Guide to the Hendrickson-Howder Family Papers and Photographs 1900-c1960

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Hendrickson-Howder Family Papers and Photographs
Creator
Hendrickson family
Collection Number
MSS 750
Extent
7 linear feet (Two boxes and five shelf volumes)
Date
1900-c1960
Abstract
Members of several generations of both the Hendrickson and Howder families were riverboat captains mainly who piloted towboats. The Hendrickson-Howder Family Papers and Photographs consist of books, published reports, river navigation charts, photographs, and scrapbooks. The materials document laws governing American waterways, steamboat inspection rules, navigation of the Allegheny, Ohio, and Monongahela Rivers, and the end of World War II.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
The guide to this collection was written by Kelly J. Smith.
Sponsor
This collection has been made accessible as part of an NHPRC-funded Basic Processing grant.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History

Members of several generations of both the Hendrickson and Howder families were riverboat captains who mainly piloted towboats. George W. Howder, who was born to John and Mary (Morris) Howder on December 28, 1845 in Fayette County, Pa., began working on riverboats when he was eighteen. Eventually, he became a pilot working for Joseph Walton and Company. Howder married Rachel Cooley, and they had four children: Ida May, Mary L., John W., and George L.

John W. Howder also became a riverboat pilot who worked for the Hillman Transportation Company. His son, William M. Howder became a pilot, as well.

Ida Howder married Samuel Wesley Hendrickson, who was also a riverboat captain. Their son, Averil Samuel Hendrickson, born in 1803, became the youngest riverboat pilot in the Pittsburgh area at the age of twenty-two. He died in 1952 on the steamboat Mathies.

Scope and Content Notes

The Hendrickson-Howder Family Papers and Photographs consists of books, published reports, river navigation charts, photographs, and scrapbooks. The books and reports document the laws governing America's waterways, the importance of America's waterways during World War II, the history of towboats, and the rules for inspecting steamboats. The navigation charts are for the Allegheny, Ohio, and Monongahela Rivers. They include radar maps and steering directions. The photographs are mainly undated and unidentified. They document both intact and sunken boats, boats pushing barges, and people working on the boats. The scrapbooks include national newspaper and magazine clippings that pertain to Hollywood and the entertainment industry, riverboats, and the end of World War II.

Arrangement

  1. Box 1 includes navigation charts, photographs of boats, booklets of laws governing American waterways, and scrapbooks with clippings about boats and river transportation.
  2. Box 2 includes scrapbooks about World War II and the entertainment industry.

Conditions Governing Access

None.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift from Sally Perzak in 2011.

Archives accession # 2011.0252

Preferred Citation

Hendrickson-Howder Family Papers and Photographs, 1900-c1960, MSS 0750, Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center

Processing Information

Preliminary processing by Kelly J. Smith on 08/02/2012. Inventory created by staff in 2011

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.

Subjects

    Other Subjects

    • River boats – Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh
    • Allegheny River – Navigation
    • Monongahela River -- Navigation
    • World War, 1939-1945)
    • Aids to navigation
    • Ohio River -- Navigation

Container List