Woodlands Cemetery Company papers

Table of Contents

Summary Information

Biographical/Historical note

Scope and Contents note

Administrative Information

Related Materials

Controlled Access Headings

Collection Inventory

I. Administrative records

II. Burial records

III. Grounds and mansion

IV. Photographs

Summary Information

Repository

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Title

Woodlands Cemetery Company papers

ID

3661

Date [inclusive]

1798-1990

Extent

66.5 Linear feet 50 boxes; 152 volumes; 1 flat file drawer

Author

Finding aid prepared by Sarah Newhouse

Sponsor

Processing of this collection was funded by a donation from Philip Price, Jr.

Language

English

Text [Volume]

1-152

Mixed materials [Box]

1-50

Abstract

The Woodlands Cemetery was founded in 1840 on the grounds of the Woodlands estate, formerly belonging to famed Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton (c. 1676 - 1741) and heavily renovated by his grandson, William Hamilton (1745-1813). Soon after its founding, the cemetery became a popular burial spot for prominent Philadelphia men and women. The historic mansion and carefully tended grounds also made it a frequently used public recreation spot. The cemetery is still functioning as of 2012. This collection documents the growth and activities of the cemetery from its founding in 1840 into the 1990s. It contains administrative materials, financial records, correspondence, burial records, deeds to land in West Philadelphia, deeds to burial lots, blueprints and maps of the cemetery grounds, and a small number of photographs. The heart of this collection is burial records and correspondence about burial lot maintenance, although there is also a good deal of Woodlands Cemetery Company financial information and documentation of renovations and changes to the cemetery grounds and mansion.

Return to Table of Contents »

Biographical/Historical note

The Woodlands Cemetery was founded in 1843 by a group of Philadelphia businessmen on the grounds formerly belonging to Andrew Hamilton (c. 1676 - August 4, 1741). Andrew Hamilton, the famed and original "Philadelphia lawyer," purchased the two hundred and fifty acre estate in 1735, although it was never his full-time residence. At its largest, the estate spread over six hundred acres along the west bank of the Schuylkill River, from Gray's Ferry in the south to where Market Street would later be in the north, and a mile westward. His son, Andrew Hamilton II (d. 1747) inherited the estate upon his father's death. When he passed away only six years later he willed the estate to his son, William Hamilton (1745-1813), who inherited it upon turning twenty-one in 1766. In 1785, William began a two-year stay in England which inspired him to heavily renovate the grounds and mansion at Woodlands. The mansion was redone in the new federal style popular in England, making it one of the earliest American examples of a federal style house at its completion in October of 1789. William also was heavily involved in landscaping the grounds and stocking the greenhouse, which both became internationally known for their variety of plants. The gardens at Woodlands under William Hamilton boasted of the first ginkgo and Lombardy poplar trees in the United States and played host to botany classes from the nearby University of Pennsylvania. William entertained politically and socially important American and European guests at his estate, many of whom wrote favorably of its architecture and gardens, including Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) and artist William Birch (1755-1834).

William Hamilton never married, so after his death in 1813 the estate passed to his nephew, James Hamilton II (d. 1817), who lived at Woodlands only for a short time before his death. Afterwards, the upkeep on the estate fell behind and it became too expensive for the Hamilton family to maintain, so they began to sell off parcels of land. In 1829 the house and remaining grounds were sold out of the Hamilton family and many of the family documents kept in the house were lost or destroyed. Throughout the 1830s, the estate continued to be broken up and sold, and at one time it was considered as a possible site for Laurel Hill Cemetery.

In 1840 the remaining land and structures were purchased by Eli Kirk Price (1797-1884) and his associates to establish the Woodlands Cemetery Company and preserve the remaining Hamilton estate. The mansion became the offices of Woodlands staff and a functioning chapel, while the ice house served as a receiving vault. Due to the effects of the Panic of 1837 and the loans secured by Woodlands owners in order to purchase the property, the cemetery was slow to start. It was not until 1845, when the body of Commodore David Porter (1780-1843) was transferred to Woodlands to attract business, that the cemetery saw its first burial. Once the cemetery began to operate, it became not only a popular burial ground, but also a site for picnics, strolling, and other public recreation, as was common in Victorian rural cemeteries. During the nineteenth and into the twentieth centuries, the cemetery carried out the burials of many prominent Philadelphia writers, politicians, professionals, doctors, bankers, and military leaders. A list of Woodlands' "distinguished persons" may be found on the cemetery's website.

Woodlands was operated by a Board of Managers, Board of Corporators, and an Executive Committee, which shared some members between them. The staff included a superintendent, treasurer, bookkeeper, secretary, and various men hired for manual labor. It was not uncommon for one man to hold two jobs at the cemetery. For example, Eli K. Price II (1860-1933) was secretary and treasurer from at least 1892 until 1923. Many members of the Price family have been heavily involved with running and preserving the cemetery over the years, including Eli Kirk Price (1797-1884), John Sergeant Price (1831-1897), Eli K. Price II (1860-1933), Philip Price (1898-1989), Eli K. Price III (1904-1974), and Philip Price Jr. (1934- ). For more information about the Price family, please see the Price family papers (collection 3690).

The grounds and mansion have undergone several changes since the cemetery opened, and the grounds now cover fifty-two acres of Andrew Hamilton's original two-hundred and fifty. Some of the lands were sold off before the 1840 purchase, but some property was sold by the Woodlands Cemetery Company to the University of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia. The original gate to the cemetery on Woodland Avenue, designed by John McArthur Jr. (1823-1890), was torn down in 1936 during the city's construction of University Avenue. It was replaced by a new gate designed by Paul Cret (1876-1945), located further west on Woodland Avenue than the original gate. In the 1950s, the Southwest Sewage Treatment Works conducted a major overhaul of the sewer system running along Woodlands Avenue, including lines that serviced the buildings and drainage on the Woodlands Cemetery grounds. Throughout the years, small renovation projects have been ongoing at the Woodlands mansion, including painting, repairing water damage, renovating the heating system, and adding bathrooms to the basement.

The Woodlands Cemetery Company is now a non-profit corporation which runs the still active cemetery. The company is supported by the Woodlands Trust for Historic Preservation, which works to preserve the grounds and mansion. In 1967 the Woodlands estate was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Parks Service. In 2006 the NPS recognized the cemetery grounds and structures as having national historic significance, making the Woodlands Cemetery a National Historic Landmark District. The cemetery also contains the publicly accessible Woodlands National Recreational Trail, which includes paved and unpaved paths through the cemetery grounds.

Return to Table of Contents »

Scope and Contents note

This collection contains the papers of the Woodlands Cemetery Company, which range in date from 1798 to 1990, although the bulk of the materials date from the cemetery's founding in the early 1840s through the 1970s. The documents in this collection are divided into four series by subject or format: I. Administrative records;  II. Burial records;  III. Grounds and mansion; and  IV. Photographs. Most series and subseries are arranged chronologically, with exceptions noted below. This collection includes financial information (account books, cash books, bills, and stock sales, etc.), meeting minutes, correspondence, burial records, bound volumes, maps, blueprints, and photographs.

Series I: Administrative records spans from 1798 to 1990 and is divided into subseries by subject, the largest subseries being  Financial materials. This series contains documents relating to the founding and administration of the cemetery, with the exception of burials and lot maintenance, the records of which are found under  Series II: Burial records.

Subseries A: Board of Managers spans from 1840 to 1970 and is arranged chronologically. This subseries is mostly meeting minutes from the first fifty years of the Woodlands Cemetery. This subseries contains both drafts and notes on the meetings in folders, and the final versions of the minutes copied into bound volumes. The meeting minutes contain information about financial and administrative matters, including large issues like policies for selling stock and cemetery lots and small matters like which staff member is responsible for locking the cemetery gates in the evening.

Subseries B: Correspondence spans from 1843 to 1984 and is arranged chronologically. This subseries contains correspondence written to various individuals or groups managing the interests and affairs of the Woodlands Cemetery, although it does not include letters about burials, lot maintenance, lot ownership, or perpetual care. For letters addressing those subjects, please see the  Correspondence subseries in  Series II: Burial records. The letters in the administrative correspondence subseries often reference financial, administrative, grounds and maintenance, or governance matters. If these letters reference a project or event for which additional material exists in this collection, the letters have been placed in the appropriate subseries and subject folder. If all that exists is one or two pieces of correspondence (for example, a single letter inquiring about a project that never happened), those letters remain in the administrative correspondence subseries. In general, the contents of this subseries pertain to administrative matters, including promoting the cemetery, policy changes, legal issues, scheduling meetings, appointing new board members, and other matters discussed at the meetings. This subseries contains both letters written to and from Woodlands Cemetery administrative staff.

Subseries C: Deeds spans from 1798 to 1873 and is arranged chronologically. This subseries contains deeds to land in and around the property in West Philadelphia that would become the Woodlands Cemetery. These deeds allow researchers to trace the transfer of and changes to the Andrew Hamilton estate, both before and after it was obtained by the Woodlands Cemetery Company. Most of the property described in these deeds is in West Philadelphia.

Subseries D: Employees spans from 1935 to 1988 and is arranged chronologically. This subseries contains information about individuals employed by the Woodlands Cemetery Company and documents more generally pertaining to employment at the cemetery. Most of these materials relate to insurance plans and payroll, and because of their sensitive nature are closed to researchers for 75 years following the creation of the documents. Please see the individual folder listings in the inventory below for the exact dates when these materials will be open for research.

Subseries E: Financial materials spans from 1837 to 1990 and is arranged alphabetically by subject. Within these subjects, items and folders are arranged chronologically. This subseries contains all financial information relevant to the operation of the Woodlands Cemetery Company, with the exception of burials, the records of which are in their own series. Most of the records in this series are bound in large volumes kept by the bookkeepers of Woodlands Cemetery, including ledgers, account books, cash books, day books, expenses, and stock information. The items in this series have been identified using the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Glossary of Financial Record Terms, available here: http://hsp.org/collections/catalogs-research-tools/subject-guides/glossary-of-financial-records-terms

Subseries F: Legal materials spans from 1841 to 1983 and includes information about court cases and legislation which affected the Woodlands Cemetery. Court cases include car accidents which caused damage to cemetery property, early disputes over land ownership, taxes owed by Woodlands to the city of Philadelphia, and a wrongful death suit filed on behalf of a deceased employee.

Subseries G: Superintendent reports spans from 1886 to 1931 and is arranged chronologically. This subseries consists of bound volumes of handwritten reports created by Woodlands Cemetery superintendents. These reports document which employees were paid and for what labor, and list payments for horses, carts, plants, bricks, flagstones, lime, and cement. When the labor included grave digging, the reports include the names of the decedents.

Subseries H: Subject files spans from 1840 to 1988 and is arranged alphabetically by subject. These documents include all administrative files that did not otherwise belong to one of the above subseries. This subseries contains the founding documents of the Woodlands Cemetery Company: "The Charter, By-Laws, and Regulations of the Woodlands Cemetery Company" (Box 12, Folders 25 and 26), later amendments to the charter (Box 12, Folder 20), and a photocopy of the act of incorporation (Box 13, Folder 18).

Series II: Burial records spans from 1839 to 1989 and is divided into subseries based on the type of document. All documents and items in this series are in some way related to the sale, upkeep, transfer, and use of burial lots in the Woodlands Cemetery. The largest subseries are  Burial permits and  Correspondence.

Subseries A: Burial permits spans from 1845 to 1975 and is arranged chronologically. Burial permits were kept in two formats: bound volumes and index cards with a perforated edge which were separated from those volumes at the time of their completion and likely used for record keeping elsewhere in the cemetery. Because of this, there is a lot of duplicated information in these records. Index cards have a record number in the upper left or right-hand corner which corresponds to a page of a volume from which the card was removed by a Woodlands Cemetery employee. The same basic information occurs in both places (card and volume) but the cards tend to be more detailed. Please note that burial permit dates are the date the record was made, which was usually one to four days before the burial itself. The kinds of data included in these permits varies, but most cards contain the name of deceased, age, depth of grave, grave location (lot and section), date and time of burial, and the names of the undertaker, cemetery secretary, and cemetery superintendent. Some also include the cause of death.

Subseries B: Correspondence spans from 1839 to 1989 and is arranged alphabetically by lot owner, with the exception of several letterbooks, which are arranged chronologically and have been placed at the end of the alphabetical files. Researchers looking for information about the sale, acquisition, maintenance of, or burials in a family's lot should look under the first two letters of the family name. This arrangement reflects the original order of these correspondence files. Correspondence about a single lot may span over fifty years and may also be separated within a folder, so researchers should be sure to look through an entire folder for correspondence relating to a specific lot. These letters may be attached to or were found with the original deeds to burial lots. When the deeds are accompanied by correspondence, they have been left in this subseries with their related correspondence. When deeds were found which were not accompanied by correspondence, they were moved to the   Deeds subseries of  Series II: Burial records. In addition to the purchase and inheritance of lots, this series also contains a great deal of correspondence about the care and maintenance of lots in the form of perpetual care payments, contracts, and disputes. If a letter or series of correspondence does not name the owner of the lot, the correspondence is filed under the last name or company name of the correspondent. In addition to deeds, the letters in this subseries are also sometimes accompanied by wills and estate disbursement reports. The letterbooks contain typed copies of outgoing letters from Woodlands cemetery to those inquiring about cemetery lots and perpetual care. Some of these letters are also present in the alphabetical correspondence folders.

Subseries C: Deeds spans from 1845 to 1960 and is arranged alphabetically by the last name of the lot owner, following the same arrangement as the  Correspondence subseries. There is one volume of deeds which does not follow this arrangement and it has been placed first in this subseries. Deeds typically include the lot location, date of the transfer or sale, cost of the lot, and names of the parties involved. They may also include conditions or terms governing the use of the lot.

Subseries D: Disinterments spans from 1853 to 1910 and is arranged chronologically. These documents have the same format as the burial permits described above: volumes and loose index cards which were once attached to records in those volumes. These disinterment records include disinterments from Woodlands Cemetery but also disinterments from other cemeteries in order for a body to be reburied at Woodlands. This subseries also contains permits from the Board of Health required for transporting a body.

Subseries E: Grave indices are bound volumes that range in date from 1846 through the 1970s although over half are undated. These volumes are arranged chronologically. Some of the undated volumes are numbered, although it is not clear if the numbers correspond to chronological order. The organization of the information in the volumes varies: some are alphabetical by lot owner or by name of the person buried in a grave, while others are chronological or arranged numerically by lot number. Researchers looking for information on a specific lot or grave should check all volumes for information.

Subseries F: Perpetual care spans from 1928 to 1988 and is arranged chronologically, although the contents of most boxes span the same date range. Those boxes are further arranged by section. These records are small index cards that document the ongoing payments toward perpetual care of burial lots and sometimes include a chronological list of the repairs and changes to a lot.

Subseries G: Receiving vault spans from 1854 to 1938 and is arranged chronologically. These records have the same format as the disinterments and burial permits: index cards and the volumes to which they were originally attached. The receiving vault was a service offered by Woodlands and other cemeteries to families who had no place to house the body of the deceased. The receiving vault was available for use in the days between death and the funeral.

Subseries H: Miscellaneous spans from 1850 to 1985 and is arranged alphabetically by subject. This series includes documents related to burials and the maintenance of burial lots, but which do not intellectually belong with the other subseries. This includes plans of specific lots, guidelines for lot sales, and various forms and certificates.

Series III: Grounds and mansion spans from 1840 to 1990 and is arranged chronologically. This series contains documentation of the changes to the Woodlands Cemetery's grounds since its founding in the early 1840s. These changes include restoration and renovation of the Hamilton mansion, repairs to the fence around the cemetery, changes in traffic flow and roadways in and outside of the cemetery, sales of land to various organizations, construction of a new gate, and landscaping. This series contains many large, flat items, like blueprints for mansion renovations and sewer repairs, landscaping plans, maps of lands sold to the University of Pennsylvania, and other maps of the cemetery grounds.

Series IV: Photographs is a small series that ranges in date from 1934 to 1977 and is arranged chronologically. Most of the photographs are of the cemetery itself, and they include aerial views and images of the gate and gatehouse on Woodland Avenue, designed by John McArthur Jr.

Return to Table of Contents »

Administrative Information

Publication Information

 The Historical Society of Pennsylvania November 2012

Conditions Governing Access note

Most of this collection is open for research. Folders and items containing medical, personel, and payroll information are closed to researchers for 75 years following the creation of the materials.

Researchers should be aware that while this collection was cleaned for mold, it may still aggravate allergies and asthma. Please be cautious when handling items and ask for gloves and/or a mask if you experience any discomfort.

Immediate Source of Acquisition note

Donated by the Woodlands Cemetery Company in 2004.

Return to Table of Contents »

Related Materials

Related Archival Materials note

At the Historical Society of Pennsylvania:

Philadelphia cemetery histories collection (GSP015).

Price family papers (3690).

Hamilton Estate in Account with James Lyle, 1817-21. Cadwalader family papers (1454).

Betts, Richard J. "The Woodlands." Winterthur Portfolio, 14, no. 3, Autumn, 1979: 213-234 (N 9 .W52 v.14 n.3).

Woodlands Cemetery interments produced by the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania [microfilm] (Mfilm XR 1029 1-5).

Woodlands Cemetery, Woodland Ave. Philadelphia, Pa.: list of lot holders to March 1, 1868. Compiled by Anthony A. Roth (Ph 70A).

The Woodlands, historic mansion, cemetery & landscape: a national historic landmark. Philadelphia: Woodlands Cemetery Company, 2006 (PAM Z 1231 .P2 no. 592).

Chodnoff, Naomi. Philadelphia's Rural Garden Cemetery, New York: American Cemetery, 1991 (UPA/Ph F 158.61 .W6 C48 1991).

Seventh Presbyterian Church: gravestone inscriptions to Woodlands Cemetery (UPA F 146 .G32).

David J. Kennedy watercolors collection, 1840-1971 (V61).

Oliver H. Bair Company records, 1920-1980 (3338).

Board of Health Death Records (cemetery returns), 1803-1860 (XR 499:1-15).

Philadelphia Death Records Index and Register, 1860-1903 (Indexes: XR 895:1-18; Registers: XR 895:19-58).

At other institutions:

Burial records at the Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa.

Laurel Hill Cemetery records and collections, Philadelphia, Pa.

Death records (cemetery returns) 1803-June 30, 1915 at the City Archives, Philadelphia, Pa.

Death records 1915-present at the Division of Vital Records, State Department of Health, New Castle, Pa.

Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.

Separated Materials note

Six atlases from this collection have been removed to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's atlas collection. 1) Atlas of the North Penn section of Montgomery County, PA (1916) 2) Atlas of the 27th and 46th Ward of Philadelphia (1909) 3) Atlas of the 40th Ward of Philadelphia (1910) 4) Atlas of 24th, 34th, and 44th Wards of Philadelphia (1911) 5) Atlas of the 29th Ward of Philadelphia (1911) 6) Atlas of the 42nd Ward (1913)

Four maps not related to the Woodlands Cemetery are now part of the Historical Society's maps collection. 1) "Map of the Main Line and Eastern Delaware County" (1933) 2) "Map of Philadelphia, Camden, and Vicinity" (undated) 3) a United States map (1959) 4) a map of Philadelphia (1931)

Papers relating to the Price family (descendants of Eli Kirk Price (1797-1884)) but not to the operations of Woodlands Cemetery have been removed and are now their own collection, the Price family papers (collection 3690).

Return to Table of Contents »

Controlled Access Headings

Personal Name(s)

• Hamilton, Andrew, ca. 1676-1741.
• Price, Eli K. (Eli Kirk), 1797-1884.
• Price, Eli Kirk, d. 1933.
• Price, Phillip, Jr.

Subject(s)

• Burial records.
• Burial.
• Cemeteries--Landscape architecture.
• Cemeteries--United States.
• Cemeteries–-Pennsylvania.
• Financial statements--Auditing.
• Historic buildings--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.
• Selling cemetery lots –- 20th century.

Return to Table of Contents »

Collection Inventory