Call Number:

18

Repository:

Lower Merion Historical Society

Extent:

3.0 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1802-1953 (inclusive)

Abstract:

The Lower Merion Historical Society ledger collection, 1802-1953, is a collection of miscellaneous ledgers, journals, and other manuscript volumes collected by the Lower Merion Historical Society. It includes records from local organizations, businesses, and schools, as well as family papers and diaries. The township of Lower Merion in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania was first settled by Welsh Quakers in 1682. It is part of the "Main Line," a collection of affluent Philadelphia suburbs located alongside the Pennsylvania Railroad line that was built between Philadelphia and Harrisburg in the mid-19th century.

In August of 1682, Welsh Quakers from the County of Merionethshire landed in Pennsylvania. These "Merioneth Adventurers" were bound for the "Welsh Tract," granted to them by William Penn. Today, the area is Lower Merion township and Narberth borough, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Lower Merion township has become known for two industrial giants, the Pencoyd Iron Works and the Autocar Company. The Pencoyd Ironworks was started by the Roberts family in 1852. The company became a major bridge and structural steel supplier. The Autocar company moved to Ardmore from Pittsburgh in 1900. Autocar was a manufacturer of commercial vehicles. The company moved to Exton, Pennsylvania in 1953.

In the mid-19th century, the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad was constructed, running from Philadelphia to Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. The route passed through Lower Merion, and like other "Main Line" towns, the area developed into an affluent suburban community due to its convenient location.

Bibliography:

Francis, Gerald A. "Celebrating William Penn's Vision and the First Welsh Settlement in Lower Merion and Narberth: 1682-2007." The Lower Merion Historical Society, 2007.

"Business and Industry." In Montgomery County: The Second Hundred Years, edited by Jean B. Toll and Michael J. Schwager. Norristown, PA: Montgomery County Federation of Historical Societies, 1983. Accessed November 7, 2011. http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/texts/first200/business_5.html

This is an assembled collection of miscellaneous ledgers, journals, and other manuscript volumes collected by the Lower Merion Historical Society. It includes records from local businesses and schools, including school books, and account ledgers from Glanrafon Mill (1873-1875) and the Gladwyne store (1814). There are also bibles, diaries, and family papers from the Lodge family (1802-1878), and Edith Crosby Brown (1906-1907). Of special interest are: an account book from the Ardmore Postmaster (1903-1904), minute books from the Women's Temperance Union of Bryn Mawr (1883-1918), and a book of tax receipts for the Upper Section of Lower Merion Township (1913). Also of high interest are records from the Sons of Veterans, USA Colonel Owen Jones Camp 45 (Ardmore, PA). The Sons of Veterans records, which include a book of general orders, charter, four minute books, and two Death Benefit Association books dating from 1892 to 1917, list local Civil War veterans and their ranks.