Sydelle Zove helps us understand some of the major historical players in Plymouth Whitemarsh with an easy-to-understand explanation:
"Alice Ambler ran the general store/Post Office (also called the country store), which was located at 5 E. Germantown Pike, the building adjacent to the Hovenden House. Before the latter was labeled Hovenden House, and before it was the Corson house, it was the Maulsby house. The Maulsby name is important, so keep reading.
The general store was constructed by Samuel Maulsby, father of Martha Maulsby. Samuel built it, and his son was the first proprietor. The son's friend, George Corson, was a shop helper. George met and married Martha. When Samuel died, George inherited and/or purchased much of his estate, which is said to have reached from Germantown Pike to Flourtown Road, and included lime quarries. This is how the Corsons came to occupy and own what we know as the Hovenden House, and how George became a lime burner. The Maulsbys were active in the Underground Railroad, as were the Corsons. George Corson later sold the general store/PO, and at some point sold off much of the land. George and Martha's daughter, Helen, married the artist Thomas Hovenden. That's how the Maulsby/Corson house became known as the Hovenden House, and that name has stuck. The Hovenden's children never married, and there were no direct descendants. The current owners of the Corson homestead (Hovenden House, Barn, Abolition Hall, fields) are descended from George Corson, but not via the Helen Corson Hovenden line. The hale from Helen's brother's line.
I've attached a few old photos, plus a postcard from the Alice Ambler era. Alice Ambler and Nancy Corson were dear friends.
And by the way--George Corson's mother was a Dickinson. It was indeed a very small world.
Back to the general store--It is now owned by a corporate entity, but the person behind that corporate veil is Ari Frazer. He operates his business from the building (wealth adviser). He also owns 15 E. Germantown Pike--the long-vacant and deteriorating building on the other side of the parking lot."
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