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Full text of "<a href="/details/papersreadbefore07buck">Papers read before the Society and other historical papers</a>"
</h1>
<pre>UNIVERSITY
OF PITTSBURGH
LIBRARY
THIS BOOK PRESENTED BY
Alumni Giving Plan
J. Herman Barnsley
Director lQ:0-iq,S2
Mrs. Richard Watson
Director 1896-1932
Matthias H. Hall
Director 1927-1935
Warren S. Ely
Director 1922-1936
FOUR DIRECTORS OF THE BUCKS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
J. Herman Barnsley, born Dec. 12, 1854, died May 25, 1932. Mrs. Richard Watson, nee
Isabella T. McCoy, born Dec. 31, 1846, died June 3, 1932. Matthias H. Hall, born Apr. 29.
1844, died Apr. 13, 1935. Warren S. Ely, born Oct. 6, 1855, died Marcli 9, 1936.
THE BUCKS COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PAPERS READ BEFORE THE SOCIETY
AND OTHER HISTORICAL PAPERS
FACKENTHAL PUBLICATION FUND
(Established in 1909)
VOLUME VII
937
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
George MacReynolds Horace M. Mann
Edward R. Barnsley B. F. Fackenthal, Jr.
Copyright, 1937
The Bucks County Historical Society
Press of
Berkemeyer-Keck Co.
Allentown. Pa.
-9
CONTENTS
Papers ^
Illustrations ^^
List of Officers -"^i"
Personnel of Officers ^^V
List of Members, November 1, 1937 xv
PAPERS
The Schools of Neshaminy Rev. D. K. Turner 1
The Bender System of Steam Pro-
pulsion Gen. W. W. H. Davis 19
John Fitch, Pioneer in Steam Navi-
gation.
.William H. Riphardson 27
36
The "Collect Pond," Lithograph of
1846 William H. Richardson
John Flitch's Third Steamboat William H. Richardson 47
Early Botanists in Bucks County Prof. A. F. K. Krout 48
The Durham Iron Works in Durham
Township Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr 59
Charles Kirk's Review of a Century.. . Mrs. Helen E. D. Acton 95
Notes on Gristmills and Milling in
104
Pennsylvania Henry S. Engart
William Penn and His Home Life at
Pennsbury Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr 137
Genealogical Notes and Land Titles.. . Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr 173
An Introduction to the Loyalists of
Bucks County and Some Queries
Concerning Them Louis Ely Thompson 204
General Washington and his Army
Crossing the Delaware River Christ-
mas Night, 1776 Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr 235
The Life and Expatriation of Judge
Gilbert Hicks Miss Sarah W. Hicks 247
VI CONTENTS
The County Court at Newtown Judge Calvin S. Boyer 256
Presses and Printers of Newtown
before 1868 Edward R. Barnsley 265
Paintings and Other Works of Art
in the Museums of the Bucks
County Historical Society Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr 333
Biographical Notice of Matthias
Heaton Hall Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr 349
Some Memories of George Brown
Ellis, Edward M. Ellis and William
H. Ellis, Nineteenth Century En-
gravers of Buckmanville Valley. . . . Charles C. Ellis 351
Early Hough Families of Bucks Coun-
ty Wallace Irwin Hough 378
Covered Highway Bridges in Bucks
County George M. Hart 398
Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church,
Tinicum, Pa Rev. Allen S. Fisher, S. T. M. . . . 409
Buckwampun Historical and Literary
Society Lewis Sigafoos 414
Louis H. Spellier and His Electric
Clocks Mrs. Annie Meredith Fretz 420
History of the Building of Doyles-
town Friends' Meeting House Mrs. Thomas O. Atkinson 425
Biographical Notice of Warren Smed-
ley Ely Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr 430
Address of Welcome to "Temora" Mrs. Charles C. Willis 434
Early Time-Telling Devices. Harrold E. Gillingham 441
General LaFayette's Journey from
Brandywine to Bethlehem, with
Special Reference to Inscriptions
in Taverns and Tavern Signboards. . Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr 453
A List of the Birds of Bucks County
with Annotations George MacReynolds 479
Superintendents of Common Schools
of Pennsylvania, 1834-1937 Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr 539
Inventions and Mechanical Progress
in Bucks County Maurice Shoultes 542
CONTENTS VII
Pennsylvania-German Potters of
• Bucks County, Pennsylvania Guy F. Reinert 580
Walnut Grove F"arms, Address of
Welcome Hon. Joseph R. Grundy 586
The DuPonts Selecting a Site for
Their Powder Works Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr 587
Charles Ellet, Jr., Engineer and Pa-
triot Hugh B. Eastburn 590
The Great Chain at West Point and
Other Obstructions Placed in the
Hudson River During the War of
the Revolution Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr 596
Historic Saint James Church, Bristol,
Pennsylvania Rev. George E. Boswell, S. T. B. 612
ILLUSTRATIONS
Portraits of Four Former Directors:
J. Herman Barnsley, Mrs. Richard Watson, Matthias H. Hall and
Warren S. Ely Frontispiece
John Fitch's Third Steamboat 47
Durham Iron Works Paper:
Durham Furnaces of 1848-1849 58
Durham Furnace of 1876 58
Map of Durham Iron Company's Real Estate 61
James Logan, Portrait 62
William Allen, Portrait 65
James Hamilton, Portrait 67
James Allen, Portrait 68
John Penn, Portrait 69
Fireback in Home of James Logan at Stenton 71
George Taylor, Portrait 72
Mansion House, Durham Iron Works 72
General Daniel Morgan, Portrait 73
Durham Iron Works, Arch of 1727 Furnace 74
Joseph Whitaker, Portrait 75
Peter Cooper, Portrait 76
Edward Cooper, Portrait 78
Abram S. Hewitt, Portrait 80
Lillie Chilled Iron Safe 81
Stove Plate 1741— The Snake Betrayed Adam and Eve 82
Stove Plate 1741— Cain Killing his Brother Abel 82
Lurmann Closed Front and Bronze Tuyeres 84
Pioneer Bessemer Converter of America 86
Durham Cave, View Taken 1893 90
Cross Hammers, Insignia of Mining Engineers 93
Aged Employees of Durham Iron Works 94
Charles Kirk, Portrait, 1800-1890 96
House in Abington Built by John Kirk, 1735 96
Notes on Gristmills and Milling in Pennsylvania:
Gristmill on Mechanics Run, Bucks County 104
Double-Geared Gristmill in Bedford County 106
Illick Gristmill in Lebanon County 107
Wilson Klinger's Gristmill, Schuylkill County 109
Gristmill near Hershey, Dauphin County 110
Brown's Gristmill, Berks County 112
Types of Water Wheels 114
Armitages Gristmill in Bucks County 116
Reaction Wheel or Old-fashioned Turbine 120
ILLUSTRATIONS IX
Dam Across Lehigh River at AUentown 121
Spannuth's Gristmill, Lebanon County 122
Morgan's Gristmill, Montgomery County 124
Cradling Grain in Blair County 125
Modern Way of Harvesting in the Twentieth Century 126
Gristmill in Blair County, with Two Pair of Buhr Stones 128
Interior of Gristmill in Blair County 129
Forebay in Mill Race to Carry Water to Water Wheel 132
An Ancient Double-geared Gristmill, Bedford County 133
Oliver Evans' Gristmill, Interior •. 134
Ruins of Eugene Blair's Gristmill, Bucks County 136
William Penn's Home Life at Pennsbury:
William Penn, Portrait 138
Medal in Commemoration of Penn's Treaty with the Indians 143
Landing of William Penn at the Blue Anchor Tavern 146
Imprints of William Penn's Pamphlets:
Truth Exalted, 1671 147
Plain Deahng, 1672 148
The Skirmisher Defeated and Truth Defended, 1676 149
The People's Ancient and Just Liberties Asserted, 1682 150
Letter from William Penn to the Free Society of Traders, 1683. . . 151
Portraits of Thomas Penn and His Wife, Lady Juliana Penn 154
Portraits of Richard Penn and His Wife, Hanna Penn 154
Plan of Pennsbury Manor on Delaware 159
The Crozier House at Pennsbury 159
Friends Meeting-House at Jordans, England, Built in 1688 161
Admiral Sir William Penn, Portrait 165
"Solitude" at High Bridge, N. J 171
Penn Family — Genealogical Chart 173
Genealogical Notes and Land Titles:
First Casting Known to Have Been Made in America 187
Evolution of Cast Iron Stoves:
Five Plate Jamb Stove 188
F"ive Plate Jamb Stove, The Tenth Commandment, 1760 189
Five Plate Jamb Stove, The Dance of Death 190
Six Plate Draft Stove. . . : 191
Ten Plate Stove 192
Franklin Fire Place in Bucks County Historical Museum 193
Franklin Fire Place, Detail of Construction, 1742 194
Fireback at Stenton, Made at Durham, 1728 194
Fireback at Valley Forge, 1734 195
Side Plate for Six Plate Stove, Made at Colebrookdale, 1763 196
Fireback Made at Oxford, N. J., 1746 197
Bucks County Historical Society, Elkins Building, 1904 198
Bucks County Historical Society, Mercer Museum, 1916 199
X ILLUSTRATIONS
"Fonthill," Home of Dr. Henry C. Mercer, Doylestown, Pa 200
Ringing Rocks of Bridgeton Township 201
Ripple Marks or Wave Lines in Limestone Quarry 202
Palisades at the Narrows of Nockamixon in Bucks County 203
Washington Crossing the Delaware, Winter of 1776:
Grave of Capt. James Moore, 1776 238
Continental Army Crossing the Delaware, 1776 239
General Washington, Portrait 243
George Taylor, Signer of the Declaration of Independence 244
Tavern at Washington Crossing, Pa. 245
Robert Morris, Portrait, Signer of the Declaration of Independence. . 246
George Clymer, Portrait, Signer of the Declaration of Independence.. 246
Presses and Printers of Newtown Before 1868:
The Flowers of Modern History, Imprint, 1804 267
To Horsemen, Advertisement, 1807 269
Sheriff's Sales of Land, 1805 270
Bond of Andrew Loux, 1807 271
Catalogue of Books in the Newtown Library, 1808 276
The Star of Freedom, Captions 286
Asher Miner, Receipt, September 4, 1817 287
The Foresters, A Poem, June, 1818 290
Fire Board, One of the E:arliest Preserved Works of Edward Hicks, 1820 292
Constitution of the Northampton Auxiliary Society, 1880 302
Edward M. Paxson, Portrait 306
The Newtown Journal and Workmen's Advocate, Imprint, 1843 309
The Act of Incorporation and Ordinances of the Borough of New-
town, May, 1843 310
Samuel Johnson, Portrait 313
The Triple Wreath, Poems by Samuel Johnson, 1844 314
Newtown Library, Original Receipt by E. M. Paxson 318
Receipt of Hiram Brower, Newtown Journal, 1849 323
Surveying and Conveyancing Advertisement by J. Barnsley, 1844.. . . 324
William Bush, Job Printer, Advertisement, 1857 328
Watson Price Church, Portrait 329
E. F. Church, Portrait 330
Enterprise Printing Office 332
Paintings and Other Works of Art in Museums:
Edward Hicks, 1780-1849, Portrait 333
Gen. W. W. H. Davis, Portrait 334
The Peaceable Kingdom by Edward Hicks 335
Washington Crossing the Delaware 336
Penn's Treaty with the Indians 337
Thomas Hicks, 1823-1890, Portrait 338
Major Joseph Archambault, Portrait 339
Camp of the 104th Regiment at Merion Hill 340
The Washington Tree 341
ILLUSTRATIONS XI
Whittier House in Solebury Township 342
Rescue of the Colors 344
Example of William H. Ellis' Engraving 368
Example of Edwin M. Ellis' Engraving 370
Covered Highway Bridges of Bucks County:
Krout's Mill Bridge 401
Loux's Bridge 402
Frankenfield's Bridge 403
Sheard's Mill Bridge 404
South Perkasie Bridge 405
Finland Bridge 405
Knecht's Bridge 406
Houpt's Mill Bridge 406
Pastors Who Served Christ's Lutheran Church:
Henry S. Miller
Christian F. Weldon
Clinton P. Miller
William S. Emory
Joseph W. Mayne ) 408
Robert B. Lynch
Charles C. Snyder
William A. Fluck
Allen S. Fisher
Christ's Evangelical Church and Parsonage 412
Tinicum Union Church from 1861 to 1907 412
Louis H. Spellier, Portrait 420
Louis H. Spellier, Elliott Cresson Medal 422
Bucks County Court House Clock 424
"Temora," Home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Willis 437-438
Early Time-Telling Devices:
French Silver Pocket Sundial 442
Egyptian Methods of Time Telling 444
Sundial of Ahaz 445
Ring Dial and Wood Pillar Sundial 447
French Ivory Book Sundial 448
German Wood Book Sundial 449
German Wood Block Sundial 450
Marquis de LaFayette in 1825, Portrait 453
Joseph and Mary Richardson House, Langhorne, Pa 456
Bedroom Sign, Pleasant Valley Hotel 459
Bar-room Sign, Pleasant Valley Hotel 460
XII ILLUSTRATIONS
Hotel Swinging Signboards:
Turk Hotel, near Doylestown 464
Cross Keys Hotel 465
The Red Lion Inn 466
The Robert Morris Hotel 467
Seven Stars Tavern, Durham Township 468-469
The Elephant Hotel 470
King of Prussia Tavern 47 1
The Sign of the Lion 472
The Three Crowns Tavern 473
Six Horse Conestoga Wagon 477
Dr. Joseph Thomas, Portrait 478
Lake Warren, Nockamixon Township 480-482-484
The Last Passenger Pigeon 488
Hawks Killed in Mortal Combat 494
The Duck Hawk 502
Loon Caught in a Shad Net 525
Pottery Dish, S. Singer Potter 581
Walnut Grove Farms, View of Dwelling 586
First Powder Mill of the DuPont Powder Company 588
Hudson River Chains:
Chain and Boom at Fort Montgomery 599
Barbed Timber, Part of Cheveaux-de-frize 600
Two sections of Cheveaux-de-frize at PoUopel's Island 601
Links of Great Chain at Military Academy, West Point 604
Eighteen Links of the West Point Chain at the Chicago Historical
Society 607
Four Links of the West Point Chain in the Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, D. C 607
THE BUCKS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Organized January 20. 1880
Incorporated February 23, 1885
OFFICERS
For year ending May, 1938
B. F. Fackenthal, Jr., Sc. D., LL. D., President
Judge Calvin S. Boyer, First Vice-President
John H. Ruckman, Second Vice-President
DIRECTORS
Judge Calvin S. Boyer
Edward R. Barnsley
Mrs. Harry J. Shoemaker
(Term expires May, 1938)
Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr.
George MacReynolds
Mrs. E. Y. Barnes
(Term expires May, 1939)
John H. Ruckman
Horace M. Mann
Miss Margaret R. Grundy
(Term expires May, 1940)
Curator Librarian
Horace M. Mann George MacReynolds
Secretary and Treasurer
Horace M. Mann
PERSONNEL OF OFFICERS
PRESIDENTS
Gen. W. W. H. Davis Jan. 20, 1880, to Dec. 26, 1910
Dr. Henry C. Mercer Jan. 17, 1911, to Mar. 9, 1930
Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr Since May 3, 1930
VICE-PRESIDENTS
John S. Williams Jan. 15, 1901, to Aug. 21, 1920
Dr. Henry C. Mercer Jan. 21, 1908, to Jan. 17, 1911
Joseph B. Walter, M. D Jan. 17, 1911, to Aug. 18, 1917
Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr Jan. 18, 1910, to May 3, 1930
Col. Henry D. Paxson Jan. 15, 1921, to Jan. 30, 1933
J. Herman Barnsley May 2, 1931, to May 25, 1932
Judge Calvin S. Boyer Mar. 11, 1933, to date
John H. Ruckman Mar. 11, 1933, to date
DIRECTORS
The following changes have been made in the personnel of the Board of
Directors since the publication of Volume VI:
Judge Calvin S. Boyer, Mar. 11, 1933, to succeed
Col. Henry D. Paxson, who died Jan. 30, 1933
Edward R. Barnsley, Mar. 11, 1933, to succeed
J. Herman Barnsley, who died May 25, 1932
Horace M. Mann, Mar. 11, 1933, to succeed
Mrs. Richard Watson, who died June 3, 1932
Miss Margaret R. Grundy, May 4, 1935, to succeed
Matthias H. Hall, who died April 13, 1935
George MacReynolds, May 2, 1936, to succeed
Warren S. Ely, who died Mar. 9, 1936
For Charter, Constitution and By-Laws, see Volume I
LIST OF MEMBERS
NOVEMBER 1. 1937
Names marked with a star (*) are life members, and those marked with
two stars (**) are honorary Hfe members.
Membership fee, $2, which includes dues for the year of election to Decem-
ber thirty-first. Annual dues thereafter, $1, payable for calendar years.
Life membership fee, $25.
All publications issued by the society are distributed free to members
in good and regular standing, but only one copy to each household.
The names of members who neglect to pay dues for five years are sus-
pended from membership.
Annual meeting first Saturday in May.
Names Address Elected
Achey, Webster S Doylestown
Achey, Mrs. Webster S Doylestown
Acton, Dr. Donald K Elkins Park
Acton, Mrs. Frank M Elkins Park
Amram, David W Feasterville
Anderson, Miss Laura V Doylestown
Armstrong, Miss Anna Doylestown
Atkinson, Albert R Doylestown
Atkinson, Mrs. Howard W Doylestown
Atkinson, Ira Newtown
Atkinson, Mrs. Ira Newtown
Atkinson, J. Willis Buckingham
Atkinson, Mrs. J. Willis Buckingham
Austin, Mrs. Esmonde Bridgewater
Balderston, Miss Olive Newtown
Bamford, Mrs. Caroline S Trenton, N. J.
Baringer, I. Y Perkasie
Barnes, Benjamin H Doylestown
Barnes, Mrs. E. Y Yardley
Barnsley, Edward R Newtown
Barnsley, Mrs. J. Herman Newtown
Bean, Oscar O Doylestown
Bean, Mrs. Oscar O Doylestown
Beatty, Miss Frances A Germantown
Beatty, Miss Mary Mays Germantown
Bennett, Fred P Penns Park
Bennett, Mrs. Fred P Penns Park
Betts, Mrs. Alice M. Beans Doylestown
Betts, Miss Mary Elizabeth Doylestown
Blackledge, H. L.. Kearney, Neb.
Borden, J. P New Hope
Borden, Mrs. J. P New Hope
Boyer, Hon. Calvin S Doylestown
Boyer, Mrs. Calvin S Doylestown
Braden, Mrs. Findley Doylestown
May
5,
1934
Sept.
26,
1936
Sept.
26
1936
Sept.
13,
1930
May
2,
1936
May
1,
1937
May
3,
1930
.Tan.
15,
1921
May
28,
1901
May
7,
1932
May
7,
1932
June
7,
1924
June
7,
1924
June
15,
1918
June
3,
1922
Jan.
19,
1924
May
23,
1911
Sept.
13,
1930
Oct.
7,
1902
Jan.
21,
1928
Jan.
19,
1907
Oct.
5,
1909
Oct.
5,
1909
Oct.
9,
1937
Oct.
7,
1902
Oct.
9,
1937
Oct.
9,
1937
May 23,
1917
May
23,
1917
May
2,
1931
Oct.
1,
1921
Oct.
1,
1921
May
7,
1932
May
7,
1932
Jan.
21,
1928
XVI LIST OF MEMBERS
Names Address
Briggs, Mrs. Edward Newtown
Bristol, Henry P New York, N. Y.
Brown, George B Yardley
Brown, Mrs. George B Yardley
Brown, Stacy B Newtown
Brown, Mrs. Stacy B Newtown
Buckenham, Dr. J. E. Burnet Chestnut Hill
Buckman, Hon. Clarence J Langhorne
Buckman, Miss Helen Doylestown
Buckman, Williamson Trenton, N. J.
Bucks County Daughters Amer. Rev.Doylestown
Burpee, Mrs. W. Atlee Doylestown
Bye, Dr. Arthur C Holicong
Byles, Mrs. Anna B Newtown
Cadwalader, Augustus J Yardley
Cadwalader, Mrs. Augustus J Yardley
Cadwalader, T. Sidney Yardley
Carr, Mrs. James W Holicong
**Carroll, Dr. John B Hatboro
Carver, Miss Josephine J Forest Grove
Carwithen, Walter M Doylestown
Carwithen, Mrs. Walter M Doylestown
Case, Mrs. Henry R Doylestown
Ceader, Mrs. Joseph D E. Cleveland, Ohic
Chamberlin, William B Torresdale
Chamberlin, Mrs. William B Torresdale
Chambers, Mrs. Alexander Newtown
Chambers, John B Newtown
Chambers, Miss Mary B Newtown
Chambers, William W Philadelphia
Chandler, George A Bethlehem
Chapman, Ellwood B Swarthmore
Chapman, Mrs. Ellwood B Swarthmore
Chapman, William New Hope
'=*Chidsey, Andrew D., Jr Easton
Cliff, Mrs. George H Langhorne Manor
Clymer, Mrs. Frederick H Doylestown
Collins, Alden M Middletown
Conrad, Alfred M Newtown
Cook, Chester P Merion
Cook, Mrs. Chester P Merion
Cooke, Morris Llewellyn Chestnut Hill
Cooke, Mrs. Morris Llewellyn Chestnut Hill
Cooper, Mrs. William R Point Pleasant
*Cope, Jacob E Sellersville
Coppedge, Mrs. Fern I New Hope
Coyle, Major William R Bethlehem
Elected
Jan.
19
, 1897
May
1
, 1937
May
1
, 1937
May
1
, 1937
Oct.
6
, 1903
Oct.
6
, 1903
.Tan.
25,
, 1916
Oct.
4,
, 1910
Apr.
10,
1907
Oct.
5,
1909
.Ian.
15
, 1927
Aug.
14,
, 1900
Oct.
22,
, 1912
Oct.
17,
1925
May
28,
1901
Feb.
10,
1914
May 28,
1907
Jan.
17,
1925
May
1,
1937
Sept.
26,
1936
May
7,
1932
May
7,
1932
Mav
3,
1930
Oct.
11,
1924
Oct.
9,
1937
Oct.
9,
1937
Sept.
26,
1936
Tan.
19,
1924
Oct.
19,
1931
May
6,
1933
Tan.
17,
1899
May
3,
1930
May
3,
1930
May
1,
1937
May
1,
1937
Oct.
10,
1911
Oct.
11,
1924
Jan.
18,
1910
Jan.
21,
1928
Jan.
17,
1920
Sept.
13,
1930
June
16,
1923
June
16,
1923
Oct.
6,
1903
May
1,
1937
June
22,
1929
Jan.
21,
1922
LIST OF MEMBERS XVII
Names Address
Crane, Mrs. Theron I Philadelphia
Craven, Mrs. Frances Doylestown
Darlington, Walter Germantown
Darrah, Miss Anna Hartsville
Darst, Miss Marian C Doylestow n
Deakin, Edward W Washington Crossing
Deakin, Mrs. Edward W Washington Crossing
'"*Deats, Hiram E Flemington, N. J.
DeCou, Miss S. Ella Trenton, N. J.
Desmond, Miss Fredonia M Point Pleasant
♦Dickinson, Walter F Long Island, N. Y.
Dillin, Miss Hettie P Philadelphia
Eastburn, Arthur M Doylestown
Eastburn, Mrs. Arthur M Doylestown
Eastburn, Hugh B Bristol
Eastburn, Mrs. Hugh B Bristol
Effrig, Horace A Newtown
Effrig, Mrs. Horace A Newtown
"^♦Elkins, George W Philadelphia
Ellis, Rev. Charles G Margaretville, N. Y.
Ely, Miss Helen H Newtown
Ely, Mrs. John H Doylestown
Ely, Mrs. Warren S Doylestown
Ely, William Newbold Chestnut Hill
Engart, Henry S Lebanon
Erdman, Mrs. William S Buckingham
Eyster, Mrs. Anita L Philadelphia
Fabian, William W' Newtown
*Fackenthal, Dr. B. ¥., Jr Riegelsville
Fackenthal, Dr. Frank D Brooklyn, N. Y.
Fell, David Newlin, Jr Doylestown
F'ell, Miss Edith N , Holicong
Fell, Edward W Holicong
F"isher, Rev. Allen S Tinicum
Fitzgerald, James H Upper Black Eddy
Flack, Mrs. Margaret Carversville
Fluck, Dr. William H Doylestown
F"rankenfield, Howard B Philadelphia
Frankenfield, William M Philadelphia
Franklin, Malcoln Haverford
Franklin, Mrs. Malcoln Haverford
Fravel, Col. Ira F Wrightstown
Freed, Harvey M Richlandtown
Freed, Mrs. Harvey M Richlandtown
Fretz, Mrs. Annie Meredith Oak Lane
Fretz, Mrs. John S Doylestown
Elected
Feb.
10
1914
Jan.
16
1906
July
16
1895
Jan.
20
1903
June
17
1916
Sept.
26
1936
Sept.
26
1936
May
23
1917
May
28
1907
Jan.
17
1911
May
7
1932
May
2
1931
May
7
1932
May
7
1932
May
6
1933
Oct.
9
1937
Jan.
15
1921
Oct.
4
1919
May
28
1902
May
4
1935
May
5
1934
Jan.
18
1919
Oct.
11
1924
Apr.
27
1887
Oct.
19
1931
May
23
1911
May
3
1930
Oct.
19
1931
Aug.
9
1898
Oct.
12
1935
Jan.
20
1903
Tan.
15
1901
Oct.
9
1920
Oct.
19
1931
Oct.
7
1902
Oct.
7
1902
May
6
1933
May
4
1935
May
4
1935
Tan.
20
1903
Jan.
20
1903
May
4
1935
May
3
1930
May
3
1930
Aug.
27
1926
Jan.
17
1899
XVIII LIST OF MEMBERS
Names Address
Fretz, Mrs. Mahlon Barnes Newtown
Fretz, William F Pipersville
Fretz, Mrs. William F Pipersville
Fritsch, Mrs. Howard C Narberth
**Garber, Daniel H Lumberville
Garber, Mrs. Daniel H Lumberville
Gardy, Mrs. Julian Doylestown
Garges, Mrs. I. B Doylestown
Ginther, Mrs. Mary P Buckingham
Goedecke, Karl Hazleton
Gray, Samuel S., Jr Newtown
Gray, Mrs. Scott Newtown
Grier, John S Philadelphia
Griest, Thomas H New Hope
Griest, Mrs. Thomas H New Hope
Grim, Robert H Perkasie
Grim, Webster Doylestown
Gross, Miss S. Ella Doylestown
Grundy, Joseph R Bristol
Grundy, Miss Margaret R Bristol
Haddon, Mrs. Thomas Doylestown
Haines, Miss Laura C Doylestown
Hallowell, Miss Edith Hatboro
Hammond, Dr. Julian T., 3rd Newtown
Harper, Mrs. Lucy A Yardley
Harrison, Miss Jeanette R Hulmeville
Hart, Charles Media
Hart, George Doylestown
Hart, Mrs. George Doylestown
Hart, George M Doylestown
Hayhurst, Emery R Columbus, Ohio
Hayhurst, Walter F Lambertville, N. J.
â– Heacock, Joseph Linden Hatboro
Hendrickson, David New Hope
Hendrickson, Mrs. David New Hope
Hicks, Miss Sarah W Newtown
Hill, William M Kintersville
Hixson, Wesley Coopersburg
Hobart, Mrs. E. W Doylestown
Hoffman, J. H Doylestown
Hogeland, Horace B Newtown
Holcomb, Capt. R. C Upper Darby
Hommel, Rudolf P Richlandtown
Horning, Harry Lansdale
Hornor, Harry Archer New Hope
Hornor, Mrs. Harry Archer New Hope
Elected
Oct. 10, 1911
May 6
1933
Jan. 21
1928
Oct. 14
1922
June 15
1918
June 15
1918
Jan. 19
1904
Jan. 21
1922
Jan. 15
1927
May 6
1933
May 2
1931
Jan. 25
1916
Aug. 14
1900
Oct. 9
1920
Oct. 9
1920
Sept. 22
1934
Oct. 9
1937
Sept. 26
1936
Aug. 9
1898
Aug. 9
1898
Sept. 13
1930
Jan. 15
1901
May 27
1902
Oct. 9
1920
Oct. 6
1903
Jan. 17
1899
Jan. 16
1917
Jan. 19
1929
Jan. 21
1928
Oct. 9
1937
Jan. 21
1928
June 16
1923
Oct. 17
1925
June 22
1929
June 22
1929
Jan. 21
1913
May 6
1933
Jan. 21
1928
Oct. 4
1904
May 1
1937
Oct. 4
1904
Oct. 13
1923
Jan. 19
1918
June 22
1929
May 3
1930
May 3
1930
LIST OF MEMBERS XIX
Names Address Elected
Hotchkiss, George S Doylestown Jan. 15, 1927
Hotchkiss, Mrs. George S Doylestown Jan. 15, 1927
Hostetter, Mrs. Albert K Lancaster Sept. 13, 1930
Hough, Wallace H New York, N. Y. Sept. 26, 1936
Hough, Mrs. Wallace H New York, N. Y. Sept. 26, 1936
Howell, Miss Mabel W Trenton, N. J. May 26, 1903
Hubard, Mrs. Archibald B Elkins Park Sept. 26, 1936
Hubbs, John H Germantown Sept. 26, 1936
Hubbs, Mrs. John H Germantown Sept. 26, 1936
Hulshizer, Mrs. Rosa B Doylestown Aug. 14, 1900
Huntzinger, Mrs. George L Philadelphia Jan. 17, 1925
Hydeman, Nathan Norristown May 3, 1930
Iredell, Miss Elizabeth Bristol Oct. 4, 1919
Ivins, Mrs. William H Langhorne Jan. 16, 1900
Jaekel, Frederick Blair Doylestown Jan. 25, 1916
Jaekel, George W Philadelphia June 1, 1915
Jaekel, Mrs. George W Philadelphia Jan. 16, 1917
James, Henry A Doylestown July 16, 1895
James, Howard I Bristol May 26, 1903
James, Irvin M Doylestown Oct. 4, 1904
James, Mrs. Irvin M Doylestown Oct. 1, 1901
James, Miss Sarah M Doylestown Jan. 17, 1899
James, William Mt. Airy June 22, 1929
James, Mrs. William Mt. Airy June 22, 1929
James, Charles A Mt. Airy June 22, 1929
James, Miss Elizabeth B Mt. Airy June 22, 1929
Janney, John L., 3rd Newtown June 3, 1922
Jenkins, Charles F Germantown Jan. 15, 1901
Johnson, Miss Gertrude S Doylestown Oct. 9, 1937
Johnson, Morris W Philadelphia Oct. 10,1911
Junette, Victor E Doylestown May 3, 1930
Kane, James M Doylestown Jan. 26, 1925
Keeler, E. Wesley Spring Valley Jan. 19, 1897
Keller, Hon. Hiram H Doylestown June 15, 1918
Keller, Mahlon Perkasie May 26, 1903
Kenhner, Dr. Howard M Philadelphia Oct. 9, 1937
Kenhner, Mrs. Howard M Philadelphia Oct. 9, 1937
Kephart, Calvin I Arlington, Va. Oct. 13, 1923
Kinsey, Mrs. J. Ingham Easton June 22, 1929
Kirk, Edward R Wycombe Oct. 10, 1911
Kirson, Mrs. Alice A Holicong May 3, 1930
Kister, Mrs. H. Leroy Doylestown Oct. 6, 1903
Knight, Mrs. Charles L Newtown Oct. 4, 1904
Knight, Howard Wenonah, N. J. Oct. 9,1920
Knight, Mrs. Howard W^enonah, N. J. Oct. 9,1920
XX
LIST OF MEMBERS
Names Address Elected
Knight, Mrs. William B Trenton, N. J. Oct. 4.1904
Kohler, Paul E., Jr Churchville Sept. 26, 1936
Krisher, Mrs. Goldie Flack Philadelphia Jufie 4, 1914
Landenberger, C. H., Jr New Hope Sept. 26, 1936
Landenberger, Mrs. C. H., Jr New Hope Sept. 26, 1936
Leatherman, J. Kirk Doylestown May 24, 1904
Leatherman, Mrs. J. Kirk Doylestown Sept. 13, 1930
Leattor, Mrs. Gertrude M Doylestown June 22, 1929
Leattor, Mrs. Hannah R Doylestown June 22, 1929
Leedom, Walter F Bristol May 28, 1907
Leedom, Mrs. Walter F Bristol May 28, 1907
LeRoy, Mrs. F. G Newtown Oct. 9, 1920
Linton, Mrs. Franklin J Newtown Oct. 9, 1920
Littleton, Miss Julia Waters Doylestown June 18, 1921
Lochhead, Miss Anne J New Hope Sept. 13, 1930
Lochhead, Miss Catherine P New Hope Sept. 13, 1930
Long, Mrs. Emily Doylestown Oct. 9, 1937
Longshore, Frank H Philadelphia Jan. 20, 1923
Longshore, Miss Marion H Langhorne Sept. 26, 1936
Longshore, Mrs. Samuel H Langhorne Jan. 16, 1906
Longstreth, Edward T Philadelphia Jan. 15, 1901
Lovett, E. H Yardley June 22, 1929
Lovett, Mrs. E. H Yardley June 22, 1929
Lovett, Dr. Henry Langhorne July 20, 1897
Lovett, Mrs. Henry Langhorne June 4, 1914
Lugar, Mrs. John Wrightstown Sept. 22, 1934
Lundy, J. Wilmer Newtown Oct. 1, 1901
Lyman, Miss Marion Doylestown June 12, 1912
MacReynolds, George Doylestown May 28, 1901
Magee, John F Easton Sept. 22, 1934
Mann, Horace M Doylestown Jan. 19, 1918
Mann, Mrs. Horace M Doylestown * Jan. 19,1918
Mansfield, Mrs. Maynard W Philadelphia May 3, 1930
Markle, Mrs. Alvin, Jr Hazleton May 2,1936
Marshall, Mrs. Alfred Langhorne Oct. 7, 1897
Marshall, Mrs. George Morley New Hope May 26, 1903
Martin, Fred F Doylestown May 3, 1930
Martin, Mrs. Fred F Doylestown May 3, 1930
Mathews, Charles J Langhorne June 4, 1914
Mathews, Mrs. Charles J Langhorne June 4, 1914
Mathews, Edgar B Ocean Grove, N. J. May 5, 1934
Mathias, Miss Ella Bristol Jan. 19,1929
McCredy, Mrs. J. Wilson Philadelphia Jan. 15,1901
McKinstry, Mrs. Ruth Doylestown Jan. 21, 1928
Mendenhall, Dr. John C Frankford Sept. 26, 1936
Mercer, William R Doylestown Jan. 15, 1889
LIST OF MEMBERS X
Names Address Elected
Mercer, Mrs. William R Doylestown
Meredith, Charles M Quakertown
Merrick, Aubrey Newtown
Metzger, Mrs. Emil Bristol
Miller, Mrs. D. Yeakel Chestnut Hill
Miller, Fred J New Hope
Mireau, Francis C Doylestown
Mitchell, Mrs. Allen R Germantown
Mitchell, Theodore D Upper Darby
Molloy, J. Carroll Pineville
Moore, Miss Elizabeth K Doylestown
Moore, Henry W Bridgewater
Morris, Mrs. Armand V Bristol
*Morris, Lawrence J Philadelphia
Moyer, Mrs. Alvin Doylestown
Murfit, Wallace Gilkyson Newtown
Murray, Dr. John H Yardley
Murray, Mrs. John H Yardley
Myers, A. Conard Buckingham
Myers, Mrs. A. Conard Buckingham
Myers, Ralph E Oak Lane
Myers, Mrs. Ralph E Oak Lane
Newell, Mrs. William C Doylestown
Newell, Miss Mary Louise Doylestown
Nicholas, Miss Caroline Doylestown
Nichols, Mrs. H. S. P Germantown
Nichols, Mrs. William R Aquetong
Palmer, Miss Anna S Newtown
Palmer, Edward Langhorne
Palmer, Mrs. Edward Langhorne
Parry, Miss Adelaide R New Hope
Parry, Miss Gertrude R New Hope
Parry, Henry C Langhorne
Parry, Mrs. Henry C Langhorne
Parry, Mrs. William B Langhorne
Parsons, Miss Ella Philadelphia
Patterson, Mrs. John T Doylestown
Paxson, Henry D., Jr Hollcong
Paxson, Miss Mary S Doylestown
Perkins, E. Stanley Germantown
Pickering, H. Russell Newtown
Pilling, William S Germantown
Poore, Miss Dorothy A Riegelsville
Powers, Mrs. Fred Perry Germantown
Pratt, Mrs. Sophie L Doylestown
Preston, Albert W Solebury
May
28,
1907
May
28,
1907
Jan.
21,
1922
Oct.
9,
1937
Jan.
19,
1904
June
16,
1923
May
27,
1913
Aug.
10,
1899
May
4,
1935
Oct.
10,
1911
Oct.
9,
1937
June
15,
1918
Oct.
19,
1931
May
6,
1933
May
4,
1935
June
3,
1922
May
1,
1937
May
1,
1937
May
6,
1933
May
6,
1933
Sept.
26,
1936
Sept.
26,
1936
.Tuly
16,
1895
May
24,
1904
May
6,
1933
Jan.
18,
1898
Oct.
28,
1916
Oct.
10,
1911
June
4,
1914
June
4,
1914
Jan.
15,
1901
Jan.
15,
1901
June
3,
1922
June
3,
1922
Jan.
16,
1900
Jan.
16,
1906
May
5,
1934
Oct.
9,
1920
Oct.
7,
1902
Oct.
9,
1920
Sept.
22,
1934
May
30,
1919
Sept.
10,
1927
Oct.
9,
1920
Jan.
19,
1924
Sept.
13,
1930
XXII
LIST OF MEMBERS
Names Address Elected
Preston, Mrs. Albert W Solebury Sept. 13, 1930
Pursell, Miss M. Lillian Mechanicsville Oct. 5, 1909
Pyle, Francis C George School Jan. 25, 1916
Quimby, Miss Margaret Lumberville Oct. 5, 1909
Quimby, Miss Mary Lumberville Oct. 5, 1909
Quimby, Wilmot Solebury Oct. 4, 1904
Quimby, Mrs. Wilmot Solebury Oct. 4, 1904
Reading, F. Linwood Hatboro Oct. 19, 1931
Remensnyder, John Paul Metuchen May 7, 1932
Repass, Rev. Bernard Doylestown Jan. 15, 1921
Repass, Mrs. Bernard Doylestown Jan. 15, 1921
Richardson, Russell, Jr Philadelphia May 2, 1936
Ridge, Mrs. Lloyd Newtown May 24, 1904
Roberts, C. Wilson Southampton May 6, 1933
Roberts, Mrs. C. Wilson Southampton May 6, 1933
**Roberts, Charles R Allentown May 1, 1937
Roberts, Charles W Newtown May 6, 1933
Roberts, Clarence V Germantown June 18, 1921
Roberts, Mrs. Clarence V Germantown June 18, 1921
Roberts, Erastus T New York, N. Y. June 3, 1922
Roberts, Mrs. Thomas S Minneapolis, Minn. July 21, 1896
Roberts, Dr. W. A Newtown Jan. 15, 1921
Roberts, Mrs. W. A Newtown Jan. 15, 1921
Robinson, Mrs. George K Flushing, N. Y. May 26, 1903
Rosenberger, Mrs. H. B Doylestown Oct. 5, 1909
Rosenthal, Albert New Hope June 22, 1930
Ross, Thomas Doylestown Jan. 18, 1898
Ruckman, John H Doylestown Jan. 18, 1898
Ruckman, Mrs. John H Doylestown Oct. 5, 1909
Ruckman, John Fell Doylestown June 15, 1915
Rush, Walter D Plumsteadville May 5, 1934
Ryan, Miss Helen L Doylestown Oct. 9, 1937
Sandford, Joseph E Brooklyn, N. Y. Oct. 17, 1925
Sasse, Rev. Lewis, II Newtown May 5, 1934
Satterthwaite, Miss Elizabeth B Trenton, N. J. Sept. 25, 1926
Saul, Walter Biddle Germantown May 3,1930
Saul, Mrs. Walter Biddle Germantown May 3, 1930
Scarborough, Miss Anna C Newtown Oct. 4, 1904
Scarborough, Mrs. Elizabeth B Wyncote May 1, 1937
Schmidt, R. Roland Neshaminy May 1, 1937
Schneider, Mrs. Karl Langhorne Sept. 26, 1936
Schultz, Miss Doris Hamilton, Ont., Canada May 4, 1935
Seiffert, George R Philadelphia May 7, 1932
Semple, Mrs. Samuel Titusville May 6,1933
Shaddinger, Roy K Doylestown Oct. 17, 1925
Shimer, Miss Florence L Riegelsville June 22, 1929
LIST OF MEMBKKS XXIII
Ncmrs Address Elected
Shive, Mrs Claries H Doylestown Oct. 12,1935
Shoemaker, Mrs H.J Doylestow n Oct. 5, l'J09
Shoemaker, Lester B TuUytown Sept. 22, 1934
Shoemaker, Mrs. Lester B Tullytov n Sept 22, 1934
Shorey, Mrs Paul Chicago, 111. Jan. 22, 1895
Sickel, Howard S. J Philadelphia May 2, 1936
Siegler, C'rarles L Doylestown May 3, 1930
Sienkie-wi-:z, Casimir A Doylestown Jan. 15, 1927
Sigafoos, Lertis Doylestown Jan. 21, 1928
Sigafocs, Mrs Lewis Doylestow n May 5, 1934
Sinkler, Whar::on Philadelphia June 18, 1921
Slack, Joseph C Penns Park Nov. 8, 1913
Slack, Mrs. Joseph C Penns Park Nov. 8,1913
Smith, Miss Anna W Newtown June 3, 1922
Smith, C. Arthur Wycombe May 3,1930
Smith, Mrs. Charles B Newtown July 21, 1896
Smith, Clarence H New Castle, Ind. May 30, 1919
Smith, H. Eastburn New Hope Oct. 9, 1937
Snipes, Mrs. Edgar Morrisville Jan. 25, 1916
Spong, Mrs. Charles Stuart Newtown Oct. 12, 1935
Stackhouse, Lewis S Trenton, N. J. Sept. 25, 1926
Stavely, Mrs. William R LahasVa Jan. 20, 1903
Stockham, Thomas B Morrisville May 6, 1933
Stone, Frank S Chestnut Hill Nov. 8, 1913
Stover, Henry Willet Wellsbcro Jan. 17,1925
Stover, Mrs. Henry Willet Wellsboro Jan. 17, 1925
Swain, Frank K Doylestown Sept. 13, 1930
Swain, Mrs. Frank K Doylestown Sept. 13, 1930
Swartley, Mrs. John C Doylestown Aug. 9, 1898
Swartley, Wilson H Doylestown Jan. 25, 1916
Swartzlandcr, Frank Doylestown May 4, 1935
Swartzlander, Mrs. Joseph R Doylestown May 26, 1903
Swartzlander, Miss Mary Doylestown May 5, 1934
Swartzlander, Miss Sue B Dcylestown May 1, 1937
Svvope, Miss Laura R Erwinna Jan. 1^,1909
Taylor, Mrs. Bertha M. B Philadelphia June 16, 1923
Taylor, Francis G Doylestown Sept. 13, 1930
Taylor, Mrs. Francis G Doylestown Sepr 13, 1930
Thomas, Mrs Edith M Quakertown Oct. 17,1925
Thompson, Albert J Wycombe Nov. 8, 1913
Thompson, Airs. Albert J Wycombe Nov. 8, 1913
Thompson, Hon. J. Whitaker Philadelphia June 15, 1918
Thompson, Louis E Glen Ridge, N. J. Oct. 1,1909
Thompson, William A Cynwyd Sept. 13, 1930
Thompson, Mrs. William A Cynwyd Sept. 13, 1930
Thompson, William A., Jr Cynwyd Sept. 13, 1930
♦Thomson, William B Philadelphia May 7, 1932
XXIV LIST OF MEMBERS
Names Address Elected
Tinsnian, Mrs. William Lumberville
Todd, Mrs. Henry A Doylestow n
Tomb, Mrs. Earl L Bristol
Tomb, Mrs. Harriet W Langhorne
Tomlinson, Aaron Langhorne
Tomlinson, Mrs. Aaron Langhorne
Tomlinson, William S Newtown
Townsend, Arthur P Langhorne
Townsend, Mrs. Arthur P Langhorne
Trexler, Edwin G Allentow n
Trexler, Hon. Frank M Allentown
Turnbull, Miss Jean W New Hope
Twining, Franklin M Newtown
Twining, Wilmer A Wycombe
Vanartsdalen, Mrs. Isaac T Newtown
Walton, George A George School
Warner, Mrs. George Ardmore
Watson, Mrs. George Doylestown
Watson, Palmer Philadelphia
Weisel, W. O Doylestown
Weisel, Mrs. W. O Doylestown
Wheeler, George Mt. Airy
Whitney, William W Spring Valley
Whitney, Mrs. William W Spring Valley
Wilkinson, Mrs. Ada Lowther New York, N. Y.
Wilkinson, Ogden D Philadelphia
Williams, Mrs. Carroll R Rye, N. Y.
Williams, John S., 2nd New Hope
Willis, Charles C Newtown
Willis, Mrs. Charles C Newtown
Wilson, Edward C Yardley
Wilson, Mrs. Edward C Yardley
W'ilson, Miss Jessie M Newtown
Wittekind, Dr. John R Morrisville
Wolf, Mrs. James J Ottsville
Woodman, Miss Elizabeth A Wycombe
Worthington, Miss Evelyn L Newtown
Worthington, Miss Kezzie Carversville
Wright, John Stapler Newtown
Wright, Mrs. William Newtown
Wurts, John S Germantow n
Yardley, Mrs. John Doylestown Jan. 29, 1907
Total, 446 Members, including 4 Life Members and 7 Honorary Life
Members.
Oct.
5,
Jan.
16,
Oct.
9,
Sept.
13,
June
3,
June
3,
June
3,
Jan.
18,
Jan.
18,
Sept.
13,
Sept.
13,
Jan.
15,
Oct.
19,
Oct.
9,
May
28,
June
3,
Oct.
7,
Jan.
18,
June
7,
May
5,
May
5,
May
6,
Sept.
26,
Sept.
26,
Tan.
21,
Jan.
22,
July
19,
May
6,
Oct.
13,
Oct.
13,
Jan.
19,
Tan.
19,
Oct.
19,
May
6,
May
4,
Sept
26,
Sept
13,
Tan.
17,
Jan.
15,
Oct.
10,
Oct.
7,
The Schools of Neshaminy*
By rev. D. K. turner, HARTSVILLE, PA.
(Warminster Meeting, July 27, 1886)
WHEN the early settlers of Pennsylvania came across the
Atlantic to make for themselves new homes in the wilder-
ness, they were not in pursuit of material wealth alone.
They sought also the advantages which civil and religious liberty,
education and enlightened society bring in their train. To these
they had been accustomed in a measure in the old world, and
while they were cutting down the primeval forests, erecting
dwellings and bringing the soil into subjection they thought of the
wants of the higher nature of man. It was once remarked by Dr.
Horace Bushnell, a very acute and original thinker, that the ten-
dency of emigration is to barbarism, and no doubt those who
leave the institutions of civilization, and go far away from the
haunts of men, are liable, in enforced attention to physical necessi-
ties, to lose sight of the cultivation of the mind and refinement of
the manners. The pioneers in the establishment of this colony
endeavored to avoid this evil ; to preserve freedom and intelligence,
which had gradually been acquired in the struggles of ages, and to
enlarge and confirm the inheritance they had received from their
ancestors.
The owners of the land in the neighborhood of Neshaminy,
when it was first bought of the original proprietor, William Penn,
were English people, as appears from the patents given by him;
the names of the grantees and of the places, from which they
came, being of that nationality, but many of them did not reside
here. In a few years Scotch-Irish immigrants purchased of them
smaller tracts and took up their abode along these hills and
valleys. They had been in the habit of attending school in their
younger days, were sensible of the value of education, and
desired to have their children enjoy privileges similar to those
which had been accorded to them. They planted a church here
and a school house by its side. The meeting house first stood in
the present graveyard and was probably erected in 1727. A
stone, on which that date is carved with the initials, W. M. and
* A deferred paper, not printed in any prior volume of "A Collection of
Papers Read before The Bucks County Historical Society."
2 THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMINY
W. C, was in the wall of the building, which remained standing
until 1792, though long unused for religious services, when it was
taken down by direction of the trustees, and the material used in
the construction of the graveyard wall that ran west from the
school house. This stone was placed in that wall and held its
position until 1851, when a new wall was built along the Bristol
road and the block was fixed in it near the front gate, where it
now is.
Graveyard School
The first school house, known to have been in this vicinity
after "Log College," was of logs, in what is now the graveyard, a
short distance back of the chapel. At what time it was erected
we have no means of knowing. But it was an antique structure
when it was removed about 1825, and had probably borne the
winter storms of more than half a century. It was set up to last,
as buildings were in former days. Having become somewhat
dilapidated, (perhaps I might better say dilogadated), the people
in this section thought it desirable to have it replaced with a
better edifice, and one night a jackscrew was applied to one of the
logs and the work of demolition was begun. But it was found
more difficult to tear it down than had been expected. It would
not go to pieces without a large amount of hard work. It had
been a useful though humble temple of knowledge. In it many
excellent preceptors had taught the rising generation, and some,
whose peculiar modes of giving instruction have been superseded
by those of a more enlightened character.
One of them was James Gray, more familiarly called "Jimmy
Gray," who held the rod of dominion there about a hundred years
ago. He was of Scotch descent, and very eccentric. A large,
noble hickory tree stands by the side of the Hartsville and Centre-
ville turnpike, near the gate of Esquire Johnson Beans, in War-
minster. Gray lived, in his early days, not far off, and he told
Hugh Long, formerly of Hartsville, that as he was driving his
mother's cows to pasture one morning he cut off the top of the
sapling for a switch, which gave it the fork that appears a few
feet above the ground. When he became a young man, he was
employed to guide the youthful mind in its search for knowledge,
and for his own recreation in his arduous labors he was in the
habit of getting the boys to play practical jokes on one another.
THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMINY 3
For example, he would send a boy out to lie concealed in the
bushes near a spring, and would send two others for water, and
inform them of the one hiding, and tell them to throw a bucketful
on him.
Another teacher was William Long, commonly denominated
"Little Billy." William Carr, who formerly owned the farm
now in possession of George Jamison, of Warwick, and who was a
long period in the public offices at the court house in Doylestown,
said that he went to school to him. He was wont to have the
scholars commit their spelling lessons and read in concert aloud,
he himself calling at the top of his voice, and accompanying it by
striking on his desk with a huge hickory stick, which he always
carried as a wand of office. He would cry out, "Be busy! Be
busy!" and Mr. Carr said the youngsters found amusement in
shouting as loud as possible, to see who could make the most
noise, but without reference to the words of the lessons.
Gideon Prior occupied the chair of instruction in this rude
building, probably when he first came to Neshaminy from New
England, between 1785 and 1790. He had been invited by his
brother, who resided in South Carolina, to come there, and set out
from his Eastern home with that intention, but having reached
this neighborhood he tarried to preside awhile in the hall of
science, married, and ever after remained here. When a boy, in
the American Revolution, he desired to do something for his
country, and went from Connecticut into Rhode Island, where our
French allies under Count Rochambeau were. As he was only
sixteen years old, he was unable to perform regular military duty,
and became a driver of wagons; marched with the army to the
banks of the Hudson River, and subsequently to Yorktown, Va.,
where he was during the siege of that stronghold. He carried
ammunition across the fields, when the bullets and cannon balls
were whistling in the air above him, but escaped unhurt. He
remembered to the close of his life the scene in which the British
soldiers surrendered, and petulantly threw down their arms, with
a crash, that resounded far around. As operations on land then,
for the most part, terminated, he made his way to the North and
took a place on board a privateer that cruised on the Atlantic
Ocean, but was captured by a British frigate and carried prisoner
into New York, which was still in the hands of our enemies. Here
he was confined on board a prison ship in the harbor for a time
4 THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMINY
and suffered great privations. The mother country then claimed
the right to impress into her naval service any of her subjects,
wherever they could be found. Americans were yet, in her view,
her subjects, and Gideon was required to leave the prison-ship, and
go as a sailor on a man-of-war, in which he was borne out to sea.
After experiencing various adventures and hardships he was
abandoned on one of the West India Islands, friendless and
without means, but found a way to get back to the United States.
In a year or two he entered Dartmouth College, N. H., where he
remained about four years, and acquired a good knowledge of the
Latin language as well as other branches of a classical education,
when he bent his steps southward and found a resting place at
Neshaminy. He was a superior teacher, and his sons, Asahel and
Azariah, were prepared for Jefferson College, Canonsburg, Pa.,
principally by him as their tutor. He understood vocal music
also, and frequently had a singing school under his charge, and it
is quite likely that the young men and maidens under his lead
have often made "the welkin ring" in the old log school house
with the strains of "Old Hundred" and "Dundee."
Other teachers in that building were John Emory and Alfred
H. Carpenter. The latter is described as being "as jolly a boy as
any one, out of school, but very strict in school." He would get
a long hickory rod, and stand in a ring of as many boys as could
get around him, and any boy might, if he dared venture, "cut and
thrust." But while the boys got many smart blows. Carpenter
was too quick for them to hit him. He entertained the little fel-
lows amazingly by "yarns," comic songs, etc.
Among the later "masters" in the log building were Doctor
Bryan, of Doylestown; Mr. McKean, of Easton, president of a
bank, who married a sister of James Porter, governor of the
Territory of Michigan, and Azariah Prior, who became an Epis-
copal clergyman, and resided many years in Pottsville. The last
was John McNair, who subsequently established a seminary near
Abington, and represented Montgomery County in Congress.
The stone school house in the graveyard was built in 1825, by
subscription of the people of the neighborhood. Samuel Long,
son of Hugh Long, first taught in it, occupying the place until he
went to college at Canonsburg in the spring of 1827. He was an
admirable teacher; not satisfied with going through the routine of
each day, he desired to have his pupils understand the branches of
THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMINY 5
Study they were pursuing. He took pains to encourage them, to
explain difficult points, and to make the way clear for the exertion
of their own faculties. An elderly man once told me, that when a
boy, he himself was one of his scholars, and that he gained more
light on arithmetic the first day than he had in several months of
previous schooling. Another teacher in the stone building w^as
William Wright, a very peculiar man, but a capital driller in the
elements of a common English education. Rev. Mahlon Long,
when quite a young man, swayed the rod there from April, 1832,
to January 1, 1834. I heard him say once, that before he took
charge there, the parents were in the habit of paying three cents
for each day's attendance of each child, and that when applica-
tion was made to him to assume the position, he insisted, as one
of the terms of acceptance, upon being paid by the quarter, and
not by the day, as more creditable to him and presenting greater
incentives to regularity and punctuality on the part of the
scholars. Like Cincinnatus, he was taken literally from the plow,
for he was in the field when one of the managers of the school came
to him to request his services.
Samuel Hart also gave instruction in the stone school house,
father of the late George Hart, Esq., and Josiah Hart, of Doyles-
town. He was an accurate and skillful surveyor, a remarkably
neat penman, and for a time Associate Judge of the Court of Com-
mon Pleas of Bucks County.
Miss Caroline Downer, afterwards Mrs. Caroline Whiting,
had the children under her eye for a number of years, immediately
preceding the adoption of the general State system of education,
and even for a time after that period she taught the smaller chil-
dren, for whom the friends supposed a private school best adapted.
Hart's School House
Previous to 1756, a small school house had stood in War-
minster, near the road leading from Johnsville to Newtown, on the
property of Daniel Longstreth, in which James Sterling was then
teaching. But in that year the people removed that structure, as
inadequate and inconvenient, and erected on the same lot a stone
building, 18 feet by 36, with a partition running across it dividing
it into two rooms, in which it was intended that Latin, Greek and
mathematics should be studied, as well as common English
THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMINY
branches. The names of the subscribers to the expense fund that
have come down to us, are Joseph Hart, John Dungan, Derrick
Kroeson, James Stirling, WilHam Ramsey and James Spencer.
In paying subscriptions labor was accepted at the rate of two
shillings and sixpence for a good "hand on his own diet," or 33
cents, and for a cart with five horses, 10 shillings, or $1.33. In
1757 Daniel Longstreth and Grace, his wife, deeded the lot of
ground, on which the school house stood, to William Folwell,
John Dungan, Anthony Scout and John Vanartsdale, as trustees,
and they made a certified declaration of their trust to Joseph
Hart, Daniel Longstreth, Giles Craven and Derrick Kroeson, who
represented the people of the neighborhood. In 1765 Thomas
Handcock was employed to teach for a year with a salary of
fifty-five pounds, or $146.66. Other teachers were Hezekiah
Durham, Lemen Banes, Hon. John McNair and Colonel David
Marple.
In 1831 the edifice just referred to had been occupied as a
fountain of knowledge 75 years, and had become unfit for use. It
was accordingly taken down and a new one erected, in size 20
feet by 25, at an expense of $320.28. It may be interesting to
some to hear the names of those who subscribed towards it. They
are as follows:
Griffith Miles
Robert Ramsey
William Spencer
Lot Bennett
John Hart
William Craven
John Craven
Joseph Warner
John Davis
John Hart, of Coxville
Daniel Longstreth
William M. White
Thomas Warner, Jr.
James Evans
Thomas Hart
Lewis F. Hart
David Krusen
John Spencer
William Williamson
Isaac Hobensack
Lemen Banes
William Vansant
Joshua Walton
Samuel Scott
Joseph Carrell
John Bothwell
Stephen Beans
David Marple
John Bready
Thomas Spencer
Garrett Krusen
Robert Jamison
Thomas Craven
Elijah W. Beans
Daniel Dungan
Jesse Carrell
William Fetter
John Magoffin
Charles Prior
John Sutch
Isaac Craven
John Rapp
Samuel Krusen
Joseph Longstreth
Joseph K. Campbell
Harman Yerkes
John Yerkes
Archibald McLean
Jesse Edwards
William Biddle
James M. Delany
Adam Mclllhany
Benjamin J. Slack
Lewis Biddle
James Travis
John Hunter
E. H. Yerkes
The first teacher employed in the new school house was Elijah
THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMIXY 7
W. Beans. Others who succeeded him were Wilham Maddoc,
Isaac W. Spencer, Tyson Lukens, Gilbert Blaker, John A. Thorn-
ton, M. D., Miss Ann Ehza Hart, Miss S. Fell, of Buckingham,
and Miss Elizabeth Croasdale. The building was abandoned in
1800, when the school house on the Street road, below Johnsville,
was built. Besides being used for the education of children.
Hart's school house served other valuable purposes. The War-
minster Debating Society, a regularly organized literary associa-
tion, held its sessions many years within its walls, in which politi-
cal and moral questions were discussed with great interest by
prominent men, as General John Davis, Colonel David Marple,
Rev. T. B. Montanye, and others.
Rev. Robert B. Belville held in it a large Bible class, com-
posed of adults and children. Among those who habitually
attended were Colonel William M. White and wife, Mr. and Mrs.
Robert Jamison, William Blair and wife, Hugh Mearns, a grad-
uate of Princeton College; Griffith Miles, the Ramseys, Breadys,
Harts, and many others. Public worship was often observed in
it, conducted by Rev. A'lessrs. Belville, John Magoffin, James P.
Wilson, Henry R. Wilson, Sr., Joseph H. Mathias, of Hilltown,
and J. B. Bowen, of Southampton. The youth of the neighbor-
hood were also taught vocal music, singing schools being fre-
quently held there in the long evenings of the winter.
Street Road School
Another school house, in which children were taught many
years during the first half of this century, stood by the side of the
Street road, in Warminster township, on ground which is now
included in the farm of Joseph Barnsley, Esq. In it a number of
excellent teachers trained the youthful mind, among others
Gideon Prior, W'illiam Wright, John Griffith, Abel Beans, Elijah
Beans, Benjamin Shoemaker, David Moody, John Craven, John
Ramsey, Neil McCue, Wetherill and Robert Winder. In 1850,
soon after the enactment of the present public school law% the old
building, which had been long unused except for Sunday School,
was taken down, and another erected a few rods off on the corner
of the Norristown road, which is now occupied by one of the
township schools.
Isaac Beans, now living in Hartsville at the age of 81 years,
THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMINY
tells the following circumstance about his attendance at the old
Street road school. He says: "I went to Gideon Prior, when he
was master there, and was sometimes pretty mischievous. I
would get out of my seat to where I ought not to be, and Mr.
Prior would come along and take me by the hair and lead me back.
Mother was cutting my hair one day and I said to her, 'Cut it as
short as you can, so Mr. Prior can't get hold of it.' So she cut it
very short, and not long after Mr. Prior tried to get his hand fast
on it, and not succeeding he gave me a smart cuff about the ears;
and I did not make much by the operation."
Mr. Belville's School
In the fall of 1818, or the spring of 1819, Rev. Robert B. Bel-
ville, then pastor of Neshaminy Church, established a boarding
school for boys on his own property, which some of the lads of the
neighborhood were also permitted to attend. It originated in the
following manner: Mr. Belville had been at much expense in
buying a farm and building a house and barn upon it. His
salary was only six hundred dollars a year; he was in debt and his
increasing family needed a larger income. He had the offer of a
call to the pastorate of the Market Square Presbyterian Church,
in Harrisburg, and was in doubt whether he ought not to accept
it. In consultation with his session upon the subject they
advised him to remain wath them and teach school. He con-
cluded to accede to their wishes. Loller Academy, at Hatboro,
was then destitute of a principal, and when it was known that he
desired a situation of the kind he was appointed. He issued cir-
culars, rented his farm and was about to move to Hatboro, when
the trustees of Loller Academy passed a resolution prohibiting
religious instruction in the school. Mr. Belville went to see Rev.
James P. Wilson, D. D., senior, pastor of the First Presbyterian
Church in Philadelphia, to confer with him on the matter, and the
result was that he decided to decline the position at Hatboro and
teach at his own residence. He bought back the lease of his
farm, put up a school house, and in six weeks from the time he
had the interview with Doctor Wilson, he returned to announce
to him that he was ready to open a classical and select school at
Hartsville. The doctor handed him the names of eleven pupils,
THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMINY 9
who were waiting to accompany him to the new institution, and
who were to pay S200 per annum, at that day an unusually large
price. He continued to superintend the seminary thus inaugur-
ated until 1828, a period of nine years, when having accumulated
sufficient to supplement the income derived from the church, he
terminated his labors in this department of effort. During all
this time all the pupils he could accommodate came to put them-
selves under his care and the institution was prosperous and suc-
cessful. He was assisted by his brother John, who married Miss
Elizabeth Long, of Warrington, and was afterwards settled as a
Presbyterian minister in Ohio, and died a few years ago in Day-
ton, in that State; also by Robert Dunlap, subsequently pastor
of Presbyterian churches in Danville and Pittsburgh, Pa. ; and by
James P. Wilson, Jr., now pastor of the South Park Presbyterian
Church in Newark, N. J. The latter taught the Greek alphabet
to Jacob Belville, D. D., now of Pottsville, on his sixth birthday.
Most of Rev. Robert Belville's pupils were from Philadelphia,
the sons of men of business, who devoted themselves to the occu-
pations of their parents. Among them some may be particularly
mentioned: Three sons of Dr. J. P. Wilson, Sr. ; Matthew, who
became a merchant; Samuel, a doctor; and James P., Jr., who
became an eminent clergyman, and is still living, having been
minister in Newark thirty-three years; Dr. James Booth, who
w^as somewhat distinguished as an analytical chemist; William B.
Hart, son of Thomas Hart, a graduate of Princeton College and a
man of high standing in Philadelphia; John Duncan, James
Postlethwaite and Lemuel Gustine were promising young men, of
Natchez, Mississippi, but died in early manhood; Francis Markoe
became a leading merchant in New York city; several sons of
James Fassett, of Philadelphia; Conrad Boyer and Dyer Gardiner,
of New York. There were likewise as pupils: Duvals, Waynes,
Birds, a McKean, a Keith and a Buoy. Mr. Belville prepared
boys for college or for business, giving instruction in the classical
languages and in the higher branches of mathematics. He was
a firm disciplinarian and had faith in the truth of Solomon's
maxim, "He that spareth the rod, spoileth the child." He pun-
ished his son, Jacob, one time rather severely, who, in telling about
it soon after to other boys, said: "Father played the fiddle and I
danced the tune." He sought to imbue the minds of his pupils
with correct moral and religious principles as well as intellectual
10 THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMINY
culture, and his school was influential in promoting superior edu-
cation beyond the immediate locality in which he resided.
One of the outgrowths of Mr. Belville's seminary was that of
Samuel Long, who opened a private school in a building erected
in 1830 by his father, Hugh Long, on his property in Hartsville.
He occupied it from the autumn of that year to the spring of 1833,
when he removed to the dwelling on Kerr's hill, a mile north of
Hartsville, which is now owned by Isaac Weaver. A school room
was built on a beautiful site near the mansion, and the institu-
tion, patronized by both boarding and day scholars, prospered
for about two years and a half. His success was so encouraging
that he was making preparations to enlarge his house. With this
in view he went into the woods with some men about two miles
from home to get ready the necessary timber, when a heavy limb
of a tree fell suddenly and fractured his skull, rendering him
unconscious and causing his death in a few hours. The loss
experienced by the community and by the friends of education in
the unexpected decease of this excellent man was greatly felt.
It occurred on Saturday, December 5, 1835, and Neshaminy
Church, with which he was connected as a member, was filled
with a mourning congregation on the next day when Rev. R. B.
Belville, the pastor, took occasion appropriately to address them
in reference to the sad event.
Shortly after this, or about this time, Mr. Belville, desiring to
secure the proper education of his younger children, employed
Miss Frost, a young lady from New England, and others to teach a
select school on his own premises, at which a few attended from
the neighborhood besides his own family. This arrangement con-
tinued only two or three years.
In the autumn of 1831 Rev. James P. Wilson, Jr., opened a
classical boarding school on the property owned by his father, in
Warminster, now in possession of R. Thompson Engart. It was
intended for pupils from a distance, in which they might be pre-
pared more particularly for college, and during fifteen years was
favored with a high degree of prosperity. Among the tutors who
assisted Mr. Wilson were Rev. Mahlon Long, Rev. Horatio
Howell, a chaplain in the L^nion army during the late war, who
was killed at Gettysburg by some Confederate soldiers as he was
standing on the steps of a church in which he had just been taking
care of the sick and wounded of both sides. Another preceptor
THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMINY 11
was William Sturgeon, a nephew of William Carr, of Doylestown.
Among Mr. Wilson's pupils were Rev. John W. Mears, D. D., late
professor in Hamilton College; Rev. Dr. Burt, of Cincinnati, and
many who became lawyers and physicians.
Darrah's School
About 1835 Mr. Robert Darrah was impressed with the im-
portance of providing for the instruction of his children, growing
up around him, better facilities than the neighborhood afforded.
After some consultation with Mr. Joseph Hart and Rev. R. B.
Belville, he proposed to be at the expense of erecting, on his
property, a school building, furnishing it and supplying it with
necessary fuel, if the other two gentlemen would bear their pro-
portionate cost of tuition. The children of no other families
than these three were to be admitted without their consent, and
the number of pupils limited to twelve. The price of tuition was
to be $5.00 per quarter, and a salary of $240.00 per year was
guaranteed to the teacher, who was to find a home gratuitously at
their houses in rotation. This plan was carried into successful
operation for a time only. Mr. Belville soon withdrew his co-
operation, and after a few years no stipulated compensation was
assured to the teachers. They were allowed to develop the
income on their own responsibility, though no rent was ever
charged by Mr. Darrah for the use of the building, which was at
length enlarged one-third above its original dimensions. The
school was first designed for small children, but as time went on it
lost this characteristic and became an institution of much higher
grade. In it Latin, Greek, French, algebra, geometry, mensura-
tion and surveying, history, chemistry and natural philosophy,
even such branches as were pursued in the third year of a college
course, were successfully taught, and students could be prepared
to enter college in advance of the Freshman class. Several of the
instructors were graduates of Yale and Princeton. The names of
them all were as follows: Miss Howe, of Philadelphia; Miss Mar-
garet Bliss, of Springfield, Mass., from 1836 to 1838 ; Miss Doane ;
Miss Lucy Griswold, of Connecticut; Henry A. Boardman, three
months in 1840; James A. Darrah, of Hartsville, from September,
1840, to 1842; Mahlon Long, from September, 1842, to 1843; Wil-
liam C. Sturgeon from 1843 to 1845; Charles S. Stone, of Maine,
12 THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMINY
from 1845 to 1846; Douglas K. Turner, of Hartford, Connecticut,
from September, 1846, to April, 1848; Joseph D. Nichols, of
Springfield, N. H., from September, 1848, to April, 1849; Miss
Emily Darrah, from April, 1849, to July, 1854. The first twelve
scholars that attended at the beginning of the school were Anna
Bellville, Elizabeth Bellville, Robert C. Bellville, Frances C.
Hart, Byron Hart, Eliza M. Hart, Rachel H. Darrah, Eliza M.
Darrah, Mary Ann Darrah, Emily Darrah, Hannah Hamer and
Martha Carr. Besides these there were about one hundred and
twenty other pupils, who attended for longer or shorter periods.
Some subsequently entered the learned professions; several filled
important civil offices, and almost all occupied places of useful-
ness and respectability in society. Four died in defense of their
country in the late war with the Confederate States; Major Irwin
Moody, who was killed in Mississippi; Sergeant Harman Y.
Beans and Colonel Samuel Croasdale, in Virginia, and Dr. Byron
Hart, a surgeon in the army, who contracted disease in South
Carolina, in consequence of which he was compelled to come
North, but died the same day he arrived in New York. The
seminary on Mr. Darrah's property enjoyed a successful career
until about 1855, when it was given up, the public school system
having greatly improved, and other institutions of a high rank
having been founded in the immediate vicinity.
Beans' School
A log dwelling had long stood on the farm of Mr. John C.
Beans, in Warminster, near the York road, which was used for a
time, about the year 1835, for school purposes, but was taken
down by him and replaced with a new school house. This was
occupied by different teachers for a number of years ; among them
were Miss Anna Craven, now Mrs. Mearns; Elizabeth McNair,
sister of Hon. John McNair; George Hart, A. B., a graduate of
Yale College; Charles Meredith; Miss Sarah Yerkes, now Mrs.
Rev. A. J. Hay; Joseph D. Nichols, A. B., a graduate of Dart-
mouth College, N. H. Mr. Beans was warmly interested in the
education of the young, and established the seminary near his
own residence, that his large family might enjoy the advantages
of a careful early training. One of his sons was sent to Mrs.
Mearns so young that she used to keep him quiet sometimes on her
THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMINY 13
knee by putting a large silver watch she carried into his mouth for
him to grind his incipient teeth on. He grew up in favor of a
sound metalHc currency and was able to calculate United States
money well.
Jamison's School
In 1835 the Misses Phebe and Maria Jamison, daughters of
William Jamison, established a school on their father's property,
in Warwick, which was successfully carried on for thirteen years,
being closed in 1848, and in 1866 their sister, Miss Emma Jamison,
opened a girls' seminary in Hartsville, which continued under her
careful and efficient supervision sixteen years, until 1882, when
her health required rest.
In the autumn of 1846, Miss Elizabeth Croasdale, daughter of
William Croasdale, of Hartsville, opened a school for small chil-
dren in a building adjoining her father's residence, which she con-
tinued to superintend two or three years, when she engaged in
teaching in public schools in various townships, especially in War-
minster. She possessed remarkable talent in penmanship and
drawing, and in the course of time became a pupil in the School
of Design for Women, in Philadelphia, then assistant teacher,
then principal of that very useful and important institution, which
position she held at the time of her death a few months ago. Her
services there were highly appreciated by the friends and patrons
of art, and the loss occasioned by her decease was deeply felt.
She was a sister of Colonel Samuel Croasdale, who fell in the
battle of Antietam.
A school house was built on the property of William C. Jami-
son, in Warwick, at the almshouse road, by himself and Major
George Jamison, in 1844, in which the following teachers gave
instruction in succeeding years, viz.: James E. Darrah, of Tren-
ton; Charles Ramsey; Joseph Flack, Jr.; Samuel Wilson, seeds-
man, of Mechanicsville, Bucks County; and during one winter
Joseph Flack, Sr., and George Jamison taught alternately every
other week, an arrangement not adapted to operate harmoniously
for any length of time. Soon after the inauguration of the present
system of public instruction this school house was used by the
township for a considerable period and the directors a few years
since erected a new building on the same lot, now occupied by the
Warwick Center public school.
14 the schools of neshaminy
Tennent School
In 1850 Rev. Mahlon Long, who had been for several years
principal of the academy for boys in Harrisburg, Pa., and Prof.
Charles Long, who had been professor of the Latin and Greek
languages in Delaware College, bought the property adjoining
Neshaminy Church, which had belonged for a generation or two to
the Wallace family, and erected thereon a large and commodious
stone mansion, with a two-story school building adjoining, and
established an institution for boarding and day scholars, which
they denominated "Tennent School," in memory of Rev. William
Tennent, Sr., founder of Log College. It was opened November
6, 1850, and was remarkably prosperous from the beginning.
The reputation of the principals as able, accomplished and
thorough instructors, brought more pupils than could be accom-
modated from Philadelphia, the interior of Pennsylvania, and
other States. Strict discipline was maintained; the boys were
obliged to study, and hence they made rapid progress in knowl-
edge. Most of them studied the classical languages and higher
mathematics, and a large number were fitted for admission to
our best colleges. Prof. Charles Long died July 15, 1856, much
regretted by a large circle of patrons and friends. The cause of
liberal education sustained a severe loss in his untimely decease.
From that date to June 29, 1870, Rev. Mr. Long conducted the
academy himself, aided by different tutors at various times. The
assistants were: Frederick U. Worley, Isaiah Bready, William
Hutchinson, afterwards tutor in Yale College and a clergyman of
high standing; Andrew H. Gamwell, Albert B. Shearer, now a
member of the Philadelphia bar; William C. Macy, subsequently
professor in Union College, Schenectady, N. Y. ; Edward B. Glas-
gow, now a member of the bar in Massachusetts; Charles L.
Crane, William P. Ames, William H. Thompson, and George W.
Ely, now^ pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Columbia, Pa.
Of the pupils, four became physicians, viz. : Samuel Ashurst,
Robert B. Glasgow, W^illiam Ramsey and Francis S. Wilson.
Twenty-five became lawyers, viz.: Hon. James B. Groom, who
finished his academic studies at the "Tennent School," and who
was in later years Governor and United States Senator from
Maryland; Judge Henry P. Ross, Judge Harman Yerkes, Samuel
and Robert Croasdale; Arthur Chapman and Henry C. Mercer,
THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMIXY 15
son and grandson of Hon. Henry Chapman; Thomas Corwin
Cheston, stepson of Judge Briggs, of Philadelphia; George Delp,
George Morris Dorrance, George Earle, Benjamin Forster,
Robert L. Muench and Henry Shellenberger, of Harrisburg; B. F.
Gilkeson, Edward B. Glasgow; Albert C. Haseltine, now residing
in Paris; John McDowell, Henry Mclntire, Austin Harrington,
Robert S. Martin, Robert Patterson, now of Pittsburgh; Winfield
S. Purviance; George Ross and Albert B. Shearer. Nine became
clergymen, viz.: Edw^ard K. Donaldson, Joseph H. Dulles, Allen
M. Dulles, George W. Ely, Samuel M. Freeland, William Hutch-
inson, Jacob B. Krewson, Nathaniel I. Rubincam, and Dr. John
S. Stewart, of Towanda, Pa.
These pupils of "Tennent School" have all stood well in their
several professions and reflected credit upon their alma mater,
and some have attained unusual excellence. Besides them a
large number have occupied useful and prominent positions in
society and in various avocations. Among them the following
may be specified: J. Lowrie Bell, general manager of the freight
department of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad; Richard H.
Morris, in connection with Morris Dorrence, extensively known
in the business of locating lands, settling claims arising from
accidents and adjusting titles; he was captain of a company of
artillery in the late Civil War, and performed effective service;
Joseph Warner Johnson, now one of the celebrated law-book
firm of Philadephia; Joseph C. Bright, president of a railroad
running from Reading to Pottsville; Justice Cox, iron manu-
facturer; Rev. W. A. P. Martin, D. D., president of the Imperial
College of Pekin, China, had two sons in Tennent School; he was
a remarkable linguist and his sons inherited their father's ability;
Col. Jonathan T. Rorer, of Hatboro, was an officer in the war
against the Southern Confederacy on the staff of General Sheri-
dan, and was with him in his famous expedition in the Shenandoah
Valley, Va. ; Henry M. Mclntire was also in the war and died
from a wound received in battle; he was very promising in talents
and character; Caesar Rodney Fisher, of Philadelphia, a noble
young man, during the rebellion was riding as an officer, when his
head was shot off by a cannon ball; Robert Belville Ely, during
the same struggle, was for a time in charge of a gun-boat in the
lower Potomac, a very dangerous service, to which he was ap-
pointed by Admiral Dahlgren, then in command of the Navy
16 THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMINY
Yard at Washington. For bravery and efficiency Belville Ely
was gradually promoted to a lieutenancy in the regular army and
took part in the action in Mobile Bay, when Admiral Farragut
lashed himself to the mast of his vessel and ran the gantlet of the
torpedoes sunk in the channel. Charles F. Haseltine, an elder in
the Second Presbyterian Church, of Philadelphia, is widely known
as a collector of fine paintings; Rev. Dr. Boyd, of Winchester, Va.,
had two sons in the school, and a son of Hon. Charles J. Faulkner,
minister to France under President Buchanan, was also here.
Louis Bates, of Philadelphia, recently told me that while he was
a pupil of Tennent School, in the year 1856, the boys had a debat-
ing club, and at one of their sessions this question was discussed :
"Which is the greater evil, Intemperance or Slavery?" and that
young Faulkner, who was a natural born orator, defended slavery
with great vigor and earnestness, and laid down to his associates
his views with remarkable eloquence. A son of General Wade,
of Savannah, Georgia, was likewise here; these four young men
from the South, just spoken of, were on the Confederate side in
the civil convulsion. Rev. Mr. Long has remarked in regard to
the institution, "Our aim was, from first to last, to have as few
arbitary laws as possible, but to strive to make each 'a law unto
himself,' to train and develop the individual, allowing no imitators
in anything, as being derogatory to man or boyhood alike. If a
boy did some mischief, little notice was taken of it if it was done
under strong impulse, but if repeated or imitated it was regarded
as an ofl'ense; and so most of the mischief, malicious or otherwise,
was cut up by the roots. We strove to find a boy's bent and
follow it. Until a boy's mind was disciplined, we sought to follow
such subjects as he most inclined to, and found that this training
to an intense individuality was the surest way to start what was
latent in him."
In 1870 the institution was closed, not for want of pupils, but
for private reasons, and since that date no school has been held on
the property.
RosELAND Seminary
In 1851 Rev. Jacob Belville, then pastor of the Presbyterian
Church in Hartsville, associated with himself Mrs. Harriet Mc-
Elroy, of Lambertville, N. J., in the establishment of Roseland
Female Seminary. At the close of the first year Mrs. McElroy
THE SCHOOLS OF XESHAxMINY 17
withdrew and Mr. Belville conducted the institution subse-
quently as the sole principal. He was assisted at various times
by the following teachers: Miss Forman, Miss Strickland, Miss
Sophia Chadwick, Miss Hapgood, Miss Hibbard, Miss Riley,
Miss Emma Jamison, Miss Anna Belville, Miss Julia McCluskey,
Miss Taylor, Miss Pollock, Miss Hinsdale, Miss Rebecca Mit-
chell, Miss Maria Belville, and Mr. Taylor, of Philadelphia, who
gave lessons in vocal music. The seminary continued in success-
ful operation about fourteen years until 1865, when Mr. Belville
became pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Holmesburg, near
Philadelphia. During this period the buildings, originally
erected by Rev. James P. Wilson, Jr., were greatly enlarged and
improved to accommodate an increasing number of pupils.
Emlen Institution
There is an institution in Warminster which, though not
founded by one of the citizens of this neighborhood, ought not to
be overlooked. It is the "Emlen Institution for the Benefit of
Children of African and Indian Descent."
Samuel Emlen, of Burlington, N. J., who died in 1837, left by
will $20,000 to establish a manual labor school, in which colored
and Indian youth might be trained for usefulness and respecta-
bility. It was first located in Mercer County, Ohio, where a
farm of 192 acres, with some buildings, was purchased in 1843 for
$1000. Improvements were made, but it was found to te too far
from the homes of most of the directors, who resided near Phila-
delphia. Hence, after being there fourteen years, in 1857 it was
decided to transfer the school to Pennsylvania. The real estate
and personal property were sold for $6000, and a farm of fifty-
five acres bought in Solebury township, Bucks County, for
S5528.75. But the soil proved to be poor and it was determined,
after about fifteen years, to remove the school to a more favor-
able location. The Solebury farm was disposed of for 86300,
and the present property in Warminster, containing ninety-five
acres, was purchased in 1873 for $10,000, the buildings being
much better than at either of the former places, and they have
since then been enlarged.
There is a fine, well-lighted school room in the second story, a
separate dining room for the boys on the first floor, and a number
18 THE SCHOOLS OF NESHAMINY
of sleeping rooms on the third floor. The whole property of the
institution is now estimated at about $36,000. There are usually
from fifteen to twenty colored boys in the school, being instructed
in ordinary English branches and taught to work on the farm.
For several years past the superintendent has been Howard
Meredith. Though most of the trustees belong to the denomina-
tion of Friends, yet the boys attend with the superintendent the
Presbyterian Church and Sabbath School at Hartsville, Rev.
G. H. Nimmo, pastor. The institution is doing a good work,
and may well be commended to the favorable regard of all who
are inspired by sentiments of true philanthropy.
As has been noticed by those who have heard the foregoing
remarks, an unusually large number of schools and seminaries
have been inaugurated and maintained in this vicinity. The
people have always been favorable to education, and the institu-
tions alluded to have produced a most salutary efi"ect upon the
community. They have given intelligence, culture and refine-
ment to society, and been the means of preparing many for an
honorable, useful and happy life.
"Honor and state from no condition rise;
Act well your part; there all the honor lies."
The Bender System of Steam Propulsion*
By gen. W. W. H. DAVIS, DOYLESTOWN, PA.
(Davisville Meeting, July 16, 1889)
YOU have already listened to an interesting paper on John
Fitch and his application of steam to the propulsion of
boats, the first to accomplish this achievement. His dis-
covery and invention, for I am safe in the use of both terms,
revolutionized navigation and gave to commerce the control of the
sea. It is my purpose, on this occasion, to present the latest
invention and discovery in the same field, which, I believe, is
destined to work as great change in the propulsion of boats as did
John Fitch a century ago.
The construction of vessels, and their methods of propulsion,
make an interesting chapter in marine affairs. The raft is the
earliest, and elementary, form of vessel; while the trunk of a tree,
hollowed out by fire, or such primitive tools as savages possessed,
represents the first effort to obtain flotation depending on some-
thing else besides mere buoyancy.
Marine experts divide water craft built from the earliest time
into six classes: Rafts, floating logs or bundles of brush wood,
reeds or rushes tied together; dug-outs, and hollowed trees;
canoes of bark, or of skins stretched on framework, or inflated
skins; canoes or boats built of pieces of wood fastened together
with sinews, thongs, or vegetable fiber; vessels of planks stitched
or bolted together, with inverted ribs, and with decks or half
decks, and vessels with the frame-work set up and the planking
of the hull nailed on afterward. All these forms survive in some
part of the world.
Five different kinds of propellers, for the propulsion of water
craft, are mentioned: The oar, the sail, the paddle-wheel, the
screw and the water jet, although the latter has been little in use.
The oar and the sail have played an important part in the marine
affairs of the world, and down to the application of steam were the
only known propellers. They propelled the commerce of the
world in time of peace, and carried her navies to combat in time
of war. The oar was the power that propelled the fleet of Jason
* A deferred Paper, not printed in any prior volume of "A Collection of
Papers Read before The Bucks County Historical Society."
20 THE BENDER SYSTEM OF STEAM PROPULSION
in search of the Golden Fleece, and the oar and sail combined
moved the fleets of Greece and Rome when they contended for
supremacy on the Mediterranean Sea.
As the oar was superseded by the sail in obedience to the
demands of commerce, for the same reason inquiry was set on
foot for some better method of propulsion to take the place of the
sail. This new demand was supplied by John Fitch, the humble
mechanic of Warminster, the father of steam propulsion ; and the
honor due him is only second to that due the discoverer of that
almost universal motor, steam. He added a new propeller, the
sidewheel. This was a hundred years ago, for I do not date
steam propulsion from Fulton's successful trial of the Clermont,
on the Hudson, in 1807. A steam boat, for towing on canals,
was built in Scotland as early as 1801, but discontinued because
of the damage to the banks; and the "Comet," the first steam
vessel in Europe that plied with any success on river or open sea,
was built in the same country in 1811-12.
In the course of time the sidewheel had "served its day and
generation," and was pushed aside by the screw, the invention of
that greatest of modern naval engineers, Ericsson. The screw
was several years working its way into popular favor. Mr.
Ericsson built a small steamer in England, propelled by a screw
at the rate of ten miles an hour, in 1837. Five years afterward
the English Admiralty became possessed of a screw vessel. The
"Rattler," built in 1843, was the first war vessel with a screw;
but it was not until 1845, the importance of the screw propeller
for ships of war was recognized. Notwithstanding its advantages
over every other form of propeller, the screw has developed great
defects, and the want of a better has long been felt. This, I
believe, has been reached in what is popularly known as the
"Bender Propeller," the invention of another mechanic, who lives
a few miles away, on the Montgomery border.
Henry C. Bender, the inventor, is of German descent. His
grandfather, with his young wife, emigrated from Alsace, to
escape enforced military service, eighty-six years ago. He
settled in Philadelphia County, became a farmer, and died there
at the age of eighty-three. Henry C, the son of Peter, one of
the two sons of the immigrant, was born in Philadelphia County,
in 1834, brought up within sight of the Delaware, and was familiar
with boats from his earliest years. He manifested great inventive
THE BENDER SYSTEM OF STEAM PROPULSION 21
genius from his childhood. Whatever toy was given him, he
would break up, after playing with it awhile, to see how it was
made, and whether he could improve on it. On one occasion,
when his mother took him to the city, he managed to elude her,
and was found, after considerable search, in a store dissecting a
large horn. When quite young he made a violin with no other
tools than a barlow knife and a gouge, and the violin is still pre-
served as a valuable possession. When about ten years of age,
he built a canal boat forty inches long. When it was ready to
be put into the water, his father, before going away one morning,
directed his son to cut potatoes in the cellar, but young Bender
aspired to a higher destiny, and, when his father was out of sight,
took the boat to the Delaware and spent the day in practical
navigation. When the father returned at night there was an
account to be settled, and it was adjusted on the Paddy and the
drum basis. One of the boy's peculiarities was the destruction of
his inventions when he was satisfied they worked satisfactorily.
At the age of sixteen, Mr. Bender removed to Montgomery
County with his parents and learned the carpenter trade, at which
he continues to work. Although leading a busy life at his trade,
he has found time to invent several valuable things, now in use by
the public.
Mr. Bender's attention was directed to the subject of a new
system of steam propulsion several years ago. He tried different
devices, all somewhat similar; none proved a success, but that
which bears his name. He made a wooden model ; put into it the
brass machinery of a French walking doll, and tried it in a trough
in the cellar. It answered his expectations. He subsequently
made alterations and improvements, and, when in proper condi-
tion, patents were applied for in this country and Europe and
obtained.
You may ask why Mr. Bender departed so far from the known
methods of propulsion? He had studied Nature and based his
method on Nature's method. He noticed that water fowl are
equipped with propelling apparatus located near the center of the
body, and entirely submerged. How would a duck or a goose
get through the water if their propellers were four-fifths out of
water like the sidewheels of an old-fashioned steamboat, or
astern, at the end of a long bone, like a modern screw? What a
sorry attempt they would make at navigation! And yet, these
22 THE BENDER SYSTEM OF STEAM PROPULSION
are the methods of steam propulsion all over the world. The
defects they have developed Mr. Bender has carefully avoided.
Naturalists have observed that the propelling powers of the
swiftest fish that swims have the same location, notably the sun-
fish, that glides through its native element like a flash. Was
Nature ever known to be at fault in her work?
What then is the Bender method of propulsion, and wherein
does it differ from those that have gone before it? The considera-
tions mentioned induced him to locate the propelling power under
the boat, amidships, with a set of paddle blades on either side the
keel. This location gains two important points: The wheels will
always act on solid water, and their pulling power will be greatly
increased.
But a serious objection presented itself to this arrangement.
If the wheels were to revolve entirely in solid water, they would be
compelled to lift a heavy weight. This was a drawback to the
method, and how to overcome it was an important question. But
the inventor was equal to the occasion. A happy thought
directed his attention to the possibility of housing the wheels in
an air-tight drum. On the principle that an inverted tumbler,
submerged in water, will have a certain space filled with air, he
was confident the drum would not wholly fill with water if made
air-tight. This theory was found to be correct on experiment.
It was further discovered that the centrifugal force not only
draws air from the water, but expels the water from the drum
and keeps it out. In rapid revolutions the water-line is driven
down until at least half the drum is filled with air. To verify the
presence of air in the drum, a small hole was bored in the top of it,
in the working model ; the air rushed out until exhausted, and the
hole was plugged up. The boat was now started, and, in a short
time, the drum was again filled with air. These facts then, are
apparent from the experiments made; when the paddle-blades
leave the water they enter an air-tight compartment in which
they revolve until ready to re-enter the water, and the paddle-
blades are not obstructed in their legitimate work. The possibil-
ity of the paddle-blades revolving in an air-tight drum may have
suggested itself to other minds, but Mr. Bender was the first to
give the world a practical solution of the problem. Here, in a
nutshell, as it were, we have the gist of the system, or method, of
steam propulsion of which Mr. Bender is the inventor, or dis-
THE BENDER SYSTEM OF STEAM PROPULSION 23
coverer. All who have examined it admit its simplicity, and I
believe it will prove more efficient than the screw or the side-
wheel.
The side-wheel, which comes down to us hoary with age, had
one principle of the Bender system — location of the propelling
power near the middle of the boat, but its defects more than
counterbalance this advantage. The paddles never worked in
solid water; their submergence was trifling; the housing of the
paddle-wheels added greatly to the cumbersomeness and unman-
ageableness of the boat, and, in a moderate sw^ell, one wheel was
generally out of water. These defects still cling to the side-wheel
wherever used.
Among the points of excellence of the Bender propeller, as
compared with the side-wheel and the screw, the following are
enumerated, and generally acknowledged by all who have given it
careful investigation : It combines greater speed, greater economy
in construction, greater safety and comfort to passengers, with a
great deal more room for freight. These are important requisites.
That this method will develop greater speed seems evident. The
propelling power being always in the water, and the water not
disturbed, the grip of the paddle-blades is much strengthened, and
the pulling power greatly increased. It matters net how much
the ship may be rolled by a storm the paddle-blades can never be
out of water unless the ship lay over on her side, and even then
one wheel is submerged. As the action of the engines upon the
paddle-blades will be direct, there will be little loss of power, and
nearly the whole of it will be used for propelling the boat. What
is technically called "racing" and "slip" will be unknown.
There will be great economy in the construction of a vessel to
be propelled according to the Bender method. The engines will
be smaller and lighter, more compactly built, simpler in con-
struction and connections, less liable to get out of order, and
their first cost considerably less; the heavy shafting, bearings,
and other accompaniments and connections, all expensive, and
indispensable to the screw, will be dispensed with. There will be
no use for a marine governor or its equivalent, an item of no mean
expense; nor will there be any loss of power from the heating of
the bearings. The machinery w411 not only cost less, but can be
placed in the vessel with much greater facility, thus saving time
and expense in building. The large space in the after part of the
24 THE BENDER SYSTEM OF STEAM PROPULSION
ship now taken up with shafting and other fittings that belong to
the screw, under the Bender system could be used for the storage
of cargo, and, in some vessels, this would save hundreds of tons to
freight.
In the matter of safety and comfort to passengers, a vessel
equipped with the Bender propeller will be superior to the one
propelled by the screw. It must be remembered, that the wheels,
occupying a small space in the bottom and center of the hull, are
always in the water to do their allotted work ; and the vessel passes
through the water with greater steadiness than by any other pro-
pelling power. The vessel will be able to turn upon its own
center; and, in the event of one wheel being disabled, she can
make very good speed with the other, and, in the meantime, the
broken wheel can be repaired, which cannot be done with any
other system of marine propulsion. When a stream screw is dis-
abled at sea, the vessel is practically helpless. If the rudder be
disabled the vessel can be steered by the propelling power; there-
fore a vessel equipped with this system would not be at the mercy
of the elements, as are vessels of the present day.
They, who have crossed the ocean in a screw steamer, have not
forgotten, and probably never will forget, how often their sleep
was disturbed by the noise of the propeller. In rough weather,
when the bow of the vessel is down in the waves, and the stern
high in the air, the whirl of the screw is a more diabolical noise
than that made by ten thousand Dutch windmills, if that were
possible. At times, the sound is something unearthly. Notwith-
standing the discomfort to the passengers, think of the wear and
tear on the machinery. The little noise, made by the wheels of
the Bender system, is not heard by the passengers, for they are
out of sight and sound under the water, nor will they be disturbed
by the machinery. In an experiment made with a thirty-foot
launch, the boat moved through the water noiselessly as far as
the engine and wheels are concerned, the ripple at the bow being
all the disturbance. The shapely little vessel presented an
unique and beautiful sight as it glided over the placid waters of the
Schuylkill.
I have already spoken of the safety to vessel, cargo, and pas-
sengers ensured by the Bender system, but it is important enough
to be referred to again, briefly. There will be no long shafting
to break and disable the vessel in mid-ocean, as is frequently the
THE BENDER SYSTEM OF STEAM PROPULSION 25
case with the screw. Many vessels have been lost from this
cause; a recent noted case being the steamer "Denmark." The
screw was tested to its utmost capacity last winter, in the great
storm at Samoa, and proved a failure, all the vessels of the Ger-
man and American fleets being lost but one, and that was thrown
upon the reef. This was caused by what the Bender system
avoids. The roughness of the sea lost to the screw its grip on
the water, and when it was called upon to keep the vessels off a lea
shore it was powerless to do its work. I venture the assertion, if
these vessels had been equipped with the Bender system, all
would have been saved, for the paddle-blades, acting on solid
water beneath the bottom of the vessel, could not have lost their
grip. This proposition should induce even skeptics to give the
Bender system careful consideration before throwing it aside.
One of the most serious objections to the screw is the great
loss of power, estimated by Mr. Froude, an English expert, at two
and a half times that which is directly effective in propulsion —
that is, the indicated power of the engines at maximum speed
needs to be two and a half times greater than is required by the
speed, etc., or 250 per cent. These are his figures. Calling the
effective horse-power, that is, the power due to the net resistance,
100, then, at the highest speeds the horse-power required to over-
come the induced negative pressure under the stern, consequent
on the thrust of the screw, is 40 more; friction of the screw in the
water, 10; friction of machinery, 67; air pump resistance, 18; slip
of the screw, 23, making, 258. In addition to the power required
to overcome the net resistance 100, we therefore need 2^ times
that which is directly effective in propelling the vessel. With
this great loss of power in the screw, it is time some other method
of propulsion was introduced. Any system that will reduce the
loss of power one-half will be welcomed with delight by all inter-
ested in maritime affairs. But the Bender system will do even
better than that. In war vessels the Bender propeller would be
invaluable. The location of the paddle-blades, at the bottom of
the vessel, takes them out of reach of shot or shell, and the
dreaded torpedo. The propelling power would be in a position to
defy the enemy, and the machinery could be placed equally secure.
A vessel of war, thus equipped, would be invulnerable in her most
vital parts.
What has been said thus far has had reference to the applica-
26 THE BENDER SYSTEM OF STEAM PROPULSION
tion of the Bender method to sea navigation, but, if time would
permit, as much could be said in favor of its adaptability to our
internal waters. The problem of a system of steam navigation
for canals has attracted attention for a long time, and, within the
last five years, the New York Legislature offered $100,000 to the
successful contestant. All the present methods fail, because of
the washing of the banks. I believe there is no question that the
Bender method will fill this want. The paddle-blades are too far
below the surface to disturb the water sufficient to wash the
banks of a canal even at an increased rate of speed, but, on the
contrary, will prove advantageous by clearing the bottom of the
canal of sediment. The whole system in a canal boat would
occupy a small space and reduce the expense at least twenty per
cent. What a magnificent field our canals, rivers, bays, lakes,
and other waterways present for this economical, speedy and safe
system of steam propulsion. This system is equally applicable to
war and commercial purposes, and is especially adapted to the
boats used in the Life-Saving Service, whereby two or three men
would be enabled to do the work of twelve or fifteen, leaving
great additional space for those to be rescued from the perils of
the sea. It could be utilized for many purposes in water trans-
portation, to which the present expensive and cumbersome system
is not applicable.
The Bender system has attracted great interest, and received
favorable criticism from many prominent men in maritime
affairs. Among others, it is endorsed by Captain Joseph Francis,
the inventor of the life-boat that bears his name, and to whom
Congress has ordered a gold medal, presented, in acknowledgment
of his valuable services to mankind. I am informed by the
literary executor of the late Captain Ericsson that the last drawing
made by that distinguished engineer was "a study of the Bender
propeller." On it, he wrote, in Swedish, "Not so foolish as it
appears at first sight." The executor further writes: "Indeed, I
understand that the Captain had a very high opinion of the pro-
peller, though it had to overcome the prejudice in his mind
against new inventions." It would be difficult to pay the
Bender's system a higher compliment.
John Fitch, Pioneer in Steam Navigation
By WILLIAM H. RICHARDSON, DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL HISTORY,
JERSEY CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION
(Reprinted from the Jersey Observer, May 25, 1935, by the courtesy and permission
of the author)
JOHN FITCH in 1785 became the prime inventor of the steam-
boat in America; unique in the history of steam navigation, in
that in the five years ending in 1790 he rounded out the cycle
from his conception of the steamboat to its completely successful
development.
It is now proposed to celebrate the sesquicentennial of this
epochal conception of the steamboat. We insist with every last
endeavor of our mind and the last grain of our bodily strength,
that the sole credit for the birth of the steamboat out of which has
grown the present count of "more than 32,000 ships of a hundred
tons burden or more, the total gross tonnage of which is approxi-
mately 70,000,000," must go to the man to whom that full "honor
is due," so long overdue, John Fitch.
This year is not only the sesquicentennial of the conception of
the steamboat; it is also the 150th Anniversary of the production
of John Fitch, "A Map of the North West Parts of the United
States of America" 1785.
The highly adventurous circumstances under which the data
for the map was gathered, can be better understood from the first
public announcement of the map, in the Pennsylvania Packet of
June 30, 1785, which reads:
"John Fitch, having traversed the country North-West of
the Ohio, in the several capacities of a Captive Surveyor, Trav-
eller, etc. . . . And having performed the engraving and printing
himself, is enabled to sell at the very small price of a French
crown. . . ."
When we read in the first advertisement of this now famous
map that John Fitch had compiled it after "having traversed the
country in the several capacities of captive, surveyor, traveler,
etc.," it gives us little thrill. But the thrills are there a-plenty!
Fitch had spent the whole of 1780 and the spring of 1781
exploring and surveying in Kentucky, locating the lands on
28 JOHN FITCH, PIONEER IN STEAM NAVIGATION
Virginia land-warrants, and eventually his claims for 1,600 acres
in various tracts were filed in Richmond. On the way out to
Kentucky when near the mouth of the Big Sandy the Indians
pretty nearly "got him" for an indiscretion committed by another
of the voyageurs. (66-72)
The summer of 1781 he was back to his Bucks County home
settling up his affairs there, getting together all the money he
could, believing that proper investments in Kentucky lands
would lay the foundation of an immense fortune. He had raised
£150 in specie and fully resolved upon the plan for the whole
expedition.
Early in March, 1 782, the party rendezvoused at Fort Pitt. A
large boat was chartered by four adventurers and laden with a
cargo, in which John Fitch had the greatest interest. There were
nine others on board, when the craft left Fort Pitt on March 18.
At Wheeling island three other boats joined them. When
opposite the mouth of the Muskingum through the mismanage-
ment of the captain, Parkinson, the boat set so hard on the point
of an island there, it was impossible to get it off without removing
some of the cargo, which was done, piling the bags of flour on the
shore. About sunset the boat floated.
That night, at Fitch's entreaty they set a watch to guard the
flour; when his turn to keep watch came, he laid an ax near the
bow-fastening, an alleged timidity for which he was jeered by the
rest. At daylight a man was sent out to scout the island, and
the rest gathered in the calaboose for "a hot buttered dram."
Then Fitch looked for his ax; it could not be found anywhere.
The scout was absent a longer time than he should have been.
A man from another boat went over to where the flour barrels
were piled; he was secured by the Indians lurking there, taken
before he could give the slightest alarm. The first scout had
been secured the same way. The Indians then crawled unper-
ceived behind pieces of driftwood, and instantly killed Captain
Magee by a volley from their rifles.
Another man went on deck to cut the boat-fastening, and was
shot dead. The rest retreated to the hull of the boat, where
Fitch, with a tomahawk, tried to chop a hole in the plank from
which he could reach and cut the boat-fastening. The Indians
had retired to a safety-zone on the bank, and sent one of their
prisoners to demand the surrender of the others.
JOHN FITCH, PIONEER IN STEAM NAVIGATION 29
So it was that on March 22, 1782, John Fitch began his
captivity with chagrin, "as nine stout healthy men of us, all well
armed, marched out to eight Indians." . . .
The spot was near the present site of Marietta, Ohio, and the
eleven unlucky adventurers had to prepare for a march through a
wilderness which is now included in the finest portions of Ohio
and Michigan, until they reached the British post at Detroit,
after incredible hardships. Some of them were held prisoners by
the British; finally exchanged, and John Fitch reached the
hearthside of his Bucks County friends nearly nine months after
the "captivity" started. (JF-TW 73-110.)
Deputy Surveyor in Kentucky
"Fitch, while in Kentucky, was a deputy surveyor, and seems
to have been intimate with Colonel Todd and Colonel Harrod,
then men of consideration and consequence there. He had one
of the best requisites of an efficient surveyor, in that he was a
great walker, being tall and sinewy.
"He told Mary (McDowell) that he had sold 800 of his maps
of the northwestern parts in the United States, in the western
part of Virginia and Pennsylvania, making all his journey on
foot; and on such occasions he could always out-travel a horse.
In walking he pitched forward and went forward with a great
swing.
"On one occasion ... he walked (from Warminster) to
Spring Mill and back, before sunset — making forty miles in the
journey. One of his Maps is now at Warminster, preserved as a
relic of the genius of the man. It is inscribed as 'Engraved and
printed by the author,' and with equal truth it might have been
imprinted thus: 'Engraved in Cobe Scout's wheelwright shop
and printed on Charles Garrison's cider press, by the author' — â–
for such were the facts in the case.
"All these efforts of the man were specially designed to raise
funds, whereby to push forward to completion and success the
absorbing subject of his steam invention. That was the theme
and purpose of all his thoughts and wishes." (Ph. 14 from Wat-
son 585, 586.)
P. Lee Phillips, the author of the 1916 monograph on this
amazing cartographic achievement, tell us first that it was "made
30 JOHN FITCH, PIONEER IN STEAM NAVIGATION
to further one of the greatest inventions of modern times"; and
that "it is the only map known which was made, engraved and
printed by the same person."
There are three most interesting items organized from the files
of the Library of Congress, in the symposium through which John
Fitch prepared Congress for the support of his invention, begin-
ning with August 20, 1785, when Dr. John Ewing first enthusiasti-
cally commended the Fitch principles as "sound and philosophi-
cal"; and on August 23, when Mr. Houston commends the busi-
ness in glowing terms to Honorable L. Cadwalader.
On August 29, we find the petition of John Fitch to the Presi-
dent of Congress soliciting their attention to the rough model of
"the machine he has invented" "to facilitate the internal naviga-
tion of the United States, adapted especially to the waters of the
Mississippi". . .
There were quite a few tributaries of that delineated on his
famous 1785 map!
August 30, 1785, John Fitch submitted his proposals to Con-
gress; in it are interwoven his plan to promote the sale of his map
and still further exploit his steamboat. If the United States
would encourage the sale to the amount of 4,000 subscribers, he
would oblige himself to finish the steam engine for rowing a boat
at his own expense; "and think himself happy in thus promoting
the interest of his country". . .
Shortly after the proposals were submitted, which were futile
after all, "Congress had resolved that the public lands should be
sold at public vendue, and in such a manner that all hopes of the
land company, in consequence of their superior knowledge were
swept away."
John Fitch wrote, "Thus was an immense fortune reduced to
nothing at one blow. I could have located 200,000 acres, besides
what the company were entitled to for the halves, and found
plenty of encouragement." (J. F. — T. W. 130.)
That calamity did not daunt John Fitch : he went on ; on July
27, 1786, the steam-engined skiff made the maiden voyage that
revolutionized the water-borne commerce of the world.
(For the reason that the subject of the 1786-87 Steam Boat is
more extensively treated in another of our "John Fitch" items, we
turn to the next production.)
JOHN FITCH, PIONEER IN STEAM NAVIGATION 31
For 1788 a new Steam Boat sixty feet long and eight feet
beam, appeared near the end of July, 1788. The substitution of
propelling it by means of three paddles at the stern, instead of the
twelve in the two side frames meant a very important economy in
the power.
The change to a new type of pipe-boiler dispensed with three
and a half tons of brick work. On the first voyage, destined for
Burlington, there were great popular demonstrations; but as she
approached Burlington, "when within twenty or thirty poles of the
wharf where it was intended to come to, the pipe-boiler sprung a
leak, so that the engine would not work, and they were compelled
to come to anchor." (249, 250.)
The boat was gotten to the dock by the next tide; but there
was no discouragement. "The vessel had done what had never
been done before in any part of the world. It had been impelled,
by the force of the elastic vapor, twenty miles; and the casualty
which had caused the stoppage was of a trifling character, and of
easy repair." (252)
Early Tribulations
It was while the experiments were in progress for the final
tuning up, after months of the most exasperating contenti®ns,
within and without, that the Steam Boat narrowly escaped
catastrophic destruction. After fires had been lit under the
boiler a tremendous gale arose, rendering further procedure
impossible.
The fire under the boiler was not entirely quenched, for a
blaze started that burned the Steam Boat to the water's edge on
each side of the grate or furnace. The act of salvage, by sinking
the craft in the Delaware, was permitted to John Fitch, when
apprised of it in the night. Repairs were made after the boat
was raised but the last experiments, made in December, 1789,
proved that the Steam Boat was not fast enough for the project
of a river packet, and was then laid up for the winter. (273, 274)
"In the spring of 1790 the Steam Boat Company began to put
the works on board." Various alterations to the boiler were in
progress. "The pleasant prosecution of the business was pre-
vented by recriminations and quarrelsome scenes between Fitch
and some of the Directors."
32 JOHN FITCH, PIONEER IN STEAM NAVIGATION
Fitch was gentlemanly enough to confess in his Journal that
on that Great Moment in the History of the Steam Boat, he was
depressed, discouraged, and peevish. The row then was over the
condenser. Fitch wrote out the specifications for an entirely
new one. (277, 278)
April 12, 1790, the machinery was tried out; after a short
journey in the Delaware, a pulley broke, and the Steam Boat
anchored — but the adventurers knew they were on the right track
at last; the jeering of ribald sailboatmen had ceased to trouble
them. A stronger pulley was applied; and they went on with "a
trial that was glorious in its consequences." (280)
To the Secretary of War and the Attorney General on June 22,
1790, John Fitch addressed a letter that is at once an epitome of
his conception of the steamboat in 1785 and its peculiar adapta-
bility to the waters of "the Western Territory" and the opening
up of the commerce of all the internal waters of the United States,
as well as a concise statement of its present civic or political and
mechanical aspects. (298-300)
After months of suspense during which he was deserted by all
the members of the company, but three or four, when he is in
penury, want, wretchedness, and rags, John Fitch addresses
another letter dated December 25, 1790; Christmas Day then, as
now.
In it John Fitch reviews the years beginning with 1785; he
throws his challenge to the world, still unanswered, that his inven-
tion is in "the thought of applying the action of steam to naviga-
tion, and not in the mode of effecting it.
Finally John Fitch, who had "dissipated the last farthing" he
has in the world, toward the perfection of his invention, and upon
which these friends have spent nearly £4,000, saw their prospects
vanishing away through this dilatory Congress. He was "dis-
tressed at the thought of abandoning a scheme now so fully ascer-
tained."
He proposes to take a boat from here to the mouth of the
Mississippi, "and thence by the power of steam, ascend those
waters to the rapids of the Ohio, I should conceive that I con-
ferred the greatest benefit, in a pecuniary sense that America ever
experienced." . . . Fitch had no doubt that Congress would
make a grant of 50,000 acres of land there as recompense. All
JOHN FITCH, PIONEER IN STEAM NAVIGATION 35
Fitch wanted was support here for three months in his soHcitation
of Congress for the grant which Congress could not deny for "the
benefit of our Empire." (305-308)
Discussion of the steamboat patents was resumed early in
1791. John Fitch was notified January 26, that the hearings
would probably be postponed until after the termination of the
present session of Congress. Fitch "remonstrated by letter the
next day and on the day following waited on Mr. Jefferson and
the other commissioners.
"He appealed to them in virtue of his distresses, and urged
that he was kept in idleness and suspense until this decision
should be made.
"I showed them," said he, "all the clothes I had in the world,
except a few old shirts, and two or three old stockings, all in
darns, like those which I had on, that they could see I was then
all in rags."
"Appeals like these were useless: the commissioners were not
to be affected by the presence of a poor wretched genius, who they
knew was derided as a madman."
"Congress adjourned on March 3, and on the next day Fitch
waited on Mr. Jefferson; and so on, day after day, until, to get
rid of the persevering pest, the commissioners appointed April 1,
to hear the steamboat case." (315)
Then, on April 4, 1790, ensued more of the discreditable,
shameful bickerings on the part of the commissioners, against the
recognition of the greatest genius in his generation and in behalf
of a political favorite. (325, 326)
April 23, 1791, John Fitch and James Rumsey were awarded
patents bearing the same date and in precisely similar terms, the
only changes in the two documents being in the necessary places
in the preamble and the closing paragraph of the certificates.
These are the terms:
"For applying the force of steam to trunks, for drawing water
in at the bow of a boat or vessel, and forcing the steam out at the
stern, in order to propel a boat or vessel through the water. For
forcing a column of air through a trunk or trunks, out at the
stern, with the bow valves closed, by the force of steam; and for
applying the force of steam to cranks and paddles for propelling
a boat or vessel through the water." (327)
34 JOHN FITCH, PIONEER IN STEAM NAVIGATION
It will be seen that about seven-eighths of the "claims" that
were forced upon Fitch were Rumsey's.
This is the jubilee year for the complete vindication and full
justification of John Fitch!
"1790 Steam Boat . . . Now Running"
Just where the Draft and Specifications of the Steam Boat of
1790 fits into the chronological or historical picture is now a
matter that is being more diligently studied by the writer. The
subject seems to have been unnoticed by Mr. Westcott, who
prints (on p. 284) the picture of a squatter, stubbier boat, as
"John Fitch's Steam Boat— 1788, 1789, 1790."
The picture is palpably a copy from an original, that must
have been prepared by John Fitch to support his method of the
application "of the action of steam to navigation," "now in use,
1790." The legended references, from A (a perspective view of
the great piston), to G. G. G. "The Oars . . . similar to a man
paddling," and the Scale of Feet are complete.
(The above reference is found in a portfolio marked "Drawings
of Plans of Robert Fulton". . .; There are 21 others in it also
that are not "plans of Robert Fulton." In other words the
reader need not conjecture about the acquisitive character of
Fulton.)
Nothing is needed for the reproduction of a full-size 60 feet by
8 feet beam Steam Boat for the navigation of the waters of John
Fitch's golden dreams to the haven where his body now rests,
Bardstown, Kentucky.
This is the legend inked in on the flag: "on the 4 Sept., 1790,
an Ensign Presented to Messrs. Fitch and Voigt, by his Excel-
lency the President of Pennsylvania, by the Secy, and several
members of the Council. . . ."
The incident the ensign really perpetuated was the voyage of
Governor Thomas Mifilin June 16, 1790. "They were highly
pleased, and authorized Fitch to get a suit of colors at their
expense. . . . The bill amounted to m5 6s lid. . . . There had
been no flags on the Steam Boat before, and Fitch, naturally
anxious for the eclat which such a gift would occasion, desired
that it should be presented in form.
JOHN FITCH, PIONEER IN STEAM NAVIGATION 35
"The Governor and Council were too shrewd poHticians to
thus publicly commit themselves in favor of a scheme which had
been the subject of popular derision for four years. Mr. Biddle,
the Secretary, informed the inventor that the flags were given by
private subscription among the members of the Council and not
officially." (J. F.— T. W. 282)
It is rather an interesting anecdotal interpolation to be con-
vinced that there was no "false-dating" about anything John
Fitch did!
(The colors were said to have been taken by Fitch to France
and brought back later, and were once in the Patent Office,
Washington. 283)
The "Collect Pond" Lithograph of 1846
A Pure Fabrication, That Has Fooled Most of the Writers
of Our Textbook Histories of the United States
By WILLIAM H. RICHARDSON, DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL HISTORY,
JERSEY CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION
(Reprinted from the Jersey Observer, June 1, 1935, by the courtesy and permission
of the author)
** A VIEW of Collect Pond and its vicinity in the City of
Z-\ New York in 1793. On which Pond, the first boat pro-
pelled by Steam with paddle wheels or screw propellers
was constructed by John Fitch, six years before Robert Fulton
made trial of his boat upon the River Seine, in France, and ten
years prior to his putting into operation his boat Clermont in
New York, with a representation of the boat and its machinery,
on the Collect Pond by John Hutchings No. 3 Wesley Place,
Williamsburgh, L. Island 1846."
The picture in the upper left corner of this 1846 lithograph
shows the figures of three men, two standing on the rear seat of the
yawl; one about the middle, at the machinery, his left hand
extended; the boy is standing on the front seat with an oar over
the right gunwale.
A picture of another boat is shown in the upper right corner
of the lithograph. This title is legended in two lines above and
beneath the boat propelled by twelve paddles, six on each side:
"John Fitch's First Boat Perseverance as seen on the Dela-
ware, Phila. 1787. Speed 7 miles an hour."
John Fitch's First Boat
The fact is that John Fitch's first boat, "seen on the Dela-
ware," was a skiff in which on July 27, 1786, the first epochal
voyage was made (not 1787 as the Hutchings lithograph mis-
informs us).
"The Steam Boat": That is the name shown on the books of
the ship-carpenters who finished the first one November 23, 1786;
the Steam Boat, most delightfully observed in 1788 by Brissot de
Warville; the Steam Boat all along the line in the literature of the
Company, as well as the advertisements of the first steam packet,
THE "collect pond" LITHOGRAPH OF 1846 37
passenger and freight service in the world, between Philadelphia
and Trenton the Steam Boat of 1790.
Not one of John Fitch's productions that was ever navigated
was known by another name than the Steam Boat. A 1791 boat
was called the "Perseverance," but never made a voyage, and
was abandoned. The Company, facing the tragic circumstance
precipitated by the false patents of Fitch's and Rumsey's boat in
precisely the same terms verbatim except for the patentees'
names, forced upon them by the partisan committee in Congress,
April 23, 1791, was quickly in sore straits.
Poor Eye-Witnesses
There are three eye-witnesses testifying July 3, 1846, fifty
years after it happened :
Anthony Lamb, has "a perfect recollection of having seen a
Boat . . . with a screw propeller in the stern driven by steam.
... I do not recollect the year, but I am certain that it was early
in 1796. . . ."
William H. Micklock, city surveyor, also was "an eye-witness
to the circumstance of a Boat being propelled by steam . . .
about the year 1796 . . . and that I have a perfect recollection of
all these localities. . . ."
John Hutchings himself tell us rather vaguely that the inci-
dent was "In the summer of 1796 or '97," and then continues
with the details of what "Mr. Fitch explained to Livingston and
Fulton and of conversations carried on between 'Mr. Fitch' and
'Mr. Fulton;' while he (Hutchings) had conversation only with
Mr. Fitch."
The "lad Hutchings," however, seems to have had a most
remarkable capacity for carrying his conviction by the "Descrip-
tion" of the "Yawl about 18 ft. in length and 6 ft. beam, etc." . . .
and every part and its working legended and described, from A to
L.
The figures in the yawl are all "explained" too: "No. 1 Mr.
Fitch, 2. Mr. Fulton, 3. R. R. Livingston Esq., 4. Lad Hutch-
ings."
It seems strange that in this Anno Domini of 1935, there are
still people gullible enough to continue the perpetrations in the
above "certifications" and "Remarks," and swallow them with-
38 THE "collect pond" lithograph of 1846
out having observed that none of the "eye-witnesses" agree pre-
cisely on the year nor the exact mode of propulsion.
Underneath the picture on the right we find the following
"Remarks. In the Summer of 1796 or 7 Mr. Hutchings, then a
lad, assisted Mr. Fitch in steering the boat, and otherwise attend-
ing to the working of the machinery. At that time Robert R.
Livingston, Esq., and Robert Fulton with Mr. Fitch and the lad
Hutchings, worked or passed several times around the pond on
different occasions, while Mr. Fitch explained to Livingston &
Fulton the Modus Operandi of the Machinery Mr. Fitch having a
patent for his invention from the State of New York. I believe
Mr. Fitch to have been the original inventor of the application of
steamboats as a propelling power and likewise, the two persons
represented in drawing (dressed in black) to have been Robert R.
Livingston, Esq. and Robert Fulton.
"I being a lad had conversation only with Mr, Fitch. From
hearsay I believe Colonel Stevens of Hoboken, N. Jersey, and
another person by the name of Rosevelt had some knowledge of
the enterprise and felt an interest in its success.
"In conversation Mr. Fitch remarked to Mr. Fulton that in a
former experiment paddle wheels splashed too much and could
not be used in Canal Navigation. No one in that time thought of
having these covered with boxes. They had no doubt, but the
boat might be propelled 6 miles per hour, (though then making
something less). The steam was sufficiently high to propel the
boat, once, twice or thrice around the pond, when more water
being introduced into the boiler (or pot) and Steam generated.
She was again ready to start on another expedition."
Captain Samuel Morey
On pages 378, 379 in his "Life of John Fitch," the usually
impeccable Thompson Westcott has organized the evidence that
it was Captain Samuel Morey — and therefore not John Fitch —
who figured in that John Hutchings fairy story of 1846. The text
is here quoted in full:
"In 1790, Samuel Morey began to experiment upon steam-
boats in the vicinity of the Connecticut River. He went thence
to New York, and for three successive summers tried many plans
of modifying steam-engines for propulsion, and in testing the
THE "collect pond" LITHOGRAPH OF 1846 39
power of propellers. He took his boat back to Hartford in 1793,
and having completed it, took it to New York the next summer.
It was propelled by a wheel at the stern, at the rate of five miles
an hour."
"Chancellor Livingston, Judge Livingston, Edward Livings-
ton, John Stevens, and others, were on board when it went by the
force of steam from the ferry at New York to Greenwich. Liv-
ingston offered to assist Morey if he could make the boat go at the
rate of eight miles an hour. . . ."
Captain Samuel Morey 's part in that Collect Pond incident in
1796, however, is also organized from his own statement that it
was in that season (1796) that . . . "I went again to New York
and applied the power to a wheel in the stern. ... I invited the
attention of Chancellor Livingston and he and others, went with
me from the ferry as far as Greenwich (village) and back, and
they expressed great satisfaction in her performance." J. S. —
A. T. 129.)
Colonel Johx Stevens
Of the Collect Pond incident, the biographer of Colonel
Stevens of Hoboken, New Jersey, writes. . . .
"The year 1797 has been generally accepted as that in which
Fitch made his demonstration on the Collect Pond . . . John
Hutchings . . . insisted that both Chancellor Livingston and
Fulton were on board her and that Fitch explained the modus
operandi to Fulton. ..."
"But if Fulton was there," (in 1797), Turnbull continues,
"then all the biographers who have placed him in Paris must have,
been mistaken . . . Hutchings was, after all, writing his account
from a memory that might have played him false". . . (J. S. —
A. T. 128).
Insofar as proving anything this chatty and imaginative "lad"
Hutchings said, "in the summer of 1796 or '97" with such assur-
ance about the central figure in this "comedy of errors," John
Fitch, by the correspondence between him and Colonel Stevens,
it is of a negative character, since there was no correspondence in
1796 or 1797.
John Fitch wrote his last letter to Colonel Stevens in mid-
summier, 1795, and it did not concern any such monstrosity as
that alleged "Model of John Fitch's Steam Boat," etc., etc., by
40 THE "collect pond" LITHOGRAPH OF 1846
which millions of people have been "gold-bricked;" and John
Stevens chose to ignore him.
John Fitch, desperately poor, destitute, wanted Colonel
Stevens' financial help in building a "steam boat," its power
developed by horses traveling around a large central cogged wheel.
It would cost but seven or eight hundred dollars. The voyage
from Albany to New York could be made in two days.
Perhaps John Fitch had fantastic ideas about the profit it
would make; but the idea could not have been half-bad, since
Stevens adopted it — maybe "unconsciously celebrated" it — in
1813 when Fulton drove his "Juliana" off the Hudson.
(Through the courtesy of the Librarian of the Stevens Insti-
tute we have had the privilege on May 3, 1935, of examining all
these letters.)
The Miscalled "Clermont"
Those who are trying now — and everybody seems to be doing
it! — to stain our history teachments with the name that never
existed at the time, nor on the occasion they would vaunt, an
incident that never transpired as related on that 1846 lithograph,
may end any further disputation by this writer if they will point
to a single contemporaneous letter in Fulton's hand or direction
in which that false name is so used.
Permit me now to refer to the following lines from a letter
written November 13, 1813, by Fulton to Mahlon Dickinson,
Esq.:
". . . the North River Steam Boat first ran in July, 1807.
All that constituted the success of a Steam Boat was in that boat
the day she started and the same machinery is still in her. ..."
(Original letter in the New Jersey Historical Society collections;
photostat copies in our files.)
In the period between 1807, when the boat was licensed at the
New York Custom House, under the name of the "North River
Steamboat of Clermont" down to June, 1813, the name in com-
mon usage appears to have been "North River," or "North River
Steam Boat." There are eight references organized in those
fashions, and none to "Clermont." (R F— HWD 222, 228, 229,
233, 234.)
The Hutchings lithograph does not mention either the "North
THE "collect pond" LITHOGRAPH OF 1846 41
River" or "North River Steam Boat" at all; the false "Clermont"
is repeated three times in it.
In 1796, "Mr. Fulton" was not in that "Collect Pond" Hatch-
ings fantasy. He was in England then. His "Treatise on the
Improvement of Canal Navigation" was published that year.
(R F— HWD 36-38.)
Apparently Fulton was in England up to June, 1797; arriving
in Paris July of that year. There is nothing noticed by Mr.
Dickinson, his biographer, to indicate he had made an appearance
on the "Collect Pond." (R F— HWD 63-67.)
Misleading Commentators
This legend is spread across the bottom of the Hutchings
lithograph :
The world is indebted for the original idea and to the mechani-
cal genius of John Fitch of East Windsor, Conn. And to the
perseverance and indefatigable attention to the use of steam of
Robert Fulton, Esq. Pa. The wealth & Exalted character of
Robert R. Livingston, Esq. Chancellor of the State of New
York."
The Editor of "The Pageant of America," writes me that he
has accepted this "Collect Pond" story as true. We quote now
from Volume IV, page 81, paragraph 2, last sentence:
"Yet Fulton deserves the honor and credit he won, since he
was the first man to assemble working parts that operated to-
gether with practical success for commercial purposes."
Dr. William Joseph Showalter in the National Geographic
Magazine, November, 1933, page 551, writes this sentence, which
we now quote:
"Fulton never claimed that he had put anything new in his
boat — only that he had succeeded in adapting properly the work
of other men for practical ends."
Let us observe a close up or two, of these "successful adapta-
tions to practical ends," quoted from "John Stevens: An Ameri-
can Record."
(283) "Fulton evidently thought it best to suggest the meet-
ing, which was held on November 27 (1809). After long dis-
cussion, the rough draft of an agreement written out by Fulton
provided that the parties should 'relinquish to other reciprocally
42 THE "collect pond" lithograph of 1846
(284) all patent rights which they now or hereafter might have
respecting steamboats."
Fulton and Livingston were to have New York, including
Lake Champlain; the New Brunswick run; and the Ohio and the
Mississippi, with the general reservation that the Stevens im-
provements should not be used by them in establishing ferry-
boats between New York city and the New Jersey shore.
"The Colonel was to use anything of Fulton's on the Delaware,
the Chesapeake, the Santee, Savannah and Connecticut Rivers,
as well as the Providence run. ..."
"All these were to be his (Colonel Stevens) for the next seven
years, provided that, if he had not in that time established steam-
boats on any particular water, that one should revert to Livings-
ton and Fulton. . . "
(285) Colonel Stevens signed the agreement as drawn by
Fulton.
In July, 1813, the ferry boat company dominated by Fulton,
and under the monopolists' grants of the wedge of waters between
Jersey City and New York for that voyaging, determined that
John Stevens ferryboat, the "Juliana" should be driven off the
Hudson River.
The terms demanded by Fulton were too humiliating for
Colonel Stevens to submit to. Then commenced the deadly rote
of "swearing out of injunctions." "In order to avoid actual
seizure on the New York side, he was keeping his ferryboat at
Hoboken." On the voyage to Connecticut waters August 3-5,
(?) 1813, the "JuHana" with the Colonel's son in command, "was.
chased by six (police) barges filled with men, but escaped them.
(339, 340-2.)
Colonel Stevens' biographer records the close call the Livings-
ton-Fulton monopolists had when Colonel Ogden made the first
public attack on them, on constitutional grounds, before the legis-
lature at Albany, in March, 1814; "they promptly compromised
with Ogden, letting him buy, for use in New Jersey a ten year
right to all their patents and privileges." (355)
There are scores of similar references that may be abstracted
from "John Stevens: An American Record," alone, to prove the
sordid activities and employment of Robert Fulton, in the field of
steam navigation then!
THE "collect pond" LITHOGRAPH OF 1846 43
In the paragraph on this Hthograph headed "Remarks" we
read in lines 6 and 7 :
"Mr. Fitch having a patent for his invention from the State of
N. Y. . . ."
This allusion is to the exclusive grant of that state made in
1787 before the Constitution delegated to Congress the power to
regulate commerce.
The expropriation by Livingston in 1798 of three unexpired
years of the grant to Fitch and the later unlawful occupation and
usurpation by Livingston and Fulton of common public rights in
navigable waters; the fact of Fitch's priority of invention of the
steamboat, are all established in the great case of "Gibbons v.
Ogden." (Wheaton IX, U. S. S. C. reports 1-241.)
In that case Colonel Ogden was simply the courtpiece for the
successors to the Livingston and Fulton steamboat monopoly.
Mr. Hutchings, only twenty-two years afterward, has totally
failed to "recollect" the least thing about that monumental
exposition of Chief Justice John Marshall!
Port of New York Authority
In the "Joint Report" to the states of New Jersey and New
York, 1920, upon which the Port of New York Authority is
founded, in setting up the "historical factors as a background for
present and immediate action". . . we charge that the "his-
torian" who organized the chapter on the "History and Purpose
of the Commission," etc. (pages 41 and following) is guilty of
many gross factual errors.
We protest against his fallacy in not first setting up the facts
that the United States Supreme Court in the Decree of 1824 in the
"great case of Gibbons v. Ogden," (42) had actually condemned
all those outrages inadequately detailed, mainly against citizens
of New Jersey, by Livingston and Fulton and their offensive,
opprobrious steamboat monoply, under color of New York legis-
lative acts, that were ordered annulled in that same decree.
Livingston and Fulton and their successors never had the
slightest shadow of the "rights" they claimed, and under which
they desolated our commerce. The simile of the occupants of a
stolen or "possessed" automobile haled into a police court, is the
only one applicable to the crowd that had marauded for their
44 THE "collect pond" lithograph of 1846
prodigious personal profiteering the waters declared by Chief
Justice John Marshall, in his Opinion in the same case to be the
property of the people of the United States.
Those men and their perpetrations had been convicted: they
had burglarized our common rights all those years. That is the
true "historic perspective," the only light, in which their unlawful
piracies and predatory practices should be viewed today.
To speak of those circumstances as a manifestation of success
"in adapting properly the work of other men for practical ends"
is something we insist is entirely unworthy of further adulation
and emulation or perpetuation.
The printed statements concerning them on various pages, we
contend, are utterly devoid of legal, historical and pedagogic
values and should be obliterated.
John Fitch, Inventor of the Steamboat, Thompson Westcott:
Lippincott, 1857.
This is the best production ever issued on this subject. Ex-
ceptions should be noted to certain pages of references that
deceived Mr. Westcott.
The volume is mainly based on John Fitch's original papers
now in the Ridgway Branch, Philadelphia Library; others, of the
''Steam Boat Company," Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
P. Lee Phillips: The Rare Map of the Northwest, 1785, by
John Fitch, Inventor of the Steamboat. A Bibliographical
account, with facsimile reproductions, etc. The map was first
advertised June 30, 1785 ; its supporting literature scintillates with
statements of John Fitch's purpose to build a steamboat to pene-
trate these Northwestern waters.
Washington: W. H. Lowdermilk & Company, 1916.
Records of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1824.
(Gibbons v. Ogden, Wheaton IX, 1-241.) In the statements and
arguments of Daniel Webster and William Wirt, counsel for the
Appellant against the blistering persecution and prosecution by
the successors of the Livingston and Fulton steamboat monopoly,
will be found the facts supporting John Fitch's priority of inven-
tion and operation of the steamboat, as well as the desolation and
devastation of our commerce due to the repugnant New York
laws annulled by the Chief Justice in his decree, in that great
case. (240)
In his opinion (186-222) the Chief Justice declared, in sub-
THE "collect pond" LITHOGRAPH OF 1846 45
Stance, that the deep streams penetrating the country were the
common property of the people of the whole United States, for
the burdens of its commerce; every district has the right to par-
ticipate in it. (195)
The right of intercourse between the states derives its source
from laws whose authority is recognized in every civilized country
throughout the world. The Constitution found these rights
existing and delegated to Congress the power to regulate them.
(211)
The Decree in this case (240) is a condemnation and conviction
of those who had hogged these rights of the people in their Liv-
ingston and Fulton steamboat grants and armed them with brutal
powers in the punishment of alleged transgressors in their pirated
waters.
A History of the Steam Boat Case Lately Discussed by
Counsel before the Legislature of New Jersey, etc. :
48 pages, 4 pages appendix — Trenton, 1815.
This epochal hearing warranted breaking the seals of the case
containing the papers of John Fitch, deposited in the Philadelphia
Library, October 4, 1792, under the provision that they were not
to be opened for thirty years or at any time, in opinion of the
directors, "it was deemed proper to do so for the maintenance of
his reputation and rightful claims." (JF-TW 340-346.)
The pamphlet is highly important in that it establishes the
New Jersey contention, as well as the piratical New York claims,
nine years before the Livingston and Fulton steamboat monopoly
was blistered by the United States Supreme Court.
"The Pageant of America," Volume IV, page 80, paragraph 2,
line 7, 8, says: "Rumsey had in 1784 exhibited a steamboat before
General Washington . . . "the power had been steam applied by
cranks to a series of setting poles." . . . This statement is false:
quoting from. Washington's Diary, September 6, 1784, disproving
the "steamboat" fallacy (photostat copies of which are available
here) the concluding lines read :
"... What adds vastly to the value of the discovery, is the
simplicity of its works; as they may be made by a common boat
builder or carpenter, and kept in order as easy as a plow, or any
common implements of husbandry on a farm — ." Certainly that
covered absolutely no reference to anything else than a "pole
boat" and "steam" should be obliterated from this discussion.
46 THE "collect pond" lithograph of 1846
The earliest proven references to the invention of the applica-
tion of steam to navigation are in the writings of John Fitch,
April, 1785.
"The Pageant of America," Volume IV, page 80, continues, in
lines 9, 10, 11. "Fitch, who had applied for state monopolies
over steamboats, contested Rumsey's inventions ..."
The above statement conveys a false impression or inference :
the fact is that John Fitch applied for and was granted "state
monopolies" before the Constitution delegated to Congress the
right to regulate commerce in such a manner.
Livingston's illegal expropriation, in 1798, of three years of
John Fitch's real rights, granted him in 1787, in the alleged waters
of New York, later sharing them with Fulton, was really the nub
of the great "Gibbons vs. Ogden case."
Beveridge's John Marshall, Edition 1919, Volume IV, Chapter
6, "Commerce Made Free," will be found most readable and
highly illuminating as to the fact and circumstances of the growth
and spread of this obnoxious Livingston and Fulton steamboat
monopoly: its crushing is considered the supreme effort, the
furthest reaching in its interpretation of the Constitution in the
long life of the great jurist.
We hold that the references in Beveridge alone, fully warrant
any mention of Livingston and Fulton and the steamboat monop-
oly they founded is entitled to no other consideration than that of
obloquy.
William H. Richardson, Mechanical Engineering, June, 1932,
pages 399-405. John Fitch, Patriot, Martyr, Pioneer Steamboat
Inventor.
This article is subject to certain deletions and revisions.
William H. Richardson, Founders and Leaders of Connecti-
cut, John Fitch.
Charles E. Perry, Hartford, 1934, pages 297-300.
(The above article is subject to additions which could not be
inserted in the brief space in the volume as published. Typed
transcripts are in copies in our Free Public Library.)
John Fitch's Third Steamboat
By WILLIAM H. RICHARDSON. DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL HISTORY.
JERSEY CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION
(Reprinted from the Jersey Observer, Feb. 27, 1936, by courtesy and permission of author)
THE original of the craft represented in the model was 60 feet
long by 8 feet beam, and is recognized as the steamboat of
1788-1789-1790. October 12, 1788, she carried thirty pass-
engers from Philadelphia to Bordentown, besides a most distin-
guished company who certified to the performance of the vessel.
With improved mechanism, in the season of 1790, the "Steam
Boat" traveled on the Delaware River between Philadelphia and
Trenton, the first steam-merchant marine highway in the world,
and in other extended journeys, between two and three thousand
miles, without serious mishap at a speed of eight to nine and a
half miles an hour.
John Fitch's prospects and those of the Steam Boat Company
were ruined by the iniquitous patent awarded by the partisan
Commissioners for the Promotion of Useful Arts, April 23, 1791.
While Fitch was pursuing the rights of the "Steam Boat Com-
pany in France" in 1793 at the time of the outbreak of the red
revolution, Robert Fulton got hold of his plans and specifications
and copied them in 1794.
Certain of John Fitch's exclusive rights to steam navigation,
granted before the Constitution began, were infringed by the
monopolists, Fulton and Livingston, precipitating the most far-
reaching decree in the history of American jurisprudence in
expounding the Constitution by Chief Justice John Marshall in
1824; all navigable streams were declared public domain for the
country's commerce.
JOHN FITCH'S THIRD STEAMBOAT
This model, begun in 1935, is the collective contribution of the forty boys under the direction
of Harry A. Conroy in the vocational classes of School Number 23, as their joint tribute to
the sesquicentenary of the invention of the steamboat officially recorded in 1875.
Early Botanists in Bucks County*
By prof. a. F. K. KROUT, PHILADELPHIA, PA.
THE early local history of the original Counties of Pennsyl-
vania was left in obscurity on account of publications not
having been as numerous and as general as they have come
to be in later years. Much that is of great interest to the people
of a County is, therefore, unknown, or failed to become universal,
by never having become a matter of record, or was lost in volumes
that have ceased many years ago to exist. Thus the most inter-
esting historical facts in the province of science, and in the trans-
mutation of local events, have been lost altogether. The natural
inclination to live exclusively in the present will often make us
exceedingly authentic with the immediate past, but very indiffer-
ent to the more remote times which are more or less involved in
obscurity.
It was this line of thought, in connection with my special
investigation and study, that most vividly brought to my mind
the question, Who were the early Botanists of Bucks County?
They were not resident scientific people, like their successors,
Doctors Moyer, Martindale and Fretz, but they were men whose
fame was world-wide and whose history and work, I never had
the remotest idea, were associated with the history of my native
County of Bucks. But such are the indisputable facts. I will
name but three, and first and foremost is Dr. Benjamin S. Barton,
who not only frequently visited our borders, but induced other
naturalists to imitate his example.
* (In May, 1898, General W. \Y. H. Davis, then President of The Bucks
County Historical Society, received the following letter, dated Philadelphia,
Pa., May 16, 1898: "Dear General Davis: I wish you would let me know when
you are coming to Philadelphia again and where I can meet you. I have just
completed an article on a subject that relates to the early history of Bucks
County, which you may desire to have, and in reference to which I would like
to see vou personally. Hoping that I ma}' be of some little assistance to you
in your great work, I remain, with kind regards, Yours Truly, A. F. K. Krout."
A short time later Professor Krout, a native of Bucks County and a botanist of
considerable note, gave his paper on "Early Botanists in Bucks County" to
General Davis and it remained on file in the Society's archives unpublished
until now. It was not read as a paper at any meeting of the Society.)
Editors, 1937
early botanists in bucks county 49
Dr. Benjamin S. Barton
In the year 1789 the Trustees of the College of Philadelphia
instituted a Professorship of Natural History and Botany. Dr.
Benjamin S. Barton was honored with the appointment of teach-
ing these branches of science. They had never been regularly
taught in the institution. Several courses of lectures on Botany
had, however, formerly been delivered by Dr. Adam Kuhn, one
of the pupils of the great Linnaeus.
These were Doctor Barton's favorite studies, and from the
beginning of his career he never ceased to look forward when
natural science should be an indispensable branch in the Univer-
sity — when it should cease to yield its laurels to languages which
are withered or dead.
Upon the union of the College with the University of Pennsyl-
vania, in 1791, his former appointment was confirmed by the
Trustees of the united institutions. From that time on, notwith-
standing his poor health at times, his labors continued to prosper;
and having long ago been called from his favorite work, it was
ably taken up by his successors, and the department in that great
university now stands second to none in this country.
In addition to his lectures in the University, Doctor Barton,
as early as 1804, had published in London a volume on the Ele-
ments of Botany. This was followed by Volume II, in 1814,
published in Philadelphia. A revision of the two volumes ap-
peared in 1827.
Doctor Barton was also an enthusiastic collector. His field
for research in this respect was Philadelphia, and the nearer por-
tions of Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and Delaware Counties.
He had the happy faculty of associating with him in his work
men who were the amateurs and scientists of his day and genera
tion. On account of his work at the University, he was prevented
from making long expeditions himself, but he spared neither
time nor means to get other men to do this work for him. !
He, by this means, made what no doubt is the first Philadel-
phia and Pennsylvania Herbarium. This collection antedates
the Academy of Natural Science by many years and was de-
posited with the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, that being,
the only public depository of the kind during that period. It'
remained in the museum of the Philosophical Society almost
50 EARLY BOTANISTS IN BUCKS COUNTY
unknown and forgotten, until within a recent date, its treasures
were looked into by the writer of this article, by permission of
Thomas Meehan, a high official at the Academy, who was instru-
mental in inducing the officers of the Philosophical Society to
deposit the same with the Academy. To my great pleasure and
rare satisfaction, I found that this collection contained the evi-
dence and facts of one of the most interesting bits of history for
our own County of Bucks.
Frederic Pursh
Another noted Botanist who became associated with the early
history of the County of Bucks, was Frederic Pursh, of whom all
botanical works make mention in their nomenclature of plants.
He was born at Tobolsk in Siberia and educated at Dresden.
He resided in America from 1799 to 1811. During this time he
made various botanical excursions. He went to England and
published his Flora. He returned to America and while engaged
in collecting material for a Canadian Flora, died at Montreal,
June 11, 1820, at the age of forty-six years.
His first object was to form an acquaintance with all American
Botanists. Among these, he had the pleasure to account one of
the earliest, and ever after most valuable, was the Rev. Dr.
Muhlenberg of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
He also visited the old established gardens of Mr. Marshall,
the author of a "Small Treatise on Forest Trees of North Amer-
ica." He spent some time at the Botanic Gardens of Messrs.
John and William Bartram.
Not far from the latter place, and where the University of
Pennsylvania now stands, were the extensive gardens of William
Hamilton, Esq., called "The Woodlands." Mr. John Lyon, who
had the management of these gardens, was then about to give
them up. Having the offer of being appointed his successor, he
embraced the opportunity and in 1802 entered upon the situation.
During his stay at this place which was until 1805, he received
and collected plants from all parts of North America; and when
Micheaux's Flora Boreali-Americana appeared, which was during
that time, he was not only in possession of most of his plants,
but had a considerable number not described by him.
During his stay at the Woodlands he made many trips along
EARLY BOTANISTS IN BUCKS COUNTY 51
the Delaware and the lower end of Bucks County. I found in
the Bartonian collection twenty-three species that were named
by him. The labels are in his own handwriting and over his own
characteristic signature.
Within this period he also formed an intimate acquaintance
with Dr. Benjamin S. Barton at the University. Being now very
anxious to explore the more remote parts of this country, par-
ticularly the ranges of the Alleghany Mountains, he was encour-
aged in this desire, by Doctor Barton, who gave him the financial
aid to carry out his design and thus enable him to associate his
name with two of the most memorable botanical excursions in all
the experience of his explorations, one to the south on the Alle-
ghanies in 1805, as far as the high mountains of North Carolina
and back by the seashore; and the other over the Alleghanies to
the northeast, the greater and lesser Lakes as far as the White
Mountains in New Hampshire, and back by the seashore.
It was on the latter of these excursions that he became in
touch once more with the territory of Bucks County. His trip
to the Lakes and thence to the White Mountains he made in the
year lc06. He went from Philadelphia by way of Easton and
passed through Bucks by the usual route of travel, which was
then to Doylestown and over the old Durham Road to Kinters-
ville and along the Delaware.
Both of these tours he made principally on foot, as he nar-
rates himself, "The most appropriate way for attentive observa-
tion, particularly in mountainous countries." He traveled over
an extent of more than three thousand miles each season, with no
other companion than his dog and gun, frequently taking up his
lodging in the midst of wild mountains and impenetrable forests,
far remote from the habitations of men.
The collections and observations made by him in the course of
these journeys, he communicated to Doctor Barton and now are
the most important and larger part of the Bartonian Collection,
which had remained for so many years almost forgotten with the
Philosophical Society at Philadelphia. The plants definitely
named in that collection by Pursh as collected in Bucks County
are the following:
Aster recurvatus, Willd.
Aster Tradescantia, L.
Aster Vimineus, Lam.
52 EARLY BOTANISTS IN BUCKS COUNTY
Aster prenanthoides, Muhl.
Aster mutabilis, Willd.
Aster undulatus, L.
Aster patens, Ait.
Aster spurius, Willd.
Aster ericoides, L.
Galactia glabella, Mx.
Glycine sarmentosa, Willd.
Glycine monoica.
Hedysarum canescens.
Inula Mariana.
Lespideza capitata, Mx.
Lespideza polystachus, Mx.
Lespideza divergens, Muhlb.
Lobelia inflata, L.
Phaseolus helviolus, L.
Polygonum variodes, Pursh.
Polypodium connectile, Mx.
Saponaria officinalis, L.
SoHdago lanceolata, L.
C. S. Rafinesque, Ph. D,
He came to North America in 1802 and traveled chiefly on
foot until 1804, over New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Mary-
land and Virginia; from the Juniata to the seashore, and from the
Alleghany Mountains beyond Easton to the Potomac beyond
Washington and Alexandria.
In 1805, he left America for Europe, where he remained until
1815. On his return to this continent he was shipwrecked on the
shores of Connecticut, and lost all his former Herbals and col-
lections, both American and European.
Being deprived of all his first labors in Botany, Zoology, and
Mineralogy in that memorable year 1815, he had to begin again
his researches and collections, which he pursued with new zeal,
and always at his own sole expense.
He spent 1815 and '16 in the States of New York, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania. In 1816 he went to explore as far as Lake
Champlain, Vermont, and the Saranac Mountains near the
sources of the Hudson River. In 1817 he went to the Mattawan
EARLY BOTANISTS IN BUCKS COUNTY 53
and Catskill Mountains and explored Long Island, where he
dwelt awhile.
His great travels in the West began in 1818. He made a tour
of two thousand miles as far as the Wabash River, crossing the
Alleghanies twice on foot and explored Ohio, Indiana, Illinois
and Kentucky.
Having been appointed Professor of Natural Science in the
Transylvania University at Lexington, Kentucky, in 1819, he
crossed the Alleghany Mountains for the third time, over the
Cumberland road of Maryland, still on foot, as he never would
cross those beautiful mountains in any other way, in order to
botanize all the while.
He spent seven years in Kentucky. In 1836 he left Kentucky
and settled in Philadelphia, but took a long botanical journey on
the way back, going through Ohio, to Sandusky on Lake Erie,
Bufifalo, Niagara, Canada, the New York Canal, etc.
In 1827 his excursions were to the seashores of New Jersey,
thence to Troy, Massachusetts, Boston, returning to Philadelphia
by different roads.
In 1828 he went to the Alleghany Mountains to the north of
the Lehigh, the Schooley Mountains of New Jersey, and Matta-
wan Mountains of New York.
In 1829 he went to the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, and as far
as Connecticut.
In 1830 he made his second journey to the Catskill Mountains.
In 1831 he was in Delaware and New Jersey.
In 1832 visited Maryland twice. He explored the Cococton
Mountains of Maryland, and the Alleghany Mountains as far as
Sherman Valley and the Juniata, quite at leisure, residing some-
times at the top of the mountains.
In the year 1833 he proposed to visit the Appalachian Moun-
tains as far as Alabama, but was prevented by an accident and
heavy rains. He only went as far as those of Virginia.
In a second journey of this year, he undertook to visit the
sources of the Rivers Delaware and Susquehanna, exploring first
the Pine Barrens and seashores of New Jersey, then going from
Albany over the Heidelberg Mountains to Lake Utsiantha, the
source of the Delaware at the foot of the Kiskanon Mountains,
and Lake Otsego, source of the Susquehanna.
The year 1834 saw him twice in the Alleghany Mountains of
54 EARLY BOTANISTS IN BUCKS COUNTY
the north, once by following the course of the Delaware, botaniz-
ing the southern and eastern boundary of Bucks County, all the
way to Durham ; the second time westward by the Welsh Moun-
tains, Conewago Mountains, Albany Mountains, Locust Moun-
tains, to the Pottsville mines, and the source of the Schuylkill
River, returning by Mauch Chunk and AUentown.
His travels in 1835 were in the Central Alleghanies up the
rivers, Juniata and Susquehanna, exploring the mountains of
Peters, Buffalo, Wisconisco, Mahantango, Tuscarora, Jack,
Seven Mountains and their valleys. Since then he chiefly
explored South New Jersey, the Pine Barrens and the region up
the Delaware.
During his residence at Philadelphia he made frequent trips
to the lower end of Bucks County. It is here where he closed his
American career as one of the most industrious, persevering and
successful botanical collectors this country has ever seen.
During so many years of active and arduous explorations, he
met with all kinds of adventures, fares and treatment, having
been welcomed under the roof of hospitable friends of knowledge
or enterprise. He seldom met with liberal enlightened men, who
could believe that he was actuated by the pure love of knowledge
and science.
Such a life of travels and exertions had its pleasures and its
pains, its sudden delights and deep joys mixed with dangers,
trials, difficulties, and troubles. The mere fatigue of a pedestrian
journey was nothing compared to the gloom of solitary forests,
when not a human being was met for many miles, and if met, to
be mistrusted ; when the food and collection had to be carried in
his pocket or knapsack from day to day. He met rough or
muddy roads to vex him, and blind paths to perplex him; rocks,
mountains, and steep ascents. He often lost his way. He had
to cross and wade through brooks, creeks, rivers and swamps,
occasionally overtaken by a storm, when the trees fell around
him, when the thunders roared and the lightning struck near him.
Unhealthy regions and sickly seasons never affected him, because
he was always careful, abstemious and temperate.
Although he felt all these miseries, he was never compelled to
sleep at night on the ground, but always found a shelter. He
never had been actually starved, nor assailed by snakes or wild
beasts, nor robbed, nor drowned,, nor became suddenly unwell.
EARLY BOTANISTS IN BUCKS COUNTY 55
Temperance and the disuse of tobacco partly availed him, and
always kept him in good health.
The pleasures of a botanical exploration fully compensated
him for the miseries and dangers, else no one would have been a
traveling botanist, nor spent his time and money in vain. Every
step taken in the field and groves and hills appears to have
afTorded him new enjoyments.
He felt the exultation that he was a conqueror. That he had
made a conquest over nature. That he was going to add a new
object or a page to science. This peaceful conquest had cost him
tears, but filled his mind with a proud sensation of not being
useless on earth, of having detected another link of the creative
power of God. Every pure botanist is a good man, a happy man,
and a religious man. He lives with God in his wide temple not
made with hands — such a man was Rafinesque.
He wrote his Botanical Works in four languages, Latin,
French, Italian and English. He wrote in English in order to
make it available to all botanists. His Flora Telluriana was
partly in Latin, on account of the generic and specific characters.
All the plants he described had been met alive, and collected by
him in their natural soils, in bloom and seed, unless he otherwise
stated the facts.
The question naturally arises, "What did he do with his vast
collections?" He was an active member of the Royal Institute
of Natural Science of Naples, the Italian Society of Arts, the
Imperial Economic Society of Vienna and was Imperial Natural
Curator of Bonn. The few American societies then existing were
in their infancy and so the bulk of both his collections and that of
Pursh went to the European Museums.
Rafinesque was a highly educated gentleman, which, with his
great activity, enabled him to write many volumes on scientific
and literary subjects. Among the most noted are:
1. Florula Ludoviciana, lc07 — (Flora of the state of Louis-
iana). Translated from the French. The revisal and transla-
tion of Robin's Flora was a most desirable addition to the knowl-
edge of North American Botany. The nomenclature of the whole
Flora was remodeled and accurately fixed, enumerating more than
four hundred species, of which there were thirty new genera and
one hundred and ninety-six new species.
56 EARLY BOTANISTS IN BUCKS COUNTY
2. Fishes Inhabiting the Ohio River, 1820.
3. Ancient History and Survey of Monuments of North
America, 1824.
4. American Manual of Grape Vines, 1830. An account of
sixty-two species.
5. Alsographia Americana, 1838. A continuation and revision
of his Sylva Telluriana of North American trees and shrubs.
6. American Manual of Mulberry Trees, 1839.
7. New Flora and Botany of North America, 1836. Being a
supplemental Flora to the various botanical works of Micheaux,
Muhlenberg, Pursh, Nuttall, Eliott, Torrey, Beck, Eaton, Bige-
low. Barton, Robin, Hooker, Riddell, Darlington, Schweinitz and
Gibbs, containing nearly five hundred additional or revised
genera and fifteen hundred new species, illustrated by figures in
"Autikon Botanikon." This new Flora is quite an original work,
based upon his individual researches and discoveries during the
thirty-six years of his botanical travels, whereof twenty-four were
spent in North America, the main field of his labors.
8. The Good Book and Amenities of Nature, 1840. This is
the last of his American publications. In it he writes on general
subjects and refers in no mistaken terms to the failings and
jealousies of his American contemporaries, some of whom, no
doubt, treated him meanly and with injustice.
One of the most redeeming features of Doctor Britton's New
Flora is that he gives Rafinesque and Pursh credit for their great
labors in discovering the new species of American plants and first
naming them, which names were injustly ignored by some of the
later and ambitious American Botanists. The thanks of all
scientific people are due Doctor Britton for his generosity and
high sense of honor and justice in restoring the fruits of the labors
of these great men that have been so deservedly earned by them.
And the history-loving people of Bucks County will, with
pleasure, cherish the memory not only of their resident scientific
people, but also the memory of the great men who came within
her borders for her early contributions to science, which helped to
give them a name and fame as wide as the world itself.
DURHAM FURNACES
Built by Joseph Whitaker & Co. Furnace No. 1, to the right, in 1848. Furnace No. 2, to
the left, in 1849. (From an ambrotype, furnished by Mrs. George W. Whitaker.)
DURHAM F"URNACE
5uilt by Cooper & Hewitt in 1874-75 on site of old No. 2 furnace. First put in blast February
21, 1876. (From a photograph by Reuben Knecht of Easton, in 1876.)
The Durham Iron Works in Durham Township
Read Before the Friends Historical Association of Philadelphia
Buckingham Friends Meeting House, Holicong, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
June 10. 1<>22
By dr. B. F. FACKENTHAL, Jr.. RIEGELSVILLE. PA.
(Revised before printing)
^^^HE subject assigned to me by your committee
J is an agreeable one, as I began my business career
I at the Durham Iron Works and have spent half
a century of my life in the manufacture of iron.
The subject is also peculiarly fitting to present to
this patriotic society, as many of the gentlemen
connected with the 1727 blast furnace were members of the
Society of Friends. I must, however, ask your indulgence if I
draw on papers that I have heretofore presented to the good
people of Bucks County.
Grant of Pennsylvania to William Penn
Charles the Second, King of England, Scotland, France and
Ireland, granted the Province of Pennsylvania to William Penn,
Esquire, by Royal Charter dated March 4, 1681, which included
what is now the State of Delaware.
William Penn, on his first visit to America, sailed from Eng-
land by ship "Welcome," September 1, 1682, and entered the
Capes of the Delaware River October 27th, and after a passage
of 57 days, arrived at New Castle the following day. The date
of his arrival at Upland, now Chester in Pennsylvania, is not
definitely known, but most authorities say it was on October 29,
1682.
William Penn was born at Tower Hill in London, October 14,
1644, and died at Ruscombe, Berkshire, England, July 30, 1718,
in the seventy-fourth year of his age. Shortly after his arrival
in 1682, he divided the Province of Pennsylvania into three
counties, Philadelphia, Chester and Bucks. Bucks to include
all territory north of Philadelphia County. (Montgomery was
erected out of Philadelphia County.)
When William Penn came to Pennsylvania there were but
few settlers north of the Neshaminy, and the country beyond was
largely an unbroken wilderness, the boundaries of which were
60 THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
not definitely known. The limits of the present Bucks County
wefe automatically outlined and defined when Northampton
County was set off in 1752. After that all territory north of
Bucks County was comprised within the County of Northamp-
ton, out of which many other counties were afterwards erected.
There is evidence to show that some white people had set-
tled in the northern part of the original Bucks County at an
early day, arriving there via Esopus, now Kingston on the Hud-
son. The territory north of the Lehigh was known as the "Forks
of the Delaware," but many early documents refer also to the
south side of the Lehigh River by that name.
Durham Township
At the extreme northeastern end of the present Bucks County,
on the Delaware River, lies the township of Durham, containing
6,410 acres, 123 perches, and therefore one of the smallest of the
29 townships into which Bucks is divided.
There is some evidence to show that Durham contained white
settlers as early as 1682. At any rate its settlement was much
earlier than that of the surrounding country, for example, North-
ampton County was not erected nor the town of Easton laid out
until 1752.
The accompanying map will show the several surveys and
patents w^hich make up the township of Durham, indicated
within heavy black lines; for convenient reference they are
marked First, Second and Third Tracts. There were also three
other tracts acquired by the Durham Iron Company lying out-
side of the township. These are marked on the map as Fourth,
Fifth and Sixth Tracts.
The First Tract containing 300 acres was patented September
8, 1717, to Jeremiah Langhorne and John Chapman. (Patent
Book A, Vol. V, page 266.)
The Second Tract, containing 4,448 acres, was surveyed May
25, 1727, to James Logan, Penn's secretary, and by him conveyed
the same day to Samuel Powell, in trust, for the newly formed
Durham Iron Company.^ This tract was granted to James Logan
1 Samuel Powell was a rich carpenter who owned ninety houses in the
City of Philadelphia. He was the son-in-law of Anthony Morris, and lived
at the corner of Pine and Second Streets. (The Pennsylvania Magazine of
History, Vol. XII, page 478, and Vol. XXI, page 121.)
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
61
MAP OF DURHAM IRON COMPANY'S REAL ESTATE
Showing location of furnaces, forges, stamping mill, mines, etc. Durham Township as organ-
ized in 1775 is shown within black lines, made up of three tracts containing by re-survey of
1773, 6,410 Acres, 123 Perches. The three tracts lying outside of the township,
contain 2,101 Acres, 23 Perches, making an aggregate of 8,511 Acres, 123
Perches owned by the Durham Iron Company.
in lieu of his deeding back to the Proprietaries a hke acreage of
land in Tinicum Township, which he had by connivance obtained
from the American representatives of John Striepers of Crefelt,
Germany, who was granted a warrant March 9-10, 1682, for
5,000 acres. It is quite evident that Striepers had 4,448 acres
of this surveyed to him in Durham, but James Logan represented
that as John Striepers was an alien he could not legally hold land
in Pennsylvania. On a warrant dated February 23, 1701, there
was surveyed to John Striepers a like acreage in Tinicum Town-
ship, which was patented to him June 24, 1705, and which his
American agents transferred to James Logan, January 17-18,
62
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
1725. After the death of John Striepers his heirs claimed that
by this manipulation James Logan obtained the Durham tract
by fraud and in an irregular and unlawful manner. They accord-
ingly brought suit in the courts of Bucks County, December
Term, 1765, to recover the property, but the decision was natur-
ally against them, and the title was confirmed to the Logan inter-
ests in 1769. There is quite a bit of history connected with this
questionable transaction, as
can be seen by examining
the Striepers papers in the
manuscript department of
The Pennsylvania Historical
Society, as well as other docu-
ments. The tract on which
Stenton, the former home of
James Logan, is built, is on
lands said to be part of the
Striepers grant. The Penn-
sylvania Magazine of History
(Vol. 38, page 242), contains
a copy of an agreement for
paying the expenses (amount-
ing to £42-17-1) in defending
the ejectment suit brought by
the Striepers' heirs, by which
they were to be borne equally
by Thomas and Richard Penn,
William and James Logan, Jr.
(sons of James Logan, who died in 1751), and Dr. Nicholas
Moore, president of the Free Society of Traders.
The Third Tract, 1,200 acres, bordering on the Delaware,
was part of a large grant to the Free Society of Traders, surveyed
to Jeremiah Langhorne, February 16, 1724, and by him conveyed
May 25, 1727, to Samuel Powell, in trust for the Durham Iron
Company. Four members of the Penn family, William, Jr.,
Richard, Springott and Letitia, were four of the largest of the 226
stockholders of the Free Society of Traders, chartered in London,
March 26, 1682. (See Pennsylvania Magazine of History, Vol.
XI, page 175.)
On April 20, 1745, the three Durham tracts, to which I have
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS 63
referred, and which uichided all of Durham, were re-surveyed as a
whole, and a patent granted, April 3, 1749, to Rev. Richard
Peters, in trust, which included the two tracts for which a patent
had not been granted when the first surveys were returned.
(Patent book A, Vol. XVII, page 347, &c.)
The three tracts lying outside of Durham were all patented
in trust for the use and benefit of the then owners of the Durham
Iron Company. The so-called Fourth Tract containing 1,472
acres, of which 1,229 acres are in William Township, 37 acres
in Lower Saucon Township, both in Northampton County, and
206 acres in Springfield Township, was patented to Rev. Richard
Peters, in trust, April 3, 1749. (Patent book A, Vol. XVI, page
3S8, &c.) The Fifth Tract, containing 418 acres, 104 perches,
lying in Springfield Township, was patented September 8, 1773,
to William Logan, in trust. (Patent book AA, Vol. XIV, page 5,
&c.) The Sixth Tract, containing 126 acres, 120 perches, lying
on the Delaware at Rocky Falls, in the County of Northampton,
was patented to Rev. Richard Peters," in trust, September 24,
1773. (Patent book AA, Vol. XIV, page 4, cS:c.)
Durham Erected Into a Township
On March 4, 1744, eight years before Northampton County
was erected, there was an effort made to organize Durham into a
township, to include all of the present township of Durham and
all of Williams Township. The records at Doylestown show
that the petition was allowed, but for some unexplained reason
the plan did not materialize.
The fact that the Durham Iron Company owned the entire
township, hindered its settlement and was doubtless the reason
for its not having been organized into a township until June 3,
1775, after the dissolution of the Durham Iron Company and
the lands partitioned, December 24, 1773.
In 1791 there was an abortive effort to have an act of assembly
passed to annex Durham and Springfield to Northampton County,
but it failed for want of enough signers to their petition, as the
following letter from a Northampton County member of the
Assembly will show. I wonder whether politics has improved
very much since then?
- Rev. Richard Peters, D. D., \was born in Liverpool about 1704, died in
Philadelphia July 10, 1776. (See Provincial Councillors by Keith, page 235.)
64 THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
"I came home last Monday night as my brother came with us, as my wife
has been very poorly. Last Saturday I have brought a resolution before the
house to have Durham and Springfield annexed to Northampton, and have
put myself to a great deal of trouble and had it almost carried, but your Mr.
Lay whom you put so much confidence in has voted against you; all the fault
was that you had only 120 signers, and they had 200. But our Assembly
tells me it would be best, if you were in earnest, you should petition again and
get as many signers as you could, if such as they had, for a man from West-
moreland cannot know a boy's name from a man's name, you know well what I
mean, if not come to my house and I will tell you the whole story. If you
can get 200 signers I will get them annexed to Northampton."
Durham Iron Company Organized in 1726
The early settlement of Durham was doubtless due to the
discovery of iron ore in the Durham hills. During 1726 a com-
pany, consisting of twelve gentlemen, was formed to erect a blast
furnace for the manufacture of charcoal pig iron, the casting of
pots, pans, kettles, firebacks and other castings. Three forges
were also built on the Durham Creek for the refining of pig iron
into wrought iron; their location is shown on the map, page 61
ante. There is some evidence to show that an earlier iron
operation was carried on at Durham, probably by Catalan
Forges or Bloomaries, for conversion of iron ore into wrought
iron. A blast furnace is, however, a plant entirely different from
the other earlier processes, many of which were established
long prior to the blast furnace. The Durham furnace situated
in the center of the township, at the village of Durham, was
one of the first four to be built in Pennsylvania. Colebrookdale,
built in 1720, was the earliest. The original date-stone of Dur-
ham Furnace, bearing date 1727, has been preserved and can
now be seen in the museum of the Bucks County Historical
Society at Doylestown.
Partnership Agreement Dated March 4, 1727
The twelve gentlemen who associated themselves together
and formed the Durham Iron Company in 1726, the partnership
agreement dated March 4, 1727, to continue for 51 years, were
Jeremiah Langhorne, Anthony Morris,^ James Logan, Charles
^ Anthony Morris, described in the partnership agreement as a Brewer,
was also one of the founders and owners of the Colebrookdale blast furnace,
built in 1720.
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
65
Read, Robert Ellis, George Fitzwater,'* Clement Plumsted,
William Allen, Andrew Bradford, John Hopkins (Mariner),
Thomas Lindley (Anchor Smith) and Joseph Turner. All were
from Philadelphia except Jeremiah Langhorne, who was from
Bucks County. These gentle-
men were prominent and
leading citizens: Jeremiah
Langhorne became Chief
Justice of the Province; he
was a large land owner in
Bucks County, including what
is now Langhorne Park.
Charles Read was a provincial
councillor, later alderman and
then mayor of Philadelphia,
in which office he served three
years, collector o f excise,
trustee of the loan office and
judge of the admiralty court;
his sister, Sarah, was the wife
of James Logan. Clement
Plumsted held many offices
of public trust; he served as
a provincial councillor, and
three terms as mayor of
Philadelphia; in 1741 he
became entitled by deed from
Robert Plumsted to the proprietaryship of East Jersey (Keith's
Provincial Councillors, page 167, and Colonial Records, Vol. Ill,
page 270); William Allen (who married Elizabeth, daughter of
Andrew Hamilton) was chief justice of Pennsylvania from
1751 to 1774, and the founder of Allentown; Joseph Turner,
who for 50 years was a business partner of William Allen, served
as a Provincial Councillor, and in 1745 declined his election to
the mayoralty of Philadelphia. Among other interests these two
gentlemen owned and operated the LTnion Iron Works in Hunter-
don County, N. J., with its 11,000 acres of land, and the Andover
â– i George Fitzwater, born in Suffolk, England, in If 80, married Mary
Hardiman. Their daughter, Debora, married Christopher Clymer, father
of George Clymer, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
66 THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
Iron Works in Sussex County, N. J.^ James Logan, whose history
is well known to you, was Penn's secretary; Andrew Bradford
was a printer, son of William Bradford, first printer of New York,
and an uncle of the William Bradford, so frequently referred to
by Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography.
The Penns Mortgage Pennsylvania
When William Penn and his eldest son, William Penn, Jr.,
on October 8, 1708, placed a mortgage for £6,600 on their Penn-
sylvania lands to Henry Gouldney and his eight associates, no
patent could thereafter be issued without a release from the mort-
gagees. Judge Huston, in his work on land titles, in speaking of
this mortgage, refers to a deed of April 30, 1724, which recites
that one-fourth then remained unpaid, and on page 231 says, "I
have heard more than once, many years ago, that William Allen, a
distinguished barrister of London, afterwards chief justice of
Pennsylvania, had furnished the money which finally paid off
this miortgage, and the books of the land office show many grants
of large tracts of land to him between 1733 and 1740."
Among other gentlemen who later became shareholders in
Durham Township and the iron works, were William Logan and
James Logan, Jr., sons of James Logan; Judge Edward Shippen
of Lancaster, Pa.; Lawrence Growdon of Trevose; Israel Pember-
ton, Jr., Langhorne Byles, James Morgan^ and James Hamilon.
The latter purchased an interest in 1749 when serving as lieuten-
ant governor of Pennsylvania. James Hamilton did not marry.
He inherited by aaIII from his father, Andrew Hamilton, the
estate called "Bush Hill," containing 153 acres imm.ediately north
of Vine Street, now within the limits of the City of Philadelphia.
This tract was part of the Penn homestead called "Springetts-
ville," which his father, Andrew Hamilton, had received in recog-
•'' For Andover Iron Works, see History cf Sussex and Warren Counties,
page 442, by James P. Snell, 1881.
6 C. J. Edward Shippen was the founder of Shippensburg, Pa., born July
9, 170^, died September 25, 1761. (Pennsylvania Magazine of History, Vol.
XXIV, page 261.)
7 James Morgan is described as an "iron master," doubtless the practical
man who had charge cf the blast furnace as "founder." He may have occu-
pied that position for some years, but he did not become a partner until June
10, 1772, about six months prior to the partition proceedings of December
24, 1773, when he was allotted for his one thirty-second interest. Tract No. 36,
on which part of the Borough of Riegelsville is located. He disposed of this
tract to Thomas Long on April 11, 1774,
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
67
nition of his services for going to England and appearing in
chancery for the final proving of the will of William Penn. James
Hamilton held many offices of public trust. He was president of
the Provincial Assembly, and in 1733, shortly after coming of
age, succeeded his father as prothonotary of the Philadelphia
courts, the most lucrative ofifice in the Province at that tim.e; the
appointment was for life. He was Lieutenant Governor of the
Province from 1748 to 1754, and again from 1759, until he was
succeeded by John Penn in 1763.
Colonial Office Holders Put Under Parole
James Hamilton was one of the thirty-eight office holders
under the Crown and Proprietary Government, who by act of
Congress, July 31, 1777, and
by order of the Supreme
Executive Council of August
first of that year, were to be
"imprisoned and removed
from the State," until they
renounced their commission
by taking the prescribed oath
of allegiance.^ During the
occupancy of Philadelphia by
the British he was paroled
and lived with his nephew,
James Allen, at Trout Hall,
AUentown, Pa. He was dis-
charged from his parole May
2, 1778, and given a pass to
visit his hom.e at Bush Hill, in
order that the cancer on his
nose, from which he was a
great sufferer, might receive
special treatment by a Phila-
delphia physician, but he
complained that the time allowed him, two weeks, was too short,
and he decided not to make the journey. After the British
8 Colonial Records, Vol. IX, page 733; Vol. X, page 363; Vol. XI, pages
264-265-478-593. Pennsylvania Archives, First Series, Vol. V, pages 459-
487-484-511-512-611-613-620. Ibid., Vol. VI, pages 372-383-407-433-435-456-
464-468-469.^ Kieth's Provincial Councillors, pages 120-130-308-324.
68
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
evacuated Philadelphia he was allowed to go and come to Bush
Hill at his own pleasure. He died in New York, August 15, 1783,
and was buried next day on his estate at Bush Hill, where his
father had also been buried. (The Pennsylvania Magazine of
History, Vol. I, page 242, and Vol. XVI, page 165.)
Governor John Penn and
Chief Justice Benjamin Chew
were also among the 38 office
holders. They were arrested
and sent to Fredericksburg,
Va. On August 15, 1777,
Justice Chew expressed a
willingness to take the pre-
scribed oath, but it was not
until May 15, 1778, when the
British were about to evacu-
ate Philadelphia, that they
were discharged from their
parole and conveyed back to
Pennsylvania.^ John Penn was
then allowed to go to the
Union Iron Works, near Clin-
ton, Hunterdon County, New
Jersey, which, as already
stated , were owned by William
Allen and Joseph Turner.
This property included what is
now High Bridge, where the plant of the Taylor Iron & Steel
Company is located. The house, called "Solitude," at High
Bridge, occupied by John Penn during the time of his parole,
is still standing, and the chamber he occupied, called the "John
Penn Room," has undergone but little change and is an object of
interest to visitors.
During the first visit of John Penn to Pennsylvania in 1752,
he made his home with James Hamilton at Bush Hill. In 1763,
on his second arrival from England, he was appointed Lieutenant
Governor, and three years later in 1766, married for his second
9 Colonial Records, Vol. XI, page 267; Pennsylvania Archives, First Series,
Vol. V, pages 478, 515, and Vol. VI, pages 00, 85, 364, 367, 380, 389, 507, 523.
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
69
wife, Ann, daughter of Chief Justice WilHam Allen and grand-
daughter of Andrew Hamilton.
In after years I had the pleasure of reopening one of the Union
Iron Works ore mines, known as the Church or Van Syckle mine,
and shipping several thousand tons of the ore to Durham Fur-
nace where it was smelted.'*^ In 1863 the Thomas Iron Company
purchased 81 acres of the High Bridge property, with the iron
ore mines, from which they mined 69,180 tons of ore. This prop-
erty later came under my management when I was president of
the Thomas Iron Company.
Durham Iron Company Dissolved
On December 24, 1773, five years before the Durham co-
partnership would have expired by limitation, none of the original
partners had survived. At
that time Joseph Galloway
owned four ninety-sixth of
the company, and Lawrence
Growdon of Trevose, who
had owned fifty-eight ninety-
sixth, devised his interest to
his two daughters, Elizabeth,
wife of Thomas Nichleson,
and Grace, wife of Joseph
Galloway. That part of the
property containing the iron
works, mines and quarries
was partitioned to Joseph
Galloway in right of his wife,
nee Grace Growdon. When
Galloway allied himself to the
British cause, he was by act
of March 6, 1778, attainted
of treason and his property
and life-right in Mrs. Gallo-
way's property were seized
and sold in 1779 by the com-
missioner of forfeited estates.
10 Ore from the Church or Van Syckel mine shipped to Durham was found
to contain from 10 to 15 per cent, of Titanic Acid, and for that reason mining
operations were suspended.
70 THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
Mrs. Galloway's interests were purchased by Col. Richard Back-
house for himself and his three associates, Col. Isaac Sidman,
Col. Robert Lettis Hooper, Jr., and Col. George Taylor. The
sale was held at Newtown, August 23, 1779, deed dated Septem-
ber 14, 1779. The price paid was £12,800. (See Colonial
Records, Vol. XII, page 104.) Under this administration the
furnace operated during the open seasons of 1780 to 1789, inclu-
sive. After the death of Joseph Galloway in 1803, Mrs. Gallo-
way being also deceased, suit was brought in the Bucks County
courts by their only child, Elizabeth, wife of William Roberts,
Esq., to recover Mrs. Galloway's real estate, alleging that her
father had been in possession by courtesy. After several argu-
ments in the Supreme Court at Newtown, the court decided that
Galloway's attainter vested no claim to the real estate of his
wife, Grace, in the Commonwealth, and only freed from his
tenancy by the courtesy when she died seized, and therefore the
property passed by her will, and the Backhouse heirs were dis-
possessed.^^ In like manner Galloway's real estate, held in right
of Mrs. Galloway, including Trevose and Belmont, which had
been seized and sold by the Commissioner of Forfeited Estates,
were restored to her daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Roberts. ^^
It may not be known to all of you that the now historic Hog
Island, in the Delaware River below Philadelphia, was owned by
Joseph Galloway, and was among his lands forfeited to the Com-
monwealth.^^ Also that part of the moneys received from the
sales of forfeited estates was appropriated to the support of the
University of Pennsylvania, which had been founded in 1745,
but not erected into a University until 1779, the very year these
forfeited estates were sold.
Durham Furnace Put in Blast in 1727
Durham Furnace began making pig iron in 1727, and during
the following year, 1728, James Logan built beautiful Stenton.
It was therefore reasonable to suppose that the eight firebacks,
in the fireplaces at Stenton, were made at Durham Furnace.
Three of them bear date 1728, one contains the initials J. L., all
have the same scroll work and show evidences of having been
11 Jenks vs. Backhouse Heirs, 1 Binney, page 91.
12 Pemberton vs. Hicks, 3 Dallas, page 479, and 4 Dallas, page 168.
13 Colonial Records, Vol. XII, pages 661 and 730; Pennsylvania Archives,
First Series, Vol. VIII, page 760, and Sixth Series, Vol. XII, page 197.
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
71
Cast from the same pattern, but some omit the date and initials.
The Colonial Dames, in whose care Stenton has been placed by
the City of Philadelphia, kindly permitted me (September 12,
1912) to photograph these firebacks, and also to take boringg
from the backs of
three for chemical
analysis. The result
confirmed the thought
that they were made
at Durham, as the
cast iron exactly cor-
responds to the analy-
ses of Durham ores.
The title papers show
that James Logan, at
that time, owned
directly and indirectly
three-eighths part of
the Durham Iron
Company. In 1744
the plant was leased
by William Bird, later
it was operated u.nder
the name of William
Logan & Company.
Soime reference is also
rhade of its having
been leased by Robert
.Ellis, one of the original partners of 1727. Robert Ellis became
indebted to Chief Justice William Allen, in the sum of £3,300,
and his interest in Durham was sold by the Sheriff of Bucks
County to Israel Pemberton, Jr. Deed dated June 25, 1750.
George Taylor a Signer of the Declaration
OF Independence
Col. George Taylor, one of the signers of the Declara-
tion of Independence, was living in Durham when, on
August 2, 1776, he affixed his signature to that immortal
document. In 1755, at a time when he and Samuel Flower
were lessees of the Durham works, they made "Cannon
FIREBACK in home of JAMES LOGAN
at "Stenton," Cast at Durham Furnace, 1728
72
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
shot" for the Provincial gov-
ernment, presumably for the
French and Indian War.^* On
the night of April 8, 1768, the
combustible part of the plant
was destroyed by fire. Colo-
nel Taylor was again the lessee
of the Durham works from
1773 to 1778, during that time
he made shot, shells and
cannon for the Continental
army. His first shipment,
August 25, 1775, is the earliest
on record from any Pennsyl-
vania iron works. ^â– ''
Sixteen of these old cannon
balls have lately been un-
earthed from the slag dump
along the bank of the Durham
MANSION HOUSti, DURHAM IKON WORKS
Home of George Taylor in 1776, when he signed the Declaration of Independence. Successor
to an older house which was destroyed by fire.
14 Bucks County Court Records, September Term, 1765.
15 Colonial Records, Vol. X, pages 297-298-315-331-339-354-365-373-381-
382-598-690. See also The Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. V, page 123.
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
73
Creek immediately in front of the 1727 blast furnace, which alone
is a sufficient guarantee that they were made there. This has been
further confirmed by having one of them drilled for chemical
analysis, and found to contain Phosphorus, .094; Manganese,
.053; Silicon, .420; Copper, none, and therefore corresponding to
results expected from Durham ores. Their sizes and weights
are : Balls, 4>4 inches diameter, 10>^ pounds ; 5 inches in diameter,
15 pounds; and 5>2 inches in diameter, 22 pounds.
Stamped Cinder Iron
In the early charcoal blast furnace practice, which did not
have large percentages of sulphur in the fuel to contend with,
much smaller percentages of flux wfere used and the cinders or
slags were quite acid, carrying with them globules of iron im-
bedded therein, known to furnacemen as "buckshot." At the
Durham charcoal furnace a stamping mill was erected (see its
location on map, ante). The iron recovered by this manipulation
was called "Stamped Cinder Iron." The proportion of such
iron recovered at Durham furnace, during the Backhouse
administration, was about four per cent, of the pig iron
output. The price obtained
1785, when £11 was charged
for pig iron, and £5 in 1789,
when £8 was received for pig
General Daniel Morgan
Born in Durham
General Daniel Morgan of
Revolutionary War fame, the
hero of the Battle of Cowpens,
S. C, was born in Durham
Township in 1736, where his
father was employed at the
iron works. He died at his
home in Winchester, Virginia,
July 8, 1802. His body lies
buried in the Presbyterian
Cemetery at Winchester,
marked by a horizontal slab,
for it was £8 per gross ton
general DANIEL MORGAN
1i
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
which has been badly defaced by relic hunters breaking off
corners of the slab, even into the inscription.
The last blast of the 1727 furnace was made in 1789.
On November 18, 1819, the site occupied by the furnace
buildings with the water power was sold to Judge William Long,
who erected a gristmill thereon, and although this gristmill has
changed owners many times, it has been in continuous operation
ever since.
DURHAM IRON WORKS
The stone arch, at the fore bay, shown above, and the race are all that remain of the 1727
blast furnace. The race about one mile long, with a head and fall of about 23 feet, has
since 1819 been in continuous operation to furnish power for a gristmill, now
(1937) owned by Harvey F. Riegel.
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS 75
Anthracite Furnaces r~ "" " ~" ~~~ — ^
Built in 1848 and 1849
In 1847 (deed dated
March 16, 1848), the •
remainder of the furnace
tract, 894 acres, was I
purchased at public sale j
by Joseph Whitaker &
Company,*'' who during
1848 and 1849 erected
two blast furnaces for
using anthracite coal.
They were equipped
with hot blast ovens,
steam engines (horizon-
tal ones). They located
the plant near the mouth
of the Durham Creek
where it empties into the
Delaware River. This
location enabled them
to receive anthracite by
canal, and to ship their
product, mainly pig iron,
by water, although much
of it was carted to
Riegelsville, N. J., and shipped by railroad. And thus after
the lapse of fifty-nine years the mines were reopened and
the wheels of industry resumed.
Mr. Joseph Whitaker (b. 1789; d. 1870), the senior partner,
whose portrait is shown herewith, was the grandfather of former
Governor Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker, and of Dr. Isaac R.
Pennypacker. The so-called Whitaker furnaces were built under
the supervision of James A. Pennypacker (born Dec. 12, 1808),
16 At the time the Durham property was purchased the firm of Joseph
Whitaker & Company was composed of Joseph Whitaker, James A. Penny-
packer, Mathias J. Pennypacker, George P. Whitaker, John Freedly, Wilham
Davis, John J. Philhps and Levi H. Evans. When the property was conveyed
to Cooper <S: Hewitt, April 2, 1864, the firm consisted of Joseph Whitaker,
his two sons, Joseph R. VVhitaker and George W. Whitaker, and Samuel Steckel,
Jr., the latter owning one twenty-fourth.
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS 77.
who was the first manager. In 1849, during the cholera epidemic
at Durham Iron Works he took personal charge of all sanitation,
caring for the sick and giving his personal attention to the burial
of those who died. After his death, March 23, 1851, the manage-
ment developed upon Joseph R. Whitaker, who resigned January
1, 1856, and was succeeded by his brother, George W. Whitaker,
who continued in charge until the works were sold to Cooper &
Hewitt.
The Whitakers bought a number of outlying tracts containing
brown hematite ore, which they used to advantage in their mix-
ture with Durham ores.
Cooper & Hewitt Buy Durham Iron Works
On April 2, 1864, the Whitakers sold the Durham property
with all outlying tracts to Edward Cooper and Abram S. Hewitt
of New York, son and son-in-law of that venerable philanthropist,
Peter Cooper (b. Feb. 12, 1791; d. Apr. 4, 1883), founder of
Cooper Union, an institution for the advancement of Science
and Art. In 1830 he built and ran the first Am.erican locomotive,
which he called the "Tom Thumb." In 1857 he was associated
with Cyrus W. Field in laying the first transatlantic submarine
telegraph cable. He made many improvements and appliances
in the manufacture of iron, steel, wire, glue and other industries.
In 1879 the Iron and Steel Institute of Great Britain conferred
upon him the Bessemer Gold Medal, in recognition of his services
in developing the American iron trade.
Hon. Edward Cooper (1824-1905) was a brilliant engineer, an
inventor of many appliances and processes for the m.etallurgy
of iron and steel. He designed the Durham hot blast stoves,
which were widely used at many blast furnaces; he also invented
the double bell and hopper used at Durham. At the Andover
Furnaces, Phillipsburg, N. J., in 1856 (then owned by Cooper
& Hewitt), he built an experimental plant for testing the possi-
bility of producing steel direct from pig iron, and in connection
therewith used water-cooled valves, which antedated those later
patented by others. As a result of these studies he began in
1873 at their Trenton works the practical test of a direct reduc-
tion process which presented many novel features of his own.
He declined to have any of his inventions patented. The firm
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS 79
of Cooper & Hewitt, in 1854, at their Trenton, N. J., works
(The New Jersey Steel & Iron Co.) was the very first to roll
beams and girders, now so largely used in construction work.
They also introduced the Siemens-Martin patent in this coun-
try, and later they interested themselves in the inventions of
Snelus, for the use of basic linings, which, combined with sub-
sequent improvements by Thomas, became the foundation
of the basic open hearth process for making steel, that has
almost entirely replaced the Bessemer process. At the out-
break of the War of the Rebellion, Cooper & Hewitt at their
Trenton Iron Company plant rendered the War Department
a great service in manufacturing gun barrels from a superior
quality of steel. The rifles made from them were stamped
"Trenton-Springfield Rifles." Mr. Cooper served for a two-
year term (1879-1880) as Mayor of New York City.
Edward Cooper was one of the m.ost delightful and lovable
men it has ever been my good fortune to be associated \\ith.
In concluding his worth and character, his biographer says:
"I thank God for a life so pure, so unselfish, and so greatly useful
to mankind. "^'^
Hon. Abram S. Hewitt (1822-1903), after graduating at
Columbia University, served that institution for a time as a
teacher of mathematics, and later served as one of its trustees.
In 1845 he was admitted to the bar of New York, but did not
enter upon the practice of the law, but joined with Mr. Cooper
in forming the firm of Cooper & Hewitt, to take over the business
of Peter Cooper. Mr. Hewitt was a ripe scholar and a splendid
business man, a man of rich and varied experience, just and
liberal in his dealings with all m.en. I was associated with the
firm of Cooper & Hewitt for many years, first in a subordinate
capacity, and later as general manager of their blast furnaces and
mines at Durham, Pa., and Request, N. J., and later at Ringwood,
N. J., and learned to know the true worth and character of these
two gentlemen, for whom I always had the highest regard. In
1890 Mr. Hewitt was awarded the Bessemer gold medal, by the
Iron and Steel Institute of Great Britain.
Mr. Hewitt served in our National Congress for twelve years
(1871-79 and 1881-86). He also served for a term as Mayor of
17 See Transactions of the American Institute of Engineers, Vol. 37, pages
349 to 356.
O^.^ Jl^^ZwJ^
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
81
New York City (1887-1888). He was chairman of the Demo-
cratic National Campaign Committee during the Hayes-Tilden
campaign.'^
LILLIE CHILLED IRON SAFE
With portion of metal left ol¥ to show
the reinforced ribs of iron or steel.
Made at Durham.
Safe Works Established at Durham
On September 1, 1865, Cooper & Hewitt deeded the entire
real estate to Lewis Lillie & Son, of Troy, N. Y., subject to a
mortgage of Peter Cooper for $200,000, and later also sold them
the personal property. Lewis Lillie &
Son had a plant at Troy for the manu-
facture of "chilled iron" safes and bank
vaults. Their safe-making machinery
was then all transferred to Durham.
They greatly enlarged the plant by
building a foundry 61 by 92 feet, a fin-
ishing shop 300 feet long by 40 feet
wide, operated by water power ob-
tained by damming the Durham
Creek, and digging a race about a mile
long; a new office building; many new
dwelling houses and other necessary buildings. In connection
with the. safe works, which were carried on to their full capacity,
they operated both blast furnaces with mines and quarries.
Some of their safes and bank vaults were poured with metal
direct from the blast furnaces. ^^
As they did not have sufficient capital to carry on with, and to
pay for the extensions and improvements, the entire property
was on December 27, 1867, taken over by their creditors, who
organized and operated under the name of The Lillie Safe &
Iron Company, of which B. F. Fackenthal, Sr., Esq., was made
general manager; Samuel B. Janes, secretary and treasurer, and
Russell Sage, the New York banker, president. ^°
18 American Institute of Mining Engineers, Vol. 34, pages 186 to 204.
19 It was during the administration of Lewis Lillie & Son, on March 2,
1866, that the author of this paper entered the office of the Durham Iron
Works to begin his business career.
20 Russell Sage, besides being interested in one of the creditor banks, ^\as
himself a personal creditor in the amount of v^l4,000. John A. Griswold of
Winslow, Griswold & Co., of Troy, N. Y., builders of the iron-clad "Monitor,"
designed by Ericsson, was also a director of the Lillie Safe & Iron Co. The
author of this paper remembers very well when Mr. Sage and Mr. Griswold
came to Durham Iron Works on a tour of inspection.
DIE SCHLANG ADAM \'ND EFA BETRV
THE SNAKE BETRAYED ADAM AND EVE. Stovc plate madc at Durli;
CAIN SEINEN BRVTER AWEL TOT SCHLVG
CAIN KILLING HIS BROTHER ABEL. StovL" plate made at Durham, 1741
Stoves and firebacks were cast at the Durham charcoal blast furnace from the time of its erection
in 1727, and shortly thereafter stoves were manufactured down to the closing of the fur-
nace in 1789. The two plates shown above are sides for stoves having sLx plates.
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS 83
Owing to the depressed condition of the pig iron market, and
to the further fact that Lewis LilHe & Son estabUshed a rival safe
works at Newark, N. J., the Lillie Safe & Iron Company could
not operate at a profit, and they, therefore, paid all their obliga-
tions and allowed Peter Cooper to foreclose his mortgage. On
October 1, 1870, Elias Hoagland, sheriff of Bucks County, sold
the real estate on the premises at Durham. Edward Cooper and
Abram S. Hewitt, trading as Cooper & Hewitt, were the pur-
chasers for $132,000, and later they also bought the personal
property, and thus for a second time they became the proprietors
of Durham Iron Works.
The Bessemer pneumatic process for making steel having been
established in the United States in 1865, and Cooper & Hewitt
appreciating the fact that the Durham ores were low enough in
phosphorus and in other respects, suitable for Bessemer pig iron,
established a laboratory at Durham October 4, 1870, and ran the
blast furnaces part of the time on a Bessemer mixture. The pig
iron was shipped to the Cambria Iron Company at Johnstown,
Pa., the Pennsylvania Steel Company at Baldwin, near Harris-
burg, Pa., and to Winslow, Griswold & Company at Troy, N. Y.
This proved to be profitable, and over the years 1870 to 1874, the
profits of the works were enough to repay them for their entire
outlay including the cost of the plant.
The Blast Furnace of 1876
During 1873 and 1874, Cooper & Hewitt demolished the two
anthracite furnaces built in 1848-49, to make room for a new,
large, modern and up-to-date blast furnace, built on the site
of old No. 2.^^ And after a shut down of two years while the
new furnace was building, it was completed and put in blast
February 21, 1876. It was 75 feet high by 19 feet bosh, with a
sheet-iron shell, resting on a mantle supported by eight cast-iron
columns. It was equipped with two verticle blowing engines (in
1892 a third blowing engine was added), eight Durham hot blast
stoves, designed by Hon. Edward Cooper, a double bell and
hopper also designed by Mr. Cooper, and other modern appli-
ances. During its earlier blasts it was equipped with five tuyeres,
21 No. 2 ended its last blast September 13, 1873, and No. 1 its last blast
February 8, 1874.
84 THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
which were later increased to seven. It was the first stack in
America to use the L iiermann or any other closed front, and one
of the earliest to use bronze tuyeres and a bronze cinder notch.
Beginning with the third blast, May 10, 1879, a small proportion
of coke was used in the fuel mixture, which in later blasts was
increased to 25 per cent.
On December 27, 1901, Cooper & Hewitt transferred the
property to Col. John Jamison and Aaron F. Baker (Deed Book,
No. 302, page 14, etc.), and after getting title, these gentlemen
placed a mortgage on the property for $100,000, and transferred
it on January 1, 1902, to a newly chartered company, called The
Durham Iron Company (Deed Book, No. 302, page 20, etc.).
This new company, after a somewhat checkered career, shut down
the furnace June 23, 1908. In the hands of inexperienced people
the works did not prosper and the mortgage was foreclosed by
the bondholders. In 1912 the plant was dismantled and scrapped,
and later the real estate divided and sold. And thus after a
period of 181 years, including suspensions, the Durham Iron
Works passed into history.
To recapitulate: The 1727 charcoal furnace covered a period
of 62 years, from 1727 to 1789. The property then lay dormant
for 59 years until the Whitakers bought it and built two anthra-
cite furnaces in 1848-49, which they and their successors oper-
ated 27 years until 1874, and after an idleness of two years the
Cooper & Hewitt anthracite furnace operated 33 years, making a
total of 181 years. This includes the ordinary shut downs for
repairs and relinings, and perhaps longer periods in times of
depressions.
Capacity and Output of Furnaces
The capacity of the charcoal, cold blast furnace of 1727,
operated by water power and blown through one tuyere by a
leather bellows, was not over 16 or 20 tons per week of seven
days. Owing to the difficulty in supplying charcoal enough and
because of freezing weather the furnace did not operate during
the winter months, and moreover there were many suspensions
and stoppages, the furnace frequently making several blasts
during the same season. It is therefore not likely that the out-
put of pig iron and castings averaged more than 350 gross tons a
s^g?y?:5?;^?y5y;>?
'?.'M^/yy^/'^?7A
Closed Fr
1H
patenj
of bo^
84 THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
which were later increased to seven. It was the first stack in
America to use the Liiermann or any other closed front, and one
of the earliest to use bronze tuyeres and a bronze cinder notch.
Beginning with the third blast, May 10, 1879, a small proportion
of coke was used in the fuel mixture, which in later blasts was
increased to 25 per cent.
On December 27, 1901, Cooper & Hewitt transferred the
property to Col. John Jamison and Aaron F. Baker (Deed Book,
No. 302, page 14, etc.), and after getting title, these gentlemen
placed a mortgage on the property for $100,000, and transferred
it on January 1, 1902, to a newly chartered company, called The
Durham Iron Company (Deed Book, No. 302, page 20, etc.).
This new company, after a somewhat checkered career, shut down
the furnace June 23, 1908. In the hands of inexperienced people
the works did not prosper and the mortgage was foreclosed by
the bondholders. In 1912 the plant was dismantled and scrapped,
and later the real estate divided and sold. And thus after a
period of 181 years, including suspensions, the Durham Iron
Works passed into history.
To recapitulate: The 1727 charcoal furnace covered a period
of 62 years, from 1727 to 1789. The property then lay dormant
for 59 years until the Whitakers bought it and built two anthra-
cite furnaces in 1848-49, which they and their successors oper-
ated 27 years until 1874, and after an idleness of two years the
Cooper & Hewitt anthracite furnace operated 33 years, making a
total of 181 years. This includes the ordinary shut downs for
repairs and relinings, and perhaps longer periods in times of
depressions.
Capacity and Output of Furnaces
The capacity of the charcoal, cold blast furnace of 1727,
operated by water power and blown through one tuyere by a
leather bellows, was not over 16 or 20 tons per week of seven
days. Owing to the difficulty in supplying charcoal enough and
because of freezing weather the furnace did not operate during
the winter months, and moreover there were many suspensions
and stoppages, the furnace frequently making several blasts
during the same season. It is therefore not likely that the out-
put of pig iron and castings averaged more than 350 gross tons a
/i J
DKTAII, OF BRONZE TUYERE AND
LURMANN PATENT..
Closed Front Cinder Notch. First Used at Durham Iron
Works, Riegelsville, Pa., Februory ai, 1876.
GERMAN PATENT
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS 85
year over the 62 years of its life. This estimate is based on the
known output for the years 1781 to 1789, and suggests a total
output of about 21,700 tons during its entire 62 years.
The two furnaces of 1848-49 were built (as were all blast fur-
naces of that period) of stone masonry, square in shape, with
open tops, and with the hot blast stoves resting on top of the
masonry quite near the tunnel heads. They were lined with
refractory fire bricks, blown by horizontal blowing engines,
through three tuyeres at each furnace. When first built they
were 40 feet high. No. 1 having a 13 feet and No. 2 a 14 feet
bosh. These sizes were later increased to 48 and 50 feet in
height and to 15 and 16 feet boshes. During the Whitaker
administration, 1848 to 1864, these two stacks produced about
88,000 gross tons, and the subsequent owners from 1864 to 1874,
about 62,000 gross tons, making a total of 150,000 gross tons.
These estimates are based partly on data from the books and
papers of the companies.
Evolution of Blast Furnaces
The blast furnace has been subject to the same changes and
evolution as other industries, only perhaps more so than many
others, particularly since the introduction of the pneumatic pro-
cesses for making steel.
The Durham furnace of 1876, produced 1,000 gross tons in
one week, and 38,525 gross tons in one calendar year, which was
nearly twice the output of the 1727 charcoal furnace during its
life of 62 years. But this furnace which was the latest word in
blast furnace construction at that time, and was the wonder and
admiration of iron masters who came to visit it, was a mere baby
in production, as compared with modern plants of the twentieth
century. Since this paper was read and before its printing, the
Warren stack of the Trumbull-Cliffs Company produced 1,011
tons in one day, and 24,758 tons in one month; and during March,
1928, the No. 5 furnace of Jones & Laughlin's Aliquippa plant
produced 1,185 tons in one day and 30,287 tons in one month,
being nearly 30 per cent, more in one month than the 1727 char-
coal Durham furnace made during its entire 62 years. And,
moreover, these stacks are but one of a number operated respect-
ively by the same companies. The output of iron and steel
86
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
products in the United States reached their peak in 1929, when
42,613,983 gross tons of pig iron and ferro-alloys; 56,433,473 gross
tons of steel ingots and castings and 41,069,416 gross tons of rolled
iron and steel plates were made. Part of these products, when
fabricated, was shipped to all parts of the civilized world. This
is quite in contrast with the small output of early years, when,
on August 16, 1750, by Act of Parliament, the American Colonies
were not permitted to export any iron or steel except to Great
Britain or one of her Colonies, but not to Ireland, and were pre-
vented under a penalty of £200 from erecting, or having erected,
to operate, any slitting mill, the required supply to come exclu-
sively from England. The total output of pig iron in Pennsyl-
vania in 1750 was about 2,500 tons. When our government in
later years placed a duty on iron and steel, conditions were cer-
tainly reversed.
PIONEER CONVERTER OF AMERICA
This engraving made from a photograph of the first pneumatic steel converter, was invented
by WiUiam Kelly of Eddyville, Kentucky, and used at the Cambria Iron Works at Johnstown,
Pa., in 1861-1862.
Mr. Kelly began his experiments in 1847 and made a successful blow in 1851, five years
before Sir Henry Bessemer applied for patents in this country. After considerable litigation,
the courts sustained Kelly's prior invention, but certain parts of Bessemer's Machinery were
later used and the process took the name of "Bessemer Steel." The first steel rails made in
America were rolled at the North Chicago Rolling Mill on May 24, 1865.
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS 87
DURHAM IRON ORE MINES
Mine Hill
All the ore for the 1727 charcoal furnace came from the Dur-
ham mine known as "Mine Hill." The haul from the mine to
the tunnel-head of the furnace was less than one-fourth of a
mile, and all down hill. The ore was rasied by windlasses doubt-
less operated by man power; the depth of the workings, verticle
shafts, were about 50 feet, as indicated by the lengths of the
ropes purchased for hoisting. Ore for the charcoal furnace was
"pounded" and washed before using. Shortly after the Whit-
akers built the 1848-49 furnaces they abandoned the old shafts,
and drove a tunnel or adit, called "Old Tunnel," into the western
end of "Mine Hill," through which they thereafter operated.
On November 19, 1819, Mrs. Ann Grace Burton, grand-
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Galloway, by her American
attorneys, conveyed a tract of 9 acres 94 perches on the apex of
Mine Hill to William Long of Durham, presumably as a wood lot.
After several changes in ownership it was, on March 25, 1847,
purchased by Charles Jackson, Jr., the name under which the
Glendon Iron Company was at first organized. That company
having leased the adjoining lands from Mrs. Burton, began min-
ing operations, but on the purchase of the Durham furnace tract
by the Whitakers, the Glendon Company confined their mining
to their own lot, stopping operations in 1857.
New Tunnel
In 1859, a tunnel or adit, known as "New Tunnel," was
begun by the Whitakers on the north side of Mine Hill, starting
near the level of Durham Creek in order to intersect the ore
shoots at a lower level and also to unwater the old workings.
The driving of this tunnel was not carried on continuously, but
was finally completed by Cooper & Hewitt by holing into the
old workings on June 19, 1874, at a distance of about 2,000 feet
from its mouth. Several small shoots of ore were intersected in
the tunnel, but none large enough to be workable. On Decem-
ber 28, 1876, after the completion of the New Tunnel, Cooper &
Hewitt bought the so-called "Glendon Lot.""' Some thousands
22 Recorded Deed Book No. 180, page 151, etc. Consideration $5,000.
The Glendon Iron Company operated successively under the corporate names
of Charles Jackson, Jr., and the Northampton Iron Company, and on March 19,
1864, by act of the legislature changed its name to the Glendon Iron Company.
88 THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
of tons of ore were mined from the lower level, but it was of low
grade, containing but 40 per cent, of iron, and although non-
magnetic, it was blue in color, and therefore different from ores
at higher levels, which had red streaks, with smaller proportions
of protoxide of iron. On account of the low grade of ore the
mine was closed about 1885, and not thereafter reopened.
Surface Mine on Mine Hill
In 1858 an opening was first made on the south end of Mine
Hill by the Whitakers, the ore outcropping on the surface, and
the place was therefore called "Surface Mine." Operations
were suspended in 1862, and resumed under the administration
of the writer of this paper in the fall of 1878. From that opening
a large tonnage of ore was quarried. These shoots were on the
hanging wall side of the other shoots in Mine Hill.
Like all other Durham mines the ore pitched east and the
depth increased, and it soon became an underground operation.
After testing the ground with diamond drills, a tunnel was driven
into the mine, beginning at a ravine on the eastern slope of the
hill, near the buildings of No. 3 farm. This tunnel was begun
May 16, 1890, as an open cut, and tunneling was begun June 23
following. On August 31, 1891, we holed into the old mine,
where two shoots of ore were intersected, with a horse of rock
lying between them ten feet thick. The total length of the
tunnel was 1,483 feet and the total cost $8,754.45 or $5.91 per
foot, of which $3.43 was for labor. Thousands of tons of ore
were delivered through this tunnel. The cost of mining was
much reduced, and moreover the haul (by wagons) to the furnace
plant was fifty per cent, shorter. The ore contained but 5.66 per
cent, of protoxide of iron, the balance of the iron content being
vsesquioxide.
Rattle Snake Hill
The Whitakers opened up two mines on Rattle Snake Hill, one
on the northeast end of the hill, known as "Hollow Tunnel,"
in 1854, which produced a large quantity of ore which was
cheaply mined. The cost of mining this ore and delivering it
in the furnace stock house was less than one dollar per ton. Had
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS 89
this shoot been followed it would have led into the Rattle Snake
mine.
The Rattle Snake mine, lying east of Mine Hill, was first
opened on the top of the hill, in 1851, where the ore outcropped.
A slope was put down following the course of the shoot, through
which all ore was hoisted for some years, but later, probably
about 1873, a second slope was put down farther east, as the
shoot was dipping in that direction, and finally the writer of this
paper, during the administration of Cooper & Hewitt, drove a
tunnel into the eastern slope of the hill, starting a little above the
level of Durham Creek, and on its completion all ore thereafter
was carried out through this tunnel, where it was dumped on
standard railroad cars, and delivered into the furnace stockhouse
at a cost of haulage of but a few cents per ton. The Rattle
Snake mine was sunk to a depth of 150 feet below the tunnel
level. Operations were suspended in 1908, when the furnace
was shut down. The ore contained about 50 per cent, of iron
and .042 per cent, of phosphorus. A shoot of ore known as
"Back Vein," overlying the Rattle Snake shoot, was operated
for a short time by Cooper & Hewitt, but aside from this no
explorations were made on the hanging wall side of the Rattle
Snake shoot.
Orchard Limonite Mine
A limonite mine known as "Orchard Mine," was opened
on the east side of Rattle Snake hill, near the limestone belt, and a
comparatively large tonnage of high grade ore recovered. This
ore contained 50 per cent, of iron and .39 per cent, of phosphorus.
The Whitakers also drew ores from other limonite (brown
hematite) mines in Williams Township and elsewhere. About 30
per cent, of the ores used at the 1876 furnace was drawn from the
Durham mines. Cooper & Hewitt owned large magnetic ore
mines at Ringwood, N. J., and elsewhere, large tonnages of which
were used at Durham, as were also large quantities of foreign
ores. Durham furnace frequently ran on Bessemer iron, for
which the Durham ores were adapted to use in the mixture.
Cooper & Hewitt were careful to preserve drawings of all the
Durham mines with records of diamond drill holes, as well as
detailed drawings of the blast furnace and other parts of the
2 ^S^cS^i
K a;
^w-a^
J3 J*
5 ?
^S-g-2'2
?„ X c •- «5 -
oj o m'°^!§ I
■5 «i rt-^^ g-j
5 ^2ii O
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS 91
plant, which were preserved in a cabinet, but, alas, after they
disposed of the property, a flood on October 10, 1903, entered
the office and all plans and drawings were ruined, and therefore
so far as I know there are no records available, other than some
private notes of the writer of this paper. I am of the opinion that
there is considerable ore left in the Durham hills, which can be
won at low cost, but they are not rich enough in metallic iron to
bear transportation, but when some of the large deposits elsewhere
become exhausted, these Durham ores may become valuable and
the mines reopened. The mines contain but very little water and
the cost of pumping is almost negligible, although Rattle Snake
mine has reached a depth of 150 feet below the bed of Durham
Creek and is not more than half-a-mile from the Delaware River.
The Durham ores are primitive but not magnetic; they are
in fact red hematites; all have a red streak except some of the
shoots in the New Tunnel which have blue streaks. The
shoots are all well defined and are what Mining Engineers call
"regular," i. e., running northeast and southwest, dipping south
with well defined hanging and foot walls. The shoots vary in
thickness; sometimes squeezing to 12 or 15 inches and then open
to lenses of 12 or 15 feet or even more.
Analyses of Durham Ores and Limestone
Taken as a whole the ores will not average over 50 per cent,
in metallic iron, with those from the New Tunnel running much
lower. The silica is high, making them somewhat refractory.
The phosphorus averages about .04 per cent., sulphur about .10
per cent, and manganese from a trace to .08 per cent. They are
entirely free from copper.
The flux used at Durham furnace was dolomite from quarries
located along the Durham creek, less than half-a-mile west of
the furnace plant. It was comparatively of poor quality, con-
taining about 8 per cent, of silica, with 53 per cent, of carbonate
of lime and 35 per cent, carbonate of magnesia. That from the
mouth of the Durham cave, of which but little was used, was of
higher grade, containing but 3 per cent, of silica.
92 THE DURHAM IRON WORKS
LAND TITLES
Since my retirement from active business in 1913, I have
devoted much time in studying original land titles, particularly
in Durham and Springfield Townships and vicinity, as well as
the local history connected therewith. I have made three copies
of my notes, one intended for The Bucks County Historical
Society, one for The Pennsylvania Historical Society and one
for my own library. I have been aided in this work by having
many old deeds and title papers fall into my hands. Some of
these had belonged to my great-grandfather (1756-1846), some
to my grandfather (1795-1872), who was an engineer and a con-
veyancer, and some to my father (1825-1893), who although a
lawyer, was also an accomplished engineer, interested in this
same character of research work. I am also indebted to my
brother William (1857-1925), a lawyer with special aptitude for
searching titles and fitting the surveys together. But the most
valuable documents, some fifty of them, written on parchment,
came to me from a gold beater in Philadelphia, who had pur-
chased them with the intention of cutting them up for beating
gold, and, seeing their value, parted with them for the sum of
eighty dollars. These documents include the deed from Samuel
Powell, dated February 10, 1727, conveying the Durham lands
back to the twelve partners freed from the trust ; deeds from the
heirs of Charles Read, the first of the partners to pass away,
setting forth the fact that part of Charles Read's holdings in the
Durham Company actually belonged to James Logan, his brother-
in-law, but was put in Read's name in order to give James Logan
control of two votes, as each one-sixteenth entitled a partner to
one vote; deeds from George Fitzwater and Joseph Turner,
releasing part of their holdings to the Charles Read estate, and
declaring that each was the bona fide owner of but one-twenty-
fourth. This was done in order that James Logan might control
their votes. By these manipulations James Logan had two
votes of his own, two of Read's and one each of Fitzwater and
Turner, six in all. Among the deeds were the original patent,
dated April 4, 1749, to (Rev.) Richard Peters, in trust for 1,472
acres of Durham Iron Company lands lying in Williams, Spring-
field and Lower Saucon townships, indicated on map as the
Fourth Tract ; deeds from Richard Peters freeing the tracts from
THE DURHAM IRON WORKS 93
the trust; many of the Joseph Galloway papers, including a cer-
tified copy of his will on file in England, and deeds in re the mar-
riage settlement of his daughter Elizabeth, who was to marry
William Roberts of the Middle Temple, Barrister at Law. This
deed and many of the others are not recorded. Also three of the
title deeds of the so-called Pidcock tract in Solebury Township
(not recorded) ; the original patent for 2,947 acres to Lawrence
Growdon in Bensalem Township, which included "Trevose"
and Langhorne Park; also other deeds for lands in Bensalem
Township.
I have deposited most of these documents in the archives of
The Bucks County Historical Society, and in due time expect to
present that society with the others, together with other titl^
deeds and historical manuscripts now in my possession.
(For paper on Durham Iron Works, see Bucks County Historical Society,
Vol. I, page 232.)
DURHAM IRON WORKS EMPLOYEES
(From photograph taken by Frank Knecht, September 1, 1883)
Unless otherwise noted all worked continuously. When they became aged they were given
light work, until they retired of their own accords. There were many other employees who
began work equally as early as those on this photograph, and who worked continuously, but
who passed away before the taking of this photograph was thought of.
Commencing at upper left hand those standing are: John M. Reilly, furnaceman, boin
in Ireland in 1828, began work in 1855, died September 2, 1898. William Mills, blacksmith,
born July 8, 1824, began work in 1854, died February 25, 1895. Michael McAnneny, miner,
born in Ireland in 1814, began working in the Durham ore mines in 1854, died January 20.
1892. Samuel Nicholas, laborer and bandy man, born June 28, 1816, began work in 1848,
left in 1851, returned in 1854, died January 17, 1896. John Young, farrier and blacksmith,
born in the north of Ireland March 17, 1827, came to Durham from Phoenixville, with the
Whitakers in 1848, driving a four-horse team with his blacksmith's outfit and other cargo, died
November 28, 1888.
Those seated in lower row, beginning at the left, are: Henry Adams, carpenter, born
October 28, 1824, began work in 1848 on the construction of No. 1 furnace, died December
21, 1897. William Martin, furnaceman, later a "Furnace Founder," born in Ireland in 1819,
began working at Durham in 1849, died February 18, 1897. Robert Barnet, blast furnace
engineman, born in the north of Ireland in October 12, 1825, began work in 1852, died March
20, 1906. John Arthur, miner, born in Cornwall, England, January 17. 1819, began work
in 1848 when the Whitakers reopened the Durham ore mines; lost his eye-sight in 1851, while
blasting a "salamander" from tlie hearth of No. 1 furnace, died July 15, 1886. Edward Keelon.
miner, later a mining captain, born in Ireland in 1820, began work in 1848 when the Durham
mines were reopened, died October 12, 1898. Peter Tompkins, stone mason, born in the
north of Ireland March 28, 1797, began work at Durham in 1853, retired in 1877 at age of 80
years, died November 30, 1887. He was specially expert in laying dry stone masonry. His
slogan was "p-air side to Lunnon" (i. e. London). Hon. Abram S. Hewitt, on seeing a copy
of this photograph, remarked on their intelligent appearance, and said they might well be
taken for a lot of college professors.
Charles Kirk's Review of a Century
By HELEN E. D. ACTON (MRS. FRANK M.), ELKINS PARK, PA.
(Doylestown Meeting, May 6, 1933)
I GREATLY appreciate the honor conferred upon me by the
Bucks County Historical Society in wanting a condensed
account of my grandfather's diary from 1810 to 1890. It
contains both historical and personal records. I hope I will do
justice to his writings and be brief enough to interest you.
His first ancestor in this country, John Kirk, came from
Alfreton, England. He and Joan Elet, daughter of Peter Elet of
what one time appears as Carcushook, another time as Carcoen-
shook, declared their intentions of marriage at Darby meeting,
January 14, 1686. Peter Elet's tract of land was the point of
ground made by Mill Creek and Darby Creek joining as they
flowed into the Delaware River.
John Kirk bought five hundred acres of land in Darby, which
he deeded to his son William; five hundred acres in Abington to
his son John ; and five hundred acres on the Byberry road north-
west from what later became the Sorrel Horse, divided among his
three remaining sons.
In 1735, John, Jr., built a big stone house on the Abington
tract, which is still standing and has always been occupied by
well-to-do families. John, Jr., married Sarah Tyson, daughter
of Rynear Tyson, one of the Crefeld party who came on the ship
"Concord" in 1683 to Germantown. They had four sons. Sir
William Keith, the last Colonial governor of Pennsylvania, was
building his mansion in Horsham when his masons left. The
house was partly finished. Perhaps this was the first labor
strike in the new country. John Kirk, as a neighbor, offered to
finish the house; so with his four sons and an apprentice, they
completed the mansion. It was said they never were paid for
their work. I found this account verified in an old book now out
of print.
The Kirk men were of a large, athletic type, capable of per-
forming an immense of labor — true types for pioneering. They
were deeply religious. Living meant practicing, not preaching,
the Golden Rule, and keeping the ten Commandments every day.
96 CHARLES kirk's REVIEW OF A CENTURY
Charles Kirk's father, Jacob, built a large barn with a cellar
before 1800. It was the first of its kind in the neighborhood.
Charles was born December 10, 1800. He was my grandfather.
He never attended school after nine years of age, except for the
three winter months. He mastered arithmetic, mensuration,
surveying and algebra by close application. His father became a
cripple shortly before Charles was born. They had a large
family and all knew privation from an early age. Hard work
taught him the value of labor to tame an unruly spirit. He
speaks of his first deep impression of God's spirit when he told
his father a lie^ — his first, last, and only one. He lived to be
ninety years old, yet that scar never grew less.
The farm had been cropped (an old and an odd expression) for
forty years without having its fertility renewed, with the result
the crops were too meager to gather. About 1812 lime came into
general use on farms and made a wonderful change in the crops.
It took fifteen cords of wood, which had to be cut and hauled
to the kilns, to burn one thousand bushels of lime. The owner
of the kiln received five hundred bushels as his share for the
burning, which he sold to others for twenty-five and thirty cents a
bushel. Charles always thought the kiln owner had much the
better of the bargain.
His mother died. May 6, 1816, after nine days of suffering
from typhus fever. There were ten children and all took it but
Charles. One sister died. Eight were in bed at one time with
the disease. The doctors depended almost entirely on wine and
spirits for treatment. No one would come to them for fear of
contagion, so he had to solicit the neighbors to come and sit up at
nights with the sick ones, as was the custom then. It taught him
in later years to offer his services to his neighbors when they had
sickness in their households before he was called upon to aid.
One doctor's bill was $133; another one was $45, besides a
large store bill for wine and brandy. These children, by hard
work and strict economy, paid all bills before the end of the year.
Their diet was hot mush and milk and dried apple pie with little
shortening for supper in winter. Breakfast was hot milk and cold
mush. In summer the supper was bread and milk. Think of
the great physical labor performed on such meager food.
The farmer's clothes were made from flax spun and woven
with wool. It was called linsey-woolsey or home-spun. It took
CHARLES KIRK— 1800-1890
m^si 3 [^
ii-^r^'^^^^^^S^^j
HOUSE IN AKINGTON, BUILT BY JOHN KIRK, 1735
CHARLES KIRK S REVIEW OF A CENTURY 97
one acre of flax to supply the family with clothing for one year.
This made very hard labor for men and women. The pulling of
the flax was a back-breaking job if the ground was dry (it usually
was) ; the beating of the seed off was slow and tedious. The pro-
cess was to take a handful, then place it on a stone, and strike it
with all your strength until the seeds came off. This was then
spun into linen thread.
Calico was just coming from the East Indies and sold for
seventy-five cents a yard. It took six yards for a dress. The
allotment of working clothes for a man a year was two shirts, tow-
linen pants in summer and linsey-woolsey in winter all to be made
by the women.
1816 — was a very unusual year. It was the coldest summer
ever known, frost in every month. The leaves were brown and
dead; the crops were a failure. Charles was ashamed to be seen
the next spring hauling hay for the stock. It seemed as if they
had not been careful and thrifty. Not to be thrifty was almost a
sin and was met with some kind of suitable punishment.
Napoleon's ravages in Europe made prices very high here.
Inflation and quantities of paper money were the result. Gold
and silver were not in circulation for trade. Many had bought
farms at these high prices and paid half the price for purchase
money. Deflation came and they had to be sold out by the
sheriff. Wheat dropped from two and a half dollars a bushel to
seventy-two cents; corn and rye sold for twenty-eight cents; oats
for sixteen cents a bushel. It took four years to reach the bottom
and three years to recover.
1817 — the locust year, and they were more numerous than at
any time since.
1819^ — a very dry year. The crops burnt in the ground. This
made prices very high. The drought continued until in the
winter. People had to drive their cattle long distances for water;
also, they had to haul drinking water.
1820 — Prices were so low butter would not bring ten cents a
pound.
1821 — a very mild winter with plenty of mud, which made bad
traveling. He mentions, in dry weather, if the wind from the
south or south-west changes to the east by way of the south, it will
bring rain; but if it changes by way of the north, it will not bring
rain.
98 CHARLES kirk's REVIEW OF A CENTURY
"We had two horses but neither one was fit for riding. I was
twitted about being on such a poor mount, by a neighbor, a boy
of my own age. I was of a sensitive nature and I have never
been able to feel kindly towards him. Sixty years have passed
and I cannot be as friendly with him as with others. My father
purchased a three-year-old colt for thirty-nine dollars. I cut a
cord of wood, took it to Germantown, and sold it for ten dollars,
which bought the saddle, and the bridle was two dollars and
twenty-five cents extra.
"I never went in young company until after I was twenty-one
years of age. There were so few I cared to know. There were
four young men, neighbors of ours, about my own age, who spent
a great deal of time and money at the tavern, which I did not care
to do. These four have become bankrupt in purse and reputa-
tion and have been in their graves a long time. It is so true 'As
you sow, so shall you reap.' Those that have kept clear of such
things and pursued lives of honesty, industry, and economy have
acquired homes and comfortable incomes. It applies the same
today as it did then."
1822 — another dry summer; all vegetation was parched.
People felt it was a punishment for their sins. He does not men-
tion what their sins were, but I take it they were something like
our own.
"My associates had some other kind of a conveyance than a
horse; so my father told me I might quarry out enough lime-
stone to burn a kiln of lime and sell enough to buy myself a chair.
I would have preferred a gig but that cost forty dollars more. A
chair held three persons. It was a job to quarry out the stone by
hand and haul it to the kiln. I had to cut the wood to burn the
lime. I found a carriage maker at Bustleton, Pa., who would
make a chair with harness for one hundred and forty dollars plus a
certain amount of lime, which I had to haul eighteen miles for him.
After fifty years I am fully convinced if young people had to work
a little harder for their luxuries they would be better equipped for
life. About this time tow-linen-covered tops for carriages came
into use. A man had his one horse and cart and his two-horse
wagon without springs.
"This fall a friend, Daniel Longstreth, and I decided we would
like to see Niagara Falls. We joined together, each putting a
horse to our new light wagon, and with my sister, Phoebe, and
CHARLES kirk's REVIEW OF A CENTURY 99
her friend, Sarah Ann Ely, we started to drive there. Sarah Ann
had an aunt hving twenty miles from Ithaca on the Eastern shore
of Lake Cayuga. We started from Horsham on a Second-day
morning (Monday) in October and reached Easton that night.
Next morning we went through the Wind Gap for fourteen miles
before breakfast, then on to Peach Woods to lodge that night.
Our practice was to call for tea or coffee for which we paid six
cents and ate our own provisions, which we carried with us. This
was the custom in this new country. We carried boiled ham and
dried beef, cheese, bread and butter. We always secured a good
breakfast at the tavern each morning. The expenses were small
for traveling — six cents for a bed for each person at night. We
arrived at Ithaca on Seventh-day (Saturday) afternoon, a dis-
tance of two hundred and twenty miles. The distance now is two
hundred and forty-nine miles. Either their measurements were
faulty or they have gone a longer and better way.
"We attended Scipio meeting. First-day morning. Daniel
and I left the girls with Sarah Ann's aunt and on Second-day
(Monday) morning we started for the Falls, going through
Rochester. Mahlon Dungan, from Frankford, had recently
moved to Rochester and he insisted we lodge with him, which we
did. Going from his place to the Falls we saw several Indians, a
strange sight for us. Daniel's uncle was the principal engineer
on the Western section of the great New York canal, which was
being constructed. We went much out of our way to Lockport
to see the raising of the table-land below to the height of the falls
above. It was a wild looking place. It only had log huts in
which the workmen lived. We arrived at Niagara Falls Seventh-
day (Saturday) afternoon. I think the rapids above the Falls as
awe-inspiring as the Falls themselves. We returned to our homes
after four weeks of travel and at an expense of twenty-two dollars
for my sister and myself."
1824 and 1825 — were fine years with plenty of rain.
1826 — another dry summer. The price of oats jumped from
thirty-seven cents a bushel to seventy-five cents.
1827 — brought the most unhappy time in the vSociety of
Friends in regard to their doctrines. At Horsham the propor-
tion was one Orthodox to seventeen of the others. In Yearly
Meeting nine thousand Orthodox to eighteen thousand of the
other branch.
100 CHARLES kirk's REVIEW OF A CENTURY
"I now began to look forward to a home of my own and on
December 13, 1827, I married Elizabeth Conard, daughter of
Johnathan and Hannah Nixon Conard, in Horsham meeting
house, before a large gathering of relatives and friends. We
moved to a farm owned by a George Peterson, on the City Line,
one mile west of Old York Road. The place had been much neg-
lected. It had to be refenced and the price was twenty-five cents
for a new panel of fence and eight cents for resetting the old. I
bought a cow and a calf for twenty dollars, which was a high price.
Our cash to start the new home was eight hundred dollars, and at
the close of the first year we had two hundred dollars to put out at
interest. At the end of twelve years we had saved six thousand
dollars.
"One night, as we were sitting down to supper, our dear
friend from Gerrrantown came with a slave girl, Susan Lewis.
We were to keep her in hiding so the slave hunters would not find
her. She was a good faithful girl and lived with us for many
years. She married a nice, industrious man."
1830 — "I was stricken with a severe attack of bilious pleurisy.
The doctor blistered and bled me freely. The lungs were much
affected. W^hen the spasms of coughing came I raised blood. I
felt as if I was not going to be able to make a living; as we just
starting our married life, I would be a great burden. It was then
I made a covenant with my Heavenly Father. I would devote
the rest of my life to labors in His fold if my health could be
restored until I acquired a comfortable home and ten thousand
dollars. I would not covet more. Oh, how hard it was to keep
that covenant when the time came. Things were moving so
smoothly and money coming in without much effort. I kept the
covenant and the inward joy that followed was worth all I gave
up. I devoted my time to the Lord's work."
1830 — "This fall the old home was sold to a Samuel Wigfall, of
Philadelphia, for sixty-five dollars an acre, which was much too
little for it. Father had gone and it had to be sold to settle the
estate. When I stayed in the home that last night, after all the
things were sold, the memories of all the joys and sufferings we
had shared came rushing upon me with overwhelming force.
The tears flowed copiously and I was not ashamed of it. I never
have been able to speak of my mother without opening the flood
gates." Would that the youth of today could feel such sentiment
CHARLES kirk's REVIEW OF A CENTURY 101
and not jeer at it. It certainly did not make him any the less a
man.
1841 — "I purchased a farm one mile from the newly organized
meeting at Warminister, Bucks County, Pa. I paid eighty-eight
dollars an acre for it. It contained one hundred and sixteen
acres. I had nothing but the kind of money issued by the Bank
of Pennsylvania. Andrew Jackson had refused to recharter the
United States Bank of Pennsylvania, so the legislators of our
State did it themselves with a capital of thirty-two millions of
dollars, which was more than any local bank could manage, and it
became insolvent. There was a large amount of paper money in
circulation after the bank closed. No one would take these notes
and as that was the only kind of money in circulation, the value of
the dollar dropped from one dollar to twenty-eight cents, which
paralyzed business. The other banks issued at one time a sort of
certificate which did not even promise to pay."
1845 — "Texas was wrested from the Mexican government
and made a State with a constitution that slavery should never
be abolished, as though they could ignore the justice of the
Almighty Ruler of the world."
1846 — "I now began to visit other meetings in company with
Elizabeth Newport and Elizabeth Paxson. We visited Wrights-
town. It consisted of one hundred and fifty-seven families and
we occupied three weeks to accomplish our mission to visit each
family."
"I feel that silent meetings are of great benefit at times. It
was during one of these that conviction came to me of the wrong I
was doing in partaking of anything produced by slave labor. I
endeavored to prove faithful to that conviction, but it caused no
small expense to procure free labor products and a heavy burden
mentally. My wife and I received retorts sharp, pointed, and
unchristian when we, as guests, did not partake of food that was
produced by slave labor. I want it fully understood how pro-
slavery a large proportion of the meetings were.
'T hope some day a correct account will be written. One mem-
ber of By berry meeting said, 'No Abolishionist would receive an
appointment in monthly meeting.' At Horsham a recommended
minister appeared at the meeting of ministers and elders. Inquiry
was made as to her stand on slavery. One member said he con-
sidered an Abolishionist the off-scouring of the earth. Truth
102 CHARLES kirk's REVIEW OF A CENTURY
suffered between the two sides. While I was in Ohio after the
war, I heard a member of that Yearly meeting say, 'Slavery had
hurt their meeting worse than the separation of 1827 did.' "
1846 — "My friend and neighbor, Daniel Longstreth, died. I
nursed him faithfully for three months. He left a widow with
four small children without any means of support. There was
only one hundred and fifty-seven dollars left after all the debts
were paid. It was necessary for the children to have homes, so
we took Edward, the youngest boy, not because we wanted him
but because he needed a home. He was a nice child and stayed
with us until eighteen years of age, when he went, as an appren-
tice, to Baldwin Locomotive Works; where by hard work, econ-
omy, and uprightness he became a member of the firm. The two
elder children by Daniel's first wife inherited some money from
their grandfather, John Lancaster, and I was made their guardian.
The Longstreth property had been in the family for four genera-
tions. John, the eldest, was anxious to keep it, so I bought it and
managed it for him until he became of age, when I deeded it to
him. In 1852 the farm had to be sold. I built a nice stone
house of six rooms and a kitchen, into which Hannah Long-
streth moved with her children. I continued to care for the
family until they were in a way to make money. I have always
endeavored to care for the fatherless and oppressed, which I con-
sider the duty of all who profess to follow the teachings of Christ.
"Elizabeth Newport, Elizabeth dinger, and I left our homes
December fifth, 1853, to go through the south on a religious visit
to slaveowners. We reached Wilmington, Delaware, the first
night, where we had a meeting. Then on to Fallston and Gun-
powder, where we had meetings. Next we went to Westminister,
Pipe Creek, and Fredericksburg, crossing through Harper's Ferry
into Virginia. The Methodists were most kind, and helped us
get up meetings. We knew no one in this part of the south and it
was a sad task to arrange a meeting. We went on to Winchester,
Virginia, where there were a group of Friends. We turned west
from Winchester into the mountains and on to Romney, West
Virginia ; a Presbyterian minister gave up his prayer meeting that
we might have his church for our meeting. We continued into
Kentucky. It had turned warm and the melting snow from the
mountains made the rivers rise so we could not proceed. We put
the horses and carriage on a steam packet bound for Maysville.
CHARLES kirk's REVIEW OF A CENTURY 103
At Maysville we took passage on a boat for Pittsburgh. The
boat was heavily laden, it turned cold, the river suddenly became
lower, after leaving Wheeling we ran aground several times. It
took ninety hours to do the distance usually done in thirty-three.
The horses would not eat nor drink while on the boat. When we
reached Pittsburgh, I thought I would put the horses and car-
riage on a train for Philadelphia, but they wanted forty dollars, so
I decided to drive. I hoped by going slowly the horses would
improve, which they did.
"We left Pittsburgh First-month, seventh, and drove fifteen
miles the first day. We reached Ivyland, Bucks County, on the
night of the sixteenth, all of us in good health. It may be truly
said, 'Seeing is believing, but feeling hath no fellow.' " Just think,
that drive is made in a day from Pittsburgh to Ivyland in 1933.
"The hardships and exposures we endured to bring about this
religious visit to slaveowners taught us that without the Almighty
Power above, whose very self is Love, we could not have accom-
plished so arduous a journey."
This is the route they drove:
From Pittsburgh to Greensburg, 31 miles.
From Greensburg to Youngstown, 10 miles.
From Youngstown to Legionier, 16 miles.
From Legionier to Stoystown, 18 miles.
From Stoystown to Schellsburg, 18 miles.
From Schellsburg to Bedford, 10 miles.
From Bedford to Chambersburg, 56 miles.
From Chambersburg to Shippensburg, 10 miles.
From Shippensburg to Carlisle, 20 miles.
From Carlisle to Harrisburg, 18 miles.
From Harrisburg to Middletown, 9 miles.
From Middletown to Lancaster, 31 miles. .
From Lancaster to Fallowfield.
From Fallowfield to King of Prussia.
From King of Prussia to Ivyland.
Notes on Gristmills and Milling in Pennsylvania
By henry S. ENGART, LEBANON, PA.
(Doylestown Meeting, May 6, 1933)
THE subject of "Old Water Power Grist Mills" is one that
has never been written up as a separate paper in the
archives of this society. Now that these mills are fast
falling into ruin and disappearing it is necessary an effort be
made to preserve in written form and in pictures some of the
details of their construction, operation, and other general infor-
mation in connection with them. The contents of this paper
will be mainly concerned with the construction of the older type
mills and their wooden gearing and machinery.
In the course of my narration, details will be given for the
construction of a complete mill, including the dam, raceway,
mill-house, and machinery.
Realizing that too much material of a technical nature is
poor reading, references to local streams and their mills will be
made and some anecdotes related about that venerable old
worthy — the miller.
Before I take you into the mysteries of millwrighting and
milling, join me for a moment and come with me once more to
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im
GRISTMILL ON MECHANICS RUN
MECHANICS VALLEY, BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
December 26, 1931
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 105
the old mill as you were wont to do in your childhood days.
Everybody is acquainted with some old mill where as a child
you often accompanied your father or older brother with the
farm grist. Later in your teens this errand became yours
to discharge. Experience once more that feeling of elation which
seized you as you approached the rumbling old structure on a
drowsy midsummer's afternoon. How your childish curiosity
was aroused by the vertical row of doorways, one for each floor
and often numbering as high as five. Directly above the row
of doors projected the overhang from which hung the millers'
faithful servant, — the hoist rope, with its heavy chain and hook.
Sometimes it was necessary to urge the quiet and trusted farm
horse up to the mill door, especially if he was not regularly used
for going to the mill. Since the mill usually lay in a hollow,
the approaches in either direction were sloping which made it
necessary to use brakes, so that the dragging and scraping of
wagon wheels was a common sound at the old mill. Instances
of teams having become frightened at the combined noise of the
brakes and the mill occasionally happened. The wagon and its
contents usually wound up in the mill race or the nearby creek.
When you drew up to the mill it was not unusual to be fourth
or fifth in line, so great was the volume of business done by the
local mills in the years gone by. While awaiting your turn you
watched the unloading of the teams ahead, particularly the bags of
grain as they were hoisted aloft and skilfully swung in through
the open door by the miller, all white and dusty. How the
gurgling and rushing of the water along the mill race tempted
you to get down from the wagon and try your luck at sailing
boats or fishing. But a quick glance at father or brother who
was talking to one of the waiting farmers told you that it was
advisable to wait for a better opportunity. Another sore tempta-
tion, both hazardous and fascinating, was the desire to unlatch
the lower half of the first floor mill door and go exploring into the
very midst of all that rumbling and grinding machinery. The
hand-hewn posts and timbers, the easy stairways, the flapping
belts and grinding cog wheels, the miller's bag truck and the
piles of filled sacks — a most interesting place to go and a tempta-
tion the average child could not resist. How nice it was to
throw grains of corn or wheat in the big cog wheels and then
listen to the crunching as the cogs crushed them. Some of you
106 NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA
actually made one trip to the race, to sail boats or, unaccompanied,
started to explore the interior of the mill. You had taken advan-
tage of the situation, while the others were busily engaged in
conversation, to slip away unnoticed. Now that you are older
and have felt anxiety and responsibility yourself, you can
realize the apprehension and fear that must have seized your
DOUBLE-GEARED GRISTMILL IN BEDFORD COUNTY, PA.
Large wooden cogwheel with cast iron bevel gears
father or brother when he saw you were gone. Delusions of
fishing your limp body out of the race or picking up your crushed
remains from under the cogs momentarily seized him. These
were not idle delusions either, for there was hardly a mill that
did not have its tale of horror relating to some one having been
killed, or of arms, legs, fingers, or toes that were torn off. How
nimbly those seven-year-old legs of yours carried you back to
the wagon, and every time you slowed up the least bit there was
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 107
the added impress of the flat palm of a strong hand to increase
your momentum.
When your turn came you drove up or rather followed the
team ahead of you until you were directly beneath the overhang
of the hoist. In a moment the miller allowed the hoist rope to
descend atop the sacks of grain in your wagon, and, if you were
not expecting it, you were likely to be mildly startled when the
heavy hook and chain struck the bed of the wagon. There was
pulling and tugging as the chain was wrapped around the middle
of a bag of w^heat or corn and hooked. Then — a wave of the
THE ILLICK GRISTMILL ON THE MILLBACH, LEBANON COUNTY, PA.
The old-fashioned Dutch kitchen and other wood-work was removed from this mill and placed
in the Philadelphia Museum
Photograph, March 12, 1932
hand, and a loud "All right." Up went the bag like a feather
wafted on a light breeze to the very peak of the mill, where the
miller seized it, and at the same time releasing the slender hoist
cord which controlled the hoisting machinery swung it in through
the door. Bags of grain were usually hoisted to the top floor
and then emptied into a garner or bin and allowed to run down a
chute to the burr stones. While a bag or bags were being taken
up on the hoist, great care had to be taken that no one was
standing beneath, lest something go wrong — either the rope
break or some of the machinery fail and the bag come down like a
108 NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA
shot and instantly kill any one beneath. In a remarkably
short time the wagon was empty. Then the miller must descend
to the first floor and give you the grist which was ground from the
grain that you brought the day or week before. You received
your grist from the platform at the first floor door which was
constructed to be level with the bed of the wagon. In some
mills the hoist was used for loading as well as unloading, but
those mills usually had a reversible geared windlass of modern
construction, the friction hoist common in the older mills having
been torn out.
It was the custom to go to the mill once or twice a week,
depending on the distance. Grain to be ground was brought to
the mill and the finished grist which had been ground from the
grain brought on the trip before was taken home. Corn, wheat,
buckwheat, oats, rye, and sometimes barley were the different
grains which the burr mills could grind. Today, the few of them
that still exist do little besides the chopping or cracking of corn
and the grinding of corn meal and buckwheat flour.
We must not forget the mill office which usually occupied a
small boarded space in one corner of the first floor and boasted
of the only heat to be had in the building in the cold winter time.
Here, the miller sat at odd moments when no customers were
outside or when the parcel he was grinding was large, requiring
considerable time. Such accounts of the business as were kept
consisted mainly of tolls, charged for grinding. The taking of
toll was the method used for having your grist ground. While
speaking of the practice of tolling, I am reminded of two anec-
dotes which used to be told. They both allude to the practice of
over tolling, which did occasionally occur.
The first anecdote concerns a miller who bought a small
mill which was in a run down condition. He was doing his best
to make the mill pay but had not succeeded. One day a feed
salesman stopped'. In the course of their conversation, the
miller complained that, although he was busy grinding most
of the time, his toll bin failed to pay him for his efforts and
allow any profit. "Let me see your toll measure," said the
salesman. After looking at it, he remarked, casually: "Try
one that is twice as large as this one." Some time later the
salesman on his yearly rounds was astonished to see the mill
neatly white-washed and with a new roof. When he entered,
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 109'
he noticed new machinery and things in general appeared to
have been overhauled. Seeing the miller comfortably seated
in his little office he exclaimed, in surprise, that he had not
expected to see this. "Why?" asked the miller. "Well,"
replied the salesman, "last year when I was here things were in
bad condition and you complained that you would probably
have to shut down." "Now in the short time that has passed
since I was here I find everything has been repaired and your
business looks prosperous. What is your secret?" "Well,"
replied the miller, "I took your advice and made my toll measure
twice as large."
The other is told of a small boy who was sent by his father
to the mill with a sack of grain. "Be sure and bring the em.pty
sack home," his father said. The boy, upon arrival at the mill,
gave the sack to the miller and watched him empty it through a
hole in the fioor. For some reason the miller lost hold of it
and sack and all went down the chute. The boy, much dismayed,
returned home to his father without the empty sack and mourn-
fully said, "He took everything, he didn't even leave me the-
empty sack."
Tolling, as a method of payment for grinding has passed
away. Now all mills have fixed charges for grinding and you
pay according to weight or measurement in cash.
WILSON KLINGER'S GRISTMILL
Northwest of Seudberg, Schuylkill County, Pa.
110 NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA
So, week after week, you made the same trip. Probably never
leaving the seat of the wagon or entering the mill. The miller
enjoyed the full trust of his customers in the matter of taking
his toll and rarely was there occasion to doubt the integrity of
those worthy artisans. I say worthy, because, to a large extent
the health of a community depended on their skill as millers to
grind good quality flour and meal for the bread, cakes and
pastry that our forebears ate.
You must remember that the era of easy transportation,
good roads, and patent flour was then still in the future. Most
people in a certain locality were forced to patronize the nearest
mill because the expense, time, and the difficulty of hauling
grain to another mill and then going for the finished grist was
too great.
All that I have just narrated has become a memory in most
communities. Here and there, where one of the old mills con-
tinues to operate, you will find that both the machinery and the
methods have been modernized. Housewives demand snow
white flour. Snow white flour, such as we are accustomed to,
cannot be ground with burr stones because flour made on burr
stones always contains a certain amount of bran and middling.
GRISTMILL NEAR HERSHEY, DAUPHIN COUNTY, PA.
Showing overhang and hoisting rope
NOTES OX GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 111
It has been the fooHsh demand for the less nutritive white flour
that has helped to drive "The Old Mill" out of business. In
Bucks County, out of a total of nearly one hundred burr stone
mills, there are at the most only two or three that still operate.
However, in the western part of the state and in the mountain
regions there are quite a number of the old burr mills which
still do their chopping, grinding, and the making of buckwheat
flour with the stones. There are few millers left who can pick,
sharpen, set up, and properly grind with burr stones.
Mills now carry a varied assortment of ready prepared
patent flours and feeds bought from the western mills. Little
grinding of local grain is done by them, with the exception of
some chopping and attrition mill work in the preparation of
stock feed.
There can be little doubt but that the community has lost
another bulwark of its self sufficiency and independence in the
passing of its mills. With them has gone the ability to supply
its own flour and meal for human consumption as well as the
feed for the livestock. Today, our supply comes from afar,
which is all very good until some hitch occurs in the system of
supply. Then how prices rise; but there can be no escape, for
our means of local supply is gone and there is nothing to do but
bear the burden.
Deforestation must be charged with its share of the guilt in
driving the old mill on the rocks. Small streams, which were
formerly considered of great value for their power to turn mills,
are now nearly dried up or filled in, and their channels diverted.
In general, they are worthless and considered as a m.enace to
highways, for, though during most of the season they can be
bridged with a culvert, there are times when after heavy rains
they rise over their banks and flood low areas. Hence it is
necessary to build high and expensive bridges. Many strong
and never failing streams have dwindled to mere trickles and
rills, — a fine commentary on the foresting methods of our some-
times short sighted ancestors. Large areas of once fertile hills
and valleys now lie barren, a hopeless maze of gullies and ditches.
So complete has this deforestation been in some areas that whole
water courses for miles have ceased to exist, except during times
of heavy rains.
Bucks County's largest streams, the Big and Little Neshami-
112 NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA
nies, become so low during dry seasons that there is not enough
water flowing over the ripples to wet one's feet. Yet, as I men-
tioned before, it is bridged at many points with large and expen-
sive stone and steel bridges. Of the numerous mills that formerly
stood along the banks of the Neshaminy and were busily engaged
in supplying the needs of the surrounding communities only one
is operating.
"Mechanics Run," to the east of Doylestown, has five mill
buildings still standing along its banks, all of them were grist
mills at one time or another. Today all are silent except one
BROWN'S GRISTMILL, IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS, NEAR BETHEL,
BERKS COUNTY, PA.
Photograph taken February 27, 1932, with mill in operation
which is operated by Oliver Rice when there is any grinding to
be done, and if there is any water in the dam.
Inability to adequately serve their customers in time of
drouth led to the loss of business or the installation of expensive
engines and motors, which eventually increased running expenses
so that the business did not pay.
One by one, the old millers locked their doors and opened
the waste gates of their races. Some, for lack of other occupa-
tion and because of advanced age, clung to their dwindling busi-
ness until death released them. Then the "Old Mill Wheel,'"
for lack of a master, ceased forevermore its splashing and drip-
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 113
ping rotations. Time, the elements, decay, rust, and fire have
contributed their share toward obUterating the old mill struc-
tures. Many of the old buildings have been transformed into
tea houses and, in rare cases, into dwellings.
'Tis with a feeling of emptiness and sadness that you return
to the region of your childhood days and gaze upon the ruins of
the "Old Mill," once the scene of bustling activity. And, so
the march of time goes on, casting aside the old and replacing it
with the new, which, in turn, shall suffer the fate of its predecessor.
Now, for the brighter aspect of my subject. Although the
old mills and their builders are fast disappearing, it gives me
great pleasure to be able to present, in these humble efforts of
mine, numerous interesting and correct details of "The Art
OF MiLLWRiGHTiNG." We Can safely say that there will never
exist again such painstaking and hardy artisans as the old mill-
wrights, who, for all their eccentricities, builded well. They are
among the obscure and forgotten builders of this mighty nation
of ours.
The Mill Site
The first thing to be considered in the building of a mill is the
selection of a stream with a strong, never failing flow of water.
After choosing a suitable stream you must next determine the best
point of location for your mill seat. In selecting the site for the
mill seat two things must be considered. First, the point chosen
must give you the greatest possible fall, and secondly, it must be
high enough so that a tail race may be dug of not too great
length, which will carry off the water as soon as it leaves the
wheel. If your tail race flows slowly there will be great loss of
power from backwater slowing the motion of the wheel.
After carefully leveling your mill seat and knowing the fall
as well as the quantity of water available, you must next select
the proper type of water wheel.
There are six types of water wheels that may be used, each
depending on the volume of water or the fall that you may have.
Types of Water W^heels
The six types of water wheels that the millwright can choose
from are: 1. Undershot, 2. Overshot, 3. Pitch-back, 4. Brest
Wheel, 5. Tub Wheel, 6. Reaction Wheel which much resembles
the modern turbine.
TYPES OF WATER WHEELS
Fig. 28— Undershot Water Wheel
29— Tub Water Wheel
30— Tub Water Wheels, set up
31— Breast Water Wheel
33— Overshot Water Wheel
34— Mill Dam
36 — Mill Race, curved to avoid stones
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 115
Undershot wheels were used on streams where the vokime of
w^ater was large and the fall not very great. The undershot
wheel gets its name, owing to the fact that the water strikes the
blades or buckets on the under part of the wheel instead of on
top as with the overshot wheel. The efficiency of undershot
wheels was usually low because it was the impact of the water
alone which turned the wheel. The three other types of wheels,
excepting the tub wheel, make use of the weight of the water
after the force of the head is spent. An undershot wheel will
be only half as powerful as an overshot wheel of the same size,
the same volume of water being allowed to act on both. The
undershot wheel will stop as soon as the force of the water is
spent, unless the flow be constant. Knowing these facts, the
undershot wheel ought not to be adopted, except where there is
little fall, but a great plenty of water.
All of the mills on both branches of the Neshaminy were
turned by undershot wheels, because of the little fall but the
great volume, of the two streams. Such was the case when the
mills were built, but in later years both branches failed frequently
to supply enough water to their mills in the dry seasons. Dar-
rah's Mill, at Hartsville, the last to operate on the Little Ne-
shaminy, lost much of its custom when the parapet was carried
from the dam, thus reducing the volume of water that could be
stored during dry weather.
Overshot wheels, a type where the water is laid on the top,
acting first by percussion against the blades or buckets of the
wheel and afterwards by gravity or weight, are highly efficient
and operate on a minimum of water. They were the type of
wheel used if the fall in the stream was greater than twelve feet
and the flow of water was not very great. The larger an over-
shot wheel is, or any type water wheel for that matter, the less
water it will require, and the more power you will get. The
reasons: First, a larger wheel will cast off the water better.
Secondly, we have a simple problem in physics dealing with
levers, the arms or spokes of the wheel acting as levers to turn
the shaft. The force exerted by a lever is equal to the force
applied at the end multiplied by the distance from the end of
the lever to the fulcrum. Hence the longer the arms of the
water wheel the more force you will get from the weight of the
116 NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA
water in the buckets of the wheel, which act on the arms through
the medium of the shrouds.
An eighteen-foot overshot water wheel turning a run of
stones should be six inches wide for every foot the stones are in
diameter. So an eighteen-foot overshot wheel to turn a run
of five-foot stones one hundred and six revolutions per minute
should be thirty inches wide from shroud to shroud. This wheel
will require six cubic feet of water per second. A large dam
well built, situated on a very small stream, if once filled can
ARMITAGE'S GRISTMILL ON THE CUTALUOSA IX BUCKS COUNTY
With overshot water wheel
operate an overshot wheel for a day's grinding of at least ten
hours, and easily refill itself at night in preparation for the next
day's grinding.
I will present some figures to prove this statement. Suppose
our pond or dam contains three acres and is on the average of
three feet deep. An acre of mill pond contains 43,560 cubic
feet of water for every foot of its depth. Assume our dam
covers three acres and is on the average of three feet deep. It
will contain three acres times three feet times 43,560 cubic feet
(of water in an acre), which will be 392,040 cubic feet of water.
By previous statement I said that an eighteen-foot overshot
wheel, thirty inches wide, turning a run of stones will require
six cubic feet of water per second. However, we will allow ten
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 117
cubic feet of water per second to take care of leaks and seepage.
Divide 392,040 cubic feet (the contents of our dam) by ten
cubic feet (used per second), and we find that our mill pond will
contain enough water to run the mill 39,204 seconds or ten
hours and fifty-three minutes. Allowing the stream that feeds
the mill pond a flow of two cubic feet per second, our dam would
also be replenished to the extent of nearly 80,000 cubic feet in
eleven hours, which would give us a total of 472,000 cubic feet
of water available. In this instance we are assuming that no
part of the dam is any lower than the entrance to the race.
It was because of the adaptability of "Mechanics Run" for
the use of overshot wheels that we find five mills in the short
distance of two and one-half miles.
Pitchback and breast wheels (Refer to picture on page 114
showing types of water wheels) work on the same principle as
overshot wheels, in that they are both acted on by the percussion
and the weight of the water. This type of wheel is used where
the fall of and the volume of water is not very great. Breast
wheels are always more than eighteen feet in height or diameter,
although the fall of the water may be less than twelve feet. It is
called a breast wheel if the penstock is lower than the shaft of the
wheel. The water is not carried over the wheel as in the case
of overshot wheels, but instead the penstock carries the water
directly toward the wheel. Then it is diverted by a chute down
against the buckets on the same side of the wheel as the water is
flowing toward. A close fitting sheeting covers the wheel on the
side which receives the water. This sheeting or covering pre-
vents the loss of much water, which would occur when it strikes
the buckets or floats at right angles.
When the penstock is nearly as high as the wheel, the water
may be carried partly over the wheel and shot on backwards.
The part of the penstock next the wheel is in the form of a chute
to guide the water into the wheel. The entire side of the wheel
will need to be closely sheeted to prevent the loss of water. This
type of wheel is called a pitchback wheel. The head of the
water may be reduced to the same as it is for an overshot wheel,
and the motions of the two wheels will be the same, likewise
their power will be the same. Breast and pitchback wheels have
been built with their diameters as great as forty feet, giving
tremendous power and using a minimum of water. Two large
118 NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA
wheels of this type were used on the Union Canal to pump water
up to the summit level near Lebanon.
Perhaps the simplest and cheapest type of mill to suit your
mill seat would be a "Tub Mill." (Refer to picture on page 114
showing types of water wheels.) It is a curious piece of ma-
chinery and very similar to the "Norse Mill," except that the
norse mill wheel does not have the hoop around it as does the
tub mill wheel. A tub mill has a vertical water wheel that is
acted on by the percussion of the water alone. The shaft is
vertical, carrying the stone on top of it, and serves in place of a
spindle. The lower end of this shaft is set in a step fixed in a
bridge tree, by which the stone is raised and lowered. The water
is shot on the upper side of the wheel in the direction of a tangent
with its circumference. The wheel runs in a hoop, like a mill
stone hoop, projecting so far above the wheel as to prevent the
water from shooting over the wheel and whirls it about until it
strikes the buckets. The water is shot on in a deep narrow
column, nine inches wide and eighteen inches deep, to drive a
five-foot stone. The whole of this column cannct enter the
buckets until a part has passed half way around the wheel, so
that there are always nearly half the buckets struck at once.
The buckets are set obliquely that the water may strike them
at right angles. As soon as the water strikes, it escapes under
the wheel in every direction.
For the complete description of a tub mill I am indebted to
U. J. Jones, author of "Early Settlements in the Juniata Valley,"
who has ably described the early mills of the Juniata Valley.
He secured his information from Edward Bell of Blair County.
Mr. Bell, a millwright, died in 1850, but before his death he
visited the last of the Continental Tub Mills in the valley and
minutely examined it. This mill was built before the Revolution
and stood near Dorsey's Forge, on the Little Juniata, in Hunting-
don County.
The mill house was about twelve feet high and fourteen feet
square, made of small poles and covered with clapboards. There
was neither floor nor loft to it. The husk was made of round
logs built into the wall; the water or tub wheel was some three
feet in diameter, and split boards driven into the sides of the
shaft made the buckets. The shaft had a gudgeon in the lower
end and a thing they called a spindle, in the upper end, and was
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 119
not dressed in any way between the claws. The stones were
about two feet four or six inches in diameter, and not thick, and
in place of a hoop they had cut a buttonwood tree that was
hollow and large enough to admit the stones, and sawed or cut
it off to make the hoop. The hopper was made of clapboards,
and a hole w^as driven near the eye of the stone, from which a
pin projected, serving the purpose of a dampsil, which struck the
shoe every time the stone revolved. The meal trough, made
out of part of a gum tree, completed the grinding fixtures. The
bolting chest was about six feet long, two and one-half feet wide,
and four feet high, made of livewood puncheons, split, hewed,
and jointed to hold f^our, with a pair of deer skins sewed together
to shut the door. There was not one piece of iron about the
chest or bolting reel. It had a crank or handle on one end,
made of w^ood — the shaft, ribs, and arms, of the same material;
and the cloth was leona muslin, or lining that looked like it.
Mr. Jones whose book was pubHshed in 1856, went on to say
that it was a rather one-horse concern for his day and generation.
What would he say today if he were taken to some of the huge
mills of Minneapolis or other parts of the United States? I
should like to see how some of the people of today would relish
bread baked from flour bolted through leona muslin. It might
do for dyspepsia.
Let it be remembered that tub mills should never be built
along streams that fail during a dry season. They are suited to
those places only where water runs to waste during the whole
year. There were hundreds of such mills in the United States,
which were useless at the season when they were most needed,
whilst a well constructed overshot, breast, or pitch-back wheel
might be kept constantly running.
The reaction wheel, which operates in somewhat the same
fashion as the modern turbine is especially adapted for mill
seats where there is much back w^ater. Reaction wheels may
be set on vertical or horizontal shafts, working equally well
either way. Any number of wheels may be put on the shaft,
according to the power desired or the water available. They
were usually arranged in pairs, one on either side of the cistern,
which was a closed downward continuation of the penstock.
The water flows through an opening along the shaft on either side
of the cistern, into each of the wheels. There are apertures
120 NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA
around the rim of the wheel, arranged as curved blades, which
are struck by the escaping water, the water spurting out with
equal pressure from all the openings. As the water spurts out
and strikes the insides of the curved blades the entire wheel is
whirled around. By opening or closing the apertures the power
and the quantity of water used may be increased or diminished.
Thus, with the reaction wheel we have the water acting from the
inside of the wheel instead of acting on the outside as it does
with other types. Escaping water pushes the reaction wheel
around, while confined water pushes the overshot wheel around.
REACTION WHEEL OR OLD-FASHIONED TURBINE
Having described the six common types of waterw heels and
enumerated their good and bad points, we are now ready to
choose the proper water wheel for our particular mill seat. We
will assume our mill seat is on a stream that has an average flow
of ten cubic feet of water per second. There is a fall of twenty
feet. Our selection will be an eighteen-foot overshot wheel.
Dams
In locating a dam, you must be careful to let the dam and the
mill be a sufficient distance apart, so that the dam will not raise
the water on the mill, in time of high floods. This has hap-
pened in many instances, on large streams, where a mill was set
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 121
SO close to the dam that the pier head, or forebay, was in the
breast. In event of a leak about the forebay, or mill, there was
no chance of shutting off the water or conveying it another
way, as can be done where there is a raceway, but all must be
left to its fate. Such mills are frequently broken down and
carried away, even the millstones are carried a considerable
distance down the stream, buried under the sand and never
found. The great danger from this error will appear more
plainly, if we suppose six mills on one stream, one above the
other, each at the breast of its dam, and a great flood to break
DAM ACROSS THE LEHIGH RIVER AT ALLENTOWN. PA.
Part of the slack water navigation of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company
Photograph, April 27, 1932
one of the dams. At once this increased flood will carry away
all the dams below as well as the mills. A case of this type
actually happened in Virginia, in 1794. All the mills and the
dams on Falling Creek, in Chesterfield County, were carried
away at once except the lowest mill. The dam of this mill
having broken the year before it was rebuilt a quarter of a mile
higher up the creek from the mill, by which means this mill was
saved.
The site for the dam should have a foundation of solid rocks
or stones, so heavy that water will never move them. If the
site has a bottom of sand or clay, make a foundation of the
122 NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA
trunks of long trees, laid close together on the bottom of the
creek, with their butt ends downstream, as low and close together
as possible. (Refer to Fig. 34, in picture on page 114.) They
should extend across the whole tumbling space, so that the falling
water cannot undermine the wall of the dam. On these logs
the dam may be built, either of stone or wood, but preferably
of stone if the foundation is to be of wood. The weight of a
stone dam will keep the foundation logs well anchored whereas
a wooden dam on a wooden foundation might float away or be
moved by a heavy flood.
SPANNUTH'S GRISTMILL, FRYSTOWN, LEBANON COUNTY, PA.
Destroyed by fire in 1898 and rebuilt
In operation when photograph was taken, February 27, 1932
The dam which supplied water for the sawmill on the farm
of John M. Darrah, about two miles northwest of Hartsville,
was built on a foundation of logs, which extended out about
thirty feet from the stone breast of the dam. Many dams are
built of timber and small stones, such as the old dam at the
Bridge Valley Mill, formerly "Ryan's Sawmill." All of the
modern dams of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company are
built of timber and filled in with stone, gravel and mud. The
breast of logs is made perpendicular, with straight logs, laid
close to one another, then another wall of logs fifteen or twenty
feet upstream is laid, not so high as the breast wall by at least
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 123
three feet, but fitted very close together to prevent lamprey eels
from working through them. These two walls are tied together
at every six feet or so, with cross logs, butts downstream, dove-
tailed and bolted strongly to the logs of the lower wall, especially
the upper logs. The ends of the upper logs or timbers must be
well fixed and the upstream ends sunken, since floating logs, ice
jams and other objects coming down stream will strike them and
be glanced over the dam by them. These dams should be bow
shaped, with the bow or arch standing upstream.
Another common type of dam was the bow, or arch shaped,
masonry dam, of stone, with the bow or arch standing upstream,
so that the pressue of the water pressed the stones more closely
together. On the upstream side of the masonry wall was a
sloping embankment of earth and stones which helped to glance
logs and other debris over the wall as well as strengthening the
breast.
A third type of dam used on small streams, was the common
earth embankment having a layer of planks sunk and fastened,
with the upstream end lowest, to prevent the water from washing
the newly placed earth away. Many of these earth dams were
fifteen to twenty feet thick and served as roadways, sluices or
waste gates taking care of flood water and preventing the water
from running over the earthen breast. Today, the predominat-
ing type of dam is built of earth and gravel with a core of con-
crete.
Constructing the Raceway
In digging the race, we must remember that water will come
to a level on its surface, whatever may be the form of the bottom
or sideg. When you have determined on the area of the section
or prism of the race, necessary to convey a sufficient quantity
of water to the mill, you need only to keep that area in mind,
while digging the entire length, without paying much attention
to the depth or width, if there be any rocks in the way. Much
expense may be oftentimes saved, by making the race deep
where it cannot easily be made wide enough, and wide where it
cannot easily be made deep enough. (Refer to Fig. 36 in picture
on page 114.) One disadvantage in having races very shallow
in some places is that, the water in dry seasons may be too low
to rise over the shallow places. The current will keep the deep
124 NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA
places open, light sand and mud will not settle in them. The
amount of fall that the race should have, must be sufficient to
give the water a velocity of at least one to two feet per second ; —
but, the slower, the better, as there will be less fall lost between
the dam and the forebay. A fall of one inch to one hundred
feet is enough in most races. Considerable care is necessary
when putting in the forebay. A number of solid frames, each
consisting of a sill, two posts and a cap should be set up two and
one-half to three feet apart; to these the planks are spiked. The
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MORGANS GRIST MILL NEAR WILLOW GROVE IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA.
Original mill built by Benjamin Parry in 1731
Photograph taken May 22, 1932
frame at the head next to the water in the race and another six
or eight feet in the race, should extend four or five feet on each
side of the forebay into the bank, and be planked in front, to
prevent the water, and vermin from working under or around.
Next, lay the bottom and sides of the forebay with good sound
plank, well jointed and spiked to the sills. Plank the head to
its proper height, leaving a suitable sluice to guide the water to
the wheel. A rack should be made across the race at the head
of the forebay, to keep off the floating sticks and matter, that
might injure the gates and break the buckets or floats of the
wheel. The bottom of the race must be planked between the
forebay and the rack to prevent the water from making a hole
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 125
by tumbling through the rack when choked, and the sides must
be planked outside the posts to keep the banks up. This rack
must be twice as long as the forebay is wide, or else the water
will not come through it fast enough to keep the head up. Per-
haps this will make clear to you the reason for the wide racks in
mill races supplying undershot wheels.
To carry the water away from under the wheel after it has
been used, makes it necessary that a tail race be dug. This
tail race or exodus for the fallen water must be deep enough and
wide enough to carry ofif all the water as it falls from the wheel.
If it cannot get rid of the water, the wheel will begin to wallow
in it and we have what is known as backwater, which will cut
down the efficiency of all types of wheels excepting the reaction
and turbine wheels.
The Mill House
There are several very important things to be considered in
building the mill house walls. First, the foundations should be
laid with large, good stones so deep as to be out of danger of
being undermined, in case water might break through at the
mill and soften the earth or cause quick sands to form beneath
the walls. The center of the weight of the wall should pass
through the center of its foundation. It was often the common
CRADLING GRAIN IN BLAIR COUNTY, PA.
Photograph take . July 5, 1932
126 NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA
practice to build the walls plumb outside, and to batter them
from the inside, which would throw their center of gravity to
one side of their base. If, therefore, the wall settles any it will
incline to fall outwards. Good mortar and hard clean cut stone
should be used. Good mortar made of pure, well burnt limestone,
properly mixed with sharp, clean sand, free from any sort of
earth, loam, or mud will, in time, actually turn to the hardness
of stone. It is better to put too much sand in your mortar than
too little. Workmen like their mortar rich, because it works
easily, but rich mortar will not stand the weather well, nor grow
so hard as poor mortar. Mortar that is all lime would have
little more strength than clay.
Woodwork
The timbering and woodwork of the mill house should be
of the best quality live wood, cut and properly seasoned. Oak
from the standpoint of strength and durability is to be preferred
for all timbering, joists, and rafters. W^hite pine, yellow pine,
chestnut, or hemlock make very good material for floors, parti-
tions, bins, garners, and stair work. To give you an idea of the
timber required for a three-story mill I am inserting the follow-
ing:
MODERN WAY OF REAPING GRAIN AND HARVESTING IN THE
TWENTIETH CENTURY
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 127
Bill of scantling for a mill, thirty-two by fifty-five feet, three
stories high; the walls of mason work.
For the First Floor
2 sills, 29 feet long, 8 by 12 inches, to lay on the walls for the
joists to lie on.
48 joists, 10 feet long, 4 by 9 inches, all of timber that will
last well in dampness.
For the Second Floor
2 posts, 9 feet long, 12 by 12 inches.
2 girders, 30 feet long, 14 by 16 inches.
48 joists, 10 feet long, 4 by 9 inches.
For the First F'loor over the Water House
1 cross girder, 30 feet long, 12 by 14 inches, for one end of the
joists to lie on.
2 posts to support the girder, 12 feet long, 12 by 12 inches.
16 joists, 13 feet long, 4 by 9 inches; all of good white oak, or
other timber, that will last in damp places.
For the Third Floor
4 posts, 9 feet long, 12 by 12 inches to support the girders.
2 girder posts, 7 feet long, 12 by 12 inches to stand on the
water house.
2 girders, 53 feet long, 14 by 16 inches.
90 joists, 10 feet long, 4 by 9 inches.
For the Fourth Floor
6 posts, 8 feet long, 10 by 10 inches, to support the girders.
2 girders, 53 feet long, 13 by 15 inches.
30 joists, 10 feet long, 4 by 8 inches, for the middle tier of the
floor.
60 joists, 12 feet long, 4 by 8 inches, for the outside tiers or
cornice which extends 12 inches over the walls, for the rafters to
stand on.
2 plates, 54 feet long, 3 by 10 inches: these lie on the top of
the walls and the joists on them.
128 NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA
For the Roof
54 rafters, 22 feet long, 3 inches thick, 6>^ wide at the bottom,
and 4>^ at the top end.
25 collar beams, 1 7 feet long, 3 by 7 inches.
2760 feet of lath, running measure.
7000 shingles.
For the Doors and Window Frames
12 pieces, 12 feet long, 6 by 6 inches, for door frames.
• 36 pieces, 8 feet long, 5 by 5 inches, for window frames.
For the Water House
2 sills, 27 feet long, 12 by 12 inches.
1 sill, 14 feet long, 12 by 12 inches.
2 spur blocks, 4 feet 6 inches long, 7 inches by 7 inches.
2 head blocks, 5 feet long, 12 by 14 inches.
4 posts, 10 feet long, 8 by 8 inches, to bear up the penstock,
2 cap sails, 9 feet long, 8 by 10 inches, for the penstock to
stand on.
4 corner posts, 5 feet long, 4 by 6 inches, for the corners of the
penstock.
GRISTMILL IN BLAIR COUNTY, PA.
With two pair of Buhr stones
Main floor of grinding room
Taken July 12, 1932
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 129
For the Husk of a Mill with One Water Wheel and
Two Pair of Stones
2 sills, 24 feet long, 12 by 12 inches.
4 corner posts, 7 feet long, 12 by 14 inches.
2 front posts, 8 feet long, 8 by 12 inches.
2 back posts, 8 feet long, 10 by 12 inches, to support the back
ends of the bridge trees.
2 other back posts, 8 feet long, 8 by 8 inches.
3 tomkin posts, 12 feet long, 12 by 14 inches.
2 inner ties, 9 feet long, 12 by 12 inches, for the outer ends
of the little cog wheel shafts to rest on.
2 top pieces, 10 feet 6 inches long, 10 by 10 inches.
2 beams, 24 feet long, 16 by 16 inches.
2 bray trees, 8)4 feet long, 6 by 14 inches.
2 bridge trees, 9 feet long, 10 by 10 inches.
4 planks, 8 feet long, 6 by 14 inches, for the stone bearers.
20 planks, 9 feet long, 4 by 15 inches, for the top of the husk.
2 head blocks, 7 feet long, 12 by 15 inches, for the wallower
shafts to run on. They serve as spurs also for the head block
for the water wheel shaft.
Quite a pile of timber and sawed lumber. One does not
have any idea of the material there is in a mill until he goes
INTERIOR OF A GRISTMILL IN BLAIR COUNTY, PA.
Photograph, July 12, 1932
130 NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA
inside and actually makes a note of the beams, posts, rafters,
girders, cross ties, and other woodwork. The woodwork of a
mill has to be very solid in order that there will be as little vibra-
tion as possible, because the vibrating of different parts will
cause the machinery to wear out and in some cases to get so
much out of line that it will not work at all. The mill floors
must be strong enough to withstand many tons of weight with-
out sagging in order that the head blocks will not be pressed
against the tops of upright moving shafts, and prevent them
from running or cause them to catch fire.
Setting Up the Machinery
All of the necessary outside work, in the form of the dam,
race, forebay, and mill house having been completed, we now
begin the work of outfitting our mill with the necessary machin-
ery. All of the gearing, shafting, and machinery must be made
to fit the mill building, and so arranged that it will not occupy
too much space. The mill wright always took the timber in its
rough, unfinished condition and worked it up into gearing, cog
wheels, shafts, spindles, hoppers, chutes and conveyors. He
did all of his work in the mill house, which became his work-
shop for that particular job. Some mill wrights who employed
a number of workmen and did business similar to modern con-
tractors ran a mill wrighting shop where a stock of different
parts was kept constantly on hand.
The Water Wheel
How the mill wright fashioned the water wheel and the
master cog wheel and set them up, although complicated, is
worth noting. As previously stated, our wheel is to be an
eighteen-foot overshot. The following materials will be needed
to construct the wheel and also the master cog wheel :
1 shaft, 18 feet long, 2 feet in diameter.
8 arms for the water wheel, 18 feet long, 3 by 9 inches.
16 shrouds, 8>^ feet long, 2 inches thick and 8 inches deep.
16 face boards, 8 feet long, 1 inch thick and 9 inches deep.
56 bucket boards, 2 feet 4 inches long and 17 inches wide.
140 feet of boards, for soaling the wheel.
notes on gristmills and milling in pennsylvania 131
The Master Cog Wheel
3 arms for the cog wheel, 9 feet long, 4 by 14 inches.
16 cants, 6 feet long, 4 by 17 inches.
Having assembled the materials for the wheel, our next task
is to shape them and then assemble the wheel on its shaft.
The shaft for a water wheel with eight arms should be sixteen
square, or sixteen sided, about two feet in diameter, the tree
to make it being two feet three inches at the top end. Saw this
piece square at each end, then set a large compass to half its
diameter, and sweep a circle at each end. Next, plumb a line
across the center, plumb two more lines on each end of the shaft.
These lines are exactly one foot to either side of the center plumb
line and are parallel to the center plumb line. With a chalked
line strike lines from the ends of these lines, along the shaft on
each side from end to end. Dress or hew the two sides down to
the plumb lines. Turn the piece over and setting it level, plumb,
line, and dress off the other two sides. The shaft is now four
square; to get it eight square, set it exactly on one corner, plumb,
line and dress off the four corners. Repeat this on the eight
corners to make the shaft sixteen square.
After the shaft has been properly shaped and reduced the
next task is to lay out and mark the mortises, which must be
cut to fit the arms of the wheels. There will be sixteen mortises,
one for each of the sixteen sides of the shaft. The mortises are
to be one-half inch longer than the actual width of the arms,
which is to leave room to drive the keys for holding the arms
tight.
The gudgeons and end bands are driven on each end of the
shaft after the ends of the shaft have been shaped down to fit
the bands. A gudgeon is a wrought iron or cast iron piece with
a tang usually from two to four feet long, which is rectangular
in shape and comes to a tapering end. The entire tang of the
gudgeon is driven into the mortise in the center of the shaft.
The neck of the gudgeon is five inches Icng, from two to four
inches in diameter and perfectly round, so that it will run
evenly in its pillow block, or, in the modern terminology, its
bearing. The bands are driven on and keyed, then the gudgeons
are driven in and wedged by driving tapering pieces of iron into
the ends of the shaft on each side of the gudgeons. It is neces-
/:',/, /,
FOREBAY IN MILL RACE TO CARRY WATER TO WATER WHEEL
Art. 2 — Forebay at head of Mill Race
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 show stages in construction of cog wheels, trundles and lantern wheels
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 133
sary that the bands be very tight, so that the gudgeons will not
work loose or the shaft begin to split where the gudgeon is
driven in. All of the gudgeons on the different shafts through-
out the mill are put on in the same manner, whether for counter
cog shafts or bolting reel shafts.
After the bands and the gudgeons have been driven and
fastened and the mortises for the water wheel and the master cog
wheel have been cut, the shaft is taken and placed on the head
and spur blocks, in the water house.
AN ANCIENT DOUBLE-GEARED GRISTMILL IN BEDFORD COUNTY, PA.
Showing old side wheel, wallowers and trundle — Taken July 28, 1932
The great or master cog wheel usually has six arms which are
mortised in the same shaft as the water wheel. In this particular
mill the master cog wheel will be nine feet in diameter and will
contain 69 cogs, the cogs having a pitch of 4>^ inches. All the
material used in the cog wheels should be of the best live oak and
well seasoned. For the proper preparation of cogs and also the
wood for shafts, arms, and other parts of the machinery, the
following procedure is recommended.
The cogs should be cut fourteen inches long, and three and
one-quarter inches square; this should be done when the sap
runs at its fullest and at least a year before they are used, that
they may dry without cracking. If either hickory or white
oak be cut when the bark is set, they will worm eat, and, if
OLIVER EVANS GRISTMILL
To show application to the various parts
1 — Spout
17, 18— Garner
6 — Storage Bin
9— Tight Room
12— Roller Screen
14 — Chute to Conveyor
23 — Meal Elevator
25 — Hopper Boy
27— Reel
29 — Lower Packing Room
33— Chaff Room
35 — Hopper
37— Dust Outlet
40— Gate
42— Wheel
44 — Gate to Elevator
2— Scales
4, 5, 39 — Elevators
8, 19, 20— Mill Stones
10, 11 — Screen Hoppers
13— Fan
15. 16, 21
22, 31, 32. 45- Conveyors
24 — Elevator Spout
26 — Bolting Reels
28— Packing Chest
30 — Shipping
34— Small Gate
36 — Joint in Conveyor
38 — Elevator Pulley
41— Pulley Roller
43— Hoist Wheel
NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA 135
dried hastily, will crack. To prevent cracking or worm eating,
boil the wood and dry it slowly or soak them in water for a year.
Twenty years in mud and fresh water will not hurt oak providing
the air is excluded. When the cogs are taken out of the boiling
water, they should be put in a haymow, under the hay, where,
while foddered away, they will dry without cracking. If you
do not have time enough to wait for them, a shorter method of
drying may be u?ed. Put the wood to be used for cogs and
parts of the cog wheels in a malt kiln with a floor of lath two
inches apart. Shank the cogs and hang them shank down-
wards, between the laths, cover them with a hair cloth, and
make a fire of wood, the smoke of which will prevent them from
cracking. In the ?ame manner boards, planks, or scantling are
best dried in the kiln, covered so as to keep the smoke amongst
them. The fire should be renewed once a day, for twelve or
fifteen days; thus they will dry without cracking.
When properly dried, the cogs, if not already shanked, are
shanked and put in and dressed. To shape the cogs, straighten
one of the heart sides for the shank, make a pattern, the head
four inches long, two inches wide, and the shank one and three-
quarters inches at the point. Make another pattern of the
shank, without the head, to scribe the sides and dress off the
backs by, laying it even with the face, w^hich is to have no
shoulder; take care in dressing them off, that the axe does not
strike the shoulder, for if it does the cog will crack in drying.
Next fit and drive the cogs in the mortises exceedingly tight with
the shoulder of each cog foremost when the wheel will be at
work. Finish the cogs by sawing them a uniform length and
then trim them.
The rest of the cog wheels, wallowers and trundles are made
with the same explicit care, and their shafts fitted with iron
gudgeons and hoops. Other phases of millwrighting that were
necessary to complete the outfitting of the mill were: Fixing the
headblocks and hanging the wheels, putting in the balance-
rynds for the stones, bridging the spindle, constructing a crane
and lighter stafi^, making the hoops to cover each pair of mill
stones, facing the stones with sand and furrowing them with
picks, adjusting the hoppers, shoes and feeders, fashioning
bolting chests, reels, fans, shaking sieves and conveyors and
elevators. (Refer to picture on page 134.) Through ample
136 NOTES ON GRISTMILLS AND MILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA
illustration and the picture which shows the cross-section of a
mill you will be able to recognize and understand the use of the
parts just mentioned.
There are many other things relating to mills as well as count-
less stories which if time and space would permit I might include
in this paper. But the printer demands the manuscript, and so
I must give it to him. With this symbolic picture as a fitting
ending, we say farewell to the old mill.
RUINS OF EUGENE BLAIR'S GRISTMILL NEAR HATBORO
Burned during winter of 1931-1932
Heartbroken by the loss of his mill and barn, Blair passed on shortly after the fire
William Penn and His Home Life at Pennsbury
Historical Address by
DR. B. F. FACKENTHAL, Jr., RIEGELSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA
At Pennsbury, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, October 23, 1932, on the Occasion of
THE 250th Anniversary of the First Arrival of William Penn in America
1682-1932
Mr. Chairman, Friends of the Welcome Society, Associates of
the Bucks County Historical Society, Ladies and Gentlemen:
AS A Pennsylvania German, living in a section of our
county where there are no so-called Friends, I feel highly
honored in being invited to make an historical address on
William Penn and his home life here at Pennsbury; it seems
rather presumptuous for me to do so, particularly before the
Welcome Society of Pennsylvania and my good friends who have
for years made intensive studies of the subject assigned to me.
This is however one of the penalties or should I say pleasures
attached to my ollfice as president of the Bucks County Historical
Society.
As president of that society, I bid you welcome to Bucks
County. We are indeed glad to join with your patriotic associa-
tion, under whose program this two hundred and fiftieth anni-
versary of the coming of William Penn is being celebrated, and
assemble with you at this historic place, the country home of our
worthy founder and father of what is now a great Commonwealth.
The Ancestry of William Penn
William Penn was born at Tower Hill, London, October 14,
1644, and was therefore a young man of 37 years when in 1681
he received from King Charles the Second, the grant of land
which later became the Province of Pennsylvania, and even in
those early days he is often referred to as an older man. He was
certainly not the clumsy, portly man of heavy countenance as
painted by Benjamin West, but is described as being handsome
and comely in person and manner, and always an elegant and
accomplished gentleman.
His father. Admiral Sir William Penn, was born at Bristol,
England, in May, 1621, and died at Wanstead, Essex, September
WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY 139
16, 1670. On January 6, 1643, he married Margaret Jasper,
daughter of John Jasper, a merchant of Rotterdam. The date
of her birth is not at hand, but she passed away in 1682, twelve
years after the death of Sir WilHam. It will therefore be seen
that William Penn was of Dutch ancestry on his maternal side.
His father was of Welsh descent, and some historians say his
forebears were of Royal Tudor race, that his great-great-grand-
father, who died in 1591, was named John Tudor, and that he was
generally called John Pennmunth, which became corrupted into
Penn. His father. Admiral Penn, belonged to the established
church of England, in which William was baptized October 23,
1644, at the age of nine days.^ When he arrived at the age of 15
years, while a student at Christ Church College, Oxford, through
the preaching of Thomas Loe, he became a convert to Quakerism,
a sect founded by George Fox, of which persuasion he remained a
most enthusiastic and consistent leader over the remainder of his
life. This sect was first called "Professors of Light," or "Children
of Light"; it was not until 1650 that the name "Quaker" was
imposed upon them, and two years later in 1652, they were first
referred to as "Friends."
William Penn Persecuted for His Religious Activities
William Penn was a man of parts, well educated, and even as a
youth an independent thinker, with a strong personality, whose
will was inflexible and unyielding, willing to suffer hardships and
imprisonment for his convictions, and withal a man kindly and of
considerate qualities. He prepared for college at the Chigwell
Grammar School and under private tutors and entered Oxford
University at the age of fifteen, where he remained two years.
For his refusal to conform to the rules and discipline of Oxford
University, as required by the established church of England, or
to wear the surplice of a student, and for assaulting other students,
stripping them of their robes, he was expelled, and on his return
home was beaten by his father and driven from home. In due
time a reconciliation took place, and in 1662, at the age of
eighteen years, his father, the admiral, sent him to France, hoping
that the environment and gay life of Paris might change his views,
but the giddy life of Paris had no fascination for him, and
1 This baptism is recorded in the Registry of Allhallows Barking Church,
the oldest parish church with a continuous history in London.
140 WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY
he was recalled in 1664. During his residence in France he
acquired a knowledge of the French language, and later as the
result of two extensive tours through Germany and Holland, he
also acquired the German language, and no doubt the Dutch as
well. On his return to England from France he entered Lincoln's
Inn as a student at law, but fled from London by reason of the
great plague of 1665, which experience served to increase his
religious zeal. His father used every scheme at his command to
change his views, and finally sent him to Cork in Ireland to take
charge of two large estates, which he managed to the entire satis-
faction of his father, but alas while in Cork he again encountered
Thomas Loe, and was induced to attend Quaker meetings,
at one of which on September 3, 1667, he was apprehended
and with others sent to prison. From that time forward he
identified himself with the Quakers in everything except costume.
On his return to England he again quarreled with his father
for not removing his hat in his presence and in the presence of the
king, whereupon his father again turned him out of doors. His
preaching then became m.ore intensive, and in 1668, he made his
first appearance as an author in support of his religious views.
This was in defiance of the Conventicle Act of 1664, revived in
1670, intended to suppress all religious propaganda, he was there-
fore again arrested and sentenced to a prison term of nine m.onths,
from which he was released through the influence of the Duke of
York. On his release from prison, he was permitted to live under
his father's roof, but forbidden to appear in his presence. He
was then sent to Ireland a second time and on his return became
fully reconciled with his father, and thereafter they lived together
on good terms.
The William Penn and William Mead Trial
In August, 1670, one month prior to his father's death, he and
his friend, William Mead, were arrested for preaching on the
streets, and after a most remarkable trial at the Old Bailey Court
in London, lasting four days, (Sept. 1, 3, 4 and 5, 1670) with ten
magistrates on the bench, they were acquitted by the jury, where-
upon the judges declined to liberate them, and also placed a fine
upon the jurors for refusing to find a verdict of guilty, and in
default of payment were imprisoned. They were finally released
by habeas corpus proceedings. Their acquittal thereby estab-
WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY 141
lishing the gerat principle of English law, that it is the right of a
jury to judge of the evidence independent of the dictation or
direction of the court.
Death of Admiral Sir William Penn
His father, the admiral, died September 16, 1670, leaving to
survive, two sons, William and Richard, and one daughter, Mar-
garet, who married Anthony Lowther. To Richard, his second
son, he bequeathed an annuity of £120 until he arrived at the
age of 21 years, and then to receive £4,000. However, he sus-
vived his father but three years. To William, his eldest son, he
bequeathed an estate yielding £1,500 or more yearly and large
claims against the government, and thenceforth the cares of
business and the duties of his lay ministry seem to have equally
divided his time.
Six months later, in March, 1671, while preaching in a meet-
ing-house in London, he was again arrested and committed to the
tower, and on being acquitted the magistrate requested him to
take the oath of allegiance, which he knew very well he would
refuse to do, whereupon he was sentenced to Newgate prison for
six months. During his term of confinement he wrote and had
published four treaties, one entitled "Sandy Foundations
Shaken," another, "No Cross, no Crown," two of the most famous
polemics of the age. He was considered one of the most learned
and able writers of his time.
On April 4, 1672, he married Gulielma Maria, daughter of Sir
William and Lady Mary Springett. The next few years were
devoted to preaching and defending with his pen, the doctrines
of the Quakers, for which his zeal never relaxed, whether in Eng-
land before sailing to America, or while in America, or after his
return to British soil. In 1686, partly through his influence, a
proclamation was issued by James H, for the release of those
imprisoned on account of their religious activities, and 1,490
Quakers were set free. Among the non-conformists who were,
under the laws of England, imprisoned for preaching, was John
Bunyan, a baptist, who was confined in the Bedford jail for ten
years. He declined to be liberated by making promises that he
would desist in his preaching. But thanks for the life of this
earnest man who during his imprisonment gave to the world his
Pilgrims' Progress.
142 WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY
These and other incidents in the Ufe of William Penn are well
known to most of you, and are referred to only to show the perse-
cutions that he endured, as well as to show the mind and heart
of this truly great and sincere man, whose zeal and sincerity were
but a preparation for bigger things and greater opportunities for
carrying on his life-work. Did he have a vision then that the
opportunity was near at hand, and that he was so soon to be
placed in a position of trust and authority in the new world where
he could offer an asylum to the oppressed, and could proclaim
religious freedom to the nations of the world and to all kinds and
conditions of men? A liberty of conscience, freedom of speech
and of the press which we enjoy today. He no doubt had this
thought in mind when he asked that the American lands be given
to him in cancellation of the claim against the government which
he inherited from his father.
Pennsylvania Granted to William Penn
Charles the Second, King of England, Scotland, France and
Ireland, on March 12, 1664, granted to his brother, James Duke
of York and Albany, Earl of Ulster, etc., afterwards King James
the Second, "All of New England from the St. Croix to the Dela-
ware." King Charles II granted the Province of Pennsylvania to
William Penn, Esquire, by Royal Charter dated March 4, 1681.
This grant was made to satisfy a claim of his father. Admiral Sir
William Penn, to whom the government had become indebted in
the amount of £16,000. James, Duke of York, under whom the
Dutch had become dispossessed of their American territory, con-
veyed and confirmed the territory embraced in the royal charter
to William Penn by three deeds of feoffment, one bearing date
August 21, and two bearing date August 24, 1682, one of the latter
was for the so-called three lower counties, Sussex, Kent and New
Castle, comprising the entire state of Delaware, which were
included in the grant from William Penn. By an act of union
passed December 7, 1682, they were annexed to the Province of
Pennsylvania. In 1703 they obtained their liberty to secede,
and thereafter were allowed a distinct assembly, but it was not
until July 4, 1776, that Delaware was declared a free and inde-
pendent state.
;-l^-^^^^%-
' 1)
'i^L4^/;
^^C
<y
MEDAL IN COMMEMORATION
of the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Arrival of William Penn-168^-1932
William Penn's Treaty with the Delaware Indians, 1C83
From Painting by Paul Domvillt
144 WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY
There was much controversy and Utigation with Lord Balti-
more in fixing the boundary line between Maryland and Pennsyl-
vania, which was finally settled by the survey of Mason and
Dixon's line, begun in 1763, suspended in 1767, owing to hostile
Indians, and finally completed in 1782 by Col. Alexander McClean
and Joseph Neville. Also between Pennsylvania and Connecti-
cut resulting in the so-called "Pennamite Wars," lasting seven
years, which was also in due time adjusted by what is known as
"The Decree of Trenton." Neither do I have time to enter into
the part that William Penn played in the Province of West Jersey,
when in March, 1673, he was appointed arbitrator to adjust
certain differences between Lord Berkley and Sir George Carteret ;
Berkley having conveyed his interest to John Fenwick in trust
for Edward Byllinge. In 1674, Penn was appointed one of three
trustees into whose hands the entire management and control of
West Jersey was placed. This experience was no doubt one of
the incentives that led Penn to become interested in Pennsylvania.
Rights of the Indians to the Soil
The grant to William Penn made no reference to the rights of
the aborigines to the soil, but it was part of his plan to extin-
guish them by purchase.
On April 8, 1681, he appointed his cousin, William Markham,
deputy or lieutenant governor, and at once dispatched him to
take possession of his newly acquired territory, and begin its
colonization. About the same time he appointed James Harrison
his "lawful agent," to go to America and sell for him any parcels
of land in the province.^
Markham arrived in the Delaware in June of that year.
Three months later William Penn appointed three commissioners,
William Crispin, John Bezar and Nathaniel Allen, to proceed
2 James Harrison was much esteemed by William Penn. Before leaving
England, Penn granted him 5,000 acres of land. He was Penn's manager
and personal representative at Pennsbury. In 1685 he was made one of the
provincial judges. He was father-in-law of Phineas Pemberton. One of
Pemberton's daughters married Jeremiah Langhorne. On Penn's second
voyage to America by ship "Canterbury," he brought John Sotcher with him,
whom he placed in charge of the Manor House, of which Mary Lofty was
stewardess. These young people, both Quakers, were married October 16,
1701, the ceremony was attended by William Penn, whose name and those
of his wife and daughter, Letitia, are attached to the certificate. This was
the only marriage in America at which William Penn was present.
WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY 145
to Pennsylvania to co-operate with Markham in settling the
colony and to deal with the Indians; Silas Crispin was appointed
surveyor general and sailed with them, but died on the voyage,
whereupon Captain Thomas Holme was sent over from England
and commissioned April 18, 1682, to succeed him in that office.
The surveys of land bought from the Indians, not only along
the banks of the Delaware, but throughout the province, w^ere
predicated on the distance a man could travel within a given
time. Markham did not conclude his purchase of land in Bucks
County from the Indians until more than a year after his arrival,
viz.: on July 15, 1682, about three months prior to the arrival of
William Penn. This first purchase is described in the deed as
follows :
Beginning at a certaine white oake in the Land now in the tenure of John
Wood, and by him called Gray Stones over against the ffalls of Delaware River,
And soe from thence up the River side to a corner marked Spruce Tree with
the letter P, at the ffoot of a mountayne, And from the sayd corner marked
Spruce Tree along the Ledge or ffoot of the mountaines west north west to a
Corner white oake, marked with the letter P, standing by the Indyan Path
that Leads to an Indyan Towne called Playwickey, and near the head of a
Creek called Towsissinck, And from thence westward to the Creek called
Neshammonys Creek, And along by the sayd Neshammonyes Creek unto the
River Dellaware, alias Makeriskhicon; and soe bounded by the sayd mayne
River to the sayd ffirst mentioned white oake in John Wood's Land; And all
those Islands called or known by the severall names of Mattinicunk Island
(now called Burlington Island) Sepassincks Island (now called Newtold
Island) and Orecktons Island, (now called Biles Island) lying or being in the
sayd River Dellaware, Tcgeather alsoe with * * *3
This is the tract on part of which we are assembled today.
"Gray Stones," the starting point, the land of John Wood, is in
the present borough of Morrisville. On July 4, 1929, the Bucks
County Historical Society placed a large bronze tablet designed
by Dr. Mercer, on a monument to mark the beginning of that
survey, and on October 17, 1925, the State Historical Com-
mission erected a monument with bronze tablet alongside of the
public road between Feasterville and Langhorne, to indicate the
location of the Indian town of Playwickey. This first purchase
included the present townships of Bristol, Falls, Middletown,
Newtown and Lower Makefield, and parts of Upper Makefield
and Wrightstown.
3 Pennsylvania Archives, First Series, Vol. I, pp. 47-49.
146 william penn and his home life at pennsbury
Penn Executes Deeds Prior to the First Indian
Purchase
The two earliest deeds on record in Bucks County from Wil-
liam Penn are those of April 1, 1681, for 1,000 acres to Thomas
Woolrich, and of July 27, 1681, for 500 acres to James Hill, both
prior to the first concession from the Indians. It appears, how-
ever, that there are earlier deeds, one of which was recently pre-
sented to the Bucks County Historical Society by Henry A.
James, Esquire. It is for 250 acres in the Province of Pennsyl-
vania, to Shadrach Walley, dated March 22, 1681, and therefore
but 18 days after the grant of King Charles II. The tract is in
Newtown Township, and is noted on the map contained in Davis'
History of Bucks County, Vol. I, page 207. It is not recorded,
and does not recite William Penn as Proprietary, but as a per-
sonal deed from William Penn of Worminghurst, signed by Wil-
liam Penn and sealed with his personal seal. The warranty
recited protects the grantee "from all manner of Titles and
Claymes of any Indian or Native of the said Tract or province."
The deed is here for inspection.
LANDING OF WILLL-VM PENN AT THE BLUE ANCHOR TAVERN
Philadelphia on November 9, 1682
(From an old wood engraving in Watson's Annals, Vol. I, page 131)
Truth Exalted;
I N
Afliort, but fure, Tedimony again H- all
thok^eligiovs, Fa:thi and IV or ft)! ps
^: that have been formed and followed in
V the Darkncfs of Aportacy. And
f\\i for that Glorious Liglit which \s now
)^ rifen, andftiinesfo th in the Life and
>!"â– Dodlrine of the dcfpifed QNi^ers^ as
the alone gcod Old Way of L ife and
JSalvatfon.
Prcfcnted to Trinces, friers and Teof>le^ rhac rh j
may Repent, Believe and Obey.
BY
WIlXfAM PEMNT, whom divine Love conftrains in a holy
Contempt to trample on e/Ee^pt's Glory, not fearing the
Kin^s Wrath, having beheld the Majcfty of him who is
Iivilible.
Lmdm^ Rc-Printcd in the Year 1 1 ft*
plain Dealing
With a Traducing
ANABAPTIST:
Or Three
LETTERS
VVrit upon occafion of fome Slanderous
Reflections, given and promoted againft
J Villi am Tenn by one John Morfe,
Publifiied for Common Benefit, rhatall Imparti-
al People may be better acquainted vYith the Invedlivc
Spirit of feme fo called, and their ungodly fly way
of Defaming fuch as difl'ent from them ,
cfpccially in their Reftlefs Indea-
vours againft the Poor
QUAKERS
Sy 4 Lever of Charity afHd Sinceritf m aH^
W. P.
Printed in ^^t Year, i6ji.
THE
SKIRMISHER!;
DEFEATED
AND
T R U T H
DEFENDED;
Being an A N S W E R. to a Pamphlet,
ENTITULED,
j4 Skirmijh mah upon Quakerifm.
!Bv William Pcnn.
Jam. .3. 135141^ 6. n'ho is 4 n^i[e' Md»^ And endue i with Kmnf--
ledge amongfi jcu f iff him fhew 0Ut of a good Cenverfttion
his H^srks with Meekneh cf ivifitm : BhP if ye have bitter
Bftvfing and Strife tr your Hesrts^ gUry mt^ And Lyemt
AgAinft the Truth : Fer^ rvbere Envying And Strife is^ there
is Cehfufton^ and every Evil Work,
printed in the Year, 167^.
THE
PEOPLES
Antienl and-Juft
LIBERTIES
ASSERTED-
I N THE
OF
Y A. L
WilUamTenn, ^nA William Mead,
At the -- lions .held at the 0/r/-B 716' in Lofutw^
. the fi.rr,-tbirJ, fourth and dtthofSept, 70.
againft rhe mofl- xWbixrary procedure of t hat-
Court. â–
10. 10, I, 2. fVo mto them t'
vrite ^rlevosifnefs , which tL
Need) pom Jmrme^.t^ai'dto t.i-
Pfal. 94. 20. Hai!-ru T>r k. .1 I
yfhhh fr^methmifchlef l>) .1 Laiw
Sic volo, iu jubeo, flat piot. :io;ic vo!ar,tas.
Otd-Bailj, ill. 5d. 4fhj yCaoiSe^t. 2670.
I 4
LETTER
FROM
iSilltam ^etm
Popriecary and Goveniour of
PENNSYLVANIA
I In America ,
T O T H E
jCOMMITTEE
fxtt ^oriftp of CcaUECS'
ofihit Provift^c.reilJ.ii/ in Lot-Ln.
CONrAIKJKG
' AGeneral Dcfcriprionof thefeid Pmirnt, its&«/, Air, }l'jttr,S:a.'~Mii md l>r,iju.-r,
I toth Natural ai d Artihcul, atultiagooti EtcrtTtU -rvuf,
irtmi,L<itrAity, la^wjiyoi Uvmf, fb^/tck, HmM, I ;/;,t/i, s«.-i/«vt ami i -«,•«.,
ftjinji^ (jtvrrnmnty aiai tfacfer order la Cmx •/ ).j-«i. Tustttsfor
L-;r.d, c>-f . tiiat Jh^iii ajxay i. ,il Djfri-
Ofrfiejfj'/FWffJ, xhe Datc/i, &c, sndtite frtfiat CmdiiimiiiA XMlem^mni' die
laid frei)mt<,iei Cm-t) ofjiijtiri^rf-c.
Towhidu;
An Atccxuit of the CITY ot
PHILADELPHIA
Kcnly ;..id out.
Jts SdtuJtioa between two Nut^iH'c Ki- er^, J)( '„«■,,« anj SAorW/,
WITH A
Portxaiture or Plat-fom then.>of,
j Whtrdn the Parchafcrs Luts wc dUliaguiftcd by ctrtiir NurrU'ts ii lined, diraliiij
I to « Catalogue o( tht did Porclsafiwi Naims
Aiosithe FrofperOBS «nd Adviistsigious Scttlouents rfthc 5«w/r alorsliui, witlun
tl'c Taid CSty and Coutttry, C'c
fumed Mi SaU If AndrcwSowlf, «f tk CriaM-UiKet i» (!ol!owi)-L»iK m
i
COPY OF COVER OF THE FIRST EDITION OF WILLIAM PENN'S
letter of 1683 to the Free Society of Traders. Original contains ten pages,
size 7K by 12 inclies, with map of Philadelphia
152 william penn and his home life at pennsbury
William Penn Comes to America by Ship "Welcome"
William Penn sailed from Deal, England, for America, on his
first voyage by ship "Welcome," September 1, 1682; one-third of
those sailing with him lost their lives at sea with smallpox. The
"Welcome" entered the Capes of the Delaware October 24, of
that year, arriving before New Castle on the twenty-seventh,
and William Penn first set foot on American soil on the twenty-
eighth, and on the following day, October 29, 1682, arrived at
Upland, later changed to Chester, where he made his first home.
Later he proceeded to Philadelphia, where he found a welcome
at the Blue Anchor Tavern, located on the Delaware at the mouth
of Dock Creek.^ The population on the Delaware at that time,
made up mostly of Dutch and Swedes with a few Fins, was about
3,000.^
On April 25, 1682, before leaving England, William Penn
promulgated his first Frame of Government, outlining rules and
laws for the administration of his newly acquired province, to be
managed by a governor and council. After his arrival he issued
additional Frames of Government, and established courts and
bureaus, and in fact all machinery necessary to carry on a well-
regulated and successful administration, all of which he had well
thought out.^
The City of Philadelphia Laid Out
Among the early acts of Markham and the commissioners
was the selection of a site for a great city, for which both Chester
4 For Blue Anchor Tavern, see Pennsylvania Magazine of History, Vol.
XX, page 427.
5 According to the census of 1930, the population of Greater Philadel-
phia was 1,950,961. The Atlantic Deeper Waterway Association at its
twenty-fifth annual convention, held in Philadelphia, October, 1932, reported
that the Delaware River, from the sea to Port Richmond had been enlarged
to a depth of 35 feet, with a width of 300 feet, and from Port Richmond to
Trenton, at the foot of Trenton Falls, the channel had been dredged to a
depth of twenty feet.
6 Grant of King Charles II, to William Penn Mar. 4, 1681
Deeds of feoffment from the Duke of York Aug. 21 and 24, 1682
Charter of the Province of Pennsylvania Jan. 27, 1682
Frame of Government issued by William Penn Apr. 25, 1682
Laws agreed upon in England for Pennsylvania May 5, 1682
First meeting of the Provincial Council at which William
Penn presided Mar. 10, 1683
A second Frame of Government by William Penn Nov. 7, 1696
Frame of Government by William Markham Nov. 7, 1696
WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY 153
and Pennsbury Manor were seriously considered/ but the loca-
tion at the junction of the Delaware and Schuylkill, where a good
depth of water was found, was finally selected, resulting in the
founding of Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, for which
Penn signed the charter October 25, 1701. During the latter
part of 1682 the city was laid out under the personal supervision
of William Penn, by surveyor Thomas Holme. The site of Phila-
delphia was purchased from the Swedes in exchange for larger
tracts of land located elsewhere in Pennsylvania; the Swedes
having purchased the land from the Indians.
The second purchase of land from the Indians was negotiated
by William Penn in person, deed dated June 23, 1683, for terri-
tory lying between the Neshaminy and Pennypack Creeks, partly
in Montgomery County. The Bucks County part embraces the
townships of Bensalem, Southampton, Northampton, Warminster
and Warrington.
The third tract purchased on the Delaware river front, begin-
ning at Wrightstown, and ending near Lackawaxen, was for lands
taken by the Walking Purchase of 1737, for which there is no
time at my disposal to dwell upon today. ^
Pennsbury Manor Purchased
William Markham, having been instructed by William Penn
to locate a site for his country home, selected this site in Falls
Township, on part of which we are assembled today, and since
known as "Pennsbury Manor." At that time it contained 8,431
acres or 57 per cent, of the 14,838 acres contained in Falls Town-
ship. It has a frontage of five and one-half miles on the Dela-
ware River. It had been an Indian Royalty, bought by William
Penn from Sepassing, an Indian king. Although this tract was
included within the bounds of the tract purchased by William
Markham it appears that King Sepassing had not signed that
deed, and therefore Penn insisted that it be again paid for. As
already stated, three islands in the Delaware were included in
the tract.
Scott's Creek, formerly called Sepassing Creek, and later
7 See Hazard's Annals, page 595, and Watson's Annals, Vol. I, page 56.
8 For Walking Purchase of 1737, see Bucks County Historical Society,
Vol. VI, page 7 et seq.
Thomas Penx
Proprietary
b. 1701. d. 1775
Son of William Penn
Lady Juliana (Fermor) Penn
Wife of Thomas Penn
b. 1729, d. 1801
Richard Penn
Proprietary
b. 1706, d. 1771
Son of William Penn
Hannah (Lardner) Penn
Died April 20, 1785
Wife of Richard Penn
WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY 155
Welcome Creek, now a shallow stream, empties into the Dela-
ware about one mile south of the Manor House, but in William
Penn's time is said to have been a strong stream with a depth of
five feet. Its course wasjmmediately back of the Manor House,
over which Penn directed bridges should be built/^
William Penn was delighted with the site selected by Mark-
ham, particularly as it was but six miles from Burlington, N. J.,
where many of his friends lived. The distance to Philadelphia
either by water or overland was about 26 miles. The house and
other buildings were put under construction at the time of Penn's
first visit. He was obliged to return to England, and sailed
away by ship "Endeavor," August 12, 1684, having been in
America but one year and ten months. He had the building of
this house very much at heart, and continued to give detailed
instructions from England in regard to laying out the grounds
and buildings, as well as the furnishing of the house. He brought
a large part of the furniture with him on his second voyage from
England. In later years he wrote that the house with its im-
provements and furnishing had cost him £7,000.'^
The Children of William Penn
By his first wife, Gulielma Maria Springett, William Penn
had seven children. His first born, named for her mother, lived
but a few months; the next two, William and Mary, were twins,
both dying in infancy; the fourth, Springett, died at the age of 21
unmarried; Letitia, the fifth, born March 6, 1678, married William
Aubrey, and died without issue April 6, 1746; William, Jr., the
sixth, born March 14, 1680, married Mary Jones, and from him
is derived one of the two existing lines of the Penn family; the
seventh, Gulielma Maria, the second of that name, born Novem-
ber 17, 1685, died in infancy. William Penn's wife, Gulielma
Maria, nee Springett, passed away February 23, 1694.
9 The average mean tide at Pennsbury is 4 feet, 6 inches. Tide extends
up the Delaware as far as Trenton, where its progress is stopped by the Falls
of Trenton, which have a fall of 9 feet, 8 inches over a distance of 3,500 feet.
Falls Township takes its name from these falls.
10 For a complete list of furniture and other household goods in the Manor
House, made by William Penn when he departed for England in 1701, see
Penn and Logan Correspondence, Vol. I, page 62 et seq.
156 WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURV
William Penn Marries Hannah Callowhill
Two years after the death of his first wife, William Penn
married for his second wife, Hannah, daughter of Thomas and
Hannah Callowhill. She was a member of the Society of Friends.
By this union he had seven children: (1) John, born in Phila-
delphia, January 29, 1700; (2) Thomas, born March 9, 1702,
who at the age of 50 years married Lady Juliana Fermor, who
was but 21; (3) Hannah Margarite, born July 30, 1703, died in
1708; (4) Margaret, born November 7, 1704, married Thomas
Freame, she died in England in 1751, aged 47 years; (5) Richard,
born January 17, 1706, married Hannah Lardner; (6) Dennis,
born February 26, 1708, died unmarried in 1722, aged 16 years;
(7) Hannah, born September 5, 1708, died January 24, 1709.^^
It is therefore seen that William Penn was the father of four-
teen children, seven by each marriage. Of those by his first wife
four died in infancy, and three lived to maturity, and that one of
these three, Springett, died at the age of 21 unmarried, and
Letitia married and died without issue, leaving William, Jr., the
only one as a progenitor of a family.
Of the seven children by his second wife, two, Hannah Mar-
garite and Hannah, died in infancy and Dennis died at the age of
16, leaving four, John, Thomas, Margarite and Richard, living to
maturity.
William Penn's Second Visit to America
There was a lapse of 15 years from the time of William Penn's
return to England until he set out for his second voyage. During
that time he was accused of various offenses against the crown,
including that of treason, by reason of his having received favors
at court during the reign of King Jam.es II, which caused him to
be suspected of disloyalty to the government when William and
Mary came to the throne in February, 1689. He was arrested a
number of times, but always secured acquittal. During his
absence from America his colony had been greatly disturbed
by civil and religious quarrels, including the schism in 1690
11 I am indebted to the valuable contribution on "The Penn Family,"
published in Vols. XX, XXI and XXII of the Pennsylvania Magazine of His-
tory by Howard M. Jenkins, for data contained in this paper, as well as for
that contained in the Penn Family chart, attached hereto as a supplement.
Since published in book form.
WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY 157
of George Keith. In October, 1692, William and Mary deprived
him of his authority as governor of Pennsylvania, and directed
Governor Benjamin Fletcher of New York to take over the
administration of Pennsylvania. Penn had powerful friends who
interested themselves in his behalf, through whom he secured a
hearing at court, and he was honorably discharged in November,
1693, and in August, 1694, after a lapse of two years, his govern-
ment was restored to him.
On September 3, 1699, he set sail from Cowes by ship "Canter-
bury," for his second trip to America, taking with him his wife,
Hannah, and his daughter Letitia, then 21 years of age. James
Logan, then a young man of 24, having been engaged by Penn as
his secretary, came over with them. Logan held that high office
for 40 years as secretary and looking after the Penn family inter-
ests. They landed at Philadelphia, December 3, 1699. Penn
was warmly received and found his colony in a prosperous condi-
tion.
Before settling at Pennsbury, they lived first at the home of
Edward Shippen on North Second Street, where they remained
a month, then took residence with Samuel Carpenter in the fam-
ous "Slate Roof House," on Second Street south of Chestnut,
and there in that house on January 29, 1700, their son, John,
thereafter known as "The American," was born. He was the
only child of William Penn born on this side of the Atlantic.^"
Life at Pennsbury
At Pennsbury they lived in great style, employing many ser-
vants, and judging by the large quantities of provisions bought,
such as flour by the ton, molasses by the hogshead and other
supplies in like proportion, suggests that they kept open house,
and dispensed a liberal hospitality, including the entertainment
of many Indians. In addition to their home brew, (for among
their buildings there was a brew house), his cellar was well stocked
with beer, cider, sherry, canary, madeira, claret and rum.
According to James Logan's letters there must have been seven
12 On October 24, 1932, five tablets were unveiled commemorative of Wil-
liam Penn in Philadelphia, among these were: the site of the Blue Anchor
Tavern, now 242-244 South Front Street, the site of William Penn's first
house'in 1682, now 18-20 South Front Street, and the site of the Slate Roof
House, now the_Keystone Telephone Building, at Second and Sansom Streets.
158 WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY
full grown negro slaves at Pennsbury in 1704. After the death
of William Penn all his slaves obtained their freedom.
The Manor House is described as being large and commodious,
60 feet long by 30 feet wide. One account says there was an
extension of 30 feet in the rear. It was two stories high with
cellar and attic, built of bricks probably burnt on the premises.
It was covered with tiles, with a leaden lined water tank or
reservoir on the roof. This in after years leaked so badly as
to practically destroy the house, and for that reason it was torn
down. There were wide porches both front and rear. The
house stood on an elevation 15 feet above tide, and about 150 to
200 feet from the Delaware, with terraces leading down to the
boat landing, and a board walk between two rows of poplar trees,
which were planted in 1685. Vistas and paths were cut through
the trees in different directions. Penn was fond of agriculture
and gave special attention to his gardens and orchards, his pear-
mains and pippins are specially referred to.
During his sojourn in Pennsylvania he held nineteen treaties
with the Indians, who always found a welcome at Pennsbury; he
was honored and revered by them. Because of his just and
equitable treatment, the Delawares called him "Mignon," and
the Iroquois referred to him as the "Great Onus."
Penn's second residence in Pennsylvania lasted but one year
and eleven months. One wonders how he could accomplish so
much in so short a time. Tidings from England that a measure
was pending before the House of Lords for bringing all the
proprietary governrrents under the crown, led him to return to
England, and moreover his wife and daughter were anxious to
get back to their native heath, and therefore on November 3,
1701, he sailed away with his family, now increased to four by
the addition of baby John, by ship "Dolmahoy," never to return
again, much to his great sorrow and disappointment. It appears
that Letitia Penn, while in America, had promised herself in
marriage to William Masters, who later followed her to England
to claim her as his bride, only to find that on August 20, 1702,
she had married William Aubrey. ^^
Soon after Penn's arrival in London, the project before the
House of Lords was dropped. In 1684, when Penn sailed for
England at the end of his first visit, Philadelphia contained 357
1^ See Pennsylvania Magazine of History, Vol. XXII, page 89 et seq.
PLAN OF PENNSBURY MANOR
Showing Location of William Penn's Mansion House, Brew House and the Old Cherry Trees
^i.
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1
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THE CROZIER HOUSE AT PENNSBURY
Successor of William Penn's Mansion House
Showing Penn's Brew House on the right
Front view facing the river
Both views from map of Falls Township
Surveyed and made by Thomas Hughes, 1858
160 WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY
houses with 2,500 people; in 1701 at the end of his second visit
the population had increased to 7,000.
In June, 1701, Pennsbury was visited by Lord Cornbury, a
cousin of Queen Anne, Governor of New York, with a suite of 50
persons, to whom James Logan gave a "really handsome country
entertainment," at Pennsbury.
Penn Becomes Involved in Debt and Mortgages
Pennsylvania
After Penn's return to England from his second voyage, he
became involved by the troublesome affairs in Pennsylvania,
partly due by reason of his son, William, Jr., sent there as his
representative, having disgraced him by vicious and notorious
conduct. Penn had no skill in reading the character of others
and his confidence in persons less virtuous than himself led him
into great errors and misfortunes, particularly in financial matters.
He became greatly involved in debts, and moreover at the same
time his trusted agent in London, a Quaker, named Philip Ford,
left his executors false claims against him in the amount of
£15,000, which he could not pay, and to avoid extortion he
suffered himself, in 1708, to be committed to the Fleet prison,
where he remained for a long time. His friends finally came to
his relief, but he was obliged to raise part of the m.oney by placing
a mortgage on the Province of Pennsylvania for £6,600, under
date of October 7, 1708, to Henry Gouldney and his eight asso-
ciates.^'^ LTnder the primogeniture laws of England, his eldest
son, and heir presumptive, William Penn, Jr., joined him in the
execution of the mortgage, and thereafter no grants of land could
be made without the mortgagees joining in the title.
William Penn Stricken with Paralysis
William Penn became so deeply involved financially, that in
1712, he decided to transfer his rights in the Province of Pennsyl-
vania to the crown. The sum of £12,000 had in fact been agreed
upon, and a payment made to him on account, when he was
stricken with paralysis, and all negotiations were suspended.
This was followed by other strokes, and although he lived six
14 Reconveyed to the Penns, January, 1729.
WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE T PENNSBURY
161
years longer, he never regained his mental vigor, and passed
away at Ruscombe, Berkshire, England, July 30, 1718, in the
seventy-fourth year of his age, and as Bancroft says: "with his
fame as wide as the world."
By his last will and testament, bearing date May 27, 1712, he
appointed his wife, Hannah, his sole executrix, all her children
being then under age. John, the oldest, was 18, and Dennis, the
youngest son, was 11. He devised the Province of Pennsylvania
to his wife, Hannah, ard eleven other trustees to convey the
same to such of his children by his wife, Hannah Penn, as the
said Hannah Penn might appoint. He had lost entire confidence
in his eldest son, William, Jr., and did not devise him any interest
in the proprietary rights in his Amxerican colony. William Penn,
Jr., at first objected to the proving of the will, but it was finally
probated in Doctors' Commons, November 14-18, 1718.'''' Wil-
liam, Jr., then filed objections in Chancery to the conditions of
the will, but died in Belgium, June 23, 1720, two years after the
death of his father. This suit was then taken up by his children
and negotiations were pending to sell to Springett and William,
FRIENDS' MEETING HOUSE, BUILT IN lCii»
and Penn's GravL- at Jordans, Buckinghamshire, England
15 William Penn left many debts to be paid out cf his estate, which were
not discharged until some years after his death, see Pennsylvania Magazine
of History, Vol. XXIII, page 329.
162 WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY
3d, two sons of William, Jr., a life right in the proprietorship, but
Springett died in 1730, and the claims of William, 3d, were
extinguished by the payment of £5,500.
William Penn, Jr., his only living son by his first marriage,
was sent to Pennsylvania by his father hoping that a change of
environment and the importance of a responsible duty would
reform his habits. He came to Pennsylvania, leaving his wife
and family in England. Lieut. John Evans came over with him.
They arrived February 2, 1704. His freedom in Pennsylvania
enabled him to lead a wild and profligate life, to the disgrace of
James Logan and all other friends of his father. His conduct
was such that it made it impossible for him to remain, and at the
end of November, 1704, he returned to England, having been
here but nine months. By this unfortunate visit he injured not
only himself but his father as well. William Penn, in one of his
letters to James Logan, says: "He is my greatest affliction for
my soul's sake and my posterity's or family's sake." His
profligate and extravagant habits both in America and England
were a source of great expense to his father who could illy
afford to pay his debts, and moreover it is quite evident that
William Penn was not a successful financier.
It was Cervantes who first said "Comparisons are odious,"
but by way of contrast: Admiral Penn would not tolerate the
religious tendencies of his son, W^illiam. He beat him and
turned him from his home, and finally sent him to Paris to mingle
with the gayest life of any city on the globe, but he came back to
England unchanged, and also as a polished gentleman, and this
same William Penn, the proprietary, sent his son, William, Jr., to
America to remove him from his gay life in London, only to lead a
wild life to the disgrace of his father and his father's friends, and
came back to his profligate life in England.
With the death of Richard Penn, Richard Penn, 3d (grandson
of Richard Penn and great-grandson of the founder), on April 21,
1863, the family name of Penn by the first marriage of Willfam
Penn, became closed, and by the death of Rev. Thomas Gordon
Penn, who died unmarried, on September 9, 1869, the family
name through William Penn's second marriage with Hannah
Callowhill, also became closed, and the family name of Penn
became extinct, and the male entail of the Proprietary estate
ended. Rev. Thomas Gordon Penn was a clergyman in the
WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY 163
Church of England. It is a fact worthy of note that none of
WiUiam Penn's sons became permanently attached to the Society
of Friends.
Successive Proprietaries of the Province of
Pennsylvania
I will add to this paper as supplementary thereto, a memoran-
dum to show the various governors of the Province of Pennsyl-
vania, also a memorandum to show the successive proprietaries
down to and after the Declaration of Independence, for the
Commonwealth by act of General Assembly on November 27,
1779, (1 Smith Law, 470), very generously allowed the Penns to
complete sales of all lands that had been surveyed prior to July 4,
1776, and moreover appropriated the sum of £130,000 sterling
to be paid "to the devisees and legatees of Thomas Penn, and
Richard Penn, late Proprietaries of Pennsylvania, respectively,
and to the widow and relict of the said Thomas Penn," to be paid
in installments after the close of the war for their unsold lands,
on account of which payments began in 1785. In England the
Committee on Claims, allowed them an additional £500,000
sterling, making a total of £630,000 sterling, or about $3,150,000,
not a bad return for William Penn's original investment of
£16,000. It was the payment of these moneys that enabled
some of the scions of the Penn family to live in luxury over the
remainder of their lives. By sundry agreements between the
Penn heirs, the proprietary rights became entailed in male tail,
and when the name of Penn in male tail became extinct with the
death of Rev. Thomas Gordon Penn in 1869, the rights became
vested in William Stuart, Jr., as tenant in tail general. He was
the son of Archbishop William Stuart, who had married Sophia
Margaretta Penn, youngest daughter of Thomas Penn. William
Stuart, Jr., was a great-grandson of William Penn, the founder.
Brief of Title to Pennsbury Manor
I have also prepared a complete chain of title to Pennsbury
Manor, for which there is no time at my disposal to present, but
will briefly say that Pennsbury Manor was located and laid out
during the first visit of William Penn. It was included within
the boundaries of Falls Township, which was not erected into a
township until ten years later in 1692. The area of Pennsbury
164 WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY
Manor was reduced by grants made by William Penn and his
agents until the home tract of 300 acres only remained. In 1707,
the mansion house with gardens and orchards was rented to
Col. Robert Quarry of the customs, for £40 per year, merely to
have it occupied. ^^ Many Indian treaties and conferences were
held under its hospitable roof by William Penn, and on May 9,
1735, seventeen years after the death of William Penn, the last
Indian treaty was held there by Thomas Penn, at which James
Logan, Jeremiah Langhorne, Joseph Kirkbride, Israel Pember-
ton and others were present. The Indians were represented by
Nutimus, Lesbeconk, Lapawinzo and Tiscohan. This council
was a continuation of the celebrated Walking Purchase treaty,
begun in Durham Township in 1734, adjourned to Pennsbury
and finally concluded at Philadelphia, August 25, 1735.
From an exemplification deed on record at Philadelphia it
appears that the heirs of William Penn executed a power of
attorney to Charles Thomas and John Hurst authorizing them
to make sales and execute deeds for Pennsbury Manor. It
further appears that Richard Penn, grandson of the founder, on
June 27, 1775, bought the remaining 300 acres with the view of
making his future home there. He demolished the old house,
with the plan of building a new one, but owing to the war raging
at that time the American people did not feel kindly toward him,
and he therefore abandoned his project, and on June 20, 1792,
conveyed the 300 acres for the consideration of £2,500 to William
Bell. (Deed Book No. 27, page 400, etc.) William Bell on
May 3, 1803, conveyed the same 300 acres to Robert Crozier.
(Deed Book No. 33, page 30, etc.) Robert Crozier divided the
tract, selling 100 acres on June 23, 1803, to Jacob Van Hart.
(Deed Book No. 33, page 134, etc.) Robert Crozier died inte-
state seized of the remaining 200 acres, leaving a widow, Rosa-
mond, and two sons, Robert and Samuel, to survive, to whom
under the laws of Pennsylvania the property descended. Sub-
sequently, on April 1, 1812, Jacob Van Hart and wife reconveyed
to Robert and Samuel Crozier the 100 acres, whereby they
became seized of the entire 300 acres conveyed to their family
by William Bell.
16 Colonel Quarry was not at heart friendly with the Penns, and in 1709
when William Penn became involved in debt, he gave up this lease, and con-
nived with a hostile legislature in unfriendly acts towards the Penns, including
the impeachment of James Logan.
WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY 165
From the Crozier family it passed successively to Hector C.
Watson, Essick Howell, George Warner, Jr., Seymore Y. Warner,
the De Frain Sand Company and the Van Sciver Corporation,
which was taken over and consolidated with the Warner Com-
pany, which company has this day, by its president, Charles
Warner, very generously delivered a deed to the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania for 9.8 acres covering the tract where the Manor
House and other buildings stood, the tract on which we are now
assembled.'^
Let us hope that through the wisdom of our executive and
legislators, this sacred and historic spot may be restored, as
nearly as can be, to its former condition, and thus honor the
memory of William Penn, the founder of our beloved Common-
wealth, whose fame will endure through all ages, the most con-
spicuous figure in early American colonial history.
ADMIRAL SIR WILLIAM PENN
(Father of William Penn)
Born May, 1621; died September 16, 1670
Married Margaret Jasper of Holland
17 This deed bears date July 20, 1932, acknowledged the same day, and
recorded at Doylestown, October 24, 1932, in Deed Book No. 609, page 3, &c.
PROPRIETARIES OF PENNSYLVANIA
Charles, the Second, King of England, Scotland, France and
Ireland, on March 12, 1664, granted to his brother, James, Duke
of York and Albany, Earl of Ulster, etc., afterwards King James,
the Second, under whom the Dutch had been dispossessed of all
their American territory, "All of New England from the St.
Croix to the Delaware."
Charles, the Second, granted the Province of Pennsylvania,
including the three lower counties of Sussex, Kent and New
Castle, comprising the entire state of Delaware, to William Penn,
Esquire, by royal charter dated March 4, 1681.
James the Duke of York, conveyed the territory embraced
in the royal charter of March 4, 1681, to William Penn, Esquire,
by deeds of enfeoffment bearing dates August 21 and 24, 1682.
William Penn, the Proprietary, divided the Province of
Pennsylvania into three counties, Bucks, Chester and Philadel-
phia, shortly after the grant to him, but there does not appear to
be any record of the date upon which this was done. It was con-
firmed by the Provincial Assembly, March 1, 1685.
William Penn died at Ruscombe, Berkshire, England, July 30,
1718, having first made his last will and testament, bearing date
May 27, 1712. He appointed his wife, Hannah Penn, his sole
executrix. His son, William Penn, Jr., did not share in the
proprietary rights of his American colony. He at first objected
to the proving of the will, but it was finally probated in Doctors'
Commons, November 14-18, 1718. William, Jr., then filed
objections in Chancery to the conditions of the will, but died
June 23, 1720. The contest was then taken up by his children
and negotiations were pending to sell Springett and William, 3d,
two sons of William Penn, Jr., a life right in the proprietorship,
but Springett died in 1730, and the claims of William, 3d, were
extinguished by the payment of £5,500.
By his will, William Penn devised the Province of Pennsyl-
vania to Hannah Penn, Thomas Callowhill, Margaret Lowther,
Gilbert Heathcote, Samuel Wildenfield, John Field and Henry
Gouldney, all living in England, and Samuel Carpenter, Richard
Hill, Isaac Norris, Samuel Preston and James Logan, all living in
or near Pennsylvania, in trust, to convey to such children by his
wife, Hannah Penn, as the said Hannah Penn might appoint. All
WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENN SBURY 167
the children by the said Hannah Penn were minors at the time of
William Penn's death. John, the oldest, was eighteen and Dennis,
the youngest, eleven.
Hannah Penn, the widow of William Penn, the Proprietary,
by her deed of appointment dated November 18, 1718, appointed
the Province of Pennsylvania to her four sons; three-sixth or
one-half thereof to John Penn, one-sixth thereof to Thomas
Penn, one-sixth thereof to Richard Penn and one-sixth thereof
to Dennis Penn, which deed of appointment contained a proviso
that Hannah Penn could revoke, cancel and annul it at any time
before conveyance of the legal title, to her appointees by their
trustees under the will of William Penn.
Hannah Penn, subsequently, upon the death of her son Dennis
(died February 8, 1723), revoked, cancelled and annulled the
deed of appointment, dated November 18, 1718, and by her deed
of appointment dated January 7, 1725, appointed the Province
of Pennsylvania to her three sons, two-fourth or one-half thereof
to John Penn, one-fourth thereof to Thomas Penn and one-
fourth thereof to Richard Penn, which deed of appointment con-
tained a proviso that Hannah Penn could revoke, cancel and
annul it at any time before conveyance of the legal title to her
appointees by the trustees under the will of William Penn.
Hannah Penn died December 20, 1726, and by her will dated
September 11, 1718, appointed the Province of Pennsylvania to
her four sons by William Penn; three-sixth or one-half interest
therein to John Penn, one-sixth thereof to Thomas Penn, one-
sixth thereof to Richard Penn and one-sixth thereof to Dennis
Penn. (A will "speaks as of the testator's death," that is to say,
became effective at and immediately upon the death of the
testator. Hannah Penn's will therefore revoked, cancelled and
annulled her deed of appointment of January 7, 1725.)
John Penn, Thomas Penn, Richard Penn, Margaret Penn,
Thomas Freame, Joseph Weyth and Sylvanus Brown entered
into an agreement under date of July 5, 1727, by which it was
agreed that the deed of appointment of Hannah Penn dated
January 7, 1725, by which she appointed the Province of Penn-
sylvania to her three sons, to-wit: John, Thomas and Richard,
should stand instead of the appointment made by her last will
and testament, so that John Penn should be entitled to two-
168 WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY
fourths, Thomas Penn, one-fourth, and Richard Penn, one-
fourth thereof.
John Penn, Thomas Penn and Richard Penn entered into an
agreement under date of May 8, 1732, in and by which they
agreed the one with the other that upon their respective deaths
they would divide their several interests in the Province of
Pennsylvania in male tail.
Samuel Preston and James Logan, the surviving trustees
under the will of William Penn, deceased, released the estate in
the Province of Pennsylvania to John Penn, Thomas Penn and
Richard Penn.
John Penn, by his will dated October 26, 1746, and probated
November 12, 1746, devised his one-half interest in the Province
of Pennsylvania to Thomas Penn in male tail with the right for
the tenant in male tail to convey the whole or any part thereof
in fee simple.
Thomas Penn and Richard Penn by an agreement under
date January 31, 1750, agreed that they would thereafter severally
hold their several undivided one-fourth interests in the Province
of Pennsylvania, which had been appointed and released to them
in male tail with the right for the tenant in possession in male
tail to dispose of the whole or any part thereof in fee simple.
This agreement was modified under date March 20, 1750, but
affirmed the part thereof by which they had agreed to thereafter
hold their several undivided one-fourth interests in the Province
of Pennsylvania in male tail.
Richard Penn by his will dated March 21, 1750, and probated
March 4, 1771, devised his undivided one-fourth interest in the
Province of Pennsylvania to his son, John Penn, called John
Penn, the elder, in estate male tail. The agreements between
Thomas Penn and Richard Penn, however, had previously estab-
lished an entail in male tail of his interest in the Province of
Pennsylvania.
Thomas Penn died March 21, 1775, and by his will dated
November 18, 1771, his undivided three-fourths interest in the
Province of Pennsylvania passed to his son, John Penn, called
John Penn, the younger, under the provisions of the will of John
Penn, the son of the Proprietary, and the agreements between
Thomas and Richard Penn bearing dates respectively January 31
and March 20, 1750.
WILLIAM PENTS; AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY 169
The Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776, created the
Independent Sovereignty of the United States of America, and
Articles of Confederation and perpetual union were ratified
between the thirteen states March 1, 1781. The Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania was erected out of the Province of Pennsylvania
and a Constitution adopted July 15, 1776, to September 28, 1778.
By Act of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania passed November 27, 1779, the title of the late
Proprietaries to the public lands of the State of Pennsylvania,
was vested in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the use of
the citizens thereof, but the title to the lands which had been
surveyed and set apart by the Proprietaries prior to July 4, 1776,
were reserved to them.
On the death of Thomas Penn, March 21, 1775, his son, John
Penn, called John Penn, the younger, became owner of three-
fourths interest in the Province of Pennsylvania, in male tail,
and on the death of Richard Penn, February 4, 1771, his son,
John Penn, called John Penn, the elder, became owner of one-
fourth interest in male tail, and on his death, February 9, 1795,
without issue, his one-fourth interest passed to John Penn, the
-younger, who then became the sole proprietary of the Province
in male tail. On his death, June 21, 1834, without issue, not
having married, the entire Province became vested in Granville
John Penn, son of Granville Penn and grandson of Thomas Penn,
and on his death March 29, 1867, without issue, not having mar-
ried, the entire interest in the Province became vested in his
brother. Rev. Thomas Gordon Penn, who died September 10,
1869, without issue, not having married. With the death of
Rev. Thomas Gordon Penn, the last survivor of the Penn family
in male tail, and in fact the family name of Penn became extinct.
The male line of the family of William Penn, the Proprietary,
having become extinct, the title to the Province of Pennsylvania
and the lands reserved to the late proprietaries under the Act of
General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, passed
November 27, 1779, vested in William Stuart, Jr., under the
entails created by the agreements between John Penn, Thomas
Penn and Richard Penn, dated May 8, 1732, the will of John
Penn, dated October 20, 1746, and probated November 12, 1746,
and the agreements between Thomas Penn and Richard Penn,
dated respectively January 31, 1750, and March 20, 1750, and
170 WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY
under date of November 11, 1750, William Stuart, Jr., recites
himself as the heir at common law in tail of John Penn or some
of them, by sundry deeds, wills or descents and recites former
grants made by them of lands and tenements in the Common-
wealth by deeds insufficient to debar entailments, which grants
the said William Stuart, Jr., is desirous of confirming to William
Levi Bull:* "All and singular the lands, tenements and heredita-
ments in the said Commonwealth which the said John Penn, the
elder, John Penn, the younger, the said Thomas Penn, the said
Richard Penn or any subsequent tenant in tail thereof severally
and respectively, either by themselves or their attorneys in fact
have granted and conveyed to divers persons for a full and valua-
ble consideration, intending to grant and convey such premises
to the purchaser or purchasers in fee simple," to hold the same
"to the use of every such purchaser or purchasers and their heirs
and assigns, so as to enure to the benefit of all persons holding or
claiming any estate, title or encumbrance in or upon any such
lands, tenements, and hereditaments, derived or created by or
under any bona fide purchaser for a good and sufficient considera-
tion from the said tenants in tail respectively, for the time being
as aforesaid with the intent that all such grants and conveyances
by them or any of them so heretofore made, be hereby absolutely
ratified, confirmed and established."
This deed which barred the entail, and confirmed the title to
all properties deeded by the Proprietaries, was joined in by his
second wife, Adelaide, and was acknowledged in the Supreme
Court of Pennsylvania, March 25, 1871, and is recorded at Phila-
delphia, in the office for recording of deeds in and for Philadelphia
County, in Deed Book J. A. H., No. 123, page 442, etc.
William Stuart, Jr., was a member of Parliament, born
October 31, 1798, died July 7, 1874. He was twice married;
first to Henrietta Maria Pool, who died July 26, 1853 ; and second
in 1854, to Georgiana Adelaide Forester. He was the son of
William Stuart, D. D., Archbishop of Armagh, in the established
church, and consequently Primate of Ireland, who had married
1 William Levi Bull, a student at law in Mr. Rawle's office, reconveyed
the lands, tenements, etc., to the said William Stuart, his heirs and assigns
"in absolute fee simple clear and discharged of from all limitations, condi-
tions, covenants and restrictions whatsoever."
For a complete history of the Penn titles, see article by William Brooke
Rawle, in Pennsylvania Magazine of History, Vol. XXIII, beginning at page 60.
WILLIAM PENN AND HIS HOME LIFE AT PENNSBURY 171
Sophia Margaretta Penn, youngest daughter of Thomas Penn,
and therefore a great-grandson of WilHam Penn, the Founder.
John Penn, known as "John Penn the Elder," son of Richard
Penn, who was the last proprietary governor, was one of the 3>S
oflfice holders under the crown and proprietary government who
by act of July 31, 1777, and by order of the Supreme Executive
Council of August first of that year, was to be imprisoned and
removed from the state. He with his attorney general, Benjamin
Chew, was arrested and sent to Fredericksburg, Va. On May 15,
1778, they were discharged from their parole and allowed to go
to the Union Iron Works, near Clinton, N. J., owned by Ch. J.
William Allen and Joseph Turner, where they made their home
for six months, in what is now High Bridge, in a house called
"Solitude," still standing, belonging to the Taylor Iron & Steel
Co. The chamber occupied by John Penn has undergone but
little change, is called "John Penn's Room," and is an object of
interest to visitors.
John Penn, known as "John Penn the Younger," son of
Thomas Penn, who came to Philadelphia in 1783, bought a
property of 15 acres on the west side of the Schuylkill, now part
of Fairmount Park, where he built a house and named it "Soli-
tude," no doubt so named from the High Bridge house occupied
by his cousin, "John Penn the Elder."
"SOLITUDE" AT HIGH BRIDGE, N. J., FROM THE SUN DIAL WALK
Allthough this house had been remodeled, the room occupied by John Penn has
undergone but little change
PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA
Proprietaries, Governors, Lieutenant Governors and
Presidents of Council Acting as Deputy
Governors, 1681-1776
William Markham June 1681-Sept. 1682 Lieut. Gov.
^ William Penn Oct. 1682-Aug. 1684 Prop. & Gov.
^ Thomas Lloyd Aug. 1684-June 1685 Deputy Gov.
^ Thomas Holmes June 1685-Aug. 1685 do
2 Thomas Lloyd Sept. 1685-Dec. 1688 do
^ John Blackwell Dec. 1688-Jan. 1690 Lieut. Gov.
William Markham Mar. 1691 -Apr. 1693 Deputy Gov.
William Markham Apr. 1693-Nov. 1699 Lieut.Gov.
^ William Penn Nov. 1699-Nov. 1701 Prop. & Gov.
Andrew Hamilton Nov. 1701-Apr. 1703 Lieut. Gov.
Edward Shippen Apr. 1703-Feb. 1704 do
John Evans Feb. 1704-Jan. 1709 do
Charles Gooken Feb. 1 709-May 1717 do
Sir William Keith May 1717-July 1726 do
Patrick Gordon July 1726-Aug. 1736 do
James Logan Aug. 1736-Aug. 1738 Deputy Gov.
George Thomas Aug. 1738-May 1747 Lieut.Gov.
Andrew Palmer June 1747-Nov. 1748 Pres. of Council
James Hamilton Nov. 1748-Oct. 1754 Lieut. Gov.
Robert Hunter Morris Oct. 1754-Aug. 1756 do
William Denny Aug. 1756-Oct. 1759 do
James Hamilton Oct. 1759-Nov. 1763 do
^ John Penn Nov. 1763-May 1771 do
^ Richard Penn, Jr May 1771-Aug. 1775 do
John Penn Aug. 1775-July 1776 do
1 During the times William Penn, the proprietary, was in America, he
acted as governor and also presided as president of council, which he organ-
ized. He presided at meetings from March 10, 1683, to August 14, 1684.
The last was held at Sussex while enroute to England, and again from Decem-
ber 21, 1699, to October 28, 1701.
2 The Presidents of Council were designated as Deputy Governors. The
minutes of August 6, 1684, record that William Penn issued a commission to
Thomas Lloyd as President of Council to act in the Governor's stead and "to
keep the great seal."
3 William Markham was Deputy Governor from March, 1691, to April,
1693, and Lieutenant Governor from April, 1693, to March, 1695, under the
administration of Benjamin Fletcher, during the intervention of control by
the crown, and again as Lieutenant Governor until November, 1699.
4 John Penn, recited as John Penn, the Elder, and Richard Penn, Jr.,
were sons of Richard Penn, and grandsons of William Penn, the proprietary.
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Partial Genealogy
of the Family of
William Penn
Proprietary of the
Province of
Pennsylvania
Tabulated by
Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr.
Riegelsville, Pennsylvania
October, 1932
Old-style calendar used
. p. Without issue
Only child of Sir Wil-
liam and Lady Mary
Springett
1— Guilelma Maria Peni
2— William Penn— Twii
3 — Marj' Penn — Twin
4 — Springett Penn
b. Jan. 25, 1675
d. Apr. 10, 1696
Did not marry
5— Letitia Penn
"an. I2."l'699,''s.T
6— William Penn, Jr.
7 — Guilelma Maria Penn
The following seven
children by Penn's
1— Giiilelma Maria Penn
a. Oct. 1, 1748
2— Springett Penn
1 — Wm. Penn Thomas
2 — Mary Margaretta
Fell
3— Guilelma Maria
Frances Fell <
4— Col. Robert Edward
Fell
Not'iSried'' ""'
5 — Springett Penn Fell
9 — Thomas Penn
Lady Juliana Fermor
Thomas came to America
August 11, 1732
Returned to England
October 17, 1741
1— William Penn, 4th
b. June 21, 1752
2— Juliana Rawlins Penn
ni. May 23. 1771
William Baker, Esq.
3 — Thomas Penn, Jr.
b. July 17, 1754
4— William Penn— Twin
xi pKlaJe'Shia
to England in 1788
-Granville Penn
d! Sept. 28! 1844 ^
To Isabella Gordon Forbes
. 1847
I— Juliana Baker— d.s.[
m. Sh!i' HcVtert
Fawsct Rawlins
1— John William Penn
Eur. Dec. 18, 1802
2— Granville John Pen:
ThelastdescendantorWm
4— William Penn
-Juliana Margaret
Penn
Died in infancy
-ThomasPenn-Gaskell
2— Peter Penn-Gaskell
d! July 16, 1831
m. Elizabeth Edwards,
-Sophia Penn
d. s. D. in 1827
First wt.c
, K. C. B
-Louisa Emily Penn
^^^y- (Sequence may not be
-Wm. Penn-Gaskell
3— Eliza Penn-Gasl
4 — ^Alexander Forbes
Penn-Gaskell
d. Sept. 8, 1829
Aged 27— d. s. p.
5- Peter Penn-Gaskell,
6 — Christiana Guilelma
Penn-Gaskell
d. Mar. 29, 1830, .let. 24
m. William Swabric Hall
d. Sept. 26. 1862
Aged 63 years
7— Jane Penn-Gaskell
Agcd'2'4-No?ma,ried
8— Isaac Penn-Gaskell
Not married
-Wm. Penn-Gaskell
b. Feb. 20, 1808
Married- 10 children
2 — Louisa Penn-Gaskell
William 'Gerald Fiu-
5- Hetty Penn-Gaskell
d. B. p.
6— Mary Penn-Gaskell
7— William Penn-
Gaskell
d. Dec. 6, 1865
8— Jane Penn-Gaskell
9— Emily Penn-Gaskell
m. 1864— John Paul
Quinn, M. D. .
10— Peter Penn-Gaskell,
m. Mary Kathleen Stubbs
f l^Wm. Penn-Gaskell
2— Peter Penn-Gaskell
Hall
Twice married, Dec 24
1— Annie M. Mbtsell
Dau.' Peter mWu,
Easton, Pa.
2 — Louella Skillern
nn-Gasltell Sldllern
2— Peter Penn-Gaskell
1 — Granville Penn-
Gaskell Quinn
d. 1893— aged 22
I— Wm. Penn-Gaskell
3— Percy Penn-Gaskell
1— Christiana Gulielma
3— Edward S. Hall
5— Wm. Penn-Gaskell
6— Peter Hall
b. Mar. 14, 187;
7— Amelia Hall
I. 10— George Penn-Gaskell
1— Jean Bar
Gaskell I
-Thomas Granville
Henry Stuart Knox
4th Earl of Ranfurly
b. Mar. 24, ISM
m. CotinlandY.\\*hite«
Apr. 4, 1672
To Guilelma Maria
Springett
b. 1643 or 1644
liam and Lady 3Mar>-
Springett
Issue 7 children
Issue 7 children
Captain Giles Penn
Margaret Jasper
Daughter of
John Jasper
Rotterdam, Holland
2— Richard Penn
3 — Margaret Penn
b.
a. 1718
m. Feb, 14. 1667
— Thomas Pen:
10 — Hannah Margarite
To Philadelphia
to England in 1781
7— Granville Penn
11 — Margarite Penn
12— Richard Penn
14 — Hannah Penn
lan, D. D.
1 — Thomas Freame
2— Philadelphia
Hannah Freame
b. 1740-d. 1826
2nd»i.ofThomasDaws(
Twice married
1st 10 Miss Cox
AndonMav31,1766.
4-^William Penn
6— Sophia Penn
Firal wf'."of Sir Win. May-
nard Gomm, K. C. B.
7 — Louisa Emily Penn
d. May 27, 1841
Not manied
8— Isabella Mary Penn
-Mary Juliana Stu!
2nd Earl.of Ranfurly
L lO-^George Penn-Gaskell
-Thomas Knox
2— Uchter John Mark
—Jean Barclay
— Ctildren of
>m Penn-Gaskell Hall
-Mary F. Haie Hall
m. CourtlandY.White,
iettaMariaSarahPole '
3— Henry Stuart,
3 — Henry Esme Stuart
( 1— William Penn
S: S.?7.'/8'/5
â„¢,u,iaâ„¢c...ari,
4— William Penn
1 — Sir Thomas Lowther
m. Lady Elizabeth Caven-
Duke of Devonshire
3— Richard Penn, 3d
4 — Mary Penn, d.
(l! l/ar 26! 1863
1— Sir William Lowther
3 — Margaret Lowther
nmH htsfioifl—U
<X>Vt .VI mbI .r1
.0
tSi'i
â– o - - -.
nn9*I rifinnsH — hi
8ddt
larfJwoJ mBtflJ'// ii8 — £
nns'I laiBjibM
.d
8tVl .b
Vddt ,*â– ! .dal .m
â– 4
£«t .fa
Genealogical Notes and Land Titles
Read Before The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania at
Philadelphia, March 5. 1934
By B. F. FACKENTHAL, Jr., Sc. D„ LL. D.. RIEGELSVILLE, PA.
Mr. President, Members of The Genealogical Society of
Pennsylvania, Ladies and Gentlemen:
{FEEL highly honored to be invited to read a paper before this
society, particularly as the invitation comes to me from your
president, that veteran historian. Dr. Charles Penrose Keith,
who has himself accomplished so much in adding to the history
of your city, and in fact to the entire country, by his publications
and the family records which they contain. His "Provincial
Councillors of Pennsylvania," is a storehouse of information, and
a most valuable contribution to the genealogy of early Phila-
delphia families.
I take it that I have been placed on your program by reason
of my connection with the Bucks County Historical Society, and
with that thought in mind, I must be pardoned if I make frequent
references to that society, as well also to the Pennsylvania Ger-
man Society, which has accomplished much along genealogical
lines.
The Pennsylvania-German Society
The Pennsylvania-German Society, organized in 1891, has
gathered much historical and genealogical data, and I make the
statement without fear of contradiction, that the 41 volumes pub-
lished by that society will compare favorably with those of any
other patriotic society. Several of the volumes are devoted
almost entirely to church records. I may add that there is
often a lack of knowledge in regard to that association, many
thinking that it is a society of Germans, whereas no German can
become an active member, but only those who can trace their
ancestry to people of Germanic origin, arriving in America prior
to 1800.
My paternal ancestor came to America from Germany in
174 GENEALOGICAL NOTES AND LAND TITLES
1742, which is one Hne entitUng me to membership in that
society, while my maternal grandfather was a Scotch-Irishman.
One of my friends, who has honored me with his presence here
tonight, says that this qualifies me for membership in the Saint
Andrew's Society.
It was surprising, during the World War, to note the number
of people who suddenly became Huguenots or who traced their
lineage to Switzerland, leaving out their German ancestry.
Immigrant Lists at Harrisburg
There are on file at Harrisburg many of the original immi-
grant lists of the early settlers, who were not British subjects,
beginning with the year 1727 and ending with 1808. Of these
lists 319, covering the period from 1727 to 1776, have been pub-
lished by Prof. I. Daniel Rupp in his "Collection of Thirty Thou-
sand Names of German, Swiss, Dutch, French and Other Immi-
grants in Pennsylvania." These Rupp lists contain the names
only of those who were required to take the oath of allegiance to
King George II and King George 1 11.^
In 1880 under direction of our then Secretary of State, there
was edited by Dr. William H. Egle, Librarian of the Pennsylvania
State Library, as Vol. XVII, Second Series of the Pennsylvania
Archives, a somewhat more comprehensive list of arrivals, includ-
ing those published by Professor Rupp, with three additional
lists of arrivals prior to 1776, also 148 lists of arrivals from 1786
to 1808. The lists of both Professor Rupp and the Archives con-
tain many errors and omissions, and both without regard to con-
secutive arrangement as contained in the original lists. The
Archives contain the captain's lists which include females and
children under 16 years of age, who were not required to sub-
scribe to the oath.
The Pennsylvania-German Society has just completed new
translations of all immigrant lists that can be unearthed at
Harrisburg, to be published in three large octavo volumes of
about 830 pages each, with carefully prepared indexes.
The work of deciphering, translating and editing has been
1 King George II, born October 30, 1683, died October 25, 1760; King
Ceorge III, born June 4, 1738, died January 29, 1821.
GENEALOGICAL NOTES AND LAND TITLES 175
completed by the Rev. Dr. William J. Hinke, Professor of Semitic
Languages and Literature in the Auburn, N. Y., Theological
Seminary, who advises me that he has found 34 lists not hereto-
fore published. The work is well in hand, in fact, has all been
printed, except about 460 pages of the final index. These three
volumes will be of the greatest value to all genealogists, for it is
surprising to know the many families whose ancestry, through
some branch thereof, traces back to a Germanic origin.*^'
Prior to 1776, the greater part of these immigrants signed
their own names to the qualifying lists, and from these auto-
graphs we learn the correct way of spelling family names, but
alas, many have since become anglo-saxonized : e. g., the Zim-
mermans are now Carpenters; the Kleinhans's, Littlejohns; the
Snyders, Taylors; the Swartz's, Blacks; the Jeagers, Hunters;
the Keifers, Coopers; the Webers, Weavers; the Umholtz's,
Underwoods; the Kisters, Custers;the Meyers, Moyers; and the
LeFebers, Smiths. Other changes less radical have been made
in many family names, principally in the spelling. One would
hardly recognize the family names of some of the Crefelt colony,
who settled Germantown, by the names their descendants bear.
Since the organization of the Pennsylvania-German Society
in 1891, there have been 1,657 applicants for membership, not
all of whom, however, qualified. These applicants were required
to furnish as full and complete data as could be obtained, cover-
ing their ancestry on both paternal and maternal sides, thus
making a series of valuable genealogical records. Some of these
trace back through seven generations, which means 128 ancestors;
ten generations would include 1,024 ancestors in a direct line of
descent. It is to be hoped that these valuable documents, con-
taining family data, can also be published at an early day.
Family Genealogies
Over the past years there has been a renewed interest in family
genealogy, due largely to the fact that persons want to qualify for
membership in some society, such as the Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution, Sons of the Revolution, or some other hereditary
IK Sirce reading this address, these three volumes, entitled "Pennsyl-
vania German Pioneers," have been published, and distributed free to all
members of the Pennsylvania German Society.
176 GENEALOGICAL NOTES AND LAND TITLES
patriotic society. Some are tracing their ancestry, believing that
they can share in untold fortunes that await them in foreign
lands; some to connect themselves with the Emmerick family,,
believing they can share in the Astor millions. Librarians tell me
that the greater part of their patrons visit their libraries to study
family history.
It is to be regretted that many of the family reunions spend
so much of their time in feasting and often make no reference to
their family history, which should be the objective in getting
together.
I am told that there are many loose papers, letters and other
documents stored at Harrisburg, which have not been classified
or catalogued. It seems to me that these valuable colonial and
other historical documents should be cared for, edited and pub-
lished by our State Department. In other words, the publication
of the so-called Pennsylvania Archives should be continued until
every available document is put in print. The cost of doing this
should not be great, and the work should be put in hand before
these valuable papers become lost, stolen or mislaid.
The Bucks County Historical Society
The Bucks County Historical Society, founded in 1880, char-
tered in 1885, has for its chief object the collecting and housing
of ancient tools and implements used by our pioneer ancestors
in clearing the forests and making homes for themselves in what
was then an unbroken wilderness, with complete sets of tools of
many tradesmen to show their primitive uses, development and
evolution, as well as archaeological and other ancient objects.
These are housed in two connecting buildings, one erected in
1904 through the liberality of William L. Elkins and his son,
George W. Elkins, which we call the "Elkins Museum," and the
other an imposing fire-proof building erected by the late Dr.
Henry Chapman Mercer, from his own plans under his personal
supervision, and presented by him to the society, which we call
the "Mercer Museum." This was opened June 17, 1916, and
with it Doctor Mercer presented to the society his private col-
lection, which he had been years in gathering. This collection is
unique, and I am sure cannot, at this late day, be duplicated.
Among other items we have 466 firebacks and stove plates, made
GENEALOGICAL NOTES AND LAND TITLES 177
up of 313 different patterns. Most of these are described and
illustrated in Doctor Mercer's book entitled "The Bible in Iron
or the Pictured Stoves and Stove Plates of the Pennsylvania Ger-
mans."' The earliest of the stoves was the so-called "five-plate
jamb stove," which in fact was not a stove at all, but a warming
oven supplied with heat by passing a flame through it from an
adjoining fireplace. This was followed by a six-plate draft stove
operated independently, with an outlet at the top for a smoke
pipe attachment. There are also examples of Franklin Fire
Places, invented by Benjamin Franklin, followed with a ten-
plate stove with a warming oven, and the first to have a bake
oven. Many styles of wood-burning stoves for heating are still
in use. It was long after the discovery of anthracite coal in 1791,
that stoves for burning coal came gradually in use, to be invaded
in the twentieth century by gas, oil and electric apparatus.
At the conclusion of my paper I will show on the screen a few
of these interesting firebacks and stove plates, to illustrate their
evolution and development, as well also a few of the natural
geological features of the neighborhood in which I live, also views
of the museums and Fonthill. Half-tone engravings of these
slides will appear as illustrations to this paper.
Fonthill, Home of Dr. Henry C. Mercer
Allied with the museums is "Fonthill," home of the late Doctor
Mercer, completed in 1910, a most imposing castle-like concrete
fire-proof building, profusely decorated with tiles, mostly made at
his own factory from his own designs, but also many from ancient
countries. At Fonthill, scattered throughout the different rooms,
there is a library, which includes many scarce books, consisting of
5,815 bound volumes and some 1,000 pamphlets, relating mostly
to folklore, archaeology, history and other like subjects, none,
however, being along genealogical lines, in which he was not much
interested. A typewritten catalogue of this library has been pre-
pared, and in due time will be printed for free circulation, in order
that students and the public generally may become acquainted
with the interesting features of this wonderful collection of books.
2 There are in the Mercer Museum ten firebacks, all of different patterns'
Also 456 stove plates, made up of 313 different patterns.
178 genealogical notes and land titles
Museum Library
At the museum we have a carefully selected historical and
genealogical library, about 10,000 bound volumes with thou-
sands of pamphlets and manuscripts. These are housed in a
room decorated with Mercer tiles, illustrating historical and
local features of Bucks County. This room alone is well worth
a visit to Doylestown. To this we have just added an annex
with capacity to care for the growth of the library for some
years to come, and which will enable us to better care for our
books, maps, newspapers, deeds, manuscripts and other historical
items."' In 1908 we established a publication fund and have since
issued six octavo volumes containing all papers read before the
society from its beginning in 1880 to the close of 1932."* Over the
past three years the average yearly visitors at the museum who
registered was 7,637 and at Fonthill 3,183, and I am told that
about 25 per cent, do not register.
Through the liberality of the will of Doctor Mercer, we now
have ample income to carry on our work along more liberal lines.
Among other things we are hoping to establish a magazine to con-
tain such papers as may be read before the society, as well also to
make more permanent our church records, tombstone inscriptions,
current historical items and such other like historical and genea-
logical records.
As president of the Bucks County Historical Society and of
the Fonthill Trust, I extend to you a cordial invitation to visit
these unique buildings with their interesting collections.
Our society, or rather some enthusiasts connected therewith,
have made complete records of many tombstone inscriptions of
which several typewritten copies have been made. It is my
intention to present my copies of these to your society, having
already placed copies with the Bucks County Historical Society.
We have also secured copies of many church records, and such
of these as were in German have been carefully and reliably trans-
lated by the Rev. Dr. Hinke. My own copies of these will also in
due time be presented to your society.
â– 5 This annex is of fire-proof construction consisting cf two rooms, following
the lines of the main building. The inside dimensions of one room are 31 feet
wide by 50 feet long, with an 18 feet ceiling, and with a bridge or passage-way
9 feet 2 in. by 16 feet, leading to the old library. The other room or addition,
completed in 1937, is about 33 feet by 58 feet.
4 "The Fackenthal Publication Fund"- — These six volumes contain an
aggregate of 4,079 pages, with 515 papers and discussions and 401 illustra-
tions, besides maps, tables and other inserts.
genealogical notes and land titles 179
Sources of Genealogical Data
It is gratifying to know that your society has on file abstracts
of wills and administrations of many of the near-by counties.
Those of Bucks County from 1685 to 1825, are also in the Bucks
County Historical Society, having been abstracted by our veteran
librarian, Warren S. Ely.
These records are reliable sources of family history, as are also
church records and tombstone inscriptions to which I have already
referred. Other sources well known to you are deeds, mortgages,
court records, military records, family papers and family Bibles of
which we have 89 in the library of the Bucks County Historical
Society.
Land Titles
The study of old deeds and land titles is another source for
gathering genealogical data, to which I have devoted much time,
particularly of properties in Durham and adjoining townships.
In referring to land titles and the history of the Durham Iron
Company in connection therewith, I must be pardoned for draw-
ing on other papers that I have heretofore presented to historical
societies.^
I have been aided in this interesting work by having many
old deeds and other title papers fall into my hands. Some of
these had belonged to my great-grandfather (1756-1846), some to
my grandfather (1795-1872), who was an engineer and con-
veyancer, and some to my father (1825-1893), who although a
lawyer, was also an accomplished engineer interested in that
character of research.
But the most valuable documents, some 50 of them, all parch-
ments, came to me through a goldbeater in Philadelphia, who had
purchased them to use for beating goldleaf , and seeing their value,
parted with them for the sum of eighty dollars. Most of these
are title papers connected with Durham Iron Works and Trevose
in Bensalem Township, the home of Lawrence Growdon and later
of Joseph Galloway, who had married his daughter Grace, from
whom she inherited inter alia, Trevose and that part of Durham
containing the iron works.
While there is evidence of an earlier iron-ore reducing plant
S "The Durham Iron Works" — Paper read before the Friends Historical
Association of Philadelphia, June 10, 1922, and also referred to in other papers.
180 GENEALOGICAL NOTES AND LAND TITLES
at Durham, it was not until 1726 that the Durham Iron Company
was formed to erect a blast furnace. The partnership agree-
ment bears date March 4, 1727, to continue 51 years. The
twelve men who formed the company were: Jeremiah Langhorne
of Bucks County, who later became chief justice of the Province;
Charles Read, later a provincial councillor, and then mayor of
Philadelphia in which office he served three years, collector of
excise, trustee of the loan office and judge of the admiralty court;
Anthony Morris, mayor of Philadelphia in 1739; Robert Ellis,
merchant; George Fitzwater, merchant, grandfather of George
Clymer; John Hopkins, mariner; Thomas Lindley, anchorsmith;
Clement Plumsted, who served as a provincial councillor and
three terms as mayor of Philadelphia; William Allen, who mar-
ried Margaret, daughter of Andrew Hamilton, was chief justice
of Pennsylvania, 1751 to 1774; Joseph Turner, who for fifty years
was a business partner of William Allen, served as a provincial
councillor and who in 1745 declined his election to the mayoralty
of Philadelphia; James Logan, Penn's secretary, whose history
is well known to you; and Andrew Bradford, printer, son of the
William Bradford, first printer of New York, and an uncle to the
William Bradford, so frequently referred to by Benjamin Franklin
in his autobiography. These were indeed a galaxy of prominent
and influential men.
The documents from the goldbeater, to which I have referred,
included the deed from Samuel Powell, dated February 10, 1727,
conveying the Durham property back to the twelve partners
freed from the trust. ^ Deeds from the heirs of Charles Read, the
first of the partners to pass away, setting forth that part of Charles
Read's holdings, belonged in fact to James Logan, his brother-in-
law, but was put in Read's name in order that James Logan might
control his two votes, as each one-sixteenth entitled a partner to
one vote; deeds from George Fitzwater and Joseph Turner releas-
ing part of their holdings to the Charles Read estate, and declar-
ing that each of them was the bona fide owner of but one-twenty^
fourth and not of one-sixteenth.^ This was done to give James
Logan control of their votes. By these manipulations James
6 Recorded at Philadelphia, August 2, 1743, Deed Book G, Vol. Ill, p.
240 &c.
^ Recorded at Philadelphia, Augu&t 2, 1742, Deed Book G, Vol. Ill, p,
240 &c. . - & .
GENEALOGICAL NOTES AND LAND TITLES 181
Logan secured control of six votes, two of his own, two of Read's
and one each of Fitzwater and Turner.
Among these deeds was the original patent, dated April 4,
1749, to Rev. Richard Peters in trust for 1,472 acres of Durham
company lands lying outside of Durham Township, signed by
James Hamilton as Lieutenant Governor, at a time when he was
himself one of the owners of the company.^
There were also a number of Joseph Galloway documents
including a certified copy of his will on file in England;^ and
deeds and declarations in re the antenuptial settlement of his
daughter Elizabeth, who was to marry William Roberts of the
Middle Temple, barrister at law. This document and many
others are not recorded. The marriage of Elizabeth Galloway
proved to be an unhappy one and after the birth of their child
they entered into a separation agreement.^"
There are also three of the six deeds for the so-called Pidcock
tract in Solebury Township, Bucks County, (the Thompson-
Neely tract) now belonging to the Washington Crossing Park
Commission, which were not recorded; also the original patent to
Lawrence Growdon, dated October 31, 1737, for 2,957 acres of
land at Trevose in Bensalem Township.
I have deposited most of these documents in the archives of
the Bucks County Historical Society, and in due time expect to
present that society with the others, together with many other
deeds and historical manuscripts now in my possession.
Durham Iron Company's Lands Partitioned
When the Durham Iron Company's lands were partitioned,
December 24, 1773, four years prior to the expiration of their
partnership agreement, none of the original partners shared in
the division, all had passed away except William Allen and Joseph
Turner who had previously disposed of their interests.**
In the division about sixty per cent, of the entire company,
which had belonged to Lawrence Growden, then deceased, was
8 Patent book "A," Vol. XVI, p. 388 &c.
9 Probated in England, September 28, 1803. Recorded at Philadelphia,
November 14, 1831, Book of Wills No. 9, p. 684, &c.
10 Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. II, p. 454.
II C. J. William Allen, died September 6, 1780; Joseph Turner, died July
25. 1788.
182 GENEALOGICAL NOTES AND LAND TITLES
allotted to his two daughters, one-half or thirty per cent, of the
whole to Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Nichelson, who resided in
England, and the other thirty per cent, to Grace, wife of Joseph
Galloway, which included that part of Durham containing the
blast furnace, forges, mines, quarries and waterpower.
Immediately after getting possession of the iron-works tract
in 1773, the Galloways leased the plant to George Taylor, who
was in possession and living in Durham when on August 2, 1776,
he affixed his signature to that immortal document, the Declara-
tion of Independence.
Durham Furnace, during the administration of George Taylor,
was on August 25, 1775, the very first in Pennsylvania to supply
shot and shells to the Continental army. Cannon were also made
at Durham, from which furnace ammunition continued to be
made in large quantities to the close of the war.^^
Shot and shells were also made at Durham Furnace for the
French and Indian war.'^
Joseph Galloway Attainted of Treason
By Act of the General Assembly passed March 6, 1778,
Joseph Galloway was attainted of treason, and his property in
Pennsylvania seized and sold by the Commissioner of Forfeited
Estates. ^"^
In the partition of the Durham Iron Company he was allotted
two tracts, or about four per cent, of the whole in his own right;
one of which (No. 7) was confiscated, the other one (No. 33) he
sold to Joseph Morris, this tract borders on the Delaware River
and forms part of the borough of Riegelsville, the tract on which I
reside.
Galloway bought two other of the Durham tracts, one (No.
9) from James Hamilton, the other (No. 8) from Mrs. Cordelia
Smith, both of which were confiscated.
Joseph Galloway's life-right in the Durham Iron Company
belonging to his wife, nee Grace Growdon, was also seized and
sold by the Commissioner at Newtown, August 23, 1779, and
purchased by Richard Backhouse, who took title in his own name
12 Colonial Records, Vol. X, pp. 297-298-315-331-339-354-365-373-381-
382-598-690; For Cannon, see ibid., p. 598.
13 Bucks County Court Records, September Term, 1765.
14 1 Smith's Laws, p. 449 and Statutes at Large, Vol. IX, p. 201.
GENEALOGICAL NOTES AND LAND TITLES 183
for himself and his three associates.'"'' Galloway's life-right in
Trevose (444 acres), Belmont (574 acres), King's Place (297
acres), Richlieu (407 acres), Delaware river tract (160 acres) and
all other properties belonging to Mrs. Galloway were also se-
questered and sold.
Grace (Growdon) Galloway died at Philadelphia, February 6,
1782, leaving issue an only child, to wit: Elizabeth, wife of Wil-
liam Roberts, who as a young woman was quite the toast a cen-
tury and a half ago, and to whom she devised the Durham estate
by her last will and testament, bearing date December 20, 1781.
Shortly after his attainder Joseph Galloway fled to England,
taking with him their daughter Elizabeth, who did not return to
Pennsylvania."'
Joseph Galloway died at Watford, County of Hertford, Eng-
land, August 29, 1803, by his last will and testament, dated June
9, 1803, he devised inter alia all his estate in America to trustees
for the use of his daughter, Elizabeth Roberts, for life free and
clear of any rights or claims of her husband.
Richard Backhouse died in 1795, and in 1804, after the death
of Joseph Galloway, the heirs of Mrs. Galloway brought ejectment
proceedings in the Courts of Bucks County to dispossess the heirs
of Richard Backhouse. The Supreme Court, after several argu-
ments, declared that Galloway's attainder vested no claim to the
real estate of his wife, Grace, in the Commonwealth, and only
freed it from his tenancy by the courtesy when she died seized,
and therefore the property passed by her will, and the Backhouse
heirs were dispossessed.'^
Mrs. Galloway passed away twenty-one years before the death
of her husband, and therefore did not live to see Durham and her
other real estate restored to her heirs. By her will, made tw^o
days prior to her death, she devised Durham to her only daughter,
Elizabeth, wife of William Roberts, and from Mrs. Roberts it
passed to her only daughter, Ann Grace Roberts, wife of Ben-
jamin Burton, Lieutenant in the 19th Lanciers. Mrs. Burton by
15 The firm of Richard Backhouse t*t Co., was composed of Richard Back-
house, Isaac Sidman, George Taylor and Robert Lettis Hooper, Jr., they were
equal partners.
16 See diary of Mrs. Galloway in Pennsylvania Magazine of History, Vol.
55, pp. 32 to 94 and Vol. 58, pp. 152 to 189.
.17 Jenks vs. Backhouse Heirs, 1 Binney, pp. 1 and 91. Also Pemberton
vs. Hicks, 3 Dallis, p. 479 and 4 Dallis, p. 168.
184 GEJ^EALOGICAL NOTES AND LAND TITLES
her last will and testament, bearing date December 10, 1837,
devised her Durham estate to her youngest son, Adolphus William
Desart Burton, who came of age in 1847, and who on January 25,
1848, granted a letter of attorney to William Rawle of Philadel-
phia, with power to sell his Durham property and execute deed or
deeds for same.
On March 16, 1848, the Durham property was sold by William
Rawle, attorney, at public sale, held in the township of Durham,
and was purchased by Joseph Whitaker & Company, who took
possession, reopened the mines and quarries, and erected two
blast furnaces adapted to use anthracite coal, and otherwise im-
proved the property, which continued to be the seat of a blast-
furnace plant until 1912, when the plant closed down and the
property was divided and sold. Joseph Whitaker was the grand-
father of former Governor Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker.
It may not be known to all of you that among the properties
belonging to Joseph Galloway, that were seized and sold by
order of the Supreme Executive Council, was the now celebrated
Hog Island, in the Delaware river below Philadelphia.^^ Nor
the fact that part of the monies received from the sale of forfeited
estates was appropriated to support the University of Pennsyl-
vania, founded in 1749, but not erected into a University until
1779, the very year these forfeited estates were sold/^
Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pa.
Referring to the University of Pennsylvania, which Ben-
jamin Franklin was largely instrumental in founding, leads me
to say, (although not germane to my subject), that Benjamin
Franklin, that many-sided man, was also instrumental in 1787,
in establishing Franklin College at Lancaster, Pa., now Franklin
& Marshall College. The charter members and the first board
of trustees contain the names of four signers of the Declaration of
Independence: Robert Morris, Dr. Benjamin Rush, George
Clymer and Thomas McKean. Among others of the first trus-
tees were Thomas Mififlin and Joseph Hiester who became gov-
ernors of Pennsylvania, as did also Thomas McKean; Jasper
Yeates who became a distinguished jurist; William Rawle,
18 Colonial Records, Vol. X, p. 607; Vol. XII, pp. 661 and 730; Pennsyl-
vania Archives, 1st ser. Vol. VIII, p. 760 and 6th sen, Vol. XII, p. 197.
19 Statutes at Large, Vol. X, p. 23, Act of November 27, 1779.
GENEALOGICAL NOTES AND LAND TITLES 185
appointed United States District Attorney by Washington in
1791, reviser of the Civil Code of Pennsylvania, and the first
president of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.^" William
Bingham and Peter Muhlenberg who became United States
Senators. ^^ The remainder of the board, 43 in all, was made up
of clergymen, scholars and other distinguished men of their time.
A publication recently unearthed in Paris, printed in French, sets
forth that Benjamin Franklin was present at Lancaster and laid
the corner-stone of Franklin College in 1787.
James Buchanan was elected president of the board of trus-
tees of Franklin and Marshall College, January 23, 1853, and
continued to serve during the entire time he was President of the
United States, resigning July 25, 1865, after the close of the civil
war.
Warrants, Surveys and Patents for Land
While preparing this paper, a friend writes to ask how settlers
became vested in their lands in fee. This suggests that the pro-
cedure may be of interest to some of you.
In Pennsylvania the first humane act was to extinguish the
Indian titles. This William Penn was always careful to do, in
fact he paid for his Pennsbury tract (8,431 acres) a second time to
satisfy an Indian chief, (King Sepassing), although it had pre-
viously been purchased and paid for by William Markham.^^ By
his just and honest dealings William Penn always retained the
confidence and friendship of the Aborigines, but some of the sub-
sequent proprietaries were not always so considerate, and brought
down upon themselves and all settlers the animosity of the
Indians, as witness the unjust Walking Purchase of 1737, result-
ing in the most barbarous massacres and caused the Indians to
20 William Rawle, LL.D., born April 28, 1759, died April 12, 1856, com-
pleted his legal education in London, where he was admitted to the Middle
Temple, August 17, 1781. In 1827, the College of New Jersey (now Princeton
University) conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. See
Biographical Notice, First Series of Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Vol. IV,
pt. 1, published in 1840.
21 William Bingham was the founder of Binghamton, N. Y. Gen. Peter
Gabriel Muhlenberg (1746-1807), called and known as Peter Muhlenberg, was
United States Senator from February 18, 1801, to October 1, 1807. His
brother, Gotthilf Heinrich Ernest Muhlenberg, V.D.M., a celebrated botanist,
was the first president of Franklin College.
22 This was included within the bounds of the first purchase from the
Indians, negotiated by William Markham, July 15, 1682, before the first
arrival of William Penn.
186 GENEALOGICAL NOTES AND LAND TITLES
ally themselves against the English and their associates in the
wars that followed.
In the settlement of new countries one of the burning ques-
tions is to encourage immigration, and get settlers to take up
lands, and not to put hindrances in their way. William Penn
recognized this in making Pennsylvania not only an asylum for
religious freedom, but as a means of populating a new country
as well.
Warrants to take up land were often granted by the Pro-
prietaries for favors received, but also to almost any one applying.
The grants were subject to certain conditions to be complied with
when surveys were made and patents issued.
The warrants were often for large acreages, which could be
split up and all or any part thereof transferred to others. They
entitled the holder to take up any unoccupied land, in fact
squatters established what were called "settlements," by locating
on and improving unoccupied lands, which gave them a good
title against every one except the Penns. The warrantees or the
squatters applied to the Surveyor General for surveys, which
having been made were returned to the department, and when
the conditions were complied with patents were granted. Some-
times surveys overlapped, which often led to disputes and litiga-
tion.
There was often a lapse of time, sometimes several years,
after surveys were returned before patents were granted. Surveys
were sometimes transferred to others. They may have been dis-
posed of for a consideration or because the original applicant
could not comply with the conditions. The land had to be paid
for according to its location and value: in the upper end of Bucks
County the consideration was about three shillings and one penny
per acre.
In addition to the money consideration all patents contained
the following reservation:
"Three full and clear fifth parts of all Royal Mines, free from all deductions
and reprisals for digging and refining the same; and also one-fifth part of the
ore of all other mines, delivered at the pit's mouth, only excepted and hereby
reserved."
And in addition thereto the Proprietaries were to receive a
yearly rental of one-half penny per acre.
Patents or original titles were in fact deeds in fee, and all sub-
GENEALOGICAL NOTES AND LAND TITLES 187
sequent deeds of transfer were by indentures. The parchments
on which they were written had indented or notched edges at
both tops and bottoms. This practice was established before
the days of recording, or when duphcates were required. The
chain of title was determined by the indentures fitting and mem-
bering into each other, and although this practice has long since
been neglected, the legal term of Indenture survives.
The General Assembly of Pennsylvania passed an act Novem-
ber 27, 1779, for vesting the Estates of the late Proprietaries of
Pennsylvania in the Commonwealth, which in the most liberal
manner sets forth in detail the relief reserved to the Penn Family,
to which they were entitled prior to July 4, 1776.^"'
The Province having been entailed in male tail to the Penn
heirs, and the last male heir, the Rev. Thomas Gordon Penn,
having died September 10, 1869, without issue, William Stuart,
Jr., a great-great-grandson of William Penn, became the Tenant
in Tail General to the estate.
By deed dated November 11, 1870, acknowledged in the
Supreme Court, March 25, 1871, William Stuart, Jr., barred the
entail, and confirmed the titles to all Pennsylvania lands, his wife
Adelaide joining in the deed ; thus perfecting the titles to all lands
that were thought to be defective or concerning which some ques-
tions of sufficiency had been raised.^*
I have here for inspection a book in typewriting, containing
complete briefs of title to all lands in Durham Township and of
many tracts in Springfield and other townships, all in Bucks
County, with historical notes, which will, in due time, be pre-
sented to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
23 Statutes at Large, Vol. X, pp. 33 et seq.
24 Recorded at Philadelphia, Deed Book J. A. H. No. 98, p. 311 and No.
123, pp. 442 et seq. For a complete History of the Penn Titles, see article by
William Brook Rawle, in Pennsylvania Magazine of History, Vol. XXHI, p. 60
et seq.
First casting known to have been made in America.
Cast at Saugus Iron Works, Lynn, Mass., in 1644.
FIVE PLATE JAMB-STOVE
Pen drawing by Dr. Henry C. Mercer to show a section throufih the center of a five plate
jamb stove. This shows the plan and use of the first stove made in the Province, which was in
fact a warming device and not a stove. It was built against the partition wall between a kitchen
and an adjoining room. The flame from the open fireplace in the kitchen, marked G, was
carried through the jamb opening E, and after passing through the stove B, was returned to the
kitchen flue through opening F, to the chimney H.
This plan of jamb-stove is described by Benjamin Franklin. See The Works of Benjamin
Franklin by William Duane, Vol. Ill, page 458.
FIVE PLATE JAMH-STONIC
Dated 1760 — The Tenth Commandment
Inscription — las dich nicht gelyssten deines nest sten gut
Translation — Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods
The so-called Home House, near Richlandtown, on the north side of the public road (Route
No. 212) leading from Springtown to Quakertown in Bucks County, built in 1743 by Joseph
Unthank, was equipped with a five plate jamb-stove, which was removed some years ago, but
the kitchen fireplace and openings into the adjoining room remain. This house was purchased
by R. P. Hommel, and restored by Dr. Mercer at a cost of $6,000 in order to preserve the only
known fireplace of its kind in Bucks County.
â– mm
"^'^^m^m^:^
THE DANCE OF DEATH
A reconstructed five-plate stove
The inscription on the side plate reads
HIR. FEIT. MIT. MIR. DER. BITER. TOT.
ER. BRINGT. MICH. IN. TOTS. NO.
English translation
Here fights with me the bitter death
and brings me in death's stress.
(Dr. Mercer's Bible in Iron, No. 76.)
SIX PLATE DRAFT STOVE
The six plate draft stove was the direct successor of the five plate jamb-stove, and the first
to have an independent opening for a smoke pipe, thereby permitting a fire to be maintained
in the firebox. It is not known when the six plate stoves were first used, but they antedate
the stove invented in 1742 by Benjamin Franklin. Baron Stiegel claimed to have been the
first to make them, viz.. at his blast furnace at Manheim, in Lancaster County. Some of his
early stoves contained the inscription:
"Baron Stiegel is der Mann, Der die Oefen mechen kan": Translation, Baron Stiegel is
the man who knows how to make stoves.
The complete stove shown above was made at Warwick Furnace in 1764, with the inscrip-
tion "Las Vom Bessen Thue Gutes" — Translation: Depart from Evil and do Good.
Baron Stiegel also built a glass works at Manheim in 1765-68, then the only factory of its
kind in the British Colonies.
TEN PLATE STOVE
Following the six plate stove in the evolution of stoves, was the ten plate stove, which
marked a great improvement in construction, for it not only had a firebox connected with the
chimney, but was the first to have an oven for cooking, baking and roasting. The flame
carried underneath tlie oven, passes around its back, thence over the top, with the draft stack
over the front. These still survive in some out of the way country places. They were made
in large quantities at Durham in two sizes designated as large and small. The large ones
weighed 5 cwt. (560 pounds) and were charged in 1782 at £5-10/. The small ones were
charged at £5. Their weight is not given; they were usually billed by the ton.
The stove shown above was made in 1768 by Thomas Maybury at the Hereford Furnace,
\ ocated on the Perkjomen Creek in Berks County, Pa.
r
|o.
TEN PLATE STOVE
Following the six plate stove in the evolution of stoves, was the ten plate stove, which
marked a great improvemer.t in construction, for it not only had a firebox connected with the
chimney, but was the first to have an oven for cooking, baking and roasting. The flame
carried underneath the oven, passes around its back, thence over the top, with the draft stack
over the front. These still survive in some out of the way country places. They were made
in large quantities at Durham in two sizes designated as large and small. The large ones
weighed 5 cwt. (560 pounds) and were charged in 1782 at £5-10/. The small ones were
charged at £5. Their weight is not given; they were usually billed by the ton.
The stove shown above was made in 1768 by Thomas Maybury at the Hereford Furnace,
Jocated on the Perkiomen Creek in B^rks County, Pa.
t
ii
r I
,J
^x'SJ^!.
FRANKLIN FIRE-PLACE, INVENTED BY BENJAMIN FRANKLIN IN 1742
DLtailed plan of construction showing air inlet and circulation of flame, Franklin's own description. Ttie works of Benjamin Franklin, Phi-
losophical \ olume Eesa^s and Correspondence, Volume III, page 411 et sen., published in 1808 by William Duane of Philadc-lphia.
FRANKLIN FIRE-PLACE IN BUCKS COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
Invention of Benjamin Franklin in 1742, and always referred to as "Fire-Places." Designed
for warming and not for cooking. Made at different blast furnaces, and apparently of different
patterns. The earliest ones were probably made at Warwick Furnace. The Durliam Furnace
books show shipments down to 1789, when the charcoal furnace stopped operating. In October,
1783, eight Franklin Fire-Places were shipped to Philadelphia at one time, and the consignee
wrote that he had four others on hand. Refererce is made of two sizes made at Durham.
In 1783 shipments were made of fire-places weighing 5 cwt., i. e., 560 pounds, and the price
charged was £5-5/. In 1785 they were billed at £4-10/, whether for a smaller size does not
appear.
The base-plate shown above is not an original plate and does not show the inlet for air.
FIREBACK MADE AT DURHAM FURNACE. 1728
One of the eight firubacks in Stcnton, at Wayne Junction, Philadelphia, the home of James
Logan, Penn's secretary. Cast at Durham in 1728 at a time when Jauie.-; Lnuan owned three-
eighths of the Durham Iron Company. Borings were taken from three of these firebacks
for chemical analyses, which were found to exactly agree with castings made from Durham
ores.
There is a fireback in the Sir William Keith house, Graem Park, on the Little Neshaminy
in Montgomery County, built in 1721, somewhat similar in design and decoration, but slightly
larger than the Stenton plates, but bearing the same date, 1728, which was not made at Dur-
ham.
No fireback or stove plate or any other casting could have been made at any iron works
other than a so-called blast furnace. The earliest blast furnace in Pennsylvania was Cole-
brookdale built in 1720. Durham Furnace was built in 1727. In 1728 there were but four
blast furnaces in Pennsylvania.
FIREBACK AT VALLPZY FORGE
Bearing date 1734. Found about one mile from Washington's lieadquarters in an old liouse,
which had been tire lieadquarters of General Lord Stirling during the Revolutionary encamp-
ment, winter of 1777-78. Probably made at Warwick Furnace. Chemical analysis shows that
it was not made at Durham.
COLEBROOKDALE FURNACE, BERKS COUNTY, PA.
Side plate of a six-plate stove cast in 1763. Colebrookdale, built in 1720, was the first blast
furnace to be erected in Pennsylvania. Thomas Rutter, whose name appears on the
cartouch, was the principal member of the company to establish this early plant.
The inscription on tliis plate is,
COLEBROOKDALE FURNAC
THOMAS RUTTER
THU. RECHT. UND.
The English translation DO RIGHT AND.
This motto is completed on the other plates which went to make up a complete six-plate stove.
(Dr. Mercer's Bible in Iron, No. 155.)
FIRERAC K M
AT OXFORD, N. J., BLAST FURNACTi", 1746
Decorated witli Coat of Arms of England, with tlie lion, unicorn, crown, crest and legend
of the garter: "Honi Soit qui mal y Pensc," Evil to him w!io evil thinketh. Another Oxford
fireback with same date and decorations contains the motto: "Dieu et mon Droit," God and
my right. Oxford blast furnace was built in 1743.
Di o
Z 5
O <«
El g
RINGING ROCKS OF HRIDGETON TOWNSHIP. BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Propert>' of the Bucks County Historical Society. Area about 7 acres.
This is one of seven known fields of Ringing Rocks, along line of the Triassic or New Red
Sandstone, three in Bucks County, three in Montgomery County and one in Chester County.
(See Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. V, p. 212 et seq.)
RIPPLE MARKS OR WAVE LINES
In limestone quarry at Raubsville, Northampton County, Pa. One mile north of the
Riegelsville Borough line, and six miles south of Easton, about 50 yards from the west shore
of the Delaware river. One of the largest and best defined ripple marks or wave lines along the
Atlantic coast.
(See First Geological Survey of Pennsylvania by Prof. H. D. Rogers, Vol. I, p. 99.)
PALISADES AT THE NARROWS OF NOCKAMIXON,
BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
The "New Red Sandstone" bluffs rise almost sheer 400 feet above the Delaware river.
Pleasure boat "Zlotub," leaving Narrowsvillo locks. This, the Delaware Division Canal, was
closed to navigation and taken over by the State of Pennsylvania, October 17, 1931. The
late Dr. Thomas C. Porter considered these palisades one of the best botanical fields in the
United States. (Photograph taken September 9, 1908.)
An Introduction to the Loyalists of Bucks County and Som6
Queries Concerning Them
By LOUIS ELY THOMPSON. GLEN RIDGE, N. J.
(Doylestown Meeting, May 5, 1934)
OUR local historians have been so engrossed in preserving
the facts concerning the patriotic citizens of Bucks who
upheld the Continental Congress that they have largely
overlooked the equally patriotic services of the native sons of this
same county who joined the British. Excepting the Doans, the
Tories or Loyalists have not been the subject of a separate study
by the Bucks County Historical Society. Adherence to the
Crown prompted the Loyalist to serve in many fields and in var-
ious ways. Circumstances frequently drove him into active par-
ticipation in the bitter contest; and a neutral position was beset
by the suspicions of both sides and made hard to maintain. Many
were expatriated. For a long time, then, this ignoring of the
Loyalists by our historians was natural, of course, since in this
country the descendants of those who upheld the American Cause
were and are interested in the careers of their Revolutionary
grandfathers while the descendants of the Loyalists were mostly
scattered throughout the British Empire.
Without attempting an investigation of the activities of all
the Loyalists of Bucks, it would be interesting to pursue the
careers of a few of them. And such a pursuit brings the searcher
to puzzling questions to which there may be no answers.
It was by the fortunes of war that the Loyalists of Bucks were
compelled for the most part to render their military services to the
British in other fields, for they had no choice but to follow where
the British military power controlled. Take, for instance, the
Bucks County Volunteers at the Block House Fight at Toms
River, New Jersey, in 1782. The history-minded person from
Bucks is set on his puzzled way to further investigation of this
event when he learns that the Loyalist expedition against the
New Jersey Militia in the Block House at Toms River was led by
two Bucks County Loyalists, Evan Thomas of Hilltown and
Owen Roberts of New Britain. Usually the search for historic
facts is started by some curiosity-arouser. Let the Block House
Fight at Toms River serve that purpose In this introduction to
the Loyalists of Bucks County.
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 205
One of the best accounts of this fight is in the Collection of
Papers of the Bucks County Historical Society, an article by
General W. H. Stryker, read before the society on January 21,
1885, under the title of "Three Dramatic Scenes in the Closing
Hours of the Revolutionary Struggle." In it we read that the
Board of Associated Loyalists in New York designated Captain
Evan Thomas and Lieutenant Owen Roberts, both of the Bucks
County Volunteers, as leaders of the raid against Toms River.
With them were about forty refugee Loyalists and eighty priva-
teer seamen under the command of one Lieutenant Blanchard.
Since Thomas and Roberts came from Bucks, it is quite likely
that is the reason General Stryker read his paper in the county
from which these belligerent refugee Loyalists hailed. But
General Stiyker's article leaves us still curious as to who Evan
Thomas and Owen Roberts were and what sort of an organiza-
tion the Bucks County Volunteers was. There are several
sources of information, no one of which is complete.
Edward Mathews, in writing about the Thomases of Hilltown,
says that Evan Thomas' family was of Welsh descent, that they
were not related to the other Thomases of that township, and
that they were an aristocratic and wealthy family possessed of
much land and several slaves. Their home was near Rieff's
Corner. William and Evan Thomas were grandsons of the first
Evan in Hilltown.^
In the list of those who associated themselves to resist British
aggression, there are several Thomases enrolled in Hilltown
Township and five others of that name who were listed as Non-
Associators. The names of William and Evan Thomas do not
appear on either list. The name of an Evan Thomas does appear
among the Non-Associators in Buckingham. Whether this was
the same Evan who afterwards was captain of the Bucks County
Volunteers is a question.
When General Howe's army occupied Philadelphia after the
battle of Brandywine, William and Evan Thomas among other
Loyalists from Bucks joined him there. William was made a
captain of Loyalist troops. His name seldom appears in the his-
tories and Evan is given credit for organizing and leading a troop
of mounted men called the Bucks County Volunteers.
1 "The Thomas Family of Hilltown," Edward Mathews, page 1.
206 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
Evan Thomas at that time was in his early thirties. He must
have been a vigorous fellow to endure the hardships of the many
campaigns and must also have been endowed with a spirit of
leadership, since he organized his troop of dragoons and com-
manded them throughout the remainder of the war. At Toms
River his men fought as foot soldiers, having been transported
from New York in boats. It is disappointing that so little is
known about Evan Thomas in this country; the records are so
meager that there is not enough from which to make an appraisal
of his character nor to enable one to visualize his personality.
The Block House Fight at Toms River was of no great mili-
tary importance. Captain Thomas and his men captured the
little fort, burned it, and threw its spiked guns into the river.
After they had burned the whole village, they carried the sur-
vivors of the garrison away as prisoners. Lieutenant Roberts
was severely wounded in the assault on the stockade-like fort and
it was necessary to hasten back to New York with him and the
other wounded Loyalists. The victors were elated over the cap-
ture of Captain Joshua Huddy, the redoubtable Whig m.ilitia
captain, who commanded the little garrison of the fort. A few
days after the return to New York, a party of New Jersey Loyal-
ists under the command of Captain Richard Lippincott of
Shrewsbury carried Captain Huddy down to Atlantic Highlands
and, without a trial, hanged him on an hastily improvised gal-
lows. The Americans were greatly exasperated when the news of
the burning of the town and the death of Huddy spread over the
now thoroughly incensed country and many of the British also
deprecated the unwarranted hanging. General Washington,
after a dignified correspondence with the British General Clinton,
determined to retaliate in kind. After consulting with his gen-
erals, he decided upon the selection of an officer from among the
British prisoners taken at Yorktown who would be hanged if
Captain Lippincott were not surrendered. The unfortunate
choice fell on Captain Asgill, a young officer of the First Regiment
of Foot and the only son of a wealthy English baronet. Wash-
ington's ultimatum was, "To save the innocent, I demand the
guilty." Now there was the devil to pay. Captain Lippincott
was court-martialled by the British and acquitted on his defence
that he had acted under the orders of William Franklin, the
deposed Loyalist Governor of New Jersey and now President of
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 207
the Board of Associated Loyalists in New York. Franklin took
the next ship for England. The Asgill family and their friends
moved heaven and earth to save Captain Asgill 's innocent neck
from the hangman's noose, and at last Count de Vergennes,
Prime Minister of Louis XVI, interceded with the American Con-
gress, whereupon Captain Asgill's "ticket was killed," so to
speak, and he was allowed to return to the British lines. That is
not the whole story, but the brief account may explain the reper-
cussion of the victory of the Bucks County Volunteers at Toms
River which agitated ofificialdom in America and Europe as well.
What caused Evan Thomas and his fellow Loyalists to aban-
don their homes and property in Bucks County and fight their
countrymen thus? If the Loyalists are to be judged by the
sizes of their estates and by their prosperous condition and in
many cases by the elevation of the offices which they held, one
would assume that they were somewhat satisfied with things as
they were under the rule of Parliament and wished to maintain
the established order for the security of their lives and their
properties. Or did they merely join what seemed to be the
wanning party? Whatever the reasons were, greater animosities
were stirred up between them and their Whig neighbors, and a
greater spirit of vindictiveness evinced in both parties in Bucks
County, than was displayed by the British themselves.
Thackeray says, "Adversity disarms animosity and causes
yesterday's enemy to fling his hatred aside." Surely there has
been enough of adversity in the last few years to cause moderns
to forget those old hatreds. Now they can consider the con-
testants dispassionately and without any feeling of bitterness.
The old enmity which was inherited from the ancestors who
suffered the deprivations of the struggle should be allowed to die
out.
But the subject of Loyalism was not always discussed amica-
bly and with good feeling. When these old enemies were living,
meeting them was not so pleasant as our associating with their
descendants is today. Edward Hicks, whose preaching and
painting have captured much of the attention of the Bucks
County Historical Society, was the grandson of Judge Gilbert
Hicks of Four Lanes End. In 1776 Judge Hicks opened court at
Newtown in the name of the King and, as a result of this and his
swinging over to the Loyalists after having enrolled as an Asso-
20S INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
ciator on the American side, found himself so unpopular that he
was obliged to flee to the British in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, to
escape a mob of Whigs. Early in the next century Edward Hicks
in company with Isaac Parry was traveling in Canada in his
ministry to the Society of Friends there. The travelers fre-
quently found lodging with members whose houses were con-
venient to the meeting which Edward was to attend. In his
memoirs he relates his experience on one of these occasions when
he and his friend were entertained in the home of an old American
Loyalist. Edward wrote:
"On our way from Young Street to York, we were advised to
call and stay a night with an old man whose wife was a member
among Friends. They received us with something like the good
old English hospitality. The old man, who seemed to plume
himself on being the sam^e age as George the Third, had received
this asylum for his secret service durirg the Revolutionary War.
And I, too, soon had reason to suspect he was the very man that
led or conducted the blood-thirsty General Grey to the massacre
at Paoli. Any one acquainted with my prejudices against the
English, might conclude I was not very comfortable; but had
they seen the poor man hugging me, when he was told by Isaac
Parry that I was the grandson of his old tory friend. Judge Hicks,
they would have been quite disposed to join my friend Isaac in
the enjoyment of this scene."
The writer's own experience in meeting the descendants of
American Loyalists has been rather amusing. I have had occa-
sion to twit one of my friends in New York on the fact that while
his ancestor, that same Judge Hicks, was a fugitive from Bucks,
my colonial grandfather was being appointed as the first sheriff
to hold that office under the new Whig government in Bucks.
The cordiality of our relations has not been affected in the slight-
est. At another time, while searching for data on Loyalists in
the reserved book room of the New York Library, one of the men
in charge there observed the nature of my investigations and in-
formed me that he was descended from a family of Doans. When
I told him that the Doans of our county had been outlaws during
the Revolution, he took it good-naturedly and I suspect has
redoubled his researches into his ancestry.
But to return to the question: Why did Evan Thomas and
the other active Loyalists find their position in Bucks untenable?
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 209
The answer is not the same in all instances, and their departure
hence was not immediate, nor did they all go at once.
General Stryker said in his paper that Monmouth in New
Jersey and Bucks in Pennsylvania were "filled with the strongest
partisans of their country's freedom and here and there devoted
friends of the royal cause." After the disturbance in Boston
which followed the enforcement of the Port Bill, the "partisans of
their country's freedom" were more generally called Whigs. The
"devoted friends of the royal cause" were called Tories. Both
designations were borrowed from the names of the political
parties in England. Later the Tories honored themselves with
the name Loyalist and reprobated the Whigs as rebels. Thus
the distinctions were sharply drawn. Both parties were patriotic
according to their own sentiments, but the Whigs seemed to have
ascribed the virtue of patriotism exclusively to themselves.
Early in the turmoil of these conflicting loyalties the Provincial
Convention in Philadelphia recommended that the people "form
themselves into associations to improve themselves in the mili-
tary art . . ."^, and after the news of Lexington and Concord,
the Committee of Correspondence in Philadelphia resolved that
the people "... associate together to defend with arms their
property, liberty, and lives against all attempts to deprive them
of it."^ The Committee of Safety in Bucks was somewhat lack-
ing in enthusiasm of a warlike nature until this later event, when
they passed a resolution of similar tenor to that of the Conven-
tion.'*
Frequently quoted is the letter of Henry Wynkoop, who
served on several county committees and was the delegate from
Bucks on the State Committee of Safety for a year. Henry Wyn-
koop wrote as part of a letter to Daniel Roberdeau, a member of
the State Committee of Safety: "I have received the Returns of
the Associators & non-Associators, except three townships and
one Company lately raised, & the number stands, Associ.: 1688;
Non-associ.: 1613. I have received some of the Association
Rules, but am affraid the signing of them will go heavily, chiefly
arising from the Quakers & others, who chuse it staying at home
2 "Revolutionary Events About Newtown," Samuel Gordon Smyth, Bucks
County Hist. Soc, Vol. Ill, page 180.
3 "History of Philadelphia," Scharff and Westcott, Vol. I, page 295.
4 "History of Bucks County," J. H. Battle, page 302.
210 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
and doing nothing."^ By this count of 1688 to 1613 it will be seen
that there were more people of Loyalist sympathies than General
Stryker thought when he wrote "here and there devoted friends of
the royal cause." Probably he was correct in his inference if he
were thinking of active friends of the royal cause.
But the power of the Associators was ascendant, and they
proceeded to tighten the restrictions on their opponents. Soon
the Council of Safety recommended the appointment in each
county of a Committee of Observation to look into the attitude
and behavior of the disaffected Non-Associators. The committee
in Bucks soon exposed three men who had spoken disrespectfully
of the American Cause. Every one who delves into the old
records soon comes to the names of these three. They were John
Huff, Thomas Meredith, and Thomas Smith. They were the
first in Bucks County to win unfavorable, public recognition for
being men of Loyalist sympathies. The county committee
passed resolutions calling on them for retraction of their state-
ments. The first two made public apologies, but Thomas Smith
of Upper Makefield, who had been reported by John Lacey,
afterward General Lacey in Washington's army, maintained his
stand, saying in part: "That measures of Congress had already
enslaved America and had done more Damage than all the Acts
of Parliam.ent ever intended to lay upon us, that the whole was
nothing but a scheme of a parcel of hot-headed Presbyterians and
that he believed the Devil was at the bottom of the whole; that
the taking up of Arms was the most scandalous thing a man could
be guilty of, . . ." But this stiff-necked Smith was not able to
hold these opinions against the rising spirit of the rebellion and he
too made public apology in writing.^
Other Non-Associators discreetly held their tongues, but the
measures taken by the Council of Safety and later by the Supreme
Executive Council of the State, which succeeded it, eventually
forced every man to declare his sentiments.
Then came the ordinances providing for the purchase of the
arms of the Non-Associators and later for the seizure and turning
over of these arms to the Associators. Another offensive against
5 Penna. Arch. Sec. Series, Vol. I, page 551.
6 Wilbur H. Siebert, Professor of History, Ohio State University, quotes
this as do other writers. See his "The Loyalists of Pennsylvania," in Con-
tributions in History and Political Science, Ohio State University, 1-7. Ibid.
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 211
all who were not active Whigs was the making of defensive service
in the miUtia compulsory with a tax of £2, 10 shillings above the
regular assessment for non-service. This test of bearing arms
on the days appointed for drill or service in the field bore espe-
cially hard on the Quakers and Mennonites, whose religious
scruples forbade this warlike exercise. Some of these peaceful
citizens were dragged away to camp, where weapons were thrust
into their limp hands. When the weapon fell to the ground the
Whig military tied it fast to the unwilling recruit and the amusing
spectacle was presented of a peaceful Quaker marching or doing
guard duty with his gun tied to him. Meanwhile the recalcitrant
Non-Associators were fined with inexorable severity.
The Non-Associators made one final effort to maintain their
position as a political force in opposition to the Whigs. It was in
October of 1776 and at Newtown that the Non-Associators put
over a quick election of representatives for the county. Lieu-
tenant Colonel William Baxter, of the Bucks County Battalion
of the Flying Camp (which was equestrian and not aeronautic),
wrote to the Council of Safety at Philadelphia and sent Captain
Sempell to inform the members concerning the election. Ap-
pended to the copy of the colonel's letter in the Pennsylvania
Archives is a copy of the list of the election olificers. Samuel
Biles, the sheriff, appointed four inspectors, one of whom was
Thomas Smith. It would be interesting to know whether this
was the same Thomas Smith of Upper Makefield who spoke so
caustically about the Congress. The clerks were William Linton,
Thomas Ross, and William Atkinson. William Biles "dispersed
the tickets." The words are probably Captain Sempell's. John
Windar, Clerk of the Court, made the proclamation and Hicks
proposed the plan.^ This was most likely Judge Gilbert Hicks,
whose defection from the Whig Cause is explained in an article
written for the Bucks County Historical Society by J. Pemberton
Hutchinson, entitled "Newtown Prior to 1800," which was read
on July 21, 1896. It is to be regretted that Captain Sempell*
did not writp a description of this election for the interested
readers of today, but if the polling of the votes were conducted in
the same manner as the Tories of Lewes in the neighboring State
7 Penna. Arch., Vol. V, pages 31-32.
8 Robert Sample (Sempell) was from Buckingham and commanded a com-
pany in the 10th Penna. Regiment.
212 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
of Delaware conducted an election there, Newtown was not arL
agreeable place for Whig voters on that election day. At Lewes
the Tories paraded in numbers and intimidated the Whigs. In
Bucks later in the month the Council sent two companies of
militia to suppress the political uprising at Newtown and to dis-
perse the newly elected officials.
In December of 1776, when the greater part of Washington's
little army was encamped in Solebury and the Makefield Town-
ships where they watched the Hessians in Trenton, the Council of
Safety resolved: "That it is recommended to General Washing*
ton to issue orders immediately for the Militia of Bucks and
Northampton Counties forthwith to join the Army, and to send
out parties to disarm every Person who does not obey the Sum-
mons, and to seize and Treat as Enemies all those who shall
attempt to oppose the Execution of this measure, and likewise
every person in those Counties who are known or suspected to be
enemies of the United States."^
It must have been at this time that a detachment of Washing-
ton's army took Joseph Smith, the plow maker, from his home in
Buckingham and thrust him into the jail at Newtown. Joseph
would not pay the tax levied on Non-Associators, and, being a
consistent Quaker, neither would he join the militia. Much of
his personal property was seized for the tax. Grandmother Ann,
as his wife was affectionately called by her many descendants,,
sleeps by Joseph's side near the stone wall of the graveyard at
Plumstead Meeting. She told her children and numerous grand-
children before her death in 1854, when she was in her one hun-
dredth year, that when the soldiers dragged her young husband
from the house — they were married in 1774 — she had run to the
door with his coat. It has been repeated by word of mouth to
this present generation of her descendants what was said at that
time when she wished with wifely solicitude to protect her hus-
band from the cold. It was an Irish soldier who jeered, "We'll
soon make the dommed Quaker warm enough." And Joseph and
his bride saw that the soldiers were drawn up in two long lines,
expectantly waiting for Joseph to run the gantlet. Being young
and vigorous, run it he did and safely, though he received m.any a
stinging whack from club and flattened sword. The need of the-
9 Penna. Arch., Vol. V, page 115.
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 213
coat suggests the time of year, since it was December of 1776,
when Washington's army was in Bucks.
The doubting Thomases of Hilltown and all other Non-
Associators who w^ere not favorable to the independence of the
American Colonies received another jolt in 1776 when the Whig
government enacted two other ordinances. Briefly the first pro-
vided for the arrest and imprisonment of residents of the State
who traitoriously levied war against the United States or aided
the enemy, and provided also for the confiscation of such person's
property, and the second ordinance declared that any person
who by writing or speaking obstructed the measures of the
United States should desist in so doing and give sureties for good
behavior, and if such persons were considered dangerous to the
American Cause that they should be confined in the jail. These
ordinances, of course, made the position of the active supporters
of the King very difficult, especially since the application of the
penalties was often combined with the application of tar and
feathers by the Whig mobs. But these ordinances did not com-
plete the pressure that was brought to bear on the Loyalists, for
there were the various test laws, also, which required the taking
of the Oath of Allegiance to the State and to the United States
and the abjuration of Great Britain. A fac-simile of the Oath of
Allegiance to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, signed by
Bucks County's signer of the Declaration of Independence, is
shown next to page 120, Volume V, of the Historical Society's
Papers, in Warren S. Ely's Biography of George Taylor. Ordi-
nance followed ordinance until the civil liberties and business
activities of the Loyalists were severely restricted. Even their
freedom of movement from place to place was restricted, and this
applied to those aged sixteen or over and to women as well as men.
The Loyalists might be divided into four groups. First:
Those who took up arms and joined the British as did Captain
Evan Thomas. Second: Those whose enmity took the form of
outlawry similar to that of Moses Doan, who apparently thought
that a pleasant way to spend an evening with his band was to rob
a defenseless tax collector. Third : Those who secretly aided the
enemy while remaining peacefully at home. Such a one was
Anthony DeNormandie of Bristol, against whom Joseph Kirk-
bride, colonel of the Associators, laid information before the
Executive Council, so that DeNormandie was put under bail of
214 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
£500 to be of good behavior and to hold himself ready to appear
before the Council and answer any charge for six months.
Fourth: These were persons who held religious scruples against
war and offered a passive resistance to the Revolution. Many of
them refused to pay the taxes levied on them as Non-Associators
or the fines which would give financial support to the military of
the American Cause. Joseph Smith, the plow maker of Buck-
ingham, was one of these. A fifth class might be included, in
which would appear a few who were prominent as politicians.
Joseph Galloway was an outstanding example in this class for the
county as well as for the whole state. Indeed he might be put in
a class by himself.
The changing fortunes of the British army gave the Bucks
County Loyalist a period of palpitation, caught as he was be-
tween Hessian defeat at Trenton and British victory at Brandy-
wine. After Trenton our own John Lacey, who was now Lieu-
tenant Colonel of Militia in Bucks, said that many of his neigh-
bors and acquaintances harbored "a sullen, vindictive, and
malignant spirit," which led them to make threats against the
Whig government when in the company of those who enter-
tained similar opinions and to inform the British of the Whig
activities and furthermore to attempt to dissuade the Whigs from
joining the American army or the militia. It seemed to him
difficult to decide which party was the more numerous, the Whigs
or the Tories. Many of the disaffected, meaning the Quakers,
pleaded their religious scruples against bearing arms, so that the
majority of active partisans appeared to favor the Revolution. ^^
The examination of Christian Rufe and Godfrey Miller of
Nockamixon shows what was going on in May of 1777. Chris-
tian Rufe said that James Aycliff had asked him to enlist with
Howe's army and offered him five dollars and one hundred and
fifty acres of land, as a bounty; that several of his neighbors had
enlisted and were to receive the bounty; and further that his
father had told him not to enlist. He said that "Aycliff was
over in Howe's Army last fall & praised them Much"; "he had a
conversation with Godfrey Miller, Joiner, who told him the Con-
gress were Hogs and that he had a mind to go & Blow their
Powder up." On further examination Christian confessed that
he had enlisted, but had never received any money.
10 "The Loyalists of Pennsylvania," Wilbur H. Siebert.
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 215
Godfrey Miller on examination confirmed Rufe's statement.
When questioned concerning what he had said about Congress
and the blowing up of their powder, answered that he might have
said such things but had no real intention of doing so.''
The examiner was James Young."
After the Battle of Brandywine and Howe's occupation of
Philadelphia several Bucks County Loyalists joined the British
in that city. Walter Willet, who had been lieutenant of Asso-
ciators in Southampton Township in 1775, went over to the
British and became a lieutenant in the Bucks County Light
Dragoons. Another Willett, Augustine of Middletown Town-
ship, was captain of the Associated company of the township,
and as far as the records prove remained a steadfast Whig. If he
w'ere related to Walter Willett of Southampton, theirs is a family
of divided loyalty. These horsemen from Bucks were recruited
in Philadelphia with the financial encouragement of General
Howe by Captain Thomas Sandford (who was not a Bucks
Countian) in the fall of 1777 and were afterw^ard commanded by
Lieutenant Colonel Watson while Sandford was a prisoner of the
Whigs during the winter and spring of 1778-79. The maximum
enlistment in this troop was fifty-five men.'^ These, with the
Bucks County Volunteers, made tW'O troops of horsemen from
Bucks to join the British in Philadelphia.
In this season so prosperous to the British Cause another
dashing fighter was drawn to the British in Philadelphia. This
was Richard Hovenden of Newtow^n Township, to whom General
Howe gave a captain's commission in the Philadelphia Light
Dragoons. Hovenden's troop w-as raised in Philadelphia and it
is assumed that his men were residents of that city and not Bucks
Countians. Edward and Richard Hovenden of Newtown Town-
ship were listed as Non-Associators on August 21, 1775. Edward
Hovenden espoused the cause of American independence and
advanced from the rank of ensign on February 15, 1777, to that
of lieutenant in the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment. He had been a
prisoner to the British at the Battle of W^ashington Heights in
1776. His name on the last muster roll of his regiment in which
it appears is followed by the stark and unexplanatory word,
"dead." Were the Hovendens another case of brother fighting
11 Penna. Arch., Second Series, Vol. I, page 742.
12 "The Loyalists of Pennsylvania," Wilbur H. Siebert. Ibid.
216 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
against brother? Joseph Hergesheimer in his book, "Quiet
Cities," has incorporated a chapter on Philadelphia and Valley
Forge. In it he describes the scene in the tap-room of the Indian
Queen. General Howe and his group of brilliantly uniformed
ofificers are seated at the long table, "flushed with food and heat
and wine," when a miserable deserter from the "dungheap" at
Valley Forge, as one of the officers called it, is brought before
them. Hergesheimer writes that Captain Richard Hovenden
was in that group.
Recruiting of the available Loyalists in Philadelphia, however,
was small, although the inducements were notably tempting, as
witnessed by this advertisement, which was published by Colonel
William Allen, Jr., one of the ofificers among others appointed by
Howe for recruiting service. His advertisement read:
"All intrepid able-bodied heroes who are willing to serve his Majesty,
King George the Third, in defence of their country, laws and Constitution
against the arbitrary usurpations of a Tyrannical Congress have now not
only an opportunity of manifesting their spirit by assisting in reducing their
too-long deluded countrymen but also of acquiring the polite accomplish-
ments of a soldier by serving only two years, or during the present rebellion
in America.
"Such spirited fellows who are willing to engage will be rewarded at the
end of the war, besides their laurels, with fifty acres of land, where every gal-
lant hero may retire and enjoy his bottle and lass. (It is to be noticed that
Allen offered to supply everything but the bottle and the lass ) Each volun-
teer will receive as a bounty five dollars, besides arms, clothing and accoutre-
ments, and every other requisite proper to accompany a gentleman soldier,
by applying to Lieutenant-Cclonel Allen, or at Captain Kearny's rendezvous
at Patrick Tonry's three doors above Market Street, in Second Street. "13
The bounties offered to Loyalists who were capable of leader-
ship as officers were much larger.
These Loyalist rangers were usually outfitted with green
coats faced with black, a color which deceived many of their
opponents who were accustomed to expect the red coat of the
British as the distinguishing mark of an enemy. In the records
of the United Empire Loyalists in Ottawa is a description of the
uniforms of the Pennsylvania Loyalists. Their coats were red
with olive facings. Variety lace is m^entioned in the published
description and it is assumed that the lace ornamented the hats.
13 "Philadelphia, A History of the City and Its People," Ellis Paxson
Oberholtzer.
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 217
No separate description of the uniform of the Bucks County
Volunteers is given in the United Empire Loyalist publication.
The Loyalists were either inhabitants of or natives of America
so that they were familiar with the lay of the land and for that
reason doubly effective as raiders. Their earlier habits made
them skillful fighters with small arms and especially those of the
mounted soldiers.
But Joseph Galloway of Trevose w^as the greatest Loyalist of
them all and also the greatest trouble-maker both for his country-
men and for the British. Next to his friend, Benjamin Franklin,
he had been the leading politician of the State. In fact, Franklin
has held such a high opinion of the lawyer Galloway that he had
intrusted him with the writing of his will.
Galloway's career is worthy of a separate biography. ^^^ He
had been a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly and had pre-
sided as its Speaker, and he had been a deputy to the first Whig
Congress. In 1775 he moved in the Assembly to be excused
from serving in the Continental Congress and by so doing lost his
influence as a political leader. The King's proclamation denounc-
ing Rebels and requiring all loyal subjects to expose the traitorous
with an offer of amnesty to those who had erred and would then
return to loyalty brought Joseph Galloway into the British camp
at New Brunswick.
Those were the days of satire in verse and song. In William
Bradford's paper, the Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Adver-
tiser, appeared this verse:
"Galloway has fled and joined the venal Howe.
To prove his baseness, see him cringe and bow,
A traitor to his country and its laws,
A friend of tyrants and their cause.
Unhappy wretch! Thy interest must be sold," etc. 14
On the day Galloway fled from his Trevose home, he received
the anonymous gift of a trunk in which there was nothing but a
hangman's halter.
General Howe in Philadelphia selected the talented Galloway
to be his adviser and afterward made him virtually governor of the
city as Superintendent of Police and also of Exports and Imports.
1-^'^ This has been written by Earnest H. Baldwin. See Joseph Galloway,
the Loyalist Politician, Penna. Mag., Vol. XXVI, page 16L
14 "History of Philadelphia," Scharff and Westcott, Vol. I, page 336.
218 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
Without recounting the long list of what Galloway accom-
plished or attempted to accomplish in his powerful office, those
acts which affected Bucks should be noted.
He assisted in depreciating the continental currency and
tempted the Bucks County farmers to bring in supplies by offer-
ing hard money for their produce.
He had the roads charted and established a system of espion-
age with many Loyalist spies.
He offered to raise a regiment, but received a warrant for only
a troop of eighty men in a battalion under Captain Hovenden.
He supervised the registering of refugee Loyalists who sought
the protection of the British in Philadelphia.
He organized the forays against his old neighbors. From
Redoubt, No. 1, at Kensington on February 14th of 78, Hoven-
den's Light Dragoons trotted up the Bristol Road and Thomas'
Bucks County Volunteers up the Bustleton Road. Hovenden
brought in that day from Newtown nearly all of the county
officers. A few days later Thomas and Hovenden, with twenty-
four dragoons and fourteen foot soldiers, marched again to New-
town, captured Major Murray of the 13th Pennsylvania Regi-
ment, wounded nine of his men, and took back thirty prisoners.
From Jenks' fulling mill they carried ofif two thousand yards of
cloth which was so sorely needed by Washington's freezing men
at Valley Forge. Colonel Walter Stewart of the 13th Regiment
wrote from "Camp near Bustle Town" on February 21st to
President Wharton, saying he was "much concerned to inform his
Excellency" of the raid and that the enemy had taken all the
clothing he had laid up there for his regiment. And later Hoven-
den with a detachment of regular dragoons captured a drove of
one hundred and thirty fat cattle on the road across Bucks to
Valley Forge. In April of the same year these Loyalists came up
to Bristol and captured Colonel Penrose and several of his offi-
cers. ^^
Galloway's plans became more ambitious. He proposed the
capture of the Governor and Council of New Jersey while they
were in session at Trenton, but for some reason was not permitted
to attempt this. He then turned his attention to a scheme to
15 "History of Philadelphia," Scharff and Westcott, Vol. I, page 375.
Davis writes that at the time of this raid, the commanding officer escaped
capture. As there were more than one raid, these historians may have con-
fused them.
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 219
capture the whole Continental Congress, but did not get the
proper support/^ Several desperate Tories were moving toward
Philadelphia to take part in this raid. One of the terrible
Moodys of northern New Jersey was killed near Camden as he
was attempting to join Galloway's force at that time. Which of
the Tories of Bucks volunteered for the raid is not known, unless
the information has been discovered recently. No doubt the
secret activities of the plotting Loyalists would make interesting
reading if they were brought to light. Toward the end of Gallo-
way's incumbency as Superintendent, his attitude toward his
British protectors became critical, a passive attitude at first,
which changed into open criticism in the following year.
While Galloway was busy with his schemes and plots in
Philadelphia, the Whigs were not having a happy time of it in
Bucks.
On June 15, 1778, Judge Henry W^nkoop, John Thompson,
the sheriff, and other Whigs of Bucks sent a letter to the Execu-
tive Council of the Committee of Safety in words something like
these: Traitorous robbers who are supported by the enemy in
Philadelphia and who are secreted and aided by disaffected
inhabitants commit robberies, pillaging houses, stealing horses
and cattle. We pray that you publish these felons by proclama-
tion and offer generous rewards for them and their aiders and
abbettors. This would serve as a stimulus to active Associators.
It is generally known that the robbers are David Shannon,
Thomas Price, John Harvey, Lucas Gilham, Jr., Gideon Weirs,
John Stackhouse, and Nathaniel Burrows. ^^
Robert Levers, one of the Justices of Northampton County,
had this to write to the Executive Council: "The unfriendly dis-
position of far the greater Part of Bucks County ... is wholly
stupid and inactive, seemingly wrapped up in a lethargic sloth,
no Guard, but a few decreped Invalids, dying by inches for want
of cloathing . . . What is there to hinder a very small Body of
Men under the command of a gallant and enterprising officer, to
make a sudden Push hither (to Easton), destroy all that is valua-
ble ... I am told with a degree of confidence that Three Hun-
16 "The Loyalists in the American Revolution," Claude Halstead Van
Tyne.
17 Colonial Records. The Council offered a reward of $200 for the arrest
of the "felons."
220 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
dred Men in Bucks County have given in their names to Joseph
Galloway, and have offered their services, it may be on an Expedi-
tion to this very town . . ."^^
Justice Levers was hardly fair to the militia under Brigadier
General John Lacey. Lacey, the fittest man for the command,
was endeavoring with an inadequate force to guard the whole
Delaware-Schuylkill peninsula while many of the effective soldiers
of the district were in other parts of the country with their regi-
ments. So great did the carrying of produce to the British
become that General Lacey advised the removal of the whole
population from lower Bucks to a distance of fifteen miles from
Philadelphia, but General Washington would not sanction this
plan.
"I am amazed," said Washington to Colonel Stewart of the
13th Pennsylvania Regiment, who at one time had his camp near
Bustleton, "at the report you make of the quantity of provisions
that goes daily into Philadelphia from the County of Bucks."
One of the stories in the "Recollections of William H. Keich-
line" illustrates this condition. The story is about a man named
Tyson who was a Mennonite of Deep Run in Bedminster. Tyson
attempted to pass the American lines on the York Road at
Branchtown with a packsaddle filled with butter and eggs for the
British in Philadelphia and was captured by Colonel Piper's men.
Colonel Piper of Pipersville, who knew Tyson at home, had the
sentence commuted after the court-martial to the less severe
punishment of pelting Tyson with his own eggs.^^ This seems
hardly credible when we remember the hunger of the American
army. However, it is desirable to make a collection of these
stories because they add color to the otherwise dull scene of the
Revolution in Bucks.
Meanwhile Captains Hovenden, Sandford, and Thomas
indulged as in a sport in the riding through Lacey's lines on their
foraging expeditions into the lower townships where British gold
was welcome.
But the Whigs had another weapon to turn against those
Loyalists who felt secure in Philadelphia under British protec-
tion, and that was a resolve of the Supreme Executive Council
18 Penna. Arch., First Series, Vol. VI, page 346.
19 "Recollections of William H. Keichline," A Collection of Papers Read
before the Bucks County Hist. Soc, Vol. V, page 268.
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 221
sitting at Lancaster. By it they restated the power to seize and
sell the property of all persons who "join or aid the British" and
appointed Commissioners in the several counties to prosecute the
severe conditions of the measure. Proclamation after proclama-
tion summoned to trial all citizens charged with treason against
the State. The first group were summoned on March 6, 1778.
Altogether there were eight such proclamations issued between
this first one and the last which was made public in 1781. Pro-
fessor Wilbur H. Siebert says in his paper, "The Loyalists of
Pennsylvania," that of the four hundred and fifty-three persons of
Pennsylvania who joined the British armed forces, seventy-seven
were from Bucks. '^^'^ It is difficult to reconcile this figure with the
numbers of men in Captain Thomas' Bucks County Volunteers
and Captain Sandford's Light Dragoons. One might assume
that some of the men in the ranks had no estates worth confiscat-
ing and therefore there was no profit in proclaiming them as
traitors.
Among those proclaimed as traitors on May 8th were five
from Bucks: Henry Hugh Ferguson, Commissary of Prisoners for
General Howe and husband of Elizabeth Graeme — Hugh Fergu-
son is not to be confused with Major Ferguson who was killed at
the Battle of King's Mountain; Samuel Biles, late sherifT of Bucks
County; Walter Willet and Richard Hovenden, whose military
service with the British has been noted, and William Moland of
Warminster.
On June 15th the list of the summoned for trial contained
fifty-one Bucks County names, and on October 20th the names of
fourteen citizens of Bucks County appeared. On various other
dates still other attainted persons were proclaimed in shorter lists.
Of course, many of those who were summoned appeared before
the Council and were dismissed when the charges against them
were not proven. An alphabetical list of Traitors may be found
in Volume X, first series, of the Pennsylvania Archives. In 1801
a complete Black List of those citizens of Pennsylvania who had
been loyal to Great Britain was published, with an opinion by
Justice McKean as to the status of their citizenship in Pennsyl-
vania.
Leafing through the minutes of the Supreme Executive
Council, which is either tedious or exciting according to the-
191^ "The Loyalists of Pennsylvania," Wilbur H. Siebert, page 58.
222 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
reader's lack of interest or his history-consciousness, one comes to
frequent references to the LoyaHsts of Bucks County. Here are
notes on some of them :
November 21st, 1778: John Elwood of Bristol, a pilot, who
aided the enemy, was convicted of High Treason and sentenced
to be hanged and a warrant of execution issued for December 2nd.
November 28th : Application of Mrs. Elizabeth Graeme Fer-
guson for permission to go to New York to take leave of her hus-
band and return was denied.
November 30th : John Elwood was reprieved until January 2nd.
December 31st: Further reprieve of John Elwood for sixty
days.
April 12th, 1779: Notice given that the secretary of the
council as keeper of the register of forfeited estates of traitors
would sell in a short time the real estate of the following among
others: Joseph Galloway, Gilbert Hicks, Henry Hugh Ferguson
of Graeme Park, John Elwood, Bristol waterman, and Samuel
Biles, late sherifiF of Bucks County.
July 15th: John Elwood, in gaol of Bucks County under
sentence of death for high treason, pardoned. (There were
doubts as to Elwood 's sanity. He had acted as pilot for the
enemy's fleet when Howe invaded the State.)
September 14th: Deed signed to Richard Backhouse for tract
in Durham Township, Bucks County, late the estate of Joseph
Galloway. Certificate to Attorney General for £12,800. This
was the Durham Furnace property.)
(The signing of deeds for the confiscated properties of Joseph
Galloway appear in the records with monotonous frequency.
Galloway in his examination before Parliament claimed the loss of
estates valued at £40,000.)
November 3rd: Received from Isaac Hicks £4,030 for con-
fiscated tenement and lot of land sold at public auction at Court
House, being the estate of Gilbert Hicks. (This was Judge
Hicks' property at Four Lanes End.)
April 6th, 1780: Abraham Harvey was brought before the
Council charged with aiding British prisoners and others to
escape to New York, "also with being a person of general dis-
afifection to the American Cause whose going at large is dangerous
to the Public welfare and safety while we are engaged in a war
with Great Britain . . ."
INTRODUCTIOX TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 223
"Resolved that he give security of ten thousand pounds and
two sureties, each for five thousand pounds, for good behavior,
and be committed to the common gaol of Bucks County until
same is complied with."
June 10th: John Coogler (Kugler?) and Susanna, his wife,
released from jail on 30,000 pounds surety, and not to keep a ferry
again. (They had been arrested for aiding British prisoners and
other enemies of the United States to escape across the Delaware;
the arrest being made agreeable to the Act of Assembly which
increased the fines to which persons were liable who neglected to
perform their tour of militia duty.)
June 13th: Passes granted to go to New York to Mary Fer-
guson, Ann Kirk, Mary Arnold and others.
June 27th: Phineas Paxton charged before the Council with
aiding British prisoners to escape. He kept a public house on the
road to Newtown. By resolution he was no longer allowed to
keep the public house and was put under 20,000 pounds surety for
good behavior. Committed to prison until complied with.
Joseph Paxton of Middletown joined the British in Philadelphia
and was captured at Stony Point. His estate was confiscated.
Were these two Paxtons related ? A question for the genealogist.)
April 16th, 1781: Petition of Isaac Hicks of Bucks County,
praying permission to go to New York with family, granted and
ordered that he do not return during the war.
May 23rd: Deed to Thomas Huston for one hundred and
sixty-four acres on the Delaware in Durham Township, estate of
Peter Perlie, traitor, for 6,600 pounds. (There are various spell-
ings of Perlie's name.)
October 5th: Peter Parlee, having joined the British in 1777
and at that time owing allegiance to this State and residing in
Durham, the sheriff of Bucks County is instructed by the Council
to send for him. (He had been taken up in New Jersey.)
January 30th, 1782 : Deed to Henry Dorough for sixty acres,
property of Owen Roberts, an attainted traitor. (This was the
estate of that Owen Roberts who was lieutenant of Evan Thomas'
Bucks County Volunteers. The estate was in New Britain.)
February 1st: Asher Parents and Samuel Scott ordered
released from Bucks County gaol, fines remitted on paying fees
and costs of prosecution and on condition that they enlist as
soldiers in the Pennsylvania Line to serve during the war, and be
224 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
entitled to receive the same bounty and emoluments as the other
soldiers of said line.
February 23rd : Deed to George Benner for fifty acres in Hill-
town, Bucks County, seized as the estate of Evan Thomas and for
£330 specie, subject to a yearly ground rent, payable to the
Trustees of the University of the State, of one-fourth of the said
sum, the remaining three-fourths being paid into the hands of the
Agents of Forfeited Estates in the said county. (Many such por-
tions of the proceeds of sales of confiscated estates were used as
endowments for what is now the University of Pennsylvania.)
For several years the minutes of the Council are liberally
sprinkled with entries of deeds for confiscated estates, signed by
the president, and the Archives of the State contain complete
descriptions of these lands with elaborate plats attached.
May 4th: Deed for part of the estate of John Reid, Tinicum,.
to Colonel Francis Murray.
Also deed for part of the estate of John Reid to Joseph Cox,,
lieutenant of 6th Pennsylvania Regiment.
(Thus to the victors belong the spoils.)
Most of the refugee Loyalists, when their estates were con-
fiscated, had either been captured and confined in jail or were
with the British Army, but usually their families remained in
their homes, from which they were removed by the Whig agents.
Illustrative of the far removal of the Loyalist families from Bucks
are the descendants of the Galloways, who now live in England.
They have generously permitted the publishing of Grace Growden
Galloway's diary in the Pennsylvania Magazine. In it Mrs.
Galloway, wife of Joseph Galloway, relates her experience at the-
time the Agents for Forfeited Estates removed her from her town
house. Charles Wilson Peale was one of the agents for Phila-
delphia and upon him fell part of the unpleasant duty. Under
date of "Thursday ye 20th of August, 1779" she writes in part:
"... Lewise sent me word that I must shut my doors &
Windows & if they wou'd come to let them make forcible entry^
Accordingly I did so and a little after 10 oclock they Knocked
Violently. . . calle'd out myself to tell them I was in possession
of my own House & wou'd keep so. . . Hereupon they went out
in ye yard & Try'd every door but cou'd None Open then they
broke in the Kitchen door. . . they looked very Mad their was^
Peel smith ye Hatter & a Col Will a pewterer in Second Street. . ^
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 225
I told them Nothing but force shou'd get me out of my house
Smith said they knew how to manage that & that they wou'd
throw my cloathes in ye street . . . hinted that Mr G. had
treated people Cruely. Pell went up stairs and brought down my
Work bag & bonnets & put them on the side table . . . Mrs.
Craig asked for My Bed but they Avou'd let Me Have Nothing &
as I told them acted entirely from Malice . . . Peel said ye
Chariot was ready but he would not hasten me I told him I was at
home & in My own House & nothing but force could drive me out
of it He said it was not ye first time he had taken a Lady by the
Hand an insolent wretch ... at last he becon'd for Ye Chariot
. . . then with greates air said come Mrs. Galloway give me your
hand I answer'd indeed I will not nor will I go out of my house
but by force he then took hold of my arm & I rose and & he took
me to the door. . . I said pray take Notice I do not leave my
house of my own accord or with my own inclination but by force &
Nothing but force shou'd have made me give up possession. . .
Mr. Chew he came and told me I must sue them for forcible Entry.
I am just distracted but Glad it is Over.""*^
The distracted Mrs. Galloway was compelled to bear her mis-
fortunes alone; her husband and their only daughter were in Lon-
don. Howe had held Philadelphia until the early summer of
1778; then Galloway and the Loyalists found that they had backed
the wrong man, for Howe was superseded by Clinton, and Clinton
evacuated the city and marched across New Jersey. Galloway
must needs fly and leave his Bucks County wife to rescue what-
ever part of her estate she could. She did recover some of it, and
her mother, Sarah Growden, widow of Lawrence Growden,
regained her dower rights in those properties which had descended
to Mrs. Galloway and were under Galloway's control. While his
lands were being confiscated, Galloway was in London making
more trouble, this time for Howe who had resigned. Galloway
was examined by Parliament and testified for several days in
1779. Column after column of his testimony was published in
Rivington's Royal Gazette, the Loyalist sheet in New York. The
testimony was so damaging to the British Cause that the publish-
ing of it had to be suppressed or softened. Galloway criticized
the campaigns of both Howe and Burgoyne. Four-fifths of the
people in America were loyal, he asserted, and mismanagement
20 Pennsylvania Magazine, 193 L
226 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
had alienated most of them. In Philadelphia, he said, there were
4,481 men, one-fourth Quakers, and Howe enlisted only 974.
This was because of the unpopularity of the men selected as
recruiting officers, which was hardly fair, coming from Mr.
Galloway himself. Also 2,300 Continentals had come into Phila-
delphia and registered and 700 to 800 who did not register. ^^
Howe said that he had paid Galloway a fair salary and had
expected commensurate results. While in England Galloway
wrote extensively under titles such as: Observations on the Con-
duct of Sir William Howe" and "Candid Examination of the
Claims of Great Britain and her Colonies," and he did not mini-
mize his personal loss of his £40,000 estate.
But what had become of the Bucks County Volunteers and the
Bucks County Light Dragoons in Clinton's retreat from Phila-
delphia? Of the latter Captain Sandford was captured down in
the neck below the city by the dare-devil Allan McLane of Mary-
land and his troop of militia horsemen. What Bucks County
men were captured with Sandford it would be interesting to know.
The Bucks County Volunteers considered themselves under
the protection of and part of Simcoe's Queen's Rangers. Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Simcoe in his journal — in it he is so engrossed in
writing about what Simcoe did and in the third person that he
gives little space to others — says that his command covered
Clinton's rear and by a rear-guard action at Monmouth enabled
Clinton to draw off his army.^^ Whether the Bucks County
troops were with him at that time Simcoe does not say. There
are many queries about the Loyalist troops of Bucks to which
there seems to be no answer. Simcoe does say that on his way to
the attack on General Lacey at Crooked Billet he fortunately dis-
covered in the darkness of the early morning the identity of Cap-
tain Thomas' troop and avoided a collision with them, so it is seen
the Volun.teers were not acting under his immediate command at
that time.^^ Captain Hovenden and his troop of Light Dragoons
also participated in the surprise attack at Crooked Billet. Simcoe
writes later that Captains Hovenden and Sandford, the latter
having been exchanged, were with him at Kingsbridge, New
York.2^
21 "History of Philadelphia," Scharff and Westcott, Vol. I, page 3€0.
22 "Military Journal," Lieut. Col. J. G. Simcoe, page 68.
23 Ibid., page 58.
24 Ibid., page 74. - â– â– â–
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 227
The next year British operations were transferred to the south
and the two troops of Bucks County LoyaUsts went with Simcoe's
Rangers to that section. Hovenden's and Sandford's troops were
finally incorporated in Tarleton's British Legion, another regi-
ment of rangers which, like Simcoe's, was largely composed of
Loyalist Americans. Claude Halstead Van Tyne in his book,
"The Loyalists in the American Revolution," says that "When
the Battle of Camden was fought, it was Tarleton's cavalry and
Rawdon's Volunteers of Ireland, raised in Pennsylvania, that
carried the day. Nearly 2,400 refugees took part in the terrible
defeat of Gates. "^^ Lieutenant-Colonel Tarleton has also
written a journal and, as Simcoe wrote, Tarleton devotes most of
his pages to his own exploits, and properly so, since it was his own
journal and his audience, the British people, and not the Whigs of
Bucks County. Once in a while, both Simcoe and Tarleton
allude in their journals to the Bucks County officers. Thus the
statement is borne out that the Bucks County Loyalists rendered
their services to the British on battlefields far from Bucks.
Then came Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown. Colonel
Simcoe offered to try to cut his way through the American and
French Armies and make his escape with his Loyalist troops. To
this Cornwallis would not agree, and General Washington de-
manded that the Loyalists lay down their arms with others of
Cornwallis' troops. But the reader who is careful about dates
remembers that the Bucks County Volunteers were at Toms
River in the spring of 1782, so that they could not have surren-
dered at Yorktown in 178L That may be accounted for by the
excuse for their escape, which General Washington winked at:
Washington permitted Cornwallis to send a ship to carry the
news of his surrender to New York and that ship was filled with
Loyalists. ^^ Neither of the Bucks County troops surrendered
with Simcoe, for their names do not appear on the muster rolls of
his regiment at the time of the surrender. The exact facts as to
the whereabouts of the Loyalists from Bucks County at that time
are possibly in the records either in London or in Ottawa, if not in
Bucks County..
While in the south the Loyalists in the regular military service
25 Van Tyne, page 186.
26 Van Tyne makes this statement and Simcoe relates it in his journal,
page 254.
228 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
were meeting defeat, the irregular Doans and their gang were
epidemic in Bucks County and for nearly two years after York-
town. Township tax collectors were their favorite prey. Sarah
Keith, sister of John Keith, tax collector for Upper Makefield, in
her disposition made before John Chapman says that her brother's
"house was surrounded by a number of armed men."^^ It was
Moses Doan in his scalloped hat, bear skin coat, blue yarn stock-
ings, and calf skin shoes with silver buckles of the French pattern,
that she describes as the one who searched every part of the
house. Moses Doan wore the same coat and hat when he helped
rob the County Treasurer at Newtown. He could not find the
township funds in the Keith house and made motion to go away,
taking Keith's gun, sword, and bayonet. Then comes this bit of
testimony which is favorable to the Doans. Sarah Keith de-
posed : "the Man who stood Sentry at the Kitchen Door, Bid him
(Moses Doan) take nothing but what Belonged to the Congress. "^^
In that instance, at least, these Tory guerrillas refrained from
taking private property. And the word "guerilla" instead of
robber, was suggested by the late Doctor Henry C. Mercer when
he characterized them as such in his paper on the "Doans and
Their Times." It would seem that their warfare was directed
against the monetary resources of the new Whig government of
their county and not against the property of their neighbors. It
would be repetitious to recount again the exploits of the Doans
and the proclamations issued against them by the Supreme
Council of the State and the rewards offered for their capture, the
latter all too late to save the taxpayers' money.
The year 1783 swung 'round. There had been a cessation of
hostilities and in that year occurred the evacuation of New York.
Ship load after ship load of refugee Loyalists were sent to the
Canadian Provinces. The British government made good its
promises. By Act of Parliament a commission was set up to
enquire into the losses and services of the American Loyalists.
Other acts continued the enquiries until 1789.^* Captains
received 3,000 acres of land, subalterns 2,000, and non-commis-
sioned officers and privates 200 acres. However, this was not
uniformly observed. The refugees were clothed and fed and
27 Penna. Arch., Vol. IX, First Series, page 501.
28 "History of the View of the Commission Inquiring into Claims of the
American Loyalists," John Eardley-Wilmot, Esq., one of the Commissioners.,
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 229
equipped with the tools of their trades until they were able to pro-
vide for themselves. The officers received half pay pensions
also."^
An early distribution of lands was made in the section west of
the River St. John in New Brunswick. Here many Pennsyl-
vanians settled. Amidst the lands in the neighborhood of Beaver
Harbour, assigned to the men of Loyalist regiments, was a settle-
ment of Friends at Penn's Field, named by them for their patron,
William Penn, and afterwards shortened to Pennfield. Joshua
Knight, who had come from Abington, was their leader. These
Friends drew up a set of rules for the control of their community
and kept a "Record Book" which is still in existence.
Joseph Galloway served on the Board for prosecuting the
claims of Pennsylvania and Delaware Loyalists. His endeavors
caused jealousy among Loyalists from other sections and a com-
mittee of investigation was appointed to consider his case. Its
report described him as an "active though not an early Loyalist, "^°
which, of course, put him below those who had been loyal from the
first. A few years afterward he petitioned the State of Pennsyl-
vania, asking the restoration of his estate. It is difficult to
appraise this Loyalist's presumption in petitioning a people that
he had opposed so bitterly. The petition was not rejected, but
his attorney was allowed to withdraw it.
Claude Halstead Van Tyne ventures the opinion that if the
Loyalist cause had won, Galloway would have held a place in the
hearts of the American people something like that which honors
Washington. '^"'^ If that were true, Trevose in Bucks would be
the Nation's shrine instead of Mount Vernon.
Joseph Galloway died in England in 1803.
The Commission of Enquiry labored long. Each claimant
was examined separately in a room where his testimony would
not be heard by other claimants or witnesses.
Evan Thomas was examined at St. John (New Brunswick) on
the 27th of February in 1787. These are excerpts from a tran-
script of his testimony:
29 "The United Empire Loyalists," Stewart Wallace, page 117.
30 John Eardley-Wilmot, Esq.'s, "Historical View of the Commission for
Enquiring into the Losses, Services, and Claims of the American Loyalists."
30K "War of Independence," Claude Halstead Van Tyne, Prof, of Hist.,
University of Michigan, page 17.
230 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
"No. 199. Evidence on the claim of Evan Thomas, late of
Bucks County, Pensilvania.
"Claimant Sworn.
"Says he came from New York in the first fleet in 1783, . . .
He is a native of Pensilvania. In 1775 he lived in Bucks County.
He joined the British Army at Philadelphia, & served ... all
the war. . . He now lives at Beaver Harbour.
"64 acres of land in Bucks County. He had from his father 5
or 6 acres before the war by his will. It was good land. He had
a house. Barn on it. Thinks he could have sold it for £7, 10
Pensilvania Currency per acre. This land is sold to Mr. Bower.
He left 2 horses & one cow seized by the rebels, a waggon, harness,
ploughs, harrows and some furniture.
"Produces an appraisement on oath by Joseph Custard & Jno.
Walton of the lands of claimant sold under confiscation, 3rd
February, 1786.
(This must be a different tract from the one already noted
which was sold earlier to George Benner. There are many sales
of confiscated lands belonging to the Thomases noted in the
Records; some of them sold as the property of Evan or William
Thomas and some were purchased by other Thomases.)
"Claimant says that a foraging party of rebels took one hun-
dred bushels of oats from him on account of his known loyalty.
Values them at 3 shillings pr. bush. & destroyed a field of corn."^^
In Walter Willett's testimony there is more detail. These are
pertinent excerpts.
"16 Oct. 1786.
"No. 610. Case of Walter Willett, formerly of Pennsylvania.
"Claimant sworn saith:
"In January 1784, he resided at Granville (Nova Scotia).
Heard of the Act (of Parliament) in 1784 . . .
"Says he is a native of America. Resided in Bucks County,
Pennsilvania, when troubles broke out in September, 1777.
Joined the British Army under Sir William Howe just before the
Battle of Germantown.
"Was with the army & frequently employed by Sir William
Erskine to get intelligence.
"In April 1778 held a commission as lieutenant of Bucks Co.
Light Dragoons in Captain Sandford's Troops. Was attached to
31 "Report of the Bureau of Archives," Ontario (U. E. L. Claims), page 296.
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 231
the Queen's Rangers under Col. Simcoe in 1779. Was with him
when he was taken near Brunswick (Georgia). Commanded the
advanced Guard that Day. Had seven men killed «S: wounded
that day.
"Went to Savannah. Was attached to Tarleton's Legion,
1780 and about June, 1780 was incorporated with the Legion, and
now received half pay as Lieutenant of the Legion.
"Came to this Province from New York before evacuation.
Was chosen agent for the ofificers of the Legion. Now settled at
Granville.
"Was possessed of a Farm in Bucks County consisting of 173
acres. Had it by marriage. It had been the Estate of Thomas
Harding. . . Claimant married the eldest daughter, Martha. . .
Produces copy of the proceedings in the Court of Common Pleas,
Bucks Co., on a partition of the Estate late of Thos. Harding are
assigned to claimant & Martha, his wife, as her right. The other
moiety is assigned to the other sister. . .
"Says he was proscribed and his Estate confiscated, both real
& personal. Produces copy of certificate from George Wall,^^
dated April 18, 1786, whereby he certifies that he had received
from Martha Willett £7,000 the purchase money . . . This
£7,000 paid by Martha Willett was Congress money . . .
"He (Willett) cannot say what the Congress money was worth
at the time of purchase. . .
"Claimant's father, brother in law, wife & seven children are
all living there. Whether they live on the estate he does not
know. . . Says the estate is worth £12 Pensilvania Currency per
acre. It has been appraised by two appraisers at 20 dollars per
acre amounting to £7, 10 . . . Says his wife has behaved very ill
& he is now at variance with her.
"His personal estate was sold at vendue . . .
"Says that by the laws of Pensilvania his wife is now her ow'n
mistress & can purchase the same as if divorced. It is con-
sidered a divorce. ""^"^
Thus the Loyalist Walter Willett lost his wife as well as his
country.
The awards of the commission often felicitously accompanied
•5- George Wall was one of the Agents for Confiscated Estates in Bucks
County.
3^ "Report of the Bureau of Archives," Ontario (U. E. L. Claims), page 741 •
232 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
the transcript of the evidence, but in the cases of Willett and
Thomas, the searcher will be compelled to go to London in order
to inspect the records there and learn what lands these two
Loyalists received.
The records of the Loyalist claimants are preserved in the
Bureau of Public Archives, Ottawa, Canada. The United
Empire Loyalists have a "Committee of the Loyal Provincial
Regiments" which has charge of and will publish existing Muster
Rolls. The ancient papers are not accessible to the general
public. In the care of this committee are the rolls of the Bucks
County Light Dragoons and various independent troops of
cavalry. Perhaps the rolls of the Bucks County Volunteers are
among them also.
Today's pursuit of the Bucks County Loyalists soon brings the
diligent searcher to the work of Lorenzo Sabine. Sabine pub-
lished his "Biographical Sketches of the Loyalists of the American
Revolution" in 1864. He says that in order to assemble these
biographies, he visited many graveyards and interviewed many
surviving relatives of the Loyalists who resided in the Canadian
Provinces. His book contains brief accounts of over fifty
Loyalists from Bucks County. These are some examples :
John Biddle, a collector of excise and deputy quartermaster of
the Whig Army. Changed sides in 1779. Estate confiscated.
Samuel Biles, sheriff of Bucks County; attainted of treason,
estate confiscated in 1779.
Gilbert Hicks called court in the King's name in 1776; went
to Nova Scotia; was granted land and an annual pension.
One Paul of Bucks County, first name not known. In 1782
sentenced as a spy to die in the camp of Lafayette and escaped
the evening before the execution. In 1783 Jonathan Paul of
Pennsylvania settled in Pennfield, New Brunswick. (Was this
one of the Pauls of W^arminster who joined the Doans?)
Joseph Swift, lieutenant in the British Army prior to the
Revolution, and afterwards captain of horse with the Pennsyl-
vania Loyalists; was known as "Handsome but Stuttering Joe
Swift." He was attainted of treason and his estate confiscated;
went to Nova Scotia, later returned to Philadelphia and died
there in 1826. (Swift's residence was in Bensalem.)
Shaw% first name not known, in 1778 beaten "for his Toryism"
by two Whig officers and suspended by the neck until he was
INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY 233
senseless. (In the proclamation of October 30th, 1778, appears
the name of Jonathan Shaw, ensign in the American Army.)
Peter Parlie of Durham, attainted and estate confisca1?ed.
Died in Sussex Vale, New Brunswick, in 1832.
Richard Hovenden. (Sabine gives no information on his
final place of settlement.)
Evan Thomas. Sabine sketches Thomas' military service
and closes with: Settled in New Brunswick. He died in Penn-
field in December, 1835, aged ninety, leaving children, grand-
children, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
Acknowledgments
When the search for the material for this "Introduction to the
Loyalists of Bucks County" was undertaken it was found that the
subject of Loyalism in Pennsylvania as a whole had been well
covered by Wilbur H. Siebert in his papers published by Ohio
State University in their publication, "Contributions in History
and Political Science." Claude Halstead Van Tyne's "Loyalists
in the American Revolution" was also of great assistance in
approaching the subject.
Sharff and Westcott in their "History of Phialdelphia" and
Ellis Paxson Oberholtzer in his "Philadelphia, a History of the
City and Its People," by necessity included something concerning
the rural neighbors to the north, especially about those who came
to Philadelphia at the time of the British occupancy.
From the work of these historians much was drawn in the
prearation of this paper on the Loyalists of Bucks.
F. J. Audet, Chief of Information of the Public Archives of
Canada, kindly supplied transcripts of the evidence of the
claimants, Evan Thomas and Walter Willett.
Other authorities consulted were:
Edgerton Ryerson's "Loyalists of America and Their Times."
John Eardley-Wilmot's "Historical View of the Commission
for Enquiring into the Losses, Services, and Claims of the Ameri-
can Loyalists."
W. W. H. Davis' "History of Bucks County."
"Proceedings Reports of Loyalist Commission Enquiring into
Losses and Services of Loyalists."
Colonel John Graves Simcoe's "Military Journal."
234 INTRODUCTION TO LOYALISTS OF BUCKS COUNTY
Sir Banastre Tarleton's "History of Campaigns of 1780-1781
in the Southern Provinces of the United States."
Rivington's "Royal Gazette."
Lorenzo Sabine's "Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of
American Revolution."
J. H. Battle's "History of Bucks County."
United Loyalist Association of Canada.
Stewart Wallace's "The United Empire Loyalists."
Edward Mathews' "The Thomas Family of Hilltown."
George H. Locke's "The Queen's Rangers."
General Washington and His Army Crossing the Delaware
River Christmas Night, 1776
Read Before the Society of the
Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence'
AT Washington Crossing, in Bucks County,
May 13, 1934
By B. F. FACKENTHAL, Jr., Sc. D., LL. D., RIEGELSVILLE, PA.
Mr. Chairman and Other Descendants of Illustrious Ancestors,
Ladies and Gentlemen :
APPRECIATE the honor of being invited to
address your patriotic society on some of the
occurrences that took place on these sacred and
historic grounds during our struggle for independ-
ence. I shall not attempt to enter into the detail
of the battles of Trenton, for there were two of
them, as that has been so ably covered by other historians, par-
ticularly by Gen. William S. Stryker, both in his papers read
before historical societies, and in his book, "The Battles of Tren-
ton and Princeton," and also by Dr. Carlos E. Godfrey in his his-
torical publications.
Although the drama of the American Revolution began at
Lexington in New England, and ended at Yorktown, it was
fought mainly on New Jersey and Pennsylvania soil. The late
Gen. W. W. H. Davis, founder of the Bucks County Historical
Society, called the peninsula lying between the Delaware and
Schuylkill rivers, "The Alpha and Omega of the American Revo-
lution."
At the time of the battles of Trenton, this place, where we are
assembled today, was known as McKonkey's Ferry, and later as
Taylorsville. It is in Upper Makefield Township, Bucks County,
Pennsylvania. On July 25, 1917, the Legislature of Pennsyl-
vania passed an act establishing the Washington Crossing Park
Commission, but it was not until January 28, 1919, that the
names of the village and postoffice were changed to that of Wash-
ington Crossing. The village on the opposite side of the river in
New Jersey, now a New Jersey State Park, has been known as
Washington Crossing since 1854, when a railroad station of that
name was established there.
236 GENERAL WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE RIVER
McKonkey's Ferry was so named for Samuel McKonkey, who
owned and operated the ferry over the Delaware river from 1774
to 1777, at a time which has made his family name memorable in
the annals of the American Revolution.^
The battle of Trenton was first planned by General Washing-
ton, who met with Generals Greene and Alexander (Lord Stirling)
underneath a chestnut tree on the property of the Paxson Estate
on the north side of the Old York road near Coryell 's Ferry. The
tree was then about 33 years old, and when cut down November
28, 1893, at the age of 150 years, measured 22 feet in circumfer-
ence.^
This place was wisely chosen for the crossing, as the public
roads on both sides of the river led to the ferry; it was far enough
away from Trenton to hide their movements from the enemy,
and moreover it is well above the Falls of Trenton, and the water
smooth, forming a long eddy.
Previous to the battle of Trenton, Washington's army had
suffered defeat after defeat. He had lost more battles than he
had won. His army was completely routed at the battle of Long
Island ; he was overwhelmed by an army of trained British soldiers
at White Plains and at Fort Washington in New York and at Fort
Lee in New Jersey opposite Fort Washington on the Hudson
river, where the George Washington bridge, with a clear span of
1 A ferry was first established on the Delaware river at that place, prob-
ably as early as 1684 by Henry Baker and continued in operation under differ-
ent names until it was replaced by a covered wooden bridge opened for travel
January 1, 1834. This covered bridge was carried away by the flood of Jan-
uary 8, 1841. It was replaced by a second bridge of similar construction,
which in turn was destroyed by the flood of October 10, 1903. The present
bridge of steel construction was then erected. Application has been made to
the Federal Government for an appropriation toward building an elaborate
memorial bridge over the river at this place.
On both ends of the first covered bridge there were sign boards, painted
on canvas by Edward Hicks, a carriage painter, and an itinerant artist of
Newtown, Pa., which were copied from Thomas Sully's painting of Washing-
ton crossing the Delaware, which hangs in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,
Mass. When the bridge was about to fall in the flood of 1841, these paintings
by Hicks were salvaged and later the one from the Pennsylvania end, (size 32
in. by 32^2 in.) was secured by the Bucks County Historical Society, where it
can now be seen. The one on the New Jersey end disappeared, but later found
its way, in some unknown manner, to the art department of R. H. Macy & Co.'s
department store in New York City, where it was ofl^ered for sale at $2,449,
but later withdrawn. We do not know who the present owner is.
2 The Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. Ill, page 69.
A painting of this old tree by the brush of Mr. W. A. Lathrop hangs in the
auditorium of the Bucks County Historical Society.
GENERAL WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE RIVER 237
3,500 feet, the greatest span of any bridge in the world, now
crosses the Hudson. His army was obHged to retire from that
field of action across New Jersey into Pennsylvania. Had Gen-
eral Howe followed up his victories, there would have been no
Washington Crossing, no United States of America and the
Declaration of Independence, which you represent, an idle boast.
Washington's letter to his brother^ shows his disappointment
at his defeat and the entire country was disheartened and dis-
couraged. But our gallant and resourceful leader. General
Washington, in whom all had confidence, led on to victories at
Trenton, the turning point of the American Revolution.
On their retreat into Pennsylvania from Fort Lee, they
brought over from the New Jersey shore, every available boat,
thus depriving the British army from getting possession of them.
They reached the Pennsylvania shore December 8th. General
Washington established his headquarters in the village of Morris-
ville, at the Barclay house, now known as "Summerseat." This
house, now restored and used as a museum, had been the home of
two signers of the Declaration of Independence, Robert Morris
and George Clymer. General Washington remained there from
December 8th to the 14th, when he moved to the Keith house
on the Brownsburg road about 2>^ miles back from the Delaw^are
river, and about five miles from McKonkey's ferry. General
Knox established his headquarters at the Doctor Chapman house;
General Greene at the Merrick house and General Sullivan at the
Hayhurst house, all at the base of Jericho mountain, on roads
leading to McKonkey's ferry, where they remained until the
morning of Christmas day, 1776. Thomas Paine was with the
retreating army from Fort Lee, and was quartered with General
Greene at the Merrick house, and there on December 19th, he
began writing his sixteen pamphlets on "The Crisis," the first
beginning, "These are the times that try men's souls." Alex-
ander Hamilton was with Washington at the Keith house; he was
then a young man of 19 years.
3 General Washington's letter to his brother, John Augustine Washington,,
dated "Camp near the Falls of the Delaware," December 18, 1776, says:
"Between you and me, I think our affairs are in a very bad condition, not so
much from the apprehension of General Howe's army, as from the defection
of New York, the Jerseys and Pennsylvania. In short, the conduct of the
Jersies has been infamous. Instead of turning out to defend their country,,
and affording aid to our army, they are making their submissions as fast as they
can.* * * *"
238 GENERAL WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE RIVER
To^M,
The Thompson-Neely House
General William Alexander, known as Lord Stirling, made his
headquarters at the Thompson-Neely house, the only head-
quarters on the banks of the Delaware, with the greater part of
the army encamped near by. This house and camping grounds
have been restored and are well worth visiting ; they are situated
about four and one-half miles north of here, and under care of
the Washington Crossing Park Commission. An old gristmill
which stood on the river front on that property, at the mouth of
Pidcock Creek, ground grain for the Continental army. It was
demolished when the Delaware Division canal was dug in 1829,
and a new mill built farther up the creek on the site of the present
mill. This new mill was de-
stroyed by fire on August 29,
1872, and the present mill, its
successor, built in 1874.
The Thompson-Neely house
was used as a hospital, and along
the river-front is the burial place
of those who died ; one grave only
has a marked tombstone, that of
Capt. James Moore, who passed
away on Christmas day, 1776.
Twenty other graves of unknown
_ soldiers are marked with field
â– ^ Stones.
General Washington had his Trenton campaign well thought
out. For some days previous to the crossing boats had been
gathered from along both sides of the river, as high up as Easton,
which included Durham boats having a capacity of from 12 to 15
tons. All boats were assembled and hidden back of Malta
Island, midway between Coryell's Ferry (now New Hope) and
the Thompson-Neely house, where the greater part of the army
was encamped, about \% miles from each place, and about six
miles above McKonkey's ferry. On the morning of Christmas
day, 1776, the boats were dropped down the river and hidden
back of Lownes, now Taylor Island, quite near where we are
assembled.
Late on the afternoon of Christmas day the troops, provided
»N iVIemoTvo
of Btny VCoTn«Iid^
MooTt of fltwToA I)*
cl>Cfn/23*AtD.
77 6 A^4.24\iciTtV
GENERAL WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE RIVER 239
with three days of cooked rations and forty rounds of ammuni-
tion, assembled convenient to the ferry.
Twenty-four hundred men were selected for the undertaking.
They were divided into two divisions, the first or right wing under
command of General John Sullivan and the second or left wing
under command of General Nathaniel Greene.
This army of 2,400 men with their accoutrements, together
with the cavalry and officers on their mounts, and the 20 cannon
and howitzers must have weighed from 350 to 400 tons. It can
therefore be seen that a ferry equipped with a hemp rope, capable
of operating an ordinary ferry boat of but three or four tons'
capacity, may not have been of much value in ferrying over any
large number of boats. Wire cables were not invented until 73
years later. It is not likely that a hemp rope could have with-
stood the pressure of the stream impinging against the side of a
loaded Durham boat, particularly as the river was swollen and
the slush ice running. All paintings and other illustrations show
General Washington standing up in a Durham boat free from any
attachment to a ferry cable, and that is doubtless correct.
THE CONTINENTAL ARMY CROSSING THE DELAWARE RIVER
at McKonkey's Ferry, December 25, 1776. From tablet on
Trenton Battle Monument
In 1895 monuments were erected on both sides of the river to
mark the place of crossing. The one in New Jersey by the New
Jersey Society of Cincinnati, and the one on the Pennsylvania
side by the Bucks County Historical Society; they were placed
240 GENERAL WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE RIVER
directly opposite each other, but under ordinary conditions boats
not attached to a cable could not make a right angle crossing;
they must have landed some distance below the starting place. I
made this same suggestion several years ago, before an assemblage
gathered here, whereupon, a few years later, the Washington
Crossing Park Commission moved the Pennsylvania monument
770 feet farther up stream.
The embarkment began at eight o'clock on Christmas eve
under direction of Colonel Henry Knox, (later General Knox)
with the fishermen from Marblehead in the lead, but it took
until three o'clock of Thursday, the twenty-sixth, before all got
oyer, and an hour later before the march began, over frozen
roads through a storm of snow and hail to the village of Trenton^
where the battlefield is now marked by an imposing monument.
The distance measured by an automobile speedometer is 9.8
miles.
There was but one road leading out from the ferry, known as
the Pennington Road, which they followed for about one and one-
quarter miles to the Bear Tavern, (still standing), where the right
wing under General Sullivan turned to the right and marched
over what was then called the Lower or River Road, via Birming-
ham ; the left wing under General Greene, accompanied by General
Washington, continued on the Pennington road until they reached
the Scotch Road, where they turned right and traveled over that
road to Trenton, where the two divisions met. Each division;
was preceded by cavalry.^
The attack began at eight o'clock and lasted according to-
some authorities but thirty-five minutes. The rest you know,,
how the Hessians were surprised and 1,000 of them taken pris-
oners, and their commander, Colonel Rail, badly wounded from
the effects of which he died the next day. Sixty other Hessians
were wounded and thirty-five of their men and officers killed.
The only casualties on the American side were the loss of two
men of the line, and the wounding of two commissioned officers,
Lieut. James Monroe, then a lad of 18 years and 8 months, who-
later became the fifth president of the United States, and Capt..
William Augustus Washington, a kinsman of General Washing-
â– * At that early day there was no road along the river front in New Jersey;;
t'le present River Road not having been opened until November 14, 1834, but
there was an inland road known as the Lower or River Road.
GENERAL WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE RIVER 241
ton. The death of three soldiers by freezing while crossing the
river is also reported.
Part of General Washington's plan was to have Colonel
Cadwallader's division cross the river at Minnick's ferry, at what
is now Landreth's seed farm, to attack the cantonments at
Mount Holly, Black Horse and Bordentown, and General
Ew^ing's division to cross at Trenton ferry, south of Assunpink
creek, by other boats which had been assembled south of the
Falls to cut off any retreating Hessians, but owing to the floating
ice and weather conditions, they could not carry out their com-
missions. They were surprised on hearing firing at Trenton to
know that General Washington with his brave army had made
the attack. As the result of their failures, the retreat was not
covered, and some 200 or 300 Hessians escaped capture, but there
was glory enough for all in the capture of the other 1,000 together
with their rifles, six brass field pieces, ammunition, stores and
eight flags.
After the battle, on the same day, General Washington, w^ith
his army and 1,000 prisoners, recrossed the river, most of them by
McKonkey's ferry. Some crossed at Johnson's ferrv, now
Yardley.'
The Hessian Prisoners
The Hessian prisoners were marched to Newtown, then the
county-seat of Bucks County, where they were imprisoned in the
Presbyterian Church and elsewhere, and where on December
30th they signed paroles. Later they were marched to Phila-
delphia and paraded through the streets to demonstrate to the
people, particularly to the loyalists and tories, that our gallant
and resourceful Washington was more than a match for the
British generals and their Hessian hirelings.
Many of the Hessians did not return to their native land, some
joined Washington's army, a few were emplo^^ed at the Durham
Iron Works in Bucks County, some 30 or 40, both prisoners and
deserters, were employed at the Hibernia Iron Works in Morris
County, N. J.^ Many remained in Pennsylvania and became
heads of families, whose descendants are today among some of
our best citizens.
5 New Jersey Archives, Second Series, Vol. IV, page 450.
6 History, of Morris County, N. J., published by W. Munsell & Co., 1882,
page 51.
242 GENERAL WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE RIVER
On returning to Pennsylvania, Washington made his head-
quarters at Newtown in Bucks County, where he remained until
the twenty-ninth.^ While stationed there he planned a second
attack on the army of General Howe, which he carried to a suc-
cessful issue. A second crossing of the Delware was therefore
made, with an enlarged army; Washington himself crossing over
on Monday, December thirtieth. The boats used at McKonkey's
ferry were moved down the river, through the falls nearly a mile
long, to points below Trenton, a distance of nine miles, where
tide ends, and where by the several ferries located below Trenton,
the different divisions of the army crossed over.
The weather had somewhat moderated, but the river was still
full of slush ice, and moreover there had been a heavy rain during
the night, making the roads which were covered with snow and
slush hard to travel.
The Second Battle of Trenton
The Continental troops, with the New Jersey militia, var-
iously estimated as 5,000, concentrated in Trenton, south of
Assunpink creek, with the British troops facing them from the
north side thereof, and there on January 2, 1777, they opened fire
on the Continental army. Washington defended the bridge
crossing the creek and otherwise deployed his time, and when
night fell all hostilities were suspended until the morrow. The
American army was thought to be in a cul-de-sac, and Lord Corn-
wallis in speaking of the critical position of Washington's army,
said, "Now I have the old fox in a trap and will bag him in the
morning and capture his whole army." But alas the "old fox,"
our American Fabius, would not allow himself to be bottled up,
and as soon as darkness protected his movements, began the
withdrawal of his troops by a flank and circuitous route over the
Sand Town road toward Princeton. The roads froze during the
night making travel difficult. The wheels of his 40 pieces of
artillery were mufifled and as quietly as possible the evacuation
was begun. Imagine the chagrin and anger, too, of Lord Corn-
wallis on the morning of January third to find that his bird had
flown.
" Washington's headquarters at Newtown were at the John Harris house,
on the west side of the creek, later owned by Alexander German, and now
within the limits of the Borough of Newtown.
general washington crossing the delaware river 243
Battles of Stony Brook and Princeton
The advance guard, some 350 men, under General Mercer, on
reaching Stony Brook, were encountered by a detachment of
British troops, of about an equal number, on their way to rein-
force Lord Cornwallis. The engagement would have led to
disaster, but for the arrival of other troops led by General Wash-
ington. The tide of battle was turned and the British routed.
At this encounter brave Gen. Hugh Mercer lost his life. He was,
I think, the ranking officer of all who fell during Washington's
entire New Jersey campaigns. Washington and his victorious
army continued their march toward Princeton, where they met
another division of British soldiers, resulting in a victory for the
Continental army, known in history as the Battle of Princeton.
General Washington with his army then marched to Morristown,
38 miles away, where they went in winter quarters from January
7 to May 28, 1777.
Brandywine, Paoli and Germantown
But alas before the close of the year 1777, the disastrous
battles of Brandywine, Paoli and Germantown had taken place.
The British occupied Philadelphia; the Continental Congress and
the Supreme Executive Council evacuated the city; the books,
papers and valuables were sent to Easton in care of Robert
Levers; and Washington with his ragged and half-starved army
spent the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge.
Later Campaigns and the Close of the War
Neither do I have time to enter into the history of later cam-
paigns, with the brilliant victories at Monmouth and the final
contest at Yorktown. These are matters of
history known to all. As one writer says:
"Washington's name was heralded
throughout the land; he was celebrated by the
pens of the most distinguished writers. The
most illustrious personages of Europe lavished
praises upon him."
Lord Cornwallis in answering to a toast at
a dinner given him by General Washington,
after the battle of Yorktown, said of him:
244 GENERAL WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE RIVER
"When the illustrious part that your excellency has borne in
this long and arduous contest becomes matter of history, fame
will gather your brightest laurels rather from the banks of the
Delaware than from those of the Chesapeake."
Frederick the Great in referring to the contest declared :
"The achievement of Washington and his little band of com-
patriots between the twenty-fifth of December and the fourth of
January, a space of ten days, were the most brilliant of any
recorded in the annals of military achievements."^
The Signers of the Declaration of
Independence
Of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, eight
were foreign born: Pennsylvania with nine furnished the largest
number, Virginia with seven was a good second, and New Jersey
with five came next. Five of the other states furnished four each
and five furnished three each.
As already stated two of
the Pennsylvania signers,
Robert Morris and George
Clymer, lived for a time in
Morrisville, Bucks County,
but not at the time of their
signing. There was, how-
ever, one signer, George Tay-
lor, living in Bucks County,
and in Durham Township,
when on August 2, 1776, he
affixed his signature to that
immortal document.
I notice by your list of
officers that W. Gordon Mc-
Cabe is on your board of gov-
ernors; I take it that he is the
son of my friend. Captain W.
Gordon McCabe, late of Rich-
8 LosSing's Field-book of the Revolution, Vol. 11, page 240, ard Stryker's
The Battles of Trenton and Princeton, p^ge 464.
GENERAL WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE RIVER 245
mond, Va., and therefore a lineal descendant of George Taylor,
the Bucks County signer.
I have spent considerable time in making an intensive study
of the life and times of George Taylor, and find that his biog-
raphers, all of whom I take it have followed Sanderson, have fallen
into many errors. This fact suggests that you, who are direct
descendants of the signers, are in position to correct the many
errors which have crept into the biographical notices of others.
Why not make the crowning and outstanding work of your
w â–
'J/^^~- M
f ''â– -' Jh
biJ
^
i
_r
TAVERN AT WASHINGTON CROSSING, PA.
which occupies the site of McKonkey's Ferry House
society, the gathering of reliable data and publishing correct bio-
graphical notices of all your patriotic ancestors, whose memory
you are celebrating today?
All honor to that galaxy of resolute patriots, whose descend-
ants you are, for their heroism at a time when they placed their
lives in jeopardy, but let us accord equal honor to the brave men
who enlisted under the banner of Washington, and suffered
privations during a war that raged for nearly seven years, without
uniforms, not even properly clothed, underfed, with bleeding feet
as they marched to battle on that stormy Christmas night, carry-
ing their own flint-lock muskets and bullet molds, for the bore of
their rifles were not uniform. They were all patriots, and we, their
246 GENERAL WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE RIVER
descendants, are proud of their heroism, and glad to trace our
lineage back to them in order to become members of patriotic
societies. At any rate I know that I take pride in the military
career of my ancestor, who held a lieutenant's commission. There
is honor and glory enough for all of us.
But, ladies and gentlemen of your patriotic society, the
greatest of them all was Washington, and in concluding, I ask
you to rise in memory of him who was "first in war, first in peace
and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
ROBERT MORRIS GEORGE CLYMER
1734-1806 1739-1815
Portraits of two signers of the Declaration of Independence, who resided for some years
at Morrisville in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
The Life and Expatriation of Judge Gilbert Hicks
By SARAH W. HICKS, NEWTOWN, PA.
(Meeting at "Madryn," the home of the Misses Chambers,
Newtown, Pa., September 22, 1934)
GILBERT HICKS, my great-great-grandfather, the pro-
genitor of the Newtown, Bucks County, family of Hicks,
is a descendant of Robert Hicks, who landed at Plymouth,
Mass., November 11, 1621, having sailed from London on the
ship "Fortune," which followed the "Mayflower." The ancestors
of Robert Hicks were natives of Gloucestershire, England, and
traced their pedigree in an unbroken line to Sir Ellis Hicks, who
was knighted by Edward the Black Prince on the battlefield of
Poitiers, September 9, 1356, for conspicuous bravery in capturing
a stand of colors from the French.
I will not go into the genealogy of the Hicks family, as much
has been written about it in previous articles.
Gilbert Hicks, fourth son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Moore)
Hicks, was born in Queens County, Long Island, September 19,
1720. On April 24, 1746, he married Mary Rodman, born
February 17, 1717, daughter of Joseph Rodman, of Flushing,
Long Island. In the winter of 1747-48 he moved to Bensalem
township, Bucks County, on a tract of 600 acres, the circum-
stances of which are mentioned in Edward Hicks' Memoirs,
pages 16-17, as follows:
"My grandfather, Gilbert Hicks, (my father's father) married
the daughter of Joseph Rodman, of Long Island, a consistent,
active m.ember of the Society of Friends, and the young man, not
being a member, the marriage, of course, was clandestine, Avhich
was a cause of sorrow to the dear old Friend. Notwithstanding
this, he could not be inexorable, for he was a Christian. He
therefore received his daughter, with her husband, as his dear
children, and thus addressed them, 'I am old, and you are young,
and would wish to be settled in life; I therefore propose, that you
go into the new countries, (as Pennsylvania was then called), and
settle on a tract of land of about 600 acres, that I own, near the
river Delaware, on the Neshaminy Creek, twenty miles east of
Philadelphia, and as it is worth at least three hundred pounds,
248 LIFE AND EXPATRIATION OF JUDGE GILBERT HICKS
more than would be a just proportion of your share of my estate,
you must give me a bond for that sum, on my executing a deed
that shall give you a substantial title.'
"The proposition of the good old Friend was acceded to by
his children, and in the winter of 1747 and 1748 they came on and
found a part of the land clear and a comfortable log house, where
they were hospitably received by a family of the name of Van-
sant, and where my father was born (Isaac Hicks) the 21st of the
4th mo., 1748 (old Style). After building for themselves a com-
fortable dwelling, the first thing they did was to sell off 200 acres
of the land to Lawrence Growden, for three hundred pounds, with
which they paid their father, and found themselves snugly settled
on a farm of four hundred acres of first rate land, clear of all
incumbrance, enhancing in value daily, by the astonishing influx
of European settlers.
"Whether it was their wealth, or their intelligence, or both,
they certainly appeared to have obtained a respectable standing;
for my grandfather received a commission from the royal govern-
ment, as one of the justices of the peace for the county of Bucks.
"Either a fondness for public business, or getting tired of the
labor and care of so large a farm, induced my grandfather to sell
his large farm of 400 acres, and to purchase a small one, coming to
a point, at the southeast corner of what was then called Four-
Lanes-End, (now Attleborough), (now Langhorne), of 100 acres.
Here he built a spacious brick house, that is still standing (the
present Parry Building) and moreover it appears that, having
become wealthy, he devoted himself almost exclusively to public
business, being promoted to the office of Chief Justice of the
Court of Common Pleas."
That Gilbert Hicks was a man of superior mental ability and
had the respect and esteem of the Governor and Council as well as
the people of his own community is shown by the trust put in him
by his being appointed to several public offices and the fact that
he acted as executor of the estates of the most influential and
wealthy land owners of his day.
On June 15, 1752, less than five years after Gilbert Hicks
moved to Bucks County, he and William Rodman were appointed,
by the Governor and Council at Philadelphia, Justices of the
Peace. Although William Rodman was not reappointed, Gilbert
Hicks remained in office until the Revolution. He was one of the
LIFE AND EXPATRIATION OF JUDGE GILBERT HICKS 249
Judges that sat on the bench in Newtown when it was the County
Seat.
On March 29, 1776, John Penn, Governor, etc., issued a Com-
mission on parchment to "Gilbert Hicks and Hugh Hartshorne,
Esquires, two of our Justices of the Peace, within the County of
Bucks," etc. "You are appointed to hear, try, and determine all
the crimes and ofTenses that have been committed by any negro,
or negroes, slave or free, in said county, and with the assistance of
six substantial Freeholders, inhabitants of the said county, by
you to be chosen and legally sworn or affirmed, to hear, examine,
try, convict, or acquit, according to law, all and every such
negro and pass sentence according to law, etc."
In performing his duty in the above capacity he passed sen-
tence on two negroes, transporting them to the West Indies for
life as slaves. He had conscientious scruples against such a
sentence and attributed his future misfortunes to this act.
He was a partner of Hugh Hartshorne in the firm of Harts-
horne and Hicks, mentioned as the Board Yard Company in his
account book. This firm operated a saw and planing mill, and
furnished the material for many of the buildings erected in the
southern part of Bucks County before 1800. From this book I
find that he was the owner and proprietor of a hotel in Four-
Lanes-End (now Langhorne), and also conducted a general mer-
chandising business, in addition to conveyancing and the practice
of law.
It is interesting to note the following estates settled by him as
executor, accounts of which are also recorded in his books now in
my possession :
1752 Estate of Richard Addis.
1755 Estate of Robert Harvey.
1760 Estate of Susanah Edwards.
1766 Estate of Benjamin Scott.
1769 Estate of Langhorne Biles.
1773 Estate of Thomas Barnsley.
By 1777 Judge Hicks had amassed a considerable fortune,
and had become one of the county's most influential citizens.
His will, in my possession, written on June 28, 1777, shows per-
sonal property at that time. The will is as follows:
250 LIFE AND EXPATRIATION OF JUDGE GILBERT HICKS
In The Name of God, Amen. I, Gilbert Hicks, of the
township of Middletown in the County of Bucks in the province
of Pennsylvania being in perfect health and of sound mind and
memory, but calling to mind the uncertainty of life do make this
my last Will and Testament in manner and form following:
First, I will and direct that all my lawful debts and funeral
charges be paid by my Executors. Item, It is my will
and I do devise that all my Real Estate wheresoever shall be sold
by my Executors herein after named or the survivors or survivor
of them, by public auction or otherwise at the Discretion of my
said Executors or the Survivors or Survivor of them, as soon as
convenient after my Decease; and the Money arising upon such
Sale to be applied by them towards discharging my said Debts
and funeral expenses, and Payment of the Legacies herein after
mentioned and bequeathed. Item, I give and bequeath to my
Grandson, Thomas Kirkbride, the Sum of Two Hundred Pounds
lawful Money of Pennsylvania to be put in Interest as soon as
convenient after my Decease by my said Executors, they taking
Real Estate as Security for the payment of the said sum with its
interest until he arrive at the age of Twenty-one Years ; and when
he arrives at the said age of Twenty-one Years, the said principal
Sum with the Interest in the meantime accruing shall be paid to
him; but if it shall so happen that my said Grandson die in his
Minority and without Issue, then to be equally divided between
my four children, Isaac Hicks, Joseph Rodman Hicks, Sarah
Hicks and Elizabeth Willett, Share and Share alike. Item, I
give and bequeath to my daughter Elizabeth Willett (having
already considerably advanced her by permitting her to live
several Years Rent free in my house occupied as a Tavern) the
sum of One Hundred Pounds lawful Money aforesaid to be paid
her by my said Executors at the Expiration of one year after my
Decease, and a Negro Wench named Jude, also a large looking
glass with a walnut frame. Item, I give to each of my grand-
children, Mary and Elizabeth, (children of my said daughter
Elizabeth Willett) the sum of Fifty Pounds, to be put out at
Interest on the like Security above mentioned, at the expiration
of two years after my Decease by my said Executors, to be paid
to my said grandchildren respectively when they may arrive to
the age of Eighteen Years, or on their respective days of marriage,
LIFE AND EXPATRIATION OF JUDGE GILBERT HICKS 251
which shall first happen. Item, I give to my son Isaac Hicks my
Negro Wench named Jane, and my Library of Books, Book Case,
and Scrutoire. Item, I give to my grandson Gilbert Hicks my
Negro boy named Charles. Item, It is my Will and Intention
that my Negro Ishmael shall be free from Slavery, agreeable to
my Promise made to him; but as it will be necessary that my
Executors should give Security that he shall not become charge-
able, (which I hereby direct them to do) I will and order that my
said Negro Ishmael pay out of his Industry the sum of five
Pounds yearly to my said Executors until the several yearly Pay-
ments make up the sum of Thirty Pounds, and then the yearly
Payments to cease and determine. As to my Negro Wench
Hagar, I also will that she shall be free from Bondage and Servi-
tude, and direct my residuary Legatees herein after named to
give such Security in her behalf as will entitle her to her freedom
immediately after my Decease.
Item, I give to my daughter Sarah Hicks my best Bed, Bed-
steads, and all the Furniture belonging to it, all my Plate, a
Settee, a mahogany Dining Table, six best black walnut chairs,
two large enameled China Bowls, and m.y best large Looking
Glass, and all my Pewter. Item, to my son Joseph Rodman
Hicks, I give and bequeath all the Rest and Residue of my House-
hold Furniture of what kind soever, my Negro Man Primus, and
my Clock and Clock Case. All the Rest Residue and Remainder
of my Estate of what kind soever not herein before disposed of
I give devise and bequeath to my children Isaac Hicks, Joseph
Rodman Hicks, and Sarah Hicks, to be equally divided between
them. Share and Share alike. And, I do hereby constitute and
appoint my said residuary Legatees Executors of this my last
Will and Testament, and I also appoint my Friend James Thorn-
ton of Byberry in Philadelphia County, in the Province aforesaid,
my Trustee, to see that my Executors do duly execute this my
last will according to true Intent, Meaning, and Purport thereof;
hereby revoking and annulling all other and former Wills by me
heretofore made and published. In Witness whereof, I have
hereunto put my Hand and Seal, dated the Twenty-eighth Day
of June, in the Year of Our Lord, One Thousand Seven Hundred
and Seventy-seven (1777). Signed, Sealed, published and de-
livered by the said Gilbert Hicks, to be his last Will and Testa-
252 LIFE AND EXPATRIATION OF JUDGE GILBERT HICKS
ment, in the Presence of us, who have subscribed our Names as
Witnesses thereunto in his Presence and at his Request.
Gilbert Hicks (Seal)
Ezra Comfort
Rebekah Wilson
Henry Atherton
Gilbert Hicks made the grave error of reading General Howe's
Proclamation from the Court House steps in Newtown, November
30, 1 776. He was deeply impressed with the greatness and power
of England and honestly believed that the Colonies would be
crushed in the war.
He was opposed to the unjust acts of Great Britain, but
thought it would be better to wait until the Colonies grew stronger
before attempting to throw off the yoke of bondage. This is
proven by the fact that at a public meeting held in Newtown,
July 9th, 1774, in pursuance of a previous notice, Gilbert Hicks,
Esq., was appointed chairman and William Walton secretary.
"The chairman on taking his seat as presiding officer made a
short appropriate address explaining the object of the meeting
being to consider the injury and distress occasioned by numerous
acts of the British Parliament, oppressive to the Colony, in which
they are not represented.
"The meeting was conducted with harmony and unity of
sentiment.
"Representatives were appointed to attend a future meeting
in Philadelphia, viz.: John Kidd, Joseph Kirkbride, Joseph Hart,
James Wallace, Henry Wynkoop, Samuel Foulke and Joseph Wil-
kinson.
"The following resolution was passed:
" 'Resolved: That it is the duty of every American when
oppressed by measures, either of Ministry or Parliament or any
other power, to use every lawful endeavor to obtain relief, and to
form and promote a plan of union between the parent country and
colonies in which the claims of the parent country may be ascer-
tained and the liberties of the colonies defined and secured.'
"It was thought this could be best secured by a General Con-
gress, to be composed of Delegates, to be appointed either by the
LIFE AND EXPATRIATION OF JUDGE GILBERT HICKS 253
respective Colonial Assemblies, or by the Members thereof in
convention."
On hearing the proclamation, although Gilbert Hicks stated,
"His sympathy was not on the side of England, but for the best
interest of the Colonies, hoped his countrymen would pause
before it was too late," the townsmen took a different view of the
subject and regarded Judge Hicks as a traitor to his country.
It is the irony of fate that a man who had given his life to
public service and had the esteem of all who knew him, should,
through the performance of his duties, cause his countrymen to
brand him as a traitor and be obliged to leave his country to
escape the wrath of fanaticism without an opportunity to speak
in his own defense.
The Judge returned to his home, after reading the proclama-
tion, and Newtown was soon in a state of wild excitement. A
company of armed men started for Four-Lanes-End to arrest the
Judge. Joseph Worstall, Sr., learned of the intentions of the
townsmen, and dispatched his (Worstall's) colored servant to
inform his good friend, the Judge. It appears that Joseph Wor-
stall got into quite a little trouble for his actions in this matter.
On receiving this information, the Judge left his home and
family and proceeded to New York, where he found an asylum
with the British Army. He evidently was not heard from for
some time, as the first letter received from him, that has been
preserved, written April 5th, 1780, to his son Isaac, reads as fol-
lows :
"My Son:
"The only reason I have heretofore omitted writing to thee is
least if known to the ill-natured people amongst you, might in
its consequence operate to thy disadvantage. I am very appre-
hensive that my dear daughter Sally must want many things, the
which I would send to her provided I had the least hopes of it
coming safe.
"As thou art the head of my family in Pennsylvania I must
recommend it to thee. Nay lay it upon thee as an injunction to
live in brotherly love with thy brother and sisters, and in friend-
ship with all thy neighbors without distinction; which will endear
thee to thy affectionate father.
[Signed] Gilbert Hicks.
254 LIFE AND EXPATRIATION OF JUDGE GILBERT HICKS
April 5, 1780.
"To Isaac Hicks, Esq."
There are four other letters in my possession which give
further insight on his activities during exile.
He wrote from New York, November 4, 1783, stating he was
to leave in two weeks with the British Troops, and asked his son
Isaac to bring his account books. That this was done is evident
from the following statement in Edward Hicks' Memoirs:
"Whilst he found an asylum with the British Army in New York,
my father paid him his last visit, and on parting, my grandfather
gave his son his last advice, in a language like this, 'You are a
young man, and as you may be exposed to many temptations,
my last and most serious advice to you is, never act contrary to
your conscientious feelings; never disobey the voice of eternal
truth in your own soul. Sacrifice property, personal liberty,
and even life itself, rather than be disobedient to a Heavenly
vision. I disobeyed this inward monitor, and am now suffering
the due reward of my deeds.' Such were the last words of my
dear old grandfather, to his son, on leaving New York with the
British Army, at the close of the Revolution, for Nova Scotia.
My venerable father at the age of four score, related the circum-
stance to me, in such an impressive manner, that I had no doubt
that he wished it handed down to posterity."
In a letter dated July 7th, 1784, from Digby, New Scotland,
he advised his son : "Do not I beg you to mettle in politics. Your
father has made himself retched by it."
From the foregone facts it will be seen that Gilbert Hicks was
in full accord with the public sentiment of Newtown against the
oppressive acts of Great Britain toward her colonies.
Josiah B. Smith's Manuscript Book No. 1, Page 23, in speak-
ing of Gilbert Hicks, reads as follows:
"There does not appear to be the least evidence that Gilbert
Hicks held any correspondence, with the British Government, or
its officers or with any persons, of a treasonable character in rela-
tion to the Revolution. His only offense consisted in reading the
Proclamation at the Court House in Newtown, and this was done
under a sense of duty required by the oath of office to which he
subscribed when the Commission of Magistrate and Judge of
Court was conferred upon him a short time previous to the fatal
LIFE AND EXPATRIATION OF JUDGE GILBERT HICKS 255
error of his life. He was attainted for treason and all his property
at Four-Lanes-End and Bensalem, confiscated. As everything
done in the country by Judge Hicks was done from a conscien-
tious sense of duty required of a public officer, openly and pub-
licly without a word of comment, it will remain for the student of
history to determine the measure of his crime or error of judgment.
That he did not fully appreciate the intensity of the patriotism
prevailing the heart of the Colonies before reading the proclama-
tion, is very certain."
The last letter received from Judge Gilbert Hicks, that has
been preserved, was written from Digby, New Scotland, July 7,
1786. There is no record of the date when he died, but it is
understood that he died by the hands of an assassin who mur-
dered him for the quarterly pension he had just received from the
British Government.
The County Court at Newtown
By judge CALVIN S. BOYER, DOYLESTOWN, PA.
(Meeting at "Madryn," the home of the Misses Chambers,
Newtown, Pa., September 22, 1934)
IN preparing this paper I make no pretence at original research
or the presentation of anything of particular historical value.
My thought, rather has been, to collect such information and
data with relation to the Courts of Bucks County during the
period that Newtown was our county seat as might be of interest
to the residents of Newtown Borough and Township and as might
be appropriate to the anniversary which Newtown is celebrating
this year.
For this purpose we are not concerned particularly with the
Courts prior to the time when they were moved to Newtown. It
is sufficient to note that the first Court of Justice held in Bucks
County appears to have been located at or near the home of
William Biles at a place then known as "Crookthorn," situated
on the road leading from Tullytown to the former Bordentown
Ferry, or two miles down the Delaware River from Morrisville.
That Court was established in 1683. In 1705, it was moved to
Bristol, or New Bristol, as it was then called. It was moved to
Bristol by reason of complaints that the Court at Crookthorn
was too far removed from the center of population and by reason
thereof was inconvenient to the people of the settled portion of
the county. Langhorne was suggested as the most convenient
place, but for some unknown reason it was moved to Bristol
instead. That this was an unwise choice of location is shown by
the fact that twenty years later it was moved to the Township of
Newtown as being the geographical center of the then settled por-
tion of Bucks County.
On March 24, 1724, an Act of Assembly was approved, en-
titled: "An Act to enable Jeremiah Langhorne, William Biles,
Joseph Kirkbride, Jr., Thomas Watson, practioner in physick,
and Abraham Chapman to build a new Courthouse and Prison
in the County of Bucks." These five persons or any three of
them were authorized to purchase land and erect buildings
thereon according to their own judgment at an expense not to
THE COUNTY COURT AT NEWTOWN 257
exceed three hundred pounds or fifteen hundred dollars. Under
authority of this Act they accordingly purchased a tract of land of
John Walley on July 17, 1725. This tract of land, lying in what
is now the Borough of Newtown, was forty perches in length by
twenty in width, or six hundred and sixty feet by three hundred
and thirty feet, with an area of five acres. It was known as the
"Five Acres" and faced what was then "The Commons" lying
between State and Sycamore Streets. These five acres were sub-
divided into smsTer lots or squares by three streets; Court Street
dividi g it lengthwise and Mercer and Sullivan Streets, trans-
versely. This court house tract was bounded on the west by
State Street and on the south by Penn Street. The portions of
the original tract not needed for the use of the county were sold
upon ground rents. The court house and prison were erected
as separate structures, each fronting south. The court house
stood on the present site of the house on Court Street now belong-
ing to Mrs. Horace G. Reeder. The jail was on Main Street
(now State Street) and stood on, or about at, the present site of
the H. G. Efifrig store; the jail yard extending north from the jail
building. For a detailed description of the court house and its
location we may refer to the excellent paper read before the His-
torical Society by Mrs. Mary T. Hillborn of Newtown on January
20, 1923, and published in Volume V of the Bucks County His-
torical Society Papers, at page 461, etc. In that paper the first
court house at Newtown is described as follows: "The court
house was a two story building with double doors in front, a fire-
place in each end of the building, stone chimneys, old-fashioned
hip-roof and a square box on top in which hung the bell. The
judges were seated on an elevated platform, located in the recess
of a large bay window. The second story was finished in suitable
rooms for juries."
There is some reason to believe that the jail or some building
used as a jail was destroyed by a fire of incendiary origin, but
this is little more than a tradition, as no satisfactory evidence or
record is available to show its date or the nature of the building
destroyed. It is clear, however, that the original jail building
proved to be inadequate for its purposes and that in 1745 the
then existing jail was converted into a workhouse and a new
building erected as a jail. One of the interesting features of this
jail, as described by Mrs. Hillborn, was that it contained a bar-
258 THE COUNTY COURT AT NEWTOWN
room for the sale of rum to prisoners as well as the public generally.
The court house was subsequently enlarged by the addition of a
treasury building located between the jail and the original court
house, and in 1772 an offtce, twelve by sixteen feet, was likewise
erected between the jail and court house for the storing of records.
Prior thereto the records were left in the possession of the various
court officers at their respective homes. In 1796 this office build-
ing was replaced by a larger two-story building forty by thirty-
six feet in size which was used for offices of the several clerks and
for the safe keeping of public records. Another interesting
adjunct of the court buildings was a pair of stocks, erected by
Joseph Thornton in 1742.
In the meanwhile, as the county seat buildings were being
enlarged, the population of the county increased very rapidly
toward the north and in that portion of the county which is now
Northampton County. Complaints were constantly increasing
as to the inconvenience for the people in those outlying districts
traveling to Newtown in their attendance upon court, a distance
of thirty, forty and more miles. This, in those days of primitive
travel on horseback and by horsed rawn vehicles, was a very
serious matter. The first consequence of this spread of the popu-
lation was the creation of a new county out of the north portion of
what was then Bucks County. This is the present Northampton
County. This brought a temporary suspension of the complaints
as to the location of the county seat. But as time went on, and
court business increased with the population of the county, the
court buildings required both enlarging and repairing. When
these needs became so pressing as to require court action, objec-
tion was made to the expenditure of money for the erection of
new buildings at a location so inconvenient to the northern half
of the county. As the time arrived when action must be taken
on the needs for a new court house, the controversy over its loca-
tion became a renewed and probably bitter issue. The argu-
ment for the removal of the county seat from Newtown to a more
northerly point became unanswerable, and Commissioners were
appointed in 1810 to determine upon a new location to be selected
by them at some point not more than three miles distant from the
intersection of what is now the Willow Grove, Doylestown and
Easton highway with the Norristown, Chalfont and New Hope
highway. The Commissioners after wavering between "The
THE COUNTY COURT AT NEWTOWN 259
Turk," or "Edison," as it is now called, on the one hand, and
"Pool's Corner" on the other, finally compromised upon the
present site of the Bucks County court house at Doylestown, and
in 1813 the county seat, after being located at Newtown for
eighty-eight years, was legally transferred to Doylestown, the
first session of court being held there on May 11, 1813.
A more interesting phase of the history of the courts at New-
town would be the personnel of their judges and officers if informa-
tion on that subject were available. However, unfortunately, the
records on that phase are even more vague and scant than on the
buildings themselves. The records would undoubtedly disclose
the names of many of the court officers, but a recital of mere
names would be meaningless and dreary reading. Mrs. Hill-
born, in her paper already referred to, relates a very interesting
incident during the incumbency of John Hart as county treasurer
at Newtown in the robbery of the county treasury at the home of
the treasurer on State Street, now or lately owned by Mr. Harry
Mitchell, perpetrated by the Doane outlaws. Unfortunately
information as to such incidents throwing light on the courts and
the men who conducted them is now lost beyond recovery.
Among the attorneys who appeared before the court in Newtown
during the latter years of its existence there the records disclose
the following names most frequently: John Ross, Hugh Ross,
Thomas Ross, Abraham Chapman, Enos Morris, Mathias Morris
and James Milnor.
In referring to the judges who presided over the courts of
Bucks County during this period it is important to note that at
that time Bucks County was a part of a large Judicial District
comprised of Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks and Delaware
Counties and that the judges of this district, or four counties,
were the judges who presided over the court at Newtown.
Therefore, it is not surprising that almost all of our judges during
that period were Philadelphia judges, and that in all probability
they had comparatively little interest in, and even less personal
knowledge of, the county and its people. It is doubtful whether
any judges who presided over the courts at Newtown ever resided
at that place. Among the law judges who presided over the
courts of Bucks County during the time that it was located at
Newtown may be named: Judge Henry Wynkoop, of Northamp-
ton Township, who presided from 1777 to 1789; Judge John Bar-
260 THE COUNTY COURT AT NEWTOWN
clay, of Springfield Township, Bucks County, from 1790 to 1791;
Judges James Biddle from 1791 to 1797; Judge John D. Coxe from
1797 to 1805; Judge William Tilghman from 1805 to 1806; and
Judge Bird Wilson from 1806 to 1818. During this period there
were a large number of associate judges all of whom were laymen
appointed by the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania.
Of the president judges, Judge Wynkoop was distinctly a native
of Bucks County. He was our first member of Congress and an
intimate friend of George Washington. From his associations
with the more prominent officials and aristocratic classes of those
early days he acquired a love of pomp, ceremony and dignity
which he brought to his judicial office. He promulgated a rule of
court, requiring his court officers to carry staves, prescribing how
they were to escort the judge to and from the bench, where they
were to deposit their staves, etc.
Judge Bird Wilson was the last and probably the most dis-
tinguished of the judges who served during the period under con-
sideration. Although he was a Philadelphian, Philadelphia
County was then no longer a part of our Judicial District so that
Judge Wilson presided only over the Courts of Delaware, Mont-
gomery and Bucks Counties. During that period he resided at
Norristown. Judge Wilson was of Scotch descent, having i)een
the son of James Wilson, a lawyer of national prominence during
the Revolutionary period. Bird Wilson was born at Carlisle,
Pennsylvania, in 1777. He early displayed his mental ability
and love of study, graduating from the University of Pennsyl-
vania at the age of fifteen years. He was admitted to the Phila-
delphia Bar in 1797. It is doubtful whether he ever actively
engaged in the practice of the law, although he was a great stu-
dent and master of the law. In demeanor he was a quiet, unob-
strusive, gentlemanly young man. He was only twenty-nine
years of age when appointed by the governor to be president judge
of this district, and first took his seat on the bench at Newtown
on May 5, 1806. The first case tried before him in this county
was that of Commonwealth vs. Joseph Black, charged with horse
stealing. The defendant was convicted and sentenced to an
imprisonment equivalent to fourteen years, indicating that not-
withstanding his rrild and gentle disposition, he enforced the
crimnal law most vigorously. Judge Wilson in 1818 resigned his
office of judge in order to enter the ministry of the Episcopal
The county court at newTown ^6l
Church. This unusual action was attributed by some to the sup-
posed fact that he did not wish to sentence one John Craig, who
had been convicted before him of the crime of murder, the judge
having been deeply disturbed and distressed by the incidents of
the trial. While this would seem to be consistent with his gentle,
refined nature, it is probably nothing more than mere conjecture.
However, a study of his beautiful portrait hanging in the court
room at Doylestown would incline one to give credence to the
story.
The court records which were kept during these early days are
exceedingly interesting, especially to members of the legal fra-
ternity. They are brief, neatly written and in the stilted lan-
guage of the old English courts. The following excerpt from a
brief record found in one of the dockets of our Prothonotary's
Office would not only be Greek to a layman, but would drive any
modern lawyer to his law dictionary for its meaning. The last
record entry made at Newtown in Docket No. 5, page 169, notes
the bringing of the action and then this entry is made: "the
defendant craves oyer of the writing obligatory and imparles
specially." It may be said to mean: that the defendant asks
that the paper sued upon may be read and that he be allowed
sufficient time to discuss a settlement with the plaintiff before
filing an answer to the claim. In another case the entry of pleas
were: "Deft, pleads payment with leave, etc. Pltf. replies non
solvit et issue." Reduced to simple colloquial terms it amounts
to this: Defendant: "I paid your bill." Plaintiff: "You did not
pay. We'll go to trial."
The Quarter Sessions records are even more interesting than
those of the Common Pleas Court, disclosing more of the times,
morals and social problems of those days. The crime which
appeared to predominate in those days was that of assault and
battery, the number of bills charging that crime being propor-
tionately far greater than they are today. Next in number were
crimes of sex immorality, also far in excess of such prosecutions
today. The difference, however, is due to a difference in moral
standards and is to our discredit. Third in number were charges
of larceny. There were also a surprising number of riot charges.
The record of the June Sessions, 1780, discloses a list of four or
five cases in which the crime was called "Keeping School." My
curiosity being aroused by the title of this crime, I made a search
262 THE COUNTY COURT AT NEWTOWN
of the original papers and found the bills of indictment. They
disclosed that the real offense consisted in teaching school without
having taken the oath of allegiance to the New Government.
The punishment for this offense in the cases against William
Wood and Thomas Folliet were $2,500 fine and a requirement
that the defendants give bond with surety in the sum of $20,000
for their good behavior for a period of twelve months. This sen-
tence no doubt resulted in the defendants becoming guests of the
county for that period.
Some of the sentences imposed in those days impress us as
being brutal in their severity. What would the public's reaction
be today to this sentence imposed in June, 1780, upon Peter
Heaton for the crime of larceny: "The Court adjudges that he
stand in the pillory one hour, be whipped with thirty-nine lashes
and at the same time shall have his ears cut off and nailed to the
pillory, the above punishment to be inflicted this day, ye 14th,
between the hours of 12 & 3 o'clock in the afternoon and to pay
costs and make restoration." This sentence should probably be
referred to some humane society for investigation. One of the
usual portions of the sentence in most larceny cases included any-
where from five to twenty-five lashes on the bare back. At the
June sessions, 1778, the sentence included, "whipping fifteen
lashes this afternoon between four and five o'clock." There is
something terribly sinister in the brevity and imminence of this
sentence as pronounced. However, the Courts apparently could
also be lenient at times. In the case of King vs. Robert Wier,
June Sessions, 1773, the sentence upon a conviction of assault
and battery was the payment of a fine of one shilling (25 cents) and
costs. An interesting feature of the fines imposed was that they
were not called fines, but the defendant was directed to pay a
given sum, "for the support of the Government."
The Criminal Docket Entries are interesting during the first
two years of the Revolutionary War in that a change took place
in the formal captions or headings of the term records. At the
June Sessions, 1775, the caption read as follows: "Bills of Indict-
ment now delivered into Court by the Grand Jury for the County
of Bucks this thirteenth day of June in the fifteenth year of the
reign of our Sovereign Lord George the third King of Great
Britain, France and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. Anno
Domino, 1775, at a Court of general Quarter Sessions of the
THE COUNTY COURT AT NEWTOWN 263
Peace held at Newtown in and for this County of Bucks before
Gilbert Hicks, Joseph Hart, Henry Wynkoop and others, Es-
quires, Justices of our said Lord the King." Note the difference
in this caption entered at the March Sessions, 1776: "Bills of
Indictment now delivered into Court by ye Grand Jury for the
County of Bucks this twelfth day of March, 1776, at a Court of
general Quarter Sessions of the Peace held at Newtown." Ap-
parently his "Sovereign Lord our King" had by that time gone
into the discard so far as Bucks County was concerned. The
titles to the cases likewise show the same change. The last case
at the June Sessions, 1776, like all cases prior thereto, was titled
"The King vs. James Dorin." The next case listed, which was at
June Sessions, 1778, was titled "Respublica vs. George Kelly."
Later on, this was changed to our present form of "Common-
wealth vs. ." At the June Sessions, 1777, in the last
Quarter of the Docket a new heading was entered in large script
as follows:
"Bucks Criminal Docket
Continued from December
Sessions 1777. To June
Sessions 1778, there Having Been
No Business Done at March Term 1778."
At the end of this dignified title, some wag made this facetious,
but probably truthful, entry: "A sorry term for the lawyers." A
personal examination of these aged records entered in crudely
made dockets, now yellow and dusty with age, helps to stimulate
one's imagination so as to be able to rebuild the old village of
Newtown of two centuries ago and to repeople it with our sturdy
pioneer ancestors, and to re-enact those court scenes which
externally were so different from our courts of today. We can
picture the folk of that past day coming to court on horseback, by
carriage and by stage coach, garbed in the gay, graceful attire of
Colonial times, the drab costumes of the Quakers and the plain
homespun of the Pennsylvania-Germans. We can see stone
mounting blocks and long lines of hitching posts around the
court yard with a motley array of restless horses prancing,
stamping and whinnying during the long court sessions. The
264 THE COUNTY COURT AT NEWTOWN
court room is pervaded with a dignified decorum and an awed
silence strangely mixed with a certain buffoonery and coarseness
of speech on the part of the lawyers and occasionally the judges,
if the stories -which tradition has handed down through the mem-
bers of the bar, are to be believed. Not infrequently the effects
of convivial bar meetings at the taproom during court recesses are
in evidence. However, notwithstanding the external difTerences,
the courts then as now, were, no doubt, a daily panorama of
human nature disclosing all its nobility and depravity, its gen-
erosity and greed, its loyalty and treachery, its kindness and
cruelty, which are at once our hope and despair of a better civil-
ization for the future. We hope that this rather sketchy outline
of that interesting and vital period of eighty-eight years when the
courts sat at Newtown may have given you something of this
view of their function, purposes and accomplishments.
Presses and Printers of Newtown Before I8681
By EDWARD R. BARNSLEY, NEWTOWN, PA.
(Newtown Meeting, September 22, 1934)
("Madryn," Home of the Misses Chambers)
Bucks County Weekly Gazette
The second
newspaper in
Bucks County,
established in
1802 at New-
town, then the
county seat, was
headed The
Bucks County
Weekly Gazette.
The existence of
Newtown's first
newspaper is
now ahnost leg-
endary, for no
copies of it sur-
Mve, and little
IS known about
Its printers, Mr Dow and William Coale.
The following quotation is the only con-
temporaneous account thereof known to
the writer, and is taken from the Trenton
True American of September 13, 1802:
NEW NEWS-PAPER.
We have received the first number of a
paper published at Neivion, in Buclcs-County,
Pennsylvania, by Dow & Coale, entitled The
Buck's County Weekly Gazelle. We know not
the political principles of the Editors; but
their paper is, like Joseph's coat, of many
colors. It is principally composed of extracts
from other papers, of different and discordant
principles. — It exhibits a disposition to be
impartial, as well in its contents as in its
motto:
"Sworn to no master's arbitrary sway,
"I range where-e'er occasion points the way."
The exact date of beginning and when
it stopped publication is likewise a mys-
tery. William J. Buck, the pioneer his-
torian of Bucks County, was the first to
write of Newtown's pioneer newspaper
as long ago as 1858. In a letter addressed
to Judge Michael H. Jenks, of Newtown,
he said, in part:"
Willow Grove, April 19th 1858.
Dear Sir —
Several years ago I came across a mutilated
newspaper it was called "The Bucks County
" and was published at "Newtown,
September , 1802." In politics it was
Democratic. It was small and contained but
four columns to a page. I would much like to
know who published this paper, its name, and
at what time it was commenced? Wm.
Coale's paper was not begun at your place till
in 1805, and was called "The Farmers Gazette
and Bucks County Register." I have suffi-
cient information about this paper. I pre-
sume it succeeded the former paper.
Yours very respectfully, &c.,
William J. Buck.
Jenks' reply to Buck is not preserved,
but the latter evidently found the answer
to his query, because in the following
year, in an article appearing in Bucks
County Intelligencer under date of July 26,
1859, he gave to this pioneer paper its
1 Published in revised form in August, 1935, at Newtown, Pa., from original paper printed serially
in Newtown Enterprise in 1934, (see issues of October 11, 18, and 25; November 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29; and
December 13 and 27); copyright, 1935, by Edward R. Barnsley, and revised further in 1936 and 1937,
for present publication.
2 Complete letter may be seen in library of Bucks County Historical Society. Asher Miner in his
prospectus for the Pennsylvania Correspondent, July 7, 1804, does not name the earliest papers, but refers
to the fact that "Two unsuccessful attempts have heretofore been made to establish weekly newspapers
in this county."
266
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
name and publishers, but changed its
politics. Mr. Buck wrote in this article:^
The second paper in the county was printed
at Newtown, by Dow and Coale, and was
called the "Bucks County Weekly Gazette."
It was commenced in September, 1802, and
was Republican in politics, .\fter a brief
existence this too died out.
Whether the paper was Democratic or
RepubHcan was apparently difficult to
decide, since it was "principally com-
posed of extracts from other papers, of
different and discordant principles."
In September, 1876, W. W. H. Davis
published his first History of Bucks County.
Although he did not know about either
the printer or even the right name of the
Bucks County Weekly Gazette, he was
aware that a newspaper had been in-
stituted at Newtown in September, 1802.
He then confused his account of local
journalistic history by naming his own
title for the said paper and inventing a
new publisher. Since 1876, these alleged
names have been repeated by many others
as correct, and have always been accepted
as fact until now, when they are proven
to be pure fiction. Davis gave, without
any authority for his statement, the fol-
lowing misinformation:
Sometime in that year [1802] Charles Holt
commenced the publication of the Bucks
County Bee, but we know neither the date of
its birth nor its death. It was still published
in September, but how much longer is not
known.*
Mr. Clarence S. Brigham, director of
American Antiquarian Society and the
leading authority on American newspapers
of the period, wrote as follows^ concern-
ing another Charles Holt and his Bee in
Connecticut and New York:
I much doubt the existence of the Bucks
County Bee of 1802, or rather, that it was pub-
lished by Charles Holt. Charles Holt gave
up the New London Bee in June 1802 (his last
issue was dated the 23d), and established the
Hudson Bee on August 17, 1802. In his pros-
pectus for the Hudson Bee, he states that he
went directly from New London, Conn., to
Hudson, N. Y., without any mention of estab-
lishing a paper in Bucks County, Pa. I have
examined a complete file of the Hudson Bee
from August to December, 1802, and there is
no mention anywhere of a Bucks County Bee.
It seems improbable that such a title could
have existed and not be mentioned by him.
No other Charles Holt is known as a news-
paper publisher during this period.
Nothing at all is known at present con-
cerning Mr. Dow, — whether he was the
financial backer or co-printer with Mr.
Coale. The only known mention that
William Coale made to their pioneer paper
was in 1807 when, in a letter in his
Farmers' Gazette addressed to his "Sub-
scribers and the Public in General," he
said he feared that his journalistic at-
tempts in Newtown might fail the second
time.
3 Contributions to the His'.ory of Bucks County. Chapter VII, Literature. Although these articles were
published anonymously, an advertisement in Doylestown Democrat and Bucks County Republican, March
l.S, 1859, states definitely that the series were written by William J. Buck, Esq.
4 In 1883. Eleazer F. Church, founder of Newtown Enterprise, upon reading this quotation from Davis'
chapter, Newspapersand Their Editors, commented {Proceedings of Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. I,
p. 119), "The Bucks County Bee must have been a drone for it made no honey for Charles." Then Church
continued paronomastically, "He lost hold [Holt] on the county, and he and his paper passed into the
silent realms of oblivion."
5 Personal communication, dated Septeiriber 21, 1935. For the True American reference, as well as
for many other of the original sources quoted in this article, the present writer is deeply obligated to Mr.
grigham and wishes to acknowledge his many favors.
THE
FLOWERS
OF
MODERN HISTORY ;
COMPREHENDING
ON A NEW PLAN,
THE MOST REMARK.ABLE REVOLUTIONS AND
EVENTS, AS WELL AS THE MOST EMINENT
AND ILLUSTRIOUS CHARACTERS, OF MO-
DERN TIMES ;
WITH A VIEW OF THE
PROGRESS OF SOCIETY AND MANNERS,
ARTS AND SCIENCES,
FROM THE
IRRUPTION OF THE GOTHS AND VANDALS, AND
OTHER NORTHERN NATIONS, UPON THE ROMAN
EMPIRE, TO THE
CONCLUSION OF THE AMERICAN WAR.
DESIGNED FOR THE
IMPROVEMENT and ENTERTAINMENT
OF YOUTH.
BY THE REV. JOHN ADAMS, A. M.
Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci. hor.
NEWTOWN:
PRINTED BY WILLIAM COALE.
1804.
268
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
William Coale
The first Newtown printer about whom
there is actual knowledge was one William
Coale, a Quaker. He was born in
1782, in Harford County, Md., probably
in the township of Deer Creek Lower
Hundred, for the Coale family was very
numerous in this township at that time.
He served his apprenticeship in the print-
ing trade under Benjamin Johnson,
printer and bookseller, of Philadelphia,
whose place of business was on Market
Street between Third and Fourth.*^
Before becoming of age, Coale removed
to Newtown, about 1802, and assisted
then in the publication of the Bucks
County Weekly Gazette.
On Eleventh Month 2, 1802, Friend
Coale was accepted a member of Wrights-
town Monthly Meeting on the basis of
a certificate he had brought from the
Monthly Meeting in the Northern Lib-
erties, Philadelphia.^
The earliest recorded specimen of Mr.
Coale's journalistic art is in the form of a
love-poem in nine verses, which he either
printed or dated January 23, 1803. The
object of his affection was Sarah Cary,
born 1784, the daughter of County Jailor
Asa Cary, by his first wife, Agnes Ash-
burn.** Although Sarah was of Quaker
descent, she was not in good standing
among Friends, because her parents had
been married on December 8, 1773, by
VERSES addressed TO SARAH CAREY
Thou can'st not steal the rose's bloom
To decorate thy face.
But the sweet blush of modesty
Will lend an equal grace.
The violet scents the distant gales,
(It grows in lowly bed);
So real worth new merit gains
By diffidence o'er spread.
Would'st thou, sweet maid, the lily's white
In thy complexion find —
Sweet innocence may shine as fair
Within thy spotless mind.
When in th' op'ning spring of life.
And ev'ry flower in bloom.
The budding virtues in thy breast
Shall yield the best perfume.
A nosegay in thy bosom plac'd
A moral may convej —
For soon its brightest tints shall fade
.And all its sweets decay.
So short-liv'd are the lovely tribes
Of Flora's transient reign.
They bud, blow, wither, fall and die.
Then turn to earth again.
And, thus, sweet girl, must ev'ry charm
Which youth is proud to share.
Alike their quick succession prove
And the same truths declare.
Sickness will change the roseate hue
Which glowing health bespeaks.
And age will wrinkle with its cares
The smile on beauty's cheeks.
But, as that fragrant myrtle wreath
Will all the rest survive,
So shall the mutual graces still
Through endless ages live.
6 In the early Philadelphia Directories, the address of Benjamin Johnson is given from 1791 to 1798
as 147 High Street; in 1799 and 1800 he is listed at 23 New Market Street. See Encyclopedia of Philadel-
phia.
7 Known in later years as the North Meeting, Sixth and Noble Streets.
8 Her widower's second marriage is recorded in Pennsylvania Correspondent and Farmers' Advertiser
of May 9, 1814: "In Newtown, on Saturday evening, the 30th of .Aoril, by John Shaw, esq. Mr. Asa
Carey, of this town, to Miss Tamar Worstall, of Newtown." On April 18, 1818, .\sa was apnointed libra-
rian of Newtown Library Company, with a salary of SI. 00 per year, and the privilege of reading the books
free of charge. On April 3, 1820, Asa was appointed Newtown's third postmaster. The death date of
Tamar is erroneously given in His'oric Newtown, p. 30, as 1842. Her tombstone in Presbyterian Cemetery,
Newtown, shows she died September 6. 1846, aged 80. John Barnsley, Esq., her administrator, c. t. a.,
sold her Bird-in-Hand tavern to T. Wilson Milnor on the following March 4th to satisfy the claims of the
minor children (one of whom was a lunatic) of her brother, John Worstall, of Ohio, who had predeceased
her.
9 This transcript of the earliest known press work executed in Newtown has been printed in both edi-
tions of Davis' History of Bucks County; see 1st ed., p. 813; and 2nd ed., Vol. II, p. 315. Note that here
as elsewhere in his History Davis inserts, without any apparent authority to do so, the middle initial "B"
into Coale's name. Davis says that the original poem was printed on pink satin.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN L5EFORE 1868
260
Squire Isaac Hicks, a Presbyterian, and
her father had been disowned from
Middletown Monthly Meeting as a con-
sequence thereof.
Therefore, Wrightstown Meeting would
not indulge William's marriage with
Sarah, so on June 25, 1803, they were
married out of meeting by Squire Hicks.
The original marriage docket of the latter,
now owned by his great-granddaughter.
Miss Sarah Wcrstall Hicks, describes
Coale as being a printer, so it is likely
that in the year of his marriage he was
running a job office, because the pioneer
newspaper was probably not issued after
1802. No doubt most of his business at
that time consisted in printing legal
blanks, sale bills, and the like, such as the
two illustrated on the following pages
And perhaps some of the old l;ook plates
of the Newtown Library were printed on
Coale's press. He frequently advertised
his blanks in connection with other
items, such as the following:
FOR SALE, A HANDSOME
Young Mare. —
For particulars enquire at this Oflice.
Oftoberio, i8o6.
>3- A frelh fupply of BLANKS, of
various kinds, juft printed and for fale at
this Office.
On February 16, 1807, The Farmers'
Ga-ettc carried this advertisement by its
printer:
3C
Actual Size of Advertisement
jIMB
Sheriff's Tmms of
LAND.
By Virtue of a writ of Venditioni exponas to me
directed, will be exposed to Public Sale at the House
of ^-^Ct^^i.-^^u^-yt^^ - — __ _ ^ in the - :
Township of ^^x^i^t^^:^^ - , on the i:>U: >.^ ^t^^,>^
day of /^.»^^W^X./;/«^ext a^^^^ c^c/"^^ ^ ^J^ ^^
Taken m Execution, and to be sold as the property of
-^ - DAVID THOMAS, Sheriff.
Newtown, Bucks County, (yi/c^^- ^^ 'tt /#^^
01
J^twiowM : PfiiSTZB at WiiiiAM woale.
The originals of these early Coale imprints may be seen in the library of
Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, Pa.
Also in this institution is another bond for S800 on a form similar to that
illustrated on the opposite page, and it is from Robert Jolly, of Bristol Town-
ship, to Joseph Jenks, of Middletown Township. This one was probably
printed later than the one illustrated, and when used was dated May 25, 1897.
The actual size of the above sale bill is only 19.2 by 22.7 cm.
ff^dw/own : Primed hy WitLtAM CoA^t.l
KNOW ALL MEN.hij these Presefits, That
y'^^^i^uy.^^z^^ p'&r^^'<^ ^^^^ ~ 1-— \
],eld and f.r.nly bound unto cA^urA^^ ^(^S^^^^^^'
' — ■— > — ^^ "
* in the fum of Ji^/tJ tJ^^^rz^t^eO^ JP^;^â– c^a^ ^r2^i^ tf^^^/^
•lawful money qI 3£/rvrui^A^iyeaiJ
o bepid to the faid ^/aJ^:^^^.
'f^>^i/e/i/
tsx to, ;?X<^ certain Jtyorney, E:^c"utors, Admimftratoi's, or Afllgns. To
which payment well and truly to be niade,,;^^^*^ bin4
Ilcirs/jlxecutors, and Adminifirators, /Sc■r^^ ^^^e^iy^^iy^^^ - — firmly
by tLcie J'ilIciiIs. Sealctl with x^^ Seal s.nd Hgmd the^y^^t^/^^Kii^,
ol ^a^u-^ - -______/l one thouland eioht hundred and ^:;«i<^'
The condition of the above obligation is sucH,
That if the above bounden ty^^l^^g^c' czt^z^u^S' Alt ,. __.
Heirs, Executors, or Adminillrators. do and lliall \yell and truly pay, or caufe
to be paid, unto the above named c^ /r-iirv'^^^^^ii^/t, _ .
or to A^ certain Attorney, Ksecutars, Adminifirators, or Affigns, ttie full and
juft fum ofY^^ ,M>mi(2e^y^i^di '^^r^ <rz f^i^M. S^Y^^'^z^e^
^ y^^^z/^e.,', a^t^^ — — :-kJU_
^ . - then the faid Obligation to be void, or elfc to remain in full force and
^•jrtiie.
Sealed and delivered ^ " ^ ' ^ '^ "T) /" ,■v •''<''
in presence of 5 ^c-cW/MOCO J^^C/J^ /- . ^^'\
272 PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
THE FARMERS' GAZETTE,
And Bucks County Register.
•• Heart and be just.
[Vol. II.] NEWTOWN, COUNTY or BUCKS t-r».L,s„iD weeklt, .r WILLIAM COALE. [No. 54.]
Masthead nf Newtown's earliest preserved newspaper.
In 1804, he republished Floivers of
Modern History. This book is Coale's
first known work, and is also the first
book known to have been printed in
Bucks County, so thus it is the chief item
of bibliographic interest to students of
local history. ^^ The volume is of duo-
decimo size, 4 '4 by 6^4 inches, calf
backed, and contains 105 chapters ar-
ranged in 314 pages, with the amazingly
lengthy title:
The flowers of modern history; compre-
hending on a new plan, the most remarkable
revolutions and events, as well as the most
eminent and illustrious characters, of modern
times; with a view of the progress of society
and manners, arts and sciences, from the
irruption of the Goths and Vandals, and
other northern nations, upon the Roman
Empire, to the conclusion of the .American
War.'i
Following the title is the statement,
"Designed for the Improvement and
Entertainment of Youth." However, in
the copies examined by the writer the
physical appearance shows that they have
been little used by either youth or old age;
and today they are in nearly as good con-
dition as when run off the press on Court
Street, 133 years ago. The author of the
volume was Rev. John Adams, A. M., a
Scotchman, who was a voluminous com-
piler of books for yourg readers. He was
born at Aberdeen, Scotland, in about
1750, and died at Putney, England, in
1814.
After graduating from the University
cf Aberdeen, Adams obtained a preaching
license and upon going to London, was
appointed a minister of the Scottish
Church. Most of his works passed
through many editions, and were largely
used in schools. Among those better
known may be mentioned the following,
with their date of publication:
1. The Flowers of Ancient His'.ory, 1788.
2. The Flowers of Modern Travel. 1788.
i. Elegant Anecdotes and Bon Mos. 1790.
4. A View of Universal History, 1795.
-S. The Flowers of Modern His'ory. 1796.
6. Curious Thoughts on the His'ory of Man,
1799.
Also on the title page is a quotation
from Horace, "Omne tulit punctum qui
miscuit utile dulci," which translates
freely, "Everything that combines the
useful with the pleasant demands ap-
proval."
Coale ran a book store in connection
with his printing office, — apparently the
first in Bucks County, — and sometimes he
sold books to the nearby subscription
library, but generally the Library Com-
pany did its purchasing in Philadelphia.
The minutes of said Company are incom-
plete for this period, only occasionally
Coale's name appears in the Treasurer's
Account Book; for example:
Feby 16, 1804 Books bought of Wm Coale
Rushes Essays $2
Grand pres Voyages. 1
Campbells Narrative 1.2.'i
4.25
10 Copies are owred by Newtown Library Company, Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Antiquarian Society, and Edward R. Barnsley.
11 The first edition of this work, printed in London, in 1796, was entitled: Flowers of Modern Hisory,
romfrehending the most remarkable rero'.utions and events of modern times, to the Conclusion of the American
War. (Sabin, No. 223.)
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
273
In the following year, 1805, printer
Coale commenced a newspaper of his own
which he continued for nearly five years.
The initial numbsr of this second paper
in Newtown, called The Farmers' Gazette
and Bucks County Register, appeared
probably on Thursday morning, October
10, 1805. The date of first issue, although
frequently disputed, has been calculated
from the earliest known copy, i. e , whole
number 54, October 17, 1806, and is
believed to be correct.
Sixth-day Morning,
Tenth Month (Oct.) 17, 1806.
CONDITIONS
or SUBSCRIPTION TO THIS PAPER.
Two Dollars per ann. to thofe who
pay half yearly in advance; two Dollars
twenty-five Cents to thofe who do not
cboofe to pay in advance.
No Subfcriptions taken for lefs than fix
months.
Advertifements, &c. accompanied with
the CASH and proper direftions, will be
punftually attended to.
Communications addrefTed to the editor
mufl be poft paid.
should have been better informed, wrote
the following note on March 7, 1855, to
his History of Bucks County:
A neighbor informs us that the paper at
Newtowh was published by Wm. Coale, in
1803-4, and that it was shortly after discon-
tinued.
Davis gives the date correctly. Church
wrote critically in 1868:''
It is said that Coale's paper was noted for
its typographical errors. Once he made an
The Farmers^ Gazette, ^c.
NEWTOWN,
Sixth-day, (Friday) 17, 1806.
Apology — In confcquence of much hin-
derance, a little previous to, and during
the Ele<flion, the editor is this week under
the necefiity of prefenting his readers with
only a half-fheet, and even this at the
eleventh hour. But as this is the firft fai-
lure of the kind, fince the eftablifliment of
the Farmers' Gazette, he hopes to be ex-
cufed, when he pledges himfelf to make
up the deficiency in a few weeks.
Outside and inside headings to Vol 11, No 54. of
The Farmers' Gazette and Bucks County Register.
The date of issue of No. 54 appears on
both of the headings. Oftentimes there is
frequently a discrepancy between the date
of the inside and the outside of the
Gazette, as the respective pages were
dated on the day they were set into type,
rather than the publication day. As an
example of this erroneous information
as to date of first issue, William J. Buck, who
amusing mistake in stating that his paper
was published "Weakly." It was rather
weakly, and did not long survive.
It is most unfortunate that no complete
file has been preserved of this primitive
newspaper, only 11 x 18 inches in size.
Josiah B. Smith described the contents
of one issue, whole number 4, in his
Manuscript Book I, p. 270.^-^ Davis later
12 Newlown Enterprise, April 0, 1868.
13 At library of Bucks County Historical Society.
274
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1<
saw this copy, and mentioned it in both
editions of his History of Bucks County}'^
Information about another issue is fur-
nished by Eleazer F. Church, who de-
scribed whole number 35 in the April 9, 1868,
edition of the Newtown Enterprise. This
copy belonged to Ashbel W. Watson, but
like Smith's copy has long since been
carelessly destroyed.
Six copies, happily, are preserved in
the incomparable newspaper collection
of Bucks County Historical Society.
These are whole numbers 54, 71, 122,
172, 198, and 202. ^^ The contents of
these copies will not be described in
detail, because anyone interested can
examine them at any time, and they are
now assured of permanent preservation.
Also at Bucks County Historical
Society is one of Coale's printed receipts
given in 1806 to Dr. Reading Beatty for a
half-year subscription to the Farmers'
Gazette.
ery for sale by the printer, and a proposal
by Coale to issue by subscription the
American Farmers' Guide. The present
writer very much doubts if this book ever
appeared.
Eleazer F". Church wrote further that
the Watson copy of May 5, 1806, con-
tained an advertisement of a "Lottery
for the Encouragement of the Useful
Arts." The following quotation is taken
from Church's article:
Ticketswere to behad'of any of the Tavern
Keepers in Newtown, and of most of the tav-
ern and Store Keepers in the County of Bucks,
also at the office of the Gazette, and of Hugh
Ross' (Justice's House), at his office in New-
town, next door to Kessler's tavern (Bird-in-
Hand). Price of tickets, $1.25 — highest prize
10,000 dollars. Any person who is known to
be of ability sufficient to insure payment of
the money, before the drawing commences,
may have any number to sell on commission.
Good notes will be taken in payment for
tickets, or credit given to those who may pur-
chase to any considerable amount, by giving
good security if required.' The lottery seems
to have been a regular gambling concern.
No manager's name given, and no definite
object stated.
NEWTOWN,
i8o6.
Receh'dof/^^
^^^(y^^€ja
^ o«f
Dollar tnuelve
and
a half Cents, in
1^ w
full for the Farmers''
Gazette, from
No.
^ to No.^^
WILLIAM COALE,
Actual Size: 4.8 by 12.2 cm.
Josiah Smith wrote that his copy of
October 31, 1805, contained a consider-
able advertisement of books and station-
Another example of printing executed
by Coale while in Newtown is a handbill
dated August, 1808. This broadside,
14 First edition, p. 812; second edition. Vol. II, p. 314.
15 No. 54 was presented to the Sjciety by Edward Newlin Brown, of Doylestown. Nos. 122, 172,
and 202 were presented by Mahlon H. Keller, of Perkasie. No. 71 was presented by Evan T. Worthing-
ton, of Newtown. The source of No. 198 is unknown. No. 54 is dated Friday, October 17. 1806. No.
122 is dated Friday, February 26, 1808, on the outside, and March 4 on the inside. No. 172 is dated
Thursday, March 16. 1809. No. 198 is dated Friday. October \i, 1809, on the oiitside, and Friday, October
14, 1809, on the inside (October 14, 1809, w as Saturday). No.202 is dated Friday, November 10, 1809.
If October 10, 1805, was No. 1, then the only correctly numbered issue of these five is No. 122, which
should be February 26, 1808.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
275
now in the writer's collection, is 11x18
inches and is printed in three columns
like a page of the Gazette}^ The subject
matter is a political address concerning a
county caucus held at "the house of Col.
Elisha Wilkinson," now called Court Inn,
at which time it was unanimously deter-
mined to support James Madison for
president and Simon Snyder for governor.
General Davis said that Coale's print-
ing office was in the brownstone house,
at the southeast corner of State street
and Washington avenue (now owned by
William R. Stuckert), l)ut Josiah B. Smith
who knew a great deal more about New-
town history, said it was in the frame
house at the southeast corner of Court
and Mercer streets that was torn down
by Willis G. Worstall in 1873. ^^ This
lot was originally Court House Lot No.
13, and was purchased from the Trustees
by Richard Gibbs. It later came into
the tenure of William Coale, whose
printing office was reached by steps on
the outside of the house, at the north
end of Edward H. Worstall's storehouse.
Following Coale, Joseph Hicks owned
the property, and it was in this house
that was born his son, Thomas Hicks,
who later became such a well-known
portrait artist in New York and elsewhere.
Willis G. Worstall was a later owner of
this property, 1875 to 1880. "William
Cole, printer," is on the list of taxable
inhabitants of Newtown for 1807, ^^ but
how much longer is unknown.
On February 23, 1807, Mr. Coale ad-
vertised in the Farmers' Gazette and Bucks
County Register:
TO SUBSCRIBERS,
AND THE
Public in General.
FEI,LOW-CITIZENS.
IMPRESSED with a grateful sense of your
past favours, I am induced, in order to evince
a desire to make a small recompence, this
day to enlarge the FARMERS' GAZETTE.
This I felt afraid of putting into execution
in the infancy of the establishment, lest I
should overreach the mark, and the attempt
should, the second time, sinkinto insignificance.
But I am now happy to inform my friends, —
notwithstanding the many disadvantages
this paper has hitherto been published under,
that it has a more extensive circulation, than
my most sanguine expectations could have
aspired to, in so short a period as seventeen
months.
In regard to the principles upon which the
paper has been conducted, I shall leave you
to judge, how far I have deviated from the
track pointed out in my Prospectus.
I deem it expedient, as the circulation is
daily becoming more extensive, to issue Pro-
posals for the Farmers' Gazette, and Bucks
County Register. ENLARGED: — which will
be completed by the ensuing Court, in order
to give my friends and the public, an oppor-
tunity of subscribing, and forming new pack-
ets, in different parts of this county, and else-
where.
It may be necessary here to suggest. Fellow
Citizens, the mutual advantages resulting
from my being enabled to avail myself of an
Assistant in this laborious task. In the first
instance, it will be a signal advantage to you,
as we shall, of course, have more time for
selecting useful matter; and, secondly, of
giving you a greater quantity, at the same
expence. — There is, then, but one way to
enable me to do this, which consists, entire,
in one solitary word— PUNCTUALITY.
WILLIAM COALE.
Although it is not certain just how
long the Gazette was maintained by Coale,
the writer feels sure that it was given up
some years before the county seat was
removed from Newtown, and conse-
quently the said removal did not cause
16 The width of the Gazette had been reduced from 4 to 3 columns sometime during the previous spring.
17 On February 23, 1807, James Raguet advertised in the Farmers' Gazelle and Bucks County Register:
"To Let, A House and Lot, Situate in Newtown, now in the tenure of Wm. Coale, printer — It may be
divided so as to accommodate two small families."
18 F. R. Barndey, Hisoric Newtown, p. 93.
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Newtown Library.
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1808. .
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-American ^Letters
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American Geography . *
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Adelard and Theodore
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PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
2ll
the abandonment of the paper. The
latest copy owned by Bucks County His-
torical Society is dated November 10,
1809; Davis says/*^ "the publication was
continued about ten years," but this
could not be unless, perchance, Coale
returned to the village after once leaving
it, and then resumed publication.
The Treasurer's Account Book of New-
town Library Company shows that in
June, 1806, Coale was paid $1.00 for two
advertisements. For the following notice
of the annual meeting held October 25,
1806, he received fifty cents, according
to this Account Book.
the Treasurer's account for the following
year, dated October 13, 1808, reveals that
he "pd Wm Coale for advertising & Cata-
logue, s$8." Here is the proof that the
second oldest catalogue of Newtown
Library was printed at the office of The
Farmers' Gazette. How many were print-
ed is not of record ;^° the fortunate thing
is that a single copy has been preserved
all this time and was only last year pre-
sented back to the Library from whence
it came. A full size illustration of the
first page thereof appears opposite.
In the winter of 1809-1810, Coale re-
moved to Frankford, Pa., where he in-
Notice
The Members of the Newtown Libra-
ry Company are requefted to meet at the
houfc of Samuel Heathy on Saturday the
25th of the prefent month, at Four o'clock
in the afternoon, in order to choofe
(agreeably to charter) Five Dire£torsand
a Treafurer for the enfuing year.
JAMES RAGUET, Treasurer,
Oeiober !_/?, 1806.
On March 25, 1807, the Treasurer paid
Mr. Coale $3.00 for advertising. The
minutes of October 31, 1807, read:
The Subject of Binding a number of the
Volumes now in the Library & Collecting
some of them that are out & not in members
hands being taken under consideration, agree
that: Abraham Chapman & James Raguet
be appointed a Committee to Examine the
situation of the Same & get such of them
bound as they may Judge proper & collect
those outstanding as they can find & malce an
Alphabetical Catalogue of all the Books be-
longing to said Library and get it Printed.
The minutes of the next succeeding
meetings are most unfortunately lost, but
augurated another new paper in the early
part of 1810, which he called the Frank-
ford Weekly Messenger and General Adver-
tiser}^ In the library of Bucks County
Historical Society may be seen one of his
receipts for the first half-year's issue of
this paper. It is dated September 5,
1810, and is made out to Nathaniel Van-
sant. Only one copy of the Messenger
has been preserved, and no one knows
how long it survived birth.-' It is just
possible that it was absorbed by a later
Frankford paper, the Spirit of '76, which
was started on June 14, 1810, by John F.
Gilbert, and lasted for several years.
19 Second edition, Vol. H, p. 314.
20 Of the 200 copies printed of the 1791 catalogue, none is known by the writer to be extant.
21 This paper is listed in Isaiah Thomas' History of Printing, Vol. 11; p. 521, which gives all the news-
papers published in the United States at tlie beginning of 1810, the year the History was printed.
22 This is Vol. 1, No. 4, for May 18, 1810, which is now owned by Historical Society of Frankford.
278
PF ESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1^
â– -%.
deceived, j/^^^.^Zio, of ^yf^g^S/ (^ ^^ ,^\^rf
one dollar, in full for six months subscription to the Frank.
ford IFeekly Messenger — from No. y to No.'-^)^,-
Wm. CO ALE.
Actual Size: 4.2 by 14.3 cm.
About 1817, Coale removed again to his
home county in Maryland, and at Havre-
de-Grace^^ instituted his third paper in
January of the following year. This he
named the Bond of Union, and it lasted
about as long as the Gazette did.-^ So far,
the writer has been able to trace only two
issues; namely, April 23 and 30, 1818,
(Vol. I, N.s 16 & 17) both of which may
be seen at American Antiquarian Society,
Worcester, Mass.
Davis erred when he wrote-^ that Coale
"established the Eani of Union at Belair."
Little is known about the family of
William Coale. Davis says, "His
son was publishing The Virginian at
Abingdon, Virginia, some years ago," but
fails to give the name of the son or the
years he was publishing. From other
records, however, it is learned that the
son's name was Charles B. Coale, who
was a prominent journalist in Abingdon
for over forty years.^^ In the recently
published Virginia Newspapers 1821-1935,
L. J. Cappron described Charles' papers
as follows:
1. Abingdon Virginian, established Sep-
tember 7(?), 1839... as The Peoples Friend
.... Owned and edited by John N. Humes
until November 9, 1839, when the name was
changed to The Southwestern Virginian but
the same volume numbering retained. Edited
by Laropkin and Charles B. Coale, but in
April 1840 Humes was editor again and con-
tinued so as late as July 1841;. ... In Feb-
ruary 1840 Coale was editor again. He soon
formed a partnership with George R. Barr
and the paper was called The Virginian. In
1849 it was called the Abingdon Virginian
and was published by Coale and Barr until
1872
2. The Abingdon Standard established Sep-
tember (?) 1876. . .as The Standard by Find-
lay Harris and Charles B. Coale, Harris con-
tinuing as editor until 1880.
Mrs. Sarah (Cary) Coale died in 1831,
in her 47th year; and William himself died
at Washington, D. C, in 1856, aged 74.
Davis says that one who knew Mr. Coale
well described him as:
A man of wonderful energy, which never
amounted to much, as he was erratic and
fond of adventure. He was a superior work-
man and as a journeyman printer, com-
manded the highest wages. He was a wit,
and full of humor, could tell a story admira-
bly well, and was above mediocrity as a poet. "
23 Harford County, the county of his birth.
24 Davis implies there were two papers: ". . .in 1817, he established apaperat Havre-de-Grace, Mary-
land, which was discontinued in 1822. Soon after he established the Band of Union at Belair, in the
same state, which he relinquished in a few years."
25 Second edition. Vol. II, p. 315.
26 An excellent sketch of his life mav be seen in Lewis Preston Summer's History of Southwest Virginia,
1746-1786. p. 786. He died January 3, 1879, without issue.
27 To illustrate Mr. Coale's attempt to insert wit into his poetry, the writer hesitantly quotes a mar-
riage noticefrom the Farmers' Gazette, of February 26, 1808:
On Thur/Jay lasf, by the Rev. Mr. Mantony, Mr. Jacob Edwards, of Northampton
town/hip, Bucks county, to Mi/s Rachael Fetters, of Moreland town/hip, Montgomery
county.
However /trange it may appear.
It is a fact — then let us.
Tell of one, who void of fear,
Freedom exchang'd for fetterf.
Presses and printers of nEwTOwN before 1868
279
Herald of Liberty
After existing four years without a
newspaper, Newtown was again enlight-
ened journalisticly by the advent of The
Herald of Liberty on Wednesday, April
27, 1814.2^ David A. Robinson was the
proprietor and printer, but the writer
has not been able to unravel the story of
who the said Robinson was, whence he
came, and whither he went after getting
into financial difficulties.
The paper he published was a little
larger than the Gazette, about an inch in
each direction. The only copy extant
is the one in the library of Bucks County
Historical Society, i. e., the issue of June
21, 1815, Vol. II, whole number 61.29 And
probably the only reason this was saved
was that Thomas Betts, the subscriber,
put it aside as a curiosity. Because of a
typographical omission, the heading ran
THE HERALD OF LIERTY!
Robinson, like the other early New-
town printers, ran a book store in con-
junction with his office. The following
list of books he had for sale is taken from
his advertisement in^ the above-mentioned
copy of his paper:
Harrop's Irish Rebellion.
Drelincourt on Death.
Dickerson's Geography.
Burgh's Dignity.
Watt's Psalms and
Hymns.
Paradise Lost (in prose).
History of North Caro-
lina, 2 vols.
Lee's Memoirs, 2 vols.
Carr's Stranger in
France.
Taylor's Arator.
Village Sermoris.
Saint's Rest.
Pilgrims Progress.
Boston's Fourfold State.
Fletcher's Posthumous
Works.
Fisher's Companion.
Collins' Voyages.
Peter the Great.
History of the Northern
Campaign.
Rise and Progress.
The World — 4 vols.
The History of North
America.
Paradise Lost (in verse).
Scott's Rokeby.
Marmion.
Lady of the
Lake.
Homer's Illiad.
British Spy.
The Rambler. 4 vols.
Walker's Dictionary.
Creighton's Dictionary.
Also, School Bibles, Testaments, English
Readers, Introductions, Spelling books,
Primors, Copy-slips, and a general assort-
ment of Children's books, &c.
The only other example of this press
that has come to light is also at Bucks
County Historical Society. It is a re-
ceipt, dated May 24, 1815, which Robin-
son gave Nicholas Vansant for a half-
year subscription to his paper; and at the
bottom is the proprietor's curious signa-
ture, D. A. ROBINSON, written entirely
in capital letters.
LXo^,^ ^c
d^--rzva/^^-/
Newtown, cMci-y 4^^^^^^ S
To David A. Robinson, Dr.
To Six months Subscription and Postage to the Herald of Liberty. 21 12 1-2
Received payment,
Actual Size: 4.3 by 18.7 cm.
28 This was nearly a year after the removal of the county seat to Doylestown,— a poor time, one would
think, to begin a new newspaper, as Robinson found out.
29 Davis, copying Josiah B. Smith's original error, says this copy was whole number 64; see History
of Bucks County, 2nd ed.; Vol. II; p. 316; footnote.
280
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
The minutes of Farmers' National
Bank of Bucks County refer to their
inserting advertisements in the Herald
during the years 1814 and 1815.^^ Davis
refers^ ^ to a pubhc sale advertised in the
paper in May and June, 1816, but does
not give the exact reference. The paper
was also being issued regularly in the fall
of 1816 because the proceedings of two
Democratic meetings held August 28th
and September 18th cf that year were
ordered to be published in the Pennsyl-
vania Correspondent, Herald of Liberty,
and Norristown Weekly Register.
I will pay one dollar to any person who will
go to Trenton this evening to learn the par-
ticulars." The next morning the word
"peace," printed in large letters, was hang-
ing up outside the office.
Squire Isaac Hicks, grandfather of the
above mentioned Mary, had commercial
relations with Robinson, as is shown by
his old account book, now in the hands of
his descendants. Apparently, Hicks sold
the printer a gig very soon after he came
to Newtown, but never received any other
payment for it than some miscellaneous
printed blanks, as is indicated in the fol-
lowing record:
DAVID ROBINSON
1 June 1814
18 Feb 1815
23 May
23 Oct
18 Sept 1816
2 April 1817
for a riding Chair sold him
by 2 quire blanks & 1 of Bonds
by >^ q mortgages 1 of Indentures
by 1 quire Marriage certificates
by 2>^ quire of blanks
for Interest from 1 Oct 1814 to this
by his account now rendered
for the bal I have his Note
day
debit
$60.00
9.00
3.00
2.50
15.65
Josiah B. Smith wrote r^^
David A. Robinson published the Herald of
Liberty in the new stone house that Thomas
Ross erected for a hotel. It is now owned
and occupied by the Odd Fellows.
This is the property at the southeast
corner of State and Mercer streets. Ac-
cording to the History of Bucks County,
Mary Hicks, daughter of Edward Hicks,
remembered visiting Robinson's press-
room in January, 1815, at the age of
eleven. The anecdote that Davis related
is:
She had a recollection of being in Robin-
son's printing-office about the close of the
war of 1812-15, and saw several persons set-
ting type. He looked up from his work and
remarked, "I hear there is a rumor of peace.
Mr. Robinson does not seem to have
had much business ability, and he soon
ended up "financially embarrassed." Jo-
siah Smith, in writing about him further,
stated :
David Twining, formerly of Northampton,
father-in-law of Edward Atkinson, president
' of the First National Bank, told me he had
reason to remember Robinson as he had sold
him a lot of wood before Robinson failed, and
never got a cent for it.
Davis writes
,33
He [Robinson] was sent to jail for debt,
and his property sold by the sheriff.
Apparently too much liquor was the
cause of his downfall, for at another place
30 Minutes of 1814, "It was resolved. . .that public notice thereof be given in the Pennsylvania Corre-
spondent, published at Doylestown, and the paper printed at Newtown." "On Feb. 7, [1815] notice was
ordered published in the Pennsylvania Correspondent and Herald of Liberty." From Charles E. Scott's
Farmers' National Bank of Bucks County, 1914, pp. 14, 15, & 18.
31 Second edition. Vol. II, p. 165.
32 Manuscript Book, Vol. I, p. 304, at Bucks County Historical Society.
Zi Second edition, Vol. II, p. 316.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
281
in the History of Bucks County^'^ is the
statement:
A printer at Newtown [Robinson] had a
pamphlet in press for the Friends, but, being
intemperant, he failed to meet his contract,
and gave up business.
The pamphlet which Robinson had in
press was /I Solemn Review of the Custom
of War; Showing That War Is the Effect
of Popular Delusion, and Proposing a
Remedy. It is set up with the Herald of
Liberty type in eight numbered sections
of 32 numbered pages, but the press work
was probably completed under Miner's
guidance. That is why the printer's name
does not appear on the title page, only
"Newtown, (Penn.) Printed for Gratuitous
Distribution. 1816." The anonymous
author of the pamphlet^^ was Rev. Noah
Worcester, of New Hampshire and Massa-
chusetts (born, Nov. 25, 1758; died, Oct.
31, 1837), who was a fifer in the Revolu-
tion, barely escaping with his life at the
Battle of Bunker Hill.
Robinson's business was "given up"
for him. On March 25, 1817, the
Pennsylvania Correspondent and Farmers'
Advertiser carried the following adver-
tisement:
Sheriff's Sale of Goods.
By virtue of Writs of Fieri Facias to me
directed, will be sold at Public Sale, at the
house now occupied by David A. Robinson,
printer, in Newtown, on Saturday the fifth of
April next, at one o'clock, P. M.
Household and Kitchen Furniture, a
Printing Press and Types — an excellent
Standing Press, with iron screw and bar — all
nearly new.
Taken in execution and to be sold as the
property of the said David A. Robinson.
Th. G. Kennedy, Sheriff.
Sheriffs-Office, Bucks County)
March 22 - 1817. i
Six weeks previous, Beulah E. Twining
had had a for-rent advertisement put in
the same paper for the "3-story stone
house where David A. Robinson now
lives;" said advertisement was run through
the issue of March 18th, at which time
the house was presumably rented and
Robinson was moved out. Beulah was a
first cousin of David Twining, the father-
in-law of Edward Atkinson, whom Robin-
son had also stuck.
To Be Let ;
The three story Stone House, in Newtown,
where David A. Robinson now lives. The
House is large and commodious, and in good
repair — and with it is a large stable, and good
garden. Possession may be had the first of
the Fourth Month next. For terms apply to
Thomas Story, Jolly Longshore, Store-
keeper, in Newtown, or to
Beulah E. Twining.
2d-mo. nth, 1817. 58
The Correspondent and Farmers' Ad-
vertiser on October 6, 1818, advertised:
TAKE NOTICE
That I have applied to the Judges of the
Court of Common Pleas for the City and
County of Philadelphia, for the benefit of the
several Acts of Insolvency of this Common-
wealth, and they have appointed Thursday
the 15th of October next at 10 o'clock, in the
forenoon, to hear me and my creditors, at the
County Court-House, for the City and
County of Philadelphia.
DAVID A. ROBINSON, PRINTER
No. 258, Arch-Street, Philad'a.
Debtors' Apartment, Sept. 25, 1818.
It is thereby seen from the foregoing
records that the Herald of Liberty was
maintained by David A. Robinson from
April, 1814, to about January, 1817, and
that little is known about either this press
or this printer.
34 Second edition, p. 311.
35 The first edition was at Cambridge in 1814; the second at Philadelphia in 1815; the third at Newtown
in 1816; the fourth at Providence, R. I., in 1818; and the fourth at Boston in 1836 was published as tract
No. 1 of American Peace Society. The pamphlet was also translated into various languages and circu-
lated throughout the world; for example, there were 11.000 copies of the Providence edition printed for
gratuitous distribution. Copies of all the American editions, except the first, may be seen at Historical
Society of Pennsylvania. For the life of Noah Worcester see Dictionary of American Biography, Vol.
XX, p. 528.
282
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
Simeon Siegfried
One of the best known young men of
his time in Newtown was Simeon Sieg-
fried, German by birth, Baptist by faith,
and printer by trade. ^"^ He was born in
New Britain Township, Bucks County,
on September 23, 1797, and received his
early education from his father, George
Siegfried, who taught Enghsh and Ger-
man for many years in the local schools.
In 1811, he was apprenticed to Asher
Miner, of Doylestown, under whom he
worked for six years in the office of the
Pennsylvania Correspondent a?id Farmers'
Advertiser, (the predecessor of the Bucks
County Intelligencer). Davis says that
during this period of apprenticeship,
Siegfried was a diligent reader, and that
this laid the groundwork for future
literary labor.
The Doylestown Democrat had been
instituted on September 18, 1816, so
when Robinson failed in the following
February, Mr. Miner bought up the
printing equipment of the bankrupt
Herald of Liberty to prevent any further
competition in Bucks County. Then
in April of that year, he sent his apprentice
boy, Siegfried, who still had nearly a year
of time to serve, down to Newtown to
get the press in shape for the publica-
tion of a new sheet to be called the Star
of Freedom. This paper became, there-
fore, the successor of the Herald in name
as well as fact, for was not the meta-
phorical "star of freedom" really the
"herald of liberty"? Miner advertised
as follows in the Correspondent of April 29
and May 6& 13:
New
Printing-Ofifice
The subscriber has established a Branch
of his Office in Newtown, in this County,
under the Direction of Simeon Siegfried — •
from whence he proposes to publish a weekly
paper, to be entitled the
ST.A.R OF FREEDOM
It will be devoted principally to Agricul-
tural, Biographical, Literary & Moral Mat-
ter, and is intended to be rendered valuable
to the community. It will be afforded at the
price of a Newspaper, and will contain the
matter of a Magazine. A specimen sheet
has been struck off, and may be seen at the
Correspondent Office, or at the Office in
Newtown, opposite the Store of James
Raguet, Esq.
Asher Miner.
April 29, 1817.
I^Subscriptions are respectfully solicited,
and should a sufficient number appear, the
work will be commenced by the middle of
May, and regularly published thereafter.
X~^Handbills or other Printing correctly
executed, by
S. S.
The initial issue of this little paper
appeared on May 21, 1817, saying under
the title:
Pledged to no party's arbitrary sway,
I follow truth where'er it leads the way.
Concerning its new journalistic adven-
ture in Newtown, the Pennsylvania Corre-
spondent and Farmers' Advertiser on June
10, 1817, declared further:
The publication of the Star of Freedom,
was commenced on the 21st of May; three
numbers have already appeared, which may
be examined at this Office. Its patrons are
increasing, and hopes are entertained, that a
sufficient number will be obtained, to give
permanency to the undertaking. They may
be received by the riders from the Correspon-
dent Office. To make the public more fully
acquainted with its object — the Address to
the Public, is extracted therefrom; and follows:
The Star of Freedom
Presents itself to the Public, with the fullest
confidence, that should it move in the orbit
traced by Truth, Virtue and Morality — it
cannot fail to be sought for with avidity. —
36 More attention has been given the life and labor of Simeon Siegfried than the other Newtown
printers because he was, with the possible exception of Asher Miner, the most colorful of all Bucks County
journalists, having conducted within a space of 30 years, ten different papers in three states and in two
languages.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
283
If at one time it shall contain Sketches of the
characters of those who have exerted them-
selves to aid the cause of Truth — and whose
examplesoughtto excite the rising generation
to praise-worthy deeds: — At another it will
exhibit the Statesman and the Warrior, whose
lives have been devoted to their country's
service. — It will endeavor to shew that
"Vice is a monster of such hideous mein.
That to be Hated, needs but to be seen!"
"Virtue, the strength and beauty of the soul,
Is the best gift of heaven."
"The purest treasure mortal times afford, is
spotless Reputation."
A portion will uniformly be set apart for
original and selected Poetry. — The geniuses
of the County of Bucks, and of the adjacent
counties, are invited to communicate their
lucubrations or interesting subjects. Sober
Prose will be as acceptable as sprightly
Poetry. The practical Farmer is requested
to give the public the result of his experiments
thro' the medium of the Star. The successful
Mechanic and Domestic Manufacturer who
may have made improvements in any of
the useful professions, will find the Star
always ready to make the public acquainted
with the process by which the value of their
improvements may be known. — Well-written
Essays are solicited, on every subject calcu-
lated "To raise the genius, or to mend the
heart."
The Premiums offered by different Agri-
cultural Societies: — Proceedings of Com-
panies associated to aid our progress to ab-
solute independence of Foreign Powers; and
all the variety of Matter, either original or
selected, which would tend to render the Star
of Freedom, of equal value with any similar
publication in Pennsylvania — shall uni-
formly be sought after by the publislier of
this work. — A single paper, it is evident, can-
not embrace this great variety of subjects.
But within the year such a mass of useful
information may be collected as would ren-
der the volume worthy of being bound, and
furnished with a Title-Page and Index. And
with this view the paper is printed in its
present form.
A similar work has long been in contempla-
tion by the proprietor. In his desire to ren-
der the Correspondent more interesting to
its supporters — many valuable articles have
been selected for publication, which he could
never lay before the public, from a deficiency
of room. The Star is intended to remedy
this inconvenience, and to be served up as a
Dessert to the Correspondent. So that when
the reader has dined upon the Roast-Beef of
Foreign Intelligence and State Politics, served
up therein — he may please his palate with
the Tarts, Nuts and Crackers, which will
occasionally variegate the Star. — It is be-
lieved a Literary and Agricultural Register
if properly managed, might not only prove
useful to the public, but that its publisher
would be amply remunerated for his labor
and expense. With these convictions, the
risk has been incurred of erecting a New
Printing Office, and of preparing for this
publication. Should It find friends, it will be
published weekly at Newtown, in the County
of Bucks: — If after a fair trial, it shall fail of
success, the proprietor will have the consola-
tion resulting from the consciousness that
its publication was dictated by motives
neither mean nor sordid.
N. B. — This work may be received at any
Post Office in Pennsylvania, at an expence
for carriage, of only fifty-two cents.
The first 29 issues were devoted to
literature, politics and agriculture. •''^ The
advertisements were few, the first issues
containing only three by Newtown mer-
chants. Later they averaged about six
to an issue, but news as we know it was
rarely, if ever, included.
To Patrons.
The present No. (26) completes a term of
six months since the STAR OF FREEDOM
first appeared above the horizon. — In its rise
and progress, its beams have been invigor-
ated and expanded by the literati of this and
the neighboring counties, — to whom we take
this opportunity of tendering our undissem-
bled thanks for their favors. — The occasional
lustre of the original department has un-
questionably added much to the interest,
and extended the circulation, of the STAR; — -
37 The only complete file of this paper is owned by the writer. The copies at Bucks County Historical
Society, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and New York State Library are incomplete and in poor
condition. Library of Congress, Montgomery County Historical Society and Richland (Bucks County)
Library also contain a few copies each.
LINES
Written on the death of Violetta Kennedy, (late consort of Thomas G. -^
'Kennedy, Esq. Sheriff of Bucks county) who was drowned on the 28th */
of July, 18 17, in the stream that runs through Newtown, while en-
deavoring to rescue her little son, who had fallen into the water from
a board, on which he was amusing himself.
OH ! Newtown, wrapt in sorrow's shade,
Renounce your grandeur and parade,
And mourn for Violetta's fall
That blooming flow'r torn from your wall :
Cut off when her meridian sun
Had scarce its western race begun ;
And now enwrapt in death's dark shade,
She in the silcm lomb is laid.
A mother fond, a virtuous wife.
Her mind serene, and free from strife ;
A pattern of domestic peace —
She too must die, her labors cease.
Her fond attempts her son to save,
Did phinge her in 3 watery grave :
'•And launch 'd from life's ambiguous shore,
" Ingulf 'din death t' appear no more."
Where this sad tale of death is ♦o'd.
There stand appali'd, ye young and old;
And the sad scene in tears deplore,
Since Violetta is no more.
Ye virgin throng, in vestal pride.
Come lay your costly robes aside,
In weed of woe lament her fate,
Her sudden death and transient date.
Her dear companion left to mourn,
His greatest treasure from him torn,
His hopes of earthly joy are fled.
Since she is numbered with the dead.
He views the solitary room.
Which only points him to her tomb,
To contemplate her dear remains
That lie involv'd in death's cold chains :
There to remain till time shall cease,
When death his pris'ner shall release
The grave her body will refine,
That she in brightest robes may shine.
Then cease to grieve — Oh ! mourn no more.
Your Violetta's gone before,
To join the blissful throng above.
And dwell in everlasting love.
Her sudden death, her early fall,
Let this a warning be to all :
Oh ! for the solemn hour prepare.
For death to us is ever near !
Our fleeting lives soon pass away,
Nor will our short-liv'd minutes stay ;
We soon must pass the vale of death.
And in his arms resign our breath.
Then let us all prepare to go
To realms were endless blessings flow —
Though bleak misfortune clouds our sky
Perpetual pleasures dwell on high !
Printed for the Author
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868 285
The ori^nnal poem illustrated on the opposite page was printed by Simeon
Siegfried, at Xewtown, Pa., in 1817. It is now owned by Miss Sarah Worstall
Hicks ( f Newtown, great-granddaughter of Squire Isaac Hicks, father of the
said Violetta. Notice the misspelling in the second line of the last verse!
For a further account of this accident see Historic Neivtown, p. 92, which
says that Vinletta was born in 1788 instead of 1778. In speaking of his
sister, Edward Hicks, son of Isaac, wrote in his Mtm irs, pages 26 & 27:
"My father might have succeeded more to his mind in the education
of my only sister, two years cider than myself, for she was put to a boarding
school, and brought up in the gay world in pride and idleness. But, marrying
a young man, who was in the path of humHe industry, coming up on foot,
s'le joined him in his journev, and they had ad^"anced so far in the estima-
tion of the people, that her hus' and had become high sheriff of the county;
and she herself, according to his testimony, looking towards uniting with
her brother, when, by a sudden and affecting death, her course in this world
was stopped.
"In the latter part of the 7th month, 1817, in the evening of the day,
she had prepared supper, and stepped out to call her eldest son, a lad about
six years old, who had become very fond of playing in a creek that ran near
their dwelling, when she heard him cry for help. On running to the creek,
where it was deep and the bank high, she saw him in the water, apparently
drowning. A few feet up stream she crossed, and ran to his assistance. Her
screams of distress alarmed her neighbors, and particularly her husband, who
was writing in his ofifice. When he came to the bank, six or seven feet above
the water, and saw his wife and child in the deep below, he immediately
jumped in to their assistance; but, being no swimmer, they all three immersed
together in a hole in the water, not more than ten feet wide and ten feet deep.
"I think it is most likely my dear sister sunk soon after getting into the
deep water, never to rise alive, fcr she was within a month or two of her
confinement. Her husband and child struggled longer, but were nearly
gone, when a young man, about sixteen years of age, saA'ed the child; and
the dying father, as he was sinking for the last time, laid hold of a board
that had been run into the water by a colored man, and by which he was
drawn to the shore, nearly dead, and was with some difificulty brought to.
"My poor dear sister's lifeless corpse was at last brought from the bottom
of the deep hole, by the manly exertions of a sailor, but every attempt at
resuscitation was in vain. Such was the tragical end of my dear sister Eliza
Violetta Kennedy, in the fortieth year of her age."
286
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
and though sometimes dimmed by the "first
attempts" of writers over-anxious to see their
lucubrations in print — though the puffs of
angry and misjudging scribblers have some-
times been permitted to cloud its disk, — yet,
in our humble opinion, much of the original
matter which has been published, is not only
worthy of perusal and preservation, but it
also gives a flattering presage of what the
literary character of the youth of our country
would be, if properly encouraged by the
fostering hand of the public.
Whether the STAR has contributed, in
any degree, to "enliven the brow darkened
by the twilight of age," or aided in "enlight-
ening the intricate and dangerous path of
youth," — whether it has displayed Virtue in
its native, unassuming, yet goodly garb, and
depicted Vice as the arch-enemy of man, and
"the disgrace of any people," — whether it has
been alike useful to the agriculturist and the
man of literary research, — is not for us to
determine. Our exertions, however feeble,
have been unceasing, to render it entertain-
ing and instructive, — and, by diversifying its
pages, to suit the tastes of the varied multi-
tude — The public are the proper judges of its
merit — they are the arbiters of its destiny—
on their opinion of its worth, and their liber-
ality in its support, depends its continuance.
Its patronage, though very respectable, has
by no means rendered it profitable to the pro-
prietor. Punctuality on the part of sub-
scribers will effect a reimbursement of its
necessary expenses, — and as a remuneration
for the fatigues and vexations attending our
editorial duties, we have the consciousness of
having endeavored to subserve the best inter-
est of all concerned.
With our decision on the merits of original
productions, some dissatisfaction has at times
been expressed, and imputations of partiality
in their insertion have been made: — but
correspondents are assured, that altho' our
veto has consigned some of their favorite
works to oblivion, the decisions are neither
attributable to partiality or ill will; — on the
contrary, the most scrupulous regard for per-
sonal feeling has ever directed us. and in no
case has a designed offence been given.
S. SIEGFRIED.
10th Nov., 1817.
THE STAR OF FREEDOM.
LITERARY, POLITICAL, & AGRICULTURAL.
" Pledged to no Party's arbitrary rway — I follow Truth where'er it leads the ivny."
THE STAR OF FREEDOM.
Literary,— Political,— and Agricultural.
"Pledged to no Pabtt's arbitrary sway— I follow Tbuth where'er it leads the way.'
THE STAR OF FREEDOM.
Literary,— Political,— and Agricultural,
' Pledged to no Party's arbitrary sway — I follow Teuth where'er it leads the way.'
THE STAR OF FREEDOM.
A Congressional &f Legislative Journal.
Pledged to no Party's arbitrary sway — I follow Thuth wttere'er it leads the way.^
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
287
I
Receipt in handwriting of Asher Miner for a half year subscription
to Star of Freedom; original in Bucks County Historical Society.
In 1817, Siegfried married a Newtown
girl^^, like printer William Coale had
previously done, and also like Coale he
married soon after having his 20th birth-
day. Concerning Simeon's romance, little
is known, except this modest statement
inserted in the Star of October 29, 1817:
To the Editor of the Star
Sir, — Please insert in the Star of Freedom —
MARRIED, by Thos. B. Montanye, on
Lord's day the 26th October, Mr. WiUiam
Burnett, to Miss Sarah Roney, both of New-
town township.
— On the same day, by the same, Mr. Sim-
eon Siegfried, to Miss Mercy Johnson, both
of Newtown.
And oblige, yours,
THOS. B. MONTANYE.
Mr. Miner copied this notice in his
Correspondent of November 4th, adding
that the marriage had been solemnized
in Newtown. Thomas B. Montanye's
church was, of course, at Southampton;
and there was at that time no organized
congregation at Newtown and little inter-
est in the Baptists. However, there were
a few Baptist families resident in the vil-
lage besides the Siegfrieds. Chief of
these were: Garret Brown, manufacturer
of agricultural implements; Charles Hin-
kle, proprietor of Brick Hotel; and Enos
Morris^^, attorney at law. The last
named is referred to by Edward Hicks'*''
as:
— a lawyer, then Hving in our town, and at
that time a complete tool for a popular Bap-
tist preacher, [Montanye] who preached to
a small class in the old Court House, once a
month.
court house was razed in
year following Rev. Mon-
After the
1830'*^ the
tanye's death, the Baptist meetings were
discontinued; and it was not until 1901
that the faith was re-established in New-
took place on October
38 Davis stated erroneously that her name was Mary and that the
12, 1817; see History of Bucks County, 2nd ed.. Vol. II, p. 311.
39 Proceedings of Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. II, p. 646.
^0 Memoirs, p. 129.
41 Thaddeus S. Kenderdine stated erroneously in his pamphlet When Newtown was the County Seal
that the court h^use was torn down before 1822. The sheriff's proclamation for the general election of
1829 begins: "District No. 1. The F"reeman of the townsViT of Newtown, are to hold their election at
the house formerly cccupied as a Court House, in said township." Si ice the election of the following
year was held at what is now called Brick Hotel, it is most likely that the Court House Building was de-
molished in the sprirg or summer of 1830.
288
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
town. In 1818, a class in Methodism
was formed at Fallington with James
Lippincott as leader, and in the same year
at Morrisville with Edmund Yard as
leader.'*^
Siegfried seems to have had an early
inclination for religious expression, so it
is not surprising to find him becoming
later in life an accepted minister. While
publishing the Star of Freedom, he took
an active part in the non-sectarian "Sab-
bath School Association of Newtown,"
and was the secretary therecf from its
organization on July 27, 1817, when 50
pupils attended.'*-' Within six weeks, the
school had tripled its membership; and
in the "Report of Progress" of the follow-
ing September 24th, it was remarked:
It is truly gratifying to reflect that 150
children are now collected together for in-
struction, and thus led to respect the Sab-
bath, who lately spent that Holy day in
the streets.
The meetings were held at various
places in the town; the Academy, the
Pr;sbyterian Church, the houses of the
teachers, and so forth. On January 10,
1818, the classes were entertained at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Simeon Siegfried.
It is interesting to note that this organ-
ization is still flourishing under the sole
guidance of the Presbyterian Church,
which took it over after a few years, and
has conducted it for over a century as its
own denominational Sunday School.
On March 14, 1818, the Association
resolved to have printed 150 copies cf the
Constitution, and on the following April
18th the work was reported done and
Printer Siegfried was paid $4.00. The
writer has not been able to locate a single
one of these imprints.
The last minutes in Siegfried's hand
are dated July 9, 1818, at which time it
was recorded that some one else was
elected secretary for the ensuing year.
During that summer, Simeon had a falling
out with the Association, and thus it
appears in the minutes of November 12,
1818:
The resignation of Mr. Simeon Siegfried
was read and laid over for consideration.
On the 16th, it was reported spicily
in the minutes, after four days' considera-
tion:
At an adjourned meeting of the Society
the following resolutions were entered into —
Viz.
RESOLVED, that we view the conduct
of Simeon Siegfried as exceedingly repre-
hensible and void of that benevolence and
charity which ought to characterize the
actions of the members of this association.
RESOLVED, that the name of Simeon
Siegfried be erased from the list of members
of this Society.
RESOLVED, that the Secretary inform
Mr. S. Siegfried of the determination of this
Society.
Adjourned.
Of course, what caused the Society to
so indignantly denounce poor Simeon is a
secret cf the past, but judging from his
e.xperiences elsewhere, money may have
been the origin cf this trou':le.
Only ten days after marriage, Sieg-
fried, finding that two cannot live as
cheaply as one, inserted this advertise-
ment in his paper on November 5, 1817:
I^Our Patrons who have not yet conformed
to the terms of the STAR, are informed that
we have still a few blank receipts on hand,
which we would be happy to fill up, and
exchange for CASH — an article very neces-
sary in purchasing firewood, &. &. for the
winter. Every exertion has been used, in
our editorial capacity, for the information
and amusement of our readers — for which
we ask only the prompt payment of the
amount of their subscriptions, as a means of
contributing to our comfort. Editor.
42 Battle's History of Bucks County, p. 382.
43 The small brownstone marker of the grave of Briton Estill, first president (office now called
intendent) of the Association, in Newtown Presbyterian Graveyard, is lettered only B. ESTILL.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE IJ
289
Starting with the issue of December
10, 1817, the Star was converted into
"A Congressional and Legislative Jour-
nal." However, this attempted resusci-
tation did not work as Siegfried wished,
so with the 45th issue, on Wednesday,
March 25, 1818^4, he finally suspended
publication, declaring:
Notwithstanding the encouragement re-
ceived, and the flattering prospects pre-
sented, on commencing the pubHcation of
under such circumstances the responsible
and arduous task of conducting a public
journal, will not, we believe, be questioned. —
In a wealthy, and populous, and enlightened
community, the sacrifice of personal re-
sources, for public convenience or gratifica-
tion, should not and cannot be expected.
The reason for the failure of the different
gazettes established in the lower section of
Bucks county, are many. Its contiguity to
the presses of Philadelphia, Burlington,
Trenton and Doylestown divides materially
the business which, in a situation further
Congress of the U. States.
Ornamental headings for the Agricultural Department and the
Congressional News in Siegfried's Star of Freedom, 1817-1818.
this paper, the result of nearly a twelve-
month's experiment is the certainty that,
although its patronage is respectable, it is
totally insufficient to support the establish-
ment. — The Proprietor has therefore deter-
miied, as the only means of preventing a
considerable sacrifice of labor and money with-
out the most distant prospect of remunera-
tion, to discontinue the Star of Freedom from
the present number.
The experiment, it is believed, has been
fully tested and no reasonable exertions
spared to render the paper, in every respect,
what it was proposed to be. It has not,
however, met the support necessary to make
it valuable to the Proprietor, or so extensively
useful as, with a liberal patronage, it might
have been. The propriety of discontinuing.
removed from competition, would be con-
centrated in its support. The error of local
jealousies, or in other words, the determina-
tion to patronize a press located convenient
to a village or neighborhood, and nowhere
else, has also its fatal effects: — and a disposi-
tion to borrow a newspaper, rather than own
it, is not only inconvenient and unjust to a
neighbor, but keeps from the purse many a
dollar which would otherwise contribute to
compensate his labors. — To expect more from
a weekly journal than can possibly be realized,
may also be denominated an error — as it not
unfrequently leads to dissatisfaction with the
best exertions — to complaints that an equiv-
alent to the annual subscription of a paper
is not received in its pages — and eventually to
the withdrawing of the patronage upon
44 Davis stated erroneously that publication suspended on Tuesday, April 7, 1818; see History of
Bucks County^2nd ed.. Vol. II, p. 311. Note how similar the motto on the Star's masthead (p. 286) was
to the Bucks Coun!y Weekly Gazette published in Newtown fifteen years earlier (p. 265).
THE
.ESTERS
A POEM,
DESCRIPTIVE OF A
PEDESTRIAN JOURNEY
TO THE
FALLS OF NIAGARA
IN THE AUTUMN OF 1804.
BY THE AUTHOR OF AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY.
PUBLISHED BY S. SIEGFRIED £c J. WILSON.
WVWVX'VWW
JUNE.... 1818.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
291
which tlie editor had very properly founded
his calculations. — To the latter error, more
particularly, must be attributed the short
lived lustre of the Slar. From the variety of sub-
jects it embraced, there was a manifest im-
possibility of publishing anything useful or
entertaining that could be gleaned for the
different departments. To Literature, Poli-
tics, Agriculture, was the paper appropriated.
— Yet our literati were unsatisfied: too much
room, in their opinion was occupied with
agricultural improvements, moral extracts
&c. The Politician was displeased that the
news, foreign and domestic, was not given
in detail: — and the capital agriculturist com-
plained that too large a portion of our pages
were occupied with the productions of
"Scribblers:" — while it is probable that not
one in twenty of the host of complaints, ever
reflected that the diversified sheet regularly
presented cost but the trifling sum of about
four cents per week; and that the matter fur-
nished in either department was, no doubt,
intrinsically worth the amount.
It is not intended by these observations
to arrogate for the Star any merit to which
it is not strictly entitled — but plainly to
state, pro bono publico, the causes which
in our opinion have contributed to annihilate
a work commenced for the information and
amusement of the varied multitude.
Those of our patrons who have been
pleased to express entire satisfaction with the
value and arrangement of the Star, and who
have exhibited the laudible example of pay-
ing agreeably to the stipulated terms — will
please accept the unfeigned thanks of the
Proprietor and Printer. Those who have
not yet discharged their accounts, will we
hope to see the necessity of immediate atten-
tion to the subject. It is proposed to call
upon all delinquents as soon as practicable
with their bills prepared for settlement.
As a measure requested by some patrons
of the Star, and probably wished by many
others, the Pennsylvania Correspondent will
be forwarded to those who have made a year-
ly payment for the first mentioned paper;
unless otherwise notified.
From the popularity of the Correspondent
it is anticipated that most if not all the sub-
scribers to the Star would be pleased with
the change; — It will be perceived by pro-
posals in the last page of this No. that our
literary friends will receive the same repas-
ture as the Star afforded them: — The Poli-
tician will have all the news: The Agricul-
turist will not be neglected; and the man of
business will no longer have occasion to
complain that he "does not see the Adver-
tisements."
On January 22, 1818, Siegfried's sister-
in-law was wedded at his house, according
to the marriage docket of Squire Isaac
Hicks:
Major Phineas Kelly, of Solebury tp.
and Beula Johnson of Buckingham dau. of
Samuel dec'd at Simeon Sigfried in New-
town.
In June, 1818, Simeon Siegfried, as-
sisted by Joseph Wilson, of Philadelphia,
published a 106-page book entitled: The
Foresters; A Poem, Descriptive of a Pedes-
trian Journey to the Falls of Nidgara in
the Autumn of 1804. By the Author of
American Ornithology.'^^
It has been claimed that The For-
esters was first published in 1804.'*'^ But
this cannot be, as The Literary^ Magazine
and American Register of August, 1805,
contains a portion of the poem "written
at Gray's Ferry, August 12, 1805."
The Literary Intelligence department of
the same magazine says:
There will shortly be published a poem,
of which our present member contains an
extract, entitled The Foresters. It is large,
and comprehends a great variety of scenery
and character, and incidents faithfully por-
trayed from nature, and but little known in
our modern artificial book-made rhymes.
From the specimen now before us, together
with many other samples of the author's
talents, which have come under our observa-
tion, we entertain very sanguine expecta-
tions of the present performance.
The poem was not, however, printed
as indicated above. The first complete
appearance of it was serially in 1809-10,
45 Two copies of this book are owned severally by the Bucks County Historical Society, and the writer.
Other collections containing this work are Newtown Library Company, Pennsylvania Historical Society,
Wilmington (Delaware) Institute Free Library, and Burlington (Iowa) Free Public Library.
46 See Catalogue of the Harris Collection of American Poetry, published at Providence in 1886, p. 315.
Fire board, size 38 by 44 >^ inches, one of the earHest preserved works of
Edward Hicks, Newtown's well-known "primitive" artist. Inspired by
Siegfried's publication of The Foresters, executed in February, 1820, and now
in the collection of the writer.
Note to the left: the natural history of Canada, the oak tree, beaver,
moose, bald eagle, and rattle snake; and to the right: the small figures of the
painter and his companions, Isaac Parry and Mathias Hutchinson.
Hicks wrote in his Memoirs, p. 74: "Next day we crossed the Niagara at
Lewistown, and ascended Queenston Heights, and rode seven miles to the
great Falls; where, putting up our horses and speaking for our suppers and
lodgings, we went to see the mighty wonder of the world."
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
293
be quoted again, although he made 8
mistakes in copying the 20 hnes he re-
printed. In 1853, there was issued an-
other edition of the complete poem,
"published by Samuel Tomlinson, Bucks
county, Pa. Printed by John Boyle,
corner of Second and Brown streets,
Philadelphia."
The Pennsylvania Correspondent and
Farmers' Advertiser on July 28, 1818,
advertised:
THE FORESTERS A POEM:
This interesting work, has been very hand-
somely printed at Newtown, and is for sale
at 75 cents, neatly bound and lettered — or
50 cents in boards. A few copies are for
sale at this Office.
No reader, who is pleased with a poetical
description of natural scenery, can fail to
read the Foresters with delight. The pic-
tures are so natural, that you appear to be
present, participating in the pleasure de-
scribed by the Writer.
One who "read the Foresters with
delight" was Edward Hicks, the well-
known Quaker preacher and painter, of
Newtown, who was so influenced that
he made a similar trip to Niagara Falls
in September of the following year, ac-
companied, like Wilson, with two com-
panions. Upon his return in the winter
of 1819-20, he painted a fire-board of the
Falls, around which he lettered eight
lines from the Foresters, copying with
minute detail Siegfried's typography.
Hicks is not known to have owned a copy
of the Foresters, but he had access to the
one at Newtown Library Company, of
which he was an active member; and it is
curious to note that in this copy, page
74, (the one facing the page of verses he
used), has been turned down to mark
the place! Hicks could not, however,
have used this particular volume for his
copy to letter from, because the minutes
47 Star of Freedom, September 3, 1817.
48 Copies of this edition may be seen at Bucks County Historical Society, Pennsylvania Historical
Society, New York Public Library, Burlington (Iowa) Free Public Library, and H. B. Frankenfield, Phila-
delphia. Copies of the Paisley edition may be seen at New York Public Library, and Library of LIniversity
of Pittsburgh.
when it was published in the Philadelphia
magazine, Port Folio, illuminated by four
engravings made from sketches by the
author. Siegfried probably took his copy
from the Port Folio; at least it is known
he was a subscriber, because when he
lost a number he advertised as follows i"^'^
X^The person who borrowed tlie July No.
of the PORT-FOLIO from this Office, is
requested to return it.
Siegfried's was the first separate edi-
tion, and after his there was none other
until the poem was reprinted in 1825
in Paisley, Scotland, (Wilson's birthplace),
by one J. Fraser. On the title page the
authorship, for the first time, is definitely
stated as being "By Alexander Wilson,
Author of American Ornithology, &c."
Alexander Wilson had died at Phila-
delphia on August 23, 1813, and it was
his nephew, Joseph Wilson, who arranged
with Siegfried for the publication at New-
town of the longest and most ambitious
poem by the great American Ornithologist.
And it was Joseph who received the copy-
right on July 1, 1818, when he entered
it according to act of Congress. How-
ever, one John Wilson surreptitiously
claimed to be the author of this book,
and stated on the title page of his Lights
and Shadows of Scottish Life, (published
at Philadelphia by W. A. Leary & Co.),
that it was "by John Wilson, Esq., author
of The Foresters, Noctes Ambrosianae,
etc., and editor of Blackwood's Magazine."
The third separate edition was issued
just twenty years after the first by Joseph
Painter, at West Chester, Pa.*^ Since
then there have been several other edi-
tions of this better known work of Alex-
ander Wilson. General Davis in his
History reproduced those portions per-
taining to Bucks County, so they will not
294
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1<
of the Library show that John W. Wyn-
koop bought this volume for the Library
on February 12, 1827, for 40 cents, which
was a 10% reduction from the published
price. This was seven years after Hicks
painted the fire-board, so he must have
used another.
It is known that Simeon Siegfried
printed some of the marriage certificate
blanks used by Squire Hicks, father of
Edward i"^^ and as Edward himself was
one of three Newtown tradesmen to first
advertise in the Star of Freedom, it is cer-
tain that he was well acquainted with
Siegfried and his publications.
In the Pennsylvania Correspondent and
Farmers' Advertiser issued August 4, 1818,
Siegfried inserted the following advertise-
nent:
GOING TO OHIO!
And will sell at Public Vendue. On Satur-
day the 15th of August, at one o'clock, P. M.
at my residence in Newtown: Household
and Kitchen Furniture, In all its variety;
Consisting of Beds, Bedding and Bedsteads
— a Bureau — Mahogany dining and breakfast
Tables — Chairs, &c. also. Iron Pots and
Kettles, Tubs, Buckets, and other articles
too numerous to particularize.
Attendance and conditions by
SIMEON SIEGFRIED.
On October 27, 1818, the editor of the
Correspondent advertised as of the 22nd
ultimo:
NOTICE.
The Books of the Star-Office, at Newtown,
are now in my hands. — All persons indebted
for Subscriptions, Books, or Stationary will
give no offence by making immediate pay-
ment.
Asher Miner
In September of that year, Siegfried
removed to Cadiz, Harrison County,
Ohio,^*^ where he instituted another paper
called The Ohio Luminary, on November
27, 1818. Apparently, this journalistic
field was barren, for Simeon, as Davis
puts it, "found that country too new to
support a new paper." This, plus per-
haps a little homesickness, caused him to
sell out in a few months to one John
Harris and return to Bucks County. ^^
Soon after his arrival he was solicited to
start another Democratic newspaper at
Doylestown in opposition to the Corre-
spondent of Asher Miner, under whom
he had learned his trade. The new paper
called The Bucks County Messen-ger was
initiated into the world on June 28, 1819;
Siegfried was the editor, and he continued
to publish it for some three years until
harmony in the political party united it
with the previously existing Doylestown
Democrat. Davis says^- concerning this:
A division in the Democratic party, as
well as an opposition to the men of the
county who controlled it, led to the estab-
lishment of the Bucks County Messenger. It
was about the size of the Democrat, and
known as the "yellow fever" paper, on ac-
count of the dingy color of the paper it was
printed on — made at Ingham's mill near New
Hope. It promised to support the general
and State governments. The Democrat
branded it as the "intended advocate of cor-
ruption," and on the MesseMger',? appearance
the Democrat wanted the persons appointed
to distribute it "to have their velocipedes in
order." In connection with the Messenger,
Mr. Siegfried established a German paper at
Doylestown, the first in the county, issued
sometime, 1820. We have never seen a
copy of this German pioneer paper, nor do
we even know its name, but it was short-
49 The ornamental border and typography of some of these blanks are identical with the Violetta
(Hicks) Kennedy poem illustrated on p. 284. Over a quarter of a century later this border was still being
used by the Intelligencer, for example see the issue of April 8, 1846.
50 As early as the previous March 18th he had advertised in the Star his house and lot for rent, "Situate
on Main Street, in the uoper end of Newtown." He owned no property in his own name in Bucks County,
according to records of Recorder of Deeds, Doylestown.
51 Information from John Kilbourn's Ohio Gazetteer or Topographical Dictionary, published at Columbus,
in 1819.
52 Second edition, Vol. II, p. 317.
PRESSES AND PklNTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
295
lived. "^' It probably gave up the ghost when
Siegfried left the Messenger, for we find that
on September 4, 1821, T. A. Meredith an-
nounces that the account had been assigned
to him, and that he was anxious for those
indebted to "walk up to the captain's office
and settle."
During the first few months after inau-
gurating the Messenger, Siegfried was
sued for libel by the editor and recent
founder of the Democrat, Lewis Deffe-
bach, whom he had accused of miscon-
ducting his office of deputy United States
marshal. The suit was arbitrated, and
"no cause of action" awarded.''^ It
would seem, however, upon reading the
file of the Doylestown Democrat of this
period, that Siegfried should have en-
tered a counter suit, because some of the
things Deffebach said about him were
violently scandalous. But Siegfried, like
all editors of political journals, had a
thick skin impenetrable to personal
slander. As an example of this vitupera-
tion, in the issue of the Democrat of Aug-
ust 17, 1819, the editor claimed that cer-
tain dissenting democrats, who had
backed financially Siegfried's Bucks Coun-
ty Messenger, were trying to form a third
party, and:
They have determined that both demo-
crats and federalists shaH bow to them and
vote for such men as they shall dictate! They
proclaim that Bucks county is obliged to
maintain them, as well as the paupers, and
that they will hang to the public nipple, like
so many young 'possums, until they are
strangled off. — Aye, and they have sworn
to put down the "Democrat" and raise up
that sickly, ulcerated, seven-headed off-
spring of intrigue and corruption — the
"Messenger." — So the allied powers have
decreed.
The 'Messenger,' that 'Luminary' which
promised to delight as well as to inform the
people of this county, but never to deal in the
common asperities of newspaper controversy,
nor to tarnish its columns with vulger asper-
sion of the characters of private individuals.
has found out, in that book of morality which
governs its club editors, that promises are
made to be broken; and, therefore, they have
thrown off the restraint and have determined
to outstrip any quadroon paper in the com-
monwealth, for false and malignant slanders
against those who have been active and
successful in exposing their political knavery.
Guilty or not guilty, my dear Vicars of Bray?
Deffebach even went so far as to attempt
to spoil the sale of a pamphlet that Sieg-
fried was about to publish. Such were
the good old days of journalism! The
following advertisement is taken from
the above mentioned issue of the Demo-
crat, and is self explanatory:
PUBLIC CAUTION
A certain "Simeon Siegfried," the nomi-
nal editor of the "Bucks County Messenger,"
having, in his paper of the 9th inst. intimated
to the public that he "has in press, and will
publish in a few days, the Allegations and
Testimony submitted to the Visitors in the
case of the Aims-House Inquiry; we con-
sider it due to the public to caution them
against the purchase of the contemplated
publication. The Visitors having not yet
framed their Report, and there being no cor-
rect copy of the Testimony but that which
is in our possession, the Testimony, &c.
about to be published by "Simeon Siegfried"
will be SPURIOUS. A genuine copy of the
Allegations — the Charge of the Prosecuting
Committee, and all the documents con-
nected with the Visitation, will be ready for
delivery from this office in due season.
On August 23, 1820, the editor of the
Democrat wrote:
The Messenger of the 15th inst. reminds
us of the ass which had been over-laden, it
looked so fatigued and yellow that we were
led to believe it had caught the fever, which
at present is so prevalent in the city of Phila-
delphia. With the exception of the proceed-
ings of corruption, nothing can be found in
it but extracts purporting to have been re-
ceived at the office of the Franklin Gazette,
from different quarters of the state, but
written by Thomas Sergeant, and repub-
lished from that paper.
53 Writing again on the subject in later years, Davis said, "An effort was made to issue a German
paper from the Messenger office in August, 1821, but was a failure." See Doylestown, Old and New, p. 63.
54 W. W. H. Davis, History of Bucks County; 2nd ed.. Vol. II, p. 317.
296
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1^
While living at Doylestown, the Sieg-
frieds had the misfortune to lose their
only child. The following account of
this sad affair is taken from The Corre-
spondent and Farmers' Advertiser of No-
vember 14, 1820:
In Doylestown, on the 8th inst. Elizabeth,
an infant daughter, and the only child of S.
Siegfried. — Her death was occasioned by
her clothes taking fire at a moment when her
mother had left her alone for a few minutes.
— She was enveloped in flames, with which
she was contending at her mother's return.
— She was much scorched — and under these
circumstances, death must, to the little
sufferer and her friends, have been a happy
relief.
That winter must have been a sorrow-
ful one for poor Simeon, because only
four months after the death of his daugh-
ter, occurred the death of his father,
whom he had accompanied to Cadiz,
Harrison County, Ohio, in 1818, as pre-
viously mentioned. The death notice
of George Siegfried is taken from The
Correspondent and Farmers' Advertiser of
February 13, 1821:
In the State of Ohio, on the 24th of Jan-
uary, Mr. George Siegfried, aged about 52
years. To provide for a numerous family,
and increase their comforts, he emigrated to
that state from New Britain Township, in
this county, about three years since; and
has fallen a victim to Pulmonary Consump-
tion.
After selling the Messenger in 1821,
Simeon then removed to Bridgeton, N. J.,
to try his luck; and on October 5, 1822,
established The Bridgeton Observer and
Cumberland and Cape May Advertiser.
The prospectus that he issued for the
same is taken from the earliest preserved
issue, the second number, now in the col-
lections of Cumberland County Historical
Society.
BELIEVING that a weekly Gazette, con-
ducted with a proper regard for the senti-
ments and interests of the patriotic citizens
of Cumberland and Cape May counties, is
much wanted, and will meet with a respecta-
ble support, the subscriber has been induced
to procure the necessary materials for a News-
paper Establishment, and to offer his serv-
ices to the public, — convinced that to EN-
SURE their patronage it is only necessary
to DESERVE it.
Ardently attached to our republican in-
stitutions, the subscriber is determined,
throughout his editorial career, to advocate
the preservation of those rights for which
our fathers staked "their lives, their for-
tunes, and their sacred honor." — And if a
practical acquaintance with the business in
which he is engaged, may be urged as a claim
upon the public favor, he has at least one
legitimate claim — and he begs leave to add
the assurance that all his faculties will be put
in requisition to render his paper valuable
and interesting to its patrons.
The proposed Editor deems it scarcely nec-
essary to state that he has no political
views to subserve — he sincerely wishes to
cultivate with the citizens of New Jersey,
of all parties, that harmony of social inter-
course for which they are distinguished.
Many promises are usually made in a
Prospectus, which are never realized in the
publication: — this the undersigned wished
to avoid; and will state briefly that the
"OBSERVER" will contain "the passing
tidings of the times," as much in detail as its
limits will permit. — The latest News, both
foreign and domestic, will be gleaned from
the best sources: — Agricultural matter, such
as will be useful to the practical farmer: —
the local occurrences of the counties of Cum-
berland and Cape May, which are worthy of
notice: — a register of Marriages and Deaths:
— a Price Current of Produce, &c. in Bridge-
ton: — the Rate of Exchange of Bank -Notes:
— and a proper variety of Poetical and
Humorous Selections, from time to time,
will make up the weekly repast with which
the readers of the OBSERVER shall be
served.
Communications on interesting subjects,
and couched in language proper for the
public eye, are respectfully solicited, and will
meet with prompt attention. The Editor at
all times reserving to himself the right to
publish or reject. He will not, however,
reject every essay which does not correspond
with his own sentiments — but will freely
admit all such as have a tendency to promote
improvement in morals, or in political or do-
mestic economy. — In short, whatever may
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
297
contribute to the pleasure or profit of his
patrons, will, as far as practicable, be laid
before them, by
The public's devoted servant,
SIMEON SIEGFRIED.
BRIDGETON, September, 1822.
THE BRIDGETON OBSERVER will be
published every Saturday morning, on a
royal sized sheet, and handsome new type,
at TWO DOLLARS a year— payable half
yearly in advance.
No subscription will be taken for a shorter
period than six months — and no paper will
be discontinued, unless at the option of the
Editor until all arrearages are paid.
i^ Advertisements inserted at moderate
prices.
Mr. Siegfried soon became involved
in some journalistic quarrels with the
editor of the opposition paper, caused,
no doubt, by the encroachments of the
Pennsylvania German from Bucks Coun-
ty. Siegfried had as a motto on the
mast-head of his Observer, "Open to all
parties — influenced by none." This mot-
to, referred to by Davis as "since hack-
neyed," was borrowed by Siegfried from
Isaac Ralston who had used it on the
first newspaper issued in Bucks County,
The Farmers' Weekly Journal, instituted
at Doylestown on July 25, ISOO.''^
Siegfried was very obviously much
incensed when he wrote in the fourth
number of his Observer, October 26, 1822:
'It is a mistake to suppose' that as soon
as a man becomes Editor of a Newspaper he
KNOWS EVERY THING. Some men,
however, conduct themselves with as much
assurance as if actuated by such a sentiment.
An editor who is young & inexperienced will
generally find enough to do, if he bestows
proper attention to HIS OWN BUSINESS—
afterwards, as age and experience increase,
he may, if necessary, assist by his advice
such of his JUNIOR brethren as seem to
require it. The QUILL-DRIVING EDI-
TOR of the Union, I believe, has neither
GREY HAIRS nor EDITORIAL EX-
PERIENCE, to add weight to the advice
lately volunteered to 'the editors of the Whig
and the Observer.' He may, for aught I
know, possess more knowledge of this 'sec-
tion of the country' than I do — but of the
question as to the disposition of the people
to 'afford' adequate support, &c. intelligent
men here are probably better judges than he
can be. —
The writer has been able to find out
little concerning the social life of Editor
Simeon Siegfried in New Jersey, except
that he was secretary of the Bridgeton
Circulating Library when the books were
sold at auction October 23, 1824. Did
Siegfried have anything to do with the
disbandment of the Library? A search
of the Jand records of Cumberland
County, N. J., revealed that Siegfried
owned no land in that county, so at this
late date it is almost impossible to find
out even where he lived in Bridgeton.
Apparently, the Observer was progressing
satisfactorily, for on September 25, 1824,
the reading public was notified:
The Editor is truly grateful for the patron-
age this paper has received — and has the
pleasure to inform his original friends that
the list of patrons is steadily augmenting.
Under a fair conviction that the principles
maintained, and the courses pursued, are in
strict accordance with the views of the mass
of his fellow-citizens, he will continue to
adhere to and pursue them, to the extent of
his powers and relying upon the generous
friendship of those who approve of the man-
ner in which he has endeavored to discharge
the arduous duties as an Editor, he con-
fidently anticipates that the means necessary
to enable him to "go on his way rejoicing"
will not be withheld.
But sad to relate, Siegfried anticipated
in vain, the means were withheld, and
only two months later, November 20th,
he wrote flowerily:
Having purchased a Printing Establish-
ment in Pennsylvania, my duties as Editor
of the Observer have terminated — and al-
though the station upon [which] I am about
55 This is one of the oldest newspaper slogans. It is not known wh<
journalism, but by 1770 the Massachusetts Spy. Boston, was using it.
County's pioneer newspaper 7'he Farmers' Weekly Gazette.
n it first appeared in American
Note that Davis called Bucks
298
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
to enter affords an earnest [?] of greater
pecuniary advantage, and a prospect of
increased usefulness, it is not without reluc-
tance that I bid adieu to the many friends
whose kind offices I have experienced during
my residence in this place. Confident, how-
ever, that this paper will continue to be con-
ducted with the same deference for the public
sentiment which I have endeavored at all
times to cherish, and that its patrons will
suft'er no inconvenience from the change, I
relinquish the charge with less repugnance
than I should feel under other circum-
stances — and beg leave to solicit for my
successor a continuance and an increase of
the patronage which I have enjoyed.
In bidding you adieu, my kind patrons, I
wish you individually and collectively, a
long and an uninterrupted enjoyment of
health and prosperity.
Yours truly,
Simeon Siegfried.
X^To facilitate the arrangement and settle-
ment of the pecuniary concerns of the estab-
lishment, the paper will be continued on
account of the late Editor, until the 25th of
the next month, by George Siegfried, to
whom letters and communications, post paid,
will hereafter be directed.
Subsequently for the next few editions,
the Observer was "Published Every
Saturday, by George Siegfried, For the
Proprietor." Then after December 18,
1824, the 115th issue, the paper was taken
over by the new purchaser, Robert John-
son.^^ During the early part of 1825,
Siegfried appealed to his former sub-
scribers to settle their accounts with him,
and on March 5th, he turned over his
uncollected bills to Elias P. Seeley, J. P.,
for immediate collection. The opposi-
tion paper at Bridgeton, the Washington
Whig, on November 27, 1824, declared:
Our neighbor, it appears by the last
Observer, has transferred his establishment
into other hands; and subsequently we learn
that he has taken his departure for West
Chester, Pa., where he has purchased the
establishment of the "American Republican."
The Observer is now in charge of Mr. George
Siegfried, brother of the late editor.
We suppose the Observer will remain the
same as formerly, although its motto has
been changed. We trust that the one now
adopted will be better supported than the
last, as that was as complete a burlesque
upon the manner in which that paper was
conducted, as it was possible to make it.
Our new neighbor has made a modest
entry — he has not invited the attention of
his readers to a single remark.
We must send our good wishes after "our
Neighbor." We hope he may be happy
and prosperous.
Concerning the American Republican
that Siegfried had bought at West Chester,
Pa., Mr. W. W. Thomson, on page 631
of Chester County and Its People, 1898,
wrote :
November 17, 1824, Mr. [Samuel] John-
son sold the paper to Simeon Siegfried, who
was sole proprietor until May 12, 1829, when
he sold a half interest to Edgar S. Price,
they two publishing it under the firm name
of Siegfried & Price until August 18, follow-
ing, when Mr. Siegfried sold the half inter-
est he had retained to Robert B. Dodson,
and from that time on until July 11, 1832,
it was published by Dodson & Price.
While conducting the American Re-
publican, Siegfried, as was his custom to
help make both ends meet, also ran a
job ofifice. Two examples of the product
of his pamphlet press now at Historical
Society of Pennsylvania are:
Florula Cestrica: An essay towards a
catalogue of the phaenogamous plants, na-
tive and naturalized, growing in the vicinity
of the Borough of West-Chester, in Chester
County, Pennsylvania; with brief notices of
their properties, and uses, in medicine, rural
economy, and the arts. To which is sub-
56 Johnson's next move after Bridgeton, N. J., was to Reading, Pa., where he bought out Douglas
W. Hyde The Bucks County Intelligencer and General Advertiser, of April 5, 1830, reported: "Mr. Hyde,
of The Chronicle and the Times, bade adieu to his friends and patrons in the relationship of an editor, on
Tuesday last. He has disposed of his establishment to Mr. Robert Johnson, formerly editor of a paper
called the Observer, and published in Bridgetown, New Jersey." Douglas W. Hyde died in Pottsville, Pa.,
July 29, 1850, aged 49 years. He was the editor at one time, of the People s Advocate.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
299
joined an appendix of the useful cultivated
plants of the same district. By William
Darlington, M. D. Ore trahit quodcunque
potest, atque addit acervo. Hor. West-
Chester, Penn. Printed for the author, by
Simeon Siegfried. 1826.
2.
Lectures on Agriculture, delivered before
the Downingtown Society for the acquisition
and promotion of natural knowledge. By
Jesse Kersey. West-Chester, Penn. Print-
ed by Simeon Siegfried. 1828.
On April 23, 1828, Mr. Siegfried was
commissioned Clerk of the Orphans'
Court of Chester County. -^^
Two years after selling his interest in
the American Republican, Siegfried, still
youthful and full of journalistic enthu-
siasm, began a new gazette in the same
village. Concerning this venture, Thom-
son recorded :^^
Simeon Siegfried in September, 1831,
began the publication in West Chester of
the Temperance Advocate, conducting it in
West Chester until May, 1835, when he
removed it to Downingtown, continuing it
there until September, following, when it
was merged into the Philanthropist, a paper
published in Philadelphia.
In speaking of another West Chester
paper, Thomson described^^ Siegfried's
third and fourth newspaper experiences
in Chester County:
The name National Republican Advocate
was dropped and that of Whig substituted,
the first number of the Whig appearing April
15, 1834, and it was ostensibly edited by
Simeon Siegfried, formerly one of the pro-
prietors of the American Republican; but
the editorial matter was furnished by such
prominent gentlemen as Dr. William Dar-
lington, William H. Dillingham, Townsend
Haines and William Williamson. The motto
of this paper was "True to the principles of
'76." Previous to taking editorial charge
of the Whig, Mr. S'egfried had always been a
Democrat, but as he differed from General
Jackson on the subject of the National Bank,
he was willing to publish a paper which advo-
cated the continuance of the National Bank,
as the Whigs very generally, if not universally
did. He remained with the Whig until
May, 1835. «»
But Mr. Siegfried was in principle a demo-
crat, and when it was suggested to him that
he should discontinue the Whig, he readily
consented to do so, especially as it was not
self-supporting, there being two other papers
in the county of the same political proclivi-
ties. He therefore removed the Whig estab-
lishment to Downingtown and there in May
of that year established the Republican
Standard and Democratic Journal, which
advocated the election to the governorship
of George Wolf, who had then served as Gov-
ernor six years, and who was opposed by
Henry A. Muhlenberg, another Democratic
candidate, and by Joseph Ritner, the Whig
candidate, the latter of whom was elected
through the division in the ranks of the
Democratic party. This paper was pub-
lished by George W. Mason & Company. '=•
Mr. Siegfried being the "company," and it
was edited by Nimrod Strickland and others.
Upon the election of Mr. Ritner, the pub-
lication of the paper ceased, and Mr. Mason
removed to Elmira, New York, where he for
some years published the Elmira Gazette
with gratifying success.
It is interesting to note that the above
referred to motto, "True to the Principles
of Seventy-Six," was the one Siegfried
had put on the Bridgeton Obserirer begin-
ning with the last issue of July, 1824, at
which time he dropped, "Open to All
Parties — Influenced by None."
After the death of the very short-lived
Republican Standard and Democratic Jour-
nal, Siegfried must have returned once
more to West Chester, because two years
later he struck off an edition of Dr. Dar-
lington's Flora Cestrica bearing the im-
57 Chester County and Its People by W. W. Thomson, 1898, p. 469
58 Ibid, p. 639.
59 Ibid, p. 638.
60 May, 1835, was the date of removal of his Temperance Advocate to Downingtown.
61 "The Republican Standard, is the title of a new paper, by G. W. Mason & Co. from Downingtown.
It takes the place of the Whig, recently published at West Chester, by Mr. Siegfried. The Standard sup-
{Bucks County Intelligencer and General Advertiser, May 20, 1835.)
ports the re-election of Wolf.'
300
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
print "West-Chester, Penn. Printed For
the Author, by S. Siegfried, and for sale
by Kimber and Sharpless, Philadelphia.
1837. "62
What happened to Simeon Siegfried
during the next decade of his life is un-
known to the writer. However, he later
removed to Greene County, Pa., where at
Waynesburg, he published the Village
Watchman in the 1840's. The following
notices are taken respectively from the
Newtown Journal of September 3, 1844;
November 5, 1844, and January 14, 1845:
Simeon Siegfried, known to many of our
readers, as a gentleman who published a
paper in this place many years ago, is now
publishing the "Village Watchman," at
Waynesburg, Greene co., Pa. Our best
wishes attend him.
WHAT OTHERS THINK OF US
We copy the following complimentary
notice of the "Journal" from the "Village
Watchman," published at Waynesburg,
Green county, Pa., and edited by Simeon
Siegfried, Esq. We are glad to learn that
the "Journal" is a welcome visitor, and we
can assure our friend that no effort shall be
wanting on our part to render our paper
worthy of the commendation which he has
bestowed upon it.
We can also inform our friend that although
his enterprise failed in its infancy, he is still
remembered in old Bucks, and the "Star of
Freedom" is yet the theme of conversation
by many an evening fireside.
"The Newtown Journal. — One of the very
best Family Newspapers that we lay our
hands on is the "Journal," published at New-
town, Bucks county. Pa. by Mr. S. J. Pax-
son. Having made an unsuccessful experi-
ment, under the pupilage and direction of
Asher Miner, Esq., so long ago as A. D. 1817,
to establish a literary paper in that ancient
village, we are right glad to have tangible
evidence of an increase of literary and public
spirit in that quarter.
The Journal comes to us with all the inter-
est of an epistle from home, as Bucks county
is the land of our nativity — and it was at New-
town that we found an "help-meet" for life's
variegated journey; and there we left a
circle of choice friends, besides a dozen or so
of correspondents, the productions of whose
brains and pens were wont to enliven the
columns of the "Star of Freedom." Some of
those choice spirits yet live, and occasionally
catch our eye, as they blaze or twinkle in the
political firmament. "Lorenzo" and "Rus-
ticus" are bearing the cares of State in our
Legislative Halls — "Silvanus" occupies the
sacred desk — others are doubtless rendering
the State some service — and others again,
once the most blythe and jovial of the crew,
as "Strephon Stripling" for instance, are
mouldering in the grave!
The Journal could give us, if tales like
these were proper for the public eye, many
an interesting reminiscence of friends and
scenes of our youthful days. These are, in
fact, presented to the mind, in the trans-
actions of the busy and ever-varying present.
We look (that is, ourselves and spouse) for
the weekly visit of the Journal with no small
share of interest. — Long may it prosper.
Our friend of the "Village Watchman" will
please accept our thanks for his frequent,
and highly complimentary notices of the
"Journal."
In 1882, Rev. William Hanna pub-
lished his History of Greene County and
on p. 301 wrote:
Z. C. Ragan of the Independent has shown
me a paper entitled the Village Watchman
edited by Rev. Simeon Siegfried and dated
August 4, 1846 during the Mexican War.
This paper is said to be one of the ancestors
of the present Republican. '^^
62 A copy of this rare botany is owned by Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The complete title
page of the same reads: "Flora Ceslrica: An Attempt to Enumerate and Describe the Flowering and Filicoid
Plants of Chester County, in the State of Pennsylvania. With Brief Notices of Their Properties, and Uses,
in Medicine, Domestic and Rural Economy, and the Arts. By William Darlington, M. D., President of the
Chester County Cabinet of Natural Science, Member of the American Philosophical Society, Correspondent
of the Academy of Natural Sciences, at Philada., and of the Lyceum of Natural History, at New York,
&c. &c. Ore trahit quodcunque potest, atque addit acervo. Hor. West Chester Penn. Printed for the
Author, by S. Siegfried, and For Sale by Kimber and Sharpless, Philadelphia. 1837." Another copy
is in the library of Bucks County Historical Society.
63 For a description of the content of this issue see Hanna's History, pp. 312, 313 & 314.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
301
From the following account in Bates'
Greene County History, p. 343, it seems
that during this period Siegfried's son,
Simeon, Jr., was also in the newspaper
game:
In 1843 it [the Greene County Whig, de-
funct since 1841| was revived by Simeon
Siegfried, Jr. who had charge of the paper
until 1851 wlien it passed into the hands of
Thomas Porter, a young man of spirit and
enterprise, who purchased a new press and
type.
While in Greene County, Mr. Sieg-
fried increased his interest in religion,
studied for the ministry, and became the
second pastor of the Bate's Fork Baptist
Church, and later preached at the Waynes-
burg Baptist Church, organized June 30,
1843. General Davis, in his Doylestown,
Old and New, says on p. 63 that Siegfried
became a minister of the gospel when he
went to Ohio in 1818. This is probably an
error, because he was only 21 at the
time, and because the many subsequent
accounts of him never once refer to him
as "Reverend," until he removed to
Greene County.
Rev. Simeon Siegfried, one-time printer
of Newtown's Star of Freedom, died at
Evansville, Indiana, on November 10,
1879, aged 82. Davis says his death
occurred :*''*
Not long after receiving news of the death
of his son, of the same name, likewise a promi-
nent Baptist minister, who died at Norris-
town, Penns\lvania, in October, 1879. A
grandson, son of the latter, was also a Baptist
minister in Montgomery county at the time
of the death of botli his father and grand-
father.
64 History of Bucks County, 2nd ed., Vol. II, p. 317. Simeon, Jr., was born after 1820, for in that year
occurred the death of his infant sister, then described as "the only child of S. Siegfried."
OOWSTITTJTIOW
OP THE
Northampton Auxiliary Society
FOB THE
NEWTOWN PRESS.
1880.
The only known example of Thomas W. Jones' printing.
Presented to Bucks County Historical Society by Mrs.
Isaac T. Vanartsdalen, of Newtown, in October, 1934.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
303
Thomas W. Jones
In the fall of 1828, after a journalistic
lapse of ten years, another printer came
to Newtown to try his fortune. The
writer knows little about Thomas W.
Jones*^^ except the information con-
tained in the following advertisement
that was inserted in the issues of the
Bucks County Intelligencer and General
Advertiser for September 22 & 29 and
October 6 & 13, 1828:
The only known example of Jones' press
is a little uncut quarto, 6^ x4 inches, en-
titled Constitution of the Northampton
Society for the Promotion of Temperance.
It is imprinted "Newtown Press, 1830."
How much longer Jones conducted his
business in Newtown is not known.
The Bucks County Intelligencer and
General Advertiser of Novembers, 1830,^^
carried this notice:
NEWTOWN PRESS.
A PRINTING OFFICE has been estab-
lished in Newtown, adjoining Yard ley &
Jones' Store, where Job Printing of every de-
scription, will be neatly executed, by
Thomas W. Jones.
September 22, p52
Apparently, Jones had had his jour-
nalistic training in the ofiSce of the Penn-
sylvania Correspondent and Farmers' Ad-
vertiser, for in the issue of July 14, 1823,
Asher Miner wrote:
Married.
On Monday evening last, by the Rev.
P. F. Mayer, Mr. Thomas W. Jones, Mer-
chant of Newtown, Bucks County, to Miss
Florence, daughter of the late Andrew
Thatcher.
I^Business has called the Editor of this
paper abroad. In his absence, the con-
cerns of the Office will be conducted by
Thomas W. Jones, who hopes any errors of
the press which may escape his notice, will
be excused by a generous public.
This arrangement was repeated again
the following year. Editor Miner, after
announcing his intentions of going on a
bill-collecting trip, informed his readers
on March 1, 1824:
The concerns of the Establishment will
devolve on Thomas W. Jones, in his absence,
who will be attentive to all orders on the
Printing-office.
Thomas W. Jones was sometime a part-
ner of Charles T. Yardley, and they suc-
cessfully conducted a store in Newtown
until 1832 when they became involved in
debt and their property sold by their
assignees, Mahlon K. Taylor of Upper
Makefield Township, and Samuel Yard-
ley, Jr., of Doylestown Township. In
the issue of the Bucks County Patriot for
April 30, 1827, Yardley had announced
the opening of his new store in the one
"formerly occupied by Isaac Lefferts."
It was, therefore, probably at this loca-
tion that Yardley & Jones conducted
their business until their failure in 1832.
65 He was not even mentioned by Davis in his excellent article Newspapers in Bucks County, which
appeared first as chapter LI I in the 1876 edition of his His'ory of Bucks County. The minutes of Newtown
Library Company record on August 15, 1827: "By cash Received of Thomas W. Jones New member
$5.00."
66 Also in the Doylestown Democrat and Farmers' and Mechanics' Journal of November 9, 1830.
304
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
Newtown Journal and Its Printers
On Tuesday, August 18, 1840, The
Literary Chronicle and Bucks and Mont-
gomery Advertiser was instituted at Hat-
boro, Montgomery County, Pa., by
Oliver I. Search and Samuel Fretz.
Concerning this, William J. Buck wrote
as follows, in an article entitled Ttvo
Newspaper Experiments:^^
There is reason to believe that the first
newspaper published anywhere in the lower
portion of Montgomery county outside of
Norristown was "The. Literary Chronicle,"
issued weekly by Oliver I. Search, at Hat-
boro, in the beginning of June, 1840.'"' The
size of its sheet was 22 by 32 inches, and six
columns to a page. I have three numbers
before me dated respectively December 20th,
1840; Tuesday, July 13th, 1841; and one
of Tuesday, Sept. 7th, of the said year. The
first two have been in my possession upward
of thirty years, and the other has been pre-
sented in January last by E. J. Oldfield, of
Spencerville, Md. The price was S2.00 "one
half payable in advance, and $2.50 if not
paid within the year. No subscription
received for a shorter time than six months."
From the prospectus we learn that it was
to be "devoted to news, literature, the arts
and sciences, agriculture, foreign and do-
mestic news, amusements, &c., and con-
ducted on strictly neutral grounds, and will
not seek to lead or follow any faction, or to
advocate and support the schemes of any
particular set of men. — Its readers will be
kept advised of the nominations of the
different political parties, and also the result
of the elections. In short it is designed to
make the proposed paper worthy of an ex-
tensive patronage, both from the strictly
moral tone which it will ever possess, and the
efforts of the editors to make it a good and
useful family newspaper, printed on paper
of an excellent quality and with new types."
On inquiry, I learn that the Literary
Chronicle was published in the building at-
tached to the lower or southern portion
of the present Pluck's hotel."" It appears
that about April, 1842."' likely for the
want of proper patronage, Mr. Search re-
moved the establishment to Newtown and
continued its publication there till in the fol-
lowing August, when it was purchased by
S. J. and E. M. Paxson, and its name changed
to The Newtown Journal. In August, 1847,
the parties sold it to Henry R. Nagle who
discontinued it either in 1848 or the begin-
ning of the following year. There is no
doubt, and the appearance of the paper
denotes it, that from the beginning to the
end of its career it could not have been ade-
quately supported, and thus proved a losing
concern to its managers.
Oliver I. Search for this enterprise de-
serves some notice, and with whom I had a
personal acquaintance some thirty five years
ago. His father, William Search, was a long
and respected citizen of Hatboro, where he
died, I believe, about a quarter of a century
ago. Oliver was a printer by profession, and
after he had parted with the Literary Chroni-
cle pursued this business in Philadelphia.
During the Rebellion he was foreman in the
Evening Bulletin office, and later employed
on the Press, corner of Seventh and Chest-
nut streets. After a few years' residence in
Pittsburg he has returned again to Phila-
delphia, where I was informed he was living
a few months ago. It has been reported
that Samuel Fretz, who became the pro-
prietor of the Bucks County Intelligencer,
March 10th, 1841, was a partner with him
in the publication of the Chronicle at Hat-
boro, but in the papers before me I see no
such evidence. That its support was light
may be judged by the number of the adver-
tisements therein. My December number
contains but 17, the next 24, and the third 22.
Thus endeth an account of The First News-
paper Experiment in Hatboro or anywhere
else in that section after an existence of one
year and ten months.
67 Published as chapter XXXVIII of The Local Historian: A Series of Sketches Relating Chiefly to
the Southeastern Section of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, which ran in the Hatboro Public Spirit from
December 11, 1880, to June 24, 1882. The issue of August 27, 1881, whole number 416, is missing from
the incomplete file at the Public Spirit office, but the cliooed article can be seen in scrap books either at
Montgomery County Historical Society, Norristown, or Union Library of Hatboro.
68 Error; date should be August 18, 1840. [E. R. B.]
69 Pluck's Hotel was located at the southeast corner of Old York Road and Moreland Avenue.
70 Date is wrong.
1841". [E. R. B.]
A fragment of the paper in the writer'scollectionisheaded, "Newtown, December,
PRESSES A>JD PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
305
Mr. F"retz, a native of Bedminster/^
and a graduate of the office of the Bucks
County InieUigencer, sold his interest to
his partner in March, 1841, and removed
to Doylestown, where he had purchased
the Intelligencer from William M. Large
on March 17, 1841, the same editor, Hugh
H. Henry, being retained. Mr. Search
removed the office of the Chronicle to
Newtown in the fall of 1841, and there
employed as editor Lemuel H. Parsons,
principal of Bucks County Academy for
the past six years. Mr. Parsons was a
brilliant schoolmaster and a man of con-
siderable literary ability; prior to his
coming to Newtown, he had been prin-
cipal of Adams Academy in Quincy,
Mass.'^^ In September of that same year,
1841, he received from Lafayette College
the honorary degree of Master of Arts.
Dr. Phineas Jenks, president of the
Board of Trustees of the Academy, upon
announcing Parsons' appointment,''^ de-
clared him "a gentleman of acknowledged
talents and requirements, and of great
experience in teaching." In 1835, Mr.
Parsons delivered at the organization
of the Newtown Lyceum a very erudite
address entitled. An Inquiry into the
Kind and Extent of Education Demanded
by the Ordinary Circumstances, Duties,
and Wants of Life.' ^
General Davis furnishes the following
anecdote concerning the versatile editor
of the Chronicle
Academy.'-''
md principal of the
I was a student at the old Academy, upon
which I yet look with almost a loving eye.
Lemuel Parsons was principal, and
Dr. Bronson, now President of Washington
college, the assistant. Your correspondent
gave almost mortal offence to Mr. Parsons,
by hanging a newspaper on a stick out the
belfry on commencement day. The irate
New Englander visited his wrath upon him
in a scolding of the severest kind, coupled
with the threat of dismissal. After he was
done with me, I doubted in my own mind
whether I was not a guiltier wretch than
Judas Iscariot.
Mr. Parsons seems to have taken an
active interest in all community affairs;
for example, in 1838 he was recording
secretary of Bucks County Colonization
Society, and corresponding secretary of
Bucks County Lyceum. He was also in-
terested in the raising of mulberry trees,
and no doubt assisted Dr. Phineas Jenks
and James Worth in the management of
Newtown Cocoonery.'^ The Bucks Coun-
ty Intelligencer and General Advertiser of
August 29, 1838, carried this advertise-
ment:
Chinese Mulberries
'yhe subscriber has a few thousand Chinese
Mulberry Trees, (Morus Muticaulis)
which he can dispose of on eligible terms, if
applied to immediately.
L. H. PARSONS
71 Authority for this statement is History of Bucks County, Vol. II, p. 313. However, in Doyles'oum,
Old and New, p. 60, footnote II, Davis says: "Fretz was born in Plumstead township. He died
in Spawlding county, Ohio, December 25, 1884, at the age of sixty-six." Note also that Davis calls Oliver
I. Search, Oliver G. Search in both of these accounts.
72 Founded in 1822; defunct since 1912. Building was built on the birthplace of John Hancock.
73 Doyles'own Democrat, June 24, 1835. Davis, Vol. II, p. 379, says that Parsons began teaching at the
Academy in 1833.
74 Printed by the Intelligencer in 1837, in the form of a 20-page pamphlet; one copy is owned by the
Pennsylvania Historical Society, and another by Miss Mary Barnsley Chambers, Newtown. This note
is printed on the back of the title page: "The following Address was delivered so long ago, as .August,
1835. It was not published at that time, for reasons which it is unnecessary to mention. The repeated
solicitations of friends, and especially a formal request of the Bucks County Lyceum, have now induced
the author to consent to its publication." Certain quotations from this pamphlet may be found in James
Mulhern's A History of Secondary Education in Pennsylvania, Phila., 1933, p. 529.
75 Doylestown Democrat, August 5, 1879.
76 On March 14, 1839, Mr. Parsons was chosen chairman of thecommittee to draw up the constitution
of Bucks County -Auxiliary of Pennsylvania Silk Society, and was later elected its corresponding secretary.
On the 20th of that month he advertised in the Bucks County Intelligencer and General Advertiser: "The.
subscriber has for sale, a few hundred thousand Silk Worm Eggs, of three different varieties."
Photograph by Stockton Stokes, 43 N. 8th St.. Phila.
EDWARD M. PAXSON, Esq.
Born September 3, 1824; Died October 12, 1905
Chief Justice of tlie Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Sometime Pubjislier of the Newtown Journal and the Clay Trumpet, 1842-1847
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
307
Another seller of these trees was the
firm of Yardley and Canby, merchants.
They advertised in the Bucks County
Intelligencer and General Advertiser of
October 10, 1838:
Mulberry Trees.
C C\C\C\ Of the (Moms Multecaulis) above
' trees three feet high — for sale by
the subscribers in Newtown — Enquire of
YARDLEY & CANBY
It is unknown, whether or not the
trees were disposed of before the de-
pression hit the silk-producing business
in the county; however, on the following
February 6th, the selling-out notice of
this firm appears in the same paper, so it
appears as if they might have been caught
in the crash.
In October, 1842, Mr. Parsons, who
had recently lost his job at the Academy,
opened up an opposition school and so
advertised in the Newtown Journal and
Workingmen's Advocate of the 18th:
NEW SCHOOL,
BY AN OLD TEACHER.
The subscriber has made up his mind to
reopen a school in Newtown; and to solicit
the patronage of such as believe that a
teacher can only guide, encourage, and
assist, — and not make, or supply, the powers
of the pupil. If any encouragement should
be offered, however small, the subscriber
will devote his time, and whatever of ability
or skill he may possess, to the business of
instructing and training those who may be
placed under his care — he will, as heretofore,
give instruction in any or all the various
branches usually taught in Academies and
high schools; but he would venture espe-
cially to mention the Mathematics and
Natural Sciences; and particularly. Survey-
ing, Navigation and Bookkeeping; he would
be pleased to give a course of lessons to a
class of YOUNG LADIES, in some of the
higher branches of mathematical and natural
science, which he believes ought always to
form a part of female education.
Several pupils could be accommodated
with board in the family of the Principal.
The school will commence at the sub-
scribers residence, on Monday, the first of
November. — The terms will be the same as
formerly.
L. H. PARSONS, A. M.
No complete copies have been pre-
served of the Literary Chronicle during
Search's proprietorship and Parsons' edi-
torship, so it is impossible to tell what the
paper was like during this period.' In
fact, from the two years' existence of the
Chronicle and the eight years' existence
of the subsequent Journal, only 144 copies
have been preserved, and 136 of these are
in the writer's collection, the remaining 8
being at Bucks County Historical Society.
Although other issues may exist some
place, they cannot be located now. Wil-
liam J. Buck owned three copies of the
Chronicle, but the writer has not been
able to trace what has become of them,
except that Mr. Buck exhibited them at
Norristown on September 9 to 12, 1884.
The following item is taken from the list
of exhibits, page 284, as printed in the
Official Record of the Proceedings of the
Centennial Celebration of Montgofnery
County:
Three numbers of The Literary Chronicle,
dated December, 1840, July 13, and Septem-
ber 7, 1841; published by Oliver I. Search,
Hatboro. The first newspaper printed in
the lower half of Montgomery county. Very
Concerning the contents of these papers,
Buck wrote in the same year, 1884, for
Theodore W. Bean's History of Mont-
gomery CotmtyP^
77 General Davis wrote that Isaac Walton Spencer was a frequent contributor to the columns of the
Literary Chronicle and the Newtown Journal. Although he is reported to have written and published con-
siderable poetry none of his work printed by a Newtown press has been preserved. For a brief biography
of Spencer see History of Bucks County, 2nd ed.. Vol. II, p. 275.
78 See chapter XLIV, p. 724.
308
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
From a few numbers of The Literary Chro-
nicle we ascertain that in 1841 the following
persons were in business in Hatboro': Lukens
Wakefield and David Titus, coach and
house-painter; Abraham Haslett, smith;
Hiram Reading, store; Charles Wakefield,
tailor; G. W. Gilbert, wheelwright; H. N.
Smith, boot and shoemaker; and O. I. Search,
job printing.
A fragment of the first page of the
issue of December 1, 1841, is headed
The Literary Chronicle and Bucks and
Montgomery Advertiser; and this was
probably the title at its inception, be-
cause, of course, Hatboro is on the county
line, and the paper would serve the adja-
cent areas of both counties.
After managing the paper for two
years, Oliver I. Search, in August, 1842,
sold out to two youthful brothers, Samuel
Johnson Paxson and Edward M. Paxson,
aged respectively 24 and 18 years. ^^ So
far as the writer knows, the former had
had no previous journalistic training, but
the latter had worked in the ofifice of The
Village Record, a paper started at West
Chester, Pa., by Asher and Charles
Miner. The first issue under their pro-
prietorship was that of August 16, 1842,
which was vol. Ill, no. 1, whole number
105. They changed the heading to The
Literary Chronicle and Workingman's
Advocate and started a new series num-
bering system of their own, calling this
issue vol. I, no. 1. Perhaps some of their
readers objected to the editors showing
partiality to a particular class of working-
men, anyway when their second new
issue appeared, the title read The Literary
Chronicle and Workingmen's Advocate-
After five weeks they enlarged the paper,
and changed the name to The Newto-wn
Journal and Workingmen'' s Advocate, de-
claring:^^
TO OUR PATRONS
It becomes our painful duty this week to
announce to our readers the death of the
"Literary Chronicle," It departed this life
on Monday night, the 12th inst., at eleven
o'clock, precisely. The disease was a VERY
peculiar one. The Chronicle had been too
HIGHLY FED, and like many a poor fellow
has done before, it "burst its boiler." It was
entirely too SMALL for the amount of "wad-
ding" it received, and like the toad that was
determined to swell himself up to the size of
an ox, it has destroyed itself.
But to be serious. The "Literary Chroni-
cle" has sloped, but WE are in Newtown, and
determined to remain here. The "Journal"
has arisen, Phoenix like from its ashes, en-
larged, "revised, and much improved," as
authors say. The name of "Literary Chroni-
cle" was associated with too many ideas of a
lofty and intellectual nature for two such
unpretending editors as your humble serv-
ants; and fearing we could not SUSTAIN
the high reputation implied in the name, we
concluded to give it a more intelligible appella-
tion. The "Newtown Journal" appears to be
a very good name for a newspaper. It is
plain and easily understood. It awakens
no ideas of the "grand, gloomy, and pecu-
liar." Besides, Newtown is a considerable
of a place, and deserves the honor ef having
its paper named after it. It appears to us
that when we were younkers, it was custom-
ary for a person honored with a namesake to
make him annually a birthday present. This
custom, we think, is an excellent one, and in
order that the good people of Newtown and
vicinity may not be disappointed when they
come to bestow their bounty on their name-
sake, we have prepared a large quanity of blank
RECEIPTS, which we can fill up in double
quick time — so that we can stand a pretty
heavy RUN.
We have not enlarged our paper without
incurring a VERY HEAVY EXPENSE.
We are determined to do our part towards
making our paper agreeable, and we have no
doubt our patrons will do THEIR part in
furnishing the READY.
In the meanwhile Mr. Search was
worrying about his collections, and in
the issue of November 22nd served his
79 Although the younger brother had been called simply Edward Paxson, when a boy he inserted the
initial M in his name, "because he wanted to," claiming it had no further significance. Perhaps he chose
it because M stands for middle, and because it occurs in the alphabet like in his name, — in the middle.
80 Taken from the issue of September 20, 1842, whole number 110.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1!
309
THE NEWTOWN JOURNAL
WORKINGMEN'S ADVOCATE.
Faithfnl and Feafless;
TUESDAY MORNING MAY 23, 1813.
S. J. k E. M. PAXSON, Editors.
First inside heading showing the printing press ruHng the world.
"last notice to all those concerned,"
stating:
THE undersigned, having determined to
settle up his accounts without furtlier delay,
he would respectfully inform those in arrears,
that he has placed his bills in the hands of a
Magistrate for collection with orders to sue
them out immediately, unless said bills are
paid to Wm. Search, Hatborough, or to the
subscriber, Summerville,'' Bucks co., on or
before the 1st of December. If the money
is not paid against that time, you may rest
assured some other course will be pursued.
OLIVER I. SEARCH.
One of the most successful literary pro-
ductions of the Neivtown Journal was the
lengthy serial story written by Edward M.
Paxson, entitled The Wolf Rocks; or, The
Maid of Lahasaka, a Pennsylvania Tale
of '76, the first chapter of which began
with the issue of November 1, 1842. ^^
The first ofifice of the Paxson brothers
was in Brick Hotel building, where the
Chronicle had been located by Search.
However, when the lease ran out on the
first of April, which was eight months
later, they removed their equipment to
the frame building on State Street later
owned by R. C. Nagel and occupied by
him as a drug store. ^^ The following
notices concerning this removal are
transcribed from the Journal of April 4,
1843:
The office of the "Newtown Journal and
Workingmen's Advocate" has been removed
to the spacious building on Main street, two
doors south of the "Independence Hotel."
The removal of our printing office, and
other worldly effects, to a more central part
of the borough, occupied so much of our
time that we have not devoted that attention
to this week's paper we could desire. Our
81 The name of this cross-roads community in Lower Makefield township was changed some years
ago to Woodside, which has lately been varied into Edgewood.
82 This may have been printed separately the following year, for on p. 50 of The Doan Outlaws; or
Bucks County's Cowbovs in the Revolution, Doylestown, 1897, there is a footnote which says, "For this
description [of Lahaska Valley] we are indebted to a work published by E. M. Paxson, Esq., in 1843."
In 1835, his grandfather, Samuel Johnson, wrote the poem, Vale of Lahaseka. Part of the latter is printed
in History of Bucks County, Vol. II, p. 262.
83 For a picture of this building, taken about 18fi8, see E. R. Barnsley's Historic Newlou'n, p. 89.
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PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
311
new location embraces greater advantages
for ourselves, and more convenient for our
friends who may favor us with a call. Next
week we will endeavor to resume our usual
variety.
With the issue of February 28, 1843,
the Paxson brothers advertised:
JOB PRINTING of all kinds neatly exe-
cuted at the office of the Journal, such as
bills of PUBLIC SALES, in their variety;
Cards, Blanks, &c., &c., — We have also a
new and splendid font of new type for print-
ing PAMPHLETS, and an elegant and ex-
tensive assortment of job type of all descrip-
tions. Prices to suit the times.
One of their first job orders was for
the Borough of Newtown. The following
is from the minutes of town council for
Wednesday, May 10, 1843:
The financial committee report that they
have conferred with the editors of the Journal
& Advocate on the subject of printing the
act of incorporation and ordinances of the
Borough of Newtown, and that they will
print them for $10; when on motion, the
committee were authorized to offer them $8.
Their little pamphlet, 5 by 8 inches
in size, and consisting of 20 pages, is the
first codification of the borough laws.
It includes the original act of incorpora-
tion, passed April 14, 1838; the subse-
quent act of modification and addition,
passed March 4, 1842; and the first six
borough ordinances, the last of which
was passed May 25, 1843. So far as is
known, the only extant copy of this pam-
phlet is in the writer's collection. After
the Paxsons had completed their work,
the subject of paying them was not
brought before Council for two months.
But during the interval, it is presumed
the committee had been conferring with
the editors for a cut-rate job, but the
latter had insisted on their original price,
for the minutes of Thursday, August 3rd,
reveal :
Oi m3tio:i th2 following bill was passed in
favor of S. J. and E. M. Paxson for prinitng,
$10.00.
The Paxson brothers managed together
nicely for a year, but then after produc-
ing exactly 52 issues, they dissolved
partnership, and S. J. Paxson, aged 25,
managed the Journal press more or less
alone. He improved the paper in some
respects, and on October 31, 1843, issued
the first extra edition that had ever
appeared in Newtown, stating:
Accompanying our paper this week, our
patrons will receive an Extra Journal, con-
taining TWELVE columns of advertisements.
We are so crowded at present that we could
not this week do justice to our advertising
friends, and publish the amount of literary
matter, news, &c., that we wished, so we
threw the bulk of the advertisements in an
EXTRA, and resume our usual variety.
While we are thankful for the liberal patron-
age which has been extended to us in the way
of advertising, we are determined to fall
behind none in the quantity of miscellaneous
matter we publish.
Business kept improving that fall, and
on November 7, 1843, he advertised:
To Printers.
Wanted, a large Washington press, in good
order, for cash, or in exchange for the press
(Smith) on which this paper is printed. Com-
munications addressed to the Editor of the
Journal (post paid) will receive prompt at-
tention.
After Edward M. Paxson relinquished
his active interest in the Newtown Journal,
he conceived in the latter part of that
year the idea of publishing a strong
political newspaper; consequently New-
town had the distinction during 1844 of
supporting simultaneously two weekly
sheets, a condition never before or since
equalled in the 250-years of its existence.
Edward's first announcement to the
public of his new paper was through a
lengthy advertisement inserted in his
brother's Journal of November 28, 1843,^*
which reads in part:
84 The same advertisement was continued throughout the month of December. The first proposal
to publish the Clay Trumpet appearing in the Bucks County Inlelligencer was on December 13th.
312
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1^
The undersigned believing that the cause
and interests of the great Whig party would
be greatly promoted by the establishment
of a paper in Newtown, during the next Presi-
dential campaign, which should be an uncom-
promising advocate of Whig principles and
Whig measures, has determined to commence
the publication of the CLAY TRUMPET
every Tuesday morning, to commence
about the 1st of January, and will be published
until a sufficient time after the Presidential
election to give the complete returns of the
same .
Edward M. Paxson.
Publication was a week late in getting
started, for by calculating from the
earliest preserved copy, it is found that
the date of initial issue was Tuesday,
January 9, 1844. This checks with what
S. J. Paxson wrote in the Newtown Journal
of December 26, 1843:
EDWARD M. PAXSON requests us to
state that the first number of the "Clay
Trumpet" will be issued on the 9th of Jan-
uary.
Later issues of the Journal make no
mention of the Trumpet, and now very
little can be gathered concerning its
history, because only ten copies have
been preserved. Eight are in the writer's
collection, another at Bucks County His-
torical Society, and the remaining one is
at University of Minnesota.
The contents of the four columns of
the Clay Trumpet were entirely poli-
tical; and local advertisements were
conspicuous by their absence. The price
of each issue was "25 cents a single copy,
or 5 for one dollar." The paper was
also a temperance organ. Josiah Betts
Smith says^^ that it was through the
fluency of E. M. Paxson's writings in the
Trumpet that Dripping Spring along the
Neshaminy first received prominent no-
tice; and considerable publicity was
established about the place as being an
ideal spot for picnics and temperance
gatherings.
During this period, E. M. Paxson
seems still to have retained somehow a
share in his brother's business, although
his name does not appear officially in the
paper, except in connection with the fol-
lowing advertisement from the Journal
of July 9, 1844:
ONE CENT REWARD
Ran away from the employment of the
subscribers an indentured apprentice to the
Printing business, named Bennett J. Vernon.
All persons are forbid harboring or trusting
said boy at their peril.
S. J. & E. M. Paxson
Apparently young Vernon was never
returned to his bondage, because while
the above was still being advertised, the
following was inserted in the paper be-
ginning with the issue of August 13, 1844:
APPRENTICE WANTED
WANTED immediately an apprentice to
the Printing business. A lad of about 16
years of age, who has good English educa-
tion, and can come well recommended can
hear of a good situation by applying at this
office.
It seems, therefore, that during 1844,
S. J. Paxson conducted the Journal, E. M.
Paxson ran the Trumpet, and the pair of
them managed the job office together.^^
The manuscript account book of John F.
Fenton, of Newtown, wheelwright, shows
that on April 1, 1844, S. J. & E. M. Pax-
son settled their bill of $5.00 for work on
the firm's sulky which had been repaired
the previous October 3rd. The brothers
were more or less associated at other
times too; for example, in the issue of
November 26, 1844, there was inserted
this notice:
85 Manuscript Book, Vol. II, p. 98, at Bucks County Historical Society.
86 Little information on this subject is gained from Church's article. Newspapers of Bucks County.
After speaking very briefly on the origin of the Journal he said: "Under the Paxsons it was an excellent,
wide-awake paper. It was at one time the organ of the Native American party, and at another time it
had an offshoot called the Clay Bugle, or Trumpet, or horn of some kind." [!] Proceedings of Bucks County
Historical Society, Vol. I, p. 122.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
313
X^As the editor of the "Journal" is neces-
sarily obliged to be absent from his post much
of the time for a few weeks, on collecting and
other business, the paper will be conducted
for a short time by E. M. Paxson.
During that year, the Paxson brothers
printed a memorial to their maternal
grandfather, The Triple Wreath: Poems
on Various Subjects.
On November 12, 1844, The Newtoivn
Journal and Workingmen's Advocate an-
nounced:
THE TRIPLE WREATH
Just received, and for sale at this office,
the "Triple Wreath," or poems by the late
Samuel Johnson. This is a neat little work —
got up in good style. It is embellished with
an excellent likeness of the author, engraved
by Edwin M. Ellis; of this county. — Price
62,',2 cents; bound in annual style, with gilt
edges, 75 cents.
On December 3, 1844, the Journal
printed book reviews extracted from the
other county papers, the Intelligencer,
the Democrat, and the Olive Branch, and
from two of the Philadelphia papers, the
Cermantown Telegraph and the Pennsyl-
vania Freeman. These reviews were pref-
aced by the following remarks:
We are glad to find that this neat little
volume seems to meet with very general com-
mendation. It is exclusively a Bucks
County work — being written, printed, and
even the likeness of the author painted and
engraved in our own county. Below we give
what some of our brethren of the Press say of
it!
Also during 1844, some pamphlets of
minor importance were produced by the
Journal press. No copies of these are
Actual size of frontispiece to The Triple Wreath.
THE
TRIPLE WREATH
POEIUS
OK
VARIOUS SUBJECTS
BY
SAMUEL JOHNSON.
The « Triple Wreath "—of Palm or Laurell No I
Of worldly fame it does not claim a part ;
Its leaves, and buds, and varied blossoms show
The impress of their native soil, the heart.
Susan Wilson.
NEWTOWN, Pa.
S. J. & E. M. PAXSON.
PHILADELPHIA: T. E. CHAPMAN.
No. 74 North Fourth St.
1844.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
315
known, but in three cases, the type, set
in double column, was reused in the
paper. The titles of these pamphlets were :
1. Address by the lion. Samuel D. Inghayn,
Delivered before a Stated Meeting of the
Bucks County Agricultural Society, held in
Pineville Hall, February 5, 1844. Published
by Order of the Society, [printed, February
1844, reprinted in Newtown Journal,
February 13 & 20, 1844.]
2. Address of Joshua Dungan, Delivered
before a Meeting of the Bucks County Agri-
cultural Society, held at Doylestown, Thurs-
day, April 18. 1844, Published by Order of
the Society, [printed, April 1844, reprinted
in Newtown Journal, April 23, 1844^']
3. Constitution and By-Laws of the Bucks
County Agricultural Society, [printed,
September 1844, reprinted in Newtown
Journal, September 3, 1844^^]
In the August 20, 1844, issue of the
Journal, S. J. Paxson remarked:
Thie office of the Newtown Journal has been
removed to the building adjoining the Brick
Hotel, a few doors north of its former loca-
tion, and directly opposite the store of Cor-
nelius Sellers.
This second removal, like the first one,
seems to have had quite a disturbing
effect on the office, as well as upsetting
the paper itself. Apparently, they were
in such a hurry for copy after printing
the outside of the paper that when they
came to set up the inside, they had to
use some of the same advertisements, so
that in reading this issue, one is rather
surprised to note that out of the 27 adver-
tisements appearing on page 2, nine of
them reappear on page 4, where they had
previously been printed.
Simeon Siegfried, a quarter of a cen-
tury earlier, also printed first the outside
of his Star of Freedom, then because of
insufficient type, broke up his forms and
printed the inside of the sheet. Paxson
attempted to apologize for this repetition
by saying:
Owing to the bustle, confusion, and hin-
drance occasioned by the removal of our office
last week, we are compelled to fill up a corner
of the inside of our paper this week with old
advertisements that appeared on the outside.
We assure our readers we shall make ample
amends when we come out with an improved
and enlarged sheet.
The pledge of the "enlarged sheet"
was more in the nature of a campaign
promise, for it never became a reality.
The only enlargement ever experienced
by the paper was when the Paxson
brothers slightly increased its size when
they changed the name from Literary
Chronicle to Newtown Journal.
Apparently, both the Journal and the
Trumpet were printed on the same press,
and it is probable that E. M. Paxson quit
his active work on the first-named in
order to devote his entire time to.the pub-
lication of the political sheet. Both
papers were published on Tuesdays, and
the few advertisements the Trumpet
carried are identical with the corre-
sponding ones of the Journal of even date.
As noted above, the Journal recorded on
August 20, 1844, the removal of its office
to the building adjoining Hough's Hotel
(Brick Hotel). The following similar
notice from the Clay Trumpet of the same
day^^ gives the same information, so it
must be concluded that both papers were
the product of the same press:
87 The following notice is from an inside page of the Journal of this date: "We invite the attention
of our readers to the address of Joshua Dungan, delivered before the Bucks County Agricultural Society,
on the 15th inst. It contains many valuable suggestions to the farmer. — It has also been published at this
office in pamphlet form."
88 Following the title is this notice: "At the last meeting of the Bucks County Agricultural Society,
it was deemed advisable that the Constitution and By-Laws be printed in pamphlet form for circulation
among the members. Believing that benefit would result to the Society from their circulation among the
people generally, we have, at the suggestion of some of our Agricultural friends, published them this week,
so that the operations, and objects of the Society may be made more public. — Ed."
89 August 20, 1844; this also happens to be the earliest extant copy, the one at Bucks County His-
torical Society.
316
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
We must beg our readers to excuse the
lack of editorial, and other original matter in
this week's paper, as we have been so busily
engaged for a few days in moving our office
to its present situation, (adjoining Hough's
Hotel) that we have hardly had time to pen a
line. We console ourself with the reflection,
however, that we have given them that in
the place of it, which is far more valuable and
efficient than anything from our inexperienced
and ungraceful pen can possibly be.
The next change in the management
of the Newtown Journal was in 1845, when
S. J. Paxson, after conducting it for a
little less than a year and a half, sold out
to his brother and former partner, Ed-
ward M. Paxson, and removed to Doyles-
town, where he purchased the Democrat
in May of that year, and as sole editor
and owner continued its publication with
the issue of May 14, 1845. With the
Democrat, S. J. Paxson received the Bucks
County Express, a German paper, which
he continued for five years until he sold
it to Oliver P. Zink. The third paper
purchased from John S. Bryan at Doyles-
town was The Watchtower, but this one,
however, Paxson discontinued right after
he had bought it. Bryan, in his last
issue of the Doylestown Democrat and
Farmers' and Mechanics' Gazette, May 7,
1845, declared of the new proprietor:
Our successor, Samuel Johnson Paxson,
Esq., will speak for himself, and is every way
worthy of a continuation of the patronage
which has always been given to this establish-
ment. He has had some experience in con-
ducting a public journal. The political course
of the Democrat and Express will remain the
same; — Advocating the principles of Democ-
racy — Supporting the National and State
Administrations — in Favor of the Annexation
of Texas and Admission of Oregon.
W. W. H. Davis, upon writing John-
son Paxson's obituary in the May 31,
1864, issue of the Doylestown Democrat,
declared :
At the time this purchase was made
Mr. Paxson was without any pecuniary re-
sources and negotiated the purchase and se-
cured the purchase money by the aid of
friends. From the time he assumed control
of the Democrat he devoted himself to his
duties with an assiduity and an energy which
is rarely manifested even in this country.
It is no exaggeration to state that Mr. Pax-
son occupied that relation to the local press
of Pennsylvania which James Gordon Bennett
of the New York Herald so long retained to
the journalism of New York and that he left
it greatly improved in respectability and
weight of influence. His connection with the
Democrat continued until 1858 when he sold
it to Col. Davis the present proprietor and
retired to live upon the competence he had so
meritoriously acquired.®"
As a writer Mr. Paxson was sui generis.
His style was bizarre and quaint; and it re-
sembled that of no other man. He had a
dry humor which was well fitted both for
offensive and defensive purposes, and rarely
came off second best in a contest of personali-
ties. . .*'
S. J. Paxson was particularly clever
at reforming obnoxious local conditions
by inserting sham advertisements in his
paper whenever conditions warranted it.
For example, he "advertised" in his
Democrat of September 3, 1845 :
WANTED
One hundred and seventy-five young men
of all shapes and sizes, from the tall, graceful
dandy, with hair enough on his upper works
to stuff a barber cushion, down to the little
hump-backed, freckle faced, bow-legged, car-
rot-headed upstart. The object is to form a
gazing Corps, to be in attendance at the
Church doors on each Sabbath, before the
commencement of divine service, to stare at
the females as they enter, and make delicate
and gentlemanly remarks on their person and
dress. All who wish to enlist in the above
90 For a genealogical account of Samuel Johnson Paxson, as well as that of his brother, Edward M.
Paxson, see History of Bucks County, 2nd ed.. Vol. Ill, p. 156.
91 In writing about Newtown Journal, T. S. Kenderdine remarked: "Newspapers as well as wine are
made interesting by age, doubly so when they record the doings of your own locality and give vent to the
quaint expressions in use from editorial to advertisement. The 'Poets' Corner' and 'Wit and Humor' then
had a habitation and a name. The former contained poetry which suited those who liked it, while the
jokes were made manifest through italics and quotation marks."
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
317
corps, will please appear at the various
Church doors next Sabbath morning, where
they will be duly inspected, and their names,
personal appearance, and quantity of brains
registered in a book kept for that purpose,
and published in the newspapers. To pre-
vent a general rush, it will be well to state
that none will be enlisted who possess intel-
lectual capacities above that of an ordinary
well bred donkey.
In May 1858, S. J. Paxson sold the
Democrat to W. W. H. Davis and retired
permanently from the newspaper busi-
ness. His debtors, evidently slow in pay-
ing their accounts, were forcibly reminded
to do so by the following characteristic
advertisement, dated January 25, 1859,
and inserted in the Intelligencer:
NOTICE TO DELINQUENTS
A LL PERSONS indebted to the subscriber,
by note, book account, or otherwise, are
respectfully requested to liquidate the same
before or at February Court, as I expect to
be at the Democrat office at that time, to re-
ceive the respective amounts and receipt for
the same. As I retired from the business
last May, it is now quite time that my books
should be settled up, so that I can pay my
debts. Those in arrears are requested to
make this a personal notice to themselves,
and govern themselves accordingly by facing
the music like gentlemen, and stepping up to
the Captain's office and liquidating the small
amounts due — Everybody knows that I am
a clever fellow, hate to sue honest men, and
it is hoped that this last appeal to their good
intentions will receive the attention demanded
by its importance.
Buckingham, Jan. 25 — 3t.
S. J. PAXSON.
1845, appeared the new heading, The
Newtown Journal and Native American,
"E. M. Paxson & Company, printer."
This abrupt change in political policy
attracted much attention among the
neighboring newspapers. The German-
town Telegraph in the following week,
January 8, 1845, reported:
I^ANOTHER CH.^NGE.— Samuel J. Pax-
son, Esq., having disposed of the establish-
ment of the "NEWTOWN JOURNAL," to
Edward M. Paxson, Esq., it will be hereafter
published by the latter gentleman, as the
advocate of Native American principles.
S. J. Paxson, to free himself of accusa-
tions by the Native Americans, declared ,
on June 4, 1845, in his Doylestown Demo-
crat and Farmers' and Mechanics' Gazette,
that the Newtown Journal:
— was published by us for more than two
years, as an independent journal, and on the
first of January last was transferred to its
present publisher, who sees proper to advo-
cate the claims of the Native American party.
Edward continued, of course, his job
office, but no examples of his work during
this period have been preserved. The
minute book of the directors of the New-
town Library Company shows that at a
meeting held March 3, 1845:
On motion, it was ordered that the propo-
sition of Edward M. Paxson to strike off fifty
copies of the catalogue of Books for a share
in the Library and five dollars be agreed to
and that I. Hicks and J. Paul be a committee
to attend to it.
Edward M. Paxson's editorship of the
Newtown Journal began with the issue
of December 3, 1844, but it was not until
January 1, 1845, that he became the actual
proprietor, at which time, "the paper
with all the furniture, type, good will and
fixtures, were legally conveyed to its
present publisher."
On the first day of the calendar year.
It is evident from the minutes of the
meeting held on the following April 15th,
that Paxson performed his contract satis-
factorily, for they say:
The Committee appointed to attend to the
printing of the catalogue report that it has
been printed and that they have paid Edward
Paxson five dollars and presented him a share
in the Library agreeable to contract.
318
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
/2^cU'^J^*^<- -V' /^i .-^- '^'^^ — - ^- z-^^;^,/.-,
iK^^-CC it~'\^ i«-*-wO
'^rUC ^H- ^^Z-^^^Wti^ <i-*.-S<tZ^^;;^<..,-^„^/^--^<^
h^..
feC^
s-^^^'^i/v*?-^^
Original receipt fastened to minute book of Newtown Library
Company. None of the catalogues is known to be in existence.
This was the fourth catalogue of the
library's books, the first being printed
in 1791, the second in 1808, and the third
in 1829.92
In April, 1845, E. M. Paxson printed
a pamphlet for "The Farmers' Mutual
Fire Insurance Society of Warminster,
Bucks County, Pa.," containing the con-
stitution, by-laws, and supplemental acts
of incorporation. No copies of this pam-
phlet have been preserved either, but the
contents were reprinted from the same
type in the issue of the Journal for April
8, 1845.
Some time during the fall of 1845, the
price of the paper was reduced from
$2.00, and the name thereof changed to
The Newtown Journal and Dollar Weekly.
On September 23rd of that year, 1845,
the editor expounded pompously:
To the Patrons of tlie Journal:
REDUCTION OF PRICE
It has now been a little over three years
since the present editor of the Journal estab-
lished it in this place under the most discour-
aging circumstances — and thus far the enter-
prise has been sustained far beyond his ex-
pectations. Many difficulties had to be
surmounted — some thought 'there were
already enough papers in the county,' and
the universal opinion was that the effort
would be unsuccessful. — Time, patierce, and
industry have overcome these obstacles, and
the 'Journal' has now a circulation much
larger than the great majority of country
papers. And in order to extend still farther
its circulation and usefulness, we have deter-
mined to reduce the price to ONE DOLLAR
A YEAR IN ADVANCE.— thus making it
decidedly the cheapest country paper to be
found anywhere. We can thus place in the
hands of every family who may wish it, a
paper containing all the local news of the
county at a price just ONE HALF of what
it has previously been. By bringing our
business to a cash standard, we can afford to
do this, as we shall avoid in a great measure
the heavy losses which result from the credit
system. The terms of this paper, then, will
hereafter be as follows:
ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR IN ADVANCE.
ONE DOLLAR AND A HALF AT THE
END OF SIX MONTHS.
TWO DOLLARS AT THE END OF THE
YEAR.
A small portion of our papers are left by
the Doylestown riders. On these, of course,
the postage (fifty cents a year) will be charged.
The above terms will be rigidly enforced, as
the low price at which we have put our paper
renders it necessary that the payment should
be made strictly in advance.
We shall continue to make our paper a
vehicle of correct information, and shall spare
no pains to render it generally interesting
and useful. To the business community,
especially, the 'Journal' offers great induce-
ments. Its circulation will soon surpass aiy
of its contemporaries, and as an advertising
medium, it will be invaluable. It is read by
92 Copies of the 1829 edition are owned by Newtown Library Company and Bucks County Historical
Society. It was printed by James Kelly, proprietor of Bucks County I nielli gene er, and the edition was only
sixty, according to the minutes of the Library dated January 31, 1829: "Resolved, that Alexander Van-
horn, be a Committee to get Sixty Copies of the Constitution bye Laws, and Catalogue of Books, printed
for use of Library Company."
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
319
men of all parties, and consequently the ad-
vertiser receives a benefit which he would not
experience by any other means. The busi-
ness men of our county, especially of the lower
end, must see the facilities it affords to them,
and on their aid we confidently rely for sup-
port.
If those of our friends, then, who are beliind
with their subscriptions, will come forward
and square up their accounts, they can have
the 'Journal' hereafter at the reduced price
by comphing with the terms.
On August 26, 1846, the following
advertisement appeared in the Doyles-
town Democrat and Bucks County Gazette:
Notice to Advertisers
The "Newtown Journal and Dollar Week-
ly" has a large and increasing circulation in
Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia coun-
ties; and is an excellent medium for those
having Real Estate to dispose of, to lay their
advertisements before the public. The
"Journal" is published at One Dollar per year
in Advance, and its~columns will be found
filled with the cards of business men.
E. M. PAXSON, Publisher.
In 1846, Mr. Paxson, like two pre-
ceding bachelor editors, (Coale and Sieg-
fried), married while publishing a New-
town newspaper. This notice of the
same is copied from his brother's Doyles-
town Democrat and Bucks County Gazette
of May 6, 1846:
Married
In Philadelphia, on Thursday, April 30,
Edward M. Paxson, Editor of the Newtown
Journal, to Mary Caroline Newlin, of the
former place.
Proprietor Edward M. Paxson con-
veyed the paper on August 31, 1847,
to Henry R. Nagel, of Newtown.^-' So
after exactly five years, the paper passed
from the hands of Edward M. Paxson,
who, jointly with his brother's help, had
built it up, and then individually had
conducted it on a sound business basis.
The Journal had become under the Pax-
son leadership the most successful news-
paper ever to have been established in
Newtow n up to tl at time.
After selling his printing establish-
ment, Mr. Paxson removed to Phila-
delphia, where he founded the Daily
Neivs. This paper he disposed of the
next year, and then moved back to
Bucks County, where, at Doylestown,
he began the study cf law in the office of
Hon. Henry Chapman.^"* Mr. Paxson
was admitted to the bar on April 24,
1850, and after practising for two years
in Doylestown, returned to Philadelphia
to continue his profession. His advance
from this time on was very rapid, finally
culminating on the first Monday in Jan-
uary, 1889, by his becoming, through
seniority, the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court of Pennsylvania. In 1899, Judge
Paxson erected for Bucks County Quar-
terly Meeting the Friends' Boarding
Home at Newtown; and dedicated it to
the memory of his parents, Thomas and
Ann (Johnson) Paxson.
Concerning the inauguration of the
Daily News on August 14, 1847, the
editor of the Doylestown Democrat and
Bucks County Gazette wrote on the follow-
ing 18th:
A NEW PAPER— We have received the
first number of the "Daily News," a new whig
paper, which commenced its existence in
Philadelphia on Saturday last. It opposes
93 This probably means the date of the first issue by Nagel. On August 25th the sale had been adver-
tised in the Democrat; see notice later on.
94 The Bucks County Intelligencer of March 26, 1850, records: "A cowhiding affair took place in our
streets a week ago this morning, in which our neighbor of the 'Olive Branch' was the defendant — E. M.
Paxson, (brother of the Editor of the 'Democrat') conducting the other side of the case. It was not con-
sidered by the community, in its origin or accomplishment, as very creditable to the parties concerned.
It grew out of an article in the 'Branch,' in reply to one in the 'Democrat' of the week before." General
Davis, in writing of this affair, (2nd ed., p. 323), said: "On one occasion he made allusion to the wife of
a member of the Bucks county bar, and the outraged husband retorted by cowhiding the editor on the
street, for which he was prosecuted and fined.''
320
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
the Democratic party, and advocates with
considerable ability the claims of the federal
party to the support of the people. It is
published by Henrj' S. Evans, of the Village
Record, of Chester county, E. M. Paxson, of
the Newtown Journal, and Col. Wm. Butler,
late of the Norristown Herald, associated
together under the firm of Evans, Paxson &
Co. Its appearance, and in fact the whole
general arrangement, is abundant evidence
that its editors and proprietors are gentlemen
of tact, talent, ability and good taste. It is a
paper at once creditable to the party; and all
sensible persons must regret that a paper in
which so much ability is enlisted, should be
engaged in propping up such a hollow-
hearted and down-hill cause as that which it
espouses. It is unnecessary to say that it
sports at its mast-head the names of Irvin
and Patton; the former the father of the
infamous Bankrupt Law, and the inveterate
opponent of Andrew Jackson; and the latter
the same fellow that paid his creditors with
whig Bankrupt Notices to the tune of $21,-
543.50.
On September 8, 1847, S. J. Paxson
wrote in his Doylestown Democrat and
Bucks County Gazette:
NEWSPAPER UNION— We see by the
city papers, that the Daily Chronicle, a sickly
neutral daily penny paper, has been bought
out by the Daily News, a federal paper, and
that they will hereafter constitute one paper
bearing the name of the latter. The Chroni-
cle has for a long time been under the control
of a clique of the smaller kind of politicians,
and might properly be called a guerilla on a
small scale, in the pay of the federal party.
Treacherous friends are always worse than
open enemies.
THE DAILY NEWS.
We have received several copies of the
Daily News — the new federal organ of Phila-
delphia, with their prospectus marked, it is
supposed for insertion in this paper. The
article also appears in the Democratic Union
at Harrisburg, as well as in several other
leading Democratic papers in different parts
of the state, for which they no doubt receive a
compensation, as they do for other advertise-
ments. We should hope that no Democratic
paper would insert their prospectus in any
other way than as a business advertisement.
If the editors of the News wish their pros-
pectus inserted in the Democrat, they will
please send along the cash like others do. We
are not willing to lend our columns for the
purpose of bringing their paper into notoriety,
unless they pay for the same, and that too in
exact accordance to our terms as they ap-
pear at the head of another column. The
fact of their wanting their advertisement
inserted in the Democratic paper, shows
plainly that they are trying to bolster up a
tottering cause, which fact is clearly proved
by their having to resort to the Democratic
Union, and the Doylestown Democrat, to
make them and their paper known. This
paper is more read than any ether in the
county, the thing is notorious, and is acknowl-
edged by Democrats and men of all parties.
Hence the anxiety of the News, to make use
of it to advance their interests. They know
that the curiosity of ever>' federalist in the
county, induces him to borrow it weekly of
his Democratic neighbor. In this way it
would be seen by more federalists, than if it
were inserted in the federal organ itself.
The Bucks County Intelligencer of
March 26, 1850, recorded:
i:^-The Philadelphia "Daily News"
makes quite a handsome appearance in a
new dress it has just donned; and bears upon
its face gratifying evidences of prosperity.
Success to it.
Judge E. M. Paxson, late in life, wrote
a letter to the editor of the Bucks County
Intelligencer, which was printed in the
issue of July 14, 1904. In this letter,
dated "Bycot House, July 7, 1904," he
summed up his journalistic experiences
in part, by saying:
— When quite a small boy my father took
me to The Intelligencer office, located near
the Chapman residence, and upon the same
street. James Kelly was then the editor. He
had shortly before procured a power press and
it was then in operation. It was a crude,
clumsy affair, worked by hand, but it looked
immense to me. I was so captivated that I
then and there resolved to be a printer and
publish a paper. Fired by the resolve, I
subsequently entered the office of the Village
Record to acquire a practical knowledge of
the business, where I remained for eighteen
months, when I commenced business at New-
town. Subsequently I became engaged with
the Daily News of Philadelphia. It was
while connected with this paper that for the
first time I became aware of the importance
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
321
of collecting the local news, particularly for a
country paper. My brother, Samuel Johnson
Paxson, was at that time the editor of the
Doylestown Democrat, and I wrote him a
long letter upon the subject, calling his atten-
tion to the fact that cauntry papers could
not compete with the city daily papers in
general and foreign news, but that in local
matter they had a mine of wealth in which
the city paper could not compete. The next
week the Democrat had a "Local News" de-
partment. It was a small affair, but it grew.
The Intelligencer, under John S. Brown, soon
caught on. and now leads all country papers
in this as in everything else, so far as I know. —
Concerning the sale of the Newtown
Journal, S. J. Parson wrote in his Doyles-
ioicn Democrat and Bucks County Gazette
of August 25, 1847:
NEWSPAPER CHANGE— The Newtown
Journal has changed hands, and will hereafter
be conducted by Mr. Henry R. Nagel. E. M.
Paxson, the former editor, has commenced
the publication of a daily paper in Philadel-
phia. We wish the old editor good luck, and
extend the hand of fellowship to the new.
Mr. Nagel raised the price of the paper
fifty per cent , and dropped the sub-
heads so that the full title was simply
Newtown Journal. Beginning with the
issue of August 3, 1847, the editor started
a continued narrative that ran for 16
weeks, ending with the issue of November
16th. It was entitled, "Sketches of the
Great West, taken in a Travel to St.
Louis, Fort Leavenworth, Galena, Chi-
cago, &c., by M. H. Jenks."^^ Preceding
the first installment was the notice:
X^At our s3licitation we have been
politely furnished with the memorandum
book kept by our worthy Chief Burgess on
his tour through the Western States — and
although merely taken to gratify his children
and friends, and not intended for publication,
its contents nevertheless will be perused with
much interest by the readers of the 'Journal.'
The "Sketches" will be continued in num-
bers until they are all published. — Ed.
This trip, as explained by Judge Jenks,
was started on May 17, 1847, and lasted
95 These were reprinted in the following issues of William J. Ellis' Delaware Vallev Advance, hanghorne.
Pa.: Sept. 26; Oct. 3, 17, 24, 31; Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28; Dec. 5, 12, 19, 1935; and Jan. i6. 23, 30; Feb. 6, 13,
1936.
96 Information from original justice's docket, now owned by his grandson, the present writer.
for exactly two months. In that time
he travelled 4850 miles for $170, or at an
average cost, including all expenses, of
only 3>2 cents per mile. Quite a con-
trast to the high rate of modern travel.
Henry R. Nagel ran the paper for a
little over a half a year, but then not
meeting with much success soon failed.
Rudolph C. Nagel, the druggist and post-
master, (possibly his brother), became
assignee of the accounts, some of which
were settled by Squire John Barnsley in
1849 at the same time E. M. Paxson
entered suit against 27 delinquent sub-
scribers and advertisers of the Newtown
Journal.'^^ Henry conveyed his interest
on the followijig April 14, 1848, to Hiram
Brower, another graduate of the Village
Record, West Chester, Pa. On April 26,
1848, Samuel Johnson Paxson printed
this notice in his Doylestc2cn Democrat
and Bucks County Gazette:
THE NEWTOWN JOURNAL
The Newtown Journal comes to us now as a
Federal paper, edited by Hiram Brower. In-
dependent of its radical federal politics, it is a
clever looking paper, and the change is no
gain to Democratic subscribers. Mr. Nagel
— the former editor, has retired from the field,
and the federalists hold the editorial gad.
Personally to the new editor, we extend the
hand of friendship, and promise him many a
good thrashing, before the frosts of next Octo-
ber, shall kill him off. To the retiring editor
we wish all sorts of good luck, and hope that
prosperity, and plenty may follow his foot-
steps.
The first "thrashing" that Mr. Brower
took was in the May 31st issue of the
Democrat, when Paxson declared:
Hold up! Journal!
The Editor of the Newtown Journal, has
been laboring hard for several weeks, to con-
vince his readers that "the Journal is the best
paper in the county." He may work a long
322
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
have our best wishes — though it looks rather
bad for them to be begging for a pair of
scissors the first week!
Mr. Brewer's next journalistic adven-
ture was in 1844, at Lebanon, Pa., where
he and T. T. Worth purchased the
Lebanon Courier. '^^ Concerning this event,
the Newtown Journal and Native American
reported on January 1, 1845:
The Lebanon Courier has changed hands,
and will hereafter be conducted by Hiram
Brower, and T. T. Worth. The former is
an old office chum of ours, and a clever fellow
at that. The other is also an acquaintance
of ours, who flourished at West Chester a
short time since under the parental care of
"Friend Joseph," of the Register. The
"Courier" manifests decided improvements,
and we doubt not that under the new arrange-
ment, it will go on prospering. Success to
you boys!
Little is known about Brower in New-
town, except that he conducted the
Journal for nearly two years. At His-
torical Society of Pennsylvania is a pam-
phlet that was probably printed by
Brower's press. It is entitled An Address
before the Bucks County Agricultural
Society, October 2, 1848, by T. S. Skinner.
In 1849, he was secretary of the Society, a
position which insured good publicity for
the annual exposition on South Chan-
cellor street. This office he no doubt
"inherited" from Edward M. Paxson,
who was the organizing secretary when
the Society was re-established on Decem-
ber 4, 1843.
Unfortunately, Brower like Robinson
43 years earlier, became indebted to
the proprietor of the hotel, and conse-
quently in January, 1850, had to assign
his book accounts to Samuel Moore
Hough. Mr. Hough, owner and operator
of the Brick Hotel from 1840 to 1851,
evidently did not make any change in
the management of the paper, for the
97 William J. Buck in his chapter XLIX of Bean's History of Montgomery County, p. 788, obviously
erred when he wrote that Vernon and Brower ran this paper "from 1842 to 1845." Vernon was later with
the Wilmington Republican.
98 Their first issue was on December 25, 1844, which they called New Series Vol. I, No. 1, whole No.
465. On November 4, 1846, the Courier carried a notice that the co-partnership had been dissolved and
that all bills were payable to T. T. Worth. After that, publication was continued by "T. T. Worth & Co."
while before he can convince any into such a
belief, unless it be some dupes. He must
recollect that the great paper of Bucks Coun-
ty is the DOYLESTOWN DEMOCRAT,
that it has all the news one week ahead of all
others combined, and that it just suits the
people. Some papers shoot too high, others
too low, but the Democrat shoots right at
them. The people will understand when
they hear the echo from the "Old Cannon."
We hope the Journal hereafter in its boast-
ings of its par excellence will always accept
the Doylestown Democrat. If it does not,
it will assuredly lose its character for verac-
ity.
The new purchaser seems to have had
considerable experience with country
journals. In July, 1843, he and J. B.
Taylor, of West Chester, established in
that borough, a fortnightly paper called
The Fountain. The Newtown Journal
and Workingmen' s Advocate on the 25th
of that month noted:
We have received the first number of "The
Fountain," a paper about to be established
at West Chester, Pa., by Hiram Brower and
J. B. Taylor, of that Borough. The editorial
department is to be partially under the
direction of Wm. Whitehead, Esq. With
such proprietors and editors the Fountain
will or at least ought to go a-head. It is
proposed to issue the "Fountain," every
fort-night.
This paper was probably never issued
regularly, at least no account can be
foundof it, and only four months later we
find G. W. Vernon and the same Hiram
Brower instituting a new paper at Potts-
town, Pa., which they called the Potts-
town Tariffite. On November 28, 1843,
the Newtown Journal and Workingmen' s
Advocate declared:
We have received the first No. of the
"Pottstown Tariffite,""' published in Potts-
town, Montgomery Co., Pa., by G[eorge] W.
Vernon and Hiram Brower. It is neatly
printed, and evinces considerable talent in
the editorial department. The publishers,
who are both young men, and office chums.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
323
last extant copy,''*^ namely, that cf Jan-
uary 22, 1850, was still edited by Hiram
Brower. After a month's ownership,
simply a business transfer. Hough then
conveyed on February 26, 1850, the "good
will and fixtures" of the decadent New-
town Journal ofiice to Lafayette Brower,
Hiram's brother, who was the last to
publish the paper. No doubt Hiram
later in 1884 that the paper "continued
under several names until 1848."*'^'Battle's
History of Bucks County, published 1887,
says on p. 332 "in 1850 it suspended."
This last date is correct, for according to
the following notice from the Bucks
County Intelligencer of March 19, 1850,
the Journal was last issued about the
middle of that month:
/f^..Q.J^
^^ /
V-=«-<=^'=-
yf^^ ^A^^^A^^ Cy'^
-i^
Original receipt in handwriting of Hiram Brower.
O ,v ned by Sarah Worstall Hicks, Newtown, Pa.
worked for Lafayette, because the Ga-
zetteer of Bucks County, 1871, says that
the pair of them published the paper,
but does not give the dates.^*^^ In 1853,
William J. Buck wrote in his History of
Moreland from its first Purchase and Set-
tlement to the Present Time^^^ that the Lit-
erary Chronicle and Bucks and Mont-
gomery Advertiser was: "continued several
years, when it was removed to Newtown,
where it became the Newtown Journal,
which was discontinued in 1849."
Evidently Mr. Buck had no exact data
on the final date of the paper for he wrote
To The Late Patrons Of The
Newtown Journal
Owing to causes whicli it is not deemed
necessary to recapitulate in this connection,
I have disposed of all my right, title and in-
terest in and to the Printing Establishment
known as the "Newtown Journal Office,"
embracing as well the Subscription List as
the entire stock of materials heretofore used
for Newspaper and Jobbing purposes — to
Jno. S. Brown, Esq., Editor and Proprietor
of the "Bucks County Intelligencer"; this,
therefore, is to notify all persons whose names
were entered on my Books as subscribers
to the "Journal," that they will be furnished
in future with the "Intelligencer." Those
99 Vol. VIII, No. 25, whole number 493, in library of Bucks County Historical Society.
100 E. F. Church wrote in 1883, {Proceedings of Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. I, p. 122), that the
Journal's "last publisher was named Brower, who went to Virginia"; but which Brower it was, he does not
say. A notice in the Bucks County Intelligencer reveals that Hiram Brower, Esq., was publishing the
News at Fairfax Court House, Va., in 1859.
101 Published as chapter XXVII of Collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Vol. I, p. 212.
102 See his chapter XLIV in Beans' History of Montgomery County, p. 724.
324
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
also who have made advance payments to the
"Journal" will receive the "Intelligencer"
without charge for the length of time their
receipts respectively call for. This is a
change which I hope and believe will be
universally acceptable to all concerned. The
"Intelligencer" is second to no paper pub-
lished in the State — either in point of amount
and quality of its weekly contents, or the
mechanical skill displayed on each succeeding
issue — a fact of which every one will be con-
vinced by a close examination of the accom-
panying No.
Lafayetle Brower.
Newtown, March 15, 1850.
I^From the above card it will be seen that
an arrangement has been effected by which
all such persons as were subscribers to the
Newtown Journal at the date of its last issue,
will be considered as subscribers to the Bucks
County Intelligencer, unless they give imme-
diate notice of their desire to not be so con-
sidered. We have entered on our list the
names of such of them as were not subscribers
to the Intelligencer before; and hope they may
find the change agreeable to them. They
will receive at least twice as much reading as
heretofore, while the price of the paper is only
half a dollar greater than that of the Journal.
We shall also be able to furnish a much
greater amount of local information than it is
possible for a paper to procure away from
the county seat. — In short we hope that each
and every one may become a permanent sup-
porter of this paper, and feel as deep an inter-
est in its success as ever he felt in the "Jour-
nal." It shall be our endeavor to merit their
continued friendship and good will.
Those not before on our list, who had paid
in advance for the "Journal," will receive
the Intelligencer for the full time their re-
ceipts may call for, without further charge.
Advertisers who have sought communica-
tion with the public through the "Journal"
will find the "Intelligencer" a still better
medium, as its circulation in the county is
several hundred larger than that of any other
paper now or at any former time.
For the accommodation of the neighbor-
hood, and without any hope of profit, we have
left the jobbing materials at Newtown in
charge of HOWARD JENKS, well and
favorably known as a citizen of the place, and
fully competent to conduct the business. In
a short time some necessary additions will be
made to the stock of materials, to render it
complete.
In short, our design and hope is that those
who have heretofore supported the Journal
by their subscriptions, advertising, or job
printing, will be as well or better accommo-
dated under the new arrangement, and with
as much convenience and cheapness; and in
view of this, their continued favors are ear-
nestly solicited.
SURVEYING AND CONVEYANCING.
The subscriber informs his friends and the public
generally, that he will attend to the above business in
all its branches, at the shortest notice, on the most
reasonable terms. From his past experience he
trusts that he will be able to give satisfaction to all
who may favor him with their patronage.
J. BARNSLEY.
Newtown, March 25th. 1844 tf33.
Advertisement from the Newtown
Journal and Workingmen' s Advocate.
MfiSSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868 3^5
Chronology of Important Dates in History of
The Newtown Journal
August 18, 1840 — Initial issue of The Literary Chronicle and Bucks and
Montgomery Advertiser at Hatboro, Pa.; published by
Oliver I. Search and Samuel Fretz.
March, 1841 — OHver I. Search purchased interest of Samuel F'retz,
according to Davis, but Buck writes that PVetz' name
does not appear on the issue of December 20, 1840.
Fall of 1841 — Removal of paper to Newtown, continuing same title,
sometime between September 7th and December 1st.
1842 — Change of title to The Literary Chronicle and Working-
man's Advocate.
August 16, 1842 — First issue by S. J. and E. M. Paxson.
August 23, 1842 — Change of title to The Literary Chronicle and Working-
men's Advocate.
September 20, 1842 — Change of title to The Newtown Journal and Working-
men's Advocate.
October 31, 1843 — First "extra," (really a two page supplement), issued in
Newtown.
August 15, 1843 — Samuel Johnson Paxson bought the interest of his
brother, Edward M. Paxson, who published The Clay
Trumpet from January 9th to November, 1844.
January 1, 1845 — E. M. Paxson bought the interest of S. J. Paxson, and
changed the title to The Newtown Journal and Native
American.
September, 1845 — Change of title to The Newtown Journal and Dollar
Weekly, and subscription reduced from $2.00 to $1.00
per year.
August 31, 1847^ — Sold to Henry R. Nagel, and title shortened to Newtown
Journal, subscription raised to $1.50.
April 14, 1848— Sold to Hiram Brower.
February 26, 1850 — Sold to his brother, Lafayette Brower.
March, 1850 — Sold to Bucks County Intelligencer, and discontinued.
326
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
Howard Jenks
Howard Jenks was the next operator HOWARD JENKS
of a job press in Newtown. Davis says:'*^^ April 21, 1841
"The material [belonging to the Journal ^° ''^ '^""'"^ ^""^ ^^^^
office] soon passed into the possession of September is, 1841
Howard Jenks." However, it appears to head & 2 Slats to harrow $1.25
from the foregoing notice that "the entire April 13, 1842
stock of ma':erials heretofore used for Cr. by Cash $7.25
Newspaper and Jobbing purposes" had
been sold to the Intelligencer in 1850. As The original Record Book of the Borough
shown by this advertisement extracted of Newtoiun shows that Jenks was the
from the Doylestown Democrat, May 11, only person connected with the manage-
1852, Jenks brought with him "an entirely ment of the Journal who was a freehold
new stock of materials," but he does not voter in the Borough, for his name ap-
mention that he was backed by the pro- pears on the official lists from 1-850 to
prietors of the Intelligencer. 1855, inclusive. Where he removed to
HO WARD JENKS,
Job and Card Printer,
NEAVTOWJV, BUCKS COUNTY, PA.,
HAS opeiitd iiii (JlTice in ilie Borougli of Newlown, 1 door
souili of the TeiiipcrHMCe Houl. where lie will lie pleascil
lo ?ec his numerous friends, and all others wanuns JOB OK
CARD PRINTING done al a short nonce, and in a neat and
workmanlike manner. Having laid m an entirely new stock
of male rials, he is willing; lo place his work with that of any
other primer in the county ; hoih as to the style of workman-
ship, and the low rale al which it is done. By strict allentioii
10 business, the subscriber hopes to receive a liberal share of
the public pHlrona-<e. HOWARD JENKS.
myU,lS52. if
Little is known about the history of
Mr. Jenks, one time assistant burgess of
Newtown, or his connection with the
lower Bucks County family of that name.
It appears from the Newtown Journal
and Workingmen's Advocate of December
3, 1844, that there was:
Married: In Trenton, on the 28th ult.,
before Charles Burroughs, mayor, by the
Friends' ceremony, Howard Jenks to Mary
Brown, daughter of the late Joshua Brown,
deceased, both of Bucks county, Pa.
after that latter date, the writer does not
know.
Beginning with the issue of October 22,
1850, and continuing for a year, until
October 28, 1851, (53 issues) the Bucks
County hitelligencer carried below its sub-
heading:
HOWARD JENKS
At the Newtown Job Printing Office, is
authorized to act as Agent for this paper, in
receiving subscriptions, and money for the
Jenks had evidently always lived in
the Newtown vicinity. The following
record is abstracted from John F. Fen-
ton's account book:
The next issue, November 4, 1851,
announced that Thomas Mifflin Anderson,
postmaster, was the newly appointed
agent, and advertised as follows:
103 History of Bucks County, 2nd ed.. Vol. II, p. 323.
PRfiSSES AND PRiNfERS OF NEWtOWN BEFORE 1868
327
TO PRINTERS.
A HAND PRESS— Smith's patent— in
use a few years, but good — capable of print-
ing a sheet 22 by 32 inches — well adapted to
jobbing — for sale cheap. Apply personally —
or by letter, post paid — at this office.
As this advertisement was not re-
peated in subsequent issues, it is reason-
able to suppose that the old Journal press,
"in use a few years," was sold during the
second week of November, 1851. Why
does one suspect this was the Jotirnal
press? Because, the size of the Journal
sheet measures exactly 22 by 32 inches.
Some time before 1852, there must have
been a third removal of the printing
office to "1 door south of the Temperance
Hotel." And it must ha\e been after
1849, because in that year was published
the engraved Plan of the Township and
Borough of Newtown, by M. Dripps, of
Philadelphia, which shows the "Newtown
Journal and Printing Office" in the west
end of Hough's Hotel. It is curious to
note that the second removal returned the
office next door to its original location in
Newtown, and the third removal brought
it back next door to where it was at the
second location. In other words, after
the press was imported from Hatboro, it
was operated at- two different places in
Newtown practically adjacent to the two
oldest hotels, one of which was licensed
while the other was temperance. And as
the paper seemed to be equally successful
or unsuccessful at each location, en-
vironment could not have been said, in
this case, to have been the contributing
factor.
The late Thaddeus S. Kenderdine,
after writing to the Newtown Enterprise
about the content of two copies of the
Newtown Journal that had fallen into his
hands, remarked:
The printing office was a frame building
adjoining the Brick hotel on the north side,
afterward used as a tin and stove store and
since torn down. Palmer McMasters, then a
sturdy lad, propelled the lever press when the
edition was "worked off," and afterward
acted as carrier. The habit of "taking the
paper" was not near as prevalent among our
citizens as now, and Palmer remembers one
of the substantial Newtowners as hurling the
Journal outside his yard as soon as he found
it: he so hated its politics. The subscription
dwindled; it became a two-page paper; the
copies distributed in the town went below a
hundred; in fact, between town and county,
the circulation of the Journal went down so
low it went up, and the borough had no
paper until the Enterprise came.
The Bucks County Intelligencer on
March 21, 1854, reported:
To Our Newtown Subscribers
We have given to Howard Jenks our ac-
counts against those who receive the Intel-
ligencer at Newtown. He will call upon those
in the borough this week; and we hope they
will find it convenient tosettle with him. Those
in the vicinity, and those in the borough who
can, are requested to call at his office, second
story of Paxson's store. We desire that his
collections may be completed as soon as
practicable; and those indebted will confer a
favor by settling with him without unneces-
sary delay.
The next and final move of this press
was "out." Five years later, in 1857,
according to Gen. Davis, the equipment
of Jenks' defunct job office was pur-
chased by the proprietors^ '^''^ of the Bucks
County Intelligencer, and removed to
Doylestown. It is a moot question what
caused the failure of the Newtown Journal,
but in the writer's opinion it was due to
the retirement of the Paxson brothers,
because after they left Newtown, the
downward progress of the paper was so
rapid that in a few years a job office could
not even exist.
104 Enos Prizer and Henry T. Darlington, both graduates of the Village Record, West Chester, the
former being an office-mate of Edward M. Paxson.
328
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
William Bush
In October, 1857, the same year that
the old Journal press was removed to
the County Seat, a new job office was
estabhshed at Newtown, by WilHam
Bush, of Trenton, N. J. His place of
business uas next door to Paxson &
Croasdale's Store, or where Feaster's
jewelry store on State street is now lo-
cated. He d.'stributed some brilliantly
colored cards around town, upon which
he advertised:
PRINTING IN, RED, BLUE, GREEN,
YELLOW. AND GOLD AND SILVER,
IN EVERY STYLE.
Orders by mail attended to immediately;
and work done at City Prices.
All persons are cordially invited to call and
see the Newtown "Model" Job Print-
ing Office.
Mr. Bush did another publicity stunt
by bringing out an advertising sheet
headed Newtown Gazette. It was a small
folio, size of page 9>^xl2 inches, and was
gotten up to look like a newspaper.
Although numbered "Vol. I, No. 1," it
was the only edition ever issued. On
November 3, 1857, the Bucks County
Intelligencer carried the following news
item:
NEW PAPER.— The first number of a
new paper, published at Newtown, in this
county, called the Newtown Gazette, reached
us last week. William Bush is its editor. We
are not able to say whether this journal is to
make its appearance daily, weekly, monthly
or yearly. Success to it.
The new paper, if such it could be
called, appeared only once, so had,
therefore, the unique distinction of being
issued "lifely." As far as the writer
knows, only one copy has been preserved.
?9^^^^2l^^ ^^ ._ ^....^pIx^^^II^
^~" ^-r~-r , ^i^-:>( ~ '.-/^s
Next door to Paxson & Croasdale's Store, \
PRiiVTA^Giii RED, BLUE, GREEii YELLOW, Ai^D
Oi-ciere* "toy- -rmatil «,ttcxxca.e<^ to ixn-rrt ecg.la,te- f g
I^All persons are cordially invited to call and see the New-4^(^^
town "Model" Job Printinor Office.
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
329
the one recently presented to Bucks
County Historical Society, by Mrs. Isaac
T. Vanartsdalen, of Newtown.
The Model Job Printing Office lasted
only about a year, then soon became,
like all the preceding journalistic at-
tempts, simply another financial failure.
Apparently, it was decreed that a printing
press could not be run profitably in New-
town until another decade had passed.
The failure of Mr. Bush now ends the
fascinating story of early journalism in
Newtown prior to the advent of the
Enterprise, — from Siegfried's Star which
twinkled for less than a year to Paxson's
Journal which ran for ten.
In spite of the absence, in most cases,
of actual copies, the chronological history
of all these newspapers has been recorded,
biographical accounts of their printers
have been attempted, and the known
products of their presses arranged sys-
tematically. A study of these dozen and
a half early printers, incomplete as it is,
constitutes the history of the first half
century of journalism in Newtown. All
of their varied efforts to establish a per-
manent business were sincere, but for one
reason or another they all failed.
Son of the founder and second
owner of the Neivtoivn Enterprise.
FOUNDER OF NEWTOWN ENTERPRISE
Born in Buckingham Township, August 11, 1820
Died in Newtown Borough, June 15, 1893
PRESSES AND PRINTERS OF NEWTOWN BEFORE 1868
331
Founding of Newtown Enterprise
It was not until 1868, when Mr. Eleazer
F. Church came to Newtown, that a
really successful paper was instituted.
The Neivtown Enterprise is now enjoying
its sixty-ninth year of justly-earned popu-
larity; the files are complete from the
first issue, and it is much to be hoped
that in the near future some one will
make this dear old newspaper and its
four editors the subject of a special essay
for Bucks County Historical Society.
Concerning the advent of the Enterprise,
the Bucks County Intelligencer on January
28, 1868, recorded:
"Newtown Enterprise." — Eleazer F.
Church, an old resident of Bucks county, has
issued a prosectus for newspaper to be pub-
lished in Newtown under the above title,
to be commenced in the course of a few
weeks. He has rented an office in the new
building of Barclay J. Smith. He says that
the new paper is to be "devoted to the inter-
ests of the lower end of Bucks county, general
and local news, agriculture, &c.," but will not
be a political organ. Mr. Church is an old
printer^ ""^ and has had sufficient experience in
the business to enable him to publish a good
paper. Some twelve or fifteen years ago he
established the Advocate, at Towsontown,
Maryland, and continued to publish it until
after the rebeUion broke out. He then
served for a time as a United States revenue
officer, and subsequently purchased an inter-
est in the Hagerstown Herald. A year or
more ago he again removed to Towsontown
and established a new weekly paper called
the Free Press, which did not prove very
successful in his hands and was sold out to
other parties. During the last few months
he has been keeping a store in Towsontown.
But there is a fascination in the printing busi-
ness to those who have been long engaged in
it, and Mr. C. has accordingly made arrange-
ments for setting himself up again as above
noticed. As to the practicability of the
enterprise there may be different opinions,
but we trust tliat Mr. Churcli may not be
again disappointed.
No details are known about the actual
naming of the several weekly papers
established at Newtown, (the first two
of which wefe organized while the village
was the county seat of Bucks), until the
arrival of the Enterprise. It seems that
certain people interested in the forma-
tion of the new paper, meeting at the home
of Dr. Elias Ely Smith, decided to choose
its name by chance. Each one present
wrote his choice on a slip of paper, and
Dr. Smith's niece, who w'as visiting them
at the time, was asked to draw the winner.
And she pulled out of the hat, NEW-
TOWN ENTERPRISE. Little did that
merry party suspect that this beautiful
young girl was predestined soon to fall
sick, and that the very first issue of the
new enterprise, on Thursday, March 19,
1868, would announce her death:
On the 15th of 3d-mo., of typhoid fever,
Mary C, only daughter of Dr. Benjamin and
Elizabeth E. Smith, aged 20 years and 8
months.
105 In November, 1834, at the age of 14, he "entered upon his duties as a printer's devil" at the office
of the Doylestown Democrat and there served an apprenticeship of four years.
The second and present location of the Newtown Enterprise.
From Hthograph of 1893 by T. M. Fowler, Morrisville, Pa.
Paintings and Other Works of Art
In the Museums of the Bucks County Historical Society
By Dk. h. V. FACKENTHAL, Jr., RIEGELSVILLK, PA.
(Doylestown, Pa., Meeting, May 4, 193.S)
N addition to the priceless collection of tools,
archaeological and antiquarian items contained
in our museums, we have many paintings, engrav-
ings, photographs and broadsides, also a most
valuable reference library with many documents,
old deeds, letters and manuscripts.
Some of the most interesting and valuable of the paintings
hang on the wall of this renovated auditorium. As their history
may not be known to all of you, I desire to invite your attention
to some of them.
Paintings by Edward Hicks
Henry D. Paxson, Jr., Esq.,
in his paper read before this
society in 1922,^ stated that
he had listed twenty paintings
by Edward Hicks, a native
of Bucks County, a coach
painter by trade, and an
itinerant minister among
Friends. That list has been
enlarged to thirty, and no
doubt others will be un-
earthed and added from time
to time.
This society is the fortu-
nate owner of four of these
Edward Hicks paintings, and
we learn that a number of
others may at an early day be presented to us. Of the four owned
by us, the one hanging on the north wall of this room, called
EDWARD HICKS (1780-1849)
1 Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. VI, page 1.
Ol>^Us>^ v^,>^
OVUkI
PAINTINGS AND OTHER WORKS OF ART
335
"The Peaceable Kingdom," illustrating the eleventh chapter of
Isaiah, embracing the animals mentioned therein, was a favorite
subject of Hicks, which he painted many times, and probably no
two exactly alike, either in size or arrangement. The three others
hang on the south wall. Two of them represent "Washington
THE PEACEABLE KINGDOM
Crossing the Delaware," copied after a large canvass, size 146>2
by 207>2 inches, painted by Thomas Sully, now in possession of
the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston. This was also one of
Edward Hicks' favorite subjects which he painted a number
of times. The larger one of our two, size of canvass 32 by
32 inches, a half-tone of which is shown herewith, was
salvaged from the old covered bridge which spanned the
Delaware River at Washington Crossing. There were two of
these paintings on that bridge, one at each end. The bridge was
opened for travel January 1, 1834, and was carried away by the
flood of January 8, 1841,^ but it appears that both paintings were
saved. For years it was thought that both had gone down with
2 Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. VI, page 171.
336
PAINTINGS AND OTHER WORKS OF ART
the bridge, but the one from the Pennsylvania end was discovered
in the loft of a store at Taylorsville, now Washington Crossing,
and was secured for our society by the late Dr. Henry C. Mercer.
It showed evidence of having been roughly handled, with a large
hole which had been punched through the canvass; this was
mended and the painting otherwise restored by Dr. Arthur Edwin
Bve.'
WHh|!!>^
The other copy of Washington Crossing the Delaware, from
the New Jersey end of the bridge, also supposed to have become
lost, turned up several years ago in the art galleries of Macy's
-'' According to an old museum catalogue, prepared by General Davis, he
records that the Hicks painting from the Pennsylvania end of the bridge was
rescued by Huston Thompson, who ran on the bridge and secured it just as
the bridge was tottering ready to fall.
PAINTINGS AND OTHER WORKS OF ART
337
department store in New York City on consignment and priced
at $2,449.
It was later sold, by the owner, William R. Secord, now
deceased, to Robert Fridenberg, art dealer, of 22 West 56th Street,
New York City, in whose possession the painting still is.
We have not been able to get a full history of this New Jersey
copy after the bridge fell, but it appears that it was for
some years hanging in a New Jersey tavern. The illustration
sent out by Macy's shows it to be an exact copy of the one from
the Pennsylvania end, and now in our museum, a half-tone of
which is shown herewith.
Robert W. Carle, of Front and Water Streets, New York City,
a great-grandson of Edward Hicks, is making a collection of
Hicks' paintings, and has kindly sent us photographs of many of
them.
The fourth picture by Edward Hicks, also hanging on the
south wall, represents William Penn's Treaty with the Indians,
under the old Elm tree at Shackamaxon. This subject was copied
from Benjamin West's celebrated picture now hanging in Inde-
338 PAINTINGS AND OTHER WORKS OF ART
pendence Hall at Philadelphia.* This painting is fictitious from
an historical standpoint. It represents men of mature years who
were but children and did not arrive in this country until seven
years after the treaty, if in fact there was such a treaty, which is
disputed by some historians.'^ The three-story buildings shown
in the background did not exist, as the country was then largely
an unbroken wilderness.
Paintings by Thomas Hicks
There are three paintings
by Thomas Hicks (son of
Joseph and Jane (Bond)
Hicks), a native of Newtown,
Bucks County, who at the age
of fifteen years entered the
employ of his father's cousin,
the above mentioned Edward
Hicks, to begin his apprentice-
ship as a coach painter.^ One
of these is that of his own
portrait, painted \v hen a young
man. The other two hang
on the west wall. One is a
portrait of Martin Johnson
Heed, painter to the Emperor
of Brazil. The other is a por- thomas hicks (I823-1890)
trait of Hon. John Jay, not
John Jay, the first Chief-Justice of the United States, but of his
grandson, born in 1817, and appointed Minister to Austria in
1869.
The picture hanging on the west wall, back of this platform, to
the left of the Rescue of the Colors, is perhaps the only relic that
has been preserved of the famous Beek exhibition held in Doyles-
4 In Independence Hall, hanging over the fireplace in the Western room on
the second floor. Size of canvass, 75 by 108 inches wide.
5 The first Treaty with the Indians was negotiated by WiUiam Markham
and concluded July 15, 1682. The second treaty was by William Penn in per-
son and bears date June 23, 1683.
6 Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. IV, page 44. For cut of Shacka-
maxon monument, see Historical Collections of Pennsylvania, by Sherman
Day, page 551.
PAINTINGS AND OTHER WORKS OF ART 339
town in August, 1855. It is a portrait of Hon. George G. Leiper,
then a prominent resident of Delaware County, President of the
exhibition. It was painted by Samuel F. DuBois, a noted artist
of Doylestown.
On the east wall hangs a portrait of Major Joseph Oliver Victor
Senez Archambault, who was on the staff of Napoleon at Water-
loo, and who was one of the 18 persons permitted to accompany
him in his exile to St. Helena.
On October 19, 1817, Major
Archambault left St. Helena,
and on May 5, 1818, arrived in
America. In 1829 he bought
J'.' : ^^HH^L ^^ ^^^^^^B ^^^ Brick Hotel at Newtown
in Bucks County.^ Shortly
thereafter he joined the Union
Troop of Bucks County, of
which he was made lieutenant
and later promoted to captain.
He was succeeded as captain
by Lambert Leshley. The
last captain of that troop was
James S. Mann, grandfather
of our efficient curator, Horace
M. Mann. Captain Mann
MAJOR JOSEPH ARCHAMBAULT . j i ^u .u
was m command when that
troop entered the Civil War, and under whom it took part in the
Battle of Gettysburg. The flag of that troop is in our possession,
and will find a resting place in this auditorium.
On April 1, 1862, Major Archambault enlisted in the Second
Pennsylvania Cavalry of which he was commissioned captain of
Troop A. He was promoted to Major, June 27, 1862. He died
in Philadelphia, July 3, 1874. In the cabinet underneath his por-
trait is the military coat of one of his uniforms.
Paintings by Thomas P. Otter
There are three paintings by Thomas P. Otter, a well-known
artist of Doylestown, whom I remember very well, as doubtless
many of you do. These were all painted at Meridan Hill, Wash-
ington, D. C, where the 104th Regiment went in winter quarters
' Historic Newtown, by Edward R. Barnsley, page 44.
340
PAINTINGS AND OTHER WORKS OF ART
during 1861-62. The painting on the north wall represents
Colonel Davis' brigade, which included in addition to his own
regiment, the 52nd Pennsylvania, the 56th New York and the
11th Maine Regiments. Colonel Davis as ranking colonel was in
command.^
Mr. Otter painted a view of the Nockamixon Palisades, from a
point on the Delaware River at the mouth of Gallows Run. I
had the pleasure of being with him part of the time when he
painted that picture, which is now owned by a family in Kintners-
ville.
CAMP OF THE 104th REGIMENT AT MERIDAN HILL
Mr. Otter was a mild and unassuming man, and knowing him
as we did, the following pleasantry can be appreciated. It was
related to me by a friend who is present with us this afternoon,
who prefaced his yarn with the facetious statement that Mr.
Otter must have been a very profane man ; that on one occasion
while exploring an old gristmill near Spring Valley, he stepped on
a loose board on one of the upper stories, fell through to the ground
below. He gathered himself together, got up, and in slow tones
said, "Oh sugar."
8 History of the 104th Regiment by General Davis, pages 25-30.
PAINTINGS AND OTHER WORKS OF ART
341
Paintings by William L. Lathrop
We are fortunate in having two paintings by William L.
Lathrop of New Hope, the nestor of the Bucks County colony of
artists, which he says are unfinished. They were painted in 1912
for the parade of Doylestown's Old Home Week. They hang on
both sides of the front entrance doors. One is the old hip-roofed
house where Baron Fernoy of General Washington's staff made
his headquarters prior to the Battle of Trenton. The other of the
old chestnut tree, called "Washington Tree," on the Paxson
THK WASHlNCiTOX TRKE
Estate on the north side of the Old York Road, quite near
Coryell's Ferry, now New Hope. Underneath this tree General
Washington met Generals Greene and Alexander, and outlined to
them his plans for the Battle of Trenton. The tree was then
about 33 years old, and when cut down November 28, 1893, at the
age of 150 years, measured 22 feet in circumference.
Painting by Daniel Garber
The beautiful painting hanging above the south fireplace is
from the brush of Daniel Garber. It is a rear view of the so-
called Whittier House, located on what was formerly the Healy
342
PAINTINGS AND OTHER WORKS OF ART
Farm, in Solebury Township, Bucks County. It stands about
one-half mile from the Delaware River, about 350 yards south
of the public road leading from Lumberville to Lahaska. In this
house, now the property of Graham Starr, the Amesbury poet
lived from 1837 to 1840, and there he wrote some of his early
WHITTIER HOUSE IN SOLEBURY TOWNSHIP
poems. That fact gives this old house its historic value, but
aside from its historic significance, we are indeed fortunate in
having this painting by Mr. Garber, that noted Bucks County
artist. He presented it to the Bucks County Historical Society,
9 John G. Whittier was born at Haverhill, Mass., Dec. 17, 1807; while
living in Solebury Township he edited the "Pennsylvania Freeman." He
moved to Amesbury, Mass., in 1840. Died Sept. 7, 1892. He did not marry.
PAINTINGS AND OTHER WORKS OF ART 343
at the Cutaloosa Valley meeting, held near his studio on June 16,
1918. (Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. V, page 151.)
Mr. Garber stated that when he painted this old house he did
not know that the poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, had lived there,
but because it was a study that appealed to him.
Painting by Miss Marion Darst
The portrait hanging over the north fireplace, painted by Miss
Marion Darst, now of Doylestown, a member of our society, who
is present with us this afternoon, is a life-size portrait of General
W. W. H. Davis, a hero of two wars, who founded our society in
1880, and served as its president for 30 years, until removed by
death in 1910 at the age of 90 years (see Frontispiece). ^° All
honor to General Davis for his pioneer work and loyalty to the
history of Bucks County, struggling along as he did, for years
without proper financial support. He was largely instrumental
in securing the grounds on which these buildings stand ;^^ also
in his contact with the Elkins family which furnished the greater
part of the funds for the erection of the building in which we are
now assembled, known as the "Elkins Museum." Underneath
the portrait of General Davis, hang two crossed swords, which he
gallantly carried in his military campaigns. One was presented
to him by the Doylestown Guards, January 30, 1847, on his
departure to the Mexican War.'' The other one was worn by
him in the War of the Rebellion, in which he served throughout
the entire war.'"'
10 General Davis was born July 20, 1820; died December 26, 1910.
11 The property on which these museums stand was purchased at two
different times. The northeast corner, 150 ft. by 200 ft., on April 27, 1^00.
The other part, containing over six acres, on April 1, 1903. See Bucks County
Historical Society, Vol. 1, preface, page 37.
12 The inscription on the Mexican sword is: "Presented to Lieutenant
W. W. H. Davis on his departure for the seat of War, January 30, 1847."
13 Fort Sumter was fired upon and fell on Friday, April 12, 1861. The
news reached Doylestown on the Saturday following. On Monday, the fif-
teenth, Captain Davis called a meeting to reorganize the Doylestown Guards,
and to ask for enlistments. The response was spontaneous, and the quota of
his company was soon filled. Their services were offered to the Governor of
Pennsylvania to serve for three months. On being mustered out August 21,
1861, General Davis was authorized by the Secretary of War, to recruit a
regiment to serve for three years. This resulted in Bucks County's 104th
Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. He served as Colonel and Brevet
Brigadier General until mustered out with his regiment on Saturday, October
1, 1864. A large number of the men under command of Lieut. Col. Hart,
re-enlisted, and served throughout the war, and were finally mustered out
August 25, 1865.
£ fe >,
O p:^ .S
>. -a
II
O m
paintings and other works of art 345
Rescue of the Colors
And finally the "Rescue of the Colors," hanging above this
platform, size of canvass 4 ft. by 7 ft. 6 in., painted by William T.
Trego of North Wales, Montgomery County, portraying an heroic
and thrilling incident in the desperate fight of the 104th Regiment,
Pennsylvania Volunteers, at the Battle of Fair Oaks before Rich-
mond, Virginia, on Saturday, May 31, 1862. That regiment,
under command of General, then Colonel, Davis, part of the
Army of the Potomac, was in the forefront of that battle, within
six miles of Richmond, the nearest point to that capitol of the
Southern Confederacy reached by Union Troops, until Lee's
army capitulated to General Grant at Appomattox three years
later.
This heroic and historic picture was presented to the Bucks
County Historical Society by the late Hon. John Wanamaker,
and unveiled at the courthouse October 21, 1899, where it re-
mained until the Elkins Museum was completed in 1904, when,
by order of the County Commissioners, it, together with the
flags of the 104th Regiment, was removed to this auditorium.
The exercises at the unveiling, presided over by Hon. Joseph
Thomas, M. D., were thrilling and patriotic, and in closing this
paper I must ask to be pardoned for repeating in part the addresses
of General Davis, who graphically described the battle, and the
Hon. John Wanamaker, who presented the painting to our
From the Address of General W. W. H. Davis
General Davis said: "We have come together this afternoon
to emphasize one of the most heroic deeds in the annals of war,
that of rescuing from the grasp of the enemy on the field of battle,
the colors of a regiment.
"Nothing is more highly prized by soldiers than the flags of
their regiments, for they represent their cause and country, and,
to lose them on the field of battle sometimes entails disgrace.
"The occasion today is made more deeply interesting by the
fact that the heroic deed in question, was the deed of Bucks
County's sons, and the regiment which carried them was Bucks
14 Bucks County Historical Society, Vol II, page 576 et seq. For Battle of
Fair Oaks, see Ibid., page 337.
346 PAINTINGS AND OTHER WORKS OF ART
County's regiment, serving in the great war for the preservation
of the Union."
"The 104th Regiment was the first to cross the historic
Chickahominy on the march of the Army of the Potomac to
Richmond, May, 1862. That was on the 21st, and in the next
two days the regiment crossed and recrossed that stream five
times."
"The Battle of Fair Oaks opened about one o'clock on that
hot afternoon of May 31, 1862, and the 104th had the honor of
delivering the first fire, a regimental volley, that sent 400 rifle
balls into the enemy's ranks. This announced to the Army of
the Potomac that the battle was on."
He H= * ^ ^
"The men soon began to fall killed and wounded, and the fire
grew hotter. The line was maintained unusually well and the
men fought like seasoned veterans."
"The men were finally ordered to cease firing and fix bayonets,
which was promptly done, followed by the command — 'Charge
bayonets! forward! double quick! march!', and the regiment
sprang forward with a tremendous yell. In 100 yards it struck a
low worm fence, not seen before; the four right companies,
including the company with the colors, springing over the fence.
The color-bearers stuck their flag-stafl^s in the soft ground and
lay down beside them. It will now be understood that the
regiment was astride of the worm fence, but the line was reformed
as well as it could be, and the battle renewed at close quarters.
The experiment had the desired efl^ect, and the enemy's advance
was checked for the time being."
*****
"At that time the 104th was engaged single-handed with a
superior force. Over two hours had elapsed since the regiment
went into action ; more than one-third of their number had fallen ;
we could hold the ground no longer; the regiment was pushed back
by the superior weight of the enemy. Individual soldiers were
almost near enough to club muskets. There was no running, no
haste made, officers and men retired sullenly. The enemy made a
bold efl'ort to capture our flag and nearly succeeded."
PAINTINGS AND OTHER WORKS OF ART 347
"The flag carried by Sergeant Slack was left sticking in the
ground on the enemy's side of the fence, the sergeant having been
shot through the chest and gone to the rear. Seeing this, an
order was given to those nearest, not to return without the flag.
Several sprang for it, including Major Gries, Sergeant Myers,
Corporal Mitchener and others. Hiram W. Pursell had already
secured his flag, and with it in his hand, jumped over the fence and
seized the other. The enemy sprang for it at the same time, but
Pursell was too quick for them. He seized the flag-staff with his
left hand, holding his own flag in the right, and jumped back over
the fence, this time with both flags, and they were rescued. While
doing this he was hit by two bullets, a third going through his
blouse. ^^ Becoming faint from loss of blood, Pursell handed one
flag to Sergeant Myers, the other to Corporal Mitchener, who
brought them safely off the field. Both Major Gries and Ser-
geant Slack died from their wounds."
^ ^ :^ :^ ^
One-third of the men of the 104th Regiment were killed or
wounded, and moreover there were many other casualties during
the so-called Peninsula Campaign. If this is not heroism, where
in the annals of history will you find it?
One of the flags that was rescued stands in yonder glass case
at the left of the south fireplace, where General Davis placed it.
That flag was presented to the 104th Regiment on October 21,
1861, by the patriotic ladies of Doylestown at a public meeting
where 5,000 were present, one-half of which were ladies. ^''
The photograph of Hiram W. Pursell taken in his mature
years will be hung alongside of the Rescue of the Colors.
From the Presentation Address of
Hon. John Wanamaker
Mr. Wanamaker said : "My part in these proceedings is a very
simple one, and I confess to a feeling of selfishness. When Gen-
eral Davis brought the subscription paper to me with two $25
subscriptions on it, I said to myself: 'The General ought not to
be begging for money for the commemoration of the deeds of
15 Hiram W. Pursell enlisted from Bridgeton Township, Bucks County, as
a corporal in Company G, 104th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. See
History of that regiment by General Davis, page 349. He was born August 1,
1837, died at White Haven, Luzerne County, Pa., May 13, 1918. Buried
Laurel Hill Cemetery, White Haven.
16 History of the 104th Regiment, page 17.
348 PAINTINGS AND OTHER WORKS OF ART
these brave neighbors of ours, and I thought we ought to do the
very best that could be done, and the very least that could be
done was to put these deeds into permanent form.' "
"I thank the people of Bucks County for the opportunity of
presenting this picture. It is intended as a gift of a friend and
neighbor. To the regiment I can only say that it is a gift out of a
loving heart for them." *****
"Who gave the order to recover the colors? I think I can
take him by the hand, you General Davis (grasping him by the
hand). The man who never mentioned his own name today in
the story of the rescue. Wounded though he was, the thing
uppermost in his mind was the preservation of the flag of his
country." *****
"Your men enlisted as Bucks Countians and returned as
Bucks Countians after the war was over, but from the day they
left the boundaries of Pennsylvania, until they passed it again to
be mustered out, they were the soldiers of the United States, and
fought for the flag of the Union. When was that flag ever so
beautiful as it is today?"
"Fellow citizens, comrades, neighbors, if we are true to our-
selves, if we avoid treachery to the principles of government; if
we honestly administer the offices and give obedience to law, the
future of this country is safe. No man should permit party
interest or selfish personal purposes to surmount loyalty to jus-
tice, truth and honor; despite all differences and divisions, living
together under the great arch of uprightness and good citizenship
as flag-revering American citizens, we shall see our country the
pride and joy of the whole earth."
What John Wanamaker said 36 years ago is equally pertinent
in the troublesome times we are now passing through.
General Davis was wounded in his left arm at the battle of
Fair Oaks, but he received a more serious wound at the siege of
Charleston, S. C, on July 6, 1864. He was inspecting the bat-
tery of the enemy with a field glass, his left arm resting against a
tree. A shell fired directly at him exploded near where he stood;
one piece hit his right hand, lacerating it and tearing away the
first three fingers of that hand. Thereafter he wrote with his
left hand. The protection of the tree saved his life.^^
17 History of the 104th Regiment, pages 321-361.
Biographical Notice of Matthias Heaton Hall
Bv DR. B. F. FACKENTHAL, Jr., RIEGELSVILLE, PA.
(Doylestown Meeting, May 4, 1935)
IT is my sad duty to announce the passing of Matthias H. Hall,
which occurred at Penn's Neck, near Princeton, N. J., on
Saturday, April 13, 1935.
He was born in Doylestown Township, Bucks County, April
29, 1844, and was therefore within 15 days of reaching the age
of 91 years.
He was a descendant of Matthew Hall of Birmingham, Eng-
land, who came to America about 1725 and settled in Bucking-
ham Township, Bucks County.
His father, Mahlon Hall, was twice married and the father
of 17 children, of whom Miss Emma Hall is the only survivor.
His mother was Isabelle, nee Robinson.
On November 18, 1874, he married Sarah Wiggins, daughter
of Jesse and Margaret (Hampton) Wiggins of Wrightstown,
whose emigrant ancestor was Benjamin Wiggins. They were
the parents of five children: Miss Frances Hall; Margaret, who
married Beaumont Reed; Hannah, who married Frederick
Craft; Jesse, living in Philadelphia; and Emma, who married
George Bury.
He followed agricultural pursuits and began farming in
Wrightstown Township. Five years later he removed to Upper
Makefield Township, where in 1883 he purchased a farm, on
which he resided until he retired from active business. Over the
later years of his life he lived with his daughter, Mrs. Margaret
Reed, at Penn's Neck. He retained his good health and active
mind down to the day of his death. His body was laid at rest on
Tuesday afternoon, April 16th, in the Friends' burying ground at
Wrightstown Meeting House.
His portrait, taken during the latter days of his life, can be
seen in the frontispiece of this volume.
He was elected to membership in the Bucks County Historical
Society on January 8, 1897, and was one of the most faithful mem-
bers in attending the meetings of the society, in which he took an
active interest. Doctor Mercer, in appreciation of his devotion
350 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF MATTHIAS H. HALL
to our society, on January 15, 1927, when at the age of 83 years,
long after most men retire, nominated him for election as a
director, in which ofifice he served down to the day of his death.
His council and advice were always of benefit in the management
of our society. Even at his advanced age he displayed an active
and liberal mind.
He was specially interested in archaeology and folklore and
contributed the four following papers to our proceedings :
Titles Dates Volumes
Historical Reminiscences of Pineville and Vicinity. . . Jan. 19,1904 III 332
The Path that Led to the Indian Village of Playwickey June 16, 1923 V 497
Notes at Random P>oni My Life's Experience Jan. 15, 1927 VI 82
Contribution to the Memorial Services of Dr. Henry
C. Mercer May 3, 1930 VI 311
The presence of this grand old man, with his cheerful per-
sonality, will be missed from among us, but let us rejoice in his
long and useful life.
Some Memories of George Brown Ellis, Edwin M. Ellis and
William H. Ellis, Early Nineteenth Century Engravers,
of Buckmanville Valley, Bucks County, Pa.
By CHARLES G. ELLIS, Ph. D., GRANDSON OF GEORGE BROWN ELLIS
(Doylcstowii Meeting, May 4, 1935)
IN 1903, the day before my steamer was to sail from Liverpool
for New York, I took train from Chester to Holywell, the town
from which my paternal ancestor emigrated.
I found Holywell a quaint market town of the County of
Flint, of some four thousand inhabitants, pleasantly situated in a
rather steep valley, facing the north and the estuary of the River
Dee. In the upper part of the town is the famous St. Winifred's
Well, which flows from the crypt of an ancient Gothic chapel in
such volume that within two miles it turns the wheels of three or
four mills. The well itself is said to have sprung up where the
blood of St. Winifred, a beautiful Welsh maiden, was shed at the
hands of an ancient prince of Wales, when she gave her life in
defense of her honor. The waters are held to have great curative
value, and the spring was rented from the Episcopalians by the
Romanists for 150 pounds a year. The Episcopalians wor-
shipped in the chapel above. The Romanists brought great
numbers of pilgrims to bathe in the icy waters of the pool below —
at a price. All above the pool in the crypt one sees piled up
crutches, braces, splints, and trusses. Some are new, many old
and rotting, as mute evidences of cures effected.
A beautiful marble statue of St. Winifred ever looks down into
the spring and assures the faithful of her benediction. Between
bathing hours, for tuppence, I bought a small lead image of St.
Winifred, a printed promise of indulgence for many days if one
would pray for the conversion of Wales to the Roman faith, and
was allowed to descend and inspect the spring, the mementoes,
and the large bathing pool adjacent.
Also, for nothing, I peeked out of the leaded w^indows of the
chapel above and saw the twisted, the crooked, and the rheumatic
bathers take their turns in wading into the deep green pool that
was, that August day, little warmer than ice water. Wandering
up above the town, I sat down on a high hill amid the blooming
352 MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS
furze and broom, and wondered how many of my ancestors had
watched the clouds and sunshine and the soft summer showers as
they momentarily changed the distant view of Snowdon. Then,
looking to the north over the quiet little town, and out to sea
where stretched the Sands of Dee, I seemed to hear Sally calling
the cattle home.
From the market town of Holywell, Flintshire, North Wales,
David Ellis and his wife Grace came to Philadelphia in 1795. I
found that the ancestors of the Ellis family suffered from no
inferiority complex, for they traced their descent possibly, but
certainly their name, from the Prophet Elias. I secured also a
copy of the family coat of arms. It shows a crowned angelic
figure bearing a palm branch of victory in his hand and standing
on top of the world.
In an old family Bible was found the following record:
Holywell, Flintshire, North Wales, Great Britain.
Children of David and Grace Ellis.
Jane was born 10 minutes after 12 o'clock Sunday morning,
March 7th, 1790.
Sarah, born 30 minutes after 9 o'clock Wednesday night,
January 11th, 1792.
Jane died Sunday night 9 o'clock June 16th, 1793.
Sarah died Wednesday morning, Feb. 11th, 1793.
John was born 30 minutes after 11 o'clock Thursday, Novem-
ber 12th, 1793.
John died, Sunday noon, July 19th, 1795, at Philadelphia.
Jane born in Philadelphia Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 23rd, 1796.
Grace Ellis, wife of David Ellis and mother of the above chil-
dren, died on Sunday afternoon at 11 o'clock March 11th, 1798.
Was interred in the grave adjoining the two last children, north-
east corner of Pine St. Meeting Burying Ground, Philadelphia.
David married for his second wife Martha Brown, probably a
descendant of George Brown, who, with Mary, his wife, cam.e
from Lancashire, England, in 1679.
Children born to David Ellis by Martha, his wife:
David Robert Ellis, born Tuesday afternoon at 2 o'clock,
March 12, 1799.
George B. Ellis, born ^ after 9 o'clock, Saturday night, April
19, 1801.
MEMORIES OF EARLY 19TH CENTURY ENGRAVERS 353
Edwin M. Ellis, born 30 minutes after 5 o'clock, Friday after-
noon, October 6, 1809.
William H. Ellis, born October — , 1816, died December 17,
1893.
For about forty years the family resided in Philadelphia. As
a result of a yellow fever or cholera epidemic some time in the
1830's, Martha Brown Ellis and her three living sons, George B.,
Edwin M., and William H., determined to make a permanent
home in the country. They spent one summer at Langhorne,
and later moved to the beautiful Buckmanville Valley, a basin
shut in by the Jericho Hills, the Windy Bush, Bowman's Hill,
and the highlands below New Hope — a region whose artistic
values are now recognized by a famous and growing nearby art
colony.
The oldest of the Ellis brothers, George B. Ellis, was already
widely recognized by the world outside the valley for his excep-
tional artistic ability. George had learned the art of steel-
engraving from Francis Kearney in Philadelphia and trained his
brothers in the art. All three were notable illustrators in their
day, but George was ranked as one of the three best of his time in
America. He called himself a Historical Engraver.
About 1837 the family bought three farms near the now almost
deserted village of Buckmanville, the mother buying one and
dwelling there with her son Edwin. William bought what was
afterward the Theodore Briggs farm. William Ellis was a free-
holder in Newtown in 1839. He and his mother lived in the
stone house on lower State Street near Court for one year.
Between her place and William's, George also bought a farm, a
part of the original John Atkinson Tract, and adjoining John L.
Atkinson, whose daughter Amy he married in 1840. Amy
Ellis' ring bears the date 1838, but her marriage took place
April 6, 1840.
George B. Ellis' farm was afterwards ow^ned for many years by
Thomas Briggs, and later was the Pershing fruit farm of Jericho.
George B. Ellis had early established himself and his reputation
as an artist in Philadelphia. When quite a young man, while
working for his instructor, Kearney, a very flattering offer for his
services came from London with much higher compensation
there than he w^as then receiving, but his employer suppressed the
letter, and he only found the matter out when too late to accept.
354 MEMORIES OF EARLY 19TH CENTURY ENGRAVERS
When only 22, we find him illustrating such works as Oliver
Goldsmith's "History of Animated Nature," and at 23 the
"Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott." Having established
himself as an artist and having accumulated sufficient property,
he was able before he was forty years of age to move to the
country, buy a fine farm, and enjoy the old time pleasures of a
country gentleman. Though, as noted by the various writers in
art cyclopedias, his name disappeared from the city directories
in 1838, he maintained a correspondent in the city, and worked at
his art as he saw fit in his country home in the beautiful valley.
Here his children were born: Benjamin Franklin, Winfield
Scott, John Atkinson, Martha Ann who died young, George B.,
and Elizabeth A., now Elizabeth Janney, widow of George
Janney. Here, too, tragedy befell the Ellis family. The head
farmer, Benjamin Leedom, was mowing with one of the
recently invented mowing machines in the meadow by the house
when his horses ran away and threw Leedom into the knives or
cutting bar, which cut ofif a hand and a foot. Mrs. Ellis ran into
the field and when father had pulled the dying man out of the
machine she attempted to staunch the bleeding. Through the
violent endeavor then, and later in setting up a bed when father
broke his leg, my grandmother was so strained that she soon
developed cancer of the breast, from which she died.
Grandfather Ellis never married again, but dfevoted himself to
his children, his home, and his work until his death in 1863. We
may picture this noted artist in the seclusion of his farm home
back in the hills; his large mahogany bookcases filled with beauti-
fully bound volumes, rows of the British poets, editions especially
illustrated with his owm engravings, of Byron, Scott, editions of
Shakespeare, Hume, and Smollett's "History of England," "The
Arabian Nights," Young's "Night Thoughts," Thompson's
"Seasons," "Keepsakes," and other annuals, volumes of Gra-
ham's Magazine, Godey's Lady's Book, dictionaries, encyclo-
pedias, books of philosophy, "The Works of Samuel Johnson,"
and many others gathered during forty years of illustrating books ;
and the walls of his parlors hung with many splendid foreign
engravings. In his atelier, an upstairs room with good light,
were portfolios of engravings of paintings of scenes from Shakes-
peare's plays by the Royal Artists. Here were his drawing
MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS 355
boards and work tables, his steel plates, parallel rulers, pencils,
engraver's tools, lining machine, and his willow charcoal.
His older children had their farm tasks, attended the country
schools in season, had their traps, guns, and entered into the
country life. Johnnie and George, Jr., one night caught a
strange animal in their rabbit trap, and when they carried the
trap into the kitchen for Bridget to see the wee bunny with a
w^hite stripe on its back, and when Bridget cautiously put her
hand in to stroke the bunny, saying, "Be aisy, wee bunny, be
aisy," something happened too dreadful to mention, and one of
the boys who was peeping down Bridget's arm nearly lost the
sight of an eye. "Take it away!" Bridget cried, "Take away
the nasty thing!"
After grandmother died, his little daughter, Lizzie, was taken
into grandfather's room, where he cared for her, and she played
about by the hour. The lonely man spent hours in his room,
engraving, reading, and, when his eyes were too tired for the
magnifying glass and the use of the graver's tool, he amused
himself by copying page after page from the dictionary or color-
ing a portfolio of engravings of Shakespeare's plays. The port-
folio had just been completed and the varnish had not yet dried
when grandfather suddenly died.
One day Frank and Winfield were mowing with scythes when
Frank caught Winfield, and nearly cut through the calf of his
leg. At another time, George nearly cut Lizzie's foot off with a
scythe. At another, Winfield fell from a pole swing upon a
pile of rocks at a picnic ground, and broke the thigh bone in
three places — an injury that shortened one leg more than an
inch. So life with five motherless children moved along on the
farm, until the boys began to leave home. B. Frank was a
mechanical genius, and invented and put into operation ball
bearings, and had his patent application in for months before, by
some legal twist, the patent went to another. Father went to
Newtown to learn the carpenter's trade from G. B. Girton.
For about thirty-five years he was the carpenter at the George
School, and the picture of him in the carpenter's shop, with the
legend, "An Artist in Wood," was a feature of the annual Cata-
logue of the School.
George attended an academy at Kennett Square, Elizabeth,
356 MEMORIES OF EARLY 19TH CENTURY ENGRAVERS
after her father's death, was sent to the Belleview Academy, and
John became a farmer.
George B. ElHs' business card reads:
"George B. ElUs, Historical Engraver, Address Brownsburg,
Bucks Co., Pa. or J. Warr, No. 4 So. Fifth Street, Philadelphia."
We also have an engraving something like a book plate of
today, but probably intended for advertising purposes — an
urn surrounded and partly concealed by shrubbery, bearing upon
an exposed side, the inscription, "G. B. Ellis, Historical En-
graver." He called himself an Historical Engraver presumably
because, as a student of history, he had engraved so many
Shakespearian scenes, so much for Scott's works, and for Hume
and Smollett's "History of England," and so many portraits of
great men.
He was thoroughly read in Shakespeare, and I have heard
said was considered an authority on the costumes and costuming
for historical pageants, and was called in for council whenever
there was any considerable effort at entertainment of that kind.
As a youth, my father was frequently sent to Brownsburg for the
mail and for the papers that came from Philadelphia.
Father kept a boat on the river and rowed over to meet the
mail or paper train. Grandfather had hired men to work his
farm, but he superintended things well, and I have heard father
say that in harvest time he loved to go out in the field, lay aside
his coat, and bind a few sheaves of wheat.
Occasionally, he would take one of his sons and drive to
Philadelphia, by what father used to call the Old York Road.
Grandfather was also interested in gardening, and I remember
in my childhood father had a tin box in which grandfather had
been accustomed to keep his garden seeds. My mother met
George B. Ellis but once, when taken by my father to meet his
father shortly before his death. Her memory is of a portly
gentleman of medium height, carefully dressed, and exceedingly
courteous and kind. He entertained her by showing pictures
of Shakespeare's plays and recounting and quoting the humour-
ous anecdotes and lines illustrated.
While visiting one of my father's cousins, and grandfather's
niece in Chicago, Mrs. Egbert Jamison, she remarked, speaking
of George B. Ellis, "Thy grandfather would never do that."
MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS 357
To my inquiry, "Do what?" she answered, "What thee is doing
— cross his knees in the presence of a lady. Thy grandfather
was in every way a gentleman."
George B. Ellis died suddenly, August 14, 1863. At the time of
his death, he had two sons in the Union armies — one, B. Frank-
lin, in the lines before Charleston, S. C, and Winfield, who had
gone to the front in the Pennsylvania State Troops in the sud-
den need at Gettysburg. The strain was too much for a tired
heart. G. B. Ellis had once secured the exemption of Winfield
from enlistment because of the injured and shortened leg, but
the young man had gone off again when the home State was
invaded. B. J. Smith, one time local financier and promoter of
the Newtown Railroad, immediately upon grandfather's death,
huried to Harrisburg and secured the release of my father
Winfield from the army and brought him home for his father's
funeral.
George B. Ellis had two brothers, Edwin M. and William
H., also engravers, who with their mother lived on an adjoining
farm. Both were good steel engravers, but neither equalled
their brother George in excellence or amount of work accom-
plished.
Edwin remained a bachelor. William married one Ann
Corson and had two sons; Godey Ellis, so named because for
years William was an illustrator of the famous "Godey's Lady's
Book," and George. Both Godey and George followed mer-
cantile pursuits. Godey became a proprietor of factories in
Bristol and Philadelphia.
For some reason never divulged, William and his wife separ-
ated after a few years of married life. Mrs. Ellis returned to
her home in Forestville, and William remained with his mother
and brother on the farm at Buckmanville. For a number of
years, beginning when I was ten or twelve years of age, I an-
nually spent two weeks in the summer-time visiting among my
uncles and great-uncles in Upper Makefield and Buckingham,
making my headquarters with my great-uncle, John L. Atkinson,
of Windy Bush Farm.
As a little boy, I well remember my first visit to the home of
the old engravers, Edwin and William Ellis. I went down
across the fields by Uncle John's fish pond, found a way through
a thicket, and across a swampy brook to Great-grandmother
358 MEMORIES OF EARLY 19TH CENTURY ENGRAVERS
Ellis' farm. The artists had not farmed the place for years,
but had let out the fields on shares or otherwise. The hedges
about the fields extended ten or fifteen feet on either side from
the old fence lines. In one of the hedges, I found a large pear
tree loaded with good-sized yellow natural fruit. Finally, I
reached the house, and introduced myself to my great-uncles.
Uncle Edwin was thin, slender, and sallow, with a long face,
straight dark hair, and dark, humorous eyes. He reminded me
of pictures of Henry Clay. He was dressed in ancient black, a
somewhat worn black brocaded vest, and stiff collar and black
tie, resembling an ancient stock.
Uncle William was of a more sandy complexion with hair
inclined to curl, and partly gray and had blue eyes. He was of a
more rugged build, quick in his motions, and while he also wore
the brocaded vest (they were the first I ever remember seeing),
his costume gave a more modern impression.
It was a delightful place for a boy to visit. These kindly
old men brought out some of those same yellow pears I had
sampled in the hedge, but now cooked in molasses. Uncle
Edwin produced a dish of boiled chestnuts and told me about
pictures and engraving. He said that there were three principal
methods of steel engraving. Line engraving, in which the
engraver, by cutting lines straight or curved lightly or deeply,
formed a picture on a polished steel plate. These steel plates
were polished with charcoal made of willow twigs, because
willow is particularly fine-grained and soft. He said that at
times they made their own charcoal. The picture to be en-
graved was first drawn with a fine lead pencil on a rather stiff
card. Then a copy of this drawing was traced on a stiff trans-
parent paper with a sharp steel point.
Dry red lead or chalk was worked into the lines of the draw-
ing on the transfer paper. This was then placed on the steel
plate, and the paper gently tapped or pressed until a faint out-
line in red was printed. The engraver then with his graving
tool cut the outline of the picture on the plate. The filling-in
and completion of the picture became a process of infinite
patience and consumption of time. Grandfather, at times,
spent from one to three months on one plate.
The background of a picture was always finished first, then
the figures developed, and the faces were finished last. A num-
MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS 359
ber of impressions were taken from time to time to prove the
work as it progressed. In a steel engraving the darker parts of
the picture are cut deepest into the plate, and the lighter por-
tions more faintly cut. This is just the opposite from printing
from type. An impression was taken by flowing the ink on the
plate and then wiping off the excess ink with the palm of the
hand. The paper to receive the picture was dampened and
pressed down until, sinking into the plate, it picked up the ink
in the cuts made by the graver.
I have one of grandfather's beautifully drawn pencil pic-
tures, a number of proofs of pictures in various stages of finish-
ing, and at one time had some of his transparent transfer paper,
w^hich resembled heavy cellophane.
Another method of engraving was the stipple, a picture pro-
duced by covering the plate with a multitude of very fine holes
of varying depths, which produced a stipple effect in the printing.
Stippling was often used in portraiture, and sometimes com-
bined with line engraving. A third mode of engraving was the
mezzotint, when the plates were roughened up by the use of a
curved steel rocker, which had the face cross-hatched with
rough lines. When the rocker was worked backward and
forward across the face of a smooth plate of steel, the surface
became uniformly roughened. Then with a scraper this rough
surface was worked down to produce the picture desired. The
mezzotint made a beautiful, soft-tinted picture, but without
the fineness of detail of a line or stipple engraving, and with the
further disadvantage that only a limited number of prints could
be made.
Uncle Edwin talked to me about English History — the
Plantagenets, the Tudors, the Wars of the Roses, about Crom-
well, and the Pretenders. It was nearly sixty years ago, but I
can si:ill hear his voice as he spoke of the Pretender. They
talked about American History, and my uncles told me that
Gen. Jacob Brown, the hero of Lundy's Lane and Sackett's
Harbor, and General of the United States Armies, was a rela-
tion of our family.
These old gentlemen, although they did no farming, had some
chickens and a cow. They kept their mother's driving mare and
never put harness on her after their mother died. She ran in
the pasture all summer, and was carefully stabled in the winter.
360 MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS
After Uncle Edwin's death, and when I was about fifteen, Uncle
William, unable longer to care for her, gave her to my uncle,
John A. Ellis, of Pineville. The mare w^as thirty-seven years
old, and had not been shod or driven for fourteen years. She
was hollow-backed, stifT-legged, mouse-colored, and her hoofs
turned up in front like Turkish slippers. I had the privilege
of driving her to a horse-rake. She shook her head in protest,
and tried to hit me with her tail — the pathetic protest of an
outraged old lady.
Uncle Edwin had recently gotten some pictures in Phila-
delphia, one a fine print of the painting, "Old Kentucky Home."
He was so excited in getting the pictures that, when he took the
train for home, he sat down in the one going to Lancaster. He
was so surprised when the conductor came for his ticket that he
got out at the first station and left his pictures on the train.
However, the railway people in Philadelphia had them taken
off the train and returned to him.
Late one night, I think it was in 1877 or '78, w^e at our home
in Newtown were waked up by a knocking on our door. To our
surprise, it was Uncle Edwin, then about seventy years of age.
He was nearly tired out. A man of sedentary habits, who rarely
went away from his country home except by stage and railway,
who was never known to go visiting, had caught the fever of the
walking matches that were then very much in vogue, and,
starting out from Buckmanville, had walked to Trenton, and
then to Newtown. He said he had walked twenty-seven miles
that day. It was the first and last time he ever visited our
home. He stayed with us for a couple of days to rest, and we
greatly enjoyed his pleasant humor, as he told of his experiences
on the road.
Uncle William told me of the time when, at fifteen or six-
teen, he and a neighbor youth of Philadelphia decided to run
away and go to sea. For some reason they set out to walk to
New York to take ship rather than to risk it in their own city.
They were walking along a highway on Sunday, when a church
service was dismissed. As it was contrary to the laws of New
Jersey to travel on Sunday in those days, they dropped their
carpet-bags over a fence into a grass field, and sat on the fence
to wait for the church people to pass by.
While they were sitting there, something caused him to look
MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS 361
around, and there was a man coming rapidly across the field
with eyes apparently on their bags. It did not take either of
them long to retrieve their bags, and to hurry away from the
dangerous neighborhood. They reached New York, when my
uncle failed heart about going to sea, and walked back to Phila-
delphia. His companion went to sea, and afterward became an
admiral in the American Navy.
At another time, when Grandmother Ellis had taken her
family to Langhorne because of the yellow fever epidemic. Uncle
William found that they had left his violin behind. Starting
very early one morning, he slipped away and walked in to Phila-
delphia. The streets were barricaded with high board fences,
but he climbed over the barricades until he reached his home,
secured the violin, and walked back to Langhorne in the same
day. Great-grandmother wondered why William was so tired
and stiff the next morning. Although Uncle William and his
wife separated after a few years of married life, and afterwards
lived only five or six miles apart, they never visited one another,
though each had the deepest regard for the other. When their
children came home, it was to alternate visits with mother and
father.
When I visited Uncle William in his old age, he would always
ask, "Have you seen Ann lately? How is she?" When I
visited Aunt Ann a few days later, as I always did, for she was a
delightful old lady, she would ask, "Have you seen William
lately? How is he?"
Thomas or "Tom" Conningmacher was a famous eccentric in
those days of sixty years ago — a free thinker, if not an atheist — a
brilliant mind gone wrong — one of those lean men who do not
sleep well o' nights, for they think too much.
Tom named his driving horse after the Saviour of Men, and
when that horse ran away in the streets of Trenton, Tom's
cries outraged even hardened sinners, and he was arrested and
charged with blasphemy. Tom sometimes stopped with Uncle
William after Uncle Edwin's death, and when I visited him one
time, he said, "I am quite put out with Tom. He has insomnia,
and wanders around at all hours of the night. The other night
I felt something was wrong, and, getting up at about one or
two o'clock, I saw a light in the barn, and going out, thinking
there must be a fire, there was Tom on the barn floor with
362 MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS
about a half bushel of eggs. He had a candle and a bucket of
water, and was testing the eggs one by one to see if they would
float or sink. He couldn't sleep, and with that candle he had
hunted all the hens' nests, ancient and modern, in hay-mow,
shed, or stable. I can't stand him — he is liable to burn me out."
At another time: "Well, Tom got in a pretty fix. While I
was away last week, he came home with a large watermelon,
and, as the well has a windlass and bucket, Tom put the melon
in the bucket, and tried to let it down into the well to cool it.
About half way down, the bucket tipped over, and the melon,
falling down the well, hit a can of cream, and spilled that in the
water. Knowing that the well had to be cleaned, he worked an
hour or so with windlass and bucket, until the water was pretty
well lowered; then he went down by the rope, taking a broom
to sweep down the walls, but he couldn't climb up again. When,
late in the afternoon, I came home and went to the well for a
drink of water, there was Tom down the well, so hoarse from
shouting he could hardly croak, 'For God's sake get a ladder!'
Well, I felt so angry that I went over to the store and sat and
talked for an hour or so before I borrowed a ladder to get him
out."
The last time I visited Uncle William, he had gone out
somewhere. The windows and doors were open. The house
invited, so I went in. There were the old familiar pictures on
the wall, the old books scattered about, but in the deep stone
window-sill what I had never noticed before, an open and well-
thumbed Bible.
When uncle came in, we had one of those old-time talks.
Afterwards, he could not let me go, but walked back across the
fields to Uncle John L. Atkinson's, where he had supper with
the family, and praised Aunt Margaret's molasses cookies, "so
much nicer than he could get from the baker-wagon from New
Hope." But after he had gone,. Aunt Margaret said, "Poor
old man, he didn't know I got my cookies from the same baker
he did." And I wondered, was Aunt Margaret right, or was
there a twinkle in the courteous old gentleman's eye as he
praised his hostess' generous meal? Those three brothers,
artists, and gentlemen of the old school, have now slept nearly
three-quarters of a century by the side of the mother they loved,
beneath the sod hard by the Wrightstown Meeting House, their
MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS 363
resting places marked only by the lowly, inconspicuous marbles
familiar to that quiet spot.
Bucks County historians have made no reference to these
Bucks County artists, yet so well known were they elsewhere,
that no worthwhile history of American art, or artists, can be
written without reference to one or all of them.
In the libraries of New York and Albany, I find the following
references to the Ellis Brothers, engravers. In the "American
Engravers on Copper and Steel," Volume I, by Stauffer, pub-
lished by the Grolier Club, in 1907:
"Ellis, G. B. In 1821, Ellis was a pupil of the Philadelphia
engraver, Francis Kearney, and in 1825-37, he was in business
for himself in the same city. His name disappears from the
Philadelphia directories in 1838. George B. Ellis first attracted
attention as an engraver by his excellent copies of English
engravings made by him for an edition of Ivanhoe. He pro-
duced some very good portraits, but his best work is found in
his small annual plates."
"The Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors, and En-
gravers," by Mantle Fielding, 700 copies, printed for the sub-
scribers, in Philadelphia, 1926, contains a similar article to that
in Stauffer's History.
The "Dictionnaire Critique et Documentaire des Peintres,
Sculpteurs, Bessinateurs, et Graveurs, de Tous les Temps et
de Tous les Pays," Paris, 1913:
"Ellis, G. B. Graveur au burin, au XIX siecle. Cite au
Nagler. (Ec. Am.)"
"Ellis, Edwin M. This engraver of portraits worked both
in stipple and in line, was in business in Philadelphia in 1844."—
Stauffer's History.
"W. H. Ellis was a good line engraver of landscapes and
book illustrations. His work appears in Philadelphia publica-
tions in 1845-1847." — Stauffer's History.
Genealogy of the David Ellis Family
David and Grace Ellis, of Holywell, Flintshire, North Wales,
had the following children born to them in Europe:
I. Jane, born March 7, 1790; died June 16, 1793.
364 MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS
II. Sarah, born January 11, 1792; died February 14, 1793.
III. John, born November 12, 1793; died July 19, 1795,
at Philadelphia.
David Ellis, who immigrated to the U. S. A. in 1795 and
settled in Philadelphia, was reputedly lost at sea in 1821.
Grace, his wife, who came with him, died March 11, 1798,
and was buried with her last two children in the northeast corner
of the Pine Street Meeting Burying Ground, Philadelphia.
IV. Jane, born Philadelphia, February 23, 1796; died
young.
David married second Martha Brown, reported a descendant
of George Brown, who came with Mary, his wife, from Lan-
cashire in 1679. Born, August 8, 1780; died January 1, 1866.
I. David Robert, born March 12, 1799; died .
II. George Brown, born September 19, 1801; died
August 14, 1863.
III. Edwin M., born October 6, 1809; died July 6, 1882.
IV. William H., born October, 1816; died December 17,
1893.
George Brown (II) married Amy Arkinson, daughter of John
and Elizabeth Harding Atkinson, of Buckmanville, Pa., April
6, 1840. Born, October 13, 1816; died, February 17, 1858.
A. Benjamin Franklin, born July 10, 1841 ; died January,
1926.
B. Winfield Scott, born June 9, 1842.
C. Martha Ann, born August 24, 1846; died January 7,
1849. Died young.
D. John Atkinson, born April 25, 1848; died September
27, 1932.
E. George Brown, born November 2, 1849; died April 14,
1914.
F. Elizabeth Atkinson, born April 10, 1852.
Benjamin Franklin (A) married Mary M. Carver, daughter
of Amos Carver, of near Pineville, Bucks County, November 10,
1864.
MEMORIES OF EARLY 19X11 CENTURY ENGRAVERS 365
He married second Julia Garner. There were no children.
Winfield Scott Ellis (B) married Franceanna, daughter of
James and Mary Martindell Girton, December 22, 1864, at
Philadelphia. She was born October 9, 1843.
1. Charles George, born September 23, 1865.
2. Amy Rebecca, born September 19, 1867; died Septem-
ber 5, 1870.
3. B. Franklin, born January 19, 1873; died May 31, 1885.
4. William John, born January 18, 1879.
Charles George Ellis (1) married Mary Lewis, daughter of
John and Fanny Jane O'Connor Grant, October 11, 1894, at
Margaretville, N. Y. She was born October 11, 1867, at Mar-
garetville.
a. Charles Grant, born October 12, 1908; married Gret-
chen Hart, daughter of Christopher and Anne Dodd
Hart Snyder, of Kingston, N. Y., at Kingston, Sep-
tember 30, 1931.
John Atkinson Ellis (D) married Hannah, daughter of Joshua
and Sarah Corson, November 30, 1868; born July 25, 1851 ; died,
October 6, 1917.
1. Carrie C, born November 19, 1869; died March 26,
1914.
2. Edwin M., born July 7, 1874.
3. Mabel A., born April 15, 1878.
4. E. Bertha, born March 8, 1880.
5. J. Atkinson, born May 19, 1885.
6. J. Corson, born April 22, 1890.
7. Winfield Roy, born February 5, 1892.
Carrie C. Ellis (1) married James R. Cooper, November 19,
1891. He was born May 3, 1867.
Edwin M. Ellis (2) married Mary Gledhill, August 9, 1902.
She w^as born November 8, 1880.
Mabel A. Ellis (3) married Russell Cadwallader, April, 1904.
He was born September 30, â– -.
366 MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS
a. John E., born March 19, 1907, married Helen Mac-
Donald in 1925. She died in 1926, leaving a child,
Dorothy.
He married second Sue Burns. Their children are
John E. and Gene Russell.
b. Edwin, born January 19, 1910.
c. Elmina, born July 20, 1912.
d. Horace, born February 17, 1914.
E. Bertha Ellis (4) married Albert T. Worthington, October
6, 1896. He was born August 18, 1875.
a. Reina A., born April 20, 1898, married Lewis Van Pelt,
October 6, 1920.
Their children are Albert Worthington, born June 30,
1921; Allen Lewis, born June 30, 1921; E. Kenneth,
born December 2, 1930.
J. Atkinson Ellis (5) married Rebecca Van Horn, March 3,
1909. She was born May 26, 1885.
a. Lavinia M., born December 26, 1911.
b. Walter H., born December 9, 1916.
J. Corson (6) married Beatrice Stark, September 9, 1913.
a. E. Ruth, born July 23, 1915.
b. Elizabeth Corson, born January 3, 1918.
W'infield Roy (7) married Ida M. Krewson, September 16,
1916.
a. John Howard, born October 31, 1917.
b. W. Roy, born July 24, 1919.
c. Helen M., born November 4, 1921.
d. Raymond L., born June 26, 1926.
George B. Ellis (E) married Lucy Hollahan, August 12, 1870.
1. Frederick, removed to Texas.
Elizabeth Atkinson Ellis (F) married George Janney, March
6, 1873. He was born September 23, 1842. Died, April 20, 1927.
MEMORIES OF EARLY 19X11 CENTURY ENGRAVERS 367
1. Ethel, born June 28, 1874.
2. Gillam, born April 30, 1882.
3. Marguerite, born December 27, 1896.
Ethel Janney (1) married Wharton Hirst, son of Joseph and
Abigail Wharton Hirst. He was born July 8, 1862.
a. Wharton, born October 5, 1913.
Gillam Janney (2) married Freda Heintzman, May 7, 1902.
a. Mildred, born November 2, 1903; married Fred
Hodecker.
Marguerite Janney (3) married Robert, son of Robert and
Mercy Hirst Clark, December 24, 1917. He was born Novem-
ber 5, 1886.
a. Robert, born March 18, 1920.
b. Ethel Ester, born March 29, 1926.
William H. Ellis (IV) married Ann M. Corson of Forest
Grove, 1833; died January 4, 1894.
A. George Washington, born February 22, 1839.
B. William Godey, born October 10, 1844.
William Godey Ellis (B) married Annie M. Slack, May 26,
1864.
1. George Edwin, born May 14, 1865.
2. Enola E., born November 20, 1876.
George Edwin Ellis (1) married Nettie Hill, May 1, 1889.
a. George E. Ellis, Jr., born July 7, 1890.
Enola E. Ellis (2) married Philip R. Schuyler, 2nd â–
Johnson, November 15, 1893.
George Washington Ellis (A) married Annie Senior, March
30, 1864; died October 12, 1889.
1. Thomas White, born ; d.
G. W. Ellis (A) married second Anna Helen Watson, Decem-
ber 26, 1891.
1. William Godey, Jr., born August 17, 1895.
368 MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS
Partial List of the Engravings of William H. Ellis
"The Ariel" magazine, Phila., Vol. V, No. 8, facing p. 119, 1831:
1. The Mother's Grave; Love and Duty (two different subjects on one
plate).
Diploma of the Bucks County Agricultural Society, 1846. This engrav-
ing was authorized at a meeting of the Society in 1846 and S40 was appro-
priated for it. A copy owned by Charles G. Ellis, Margaretville, N. Y., was
awarded to Andrew Watkins, of Newtown, on October 2, 1849.
Illustration for the "Violet," pub. Phila., 1839.
Godey's Lady's Book, Phila. :
1844:
1. The Rebuke. Rect. fr. 43^ by 5 7-8 in. Ins., "Painted by Emile
Signol. Engraved by W. H. Ellis. Engraved Expressly for Gcdey's
Lady's Book."
2. Not Invited. Rect. fr. 5 1-8 by 6 1-8 in. Ins., "Engraved Expressly
for Godey's Lady's Book by VV. H. Ellis."
3. The Teacher. Rect. 4J4 by 5>^ in. Ins., "Engraved Expressly for
Godey's Lady's Book by W. H. Ellis."
May, 1845, facing p. 192:
The Recruit. With a View of the Encampment at Monmouth, N. J-
1777. Engraved by W. H. Ellis from an original picture for Godey's
Lady's Book.
October, 1845, facing p. 133:
1. "Behold the Place Where They Laid Him." Engraved by W. H.
Ellis expressly for Godey's Lady's Book.
April, 1846, facing p. 145:
1. Washington's First Interview with Mrs. Custis. Drawn by F. O. C.
Darley and Engraved by W. H. Ellis for Godey's Lady's Book.
October, 1846:
1. Christ Weeping Over Jerusalem. Engraved by W. H. Ellis for Godey's
Lady's Book.
The following article appeared in the Doylestown Democrat and Bucks
County Gazette of April 8, 1846:
GODEY'S LADY'S BOOK
Through the politeness of Mr. William H. Ellis, we have received a copy
of Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book, for April, which among the embellish-
ments contains a most admirably executed engraving of "Washington's First
Interview with Mrs. Custis," executed on copper plate by the hands of the
368 MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS
Partial List of the Engravings of William H. Ellis
"The Ariel" magazine, Phila., Vol. V, No. 8, facing p. 119, 1831:
1. The Mother's Grave; Love and Duty (two different subjects on one
plate).
Diploma of the Bucks County Agricultural Society, 1846. This engrav-
ing was authorized at a meeting of the Society in 1846 and $40 was appro-
priated for it. A copy owned by Charles G. Ellis, Margaretville, N. Y., was
awarded to Andrew Watkins, of Newtown, on October 2, 1849.
Illustration for the "Violet," pub. Phila., 1839.
Godey's Lady's Book, Phila.:
1844:
1. The Rebuke. Rect. fr. 43/4 by 5 7-8 in. Ins., "Painted by Emile
Signol. Engraved by W. H. Ellis. Engraved Expressly for Gcdey's
Lady's Book."
2. Not Invited. Rect. fr. 5 1-8 by 6 1-8 in. Ins., "Engraved Expressly
for Godey's Lady's Book by W. H. Ellis."
3. The Teacher. Rect. 4>^ by 5>4 in. Ins., "Engraved Expressly for
Godey's Lady's Book by W. H. Ellis."
May, 1845, facing p. 192:
The Recruit. With a View of the Encampment at Monmouth, N. J-
1777. Engraved by W. H. Ellis from an original picture for Godey's
Lady's Book.
October, 1845, facing p. 133:
1. "Behold the Place Where They Laid Him." Engraved by W. H.
Ellis expressly for Godey's Lady's Book.
April, 1846, facing p. 145:
1. Washington's First Interview with Mrs. Custis. Drawn by F. O. C.
Darley and Engraved by W. H. Ellis for Godey's Lady's Book.
October, 1846:
1. Christ Weeping Over Jerusalem. Engraved by W. H. Ellis for Godey's
Lady's Book.
The following article appeared in the Doylestown Democrat and Bucks
County Gazette of April 8, 1846:
GODEY'S LADY'S BOOK
Through the politeness of Mr. William H. Ellis, we have received a copy
of Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book, for April, which among the embellish-
ments contains a most admirably executed engraving of "Washington's First
Interview with Mrs. Custis," executed on copper plate by the hands of the
xb;?
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MEMORIES OF EARLY 19TH CENTURY ENGRAVERS 369
gentleman who presented us with a copy of the work in question. After the
Artist had succeeded in obtaining a specimen of the engraving, he forwarded a
proof to George Washington Parice Custis, Esq., who is a grand-son of Mrs.
Custis, and from whom he received the following in reply:
Abington House, March 1, 1846.
Near Alexandria, D. C.
My Dear Sir, — I have received your most kind letter, enclosing a
spirited sketch of the "First Interview between Washington and
respected and excellent grand-parent, in 1759, for which I pray you to
accept my thanks.
Permit me to observe (being an humble painter myself,) that you
should have given more life and character to Bishop, the celebrated
body servant, first of Braddock, and then of Washington, who was a
guard servant of Braddock's Regiment, and the confidential servant
and friend of that brave but rash commander. Bishop's tall gaunt
and veteran figure, holding the superb English charger, Ijequeathed
by Braddock to Colonel Washington on the memorable field of the
Monongahela, would form a great embellishment to the sketches —
Bishop in the stiff laced costume, with the cocked hat of the olden
times.
There are various other scenes from "the recollection" that would
form very interesting subjects for the pencil and burin, and as every
thing relating to the Paten Patrica, more especially of the olden
times, becomes more and more interesting to the Americans and the
world. Mr. Godey would, I am sure, gratify his subscribers, by giving
some sketches in your usually and spirited manner.
Permit me to suggest to Mr. Darby and yourself a subject that
would make a most capital picture and engraving, viz: "The Marks-
man on the Milk White Steed," from a Pilgrim's Progress, among the
Relics of the Revolution, published in the National Intelligencer, of
February 23d.
Wishing you every success in your artistical Recollections of \^'ash-
ington.
I remain your brother artist, and ob't servant,
Geo. W. p. Cvstis.
Wm. Har\ev PZllis.
S. J. Paxson, Esq , — Dear Sir — The aho\e is a copy of a letter from
George Washington Parke Custis. As Mr. Custis is the only remain-
ing one of the W^ashington family, I thought it might be interesting to
your readers.
Truly yours,
Wm. Harvey Ellis.
\\
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f>
EXAMPLE OF EDWIN M. ELLIS' ENGRAVING
MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS 371
Examples of the Engravings of Edwin M. Ellis
1. Virgil's Tomb, published November 12, 1831, facing page 225 of "The
Ariel" magazine, Vol. V, No. 15.
2. Pledge to the Total Abstinence Society. Copy owned l)y C. G. Ellis,
Margaretville, N. Y.
3. Samuel Johnson, published 1844, frontispiece to "The Triple Wreath,"
Newtown, 1844; also facing page 29 of A. J. Paxson's "Memoirs of the John-
son Family," published by Lippincott, 1885.
A Partial List of Engravings by George B. Ellis
Stauffer, in his Check List from "American Engravers on Copper and
Steel," Vol. 2, gives the following selected list of portrait engravings by George
B. Ellis, with descriptions:
Joseph Addison. Stip. rect. Frame. Half length; Face K left; 3.13 by 3
in. Painted by Sir G. Kneller; Engraved by G. B. Ellis; appears in "Addi-
son," published by J. Crosby, 1832.
1. As described.
2. Publication line erased.
Junius Brutus Booth. Line; half length in costume; face '4 left; 3.9 by 3 in.;
ins., "Mr. Booth (as Brutus); engraved by G. B. Ellis from a painting
by J. Neagle;" Lopez and Weyman's Edition.
Robert Burns. Stip.; rect.; ornamented; half length; face ^^ left; ins., "A.
Nasmyth pinx. Engraved by G. B. Ellis. Philadelphia (Robert Burns)
Philadelphia. Pulilished by McCarty and Davis, 1832."
Lord Byron. Line; rect.; bust, head to left; 2.13 by 2 in.; ins., "Theo. Phillips
R. A. Pinxt. G. B. Ellis Sculpt. Lord Byron."
Lord Byron. Line; full length, face -^4 left; ins., "Painted by G. Sanders.
Engraved by G. B. Ellis. Lord Byron in Early Youth."
1. As described.
2. Added, "Published by L. A. Gcdey and Co. for the Lady's Book.
Phila., Sept., 1853."
Benjamin Franklin. Line; rect.; half length, seated at a table; face ^4 left;
4 by 3.3 in.; ins., "Painted by Martin. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
Oliver Goldsmith. Stip.; vign.; full bust, face nearly profile left; 1.11 by
1.11 in.; ins., "A History cf the Earth and Animated Nature (Vignette)
Engraved by G. B. Ellis. Oliver Goldemith. Philadelphia. Pub. by
Edward Poole, 1823."
Richard Henry Lee. Stip.; oval in rect. frame; full bust; face K left; 3,6
by 2.14 in.; ins , "Engraved by G. B. Ellis. Richard Henry Lee."
Thomas Moore. Line; rect.; full bust in cloud; face K left; 4 by 3.6 in.; ins.,
"Painted by F. Sieurac. Engraved on steel by G. B. Ellis. Thomas
Moore."
David Simpson. Stip.; rect.; ornad.; full bust in robes; front face; 4.8 by
3.14 in.; ins., "Engraved by G. B. Ellis. The Revd. David Simpson, M. A.
Published by McCarty and Downs."
372 MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS
Thomas Stone. Line; rect.; half length; nearly profile left; 3.15 by 3.5 in.;
ins., "Thomas Stone. Drawn by J. B. Longacre from a painting by Pine.
Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
1. As described.
2. Name in Autograph.
William Wood. Line; rect.; full bust in costume; face ^ left; 3.9 by 2.15 in.;
ins., "Mr. Wood/^'as Stephen Foster. Engraved by G. B. Ellis from a
painting by J. Nagle. Lopez and Weyman's Edition. Pub. by A. R.
Poole, Phila., 1827. Copyright."
Charles Rollin. Stip.; broad rect. frame; nearly half length; face ^ left;
4.3 by 3.5 in.; ins., "Engraved on steel by G. B. Ellis. Charles Rollin,
born 1661, died 1741."
Connecticut River. Line; rect.; 2.14 by 4.2 in.; ins., "Painted by A. Fisher.
Engraved by G. B. Ellis. Scenery on Connecticut River. See page 424."
Juniata River. Line; rect.; 2.10 by 4.2 in.; ins., "Thomas Doughty pinxt.
Engraved by G. B. Ellis. Banks of the Juniata River."
Weehawken. Line; rect.; 2.13 by 4.2 in.; ins., "Drawn by J. Neilson. En-
graved by G. B. Ellis. Weehawken.
Engravings of G. B. Ellis from Other Sources
From "The Polyglott New Testament," published in Philadelphia by
Thomas Cowperthwait & Co. :
1. Title Page— Altar to the "Unknown God" (Acts 17: 23), Vignette.
2. "The Repose in Egypt." Rect. frame; 2 3-8 by 2 7-8 in.
From "The Polyglott Bible, English Version," Phila., 1831, Pub. by Key
& Mielke:
1. Frontispiece, "Cain and Abel Sacrificing." Vignette.
2. "The Destruction of Pharaoh's Host." Rect. frame; 2 3-8 by 2 7-8."
From "Proper Lessons to the Book of Common Prayer," Pub. by Thos. T.
Ash & Co., Phila., 1836:
1. Title Page, "Christ, The Bread and The Cup." Rect. frame, l>i
by 1^ in.
2. Frontispiece, "Christ Stilling the Sea." Rect. frame, 1>2 by 2 in.
From "The Book of Common Prayer," Pub. by Thos. T. Ash & Co.,
Phila., 1836:
1. Title Page — Mother and Child Praying. Rect. frame, 1 ,1^ by 134 in.
2. Frontis.iece, Christ and Cup in the Garden. Rect. frame, 1^ by
2 in.
From "Psalms and Hymns":
1. Title Page, Angels Singing. "Let every creature praise." Vignette.
2. David and Harp. "Sing to the harp." Rect. frame, 1>^ by 2 in.
3. Administering the Sacrament, "This in Remembrance of Me."
Rect. frame, ly^ by 2 in,
Memories of early 19th century engravers 373
From 'Young Ladies' Sunday Book," Key and Riddle, Phila., 1833:
1. Sunday Evening. Vignette.
2. Meditation. Rect. frame, 2 1-8 by l^i in.
From "Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott," Pub. by R. W. Pomeroy,
Phila., 1824, seven volumes, containing seven illustrations:
1. The Lay of the Last Minstrel. Rect. frame 2 1-3 by 3 in. Ins.,
"Painted by R. Smirke, R. A. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
2. Marmion. Rect. frame 2 1-3 by 2 7-8 in. Ins., "Painted by R.
Smirke, R. A. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
3. Lord of the Isles. Rect. frame 2}4 by 3 in. Ins., "Painted by R.
Smirke, R. A. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
4. Rokeby. Rect. frame 2 34" by 3 in. Ins., "Painted by R. Smirke,
R. A. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
5. The Lady of the Lake. Rect. frame 2>^ by 3 1-8 in. Ins., "Painted
by R. Smirke, R. A. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
6. Harold the Dauntless. Rect. frame 2 '/< by 2 7-8 in. Ins., "Painted
by R. Smirke, R. A. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
7. Bridal of Thiermain. Rect. frame 2>^ by 3 in. Ins., "Painted by
R. Smirke, R. A. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
From "Scott's Arabian Nights Entertainments," in 6 vol., pub., Phila.,
by R. W. Pomeroy, in 1826: Vols. 1 and 5 contain two pictures each, engraved
by G. B. Ellis. One is framed, 2>^ by 2^ in.; the other a vignette, 3 by lyi
in. Vol. 6 contains one with rect. frame 2^ by l^/i in. Ins., "Paintings by
R. Smirke, R. A., and R. Westall, R. A."
From "The American Chesterfield," pub. by John Grigg, Phila., 1826:
1. Frontispiece, a young woman reading. Rect. frame, IK by 2i^
in. Ins., "H. Howard, R. A. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
2. Title Page, The Three Graces. Vignette. "Engraved by G. B.
Ellis."
From "The Atlantic Souvenir," pub. by Carey and Lea, Phila., 1831:
1. The Shipwrecked Family. Rect. frame, 2 15-16 by 4>^ in. Painted
by John Burnett. Engraved by G. B. Ellis.
2. The Minstrel. Painted by C. R. Leslie. Engraved by G. B. Ellis.
3. Los Musicos. Rect. frame, 2}i by 3|< in. Painted by Watteau.
Engraved by G. B. Ellis.
4. Shipwreck off Fort Rouge, Calais. Engraved by G. B. Ellis.
Of "Graham's Magazine" see Vol. 1847, 1848, 1849, for such engravings
as the following:
1. The Departure. Rect. frame 4 3-8 by 6 in. Drawn by G. B. Ellis
with changes from H. Courbold. Engraved by G. B. Ellis.
2. The Troubadour. Rect. frame 4 3-8 by 6 in. Engraved by G. B.
EUis.
374 MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS
3. The Supplication. Engraved by G. B. Ellis.
4. The Young Astronomer. Engraved by G. B. Ellis.
5. Walking in Light. Rect. frame 4^4 by 6 1-8 in. Drawn with
changes by G. B. Ellis from "Walking in Beauty," drawn by H.
Richter. Engraved by G. B. Ellis.
6. Vengeance Frustrated. Rect. frame 4y2 by 6 1-8 in. Engraved
by G. B. Ellis.
7. A Game of Draughts. Rect. frame 4^2 by 6 1-8 in. Engraved by
G. B. Ellis from "A Scene in DeMouille Park" by Richter.
8. The Lost Pet. Vignette 414 by 6 in. Engraved for Graham's by
G. B. Ellis.
9. The Three Graces. Rect. frame 4 5-8 by 6 1-8 in. Engraved by
G. B. Ellis.
From "A History of England" by David Hume, pub. by T. Smollett and
J. R. Miller, in four volumes, Phila., 1832; pub. prev. by McCarty and Davis:
Title Page, Vol. 1, Richard Leaving Cyprus. Rect. framed in a
"Gothic" archway. 4 3-16 by 6K '"• Ins., "Painted by Tresham.
Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
Title Page, Vol. 2, O. Cromwell Subduing a Mutiny in the Army.
Rect. framed in a "G." a. 4 3-16 by 6^4 in. Ins., "Painted by
Smirke. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
Title Page, Vol. 3, The Death of General Wolfe. Ins., "Painted by
B. West. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
Title Page, Vol. 4, The Death of Nelson. Rect. frame in "Gothic"
archway. 4 3-16 by 6,34 in. Ins., "Painted by B. West. En-
graved by G. B. Ellis."
Portraits of five British kings, Henry V, Henry IV, Henry VI, Edward IV,
Richard II. On oval medallions with background monumental. Vignette.
6 by 4J4 in.
Portraits of British rulers, James I, James II, Charles I, Charles II, William
and Mary. Heads on oval medallions, background monumental and rustic.
Vignette. 4,3/4^ by 6^i. Ins., "Engraved by G. B. Ellis from design by R.
Smirke."
Mary Queen of Scots. Vignette. 5 by 6 '/4 in. Bust on medallion, alle-
gorical; verdure; monument; women weeping at foot of monument; cupid and
quiver. Ins., "Painted by Bromley. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
Cromwell. Vignette. 6^< by 4>^2 in. Bust on medallion, allegorical.
Lightning in clouds; verdure; rock; tiger recumbent with paw on spear. Ins.,
"Painted by R. Smirke, R. A. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
Frontispiece and other illustrations in "Life of Benjamin Franklin," pub.
by McCarty & Davis, Phila.
Frontispiece and Title Page to "Young Man's Own Book," pub. at Phila.
in 1832. Two full page engravings facing each other.
Title Page to "The Odyssey."
Title Page to "Campbell's Poems," pub. Phila.
"James Hervey, M. D." From "Hervey's Meditations," pub. at Phila.
MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS 375
"American Natural History," by J. D. Godman, M. D., pub. at Phila.
Vol. I, pub. 1826, five plates:
1. (facing p. 81) Short Tail Shrew; Small Shrew; Shrew Mole.
2. (facing p. 176) Raccoon; American Badger.
3. (facing p. 212) Skunk; Ermine; Mink.
4. (facing p. 265) Red Fox; Barking Wolf.
5. (facing p. 268) Black Wolf; Arctic Fox.
Vol. II, pub. 1826, eight plates:
6. (facing p. 21) Beaver; Muskrat.
7. (facing p. 93) American Gerbillus.
8. (facing p. 114) Hood's Marmot; Louisianna Marmot.
9. (facing p. 143) Flying Squirrel; Great-tailed Squirrel; Ground
Squirrel.
10. (facing p. 149) Maryland Marmot; American Porcupine.
11. (facing p. 204) Great Mastodon.
12. (facing p. 294) Two Elk.
13. (facing p. 321) Mountain Goat; Prong Horn Antelope.
Vol. HI, pub. 1828, one plate:
14. (facing p. 29) Musk Ox.
(Note: The 1831 edition contains these plates in a slightly different order,
and, of course, on different pages.)
"Shakespeare's Works," in 8 volumes, pub. in Phila., 1823, by Carey &
Lea and McCarty & Davis:
Vol. I, Title Page. Vignette, ill. from "Tempest." Ins., "T. Uwins del.
G. B. Ellis sc."
111. from "Tempest." "But I Prattle." Rect. frame 2 3-16 by 3>^ in.
Ins., "T. Uwins del. G. B. Ellis sc."
Vol. VI, Title Page. Vignette, Timon of Athens, Act 4, Sc. 3.
Ins., "T. Uwins del. G. B. Ellis sc."
111. from "Timon of Athens," "A Health, Gentlemen."
Rect. fr. 2J<by 3>$ in. Ins., "T. Uwins del. G. B. Ellis sc."
Vol. VII, Title Page. "No, No I Will Not Rob Tellus of Her Weed."
Pericles, Act 4.3.1. Vignette.
Ins., "T. Uwins del. G. B. Ellis sc."
"I Thought He Slept." Cymbeline, Act 4.82.
Ins., "T. Uwins del. G. B. Ellis, sc."
"Thompson's Seasons," pub. in Phila., 1846:
1. "Breathe your still song into the reaper's breast."
Rect. frame 1 7-8 by 2 3-8 in. Ins., "R. Westall, R. A., del. En-
graved by G. B. Ellis."
376 MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS
2. Four plates, "Spring," "Summer," "Autumn," "Winter," each
rect. frame 1 7-8 by 2 3-8 in. Ins. of each, "R. Westall, R. A., del.
Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
"The Gem," pub. by E. Kearney, N. Y., 1848:
"The Brothers," also entitled "Rural Amusements," as pub. by Gray
and Bowen. Rect. 3 by 4 in. Ins., 'Painted by T. Lawrence, P.
R. A. Engraved by G. B. Ellis. Printed by Rogers."
"The Literary Souvenir," Phila., 1836:
1. "Soliciting a Vote" (Canvassing). Rect. 3 by 4 in. Ins., "Painted
by R. W. Buss. Engraved by G. B. Ellis. Printed by Stevens."
2. "The Astonished Painter," or "Time and Tide Wait for No Man."
Rect. 2^ by 3^ in. Ins., "Painted by R. W. Buss. Engraved by
G. B. EUis."
"The Token and Atlantic Souvenir," Boston, 1834:
1. "The Castle." Rect. 3>'2 by 4 in. Ins., "Painted by Renoir.
Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
2. "The Death of Hassan." Rect. 3 1-8 by 3^ in. Ins., "Painted
by H. Vernet. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
"The Pearl," 1830, pub. by Thomas T. Ash, Phila.:
1. "The Mother's Joy." Rect. frame 2^ by 3 3-8 in. Ins., "Painted
by Pickersgill. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
"The Humorist's Own Book. Pub. by Key & Biddle, 1833:
1. Title Page. Vignette. Scene at dining table. Ins., "Corbold
Ellis."
2. "Capital Joke." Rect. frame 2j< by 3 3-16 in, Ins., "Corbold
Ellis."
"American Singer's Own Book," Key, Mielke & Biddle:
1. Title Page, illustrating seven popular songs. Rect. frame 2 3-8
by 4 7-16. Engraved by G. B. Ellis.
2. Engraving, containing nine popular songsters, each framed in
medallion, interlocked in rustic tracery. Moore, Burns, Dibdin,
Catalin, Garcia, Paton, Sinclair, Sontag, Graham. Fr. 2 5-8 by
4 3-8. Ins., "Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
"The Token and Atlantic Souvenir," pub. by Bowen, Boston, 1836:
1. 'The Emigrant's Adventure." Rect. 3y2 by 4 7-8 in. Ins.,
"Painted by Fisher. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
2. "The Hunters of the Prairie." Rect. 3>2 by 4 7-8 in. Ins., "Painted
by Doughty. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
MEMORIES OF EARLY 19tH CENTURY ENGRAVERS 377
"Friendship's Offering," Boston, 1842:
1. "The Death of Sapphira." Rect. 2 7-8 by 3 5-8 in. Ins., "Painted
by J. Opie, R. A. Engraved by G. B. Ellis."
Miscellaneous Subjects
1. Surrender of General Burgoyne to General Gates, 1777.
2. Lady Grey and Children.
3. Thomas Scott.
4. American Scenery.
5. CatskiU Falls.
6. Delaware Water Gap.
7. Lake Scene.
8. Moonlight.
9. Niagara.
10. Passaic Falls.
11. Schuylkill.
12. Silver Cascade in the White Mountains.
13. Trenton Falls, N. Y.
14. The Brother's Protection.
15. Jesus Christ, copied from a cameo of Early Centuries.
16. The Contented Slave.
17. The Glove.
18. Love Asleep.
19. The Shrine.
20. The Serenaders.
21. Tropical Verdure.
22. The Parting Hour.
23. The Toilette.
24. The LTn welcome Guest.
25. The Village School in an Uproar.
26. The Bride of Abydos.
27. Mount Shasta.
28. The Bridesmaid.
29. The Bride's Departure.
30. The Return.
31. The Doomed Bride.
32. The Bower of Paphos.
33. Richard and Saladin.
34. The Fairy Isle.
35. The Fisher Boy.
36. The Brigand.
37. Early Piety.
Early Hough Families of Bucks County, Pennsylvania
By WALLACE IRWIN HOUGH, NEW YORK CITY
(Doylestown Meeting, May 4, 1935)
A FAIRLY safe beginning for a paper of this sort should
be to state its purpose, because in the more or less related
material to follow — material, by the way, sometimes
related only in the hopeful mind of its compiler — I defy any
reasonable person to discover either a purpose or a method.
The purpose then is fourfold. First, I should like to indicate
the number of immigrant Houghs in Bucks County who might
have been founders of families. It has commonly been assumed
that all the Pennsylvania Houghs are descended either from
Richard Hough, the Provincial Councillor, or from John Hough
of Middletown, because we can boast of more data on these two
gentlemen than on the other eight of the name who were con-
nected with the Province.
In the second place, I am going to point out whatever inter-
relations I have been able to discover among these ten pioneer
Hough families. In some few cases there is a stated blood
relationship, but for the most part we can base our theories of
kinship only from certain business and social contacts among
these families in the county.
Next, I shall mention two large families of this name who
were in America before the founding of Pennsylvania; and, in
the absence of real evidence of immediate relationship, restate
some facts about the old Hough family of County Chester,
England, who undoubtedly were the ancestors of all our American
Houghs of English descent.^
Last and, I think, most important of all, my aim is to com-
pile what data we have regarding these families into some rough
system so that it may form a basis for more complete researches
for those persons interested in tying together the American
families and the parent stock in Cheshire.
Since, at the present date, Richard Hough, the Provincial
Councillor, is the best known of the pioneers of the name in
1 Some people of German and Dutch descent whose names were spelled
Huff have, in some cases, changed their surnames to the English spelling
H-0-U-G-H after living in this country.
EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 379
Pennsylvania, it seems fitting to touch first on the highlights of
his brief career in the province.^
Richard Hough
1. Richard Hough, of the city of Macclesfield in the County
of Chester, England, Chapman, and a member of the Society
of Friends, arrived in Pennsylvania in the Ship "Endeavour"
of London, Seventh month 29, 1683, bringing with him four
servants or dependents: Francis Hough (probably a younger
brother or nephew) who was to serve two years and to have fifty
acres of land at the end of his term; Thomas Wood (or Wood-
house) and Mary, his wife, to serve respectively five and four
years and each to have fifty acres; and James Sutton, to serve
four years, and to have three pounds, five shillings per annum
and fifty acres of land when his period of service had expired.
Richard Hough seated himself in Bucks County, where he
took up two tracts of land, both of which fronted on the Dela-
ware River and both situated in Makefield on the boundary
lines of the Township. It has been thought that the geographical
position of his land in Makefield Township probably gave it that
name, for Makefield is generally accepted to be a corruption of
"Macclesfield," his native city in Cheshire.
The boundary of the upper tract, [by warrant dated Sept. 20,
1685, and by patent of July 30, 1687] described as "five hundred
acres next Henry Baker on the Delaware River," formed the
line between Makefield and the Proprietary's Manor of High-
lands, had a half-mile of river frontage, ran inland for about a
mile and three quarters, and covered the site of what is now
Taylorsville. This tract, instead of being a plantation of five
hundred acres, actually contained, when it was resurveyed, over
six hundred acres. Richard willed this land to his second son,
John Hough, a Justice of the Bucks County Court, and it was
called by the latter "Houghton" or "Houghton Farm."
The lower tract, lying approximately two miles below Yardley
and comprising about four hundred sixteen acres, was coincident,
according to the Holme's Map, with the line between Makefield
and Falls. It had a quarter-mile stretch of river front and
2 The late Oliver Hough of Newtown has written a detailed and excel-
lent account of Richard Hough's life in the "Pa. Mag. of Hist, and Biog."
Vol. 18, pp. 20-34 incl.; and in Vol. 30, pp. 487-489 of the same publication.
380 EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
extended inland for almost three miles. This was Richard's
home plantation and here he built for his family a stone house —
the stone used in the building doubtless coming from "ye great
quarry in Richard Hough's and Abel Janney's lands." The
lower plantation and home passed on to Richard Hough's eldest
son, Richard, who, hke his brother John, was a Justice of the
Bucks County Court, and whose descendants in the male line
have lived on the land until 1850 when they moved to Ewing,
N.J.
By his will dated May 1, 1704, Richard Hough left to his
youngest child, Joseph Hough, all his land lying "at Neshaminie
Creek betwixt Randall Blackshawes and John Grays land which
is almost five hundred seventy odd acres." This property on
the Neshaminy was first taken up by John Clowes, Richard
Hough's father-in-law, and after Clowes' death Richard bought
the tract from the heir, Joseph Clowes, in 1702, as a patrimony
for his own son Joseph Hough, who was, of course, Joseph
Clowes' nephew. In after years when Joseph settled on his land,
the "five hundred seventy odd acres" were found to be eight
hundred forty acres. The tract was in Warwick Township
when those boundaries were established, and is now partially
included in Doylestown Township. "Houghville" takes its
name from this branch of Richard Hough's family.
Richard also owned two hundred seventy odd acres in Lower
Makefield near his home plantation, land bought in 1694 from
Abel Janney and others and part of an original grant to William
and Charles Biles. He owned as well four hundred seventy-five
acres of land in Buckingham which he bought from his brother
John Hough of Macclesfield, [of whom later]. In all, Richard
Hough's holdings, scattered about the county, amounted to
approximately 2,600 acres.
He took an active part in provincial and county affairs, and
we have evidence that his politics were conservative and in
accord with the policies of the Proprietaries [See the Penn-
Logan Correspondence]. Richard Hough was a Justice of the
Bucks County Court; [See Pa. Mag. Hist. & Biog. Vol. 18, p.
18 note]; a member of the Provincial Assembly for the terms
1684, 1688, 1690, 1697, 1699, 1700, 1703 and 1704; and a mem-
ber of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania for the years
1693 and 1700.
EARLY HOUGH FAIVULIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 381
In the Penn-Logan correspondence, Logan wrote to William
Penn in England: (Philadelphia, Second Mo. 5, 1705) "...I
expect but little good from the present representatives till
another election, — the honest being so much out-voted by men
of deep designs or shallow sense. . . . Richard Hough, one of the
best in the House, was, about three weeks ago unfortunately
overset in a w^herry, coming down the river, and with two other
persons, lost his life; the rest were saved. He is much lamented
by all that knew him, andvunderstand the value of a good man."
William Penn in reply wrote from London, Seventh Mo. 14,
1705, "I lament the loss of honest Richard Hough. Such men
must needs be wanted where selfishness and forgetfulness of
God's mercies so much abound."
Richard Hough of Macclesfield, Cheshire, together with his
future father-in-law, John Clowes of Gosworth, Co. Chester,
England, and the latter's wife Margery and three of the Clowes'
children: William, Rebecca, and Margery (junior), brought
over to Pennsylvania a joint certificate from Congleton Mo.
Meeting of Friends held "at Mary Brooks' house (widow) in
Cheshire the 2nd of the 3rd Mo., 1683." Richard belonged to
the Falls Meeting of Friends in Bucks County, and w^e have
Michener's "Early Quakerism" (p. 75) as authority for the
statement that although the Falls Meeting House was built in
1690, the "Quarterly Meeting continued to be held at the houses
of William Biles, Nicholas Wain, Richard Hough, Joshua Hoopes
and others" until 1696.
Richard Hough married First mo. 17, 1684, Margery Clowes;
born 11 mo. 17, 1656, in Gosworth Parish, Cheshire; died Nov.
30, 1720 (probably on the home-plantation, before described).
This was the first marriage to be recorded in Falls Meeting.
Margery Clowes (who crossed in the "Endeavour" with Richard
and her parents) was the daughter of John Clowes, of Gosworth,
Cheshire, yeoman, by his wife Margery, and a granddaughter of
another John Clowes of Cheshire. Her father was one of the
principal land holders in Bucks County; in addition to his tract
on the Neshaminy (which it will be remembered Richard Hough
bought for his son, Joseph Hough) he owned his home planta-
tion, called by him "The Clough," which was situated on the
Delaware River and in Makefield Township. John Clowes was
a member of the Provincial Assembly in 1683, 1684. He died
382 EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Seventh mo. 4, 1687; and his wife Margery died Second Mo. 2,
1698.
The following abstract of a will recorded in Philadelphia
[Will Bk. B. No. 15; Rec. p. 30] shows us that Richard Hough's
brother was definitely John Hough of Macclesfield and not
the John Hough who settled in Middletown Township, Bucks
County:
"Richard Nixon, of Macclesfield, England. Signed 9th
Month 30, 1699; proved January 22, 1699/1700. Men-
tions. .. Cousin John Hough; Richard Hough and his chil-
dren; Richard Hough and his son John, and George Lowe.
Joseph Stanion's children. James Nixon's children : Thomas,
Elizabeth and Sarah. George Clarke's daughter, Mary.
Executors: John Hough of Macclesfield, England, and
Richard Hough of Pennsylvania. Witnesses: Abel James,
Mary James, and Richard Hough."
As we have been told from Logan's letter to William Penn,
Richard Hough was drowned in the Delaware River, March
25, 1705, on his way from his home to Philadelphia. He left
behind his widow Margery (Clowes) Hough and five children :
Mary, Sarah, Richard, Jr., John, and Joseph.
ISSUE
1. Mary Hough, b. 6 mo. 1, 1685; d. Nov. 11, 1720; married Ap. 6, 1704,
William Atkinson, Councilman cf Bristol, Coroner and County Com-
missioner, etc., son of Thomas Atkinson, a Minister of the Society of
P'riends, late of Newby, Yorks., Eng.
2. Sarah Hough, b. 4 mo. 7, 16':'0; mar. (1st) 4th mo. 23, 1708, Isaac Atkin-
son, a brother of William (above); she mar. (2nd) in 1724, Leonard Shall-
cross.
3. Richard Hough, Justice of Bucks Co. Court, b ....; d. „ ; m. (1st)
Hester Baker, dau. of Henry Baker, of Bucks Co., and a widow of Thomas
Yardley and William Browne. He mar. (2nd) Sept. 27, 1717, Deborah,
widow of John Gumley, of New Castle County.
ISSUE BY FIRST MARRIAGE
I — Richard Hough, III, died young.
EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 383
ISSUE BY SECOND MARRIAGE
II — William Hough, died without issue prior to 1755.
Ill — Deborah Hough, m. Thomas Davis of Lower Makefield.
IV — Margery Hough, m. Jonathan Saults of Philadelphia.
V— Henry Hough, son and heir, b. 8 mo. 11, 1724; d. 8-27, 17C6;
m. 10-22, 1748, Rebecca Croasdale (1727-1800), dau. of William
and Grace (Harding) Croasdale, of Newtown Tp.
VI— Mary Hough, b. 1726; d. 1802; m. 2 mo. 12, 1752 [O. S.] Anthony
Burton, Jr., of Bristol, Bucks Co.
4. John Hough, b. Sept. 18, 1693; inherited his father's upper plantation on
the Delaware River which he called "Houghton"; was a Justice of Bucks
Co. Court. He married 1718/19, Elizabeth Taylor, dau. of Philip Taylor
of Oxford Township, Phila. County, and Julianna, his wife.
ISSUE
I — John Hough, b. Jan. 3, 1719/20; d. 1797; removed to Loudoun
County, Virginia, where he held over 4,000 A., his seat being
"Corby Hall." [Do not confuse him with Francis Hough of
Virginia whom we shall consider later.] He married, 1742,
Sarah Janney, dau. of Joseph and Rebecca (Biles) Janney, and
granddaughter of the two Provincial Councillors, Thomas Janney
and William Biles. Gen. Washington mentions John Hough's
hospitality at "Corby Hall."
II — Joseph Hough, b. 20 July, 1722; d. 1777; removed to Loudoun
Co., Va.; m. Oct. 15, 1746, Lydia Hurst.
Ill— Benjamin Hough, b. June 14, 1724; d. Feb. 10, 1803; minister of
the Soc. of Friends; m. (1st) June 9, 1748, Elizabeth West, dau.
of Thomas W^est of Wilmington, Del., of the family of Benjamin
West, R. A.; m. (2nd) Sarah, widow of Isaac Janney, of Cecil Co.,
Maryland.
IV— Isaac Hough, b. Nov. 15, 1726; d. Apr. 13, 1786; removed to
Warminster Tp.; m. Sept. 24, 1748, Edith Hart, b. May 14,
1727; d. Mar. 27, 1805; dau. of John Hart, Jr., High Sheriff,
Coroner, and Justice of Bucks Co. Courts, by his wife Eleanor,
dau. of Silas Crispin, 1st cousin to William Penn.
V— William Hough, b. Jan. 1, 1727/8; m. 1749, Sarah Blaker.
VI— Thomas Hough, b. Jan. 2, 1729/30; d. May 18, 1810, in Phila.;
m. (1st) Mar. 17, 1757, Jane, dau. of Sam'l Adams of Phila.;
he mar. (2nd) Jan. 8, 1784, Mary Bacon, dau. of John Bacon,
of Bacon's Neck, Cumberland Co., N. J., and widow of Thos.
Gilbert and Richard Wistar.
VII— Septimus Hough, b. June 21, 1731 ; d. Nov. 3, 1749.
VIII— Elizabeth Hough, b. Feb. 15, 1732/3; m. Nathan Tomlinson.
IX— Bernard Hough, b. Jan. 15, 1734/5; d. in France (?).
X— Martha Hough, b. June 22, 1737; m. David Bunting.
Xl—Samuel Hough, b. April 15, 1739.
384 EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
5. Joseph Hough, b. Oct. 17, 1695; d. May 10, 1773, in Warwick (Doyles-
town); buried in Buckingham Friends' Burying Ground. By Richard
Hough's will Joseph inherited the Neshaminy tract which had belonged
to his grandfather, John Clowes of "The Clough." Joseph married circa
1725>/6, Elizabeth West, born circa 1708, a daughter of Nathaniel W^est,
3rd, of Buckingham by his wife Elizabeth , and a granddaughter
of Nathaniel West, 2nd, late of Burlington Co., N. J., and Newport, Rhode
Island, by his wife, Elizabeth Dungan, eldest dau. of Rev. Thomas Dun-
gan of R. I. and Bucks Co., Pa.
ISSUE
I — Sarah Hough, m. James Radcliffe, son of Edward and Phoebe
(Baker) Radcliffe.
II— Martha Hough, b. 1728; d. 1785; m. William Evans, son of Lewis
Evans, a Trooper in the Battle of Boyne.
HI — Mary Hough, m. Samuel Gourley of W'rightstown.
IV — Rebecca Hough, m. (1st) George Williams; m. (2nd) his brother,
Samuel Wlllians of Gwynedd.
V— Joseph Hough, b. 1730; d. Jan. 6, 1818; mar. March 7, 1757,
his cousin, Mary Tomkins, b. Nov. 25, 1739; d. Aug. 5, 1811;
dau. of Robert and Lydia (Carrell) Tomkins of Warrington Tp.
VI— John Hough, "Non-Associator" of 1775; m. Oct. 31, 1767, at
St. Michael's and Zion Church, Phila., Ruth W'illiams.
VII — Margery Hough, m. Hugh Shaw.
VI 11^ — Elizabeth Hough, m. Robert Tomkins, 3rd, (brother to Mary
Tomkins, wife of Joseph Hough).
IX — Hannah Hough; d. April 18, 1819; m. Simon Meredith.
Before we leave Richard Hough's family I should like to
say a word or two about the coat of arms. Richard's descendants
in the male lines have been using the coat of arms listed under
his name in Crozier's "General Armory," George Norburry
MacKenzie's "Colonial Families of America," Vol. II, and in
John Matthew's "American Armory and Blue Book." The
blazon is as follows: Arms — Argent, a bend Sable; Crest — a
wolf's head erased, Sable; motto — "Memor Esto Majorum."
The arms (Argent, a bend Sable) are an ancient Hough
device, in use by the family in Cheshire long before the Heralds'
Visitations in the sixteenth century. Another very ancient
Hough coat is that of the Houghs of Hough (or Hogh) in Nant-
wich Hundred, Cheshire, which consists only of the arms:
Argent, a chevron Sable between three crescents of the field.
The first coat of arms (the one which the Houghs descended
from Richard bear) is the one borne by the Houghs of Leighton
EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 385
and Thornton Hough, Cheshire, since circa 1250; the crest was
added sometime after the Visitation of 1580.
We have no proof to date that Richard Hough used this
blazon. The late Oliver Hough of Newtown, whose bookplate
[See "Hallowell-Paul Family History," 1924] was an engraving
of the same coat of arms, found the device "Argent, a bend
Sable" in use by a great-grand uncle of his, Isaac Hough, Junior,
who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and who
may have borne these arms as a matter of tradition.
Certainly, this coat of arms was borne in England at a date
sufficiently early for the first armigerous gentleman of the family
to have been the common ancestor of Richard Hough and of
all the other Houghs who spring from Cheshire.
John Hough of Macclesfield
2. Suppose we consider briefly Richard Hough's brother,
John Hough of Macclesfield, who is not known to have left
England, but who owned land in Bucks County, Pa. In 1691,
John Hough of Macclesfield, Co. Chester, England, bought
from William Penn three hundred seventy-five acres of land in
Pennsylvania, "toward the Susquehanna river clear of Indian
incumbrance," and in 1694 conveyed three-fifths of this tract
to his brother, Richard Hough, then in Pennsylvania. This
land was the tract lying in Buckingham which Richard in his
will directed to be sold. John Hough's purchase called for 375
A., but the amount laid off to him was much greater than that,
for the resurvey of 1702 showed Richard Hough's three-fifths
of it to be four hundred seventy-five acres; this land was con-
firmed to him by patent dated November 24, 1702.
Very cautiously I submit a tentative record of John Hough
of Macclesfield and his children which was compiled entirely
from copies of Macclesfield vital statistics and vital statistics
of Friends' Quarterly Meeting of Cheshire and Staffordshire,
England.
John Hough was born in 1648; died 3 mo. 22, 1728, and was
buried with his first wife at Macclesfield. He married first,
circa 1680, Mary , born circa 1650, and died 9 mo. 12,
1715. They lived in Macclesfield and were the parents of ten
children. He married (2nd) 10 mo. 9, 1719, Mrs. Ellen Sarrat
386 EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
of Newton, Cheshire. She was born in 1666, died 6th mo. 25,
1721, and was buried at Newton.
ISSUE OF JOHN AND MARY HOUGH OF MACCLESFIELD,
CHESHIRE
1. Henry Hough, b. 1st Mo. 7, 1681; Died young.
2. Henry Hough, Chapman, b. 1st Mo. 7, 1683^/4; d. 10th Mo. 21, 1711;
mar. 7 mo. 9, 1708, Mary Bangs of Stockport, Cheshire, dau. of Benja-
min Bangs, Sr. She was b. 1684; d. 3 mo. 8, 1732.
3. Richard Hough, b. 5th Mo. 1, 1684; d. 10th mo. 4, 1707.
4. John Hough, Jr., b. 5th mo. 13, 1686; d. 3rd mo. 10, 1724; mar. 8 mo. 12,
1714, Catharine Mellor of Whitehough, Staffordshire, b. 1695; d. 4 mo.
10, 1721. They lived at Macclesfield, and had issue three children.
5. Mary Hough, b. 5th mo. 13, 1686, (a twin to John, Jr.); she mar. 3rd
mo. 1711, James Penketh, of Great Sankey, Lancashire.
6. Elizabeth Hough, b. 11 mo. 5, 1688; d. 5th mo. 27, 1722; mar. 10th mo.
25, 1707, John Hough of Sutton, b. 11 mo. 5, 1679, son of Thomas and
Ellen (Barnes) Hough.
7. Catherine Hough, b. 9 mo. 17, 1690; d. 6 mo. 12, 1691.
8. Catherine Hough, b. 9 mo. 1, 1691; d. 6 mo. 14, 1709.
9. Anne Hough, b. 7 mo. 3, 1693; d. 4 mo. 15, 16' 6.
10. Thomas Hough, died 2 mo. 30, 1698; buried at Eaton with his two sisters,
Catherine and Anne.
Francis Hough
3. Unfortunately we have very Httle information concern-
ing Francis Hough who came to Pennsylvania in the ship
"Endeavour" (Sept. 29, 1683) and who has been assumed to
be a younger brother or nephew of Richard Hough. We do
not know the degree of kinship which existed between Francis
Hough and his patron, but it seems fairly safe to say that there
was some blood relationship.
Francis Hough's contract with Richard called for two years'
service, at the end of which time Francis was to receive fifty
acres of land. Like most of these tracts, the actual acreage
was greater than the amount stipulated. In 1703, when Buck-
ingham Township came into being Francis Hough had 256
acres there.
EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 387
A bond (Deed Bk. I, p. 99, Doylestown) dated January 11,
1686, gives the information that Francis Hough was a carpenter.
A deed, dated February 3, 1749 (Deed Bk. 11, p. 65) yields
us the data: that Francis Hough was living in Plumstead Town-
ship at that time, that his wife's name was Abigail, that he was
borrowing money amounting to £14-15 sh. on his 91 acres of
land in Plumstead which the Proprietaries had conveyed to him
by patent dated December 14, 1748; and, especially interesting,
that he was borrowing this money from a Mr. John Riche, yeo-
man, of Plumstead, who was the husband of Sarah Hough, a
daughter of John Hough of Middletown Township, Bucks Co.
This is the first connection in this paper between a member of
Richard Hough's family and that of John Hough of Middletown.
Deed Book 12, page 163, shows that an Abigail Hough (possi-
bly the wife of this Francis Hough) witnessed a deed dated
June 29, 1753, between John Hough of Solebury; Hannah, his
wife; Eleanor Hough, widows his mother; and William Hough,
his brother; to John Barcroft of Solebury [See John Hough's
pedigree ahead].
John Hough
4. The Hough family in Bucks County, excepting Richard's
family, on whom we have the most information is that of John
Hough, yeoman, who came from Hough, a part of Wilmslow
Parish in the Hundred of Nantwich, Cheshire, England, and
settled in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
[The record of his arrival is given in Pa. Mag. of Hist. Vol. 9,
p. 229; and an account of his immediate family is given in T.
Maxwell Potts' "Our Family Ancestors," pub. 1895.]
He was born circa 1660; married circa 1680, Hannah .
They arrived in Pennsylvania 9th mo. 1683 in the ship "Friend-
ship" of Liverpool wnth their son, John Hough, Jr., and five
servants: George Claire and Issabel, his wife, to serve 4 years;
George Claire, Jr., their child, to serve until he is 21; Nathaniel
Watmough and Thomas Hough, each to serve 4 years.
This family settled in Middletown in the northwest corner
of the township adjoining the land of Shadrach Walley of New-
town Twp. [See Cutler Map, 1703, p. 206, Vol. 3. Davis'
"Hist, of Bucks County."] Hereafter, we shall call the head
of this family John Hough of Middletown to distinguish him
388 EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
from Richard Hough's brother, John of Macclesfield, and from
his second son, John Hough of "Houghton."
John of Middletown was a member of Middletown Meeting
and later of Falls Monthly Meeting. Besides his home tract
of land, he bought several hundred acre« in Newtown Township,
but we do not know that he ever lived on the latter tract.
In Davis' "History of Bucks County," Volume H, page 99,
there is the statement that "In 1734, not long after the Proprie-
taries opened their land for settlement, John Hough purchased
200 A. on Deep Run in Bedminster Township." This refers
to John Hough, Jr., son of John of Middletown.
He was a member of the Provincial Assembly for Bucks
County in the year 1710.
Letters of Administration on his estate were granted Jan-
uary 20, 1732, to his eldest son, John Hough. The securities
w-ere Samuel Scott and Richard Sands (the latter was a brother-
in-law of the administrator).
Francis Rossell, late of Macclesfield, Co. Chester, England,
who came to Pennsylvania in the "Endeavour" with Richard
Hough, Francis Hough, Samuel Hough and John Clowes, and
who settled first in Burlington, N. J. (1684), and later in Bucks
County, by his last will and testament, dated 8 mo. 5, 1694,
(reg. at Doylestown) devised 400 acres of land to the children
of John Hough. This land lay in the upper part of the county,
and on 7th mo. 10, 1712, it was confirmed to the heirs by the
Board of Commissioners.
ISSUE OF JOHN AND HANNAH HOUGH OF MIDDLETOWN
1. John Hough, b. in Cheshire; d. 1744; Will dated Aug. 12, 1744; prob. Nov.
17, 1744, wife Eleanor and son William are executors (Bk. 2, p. 42). He
mar. 4 mo. 1, 1714, Elinor Sands, b. 10 mo. 5, 1692, a dau. of Stephen and
Jane (Cowgill) Sands of Middletown, Bucks Co. They had issue eight
children: Buckingham records:
I— Mary Hough, b. 7 mo. 4, 1715; d. 11 mo. 5, 1782.
II— John Hough, 3rd, b. 12 mo. 21, 1716/17; d. intestate before
1776; mar. (1st) Hannah • . Was living in Solebury Tp.,
in 1753. He mar. (2nd) at Christ Church, Phila., Nov. 8, 1757,
Olive Rogers. John and Olive (Rogers) Hough had issue a dau.
Eleanor Hough. Olive (Rogers) Hough, after the death of
John Hough, remarried to William Doyle, as his second wife.
Ill— jane Hough, b. 10 m. 10, 1718.
£arly hough families of bucks county, pa. 389
IV — Stephen Hough, b. 1 mo. 27, 1721 — not mentioned in his father's
will, may have died young.
V — William Hough, b. 12 mo. 16, 1722y3; lived in Solebury; one of
father's executors; his own will dated 4th mo. 16, 1793; prov. 2
mo. 30, 1793/4, names brother Richard Hough and his own
son William Hough as his executors.
VI — Daniel Hough, innkeeper, of Warwick Tp., b. 2 mo. 5, 1725; m.
Judith Hartley, dau. of John Hartley, of Solebury. He rented
Doyle's Hotel 1774; bought it Oct. 1, 1776. [See Deed Bk. 11,
p. 57; D. Bk. 18, p. 4^2; D. Bk. 18, p. 454; and Deed Bk. 21, p.
101 — all in Doylestown.]
VII— Joseph Hough, b. 7th mo. 10, 1727.
VIII— Richard Hough, b. 3rd mo.
2. Mary Hough, b. 7 mo. 6, 1684; d. 11 mo. 21, 1711/12; m. (1st) 10 mo.
26, 1705, Jacob Janney; m. (2nd) 3 mo. 2, 1710, John Fisher.
3. Stephen Hough, b. 1 mo. 30, 1687.
4. Hannah Hough, b. 1 mo. 7, 1690; m. 1709/10, at Falls Mtg., Thomas
Ashton, as his second wife; he had married (1st) 5th mo. 31, 1701,
Deborah Baines of Falls Tp.
5. Daniel Hough, b. 4 mo. 14, 1693.
6. Isaac Hough, b. 12 mo. 20, 1694/5.
7. Sarah Hough, b. 4 mo. 31, 1701; m. John Rich. He applied for member-
ship in Buckingham Mo. Mtg. on 10 mo. 3, 1728, and when he
was accepted 11 mo. 7, 1728, he declared his intention of marriage
with Sarah Hough. In 1749, Elizabeth, widow of John Walley
and of Nicholas Hellings, (she was born a Hough, and was sister
of Samuel Hough of Newtown) left money to Sarah Riche, wife
of John. Note that John Riche lent money to Francis Hough
who came over with Richard Hough, Provincial Councillor.
8. Joseph Hough, b. 1st mo. 4, 1703; may have been Joseph of Bensalem who
married Deborah [Knight?]. See Adm. Bk. A, p. 26, Feb. 23,
1750. [The records of these last four children are from Falls
Monthly Meeting.]
Thomas Hough
5. The next person to be considered is Thomas Hough
who came from Cheshire to Pennsylvania in the "Friendship,"
9th mo. 1683, and who was under contract for four years' serv-
ice to John Hough of Middletown. His family was not con-
nected with Bucks County, for he removed to Hopewell Town-
ship, Burlington County, N. J. He was living in Hopewell, 10
mo. 20, 1704, when he married at Fallsington, Bucks County,
Jane Cowin, spinster, of Falls.
390 EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Thomas Hough died in 1736, leaving a will. He and his
wife had issue three children. [See T. M. Potts' "Our Family
Ancestors" 1895.]
1. Mary Hough, m. Benjamin Cripps.
2. Hannah Hough, m. (1st) Daniel Haines, and (2nd) Isaac Fell.
3. Jonathan Hough, b. 1720; d. intestate 1778; m. Elizabeth Brian; they
had issue nine children.
I — Daniel Hough, d. unm. 1797.
n — Letitia Hough, m. William Budd.
HI— Samuel Hough, b. 12 mo. 13, 1746; d. 6 mo. 6, 1815; m. Oct. 25,
1775, Susanna Newbold, b. 2 mo. 3, 1750; d. Aug. 22, 1815.
IV — Thomas Hough.
V — William Hough, d. 1781 unm.; paymaster in N. J. Militia during
Revolution.
VI — Jonathan Hough, d. unm. 1781 left a will.
VII — Benjamin Hough, d. unm. 1793, see will.
VIII — Jane Hough, d. unm. 1781, see will.
IX — Rebecca Hough, died young.
Because John Hough of Middletown brought over to Penn-
sylvania, Thomas Hough of Hopewell, there is some reason to
conjecture that the two were related. If such a kinship exists,
Thomas is also related to Samuel Hough of Newtown and to
Elizabeth, his sister, to Michael Hough of Newtown, and
very likely to Richard Hough, Provincial Councillor, and to
Francis Hough.
General Alfred Lacey Hough and Mr. Charles Merrill Hough
of N. Y. C. are descended from Thomas of Hopewell.
Samuel Hough
6. Samuel Hough of Newtown Township was in all
probability a relative of Richard Hough, Provincial Councillor,
and fairly certainly a kinsman of John Hough of Middletown.
Samuel came from Cheshire, via London, in the "Endeavour"
with Richard Hough and was an indentured servant to John
Clowes of Gosworth, Cheshire, who was Richard Hough's father-
in-law. According to his contract Samuel Hough was to be
free on July 29, 1687, and was to receive fifty acres of land.
However, when Cutler surveyed Newtown Township in 1703,
he owned 732 acres next to the land of Michael Hough; the
6ARLY HOUGtl FAMiLiES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 39 1
latter may also have been a relative of Samuel's. [Samuel
Hough's sister left money to the children of John of Middletown;
and Michael Hough's father-in-law, Francis Rossell, left 400
acres to John of Middletown's children.]
We know that Samuel Hough had a sister, Elizabeth Hough
of Newtown, for she mentions her brother, Samuel Hough, in
her will (probated Dec. 10, 1749). It is this lady who connects
Samuel, whom we consider a relative of Richard Hough, to the
John Hough family of Middletown.
Elizabeth Hough of Newtown married John Walley of New-
town (the only son and heir of Shadrach and Mary (Sharpe)
Walley), and they had issue four children: Joseph, John, Jr.,
Ananias, and Damaris. John Walley died and his widow,
Elizabeth (Hough) Walley, remarried to Nicholas Hellings of
Newtown, as his second wife. Hellings died in 1745, and Eliza-
beth Hough was again left a widow. Nicholas Hellings by his
first wife (name unknown) had issue a daughter, Martha Hellings,
who married, before 1745, William Doyle, as his first wife.
William Doyle, it will be remembered, married second Olive
Rogers, widow of John Hough of Solebury. [See Hough of
Middletown Notes.]
Elizabeth Hough by her will left money to the children of
John Hough of Middletown. There must have been some
blood relationship between Samuel and Elizabeth, on the one
hand, and the Houghs of Middletown, on the other. And
because Richard Hough's father-in-law, John Clowes, brought
Samuel Hough from Cheshire to this country, one would think
that probably Richard and Samuel were related also ; and hence,
that John Hough of Middletown and Richard Hough the Coun-
cillor bore reasonably close ties of kinship.
Samuel Hough of Newtown has left us two different wax
impressions of seals he used. One of the seals is distinctly
armorial, but unfortunately not the "Argent, a bend Sable,"
or the "wolf's head erased. Sable."
A deed dated Fourth mo. 4, 1702, between "Samuell Hough,
carpenter to John Stackhouse, of Middletown, yeoman," 300
A., etc., bears the following seal: arms — Argent, a chevron
(color?) between three birds [color?]; crest^ — a bird[?].
Another deed by Thomas Penn and Richard Penn to Samuel
Hough, 1734, bears Samuel's fantastic seal: "on a wreath of the
392 EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
colors, a cup between two flaming hearts, surmounted by a
royal crown." This device is most un-heraldic; is more like a
trademark than a crest P
Michael Hough
7. Michael Hough, innkeeper, w^as Samuel Hough's neigh-
bor, and was most likely a relative of John Hough of Middle-
town, and possibly of Richard Hough, Provincial Councillor.
We do not know how Michael Hough, or Huff (as he sometimes
spelled his name) came to Pennsylvania, but we do know that
at an early date he acquired the tract of land comprising 250
acres in Newtown which had belonged to Thomas Revell.
Michael Hough married Joan Rossell, daughter of Francis
Rossell, late of Macclesfield, Co. Chester, England, who came
to Pennsylvania in the "Endeavour" with Richard Hough,
Francis Hough, Samuel Hough, and John Clowes. Francis
Rossell came over with a Michael Rossell, and an early bond
dated 10 m. 9, 1684, describes them both as "milners." Francis
Rossell, it will be remembered, devised by will dated 8 mo. 5,
1694, 400 acres to the children of John Hough of Middletown.
After Michael Hough's death, 5th mo. 22, 1687, Joan (Ros-
sell) Hough married Thomas Brock.
7 mo. 10, 1688, "Joan Huft the relict widow of Michael Huft,
late of the Ferry House over against Burlington, Innkeeper,"
conveys Power of Attorney to Thomas Brock.
In Michael Hough's will, dated 4th mo. 3, 1685, and wit-
nessed by John Otter, he mentions one daughter, Mary. John
Boyden and Edmund Bennett inventoried his estate on 6th
mo. 26, 1687, and his "250 acres of land lying near Newtowne"
was appraised at £15; "1 acre lying near ye Ferry" at £2-10 sh.
1 d.; and a "servant maide" at £8.
Besides the Houghs already mentioned who emigrated to
3 Addenda — 6. Samuel Hough of Newtown, Carpenter, was born circa
1665; and he married between 1708 and 1712 Miss Ruth .
On June 2, 1702, he received by deed a tract of 564 acres of land (not
732 acres as on the alleged Cutler Map in Davis' Hist, of Bucks Co.) from
Israel Taylor of Tinicum Island, chirurgeon, and Joseph Taylor of Phila-
delphia, cordwainer, the two sons of Christopher Taylor who had received
the land by patent from Penn, 5th Month 26, 1684. Samuel Hough sold
parts of his land and disposed of the residue March 14, 1712, his wife Ruth
joining him in the deed. (See Bucks County Deed Book, No. 4, p. 268.)
EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 393
Pennsylvania, there are Daniel of Chester Co., Pa.; Stephen of
Chester Co.; and Walter of Bensalem Township, Bucks Co.
These last three gentlemen are little more than names at present.
Daniel Hough
8. Daniel Hough owned land between Crum Creek and
Darby Creek and abutting on Newtown Township, Chester
Co., Pa. [See Harris Map, circa 1715, in Battle's "Hist, of
Bucks Co."] John Hough of Middletown, Bucks County, had a
son named Daniel, possibly named for Daniel of Chester, but
w'e have no evidence that the two families knew each other.
Stephen Hough
9. Stephen Hough [or Hugh] was granted a warrant for
50 acres of land by the Proprietary, in 1683, to be laid out in
Chester County, between Crum Creek and Darby Creek.
Stephen Hough married Frances , and they had issue
a daughter Martha, born 3 mo. 11, 1684, who married Jonathan
Taylor. Stephen died 11 mo. 21, 1683 [before the birth of his
daughter] and his widow Frances remarried 12 mo. 1684/5 to
Thomas Norbury of Newtown, Chester County.
The land, referred to above, was laid out in Newtown Tp.
(now part of Delaware County). Thomas Norbury held this
tract in right of his wife and at the meeting of the Commissioners
of Property, held 2 mo. 13 and 14, 1702, requested a resurvey
of it and 125 acres held in his own right, and a patent for the
whole. The request was granted.
John Hough of Middletown also had a son Stephen who
could have been named for Stephen Hough of Chester County,
but there is no evidence that the two families even had business
relations in the new province.
Walter Hough
10. In Davis' "History of Bucks County," Volume I, page 64,
there is mention of a Walter Hough who was appointed one
of two Overseers of Highways for what was later Bensalem
Township, Bucks County.
These three gentlemen of the rearguard (Daniel, Stephen and
394 EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Walter) are in a class by themselves. I have not been able to
discover anything which could connect them to one another
or to the other Houghs in Bucks County. Scant though our
data may be on Francis, Samuel, Michael and Thomas Hough,
there are still indications that they were all probably related
to one another, and to Richard Hough, the Provincial Councillor,
and to John Hough of Middletown.
There are two other early American Hough families which
were in no way connected with Pennsylvania, but which, like
our Pennsylvania families, had their roots in Cheshire, England.
"William Hough, common ancestor of nearly all of this name
of New England origin, was born in Cheshire in 1619. He
emigrated in the party of Rev. Blinman in 1640 and settled first
at Green's Harbor, near Plymouth; then at Gloucester, Mass.;
and finally at New London, Conn., where he died Aug. 10, 1683."
[From: Franklin B. Hough's "American Biographical Notes,"
p. 212. (1875)]. This William Hough was the son of an
Edward Hough of West Chester, Cheshire, England.
The Virginia Magazine of History furnishes us with some
interesting accounts of Francis Hough, of the Hough family
of Cheshire, who came from London to Virginia in the "Swan"
in 1620. At the census of 1624/5, when he was twenty years
old, he was living at Elizabeth City.
In 1632, he was assigned a patent for fifty acres in Elizabeth
City.
On January 3, 1633, Francis conveyed to Henry Coleman
of Elizabeth City, 60 acres, formerly granted Christopher Wind-
mill, deceased, and due Hough for marrying his widow, [Mrs.
Windmill].
November 12, 1635, he patented 800 acres at the first creek
on the south side of the Nansemond River, and extending to
the mouth of the River.
December 26, 1636, he made a bill of sale for rights for 300
acres to Humphrey Swan.
May 17, 1637, Francis Hough obtained four patents aggre-
gating 1,500 acres in Nansemond, or Upper Norfolk.
Francis Hough, gentleman, was a member of the House of
Burgesses for Nutmeg Quarters, February, 1632/3; and during
the Indian Conflict of October, 1645, he was a member of the
EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 395
Council of War for the Associated Counties of "Isle of Wight,
and Upper and Lower Norfolk." He set out for England,
March 4, 1647.
During the Dutch War (1667) the Governor and Council of
Virginia ordered five forts of eight guns each to be built at
strategic points along the mouths of the rivers. One of these
forts was built on "Mr. Hough's plantation on the Nansemond
River, probably at the place known as Hough's point."
In his will dated July 25, 1648; probated July 27, 1648, he
called himself Francis Hough, of St. Peters the Poor, London,
merchant. He mentioned his mother, Mrs. Christian Stock-
wood; his sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Stockwood; and his four chil-
dren: William, John, Jane and Anne. He left specific directions
that his two sons were to be educated in England in a manner
fitting for their management of the Virginia plantations.
Now we have considered the pioneer Hough families of Penn-
sylvania, and the very early ancestor of the Houghs of New Eng-
land, and, last, the first Hough known to have set foot in America.
One of the striking things about the Pennsylvania families is
the extraordinary evidence of blood-relationship existing among
them, a matter I have tried to point out by their contacts with
one another in Bucks County. Each of seven Bucks County
pioneers seems to show a degree of kinship with the other six.
Our three "dark horses" from Pennsylvania, (i. e., Daniel and
Stephen, of Chester, and Walter of Bensalem Township), may
very well be related to the other seven immigrant ancestors in
the province, but there is so little known about those elusive
gentlemen that it is futile to speculate on their relationship.
Even William Hough of New England and Francis Hough
of London and the Old Dominion spring from the common
family in Cheshire, so we may say, in a broader sense all the
early American Houghs are more or less remotely related.
Let us look, for a moment, at the parent family in County
Chester, England. The tradition that the Houghs were of
Norman-French origin and "came over with William the Con-
queror in 1066" may conceivably be true, but the name, De la
Hooghe, De Hooghe and Del Hoghe — as it was then written —
is conspicuously absent from the Battle Abbey Roll; and the
name is not Norman-French.
3% EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
The somewhat more reasonable theory that the family was
of Flemish origin — though unsupported by documentary evi-
dence — has its basis in the fact that there is a very ancient
family of De Hooghe still living near Bruges in Flanders. Also,
Giraldis Cambrensis, who wrote his "Itinerary Through Wales"
in the twelfth century, mentions a colony of Flemings living
along the Welsh border [Cheshire is a border county]; and Hol-
linshead, the historian, goes farther in his "Chronicles" and
relates that there was a large portion of Flanders inundated by
the sea and that the survivors of the flood petitioned King
Henry that they might be permitted to settle in England.
Henry very graciously assigned to them the stormiest portion
of his kingdom, the Welsh border, where the Flemings were to
hold in check the over-enthusiastic Celts.
The name may have come into England at this time, but
why will it not suffice to say that the Del Hoghes or Houghs
were an old Cheshire family and there let the matter rest?
We have proof that from 1259 to 1297 a Richard del Hoghe,
son of Richard del Hoghe, was frequently at the County Court
of Chester, [See Chester Plea Rolls No. 4], and that he held
land in Chorlton and in "le Hogh" (afterwards "the Hough").
There is, furthermore, the pedigree of the Houghs of Nant-
wich Hundred, in Cheshire, which shows that another Richard
del Hogh was a land holder in the reign of Edward I and that
his son, Hugh del Hogh, styled lord of Hogh, was lessee and
constable of Chester Castle, in the time of King Edward HI.
The Houghs of Leighton and Thornton Hough, in Wirral
Hundred, Cheshire, are believed to have sprung from the Houghs
of Hough in Nantwich, same County. They acquired these
two manors by marriage.
The manor of Leighton was granted at the conquest to Robert
de Redolent. After his death and the dispersion of his estates
among various owners, the paramount lordship of Leighton was
given to the barons of Montalt, under whom it was held by John
Riseings and William de Leighton.
The daughter and heiress of William de Leighton brought
the manor in marriage to Roger de Thornton, whose only daugh-
ter, Ellen, heiress of the manors of Thornton and Leighton,
became the wife of a Richard del Hogh, from whose descendants
the former of these manors [perhaps] obtained the name of
EARLY HOUGH FAMILIES OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 397
Thornton Hough. Leighton continued in the possession of the
Houghs until the 27th year of the reign of Queen EHzabeth when
Alice, daughter and heiress of William Hough, Esq., carried
the manor to her husband, William Whitmore. Thornton
Hough belonged to the Houghs until circa 1805. [Ormerod's
"Hist, of Cheshire."] [As I have mentioned, the descendants
of Richard Hough, the Provincial Councillor of Pennsylvania,
use the coat of arms of these Houghs of Leighton and Thornton
Hough.]
While I realize fully the limitations and the inadequacies of
this paper, I shall consider that it will have served its purpose
if, by indicating some of the interrelationships existing among
the Bucks County families and the identical origin of all the
early Houghs in America, it stimulates present members of
these families to make an attempt to consolidate the lines in
this country and to trace their lineal descent from the early
house in Cheshire.
Covered Highway Bridges in Bucks County
By GEORGE M. HART, DOYLESTOWN, PA.
(Doylestovvn Meeting, May 4, 1935)
COVERED bridges, this fast disappearing remnant of the
olden days, will soon see its last stand on country roads,
and become a matter of history. No other bridge makes
a more attractive appearance than the covered type. They
gave good and satisfactory service until automobiles and trucks
began to travel our roads. America has always demanded
speed and then more speed. The result is that many out-of-
the-way things are practically condemned, and so with the
covered bridge; it has outlived its usefulness. Today com-
paratively few remain on roads which have any considerable
amount of traffic, but some are still to be found along less fre-
quently traveled country roads. Fifteen years ago there
were thirty-six covered bridges in the county; the greatest
number that ever existed; while today, only twenty-two remain.
It is therefore quite obvious that in a few years this relic will
have disappeared from the scenery of Bucks County. Mean-
while, records and data relating to them are likely to become
lost, and therefore it is quite desirable and in order that their
history should be preserved. That is why this paper is written
as a record for future generations.
Fortunately, there are two bridges reasonably assured of
permanent preservation. One of these, the Twining bridge,
over Neshaminy Creek, and located on the Neshaminy farms.
The other one, the Neely Mill bridge which has heretofore
spanned Pidcock Creek, and is being relocated over the canal
nearby.
There are two types of covered bridge construction in the
county. Namely, the sprung arch and the crisscross or lattice.
The latter was evidently the common type, particularly in the
northern end of the county, as those of lattice construction were
of a later date.
The weather boards were usually placed in a vertical position,
and were seldom painted, as they were in other sections of the
state. At present there is but one painted covered bridge in
Bucks County. This is the Knecht's bridge, which is located
COVERED HIGHWAY BRIDGES IN BUCKS COUNTY 399
in a remote section of Springfield Township, where Pennsylvania
German customs are prevalent, which probably accounts for
that bridge being painted.
Brief History of 36 Covered Bridges in
Bucks County
The following brief description of the covered bridges formerly
or at present existing in Bucks County does not include covered
bridges spanning the Delaware River, because a detailed account
of all river bridges has already been adequately presented by
Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr., in his excellent paper on "Improving
Navigation on the Delaware River." (See Bucks County His-
torical Society, Vol. VI, pages, 103, et seq.)
Oakford Bridge, on township line between Bensalem and
Middletown Townships, was one of the first to be eliminated
because of the heavy weight of automobiles and trucks. This
structure was built in 1845, and carried the Lincoln highway
traffic over the Neshaminy Creek until 1921, when it was demol-
ished and replaced by a concrete arch bridge. This in turn
was replaced by a third bridge a few hundred yards down stream
for the accommodation of the new super-highway.
Mill Creek Bridge, in Northampton Township, crosses
Mill Creek on the Bridgetown-Feasterville road. It was built
in the 1830's and is one of the few such bridges remaining in the
lower end of the county. Unfortunately it will pass out of
existence in a short time because it carries a considerable amount
of traffic.
Rockville Bridge, in southwestern corner of Northampton
Township, was built in 1830 and was constructed of oak. This
bridge gave good service until it became too narrow for auto-
mobiles, and was therefore demolished in 1932. Its length was
139 feet and it spanned Iron Works Creek.
Spring Garden Bridge is one of the longest covered bridges
remaining in the county; its length is 218 feet. It was also an
early structure, built i'n 1815 and rebuilt in 1839. This bridge
is typical of the numerous bridges over the lower part of the
Neshaminy Creek. Its location is near Spring Garden Mill
on the dividing line between Northampton and Newtown Town-
ships.
400 COVERED HIGHWAY BRIDGES IN BUCKS COUNTY
Worthington's Mill Bridge is over the Neshaminy Creek
and is the longest remaining covered bridge in the county. Its
length is 259 feet, and is one of the later structures, having been
built in 1874. Its location is near Worthington's gristmill on
dividing line between Wrightstown and Northampton Townships,
on a road over which there is but little travel.
Twining Bridge, already referred to, is no longer a county
bridge, but is in the hands of the owner of a large estate in that
section. For that reason it is one of the two covered bridges
in the county that is likely to be preserved. This structure is
over the Neshaminy Creek on dividing line between Newtown
and Northampton Townships, and is 181 feet in length. It is
constructed of hemlock.
Chain Bridge, on dividing line between Wrightstown and
Northampton Townships, was built in 1832 and was demolished
a century later. It was 218 feet long and was built of oak. It
carried a fairly heavy amount of traffic until its replacement by a
steel bridge. It was also a typical example of the covered
bridges over the lower part of the Neshaminy Creek.
Darrah's Mill Bridge, built in 1821, was the last remaining
bridge to carry the heavy traffic of a main highway. It was
on the Old York road over the Little Neshaminy Creek in War-
wick Township. It was 90 feet long and built of oak. An old
remnant of the stage coach days passed when this bridge was
demolished in 1930.
Castle Valley Bridge was over the Neshaminy Creek in
Doylestown Township. It had three spans with a total length
of 483 feet, the longest covered bridge in the county. It was
town down in 1830 and a new concrete bridge was located near
its site. This bridge was built in 1835 of hemlock.
Whitehall Bridge was built in 1792 and rebuilt in 1840.
It was one of the oldest bridges in the county and remained
until 1924 when it was demolished because of a new highway.
It was built of oak and 160 feet in length. It was located in the
village of Chalfont in New Britain Township, and crossed over
the West Branch of the Neshaminy Creek.
County Line Bridge carries a fairly heavy volume of traffic
at the present time. It spans the Little Neshaminy Creek and
is located on the County line between New Britain Township,
Bucks County, and Hatfield Township, Montgomery County.
COVERED HIGHWAY BRIDGES IN BUCKS COUNTY
401
Its length is 125 feet, and is constructed of oak. This structure
has a 10-ton capacity, which is the heaviest load limit of any
covered bridge in Bucks County.
Pine Valley Bridge is located about half-a-mile north of
the borough of New Britain between New Britain and Doyles-
town Townships. This bridge was repaired in 1843 and is con-
structed of hemlock. It crosses Pine Run, which flows through
one of the richest valleys in central Bucks County. Its length
is 81 feet.
KROUT'S MILL BRIDGE, PHOTOGRAPH MARCH 23, 1937
Krout's Mill Bridge is nestled on a country road in the
valley over Deep Run in Bedminster Township. Its length is
80 feet. This is a typical example of a covered bridge on a
country road that is but little used.
North Branch Bridge was located on the Dublin Pike
on the county line between New Britain and Plumstead Town-
ships. It was eliminated in 1921 because of its limited capacity.
Nothing further is known concerning it.
Point Pleasant Bridge, crossing the Tohickon Creek in
the village of Point Pleasant, which is the dividing line between
the townships of Tinicum and Plumstead. It was one of the
longest single arch bridges in the county. This landmark
passed out of existence in the summer of 1922 and was replaced
by a bridge of concrete construction.
402 COVERED HIGHWAY BRIDGES IN BUCKS COUNTY
ToHiCKON Bridge was built in 1861. It is constructed of
oak, 118 feet in length. The center pier was placed there in
1912. It is on the route of the Old Bethlehem road, near Weisel
postoffice, crossing the Tohickon Creek which is the boundary
line between Bedminster and Haycock Townships.
Randt's Mill Bridge, crossing the Tohickon Creek at
Randt's gristmill, between Bedminster and Tinicum Townships.
This was one of the many covered bridges that were located near
old gristmills. It was demolished in 1925 and replaced by a
bridge of concrete construction.
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LOUX'S BRIDGE, PHOTOGRAPH MARCH 28, 1937
Loux's Bridge over Cabin Run in Plumstead Township is
next to the shortest covered bridge in the county, its length
being but 60 feet. It was built in 1874 and repaired in 1913.
It is built of hemlock, which was one of the common woods
growing in that section at one time, but is now found only on
steep hills and cliffs.
Kratz's Mill Bridge, crossing Tohickon Creek on Town-
ship line between Tinicum and Bedminster Townships, was built
in 1848, and was torn down in 1930. It was 158 feet long and
built of oak.
Cabin Run Bridge is located on scenic Cabin Run in Plum-
stead Township. It is exceptionally wide, two cars being able
to pass without difficulty. Its length is 82 feet.
COVERED HIC.HWAY HRID(iES IN BUCKS COUNTY
403
River Road Bridge in Tinicum Township (Route No. 32),
was the last covered bridge built in the county. This was in
1878. The timber was brought from nearby townships. Its
length was 160 feet, and it was exceptionally narrow. This
narrowness was one of the deciding factors which brought about
its demolishment in 1932. It crossed Tinicum Creek.
Erwinna Bridge in Tinicum Township is the shortest of its
kind in the county, being 56 feet long. It is located near the
village of Erwinna in Tinicum Township, and spans Lodi Creek.
FRANKENFIELD'S bridge, photograph march 28, 1897
Frankenfield's Bridge was built in 1872 and repaired in
1912. The length of the span is 110 feet. It crossed Tohickon
Creek in Tinicum Township. This bridge is nestled in a some-
what secluded part of the county, and should serve the com-
munity for a longer period of time than many other of the
covered bridges.
Uhlertown Bridge in Tinicum Township has the unique
distinction of being located over the Delaware Division Canal
of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company. It is 101 feet in
length and is constructed of oak. It carries a fairly heavy
volume of traffic through this quaint village.
Kintnerville Bridge in Nockamixon Township was located
in the village of the sam^e name. It was torn down in 1921 and
replaced by a bridge of concrete construction. This was a
404
COVERED HIGHWAY BRIDGES IN BUCKS COUNTY
lattice bridge and one of the first covered bridges to succumb
to the onward progress of the automobile. It spanned Gallows
Run, on automobile route No. 611. Its length was 79 feet.
Mood's Bridge was built in 1874, and is located in the rich
valley of the Northeast Branch of Perkiomen Creek, in Rock-
hill Township. Its total length is 120 feet, and carries but little
travel.
Steeley's Bridge is located about one-half mile west of
Mood's bridge over the Northeast Branch of Perkiomen Creek
in Rockhill Township. The total length is 129 feet, and is con-
structed of oak.
SHEARD'S^MILL BRIDGE, PHOTOGRAPH MARCH, 1935
Sheard's Mill Bridge crosses Tohickon Creek near Sheard's
gristmill at the dividing line between Haycock and Rockhill
Townships. It is 134 feet long and is in excellent condition.
County Line Bridge was built in 1849 and crossed the North-
east Branch of Perkiomen Creek in Rockhill Township and was
97 feet long. It was located on the County Line road and was
demolished in 1932, because of a new highway.
VanSandt's Bridge was built by G. Arnst and P. S. Naylor.
Its length is 86 feet. It is on a back country road spanning
Pidcock Creek, which flows near historic Bowman's hill in Sole-
bury Township.
COVERED HIGHWAY BRIDGES IN BUCKS COUNTY
405
SOUTH PERKASIE BRIDGE, PHOTOGRAPH MARCH, I'J.^S
South Perkasie Bridge crosses Pleasant Spring Creek in
the village of South Perkasie in Rockhill Township. It is 93)
feet long, built of oak and white pine and carries a fairly volume
of traffic.
FINLAND BRIDGE, PHOTOGRAPH MARCH, 1934
Finland Bridge, in the northwest part of the county in Mil-
ford Township, was built in 1861 and used until an improved
road was constructed in that neighborhood. It crossed llnami
Creek with a span of 140 feet.
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KNECHT'S BRIDGE, PHOTOGRAPH MARCH 27, 1Q35
Knecht's Bridge, heretofore referred to, constructed of
hemlock in 1873. It has a length of 110 feet, and spans Cook's
Creek (later called Durham Creek). It is in Sleifer's Valley
in Springfield Township, and on the route of the Indian Walking
Purchase of 1737.
HOUPT'S MILL BRIDGE, PHOTOGRAPH DECEMBER, 193S
Houpt's Mill Bridge in Springfield Township w-as built in
1872. Situated in one of the remote sections of the county, and
spans Durham Creek. It carries very little traffic, and therefore
likely to remain in service longer than other bridges of that type.
Its length is 107 feet.
COVERED HIGHWAY BRIDGES IN BUCKS COUNTY 407
Neely's Mill Bridge, crossing Pidcock Creek in Solebury
Township, is located near the historic Thompson-Neely house
at Bowman's hill. This bridge is being moved and relocated
near its original site, crossing the canal leading to Washington
Crossing State Park. It is one of the two covered bridges in the
county to be definitely preserved as a model and relic of bygone
days. Its length is 106 feet, and is built of hemlock.
Aqueduct Bridge in Upper Makefield Township is a mile
south of Washington Crossing, named for the canal aqueduct
located nearby. It was built in 1848, and of oak construction.
It spans Hough Creek and has a total length of 70 feet.
In conclusion, it should be borne in mind that further attempts
should be made to gather and preserve data on all covered
bridges, to be put in papers to present to the Bucks County His-
torical Society, and thus preserve this valuable historic informa-
tion in order that future generations and the public may have
access to this passing historical material.
NOTE BY THE EDITOR
There was a wooden covered bridge of arch construction, spanning Dur-
ham Creek on the river road (now automobile route No. 611), built in 1824,
that was carried away by a flood in the Durham Creek on Thursday, October
4, 1877. It was replaced by an iron truss bridge which in turn was replaced
by the present bridge of concrete construction.
PASTORS WHO SERVED CHRIST'S LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1823 TO 1937
Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Tinicum, Pa.
hy rev. .\llen s. fisher, s. t. m.
(Mcelii-g in Christ Evangelical Liitlu-ran Cliurcli,
Tinicum. Pa., October 12. 19,?.S)
(This is a revised and abridged paper based on a chapter under the same title in the
author's book, "Lutheranism in Bucks County — 1734-1<^34," published in 1Q3.S (pp. 28 to 37),
which should be consulted for more complete data.)
THE early history of Christ's Evangelical Lutheran Con-
gregation, popularly known as Lower Tinicum Lutheran
to differentiate it from another congregation of the same
denomination at the upper end of the same township, is still
uncertain. There may have been Lutheran ministrations among
the earliest German settlers, by itinerant pastors, between 1747-
60; but definite data concerning the same is not at hand.
Tinicum Township was reserved by the Penns, for several
reasons, and was not open to settlers as early as was some of
the surrounding territory. The earliest settlers were English
and Scotch-Irish. The Germans, coming up the Schuylkill-
Perkiomen Valley from Philadelphia, did not reach Tinicum
much earlier than 1760.
The oldest church record of the congregation was opened by
Johann Wolfe Lizel, who according to his own entry was "Evan-
gelical Lutheran Preacher from Nuremberg." Lizel was an
independent Lutheran then also serving at Peace, Weisel (To-
hickon), which congregation likewise was opposed to Muhlen-
berg and the United Congregations.
The first wedding recorded at Tinicum was that of George
Adam Hillpot (Hellepart) and Maria Phillipina Schnauffer,
April 10, 1759. In the oldest graveyard, now known as the
Hillpot Graveyard, the oldest legible tombstone is that of William
Jiser, who died December 30, 1759. Thus from these facts one
concludes that the congregation had its beginning about 1760.
The first church was a log structure. There is no one now
living who can give any definite information as to the site or
the nature of this early edifice. There is evidence that it was
located in or near the Hillpot Graveyard and that it was used
until 1808. The graveyard, restored and placed in perpetual
care in 1927, was purchased in 1802, when it was referred to as
410 CHRIST EVAN. LUTH. CHURCH, TINICUM, PA.
"the old" graveyard. All legible names are those of Germans,
as also are all the names attached to a statement concerning
the purchase, fencing expenses, etc.
The Marshall Graveyard, also called the Cooper-Ridge
Burial Ground, known to many people of Bucks County, because
it is the resting place of Edward Marshall, the walker of the
infamous and deplorable 1737 Indian purchase; the Erwin
Family plot at Erwinna, and the graveyard at the forsaken
Ottsville Church are about the only evidences left of the early
English and Scotch-Irish settlers in Tinicum Township. There
is supposed to have been a Gruver or Groover burial plot (Ger-
man), but this was completely obliterated many years ago.
The log church served until 1808, when a second house of
worship was reared. Its site was in the present Fox Graveyard,
close to the present well-known Tinicum Brick Church, where
the outlines of the foundations may still be recognized. It was
of brick (32x42) and served until 1861, when another and a
larger brick edifice (50 x 70) was reared upon the site of the
present Tinicum Brick Church. It had a capacity of 1000,
having galleries on three sides; but even this became too small
by 1876. The author borrowed a copy of Battle's History of
Bucks County" from Mrs. Mary Gruver, Ottsville, in which
was found a newspaper clipping of February 8, 1908, which is
quoted because of the following interesting information :
"The fine Brick Church built in 1861 and remodelled in 1876,
having a steeple 160 feet high, which was a conspicuous land-
mark for many miles, was burned during the early hours of July
3, 1907. The burning of the church brought the question of
separation, previously agitated, to an issue. Soon after the fire
the members of the Lutheran congregtion held a meeting,
and by a large majority decided upon separation. In the fall
of 1907 the officers of the two congregations held a joint meeting,
at which it was agreed by the Reformed to purchase the Lutheran
share in the old site. The site was valued at $1800, so the
Reformed paid the Lutherans $900 for the release and transfer
of all rights to the ground upon which the Lower Tinicum Brick
Church stands."
The Lutherans purchased their present site, approximately
four acres of land in the present village of Tinicum, Pa., for the
sum of $400. Ground for a new church was broken on April
CHRIST EVAN. LUTH. CHURCH, TINICUM, PA. 411
2, 1908. The corner stone was laid on May 17, and the con-
secration of the edifice took place on November 22-26, 1908,
when there was only a debt of $7,400 on the beautiful house of
worship which had cost approximately $35,000 to $40,000.
Two years later on Thanksgiving Day all indebtedness had been
paid and the mortgage was burned. On June 12, 1909, a fine
memorial pipe organ was presented the congregation and dedi-
cated. No accounts concerning the contributions and expendi-
tures for this splendid work were accessible to the writer of this
history, but many of the beautiful windows and articles of
furniture bear the names of the men and the women who so
generously contributed towards the same.
The earliest notice concerning a school house is that of June
27, 1790, which, however, is definite concerning such a property.
According to the names attached, it was definitely Lutheran, as
also the log church must have been.
Entries in the oldest record show that settlements from 1819
to 1833 were between the Presbyterians and the Lutherans. By
1834 the name Reformed occurs in the place of Presbyterian;
but from 1838 to 1847 it was again Presbyterian and Lutheran.
The Reformed and Lutherans were joint owners in the 1861
building, evidently also in the 1808 edifice, and until such union
was dissolved in 1907.
There seems to have been a constant growth in the Lutheran
membership from 1808 to 1884, when there came a decline, most
marked after the separation in 1907; but despite the numerical
change there has been a splendid record in benevolences. The
Women's Missionary Society, organized in the winter of 1898,
alone raised no less than $10,000 for the benevolent work of the
church.
Though there is some uncertainty concerning some of the
men who ministered at Tinicum prior to 1808, one can be cer-
tain that the following pastors served, and for the periods indi-
cated :
Johann Wolfe Lizel, 1760-72.
Frederick Miller, V. D. M., 1773-74.
LIncertainties, 1774-1803, though there are many entries.
John M. Mensch, 1803-23.
Henry S. Miller, 1823-38.
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CHRIST'S EVANGELICAL CHURCH AND PARSONAGE; BUILT 1908 AND 1917,
RESPECTIVELY
TINICUM UNION CHURCH FROM 1861-1907
Successor to Earlier Buildings
The First One in 1747
CHRIST EVAN. LUTH. CHURCH, TINICUM, PA. 413
Christian Welden, 1838-42.
Charles P. Miller, 1842-65.
William S. Emery, 1865-84.
Joseph W. Mayne, 1884-88.
Robert B. Lynch, 1888-1903.
Charles C. Snyder, 1903-1912.
William A. Fluck, 1913-21.
Allen S. Fisher, S. T. M., 1922-.
Tinicum was evidently without parish assignment from 1760
to 1774, but one notes a tendency to join with Springfield and
Keller's and Nockamixon, 1774-1801. Keller's dropped out
of the parish in 1842. By 1879 Tinicum and Nockamixon were
a parish. Tinicum was a parish from 1880 to 1884, and since
then has been united with Dublin.
During these 175 years only two sons of the congregation
entered the ministry, the Rev. Joseph T. Hillpot, deceased, and
the Rev. Jordan Trauger, Philadelphia. The Rev. John Fox,
Coatesville, also a son of the congregation, was transferred to
Upper Tinicum prior to his ordination. Mr. Luther H. Gruver,
a Junior at Muhlenberg College, is planning to enter the ministry.
Buckwampun Historical and Literary Society
By lewis SIGAFOOS, DOYLESTOWN, PA.
(Meeting in Christ Evangelical Lutlieran Cliurcli,
Tinicum, Pa., October 12, 193.S)
ACCORDING to its efificient secretary, Charles Laubach,
of Durham, the inception of the society occurred on vSep-
tember 25, 1885, on the occasion of a visit to Buckwampun
Heights by Historian William J. Buck, of Jenkintown, Mr.
Buck having been attracted to the place to contemplate the
scenes of his childhood, and Mr. Laubach by the historic and
scientific interest attached to the elevation. After a full dis-
cussion and interchange of views, it was decided that the beet
way to perpetuate its traditions and historical interest as well
as its original appellation, "Buckwampun," it might be best to
hold a literary picnic each succeeding year in the month of Jure.
It was then decided to hold the first meeting in June, 1888,
giving the projectors sufficient time to complete their respective
historical and scientific labors then pressing.
Meanwhile Mr. Laubach, in order to make the first meeting
a success, spared no labor in working out a program and enlist-
ing persons to take part in carrying out the proposed scheme.
His first step was to visit all the teachers of Durham, prevailing
on them to take part in the well arranged program. After
some reluctance the writer consented to prepare a paper on the
assigned subject, "Education Then and Now."
The day of the first meeting on June 11th was an ideal one
for an outdoor meeting. The setting on the southwest side of
the hill in a beautiful shady nook, together with its natural
canopy of trees, and surrounded by plants and shrubbery, with
an unobstructed view of a charming landscape, combined to
make it a scene long to be remembered.
The program, which was a very interesting one, was carried
out successfully. Secretary Laubach read an essay on "What
Has Brought Us Hither," and Historian Buck gave "Remi-
niscences of Buckwampun." President C. E. Hindenach gave
"Legends of Buckwampun." Ten other essays were given by
chosen participants. The meeting was fraught with so much
BUCKWAMPUN HISTORICAL AND LITERARY SOCIETY 415
interest that the audience was unanimous in wanting to make
it an annual occurrence.
The initial meeting was followed annually by meetings at
various places in the townships of Durham, Nockamixon, Hay-
cock and Springfield in Bucks County, while two were held in
Saucon and Williams Townships, Northampton County. Places
invested with natural attractions or historical interest were
usually selected for the meetings.
Before proceeding further, I shall digress from my subject
by giving short sketches of the officers of the association.
The president, C. E. Hindenach, for many years a resident
of Durham, was educated in the common schools, and in the
Keystone Normal School at Kutztown. He taught school for
twelve years in the Durham district and \Aas chosen principal
of the Durham schools in 1881. He served as assessor for a
period of five years. He was elected as a member of the Assem-
bly and served two terms with credit and honor. He was a
pleasing speaker, and a very efficient president for the society.
He presided at all the meetings save one, and always had some-
thing new in his welcome addresses. His death occurred Novem-
ber 23, 1929.
Charles Laubach, secretary of the association, was a man
of varied attainments. A persistent student of history and the
sciences, and a voluminous reader of scientific books, his favorite
science was geology. As a mineralogist, he always presented
one or more papers on the geological formation of the rocks
where the meetings were held and the topography of the section
of Eastern Pennsylvania in the vicinity. He also had a fine col-
lection of minerals in his cabinet, most of the samples of his
own collecting. A large share of the success of the society must
be credited to his untiring efforts in promoting its interests.
He was unable to attend the last meeting of the society at East
Springtown school house on August 15, 1903, on account of
illness. He passed away August 23, 1904. It is a regrettable
fact that no one was found to fill Mr. Laubach's place in the
society, and assume the onerous work that he so cheerfully per-
formed. For this reason the word "Finis" was written after
the meeting of 1903.
And now a word about Historian William J. Buck. It was
in his honor that the Buckwampun Society was organized.
416 BUCKWAMPUN HISTORICAL AND LITERARY SOCIETY
His intense interest in local history led him to trace the history
of the families of many of the early settlers of his native locality.
By visiting many of the older persons still living, he was able
to secure much family history. Old Bibles furnished some
information, and deeds for lands bought or sold, county records,
tombstones and church records furnished more. But Mr.
Buck did not stop at these ; he searched among the Pennsylvania
Archives and every available public and private library where
historic facts might be found. These facts he collected and
published from time to time, thereby winning fame as a local
historian. The books he published on local history are con-
sidered a valuable asset to our State library. His death oc-
curred February 13, 1901.
The Buckwampun had many members and a host of friends.
Among its active members who participated in its program
were numerous teachers and professional men and women.
Doctors, lawyers, clergymen and business men were invited
to participate in the exercises. No membership fee was required,
and everybody was invited to its meetings. Local history,
biography, geology, botany and many other subjects of interest
were included in its programs.
Sixteen meetings were held. The second met on Bougher
Hill near Riegelsville. For that meeting the writer was asked
to write a poem on "Prohibition Pro and Con." He complied,
and at every successive meeting he attended, furnished an
original poem. The local subjects assigned were: Buckwampun,
Pennsylvania Palisades, Haycock and the Boatman's Horn.
Two others, the Editor's Muse and Revere Reminiscences, were
presented at other meetings.
The third meeting was held at Stony Garden near the Ringing
Rocks, at the foot of Haycock Mountain. This was a very
interesting meeting, and a number of prominent persons were
among the large audience present. They were probably attracted
to the place by the program advertised in the local news-
papers. A very novel feature of this meeting was the
introduction of music from nature. Previous to the meeting,
Dr. J. J. Ott, of Pleasant Valley, selected special sounding
rocks, representing tones of the scale, upon which, by the use
of a steel hammer, he played "Home Sweet Home" and other
tunes. This unique performance was greatly enjoyed by all
KUCKWAMPUN HISTORICAL AND LITERARY SOCIETY 417
present for its extreme novelty. So far as I know, it has not
been repeated nor duplicated since.
The fourth meeting was held in Funk's grove near Spring-
town. The Euterpean orchestra furnished seven musical num-
bers on this occasion. The literary program was somewhat
shorter than usual, and the sttendance was smaller, although
the weather was fine.
The fifth meeting was held in the woods of Levi Trauger
above Bucksville, in sight of Haycock Mountain. It was the
day of the Buck family reunion, and members of the family par-
ticipated in the exercises. Music was furnished by the Bucks-
ville band, of which John T. Buck was leader.
The sixth annual meeting was held at Ringing Rocks in
Bridgetown Township. This phenomenon of nature furnished
another very interesting place for the society's meeting. His-
torian Buck read a paper he had specially prepared for the
occasion. It was entitled "Soldiers of the War of 1812-1814,"
from Nockamixon and adjoining townships. Before beginning
to read he asked the older people in the audience to tell if they
remembered any of the "Old Twisters of the British Lion's
Tail."
About half a dozen present remembered some of the soldiers
whose names he read. Several sons of the veterans were among
the audience.
Another very interesting paper was presented by A. B.
Haring, president of the Union National Bank of P'renchtown,
N. J. His subject was entitled "Durham Boats." He related
several amusing incidents in connection with the crews running
the barges which carried cannon balls and other products from
the Durham furnace down the Delaware. He also stated that
General Washington used these boats during the Revolution
for transporting his army across the Delaware. Mr. Haring,
owner of the land which contains these interesting rocks, very
generously donated them to the Bucks County Historical Society
on August 22, 1918.
The seventh meeting was a well-attended one near the vil-
lage of Applebachsville. Historical sketches of the village and
the family from which it received its name, were read, and also
the history of the Springfield and the Tohickon Churches. It
was told that the weather-cock which surmounted the Spring-
418 BUCKWAMPUN HISTORICAL AND LITERARY SOCIETY
field Church, built in 1763, was kept as a relic when the church
was replaced by a new building in 1816. It came in possession
of Historian Buck, who later presented it to the Springfield
congregation, and so the ancient bird "came home to roost," a
proud emblem doing service now as in his early days more than
170 years ago.
The eighth meeting was held in a beautiful meadow along
the Durham Creek, near the village of Durham. It was
here at Durham, at the base of Mine Hill, that a blast furnace
was built in 1727, the third to be erected in Pennsylvania.
Durham furnace was the first in Pennsylvania to supply shot
and shells for the Continental army, the first shipment having
been made August 25, 1775. Music at this meeting was fur-
nished by the Frenchtown Cornet Band.
The ninth meeting was held in Benjamin Kohl's woods near
Revere. The sky was cloudy and the weather threatening, but
a fair audience assembled to listen to the program. The Nocka-
mixon Choir rendered the music for the occasion. A poem
prepared and read by the author, entitled, "Revere Reminis-
cences," was not on the printed program. It embodied his
early school days and the various changes that had taken place
in the school and village since 1863. The Sorrel Horse, Kint-
ner's Tavern, Rule's Corner were well-known names for the
village until an application for a post office was made. Several
names were sent in, but were rejected. A happy idea struck
the applicant, and Revere was proposed. It was quickly ac-
cepted, and the residents of the village are proud of the name.
Having moved from the vicinity, and other interests claiming
my entire time, this was the last meeting I attended.
New members continued to join the society and the spirit
of its meetings was kept up by its active workers.
The tenth meeting of the society was held at Riegelsville,
the eleventh at the Ringing Rocks, the twelfth at Pleasant
Valley, the thirteenth at Pullen, the fourteenth at Durham
Cave, the fifteenth at Springfield Church, and the sixteenth
and last at Springtown.
Programs of local historical and general interests, including
biographical sketches of former residents and their activities,
were presented at every meeting ; but time forbids me to elaborate
on them. Many of the papers read at the meetings of the society
BUCKWAMPUN HISTORICAL AND LITERARY SOCIETY 419
are on file at the library of the Bucks County Historical Society,
in a voluminous scrap book prepared by Dr. B. F. Fackenthal, Jr.
You no doubt wonder why an organization composed of so
many interested members willing to foster such a worthy work
in the cause of historical and scientific knowledge, should lose
interest and disintegrate. I cannot explain, but believe it was
partly due to many of its members engaging in other activities
occupying their time and attention; but principally on account
of the loss of its efficient leaders, on whom the membership
depended for the responsibility of planning and carrying out
the purpose of the organization.
I sincerely regret that the mantles they wore could not have
fallen on other shoulders willing to take up the work and con-
tinue to rescue from obscurity much of the neglected and val-
uable information about our ancestors, whose labors and trials
were many and difficult ones. Their hardships were the means
of paving the way to make it easier for us to travel on life's
road, and we should feel that we owe them a debt of gratitude,
which we can only partly repay by preserving and handing
down to posterity the record of their achievements.
We fondly hope that some one may be inspired to emulate
the organizers of the Buckwampun Historical and Literary
Society, and continue the work along the same lines so success-
fully carried out by this society during the fifteen years of its
existence.
Louis H. Spellier and His Electric Clocks
By MRS. ANNIE MEREDITH FRETZ, OAK LANE, PHILADELPHIA
(Doylestown Meeting, May 2, 1936)
DOYLESTOWN, the county-seat of Bucks County, has the
dictinction of numbering among her former inhabitants,
the scientist, Louis H. Spelher.
He was born in Ger-
many, January 6, 1841,
of French and German
parents, and died at
Philadelphia, August 22,
1891.
For a time he was a
tutor in the German
Royal family. To es-
cape military service he
came to the United
States, as the life of a
soldier was contrary to
his literary and inven-
tive genius. On the
other hand the patriotic
significance of our
Fourth of July appealed
to him as much as it
did to any native born
American. He had a
great love of nature, and
was fond of gathering
wild flowers, and was
enthusiastic about
Christmas, with its traditional Christmas tree and Christmas
gifts.
He came to Doylestown about the year 1871, and opened a
watch, clock and jewelry store in the building near the corner
of Main and State Streets, opposite the Fountain House.
He was a splendid mechanic, with an inventive turn of mind,
LOUIS H. SPELLIER
LOUIS H. SPELLIER AND HIS ELECTRIC CLOCKS 421
and after closing his place of business for the day, devoted his
spare time to the experimentation and development of a new
system of electric clocks. When his invention was well in
hand, he attracted the attention of Alfred Fackenthall, Esq.,
then a young lawyer of Doylestown,^ who became interested in
him, and who prepared his papers to present to the Patent
Office at Washington, D. C, where his invention was allowed a
patent on November 17, 1885.
On March 17, 1880, he read a paper before the Franklin
Institute of Philadelphia,^ entitled "Electro-Magnetic Time
Telegraph," setting forth a history of his invention.
From that address I quote the following:
"If we consider that we can control by one correct timepiece just as
many time telegraphs to indicate true time, as necessary or fancy requires,
provided there is battery power enough to move them, we have reason to
believe that they may come into general use in hotels and public buildings."
* * * * "Now a few words in conclusion of the utility of the electric clocks
before I close. They will hardly ever come into general use, and always a
costly novelty for those who desire to have them."
Mr. Spellier builded better than he knew, as evidenced by
the large number of electric clocks in use today, not only in
hotels and public buildings, but in general use everywhere, many
of which are inexpensive. They keep accurate time and can be
attached to any electric current outlet.
After delivering his address and exhibiting his invention, the
Committee on Science and Art made the following recommenda-
tion :
"As we think Spellier's invention such a great step in advance
that it merits the warm approval and commendation of the
Franklin Institute. We recommend that he be awarded the
Elliott Cresson Gold Medal."
1 Alfred Fackenthall, Esq., was born in Durham Township, May 24,
1846; he was admitted to the Bar of Bucks County, May 5, 1869, and died
at Doylestown, November 16, 1892.
2 Franklin Institute was established in 1824, and begun the publication
of its Monthly Journal in 1834. It has been suggested that the Franklin
Institute may have been inspired by Franklin's Junto, a literary association
begun in 1727, and maintained for many years, with but a few selected literary
men as its members. For many years the Franklin Institute had its home
15 South Seventh Street, Philadelphia, until it moved into its magnificent
and imposing building on the Parkway and Twentieth Street.
422
LOUIS H. SPELLIER AND HIS ELECTRIC CLOCKS
This medal was intrusted by the provisions of ElUot Cresson's
will, to the Franklin Institute in 1848, and this award to Louis
H. Spellier was but the eighth medal awarded over a period of
thirty-three years.
On May 17, Mr. Spellier read a second paper before the
Franklin Institute entitled "Electric Clocks and Time Tele-
graphs," which was published in their Journal, with numerous
illustrations, August, 1882.
In 1883, Mr. Spellier published a brochure of 12 pages, with
illustrations, entitled "Spellier System of Time Telegraphy and
the Superiorties," a copy of which has been loaned us by his
nephew, Frederick T. Spellier, of Cheltenham, Pa.
In 1886, Mr. Spellier published and had copyrighted another
brochure of 24 pages entitled "A New System of Electric Clocks,"
which was also illustrated, wherein he sets forth the merits of
his invention, accompanied with many testimonials from learned
societies and scientific publications, both from America and
from European countries. From this it appears that he had an
elaborate exhibition of his clocks at the International Exhibition
at Philadelphia during October, 1884. The "Electric World"
of New York in its issue of September 27, 1884, says: "Mr.
Louis H. Spellier has a space near the office of the exhibition
management on the main floor, and a number of his clocks are
distributed throughout the building," and then continues to
speak in the highest terms of his invention.
In 1885, Mr. Spellier was awarded the "Scott Legacy Medal
and Premium," which was intrusted in 1816 to the City of
Philadelphia by John Scott, Chemist of Edinburgh, to be awarded
by the City of Philadelphia to inventors upon recommendation
of the Franklin Institute only. This award consists of twenty
LOUIS H. SPELLIER AND HIS ELECTRIC CLOCKS 423
dollars in money, with a bronze medal bearing the inscription
"To the Most Deserving." This bronze medal has been pre-
sented to our society by his nephew, Frederick T. Spellier, of
Cheltenham, Pa. This medal will be passed around at the
conclusion of this paper.
During the latter years of his life, Mr. Spellier visited Europe
and after his return in August, 1891, while vacationing at the
seashore he contracted pneumonia, from the effects of which he
died at his Philadelphia home on the 22nd of that month. His
body lies buried in the Doylestown cemetery. On his tomb
there is an excellent likeness of him in bronze basrelief, together
with his name and the dates of his birth and death. He never
married.
In 1877, while living in Doylestown, he built a clock for the
tower of the courthouse, the works of which are now in the
museum of the Bucks County Historical Society.
BUCKS COUNTY COURTHOUSE CLOCK
The first clock installed in the tower of the courthouse at Doylestown, was built and
erected by Louis Spellier of Doylestown in 1877. The above engraving is from a photograph
made in February, 1937, of the works which have been preserved and can be seen in the museum
of the Bucks County Historical Society.
History of the Building of Doylestown Friends' Meeting House
From Manuscripts of Samuel Hart, in Possession of The Bucks
County Historical Society
Read by MRS. THOMAS O. ATKINSON, DOYLESTOWN, PA.
(Doylestown Meeting, May 2, 1936)
ON the day of , 1834, several Friends resid-
ing in and near Doylestown made application to Bucking-
ham Monthly Meeting for liberty to hold an indulged
Meeting on First-days in that village under the care of that
Monthly Meeting. The Meeting appointed a committee to
confer with the applicants, who, after one or more consultations,
reported favorably. The Meeting appointed another committee
to have the care and oversight of the indulged Meeting for one
year, which has been continued from time to time.
A room in the Academy was rented by the applicants, where
they held their meetings regularly.
During the summer of 1835 the subject of building a Meeting
House for themselves was mentioned, and, after consultation,
was presented to the Monthly Meeting, who encouraged the
proposal and made arrangements to assist in defraying the
expense.
In order to avoid all difficulties which might arise in raising
the funds for liquidating that expense, William Stokes, Timothy
Smith, Samuel Hart, Eleazer T. McDowell and Samuel Yardley,
five of the applicants, entered into a written agreement to build
a house 50 by 26 feet, one story of 11 feet in height, appropriating
all voluntary contributions as far as they would go to the pay-
ment, and the remainder, if any, they would pay in equal shares.
A lot was immediately purchased, a deed stating the object
of the purchase was executed to the above named Friends, mate-
rials collected, a house erected and so far finished as to hold
meetings therein in Second-month, 1836, which has continued
until this time.
In the following summer the building and surrounding
improvements were completed and the cost found to amount
to $1,654.50. During the progress of the building and subse-
quently, John Watson kindly interested himself in obtaining
426 BUILDING OF DOYLESTOWN FRIENDS' MEETING HOUSE
contributions from the different Meetings composing Bucks
Quarter and paid over to the building committee
the sum of $ 483 . 25
Meeting Contributions —
Gwynedd Monthly Meeting, Abington Quarter 29 . 00
Richland Monthly Meeting, Abington Quarter 33 . 00
Abraham Chapman 50. 00
Daniel Byrnes 50. 00
Thomas Ross 50. 00
Mathias Morris 20. 00
Joseph Foulke 10. 00
Joseph Rich 10. 00
R. & Th. Hough 10. 00
Stephen Brock 10. 00
Elm. Pettit 10.00
John Dyer 5.00
John E. Kenderdine. . . ; 4. 00
$ 774.25
Remainder paid by the 5 persons named 880.25
$1,654.50
Some time elapsed and a proposition was laid before Bucks
Quarterly Meeting that, if they as a body would increase the
sum already paid over to us by John Watson to $1,000, we, who
held the title, would declare a trust of said property holding as
trustees under the Quarterly Meeting for their benefit. This
was acceded to, a proportion was assessed on each Meeting,
amounting to $1,000, the sums already paid by John Walton,
collected from them respectively, to be deducted from the several
quotas. The balance, $516.75, was paid over by John Watson
and a declaration of trust executed as proposed on the 28th of
the 3d-mo., 1839.
The advancement reduced the sum paid by the trustees to $363.50
of which William Stokes paid 76.10
Timothy Smith " 59.09
Sam'l Hart " 76.10
E. T. McDowell " 76.10
Sam'l Yardley " 76.10
2d mo. 16th, 1850. $363.49
BUILDING OF DOYLESTOWN FRIENDS* MEETING HOUSE 427
The trustees are now all gone except myself. Wm. Stokes,
Timothy Smith and Eleazer T. Smith are deceased and Samuel
Yardley is removed to Philadelphia.
Sam'l Hart.
Memorandum of an agreement made and concluded this
Sixth day of October A. D. 1835 between Timothy Smith, Wil-
liam Stokes, Samuel Hart, Samuel Yardley and E. T. McDowell
of the one part, and Jacob G. Connard Carpenter (all of Doyles-
town) of the other part, Witnesseth that the said Jacob G. Con-
nard doth hereby covenant and agree to and with the party of
the first part to do the carpenter work of a Certain Meeting
House, now commenced and about to be erected by the said
party of the first ; for the public Worship of the Society of Friends,
on a lot lately purchased by the said party of the first part of
John Bradshaw situate in the village of Doylestown on South
Street, adjoining Lands of Timothy Smith, Wm. Stokes and
others: The said building to be twenty six feet in depth and
fifty feet in length — one story high — one floor of yellow pine,
five panel doors — nine fifteen light windows glass ten by twelve
two window in the gable ends with a Shutter to each. — the sash
of the nine windows to be double hinge — there is to be a parti-
tion running across the house from front to back, with one
double door to pass through and five hoisting shutters on slides,
all to be hung with pullies and weights — the said double door,
partition and slides are to be of panel work. If any other or
more windows should upon reflection be thought propper, they
are to be made by the said Jacob with frames and shutters all
of which is to be done and executed in a workman like manner.
And the said party of the first part in consideration of the cove-
nants above mentioned do covenant and agree to and with the
said Jacob, to pay unto him on or before the first day of April
next ensuing the date hereof the sum of one hundred and fifty
dollars in full for the completion of the said w^ork. And in addi-
tion thereto the further sum of three dollars for each And any
window which shall be made and put in beyond the nine herein
discribed — also that they are to pay for all extra work done
beyond wiiat is embraced or intended to be embraced in this
article, according to the usual and customary wages
428 BUILDING OF DOYLESTOWN FRIENDS* MEETING HOTJSE
[n witness whereof we have set our hands-
Timothy Smith
Jacob G. Conrad
Memorandom of an agreement made and concluded this
Sixth day of October A. D. 1835 between Timothy Smith, WilUam
Stokes, Samuel Hart, Samuel Yardley & E. T. McDowell on the
one part and Joseph James of the other part Witnesseth that
the said Joseph James for and in consideration of the covenants
hereinafter named doth agree to and with the party of the first
part, to build erect and construct for the party aforesaid a Meet-
ing House for the society of Friends Situate in the village of
Doylestown on Front Street, on a Lot adjoining lands of William
Stokes Dr. I. S. Rich & others, conveyed or to be conveyed to
the party of the first part by John Bradshaw, the said building
to be twenty-six feet in width by fifty in length — the said
Joseph to do the mason work of the same — the cellar to be built
of stone seven feet high with and of an eighteen inch wall, and
the remainder of said building to be built of Brick and to be
laid and done by the said Joseph — the said Joseph to find his
own tenders and water to make the mortar — the whole of the
work both stone and brick to be executed in a workman like
manner. In consideration of which the said party of the first
part do hereby agree to and with the said Joseph to pay unto
him on or before the first day of April next ensuing the date
hereof thirty seven and a half cents a perch for the stone work
of said building — and three dollars a thousand for laying and
executing the Brick work of the same.
Joseph James
E. T. McDowell
for the party of the first part.
It is mutually agreed between Timothy Smith, William
Stokes, Samuel Hart, Samuel Yardley & E. T. McDowell that
they are equally and jointly liable for the cost and expense of
erecting and completing the Friends Meeting house in Doyles-
town and the improvements around and about the same and
BUILDING OF DOYLESTOWN FRIENDs' MEETING HOUSE 429
that they will mutually and equally contribute to the payment
of the same.
It is further mutually agreed by and between the Same
parties hereto that all contributions made by the monthly
Meetings of the County, or elsewhere, as well as all monies received
and obtained of and from individuals, for the purpose of being
appropriated in payment of said meeting House, are to be equally
& mutually credited to the accounts and respective liabilities
of the subscribers.
To which covenants and agreements we severally and mu-
tually bind ourselves one to the other for the true performance
of the same. Witness our hands this fifth day of July A. D.
1836.
Timothy Smith
Samul Hart
Samuel Yardley
E. T. McDowell
Expenses for Friends Meeting House for 1839 to Oct. 31
Reed, payment in full of Dan'l Byrnes for 1 year's attending the
Meetinghouse of Friends in Doylestown, Ending Oct. 31, 1839,
Ten Dollars s$10
John Vanhorn
Paid Timothy Smith's bill for whitewashing the fence
around the yard $ 2
Am. $12
Abrm. Chapman for his proportions $1.71 Paid April 2, 1840
Saml. Yardley
E. T. McDowell
Timothy Smith
Wm. Stokes
Saml. Hart
D. Byrnes
" May 25, 1840
" March 18, 1840
" May 2, 1840
" 12th mo 27,
To Oct. 31 the whole
Amt. $10
Am. $12.00
Biographical Notice of Warren Smedley Ely
By dr. B. F. FACKENTHAL, Jr., RIEGELSVILLE, PA.
(Doylestown Meeting. May 2, 1936)
f" m mmmm uE passing of Warren S. Ely is a great loss to the
I County of Bucks and to this society, of which he
was an active member for nearly forty years. He
i was the tenth child of Isaac and Mary (Magill)
Ely, who lived on their farm in Solebury Town-
ship, Bucks County, where Warren was born
October 6, 1855.
He was educated in the public schools of Solebury Township
and at the Lambertville, New Jersey, Seminary.
He began his business career as a farmer, taking charge of
the homestead farm on April 1, 1878, which he conducted for
two years. On March 1, 1880, he bought a farm in Bucking-
ham Township, which he cultivated for five years, during the
same time acting as one of the managers and as treasurer of the
Buckingham Valley Creamery Association. While operating
this farm, he met with an accident on October 26, 1881, by which
he lost his left hand.
In 1885 he abandoned farming and bought a gristmill prop-
erty located on Mill Run, a branch of the Neshaminy, in Buck-
ingham Township, which he equipped with modern and up-to-
date machinery and operated successfully until the spring of
1894, when he moved to Doylestown, having been elected in the
fall of 1893 on the Republican ticket to the office of Clerk of the
Orphans' Court of Bucks County. On the expiration of his term
of office in 1897, he was made deputy clerk in that office, and
later served at various times as deputy Register of Wills, deputy
Recorder of Deeds, and as deputy Sheriff.
In March, 1900, he went to Jacksonville, Florida, to fill a
position with a mercantile house, where he remained five months;
returning to Doylestown to become the business manager of the
Doylestown Republican.^ He resigned his newspaper work in
August, 1901, having been appointed by the court of Bucks
iThe Doylestown Republican, with daily and weekly editions, began its
publication November 1, 1893, and ended its career November 24, 1909.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF WARREN S. ELY 431
County to supervise the refiling and indexing of papers and
records in the Court of Common Pleas and Court of Quarter Ses-
sions, and in fact all the original papers on file at the court house,
covering a period of 200 years, from the founding of the county in
1682 down to 1882.
The great opportunity which this courthouse-work afi'orded
him, and his work in the various row ofiices, stood him in good
stead, and equipped him for his work of later years in searching
land titles and in his genealogical researches; in fact, he became an
expert in that character of work. He was a man of strong per-
sonality, a close student, with a mathematical mind and withal a
retentive memory, and was without doubt the best equipped and
the most reliable historian and genealogist in Bucks County. He
despised so-called historians who padded their manuscripts with
statements that were guessed at and that were not fully verified.
It was not, however, until January 19, 1897, that he became
interested in the Bucks County Historical Society, and elected to
membership. He soon became one of its outstanding members,
reading his first paper on "Scotch Irish Families" on August 9,
1898, the year following his election. He made a total contribu-
tion of twenty papers to our society, all of which are printed in our
publications, a complete list of which is appended hereto. His
last paper was submitted on May 2, 1931, at the Fonthill meeting.
On October 14, 1922, he was elected a member of the board of
directors, serving faithfully down to the time of his death.
On January 15, 1901, the ofiice of librarian was created, to
which Mr. Ely was appointed; at that time there were but a few
hundred books in the library, which has since grown to 8,370
bound volumes, and in addition we have over 3,000 well selected
pamphlets, some 16,000 manuscripts, besides broadsides, parch-
ment deeds, paintings and other historical items. Owing to fail-
ing health, Mr. Ely resigned as librarian on May 5, 1934, and was
made librarian emeritus.
Some years ago Mr. Ely prepared for publication, a History of
Bucks County, with special reference to its use in public schools,
which, coming from his pen, is certainly of special value, and
which it is hoped can be published at an early day.
Mr. Ely assisted the late General Davis in revising his History
of Bucks County; in fact, he compiled the entire third volume
devoted to family histories and genealogies. In addition to the
432 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF WARREN S. ELY
papers read before this society, he presented papers to other his-
torical and patriotic societies, among which can be specially men-
tioned his address on "General Washington in Bucks County,"
delivered on February 22, 1926, before the Bucks County Chapter,
Daughters of the American Revolution, published in the Bucks
County Intelligencer, February 26, 1926.
In his younger days Mr. Ely was much interested in educa-
tional affairs, serving for a time as one of the trustees and directors
of the Hughesian Free School of Buckingham, which ofifice he
resigned when he moved out of the district.
For many years Mr. Ely was an active member of Aquetong
Lodge, No. 193, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he
was a past grand and for many years its secretary; also a member
of Doylestown Encampment, No. 35, and a representative of the
Grand Lodge, in which he was past chief patriarch and scribe.
He was a representative in the State Grand Encampment for a
number of years, and for some time filled the position of district
deputy.
He was also a past select commander of the Ancient Order,
Knights of the Mystic Chain of Pennsylvania, affiliated with the
Buckingham Castle, No. 208, which he represented for several
years, and served as trustee of the State body for three years.
Mr. Ely was twice married, first to Miss Hannah S. Mitchener,
a daughter of Hugh and Sarah (Betts) Mitchener. Mrs. Ely
was a member of the Society of Friends to which Warren was
affiliated, but due to the fact that his father was read out of meet-
ing for marrying without consent of the meeting, Warren did not
connect himself with the Society of Friends. They were the
parents of three children, Laura W., born February 21, 1887, died
February 25, 1903; Mrs. J. Carrell Molloy, of Pineville, Bucks
County, and Frederic Warren Ely, of Pittsburgh, who survive
him.
His second marriage was with Mrs. Josephine I. Burleigh,
daughter of J. Parker and Florence Belle (Anderson) Naugle, who
also survives him. He passed away at his Doylestown home on
March 9, 1936. His body was laid at rest on March 12, in the
Friends' Burying Ground at Solebury Meeting House, near the
home of his boyhood, a section of the county to which he often
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF WARREN S. ELY 433
referred with the greatest affection.^ For portrait of Mr. Ely
see frontispiece.
Warren S. Ely contributed 20 papers to our transactions. The
first on "Scotch Irish FamiHes," on August 9, 1898, and the last on
"Tamenend vs. Allummpees" on May 2, 1931, of which the fol-
lowing is a complete list:
Title Meeting Vol. Page
1— Scotch-Irish Families Aug. 9,1898 2 521
2— Bogart's Inn, An Old Hostelry Oct. 1, 1901 3 96
3— The Tohickcn Settlers Oct. 6,1903 3 296
4 — Lime Burning Industry, Its Rise and Decay
in Bucks County Jan. 18, 1910 4 69
5— Presbyterian Church of Tohickon at Red Hill Oct. 4,1910 4 108
6 — Historic Associations of Upper Neshaminy
Valley Oct. 22, 1912 4 336
7 — Dutch Settlement in Bucks County May 23, 1917 5 1
8— Turnpike Roads in Bucks County May 23, 1917 5 18
9 — George Taylor, Signer of the Declaration
of Independence Jan. 19, 1918 5 101
10 — Biographical Notice of Clarence D. Hotch-
kiss Jan. 17, 1920 5 232
11 — Octagon or So-called Eight Square School
Houses Oct. 9, 1920 5 290
12 — Early History of Washington Crossing and
Its Environs Oct. 1,1921 5 376
13 — Early History cf Neshaminy Presbyterian
Church June 7,1924 5 624
14 — The Samuel Hart Collection of Manuscripts,
1777-1877 June 7,1924 5 717
15— Andrew EUicott, The Great Surveyor Jan. 17,1925 5 745
16 — The Three Tuns Inn at Gallows Hill and the
Old Durham Road Nov. 21, 1925 6 25
17 — A Lutheran Mission in Northampton Town-
ship in 1748 Jan. 10,1925 6 44
18— The Early History of Point Pleasant Sept. 10, 1927 6 96
19 — Sesqui-Centennial Anniversary of the Battle
of Crooked Billet Jan. 19,1929 6 271
20 — Tamenend vs. AUummapees May 2,1931 6 396
2For extended notices of Mr. Ely and the Ely family, see Battle's History
of Bucks County, page 814; Davis' History of Bucks County, (revised edition)
Vol. HI, page 132; Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography, Volume II, page
556; and Pennsylvania, a History, by Rev. Dr. George P. Donehoo, Biographi-
cal Volume, page 8, from which material has been drawn for this biographical
notice.
Address of Welcome to "Temora"
By MRS. CHARLES C. (EDITH SCHUYLER) WILLIS
(Newtown Township Meeting, September 26, 1936)
(At tlie home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Willis)
Dr. Fackenthal, Members of Bucks County Historical Society
and Friends:
IT gives us deep joy to welcome you to "Temora," one of the
old homes of Bucks County, the quiet history of which might
serve in recording to us many gatherings and reunions, of
families and friends who have met here from time to time — a
glimpse of cheer and a bit of the spirit of that home-coming
welcome of the days of long ago.
Today's meeting should be of additional interest owing to the
fact that it is the first to have been held in the Township of New-
town (other than in the Borough of Newtown) since the organ-
ization of the Society, November 20, 1880. I have been asked
to give you some data regarding "Temora," its past and present.
Through the kindness of Mr. Edward R. Barnsley, of Newtown,
we have in our possession a photo-copy of the original warrant
from William Penn to Thomas Revel, dated the sixteenth day
of 3rd-Mo., Anno Dom: 1683 (the earliest of the William Penn
Warrants recorded of Newtown), original of which will be found
at the Land Ofifice Bureau, Harrisburg, Pa.; also a copy of the
deed of Lawrence Growden and Langhorne Biles to David
Buckman, recorded 4th-Mo. 10th, 1750 (Deed Book No. 8,
page 92), a portion of which reads as follows:
"Whereas, by virtue cf a Warrant granted by William Penn, Esq., bear-
ing date the sixteenth day of the 3rd-Mo., Anno Dom: 1683, there was sur-
veyed and laid out on the twenty-eighth day of the same month unto Thomas
Revel (on Rent) a certain tract or parcel of land in Newtown in the County
of Bucks, containing 250 acres."
The early owners of this tract following Thomas Revel were
Michael Huff, Sr., and Michael Huff, Jr., Thomas Stevenson,
one Thomas Walmsley, and John Johnson and Margaret, his
wife. The acreage intact was subsequently deeded by Margaret
Johnson to Thomas Story, 2nd-Mo. 5th, 1723. (Note that.
ADDRESS OF WELCOME TO TEMORA" 435
from date of first deed on record to that of the above purchase
by Thomas Story, a period of exactly fifty years has elapsed.)
It is further recorded:
"And whereas Thomas Penn by virtue of the powers and authorities to
him granted by John Penn and Richard Penn, and of his own right. . . .at
the special instance and request of the said Thomas Story did by a Patent
bearing date the thirty-first day of September, Anno Dom: 1733, under the
yearly quit rent therein reserved, give, grant, release and confirm unto the
said Thomas Story and his heirs the said two hundred and fifty acres of land
. . . .as aforesaid, with appurtenances thereto belonging."
Later on this tract was sold by the General Loan Office and
bought in by Jeremiah Langhorne, who in turn resold "unto
one Michael Dowd and his heirs a certain part of the aforesaid
tract or parcel of land" — (about 61 acres along the easterly end,
toward Newtown). And further we read, by witness of inden-
ture,
"the said Lawrence Growden and Langhorne Biles for and
in consideration of the sum of Three Hundred Pounds lawfull
money of Pensilvania, to them in hand paid," convey the 189
acres to David Buckman. In the year 1791, David Buckman
bequeathed by will the above tract to his half-brother, John
Story. It is here we welcome once more the name of Story in
the early annals of "Temora."
The following extracts are from a letter written by Mr. Wil-
liam H. Jenks, of Philadelphia, to his niece, Mrs. Edward B.
Smith, dated 8th-Mo. 9th, 1899, a copy of which was sent to us
through the kindness of Mr. Geoffrey Story Smith, Fort Washing-
ton, Pa.:
"Thee may also be interested to know something about the old home
which was situated near the banks of the Neshaminy Creek, on the then
lonely Swamp Road, about two miles northwest from Newtown, Bucks
County. The farm, which consisted of about two hundred acres of land, was
originally owned by David Buckman, who, in 1791, bequeathed it by will to
his half-brother, John Story, thy great-great-grandfather."
"Thomas Story, the first of thy ancestors of that name in America, was
born in Northumberland, England, in 1671 and came to Pennsylvania with
William Penn on his second voyage, landing here lOth-Mo. (Dec.) 1st, 1699.
He settled in Bucks County and on Ist-Mo., 18th, 1717/18, married Eliza-
beth Wilson Buckman (widow of William Buckman) who had four children."
"John Story was the only child of Thomas and Elizabeth Story and was
born llth-Mo. 26th, 1718/19. He married 5th-Mo. 1747, Elizabeth Cutler
436 ADDRESS OF WELCOME TO "tEMORA"
and died llth-Mo. 10th, 1804. John and Elizabeth Cutler Story had several
children, one of whom, David Story, thy great-grandfather, born 4th-Mo.
20th, 1760, was named after his uncle, David Buckman, and inherited through
his father the above mentioned farm. David Story was married 4th-Mo.
19th, 1792, to Rachel Richardson and settled on the farm which his uncle
had bequeathed to his father the previous year. He called the place 'Temora'
(thy father says after Ossian's second and longest poem, published shortly
before that time — 'Temora' being the palace of the King) and made it his
home for many years. It was here that thy grandmother Jenks (Elizabeth
Story) was born, 3rd-Mo. 6th, 1807.
"The long, substantially built, stone house was situated on a gentle slope
facing an extensive lawn, surrounded by neatly trimmed hedges, and shaded
by many stately pine trees. The place was one in which thy great-grand-
father took much interest and pleasure, and, as long as it remained in the
family, was kept in such perfect order that it was considered the pride of the
neighborhood."
In 1844, we learn, the farm was sold, no longer to remain in
the Story family, where, for so many years, it had been the
center of cherished associations by its proud and gracious pos-
sessors. In passing to subsequent owners of "Temora" we find
John Goerly, followed by William Buckman, then Charles
Blaker and later by Isaac Blaker, Joseph Phipps and Jacob
Twining.
About 1905 "Temora" was purchased by Dr. and Mrs.
Edward Parker Davis, who, for twelve years, occupied the farm,
Mi;s. Davis renaming it "Bewley Farm" and bringing to the
home and its surroundings much of interest and hospitality.
We understand it was from the dairy of "Bewley Farm" that
fresh table butter was made and a generous supply sent at regular
intervals to President Woodrow Wilson during his term of resi-
dence at the White House. From the Doctor Davis ownership
the old home by deed of purchase went to the Llewellyns of
Rydal, Pa., from whom it was purchased by the present owners,
the farm then being known by the name of "Sleepy Hollow."
It has been our desire to leave undisturbed, as far as possible,
the various features which have been so much a part of the early
history of the old place, and to authentically restore any which
may have been destroyed through the passing years, making
only such changes as would be necessary for the average com-
fort and convenience of Twentieth Century livability, and these
as inconspicuously as possible. Our very first "restoration"
Address of welcome to temora'
437
upon our arrival there in 1921 was the early name "Temora,"
which we welcomed with jubilant enthusiasm.
The age-old and well-preserved moss-covered roof still
shelters the old home, in spite of much persuasive advice to the
contrary! Much of interest do we find by way of the old fire-
places and mantels, and original wood work; the three-story,
open stairway with its generous "well," all of which tells of a
'TEMORA"— HOME OF MR. AND MRS. CHARLES C. WILLIS
Swamp Road, Newtown Township, Bucks County, Pa.
From photograph taken January, 1937
certain quiet simplicity and dignity far removed from the ornate
of a later day. The old floors of wide, yellow pine boards are
still intact throughout, with but two exceptions, and we feel a
sort of prideful glory as we gaze upon David Story's "gentle
sloping lawn" from out the small paned windows divided by
their grandly chubby, heavy-set mullions, through the same,
wavy, irregular glass of these windows out to the treasured
remnant of the "many stately pine trees." The peculiar coloring
of exterior stone work shows the many and various coats of
paint or washes used, which through time and the elements have
o c
II
ADDRESS OF WELCOME TO "tEMORA" 439
here and there worn away, leaving patches of the soft brown
color of the original locally quarried stone.
The yet unsealed attic, with its dow'el pegged rafters, remains
a welcome retreat from the hurried life of today, when to dream
of a century long gone by, with its message of peace and gentle
serenity, is a refreshing experience not to be overlooked.
In a former paper of the Bucks County Historical Society
(Vol. IV, page 396) Mrs. A. Haller Gross writes of "Old Spring
Houses of Bucks County." Mention is made of that at "Bewley
Farm" (the then home of Mrs. Edward Parker Davis near New-
town), "a beautiful spring house built in 1727, with a green
mound over it, on which large trees grow, and which in spring
is covered with crocuses."
The long lane approaching the homestead ("Temora") from
Swamp Road, we have been told, was part of a principal thorough-
fare leading from New Hope to Philadelphia, crossing the
Neshaminy at Schofield's Ford, a quarter of a mile below.
Borings of the large white oak in the west meadow by the
stream were taken by the late Mr. Henry Moon, which indi-
cated an age of 240 years or over, thus putting this fine old tree
well within the great Penn's lifetime, and so gave to it member-
ship in the group of "Penn Trees."
Of the "somewhat romantic," to "Temora's" credit, there
must be a plenty! We find upon the north wall, crudely cut
into a large stone the initials, "J. S.," and the date mark, "1807,"
no doubt placed there by a John Story himself. Then, too,
there is a romantic narrative, whether fiction or truth, of Hannah
Story in bridal attire, coming down the stairway at "Temora"
on the morning of her wedding day to meet, within the inner
drawing room, her long absent lover, Robert Watson, whose
insistent plea to see and talk with Hannah ended in solving the
mystery of their broken courtship, through the sad intrigue of
the little bride's envious cousin, which resulted in the consequent
betrothal of Hannah to Joseph Clayton, w^hose w^edding within
a few short hours was to take place at the Wrightstown Meeting
House. A happy and beautiful ending ensues, which Sarah
Parr tells of in her very quaint and enduring fashion, making
the little story, by name "Joseph Clayton's Call to the Ministry"
(a publication of the Ladies' Home Journal of August, 1896)
quite worth the reading.
440 ADDRESS OF WELCOME TO "tEMORA"
We shall not forget to mention the several occasions when
it has been our privilege to be permitted to welcome to "Temora,"
from time to time, the kindly descendants of the past various
owners, who come to visit the "home of their ancestors," and
from whom it has been our good fortune to gather numerous
and unexpected data regarding "Temora," both interesting and
amusing, which otherwise we would have been deprived of
learning. One little narrative is vividly recalled, as the late
Mr. Isaac Blaker told it, of the two maiden sisters, then residing
at "Temora." As they sat before the fire, and the evening wore
away, the hearth-log burning to a last faint glimmer, "Sister
Rebecca," said one, "touch the alarm, tell the Domestic to cur-
tail the nocturnal illuminator." Let us hope the command,
once given, was discreetly and promptly carried out with its
desired result!
Many things of interest regarding "Temora," which memory
fails at the moment to recall, may return to mind as later we
think upon the deep pleasure of having you with us today. Our
happiness, as we look back upon this occasion, will be the remem-
brance that our desire was to have you find welcome, one and
all, and happiest interest in all that this old home may have
offered, upon a day which has brought you each to cross its
threshold, or to linger beneath its shade in thoughts of the long
ago in the vision of today and a tomorrow.
Early Time-Telling Devices
By HARROLD E. GILLINGHAM, GKRMANTOWN, PA.
(Meeting at "Temora," the home of Mr. and Mrs. Cliarles C. Willis. Newtown, Pa.,
September 26, 1936)
I FELT greatly honoured when asked to address the Bucks
County Historical Society on this occasion at the house of
our dear friends, Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Willis, where we
have spent many pleasant hours in their company and in dis-
cussing their collection of antique furniture.
It seems that many Philadelphians are proud of their Bucks
County ancestors, as those of this section feel toward their
forebears who first settled in the Quaker City; and among the
forty ancestors of mine who came to this country prior to 1700 —
(two of whom came in the "Welcome" with William Penn) — •
at least one-half of them first resided within a radius of fifteen
miles of where we now stand; so you can readily understand
why I have such a tender spot in my heart for Bucks County;
the land of my ancestors — or as my wife's father called it, "God's
Country." Some of you may recall that for twelve years we
had a summer home, "Bridge-Gate," on the Old York Road,
south of the Buckingham Meeting property (where several of
my ancestors, as well as two of my wife's were married or buried),
and which we reluctantly sold when the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania took over the highway and concreted the road —
taking ten feet from our frontage, bringing us entirely too close
to the steady automobile traffic which frequented the former
quiet old turnpike, on which we had to pay toll when we bought
the property.
The first Gillingham man-child horn in this country in 1708
(James, by name) came to Buckingham soon after he married
Martha Canby in 1730 (his certificate from Abington Meeting
to the Friends at Buckingham was dated 4th mo. 29, 1730) and
built that attractive old stone house with his initials and date
thereon, now occupied by Mr. Coiner, about half a mile back
from our place at Greenville (or Holicong, as you now know it).
James commenced to collect — acres, not antiques — to add
to his first purchase of a farm, until he finally owned about 200
442 EARLY TIME-TELLING DEVICES
acres of land in Buckingham Township. Within a quarter of a
mile of the Gillingham place another ancestor, Samuel Harrold,
from whom I have my Christian name, also purchased land.
This property extended from the Buckingham-Doylestown
turnpike to across the Durham Road; and the barn, with his
initials, S. H., in the gable, is on part of the Atkinson place.
Samuel Harrold kept the store at Buckingham (or Centreville,
as some of the older members of this society may remember it),
and I am fortunate in having several bills of sale of his, for
goods purchased from Philadelphia merchants, as well as records
of sales he made of Bucks County products to others in that
city. I'll not bother you with genealogical data to show my
descent from these two Bucks County pioneers; the Friends'
Meeting records will give all of that; but as both of these men
seem to have collected acres, as well as merchandise, I believe
it must have been from them that the germ of collecting was
instilled into my blood; for from my youth I have been a born
collector. From my earliest recollection I have had various
hobbies for the acquisition of objects for use and adornment of
the home, as well as articles which interested me, such as bird's
eggs, minerals, woods, human skulls, snakes and other objects,
in alcohol.
Having the clock and old watch habit, I soon started in on
the earlier time-telling devices, and thus was led into pocket
sundials and sand glasses, as well as making a study of the crafts-
men who made these fascinating instruments. You may remem-
ber what Shakespeare said in "As You Like It": "And then he
drew a dial from his poke and looking on it with lack-lustre
eyes, says very wisely, 'It is ten o'clock';" and if we should
meet upon the road and I be asked the time of day, you'd be
FRENCH SILVER POCKET SUNDIAL
Made by Butterfield, Paris, About 1690
EARLY TIME-TELLING DEVICES 443
somewhat surprised if I take from my pocket this seventeenth
century silver pocket sundial, raise the gnomen, set the compass,
and give you the time of day — at least within three minutes of
Standard Time. But such was the means of time-telling by
the ordinary man even into the eighteenth century.
Do you realize that the watch was not conceived until about
1550, nor perfected until about 1600 — poor time-tellers though
they were — ; so that the man of modest means could not afford
such an expensive luxury as a watch and had to resort to the
more economical means to give him the time of day or night
(there were also nocturnal dials to sight from the north star).
And yet some of these old pocket sundials cost today more than
the seventeenth century watches did. And pocket sundials
were made for all prices; of wood, brass, silver and ivory, so that
almost every person desiring could have one, modest though
his purse might be.
For at least 5,000.years the telling of time has been necessary
to man, who for foi'ty-five centuries had to depend upon the
shadow of the sun to give him the time of day, or by the fixed
stars for that of the night. In 446 B. C. Herodotus wrote that
the Greeks had acquired the knowledge of the pole, or gnomen,
from the Babylonians. The gnomen was known to the Chal-
deans as an instrument for measuring time by the length of its
shadow along a horizontal surface. (The gnom.en of a sundial,
as you know, is that upright triangular piece whose shadow on
the dial surface marks the hours). Sorre writers claim the
Druid stones in Brittany, as well as those at Stonehenge, near
Salisbury, were so set as to give the hour of day as well as the
seasons, that the farmer might know when to plant his grain.
Other writers have suggested that the original use of the obelisks
in Egypt were for gnomens, whose shadow gave the time of day.
The obelisk in Rome which the Emperor Augustus brought
from Egypt was set up with the hour lines marked on the pave-
ment below. The natives of Upper Egypt still plant a palm
rod in the open ground and arrange a circle of stones around it
like the hours on the face of a clock. Thus the plowman can
tell the time of day; probably as Job says (ch. VII, 2) : "As the
servant earnestly desireth the shadow."
The early Greeks and Romans mention their "four night
watches," and unless they had some means of measuring the
444
EARLY TIME-TELLtNG DEVICES
hours, these watches would have been unevenly divided. The
Egyptians had the clepsydra, or water clock, where water ran
from one vessel to another; one being marked with hour lines,
and a servant was stationed nearby whose duty it was to an-
nounce the hour by striking a gong or bell, as the water went
below the hour line. An early Chinese timepiece was made
with a wick of treated flax or hemp, with knots tied at propor-
tionate distances and when ignited the passage of time was
estimated by the amount of wick consumed. On the palace at
EGYPTIAN METHODS OF TIME TELLING
Left and bottom, various clepsydras
LIpper right, pole gnomen with hour stones on ground
Pekin were some very old and rare astronomical instruments,
which at the time of the Boxer uprising, when allied troops went
to protect the legations, were looted by the Germans, taken to
Berlin; but at the armistice after the war with Germany, 1914-
1918, the Germans were forced to return these to China.
Marked Candles were likewise used for telling of time, and
in Philadelphia in 1729 an auction sale was advertised "By
Inche of Candle." Twenty-five years ago our friend, Dr. Wil-
liam Davenport, of Paris, (a graduate of the University of Penn-
sylvania, by-the-way) bought his property at Malmaison by
"Inch of Candle." One made his bid, and if it was not raised
by another during the burning of a candle one inch, he secured
the property. Methinks a rather slow method of conducting
an auction sale.
EARLY TIME-TELLING DEVICES 445
From the earliest known writings of man the telHng of time
has been mentioned; but not always are we fortunate enough
to know the means employed. The Bible makes many notes
of time period, such as "night watches"; "by the hour," etc.
But the first time telling instrument spoken of is found in the
second book of Kings (XX-II), where it says: "And Isaiah, the
prophet, cried unto the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten
SUNDLVL OF AHAZ
Made by G. Hartmann of Nurenburg, 1548
All illustrations of Sundials from author's collections
degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of
Ahaz." Again in the thirty-eighth chapter of Isaiah (V-8) one
reads: "Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees,
which is gone down in the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees back-
ward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it
had gone down." What the "sundial of Ahaz" was we know
not; but several makers of such pieces in the 16th and 17th
centuries have made instruments which follow the principle of
the sundial of Ahaz. Two of such pieces are in Philadelphia,
one owned by the American Philosophical Society and one in
446 EARLY TIME-TELLING DEVICES
my own collection. Both are sixteenth century instruments.
To operate the sundial of Ahaz, one sets the dial by the com-
pass so that the gnomen points to the north. The shadow of
the gnomen on the bowl engravings, gives the hour. Then one
fills the bowl with water and the reflex action through the water
throws the shadow "ten degrees backward." Thus one follows
the Bible's description.
The sand-glass or minute or hour glass, is a very old instru-
ment for giving short periods of time. It was sometimes called
by mariners the log-glass, by reason of its use in casting the
lot to estimate the speed of the vessel. These ship's sand-
glasses were made to run out in 14 seconds, 28 seconds, half an
hour and an hour. The half-hour glass was used to measure
the time of each watch, and woe betide the boy whose duty it
was to ring the bell each half hour, if he did not watch his glass.
In our War of 1812, some officers reported the naval engagements
as lasting so many glasses, meaning the half-hour glass. Sand-
glasses were also used in churches to remind the preacher of the
passing of time. Perhaps you will later feel that I should have
one today.
Charles I carried a silver pocket sundial, which on his death
was given his son, the Duke of York. Louis XVI carried a
brass one made by Butterfield of Paris , (who made the one I
carry in my pocket), which I have seen in the Carnavalet Museum
in Paris. This same maker also made pocket sundials to be
used by the Arabs, one of which I have in my collection. Many
of the French officers who came to assist us in our War for
Independence carried silver pocket sundials, one of which is now
in the museum at Morristown, New Jersey.
If Aristotle could take time from his serious research to
describe a doll that moved, and if Ancyrus could pause in his
mathematical calculations to amuse a child with a rattle, we
may be pardoned if we spend a few moments talking of the
"Toys" of the time-telling ages; for such a term has been applied
to pocket sundials by those who have not gone into the study of
how the early inhabitants of this old world took the time of day.
The Makers of Pocket Sundials — These small instruments
have been made by the Chinese, Japanese, Arabs, Persians,
Romans, Egyptians, Italians, Germans, French, English and
likewise by Americans. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Frank-
EARLY TIME-TELLING DEVICES
447
lin are said to have made them, although no specimens of their
handwork are known at present to the w-riter. Nicholas Bion's
shop on the Quai d'Horloge, Paris, established 250 years ago,
has always been occupied by an instrument maker, and today
Boucart, a friend of mine, makes pocket sundials for explorers
and others who cannot always depend on their watches in their
travels. A shop in London, which I have visited several times,
is still making them, as did the ancestors of the present occupant
over 185 years ago.
RING DL'VL ON LEF"T, ABOUT 1750
WOOD PILLAR SUNDIAL ON RIGHT, c. 1700
There is an interesting story connected with this London
shop. In 1910 they had in their show-window a small brass
dial about one-and-a-quarter inches in diameter. An old cab-
man got off his hansom cab one day and asked w hat they would
charge for fifty of them. When given a price he bought them
and put an advertisement in a newspaper circulated throughout
the provinces to this effect: "For Sale. An accurate time
piece, metal case, dome glass, balance action, steel pivot. Price
2/'6." His sales increased to such an extent that he bought
five hundred at a time, and the makers told me they had gotten
the cost down so low, making them in such quantities, that they
448
EARLY TIME-TELLING DEVICES
sold them for eight pence and made a handsome profit. But
the cabman got two shilHngs and six pence for them by mail
orders. He made so much from his trading that he gave up
cab driving and bought a race horse which he drove in the races.
Finally one dissatisfied customer hauled him into court for mis-
representation in selling a sundial instead of a watch; but he
won his case in court, the judge ruling there was no untruth in
his advertisement. The piece was as accurate as many watches,
FRENCH IVORY BOOK SUNDIAL
About 1790
it was in a metal case with a dome glass, had a balance action
and steel pivot (this being the compass needle) and one could
not expect a gold watch for such a price as two shillings and
six pence. When I visited the shop in 1925 I was fortunate in
buying the last one the makers had in stock, which I was glsd
to add to my collection.
I had an interesting experience with one of my small silver
pocket sundials. Crossing from England on a Canadian-Pacific
liner, I was testing my compass by the ship's compass, when a
young officer came by and asked me what I was doing. "Seeing
EARLY TIME-TELLING DEVICES
449
if your compass is correct," I replied, to wliich he said, "I hope
to heaven it is, or we will not reach Quebec." Then he asked
me what I had, and being told, said: "Well, what time is it by
your little toy." Getting the latitude, I set the piece with the
needle pointing north, and gave him the time, as near as I could
get it with only a quarter of an inch for an hour, arid found that I
was within three minutes of ship's sun time. But you must
GERMAN WOOD BOOK SUNDLVL
c. About 1850
remember that those who used these instruments two hundred
years or more ago were not interested in catching a suburban
train, nor did they have radios to tune into for the latest news
of a baseball game or political speech.
Collections — My friend, Mr. Henry Russell Wary, of New
York, who initiated me into the fascinating game of collecting
such interesting pieces, had, when he died in 1927, the best pri-
vate collection in America, which his family still own. Mr.
GERMAN WOOD BLOCK SUNDIAL
Having gnomens on five faces. Nineteen! li Century
EARLY TlME-TELLINc; UEVICES 451
Wray now lies buried in the Buckingham Meeting graveyard.
Mr. Alfred E. McVitty, of Princeton, has a wonderful collection
of only extremely rare specimens. The Metropolitan Museum
of New York and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts also have
good showings; but the Adler Planetarium in Chicago now possess
the finest collection, as they recently secured — by gift from Mr.
Max Adler the great Mensing collection of Amsterdam, con-
sisting of about four hundred pieces of time-telling and astronomi-
cal instruments. Many of these came from the original Strozzi
family of Florence, who commenced to assemble such fine pieces
four centuries ago. The dates of these instruments are between
1479 to IcOO and the collection is well worth a visit. IncidentalK'
this collection was offered to me in 1927 for 120,000 francs, but
as my Letter of Credit was not large enough that summer I did
not bring it back with me.
There are many worthwhile collections abroad, the finest
being that of Sir Lewis Evans in the Old Ashmolean L>ibrary
at Oxford, which is known to collectors the world over. The
British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum of London
and the Cluny Museum of Paris have good examples, and the
museums of Berlin and Munich also have many pieces. Inci-
dentally, when Mr. Wray and I visited the Cluny Museum in
Paris, we saw^ some of their pocket sundials shown in the cases
with the lids down, so one could not view the instruments. We
went to the Curator and told him of conditions and had a very
pleasant talk with him about such pieces. His reaction was to
call an assistant, give him the keys to the cases and asked us to
please arrange them as they should be, which we did under the
supervision of the assistant and a guard. Four years later,
when I again went to the Cluny, I saw the cases were exactly
as we had left them, which was quite different from our experience
in the British Museum, where we saw two pieces wrongly at-
tributed as to country of origin, and when we went to the office
and told them of it, we were informed most positively, "The
British Museum never makes an error." But my next visit
three years later showed me they had profited by our advice
and changed labels.
Bucks County's old citizen. Captain John S. Bailey, of
Buckingham, wrote a treatise on the making of garden sundials
in 1897, and was sufficiently well versed in mathematics to have
452 EARLY TIME-TELLING DEVICES
made pocket sundials had he been called upon to produce them.
But one may as well require a man to wear the suit of clothes
which fitted him when a boy as to expect present day people to
use pocket sundials, although the Ansonia Clock Company of
Connecticut are now making a very practical piece which they
call the Boy Scout Sun Watch, as do also makers of England.
These small pocket pieces give quite accurate time for their pur-
pose.
These lines are attributed to a very early writer of centuries
ago:
"The Gods confound the man -who first found out
How to distinguish hours — Confound him, too.
Who in this place set up a sun-dial,
To rub and hack my days so wretchedly
Into small pieces! When I was a boy.
My belly was my sun-dial, one more sure,
Truer, and more exact than any of them.
The dial told me when 'twas proper time
To go to dinner, when I had aught to eat;
But now-a-days, why even when I have,
I can't fall to, unless the sun gives leave.
The town's so full of these confounded dials
The greatest part of its inhabitants.
Shrunk up with hunger, creep along the streets."
Well! I see the sand-glass has run out and my time is up,
hence I close with thanks for your patience.
General LaFayette's Journey from Brandywine to Bethlehem
With Special Reference to Inscriptions in Taverns and
Tavern Signboards
By Dr. B. F. FACKENTHAL, Jr., RIEGELSVILLE, PA.
(Newtown Township Meeting, September 26, 1936)
(At the Home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Willis)
MY thought in presenting this paper is to correct
errors contained in certain records now in the
Ubrary of the Bucks County Historical Society,
which state that General LaFayette, after being
wounded at the battle of Brandywine, when
enroute to Bethlehem, stopped two weeks at the
tavern in Pleasant Valley in Springfield Township, Bucks County,
whereas, it is recorded in the diaries of the Moravian congrega-
tion at Bethlehem, that he
arrived there on Sunday,
September 21, ten days inclu-
sive after the battle.
I have no intention of pre-
senting a history of the Mar-
quis de LaFayette, or of his
activities while in America, as
that has been fully covered by
others, but wish briefly to
state that he was born Sep-
tember 6,1757. He was mar-
ried in 1774 at the age of 17
years. He sailed from France
for America by ship la Vic-
torie, arriving at North Island,
Georgetown, South Carolina,
June 13, 1777, accompanied
by Baron de Kalb and eleven
other French, German and
Polish officers, who wished to marquis de lafayette in 1825
take service in the Continental army. From Georgetown
454 Lafayette's journey from brandywine to bethlehem
they went to Charleston, where they arrived June 17, and
remained there eight days.^
From Charleston they journeyed to Philadelphia (700 miles),
where they arrived July 27. On July 31, 1777, LaFayette was
commissioned by congress a major-general. He was then a
young man of but 20 years, probably the youngest major-general
of all times, but he was not placed in command of a division until
December 1 of that year. Baron John de Kalb, born in Alsace,
June 29, 1721, was commissioned a major-general by congress on
September 15, 1777. The main thoroughfare through the
borough of Norristown is nam.ed for him.
On the day that LaFayette received his commission from
congress, he met General Washington for the first time. The
next day, August 1, they visited the forts on the Delaware,
spending the night at Chester. General LaFayette took part in
the review of the army near Germantown, and remained in
Philadelphia and that territory until August 19.
General Washington, with his army, was then encamped on
the banks of the Little Neshaminy in Warwick Township, Bucks
County, with his headquarters at the Moland house on the Old
York road, where General LaFayette presented to him his com-
mission on August 20.
In less than one month thereafter, on September 11, 1777, was
fought the battle of Brandywine at Chadd's Ford in Chester
County, where General LaFayette, while gallantly leading his
troops near Birmingham meeting-house, was wounded in the left
leg below the knee, the bullet passing through his leg.
1 General LaFayette made four trips to America. His first arrival on
June 17, 1777, by ship la Victorie has been referred to. He left America on a
furlough for a visit to France, sailing from Boston by ship Alliance, January
11, 1779, and arriving back in Boston by frigate Hermione, April 26, 1780,
when he rejoined Washington's army. He was active in all military opera-
tions, and was present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown on October
17, 1781, which practically ended hostilities. Two months later on December
23, 1781, he bid America au revoir and sailed away to France from Boston
harbor by ship Alliance.
In 1784 he made his first social visit to America, arriving by packet Courier
de New Ycrk, August 4 of that year. He sailed back from the same port on
the La Nymphe, December 31, 1784. (See "LaFayette in America Day by
Day" by J. Bennett Nolan, Esq.)
His second and more extended visit was on August 14, 1824, arriving in
New York by packet Cadmus. He remained here for more than a year,
visiting different parts of the country, where he was acclaimed and royally
entertained, sailing back to his home from the mouth of the Potomac River by
the American frigate Brandywine, September 9, 1825.
Lafayette's journey from brandywine to bethlehem 455
It is a matter of history that after Washington's defeat at the
battle of Brandywine, where he made an unsuccessful stand in
defence of Philadelphia, that the army retired to Chester, fourteen
miles away, on the evening of the same day, and with the army
went wounded General LaFayette.
LaFayette Begins His Journey to Bethlehem
The next day, September 12, General LaFayette was conveyed
by barge to Philadelphia, where he was cared for in the Tndian
Queen tavern. The army surgeons then decided to send him to
Bethlehem, where, with the aid and co-operation of the Moravian
congregation, a General Hospital of the Army had been estab-
lished.'
From Philadelphia, General LaFayette was taken up the
Delaware River to Bristol, but authorities differ as to the time of
his journey. Some say he did not arrive there until September
18, but the deductions they make from the authorities cited
may be and doubtless are wrong, but, if correct, he was at Bristol
but one day. It is, however, more likely as General Davis sug-
gests, that he arrived at Bristol several days earlier.
At Bristol he was cared for at the public house of Simon Betz,
and nursed by his niece, afterward Mrs. Charles Bessinette. At
Bristol he was fortunate in meeting Henry Laurens, a member of
congress from South Carolina, who conveyed him to Bethlehem
in his private coach, and coaches were rare in those days. A
suite of French officers accompanied him.
As already stated there is no definite information as to the
2 By order of General Washington, under date of December 3, 1776, the
General Hospital of the Army was transferred from Morristown, New Jersey,
to Bethlehem. The Moravian diaries record that during the first eight months
of 1777, the movement of troops through Bethlehem was a weekly occurrence;
also that Bethlehem was visited by many distinguished persons, including
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Benjamin Harrison, Richard
Henry Lee, Baron Steuben, Baron de Kalb, Gouverneur Morris, Generals
Knox, Gates, Schuyler, Mifflin, Fermoy, and many others. In July, 1782,
General Washington visited Bethlehem while enroute to his headquarters at
Newburg, New York.
Not only was the Sun Inn crowded to its utmost with sick and wounded
soldiers, but many were billeted in private houses and farm buildings, as well
as in other buildings of the Moravians. It is recorded that on December 31,
1777, 700 were cared for in the Single Brethren's house, of whom 300 died.
Two hundred and fifty occupied the Young Ladies' Seminary during the winter
of 1777, of whom 110 died and were buried on the right bank of the Monocacy
Creek. At one time there were over 2,000 cared for at Bethlehem and sur-
rounding towns, including Easton.
456 Lafayette's journey from brandywine to bethlehem
time of their starting out from Bristol, which accounts for the
conflicting statements. General Davis is"not certain whether
they left there on the eighteenth or on the nineteenth. In the
same paper he records that: "One account says LaFayette
remained at Bristol only overnight."'' This suggests that
they may have left Bristol some days before the eighteenth, which
seems likely. He further says they stopped over the first night at
the Richardson house (built in 1738) at Four Lane Ends, now
JOS2PH AND MARY RICHARDSON HOUSE
Four Lane Ends, now Langhorne, Bucks County
Built in 1738
^ Where Gsncral LaFayette stopped over the first night when enroute
from Bristol to Bethlehem
Langhorne. This, according to tradition, seems to be verified.
The distance from Bristol to the Richardson house, measured by
an automobile speedometer, is 7.3 miles, a short journey for the
first day. From Langhorne they continued on the Durham
road, 4.1 miles, passing through Newtown. This is also well
authenticated.
Neither is there reliable information at hand to show the route
they traveled after passing through Newtown until they reached
3 Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. I, pp. 66 et seq., and page 558.
'Lafayette's journey from brandywine to bethlehem 457
the Old Bethlehem road. General Davis says they might have
taken the Swamp road out of Newtown, which is reasonably cor-
rect, as that road, laid out and opened in 1737, was the shortest
route, 54 miles from Bristol to Bethlehem. General Davis also
suggests that they might have continued farther along over the
Durham road before turning northwardly. If so, they could have
turned at Pineville or at Buckingham, but the total distance
would have been slightly greater.
However, by either route they would pass through Dublin,
and after reaching the Old Bethlehem road travel through Hagers-
ville, Keelersville, past Tohickon Church, thence ford the
Tohickon Creek, through Strawntown, where there is an ancient
tavern.'* Thence through Applebachsville, Pleasant Valley,
Leithsville in Northampton County, Wagner's tavern and
Hellertown, thence across the Saucon Creek and the Lehigh River
to the Sun Inn at Bethlehem.
The diary of the Moravian congregation at Bethlehem records
that they arrived at the Sun Inn on the afternoon of Sunday, the
twenty-first. That record made in writing at the time of their
arrival, is certainly trustworthy and correct.
If they left Langhorne on the twentieth and reached Bethle-
hem on the afternoon of the twenty-first, they traveled about
46^ miles in two days, which was possible, but owing to the
unsettled condition of all country roads at that day, was not
probable. This suggests that they may have left Bristol earlier
than the nineteenth. The Ott family tradition is that they made
the tavern at Pleasant Valley one of their stopping places, in fact,
that they remained there two weeks.
General Davis suggests that they may have stopped at Stoffle
(Christopher) Wagner's tavern .7 of a mile from the central part
of Hellertown. That tavern is plainly noted on Nicholas Scull's
maps of 1759 and 1770, and also on Reading Howell's map of
1792. The exact location of that hostelry (later Woodring's)
was pointed out to me some years ago by an aged friend, who was
himself a splendid scholar and historian, and who claimed it as
one of LaFayette's stopping places.^
William C. Riechel in his "History of the Old Sun Inn," also
4 Old deeds on record at Doylestown refer to this tavern at Strawntown as
Roudenbushes.
5 Hon. Jeremiah S. Hess, born December 3, 1843, died March 29, 1928.
Graduate of an American College and of Heidelberg University in Germany.
458 Lafayette's journey from brandywine to bethlehem
makes the statement that LaFayette stopped at Wagner's tavern,
but neither of them state that he was there overnight.
The Sun Inn was built in 1758, but not completed and open
for guests until 1760.'^
On their arrival at Bethlehem, General LaFayette was at first
quartered in the infirmary on the top floor of the Sun Inn, but
owing to its crowded condition and to the noise and confusion, he
was transferred to the private home of George Frederich Beckel
on Main Street, adjoining the Sun Inn (later the confectionery
store of John F. Rauch), where he was nursed and cared for by
Lissel (diminutive for Elizabeth) Beckel.^
The Moravian diaries record, under date of October 18, 1777,
that: "The French Marquis de LaFayette left us today for the
army accompanied by General William Woodford." He was
therefore at Bethlehem 29 days. Washington's army was then
encamped at White Marsh, on the east side of the Schuylkill
River.
Inscriptions on Sign Boards in the Tavern at
Pleasant Valley
The Pleasant Valley tavern is 11.3 miles from the Sun Inn at
Bethlehem. If General LaFayette stopped there enroute to
Bethlehem, it was doubtless only to rest, but General Davis says:
"The evidence that he stopped there on his return a month later,
is too conclusive to be doubted."^
At that time the tavern with its more than 117 acres of land
belonged to Joseph Savitz, who owned it from December 15, 1773,
to September 12, 1785. On April 10, 1813, the property was pur-
chased by Jacob Ott.^ The descendants of the Ott family*" are
6 History of the Old Sun Inn' by William C. Reichel, page 29 (1873).
7 "The Continental Hospital in Bethlehem" and "LaFayette at Bethle-
hem" by Mrs. Elizabeth L. Myers, official historian of the Moravian Society.
Published in Easton and Bethlehem newspapers, September 19, 1931, and
January 2, 1932.
8 Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. I, page 75.
9 The Pleasant Valley tavern property was patented December 16, 1759,
to Michael Ditthart, whose heirs conveyed it to Elias Beidelman. From
Elias Beidelman it passed successi\ely to Joseph Sa\itz, Isaac Burson, Jacob
Ludwig and Henry Eckel, of whom it is related that because of his change to
temperance principles, he cut down his signpost and poured the liquors into
the gutter. From Eckel the property passed to Jacob Ott, then to Lewis Ott,
William C. Cressman, Emil W. Haring, Mary Cressman, Rudolph Jacobson
and Harry J. Atherholt, the present (1936) owner.
10 David L. Ott, of Wilmington, Del., and Dr. John J. Ott, of Pleasant
Valley.
Lafayette's journey from brandywine to bethlehem 459
my authority for the statement that in the bedroom assigned to
General LaFayette, and in the bar room there were boards with
inscriptions in rhyme painted in German text. These boards
have been preserved by David L. Ott, superintendent of the
Wilmington City Electric Company of Wilmington, Delaware,
who, since the reading of this paper at the Newtown meeting,
has kindly presented them to our society, enabling us to present
halftone engravings of them.
The Bedroom Sign
The one removed from General LaFayette's bedroom is 2 feet
6}i inches long, by 13 inches in height, with mitered rims on all
sides, and contains the following inscription :
CKRAIAX INSCRIPTION IN
ENGLISH TEXT
Las£t mich in Ruh in meiner kammer
hefreit von lermen und von Jammer,
Diss ist der Ort zu meiner Ruh,
biss ich einst thu die augen zu.
POETIC TRANSLATION IN
ENGLISH
In this my chamber let me rest,
By shouts and waihngs undistressed,
This is the place for my repose.
Until at length mine eyes I close.
Bar Room Sign
The bar room board is circular at both top and bottom. It
is 5 feet long by \?>}4 inches high, with a beaded edge or rim, and
contains the date 1773.
The German inscription reads as follows:
â– $>^'
55r j^ i^
^^f
i5 5
'-I
; V
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m
%â– â–
A r-
ol3 c _g ^r-S
5 ^ ?^ S^ ^ t^ 5
is
u. C ^
=5 3
3^ .-
tJOTD
>
oj a; OJ
^ Cd .ii C ;;, N
S--f,
Q if Q c^ C Q < -
M '131
gS S ^ S
aJ D o "^ P
^c75 0ffiHU:tH
-^ OJ
c
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0)
"3-5
_>
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tl-a
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3
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Lafayette's journey from brandywine to hethleiiem 461
Signs and Decorations in Tavern Bar Rooms
"Shall I not take mine ease in mine inn?''
The signs in the Pleasant Valley tavern, to which reference
has been made, has suggested a continuance of my paper on
inscriptions and signboards of other taverns, which were cjuite
common in former times. I remember a bar room placard in the
tavern at Monroe in Durham Township, representing a dead dog
lying on his back, with his feet high in the air, and underneath was
inscribed "Old Trust is dead, bad pay killed him." And in an-
other bar room a dummy clock, and underneath, "No tick here,"
and in another:
"Kind friend for goodness sake beware
With muddy boots to enter heare.
Blamed be the man who won't be neat,
And bless'd be he who wipes his feet."
Tavern Signboards
In former times taverns were known by the names of the pic-
torial illustrations painted on their signboards. This had its
beginning at a time when many people could not read or write.
These painted signboards are fast disappearing, but some still
remain, among those in our own county of Bucks are the Elephant
on the Ridge road in Bedminster Township and the Anchor on
the Durham road in Wrightstown Township, and in our neigh-
boring county of Montgomery we have the King of Prussia. As
a rule, these old hostelries and the new ones, too, now have
elaborate signs telling whose favorite brew of beer they are
dispensing.
At Temple, near Reading, in Berks County, there was a sign-
board with an elaborate painting of King Solomon's Temple,
which some friends attempted to get for me, in order that I might
present it to our society, but alas it disappeared.
General Davis, in his "Doylestown Old and New" (Chapter
XV, page 127), refers in an interesting way to the old signboards of
Doylestown taverns, and in his "History of Bucks County" (Vol.
Ill, page 331), to signboards in different parts of Bucks County,
such as the Sorrel Horse at what is now Revere, the White Horse
at Bucksville, the White Bear at Ottsville, the Three Tuns at
462 Lafayette's journey from brandywine to bethleiiem
Gallows Hill in Springfield Township, the Rising Sun and King
George III at Bristol, the Black Bear in Northampton Township,
the Buck in Southampton Township, the Coach and Horse at
Newtown, the Plough at Gardenville, the Wheat Sheaf in Falls
Township, the Black Bear at Tullytown and many others.
In our neighboring counties, there were the Crooked Billet at
Hatboro, from which a battle of the Revolution took its name,
(but the traveler is now greeted with signs with hats at both
ends of the borough), the Red Lion at Willow Grove and the
Crown Inn at Bethlehem, built in 1745, one of the oldest signs
typical of royalty/^ There were scores of taverns in Phila-
delphia, with names indicated by their painted signboards,
among them the Rising Sun, a popular hostelry for farmers,
and the Indian Queen, where General LaFayette was taken on
September 12, 1777, after being wounded at the battle of Brandy-
wine.^"
Dr. Julius F. Sachse, in his "Wayside Inns on the Lancaster
Roadside" (Pennsylvania German Society, Vols. XXI and XXII),
gives an interesting history of sixty-two of the old taverns with
painted signboards between Philadelphia and Lancaster. At
page 132 of Volume XXII, he refers to a toast that was popular
with travelers in the days of Conestoga wagons, which contains
the names of ten of these taverns which formerly stood between
the Eagle tavern and the Paoli Inn, which was as follows:
"Here is to the Sorrel Horse that kicked the Unicorn, that made the Eagle
fly; that scared the Lamb from under the Stage for drinking the Spring House
dry; that drove the Blue Ball into the Black Bear, and chased General Jackson
all the way to Paoli."
John T. Farris, in his "Old Roads Out of Philadelphia," page
124, records that:
"Mrs. Mary De Wees, who left Philadelphia for Kentucky on September
27, 1787, told in her journal of the frequent stops at convenient inns. One
night she slept at the Sign of the Lamb, breakfasted at Colonel Webster, and
took supper and slept at the LInited States. Next day she went on to the
Wagon, and then to the Congress. Next came the Hat. If she had chosen,
she might have stopped at the Buck, the Red Lion, the Steamboat, the Rising
Sun, the Spread Eagle, the Ship, the Swan, the Sheaf, the Cross Keys, the
Rainbow or the White Horse."
11 History of the Crown Inn, by William C. Reichel, printed for private
circulation (1872).
12 LaFayette's own account of his journey. See "LaFayette at Brandy-
wine," Chester County Historical Society Memorial, 1896, page 88.
Lafayette's journey from brandywine to hetiileiiem 463
The Bucks County Historical Society has salvaged some of
these pictured signboards, which can be seen in the museum at
Doylestown. Halftone engravings of six of them are shown
herewith, viz.: the Turk's Head from Edison in Doylestown
Township, the Cross Keys from Buckingham Township, one
mile north of Doylestown, the Red Lion from Bensalem^^ Town-
ship, the Robert Morris from Morrisville in Falls Township,
the Seven Stars from Durham Township, and the Elephant
from the Ridge road in Bedminster Township, which is the
original sign; the one now swinging in front of that tavern is a
copy which Dr. Mercer had painted in order that he might
secure the original for our society. Halftone engravings of the
King of Prussia in Montgomery County, Pa., and two of the
hotel signs from the collection of Hon. William U. Hensel from
Lancaster County, are also shown herewith.
Painters of Tavern Signboards
There were many celebrated artists who occasionally painted
signboards, among them Holbein, Hogarth, Millais, West and
our own Edward Hicks, who painted for Bogart's Inn, located
in Buckingham Township, the sign of Penn's Treaty with the
Indians, later known as the "Sign of General Washington." It
was at Bogart's Inn where many meetings of the Bucks County
Committee of Safety were held, the first on July 21, 1775,
which had been organized and first met at Newtown, July 9, 1774.
Among other signboards painted by Edward Hicks were the fol-
lowing painted for Newtown taverns, Bird-in-Hand, Brick Hotel,
Temperance House and the White Hall ; one of his signs is now
in the Newtown library.^*
Some hotel signs in England were quite artistic and elaborate.
That of the White Hart at Scole in Norfolk was said to have cost
$5,000. Another hotel sign in London was so heavy that it
brought down the side of the house, killing four people. The
result was an act of parliament prohibiting dangerous signboards.
In 1762, London held its first exhibition of inn signs. An exhibi-
13 For history of the Red Lion Inn, see Bucks County Historical Society,
Vol. I, page 485.
14 Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. HI, pages 105, 257 and 561. Also
Historic Newtown, by Edward R. Barnsley, pp. 30, 46, 57 and 120.
THE TURK HOTEL
A hostelry formerly in the village of Turk's Head, later called Houghville, one mile south of
Doylestown, near Edison in Doylestown Township, Bucks County
(Presented by Mr. and Mrs. William Lewis)
THE CROSS KEYS HOTEL
An Eighteenth Century Hostelry
In Buckingham Township, Bucks County, one mile north of Doylestown
Not licensed after 1906
The Cross Keys are the arms of the Papal See, the emblem of St.' Peter and his successors
THE RED LION INN— FOUNDED IN 1730 BY PHILIP AMOS
Near the Poquessing Creek in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, on the road
between Philadelphia and Bristol
THE ROBERT MORRIS HOTEL
In Morrisville, Falls Township, Bucks County
The portrait of Robert Morris painted by the Quaker painter, Edward Hicks
On the reverse side of this signboard, Morris is represented as talking to a friend (both standing)
asking him for money with which to carry on the war
SEVEN STARS SIGN FROM TAVERN IN DURHAM TOWNSHIP
At canal bridge between Monroe and Kintnerville. Built by William Abbot in 1779.
Bought by Philip Overpeck in 1792, to whom a license was granted in 1799
Maintained as a hotel until 1852. Now used as a farm house
SEVEN STARS SIGX FROM TAVERX IX DURHAM TOWXSHIP
Reverse side, Southern exposure, on which the stars and moon are nearly obliterate 1
On this side the old paint marks have been covered with white paper for the
purpose of making this photograph. It is likely that there was
some embellishments above the stars, probably the date
and name of the tavern
^PH4
joaaa
M
ELEPHANT HOTEL— 1848
At Weisel in Bedminster Township, Bucks County, Pa., on tiie Ridege road, seven miles w
wardly from the Durham road, at the intersection of the road leading from Quakertown
to Dublin
KING OF PRUSSIA TAVERN
On the west side of the Schuylkill River, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery
County, Pa. The original tavern said to have been built in 1709 by a native
Prussian, who named it in honor of King Frederick I, King of
Prussia
The village of King of Prussia took its name from the tavern in 1786, then kept by
John Elliott
From a
From the collect
THE SIGN OF THE LION— 1812
tavern near the market house on West King Street, Lancaster, Pa.
ion of Hon. William U. Hensel, now the property of Miss Dorothy
Bleak House, Kinzers, Lancaster County, Pa.
THE THREE CROWNS— 1771
From a tavern on the King's Highway in Salisbury Township, Lancaster County, Pa. Painted
by Benjamin West.
The holes through the sign were made by Continental bullets. Mine Tory host therefore had
the Three Crowns painted out on one side and lettered Waterloo Tavern, which
patriotic side he flung to the breeze when American soldiers approached,
but wlien British soldiers passed by he proudly reversed the sign
to show the Three Crowns.
(From the collection of Hon. William U. Hensel, now the property of Miss Dorothy Flinn of
Bleak House, Kintzers, Lancaster County, Pa.)
474 Lafayette's journey from brandywine to bethlehem
tion of these weather-beaten pictures is now (1936) being dis-
played in a gallery in fashionable Bond Street. The oldest sign
shown is from Clare in Suffolk, which has swung outside of the
Swan Inn for over 500 years.
A famous restaurant in Fleet Street, London, which I have
visited, is called "The Cheshire Cheese," made famous by Dr.
Samuel Johnson, the lexicographer, which name numerous public
houses in the country have adopted for their signs.
I have in my library a book entitled "The History of Sign
Boards," by Jacob Larwood and John Camden Hotten, London,
1866, containing 536 pages, giving a most interesting and com-
prehensive history of signboards, with 97 quaint illustrations
taken from signboards in England. A copy of this book can also
be seen in the library of the Bucks County Historical Society.
I have read in one of my histories, which I have not been able
to locate, that during the Revolutionary war, a signboard with
the portrait of King George HI (probably in Bristol, where there
was a King George HI sign), that his portrait was painted out,
and that of General Washington substituted on receiving intelli-
gence that Continental troops were to pass through.
Paul Lecester Ford, in his novel, "Janice Meredith" (page
119), refers to this in an amusing way, and locates his tavern at
New Brunswick, New Jersey.
General Davis records: "That during the Revolutionary war
a regiment of troops passing through Bristol gave The King of
Prussia sign three cheers, while they saluted his Majesty of Eng-
land, with volley after volley until the sign was riddled and fell to
the ground."'^
The Three Crowns tavern of Lancaster County, shown and
described herewith, was also changed to conform to the patriotism
of the soldiers passing by, whether Continentals or British.
In Washington Irving's legend of Rip Van Winkle, the hotel
which he frequented, near the Katerskill Clove, was the King
George; on his awakening twenty years later, after the Revolu-
tion, the name of George Washington on the same signboard was
part of his bewilderment.
We all like to revel in Dickens' novels and the Dickens' coun-
try, with the English inns and their signboards. It was at the
White Hart in London where Mr. Pickwick first encountered
15 Bucks County Historical Society, Vol. II, page 310.
Lafayette's journey from brandywine to bethlehem 475
Sam. Weller, and at the Great White Hart where Tony Weller
first appears, and the George and Vulture, the Magpie and Stump,
and the Blue Boar where Sam. Weller wrote his famous valen-
tine to Mary, the pretty housemaid, the Blue Dragon of Mrs.
Lupin and Mark Tapley, and the Six Jolly Fellowship-Porters
of Miss Abbey Potterson.
And who would eliminate the Blue Boar from the legend of
Robin Hood?
Signboards of English Hotels and Taphouses
Hotel signboards in England have not undergone the same
radical change as those in America, as evidenced by the following
list of 140 painted signboards noted by Mrs. Fackenthal in July,
1914, while motoring from London to some of the Cathedral
towns, and to the Shakespeare country and to Oxford in England.
These were taken only from the signs on the main streets we
passed through, and does not cover her entire list, nor does it
include any duplicates of which there were many.
The Blue Bear
The Shelborn Arms
The Marlborough Head
The White Hart
The Sun Inn
The Black Boy
The Windsor Castle
The Albion
The Green Dragon
The Riviera Hotel
The Windmill Hotel
The Prince of Wales
The Adelaide Inn
The Star and Garter
The Half Moon
The Royal Court
The Plough Inn
The Dew Drop
The Hand and Flower
The Cricketers Inn
The Swan's Nest
The Horse and Jockey
The Angel's Rest
The King's Arms and Castle
The Woolpack Inn
The Welsh
The Man Shovel
The Catharine Wheel
The Cock Inn
The Graziers Arms
The Green Man
The White Lion
The Three Swans
The Albert Arms
The King of Prussia
The Fox
The Old Castle
The Old Bell
The Nag's Head
The Old White Horse
The Angel Inn
The East Arms
The Pond Horse
The Moor Tavern
The Reform
The Dumb Bell
476 Lafayette's journey from brandywine to bethlehem
The Jolly Butcher
The Shears
The Grey Horse
The Three Lillies
The Peacock
The Wheel
The New Ship
The Vine
The Boot and Slipper
The Pack Horse Inn
The Bishop's Head
The Falcon Inn
The Eagle
The Pheasant
The Mason's Arms
The Greyhound Hotel
The Hoopes
The Black Lion
The Woolsack
The Beat and Anchor
The Hare and Hounds
The Wheat Sheaf
The Oat Sheaf
The Spread Eagle
The George Inn
The Old Lanthorn Chop
The Roe Buck
The Earl Clarendon
The Squirrel Inn
The Bell Inn
The Malt Shovel
The Saracen's Head
The Coach and Horses
The Wheat Sheaf Inn
The Red Lion
Fleur de Lis Hotel
Magdalen Arms
Duke of Cumberland
Carpenter's Arms
Ye Old Anchor
Adam and Eve
Hammer and Anvil
Horse and Trap
Rose and Crown
Falcon Inn
Ye Old White Bear
The Checker's Inn
A total
The Rising Sun
The Horse and Dragon
The Spencer Arms
The Hand and Plough
The York House
The Old George Inn
The Dolphin Inn
The Gate Inn
The Star of Hope
The Crown and Anchor
The Spelthorne Inn
The Ruby Horse
The New Bishop's Green
The Shoulder of Mutton
Bear and Ragged Staff Inn
Bear and Baculus
Clarendon Arms
Gordon Arms
The Cherry Tavern
The Unicorn Inn
The Old Thatch Tavern
The Jolly Beavers
The Golden Lion
The Lampert Arms
The Turk's Head
The North Star
The Black Dog
The Two Bobs
The Christopher
The King George
The Old Ship
The Rose and Crown
The Three Tuns
The Black Bull
The Hero
The Coach Horse
The Bishops Green
The Porridge Inn
The Anchor Inn
The Red Horse
The Horse and Trap
The King William IV
The Three Horse Shoes
The Crown Inn
The Boy's Head
The King's Arms
The Nag's Head
of 140 names
Lafayette's journey from BRANDY^VINE to bethlehem 477
Very dear friends of ours, now gone to their reward, who for
some years had their summer home in Durham, had a board over
the lintel on the inside of the entrance door of their bedroom, wiih
the inscription:
"And the name of that chamber was peace."
Mm
•iSii.m'
DR. JOSEPH THOMAS
Physician, Civil War Veteran, Naturalist, Politician — born in New Britain Township,
June 15, 1829. Graduated from the Medical Department, University of Pennsylvania (1856);
moved to .A.pplebachsville, entered the Civil War as a Captain, later becoming a field Surgeon-
in-Chief. After the war, resided in Quakertown; elected State Senator (1878). His cata-
logue of birds in Davis' "History of Bucks County" (1876) was one of the very first county
bird lists published in the State. He was an admirer of the Bairds, using their nomenclature
in his work. He died January 28, 1908.
A List of the Birds of Bucks County, Pennsylvania,
with Annotations
By GEORGE MacREYNOLDS
(Doyk-stown Meeting, May 1, l')M)
I come from haunts of coot and hern.
— Tlie Brook
IN 1875 General W. W. H. Davis asked Dr. Joseph Thomas,
of Quakertown, a naturalist of more than local renown, to
prepare a catalogue of birds of Bucks County for the forth-
coming "History of Bucks County" (1876). Dr. Thomas did
this in a creditable manner. Since then no comprehensive list
has been attempted by any bird student.
Sixty years have passed since Dr. Thomas' catalogue was
published. As he spent probably twenty years in field study,
some of his records must be three-quarters of a century old.
However meritorious and accurate it may then have been, his
catalogue is now quite out of date and some of it obscure to
modern bird students. Dr. Thomas, were he here, would doubt-
less be the first to recognize the necessity for a revision. He
says in his introduction:
"Fifty years ago (1825), when Wilson, Audubon and others trav-
ersed our woods and fields to study and descri'.e our native fauna,
many species of birds, now rare and only occasionally seen within
our border, were observed in great abundance."
It may quite as truthfully be said that, since Dr. Thomas'
time, not only are some species, then common, now rare or occa-
sional, but others have abandoned the county to be replaced
with species new within our borders, and at least one species has
become extinct.
Before presenting a new list, let us consider briefly a few of
the changes that have taken place, the causes leading thereto,
and the advancement made in ornithology itself within the last
sixty years. Such a glance over the field, even though it may
be looked upon as a general view of the subject, seems to be
necessary to a full understanding of birdlife in even so limited
an area as a single county.
LAKE WARREN, NOCKAMIXON TOWNSHIP,
BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
1/
4 ' kiL.
1^
^HH
m '' 'ilMii
N
PI
â–
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K
»^ ^
w
m
1 V^
View of B'jat Laiulmu, \\itli ( ahm in th.- R.-ar, a'ul Mallards
on the Lake. Both Mallards and Woodcock were Nest-
ing within a Stone's Throw of the Cabin the Day
this Photograph was Taken, May 2, 1937.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 481
Bucks County's location, topography and climatic conditions
have always been considered favorable to abundant birdlife.
Its topographic and geological formations are widely diversified.
In the extreme southeast lies the narrow ribbon of Costal Plain
country, extending from Morrisville to the Philadelphia County
line, ranging from three to six miles in width, washed on the
Delaware River shore by tides — very important to water fowl
and marsh birds. Next comes a broad strip of moderately
elevated rolling land, with shallow valleys and mound-like
prominences, like Bowman's Hill, Jericho, Solebury, Bucking-
ham and Cox's Mountains. North of Doylestown the elevation
increases, the valleys become more narrow and the hill slopes
more steep. The irregular so-called trap-rock belt is here
encountered, including our highest elevations — Kauffman's Hill,
Haycock Mountain (about 1,000 feet) and the Rockhills — and
farther west lie those fiatlands called Great Swamps by the early
settlers. Beyond Haycock Mountain is the narrow Durham
Creek valley, with Buckwampun and the Durham Mine Range
predominant among its bold hills. All this is splendid bird
country. But the greatest bird haven remains to be named —
the Delaware River, extending along the entire northeastern
border of the county. Here we find our most abundant birdlife.
In the introduction to his catalogue Dr. Thomas speaks of
"a considerable tract of country, especially in the upper end of
the county, in Nockamixon, Haycock, the Rockhills and Mil-
ford, being still wooded and comparatively little changed from
its primitive conditions," where "are still found in considerable
numbers rapacious birds, warblers, etc., rarely seen in other
places." But all this primitive forest has been swept away by
the portable sawmill. The rugged roads of the hill country
have been replaced by a network of cement and macadam road-
ways. Their habitats utterly changed and breeding places
obliterated, the Bald Eagle, the Red-tailed Hawk and the Great
Horned Owl are now hardly more than occasional visitants.
Over much of the cleared territory has sprung up a second growth
of timber, some of it of a scrub-like character, which has invited
a quite different kind of birdlife from that which occupied the
primaeval forest.
As a rule the operation of industrial plants is highly detri-
mental to birds. On the contrary Bucks County has at least
LAKE WARREN, NOCKAMIXON TOWNSHIP,
BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
View of Lake Looking Northwest, Showing Part of the 950-fQOt Dyke with its Riprap. Tinicum
Creek Enters the Lake on the Distant WaterHne about a Third Across the Photograph
from the Right.
View Showint; the Beautiful Setting of the Lake. Kauffman's (Formerly Boatman's) Hill in
the Distance.
Photographs Taken May 2, 1937.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 483
one industry which attracts them. When a few years ago the
Warner Company started their big dredges on the flats of Penn's
Manor, near Morrisville, few persons foresaw that eventually
they would excavate the most extensive lakes within the county.
That is just what happened. These lakes, occupying depres-
sions where sand and gravel were removed, are 30 feet deep in
places and several hundred acres in extent. They should furnish
an ideal harbor for water fowl when enough plant food can be
established.
The water area was recently further increased by the con-
struction of Lake Warren on State Game land in Nockamixon
Township by the organized sportsmen, with Works Progress
Administration aid. This lake provides another resting place
for migrating wild fowl and a breeding place for ducks and
marsh birds. It was completed late in 1936 and dedicated by a
big rally of sportsmen on Sunday, June 20, 1937. The area
covered is about 40 acres. A strong earthen dyke, 950 feet in
length, supplied with a solidly-built 28-foot spillway, impounds
the headwaters of Tinicum Creek, thus forming the lake. The
depth of clear, pure, unpolluted water runs from nine feet near
the dyke to a few inches where it spreads out along the marshy
shores. Much is expected of this lake in conserving birdlife.
Two other W. P. A. projects w'ill further increase the county's
water area. The dam of Lake Lenape at Sellersville has been
restored and Branch Creek bed dredged from that point to the
bridge at South Perkasie, thus doubling the water surface area.
The second project is at Silver Lake, on the Bath Road near
Bristol. A new spillway has been built, about six feet of silt
dredged from the bottom of the lake, and when completed the
surface area will be larger than formerly.
This large increase of water area (to be followed soon by
other incipient projects of similar kind) is of such recent date
that it has not been possible to get complete migration data
on the increasing birdlife it brings into the county. The writer
regrets that his opportunity for observing this new influx has
been limited; but, should future surveys warrant it, a revision
of this part of the list can be made in a new edition.
Looking at the changes wrought within sixty years from
another angle, great strides have been made in systematic
ornithology. Audubon Societies and similar organizations have
LAKE WARREN, NOCKAMIXON TOWNSHIP,
BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Northeast Part of Lake, which Exteiids Far Back into the Brush on the Right. State Game
Refuge Stakes and Wire Shown Running Across Lake.
Acres of Marsh like this Spread out from the Head of the Lake— Ideal Nesting Places for
Water Fowl and Marsh Birds. Marsh Marigold, Golden Club and Other Marsh Plants
in Bloom in the Foreground. Photographs Taken May 2, 1937.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 485
done much to make people bird conscious and to slimuhite inter-
est in conservation of wildlife. At least one active bird club
or Audubon Society is now operating in every State of the Union.
But the greatest forward step was taken in 1883, when the
American Ornithologists' Union was organized. Since then
other strong and influential bird organizations, more sectional
in scope, have been formed; but the A. O. U. has sustained its
supremacy as the national and largest body. Only through
such a body has it been possible to make ornithology the sys-
tematic and standardized science it is today. It has been the
means of doing away with much of the old confusion. True,
much systematic work remains to be done and many divergent
opinions among ornithologists are still to be harmonized; but a
solid basis has been laid, and what is to follow may not be so
difficult.
Thus it has been possible to make great progress in bird nomen-
clature and in definitely fixing both popular and technical names.
Puzzling questions of subspecies are now decided by a standing
committee of the A. O. U., and its decisions are accepted as a;n
authoritative finality. Recognition of subspecies made the
use of the trinomial method for scientific names almost obligatory.
Since the organization of the A. O. U., the Federal Govern-
ment has entered the picture. The study of birds has become
an important function of the Bureau of Biological Survey, De-
partment of Agriculture. Most States now supplem.ent national
work through their own governmental departments. The
Biological Survey at first devoted its efforts largely to surveys
of the economic value of birds. But as time went on, it became
evident that the economic value of a bird is tied up with its
whole life and movem.ents, and thus the work of the Bureau
naturally broadened.
As an example, migratory movements have been closely
observed for the Bureau for years by a corps of observers now
numbering 340, scattered over the North American continent
from Point Barrow, Alaska, to San Jose, Costa Rica. They
report semi-annually.^ Of these observers ten are located in
Pennsylvania, including two in Bucks County.^
1 See Bird Migration Memorandum, No. 1, U. S. Department of Agri-
culture, Bureau of Biological Survey. April 1, 1936.
2 In Bucks County, Miss P21izabeth C. Cox, New Hope, and George
MacReynolds, Doylestown.
486 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Great things are expected from birdbanding, another modern
step forward in bird study. As a means of determining migra-
tion problems, birdbanding dates back to 1899, when Hans
Chr. C. Mortensen, a Danish schoolmaster, commenced to sys-
tematically band storks, teals, starlings, and two or three species
of birds of prey. H is success attracting the attention of European
ornithologists, birdbanding soon came into prominence in fifteen
nations of Europe, and in India, Morocco and Japan. In
America, its possibilities were first brought to the attention of
ornithologists by Dr. Leon J. Cole in 1902. The American
Bird Banding Association was organized in December, 1909.
This and other organizations continued active until 1920, when,
having outgrown resources privately available, the work was
turned over to the Biological Survey."^ The banding function
of the Biological Survey is largely advisory and supervisory,
much of the actual banding work being done by authorized
volunteer co-operators. The Biological Survey now covers a
wide field of wildlife research and management, but this can be
merely mentioned here.
Banding has solved at least one of our Bucks County bird
problems. In winter flocks of Robins are observed in New
York, Pennsylvania, and perhaps other States in the same
latitude. In Bucks County, by November 1, opening date of
the hunting season, no Robins can be found. About the middle
of December flocks of these birds appear, among other places
in the Tinicum and Nockamixon cedar swamps and on the sout+i
sides of Haycock, Buckingham and Jericho Mountains. By
January 31, or at latest February 15, most of these winter flocks
have vanished. Were they birds from farther north (the Robin
breeds as far north as Alaska) wintering here and then retracing
their flight in February, or were they just local birds changing
environment for the cold months? Banding has proved that
they are Canadian birds. Winter visitants trapped here were
found to have been tagged by Canadian banders. There is,
however, no brood of Robins peculiar to Canada listed by the
A. O. U., but we know now for a certainty that the winter Robin
is not the same that builds its nest on our lawns in April.
3 See Wild Life Research and Management Leaflet BS-53, U. S. Depart-
ment of Agricukure, Bureau of Biological Survey. Washington, D. C.
April, 1936.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 487
Several new species of birds have come to Bucks County in
recent years. One of the most important is the Ringneck
Pheasant, introduced by sportsmen. The Ringneck, Hke many
of our native birds, has several vernacular names, one of them
"English Pheasant." It is a cross between the common Pheasant
(Phasianus coJchicus), which takes its name from the Colchis
River in Asia Minor, and the Chinese Pheasant {Phasianus
torquatus). The Asia Minor bird is said to have been intro-
duced into England by the Romans, but good authority traces
it no farther back than the Norman Conquest. The Chinese
bird was known in England long before 1790, but the exact date
of introduction has not been ascertained.
Alexander Pope, the brilliant English poet — a poet almost
from infancy — wrote his "Windsor Forest" about 1700, when
but twelve years of age and published it when he was sixteen.
His lines on a dying Pheasant in this poem make a finished word
picture:
See! from the brake the whirring pheasant springs,
And mounts exulting on triumphant wings:
Short is his joy; he feels the fiery wound.
Flutters in blood, and panting beats the ground.
Ah! what avail his glossy varying dyes,
His purple crest and scarlet-circled eyes;
The vivid green his shining plumes unfold,
His painted wings, and breast that flames with gold.
The Ringneck was brought to the United States more than
a century ago by Richard Bache and placed itpon his New Jersey
estate. This introductory experiment failed. The successful
attempt dates from 1887, when Rutherford Stuyvesant brought
over a bunch of birds from England to his estate "Tranquillity,"
at AUamuchy, New Jersey, and placed them in charge of Donald
MacVicar, former head gamekeeper for the Duke of Leinster,
Kildare, Ireland. After repeated attempts and many discour-
agements, MacVicar finally succeeded in establishing the birds
in this country.'*
The Ringneck was introduced into Bucks County in 1915.
So well did this bird thrive here that, from 1920, when Pheasant
hunting was first permitted, down to the present time, this
4 See American Pheasant Breeding and Shooting. By E. A. Quarles.
New York: American Game Protection Association. 1916.
THE LAST PASSENCxER PIGEONS
The Last Passenger Pigeon, a female bird, which died in Cincinnati Zoological Garden,
September 1, 1914. Copyright photograph by Mr. Enno Meyer, official photog-
rapher of the garden. Taken in 1912, and here reproduced with his kind
permission.
The Last Passenger Pigeon Taken in Pennsylvania, a male bird, shot October 23, 1895,
Monroe County, Pa. Mounted and now owned by Mr. George H. Stuart, 3rd, of
Philadelphia. Photograph used with his kind permission.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 489
county has been regarded as the banner Ringneck county in
Pennsylvania. (See Appendix, Note 1.)
The Passenger Pigeon, which Dr. Thomas in 1876 said was
in "some seasons abundant," has since become extinct. This
subject will be treated only briefly here, inasmuch as the late
Colonel Henry D. Paxson, who gave much time to a close study
of the matter, covered it ciuite exhaustively in a paper read
before The Bucks County Historical Society, October 22, 1912.^
Probably the first reference to the Passenger Pigeon in this
county is contained in the following news paragraph from the
"Bucks County Intelligencer and General Advertiser" for Mon-
day, March 29, 1830:
Wild Pigeons. — Immense flocks of these beautiful l)irds have
been flying about this neighborhood for several days. On Friday,
during the severe equinoctial storm, they were taken in immense
quantities in nets, and we heard it stated many were killed by clubs.
Our sportsmen have not lacked in industry, and nearly every one
has by this time had a taste of Pigeon Pot-Pie. One Gentleman in
this neighborhood has about 40 dozen in his corncrib, which he took
in a net, and which he is feeding for market. The Philadelphians,
we presume, will have a bountiful supply of them, for they are taken
to market in ^\agon loads. One wagon which v.e saw passing along
had 400 dozen, taken in New Jersey.
Colonel Paxson quotes this paragraph in his paper, but
credits it to "Hazard's Register," a Philadelphia publication.
It first appeared in the "Intelligencer" and was an item of
purely Bucks County news. It shows accurately the treatment
to which the Passenger Pigeon was then subjected here, and,
in fact, everywhere throughout its range. The wonder is that
it survived such ruthless slaughter through the long period from
1830 down to 1876, when only pitiably small groups appeared
where in times past vast flocks "obscured the sun." After 1876
the bird was rapidly passing on its way out, and on September 1,
1914, the last known Passenger Pigeon in America died in the
Cincinnati, Ohio, Zoological Gardens, where it was hatched from
a small flock received from Northern Michigan in 1877.
The last Passenger Pigeon in Bucks County was one of, or a
descendant of, eleven captured by Amos Corson, of Buckingham,
5 The Last of the Wild Pigeon in Bucks County. By Col. Henry D.
Paxson, Holicong, Pa. Published in "A Collection of Papers Read before
The Bucks County Historical Society," Vol. IV, pp. 367-382.
490 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
the last of our old pigeon trappers, who quit trapping about
1880. All of Corson's eleven pigeons died in captivity, except
one, which he released about 1890. The bird, it is reported,
"went like a bullet as soon as it was out and as far as we could
see him." The last nesting place for this bird in Bucks County,
of which we have record, was Jericho Mountain, in Upper Make-
field Township.^ This record states that they bred there in
1830. However, as large numbers were caught there as late
as 1844, the presumption is that they still nested on the moun-
tain in that year.
The Passenger Pigeon never could be domesticated, and a
bird for years in captivity was as "wild" as the day it was caged.
A contributing cause to its extinction was the destruction or
reduction of the beech woods by lumbering operations. The
range of the pigeons was co-extensive with that of the American
beech, the nutlets of which furnished "mast," the pigeon's staple
food.
Recently the Domestic Pigeon has been listed by the A. O. U.
as a member of our fauna. The Pigeon is a domesticated variety
of the Rock Dove of the Old World, described as follows:
General color, slaty blue, darker on head, neck and breast, with
greenish and purplish reflections; belly, tail coverts and tail lighter,
and back and wings still lighter; rump, white; two black bands on
wings; terminal tail band, black.
Birds in colonies shifting for themselves in the course of
several generations quite likely revert to this type plumage.
Most of those that do not have the characteristic plumage are
presumably recent additions to the flocks. In Doylestown
large flocks have established themselves on the concrete roofs
of the buildings at Fonthill and the Museum Building of The
Bucks County Historical Society. Dr. Henry C. Mercer, who
designed both buildings, provided in the turrets suitable refuges
and nesting places. Here, and at the Court House, in the Bap-
tist Church tower, and in a few other high buildings. Pigeons
have been living undisturbed for years, picking up their living
by foraging in streets and nearby fields.
(• Historical Reminiscences of Pineville and Vicinity. By Matthias H.
Hall, Wrightstown, Pa. Published in "A Collection of Papers Read before
The Bucks County Historical Society," Vol. HI, pp. 332-340.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 491
A somewhat recent addition to our bird list is the Turkey
Vulture. Dr. Thomas records that the Vulture in 1876 was
"occasionally seen, though formerly much more frequently."
This statement, no doubt based on reports which the Doctor
thought reliable, needs modification. The Turkey Vulture was
probably not in Bucks County in 1876; if so, only as an accidental
visitant. As late as 1889, S. Edward Paschall, of Doylestown,
a careful and conscientious bird student, wrote to Dr. B. H.
Warren, author of "Report on the Birds of Pennsylvania"
(1890), as follows concerning this Vulture:
"Decidedly rare, and absolutely unknown to most of our people.
We are but a few miles from Chester County, where the bird is very
common, but Bucks County is out of its range. I made note of having
seen three (3) buzzards during the season."
This was the exact situation at that time. Early in the
present century, however, the Vulture began to extend its range
into Bucks County and breed here. The writer on June 5, 1915,
discovered a nest on Buckingham Mountain, containing two
fluffy white young, about three weeks old and nearly as large
as half-grown white Leghorn chickens. This was the first
Turkey Vulture nest found in Bucks County. When a close
inspection of the nesting site was attempted, the behavior of the
young birds was so impolite, to state the matter mildly, that the
finder resolved never to repeat a similar exploration. The
nest was located in a securely protected rectangular hollow
formed by boulders near Wolf Rocks. There was no sign of
nesting material, the young birds resting on the bare floor of
their cozy (?) rock cavern, which was 3x2 feet and 12 inches
in height.
Since then. Vultures have established nesting sites in a num-
ber of similar locations throughout the county. They usually
return to the same nesting place year after year, and after the
breeding season collect in small flocks before moving farther
south.
The Snowy Owl is one of our most interesting periodical
migrants. The cause of its irregular migrations from its breed-
ing grounds in the Barren Lands of Canada into the United
States has not been definitely ascertained by ornithologists.
Lack of food seems to be a factor. In years of very deep snows,
492 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
rabbits, a chief food of this Owl, circulate very little. In cer-
tain years disease destroys many rabbits, forcing Owls to migrate
much farther south than usual. The greatest recent invasion
of Snowy Owls occurred in 1926-27 and covered in whole or part
twenty-one northeastern States, including all New England
and the Middle States. A number of the birds, bewildered by
fog and storm, flew out to sea, alighting on vessels, in some
instances hundreds of miles from land.
Nobody will ever know the total number of birds in the 1926-
27 flight. An ornithologist who made a careful inquiry^ places
the number killed by gunners at 5,000 — probably a too conserva-
tive estimate.
This invasion is fresh in the memory of Bucks Countians.
The birds were abundant here. They began to arrive about
November 1 and the last left early in March. From November 7
to December 2, twelve were reported killed, all in the northern
half of the county. Game Protector Fretz's records show 18
killed during the winter. At least as many more were not re-
ported. A reasonable estimate of the number killed would be
40. Multiply this by the total counties in the whole migration
area and the aggregate of these beautiful and harmless birds
slaughtered becomes appalling. Many birds were immature.
Never having been molested on their breeding grounds by
hunters, both young and old birds showed little fear of man and
fell easy prey to the shotgun.
Large flights south of Snowy Owls are so rare that even many
active field ornithologists have never seen the live bird. The
1926-27 flight was the earliest and largest recorded in fifty years.
Only in one previous year, November, 1886, are they known to
have come south so early in such large numbers. Prior to that
date there was an early influx in 1878-79; since that date flights
were observed in seven other winters, but they were compara-
tively small.
The Snowy Owl nests in the dry tundras of the far north and
lays from three to ten eggs, the size of a chicken egg and quite as
edible. It is a big and strong bird, capable of carrying away a
Snow-shoe Rabbit twice its weight.
As a rule, birds are peaceable creatures, even among them-
7 Alfred O. Gross, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Me., in "The Auk" for
October, 1927.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 493
selves. True, In the breeding season animosities sometimes
arise between individuals of the same species, like Robins in a
contest for a certain feeding or breeding ground, but long before
the fall migration differences are forgotten and often half a
dozen species will be found in the same flock amicably journeying
southward to winter homes. Of course. Hawks and other
predatory birds, driven to extremes by pangs of hunger when
other food is scarce, attack and devour small birds. But even
Hawks rarely quarrel with one another.
In this connection it may be interesting to note a tragic
exception to this rule on March 1, 1918, when a Sharp-shinned
Hawk and a Pigeon Hawk engaged in a fierce combat in a large
maple tree in front of Mrs. Frank P. Mann's residence on East
State street, Doylestown, In which both birds were killed. After
fighting furiously for more than fifteen minutes, the larger Hawk,
the Sharp-shinned, fell dead from the tree to the porch roof of
Mrs. Mann's house. The plucky little Pigeon Hawk's victory
was dearly bought, for a few minutes later It too dropped from
the tree to the ground mortally wounded. Upon examination,
it was found that the throats of both birds were torn in such a
manner by the opponent's powerful bill and claws that the
injuries were necessarily fatal. Such a battle between two
distinct species of Hawks, especially one in which both warriors
are killed, is quite unusual.
Ruffed Grouse were formerly abundant from the Neshamlny
valley bluffs below Doylestown northward to the county boun-
dary. Today these noble birds are fairly common only In the
trap-rock belt from Kauffman's Hill (Bridgeton Township) to
the Rockhills, including the Nockamixon and TInicum Swamps,
Haycock Mountain, Buckwampun and Mine Hill in Springfield
Township, and a portion of Milford Township. All of this
country is Ideal Grouse territory. The range of the Bucks
County birds, so far as known, is wholly within the county,
touching no other Grouse range anywhere, with the possible
exception of the Delaware River. But their crossing the river
is extremely doubtful.
Grouse are reputed to be subject to cycles of a disease that
carries off many birds In a single year, creating an unusual
scarcity the following season. To this disease, the Bucks County
birds are believed to be Immune. The explanation for this is
HAWKS KILLED IN MORTAL COMBAT
â– '/
â– r'-'.^^,>|
I
â– ^'*^^W
jif'^K;
^â– ^
'. <»..^^M!^MiiitifllMteii?
Pencil Drawings by the Writer from Photographs of a Sharp-shinned Hawk and a Pigeon
Hawk Killed in a Fatal Duel, March 1, 1918. Readers May Readily Distinguish
One from the Other.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 495
threefold — isolation of this group from other groups of Grouse, a
great abundance and variety of food within their range, and an
unusually favorable habitat environment at all seasons of the
year. No decrease in number from year to year is observable;
in fact, there is a slow increase, with a very gradual, though
irregular and erratic, extension of range.
Few gunners hunt Grouse now. As long as the ordinary
hunter has his Ringneck, there is no attraction for him in a bird
that baffles the skill of the most expert wingshot in cover where
this feathered bullet puts a cedar tree between itself and the
hunter within a split second.
Some years ago, when Grouse were close to the danger line
of extermination, the organized sportsmen succeeded in having
the county closed on hunting this bird for three years. The
result was surprising. At the end of the three-year period
Grouse had not only entirely re-established themselves numeri-
cally, but, undisturbed by hunters, they became much less cau-
tious and appeared in territory where they had not been seen
for many years. Some of this extension of range has since been
lost, but the birds are maintaining a good front. With a State
refuge now within their range, where they are always protected,
the danger of extermination is not serious at present.
Barn Owls are increasing here numerically. These silent
night rovers nest in tall buildings and hollow trees. They are
recluses in daytime. In Doylestown they breed more or less
regularly in the Court House and at Fonthill. For years they
have been residents of the topmost parts of the Historical Society
Museum Building. Occasionally, in some unknown way, they
get into the Museum and Library, where they do slight damage.
With the intention of getting rid of some of them, several were
captured by Curator Horace M. Mann and taken in an auto-
mobile ten miles up-county, where they were released. When
he returned, the Curator received a welcome home from the
self-same Owls, perched on the toprail of the fence in front of
the Museum. He thought he detected a quizzical smile on their
stolid monkey faces. The experiment was not repeated, and
the Owls, now undisturbed, share the heights of the building
with Pigeons and Sharp-shinned Hawks. (See Appendix, Note
2.)
In the making of the annexed list, it is a pleasure to duly
496 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
acknowledge the helpful suggestions of Dr. Witmer Stone,
Curator of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Academy of
Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa.; Dr. Henry W. Fowler,
Assistant Curator, of the same institution, companion in many a
delightful field trip; Dr. Allen S. Martin, of Haddonfield, N. J.,
who, while superintendent of Doylestown High School, stimu-
lated a latent impulse in the writer to study birds; Dr. Henry W.
Henshaw, of Washington, D. C, for most encouraging letters;
Dr. Alexander Wetmore, Assistant Secretary of Smithsonian
Institution, Washington, D. C, for aid in the matter of bird
migration; Miss Elizabeth C. Cox, of "Rolling Green," New
Hope, Pa., for valuable bird data relating to the Buckingham-
Solebury area, and Game Protector Warren Fretz, of Doyles-
town, Pa., without whose ever-ready willingness to help this
list could not well have been written.
Science has proven that trees and other vegetable growths
are essential to a habitable earth. Without birds, all vegeta-
tion would soon be destroyed by insects. It is of highest impor-
tance, then, to know this birdlife. Our knowledge is far from
perfect. Great minds like Linnaeus, Audubon, Wilson, Ord,
Rafinesque, Coues and Baird laid the foundation for this knowl-
edge. The work has been carried on by other naturalists like
Stone, Ridgway, Henshaw, Wetmore, Chapman, Brewster,
Pearson, Forbush, Allen, Dwight and others. As those now
active relax their efforts with declining years, others must carry
on. It is hoped that more young people in our county may feel
inclined to enter this fascinating field of study. The momentous
bird conservation movement must not lag,
"For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever."
— The Brook
A List of Birds of Bucks County, 1937
This list is compiled from records made by the writer during
field trips between the years 1901 to 1937. For the first ten
years the records were fragmentary, many were incomplete, and
some doubtful. All doubtful records were discarded. From
1912 to 1937 the records are complete and quite voluminous.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 497
The migration dates in the list are those of the earliest arrival
and latest departure of a given bird in Bucks County.
Abbreviations: A. V., accidental visitant; P. R., permanent
resident; S. R., summer resident; S. V., summer visitant; T. V.,
transient visitant; W. V., winter visitant. All permanent and
summer residents are breeders here. A summer visitant may
be, but not always is, a breeder.
A few of the published breeding records compiled by Mr.
Richard C. Harlow have been used. Wherever this occurs, Mr.
Harlow has been given due credit.
ORDER GAVI I FORMES
Family Gaviid^e. Loons.
Common Loon. Gavia immer immer (Bruennich). Rare W. V. Bucks
County is not in the line of the Loon's usual migratory flight. Occasionally
seen on Delaware River. (See Appendix, Note 3.)
ORDER COLYMBIFORMES
Family Colymbid/E. Grebes.
Horned Grebe. Coly mhiis aiiritus {hmnsMs) . Rare T. V. One record,
April 21, 1914, on Turk Dam, near Doylestown. Wears bizaare plumes or
"horns" behind the eye; in a close-up view, is striking in appearance. This
bird showed no fear. Turning its odd-looking head towards the observer
as he passed it at a distance of only 30 feet, it swam slowly out towards the
middle of the dam.
Pied-billed Grebe. Podilymhiis podiceps podiceps (Linn;eus).) Common
T. v.. Mar. 4-Apr. 20; Aug. 9-Dec. 2. Preferred habitats here — ponds, lakes,
mill-dams and coves in streams.
ORDER CICONIIFORMES
Family Ardeid^. Herons, Bitterns.
Great Blue Heron. Ardea herodias herodias (Linnaeus.) Common
S. v., Apr. 2-Nov. 27. Big, grotesque-looking, wild-eyed and ever alert,
the Great Blue is found on all our larger streams. It is not known to nest
here, but its presence every spring, summer and fall month indicates a breeding
resort not far from our borders.
American Egret. Casmerodius alius egretta (Gmelin). Not rare S. V.,
July-Oct. May be found along streams and lakes in season.
Snowy Egret. Egretta thida thida (Molina). Rare T. V., formerly
common S. V., July-Sept. Plume hunters almost wiped out the Snowy
Egret. For a period of 20 years, from 1901 to 1921, this bird was entirely
absent from the county. In 1921 it began reappearing on the islands and
498 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
along the marshes of the Delaware River. It is still by no means common
there and less so on tributary streams. Two authentic records: July 25,
1922, one bird. Silver Lake, Newtown; August 1, 1922, nine birds, Tohickon
Creek, near Pipersville. (Warren Fretz.)
Little Blue Heron. Florida ccertdea ccerulea (Linnaeus). Common
S. v., July 16-Oct. 7. Preferred habitat — the larger streams. Nearly all
our visitants are in white plumage; one of the few birds that migrate regularly
from the South after breeding season.
Eastern Green Heron. Butorides virescens virescens (Linnaeus). Com-
mon S. R., Apr. 4-Oct. 15. Nests in low trees along secluded parts of streams.
A little known knack of this smallest of our herons is its ability to dive when
in danger. Proof of this was afforded the writer near Ewers' Dam, Neshaminy
Creek, on September 17, 1924, when a Green Heron, feeding near the middle
of the stream, was fiercely attacked by a Cooper's Hawk. The Heron escaped
by plunging into two feet of water, remaining submerged until the Hawk
vanished, and then swam to the rock on which it was standing when attacked.
Black-crowned Night Heron. Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli (Gmelin).
Common S. R., Mar. 7-Nov. 13. Breeds in colonies. In a heronry on the
Harry Cope farm, a mile west of Doylestown, about 300 pairs nested for
many years in young Chestnut trees before blight killed the trees. Now
much smaller colonies breed in several woodland districts. Fifty or more
pairs annually nest in a woodland on the Delaware River near Frenchtown,
N. J. This is now the largest known heronry in or near this county.
American Bittern. Botaurus lentiginosus (Montagu). Fairly common
T. v., Apr. 20-May 14; Sept. 10-Oct. 27. Increasing in number. Preferred
habitat — bogs and clear-water marshes near streams. The Bittern points
its neck and bill straight upwards while concealing itself among sedges and
tall grasses. While so concealed, it may be approached within a few feet
before it takes flight.
Eastern Least Bittern. Ixobrychus exilis exilis (Gmelin). Common
S. R., Apr. 25-Oct. 1 (occasionally later). According to Richard C. Harlow,
oologist, who found many nests, this bird is a common breeder in the Dela-
ware River marshes. It breeds as far north as the lake in Yardley, where
Mrs. Helen M. C. Barnes has noted it as a summer resident. Game Pro-
tector Warren Fretz reports it a common bird in the marshes around Bristol.
ORDER ANSERI FORMES
Family Anatid/E. Ducks, Geese.
Canada Goose. Branta canadensis canadensis (Linnaeus). Common
T. v., Feb. 22-May 27; Nov. In spring flocks regularly fly northward,
usually quite high. In autumn small flocks of a dozen to 25 occasionally
alight on lakes and Neshaminy and Tohickon Creeks, resting there, some-
times for hours, if not disturbed. March 28, 1937, a single bird was observed
flying rapidly due north only 50 feet above the Turk Dam marsh — probably
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 499
an escape from some commercial game farm. A flock of 12 was oljserved at
Deep Ford, Neshaminy Creek, March 30, 1933. Another flock of 15 was
reported at Lake Warren, Nockamixon, in April, 1937.
American Brant. Braiita hernida Jirota Mueller. Rare T. V., May-
June; not observed in fall, and no records of its alighting here. Brant occa-
sionally migrate across the county in the evening between sundown and
10 o'clock, in larger flocks than Canada Geese, and may be distinguished from
the last named by a difference in their honking notes.
Common Mallard. Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos (Linnaeus). Com-
mon T. v., Mar. 24-Apr.; Oct. 25-Dec. 29. "Occasionally seen" by Dr.
Thomas sixty years ago, this duck is now almost plentiful on our lakes and
streams. A flock of 13 on Neshaminy Creek, Penrose Flats, last fall presented
a beautiful sight.
Black Duck. Atias rubripesiristis (Brewster). Common P. R. Breeds
on Penn's Manor Lakes, Lake Warren and unfrequented parts of Tohlckon
Creek and possibly Tinicum and Swamp Creeks. The "Red-legged Black
Duck" has been described as a subspecies, but this classification, it is claimed
by some naturalists, is based on characters that are really those of the adult
Common Black Duck;^ therefore, this alleged subspecies is not listed here.
Baldpate. Mareca americana (Gmelin). Occasional T. V., Mar.-
Apr. ; Aug. -Dec. Formerly known as the American Widgeon. Found
mainly on Delaware River and Penn's Manor Lakes.
American Pintail. Dafila acuta tzitzihoa (Vieillot). Fairly common
T. v., uncommon W. V., Feb. -May (May 3); Sept. -Dec. Occasional on
creeks, but more numerous on lakes.
Green-winged Teal. Nettion carol ineiise (Gmelin). Rather uncommon
T. v., Mar.-Apr.; Sept. -Dec. Found here on small bodies of water, as well
as lakes and Delaware River.
Blue-winged Teal. Querquedula discors (Linnaeus). Uncommon T. V.,
Mar.-May; Aug.-Dec. Does not breed here, though recorded as rarely nest-
ing in eastern Pennsylvania.
Wood Duck. Aix sponsa (Linna»us). Common S. R., Mar. 12-Oct. 11;
often seen later in the fall and a few may winter. Breeds (in hollow tree
trunks or branches) on Penn's Manor Lakes and along main streams.
Redhead. Nyroca americana (Eyton). Rather common T. V., Mar.-
Apr.; Nov. Frequents Delaware River and Penn's Manor Lakes. Usually
found on the Manor Lakes late in the season after most of the other Ducks
have departed. In mild seasons some winter.
Ring-necked Duck. Nyroca collaris (Donovan). Uncommon T. V.,
Mar. 1-May; Oct. 2-Dec. 5. Occasionally seen on lakes and Delaware River.
8 See Life Histories of North American Wild Fowl. Order Anseres
(Part). By Arthur Cleveland Bent. Bulletin 126, Smithsonian Institution,
U. S. National Museum, pp. 50-68.
500 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Canvasback. Nyroca valisneria (Wilson). Formerly abundant, now
irregular T. V., Feb.-Apr.; Oct. -Dec.
Greater Scaup Duck. Nyroca marila (Linnaeus). Irregular W. V.,
Sept. -Mar. Increasing in number on Delaware River and Penn's Manor
Lakes. Commonly known as the "Big Bluebill" or "Big Blackhead."
Lesser Scaup Duck. Nyroca affinis (Eyton). Common T. V., Mar.
15-Apr. 16; Sept. -Dec. This duck, the "Little Bluebill" of the hunters,
usually more common than the larger form, seems to be the scarcer of the
two here. Frequents mainly Penn's Manor Lakes and the Delaware River.
American Golden-eye. Glaucionetta clangula americana (Bonaparte).
Irregular W. V., Oct. -Apr. Occasional on the Delaware River. Commonly
known as the "Whistler," from,the noise made in flight.
BuFFLEHEAD. Charitonetta albeola (Linnaeus). Not common W. V.,
Nov. 2- Apr. 21. Found on water where small fish are plentiful — ponds.
Lake Warren, Neshaminy and Tohickon Creeks and Penn's Manor Lakes.
Ruddy Duck. Erismatura jamaicensis rubida (Wilson). Rather common
W. v., Aug-May. A small duck with stiff, pointed, up-turned tail feathers,
found on Delaware River and lakes.
Hooded Merganser. Lophodytes cucullatus (Linnaeus). Uncommon
T. v., rare in spring; Nov.-Dec. Here this beautifully crested Merganser
prefers ponds, mill-dams and small lakes.
American Merganser. Mergus merganser americanusiCassin) . Common
T. v., Feb. 23-Apr. 27; rare in fall. Feeds in flocks every spring in the rapids
of the upper Neshaminy, where its abundance and stay are dependent upon
the duration of the spring freshets. As many as 25 or more are often found
in a flock. Their radiant beauty as they sport in the sparkling water beneath
rocky banks studded with hemlock-spruce trees presents a sight well worth
the extreme caution needed to get a close-up observation.
Red-breasted Merganser. Mergus serrator (Linnseus). Reported as a
rare W. V. to our larger bodies of water; records at hand too meager to give
accurate migration dates.
ORDER FALCON I FORMES
Family Cathartid^. American Vultures.
Turkey Vulture. Cathartes aura septetitrionalis (Wied) . Common S. R.,
Feb. 14-Nov .12. This Vulture, almost unknown here until late in the last
century, has extended its range far beyond the county. The writer saw one
in August, 1935, at Lake Mohonk, N. Y. It is now reported from the east
side of the Hudson River.
Family Accipitrid^. Hawks, Eagles.
EiVSTERN Goshawk. Astur atricapillus atricapillus (Wilson). Irregular
W. v., Nov.-Apr. Latest date seen, Apr. 7. Periodically common. A large
invasion of the county occurred in the winter of 1926-27; another in 1936-37,
when Game Warden Warren Fretz reported at least 10 were killed.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 50l
Sharp-shinned Hawk. Accipiter velox velox (Wilson). Common P. R.;
often scarce in midwinter. Breeds in tall buildings, in small trees, and in
a variety of other locations.
Cooper's H.\wk. Accipiter cooperi (Bonaparte). Uncommon P. R.
Breeds in heavily timbered elevations, including Jericho, Solebury and Hay-
cock Mountains. A bad actor when poultry or game strays within its range.
Eastern Red-tailed Hawk. Buteo horealis borealis (Gmelin). Hardly
common W. V., Sept. 1-Apr. 26. Formerly common. Dr. Thomas notes
it as resident, but it probably does not nest here now. This and other species
of Hawks have suffered much through man's morbid humor to destroy all
birds of prey, whether beneficial or not.
Northern Red-shouldered Hawk. Buteo lineatus lineatus (Gmelin).
Fairly common P. R., scarce in midwinter. Breeds in several of our heavy
elevated woodlands near streams.
Broad-winged Hawk. Buteo platypterus platypterus (Vieillot). Com-
mon S. R., Feb. 2S-Dec. 2 (Dec. 25). This hawk breeds regularly near
Doylestown; in Beaver Run valley, Nockamixon, and in the lonely Tohickon
Creek ravine between Stover's Park and Point Pleasant, as well as elsewhere
in the county. It is a valuable destroyer of small rodents and is less sus-
picious of man than most raptores. It is quite friendly when given half a
chance to be so. Few people, even very few bird students, know that it can
be decoyed and brought quite close to any one who can imitate its peculiar
call notes.
American Golden Eagle. Aqiiila chrysaetos canadensis (LInnjeus).
Rare W. V. Last known living bird in the county was shot in Southampton
Township about eight years ago. A fine specimen in the collection of Taxi-
dermist Clayton D. Rickert, of Dublin, was shot near Ottsville about 20
years ago. One was found dead in 1936 on Joseph Stover's farm in Bucking-
ham Township.
Southern Bald Eagle. Hallaetus leucocephalus leucocephalus (Lin-
naeus). Uncommon W. V. Many years ago the Bald Eagle nested here.
Before the old Court House was razed (1876) an Eagle perched on the vane
above the cupola, resting there for about an hour. Half the inhabitants
turned out to see the strange sight. Since then several Bald Eagles were
captured in Buckingham Township. One is now a mounted specimen in
the Bucks County Fish, Game and Forestry Association's bird collection.
An immature bird, shot on December 9, 1912, by Leidy Kratz, in Kelly's
woods, a mile northeast of Doylestown, is in the High School's bird collection.
October 6, 1929, a young Eagle, not full grown, was shot on Jericho Mountain
in mistake for a Hawk by a young man named Smith. The writer has seen
Bald Eagles on at least two of his field trips, August 16, 1923, and November
6, 1929. In April, 1937, a Bald Eagle was seen for a week or more flying over
the Lake Warren district in Nockamixon Township.
Marsh Hawk. Circus hudsonius (Linnaeus). Common T. V., Jan. 30-
May 3; Aug. 14-Dec. 13, Most plentiful in March and August; beats its
THE DUCK HAWK
Photograph of a female bird in the collection of the Bucks County Fish, Game and Forestry
Association, captured in Southampton Township during the autumn migration of 1927; length,
19 in.; extent of wings, 41 in.; a magnificent specimen. For its bulk, the Duck Hawk is the
most powerful and courageous bird of prey. It is ratlier rare and localized, but apparently
not decreasing numerically. Its breeding site at The Narrows is probably the most southern
in Pennsylvania. Its nests are also found on cliffs farther north along the Delaware River
and on the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers. The Duck Hawk is the American example
of the Peregrine Falcon, the main bird used in the Old World sportof Falconry or Hawking —
a sport so ancient that the period and even the country of its origin is in doubt. (Photograph
by Gustave Sanders, Doylestown, Pa., through the courtesy and permission of the Bucks
County Fish, Game and Forestry Association.)
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 503
way slowly over marsh and meadow in search of mice, apparently much pre-
occupied; but try to approach it, and the distance between yourself and the
bird magically widens.
OsPREY. Pandion haliaetus carolinensis (Gmelin). Common S. R.,
Mar. 17-Nov. 11. Breeds here sparingly; nests discovered on high abandoned
telephone poles in Penn's Manor Lakes district, also along Delaware River.
Favorite feeding grounds are Neshaminy and Tohickon Creeks and their
branches.
Family Falconid^. Falcons.
Duck Hawk. Falco peregrinus anatiim (Bonaparte). Rare, but regular,
S. R., Apr. 1-Sept. 24. Nests on the almost inaccessible northerly exposed
rocks of The Narrows, Delaware River. At least one oologist (William B.
Crispin, aged 32, of Salem, N. J., employee of the Oology Society of Phila-
delphia, who on May 9, 1913, fell 365 feet from Top Rock) lost his life there
in attempting to collect Duck Hawk eggs.
Pigeon Hawk. Falco columbarius cohimbarius (Linnseus). Common
T. v., Mar. 18-May 8; Aug. 23-Oct. 21. More common in spring than
autumn; a beautiful little Hawk, and most interesting migrant.
Eastern Sparrow Hawk. Falco sparveritis sparverius (Lmnxus) . Com-
mon P. R., scarce in winter. Formerly outnumbered all other Hawks, but
not so plentiful now.
ORDER GALLI FORMES
Family TETRAONiDyE. Grouse.
Eastern Ruffed Grouse. Bonasa umhellus umbeUiis (Linnaeus).
Common and local P. R. Most plentiful in Bridgeton, Nockamixon, Hay-
cock, Rockhill, Springfield and Milford Townships. Strays into adjoining
townships and reported to be extending its range.
Family Perdicid^e. Partridges, Quails.
Partridge. Perdix perdix perdix (Linnseeus). Not common P. R.
This is the European game bird, often called Hungarian Partridge, intro-
duced in this country between 1900 and 1910 and distributed a few years
later in Bucks County. At first this introduction seemed to succeed, large
flocks wintering in Buckingham and Solebury Townships. However, the
birds gradually disappeared, except in the northwestern corner of the county,
in Milford Township, where they seem to have become acclimated and are
reported to be thriving. It is also interesting to know that across the Milford
Township line in Lehigh County the European Partridge has been successfully
introduced. It is among the possibilities of the future that, with proper
protection, this exotic bird may become an important addition to our bird-
life.
Bob-white. Colinus virginianus virginianus (Linna;us). Common P. R.
Although reduced to a mere pittance of its former abundance, Bob-white is
still fairly well distributed over the county, but is more common in townships
north of Doylestown. The snow blizzard of 1888 and two or three less severe
504 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
winter storms since that date smothered thousands of these birds under huge
frozen drifts. In more recent years abandoned farms and a tendency to
allow much land to revert to the wild has increased the cover needed by
this bird, but the evidence as to whether it is increasing or diminishing numeri-
cally is conflicting.
Texas Bob-white. Colinus virginianus texanus (Lawrence). Vanishing
P. R. This form of the Bob-white was imported mainly from Kansas, Texas
and Mexico and released in up-county townships by sportsmen. The experi-
ment was a failure and such stocking has been discontinued. Displeased
with climate and conditions here, most of these Texas birds disappeared, no
doubt returning to their old haunts. Hunters on Delaware and Chesapeake
Bays a few years ago reported large flocks passing overhead southward in
autumn. The Texas bird probably did not interbreed with our local Bob-
white and it is doubtful whether any still remain in the county.
Family Phasianid/E. Pheasants.
English Pheasant. Phasianus colchicus colchicus (Linnaeus) ; Ring-
NECEED Pheasant. Phasianus colchicus tor quatus (Gmelin). Common P. R.
Introduced by sportsmen, the Ring-neck has become thoroughly established
in Bucks County.
ORDER GRU I FORMES
Family Rallid^. Rails, Gallinules, Coots.
King Rail. Rallus elegants elegans (Audubon). Fairly common T. R.,
uncommon S. R., Apr. 15-Dec. 15. Spring and fall visitant on the Delaware
River tidal marshes, from Morrisville to the Philadelphia line; probably rare
breeder.
Northern Clapper Rail. Rallus longirostris crepitans (Gmelin). Not
common S. R., Apr.-Dec. Range same as the King Rail. Scarcest of our
Rails.
Virginia Rail. Rallus limicola limicola (Vieillot). Common T. R.,
less common S, R., Apr. 15-Nov. 10. Range similar to that of the King Rail.
SoRA. Porzana Carolina (Linnaeus). Rather common S. R., Mar. 28-
Oct. 25. Most widely distributed of all our Rails. It has been found on
the Delaware River marshes and in Pine Run and Paunaucussing valleys.
Breeds here. Game Protector Warren Fretz reports that he occasionally
observes all four Rails^ — King, Virginia, Clapper and Sora- — in a gunner's
game-bag on the Delaware marshes.
Florida Gallinule. Gallinula chloropus cachinnans (Bangs). Fairly
common S. R., Apr. 25-Oct. 5. Frequently seen along the Delaware River,
from the Falls to Bensalem; regular breeder.
American Coot. Fulica americana americana (Gmelin). Common T.
v.. Mar. 1-May 1; Oct. 3-Dec. 5. Frequents Delaware River, Penn's
Manor Lakes, lower part of Neshaminy Creek as far north as Bridge Valley,
and Lake Warren.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 505
ORDER CHARADRI I FORMES
Family Charadriid/E. Plovers.
Semipalmated Plover. Charadrius semipalmatus (Bonaparte). Form-
erly abundant, now hardly common T. V., Apr. -May; Sept. -Nov. Found
mainly on tidal mud-flats of the Delaware River.
KiLLDEER. Oxyechus vociferus vociferus (Linnaeus). Common S. R.,
Feb. 6-Dec. 5. Occasionally remains in mild winters. Preferred habitats —
plowed fields, mud-flats, , pond and stream sides. One of these birds laid
its eggs on slag ballast in the middle of a trolley track near Doylestown, and
reared its brood of four young, although disturbed by passing cars at least
twenty times every day and night.
Family ScoLOPACiDyE. Woodcock, Snipe, Sandpipers.
Woodcock. Philohela minor (Gmelin). Fairly common S. R., Mar. 1-
Dec. 3. Formerly much more common; nests in swampy or brushy areas in
open woodlands. Bird found on nest May 2, 1937, within a stone's throw
of the State Game Refuge in Nockamixon Township.
Wilson Snipe. Capella delicata (Ord). Uncommon T. V., Feb. 11-
May 1 ; very rare or entirely absent in autumn. This Snipe seems to migrate
much earlier in spring than formerly. In many meadows where fifty years
ago in April it was abundant, it will now be searched for in vain, due partly
to changed environment and pollution of streamlets by modern types of
roads and travel and partly to too close shooting. It seems to be one of the
birds on the way out in this county.
HuDSONiAN Curlew. Phaopiis hudsonicus (Latham). Very rare T. V.
Three of these birds, regarded by bird students as extremely rare in spring,
were found in April, 1937, feeding in a low, wet field near Wycombe.
Upland Plover. Bartraniia longicauda (Bechstein). Regular S. R.,
Apr. 7-Aug. 29. Frequents plateaus. Breeds here; formerly much more
common and once abundant. This is another bird changing conditions of
the times have caused to become scarce. Its stay here is short. Late in
August it begins its long journey to its winter home in southern Brazil and
Argentine. Nests were found by Harlow near George School and in Newtown
Township in 1918. A nest with four eggs was found May 8, 1925, on Robert
Horn's truck farm, Doylestown Township. It also breeds in Buckingham
and Warwick Townships and in three or four townships north of Doylestown.
Spotted Sandpiper. Actitis macidaria (Linnaeus). Common S. R.,
Apr. 6-Sept. 14. This trim little water bird is holding its own under adverse
conditions.
Eastern Solitary Sandpiper. Tringa solitaria solitaria (Wilson).
Common T. V., Apr. 16-May 26; Aug. 2-Sept. 20. A plump, quiet member
of the Sandpiper family, often associated with Yellow-legs. Half a dozen of
each species may sometimes be found feeding together on the same mud-flat
or sand-bar.
S06 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA,
Greater Yellow-legs. Totanus melanolenctis (Gmelin). Common
T. v., in spring only, Apr. 27-May 26. This graceful water bird is quite
often observed in May feeding on the sandy shores of lakes, ponds and streams
and is then hardly more shy than its congener, the Solitary Sandpiper. It
seems to have become more plentiful in late years.
Pectoral Sandpiper. Pisohia melanota (Vieillot). Rare T. V., May 2-
May 27 — not observed in fall away from the Delaware River, where it may
be an occasional autumnal visitant.
Least Sandpiper. Pisohia minutilla (Vieillot). Uncommon T. V.,
Apr.-May; July-Sept. Found principally along the Delaware River, more
rarely on mud-flats of interior ponds.
Semipalmated Sandpiper. Erennetes pusillus (Linnaeus). Uncommon
T. v., Apr.-May; Aug.-Nov. Known here only as an occasional visitant on
the Delaware River sand and mud bars.
Sanderling. Crocethia alba (Pallas). Rare T. V., Apr.-May; juXy-
Oct. Small flocks occasionally visit sandy beaches and bars on the Delaware
River.
Family Larid/e. Gulls, Terns.
Herring Gull. Lariis argentatus smithsoijianns (Coues). Fairl}' com-
mon W. v., Oct. -May. More common in spring. Ascends Delaware River
at least as far as Penn's Manor Lakes. Rare inland; one observed on Turk
Dam, near Doylestown, March 24, 1929.
Ring-billed Gull. Larus delawarensis (Ord). Uncommon W. V,,
Sept. -Apr. Occasionally observed with Herring Gulls on the Delaware River.
Laughing Gull. Larus atricilla (Linna?us). Irregular T. V., Apr.-
May; Sept. -Oct. Visits Delaware River and Penn's Manor Lakes in migra-
tions; a regular breeder along the coast in New Jersey.
Bonaparte's Gull. Larus Philadelphia (Ord). Uncommon T. V.,
Apr.-May; Sept. -Nov. Occasionally seen on the Delaware River and on
Penn's Manor Lakes.
Common Tern. Sterna hiriindo hirundo (Linnaeus). Irregular T. V.,
May; Sept. -Oct. Occasionally observed on the Delaware River, where it is
sometimes attacked by the Duck Hawk.
Black Tern. Chlidonias nigra suritiamensis (Gmelin). Rare, irregular
T. v., Sept. -Oct. Not observed in spring migration.
Family Alcid-*:. Auks, Murres, Puffins.
Dovekie. Alle alle (Linnaeus). A. V. This bird, no larger than a Bob-
white, nests in incredible numbers on the Arctic Coasts of Greenland and
Nova Zambia as far north latitude as 82° According to Alexander Wetmore,
Assistant Secretary of Smithsonian Institution, it is "undoubtedly the most
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 507
important bird of the Far North," furnishing the Eskimo during migrations
with both fresh food and raiment. Beginning in early October, Dovekies
migrate as far south as the New Jersey coast and in terrific gales many are
drowned or driven far inland. On such an occasion, Nov. 15-19, 1932, a
number were driven across New Jersey and the Delaware River into Bucks
County, where most of them died. An employe on the Torbert Farm, New-
town Township, found two there alive, but much bewildered by storm-buffet-
ing. Both died and were presented to the Bucks County Fish, Game and
Forestry Association and are now mounted specimens in their collection.
ORDER COLUMB I FORMES
Family Columbid/E. Pigeons, Doves.
Domestic Pigeon; Rock Dove. Cohunba livia (Linnaeus). Common
P. R. Large and small flocks of entirely self-supporting Pigeons inhabit
steeples and towers of public and semi-public buildings in various parts of the
county.
Eastern Mourning Do\e. Zenaidura macroura carolivensis (Lin-
naeus). Common S. R., Feb. 21-Nov. 22 (one winter record, Jan 16). One
of our earliest spring migrants; usually leaves in October. For many years
hundreds of these birds have maintained a late summer and autumn roost
on a timbered island in Neshaminy Creek, near New Britain. Quite unusually
in spring they return in flocks of twenty-five or more.
ORDER CUCULI FORMES
Family Cuculid/e. Cuckoos.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Coccyzus americanus americanus (Linnaeus).
Common S. R., May 3-Oct. 1. One of our most retiring and interesting birds;
inveterate enemy of the tent caterpillar.
Black-billed Cuckoo. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus (.Wilson). Fairly
common S. R., May 13-Sept. 27. Not so plentiful as the Yellow-billed; habits
similar.
ORDER STRIGIFORMES
Family Tytonid/e. Barn Owls.
B.\RN Owl. Tyto alba pratincola (Bonaparte). Common P. R. Breeds
in buildings and hollow stubs of trees ten to twenty feet above ground. (See
Appendix, Note 2.)
Family Strigid/e. Horned Owls, Hoot Owls.
Eastern Screech Owl. Olus asio ncevius (Gmelin). Fairly common
P. R. Scarce in winter; in breeding season, female bird destroys small insec-
tivorus birds for food for its young. Except as a mouser, not beneficial.
508
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Great Horned Owl. Buho virginiamis virginianus (Gmelin). Rare
W. v., Nov.-Feb. This big strong bird was formerly a common breeder in
heavily timbered districts, but is no longer resident; driven into this territory
only by severe winter weather.
Snowy Owl. Nyctea nyctea (Linnsus). Irregular W. V., Nov.-Mar.
Large influxes from the North in some winters; entirely absent for long inter-
vals.
Northern Barred Owl. Strix varia varia (Barton). Rare P. R. Last
record, Dec. 16, 1931; frequents large tracts of timber. Absence of eartufts,
yellow bill and very dark eyes distinguishes it from other large Owls.
Long-eared Owl. Asio wilsonianus (Lesson). Not common P. R. A
large colony in the evergreen trees on the Stavely Mansion lawn, Solebury.
Township, was locally famous for years.
Short-eared Owl. Asio flammeus flammem (Pontoppidan). A. V.
If ever "frequent and resident" here, as Dr. Thomas states, this Owl is now
certainly very scarce; belongs farther north and west. A bird found dead
near Sellersville, November 5, 1926, is now in the collection of the Bucks
County Fish, Game and Forestry Association. Since that date only one
record of a living bird has been made (Warren Fretz).
ORDER CAPRIMULGIFORMES
Family Caprimulgid^e. Nighthawks, Whip-poor-wills.
Eastern Whip-poor-will. Antrostomus vociferus vociferus (Wilson).
Rare S. R. Dr. Thomas says this bird was common and bred here 70 or 80
years ago. Cross the Susquehanna River and it is still plentiful, for instance
in Perry County. Found here in summer in the Buckingham-Solebury
Mountain district and near Lake Warren. (See Appendix, Note 4.)
Eastern Nighthawk. Chordeiles minor minor (J. R. Forster). Common
S. R., May 18-Oct. 6. These birds nest in considerable numbers on the
large boulders in certain cleared portions of Haycock Mountain. The birds
become active towards dusk, circling overhead in twos and threes and some-
times flying close to the ground. An old German who lived in a log cabin on
top of the mountain near Stony Garden said he could hear them at all hours
of the night in spring, flying about and "making a great noise."
ORDER MICROPODIFORMES
Family Micropodid/e. Swifts.
Chimney Swift. Chcetura pelagica (Linnaeus). Abundant S. R., Apr.
17-Oct. 12. Constant in time of arrival, it is less so in time of departure;
spring arrivals, average date for the past 21 years, April 21, rarely earlier
than April 20 nor later than April 23. (See Appendix, Note 5.)
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 509
Family Trochilid/E. Hummingbirds.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Archilochus coluhris (Linnaeus). Com-
mon S. R., May 14-Sept. 16. Hummingbirds may build two or three dainty
lichen-covered, nests atop a big sycamore tree limb before they find a suitable
location. In three weeks the young are able to fly and join the parents in an
early start back to their winter quarters in Central America.
ORDER CORACII FORMES
Family Alcedinid^. Kingfishers.
Eastern Belted Kingfisher. Megaceryle alcyon alcyon (Linnaeus).
Common S. R., Feb. 21-Dec. 25. Often remains throughout mild winters.
ORDER PICIFORMES
Family Picid/e. Woodpeckers.
Northern Flicker. Colaptes auratiis luteus (Bangs). Common S. R.,
Mar. 13-Nov. 14. The Flicker is really entitled to the degree of P. R., as it is
more often present than absent in winter.
Red-headed Woodpecker. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linnaeus). Un-
common S. R., May 2-Sept. 23. Formerly abundant, the Red-head is a good
example of the tendency of Woodpeckers to change their range and migration
routes. It is now almost rare here.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Sphyrapiciis varius varius (Linnaeus).
Rather Common W. V., (Aug. 5) Oct. 6-May 11; rarely seen in midwinter.
In spring its loud, clear call, a note never to be forgotten, is sometimes heard.
Eastern Hairy Woodpecker. Dryobates villosus villosus (Linnaeus).
Common P. R. Larger, less common and more shy than the Downy; likes
tracts of heavy timber, but often strays therefrom to rows of big trees along
streams.
Northern Downy Woodpecker. Dryobates pubescens mediamis (Swain-
son). Abundant P. R. Often found in thickets, young woodlands and
orchards, places not frequented by the Hairy Woodpecker.
ORDER PASSER I FORMES
Family Tyrannid/E. Flycatchers.^
Kingbird. Tyranntis tyrannus (Linnaeus). Common S. R., Apr. 25-
Sept. 26. In September for a few days Kingbirds are apt to be the most com-
mon migratory bird along the Delaware Division Canal in the Delaware River
Valley
9 The Olive-sided Flycatcher (Ntittallornis mesoleucus) has been
reported a few times, and it has been suggested that it be included in this
list. This is declined because of insufficient identification. Bucks County
seems to be outside of both its migratory and breeding range.
510 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Northern Crested Flycatcher. Myiarchus crinitus boreus (Bangs)
Common S. R., Apr. 26-Sept. 16. Woodlands would lack half their charm
in early summer without the challenging notes of this resolute rover among
the tree-tops. Arriving usually the first week in May, he becomes restless
early in September and is soon beating his way southward towards his winter
home in Central and South America.
Eastern Phcebe. Sayornis pJuvbe (Latham). Abundant S. R., Mar.
10-Oct. 23. So early does the Phcebe arrive that cold March sleet and snow
storms occasionally destroy large numbers. Everybody professes to know
the Phoebe, yet eight out of ten of us might be mistaken, as nearly all the Fly-
catchers look pretty much alike.
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Empidonax flaviventris (W. M. and S. F.
Baird). Fairly common T. V., May 17-May 27; Sept. A joy it is to find
this modest little visitor on a May or September morning by a woodside or
among the sumacs and scrub growth of an old pasture.
AcADL\N Flycatcher. Empidonax virescens (Vieillot). Rather com-
mon T. v., Apr. 19-May 19; Sept. 8-Sept. 30. It is claimed that the Acadian
Flycatcher is a sparing breeder here and should be classed as a summer resi-
dent, but the writer's observations do not bear out this claim.
Alder Flycatcher. Empidonax trailli trailli (Audubon). Irregularly
common T. R., May 2-June 3; Aug. 23-Sept. 18. Usually found near alder
patches and in adjoining meadows and pastures.
Least Flycatcher. Empidonax minimus (W. M. and S. F. Baird). Not
common T. V., Apr..21-May 17; July 28-Sept. 12. This is a more rare bird
here than the Acadian, and the same claim is made for it as a summer resident.
The writer has never found its nest in Bucks County.
Eastern Wood Pewee. Myiochanes virens (Linnaeus). Common S. R.,
May 8-Oct. 17. This bird's oft-repeated notes add a pleasing touch to the
midsummer charm of the big woods.
Family Alaudid/E. Larks. 10
Northern Horned Lark. Otocoris alpestris alpestris (Linnaeus). Rare
W. v., Dec. -Feb. Only comes here in winters of continuous cold, when it
may be found feeding on seeds of weeds protruding through the crusted
blankets of snow on fields and by roadsides.
10 The Prairie Horned Lark {Otocoris alpestris praticola) has been
working its way eastward for some years. It is a fairly common summer
visitant and possibly a permanent resident in the Unger Lakes region of
New York. It has appeared in western and northern parts of Pennsylvania
and is undoubtedly moving southeastward in this State. According to Dr.
Stone, it breeds in the higher mountains of Sullivan County. Harlow found
it (1918) nesting on the Pocono Plateau and in Huntingdon, Centre and
Green Counties. Dr. Herbert H. Beck, executive curator of the Franklin
and Marshall College Museum, states that it is now (1936) a breeder in Lan-
caster County. The writer made the first record of the Prairie Horned Lark
in Bucks County on August 26, 1937, when five of these birds were seen on
Flatiron Hill Plateau, three miles southeast of Doylestown.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 511
Family Hirundinid/e. Swallows.
Tree Swallow. Irldoprocne bicolor (Vieillot). Common T. V., Apr.
11-May 29. Not recorded here in fall migration; moves southward over the
coast marshes.
Bank Swallow. ' Riparia riparia riparia (Linnaeus). Common S. R.,
Apr. 18-Sept. 20. Burrows and nests in sloping sides of quarries and steep
alluvial banks along Neshaminy Creek.
Rough-winged Swallow. Stelgidopteryx ruficollis serripennis (Audubon).
Common S. R., Apr. 13-Aug. 25. Nests mainly in old stone bridge walls.
Barn Swallow. Hirundo erythrogaster (Boddaert). Common S. R.,
Apr. 9-Sept. 20. Early fall migrant, generally leaving the last week in August
of the first in September, tarrying awhile on the Delaware River and New
Jersey marshes before resuming the long journey to its winter homes in Mexico
and South America (Argentina).
Purple Martin. Progne snbis suhis (Linnaeus). Common S. R., Mar.
25-Sept. 23. Martins usually arrive the first or second week in April and
leave in August. (See Appendix, Note 6.)
Family Corvid/E. Crows, Jays.
Blue Jay. Cyajwcitta crislata crislata (Linnaeus). Common P. R.,
increasing in numbers. The Blue Jay, though a permanent resident, is also
a migrant. There is reason to believe that many of the birds which nest in
the county do not migrate, the migrant birds mostly coming from territory
farther north. Nor are the migrations observable here every year. A very
remarkable southward flight was observed through the Doylestown section
of the county on October 6, 7 and 8, 1919, when several hundred birds flew
about 200 feet overhead, quite leisurely, in narrow scattered formation, almost
single file. This migration occurred in the afternoons and continued from
about 4 until 5 o'clock.
E.\STERN Crow. Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos (Brehm). Com-
mon P. R. In some districts where sportsmen have made targets of crows
in their roosts they are not quite as plentiful as in former years; but nothing
can down the militant Crow. He easily survives decimation from proclama-
tions of outlawry. It has never been decided whether the merits of the Crow
outweigh its demerits. On the one hand, it pulls up growing corn and robs
other birds' nests; on the other hand, it eats large numbers of grasshoppers
and grubs and knocks down tent caterpillar nests in winter and devours the
contents.
Fish Crow. Corvus ossifragiis (Wilson). Not common S. R. Ascends
the Delaware River at least as far as Point Pleasant. Harlow found this
bird nesting along the river within the county limits.
512 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Family Parid/e. Titmice.
Black-capped Chickadee. Penthestes atricapillus atricapillus (Lin-
naeus). Common W. V., Oct. 12- Apr. 26. Not positively known to breed
here.
Carolina Chickadee. Penthestes carolinensis caroUnensis (Audubon).
Rather scarce S. R., May 10-Aug. May be a comparatively recent addition
to our bird list. The Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees are so near alike
in coloration that it is almost impossible to distinguish between them unless
both birds are in hand. It is probably the Carolina form that breeds here.
These birds have been observed in summer on Cox's Mountain, Buckingham;
also at Ringing Rocks, July 21, 1921, when a group of about 25 birds, old and
young, were seen. At the same place in June, 1922, Dr. Jesse Packer, of
Newtown, found a Chickadee's nest in a hole in a tree stump about three
feet above ground. It contained six eggs. Three old birds were seen in the
vicinity of the nest. Harlow found six nests in Pennsylvania, but in his list
in "The Auk," April, 1918, he gives no Bucks County locations. He says
it is a common breeder in Burlington County, N. J.
Tufted Titmouse. BceolopJius hicolor (Linnaeus). Abundant P. R.
This assertive bird, always curious to investigate whistled imitations of its
notes, has multiplied numerically several times in recent years.
Family Sittid/e. Nuthatches.
Northern White-breasted Nuthatch. Sitta carolinensis carolinensis
(Latham). Common P. R. A plodding woodland sojourner; quite inactive
in summer.
Red-breasted Nuthatch. Sitta canadensis (Linnaeus). Irregular T. V.,
Sept. 3-Dec. 9; no spring records. Occasionally common, moving southward
in small groups.
Family Certhid/e. Creepers.
Brown Creeper. Certhia familiaris americana (Bonaparte). Common
W. v., Sept. 18-Apr. 28; uncommon in December and January. In spring
migrations these birds mites are sometimes found moving through large
wooded districts like Buckingham Mountain in companies of 50 or more.
Family Troglodytid^. Wrens.
House Wren. Troglodytes aedon aedon (Vieillot). Common S. R.,
Apr. 12-Oct. 23. A bird whose number is only limited by the proper kind of
nesting boxes provided on lawns.
Eastern Winter Wren. Nannns hiemalis hiemalis (Vieillot). Com-
mon T. v., Sept. 25-Nov. 25; Feb. 21-May 7. Rare in midwinter.
Bewick's Wren. Thryomanes bewicki bewicki (Audubon). Rare T. V.;
one record, July 20-Aug, 20, 1916. This bird's range is farther west and south.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 513
Carolina Wren. Thryothorus ludovicianus ludovicianus (Latham).
Rather common P. R. Breeds along the Delaware River from Erwinna south-
ward; after the breeding season spreads out along tributary streams; an accom-
plished singer.
Long-billed Marsh Wren. Telmatodytes palustris palustris (Wilson).
LIncommon S. R., May-Oct. 27; no winter records. Nests in Delaware River
marshes and swamps around headwaters of Tohickon Creek; has also been
found in the breeding season along Neshaminy Creek from Dark Hollow
southward.
Short-billed Marsh Wren. Cistothorus stellaris (Naumann). Uncom-
mon S. R., May-Oct. Nest has been found in swamp near Quakertown; may
breed in similar locations elsewhere.
Family Mimid/E. Thrashers, Mockingbirds.
Mockingbird. Mimiis polyglottos polyglottos (Linnaeus). Rare T. V.
A recent record, November 27, 1932, when a young bird was observed on
the south side of a woodland on the Burpee Flower Gardens tract, Doyles-
town.
Catbird. Dumetella carolinensis (Linnaeus). Common S. R., Apr. 16-
Oct. 16. Reported as a rare winter sojourner in the extreme lower end of
the county.
Brown Thrasher. Toxostoma rnfiim (Linnaeus). Common S. R.,
Apr. 16-Nov. 4. This active, robust, voluble singer is assertive only preced-
ing the breeding season; at all other times, shy and retiring, and takes its
leave early in autumn.
Family Turdid/E. Thrushes, Bluebirds.
Eastern Robin. Turdus migratorius migratoriiis (Linnaeus). Abundant
S. R., Feb. 12-Nov. 21.
Wood Thrush. Hylocichla miistelina (Gmelln). Common S. R., Apr.
30-Oct. 7. When the Wood Thrush first arrives, usually in the first week in
May, it Is for a few days exclusively a woods bird; later, mornings and even-
ings, it visits lawns In quiet parts of towns, where it sometimes breeds. It is
abundant in the well-wooded Perkasle Park and pays little attention to the
crowds of people there In summer.
Eastern Hermit Thrush. Hylocichla guttata faxoni (Bangs and Penard).
Common T. V., Mar. 30-May 7; Oct. 7-Dec. 1. January 17, 1930, one bird,
is the writer's only winter record. The Hermit seems to have two migration
songs. Those who have heard the subdued spring song can readily under-
stand why in its summer home, when in full song, it is classed as premier bird
vocalist. The fall migration song is less musical, resembling the "peep" of
the hyla, with a rolling "croak" as an interlude. These notes may come from
young birds.
514 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Olive-backed Thrush. Hylocichla ustiilata swainsotii (Tschudi). Rather
common T. V., Apr. 28-May 30; Sept. 18-Oct. 28. Often absent in fall
migration.
Gray-cheeked Thrush. Hylocichla minima alicicB (Baird). Uncom-
mon T. v., May 14-May 30; Oct. 9-Oct. 29. Rare in fall migration.
Bicknell's Thrush. Hylocichla minima minima (Lafresnaye). Ex-
termely rare T. V. One record, May 21, 1916.
Veery. Hylocichla fuscescens fuscescens (Stephens). Common T. V.,
Apr. 20-May 27; Sept. 26-Oct. 16. This bird is so quiet and elusive in its
movements that it easily escapes observation in migration.
Eastern Bluebird. Sialia sialis sialis (Linnaeus). Common S. R.,
Feb. 8-Nov. 19. One of our earliest spring arrivals and one of the last to
depart. Said to occasionally winter at a few locations along the Delaware
River.
Family Sylviid^. Kinglets.
Golden-crowned Kinglet. Regulus satrapa satrapa (Lichtenstein).
Rare W. V., common T. V., Mar. 17-Apr. 26; Oct. 12-Dec. 24. The fine,
high "te-te-te" call of this bird always discloses its presence.
Eastern Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Ccrthilio calendula calendula (Lin-
naeus). Common T. V., Apr.-May 14; Oct. 1-Nov. 10. A bird midget with a
glorious song.
Family Motacillid^. Pipits.
American Pipit. Anthus spinoletta ruhescens (Turnstall). Abundant
T. v., Feb. 14-May 11; Sept. 9-Dec. 3. Popularly almost unknown, yet thou-
sands of these birds in large and small flocks make the plowed fields and old
pastures on Bucks County's plateaus their favorite feeding ground in migra-
tions. They breed to great extent in the Arctic Zone, extending their range
even into Siberia and Greenland.
Family Bombycillid/E. Waxwings.
Cedar VVaxwing. Bomhycilla cedroriim (Vieillot). Irregular T. V.,
Feb. 29-May 27; Aug. 23-Oct. 28. Winter records— Jan. 3 and Feb. 8;
summer — June 14. Not known to breed here. Waxwings destroy myriads
of destructive foliage-feeding Canker-worms. Robins, Purple Grackle and
Starlings also attack these worms.
Family Laniid/e. Shrikes.
Northern Shrike. Lanius horealis horealis (Vieillot). Irregular and
rare W. V., Nov.-Feb.
Migrant Shrike. Lanius ludovicianus migrans (W. Palmer). Rare
W. v., Dec. 9-Feb. 5. Shrikes may be found here for a couple of winters in
succession and not reappear for long periods. Of the two, the Migrant is seen
the oftener.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 515
Family Sturnid/E. Starlings.
Starling. Sturniis vulgaris vulgaris (Linnaeus). Abundant P. R.
Introduced into Central Park, New York City, from England in 1890 and
1891. Spread to Bucks County in 1909. (See Appendix, Note 7.)
Family Vireonid.^. Vireos.
White-eyed Vireo. Vireo griseus griseus (Boddaert). Common S. R.,
May 2-Sept. 29. Frequent breeder in dense thickets or the undercover of
open woodlands.
Yellow-throated Vireo. Vireo flavifrons (Vieillot). Fairly common
S. R., May 10-Sept. 28. Sometimes nests in scrub tree growth over small
dry ravines.
Blue-headed Vireo. Vireo solitarius solitarius (Wilson). Common
T. v., Apr. 16-May 18; Aug. 27-Oct. 27. More abundant in spring than
autumn.
Red-eyed Vireo. Vireo olivaceus (Linnaeus). Common S. R., May 8-
Oct. 18. The most abundant species of this family. Vireos build beautifully
constructed nests, suspended from a low forked tree-limb.
Philadelphia Vireo. Vireo philadelphicus (Cassin). Rare T. V.,
May 6-May 30. Four spring but no fall records; likely more common than
generally supposed; often confused with other species of Vireos.
Eastern Warbling Vireo. Vireo gilvus gilvus (Vieillot). Uncommon
S. R., May 2-Sept. 29. Has become scarce since 1928; in spring rarely arrives
before May 15; first Vireo to leave in autumn for its winter home; where, is
not definitely known.
Family Compsothlypid/e. Wood Warblers.
Black and White Warbler. Mniotilta varia (Linnaeus). Common
S. R., Apr. 15-Oct. 8. Breeds on steep wooded bluffs rising from the bank of
the Delaware River, only from Lumberville northward.
Worm-eating Warbler. Helmintheros vermivorus (Gmelin). Not com-
mon T. v.. May 6-May 27; Aug. 15-Sept. 10. Both a low shrub and ground
feeder, this Warbler is easily overlooked; perhaps more common than field
records indicate. Harlow says this Warbler breeds in Bucks County, but the
writer has never observed it as a summer resident. If breeding here, its nest
would probably be found in the Rhododendron districts along the Delaware
River.
Golden-winged Warbler. Vermivora chrysoptera (Linnaeus). Rare
T. v.. May 4-May 20. A beautiful bird, altogether too uncommon here;
lack autumn records.
Blue-winged Warbler. Vermivora pinus (Linnaeus). Rather common
T. v., less common S. R., May 9-Sept. 11. Breeds sparingly.
516 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Tennessee Warbler. Vermivora peregrina (Wilson). Rare T. V., May
12-May 21;Sept. 12-Oct. 4.
Orange-crowned Warbler. Vermivora celata celata (Say). Rather
rare T. V., May 9-May 21; Sept.
Nashville Warbler. Vermivora ruficapilla ruficapilla (Wilson). Rare
T. V. ; two records in May. Strange this Warbler is so rare here, as it breeds
as far south as Monroe County.
Northern Parula Warbler. Compsothlypis americana pusilla (Wil-
son). Common T. v., Apr. 27-May 30; Aug. 31-Oct. 8. Breeds south, west
and north of us; Bucks County is near the centre of a comparatively small
area that it completely ignores as a breeding range.
Eastern Yellow Warbler. Dendroica cestita cestiva (Gmelin). Fairly
common S. R., Apr. 22-Sept. 4. Formerly more common; leaves early in fall.
Magnolia Warbler. Dendroica magnolia (Wilson). Common T. V.,
May 4-May 30; Sept. 9-Oct. 2. Sometimes confused with the Myrtle Warbler,
though the resemblance is not close.
Cape May Warbler. Dendroica tigrina (Gmelin). Not common T. V.,
May 16-May 26; Sept. 9-Oct. 5. Generally observed here in pairs, male and
female.
Black-throated Blue Warbler. Dendroica ccerulescens ccerulescens
(Gmelin). Common T. V., May 2-May 23; Aug. 29-Oct. 23. Abundant
flights in some springs.
Myrtle Warbler. Dendroica coronata (Linnaeus). Abundant T. V.,
Apr. 15-May 20; Aug. 25-Dec. 29; one seen Jan. 4, 1933. Hardiest and most
plentiful of our Warblers; likes strong diet and remains in fall as long as the
Poison Ivy berries last.
Black-throated Green Warbler. Dendroica virens vireris (Gmelin).
Very common T. V., Apr. 21-May 30; Aug. 29-Oct. 27. Often abundant in
autumn.
Blackburnian Warbler. Dendroica fnsca (Mueller). Common T. V.,
May 10-May 29; Oct. 1-Oct. 15. One of our handsomest migrants.
Chestnut-sided Warbler. Dendroica pensylvaiiica (Linnaeus). Com-
mon T. v.. May 2-May 27; Aug. 26-Oct. 8. Daintily and beautifully colored.
Bay-breasted Warbler. Dendroica castanea (Wilson). Rather com-
mon T. v.. May 10-May 26; Oct. Quite scarce in autumn.
Bl.\ck-poll Warbler. Dendroica striata (J. R. Forster). Abundant
T. v.. May 8-June 3; Sept. 8-Oct. 24. Easily recognized by both its plumage
and song. (Observed here in spring migration as late as June 10, Miss Eliza-
beth C. Cox.)
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 517
Prairie Warbler. Dendroica discolor discolor (Vieillot). Uncommon
T. v., May 12-May 21; Sept. Quite rare in fall.
Yellow Palm Warbler. Dendroica palmarum hypocrisea (Ridgway).
Very common T. V., Apr. 9-May 6; Sept. 6-Oct. 28. Usually our earliest
Warbler arrival in spring; occasionally seen in companies of a hundred or more.
A straggler was found as late as January 1 with a flock of Tree Sparrows.
Ovenbird. Seiurus aurocapillus (Linnaeus). Common S. R., Apr. 26-
Oct. IS. Easily recognized in spring by its song. Though a woodland bird,
it occasionally visits lawns and dooryards in autumn.
Northern Water - thrush. Seiurus novehoracensis novehoracevsis
(Gmelin). Common T. V., Apr. 7-May 3L, Aug. 3-Oct. L One of these
birds was seen by the writer along Mill Creek, Doylestown, January 22, 1928.
Dr. Witmer Stone, of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, to whom
the record was reported, said he thought it was "the first instance of a Water
Thrush wintering here." The bird may have been detained by reason of
some injury suffered while migrating.
Louisiana Water-thrush. Seiurus motaciUa (Vieillot). Not common
S. R., Apr. 12-Aug. 24; some years doubtless remains later. Breeds irregularly
on Mill Creek, Doylestown. Old birds and young were found in July in deep
ravines near Kintnersville, no doubt breeding there.
Kentucky Warbler. Oporornis formosus (Wilson). Rather common
T. v.. May 6-May 30; Aug. U-Sept. 28. Usually found on wooded hillsides
sloping south and east along streams. More common than generally sup-
posed and may be an occasional breeder here.
Connecticut Warbler. Oporornis agilis (Wilson). Rare T. V., Sept.
4-Oct. 9. No spring records.
Northern Yellow-throat. Geothlypis trichas brachidactyla (Swainson).
Common T. V., Apr. 30-May 21; Aug. 6-Oct. 11. The Northern Yellow-
throat was recognized as a subspecies only five years ago, too recent to secure
accurate migration dates. Similarity in song and plumage and only slight
difference in size make it extremely difficult to distinguish it from the Mary-
land Yellow-throat. Its southern breeding range is northern Pennsylvania.
Maryland Yellow-throat. Geothlypis trichas trichas (Linnaeus).
Abundant S. R., Apr. 28-Oct. 22. A denizen of almost every brushy meadow
and watered thicket. Nearly reaches the northern limit of its breeding range
in Bucks County.
Yellow-breasted Chat. Icteria virens virens (Linnaeus). Common
S. R., May 5-Oct. 20. Increasing numerically because of extension of scrub
timber growth, its favorite haunt.
Hooded Warbler. Wilsonia citrina (Boddaert). Not common T. V.,
May 6-May 30; Aug. No breeding records; has very attractive song in migra-
tion.
518 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Wilson's Warbler. Wilsonia pusilla pusilla (Wilson). Uncommon
T. v., May 9-May 27; Aug. 26-Sept. 22. Here almost always found in wood-
lands with pretty heavy undercover.
Can.\da Warbler. Wilsonia car.adensis (Linnaeus). Common T. V.,
May 10-May 30; Aug. 17-Oct. 7. One of our latest Warbler arrivals in spring;
uncommon in autumn.
American Redstart. Setophaga ruticilla (Linnaeus). Abundant T. V.,
Apr. 29-June 14; Aug. 10-Sept. 27. Beautiful and active forest ranger; prob-
ably a rare breeder here.
Family Ploceid/e. Weaver Finches.
House or English Sparrow. Passer domesticus domesticus (Linnaeus).
Abundant P. R. Introduced in Brooklyn in 1850 and imported for a number
of years later. About 1870 it began spreading extensively and now is found
over nearly the entire United States and Canada. It builds domed nests,
with a side entrance, in English ivy vines, boxes, holes in walls and crannies
in buildings. It is less plentiful in towns and cities and more plentiful in
the country than formerly. It is also more insectivorous than when first
introduced and devours many grubs of the Japanese beetle and often wars
on the beetle itself. It is curious that the Starling, another introduced bird,
is also believed to destroy many beetle grubs.
Family Icterid/E. Meadowlarks, Blackbirds, Orioles.
Bobolink. Dolichonix oryzivorus (Linnaeus). Common S. R., May 2-
Sept. 6. Stays a few days longer in September on the Delaware River marshes.
Eastern Meadowlark. Sturnella magna magna (Linnaeus). Common
P. R. Less common in winter, when its range is confined mainly to the lower
half of the county and wet meadows in the trap-rock districts.
Eastern Red-winged Blackbird. Agelaius phoeniceus phoeniceus (Lin-
naeus). Common S. R., Mar. 3-Nov. 7. Frequents rich, wet meadows.
Orchard Oriole. Icterus spurius (Linnaeus). Common S. R., May 3-
Aug. 29. Builds a beautiful pensile grass nest, usually in an apple tree, and
also usually selects only one kind of grass; after the nesting season, often
visits shade trees.
Baltimore Oriole. Icterus galbula galbula (Linnaeus). Very common
S. R., Apr. 29-Sept. 8. This beautiful bird, upon its arrival, frequents syca-
more trees, later abandoning them for maples, elms and poplars as nesting
sites.
Rusty Blackbird. Euphagus carolinus (Mueller). Common T. V., Feb.
29-May 4; Sept. 18- Dec. 25. The notes of this bird identify it unmistakably.
Purple Crackle. Quiscalus quiscula quiscula (Linnaeus). Abundant
S. R., Feb. 8-Dec. 7. A few sometimes remain over winter.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNT V, PA. 519
CowBiRD. Molothrus ater ater (Boddaert). Fairly common S. R., Apr.
S-Oct. 19. Not all Cowbirds are parasitic; some South American species
build their own nests and rear their young.
Family Thraupid.^. Tanagers.
Scarlet Tanager. Piranga erythromelas (Vieillot). Common S. R.,
May 3-Sept. 29. This bird of brilliant spring plumage generally leaves in the
last two weeks in August; song similar to a Robin's, but the practiced ear
readily detects the different tone quality.
Family Fringillid/E. Grosbeaks, Finches, Sparrows, Buntings.
Eastern Cardinal. Richmondena cardinalis cardiualis (Linnaeus).
Common P. R. A lusty whistler, more quiet in winter than summer, but not
less plentiful.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Hedymeles ludovicianus (Linnaeus). Rather
common S. R., May 5-Sept. 12. A strikingly beautiful bird, which chooses
certain woodlands for breeding, to the exclusion of others seemingly as eligible.
E.\stern Blue Grosbeak. Guiraca ccendea cccndea (Linnaeus). Very
rare T. V., May 21-Sept. 3. The writer has seen these birds here onr-e and
other reliable observers have reported them.
Indigo Bunting. Passerina cyanea (Linnaeus). Abundant S. R., May
4-Sept. 25. Much more plentiful than formerly.
Eastern Purple Finch. Carpodacus purptireus pitrpureus (Gmelin).
Irregular W. V., Oct. 6-May 10. Usually found here in small flocks. Its
rarely-heard spring song is delightful.
Common Redpoll. Acanthis linaria linaria (Linnaeus). Irregular W.
v., Nov. 22-Mar. 15. Rarely large influxes occur.
Pine Siskin. Spiniis pinus pinus (Wilson). Irregular W. V., Oct. 25-
Mar. 7. Usually found feeding here in Smooth Alder bushes and Tulip-trees.
Eastern Goldfinch. Spinus tristis tristis (Linnaeus). Common P. R.
The "Salad-bird" of old gardens; a late breeder, and often absent in mid-
winter.
Red Crossbill. Loxia cnivirostra pusilla (Gloger). Very rare VV. V.,
Dec. -Feb. Crossbills come this far south only in exceptionally cold winters.
White-winged Crossbill. Loxia leucoptera (Gmelin). Rare W. V.,
Dec. -Feb. Found only in cold winters in districts where there still are a few
pines and hemlocks. Crossbills feed on the cone-seeds of these evergreens.
Red-eyed Towhee. Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus (Lin-
naeus). Common S. R., Apr. 2-Nov. 4. In 1930-31 flocks spent the entire
winter here — very unusual occurrence.
Eastern Savannah Sparrow. Passercidus sandwichensis savanna (Wil-
son). Fairly common T. V., uncommon S. R., Mar. 7-Nov. 11. Breeds
sparingly in grassy marshes.
520 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
Eastern Grasshopper Sparrow. Ammodramns savannarum australis
(Maynard). Common S. R., Apr. 20-Oct. 22. A timid, but friendly enough
little fellow, when you come to know him.
Eastern Vesper Sparrow. Poacetes gramineus gramineiis (Gmelin).
Common S. R., Mar. 15-Nov. 10. Has a charming vesper song not always
confined to evenings.
Slate-colored J unco. JiincohyemaUshyemalis (Linnaeus). Common,
often abundant, W. V., Sept. 28-May 6. Bucks County is close to the southern
line of the Junco's breeding range. The writer surmises it nests sparingly on
Haycock Mountain, but positive proof is lacking.
Eastern Tree Sparrow. Spizella arborea arborea (Wilson). Abundant
W. v., Oct. 14-Apr. 14. By far our most abundant native winter bird.
Eastern Chipping Sparrow. Spizella passerina passerina (Bechstein).
Common S. R., Mar. 25-Nov. 2. The familiar sparrow of our lawns and
orchards.
Field Sparrow. Spizella pusilla pusilla (Wilson). Abundant S. R.,
Mar. 14-Nov. 29. Down in the old pasture field this fine little singer's trill
voices again and again its message of spring.
White-crowned Sparrow. Zenotrichia leucophrys leucophrys (Forster).
Rare and irregular T. V., May; Oct. 1-Dec. 14. This aristocrat among Spar-
rows is a scarce and generally solitary visitant here. Its song is a soft-pedaled
replica of the White-throat's, with some notes omitted.
White-throated Sparrow. Zenotrichia albicollis (Gmelin). Abundant
T. v., uncommon W. V., Apr. 3-May 26; Sept. 22-Dec. 25. Sometimes in
May these jolly rovers pass through here in huge hordes. In 1931-32 a few
wintered, an unusual occurrence.
Eastern Fox Sparrow. Passerella iliaca iliaca (Merrem). Common
T. v., Feb. 25-Apr. 14; Oct. 12-Dec. 14. This large handsome Sparrow is
very rarely seen here in midwinter.
Swamp Sparrow. Melospiza georgiana (Latham). Common T. V., less
common S. R., Feb. 7-May 24; Sept. 6-Nov. 19. Harlow notes this bird as
nesting "abundantly along the Delaware marshes as far north as Bucks
County." It is probably also a breeder in Nockamixon and Tinicum swamps
and in the Flatiron Hill district.
Eastern Song Sparrow. Melospiza melodia melodia (Wilson). Com-
mon P. R. Popularly known by its spring song; less common now in winter
than fifteen years ago.
Snow Bunting. Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis (Linnaeus). Very rare
W. v., Dec. -Jan. This bird has not appeared here for many winters and it
might well be omitted from a Bucks County list. The last record of the bird
seen in Doylestown was about 1892-93.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 521
APPENDIX
NOTE I
BUCKS AS A PHEASANT COUNTY
(From the writer's address delivered in 1932 before the Pennsylvania
State Fish and Game Association in Philadelphia.)
Your genial Chairman has asked me to explain "why Bucks County is
the greatest Pheasant county in the State." Let me venture to say at the
outset it is very pleasing to have so outstanding a sportsman concede to our
county, without reservations, so much distinction. I feel quite relieved,
therefore, that it is unnecessary to maintain by proof before this gathering
of sportsmen a self-evident fact as to our county's pre-eminence as a Pheasant
haven.
My talk is limited to fifteen minutes, yet it is possible to divulge the
secret of our Pheasant leadership in half a minute and do it in five words,
namely — State Game Protector Warren Fretz. And we might let it go at
that and say no more, did I not know that Mr. Fretz is so unassuming that he
would feel very badly if the whole glory were heaped upon him alone.
In 1915 twenty-eight Pheasants, imported from England, were released
in Bucks County. This was our first introduction to the Ringneck. Other
releases followed. The county was kept closed and birds absolutely pro-
tected until 1920. And within five years from the day when the first bird
appeared, the shooting was simply fine.
The Legislature in 1923 passed a law protecting hen birds. This was
important, because, by this time the county was invaded by hordes of hunters
from other counties, and the killing was indeed very heavy. No other county
in the State has been subjected to such intensive, destructive hunting from
outside hunters, and still we remain the pre-eminent Pheasant county.
Since 1923 the annual kill has been going up and up, until 30,000 Pheasants
were bagged in the fall of 1931, while the kill for the whole nine-year period
from 1923 reached the enormous total of 180,000. And mark well, Bucks is a
small county of only 500 square miles; yet last year it was scoured by no less
than 40,000 hunters, many of whom came in automobiles and hunted a half
dozen different covers in a single day.
Well may you conjecture how the supply of birds can be maintained intact
from year to year in the face of such an army of hunters. You can readily
see that, to keep hunting conditions normal. Game Protector Fretz has a
real man's job. Prior to 1931 he distributed each year from 150 to 200 cock
birds, mainly supplied by the State. But even before 1931 it became quite
evident that more birds for stocking and new ideas were imperative if we were
to keep our heads above water.
As a new slant, Mr. Fretz attempted to trap and redistribute local birds,
but the traps then in use were no good; few birds were taken and some of
those were killed and injured in the taking. Several types of traps were
tried, all alike unsuited to the purpose. The Game Protector then worked
out an entirely original sytem of trapping and invented a trap which captures
all the Pheasants he can distribute, and without injuring a bird— a trap now
used almost exclusively in Bucks and surrounding counties. In sections
522 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
where hen birds were plentiful, they were trapped and exchanged for cock
birds, bird for bird, with both the State and commercial dealers. This
exchange was advantageous to both swapper and swappee.
Thus, in 1931 Mr. Fretz increased his distribution of cock Pheasants
from 200, the highest previous figure, to 650, the heaviest distribution ever
made, the State furnishing but 72 of that number, the remainder having been
secured through trapping and exchange. And not only that, he also furnished
to adjoining counties and to the State a number of trapped hen birds taken
from townships where they were excessive. In this same year, 1931, every
township in the county was covered in the distribution with from 10 to 30
cock birds.
Effective enforcement of game laws is at least half the secret of success
with Pheasants in Bucks County. The law is administered without fear or
favor. Protector Fretz has a corps of deputies, splendid types of young
men, whom he can absolutely trust, and who cover every part of the county
with the same care and fidelity which he himself exercises. No favorites are
played. No matter how big the man may be elsewhere, when he hunts
illegally in Bucks County and gets into the Game Protector's net, there is no
political wire-puller in the country powerful enough to save that offender from
paying the penalty. The lawlessly inclined have come to know this, and
that has improved conditions wonderfully.
Nature made Bucks a Ringneck county. Pheasants have thrived every-
where since introduced, except in the "Trap Rock" region, where the failure
of captivity-raised birds to stay was overcome by planting trios of wild locally
trapped birds.
NOTE 2
THE OWLS' SANCTUARY
Seven bluish white, almost spherical eggs, resting on the plaster floor of
the Court House garret, at Doylestown, Pennsylvania, caught the eye of
the janitor, Mr. Bigell, as one day last August he had entered the dark region
by way of a wooden wicket from the tower. Because the Court House pigeons,
whose nestlings he then hunted, had made the garret a breeding place for
years, he fancied he had found another nest of his domestic birds. But the
eggs were too large, and their excessive number puzzled him, until some weeks
later visiting the place again (probably on the morning of September 20th),
he found that all the eggs save one had hatched into owlets, not pigeons.
The curious hissing creatures, two of which seemed to have had a week's
start in growth, while one almost featherless appeared freshly hatched, sat
huddled together where the eggs had lain, close against the north wall and
by the side of one of the cornice loop-holes left by the architect for ventilating
the garret. Round about the young birds were scattered a dozen or more
carcasses of mice (possibly a mole or two), sometimes freshly killed, and it
was this fact that first suggested to Mr. Bigell the thought of the destruction
of his pigeons by the parent owls, who had thus established themselves in the
midst of the latter's colony. But no squab was ever missed from the neighbor-
ing nests, and no sign of the death of any of the other feathered tenants of the
garret at any time rewarded a search.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 523
As the janitor stood looking at the nesthngs for the first time, a very large
parent bird came in the loophole, fluttered near him and went out, to return
and again fly away, leaving him to wonder at the staring, brown-eyed, monkey-
faced creatures before him. Mr. Bigell had thus found the rare nest of the
barn owl, Strix pratincola, a habitation which Alexander Wilson, the cele-
brated ornithologist, had never discovered, and which had eluded the search
of the author of "Birds of Pennsylvania." One of the most interesting of
American owls, and of all, perhaps, the farmer's best friend, had established
its home and ventured to rear its young, this time not in some deserted barn
of Nockamixon swamp, or ancient hollow tree of Haycock Mountain, but
in the garret of the most public building of Doylestown, in the midst of the
county's capital itself. When the janitor had left the place and told the
news to his friends, the dark garret soon became a resort for the curious,
and two interesting facts in connection with the coming of the barn owls
were manifest; first, that the birds, which by nature nest in March, were
here nesting entirely out of season, strange to say, about five months behind
time; from which it might be inferred that the owls' previous nests of the
year had been destroyed, and their love-making broken up in the usual way;
the way for instance illustrated by the act of any one of a dozen well-remem-
bered boys, who, like the writer, had "collected eggs," by the habitude of any
one of a list of present friends whose interest in animals has not gone beyond
the desire to possess them in perpetual captivity and watch their sad existence
through the bars of a cage; or by the "science" of any one of several scientific
colleagues, who, hunting specimens for the sake of a show case, "take" the
female to investigate its stomach.
Beyond the extraordinary nesting date, it had been originally noticed
that the mother of the owlets was not alone, four or five other barn owls
having first come to the court house with her. Driven by no one knew what
fate, the strange band had appeared to appeal as if in a body to the protection
of man. They had placed themselves at his mercy as a bob-o-link might
when storm driven far from shore it lights upon a ship's mast.
But it seemed in the case of the owls no heart was touched. The human
reception was that which I have known the snowy heron to receive, when
wandering from its Southern home it alights for awhile to cast its fair shadow
upon the mirror of the Neshaminy, or such as that which, not many years
ago, met the unfortunate deer which had escaped from a Northern park to
seek refuge in the Bucks County woods. At first it trusted humanity, at
last it fled in terror^ — from the hue and cry of men in buggies and on horseback,
of enemies with dogs and guns, who pursued it till strength failed and its
blood dyed the grass.
So the guns of humanity were loaded for the owls. The birds were too
strange, too interesting, too wonderful to live. The Court House was no
sanctuary. Late one August night one fell at a gun-shot on the grass at
the poplar trees. Then another on the pavement by the fountain. Another
driven from its fellows, pursued in mid-air by two crows, perished at a shot
wound, by the steps of a farm house, whose acres it could have rid of field mice.
The word went out in Doylestown that the owls were a nuisance. But
we visited them and studied their ways, cries and food, to find that they
524 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
were not a nuisance in their town sanctuary. In twenty of the undigested
pellets, characteristic of owls, left by them around the young birds, we found
only the remains, as identified by Mr. S. N. Rhoads, of the Academy of
Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, of the bones, skulls and hair of the field
mouse (Microtus pennsylvaniciis) and star-nose mole {Condyhora crislata)}^
"They killed the pigeons," said some one speaking without authority, after
the manner of a gossip who takes away the character of a neighbor without
proof. But they had not killed the pigeons. About twelve pairs of the
latter dwelling continually with their squabs in the garret, though they had
moved out of the particular alcove appropriated by the owls, had not been
disturbed. What better proof could be asked that the barn owl is not a
poultry destroyer?
It was objected that the owls' cries kept citizens awake at night. But
when, one night last week, we heard one of their low, rattling cries, scarcely
louder than the note of a katy-did, and learned that the janitor had never
heard the birds hoot, and that the purring and hissing of the feeding birds
in the garret begins about sundown and ceases in the course of an hour, we
could not believe that the sleep of any citizen ever is or has been so disturbed.
When I saw the three little white creatures yesterday in the court house
garret, making their strange bows as the candle light dazzled them, hissing
with a noise as of escaping steam, as their brown eyes glowed, seemingly
through dark-rimmed, heart-shaped masks, and as they bravely darted towards
me when I came too near, I learned that one of the young had disappeared
and that but one of the parent birds is left, the mother, who will not desert
her offspring. The missing male may be one of those shot for fun in August
and carried wounded about the neighborhood to be touched up with sticks
as a curiosity.
On October 28th two young birds were taken from their relatives to live
henceforth in captivity, and it may be that two members of the same perse-
cuted band turned from the town and flew away to build the much-talked-of
nest in a hollow apple tree at Mechanics' Valley. If so, there again the
untaught boy, agent of the mother that never thought, the Sunday school
that never taught, and the minister of the Gospel that never spoke, was the
relentless enemy of the rare, beautiful and harmless birds. If he failed to
shoot the parents, he climbed the tree and caught the young. They are his
prisoners for life, if he wishes.
Unfortunate, friendless, ill-starred colony! When shall its persecutions
cease?
If the hostility to the owls of the court house were to stop, if the caged
11 Mr. Rhoads writes me that he has previously found in similar pellets
of the barn owl skulls of the jumping mouse, Zapus 'hudsonius, deer mouse,
Peromyscus leucopus, pine mouse, Microtus pinetorum, and short tailed shrew,
Blarina brevicauda, and that he has "never found any remains of birds or
insects in pellets, which convinced me that they were swallowed intentionally
by the owls." Prof. William H. Dall, of the U. S. Geological Survey, informs
me that a recent investigation of the food habits of birds at the Smithsonian
Institution has established the fact that the various owl species from their
continual destruction of mice and moles are among the most valuable allies
of the farmer.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
525
birds were to be put back with their relatives, if the nocturnal gunners were
to relent, would the remaining birds continue to add an interest to the public
buildings by remaining there for the future as the guests of the town? Would
the citizens of Doylestown, by degrees, become interested in the pathetic fact
of the birds' presence, and grow proud of their remarkable choice of sanctuary,
as German towns are proud of their storks? To us the answer to these ques-
tions, with its hope of enlightenment, seems to lie in the hands of the mothers,
of the teachers of Sunday schools, and of the ministers of Christianity. Will
they guide, will they instruct, will they preach? If not the light must be
long postponed, and for these days at least it is all over with the owls.
Henry C. Mercer
Indian House, November 8, 1897.
NOTE 3
LOON CAUGHT IN A
SHAD NET
The following article, appearing in the Bucks County Intelligencer, May
31, 1870, was very likely written by S. Edward Paschall, a careful bird student
and later associate editor of that newspaper:
Loon or Diver — This aquatic bird is rarely met with in thickly settled
parts of the country, and most of our readers have probably never seen one.
An individual of this species is now on the Borough Mill-dam, in Doylestown,
Fishermen drawing nets with a mixed catch of fishes and liibernating swallows. Taken
from Olaus Magnus (1490-1558). (After Eagle Clark and by courtesy of Dr. Alexander
Wetmore, in whose work on "The Migration of Birds" the illustration last appeared.) Aris-
totle and other sages of old knew little about migration. One of their theories was that certain
kinds of birds hibernated in hollow trees, rock caverns and in mud bottoms of marshes, streams
and ponds, a theory that persisted even into the Nineteenth Century. An incident like the
capture of a loon in a shad net would very likely have been seized upon as positive proof of
the correctness of their theory.
526 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
where it has been for about two weeks past. It was first noticed swimming
on the Delaware at New Hope, and a few days afterwards some men who
were engaged in shad fishing were very much surprised to find the bird among
the contents of their seine after it had been drawn. The loon, in pursuance
of its natural habits, had doubtless been seeking food under water, when it
became entangled in the net. John Hoff was at the fishery at the time and
got possession of the strange bird. He brought it home and transferred it
to William Corson (proprietor of the Fountain House), who set it at liberty
on the dam at the Borough Mill, and there it has since remained undisturbed.
Its general appearance is that of a large-sized Wild Goose, with a shorter
neck and longer beak. It spends all its time on the water, swimming about
and engaged in procuring food. It sometimes remains under water for a con-
siderable time, and has seldom been seen on the bank. It does not show any
fear of spectators, though in its native haunts the loon is considered very
shy. The loon is a migratory bird, generally passing the summer in northern
latitudes and going southward in winter. Its flight is rapid and long-sus-
tained. On land it can scarcely walk, but on water it moves with great ease,
remaining under the surface a long time and traversing considerable distances
before it reappears. Its food consists of fish, lizards, frogs, insects and the
roots of water plants. The flesh is tough and rank and is seldom used for
food. The Loon is quite common in the lakes of Wisconsin and Minnesota,
but it is not often disturbed by sportsmen. It has a shrill, loud and plaintive
cry, resembling somewhat that of a lost child. The plumage is short and
dense, the feet very far back, and the general color dark, with white patches
on the side of the neck. It is said that the bird on the Mill-dam cannot fly
at this season of the year, but this is contrary to the usual habit of its species.
NOTE 4
WHIP-POOR-WILL IN BUCKS COUNTY
Mr. George MacReynolds,
Doylestown, Pa.
My dear Mr. MacReynolds: I am giving my experience with the Whip-
poor-will for what it may be worth.
When I was a very small child, we lived for two years on the old Bye
place, where Dr. Bye now lives. I remember distinctly hearing the cry of
the Whip-poor-will there in the summer evenings and of being told a fairy
story why Poor Will was whipped and why he was protesting about it.
Later, after we moved back to my native home near Furlong, I remember
hearing him quite frequently.
I find, in looking over my old bird records, the note: "I heard the Whip-
poor-will tonight," and the date — usually in mid-June or later.
One afternoon, while I lived at home, I was standing by a stake and rider
fence, down near the mountain, when I noticed what appeared to be a peculiar
knot on a rail. On closer inspection, I realized that it was a bird lying length-
wise on the rail so close, and with its head drawn down in its feathers, its
coloration blending so closely with the weathered wood, it was hardly per-
ceptible. I neared it step by step as quietly as possible. When I was close
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 527
enough to have touched it with my hand, it suddenly darted away on long
swift wings. My first thought was a Nighthawk, hut there were no white
spots on its wings, so I knew it must l^e a Whip-poor-wiU.
I lived in Carversville two years after the World War. I heard the Whip-
poor-will there both summers over by the old mill dam, usually in the morn-
ing before dawn. I found, upon asking questions, almost none of the people
there had ever heard it.
Since I have lived here, I have heard it several times down the valley by
the Aquetong Creek, not every year, but often. Three years ago, one moon-
light night in July, I walked down to the bridge with the dog and was sitting
on the end of the bridge in the shadow, when a bird alighted on the other
end of the wall and cried "Whip-poor-will." The dog barked and it flew
away.
Since receiving your letter, I asked the farmer who lives there whether he
heard the Whip-poor-will. He said, "Yes." He did not take much notice,
he said, but he thought he heard it every summer.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth C. Cox
"Rolling Green,"
New Hope, Pa., R. D.
April 28, 1937.
NOTE 5
CHIMNEY SWIFTS "HIBERNATING"
Thousands of Chimney Swifts in autumn often roost in a single abandoned
smoke-stack. Then some fine cool morning, without previous indication,
they're off in a body for their South American winter home. Many Swifts
also roost in the wide-mouthed chimneys of the Court House. Twenty-five
years or more ago they stayed there unusually late. On an afternoon about
mid-October a sudden severe cold wave set in, and the janitor built fires under
the boilers. The Swifts were shut out from their roosts by the heat.
Next morning many hundreds of the birds were seen clinging in big com-
pact immobile masses, resembling huge black patches, on the outer stone
walls of the leew^ard side of the Court House tower. So paralyzed by cold
were the birds that it was several hours before they were thawed out by the
sun. When able to fly they lost no time in seeking a warmer climate. May
it not have been incidents like this that suggested to the great Coues as late
as the Nineteenth Century, when migration was still so little understood,
there might be some merit in the theory of hibernation to account for dis-
appearance of certain birds over the winter season?
NOTE 6
PURPLE MARTINS NESTING IN HOLLOW TREES
Mr. William R. Mercer, of Doylestown, in May, 1921, informed the writer
that Purple Martins were nesting in a hollow tree on the lawn at "Frosterly,"
home of Miss Fanny Chapman and a part of the old Chapman farm. This
is an interesting bit of information, showing a return to primitive habits.
528 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
There must have been a time when the Purple Martin nested altogether in
hollow trees, rock hollows and similar places. The first white settlers found
the Indians fastening on their tent poles gourds, hollowed out and lined with
bark, for Martin nesting places. White men put up gourds, too, but later
made rough boxes and raised them on poles. These the Martins quickly
appropriated.
The Purple Martin shows a decided preference to be near human habita-
tions. But it attends strictly to its own business. For several years a large
colony nested in boxes in front of the Fountain House, State and Main streets,
the business centre of Doylestown. The birds ignored the hundreds of
pedestrians and motor vehicles hourly passing beneath their boxes, elevated
only about fifteen feet above street level. They chattered loud and merrily
in the nesting season, often perching in rows on telephone and electric wires
over the street, utterly oblivious of the many pairs of human eyes observing
their antics. They were a great attraction to visitors to the town until their
boxes were taken down in the fall of 1926. The next spring the birds returned,
hovered restlessly for a couple of days over their old home site, and then dis-
appeared.
NOTE 7
ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST STARLINGS
The Starling made its first appearance in Bucks County in January, 1909,
during an exceptionally mild winter. The writer had then been studying
birds for eight years, not very seriously at that time and only as a hobby. In
his field book he finds the following notes on a walk through the Borough Mill
woods, Doylestown, under date of January 3, 1909:
"My attention was attracted by a pattering upon the carpet of dry leaves,
resembling the noise of falling rain. While the sky was overcast, it was not
raining. The noise was soon found to be caused by a small flock of birds,
which I thought might be finches, but what species they were it was impossible
to determine in the dim light of the woods. They were feeding high up in
the branches of a Tulip-tree {Liriodendron ttdipifera) upon the tulip seeds,
the falling "wings" of the seeds, discarded by the birds, producing the rain-
like patter as they fell to the ground. Within a short time the birds flew
down to a brook to drink, then alighted on low branches, and finally returned
to the ground, where they continued to feed upon the fallen Tulip-tree seeds.
Note — have since become convinced these birds were English Starlings
{Sturnus vulgaris) . ' '
A month later the following news item appeared in the Doylestown Demo-
crat (February 9, 1909): "John H. Hellerman, residing near the Borough
Mill, Doylestown, a day or two ago shot one of a small flock of birds which
has frequented that locality for several weeks. He was under the impression
that the bird he shot was a blackbird, until he examined it more closely, when
he found that it resembled no other bird he had seen. He gave the specimen
to Mrs. Irvin M. James, president of the Nature Club, of Doylestown, who
pronounced it an English Starling. Mrs. James sent the bird to a Philadelphia
taxidermist to have it mounted."
So rapidly did the birds increase here that within only five years after
they were first seen here, Starlings established a winter roost in evergreens
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 529
on the lawn at "Aldie," home of Mr. William R. Mercer, which was estimated
to contain over a million birds. It was believed the entire Starling popula-
tion of a wide extent cf country roosted there, as the birds in evenings came
in from all points of the compass in large cloud-like flocks, which would then
mass in one solid flock, acres in extent, and circle over the trees before settling
down into them for the night. This lasted for only one season. Afterwards
the excess of birds probably spread out into other parts of the State.
NOTE 8
BIRDS IN ECLIPSE
Perhaps some readers may be interested in the following notes from the
writer's Field Book, No. 2, for 1932, made during the eclipse of the sun, in
Chapman's Woods, a 30-acre tract of heavy timber near Doylestown:
Wednesday, August 31, 1932 — Eclipse of the sun by the moon, total for a
hundred-mile stripe through New England States (New Hampshire, over
Mount W^ashington [near its centre] and southeastern Maine), also part of
Quebec Province; about 95 per cent, total in New York, 93 per cent. here.
Approximate time: First contact, 3.23 P. M., D. S. T. ; maximum, 4.34 P. M.;
cleared sun at 5.39 P. M.
Decided to spend the time in Chapman's Wood, where I hoped to get the
reaction of birds to the eclipse, but unfortunately birds were not numerous
enough to make the observations of very much importance. Besides, the
afternoon was very hot and humid, causing inactivity among birds. When
the eclipse was at its maximum percentage, the wooc's was quite dark, but
in the open the light, while very perceptibly modified, was stronger than I
expected to see it. The eclipse was followed to the north and east by appar-
ently heavy thunder storms, preceded by beautiful cloud effects as the eclipse
was passing. Later, in the evening the showers reached here, with brisk
rainfalls. Here are notes I made in the woods:
"2.30 P. M. — Hazy, partly cloudy, but still the sun shines fairly strong,
though the disc is not distinctly outlined. Very warm; I felt the heat more
than on any other walk this summer. Even the woods is warm, though the
big stone on which I'm seated feels gratefully cool to the touch; breeze light,
occasionally stirring the topmost branches of the trees; but still a heavy air.
The sun filters through the trees and throws strong shadows on the tree trunks
and leaf-covered forest floor. No apparent diminution of light at this time.
"2.45 P. M.^ — A stiffer breeze springs up and is felt where I sit on the cool
rock. Have recorded eight species of birds down to this time. The Wood
Pew-ee is now singing as he has been for several minutes. . .An Ovenbird is
shipping sharply. A Northern Flicker sounds his call-note.
"3.00 P. M. — Clouds a little denser, and what seems like thunder rumbling
in the distance. Three Redstarts in the tops of Dogwood trees keep me
guessing for a time; not even ordinarily active.
"3.25 P. M.— Eclipse on.
"3.35 P. M. — Impact distinctly seen through an exposed photo film. I
see this just outside the wood, and then come back to my seat. Roosters are
crowing, but this may probably be meaningless as to the eclipse, as I have
heard them ever since I came out (possibly sensing a storm). In the woods
530 LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
now a decided lessening of light; outside, less so, but still noticeable, giving a
peculiar greenish-yellow cast to objects and the landscape in general. Circular
cast shadows only faintly visible — seem more wedge-shaped.
"3.40 P. M. — Step outside again to view the sun; seems to be about half
covered now. Returning, in the interior of the woods, a very peculiar greenish
tinge, very soft, to everything; quite subdued^ — like twilight, and yet with an
indefinable difference. I arise and walk a few steps and startle a Robin from
the ground; it silently moves only a few feet, yet it easily escapes from view
in the dark shadows.
"3.45 P. M. — Grey Squirrels become active and unafraid, coming to the
ground from the treetops. Light now decreasing fast. Bluejays heard in the
distance, approaching the woods as though coming to roost. Small animals
stir on the ground and rustle the leaves. Otherwise profound silence in the
woods and shadows deepen. Not a bird note audible. Faint shafts of sun-
light and dark shadows take on the shape of streaks. A flock of white chickens
moves briskly towards a farm barn as I come out to take another glimpse at the
sun.
"4.00 P. M. — Light by streaks now very noticeable on the forest floor.
The silence is weird.
"4.10 P. M. — Only a thin crescent of the sun now visible. A Mourning
Dove calls softly in the distance; quite dark in the woods. Now circles,
instead of streaks, in lights and shadows are quite distinct. Crickets, and
other night insects, begin to 'sing'; the locusts have 'gone to sleep'.
"4.20 P. M.- — Sky to the northwest appears dark, threatening, indicating
storm ; peals of what appears to be distant thunder heard. Outside the woods,
the scene recalls Tennyson's description —
" 'As when the sun, a crescent of eclipse.
Dreams over lake and lawn, and isles and capes — '
"Woods darkness deepens. Subdued 'chips' of several small birds heard
overhead. Insects chirping all around where before all was profound silence.
Dots of sunspots — now deep orange in color — look odd on the forest floor —
they are in such marked contrast to the surrounding darkness.
"4.40 P. M. — As I go out to make another observation of the sun I find
the flock of white chickens out in the field again, feeding with great avidity
on swarms of insects that have mistaken the low light for dusk and have
come out from hiding. The crescent of light has crept from the south rim
to the bottom of the moon. This must be as near totality as we will have
it here. It is now so dark in the woods I could not identify species of birds
even though I saw them. The little bird song heard earlier has ceased save
for an occasional alarm note. I observe the match as I light my pipe makes
quite a bright glow in the darkness.
"4.55 P. M. — As I reach the edge of the woods, the eclipse crescent is much
enlarged, but the weird effect on the landscape is still visible. The return to
normal light is greeted by no such bird chorus as usually welcomes the dawn.
"5.15 P. M. — The eclipse is fast passing, and as I leave to go back to town,
the sunlight is again nearly normal, but storm clouds are gathering at all
points of the horizon. It is still very hot; maximum during the eclipse, 95°."
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
531
NOTE 9
Dr. Joseph Thomas' Catalogue of Birds, 1876
(This enumeration of birds of Bucks County by Dr. Thomas is republished for the purpose
of comparison with tlie list of today, to show the manifold changes which have taken place
in the 60 years since it was published. The lines enclosed in brackets [ ] are comments
added by the writer.]
1. The Turkey Buzzard, (Catliartes
Aura). Occa sional ly seen,
though formerly much more
frequently.
2. Pigeon Hawk, {Falco Coluni-
barius). Occasionally seen in
different parts of the county.
3. Sparrow Hawk, {Falco Spar-
vernis). Frequent summer and
winter.
4. Duck Hawk, (Falco Anatum).
Rare and along the Delaware
and larger streams.
5. The Goshawk, {Astur Atrica-
pilliis). A handsome bird ; very
rare; occasionally seen in winter
coming from a more northern
latitude.
6. Cooper's Hawk, {Accipiter Co-
operii). F"requent throughout
the county.
7. Sharp-shinned Hawk, {Accipiter
Fuscus). Frequent throughout
the county.
8. The Red-tailed Hawk, {Bideo
Borealis). Frequent and resi-
dent.
9. The Red - shouldered Hawk,
{Buteo Lineatus) . Frequent and
resident.
10. Broad-winged Hawk, {Btiteo
Pennsylvanicus). Frequent.
11. The Rough - legged Hawk,
(Archibideo Lagopus). Frequent
throughout the county. [Does
not belong in our fauna today.]
12. The Black Hawk, (Archibuteo
Sancti Johannis). Rare. [Only
the black phase of No. 11.]
13. The Harrier Marsh Hawk, {Cir-
cus Hudsonius). Rare.
14. The Golden Eagle, (Aquila
Canadensis). Rare, but seen
occasionally in Nockamixon,
along the Narrows, and in Hay-
cock township.
15. The Bald Eagle, {Haliaetus
Leucocephalns) . Rare; the
writer has one alive that was
shot and wounded slightly three
years ago along the Narrows.
16. The Fish Hawk, (Osprey Pan-
dion: Pandion Caroliensis). Oc-
casionally seen along the larger
streams.
17. The Barn Owl, {Strix Pratin-
cola). Occasionally seen and
resident.
18. The Great Horned Owl, {Bubo
Virginia nns). Frequent and
resident. [Now rare; not resi-
dent.]
19. The Screech Owl, (Scops Asio).
Frequent and resident.
20. The Long-eared Owl, (Otus
Wilsonianus). Occasionally
seen and resident.
21. The Short-eared Owl, (Bra-
chyotus Cassinii). Frequent
and resident. [Now extremely
rare; not resident.]
22. The Barred Owl, (Syrnium
Nebtdosum). Rarely seen, but
resident.
23. Saw-whet Owl, (Nyctale Aca-
dica)'. Rare. [Not in the
county for many years.]
24. The Snowy Owl, (Nyctca Nivea).
Occasionally seen; large and
beautiful; a visitor from a more
northern latitude.
25. Yellow-billed Cuckoo, (Coccy-
z-us Americanus). Common;
breeding here.
532
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
26. Black-billed Cuckoo, (Coccygus
Erythrophthalmus). Common ;
breeding here.
27. The Hairy Woodpecker, {Picus
Villosus). Variety medius; not
infrequently seen.
28. The Downy Woodpecker , [Picus
Piihescens). Common.
29. The Red-cockaded Woodpecker,
{Picus Borealis). Very rarely
seen; belongs farther south.
[Does not belong in a Bucks
County list today.]
30. Yellow-bellied Wood pec ker,
{Sphyrapicus variiis). Frequent.
31. Black Wood Cock— Log Cock,
{Hylatomus Pilcatns). Occa-
sionally seen. [The Pileated
Woodpecker; not here now.]
32. Red-bellied Woodpecker, (Cew-
ttirtis Caroliniis). Occasionally
seen. [Not here; belongs farther
south and west.]
id). Red-headed Woodpecker, {Me-
lanerpes Erythrocephalus) . Com-
mon and in mild seasons re-
maining through the winter.
[Rare; none winter.]
34. Flicker — Yellow-shafted Wood-
pecker, {Colaptes Auratus).
Common.
35. Ruby-throated Humming Bird,
( Trochilus Colubris) . Common ;
this is the only species of Hum-
ming Bird (a numerous family)
perhaps properly resident in the
United States east of the Mis-
sissippi river.
36. Chimney Swallow, (Chaetura
Pelasgia). Abundant; migra-
torj'.
37. Whippoorwill, {Anthrostomiis
Vociferus). F"requent; breed-
ing here. [Now rare.]
38. Night Hawk, {Chordeiles Pope-
tue). Common; breeding here.
39. Common Belted Kingfisher,
{Ceryle Alcyon). Frequent along
streams.
40. Kingbird, Bee Martin, {Tyran-
nus Carolinensis) . Common
throughout the county.
41. Great-crested Flycatcher, {My-
iarchus Crinitus). Common;
breeding here.
42. Pewee, {Sayornis Fuscus). Com-
mon; breeding here.
43. Wood Pewee, {Contopus Virens).
Common; breeding here.
44. Olive-sided Flycatcher, {Con-
topus Borealis). Very rare; be-
longs farther north.
45. Trail's Flycatcher, {Empidonax
Traillii). Seen occasionally.
46. Least Flycatcher, {Empodonax
Minimus). Common; breeding
here.
47. Small Green-crested Flycatcher,
{Empidonax Acadiciis). Occa-
sionally seen.
48. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, {Em-
pidonax Flaviventris). Fre-
quent; breeding here. [Breed-
ing here very doubtful.]
49. Wood Thrush, {Turdus Miis-
telinus). Abundant throughout
the county.
50. Hermit Thrush, {Turdus Pal-
lasii). Frequent.
51. Wilson's Thrush, {Turdus Fus-
cescens). Frequent throughout
the county. [Now known as
Veery.]
52. Olive-backed Thrush, {Turdus
Sivainsonii). Frequent.
53. Robin, {Turdus Migratorius) .
Abundant and occasionally, _ in
mild winters, some remaining
with us throughout the year.
54. Blue Bird, {Sialia Stalls). Abun-
dant; the earliest of the migra-
tory birds here in the spring.
•'55. Ruby-crowned Wren, {Regulus
Calendula). Frequent in spring
and autumn.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
533
56. Golden-crested Wren, {Regulus
Satrapa). Frequent in spring
and autumn. [Common name
for Nos. 55 and 56 now is King-
let.]
57. Tit Lark, {A nth us Ludoci-
cianas). Occasionally seen in
the winter. [Now known as
Pipit.]
58. Black and White Creeper,
(Mniotilta Varia). Frequent;
breeding here.
59. Blue Yellow-backed Warbler,
{Partila Americana) . Frequent ;
breeding here.
60. Maryland Yellow Throat,
(Ceothlypis Trichas). Frequent-
ly seen.
61. IVIourning Warbler, {Ceothlypis
Philadelphia) . Occasionally
seen. [Not observed here for
many years.]
62. Connecticut Warbler, (Oporor-
nis A gilts) . Occasionally seen .
63. Kentucky Warbler, (Oporcrnis
Formosus). Very rare here.
[Not rare now.]
64. Yellow-breasted Chat, {Icteria
Viridis). Occasionally seen.
65. Worm-eating Warbler, {Helnii-
therus Vermivorus). Frequent
in spring and autumn.
66. Blue-winged Yellow Warbler,
{Helminthophaga Pinus). Fre-
- quent; breeding here.
67. Golden-winged Warbler, {Hel-
minthophaga Chrysoptera). Oc-
casionally seen.
68. Nashville Warbler, {Helmin-
thophaga Ruficapilla) . O c c a -
sionally seen in the spring and
autumn.
69. Tennessee Warbler, {Helmin-
thophaga Peregrina). Rare; in
spring.
70. Oven Bird, Golden-crowned
Thrush, {Seiurtis Aurocapillus) .
Common; breeding here.
71. Water Thrush, {Seiurus Nove-
boraceiisis). I">equent, breeding
here. [Dr. Thomas, or the
printer for him, confused these
species; No. 71 does not breed
here; No. 72 does breed, and
can hardly be called rare.]
72. Large - billed Water Thrush,
{Seiurus Ludovicianus) . Very
rare.
73. Black-throated Green Warbler,
{Dendroica Virens). Frequent
in spring and autumn.
74. Black-throated Blue Warbler,
{Dendroica Canadensis). Fre-
quent in spring and autumn.
75. Yellow-rumped Warbler, {Den-
droica Coronata). Common in
spring and autumn migrations.
76. Blackburnian Warbler, {Den-
droica BlackburnicE). Common
in spring and autumn.
77. Bay-breasted Warbler, {Den-
droica Castanea). Frequent in
spring and autumn.
78. Pine-creeping Warbler, {Den-
droica Pinus) . Frequent in
spring and autumn. [Not here;
Bucks County is not now in this
bird's range.]
79. Chestnut-sided Warbler, {Den-
droica Pennsylvania). Frequent
in spring and autumn.
80. Blue Warbler, {Dendroica Coerti-
lea). Frequently seen in spring
and autumn. [Not here; be-
longs west and south.]
81. Black-polled Warbler, {Den-
droica Striata). Frequent in
spring and autumn.
82. Yellow Warbler, {Dendroica Aes-
tiva). Common; breeding here.
83. Black and Yellow Warbler,
{Dendroica Maculosa). Fre-
quent in spring and autumn.
[Common name now is Mag-
nolia.]
84. Cape May Warbler, {Dendroica
Tigrina). Occasionally seen in
spring and autumn.
534
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
85. Yellow Red Poll, (Dendroica
Palmarum). Frequent in spring
and autumn.
86. Yellow-throated Warbler, {Den-
droica Superciliosa). Occasion-
ally seen in spring and autumn.
[Not here; far removed west
from Bucks County.]
87. Prairie Warbler, {Dendroica Dis-
color) . Rare ; seen in spring and
autumn.
88. Hooded Warbler, {Myiodioctes
Mitralus). Occasionally seen in
spring and autumn.
89. Green Bfack-cap Flycatcher,
{Myiodioctes Pusillus). Fre-
quent in spring and autumn.
90. Canada Flycatcher, {Myiodiioc-
tes Canadensis). Frequent in
spring and autumn.
91. Red Start, {Setophaga Ruticilla) .
Common in spring.
92. Scarlet Tanager, {Piranga Ru-
bra). Common; breeding here.
93. Barn Swallow, {Hirundo Hor-
reorum). Abundant.
94. Cliff Swallow, {Hirundo Luni-
frons). Frequent; breeding here;
building their nests of mud
under the eaves of buildings.
[Has abandoned the county en-
tirely, even as a migrant.]
95. White-bellied Swallow, {Hirun-
do Bicolor). Frequent; breed-
ing here. [This is the Tree
Swallow; does not breed here.]
96. Bank Swallow, {Cotyle Riparia).
Occasionally seen along the
Delaware.
97. Rough-winged Swallow, {Cotyle
Serripennis) . Occasionally seen.
98. Purple Martin, {Progne Pur-
purea). Common; breeding in
boxes, etc.; returning season
after season and occupying the
same location.
99. Cedar Bird, {Ampelis Cedorum).
Common.
100. Wax-wing, Bohemian Chat-
terer, {Ampelis Garrulus). Very
rarely seen. [Not here; a more
northern bird.]
101. Butcher Bird, The Great
Northern Shrike, {Collyrio Bor-
ealis). Frequently seen. [Rare
now.]
102. Red-eyed Flycatcher, {Vireo
Olivaceiis). Common.
103. Warbling Flycatcher, {Vireo
Gilvus). Frequently seen.
104. White-eyed Flycatcher, {Vireo
Novehoracensis). Common.
105. Blue-headed Flycatcher, ( Fireo
Solitarius). Frequently seen.
106. Yellow-throated Flycatcher,
{Vireo Flavifrons). Frequent-
ly seen. [Common name for
Nos. 102-106 is now Vireo.]
107. Cat Bird, {Mimus Carolinen-
sis). Common.
108. Brown Thrush Thrasher, {Har-
porhynchus Rufus). Common.
109. Great Carolina Wren, {Thrio-
thorus Ludovicia7tus) . Occa-
sionally seen.
110. Bewick's Wren, {Thriothorus
Bewickii). Rarely seen.
111. Long-billed Marsh Wren, (Cm-
tothorus Palustris). Frequent-
ly seen along the Delaware.
112. Short-billed Marsh Wren, {Cis-
tothorus Stellaris). Occasion-
ally seen along the Delaware.
113. ViouseWre^n, {Troglodytes Aed-
on). Common; raising two
broods in a season.
114. Wood Wren, {Troglodytes Am-
ericanus). Rarely seen.
115. Winter Wren, {Troglodytes
Hyemalis). Occasionally seen.
116. American Creeper, {Certhia
Americana). Occasionally seen.
117. White-bellied Nuthatch, Sap-
sucker, {Sitta Carolinensis).
Common.
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
535
118. Red-bellied Nuthatch, {Sitta
Canadensis). Frequent.
119. Blue-grey Flycatcher, (Poliop-
tila Coendea). Occasionally
seen. [Blue-gray Gnatcatcher;
not here; range farther south.)
120. Tufted Titmouse, {Lopho-
pluines Bicolor). Frequently
seen.
121. Black-cap Titmouse, {Parus
A tricapilliis) .Occasionally
122. Shore Lark, Sky Lark, {Ere-
mophila Cornuta). Frequent
in winter. [Northern Horned
Lark; rare now.]
123. Pine Grossbeak, {Pinicola
Canadensis) . Occasionally
seen. [Probably has aban-
doned Bucks County.]
124. Purple Finch, {Carpodacus
Purpureus). Frequent in the
spring migration.
125. Thistle Bird, Salad Bird,
{Chrysomitris Tristis). Abun-
dant in the summer season.
126. Pine Finch, ( Chrysomitris
Pinus). Occasionally seen.
[Common name now is Pine
Siskin.]
127. Red Crossbill, {Curvirostra
Americana). Occasionally seen.
128. White-winged Crossbill, {Cur-
virostra Leucoptera). Occasion-
ally seen.
129. Lesser Red Poll Linnet, (Aegio-
thus Linaria). Occasionally fre-
quent in early spring.
130. Snow Bunting, (Plecthrophanes
Nivalis). Occasionally seen in
the winter.
131. Lapland Long-spur, {Plec-
throphanes Lapponicus). Very
rare. [No longer found in
Bucks County.]
132. Savannah Sparrow, {Passer-
culus Savanna). Frequent;
breeding here.
133. Grass Finch, {Poocaetes Gra-
mineus). Frequent; breeding
here.
134. Yellow-winged Sparrow, {Co-
turniculus Passerinus). Fre-
quent.
135. White-throated Sparrow, {Zo-
notrichia Albicollis). Frequent.
136. White-crowned Sparrow, {Zo-
notrichia Leucophrys). Occa-
sionally seen.
137. Snow Bird {Junco Hyemalis).
Common in winter; migrating
north in spring.
138. Tree Sparrow, {Spizella Monti-
cola). Frequent in winter.
139. Field Sparrow, {Spizella Pu-
silla). Common.
140. Chipping Sparrow, {Spizella
Socialis). Common.
141. Song Sparrow, Tomtit, {Me-
lospiza Melodia). Abundant.
142. Swamp Sparrow, {Melospiza
Palustris). Frequent along
streams.
143. Lincoln's Finch, {Melospiza
Lincolnii). Rare. [Probably
never found here now.]
144. Fox-colored Sparrow, {Pas-
serella Iliaca). Frequent in
spring and autumn.
145. Black-throated Bunting, {Eus-
piza Americana). Occasionally
seen. [The Dickcissel; left the
county about 1880, retiring
beyond the Alleghany Moun-
tains.]
146. Rose-breasted Grossbeak,
{Guiraca Ludoviciana) . Occa-
sionally seen; breeding here.
147. Blue Grossbeak, {Guiraca Cce-
riilea). Occasionally seen.
148. Indigo Bird, {Cyanospiza Cya-
nea). Frequent ; breeding here.
149. Red Bird, Cardinal Grossbeak,
{Cardinalis Virginianus). Fre-
quent along streams.
536
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
150. Ground Robin, Tohee Bunt-
ing, {Pipilo Erythropthalmus).
Frequent.
151. Boblink, Reed Bird, Rice Bird,
(Doliclionyx Oryzivorus). Fre-
quent in spring; sometimes
breeding here.
152. Cow Bird, {Molothrus Pecoris).
Common.
153. Red-winged Blackbird, {Age-
laius Phoeniceiis) . Abundant.
154. Meadow Lark, {Sturnella
Magna). Common.
155. Orchard Oriole, {Icterus Spur-
ius). Frequent.
156. Baltimore Oriole, Hanging
Bird, {Icterus Baltimore) . Fre-
quent.
157. Rush Blackbird, {Scolecopha-
gus Ferrigineiis). Frequent.
(Present common name, Rusty
Blackbird.]
158. Purple Crackle, {Qtiiscalis Ver-
sicolor). Frequent.
159. CoxnmonCrowf,{Corvus Ameri-
canus). Common.
160. Blue Jay, {Cyanurus Cristatus) .
Frequent.
161. Wild Pigeon, {Ectopistes Mi-
gratoria). Some seasons abun-
dant; spring and autumn.
â– [Extinct.]
162. Common Dove, Turtle Dove,
{Zenaidura Car olinensis) .Com-
mon.
163. Pheasant-ruffled Grouse, {Bo-
nasa Umbellus). Common.
164. Partridge Quail, Bobwhite,
{Ortyx Virginianus). Com-
mon.
165. Snowy Heron, {Garzetta Can-
didissima). Rare; occasion-
ally seen.
166. White Heron, {Herodias Egret-
ta). Rare.
167. Great Blue Heron, {Ardea
Herodias). Frequently seen.
168. Least Bittern, {Arietta Exilis).
Frequent.
169. Bittern, Stake Driver, {Botau-
rus Lentiginosus). Frequent
along streams.
170. Green Heron, Fly-up-the-
Creek, {Butorides Virescens).
P'requent along streams.
171. Night Heron, {Nyctiardea Gar-
deni). Rare. [Now common.]
172. Golden Plover, {Charadrius
Virginiciis). Occasionally seen
in autumn. [Not here; Bucks
County not now within the
migratory range of this bird.]
173. Killdeer, {Aegialitis Vociferiis).
Common.
174. King Plover, Semipalmated
Plover, {Aegialitis Semipalma-
tus). Frequent.
175. Piping Plover, {Aegialitis Me-
lodius). Occasionally seen in
summer. [Not here; almost
extinct, and rare anywhere.]
176. Black-bellied Plover, {Squata-
rola Helvetica). Rare, though
occasionally seen in the county.
[Not here now; a coast bird.]
177. Turnstone, {Strepsilas Inter-
pres). Occasionally seen along
the Delaware. [Not here;
found almost exclusively on the
outer beaches along the At-
lantic coast.]
178. Northern Phalarope, {Phala-
r opus Hyperbor ens). Rare; oc-
casionally seen along the Dela-
ware. [Not here now; breeds
far north and is not a migrant
nearer than the Atlantic coast.]
179. American Woodcock, {Philo-
hela Minor). Common.
180. English Snipe, Wilson's Snipe,
{Gallinago Wilsonii). Fre-
quently seen in the spring.
181. Gray Snipe, {Macrohamphus
Griseus). Occasionally seen.
[Present common name, Do-
witcher; a bay bird that prob-
ably does not come up as far as
Bucks County now.]
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
537
182. Gray Back, Robin Snipe,
{Tringa Canutns). Occasion-
ally seen on the Delaware.
[Now known as American
Knot; does not belong on our
list now.]
183. Purple Sandpiper, (Tritiga
Maritima). Occasionally seen
on the Delaware; rare. [Purely
a northern coast bird; does
not belong here.]
184. Red-backed Sandpiper, {Trin-
ga Alpina). Rarely seen along
the Delaware.
185. Jack Snipe, {Tringa Maculata).
Occasionally seen along the
Delaware.
186. Least Sandpiper, {Tringa Wil-
sonii). Occasionally seen along
the Delaware.
187. Little Snipe, {Tringa Bona-
partii). Rarely seen on the
Delaware.
188. Sanderling, {Calidris Arena-
ria). Occasionally seen along
the Delaware.
189. Semipalmated Sandpiper, (iir-
eunetes Petrificatus). Occa-
sionally seen on the Delaware.
190. Tell Tale, Stone Snipe, {Gam-
betta Melanoleuca) . Occasion-
ally seen on the Delaware.
[Present common name. Great-
er Yellow-legs.]
191. Yellow Legs, {Gambetta Fla-
vipes. Occasionally seen.
[Lesser Yellow-legs; probably
not here now.]
192. Solitary Sandpiper, {Rhyaco-
philus Solitarius). Frequently
193. Spotted Sandpiper, {Tringoides
Macularius). An occasional
visitor along the Delaware.
[Now common on every creek
and pond.]
194. Field Plover, Bartram's Sand-
piper, {Actiturus Bartramius) .
Frequent; breeding here. [No
longer frequent.]
195. Buff - breasted Sandpiper,
{Tryngites Rufescens). An oc-
casional visitor along the
Delaware. [Not here now;
only occasional on the Atlantic
coast.]
196. Marbled Godwit, {Limosa Fe-
doa.) Occasionally seen along
the Delaware. [Not here; very
rarely seen on the Atlantic
coast.]
197. Marsh Hen, King Rail, {Rallus
Elegans). Occasionally seen
along the Delaware.
198. Mud Hen, Clapper Rail, {Ral-
lus Crepitans). Occasionally
seen along the Delaware.
199. Virginia Rail, {Rallus Vir-
ginianus). Occasionally seen.
200. Common Rail, Ortolan, {Por-
zana Carolina). Occasionally
seen.
201. Yellow Rail, {Porzana Nove-
borecensis). Occasionally seen.
202. Coot, Mud Hen, {Fulica Amer-
icana). Occasionally seen.
203. Florida Gallinule, {Gallinula
Galeata). Occasionally seen.
204. Canada Goose, {Bernicula
Canadensis). Occasionally seen.
205. Mallard, Green Head, {Anas
Boschas). Occasionally seen.
206. Black Duck, {Anas Obscura).
Occasionally seen, and occa-
sionally breeding here.
207. Pintail, {Dafila Acuta). Occa-
sionally seen.
208. Green-winged Teal, {Nettion
Carolinensis). Sometimes fre-
quent in spring and autumn.
209. Blue - winged Teal, {Qner-
quedula Discors). Occasionally
210. Spoonbill, Shoveller, (^^a-
tiila Clypeata). Occasionally
seen. [Now a rare bird; not
here.]
538
LIST OF BIRDS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.
211. Summer Duck, {Aix Sponsa).
One of the most beautiful of
the wild ducks; frequent and
perhaps breeding here; builds
in hollow trees. [This is the
Wood Duck.]
212. American Widgeon, (Mareca
Americana). Occasionally seen.
213. Big Black-head, Scaup Duck,
{Fulix Manila). Occasionally
seen in spring and autumn.
214. Little Black-head, Blue Bill,
(Fulix A finis). Occasionally
seen.
215. Ring-necked Duck, {Fulix Col-
laris). Occasionally seen.
216. Red Head, {Aythya Ameri-
cana). Occasionally seen.
217. Butter Ball, Dipper, {Bu-
cephala Americana). Occa-
sionally seen.
218. Golden Eye, Whistle Wing,
{Bucephala Americana). Oc-
casionally seen.
219. Harlequin Duck, {Histrionicus
Torquatus). Occasionally seen.
[Now very rare; not found
south of Maine coast.]
220. Long Tail, Old Wife, (Harelda
Glacialis). Occasionally seen.
[Not here now.]
221. Sea Coot, Surf Duck, {Pelio-
netta Perspicillata). Occasion-
ally seen. [Probably no longer
found here.]
222. Ruddy Duck, {Erismatura Ru-
hida). Occasionally seen.
223. Fish Duck, {Mergus Ameri-
canus). Frequent in our ponds
and river.
224. Red - breasted Merganser,
{Mergu Serrator). Occasion-
ally seen.
225. The Great Northern Diver,
The Loon, (Colymbus Tor-
quatus). Occasionally seen.
226. The Red-necked Grebe, {Podi-
ceps Griseigena). Occasionally
seen in the winter. [Holboell's
Grebe; does not now belong in
a Bucks County list.]
227. The Crested Grebe, {Podiceps
Cristatus). Occasionally seen.
[Not here; a western bird.]
228. The Horned Grebe, {Podiceps
Cornutus). Occasionally seen.
229. The Pied-bill Grebe, {Podi-
lymbiis Podiceps). Occasion-
ally seen. [Now common.]
Superintendents of Common Schools of Pennsylvania
1834-1937
COMPILED BY DR. B. F. FACKENTHAL, Jr., RIEGELSVILLE. PA.
(Doylestown Meeting, May 1, 1937)
BY Act of the Legislature of Pennsylvania, approved by Gov.
George Wolf, April 1, 1834, the Secretaries of the Common-
wealth were made ex-officio the superintendents of the
Common Schools.
The following is a list of the State Superintendents:
Secretaries of the Com-
monwealth and ex-officio
Superintendents of Com-
GovERNORs mon Schools Term Began
George Wolf James Findley Dec. 17,1834
Joseph Ritner James H. Burrows Dec. 15, 1835
David R. Porter^ Francis R. Shunk Jan. 15, 1839
David R. Porter Amos V. Parsons Jan. 15,1842
David R. Porter Charles McClure July 26, 1843
Francis R. Shunk James Miller Jan 21, 1845
Francis R. Shunk^ Townsend Haines July 29, 1849
William F. Johnson Alexander L. Russell Jan 25, 1850
William Bigler Francis W. Hughes Jan. 21, 1852
William Bigler Charles A. Black Mar. 14, 1853
James Pollock Andrew G. Curtain Jan. 17, 1856
By Act of the Legislature, approved April 18, 1857, a law
was enacted separating the office from the State Department,
and creating an independent office of Superintendent of Com-
mon Schools.
Term Began
Henry C. Hickok June 1, 1857
Thomas H. Burrows (Second term). . .June 4, 1860
Charles R. Coburn June 1, 1863
Dr. James P. Wickersham^ Nov. 1, 1868
In 1874 during the incumbency of Doctor Wickersham, a
new constitution was adopted, by which the title was changed
^ First Governor under the Constitution of February 22, 1838.
2 Francis P. Shunk— Resigned July 9, 1848.
^ Dr. Wickersham's term expired June 7, 1880, but he was continued in
office until April 1, 1881.
540 SUPERINTENDENTS OF COMMON SCHOOLS OF PENNSYLVANIA
to that of Superintendent of Public Instruction, in which office
Doctor Wickersham was continued, with change of title and
was succeeded April 1, 1861, by Doctor Higbee.
Term Began Died
Rev. E. E. Higbee, D. D Apr. 1,1881 Dec. 13, 1889
Rev. D. J. Waller, Jr Mar. 1, 1890
Dr. Nathan C. Schaeffer^ June 1, 1893 Mar. 15, 1919
Dr. Thomas E. Finegan May 27, 1919
J. George Becht June 12, 1923 Apr. 25, 1925
Francis B. Haas May 18, 1925
James A. H. Keith Jan. 25, 1927 Feb. 22, 1931
Dr. Thomas N. Rule^ Jan. 24, 1931
Lester K. Ade May 29, 1935
The present (1937) incumbent
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS OF PUBLIC
INSTRUCTION, 1854-1937
Office Established by Act of the Pennsylvania Legislature
May 8, 1854
Superintendents of Public Instruction for Bucks
County
Residence
Incumbent When Elected Tenure of Office
1 — Joseph Fell Buckingham June, 1854, to June, 1857
2 — William H. Johnson Buckingham June, 1857, to June, 1860
3 — Simeon S. Overholt Bedminster June, 1860, to Mar., 1869
4— William P. Sharkey New Hope Mar., 1869, to June, 1869
5— Stephen T. Kirk Doylestown June, 1869, to May, 1870
6— Hugh B. Eastburn Solebury June, 1870, to July, 1876
7— Warren W.Woodruff Newtown July, 1876, to June, 1887
8— William H. Slotter Yardley June, 1887, to June, 1902
9— Allen S. Martin Doylestown June, 1902, to Jan., 1906
10— James H. Shelley Doylestown Jan., 1906, to June, 1908
11 — J.H.Hoffman Newtown June, 1908, to date hereof
The present (1937) incumbent
* Dr. Schaeffer died March 15, 1919, while in office.
^ Dr. Rule was acting superintendent from January 24, 1931, to May
28, 1931, and superintendent from May 28, 1931, to May 28, 1935.
superintendents of common schools of pennsylvania 541
Assistant Superintendents for Bucks County
Mr. Albert C. Rutter, of Perkasie, and Mr. S. Mervin Smyser,
of Morrisville, were appointed Assistant Superintendents of
Bucks County Schools by Superintendent J. H. Hoffman, taking
their office June 1, 1915.
Mr. Smyser passed away in December, 1931, and Mr. Charles
H. Boehm, of Morrisville, was appointed in his place. In April,
1934, he was elected by the School Directors of Bucks County
to serve for four years, which will expire the first Monday in
July, 1938.
Invention and Mechanical Progress in Bucks County
By MAURICE SHOULTES, SELLERSVILLE, PA.
Read by J. Harry Hoffman
Superintendent of Schools of Bucks County
(Doylestown Meeting, May 1, 1937)
(This paper is the partially completed Unit, number twelve, of a Supplementary Refer-
ence Library to be used with a History of Bucks County, both of which are being prepared
for use in our public schools. This work is being done in the office of the County Superin-
tendent of Schools under the supervision of Professor J. Harry Hoffman. This paper, entitled,
"Inventors and Mechanical Progress in Bucks County," was written by Mr. Maurice Shoultes,
of Sellersville, and the research work done by Mr. Shoultes and Mr. Samuel Foster, of
Newtown, Pa.)
Introduction
WHILE it is true that our County has given to the world
no Edison or Steinmetz, we may, nevertheless, feel a
justifiable pride in the inventive contributions of some
of our citizens to the advancement of mechanical science and
chemistry, and to the general improvement of agricultural
mechanics. Men like Dr. Henry C. Mercer, Admiral John A.
Dahlgren, United States Navy, Colonel Charles Ellet, Jr., Cap-
tain Burnett Landreth and Samuel Stockton White, D. D. S.,
have attained, not alone national prominence, but have received
enviable recognition from foreign governments. Besides these,
there have been others whose light of inventive achievement
glows no less brilliantly in the star studded firmament of pioneer
initiative and creative genius. Likewise, in this field of high
accomplishment a host of secondary luminaries have added
their contributions to the sublime task of lightening the burdens
of mankind.
Our forefathers brought little with them to the new world
save the will to work, and their bare hands. They had the
proverbial incentive of necessity to mother whatever urge they
had to invention. The blacksmith, the farmer and the trades-
man, untrammeled by the fears and limitations of their former
lives, threw off the shackles of religious and economic serfdom,
and, with broader vision, set about the task of developing the
wilderness, supplying their mechanical requirements as they
went along, or as the need arose.
And so it was that the blacksmith in his new enthusiasm
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 543
forged the first sharp axe, that, in the hands of some strong
inspired woodsmen dropped a tree for the first time with a few
rapid strokes. In Hke-manner the farmer, the shoemaker, and
the carpenter saw a need and fitted a tool to the need.
Many a genius and inventor of that early day hved and
passed from Hfe's fitful scene unsung and unknow^n; he served
well and called it duty, and took no reward. Unlike the inventor
of today who twists an insignificant piece of wire to some ingen-
ious use, and receives for his pains a fortune in royalties, the
wizard of mechanical creation of yesteryear was frequently
cheated of his reward.
In preparing this paper the writer has endeavored to present
some interesting facts on a subject that heretofore has been sadly
neglected. It would require a great deal of research to compile a
complete survey of this field, and it is hoped that others will be
inspired from this treatment of the subject to come forward with
any information, or corrections to this paper, they may have.
Colonel Charles Ellet, Jr., and the Wire Suspension
Bridge — Steam Rams
Among the native sons of Bucks who contributed much to
posterity was Charles Ellet, Jr., born January 1, 1810, at Penn's
Manor, Falls Township. As a young man his fancies and fine
capabilities turned to mechanics and engineering, and at nine-
teen we find him in Paris completing his education. To improve
his practical knowledge he chose the excellent but difficult
method of personally inspecting many of the notable bridges,
canals and dykes throughout Europe as he traveled from city
to city on foot.
Following the completion of his education, Ellet returned
to America and built the first wire suspension bridge ever made
on the western Hemisphere at Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.
Other bridges followed at Wheeling and Niagara. He was asso-
ciated with several railroad systems and the national govern-
ment, in engineering enterprises that were very remarkable in
their day, prior to the Civil War.
With the beginning of hostilities in 1861, Ellet's engineering
services were sought by the Federal Government. Along with
other duties he experimented successfully with a steam "ram."
544 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
This so-called "ram" was a speedy type of steam-boat outfitted
with an armored bow, which, in action, was rammed full-steam-
ahead into the hull of the wooden gun-boat of that day — opening
seams and sinking or disabling the vessel. Ellet superintended
the building of a fleet of these first armored vessels, on the
Mississippi, at which time he was commissioned a Colonel in the
United States Army. He assisted Naval officers in directing
the Battle of Memphis in which several Confederate gun-boats
were rammed and sunk, and was himself mortally wounded
during the engagement. He was buried with high military
honors from Independence Hall.
Colonel Ellet's invention of the "Steam ram" was a forerunner
of the fully armored Merrimac and Monitor which appeared
soon after his death, and was the ancestor of the steel jacketed
super-dreadnought of the modern era.
Admiral John A. Dahlgren — Naval Ordnance
Bucks County has been the native heath to many prominent
men, and the place of residence for varying lengths of time to
others of high eminence. Of this latter group we may claim
fellowship with Admiral John A. Dahlgren of the United States
Navy, who was born in Philadelphia, November 13, 1809. In
his mature years, while not otherwise domiciled as a naval
officer, he lived on a farm near Hartsville in Warwick Township.
Admiral Dahlgren is responsible for an unusually large
number of inventions and improvements to navigation instru-
ments, and implements and paraphernalia of naval warfare.
He made the first "boat howitzer" for the United States Navy,
and submitted plans and specifications for the nine-inch shell
and the "fifty pounder" which were built and used during the
War of the Rebellion. Admiral Farragut used some of the light
cannon of Dahlgren's invention from the rigging of his vessels
while engaged on the Mississippi.
In 1855, Commander Dahlgren experimented with a ship,
outfitted with heavy guns of his own design, to test the value of
heavy ordinance at sea, and finally perfected plans for the prac-
tical use of eleven-inch guns on board men-of-war. The Monitor,
in her engagement with the Merrimac, was armed with two of
Dahlgren's eleven-inch guns.
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 545
While still a young man, Dahlgren wrote several treatises
on naval warfare that were far in advance of the time. They
were used by the War Departm.ent and were largely responsible
for the rapid advance in the art and science of American Naval
Armament.
Captain Dahlgren directed the building of the first "heavy
rifled cannon" which were made in 1859, and carried on with
Charles Ellet's theory of armor plating ships of war. The Rus-
sian Government was the first foreign government to accept his
system of battleship armament.
During the Civil War, Captain Dahlgren was elevated to an
admiralcy, as a reward for distinguished service. He was often
visited by President Lincoln and the Secretary of the Navy,
while serving at his post in the Philadelphia Navy Yard and
consulted for information and advice in naval matters. In
later life he wrote several advanced works on naval warfare which
were accepted as the highest authority by European naval ex-
perts; his personal advice on naval affairs was much sought for
both here and abroad.
In writing of him, Headley, the historian, says in his "Lives
of Naval Commanders," "Dahlgren, by his inventive genius
in the construction of ordnance and his bold and original plan
of arming vessels of war, had done more for the good of our
country than probably any other single man in it." Some of us
may question the good sense of the latter part of this statement,
for it is indeed conceivable that a man might do his country a
greater good than invent some deadly instrument of warfare.
The Landreths and Horticultural Developments
Founded in 1784, the Landreth Seed Farms, through a long
line of direct descendants, have made Bristol one of the foremost
seed centers of the United States. First of American pioneers
in the field of horticulture and forestry, the Landreths have
consistently maintained a leading position with the most cele-
brated of the world's noted agriculturists, and for their services
in the realm of natural science have received tokens of esteem
and recognition from several foreign as well as American societies.
Free-stone peaches were first distributed from the Landreth
nurseries in 1790, and in the same year red and yellow strawberry
546 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
seeds were distributed to the farms. Also, in 1811 the white
potato, the first really white potato, was introduced from the
Landreth Farms into the United States. Potatoes were pre-
viously inclined to a yellowish color. The Landreths were the
first to introduce the tomato in 1820 and the first variety was a
yellow tomato. Commodore Perry in 1852 brought the first
Japanese plants and shrubs to the Landreth Plant. The first
Floral and Horticultural Mazazine in Pennsylvania was pub-
lished in 1832 by the founder, David Landreth.
David Landreth, Jr., son of the founder and second proprietor
of Bloomsdale Farms in 1847, may well be called the "Burbank"
of Bucks County. He imported a collection of rare conifers and
deciduous trees, the most noted of which were the giant Rhodo-
dendron, the Kalmias and Azaleas. He introduced and devel-
oped a number of new plants and shrubs and gave the most of
his life to the science and art of plant breeding and culture. In
1872 a steam-powered tractor was used on the Landreth Farm
for plowing for the first time in Pennsylvania, with little success;
and again in 1888 other steam-powered farm projects were
tried out. In 1889-92, David Landreth made an unsuccessful
attempt to cultivate the Chinese fibre plant, Ramie.
Burnet Landreth of the third generation, conducted the
business after his father's death. He was affiliated with a score
of agricultural societies in America, Sweden, Chile, Brazil, Japan,
France, India and Hungary and elsewhere. He was twice
decorated by the French Government. He also developed a
number of highly prized shrubs and ornamental trees and im-
ported a variety of rare plants from all parts of the world. In
a similar way the house of Landreth, today, maintains its tradi-
tional high rank in the field of horticulture.
Tile and Mosaics
Dr. Henry C. Mercer has done much for the honor and glory
of Bucks. As an archaeologist and scientist he has elevated
the community of his birth and residence to a high plane of
world-wide eminence. Doctor Mercer was born in the old
Judge Henry Chapman homestead in Doylestown in 1856, and
was graduated from Harvard in 1879. During his lifetime of
seventy-four years, he was associated with numerous archaeologi-
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 547
cal and historical societies, and the combined contributions of
his pen to the store-house of human knowledge is invaluable.
His wide interest in archaeology and anthropology took him to
many fields in distant lands, with the consequent discovery of
valuable collections of ancient art and implements, out of which
evolved two of his most valued publications, entitled "Tools of
the Nation Maker" and "Ancient Carpenters' Tools." In the
pursuit of this work his attention was attracted to tile and
mosaics and he is credited w'ith the re-discovery of the very
old art of making certain types and designs of mosaics with
fractional tile.
In this connection he experimented with and invented several
new methods and processes in tile making that were used exclu-
sively in his Moravian Pottery Works at Doylestown. In
addition to many minor improvements which he never patented
he took out three letter patents to protect the most important
of his discoveries, viz.: "A New Method for making tiles or
other decorative devices," "New Process for making tiles," and
"A Process for printing pictures or other designs on fabrics and
paper." Doctor Mercer spent years in his laboratories develop-
ing new tints and dyes and adapting them to pottery glazing and
decoration. Some of his tile found its way into Mexico and
other distant points where it was used for decorative purposes in
art museums and other public buildings.
Not the least of Doctor Mercer's contributions to science
and posterity is his home and pottery, "Fonthill," and the
beautiful Mercer Museum, the building of which brought out a
number of innovations in concrete building construction of this
type.
Dentistry and Surgical Instruments
Samuel Stockton White, D. D. S., a native son of Bucks, was
born at Hulmeville in 1822. His father died when he was eight
years of age, and at fourteen he was apprenticed to his uncle,
Samuel W. Stockton, who lived in Philadelphia and from whom
he learned the "art and mystery of dentistry and the manu-
facture of incorruptible teeth." Upon attaining his majority
he began the practice of dentistry and at the sarre time super-
intended the manufacturing department of his uncle's business.
In 1844 he began the manufacture of porcelain teeth on his own
548 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
account in a little garret at Seventh and Race Streets. His
enterprise grew very rapidly and in 1868 an imposing manu-
facturing structure was built on the southeast corner of Twelfth
and Chestnut Streets. Branch houses were established in the
principal cities of the United States with distributing agencies
all over the world. The S. S. White Dental Manufacturing
Company thereafter became the largest enterprise of its kind
in the world.
Doctor White received many medals and testimonials from
dental institutes and medical societies in this country and
abroad. Prior to the S. S. White entrance into the field of
manufacturing dental instruments, dentists had their own tools
and instruments made by their local blacksmith. These were
usually crude and clumsy, and unwieldy to use. Doctor White,
therefore, was a pioneer in this field, and it was not long after
the middle of the 19th Century before new and vastly improved
dental instruments were available for the profession, many of
which were patented by Doctor White. The evolution of por-
celain teeth from the first poorly shaped, ill-fitting teeth of
doubtful color and strength to the beautiful lifelike and inde-
structible teeth of today was wrought in the laboratories of the
S. S. White Dental Manufacturing Company.
Doctor White also used his wealth and influence to assist
Elisha Gray to invent and finance his Harmonic Telegraphic
Instrument.
Introduction of Nitrous Oxide
Dr. Howard A. Trego, of Newtown, took up the study and
practice of dentistry in 1855, and from his experimental labora-
tory came several inventions and improvements to dental
science. His plate work of gold and gutta-percha was all done
by hand in his laboratory and he was among the first to administer
nitrous oxide or "laughing gas," which he manufactured him-
self in the basement of his residence. Doctor Trego lived to be
ninety-four years of age.
Introduction of Ether
Dr. William J. A. Birkey, a celebrated dental surgeon, was
one of Bucks' most illustrious citizens. He was the first to
administer ether in Bucks County, and had for his first patient
Invention and mechanical progress in bucks co. 549
his own son. He also made some very excellent porcelain teeth
which he inserted by a method of his own origin. His work was
placed on exhibition at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition
in 1876.
John Stockton Hough, M. D.
John S. Hough was born on the old Hough plantation in
Lower Makefield, December 5, 1845. He graduated from
several schools of learning including the University of Pennsyl-
vania Medical College. He taught botany and chemistry in
Central High School, Philadelphia, and practiced medicine from
1866 to 1875. While on the staff of the Philadelphia Hospital,
he made several discoveries in the treatment of trichinae, and
Invented a number of surgical instruments, several of which
came into common use.
He also patented a process for fire-proofing buildings. His
library of more than 10,000 titles comprised a very valuable
collection of medical research books.
Chemistry — Oliver Hough
Dr. Oliver Hough, a noted chemist, was born in Philadelphia,
and became a resident of Newtown, Bucks County, soon after
his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania.
He made three very notable researches in Chemistry. 1st —
An attempt to introduce iodine into Para-bromo-benzoic acid;
2nd — Some salts of Meta-nitro-para-bromo-benzoic acid; and
3rd — Some compounds of Mono-chloro-dintitro-phenol. These
findings were published in the journal of Franklin Institute in
1891. The third of these research studies resulted in the dis-
covery of twelve previously unknown chemical compounds.
The Iron Mould Board Plow
The first really practical iron mould board plow in Pennsyl-
vania, and, indeed, the first efficient implement of its kind any-
where in the world, was invented and manufactured by Joseph
and Robert Smith on their farm in Buckingham, and later at the
foundry in Tinicum. Like most of the men folks, who lived in
outlying districts during the early post-revolutionary period,
the Smith boys followed the plow more or less in their task of
550 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
earning a livelihood. Of the two, Robert was particularly
intelligent and observing, and he was often vexed at the mis-
behavior of his plow, for besides wearing out quickly, the wooden
mould board frequently failed to scour well, especially if the
soil was a trifle too damp, and consequently plowing became a
heartbreaking task, not to mention the very unsatisfactory
type of work that was sure to result. And so, as early as 1790,
Robert began to wonder if iron could not be cast in the proper
shape to make a mould board that would overcome these diffi-
culties. As an idea took form in his mind he called on his
brother, Joseph, who was a natural born mechanic, to assist him.
The two worked on a pattern and made a model which they took
to Charles Newbold's foundry in New Jersey below Philadelphia.
Several castings were made and brought back to the farm in
Buckingham. This was in 1797, and the following three years
passed in experimental work before the brothers were fully
satisfied and assured of the success of their invention.
The patent was applied for by Robert in 1800 and orders
were given to nearby foundries for a number of castings which
were fitted to plows and sold for a price which allowed the
inventors a royalty of one dollar on each plow. From the
first there was a lively demand for the new product and the
boys decided to manufacture the plow themselves. They pur-
chased a plot of land in Tinicum Township on the Delaware a
little below Erwinna and built a foundry and blacksmith shop.
Joseph was a man of marked business ability, a trait which is
not always present in the minds of mechanical geniuses. In
1802 as the new factory was ready to begin operation, he pur-
chased a half interest in his brother's patent rights and as partners
the two became very prosperous in the manufacture of the sub-
sequently famous Smith plow. For a time they received a
royalty from other foundry owners who wished to copy their
plow, but the industry quickly grew to such proportions that,
in the ensuing confusion, all claim to royalties were overlooked
by the rather benevolent Smiths, who were content with the
profit from their own foundry.
At various times other ambitious inventors endeavored to
improve the Smith plow. Charles Newbold, of New Jersey,
who made the first model for the Smiths, spent $30,000 trying
to make a better plow and failed. Another New Jersey man
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 55 1
by the name of Peacock made a good plow, which was known as
the "Peacock Plow," and the Miles plow, patterned in some
details after the Smith plow, was sold quite extensively in a
narrow area. The Deats plow, coming along a little later, was
popular for use on stony land. Benjamin Wiggins, of Upper
Makefield, made a much improved pattern for a plow about
1847, and George Buckman, of Buckmansville, manufactured
it for him. This plow was especially good for covering grass
and high weeds. It was never patented, but was shown and
demonstrated at the county fairs by the makers, who won many
premiums and prizes.
At one time there was something of a controversy between
this country and England as to claims of priority of right to the
honor of inventing the first efficient iron mould board plow, but
following a thorough search of the records England failed to
establish her claim and left the United States in possession of
the honors.
The letters patent on the Smith plow together with several
old letters written on the subject in 1803, and some old models
of plows may be seen in the museum of the Bucks County
Historical Society in Doylestown.
After the invention of the plow, which probably was the
idea of Robert Smith, we find Joseph entering more into the
limelight as an inventor than his brother. He was the first
to introduce anthracite coal to the blacksmith forge. He was
undaunted by the failure of hard coal to burn as freely as the
old charcoal, and promptly invented a grate with improved
draft conditions that worked perfectly. Among other initiatory
acts, Joseph was the first to import and plant clover seed in
Bucks County. He also originated the "Smith Cider" apple and
demonstrated to farmers the value of lime as a fertilizer.
The Kelsey Harrow
John Kelsey was born September 10, 1811; married Septem-
ber 10, 1840, and died September 10, 1886. (Note the three
dates: Evidently September the 10th was a fatal day in the
vital statistics of this man.) Kelsey possessed a mind of some
inventive propensity and was well read on many subjects.
About 1862 while living on a farm near Yardley, he invented a
552 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
harrow that was a great improvement over the careless and
makeshift methods then in vogue for preparing plowed land for
seeding. None of the teeth followed another in dragging over
the soil, thus giving maximum efficiency. Pie was very proud
of his accomplishment and through some over-zealous public
demonstrations he came to be looked upon as a trifle eccentric.
He took the harrow to Hamburg, Germany, where it was
tendered first prize and a bronze medal at an agricultural exhibit.
The medal and the original harrow, together with a land scraper,
have been preserved in the Bucks County Historical Society
Museum. Kelsey also made several hay forks and other
smaller tools for use about the farm, but failed to profit there-
from owing to his rather poor ability as a financier.
On one occasion following his return from a trip to Germany,
Kelsey was scheduled to deliver a lecture at Plumstead on
women's rights. He had in some unaccountable manner, run
afoul of the law and found himself lodged in the Doylestown jail
for a brief sojourn. The following is a circular that was printed
in Doylestown advertising 'the event of his lecture:
LECTURE
A certain man coming down from the Pine Swamp to Yardleyville,
fell among thieves, who stripped him of his heritage, and wounded him,
leaving him in Doylestown jail.
JOHN KELSEY
That Harrow man from Pennsylvania. Recently from Doyles-
town jail and more recently from Exile in
EUROPE
Having been driven from Home and Country by the spirit of
DESPOTISM
Which has been rampant in these United States for more than
forty years, will deliver a lecture at Plumstead School House on Mon-
day Evening, March 6, 1873.
Subject: Women's Rights.
Door open at Seven O'clock.
Lecture will commence at half past seven. Admission 10c
Fitch's Steamboat
Most Bucks Countains are familiar with the story of John
Fitch and the first steamboat. Fitch seems to have been one
of those persons, who, through some misdirected providence, or
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 553
personal eccentricities, suffered an unjustly generous portion of
life's disappointments and adversities. His married life was
very short and unhappy; his business ventures for the most part
died aborning, and the twitching pains of rheumatism nullified
whatever pleasure life afforded his declining years.
In spite of discouragement and repetitious failure, he per-
severed with a singular tenacity of purpose that merited a better
reward ; he gave to Bucks the high honor' of giving residence to
the inventor of the first successful steamboat, and it is in this
capacity that we pay him homage.
John Fitch was born of English parents in Connecticut in
the year 1743. His mother died when he was five years of age
and left him to the buffeting and abuse of several older children
and a step-mother.
His 3^outh was a continuous round of woe and hardship; he
was apprenticed to a hard taskmaster, who cheated him out of
his apprenticeship rights by keeping him busy at farming and
other tasks instead of teaching him the craft of clockmaking for
which he had enlisted himself.
Years later in 1775, unable to get along wnth his wife. Fitch
left her and his home in Connecticut, and went to New Jersey
where he established a small silversmith business at Trenton.
General Rahl and his Hessians routed him from this comfortable
haven in December, 1776, and he crossed into Bucks County.
Contrary to the claim of some historians, Fitch did not serve
in the Army with Washington, nor was he placed in charge of
the Commissary at Newtown. Because of petty quarrels and
jealousies with some of the officers, he never enlisted and in
consequence was hard put on several occasions to avoid trouble.
He was frequently accused of Tory activity.
Fitch had a natural bent for business and was constantly
promoting schemes to make money, and so we find him serving
in the capacity of sutler to the Continental Army, supplying the
men with tobacco and other commodities which he purchased
in Philadelphia and Baltimore. He accumulated about $4,000
during the first winter which he buried on Charles Garrison's
land in Warminster, only to have the most of it dug up and
stolen during his absence on a trip to Kentucky and the West.
Near the close of the war he again sought his fortune in
Kentucky. He was captured by the Indians and taken to a
S54 INVENTION And mechanical progress In bucks Co.
prison camp in Canada. Never in robust health, the rugged
life of the frontier was too much for him, and he became afflicted
with rheumatism.
Upon his return to Bucks County, he made a very good map
of the northwest country, which he had printed, and sold in
quantities. Suffering with rheumatism he hit upon the scheme
of building a "Horseless Carriage" that would run by steam.
He hoped, by this new means of transportation, to relieve the
strain on his pain-racked limbs. The roads were so rough that
he was forced to give up the idea as impractical and he turned
his attention to making a steamboat.
His first steamboat model was built in Jacobus "Cobe"
Scout's Wheelwright and Gunshop in Warminster near the inter-
section of the present state highway routes 252 and 155, and the
first model was tried out on a creek in Joseph Longstreth's meadow
about one-half mile from Davisville in W^arminster Township.
At first he experimented with mechanical oars fastened to an
endless chain, but found paddles more practical.
Fitch tried to sell his invention to the United States Govern-
ment, and solicited help from George Washington and other
influential citizens without success. In letters to Benjamin
Franklin he foretold events in the evolution of the steamboat
that transpired a hundred years later. Unable to interest any-
one, Fitch petitioned the legislatures of Pennsylvania, Virginia
and New Jersey for assistance. New Jersey granted him exclu-
sive right to operate a steamship line on the waterways under
the jurisdiction of that state.
A company was organized to finance the building of a steam-
ship; and all went well until they came to the problem of securing
a steam engine. There were only three in America and they
had been built in England. And so Fitch with the help of a
Philadelphia watchmaker by the name of Harry Voight outlined
plans and built a one-inch cylinder steam engine, which was
found to be too small and a larger three-inch cylinder was built
at once. After many reverses and discouragements, first with
mechanical oars and then with paddles, the latter were finally
installed and the first trial trip of the small craft was made on
the Delaware in July, 1788. The boat maintained an average
speed of about three miles per hour until one of her steam pipes
burst and left the ship stranded in mid-stream. The damage
INVENTION AND MFXIIANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 555
was repaired and the trip to Burlington completed after the loss
of a few hours' time.
This first steamboat was not large enough to carry a paying
number of passengers and a larger one was built after a great
deal of dickering in the realm of high finance. The first trip
of the second steamboat was witnessed by a great many people,
who lined the river bank on both sides for several miles. A
large crowd gathered at Dunk's Ferry on the Bucks County
side and cheered 'midst the firing of cannon.
This boat afterwards was placed in regular passenger service
up and down the river carrying, as many as thirty passengers
at one time. The speed had been increased to eight miles an
hour, and during the summer and autumn of 1790 Fitch's steam-
boat traveled about 3,000 miles up and down the Delaware
between Bristol, Burlington and Trenton. The fare was two
shillings, six pence between Burlington and Bristol, and five
shillings to Trenton. The income was insufificient, however,
and the venture died a natural death.
Fitch went to France in 1793 in an attempt to secure backing,
but the revolution was brewing there and he returned to America.
He made other attempts to build steamboats in New York and
on the Mississippi River. Finally becoming discouraged, he
drank himself to death and died by his own hand late in July,
1798, in Bardsville, Kentucky, by gulping down a handful of
opium tablets.
Fitch realized no gain from his invention, and fame did not
come until long after he had passed. He was at least nineteen
years ahead of Robert Fulton.
Note — A monument commemorating Fitch and the making
of the first steamboat model in America, has been erected by
the Bucks County Historical Society near the intersection of the
York and Street Roads in Warminster.
Harry Histand — Inventor
Harry Histand lives on the Chalfont Road a mile west of
Doylestown. He is possessed of a distinctly mechanical turn of
mind and is constantly busy in his shop making all sorts of
gadgets in a wide variety of descriptions and degrees of use-
fulness. The housewives of Bucks County are indebted to him
556 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
for two additions to their "pot and pan" cupboard. Some years
ago he invented a wire cherry pitter in the shape of a pair of
pliers that would pit large sweet cherries without crushing or
cutting the fruit. He also made a wire pot and pan scraper
with a wooden handle that was a real "boon" to the domestic
pot washer.
For the pianist he created a device for turning sheets of
music that the player could operate from a small lever at the
keyboard. He made a combination hammer for the tin roofing
trade that combined fifteen separate tools in one. This was
not patented on account of its infringement on a somewhat
similar tool.
Mr. Histand made an attractive "Kiddie Kar" which he
called "Tots Bike." This he patented and manufactured for
the young folks.
For the use of draughtsmen and architects he made a trans-
parent protractor which enabled a workman to get any angle of a
roof from 1 to 90 degrees. The roof builder and repairman was,
thereby, enabled to determine the pitch of roofs by eighths,
and grade from one to twelve inches to the foot, with the same
instrument. This invention was a very notable and worthwhile
aid to the roof contractors in estimating material and labor costs.
He also invented an ornamental wire snow guard for use on
slate and tile roofs, and the machine by which they were manu-
factured. He shipped nearly a million of this product into the
New England States; one of his largest orders came from a New
England city for 65,000 ornamental copper and galvanized
snow guards. He has invented a number of hangers and fasteners
for gutter pipe and rain pipe. Not the least of Mr. Histand's
inventions was a folding arrangement for typewriter desks and a
device for making sliding bookcase doors flush when closed.
The Histand Vehicle Spring Gear
Albert B. Histand, a brother to Harry, died in 1905 soon
after he invented and obtained two patents, the first one Novem-
ber 1, 1898, and the second June 17, 1901, for the "Histand
Vehicle Spring Gear." This device, for use on carriages and
light riding vehicles, was an improvement of unparalleled merit
over the heavier and "bumpy" spring gears then in use. The
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 557
Histand Spring Gear eliminated the fifth wheel and with it the
rock and pitch that was so noticeable in the old-style gear; there
was little chance for the springs to break, and no possibility of a
broken or bent axle. The springs ran in pairs, about 18 inches
apart, parallel with the axle from hub to hub, and there was no
reach bar between the two axles.
The Branson Knitter
The Branson Knitter was invented by Samuel Robinson, of
Langhorne, but was patented and manufactured by his father-
in-law, James Branson, who came to Langhorne from Ohio in
1887. The knitter was a revolutionary departure from the old
method and was the first machine to knit stockings, eliminating
the seam. It came into universal use in the early 80's and was
eagerly sought for the country over, for use in this branch of the
textile industry.
Samuel Robinson, about 1890, patented a long-handled wire
peach-picking basket, a very handy tool for picking peaches from
the highest branches of a tree without damaging the fruit.
Grain-Drying Apparatus
Henry Quinn, author of the "Temple of Reason," came to
this country from Ireland in 1800 and started his career on a
small farm in Durham Township, a little south of Riegelsville.
He was an ingenious sort of person of good business ability, and
built a saw and grist mill on the banks of the Delaware. Mr.
Quinn was constantly employed, during his spare time, in plan-
ning and creating labor-saving devices for his mill, some of which
he patented.
Most noteworthy of his inventions was a grain-drying appa-
ratus for drying corn or other green grains, which enabled
farmers to use and market their new crop much earlier after
harvest. Corn, thus cured, could be ground and packed in
barrels and shipped across the ocean without risk of molding.
Henry Quinn also invented a self-operating log-carrier,
which he installed in his saw mill, adding tremendously to the
efficiency of that important institution of pioneer industrial
558 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
economy by saving much labor and time in sawing lumber. He
made a type of a monkey-wrench that was entirely new in its
principle of adjustment. In fact, his whole plant was decorated
with ingenius labor-saving devices of his own make. Mr. Quinn
evidently believed in using his wits to save the labor of hands
and feet.
The Columbian Press
George Clymer, an inventor of note, and to all appearances,
hitherto unsung, was born in Philadelphia in 1754. He was not
related to George Clymer, the signer of the Declaration, and
little is known of him outside the products of his creative genius.
When still a young man he moved to Durham, where he married
Margaret, the daughter of Judge Backhouse, proprietor at that
time of the Durham Iron Works. For some years he pursued
his trade as a carpenter and cabinet maker, and during this time
made an improvement to the plow. He became interested in
hydraulics and invented a pump which was need to clear the
coffer dams when the first permanent bridge was built across
the Schuylkill near the present Market Street Bridge in Phila-
delphia.
In 1797, Mr. Clymer became interested in the printing trade
and made a number of improvements to the old wooden presses,
substituting metal parts where formerly had been wooden parts.
Soon after the opening of the 19th Century he built an
entirely new printing press, made of metal throughout, and
equipped with several improved parts, thus adding to the
efficiency of the printing press by climating old faults and
defects. He substituted a system of levers for the old screw-
turning method of applying pressure on the type.
The new invention was called the Columbian Press and its
fame quickly spread throughout this country and abroad. It
came into popular use immediately on account of its great
superiority over anything then in use. In 1817, Mr. Clymer
took his invention to England, where it was promptly adopted,
and manufactured without further improvement, as late as 1838.
The inventor received a medal from the King of the Netherlands
in appreciation of this fine contribution to the printing industry.
Clymer died in London in 1834 on one of his trips to England.
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 559
CuMMiNGs' "Stick Carrier"
Frank Cummings, Bristol, a millwright by trade, while in the
employ of the Wilson, Fenimore Wall Paper Company, invented
the so-called "stick carrier," or endless belt, which ran through a
trough from one end of the building to another and carried
sticks used in the process of treating wall paper. Formerly a
dozen young boys were required to carry these so-called "sticks"
back and forth across the room. This idea of the endless belt
has since been adopted in large postoffices, department stores,
and factories throughout the country and turned to a great
variety of ingenious uses.
Automatic Train Stop
Victor Kulp, of Edison, was the first to perfect an automatic
brake or train stop for the prevention of head-on or rear-end
collisions on railroads where the signal system failed or the
engineer disregarded a stop signal. Railroad men were greatly
interested in the device, but objected at first that the "Trips"
which were placed on the tracks to set off the automatic mecha-
nism attached to the engine would not work in cold weather.
Mr. Kulp immediately set to work to improve his device and
overcome the objections. He succeeded, and the railroad engi-
neers were highly pleased with the efficiency and dependability
of the new invention after giving it a thorough trial, but refused
to make any contract or offer that would recompense the inventor.
However, in some way patents w^ere secured by outsiders and at
least two railroad companies adopted the principles of new
automatic train stop without Mr. Kulp's knowledge or partici-
pation in the profits. As happened in so many cases of this
kind, in the earlier days, some unscrupulous person was able to
profit dishonestly from the labor and ingenuity of another.
Computing Scale and Railway Equipment
William B. Weiss, of Doylestown, was another Bucks Coun-
tain with an inventive turn of mind. He invented a simple iron
device to assist in rolling derailed train and trolley cars back onto
their tracks. This device was quite generally adopted by many
of the Eastern Railroad Companies. Mr. Weiss was the first
560 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
in Bucks County to make a dry mix plaster, which is in universal
use today. He also worked out a sliding scale arrangement for
use in hotels, which enabled the clerk to compute a hotel bill
accurately and without loss of time. This idea has since been
improved and enlarged upon by manufacturers of weighing
scales and other computing instruments.
A Woodworker's Vise
James Solomann, who lived near the old original Durham
Furnace, invented a parallel vise in the early seventies. This
vice for the wood-working trades, was manufactured and sold
by Taylor, Stiles and Company, of Riegelsville, for a number of
years.
Electric Time Clock
In 1869, two young German immigrants came to Doylestown
and opened a watch and clock factory on the northeast corner
of Main and State Streets. They were Louis H. Spellier and
Abraham Yeakel. Yeakel subsequently moved to Perkasie and
established himself in business there. Spellier possessed an
aptitude for invention and remained in Doylestown and built
what he called a "time clock," which was run by a galvanic
battery. The battery was set up in one building and wires were
run to another, nearby, and attached to a time piece. Thus
was Electric Time-Telegraphy born to civilization. This inven-
tion of Spellier's surmounted several obstacles in the mechanics
of electricity that had heretofore baffled science and inventors.
The invention was perfected at Doylestown in 1876, and was
greatly improved some years later.
In 1884, Spellier added to his list of inventions and dis-
coveries by devising a means by which the electric circuit could
be broken at will. His "Electric-Magnetic-Escapement" and
"Sparkless Current Breaker" secured for the electric clock a
successful future, the former by its remarkably light action, and
the latter by allowing what had never before been accomplished,
viz.: "an almost unlimited number of electric dials to be in-
serted into one circuit." A magazine of applied mechanics
published in Germany called this invention the "Electro-Mag-
netic-Escapement," and claimed that it "removed noted defects
of electric clocks."
invention and mechanical progress in bucks co. 561
Lunch Box
Alonzo Nicholas was born and reared in Durham Township,
where he remained until 1898, after which he moved to Perkasie
and organized the Gem Folding Box Company. It has not been
ascertained whether or not he patented a folding lunch box,
which he manufactured here in large quantities. However, at
the time, this new departure in lunch boxes was considered the
most complete and handiest thing of its kind made anywhere.
There were compartments for different articles of food that pre-
vented their becoming jumbled together; the box was neat and
handsome in appearance and could be folded into a compact
parcel which fitted easily into the coat pocket when not in use.
It was made of a composition that was free from arsenic and
other deleterious substances.
A WiRELESS-TUBELESS TELEPHONE
Walter Beans, who lives on the Lackawanna Trail, one mile
north of Doylestown, tested out an experiment on August 6,
1932, with a wireless-tubeless telephone and carried on a con-
versation with a friend some distance away. With a head set
and a mouth piece, but no connecting wires, Beans talked several
minutes in the presence of witnesses, with a friend, who had
similar instruments in a building some distance away. The
voices were loud and quite audible. This is the same invention
on which Marconi had been working. Beans believes the time
is near when wireless-telephone-without-tube-conversation may
be carried on across the ocean.
Handmade Rope
Mr. Wisler, who lived at Midway, a tiny hamlet near New-
portville, in the last quarter of the 19th Century, was one of our
pioneer rope makers. He became expert in making a hand
twisted hay-rope and clothes line from jute. He acquired local
fame as a rope splicer and it was said that a rope never parted
again where he spliced it.
Mr. Wisler's old "rope walk" near his home along the Durham
Road, where he twisted quantities of homemade rope for neigh-
boring farmers, is still remembered by some of the older resi-
dents of this section.
562 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
Warren S. Ely
We give the late Warren S. Ely, former librarian of the
Bucks County Historical Society, credit for the origin of a popular
type of roller cut corn meal known as "golden grits," which he
developed at his fiour mill in Buckingham. This product was
shipped as far west as Milwaukee. Mr. Ely also improved his
grinding equipment to produce a better ground and bolted
wheat flour that enjoyed more than a local reputation.
Bernard McGinty and the Printing Press
Bernard McGinty, of Doylestown, is reputed to have been
the foremost inventor of Doylestown. He was a printer and
patented a large number of improvements to printing presses
that were a real boon to the trade. He made a very ingenious
and most useful newspaper and bill file in several sizes. He
patented a "guide" and "gripper" for job printing presses that
eliminated a great many obstacles to the efficient handling of
this smaller press. His inking device assured more uniform
inking of the type and was far more convenient and time-saving
than the old method. Mr. McGinty also invented the expansion
roller truck which became another fine addition to the job
printer's press.
There were several potential fortunes awaiting the well
managed commercialization of these inventions, but Mr. Mc-
Ginty made the mistake of trusting men who were sharp and
dishonest and lost the reward that should have been his. The
ramifications of some of his enterprises reached across the ocean
to London, England, where selling agencies were established.
Samuel Kramer and the Printing Press
Mr. Samuel Kramer, of Perkasie, builder of Menlo Amuse-
ment Park, for a number of years headed a corporation engaged
in manufacturing and selling his patented attachments for the
web printing press. This invention was a very ingenious
mechanism that enabled these presses to print from a roll, in
colors; perforating, numbering, collating, and packing or rewind-
ing the same.
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 563
The Barbiere Wagon Wheel
Colonel Joseph Barbiere, a warm friend of General W. W. H.
Davis, lived in Doylestown over a period of years during the
last two decades of the 19th Century, and patented a wheel and
wagon gear which was intended to minimize the danger of acci-
dent by interlocking hubs when two vehicles passed on a narrow
road. The axle was tubular and the wheel was peculiarly shaped
so that the rim and the outside of the hub were flush with no
protruding parts to catch the wheel of a passing vehicle. The
idea was good and a number of wagons were thus equipped, but
it was found that the tubular axle was impractical because of its
tendency to heat. For this reason the "Barbiere wheel," so
named in the letter patent, never became very widely used. It
is very probable that the fatalities from this type of accident
never reached such proportions that the populace was aroused
to take this precaution.
Tar Paper Device
Sport lovers of a generation or so back will remember Curtis
J. Rothermel, the Babe Ruth of Bucks County and prince of
baseball sluggers. He was a catcher of no mean ability, and
when he tagged the "apple" in the local ball park it usually went
for a ride. He was accorded an opportunity to sign with the
old World Champion Providence team under the celebrated
Radbourne, but preferred the roofing business in Doylestown.
While engaged in this business under the firm name of Donelly
and Rothermel, he conceived the idea of including the nails and
cement within the package of rolled tar paper. To this end he
made and patented the simple device that is almost universally
used by roofing paper manufacturers today — a small rod running
through the center of the roll securing a tin disc at either end,
which helped protect the edges of the paper and at the same time
provide a means for securing the nails and cement with each roll.
Self-Locking Wagon Jack
Mr. Frederick Griscomb, a Dolington blacksmith, patented a
"Self-locking wagon hoist," or jack, used to raise the wheel of a
wagon from the ground so that it could be removed for greasing.
In 1888, Mr. Griscomb took out a patent for an improved
564 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
mail bag attachment, later used by the United States Mail
Department on the sides of mail and express cars to receive mail
bags from the hanger on the station platform as the train swept
past.
Cast Iron Egg Heater
T. B. Harkins, proprietor of the Bristol Foundry, during the
latter quarter of the 19th Century patented and manufactured a
cast-iron (egg shaped) cylinder stove that became very popular.
This stove found a place in the heart of our countryside, for it
was around one of these heaters in nearly every village store
that the neighboring farmers gathered on Saturday evenings to
gossip and exchange views in a cozy atmosphere that reeked
with strong tobacco smoke or vibrated with the ringing laughter
of those happy contented folks.
Harkins also cast a replica of the "16 to 1" dollar about four
inches in diameter, which he made of a shiny white metal. This
was used by the Republicans to ridicule the Free Silver issue of
the Bryan Campaign of 1896.
Harkins also made cast iron "Dumb-bells" in a new and
handier shape.
Fire Escape and Compressed Air Ram
In 1891, James Kane, Sr., made a very simple, yet ingenious
and efficient fire escape for Sheriff Beans on the second story
windows of the Sheriff's house at the Doylestown jail. He
arranged the window guards so that they were hinged at the
bottom, and in case of fire the sheriff could easily unfasten the
secreted fasteners at the top of the guard and drop it over and
down. The occupants of the upper floor might then easily climb
down the second-floor window guard to the window guard on the
floor below and from there drop to the ground.
Mr. Kane came to the rescue of another Doylestown citizen
who lived in the old Shellenberger mansion, now J. B. B. Stryker's
residence. This household complained that there was never
pressure enough in his water pipes to lift water to his second
floor rooms. Mr. Kane constructed a device which worked on the
principle of a hydraulic ram. He built a ram which compressed
air at the lower floor level, and automatically lifted the water
to the second floor when the spigots were opened there. Mr.
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 565
Kane never patented his device, but this same idea is used every-
where today to force water into the upper floors of high buildings.
James Kane, Jr., possesses letter patents for a distinct im-
provement to the lowly collar button that was issued to him in
1903. This lever button was made for the straight stand-up
collar, but hardly had the patent been secured when the style
changed and the turn over collar came into vogue and Mr. Kane
was "out of luck," so to speak.
Soap
Mr. George S. Cliver, of Langhorne, patented the process
and manufactured the celebrated 4-S soap, which sold very
extensively throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The four S's stood for success, scouring, sand and soap. This
was a soft scouring soap that was on the market for forty years
beginning in 1892.
Railway Bicycle
In the late 90's Thomas Fletcher invented a railroad bicycle
that fitted across the tracks, riding both rails very much like the
hand car of a later day; however, this vehicle was pedaled like a
bicycle. It was adopted by some railroads for a short time, but
was not as useful as the heavier hand car which transported
several men and their tools at one time. Incidentally Thomas
Fletcher was the first automobile garage owner in Doylestown.
Distilled Brandy
William L. Horn, long a resident of Doylestown, patented a
vacuum process for distilling apple brandy. His product was
known as Horn's Cold Distilled Brandy, and memory of this
patented beverage still brings a sparkle to the faded eye of many
an old timer hereabouts.
The Sewing Machine
Samuel Comfort was born in the old Comfort Homestead in
Falls Township, May 5, 1837. He was a scientist and mathe-
matician and gained distinction as an inventor. He made
several improvements in mowing machines and reapers, and
other farm machinery, which he patented. He invented one of
the first treadle sewing machines, which he patented about 1858.
566 invention and mechanical progress in bucks co.
Kiln Drying Process
Benjamin Parry, of the early Coryell Ferry days and owner
of several mills in New Hope and Lambertville, invented in 1810
a process by which malt, flour and cornmeal could resist the
heat and moisture conditions of a voyage through the tropics.
This Parry process was very successful and was not improved
upon for more than seventy-five years.
The Organ
Charles Frederick Burner came to this country from Ger-
many and settled near Zion's Hill about 1850. Endowed with
musical talent as well as mechanical genius, he became interested
in building a musical instrument which his neighbors described
"as an undesirable instrument that produced strange sounds."
Mr. Durner persisted in spite of the ridicule and derision of his
friends and moved his shop to Quakertown in 1861, where he
built his first foot-powered organ. It required one year to build
and he valued it at $750. At this valuation, after paying for
the material, he had a possible fifty cents a day for his labor.
Many of his first organs were purchased by churches, and then, as
production increased and the price was lowered, the wealthier
families came to own them.
In 1876, Mr. Durner built an organ for the Centennial Exposi-
tion in Philadelphia and in 1878 his instrument won first prize
at the State Fair. The Durner organ excelled other makes in
tone and workmanship and before the end of the 19th Century
the organ factory at Quakertown was the largest, best equipped
in the State.
Plumb Level — Surveying Instrument
Robert S. Dana, M. D., a prominent physician and manu-
facturer of Morrisville, founded the Morrisville Rubber Com-
pany in 1872. Aside from his many and varied interests, he
found time to indulge his mechanical bent and invented a plumb-
level and a combination surveyor's instrument; he also made a
butter churn of peculiar shape and mechanics. Doctor Dana
was also interested in local history and prepared a number of
papers on this subject, some of which have been read before this
Society.
invention and mechanical progress in bucks co. 567
Durham Iron Works
Durham Furnace was one of the first fine blast furnaces to be
built in Pennsylvania. Here during the year 1726-27 the first
furnace for the manufacture of charcoal pig iron was erected by
twelve prominent citizens of Bucks and Philadelphia Counties
associated together as the Durham Iron Company. Some
evidence of much earlier iron mining and smelting activity was
found at Durham.
Among the foremost inventive contributors to the science
and mechanics of the blast furnace at Durham was the Honorable
Edward Cooper, of the firm of Cooper and Hewitt, proprietors of
the iron works from 1864 to 1865 and again from 1870 to 1901.
Mr. Cooper was a brilliant engineer and improved the hot blast
stove and the double bell and hopper, which brought out the
advantages of quicker heat with a consequent saving in time and
fuel.
Joseph Hough, Inventor
Joseph Hough, of Buckingham, was born October 8, 1812,
and died August 10, 1884. He is frecjuently spoken of as Bucks
County's most noteworthy inventor.
On the 14th of December in 1859, Mr. Hough took out letters
patent for his first major invention, a "Patent Double Safety
Car Brake." This brake was described as a "peculiar arrange-
ment of slides and levers, by which two shoes were made to press
at the same time against each wheel at opposite points of its
circumference."
The new brake was far more effective than the old one which
applied the braking force to the axle and frequently failed
altogether and was of little use in an emergency.
In 1870, Joseph Hough built a screw or turbine propeller
that had the advantage of minimizing the waves left in the wake
of a boat. This invention was useful on power boats that plied
the Canal and worked most satisfactorily in preventing the boat
wash from lashing the banks of the Canal.
In the spring of 1875, Hough gave his new invention, "The
Reliable Corn Planter," to the farmers. This planter was
advertised to do the work of eight men, by marking, planting
and sowing fertilizer in two rows at a time.
Later the same year, Mr. Hough patented his "American I.
568 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
X. L. Double Right and Left Counteracting Turbine Water
Wheel." The two wheels ran in opposite directions on a per-
pendicular shaft in a single encasement, generating fully one-
third more power than the old single turbine waterwheel.
In describing this invention at the time, Mr. Hough said:
"With my improvement the water is guided by twelve chutes
set at an angle of 45 degrees inside the encasement, made securely
fast, conducting the water against all the buckets, twelve in
number, at the same time, also set at 45 degrees squarely set at
right angles to the first or top waterwheel, turning the wheel to
the right hand, thereby receiving the full force and power of all
the water on the top or uppermost waterwheel. After the
water passes the front wheel it is again conducted by the buckets
of the first wheel squarely at right angles against the buckets of
the lower wheel, which also contains twelve buckets set at 45
degrees running to the left hand, again receiving full force and
power of the stream passing through the first wheel, thereby
causing the water to do double duty passing through the encase-
ment once by acting on two separate waterwheels on one main
upright shaft."
The Exhaust Pipe
This very important part of the gas engine was first made
by John Y. Smith, an Englishman, who lived on the New Britain
Road east of Doylestown.
Incubator
Dr. Edward Morwitz, a physician and scientist, came to
Bucks County in 1872 and purchased the Cold Springs Farm in
Bristol Township. He seems to have loved farm life and agri-
cultural pursuits to which he consecrated his life and fine talents.
In the same year of his arrival at Cold Springs, Doctor Morwitz
took out letters patent on an incubator which he manufactured
and sold very extensively to neighboring farmers. This invention
was shown at the important agricultural fairs in the eastern
part of the United States and came into a wide range of popu-
larity. The present day science and theory of incubation is
largely based on the findings of Doctor Morwitz.
Also at Cold Springs farm, Doctor Morwitz originated and
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 569
adapted to open air growing the finest of tube-roses. He intro-
duced winter vetches with barley and oats for a green forage
crop.
He was the first to import and grow crimson clover and in
1885 he built the best and most scientific silo that had been
built up to that time.
He introduced the "Ozier" willow, which he planted in low
lands and along creeks for the willow splint from which willow-
wares are made.
Doctor Morwitz was the first to plant a late fall crop on
wheat and rye stubble, specializing in late cabbage.
He was the leading spirit and organizer of the co-operative
canning factory at Tullytown and operated a trout hatchery.
David Fuerstenberg, assistant and associate of Doctor
Morwitz, in charge of experimental greenhouse work, created
the famous "Queen of Edgely" pink rose from a sport of the
American Beauty Rose, which has gold and silver medals won
at the best exhibitions all over the world.
Steam Gauge
Edward Longstreth, of Warminster, was born about 1840.
At an early age he was apprenticed to M. W. Baldwin and Com-
pany at the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, and
his rise from foreman to superintendent of the entire works was
very rapid. While engaged in the capacity of foreman, he
invented a much improved steam pressure gauge which for many
years was one of the distinguishing features of the Baldwin Loco-
motive. Mr. Baldwin also patented Locomotive Trucks and
draft appliances from Mr. Longstreth's improved patterns.
Miscellaneous Notes
Some years ago, George S. Hotchkins, the enterprising editor
of the Bucks County Intelligencer, undertook to make a survey
of Bucks County inventors, and compiled a list of their contribu-
tions to industry. The following notes have been copied from
Mr. Hotchkiss' file:
The issue of the Intelligencer for January 19, 1929, con-
tained the following notations not already referred to:
570 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
The late Thaddeus S. Kenderdine, of Newtown, is said to have
invented a new tread-power.
Jacob Sharp, of Doylestown, invented a machine for threshing
peanuts which came into general use.
Rufe Brothers, of Doylestown, invented a machine for planting
sugar cane.
John J. Rufe, of Doylestown, invented an automatic governor
for elevators.
Issue of January 31, 1929
Aaron Kratz, of Plumsteadville, built the first cut-under hay
wagon — it had no guy pole and because of this the wagon was
likely to twist and overturn on a slippery hill.
Mr. Kratz worked out another invention in his wagon and
carriage shops at Plumsteadville that was a far greater success.
A traveling Bostonian stopped one day and suggested to Mr.
Kratz, during their conversation, that he build a hay-wagon
with a cab seat arrangement and a double top rail. Mr. Kratz
demurred at first, but finally agreed to build one with the assis-
tance of his Yankee friend and the new wagon was a great success.
Henry Kratz, also of Plumsteadville, is said to have invented
a gate that swings both ways.
Black Charley, a negro who had a reputation as an expert
grain cradle-maker, is said to have made several improvements
in the cradle at his home on the Durham Road.
Captain John S. Bailey, of Buckingham, invented metal road
markers which were used about the county at road intersections
to direct the wayfarer. It is believed that Mr. Bailey invented a
self-feeding tack hammer; also one type of sun dial.
Old "Billy Giles", who lived on Buckingham Mountain, is
said to have invented a liniment made of maple leaves, etc.,
that he patented. "It cured everything but a broken leg and
helped that."
Issue of About 1870
Andrew Bertles invented a saw tooth chain which could not
slip off the cogs when they were covered with ice. The invention
came into use of machinery that was exposed to winter weather.
invention and mechanical progress in bucks co. 571
Issue of February 7, 1929
Thomas Longstroth, of Bucks, received a patent in 1804 for a
paper mill he invented.
Issue of February 9, 1929
Spencer Brunner, a carriage maker, of Uoylestown, invented
a carriage spring that became very popular.
Abram Stone, whose carriage factory was on West Street,
Doylestown, invented a hub into which spokes were fastened
with babbitt metal.
Morgan Rufe, of Doylestown, made a three-cornered hoe
which was sold quite extensively in this community.
Issue of February 15, 1929
P. H. Morris, of Newtown, invented a frost and dust-proof
preparation for store front windows — April 14, 1908.
E. J. Grace, Newtown, made a successful automatic resetting
rat-trap, which was successful, but he never patented it.
George Buckman, of Newtown, invented an improved plow
share.
Joseph Fenton perfected a thresher and cleaner.
Martin Hollenback patented and manufactured a mowing
machine of his own device.
Edward Taylor, of Furlong, made several electrical devices.
Issue of February 16, 1929
Watson Kenderine, writer of verse, was also an inventor of
some note. He invented a washing machine of rectangular
shape which stood on four legs. A wheel carried the clothes
between it and some corrugated w^ooded rollers. This machine
received a blue ribbon at one of the fairs. An excellent black
walnut model was made and sent to Washington Patent Office.
Issue of February 23, 1929
James Jones, 80, a veteran blacksmith, of Plumsteadville,
invented a special fifth wheel for milk wagons and made several
improvements in tools, which he never patented.
5^2 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
Henry K. Gross, of Plumstead, invented a machine to keep
milk at an even temperature so that a larger percentage of cream
could be had. This was well in advance of any similar machine.
He also made a rotary pump which is still in use.
Issue of March 1, 1929
Walter Paxson, of Solebury, built a horseless carriage in John
S. Bailey's shop on the Durham Road, probably about 1870.
Edward Taylor, a resident of Furlong for many years, built a
steam expansion turbine, which was set up and operated in a
cotton mill at Millville, New Jersey. Later it was taken to
Wilmington, Delaware.
Mr. Taylor also perfected an arc light.
Issue of September 5, 1929
James Darrah, of Corkstown, and Jacob Kinsey, of Rush-
combs Manor, Bucks County, patented a machine for threshing
grain and clover seed — November 6, 1830.
Samuel Cline, of New Britain, Bucks County, patented a'
"combine plow" — November 12, 1830.
John Harman, Jr., of Upper Makefield, patented a threshing
machine — February 11, 1821.
Mark L. Wilson, of Quakertown, patented a machine for
spreading lime — June 22, 1833.
Elmer E. Barnes, of Doylestown, invented a method of sharp-
ening lawn mowers that is still in use.
Abram M. Yeakel, of Perkasie, invented an attachment for a
stem winding watch which was adopted by a nationally known
watchmaking company.
Abner Reeder, of Mechanics Valley, invented a plan to auto-
matically stop a grist mill by shutting off the water supply when
the hopper ran empty.
Seed Drill and Clover Huller
Mr. Jackson Hibbs, of Bristol, while employed with the
Bloomsdale Farms, patented an improved seed-drill that would
plant seeds more regularly and at a more even depth. The
castings for this seed-drill were made at the T. B. Harkins
Foundry at Bristol.
About 1845, Jonathan Hibbs invented and patented a clover
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 573
liLiller and cleaner, which was manufactured at Mulberry and
Pond Streets in Bristol.
Benjamin Wiggins also invented two mowing machines which
he did not patent. One machine had a big wheel with knives
around it that did not work well on rough ground. The other
machine had a flexible cutter bar and was probably the first of
that kind to be made.
The Ridge Pippin Apple was developed by Ridgway Everett,
of Newport, about the end of the 19th Century. He built a huge
frame screen around the original tree, which he covered with fine
wire netting to protect it from insects and fungus diseases.
John Hemmerly, a blacksmith, of Springfield Township, was
the first to manufacture the old "Bull Plow" about 1840.
A FEW INVENTIONS OF THE MODERN ERA
Mr. George Peterson, Inventor
Mr. George Peterson, of Bristol, during the past twelve years
has patented a number of valuable mechanical devices for use
on machinery and automobiles, for which he has secured patents.
Seven of these are described as follows :
1. An anti-glare device for automobile headlights. A device
operated from the dash board, consisting of a tapered
shell, pivoted at its center, and having a series of shutters
riveted to said shell projecting the light rays straight
ahead in its open position and when closed deflecting the
rays onto the road, covering up the reflector and avoiding
glare.
2. Collapsible closure for openings. A series of collapsible
shutters stacked in a magazine above or below an opening
and which in the process of closing will interlock and in
opening will disengage and stack in said magazine.
3. Automatic radiator front where operating thermostat is
placed in filler opening of radiator, having the advantage
to show on visible dial indicator the position of shutters
as well as temperature of radiator.
4. Liquid feeder. A device to feed liquid material at a pre-
determined rate without changing the quantity no matter
if viscosity changes.
574 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
5. Automatic lubrication for chain or bucket conveyors, will
clean and inject a lubricant into the bearings automatically,
while conveyor is in operation.
6. A drying apparatus comprising a plurality of receptacles,
each of which is independently accessible of the others,
whereby one or all can be filled for drying and while the
apparatus is in use any receptacle can be loaded or un-
loaded without discontinuing the operation of the appara-
tus or disturbing the other receptacles containing material
being dried.
7. Not the least noteworthy of Mr. Peterson's inventions is an
automatic overhead door for garages which opens and
closes automatically from the contact of the automobile
with devices, both outside and within, that releases self-
acting mechanism which operates the door by an overhead
action.
Poultry Fountain
C. Merril Buckman, of Newtown, a bridge engineer by pro-
fession, has recently invented a very worthwhile automatic self-
cleaning w^ater fountain for poultry. Mr. Buckman is responsi-
ble for several other improvements that had to do with his pro-
fession.
Chick Brooder
Mahlon H. Rickert of Sellersville, while engaged in farming
near Dublin some years ago, invented an almost fool-proof out-
door brooder for brooding baby chicks. Mr. Rickert took his
idea from the circulating air system of a widely advertised pipe-
less furnace. The brooder, about four feet square, was equipped
with double walls and floor so constructed as to leave a couple
of inches space for the circulation of warm air. A small globeless
lamp furnished the heat and with the perfect system of warm
air circulation the interior of the brooder was always warm in the
coldest weather, even when snow banks piled high over the small
coop.
The Fused Collar
An invention of especial note in our county is Patent Number
2,009,139, granted to Frank R. Redman, of Yardley, February
23, 1935, for his original method of making fused or starchless
collars. In explaining something of this method Mr. Redman
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 575
says, "The material used for fusing these fabrics together is a
synthetic resin. This material is finding very wide uses in all
industries during the past few years. It is used in making the
lining of cans in which beer and ale are packed, and all types of
unbreakable moulded articles such as drinking cups, tooth
brush handles, enameled automobile glass (safety glass), etc.
It is also used in the manufacture of automobile lacquers which
will not deteriorate."
The method by which these collars are made follows: In the
normal process of manufacture the fabric is cut to size, then
sewed together, and merely put on a hot press for ten seconds.
The heat and pressure alone causes the material to fuse. If by
any chance the fabric is separated from the lining, heat and
pressure will re-fuse it just as it was originally.
The fused collar is sold throughout the world and Mr. Red-
man has patents in twenty-four countries. In this country the
fused collar has come into nationwide use and popularity.
Radiator Filter
Anthony Thomas Saranzak, of Bristol, recently developed a
Radiator Filter which screens the water, removing any foreign
matter that might clog the radiator cells. This same instrument
may be used to filter the oil in the crank case, keeping it free from
grit. This instrument will be particularly valuable as standard
equipment in the manufacture of airplanes. The patent is
pending.
SOME INTERESTING ODDS AND ENDS
The First Embalmed Body
At the semi-centennial anniversary of the Monument Ceme-
tery in Philadelphia, held near the close of the 19th Century, the
fact was brought out from the old records, that the first body to
be embalmed in the United States by modern methods was done
by Doctor Rousseau, a Bucks Countian, about 1815. He
embalmed the body of his son and buried him back of the barn
on his farm near Eddington, on the Delaware. The body was
removed in 1840, twenty-five years later, in good condition,
when descendants sold the homestead, and was re-buried in
Monument Cemetery, Philadelphia.
576 invention and mechanical progress in bucks co.
Bath Tubs in America
The interesting story of the experience of one Adam Thomp-
son with bath-tub bathing demonstrates man's ingenuity in
another field. As the story goes, Mr. Thompson returned to
his home from a trip abroad about the year 1842, and became
interested in enlarging upon some of the ideas he had gathered
during his travels. To this end he built a wooden bath-tub,
patterned after one he had seen in London, that was large enough
to hold and submerge his whole body. This innovation was
seven feet long and four feet wide and was built in the attic of
his home. Water was forced from the well through pipes and
coils inside the chimney to a storage tank, also within the chimney,
which helped warm the water.
Water was drawn from the storage tank into the tub and
another pipe drained the tub and emptied from the rear of the
house into the yard below.
His bathtub completed, Mr. Thompson, on Christmas Day,
1842, gave a bath-tub party and invited all his friends to his
home for a good warm bath. The affair received a great deal
of publicity and the newspapers forthwith descended on Mr.
Thompson with a barrage of abuse and vilification. Doctors
subscribed to the idea with great reluctance and fear, expressing
their belief that this plan of bathing the entire body would prove
dangerous to the public health. Several States passed laws to
discourage and even prohibit the use of bathtubs. In Virginia
the owner of a bathtub was taxes $20 per annum, and in Boston,
between 1845-62, citizens were forbidden by law to take a bath
except on the advice of a physician.
The first bathtubs were made by digging out the center of a
large log, very much as the dugout canoes were made; some of
them were lined with lead to keep them from leaking. The
water was heated on a stove and carried to the tub, after which
it was bailed out. Modern bathtubs were slow in coming into
use and did not appear very plentiful until after the introduction
of municipal water works in 1850.
Warren Custer
Mr. Warren Custer, of Brookside Farms near Newtown, is
responsible for a large number of patented improvements to
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 577
the radio, the science of lubrication, farm mechanics, clocks and
children toys.
Mr. Custer's patents and applications for patents are divided
into several classifications or "arts" as described in Patent Office
terminology.
Those pertaining to radio and sound reproduction — The
"invisi voice" — an article of furniture for the reproduction of
sound where the sounding or bafifle board is concealed and where
it is also inclined so as to give a better audial response.
Diaphragms for Sound Reproducing Apparatus — The doped
fabric type or "airplane cloth" speakers, the pleated concoidal
type of diaphragm molded in one unit, a system of damp-proofing
these cellulose fibre diaphragms so as to maintain their response
characteristics under varying humidity conditions, a system of
spot doping with cellulose coatings to give better high frequency
responses.
The "Magic Curtain console" radio reproducer, where the
grill cloth is automatically raised and lowered from the front
of the special audio chamber when the radio set is turned on and
off.
The combination of the Grandfather and Terry clock radio
furniture in vogue several years ago.
A system of antennae for the feeding of broadcast signals to a
multiple set installation in hotels and apartments.
A remote tuning and control device for radio operation.
The Lazy Boy type of radio cabinet for hotel use.
An automatic tuning and volume control device for radio
tuning.
Those pertaining to lubricants:
A synthetic lubricating material known as Thalube, now
under option to Vincent Bendix' Bendix Aviation Corporation,
that has an exceptional viscosity temperature relation and is
now being used and tested as a lubricant able to withstand the
extreme low temperatures of stratosphere flying and as a brake
and recoil fluid in connection with hydraulic devices. It is also
under test at the Rock Island Arsenal as a fluid for use in recoil
cylinders on ordnance. It is issued under United States Patent
No. 1976716.
Those pertaining to clocks and clock cases — A composition
clock case where the bezel, crystal and fram.e is of one piece of
578 INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO.
transparent material variously finished so that it can be readily
washed and cleaned.
A speedometer type of dial — unpatentable.
Those pertaining to farming:
A crop duster for insect control that can be adjustable to
most crops and land conditions.
Assistance in the development of an electrically operated
Japanese beetle trap and the use of the trapped beetles when
ground as a protein ingredient in mash feeds.
Assistance in the development for florists of a non-spillable
flower vase or container.
The impregnation of super-phosphate with nicotine insecti-
cides for the spreading on poultry roost dropping boards for
insect control and manure improvement.
Those pertaining to children's toys:
A rubber tub toy that has the form of a toy whale that spouts
as it is propelled through the water by its revolving tail.
The material used in the small climbing tractor mechanism
as a governor to regulate its rate of speed.
An exerciser for children where they can use their legs to
propel a balanced teeter board.
The Trignometer
George Wall was a Revolutionary Colonel of distinction and
served with the Bucks County Militia throughout the war. In
1787 he invented a surveying instrument which he called a
"trignometer." The Pennsylvania Legislature granted him a
patent under the Act of September 10, 1787, which gave him
exclusive rights for a period of twenty-one years. This new sur-
veying instrument was used and highly recommended by David
Rittenhouse, the astronomer, and by John Lukens and Andrew
EUicott, both subsequent surveyor-generals of Pennsylvania.
The Lime Kiln
We are indebted to James Jamison for the first Revolutionary
change in method of burning lime in fixed kilns. He experi-
mented first with the method of laying lime and coal in alternate
layers in the kiln, the whole supported by a grate, under which
a wood fire kindled the lower layer of coal, which in turn ignited
the other layers of coal and so burned the whole. Before this
INVENTION AND MECHANICAL PROGRESS IN BUCKS CO. 579
wood had been used exclusively to burn a single layer of lime, a
method which was very slow and expensive. The new method
was responsible for a cheaper lime, which was soon thereafter
introduced to agriculture as a fertilizing agent for use on im-
proverished soils. Mr. Jamison is generally given credit for
introducing the new method; however, Charles Smith, of Sole-
bury, worked out a similar method about the same time.
Musical Clock
Joseph Ellicott, a mechanic and mathematician of note,
lived in Solebury about 1760. He and his brothers were the
authors of several useful inventions. Joseph made a very
ingenious "repeating watch," which he took to England, where
it attracted much attention. This so-called repeating watch
was one of the first attempts to make a clock to strike off the
hours by means of a small gong or musical note.
After his return from England, Mr. Ellicott, in 1769, made a
four-faced musical clock, which played twenty-four tunes.
This clock with its numerous new and delicate movements was
the wonder of the times, and still exists in Albany, New York,
where it subsequently found its way.
Benjamin Wood's Clover Hulling Machine
August 11, 1834, letters patent were granted to Samuel
Cline, assignee of Benjamin Wood, of Doylestow n Township, for
a new and useful improvement to the machine for hulling and
cleaning cloverseed.
Mr. Elliott R. Thompson
Mr. Elliott R. Thompson, of Wycombe, Pennsylvania, has
patents. No. 1976755, granted October 16, 1934, and No. 2035848,
granted March 31, 1936, for a Portable Bag Closing Machine
now being prepared for manufacture and sale by the Richardson
Scale Company, Clifton, New Jersey.
This machine is similar to a flat iron in appearance and
weighs about six pounds. It is made of "Dow Metal" and
requires no steam or electric power. The needle is driven by
corrugated rubber rollers that pinch the mouth of the bag and
are propelled by pulling the machine from side to side. It
functions with a single loop-stitch.
Pennsylvania-German Potters of Bucks County,
Pennsylvania
By guy F. REINERT, BOYERTOWN, PA.
(Doylestown Meeting, May 1, 1937)
This is not designed to be an exhaustive paper on the Pennsylvania-
German pottery industry cf Bucks County. As will readily be seen, it deals
mainly with facts relating to the Singer Pottery cf Haycock Township. The
paper is little mere than notes made cf an extemporaneous address made
before the Bucks County Historical Society by Mr. Reinert at the meeting in
Doylestown, May 1, 1937.
The Simon Singer Pottery
THE Singer pottery w as originally started by Conrad Mum-
bauer, who, according to Dr. Edwin A. Barber, was oper-
ating about 1760. The pottery was next owned and
operated by John Mondeau, who was the son-in-law of Mum-
bauer. I have seen a fine sgraffito plate made by John Monday,
potter, in 1828. I believe John Mondeau and John Monday
were one and the same person. John Mondeau sold the pottery
to Simon Singer in 1862. Simon Singer learned the trade of
tile-maker in Baden-Baden, Germany.
After emigrating to the United States, Simon Singer worked
at brickmaking in New York state for a short period of time.
He then removed to Pennsylvania, locating in Nockamixon
Township in Bucks County, and learned potting in the Herstine
Pottery. The Herstine Pottery was operated over a period of
three generations, namely: Cornelius, Daniel and David Her-
stine.
Simon Singer worked for the Herstines for several years,
after which he bought the John Mondeau pottery and engaged
in business for himself.
Simon Singer had five sons, three of -whom became potters,
namely: Edward, Cornelius and Milton. After the death of
Simon Singer in 1894 the pottery was continued by the sons,
Edward, Cornelius and Milton, for one year. Then Elias and
Simon, Jr., also sons of Simon Singer, purchased the pottery
from the other three sons and operated it for two years. Elias
and Simon, Jr., were not potters but employed their three
brothers who were potters to do the work. The pottery was
PENNA. -GERMAN POTTERS OF BUCKS CO., PA.
581
again purchased by Milton Singer, who operated it until 1900,
when all operations were discontinued.
Webster Singer, son of Milton Singer, also worked in the
pottery, but never learned the turner's art. The clay used in
making the earthenware was dug in the swamp from the farm
on which the pottery was located. Many of the depressions
may still be seen, from which the clay was dug.
As a pottery was usually operated in conjunction with farm-
ing, Simon Singer's narre appears in the Bucks County Direc-
tories of 1871 and again in 1884 listed as a farmer. Cornelius
Singer was listed as a potter from Applebachsville in the Bucks
County Directory of 1898.
After the discontinuance of the pottery, so much of the
commoner types of the ware were on hand that it was still being
sold in 1918, and there are still several hundred small apple
582 PENNA. -GERMAN POTTERS OF BUCKS CO., PA.
butter crocks and other ware still stacked on the second floor
of the pottery building.
A large collection of the pottery, the equipment and tools
are now on exhibition in the pottery room of the Bucks County
Historical Society, at Doylestown.
Simon Singer used a stamp, S. Singer, with which he marked
some of his ware. In the making of large plates and shallow
bowls, the slip cup was used in signing the pieces.
In 1873, the original pottery of log construction burned
down and Simon Singer rebuilt it of frame and plaster.
In one corner of the pottery one may still see the red lead
used in glazing, spattered over the wall where the glaze mill
stood, used in preparing the glaze.
The kiln of stone, still standing and in good condition, is
built within a kiln-house of stone construction. The roof, due
to neglect, has fallen in and should be replaced and retained as a
reminder of Bucks County's earlier industries.
The products of the pottery were sold in the surrounding
communities, and were also hauled by horse and wagon to
Bethlehem, Bath, Easton, Nazareth and as far north as the
Blue Mountains.
Jacob Stout Pottery, Rockhill Township,
Bucks County
Doctor Barber in his book, "Tulip Ware," mentions the
Stout pottery, believing it was operated by Abraham or Isaac
Stout.
Jacob Stout, who was born in the Palatinate, came to Penn-
sylvania in 1737 and married the widow of John Lacey in 1739.
They resided on her property in Rockhill Township, now Per-
kasie. Mrs. Lacey had sons. When they became of age in
1759, Jacob Stout, potter, bought their interest in the property,
and one of his stepsons is given in the deed as John Lacey, Jr.,
potter. Since John Lacey, Jr., was quite young when his father
died, and since Jacob Stout, who became his step-father, was a
potter it is natural to assume that John Lacey, Jr., learned the
trade of potter in his step-father's pottery.
Abraham, Isaac and Mrs. Salome Stout Schwartzlander were
all children of Jacob Stout. It is confidently felt that the
PENNA. -GERMAN POTTERS OF BUCKS CO., PA. 583
colored plate following page 110 in Doctor Barber's book, "Tulip
Ware," is the work of Jacob Stout, his initials appearing on the
plate.
In the deed passed in the settlement of the estate of Jacob
Stout in 1783, Jacob Stout is referred to as "Late of Rockhill
Township, Potter."
The inscription on his tombstone in the Stout cemetery at
Perkasie reads: Jacob Stout — den 30 April 1779 — alt 68>^ yahr.
Jacob Renninger Pottery
This was located in Milford Township, Bucks County, on the
Daniel Christman farm. It was built by Renninger for Christ-
man about 1867. Renninger learned the potter's trade from
Levi (?) Nunemacher, who also operated a pottery. After
Renninger discontinued operating the pottery, he entered the
employ of a Mr. Shive, who was then operating a pottery in
Bucks County. The only known remaining pieces of Jacob
Renninger's craftsmanship are five small water fountains for
watering baby chicks, found in a chicken yard in Trumbauers-
ville.
Charles Wonsidler Pottery
This pottery, located in Milford Township, Bucks County,
was built sometime prior to 1850.
Wonsidler then sold it to William Trump, who leased it to
Jacob Renninger, and he in turn was succeeded by George (?)
Raudenbush, who operated it for Trump. Later Trump sold
the farm and pottery to Sylvester Klinker, and Raudenbush
continued to operate the pottery for several years.
The Jacob Renninger previously mentioned learned potting
from his father, John Renninger, Sr., 1785-1845, who operated
the pottery at Kline's School House in Bucks County, and was a
brother to John Renninger, Jr.
John Renninger, Sr., Pottery
This was located at Kline's School House, near Gerysville,
in Milford Township, Bucks County. John Renninger, Sr.,
potter, was born in 1 785 , the son of Wendell Renninger. Wendell
584 PENNA. -GERMAN POTTERS OF BUCKS CO., PA.
Renninger was a potter and learned the trade in Hanover, Ger-
many. He operated the pottery from 1815 up until his death
in 1845.
He was succeeded by his son, John Renninger, Jr., born
June 8, 1821, died August 30, 1879, who learned potting from
his father, and at his father's death, in 1845, succeeded him in
the pottery business. In 1849, John, Jr., built and operated a
pottery at Seidersville, near Bethlehem, for another man for
two years. He then returned to Rich Valley, near Tylersport,
and worked in the Nunemacher Pottery. Later he moved to
Ridge Hill and worked in the Headman Pottery.
In 1873, he leased and operated the Bitting Pottery in Penns-
burg, Montgomery County. In 1874, he was working for the
Fredericks in their pottery at Chapel, Hereford Township, Berks
County. Later he worked occasionally for his brother, Jacob,
in his pottery up until his death in 1879.
Jacob Renninger learned potting from his father, John, Sr.,
and operated over a period of years, not only his own pottery,
but a number of potteries owned by others. John, Sr., was a
soldier of the War of 1812.
Richard Moore Pottery, Quakertown
Richard Moore was born in 1794, died in 1875. The pottery
was located about one-fourth of a mile south of Quakertown on
the Bethlehem Pike and was started by Moore in 1825. John
Jackson Moore, born 1819, died 1895, son of Richard Moore,
learned potting here from his father. Another potter employed
here was a German by name, Zachariah Mast. In his youth he
studied for the priesthood, later renouncing his intentions.
It is believed a pottery preceded the Moore's at the same
location, probably between the years 1780-1790.
Samuel Kinsey also learned potting with Richard Moore and
later operated a pottery about 1849 on his father-in-law's property
near the present site of the Globe Hotel, Quakertown.
Miscellaneous Book 1, Doylestown, 1784, Agreement
John Youngken sells to Michael Strepy 11 acres of land for
consideration of £11, a Deed to be executed by 1790, or sooner
if. a Patent is obtained ; and it is agreed that the said Michael
Strepy shall cause to be sufficiently instructed and taught in
PENNA. -GERMAN POTTERS OF BUCKS CO., PA. 585
the art, Trade, Mastery and Occupation of a potter, which he
now useth, with everything thereunto belonging, one of the said
John Youngken's sons, whichever he, the said John Youngken,
shall direct, if he, the said John Youngken, shall see fit to require
it.
And it is agreed the said Michael Strepy shall allow to the
said John Youngken, his heirs and assigns, so much earthenware
of every kind as he shall want yearly for the use of his family,
as long as the said Strepy shall live on the said premises, and if
he should sell the premises to a Potter, that he will engage this
Agreement shall be carried out.
Signed John Youngken
Michael Strepy
In 1789, a tract of 100 acres was patented to John Youngken
who conveyed 80 acres of it to Michael Strepy, and in 1791, the
remaining 20 acres were conveyed to Christian Klinker, earthen
Potter.
WAI.XI
(iR()\IC I'AR.M
The country home of Hon. Joseph Ridgway Grundy and Miss Margaret Ridgway Grundy
on the Neshaminy in Bristol Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Where the Bucks County Historical Society was entertained on October 9, 1937, and
cordially greeted by an address of welcome with historical remarks by Mr. Grundy.
The Du Fonts Selecting a Site for Their Powder Works
By dr. R. F. FACKFNTHAL, Jr., RIEGELSVILLE, PA.
(Meeting at Walnut Grove Farms, October 9, 1937, at the country home of Hon. Joseph R.
and. Miss Margaret R. Grundy, on the Neshaminy in Bristol Township.)
A LETTER in the Hbrary of the Bucks County Historical
Society, from Joseph Erwin of Erwinna, Bucks County,
Pa., to George Wall, Jr.,' bearing date September 10,
1801, sets forth that a Mr. Du Pont had examined locations on
several streams in New Jersey, including the Musconetcong
Creek, which has for its source the overflow of Lake Pohatcong
and empties into the Delaware River at Riegelsville, New
Jersey, almost directly opposite my home at Riegelsville, Pa.,
with the view of locating a powder manufacturing plant in
America. They finally selected a location on the Brandywine
Creek at Wilmington, Delaware, where they built their first
plant during the following year, 1802.
This was the beginning of what is now the extensive works
of E. L Du Pont de Nemours & Company. This firm has wisely
perpetuated the name of its founder, E. L Du Pont of Nemours,
a town on the Seine in Northern France.
At first, and for many years, their business was confined
exclusively to the manufacture of black powder, in a small and
unpretentious building, a cut of which is shown on following
page.
From this small beginning the company has grown and
developed from year to year along diversified chemical lines,
until now its powder output, as distinct from its industrial
explosives manufacture and its other chemical developments,
amounts to but one per cent, of its entire business.
1 Joseph Erwin was the son of Col. Arthur Erwin, founder of Erwinna
in Bucks County, Pa. He was born in Ireland, July 24, 1758, and came to
America with his father in 1768. During the Revolutionary war he was
engaged in what he called "P"~oreign Trade," as a matter of fact he was pirateer-
ing, and on July 30, 1778, he was proscribed by proclamation and attainted
of treason. He did not marry. His body lies buried in the Erwin Private
Burying Ground, near Erwinna. (See Bucks County Historical Society,
Vol. V, page 436.)
George Wall, Jr., Esq., lived at Lumberville, Bucks County, Pa., where
he operated sawmills. He was commissioner of Forfeited Estates during the
Revolutionary war. He was also a commissioner for clearing the Delaware
River for navigation.
FIRST POWDER MILL OF THE DU PONT COMPANY
Built in 1802 near Wilmington, Delaware.
DU FONTS SELECTING SITE FOR POWDER WORKS 589
The annual report of this company for the year 1936, shows
assets of over 721 milUon dollars ($721,000,000), with 53,000
employees, and compensation of $72,000,000.
One of the outstanding features, that has led to their expan-
sion and success is due to their research bureau.
The following is taken from the Erwin letter referred to:
"* * * * A few days ago Mr. De Noilles made my neighbor, Mr. Prevost
a visit" he was accompanied by Mr. Du Pont, formerly consul at Charles-
ton for the Frence Republic.^ This gentleman engaged in his own country
in the manufacture of Gunpowder in works upon an extensive Scale, and
proposes to make an establishment of the same kind in this Country. Mr.
Du Pont viewed several streams in Jersie, the Muskinecunk (Musconetcong)
&c."
"I was not fully acquainted with his object or I should have offered him
mine, (at Erwinna, opposite Frenchtown). Mr. Prevost, however intends
to write to him on the subject. I think you must recollect this situation
sufificiently well to give me such general Sketch as will at least call forth atten-
tion, and you have Opportunities almost every day of writing. Every im-
provement of this kind is an advantage to the Country at large, but its more
immediate Influence is felt in the Neighborhood where works of public Utility
are prosecuted."
2 During the French Revolution of 1792, Paul Henry Mallet Prevost, a
republican, joined the French army at Alsace as Commissary General, but
he not appro\'ing of seme of the extreme measures was proscribed, and with
his secretary, Nicholas Toulaine de Fremoys, escaped into Germany and
came to America, landing in Philadelphia, as did other Huguenots. On
December 4, 1794, he bought 968 acres of land in Hunterdon County, N. J.,
on the Delaware River, part cf which is now occupied by the borough of
Frenchtown, so named by reason cf this k>ench settlement.
General Provost's tomb in the Frenchtown cemetery records that he was a
native cf Geneva, Switzerland, born in 1756, died January 5, 1835. His wife
(Jeanne Elizabeth Patry) and other members of his family also lie buried in
the F'renchtown cemetery. Mr. S. M. Prevost, long a vice-president of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, was a member of this family. (See History
of Hunterdon County, page 405.)
-5 A letter from Mr. L. Du Pont, president of E. 1. Du Pont de Nemours &
Company, says: "No doubt the gentleman visiting Mr. Prevost, was Mr.
Du Pont, as the dates correspond with the period during which he was trying
to secure a site for the powder works which he contemplated building." * * * *
"The final selection cf the site, near Wilmington, Delaware, was not only on
account of its suitability, but also affected by the fact that local people ap-
peared willing to supply capital "
A letter from Hon. Cordell Hull, Secretary of State at Washington, D. C,
bearing date June 19, 1937, says that it was Citizen Victor Du Pont who was
Consul for the French Republic cf France at Charlestown, S. C. Exequatur
dated June 10, 1796. Mr Charles K. Weston, director cf the publicity de-
partment of the E. I. Du Pjnt de Nemours & Co., advises that Victor Du
Pont was a brother of E. I. Du Pont, and was therefore the gentleman who
visited Mr. Prevcst, at what is now F'renchtown, N. J.
Charles Ellet, Jr., Engineer and Patriot
By HUGH B. EASTBURN. BRISTOL, PA.
(Meeting at Walnut Grove Farms, October 9, 1937, at tlie country home of Hon. Joseph R.
and Miss Margaret R. Grundy, on the Neshaminy Creek in Bristol Township.)
THE first sixty years of the last century witnessed amazing
developments in many fields but, particularly, in trans-
portation. The pack-train, oxcart, canoe and raft of
the first settlers were supplanted by canal boat, steam-boat and
railroad. Broad streams were bridged. Iron-clad battleships
were first introduced during the civil war. The West was won
and a new nation came into being.
An outstanding leader in this pageant of progress was born
in a log house in Falls Township, Bucks County, January 1,
1810. His ability and achievements were not fully recognized
during his life and have since been almost forgotten. It is now
my privilege to tell you somiething of the life of Charles Ellet, Jr.
His father, a member of a substantial Quaker family, early
settlers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, was a Philadelphia
hardware merchant, when he purchased a farm of 150 acres in
"Pennsbury Manor" from Samuel Church, Jr., March 5, 1807,
and established his family there. The farm lay south of Scotts'
Creek (called Wilson's Creek in the deed) and extended from the
Bordentown Road to the river behind Mint Island. It is now a
part of the large holdings of the Warner Company.
Ellet's mother was Mary Israel, daughter of Israel Israel,
high sheriff of Philadelphia, who had made a fortune in the
Barbadoes. It is supposed he was of Swedish descent. He was
a member of the ITniversalist Church, a Mason, and prominent
in the business and political life of the city.
Mary Israel and Charles Ellet, Sr., were married October 8,
1901, and became the parents of fourteen children, of whom
Charles, Jr., was the sixth.
Mary Israel Ellet, who lived to be over ninety, surviving
nearly all of her children, wrote her autobiography in her 90th
year. Covering the period from the close of the Revolution to
five years after the Civil War, it is an absorbing story of an
eventful, exciting and useful life. Time does not permit me to
quote from it here, but I hope that some day it may be published
CHARLES ELLET, JR., ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT 591
and given the prominence it deserves. The Philadelphia Press
for January 11, 1869, also contains more than a full page of her
recollections of early Philadelphia.
Largely through Mary Ellet's intelligence and hard work,
the Manor farm house was made comfortable and the farm
productive. The children were educated at home, in Bristol
and Philadelphia. The older children became the instructors
of the younger.
After eleven years on the Manor farm, Ellet, Sr., sold it, pur-
chased the Island Farm, (then called Monkton Park), in Bristol
Township, and took his family there. This farm contained 226
acres and was purchased from John Massey for $18,080, April 1,
1818. It is the identical tract that comprised the first recorded
grant of land in Bucks County — Governor Nichols to Peter
Alrick, 1667. The farm house occupied by the Ellet family
stands just south of the Burlington-Bristol Bridge and is now
used by the employees of the Rohm and Haas Company as a
club. Here the family remained until 1824, when they rented
the farm and moved to Philadelphia. I can find no record of
the Ellets living in Bucks County after that date.
Charles Ellet, Jr., was eight years old when the family moved
to Monkton Park, and was seventeen when he left home to
seek his fortune in the world. He said in his later letters that
his childhood "possessed nothing to make it enviable," and
that "he met many impediments and discc^iragements," his
father opposing his determination to become an engineer, while
his mother approved.
His first work was as rodman with a surveying party on the
Susquehanna. A year later he was an unpaid ofiice and field
assistant with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in Maryland, and
the next year, at nineteen, became assistant engineer at a salary
of $800 a year. This was a high salary for a boy, but he gave
up his position to go to France to complete his education.
He was entertained by LaFayette at LaGrange, witnessed the
July revolution in Paris, attended the Ecole des Ponts et Chausses
and inspected the engineering w'orks of Europe and England
before returning to America.
After he returned home, he proposed that the government
employ him to construct a suspension bridge over the Potomac;
surveyed for the Utica and Schenectady Railroad (1833); and
592 CHARLES ELLET, JR., ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT
located the western line of the New York and Erie. After a
year as assistant, in 1836, he became chief engineer of the James
River and Kanawha Canal in Virginia, a work intended to con-
nect tide-water with the Ohio, and completed to Lynchburg
before Ellet's retirement in 1839.
Ellet's plan for a suspension bridge over the Schuylkill at
Fairmount was accepted over fourteen competitors and the
structure, the first of its kind in the United States, was com-
pleted in 1842 at a cost of $35,000. After surveying the city
and county of Philadelphia, Ellet was associated with the
Schuylkill Navigation Company, directing the physical and
financial reconstruction of that important carrier of anthracite
coal, personally negotiating loans in Boston, New York and
Europe, and participating in a bitter controversy with the Read-
ing Railroad, the competing line.
He left the presidency of the Navigation Company in 1847
to build suspension bridges of his own design over the Ohio at
Wheeling and over the Niagara below the Falls. When a tem-
porary bridge had been finished, the Niagara project was inter-
rupted by disagreements with the directors and, after litigation,
Ellet relinquished that work, but in 1849 Westerners enthusiasti-
cally celebrated the completion of the 1010-foot span at Wheeling.
Although a bitterly contested suit in the Supreme Court, brought
in the name of the State of Pennsylvania by Edwin M. Stantion
in behalf of citizens of Pittsburgh, resulted in a decree of abate-
ment, Ellet saved his bridge by inducing Congress to declare it a
post-route — only to witness its partial destruction by storm in
1854. This bridge was repaired a few years later by John
A. Roebling and is still in use.
Until the eve of the Civil War, as engineer for the Virginia
Central (1853-1857) — for which he built a track of unprecedented
grade over the Blue Ridge — and the Hempfield (1851-55) rail-
roads, and for the Kanawha improvement (1858), Ellet studied
closely the topography and resources of Virginia.
For a quarter of a century, Ellet urged the improvement of
western rivers. His "Physical Geography of the Mississippi
Valley" (1849) was published by the Smithsonian Institution,
and careful investigations, untertaken for the War Department
in 1850, resulted in several reports on flood control and his
wogwwm o^z<5, "The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers" (1853). Ellet
CHARLES ELLET, JR., ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT 593
considered his plan for controlling floods and improving naviga-
tion by impounding surplus waters in upland reservoirs, his
great achievement; but despite his vigorous efforts, the necessary
Congressional action was not taken.
It is a remarkable tribute to his engineering ability and
vision that his reports were re-issued for the use of the Flood
Control Committee of the 70th Congress. Truly (after the
disastrous floods of the last few years), back in 1853, his was
"a voice crying in the wilderness."
Sent to Europe during the Crimean War on a financial mission
for his Virginia railroads, Ellet urged on Russia a plan for the
relief of Sebastopol, by the use of ram-boats, and later offered
to the allies, plans for the destruction of the Russian fleet. He
considered his radical innovation in naval warfare of such
importance that he urged it on successive Secretaries of the
Navy at home, and published an exposition of it, "Coast and
Harbour Defenses" (1855), which was widely circulated.
After 1857, Ellet lived in Washington, where he had long
been well known, and from the beginning of the Civil War he
devoted himself to study and exposition of military problems.
Repeated offers of his services to the national and Pennsylvania
and West Virginia governments were unavailing until 1862, when
the Merrimac-Cumberland engagement demonstrated the effi-
ciency of the ram. Stanton, his ancient enemy, since the Wheel-
ing Bridge Case, now Secretary of War, hurriedly summoned
Ellet and requested him to prepare a ram-fleet to clear the
Mississippi. Quickly remodelling eight river boats on the
Ohio, Ellet, now a Colonel, U. S. A., responsible only to the
Secretary of War, with a volunteer civilian crew, took Fort
Pillow, and, after sinking three Confederate boats before Mem-
phis, received the surrender of that city on June 6. Ellet was
the only Union men injured. His slight wound, aggravated by
his enfeebled condition, caused his death as his boat touched
shore at Cairo, June 21, 1863. He was buried with military and
civic honors from Independence Hall, Philadelphia.
While this paper was being prepared, I saw an article in the
current issue of the Readers Digest, by Herbert Cambrell, Asso-
ciate Professor of American History, Southern Methodist Uni-
versity, Dallas, Texas. It is titled "After the Merrimac." The
author states that, when the news of the Merrimac's victory
594 CHARLES ELLET, JR., ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT
reached Washington, Stanton was greatly agitated; Lincoln was
apprehensive; it was generally thought that the Merrimac would
destroy Washington, New York and other costal cities in the
North. It is natural to suppose that some Southern naval officer
knew of Ellet's ram idea, which had been ignored and unused,
and applied it to the Merrimac. What satisfaction EUet must
have had in accepting Stanton's appointment, even though it
was that of an army Colonel in corrmand of a river f^eet!
His nineteen-year-old son, Charles Rivers Ellet, was made a
colonel, and the command of the fleet devolved upon his brother,
Lieutenant-Colonel (later -Brigadier-General) Alfred Washington
Ellet. His wife (Elvira, daughter of Judge William Daniel,
whom he had married at Lynchburg in 1837) survived him only
eight days. Their son died the next year. All were buried in
West Laurel Hill Cem.etery, Philadelphia.
Charles Rivers Ellet received his middle name from his father
as a proof of the latter's life interest. It is worth noting that
both lost their lives in the service of their country on the "Father
of Rivers." An interesting coincidence relates to the battle of
Vicksburg. Charles Rivers Ellet and his uncle, Alfred Washing-
ton Ellet, were with the ram fleet in the attack. The city was
surrendered by General Pemberton, a descendant of the Falls
Township Pembertons, who had graduated from West Point
and taken up the cause of the South.
His forty-six published works, as well as many technical and
popular articles, attest Ellet's trenchant style, both in scientific
exposition and controversial writing. His "Essay on the Laws
of Trade" (1830), a recondite treatise on rate-making, was fol-
lowed by several pioneer brochures and articles on the economics
of transportation. After 1860 his contributions to English and
American periodicals reveal a grasp of political and military
problems, which led him to consider establishing a newspaper in
Washington. Scathing criticism of McClellan's competency,
volunteer advice to Lincoln and his cabinet on the conduct of the
war, and articles on the strategy of various Union generals, made
him a conspicuous, although not always a popular, figure in
Washington.
Although his extraordinary talents were widely appreciated,
Ellet had a few warm friends. His reserved — almost haughty —
manner, his austere integrity, and the uncompromising logic
CHARLES ELLET, JR., ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT 595
with which he combated opposition, made him a singularly
lonely figure, and perhaps account for his almost incredible
activity.
He was a man of striking appearance: his strongly marked
features and meticulous manners attracted attention in any
crowd. Over six feet tall and slender, he was never robust, and
after 1840 his health was always precarious. But he drove
himself to tremendous physical, as well as mental exertion, fre-
quently writing continuously eight or ten hours, or spending all
day in the saddle. It was not unusual for him to supervise
simultaneously two or three important engineering undertakings,
while he made plans for another project, engaged in a law-suit,
participated in a newspaper controversy, or prepared a book for
the publisher.
Long before his death, Ellet was recognized at home and
abroad as one of the great engineers of his epoch, but his death,
coming as it did in the midst of the Civil War, was almost
unnoticed. However, his name will receive belated recognition
from the country for which he labored and died, when the
Destroyer — 398 is launched and christened "Ellet" by Miss
Elvira D. Cabell, a granddaughter, at New York, on November
1st next.
In closing, I wish to express my thanks to Professor Herbert
Cambrell, who aroused my interest in Charles Ellet, Jr., several
years ago and who has since supplied me with most of the mate-
rial in this paper, and has permitted me to quote from his sketch
of Ellet published in the Dictionary of American Biography.
The Great Chain at West Point and Other Obstructions Placed
in the Hudson River During the War of the Revolution
By dr. B. F. FACKENTHAL, Jr., RIEGELSVILLE, PA.
(Meeting at Walnut Grove Farms, October 9, 1937, at the country home of Hon. Joseph R.
and Miss Margaret R. Grundy, on the Neshaminy Creek in Bristol Township.)
THE Hudson River has played an important part in the
development of our country. It gathers its waters from
the central heights of the Adriondacks more than 4,000
feet above the sea. The river is tortuous, narrow and rocky
for 30 miles until it reaches Troy, 150 miles from New York
Bay. It receives the outlet of Schroon Lake, and at Waterford,
10 miles above Albany, its largest tributary, the Mohawk River
empties into it. It Mas the outlet of the Erie Canal, which
crossed the State of New York from Lake Erie before the days
of railroads. It has been called "The Drowned River," being
only an estuary with a fall of but five feet between Albany and
the ocean, with the tide running up as far as Troy.
John Burroughs makes the statement that any object placed
upon the river at Albany, with a current of eight miles, would
be carried down stream with the ebb tide at the rate of twelve
miles in twenty-four hours, and the flood tide would set it back
from seven to nine miles. A drop of water at Albany would
therefore be nearly three weeks in reaching New York; he adds
"but it would get pretty well pickled some days earlier."
The current of the river operating against the tide, prevents
salt water from reaching a point higher up the river than Marl-
borough, six miles below Poughkeepsle. In former years the
river banks above Marlborough were lined with ice houses begun
in 1831. The ice crop, at its peak, amounting to nearly three
million tons per year, and often employing as many as 20,000
men to gather the crop.
This great natural water-way was an objective of the British
during the Revolutionary war. By its control the settled part
of the country would become divided. The New England
states would be cut off from the rest of the country, and more-
over give the enemy control of the territory leading to the
Great Lakes and the basin of the St. Lawrence River, and there-
fore easy access to their army in Canada.
THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT 597
General Washington was well aware of the strategic posi-
tion of this gateway, and early set about to protect it against
the gun boats of the British, by placing obstructions in the
Hudson to prevent them from ascending.
As early as July 16, 1776, a secret committee was appointed
to take charge of the river obstructions, consisting of John Jay,
Robert Yeates, Major C. Tappan and Robert C. Livingston, to
which others were added later.
Five different plans were attempted, all of which were failures,
excepting only the fifth and last one, which consisted of the
so-called "Great Chain," or as often referred to, the "Putnam
Chain" at West Point.
The First Obstruction
The first attempt to obstruct the Hudson River, was by
means of fire ships, like those introduced by Captain John Hazel-
wood on the Delaware River below Philadelphia. Captain
Hazelwood was accordingly sent to the Hudson River to direct
these obstructions, which consisted in equipping six old sloops
by loading them with pitch, tar, turpentine, straw and other
combustible materials, and therefore the name "fire ships."
These boats were coupled together and floated down the river
to meet the British fleet. On the night of August 16, 1776,
two British frigates, the "Rose," with 36 guns, and the "Phoenix,"
with 44 guns, a Bomb Ketch and two tenders, were encountered
in the river at Yonkers. The fire ships made fast to them with
their grappling irons and the match was applied. The British
flotilla was soon in flames, the Bomb Ketch and the two tenders
were destroyed, but the two frigates tore loose, and were glad
to fall back and rejoin the remainder of the fleet. Captain
Thomas and five of his men from the fire ships lost their lives,
and it is said that the enemy lost seventy of their men in the
encounter.
This plan of defence was not considered practical, and the
experiment was not repeated.
The Second Obstruction
The second obstruction attempted was at Fort Washington,
41 miles south of West Point, then 10 miles above New York,
598 THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT
but now within the city Hmits at 178th Street. At that place
the Hudson River is now crossed by the George Washington
suspension bridge, having a clear span of 3,500 feet, crossing to
Fort Lee on Mount Constitution; very little is recorded about
this barricade, as it was planned outside of the secret committee,
except that it consisted of chevaux-de-frize, with sunken ships
as foundations for the barbs or picts to rest upon.
These forts, on both sides of the river, were supposed to be
well protected. At Fort Washington, on the New York side,
there was a garrison, variously stated at from 2,000 to 3,000 men
under Colonel Robert Magaw. Following the battle at White
Plains, the fort was attacked on November 16, 1776, by Howe's
army of 13,000, with the Hessians under command of Colonel
Rail, (the same Colonel Rail who lost his life at the battle of
Trenton), and forced to capitulate, with the most disastrous
results in the history of the war. Those of the Continental
army who were not killed were taken prisoner, and confined on
prison ships. General Washington, who had withdrawn with
the main part of his army, to the western or New Jersey side of
the river, was obliged to abandon Fort Lee, but had no time to
remove his stores, as Cornwallis had crossed the Hudson with
6,000 men. However, our modern Fabius retired with that
wing of his army, through New Jersey, crossing the Delaware
into Pennsylvania, and taking with him all the available river
boats. The country was discouraged at this defeat, but our
gallant leader, the resourceful Washington, was not disheartened,
but at once set about planning an attack on the Hessians at
Trenton. The crossing of the Delaware on Christmas night of
1776, 40 days after the defeat at Fort Washington, and the
battles of Trenton, and the New Jersey campaign which followed,
are well known to all of you.
The obstruction at Fort Washington, which the British
ships easily passed some days before the battle were entirely
lost sight of, and were completely destroyed, and Fort Lee was
entirely demolished.
After the capture of the Highland forts, the British fleet
sailed up the river, firing at almost every prominent house on
both shores, and finally anchored at Esopus Island, 41 miles
THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT
599
above West Point and 50 miles south of Albany, and finding
no resistance, marched inland to Kingston, which they looted
and then set on fire. (Kingston, which now included Esopus
and Rondout, was the first capital of New York State.)
The Third Obstruction
The third obstruction was at Fort Montgomery, crossing
the river to St. Anthony's Nose, at Highland, five miles south
of West Point. Its construction was carried on under direction
of the Secret Committee. It consisted of a chain resting on
floats made of logs pointed at the ends, which was protected by a
boom placed across the river in front of it. The same arrange-
ment was used later for placing the great chain at West Point,
to be referred to later in this paper. A cut of the chain and
protecting boom, is shown herewith.
CHAIN AND BOOM CROSSING THE HUDSON RIVER AT FORT MONTGOMERY.
The same plan was used in placing the Great Chain across the river at West Point.
But that chain was much heavier.
The chain was made up of two parts, one part which had
been previously used in obstructing navigation of the Sorel
river, the outlet of Lake Champlain. The other part was made
at Ringwood furnace by Robert Erskine. The original invoice
for this chain is framed and hanging on the wall of the New
York State Museum at Newburgh, N. Y., of which I have secured
a photostat, a copy can be seen in the appendix of this paper.
600 THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT
The invoice shows shipments from August 21 to October 7, 1777,
of 276 Hnks weighing 41>^ pounds each, 303 cHps weighing 57
pounds each and 197 bolts weighing six pounds each, with a
total weight of 14 tons, 17 cwt. The total cost of iron, forging
and carting was slightly over £5,000. The links were made of
iron \y2 inches square. The chain did not withstand the pres-
sure placed upon it by its own weight and the current of the
river, and broke in two places, and was accordingly abandoned.
Ringwood Iron Works were then under the management of
Sir Robert Erskine, who was sent over from London to manage
the estate. He was Washington's surveyor-general during the
Revolutionary war. The Ringwood plant is in Passaic County,
N. J., within a few miles of the New York state line.
The Fourth Obstruction
The fourth obstruction was at Pollopel's Island,
crossing the river to Murderer's Creek, near Corn-
wall, about five miles north of West Point. This
obstruction consisted of chevaux-de-frize, somewhat
similar to the obstructions in the Delaware River at
Fort Mififlin below Philadelphia.
The chevaux-de-frize were formed of squared
timber built into cribs, which were filled with stones
and sunk in the stream, on top of which the spears
were placed. These spears were armored with cast
iron barbs and made of such length as to extend a few
feet above the surface of the water. A cut of two
sections of this chevaux-de-frize, made from an
official drawing found among the papers of Governor
Clinton, is shown herewith. One of the barbed
timbers has been preserved and can be seen at Wash-
ington's Headquarters, Newburgh, N. Y., a cut of
which is shown on the margin hereof. It was origi-
nally sixty feet long.
There is no data to show when this barricade was completed,
but it seems to have been early in 1778, but before its comple-
tion, plans were under way for placing a chain across the river
at West Point, to be made of much heavier iron than the Fort
THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT
601
Montgomery chain. Which was thereafter known as the "Great
Chain," but often referred to as the "Putnam Chain," and as
the "West Point Chain."
TWO SECTIONS OF THE CHEVAUX-DE-FRIZE PLACED IN THE HUDSON
RIVER AT POLLOPEL'S ISLAND.
The Fifth Obstruction
The Great Chain crossing the river at West Point, was the
fifth and last obstruction. The history of that chain is my
special object in presenting this paper.
General W. W. H. Davis, in the first edition of his "History of
Bucks County," published in 1876 (page 648), makes the state-
ment, without qualification, that this chain was made at Durham
Furnace in Bucks County. This is without any basis of fact,
and has been merely guessed at. All the iron made at Durham
during that year is otherwise accounted for, but it is not necessary
to show that, as there is positive proof to show where the chain
was made. General Davis told me that the statement was
inspired by a local historian of Durham. That erroneous state-
ment has found its way into our local histories, in fact a paper
read before this society at the Tinicum meeting in October,
1935, repeated it. Before editing that paper for publication
in our Volume VII, this misinformation will be eliminated.
When I called General Davis' attention to this erroneous and
misleading statement, he was loath to change it, until I pointed
out where the chain was made, whereupon he set about to study
its history, and very gracefully made the correction in the
second edition of his history published in 1905 (Vo. II, page 145),
602 THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT
wherein he correctly sets forth that the chain was forged at the
SterHng Furnaces of Noble, Townsend & Company in Orange
County, N. Y. I have preserved the voluminous correspond-
ence with General Davis, which I shall file in the library of our
Historical Society, together with the photostats and other docu-
ments referred to in this paper.
The contract with Noble, Townsend & Company called for
links two feet long, to be made out of iron 234 inches square.
This was later changed, and links of much larger size and
weight were ordered for the middle of the stream where the
strain was the greatest. These larger links varied from 45 to
48 inches long over all, and 13 inches across, made of iron 3>^
inches square, weighing about 300 pounds each, with the corners
chamfered to form an irregular octagon.
These links were sent from the Sterling forges, over the
mountains, a distance of ten miles to New Windsor on the Hud-
son, six miles north of West Point, and delivered at the forge of
Captain Thomas Machin, who welded them together and other-
wise assembled them. He built rafts on which to support the
chain, made up of logs floated down the river from Albany.
These logs were pointed at both ends to lessen the opposition of
the current at both flood and ebb tide. The logs which carried
the chain, were placed short distances apart, and the chains
made fast by steeples. It appears that the entire chain was
completed at New Windsor and then floated down the river to
its position at West Point. There is no evidence at hand to
show that clevises and swivels were used for the heavy links of
this chain. The 26 links at Ringwood Manor, the longest sec-
tion known to remain, contains no clevises or swivels, but that
is not conclusive evidence that they were not used. This chain
was fortified by a boom stretched across the river in front thereof,
to take the first shock of any vessel attempting to pass.
This chain was constructed and placed like the Montgomery
chain, as shown by the cut of that plan, only this West Point
chain was of much larger proportions. It is recorded that both
the chain, supported on logs, and the boom were at times used
as foot-bridges.
This West Point chain was a great success and withstood the
pressure placed upon it, and thereafter none of Admiral Howe's
frigates passed up the river, and its defense was complete.
THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT 603
Lossing records that when Benedict Arnold, in 1780, was
planning to turn the fortifications at West Point over to the
British, that he agreed also to cause links of this great chain to
be broken, but that statement cannot be verified, at any rate
the discovery of his treachery, and the arrest of Major Andre
prevented it.
The chain was taken up in the autumn of 1783, unbroken and
in good condition. One account says it was taken to the Brook-
lyn Navy Yard, another that part of it was sold to the West Point
Foundry at Cold Springs, where it was worked up, but these
conflicting statements doubtless refer to different chains.
Fortunately some parts were salvaged and remain as relics.
Some of these are or were in possession of the following:
The following five parts of the West Point chain, used in the
middle of the river are of the heavy section, size varying from
45 to 48 inches in length over all, 13 inches across, made from
iron 3>^ inches square, with the corners chamfered, and weigh
about 300 pounds each.
26 — Links at Ringwood Manor, home of the late Hon. Abram
S. Hewitt, now the property of his son, Erskine Hewitt,
Esq.
18 — Links at the Chicago Historical Society. A half-tone
engraving of these is shown herewith.
10 — Links formerly at the home of Mr. Macgrane Coxe,
Southfields, Orange County, N. Y., now in possession of
Mr. Roscoe W. Smith, Monroe, Orange County, N. Y.
4 — Links formerly in the Brooklyn Navy Yard were pur-
chased by Mr. Francis Bannerman, a dealer in military
paraphernalia in New York City, who sold them to Mr.
John H. Starin for the Glen Island Museum. After
the death of Mr. Starin in 1821, when Glen Island was
taken over by the W^estchester County Park Commis-
sion, these four links were disposed of at public sale.
Mr. A. J. Wall, librarian of the New York Historical
Society, writes that he was the bidder-up, but they went
to Mr. T. Nevin for $500, who was acting for Sir Henry
Wellcome. They were subsequently turned over to the
604
THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT
Smithsonian Institution at Washington, D. C, where
they can now be seen. A half-tone engraving of these
four links is shown herewith.
2 — Links formerly at the home of Peter Townsend Austin,
now at Rayndum Hall, Main Street, Oyster Bay, N. Y.
A photograph of these show them to be unique, with a
short link coupled to a long link, doubtless indicating
where the links used at the shore ends ended, and the
long links used in the center of the stream began.
The following three parts used at the shore ends of the West
Point chain, are of the lighter section, size 24 inches long over all,
and made from iron 2% inches square, and weigh about 70 pounds
each.
3 — Links in the New York State Library at Albany, N. Y.
12 — Links with one swivel and one clevis, at the West Point
Military Academy. A half-tone engraving of these
taken from Lossing's Pictorial Field Book of the Revolu-
tion, is shown below.
2 — Links on display at Bear Mountain Inn, Orange County,
N. Y., presented to the park by Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan.
LINKS OF THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT
he center can be seen a swivel, and at the right a clevis and bolt,
such as are referred to in this paper.
THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT 605
The above accounts for 77 links, whereas the chain consisted
of about 480 links.
The links of the Fort Montgomery chain, forged at Ring-
wood, weigh according to the invoice heretofore referred to, but
41J^ pounds each. The only link of this chain known to have
been preserved is at Washington's headquarters at Newburg,
N. Y.
There may be and doubtless are other links of which no
record is at hand.
The Sterling Iron Works
It is not definitely known when iron works were first estab-
lished at Sterling, but it was probably as early as 1745. In 1751
the first blast furnace was built by Ward & Colton at the outlet
of Sterling pond. Bishop says, "Abel Noble from Bucks County,
Pa., erected a forge in Monroe, Orange County, N. Y., near the
furnace, in 1752, at which anchors are said to have been made."
General Davis in his "History of Bucks County" (Vol. II, page
185), records that the Nobles were among the very earliest settlers
in Bucks County, and that Abel Noble was an original purchaser
of land in Warminster township.
William Noble, son of Abel Noble, purchased the Sterling
tract between 1752 and 1756. On his death in 1759, he left the
tract to his son, Abel Noble, who about 1772 sold an interest to
Peter Townsend, the firm of Noble, Townsend «& Company,
forgers of the chain, was then established. In 1797, Abel Noble
disposed of his interest, and in 1806 a new blast furnace was
built. In 1848, a second blast furnace was erected, which made
its last blast in 1891. On April 1, 1864, a controlling interest
in the property was sold, after which it operated under the
corporate name of the Sterling Iron & Railway Company.^
Abel Noble appears to have been the scientific or practical man
under whom the great chain was forged, and Peter Townsend
appears to have been the business man of the firm.
The great chain, placed in the Hudson between West Point
and Constitution Island, was suggested and planned by General
1 The Sterling Iron & Railway Company included such prominent men
as Thomas A. Scott, Jay Cooke, J. B. Morehead, Samuel L. M. Barlow and
George C. Clark.
606 THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT
Israel Putnam. By his direction Hugh Hughes, D. Q. M. G.,^
was authorized to enter into a written contract with the SterUng
Iron Works to forge the so-called "Great Chain." A copy of
the contract, bearing date February 2, 1778, is attached hereto.
It calls for a chain 1,500 feet long (the actual length seems to
have been 1,600 feet). It was completed and secured in posi-
tion the latter part of April, 1778, less than three months from
the time of placing the order. To make this chain, iron ore
was first smelted in the blast furnace and converted into pig
iron, the pig iron was then refined into wrought iron in the refining
furnaces, which was hammered out by trip hammers operated
by water power. There were no rolling mills at that early day.
Sterling iron was said to have been of superior quality; I
doubt if it was any better than that made at Ringwood. The
Ringwood chain, which broke in two places, was made of iron
1^ inches square, while the Sterling chain was made of iron
2% to 31^ inches square, and therefore from 2}i to 5>^ times
heavier, and moreover it may have been the Sorel River end of
the Montgomery chain which broke.
The Ringwood Iron Works, later, belonged to Cooper &
Hewitt, of which I became the consulting engineer. Cooper &
Hewitt were also the owners of Durham Iron Works, with which
I was associated for many years. For sentimental reasons, I
wish the great chain had been made at Durham.
The Ringwood and the Sterling mines are but five miles
apart, both near the state line, Ringwood on the New Jersey
side, and Sterling on the New York side, and both but a few miles
from Tuxedo Park.
1 have used tens of thousands of tons of ore from both mines.
They are high grade magnatites of the same general character,
high in iron and reasonably high in phosphorus, an objectionable
element. Both mines were large producers, the output of the
Sterling group aggregating millions of tons.
2 Hugh Hughes was of Welsh origin, born in 1727. He resided in New
Jersey in 1765, removed to New York the same or the following year.
Closely identified with the Revolutionists in 1769, he was appointed in
1776, by the Provincial Convention, Commissary of Military Stores, and
by Washington, Deputy Quartermaster-General of the forces.
Resigning in 1778, he was in 1780 urgently solicited by Colonel Pickering,
then Quartermaster-General, to resume his former rank in the American
Army, which invitation was accepted. In this capacity he served through-
out the war until 1784, at which time he was elected a member of the General
Assembly from the city of New York. He died at Tappan, March 15, 1802.
THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT
607
Although the great chain was not made at the Durham fur-
nace, some honor remauis for Bucks County, as it appears that
it was fabricated at the SterHng plant by Abel Noble, one of her
sons.
:iGHTEEN LINKS OF THE WEST POINT CHAIN
at the Chicago Historical Society
Photograph August, 1937
FOUR LINKS OF THE WEST POINT CHAIN
Now in the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C.
Photograph November 3, 1937
"ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN NOBLE, TOWNSEND &
COMPANY, PROPRIETORS OF THE STERLING IRON WORKS,
IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK, OF THE ONE PART AND HUGH
HUGHES, D. Q. M. G. TO THE ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES,
OF THE OTHER PART, WITNESSETH:"
"That the said Noble, Townsend & Company, jointly and severally
engage to have made and ready to be delivered at their Wirks to the said
Hugh Hughes, D. Q. M. G. or to the D, Q M. G. of the Middle Department
for the Time being, on or before the first Day of April next ensuing the Date
hereof, or as much sooner as circumstances will admit, an Iron Chain of the
following dimensions and Quality, that is, in Length five hundred yards —
each Link about two feet long, to be made of the best Sterling Iron, two
inches and one quarter square, or as near thereto as possible, with a Swivel
to every hundred feet, and a Clevis to every thousand feet, in the same manner
as those of the former Chain."
608 THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT
"The said Noble, Townsend & Company also engage to have made and
ready to be delivered at least twelve tons of Anchors of the aforesaid Iron,
and of such Sizes as the said Hugh Hughes or his Successors in Office shall
direct, in writing, as soon as the completion of the Chain will admit."
"In Consideration of which the said Hugh Hughes, in behalf of the United
States, agrees to pay the said Noble, Townsend & Company, or their Order,
at the rate of £440 for every ton weight of Chain and Anchors (presumably
Continental money) delivered as before mentioned, unless the General Regu-
lations on Trade, Provisions &c., which are now supposed to be framed by
Deputies from the United States shall be published and take effect before
the expiration of four Months from the date of this; in which case the price
is to be only £400 per ton for the said Chains and Anchors. The Payment,
if demanded, to be made in such proportion as the Work shall be ready to
be delivered, which shall be determined in ten Days after requisition made
by a number of competent Judges, not less than three nor more than five,
unconcerned with the Proprietors, or the Works, and if condemned, to be
completed at the expense of the said Company, who are also to Repair, as
aforesaid, all failures of their Work, whenever happening, whether at the
Works or River, or in extending it across."
"The said Hugh Hughes also engages to procure of the Governor of the
State, for the said Noble, Townsend & Company, an exemption for nine
Months from the Date hereof, from Millitary Duty, for sixty Artificers that
are steadily Employed at the said Chain and Anchoirs, till completed. Agree-
able to the said Exemption, the said Company complying with the Terms
thereof; Providing also that the said Company give the said Hugh Hughes,
or his Successors in Office, the Refusal, by Letter, of all the Bar Iron, Anchors,
&C., made at the said Works in the said Term of nine Months, at the current
Price, unless what is necessary to Exchange for Clothing and other Articles
for the Use of the Works."
"It is also Agreed, by the said Parties, that if the Teams of the said Com-
pany shall transport the said Chain or Anchors, or any Part thereof, to any
assigned Post, they shall receive for such Services the same Pay as shall be
given by the United States for the like; the Teams of the Company being
exempted from Impress by and of the Q. M. G.'s Deputies during the space
of nine Months."
"Lastly, the said Company engage to LTse their utmost endeavors to
keep seven Fires at Forging and ten at Welding, if assisted with such Hands
as are necessary and can be spared from the Army, in case of their not being
able to procure others, the said Company making deduction for their Labor."
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have interchangeably Subscribed
their Names this second Day of February, one thousand seven hundred and
seventy-eight, and in the second Year of American Independence."
Peter Townsend
In Behalf of Noble & Company
In presence of Hugh Hughes
P. Tillinghast" In Behalf of United States"
THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT
609
COPIED FROM THE ORIGINAL IN THE NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
WASHINGTON'S HEADQUARTERS, NEWBURGH, NEW YORK
Messers Thomas Machin & John Nicoll
For the United States of America
To Robert Erskine,
Ringwood, Dr.
No. of
No. of
No. of
1777
Clips
Links
Bolts
By Whom Carted
Weight
August
21 To 27
18
Henry Cole
1- 0- 1-
Septemr
8
11
Ditto
4- 0-21
9
19
18
Robert Davenport
16- 1-21
October
2
18
27
18
Patrick McDougland's Negroe
19- 2-
4
14
21
14
William Clark
15- 0- 7
6
16
15
16
Richard Goldsmith, Junr.
15- 2-14
-
18
30
42
18
Ditto
Jonathan Wythe
1- 1- 1-
15- 0-21
24
24
Ditto
15- 0- 7
"
16
24
16
Coleman Curtis
18- 2- 7
"
14
21
14
James Runels
15- 3-14
'.
28
30
12
28
David Sutherland
John Mandevill
1- 0- 3-
15- 1-
"
28
27
Henry Vandousar
15- 3- 7
Novemr
1
51
37
22
at Ringwood
Waste
2- 1- 1-
1- 7- 0-
303 276 197
46 Setts of Clips, Bolts & Chains Compleat
Tons 14-17- 0- 7
14-17- 0- 7
29:' 4 Setts Clips & 3 li Setts Bolts
101 Bars 2 inch Chain Iron 3- 8- 0-21
100 Bars U^ Inch ditto 2-10- 1- 7 5-18- 2-
T. C. O, lbs
Tons 20-15- 2- 7 @ 140 £2908-18- 9
To Making 14-17- 0- 7 of Bar Iron into the above into
Bolts & Chains
To Carting the First two Loads Wt. 1- 4- 1-21
140 2079- 8- 9
12- 4- 4>2
By Cash Received in part of Capt. Machin's Order
on Capt. Nicoll for £2,000
£5000-11-10^2
1300- 0-
Balance £3700-11-10^2
N. B. This Account shall be further credited with the
above 5-18- 2- of Iron made for the Boom &
Moving Chain if not wanted by the States Amounting to 829-10-
Which will reduce the Balance to £2871- 1-10>^
610 THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT
INVOICE FOR BOOM PLACED IN FRONT OF THE WEST POINT
CHAIN
The following bill is for the boom, that for the chain has not been found:
Quarter Master General By Messieurs Thomas Machin and John Nicoll
To Noble & Townsend, Dr.
No. No. No. No. No. No.
1777 CHps Chains Swivels devices Bolts Bands By whom sent
Aug.'^6 24
6
24
Daniel McConn
21 24
6
24
Francis Welding
21 20
5
20
Amos Miller
23
3
6 6
6 Francis Welding
Sep. 2 16
8
16
David Sutherland
6 12
6
12
D. McConn as far as Thorn's
17 12
8
12
Patrick Sutherland
25 12
9
12
2 David Sutherland
Oct. 2
9
Daniel McConn
Nov. 13 22
1
1 22
Solomon Curtis
Still at works
18
36
And one lod was sent by the
Clove that 1 have not got
142
58
21
7 184
8 the number Clips &c.
£ s. d.
To making 29,249 lbs. cH
ps, chains &c at Is. 3d.
2,453- 1- 3
Tons C. Qrs.
The Wgt. is
17-10- 1
of Boome Iron &c.
at 140s 2,453- 1- 3
1777, June 19
20- 0-
Bar Iron by my team
at 140s 140- 0-
24
30- 0-14
do
do
at 140s 210-17- 6
26
20- 0- 4
do
Col. Curlies
at 140s 140- 5-
July 7
20- 0-
do
Our team
at 140s 140- 0-
7
8- 0-14
do
Sam. Brusterat 140s 56-17- 6
1778, Jan. 20
10- 0-14
do
Mandeville
at 330s 167- 1- 3
28
10- 1-14
at 330s 171- 3- 4
Carting 78 of Boome Bar Iron
12-16-
£5,945- 3- 1
Aug.
By Cash paid Mr.
Hawxhurst
£ 500- 0-
Sep. 14
By Cash
1,000- 0-
Nov. 14
By Cash
paid Nathaniel Satly
240- 0-
Feb. 2
By Cash
recived by Col. Hughes
Balance due
4,027- 0- 5,747- 0-
£ 198- 3- 1
THE GREAT CHAIN AT WEST POINT 611
The United States of America
To Thomas Machin^ Dr.
For Travelling expenses and Money paid out in their Service from January
1, 1778 to Sept. 20, agreeable to the Account hereunder.
Here follows a detailed account amounting to £ 126- 1- 6
In presenting the above bill he refers to the chain as the
"New Chain," and to the boom as "Chain Logs," stating that
the chain logs were taken to West Point on April 7, 1778, and
the New Chain taken down April 16, 1778, and stretched across
the river on April 30, 1778. It further appears that the Great
Chain was loosened at one end during the winter and allowed
to swing down stream.
AUTHORITIES CONSULTED
Obstructions to the Navigation of the Hudson River by E. M. Ruttenber
(1860).
History of West Point by Edward C. Boynton (1863).
History of Iron in All Ages by Dr. James M. Swank (1892).
Rand, McNally & Company's Guide to the Hudson (1895).
History of Bucks County by Gen. W. W. H. Davis (1876 and 1905).
The Sterling Furnace and the West Point Chain by Macgrane Coxe (1906).
The Hudson River Chain at West Point. Paper read before the His-
torical Society of the Town of Warwick, N. Y., by Katharine Byvanack
Donovan.
3 Thomas Machin was boj-n in Staffordshire, England, March 29, 1741.
He took up his residence in Boston, and, espousing the popular feelings of
the times, made one of the tea-party in 1773; was wounded at Bunker Hill
while acting as Lieutenant of Artillery. He continued in service until the
close of the war, having attained the rank of Captain of Artillery, and died
April 3, 1816, at the age of 72. (Sims' History of Schoharie County.)
Historic Saint James Church, Bristol, Pa.
By rev. GEORGE E. BOSWELL, S. T. B., BRISTOL, PA.
(Meeting at Walnut Grove Farms, October 9, 1937, at the country home of Hon. Joseph R.
and Miss Margaret R. Grundy, on the Neshaminy in Bristol Township.)
THE invitation to read a paper here today on historic Saint
James Church of Bristol, was accepted by me with a deep
sense of profound privilege; for to my mind the history of
such a parish merits not only our consideration, but also in
reality it should be a stirring challenge to all.
Saint James is a parish of pre-revolutionary war days, and
of course, no institution which has reached even fifty or a hun-
dred years in age, ever attempts to camouflage its age; that is,
pretends to be younger than it really is. On the contrary his-
toric institutions flaunt their age in one's face, proclaiming it by
every available means. This year marks the 225th anniversary
of the completion of the first church building, of the fine old
parish, which we are considering. As a matter of fact, however,
church services were established in Bristol by the Church of
England a number of years before a building was erected. Frag-
mentary records show that as early as 1705 services were started
and maintained in Bristol by the Rev. Thorowgood Moore, the
rector of Saint Mary's Church, Burlington, N. J.^ Unfortunately
Reverend Moore was drowned while on his way back to England
in 1707, and for several years after his death, there was a lapse
in the maintaining of services in Bristol.
In a letter written by the Rev. John Talbot in 1712, he speaks
of the pious memory of the Rev. Thorowgood Moore, and of the
church at New Bristol, stating, "I crossed the water, at my own
cost to serve those poor people, who lived in Darkness, and the
shadow of death, in the midst of Heathenism, Atheism and
Quakerism but it pleased God, by our preaching the Word, in
season and out of season, some came to. believe and were bap-
tized. Two of the chief people there were Mr. John Rowland
and Mr. Anthony Burton who were willing to undertake to build
a Church there, which they have since done." He further
1 Burlington in New Jersey is almost opposite across the Delaware River
from Bristol in Pennsylvania.
HISTORIC ST. JAMES CHURCH, BRISTOL, PA. 613
states "that he gave them five pounds and a pulpit of black wal-
nut which cost as much more, to encourage them." He promised
to lay the need of Bristol for a church, before the Society of the
Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts in England. This
he did, for in the notes of his early travels he speaks of visiting
with the Rev. George Keith in 1703 the various places in America
where they established congregations, and he mentions New
Hamshire, New Bristol and other places.
It is definitely established that on Saint James day, July
25, 1712, the church at New Bristol was dedicated and the first
sermon was preached in the new church building by Rev. Mr.
Philips. A brief record of that opening service states that the
church was full of people from all parts who were liberal con-
tributors to it. In 1714, the Rev. John Talbot, who was then
rector of Saint Mary's at Burlington, speaks of preaching in
Bristol on the Sunday afternoons until he was taken ill. In
1715, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign
Parts dispatched Rev. Robert Walker to Burlington to care for
Saint Mary's Church there, and he was given also provisional
charge of the churches at New Bristol, Pa. and Hopewell, N. J.
In 1722, a brief letter written by Rev. John Talbot throws a
little light on the church at Bristol. He states, "We went to
New Bristol, Penna., in order to call the people to Church, but
they had almost lost their way, as the building was so overgrown
with bushes, they could scarcely find the Church." It would
seem, that the Bristol parish had been unattended for some
time. In 1723, Rev. John Talbot reported that the. church at
Bristol was vacant, namely, had no minister, but shortly after
that Rev. William Harrison, who was stationed at Hopewell,
N. J., and Maidenhead, N. Y., was transferred for a time to
Bristol.
The church at Bristol was looked after for the most part
during its early years by the rector of Saint Mary's, Burlington.
Rev. John Talbot died in 1727 and Rev. Robert Weyman under-
took to carry on the work at Bristol, at the earnest solicitation
of the people there. He did a real work, for under him the
congregation of Saint James rapidly increased. In 1735, Rev.
William Lindsay. was appointed to Bristol and other neighboring
parishes as an itinerant missionary. In 1740, Rev. Colin Camp-
bell was appointed to succeed Rev. Lindsay at Burlington; and
614 HISTORIC ST. JAMES CHURCH, BRISTOL, PA.
he also took charge of the work at Bristol and at Mt. Holly, N. J.
He remained in charge until his death in 1766.
In 1767, Rev. Jonathan Odell succeeded Rev. Campbell at
Burlington, and he also took charge of the work at Bristol. He
was a loyalist refugee, during the war of independence and
escaped to England.
During the Revolutionary War the church at Bristol suffered
greatly. It was at that time, that rum was brought into the
colonies and great quantities of it came to Bristol. The moral
tone of society was so degenerated, that the church was virtually
forgotten, and the building fell into utter decay. The rector
who was thought to be loyal to the Crown was driven out and
the venerable house of God was desecrated and dismantled,
after having served the community for three-quarters of a cen-
tury as the only church, save the Quaker meeting house. The
fine Communion Silver given by Queen Ann was stolen ; many of
the records were lost, the graves of many notable people were
trampled upon by man and beast, and the church building for a
while was occupied by a troop of American cavalry, the pews
being used as stalls for the horses. Nothing was saved but two
chairs and a table from the chancel, the gift of Sarah Keene, a
famous woman, whose home still today stands as a residence for
aged women of decadent fortunes.
After the war, the building for a number of years was aban-
doned and became nothing more than a rook's nest. The frag-
mentary records show, however, a continued thread of existence
for the parish, for in 1809 there was a minister in charge ap-
pointed by the first diocesian convention organized in Pennsyl-
vania. This clergyman soon despaired, for it seemed more
difficult to re-establish the church, than it did to organize it a
century before.
The Rev. James Andrews, who later became the Provost of
the University of Pennsylvania, followed, and he succeeded in
getting some little interest. Under him the building was tem-
porarily repaired and put into fairly good shape. In 1839, a
famous wedding took place in Saint James, that of Robert Tyler,
son of President-elect Tyler, and Elizabeth Cooper, the daughter
of Thomas Cooper, the famous English actor. There were other
notable events also.
Real growth, however, for the parish came when Rev. Henry
HISTORIC ST. JAMES CHURCH, BRISTOL, PA. 615
Bartow, of Long Island, became rector. He was a man of
unusually strong character, and was wealthy in his own right.
He, through his personal friends, collected money to rebuild the
church on the same site, as the original building. The cost of
rebuilding and refurnishing the church was $13,000, a perfect
marvel of cheapness, because much of the labor was given by
interested and willing workmen. It is of Byzantine architecture,
of brown stone with a seating capacity of 400. The building is
covered with English ivy, some of which had died out during the
recent hard winters, but which has been replaced this past year.
In 1857, the new building was consecrated by Bishop Samuel
Bowman in the presence of a large number of clergy and a great
congregation of people. Trees were planted in the church yard,
and many of the famous graves were again put into decent shape,
and the entire church yard was made a respectable resting place
for the dead. There are many revolutionary war graves there,
and some of the notable ones, are that of Captain John Greene,
whose vessel was the first to carry the American flag around the
world; also Thomas Cooper, the renowned English actor, and
the DeNormandie family who held feudal estates in France and
who fled to America as persecuted Huguenots.
In 1877, a large Parish House of brown stone was erected
and paid for by the efi'orts of the women of the parish. This
is still used today by the Sunday School and for all social activi-
ties of the parish.
The first rectory of the parish was given by one of the charter
members of the church, but it was sold after the revolutionary
war to help repair the church building. Two other rectories
have been lost, due to the nonpayment of taxes.
One of the most regrettable incidents in the long history of
Saint James' parish was the petty dissension in the Sunday
School which in 1885 caused a split in the congregation. A new
church was formed by the dissenting members against the wishes
of the Bishop and the Convocation, but after fourteen years,
it was recognized as Saint Paul's church, whose rector was the
late Thomas Garland, who later became the Bishop of Pennsyl-
vania. Neither congregation flourished, for a house divided
against itself cannot but fail. Finally both congregations again
merged into one, and after a year under the diplomatic leader-
ship of Rev. Robert Morgan the breech was healed. The frame
616 HISTORIC ST. JAMES CHURCH, BRISTOL, PA.
building which had been erected by Saint Paul's congregation
was sold to the Lutheran congregation and the money used to
purchase the present rectory of the parish.
The most notable gift of recent years is the magnificent
stained glass window over the altar, which was given by Mrs.
Theresa Grooves, daughter of Arthur Dorrence, one time senior
warden of the parish. It is considered one of D'Ascenzio's
finest windows and cost $10,000 and $1,000 to install it. The
Rev. H. Stuart Paynter was then rector of the church.
During the last decade extensive repairs have been made to
the rectory, church and parish house, and much of the indebted-
ness of the parish has been reduced, and a great many have
been added to the church roll by confirmation. Several memo-
rials, silver alms basins, lectern and pulpit lights, front door
lantern and baptismal bowl have been given and dedicated.
No one could adequately estimate the output of such a historic
parish as Saint James, Bristol. To have weathered the storms;
the strain and stress of the years is an achievement to be proud
of, and it is a challenge to all today to March Forward and
Right Onward. For two and a quarter centuries of time. Saint
James church has served the community, through times of war
and peace, through consecration and desecration, through divine
worship of the faithful and through defilement of vandals.
Truly this fine old church is a sacred relic of the past and an
inspiring symbol of Christianity of the present. Historic Saint
James has behind it a great heritage, one which is well worth
preserving and building upon. To have a past tense calls for
devotion and inspiration, and Saint James church today stands,
as it always has stood, ready to welcome all who seek its minis-
trations and to bestow God's blessing on all who enter its sacred
portals.
.LAUREL" ,
BOOK SERVICE
MJHKlHflMMIIlBOEOtCHl
HAZLETON. PE;^^^
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