Call Number:

01

Repository:

Historic Fallsington, Inc.

Extent:

3.5 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

circa 1788-1981

Creator:

Headley family

Abstract:

The Headley family was a prominent and socially-active family from Fallsington, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The Headley family papers, circa 1788- 1981, document several generations of the Headley family and related family members, particularly the family of Charles Moon Headley (b. 1865) and Elizabeth Schurz Headley (b. 1871), including their daughters Alice Headley Woodruff (1894-1989) and Eleanor Christina Headley (b. 1897). The collection is largely made up of photographs that document the family and the village of Fallsington, circa 1850-1950, and bound volumes including account books, minute books, and diaries. The collection also contains legal papers, personal papers, correspondence, genealogy research, and papers relating to Historic Fallsington, Inc.

The Headley family was a prominent and socially active family from Fallsington, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Eseck Howell Headley (b. 1839), a prominent landowner and lawyer, was the son of Isaac King Headley (b. 1815) and Eliza Howell Hough (1819-1839). (After the death of his first wife, Isaac King Headley married Elizabeth Cheston (1822-1899) with whom he had several children.) Eseck Howell Headley married Catherine Montgomery (b. 1840). They had two children: Alice Mary Headley (b. 1862) and Charles Moon Headley (b. 1865).

Charles Moon Headley married Elizabeth Louise Schurz (b. 1871) in 1893, and they had two children: Alice Elizabeth Headley Woodruff (1894-1989), and Eleanor Christina Headley (b. 1897). Charles and Elizabeth Headley appear to have been particularly socially active in the community. Charles served as Master of the Records of the local chapter of the fraternal organization Knights of the Golden Eagle. For a time, Elizabeth served as chairwoman of the Fallsington Red Star, an organization formed to aid and protect animals.

Alice Headley Woodruff, a graduate of Fallsington Friends School and the George School, married Warren Hare Woodruff (b. 1893) in 1941. Alice was an active member of Historic Fallsington, Inc., a historical preservation organization and museum formed in the early 1950s as a response to the suburban development that threatened the destruction of historic homes and buildings in the 300 year-old village.

This collection documents several generations of the Headley family, particularly the family of Charles Moon and Elizabeth Schurz Headley, including their daughters Alice Headley Woodruff and Eleanor Christina Headley. About half of the collection is photographs that document the family and scenes in Fallsington, circa 1850-1950; another large percentage is bound volumes including account books, minute books, and diaries. The collection also contains legal and personal papers such as deeds, marriage certificates, diplomas, and copies of wills and some correspondence. Photocopies of genealogy research and papers relating to Historic Fallsington, Inc. are also part of the collection, due to Alice Headley Woodruff's involvement with the organization.

Materials relating to Charles and Elizabeth Headley and their daughters include: Charles Headley's account book with the Moon Store in Fallsington, 1890-1891; Elizabeth Schurz Headley's egg account book, 1912-1919; a minute book of the Knights of the Golden Eagle, Fallsington Castle No. 506, 1899-1902; a minute book of the Fallsington Red Star, 1918-1921; an account book for Fallsington dances, 1912-1915, kept by Charles Headley; and Eleanor Headley's diary, 1918. Besides writing about her personal life, Eleanor frequently documents and references events of World War I.

The collection also includes items relating to other family members, including Charles Headley's father Eseck Howell Headley (farm receipt book, 1833-1890) and members of the Hough family (account book of Jesse Hough, a tanner, 1802-1825).