The
History of the Building
1868, May 8:
Title for 3620-3626 Baring St. transferred to John Shedwick
by William N. West
“Circa
1870, two-and-one-half story, Second Empire-style double house, cruciform plan,
with entrance in cross arms; stone façade over brick; 3624 side porch removed;
3626 side porch altered with iron and brick; first floor projecting bays.
Double bracketed cornice. Slate-shingled mansard with two dormers.”
(Inventory of
Buildings in Powelton from the application submitted to the national register of Historic
Places, 1985)
3620-3626
Baring were built by John Shedwick and his sons. In
1870, they lived next door at 3624 Baring St.
Previous Residents
1868, May 8:
Title for 3620-3626 Baring St. transferred to John Shedwick
by William N. West
1869, June 5: Deed transferred from John Shedwick to Charles H. Alexander, et al.
1870:
Charles (H.) Alexander 31 Manufacturer of leather belts; born in
N.H.; real estate: $10,000; property: $15,000
Josephine Alexander 33 Born
in N.Y.; property: $3,000
Henry W. Alexander 28 Manufacturer
of leather belting; born in N.H.; property: $10,000
Edward P. Alexander 25 Manufacturer
of leather belting; born in N.H.
Jacob Orie 38 Clerk in a bank
Jessie E Smith 13 Born
in N.H.
May Barry 28 Domestic servant; born in
The
four Alexander siblings were from Winchester, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire where
they were all living at the time of the 1860 census. They were the children of Lemuel H.
Alexander (see 1880) and Emily Daniels.
Their mother died in 1858.
The
1861 city directory (compiled in the fall of 1860) lists Charles H. Alexander
with a business in cloaks at 21 N. 9th St. and living at 38 N. 9th
St. The 1867 city directory lists Jacob Orie, messenger, living at 1310 Cherry.
The Alexander Brothers company,
established in 1867, manufactured leather belts used to transmit power from an
engine powered by steam, water, or, later, electricity to one or more machines.
Edward
purchased 306 N. 35th St. in 1873 and
moved there with his new wife.
1877: Marriage of Anna A. Thomas to Henry
Warren Alexander
1880:
Lemuel H. Alexander 78 Manufactures [illegible]; widowed; born in N.H.
Charles H. Alexander 41 Son; manufactures belts; born in N.H.
Josephine Alexander 42 Daughter; born in N.Y., parents in N.H.
Sarah Alexander 86 Sister;
born in N.H.
Jacob Orie 45 Boarder; bank clerk
Mary Redmond 26 Servant;
born in
In
1900, Henry lived at 3909 Warren St.
Lemuel
Hastings Alexander died in July 4, 1883 in Winchester, N.H. where he was
born. His wife, Emily, died there in
1858.
1881 Directory: Jacob Orie,
Clerk
1883, Jan. 25: Death of Sarah B. Alexander, 89
years old
1883, July 6: Death of Lemuel H. Alexander, 81
years old, manufacturer; widowed; born in N.H.
1885, Dec. 8: Death of Jacob Orie of 3626 Baring St. Cause of death was angina
pectoralis. He was 52 years old, born in
Lancaster County. He worked as a bank
clerk and was single. .Services held at his late residence with burial in
Reading, Pa.
Edward
P. Alexander’s first son, born in 1880, was named Charles Orie
Alexander.
1890 Directory: Alexander, Charles H. (Alexander
Bros.) h 3626 Baring
Alexander Bros. (Charles H., Henry W., &
Edward P.) leather belting, 410 N 3d
Alexander Edward P. (Alexander Bros.), h 306 N 35th.
Henry W. (Alexander Bros.) h Haverford
“During World War I, architectural
work in
1892: Charles H. Alexander joined a law suit aimed at stopping the
introduction of electric trolleys on Baring St. to replace the old horse-drawn
streetcars. (See the Powelton
History Blog for details.)
1894, April 18: Death of Charles Hastings Alexander, 55 years old
1894, Jul. 27: Title transferred to Henry W., Edward P., Josephine
Alexander by Charles H. Alexander, et al.
1895
Directory: Samuel Latta, physician
Between
1887 and 1893, he and his family lived at 201 N. 35th
St. For
earlier and later addresses, see the page for 3500
Hamilton St. where he lived with his mother and siblings in 1880.
“Samuel Whitehill Latta, M.D., Chief Medical Examiner of the Department, was
born in Octoraro, Chester County, Pa., July 23, 1848,
and educated at Parkesburg and Media Academies and Lafayette College. After
finishing his studies in the latter he took a course in the Medical Department,
University of Pennsylvania, graduating as M.D. at that institution on March 13,
1868. Eleven days afterward, or on March 24, 1868, he was commissioned an
Assistant Surgeon in the United States Navy, serving as such in the West
Indies, South America, Africa, China and Japan. He was surgeon in charge of the
landing forces in the Corean Expedition of 1871 under
Rear Admiral Rodgers. He resigned from the navy on July 1, 1879. He served in
1879 and 1880 as Surgeon and Purser on the Steamship Nederland of the Red Star
Line. From January 1, 1884, to January 1, 1886, he was Resident Surgeon at
Broad Street Station, at which latter date he was promoted to the position he
now occupies.
“Dr. Latta
is a member of the State Board of Medical Examiners of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia County Medical Society, State Medical Society of Pennsylvania, and
was one of its Vice Presidents in 1894, and a member of the American Public
Health Association. He is a close student of all matters pertaining to his
profession, and a very conscientious gatherer of vital statistics. Careful and
methodical in all he does, and of excellent judgment, his decisions can be
relied upon as having been arrived at by the most critical analysis.” (History
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company: ..., Volume 2. William Bender Wilson,
1895: 167-8.)
1895: Samuel W. Latta nominated to the
Board of Medical Examiners representing the Medical Society of the State of PA.
1900:
Samuel W. Latta 51 Physician
Anna A. Latta 52 Married
27 years, no children
Annie Lathenbury [?] 39 Servant;
black; born in
Clarence Short 18 Servant; black; born in
1906
Blue Book: Dr. and Mrs. Samuel Latta
1909,
Feb. 6: Title transferred to Harry J. Minich by Henry
W., Edward P., Josephine Alexander
In
1900, he lived in Columbia, Lancaster Co.
1910:
Harry J. Minich 50 Owner,
free of mortgage
Emma C. Minich 50 Married
32 years, 6 children, 5 surviving
Harry E. Minich 29 Born
in Tenn.
Estella M. Minich
25 Bookkeeper;
born in
Ruby C. Minich 23 Born
in Fla.
Bertrand Minich 22 Stenographer
for insurance co.; born in
Ralph P. Minich 20 Architect;
born in
In
1930 some of them lived in Radnor
1910, Apr. 26: Title transferred to N. Jerome
A. Minich by Harry J. Minich
and back to Harry J. Minich on June 21.
1912 Directory: Bertram Minich,
clerk
Harry E. Minich
Harry J. Minich,
grocer
Ralph P. Minich,
architect
1918 Directory: Bertram B. Minich,
U. S. Army
Harry E. Minich,
manager
Harry J. Minich
Ralph P. Minich, U.
S. Army
1920:
Harry J. Minich 60 Electrician
at Hog Island; owner, free of mortgage
Emma C. Minich 60 Married
32 years, 6 children, 5 surviving
Stella May Minich
31 Fire
insurance; born in Tenn.
Ruby C. Minich 30 Music
teacher; born in Fla.
Ralph P. Minich 28 Engineer,
drafting; born in Fla.
(ED 686, 4B)
1920, Jul. 23: Title transferred to Leonard A. Littinger and Ruth, his wife by Harry J. Minich
1922, May 20: Title transferred to James A.
Dowden and Rose K., his wife by Leonard A. Littinger
and Ruth, his wife
He
lived at 3711
Spring Garden St.
1930:
James A. Dowden 56 Dentist;
married at age 30; born in N.Y., parents born in Irish Free State; owner, house
valued at $15,000
Rose K. Dowden 53 Married at age
27
E. Elizabeth Dowden 25
Emily C. Dowden 22 Dental
Hygienist
Mary Dowden 60 Sister; Merchant with an art shop; single;
born in N.Y., parents born in Irish Free State
Anna Raymond 62 Lodger;
manager paving contractor [?]; single
(ED 398, 18A)
James
A. Dowden was born in Binghamton, N.Y.
He and Rose C. Kelly were married in Philadelphia in 1903. He was a 1896 graduate of the University of
Pennsylvania School of Dentistry. In
1900, he lived at 504 N. 34th St.
In 1920, they lived at 3711 Spring Garden St. In addition to his dental practice, he was
for a number of years Demonstrator in Mechanical Dentistry at the University of
Pennsylvania.
1940:
James A. Dowden 66 Dentist,
worked 60 hours in previous week; 4 years of college; born in N.Y.; owner,
house valued at $5,000
Rose K. Dowden 66 Four years of
high school
Elizabeth Dowden 35 Photograph
retouching, earned $1,500 for 35 weeks of work in 1939; 4 years of high school
Emily Dowden 32 Dental
hygienist at Medical arts Building; earned $660 in 1939; 2 years of high school
Mary Dowden 69 Sister; born in N.Y.; 4 years of high
school
1949, Oct. 10: Death of Rose K. Dowden, 73 years old, of 3626
Baring St. She was the daughter of John H. Kelley and Mary Elizabeth Reuss. She
was born Oct. 17, 1875.
1950 Directory: James A. Dowden, dentist
1953, May 26: Death of James A. Dowden, 77 years old, of 3626
Baring St. He was the son of Dennis J. Dowden and Bridgett McGrath. He was born
in Binghamton, NY
Emily
C. Dowden was living here with him.
2009: Current owner: Melvin Williams and Sandra Williams,
purchased Feb., 2003
<3624
Baring Across
to 3619 Baring >
Revised 12/4/2021