Guide to the Papers of Charles William Dahlinger, 1849-1935

Arrangement

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Papers of Charles William Dahlinger
Creator
Dahlinger, Charles (1831-1899)
Collection Number
MSS#172
Extent
.75 cubic feet (2 boxes)
Date
1849-1935
Abstract
Charles W. Dahlinger was a prominent historian, lawyer and politician in Allegheny and Pittsburgh in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Family Papers include personal correspondence of various members of the Dahlinger family, genealogical histories and manuscripts about the Dahlinger family, and legal and financial papers for both Charles and Charles William Dahlinger.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
This guide to the collection was originally prepared by: Historical Society Staff in c1937. Papers rearranged and inventory rewritten by Melanie Steven Marinkovic on February 13, 1995. Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process in Summer, 2001
Sponsor
This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

Biographical Sketch of Charles Dahlinger (1858-1935)

Charles W. Dahlinger was a prominent historian, lawyer and politician in Allegheny and Pittsburgh in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was the son of German immigrants, Charles Dahlinger and Margaret Strauch, who were married in Pittsburgh in August of 1853, shortly after their respective arrivals in the United States. They lived in Allegheny, now the North Side of Pittsburgh, where Charles worked at various times as a furniture maker, railroad worker, coffin maker, and embalmer. Charles was naturalized in 1856, and in February of 1858, Margaret gave birth to a son, Charles William Dahlinger.

There is little material documenting the early life of Charles William Dahlinger. He was an avid reader as a child, and in his early twenties he began writing histories and articles about the history of Pittsburgh. He left school at a young age to work as a messenger for the Workingman Savings Bank, eventually working up to the position of cashier. In 1884, he took an extended tour of the southern United States, and his writing interests expanded to include broader subjects in American history. He passed the Pennsylvania Bar exam, and began practicing law in 1887. He was elected to the Common Council of Allegheny City in the same year.

In the late 1880s, Dahlinger became involved in the organization and the construction of the Carnegie Library of Allegheny City. Andrew Carnegie had, by this time, donated over three million dollars toward the construction of various American libraries and music halls. After an 1881 donation of half a million dollars for the construction of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the city of Allegheny asked Carnegie for a similar donation. Carnegie contributed three hundred thousand dollars, and on February 13, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison presided over the grand opening of the Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny. The library had the support of prominent Pittsburgh citizens, including Henry Phipps. Dahlinger served as the library's first chairman, and worked closely with William Stevenson, a friend and the first librarian of the Carnegie Library of Allegheny. Dahlinger also took part in the process of an 1899 addition to the library, made possible through another donation by Carnegie.

Dahlinger began working with the Allegheny Trust Company and the Ridgeview Land Company at the turn of the twentieth century. He became legal advisor and vice president of the Allegheny Trust in 1901. A life-long Republican, he served as a Presidential Elector to Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. In 1915 he received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Washington and Jefferson College (Washington County, Pa.). He became president of Allegheny Trust Company in 1925, and later served as the chairman of the board in 1934. Dahlinger served as a trustee of Washington Jefferson College, president of the Allegheny Lyceum, a literary society, and invested in the Columbia Plate Glass Company. He was also a member of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, serving as both director, from 1930 to 1932, and as a trustee from 1932 until his death in December of 1935.

Scope and Content Notes

Series have been designated for Family Papers and Other Materials. The Family Papers include personal correspondence of various members of the Dahlinger family, genealogical histories and manuscripts about the Dahlinger family, and legal and financial papers for both Charles and Charles William Dahlinger. Other Materials include letters and documents concerning the construction of the Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny, a scrapbook of clippings and writings about Pittsburgh history, political papers from the Independent Republicans of Pittsburgh, and various articles and manuscripts written by Charles William Dahlinger about the history and religion of the Pittsburgh area.

Arrangement

The Charles William Dahlinger Papers are arranged in two series. Series have been designated for Family Papers and Other Materials.

The Charles William Dahlinger Papers are housed in two archival boxes.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These materials were received in one accession in 1936.

Acc# 1936x Gift of Mrs. Charles W. Dahlinger.

Preferred Citation

Papers of Charles William Dahlinger, 1849-1935, MSS# 172, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Historical Society Staff in c1937. Papers rearranged and inventory rewritten by Melanie Stevn Marinkovic on February 13, 1995.

Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Doug MacGregor on May 12, 2001.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Ridgeview Land Company (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

    Personal Names

    • Dahlinger, Charles (1831-1899)
    • Carnegie, Andrew (1835-1919)
    • Cramer, Zadok, bookseller (1773-1813)
    • Stevenson, William (1855-1913)
    • Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865)

    Other Subjects

    • Floods -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • German Americans -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Immigrants -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Libraries -- Pennsylvania -- Allegheny County
    • Natural Disasters -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Political parties -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Railroad Strike, U. S., 1877.
    • Republicanism -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh

Container List