3311 Baring Street
The
History of the Building
“three-story,
Italianate-style, double, roughcast over brick. First-floor. full-height
windows, original wood porch with part of balustrade missing. Segmental windows
below overhanging flat roof with large wood sinuous brackets”
(Inventory of
Buildings in Powelton from the application submitted to the
national register of Historic Places, 1985)
Previous Residents
1861 Directory: Dixon Isaac, watchmaker
& jeweller at 222 S. 10th St.
The
1860 census lists Isaac and Ann G. Dixon living in the 8th Ward with their two
children.
1865, Nov. 25: Title transferred to Rev.
Henry Weed, D.D. by Ann G. Dixon
1867 Directory: Weed Henry R. (Rev.)
Weed N. H.,
confectioner at, 3201 Darby Rd.
1868 Directory: Weed Henry R. (Rev.)
Paull Alfred (Rev.)
1870:
Alfred Paull 43 Doctor of Divinity; born in Va.; real
estate: $50,000, personal: $20,000
Mary Paull 41 Born
in Va.
Henry W. Weed 83 [Father-in-law];
Doctor of Divinity; born in Va.; personal: $20,000
Sarah W. Weed 41 [Sister-in-law[;
born in Va.
Annie Paul 23 Born
in
Phoebe Paull 15 Born in
Va.
George Paull 12 Born in
Va.
Millie Paull 9 Born in Va.
Mary Paull 6 Born in Va.
Rebecca Pulbeston 25 Servant; born in
Rev. Alfred Paull and Mary Rowland
Weed were married June 25, 1844 in Ohio, Virginia. In 1880, they lived at 3609 Baring St.
1870, Dec.
14: Death of Rev. William Henry Rowland Weed
1870: Title transferred to Sarah P. Weed
by will
1872:
Marriage of Ann Elizabeth Woods Paull to Samuel Morrow Palmer of 3204 Arch St.
Samuel
Palmer died in 1875. In 1880, she was
living with her family at 3609 Baring St.
1872, Nov.
18: Death of Alfred Paull of 3311 Baring St. He was pastor of the Presbyterian
Church in Hestonville, West Philadelphia.
1873 Directory: Weed Sarah P.
Paull Mary R., widow of Rev. Alfred
1880:
Joseph Knight 40 Gentleman
Cornelia Knight 38 Born
in Del.
Lizzie B. Knight 18 At
school
Anna M. Knight 16 At
school
Joseph Knight 4
Richard Morrell 49 Boarder;
upholsterer; married
Richard Morrell,
Jr 21 Boarder; manufacturing
Eddie Morrell 18 Boarder
Blanche Morrell 16 Boarder
Henry Johnson 30 Boarder;
dry goods merchant; married; born in N.J.
Clara Johnson 30 Boarder;
married; born in
Emily Burks 50 Boarder; widowed/divorced
Mary Martin 61 Boarder; widowed; has a paralysis
Josephine Rogers 16 Servant;
black; born in
1882, Feb. 7: Death of Mrs. Mary Ann Ward, 71 years old, of 3311
Baring St. She was born in Philadelphia.
Burial at Woodlands Cemetery. (Phila. Death Index)
1882, Sep. 1: Title transferred to Tabetha L.
Viguers by Sarah P. Weed
1883, Oct. 7: Death of Rebecca Jane Thomson, 48 years old, of 3311
Baring St. She was born in Philadelphia and never married. Burial at Woodlands Cemetery. (Phila. Death
Index)
1887 & 1890 Directories: Pehrson B. Calvert (P. B.
Calvert & Co.)
1890 Census Veterans Schedule: Pehrson Calvert, Private, Keystone
Battery, PA, May, 1863 - Sept. 1863.
Private, Keystone
1893, Oct. 13: Permit granted: “Joseph Doyle,
contractor, three-story brick back building, 16 by 22, at 3311 Baring street.”
(Inquirer)
1897, Oct. 7:
Death of Clara Calvert, 52 years old, of 3311 Baring St.
Burial at Woodlands Cemetery. (Phila. Death Index)
Pehrson Butler Calvert married Clara
Thomson at Trinity Episcopal Church in Philadelphia on Nov. 23, 1870.
1898 Blue Book: P. B. Calvert & daughter
1899, Dec.
27: Death of Frank Sparks Calvert, 21 years old,, son of Pehrson B. and the
late Clara Calvert. Funeral from his late residence, 3311 Baring St. Burial
at Woodlands Cemetery. He was working as a clerk. The cause of death was heart
disease.
1900, Feb.
6: Marriage of Cora L. Murray of Canal Dover, Ohio to Pehrson B. Calvert of
3311 Baring St. The marriage took place
in Canal Dover. (Phila. Inquirer)
1900:
Pehrson B. Calvert 54 Fine plate dealer; father born in
Cora L. Calvert 30 Married
less than one year, no children; born in
Louis L. Calvert 28 Son;
architect
Alan Calvert 25 Son
Louisa Brown 22 Servant;
born in Ga.
1901, Oct. 7: “Mr. Henry Cochran and family, who have been for
some time at Belmar, N. J., are now at their city residence, 3311 Baring
street.” (Inquirer)
1906 Blue Book: Mr.
and Mrs. P. B. Calvert
Alan Calvert
1910:
Pehrson B. Calvert 64 Father born in
Cora Calvert 40 Married
10 years, no children; born in
Grace Patterson 36 Servant;
widowed with one child; born in
1913, Nov. 24: Death of Pehrson B. Calvert, 67 years old. Services
at his late residence, 3311 Baring St. (Phila.
Inquirer)
His estate was valued at $1,382,
equivalent to about $31,000 in 2011 dollars. (Phila. Inquirer, April 15, 1915)
1914, Philadelphia Inquirer:
“Mrs. Madeline C. Bonniwell, wife of Municipal Court Judge Bonniwell, has taken
title from Cora L. Calvert to the property at 3311 Baring street for $7925.”
(April 14, 1914)
1916: Judge Eugene C. Bonniwell
elected president of Sons of the American Revolution, (PA Society); (magazine
of the same, v. 11-13. Pg 25).
In 1880, his family lived at 1117 South St. The 1891 Directory lists him as a student
living there. The 1895 Directory lists
him as a lawyer with an office at 502 Walnut St. and living at 2003 South
St. In 1900, he lived with his parents
and siblings at 3803 Spruce St. His
father was a shirt cutter. His parents
had been married 27 years and had 7 children.
In 1910, Eugene and Madeline Bonniwell lived in Radnor, Delaware
Co. They had been married 16 years.
Eugene C. Bonniwell
Eugene Cleophas Bonniwell was born 1872
in Philadelphia. He married Madeleine Helene Cahill in 1900. Lawyer, municipal
judge in Pa: 1914-39. Democratic candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania, 1918,
1926, 1934 (primary); candidate for justice of Pennsylvania state supreme
court, 1921. Catholic. Member, Sons of the American Revolution; Sons of the
Revolution; Sons of Union Veterans; Knights of Columbus; Moose. He was the son
of Evander Berry Bonniwell and Elizabeth (Doherty) Bonniwell.
(Politicalgraveyard.com)
Judge Bonniwell was the Democratic
“wet” (i.e., anti-prohibition) candidate for governor in 1918. He was also opposed to the anti-Semitism of
such prominent figures as Henry Ford. He hosted several meetings of Democratic
leaders at his home.
“Eugene Cleophas Bonniwell. B. Sept.
25, 18?2; LL. B. 1893; Ph. B. hon., Villanova Coll.; pole vault champion, Univ.
of Pa., 93; Judge Municipal court, Phila.; chrmn of Civilian Organization of
Comm. of Public Safety of Pa.; Chancellor, Gen. Nation Soc. Sons of Am.
Revolution; Registrar Order of Lafayette, Deputy Registrar Order of Washington,
etc.; author “Citizenship”; mem, City Business and Locust Clubs; Motor Truck
Assn.; B. P. O. E.; Hist. Soc. of Pa.; Am. Cath. Hist. Soc.; 690 City Hall and
3311 baring St., Phila., Pa.”
(Univ. of Pennsylvania Alumni Catalogue.
1922)
1917: Eugene Cleophas Bonniwell: listed as graduate LL.B. 1893;
judge Municipal Court, Phila.
(U. of P. General Alumni Catalogue. Pg. 510)
1919: Judge Eugene C. Bonniwell elected to membership American
Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia (Records of same, v. 30.).
1920:
Eugene C.
Bonniwell 46 Municipal Court judge; father born in
Wisc., mother in Ireland; owner with a mortgage
Madeline C.
Bonniwell 40 Born in
N.Y., father born in N.Y., mother in Ireland
Eugene C. Bonniwell 18
Robert G.
Bonniwell 16
John G. Bonniwell 14
Bernard H.
Bonniwell 11
Madeline H.
Bonniwell 9
Alfred F.
Bonnewell 8
Geneva Adams 21 Servant; black; father born in Del., mother in Va.
1920: Eugene Cahill Bonniwell, Jr., (Catalogue of
1920, Oct. 22: Phila. Inquirer: “Boy Tells of Long List
of Robberies. Young Forger Admits
Robbing Judge Bonniwell’s Home Among Others.
Expensive Champagne and Whisky Found in His N. Y. Apartment.
“Charles Henry Hoffman may have been
young, but he had old ideas. Working as
an office boy for a prominent law firm during the week, according to his
confession, he lived sumptuously at a New York apartment over the week-ends,
where he acquired no mean reputation as a ‘spender.’
“Charles was arrested Wednesday by
private detectives when he attempted to cash checks on his employer which he
later confessed to have forged…. At his hearing at the House of Detention
yesterday he admitted his guilt, also voluntarily confessing to several other
robberies he committed last summer.
“While working as a Western Union
messenger last June, Hoffman, who is only 15 years old now, had occasion to
deliver a message at the residence of Eugene C. Bonniwell, judge of the
municipal Court, at 3211 [sic.] Baring street.
He found no one home, he told detectives, and so made another trip
later, the second time entering the house by removing a pane of glass and
opening a window. He confessed to
stealing a gold watch, a typewriter, two revolvers, and a quantity of
children’s toys from the house, making two trips….
Reports from New York, which
confirmed his week-end residence there, tell of the sumptuous furnishings of
his apartment, including expensive portieres, Chinese bric-a-brac and costly
rugs. Five-dollar tips to bell boys were
nothing in his young life, and he realized the need of a cellar to complete his
dream luxury, for in the apartment were found five bottles of champagne and a
quantity of bonded liquors….
Hoffman’s parents lived in
Collingswood, N.J. His father is a
pressman in a large publishing house in this city. His mother told the police that he had
brought some of the stolen goods home, but had said he was buying them on the
installment plan….”
1925, June 3: “Referee Herman Baetzell, dean of
basketball referees, and William Kennedy, veteran cage manager, have been
appointed to the Rules Committee of the newly formed Easter Cage League. The
committee is to meet tonight at the residence of Judge Eugene C. Bonniwell,
3311 Baring street, to go over the entire professional rules, submit changes
and make a general revision of the entire code….” (Inquirer)
1929: Death of Madeleine H. Bonniwell, 56 years old
1930:
Eugene Bonniwell 52 Municipal
Court judge; widowed; parents born in Ireland [sic.]; owner, house valued at
$10,000.
Eugene Bonniwell, Jr. 28 Life
insurance
Robert Bonniwell 26 Clerk
for a stock and brokerage co.
John Bonniwell 24
Bernard Bonniwell 21
Madeline Bonniwell 19
Alfred Bonniwell 17
Eleanore Bonniwell 16
1934, Aug. 27: Marriage of Roberta C. Ranck to Eugene C. Bonniwell
They were married in the prior’s
chapel of St. Vincent Ferrer’s Catholic Church.
She was 31, he was 61.
“JUDGE
BONNIWELL WEDS MISS RANCK
“Jurist, 61, Takes Noted Woman
Athlete, 31, as Bride in N. Y.
“Judge
Eugene C. Bonniwell, for the past 20 year a member of the Municipal Court bench
and twice Democratic nominee for Governor, was married yesterday morning in New
York to Miss Roberta C. Ranck, internationally known woman athlete.
“Judge
Bonniwell, who is 61, and his bride, who is 31, were married by the former’s
brother, Rev. William J. Bonniwell, in the Prior's Chapel of St. Vincent
Farrer's Catholic Church, 66th st., and Lexington ave., New York.
“Miss
Ranck was received into the church last Sunday at Ocean City, N. J., by Rev.
Thomas F. Blake, rector of St. Augustine Church at the resort.
“The
wedding ceremony was witnessed by Judge Bonniwell's five sons, two daughters
and daughter-in-law, and by the bride's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Marcus D. Ranck,
of 6324 N. Camac st., this city, and their son.
“Leave
on Honeymoon
“Following
a wedding breakfast at the Plymouth Hotel, Judge and Mrs. Bonniwell left for a
motor trip through New England. Upon their return they will reside at Judge
Bonniwell’s home, 3311 Baring st.
“The
marriage was a complete surprise to even the most intimate of Judge Bonniwell’s
friends, who understood merely that he was taking his regular summer vacation.
“His
bride is known literally around the world as ‘Bobble’ Ranck, whose proficiency
in almost every sport in which a woman may compete has won her laurels and
acclaim both here and abroad. She is captain of the Golden Wreath team of the
Philadelphia Turngemeinde, and for the past 15 year has held the American
women's athletic championship, she has held successive women's records in
track, field, and aquatic events, and in fencing.
“Judge
Bonniwell's first wife died in October, 1929. He was born in Philadelphia and
spent his entire life here. He was graduated from the Law School of the
University of Pennsylvania in 1893, and later continued his active interest in
athletic events which he evinced during undergraduate days, when he was a track
and field star.
“He
was Democratic candidate for the Governorship in 1918 and 1926. and was
defeated in the fight for the nomination last spring. He is a member of
numerous patriotic and fraternal organizations, and has received decoration
from Italy, Poland and Montenegro.” (Inquirer)
1940:
Mary Joyce Dennis 55 renting for $60 per month
Ghity Skeeky 31 Lodger; waiter in a restaurant, earned
$1,200 in 1939; born in Eire (Ireland)
John J. Ferguson 28 Lodger; lawyer in a law office, earned $1,780 in 1939; lived
in Scranton, Pa. in 1935
Helen Harriett
Woodrow 29 Clerk for auto dealer, earned $1,180 in 1939; single; 4 years
of high school; renting for $15 per month
1950 Directory: Eugene C. Courtney
Carroll H. Keelor
George Levy
Herbert M. Loy
1968 Directory: Taylor C. L., 1st floor
1969, Aug. 30:
“Roderick Thomas [above], 3511 Baring st., has been appointed to the
newly-created position of Director of Unit Management at Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital. He has been with
Jefferson since December 1968. He was
previously an administrative officer with the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s
office and prior to that in an administrative capacity at Philadelphia General
Hospital” (Phila. Tribune)