Throughout my research with historical maps, I find it fascinating to find women's names on properties. They were the wives who took over their husband's business/land and continued on until they pass it on to someone else.
My goal in this post is to find a woman who contributed to their husband's success after they passed away. In this post, I'll be talking about the wife of Jacob Waln Vaux: Emily Norris Pepper Vaux.
Emily Norris Pepper Vaux (1855-1933) was born in Philadelphia on June 28th to Henry and Sarah (Sallie) Pepper. In 1875, Emily married a fellow Philadelphia resident Jacob Waln Vaux (1849-1898), son of the ex-mayor of Philadelphia Richard Vaux.
Fun Fact #1: Richard Vaux was designated by President Martin Van Buren to serve as the secretary of legation in London under Andrew Stevenson, United States Minister to Great Britain. He had the honor to be a partner to the young Queen Victoria of England.
Fun Fact #2: Emily was descended from Isaac Norris of Fair Hill, who was a merchant, slave trader, and mayor of Philadelphia from 1724-1725. Further back, she was descended from Henry III of England.
Emily and her husband Jacob spent their lives together in Philadelphia until setting down in Penllyn where they built a home after purchasing a farm.
After Jacob's death, Emily continued owning the property in Penllyn and running the farm they operated.
She and her husband were members of the St. Thomas' Episcopal Church in Whitemarsh for many years. And they both contributed to the church through charity. For Emily, she was involved in the church's welfare and activities. For example, she welcomed 64 members and teachers from the St. Thomas Church Sunday school at her estate.
She also used her home as a meeting place for the Young Girls' Progressive club.
Before Emily's death, she wrote a will where it included her disposal of her estate in Penllyn for $338,400, and substantial bequests to relatives, friends, public and religious institutions. Those public institutions included the Pennsylvania Hospital, Chestnut Hill Hospital, the trustees of the University of Pennsylvania (for the endowment fund of the PA Hospital), Visiting Nurse Society, Children's Aid Society, and the Pennsylvania branch of the Shut-In Society,
Bibliography
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Jordan, John Woolf. Colonial Families of Philadelphia, Volume 1. (New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1911): 81-91.
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Register of Members, Annual Report of the Board of Managers, Annual Sermon, and Historical Address. (Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution, 1897): 35.
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Scott, J. D. Montgomery County 1877, Gwynedd, North Wales, Ambler, Royer's Ford, Limerick Station, 1877.
Smith, J. L. Montgomery County 1893, Upper and Lower Gwynedd Townships, Lansdale, North Wales, Spring House, Ambler Right, 1893.
"Wissahickon Valley Public Library's Ambler Gazette Collection." POWER Library: Pennsylvania's Electronic Library. Accessed February 24, 2021. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/wivp-gazett.