An Old Lantern and a Mawrter Mystery
Mariel Rosati ā08 and Hannah McMillan ā19 investigate.
Mariel Rosati ā08 knew there was a connection between her employer, Wyck House in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, and “óŠćÖ±²„: former residents Jane Bowne Haines and Mary Troth Haines graduated in 1891 and 1914, respectively, and family descendant Margaret Howell Bacon was from the class of 1918.
Plus, the College was represented in its collection of more than 10,000 objects saved by the family over nine generations, including notes and papers from Janeās student days. And after a bit of sleuthing, Rosati found a lantern tucked away on the third floor. āI instantly knew it was a “óŠćÖ±²„ lantern,ā she says.
Enter student intern Hannah McMillan ā19. The two set out to determine the lanternās owner and quickly eliminated Jane, who graduated in the 1800s, then Mary and Margaret, when descriptions of their lanterns did not include green glass.
Was there a fourth Mawrter living at Wyck? A trip to Canadayās Special Collections dated the lantern to 1907, and a search of the 1907 yearbook unearthed Anna Jones Haines. Anna wasnāt listed on the family genealogies, but further research showed her to be Maryās older sister, who moved to Russia after graduating.
Rosati and McMillan speculate that Anna gave her lantern to her sister before going abroad. They continue to dig for more “óŠćÖ±²„ connectionsāand maybe even some tidbits about Annaās Russian adventure.
Wyck House
A National Historic Landmark house, garden, and farm in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, served as the home to a distinguished Quaker family from 1690 to 1973. The clan, which included Milans, Jansens, Wistars, and Haineses, represented the cityās leadership in business, natural history and science, and education reform.
Published on: 12/20/2017