Colonel Joseph F. Siler portrait, 1919
Dates
- 1919
Extent
From the Collection: 3.92 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
General
Photo of Col. Joseph F. Siler (1875-1960), Army Medical Corps, signed by him and dated 1919. In March 1916 Capt. Siler was detailed to Fort Sam Houston for duty in the lab department and was John Slotter's commanding officer. Later in Europe, Col. Siler headed the centralized command of all medical labs in France. Size: 4" x 5". This photograph was found in John Slotter's copy of "The Medical War Manual No. 6, Laboratory Methods of the U. S. Army", Medical Department, U.S.A., Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia and New York, 1919. Handwritten on the inside flyleaf is, "Sgt. G. Edw. Schwartz, Central Medical Dept. Lab., APO 721, American Expeditionary Force, Dijon, Cote d'Or, France." After WWI John Slotter returned to Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and used the lab methods he learned in the military to germinate orchid seed in sterile media under controlled conditions.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of seven distinct series, which are further broken into subseries. Series I, Siegwart family, consists of photographs and documents pertainingto members of the Siegwart family. Included are photographs of Charles Siegwart, his brother Arnold Siegwart and his family, and family documents, some of which are written in German.
Series II, Lohr family consists of photos and documents pertaining to Charles Siegwart's wife, Caroline Lohr, as well as her father, Henry Lohr Sr., brothers Henry Lohr Jr., and Martin Lohr, and her sisters Katherine Lohr Engelhaupt and Mary Ann Lohr Buck.
Series III,Siegwart-Slotter family, contains photos, documents, and awards in relation to Katherine Seigwart Slotter and John Walter Slotter. Included are photographs of the couple before they met, and awards, certificates, and publicity photos of their business after their marriage in the early 1930s.
Series IV, Engelhaupt family, consists of photos and documents expanding on the Engelhaupt family. This series primarily contains photographs of Katherine Lohr Engelhaupt's children: William Henry Engelhaupt, Jr., Mary Anne (Mamie) Engelhaupt, and Edith Marie Wise.
Series V, Locations, consists of primarily photographs taken at the locations were Charles Siegwart and John Slotter lived and conducted their orchid businesses. The three subseries are: 25 Siegwart Lane (Baltimore City), Irvington neightborhood, and Jessup Road. Also includes letterheads from the locations and some correspondence.
Series VI, Miscellaneous, contains photographs and manuscript materials that do not belong to any one of the above series. A number of the photographs contain individuals who are unidentified.
Series VII, Publications, consists of pamphlets, books, and magazines that were owned by the Siegwarts and Slotters having to do with the orchid growing business.
It is noted that even with the present arrangement of the collection, there is a considerable amount of overlap, as most of the individuals were related to each other or conducted business with one another.
The information compiled in this finding aid and in the container list have been written by Dr. Kathleen Martin Brown, who also donated the collection. Dr. Brown is the daughter of Edith Marie Wise Martin, adopted daughter of Katherine Lohr Engelhaupt. Her dedication to conserving her family's legacy has been substantial.
Creator
- From the Collection: Siegwart, Charles, 1863-1951 (Person)
- From the Collection: Katherine Siegwart, Slotter, 1894-1978 (Person)
- From the Collection: Slotter, John Walter, 1890-1966 (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750
specialcollections@mdhistory.org