Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker married his childhood sweetheart Virginia Earle Broomall in 1870. Like Samuel (whose father was a respected physician and a member of a politically-active family and whose mother was the daughter of the wealthy industrialist Joseph Whitaker Jr.), Virginia was descended from one of Pennsylvania’s leading families. Virginia’s first cousin once removed, John Martin Broomall, served in the Pennsylvania and US House of Representatives and as a delegate to the Pennsylvania State Constitutional Convention, and is particularly remembered for his advocacy of civil rights for the formerly enslaved. Virginia’s father, Nathan Broomall, was the supervisor of the Phoenix Iron Works Rolling Mill and also served as Burgess (i.e. the mayor) of Phoenixville.

Virginia and Samuel had six children, four of whom survived to adulthood: three daughters and a son.

In 1903, Samuel was elected Governor and Virginia found herself in the role of Pennsylvania's first lady. She worked hard to fulfill her obligations and was known as a pleasant and excellent hostess, but her personal writings show that she was naturally a quiet person who preferred the peace of Pennypacker Mills to the Governor’s Mansion in Harrisburg.

For example, in January 1903, shortly before her husband was sworn in as Governor, Virginia wrote in her diary:

How fortunate it is for me that all who call seem to be good friends and have no trouble in keeping up a lively conversation relieving me of the impossible duty of talking to strangers. Alas, for me I fear I was not born to shine in society! Still, though I am not blessed with the “gift of gab” I try to be an attentive listener and in that way I manage to get along.

After her death, family members recalled Virginia’s kindness, steadiness, and sense of humor, all of which must have served her well in her public duties.

For more information about Virginia Pennypacker, visit any of the following links:

• Virginia Broomall Earle Pennypacker - Virtual Exhibition

• Virginia Earl Broomall Pennypacker on FindAGrave

• Virginia Earle Broomall Pennypacker on RootsWeb

• Virginia Earle Broomall Pennypacker on FamilySearch

Virginia and Samuel’s oldest daughter, Josephine, was known for her intelligence, affectionate temper, and skill as an artist. She was educated at the Friends’ Central School in Philadelphia and originally planned to become a nurse. She enjoyed traveling and accompanied her father to Cuba in 1894 and went with her father and sisters to Amsterdam in 1897. However, that same year she had a breakdown due to an unknown form of mental illness. She was taken to the sanatorium at Cromwell Hall in Connecticut, where she stayed from 1898 until 1900. While she struggled with her mental health for the rest of her life, she found an outlet in art and music and was lovingly supported by her family, especially her sister, Lida.

For more information about Josephine Pennypacker, visit any of the following links:

• Josephine Whitaker Pennypacker - Virtual Exhibition

• Josephine Whitaker Pennypacker on FindAGrave

• Josephine Whitaker Pennypacker on RootsWeb

• Josephine Whitaker Pennypacker on FamilySearch

Affectionately known as Lida, Eliza Pennypacker was also educated at the Friends’ Central School and then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree at Bryn Mawr College in 1897, the same year as Josephine’s breakdown. Lida was determined that her sister would not spend her life in an institution, so she began teaching herself to become an occupational therapist. There were no formal training programs at the time, so she learned by following the work of others in the developing field. Her support was instrumental in allowing Josephine to lead a relatively normal life with her family, and she was also able to use her knowledge to help other patients as well.

Lida shared her father’s well-known interest in history and genealogy and after his death took over the role of family historian. 

Lida died in 1962, and the depth of the bond between Lida and Josephine can be seen in the fact that Josephine survived for only three weeks after her sister’s passing. 

For more information about Lida Pennypacker:

• Eliza Broomall Pennypacker - Virtual Exhibit

• Eliza Broomall Pennypacker on FindAGrave

• Eliza Broomall Pennypacker on RootsWeb

• Eliza Broomall Pennypacker on Family Search

Anna was the youngest of the Pennypacker daughters. Like her sisters, she graduated from the Friends’ Central School in Philadelphia and then went on to attend Bryn Mawr College at the same time as her older sister Lida. The two graduated together in 1897. In 1899, she began studying to become a nurse at the Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing for Women, and earned her nursing degree in 1903. She became a public health nurse in Philadelphia and actively worked in support of better health care, women’s rights, and prison reform. She later became a co-owner of the left-wing newspaper The Daily Worker and used her wealth and her position as the daughter of a prominent politician to advocate for improving the lives of the poor.

Anna died before her sisters in 1952 and her friends established the Anna Maria Pennypacker fund in her honor to support the causes she’d tirelessly worked for throughout her life. 

For more information about Anna Pennypacker:

• Anna Maria Whitaker Pennypacker - Virtual Exhibition

• Anna Maria Whitaker Pennypacker on FindAGrave

• Anna Maria Whitaker Pennypacker on RootsWeb

• Anna Maria Whitaker Pennypacker on FamilySearch