The Free Library of Philadelphia at Parkway Central Library has eight special collections  for visitors of all ages to enjoy, either in person through engaging exhibitions and outreach programs , or remotely via  digital access . Every month, artifacts and collections will be highlighted in this blog post series, but since… continue reading A Spotlight on Special Collections: The Artwork of Pennsylvania Germans-Fraktur

By written by Joe S.    October 3, 2019   

• Exhibitions
• Databases
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection
• Manuscripts
• Special Collections

The Free Library of Philadelphia is proud to present Framing Fraktur , a three-month celebration of historic Pennsylvania German folk art and its relationship to contemporary art, opening today and running through June 14, 2015! In addition to bringing fraktur to life with a wide range of public programming , the Free Library is mounting two… continue reading Announcing Framing Fraktur!

By written by Michelle S.    March 2, 2015   

• Exhibitions
• Art
• Events at the Library
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

John Derstine Souder (1865-1942) was raised on a Mennonite farm near Telford in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  He was a storekeeper, postmaster, and poultry dealer before retiring.  Souder spent the final five years of his life copying original Fraktur loaned to him by his neighbors and friends, and/or found in museums, as well as… continue reading John Derstine Souder’s Fraktur in the Henry Stauffer Borneman Pennsylvania German Collection

By written by Del-Louise M.    December 9, 2013   

• Art
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection
• History
• Manuscripts

“I must do what is right for me,” he muttered under his breath while gathering up his tools and shuttering the shop window.  Jacob Eichholtz was living a double life, and it soon had to stop.  He couldn’t stand it any more.  His parents were second-generation Pennsylvania Dutch, amazingly successful as… continue reading I Must Do What Is Right For Me ~ The Jacob Eichholtz Book of Sketches and Painterly Advice

By written by Del-Louise M.    November 14, 2013    1  

• Art
• Artists Books
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection
• History

I was only a little girl when my Grammy had me kneel before her in their little church.  She anointed my  forehead with oil, and laid her hands on me.  I was sick, but I can’t remember what for.  She prayed very quietly, and everyone believed I was healed.  And healed I was. In Christian circles the magic of… continue reading MAGICAL CHARMS ~ MEDICAL CURES

By written by Del-Louise M.    October 15, 2013    3  

• Healthcare
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection
• Manuscripts

If you have a moment, I’d like to introduce you to Carl Friederich Egelmann, or Charles Frederick Egelmann as he came to be known in America.  He was born in Neuenkirchen, Germany on May 12, 1782  and was only 20 when he arrived in Baltimore in 1802.  There he learned the trade of coachmaker and is also known to have made… continue reading The Skies Proclaim the Work of His Hands ~ Carl Friederich Egelmann (1782-1860)

By written by Del-Louise M.    July 17, 2013    8  

• Careers
• Digital Collections
• Genealogy
• Languages
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

Sometimes it really is the little things in life that matter.  This I learned recently while trying to identify the record keeper of Borneman Ms 152 from the Henry Stauffer Borneman Pennsylvania German Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia.  The entries are mostly in German penned in German script, and many record the milling… continue reading It’s the Little Things in Life That Matter ~ The Jacob Anthony Grist Mill Ledger, 1842-1868

By written by Del-Louise M.    June 27, 2013   

• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

The Borneman Pennsylvania German Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia is very fortunate to have a very small manuscript, Borneman Ms. 99, about 4" x 3 "  in size, entitled Zimmerspruch beÿm Aufstecken des Strau ßes or What to Say While Fastening the Garland to the Gable.  It was most likely put together… continue reading What to Say While Fastening the Garland to the Gable

By written by Del-Louise M.    April 8, 2013   

• Digital Collections
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

  Many of the traditions we associate with Easter can be traced back to celebrations that honored Ostara, or Eastre (Old English), an ancient pagan Germanic goddess of spring.  Associated with the radiant dawn and the reawakening of nature, she represented the renewal of life, joys, and blessings.  Such imagery could easily be… continue reading The Easter Bunny is Pennsylvania Dutch

By written by Del-Louise M.    March 27, 2013    6  

• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

  Had Daniel Schumacher (1729-1787) been an ordinary man, we probably would never have heard of him.  His bad habits of drinking, swearing, lying, and dancing, amongst others, were not uncommon among the men of his day.  But he was a man of the cloth, or better put:  One day he hoodwinked Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg,… continue reading Rejoice My Heart for a New Year Begins

By written by Del-Louise M.    December 22, 2012    8  

• Digital Collections
• Genealogy
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

Three Moravian Manuscripts in the Pennsylvania German Collection at FLP The Pennsylvania German Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia contains a  wealth of valuable research materials available to scholars and the general public.  Among these are three Moravian manuscripts:    •   The Theodor Schulz Diary,… continue reading If I’m Happy, Then I Must Sing, Part One

By written by Del-Louise M.    October 26, 2012    4  

• Music
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

Theodor Schulz (1770-1850) Theodor Schulz (1770-1850) was born December 17, 1770 in Gerdauen, East Prussia, one of the towns founded by the Teutonic Knights in the Middle Ages, and rich in history from that period. At fifteen he apprenticed himself to the chancery (administrative office) of Ernst Ahasverus Heinrich, Count of Lehndorf… continue reading If I’m Happy, Then I Must Sing, Part Two

By written by Del-Louise M.    October 26, 2012   

• Music
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

Charlotte Sabine Schropp (1787-1833) Charlotte Sabine Schropp (1787-1833) was the second daughter of Johannes Schropp (1750-1805), and Maria Elisabeth (1753-1801) née Tannenberg, and was born November 23, 1787, in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.  She came from a very well known musical family.  Her grandfather David Tannenberg… continue reading If I’m Happy, Then I Must Sing, Part Three

By written by Del-Louise M.    October 26, 2012   

• Music
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

Sarah Horsfield (1785-1867) Sarah Horsfield (1785-1867), was the oldest daughter of Joseph Horsfield (1750-1834) and Elizabeth (1754-1836) née Benezet, and was born December 17, 1785.  She had two younger sisters. Her grandfather Timothy Horsfield (1708-1773) emigrated to Long Island in 1725, and after he married Mary Doughty, a… continue reading If I’m Happy, Then I Must Sing, Part Four

By written by Del-Louise M.    October 26, 2012    2  

• Music
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

  In their search for freedom of conscience and worship, as well as for the promise of economic self-sufficiency and inexpensive land, many German-speaking Christian sectarian groups emigrated to Pennsylvania from the late 17 th century onwards.  Some of these pietists organized themselves into communal societies under the direction… continue reading Gertrude Rapp, Expert in Silk and Song

By written by Del-Louise M.    July 31, 2012    2  

• Music
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

My name is Michael Hillegas, and if you know me, it’s most likely because I served as the first Treasurer of the United States from 1777-1789. I have always, as you may have surmised, had close ties to Philadelphia.  After all I was born, and spent much of my life here.  So imagine how excited I was when I found out that I still… continue reading A Collection of Musick Adapted for the Harpsichord ex Libris Michael Hillegas

By written by Del-Louise M.    July 9, 2012   

• Music
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

Beware!  Lions, tigers and bears have been found in the Rare Book Department at the Free Library of Philadelphia.  Before making this discovery several weeks ago I wouldn’t have believed it either, but there really are lions, tigers, and bears in the Borneman Pennsylvania German Manuscript Collection.  I’ve only… continue reading Beware! Lions, Tigers and Bears in the Rare Book Department

By written by Del-Louise M.    June 5, 2012    1  

• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

If I were an 18 th century manuscript, and had a broken spine, and detached boards, not to mention all kinds of other injuries to my pages, I think I would contact the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) for a restoration appointment because I know that a lot of careful and expert work is needed to restore a manuscript.… continue reading If I Were an 18th Century Manuscript

By written by Del-Louise M.    April 25, 2012   

• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection

This is the first of many blog posts about The Borneman Pennsylvania German Manuscript Collection, which has been part of the Rare Book Department at the Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP) since 1955.  Thanks to a 2011 grant from the prestigious Save America’s Treasures program, a select number will soon be restored to pristine… continue reading The Borneman Pennsylvania German Manuscript Collection Soon Available Online

By written by Janine P.    March 9, 2012   

• Digital Collections
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection