#2 - Charles J Tyson Gets Busy with Gettysburg & Other Work

Charles J Tyson abt1885

Charles and Isaac Tyson established the photography studio in Gettysburg in 1859. At some point they hired a young assistant, a William Tipton (who became a close friend of Charles). Charles and Maria Griest (daughter of Cyrus Griest & Mary Ann Cook of Menallen Township) were wed April 1863. (Issac wed her cousin Rachel Griest in Sep 1863). 

 

In an 1884 letter, Charles describes their actions during the battle of Gettysburg: 

In early July Charles and Maria were setting up house as newly-weds but were forced to flee. They threw a trunk together, caught a ride, and left the trunk in care of a family. Then another friend took them away from the battle, as far as Littlestown. (The trunk never resurfaced). 

 

After the battle, the Tyson Brothers and young Tipton loaded a wagon, and photographed the battle area and the remaining soldiers. Note, that their photos do not include the casualties of the battle. War is not part of the Quaker tradition. For the Tysons to photograph the carnage of the battlefield, would elevate war.

They also took many, many photos of soldiers: both Union and Confederates sat for a photo. Many photos which they sold were later imprinted with another photographer's name (common practice). For more information on this, it is well told in the book: Gettysburg: A Journey in Time by William A. Frassanito. Here is a Tyson Bros photo of the Camp Letterman Hospital Tent from the National Archives.

On November 19, they made their way to the ceremony in which President Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery, photographing the crowded road in front of the platform.

 

The tree (a honey locust) was called the Witness Tree, a witness to both the battle and the famous speech, was about 150 feet from the speakers platform. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York now holds this photo).

Gettysburg Address, Gettysburg, PA Tyson Bros

Charles was energetic. 

The local newspaper noted that he “possessed a progressive spirit which he carried into all his undertakings. He was not satisfied with any kind of doing but he liked to excel. It was not in the spirit to have things better than others, but to have them done as well as they could be done."  His influence was always "for better conditions."

 

He took an active interest in everything involving the advantage and benefit of the community. Indeed, Menallen Township and Bendersville have in many ways felt his influence for "better things.” 

 
Eventually the brothers parted--Isaac married Maria's cousin, Rachel Griest in 1863. Sometime around 1866 this couple moved to Philadelphia where he continued in photography. Meanwhile Charles kept his interest in the photography studio but it waxed and waned: he continued buying and selling a share in the studio to their former apprentice William Tipton (Tipton named his first born son Charles Tyson). (But Charles had moved from Gettysburg in 1865).

 

Charles eventually finished with it once and for all when he sold it to Tipton in 1880. 

In 1864, he had purchased 1/3 interest in Springdale Nurseries, Cyrus Griest & Sons (his father-in-law).
In 1865 he moved out of Gettysburg, to Flora Dale, near Menallen Meeting and in 1867 bought the entire interest in Springdale Nurseries. 

 
In 1869 he bought the farm of 167 acres. He bought and renovated a house which was named “Mapleton” in Flora Dale, PA.

New Move!

But orchards were not money-makers. So in 1881 Charles became a charter member of Susquehanna Fertilizer Co of Baltimore, and eventually became President of the plant. 

The fertilizer plant had its financial ups and downs but generated more income than the nursery business.
He had big dreams and big plans: He was an ardent supporter and funder of the building of the Gettysburg & Harrisburg Railroad.  
He built an enormous barn and started a 1000-acre orchard.  He had the first bathtub with running water in Adams County, Pennsylvania. 

When Charles' mother died, his father Edwin Comly Tyson, came to live with Charles and Maria.

Charles was generous with his children. 

To son Chester (my great grandfather) he gave a “house to fill with Tysons" (which they did), and to their daughter Mary Tyson Peters, another house, and their son Edwin (Ned), he gave Mapleton.  
He and Maria built and moved to a house in a place called Guernsey (they called the house Loma Vista).

Mapleton 1890

[The next two posts will have two other men-and a bit of what went on in their lives around the Civil War.]

SOURCES:
1 Photo Charles J Tyson, Collection of ACharity Higgins (NYS)
2 Photo by Tyson Bros of Camp Letterman Hospital Tent (National Archives, USA)
3 Photo by Tyson of Crowd at Dedication o Soldiers National Cemetery [where Lincoln gave Gettysburg Address] (Metropolitan Museum Of Art, NY, NY, USA)
4 Photo of Musselmans Mapleton Barn, newspaper photographer, Gettysburg Times (Gettysburg, PA, USA)
5 Photo of Mapleton House, Collection of Margaret B Walmer (Aspers PA)