Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center

I’m currently processing the Campbell- Martin- Furlong Papers, a collection of papers that documents these three interrelated Catholic families as well as other related families such as the Kennedys and Jenkins.  Most of items are family correspondence, though some business and estate materials are also included. One member of the Martin family who is fairly well-represented in the collection and who caught my attention is William A. K. Martin (1816-1867). Other than family correspondence, a decent amount of letters and other items deal with Martin’s career as an artist. 

Martin’s works primarily included landscape, portrait, and maritime paintings, specifically paintings of U.S. Naval ships. He also painted works with religious themes. A parishioner and friend of St. Philip Neri’s first pastor, John Patrick Dunn, Martin donated one of his first paintings, depicting the Scourging of Christ at the Pillar, to the church. The painting, which hung above the altar of the church, was described in detail in the April 21, 1842 issue of the Catholic Herald in an article entitled, “Beautiful Painting.”  

The Catholic Herald April 21, 1842

Martin’s preoccupation with maritime subjects resulted from the fact that several members of the Martin and related families were merchant captains. William’s father, Captain John Martin, mainly conducted business with New Orleans and the Caribbean as well as Western Europe and China. William spent much of his young life at sea. One item in the collection includes his passport from age 12-signed by Secretary of State Henry Clay- when he travelled through Europe. 

William A. K. Martin's passport, 1829

From the turn of the century up until the mid 1800s, Philadelphia served as the preeminent city for artists in the country, particularly portrait artists and lithographers. Thus, Martin was privy to a vibrant artistic scene. He was able to receive tutoring in portrait painting from notable artist John Neagle. Martin was also a member of the Artists Fund Society and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts which held annual exhibitions to sustain art activity in the city. 

Receipt of payment for lessons in portrait painting with John Neagle, January 9, 1841

Letter from noted lithographer John Sartain with information regarding a meeting of artists associated with the Academy of Fine Arts, January 15, 1856, p.1

Sartain letter, p.2

Martin’s correspondence and business-related materials appear to demonstrate that Martin had a fairly steady amount of business in his home town. His work garnered some interest outside Philadelphia as well. He was asked to exhibit paintings at the Metropolitan Mechanical Institution in Washington D.C.  Moreover, Librarian of Congress, John Silva Meehan took an interest in his paintings. Meehan worked on Martin’s behalf to have him hired to paint a marine subject for one of the panels in the new extensions of the U.S. Capitol building. 

Letter from John S. Meehan to W.A.K. Martin, February 2, 1857

Although Meehan urged Martin to begin work on the project in order to provide members of Congress with a taste of what they could expect, Martin did not want to begin such a large endeavor without certainty that he would be hired for the job. With the recent birth of his fourth child, Martin writes: My pecuniary situation with an increasing family is such as to place it out of my power to incur the expense and loss of time such as I did on the prior occasions, unless with a certainty of success and as ‘hope deferred maketh the heart sick’ and doubting I fear that this twin hope is doomed to meet the fate of its brother killed by an omnibus. Hope however lingers to the last. Thus, the opportunity to have his work displayed in the Capitol building did not come to fruition. 

W.A.K. Martin to John S. Meehan, February 12, 1857, p.1

Letter to Meehan, p.2

Babe Ruth stepped up to the plate wearing an Ascension parish uniform  

by Shawn Weldon     

Now batting for Ascension of Our Lord, Babe Ruth

                  Baseball today seems more like a business than a sport. Americans look to the past as a simpler time when baseball was played for fun, not profit. These thoughts may just be nostalgic longing for a time that never really existed. But there are stories that illustrate there once were simpler times. One of these stories took place in a Catholic parish in Philadelphia and involved the greatest baseball player of his time. 

                During the 1920s, Ascension of Our Lord Parish in the city’s Kensington section sponsored one of the many independent semi-professional baseball teams in Philadelphia. In 1923 the Ascension Catholic Club was in serious financial trouble. The club had built a new field at I and Tioga Sts. and was deeply in debt. Father William Casey, pastor of Ascension, was desperately seeking some way to defray the cost.  

                An avid baseball fan, Father Casey was the unofficial chaplain of the Athletics and knew many of the ballplayers personally. He hit upon an idea that seems ridiculous today. Perhaps Father Casey could persuade Babe Ruth to take part in a charity baseball game to raise money to pay off the field. Father Casey met with Ruth and Yankees manager Miller Huggins to discuss the idea. Ruth’s only question was whether children would be involved. Ruth had spent most of his early life in St. Mary’s Industrial School, a Catholic institution in Baltimore. Ruth would play.  

Rev. William J. Casey

                The game was set for Tuesday, September 4. The opponent would be the squad sponsored by Lit Brothers department store. But Father Casey had another problem. The Yankees had a game scheduled against the Athletics the same day, and Ascension’s field had no lights. The game had to be played early enough to take advantage of the light but late enough that Ruth could make the game. The Ascension game was scheduled for 6 p.m. which was cutting things close since the Yankees-Athletics game was scheduled for 3:15.  

The day of the game, Father Casey sat anxiously in the stands at Shibe Park as the Yankees and A’s faced off during the afternoon. The priest trusted that things would go right and he was not disappointed. He also received an unexpected treat: Yankees pitcher “Sad” Sam Jones pitched the first no-hitter of the 1923 season that afternoon. The Yankees downed the A’s 2-0. The game was over in less than 90 minutes.  

After the game, Ruth and Father Casey jumped into a waiting car and raced to Ascension. Arriving at the parish, Ruth changed into an Ascension uniform made especially for the occasion. At the field he was greeted by 10,000 spectators, the largest crowd ever to witness an independent baseball game in Philadelphia up to that time. The grandstands were overflowing. Hundreds of spectators jammed the field and the enclosures. Crowds packed the hills by the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks. Uncounted numbers stood on rooftops and hung out of factory windows.  

Longest double ever hit  

                When Ascension took the field, the crowd was surprised to see Ruth take his position at first base instead of his usual spot in the outfield. Ruth played his position flawlessly. Unable to play casually even in a charity game, he went diving for a line drive in the second inning, badly dirtying his uniform.  

                But the fans were not there to see Ruth field. They were there to see him hit. Before his first at-bat, Father Casey and the Ascension team gathered around Ruth at the batter’s box and presented him with a diamond stick-pin as a token of thanks. The Babe was genuinely touched by the gift. Perhaps the scene affected him, because he popped out.    

Father William Casey presents Babe Ruth, left, with a diamond stickpin prior to the Yankee's first at bat

               In the fourth inning, Ruth gave the crowd what they came for. Stepping to the plate, he hit a towering line drive to deep right field. It was easily the longest ball ever hit at Ascension Field. Newspaper reporters said it would be a certain home run at Shibe Park. Some fans said it was the longest ball ever hit. Estimates ran as high as 600 feet. Ruth was stunned when the umpire stopped him as he rounded second base. Because of the short right field fence at Ascension Field, the gargantuan blast was ruled a ground-rule double. This was certainly the longest double Ruth ever hit.  

                Ruth grounded out to second his next time up. In the ninth he hit a pop fly so high that the Lit’s outfielder dropped it for a two-base error. The next Ascension batter, Charlie White, walked. Ruth and White then tried a double steal. While White was caught in a run-down between first and second, Ruth stole home, sliding across the plate to score Ascension’s only run of the day. Despite the presence of the great Babe Ruth, Ascension lost to Lits, 2 to 1. Lit’s pitcher, Charlie Gransbach, pitched a masterful game, holding Ruth to one hit in four at bats.  

                During the game Ruth threw several balls over the outfield fence to his young fans gathered there. In the ninth inning he hit several more balls over the fence. Hundreds of spectators went scrambling after the trophies. He also autographed several dozen balls during the game. These were sold at $5 apiece, with the proceeds helping to pay off the field. After the game, the Babe was mobbed at home plate by fans clamoring for this autograph.  

Erased a debt; etched a memory  

                It is nearly impossible to imagine a similar event occurring today. The Yankees were in first place, driving for a pennant. Ruth was hitting .390 and battling Harry Heilmann for the batting title. But Ruth realized his talent and popularity brought tremendous responsibility. He was always willing to do what he could for charity. Not only did he pull the Ascension Club out of debt, but he gave the parishioners of the parish and the surrounding neighborhood a memory that would last forever.

by Christine McCullough Friend

Commodore John Barry, father of the American Navy. George Meade, grandfather of Civil War hero General George Meade. Katrina, Philadelphia servant. Katrina?

What does a servant girl have in common with these decorated war heroes and well-known patriots? They share a final resting place in Old St. Mary’s Cemetery where the famous and the ordinary lie side by side.

Old St. Mary's Churchyard, engraving, n.d.

The cemetery lies in the heart of Philadelphia’s historic district at 4^th and Spruce Streets. The earliest tombstone inscription bears the date 1760. Before the establishment of the cemetery, Catholics were buried in a tiny plot adjoining Old St. Joseph Church (est. 1733) as well as in the Catholic section of the public burial ground at Washington  Square.   

In the latter part of the 18^th century, the German congregation of Holy Trinity acquired a strip of land from St. Mary’s to be used specifically for burials of their members.  The two parishes continued to share the burial ground for the next century.

Early meetings of St. Mary’s Board of Trustees, which are documented in the parish’s Minute Books, discuss resolutions concerning the burial ground, including who had permission to be buried there and the costs required. A meeting of the Board on May 4, 1789 states, “For every Pewholder or any of their Families (except Apprentices or Servants) above the age of Fifteen-Twelve Shillings & 6d-between fifteen and five-Seven Shillings & 6d. & all under Five years Five Shillings. ‘For’ Strangers and others not being Pewholders he shall demand double the above sums according to their Ages. The Poor shall be buried Gratis-…”  

Minute Book of Old St. Mary, May 4, 1789

John Barry

 Perhaps the most famous grave in Old St. Mary’s is that of Commodore John Barry. A native of County Wexford, Ireland, Barry served with distinction during the War for Independence, and was the first Commander- in- Chief of the United States Navy. 

Bishop Egan, the first Bishop of Philadelphia, was initially interred in Old St. Mary’s. In 1869, his remains were removed to the vault beneath the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul.

During the American Revolution, a French general who fought at the Battle of Brandywine drowned in the Schuylkill River. General Philippe C. Ducoudray was crossing the river on the Market Street Ferry when his horse leaped over the side, with the general on its back. The general was buried at Old St. Mary’s, although the exact location of his grave is not known. One of the last acts of the Continental Congress before the British occupation of Philadelphia was to attend General Ducourday’s burial.

Hundreds of ordinary Catholics lie in unmarked graves alongside these famous burials. One that bears mention is Katrina, a poor servant whose last name was never recorded.

According to Catholic historian and journalist Martin I.J. Griffin, Katrina moved to Philadelphia from Lancaster to receive the ministry of the Jesuit Father Ferdinand Farmer. She worked as a servant of an innkeeper in Philadelphia. Katrina survived the yellow fever epidemic that ravaged the city in 1793.

Fear of the fever was so great that survivors sought protection even from the dead. For sanitary reasons, over 2,600 loads of earth were spread over the surface of Old St. Mary’s Cemetery, raising the burial ground. Katrina, in order to secure a free burial, offered to spread one hundred loads of earth by hand. She died several years later after sustaining crippling injuries in a fire. True to her wishes, Katrina was buried in Old St. Mary’s Cemetery beneath the soil she helped spread. Her unmarked resting place remains unknown.

Time and weather have taken their toll on this cemetery, rendering many tombstones unreadable. In 1891, the American Catholic Historical Society published a list of the inscriptions of those tombstones that were still legible to document the deteriorating written record.

Sketch of Old. St. Mary's burial ground at Spruce St. between 4th and 5th Streets, ca. 1891

Fitting memorials mark many of the graves in the cemetery. Other graves contain the remains of the not-so-famous faithful, who labored to build the Church in Philadelphia.

More information about Old St. Mary and its cemetery(ies) can be found in the Records and Researches of the American Catholic Historical Society. Along with other materials relating to Old St. Mary, PAHRC has the parish’s Minute Books from 1788-1899.

The name of Mother Katharine Drexel is familiar to many Catholics both within and outside the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. However, her sister, Louise Drexel Morrel is little remembered. Only the Morrel Park section of Northeast Philadelphia, which occupies the former site of her family estate “San Jose”, as well as Morrel Avenue in the same area, bears memory to her name. Yet, until her death on November 5, 1945, Louise Drexel Morrel was one of the leading Catholic philanthropists of her time.  

Photograph from The Francis A. Drexel Family by Sister M. Dolores

 Louise Drexel Morrel was the youngest of the three Drexel sisters. Elizabeth, born August 27, 1855 and Katharine, born November 26, 1858, were the daughters of prominent Philadelphia banker Francis Anthony Drexel and Hannah Longstreth Drexel. Hannah died in December 1858 from complications resulting from Katherine’s birth. Francis later married Emma Mary Bouvier in April 1860 and Louise was born on October 2, 1863.  

The Drexels were one of the richest families in Philadelphia and the three sisters were raised in a style suitable to such wealth. They enjoyed private tutors and trips to Europe. However, their parents also gave them a deep spirituality and a sense of responsibility for those less fortunate.  Anthony Drexel was a leading contributor to a host of Catholic organizations and activities. Emma Bouvier Drexel was known as the “Lady Bountiful” of Philadelphia due to her charitable activities including distributing food and clothing to the poor from her Walnut Street home.   

Francis A. Drexel

When Anthony Drexel died in 1885 he left an estate worth over 15 million dollars, a staggering total at that time. One tenth of this was to be distributed to various Catholic institutions. The remainder was divided between the three sisters. According to the provisions of the will, if any of the sisters died without children, her share of the inheritance would go to the survivors. When Elizabeth Drexel Smith and her premature baby died during childbirth in 1890, her share was divided between Katharine and Louise.  

Katharine used her inheritance to found and support the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. Louise Morrel donated millions of dollars to various educational, religious and charitable organizations throughout her lifetime. However, there were several institutions which received her special attention.  

In 1888, Elizabeth Drexel Smith established St. Francis’ Industrial School for Boys in Eddington. When Elizabeth died in 1890, Louise took over as the major financial supporter of the school. In 1892, as an offshoot of St. Joseph’s, Louise established the Drexmoor on South 9th Street as a home for boys who had graduated from St. Joseph’s and were working in the city. In 1914, the Drexmoor was given to the Salesian’s of Don Bosco. Louise then became the major financial sponsor of the Don Bosco Institute which provided social services to Italian children.  

St. Francis' Industrial School, n.d.

 In 1895, Louise and her husband Edward Morrel founded St. Emma’s Agricultural and Industrial School in Virginia to provide young African-American men with secular and religious education. The plight of African-Americans was an area of intense concern for Louise. She was one of the early supporters of the Catholic Interracial Movement.  

St. Francis' Industrial School, ca. 1897

 Although extremely wealthy and socially prominent, Louise Morrell preferred a life of simplicity and hard work. Her former secretary, Emanuel Friedmen, relates that Louise considered useful work a blessing from God and would spend her days answering correspondence from the large number of charities she helped support and overseeing the affairs of St. Joseph’s and St. Emma’s Industrial Schools. When not working she would toil in her greenhouse or walk the grounds of her estate. During the depression she distributed food and clothing to the needy and funded a soup kitchen.                                    

St. Michael Chapel, Shrine of the True Cross

Louise was also deeply religious. She considered her most satisfying accomplishment to be the erection of the Shrine of St. Michael of the True Cross on the grounds of the old Drexel estate at St. Michel, now the site of Frankford Hospital’s Torresdale Division. The Shrine served as a pilgrimage church and a retreat house. It later included a mission center for the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.  

Perhaps Louise’s greatest, yet least apparent accomplishment, lies in her relationship with her sister, Mother Katherine Drexel. In her book The Francis A. Drexel Family, Sister M. Dolores conveys the deep attachment between the two sisters. Louise served as a source of emotional and psychological support for Katherine during her arduous labors to establish and maintain the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. As they grew older, Mother Katharine referred to Louise as “My God’s Blessing to Me”.   

Katharine Drexel

Mother Katharine Drexel is deservedly a prominent figure in the history of Catholic Philadelphia. Her sister, Louise Drexel Morrel, deserves her own place in that history.

Louise Drexel Morrell