Nabb Center Finding Aid Portal

Purnell Family Collection

by Purnell, Willard (1520 – 1944)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Purnell Family Collection contains genealogical information on the Purnell family. Included in the collection is a Purnell family migration map, a Purnell pedigree chart, and information on the Purnell family coat of arms.

Joseph Shores Collection

by Shores, Joseph (1521 – 1999)

5 boxes (2 linear feet)

In 2009, Joseph Shores collected material relating to the family history of a large number of families living on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. While the collection primarily consists of handwritten notes, there are also family trees, official documents, tax records, marriage records, censuses, correspondences, maps, and military records. Also included are research papers, a Historical American Buildings Survey Inventory, currency collections, a Somerset County Historical Society correspondence, and other miscellaneous items. All are reproductions.

Betty Murrell Collection

by Murrell, Betty (1550 – 1986)

4 folders (0.04 linear feet)

The genealogies of several families are explored in this collection including the Willey, Wallace, Hargrave, Kfoury, Medford, Manlove, Bailey and others. Within the collection, there are land deeds, wills of people who had died, coat of arms for families that originated in England, and baptism records. All these families are able to trace ancestors to Accomack County, Somerset County, and Dorchester County.

Richard W. Cooper papers

by Cooper, Richard Waller (1605 – 2001)

18 boxes,  2 oversize folders (12.5 linear feet)

The Richard Cooper papers document his professional and personal activities through his collection of materials dating from 1605 to 2001. The documents focus on the religious and political histories of Wicomico and Worcester County as well as the history of the Mason-Dixon Boundary Line depicted through Cooper’s column in the Daily Times. The papers also document the topographic history of Delmarva through Cooper’s career as an engineering surveyor. Documents from his surveying career and interests include topographic maps, survey certificates, land deeds, and plats. A photograph album documents the construction of his family home at 611 Tony Tank Lane in Salisbury, Maryland. Materials within the collection include newspaper clippings, photographs, family histories, and correspondence. Drafts and manuscripts of Cooper’s published works on the history of Salisbury, Profile of a Colonial Community, Salisbury in Times Gone By, and Portrait of Salisbury are contained within the collection.

Eastern Shore Brochure and Pamphlet Collection

by Unknown (1609 – 2010)

9 boxes (9 linear feet)

This Collection consists of Brochures and Booklets primarily pertaining to the Eastern Shore. Overall its central focus is Maryland/Delmarva. The Date Range of the Collection is 1609-2010.

DuPont Family Collection

by DuPont, Dolores L. (1621 – 1995)

11 folders (0.11 linear feet)

The DuPont Family Collection contains genealogical information on the DuPont family conducted by Dolores L. DuPont. Included is her application to become a member of The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Maryland, an article resulting from her investigation into the location of the grave of Gov. Samuel Stevens, Jr. (1778-1860), research on her great-great grandfather Dr. John Barnett (1780-1858), information on Dr. Nathaniel Potter, brother-in-law of Barnett (both married Golsborough's, Potter Sarah F. and Barnett Catherine), the property "Boston", the descendants of William Burgess (1622-1685) and the Marada movie house of St. Michael's. Photographs of the Custis tombs in Northampton, VA are also part of the collection.

Eastern Shore Counties collection

by Ellegood, Maria Louise;  Fenwick, Charles E.;  Hall, Elizabeth (1625 – 1967)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Eastern Shore Counties collection contains a copy of the "Eastern Shoreman" which highlights the start of the oyster season. Additionally, this collection contains a copy of the "Holly Leaf" from November 3, 1967, a sketch of the early history of Wicomico County written by Maria Louise Ellegood, a souvenir pamphlet from Crisfield that details some of the areas unknown history written by Elizabeth Hall, and a history of St. Mary's County written by Charles E. Fenwick.

Laws Family Collection

by Unknown (1625 – 1960)

4 folders,  1 oversize folder (2.54 linear feet)

The Laws Family collection contains genealogical information on the Laws Family. There are genealogical descriptions of Laws family members, with a birth, death, and marriage date. There are also bibliographic information for some of the more prominent family members. There are also photographs of family members, and the places they lived. The majority of the Laws family members on the Eastern Shore lived in Accomack County, Virginia, Somerset, Worcester, and Wicomico County, Maryland. There is also a Daughters of the Revolution application within for Mary Balle Hastings Holland, who descended from William Laws (1753-1831).

Massey Estate Collection

by Massey Family (1627 – 2000)

3 cartons (3 linear feet)

This collection consists of family research about the Massey family and other families on the Lower Eastern Shore. The collection contains copies of original wills, estate inventories, family trees, and related materials. All of the original documents in this collection are photocopies, print-outs, or photostats unless otherwise indicated.

Vance Bradford Collection

by Bradford, Vance (1630 – 1930)

5 folders (0.05 linear feet)

The Vance Bradford Collection is based on the genealogical research of the Bradford Family. Vance Bradford did this research to publish a book over the family history of the Bradford's. This collection covers twenty years of research that involved correspondence, a "Bradford Descendants" newsletter, census indexes, lineage graphs, and descendant questionnaires. There are passages of the Bradford family book within this collection.

Phillips, Cooper, Roberts Families collection

by Unknown (1634 – 1992)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Phillips, Cooper, Roberts Family History Collection contains photographs and genealogical information on the Phillips, Cooper, and Roberts families. Included are three pictures of the Cooper family with corresponding birth and death dates. The collection also contains family reunion pamphlets, an invitation and picture of Aunt Blossom's 95th birthday party, a marriage certificate, and postcards. There is also genealogical biographies for the three families.

Carol Atkins Sherr Collection

by Sherr, Carol Atkins (1636 – 1949)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

This collection contains genealogical information on the Atkins Family. It includes where Atkins members were born, who they were married to, where they were married, how many children they had, and where they moved to. There is also legal information about the members, such as foreclosures, and family members suing each other.

Silverthorne Family Collection

by Silverthorne Family (1636 – 1991)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Silverthorne Family Collection contains an in-depth genealogical history of the Silverthorne family. There are multiple family trees within the collection, and volumes 12-14 of their family newsletter. There are birth, death, and marriage dates within the collection. There are details as to why there are Silverthorne family members in the Midwest. The earliest member of the family mention is William Silverthorne who was born in 1636 on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Maryland Executions Collection

by Unknown (1638 – 1961)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

This collection contains a list of Maryland executions dating from 1638 to 1961. Data includes races, name, age, occupation, method and county.

Historical Society of Kent County Genealogical Collection

by Bell, Albert D. (1639 – 1948)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

This collection contains genealogical material on the Layton, Bell and Hollis families. This includes a manuscript by Albert D. Bell entitled Hollis Notes, 1639-1948: From Public and Private Records in the States of Maryland and Delaware and a genealogical chart of some of the descendants of Captain Nathaniel and Sarah Bell. There is an oversized folder with the charts of the Washington and Bell families.

Riggin Family papers

by Riggin, Allan E.;  Riggin, George F. (1640 – 1993)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Riggin Family Collection contains genealogical information about the Riggin family. Within is a detailed family tree constructed by Allan and George Riggin. The family tree starts with Riggin family members who originated in Ireland and immigrated to the Eastern Shore. There is also information regarding Riggin land records between Somerset, Sussex, Worcester, and Wicomico County.

Charles Chaille-Long collection

by Unknown (1645 – 1935)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

Letter of Charles Chaille-Long was written from Charles in 1912. Additionally, there is genealogical information on the Long family, going through Charles Chaille-Long. The genealogical letter to the editor was to correct misinformation regarding the lineage of the Long family.

Pemberton Historical Park Collection

by Unknown (1989)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Pemberton Historical Park Collection contains a 1984 pamphlet over Pemberton Historical Park. Also included is a brief history of the Pemberton family from 1651-1753.

Anne B. Nock collection

by Nock, Anne B.;  Nock, Floyd (1652 – 1998)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Anne B. Nock collection contains three essays on Onancock, Virginia, and William Claiborne. The essays included are "Vaux Hall: Accomack County, Virginia: 1652-1972", written by Floyd Nock, "A Walk through History with William Claiborne", and "Onancock, Virginia: Child of the Bay", written by Anne B. Nock. The collection also contains various restorations, physical mapping, and history of Vaux Hall, one of the oldest settlements in Accomack County, Virginia.

Roy C. Pollitt papers

by Pollitt, Roy (1660 – 1995s)

3 boxes (1.5 linear feet)

Pollitt’s papers serve as a genealogical study of the history of the Pollitt family on the East Coast. Two-thirds of the collection is devoted to files on family members and related genealogies; the other third divided between correspondence, submissions to his short-lived newsletter "Old Somersett" and photocopies of records from the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis. Pollitt’s family files are comprised of an assortment of record types. Not only do many files contain charts for a particular individual’s family branch, but copies of birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, wills, military papers, newspaper clippings and land records. Thus, his collection offers a unique perspective of the Pollitt family from the 17th to the 20th century. His correspondence displays a genuine interest in genealogy and a willingness to assist others with their research pursuits. Frequently, correspondents sent him copies of their own family histories.

J. Douglas Deal papers

by Unknown (1663 – 1982)

1 carton,  1 oversize folder (2.25 linear feet)

The J. Douglas Deal papers document the extensive research done by Deal while writing his dissertation Race and Class in Colonial Virginia: Indians, Englishmen, and Africans on the Eastern Shore during the Seventeenth Century from 1970-1982 at the University of Rochester. Materials within the collection are comprised of photocopies of documents dating from 1663-1866. Photocopied materials include seventeenth-century Accomack County tithables, articles from the William and Mary Quarterly, and genealogical information regarding families from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Handwritten notes and tithable charts created by Deal are also within the collection.

Ed Hammond Ephemera Collection

by Hammond, Edward (1664 – 1944)

5 folders (0.25 linear feet)

The Ed Hammond Ephemera Collection consists of sources collected by Hammond dating between 1664 and 1944 (bulk of sources ranging from 1840 to 1900), primarily from towns in Delaware and the eastern shore of Maryland. Many of the documents bear the name of Daniel Hearn. Included are receipts and other financial documents from 1842 to 1942; court documents from 1732 (Ennall's Outrange, Dorchester County, Maryland) and 1863 (will and testament of Andrew Robins of Worcester County, Maryland); educational items (A May Brittingham's grammar school grades and commencement programs); Second World War ephemera (war ration books for two Smack family members and a defense bond envelope); correspondence (1679 letter about a court case and Levin Tyler letters from 1848 and 1849); and additional ephemera including an 1891 Ulman's Opera House concert, a poem, marriage invitations, death cards for Orris and Elizabeth Lloyd, a flyer from Philadelphia requesting goods for African American people, 1664 inventory of grazing cattle and surrender of land in England, and Packard Motor Car Company materials.

Walston Family History Collection

by Walston Family (1664 – 1951)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Walston Family History Collection contains genealogical information for the Walston family. Within the collection, there are Walston family member birth, death, and marriage dates. There are also Sons of the American Revolution applications within the collection.

Parsons Family Collection

by Unknown (1668 – 1932)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

Detailed genealogy of the Parsons Family. Starts with generation one, Peter Parsons, who migrated to Somerset County in 1668. The last ancestor listed is George Washington Parsons (1853-1932). The genealogy states who the parents are, who they are married to, if they had children and their birth/death dates, their will and how it affected their children, and a census description of their household.

Mary L. Nock papers

by Nock, Mary L. (1669 – 1992)

3 cartons,  1 oversize box (5.5 linear feet)

Mary L. Nock papers document the professional and personal life of Mary Nock, who lived from 1903 to 1987. The papers range 1669 to 1992, as she included in her possession colonial land grants as well as a copy of the Laws of Maryland which established Salisbury in 1735. Her personal papers document her life as a wife and family member of the Layfield-Nock families through photographs, greeting cards, and genealogical research. Mary Nock’s professional papers include materials such as professional correspondence, speeches, drafts of her book It Was a Joy and a Pleasure, awards, as well as ephemera from her time as a politician. Also included in the Nock papers are written works on Mary Nock by Ginger McClain Beningo, as well as Beningo’s notes and correspondence regarding the biographical works from 1990-1992, which make up the bulk of the material.

John Jacob Collection

by Jacob, John E. (1671 – 2013)

30 boxes,  1 drawer (34.25 linear feet)

The John Jacob Collection consists of two parts that document the life and career of attorney and historian, John E. Jacob, Jr.: collected material and personal research. Jacob collected a variety of original documents that comprise series one of the collection, including personal papers of families, ledgers, scrapbooks, land and legal documents, photographs, ephemera, and other paper-based items. Jacob also kept detailed handwritten notes and indices when researching various topics related to the history of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, as well as his handwritten drafts for books and lectures, which comprise series two of the collection. The collection has folder-level descriptions in the inventory.

Emily and Bill Briddell Collection

by Emily and William Briddell;  Rebecca Skinner (1672 – 2017)

6 cartons,  3 oversize folders (6.3 linear feet)

The Emily and Bill Briddell Collection contains genealogical records of the Briddell, Ames, Stevenson and other families. The collection ranges from 1672-2017 with the bulk of materials from 1880-2000. the collection contains correspondence, official and unofficial documents, pamphlets, maps, and photographs.

Peter Shockley Collection

by Shockley, Peter S. (1675 – 1935)

1 oversize box,  10 boxes (6 linear feet)

The Peter Shockley Collection contains deed transfers, plats, survey information, and transit books involving the work of civil engineer Peter Shockley during the early 20th century. Shockley oversaw transfers of land and often surveyed the land being transferred and drew plats for the land. Throughout his career surveying the Delmarva area, he used over 100 transit books containing information from deed transfers, election districts, and general land surveys of people, places, and businesses. Some of the land histories involved in deed transfers go back to the 17th century.

Robert L. Chamberlin Collection

by Unknown (1675 – 1990)

2 folders (0.02 linear feet)

The Robert L. Chamberlin Collection contains genealogical information on the Chamberlin, Coulbourne, and Miles families. Contained within are birth, death, and marriage dates. There are also some biographical information on some family members of the Chamberlin family.

Stevenson Family Collection

by Unknown (1675 – 1995)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Stevenson Family Collection contains genealogical information about the Stevenson family. The purpose of the collection is to prove that their ancestor, Joseph Stevenson, is related to the members of the Eastern Shore Stevenson family. They also want to see if Joseph Stevenson is a common ancestor of Maryland and Indiana Stevenson family members.

Charles Whayland Collection

by Unknown (1679 – 1936)

1 oversize box (1.25 linear feet)

The Charles Whayland Collection consists of land patents, indentures, surveys and plats, and other land records primarily related to land known as "Calcutta" from 1679 to 1936, many of which relate to Isaac Anderson. This Somerset County land was east of the Wicomico River near Upper Ferry road. Also included in the collection are two letters from 1862 and 1863 discussing shipping lumber to New York City and Alexandria and a 1929 Master's Certificate of Service of Sick or Injured Seamen.

Lankford Family papers

by Lankford, Benjamin;  Lankford, Scott, and Porter families (1683 – 1975)

10 boxes,  1 oversize box (7.75 linear feet)

The Lankford Family Papers document the Somerset County, Maryland family's activities through extensive correspondence, land records, photographs, newspaper clippings, genealogical notes, and other materials. While the collection dates between 1683 and 1975, the majority dates between 1812 and 1897. Much of the correspondence revolves around Benjamin Lankford (1798-1886), who served in the Maryland General Assembly between the 1840s and 1870s, as well as his wife, Susan, and her sister Mary Jane Guillet. The correspondence in the collection is described at the item level.

Wicomico Historical Society collection

by Unknown (1683 – 2006)

82 boxes (55.5 linear feet)

The collections of the Wicomico Historical Society were amassed by the membership and governing board of the Society with the intent to collect and preserve the history of Wicomico County, Maryland. The records include an abundance of records documenting the land, culture, activities, businesses and the people of Wicomico County, Maryland from the 18th century to the late 20th century.

Dixon and Davis Families Collection

by Parker, Elisha P.;  Parker, John (1684 – 1933)

1 box (1.25 linear feet)

This collection consists of land records, correspondence, and maps related to land transactions in Worcester and Wicomico Counties, Maryland. The documents are from multiple families and individuals from 1684 to 1933. There are few personal sources, most are legal documents and land transaction records. The family names with the most records in the collection are Parker, Davis, Dixon, and Hearn who all owned properties in the same district in what is today northern Wicomico County. The land records show transactions in Worcester County and what later become Wicomico County after 1867, specifically the northern portion of the Parsons District.

Melvin Family Collection

by Unknown (1688 – 1980)

2 folders (0.02 linear feet)

The Melvin Family Collection is comprised of genealogical notes for the Melvin family. The family is able to date their heritage back to the 17th Century. The Melvin Family has an ancestor, William Melvin, who was apart of the American Revolution, which is why descendant Ruth Young was apart of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The family lived in almost every county of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia including: Worcester County, Somerset County, Accomack County, and Cecil County. Within the collection, there are also legal land deeds, wills, and censuses listing persons in a household including slaves.

Special Collections Books and Periodicals

by Unknown (1694 – 2015)

folders (186 linear feet)

These rare and unique books and periodicals supplement the Special Collections manuscripts. They range in dates from 1694 to 2015--primarily dating from the late 18th century to the mid 20th century--and vary greatly in topics throughout world and American history. Many languages are represented, including Japanese, German, Russian, Spanish, French, and more. Subjects such as the history of education, the American Civil War, and Japanese foreign relations are especially well represented. There are approximately 1400 books and periodicals, all acquired at different times and manners. All books are completely cataloged in the ALEPH system, which can be searched more in depth here: https://catalog.umd.edu/F/?func=file&file_name=find-c (please select SPECIAL COLLECTIONS for LOCATION)

Old School Baptist Church Records

by Old School Baptist Church (1701 – 2013)

12 boxes,  2 oversize folders (26.5 linear feet)

The Old School Baptist Church records consist of manuscript materials and periodicals documenting the faith and practices of the Old School Baptist Churches on the Delmarva Peninsula from 1701-2013, with the bulk of the records dating from 1875 to 1999. The collection includes meeting minutes of the Forest Grove, Little Creek, Broad Creek, Salisbury, Rewastico, Nassaongo, Snow Hill, Rock Springs, Indiantown, and Pitts Creek Old School Baptist Churches from 1799-2013. The collection also includes a complete run of Signs of the Times, the journal of the Old School Baptist faith, from 1875-1969.

Bayly Family papers

by Bayly, Alexander Hamilton;  Bayly, J. Washington E.;  Bayly, Josiah;  Bayly, Julian (1706 – 1934)

37 cartons (47 linear feet)

The papers of the Bayly family extensively document the Cambridge, Dorchester County, Maryland family from 1706-1934, with the bulk of the material dating from 1820-1865. This comprehensive collection documents the lengthy legal and political career of Maryland Attorney General Josiah Bayly, as well as the prolific medical practices of his son, Dr. Alexander Hamilton Bayly. Simultaneously, the collection documents family education practices, and thoughts on the American Civil War through scrapbooks and correspondence. Leisure activities are observed through a variety of fictional publications from the Library of Select Novels, and the Shakespeare Quarto Illustrated. Additional printed materials include local and national newspapers, almanac’s, weekly satirical magazines, Godey’s Lady’s Book and Blackwood’s Edinburg Magazine.

Henderson Family History Collection

by Henderson Family (1710 – 1994)

2 folders (0.02 linear feet)

The Henderson Family History Collection contains genealogical information on the Henderson family. The genealogy details the family records by providing Henderson family members date of birth, marriage, and death. Some documents detail personal history of family members such as their occupations, where they lived, and what they owned. There are also photographs of Lloyd Asbury McCready.

Marianne Scarborough Collection

by Scarborough, Marianne (1714 – 1939)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Marianne Scarborough Collection focuses on the genealogical history of the Scarborough family. Heritage is very important to the Scarborough family as Clarence Park Scarborough Jr. applied to be apart of the Sons of The American Revolution, while his mother, Lulu Ringgold Prout Scarborough, applied to be apart of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Eastern Shore Commerce Ephemera

by Unknown (1724 – 1957)

1 box (0.5 linear feet)

The Eastern Shore Commerce Ephemera collection is divided into five series and documents the correspondences and accounting records of the Howard, Goslee, and Morris families. In addition, there are other accounting records from the Eastern shore, including Salisbury and Delaware. This collection also contains court documents, a temperance speech from 1833, a diary documenting an unnamed persons daily activities, and a meeting book from the Betsy Ross Council of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

L.Q. Powell collection

by Unknown (1724 – 1976)

2 boxes (3 linear feet)

The L.Q. Powell collection contains early legal and political records pertaining to Somerset County, Maryland including tax lists, voters list, and court records as well as certificates for elections of Judge, Sheriff, and Surveyor. It details church activities through parish records, cemetery records and individual accounts of churches. One series is dedicated to genealogical histories of several families including the Powell family. Of interest to researchers may be the Civil War and Free Colored population materials in the final series.

Timothy Beard papers

by Beard, Timothy (1729 – 2016)

5 cartons,  1 box (5.25 linear feet)

Timothy Beard papers document the life, family history, and life-long research of Sheffield, Massachusetts native, Timothy Field Beard, through numerous research notes, family photograph albums, memberships, and bibles. The papers date from 1729-2016, with the bulk of the papers dating from 1951-2001 reflecting on the core of his work, genealogy. Beard’s notes provide insight into numerous family lines other than his own and the membership rosters illustrate a collection of prominent lineages.

George White Collection

by White, George (1730 – 2007)

2 boxes,  11 oversize folders ( linear feet)

The George White Collection consists of a series of ephemera, files, and documents from Salisbury, Maryland businesses and people collected pertaining to Salisbury, Maryland during White’s former position as president of the Wicomico Historical Society.

Watson Vault Company records

by Watson, Pasher W. Jr. (1730 – 1941)

9 folders (0.09 linear feet)

The Watson Vault Company Records contain records relating to the Watson Vault Company, a funeral home and casket manufacturing company owned and operated by Pasher W. Watson, Jr. (1860-1939), son of Pasher W. and Margarette Watson, Sr. The business was located in Selbyville, Delaware and served both Delaware and Maryland. The collection includes burial permits obtained from the Maryland State Department of Health's Bureau of Statistics by the funeral home, providing information about the deceased's doctor, cause of death, and place of burial. The collection contains correspondence between the Stuart Patent Company, the National Service Bureau, and Watson regarding his patent on a type of casket known as the "Underground Mausoleum," illustrating the commercially mediated patent process in the earlier part of the twentieth century.

Gilliss Family Collection

by Gilliss, E.J.;  Gilliss, Elizabeth A. Hall;  Gilliss, John P.R.;  Gilliss, Mae (or May) (1732 – 1994)

11 boxes (6.25 linear feet)

The Gilliss Family Collection documents the Gilliss, Hall, and Fassitt families between 1732 and 1994, though primarily between 1830 and 1920. Documents include family history research, photographs, land and legal documents, correspondence (primarily sent to Lizzie A. (Hall) Gilliss in the 1860s and 1870s), ledgers (primarily medical journals of Dr. John P.R. Gilliss from the 1830s and 1840s), and business documents (primarily from E.J. Gilliss' company, Gilliss and Gilliss, between the 1879 and the 1951).

Kay Scarborough Collection

by Scarborough, Kay (1742 – 1950)

3 folders (0.03 linear feet)

The Kay Scarborough Collection covers genealogy and history of several families. These families are the West, Haworth, and Scarborough families. Within, there are details of when people were born, died, and who their children were. There is a detailed description of Quaker life, and how the Scarborough family knew William Pen. There is also a section regarding agricultural slave labor in Worcester Country, Maryland.

Worcester County research collection

by Unknown (1742 – 1974)

6 folders (0.06 linear feet)

The Worcester County research collection contains documents that cover the history of Worcester County. Major topics covered are: the foundation and early history of Worcester County, Worcester County Revolutionary and Civil War periods, historic sites and homes, religious information, and Snow Hill. Also included are Maps of Snow Hill and Worcester County, various writings and essays on Worcester County, and magazine articles.

Bounds Family Papers

by Bounds, George A.;  Bounds, George C. (1747 – 1941)

4 boxes (4 linear feet)

This collection contains records from the Bounds family from 1807 to the late 1930s. Series 1 through 4 contains postcards, newspapers, and other documents from different members of the Bounds family from the early 1800s into the twentieth century. The rest of the collection consists of documents of George Bounds, a businessman in the Hebron and Wicomico County area. These materials include real estate transactions, business correspondence, and other related records.

Marah Finney Collection

by Finney, Marah;  Hearn, Ebenezer;  Hearn, General Ebenezer;  Stevenson, John (1748 – 1989)

7 boxes (2.5 linear feet)

This collection contains materials from the Stevenson and Hearn families of Newtown, later Pocomoke City, Maryland from 1748 to 1989. The earliest documents consist of papers of John Stevenson, a doctor who attended the University of Pennsylvania for medicine in 1797 and 1798, studying under Benjamin Rush. Stevenson also settled estates, and the collection includes records detailing some of the accounts he worked. The collection also includes the scrapbooks assembled by Ebenezer Hearn, who was a teacher and involved in the Temperance Movement in the lower Eastern Shore. The scrapbooks contain news clippings related to the local and national Temperance and alcohol prohibition movement, with other clippings of national events, sermons, and education topics.

William Pitts Survey records

by Unknown (1748 – 1980)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The William Pitts Survey Records Collection contains the finding aid for the collection that is held at the Worcester County Library in Snow Hill, Maryland.

Wicomico Presbyterian Church records

by Wicomico Presbyterian Church (1750 – 1976)

1 box (1.5 linear feet)

The Wicomico Presbyterian Church Collection contains various materials concerning the Wicomico Presbyterian Church and related congregations, however, it does not represent a complete history of the Wicomico Presbyterian Church. All materials in this collection have been photocopied, therefore, it does not contain any original documents, photographs or papers. Information is given about a variety of topics including Presbyterian history in Wicomico County, church pastors and the women of the Wicomico Presbyterian Church's Women's Association. The collection spans from the 18th Century, with copies of documents and transcriptions, through the 1950's, with papers concerning church renovation and weekly church bulletins. Select budget information and correspondence from the early to mid 20th Century can also be viewed. The Wicomico Presbyterian Church celebrated its 250th Anniversary in 1933, commemorating founder Francis Makemie's beginnings in and around the Wicomico River area.

Ed Hammond collection

by Unknown (1752, 1971)

7 cartons,  1 oversize folder (7.75 linear feet)

The Ed Hammond collection consists of Bibles, financial ledgers, journals and ephemera from 1752-1971. The collection offers insight into the genealogies of the Franklin, Warrington, Selby, Martin, Townsend and Upshur families of Maryland. Records also include religious texts, financial ledgers from 1830-1971; and journals and ephemera from 1878-1909. The collection was discovered in the attic of a home in Worcester County, Maryland, and donated to the Center by Ed Hammond.

Ellis, Vincent and Wheatley Families Collection

by Unknown (1758 – 1934)

2 boxes (2.25 linear feet)

This collection contains genealogical research tracing the Ellis family line back to 1804. There are also photocopies of wills, land grants, and census research dating back to the mid-1700s. While a majority of the collection is genealogical information on the Ellis family, there are also magazines from the University of Maryland dating back to 1930. Included also is a hardback book commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 390th Bomb Group with Robert L Vincent’s name printed on the front cover

Dennis Family Papers

by John V. Dennis Sr (1759 – 2000)

3 boxes (1.5 linear feet)

This collection contains correspondence, family trees, death and birth certificates, wills, and other information from 1759 to 2000 pertaining to the Dennis family and its origins in Maryland and Virginia.

Griffith and Pugh Family Collection

by Griffith, Benjamin;  Pugh, Samuel (1759, 1977)

1 oversize box (1.25 linear feet)

This collection contains letters, debt notices, promissory notes, court summons, receipts, indentures, a will, deeds, and loans dated 1759-1919 from the Griffith and Pugh families located in Northampton, Virginia. It also contains Oyster Ground Surveys from 1904 and 1905, and a genealogical record connecting the Elliot, Griffith, and Pugh families (though there is little of the Griffith family in the genealogical record). 

John Goslee papers

by Goslee, John (1760 – 1975)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

John Goslee papers document the activities of the Goslee family from 1760-1975 through photocopied documents. Materials include land grants, bonds, and bible records, as well as genealogical research on the family. An 1879 survey of the land tracts "Teagues Folly" and "End of Dispute", is also within the collection.

Parker and Hearn Families Collection

by Unknown (1760 – 1933)

2 boxes (1.75 linear feet)

This collection consists of documents related to the Parker, Hearn, and Byrd families of Worcester and Somerset (later Wicomico) counties from the late eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. The collection is divided into two series: Land and Legal Documents, and the records of the International Order of Odd Fellows lodge of Crisfield, Maryland. The land and legal records should be viewed alongside the Dixon-Davis Collection, as it contains materials on the same individuals.

Special Collections Pamphlet Collection

by Various (1762 – 1985)

9 cartons,  2 boxes (10 linear feet)

The Special Collections Pamphlet Collection consists of over 800 published manuscripts discussing a wide variety of national and international topics. The materials date between 1762 and 1985. Similar topics have been grouped together, but may be found throughout the collection. Some of the major topics included in the collection are: race relations, Australia, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, African American history, Native American history, military history (American Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korean War), education, industry, labor history, agriculture, railways, government and politics, international relations, socialism, communism, economics, prisons, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, prohibition, temperance, women's history and groups, and biographies and obituaries.

Blackwell Library Collection

by Burnett, Mary K.;  Dashiell, Cassius M. (1765 – 1965)

4 folders (0.04 linear feet)

This collection contains: Placecards and articles regarding airships, Pictures and clippings of airships, William Preston Lane Memorial bridge brochure, Picture of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his nurse, China clippings and pictures and articles and letters, Letter (march 24, 1934) The News Publishing Co. , Nov. 1873 Commission - John W. Laws, History of Stepney Parish (copy), To the glory of God in Wicomico, Tall ships in Baltimore .

Freedom Ainsworth papers

by Ainsworth, Freedom (1766 – 1999)

10 boxes,  4 oversize folders (21.75 linear feet)

The Freedom Ainsworth papers document the restoration and preservation efforts of three of the Manokin Historic District’s oldest structures Beckford Manor, Almodington and More And Case It (also known as Holly Hurst), located in Princess Anne, Md. The materials date from 1766-1767, 1803-1999 with the bulk of the material dating from the purchase and restoration of the three structures, 1967-1994. Restoration activities, as well as property histories, are documented via correspondence, detailed measurements and notes, architectural drawings, and photographs. Also documented through a series of ledgers are the accounting transactions of Henry Smith Lankford and H. Fillmore Lankford as well as various merchants from Somerset Count including Teackle Dennis and Teackle.

Don Landing Collection

by Landing, Donald (1769 – 1981)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Don Landing Collection contains genealogical information conducted by Donald Landing on the Landing family. Included in the collection is genealogical history of the Landing family members birth and death dates, along with small biographical information of those members. The focus of the research is from 1769 to 1981.

Eastern Shore Cultural Ephemera

by Unknown (1769 – 1991)

1 box (0.5 linear feet)

The Eastern Shore Cultural Ephemera collection ranges from 1769-1991 contains newspaper clippings, overviews, maps, brochures and publications that focus on the Eastern shore. There are three series: The History of the Eastern Shore, Maps and Overviews of the Eastern Shore, and Publications. The collection also contains a book documenting the history of the Maryland Road systems, reproduced maps from 1769 to 1812, and even a church yearbook and directory.

Bender Family Collection

by Unknown (1772 – 1970)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Bender Family collection details the ancestry of the author. The name of the author is not given to this collection, but her last name is Bender. The author starts with her ancestor from Adams County, Pennsylvania and traces it all the way until she moves to Salisbury, Maryland. The ancestry tracks the family's church involvement until her mother is born. Her mother was born, Evelyn Elizabeth Elliott, blind and married John Royston Green, another blind person. The two would raise the author and her brother through World War I, The Great Depression, and World War II.

Cathell Family Collection

by Cathell Family (1772 – 1996)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Cathell Family Collection contains genealogical information on the Cathell family. Included within is a booklet titled "Records of The Cathell Family". The book contains in-depth genealogy with multiple family trees. There are also newspaper clippings and personal notes that helped establish the booklet.

Jean Long collection

by Long, Jean (1772 – 1978)

6 boxes,  1 oversize folder (7 linear feet)

This collection of material acquired by Jean Long deals with the history of Maryland including the islands of Deal, Smith and St. Michael's and customs. It contains booklets, articles, scrapbooks, Maryland Hall of Records Bulletins and several Wheeler leaflets. In addition, it contains newspapers, magazines and material covering historic homes and places such as Fairmount Academy. The four Maryland Hall of Records Bicentennial Bulletins for April-July 1776 were donated by William Kline to complete the set.

Margaret Robinson collection

by Robinson, Margaret (1772 – 1950)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Margaret Robinson collection focuses on the genealogy of the Dunn family. The family is able to trace their roots to Thomas Dunn (1772-1829). The majority of the family resides in Somerset and Wicomico County, Maryland. The genealogy includes births, deaths, marriages, and children of the Dunn family.

Unbound Newspaper collection

by Unknown (1773 – 2011)

38 oversize boxes (81 linear feet)

The Unbound Newspaper collection includes loose newspapers from various geographic locations across the Eastern Shore, the United States, and internationally. The majority of the newspapers within the collection are from the Delmarva Peninsula and include the Salisbury Daily Times, the Salisbury Advertiser, and the Centreville Record. Related materials can be found in the Bound Newspaper collection (2018.043).

William Smith Wilson Jr. Collection

by Susan West;  The Wilson Family;  William Smith Wilson Jr. (1773 – 1991)

2 cartons,  4 oversize folders (7 linear feet)

The William Smith Wilson Jr. Collection is a genealogical collection relating to the Wilson Family with the bulk of items dating from the 1880s to the 1970s with outliers from 1773 to 1991. The majority of the collection consists of genealogical information on the direct line of the Wilson Family as well as some extended family. This collection also includes family journals, checks, and legal and property documents for the Family Farm at Maple Grove Easton.

Powell Family papers

by Unknown (1776 – 2000)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Powell Family papers document the family's history from 1776-2000. Documenting materials include a will from 1776, land records from the 1830s, newspaper clippings from the Civil War, as well as genealogical research completed by an unknown family member.

Levin H. Campbell Family papers

by Campbell, Levin H.;  Campbell, Zacharias (1777 – 2002)

6 boxes,  2 oversize folders (5.75 linear feet)

The papers of the Levin H. Campbell family document the extensive family lineage of the Campbell, Hicks, Hooper, Goldsborough, Denwood, and Hollyday families of Dorchester and Talbot counties, Maryland. Records include handwritten family histories, newspaper clippings and comprehensive biographical information, original and facsimile, were acquired over the course of several decades by Hon. Levin H. Campbell, a direct descendent of Zacharias Campbell and date from 1777-2002. Of note, is a vital records diary begun in 1844 by Levin Hicks Campbell (1820-1868), which was maintained by family members through the 1940s. The diary also includes pages from the Campbell family Bible, and notes histories of Zacharias and his son, Levin.

Howard Adkins Collection

by Adkins, Howard (1778 – 1990)

8 boxes (6 linear feet)

This collection consists of (8) boxes containing miscellaneous documents collected (and in some cases written by) local historian, J. Howard Adkins. The collection spans primarily the 19th and 20th centuries with material drawn from a variety of commercial, cultural and religious enterprises primarily related to Delmarva, but also including references to Baltimore, Wilmington and Philadelphia. A smaller portion of the collection includes documents sourced from the National Society DAR Library in Washington, D.C. outlining members of the local militia (Somerset, Worcester and Dorchester Counties) who took “Oaths of Fidelity”during the American Revolutionary period and the War of 1812, locally written histories of Riverton, Salisbury, Vienna, Sharptown, Mardela, Barren Creek, the Bradley family among others.

Maryland Supply Tax Lists

by Ford, Harold;  McCabe, Tilghman Junior;  Sinks, John D. (1778 – 2013)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

Digital copy of the Maryland Supply Tax lists documenting the property owner's name, geographic location, trac name where applicable including real and personal property ie: land and slaves, 1778-1783.

Anne Gootee Henderson collection

by Henderson, Anne Gootee (1779 – 1943)

4 folders (0.04 linear feet)

This collection contains genealogical information regarding the Metcalf and Marsh families. There is a marriage license for a Joseph Metcalf and Roberta Hammon. There is also a list of birth dates, death dates, and marriages for the Metcalf families. The Marsh families have a list of family members names, with a funeral news clipping for Franklin Marsh.

Tisinger Collection

by Unknown (1779 – 1975)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Tisinger Collection is a detailed genealogy on the Hudson Family of Worcester County, Maryland. The collection contains census data, marriage licenses, and birth and death dates of the Hudson family.

Daniel Family Collection

by Unknown (1780 – 1977)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Daniel Family collection contains genealogical history of the Daniel family. The main focus is on Travis Daniel, Mary Wallace, and David Wallace, of Somerset County, Maryland in the mid 1800s. Along with a family history, there are wills and deeds for the three people mentioned.

United States and Maryland Pictorial Collection

by Unknown (1781 – 1945)

1 box (0.75 linear feet)

This collection contains a pictorial history of the American Soldier, Abraham Lincoln and locations within Maryland. It also includes printed articles about locations in this area including Poplar Hill Mansion and the Nassawango Iron Furnace. An article on Beverly Farm House discusses how it almost became Napoleon Bonaparte's final resting place. Most notably is a published poem by prominent Eastern Shoreman, William B. Tilghman about his home in Snow Hill, Maryland.

Cato Family papers

by Cato, Joanna Hauk (1782 – 1980)

2 boxes,  1 oversize box (3.75 linear feet)

Cato Family papers document the family activities and lineage of the Cato and Wyche families of Greensville County, Virginia and Salisbury, Maryland spanning two centuries. Hand-drawn lineage charts as well as land deeds, account bills, correspondence, and photographs are included and document the extensive family ancestry.

Papers of J. Millard Tawes

by Crisfield Heritage Foundation;  Tawes, J. Millard (1782 – 1994)

61 boxes,  7 oversize folders (75 linear feet)

The Papers of J. Millard Tawes consist of the political and personal papers of J. Millard Tawes and of historic Maryland records. The collection documents Tawes’ career as a politician from 1930-1979, including his service as the 54th Governor of Maryland from 1959-1967. It contains speeches, correspondence, photographs, publications and ephemera offering insight into fifty years of state and national politics. The collection includes Tawes’ speeches on the Freedom Riders and on the Cambridge Riots of 1963. It also includes correspondence between Tawes and Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.

Trader and Garretson Collection

by Unknown (1782 – 1996)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Trader and Garretson Collection contain personal information on Purnell Trader and Leah Garretson. There is also a land survey and land plat for Adaline Trader. There is also genealogical information on the Groves and Tuitt families. The last included material is a brochure for the Adkins Farm in Salisbury, Maryland.

Bill Satterfield collection

by Satterfield, Bill (1783 – 1945)

15 folders,  1 oversize folder (0.2 linear feet)

The Bill Satterfield collection documents life in the United States from circa 1783 to 1905 and as a soldier in World War II from 1943 to 1945, although the collection dates from 1783 to 1945. This collection includes foreign currency, bonds from various railroad companies, correspondence between friends and family members, receipts of purchasing powder, a church report, a witness record for Seaborn Goodall, a labor agreement between Samuel Wayde and Nathan Lapstein, return of compensation of land to William Nathan Harper, a blank account book, two copies of The Church Quarterly Lesson Leaflet for Middle and Senior Grades, a 1906 almanac, an U.S. Army worship bulletin, a 1943 map of Naples, Italy, and The Story of the Corps of Military Police.

E. Niel Carey papers

by Carey, E. Niel (1783 – 2016)

2 cartons (2 linear feet)

The papers of E. Niel Carey collectively document his professional endeavors as an educator and facilitator of career education at the Maryland State Board of Education and the National Council on Career Advancement, 1967-1997. Records include his service in the United States Air Force; however, the majority of materials focus on the development of career education as one of the first programs of its kind. Additionally, records document Carey’s publication activities and public service. A transcription of a 1783 letter written by Carey's ancestor is attached.

Henrietta Jones Moore collection

by Moore, Henrietta (1784 – 2016)

4 boxes,  1 oversize box (4 linear feet)

The Henrietta Jones Moore collection documents several historical aspects of Eastern Shore history including Salisbury and Cambridge, Maryland and Cape Charles, Virginia. Documenting materials include family history, religion, education, and economic perspectives through essays, ephemera, newspaper clippings, obituaries and photographs from 1860-1998 with the bulk of the material dating from 1930-1948.

Washington Academy Collection

by Unknown (1784 – 1939)

2 folders (0.02 linear feet)

The Washington Academy Collection contains general historical information about Washington Academy. Within the collection, there are some board meeting minutes, some photographs, and some personal letters. The majority of the collection focuses on 1892, and includes the programs and ceremonies performed that year.

Bethlehem Methodist Church Records (Taylor's Island, Md.)

by Bethlehem Methodist Church (1785 – 1978)

4 cartons (4.6 linear feet)

The Bethlehem Methodist Church Records document the membership and activities of the Dorchester County church, as well as Taylor's Island's Methodist congregation before the official church's establishment in 1858. This collection includes minutes from church conferences, membership rolls and congregation registers, and records from meetings, contribution records, Sunday school records, attendance lists, marriage licenses, deeds, and other material related to the church's history.

Charles Robert Virgil Hall collection

by Hall, Rob (1789 – 1987)

1 carton,  1 oversize box (2.5 linear feet)

The Charles Robert Virgil Hall collection documents various Eastern Shore families and their activities from 1789-1987, with the bulk of the records dating from 1885-1920. Eastern Shore communities are documented via land records, fraternal organizations, church materials including programs and the Journal of the Diocese of Easton, printed advertisements, family histories, and photographic prints.

Records of Perdue Farms, Inc.

by Perdue Farms, Inc.;  Perdue, Franklin P. (1790 – 2018)

208 boxes,  4 oversize boxes (99.08 linear feet)

The Records of Perdue Farms, Inc. consist of correspondence, agendas, memoranda, handwritten notes, reports, speeches, minutes, newsletters, newspaper clippings, photographs, slides, audio and video documenting the Salisbury, Maryland company Perdue Farms, Inc, which includes both Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness. The collection also houses records pertaining to the Perdue Family, as well as some of Frank P. Perdue's personal papers, dating from 1790 to 2018 (though primarily from 1970 to 2000).

Somerset County Bible Society records

by Somerset County Bible Society (1794 – 2018)

3 boxes (1.5 linear feet)

The Somerset County Bible Society records document the activities and extensive membership of the religious organization whose purpose was to distribute Bibles and promote further interest in the scripture. Located in Somerset County, Maryland, the organization’s records date from its inception in 1828-2018 with the bulk of the material encompassing the annual meetings and membership rosters, 1875-1986. Corresponding organization material also includes a scrapbook from annual meetings, correspondence and deposit receipts from the Maryland Bible Society and a Bible from 1794.

Albert Laws papers

by Engle, Margaret Laws;  Laws, Albert;  Laws, Victor Jr;  Truitt, Maude Perdue Laws (1795 – 1997)

13 boxes,  2 oversize folders (10.25 linear feet)

Abstract: The Albert Laws papers consist of the official and personal records of Albert Laws, and the family records of Margaret Laws Engle, Victor Laws Jr., and Maude Perdue Laws Truitt. The collection documents Albert Laws’ career as an officer in the United States Army, including his service in the Spanish American War and in the Philippine-American War from 1889-1908. The papers include a photograph album and ephemera from the West Point Class of 1893; correspondence, documents and photographs of the 24th US Infantry and 35th Infantry, USV; an eyewitness account of the Battle of San Juan Hill; and a proclamation signed by Emilio Aguinaldo, the first President of the Philippines. The papers also include Albert Laws’ personal correspondence from 1889-1908, with notes by his niece, Margaret Laws Engle. The collection also documents the family genealogy of the Bacon, Laws and Truitt families of Sussex County, Delaware and Wicomico and Worcester Counties, Maryland from 1795-1997. The papers include the personal correspondence and financial records of William L. Laws from 1853-1924 and genealogical notes from Margaret Laws Engle, Victor Laws Jr and Maude Perdue Laws Truitt. The papers also include a survey from 1795, records of the 30th Virginia Infantry Regiment, CSA from 1862 and a business ledger from 1864-1896.

Guy Peck collection

by Peck, Guy (1795 – 1979)

3 boxes,  1 oversize folder (1.75 linear feet)

The Guy Peck collection documents Peck’s devotion to history through the documents he acquired and includes those on education and business practices. Records date from 1795-1979 with the bulk of the material dating from 1915-1940. Specifically, records document the education and life of Conrad or Conard Williams, an African American man from Eden, Maryland who studied at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, and the secretarial training of Elva Chandler who attended Goldey College in Wilmington, Delaware. Monetary transactions are also documented through a wide variety of receipts, goods purchased and accounting practices from different Eastern Shore families including Hitch and Ruark. Military research on the 1943 Algiers Campaign and correspondence from an enlistee to his mother during the Korean War is also included.

Eastern Shore Recipes Collection

by St. Paul's by the Sea Episcopal Church (1800 – 1999)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

Various recipes from the Eastern Shore, including a published cookbook entitled, "Eastern Shore Vittles" compiled by the Junior Guild.

Godfrey Family Collection

by Williams, Margaret F. (1800 – 1946)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Godfrey Family Collection contains genealogical information on the Godfrey family. Included in the collection are letters from members of the Godfrey family who sent Margaret William a quick description of their life. There are also lists of family member birth, death, and marriage dates.

Minson Family Collection

by Unknown (1800 – 1991)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Minson Family Collection contains genealogical information regarding the Minos family. There are multiple drafts contains information on three male members of the family: William Minson (1800-1860), Utillis Minson (1843- ), and Alexander Minson (1832-1922). The genealogy information details birth, death, and marriage dates, along with the location of those dates. There is also information for each child of the three focused men.

Tudor Hall Collection

by Unknown (1800 – 1961)

3 folders (0.03 linear feet)

This collection contains various photographs from the Tudor Hall and family photo albums of the Webster and Ballard families.

Polk Family History Collection

by Polk Family (1801 – 1994)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Polk Family History Collection contains genealogical information regarding the Polk family. Specifically, the collection is focusing on the descendants of John Polk. The genealogy contains birth and death dates. There are postcards from Berlin, Maryland from Wade Polk and his wife. There are also printed photographs of a Polk family house in Princess Anne, Maryland.

Tawes and Porter Geneology Research Collection

by Trader, James R. (1802 – 1997)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Tawes and Porter Geneology Research Collection contains genealogical information on the Tawes and Porter family. James R. Trader researched the family, and compiled the genealogy into a family tree. There are also secondary articles pertaining to the family histories.

Newtown Historic District Collection

by Unknown (1805 – 1970)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Newtown Historic District Collection contains historical information on the architecture of the Historical Newtown District in Salisbury, Maryland. The collection contains notes detailing different architectural influences from different time periods within the district. There are also maps of the district to understand how it looks. There are brochures for houses and businesses in the district. The collection also includes the names of people who have lived in the district from 1805-1970.

Joe and Carolyn Waller Ballou Family Papers

by Joe and Carolyn Ballou (1810 – 2008)

3 cartons,  2 oversize folders (3 linear feet)

The Waller Family Collection is a genealogical collection relating to the Waller family from 1606-2008 with the bulk of the collection ranging from 1982-1998. The majority of the collection contains genealogical information of the direct line of the Waller family as well as the various extended family lines. The collection also includes topical publications on Somerset County and the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland as well as online and genealogical research manuals. The collection documents the family with images, newspaper clippings, tax documents, church and census documents, and letters.

Edward Stevenson Ledger Transcription Collection

by Green, Ann;  Stevenson, Edward (1811 – 1957)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

This collection contains a 1957 transcription by Anne Green of a business ledger believed to have belonged to Edward Stevenson, a merchant from Newtown, Maryland. The transcription includes various business transactions between the dates of January 1811 to November 1812.

Betty Murrell Collection

by Murrell, Betty (1815 – 2012)

1 oversize folder,  5 boxes (7.5 linear feet)

The Betty Murrell Collection spans from 1815 (copy) – 2012 and consists of Elizabeth (Betty) Gillis Murrell’s personal documents from her family and finances, local history books and records for the Salisbury and Delmar area, and genealogical research for local families. The collection also includes newspaper articles and a hand-drawn map of Parsons Cemetery in Salisbury, Maryland.

Lester Laws papers

by Laws, Lester (1816 – 1994)

6 cartons,  3 oversize folders (10.5 linear feet)

The Lester Laws papers consist of the records of Laws Construction Company and of the personal papers of Lester Laws and of his family from 1816 to 1994. The collection contains advertising, photographs, financial ledgers, correspondence, receipts and blueprints offering insight into the development of the infrastructure of the Delmarva Peninsula between 1920 and 1959. The company records include dozens of advertisements for construction equipment, tools and building materials and photographs of construction projects in progress. The collection also includes Lester Laws’ genealogy notes, and the personal papers of his daughter, Helen Laws Pomar. Pomar attended Salisbury State Teachers College, now Salisbury University, and served in the U.S. Army during the Second World War. Her college score reports, military manuals, and copies of a post-newspaper from Camp White, Oregon, provide a glimpse into the educational and military experience of women in the 1930s and 1940s.

Amy Crittenden papers

by Crittenden, Amy (1820 – 1991)

2 cartons,  1 oversize folder (1.75 linear feet)

The Amy Crittenden papers documents the research that contributed to Amy Crittenden’s graduate thesis at Salisbury University. Amy Crittenden’s thesis entitled Southern sympathies: The Civil War on Maryland's Eastern Shore focuses on the Civil War in Dorchester and Worcester counties. The collection includes drafts of the thesis, biographies of local figures, newspapers, as well as ledgers from local businesses. In addition research related to the Confederate and Union armies. The Amy Crittenden Papers dates from 1820-1991, with the bulk of the material dating to her graduate research from 1990-1991

George Chevallier Collection

by George Chevallier (1820 – 2010)

4 boxes (2 linear feet)

The George Chevallier Collection documents Salisbury and Delmarva history through a variety of business ephemera and other documents, especially related to fruit, vegetable, and seafood canning. The series includes business advertisements, letterheads, receipts, and more primarily ranging from the 1880s to the 1940s. Manuscript items in the collection date back to 1820 and include financial notes, deeds, and correspondence. The collection includes many postcards (especially of local motels), directories, yearbooks, and photographs.

Nutters Election House Collection

by Wicomico Historical Society (1820 – 1986)

3 boxes,  13 oversize folders (22.75 linear feet)

The Nutters Election House Collections consists of over 2,500 objects and archival items from national state and local political campaigns spanning from 1820-1986. The archival portion of the collection consists of nearly 700 items covering aspects of local, state, and national political campaigns from advertisement to completion. Additionally, the collection contains newspapers, as well as some general business concerning the Nutters Election House Museum.

Porter, Humphreys, Fears Collection

by Trader, James R. (1820 – 2006)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Porter, Humphreys, Fears Collection contains biographical information on Richard Twilley Porter, Frederick E. Humphreys, and Alfred B. Fears. The research was conducted by James R. Trader, who wanted to identify three gravestones, and the life of those people. The majority of the research revolves around Frederick E. Humphreys who was the first person to fly a plane alone.

William Middleton collection

by Middleton, William (1821 – 1999)

1 box (0.5 linear feet)

The William Middleton collection documents the financial records of Joshua Hamblin located in Worcester County, Maryland, and ephemera from Wicomico and Worcester counties, Maryland. The materials date from 1821-1999 with the bulk of the material dating from 1830-1869 and document the financial records of Joshua Hamblin which include receipts, court records, and land records. The materials from Joshua Hamblin came from William Middleton’s grandmother Margaret M. Middleton, who is the granddaughter of Joshua Hamblin. Wicomico and Worcester County ephemera is documented by tourism brochures and menus from local restaurants.

Charles Covington papers

by Covington, Charles (1822 – 2014)

1 carton,  2 boxes (2 linear feet)

The papers of Rev. Charles Covington document his enthusiasm for the Methodist church from 1822-2014 with the bulk of the material dating from 1950-1974. Over the course of his career, Rev. Covington obtained numerous bulletins, booklets and ephemera documenting the many Methodist, United Methodist and Methodist Episcopal Churches across the state of Delaware from Wilmington to Delmar and also includes those on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Also documented is military memorabilia from the time that he served as a United States Army Chaplin.

Worcester County Court records

by Worcester County Court (1823 – 1991)

22 boxes,  1 folder (24 linear feet)

Worcester County Court records consist of records of the Register of Wills, the Orphans’ Court, the Circuit Court, and the Department of Public Works of Worcester County, Maryland from 1823-1991. The bulk of collection is related to the settlement of estates from 1825-1919. These estate vouchers, or debts owed by and to the deceased, include those not only of white farmers, merchants and attorneys, but also of Robert Henry, an African American ship captain, and of Wong Bong, a Chinese laborer. Among Henry’s estate vouchers is a receipt from 1905 for repairs to the schooner BEERSHEBA, while among Bong’s estate vouchers is an example of Chinese calligraphy from 1914. The collection includes papers of Thomas D. Purnell, a Register of Wills, from 1890-1897, and of William Kerbin, an attorney, from 1921-1930. It also includes circuit court records of the dissolution of a business partnership between Calvine Howerton and William Duncan from 1916-1931, and records of the Department of Public Works from 1948-1991. The collection offers insight not only into Worcester County’s legal proceedings, but also into the diversity of the county’s population and into two centuries of the county’s economic development and growth.

Serrell Family Collection

by Beahm, Laura Serrell;  Demetre, Andre;  Odier, Adolphe;  Odier, Antoine;  Odier, James;  Serrell, Andrew;  Serrell, Edith;  Serrell, Jeanne M. Demetre (1824 – 2020)

15 cartons,  1 drawer (20 linear feet)

The Serrell Family Collection documents the personal and family history of Andrew Serrell (1923-2018) including the Serrell family, Demetre family, Odier family, and other ancestors. Personal items relating to Andrew Serrell's career in the U.S. Navy from 1941 to 1974 include pilot logs, photographs, naval orders, and other service-related documents. Serrell's paternal family, including the puppeteer Edith Serrell, lived primarily in Dobbs Ferry, New York and are documented through photographs, correspondence, and other documents. Serrell's maternal family--the Demetre and Odier families--frequently went back and forth between France, New Orleans, and New York City. This branch of the family is heavily documented through family histories, correspondence, photographs, drawings, and business papers. There are also three framed portrait paintings and several artifacts.

Waugh United Methodist Church collection

by Waugh United Methodist Church (1826 – 1991)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

This collection contains a booklet written by Shirley Jackson in 1991 entitled "The One-Hundred Sixty-Fifth Anniversary of Waugh United Methodist Church."

Peter Whaley Collection

by Whaley, Peter W. (circa 1827, 2009)

4 boxes,  1 oversize folder (2 linear feet)

This collection contains financial, personal, and business documents from the Whaley, Dale, and Watson families of the Eastern Shore from 1827-1944. This includes insurance papers, railroad receipts, letters, and bills from the Whaley and Dale family, as well as receipts and papers from Mrs. M. Pasha Watson’s funeral business. The collection also consists of several maps of Maryland and Delaware, dating 1901-2009.

Ralph Gootee Collection

by Gootee, Ralph L. Jr. (1827 – 1991)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Ralph Gootee Collection covers local history of Laurel, Delaware, with Gootee genealogy history. Ralph L. Gootee Jr. marked every grave within Laurel, Delaware with a description of who was buried there. There is also a detailed description of Gootee family members births, marriages, and deaths.

Arthur Leonard collection

by Unknown (1828 – 1950)

2 cartons,  1 oversize box (3.5 linear feet)

The Arthur Leonard collection takes a look at mid to late 19th century Salisbury through photographs and print material. Series one centers on the economic life of Salisbury. It includes advertising, printed material and photographs of many of the leading and lesser known companies including oil drilling.

Elmer Ruark papers

by Ruark, Elmer (1830 – 1970)

1 carton,  1 oversize folder (1 linear feet)

The Elmer Ruark papers document the religious work of the former mayor of Salisbury, Maryland. The collection spans Ruark’s research into the history of Allen Memorial Baptist Church of Salisbury. In addition, the records include research and publications related to Rev. Noah Davis, founder of the Baptist Publication Society; Elmer Ruark and Noah Davis are distant relatives. The collection dates from 1830-1970 with the bulk of the material dating from 1930-1958.

Grace Atkinson Morris papers

by Morris, Grace Atkinson (1832 – 1992)

4 boxes,  1 oversize folder (3.75 linear feet)

The Grace Atkinson Morris papers document her genealogical research on families from the Eastern Shore of Maryland with materials dating from 1832-1992, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1979-1992. The papers identify the genealogical connections between the Atkinson, Riggin, Miller, and Trehearne families of Maryland and Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Documents within the collection include Grace’s handwritten notes, her correspondence with genealogists and relatives, Atkinson family ledgers, and family photographs.

Pittsville Historical Material collection

by Unknown (1832 – 1982)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

This collection contains a photocopy of an agreement between Benjamin H. Byrd and James M. Fooks in 1832. In the agreement Byrd and Fooks entered into a partnership to open a store located in Derrickson's Crossroads now Pittsville.

William H. Wroten Papers

by Wroten, William (1832 – 2011)

10 cartons,  1 box (10.5 linear feet)

Dr. William H. Wroten was an Easton native and worked as a professor and chairman for the history and political science departments at Salisbury University for 25 years prior to his retirement in 1980. The majority of Dr. Wroten's collection is his research notes, which cover a large number of topics such as Assateague, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, pirates, and the history of the Delmarva area. Dr. Wroten's teaching materials include articles and notes he had for specific topics, such as the American Civil War, Native American history, early colonial life, and local history, as well as syllabi and research papers from students. Included in this collection are also a number of his published articles from his newspaper column as well as scripts from his TV program on WBOC.

Howard and Marvin E. Cox Ledger and Journal

by Cox, Howard;  Cox, Marvin (1838 – 1982)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Howard and Marvin E. Cox Ledger and Journal contains detailed handwritten vital information on individuals in Nanticoke and other Wicomico County communities, in addition to narratives recorded by Howard and Marvin Cox. Included are records listing marriages (1865-1979) and deaths (1838-1982) with a separate section for African American deaths (1898-1980). At the end of the ledger is a journal written by Marvin Cox from 1918 to 1964 describing the oyster and construction business in the community, including the meeting minutes of the Willing Workers of Nanticoke. The entire ledger is transcribed and attached to the finding aid.

Vinson and Buck Family Collection

by Allen, Betsy;  Allen, Fulton;  Allen, Lois;  Buck, Leonard;  Buck, Ruth Valesca Allen;  Gorrell, Marlene Buck;  Gorrell, William;  Hancock, Julia "Betsy" Allen (1838 – 2012)

22 boxes,  7 oversize folders (10 linear feet)

The Vinson and Buck collection is made up of the personal papers and artifacts of the Buck family. The collection contains personal documents dating back to 1838 and includes the records and belongings of several families related to the Bucks, including: the Allens, the Gorrells, the Raudenbushes, the Klines, the Jennings and the Phillips. The bulk of the collection is made up of photographs that document Leonard Buck’s time in the military, the travels and home life of the Buck family, and local history. Other items include religious papers, personal and business correspondence, and family mementos.

Emerson C. Harrington collection

by Harrington, Emerson;  State of Maryland (1839 – 2004)

1 box,  1 oversize folder (80.5 linear feet)

The Emerson C. Harrington collection documents the prolific legal career of the former state of Maryland Governor and his son, attorney Emerson C. Harrington Jr. The bulk of the collection, direct from their law office, located in Cambridge, Dorchester County, Maryland, is comprised of law books that include the Laws of Maryland,1839-1939; The Maryland Reports, Vol. 1, 1851 – Vol. 380, 2004; and Decisions of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, Vol. 1-34, 1883. In addition to the legal volumes, the materials include a series of photographic prints of the city of Cambridge, and speeches presented at the Maryland Club during dinners and parties in the mid to late 1960s and early 1970s.

Bay Street Property (Berlin, MD) Records

by Unknown (1840 – 2010)

1 box (0.25 linear feet)

This collection contains various papers and histories related to the historic house on 16 Bay Street in Berlin, Worcester County, MD. The collection includes various photographs, compact discs containing maps, layouts, and histories of the Burkhead property, as well as miscellaneous histories, land and court records of Worcester County, MD itself.

Maddox Genealogy Collection

by Maddox Family (1840 – 1942)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Maddox Genealogy Collection contains family records over the Maddox family. The Maddox family records are taken from their family bible. The information contains birth, death, and marriage dates for the family. The majority of the collection dates from 1850s-1950s.

Bethesda United Methodist Church records

by Bethesda United Methodist Church (1841 – 1992)

4 folders (0.04 linear feet)

This collection contains the following ephemera from Bethesda United Church in Salisbury, Maryland and includes: "A History of Bethesda Methodist Church 1841-1964," "A History of Bethesda Methodist Church 1841-1964, 1965-1976," "Sunday-School Rally Bethesda Methodist Protestant Church September 29, 1912," "Bethesda United Methodist Church" circa 1995, "Bethesda United Methodist Church, 1987," and "Bethesda United Church, Salisbury, Maryland:1841-1992."

Henrietta Moore Wicomico County collection

by Unknown (1841 – 1994)

10 folders (0.1 linear feet)

The Henrietta Moore Wicomico County collection contains a variety of material covering activities in Wicomico County, Maryland. Included in the collection are news clippings covering changes in the Methodist Church on the Eastern Shore, activities and history of the American Legion Maryland Department including treasure's reports and meeting minutes, clippings on people related to Salisbury University; pages from the Gordy Family Bible along with photos, planning and publicity activities relating to the 50th High School reunion of the 1939 class of Wicomico High School and an article on the class of 1979 High School graduates.

Sylvia Bradley collection

by Bradley, Sylvia (1841 – 1993)

7 boxes,  2 oversize folders (7 linear feet)

The Sylvia Bradley collection documents her research on the history and culture of the Delmarva Peninsula with materials dating from 1841-1993, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1970-1989. The documents encompass research done by Bradley on the Eastern Shore of Maryland for several of her published histories and articles, including Mardela Springs, Maryland: a History. Documents within the collection include manuscripts on Eastern Shore women during the Civil War, student papers, Berlin Advance newspapers, correspondence regarding Delmarva, and photographs of Eastern Shore cities.

Miles Family survey collection

by Miles, Samuel F.;  Miles, William Ballard Jr.;  Miles, William Ballard Sr.;  Miles, William F.W. (1842 – 1978)

11 cartons (11 linear feet)

The Miles Family survey collection documents numerous Eastern Shore land boundaries. Until the mid-twentieth century, the state of Maryland did not emphasis accuracy of land surveys or the collection of deeds. The work of the Miles family allowed the State of Maryland to utilize original Eastern Shore deeds to legally designate boundary and partition lines. In numerous cases, the Miles’ family records were the only form of land documentation on the Eastern Shore. Consequently, the State of Maryland legally recognized the Miles Family Survey Collection in the court of law and have been used to settle land disputes such as the D379 Assateague Island Land suit. The collection has been the basis for issuing boundary lines, prep construction areas, mapmaking, and engineering. Many of the plats, surveys, and deeds are predominately from Somerset, Worcester, and Wicomico counties, but the collection also extends to the Upper Shore of Maryland, Delaware in Kent and Sussex, and Accomack County, Virginia. The collection is narrowed into election districts. The materials date from 1842-1978 with the bulk of the material dates from 1929-1977.

Scott Family Papers

by Lankford, Scott, and Porter families (1842 – 1995)

2 boxes,  1 oversize folder (2.25 linear feet)

The Scott family papers document the Scott, Marshall, and Lankford families of Princess Anne, Maryland from 1842 to 1995, though primarily from the 1880s to the 1940s. Included are four photograph albums and many other photos; correspondence, autograph books, and programs related to Washington High School from Harriet "Hattie" Marshall Scott; Second World War correspondence and Boy Scouts of America documents from William Marshall Scott; World War II homefront and Somerset County Board of Education materials from Jeanette Gore Scott; and handwritten poetry and autograph books of Sally and Mollie Porter.

Mears Family collection

by Unknown (1843 – 1957)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Mears Collection contains birth and death records from the Mears family bible, as well as a certificate of marriage between William Mears and Virginia Belwade on December 20, 1866. The collection also contains a photograph of Ellen Mears.

Caroline Gunby and Eleanor Gunby Watts papers

by Gunby, Caroline;  Watts, Eleanor Watts (1845 – 1999)

3 boxes (1.5 linear feet)

The Caroline Gunby and Eleanor Gunby Watts papers document the travels and fifty year teaching career of Caroline Gunby and the genealogical research of her niece, Eleanor Gunby Watts. The eclectic collection from Somerset County, Md. dates from 1845 to 1999, with the bulk from 1920 to 1956. It includes a doctor’s bill for the treatment of slaves in 1845, historical records from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Marion, Md., and Caroline Gunby’s cross-country travel diary from 1939.

L.W. Gunby papers

by Gunby, L.W. (1845 – 1991)

7 cartons,  2 oversize boxes (9.5 linear feet)

The L.W. Gunby papers consist of the personal papers of L.W. Gunby and of his family and of the records of his businesses on the Delmarva Peninsula from 1845 to 1991. The collection contains financial ledgers and hundreds of letters, deeds, mortgages, stock certificates and tax returns, offering insight into a century of economic life on the Delmarva Peninsula. It includes the testimonial of Rev. George Handy Wailes on the occasion of Gunby’s selection as Salisbury’s Man of the Year in 1936. Wailes, the Visiting Professor of Hebrew at Princeton Theological Seminary, honors Gunby’s business and civic contributions to the city of Salisbury. The collection also includes a scrapbook commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Gunby’s Hardware in 1972.

The Lady's Wreath Collection

by Medical Bureaus of Information on Birth Control (1845 – 1930)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

This collection contains a copy of the Lady's Wreath from January 1845. Additionally, this collection contains a pamphlet on birth control published in 1930 by Dr. Norman Carr in London.

Carel Langeler collection

by Langeler, Carel (1847 – 1968)

3 cartons,  2 oversize boxes (5.25 linear feet)

The Carel Langeler collection includes a considerable number of publications from late-19th to early-20th-century American society. Of particular interest are several popular literary journals, monthly magazines for women and children, and influential national publications such as Harper’s Weekly and Pucks. These publications document contemporary social and political thought in the United States from a variety of perspectives. The majority of the materials were acquired by Carel Langeler from thrift and antique stores throughout the eastern United States during the mid-20th century. The collection also includes personal material relating to Carel Langeler and his immediate family.

James R. Trader papers

by Trader, James R. (1847 – 2012)

21 cartons,  3 boxes (24 linear feet)

The papers of James R. Trader (1931-2012) cover his efforts to document family history on the Delmarva Peninsula and burial sites in Maryland through both independent research and as a member of the Coalition to Protect Maryland Burial Sites (CPMBS) between 1988 and 2012. The family history research is most substantial series in the collection with particular focus on the Trader surname. The burial site research features records for sites in Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties. The bulk of the CPMBS records document the Coalition’s activities, correspondence, and legislative efforts while Trader served as president and on the board of directors. A small portion of the collection contains the early records of the social club, Eastern Shore Singles.

Joseph Moore collection

by Moore, Joseph (1849, 2006)

10 boxes,  1 oversize folder (13 linear feet)

Joseph Moore, a Berlin, Worcester County, Maryland attorney, devoted the better part of 20-plus years to researching and writing on the trial and outcome of the murder of Green Davis and his family by Euel Lee aka Orphan Jones, 1863-2006. The series of documents culminated in the publication, “Murder on Maryland’s Eastern Shore: Race, politics, and the Case of Orphan Jones”. Records document the proceedings of the events surrounding the Davis family murders. Presentments and court materials by Lee’s attorney Bernard Ades with corresponding newspaper accounts reflect the legal proceedings of confessed murderer Euel Lee / Orphan Jones, and his ultimate death by lynching in the Baltimore County Jail, 1933. Records within this set also reflect Moore’s vested interest in Worcester County history, including the Henry and Dirickson families, as well as the Civil War, specifically Purnell’s Legion, and the freedmen of color who served for the Union and Confederate Armies. Photostatic copies of manumissions, and general enrollment records for the duration of the war, as well as an original receipt for enslaved persons in 1863, reveal Moore’s commitment to Worcester County, Maryland.

Robert Parker Fondes papers

by Parker-Fondes Family (1849 – 1997)

6 boxes (3.25 linear feet)

The Robert Parker Fondes papers document the lives of the Fondes-Parker family from 1849-1997 in Parsonsburg, Maryland and the surrounding Mid-Atlantic region. Documenting materials include financial records of the Parker family, family heirlooms, photographs, and newspaper articles on Robert Parker Fondes’ genealogical research. The bulk of the materials span from 1920-1955, documenting the farming business and personal lives of Clifford and Maude Parker. Correspondence pertaining to family events is also included.

Ancestral Record Book of Alan Tybalt Harrison and Butler Family Book CD

by Goodman, Mary M. Butler;  Harrison, Alan Tybalt (circa 1850, 1996)

1 folder (0.1 linear feet)

This collection contains an ancestral record book documenting the family tree of Alan Tybalt Harrison through genealogical information paired with portrait photographs. The book covers families in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York including the Harrisons, Butlers, Johnstons, Lelands, and more. Photographs date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Also included is a CD with the Butler Family Book by Mary M. Butler Goodman, revised in 1996.

Coulbourne Family History Collection

by Unknown (1850 – 1990)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Coulbourne Family History Collection contains genealogical information regarding the Coulbourn Family. The documents date back to Joshua James Coulbourne, (1850-1926). The information details obituary records of family members, along with family bible information about the lineage detailing birth and death dates.

Laws and Hastings Families Photographs

by Hastings, Elmer F.;  Laws, Agnes B. (1850, 1970)

1 box (0.5 linear feet)

The photographs of the Laws and Hastings collection portrays an extensive family lineage of the Laws, Hastings, and Holland families of Parsonsburg and Ocean City, Maryland from 1850s and 1970s. Photographs include family portraits, individual portraits, group photos, and the family business enterprises, such as Hastings Hatchery and the family farm. These photographs were acquired over the course of several decades by granddaughters Sandra Anderson and Marlene Mumford.

Orlando Wootten Photograph Collection

by Wootten, Orlando (circa 1850 – 1990)

4 boxes,  3 oversize boxes (6.25 linear feet)

This collection contains photographs both taken by and collected by Orlando V. Wootten, a notable local photographer on the Delmarva Peninsula. Included in this collection are color and black and white photographs and negatives of aerial, street and nautical views of Salisbury, Maryland, Laurel, DE and surrounding regions. The collection of images captures local businesses, school buildings, public events, watercraft, natural settings and area attractions from the mid-1950s to the 1990s. There are reproductions of historic photographs of Salisbury and the Delmarva Peninsula dating back to the 1850s that Wootten collected. Also included are documents pertaining to Wootten's Coast Guard service and his family's history.

Walter Thurston Photograph Collection

by Thurston, Walter (circa 1850 – 1970s)

13 boxes,  2 oversize folders (7.75 linear feet)

This collection contains photographs both taken by and collected by Walter C. Thurston, a skilled local photographer. Included in this collection are color and black and white photographs and negatives of aerial, street and city-scape views of Salisbury, Wicomico County, Maryland and surrounding regions including Somerset, Dorchester and Worcester Counties and Sussex County, Delaware. The collection of images captures local businesses, school buildings, public events, neighborhoods, and area attractions from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s.  Also included in the collection are historic photographs of Salisbury and the Delmarva Peninsula dating back to the 1850s that Thurston collected.

Jim Jackson Delmarva ephemera collection

by Jackson, Jim (1851 – 1992)

4 boxes,  1 oversize box (5.5 linear feet)

This collection consists of assorted local paper ephemera from 1852 to 1990. Most of the items originated from the George Bounds & Company of Hebron, the J. H. Farlow & Brother of Salisbury and the Wimbrow & Company of Whaleyville and William and Edwin Sirman. Included are cannery tokens from the Harold B. Kennerly & Son in Nanticoke, Maryland. Also included are over 925 postcards of Salisbury from the 19th to the 21st century arranged by subject.

Stevens and Thomas Family Collection

by Stevens, Herman (1851 – 2019)

1 box,  2 oversize folders (1 linear feet)

This collection contains business and personal papers collected by Herman Stevens, including copies of the Daily Banner, personal photographs, certificates, obituaries, and papers from the Methodist Church. This collection also contains a large tintype portrait of a man dated circa 1870s, a large crayon portrait of a child, a copy of the Cambridge Democrat Newspaper from 1851, a 1912 cruise brochure booklet, and a July 1917 copy of National Geographic.

Avery W. Hall papers

by Hall, Avery W. (1853 – 1982)

1 box (0.5 linear feet)

Avery W. Hall papers document Hall’s participation as a civic leader in Salisbury Maryland and surrounding regions from 1853-1889, 1932-1982 with the bulk of the material dating from 1945-1970. Hall’s leadership is identified through a series of political memorabilia including correspondence from Governor Millard Tawes and Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Also included in the collection are booklets from Avery W. Hall Insurance Agency relating to Peninsula Regional Hospital and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Project.

Fairmount Academy collection

by Fairmount Academy (1853 – 1968)

4 folders (0.04 linear feet)

The Fairmount Academy collection contains unofficial records of students enrolled in Fairmount Academy from 1925 to 1968. The records have the names of the students, birth dates, tardies, absences, and academic information, as well as a class photograph. There are also papers of Frank Haynie, a local water-man, in this collection. Student records dating after 1945 are restricted and can only be viewed with special permission from Nabb Center staff.

Fred and Frances Breuckmann collection

by Unknown (1854 – 1976)

1 box,  1 oversize box (1.25 linear feet)

The Fred and Frances Breuckmann collection consists of papers and reproductions related to the Fitch family in Michigan and Wisconsin; 27 glass plate negatives from a circa 1940s Talbot County photographer; and various publications dating between 1854 and 1912 primarily related to woodworking and carpentry.

Gunby Family papers

by Gunby Family;  Hann, George;  Huffington, Clara Gunby (1854 – 2000)

11 boxes,  2 oversize boxes (10.25 linear feet)

The Gunby Family papers document the Gunby family lineage which began in Somerset County, Maryland in the late 17th century. Also documented are the activities of southern sympathizer Clara Gunby which occurred in Maryland and Virginia. The materials date from 1854 with the bulk of the materials dating from 1971 to 1994 when Mr. George Hann began to conduct research on the lineage of the Gunby family and associated family lines. Earlier records are included; however, they are photocopies of originals. Documenting records include Clara Gunby’s journal, family history lineage, and correspondence from George Hann to Gunby family members in the United States, Canada, England, and the South Pacific.

Mary Anne Pieper Collection

by Dixon, Maggie;  Pieper, Mary Anne;  White, Anne;  White, Evelyn (1855 – 1987)

14 cartons,  1 oversize folder (17 linear feet)

This collection consists of correspondence, scrapbooks, photographs, and journals of the Dixon, White and Pieper Families of Pocomoke City, Maryland. Beginning in the mid-19th century, extensive personal correspondence between family members chronicles a broad family history over 100 years. Family bibles and photographs capture births, marriages and deaths of the Dixon and White families of Pocomoke City as well as life on the Eastern Shore in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Whitehaven Heritage Association collection

by Methodist Protestant Board of Publication;  Norman Remington Company;  Salisbury National Bank;  Savings Bank of Nanticoke;  The Board of Education;  The Wicomico News (1855 – 2000)

2 folders (0.02 linear feet)

Assorted materials from Whitehaven Heritage Association storage includes 1901 set of "The Courier" newspaper; misc. Collection includes materials donated by the Whitehaven Heritage Association, such as The Saving Bank of Nanticoke, Maryland's Bank Almanac 1920, 1923-1924, 1926, 1928 as well as several other news and church ephemera from Salisbury and Baltimore, MD from the 1920s. There are two correspondences from March 1904 to a unknown recipient from D.W. Dolbey, Jr. of the White Haven Council No. 24. Also included is correspondence from Robert L. Jeffers to Conor Ralph Bennig in 1976 related to Christian faith and one from John W. Davis to his wife in 1855. An audio cassette tape from Emily Griffon's funeral service in 2000. There is an epic poem written in 1992. Additionally, there is a series of land plats for S. W. Dolby's land created by P.S. Shockley from 1903 and 1918 and a patenet for "Hayward's Delight", 1910. Finally there is a map of Delaware with an arrow to Bethel Church.

Wicomico Public Libraries Collection

by Wicomico County Libraries (1856 – 1985)

4 cartons,  2 oversize boxes (6.5 linear feet)

This collection includes family research, publications, photos and historical materials from the Wicomico County Free Library (now Wicomico Public Libraries). Series 1 is family research related to the Dashiell family and some materials related to other families.The Dashiell family documents consist of hand-written family history manuscripts and family trees. Two folders contain other family history research and records. The second series is historical materials. The United Fund of Wicomico County records are documents related to contributions by local businesses and the contents of scrapbooks for yearly fund drives. The 1856 school workbook contains mathematics notes. The legal records are an index of Wicomico County civil court cases, a Works Progress Administration record of workers on the Johnson Pond Spillway construction, and photo reproductions of manuscript records of postmasters of Wicomico and Somerset Counties. The Creative Works are two sheet music booklets, prints of Wicomico County sketches, and a list of winners of the Salisbury Award. The books are a pictorial history of the American Civil War from 1862, Delaware American Revolution bicentennial booklet on Caesar Rodney, A Handbook for Delmarva Archaeology, and a facsimile reproduction in book form of The Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of 1776 and First Maryland Constitution. Series 3 comprises publications of local interest and content. Series 4 consists of photos and images associated with the Salisbury and Wicomico County area. Some Words About Preservation was a publication of the Maryland Historical Trust that gave news on the status of historical site preservation. Tidewater Times contains articles related to Eastern Shore topics, as well as advertisements of area businesses. The collection of journals and journal articles consist of Maryland and Delaware archaeology articles and journals, two copies of Shellfish Digest from winter 1979, and four issues of the Old Somerset newsletter from 1985. Series 4 contains photos and images of Wicomico County and Salisbury dating from the 1890s to the 1970s.

St. Peter's Methodist Church records

by St. Peter's Methodist Church (1857 – 1984)

2 boxes,  2 folders (4.25 linear feet)

St. Peter’s Methodist Church records consist of the records of St. Peter’s Methodist Church in Hopewell, Maryland, offering insight into a Methodist congregation from 1857-1984. It contains ledgers documenting the church’s baptisms, marriages, membership, and finances. It includes a ledger recording the church’s history to 1869, and a copy of the deed uniting it with Immanuel Methodist Church in Crisfield, Maryland, in 1965. The collection also contains ephemera related to the church. It includes a photograph of volunteers repainting the church in 1954, and a program marking the church’s 200th anniversary in 1982.

White Family Collection

by Unknown (1858 – 1986)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The White Collection contains birth and death records of White family members taken from their family bibles. The collection also contains contains photographs of H. Stuart White, Susan Satchel (mother of Hiden M. White), and Maranda White (mother of William F. White).

Joseph L. Bailey papers

by Bailey, Joseph (1859 – 1990)

22 boxes (30 linear feet)

This collection primarily consists of case documents, business correspondences, and personal correspondences. Within the case documents are Deeds, Wills, Inventory, Mortgages, and Accounts. There are also objects from beyond 1939 that either belonged to Esther Bailey or one of Joseph's nephews. The collection also consists of postcards, greeting cards, photographs, and newspaper articles.

Whitehead-Beer Collection

by Beer, Dorothy Buehl;  Whitehead, Barbara Beer;  Whitehead, George I. Jr. (1859 – 2000)

1 carton (1 linear feet)

The Whitehead-Beer Collection includes the personal collections of George I. Whitehead Jr., Dorothy Buehl Beer, and Barbara Beer Whitehead. George cataloged his time in the United States Army Air Corps during World War Two from enlistment to honorary discharge. This includes special orders, flight records, awards, and other miscellaneous paperwork. He took photos during his service, along with Pesos from the Philippines. Dorothy collected magazines, newspaper clippings, and hand-written letters all about knitting. She also held onto her autograph book from Halsey Junior High School in 1935. Barbara's collection includes a Bible, various music books for piano, and a music book for guitar.

Adkins Family papers

by Adkins Family (1860 – 1996)

1 box (0.5 linear feet)

The Adkins Family papers document the well-known Eastern Shore family from Sharptown, Wicomico County, Maryland, 1860-1996 with the bulk of the material dating from 1880-1930. Materials include tintypes and photographic prints of Adkins family members as well as correspondence, genealogical research and corresponding family histories.

Donnie Davidson collection

by Davidson, Donnie (circa 1860 – 1990s)

1 folder (0 linear feet)

This 271-image digital collection has been amassed by Donnie Davidson and are part of his personal collection documenting baseball on Delmarva from the 1860s to the late 20th century. Included are Davidson's research notes, programs, photographs, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera, especially relating to Dorchester County baseball teams.

Humphreys Family papers

by Humphreys, Eugene W.;  Humphreys, Josephine (1860 – 1963)

4 cartons,  2 boxes (5 linear feet)

The Humphreys family papers document the educational and social activities of Dr. Eugene and Josephine Humphreys and their children who lived at 105 Broad Street, Salisbury, Maryland. Materials date from 1867-1963 with the bulk of the material dating from 1890-1933 including correspondence, educational, economic and photographic materials of the family. Also documented through correspondence, legal records, and photographs are boarders who resided with the Humphreys and associated families including Mary Gordon Toadvine, Joseph and Mary Graham and John D. Williams.

Jay and Carrie Kleinhenn Papers

by Kleinhenn, Carrie LeCates (1860, 1995)

7 boxes (7.25 linear feet)

The Jay and Carrie Kleinhenn papers document their family life in Delaware and Maryland circa 1860-1995; the bulk of the material dates from 1915-1949. It consists of personal papers, scrapbooks, photographs and negatives, and other materials related to family history.

Joseph A. Graham papers

by Graham, Joseph A. (1860 – 1942)

1 box,  1 oversize folder (3.5 linear feet)

The Joseph A. Graham papers document Joseph A. Graham’s career, life, and family through letters, postcards, telegrams, photographs and ephemera. Topics include journalism, newspapers, and theater, offering insight into life in the United States during the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era.

Lankford Family photographs

by Lankford, Scott, and Porter families (1860 – 1947)

2 boxes (1 linear feet)

The Lankford family photographs documents the lives and marital relationships of the Lankford, Porter, Scott, and Hayward families from 1860 to 1947. The photographs focus mainly on the Lankford family of Princess Anne, Maryland, particularly Dr. Henry “Harry” Marshall Lankford. Photographs within the collection include cabinet cards, tintypes, and gelatin silver prints. Diary transcriptions from Ida Marshall Lankford provide insight into her life while living at Beckford Manor in 1894.

Michael Ehrmann Postcards

by Ehrmann, Michael (circa 1860 – 2000)

1 oversize box (1.25 linear feet)

This postcard collection is comprised of 20 folders filled with images of attractions and sites around the Eastern Shore area. Some of these various attractions and sites include historical places, museums, restaurants, beaches, hotels, and even some wildlife.

Confederate Bank Note collection

by Unknown (1861 – 1954)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Confederate Bank Note collection documents the Confederate and individual southern states' monetary culture during the Civil War, spanning 1861-1866. There are also bank notes from Germany, Canada, The Netherlands, and Bermuda spanning from 1914-1954.

S. Norris Pilchard III papers

by Pilchard, S. Norris (1861 – 1974)

1 box,  1 oversize box (2.75 linear feet)

The S. Norris Pilchard III papers consist of the personal papers of S. Norris Pilchard III, and his family and local ephemera from circa 1861 to 1974. The collection contains advertising, correspondence, photographs, periodicals and ephemera offering insight into the Gunby family and into business and civic life on the Delmarva Peninsula. It includes photographs of L.W. Gunby and of Joseph A. Graham, the editor of the Kansas City Times. It also includes a notebook of original poetry by S. Norris Pilchard Jr. and correspondence and periodicals from S. Norris Pilchard III's service in the United States’ Navy during the Second World War.

Miles Family Papers

by Miles, Elizabeth Thomas;  Miles, Harry B. (1862 – 2010)

8 boxes,  3 oversize folders (8.5 linear feet)

The Miles family papers document the Upper Fairmount, Somerset County, Maryland family from 1862 to 2010, though primarily from the 1880s to the 1940s. The correspondence, photographs, business records, church records, and more center around Harry B. Miles and Elizabeth (Thomas) Miles, as well as their children, Harry Budd and Betty J., and other Thomas and Miles family members. From 1916 to 1961, Harry Miles served as one of Somerset County's primary undertakers. The family also played a role in managing the Upper Fairmount Methodist Episcopal Church

Carey Family collection

by Carey, Alfred B. (1863 – 1960)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Carey Family collection contains Civil War records for four brothers of the Carey Family. Included is a photocopy of a pension form, an invalid pension form, and government letters pertaining to pensions the Carey brothers were receiving. The collection also has photocopies of pension certificates all pertaining to the Carey brothers and those surviving them, and photocopies of photographs of the Carey brothers.

Duvall and Williams Families collection

by Duvall Family;  Pennington, Edmund;  Pennington, Fredus;  Williams, Bessie (1863 – 1955)

3 boxes,  1 oversize folder (3.25 linear feet)

The Duvall and Williams families were community-oriented people who served as farmers, doctors, and attorneys from Kennedyville, Kent County, Maryland, and Salisbury, Wicomico County, Maryland as well as northern Delaware. Within the Duvall and Williams Families collection are family photograph albums, ledgers, a scrapbook, and ephemera. The photograph albums dating to the 1880s to 1950s offer a glimpse into the lives of the families. The primary focus of the collection is the series of photographs that depict farm life, a Methodist Church Camp Meeting one of the families attended, family vacations, their pets, and farm animals. The ledgers date from the 1850s to the 1890s and pertain to farming on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and Delaware’s New Castle County. The scrapbook dates from the early 1800s to 1900 and contains newspaper clippings from the Mid-Atlantic region.

Smith Family Collection

by Miles, Moody K. III;  Stewart, John Richard (1863 – 1990)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Smith Family Collection contains a collection of Maryland cemetery records, an index for the book "The Parson of the Islands", and small genealogical information on the Smith family. The cemetery records cover All Saints Church, John Wesley United Methodist Church, Manokin Presbyterian Church, Parsons Cemetery, and Rock Creek Cemetery. The record was conducted by John Richard Stewart. The book index was written by Moody K. Miles, III. The Smith family genealogical information is taken from the Smith Family Bible, which includes a birth and death date for family members.

Fitzgerald Civil War Correspondence Collection

by Fitzgerald, Nehemiah;  Reed, Elizabeth Leah (1864 – 2009)

2 folders (0.02 linear feet)

This collection contains photocopies of Civil War correspondence written by Nehemiah Fitzgerald of Virginia. His father's side of the family came from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Also included are We Come from Island People On Virginia's Eastern Shore by Elizabeth Leah Reed and a paper written by Lee M. Krempel entitled "The 19th Century American Letter as Literature: The Civil War Letters of Nehemiah Fitzgerald, and other supporting documentation."

Morris Family papers

by Morris, Dorothy C. (1864 – 1986)

1 carton,  2 oversize boxes (4.25 linear feet)

The Morris Family papers document the Salisbury, Maryland residents who lived at 533 South Division Street and owned and operated the Morris Millwork Company. Photographic prints and funeral ephemera document the relationships of Levin Merrill Morris, his wife, S. Martha and their daughter, Dorothy Catherine, 1890-1955. Additionally, handwritten notes on family birth, marriage and death records have been maintained, this includes an 1864 Evidence of Title for Richard Morris of the US Colored Troop. Dorothy’s friendships with her college classmates are documented in a scrapbook she compiled while at Temple University as well as in The Tatler, the yearbook of Wicomico High School.

Jackson Family photographs

by Jackson Family (1865 – 1968)

1 box (0.5 linear feet)

The Jackson Family photograph collection visually documents the prominent Salisbury, Maryland family including United States Senator William P. Jackson and Maryland Republican State Central Committee member, William Newton Jackson. Florence Rue, wife of William Newton Jackson, and daughter of Philadelphia National Bank President, Levi Lingo Rue and family is also visually documented in this series of photographic images. Visually, the images document the wealth and status of the two families, from 1865-1968 with the bulk of the images dating from 1880-1920.

Thomas Price collection

by Price, Thomas (1865 – 2001)

5 boxes,  1 oversize folder (3.5 linear feet)

The Thomas Price collection consists of military and genealogical records accumulated by Thomas Price and dating from 1865 - 2001. It contains recordings and transcripts of interviews with three veterans of the First World War from Salisbury, Md. and records of the 115th Infantry Regiment of the Maryland Army National Guard. It also includes interviews, records, correspondence, photographs, publications and ephemera offering insight into military service during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. The collection also contains photographs of Deal Island, Md. from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It also includes photographs, publications, and ephemera offering insight into civic and religious life on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Edgar Bennett Collection

by Bennett, Edgar (1867 – 1997)

31 boxes (27 linear feet)

The Edgar Bennett Collection documents the personal and professional lives of Edgar T. Bennett and his wife, Margaret Truitt Bennett. Personal items from the collection include land grants, photographs, and correspondence. The bulk of the collection revolves around Edgar Bennett's professional life, mainly consisting of records from the former Red Star Motor Coaches, Inc. bus company, and Bennett's political career in the Republican Party, Maryland State Senate and Maryland State Roads Commission.

Benjamin Franklin Kennerly papers

by Kennerly, Benjamin Franklin (1868 – 1982)

1 carton,  1 oversize box (1.75 linear feet)

The Benjamin Franklin Kennerly papers document the extensive business background of one of Salisbury, Maryland’s mayors. Correspondences and receipts, as well as ledgers and checkbooks, record the personal and business interactions of a small-town businessman at the beginning of the twentieth century. Correspondence and receipts dated after his death, created by his family members and business partners, provide insight into the elongated process of receiving life insurance and selling off businesses. The papers also include family photographs, advertisements, and other business notes and materials. The papers date from 1868-1982 and include modern publications referencing B. F. Kennerly and subjects he found interesting.

Kent Griffith Collection

by Griffith, Kent (1868 – 1998)

6 cartons,  5 oversize folders (10.5 linear feet)

The Kent Griffith Collection consists of extensive documentation of railways on and near Delmarva, including (but not limited to) the Eastern Shore Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad, and New York, Pennsylvania, and Norfolk Railroad from the 1800s to the 1990s. While the collection includes Griffith's research notes and correspondence, as well as photographs he took and collected, the railroad memorabilia that Griffith collected was thorough and diverse. These documents include pass cards, time tables, employee timebooks, papers from a railroad employee TC Hurst, a scrapbook with hundreds of early 20th century Pennsylvania Railroad technical and safety memos, shipping and freight tags and receipts, detailed track charts and maps, and more.

Records of the City of Salisbury City Clerk

by City of Salisbury (1869 – 1987)

9 cartons,  13 folders (13 linear feet)

The Records of the City of Salisbury City Clerk include 12 ledgers containing the city's charter, ordinances, and meeting minutes from 1869 to 1987. The collection also contains loose ordinances passed from 1890 to 1960 and loose meeting minutes that document City Hall activities from 1924 to 1952. Until 1924, the records were handwritten; from 1924 to 1987, records are typescript. Also included in these records is the 1932 Bicentennial Celebration's signature register. Includes records from M-216 #3 and #4.

Carolyn Adkins Collection

by Adkins, Carolyn (1870 – 1982)

1 box (0.5 linear feet)

This collection contains research, photographs, family histories, and correspondence of those within Sharptown, Maryland from 1870 to 1982. Documents detail genealogy, businesses, and the development of the town.

Delmarva Cookbook Collection

by Shivers, Mary Ann Hillman;  Zieger, Peyton (circa 1870 – 1981)

4 folders (0.04 linear feet)

This collection contains various cookbooks from individuals or organizations from the Delmarva Peninsula. Included are a compilation of weekly recipes in the Salisbury Daily Times newspaper, gathered from July 1980 to June 1981, entitled A Year at...Peyton's Place, Plate Offerings: A Cookbook from Old Trinity Church (Church Creek, MD) and the Cookbook of Mary Ann Hillman Shivers (ca. 1870s).

Frankford Methodist Episcopal Church collection

by Frankford Methodist Episcopal Church (1870 – 2009)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

This collection contains multimedia discs from the Frankford, Delaware branch of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The discs are entitled "Church Records, 1870-1950" and "Church Records, 1961-2009." The records include marriages, births, and deaths of parishioners.

Harold S. Morton, Jr. papers

by Morton, Harold (1870 – 1996)

2 boxes (0.75 linear feet)

The Harold S. Morton, Jr., papers document the extensive family history research that Morton conducted with the help of his wife, Margaret James Morton from 1958-1978 on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, primarily in Northampton County. Families documented via research include James, Roberts and Stott. The materials date from 1870-1978, 1996 and include primary resources documenting the James family’s activities in and around Franktown, Virginia. Resources include land deeds, military discharge papers and estate assessment for Robert Dunton James.

J. Millard Tawes Museum manuscript collections

by Crisfield Heritage Foundation (1870 – 2001)

2 boxes (2 linear feet)

This collection consists of small manuscript collections that were housed at the J. Millard Tawes Museum in Crisfield, Maryland. It contains correspondence, a scrapbook, photographs and negatives, financial records, and notes and ephemera from people in Crisfield between the 1870s and 1969 (and 2001), though primarily between 1939 and 1945.

Parsons Cemetery Collection

by Parsons Cemetery (circa 1870 – 2011s)

3 boxes (2.5 linear feet)

This collection consists of 26 ledgers and three-ring binders documenting burials at Parsons Cemetery in Salisbury, Maryland between the 1870s and 2011. Included are both alphabetical listings of lot owners (binders) and lot-ordered listings for both single sites and family lots (ledgers). Listings include financial information for lot sales, internments, and names of deceased.

William B. Tilghman Company records

by William B. Tilghman Company (1870 – 1975)

25 cartons (30 linear feet)

The W.B. Tilghman Fertilizer Company Collection contains a vast array of items and business records pertaining to the W.B. Tilghman Company. These include such items as company photographs, ink stamps, and a stock certificate seal press. There are also stock certificate books from throughout the 20th century. Another portion of the W.B. Tilghman Fertilizer Company Collection is "The Tiller" newsletter. The collection contains a near complete compilation of the newsletter covering the years 1943 to the 1960s. Inside the newsletters, there are articles on historic homes, buildings, and plantations from Delmarva. On the business side of the collection, there is an assortment of meeting minute books for shareholders and directors meetings, ledgers, journals, crop books, company records. There are also historical records such as the Wm. B. Tilghman Company charter, Governor’s citation of the 100th Anniversary of the Wm. B. Tilghman Company, and the Enlistment Certificate of William B. Tilghman, 1912.

Mt. Calvary United Methodist Church (Fruitland, MD) Collection

by Mt. Cavalry United Methodist Church (1871 – 2011)

2 boxes (2 linear feet)

This collection is 2 books of church records from the African-American church, Mt. Calvary United Methodist Church in Fruitland, MD. The collection also contains records from Friendship Church in Allen, MD and Flower Hill Church in Eden, MD. As well as loose marriage licenses. Dated from 1871 through 1980s.

Religious Hymnal Collection

by Antioch Methodist Church (1871 – 1955)

1 carton,  1 box (1.5 linear feet)

The Religious Hymnal Collection ranges from 1871 to 1955 and contains a total of 23 music books and 1 biography about Bach. The music books contain religious sheet music as well as hymns.

Robert W. Tunnell papers

by Tunnell, Robert (1871 – 1995)

1 box (0.5 linear feet)

The Robert W. Tunnell papers consist of genealogical research of the Tunnell family from Frankford, Sussex County, Delaware, 1871-1995, with the bulk of the material dating from 1954-1969. Materials were collected by, Robert Tunnell, and include a sample of fiscal documentation of the Delaware State Committee, and historical information about Sussex County. Records also include family photographs, newspaper clippings, and general information about the state of Delaware.

Washington Hotel Collection

by Unknown (1871 – 1930)

12 boxes (17 linear feet)

This collection contains 5 series of materials that relate to either the Washington Hotel or the town of Princess Anne. The first series comprises of Ledgers, which include 39 hotel registers, 15 cash account books and 9 other ledgers. Series II contains music related items, including sheet music that ranges in date from the 1880s to the 1920s and includes artists such as Irving Berlin, John Phillip Sousa and Stephen Foster. Also included in this series are issues of The Etude a musical magazine, ranging from 1901 to 1927. Finally in this series there are songbooks that range in date from 1888 to 1921. Series III contains manuscripts that relate to the Washington Hotel and John D. Wallop as proprietor of it. This series ranges in date from 1900 to 1920, and includes receipts, correspondence, and solicitations to the hotel, menus, and financial records. Series IV contains manuscripts relating to the town of Princess Anne and John D. Wallop serving as mayor of the town. This series ranges in date from 1909 to 1914 and contains correspondence, receipts, and public works related correspondence and receipts. Series V contains artifacts and is comprised of one Vee Dee Sherry bottle and a child’s vest.

Richard and Jane Yantis collection

by Yantis, Jane;  Yantis, Richard (1872 – 2011)

1 carton,  1 oversize box (2.5 linear feet)

The Richard and Jane Yantis collection consists of the genealogical research notes of Richard and Jane Yantis from 1994-2011. The collection offers insight into the genealogies of several dozen families, including the Brittingham and Fooks families of Maryland. It includes copies of tithtables for Northampton County, Virginia from 1662-1677, and a Bible from the Hurst family of Dorchester County, Maryland. The Bible contains genealogical information on the Hurst family from 1821-1910.

Bates Family papers

by Bates Family (1873 – 1989)

2 boxes (0.75 linear feet)

The Bates Family papers document the family’s extensive history in Worcester County and Baltimore, Maryland through vital records of the Bates, Starr, Norris, and Murray families. The Bates family is also documented via court records, financial histories and photographs. Correspondingly, records also document the Methodist Protestant church in which the Bates family has been involved for decades; these include the correspondence and articles of Rev. Benjamin Alfred Dumm nephew of Rev. Laurence Webster Bates D.D. The materials date from 1873-1989 with the bulk of the material dating from 1893-1928.

James Augustus Waller papers

by Waller, James (1873 – 1986)

1 box,  1 oversize box (1.25 linear feet)

This small collection contains papers and personal possessions related to James A. Waller, Jr., (1889-1986) Deacon of Christ Episcopal Church, Blackwell Virginia, 1953 to 1986. Items of primary interest include newspaper clippings about Waller, copies of genealogical material used by Waller to apply to the Society of Colonial Wars in 1981, and photographs of Waller with fellow clergy from 1953.

Mental Photographs Journal (Medford, Massachusetts)

by Unknown (1873 – 1935)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

This Mental Photographs Journal was compiled between 1873 and 1935 with most of the entries occurring in 1873. Given to "Mazie" from "her 'little' cousin Hosie," this journal has entries from various locations with the majority from Medford, Massachusetts and Brookfield, Nova Scotia, but also includes: Liverpool, Nova Scotia; Harvard, Massachusetts; Tufts, Massachusetts; the Atlantic; and Boston, Massachusetts. Each "mental photograph" consists of two pages of questions and answers that offer rich personal details about the respondent.

Lester Fooks Collection

by Fooks, Lester (1874 – 1986)

2 boxes (1 linear feet)

The Lester Fooks Collection was compiled by the Private from Salisbury, Maryland primarily between 1941 and 1945, although some of the material dates after this period to 1986 and even more dates before to 1874. The collection documents Fooks' service in Europe during the Second World War. The collection consists of photographs of American troops during the construction of a bridge, photographs of Adolf Hitler and German troops, French postcards, Reichsbank notes ranging from 1 to 100,000 that date between 1908 and 1923, Dutch athletic awards from the 1930s, German cigarettes with Nazi stamps, a Nazi pin and uniform cutting, an American stamp, and coins from Germany, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Great Britain, Canada, and the United States that date between 1874 and 1986. The collection also includes a German ammunitions box with Fooks' addresses written on top.

R.E. Powell newsletter

by Unknown (1874 – 1964)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The R.E. Powell Newsletter contains a 90th anniversary newsletter from the R.E. Powell Company. The newsletter contains employee information, Wicomico county news, and a brief history of R.E. Powell.

Dona Faulkner papers

by Faulkner, Dona (1875 – 2005)

2 folders (1 linear feet)

This small collection is comprised of two photograph albums, loose photographs, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous papers; most of which is assumed the prior property of Dona Faulkner (1875-1955). The items that comprise the collection were purchased at an auction selling items on consignment. Of the two albums, only one is attributed to Faulkner. Faulkner was a resident of Bozman, Maryland in the County of Talbot for the span of her life.

Hodgman Family Journals

by Hodgman, Helena L. Hauserman;  Hodgman, Kendrick Kane (1875 – 1932)

2 boxes (1 linear feet)

The Hodgman Family Journals document the lives of Hellena (Hellen) Hauserman and Kendrick Hodgman from 1875 to 1932 in sixteen journals. Two of the journals are written by Hellen in 1875 and 1876 prior to her marriage to Kendrick and describe her daily activities on her family's farm in Parma, Ohio. Thirteen of the journals are written by Kendrick, from 1891 and 1919-1932, about his daily activities in Ohio. The last journal's author is unknown but chronicles the Hodgman family's history from 1875 to 1932.

William S. Moore III papers

by Moore, William (1875, 1989)

8 boxes (7 linear feet)

The collection includes a biographical sketch of William S. Moore and extensive materials relating to Mr. Moore’s exciting and interesting service as a financial officer in Europe during World War II, especially the securing of German gold hoards in East Germany before the area was taken over by the Russians. The career series relates to matters of the Wicomico Board of Education, the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, Delmarva Power & Light Company, and local real estate. Series III contains personal and career information plus curriculum vitae. Civic matters, politics, Lion’s Club, United Way, and general Delmarva dedications are contained in Series IV. The last series contains material on legal, estate, and financial matters.

June Pettit collection

by Pettit, June (1877 – 1991)

1 box,  1 folder (3 linear feet)

The June Pettit collection documents the history of and hunting of wildfowl in Worcester County, Maryland through deeds, hunting licenses, photographs and film, offering insight into a century of life on Chincoteague Bay.

Uriah White Collection

by White, Uriah (1877 – 1965)

1 folder (0.01 linear feet)

The Uriah White Collection contains bibliographic information on Uriah F. White. Included are newspaper clippings about Uriah. Also included are photographs of Uriah White. There are also honors and retirement forms for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, where Uriah F. White worked.

Carey Church Records

by Bowman, George A.;  Carey Church (1878 – 1982)

folders ( linear feet)

The Carey Church records contains information pertaining to the pastors and members of the Gumboro Circuit Parsonage in Delaware. The majority of the records detail baptisms, probationers, marriages that took place at the church from the late 1890s to the early 1900s. An alphabetical list of church members and a chronological list of pastors dating from 1883 – 1982 is present in the collection.

Fred Grier collection

by Grier, Fred (1879 – 1972)

4 boxes,  1 oversize box (9 linear feet)

This collection contains photographs, news clippings, invoices, correspondence, minutes and a variety of material related to the Salisbury Fire Department, its origins, activities, and role in the city of Salisbury, Maryland. Also of interest in the collection is a series dedicated to disasters and emergencies such as railroad derailments and industrial explosions. Much of the collection is devoted to photographs of fires and disasters which have occurred in and around Salisbury, Maryland since the early part of the 20th century. This collection provides a unique look at the growth of a municipal government agency, transportation, and technology as well as living and working conditions.

Linda Duyer African-American History Collection

by Duyer, Linda (1879 – 1999)

3 boxes,  1 oversize box (4.25 linear feet)

This collection contains photos, documents, newspaper articles, and publications related to African American history on Delmarva, particularly in Salisbury and Wicomico County. It includes genealogical research, research related to Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad, and documents related to Charles H. Chipman.

Allen and Brittingham Family photographs

by Brittingham, Dorothy;  Brittingham, Gordon;  Brittingham, Gordy;  Hancock, Julia "Betsy" Allen (1880 – 1991)

2 boxes,  2 oversize folders (1.75 linear feet)

The Allen and Brittingham Family photographs documents the lives of the Brittingham family, mainly that of Gordon Brittingham, and Fulton Allen’s children in Salisbury, Maryland from 1880-1991 with the bulk of the material dating from 1942-1960. The Brittingham family photographs encompass Gordon Brittingham’s service during World War II in the European theatre as well as his life in Salisbury, Maryland after the war with his wife, Dorothy Allen through the 1960s. The photographs also document Gordy Brittingham, Gordon’s father’s barbershop at the Mayflower Hotel in Salisbury during the 1930s.  The Allen family photographs document their children: Julia, Ruth, and Walter’s lives through a series of portraits, some containing photos from their home, Holly Hill located in Salisbury, Maryland. In addition to the volume of photographs, other documenting information correspondence, newspaper clippings, and family histories.

Blanche Williams Smith papers

by Smith, Blanche Williams (1880, 2015)

7 oversize boxes (5 linear feet)

The papers of Blanche Williams Smith document her life as a resident and elementary educator of Maryland’s Eastern Shore from 1880-2015 with the bulk of the material dating from her years as a student at Frankford High School and the Women’s College at the University of Delaware, 1922-1931. Scrapbooks, created by her daughter Louise, document her family’s history dating back to the 1770s; other materials include yearbooks, journals and ephemera all-encompassing Blanche’s life Delaware and Maryland.

Carruthers Family Papers

by Andrews, Linda (1880 – 1960)

1 box,  2 oversize folders (0.5 linear feet)

The Carruthers Family Papers tell about the lives the Carruthers Family over three generations whom started in Cumberland, England and then migrated to the United States, where they first landed in Worth County, Missouri, then to New York, before settling down in Worchester County, Maryland. The collection includes print materials that feature the Carruthers Family throughout the 1880s to around the 1960s. All of the materials are in print or photo static copies of the original, and include accounts of various family histories, handwritten and typed correspondences, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and other assorted materials. The collection is arranged in accordance to how it was received as well as in chronological order. The majority of the materials were acquired by John Carruthers’s great-great grandchild, Linda Janes Andrews.

E. Sheldon Jones Collection

by Jones, E. Sheldon;  Jones, I. Ernest (1880 – 1968)

3 boxes,  1 oversize folder (2.75 linear feet)

The E. Sheldon Jones collection documents the career of the Salisbury Advertiser editor, E. Sheldon Jones, and his father, I. Ernest Jones, who was the Mayor of Salisbury from 1916 to 1920. The collection includes newspaper clippings and papers related to Jones' mayoral term, financial information of both Jones', photographs dating between the 1880s and 1940s, a State of Maryland court docket from James E. Cathell dating 1880-1882, handwritten and written recipes, and internal memos from the Red Star Motor Coach Company between 1942 and 1946.

Elizabeth Murrell papers

by Murrell, Elizabeth (1880 – 1996)

2 folders (0.02 linear feet)

The Elizabeth Murrell papers document the family history and genealogical research completed by Elizabeth Murrell of interconnected families on the Eastern Shore of Delaware and Maryland. The materials include deeds, letters, and newspaper clippings as research reference, as well as Junior Women's Clubs booklets.

Federalsburg Historical Society collection

by Federalsburg Historical Society (1880 – 2010s)

1 folder (0 linear feet)

This 374-image digital collection from the Federalsburg Historical Society dates between the 1880s and the 2010s, though primarily from the 1940s to the 1960s. Included are photocopied news articles, documents, and photographs relating to the Federalsburg Athletics, as well as other Eastern Shore baseball teams.

Levin Saunders Short Family Collection

by Unknown (1880 – 1950)

1 folder,  1 oversize folder (2.5 linear feet)

This collection contains several late 19th to the early 20th century photographs of the Short Family. Included are Dr. Levin Causey, Levin Sanders Short, Lillian White Short, Cannon R. Short, Jennie White and Leah Jane Causey Short, all ancestors of Elizabeth Cissel. Also included is an obituary for Levin Short, news clipping regarding the 8th annual Short family gathering in 1939 and a US Army honorable discharge for Charles E. White, brother of Lillian White Short.

Lynn Perry papers

by Perry, Lynn (1880 – 1960)

9 boxes,  2 oversize boxes (6.75 linear feet)

The Lynn Perry papers document his military service as an officer in the American Expeditionary Forces and a Lieutenant Corporal in World War II, as well as his personal interests in genealogy, the Mason-Dixon Boundary Line, and the Civil War with materials dating from 1880-1960, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1910-1945. Materials within the collection include his diary and a series of photographs from World War I, a World War II scrapbook documenting his work during a top secret mission in Alaska. In addition to the military service of Lynn Perry, his papers also include a scrapbook documenting Margaret Perry’s political career as President of the Pennsylvania Federation of Democratic Women.

Senator John J. Williams scrapbooks

by Williams, John J. (1880 – 2011)

11 oversize boxes (9.5 linear feet)

The Senator John J. Williams papers document his distinguished service as a United States Senator and his family history from Sussex County, Delaware1880-2011. Documenting materials include five scrapbooks that were compiled by Williams’ niece and former Salisbury City Council President Louise Smith document the extensive Williams family including the Senator’s parents and ten siblings through photographs, correspondence, and news clippings. In addition to the scrapbooks, national publications and audio-visual materials also contribute to the Senator’s political career and community involvement.

Thomas W. Davis papers

by Davis, Thomas W. (1880 – 1970)

2 boxes,  1 oversize box (2.5 linear feet)

The Thomas W. Davis papers document the activities of the Davis, Truitt, and Dennis families of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, including Pittsville and Salisbury of Wicomico County, and Ocean City, of Worcester County. Additionally, photographs documenting their time spent in Claiborne, Maryland and Wauchula, Florida. The materials date from 1880-1970 with the bulk of the material dating from 1910-1945. The Davis family is documented through photographs, including tintypes, artifacts, baptismal certificates, newspaper clippings, an autograph book, bank check and receipt and other ephemera.

Trinity United Methodist Episcopal Church, South records

by Trinity United Methodist Episcopal Church, South (1880 – 2014)

1 carton,  2 boxes (2 linear feet)

Trinity United Methodist Episcopal Church, South records document the congregational activities of the church 1880-2014. Quarterly conference meeting minutes and pastor’s reports on the church’s activities support the church registers, which include marriage, baptismal, and membership records. Oral histories of parishioners and pastors also document the long-standing Salisbury, Maryland church.

Wade Thompson Porter papers

by Porter, Wade Thompson (1880, 1969)

1 carton,  1 oversize folder (3 linear feet)

The papers of Wade Thompson Porter document his life and experiences, beginning with his childhood on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in the late 1800s until his eventual retirement in the 1940s. In addition to newspaper clippings and photographs, the collection includes several decades worth of personal correspondence which address contemporary social and political issues and recount Porter’s childhood memories of late-19th century rural America. Also, there are personal documents related to Porter’s service in the Spanish-American War, as well as his Masonic membership. A considerable amount of material focuses on genealogical research of the Porter family and their descendants, including comprehensive Porter and Twilley family trees dating back to the mid-1700s.

Farm Management, Sussex Co., Del., Ledgers

by Unknown (1881 – 1950)

2 folders (0.02 linear feet)

Two ledgers that document the care and management of animals as well as chicken egg distribution, 1881-1926; Seaford, Sussex County, Delaware. This coincides with notations from 1893 of men who wanted to purchase cows and hogs. The author of the ledgers also wrote recipes for hog food and how to rid cockroaches, in addition to other farm activities. Written later, 1881-1950, local deaths of friends, family members and acquaintances are also noted, this includes the history of the Gardner family.

Japanese Prints and Books

by Empire of Japan (circa 1881 – 1945)

1 box (0.5 linear feet)

This collection consists of various Japanese prints and books that primarily date during the Second World War, but include items from 1881 and the early twentieth century. Included is one picture album containing 60 lithographs that depict war caricatures from the Second World War, a woodblock print picture postcard set from shortly after the Second World War that depicts the United States' occupation of Japan, a circa 1907 palmistry, physiognomy, and divination guidebook with illustrations, a world heritage shrines and temples of Nikko picture map from the 1920s, a set of three encyclopedias that document ancient Japanese history from 1881, and 15 prints that depict Japanese propaganda art.

Minnie Coffin Papers

by Coffin, Minnie (1882 – 1932)

1 folder (0.1 linear feet)

The Minnie Coffin Papers include an autograph book that was filled out between 1882 and 1885, as well as telegrams and a typed letter from 1932 regarding the death of William Ore Boon of Portland, Oregon. The autograph book begins with pages of handwritten poems.

Church Record of the Madison Circuit

by Delaware Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church (1883 – 1939)

1 box (1.25 linear feet)