Guide to the Campbell Family papers, 1807-1873
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Guide to the Campbell Family Papers
- Creator
- Campbell family
- Collection Number
- MSS#4
- Extent
- .25 cubic feet (1 box)
- Date
- 1807-1873
- Abstract
- Robert Campbell (ca1763-1837) originally settled in Pittsburgh on the west side of Fifth Street (now Fifth Avenue) between Market and Wood Streets. In 1813, Robert and his wife Jane knox Campbell became proprietors of the White Horse Tavern (and hotel) which was located on the west side of Federal Street (later the site of Boggs Buhl Department Store) in Allegheny. Series have been designated for Robert Campbell and one for other Campbell family members. These papers primarily document the Campbell family's land holdings and include deeds, leases, power of attorney and other legal documents for their property in Western Pennsylvania and other parts of the country.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
Biographical Sketch of the Campbell Family
Robert Campbell (ca1763-1837) originally settled in Pittsburgh on the west side of Fifth Street (now Fifth Avenue) between Market and Wood Streets. In 1813, Robert and his wife Jane Knox Campbell (1769-1855) became proprietors of the White Horse Tavern (and hotel) which was located on the west side of Federal Street (later the site of Boggs Buhl Department Store) in Allegheny. The White Horse provided the meeting place for civic officials when Allegheny was incorporated as a borough on April 14, 1828. Robert Campbell was later elected councilman of Allegheny. The Campbell's had six children: Robert A., Jane, Henry, Nelson, Harriet (Shields), and Emily (Pearson).
The Campbell's third child, Henry (1803-1881), married Sarah Anderson on May 18, 1828 and lived in a home on Ridge Avenue in Allegheny. He was involved in numerous commercial and political concerns. In 1831, he founded the Hay Campbell Flint Glass Company with Captain John Hay. In 1836, Henry purchased Hay's share in the company and, with two other partners, formed the Parke, Campbell Hanna Company, which also manufactured glass. The company was dissolved in 1838, and Henry turned his attentions to steam boating on the Ohio River.
Henry Campbell was elected to the Allegheny city council in 1840 and served as the city's mayor from 1847-1849. This was a particularly significant period in the history of Allegheny, as the city (along with Pittsburgh) served as a major stopping point for prospectors moving west to search for gold in California. During the Allegheny City Cotton Mill Riot of 1848, Mayor Campbell was forced to appoint citizens as temporary police officers to quell the labor violence precipitated by female operatives of the Penn Cotton Factory demanding a ten-hour work day. Campbell also served as city treasurer from 1854 to 1857.
Robert and Jane Campbell's fifth child, Harriet, married Samuel S. Shields, who was President of the Allegheny and Perrysville Turnpike Road Company, incorporated on February 27, 1849 to construct a plank road. The Allegheny and Perrysville Plank Road was seven miles in length beginning at the north end of Federal Street, winding around the hill to the west of the street, and proceeding north on the course of Perrysville Avenue.
Scope and Content Notes
These papers primarily document the Campbell family's land holdings and include deeds, leases, power of attorney and other legal documents for their property in Western Pennsylvania and other parts of the country. Lacking in these records are documents relating to the Campbell's tavern in Allegheny, the political careers of Robert and Henry Campbell, the Allegheny City Cotton Mill Riot of 1848, and business records for Henry Campbell's glass and steam boating concerns. These records are not comprehensive, but do contain a great deal of information on early land and road ownership in Allegheny County and can be use to document those topics.
Arrangement
The Campbell papers are arranged in two series. Series have been designated for Robert Campbell and one for the other Campbell family members.
The Campbell Family Papers are housed in one archival box, with folders arranged alphabetically by folder title within each series.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Unknown. Materials received by the Historical Society prior to 1988.
Preferred Citation
Papers of the Campbell Family, 1807-1873, MSS# 4, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Processing Information
This collection was originally processed by Ruth Salisbury Reid in c1977. Papers rearranged and inventory written by Susan Illis on October 20, 1992.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Doug MacGregor on May 10, 2001.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Subjects
- Hay and Campbell Flint Glass Company (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Allegheny Perrysville Turnpike Road Company (Allegheny, Pa.)
- Campbell, Henry (1803-1881)
- Campbell, Nelson (-c1865)
- Craig, Neville B. (1787-1863)
- Hillsborough Alley (road: Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Knox, Agnes (c1767-1854)
- Shields, Samuel (c1802-)
- Campbell, Robert (-1837)
- Allegheny (Pa.)
- Perrysville (Pa.)
- Robinson County (Pa.)
- Ross Township (Pa.)
- Hillsborough Alley (road: Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- County Charters -- Pennsylvania -- Robinson
- Glass Manufacture -- Pennsylvania
- Land Titles -- Iowa
- Land titles -- Pennsylvania -- Allegheny County
- Roads -- Pennsylvania
- Toll Roads -- Pennsylvania