Henderson-Pownall family papers

Collection

Identifier: Col-0048

Dates

Creation: 1809-1894

Creator

Henderson family. (Person)
Pownall family. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.

Biographical / Historical

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The Henderson and Pownall families were interconnected Quaker families in southeastern Pennsylvania, specifically in Lancaster and Chester counties.

Sisters Hannah Eleanor Henderson (1813-1865) and Elizabeth Henderson (1806-1864) were the daughters of Elinor Brinton (1769-1853) and Thomas G. Henderson (1758-1840). Their sister Maria (1793-1850) married Simeon Pownall; their children were James and Margaret.

Another sister, Sarah Ann (1796-1852) married Levi Pownall (1783-1863); among their children was a daughter known variously as Ellen, Elinor, Ellie, or Ella (1822-1901). Sarah and Levi Pownall’s other children were Martha, Elizabeth (married George Steele), Levi Jr. (married Deborah Gest), Thomas (married Priscilla Moore), and George (married Henrietta Moore).

The other siblings of Hannah and Elizabeth Henderson were Susanna (married William Judkins), James, Henry, and John B. (1793-1844).

John B. Henderson (1793-1844) married Jane C. Thompson (1795-1837). Their children included Ellenore (1821-1848), Mary Jane (married John A. Elliott; moved to Iowa), Thomas B. (1825-1859), James T. (1827-1881), Belinda Ann (married Clemson Aul), William A., Joseph A., and Sarah Jane (married Horace Irving Sheldon; moved to Iowa).

Jacob Thomas Gest (1829-1872) was the son of Ann Barnard (1792-1883) and John Gest (1783-1865) of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His sister Deborah (1826-1907) married Levi Pownall, Jr. Their other siblings were John Barnard (father of William Purves Gest), Mary Ann, Elizabeth, and Joseph.

Full Extent

86 item(s) : illustrations

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

License: This record is made available under an Universal 1.0 Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons license.

Additional Description

Arrangement

The materials are divided into Henderson and Pownall family papers, followed by Gest material and photographs.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Eric S. Gunnion Antiques, Lancaster, Penn.

Summary

Much of this collection consists of invitations to dine, and of visiting cards. Familial letters, and documents settling the estate of Hannah E. Henderson make up the bulk of the rest of the collection. A very few other documents, and some pictorial material (including drawings by J. T. Gest) complete the papers. One letter describes a visit to the home of an elderly African American couple in 1851.

Summary

Sisters Eliza and Hannah Henderson received much of the material here. Their niece Ellen Pownall is the other main correspondent. Other documents in the collection reveal some of the other family relations represented.