relate to settling estates, ca.1790-1834

Series VII: Kieffer family

Box 1:

Folder 16: .653-.655, .657 legal documents, mostly in German, 1820-1821

Series VIII: Weber family

Box 1:

Folder 17: .1099 Anna Weber: diary, in German, 1875-1876

Series IX: Faust family

Box 1:

Folder 18: .722-.723 Abraham Faust: legal opinion issued by Abraham, 1829; and legal paper relating to him, 1831

Folder 19: .724-.739 Daniel Faust: financial and legal papers, ca.1829-ca.1844

Folder 20: .741-.743 Jacob Faust: land deeds and surveys, 1817, 1841, 1842

Folder 21: .740, .744-.761 Jacob Faust: papers relating to his estate, ca. 1829-ca.1844

Box 2:

Folder 1: .768-.773 John Faust: legal documents, ca. 1808-ca.1840

Folder 2: .774 Magdalena Faust: estate papers, 1842

Folder 3: .775-.779 Peter Faust: legal documents and statements about land owned by him, 1759, 1822 (may refer to two different Peters)

Folder 4: .781-.786, .13 Philip Faust: Photostat of land plat, 1746; and financial and legal documents, 1826-1830 [two different Philips]

Folder 5: .787-.788 Sebastian Faust: legal documents, 1808, 1814

Folder 6: .789-.792 William Faust: legal documents and estate papers, 1809, n.d.

Series X: Kimmel family

Box 2:

Folder 7: .793-.816 letters and notes about Kimmel family genealogy, 1930s

Folder 8: .821-.823 Andrew Kimmel: land plats and notes about deeds, 1854-1861

Folder 9: .825-.833 Catherine Kimmel: papers relating to her estate, 1862

Folder 10: .116, .834, .836 Daniel Kimmel: certificate of marriage to Sarah Marberger (printed), 1848; indenture of Elisha Christ apprenticing himself to Daniel, 1825; statement of settling Daniel’s estate, naming heirs, n.d. but typed (for additional material related to Daniel Kimmel and his family, see Box 3)

Folder 11: .838-.854 George Kimmel (d.1866): land plats, 1812, 1818; other legal documents and deeds, 1812-1836

Folder 12: .894-.904 George Kimmel: documents relating to a court case between the General Eldership and the German Eldership of the Church of God, concerning a dispute over land left to the church by George Kimmel, 1898-1905

Folder 13: .763-.767 George Kimmel: additional documents about the church court case, 1898

Folder 14: .256, .279-.282, .858-.893, .262 Jacob Kimmel: legal documents and letters, ca. 1785-ca.1861, some of which involve the estate of Adam Kimmel

Folder 15: .905-.908 John Kimmel: receipt, mortgage, legal documents, 1821-1842

Folder 16: .909-.914 Joseph Kimmel: legal documents, including notice of sheriff’s sale of personal property of Joseph Kimmel, 1840

Folder 17: .916-.918 Samuel Kimmel: legal papers and a letter, 1842, 1855, 1857

Folder 18: .919-.924 Valentine Kimmel: school essays written 1868-1871

(Valentine was son of Daniel F. Kimmel)

Folder 19: .820, .824, .857, .915, .925 various members of the Kimmel family: letters and legal documents, 1789-ca.1863

Box 3: [oversize]

Folder 2: .835 Printed certificate of birth and baptism for Ellen Jane Kimmel, daughter of Daniel and Sarah Kimmel, born May 8, 1849, baptized January 14, 1893; the certificate was printed by Crider & Bro. of York, Pennsylvania

Folder 3: .837 notice of Orphans’ Court Sale of real estate owned by the deceased Daniel F. Kimmel of West Brunswick Township, Schuylkill County, sale to be held Feb. 24, 1906

Folder 4: .852, .855-.856 land plats, two undated, one dated 1836, all of the same general area; one plat indicates that land just beyond the surveyed land was owned by a Kimmel, but the plats focus on lands owned by Thomas Penrose, Philip Hay, Thomas Reed, and others; the land is along the Schuylkill River and Mahannon Creek

Series XI: Miscellaneous items

Box 2:

Folder 20 .318-.322 John Gilbert v. John Barron: legal papers, 1855-1859, plus a land plat, done for Peter Kehley, after 1789

Folder 21: .323-.328 notes from various legal cases concerning land disputes, 19^th century

Folder 22: .1076 Account book, 1791-1803, 1811-1816, entries written in German; with some other notes containing the dates 1818, 1822-1823, and 1833; the volume is covered with green and orange wall paper

Folder 23: .1077 Account book, 1850-1859, entries written in German; the notebook is bound with printed paper covers, on the front of which appears a multiplication table, and on the back of which appears an unattributed poem entitled “The House of My Friend”

Folder 24: Miscellaneous items:

“For County Commissioner John H. Bennetch,” Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, primary on Sept. 20, 1927;

Pennsylvania Railroad schedule, in effect November 10, 1878;

“Exercises of the Lancaster County Historical Society at the Unveiling of the Tablet: Birthplace of the Pennsylvania Rifle,” October 16, 1949;

“Who is Guilty? Who are the Criminals?” a pamphlet about the dispute between the Mine Owners’ Association of the Rocky Mountain states and the Western Federation of Mining, especially in regards to the murder of former governor of Idaho Frank Steunenberg. The pamphlet was printed by the Socialist Party, n.d., probably ca.1905-1910.