The History of the Building
The
northern edge of this property was part of the northern boundary of the
Bingham-Baring estate.
In
January 6, 1859, Robert
Steen bought the NE corner of
“three-story Italianate double, stuccoed, with central shallow pitched gable. Blind center
windows. Nineteenth century porch intact”
(Inventory of Buildings in Powelton from the application submitted to the
National Register of Historic Places, 1985)
Previous Residents
of 3419 Hamilton Street
1860, Dec. 27, Philadelphia Inquirer, “Business Cards:
– Dr. Skillern has removed to Hamilton street, between
Thirty-fourth and Thirty-fifth streets, Mantua.”
Dr.
Samuel R. Skillern and his wife, Elizabeth Penn-Gaskill Skillern, had a son,
Peter Penn-Gaskill Skiller,
who was born April 28, 1856. They had
also lost two children at very young ages.
“ELIZABETH
PENN-GASKELL, born 19 December 1825, eldest child of Peter Penn-Gaskell, Jr.
and his wife Louisa Adelaide Heath, married 26 July 1855, Samuel Ruff Skillern, born 16 March 1834, at Huntsville, Alabama. According to the present Dr. Penn-Gaskell Skillern, Samuel R. Skillern was
‘a nephew of the famous international beauty and wit, Madame Claude Le Verte, of Mobile.’
“Samuel
Skillern had graduated from the Medical School of the
University of Pennsylvania, receiving his M. D. in 1854, the year before his marriage. Apparently the young couple lived in the
South for a time: they were in Columbia, South Carolina, and their first child
was born. During the Civil War, however,
he served as surgeon with the rank of major and was in charge of Satterlee General Hospital, near what is now Forty-fourth
and Baltimore Avenue.” (Roach, Hanna Roach, "The Penn-Gaskell Family;
Addenda to the Family Penn.." Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, Vol. XXV, No. 2,
1967: pp 113-114.)
During
most of the Civil War, Dr. Skillern was Assistant
Surgeon at the Summit House Hospital, a 522 bed hospital on Darby Rd. in West
Philadelphia. At Summit, he operated on
soldiers wounded at Gettysburg. In 1864,
all of the white patients at Summit were transferred to Satterlee
Hospital to make room for wounded black soldiers. He may have been transferred to Satterlee late in the War.
(His obituary in 1921 states that he “built the Satterlee Hospital for wounded soldiers at Darby, Pa.” This information was probably provided by his
son. I have not found anything to
confirm it.)
1864 IRS: Samuel R. Skillern, 35th and Hamilton.
1865 Directory (compiled Fall, 1864): Samuel R. Skillern,
M.D., 35th and Hamilton. St
1866, Nov. 23: Elizabeth Penn-Gaskill Skillern, wife of Dr.
Samuel R. Skillern died Nov. 23, 1866 at Pulaski,
Tenn. Services were held at St.
Andrews Church. (Phila. Inquirer)
1867 Directory: Samuel R. Skillern, M.D., 3419 Hamilton St. (listed as “Skillerman”)
1870, July: Samuel R. Skillern
purchased 3407
Baring St. His family was listed at
that address in the 1870 Census.
In 1880, they lived at 3416 Baring St. Later, they lived at 3509
Baring St.
1870:
Edward F. Gay 66 Civil
engineer; born in
N.Y.; no real estate (renter), personal: $25,000
Ageline Gay 60 Born in N.Y.
Ageline Gay 8
Hannah McNeil 50 Domestic
servant; born in
Anna Jones 23 Domestic servant; born in
(ED 77, 27; 2nd
enum.:
31)
The 1866 Directory of Philadelphia
lists him as “vice pres. Phila. & Erie RR.
In 1880, Angelina was widowed and
living at 3418
Baring St.
1880:
Wilson Welsh 41 Flour
manufacturer; born in
Sarah Welsh 41 Parents born in England
Hellen Welsh 15
Walter W. Welsh 11
Bertha M. Welsh 10
Grace Bently 26 Boarder; at school; born in
Lizze Imhoff 49 Servant
(ED 483, 29)
In 1860,
1890-‘91 Blue Book: Mrs. Eliza A. Kimber
In 1892, she was a “visitor” at the
General Convention of the New Jerusalem [Swedenborg] in
1895 Directory: Eliza A. Kimber,
widow of Caleb
1896 "Position wanted, young friend to teach children at
their homes or to read aloud, after 10 am address "M" 3419 Hamilton
(from The Friend, a Religious and
Literary Journal, 4/7/1986 p. 296.)
1898-’99 Blue Book: Katharine Kimber
1902, Dec. 7: Death of Annie E. Allen, wife of William W. Allen
of 3419 Hamilton St. Funeral from her late residence.
1906 Blue Book:
William W. Allen
In 1880, he lived at 3602
Hamilton St. In 1900, he lived next
door at 3417
Hamilton St.
1908: Miss Amelia W. Robinson, member of the
DAR
1910:
M. Louisa
Hill 48
Insurance agent; widow; born in
William W.
Allen 69 Boarder; insurance agent; widower
Virginia Hill 23 Daughter; school teacher; single
Horace Hill,
Jr. 21 University teacher
Joseph B. Hill 18 No occupation
Elizabeth Owens 25 Servant;
black
(ED 488, 5A)
Maria Louisa Hill was the widow of
Horace G. Hill. In 1900, they lived at 3416
Baring St. In 1920, she and Joseph
lived at 409
N. 36th St. In 1920,
Horace Hill, Jr. was married and living at 3509
Baring St. In 1930, they lived at 308 N. 37th
St.
Virginia Hill married Julian
Alexander in 1914. They lived ta 3417
Race St. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s report of the wedding is reproduced on the
page for 409
N. 36th St.
“ALLEN, William
Williams: Insurance agent: born in Philadelphia. He served through the Civil
War with a distinguished record, and afterward engaged in the fire insurance
business in
1910: Hill, Joseph Bennett. ..
(Haverford College Bulletin I Vol. VIII
Fourth Month, 1910)
1919, July 29: Death of William W. Allen of 3419 Hamilton St.
“Obituary - Col. Wm. W.
Allen – Former Common Councilman and Insurance Man is Dead
“Colonel
William W. Allen, former Common Councilman from the Twenty-fourth ward and prominent in insurance circles of this city, died
Tuesday night in the Presbyterian Hospital after a short illness. He was a member of one of Philadelphia’s
oldest families and was born near Second and Lombard streets eighty-five years
ago. Colonel Allen lived in the Fifth
ward for many years, living there when that neighborhood was populated by the
oldest and most prominent families in Philadelphia. He later moved to 3419 Hamilton street, where he lived until his death.
“Colonel
Allen was active in politics for many years and was elected to the Common
Council from the Twenty-fourth ward in 1894 on the Reform ticket.
“In
1865 he entered the insurance business, which he conducted at 327 Walnut street, under the name of William W. Allen & Son.
“The
colonel was also interested in Presbyterian church matters. He was a member of the North Broad Street and
the Northminster
churches. He was also a member of the
board of trustees of Presbyterian Hospital.
“He
served in the Civil War. After the war
he re-enlisted and served as captain until he resigned in 1876. Colonel Allen was prominent in the Masons,
having been a past master of the Union Lodge of Masons, No. 121. He was also an officer in many other clubs and
lodges. For years Colonel Allen
commanded the Veteran Corps of the First Regiment. He was a member of the Mended Post, No. 1, C.
A. R. He was one of the veteran members
of the Union League.” (Phila. Inquirer, July 31, 1919)
1920:
Herbert C. Hapgood 43 Reporter for a mercantile agency; born
in Philadelphia, father born in Maine, mother in Mass.; renting
Frances G. Hapgood 43
William R. Hapgood 20 Clerk for an oil company
-2nd household
Alfred A.
Schmitt 29 Clerk for an express company; born in Cincinnati, Ohio, father
born in Germany, mother in Cincinnati
Nell D. Schmitt
27 Born in Kentucky
Martha Schmitt 5 Born
in Kentucky
Sarah Schmitt 46 Mother-in-law;
widowed; Born in Kentucky, father born in Kentucky, mother in Ohio
(ED 682, 1A)
In 1910, the Hapgoods
were lodgers at 742 N. 41st St.
1921, September: Deed transferred from Obdyke
W. Austin (Surv Trustee of Will of Robert Steen) to
John P. & Bessie C. Bethel.
1930:
John P. Bethel 50 Physician
with own medical practice; father born in N.J.; owner, house valued at $9,000
Bessie C.
Bethel 44 Born in Va.
Bennett Berthel 90 Father; widowed; born in N.J., father
born in England
Emma Cook 55 Servant, lady’s maid; black; born in Va.
Essie Johnson 35 Servant, cook; black; born in Va.
(ED 396, 2A)
In 1920, John was single and a
lodger living at 3513
Hamilton St.
2009: current owners: John Schlesinger and
Anna Weesner
purchase
date: 6/1999
single
family home; owner occupied
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Revised 1/22/2012 About Powelton Village