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MARK TWAIN’S scRap moK.

PA T P N T S :

UNITKD S TATES, GREAT BRITAIN. FRANCE.

June 24th, 1873. May i6th, 1877. May i8th, 1877.

TRADE MARKS:

UNITED STATES. ' GREAT BRITAIN.

Registered No. 5,896. Registered No. 15,979.

DIRECTIONS.

Use but little moisture, and only on the gummed lines. Press the scrap on without wetting it.

DANIEL SLOTE N: COMPANY,

NEW YORK./ f

| likely to be Serviceable for many ve come, stands a little removed from any pm. (r°ad. The barn which stood here in Rovo- | intionary times, is gono, bat in its place is a From, < &. j substantial structure, in keeping with the ■ other appointments of the farm, erocted ip j 1S03. The buildings, occupying a level situa- i tion amid a sea of living green, form a very 4 pleasant picture these sunny summer days, j Ear as the eye can reach are well cultivated Fate, .f | farms. Near at hand is Twitt creek, and just ; beyond it a spring gushes forth cool and sparkling, one of the strongest in all the country round, its waters contributing much to WV' : ': - " v>-' swell the little creek, to conceive of which as furnishing the power for a mill requires, it must be admitted, a rather unusual stretch of y PtEY FORGE! the imagination. There were many queer nooks and corners The Patriotic Memories That Cluster all over the house, a few of which still re¬ main, including some curious closets upstairs. Round the Vicinity. The massiveness of the stonework gave op¬ portunity for the construction of these curi¬ ous receptacles, which the thrifty lionsewifo GENERAL WAYNE’S HEADQUARTERS. of Revolutionary times, and her successors many years later, knew how to employ to Nooka and Corners of the Old House advantage for storing such articles as were used only a portion of each year. -The Wayne Residence Near PaoU A portion of the particulars given here were as seen by Mrs. Holstein ~ His obtained from Mrs. Anna M. Holstein, the Career and Services to the Revo¬ estimable woman whose patriotic devotion to lutionary Cause. to the sick and wounded Union soldiers in war time has become familiar to all. Her husband’s family are relatives of the Waynes,, Before entering upon the completion of the William H. Holstein’s grandmother, Eliza¬ description of Wayne’s Headquarters, it may beth Wayne, being a sister of the General’s be remarked that no section of Pennsylvania, father. Mrs. Holstein obtained from Wil¬ .indeed, of the whole country, is so rich in liam H. Walker’s mother, who died four years histone and patriotic memories as that por- ago, many particulars of interest. Mrs. Hol¬ tion 0f Montgomery and Chester connties stein says in an unpublished journal contain¬ Schnvlt3!,1 v A ed WUhiu th0 limits of the ing many facts in relation to Valley Forge : “ Waynesborough, near Paoli, was the ValievValley ForgePo clusterey‘ ArRevolutionary°nnd the heiKhts recollec¬ of home and residence of General Anthony tions and traditions that arc endnring Al- Wayne. While his son, Col. Isaac Wayne Zi ev/70ldl0a<1 that lGads t0 011 ^ of the and his wife were liviDg, I frequently visited toids of the river, recalls the story of some the place, though, at that time, being an in¬ demonstration by Washington’s troops. The valid, his mind and memory were much im¬ associations are well calculated to arouse paired. Mrs. Wayne related to me many in¬ pride in one’s country and to stimulate every patriotic impulse. y cidents of interest concerning her husband’s father in Revolutionary days. At one time a Everyone who comes here from whatever party of British soldiers visited the house in portion of this great republic, should be the search of him and would not believe but that better for ins visit. Whoever walks upon the he was secreted somewhere in the rooms, soil hallowed by the deeds, and consecrated though positively assured that he was not. In by the graves of Revolutionary heroes, should their quest they ransacked the old garret, feci au interest in their story. Whoever whore was stored a quantity of flax and tow, gazes upon the magnificent view which i n large boxes and barrels. Into these they Washington beheld on that memorable morn- ithrust their swords and bayonets so that, if no-n roh a ^nuc^red and eighteen years any one had been there he could not have es¬ i ° ’ ,whGn the encampment at Valley Forge caped. The General at the time was at his was broken up and the army marched away headquarters. ^“rf'CtSat Monmouth a”d elsewhere “In this house six generations of Waynes i c J 1 mudlaT a new Aspiration from the ; sceue. There lingers still and will remain on have lived. The parlor on the right hand as you enter the hall was to me a place of great i y i}e)Sht and in every vale for ages to interest, for the reason that it remains, with I C,°me a hal° that cannot grow dim, a renown furniture unchanged, just as it was in General | that cannot fade. Future generations will Wayne’s time. The same carpet was on the tofre^T °°k nPOn tbe ground dedicated to freedom by sacrifice and heroism, and a

ijfasluoned mirror, which mast Iiave I two large tracts "of wild laud bought by Dr. ol’ sidered very handsome in its day, Franklin and others in Nova Scoria. , 5; tag osite the mantel. The chairs and After two yeai'i he returned, marrying in -S p. qnaint and old-fashioned, bat very May, 1766, Mary^ daughter of Bartholomew uu.iiusoiln?, and they remained jastwherethey Penrose, a prominent merchant of Philadel¬ stood in the General’s time—he has been dead phia. He took a leading part at home in the a hundred years. My husband’s father and events which led to a union of the colonies to mother, Col. George W. Holstein and Eliza¬ resist British aggression, and recruiting a regi¬ beth Hayman, a niece of the' Gencrglj were ment in Chester county for the Continental married in this room.” > ! service. Somewhat vain as to his personal In this connection it may be mentioned by | appearance, he was the soul of truth and ,, way of correcting an erroneous impression j honor. A born fighter, love of glory and of conveyed in a previous paper (in the Herald [ country were his leading passions. It is un- & of the 2d inst.), that the spring at the side of | necessary to trace his connection' with the the road which passes along the bank of Canadian campaign, Ticonderoga, Brandy¬ Valley creek, a half-mile or more above the u wine, Germantown and the events leading up Washington Headquarters, was not known at to Valley Forge, or subsequently bis actions all in Washington’s time. Mrs. Holstein’s at Monmouth, Stony Point, in the Virginia father-in-law, Col. George W. Holstein, was campaign, at Yorktown and in Georgia, his Supervisor of Upper Merion in the early thir¬ successful campaign against the Indians after ties, and, under his direction, the present road the defeat of Harmpr and St. Clair—all there was made in place of that previously existing, are matters of history which are or should be but little more than a bridle path. At that I familiar to all. He died at Erie, December time the spring was discovered, and, in spite 15, 1796, in the fifty-second year of his age. I| of the fact that a later owner of this particular His remains were bhried there but were sub- I tract, who was misinformed as to its an¬ seqnently removed' to St. David’s Church, I tiquity, persisted in calling it the Washington Badnor, where an appropriate monument was | spring, it has recently been, and properly I erected. should be, known as the Holstein spring, and as such should be familiar to future visitors to the spot. It may not bo out of place before leaving the subject of Wayne’s headquarters, to give a brief sketch of the career of the man who From, has made the place famous, by way of filling up the outline already drawn of his character. It is a well kno wn fact that scarcely an im¬ portant movement was undertaken by Wash¬ ington without consulting him, as his letters and other indisputable evidence clearly prove. When the day came to evacuate the Date, camp at Valley Forge, and to march to the Schuylkill and over Sullivan’s bridge on a route that led to Monmonth in pu retreatipg British^ Wayne urged tl of the Delaware immediately, dk army of every article of incumbr vigorous and serious attack on the use his own language. He is so cl History of 5 tilled with the struggle that his bi in a large measure, a history of events of the War of Independedc An Interesting Account of Gerhard In denoniPa»y • His family, originally English, , ,. , ,, _., . , , . planted to Ireland, his grandfatl His Family-hirst House in the Village reign of Charles II., having taken Su of an estate in the county of Wi pack—Michael Ziegler and Descend commanded a troop under King 2 I the battle of the Boyne, renae J (Written expressly for the Transcript by .Tames V. Hoc. 3 gnished services; The grandfat:_,- came to Pennsylvania, bringing with him Gerhard In den hoffen. four sous, and purchasing sixteen hundred acres in Chester Valley which he called ’T has already been stated that Ger¬ Waynesborough. The portion received by hard In den Hoffen and his brother his youngest son, Isaac, the father of the Herman purchased from Mathias General, was 500 acres near Paoli. Here his Van Bebber four hundred and forty only son, Anthony, was born January 1, 1745, acres of land in 1706, and this I land is right here in Skippack- his mother being Elizabeth Iddings, a woman of great earnestness and force of character. ville. The tract was iHO perches, cl¬ Young Wayne grew up with a fondness for one mile in length, along the line of military pursuits, but became a surveyor, like Lower Salford,or of Bebber’s township, Washington, his friend and compatriot in and 220 perches wide, extending on after years, and was sent to locate and_ settle both sides of the present, Stfippack road. _ Jma mill was built fjrerhard In den Hoffen Any one who will take the trouble to could not attend to both his farm and look, will see that the line on the west mill, but that lie rented the mill away. side going up the road from Isaac For we find that an effort was made by Hallman’s northwest, all the way up Jacob Reiff and others to have a road . to the crossroad above the village, is laid out across country to this mill, yet a straight line and has not been which appears to have been operated changed since it was laid down there by Felix Good. Jacob Reiff’s resi by Mr. Van Bebber and Mr. In den dence was on the Little Branch, in Hoffen nearly twTo hundred years ago. I Lower Salford, where Henry Houpl As there were no landowners at that now lives. A petition was presented time yet, we wiil state that Andrew at the court of Quarter Sessions in Schrager soon afterward purchased the Philadelphia, “in the tenth year of farm above, which afterward became I the reign of our Sovereign Lord, George | the Ziegler farm, and on the w est side ! the Second, by the grace of God King of Schrager, Gerhard Clemens pur¬ gf Great Britain, France and Ireland, chased one hundred acres. Farther Defender of the Faith,’’ September 6, down, where Rev. Jacob B. Mensch 1736, before Clement Plu instead and now lives, afterward lived Jacob Up eight Esquires, Justices of the Peace den Graeff about thirty years on his for the sajd county of Philadelphia, hundred acre farm. praying for a road from Isaac Klein’s, I Gerhard In den Hoffen was a son of now Harleysville, to Felix Good’s mill. ! Evert (or Eberhard) in den Hoffen, , But it then appears that the owners w'ho came from Muehlheim on the and distances in some cases had nol Kuhr, to Pennsylvania with three sons, been correctly given. It was also re¬ Herman, Gerhard, Peter, and ;i daugh¬ presented in the petition that the road ter Annecke, in 1698. The In den was to accommodate the people going Jjoffens were not Mennonites but Re- to the church—the Skippack Reformed forrned, and were instrumental in or¬ church, which was then standing. Bm ganizing the Skippack Reformed by the same review it was found thal church. the road would not be nearer than On May 2, 1723, Gerhard and wife seventy-seven perches to the house of Mary and Herman In den Hoffen and worship at the nearest place. It was wife Ann, granted by conveyance two then stated that the road leading to hundred acres of their tract, at the i Samuel Morris’ mill (Morris road) was : upper end, to Peter Jansen, (now’ writ¬ near enough for the accommodation oi ten Johnson). After this transaction the church. At that time Jacob Reiff j these brothers separated ; Gerhard took owned nearly all the land between charge of all the remaining land, which Morris Road and Gerhard In den ? was two hundred and forty acres, Her¬ ! Hoffen’s plantation, and the latter was man purchased two hundred acres in ; perhaps as much interested in the wel¬ Lower Providence, near the present fare of that church as any one, so that Evansburg, where he lived m 1734, and he as a natural consequence took an { was rated for that number of acres. active part in getting a road to his In order that he could build a mill mill. But seeing that these men were on the Skippack creek, Gerhard In den seeking their own interest in getting j Hoffen purchased two additional small the road, there was a strong opposition tracts of land adjoining the lower end to it, and the road was not granted. of his already large tract, and thereon built a grist and saw mill, which un¬ The First House In Skippackville. doubtedly was the identical old mill The first house in Skippackvilie un¬ torn aw’av and rebuilt by J. Jacob doubtedly was built by Gerhard In den Smith about twenty years ago. Hoffen on the west side of the road n at On December 9, 1706, Dirk and Wil¬ far from the stream on land now owned liam Renberg purchased from Mathias by A. H. Seipt, on the lot occupied La Van Bebber three hundred acres of his laborer, and stood back from the land in the eastern corner of the town¬ road. And here Gerhard In den Hoffen ship, and on November 16, 1721, Dirk, kept a public house for which he had William, John and Elias Kenberg sold a license in 1713. Licensed houses one hundred and fifty acres of then- , were not numerous in those days. land to George Markle, who afterward This shows that he tried to keep on lived where Jesse Freeman’s residence the safe side, while to-day many others now is. And on the 16th of November, run the risk of the law in keeping 1725, those four brothers sold the re¬ public houses. Mr. Dotterel-, in his maining one hundred and fifty acres Perkiomen Region, on page 59, speak¬ to Hubert Cassel, who afterward sold ing of Martin Bitting, says: “In 1712 twenty-two and a half acres along the he applied for a license to keep a pub¬ Skippack to Gerhard In den Hoffen. lic house at his dwelling place located But this did not quite answer his pur¬ ih Hanover township, on the new road pose, and therefore he purchased two between Yoder’s mill and the Great acres and sixty-four perches additional road to Philadelphia by way of Farrn- from George Markle and wife Catha¬ ; er’s mill; he was half way between rine. It would appear that after this 1 Garret Dehaven’s, a distance of twenty- ive nii i./ ___ _ ng, ana died sometime Ijou^e of entertainment, afterward, the same year.. The will is T,.It would seem------as if Gerhard and only short, lie had only two children, {ferman In den Hoffen had implicit and the daughter was already dead. Confidence in each other or were un¬ Had 1 known or even thought that 1 duly careless, for it was not until Oc- would write this sketch, 1 would have tober 31, 1715, that Herman In den taken a copy of the will, but having "Often and wife Ann granted to Ger¬ no such thought at the time 1 saw it, hard, his brother, a conveyance and rook only a few notes. confirmation of title—twenty-two years The name In den Hoffen has under¬ after the sale of two hundred acres to gone a great change. It was soon He ter Johnson, and about that long al¬ changed to Indeliaven and afterward ter their separation! And we have the “In” was cut off, and the name is every reason to believe they were men now written Dehaven, ln den Hoffen of integrity and great force of char¬ is Dutch. In German it is In den acter. llafen. In sailor’s language it signi¬ In the years 1745, ’46 and ’47 there fies a place where ships may safely were a number of deaths in this small ride at anchor in time of storm. In village. Apparently in the forepart of general terms it means a' place of the summer of 1745 Peter Johnson safety, a place of rest. We find the ?'7?0’ the 7th of September, name variously written in old manu¬ 1745, Ann Maria, wife of Gerhard In scripts, but the name is now written Hoffen, died; on September 10, Dehaven or Dellaven. 1745, their daughter Margaret, wife of -'ohn Keiter, died: and The will commences: “I, Gerhard .716, Gerhard In den Motion died, and (alias) Garret) IndenhotTea, of the a year later his son died also. Before township of Skippack and Perkiomen, the death of Peter Johnson, in .1754, do make this my last will and testa¬ Gerhard In den llofl'en purchased from ment.” As already stated, his daughter Mr. Johnson live acres of land which I Anna Margaretta was dead, so he de¬ was not confirmed to him by writing, vised all his lands, grist and saw mill, but was afterward confirmed to him by and plantation containing one hundred conveyance from his widow, the ad¬ and seventy-nine acres, to his son Ed¬ ministratrix, May 22, 1746. Peter ward, and to his grandson, Peter Kei¬ Johnson made his will dated April 22, ter, ten pounds when he should become 1745, but after his death, for some twenty-one years of age, and appointed | cause or other, the will was set aside his only son Edward as the sole execu¬ and letters of administration were tor. The witnesses to his will weiel granted to the widow, Catharine John¬ Peter Spycher and Robert Jones. We ' son. And yet so far as the bequests next find that on February 18, 1747, of his land were concerned, it appears letters of administration were granted they acted according to his will. Af¬ to Sarah, relict and widow of Edward ter the death of his wife, Gerhard Indenhoff’en, deceased, of New Provi¬ In don Hoffen sold to his son-in-law, dence township, and William Lnden- John Keiter, sixty-four acres and hoffen, of Whitpain township, stating, sixty-f*ur perches of land November that, whereas Edward indenhoff’en, who 27, 1745. was nominated executor of the last Gerhand in den Hoffen was an Elder will and testament of his father, Gar¬ in the Skippack Reformed church, and ret Indenhoff'en, died before the testa¬ ■‘there can be no doubt,” says Hon. ment of his father was proven, these Jones Detwiler, who is considered letters were granted. The administra¬ good authority, “that the Sldppack tors were bound in the sum of one Reformed church was first organized thousand pounds. And eight days la¬ in Skippack, and that for some time ter, on February 26, the widow had religious services were held in private her appraisement of all the real and houses among the early settlers.” personal property, valued at eight Rev. John Philip Boehm, who com¬ hundred pounds, tiled in the Register’s menced his ministry about the year orlice. The widow was quite prompt 1720, undoubtedly was instrumental in in settling up accounts, for on August organizing the church right here, in 10, 1747, we find her already filing her the public house of Gerhard In den statement which is entered in the fol¬ Hoffen, for if he had room enough to lowing words: “Account of Sarah In¬ accmommodate travelers, he also had dehaven, now the wife of Vetter Wal¬ room enough to hold religious services. ker, late the wife of Edward Dehaven, There may still be other reasons for late of the township of Skippack and that conclusion, but 1 omit them. Perliiomie. ” Then follows a long For further particulars of the Skip- statement which would be interesting pack Reformed church, see History of had 1 copied it. The statement is all Lower Salford, pages 100 to 110, and relative to personal property, and un¬ [iages 4L3 to 420. der those circumstances the whole es¬ On August 20, 1716, Gerhard Ln den tate went to the only grandchild, Peter llotfen made his last will and testa- Keiter, who was then only nine years of age. «nn " We next examine ffi e Ur'phanT'Coif ’ ,v he was^lar advanced' in and proceedings of that period, where we f his usual health was frequently inter- iincl that about the same time John j rupted. But in what year he came to Keiter entered his petition setting ' Pennsylvania is not positively known ; forth that the said Edward Indehaven $ although it is known that he was here was dead ; that he died intestate and I, in 1717, when he was appointed one of without issue, leaving- a widow ; that the trustees of the land of the Skip- lie was seized of considerable real and | pack Mennonite church. Neither is it personal estate, that he, John Keiter, known to the writer where he lived some time since was intermarried with at that time. Margaret Indehaven, only sister to Ed It has been mentioned in a previous ward, by whom she had issue, one son sketch, that Andrew Schrager pur¬ Peter Keiter; that his wife Magraret chased one hundred acres from Mathias was dead, whereby her son became f1 Van Bebber, December 16, 1709. This entitled to a part and share of his said ' ' tract some years later became the farm uncle Edward Indehaven’s estate, but of Michael Ziegler, and remained in ‘ 0 reason of his infancy, being1 only the Ziegler family one hundred and nine years of ago, he asked the said sixty-two years. Court for a guardian for his said son In the tenth year of the reign of Peter, whereupon the Court appointed Queen Anna over Great Britain, May his father, the said John Keiter. ( Un¬ . 1, 1711, (so says the conveyance) Ger¬ fortunately I have lost the date.) hard Clemens purchased from Mathias Cerhard Indenhoffen and his family VaiTBebber one hundred acres of laud are buried in the graveyard at the -. along the west side of Andrew Schra- Lower Skippack Mennonite church. ; ger’s land. It was located, as we shall I here are live stones bearing the fol- see, along the crossroad leading south¬ i lowing inscriptions: west from Ziegler’s schoolhouse, and B extending along the said road and HIEK LIEGT Johannes Colb’s land 160 perches to DEM LEI r another corner of Johannes Colb’s BE land; thence southeast 100 perches to nach gerhart . a stake; thence by a line of marked IN DEN HOFEEN WELC trees northeast 160 perches, partly a- HER ANE DIE WELT long the line of Herman In Hoveu’s GEBOHREN 1ST land (In den Hoff on) to a corner ol ANO 1687 j Andrew Schrager’s land; thence along GESTORBEN 1746 the said Schrager’s land northwest 100 ; perches to the place of beginning, at HIER LIGT I a corner of Johannes Colb’s land, BEGRABEN which was also a corner of Andrew ANNA MARIA Schrager’s land, at the present school INDENHOFFEN house. 1ST GESTORBEN Whether Gerhard Clemens, who came DEN 7 SEPTEM from Holland in 1709, and two years BER 1745 later purchased this tract, lived on il then we can not positively say, and il HIER RUHET DEM LE1BE ! he did live on it, whether he lived NACH where Abraham B. Kulp now lives, or EBERHART INDENHOFFEN • ] where Emanuel F. Hawk now lives, is WELCHER AUF DIESE another question. However, nine WELT GEBOHREN ! years later, in 1718, Gerhard Clemens : ANO 1708 DEN 17 AUG purchased from David Powel three 1 UND GESTORBEN hundred acres of land on the northeast i 1747 “Branch of the Parkahomy creek,” j i above the present Lederachville, and IIIER LIGT BEGRA y on December 18, 1724, Gerhard Clem¬ BEN ANNA MAR ens and wife Ann conveyed to Michael GARETTE KE1TERIN Ziegler fifty acres, being the one-half 1ST GESTORBEN f of his tract in Bebber’s township, as MIT HIRER ZW it was then called. These fifty acres El TOCHTERIN • lay along Andrew Schrager’ land, and DEN 10 SEPTEM included the present Borneman farm. BER 1745 It will thus be seen that this tract ol HIER LIGT 1 Gerhard Clemens’ land extended south BEGRABEN MAR I west from the present schoolhouse a GREDA KEITER1N ‘I full half mile, or about as far as to the 1748 B Mennonite church, while on the north- west side of the road, where Charles Michael Ziegler and His Descendants. k T. Johnson now lives, then lived John The subject of this sketch was prob¬ Kolb, and on the vacant farm still ably born about the year 1685, for w owned by Jacob S. Reiff, then lived when he made his will in 1763, he said j Jacob Kolb, while Andrew Schrager p* " " .... ,J jj then owned the late Ziegler farm. It ,i: ***> is pretty certain That Miciiaei Ziegler lived on the corner of his fifty acre *■ tliefe fterd' fdm-Ti'Und're'cI andnf tymires farm where Emanuel F. Hawk now in the Goshenhoppen -tract, that i t was lives, for the first, five years at least. situated on the Perkiomen creek, in But on May 3, 1727, Michael Ziegler Upper Hanover township, and that'th^ purchased from Andrew Schrager and sons, Andrew, Michael, Christopher^ and perhaps several sons-in-law, owned wife Barbara, _ their adjoining one- U hundred-acre paintation, thus increas¬ the land after the death of their ing his acres to one hundred and fifty. ' father. v'1 ; A Phis last tract extended 160 perches Michael Ziegler, Jr., and wife Cath¬ northeast along the line of Peter John¬ arine sold their tract containing 83 .acres to.J.ohn SchleighterforSchl ichter) son’s land to a corner in the line of Lower Salford; then along the said Aprif5, 1795, while Andrew and C’liris- ' topher still held their tracts. (See Salford line northwest 100 perches to a corner of Jacob Kolb’s land thence . Deed book 10, page 220, Norristown. by the same southwest 160 perches to Michael Ziegler was naturalized in the corner at the schoolhousethen 1731, was a weaver by trade, and in southwest 100 perches to the place of JVlei>h-PP-it;e history is represented as a beginning. minister of the gospel. He preached in Skippack and in Germantown. He (To be continued next week.) fmdhis wife Catherine had nine chil¬ dren, whose names were Andrew, Chris- Michael Ziegler commenced rather ■ topher, Michael, William, Gertrude, small, with fifty acres, when land was Susanna, Margareth, Catharine, and so cheap and plenty, but he w'as very Barbara. successful, for in the first month of Michael Ziegler, Sr., and wife Cath¬ 1728 he purchased four hundred acres in arine of “Perkyomie and Skepack” Goshenhoppen from the proprietors of township sold to their son Michael the government, and on the sixth day Ziegler, Jr., tanner, January 6, 1749— of the sixth month 1734, he was grant¬ 50 (1750), parts of three tracts of land, ed a patent for one hundred acres of . containing in all 78^4 acres, for 180 land in Lower Salford, just across the pounds- One tract in Skippack and line bordering his other land, and in¬ Perkiomen township, beginning at a cluded the farm now belonging to Na¬ stone, a corner of Dielman Kolb’s than Z. Keyser. After owning all those land, being also a corner of land late six hundred and fifty acres, he was ot.Peter-.Kolb, thence.by a line of said rated for only one hundred acres in Peter Kolb’s land southwest 47 1734. Thus we see that the assessor’s perches to a stone, thence by land of list of that date was very imperfect. We : Jacob.Gretter; (Grater) South 20 de¬ here have something to show of his grees, east 114 perches to a stone. accounts in the land office in Philadel¬ (This slanting line between Abraham phia. These accounts were kept by Kulp and John Borneman is still the James Steel. same.) Then northeast by said Gret- 1 mo 9 1732-3 Michl Ziegler Dr ter’s land and Walter Johnson’s land for 400 acres Surveyedto him respectively 26 perches to a stone, (be¬ at Cowisahopin In ye 1 mo 1728 at £16 pr ct. £61.00.0 ing 52 perches.) Then northwest parti) for Interest for 4 yrs A 2 mo by said Michael Ziegler., the father, on that Sum. 18 10 0 and partly by land next described 102 for Q.uitrent for 3 yrs since perches to the place of beginning, con¬ the survey.£1- 110 0 taining 46J£ acres, being part of 50 84.0.0 acres which Gerhard Clemens and wife 1 mo 9. 1732-3 Mich Ziegler Reed of him Quitrent for 100 Ann did grant to Michael Ziegler,- Sr., as near Bebber’s Town 15 December 18, 1722. years in Engsh. £0 15 0 The other tract containing three quarters of an acre was out of the other £ 1 2 6 1 mo 23. 1732-3 Michael Ziegler one hundred acre tract which had been reed of himself in full, viz purchased from Andrew Schrager and English Money. advance thereon at 60 pr ct. 8 0 0 wife in 1727, and contained the tan¬ nery. 21 7 0 The third tract being in Lower Sal¬ £2 11 8 Advance at 20 pr ct. 10 4 ford township, contained thirty-one and a quarter acres, and was bounded 3 .2 0 by lands of Jacob Reiff, Jacob Shoe¬ £9 14 9 maker, Michael Ziegler, the father, 1 13 6 and others. It was part of one hundred 11 S 3 acres granted by the proprietors of the In Paper Money. 48 3 0 Colonial Government, and was con¬ 84 0 0 firmed by a patent to Michael Ziegler 1 mo 18 1735-6 Michael Ziegler dated “ye sixth day of ye sixth month reed of him .Quitrent for 550 as Bebbers Tp & Cows, 3 vrs August, 1734”. But this tract of 31 - In full t .; £0 16-0 ", .... £1 4 9 acres was granted by the father and mother to their son Michael, January . Since writing the foregoing;we have 6, 17§0. Michael Ziegler, Sr., could investigated this matter, and find that not so much as write his name, but ■V,;' ' if - * ■cm his wife could, He made his mark 3 horses and 4 cows. At the same time thus M Z. William Ziegler was rated for one hun- his onrl tViirtv acres of land, two Michael M Z Ziegler, horses and live cows. mark Michael Ziegler, Sr., of the town¬ while his wife wrote her name in Ger¬ ship of Perkiomen and Skippack, made man G’athariua Zieglgrju. We will not his last will and testament in writing, ppmment on his fitness as a minister of dated February 7, 1763, and therein the gospel when he could not so much' says, he is far advanced in age, and jjs his parne. his usual health is frequently inter¬ ‘ Qn May 6, 17G2, Michael Ziegler, Sr., rupted. He provided well for his lov- wife Catharine sold to their son j ing wife Catharine, and gave nine Michael giegler, tanner, thirty-six pounds to the poor in his church, di¬ acres and sixty perches more of their recting the executors to pay the money }and. Six acres and ninety perches of j to the Elders of the congregation of this grant were in Lower "Salford and ! Mennonites in Skippack. Were woodland. The other twenty-nine He mentions nine children, whose acres and one hundred and thirty names were Andrew, Christopher, porches were cut out of the plantation Michael, William, Gertrude, Susanna, OP Which they resided and which was Margareth, Catharine, and Barbara, purchased from Andrew Schrager and ! deceased. She (Barbara) had been W.ife Barbara May 3, 1727. This tract married to a Kuth, and left a son Was twenty-four perches wide along the Michael Kuth, who was to have what * ‘Swamp” road and one hundred and yet remained of his mother’s share. Sixty perches northeast along the line The sons each had already seventy ,of Walter Johnson’s land. On the pounds, and the daughters each sixty Other sjde of the tract the line was ir¬ pounds, all except one. ‘ David Al- regular and was the same tract now be- lebaeh, married to my daughter Cath¬ Jopging to Emanuel H. Wasser, except¬ arine, has already forty four pounds, ing that the tract then was larger than fifteen shillings and five pence more in ft is now, having since been reduced hand than those sixty pounds given to in size. his wife, my daughter Catharine.’ By this time Michael Ziegler, Sr., The executors were ordered to balance and wife were well advanced in years, , up things so that each son would have and to reduce the cares of this world seventy pounds and each daughter sold the remainder of their woodland sixty pounds as a basis to start on. in Lower Salford to their sop, William Three months after his death each was Ziegler, -in two tracts, by deed granted ! t,o receive forty-four pounds, fifteen to the latter, dated November 18, 1762. shillings and five pence to make them The remaining part of the farm con¬ equal with his daughter Catharine. tained sixty-nine acres and fifty Her daughter Barbara after marriage perches, and the other tract, in Lower received only thirty-five^ pounds, Salford, contained sixty?six acres and i eight shillings" and two pence, there¬ one hundred and forty perches, which fore the grandson, Michael Kuth, was was part of one hundred acres granted to have sixty-nine pounds, seven shil¬ by John Penn, Thomas Penn and .Rich¬ lings and three pence which will make ard Penn, absolute proprietors of the his share, including his mother’s part, province of Pennsylvania, by a patent equal with the rest. And if Michael dated August g, 1734, This division Ruth should die under age his share gave William ope hundred fttld thirty- was to bo divided among the other six acres and thirty perches of land, heirs. “The orveiplus” or balance was i and Michael, Jr., one hundred and to be equally divided among them all. fourteen acres and one hundred and 1 His son William was not to have the forty perches. j balance of his share in hand, but the By Ihi? time Michael Ziegler, Sr., executors, Andrew and Michael, were had only a small tract of woodland in to keep it in hand and pay him the tjower Salford, remaining, which was interest at five per cent, annually until hot sold during his lifetime. The farm after his death, when they were to di¬ now owned by Nathan Z. Keyser, who vide it among his children as they be¬ I is a descendent of the Ziegler family, came of age. The same was to be done is part of the one hundred acre tract in with his daughter pa&aripe’s share. j Lower Salford, which was granted to David Allebach: was not to have it, Michael Ziegler in 1734. but the executors were to keep it in According to the census of Skippack hand and after her death pay it out to and Perkiomen township, in 1756 Mi¬ her children. This will was proven chael Ziegler, Jr., tanner, had three October 29, 1765, after the testator’s 1 children, and seventy-seven acres of death, by John Keiter and Abraham land—forty acres of it clear land. Wil¬ i Heydrick, witnesses, before Benj. liam Ziegler, weaver, had two children Chew, Keg. Genl. Book N, page 4o4, at that time, and was rated on one I Philadelphia hundred and twenty acres of land. In Andrew Ziegler, 1776 Michael Ziegler, tanner, is rated Andrew Ziegler, the oldest son, mar- on one hundred and sixty-acres of land, ied LJIeiman Weiss; Barbara, yyJfeoC David Buck- Kolb, whereby he became heir to a waiter, and Deborah, wife of David large estate. They had three sons, Longanecker. The two sons-in-law, Michael, Dillman, Andrew, and a Saniuel Bower and David Buck waiter, daughter Elizabeth, who married Ab¬ were appoj;ded executors. Jacob Long raham Detwiler, of Worcester town¬ and Jacob Garber were witnesses to ship. Dielman Kolb was a resident ol the will which was proven April 24, Lower Salford and was the owner ol 1804. See Book 2, page 379, Norris¬ a large tract of land southeast from town. Christopher Ziegler is buried Lederachville, and ,hj§ son-in-law, An¬ / • in Si?ippack Mennonite cemetery. drew Ziegler, became the ancestor of Age 9Q years, all the Zieglers who lived around Led- Samuel Mpygr, pf Frapepnia, who rachville and at other places. Andrew lived about a mile and a half north of Ziegler, grandson of Michael Ziegler, Harleysviile on the farm now owned by was a minister in the Menononite Jacob Frederick, mentions in his will church in Lower Salford. Andrew dated in 1763, that his granddaughter, Ziegler, the founder of Zieglerville, Barbara Zantes, is "now” married to was a member of this branch of the Mjchae} Ziegler, of "Cpshehoppa”. damily. Undoubtedly he was the son Pt Chris¬ \\ e will here add several items from topher Ziegler. Samuel Moyer had the docket Of Michael Croll, of Upper two children, Barbara and Anna. Bar¬ ■ Salford, which relate to the family : bara married George Delp, the ances¬ 'Dillman Ziegler, Jr. pf Eower Sal- tor of_ail the Delps in this part of the iord Township and Catharine Over- world)- and Anna married a Zantes. holtzer of the same place were Law- She died and left two children, Bar¬ ' fully Married and Joyned together in bara, then the wife of Michael Ziegler, ! Holy Matrimony this 6th day of Octo¬ and Anna who was yet single. ber 1791. ” From Saur’s Germafttown paper, No¬ "March 29, 1702, Andrew Ziegler vember 27, 1756: "Andreas Ziegler J r., and Catharine Lederach of Lower in Schipbach macht bekant-, dass sein Salford township, are Lawfully Mar¬ Sohn eine Sack-Uhr gefunden hat ried and Joyned together in holy Mat¬ zwischen seinem Haus und Michael rimony the 29th day of March 1'792. ” Ziegler’s, in der Strass. Wer sie .ver- For further particulars of this branch loren hat, wild die richtige Kenn- of the family see History of Lower Zeichen anzeigen Koennen ; er soli sie Salford, pages 117 to 135; or History abholen gegen Bezahlung dieser of the Kulp Family by I). K. Cassel, koste. ” 1895. Michael Ziegler, the Tanner. Christopher Ziegler. Michael Ziegler, the third son of Christopher Ziegler, the second son Michael Ziegler, senr., received by of Michael and CatharineZiegler, born purchase from his father one hundred in 1714, was a resident of Upper Han¬ and fourteen acres and forty perches over township, and undoubtedly owned of land including the tannery and all a large portion of his father’s large the buildings belonging to it. He did tract of land in Goshenhoppen. On a very extensive business in tanning June 9, 1856, Christopher Ziegler and of which there remains abundant evi¬ wife Deborah conveyed a small tract of dence. On December 15, 1773, he pur¬ iand containing three acres and 136, chased from John Keiter and wife perches to his neighbor, Herman fifty-one acres of land which he held Fisher. He was also one of the wit¬ until November 20, 1794. In 1776 he nesses to Herman Fisher’s will. There was assessed for one hundred and sixty is evidence to show that he was a man acres. He made his last will and tes¬ in very favorable circumstances and tament in writing dated January 24, was respected and beloved by his neigh¬ 1809, but lived until 1822, He men¬ bors. During the latter years of his tions eight children, Jacob, Isaac, Ab¬ life, after the death of his wife, it ap¬ raham, Dillman, Michael and Andrew, pears that he lived with one of his sons- both deceased, Catharine and Eliza¬ in-law in Providence township; for it beth. was there that he. made his last will Catharine was married to Jacob and testament in writing, dated No¬ Segler, apparently from Upper Hano¬ vember 6, 1796- In that instrument he ver township. Elizabeth had her says that he is widower, that he had second husband, Peter Yost; she was ten children—four sons and six daugh¬ first married to Abraham Krause. ters. Each of the children had al¬ Michael, deceased, left two grand¬ ready pne hundred pounds. The sons children, William and Andrew, each were MichaeJ, John, Andrew and of them were to have fifteen pounds. j Christopher, Jr., but John and An- Their father, Andrew Ziegler, had al¬ drew were dead. The daughters were ready five hundred pounds, so no fur¬ Catharine, deceased, wife of -Benjamin ther allowance could be made for Moyer; Hannah, wife of Martin Lan- grandchildren. Jacob and Abraham tes (Landes) ; Elizabeth, wife of Sam- were appointed executors. His plan¬ uel Bower; Susannah, wife of Jacob tation, containing one hundred and fourteen acres of land, with tannery, dwelling place and stable that beionge ^ 18o2T~TfieyT TTad only one to it, he devised to his son, Abraham child—Sarah, now Mrs. William F. Ziegler, for ope thousand five hundred Hallman, formerly of Skippack, but pounds, to be paid out in annual in¬ now of Norristowp. It is said of John stallments of three hundred pounds. Zie'gler that he __courted his wifeW1„ The estate was divided into eight twenty-one years before he married her. shares. The farm was then bounded! He must have thought it nice to have a by lands of Valentine Hunsieker, Henry sweetheart, but not necessary to have Kolb, Garret Ziegler and others. The! a wife so long as his sister kept house witnesses to his will were Garret Zieg¬ for him. ler, Andrew Ziegler and Henry' Mrs. Hallman has in her possession Schweitzer. The will was proven April a book written in German on music 3, 1822. By that time Andrew Ziegler and the various tones and semitones of was dead and his son Michael on affir the organ. All parts of the organ are mation declared that the handwritin drawn out in diagrams and described was that of his father, Garret Ziegler. in the book in German language. It One of the witnesses affirmed that he is quite an elaborate work. I did not saw the testator sign his name to the notice the author’s name in the book, will. Henry Schweitzer was insane but undoubtedly it was written by and could not testify. Michael Zieg¬ John Ziegler. ler, the tanner, was very old when he Mrs. Hallman thinks her father died in 1822. learned organ building from one William Through the kind assistance of Mrs. Ziegler, of Germantown, who may have William F. Hallman, of Norristown, been his cousin, by what she used to we are able to give our readers a hear him say ; at least she thinks he deal of further information. was a relative. She also has in her Abraham Ziegler, of the third gener¬ possession two ojd account books that ation. tanner, borq July 22, 1627, mar¬ were used in the tannery. They are ried Elizabeth Stamm.' They had six large books and the accounts, all writ¬ children : Henry, Anna, John, Sarah, ten in German, were commenced by Michael and Jacob. Abraham Ziegler Michael Ziegler, the tanner, in 1747 inherited his father’s farm with tan¬ Thus showing us that tanning was nery and all that belonged to it. He done there already at that time and carried on tanning, currying and fann¬ was carried on there for nearly one ing. And on one occasion, .at least, * hundred years. Apparently it was took an apprentice to learn the trade, closed or abandoned about the year as the following will show, from the J-840. docket of Michael Croll, Esq., of Up¬ Sarah Ziegler, born September 11, per Salford: “March 23, 1795. John 1799, married Henry Fryer, of Lower Truckenmiller Bound himself to Abra¬ Salford. She died July 24, 1857, leav¬ ham Ziegler for 2 yrs and 6 mths from ing two daughters—Nancy wife of the 6th of January last past to learn Abraham G. Alderfer, of Lower Sal¬ him the Trade of Tanner and Currier, ford, and Mary wife of Garret Kulp: and Give him sufficient apparel for both deceased. Everydays ware during said Term and Michael Ziegler, born July 21, 1802, 2 days in haymaking and 3 days in married Catharine Christman. He second Crop for himself Every year died June 26, 1873. He lived in Hill- during sd Term. ” town, Bucks county, about thirty years C)ld people still remember Abraham and left a large family, but many of Ziegler. He was born there, lived them are now dead. there and died there. His death oc¬ Michael Ziegler was a tanner and curred March 25, 1841. His wife conducted his father’s tannery until it Elizabeth, born Afigust 21, 1772, died was closed. He then moved to Hill- November 17, 1805, when her children *0w* u, where he had purchased a farm were small. just across from Sopderton. One of The first child Henry, born March his daughters, Mrs. Sarah Schick, 7, 1792, died October 6, 1793. with whom the writer wag well ac¬ Anna Ziegler, born March 7, 1794, in quainted when she was young, lives at her latter years married Michael Shoe¬ the corner of Norris apd dressier maker, of Franconia. She kept house streets, Philadelphia, where they have for her father and brother John many a cigar and tobacco store. years, and was still single in 1842. The names of their thirteen children She died November 18, 1847, leaving were Abraham, John, Henry, George, no issue. Jacob, Michael, William, Elizabeth, John Ziegler, born October 23, 1795, Sarah, Annie, Katie and was quite different from the other Amanda. members of the family. He evidently After the death of Abraham Ziegler, was a man of tine qualities and tender his son, John Ziegler, built the house feelings. He was a musician and an where Emanuel F. Hawk now lives. organbuilder. He married Elizabeth, Abraham Ziegler and his family lived, daughter of his neighbor, Christian where Emanuel H. Wasser lives, and Fryer ° ’ on the other pprper wag the tannery and the buildings—bark sheds, bark- mill, vats and hide pits, belonging to it. It is said by the neighbors that John share in The Third Baptist Church Ziegler’s house was the first house on ■ Philadelphia. He provided for his that corner, but the historian does not wife Ann Ziegler in such a way that i credit that assertion. If it were ■ she was to have the income of a mes true, we would inquire where would suage, tenement and premises, men have been the residence of Michael ^ tioned and provided for her in a Deed Ziegler, the elder, during those five I of Trust, on St. John’s street in the years that he lived there on only fifty | Northern Liberties. acres on the west side of the road. John Ziegler "was twice married.. The early settlers always located near His first wife was Sarah Margaret a stream or a spring. It is all veij Mack, daughter of Rev. Alexander plain when we look at it the right way. ■ Mack, an eminent German Baptist of After Michael Ziegler, the elder, Dunkard minister of Germantown. purchased that plantation frorn^ An- Rev. Mack has the following in his i drew Schrager in 1727, one or the diary, now in the library of Abraham houses was used as a tenant house un¬ H. Cassel: “Sarah Margaretta Mackin, til the tannery was established, when wurde geboren den 23sten December the house and other buildings were 1753, * * * wurde in den todt Jesu utilized for that purpose, and the Christo getauft den 3ten September house was changed to a currier shop. 1769, * * * wurde verfieirathet mit Jacob As these changes were made over one Ziegler den 2ten Februarius 1776.” hundred and fifty years ago, no one He further says, a son was born to now living knows anything about it, them which they called William, and but such undoubtedly was the case. | also gives the date of birth in the After the death of Abraham Ziegler diary, but it was accidentally omitted the land was sold in several tracts. | in my notes. This William Ziegler John Ziegler retained or purchased the turned out to be a great musician, lot of about four acres and built that > and it was from him that his cousin house on it. The other land on the John Ziegler, of Skippack, learned west side of the road was sold in part, the art of music and organ building so if not all, to Isaac Kulp. The mes¬ perfectly. It is probable that Jacob suage and land on the east^ side of the - Ziegler had a large family. We have road now belonging to Emanuel H. the names of seven children, and one ■ Wasser was sold by the heirs, John of these was dead before he made his Ziegler, Michael Ziegler and wife will; only six are mentioned in his Catharine, Anna Ziegler, Henry Fryer will. The names are William, Polly, and wife Sarah, to Abraham Ziegier, Ann, Elizabeth. Catharine, Jacob, Re¬ March 28, 1842. Three years later, in becca. It appears that Ann Ziegler 1845, Abraham Ziegler and wife Rachel married a Robinson and died soon af sold the same messuage and sixteen ter, September 8, 1799, at the age of acres of land in Skippack, and six 17 years. Elizabeth Ziegler married i acres in Lower Salford to William a Cooper and died in her 80th year. Reiff, of Lower Salford, Nine years Catharine Ziegler married a Dedaker later William Reiff and wife Salome and died January 14, 1858, aged 68 sold the same to Oliver Z. JNace, April years. Rebecca Ziegler married a 8, 1854. Mr. Nace owned this property sM.ason.. ; She died Sept. 14, 1879. ; about forty years. . Jacob Ziegler, Jr., born Sept. 10, 1792, i John Ziegler of Skippack and Perlu- died February 4, 1848. He made his . I omen townshijj, made his last will and ..will dated September Decemebr 4, testament in writing dated November 1847, which was proven April 5, 1848. 17, 1849. He mentions his wife Eliza¬ He bequeathed his whole estate to his beth, his land in Skippack and Lower i wife. He had two daughters, Barbara Salford, his only daughter Sarah, who and Elizabeth, but Elizabeth died soon was yet small, and appoipted his wife after his death. So far as known, the Elizabeth and his trusted friend, Wil¬ whole family of Jacob Ziegler, Sr., liam Fox, to be the executors. The were members of the Brethren or Dun¬ will was proven April 15, 18o2, by the kard church, and all except William ! fitnesses Henry Kolb and Garret Kulp, and Polly are buried in the Brethren (To be continued next week). cemetery in Germantown. Since Jacob Ziegler, Sr., had a share in the Third Baptist church, Philadelphia, it ap¬ Jacob Ziegler. pears probable that his second wife, Jacob Ziegler, a brother to Arbaham, Ann, was a member of that church. lived in Germantown, and lastly in Jacob Ziegler, Sr., died January 23, Philadelphia. He and Abraham, as 1823, aged 68 years, 11 months and 6 already stated, were the executors in days. Sarah (Mack) Ziegler died Sep¬ the estate of their father Michael Zieg¬ tember 8, 1799, aged 45 years, 8 months ler, the tanner. According to the and 16 days. It appears that she and tenor of his will which was made her daughter Ann died the same day. August 23, 1822, and was proven Jan- I Notwithstanding the great musical uary 27, 1823, he must have had a talent of William Ziegler, it appears large amount of property. He had one that his father looked at the matter fcnnillii iiM mmnh\ iTl ■ III 'liTi i— i n UBlll I ■ r " suspiciously, for he ordered in his will jand settled the estate. William Zieg¬ that William’s share should be held ler left four children, and at the time in trust by George Gorgas, of Ger¬ of settlement of his estate, October 16, mantown, to his dieirs, executors or 1845, his son Charles Ziegler was a administrators; but William was to resident of East Cain township, Ches¬ have the interest thereof annually. ter county; Seth Ziegler, of Green¬ Then he appointed his two friends, wich township, Berks county, William Peter Keyser and George Knarr, to be Ziegler, of Lower Salford, and Lydia, his executors. Peter Keyser was a dis¬ wife of Jacob Grater, of Frederick tinguished minister in the Brethren township, Montgomery county. Wil¬ church at that place. Book No. 7, liam Ziegler, Jr., and others emigrated pagei 603, J$eg. Office, Philadelphia. to Indiana about the year 1850. William Ziegler . and some others of Garret Ziegler was born J uly 27, 1765, the family wrote their name Zigler. and died June 29, 1848. His wife Mag¬ In English Ziegler means Tiler. dalena, was born January 23, 1767 and William Ziegler. died September 8, 1849. We now turn back to the farm above, In his younger years Abraham Zieg¬ and to another branch of the family, ler was a speculator in land which he japugKt and sold. But in later years he to William, the fourth boo of Michael Ziegler, the elder, whose descendants relinquished speculating. Abraham owned and occupied the place until Ziegler and wife Rachel had a family 1888. of eleven children, namely : William Ziegler, who was a weaver l. Lovina, married Jphr, Hypsicker. by trade, became the owner of the They moved to Qhio, and she died Ziegler farm until recently owned by 2. Henry married Barbara Boorse. his descendants. ■ Although his father 3. Samuel “ Rachel Kratz. did not trust him to his share, he be¬ 4. Sarah “ John Kulp. came owner of the said farm of one 5. Elizabeth “ Ephraim Boorse. hundred and thirty acres, being partly 6. Abraham “ Amanda Riegner. in Skippack and partly in Lower Sal¬ 7. Magdalena" David Bean. ford, which in his will he devised to 8. Garret “ Maria Kohler. his son. Garret Ziegler. He made his 9. Rachel “ John Koons. ast will and testament in writing, 10. Catharine, still single. dated March 24, 1790. Besides the 11. Susan married Abrm. L. Ziegler. fqriff he gave his son Garret thirty Henry Ziegler became the owner of popnd iff gold or silver, his weaver his father’s farm and lived on it all his coin and all hjs farming implements, lifetime. He died there in his 70th ts wages fpr his faithful services after year, April 9, 1888. After his death je was of age. He provided well foi¬ the farm went into the hands of other ls beloyed wife Hester and reserved people. Ifpi her a liferight in the house with Abraham K. Ziegler, Kulpsville, is 'h§r son Garret. The farm was then a director of the Lausdale Trust Com¬ bffUftded by laffds of Michael Ziegler, pany. Pillman Kolb, Henry Cassel and others. Elmer Ziegler, of the Philadelphia William Ziegler and wife Hester had Bar, is a descendant of this branch of four children living at the tffue of his the family. death which occurred in March, 1791. Isaac Kolb. They were Jacob, Michael, Garret and Gertrude Ziegler, oldest daughter of Catharine, wife of Michael Brack. Michael, married Isaac Kolb, son of We are unable to give any account their near neighbor, Jacob Kolb, whose of any one of these excepting Garret. residence was just above them on the Garret Ziegler lived on his farm unoccupied farm remaining in the nearly all his life time, and toward the tenure of Jacob S. Reitf. Isaac Kolb, close of his days sold his farm in Skip it appears, was a tall man, for he was pack to his son, Abraham Ziegler, and known as ‘‘Der grosse Isaac.” They the greater part of his farm in Lower moved to Gwynedd township, near the Salford, now owned by Nathan Z. place now called North Wales, where Keyser, to his soff- jff law, Godshalk they owned a farm. Bergey, where, they lived when he died; It is related by Dr. John Overholt leaving three acres and eighty perches that ‘‘The Kulp ancestors were a strong of woodland for his own use, unsold, athletic people, some of them almost which the heirs after his death granted giants. It is related that Isaac Kulp to William Godshall, of Lower Salford. (known as ‘‘Strong Isaac”) was a Garret Ziegler had live children named powerful man. It is stated that when Abraham, William, Susanna, Catha- he was building a house, one day while Irine and Ann. But by the time his at dinner he was discussing with his estate was settled William was dead. workmen whether the cross beams He had been married to Lydia Krauss, could be hauled to the place with two Abraham to Rachel Krauss, Susanna horses, or whether four horses would to Henry Bean, Catharine to Godshalk be required. After dinner he walked Bergey and Ann to Henry Kolb. After out to where the timber lay and shoul¬ ithe death of his father, Abraham Zieg- dered it, and to the utter surprise of (ler took out letters of administration the workmen they saw him bearing the . * 'V ;> ‘ » piece oT timber on his shoulders. The f8) Sarah Kolb. (9) Susanna fame of his strength was heralded far married Jacob Housser. (IOj Gertrude and wide throughout the neighborhood Kolb, married Christian Bergey. They round about. He was a peaceably dis¬ resided in Franconia township and posed man, and would not tight, their descendants may still be found in though often challenged. When on a said township. (11) Hannah Kolb, certain trip to Philadelphia he stopped married Man it as as Fretz, of Bucks i at a hotel over night, and came in con¬ county. All the yyay down the line of tact with a bully, who challenged him descendants wo find the same family to tight. He declined, whereupon the names of Michael, Isaac, Jacob, Ger¬ bully branded him a coward and struck trude and Catharjne. A large number him in the face, which enraged Mr. of children are now in the eighth gener¬ Kulp so that he grabbed the bully by ation from Michael Ziegler, both his arms near the shoulders and David Allebaeh, set him in a chair that squashed under him. When he arose from the floor As David Allebaeh was married to both of his arms were powerless. The Catharine Ziegler, it is in order to say bully said he was satisfied with the something about the Allebachs. That experiment, and did not wish to tight they are the descendants of Christian with Kulp after that.” Allebaeh, wh° died at his residence, Isaac Kolb and wife Gertrude had now belonging tp Rey. Jacob C.Moyer, eleven children,namely : (1) Catharine, in Lower Salford, in 1746, is evident who married Samuel Moyer, of Fran- from the names contained in the I conia, a son of Christian Moyer, the family, from their connection with the deacon. Their descendants may still Mennonite church, and their relation be found in Franconia and in Bucks with the Grater family in Skippack. I county. (2) Jacob Kolb married Eliz¬ The said Christian Allebaeh, the abeth Fretz. They lived near Doyles- father, }utd eight children, and among town. Two of their sons, Jacob and them David, undoubtedly the same Abraham, were ministers in the Men- who married Catharine Ziegler. The nonite church. They had in their other sons were Christian, Peter and family of ten children an Isaac, a -Jacob John. The daughters were Esther, and a Gertrude. (3) Michael Kolb, Elizabeth, Veronica and Mary, married Ann Rosenberger. They lived It appears that David Allebaeh re¬ in Gwynedd and had only three chil¬ mained a poor man. According to the dren. (-1) Isaac Kolb married Catha¬ tax-list of 1776 he did not own any land rine Moyer. They also resided in and only one cow at that date. The Gwynedd and had ten children. (5) portion belonging to his wife by the Elizabeth Kolb married Jacob Alder - will of her father was kept in trust for fer, of Lower Salford. She was born his children. It is to be regretted that in 1718 and died in 1827. She was the so little is known of his family; but grandmother of Jacob F. Alderfor, of we imagine we know of three sons, Lower Salford, and the great-grand¬ Michael, Abraham and David. mother of George D. Alderfer, Esq. Michael Allebaeh owned a farm near They had in their family an Isaac, a Perkiomen Bridge. He had a son Jacob and a Gertrude. Gertrude Al¬ David who owned a farm and mill on derfer married John Kinsey, of Rock- the Skippack, more recently known as hill township, Bucks county, and Mrs. Bean’s mill. He also had a number of Catharine D. Kinsey, wife of William sons. One of them was the late Joseph Johnson, of Skippack, is a lineal de¬ Allebaugh, of the Norristown bar. scendant from Gertrude Ziegler. Isaac Michael Allebaeh was born in 1757 Kolb made his will in 1772, but it was and died 1844. His wife Sebella died not probated until August 7, 1776, December 27, 1843, aged 85 years, 6 showing that he lived until near that months and 21 days. date; and in his will he ordered that Then we find in the Docket of his daughter Elizabeth, wife of Jacob Michael Croll, Esq., of Upper Salford, Alderfer, should have six pounds extra the following: “Abraham Allebaeh for her faithful services to him during gpM Margaret Johnson are Lawfully his widowerhood and sickness. The Married and joyned together in the witnesses to his will were Michael Ziegler, Andrew Ziegler and Margaret Holy Estate of Matrimony this 18th p Weber. day of December 1787. ’ ’ Jacob Alderfer was the eldest son of David Allebaeh, nearly in the same Frederick Alderfer, who was born in age as Michael, lived on the farm now the Palatinate in Germany, May 18, owned by Jesse S. Freeman, and was 1715, and came to Pennsylvania in the a prominent and influential man. He ship “Samuel”, August 11, 1732. He was the grandfather of Mrs. Helena was a redemptioner, and served with Bean, of Skippack. We will give more Hans Klemmer, of Lower Salford, three particulars of him in a sketch of the or four years to pay for his passage. Freeman farm. We regret very much After the death of Mr. Klemmer he that we have no reliable data of married his young widow in 1738. Her the farnilv of David Allebaeh and- maiden name had been Anna Detwiler. (6) Abraham Kolb. (7) Hillman Kolb.

£ ; y 13

' l '• • • -*i ■.. ••

Catharine Z• . . or northern side of the road fronting the The old Allebachs all claimed rela¬ property of Henry M. Hellings, below Barren tionship with each other; even those Hill, about one-third of a mile from St. Peter’s in Bucks county. There can be no Lutheran Church. The camp of Lafayette doubt but that they all descended from 1 was on a knoll about three hundred yards Christian Allebach, of Lower Saliord, 1 east of thi3 site. as already stated. Immediately across the road, about three (To be continued next week). _ hundred yards in the opposite direction, was the camp of the friendly Oneida Indians. It was located, according to the Indian custom, in a dense woods, but Lafayette’s encamp¬ ment was on cleared land. From, The escape of Lafayette from a force of the enemy largely outnumbering his own, in May, 1778, makes the vicinity of great his¬ torical importance. He had been sent from Valley Forge with a force of 2500 men to post himself on these heights to watch the move¬ cPt^j 2 > /✓// ments of Howe at Philadelphia, which city, it Date, was generally known, the British General was preparing to evacuate. Howe conceived . I the idea that his return to England then con¬ templated would be rendered glorious by the capture of the gallant young Frenchman who had thrown himself, heart and sonl, into the LAFAYETTE AT BARREN HILL movement for American independence. His plans were laid accordingly and a large Historical Society’s Committee Fixes force was sent to surround Lafayette’s detach¬ ment. Some delay occurred in forming the Spot for a Memorial Stone. British line under General Grant at Plymouth Meeting, and meantime Lafayette had been On the North Side of the Road on informed of the intended attack. He rode Land of Henry M. Hellings-Penn¬ out some distance to verify the rumors of an advancing force. Finding they were true, he sylvania German Executive Com¬ promptly executed a masterly retreat, by a mittee Meets at Lebanon — Back’s road through the woods to Matson’s Ford, Society in Session at Newtown., now Conshohocken, where he crossed the river with the loss of only nine men. A de¬ At the last meeting of the Montgomery tachment of the Americans was, according to | County Historical Society on May 27, a com¬ tradition, posted in the yard of St. Peter’s mittee, cohsisting of George W. Bartholomew, Church to cover the retreat of the main body. William W. Potts, Dr. W. H. Reed, Ellwood Howe’s forces returned to Philadelphia, Roberts and Mrs. A. Conrad Jones, was ap- much chagrined at the ill-success of the plan. j pointed to attend to the placing of suitable About 5000 troops had been held as a reserve I memorial stones on the site of Lafayette’s at Chestnut Hill, but were not required, and , camp at Barren Hill, and at Washington’s all marched down the Germantown road to¬ ; camP in the vicinity of Schwenksville. The gether to tell the story of being outwitted by j Society held a reunion at Barren Hill on Sep¬ ithe brave Frenchman who deemed it im- tember 18th, 1895, and will hold another at | politic to hazard a battle with g, force nearly Schwenksville in September of this year. four times as large as his own. Lafayette re¬ The stones are intended to mark the location turned to Valley Forge and received the so as to fix as nearly as possible the exact Akanks of Washington for his successful spot, and also to commomorate the notable maneuver. gatherings of the Society, and thus further its BUCKS HISTORICAL SOCIETY. work. The midsummer meeting of the Bucks All the committee, with one exception, he County Historical Society was held Tuesday being unavoidably absent, met at Barren Hill at Sharon, the residance of Mr. and Mrs. Hen¬ a few days ago, to fix the proper point for a ry C. Thornton, near Newtown. The exer¬ monument suitably inscribed. Mr. Levi cises were held in the grounds surrounding Streeper, formerly of that neighborhood, but the old mansion, a platform having been now residing on Stanbridge street, Norris- erected for the speakers. The meeting was , t°wn, was also present by invitation. Mr. called to order by the president, General W. | Stfeeper is far advanced in the eighties, and |H. H. Davis, of Doylestown. The society | has always taken deep interest in local his¬ now numbers more than a hundred of Bucks torical research. He read a paper on “ La- county’s most prominent residents. I fayette at Barren Hill” at the reunion last Rev. D. K. Turner, of Hartsville, read a I September. He heard from his grandfather paper on General Andrew Pickens, after ■ w^° resided in the vicinity at the time the which lunch was served. At the afternoon | story of Lafayette’s camp and had often visit¬ session the following papers were read: ed the location in his company. “Some Historic Indians,” by W. J. Hoffman ; “ Notes Taken at Random,” by Henry C. W ith the assistance of Mr. Streeper the Mercer; “ Old Newtown,” by J. Pemberton committee had not muoh difficulty in fixing Hutchinson. A large number of people at¬ | the site for the monument on the left hand tended this meeting, and it was one of the most pleasant in the history of the society. PENNSYLVANIA. GERMANS'. The executive committee of the Pennsylva¬ The struggle of the American colonies f< nia German Society will meet at Lebanon on independence from the British crown attrae Tuesday. ea the attention of many noble and unselfish The following members of the committee foreigners, who offered their services to the were present and took part in the proceedings: country and aided very materially in achiev¬ F. E. Diffenderfer, editor of the New Era, ing the result finally attained. Among those Lancaster, president; Eev. F. J. F. Schantz, who were with Washington at Valley Forge D. D., Myerstown, vice-president; Julius F. were Lafayette, DeKalb, Pulaski, DuPortail Sache, Philadelphia, treasurer ; H. M. Bich- and Steuben. ards, Beading, secretary; Eev. Theodore E. All are entitled to the highest credit for Schmauk, chancellor of the Chautauqua; their exertions in behalf of American liberty Eev. Professor W. H. Eichards, D. D., of —the more so because their interest in the Muhlenberg College, Allentown; Colonel contest was naturally much less than that of Thomas C. Zimmerman, editor of the Times, native born citizens who had taken arms to I Beading, and Lee Grumbiue, Lebanon. throw off a burden of tyranny which had be¬ Arrangements have been completed for the come intolerable. While the name of Lafay- j annual meeting of the society on Thursday, ette, the eminent Frenchman who displayed October 15. in the rooms of the Historical So¬ such ardor in the cause and who was closer to ciety of Pennsylvania, at 1300 Locust street, Philadelphia. This meeting will be of un¬ Washington than any other of these generous usual interest and importance. Between the spirits, deservedly heads the list, there was morning and afternoon sessions an elaborate none of them who exceeded Baron Steuben in breakfast will be' given at the Colonnade devotion to American interests, in endurance Hotel. During the afternoon session the first and energy in camp and on the battlefield, in . two papers of the valuable series on the his¬ the value of the services rendered to the peo- tory of the Pennsylvania Germans will be \ pie whose cause he had so generously espous- read. In tho evening the Historical Society of Pennsylvania will give a reception to their ! ed. A practical soldier, his knowledge of visiting guests. A gratifying feature of the military tactics and his ability as a disciplin¬ meeting at Mt. Gretna was the receipt of con¬ arian made his services indispensable to final gratulatory letters which were presented and success in the conflict. read from the directorium of the Germanic To Steuben the army was indebted for that National Museum at Nuremburg, Germany, drill and discipline which made it effective in and the authorities of the Eoyal Library at tho contest with the veterans whom England Stuttgart. The former institution, which is an Imperial one, also sent two illustrated vol¬ sent to America to reconquer the lost empire. umes, descriptive of the great museum and He came to this country at a critical moment, its treasures of art and bibliography, illus¬ when the issue of the war trembled in the trating the history of the Fatherland. Both balance. Without him success might, indeed, institutions extended greetings and hopes for have been won, since there was scarcely a the ultimate success of the Pennsylvania Ger¬ subordinate' officer under Washington whose man Society. place conld not have been filled, bnt there can CLOSED FOR THE SUMMER. be no question that he contributed much to¬ Col. John 'W. Jordan, of the Pennsylvania wards the victory that was finally attained. Historical Society, writes that the rooms of He landed in America early in 1778, and the Society are closed until September 1, for immediately set ont to join Washington’s repairs. Vol. XVI of the Society’s Magazine army, which, by the time he reached it, is boing republished to complete the set. had fully completed the construction of the huts that were to shelter the officers and sol¬ diers during the long winter. His introduc¬ tion to the army was certainly ill calculated to elevate his hopes of the triumph of the f: From, -«• ^ as. colonies in the war for iudependence. He found the principal seaports of the country in the hands of the enemy, and, instead of an I .P.l. effective force that could he set in motion to besiege and occupy them, he saw only an army of half-starved, undisciplined and poor¬ ly equipped soldiers, who presented the great¬ est possible contrast to tbe troops with whom ' he had been associated at home. Full of zeal for the work in which he had iuj enlisted, Steuben was ignorant of the English language, and was, therefore, incapable of STEUBEN AT VALLEY FORGE ; taking a responsible command, bnt he soon | found his proper sphere of action. A native of Magdeburg in Prussia, and One of the Most Useful of the For¬ ! trained from early life to military pursuits, ; he had held high positions in the service of eigners of Distinction. i Frederick tho Great and other German \ -princes. He had served.in the famous seven j His Methods of Discipline and Their years’ war, and won the highest honors for ESect Upon the Result of the Con¬ fidelity and courage. A romantic sympathy with the straggling colonies led him to aban¬ test—He Speedily Brought Order don excellent prospects at home and set sail Out of Chaos and Transformed Raw •— • rmmr Kecraits Into Effective Soldiers. 15

lor America. -' BiefetJeHTwas born November 15, 1730, and Entering upon bis duties as Inspector Gen¬ bad joist 'entered his sixty-sixth year at the eral. an appointment which Washington, re¬ time of his death at Steubenville. New York. cognizing his talents and worth, had promptly As be requested, ho was buried near his house secured for him, he commenced the instruc¬ with his military cloak around him and the tion of officers and men, whom he found al¬ star of honor that he always wore oil his most equally destitute of the knowledge re¬ breast. Only his immediate neighbors at¬ quired to render effective service. All day tended his funeral, and thus sank to a hum¬ long, from early dawn to nightfall, he exer¬ ble grave the man who had won remarkable cised the soldiers, a prominent drill ground distinction in both hemispheres. Col. North, being on the tract now belonging to I. Heston his aid, to whom he willed his property, Todd, on the river side of the Port Kennedy erected a simple monument over his grave road, opposite to the famous oak under which which is still visited annually by many per- Washington placed his tent, there to remain 60BS.mb. , , until the huts of the soldiers around him Various localities of the old campground at were completed and ready for occupancy. Valley Forge recall recollections of heroism Steuben was astounded at the lack of disci¬ and self-sacrifice, none of them interjst those", that cluster around Steuben s pline, and he declared that no European army drill-ground, adjacent to the hnt holes still 1 could exist under such conditions. There was remaining to mark the sites of the wretched ; scarcely any cavalry, a force under Pnlaski habitations from which came forth the weak having been detached to assist in operations and ill-clad soldiers in response to tire call td on the Delaware at Treuton and vicinity. the daily evolutions which were to make them The artillery force was also at a low ebb, more efficient than ever in the caftse of free¬ while most of the guns and accouterments dom and independence. were actually unlit for use. His ignorance of In several states counties and towns have English made his task of drilling the men the been named for Steuben, the most important harder, and his patience was often completely namesake being Steubenville, Ohio, thus giv- i exhausted. On such occasions, according to ing the old hero some shadow of that recom¬ tradition, he was in the habit of cursing until pense denied to him in life by Congress, or his vocabulary of available oaths had been given so grudgingly that it lost half its value employed to the uttermost. or more. The friend of Washington, Wayne He rose before dawn, made an elaborate and Lafayette—the faithful worker in what¬ toilet, took h cup of coffee, and was in the ever labor his adopted couutry saw fit to im¬ saddle at sunrise, the men being on the drill pose upon him, he died as he had lived com¬ ground by that time. He looked after every paratively alone. He never married—being detail of discipline, and t'ne effects of his sys¬ too much occupied in military affairs and in tem were soon apparent in the harmony and seeking to obtain the reward for his services order in which all movements were made. to which he was richly entitled, until it was One company was drilled to the point of per¬ too late. Eccentric in his manners, he was the fection to serve as a model for the others. sonl of tenderness, and he deserves an hon¬ The improvement wrought by Steuben’s in¬ ored place on the roll of those who sacrificed troduction of military, tactics was seen at all that men ordinarily hold dear to make the Monmonth and elsewhere. Well-disciplined Unitod States the great nation which it now men are many times more effective than raw recruits, and there is no doubt that the work achieved at Valley Forge in this way was of great value in all subsequent campaigns. VALLEY FORGE CAMPGROUND Later. Steuben prepared a manual of arms for the use of the Americans. In 1780 he was Difficulty of Realizing: the Ameri¬ one of the court which tried Major Andre. He served in the South, being engaged in ef¬ can Army’s Condition. forts to capture Arnold which miscarried be¬ cause of the lack of an effective force. He ih was at Yorktown and received the first over¬ The View That Can Be Obtained tures for surrender from Cornwallis. From, the Eminence on Whose He was poorly paid for his services, as were Slope Fort Huntingdon Is Situated most of the officers of the army, ana failed to —Comparative Strength of the Op¬ receive the appointment of Secretary of War | which he sought at the close of the strife, be- posing Forces at That Time. i cause of his foreign birth. Congress at length | voted him a salary of $2500 a year. Virginia Looking over the old campground at Valley i and New Jersey granted him small tracts of Forge in the golden sunshine of these lovely land, while New York gave him a whole August days, it is extremely difficult to real¬ ; township near Utica. Here he died, Novem- ize the condition of the American army dur¬ i her 25, 1795. He was buried in a forest near ing the encampment. Standing on the highest j the log house which he had erected. Many part of the eminence on the slope of which j interesting traditions remain of his generosity Fort Huntingdon stands, there is an excellent which was a prominent feature of his charac¬ view, not only of the old campground, bnt of ter. In the period of the encampment, dur- the country for miles aronnd. All is bright | ing which there was a cessation of active ope¬ with the varied hues of summer. Close at rations in tho main, as drill master of the hand prominent objects of interest are the army he was a person of considerable im¬ fort itself, the earthworks clear ent and dis¬ portance. tinct as ever at this distance ; the old Ste-

M ’ ...■it:;.- watch the enemy, the British by a,' suffden at¬ phens residence, still owned by the family "I tack could at any time have largely ou tnnm- j where General Varnum had his headquarters ’ bered their opponents, and, it might bo im¬ the drill ground where Steuben instructed’ agined, had them at a great disadvantage. the soldiers ; the hillside grave of Waterman ; The fact that the enemy remained almost the woods where Wayne's troops were en¬ entirely inactive the whole winter, indicates camped and in which hut holes and the re¬ the high opinion they entertained of the cour¬ mains of the oven in use for baking bread for age and constancy of their antagonists, and of the soldiers when any flour could be had, the skill and energy of the commander and may yet be distinctly seen. On the nest the officers by whom he was surrounded. slope are the remains of Port Washington, less They had seen the stubborn resistance to the distinct than those of its twin fortification, onset of regular troops that had been dis¬ Huntingdon, but still clearly to be traced. A played at Brandywine and at Germantown, long line of earthworks through the woods contests which would have been ruinous to back of them is still found in good condition. the American cause under different circum¬ Below us are orchards and waving cornfields, stances. They had a dread of encountering beneath whose soil lie the remains of the men who were fighting in defense of their army of unknown dead who succumbed to homes and firesides, and - neglected an oppor¬ famine, or wounds, or disease, while their tunity to strike a blow that might possibly more fortunate brethren survived to continue have proved decisive of the contest. the contest and, perhaps, to share in the exul¬ ' After the arrival of Steuben and the thor¬ tation of the whole land at the triumphs won ough drill which he instituted, the disparity at Yorktown and elsewhere. in fighting ability between the British and All this and much more can be seen close American soldier become more and more ap¬ at hand, and further the view widens so as to parent. To a determination to achieve the embrace a large section of Montgomery and independence of his country was added, in Chester counties.. That part of the landscape the one case, the better discipline that exerted included in the circle of vision takes in much so favorable an effect upon the later battle of the Great Valley and that of the Schuyl¬ fields of tho war. To this, perhaps, as much kill. Six miles away Norristown nestles as to the generous assistance given by France, along the river, its spires indicating the exact throagh the intercession of Lafayette and the location. The Gulf Hills, Barren Hill, Edge shrewd negotiations of Franklin and Deane, Hill and other landmarks are within the were due the subsequent successes of the range of vision. American army and the surrender of Corn¬ To realize, even measurably, the situation wallis which practically ended the contest. of Washington’s men, one should, come here In view of the information undoubtedly in the dead of winter when this beautiful given from time to time to Howe of the weak landscape on which the eye rests to-day, is and ineffective condition of Washington’s buried in snowdrifts ; when the trees, clothed army, especially during the early days of the now in dark-green foliage, stand bare and encampment, his failure to undertake any black against the sombre background of enterprise intended to improve his advantage, clouds ; when desolation has taken the place is somewhat remarkable. His inaction is of the life and beauty that crowns the hills another important link in the chain of events and rests upon the valleys around us. Allis leading to the ultimate object which Wash¬ joy and gladness now and the mind cannot folly ington had always in view, whether hazard¬ grasp the gloom and sadness that enshrouded ing a battle or eluding a force that outnum¬ the patriot army when it lay in the shadow of bered his own—the attainment of independ¬ these hills. ence and the establishment of a representa¬ According to the official reports to Congress, tive government in America. which may undoubtedly be accepted as cor¬ rect, the army was in a situation of the great- i est peril oaring the entire winter, owing to sickness, lack of food, and the half naked condition of the men. On several occasions they were absolutely without sustenance and at no time during the winter ;did the army stores contain more than would be consumed in a very few days. It was the opinion of those who were in a position to judge cor¬ rectly that no adequate resistance could have been offered to an attack by such a force as that under Howe, and there would probably From, ...L/JZUAAAXAA have been no alternative bat disbandment of the army, a result happily avoided by the weakness and mismanagement of those in .....c^

i The Extinct Hotel—The Skippack Store Property and Post Office—Jacob Sorver, a Remarkable Man —Peter Keiter and His Possessions.

(Written expressly for tha Transcript by James Y. Heckler,)

The Extinct Hotel. i | By the will of Peter Johnson, ? dated acres of land in SkijqS Sul tSo- j April 22, 1745, his son William Jofan- men townships. Dietrich Welker also | son, who was a carfienter by trade, re- purchased a tract of land near Evans | ceived forty-nine acres and a half, as kdrg frora Edward Leane May 31 1777 his share of his father’s plantation, and it was all that tract situated be¬ kept a i - tween the church road and the farm ce^hotekatThis place. He was a ! belonging to the store property that be¬ Gefnjafc.-wbo eame;to .’Pennsylvania in longed to him. He did not own it the shi^-EUipt,:Pcfpher 25, 1718. long, but to whom he sold it w’e could ^ .up the. records in I not learn. We could not find any old Norrratowp we could not obtain much conveyances belonging to this place. rehab10 information extending back But we find there that Abraham Eber- 1 It also appears that at some time the land was divided into two tracts. The salekalW from Philippv!-6 Sellers,cfr?perty High at Sherii]Sherd! front part on both sides of the road containing twenty or more acres be ber^lSber 18, e1822.-“AHi°R92ty ?L¥1OD thatJg‘Jmer certainy> Novem¬ mes- longed to the hotel, while the back part bordering on the Salford line con¬ iana. One tract containingand two tracta twenti 01 taining at that time twenty six acres and thirty six perches of woodland, was waseSsoM fi!161' tract Scri“S owned by different individuals at diffe¬ CourIv T 1the Pr°Perty of Hugh rent dates, which we learn by border¬ Ti,welv?, years later, April 1 • ing landholders. The old conveyances Faif’sifid?}!15101 Eberllard and wife Abi¬ gail sola the same property to TTon,--,- for these lots, so far, have not been SrartW for $7,000.’ iStam I ff discovered. We might, however, men¬ tion that we have learned that those SoTth ltla* “»"« on the other twenty six acres and a quarter were side of the road now belonging to Darnel O. Fry, and Henry SwaMiev owned by Christian Croll, ofSkippaek, fS11!}t seii;era] houses. He rented awaj probably a number of years, but in the hotel and ran the farm. } 1815 this tract was sold by his adminis¬ After his death in 1850, the property trators, Jacob Croll, Michael Croll was purchased by Abraham Bergev and Benjamin Reiff, to Jacob Bieber who then owned the upper hotel • \e of Oley, Berks county. We have not cut away the sign post at the Swartlev investigated this matter, but we pre¬ hotel and sold the house and lot to sume this Christian Croll was a son of Christian Croll, the immigrant, who untileir|f:rfer’, but kePt the farm until I808, when ne and his wife made arrived in Philadelphia August 19, an assignment to Francis B . .1729, and who owned the farm at pres¬ Pofey 1 Charles T Miller and William S' ent owned by Frederick Seitz in Lower ihese said assignees sold and conveyed Salford from 1(60 to 1765. It is aiso this same property containing a mes¬ probable that the Christian Croll who suage and thirty Aye acres of land to owned this woodland was a brother to his administrators, Jacob and Michael. in0r?^Pih /iohEson APr;i 1, 1859. How i g Johnson owned it we are not pre- Jacob Croll, we are informed, was the Pared to say. But it then went h to grandfather of the late Michael Croll of Skippack. gf"1 t\a Jacob M. aTi^ The front part of this tract, contain¬ vf-’ 7.”’ ^^0 owned it many years Mfterh-s death, when it was sold £ ing twenty or more acres with build¬ the Sheriff in 189o, it contained thirty ings and improvements, was used for a hostelry for at least one hundred fee IZ9’ -afd P&rt Of the farm on years. S the road never belong- In 1756 Dietrich Welker kept a li¬ T appears therefore censed hotel here; already in 1753 this (Off that part on the west side of the property belonged to Theodore Welker. road and purchased the tract, formerly In 1776 Dietrich Welker, innkeeper, woodland, which was back alono- the was rated for one hundred and seventy Ime of Lower Salford. The farm is r;,' jj^STSyga^ 0CC1,pied * »*• j The Store Property of much force of Peter Johnson in his will dated April speCtedFuidu andiiiiu. influential. ,He was a 22, 1745, ordered that the remainder r r< ood businessman and his advice was of his land containing by estimation often sought by others. Besides this one hundred and fifty acres, should be farm and storestand he owned other divided into three parts for his three tracts or pieces of‘ woodland at other other children, whereby after selling places, lie -built several houses in the five acres to Gerhard indenhoft'en May village and encouraged improvements. 22, 1746, his daughter Agnes, wife ol' He did all he could to encourage a Jacob Souter, received forty seven higher standard of education. After acres and one hundred and forty selling his property lie and his family- perches, which Jacob Souter and wife moved to Philadelphia. At the same* Agnes conveyed to John lie iter at the date of the above conveyance, April 6,", sameHit nit) uaie.date. unOn rsovemberNovember, 27, 1745, 1854, Michael Wairtman and wife, of Jofin Koi ter purchased fromom his father - Philadelphia, continued the said store- jp-latyt . i I. Gerhhrd.,—— Indenhoffe- —.—- .■'•'- ill'll rorty-six stand and twenty-live acres of land to 3-pres and forty-six perches. But after Anthony H. Seipt who owned the same owning this tract eighteen years John until 1867. Keiter and wife Catharine conveyed After Server and Wartman had a the same 46 acres and 46 perches back deal on city property the latter made to his son Peter Keiter, September 20, public sale and Mr. Seipt purchased 1763. But the other tract which he the store property at public sale. purchased from Jacob and Agnes Sou¬ Henry Geller also purchased several ter he owned twenty-seven years and in houses, and lots. Dr. Frank Bigony the meantime moved to Charlestown '77 also purchased the lot which is now township, Chester county, When the Dr. J. Newton Hunsberger’s home. first house was built on this farm, af¬ In the Spring of 1867 Mr. Seipt and terward the store property, 1 cannot wife conveyed the store property to say. But on December 1.5, 1773, John William F. Hallman who was the Keiter and wife Catharine conveyed owner thereof until 1890. Soon after this same property to Michael Ziegler, becoming the owner thereof, in 1873, the tanner. Twenty-one years later, Mr. Hallman built that large, commo¬ November 20, 1794, Michael Ziegler dious storehouse, which is an orna¬ . and wife Catharine sold the same to ment to the town. Sheridan A. Metz Dillman Ziegler, of Lower Salford. is the present owner of the store prop¬ Michael Ziegler in the meantime added erty. several tracts or pieces of land to the The Post Office, in Skippack, says main tract. Dillman Ziegler was a William J. Buck, the historian, “was speculator and on March 23, 1795, he opened before the year 1827, of which and his wife Catharine sold the same Abraham Eberhard was postmaster in property to Jacob Reiff. Mr. Reiff 1830. In 1828 the mail was carried owned it five years and it is probable weekly through here to the city by the that it was here where he kept the Kutztown stage. ’ ’ Michael H. Reec store that we have heard of. But on was postmaster:in 1833 and 1834. Be March 1, 1800, Mr. Reilf and wife Sa¬ fore 1850 the Office was in Sorverh rah conveyed this property to Jacob store and has been in the store evei Sorver.; Mr. Reiff on March 29th, since. The mail was carried by stages had conveyed to him the large farm and postriders of which much could be farther down the road where he after¬ said. The stage routes were up and ward lived many years, and died in 1S53. down the road while the mail carriers Jacob Sorver, Sr., owned this farm on horseback went across country from and storestand twenty - seven years, Doylestown to - Trappe, stopping at when he and his wife Barbara sold the Line Lexington, Kulpsville, Skippack same messuage, tenement, storestand to Trappe, and return, through all and five-tracts of land comprising alto¬ kinds of weather all the year round. gether about fifty-three acres, to his Jacob Sorver. nephew Jacob Sorver, Jr., June 4, Jacob Sorveh was a man who deserves 1827. Some of us can remember that some notice. He was born in 1753, wan' old frame house that stood between in his twenty tpird vear when the De-'- the present store and the little old •lai-ation of li dependence was made,] brick store building yet standing. was a participant in the strugglet Jacob Sorver, Jr., owned this farm for liberty. Row long he was in the and storestand twentv-seven years, but service of the iountry we cannot say, in the meantime added several email but we find him as an ensign or stand¬ tracts to his farm, making it fifty- ard bearer injthe Sixth Company ol eight acres and 105 perches; besides Philadelphia County Militia, under that he also built several houses, im^ Captain Philip Reed, in 1782, as foundi proving tne rawn. un April t>,' 1854, in the 'Penns/lvania Archives. Thi Mr. Sorver and wife Mary sold their was near the iflose of the Revolutionary farm, storestand and business to Mich. war, and then] were no battles fough Wartman, of Phi la. Sorver was a man in Pennsylvania after that date. Tha •• surrender of Lord Cornwallis at York-J own, Vltginia, lV tffe Summer o exemplary in the discharge* was followed by negotiations of peace all social and moral duties. in 1783. Jtie was a liberal promotor of Of old Jacob Server the following the cause of virtue and religion, incident has been handed down to the C and lived, and died, respected writer by Abraham H.Cassei,the noted ; by all. ” antiquarian, who had it from Benja min Reiff, Esq., long since deceased Sacred When the idea of building a churcl to near Mainland was under considera¬ The Memory tion it was requested of Benjamir ■.A., * . -t Reiff, Esq., that he should get up t Barbara, wife of Jacob Sorver subscription and see how much monei who departed this life April 8 could be raised for that purpose, sis 18ol, aged 80 years, 3 months that they might know whether or no and 25 days. it was worth while to attempt to bull In going around with his subscripts Peter Keiter. list Mr. Reiff came to Mr. Server It was shown in the sketch of Ger- noon when the latter was just ready t hard Indenhoffen that his estate de¬ go to his dinner, and told him wha scended to his grandson, Peter Keiter his business was. Mr, Sorver replied who was only nine years old in 1717’ “Well, we are just ready-to have ou when the estate was settled and con¬ dinner., Aou will go along in and afte sequently was born in 1738. His father dinner we will talk about this matter.’ John Keiter, was appointed guardian After offering several excuses Mr. Reiff V vV: out Peter could not take possessionof however, consented, and they dine his property before 1759, when he be- together. Afterward Mr. Sorver in came the lawful owner of all and sin¬ vited Mr. Reiff into another rooc . gular the real and personal property where they privately consulted abou remaining from his grandfather, whfch he said m hls will; was Qne ^ the matter. When the proposition wa* and seven ty-mne acres and a grist and fairly understood by Mr, Sorver h< A drew out from under his bed an ole all WC“ Sd half bushel measure apparently fillec men with rags, which, however, was noi^ or¥qi^sfand7rouTFuiKh: the land. But in those twelve years the case, and he counted out of that that he had to wait for possession it half-bushel 81,000 to Mr. Reiff. He, 1 is probable that things came consider¬ however, protested, saying that he had ably out of repair. not come for the money but merely to Aee what he would give toward it in On November 27, 1745, John Keiter order that they might know if it was purchased from his father-in-law Ger¬ worth while to try to build. “ Aes, ” \ hard Indenhoffen, a tract of land con¬ said Mr. Sorver, “J am in favor of it. taining sixty-four acr4s and sixty-four The church shall be built; you take perches. After owning this land the money and commence the work. eighteen years John Keiter and wife If you do not get enough elsewhere, Catherine sold_the same back to their come again; I will help again.” It is son Peter Keiter, September 20, 1763. hardly necessary to say that this was It was probably about that period that an encouragement to others and they John Keiter and family moved to subscribed freely. Charlestown township, Chester countv Jacob Sorver is still remembered by leaving his eon Peter on his large plan¬ Mr. Samuel S. Apple, the present post¬ tation m Skippack. After a while it master at Kulpsville, who saw him appears Peter Keiter was determined wearing knee breaches, silver or piated to dispose of his large tract of land in¬ buckles on his ghoes, a long vest, a herited from his grandfather,and move shadbellv coat and an oldtime cocked into some other neighborhood, prob- hat. He died in 1813 and is buried at ably to Chester county. Acting ac- the Christ church, near Mainland. cordingjy he and his wife Gertrude, on The following is on the flat stone I the 2oth day of August, 1785, granted over the grave of him and his wife in I to Henry Pannepaeker eighty-three front of the church acres and one- hundred and eight perches of land, containing a grist and Sacred to saw mill with good waterright, build¬ ings, and improvements. There were The Memory of about this date three Pannepacker’s nulls in Skippack and Perkiomen SacobJSorver who departed this townships. The mill on the Skippack life Rov. 24, 1813,aged 90 years and 5 months. now owned by Philip Markley, was dien Herman Pannebecker’s mill, and the one on the Perkiomen, below “He was one of that patriotic bckwenksville, was also Pannebecker’s band which achieved !i e Inde uuh m the time of the Revolutionary pendence of his country. As a citizen he was patriotic, public spirited, and charitable: and Henry 20

Pannebecker and wife conveyed_ the it distan same property, lands, mills, waterright, Washington’s headquarters, Valley Forge, buildings and improvements to George is a noteworthy fact that the headquarters Shoemaker. many of the Generals were located in the On May 29, 1786, Peter Keiter and farmhouses on or near the banks of Valiey wife sold thirty-eight acres, in two creek. The distance. is little more than a tracts, probably all woodland, to Henry mile from the old campground, and it was, Brachtheiser, schoolmaster, of Lower therefore, within easy reach, as it were, of Salford. Twenty-eight acres thereof the commander-in-chief, the other Generals, were located on the west side of Skip- and the army. pack road, below or opposite the pres¬ The present occupant of the old mansion ent schoolhouse. The other ten acres, is Henry C. Wilson. It is owned by the es¬ woodland, were out in the corner of tate of his father, the late Edward 8. Wilson. the Forty-foot road and the line of He purchased the property in 1S67. The pre¬ Lower Salford. The next day after vious owner was William Bitter. Owners the above date, May 30, 1786, Peter previous to Bitter were Mr. Lewis and An¬ Keiter and wife conveyed to Garret thony Taylor, who erected the present barn, Clemens, of Lower Salford, his plan¬ a very substantial structure, in 1821. Prior tation containing one hundred and to that the title was for a time in the name of forty-one acres and 84 perches of land Sharpless. It contained at the time of the with buildings and improvements. Bevolution 250acres and was owned and oc¬ This shows that he sold in all 260 cupied by Samuel Howard. A part contain¬ acres, having purchased from his ing a hundred acres, which, at the time of father, John Keiter, 64 acres and 46 the encampment was covered with dense perches that formerly belonged to his woods, was sold in 1873 to Winfield S. Wilson, grandfather. With all that amount of an uncle of the present occupant. property he should have been satisfied, The house stands on a sharp bluff rising but away he went, probably to seek from Valley creeek, and it is reached by a some earthly Paradise. road which winds for the sake of an easier (To be continued next week). ascent. Trees more than a century old sur¬ round the dwelling. The antique kitchen is practically the same as when it was built, the doors and other belongings bearing the marks of great age. The old open fireplace and large chimney remain. On the first floor From, ..a.X^.Cvc- ^. . are two rooms adjoining in one of which Lafayette was domiciled, surrounded by the adventurous foreigners who came with him to America. Ip this portion of the house are doors and windows which replace those origi¬ nally here but the floors are the same through¬ Date out, except that the lower front room has a double floor, ODe having been laid in later years directly over the old one of oaken boards an inch thick and each 9 or 10 inches wide. The floors show the old handmade nails which were universally in use at that time. LAFAYETTE’S HEADQUARTERS The old house has a very romantic situation, overlooking as it does the valley of the beau¬ The Changes Made Since Revolu¬ tiful stream which winds its way over rocks and through grassy meadows to the Schuyl¬ tionary Times. kill, a mile or two distant. Fine farms, well tilled fields and barns full to the roof with the Two Additions Have Been Built to produce of fertile acres, lie along the creek. On many of these live the descendants of the the Old Mansion. But the Original owners in Bevoiotionary times. Mr. E. J. I Structure Still Remains Intact- Matthews, whose valuable property adjoins Chivalrous Devotion of the Young this, rejoices in the possession of dwellings ! Frenchman to the Cause of Ameri¬ which were headquarters of prominent Gen¬ erals also. Mr. Matthews has done much to can Independence. , improve the neighborhood by bettering the condition of the roads, and by the judicious The dwelling in which were the head- expenditure of money on his large farm and quarters of the Marquis de Lafayette, the country seat. There are few neighborhoods ehivalric French knight who left home and in Pennsylvania in which remain so many of i yue fncl a thousand tender ties to fight for the old substantial dwellings of colonial days, I American independence, remains practically j which have stood the ravages of time for a asm his day, although two separate additions I century and a-half or two centuries, and, with 1 have been made to it in recent years. proper care, may be preserved for generations The house is beautifully located on the to come. Not one of these valnable relics of other days should be allowed to go to decay, daDk ~ ValIey creek’ in Tredyffrin town-! ship, Chester county, a mile from General and they should be changed as little as possi- Wayne a headquarters, near New Centreville ble by the hand of improvement, in order ’I frBat rirey may remaTffTSj generations. ’ a short time, after his arrival at Valley I An addition of stone, at,-.the west end of Forge, plans were formed for the occupation j the original structure, was built in 1845, and of Barren Hill, intelligence having reached ; angther of frame in 1872r extended the man¬ Washington that the British were about to sion still further in that direction. evacuate Philadelphia. Lafayette spent only a portion of the winter This episode and others which followed, i at his headquarters. He was absent on the will be left for another paper, and a digression [ projected expedition to Canada for many made at this point to mention something in I weeks. While he was recovering from the reference to the character and career of Lafay- j wound he received at- the battle of Brandy¬ ette, prior to this time. wine, he enjoyed the hospitality of the Mora¬ His romantic devotion to the cause of vians at Bethlehem. Here Count Pulaski American in dependence is one of the most in- ! visited him, the event making a deep impres¬ teresting and remarkable circumstances in sion upon the Moravians. Having heard that connection with the Revolutionary War. At Pulaski was organizing a corps of cavalry in an age when the mind is susceptible to every Baltimore the nuns prepared a banner of crim¬ generous and honorable impulse^ the chival¬ son silk, embroidered in a beautiful design by rous Frenchman became impressed' with the their own hands, and sent it to the gallant righteousness of the cause for which Wash¬ Pole, the incident giving rise to the much ad¬ ington and those aronnd him were contend¬ mired poem of Longfellow, “ Hymn of the ing, and it mattered not to him that- there j Moravian Nuns at the Consecration of Pulas¬ seemed to be little hope of success at t£ie time ! ki’s Banner.” he offered his services. The smaller the pros- j A new Board of War, part of the machinery pect of ultimate triumph, the greater, it | contrived by the enemies of Washington in seemed to him, was the need for the aid that ; Congress, had been appointed. It assumed he proposed to render, and he gave it freely ! powers which properly belonged to the com- and without stint, with no expectation of re¬ mander-in-chief, among its members being ward beyond that which always flows from a Generals Gates and Mifflin. One of its acts noble and unselfish act. A lnstre gilds the was to recommend an invasion of Canada, to name of Lafayette which is dimmed by the command of which Lafayette was ap¬ no unworthy conduct; tarnished by no pointed, the object being, probably, to remove unseemly greed; lessened by no sel¬ him from Washington, pretended jealousy of fish exaggeration of his own services. tho foreign element being a prominent char¬ In order to comprehend the nobility of the acteristic of the element which opposed character of Lafayette, it is only necessary to Washington. The latter was not consulted as compare his situation among the American to this expedition or as to Lafayette’s appoint¬ troops at Valley Forge with what it might ment thereto, when it was made in January, have been in the French capital. Not yet 1778, soon after his recovery from his wound. nineteen he had married the accomplished Lafayette immediately showed the letter con¬ and beautiful daughter of the Duke de Noail- taining his appointment to the commander-in- les, the heiress of an immense fortune. He chief, and, seeing in the act an intention to had every inducement to linger in iParis, in detach him from Washington, asked his ad¬ attendance upon the court of the reigning vice in the emergency. Gates at this time monarch, Louis XVI. What, more remark¬ was in bigh favor, he being fresh from the able than that a young man in snch a position capture of Burgoyne at Saratoga. should choose to cast his lot with a strnggljng Washington advised Lafayette to accept people whose defeat at the time seemed almost the appointment, which he regarded as an certain ? Not only did he do this voluntarily honorable enterprise, although he failed to hut he adhered to his choice with a constancy see how the desired results were to be ac- and sincerity which entitle him to the highest complished. Lafayette went to York where honor. Congress met during the occupation of Phila¬ To do justice to Lafayette at Valley Forge delphia by the British, and was given full in¬ it is necessary to go hack a year or two, and structions how to proceed. Many fine prom¬ recite the circumstances leading up to his ar¬ ises were made to him, and he was much flat¬ rival in America. Many foreign adventurers, tered by the Gates faction. The notorious as is well known, had been induced by the General Conway, who was charged with desire for fame, or other selfish motives, to being the author of the conspiracy against enlist in the cause of the colonies, so much so Washington, was second in command, but that a feeling of prejudice against foreigners Lafayette succeeded in having Baron De- had been aroused among the officers and men Kalb who outranked Conway, also appointed, of Washington’s army. These soldiers of thus making the artful and scheming Con¬ fortune almost invariably aspired to high way third. commands, and their desire feu- such positions Lafayette proceeded to Albany in the dead often exceeded their ability to fill them prop¬ of winter, men and stores being expected for erly. It is almost needless to observe that the Invasion of Canada. But these were not no such mercenary motives could, with any forthcoming, and Lafayette, after waiting regard for the truth of history, be ascribed to nearly three months in vain came back to Lafayette. Valley Forge which he reached early in In his conferences with Benjamin Franklin, April. Silas Deane and Arthur Lee, the American The mind of Lafayette was too active to Commissioners at Paris, he manifested the permit him to remain long idle at his same chivalrous forgetfuiDess of self, the same headquarters on Valley creek, he having no earnest zeal for freedom which characterize! distinct command at this time, although him throughout his whole life. When to!' ranking, nominally, as a Major General. ..t the appearanriUfffYtmerican affairs wn; to the Indian ;en in Philadelphia, and | desperate, he answered that it was in the hoc was there waited pon by the members of of danger that he Wished to share the fortune Congress.” of the American people. Disappointed ii The Chester County Historical Society has means of transportation which had beei erected a memorial shaft to mark the spot promised, he resolved to fit onta vessel at his where Lafayette was wounded, the exercises own expense. Becalled by the French gov¬ connected therewith being held September 11, ernment, which was anxious not to incur the 1895, just 118 years after the battle. A portion risk of responsibility for his acts, he finally of the money to pay the expense was derived set sail accompanied by DeKalb and other of¬ from contributions made by the pupils of ficers, and reached Sooth Carolina in the public and other schools in Chester county. spring of 1777. Traveling overland to Phila- Lafayette was not at the battle of German¬ delnhia, he presented his credentials to Con¬ town as some historians have stated, bnt he: gress and, after some delay, dne to the want had sufficiently recovered from his wound to) of a proper understanding of his attitude, he join the army before it encamped at Valley! was made a Major General on July 31. Forge. Ell wood Roberts^ At this time was begun that close friendship between Lafayette and Washington, never in¬ terrupted until the death of the latter more LAFAYETTE’S HEAOQU&RTERS than twenty years later. History and tradi¬ tion agree that the relation between the two Inaction of Camp Life Distasteful to was like that of father and son. Lafayette was invited to take a position on the staff of His Active Spirit. the commander-in-chief, an appointment which he promptly, accepted. At the battle of The Appointment to the Command of Brandywine on September 11, he had his first opportunity to display his courage and devo¬ the Barren Hill Expedition Was tion to the interests which he had espoused Doubtless a Concession to His Desire with so much ardor. to Achieve Some Worthy Result— There are, as a matter of course, many dif¬ His Escape from an Overwhelming; fering accounts of', the part taken by Lafay¬ ette, but all agree in the principal details. He Force Intent Upon His Capture, was endeavoring to rally the Americans of Sullivan’s division, who had been forced to Lafayette, though one of the prominent retreat before superior numbers, when he was officers who surrounded Washington at Val¬ wounded in the left leg, a bullet passing en¬ ley Forge, whose counsel was sought in tirely through the limb. On this point La¬ every important emergency that arose, was fayette said during his visit to America in less identified, perhaps, with the scenes and 1825 : incidents of the Revolutionary campground “The ball went*through and through; I was on foot when I received my wound. A than almost any other. His active spirit part of our line had given way, but a part chafed at the inaction of camp life. His tem¬ still held its ground. To these I repaired. perament demanded achievement, as he To encourage my comrades, and to show them proved by rushing into the thickest of the I had no better chance of flight than they, I fight at Brandywine, receiving thereby a ordered my horse to the rear. The news of wonnd that rendered him helpless for a time my being hart was conveyed to the command- and unfit for duty for two long months. The er-in-chief with the usual exaggeration in such circumstance was often referred to by him, cases. but in a way that indicated the satisfaction “ The good General Washington freely ex¬ be felt in his sacrifices in behalf of American pressed his grief, hat one so young, and a independence. “The honor of having min¬ volunteer in the hofy cause of freedom, should gled my blood with that of many other so early have failed ; hut he was soon relieved American soldiers on the heights of Brandy¬ by an assurance that my wound would wine,” he said during his visit to this coun¬ : stop short of life, when he sent me his love try in 1825, “ has been to me a source of pride ! and gratulations that matters were not and delight.” I worse. Prior to his full recovery from this wound, “ On the field of battle the surgeon prepared he accompanied General Greene in the expe¬ his dressings, but the shot fell so thick around dition for the relief of Fort Mercer. With us, that in a very little time, if we had re¬ 2000 men they crossed the Delaware at Bur¬ mained, we should both have been past all lington and marched toward Red Bank. The surgery. Being mounted on my horse I left expedition was unsuccessful because of the the field, and retired to the bridge near largely superior force of the British under Chester, where I halted and placed a guard, Cornwallis. Late in November Lafayette re¬ to stop fugitive soldiers, and direct them to joined the army and accompanied it in the rejoin their respective regiments. march from Whitemarsh to the Schuylkill, “ I conld do no‘more. Becoming faint, I thence to Gnlf Mills, and subsequently to was carried into a house in Chester and mid Valley Forge. on a table, when my wound received its first As already mentioned, the greater part of dressing. the winter of the encampment at Valley “The good general in-chief was much grat- Forge was spent by Lafayette at York, Al- i ified on finding me in such spirits, and caused banyand elsewhere, largely in waiting vainly I a litter to he made Jon which I was conveyed ,

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J for the men and material to he employed in hour was spent in this way—a delay that an invasion of Canada. He returned from proved inva nable to the Americans. While this April 4th, and he was soon engaged in the British troops were halted, they were new plans intended to annoy and embarrass making their way through the forest road to the enemy. Scarcely a month passed away the river. I until he was selected for the important post of The British force was drawn up in battle commander of the forces sent to Barren Hill. array near Spring Mill, much time being re- He left the farmhouse on the bank of Valley j quired for the long column to form, but it creek full of hope and sangnine of success, j was too late. They could see the rear guard little dreaming how narrowly he was destined i of the Americans crossing the Schnylkill, but J to escape capture, nearly the whole available were powerless to prevent the escape of Lafa¬ | force of the British in Philadelphia being set yette and his men. The British General had in motion for that purpose. been deceived by small parties who appeared It was desirable to observe the movements to be the heads of large columns, while the of the British as well as to nse some exertions main body made good its retreat. to stop the contraband trade with them, a I I There was great rejoicing in the camp at large portion of which went to Philadelphia Valley Forge when Lafayette and his men re¬ by the roads on the east side of the Schuyl¬ turned with only trifling loss from an expedi¬ kill. To carry out the design 2500 picked tion that would have proved ruinous but for ! men from the troops at Valley Forge were the promptness with which the retreat was ef¬ placed under Lafayette’s command. He had i fected. Lafayette has been severely criticised with him eight cannon. for being so nearly surprised by a greatly On May 17th the force moved down the I superior force, but the rapidity of the move¬ river, crossing at Matson’s ford, and en- ment of the British and the success of his j camped at Barren Hill. Howe was promptly retrograde movement furnish his most com¬ informed of the movement, which was a plete vindication. From this time he was surprise to the people of the vicinity, who, trusted with important commands, and he al¬ ignorant of the design of Washington, won¬ ways gave evidence, as here, of deserving con¬ dered what it meant, the force being larger fidence. than the foraging parties to which they had The remainder of Lafayette’s stay with the been accustomed, but still too small to take army at Valley Forge appears to have been the offensive against the British in Philadel¬ marked by no duty of particular importance. phia. When the army pursued the British through Howe at once decided to attempt the cap¬ New Jersey in June, he was with Washington, ture of the entire force by a rapid maneuver, and he was one of those who favored an at¬ executed at night, and thus close by a bril¬ tack on the enemy at Monmouth, only two liant exploit his career in America, he being others of nine general officers, Greene and about to hand over the command to Clinton Wayne, coinciding with him. He was in and return to England. command of the advanced forces in the move¬ General Grant was sent on the night of ments preliminary to the battle, and he be¬ May 19, with 5300 men, the wheels of their haved admirably throughout the contest. gun carriages being muffled so as to surprise Some idea of Lafayette’s enthusiasm for the the Americans, to surround Lafayette and cnt cause he had espoused may be gained from off his retreat. Another force of 5700 men expressions used in a letter to his wife on was to follow on the morning of the 20th, to board his ship at sea : “ From love to me,” he constitute a reserve that would aid in complet¬ said, “become a good American. The’wel- ing the work begun by the other detachment. fare of America is closely bound up with the A third division of the British army marched welfare of mankind. It is about to become np the Schuylkill 'on the west side of the the safe asylum of virtue, tolerance, ccuality J stream. and peaceful liberality.” Grant marched by Germantown and Chest¬ Ihe sentiments which Washington enter¬ nut Bill, and np the Bethlehem road to the tained towards Lafayette arc shown in his in¬ Skippack road, by the latter to Broad Axe, junction to the surgeon who was placed in and thence by the Matson’s ford road to the charge of the wounded after the battle of point where, it was expected, the force of Brandywine : “ Take care of him as if he were Lafayette would be encountered. my son.” Ellwood Roberts. A miller named Stoy was awaked by the unusual noise caused by the British force in passing and he started across the fields to no¬ tify Lafayette. Wearied out by haste, he call¬ ed up another, Charles Bartle, who gave the warning at Barren Hill, and the camp at once became aroused to the danger. Lafayette himself, in the early dawn, rode out some dis¬ From, tance, and, seeing the advancing army near where Cold Point Baptist Church now stands, ordered a retreat by way of Matson’s Ford, ./ the artillery being placed in front. Grant, when close to Plymouth Meeting, was informed of Lafayette’s movement to the fcrd, and, had he not rost time by calling a Date, l III a /.//. council of officers to decide which road to take, might still have intercepted Lafayette. An tap-" — History ofSkippack '

Jacob Reiff—Jesse (label — The Swartley, Mensch, Johnson and Freeman Farms — Those Who Formerly Owned and Resided on Them.

(Written expressly for tbe Transcript by James Y. Heckler.)

Jacob Reiff. the road, which was their residence af¬ This Garret Clemens was a grandson terward. On April 10, 1867, Jesse Ga¬ of Gerhart Clemens, who purchased ble and wife Mary granted to Jacob L. 100 acres of land from Matthias Van Young two messuages and tracts of land Bebber on the west side of the Ziegler containing 17 acres and 100 perches. farm in 1711, as related in the sketch It is now owned by Michael B. Huns¬ of the Zieglers. After owning this berger and Mrs. Helena Bean. The plantation 10 years Mr. Clemens and hotel was built by Jesse Gable in 1851. wife Catharine, who never lived on Jesse Gable was elected . County the place, sold the same to their son Treasurer by the Democratic party in Jacob Clemens, December 2, 179G. For 1851, and in 1852. some cause or other the latter owned it A letter just received from Percival less than 4 years when he and his wife K. Gabel, of the Rambo House, Nor¬ Margaret sold the same plantation to ristown, is worthy of a place in this his brother-in-law, Jacob Reiff, March work. “My father built the Valley 29, 1800, and he and his family moved House in 1851; sold it to Lewis G. to Chester county. Jacob Reiff was a Stauffer in 1867, and in the meantime son-in-law of Garret Clemens. Jacob built the house just below the hotel. Reiff lived on this farm until 1853, After his death in 1871 mother took when he died at the age of 82 years. the house, and in 1878 traded it on the He had eight children—Elizabeth, mar- j Valley House. My father also built dried Henry Bertolet; Daniel, married the house in which M. B. Hunsberger Eilzabeth Arnhart; Garret, married now resides, in 1859—60. The house Catharine Hunsicker ; Catharine, mar¬ just below the store he built in 1861 ried Joseph Swartley ; Sarah, married for a printing office, and in 1867 sold Abrm. Reiff; George, married Eliza¬ them both with the house between the beth Detwiler; Pollie,remained single ; two places to Jacob D. Young. In Nancy, married John Hunsicker. Jacob 1842 or ’43 he built the first -house be¬ Reiff was a son of George Reiff, who low the upper hotel. Jesse Gable built lived on the late Theodore Tyson farm, more houses in Skippack than any east of this town in Lower Salford, other individual.” and a grandson of Jacob Reiff, who George C. Reiff and wire Elizabeth was prominent in matters of the Skip- sold to their son Abraham D. Reiff 45 pack Reformed church in the early acres and 73 perches containing the settlement of the country. old homestead in a good condition, April 28, 1827, Jacob Reiff and wife April 1, 1867. Reserving some land he conveyed to their son, Garret C. Reiff built a house on the opposite side of 37 acres and 121 perches of land with the road, now' the property of Sylvester buildings and improvements at the H. Orr. All the land along the road upper end of their farm, now partly, is now cut into lots and we will not owned by M. B. Hunsberger and others. dwell on them. . April 1, 1876, Abra- And on February 16, 1833, Jacob Reiff . ham D. Reiff and wife Joanna sold and wife conveyed to their son, George and conveyed 25 acres to Elizabeth C. Reiff 68 acres and 68 perches with Reiff, wife of Garret H. Reiff. and the • buildings and improvements. What other 20 acres to Abraham T, Grater. became of his other land we cannot say. Five years later Mrs. Reiff sold those On March 30, 1838, Garret C. Reiff ; 25 acres with buildings and improve¬ and wife Catharine conveyed their ments to Rev, S. M. K. Huber, and farm, still containing the same lium- I on March 29, 1884, Abraham T. Grater / ber of acres to his brother-in-law, sold 10 of those.20 acres to Mr, Huber. ’ Joseph Swartley, of Franconia. Then George C. Reiff affiliated with the on April 7, 1851, Joseph Swartley and Democratic party and in 1860 was ap¬ wife Catharine sold the messuage and pointed to take the census of Skippack 16 acres of land to Jesse Gable. By and Perkiomen townships. Hs was that time, if we mistake not,they had elected County Treasurer iu 1871 and built that house on the west side of held the office one year.

. I

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nave beenU7em^enFold Johnson lot, The Henry Swartley Farm. still belonging to the estate of Garret though now only email, was formerly a Hunsicker, deceased. Those 10 acres large tract. It was purchased from were to be put to that lot for the resi¬ Matthias VanBebber by Daniel Dis- dence of his widow, lie also mention¬ mant, June 12, 1708, for 150 acres, but ed a “burial place” in his grain held. Does anyone now living know any-, it was at least three acres less. After owning it nineteen years Mr. Dismant thing of a burial place on that farm. Be bequeathed one seventh part of his sold the farm containing 138 affres to Abraham Swartz, By this time Mr. estate to his wife’s sister Catharine, Dismant had sold a small tract out of wife of Philip Fisher; and one seventh to each of the following: her brother the west corner and the boundaries were given as follows : Beginning at a Henry Ziegler, to the heirs of her post in a line of Jphn Newberry’s land, brother Andrew Ziegler, to her brother thence southwest 13634 perches to a , George Ziegler, to her brother John post, thence northwest by land of An- ! Ziegler, to her brother Mark Ziegler, thony Hallman 14634 perches to a post, : and’to her brother Philip Ziegler. He appointed for his excutors David A - thence northeast 5434 perches, thence ! lebaek,of Sldppack, and Abraham Geil, northwest 25)4 perches to a post, thence i northeast by land of Jacob Updengraeff alias Kile, of Bucks county. These 82 perches to a corner, then southeast executors sold the farm to Christian by land of Peter Johnson and Gerhard Dettra, of Norriton township, Decem¬ Indenhoffen 172 perches to the place of ber 3 1812. Then Christian Dettra beginning, containing 138 acres. We and wife Mary sold the messuage, tene¬ hereby see that John Newberry who ment and 5 acres of the land to Jacob was assessed for 500 acres in ±731 owned Johnson of Lower Providence April 2, the land on the Skippack from Isaac 1813, and 4 acres of the woodland to Hallman’s place downward, and his Daniel Morgan. Eleven years later tract was probably much larger, or he Jacob Johnson was dead, and his may have owned several tracts in the widow Sarah Johnson and John Hun- township, but the owners were seldom sieker, executors, sold the said farm rated for nearly the full number of acres. to Amos Wanner, March 2i, 1824. In that year Abraham Swartz was rat¬ Amos Wanner owned this farm until ed for 100 acres. Anthony Hallman the time of his death about the year who was a great speculator in land was 1859, when letters of administration rated for 100 acres that same year. were granted to Isaac Hallman aiid The farm owned by Henry Bean on Daniel Fryer, who sold out the farm ih the west side of this farm at first con¬ small tracts. The homestead and tained 175 acres, and was in the Hall¬ about 20 acres were sold to heuben man family 128 years, i.e. from 1705 to Derr, who sold the same to Henry D. 1833, when it was sold by Jacob Hall¬ Swartley, the present owner, in I8bb. man and George Shoemaker, adminis¬ Mr. Swartley has now lived there thirty trators of the estate of Henry Hallman, to HenryBean, grandfather of the pres¬ )LBv'a draft of thisjfarm made in 1812 ent owne”. The farm contained we see that there was no road leading 163 acres yet in 1833. toward the Skippack Mennomte meet¬ After owning this farm ten years inghouse. Abraham Swartz and wife sold the The Menscli Farm. same to Sebastian Smith, September The farm now owned and occupied 20 1737, who, by his will dated Sep¬ by Rev. Jacob Mensch was owned and tember 16, 1751, devised his plantation occupied by Jacob Updongraff m 17o4 I to his oldest son John Smith, and it when he was rated for 100 acres, and was released and confirmed to him by this was his home until 17o0, when he the heirs October 24, 1765. took sick and died suddenly. lie made ' Eleven years later John Smith and his will September 21, 17o0, which was Wife Margaret' granted ajijj confirmed proven October 1, 1750. He commences this plantation still containing 138 in these words, “I Jacob Updengraff acres to AbrahamGarges, of Lower Sal- of the townhsip of Perquomie and bke- i fora, for £130, March 1, 1776. (See uac:k. ” It appears that his wife was \ deed book 1, vol. 15, page 552, recorded dead, for he says nothing about her, ] Vn Philadelphia). Abraham Garges but wives a featherbed to his daughter pwned this farm and lived on it thirty- Elizabeth and money for a cow. After¬ 1 six years. He was married to Eliza¬ ward the estate was equally divided beth, daughter of George gjegler, of among his six children whose names Upper Salford. They had no children. were Elizabeth, Catharine, Abraham, Mr. Gorges made his will March 30, Edward, Margaret and Eneken. 11 is 1812. It appears by his will that some 3011 Abraham Updongraff and son-in- time before his death he purchased 1-nv Richard Gable were appointed ex¬ from John Shafer a small'tract of land ecutors. He made his mark thus N. Wt the south:west side or corner of his The witnesses were William How and farm and he then ordered in _faiB wi]l Nichnlaa Bunn. In German, Graf ia_ that 10 acres should be cut out of his farm adjoining the lot which must ■■ mm a title aTnflSSy a n ’ 1 ise qu f v^e nf^ t o “ probably a grandson on Ouke. Updon .graff then means for the immigrant, whe ihe Duke, it is now written Unde- ' ladelphia fronj the Pala ,j grove. ' p Adventurer, Oct.l ; It would appear as if Mr. Updengraff , j had conveyed his farm to his son-in- The Claries T. Johnson Farm. I law- Richard Gable some time before This far his death, because on March 5, 1751, ! at first contained 150acrefa he and his . wife Catharine conveyed when it wa6 purchased by Johannes^1 PH- Kolb from: Mathias Van Bfebber, De¬ the farm stiil containing 100 acres to cember 15, 1709. But he owned it only Abraham MarMey. But we find that three years, or at least 100 acres of it, Abraham and Edward Updengraff, for on November 5, 1712, be- and his i later on written Updegraff, still owned land about this place. Abraham wife Sarah conveyed 100 acres of the tract to Peter Bellar. The remaining I Markley owned this farm 5 years. He 1 50 acres of the tract lay along the up¬ purchased from his neighbor Isaac per side of it. It is believed that John Hunsicker 1 acre 1 and 55 perches in Kolb some- time afterward emigrated 1789, and from Joseph Updegrave 234 $ to South Carolina where some of his acres November 9, 1793, Apparently i descendants reside to this day. Peter *16 died in 1802

Jienstag wvames Hamer 31 acresWith buildings ept ember IS J and improvements. Whether the build¬ No. 70 still has the same heading ings were erected by Mr. Hallman or and is still published by Mr. Shoe- whether they were there when he be¬ maker & Co. but when we come to came the owner thereof, we can not say. No. 169, dated November 7, 1848, it is After his son Dr. James Hamer, Jr., published by J. M. Schueneman. We will now go back again to No. 1, df’J-* ]. ■' I had finished his medical course, they ■ i. had buildings erected for him and cut which has its first page occupied by a off a portion of the land in 1853. But short sketch of history of Montgomery when-- Dr. Poley became established in county, which rune through four num¬ the upper part of the village, and had bers. On the second page we fip.d the gained_ ’ ’ much practice, both Doctor fpljowing i Hamers sold their property. Dr. Ha- “ Bine Drucketei In Scliippach.” ' mer Sr., and wife Frances sold their Ala der vorschlag zum “Neutralist” property to Joseph Markley, April 15, das’erste Mai vor Tageslicht erschei- - 1857. Joseph Markley died here Sep- pen, warden wir ejpige hundert Mai temebr 5, 1884, aged 80 years, 2 months rpit obigem ausdruecken begrnesf, o’ft- and 28 days. His son-in-law John W. x i- pials begleidet mit obigen erstapnen, Richard is the present owner and oc¬ Qelaeehtar, upd sogar, wje es bei man cupant. pjiep schien, mif bedaurung. Betrach- The Neutralist. tet man die Folgen von dem vorigepi In the History of Montgomery Versuch eipe Zeitupg hjer aufrecht zu County, by Col. Theo. W. Bean, under ■ erhalten, so muszte man natuerlieh eip the head of Journalism, page 467, we solches unterpehmeu fuer gefaehrlich find the following concerning the wen nicht fuer laecherlich halten. Al- “Neutralist.” “This German weekly- I lein der fruehere Versuch war auf po- newspaper was established at Skip- litische Speculationen gegruendet. Wir packville by John Young & Co., John sind jedoch nicht beschraenkt auf die Shupe being of the firm, in the year enge Graenzen von einer oder der an- 1848. This firm continued its publiea- j deren Parthei—wolche bald rasend uud tion for two years. In 1850, J. M. heftig emporsteigen, und wieder in Schueneman & Co., John Shupe being Schiummer zerfallen — wir arbeiten one of the proprietors of the firm, be¬ jetzt fuer das allgemeine Volk, und came the owners thereof and published ygrtrapen apf dessen vereinigte Unter it until 1861. In that year the estab¬ ; gtpetzupg. Wir be^rbeiten jetzt ejn lishment was destroyed by lire. There preifea und mehr frucfitoarea Feld— being no insurance on the property and da von haben wir aufmunternde Be- machinery, the proprietors declined to weise an unser Liste, welche jetzt, 1 refit and continue its issue. Subse¬ schon beinahe zweimal so zahlreich quently A. E. Dambly became the ist, als diejenigen welche frueher bier editor and publisher, and the paper existirten. Das Prahlen ist zwar zu r has become a useful medium of infor- diesen Tagen allgemein im Gebrauch, I mation among the German speaking selbst bei manchen die den Krepsgang people throughout the county.” gehen—sollte aber jemand diese worte As the establishment was burned out fuer leere Prahlereien halten, so laszt by fire there is no full file of the “Neu¬ ihn vorkommen und unsere liste selbst tralist” in existence, but that indefat¬ untersuchen. igable collector and antiquarian, Abra¬ It will thus be seen that the “Neu¬ ham H, Casse’, has ap incomplete col¬ tralist” is not the first paper that was lection of the paper running through’ fjgblishefS' in Skjppackville and that the first decade of years or more. Ac¬ the one published here before failed cording to the present number of the because it was founded on political paper it appears that the publication ground. But we will proceed with an¬ was not omitted more than, one or two other item published in the first num¬ weeks after the fire. The first number ber, relating to the foregoing. is dated August 5th 1845. We will jg^”Die Ursachen warum diese Zei- give the whole heading. tung einige Wochen spaeter erschienen PBB jpjUTjanxiST. als zuerst versproehen wurde, sind Schippackvllle, Dienstag, den 5. August 1815 vielfaeltig.—Erstens, ist es eine arbeit ■! Bandl, No. 1. . die pichf jfi eineip tage gethan werden Gedruckt und herausgegehen von John Young Uahh, eihfi Liste aufzubrjngeu die das It appears to have been started in the ^eatehen einbr neiien Zeitung sichert. village, but tor some cause or other, - Auch sind andero Einrichtungen zu it was removed to Lucon, where it was ipachen, Huchstaben anzuschaffen und published a year or two, but was sub¬ apfzusetzen, pie pbppfajlz Zeit und sequently brought back again to the CJeduld erforderep ; besoppers in einer village where it has been published Hruckerei ip ^e)cher es ansgesehei} ever since. We will give another head¬ wie die zersfoerupg Jerusalems. Um ing. den leser ein begriff zu geben von den DEB NEUTRALIST. Rumen und Fetzen welche noch uebrig Skippaek, Montgomery county, herausgcge- waren von der frueheren Druckerei ben von M. Shoemaker and Co. welche hier bestand, geben wh jhnen Band 2. No. 59 "UK', Wli4J44«R5i. i' > v ‘

R - 'v*L __^ das untorstehende BeTspftto DER.FREIHEITS W7ECHTER, mui u i! u 8 k 0 u bh u n c Eine woecbentfiohe Zeitung Politischef und nu Shipachn Finkel G oh sumch h nze Literariscben Inhalts, filer Deutsche in lr Pu P Un chnem W a 1 O, jnchnll p den Verelnigten Staaten. 1 if minmurn Buys-binne Bilie Ewerg Skippacksville, Montgomery County Penna. I: scbul Bim zitz a ooluinte Gedrucktund berausgegeben, von Arnold Pu welle. |.uc^ a icenaof desolation .the editor otThe first number of tbe Neutralist” Jahi-gang 4, Gauze No. 201 Laufende No. 28 Mittwoeh den oten December 1838. says he found in the ruins and remains of a former printing office in Skippack- Contents. — Bedingungen. A column ?ille when he started the publication of poetry. Then useful items, such as, of that old family newspaper “Dei- How to keep winter apples, How to Neutralist” fifty-one years ago. keep eggs all winter, How to make Many of my readers will now want shoes and boots lasting. Then matters to know something more about the for¬ of ancient history and other items mer printing office and the paper that make up the first page. The size of it was published there. To make mat¬ is the same as the “Neutralist” was ters plain we' must go back about the first twenty or thirty years of its twenty years more to the year 1826. In existence. But by the time of the that year a man by the name of Wil¬ above issue, the paper had already liam Morgan, who was a Mason, pub¬ « changed hands, and how long it was lished the secrets of Masonry, and for continued is not known. violating his oath he was abducted or On second page it is stated that on drawn into a secret place where his the 19th of the pievious month, on mo¬ tongue was cut out, and he was subse¬ tion of p- W. Brobks Esq., William quently taken into a boat and rowed Strong, Esq,, was admitted to practice out on lake Erie, bound and, with in .the courts in Montgomery-county. weights to his feet, thrown into the lake. At the same time, on motion of John When these things became known to Freedly, Esq., Gilbert R. Fox, Ei the public it created a feeiing of hor¬ vvas also admitted to practice ror among the people, and Masonry be¬ courts of said county. came exceedingly unpopular. The same page also contains a num¬ 13ut things moved slowly in those ber of items of news. days. As there were no telegraphs nor On the third page we have the mar railroads then, it took several years riage.notice of Gottsehajk Gottschalk until it became generally known. Sub¬ of Frederick township with Miss He¬ sequently this Anti-Masonic feeling lena Custer of Skippack township on was taken into politics, and an Anti- Sunday November 18, (1838) by Rev. j Masonic paper, printed in German, Mr. Haldeman. Also, on the 22nd of was started in the office of the Herald Nqvemebr by Rev, George Wack, Mr. and Free Press, in Norristown. Abra¬ Michael Bean of Worcester to Miss ham II. Cassel thinks it was first called Anna Wismer of Skipapck township. Des Water land’s Sehildwaechter, but DIED.—On Thursday morning No¬ ■ * that the name was afterward changed vember 15, at his residence at the to Freyheits Waechter. Robert Ire¬ Trappe, Mr. Heinrich Preusser, (Pri- dell who is yet living at a highly ad- ! zer). Surveyor and teacher of Mathe¬ \ aimed age and in whose office the pa¬ matics. It continues with a tribute of per was started says, to the best of praise to the memory of the departed. ins recollection, the paper was started Op the same page Daniel Springer in 1831, and was published in his office advertises that he wants to take an ap¬ ■ I about two years. He thinks the name prentice to learn the saddler trade. Freyheits Waechter was given it in Nov. 28, 1838. the start. He says he was not con- , i A new kind of lamp is also adv. by nected with it,as he had no knowledge I Jacob G. Server. of the German language, and does not"1 Tobacco, snuff and cigars manufac¬ recollect who started it, but it came turer! in Skippackville by Michael into the hands of one Carl Anton Pulte, D..v- Wartman. a celebrated German lawyer, who re¬ On the 4th page we find advertised moved the paper to- Skippackville, the private sale of a valuable farm in where it was published for som© time. Skippack township, containing 65 As Mr. Cassel has preserved a copy acres and 120 perches, one quarter of a of the paper, No. 201, we will tell you mile from Skippackville by Abraham how it looks and what it contains. Everhart, bounded by lands of Abra¬ But before going further we will add ham Tyson, Abraham Ziegler and by way of interpolation, that The Free others. Press was established by Robert Ire¬ This will give us some idea of the dell in Norristown in 1829 as the organ weekly paper that preceded the “Neu¬ of the Anti-Masonjic party. Mr Ire- tralist”. That copy of the Freiheits del bought the .Herald in 1837 and Waechter in Mr. CassePs collection is changed the name to Herald and Free not the only one in existence, for, since Press. Inus showing that there were writing the foregoing we have been, also other organs, of the Anti-Masonic shown two more specimen copies of the party at that time, same paper by Harry W. Dambly.

1 ' ' 30O A

/aled August 6 and 20, iMU. 1'he pa¬ the coming of the Lora and the end o per, though still published in Skip- the world.—-A long advertisement of packville, had changed owners. It was Miller, the Adventist, who causes now in the hands of J. P. Finkel, great excitement in the world in re¬ while the former editor, Arnold Pu- gard to the end of all things being at welle, had removed to Reading, where hand at that time. he was publishing the Liberalen Beo- There is a long list of bank notes, bachter. The change appears to have showing the condition of each one, been made in the previous April. good or bad. Besides, there are a num¬ There is a notice in it to those who ber of other advertisements, but we are still indebted to the former editor think we have given enough. of the Freiheits Waechter, stating that But we have something better to show their accounts are in the hands of than Der Freiheits Waechter, Benjamin Reiff, Esq., of Lower Sal¬ that was also published in Skippack¬ ford, where tfiey shajj call aatf make ville, in connection with the said satisfaction in order to avoid the un¬ weekly paper. It was a religious pleasantness which would otherwise monthly periodical, published by Rev. follow. These two papers are largely Henry Bertolet, who was a brother-in devoted to politics, booming William law to the late George C. Reiff. This publication was intended for reading Henry Harrison for President and John matter for the members of the Menno- Tyler for Vice President. Tippecanoe vf- nite Church in the United States, to Calenders for 1841 are already adver¬ instruct them in their religious duties, tised. English and German biogra¬ and to advance their spiritual condi¬ phies of General Harrison for sale. tion in ths same manner and with the English copies bound 818 per 100. In same object in view as the Herald of pamphlet for pi iSia per lOp, "Truth and other religious periodicals Isaac Schneider, Dephty Marshall, at the present time. But the editor had the kindness to present the editor who was an educated man was far in with a report of the Census of Upper advance of his Church in the time in Salford, Lower Salford and To\yaiy&v which he lived, and to say the least, siqg for 1840; ^hereby it appear^' that his Church members were prejudiced there were 696 males and 605 feanales ip against his paper and did not want it. Upper Salford, and 394 males and 369 The consequence was that the first females in Tpwam'ensipg, number fell dead from the press. A The Trappe Hotel is advertised in copy of it has been preserved by Mr. German and has a card inEnglish, thus: Cassel in his library. It is about ten “Come all voii "Travelers, lardge and by twelve inches in size and contains email sixteen pages. The last page contains Come Farmers stop and see only the index of contents. It is called How fine I commodate you all Der Evangelische Botschafter. .. With all my heart to thee DER EVANGELISCHE BOTSCHAFTER. At the Trappe. Eine monatliche Erbauungsschrift fuer den George Young.” cfaristlichen Landmann. April 22, 1840, Merausgegeben von ^Regulations of the Philadelphia and HEINRICH BERTOLET, iteading railroad. Fare from one city Prediger an den Mennonitlschen Gemeinden to the other in First Class cars $2.50. in Skippack. In Second Class cars $2.00. Motto: Eln Sasman soil der chrisdliehe Predi¬ ft * -V; ' Jacob G. Server advertises fine hats ger sein ; aber sein acker liegt in den Her¬ U'w ■ zen seiner Gemeinde; sein Same ist .■Xfck and store goods. Got.tes Wort. United States Hotel, Corner of Sec¬ ERSTER JAHRGANG. ERSTE HEFTE ond and Mulberry streets, Harrisburg, Ausgegeben den erst.on Julius, 1838. Pa.—A long advertisement by BETE UND ARBEITB! John Smull. Skippacksville, Montgomery County, Penna Arnold Puwelle advertises a Receipt Druck und Yerlag von C A Pulte, 1836. book which can be had in the printing Anzeige-Biatt des Druckers. mm office in Skippackville at $7.50_per do¬ . Vorwovt des Druckers. zen or 75 cts apiece, by subscribers of Der geneigte Leser wird es guetigst the Freiheits Waechter. entschuldigen, dasz die erste N'uturner Iff Next is an advertisement for the sale dieser Zeitschrift einige Tage spaeter &M'1. of a Hotel and 20 acres of land in erschienen ist, als es angekuemdigt Pennville, Jackson township, Wayne war, wenn wir anfuehren, dasz die county, Indiana; six miles westward Schuld nicht an uns, Sondern an den from Centreville, the county seat, on Papiermacher lag. Derselbe hatte ver- the national road, by John _ Finkei. sprochen, uns bis zum Mitte Julius Also 160 acre farm with buildings and mit eiiier hinlaenglichen Quantitaet improvements, offered at private sale Papier zu verseben das ganz besonders in the same township, county and state gut sein oolite. Als das Papier go aforesaid, by Samuel Spinier. bracht wurde, fanden wir in unsern “Prospects of the Signs of the Krwartungen getaeuseht. Das Papier Times, ” giving Miller’s Lectures on

w Jahr. H

plaren^ifn/to^ er8clleint in 2500 Exem- Sfl?S*a*~ sn

iM£er°ieto?“6Xn H“&t **“"“<* uns Sehmeichlen, daez er unjn^r611 sbjn iib andern .«'»« aern gofallen wird. Wer nnr L tL®' merfuerden fbleendeuiT Ah^ Sui>scr|b^rbetraeti^ ****** Agenten. anoh "i d 82 dleses erste Biatt Ehrwuerdige Herrn noch vtel ^PPgrapWschpr Euecksicht E hdiger upd Aeltesten vo» mennonit ShotowmfaST »***, ische Gemeinten in der ganzen UnTon »ach bef * '« ■■* terAShe?nT)GVan8eiiBchen Botschaf- der h iQ unsern Verlage noch dingungen"zudem”iSpngeS^8 Bot Freiheits Wsechter, 2 SSKgi" A*“ ^£ : eio© woechentiiche geitung politischen Inhalt. und Literarischen Inhalt« Deutsche in den Vereinigten Staaten 1 Auch mt folgende ScErift ’ au?rwe?ffl±L,KCta£r llfloher Rnraoha _ m eng- wird religioesen und der zweite acke^ The bauenden Inhalts sein acker‘ Confession of faith g%nST„n£? “u der wste tel- of Christians called Mennonists goettHctelfg0. deber Translated From the German ■Buche aller Weishoit. B,bel> dem Preis 25 cents The third page contains the “Intro¬ duction” by the editor, which fills the whole page of three columns of very andemrJjgioX'Gemei^afforf81"1 interesting reading matter. He therein, sets forth the necessity of such reading matter in the family and the good results that will follow by having such a publication in their Inhalt fles 3ten Thells church and the members taking an interest in reading it, and comparing b«'4tfeat^"geinbaita “- such reading matter with the Scrip tures whenever references are given AckertST*1” “eb“ d6n 0"‘«" “Od He also sets forth what good was done Naehuchten--^utcu ueberUl Erfindungen by the_apostles in their time by writ und verbesserungen in den gewerb ing epistles and sending them to the churches and how those letters have been doing good ever since — down the ages to the present time, and he hopes by the use of the press to a- waken more interest in the cause of ©. MisceJJefl, religion. He says the press has a great Bediugungen. influence on the people and thinks it 1. Der evangelische BotschaiW „„ his duty and the duty of his colaborers seheint am ersten Tag in iedemM T to try to gain a religious influence over the community; and appeals to the officials of his church to assist him in the circulation of his publication and says it is expressly intended for the followers of Menno Simon. Skippack township, den 30ten Junv 1836. tahi ?£ VK«ten“ di*1fh/‘ht Qo- Untersehreiber im County'torschreiber. The Evangelisehe Botscbafter ***** duroh u?«ie life?*® *• is nicely gotten up, and the contents well selected, showing that the author was n5fi.gr «*»«&■*!Sf‘V'SR not a novice in literature, but was well calculated for a German publisher. \ Oboe For some years the “Neutralist” |jj»IhsSS S5“„ s was published in what is known as "tribute to General Howe, who bad L E_ , , - 5een feooFs shop;o ; tmsthis mayUia; also have;- ~ been recalled by the British Govern¬ "the place of the first«rat printing

! more picturesque, as it snows the I The Tory organs tried to belittle the affair, and make Lafayette’s re¬ grav, pointed stone. This little church succeeded a log treat appear ignominious. But Howe’s enemies seized upon it as another evi¬ structure erected in 1169. A larger, dence of his incapacity. Howe and stone edifice was built in front ot the British officers were intensely this little one, in 1800. This was mortified at the failure. Howe had torn down in 1813, and a new church beeu so sure of success that before .erected on Lancaster turnpike, on proceeding to Barren Hill, he invited ground given by tbe late Hon. some ladies to take supper with La¬ Charles Kugler. fayette on his return, while Admiral Tbe proper name of the “Old ; Howe, the General’s brother, pre- Dutch Church” is St. Paul’s Evan¬ I pared a frigate to send tbe distin¬ gelical Lutheran. It was organized guished prisoner to England. Five ! before 1165. From Col. Bean’s days later, General Howe relin¬ “History of Montgomery County,” quished the command to Sir Henry we learn that the first communion CliutoD, and embarked for England. was held in 1767, in which forty- Less than a month later, the British three persons participated. The evacuated Philadelphia, to be followed fouDders of the church were William immediately by Washington’s army, Stadelman, Frederick Grow, Stephen who gained the battle of Monmouth. Goodman, Christopher Getz man, From this time forwaid the fortunes George Bassler and Simon Litzen- of the patriots brightened into final berg. From the “Pennsylvania Archives, victory. June 19th is the anniversary of the Second Series,” Vol. II., we find that day when Washington’s army left" William Stadelman, of Germany, was | Valley Forge. June 18th, the date naturalized April 11, 1162pJ3tephen (Goodman. April 1, 1768; Frederick of the evacuation of Philadelphia by Groh, September 11, 1163. The pa¬ the British. The Schuylkill Valley, triot paper-maker, FrederickBiclcinsf, j on either bank of the river, has oft of Mill Creek, was naturalized April lesotiuded with the tread of hostile 3, 1163. . . J armies. The Lutheran communities of The point at which Lafayette came Montgomery county were settled down from Barren Hill and reached north and westward from Lower the Schuylkill, is marked on the east¬ Merion, through tbe central town- | ern bank of the river by Lafayette ships to the Berks county line. The Station, on the two parallel railroads. Germans were intensely loyal, the | From a map in Col. Theodore W. Muhlenberg family conspicuously so. | Bean’s history of “Washington and. ! During the Revolutionary War, Valley Forge,” we find that General the Dutch Church near Ardmore met Poore’s division of the patriot army I with many reverses. There was a stationed itself on the heights of ' divided sentiment in the community, i West Conshokocken. some of the congregation believing The Montgomery County Histori- in tbe Quaker or Mennonite doctrine ; cal Society is preparing to erect a of non-resistance. After the war the 1 memorial stcue to mark Lafayette’s church entered on a new era of pros¬ l encampment on Barren Hill. It will perity. The pastors have been few. be in order, at some future time, for The church had been founded a great Merion Chapter to mark the locality ! I many years before there were regular of Lafayette’s crossing on the west- ; preaching services. Among those ern side. who preached in the old church was * * * * * : the famous Rev. Dr. Henry Melchior On our return from Lafayette’s Muhlenberg, of the Trappe. A large Crossing, we have passed through number of Revolutionary soldieis Ardmore and visited the “Old Dutch ; and soldiers of tbe War of 1812 are ■ Church.” buried here. The old graveyard has The little stone building, still been in use 130 years. standing, was erected in 1187. This The German language was used in date appears on two quaint tablets the church services until 1858. The set in the wall. The gable-end little building has been, at various turned away from the road is the | times, used as a school-house. t ti 34 m

l.'VViv of the stream we have followed forsuctT a weary length Aside of the dam is the first evidence of civilization we j have seen since we left Philadelphia— 1 a building composed of mica-schist and sandstone. A spot on the opposite F hillside, bereft of vegetation, but glit- ' tering in the eveuimr sunlight like [.; myriads of gems, reveals where the 1 materials for its construction have ’ Date, .rjA... been wrested from mother earth. On the water side of the structure a huge wheel which, propelled by the j * ^ ^ ^ A A.A K -* ^ >' * force of the water falling over the dam, ;| Where Washington Hesitated. V? revolves merrily, and we know we ate '• 1747. Transport yourself in itnagi- in the presence of what has been the : Mnation back; to that year in our then precursor of civilization from time i®]brand-new country. In your fancy immemorial—a grist mill. In its ■ climb on top of a four-horse mail shadow stands a rude log structure, the pjcoach that is standing in front of the dwelling place of the miller and his ifjRising Sun Inn, on the piincipal thro- assistant. 1 ioughfare of the quaint little colonial 1895. Take a jump of nearly a cen-1 ■village or Philadelphia. So ho! Away tury and a half and again stir up your Ewe go! Clattering merrily up the imagination, and by virtue of that me¬ ■Istraight street, with the guard’s bugle dium make the leap through time and jf cheerily sounding behind. Look out leave behind you one of the hand- i, as we dash around the corner to our somest and wealthiest cities of the . right or we shall be thrown off. A few United States, notwithstanding news- • minutes more and we leave the con- paper jokes to the contrary, by board- i Hfines of the town behind us. ' ing a Schuylkill Valley Railway train, Our rapid exhilarating career which, steaming from the finest rail- through the crisp morning air lapses * road station in the world, is soon - into a lumbering trot, up hill and speeding us through the verdant and down dale, with wearisome monotony. smiling fields of old Montgomery ■ Thick foiest lands are on either side, county, until after a twenty minutes’ ■ .unbroken with the exception of an oc- ride we get down at the dirty, smoky, m casional settler’s little clearing. On we but bustling little iron borough of |go for four weary hours, until at last, ConshohOcken. A carriage from a s iff and tired, we climb down at ihe nearby livery chartered, and we are little village of Matson’s Ford, with a driven down a steep hill, across an [population of some three hundred open iron bridge over the Schuylkill, mingled Indians, white and half- where we turn to our right a ong the breeds. river, and soon leaving behind us the Let us accept the services of this cluster of workingmen’s cosy dwellings j .[stalwart warrior in the dirty and greasy known as West Conshoiiocken, we I jblanket; who for a trilling considera¬ > pass a brewery; a little later a woolen j tion, will guide us auywhere we want mill, and then enter a forest, which, j t > go, provided our destination is with the exception of an occasional 'within a radius of a hu ulred miles. cottage scattered here and there, is al¬ Now we go in single file, with our most as devoid of any evidence of civil- i [dusky leader in front, down a steep ization, as when we saw it a century j [embankment into the icy waters of the and a half ago. Schuylkill, which reaches our waists After an hour’s pleasant drive along \ in the middle. Out upon the opposite a well kept road following the tortuous f bank and along the side of the river 1 course of a brook, in and out among upon a narrow and well-worn wagon F the tolls, we come again to the lake. J track, until we come to a purlingrivulet, The log cabin of the miller and his [ whose course we follow up hill assistant have disappeared. There is until as the sun sinks into the west a pretty little stone mansion across the and we are nearly sinking with fatigue, road and some half dozen stone cot¬ vie come into a large open space sur¬ tages that were not there before. rounded by towering hilla on every But the greatest change is in the mill side and nearly fi led with a lake of itself. Of that nothing remains but sparkling water,caused by the damming j|ihe black and crumbling walla. NearJ fhe top of the wall facing the road is I was the scene of so rim in teres tmg inserted a time stained and smoke | episodes during the Revolutionary blackened slab of marble on which I To ,he ]eftof the mill in the illus¬ can be dimly discerned the inscrip¬ tration, and to the right of the miller’s tion : residence, can be seen a huge boulder. I This st0Qe nine feet high and twenty 1 tons in weight, was taken from a i gulf mills neighboring hillside in 1892, and : 1747. r-mteduat the exPense of Joseph C Gillingham of Philadelphia, on L plot ! Th/raT rteQdered by Mr- Supplee. j The side facing the road has been 1 _ You are viewing the Nestor of Amer¬ j highly polished, and on the finished I ican mills. || surface has been inscribed the following This mill of which we now see only | in gold letters: ; the ruins is known through all the GULPH MILLS. country around as “The Old GuH Mill.” As the inscription on the sl«Cb The Main Continental Army, inserted in the end wall indicates, it commanded by was erected in 1747. It is situated Gen’l Geo. Washington, about three miles from this city, at Encamped in this Immediate Vicinity the intersection of the Gulf Road, with From Dec. 13 to Dec. 19 Gulf Creek, which flows into the 1777, t Schuylkill at West Conshocken. Before Going Into Winter Quarters The name Gulf was given to the lo¬ At Valley Forge. cality from the fact that the creek com¬ erected by menced during some unknown geologi¬ cal epoch of tue past, to force a pas¬ The Pennsylvania Society of sage through a large hill, and in doing so has cieft it to the base. In this hol¬ Sons of the Revolution, low, which has taken countless ages to 1892. wear out of the solid rock, the mill was Here a curious and nteresting ortho¬ erected. graphical puzzle comes in. It will be notietd that the word “Gulf” on the The mill was purchased by Benjamin memorial is spe led “Gulph,” while on Brooke a captain in the Revolutionary the tablet on the mill it is spelled army, in 1795, for his son Mark, who “Gulf.” On all the old grants and died shortly after. Captain Brooke deeds the word is spelled “Gulph,” then established there his son-in-law, l and just why the modern ortho- Reese Thomas, the , husband of his I graphical construction of the daughter Rebecca. The latter operated word has been inscribed on the mill the mill until his death. Subsequent¬ slab, which is of contemporary date ly for many years it was conducted by with the deeds and grants no one the son of the late William Brooke I seems able to explain. Thomas, i he title of the mill passed But a brief resume of the events from Captain Brooke to his daughter which led to the episode, which this Rebecca by will 1834, and was owned memorial has been erected to com- by her until her death in I860, when j nnemorate iy necessary. It is a curious it was sold by her heirs to the present and interesting fact iD this connection Owner, Mr. Henderson Supplee. I that most historians have passed over A little over a year ago the mill wa3 | the story of this encampment, and j destroyed by fire. Although all possi. ij those that have noticed it have done Ible efforts were made to save the.Jhis-1 | so very briefly. tone structure^ oh account of its iso-; dated situation, and the consequential I _ We have to deal with the darkest delay of securing fire apparatus, they j days of the struggle for independence. were ineffectual. The origin of the Brandywine and Germantown had flames is unknown. The residence been fought and lost. Congress was a occupied by the operators of the mill fugitive from its capital, which was iu for over a c ntury, and in which Mr. the hands of the British. The sold¬ Supplee at present lives, stands in close iers of the Continental army were ' proximity to the mill. without sufficient clothiug and food. Ihe principal interest surrounding Everything was in the direst confu¬ | the mill, however, aside from its ex- sion, and the outlook for the future ^ treme age, centers in the fact that it was discouragingly gloomy. ‘. .\T 'r^TV:\' After the battle of Germantown, . ' " October 4th, 1777, the Continental Army fell back to Perkiomen Creek, at Penny.backer’s Mills, now Schwenks- TvC I*'!*" '

II •

-

ville, this county. Here the army <>nce or go into winter quarters and wait was reinforced by troops from Peeks- for spring to recommence operatiuns. kill, under General Varnum of Rhode After considerable discussion among Island, and on toe sixteenth a further the commanding officers, tbe former move was made southward to “Me- ' was decided upon, and the question of thacton Hill” in Worcester township, a site came up for consideration. The the point from which the army had desires of the officers in this direction started on the evening of October 3d, were widely div rirent, some favoring to attack the British at Germantown. Reading, others Lancaster and Wil¬ On the 21st, the army moved to Whit- mington. Washington, however, fi¬ paine Township, twelv • miles from the nally made the decision in favor of city which was in full possession of the Valley Forge. enemy. Accordingly early on tbe morning of Winter with all the inevitable suf¬ the 11th of December, the Army of ferings and privations incidental to | ll,0u0 men set out for winter quarters. warfare in the open field, was now at It was the intention that a portion hand, and it became necessary either H i of the troops should cross the river at to recover possession of Philadelphia at | Matson’s Ford, uow Conshihqckeu, in" mill memorial. and the remainder at a point three I miles further up the river, Swedesi ierin^th? Cl0thing and foud- the su Ford, now Norristown. When a por¬ tenseS S T- f^nenced was in- tion of-the Matson’s Ford detachment ■ n the night of December 12th had crossed the river, they were at fn a cVoildnOW St°/m Setin’ whlch ended tacked by 3,000 men uuder Lord Corn¬ m a cold ram four days later. The wallis, which forced them to return. miserable condition of the men is They were then ordered to Swedes’ graphically described by Dr. Waldo in Ford, where both detachments en¬ journal. “There comes a soldier camped for the night. At sunset on his bare feet are seen through his worn the evening of the 12th the march was the tattered*18 ^ Dearly naked from re-commenced, the army crossing the the altered remains of an only pair of river, and after a force I march reached stockings,_his breeches not sufficient to the hrulf Mill early on the morning of cover h,s nakedness, hie shin hang tag the loth of December. The aspect of m strings, ms hair disheveled, his face the place at that tune must have been meagre, his whole appearance pictures depressing, for Albigence Waldo, a a person forsaken and discouraged ” surgeon in a Connecticut brigade • On account of the fact that the let¬ records in his journal for that day’ ters of General Washington during that the place was well named, “for this en amp men t are dated variously this Gulph seems we 1 adapted’by its Headquarters Gulph Mill-” <.v y’ situ atiou to keep us from the pleasures the Guipp;- “Headquarters Gtap“ and enjoyments of this world, or being Creek, giV1Dg no dehnite information conversant^yith anything in in” • with reference to the exact locality of ^I his quarters has caused considerable ton gave exilicitiSSmtmm^mT tti discussion to arise as to their where¬ construction of huts for winter quar¬ abouts.; Several years ago considerable ters and finally decided upon Valley consideration was given to the laim 01 Forge, for the conflicting desires of his a house which stood about one mile brother officers had been again aroused north of the mill, at the time of the by the gloomy and inhospitable aspect encampment the residence of Lieuten¬ of the Gulf aud delayed the comman¬ ant-Colonel Isaac Huges of the Penn¬ der-in-chief considerably in arriving at sylvania milita, but on account of an this decision. This accounts for the entry in the orderly book, directing lengthy stay at the mill, which has the guards to parade at the Gulph been thought by some historians to Mill at three o’clock on the afternoon have been taken into serious consider¬ of December 13,” the superior size of ation as an eligible site. On Friday the house opposite the mid over any morning, December 19, the army others in the vicinity, together with broke camp and mo\ed to Valley other minor indications, such as letters Forge. A detachment under Colonel sent by solders during the encamp¬ Burr was left to guard the mill which ment to friends, have caused its claims was kept running night and day to to the honor of having sheltered the manufacture flour for the army. patriot soldier during the encampment A few more months and it will be to be almost universally conceded. 119 years since the old mill, guarded There are but few incidents of this by gloomy aud towering h lls, wit¬ encampment recorded. With the ex¬ nessed the terrible sufferings and pri- ception of the story of a party of the 1 vat ions of that band of ragged heroes enemy to the number of 45 being sur¬ fighting for human liberty and equal¬ prised and captured, and a character¬ ity. To-dav our nation, haven of the istic anecdote of Aaron Burr, related oppressed on earth, stands foremost in in connection with it there is but little the world as the result of their strug¬ to note. Colonel Burr, who was at that gles. Honor to them. All honor to time in the 22d year of his age, had the battered and weather beaten hulk joined the army at Whiteinarsh. The! of the old mill that fed them in the militia stationed to guard the pass I time of their greatest need. Honor to at the Gplf were continually sending its shattered and fire devastated walls, in false alarms to camp, and fre¬ over which to-day a weeping willow quently kept them on the alert) tosses its feathery branches in every during the whole night. A lack of passing breeze and moans mourn¬ discipline in the corps, and the absence! fully.

of some effective system of observance!' - - - * - - ~. . . ■ . . . W . . was conceded to be the cause of these midnight interruptions of the much- |needed repose of the wearied soldiers. As the efficiency of Colonel Burr as a ■ From, soldier, disciplinarian and organizer was well known, he was given com¬ mand of the post. In a day he had enforced such a rigid system that mut- terings of mutiny were current in the troops The next day he ordered the corps out for parade. When he had them lined upfor inspection one of the

men stepped from the rauks and lev¬ •f - &£££ ' eled his musket at him. Quick as a Doctors. j,„J flash the young officer struck the There has been a Doctor’s stand in man’s arm with his sword, nearly sev¬ Skippackvilie for nearly one hundred ering it at the elbow. The would-be years. Dr. James Hamer commenced assassin’s arm was amputated and his practice in Skippackvilie in the nothing more was heard of the mu- Spring of 1812, says his biographer, tiay. and followed it until 18-14, when his son James Hamer, Jr., had finished his The Continental Congress had set medical course and entered into part¬ aside the 18th of December for thanks¬ nership with his father. giving and prayer. On that day the In the Spring of 1818 Jacob Hallman troops at the mill remained at their and wife Mary' sold to Dr. James Ha¬ quarters and the chaplains conducted mer thirty-one acres of land with build¬ services with their respective corps. ings and improvements in the lower On this day in general order Washing¬ |part of the village. That was his luiiui uuill aboui'Ig^^fe—g— KBs.. ' ’• transaction. Tine; &*«?*-in 'Se,1“»; qj*1® deed was granted by Henry Swart ey and wife to Jacob G. Solver Daniel Springer and Frances B. Polev’ for tU%°f tbe SkiPPa<* Associatton to aL1lerfvil1eUt Later U£^war^eut . for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge year 1848, Dr Fran»Dthe g»*KS*S 11m ,*f D«d n»{ menced to practice metictot^in ?7’ Pa&6 otto-d. lhe deed recites th-.i upper part of the vin- toto ?e 111 tlle H was sold to the “Trustees, Jacob G came established hpinfeC and soon be- Sorver, Daniel Springer and Frances fill VTp e 1 ea' Very suceess- lle took away nearly ail is, rr to and thei.r successors in office ; or the purpose of erecting a buildino to^oliegev/de: "AfterP^n moved thereon for the benefit, ufe and behoo! well established in t-h i Boley was ip the Skippack Association for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge vvhi, h building shall be used aceordiim to tto &x± kZZ°7-°£the 7th Aiticle gofPthe Constitution now adopted for the gov ’ ?/said Association, as Follows lhe building erected by this loo,-,-.;,, ‘ w”e alot 'cZZSrt "““““‘3 tion shall be used for the nurnnU f i building and im- W° acres with teaching the various branches of use" what was formerly thI°Qemerits’ from ful and liberal education ; it may a]Sc f>r. Polo, SwLd e,So0„71P‘'rrt)' be used for other literary and sci'entific town. On Anri 1 17 wr, to ^orris- purposes; but whatever is of a parti iBigony and wife s’old tC-Dl'- Frauk SohTbiTed -’laifn;.tU.? ShU be stricti\ ,and practice to Dr. And 4w RP TP6rt}' promdited. It shall not be used for who was in nractir-P k! . lyson’ II £f, *F,f U . fr .°v systematicJ ^ b i G publicU U L worship; years, and on AprTb 1875 t fou"te“ yet if it be the will of the QnoiUT . wife conveyed their „ 87°i he and his the desire of the neighborhood lice to Kla'IS ,Pt«,y£d an occasional sermon shall be delivered practiced medicine at tht i U to VVod sbato h«Said b!-lldi,'g’ or that there Jjoaro, «„d otooXTer's fef "'te“ ,shall be preaching upon particular ov eal with Henry Brunner on « t>l-, a [extraordinary occasions, it shall not be >elphia property, the latte.- & Fkl a" oftoIAered+a+ c°ntraj'y to the meaninc . (this property to Dr j. ftonT^ of the constitution, or the purpose ol berger, the present owner. tuns- ■the building to permit the same ’’

Literary Hail.

on the k t

to

school was not sufficientlyL3fbSSi patronize! to pay the teacher. Education ^ S |a low grade at that time yet. Mel half century ft m ^°u f.01 mother who were able to toady only a com me! school were scarce, though the TeceS sity of a better and higher (vin<-,. ■ »ai&3h£tfV was felt and seen by many, it took °! Sunday, December 18th and I here were at tti^f p; ^nci 19th, long time until the people could be persuaded, and at last compelled to in-the village who^Teatlv }S?3L0f men accept the public schools. Meth’inks of a higher grade of educatioJ6 "T were much given to urn • ’ who test %2ahig rcePted thepuas senoois m 1849, while some townships were in want of a place tnS1°DS .and I make speeches and hold rleh.t meet to adopted the system a year later. A mono the English people in the lon er end ol after the hall was bui t it b eS> ,But the county, and in other counties the Util they begin to We ?Ln0t,lopg -nd the buildino- and lot ^ke tdace> system was adopted some years eTrliet But I have been diverting from the These men, pUUr aUU.1' subject and will return. Literary H-ili ;er, formed themselves into In a! DU“‘ was soon found to be a ft tb btd toon which they called “U q, 8°Cla‘ after about five years, effS Terl Association fo/the ftomotton ful Knowledge Thm ™ - n °* Use- made to sell it, and a petition was sent to the Legislature for the right to d. 80. At that time there were5 only two Bylaws to be governed by Then tfl? trustees still in office, and by the fi™ (elected^ several of their members H was sold only o’ne. & Leg S tees, who purchased belt .f trus‘ the building thereon Even fd erected tore passed an act, granting the right to sell as appears from a deed grant¬ tor of the lot belonged to ?hfth gran‘ tion and was no trustee it7° af'3c,a- ed by Georg-e Shoemaker, surviving y^uusiee, it was a lawful rustee of said hall, to Frances B Po- "ri> fey Kove^ber | 1854, See Deed book

w vi- • i;-( . i- • * 40 Js

page 240. Whereby the lie would take old mills in exchange, . .will appear; “Whereas by act of As allowing something for them. The sembly approved April 18, 1853,’’ au¬ ousiness was quite a success for about thority was given George Shoemaker ten years. and Daniel Spirnger, being the only The Hat Factory. tiustees in office, to sail the Skippack The manufacture of hats in a country Literary Hall, etc. village was quite a common thing fifty to a hundred years ago, and the hat¬ m .Dr- n°t own it long, for ini ter shop was just as essential to the the following Spring it went out of his make up of a town as a smith shop and hands, as appears; on April 4, 1855, wheelwright shop. r_rances B. Boley and wife Barbara, of In 1832 Michael H. Reed started the Norristown, granted to Abraham Gra hatter business in this village in one U - °* Skippack and Perkiomen town- end of the wheelwright shop, but * diat messuage, tenement and in a separate apartment. The shop fifteen perches of land situated in Skip- is still standing. He continued a- packville, etc. See Deed book No. oout three years, when he sold 143, page 183. Abraham Grater owned out to Charles Ruth who then pur¬ this hall twelve years and in the mean¬ chased land from George C. Reiff and time held religious services therein ouilt the corner house now the resi¬ expounding the Book of Revelation. dence of A. H. Seipt. He also built a I$evo 1 atm^1icccjr§infp^ioeXiP/l'* Patter shop back of the house which ideas. was since used by Mr. Seipt a3 a li¬ Afterward, on March 12, 1867, A bra quor store. Ruth lived in that house ham Grater and wife Mary conveyed and worked in that shop assisted by this same property to John B. Tyson, Samuel Apple, the venerable postmas¬ of the same townhsip, for $500. Then, ter of Kulpsville, and after the death six years later, March 24, 1873, John of Mr. Ruth in 1855, Mr. Apple took B. Tyson and wife Fannie sold the charge of the hat business, and con¬ same to Isaac H. Tyson, the present tinued until 1866. After Mr. Seipt ob¬ owner, for $600. The lot has a front tained possession of the property he of two perches and fifty-five hundredths, built an addition to the house and and is six perches deep. At the pres¬ otherwise improved it. ent time the building is in a fair way Mr. Seipt also did an extensive busi¬ of going to destruction. ness in liquors, testing and regulating From the time John B. Tyson became the quality. the owner until several years ago the Trinity Church. hall was used for a tin-smith shop. The Trinity Christian Reformed Mr. Tyson now has his tin-smith shop church is a two-story stone structure in a room of the Fnterprise Shirt built in 1863, and in charge of Rev. Factory. Joseph H. Hendricks, of Collegeville. Panning Mills. It is the outgrowth of a party that The manufacture of fanning mills arose in the division of the Mennonite for winnowing grain was commenced church in Skippack in 1848. They in this village about the year 1846 and were independent, calling themselves was carried on here about ten years. Trinity Christians, quite progressive The proprietors were Michael Best and and successful, having a choir and George Smith who resided in this place. organ, and a nourishing Sunday school, Wesley Best, William Stuckey, Jona¬ out for some cause or other they united than, Augustus and William Kale were with the Reformed church in 1892. the workmen. John Bear (or Beyer) There is also a cemetery connected was the teamster and Joseph Moyer with the church, in which quite a the salesman. The price of a mill was number of dead are already buried. $20. After the country was well sup¬ •>* In conclusion, it will be seen that plied with mills thfey sold out or ceased Skippack is one of the oldest places in . work, and in 1855 Jacob Smith and the country outside of Germantown, John Heim, both Germans, in partner¬ and that there has been a scattered vil¬ ship, continued the business yet two lage here at least one hundred and fifty years when they closed; then Joseph years. Markley continued the manufacture on The name Skippack is of Indian ori¬ a small scale yet a short time. gin, derived from the stream, as is These mills were far superior for fast generally known, and signifies stagnant and clean work to other older ones. or stinking water. So stagnant is They had a long wagon made expressly the stream, that to the best of our for the purpose of hauling out the knowledge, there is not a single over¬ mills, which were put crosswise in the shot water wheel on the whole stream. wagon bed, four or five at a time. The following marriages relating to The teamster and the salesman gener¬ Skipjyack were solemnized by John ally went out together in all directions Wentz, Justice of the Peace, of Whit- of the country around to the farmers. pain township: Moyer did the talking and selling. He November 20, 1803, Mathias Tyson, could set forth the advantages of their the elder, and Mary Harley, daughter mills over other older ones very success- of Henry Harley, of Worcester town- fully and if ho could not sell otherwise I snip, yeoman, spinster.' ““ February 21,1804, Christian Detterer, ever, to give a" brief resume of his ft of Skippack township, saddler (son oi achievements in connection with the Its Christian Detterer, sen.) and Mary tionary War, with an outline of bis efforts n' Hallman, daughter of Jacob Hallman, home in behalf of free government and his of the same township, spinster. (visit to America in 1824-5. which many per¬ February 28, 1804, Henry Hallman, sons yet living can distinctly remember. His of Skippack township, yeoman, son ot cordial reception by the people he had so nobly assisted to freedom is one of the most Benjamin Hallman, of Providence township, and Elizabeth Crater, daugh¬ pleasing and memorable incidents of Am- , ter of John Crater, of Skippack town¬ erican history. ship, spinster. At the close of the campaign of 1773, in j November 8, 1804, Jacob Markley, of which the battle of Monmouth was, perhaps, Skippack township, yeoman, son of the most prominent feature, Lafayette ad¬ Jacob Markley, sen., and Elizabeth dressed a letter to Congress, announcing his ( Johnson, daughter of Benjamin John¬ desire to revisit France. That body had al- j son, of the same township, spinster. ready passed a vote of thanks to him for his i May 14, 1805, Isaac Detterer, of services at Monmouth and his efforts to heal 1 Skippack township, yeoman, son of the dissensions which had arisen between j Christian Detterer, sen., of the same American officers and those of the French : place, and Mary Markley, daughter of fleet under d’Estaing. War had been de¬ 9 Jacob Markley, of said township, spin- clared by England against France, in conse¬ ster. quence of the assistance which the latter bad April 1, 1806, Henry Whickle, of rendered to the colonies, and Lafayette was i Perkiomen township, yeoman, and naturally anxious to be restored to his sov¬ Catharine Been, daughter of Henry ereign’s favor. To secure this and to pro¬ I Been, late of said township, dec’d, mote the interests of America at home, he '! spinster. jhad determined to spend the winter in France. Having been granted an indefinite leave of absence, he carried out his design. Ho reached Paris in due time. Here he was presented with an elegant sword which had If | FroTn^f^^^ . been ordered by direction of Congress, Frank¬ lin transmitting it to him. The results of this visit are too well known to need recapitu¬ II .P*. lation here. He returned to America early in the spring of 1780, with the welcome in- j formation that a body of four thousand ; French troops under Count Rochambeau were : 1 J.f1 to be sent to America, and also liberal sup- i plies of clothing, guns and. ammunition, i His disinterested enthusiasm obtained the ■ aid without which the Revolution could j scarcely have been a success. He accom- j plisbed seeming impossibilities from the ' THE CAREER OF LAFAYETTE. sheer force of his conviction that the contest j would end in the independence of the colo- j nies. Besides, he invested largely of his own j Equally Honored for Heroism in means to assist the cause which was so dear ' Prance and America. to his heart. Sent by Washington to checkmate and, if possible, to capture the traitor Arnold, h His Eminent Services to ttte Cause of served until the .surrender of Cornwallis al Popular Rights in Two Hemis¬ Yorktown in 1781. He was with Washing pheres—Imprisonment at Olmutz— ton when the treason of Arnold was dis¬ Released Through Napoleon’s In¬ closed and was a member of the court ol inquiry respecting Andre. After Yorktown fluence-East Visit to America.: fall, he again petitioned for leave of absence *41 and was engaged in securing a grant of addi¬ The topic of Lafayette’s services and sacri¬ tional troops and supplies from France when fices, suggested by his participation in the it was announced that the war was over. Valley Forge Encampment and the descrip¬ Lafayette returned to America in 1784, land¬ tion of the present appearance of the build¬ ing in New York in Augnst, and everywhere ing which he occupied as his headquarters being received with the highest honor. He during the winter of 1777-78, admits of almost went back to France to find everything in con¬ indefinite discussion. Active in struggles for fusion, his country being in the preliminary freedom in two hemispheres, he was almost stages of the revolution which was destined to equally loved and honored for more than a demand as a sacrifice the best and noblest of half-century in France and in Amerioa. It its citizens. The first step was the conversion would be impossible to toucb even casually of the French parliament into the National upon all the incidents of a long and eveutfal convention. Lafayette, alarmed, proposed life, such as his, without exceeding the limits measures for the preservation of order ; the of a newspaper article. It maybe well, how¬ National Guard was instituted and he was made its commander-in-chief, but he cotrtd do nothing to stem the tide which had now risen } ms personal to an irresistible torrent. America in 1824, near Events'followetfv;in rapid succession. The Declining the offer Bastile was demolished July 12,1789, and, the send a line-of-battle ship ionne ocean voyage, monarcy overthrown and the king and queen Lafayette left Paris July 11, and took passage beheaded, tbo reiaSi of terror was inaugurated privately in the American merchant ship which deluged France with blood. Unable Cadmus, from Havre for New York. His son, to resist measures to which he could not lend George Washington Lafayette, his secretary. his sanction ; overwhelmed by the horrors of M. Angnste Levasseur, who wrote and pub¬ 11 the evil times on which his country had fallen, lished an account of the visit, and his valet, he had no recourse but flight. He fell into Bastein* accompanied him. August 15, the the hands ofthe Austrians and Prussians suc¬ vessel reached New York, and the following cessively. Imprisoned and persecuted, on day Lafayette was received in the city with what ground it would now be difficult to ascer¬ every demonstration of joy and affection. tain, he was finally : consigned to a living Fully 30,000 people were collected in the tomb in the dungeons of Olmutz, in Moravia. vicinity of the landing place. After almost superhuman exertions, which A reception followed at the City Hall on cannot be detailed for want of space, to have August 17. During his stay he received him set at liberty, he was restored to freedom delegations who' bore invitations to visit through the influence of Napoleon—the new other cities. The greatest attentions were power which had risen to sweep the conti¬ paid him by the authorities, state and city, nent with fire and sword and give the nation and many addresses were delivered . in his jQst emerging from the horrors of the Revolu¬ honor. ' tion a new baptism of blood. Lafayette, Accompanied by many citizens on horseback I broken in health and with his large estates or in carriages as far as New Rochelle, he -de¬ | wasted by the convulsions through which parted on August 20th for New England, France had passed, lived in retirement, still deputations with addresses meeting him at true to the cause of freedom, as he had ever each stopping-place. Every village had its been. He was not in sympathy with Napo¬ triumphal arch, on which were inscribed the leon, and he refused to accept all that he of¬ words, “ Washington-Lafayette,” “ Brandy¬ fered, including his new decoration, the cross wine” and “ Yorktown.” At the state line- of the legion of honor. the cortege was met by the Connecticut When the bubble of Napoleon’s power Troop, a salute being fired as Lafayette en¬ burst, Lafayette left his retirement au;l de¬ tered the state. The scene of Putnam’s re¬ voted himself to the cause of constitutional markable feat was visited, the exact spot liberty which the French people were so slow being pointed out. Greenwich, Stanford and to adopt. In the restoration which followed Norwalk were visited in turn. A celebration be was invariably the advocate and friend of took place at Bridgeport where Lafayette popular rights. speut the night. At New Haven, Providence, In his old age Congress invited him to re¬ Boston and elsewhere in New England, simi¬ visit the scenes of his youth in America, and lar scenes were enacted, crowds of citizens as¬ be lauded in New York August 15, 1824. sembling to do him honor and acting as an Some notice of this visit, without which any s escort from one town to another. biography of Lafayette would he incomplete,' At Boston, Lafayette called upon the widow must be reserved for another paper. ■ of John Hancock, the first private house be Ei.lwood Roberts. entered on this visit. He also visited ex- President John Adams, then in his eighty- ninth year, dining with him and his family. pFAffTE’pERilN VISIT Everywhere the same cordial reception await¬ j -— ed the guest of the nation. Cordial Reception in the Land for j On his return from New England, he spent September 6, his birthday, in dining with the Whose Freedom He Fought. Society of the Cincinnati. At the close of the l i banquet a transparency was exhibited, show¬ -I " ! *■ ing Washington and Lafayette with bauds- Festivities In New York, New Jersey, clasped standing before the altar of Liberty New England and Philadelphia—The receiving a civic wreath from the genius of Tent of Washington at Fort Mo- Cm America. Interesting ceremonies ensued on the presentation to him of an elegant gold- Henry—The Mansion and Tomb of mounted sword by the officers of the 9th the Father of His Country at Mount regiment. New York Artillery. A fete at Vernon. Castle Garden, and a visit to West Point, Al¬ ■Y ’ l- ' - ; bany and other towns in New York occupied

At the time of the Valley Forge encamp¬ . the time until September 23, when Lafayette ment, Lafayette, who was not yet twenty-one r. i ,• v set out on his trip through New Jersey. He years of age, had a handsome, intelligent ' called on Joseph Bonaparte at Bordentown. countenance. His conversational powers were At Morrisville he was conducted through the excellent, and his movements graceful. His old covered bridge ; over the Delaware, and light complexion and red hair were indica¬ was received by Governor Shnlze of Pennsyl¬ tions of the sanguine temperament which led vania and the Philadelphia committee of ar¬ i him to engage in a cause apparently hopeless, rangements. His arrival in Philadelphia was ' : ■> . * fwitS__ l-The writer has in bis 'pSraatotf a silfe badge I with a portrait of the distinguished guest and the words “ Welcihie Lafayette,” supposed to have been worn by one of his ancestors on this occasion. In the procession were two troops of Mont¬ gomery county-Cavalry, commanded respect¬ ively by Captains Holstein and Matthews. At the head of each division was a workshop, with men engaged at their employments. This was September 39, known asi “ Lafayette Day.” In the next two days he received va¬ rious deputations, one of them comuosed of « French residents of the city, headed by Col. Dnponcean, who had participated in the camp-gronnd at Valley Forge, where he LOCAL HISTORY. served as an aid on the staff of Baron Steu¬ The Zimmerman Homestead, In Whltpaln ben. His visit to the navy yard was a mem¬ —Charles Jolly, the Colonial Squire— orable occasion. On October 4 the school Christopher Zimmerman — Isaac and children were addressed by Lafayette on the State House lawn. That evening a grand Jacob Zimmerman—The Union Methodist Church. ball was given at the Chestnut Street The¬ atre. The daughters of Dr. Bollraan, who at¬ The Zimmerman homestead is one of tempted his rescue from the dungeons of the older ones of Whitpain. It is nearly | Olmutz many years before, were among the ' east of Washington Square, and is in the participants. western quarter of the township. Here is Lafayette went from Philadelphia to Ches- an old-fashioned stone house, well shaded j ter and Wilmington. At the last named ! by evergreens. The farm buildings stand place, as elsewhere, aged men were seen, tot- | near the Jolly road. This property is tering under the weight of years, crowding now owned by Sylvester Zimmerman. It around the carriage of Lafayette, and seeking has been owned by the family since 1775. a grasp of the hand of the hero who shed his In colonial days it was the home of blood at the battle of Brandywine, not many Charles Jolly, a" well-known squire before miles distant. At Fort McHenry, near Balti¬ the Revolution. The present farm here more, on entering the gate, the army tent of comprises 92 acres and lies mostly in a Washington—the same which had been pitch¬ valley, through which runs a rivulet ed under the old oak at the Valley Forge westward into Norriton, eventually join¬ camp-ground—met his View. ing the Stony creek westward of Penn At the dinner given to Lafayette on the Square. evening of his third day iu Baltimore, John The former Zimmerman plantation was Qninc.v Adams, afterwards President of the much larger, though most of it is yet United States, offered the sentiment ‘‘The1: owned by members of the faimly in three tears of glory, gratitude and joy in the tent farms of equal size. The other owners of Washington.” very appropriately describ¬ are Lorenzo Dow Zimmerman, whose ing the scene on that occasion. Within the 1 property lies northward, nearer Centre teut was a part of the camp enuipage i Square, and comprises 92 acres ; also the Washington, containing knives, plates and j farm of Frank Zimmerman, of 93 acres, other articles. On one side was an American, on the east, near the Union meeting on the other a French cannon, both having j -been used at the siego of Yorktown. From j house. It e'ao c mprised 24 acres now Baltimore Lafayette proceeded to Washing- | owned b kiwis Styer, on the southwest, ton. On the way from that city to Yorktown, ! so that au one time there was at least 30G when opposite Mount Vernon, Lafayette en- I acres owned by the family. tered a barge and, on reaching the shore, was I The name Zimmerman is not uncom¬ conducted to the ancient mansion where, - mon in eastern Pennsylvania, and is of forty years before, he took the last leave of German origin. The name means car¬ Washington. He visited the tomb and, after penter in English, having been transform¬ viewing the receptacles which contained the ed from the German “Timbermann.” ashes of the great chieftain and his wife, he THE FRANK FAMILY. returned silently to the mansion. “Yota sonl intruded on the privacy of the visit to This is a very old homestead, a dwel¬ the tomb ; nothing occurred to disturb its ling having been built here before 1733. reverential solemnity. The old oaks which The sight was an eligible one for a home grow around the sepulchre, appeared rich and in the eyes of an early settler. On June ripe, touched with the mellow lustre of au¬ 13, 1733, Thomas Ellis, a Welsh Quaker, tumn, as the autumnal hours of Lafayette. sold a house and 213 acres of land to Not a murmur was •heard, save the strains of George Frank. Ellis had then removed solemn music on the boat and the deep and to Oley, Berks county. Frank lived but measured sounds of artillery in the distance, a few years to enjoy Ida new possession. which awoke the echoes around the hallowed His will was made Nov. 29, 1737, which heights of Mouut Vernon.” appointed his wife Elizabeth, Jacob Du- Ellwood Boberts. bree and Jonathan Rumford; to be his executors, and ordered sale of his pro- A

■“pert 'his was not done till many years later, or til! 1750, when the son, last his property to the Reading Jonathan Frank, came into possession. turnpike, above Hickorytown. It was Neither did he live any length of time intended as an outlet from his property thereafter, for his will was made Oct. 20, to a main line of travel. As will be seen 1750, ordering his executor to sell. The on tbe township map, it is quite a crooked latter was William Hawksworth. The highway.

Frank ownership of the property lasted CHRISTOPHER ZIMMERMAN. for 23 years, or from 1733 till 1756. In 1756 Charles Jolly, then of Whit- It is said that Christopher Zimmerman pain, bought the estate of Jonathan came from Germany when a youth,about Frank, paying £630. It may be of inter¬ 1747. He was born in 1735. His owner¬ est to antiquarians at least, to know the ship of the plantation he bought of boundaries of the 213 acres at that time! Charles Jolly in 1775 lasted only during Beginning at a hickory tree; thence by the Revolutionary period. His name land of John Bell, southwest 36 perches; appeared in the roll of the militia com¬ by Isaac Ellis northwest 108$ perches; pany of 1777, commanded by Captain by Thomas Fitzwater northeast 172$ Abraham Wenfz. He was a religious '■■'Y perches; by John Robinson southeast 107$ man, and it is known that he affiliated perches; by same northeast 3 perches; by with the early Methodists, and attended same southeast 120 perches to corner of worship at the Bethel church, Worcester, John Reese; by land of Reese southwest where he lies buried in its little cemetery. 130$ perches; by John Bell northward His death occurred on the 8th of May, 117$ perches to beginning. 1782, when he was yet a man of middle By these boundaries we have John Bell ige, and he left all minor children. His j and Isaac Ellis on the southwest side, ige was 47 years. He was married as Thomas Fitzwater on the northwest, ■arly as 1763 and perhaps before that John Robinson on the northeast and ate. John Reese on the southeast side. This deed was witnessed before James Hum¬ f. THE WILL OF CHRISTOPHER ZIMMERMAN. phrey, Esq. This will was made April 18, 1782. Its purport was as follows : “To wife Deborah CHARLES JOLLY, ESQ. he whole use and benefit of my estate, Our knowledge of Charles Jolly is com¬ real and personal, until my second son is paratively limited. He was of Welsh 21.” She was to have the lower room in extraction, a man of importance and in- the north end of the house, with the j fluence in the community, and for many usual privileges; also one cow and one ; years justice of the peace. Many old horse. The two eldest sons were to legal paper-s of pre-Revolutionary times have the land, to be so divided that bear his signature. His ownership here each should have a due proportion of lasted nearly 20 years. In the assess¬ V meadow and woodland. The other child¬ ment of 1761 he is credited with six ren mentioned were Magdalena, Cathar¬ children, as owning 200 acres and having ine, Susannah, Isaac, Jacob, John and 4 horses, 12 sheep and 12 cattle. A huge William, the latter being the youngest. forest of 100 acres covered half his pro¬ These obtained their shares in money perty. He was probably a man of con¬ paid out by the two older brothers. At siderable wealth. In 1769 we find a con¬ that time there was but one set of farm veyance to him of the Gulf mill, in buildings on the 214 acres. It appears Lower Merion township, together with that Christopher Zimmerman had a 100 acres. In 1757 he bought a small brother John, who was appointed execu¬ piece of one and one-half acres from Wm. tor along with the widow Deborah. The Robinson, who then owned the present sick man either from weakness or illiter¬ farm of Frank Zimmerman, then com¬ acy affixed his “mark” instead of signa¬ prising 60 acres. ture to the will, which was witnessed by Charles Jolly died during the winter of Henry Conard and Nathan Potts. The 1775, when yet a man of middle age, as second son did not become of age till the he left a widow, Catharine, and several fall of 1793. minor children. There was no will, and As will be seen, his plantation was his widow as administrator, offered the devised to his two eldest sons, Isaac and plantation at public sale, April 28, 1775. Jacob. They were but boys of 10 and 12 War was imminent and the battle of at that time.. The widow Deborah sur¬ Lexington had just been fought, yet the vived for many years. She was quite a property brought a good price, bringing business woman, and possessing means, £1,200. This was probably owing to purchased several properties. David, new buildings and its good condition. another son, married, had children and The purchaser was Christopher Zimmer¬ died when a young man, in 1810, leaving man. The deed to Zimmerman wras no will. The administrators and bonds¬ witnessed before Rowland Evans by men were Isaac Zimmerman, Amos Ellis, John Mifflin. The boundaries given are John Hentz and John Mathias. Magda¬ a recital of those of 1756. lena, born in November, 1764, married Among the acts of Charles Jolly and by Joseph DeHaven and lived to be 85, which he is still remembered was the dying Dec. 22, 1849. opening of the “Jolly road.” This ex- It is a matter of considerable historical importance that Jemima Wilkinson, tne ISAAC ZIMMERMAN famous religious imposter, sometimes held meetings at the Zimmerman home¬ was born in December, 1770, and there¬ stead during the period of her stay in fore became of age in 1792. He lived Worcester, between 1782 and 1789. The and died on the old homestead. He and Zimmermans were among the earliest his brother Jacob were among the first Methodists in Whitpain, belonging to trustees of the Union Methodist church. the Pillsbury branch. At first they at¬ He had no family, always remaining a tended Bethel church, but afterwards bachelor. He-became quite prosperous, were largely instrumental in the forma¬ and was a director in the old Norristown tion of the Union Methodist church, in bank for many years. It is related that 1814. This church originated by meet¬ at one time the bank was in great straits ings held in the woods, or camp meetings, for money, Isaac Zimmerman wras in¬ whereby a sufficient number of members formed of its needs and forthwith sent was obtained to justify the erection of a the institution a whole keg full of specie, church. winch he had been keeping in his corn loft._ His death took place May 8, 1835, THE FARM OF LORENZO D. ZIMMERMAN. in his 65th year, and his grave is at the A large portion of the present farm of Union Methodist churchyard. Lorenzo D. Zimmerman, now occupied There being no direct heirs, the old by George Zimmerman, was not included came into possession of in the original purchase from Jolly in William Zimmerman, another son of 1775. It was bought in 1799 by Deborah Christopher Zimmerman. He had been Zimmerman, widow of Frederick Boul- m the lumber business in Philadelphia, lange, who purchased a house and 75 acres. but after his brother’s death removed to This was the southwest portion of the old the farm. His death took place in 1862, Robinson estate. At that time the leaving four children, Cecilia, Lorenzo deed calls the present cross road, a “re¬ D., franklin .R. and Sylvester Zimmer¬ corded road,” as though it had not long man. These three brothers now own the been opened. Here are now excellent Zimmerman farms in Whitpain in nearly farm buildings near the highway, equal sizes. Deborah Zimmerman was bom Dec. 1, JACOB ZIMMERMAN. 1741, and lived to be an aged woman, surviving her husband for 40 years. Her Jacob was ban: October 17, 1772. He death took place Dec. 3, 1822, and she married Mary White, who was born was buried at Bethel with her husband ■ X?-. ' *> 1782. They had a number of and young son John. The latter died a chi dren : John, Nathan, David, Isaac, bov of 8 years, in 1784,_ Wihiam, Elizabeth, Ann, Charlotte and THE LOT OF JOSEPH TAYLOR. The latter married John Brown Charlotte married John Cowden* Long before this, in 1784, only two Susan Brown died Dec. 10, 1857, aged 42 years after her husband’s death, Deborah years, and her husband died the pre- Zimmerman bought a house and lot of 24 ceding July* acres of Mathias Bernhart, for £330. In Jacob Zimmerman, the father of this this deed, Bernhart is said to have mov¬ family, died Feb. 28, 1852, in his 80th ed to Philadelphia, and to be a school¬ year, whilst his wife, Mary, had died master. He had bought the lot of 30 Feb. 17, 1847. At the time of his death acres of Thomas Fitz water in 1783. Long he was the owner of 109 acres. This afterwards, in 1807, Deborah Zimmer¬ was divided into three portions of 16, 51 man conveyed this property to her son and 46 acres. The 51-acre piece had the Jacob for £1,300—indicating considerable buildings and was taken by John Zimmer¬ improvements, judging from the enhanc¬ man, whilst Isaac took the 46-acre piece. ed price. This house and lot is now the The small lot of 16 acres was sold to property of Joseph Taylor. The first Jacob Fisher and after passing through house erected here seems to have been ReiffM iiands was purchased by Charles built by the Fitzwaters, probably before the Revolution. In the tax list of 1785 In 1853 John and Isaac Zimmerman Nicholas Reinhart is mentioned as the sold their shares to their uncle, William farmer on estate of the widow Zimmer¬ Zimmerman. Of these, John was born man. April 13, 1808, and died June 17, 1872, The division of the land between the and was buried at Union graveyard, by two eldest sons, Isaac and Jacob, did not the side of his wife, Margaret, who died take place till 1811, when they had be¬ March 9, 1835. His brother, Isaac D. come men of middle age. This division Zimmerman, died in Worcester township was very unequal in amount. Isaac, the in 1880. Their sisters, Elizabeth and eldest, obtained the homestead and 198 Ann, were buried at Union graveyard. acres, whilst Jacob only got a lot of 13 The first died Dec. 23, 1870, at the age of acres. Each signed release deeds to the 68, and Ann on Dec. 17, 1874, in her 71st other. Jacob, however, was otherwise year. John Zimmerman was the father provided with farm land' by his mother, ot Edward Zimmerman, now a well- obtaining the present farm of Lorenzo D. known farmer of Towamencin township. Zimmerman. L THE BUCK FARM. t ’ The old Buck farm comprises mostly and at several other pmnts in M<6ntgJ5£ry~ level laud, watered by a stream flowing westward, and borders the Union Meth¬ and Lehigh counties. The first ordained odist church property. The buildings Reformed minister who arrived here was are at some distance from the highway. Rev. George Michael Weiss. He oame in It is now owned by Frank Zimmermap. 1727, and found Bcehm preaching without Before the Revolution it was owned bv William Robinson. In T776 this was license and ordination. Some difficulty en¬ owned by Paul Bower, who that year sued, but so well pleased were the people sold to Joseph Hallowell. Ten years with Boehm’s labors that he was soon or¬ later, 1786, Hallowell sold to Leonard dained by the classis at New York. Hendricks, who sold to James Buck in 1791, who was then a young man. It It was in the year 1740 that Rev. John was Buck’s property for many years and Philip Bcehm founded the congregation at he added 22 acres in 1812 by purchase Blue Bell which has since borne his name: from Christian Loeser. In 1830 Buck The first church erected was a small stone sold to John H. Slingluff. 20 years later, structure one story high. It is related that or in 1850, Slingluff sold to William Zim¬ merman 47 acres. James Buck after¬ the founder labored with his own hands in wards became impoverished. He went the building of the chmrch. Mr. Boehm to the Bucks county almshouse, where he continued to serve this and a number of died of Asiatic cholera, during the epi¬ other Reformed churches until his death, demic there in July, 1849. He was buried with the other paupers in the which occurred in 1749, at Hellertown, Le¬ orchard on the almshouse farm. e. m. high county. This man, who rendered such valuable service in organizing the early Reformed congregations, rarely accep¬ ted a salary for this work. He seems to have been well provided for however, since

:: From,, . /.l.C/ f . it is recorded that he was the owner of a number of slaves and also conducted a liquor distillery. His age at the time of death is not known. His remains were in¬ terred under the altar of the church at Blue \ Bate, /F-Ju .zL Bell. The altar then was located in the corner of the church that is shown in the accompanying cut.

l o. A ft-ft ft U-* A AJU The first church stood for nearly 80 years. During the autumn and winter of 1777, BIBHMS REFORMED CHURCH. when the Continental army traversed this 1. section of the country, the church was used j The Historic Placeol Worship at Blue as a hospital, and the bodies of many sol¬ Bell.—Sermon by «he Pastor, diers were buried in the adjoining cemetery, j Rev. I>. U. Wollt. None of these graves are marked today, but About 1684 there was organized in all about the church building it is impos¬ Frankfort, Germany, a society known as sible to dig up the soil to any considerable the Frankfort Land company. Its pur¬ depth without encountering the bones of pose was to send out emigrants to settle in human beings. In 1818 a new edifice was America. Most of these emigrants came to erected, part of which still stands, having j Pennsylvania, and in 1730 there were in been enlarged and remodeled in 1870. In that province about 15,000 Germans. Near¬ 1886 still further improvements were made. ly half of the these held to the Reformed In all 24 ministers have presided over faith. Although long without pastors, the this congregation. Rev. Michael Schlat- settlers brought with them their Bibles, terer succeeded Mr. Boehm. Among other catechisms and hymn books, and the relig¬ distinguished clergymen who held the pas¬ ion of the fatherland was not forgotten. torate were Rev. Samuel Helffenstein and In 1720 there arrived in America a Ger¬ his son ; Rev. George Deering Wolfl, who man school master named John Philip subsequently became editor of the Catholic ’ Boehm. Recognizing the needs of the Re¬ Standard, and Rev. John H. Sechler, now a formed settlers, Boehm undertook to con¬ prominent Philadelphia clergyman. duct religious services in the scattered set¬ The congregation at present numbers tlements of eastern Pennsylvania. He or¬ about 300, comprising most of the promi¬ ganized congregations at Falkner Swamp, nent families of Whitpain township and Skippack (now Wentz’s), Whitemarsh, vicinity. The consistory of the church in- Tv*

bceh.ms Reformed church bell. j eludes : Hon. H C. .Hi_Hoover, Hon.„„„ Jones | Detwiler, Abram Wentz, Francis C. Hoov¬ pure all things are pure.” He said • er, Alex. Miller, Thomas iGeatrell, H. C. -this is a very brief sentence, but a ™ Biddle, William Frantz, Reuben B. Beyer, expressive one—one that is frequently QU( William R. Whittock, Geo. W. Hoover^ timen,dMrhqUentiy, misunderstood. In t S. D. Shearer. The church building has t>me of the apostles there were those wf held that righteousness consisted in folio! but one room, this seating about 400. At thftathCertainu Prescl'lbed set of laws ai the entrance a tablet is erected in memory cfean^0P»Wf h negl6Ct these must u of Mr. Boehm, this having been placed in • Paul here says, however that^ tl position in 1870. The present pastor is impurity is in themselves, that each man largely the creator of his own world u, Rev. D. U. Wolff, who has served the con¬ make and unmake our world more tha gregation for three years. Miss Fannie M once in the course of a day. In^ trifl.n Miller presides at the pipe organ, and Mr.' F. C. Hoover directs the choir. moods, all is serious. On Sunday harvest home services were Some persons are complaining all th held at Boehms 'church, the puipflmd time. Experience tells us that each mai chancel being appropriately decorated. In detects in others the vice with which he i the evening Rev. Mr. Wolff took for the most familiar himself. Hence the anoSt admomshes a large charity. To the pure text of his sermon, Titus 1 : 15—“ 'unto all. things are pure, because they reflec S , ** * - JL College.—Norfolk, Richmond and Petersburg puritFufoff all things round'&SouI were visited in turn, the usual ceremonies be¬ hem There is a difference between prud¬ ing observed. At Monticello, Tafayettewas ery and modesty. Prudery detects wrong received by ex-President Jefferson, then in where wrong does not exist. The wrong his eighty-second year. Ex-President Ma i- lies in the thoughts not the object. son was also visited by Lafayette. On the The principle that to the pure all things way to Fredericksburg, a triumphal arch ha are pure may, however, be sadly abused. been erected.* A ball and other festivities There is no sentence that is more frequent¬ i marked his stay at the place. On returning to ly on the lips of those who allow themselves i Washington. Lafayette met a' deputation of most license. If that which is wrong seems Indians of various tribes, in whom he was to be pure, then the heart is corrupt. lhe much interested. , world that is oornplained of as being impure The session of Congress commenced and ; is not God’s world. God created it pure. be was introduced to each House of the Na¬ 1 Sin has disordered - your heart, so that it tional Legislature, all the members paying does not reflect the image of God. The their respects to him. Addresses were made world that is disordered is not God s bflt and answered. Congress promptly passed a bill granting him §200,000 in money and a I y°Bv daily contact the pure heart changes tract of 24,000 acres of land. Much em¬ the most ferocious nature- There is a. deli¬ barrassed by such munificence, he was at hrst cacy so pure that viciousness is subduedj inclined to refuse it, but be felt that he could A corrupt heart elicitslrll That is corrupt in not do so without offending the nation which,, us and a spiritual heart draws out all that through its Representatives, had so generously is pure and holy. Jesus Christ stood in offered it, and"he decided at once to accept the the presence of impurity, and men became pure. The situation should not make, the At Annapolis a reception was tendered him man, but the man should make the situa¬ by the Maryland Legislature. A grand din¬ tion. We do not need a new world, but ner was given in his honor at Washington on we need new hearts and enlarged visions, New Year’s Day, 1825. Some time was spent , that we may see the bright things about us in a visit to North Carolina, South Carolma and behold the hand of God guiding all and other Southern States. At Camden the, things. L ^ » .’v w >.« » - p - - dedication of a monument to Baron was a feature of Lafayette’s stay. At Raleigh, Columbia, Charleston, Mil ledge ville and els where a reception as hearty as that tendered in the North awaited the distinguished guest Usually, the whole population turned out From, . 9 welcome him, none remaining at home ex¬ cept those whom age and feebleness demined. At Charleston, Lafayette met Huger who CM- ill i. 1 with Dr. Bollman, was engaged in the danger¬ ous and fruitless effort to rescue him from the fortress of Olmutz. Date, rf ^ | At Savannah, Lafayette laid the corner¬ stones of the monuments to Greene a Pulaski. Here also he met Achille Murat, son of Joachim Murat, ex-kmg of Naples^ Ho was an extensive planter m Fiorina. The party passed some time among the lodums at an a»encv on the route, and observed their c-toms. games and other dive— His Long Journey to tiie South Their parting from McIntosh, a well-known chief, was particularly affecting. As miji and Southwest. naturally be expected, Eatayette was givcn an especially cordial greeting at New Oile^ns where so large a proportion of t^ Populatmu Old Memories Renewed on tlie Rattle- is French. The journey northward was fields of That Section — Departure made by the steamboat Natchez, on t From Washington for His Native Mississippi, baits being made at Baton :Rouge, Country-Active Interest in Affairs Natchez and elsewhere. At St. Louis r. mained but a short time, visiting, ho^ever- in France—His Death-Estimate of thc Indian tombs which have given to the His Character. -nlarfi its name, 44 Mound. City. 1 Kaskaskia. the oldest town in Illinois, was Lafayette had previously been entertained vi£ed While at Nashville Tennessee by President Monroe in Washington, irom Lafayette partook of a public dinner at Mount Vernon he went to Yorktown where which General Andrew Jackson presi • the anniversary of Cornwallis’ surrender was i ln ascending the Ohio river to L°ni3V’^; *h® celebrated. The distinguished guest was con¬ ' steamboat which carried the j ducted to his headquarters in the very house saaCr and all were in great danger for a time, occupied by Cornwallis during the siege. bntwere finally rescued, with much discom- The festivities at Yorktown over, the party fort to all. Viayim* Tjflifsvcttfi 1 proceeded to Williamsburg, once the capital ot Virginia and the seat of William and Maiy ... • , , i _..___ at Louisville were marred by stormy weather, Ifinterest iu publicaffairs, being but the expressions of admiration and affec¬ at the head of tho National Guard during the tion were none the less pleasing to him. At j Cincinnati, Wheeling and Pittsburg he was Chari^mhf.ended in the abai™tion of 1 received with the highest honors. He turned ^ItT^aimfn'archy He°tookT ^ aside to visit Braddock’s field where Washing- ■ft to tiiA - , . , e t0°h a prominent part i ton first distinguished himself, and gave evi- I making an^add ^ Uto ia Pablic discnssL I donee of that military skill which afterwards “short ffm 88 °Q P°!itical ^fugees oni; proved so valuable to his country. wwch °c- I From Pittsburg the route was to Erie and the Falls of Niagara ; thence by canal to Al¬ it ZZ es,timate of the character of Lafayette bany. At various towns festivities were held. At Rochester the party left the canal and con¬ tinued the journey by land, through Canan¬ daigua, Geneva, Auburn, Skeneateles and oth¬ «»<•/iJXtir™- er towns to Syracuse, traveling night and day, C apSePla^ne 1 of A= the distance of 130 miles. Lafayette was t:TS°ithe obliged, because of the necessity of reaching , Washington exceeded him ^nbrav° Boston in time for the laying of the corner¬ his owDm rya!ty t0 the canse which he made stone of Bunker Hill monument on Jnne 17, hlZ l' ,T;Qe as trnth ““elf and the soul of to decline an invitation to assist at similar ex¬ honoi, he left a record of achievement for bn ercises in connection with the memorial to Baron Steuben at Steubenville, New York. Lafayette entered Boston on June 15, two days before the Bunker Hill celebration. He bad traveled in fonr months, in the compara¬ tively slow methods then in use, a distance of SffiSsr-^ five thousand miles. The route originally FlLWOOD EOBSKTS.jjr ----- . — - planned had been followed almost precisely, and when it is considered that he was sixty- seven years of age, the performance appears all the more remarkable. In the exercises on Bunker Hill, Daniel Webster, then rising into fame, was the orator of the day. Hasty visits to New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont took np the time till the celebration • , b of Independence Day at New York. Passing rriTfi to Philadelphia, Fairmount waterworks, then recently established, were visited, also the field of battle at Germantown and the Chew mansion. Wilmington, West Chester, Brandywine, Lancaster, Port Deposit and Baltimore were visited, Lafayette going thence to Washing- . ton, where the new President, John Quincy Adams, had been duly installed in the chief magistracy of the republic. He lodged with the new Executive. On August 6 he visited ex-President Monroe at Oak Hill, thirty- seven miles from Washington. The parting address of President Adams has become a classic in American literature. Lafayette proceeded to the banks of the Po¬ tomac and was taken on board the Brandy¬ wine, the vessel which conveyed him to HAUNTED BY A TORY France. On September 8 anchor was weighed and the vessel was soon at sea, reaching Havre October 3, twenty-four days after leav¬ John Roberts’ Ruiued Residence ing the Chesapeake. Lafayette was unable, as previously stated, on the Old Gulf Road. to visit Valley Forge during his stay in Amer¬ ica, although efforts were made by some of those residing in the vicinity to induce him A “QUAKER, BUT NOT* A PATRIOT. to mingle with old friends there and eDjoy the contemplation of scenes so familiar nearly a half-centnry before. Charged With Grinding Glass in the Flour He had promised that he would, if possible, Furnished the Army. seek an opportunity to visit the place. But the time had at length arrived for his return to his own country, and he was com¬ LEGEND OF THE STRUGGLE FOE FREEDOM pelled to forego a pleasure that must have been relinquished with much regret. '

After his return to France, Lafayette again (Written for The Dispatch.) <* The Old Gulf road is an ancient high-

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.... * -tlier Time.' way, leading westward from Philadel¬ The stone steps leading to the road are covered three inches deep with earth and phia through Montgomery county toward what was once the lawn is buried with Valley Forge. At regular Intervals along the accumulated soil of more than a hun¬ It can yet be found milestones, placed un¬ dred years’ growth' of rank vegetation. der William Penn’s direct personal super¬ The house has been tightly barred up vision, and bearing his family’s coat of these many decades. A further distance up the Gulf road, by arms. This old road passes through his¬ the side of a great dam, is a ruined mill. toric ground, every foot of which was hot¬ On or near the spot was built in 1683 what ly contested in the Revolution, but in its is said to have been the first grist mill entire length there is no place more strik¬ in Pennsylvania. This mill wras built by ing to the casual observer, more interest¬ John Roberts, a Welsh millwright, who ing to the seekers of Revolutionary inci¬ purchased a tract of 500 acres of land dents, more romantic to the sentimental along Mill Creek in 1682, and the place ac¬ or more delightfully gruesome to the im¬ quired the name of Wayn or Wayne Mill. aginative than a certain locality a mile In course of time the property descended distant from the little village of Ardmore, to a grandson also called John Roberts. on the Pennsylvania Railroad, and a This John Roberts was a wealthy Quak¬ league away from the Bryn Mawr Wo¬ er of considerable influence for a long man’s College. period in Colonial history, extending from Standing directly upon the highway is 1740 to 1778, w'hen his life work was sud¬ a jungle of trees, creepers, bushes and denly cut short. In addition to property weeds. One must look twice to make elsewhere, he owned at the time of the certain that there is a house in that Revolution the mansion and mill above tangle, but presently the heavy black mentioned, three other mills and nearly 400 outlines of a great Colonial mansion stand acres of land hereabouts, while along the out of the surrounding gloom. It is the Schuylkill river he owned three dwell¬ John Roberts’ house of uncanny local ings, a saw mill, a powder mill, an oil reputation, and of much historic interest. mill and 300 acres of land. The stone walls are lichen covered, the ^ Opposed to the Rebellion. heavy iron bars across the shutters are Roberts, by reason of his wealth and red with rust, the substantial side porch high standing, was prominently known has long ago yielded to the elements and throughout the Province. He was for its gaunt gray framework, built to endure many years a Colonial magistrate, and in by Colonial hands, stands skeleton-like 1773 he Was appointed a commissioner for in Its bareness. the improvement of the Schuylkill, in company with David Rittenho'use and like THE OLD ROBERTS MILL, BUILT 1746. Therefore, by reason, not only been thus temporarily exiled for their of his Quaker tenets, but by his prefer¬ country’s good. ences also, Roberts was deeply affected by Roberts escaped banishment, however, the outburst of rebellion against British but went home with his heart full of bit¬ rule in 1775. terness against the new government, his It is probably a fact that as the war feeling grew, and the excitement among neighbors and the Continental Army. In this mansion it is asserted he convoked the Colonists reached fever pitch, the po¬ sition of the Quakers in their long founded Jneet*nKS of sympathizers in the British cause, and lent substantial aid to opposition to armed force became more the English. and more conspicuous until the day came Philadelphia fell and Cornwallis’ armies when there was no middle course. One secured the country hereabouts. Roberts must be a friend of the Union or against rode with the invaders through these val¬ it, a Federalist or a Tory. The forbear¬ leys, and willingly or unwillingly, served ance of the Quakers did no doubt in mam cases lead to their persecution by exclt- as a guide to the ravaging host. The red j able neighbors, who only saw m their re¬ coats with fire and sword devastated the fusal to take up arms the probability of locality so effectually that during the re¬ their being friends to the English, and it mainder of the war it was practically a I is more than possible that John Roberts wilderness. But the Tory’s day of triumph \ was especially singled out for attention on hved’ When th« British evacu¬ account of his prominence in affairs of the ated Philadelphia, Roberts elected to re¬ Crown, At any rate his plantations were main behind and face his foes. The Fed¬ among the earliest levied upon by the eral authorities made short shift of him. foraging patriots. Cattle and other live m T?as tried for treason before Judge stock were driven off, the granaries einp- McKean, was convicted and hanged. His tied.the growing crops trampled down and property was confiscated and sold, the his two grist mills, of which this old proceeds going to the University of Penn¬ structure was the more prominent, were sylvania. depleted again and again. ,Inuch is plain unvarnished history, Tried ns n Traitor. well known and well authenticated. But there is a host of legends coming down to Partly upon his angry remonstrances us from that dark troubled period, as for and ill advised threats, as well as by rea¬ example, how Roberts fled to the citv son of the discovery of plots in which it with Cornwallis, leaving- his family who was alleged he was a participant, he was were safe enough, in yonder mansion. haled before the Council of Safety in 1777, ®.u‘ * !Yas rumored that he occasionally and nearly incurred transportation to visited them in disguise, and one dav late Virginia In company with numerous as¬ m the fall of 1777, a little company ^ sembly of Friends well known to have American soldiers under command of General Potter, made a dash down the !

.x . .1 ■

road, and surrounding the houseUemanfl- ed admittance. The doors and windows were barred then no doubt just as they are to-day, and the Inmates laughed to scorn the plea of Potter. Then came a skirmish on the lawn and porches, and V if the legend is to be relied upon, more than one bullet fired from concealed loop holes in the house found a human 1 target before the heavy front door was at last broken down and the ragged Conti¬ nentals poured into the great hall. Here swords clashed and muskets and pistols cracked in the final struggle. When the smoke cleared away, John Roberts’ eldest son was a corpse, the floor was strewn with wounded and the heavy oak planks ■were stained with great blotches of crim- ■ son which could never be erased. It is said the now thoroughly aroused Potter Wiiy He Was Unable to Revisit the forthwith ordered one of the defenders strung up on one of those great trees in Scenes of Valley Forge. tL the front yard, where he swung to and fro for days until the terror stricken ser¬ Action Taken By the Citizens of the vants cut down the body and buried it on the spot. County to Induce Him to Renew Haunted by Frightful Objecta. Old Recollections at Whitamarsh Another legend has it that the execution and Elsewhere—His Appearance at of John Roberts took place at his own the Time—The Field of Brandywine. mansion, and that he was buried in the lawn, but that is absolutely without foun¬ dation as his body rests at the Merlon There are, as a matter of course, many per¬ Meeting. Other local beliefs are that sons who distinctly recollect Lafayette’s visit there was a long underground passage to this country in IS,34-5, and his appearance from the mansion to one of his mills, via S at that time. which he escaped during Potter’s raid,and The following is a description of the distin¬ that the place is haunted by frightful ob¬ guished guest in the quaint language of the jects, etc., with many like tales of no newspaper of that day : tangible foundation. The story oftenest told, and as often vehemently denied, is “Lafayette appears rather younger than to the effect that the Tory miller, getting his actual age, sixty-seven—is a large man, tired of the constant raids on his grist with full face and prominent features. He is mills, ground glass with the wheat in the a little lame, from having his thigh broken a mill nearby and purposely arranged that few years ago, but walks firmly with a stick. the American Army got the flour. Many were disappointed in not finding his Such is the outline of the history, real head decked with the silvery lock of age, bnt and legendary of the Roberts plantation. it should be remembered that the General Is it any wonder that the mansion has a wears a wig. He lost his hair during his con¬ bad name, and that of the one hundred finement in prison. His dress and deport¬ and twenty years which have elapsed since the tragedy on the premises, the ment are quite plain, in simple republican windows and doors have been barred as - style. He'wears a dark coat, yellow panta¬ they are now, more than one half that pe- loons and vest, and a black hat. As was ex¬ ■ riod. • _Jr pected, the enthusiasm of the crowd to-day was greater than on any other occasion since the days of Washington.” Every effort was made to induce him to re- • visit old scenes in Montgomery county, but all ‘were unsuccessful, owing to other engage- ' ments. At a meeting of the Second Troop Mont¬ gomery County Cavalry, Capt. George W. ■ Holstein, held August 7, 1S24, a resolution I , was adopted agreeing to “ march to any con- | venient distance to join other military corps, ' to welcome Lafayette to our shores.” This troop was located at Norristown and the meet¬ ing was held here. Further action was taken at a meeting of the officers of the Second Brigade at Norris¬ town, August 25, Col. George VV. Holstein, > a p < ti / > > r yT-t ' Col. William Burk, Col. William Powel, | Major Wm. Matheys, Capt. Philip S. Mark- ley and Lieut. Bicharfl B. Jones being ap¬ i Date, .r ..£..^ pointed a committee of arrangements to “wait on General Lafayette on his arrival in Phila¬ delphia and respectfully invite him to visit t¥o“~ county 'of AIonfgom«'™ particularly I Valley Forge on September 22, for the pnrp'ose Whitemarsh, Barren Hill, and also Valley of co-operating in the effort to induce Lafa- Forge, scenes that must be endeared to his rec¬ ollection by events that tried men’s sods.” n6tt-1 ^..Vislt the o!d campground. Captain David Wilson presided and Dr. Wm. Harris Governor John Andrew Shnlze arrived in was secretary. It was resolved that “ the Norristown on the evening of Saturday, Sep¬ citizens adjacent to Valiey Forge would es¬ tember 18, escorted by the Dauphin Cavalry. teem it the happiest day of their lives, could On Sunday morning he attended worship' in they have au opportunity of welcoming and ! the Presbyterian Meeting-house, as it was- entertaining on the site of the nation’s en¬ then called, and in the afternoon at the Epis¬ campment, the nation's truly welcomed copal Church. On this occasion, the Govern- guest, Gen. Lafayette.” The meeting ap¬ , or was accompanied by his private secretary, pointed John M. Davis, William Harris andi David Krause, afterwards Judge Krause, then , George B. Lownes. the last named then re i a resident of Lebanon, the father of Mrs. Dr. siding in Washington’s Headquarters, a com¬ Mahlon Preston, of Norristown. mittee to co-operate with the one named by On Monday morning, September 20, Gov- the meeting at Norristown, already mention- i ernor Shnlze and liis attendants left 11orris- | ed, to invite Lafayette to enjoy the hospitali- town for Philadelphia to assist in the prepara¬ ! ties of toe people of Montgomery county. tions for the reception of Lafayette when he -The entrance of Lafayette into Philadel¬ I should come into Pennsylvania. A week phia was described in glowing terms in the 1 later, September 27, heaud his staff and tin newspaper chronicles of the time. It was Dauphin. Cavalry, the Philadelphia Commit estimated that over 50,000 persons participated tee of Arrangements and numerous troops ani m the parade at Philadelphia, revolution¬ citizens of Backs, Montgomery and Philadel ary soldiers were a conspicuous feature of all phia, met Lafayette, his son, his private sec¬ the processions. retary and the others of the party at the west j-he deputations from Montgomery Chpste-r end of the bridge over the Delaware at Mor- and Delaware counties and the committee risville. from the immediate vicinity of Valley Forge The meeting of Lafayette and the Gov¬ waited upon Lafayette on Wednesday, Sep¬ ernor is described as haviug been attended tember 29, at the State House in Philadelphia, with mncii intorest and emotion on both and invited him to revisit Valley Forge Bar sides. Eloquent addresses were made by ren Hill and the battlefield of Brandy’wine, each. All took breakfast at the Waddell xho interview was very satisfactory, Lafavette mansion in Morrisville, the same dwelling answering that he could not do so at once but- which was Washington’s Headquarters jnst that ho expected to return later and visit all" prior to the battle of Trenton. Lafayette the localities. On July SO, 1625, Lafayette reviewed the troops, and seated in a baronobe visited the battle ground of Brandywine with Joseph S. Lewis, a prominent citizen corning from Wilmington. The visit was exl of Philadelphia, proceeded towards Bristol. oeediagiy interesting to him. The crowd on The Governor and George W. Lafayette fol¬ the occasion was very large, there being over lowed in another barouche. Major General ten thousand persons present, and the heart John Davis, father of General W. W. H. ot Lafayette was deeply touched by the old Davis, of Doylestown, commanded the Backs associations. He was frequently heard to ex- county militia who participated in the pro¬ h“£,od<-throuSiUthe streets, of West cession. The party rested two hours at m, ■, ’ hfappy people! Happy people'” I Bristol. Among the incidents at this place veoJZT " h°lifky t0 a ^eafpart of the was the introduction to Lafayette of Mrs. f °f ,the county, the weather being cool Bessonett, who had nursed him after the -nd dehgntfai. At Chadd’s Ford Lafavette battle of Brandywine, when his wound was fresh and he was not able to be removed to slept'tbT“ fit011 Gilpin' at whose house he Bethlehem. He remembered her, and ex¬ confined ^ th.e battle’ bct who was The —ed a nr bed WIlh age and iu^Muity. pressed his delight at meeting one who had ed soldler- notwithstanding his -mat bestowed so much care and attention upon ness, recognized Lafayette, and the visit him. greatly soothed his last momenta It is worthy of note, perhaps, in this con- Lafayette recognized and pointed out to h's | nection that the committee of arrangements appointed by the Councils of Philadelphia, *■» tie of t!le , “ met Governor Shnlze on bis journey from Nor- I ristown to that city, on September 20, at the [ S »ot“S '• T' H” M“ea * ” I Bobin Hood Tavern, on the Kidge road, .tag emo„ He ,poke whence he was escorted by the volunteer » . himself or of his own services bat. of regiments of the district and a cavalcade of the ability displayed by Washington and the citizens, to Head’s Tavern, which had pre¬ courage manifested by the officers and sol viously been prepared by the authorities lor diers under him. After taking SQppei. at the his reception. i J,onse 01 Samuel Jones, which had been for a At this time enthusiasm as to Lafayette short tune occupied by Howe during the bat- rose to a high pitch. A writer in the New York Patriot proposed him for the next Presi¬ next dlrto^rnca^ter CbeSter’ and the dent of the United States. It was argued that On the 20th of June, the same year La'av he had been a citizen prior to the adoption of and bis -Darty went over the field of bat- I the Constitution, and that therefore the inhi¬ wbteh mant°Wn aud the Chew mansion, j bition in reference to foreign born persons in wmch was prominent in the conflict that , thatthat. -inaH-nmatt*.insernmen did not apply to him. xaged around it. Th|y breakfasted with Mr A large number of citizens Benjamin Cnew, the/owner, and then con- tmed tae route to Chestnut Hill, from which --g ■ ». aid readily be seen fKiiTsifeoT the' canrprat barren Hill, where, lijrty-soven years before, the trees in the latter being loaded i he effected his masterly retreat from an over¬ The ride was an important feature o whelming force, almost without loss—a feat and it was greatly enjoyed by the which won the warmest commendations of pants, especially that part of the rouii Washington and laid the foundation of his lay along the Perkiomen. reputation for military skill. About a hundred persons were in attend¬ At the time of Lafayette’s visit, the Schiiyl- ance from Norristown and vicinity. Among kill canal had recently been completed and them were: Mrs. A. Conrad Jones, Sirs. Norristown contained a court house, county Jawood Lukens, Mr. and Mrs. Winfield S. offices, the jail ; an Episcopal and a Presby¬ Harry, Mr. Cresson, Consbohocken ; Jos. C. terian Church ; about one hundred dwellings Crawford and wife, Miss Emma Crawford. S. and eight hundred inhabitants. While Lafay¬ Gordon Smyth, West Consbohocken; Sirs. ette was unable, on account of lack of time, Slary H. Bean, Mrs. Dr. Preston and her to pay a visit to the place, it should not be daughter, Sirs. Tomlinson, Rev. J. B. Henry, forgotten that many of the citizens of the Sir. and Mrs. Jos. Fornance, Mrs. Strassbnrg- county embraced the opportunity to see him, er, Mrs. Stauffer, Sir. and Mrs. J. L. Rex, either at Philadelphia or at West Chester. Sirs. Rosser, Mrs. Elizabeth Jones, Miss Fran¬ Ellwood Roberts. ces M. Fox, Mr. W. W. Potts and wife, Hon. and Sirs. H. W. Kratz, Sirs. Dr. Eiseuberg, Mrs. H. C. Wentz, Sirs. A. S. Bnclianan, Ell- wood Roberts, Sirs. Mary L. Roberts, Miss Alice A. Roberts, Sliss Mary C. Roberts, Sliss Jean May Walton, Sliss Rachel Haas, Mrs..,

From, ' Kate Walton, Slessrs. Edward E. Long, Charles Ramey, A. W. Bomberger, D. L. Crater and wife, W. H. Richardson, Miss Mar¬ garet Richardson, Mrs. W. W. Craig, B. H. Lightfoot, Rev. and Sirs. T. R. Beeber, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. McDermott, Mr. and Mrs. Gus Egolf, J. Henry Hooven, R. M. Douglass, Date, P.F/l.f Slary R. Livezey, Sallie Johnson, Sirs. James B. Hayes, Mrs. Ida T. Bardin, Mies Stahr, Dr. W. H. Reed and wife, Samuel F. Jarrett, Nor¬ LLUAIlUlU.1 ristown ; Rev. and Sirs. Henry T. Spangler, Ursinus College ; Col. Thomas C. Zimmer¬ man, Reading. Among those from Philadelphia were Judge Samuel W. Peunypacker and Henry S. Dot- Successful Meeting of tlie Histori¬ terer. \ Others present were ex-Senator Jones Det- cal Society. I wiler, Blue Bell ; Samuel S. Richards and | Wife, Plymouth : C. R. Hallowell and wife, ! Phcenixville ; I. R. Haldeman, Abraham H. VISIT TO PENNYPACKER’S MILLS. Cassel, Harleysville ; ex-Jndge Hiram C. [ Hoover, Norriton. Addresses, Poems and Papers by The following new members were elected : j Prominent Workers and Distin¬ Sir. Henry S. Dotterer, Philadelphia ; Rev. i guished Guests—Many New Mem¬ James D. Hunter, Mrs. W. L. Stanffer, W. Harrison Weber, Reese P. Davis, Mrs. A. S. bers Elected—Presentations—Memo¬ Buchanan, Edward E. Long, Charles Ramey, rial Stone to Be Erected to Mark Mr3. Ida Bardin, Norristown ; John D. Sou- Washington’s Headquarters and En¬ der, Soudertown ; Dr. H. E. Groff, Harleys¬ ville ; Irwin H. Bardman, Samnel Grob, Rev. campment. N. F. Schmidt, Schwenksville; Hon. Sam¬ uel W. Penuynacker. Philadelphia; Dr. Wednesday was an ideal day for the pil¬ Jonathan Faust, Zieglersville. grimage of the Montgomery Historical Socie¬ The party from Norristown and vicinity ty and Valley Forge Chapter. Daughters of reached the Lutheran Church at Schwenks¬ the American Revolution, to Scbwenksville. ville, at eleven o’clock, the pastor, Rev. N. F. The selection was fortunate, the day being Schmidt, many of his congregation and sandwiched between two of rain, on either of prominent residents of that vicinity and which the reunion would have been a failure. other portions of the county being already The trip was made in coaches and carriages, assembled on the grounds. All entered the in charge of liveryman John H. Jarrett, by church, and the President of the society, way of Perkiomen Bridge. Returning, the Joseph Fornance, Esq., called the meeting to route by the Skippack road, over which order. Washington’s army marched to Penny- He reviewed the work the Society had packer’s Mill after the battle of Germantown, done, including the celebration of the County was selected, the view of historic points be¬ Centennial in 18SI; the regular bolding of ing of interest to many, in the evening as well meetings at Norristown, Barren Hill and else¬ as in the morning. where ; the publication of a volume of his¬ The route each way is over a fine section of torical sketches. the coanty, beautifully diversified by hill Another volume containing papers and dale, meadow, farm land and orchards, 1

j read, is shortly to be published.

- i Mr. Fornance alluded to Mr. Buck’s con¬ which I will read ISISr on. tention as to the exact location of Washing¬ In common with lots of other fellows, I ton’s Headquarters on the Perkioruen. have tried to entice some of the finny treas¬ Mr. Fornance urged that the membership ures of this stream |to repose within the wil¬ ! the Society should be increased as the re¬ low confines of a iiodestly-proportioned creel sult of the meeting at Schwenksviile. common to easily Satisfied fishermen, but with Eev. N. F. Schmidt delivered the address of only moderate success. It recalls the compo- welcome. He said he felt a pride in welcom¬ snion once written^ by a school boy, in which ing the Montgomery County Historical Society be asserted that a great many people were and the Daughters of the American Kevolu- saved by pins. When asked how, he re- i tion to Schwenksville. plied, £‘ by not swallowing them.” In pre- He alluded to Revolutionary memories of a cisely the same way thousands of fish in the local character. History, he said, becomes a Perkiomen are saved by hooks—by not swal- most valuable guide because it helps in select- | lowing them. [If the genial teller of the I inS the proper means to ends in the great Schwenksville bank is present, or the well- work of life. known proprietor Of the Weldon House, they I He who understands history can read the will bear out the truth of this statement.] i future by the past. If we study the present Some conscienceless fellow has designated I the light of the past we will be able to solve fishing as the idiocy of a fool and a worm.” important problems as they arise. Be that as it may, experience will teach you I Rev. J. B. Henry, of Norristown, responded that. briefly, saying that the Society appreciated You may rave, you may growl, the kind welcome that had been given. He You may spit on your bait: But the motto of fish Is congratulated all on the beautiful day, and he To smell and to wait.” hoped all might feel the inspiration of the oc- Notwithstanding this seeming perversity ; casion. of the finny tribe, as long ago as when Theo¬ j The same virtues which founded the nation critus wrote his Idylls, men who caught fish are necessary to perpetuate it, and it should dreamed of their sport or work, whichever it be remembered that the nation builds no mon¬ happened to be. And what modern angler’, uments to mere self-seeking; there must be j let me ask, does not feel a thrill of rapture, consecrated patriotic devotion to country to as be lands the wily beauties of our streams win the highest rewards. j from their watery habitations. There is no E@v. Henry T. Spangler said he was present idiocy in it, even if, like the disappointed fox two reasons; To ease his conscience, be- fisherman at Gaileee, there are no fish to cause he had never attended any of the meet- show for the day’s labor. j irKS of the Society, and because he hoped to Where is the angler, for example, who will become a member. not appreciate the beauty of fishing as reflect¬ | He hoped the Society would devote itself to ed in the following exquisite picture in the J work in his section of the county. History very last days of the leonine Christopher i he said, devoted itself at first to heroes, but | North who was not only agiantamong men of j ! now it deals with principles. intellectual greatness, but of whom it is said, i Mr. Spangler spoke of the neglect of local I of all anglers since apostolic days, he was the history hitherto prevailing, the difficulty of as- ! greatest ? certammg the exact history of Freeland Sem¬ “And then he gathered around him, when the inary and Washington Hall, Trapne, etc spring mornings brought gray jets of sunshine i He invited the Society to hold a' meeting at into the little room where he lay. the relics of Coliegeville, and to co-operate with the au¬ J j a youthful passion, one that with him never thorities of the College in searching out and I grew old. It was quite an affecting sight to preserving old records of value which are j see him busy, nay, quite absorbed with the j now apparently dead and bnried. fishing tackle scattered about his bed, propped | £11 wood Roberts, of Norristown, read a : up with pillows—bis noble head, yet glorious j paper, “Valley Forge Campground,” a gen- with its flowing locks, carefully combed by ; eral description of the tract occupied by ■ attentive hands, and falling on each side of | Washington’s army in 1777-S being given his unfaded face. How neatly he picked out j with mention of the various prominent points each elegantly dressed fly from its little oi historical interest in the vicinity. bunch, drawing it out with trembling hand Col. Thomas C. Zimmerman, of the Reading along the white coverlet, and then replacing j Times, concluded the morning ezercises by it in his pocket book, he would tell ever and the following address and poem : anon of the streams he used to fish in of old, j President and Members of the Montgomery and of the deeds he had performed in his I County Historical Society ; The Chairman of childhood and youth.” your Executive Committee has made my task What a sense oii sweet companionship the i here to-day a pleasant one, and although I angler feels as on a hot summer’s day, he j socaety^Decause^ij? my T&aB&Fm” affiotfiefir drifts lazily beneath overhanging trees into county, I still feel1 that my annual visits to the portals of sornfe castle of day-dreams, just this locality, covering as they do a period of as the interlacing boughs are gently rocked on upwards of sixteen summers, are sufficient to the billows of the air and while the foliage is establish a sort of kinship between us which all tremulous with aerial eloquence! Or, every recurring visit hut seems to strengthen later on, one may hear him sing: and render more pleasant. “As twilight chases the sunset behind the i _ mountain’s brojv^ All of these summer vacations have been "As night steals oTer the valley and the life of spent in this vicinage, and so I have embodied the day is low, a few thoughts inverse about the Perkiomen, | I loose my boat from its moorings and float nhia wliols'a line If aesenaansoi on the placid"stream' , into the gathering darkness, into a sleep¬ less dream.” Indeed, the true angler finds solace in me to be tore w^ y offereA t0 mb as a rep- for gran Pennsylvania family which every murmuring sound of nature. ihe resentive of tWl*iow 1747, owned golden sunshine will warm him and gladden through these mills, and that him • the cool transparent shadows will com¬ these me that 1 should bS fort him; while in the music of song-oirds, it should be the information to which no art can emulate, he will discover able to add somet-iin„ j have such delicious variety as to suggest the whole ?ery much of the o|^ for thogc mUl8i the first •mmut of human passion and emotion. I the - TTr^ncis Daniel Pastoncis* And, now, to the “ Song of the Perkiomen Of them written by Francis uani^ ^ them which I have written for this occasion : the Pennsylvani p e ’ bo became very signed by Han Jost Heydt, w tQ0 the A Song of the Perkiomen. famous in vMe h belonged to Samuel I sing of th’ Perkiomen, large familyZ Bible WhmuS m b Kevolution, Its sky-reflected Siue, Its wooded banks, its tranquil now* Its stone-fringed shallows, too. >Xis a song'of pleasant waters In the days of long ago, I when dusky sons and dauguters "^^okerfwho as early^s 1736 was elected As-j Its banks roamed to and fro. lessor of Philadelphia county. ^ ^ Governol, I love its lisping music, I have, too, a PaP®r PJ possession of Morris at the time of bisp*t‘ °Penn vpackcr, Its liquid lullaby: office in 1755, signed by Peter of A soothing song that lolls along Like lovers’ peaceful sigh. George \\^ashiI^|ton,(WTitonMi'om^tMS^caflifo >Tis a song of lips grown speechless, Of a warring, savage race, classic Whose watch fire’s gleam, near th classic Mill.” 'aToAhese papers | ^aU£°nvC£ stream, Oft shimmered upon its face. he should desire to see them. K Like dreams, well-nigh forgotten, them to you however,would These shadows come and go with the paper wh ipr. Kratz who From out the gloom of Time’s dark womb, I and industriously P P- . . ■pjng over what I Like spectral shapes of snow. is to follow me, and in thtokwg ov ^ ^ ’Tis a song of limpid waters should do I conclude P , been written j More bright thaa Tiber s stream— afternoon poetry which has been^ fQ)]y A song of spray-a silv’ry lay- concerning this camp. - Scylla I have That came from blades ag learn. aware that in getting away from »cy* avoid 1 run into Cbarybdis, andl in tryiniS O bright, pure stream, still flowing, We bless thy waters fair, I £ -»«1 As warriors bold, in times grown old, Attuned their voice in prayer. ’Tis a song of purling waters, Whose wavelets kiss the shore, to«J to yo» sltolrf thft I where meet our sons and daughters As once those did of yore. such!' /shall' ooloovoi to present .hot ,« THE DINNEE. I to yon. . , John Parke was an Lieutenant Colonel jou He was born A very important feature of the gathering officer in Washington s^uny- ^ yonng tnau was the dinner, served in Bean’s hall, of in Dover, Delaware, a d^ accompamed the which nearly five hundred persons partook. went out into the fie - , having a taste It was a substantial and toothsome meal, and army in all ^ movements, ^ did much credit to the citizens ofSchwenk- for verse, when he c o he came to down and he wrote , a what be de- ville Mr John G. Prizer being at the head of the local committee, ably assisted by the fol¬ lowing ladies : Mrs. J. G. Prizer, Mrs. Irvin H. Bardman, Mrs. A. S. Bahn, Mis. • ■ Schwcnk, Mrs. J. S. Hartley, Mrs. Hettie poem commencing - Albion’s shore? Ma-kley, Mrs. M. H. Bean, Mrs. J. B. Grubb, I%££‘,as,ios,sfflr.jsso»i t,»t. Mrs. Bichard Singmaster, Misses Clara J. Prizer, Hanna Bean, Emma Keely, Irene I WT“V,“5'“ this one. nappy Minkley, Kate Bruner, Bertha Prizer, Lillie

James HcMiebael P Theyawere assisted by a committee from Norristown consisting of Mrs. Henry W Kratz, Mrs. Sarah 4. Bex, krs. ^ through this.tme’iomnal which gives about nance, Mrs. Mary P- Livezey, Miss Fiances a very interesting: journal ^ militRTy move¬ M. Fox, Mrs. J- A. Strassburger. ns graphic a descnpl bere_ i have no ments as can be found any 6nt it t0 you. ! doubt that Mr. Lratz wn p f aftehnoon session. He teUsnstbat he had agre.tedeom potts. At the afternoon session cnlty in talking with the p .- d German ^heeleiab read a historical paper, Ihe rei grove over here, because they WK d not kiomen Begion.’ ’ . It will he published later in the Heeald. , . l “understandda "• “S *^1%, talk to the .*« Judge Samuel W. Pennypacker, of Pbuadel- .. , , . -- ne Sffysrtney understood that worse tirniTthev | ( :: English, so that he had very much earnestly and respectfully suggest and request trouole. He, too. was something of a poet. that the next annual reunion of your socioty He says they left Pottsgrove at nine a. m. for be held at this place. | Retro y packer’s mill, where they encamped. There is, perhaps, no locality in onr state : Here comes the poetry. more replete with historical associations than ■' So much for the contemporary poets. Theo¬ this vicinity. We have bnt to mention the 1 dore Wintbrop was a very noted New Eng¬ surrounding bills m proof of this—Fort Hill, land novelist who wrote some exceedingly Militia Hill, Camp Hill, St. Thomas’ Church . good verse. TJnfortunately, when a very Hill, all suggestive of the days of ’78 ■ and young man he was killed in onr late war at I then we have the Emlen Mansion, Washing¬ the battle of Big Bethel. He gives ns a i ton Headquarters, Hope Lodge and Camp Revolutionary ballad entitled “Washington Morris in an adjacent township. at Pennypacker’s Mill.” It is somewhat of a We are confident that a very suitable place dmerent tone from the first poem which I or hall can be bad for the asking to hold the I read to yon, and perhaps yon will appreciate meeting in, or if preferred arrangements could be made to have the meeting held in a tent The last poem which I have concerns also on the old fort grounds. this region, and in my judgment shows more . There is, we trust, patriotism enough exist¬ poetic feeling than all of them. l£ was writ¬ ing among the people here to provide all that ten by my brother. Mr. Longfellow thought ' is requiied to entertain all visitors that may so well of it that he included it in a volume come. J of poems, which he published afterwards as i Trusting onr suggestion may he favorably Poems of Places.” j conaidered we are respectfully yonrs, Rev. Our relations with this region have been to i M. Sheeleigh, Rev. N. S. G. Rnpp, Rev. D. some extent tragic. I am indebted to my ! hi. Ditmar, Abm. H. Carn, Isaac Conard and friend Mr. Dotterer, whom I see here to-day I many others of like mind. and whom since he has returned from Europe j It was decided to accept the invitation. a hope we shall soon have publishing again thatnxcellent-pariodical, The-Perkiomen Region, ! Representative Henry W. Kratz read his for this item of information. I know nothing 1 paper, the Society voting him and the other more about it than the fact itself. In the old speakers, and the ladies of Schwenksville Gosbenhoppen church among the records is their thanks. this : “ Born June 9, 1771, Susannah, daugh¬ . We are assembled to-day at Schwenksville ter of Wilhelm Pennypacker, was horned to in Perkiomen township, Montgomery county j death when the soldiers left October 3, 1777 ” turner the auspices of the Historical Society of 1 i It is a fact which is very significant. I have said county. 1 no farther knowledge of it, but the fate of This village, like many others in various this nnfortnnate little girl, seven vears of age sections of this growing county, has been fa¬ ! is in some way wrapped np with the encaniD- vored by the impetus of enterprise and thrift | ment of the army. When we came here to inherent m people of intelligence and indus¬ / hold onr family celebration in 1877, three were try. It sprang up from a very humble begin¬ killed and over fifty wounded, so that as I say j ning m 1849 when it contained what was then | to you, onr connection with this locality has ' known as Schwenk’s Inn and store, the been both tragic and historic. j house of J. Steiner and a blacksmith shop Routine business of the Society followed i and grew and developed to its present size J Judge Pannypacker’s address. and importance ; having now a population of Mr. Gns. Egolf presented a copy of the ! about four hundred and fifty. Pennsylvania Journal, Philadelphia, January j I! establishment of a post office through [I the efforts of Jacob G. Schwenk at his sto^e .29, 1767, published by William and Thomas ! in 1872 gave it its present name. By the con- Bradford. strnetton of the Perkiomen and Snmnevtown Mr. William H. Richardson presented a i, turnpike in 1848, the Perkiomen Railroad in handsomely bound copy of the souvenir his¬ 1868, its expansion steadily increased until it tory of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of ! is possessed of two good hotels, two large stores the Trinity, Norristown. three most creditable church edifices, a print-1 Ellwood Roberts made an earnest appeal to ! thf a“V‘eW^?,r esffibl'shffienrrrbmwhTcn the Schwenksville Item is issued weekly all present to aid in purchasing a permanent j t vohrnmcbi°DSEi’ marb'e yard, railroad depot! building for the Historical Society, in which two miHs, lumber and coal yard, bakery and its treasures may be stored. a National Bank with a capital of $100,000 During the noon recess, the committee to ! whose success is best attested by its present j erect a memorial stone, to which Judge Pen-' surplus of $79,000. present |nypackerwas added, selected a suitable spot. homes °f its people in architectural ! a triangular area at the junction of the design, quality, neatness and beauty are sinking proofs of good management and Skippack and Harleysville roads, on the east j s>de of the Perkiomen creek, and only a few fertfw' Tbe beaatifal valleys, bills and arftLf/m.S arou“d a"d beyond the village yards from the mill. The committee to erect aie the fortunes of a busy and honest yeo- | the shaft consists of George W. Bartholomew £££& wbof femily history in many iu- i Ellwood Roberts, Mrs. A. Conrad Jones Dr’ stances reaches back to the time that tried | W. H. Reed, W. W. Potts, and Jndge Penny- men s souls, the epoch of American Independ- packer. As yon have observed in your journey hith¬ _ Mr. Fornance presented a copy of the So¬ er, the village is situate along the beautifnl ciety’s hook, “Historical Sketches.” to the cmf(,plCtnreSqae Streara of tbe Perkiomen, i Sunday school library. Pastor Schmidt re¬ containing environments which are historic turned thanks for it. and therefore have become subjects of im- portant inquiry. The following communication was read • Meandering through an agricultural region Fobt Washington, Pa., Sept. 15—To'the its waters nevertheless contribute in some ! President and Members of the Montgomery ■ j County Historical Society : The undersigned enterprise? eomtnerc’al activity and business' I residents of this community would most This creek, which drives on wheels of oth¬ er mills, propels the noted mill which in -iWBgWBagfJg;' .iary times was known as “ Pe““>T' mill,’' and as such beeame *a/nons al history ; ami although changed in ap-, & ■s tsras-ws^* Sg|^jpdh3P f ntCThostThl composed the 1 rsfb»- ; ia kind such as live in this pa * ^ wfthl

tvranuy ot itmg pcurfc a e .

sissasa^-ssftasfirmly before the bayonet charge■ * . th

SSsHsigSrecord of unquestionable aathenncdy. & ,\ that battlehattie Washingtonvva*u*—--- exclaimed, residence was situated near the roau ies aim u^n Hat colonies lor over. fromTrappatePerkiome^re^knndc°no

which was on Friday, Sept. 12i b, messa. after message was receiVt.d by Dr.^Muhmn berg stating that the loss h® ning Fred ss ss?f I was erected in 1730 by Hans at tbe on a tract of six bun “ , peBnybecker’s i '“isSr*»•» ««j^l *»• °f the -campment tern down in 1822, abd^re^t oneem*e| S‘.it“ci5S“ S'Aw-i. w‘f. v; t '^^wn^by George Kramer mid making tne outcry, —A'j, „ nreuare to meet the Lord yonr God. , _ Was U. iODinvoo —-, lealed byWGeor?e SofSekencampment by ^Sunday. Sept. 14th, was-a restless_ Sabbat -owned at the. W® °f nedby Mb ti the”places?Si€Srlenffi» where the ,SSS^s?divls n■■

late the great road to Philadeipnia, n thatthis section or Providence more certain, would be the scene of marching, or evena e

bJ,On Tuesday, September l6th’ ®r'J?'j,Ad hereberg observes, thattnai uuuuduringS the^ day we h this vicinity and tt0 ™ ,. , the movements backer’s mills we must follow Brandy wine SSt .“&E*KS? S Ebss^^jwia?= r“r«!^-^sarw arnSra^ jSSSw^^asypSSSffligg:

I military then these townships be- 1 The time then wn occupied by the asri came marching ®r°t'nft.er the battle of Bran- to move up the great road tk.cng P Amerlcan Army, was a« u battle of Ger- Beading where the supplies of the Amoricw dywine »d »|» “?„f3 ™ A wJsS^ieretre andhis whole army mantown. .1 11th of Septeniber, 1* •, andjost on the! H ^ gathering tacts ? eight PnouSand cont.nentels and foughtght and lost on^^King ft* of In Cleaning information and {sWa6hingt marched through Trappe to Perkiomen Creek. servers, and who rec°they transpired, which rences' in details as „ history regarded The procession lasted the whole nigh- ! the anthers of .United States^ tQ reCOg- Marshall’s life of Washington we are told that) os mere local incidents, aim , opon on the 19th of September, 1877, Washing^ SrJ sufficient «npouan°e t P e sake f | and his army encamped on both sides ot SSTOrecord. And. it »_^S*wy, WbStory, andandaccord- accord- Perkiomen Creek, in Providence towns, perpetnating facte f localUnste ^ fo„*a and that their camps extended from lr< to the lower end of Evausburg- Washm I b ETXSS JU#» Ipied by D. Movgan Gi Keffieri-y UnT"sa; d' vi i- ana lTis'Busy tn VdhCeive Orhat hope it awak¬ jage of Evausburg. The array remained here ened in[ the hearts of the Commander-in- until the 21st when Washington made no Chief atjd his patriotic followers, whom the farther effort to save Philadelphia. Upon late series of reverses might well have made this conclusion the advance guard started at despondent. It was at once announced to midnight on the 21st towards PottstowD, and the army in the following order, found in the following day, the 22d, the entire Ameri¬ Itinerary of General Washington, page 93 : can army with Washington marched np the Sunday, September 28. At Pennybacker’s great road through Trappe and encamped Mills, Orderly Book : “ The Commander- near Pottsgrove. in-Chief has the happiness again to con¬ On Sept. 29th the army left camp at Potts¬ gratulate the array on the success of the grove at 9 o’clock a. m., came down the great Americans to the northward. On the 19th road as far as Limerick, where they turned to inst. an engagement took place at Stillwater, the left, marched to what is now Schwenks- New York, between General Bnrgoyne’s ville, and encamped at Pennebacker’s mill. army and the left wing of oars, under Gen. It was a cold, rough, windy day when about Gates. The battle began at 10 o’clock and seven thousand soldiers went into camp at lasted till night, onr troops fighting with the this place. At the same time General Arm¬ greatest bravery, not giving an inch of strong with some three or four thousand gronnd. To celebrate this success the general Pennsylvania militia continued on down the orders were issued that at 4 o’clock this great road and encamped at Trappe, making afternoon ali the troops be paraded and served their principal headquarters in the Lutheran with a gill of ram per man, and that at the church, whioh is still standing and well pre¬ same time there be discharges of 18 pieces of served. The farmers in the vicinity of artillery from the park, Schwenksville did not look with great favor “ Geo. Washington.” upon their visitors—their barns had just been This order, headed Headquarters, Camp at filled with crops, and the poorly supplied mi¬ Pennybaeker’s Mills, Sept. 28, 1777, is also • litia had learned ■ how to forage with effect. found in Saffell’s Records, page 342 : Every farmer removed his horse to a place of Upon this occasion, which doubtless oc¬ curred in Samuel Pannebecker’s house that Washington fixed his headquarters at the Sabbath morning, there were present besides house of Samuel Pennebacker, and the tents ! General Washington, Generals Greene, Sulli- of the soldiers were stretehed along upon the I van, Stirling, Stephen and Armstrong ; Briga- high grounds on both sides of the Perkiomen. j diar Generals Wayne, Muhlenberg, Knox, To corroborate this statement by Dr. Muhlen¬ ; Conway, Nash, Smallwood, Scott, Potter, berg, I cite from Pennsylvania Archives, Vol¬ Irvine and McDougall. ume 15, page 212, taken from the original j At a council of war held this day the Con¬ diary of Lient. James McMichael, of the tinental force was thus outlined by Washing¬ Pennsylvania Line of the Revolution, which ton : McDougall, with about 900 men, had diary is in possession of Colonel Wm. P. Mi¬ joined the army ; Smallwood had also come chael, of Philadelphia, the following minute : in with about 1700 of Maryland militia ; For¬ Sept. 25, 1777. We left camp at Pottsgrove man with about 600 of the Jersey militia was at 9 a. m. for Pennybecker’s mills, where we {; on the Skippack road and near the main encamped. body. The number of Continental troops in Also from Wm. S. Baker’s Itinerary of Gon. camp fit for duty, exclusive of the detach- Washington, page 93, the following : “Sat¬ : meat under McDougall, and that under urday, September 27. At Pennybacker’s l Wayne at Trappe was 5472, to which was to Mill9.” “ You are hereby authorized to impress be added Maxwell’s light corps (about 450), all the blankets, shoes, stockings and other and the Pennsylvania militia under Aron articles of clothing that can be spared by the ! strong. Altogether the army would consist of inhabitants of the county of Lancaster, for about 8000 Continental troops, rank and file, the nse of the Continental army, paying for ■ ■ and 3000 militia. The Council decided against the same at reasonable rates or giving certi¬ an immediate attack on the enemy, and that ficates.” Washington to William Henry, the army should move to a proper camp about Lancaster. I twelve miles from there to await reinforce¬ Washington reached Pennybacker’s (for¬ ments and a more fitting opportunity to at- merly Pauling’s) Mills, now Schwenksville, | tack. Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, on Sep¬ The momentous question to be decided was tember 26th, making his headquarters at the whether to risk immediately another battle in house of Samuel Pennybacker the owner of an effort to drive the enemy from Philadel- the mills. The house, a two-story-stone S phia, or to await the arrival of a reinforce- building, is still standing.” Martin Huns- - roent of 2500 men who were expected from berger, a former owner of the mill, several Peekskill. The discussion which ensued times told me that Samuel Pennybacker stated showed diversity of view ; Smallwood, Soott, repeatedly that the headquarters were at his Potter, Irvine and Wayne were in favor of house. making an immediate attack. But the others, It was four o’clock in the afternoon when including Nash, Stephen and Muhlenberg, ap¬ the army arrived, and before night every proved the slower but surer course. Washing¬ fence upon the place was carried away for ton stated that the British were but 8000 I camp fires. The hay and straw in the hams strong, and it was finally decided to approach and on stacks disappeared, and every fowl “ nearer, and watch for a favorable opportunity (perished save one old hen which, as it ! to strike a blow. In pursuance of this deci- 'chanced, was trying to hatch a late brood. ! sion, on the following Monday morning Wash¬ But these depredations were stopped in pur- ington wrote to the President of Congress, ijsuauceof orders issued by General Washing¬ j telling him of the contemplated movement in 1 ton, saying to the officers that they must I the following proclamation found in the itin¬ prevent such.infringement of discipline. erary of General Washington on page 94. On the same day (Saturday), General Small¬ Monday, September 29. At Ponnybacker’s wood joined the army with a reinforcement Mills: “ I shall move the army four or fivo of 1000 Maryland militia. miles lower down to-day, from whence we Sunday, the 28th, was the most eventful may reconnoitre and fix upon a proper situa¬ day at and around the mills. In the morning tion, at such distance from the enemy, as will came the glad news that General Gates had entitle ns to make an attack, should we see a defeated Bnrgoyne at the battle of Stillwater. proper opening or stand upon the defensive. | It was decisive of the campaign in the North, , !.-■ 1.-- --’ -J tne preceding night without sleep.” at we obtain farther reinforcements. Th's Also the following : Sunday, October 5. wns the opinion of a majority of a Council of “At Pennypackeris mills; this day tl General Officers, which I called yesterday. stragglers generally joined the army over —Washington to the President of Congress. Perkiomen creek. After remaining here a The same day Washington led his army few days, the army removed to Towamen - from “ Pennybackerts Mills” down to Skip- sing township.” pack:, within twenty-five miles from Phila¬ On October 7th, General Knox wrote the delphia, On Tuesday, the 30th, the mam foilowiug to Artemas Ward, found in the army advanced still farther on the Skippack Continental Journal of October 30. road. -y, At PenDybacker’s mills ; camp near Perki- Bnt in the vicinity, according to Dr. oruen creek October 6, 1777. “ Since the ac¬ Muhlenberg’s journal, the militia were still tion, we have received considerable reinforce¬ stationed. The nest morning, however, toe ments from Virginia, and our excellent Gen¬ scene was changed. Before sunrise every¬ eral Washington has collected his force at thing was preparation for march and the com¬ the place from whence I date this letter, and ing battle. At 10 o’cloek several regiments intends soon to try another bout with them. marched with flying colors from Trappe-to All onr men are in good spirits, and I think Skippack to join the mam army, while the grow fonder of fighting the more they have greater portion remained until the morrow. of it.” On the morning of the 2d of October the re¬ Beyond all question the main body of the maining militia, between two and three army under Washington returned totheir old thousand, under command of Major General headquarters at Pennybacker’s mills, while Armstrong, marched down the great road to¬ the militia took up their old camps at Trappe. wards Philadelphia. . The encampment iu Skippack was quite large On Wednesday, October 1st, Washington and occupied territory on both sides of the wrote to Governor Trumbull as follows : “At Perkiomen. On the west side the camping Skippack : I hope that a little time and ground occupied, among others, farms then perseverance will give us favorable oppor¬ owned by Henry Keely and Peter Pool. And tunity of recovering onr loss, and of patting there is authority for saying that upon the our affairs in a more flourishing condition. return of thearmy from the battle of German¬ Our army has now had the rest and refresh¬ town, the second encampment, on the west ment it stood in need of, and onr soldiers are side of the Perkiomen, was larger than the in very good spirits.” first. In Pickering’s Journal we find the follow- This view is supported by the statement in Lieut. McMichael’s diary, who had already in * “ October 2d. The army marched about stated under date of Oet. 4 : “ We then march¬ five miles farther down on the Skippack road, ed up the Skippack road to Pennybecker’s to Worcester township. It was from Me- mills, where we betook ourselves to rest at 9 thacton Hill’ that the army started at seven p. m. October 5.” To-day changed ow en- o’clock in the evening of October 3d to attack I campment to the west oauK oi the enemy at Germantown.” I men. The army remained here until Oct. o, All the authorities consulted agree that on ! when it marched to Towamensing township, the night of the 3d of October the American stopping at the Mennonite meeting house near army, arranged in several divisions, marched Kulpsville, where Brigadier General hash, silently toward Germantown. The roads •who died from wounds received at the battle ot were rough, and the different columns reached Germantown, was buried with military bon- the British outposts at irregular intervals. ors in the burial ground attached to said The morning was foggy and the movements ot meeting house on the 9th of Octoberat 10 both armies were unsteady and confased, as o’clock. Orders were issued that all officers the battle opened on October 4th, 1777. attend the funeral and pay respect to a brave That night as the army returned to its old man who died in defence of nis country. camp, the familiar rumble of the heavy Washington’s headquarters in this township wagons and the beating of drums were again were at the farm house of Frederick Wam- heard through the townships of Providence pole, about a mile above Kulpsville. I he ar.d Skippack, and mingled with them were house was takeu down in 1831. the moans and cries of the wounded, who had The army continued its march through the been hurried over rough country roads away townships of Worcester, Whitpain and White- from the scene of conflict. marsh, crossed the Schuylkill river at Swedes Says pastor Mnhlenberger on the 5th. an¬ Ford on December 11th, proceeded to Gulf other Sunday : “ From early in the morning 1 Mills, and from thence marched to Valley until noon, the troops, who marched from Forge, arriving at that point on December here on the 2d inst., are returning in com- ! j 19th, and made preparations to remain there panics and singly with their wagons, tired, ! for the winter. hungry and thirsty, and have taken posses¬ How many of the wounded came to this sion of their old quarters to consume complete¬ vicinity from the battle of Germantown and ly what was left previously.” what attention they received, impossible On the same day Washington sent the al¬ to ascertain with accuracy, bnt doubtless lowing message to the President of Congress ^ the people about the mills and beyond Saturday October 4. — At the battle oi did all in their power to alleviate their suf¬ Germantown : “ In the midst of the most ferings. , , - promising appearances, when everything gave Itisknown, however, that a large number ot the most flattering hopes of victory, _ the the wounded and dying were brought back troops began suddenly to retreat, and entirely with the troops ; and that the churches at left the field in spite of every effort that could Evausburg and Trappe were converted into be made to rally them.” . hospitals. Many died of their wounds and In Pickering’s Journal is contained this were buried in the graveyards attached to statement: “ After the army were all retreat¬ those churches. The Episcopal cemetery at ing, I expected they would have returned to Evansburg contains the remains of over one their last encampment about twelve or thir¬ hundred travel fellows, the victims of the teen miles from the enemy at Germantown ; battle of Germantown. Among the known but the retreat was continued upwards of ones was General Howard, of Maryland, and twenty miles ; so that all those men, who re¬ a brave soldier and a dear friend of Washing tired so far, this day marched upwards of ton. His tombstone contains the following I thirty miles without rest., besides being up all epitaph : pe departed this life, March 15th 1778, aged, au years, m dereuse oi American culiar, distinct and characteristic marks or- liberty.” Washington afterward visited this those trees were witnessed and measured by spot and was heard to remark : “ Here lies a my informant, Solomon K. Grimley, Esq. brave and good soldier.” All this evidence has since 1884 been obliter¬ Washington on a white charger appeared at ated by the removal of the timber. For all the south entrance of the old Trappe" chnrcb, this traditional information I am indebted to on the 5th of October, dismounted, and spoke said Solomon K. Grimley, Esq., who com¬ a kind word to many of the sick and dying. menced his researches in 1842. On the 6th, two soldiers died, and were buried Samuel Pennebacker also gave interesting by Muhlenberg towards the north boundary accounts of army occupancy and incidents on of the churchyard with their faces eastward. the easi of the Perkiomen and of the tents On October 7, a number of the officers were pitched at and around the mills. He stated interred in this vicinity with the honors of that several soldiers who died after the battle war. Mary Grimley, who was about 14 years ot Germantown were buried some distance of age in 1777 ; Valentine Keeley, aged at from his dwelling house eastward. These ' that time about IS years, and Henry Keeley, statements are remembered by John Z. Huns- the father of Valentine, residents of Skip- berger, a resident of this village. I have pack township, west of Perkiomen creek, in. been unable in my investigations to learn of their lifetime stated that to their knowledge any enlistments in the Bevolutionary War at least two hundred soldiers, wounded at the from this neighborhood except that of Abra- battle of Germantown, were brought back to ham Schwenk, grandfather of Enos S. j their former encampment at this place after 1 Schwenk, who resides near Grater's Ford in i the battle ; some being dead upon arrival, this (Perkiomen) township. Mr. Schwenk | while the others, still living, were taken to says that tradition had Abrahom Schwenk the homes of Henry Keeley and Win. Panne- and possibly his father. Geo. Schwenk, en¬ backer, the majority of whom died soon after- rolled as soldiers in that war ; that the for¬ 1 ward. ! mer was interred in the Schwenksville cem¬ A large number were bnried along the fence j etery, and the latter on the property of Sam¬ I dividing lands of Henry Keeley and Peter i uel Faust. J Pool, now lands of John S. Keeley and Jesse ! ,, En,os Scilwellfc thinks that some of I Willauer, and also in the woods on lands of j the Bevolutionary soldiers were bnried in the Peter Pool, now owned by the aforesaid Jesse cemetery connected with Keely’s Church. Willauer. Others who claim knowledge of the disposi- Valentine Keeley, son of Henry Keeley, , turn ox the oead soldiers in this vicinity stated that he was present at the digging of a deny.that any of them were bnried there. * circular grave sixteen feet in diameter on Ibis closes the narration and account of premises of Henry Keeley, now owned by j Washington's Encampment at Panneback- Frederick Fagley, and saw many of the sol¬ ers Mills, the occupancy of the American diers bnried therein during the early part of army of the ground on both sides of Per¬ October, 1777. That grave of the patriot dead kiomen creek in Skippack township and also was regarded as sacred ground by the Keeley m Providence township, and the movements family, and received their devoted care and of the army over said townships, so far as I veneration during their lifetime. That un¬ have had time and opportunity for researoh marked traditional tomb.as pointed out to me Tne owners of the mills and the Panne- on the 10th iust., is now covered, at least par¬ backer residence may rest assured that they tially, by an outbuilding belonging to the are in possession of properties that were made farm. famous by Washington’s Encampment at Interesting accounts of the location of army Pannebacker Mills.” Their claim to historic tents on both sides of the Perkiomen creek, yalne is good beyond all question. bat more particularly of those on the west . Persons who donbt as to whether Wash¬ side, and especially of the tent occupied by ington and his army encamped at said mills General Muhlenberg, who was well known to -.may dispute and contradict, but the journals Mary Grimley, the bake, house, slaughter house and well of water supply, were fre¬ of Dr. Muhlenberg, the diary of Lieut. Mc- quently given to these who were uninformed Michael, the testimony in Baker’s itinerary of of the Bevolutionary incidents in this Washington, in Pennsylvania Archives edited vicinity. by that distinguished historian, Wm. H. Egle, The well referred to is on the premises now and in many other reliable historical authori¬ of John Keeley, and its locality as pointed ties, make undeniable history and establish out to me by Mrs. Keeley, is near the dwell¬ beyond doubt the fact, as I have endeavored ing house. Mrs. Keeley says that the well is to show it, that Washington and his army did very deep', never filled up but covered with ‘encamp at Pannebaeker’s mills” in 1777. ’ fiat stones ; that near this well stood at that This community should, and from the interest time a dwelling house, and that this and the manifested upon this occasion, does appreciate surrounding properties were covered with tents. the benefits and enjoy the recollections that Tradition therefore seems to establish that flow from snch associations as connect these the Bevolutionary well of water and the circu¬ people and their posterity with the efforts lar grave are practically in existence now, and here put forth by the patriots of the Bevolu- constitute two Important and fitting points for tion in the founding of this Bepablic and the Bevolutionary war designation on the west establishment of American liberty. side of the Perkiomen. Up to 1833 or 1884 there was a grave on the premises at that time owned by Henry Keely, now by Jesse Williams, that was occupied by STIRLING'S HEADQUARTERS. the soldiers Some of the trees after standing and growing doubtless for a period of 107 ! years, contained charred bark, burned wood, A Colonial House That Retains Its incisions and openings for pegs on which ket¬ j-i tles were hnng for cooking purposes. Henry Characteristics, Keely, Valentine Keely and Mary Grimly I were frequent visitors to the grove during the, For Many Years the Residence of encampment here, and on many occasions Hey. William Currie, the Rector at told their subsequent neighbors of the cooking and eating methods of the soldiers. The pe¬ Evaus’ourg and Radnor Prior to the Revolutionary War—His Numerous containing 130 aores, was heeded n; Descendants la Chester and Mont¬ 1 missionetsof Property to David P.owel, He, gomery Counties. in 1714, conveyed it to Henry Jones, or Johns. ■ In 1739 Griffith Jones became the owner. In One of the most remarkable survivals in 1752 it passed to Thomas Jones. The name the shape of a mansion bnilt in colonial times Jones is of Welsh origin, being formerly John is the house in which dwelt for many years or Johns. Rev. William Cnrrie, the rector of St. James, A handsome deed is the patent from John, Perkiomen, now Evansbnrg, and of St. Thomas and Richard Penn, signed by John David’s, Radnor. for himself and the others, a sort of confirma¬ The old house is situated on the upper side tion of the previous title. The property was of the road, about a half-mile above the first | conveyed to Rev. William Currie in 1768. He bridge over Valley creek on the road from i had previously owned the farm in Tredyffrin Valley Forge, in Tredyffrin township, Chester i about a mile distant. Currie conveyed it in county. It was for a time during the en¬ | 1791 to Thomas Walker. The latter owned campment the headquarters of Lord Stirling, it till his death in 1338. himself as remarkable a character iu his way j As already intimated, Rev. William Currie as was Currie iu his. It stands on property was a remarkable man. He was born in belonging to Henry L. Evans, adjoining lands Glasgow, Scotland, in 1710, and was edu¬ of E. J. Matthews and others. Mr. Evans cated at the University there. He came to has owned the farm for sixteen years, and America as tutor to the son of a Mr. Carter, lives in a large mansion located a little beyond of Virginia, to which position he was re¬ on the same side of the road and bnilt in 1852. commended by the faculty of the College of The house which was Stirling’s headquar¬ Glasgow. ters and the Cnrrie residence presents a very w After some years he went to New Castle, in i antique appearance, indeed. Mr. Evans has Delaware, where, becoming known to Rev. j recently repaired it, patting on a new roof George Ross, an Episcopal clergyman, he was 1 and making other necessary improvements, recommended to the Royal Society of Eng- j but without materially altering it, either in¬ land. He proceeded there for ordination. side or outside. The house has been unin¬ On his return to this country, he became ? habited for two or three years, and weeds and lay reader at St. James’ Church, Perkiomen, rank grass had grown up around it when it and St. David’s Church, Radnor. This was was visited by the writer a few weeks ago, in in 1737. Fifteen year3 later he became the the last days of summer, giving it a still more first rector of these churches. antiquated appearance, were the thing pos¬ From the early church records we learn • sible. The old garden was a wilderness. that he was much esteemed in his mission, a Several ruined buildings are at hand, relics of very extensive one, and that he neglected no the days when the place was inhabited. In opportunity that his health would permit the rear is a springhouse, with bakehouse at¬ him to take advantage of in doing his duty. tached, in which is the antique oven that In 1760 he wrote from Radnor to the So¬ should have been carefully preserved for an¬ ciety for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign other generation, but which the hand of van¬ Parts, asking that a habitation might he pro- [ dalism has stricken, breaking the arch of vided for him, and saying that he had been ; brick, although it is not yet past repair. in its service twenty-three years. Across the road is the old barn, a portion of When the Revolutionary War broke out, . it in ruins. Standing beside it and looking Mr. Currie, being unwilling to violate his southward across the Valley you see an ex¬ j ordination vows by refusing to pray for the tended view, pretty as a picture—orchard and I King, gave np his charges. This action was meadow and farm lands, old farmhouses and ' taken May 8, 1776, his congregations insisting well filled barns, and the Gulph hills for a that the prayer for the King should be background. There is no finer agricultural i omitted. region in all the country round. After Bishop White was elected Chaplain In the western gable is a peculiar window, to Congress, Mr. Carrie officiated in St. Da¬ running with the slope of the roof, something vid’s Church, performing the marriage sei- jj very rare these times, though probably com¬ vice and administering the ordinance of bap¬ mon enough in pre-Revolutionary years. tism. There are also the immense chimneys of The last years of his life were passed in the olden time, one in each end of the house, j family of his granddaughter, Margaret Currie which was extended to accommodate two Walker, in the house above described, about families. There are four pairs of stairs in the two miles from Valley Forge. house, two in each end. The old oaken floors He died, as stated, October 26, 1803, ;remain in excellent preservation. The old- ! aged 93 years. In his will ho left ten English time window sash with small panes havo never pounds to St. David’s Chnrch. His first wife been replaced by those of more modern make. j was Margaret Ross, by whom he had six sons There are two open fire-places, one in each —John, a lawyer, who married a wealthy end of the house. Joseph R. Walker lived lady named Crookshank and lived and died here many years ; be was born iu the old . near Bethlehem ; James, William, Richard house in 1800, and died here in 1S76. Eev. and Alexander, James, William and Alexander VTiUiam Cnrrie died here in 180S, occupying a being physicians, the last named going to In¬ portion of his house, his granddaughter Mar¬ dia and dying there ; and Ross, who went to garet, whose husband was Thomas Walker, New Brunswick, where he died, leaving living in the other portion. children. Mr. Evans has all the deeds, forming a com¬ Mr. Carrie’s second wife was Mrs. Lucy plete chain of title. The farm, originally Ann Jones, whose maiden name was Godfrey,

« she Geing the widBwitot 'Ub.vTd Jones. They [ ioomas walker was Horn December 29, had no children. She died February 23, 1778, | 1757, on the homester*!, now known as. aged 54 years. With his two wives, Rev.Wm. ! Wayne's headquarters, which he aiso inher- ; Cnrrie was buried at St. David’s. it-ed on the death of his father. Rev. Wm. Cnrrie and his first wife were I Rev. William Cnrrie performed the mar- married in 1889, she being then twenty-five : riage ceremony of Anna, sister of Isaac Potts, years of age. She was the daughter of Rev. who owned tho Washington headquarters George Ross,-of New Castle.. She died in property, and David Potts, December 22, 17e8. - 1771. Her father was one of the earliest mis¬ ; In 1765, Mr. Currie wrote to the Society for ; sionaries sent ont to America by the Society t propagating the gospel in foreign parts, that | 'for Propagating the Gospel.- He was rector [ he intended repairing the glebe house at St. j jof Immanuel Church at New Castle from 1705 ! James’, Perkiomen, which had fallen into j to 1708, and again from 1714 to 1755, the year ! ruin, and living there, as the congregation ; of his death. His remains were interred there j was larger than that at Radnor. , and upon the outside wall is a tablet to his The descendants of Thomas Walker and j memory with a Latin inscription thereon. Margaret Cnrrie Walker are very numerous, f :Ona.. of Mr. Ross’ sons. John, was Attorney including Walkers, Pennypackers, Wilsons, i General for the three counties on fEe TfeilaY Coikets, Hoxsies, Hamilfons and others. Mrs. | ! ware, 1754 to 1704, having been appointed Winfield S. Wilson is a granddaughter, and j ! by George III. He died in 1776, aged 65 I Mrs. Joseph Cnrrie Crawford, wife of the Reg- ; 1 years. • i istsr of Wills of Montgomery county, a great- ! Another son, Eneas, succeeded his father as j granddaughter of Thomas and Margaret Cur- j rector, and died in 1787. Another, George* ■ rie Walker. Mr. Crawford is also a descend¬ | was a lawyer, and, removing to Lancaster, ant of the same stock, as are many other Pa., became a member of the Continental prominent residents of Tredyffrin, Upper . Congress, and was one of the signers of tho ! Merlon, and adjacent townships. Declaration of Independence from Pennsyl-* | "Some account of Lord Stirling must be ro- vania. A daughter of Rev. George Ross ! served for another paper. married George Read, who succeeded his Ellwood Robsbts. brother-in-law as Attorney General of Dela- ware, also became a member of Congress and also a signer of the Declaration, from Dela¬ ISTIRLIIBTT VALLEY FORGE. ware. Other daughters were Mary, who j married Rev. William Thompson ; and He Sacrificed Everything; to His I Catharine* Margaret Cnrrie, granddaughter of Rev. Love of Country. William Currie, who became the wife of Thomas Walker, was the daughter of Rich¬ Heir to an Important Title and Es- ard Cnrrie, born 1750, and died September 16, 1776. At the beginning of the Revolution¬ i tate and a Man of Great Ability— ary War, he joined the First militia regiment, His Services to the Revolutionary and marched to Amboy, N. J., but became Cause—A Suggestion as to Finding sick and returned to his home, where he died, tine Site of tile Old Forge—Erection leaving a widow and three children. His wife died a year and a-half later. Both were of Memorial Stones. buried at St. David's. It will be seen that Margaret Currie Walker was the great-niece Before leaving the topic of Stirling’s Head- of two signers of the Declaration, she belong¬ ‘ quarters, having already given what details ing to a family very prominent in Revolu¬ I are attainable in regard to its owner, Rev. tionary history. She was an. Episcopalian, ! William Cnrrie, and his family, it seems and her husband, Thomas Walker, was dis¬ : proper to sketch briefly the character and owned by the Society of Friends, for marry¬ services of the General who, during a portion ing outside of its membership. of the time of the Valley Forge Encampment, Thomas Walker was a son of Joseph and was quartered at this interesting old mansion. Sarah Thomas Walker. Joseph was the son ! William Alexander, Lord Stirling, inherited of Lewis Walker, the first of the family in j from a long line of Scotch ancestors ability j this country. Lewis was a Friend and left i which, added to his literary and social accozn- . Merioneth in Wales in 1686. He lived in j plishments, made him a very remarkable ! Radnor for a time, but purchased a thousand i man. His father, James Alexander, a Scotch¬ j acres in the Great Valley and removed there man, took arms in favor of the Pretender in ! and settled in Tredyffrin township. A j 1718, and was obliged to take refuge in this Friends’ meeting was held at hie house for i country on the downfall of that cause. His j several years until the Valley meeting-house j mathematical and other acquirements were j was established, he donating the land. In | extensive. He studied law and became a j the same vessel with him came Mary Morris, 1 member ot the provincial council of New whom he married February 22, 1693. He j York. ■ died November 20, 1728. j In conjunction with Dr. Franklin and Joseph Walker was born Jnly 25, 1731, and other scientific men he formed the American j. died November 26, 1818, aged eighty-seven ij Philosophical Society. He died in 1756, leav¬ years, in the house in which he was born, ing an ample fortune. The son, born in 1726, which he inherited from his father. This ! after assisting his mother in commercial busi- hoase has already been described in this j ness in which she was engaged, served ;■ series, it having been Wayne’s headquarters through three campaigns on the Canadian j during the encampment. frontier in the French and Indian war, under General Shirley. When that officer was 64

recalled to give an account of his conduct ui the best I can with the force I have to com¬ the war, young Alexander went with him to mand. I have a number of prisoners from the enemy’s army pouring in upon me (thank England and was a witness on his behalf be¬ God), but tell me what I am to do with them ; fore the House of Commons, in April, 1757. there is no room for them here. '* * * He became very popular in London, partly, This is the first time I have been able to no doubt, because of his engaging manners. scrawl since I crossed the Delaware last. He married Sarah, eldest daughter of Philip Again, under date of January 6th, he wrote: Livingston, the head of a wealthy and dis¬ Lieutenant Wilrnot, of the British Light tinguished New York family. Horse, is just brought in wounded. I shall More ambitions than his father, who was send him on to “ Four Lanes’ End” [now Langhorne] to-morrow. There are a number occupied almost entirely with legal and scien¬ of prisoners of war here, and more coming in. tific studies, he laid claim to the title and I should he glad to hear your opinion where ! estates, and was encouraged to hope that if he it would he best to send them. could establish his right to succession, the Detached later to the Hudson to assist in property of the former Eari of Stirling, which operations against Burgoyne, he was recalled had been sequestrated for the payment of debt, in consequence of the British designs on | would he restored to him. He spent^ a year Philadelphia. At Brandywine, he threw i ' in London, proving his claim, and. as he be¬ himself into the conflict, with Lafayette and ; lieved he was entitled to do under the Scot¬ Sullivan. He commanded the reserve at Ger- ’ tish law, he at once assumed the title. He mantown, and was actively engaged at the 1 petitioned the House of Lords to recognize his close of the battle. Afterward he advised I rights, but while the matter was pending he an attack on the British in Philadelphia, and j was recalled to New York hv the death of his drew a plan for it, but Washington aban-' j mother, the proceedings ware never carried doned the idea after personally viewing the | farther, and the vacancy in the peerage eon- defences. | tinned. The army went into winter quarters at Val¬ Engaging in scientific and public pursuits, ley Forge, and Lord Stirling oecnpied a por- his peaceful occupations were interrupted by , tion of the Currie mansion during a part of the attempt on the part of the British crown the winter as his headquarters. While to tax America. He was an early and zealons the army was encamped there the plot for opponent of the Stamp Act. His military ex¬ superseding Washington with Gates, known perience in the Colonial War led to his selec¬ as the Conway Cabal, was frustrated largely tion as commander of a regiment which he through his instrumentality. At Monmouth had been instrumental in raising. Beeeiving he commanded the left wing of the army. In j an appointment from Congress to the com¬ I 1778, he took part in the snrprise at Panins mand of a New Jersey regiment, into it Hook, receiving the thanks of Congress there- | the officers and men of his militia regiment for. lu 1781, he was in command at Albany, i followed him. Early in January, 1776, he but nothing decisive occurred. In 1782 he | attacked and seized a British aimed transport was again ordered to Albany to oppose an¬ which was in distress twenty-five miles off other threatened invasion. Sandy Hook, conducting his prize safely to Lord Stirling did not live to see the inde¬ Amboy. pendence of his country formally recognized. For this exploit, executed under the most His arduous and laborious services brought on unfavorable circumstances, Lord Stirling re¬ an attack of rheumatism, which proved fatal. ceived the thanks of Congress, and ho thus He died at Albany, January 15, 1783, in the won a reputation for promptness and courage fifty-seventh year of his age. A week later which he maintained throughout the Revolu¬ the treaty of peace was concluded. tion. Being made a Brigadier General, and So active had been his military career that s Lee being ordered to the South, Stirling was he had at one time or another, nearly every for a time in command at New York. He brigade in the army under his command. His j endeavored to complete the defences before death was universally regretted, and had he 1 the arrival of Howe with his army, Washing¬ lived there is no doubt that his ambition, eu- ton meanwhile arriving with his army. i ergy and activity would have made him prom- j With two regiments he was attacked and de¬ inentin political affairs in the new republic feated by the British under Grant and Corn- : whose independence his talents and courage | wallis with more than four times his number had aided in securing. He was a skillful soldier*, ' of men, himself being taken prisoner in the; I an unflinching patriot, and an estimable man. : action, though not until a most desperate re- Had he been false to his country’s cause ne ■ sistance, in which his skill, courage and per-’ might readily have obtained the title and the ! sistence were fully displayed. He was soon estates to which he aspired. He preferred to i exchanged and promoted to Major General, sacrifice everything for the hope of freedom and independence for tbe colonies, the attain- < taking part in the retreat through New Jersey and successfully defending Coryell’s Ferry. ment of which, unfortunately, he did not live i Early in 1777 Stirling was at Newtown, to enjoy. Bucks county, and while there he wrote fre- LOCATION OF TEE OLD FOBGE. It may not he amiss at this point to refer | qnent letters to the Council of Safety at again to the site of the old forge which gave i Philadelphia. January 4th, he said : name to the village injand around which the ] I was ill with rheumatism before onr first i expedition to Trenton, but the fatigue and American army was encamped during the hardships I endured for forty hours in the winter of 1777-8, for the sake of giving place worst weather I ever saw rendered me unfit to a suggestion by Mr. Francis M. Biooke, the for farther duty in the field. General Wash¬ honored President of the Valley Forge Com¬ ington then placed me here to do the best I mission, who says in a recent letter to the could to secure the ferries and upper part of writer in reference ti> the site of the Revoln- the country against any surprise. I will do tionary dam : I None of them was braver or more unselfish So soon as an additional appropriation is than Casimir, Court Pulaski. Devoted to obtained, which may be fairly anticipated, I obtaining the freedom of Poland, his native from the coming Legislature, I hope the Com¬ country, from her foreign tyrants and op- mission will have planted there a permanent j pressors, the moment he found that a hopeless stone suitably marked. | task, he determined to lend his aid to the “ The location of the forge, I believe, can struggling people on the opposite side of the be definitely ascertained with a sounding iron Atlantic. through the mud which has filled, not merely This resolution was no sooner formed than the bed of the old race-way, but the ground he set about executing his purpose, permit¬ on either side of it (since the bnilding of the ting no personal consideration to swerve him present dam. from his original intention. Like Lafayette “ If, as I believe, the foundations of the he arrived in America in the summer of 1777, old forge can be so found and traced, it will and at once joined the army of Washington show, beyond possibility of question, its lo¬ as a volunteer. cation. 1 He had been presented to Dr. Franklin at “ I anticipate that the forge will be found a j a>ar's’ w^° given him a warm endorse- considerable distance from the old dam, after I ment to General Washington in a letter of j the manner of the olden time, when the head j introduction which he carried with him and fall were accomplished by a long race¬ His experience at home had been with cav- way rather than by a higher dam.” j airy, a branch in which the American army THE MASKING OF HISTORICAL SITES. was lamentably deficient. It had been de¬ The marking of historical sites by monu¬ cided to organize a mounted force, and Wash¬ ments bearing suitable inscriptions, is a cus¬ ington at once recommended Pnlaski to com¬ tom that will do much to perpetuate memories mand it. connected with Revolutionary events. Meantime, the battle of Brandywine took The Montgomery County Historical Society place, in which Pnlaski rendered efficient has now in course of preparation two such service,, displaying that courage and ability memorials—one intended to designaie the for which he was so greatly distinguished. spot on which was Lafayette’s camp at Bar¬ Soon after. Congress appointed him to the ren Hill, the other to commemorate the two command of the cavalry. encampments of Washington’s army at Count Pnlaski, although he did not remain Pennypacker’s Mills, on the Perkiomen. It very long at Valley Forge encampment, being is proposed that these memorials shall be of | connected with the cavalry, which were, a j native stone found in the immediate vicinity great part of the winter, at Trenton and of each—marble at Barren Hill, and granite I other points on the Delaware, was there for in the other case. It is intended that they ! some time. Dnring his stay in the vicinity shall be of a character to guarantee their con¬ he was quartered in the mansion on the tinuance for ages to come—mute but eloquent Beaver, farm, adjoining the Walker property, reminders of events in America’s heroic age. | on which are Wayne’s Headauarters, pre- The dedication of these memorials will be I ™ns!y described in this series, the buildings an appropriate occasion for patriotic exercises [ oil them being within a stone’s throw of each i which will serve also to call public attention other. John Beaver died about the time of to the objects, the scope and tbe design of the the encampment, and his son, Devanlt Society—to collect and preserve historical re¬ Beaver, who owned the farm until his death, collections of the last two centuries ere it be m 1837, came into possession of tbe property. ; i too late ; to commemorate suitably important | The buildings have undergone great changes i Revolutionary and other historical events ; | since Revolutionary times. The farm is now and to imbue with the spirit of patriotism occupied by Harry Warburton. This prop¬ and loyalty to representative government, the erty had been owned by Rev. William Cnrrie people, and, especially, the children of the and was sold by him prior to his purchase present generation. Eli.wood Roberts. of the one on the west side of Valley creek more than a mile distant, on which are Stir¬ ling’s Headquarters, where he resided until J PULASKI AT VALLEY FORGE his death in 180$. j Pulaski’s position in command of the cav- Appointed by Congress to the Com¬ t airy force on the Delaware was peculiarly un- mand of the Cavairy. j pleasant, because of the scarcity of forage which compelled him to break up his com¬ mand into small parties. His situation was His Headquarters Were at the Beaver i a^so unsatisfactory for other reasons, one of , Mansion on the Property Once Owned them being that the subordinate American officers were net pleased at being under the by Rev. William Cnrrie—The Idea of command of a foreigner who was almost en¬ His Famous Legion Conceived There tirely ignorant of the English language. i —His Banner and the Facts in Re¬ His innerent activity was called into exer¬ gard to It. cise in assisting Wayne in bis expedition to New Jersey, partly to procure provisions The present generation can very profitably for tbe starving soldiers at Valley Forge, and recall the services and the sacrifices of the partly to disperse tbe foraging parties of the brave men whose energies were enlisted in British who scoured the country around securing the independence of the American Philadelphia in every direction. His ignor¬ colonies nearly a century and a quarter ago. ance of tbe language and the jealousy enter¬ tained for foreigners finally led to bis offering « i, . \ f .’ ' ** *.

his resignation and liis retnrn"to "Valley It Was r Was ’ Forge. Here his headquarters were at the presented ,vian sisters as a token Beaver residence, as already stated. of their gr: - the protection Pulaski It was while at Valley Forge that the idea of bad afforded them, surrounded as they were recruiting Pulaski’s Legion occurred to him. by rough soldiers, but it is much more prob¬ He broached the subject to Washington in able that he. on visiting their house, was March, 1778, proposing the organization of an pleased with their beautiful embroidery, and independent corps to be placed under his im¬ 'that heerderedof them thacavalry banner for mediate command. The Commander-in-chief | his Legion, it being simply a business approved and Pulaski, leaving his headquar¬ transaction. ters which, according to tradition, were occu¬ The banner is a Historical relic of great pied by General Enoch Poor during his ab¬ value. It is now in the possession of the sence, proceeded to York, where Congress was Maryland Historical Society at Baltimore. in session, to obtain the assent of that body to The following is a description as it now ap¬ the plan. This was given and the Count was pears : authorized to raise and arm the Legion, “The banner is tvfenty inches square and which was to consist of 68 light horsemen and was attached to a lap.Qe when borne on the 200 foot soldiers, to be enlarged should it field. Externally it is of a dingy brown on prove serviceable and its increase appear to be both sides. It is composed of two pieces, desirable. and by separating J them, which is easily j In making up his Legion, Pnlaski enlisted done, inasmuch as ;the sewing has ripped l deserters, prisoners and others who caused asunder, the original colors are very readily trouble in the new organization. He again and certainly determ ned. became uneasy and restless and intimated to “The ground, or pi see of silk for both sides, Washington his intention of resigning and is crimson. returning to Europe. Washington, recogniz¬ “The exploding hind grenades in the four ing the importance of retaining his services, corners of the banne ■ are bright yellow silk, soothed the sensitive Pole, and he remained in relieved with white! to show destruction in his position. the flames. In February, 1779, Pnlaski, with his Le¬ “The ball of the iye is light brown; the gion, was ordered South. Arriving in Charles¬ pupil is dark brown. ton, he was shut up in that city by General “The rays around the eye are bright yel¬ Prevost who besieged it. He distinguished low. 1 himself in a sortie in which his second in “The letters are yellow and shaded with command. Colonel Krowatch, a brave Prus¬ green ; that is the letters are two-thirds of sian, was killed. Prevost fled soon, however, bright yellow silk and one-third of green fearing that a force under General Lincoln silk ; the ‘ U. S.’ the same. was approaching. Pnlaski pursued the enemy “ The bordering near the edges of the ban¬ until ill-health forced him to return. ner is bright yellow and green, exactly like A junction of the American forces and the the letters. French under D’Estaing being effected, Sa¬ “The friDge was of silver, or some white vannah was besieged. Weary of the tedium bullion ; it is (or was) metallic, though now of the siege and dreading the effects of the tarnished and dark. climate upon their men, it was decided to “ The stars are bright yellow.” make an assault, information of which was On one side are the letters “ U. S.” and in given to the British by a deserter. An obsti¬ a circle around them “ Unitas Vibtus For- nate contest was the result. Pnlaski and cior.” The letter c in Forcior should of Captain Bentalou who was with him, were course he a T. On the other side is the All- wounded, and the attack on Savannah became Seeing Eye with the words, “Non Alius a failure. Reg it,” “ No Other Governs.” Pulaski and Bentalou were taken on board When Pnlaski was mortally wounded, Paul the American brig Wasp, which was with the Bentalou, of Baltimore, already referred to French fleet. The injury of the former did as one of his captains, was beside him, was not yield to treatment. He died and his body carried with him on board the Wasp, and was was consigned to the sea. At Charleston with him when he died. when the Wasp brought information of his Pulaski’s banner was kept by Captain Ben- death, appropriate funeral solemnities were talon, and for more than forty years it was observed. The monument to his memory hidden from the public eye. On Pulaski’s which Congress ordered in a generous mood death his legion was merged into another on hearing of his death was never erected, corps. Among the Pennsylvanians who because funds were lacking to carry ont the served under him in the legion was William idea, as in some othor instances. A monu¬ Sommerlott, of this county. He was in the ment was built, however, at Savannah by service four years, and died at a very ad¬ contributions from citizens of Georgia, it be¬ vanced age in Bradford county, Pa., about ing dedicated by Lafayette, at the same time 1840. with one to General Greene, in 1825, during Although Longfellow’s beautiful prodne- his American tour. dnetion, “Hymn of the Moravian Nuns of PULASKI’S BANNER. Bethlehem at the Consecration of Pulaski’s Pulaski’s Legion, the design of which was ! Banner,” has been shown to be historically conceived by him at Valley Forge, was re¬ inaccurate as the result of later investigation, cruited chiefly in Pennsylvania and Maryland. as is the case with so many historical poems, Pnlaski reached Bethlehem April 16, 1778, its great literary merit and its connection with and the banner was made between that date the topic uuder consideration, warrant its in¬ and May 18th. sertion here : When the dying flame of day Through the chancel shot its ray, Far the glimmering tapers shed Faint light on the cowled head ; And the censer burning swing. Where, before the altar, hung Notable Landmarks on or Near tbe The blood-red banner that with prayer Had been consecrated there. Front Line. ,! And the nun’s sweet hymn was heard the while, The Old Mill and Farmhouse of Sung low in the dim mysterious aisle. Thomas Jenkins on the Bank of “ Take thy banner ! May it wave Ttont Creek Which Became the | Proudly o’er the good and brave ; When the battle’s distant wail Property of Robert Morris, the Breaks the Sabbath of our vale, Financier of tbe Patriot Cause—The WThen the clarion’s music thrills To the hearts of these lone hills. Conard Property—Roads of Upper When the spear in conflict shakes, j Merion. And the strong lance shivering breaks. The previous article closed with general re¬ “ Take thy banner ! and, beneath marks on the properties located along Trout The battle-cloud’s encircling wreath, Guard it! till our homes are free ! creek. It is now proposed to give more Guard it—God will prosper thee ! definite particulars of each, with such details In the dark and trying hour. in reference to their connection with the en¬ In the breaking forth of power, campment as are likely to interest the reader. In the rush of steeds and men, This stream, one of the most beautiful in His right hand will shield thee then. Eastern Pennsylvania, bordered along its en¬ tire course by fertile meadows and slopes of “ Take thy banner! But, when night Closes round the ghastly fight. rich farm land, has been known by a variety If the vanquished warrior bow, of names. Long prior to the Revolution it Spare him !—By our holy vow, was called Cedar creek, and of recent years it By our prayers and many tears, has been often designated as Mancill’s run. By the mercy that endears, The Indian name of the stream whose banks Spare him !—he our love hath shared! were a favorite haunt of the red men was Spare him !—as thou wouldst be spared! Mashilmac, a term which is, however, but “ Take thy banner!—and if e’er little used at the present time. If this name Thou shouldst press the soldier’s bier. is to be discarded, a course that ought not And the muffled drum should beat,. . to be adopted, it would seem, perhaps, that To the tread of mournful feet, Trout creek is the most appropriate name, Then this crimson flag shall be doubly so since Washington resorted to its Martial cloak and shroud for thee.” hanks to engage in angling for trout. The warrior took that banner proud, Tront creek, which rises in Tredyffrin And it was his martial cloak and shroud! township, and is over three miles in length, I is a strong stream, being fed by a number of AVhat could be more pathetic than the story fine springs, one already mentioned being lo- of Pulaski, whether at Valley Forge, plan¬ ! cated on the farm of Win. H. Walker, not far ning the formation of his Legion ; on the from its source. Other strong springs are on hanks of the Delaware with the small cavalry the farm belonging to the heirs of Edwin force under his command ; or in the far Moore, occupied by Wm. T. Eennard. They South, in an unfavorable climate, laboring issue from the side of the hill a few hundred with indomitable energy for the triumph of yards southeast of the mansion, and are the cause which he had so generously somewhat impregnated with limestone. Their espoused. constant supply of water, even in times of An outcast from his own unhappy land, he drontb, enabled the grist mill, a few hundred came to America a stranger, but he was at yards below, to he operated many a day when home whenever liberty for humanity was to it might have otherwise been idle. The mill be achieved. With fidelity and conrage that on the Walker property, which was also oper¬ yielded to no unfavorable circumstance, he ated during the Revolution and for many was true to the end, losing his life before a years afterward, the foundations of which Southern city. Dying before the realization still remain, has been mentioned in a previous of his hopes, his ashes do not rest beneath article. the soil of his adopted country, his body A LIMESTONE REGION. being sunk in the depths of the sea. Of all Trout creek is in the limestone belt, which the heroic spirits who gathered around Wash¬ extends across Upper Merion into Chester ington at Valley Forge, his fate is the most county, there being extensive quarries and perhaps, to be regretted, especially in view of kilns at Port Kennedy and elsewhere. There the fact that he was but thirty-two years of is an old limestone quarry and kiln, now in age when he rCcived his death wound. rains, on the Edwin Moore farm. In former Ellwood Roberts. times nearly every farm had its facilities for the burning of limestone, but tbe soil became so impregnated with this fertilizer after its nso had been constant during a century or more, that these appliances were neglected and suffered to fall into ruin. The limestone land in this vicinity, as is the case every- , .m else, is noted for its fertility, producing ' the last-named place. Half way np the bluff .dant crops, year after year, with or with- stands the house occupied by the miller. j the application of manures. John Moore, the purchaser of the Morris Oldnrixon, in his well known work, “The property, was a son of tho John Moore to British Empire in America,” published whom belonged the farm on which is Muhlen¬ nearly two centuries ago, in 1708, speaks of berg’s headquarters, at the time of the Valley limestone being quarried much earlier than Forge encampment, his brother Richard, fa¬ his time on Letitia Penn’s manor of Mount ther of the late Edwin Moore, occupying the Joy in which the tracts described in these homestead. Having disposed of the mill, he articles were at that time included. It was continued to reside on the farm until his the lime industry that gave birth to the vil¬ death in 1822, when it was sold, and passed lage of Port Kennedy, which nestles among into the possession of Dennis Conard, the the hills less than a mile above the mouth of grandfather of the present owner, Edward Trout creek, and, with the bridge across the Conard. Dennis Conard belonged to an old Schuylkill, the picturesque hills of Valley family of Montgomery county Friends whose Forge higher up the river and other land¬ ancestor, of the same name, settled at Ger¬ marks in the vicinity forms a most interest¬ mantown in the time of William Penn. Ed¬ ing and beautiful scene. The interest of the ward’s grandfather came from Horsham town¬ neighborhood has been very greatly aug¬ ship to Upper Merion. mented as a matter of course, by its selection Dennis Conard, on coming into possession for the site of the winter quarters of Wash¬ of the property, at once derided to erect com¬ ington’s army, and also by another circum¬ modious and handsome farm buildings. He stance—the discovery at Kennedy’s (now occupied the original mansion bnilt by Irwin’s) limestone quarries of a cave contain¬ Thomas Jenkins, which stood where is now ing the remains of prehistoric animals in al¬ a small tenant house belonging to Edward most unlimited quantities, within a few Conard, occupied by a farm hand and his year3, the valuable find being now in course family. The barn was first bnilt, being com¬ of investigation by Prof. Henry C. Mercer, of pleted in 1823, as the date stone shows. The the University of Pennsylvania, and his as¬ old house was occupied by the elder Conard sociates. and his family, until 1833, when the new GOOD ROADS AND OTHER ATTRACTIONS. mansion was buiit. The ola bonse remained, The roads of this portion of Upper Merion however, thirty years longer, being torn are excellent, the limestone quarries affording down in 1S63. The owner of the property spalls which make admirable material for ap¬ greatly regrets that no picture of the plying to their surface, not only answering structure is in existence. well the purpose intended bnt, being close at At the death of Dennis Conard, the prop¬ hand, they can be applied with compara¬ erty descended to his son Joseph, and at tho tively little expense. In taking a drive or death of the latter, to its present owner. It spinning along on a wheel, the picturesque has thus been in the family for nearly three- scenery, the historic recollections and the quarters of a century. excellence of the roads afford a combination of During the encampment the farm was occu¬ advantages such as are rarely enjoyed by the pied by Abraham Griffith, a well-known tourist. It is not at all remarkable that the Friend, who was by trade a miller. It is neighborhood is sought by wheelmen and highly probable that the old house was used others who are snseeptible to such attractions. as quarters by some of the officers of Wash¬ THE ROBERT MORRIS PROPERTY. ington’s army, bnt if so, tradition has not The first farm in order, proceeding along handed down their names to the present gen¬ the stream from its month towards its source, eration. is now occupied by Edward Conard. It fell In 1780 Abraham Griffith was still a resi¬ into the hands of an owner, Thomas Jen¬ dent of Upper Merion. He appears on the kins, prior to the year 1730. The mill site assessment list of that year as running the gave to it special value, even in those early grist mill owned by Jacob Walker and Samuel days. He was familiar with the Welsh lan¬ Kelly, to which was attached a farm of 125 guage, and he and other old settlers of the acres. same stock in the vicinity used it in their or¬ POET KENNEDY. dinary conversation. He died several years The prosperity of Port Kennedy, as already prior to the Revolution at an advanced age, intimated, is dne principally to the lime busi¬ and the farm and mill passed into other ness, and it has, as a matter of course, declin¬ hands. A pool in the river, famed for its fish, ed in importance since the decline of that in¬ and one of the islands In the vicinity, took terest. The founder of the village was Alex¬ their name from him. ander Kennedy, a native of Ireland, who During the Bevolntionary War the prop¬ came to America, like so many emigrants erty belonged to Robert Morris, the great fi¬ from that island, poor in worldly goods but nancier of the patriot cause, who was a rich in energy and business ability. 1 large owner of real estate in Eastern Penn¬ The site of Port Kennedy belonged to Mor- sylvania. When he became embarrassed near decai Moore, who died in 1S03. Mr. Ken¬ the close of the century, it was sold by the nedy bought the farm and moved into the Sheriff to John Moore, as has been stated. mansion in 1805, residing in it until his death The purchaser sold to Isaac Beaver the mill, in 1824, aged 63 years. He left four sons, which is a substantially built stone structure two of whom, John Kennedy and David R. located on the upper bank of the stream, im¬ Kennedy, conducted the business of quarry¬ mediately under a high bluff just below the ing and ,burning lime, becoming the prin¬ turn in the road from Bridgeport to Port cipal property owners in the village and its I Kennedy, a little more than a half-mile from vicinity. The prosperity of Port Kennedy was en- | hanced by tbe construction of Montgomery Eobert Morns was a Dative of England, his j Furnace, which was ready for operations in father, who bore the same name, having re- 1S56, and whose lofty stack, although the | moved to this country in 1740, when the son works have long since been dismantled, is ; was about six years of age. The family set- still a prominent landmark of the neighbor¬ ! tied on the eastern shore of Maryland. The hood, to be' seen from a great distance in al- father losing his life by on accident when the ! most every direction. In the days of its ac- i son was but sixteen years of age, the latter j tivity it was owned by the Pattersons and became a clerk in the counting house of managed by Johu W. Eckman, who was at Charles Willing, a well-known merchant of one time somewhat prominent in Eepnblican Philadelphia. Later he became a partner of politics in Montgomery county, but who, Thomas Willing, making several voyages to some years ago, removed to West Virginia, England as supercargo. War was in progress where he operates a furnace. at that date between France and England, The bridge was completed in 1849, by a and at one time Eobert Morris’ vessel was company incorporated three years earlier, toll captured by the French, and he was a prisoner being charged until the structure became the for some time. He returned, however, and in property of the county as the result of the 1769 married Mary White, a sister of Bishop free bridge movement a few years ago. A White, who was afterwards chaplain of tho [post office was established at the place about Continental Congress. the same time. The lime business is still When the Stamp Act was passed in 1765, i Carried on, although not to the extent it was Eobert Morris had fully coincided with the i [formerly. Messrs. I. Heston Todd, Andrew indignation felt in the colonies. By the com- j Blair and Albert Irwin succeeding the Ken- mencement of tho War of Independence, he i ;nedys.- John, whose kilns were nearest the had accumulated a considerable fortune. He ■ . village, died September 4, 1877, at the age of was elected a delegate to Congress from Penn- ! sixty-one years. When the caDal was in I sylvania in 1775, serving three years in that i 'operation, many of the boats that plied back i body, and being the first signor of the Deela- i and forth along it were laden with Port Ken¬ j ration of Independence from this state, thus j nedy lime which ranked among the best | learning much in regard to 4he Weakness and | produced anywhere for building and other i insufficiency of the financial system under I purposes, and was shipped for sale to various [ which it was expected that the British yoke I parts of the country, enjoying a wide reputa¬ | was to be thrown off forever. tion. The first reliance of Congress had been to j The village has still a population of three issue promises to pay, no provision being made, j or four hundred, and it is probable that it however, for their redemption. To a man of j may yet enjoy an era of prosperity with the business like Eobert Morris this must have rise in values that is likely to follow the long been very repugnant, and he, constantly urged :period of depression through which the coun¬ something he done to establish the credit of try has passed in the present decade. There the new government on a firm basis. He had ! is an air of languor and indolence about the his own private fortune and almost unlimited | town at the present time which contrasts credit, and he did not spare either in the cause I , strongly with the bustle and activity of its in which he was so much interested. Mak- | halcyon days. Ellwood Eobekts. ing loans that were slowly repaid and using ; his own funds for public purposes, he suffered, j as may be supposed, many losses that were j MORRIS’raieY FORGE FIRM never made good. __ i In 1777 he was one of a committee of Con- j gress to urge, upon the various colonial legisia- I His Ownership of Property There a •jj tures the importance of levying taxes to sup- i port tho war for independence. But little j Singular Coincidence. success was attained in this direction. The i revolt against Great Britain was due primar¬ The Remarkable Services anil Lament¬ ily to unwillingness to tolerate taxation, and the authorities were, very naturally, loth to able Rate of the Financier of the impose a burden too great on a people who Revolution—His Projected Palace in were in arms against a somewhat similar pro¬ Philadelphia—Real Estate Operations ceeding. Even where taxes were levied for In Pennsylvania and Elsewhere—The the support of the patriot cause, the neglect or inefficiency of collectors led to much delay Close Friend of Washington who and trouble in this connection. In many Extolled His Fidelity. cases the scarcity of money made it extreme¬ ly difficult for farmers and others to pay the sums necessary to carry on active operations. The ownership of a farm in the vicinity of In many instances tbe Tories, who were nt- Valley Forge by the great financier, Eobert ! teriy opposed to the continuance of what they Morris, at the time of the encampment, was ! declared a hopeless contest, by refusing to one of tbe singular coincidences which often occur. Morris was a wealthy man at that | contribute their share of the taxes levied, time and he owned property in many locali¬ ! caused serious embarrassment to the authori- ties, including an extensive estate in Bucks | ties, compelling them to use the only weapons county, where is now Morrisville, a flourishing ! which were of any avail in such acontingen- borough on the Delaware river, opposite Tren¬ j cy—the levying of fines and the confiscation ton, the capital city of New Jersey. His ! of the property of persons who refused to pay story is one of the most interesting as well as ! them. One difficulty was that nobody had I one of the most pathetic, of the prominent | money to purchase the confiscated property actors in the Bevolntionary War. I

which was ofl'ere’cTfbr sale. became a member. He was offered by Presi¬ Disgusted with the system which caused so dent Washington the position of Secretary of much embarrassment to Washington and so the Treasury, bat declined it, recommending much dissatisfaction generally, Alexander Hamilton who was named. Hamilton, in 1781, suggested the appointment His position of financier having been laid of Robert Morris to the position of Superinten¬ aside, Robert Morris became associated in dent of Finance, in which he was to have business with Gonverneur Morris. The two authority to form and carry out measures to were not relatives, though bearing the same fill the empty treasury and restore the public name. They engaged in the Chinese and credit. From this time he was known as the Indian trade, then regarded as highly profit¬ financier, his salary being six thousand dol¬ able. Robert Morris lived in a magnificent lars a year, certainly a very small one in com¬ mansion on Market street, Philadelphia, parison with the services which he was ex¬ where ho usually entertained Washington pected to render. The obligations of the when the latter was in the city, they being Government, mostly in Continental money, very warm friends, as the frequent references which had depreciated to a very low ebb, were to Morris in the diary and correspondence of nearly a hundred and fifty-millions of dollars. the first President, amply prove. The Confederation, which had been hastily Robert Morris delighted in entertaining formed, under the pressure of a common dan¬ prominent men, whether Americans or for¬ ger, had proved entirely inadequate to provid¬ eigners, and it is probable that his extrava¬ ing tlio needed means to wage a successful gance contributed to his ultimate ruin. The contest against Great Britain. dwelling in which he lived originally belong¬ Morris endeavored to meet his responsibili¬ ed to Richard Penn, grandson of the founder ties in snch a way as to promote the interests of Pennsylvania. The desire to entertain his of the country. Ho urged the States to pay friends in a still more magnificent residence, their different assessments in specie, since the was another factor in his peouniary downfall. paper money had become practically worth¬ He purchased a square of ground extending less. Failing in this he was often obliged to from Chestnut to Walnut street, between make good the deficiencies that arose, from Seventh and Eighth, and here he proceeded his own purse. Foiled in the execution of the to erected at enormous expense a palace fit for measures he recommended at home, he turned the occupancy of a king. It became known for aid to foreign countries, endeavoring to as “ Morris’ folly,” and long before it was negotiate loans from France, Spain and Hol¬ completed, it was seized by the Sheriff at the land, in turn. He succeeded in obtaining suit of his creditors. No purchaser could be from the last named country $1,400,000, which found for such an elaborate structure, and it was a very welcome addition to the slender was ultimately torn down and the materials means in the Government Treasury, He sold at public sale. continued to insist that the taxes apportioned Morris owned much real estate, as already among the various colonies should be paid by noted, all of which was sold by the Sheriff to those who owed them in coin, and not in pa¬ satisfy the claims of greedy creditors. The per money or in supplies, such as grain, hay, largest tract was that at Morrisville contain¬ etc., the latter method being very objection¬ ing 2500 acres, on which were a grist mill, able for several reasons. Failing in enforcing iron works and manufactories of various his views, he was obliged to make contracts kinds. None of these ever made any sub¬ on his own responsibility or to expend his stantial return. It was on the Morrisville own means for procuring necessary supplies tract that Morris had hope of fixing the capi¬ for the army. tal of the country, and he was one of the The regulation of the navy was also con¬ members of a commission appointed to locate fided to Morris’ charge, there being no spo- it there, but the plan ultimately failed be¬ cial department yet created for this branch of cause Washington favored the site finally se¬ the public service. In 1781 he proposed to lected. In addition to his land investments Congress to establish a mint at Philadelphia, there, in Philadelphia, and near Valley Forge, and it was through his influence that the he bought in connection with the operations bank of North America, which rendered fi¬ of the North American Land Company, in nancial aid of the greatest value, was incor¬ which he was the leading spirit, millions of porated. He resigned his position in 1783, acres elsewhere for a trifling sum. just before the ratification of the treaty of His land speculations brought him into con¬ peace between the United States and Great tact with unprincipled men who, in connec¬ Britain, but, at the request of Congress, he tion with other circumstances, finally effected continued in charge a year longer. When his ruin. He was arrested for debt, and, the army was finally disbanded, it was im¬ having no means of payment, was confined in possible for the officers and soldiers to re¬ prison for nearly four years. He was a vic¬ ceive their arrears until Mr. Morris became tim of the rage for speculation, bis operations responsible for the repayment of the money being so vast as to, be beyond his control to those from whom it was obtained. The when the time eam4 to meet his pressing obli-1 country owed him on his retirement from gations. Washington frequently visited him office a half million dollars, a very large when he was in prison, and condoled with sum for those times, all of which was nlti- him in his unmerite 1 misfortunes. He en¬ i mately repaid. He was a member of the joyed five years or n ore of freedom, dying in i convention to frame the new constitution 1806, at the age of s iventy-two. His widow \nd rendered efficient service in that body, as died in 1827. They had a large family of \iso in the United States Senate of which het children, seven sons and daughters in all. -:-- Washington often jraised Robert Morris for ms rairriruiness ifi Hie responsible position no occupied as financial agent of the struggling |! rounded the American camp oiT these bleak republic. Just before the attack on York- jj hills a hundred and nineteen years ago. tovvn, Morris borrowed on his own responsi- j I Every memorial of the occupation of tho bility thirty thousand dollars to relieve the neighborhood by the patriot army should distress of the American soldiers, without j have been faithfully preserved, and handed which the campaign might have resulted in ; down to the present generation. The old failure instead of being as it was the crowning houses that sheltered the generals who sur- success of the war. The sad fate of his later | rounded Washington should have been scrup- years was due to the fault of others, ^nd it 1 niously kept from dilapidation and decay, will always remain a matter of regret that without permitting the march of improve¬ such experiences in his old age should have ment to efface the characteristic features of been encountered by one who rendered strcH^ the colonial era. This has been done, for¬ valuable services to his country in connectidt*.' tunately, in many cases. It is greatly to he with the Revolutionary struggle. '■ regretted that the old structures should not Ellwood Roberts.^ have been retained in every instance, espec¬ ially where the bnilding was substantially constructed, as were most of the farm houses VALLEY FORGE LflHDMARKS. of that period. There is no reason why many more of them should not have come The Lack of Care in Preserving down to ns untouched by the hands of the f despoiler. Them from Destruction. It has been an aim of the writer of these i articles to make, as mock as in him lies, the j Valley Forge encampment and its swiftly Ancestry of tlie Zook Family—Boy¬ passing though important events a sort of hood of General Samuel K. Zook— setting for a series of illustrations of the The Teachers Who Assisted in the period—delineating, as it were, for the bene¬ fit of the reader and of generations of readers Education of the Bad—His Taste for yet to come who may delight in glancing Military Evolutions—Employed in back to an age of simplicity and sincerity, the the Introduction of the Invention men and women, the customs and the opin¬ of Telegraphy His Early Man¬ ions, the history and the home life of our Revolutionary ancestors. Snch is what has hood. been intended, although ofttimes, perhaps, the It must always continue to be a source of difficulty of obtaining the necessary data has deep regret to devotees at the patriotic shrines made the task almost an impossibility, and of Valley Forge that so little care should marred, to a certain extent, the completeness have been taken to preserve the handiwork of the picture he sought to reproduce and j of Washington’s men, in the shape of forts, I leaving much to the imagination of those to breastworks and other memorials which were j whose eyes it has been presented. In filling formerly so much more numerous than at np the background, mnch, as a matter of present. Those which remain should be course, depends upon the interest the reader sacredly guarded, in order that visitors to the feels in the past and in the race who peopled vicinity, centuries hence, may thus be re¬ the Schuylkill Valley in those days. minded of the 'heroism displayed and the GEN. ZOOK’S ANCESTKY. privations endured in behalf of American The ancestry of General Zook on his fa- independence. i ther’s side was Swiss. The name, Zng, was | A nation possessing such memorials and | derived from the city in the canton of the same valuing them as it should, will never snr- | name. Bishop Zng, a follower of Men no. was i render its liberties to tyrants at home or to ! sentenced to death for refusing to conform to | foes from abroad. They afford fresh inspira- the established faith, but through the ' influ¬ : tion to high resolve and to lofty heroism. ence of friends he was given the alternative of 1 For this reason their worth can scarcely be exile. He went to Darmstadt. His grand- ! overestimated. j son, Moritz Zng, came with two brothers to Banker Hill and Lexington, Saratoga and Pennsylvania. Moritz had five sons—John, Yorktown, Trenton and Princeton, Brandy- Christian, Henry, Abraham and Jacob. Henry I wine, Paoli and Germantown—all these are married Barbara Kurtz, December 26, 1775. inspiring themes whose recollections re- The conple had eight children—Barbara, ! kindle the fires of patriotic devotion in the Mary. Phosbe, Elizabeth, Abraham, Henry, hearts of Americans: but Valley Forge’s j David and Samuel. Major David Zook, tho • memories are endowed with deeper and more father of General Zook, was thus one of the ! lasting qualities. It requires more courage to younger children of the family. It was in j i endure and to wait than to rash into the this generation that the family first became midst of the conflict, where sight and sound known as Zook—the name being spelled ac¬ fire the heart and nerve the arm to deeds of cording to the pronunciation. daring. The slow wasting of famine and Moritz Zng immigrated from Pfalz, in Ger¬ i disease is worse in its way than the swift many, in 1742, and settled in what is now ; destruction wrought by battle. Few lack Center township, Berks county. He after¬ the courage that urges all forward on the ward removed to West Whiteland, Chester | field of conflict:—few possess the unselfish county, where he spent the remainder of his life. Moritz Zug was a grandson of Hans j devotion to country which was required of those who upheld the cause of a struggling Zng or Zaug, who was driven from Switzer¬ j people amid the cold and gloom that sur- land by sectarian persecution in 1671 and set¬ tled in Germany. Of the five sons of Moritz ■m.- flHpr . \ . .•?*

v ^ ' $ / General Zook’s pother was Eleanor Ste- Zug, John Zook and Christian Zook removed vens, daughter of Abijah and Elizabeth Moore to Mifflin county in 1793, where there were Stephens, Mordecai Moore being her maternal living a few years ago thirty-eight families of grandfather. He was born March 27, 1822, the name of Zook, all descendants of Moritz not near Paoli, as several of his biographers Zook. Abraham lived and died in Lancaster have declared, but bn the farm in Tredyffrin county, this state. Two of his grandsons township, near King-of-Prnssia, then occupied went to Mississippi to raise cotton after the by his parents, but now by Joseph W. war and were murdered by the Knklux. Thomas. The farmhouse in which the Zooks Henry and Jacob remained in Chester county then dwelt has since been replaced by a new and both died there. structure. The story of the persecution of the Zugs in It is a somewhat remarkable circumstance Switzerland illustrates the intolerance dis¬ that the middle name Kosciusko which ap¬ played by the reformers of the seventeenth pears in some of his biographies and on his century, something highly inconsistent in monument in Montgomery Cemetery, was view of the fact that they thought it a great not bestowed upon him at birth, bat by his hardship when they were so treated by the military friends after he grew up to manhood. Catholics a few years previous. Hans Zaug He was named Samuel Kartz Zook in honor was incarcerated in 1659, in the department of an uncle, Samuel Kurtz. of Berne, with sis teachers and elders of the Young Zook went to school in the vicinity same faith, by authority of the Zwinglian and when about eleven years of age was sent Church. The latter determined to lay hands to Alan W. Corson, near Plymouth Meeting, on them and especially on the teachers and walking from his home on Monday mornings elders in order to strike terror to the mem¬ and returning the latter part of the week, the bers. distance being eight or nine miles. He suf¬ They were kept at hard labor, says the fered at first from the indescribable terror of chronicler of that time, and supplied with bad homesickness, his mother says, and was over¬ food to save cost. They were reviled, scorned joyed when he reached home. and calumniated. Expecting to be kept in this He was sent to Alan Corson’s school, then manner for life, they submitted in patience. regarded as an institution of an advanced Bnt those measures not shaking their faith, grade, because he had outstripped the teacher they were offered the following alternatives : in the little neighborhood school—learning all To go to church, to be made galley slaves, or that was to be acquired in the elementary to die by the hands of the executioner. They course of which the instruction consisted. were finally liberated, however, on condition Having spent a winter at the Plymouth of leaving the country and not returning school, he went next to Joseph Strode’s without special permission. The Mennonites boarding school at West Chester. He had seem to have been persecuted by Catholics also attended a family sohool at Jonathan and Protestants alike in Switzerland. Boberts’, a neighbor, taught by Dr. Merillat. Zug is an ancient name in Switzerland. He was fifteen years of age when his father There are a canton, river, lake and town so- purchased the Kennedy farm which had been called. The town contains 3000 inhabitants. his great-grandfather’s in revolutionary days. It has had its calamities from time to time. He concluded his studies in his twentieth In 1435 a portion of the town sank in the year, and in the fall of 1842 he entered the lake ; this catastrophe was reported in 1594, office of the New York and Washington Tele¬ and in 1795 a great part of the town was de¬ graph Company, then located in Philadel¬ stroyed by fire. The town is very ancient in, , ! TtlTongm, Being supposed to nave oeen one, or phia. Ingenious, intelligent and persistent, ' the towns mentioned as destroyed by the Hel¬ he had found the calling which brought his vetian inhabitants in Caesar's Commentaries. mental faculties into foil play, although his THE BOYHOOD OF ZOOK, mother felt somewhat dissatisfied that he had j Samuel K. Zook was a soldier from child- not entered on some employment “more per¬ I hood. The firing upon Fort Sumter by the manent in its character,” as she expressed it. I Bebels and the call for troops to defend the She and his friends generally were disposed to j Government and save the Union whoso very regard it as a merely ^temporary situation— j existence was threatened, merely brought into few then believing that the invention of tele¬ action one whose Soldierly qualities were! graphy would amount to anything as a prac¬ already very folly developed. When a mere tical improvement. boy he attended the Camp school, which was EXPERIENCE IN TELEGRAPHY. held, not in the modern structure now used Young Zook took an altogether different for the purpose, but in an old stone building view of his employment. From the first he now in ruins on the opposite side of the road. believed that the magnetic telegraph was des¬ His fellow-pupils were organized by him into tined to revolutionize the dispatch of mes¬ a military company of which he was the cap¬ sages from place to place as the steam locomo¬ tain, and they were drilled thoroughly by the tive had already revolutionized the convey¬ youthful Steuben who was afterwards to be¬ ance of freight and passengers from point to come one of the distinguished defenders of point. The event proved that he was right, the Union. and though at the time he fell on the field of, Descended on the father’s side from a Gettysburg he was but little more than Swiss immigrant who left his country because forty-one years of age—a young man, compar¬ of religious persecution, his mother’s people atively speaking—he lived to see his most for generations back were Welsh Quakers, sanguine anticipations fully realized. the Stephenses, whose first progenitor of that The first telegraph line in the country was name in this country came to Pennsylvania the experimental wire from Washington to over two centuries ago. __ Baltimore, erected in 1844. It was this line 1 7 IB

j over which was flashed the news of the nomi¬ I cipally In the direction or tne rapiu unmouj nation of Henry Clay for President at the j sion ot messages. His intelligence, ac- Whig National Convention of that year. , - tivity and fidelity to duty mado him an im- Congress, after the most persistent importun¬ I portant adjunct in the development of the gi¬ ity on the part of those who believed in the gantic system of telegraphy. He gave atten¬ new invention, bnt lacked the means to in¬ tion to the matter of submarine telegraphy troduce it to public notice, had reluctantly ap¬ and it is probable that he would have partici¬ propriated $30,000 to erect and equip this line. pated, had he lived, in the triumphs of the Prof. Morse, the inventor of the system cable system which has made all the conti¬ which has since been so wonderfully improv¬ nents one. ed, had offered to sell his rights to the govern¬ Such in brief is the story of General Zook’s ment of the United States for a hundred connection with the introduction of tele- thousand dollars, and his offer had been con¬ 1 SraPhy, gleaned in part by the writer from temptuously rejected. Failing in this, Morse the lips of his mother and sisters. The “tem¬ and his friends organized the Magnetic Tele¬ porary employment” which had been depre¬ graph Company to construct a second line, cated by Mrs. Zook, whose practical ideas between Philadelphia and New York. The were derived from a long line of Quaker an¬ route was a roundabout one, fourteen miles cestry, became an occupation which affords a over the roadway of the old State Railroad to livelihood to millions. She was distrustful ; Morgan’s Corners. Thence it passed through of a profession whose recommendation Norristown and on to Doylestown, and by an appeared at that time to be its novelty. At indirect route through New Jersey to Fort her home under the shadow of the hills of i Lee on the Hudson, and thence to New York, Valley Forge she read the enthusiastic letters following the only right of way then attain¬ of her son, and welcomed him back when able by the new company with its slender his duties permitted an occasional visit to the means. paternal roof-tree. Meantime the son was de¬ This line reached Norristown in November, veloping in his new home in New York his 1845. An office was opened in the second j inclination for military pursuits which later j floor of the Merchants’ Exchange. Alfred gave him prominence in the war for the J Vail was in charge, and one of his assistants ^n'on- Ellwood Roberts. was Zook. The line was completed to New j York early in 1846, the passage of the Hudson proving a very serious obstacle, which was i finally overcome by a steel wire stretched be¬ tween poles on each side of the river. Zook had risen rapidly in the estimation of The Stephens Property Where Was those in charge of the interests of the tele¬ graph company. His attention was directed DeKaib’s Headquarters. . to the making of improvements in the invent - tion, and in this line he was very successful, A Family Prominent in Colonial and j April 19, 1844, when he was but twenty-two- Revolutionary Days, as Weil as in years of age, he was made Superintendent,- 1 and he filled this position for seven years, More Recent Times — An Old being employed largely in the construction of Blacksmith Shop—Woodman’s Rem¬ ! lines in the South and West. He resided for ] iniscences of tile Encampment. I four years in the South, much of his time be- j ing spent in New Orleans, although he was I constantly on the move, Louisville, Nash- j Next to the Zook ^r Andrews property, as I ville, Memphis and other cities being tempo- ! one ascends the creek, is the small farm of j rary places of residence. In 1847 he was still j Lewis Piersoll, on which, close to the road¬ ! in Philadelphia. Under his supervision a : side, is an old barn, erected several years before . line was completed early in that year from the close of the last century, the date stone of i Philadelphia south, through Darby to Ches¬ which has the intials “ E. W.” It was built j ter. Later in the year he was in Cincinnati, by Edward Woodman, father of Henry Wood- j jin 1848 he invented, in connection with man, the faithful chronicler of the camp¬ . j Barnes, a new telegraphic instrument which ground of a half-century ago. dispensed with the receiving magnets, a great The Piersolls have owned the property for gain for that time. Later in the same year twenty years. It was owned and occupied for he was at New Orleans, where he introduced some time by Joseph Morgan, who removed the new instruments. to Philadelphia and died there a year or two Franklin, it was said, brought down ago. It was originally a portion of the prop¬ : the lightning from the clouds. Morse and erty of Abijah Stephens, who owned and oc¬ Vail, Zook and Barnes and their coadjutors cupied a large farm daring the encampment. ! made it possible to flash messages between His daughter became the wife of Edward Wood¬ J distant points. Though laboring under great man, who was a soldier in a North Carolina | disadvantages, they succeeded in vanquish¬ regiment in Washington’s army. He re¬ ing them all, and joining the principal cities turned after the war and married, and the of the country with lines which have been house, a portion of which still stands, was extended in the half-century intervening to . erected a few years subsequently to the Revo¬ the most remote sections, making it possible lution. Here their children grew up and to communicate through a network of wires later the property passed into other hands. with every village throughout the land. The house has undergone many alterations, a Zook’s position in the company called him to frame front having been built in recent years New York where its central office was located. and the property otherwise improved. • Here he perfected many improvements prior The only dwelling on the farm at thr I time of the encampment was that occupied by and Eebecea, unmarHe , __ , w , ' Abijah Stephens, its owner, where General Bebecca Stephens and Priscilla Rogers in¬ i Wbeedon had his head quartern, and later the herited as their portion of their father’s es¬ ! Baron DeKalb, who succeeded Wheedon tate land on which stands the old log black¬ when that officer resigned in 'consequence of smith shop, then in use, hut not of recent dissatisfaction with the manner in which pro¬ years although it is still in good repair. The motions were made by authority of Congress. house is further up Trout creek, now being This dwelling has long since disappeared. occupied by James Chatwin. It has a date Tradition points out its site, close to the stone in front, rather an unusual place, show¬ bank of the creek. In 1811, Stephen Ste¬ ing that it was erected by Stephen Stephens phens, son of Abijah, built the new house, [ in 1791. The two sisters enjoyed the land in higher up the bank and close to the road, in common. Jacob Rogers had formerly been a which the owner of the property, Abraham Philadelphia merchant, but had failed in busi¬ Fisher, now resides. ness. He was a corpulent man, and is re¬ A deed for the farm dated February 12, membered by many of the older residents of 1770, recites that Abijah and Mary Stephens the vicinity. were executors of Stephen Evans, Mary being Thomas E. Supplee, formerly of Bridge¬ \ his widow, and that Stephen ap Evan, Sr., by port, now of Philadelphia, says that his his will bearing date February 13, 1722, left father, Abner Supplee, worked at this shop in it to his son, Stephen Evans. The younger 1822. Mr. Snpplee, who is a descendant of Evans left a will dated February 12, 1754, ap¬ the Stephens family, his ancestor on his pointing his children, Mary Stephens, Abijah mother’s side having been a brother of- Abijah Stephens and Jesse Stephens his executors. Stephens, also mentions the following incident It has previously beeD explained how, accord- > in this connection in a letter to the writer: ing to the Welsh custom, the surname of the j “ It was customary for persons having guns children of Stephen Evans had become Ste¬ out of order to take them to a smith to get phens. The farm contained two hundred them repaired. The same g*n with which acres in 1770, when it was deeded by the ex¬ Devault Beaver shot the soldier belonging to ecutors named to William Godfrey who the Wayne’s command for milking his cows (de¬ same day reconveyed it to Abijah Stephens. tailed by you in a previous article of the Val¬ The portion on which was the dwelling passed ley Forge series, entitled ‘ Wayne’s Head¬ by inheritance from Abijah Stephens, his will quarters’), was brought to my father about being dated April 7, 1801, to Stephen Stephens, 1822 to be repaired. He drew out one load, Succeeding owners were Charles Wells and bnt, not imagining that there was still an¬ John E. Webster, from the latter of whom other load in the piece, he went on with the the farm, containing ninety-two acres, passed repairs. Shortly after„the gnn was discharged to Mr. Fisher. and my father’s hand was terribly lacerated, Henry Woodman has handed down the | one shot remaining imbedded in the flesh following account of Abijah Stephens : until his death, many years afterwards. It “ My grandfather was a self-taught sur¬ could easily have been cat out, but he per¬ geon and practitioner in the art of healing mitted it to stay.” ulcers, abscesses of various kinds, setting of Mr. Snpplee also furnishes this reminis¬ broken bones and dislocations, curing 1 cence : spasms, cats and bruises, but never undertook “ Mary Stephens, the mother of Abijah to attend in cases of sickness of any kind. “ At this time the number of physicians Stephens, who was a doctor and surgeon in was very limited, and he, having an extensive 1770 and earlier, made salves and ointments. practice, did not engage in the resuscitating One ingrodiont of her ointment of special of his farm with that energy which character¬ value was dog fat. Mr. Stephens had a negro ized some others. The improvements were slave named Prim. Prim did the fiddle-work more gradual. In his lifetime the land was for the dance parties of the neighborhood. On fenced, the soil cultivated, but with the ex¬ his return from these parties when he reached ception of a Dew house erected by him where the Stephens’ home he was in the habit of he lived the latter part of his life {probably the house a portion of which remains on what mixing np a batter aud frying fritters to sat¬ is now the Piersoll property], he erected no isfy his appetite. Grandmother Stephens had other bnildings upon it. His farm at the secured a fat dog, bad him butchered, and the close of the Revolution consisted of about 350 fat rendered out and put away in a jar to bo acres of land, about 150 of which he disposed used the next day to make one of her special of in his lifetime. ointments. Prim, haying been out to a party “ He died November 21, 1802, aged 70 that night, prepared as usual to fry his frit¬ years and nine months. He was born the : same day as General Washington. Through ters. inIn looking terfor tatfat he happened to hit on- "Grandmother’s dog frit‘and used it for the pur- life he sustained the character of an affec¬ tionate husband and father, friend and honest pose. When the dog fat was wanted for the j man ; his fame as a practitioner in various ointment it conld not be found, baton inquiry | instances is still remembered, and the virtue it was soon learned what became of it. It is | of his celebrated adhesive plaster will long be not recorded that the experience cured Prim j remembered.” of making fritters, bnt no doubt he was more Abijah Stephens left one son and six daugh¬ careful iu the future as to what kind of fat he ters. The son, Stephen Stephens, inherited used.” the principal part of the land. He died in Abner Snpplee, it may be added, died in 1845. The daughters were: Sarah, who 1882, at an advanced age. married Edward Woodman as already stated; Speaking of the old blacksmith shop still Elizabeth, who married Philip Keese ; Anna, standing, it may be stated that the prede¬ wife of Enoch Richards ; Mary, wifo of Sam¬ cessor of this one was somewhat similar iu uel Rossiter ; Priscilla, wife of Jacob Rogers, appearance. It stood on the opposite side of I'M® 'roSaTsSa was in nse aB^TMo time 6TTHS left comparatively destitute, even their do¬ encampment, but was torn down a few years mestic utensils being appropriated. The only I later. article not carried off was the grindstone, and -The old bouse on the bank of the creek this was.left because it was needed for sharp¬ j was the headquarters of Baron DeKalb, the ening knives and other edge tools. The ac¬ greater part of the winter. On September 23 quisition of wealth is declared to have been j of that year when the British made an iucur- his only object. He resigned his commission, i sion into the neighborhood and burned the as already stated, making the promotion of forge on Valley creek, Hessian soldiers who other generals his excuse for leaving the army. j formed a part of the command, visited it. He gathered together his slaves, sold his They ransacked the drawers and closets rob¬ teams, and returned to Virginia, taking with bing Abijah Stephens of his watch and other ! him a large quantity of continental money, I property. I which he is said to have invested in real Henry Woodman has given an extended ac¬ I estate. He was succeeded by Baron DeKalb, count of this episode. Abijah’s mother was i who was an entirely different sort of persoD. yet living at an advdueed age, comparatively j Dubrayson, a Prussian officer, who was the i helpless from a paralytic stroke received | particular friend of DeKalb, lived in a cave [Some time previously. He mentions also j on the premises wh ile DeKalb was quartered I Benjamin Stephens, a brother of Abijah, who at the Stephens home. This cave was farther was on the opposite side of the creek, shav¬ up the hill, and when the residence now occu- I ing splints to make baskets, and unaware pied by Mr. Fisher was erected in 1811. it was i of what was passing at the house. When filled up. Ellwood Eobeets.^^ the Hessians addressed him roughly, he put himself iq ,, a posture of defense, having a sharp axe, but they did not molest him. i Hementions also that an old slave, Phineas, took a gun and ammunition from the house, and hid in a cave in the neighborhood for From, . several days. He says also, speaking of the advent of the American troops at Valley Forge : i\ akirc KQ < <_y07\.. “ Knowing the destitute and suffering state of the army, and the hardships the soldiers had to pass through, my Igraudmother, who j possessed a disposition of the most universal Date, .L.L £?.4.. benevolence to the whole human family, and, however opposed as she was to the system of war and bloodshed, and the evils attendant upon them, yet she could view the soldiers in no other light than fellow beings. * fi> “ AN OLD CHURCH They had that season secured a large crop of buckwheat, and had in the house &t the time The Church at Evansburg Said to be a great abundance of meal that had been manufactured from it and had but a few One of the Oldest in the United days previous killed a beef. They were, States. therefore, in some way prepared to receive j the soldiers. They immediately prepared a large tub full of buckwheat batter, and when In the little village of Evansburg, this j it was sufficiently leavened, they commenced county, near the picturesque Perkiomen | baking cakes, to be in readiness when the j soldiers arrived, and at the same time put all and some twelve miles from North Wales, their iron pots of all sorts and sizes into requi¬ 18 one °f the oldest and most interesting sition to boil scraps, shins and other pieces of jhurches in the United States. This l beef, to make a large quantity of soup or ! church is fast closing out the second cen- ! broth for them.” . The narrator goes on to tell of the cruel be¬ tury of its existence, and there are very havior of Wheedon, in driving the famished, few older organizations in this country, J soldiers away on bis arrival, striking them jin 1701 there was founded in England with his sword and otherwise abusing them j of and displaying a savage disposition in his the Society for the Propagation the I treatment. I Gospel in Foreign Parts,” which was the Woodman is certainly entitled to have his first Protestant Missionary Society organ¬ say as to events that occurred in the home of ized. The Society soon began an active Abijah Stephens during the encampment, be- of ! cause the circumstances forbid any question¬ propaganda in America, and one the ing of his narrative as to events which hap¬ first churches established was St. James’, pened in his own family, and only a few years at Evansburg, and for a number of years previous to his own recollection. Under Gen¬ the rector of Christ’s Church, Philadel¬ eral Wheedon almost every tree on the farm was cut down or destroyed. The fences were phia, had charge of the mission and came used for fuel or carried away. The farm pro¬ regularly to minister to the little folks duce was taken for the use of the army osten¬ that gathered there from the surrounding sibly, but rather, it is hinted, for Wheedon’s Perkiomen Valley. own private advantage. The family were -x the St. James’ Mission was for- J Merion. He supplied these charges thirty ./ organized into a parish, and a years and died beloved by all. arch building erected, which was a The present parsonage was built in 1799, quaint, curious old structure that long and additions have been made from time stood in the centre of the burying ground to time. The corner stone of the present The building was one story high, with a edifice was laid with impressive ceremo¬ shed roof in front over the entrance. nies, August, 1843, and the following There were sashed windows on each side, March it was formally consecrated by two end windows and one high up in the Bishop Henry Grunderbund. St. James’, gable, which, with its projecting dormer, Evansburg, and Augustus, at the Trappe, resembled a great nose on the little build¬ are visited by thousands of people during ing. The glass in these old windows was > the summer months. The churchyards diamond shaped panes, set in leaden sash adjoining these old churches are full of in¬ brought from England. The date stone terest, and most any day visitors may be bore the following inscription: “J. S. and seen among the graves and reading the J. P., Church Wardens,” which repre. quaint epitaphs on the headstones. These sented the initials of James Shannon and old graveyards contain the ashes of some James Pawling, church wardens and early of America’s noblest men and women. members of those well-known families. In 1742, when the congregation of Au- | gustus Lutheran Church of the Trappe de¬ cided to erect a church building, a com¬ mittee was sent to inspect the St. James’ From, . Church with a view of planning their church after it, and they were so well pleased with the building that they took it for their model. The old church at the Trappe still stands as a memorial of the Date, . X 3 . / fyC | church architecture of the early part of | the eighteenth century. In 1732 William Lane, a son of Edward Lane, a pioneer of the Perkiomen Valley, died and left 42 acres of excellent ground -OTf WALKER FAMILY.

“for the use of successive ministers of St. A Work on Genealogy Wiiicli Has a James’ parish forever.” This generous Strong Local Interest and Includes gift h as greatly helped the congregation to Many Citizens of This County. sustain a minister ever sliiee. in 1738 a band of robbers who infested the Perkio¬ The number of descendants who owe their men Valley broke into the church, stole origin to the same individual is well illustrat¬ ed in the handsome volume entitled “Lewis the cloth from the pulpit, the cushions , Walker of Chester Valley and His Descend¬ from the pews, a pewter communion ser- |. ants,” the author being Mrs. Priscilla Walker vice and a baptismal basin. Streets. Its preparation and publication havo un¬ In 1777, after the battle of Germantown, doubtedly required a vast amount of research the Continental army, on its retreat up the and labor. The result is highly creditable to . Germantown pike, turned the church into the zeal, ability and industry of Mrs. Streets^ a hospital. Here hundreds of sick and who is a descendant of the seventh generations Lewis Walker came from Wales in 1QP3. wounded soldiers were cared for; one hun¬ He settled in Badnor, but, a few years Mor, dred died and are buried in the church¬ removed to what is now Tredyffrin township, yard adjoining. A small stone marks | Chester county. Here in the vicinity of a their graves, and each Memorial Day this fine spring be built a borne which he called “Eehobetb,” whore the first gatherings of time worn cenotaph is covered with flow¬ Friends in the neighborhood. were held, re¬ ers by the neighboring Grand Army sulting eventually in the establishment of posts. Valley Meeting. The author says, speaking of the old grave-j In 1788 the parish was incorporated un- yard, close to the original homestead : ; der the laws of the State. The rector “ Directly in front of us, between the four | then was Rev Slator Clay, who also min- roads, and still -the'property of rhe family, is the original Walker land, where onr earliest j istered for St. David’s, Radnor; St Peter’s Pennsylvania ancestor lived and died. The | Great Valley, and Swede’s church, Upper first settled part of this section of the conntry was where Joseph Walker now lives, whose Valley Forge and its vicinity at the time of house and bams lie nearest, us, the walls of the encampment, were conscientiously op¬ which arc partly the same that were erected posed to war, it being almost exclusively a nearly two hundred years ago.” community of Friends or Quakers, most of Lewis Walker first met the English girl, them, however, iu sympathy with the Ameri- Wary Morris, whom he afterwards married, ! can cause, and adds : on the ship that brought them to America. They were married in due time at Baverford “ General Washington himself said that meeting, settling in Tredyffrin prior to 1708. previous to wintering at Valley Forge ho bad He ultimately owned nearly a thousand acre3 looked upon the Quakers as Tories and sym¬ in the township, dying December 23, 1728. pathizers with the British Army, bnt that he He gave the land on which are the meeting¬ had found them most kind, and to be relied house and graveyard. upon when he dwelt among them. All the descendants of Lewis Walker are “ The Friends’ Valley meeting-house was traced, between 2400 and 2500 in number. They include many families more or, less used as a hospital for the sick soldiers at Val- prominent in this county and Chester, ^vith 1 ley Forge, and I have always been told whom intermarriages have occurred. V that they were kindly cared for by the people Among these names are Abraham, AmhlAc. of the neighborhood. The soldiers who died Anderson. Baynes. Beidler. Brooke. Caley, were buried in the graveyard close under the Cleaver, Coates, Colket, Conard, Cook, Craw¬ western walls of tho honse, a trench for that ford, Currie, Davis, DeHaven, Eastburn, purpose being kept constantly open.” Evans, Garretson, Hallowell, Havard, Jones, Kemble, Massey, Moore, Morris, Paiste, Pen- The .Stephens family were among the earli¬ nypacker. Potts, Pugh, Kichards, Boberts, est, settlers in the vicinity of Valley Forge, Stephens, Thomas, Wells, Williams, Wilson, and members of the family still own and oc¬ and many others. cupy a considerable part of the land Many of the descendants of Lewis Walker which their earliest ancestor of whom they reside in Norristown or its vicinity, and are have any definite information, Evan ap among the most useful and most highly re¬ Evan, or Evan Bevan, as> he is sometimes spected members of society. The work is invaluable to all members of called, purchased two centuries ago. the family who take ah interest in its history, His son, Stephen ap Evan, became Stephen and in the presentation of this complete and Evans, he with Isaac Walker building the satisfactory genealogy, the author has ren¬ first forge for the manufacture of iron in dered a very important service to the family America, on the lower side of Valiev creek. and to the community. He married Mary Davis, and settled on the A prominent featnre of the work is the col¬ lection of interesting reminiscences and family : spot where stood later the house of Abijah traditions, greatly enhancing its value. Stephens, in which were DeKalb’s headquar¬ Many original documents, including letters, ters. The only son of Abijah and Priscilla marriage certificates, wills, etc., are given in Thomas Stephens, was Stephen Stephens, full. j He married, April 17, 1791, Sarah MaeVeagh, The edition is limited to three hundred 1 daughter of Jeremiah and Eleanor Evans copies. They can be had of the author, her ; MaeVeagh, bis wife’s father being the ances- address being 109 East 19th street, New York. | tor of Hon. Wayne MaeVeagh. Mention has already been made of the marriage of five of VALLEY FOR BE FAMILIES. Abijah Stephens’ daughters, the eldest, Sarah, becoming the wife of Edward Woodman. Abijah Stephens, son of David Stephens, Many of Their Descendants Remain who was a brother of Dr. Abijah Stephens, mar- i ried in succession two cousins, Bacbel Moore in the Vicinity. and Elizabeth Moore. He had two children by the first marriage and six by the second, Washington's Testimony to Their : thg taWoi-being Hannahs -v. no married Jo-eptr Kindness and Reliability— Edward B. Walker ; William, wnto married successive¬ Woodman’s Return After the Revo¬ ly Susan Davis and Hanaah Hall ; Eleanor, wife of Major David Zoo)t_Hie odIv survivor ; lution— Anoestry of Henry Wood¬ Mordeeai M.. Abijah and John, all of whom man, the Historian of the Camp- married. William had eight children by his i ground. [ first marriage and three by the second. Among them are Abijah, who married Lydia There are very few sections of Eastern Penn¬ Havard ; Mrs. Elizabeth M. Molonv, widow sylvania where descendants of the original of Dr. A. J. Molony, of Norristown ; William, settlers are so numerous as in the vicinity of who married Mary Supplee, and who is the Valley Forge campground. The old names occupant of the farm on the campground, still remain and portions of the property in the dwelling on which, still standing, was the several instances are still in the possession of headquarters of General Varnum. lineal descendants of the Revolutionary own¬ Abijah Stephens, son of Stephen Stephens, ; ers. This is true notably of the Moores, Ste¬ married Eliza Moore, daughter of Isaac ! phenses and Walkers, who not only remain Moore and granddaughter of Mordeeai Moore. in the vicinity, but of whom many descend¬ Mary M. Thomas and Lydia W. Hilles, of ants are to be found in their own and adjoin- : Norristown, are their children. His wife ing townships. having died, Abijah married Esther Rogers. Mrs. Priscilla W. Streets, in her admirable Priscilla Stephens, also of Norristown, is a work, “ Lewis Walker of Chester Valley and daugnter by this marriage. His Descendants,” recently published, men¬ THE WOODMANS. tions the fact that most of the residents of It may not be ont of place at this point to ‘flHuyBvv give some additional particulars of Edward j, father of Henry Woodman, the mm , Forge chronicler. He came, as has a stated, to Valley Forge with the Ameri¬ can army. While there he made the acquain¬ tance of A’oijah Stephens. On two occasions From, Hr. Stephens, as he was sometimes called, took the soldier from North Carolina to see his wifo, Priscilla Stephens. Her brother, William Thomas, lived in New Garden, N. C., where Edward Woodman had also lived at one time; thus a sort of acquaintance was formed. Date, . When Woodman enlisted he was living at Hillsborough, N. C. The first active service he saw was in the defence of Charleston, June 28, 1776. The division to which he belonged was sent North soon after the British fleet LOCAL HISTORY. withdrew from the siego of Charleston. They marched thirty days over bad roads, moch of The Old Washington Headquarters, Worces¬ the way only horseback paths. They were ter_The Schultz Family.—The only one day’s march from Boston, when Wentz Graveyard. they were turned back to help in the battle and share in the defeat of Washington’s army One of the most interesting relics of on Long Island, August 27, 1776. The North Carolina line to which Woodman the Revolutionary period in this county belonged continued under Washington as is the old stone house in Worcester commander-in-chief until the commander-in¬ where General Washington made his chief went south, when his division with headquarters for a brief period in Octob¬ others was entrusted with the arduous duty of watching the British at New York. His er, 1777, when the American army was term of enlistment expired in August, 17S2, encamped in this vicinity. The house is it being the second term for which he had of two stories, very substantially built, enlisted. In company with two other sol¬ diers who had been through the war from and in outward appearance represents 1776 to 1782, lie started for their home in Ihe better class of farm houses of the North Carolina. On the way it was con¬ cluded to go back by Valley Forge, he telling olden time. It is situated in the eastern bis companions that Hr. Stephens’ would he part of the township on the read from a good place to stay for a while, get rested, fed, and, maybe, clothed, all of which was Centre Point to Heebner’s Corner, f ot a sadly needed, for on arriving at Abijah mile from the former and I4 from the Stephens’ their clothes were so ragged the men had to take them several articles of latter. The Zachariah Creek, here a wearing apparel before they were in a fit con¬ small brook, flows through the meadow dition to go into the house. Woodman wore out his shoes on the march from Charles¬ land in front, aids to turn the mill on the ton and had but one other pair during the Skippack road, and then flows westward- war, according to tradition. ly through the vale of Worcester. Be¬ Edward Woodman was taken with a fever at Hr. Stephens’ and could not go back. His yond the creek, on the southeast, rises friends started without him and he never the height of Methacton Hill, locally went back, bnt stayed and worked for differ¬ turned Hampsher’s Hill. ent farmers, until he married Sarah Stephens, The dwelling and farmland attached daughter of Abijah and Priscilla Stephens. The date of their marriage was previous to are now the property of Joseph K. 1790. Schultz, as they were of his father and Their children were Ruth, William T., grandfather before him. History tells us Abisha T., Rebecca S., Henry, the historian, that the American army was encamped born Hecember 25, 1785 : Mary aud Rebecca. Ruth, William and Mary all died numarried, in this vicinity both before and after the between the years 1851 and 1801, and all battle of Germantown, fought on the 4th were buried at Valley Friends’ ground. of October. 1777. Washington left the Abisha in 1815 married Hannah Junkin, who camp at Pennypacker’s mill, October died in 1838; Abisha died at Jacksonville, Illinois, in 1871, and was bnried there. 8th, his army preceeding down the Skip- Henry Woodman married, September 12th, pack road, first encamping in the vicinity 1827, Mary, daughter of Benjamin Smith, of the Skippack Creek in Towamencin an elder of Wrightstown monthly meeting of Friends. for six or seven days. It was on the 16th Henry Woodman removed soon after he of October that he established his head¬ married Mary Smith to Buckingham, tak- quarters at this house, then the property a certificate from Radnor monthly meet* by Peter Wentz. While staying here he ELLWOOD ROBEETSf wrote the following letter to Congress, in reference to the battle near Saratoga, in which the American had the foretaste

■/. V of victory, resulting in Burgoyne’s sur¬ ing, the panelling of the doors and the render. In this letter he speaks of en¬ general finish, indicate that this house camping on the same spot before the was not only one of the most substantial, battle of Germantown—but how long but also one of the most stylish in the was his stay there is unknown. This is township at that period. The builder the letter he wrote: was a man of enterprise and wealth, ex “It is with the brightest satisfaction I ceeding most of his neighbors. He be¬ congratulate Congress on the success of longed to the Reformed faith, a member our arms at the northward in the action of the local church bearing the famiiy of the 7th, an event of the most interest¬ name. Many of this family he buried in ing importance at the critical juncture. a private cemetery in the northern part From the hapy y train in which things then of the township. were, I hope we shall soon hear of the Washington occupied two chambers in most happy advantages. We moved the west corner of the house. There was this morning from the encampment at one on the first story where he took his which we had been for six or seven days meals, and a large square room in the past, and have just arrived at the grounds second story, in which he slept. A door, we occupied before the action of the 4th.” now not in existence, then connected Washington’s motive in thus drawing the dining room down stairs with a small near the British line was to threaten kitchen, where his meals were prepared 1 them, in order to distract their attention by his own cook, who was probably a j from the attack on the forts on the Del¬ colored woman. This kitchen was kept aware below Philadelphia. The army securely locked, lest some Tory might which had been encamped on Methac- enter and throw poison into the materials ton Hill from the 17th to the 20th, left of which his meals were composed. the vicinity on the latter day for Camp Among the provisions of the last will Hill, Whitemarsh. of Rev. Melchoir Schultz, a Schwenk- It is something not generally known felder preacher, and grandfather of the j that the British troops in the pursuit of present proprietor, made in 1826 was one j the Americans after the battle of Ger¬ that his widow Salome should have for mantown, penetrated as far northward her use during the remainder of her life as the interior of Worcester, and com- “the kitchen and store room adjoining ! mitted depredations on the premises of the northiend of my house, as well as the ; Peter Wentz, which were so serious that room in the second story called “Wash¬ i he afterwards received £125 from the ington’s room.” She survived her hus¬ State as compensation. During Wash¬ band nine years, pr until 1835, departing ington’s stay in the stone house, a por¬ this life at the age of 73. Tradition re¬ tion at least of the American soldiers ' lates that during Washington’s stay here, were encamped in the woodland, North¬ one of the neighbors, Philip Stong, an eastward from the dwelling. This for¬ ancestoi of the Stong’s of Worcester and j est then covered much land now cleared, Horsham, made bold to call on the Com- I including the farm later occupied by mander in-chief, bringing wife Barbara I Jesse Yerker, then belonging to the I along. Washington was 60 w#ll pleased j Wentz property. In the rear,where now ' with his visitors that he invited them to j stands the barn, two soldiers were buri¬ tea, which they took sociably together ! ed. Many musket and cannon balls, in the cozy west dining room. In after j some rusty camp spades and other relics years old Barbara Stong, who lived at,or testifying to the presence of the army near the present mill on the Skippack here, 120 years ago have from time to road, used to delight to relate her remi¬ I time been found in the vicinity. Among niscences of Washington and this inter- the traditions of this period is that when esting episode of her youthful days. the cheering news of victory at Saratoga THE WENTZ’S FAMILY. was received, the soldiers in their joy j fired a salute in such close proxinity to From the deeds in possession of Mr. I the house where Washington was quar- Schultz, a pretty complete history of this ] tered that the greater portion of the glass property maybe obtained. It was a part ] in the windows was shattered. These of an immense tract which came into windows of small antique panes of glass, possessien of the German family of have since been replaced by those of Wentz in 1715. At that date, Peter modern construction. Wentz, Senior, an emigrant from Ger It appears that although Washington i many, bought no less than 940 acres, took possession the owner, Mr. Wentz, which reached down to the slopes of did not vacate the premises, but remain¬ Methacton Hill, lay on both sides of the ed, giving the General a portion of his Skippack road, and is said to have includ¬ home for his special use. The account ed the site of Wentz’s church. It was of this has been so well preserved by this Peter Wentz, whom tradition says tradition, and also by legal documents was once a wild and wicked rover on the that there is now no doubt but that the high seas, and commander of a priva¬ veritable rooms where the Father of this teer. Reforming, and settling down to a country ate and slept, and where his meals were cooked can now be confi¬ dently shown. An inspection of the in¬ terior of the hogse, the style of wainscot¬ MI .jeaceful life. he joined the Hunkers in pher. Of these, George was born in Eu¬ i America. Their sirait-laced discipline rope in 1711, came to America in 1734, and requirements were too strict for the and married Maria Yeakle, January 31, rough sailor, and he was therefore ex¬ 1744, and died October 30th, 1776. Among pelled as unworthy. It was his sons who his children was Melchoir, born March were instrumental ih organizing the Re¬ 25th, 1756, who became a preacher, and formed church, still known by the family very acceptably ministered to his church name. One of these, Philip Wentz, was for a long time. He married Salome, a prominent member, who was one of daughter of Christopher Wagner, No¬ the several trustees in 1762, to whom the vember 29th, 1781, and died in 1826 at land was sold upon which to erect the the age of 70. He was 38 years of age church. He was born in 1722, and died at the time of his purchase of this prop¬ in 1803 at the age of 81. erty. His son Frederick, was born June The tract bought by Wentz was about 28th, 1795, and married Mary, daughter I5 miles in extent each way. It was pur¬ of Abraham Krieble. His death took chased of Clement Plumstead, who had place April 12th, 1867. His son Joseph bought of John Cox, of Ludengrave. K. Schultz, came into possession of the Here are the boundaries: "Beginning property after his father’s death. at a white oak marked T, C; thence ex¬ In possession and use by Mr. Schultz tending by lands of Isaac Norris and is a curious stone water trough, standing David Lloyd northeast 398 perches to a by the pump. This has been hewn out white oak marked: thence by land of of the solid rock, with immense labor Joseph Jones and William Jones, south¬ at some former period, now unknown. east 380 perches; thence by land late of It has always belonged on the premises, Isaac Norris, southwest 398 perches; and was the workmanship of the Wentz’s. thence by land late or now Beasley’s, It is needless to say that it never needs northwest 380 perches to place of begin¬ repairing with hammer and nails, never ning." leaks, and promises to be as serviceable In 1745, Peter Wentz made a will be¬ a century hence as to-day. j queathing portions of his tract to his 'THE WENTZ GRAVEYARD. sons Philip and Peter, of which 79 acres The private graveyard of the Wentz lying near the present Schultz residence family lies in the northern part of Wor¬ was given to the former, and another cester, on the farm now or lately owned tract of 300 acres to Peter W entz. junior. by John Fisher, and is probably the old¬ It was in this plantation thus received est place of burial in the township. The that the stone house under consideration dwelling of Fisher, once in possession of was erected in the year 1758. The date the Wentz family, by its lappearance tes¬ stone bearing the initials of Peter Wentz tifies to its antiquity. The graveyard is and his good wife Rosanna is yet plain¬ in a neglected condition. From its sit¬ ly visible in front of the hquse. Besides uation, it is seldom visited, and is known these initials, the builder piously carved , only to a few persons familiar with the this inscription to be made m German: neighborhood. At a distance from any “Easu kom in maen Haus, highway, it exists in the midst of a cul¬ Weige neimmer mer haraus, tivated field, on a declivity sloping to- Kom mit deinee gnaden gut ward a meadow brook, which flows west¬ Und stelle meine sel ie fried.” ward to the Zachariah Creek. It is about 1 Which by free translation into English fifty feet square, and was formerly sur¬ may be rendered: rounded by a stone wall. This is now “Jesus come into mine home, crumbled down, and about the ruins of Never to leave again; which have grown large cherry, sassafras Come with thy blessed favor, and other trees. Previous to Mr. Fisher’s 1 And bring peace to my soul.” ownership, Derwalt Wanner possessed the farm, who, deploring the ruinous con¬ Peter Wentz owned much property in dition of the graveyard sometimes re¬ various places and doubtless was a placed the wall and periodically slew the wealthy man for those times. This farm numerous black snakes which found har¬ finally passed out of his hands in 1784, bor therein. He offered to put a substan¬ when it was sold to Devault Bieber for tial fence around it if the descendants of ,£2,000. The latter held it till 1794, when the Wentz family would find the materi¬ it was sold to the Rev. Melchoir Schultz. al, but this was neglected, and we thus The neighboring landholders at that time see its present condition. At what time were Abraham Weber, Nicholas Hoff¬ the first interment was made here is un¬ man, Philip Wentz and Philip Stong. known, nor can it be told exactly from THE SCHULTZ FAMILY. any memorials contained in the yard it¬ The branch of the Schultz family liv¬ self. ing here are descended from Melchoir 1 Those first buried here were probably Schultz, a Silesian Schwenkfelder, who ] the children and grandchildren of the ] was born in 1680, and died in Saxony. I first Peter Wentz, who died in infancy, February 15, 1734, two months before ' perhaps before 1740. There now remain some fifteen monumental stones,of which the emigration of that people to America, j The name of hisjwife was Heebner. He only five or six are marble. The ground ■ ceased to be used for burial purposes had sons, George, Melchoir and Christo- j soon atter the beginning or the prescm ' century. On a plain sandstone we have zey, of Philadelphia. the initials “P. W., 1749,” which is prob¬ The lands of John Kinzey extended to ably to the memory of the first Peter the Towamencin border and on the north¬ Went?, who had made his will in 1745. east bounded by White’s road. From Another stone of the same material has thence they extended southwest 200 the initials, -‘E. W. L.,” and the date perches, lying on both sides the Allen¬ 1744. There are others of the date of town road, along which they extended I743- I752, 1753 and 17^9—the latter to about 1600 feet southward from White’s Margaret, finfant daughter of John and Corner. Just where the Kinzey family Susannah Wentz. Abraham Wentz, died had their house we can only conjecture. July 8, 1774, aged 49 years, and Mary, They held possession from 1738 till his wife is the latest person whose body 1795* John Kinzey had died intestate was deposited here. She died in 1803, before the Revolution, leaving four sons, aged 79. Finally, here rests Peter James, Philip, Henry and Charles. In Wentz, Jr„ the builder and owner of the 1775 Philip Kinzey released his share to Washington headquarters. The inscrip¬ his brother James, whilst Charles died tion on a marble stone, superior to the unmarried. James becamejthe owner of test, informs us that he died September of four-fifths of the estate, and Thomas 13, 1793. aged 75 years, 9 months and Kinzey of the remainder. In 1795 the 24 days—indicating fiis birth in Decem¬ latter bought the whole of his elder ber 1717. His wife Rosanna ljes be¬ brother, and sold the property to Chris¬ side him. She did not long survive him, tian Rosenberry. The boundaries then dying May 22, 1794, aged 76 years, 5 were: Beginning in line of Jehu Evans, months and 15 days. by same and land intended to be granted E. M. to Jehu Evans, southeast 78 perches and jLL—— . - • southwest 25 perches to line of Amos Griffith; by same southeast 22 perches to THE C’ASSEL LOT, UPPER CiWYNEDD— corner of land of late Humphrey Jones; Elizabeth Edwards—Chris¬ by same northeast 200 perches to line of tian Rosenberger—the Peter Lukens; by last northwest 97 perches; by Jacob Opdegraff and Jehu Kinzey family. Evans southwest 178 perches to begin¬ ning. This property has, for near twenty-four The upper boundry of 178 perches was years past, been owned by Abraham W. the Towamencin line, the land intended Cassel. It is situated on the east side of to be granted to Jehu Evans is now con- the Allentown road, a mile west of Lans- the Snyder property; the Amos I Griffith property is that now owned by dale. Here is a brick house, a frame John E. Cresson; the line of Humphrey barn and a shop, all standing near the Jones is now that of Algernon Martin. road. The barn and shop were erected c Iff, Lukens owned on the nothern side of White’s road, now held by F. W. Mc¬ by John Ruth, over forty years ago. The Dowell. The whole contained mf latter was used by him for shoemaking. A acres and the price paid was A408, 1 shil¬ large pear tree is a landmark, close to ling-—indicating' fair buildings for those the line of the road. The land attached times. Rosenberger or Rosenberry, did not buy to hold, except for a brief period. comprises 13 acres,having a gentle slope He removed to Providence in 1797, and to the southeast. has left numerous descendants. He It is a curious fact that this has been a divided the farm into several parcels, detached lot of the same size for about a selling to Henry Snyder, Jacob Hoot, Jehu Evans and Peter Lukens. hundred years, and during which period The lot under consideration in this it has had its own separate history. Its i history was sold to Tacob Hoot, who held early history is the same as of all this it for ten years. It then included the portion of Gwynedd, it being part of the other Castle lot on the south,or 15J acres | and for which £167 10 shillings were 2866 acres granted by William Penn in paid, equivalent to about $450 of our 1701 to William John or Jones, a Welsh j money. For what we know to the con¬ Quaker. Of this grant, 500 acres were trary, the first improvements mav have released in 1712 to his sister, Margaret been made by Hoot, or at least, those on the property before 1797 were of quite in¬ John, The latter never came to America ferior character. but lived in Wales. Her will was made In 1807, Hoot sold 13 acres to Isaac in 1715, conveying her lands to her three Hughes for £377. The enhanced price grandsons, John Ellis, Owen Ellis and for less land, is proof that Hoot had built a new house. The lower lot was then de¬ Robert Ellis. This will was proven in tached at or before this time. Hughes the prerogative office of the Aichbishop immediately conveyed to two women, of Canterbury. This portion of the 500 Elizabeth Evans and her sister Margaret acres fell to the share of John Ellis. In I The lot was then bounded by land of 1738,he was sold out by Sheriff Brintanall, Evan Jones, James White, Jonathan Guy who conveyed his 123 acres to John Kin- and Godfrey Burzon.

1 ElIzabeth !Edwards was the~pur- __ JPV . thtT’witTT'Llfn'"tliis Will he"mentions his chaser m 1813 and Jived here for a long wife Barbara and fine son Jonathan, to P?™*. 1S yet remembered by a few of the oldest persons in the vicinitv. whom he left his lot after bis mother’s The conveyance to her was signed by death. The witnesses were Rachel Lewis Elizabeth Evans, of Gwynedd; Robert and Joseph Lewis, of Gwynedd, possibly Edwards, of Towamencin; John Thomp- uear relatives. The younger Jonathan Guy held posses¬ UPPeru D.arby; Peter Rose, of Blockley, Catharine Lukens, of New¬ sion of the property until 1832, at which town township; Ezra Evans and Priscilla date he was living in Philadelphia. He Evans, of Harverford. sold to Evan Jones for $431.20, a not very By the date of 1840 Elizabeth Edwards high price, but then the house was in¬ had removed to Upper Providence, and ferior. m that year sold to John B. Edwards, of A dozen years did the lot belong to the Towamencin. The latter owned the lot Jones family. By 1844 he was deceased, „ 1 ,53. though not residing thereon. and his heirs sold to Joseph Wismer for He sold to John Ruth, who carried on $475. These heirs were Humphrey Jones, shoemakiug, building the frame shop by Evan U. Jones and wife Jemima, Eliza¬ the roadside for that purpose. Another beth Sautmau, Jacob Mamsher and wife ntteen years have passed away and John Eleanor, George Crock and wife Ann, Ruth sold to Abraham Ruth, but who, in William Simpson and wife Mary, John 1869, conveyed to Frank Brunner. Four Martin and wife Sarah, parents of Alger¬ years later and Brunner had removed to non Martin. Of these heirs, all but the North Wales, selling to Abraham W. Martins and Hamshers lived in Philadel¬ Cassel, tne present owner. The latter phia. was reared at the old Cassel homestead, Joseph Wismer owned the lot foreigh- a mile northwest m Towamencin. He teeu years. By 1802 he was deceased, married Elizabeth, daughter of Frederick and his administrators, who were Jacob earfoss, and has since been engaged in Wismer and Jacob Piunuer,sold to Aaron butchering and farming._ C. Clemens. The name Prunner is really only another form of spelling Brunner, or rather the German form. Aaron C. LOCAL HISTORY. Clemens was the step brother of Henry Clemens, sou of John Clemens, now of Tlie Former Clemens Lot, Upper Gwynedd. Fort Washington, and of James Clemens, The Daniel Snyder Farm, Upper Gwyn¬ of same place The latter went forth edd —Henry Snyder, Abraham from here to lieeome a soldier in the Snyder —The Griffith. Union army, where he served during I he Lauds. Rebellion. Abraham Clemens, ’another brother, died in Lansdale in 1896. The 1 bis is a lot of smaller dimensions ad¬ property was held in the Clemens owner¬ ship for twenty years, when in 1882 Aaron joining the Cassel lot, and also on the Clemens sold to Samuel W. Cassel. The east side of the Allentown road. It com¬ propel ty had the misfortune to fall into prises two acres and 120 perches,on which the sheriff’s hands in 1896, when it was is a one-story log bouse. Until recently transferred into the hands of Edward Kane, lawyer of Norristown. Aaron C. this belonged to Samuel W. Cassel.1 Clemens yet resides in Upner Gwynedd, Here has been a habitation for nearly a half a mile west of Lansdale. century, or since 1799, since which time it THE DANIEL SNYDER FARM, UFPER GWYN¬ has been a detached property. Its earlier EDD—HENRY SNYDER. ABRAHAM SNY¬ bistory is the same as that of the larger DER. I Cassel lot, heretofore related, belonging This property is also part of the Kiu- to the Kinzey farm in Colonial times. In zey plantation of Colonial times, once 1.95 it formed part of the 15f acres sold the western corner thereof. The build¬ ings arc situated on the township line by Christian Rosenberger to Jacob Hoot. road, more than a mile west of Lansdale, Then in 1799, sold off 2J acres to Jona- 1 and the farm attached comprises 70 acres. than Guy, a Philadelphia cabinet maker, Till lately owned by Daniel Suyder, it who built a house here, if there was not recently came into possession of Oliver Zurn. The stone dwelling has stood for one previous. eighty years, though haviug meantime | The Guy family, father and son, lived been repaired and modernized. It stands here for 33 yeais, a fact concerning ^bich at the north corner of the farm. The the present generation of neighbors ap¬ farm lauds slope southeast toward the Towamencin, which here flows rapidly pear to kuow nothing. The first Jona- I down a wooded ravine to the westward. tbau Guy made his will in January, 1807, The late owner, Dauiel Snyder, bow re¬ though this will was not presented for sides with his sou, John J. Snyder, on registry until October 28, 1823, implying White’s road, near Edgewood Park, and 4.- — that his death did 1104 take place until half a mile west of Lansdale. He is now 'Jie latter year. A hyuse is mentioned in past eighty years of age, having been born January 1st, 1817. He says he rec I. ■■■ tin T*' olledts going- to scTioolUnlifs Wu„„, pike. That portion through the latter ] blI,s seventy years ago, to the old eight larm was closed by John Cresson, soon square school house, now the northern after he purchased the property. This seh >ol ot Upper Gwynedd. lane or road had never been formally laid 1 his farm has the same early history as out by law. The Snyders always kept I the two Cassel lots, already related, so their part unobstructed. The newer por I tar as one halt'is related, or that portion tion of the farm thus purchased, bordered upon which are the buildings. Concern¬ the highway for a quarter of a mile. ing this half, we will first relate the story, THE GRIFFITH LANDS. ft was part of the 111 acres sold by For the history of this half of the Sny¬ 1 ho mas Kiuzey in 1795 to Christian der farm we must briefly go back to the Kosenberger, the boundary of which has Griffith ownership. The original seat of already been given in the account of the the latter family was at the Cresson place, i Cassel ots. At this date Thomas Kiu- They were Welsh Quakers, and the story zey had previously removed to Philadel- of their land deserves a separate acconu*. Pyia- -No township line road is mention¬ Suffice it to say that the 35 acres were pait ed at this time, but it is supposed to have of a great tract of 600 acres, bought in riinw ou.t not ,nany years afterwards, 1712 by Evan Griffith of William John. in UJ7, or just one hundred years ago One ot his sons, named Amos, inherited Christian Kosenberger sold to Henry o22 acres of it. Another generation, and , uydera piece of 23 acres of unimproved JAmos Griffith left children Amos. .Ti laud for £230. This was a narrow strip Eleanor and Hannah, the latter the wile along the present highway, of only 462 of Joshua Boone. In 1781 the latter re¬ tret. It extended southeast for 100 leased to h is brother-iu law, Amos Grif- perches, or nearly one-third of a mile. fith, his share. The latter had two sons, At the same date (1797) Kosenberger Eli and Isaac. The latter died childless, sold to Jehu Evans a small lot of 12 acres and Eli was the heir. In 1834, Eii Grif¬ lying along the present road, and south- fith sold these 35 acres to Charles White, west of the piece conveyed to Snyder. who in 1837 conveyed the same to Abra¬ Joi this £41 were paid. Evans is mt ham Snyder. supposed to have lived on it, as he own¬ Abraham Snyder died May 28, 1858, ed the adjoining farm on the Towamen- leaviug no will, then being over sixty cin side. He died in 1805, when his exe¬ years of age. He left a widow, Susan¬ cutors sold this lot to Henry Snyder, At nah, and four children, Daniel, Sarah, the latter date a house is mentioned, prob Rachel, wife of Michael Schultz, and ably of logs. The price now had iucreas Ann, wife of John Henning. It was not ed to $320. This addition gave Snider -30 ac 16s, till 1862 that the latter named heirs re¬ leased the farm to their brother Daniel. HENRY SNYDER. This remained in his possession till 1895, This Henry Snyder was of a Schwenk when it, became the property of Oliver felder family, and son of Heinrich Buy. Zurn, of Montgomery township, der, who came irom Germany in 1750 — F, M He was born November 22, 1762, one of eight children. He married Kegiuia daughter of Baltser Rein wait, of Wo roes’ ter, May 10 1786. He had children,- An Historical House. Abraham Isaac, Job, Regina and In the lower part of the ancient village Elizabeth. His death took place in 1836 of Flourtown, on the east side of the at the age of 74. He never l.ved on the pike, just below where the Wissahickon land he purchased of Kosenberger and drive branches off on the opposite side, in Jehu Evans, but his residence was at the close proximity to the road, there stands present Isaac Snyder farm, near the Tow one of the oldest habitations of man in aniencin creamery. that part of our county. It is a one- Abraham snyder. story log house, with a loft above the one room. Thereof is a very conspicu¬ This 'farm then unimproved, seems t,. ous part of the structure, being steep have been intended for bis son Abraham and comparatively high in proportion to ro the latter it was sold by his father hi the first story. There is one door front¬ 181 >. At this date the present road is ing the road and a small window on the u e it.oned and which bounded it for 874 same side. It is one of the primitive feet. Abraham Snyder had married Sat abodes of the first settlers. During the annah Schultz. He first made improve" American Revolution, it was occupied meuts on the site of the present buildings by the family of a Captain Heydrick by the erect., n of the house yet stand ? who had a company in the Continental Th s was done about 1816 or 1817 Afrfi army. It is still in use as a dwelling a period of more than twenty vea?s n and is to all appearances fairly well pre- < 1837, Abraham Snyder doubled his farm’ served for such an ancient piece of back- J by buying 3o acres of Charles White woods architecture. It should be photo¬ This lav on the southwest side of the graphed and a copy sent to the Montgom- ■ 'ane wh,cb 1Hl>s irom the road to the ery County Historical Society. Towamenc.n This lane, at one time was an open highway all the way through the Cresson farm to the Broad street turn ' ■ crossing tne sumneyiown imiuju - half a mile below Kulpsville. The > ■ T

Soil. a .. I The soil and geological formations are classed as similar to adjacent re¬ gions of Montgomery county. The soil is of the red shale, anew red sand¬ ' 'S stone, quite fertile and amenable to cultivation, producing abundant crops m of grain, grass, potatoes, fruits and •I Xvegetables. Limestone is not found in its composition, nor any, of the val¬ (;uable, .minerals, The population has HISTORY OF TOWAMENCIN TOY always reuiained agricultural, with the accessary*handicrafts of a farming re- rion. As in other parts of Eastern By Edward Mathews. i&u improvement in agriculture within the .past halt century. Much better houses rhe First Installment of the Most Complete and Cpmis and farm buildings have been erected, through- crop rotation, .manuring,;, and tory of Towamenein Township Ever Published. wise and skillfulVfarrmfig-The soil has raphy, Soil, Streams, Roads, Population, I increased in fertility, though constant¬ l ly cropped. TOWAMENCIN TOWNSHIP TOPOGRA¬ ROADS—MILLS—POPULATION. PHY—SURFACE—STREAMS AND SOIL. il Towamenein is well supplied with The township of Towamenein is one roads, traversing the township in every of those central in Montgomery county, portion, and which were gradually being from eight to twelve miles north¬ opened as necessity or convenience de¬ east from Norristown; and from 21 to a U iww mi-v -_ - . manded. They mostly run in a south¬ miles northwest from Philadelphia. lull uu iiv/i u-* * * ^ TT i- west and northeast direction, or from It is bounded on the northeast by Hat¬ northwest to southeast. The three field, southeast by Upper Gwynedd, main arteries of travel are the Spring- southwest bv Worcester and Skippack house and Sumneytown turnpike; the and northwest by Lower Salford. Its b’orty-Foot road, and the Allentown area is about 6,000 acres. Its breadth road." The first divides the township from Gwynedd to Salford is about into two portions, in its course from three miles, with a similar width, ex¬ Skippack to the Gwynedd line. The cept across the upper portion, where it Forty-Foot road enters the township is increased to IJ.^ miles. This is at Drake’s Corner, thcnco running caused by-the extension of the western nearly two miles southwest toKulpsville. corner, rendering the township L- Lt is then lost in the turnpike for half shaped. a mile. It again commences at the Surface. Mennonite meetinghouse and passes The surface of the township is quite down the Skippack valley to near the undulating, caused by the passage of western corner of th9 township. It is streams and rivulets across its territory supposed to be 40 feet in width, though towards southwest and west. In some this is not the case in some places. uortioufi small brooks are bordered by The Allentown road extends through long' narrow meadows. ~ The general the eastern corner of the township in siope of the country is toward the west- a general northerly direction, entering V ward. In some localities along the To- at White’s Corner, and leaving it half wamencin the banks rise abruptly to a mile south of Elroy. It is quite a a considerable height, giving a roman¬ hilly road, being-crossed by many rivu¬ tic aspect to the scenery. The western lets in deep depressions, flowing to the portions along the Skippack and lowa- Towamenein and the Saippack. In mcncin form quite beautiful sections. Colonial times milestones were placed Parallel ridges, not of great height, along it bearing the date 1768. The pass across the township, from north- Morris road passes through the western cast to southwest, but which are broken part of the township for about two I by the line of the Towamenein. Ihe miles, or from the Towamenein to the ueight above sea level ranges from dfo Skippack creek. Previous to this, it i to 425 feet. has formed the boundary line, separat¬ Streams. ing from Worcester. This road was The creeks and brooks are the Towa- laid out in September, 1741, -from the tnencin and the Skippack, . with their Morris mill, Whitemarsh, to the mill of ij small tributaries. The Skippack nows Garret Clemens, in Upper Salford. through the upper, or northwest side The Forty-Foot road was laid out prior I of the township, entering near Mam- to the Revolution, and there is reason E land. A branch of this waters the to believe before 1760. The great road HPT northern corner of the township. The through Kulpsville was laid out in 1 Towamenein flows in two branches, Rhil which unite in the western portion. The U Drier branch vises in Hatfield, June, 1735. It was at first cailei to 1880, during which period the popu¬ North Wales road, and $hen the Maxa- lation nearly doubled in numbers, ris¬ tawny road, as it' became extended into ing to 1282. During the next ten years, Berks county. It was turcpiked in however, there was a decrease to 1139. 1848, and on it is one toil gate at Alike as in other agricultural portions . Kulpsville, of Montgomery county, the tendency of . Population. population has been away from the The early settlers of Towamencin rural districts towards the towns and were mostly of three races—Welsh, cities. It may be expected that in the Germans and Dutch. The former oc¬ future better and quicker modes of cupied the eastern section of the town¬ transit, and the introduction of manu¬ ship, together with some homesteads facturing industries will tend to checu in the center. Their descendants this process of depopulation and then gradually disappeared before and after to increase the number of people. the Revolution, so that now they form The Enumeration of 1734. very few of the population. The Ger The enumeration of the names of mans settled in the southern and north¬ landholders within Philadelphia ern portions, and hater occupied most county, made in 1734,has been of invalu¬ of the east, and have greatly increased able aid to local historians within and multiplied. The Dutch, or Hol¬ Montgomery county. It may be wish¬ landers, came to the western ahd north¬ ed that such a census had been made ern central parts, and their descendants in every county of the Province and are yet well represented in the popula¬ more frequently taken. At this date tion, we have 32 names of persons taxed, These settlers were mainly divided nearly all of whom may be reckoned as into three eects—Quakers, Mennonites, early settlers. and Schwenkfelders, with the addition Names Acres of a few Lutheran and Reformed. Joseph Morgan 200 They had all'suffered form persecution James Wall, or Wells 100 in Germany, Holland and Great Britain. John Morgan 200 The Quakers never had a meetinghouse, Daniel Morgan 200 but were members of Gwynedd. The Daniel Williams 200 Germans came from two widely eapa- John Edwards 250 rated parts of Europe,^iles,ia apcp''tfca ’ Joseph Lukens 200 Palatinate. The Schwenkfelders' were Jacob Hill 100 from the former province. The Hol¬ Hugh Evans 180 landers were Mennonites and al|o a Cadwallader Evans 100 portion of the Germans. In later times Christian Weber 50 have appeared a few Methodists, some Nicholas Lesher 150 Evangelicals, and Brethren or Dunkerg. Paul Hendricks 100 It may be of interest to know the Jacob Fry 200 population of the township at different Peter Weber, 150 periods, We cannot avail ourseivgg of Peter Tyson 100 any official enumeration qf the inhabi¬ Christian Breneman 150 tants before 1800. There were several Lawience Henrdricks 150 other enumerations before that time, Garret Schrager 100 however, from which we can make esti¬ Leonard Hendricks 150 mates. That of 1734 gives thirty resi¬ Henry Hendricks 123 dent landholders. Multiplying this Harman Gcdshalk 100 number by five, we may judge that al¬ Jacob Godshalk 123 ready 150 persons were living in the Godshalk Godshalk 123 townsnip, including women ana chil¬ Abraham Lukens 200 ; dren, and that at least thirty log cabins Francis Griffith 100 and stone houses were scattered among William Nash 50 the forests, upon meadow banka, or Henry Fry 150 along the streams. Felty Cosenheimor 23 Within the next forty years the early Peter Wents 160 settlers had ceased from' their labors, William Tennis 250 j’ had passed away, and a new generation Yellis Yellis 22 / occupied the places of the pioneers. Of this number nine were undoubt¬ The land had become divided into edly Welsh, seven German and nine smaller parcels and supported more peo¬ Dutch. The Morgan and Evans fami¬ ple, whilst also there were more me¬ lies occupied the east corner of the chanics. The assessment of 1776 fur¬ township. The Shwenkfelder names do nished 77 names, indicating a popula¬ not appear in this list, as those people tion of at least 350. The militia enroll¬ did not enter the township till the lat¬ ment of about the same period gave 91 ter part of 1734. It may be supposed names, including, of course, some that this list as reported did not in¬ young men not found on the tax list. clude quite all the real estate owners. By the end of the last century there was a further increase to 473. In 1820 ASSESSMENT OP 1776. it was 571. In 1840 there were 673. Garret Godshalk, Assessor—Owen Hughes, Col¬ The most rapid growth was from 1840 lector. After tEe lapse of more thar. forty Booms, Peter _ years we have another list of taxables. Fvaoa, Kvfen There names, for convenience, have been Evans, Jehu placed in alphabetical order. Edwards, Johii Names Acres Fisher, Frederick Godshalk, Garret Anders, George 150 Godshalk, Godshalk Boorse, Harman 20 PUjOk, Geprge Boorse, Arnold 46 Speece, David Boorse, John 44 Gassel, Yellis 82 Wampole, Abrafeatn Dresher, Abraham 129 Wampole, Frederick Edwards, Evan 91 Of these names, only 11 were of Edwards, John 48 Welsh origin, 31 were undoubtedly Evans, Elizabeth 190 Dutch, and of the remainder 36 were Evans, William German, of which nine were Schwenk- Evans, Rowland felders, The SpitEfamllv mav have been of English origin, as they came Eaton, Joseph from Chester county. This shows that Fry, Jacob 200 the disappearance of the Welsh took Gotwals, Adam 270 place mostly before the Revolution. Godshalk, William 160 Godshalk, Garret 60 Churches. Godshalk, Catharine 13 The church buildings in Towamen- Godshalk, Nicholas cin are six in number, with seven or¬ Godshalk, Peter 113 ganizations. The two strongest aa well Hendricks, William 66 as oldest are the Mennonite and Hendricks, Paul 99 Sehwenkfelder. The others are the Hendricks, Leonard 125 aged Lutheran and Reformed, the Methodist, Hendricks, Samuel 100 the Evangelical and the Dunker or Hendricks, Peter 85 Brethren. Hendricks, Benjamin 88 The Mennonite Meeting House. Hendricks, Leonard, Jr. 89 The present structure fronts on the Hendricks, William turnpike, on a slope rising from a val¬ Hughes, Humphrey ley throughjwhieh passes theForty-Foot Hughes, Owen 143 road westward. The grounds are well Krieble, Abraham 189 shaded, and upon which is a grave¬ Kolb, Jacob 106 yard where repose the bodies of a host Krupp, Jacob 113 of those who have gone before. The Lukens, Abraham 215 building is severe in its plainness and Lukens, Jbhn, spn of simplicity in accordance with the prin¬ Abraharp 115 ciples of these people. The first meet¬ Lukens, Joseph 98 ing house here was built in 1764. its Lukens, Peter 87 site was about two hundred yards west Lukens, John 109 from the present one. It was used also Lesh, Henry as a school house, and stood very near Label, Andrew the site of the later school house. This Lutz, George building was burned down about 1804 Miller, David when George Lukens was teaching Moyer, Michael school. He had left hot ashes in an Meschter, George 34 insecure vessel over night and by next M each ter, Christopher 100 morning the building was consumed. Penny packer, Jacob 82 A stone structure was erected in 1805, Reinwalt, Baltns 89 about twenty yards eastward. The Reinwalt, Christopher 38 and mil! third and last structure was erected in Springer, John 60 saw rail! 1862. Smith, Henry It The first piece of property conveyed Springer, Daniel to the Mennonites was a strip of 82 Shutt, Johii perches, given by Herman Godshalk to Seifert, Roiahha 135 Christian Godshalk, Christian Weaver, Tennis, Samite m William Godshalk, Goshen Schrager, Tennis, William 00 la Salted Peter Hendricks, Nicholas Yellis and Tennis, Israel Garret Godshalk. This was given in Updegrave, Jacob 200 1764. Since then there have been seven Wampole, Frederick 220 more pieces added, extending the prop¬ erty out to the turnpike. 'These were Weber, Christian, Sr,, 52 added in 1798, 1799, 1837, 1844, 1862 Weber, Christian'. Jr,, 100 aud 1876, so that now the whole meet¬ Weigher, Abraham inghouse property comprises three acres Weber, Befljainii! and 148 perches. Veil is, John The oldest tombstone in the grave¬ Yellis, Henry yard bearing a legible inscription, is Yeakle, Baltte that of Catharine Oberholtzer, of the Ypakla, John date of 1741, showing that this was Singly Men, iMi \ used for a burial place long before the Djemali graveyard at the edge of ibe for- erection of a place of worship, and , 'est is thicklv studded with tombstones. long previous to the time when the \A new cemetery exists on tbe opposite ; Mennonites had a title foi the land bide of the highway. As showing the ■ There is another stone to the memory tendency of the maxims and customs ; of Elizabeth Hendricks, dated Novein of this sect, the inscriptions upon their : her 1756. The first marble gravestone low, humble stones show remarkably , is for Abraham Funk, July 13, 1796 few different families which Ire here Herman Godshalk received a patent buried. Until recent times marriages ■ for 13 acres and 125 perches from the outside the pale of the denomination Proprietary Government May 26, 1755. 'were frowned upon, and this kept the This was for a piece only eleven membership within a limited number perches wide lying on the southwest of families. Accordingly among the side of the present turnpike, and on many graves in the old yard scarcely which now stands Bean’s hotel, Kulps- more than a dozen family, names are ville Hall, a number of dwellings and represented, and five or six of them this meetinghouse. Herman Godshalk comprise the greal majority. The name had first owned the later Stover prop- of Krieble is by far the most frequent. arty, southward of the cross roads at Anders comes next; this is followed by Kulpsville, where he bought 150 acres Schneider, Seipt, Schultz, Heebner, in 1720. * Weigner, Dresher, Gerhard, Souder Among the family names recorded on and Reinwalt. the tombstones are Oberholtzer, Eisen- One rough stone bears the inscrip¬ hart, Boorse, Help, Stauffer, Stover, tion of “A. R. W., 1745,” showing Drake, Ebert, Cassel, Ruth, Fry, how long anterior to the erection of Aulp, VanFossen, Hughs, Keaton, Ea¬ the school house this was used as a ton, Detwiler, Mitchell, Reinwalt, place of burial. Among the older rlendricks, Blackburn, Heckler, Metz, dates is that of Balthazar Anders, died Neiss, Rosenberger, Godshalk, A He 1754, aged 56. Another of nearly as great bach, Frederick, Gehman, Keeler, antiquity is that of Rosina Hresherin, Moyer, Berndt, Schlosser, Bucheimer, died 1749, aged 12 years. About 1782 Hoyer, Hallman, Kratz, Swartz, Kep the members regularly constituted ier, Ziegler, Keyser, Clemmer, Klein, themselves into a church organization, dnare, Hunsicker, Freed, Nuss, Funk though they had worshipped together and Roop. at private homes for nearly half a cen¬ Here also repose the bodies of Gen- , tury previously. eral Francis Nash, Colonel Boyd, and The first preacher among them in Lieutenant Smith, of the American America was George .Weiss, who was army, either slain or mortally wounded styled an.elder, tHe' was ordained in at the battle of Germantown. An im¬ 1735, and served till death ^called him posing monument was erected to the:' to -his. rewwdH-March 11 > 1710, aged 53. memory of General Nash by the patri¬ AtaQQg fa.i& successors, in both olden otic citizens of Montgomery county and more modern times, were Baltha¬ in 1844. zar Hoffmah; "Melchoir Kriebje, Mel- --_^tt choir Schultz, Balthazar Heebner, The Schwenkfeldter fleetinghouse. George Meschter, - Reuben Krieble, This is a large brick edifice erected Wm. S. Anders, Rev. Edwin S. Anders n 1894. Its situation is about two and Dr. George K- Mpschter. The first iles south of Kulpsville, near the marriage among" thenf in Towamenciu xtreme south corner of the township, was recorded January 16, when Balt¬ djacent to Worcester and Gwynedd, hazar Krhuse/" iufd “'Susanna -~-Hoff- lit stands not many yards northeast of roa®,-"" w3re,;^ 4b the - presence- of. |the previous edifice, built in 1854. Balthazar Hoffman and DavishSeipt;,., The latter stood upon a wooded knoll, . united in the bonds- of holy mat¬ rising from a depression to the west¬ rimony. The first child born ward, through which meanders a small ! in the new world- - s|n of Mel- rivulet. A thick forest covers the hill ! choir Krieble, whear -.ffeft, Fprty in Kulpsville as early as 1850. Sfoot-j-oadat spnip. ,.cli§tah.c.e .westward. Among the old time teachers of sixty 1’hV'cen trail, or Kidpsville cfistri'ct, has and seventy years ago at the Sehwenk- a ^Bsitthod-ioue" brick structure of two felder school were David Krieble, Abra¬ stories, built in 1S68. ham Moyer and Daniel Krieble. I These schools, six in number, are Among former teachers in the northern taught by seven teachers for seven pare of the township wore George Lu- Jj months in the year, at salaries rang- kens, John Ramsay and Thomas White. i| ing from S42..33 per month for men and Lukens taught for some years in a 1 SiO for women teachers. According to. building on hie own premises. He was the enumeration for 1895 there were strict in discipline and laid much 237 pupils in attendance, of whom 135 stress upon spelling. He always gave were boys. The average attendance out the words with his back to “the was 203; cost of tuition per month for class. Ramsay is remembered as being each pupil was §1.21. The school tax quite.strong in mathematics. At the was SI,618.76 and the State appropri- Tennis school at a similar period, the I at ion §1,057. G2. teachers wore Elizabeth Lukens. Enos : As in other townships of Montgomery Benner and Jefferson Lewis. Thomas (county, the schools of Towamencin White taught for eight winters in suc¬ 1 were greatly interior aud insufficient cession at the school near the Menno- prior to th6 adoption of the school law nite meetinghouse. Enoch Miller was about 1850, followed by the County also a teacher there. Superintendency law of 1854. Even yet The introduction of the public school they have not reached perfection nor law, enacted in 1835, was strongly op¬ are up to the standard of the more en=- posed for years but gradually won its lightened communities. They have , way into the approval of the majority been steadily improving, however. or tne taxpayers. It was a revolution r Terms have been lengthened, teachers’ in the school system, as requiring it to I salaries increased, better buildings be supported by the taxation of all erected, the quality of teaching im¬ property instead of the private system, proved, the graduating system adopted, under which they were wholly main¬ and a more enlightened public senti¬ tained by the parents whose children ment created, demanding more and attended school. It insured the oppor¬ more improvement. tunity for all the children to receive The knowledge of what scholastic ad¬ school training without cost for tu¬ vantages wore enjoyed by the children ition. The new system, once adopted, of the first settlers has been lost in ob¬ could not be overthrown, because the livion. The Schwenkfelfiers and Men- number of voters having children to be nonites established schools during the educated are always more numerous Colonial period, but these did not be¬ than those having none. come available till too late to serve the needs of the children that were early Kulpsville. born in the township. Probably some IT is customary in giving a descrip- men taught the young at their own - tion of a township to name and de¬ houses, which partially prevented the scribe its villages. In the ease of h reign of ignorance. The early settlers Towamencin the account may be and the second generation were batt- brief, for it never had but one. ^ling for existence in subduing the wil¬ This is Kulpsville, centrally situated derness, and illiteracy was quite com¬ at the crossing of two main roads, the mon before the Revolution, Smnneytown turnpike, which is here j At a later period the echools belong- 1 connected with the Forty Foot road. jng to the abovo religious sects were I A village has gradually grown up here | within a century of time, and it has ■■—■■I lj ffvT^nded in four ciifecTi(ins along ® dome writers thirty or forty years ago Si It is the voting place of Such a shape combines the most roon the township and the trading pom with the least outside space of wall, and is an attempt to follow Nature, in IS ^ blaSSmifli which we find nearly all things made and wheelwright shops, harness mak¬ in a circular or elliptical form—trees, ing and shoemakmg shops, a teed_ store plants, fruits, grain, and even the great round earth Huntf Elections and Politics. fhop^o Sblifflls, ^public Bchooh THE politics of Towamenoin has always been remarkably one-sided since the two main political par¬ ties of the nation solicited the votes of its citizens. Towamen- The dwellings fairly within the vm g fie sixty b\I, with other farm houses bin is one of a group of central town- ® of hand The population maybe 3hips of Montgomery county.which has always been strongly in antagonism to E'Xotlowfsbdp ?onteintdmaf the the party calling itself Democratic. Generations ago the non-resistant sects imbibed a strong hostility towards the Democratic party of that time. These included the Schwenkfelders, Menno- Karw^-rgr^sr^ nites, Dunkards and Quakeis. lhe Reformed and Lutherans were mosby Democrats, but to this classification there were some exceptions. In olden times the majority of the f.avore^ the vil'age. “»“;»»§” KnXto, the Federal party ; later the Whig, and since 1856 the Republican party. -kept aVstore soon after 1827. The lower So long ago as 1832 we find the vote aotel was built and licensed m 1842. for Wolf, Democrat, for Governor to The public hail was erected in185b The Methodist church was erected in have been only 17, whilst Ri ter, hm 1862 A more particular account opponent, had 97. From -8.j0 to 18... various proportion trill be found else- there was an Anti -Masonic party m opposition to the Democracy. lhe whe! e. John C- Boorse, Esq. tenets of the former strongly appealed to the beliefs of the Monnomh-s and No .account of Kulpaville would be Dunkards, who were then much op¬ complete without mention °Jr Boorsa posed to all secret societies. prominent citizens, ' . a In 1836 Jacob Fry, Democratic can¬ He has dispensed law and } JBt • didate for Congress, received a large rural community there many years. majority in Montgomery county, but iTo has been one of the most emineni the vote of Towamenoin was strong) for his opponent. It was i 1Joi sr Jf ?*ssssss ‘srfarS vaney and only 13 for Fry. Inen, too, when Fry’s relatives lived in the SVo” frog wbV Sj %«; ship and he represented an old mini 3 there. In 1843 Jesse Weber ran for Assembly on the Democratic ticket. oeth CM-a. B-.Wb-i Heu^ri. Though born in the township and be¬ Boorse, born in !/»«, Pwx?euR an(J longing to a once prominent iamil\ there, ho only received 4 rotes,though SfSSSHrc? he was elected in the count} ‘ jority of 423 votes over Ihomas J. m\ afterwards *>«»™ * £1^4' The'vote of recent years has been : Year. Republican. Democratic. pferts 224 M 1981 51 1882 227 1883 228 231 4ti 1884 37 1885 201 232 55 1888 42 1887 23C 247 41 1888 SO 1889 214 224 45 Republican C ty He has been 1890 32 1891 191 iong senes o 5g • iBBUranc0 busi- 239 4ft 1892 38 1893 233 ness!6 The census of Towamenoin anc. 229 m 30 bower Salford was take,nhe%epubli- 1896 245 1870, and in 1868 he was the gepubji_ was The total vote of former tunes Vef to oeoteli»nw.llio6 »<* much 1« in proportion to popo than since thirty years past.pas . 1 jhis , I'uT/one of' that /hope in the ‘<.»™h,p owing„ toi the policy ofnf abstention.i£om|€h r'xQT.f- uni of a f or mstrongly _adyocaW_ - ocuments issued from hi's taking part in cTv7T"'amT politica many legal Office or vwritten by him. In sundry affairs, formerly inculcated by the Bl4 cjeepls and documents it is spelled i jMennonites and Tunkers or Brethren, l' th ways, ant] sometimes Towamen- : jin later times their policy has been, con. Mr. Boorse quotes the analogy of | largely abandoned, though some yet Moyamensing, Wyalusing and other j refrain from voting. The registry list pataes of that ending, and also the j voters for the_ year 1896 contained fact that there is .a Towamonsing in j, 283 names. Monroe county, in former and present In 1S89 the vote on the Prohibitory timet; the fqrtp Towamencin has had Amendment was 29 in favor to 193 hi the most popular favor and there are opposition. lit must not be supposed strong doubts whether this can be al¬ that this 'overwhelming majority tered. William J. Buck, in Scott’s against the prohibition of the liquor Atlas, and also in the History of Mont¬ traffic was because the bulk of the gomery county, uses Towamencin as voters are intemperate people. On the the spelling, with a note, however, contrary, the absence of any liquor for that Towamensing is favored by some. Bale in the township would personally We think that older maps also favor inconvenience only a comparatively few the shorter termination. In preparing of its citizens. this history the writer was compelled By an Act of Assembly, passed in to choose between these ' conflicting .j'1777, Towamencin voted at the house claims, as will be seen throughout the of Jacob Wentz, Worcester. After 1785 volume. Possibly in later times this jthe voters were compelled to go to the spelling will not finally be decided to house of George Eekart, in White be the correct one. jinarsh, now Larzelere’s hotel. It was As throwing light upon the correct not till after 1797 that they could vote spelling we give "the reasons why Jame3 within the township. The place desig¬ Y. Heckler, the local historian, favors nated was the house of Christian “cin” rather than “sing”. .Weber, or the later Hughes tavern. “Our forefathers, in giving names I In 18-14 the voting plac-e was changed to places in this country, selected some [to the house of Benjamin B. Hen¬ foreign names, like Franconia, Hat¬ dricks, in Kulpsville, and has since field. Salford, Limerick, etc. ; some remained at the same place, now Hall- Bible names, Hike Bethlehem, Naza¬ meyer’s hotel. reth and Egypt; names of men, like Taverns. Biumstead,' Montgomery, Whitpain Thera are but two taverns or hotels ftn‘4 ’ cqaiiy others, and na’thei de¬ in the township, both in Kulpsville, rived or obtained from' the Indians. and kept in 1896 by S. C. Bean and H. ' |5y §ganqining our gazetteers find H. Hallmeyer. An inn was opened that neither Towamencin or Tovvamerir here by Mordecai Davis in 1794 or sing is a foreign name, nor a Bible jsoon after. The earliest public house name, nor the name of any man. Con¬ in the township is supposed to have sequently it be of Indian origin, but ibeen opened by the Hughes family at neither Heekwelder, Conrad Weiser, Itheir homestead on the northeast side nor Spangenburg have given us any ex¬ of the turnpike, nearly two miles-south- planation or definition of the word. east of Kulpsville. One by that name Rnt there are nfher names alao is mentioned in a map of 1776. The | which they have not explained, such later Hughes’ tavern was on the oppo¬ as Goshenhoppen, Perkasie and Me- site side of the great road, half a mile thatohen. further up. This was kept by Chris¬ Back in the early settlement of the tian Weber in 1797 and he had pur¬ country it is well known by local his¬ chased the property of the executors torians that Heinrich Fry and Catha¬ of Joseph Lukens in 1787. Among those rine Levering were married in Ger¬ licensed in 1776 were Israel Tennis mantown in 1692, and that they after¬ land J. Wampole. The former may wards lived in “Kocksburrow”. It 'have been a tenant landlord. The was not an incorporated town at that Wampole inn was at the present Moyer time, but an excavated burrow. The place on the Allentown road in the ex¬ said Heinrich Fry some years later treme north corner of the township. purchased a tract of land on Towamen¬ A more particular account of the old cin creek. The stream, apparently, inn properties is given elsewhere. had no name then. He was an elderly The Name of the Township. man when he was married, and when ITI1IN the past twenty years his boys were old enough he sent two there has been considerable of them, Jacob and Henry, up from controversy as to the proper Koxboro to clear away the timber and spelling, of the name of the prepare themselves homes. This may ¥ have taken place as early as 1714 or township. It was whether it; should be spelled Towamencin or To- 1715, or even later, but long before the wamensing. John 0. Boorse, Esq., toumship was surveyed or named, has been a most strenuous and persist¬ though the formal conveyance to Fry ent advocate .of the latter form, and was not made till 1724. The Skippack in this way:it has been given in ail the road was laid out as far up as the residence of_ Michael Ziegler, at the 1 f

..pper end of Sk ippaek-viHe in 1713. here, and the burial of severa These Fry brothers carried enough vic¬ officers within the Mennonite grave tuals in a wallet on their shoulders to yard. It is not known that any Brit¬ last them a whole week, and during ish detachments traversed its ’surface their foot journeys thither and return. and here was the farthest that the There was an Indian village on the American army penetrated northward land purchased by Fry, which was within the county of Montgomery. situated on the hillside near the pres¬ After the battle of Germantown the ent Fry’s school house, and the Indian fugitive arm of General Washington chief could speak broken English. pitched their tents along the northern The Fry brothers became intimate edge of the township from the 8th to friends with the Indians. It appears the l(!th of October, 1777. The main that when the chief had first seen the ! body came hither from the borders of white men in the forest cutting away ’ the Perkiomen on the afternoon of the the timber near the stream, he said to 8th. The encampment grounds of some one in broken English “Towha- W ashington and his army of weary sol¬ men-seen. ” The Frys knew that he diers, resting for a brief period in a had meant Two-men-seen, or that he sei-ure position at a distance from the had seen two men. From this expres¬ enemy’s detachments, were about a sion of the chief the stream and the mile above Kulpsville of the present district took the name of Towamencin. day. They comprise some 300 acres, The “a” at first had the sound of “a” I then the property of different owners. In small. Old Daniel Fry, who knew The most southerly of these, compris¬ the traditions of his ancestors, related ing a farm of 120 acres, is now the to me those things many years ago, farm of Henry S. Kriebel, but then be¬ when his memory was yet sound. longing to Be jam in Fuller. The north¬ It was quite natural for wood chop¬ ern section of the encampment, then pers, away alone in the forest, to poke belonging to Frederick Wampole, in fun at such an awkward expression, whose house was Washington’s head¬ md to call the stream and place of quarters. It is now owned by Jacob their work by that name. And when Detwiler. The western section was they got home they would tell their then owned by Jacob Bossert, and friends of their land on the “Two- now by Charles Wampole. men-seen”; and for brevity they would One flank rested upon the great high¬ call the place Tomencin. So the name way, the present brick Lutheran and has come down to us in common par¬ Reformed church standing at the edge lance after nearly two centuries. The of the tented city. township was surveyed in 1728, and al The first front conveniently reached the request of the petitioners it was to the waters of the Skippnck, extend- called “Towamencin”. One of the ! iug for a considerable distance up that leading petitioners undoubtedly was stream to where it receives its easterly Robert Jone3, an early conveyancer in branch. From thence it stretched up the district. Ho undoubtedly wrote the incline to the heights to the east¬ the petition and gave the township the ward. Much of the surface was pre¬ correct name. It is a beautiful name vious to the arrival of the army covered the way it is. Let us not change it. with a heavy forest, which was cut v'7e have the name Perkiomen, a name down for fuel and other purposes dur¬ of Indian origin, well established in ing the stay of the troops. The strip history, as the place where cranberries of woodland now covering the hill on ,'rew. ’ And we have the name Towa- the southerly border of the ancient en¬ nencin, as the place where two men campment has no old or large trees in were seen by Indians. Let us keep it. The present forest is wholly the the name as it is, and not change it to growth since 1777, or since the axe of sing or to sin. If some one were to the soldiers levelled the original trees. start out to change the name Perkio¬ During the encampment here several men to Perkioming, he could find events of importance took place that plenty of material in old manuscripts to are worthy of recital. Among these cause a disturbance. The incorrect | was the burial of the American officers spelling of our ancestors cannot be re¬ i slain or mortally wounded at the battle cognized as authority. The name Gosh- 1 of Germantown. General Francis enhoppen is found written in no less Nash, of North Carolina, had been than eight different ways in old manu¬ wounded in the thigh by a cannon ball, scripts, but long usage has established which had killed his horse. He was the name the way it is. The same carried to the present farm of Benja¬ may be said of Towamencin. Long min Markley on a litter made of poles, usage has established the name the l where he died on the 9th of October. way it is, and so let us keep it. ! At that time the property belonged to Towamencin in the Revolution. Adam Gotwals. Other officers buried here were Major John White, of Phila¬ PS^lIERE is considerable of interest delphia; Lieutenant Matthew Smith, connected with the Revolution in of Middlesex county, Virginia, and Towamencin owing to the en¬ Colonel Boyd. Major Smith was an campment of Washii aid of General Sullivan and was 9hot jfccT . pmikHi m .. ( that long afterwards remained stand¬ Germantown, and interred side by side ing on land which was then owned by in the order named, southward from one Hendricks, but later the property General Nash.” ^ ..." of Abraham Nyce. Besides himself, a On the northwest side is “Honor to great crowd of boys from the neighbor¬ the brave”. hood, drawn by morbid curiosity, had On the southwest face of the monu¬ collected to view the hideous spectacle ment : of the spy’s shameful death. Mr. . “Vota via me a pro Patria:. Boorse remembered seeing Washington In memory of General Nash, of North mounting a horse, and hearing him Carolina, mortally wounded in the give orders to the soldiers to form a , battle of Germantown. Interred Octo- close circle in order to shut out the I ber 1777 in the presence of the army demoralizing view from the sight oi here encamped. ” the urchins—mindful even amid the On the southwest side : “Erected by crushing cares and perplexities of the citizens of Germantown and Norris¬ nation’s griefs and perils that the hearts town in 1844.” of the young should not be hardened During the stay of the army at their by cruel and unwholesome exhibitions. encampment, one John Farndon, of Mr. Boorso’s description of the pres¬ Colonel Hartley’s regiment, suffered ent personal appearance of Washington death as the dreadful penalty for deser¬ was very clear, and reseml 1: d other tion, as he had left the army on the . portraits drawn by the pen and pencil 2oth of September. This execution of his contemporaries. took place on the afternoon of the 9th He was accustomed to relate, how, of October, immediately after the fun¬ previous to the Revolution, a few com¬ i eral of the officers. The place of exe¬ paratively tame Indians yet remained cution is said to have been on the Sal- in the vicinity, occupyiug a hut about ford line, about a quarter of a mile x.:, half a mile southwest of Kulpsville, * U ; northeast of where the Skippack crosses upon the Boorse homestead. There the turnpike. A few weeks before a was also an encampment of the red- detachment of American troops encamp¬ men near the creek along the Skippack ed at Paoli in Chester county, and road. Once upon a time, when start¬ whilst under command of General An¬ ing on a journey, an old woman was thony Wayne had been surprised and unable to follow the rest, and they saw many of them massacred by the Brit¬ she would only be an incumbrance. - ish. There were charges of neglect on To get rid of her nothing- better sug¬ the part of Wayne, and it was said gested .itself to their cruel miuds ■ that more watchfulness on his part than to make a bon-fire of her. So would have prevented this catastrophe. they proposed to seize her, fasten her So a Court of Inquiry was held here to a stake and set fire to her, intend-. I I concerning this matter, but Wayne was ing in Indian fashion to all get uprori- acquitted of blame. Over this Court ously drunk and have an enjoyable Lord Sterling presided. time, dancing in a circle around her, The local historians of the vicinity and being diverted by her sufferings. . relate some incidents of the stay of the vf But, fortunately, the woman was too j ' army here which may well be worthy alert for her unnatural kinsmen. She of preservation. The grandfather of escaped from their hands and fled to a John C. Boorse, Esq., also named John place of safety. She afterwards lived Boorse, was then a boy of fourteen. for many years along the Perkiomen, In the evening of his days he used to near Zieglerville. ; relate for the edification of his grand- It is possible that Mr. Boorse, in his children various reminiscences of his account of the execution of the spy, early youth. He said that a spy bear¬ may have confounded the circumstance ing the name of Spitenagel, supposed with the execution of Farndon, the to have been a Tory, had been detected deserter, but the names are very differ¬ and captured. By the stern rules of ent, as well as the details as related by war death was the appointed penalty William J. Buck. So we give his story for his lemerity. The scene of the ex- for what it may he worth, - ecution was without the camp, across S part of the history of the de¬ the Skippack in Salford, about 150 n campment of 1777, an old doc¬ yards northeast from the present turn- ument now in possession of , pike, and some 30 yards from that Jacob H. Cassel, is of interest. stream. An apple tree was selected This is a certificate for dam¬ > S by a British soldier from a ceHar~farr£'r ages, dated 1777 for 896 fence rails de¬ dow in the attempt ’ to fire Chew’s stroyed by Washington’s army. Doubt¬ house. Lieutenant Smith had been less the dry rails burned much easier killed in the hazardous effort to carry ■j than newly felled timber. This docu- i ’* a flag to demand an immediate surren¬ ment, yet in good condition, reads as der of the house, and was struck by a I follows: musket ball. The monument in the Estimate of damages on the planta¬ f graveyard bears these inscriptions: tion of Henry Cassel by the army un¬ On the northeast side is chiselled: ’I der the command of His Excellency [g “Per Acta Belli. In memory of Ooi- George Washington, between^ the 7th , ouel Boyd, Major White, of Philadel¬ phia ; Lieutenant Smith, of Va., Amer- i and 16th. Johu'Ectwa_ John Evans. 696 fence rails £8.14.0. Benjamin Fox. We, whose names are undersigned, Jacob Fry. at the request of Henry Cassel, have Frederick Fisher. Wiiham flodsbaik. taken a strict and careful survey of Peter Godshaik. the damage done to his plantation, and Godshalk Godshaik. to the best of our knowledge and judg¬ B-epry Gotwals. Jacob Grubb or Krupp, - ment believe the same to amount to John Hendricks, eight pounds and fourteen shillings, Leonard Hendricks, current money of Pennsylvania, and William Hoffman. Jacob Hallman. we are ready to qualify when called Owen Hughes upon. Abraham Krlebel. Given under our hands and seal on Jacob Kulp. Joseph Johnson. said plantation in Towatnensing town¬ Jesse Dukens. ship, this 23d of October, 1777. John Dukens. Joseph Dukens Frederick Warapole, CadwalJader Lukens, Nicholas Schwenk, John Lukens. John Lukens. Michael Moyci. William Mayberry. Enrollment of Towamencin in the Revolution. Christopher Mesclffer. The following is a list of the names Andrew MjUef. Jhpol) Penny packer, of the men living in Towamencin jlaltis J-ihmeWalf. 1 at the time 'of the devolution, Christopher Rhinewalt. and which was made about 1776. Melchoir Rhiuewalt. Joseph Smith, With 6ome labor . these names Henry Smith, have been placed in alphabetical order. Jacob Shutt, The first list is of those who were of David Spies, military age and enrolled in Captain David Seipt Israel Tennis. Daniel Springer’s Company of Militia, Jacob Updegioff. and which was part of the Fifth Bat¬ Christian Weber, talion. It is not know hown many of John Weller them saw actual service in the army, James Yocum; , Swan Yocum. but probably there was a small pro¬ Henry Yelljs, portion. The religious views of the John Ysakie. BaltisWea kte, majority of the people led them to be t A opposed to bearing arms or engaging Non Associttofs, in soldier life. At the time of the George Anders. great struggle for American Indepen¬ 'Jacob Bossert John Boorse, Weaver. dence the population of the Colonies Arnold Boorse. was comparatively small. To secure Henry Boorse. . enough soldiers for the patriot cause Henry Cassel. Y’ellis Cassel. it was necessary to reach out and en¬ John Evans. roll all the able-bodied men of the William Ellis. remote districts. In the other list— Abraham Dresher. Joseph Eaton. that of the Non-Associators, — are in¬ Jacob Fry cluded the older men, and. probably Benjamin Fuller. those whe, for various causes, could Garret Godshalk. Peter Godshalk. secure exemption from military duty. Godshalk Godshalk. It will be seen that some names are on Adam Gotwals. both lists. . There may .be those also: Henry Gotwals. Owen Hughes Who sectiH'd exempticahii G ii jlSSV'i Leonard Hendrioks, An inspection of these lists shovy Paul Kendricks.- many of the _saiue .farpily pames - that Samuel Hendricks. Henry Hendricks. exist in the township to:day, The Benjamin Hendricks. proportion of names of British William Hoffman. origin were very- few then, as Abraham Kriebel. John King. is the case now. In this list we have Jacob Kit Ip. only the . mimes,, o| § Mhfe, -- John Lukens, son of Abrahan Hughes^mftirdiv Joseph Lukens. Fuller and Yocum that werp^ot of •John Lukens. Peter Lukens Dutch or German ck0@ii^^i|s^pcHm John Lukens, son of Joseph, being Swedish. Th^ Hollanders yet Michael Moyer. preserved their Language, now lost, and George Meschter, Andrew Miller. which the' Germans 'of that; time called John Maybrrry. the “nieder Deutsch”. Japob Pennypackei*. baitis Rtilnewalt. Captain.Daniel Springer’s Company of Militia. David Spies. Abraham Andgrs. Abraham siifer. Arnold Boorse.' John Springer. Peter Boorse. John Snutt, Henry Boorsp. Hester Schwartz, John Boorse. David Springer. John Conrad. Henry Smith. Christian Cassel, Jsraet Tennis: Yehls Oasse) Samuel Tennis. Abraham Dresner, Jacob Cpdegroff. |_ Mordecai Davis. _- Federick Warn pole. t’hristian Weber. Abraham Wampole. hoir Kriebel, who ived over on Benjamin Weber, Gwyneda side, sold his claim to the iialtis YeaKle. to Caspar Kriebel John Yeakle. Towamencin farm Frany Yellis. for £158. Henry Yellis. TwentyXWV31U7 JUHOyears later, in... --176$, » CasparM. John Yellis. Kriebel sold the farm to his son, A bra- Swan Yoon in. ham, for £1,500—a very-large advance. The South Corner of Towamencin. The neighbors had changed. In YVor- HK name of Kriebel is a common coster were AbcaStafii and Jacob Wentz; one among the Schwenkfelders. Caspar K-epts, Melchior Meschter and This particular family of that Abraham Weigher were on the upper name has held possession of the side: Christopher W'eigner was on the south corner of Towamencin since no'rfcjggast, and Melchior Kriebel on the 1734, or for five generations. It is a Gwynedd- side—mostly Schwenkfelders, fertile and quite rolling, hilly region, intl 'ail of German extraction. The - ■ Watered by the Towamencin creek and \- death -of Caspar Kriebel took place its tributaries. The stream here flows February 18, 1771, while Melchior westward toward Skippack creek. Kiiiebel, his former partner, survived Here, on a knoll by a piece of wood- ’tiliU79Cb xl , , .. 1 (and, is one of the few Schwenkfelder The history of the farm thenceforth rpbqrches of the world, and adjacent isfbtfe a sries of transfers from father are the cemeteries where sleep the dead Jo son down to the present generation. ojLnast and present generations. —m Abraham Kriebel, born in 1<36, and The old homestead is just opposite tho second of the line, married to the westward, across a narrow valley, sannah, daughter of George Schultz. and up the slope of the rising ground His death took pla.nj in 1801. in 1784 beyond. A two-story stone house, with he bought a narrow strip of twenty veranda in front, and of the usual farm , | acres in Gwynedd of Benjamin Weber, house pattern, is the modern residence. which remained in the family owner¬ The ancient dwelling stood a few yards ship for a long period. The farm was southward on the lower slope of the j left by will to his sons, Ohristophei hill. It was demolished in 1848 and and Andrew, but in 1804, the lattei here the date of 1734. _ ... bought the whole. The lands contained in the original Andrew Kriebel, born in 1765, mar- tract bordered on four roads, with |r>ed Maria, daughter of George Heeb- Gwynedd and Worcester on two sides, J ner, and died jn 1833, at the age of 88. containing 490 acres, _and comprising I Hjs son George, the fourth of the line, the three present Kriebel farms and born 1797, married Sophia, daughter I others. It was later the estate of Oas j of Abraham K. Kriebel, and died in ; per Kriebel, containing 189 acres, now 11869. His son Abraham K. Kriebel, divided into the farms of Abraham K. i married Phoebe, daughter of Isaac S. Kriebel, containing 102 acres, and that Kriebel, and is the -present owner, In of Hiram K. Kriebel, of over eighty I 1894 tie'purchased the neighboring An- acres. The latter covers the extreme ■ ders farm on' the northern side. j south point of the township, extending to Locust Corner. TIW Andergi F;»rni, The first grantees of this region were The fertile lands of this farm, com¬ | two Englishmen, William Markham prising rolling hills, valleys and mead¬ ' and James Goodson. In 1688 they con¬ ows, are divided by the Towamencin, veyed their rights to James Peters, of creek. The buildings are situated on Bristol, England. In 1716 the wili of the bank on the northerly side of that James Peters gave it to his nephew, stream. A new house of modern ap¬ Edward Peters. Before this time set¬ pearance has been built, but the old tlement had begun in this vicinity. due ha’s been allowed to remain. In 1723 Peters sold the tract of 490 This'homestead has the same early acres to Nicholas Lesber, Sr., Nicho¬ history as the Kriebel place, for they las Lesher, Jr., and James Hill, for (yere together pnder the English own¬ £160. ership,- " It became part the share Five years later, in 1728, the two of kjchola^ ijes.her, Si'., in 1728, and Leshers and Hill made a partition, by- kgs part of 252 acres sold by him in which Nicholas Lesher, Jr., got his the same year to Cadwallader Evans, portion, or 189 acres. At that time of Plymouth..- It is not known whether Nicholas Hartstein lived or owned on Evans made any improvements, but in the Gwynedd side, Peter Wentz on the 1735 he sold 150 acres to a newly ar¬ Worcester side, Henry Pennypacker on rived Schwenkfelder,jmmed Chlisto- the northwest, and Nicolas Lesher, Sr., phev Weigner, for j621D. **; was boun¬ on the northeast, Lesher made im¬ provements and built the dwelling in ded b" '.“".is of fidward Griffith on the 1734, just before selling the property. Gwynedd side; by Caspar Kriebel on In September, 1734, was the time of the southwest; by John Lukens on the the coming of the Schwenkfelders, and northwest, and by Christopher Rein- this -farm of 189 acres was immediately wait'and Christian Weber on the north¬ purchased by Caspar Kriebel and Mel¬ east— all Germans or Dutch except chior Kriebel for .£242. In 1744 Mel- Griffith.

■■ ;M'r ■ h r

- v-. y- luis Christopher WeTgner was a Marfa, David, Susanna, Kosina, Abrre bachelor, and had no issue. His sis¬ ham and Bogina. He died DecembP ter, Rosina, was his nearest kin, but 11, 1773, whilst his widow,Bosina, su^ she was likewise unmarried. Herheirs vived till J uly 16, 1820, reaching the were Ann Anders, wife of Baltser An¬ great age of 90 years. Elisabeth oiJl ders ; GeorgeHoffriehter, George Fieig- of their daughters reached her 98^ ner,Baltser Miller and Melchior Beer- year, dying March 5, 1849. David wa-i all except the first living in Europe, born July 25, 1757, and died Februar ™IIu1'pe,nf?ld’ Leignitz, Saxony. In 9, 1816. 17b4 the heir conveyed their right to Caspar Seipt was the next ownen Ann Anders. In 1780 he conveyed to buying of his father in 1751, tin her on George £700 pounds. She had amount of 135H> acres. Twenty-twc then removed to Milford, Lehigh years after, or in 1773, he made his county. The nest transfer was in 1801 last will, the purport of which was as Aotn George Anders to his son, George, follows: ihere were four George Anders in suc¬ Will of Caspar Seipt. cession. In 1845 the third George This was written December 8, 1773. came into possession and in 1878 the In it mention was made of his wife fourth .George inherited the propertv Rosina and children David, Elizabeth, ,, acres. As before mentioned', Susanna, Rosina, Abraham and Regina. Abraham K. Kriebel purchased the Seipt being only a man of middle age, farm in 1,894. all his children were minors. He re¬ The Old Seipt Plantation. quested that the family should live to¬ gether on the farm till the eldest son HE Seipt family were of Silesian T David was of age, which did not occur origin, being Schwenkfelders, The till 1778, when the property was to be present Lare farm of 45 acres is sold. The sum of £20 each - was left only a fragment of a once much to the sons David and Abraham. The larger property. It borders the residue was to be divided equally iowamencin, which here flows in a among all the children. His old mother westerly direction, a short distance Judith was to be kept free. She died southwest of the buildings. The farm in 1775. His mother-in-law, Mary jgj acquired by Benjamin Lare in Yeakle, lived in a separate house on Ihe place, and had certain privileges The region hereabouts seems to have cherein. The widow and two brothers- been loft a wilderness till a period in-law, John Yeakle and Beltzer Rein- somewhat later than other adjacent wait, were made executors. The will portions of the township. The first was entered for registry January 5, transfer was made in 1738 and this was j 1774. In the assessment of 1776, Ro¬ by patent to John Nagle, for 200 acres, sina Seipt was credited with 135 acres, given by John Penn. This area covered I three houses and five cows. The prop¬ several adjacent farms bordering the erty was retained by the executors dur Towamencin, and extended to the ing the Revolutionary period and long western line. Nagle and his wife | after. In 1789 eon veyance was made of Christina, probably Germans, sold the land in two portions. The larger their patent the same year to John part of 118 acres was granted to David Stepnen Bennet, of Philadelphia. The Seipt, with the following boundaries: boundaries then were: Beginning at Beginning at corner of Peter Lukens, coraer of Paul Hendricks: by same also a corner of George Mesehter, by northeast 180 perches: by John Lu- same southwest 186 perches to corner kens, southeast 188 perches: then of Michael Croll, Esq., by last named southwest 180 perches: then northwest md Hubert Cassell northwest 106 188 perches to beginning. This was a :erches to corner of Abraham Seipt, nearly square piece of 200 acres, much by same northeast 182 perches to cor¬ over a half mile in length and breadth, ner of Peter Lukens; by last named lne price paid was £165. The previous southeast 101 perches to beginning. 1862. William Penn to The smaller portion of 41 acres con¬ Jew ftliilington, of Shrewsbury, Sa- veyed to Abraham Seipt was the upper i?P.sh,lr®’ England. Millington sold to or northwest side. Beginning at cor¬ Kalph Asheton, who, in 1730, sold 200 ner of Paul Hendricks in line of John acres to John Nagle Hendricks; by first named northeast Bennet wasnofa settler. lie helu 180 perches to corner of Peter Lukens the land six years, till in 1744 he sold md Christopher Reinwalt; by line of 140 acres of it to a Schwenkfelder Peter Lukens southeast 37 perches; by named David Seipt, who made the first ine of David Seipt southwest 1S2 improvements soon after. David Seipt oerches to corner of Hubert Cassell; and wife Judith came to America in >y same and heirs of John Hendricks 1734, with sons, Christopher and Cas¬ lorthwest 37 perches to beginning. par. He died November 24, 1765, and It will be seen that this was a long his widow Judith, September 13, 1775. sarrow strip, only 600 feet w,ide, by ^aspar, his son, was born in Silesia in nuch over half a mile long. For this * He married Hosina, daughter portion Abraham Seipt paid £270. He S’* Abraham Veakle, November 27, leld possession thereafter for thirty He had children, Elisabeth, >. - * . < Halfel „_Seven acres' were solcf’t'o X e sold to Dav ham Krieble. or 83,529,. and it ceased t'o In 1870 nine acres were sold to John ■Jqhwenkfelder property after 75 C. Boorge and five acres along the >wersbip. Seipt hagl be?u horn Morris road to Philip Stlllwgan. Ha¬ ier 1, 1^6b. He married Anna, daugh- ;er.of kel owned the main farm till 1802 when Gqorge Anders, November 21, it eatne Into possession of Samuel 1799, and had ehjJdrgn—George,, Su- Meta. ;aiinu, ,Abrahain , , 1 and Joseph'. He died The Meschter Homestead and Keller Farm. ~>eptembei 19, 1850, being nearly 81 \ears of age. Kline was t^P owner for There were two other small home, twenty years. His death' took place steads formed out of what was first ibout 1839 by suicide, in which year the 200 acres conveyed by John Nagle his administrators sold to Israp] Qress- to John Stephen Benezet in 1738. uan. There hgve been several trans¬ There were the later Keller farm and fers since; 1855, Chessman to Eli Cas¬ the mill property. Curiously enough, hel, a miller; 1861, Cassel to Jacob H. they have been quite small properties Swartz ; 1865, Swartz to John H, A»- from early times. These tracts were ders; 1880, Anders tg A,u«u |fege. further up the Towamencin or south¬ east of the Seipt plantation. The ; ?eon uS.r !$RVpmbSr C, 1886, and ■n his heirs conveyed 15 acres to Meschter piece was detached in 1744 Benjamin Lare for P5QQ. by sale by Benezet to a Schwenkfelder named Christopher Weigner, but who The Hakel Farm. in 1745 sold to Melchoir Meschter, The farm which until recently be¬ who had also come from Silesia in 1734. longed to Lewis Hakel, is now’ owned Meschter made the first improvement by Samuel Metz. It borders the To¬ nor© in iiis^ litti© f&rtn by th© brook- ll}.- wamencin, the buildings being up the side, and lived here many years. In oortheast side of that stream. This 1774 he sold to his son George, who was probably thp original homestead had been born in 1737, two pieees, one of the Seipt family, and where Caepa’r of thirty and the other of four acres Seipt lived till his death in 177a Its for £130. The larger tract was curious •iwly history has beep told in the ac- m shape, being no less than 180 :ount of the Haro property. This larg¬ perches long, but only 27 perches wide. est portion oame Into possession of Da¬ It was then bounded by land of Peter vid Seipt In 1789 by sale to him by the Lukens and Baltzer Reinwalt. executors of his father, Caspar Seipt. It extended to the Morris road and the The Reinwalt Family and Lands. Worcester line. The boundaries then The late Keller farm was composed were: Beginning at corner of late Pe¬ ter Lukens, now Andrew Krieble’s, being also a corner of late George a John Stephen Benezet sold the Meschter; by Meschters, southwest, southeast side of his 200 acres, com- ' '•fOssing the Towamencin creek 186 prising thirty acres to Andrew Warner. perches to Morris roafl to line o.f Qath- 1 he next sale was in 1761, when War¬ u-ine Crol); by and by line of ner conveyed it to Abraham Weigner. g Hubert Casseli northwest 106 perches Ihis was bought in 1769 by Baltzer to corner of Abraham Seipt; by last Reinwalt for ^l20—a price indicating named crossing the creek northeast 182 some sort of a dwelling. The bonnda - perches to line of Andrew Krieble; ries were—Beginning in line of Jacob I by same southeast 110 perches to be- Wentz at corner of Caspar Krieble j linning. This tract comprised 100 ( Worcester line), by same northeast 180 acres. perches to line of Peter Lukens; by In 1816, after the death of David last named northwest 27 perches to cor- Seipt, his heirs, comprising Elizabeth I ner ot Melchoir Meschter; by same Seipt. Susanna Dresher, Christopher southwest 180 perches; thence' south¬ Krieble and wife JRosina, and Regina east 27 perches to beginning. \ lone X Seipt, sisters of David Seipt, granted j narrow strip, only 446 feet wide. This ! deed of the property to Abraham 1 Presumably covered the site of the pres- I I ent Krieble mill. 1 | Seipt. Another generation passed away, comprising a period of 36 years, In 17il Christopher Reinwalt sold to * ' when after the death of Abraham Seipt, Baltzer or Belthazar Reinwalt, a ' his son Abraham obtained the prop¬ *arger piece of 59 acres which the for¬ erty by deed from George Seipt and mer had purchased from Christian We- ^ Susanna, wife of Jacob Arp. The ber In 1776 “Boltis” was enrollediD 1 amount of land was 88 acres. Captain Springer’s Company of Mili I The property finally passed out of the ^t belooging to a non-resistant sect he doubtless paid his fi„0 rathej. Seipt ownership in 1868, after the long possession of 124 years, or since 1744. than bear arms. He was assessed for Dr. John W. Jacobs, now of Lansdale, 89 acres, two horses and two cows. His death took place about 1804. His will bought it from Abraham Seipt, and oi that year devised his land to his forthwith began to dispose of it in son-in-law, Andrew Anders, a prone-tv parcels. The largest, comprising the valued at £900. but who soon conveyed homestead of 52 acres, was sold to Lewis to Henry Snyder, wbo had married he Patent to Dennis Kuriders. Regina Reinwalt. In 1818^ Henry Sny¬ der sold the combined property com¬ HE Lukens family were -settlers prising 89 acres to Andrew Anders. i ? in two portious of Towamencin, On this were two houses. In 1832 the about two miles apart. The site will of Andrew Anders conveyed the * of the more southern location of same to his two grandchildren, Andrew this family was doubtless where and Joseph Anders. In 1851 Andrew Aaron B. Krieble now lives, a mile Anders sold 70% acres -to .Joseph K. south of Kulpsville. Here are farm Anders. The latter transfers have buildings on a meadow bank, near the been 1855; Anders to Henry Leppla; public road, and near the public school 1856, Leppla to Jacob B. Ileppe; 1865, house. This has been the site of a hu¬ Heppe to Ira Eaton ; 1868, Eaton to man habitation for nearly two centur¬ Jeremiah Anders, fifty acres. A daugh¬ ies. This region of hilly slopes and ter of Jeremiah Anders married Charles more level upland was obtained by pat¬ ent in 1705 by Dennis Kunders, or Con¬ Keller. The latter owned the farm rad, a German Quaker, who had settled till his death in 1894. In 1895 the in Germantown as early as 1685. "He property was conveyed to Irwin K. had much other land elsewhere for his Krieble, and later was bought by sons and so he sold this in 1710 to John Mr. Hansell. Henry Leppla removed Lucken, a Hollander^ then of Bristol to Appleton, Wisconsin. township, the name then given to the Christopher Rein wait had children— Christopher, David, Melchoir, Susan¬ area afterwards called Towamencin. nah and Balthazar. The boundary -of The price paid by Lucken was £30, the 59 acres sold in 1771 then were: seven shillings. The boundaries were: Beginning in line of Christian Weber, Beginning at corner of Job Boidsons by same southwest 70 perches; by late land ; thence northeast by James Peters Christopher Weigher northwest 135 237 perches; northwest 186 perches; perches; by Peter and Joseph Lukens southwest by vacant land 237 perches northeast 70 perches ; by late Christo¬ to line of Job Boidson ; southeast by pher Dresher southeast 135 perches to same 186 perches to beginning. This beginning. comprised ail tho land between the present turnpike and the later Ashton The Anders Mill Property. or Nagle tracts on the southwest. It This has never been a grist mill, but probably extended from tho southeast only used for chopping and for sawing, cross road 1o a similar road on the it is situated on the northeast side of northwest. It was three-quarters of a the Towamencin Where the latter bends mile in length from the line of the more to the westward. On the oppo turnpike. In 1734 Joseph Lukens was site side a steep wooded hill rises, assessed for 200 acres. much above the level of the vale below. This plantation afterwards became Attached to the mill is a house and ten much subdivided,but portions of it re¬ acres, now’ belonging to Henry S. mained in the hands of the Lukens Krieble, of North Wales. The mill family for a century or more. - It is was built by Joseph Anders during his now divided into four farms, besides ownership which lasted from 3823 to smaller properties. John Lukens, tho 1832. He was the father of Joseph K. pioneer had a son, Joseph Lukens, to Anders, of North Wales. whom he conveyed his plantation in The ten acres attached are part of 1735. The present. Krieble farm was the old Meschter farm of thirty-four sold by Joseph Lukens in 3759 to Peter acres. George Meschter made his will Lukens, his son, for £60. In 1776 Peter ordering its sale, in 1797, and died Lukens was assessed for 87 acres, four August 1, 1S0JL. His esecutprsi did not horses and six cows. The amount of sell till 1823', when'll was bought bv land sold in 1759 was 77 acres. The Joseph Anders, it was « "— .- will of Joseph Lukens was made in 184 par«k» '■ ‘”7Hotv s^nP - iong by only 32 perches 1777. He had removed-to part of his wide, extending to the Morris road. plantation fronting on the groat road, The price paid was S946. In 1865 the retaining 99 acres., Jin 1776 he 'was as¬ mill and ten acres were sold to Jacob sessed for 98 acres,” 3Tve’'horse3 and four- Pry. There have been a number of cows. His residence was where Wil¬ transfers since: 1865, Jacob Fry to Da¬ liam H. Anders lives at present. This vid D. Rosenberger; 1867, Rosenberger afterwards became the site of the to Henry S. Rosenberger; 1868, Rosen¬ Hughes tavern. In 1788 tho executors berger to Charles Todd Jenkins; 1870, of-jbseph'L'iikens sold to Christian We¬ Jenkins to Henry Wireinan; 1885, ber; .this rfarto which.- fronted for 294p ■Sheriff's sale to Eli Cassel, father-in- feet, on the turnpike. In . 3802 . Weber law of Henry S. Kriebel, of North conveyed'the same to'John Hughes. Wales, the present owner. The Kriebels. * ' 1 ': (To, he continued next week.) The original homestead of John Lu¬ ■ kens passed cut of the family name,,in! 1812. In that year tho executors’o? Peter Lukens, the third in descent, soia^lS acres to AqdreWt Kriebel, . a Schwenkfelder. Peter Lu kens had < -v

iugbter Esther). ren, T esse, ‘Susan - John Lukens is remembered as a tall Iredell, Martha Shoemaker and can, and somewhat lamo. He attach ; it Edith Scott. They were a Quaker Gwyhfedd Friends Meeting, liehad * family. Forty years afterwards, in l&he daughter, Ann, -who married Jesse 1852, Andrew Krieble sold to Abraham (Hamer. i Krieble. The latter erected a new set of farm buildings on the. western side The Hughes Tavern Property. of his plantation in a retired situation, This is on the southwest side of the at a distance from the highway and on turnpike, opposite the Troxell resi¬ a slope declining towards the west dence. This property was owned by branch of the Towamencin. His son Hip Hughes family from 1§Q2 to 18611 Andrew B. Krieble now has this por¬ fhe farm is pleasantly situated about tion of the farm, whilst his brother ft mile southeast from Kulpsvj lie. Here ; Aaron B. Krieble has the homestead was the Hughes tavern, famous in its [to the eastward, time as a much frequented inn. When The Farm of Edward P. Zimmerman. it was first licensed is unknown to the writer, but it ceased to be This farm is a short distance south public house about 1844. of Kulpsville, on the southerly slope As told in the account of the Lukens ■f the hill upon which that village plantation, this was part of the 275 j lands. Here are substantial farm acres bought in 1710 by John Lukens"'| uildings, connected by a short lane [with the turnpike. Since 1877 it has of gennfs QopargL In J787-Jh0 exeeu-" j furs "of Joseph Lukens sold 107 acres to L een the property of Edward Zimmer¬ Christian Weber, In 1802 Weber con¬ man, son of John Zimmerman, and de¬ veyed to John Hughes for £1350. The .■ scendant from Christopher Zimmer¬ latter kept the tavern for many years, f man, of Whitpain, who bought the In 1828._ after his death, his heirs, Jolly farm in that township in 1775, comprising Sarah, his widow, Mary, and died in 1782. wife of .Robert Kenderdine, and Ann Here has been a habitation possibly Hughes, conveyed to William Hughes. since the middle of the last century. The latter was the owner for just forty This was the north quarter of the Lu¬ kens plantation of the olden time. In : years. The later transfers have been : 1868, William Hughes to D. Harley; 1759 Joseph Lukens, son of John, con¬ A'. 1871, Harley to George W. Haines; veyed 110 acres of these lands . with a 1872, Haines to Harley again; 1873, southerly slope, to his son John. Con- I Harley to John D. Morgan ; 1873, Mor- darning the latter we know nothing gave that he Was a Quaker, was' qfr- bxOgJphn W, Monteith; J873, 'Mon _ fQjlecl'in Captain Springer’s Company t®, , t0, William Wheeler; 1873; Wheeler to Andrew Anders, 100 acres. pf Militia, and assessed for 109 acres, '* 4 horses and 4 cows in 1776. His life The Weber Farm and Family. continued down till the winter of 1806. THIS farm is on the lower edge of He was quite wealthy for those times. the township, on the southwest Will of John Lukens. sicle of the Sumneytown Turn¬ pike. The surface is roiling and The principal items of his will, made jin 1805, are: To my son Isaac, my slopes southwest, being watered v A by the Towamencin creek, which flows plantation of 90 acres in Gwynedd, •t.F [joining lands of Ellis Cleaver, Chris¬ westward past Towamencin creamery. A long meadow, watered by a rivuiat, r\t ■% tian Dull and others. This was near separates two knolls. The dwelling Is Spring House Tavern; to my son Levi £200; also a bond for £400. To my several hundred yards, from the high¬ daughter Martha £200 ; to my grand- way built on the sloping bank that rises from the meadow. Here is a stone , son John Pawling .five shillings; to my son John, my dwelling place, where 1 house, now.much modernized, but yet the oldest house in the vicinity. Ac¬ V now live, comprising JO acres, Abra= cording to the date stone, it was built Qreshhr and jin> ‘son1 wdre made in 1737 by Christian Weber. executors, and the will was witnessed According to the recitals of a deed A Vi [by Henry Smith and Henry Sweitzer. His son Levi removed, to Virginia. of January 22, 1828, now almost unde¬ This second John Lukens, who got cipherable, we learn that William the family will in 1806, livod till about Malkham and John Goodson, commis¬ 1844. Jesse Hamer was his adminis¬ sioners of property for William Penn trator, and he sold the farm at public m 1688 granted to James Peters 490 '' sale on the 27th of July, 1844, to James acres, embracing a mile in length and Hamer. The farm extended from the two thirds of a mile in breadth and 1 turnpike southwest 198 perches, ftnei covering the south corner of Towamen- ' comprised 110 acres. Seth Lukens, of cin. The boundaries of this great tract „ Gwynedd, bought it in two pieces of were: Beginning by lands of Griffith .' 57 and 30 acres in 1845 and 1850, pur¬ Jones; thence northeast by same 358 chasing the former, in 1845 of Dr. perches; thence southeast by a street ■ lames Hamer. The Hamers were his ori road (the present turnpike) 220 Orothers-in-law. Finally in 1877 Seth perches; thence southwest by marked Lukens sold to his son-in-law, Edward trees (now Gwynedd line) 358 perches- Zimmerman (who had married his thence northwest by a line of trees

I - V _H__ Anow Worcester line) 220 perches to be- became a miller, first owning Eelff‘8 ! ginning. mill on the Wiasahickon, arid aferward It is not supposed that Peters ever removed to Coliegaville, engaging in lived on this tract. By his late will the same business. He married Eliza¬ made February 11, 1716, he devised it beth Re iff, was ejected a member of I to his nephew Edward Peters, and the Legislature in 1807, wherein ho '! shortly after died. On the 26th of Sep¬ served four years, and of which body tember 1723, Edward Peters sold to ho became Speaker for two sessions three parties, Nicholas Lesher, Sr., He became noted as a businessman and i Nicholas Lesher, Jr., and Jacob Hile. a politician, but his life was cut short The share of the latter was 189 acres, by a fever in 1815, when in his 47th of which he-sold 55 acres to Christian year. He left five childern. Weber in 1728. Jesse Weber, brother to John, was a Now Christian Weber and wife Ap- military officer in the second war with ; polonia had just came from Holland,. England. He removed to Montgomery I landing in Philadelphia, September 27, township, owning a farm just east of 1727. He made the first improvements Lansdale. He was chosen a member of on these premises. Probably for the the Assembly in 1843, and served one first nine years he lived in a log, an in¬ term. He left descendants, among ferior house, till more means enabled tyhom syere J. Stffiud Web#. Eyap's- him to build a better stone house in burg, whose son, Mathias Weber, was 1737. In the list of landholders of To- a well known teacher. wamenein, made 1734, Christian We¬ Of the descendants of John Weber, ber is credited with 50 acres. He Mary, the third child, married William passed the remainder of a long life on Bean, of Lower Providence. The lat¬ this farm and made his will, May 4, ter was a prominent and influential citi¬ 1776. He had been born in Holland zen, a Democrat in politics, and was ‘n 1696, and was 31 years old on arriv- three times elected to the Assembly, ng in America. His death took place in 1841, 1842 and 1843. Hp died in in 1778 at the good old age of eighty^ 1865, One pf fiig sons", Colonel Theo¬ it wo-—just haULa century after .his pur¬ dore Weber Bean, became a well known 's L-hase of ,tnis farm, His wife was born lawyer of Norristown, and a soldier j p.70,3 and died ll73. ‘ They:were of- the who won his title in the Cavalry spr- j Itefbrmed fa'ith and lie buried atWentz’s \ ice during the Civil War, He deliv¬ lichurch', Worcester. His name appears ered the address at the Centennial of I jim the role of Non-Associators in 1776. Valley Forge, June 18, 1878, and to i Christian Weber left five sons, Jacob, whose researches we owe the “History ; Benjamin, Nicholas and Christian, of Valley Forge.’’ Later he published land one whose" name has not boen the voluminous “History of Mputgoai- learned. Two of them, Benjamin and sry Cpvspty,’ pnblished’:in'1884. The Christian, were enrolled in Captain ydpngest of the children of John Weber Springer’s Company of Militia. The was Joseph, who became a printer and posterity of these sons of Christian for many years published the Northern Weber are very numerous, not only in ’ Advocate, at Claremont, New Hamp¬ Montgomery county, but elsewhere, shire. and in far away states. Jacob, the The old WTeber property passed out eldest, had three sons, Abraham, Ben¬ of the hands of that family a very long jamin, and Isaac, and the late Freder¬ while ago. This, was in 17g3,. .^yhea ick Weber, was one of the sons of Abra¬ Christian Weber; Jr.' sold 76 acres to ham. From Benjamin Weber have de¬ Daniel Price, for £800, in three lots of scended by the female line, the Shearer 49, 33 and 4 acres, the first represent¬ and Zearfoss families, Nicholas Weber ing the old homestead. At the same married into an English Quaker fam¬ time he sold to Price a tract of eighty- ily; and some of his posterity remain one acres, over in Gwynedd, part of 100 in the lower part of this county. acres, which in 1770, he had bought Christian Weber, Junior, inherited of Amos Griffith. The 23 acre lot had the homestead. lie was a man of abil¬ been bought in 1792 by Weber from ity and force of character, and such George Dresher • was his patriotism and influence that In 1801 Daniel Price sold to Benja¬ iu 1778 he recruited 100 men for the min Van Fossen 137 acres partly in American cause, and with them served Qwnyedd, but of which 90 acres in the army. Many years later he was attached to the old hptnestead where appointed by Governor Mifflin Justice Price then resided. Van Fossen was a of the Peace and also served as County blacksmith. He died leaving nine Commissioner in 1800 and succeeding children, and in 1826 thes e premises years. His sons were John and Jesse, came to his second son Mathias, The both of whom inherited their father’s death of Mathias Van Fossen took ability and capacity for politics and place in 1838. He was a single man, public affairs. A daughter married to and by will of October 10th of that Hr. Amos Griffith, who removed to New year, he bequeathed to his nephew Britain, and was the father of the late Henry V. Allebach, the house and John Weber Griffith. John Weber born greater part of the land when said October 8, 1768, was reared a farmer, nephew should be twenty-one. After many years Allebach ■ sold to William Mover 51 acres in Towamencin arid 10 I

acres in Gwynedd in 1-856. The-death The" Heckler Farm. of William Moyer took place a few THE small farm of Israel D. Heckler i years since. lie carried on the tailor¬ is only a fragment of a much lar¬ ing business extensively. After his ger plantation in Colonial times. death the property was sold to H. B. j The situation of tbe old stone Wimlev, the present owner. house on a meadow bank, by a spring, and at a distance from a high¬ The Landes Farm. way, was characteristic of sites chosen I This property, situated on the south¬ by the early settlers. The barn is on west side of the turnpike, was part of the summit of the slope, at the termi¬ ! the Van Fossen farm. The buildings nus of a lane leading northeast for a are near the road, and overlooking a few hundred yards to the turnpike, meadow bank. Here, in former times, at a point over a mile soutbest from 1 Benjamin Van Fossen carried on black- Kulpsviile. The home is built in two | smithing. He married, Mary, daugh- parts, of which the western end is of j ter of Jesse Earnhart, and had five unknown antiquity. The eastern part children. His death took place before was bulit soon after 1820 by Jacob 1860, whilst his widow died in North Kulp, and succeeded an earlier log Wales in 1896 at the age of 78. In kitchen. In former times the property 1860 his widow and son-in-law, Edwin included part of the Landes farm od J. Pyle, sold the premises, comprising the east, that of David Kulp on the fifty acres, to Joseph Oberholtzer, who north, extended northwest to the cross immediately conveyed to John Cassell, road, and comprised 138 acres. who in. 1866 conveyed back to Ober¬ This was part of the patent of 490 holtzer. It was bought in 1871 by acres granted to Janies Peters in 1688, Christian Landes, who died the owner a piece more than a mile in length by in 1896. He was a man of remarkable two-thirds of a mile in width. It physical strength in his prime—prob¬ fronted for 220 perches upon the pres¬ ably one of the strongest men that ever ent turnpike, above the Gwynedd line. lived in Townmenein. In 1723 Jacob Hile obtained the north¬ The Schultz Farm. east portion, comprising 189 acres, ana This was part of the old Weber plan¬ of which he conveyed 134 acres in 173f tation. The buildings are on a hillside to two Schwenkfelders, George Dreshe rising above the Towamencin, which and David Seipt. waters the meadow below. It is now George Dresher the property of Addison S. Schultz. May be said to have been the first This property passed from the posses¬ settler here, and ten years later Seipi sion of Benjamin Weber in 1786, when released his share to him. The Dresher sold to a Schwenkfelder named Mel- family lived here for nearly forty years. choir Reinwalt. Forty-six acres were George Dresher died March 3, 1774, conveyed to him, bounded by land of leaving children, Christian, Maria and Balzar Reinwalt, Benjamin Van Fos¬ Rosina. Meanwhile, in 1752, he had sen, Michael Ruth and George Anders. sold his plantation to his son Christo¬ In 1812 the will of Melchoir Reinwalt pher, who had been born in Europe in conveyed it to his son Jonas, who was 1720. Coming to this country with then a minor. In 1829, after the death his father in 1734, he married Anna of the latter, the farm was sold at pub¬ Kriebel in 1744. In 1782 he bought lic sale to Lydia Reinwalt, who the present Rosenbeiger farm to the sold it in 1854 toMichael Schultz, father north, and other land, comprising 129 of the present owner. acres. Hi? life-time was wholly within Melchoir Reinwalt was the son of the Colonial period, as he died August Christopher Reinwalt, the emigrant, 2, 1770, "at the age of fifty, leaving chil¬ who died January 14, 1770. He first dren, George, Rosina, Abraham, Su¬ married Maria, daughter of George An¬ sanna apd Maria, born between 1746 ders, and died December 2, 1812. His son Jonas, was born July 20, 1796, and and 1757, Christopher Meschter. died November 9, 1829. Melchoir Reinwalt, the father, was married a The property passed from the Dresher second time to Rosina, daughter of family in 1771, when the widow and George Snyder, April 5, 1785. heirs sold 111 acres to another Sch wenk¬ Michael Schultz was the son of felder named Christopher Meschter, George Schultz, and was born July 13, who was the owner during the Revolu¬ 1814. He married Rachel, daughter tion. In 1776 he was assessed for 100 of Abraham Snyder, April 20, 1841. acres, two horses and six cows. He George Schultz was the son of Christo¬ was enrolled in Captain Springer’s pher, and married Hannah, daughter Company of Militia in 1775, but there of Melchoir Schubert. Christopher is no probability that he saw any ac¬ Schultz married Maria, daughter of tive military service. He was the son Ilans Henry Yeakle, in 1771, and died of Melchoir* Meschter, the emigrant, in 1830. He was the son of George and born in America in 1743, In 1773 Schultz, the emigrant from Silesia. he marrjpd $osiqa Kriebel and died in 1797, leaving sons, Christopher, Jere¬ miah and David, Pi cin creek, a half mSheM Kulpsville Moaiiwfilie tfie Dresber Pairs down to the Gwynedd line, embracing tained a small tract of 23 acres two hundred acres, part of which was they sold in 1772 to Christian on the southwest side of the highway. It was a narrow strip, now forming The original homestead was on tne part of the Landes estate, south¬ northeast side of the turnpike, where east sidg. is now the residence of Aaron Snyder. After the Revolution came several No writer of local history has told us changes of ownership. The Sehwenk- the time when the first Hughes immi¬ felders had been possessors for half a grant bought land here. The most century, when in 1784 Mesohter sold probable supposition is that it was not to David Schambaugh. The latter was far from 1720 to 1725. It was part of but a temporary owner-. After the per¬ the lands earlier held by the Claypooles, iod e# h_7& years he sold to Daniel father and son, but not improved by Price, who staid but four years, when them. The amount purchased was 150 in 1793 he conveyed 91 ac£@| t§. ■ Plffi- acres, comprising the present Snyder tian Wjfer,, hia nerghblt'dif the south- and Oberholtzer farms, reaching to the ehefc eldfj, The latter added 41 acres to Gwynedd line, and bordering the turn¬ his other farm, and then sold the rem¬ pike on the northeast side. It was of nant of fifty acres the same year to a rolling surface with long meadows Samuel Wisler for £400. Wisler staid between uplands. The purchaser is here a life time. Death came to him supposed to have been Morgan Hughes. in 1819, and in February following his The latter died in 1726, and was suc¬ farm was sold at public sale for 149-50 ceeded in the ownership by his son Ed¬ per acre to Andrew Anders. The latter ward. The earliest house was of stone, retained twenty '"abd the same built a little farther down the meadow yefer' sold the remnant of the much de¬ banks than the present Snyder house. spoiled plantation to Jacob Kuip. The Will of Edward Hughes--1764. latter also came to stay a lifetime, Edward Hughes, was the owner from which ended in 1854. His son Silas 1726 till his death in 1769. His will was the heir to the same. A span of was made October 27, 1764, and was thirty-four years, and on October . 20, witnessed by John Evans and John 1879, Silas Kulp ended this life. He Ambler. It was not presented for left one child, Elizabeth Ann, vphp registry till May 2, 1769. Its provisions married JphR H. ghydpr, n.ow u well in brief were: To my son Isaac £150; knpwn farmer, iiving in 'the township, to my daughter Elizabeth £o5; to my a thile to the northeast. In 1882 Sny¬ daughter Ann, £50; to my son Owen, der and wife sold to Valentine S. Zieg¬ my messuage plantation of loO acres, ler.- Th@ latter-removed to ’Lower Sal- who is to be my sole excutor. fprd, and in 1886 sold, for $3250, the The Old Welsh Bible. thirty acres to Israel D, Heckler. The family possessed an old Welsh Ziegler afterwards kept the Lederach- bible, printed in London in 1717, which ville hotel, Morgan Hughes could read more read¬ Silas Kulp was a stout man. His ily than an English one. Its. family death was from heart disease, and oc¬ record says that he died in 1720. His curred suddenly on the hilT above To¬ children were Dorothy, born in 1698; wamencin creamery, whilst in com¬ Elizabeth, in 1706; Benjamin in 1708; pany of others, he was pursuing a rabid Katharine in 1709 and Edward in 1711. dog. Jacob Kulp, his father, resided We lack knowledge to trace more than in the stone house to the north, near one branch of the family.. the turnpike, whilst big brother David Edward Hughes had children, Owen, lived pearly opposite, till his death ih t.1895. ; _ yf- -f born in 1736; Isaac in 1738; Ann m The Hughes Family and Lands! 1-7.40 and Elizabeth in 1743.. Edwarct, the father,of this family, died in 1769, HE Hughes family were Welsh T at the agerof- 58.' Again we - trace - the people, the original members be¬ children of Owen Hughes, the oldest ing Quakers, and they were among the original settlers of Owen Hughes had ■-children,'-' - John, _Xowatnenein. They were long born in 1767, and unarmed _:Harn?h= Ten¬ prominent in the society and business nis; Catharine, who married, Damn atrairs of the township. The last prop¬ Bell; ;Sarah; Ha Letts ; Eliza¬ erty owner of the name was Owen beth to Israel Tennis; Edward, to Uiy llughes, who a few years ago sold his Aaron, of Hilltown, and Ann, 0 farm and removed to Lansdale. John Adam Ulrich;' -Israel Tennis kept a. .i now owns ins homestead, tavern in Towamencin in 1773.: and the old tavern house of former Owen Hughes was the owner during days stood on the opposite side, where the Revolution -and down till LJo, William H. Anders now lives. This when he devised his estate by will to was a famous inn in its time. Here his son Owen, comprising 148 acres. the township elections were held, and He was tax collector of Towamencin in mueh t,1'avel stoPPed. 1776, and was enrolled in Captain Hughes lands -extended from Springer’s militia company. In l the hillside southeast of the Towamen he was assessed for 148 acres, thiee gm •wasf ■Y: The farm is now pries and* live cows.

In 1805 this second Owen Hughes ... _£ made a will conveying his farm to his son Edward. The original homestead t?aiBUTheSS gene,-ally slop* passed out of the Hughes name in 1812, when Edward Hughes sold to Henry Snyder eighty acres, retaining 70 acres P Th'.b'o'eTthe oldest homesteads on the northwest side. It has remain¬ 1„ the township, hose ed in the Snyder ownership ever since tn have been a habitation sine* . tieing transmitted from father to son. Like ail the origin*l plwJtWM ilaron Snyder, the present owner, has greatly improved the property. His barn was struck by lightning in 1895 and consumed, since which a new one Sntury'°Siev the first settlement. It has been built. An old map of 1776 iparks this place as “Hughes”, as I X a£“mad.” to* Claypoole in though there was a public house here, 'fhis may have beep the case. Joseph Snyder, the son of the purchaser, yas latter is supposed to have made the born September 17, 1786, and died De- first settlement. His nkme is oni the cernber 1. 1858. Ilis son Jesse was the assessment list of 1734 as the , , father of the present owner. 180 acres. In 1734 Pugh sold to John The Troxeii Place—The Farm of Isaac Hughes. Roberts, another Welshman, 180 ac , This was not part of the original including the present farm “d Hughes plantation, but a later pur¬ now in other propertiesi _ down to the chase by the family. The farm and cross road. Roberts held this til 1762, fine mansion is now the property of when he sold to a Schwenkfelder, John J. Trowel!. It is on the northeast named Christopher Dasher, J? \ side of the turnpike. A cross road acres. The Dresher family owned i| close to the dwelling divides the prop¬ fpr several generations, or from erty. This was a Hughes estate from down till 1840. Christopher Dresbei 1807 till 1885. The old history of the was the son of George Dresher, who land is as follows : emigrated from Silesia in 1734 ana 1685, by patent to James Claypoole, lived in America for forty .years there¬ 1,000 acres, after This Christopher was likewise 1714, George Claypoole to Hugh Pugh born in Europe. He married Anna» 280 acres. daughter of Christopher Kneble, in 1743, Pugh to John Roberts 180 acres 1744. Among his children was a son for ,£118. Roberts lived at the present Abraham, born in 1750. The first Rosenberger place northwest of the wife of Abraham was Eve, daughter Towamencin, and no improvements of George Schultz, whom he married had been made here. in 1777. During the Revolution Abra¬ 1750, this was the time when fifty ham Dresher obtained releases from the other heirs of Christopher Dresher. ; acres here were detached by sale by Roberts to a Schwenkfelder named He was enrolled in Captain Springer s Abraham Heidrich. The latter soon company of militia, and we presume died leaving a widow named Catha¬ that he paid his fines rather than bear rine, who married a Lukens. An old arms. In 1776 he was assessed for deed recites that Conrad Weber was 129J4 acres, three horses and five cows. her heir. His death occurred in iSU. Hus second 1791, Conrad Weber sold to Christian wife had been Susannah, daughter of Weber fifty acres. CaSDar Seipt, who survived him till 1797, Christian Weber to John New¬ January 21st, 1840. Then in 1841, her berry, executors sold the farm to Abrabam 1807, Newberry sold to Isaac Hughes, Heckler. A quarter of a centuiy later son of Owen Hughes. He married (1866) Heckler sold to John K. Boocse, Rachel Tennis. His ownership con¬ and of whom Jacob Rosenberger bought tinued during a long lifetime. He was about 1868. Abraham Heckler was the born about 1772. In 1855 his heirs, son of Peter Heckler, who lived in - Lower Salford, east of Mainland. The Jane, wife of Joseph Supplee, of Wor¬ cester, and Eliza Hughes conveyed family were Mennonites, Abraham their rights to their brother, Owen Heckler removed to Kulpsville, where Hughes, who in 1885 sold to John J. he died at an advanced age. Troxell, The Farm of Jonas Qodshaik. The Former Dresher Homestead. Tho farm of the late Jonas Godshaik The former Dresher homestead is is an old homestead, situated half a about three-quarters of a mile eastward mile east of the cross roads at Kulps¬ of Kulpsville, in the valley of the To- ville The buildings are at some dis¬ wamenein creek. The old two-story tance from the highways, on the brow etone house stands on the meadow’s of the hill that rises northwestward bank, and at a distance of two hun¬ from the Towamoncin. The farm lands dred yards from the turnpike. The lat¬ generally slope to the southeast, Hero ter crosses the brook by a stone bridge, tq nrobablv been a human habitation -, „„„ possibly signees, who were Josepn Fries an< The plantation was never a large one, Christian Knipe, previous to which he containing at the most 99 acres. The had sold off lots, now comprised with¬ i earlier owners were Welshmen, and it in the village of Kulpsville. A con¬ did not come under German ownership veyance was made to Aaron Stover at till as late a period as 1814. a later period, and in 1843 Stover sold It is uncertain whether Hugh Pugh to George Delp. Delp removed to East 1 or Francis Griffith was the sottler who Lampeter, Lancaster county, selling first made improvements here, but it the farm to Elizabeth Delp. The next was probably the latter. It was the transfer was in 1851, when Elizabeth , upper portion of the 280 acres bought Delp sold to Jonas Godshalk, who came ; by Pugh in 1714 of George Olaypoole, to stay during a long life time. He married Susanna, daughter of GeoTge ■ and of course part of the 1,00(5 acres j patented to James Claypoole in 1686. Delp. His death took place -the win¬ It is certain that Pugh remained the ter of 1894. The farm now belongB to ; * owner of the latter Dresher farm for William W. Reiff. ■' fifteen years after he sold this to Fran-’ The East Corner of Towamencln. cis Griffith, in 1728, containing 90 THIS chapter relates to a region acres.. . . only a mile west and northwest Griffith owned it for eleven y«ara, .to of Lansdale. The surface is when he sold it to a Welsh blacksmith generally level except where two named David Morris. In 1734 the as- depressions contain rivulets fsag&ment assigns. 100 acres .to Griffith. which flow westward to form the To- Morris remained hero nearly twenty wamencin creek. The old Allentown years. Concerning his personality, road crosses the western portion in a ■we know nothing. In 1758 he sold north and south direction •, within this to John Johnson, who in 1760 sold to territory are now no less than ten habi¬ Henry Smith. It was a Smith planta¬ tations, including three farms ancl q tion for more than half a century, and number of smaller lots. during the Revolutionary period. Henry All this in early Gplonjal times was Smith carue from Easttown, Chester contained in one large plantation of county. I-Je bought the property at two hundred acres, owned by a Welsh¬ two periods. The first portion of 59 man named Joseph Morgan. The exact acres, bought in 1760, was paid for time of his purchase is unknown, hut with £183—a price indicating very in¬ probably it was about 1714 from George ferior improvements. The other por¬ Claypoole. By the date of 1734 there tion was bought in 1770, comprising 25 were three Morgan^ within the town¬ acres, from Evan Edwards. The name ship who held collectively 500 acres, of Henry Smith, weaver, appears in the or all the eastern section. Their names enrollment of 1775, together with Jo¬ were Daniel, Joseph and John. The seph Smith. In the assessment of 1776 latter had 100 acres, and the two other he is credited with 87 acres, two horses twice as much each. In 1724 an Ed¬ and three cows. ward Morgan held a piece half a mile The death of Henry Smith did not Jong east of the Allentown road. In take place til! 1811, when hej doubtless the earlier history of Towamencin we had become an aged man. In his will findjthat all the eastern portion was held he ordered his sons Joseph and Henry by Welsh owners. The ^organs were to sell the premises. This they did, ■■ .Ut¬ all gone before the Revolution and we but not till 1814, when John Snyder, know nothing about them but. their of Gwynedd, was the purchaser for names. If is probable that Edward $5,083. Morgan was the first rea) settler. Previous to his death Henry Smith The Updegraff Plantation and Knipe Farm. in 1810 sold 15 acres to Amos Adamson Just where Joseph Morgan lived is This was a strip adjoining the turn¬ not certainly known, but probabilities pike, now covered by the houses of point to the West side of the Allen¬ Kulpsville, and where the lower tavern town road at tbe later tvnipe Home¬ stands. This piece had been acquired stead. Here was the unfailing spring by Smith in 1777 by purchase from the and the sort of site prized by the early executors of Abraham Lukens. The settler. A small rivulet pursues its latter had bought of John Johnson. j way down the meadow glade westward, The boundary of the 59 acres sold to I and hides itself in the forest beyond. , ilenry Smith in 1760 may throw some Here stood, not many years ago, a j ight on the neighbors at that time. one-story log house. Now there is a Beginning at corner of Abraham Lu- brick house and a modern barn, built 1 kens, thence norihpast along a con firm- ! by Mathias Knipe. Near the dwelling , j ed road 79 perches, by John Edwards stands a largo buttonwood tree. j southeast 122 perches, by JohnRoberia The recitals of an old deed says that southwest 78 perches, by land bought Joseph Morgan sold his plantation of by Abraham Lukens of John Johnson, 150 acres to another Welshman, named northwest 121 perches to beginning. Edward Edwards. No date is given in This shows the existence of the Forty- this transfer, but it" was long before foot road before 1760. the Revolution—probably before the In 1825 John Snyder gave up to as- | middle of the last century. The Ed¬ wards family were Quakers and there r Lv

are some of the name yet within the | born in 1784, and yet only survi v'ecT township. After a time, supposed to him eight years, her death taking place * be 1765, Edward Edwards died intestate, In 1864. The Boas family lived at the leaving no sons, but four daughters, present place owned by 'Jacob Zebley, to whom his lands descended. Three North Wales. The children of Freder¬ of these daughters married : Elizabeth ick Knipe and Margaret Boas were to John Budner; Sidney to John Ham¬ Jesse, Abigail, wife of Samuel Fleck, ilton, and Mary to Jacob Updegraff, or Catharine, wife of Jacob Heist; Fred¬ Updegrave. The latter was neither a erick, who married Matilda, daughter Quaker nor a Welshman, but probably of John Neavel; Sophia, first wife of of Hollander stock. Updegrave bought Levi Barndt, of Chalfont; Phoebe, the homestead about 1767 of the heirs. wife of John Swartley; Mary, wife of In that year he obtained a release from Jonas Kline, of Norristown ; Margaret, Budner and his wife; In 1772 from the wife of Frederick Beaver, of North single sister, Rachel, and not till 1776 Wales; Conrad, and Mathias. Of these from John Hamilton. Jesse became a Reformed preacher, and In the tax list of 1776 Jacob Upde was pastor of churches in Chester grave is assessed for 200 acres, two county, near Phoenixvilio. Mathias horses and five cows His name appears took his fathers homestead in 1857, in the list of Captain Springer’s coin-- which he retained till 1880, when he pany of militia in 1775. It is probable sold to Jacob Rittenhouse. He died in that a considerable portion of his farm 1890, on a lot near North Wales, yet was in forest at that time. The chil¬ the abode of his widow. The farm dren of Jacob Udpegrave and Mary Ed¬ now belongs to Allen Swartley, a son- wards were Jesse, Ann, Kachel, Ellinor in-law of Rittenhouse. and Kebeeca. In a legal document one White's Corner. grandchild named Edward is men¬ That portion of the plantation of Jo¬ tioned. The mother of this family was seph Morgan, lying on the east side of deceased before 1803. Previous to this the Allentown road is now divided into time, in 1795, Jacob Updegrave had the various small lots that form the sold the homestead to Edward Upde¬ northern portion of the hamlet called grave. It comprised 83 acres, lying on White’s Corner, tegether with Cassell the west side of the Allentown road. and Smith farms, and the Dundore The boundaries and neighbors at that property. It is the extreme east corner time were: Beginning on Allentown of 'the township. road at corner of John Kinsey, then Edward Morgan was the first of the along the Kinsey line southwest 75 f family here, of whom we find trace and perches to corner of Jehu Evans,, by Joseph Morgan may have been his son. same northwest 140 perches to corner of As mentioned in another place the lat¬ Abraham Cassell, by last northeast 111 ter sold this to the Edwards family. perches to Allentown road, thence By the date of 1764 we find Rowland southeast bj said road 84 perches to Edwards 'the owner of Igf acres,' He beginning. This deed was witnessed is supposed to have lived either at the before Christian Weber. Jacob Upde¬ Cassell or Smith place. In 1764, Ed¬ grave retained land on the east side of wards detached fifty-two acres next to the Allentown road—the present Cas¬ the Gwynedd line to a German named sell, Smith and other properties. William Springer. In an old docu¬ Before 1802 Edward Updegrave was ment Springer is described as a wheel ¬ dead, and in that year his widow Eliza¬ wright living in Gwynedd. This strip beth and John Potts, the administra¬ bought by Springer reached to the Hat¬ tors, sold to Frederick Knipe, of Gwy¬ field line. The house when built was nedd, for £933. The deed was wit¬ at the late Bower place. Here is now nessed by Joseph Lewis and Cadwal- a brick dwelling, but where formally lader Evans. stood a one-story log house, ‘ The Knipe Family. The Cassell Farm, The Knipe family were of German <] extraction and Lutheran faith. We We first find trace of the present find them in Gwynedd as early as 1763, Cassell farm as the upper portion of when John Knipe bought a farm of the 127 acre piece held by Rowland Ed¬ Adam Hoffman. This John Knipe died wards. This portion of 75 acres was in 1789 and Frederick was one of his r sold by Edwards in 1770 to Jacob Up¬ sons. Among other sons was Chris¬ degrave, who already possessed the tian, born in 1753, who bought the ; Knipe farm on the opposite side of the Bowman farm in Gwynedd in 1789 and Allentown road. It was part of the died in 1813, David, another of the 200 acres held by Updegrave during the family, was born in 1751 and died in Revolution. In 1804, when getting old, 1806. Frederick Knipe was destined ■ he sold this part to a Quaker named to reach advanced age. He lived in I Joseph Wilson for £878. The boundar¬ this homestead, (which he bought in j ies wer©: Beginning at corner on Al¬ 1802) for. fifty-four years. He was born lentown road, thence of said road 72 April 3, 1763, married Margaret Boas, perches to corner of John Davis, thence and died March 3, 1856, in his 93d bygland of Davis 44 perches northeast, year. His wife was twenty-one years and northwest by same 19 perches to younger than himself, having been 10G u

eorneF^oFJo’seph' Smith, inence by • ' , Smith northeast 78 perches to line of in 1811 fie sold tne present farm Abiaham Cassell, by same and late Robert Edwards. Edwards held it for John Bucjieimer 87 perches, by other fifteen years, but in 1826 he gave up land of Udpegi'ave southwest 108 the property to assignees, James White perches to line of Isaac Schlichter, and Henry Snyder. The former was thence 54 perches to beginning. Their his father-in-law. lie retired after deed was witnessed by Isaac Hughes this to a small house on another prop¬ before Jacob Clemens. erty near Kulpsvilie, later owned by Joseph Wi^on came here a young John Edwards. The assignees of Ed¬ man and spent his life on this farm. wards sold to Samuel Smith. The next His death took place in October 1841. transfer was in 1833, when Frederick He had four children, Absalom, Ann, Bower bought the same. lie came to Eliza and Elizabeth. He became well stay. A generation passed away. By off and owned two other properties be¬ 1869 Bower was deceased, and his heirs sides thiq farm. Ip his will he ordered sold the place to Jonas B. Krause. He his Towamoncin farm to be sold at'the came to financial grief ten years later, death of his widow, Elizabeth, and and in 1879 assigned to John C. Boorse. John Davis and Eli Griffith were made Finally in 1880 Boorse sold to Samuel executors. His son Absalom also had H. Smith, the present owner. four children, Benjamin, Elizabeth, At White’s Corner, within Toawmen- cin, are half a dozen houses. The two Margaret and Esther- Pf these, Ben¬ jamin, owned a lprge farm ip Worces¬ at the corner were the property of ter, where he died in the Spring of Charles White, deceased. The Whites came into possession here after the as¬ 1893. It was not till 1850 that Eli Griffith, signment of Robert Edwards to James the surviving executor of Joseph Wil¬ White,in 1826. At the corner there was formerly an old house, part log, son, sold the homestead to Joe! Pavis, of the Ilattiold family of that name. and part stone. The present one was built in 1818. The corner had been This comprised 70 ' acres. tfhe last transfer jE.asJLh_1813 to Abraham Cas¬ detached by Jacob Updegrave as long sell. Formerly there was an old stdlrei ago as 1807, when he sold two acres to farm house just above the site of the Peter Lukens. Various other lots in present dwelling. Cassell proceeded! LS96 were owned by John Erb, carpet to erect one of the handsomest and ( weaver, El wood Flowers, Christian most costly houses in the township. Covelen and Ephraim Moyer. The lat¬ He had made much money in the lum¬ ter holds a three acre lot, on which ber business in the West. He invested is a brick house. It formerly belonged in Florida lands and became the. owner io Susanna Lum, widow of Tnomas of a productive orange grove in that Lulu, of Ililltown. She sold to Eman¬ state where he died in 1891. His fam¬ uel Zearfoss in 1854. The Erb family, ily yet reside on the old homestead. of German extraction, first settled in The Bower Farm ami Other Properties. Gosheuhoppen, but have been here foi The Bowei farm is one of thirty-six two generations. rTbe Dundore lot ex¬ acres. The modern brick dwelling is a tending in a narrow strip to the toll- short distance north of White’s Corner. gate, was detached in 1600, when Jacol The frontage of the farm is narrow on Updegrave sold nine acroa to JosepL Yeakle. It has had many owners since, the Allentown road, but it extends back to the Hatfield line. Here was including Eliza Johnson from 1839 tc formerly a one-story house. It is prob¬ 1846; John Erb till 1850; Adam Smith able that there has been a habitation till 1852, when Frederick Benningei here.since the time of the Revolution. purchased. It was bought of his William Springer, the wheelwright, widow, Susanna Renninger, in 1887, by bought 52 acres of Rowland Edwards Nathan Dundore. It is the extreme in 1764, aiid sold the same to Jacob east corner of the township. Updegrave in 1774. The boundaries The Old Evans Plantation. then were: Beginning in line of Rich¬ THE eastern portion of Towamencin ard Clayton ( Hatfield), by same north¬ was, in Colonial times, mostly a west 45 perches to corner of other land Welsh settlement, whilst the of Updegrave, by last named southwest southern portion was held by the 161 perches to the Allentown road, Schwenkfelders. The present down said road 64j4 perches^ to corner farm of Isaac Snyder, comprising sixty of land of heirs of John Kinsey, by acres, is situated about one and a half Kinsey’s land and of Amos Strettle miles west of Lansdale, and a short northeast 192J^ percliQp to beginning. distance west of White’s Corner- It is For this £200 were paid. It will be bounded on the southwest by a high¬ seen that the shape was long and nar¬ way running from the township line row-over half a mile to Hatfield and road to the Forty Foot road. The farm but 743 feet wide at one end. The cor¬ lands have a comparatively level sur¬ ner of Kinsey’s land was the present face. The buildings are a hundred White’s Corner. yards or more from the highway, sit¬ Udpegrave was all the while detach¬ uated on a little knoll, rising from ing portions of his land by sale, and lower ground, where is a springkouse The very large and commodious barn is new, built in 1877 by Jesse der.

' (Griffith and partly By" Kinsey ffhe stone house, sided with slate, is northeast 134 perches to beginning. much older than it appears. No one The witnesses were Humphrey Jones knows the age of the eastern part, and John Lukens. These boundaries which was the home of the Evans fam¬ indicate that Philip Kinsey and Amos ily in the last century. The western, Griffith were on the Gwynedd side, or newer part, was built in 1813 by and that Jacob Updegraff had just Yeiiis Cassell. An aged man died in bought the former Edwards place on 1884, John Price, the teacher, He was the Allentown road, which became the born in 1799 and remembered when a later Knipe farm. John Lukens had boy of fourteen ox helping to dig the just bought the later Waggoner place cellar for this house. in the northwest and the great Hughes This was one of the original home¬ tract lay on the southwest, steads of the township, and the fine Jehu Evans held possession for thirty spring to the southward dictated the years or until his death in 1806. He site of a settler’s home. At the first was married and the first name of his two Welshman, John Roberts and Ed¬ wife was Mary, who survived him. ward Morgan, held the east corner of There was no will and Anna Griffith, Towamencin. A recital of an ancient of Gwynedd, and the widow Mary deed says that in 1734 John Roberts Evans were the administrators, in and his wife Mary sold to another 1806 they sold to Hubert or Huppert Welshman named Edward Evans 150 Cassell, of Worcester, for $4,537 or acres here. Whether Roberts or Ed- about 40 dollars per acre. These fig¬ wards was the first actual settler wfao ures indicate a great improvement of first built a dwelling here we do not the farm or buildings under the owner know. It was the homestead of the ship of Jehu Evans. He probably Evans family for seventy-two^ years, erected the east end of the present during two generations, from 1734 till home. The boundaries indicate that 1806, They were either Quakers or the lapse of time had brought a new Baptists—probably the former. We sat of neighbors. Erederick Knipe was know very little about them, though on the northeast, Edward Hughes was there may be a considerable number of on the southwest, Huppert Cassell had the descendants of Edward Evans now bought the tract above of John Lu¬ living. He lived here about forty kens, whilst over in Gwjnedd were years,his death occurring about the be¬ Henry Snyder and John Wright, be¬ ginning of the Revolution. His plan¬ sides the Griffith farm, now John Cres- tation comprised the present farms of son’s. Jesse Snyder, John Snyder and Joseph This Huppert Cassell was the de¬ Thomas. Of it there were thirty-three scendant of YelHs Cassell, .who came acres on the opposite side of the road to this country about 1715 and was the now included in the farm of John Sny¬ ’ randfathef of Abraham Cassell,' the der. It extended down to the Gwyn¬ « nt'iquaflan, of near Harleysville. The edd line, and the later Waggoner place fatter''was the son of Yeiiis Cassell. In on the northwest was part of it. The 1812 Hubert Cassell sold the farm to whole comprised 163 acres. In the en¬ his son Yeiiis, Who owned it for twenty- rollment of Towamencin, made in Au¬ three years, and here was the childhood gust 1775, we find no mention of Ed¬ fiome of Abraham H. Cassel, of library ward Evans, but his son, Jehu Evans, fame. Here the manifold struggles of was a member of Captain Springer’s young Cassell 'aftdr knowledge, amid Company of Militia. In the assess¬ great difficulties, took place. The qoxi ment of 1776, Elizabeth, widow of Ed¬ transferm in $ r\ir* wasm n n fe 1835,1 TT7when Krx Yeiiis ! 1 f a Cason : ward Evans was credited with 180 acres sell sold to Henry Heebner, a Schwenk- and as having three horses and five felder. In 1^48, after the death of cows. All this indicates that Edward Heebner, hiiTheire, comprising John Evans was deceased a little before 1775. S. Heebner, Joel Weigner, Abraham In the midst of the Revolution, in Heebner, Reuben Smelt, Jesse Snyder, 1776, Jehu Evans bought the property George Snyder and Ann Heebner, sold of the other heirs, for £453 and fifteen to Samuel Heebner. Of these John S. shillings—equivalent to §1211—about Heebner yet remains in Gwynedd, one eight dollars per acre, a price indicat¬ of the wealthiest men of that township. ing poor buildings and indifferent In 1854 the heirs of Samuel Heebner farming. The other heirs were the widow Elizabeth, Jane, wife of Evan sold to James Slough, now of West Edwards; Catharine, wife of William Point, and in 1870 Slough sold to Jesse Lukens; Evan, Elizabeth, Jane, Mar¬ Snyder, son of Jesse Snyder who mar¬ garet and Ellen. Jehu, the purchaser, ried the daughter of Henry Heebner. is called a weaver, and in later docu¬ Jesse Snyder was born in 1812 and mar¬ ments a carpenter. The boundaries ried in 1836. He was the son of Joseph were: Beginning at corner of this and Snyder, who was born in 1786, and mar¬ Jacob Updegraff, and in line of Philip ried Sophia, daughter of Abraham Kinsey ; by fine of said Updegraff north¬ Krieble in 1811. The father of Joseph west 139 perches, by John Lukens Snyder was Henry, born in 1762, who southwest 129 perches to line of Owen married Regina, daughter of Balthazar Hughes, by same southeast 137 perches Reinwalt in 1785 and died in 1836.1 to line of late Amos Griffith; partly by

■ The first of this family of Snyders in Atnericb was Heinrich, born in Silesia Roberts. In 1749 Carr sold off a lot of in 1729, who came to America in 1749 20% acres on tho northeast side to a married Ho&ina, daughter of Chr'is- German named Ulrich Penninger, re¬ t'o^her'Heurnan. He lived at tho pres¬ taining the remaining 50 acres till ent village of West Point. 1758. At the latter date he sold to a The Ellis Farm. $ Quaker from Whitpain named William THIS farm was never'large, but is Ellis. The farm then sold was very quite an old fcomestead. From nearly the size of the present one. The the situation pf the buildings the price paid by Ellis was £145, indicat¬ practiced eye may perceive that ing quite inferior buildings. The wit¬ this site would be a favorite one nesses to the deed were Thomas Thomas for a home in tjie early settlement of and John Thomas, of Hilltown, son of the township. The farm is about one Rev. William Thomas. The neighbors and a half miles eastward of Kulpsville on the southeast were Edward Evans, and covers a central section of the on the northeast was Reorjard Frick. ■township. The Towamencin flows The Towamencin creek separated from through a ripen rlanmaai/m b Inncr t!ha northwest side, and towards which the John Edwards, whilst on the southwest surface gently slopes. The farm build¬ for 111 perches no one is mentioned. ings are at a little distance from two William Ellis. cross roads, midst meadow lands. The William Ellis remained the owner for dwelling is large, built in two portions, a long lifetime, covering tho Revolu¬ ■ of which the western end is tho oldest. tionary period. His name is in the en¬ Here has been a habitation since the rollment of 1775 as a non-associate, but I middle of the last century, and perhaps not in the tax-list of 1776—possibly a earlier. The present owner is A. C. tenant was in possession at that date. Rittenhouse, but it was a Cassell farm Will of William Ellis. during the greater part of the nine¬ This was made April 27, 1798, and teenth century. — ■ he died the Spring of 1799. He evi¬ This farm was held by Welsh owners dently was a childless man, as all his down til! 1810, previously to which , property went to relatives. He lived time it had been held by the Ellis fam- j in Towamencin at the time of his ilv for 43 years. Part of the Claypoole I death. To nephew Amos, son of my patent, it was included in the 280 acres 1 brother Isaac, £20. To nephew Wil¬ sold in 1714 to Edward Foulke, a liam, son of Isaac, household goods. : Welsh Quaker. In 1720 Foulke.cut his To nephew William, my plantation of I property in half, selling the amount of/ 50 acres. 140 acres to Edward Lewis, who lived I This nephew William had no notion | in Montgomery township. In 1727 of living ia Towamencin, but prepared came Ihe transfer from Lewis to Wil¬ to reside in Whitpain. Bo he 6old the liam Williams. The next change was j farm in 1810 to Huppert Cassell, of ; its sale to William Roberts. The next I Worcester, for£550. This deed was wit- i year his son John Roberts bought it. ; nessed by Mordecai Davis and Joseph j William Roberts owned a plantation l Lewis. * The farm remained in the | covering the east corner of Worcester, | hands of the Cassell family for five and John was his second son. generations. In 1805 Huppert Cassell The boundaries of the tract conveyed sold to his son Huppert, meanwhile to John Roberts in 1742 were: Begin- • buying the later Waggoner farm op the ning at corner northwest by Hugh southeast. Pugh 170 perches, northeast by John | At the death of the second Huppert i Edwards 132 perches, southeast by Ed¬ Cassell the farm became the property ward Morgan 170 perches, southwest by of his son Isaac. The last of the Cas¬ •John Roberts other land 132 perches to sell owners was Christian D. Cassell, beginning. This is evidently a recital a nephew of Isaac Cassell, who obtain¬ of an earlier deed. For this much land ed possession. He afterwards removed £90 were paid—a price so low that no to Philadelphia where he died. He buildings are likely to have been erect¬ made an assignment in 1890 to John ed. It will be seen that'the neighbors C. Boorse, who, in 1891, sold to Isaac were all Welshmen and that the prop¬ G. Gerhard. In 1892 it was sold to erty extended more than half a mile Jacob K. Rittenhouse, father of A. C. northwest from the cross road, and was Rittenhouse, who now occupies tho two-fifths of a mile wide. property. It is uncertain who first, made im¬ To the northeast of the former Cas¬ provements here. Perhaps John Rob- . & sell farm is another one, of smaller di- erts, or his successor, Jonathan Carr. ! mansions, owned by A.H. Cassell. The The property was again cut in half in I house was built in 1854 by Frank Cas¬ 1746. sell. The 21 acres of the farm was Jonathan Carr. originally part of the 115 acres convey¬ There are few or none who know that ed in 1784 by Jacob Krupp, since to once there lived in Towamencin a his son Jacob Krupp. It came into schoolmaster named Jonathan Carr. possession of Huppert Cassell in 1807. Where he taught is unknown, but he The Old Waggoner Farm. lived here a dozen years, from 1746 till This is a small farm, now reduced to Lydia Farquarson, a lan-kee woman 2irty-six"""acr<^^^TU?S^!j^w!^3j^^| from Warren, Maine; 1862, Farquarson Snyder place, and separated from it by to Jefferson Lewis, thirty-six acres: a highway connecting with the Allen¬ 1864, Lewis to Francis Lawn; 1871, town road. The surface gently slopes ' Lawn to Morris B. Schuier; 1874, north and northeast towards the Towa- Sheriff, Jeremiah Larzelere to Samuel ruenein creek. The dwelling has been Brunner; 1874, Brunner back to Schu¬ built in two parts, one of stone, the ler. In some way Thomas Wentz be¬ other of brick. The stone, or eastern came the owner, and of whom Jesse_ end, is evidently quite old. There has Christy bought in 1855. in 1889 he’ probably been a house here since 1776, sold back to Wentz, whose son Harry when fifty acres were detached from Wentz conveyed to Joseph W. Thomas. the Evans plantation. At present the In 1896 the farm became tenanted by property has a non-resident owner, Jo¬ Frank Fox, son-in-law of Jesse Christy. seph Thomas, and the dwelling wag un¬ The Farm of Frederick Bower. tenanted for sjx years presenting a This is situated less than a mile west desolate appearance. of White’s Corner. The situation of A recital of a deed for the Waggoner the farm buildings is one of the most place says that in 1686 James Claypoole secluded in the township. A little tra¬ received 1,000 acres, and by his will of the same year, pppyayed to George veled road passes in front, crossing a valley formed by a brook, one of the Claypoole, then came transfer^; 1714, George Claypoole to Edward sources of the Towamencin. A piece 280 acres; 1720. fcw1- of woodland shuts out the eastern view. ? * -.-.jive to John Ed- The surface of the farm is broken and wards 140 acres; 1761 will of John Ed- rolling. The house is large, sided wards to his sons Evan Edwards and with slate, and evidently built at two John Edwards, confirming 116 acres to periods. This is one of the oldest him ; 1767, release of John Edwards to homesteads in the township. There is his brother Evan; In 1770, Evan Ed- * reason to believe that there has been wards sold 25 acres to Henry Smith. a house here since 1723. The early However this may be, it is certain that proprietors were Welsh people, as was f m 1776 the heirs of Edward Evans con¬ the case elsewhere in eastern Towa¬ veyed fifty acres to John Lukens, with mencin. the following boundaries: .Beginning An'old brief of title shows that the m cornei- of this and land of Jehu 1,000 acre patent issued in 1686 to Evans, in line of Jacob Updegraff, by James Claypoole covered at least part said Udpegraff and by Yellis Cassell of this farm. In 1714 George Clay¬ northwest 68 perches to corner in line poole sold to Edward Morgan, a Welsh¬ of John Lukens, son of Ahraham, by man, five hundred acres. It appears same and John Yeakle, Henry 'Smith that Morgan also obtained 300 acres of and Abraham Heidrick, deceased, the 600 acre patent granted to Griffith southwest 126 perches to corner of this Jones in 1708, so that Morgan held 800 and Owen Hughes, by same 63 perches acres. These patents to Jones and to corner of this-and Jehu Evans, by¬ Claypoole evidently covered all the same 129 perches northeast to begin¬ eastern quarter of the township. ning. The price paid was £200, and John Morgan. the witnesses were John Lukens and In 1723 Edward Morgan sold 104 Humphrey Jones. These boundaries acres, part of his two tracts,_ to John indicate that Updegraff and Yellis Cas¬ Morgan. There is a probability that sell owned on the northeast side, that John Morgan first made improvements Henry Smith, John Yeakle and Abra¬ here on the hillside by the brook. In ham Heidrick’s estate were on the 1734 he was assessed for 200 acres, in¬ northwest and Owen Hughes on the southwest. dicating that hp had land elsehwere. The Morgans were Quakers, and among Lukens held possession for nearly the records of Gwynedd Meeting is the thirty vearm when he sold in 1805 to Huppert Cassell for £600; of i n re<. statement that in 1718 Daniel Morgan, times as much as he gave. On two son of Edward Morgan, “adjacent of sides the neighbors were changed. Gwynedd, ” married Elizabeth Roberts, Abraham Cassell and Frederick Knipe daughter of Robert Cadwallader, oi were on the northeast and Amos Lu¬ Gwynedd. Evan David. kens, Joseph Smith, Henry Smith and John Newberry were on the northwest. In 1741 John Morgan sold his farm In 1812 Huppert Cassell sold this one to another Welshman named Evan Da¬ of his farms to George Cassell for |2,~ vid. Of the latter we know nothing, 666, or over fifty-three dollars per acre save that he was the owner for twenty- —five times the price in 1776. In 1831 nine years, or down till 1770. In that George Cassell soid to Jacob Waggoner year he sold to a Sehwenkfelder named for $2200. The latter owned it for a John Yeakle. The latter did not buy long period. Henry Young bought it to keep, as he had previously bought a of Waggoner in 1855. Since then there farm on the Allentown road. So in have been many transfers: 1855, Young 1774 he sold 82 acres for £482 to a Ger¬ to James Chatwin ; 1858, Gfaatwin to man named Yellis Cassell. The price James Leigh; 1859, Leigh to Frederick indicates fair improvements. Cassell Schafhirt; 1860, Schafhirt for $5,CG0 to m ■■Mini hi i I. i ii #:V. . 110

remained hero during the Revolution¬ ary period and down till his death in 171)3. In 1776 he was assessed for 82 THIS lies on the east side of the Al¬ acres, two horses and four cows. The lentown road, midway between | enrollemnt of thatyear found him among White’s and Drake’s Corners. the Non-Associators, or non-combat¬ The present farm is 76 acres, i; ants. owned by Jacob K. Rittenhouse. 1 The heirs of ielijs Cassell mentioned The modern buildings are on the sum- • were Barbara, wife of John Wisler; mit of a hill, rising from the meadow lluppert and wife Mary Magdalena; below. In Colonial times this was Henry Cassell and wife Rachel; Chris¬ part of the Yeakle plantation. John tian, Elizabeth and Abraham. These Yeakle, a German, bought about 105 I heirs conveyed in 1794 to their brother acres of James Wells, in 1766. We pre¬ Abraham. Another generation of time, sume that in the earliest settlement of | < arid in 1830 Abraham Cassel had passed the township this was one of the Mor¬ away. His children were Joseph, gan tracts. In 1734 James Welle was Elizabeth, wife pf Joseph Bonner, and taxed for 100 acres. In 1776 Yeakle ob¬ Hepry. The son Henry took the farm, tained ten acres additional from the which he held for a lifetime. In 1873 Evans estate, which joined his place i his heirs, who were John W. Cassell, to the southward, and on the opposite I Abraham, Henry, Samuel, Ephraim, side of the main highway. The name 1 Moses and Amanda Moyer, sold to of John Yeakle appeared in the enroll¬ Frederick Bower, the present owner. ment of 1776, and in that year he was ! The farm had been held by the Cassels assessed for 115 acres, four horses and ; | for a century, lacking one year. five cows. The name is of Schwenk- ] The small farms of Frederick Hen¬ felder origin. John Yeakle was a son ning andMichael Ruth, near the former of Abraham and Maria, who came from ] Huppert Cassel!s farm, were both de¬ Silesia in 1734. He was born January j tached properties from original estates. 1st, 1739, and married Anna, daughter | The Henning place \vas cut off as long of Christopher Weigner, May 27, 1762. ago as 1770 from the Evans estate, Had children, Maria, Regina, Chris¬ being then sold to Henry Smith.- It topher, Joseph, Magdalena, Jacob, comprises 34 acres and was bought in Christian, Anna, Abraham and John. 1871 by Frederick Henning from Jacob He removed from Towamencin to Low- 1; M. Krupp, er Salford, where he died December 9, I The small farm of Michael Ruth was j 1801. detached from the large Dresher plan¬ John Y'eakle remained the owner till tation of former times in 1841. It was 1788, when he sold to Philip Shellen- owned by Francis Hilkert, now of berger, who at a later period,after 1802, Chalfont, fiom 1851 till 1858, when he Kept a hotel at Trewigtown. A boun- i sold to Michael Ruth. dary previous to 1770 runs; Beginning ; There was a small piece of ground, at corner of Rowland Edwards, by late i comprising twenty acres, lying along John Wright and Harry Fry, (Hatfield the Towamepcin, that for some reason line) northwest 132 perches, by Nicho¬ became detached at an early date. It las Yellis southwest 81 perches, by7 was once part of the 70 acres of John same southeast 20 perches, by same i ‘ Roberts sold by him in 1746 to Jona¬ southwest 40 perches to Allentown ' . than Carr, the schoolmaster. A Ger¬ road, by said road southeast 112 man named Ulrich Penninger came in¬ perches, by Rowland Edwards north- I to possession in 1749, and who detached east 121 perches to beginning. the 20% acres in 1751 to Leonard Zinck. In 1792 Shellenberger, then a resi- . In 1766 this was sold to Michael Kolb. dent of New Britain, conveyed to .j The next transfer was jn 1770 to Joseph Henry Smith for £735. It is believed ■ Lukens. It was then bounded by land that ten acres of the 105 were on the of John Edwards, Jacob Krupp, Yellis west side of the Allentown road, where¬ Cassell and William Ellis. In 1774 on was the dwelling. The Smith fam- ■: Lukens sold to Dillman Kolb. This ily came to stay a long time. They I piece was afterwards absorbed by the were ardent Methodists, belonging, we I Krupp farm in 1795, after being for a presume, to the Bethel church in Wor- I dozen years in possession of a woman cester. In 1796 Henry Smith and his 4 named Esther Swartz. The curious ' wife Rachel conveyed to Joseph Smith J’ll fact about this tract, is as to whether 94 acres for £815. Nearly forty years there was a house on it, and if so, were passed away. By 1833 Joseph Smith i was it! It was held by several owners had removed to Philadelphia. In that for nparly hajf a cpptury as a small i year he sold to Samuel Rittenhouse 72 farm, and it is reasonable to suppose ' acres for 83,120. The late conveyances that they lived spmeyvhere upon it. were in 1864 from Samuel Rittenhouse (To be contlmtej next vyeek,) to Jacob K. Rittenhouse. Samuel Rit¬ tenhouse erected a house on the east j mUMii'" ’ aide ofrthe Allentown road soon after his purchase in 1833. The small prop¬ erty formerly' <5wned by Rev. Jacob Loux, a Mennonite clergyman, is part the barn. In front a road leaves It fs now Allentown road, running westward : by his son Abraham Loux. On th ward Kulpsville. Since 1882 this prop BiMTof'fhe1 present Loux house there erty has belonged to Lewis Alderfer. formerly stood a school house. In this* In 1773 Judah Foulke, Sheriff of on Sundays the Methodists held meet¬ Philadelphia county, sold 82 acres to ings in the days when the Smith fam¬ Jacob Pennypacker. In 1776 his name ily lived here. appears in the assessment as the owner The Bower Farm. pi tnat much land, and as having two bbrdeai and three' cows. Pentsypackefr On the next hillside above the Rit- was also enrolled in the military com¬ tenhouse place is a set of farm build¬ He owpcd "the place for ings. The two farms are separated by pany. ten veara, or till the close of the Revoln- a road running eastward past the Plain Meetinghouse. This farm was until ]fionary period. By the close of 1783 recently held by Henry H. JBower. It he had removed to Frederick township, is a small farm of 40 acres, lately con¬ knd sold the farm to Benjamin Van veyed to Abraham R. Hunsicker. frossen for £1560. Both Pennypacker In Colonial times this region was »nd VanFossen were blacksmiths. pwhed by a Welshman named Daniel VanFossen added to his farm 26 acres Williams, who held 198 acres. It is in 1788, by purchase from Henry Ruth, pot unlikely that he had been proceed¬ previously land of Nicholas Yellis. He ed by one of the Morgans. At any rate held possession till 1801, when he sold tie was hero in 1734, being that year to Daniel Price, a Dunk or. The latter assessed for 200 acres; so that he may ! WES Bk be regarded as one of the early settlers, able education. He was the father of who made the first improvements. Jacob Price, the teacher, of Line Lex¬ Just where he lived we do not know. ington. His death took place in 1829. In 1749 Daniel Williams sold his The next year bis farm of 82 acres was plantation to a German Mennonite Sold to AbraljiatR Detp for S36 ]ber acte. named Nicholas Yellis, who came to s In 1837 Dolp conveyed 68 acres to stay. He lived here through the Revo¬ Christian Young, who remained here lutionary period and down till 1788. for a long period. His conveyance to Meanwhile he had sold the upper half Benjamin L. Heebner was made in of his plantation, comprising 108 acres, 1872. The latter died intestate, and to his brother John. This indicates the farm was confirmed to his daughter that -Nicholas Yellis lived on land now i\nna G. Rosenberger in 1881. The contained in the Bower or Hunsicker ext year Jacob S. Rogepberger sold to arm. In 1776 his son Henry was as¬ Alderfer. sessed for his farm, comprising 130 L The Former Kulp Farm. sres, two horses and two cows. His dea{;h occurred in 1788, leading THIS is a property of fifty-five acres, ihildren, Henry, John, Mai garet, Ann, lying on the easterly side of the ife of Henry Ruth; Margaret and Allentown road, about two miles Franey. The Court valued the farm northwest of Lansdale. The sur¬ at 4840, at which valuation it was ta- face all along this road in Towa- jken by the son-in-law, Henry Ruth. 1 mencin is a series of meadows and hill¬ The latter immediately sold 100 acres sides, small brooks flowing southwest to Isaac Wisler for £725. The bound¬ through the former. The farm build¬ aries then given show that it extended ings are on one of the hill tops over¬ for 171 perches along the Hatfield line looking meadow lands. It is now the and 99 perches along the Allentown farm of Daniel G. Heebner. This was a Kulp farm for nearly a F°The next transfer was in 1801 from century of time, or from 1789 till 1887. Wisler to Abraham Moyer, who came Previous to that time it belonged to to stay a long lifetime. His death the Yellis family. In 1760 Nicholas took place at a great age, in 1857, and Yellis and Fronica, his wife, sold to the next year his administrators sold l John Yellis, his brother, 108 acres. o Charles Young, of Franconia, 107 The boundaries in 1789 were: Begin¬ ,crea. In 1867 Young conveyed to Mi- ning on Allentown road, by land of, hael B. Hunsberger and Daniel Cas¬ ■ Nicholas Yellis northeast 34 perches, sell. Two years later, the latter sold and northwest 18 perches, and north¬ a portion to Michael Frederick. The east 53 perches, and northeast again to next transfer was of.40 acres, includ¬ 1 line of Abraham Ruth (Hatfield line), ing the hurdlings, to Hepry H. Bower by same northwest 98 perches, by Sam¬ lor 85500. Finally in 1895 the farm uel Tennis southwest 94 perches to Was bought by Abraham R. Hunsicker, land laid out for widow7 of John Yellis, i4 by same southeast 64 perches, and The Alderfer Farm, northeast 4 perches, and southeast 44 perches, and southwest 32 perches to This is a place of 52 acres, lying on Allentown road, along said road south¬ the west side of the Allentown road, east 74 perches to beginning. jnd opposite the former Bower farm. The death of John Yellis occurred The dwelling is at the foot of the hill, about 1779. His name was enrolled [from whence therejs a sharp -ascent to ■ ^ t % ^ • slopes up ward to wards the northwest. among the Non-A ssoc I a TOrs in" Tnb. This is known to have belonged to The family were Mennonites. In 1789 Isaac Krupp before 1795. He was de¬ the executors of John Yellis sold to ceased before 1833 leaving so many Dillman Kulp 88 acres, who was here debts that Sheriff Henry Longager his life time. After his death, in 1824, seized it from the executors of Krupp. it was sold to his son Rev. Jacob Kulp and sold it in 1833 to George Shellen- by the other heirs, who were Barbara borger. The latter remained here a Kulp, Henry Swartley and Elizabeth, long time. His death occurred in 1869, his wife and John Kulp. The new and in 1871 his son-in-law, Aaron M. owner was a Mennonite preacher, and Richards, was the purchaser. The those who remember him say that he farm was bought by Nathaniel Keeler was one of the most upright men in in 1895. the township—a just and good man. The Abraham Alderfer Farm. The later transfers have been, 1875, Ja¬ cob Kulp to John Kulp, ; 1885, John This is situated on the west side ol Kulp to Simon C. Kulp;- 1887, Kulp to the Allentown road, the buildings be¬ Daniel G. lleebner. ing near that highway. Until recent¬ Tiie Krupp Plantation. ly this belonged to William Krupp. It is a property composed of several The old Krupp plantation covered 115 pieces. In 1850 Jesse Kulp sold to acres lying west of the Allentown road. William Krupp, three portions of 21, This comprised the present farm oi 27 and 6 acres, making 54 acres in all. Franklin Z. Godshalk, part of that ol The recitals go back to 1784 when Ja- Abraham Alderfer, and perhaps other j cob Krupp sold 115 acres to Jacob lands. The farm of Nathaniel Keeler, Krupp, Jr., and it was also part of 20 also belonged to one of the Krupp fam¬ 1 acres conveyed by Hester Swartz to ily more than a century ago. The Jacob Krupp in 1795. In 1803 Jacob present Godshalk farm now has 63 Krupp .sold 44 acres to Abraham Krupp, teres, mostly sloping southeast towards which in 1812 were transferred to John the Towamencin. The buildings are Kulp. Another John Kulp obtained j on the southeast side of a cross road, possession in 1830. A portion compris¬ runuing westward from the Allentown ing 21 acres came from Daniel Price road. The early history of this prop¬ to John Kulp in 1822. erty is obscure. It had come into the hands of a German named Jacob Krupp, The Farm of Abraham Krupp. before the devolution. In the assess¬ N the east side of the Allentown ment of 1776 his name is spoiled Grubb, road near Drake’s Corner are a who was credited with 113 acres, two set of farm buildings, now be¬ horses and five cows. Previous to 1760, longing to Abraham Krupp. it was held by Isaac Kolb. An old The land attached comprises boundary says that it once belonged to sixty acres lying on both sides of the * Nicholas Yellis, who we know bought above highway, and also bordering the in 1749 of Daniel Williams. The old Forty Foot road. This is a remnant boundary of the Ellis place of 1743 of the old Yellis plantation, heretofore mentions Edward Morgan as owner. mentioned. In 17(30 Nicholas Yellis The plantation was of curious shape, conveyed to his brother, John Yellis, extending from the Forty Foot road 108 acres, including this. The latter i southeast for 214 perches to the Towa¬ came to the end of his life during the mencin creek. It fronted the above Revolution, and bis will waB made Oc¬ i highway for 1,000 feet. In 1784 Jacob tober 1st, 1770. Of the 108 acres he Krupp sold to his son Jacob Krupp for granted twenty acres to his widow, ; £-181, 115 acres. The latter held pos¬ ; which bordered the Forty Foot road. session till 1816, when, for £1500, he In 1789 his executors, who were Garret sold 92 acres to his son John. The lat¬ Godshalk and l swap Kulp, sold the ter removed to New Britain and in main farm, comprising 88 acres, to 1833 sold to another Jacob Krupp, who Dillman Kolb, or Kulp, for £900. The was known as wbig Jacob” to distin¬ latter had two children, a spn JacoD, guish him from another of the same and Elizabeth Swartley whose mother’s name, but of smaller stature. He re¬ name was Barbara. Before 1824 Dill¬ mained here a long life-time. His man Kolb was deceased and in that death took place in 1876. Then it year his widow and daughter sold to 5 came into possesison of John Kulp, who Jacob Kulp, the son, In 187a Jano^- sold to Franklin Z. Godzshalk, the I K'n ItT/-**•*4— *-*- present owner, in 1880...... um to ms son Abraham The first Jacob Krupp bought ol Kulp. Samuel Meyers and Jacob Meyers, ex- Drake’s Corner. i ecutors of Michael Kolb, in 1771. A This is so called from the name, of a I straight line of 274 perches separates property owner at the 'south corner it from land of John Edwards and Jo- which is at the crossing of the Allen¬ | seph Lukens, on the southwest side. town and Forty Foot roads. There is The Keeler Farm. also a house on the west corner. The This is situated west of the Godshalk land on the south corner was originally farm and the buildings are on the op¬ part of the Krupp estate and conveyed posite side of the road. The surface •TT* ji .

uflSirrC? Jacob Krupp to John Krupp. ner of the Township. This was a hilly, The later conveyances were 1833 John rolling region, traversed by brooks Krupp to Jacob C. Krupp; 1848 flowing westward through deep depres¬ Jacob C. Krupp a house and 59 acres sions. It was above Drake’s Corner, $q Jesse KulP' -Is 1851 Jease Kulp bordered Hatfield and Lower Salford, coitimencea inis erection ot' ttio present pud extended southwest exactly three- house, but died before it was finished. (quarters of a mile. It is now traversed Henry Drake bought of the executors by the Allentown road and several of Jesse Kulp in 1851 and sold the same cross roads, and divided into many year to Aram, Drake who finished farms. building the house. They were the This tract was one-half of the 1,000 sons of John Drake. Both are now de- acres bought in 1703 by Jan Luken -ceased. Henrj Drake was afterwards and Abraham Tennis of Benjamin Fur- elected County Recorder on the Demo¬ ley. In the partition made in 1709, cratic ticket in 1845. His son, Dr. H. Luken took the southwest side, bor¬ H. Drake, is now a practicing physi¬ dering upon the turnpike. The bound¬ cian of Norristown. The property is ary of the half selected by Tennis was: now held by Henry Drake, son of Aram beginning in lino of James Claypoole, Drake. The Drake family were adher¬ by Jan Luken northwest 334 perches, ents of the Reformed church and were by land of Griffith-Jones northeast 240 one of the comparatively few Demo¬ perches, by Jonathan Hayes southeast cratic families of the township. The 334 perches (Hatfield line,) by late present owner, Henry Drake, was for James Claypoole southwest 240 perches some years Assistant Postmaster of to beginning. Philadelphia. The writer has not ascertained that The small farm of Elias Nyce farther Abraham Tennis lived on this land, up the Allentown road has the same or if so, it was not for a long period. early history as the Alderfer place. It In 1723 we find him a resident of Ger¬ was detached in 1841 by assignment of mantown. Before that date he had Abraham Delp to John Delp. The ■; v- sold 100 acres and in that year he con¬ subsequent transfers were 1841 John veyed the remaining 400 acres to his Delp to Jacob C. Oberholtzer; 1845 son William Tennis. Oberholtzer to John Hagey : 1849 Ha- William Tennis. gey died leaving children David and At this distance of time it is a mat¬ Ann; 1850 executors of Hagey to Joel ter of conjecture as to where William Weigner; 1857 Weigner died and his Tennis lived. As before stated, he ob¬ son Ezra took the place; 1858 Ezra tained 400 acres of his father in 1723. Weigner to Elias Nyce. The records It may have been that his residence of the Prothonotary’s office, Philadel¬ was just north of Drake’s Corner, on phia, show that it was the estate of the east side of the Allentown road, Christopher Hansell that was sold by and opposite the creamery. This was Sheriff Foulke in 1773. Hansel! had formerly the residence of Abraham T. bought for £600 of Jacob Godshalk Oc¬ Lukens, and more recently the prop¬ tober 1765, who was a clockmaker of erty of Enos Cassell. Here is now a the city. In 1760 John Yellis sold to modern French roofed stone house, or Godshalk a house and land beginning large size, situated on meadow laud. at corner of the late Daniel Williams It was built by Jacob C. Kulp in 1882. but now John Yellis ; by same and land This succeeded a much older dwelling. of Nicholas Yellis southeast 189 The surface of the farm generally slopes perches, by Nicholas Yellis 45 perches towards the west. Concerning Wil¬ southwest, by Isaac Kolb, southwest liam Tennis we know little. One An¬ 28 perches, by Isaac Kolb northwest thony Tennis died near the close oi 189 perches, by Samuel Tennis north¬ 1749, leaving one child, Christiann, east 70 perches to beginning, compris¬ then a minor. To this daughter he ing 82 acres. It will be seen that this left his personal estate which was or¬ 'was a long, narrow strip extending dered sold at public sale. In case of from the Forty Foot road to thp Towa- her death one part of this property was tnenein creek. This land came from to go to his step-mother, Christiann Daniel Williams to Nicholas Yellis Tennis ; another part to his sister Bath- H749 sheba Yocum; another fourth to his The Tennis Plantation. sister Elizabeth Morris, and a last por¬ THE history of Towamenein cannot tion to the poor of Towamenein town¬ be written without mention of ship. He appointed Jacob Godshalk the Tennis family. They were id Isaac Croll his executors. This original settlers, and among the will was made November 24, 1749, be¬ most extensive landholders of the fore two Welshmen, Daniel Morgan and early, time. The name appears to Daniel Williams. i have at first been also spelled Tunes, It seems probable that this Anthony and they were probably of Dutch ori¬ Tennis was a son of William Tennis, gin. and that this step-mother, Christiann, Abraham Tennis was the second wife of the latter. was the American ancestor o the Among the children of William Tennis family, and an early owner of 500 were Abraham, Samuel, John, An- cres, covering all of the northern cor thnnv. Bathsheba Y'oeum and Eliza- " 1 >eth Morris. A tombstone in the Tennis graveyard brother, A brahaht‘Trerfflft*T:u aeira has the initials “W. T. ” with the These other heirs were Martha Shoe- date 1749. William Tennis certainly rnakerj Elizabeth, wife of Israel Ten- died in 1748 or 1749. An administra¬ tion was granted on the estate of Wil¬ fcaaraTh’,Wife Je99e Shoemaker ; William Lukens, Hannah, wife of Ben- liam Tennis, January 18, 1748, to jamm Penrose, and Margaret, wife of Abraham Tennis, hia eldest son. Then Joseph Penrose. Since the death of in 1750 Abraham Tennis died in Bucks "" Lukens, there have been some county and his widow Anna took out transfers, and the farm was purchased administration papers. by Enos Cassell in 1894. One son of Samuel Tennis Enos Lukens, not mentioned above, was the second son of William Tennis. was Enos, Jr,, who was deceased be- ; In 1746, a short time before his death, fore his father, He married a daugh- t William Tennis sold to his son Samuel ter of Jacob Ruth. William Lukens 121 acres for T93. No house is men¬ marned Maria Kulp and was the father tioned. This was certainly part of the of Enos Lukens of North Wales. 400 acres. The boundaries were: be¬ ginning by Abraham Lukens land, by Israel Tennis. same northwest 185 perches, by Henry Brief mention must be made of Israel Frey northeast 100 perches, by other lennis, who died before his father1 land of William Tennis southeast 49 bamuel, and who lies buried in the I perches, northeast 32 perches, south¬ family graveyard. He was born in 1 east 30 perches, southwest 32 perches 1Z5Q, married Jane Meredith, and died i- and southeast 106 perches to begin¬ J ] September 8, 1790, when but 40 years ning. This deed was witnessed by of age, leaving five or six children. Abraham Lukens and Daniel Williams. These were Samuel, Rachel, Mary, Is- Samuel Tennis, son of William Ten¬ i rael and William, and probably John. nis, was born January 9, 1716. The Jans Meredith -Nee Tennis. name of his wife was Catharine, born I Among the papers preserved by Abra- July 24, 1723. He lived on the later | ham Cassell, of Lower Salford, is a Lukens property, opposite the cream¬ I small bit, musty with age, but which ery. He built a house hero probably tells a story. It is of the date of 1766 before 1750. In 1776 he was assessed --a bond given by James Meredith, of for 192 acres. He was enrolled among Warwick township, Bucks county, to the Non-Associators in 1775, whilst his the Overseers of the Poor of Lower Sal¬ son Israel was among the active mili¬ ford, concerning one Jane Meredith, tia of Captain Springer’s Company. his niece. She belonged to a Welsh His death took place March 16, 1803, family of Chester county, eminent for at the great age of 87, whilst his wife intelligence and character, but was Catharine had died February 28, 1801. unfortunate, owing to her betrayal by The will of Samuel Tennis was made a party now unknown. She had prob¬ November 27, 1802. No children are ably been living at her uncle’s house mentioned. His property was left to when younger, and in her perplexity, grandchildren, who were children of and perhaps to hide her shame, had his son Israel. Their names were Sam¬ fled to a certain midwife of Lower Sal¬ uel, Rachel, Mary, Israel and William. ford, previous to the birth of her A great-grandson, Samuel, was also child. That she fled in poverty is evi¬ mentioned, who was a son of a deceas¬ dent, because she was unable to bear ed grandson named John. her own expenses. She intended being The homestead where Samuel Tennis only a temporary resident. had lived at least part of his life came Not many years later, Jane Meredith into possession of his son William, recovered her standing by good charac¬ who is not mentioned in his father’s ter and married Israel Tennis about will. He was born in 1747, and died N74—75. She lived to be an aged wo¬ June 30, 1831, in his 84th year. The man, dying March 4, 1826, at the house name of his wife was Mary, born in of her son-in-law, Owen Jenkins, of 1746, and who died October 5, 1823. Hatfield, at the age of 81. She lies They left children, Sarah, wife of John buried in the Tennis graveyard. Owen Hughes and Ann, wife of Enos Lukens. Jenkins married her daughter Mary, 'After the death of William Tennis, his March 15, 1804. The latter died at the land was valued at thirty dollars per great age of 95, December 8, 1874, and acre. The son-in-law, Enos Lukens, was buried at Montgomery Baptist. succeeded jrj possession of the farm. The maiden name of the 'mother of He was the sdp of Johrj Lukens, and Jane Tennis was Mary Roberts, who, grandson of Jan Luken, the immigrant. we are told, lived to the extraordinary His memory is held in honor as that age of 112 years. The latter died of a very worthy man, and as a good somewhere in Maryland about 1820—25. Quaker. He remained here a lifetime, The name of the husband of Mary Rob¬ ar>4 at the time of his death, held 120 erts is not known, but besides Jane acres. they had children Simon, Thomas, His will syas tpade Jung25, 1860, and Elizabeth Williams and Mary Moore. fn 1861 his heirs conveyed to their The Tennis Graveyard. -- m ~ * _r ... 1_ This unique spot is on a high bank, I rising from the west side of the Allen- ime-fourm SFrk mire 'is' part or ffie twepty’acres sold in 1811 by Abraham Yeaklo to John Oberholt- ;ibove Drake’s Corner. A post and rail zer also in 1811. The place was origin¬ fence surrounds it, and it is about 80 ally much larger and contained a por¬ feet by 70 feet in dimensions. Here tion of the farm of John Drake, sold are buried various members of the to Oberholtzer jn 1816. In 1819 Ober- Tennis, Yocum, Hughes, Smith and Lukens families, doubtless all related. holtzer sold to a notable personage, Dr. Humphrey White, of a Quaker family. This place was set apart for a family cemetery before the middle of the last White added 11 acres bought of George century, the earliest inscribed tomb¬ Delp in 1820, so that he had 45 acres. stone being to the memory of Elizabeth Dr. White and family owpedthis prop¬ Tennis, bearing the date of 1744. There erty for thirty years, or till his death arc many unmarked graves. Among which took place before 1849. In that those marked, are those to .Rachel, year, Susan White, widow, and other daughter of Israel and Jane Tennis, heirs of Dr. White sold to John C. rihe was born in 1777, married Isaac Wack, 45 acres, The late owners have been: 1866, Wack to Joseph G. Minin- Hughes, and died April 24, 1848. Her ger; 1868, Mininger to Dillman Hun- husband was born in 1770, 1 Baltus Yeakle died intestate, leaving acres to Jacob Levering, oi. Roxboro. : a widow, Regina, and daughters-—Es¬ In 1728 Levering sold to Fry. The ther, wife of Abraham Anders, and same was then bounded, in Lb3: be¬ Catharine, wife of George Anders. In ginning in corner of Christopher non- , 1795 these two daughters sold their man : by the same northeast 103 perches claims to their brother Abraham for to corner in line of Christopher ye’S' £500. The tract then was bounded: ner: southeast by the other lot loO beginning at corner of Christian Hoff¬ perches to corner of Samuel lennis: man : by same and William Tennis southwest by same and by land or \\ il- northeast 167 perches by last and Isaac liam Hendricks 103 perches to line ot Hagey southeast 167 perches to corner John Lukens: by same, and by 1'reder- of Samuel Tennis, by same southwest iok Wampolo, northwest 160 perches 159 perches to corner of the widow to beginning. . Hendricks’ land, by Mathias Stover The second or smaller piece of and Frederick Wampole northwest 164 acres sold by Fry in 17631 to Baltser perches to beginning. To this Abra¬ Yeakle, was part of the 400 acres sold ham Yeakle added 24 acres in 1804 by in 1723 by Abraham Tennis to his son purchase from Samuel Tennis. In William Tennis. For this lot Henry 1814 Sarah Yeakle, widow of Abraham Fry paid £25. In 1763 the boundary Yeakle, sold 113 acres to George Delp was: beginning at corner of the Lever¬ for *81.05 per acre, The plantation ing tract: by same northwest roU sold to Delp was bounded by lands of perches to line of Christopher Weigner : John : Oberholtzer, Samuel Tennis, bv same northeast 52 perches: south- l&rilecai Davis, Abraham Anders, east by Joseph Smith : by same south¬ Henjhrnin Kriebel, William Yoeum and west 52 perches to beginning. -“-his jWmes Yocum. smaller piece lay on the northeast side Valentine Kratz of the 100 acre lot. It was half a mile Owned a portion of the old Yeakle long, extending to the Salford line, plantation for many years. His first but only 858 feet wide. purchase was made in 1824 of George This Henry Fry was one of the sons Delp. He resided in the present house of Heinrich Fry,' the emigrant, and a of Jesse Lewis. His death took place brother of Jacob Fry, who lived m the in 1853, after which his property was southwest part of the township k6\d in various'pbrtion's. Tie had sons : where is now the homestead ot Adam Isaac, whd removed to Bedminster; iSchlosser. Henry Fry built a carding Joseph, removed to near Sterling, Illi¬ 'mill, to make wood-rolls to spin, ibis nois; Samuel, who removed to Ohio; mill was propelled by the small stream, John, who went to Philadelphia, and flowing westward to the Skippack, and Henry, now a resident of Kulpsville. was opposite the present premises oi ■‘Of his'property, A atop Drake bought Barman Delp. The remains of the t4e! present Peter Nyce place in “1853, •ace course are still visible, The homo sefling Hje samp year to G.eprge Mesch- f Henry Fry was where Jesse Lewis ter, and in 1864 Meschter sold to Peter ow lives. ... Nyce The latter lives in a slate sided In 1763 Henry Frey, or fry, and his house situated between the township wife Christianna sold 155 acres, m two line and cross-road. lots, to Baltnaser Yealde. He was a The Farm of Isaac Qodshalk, Schwenkfelder, and in 1775 was enroll- Tfae dwelling on tins, farm is at some sd arnon® the non-associates. In 1176 distanpe from the surrounding roads he was assessed for 150 acres, two and the land slopes to the brook: north¬ horses and five cows. west. It was originally part of the Baltus Yeakle. Yeakle plantation and part of the 113 Baltus Yeakle was the son of Abra¬ acres sold to George Delp in 1814, and ham Yeakle and his wife Maria, immi¬ part of land sold to Valentine Kratz in grants in 1734, and he was born August 1823 by John Clemmer. John Clemmer 19 1736. The other children were bought of George Delp in 1820. Farm Hans, Susanna, Rosina and Elizabeth ; buildings were erected here about 1854 Abraham, the father died January 12, by Joseph Mininger, then the owner. 1762. Baltus Yeakle married Kosma^ Later it belonged to Joseph Freed, who held 42 acres. The transfers have been : .8

Jsaaq Kra^z to Jogepfi iVratz ; homestead" Mere some f h^pa JSratz jo .Isaac Jfrafcz; 1854,' yards from the highway was a large IsaacfKwata to Joseph.Miiiinge'r; 1867, stone house built in 1752 which stood Joseph G. Mininger to . William C. during the Revolution and down to a Stover ; 1869, William G. Stover to Jo- recent period. It was demolished by seph H Freed; 1878, Freed to Isaac Jacob Detwiler who built the present Jdodshalh. dwelling. The old house stood very _ T¥ fV«» of parroan Re?p. nearly upon the same site on a knoll fphis tyas the western "corner of the rising from the meadow lands with a ieakle plantation,' In' 1795 Abrahhm spring not many yards to the south¬ Ahcters, pon-in-law of Baltzer Yehkle, ward from which water was carried. bQjj'ght this property from tpe other The old house is said to have sheltered Qf thp fatter, cpii]prising 64 acres General Washington during his stay in }n Tosyamencjp. Apders : died in the vicinity in the fall of 1777. The 1839, leaving one daughter. Catharine, ■ present barn is much older than the Who married Christqphpr Meschter. In modern house having been built in 1868 after the death of the latter, Rev. 1820. The farm land of the old Wam¬ George Meschter, a Sohwenkfelder pole plantations were undulating but preacher, soldtoliis son Abraham. The generally sloping .northwest towards next transfer was in 1S75 to Mrs. Sarah the valley of the Skippack which flows iruupp, Widow of Jacob M. Krunp, to the south west just wihtin the lim¬ whose son-in-law, lMr. Moore, TarrhW its of Lower Salford. A small branch the place. In 1887 Mrs. Krupp sold of that stream joins it here, which, ris¬ back to Abraham K. Meschter, who in ing in Hatfield, flows through the 1891 sold to the present owner, Har¬ northern corner of Towamencin and man Delp, 75 acres, of which 11 are in watered, the Wampole farm and now Lower Salford. Rev. George Meschter. separating the Meschter and Detwiler above mentioned, had children, among properties. whom are John, owner of an adjoining The Furiey Patent. farm; Ur. George K, Meschter, of Wor- The early history of this is the same cester, and Abraham K. Meschter, of is the adjoining Lukens and Stover Lansdalo. A handsome brick residence plantations. It was part of the indefi¬ has been erected by Harman Delp, the nitely bounded section of 5,000 acres present owner, standing near the town¬ granted by William Penn to Benjamin ship line road, and succeeding an old Furiey, a Dutch merchant of Rotter¬ l frame structure. dam. The grant lay in abeyance for The Farm ol John K. Oberholtzer. many years and probably no such The buildings of this farm are near amount was received by Furiey in one the public school house, and by a pub¬ body, being overlapped by other grants. lic road. It now contains about 82 La 1700 Furiey gave power of attorney acres, obtained from three sources. In to sell to Daniel Falkner and Justus 1840 the death of William Sampey took Falkner. This grant extended for one place, and the house and 45 acres were and a half miles northeast from the adjudged to his son Jesse H. Sampey. present turnpike, reaching to the Hat¬ The latter sold in 1842 to Joseph A. field line and extended down from the Oberholtzer, father of the present own¬ Salford line 334 peches, which would er, who obtained title in 1866. Another carry it nearly or quite to the Forty- piece of five acres, once belonging to Foot road, Mordecai Davis, which in 1850 was In 1703 these two Falkners sold 1000 sold by his administrators to Joseph acres ro Abrham Tennis and Jan Lu¬ Oberholtzer. This had been obtained kens. In 1709 Tennis and Lukens made from Samuel Tennis in 1804. A third partition, each getting 500 acres. The portion of 94 acres, bordering on the latter got the half next the turnpike Forty-Foot road, originally came from and Tennis the northeast side. The the lands of Samuel Tennis. The grant to James Claypoole bounded on Sampey farm was part of the old estate the southeast side. of Abraham Yoakle, which comprised The will of Jan Lukens, made Jan¬ 155 acres. uary 24, 1744, left 300 apres of the low¬ The Wampole Family. er part of his plantation, whereon he The Wampole estate was a large tract lived, to his son Abraham. The upper in the northern part of the towmship, part, next to Salfprd, comprising 200 bordering the Lower Salford line, and acres, he ordered his executors to sell. lying northeast of the turnpike running Frederick Wampole, to Ilarleysvilie. It ftas a mile or so Frederick Wampole was not among north of Kulpsville and half a mile the earlier immigrants from Germany east of Mainland. It comprised the to Pennsylvania. He camo with his present properties of Jacob Detwiler, brother John George Wampole in 1743 Michael Fritz, John Meschter, and from Wetterau, in Ober-Hessen. John some land belonging to Benjamin Ruth George bought land in Franconia, on and Charles Wambold. It included the north branch of the Perkiomen the site of Christ church and grave¬ creek, near the lndianfieid church. yard, fronting the turnpike. The pres His son, Jacob, got his father’s farm, ent premises of Jacob Detwiler was the when the latter died in 1813. . F reel crick WampOTB was-or inh irufff1- " of 150 acres.’’ Money legacies were eran faith and a carpenter by trade. given to his daughters—as much as There are indications that he was a £250 each, and the same also to his man of intelligence, ability and wealth, son, Jacob. This indicated that he somewhat above his neighbors. He was a comparatively wealthy man, foi was supervisor of the township in 1773* he had a large family. His children and also served as Overseer of the Poor. mentioned were Abraham, Mary, Cath¬ Most of the surrounding settlers were arine, Maria, Eve, Magdalena, Eliza¬ not Lutherans, and he attended church beth, Jacob and Isaac-. Besides, two many mi lea distant, at Indianfield, sons-in-law are mentioned, Lewis Ben¬ Franconia, where he was buried. ner and Daniel Koop. The will was On the 16th of December, 1745, he witnessed by Michael Shoemaker and bought of the estate of Jan iLukens, John Althouse. Enos Benner, who from the executors, Abraham and Jo¬ published the “Bauern - fcreuud seph Lukens, the amount of 150 acres (Farmers’ Friend), a German paper in for £225—probably a tract of forest. Sumneytown, about 1832, was a son o! The boundaries were: 1 Beginning in this Lewis Benner. The Koop’s lived corner of land of Henry Fry’: then south, in Springfield township, just above the west 2*8 parpjteg'tq V corahr1 til "great Wheel Pump tavern, at the foot oi road: thep along saifi road northwest Chestnut Hill. 65 perches to corner of Christopher Isaac Wampole. Hofner (or Hoffman) : thence northeast The next owner of the plantation, 124 perches: then northwest 65 perches Isaac Wampole, was born Septembei to another corner of Hoffman’s land: 23, 1767. He married Catharine'Graeft. thence northeast 124 perches bv line of He was a man of ability, acquired con¬ George Delp ; thence soutpeapt by said siderable education, became a convey¬ Help’s land 124 perches tp beginning. ancer and business man, went to Pnil- These boiih'daries show that there adelphia and became wealthy, for those was a piece of about fifty acres just times. He was for eighteen years em¬ above the present church extending to ployed as Deputy in the Register’s office the Salford line, which had been a part in that city. He was a man of progres¬ of the 200 acres owned by the Lukens sive ideas, and had come in contact estate. This had been sold to Hoffman, with different people and had imbibed a Schwenkfelder, who lived above the broader views of education than was Skippack, in Salford, then prevalent in his native region. i On these premises Frederick Wam- He was a firm Lutheran and started pole afterwards lived a long life, last¬ the first Sunday school in the town ing through the Revolutionary period ship. At that time such schools were and to The end of the century, Hsf pur¬ an innovation, and were stoutly oppos¬ chased additional land - of dosaph ed as such, not only by the Mennomtes, Smithj comprising 79 acres, in 1771rsb but by many of the Reformed and that in 1776 he was assessed for 220 Lutherans. To hold such schools m a acres, one servant, four horses and four church edifice was thought to be a de cows. The servant was a white Re- secration. So he was compelled tc demptioner. The enrolment df 1775 start a Sunday school on his own found fiito among tfi:e ^Phiysaficialbs.' oYound, owing to the opposition in the Hie flrhti residence tfas id a log house, neighborhood. For this purpose a which stood about ■ six hundred feet building was erected in the corner oi north of the present Detwdler dwelling.- the present graveyard of Christ f It was dofri thp gldpq'fipar a: ithe&d&w church. This stood for many years brook Which hhsthris northward1’to jdifi and was demolished about 1876. This the tributary oLthe Skippack-1 In 1752 Sunday school was started about 1834, he built the larger and more cpnimp- and soon had from eighty to one hun- dioqa atoijp dwpli^ng1 which sheltered dred scholars. for a time the cqipniancMiig rprru of the. Isaac Wampole, the conveyancer, had Father of hia Country, his city residence at 263 Arch street, Will of Frederick Wampole. but had a Summer home built for him The will was registered February 7, in .1830, which is yet standing. it la¬ 1800. It premises that the testator was ter became the property of the Mat¬ ter family, and is situated north of the then far advanced in years, which we i homestead. can well believe, since it was fifty-five Will of Isaac Wampole. years since he had bought his planta¬ tion. He was probably above eighty This will was made in 1837, the year years of age. Mention is made of his of his death. To his wife, Catharine, wife, Catharine, to whom he gave £50, , he gave a library of books, and a silver household goods, etc. “Also, to her 1 mug “presented to me by Joseph Hill- use my small dwelling where I now born’’; also, “the houses and lota on live’’-—probably the log house which ; Elm and Third streets, Philadelphia, he first built and whither he retired in i late her fathers: also, 810,000, and a his old age. Also, a clock and Bible, house and lot on Mulberry street, be¬ which were to go to his son, Isaac, af¬ tween Fourth and Fifth; also house ter her death. “To my son, Isaac,_ my •«id lot in Appletree Alley’ . After messuage plantation in Towamensing, ins wife’s decease, all this property was to go to a once poor gjrl, raised in his John. Of these, Jacob became a Lutn- 5 family, Anna, wife of Valentine Burk- eran minister, and pastor of the church hart. This property was worth $30,- at Shamokin. He has written a his¬ 000, and his whole estate was valued at tory of the Wampole family. Concern- ,* $74,000. The will goes on to say: ing Frederick, who lived at the home- • “To my nephew, Frederick Wampole, stead, mention is made elsewhere. Ja¬ my plantation in Towamencin, except cob Baker, the husband of Betsy ^ cne acre, which is conveyed for a site Wampole, was the father of David Ba- r- for a church and a burial ground; and ker, well-known as an undertaker and also ten acres of woodland adjoining carpenter, of North Wales. James J ground purchased by me from execu¬ Beam, husband of Julia Ann Wampole, 1 tors of Mathias Stover: Also, to my lived in Upper Gwynedd, on the farm nephew, Frederick, my large family yet held by his children near the Bap¬ Bible, bequeathed to me by my father tist cemetery, where he lies buried. and which sipce 1753 has been in the FREDERICK WAMPOLE old mansion house. To my nephew, was the third owner of the homestead, Rev. Jacob Wampole, $2,000. To my and was born February 12, 1787. He j nephew, Jacob Warppole, a furnace lot married Mary Leister. After his mar- I in Flourtown. To tpy rjephew, Sam¬ riage he had removed to a property on uel, son of my brother Abraham, $1',- the Allentown road, later owned by < 000. To my nephew, Frederick and John Clemens. He removed back to l .Jacob Wampole, $9,000. To my neph¬ his uncle’s farm in 1818, after his fath¬ ew, Henry Kratz, son of my half-sister, er’s death, and in w’hich year the Catharine, $1,000. To Trustees of house was repaired. His death took | Lutheran congregation of St. Johns, place March 24, 1868, at the age of Philadelphia, $1,000', for benefit of its eighty-one. He possessed a remarkable Sunday school. To Christ’s church, voice, which could be heard at a great Towamencin, $2,000, the interest to be distance distinctly when he spoke in paid annually for compensation to its his ordinary tone. Becoming involved pastor, beyond his regular salary ; pro¬ in financial difficulties he made an as¬ vided that he shall hold service in the signment in 1858 to Henry Freedley, , English language, give catechetical in¬ and after that time the old Wampole struction to young persons and chil¬ homestead became divided and the ] dren as often as he conveniently can, ownership passed out of the name. In | and encourage a Sunday school for the i860 Henry Freedley sold the greater instruction of children. To Jacob Bit¬ part of 117 acres to George H. Herges- ting, (his fiostler apd gardener) six heimer, some of whose children are acres that T purchased of James Yo¬ now residents of North Wales and cum.’’ This lot was in Lower Salford. Lansdale. In 1866 the administrators JACOB WAMPOLE. of Hergesheimer sold to John Clark. Jacob Wampole, brother of Isaac, The later transfers were: 1867, Clark and father of Frederick and Jacob, to John JKeller ; 1871, Keller to William named above, had lived at the home¬ C. Royal, 73 acres; 1875, Royal to stead, but not a9 the owner. The first John Leister. Jacob Detwiler is the name of his wife was Magdalena. He owner of the 73 acres surrounding the died in 1818 at the age of fifty-two. mansion, which he bought about 1877 He was buried at lndianfield. The pf the estate of Leister. names of his children were Isaac, Tije other portion northward along John, Abraham, Jacob, Frederick, the township line road, where was the Mary, wife of David Meschter ; Betsy, other house of Isaac Wampole, was ! wife of Jacob Baker; Julia Ann, wife sold by Freedley to Henry Drake in of James Beam ; Dorothy, wife of Pe¬ 1861, and which the same year Rev. ter Stillwaggon, and Catharine, who George Meschter, a preacher among ! remained single. Of these, Isaac be¬ the Schwenkfelders, purchased. His came conveyancer in Philadelphia, but son, John Meschter, is now the owner. went to Michigan about 1834 and died Isaac W. Wampole, son of Frederick there. His residence was near Centre- Wampole, born in 1817, was long a vifle, St. Joseph county, and near the prominent citizen of Towamencin. He river of that name. He was unmarried. was chosen Justice of the Peace in John died a young man. Abraham 1840, and served in that capacity until was twice married, first to Miss Dot- his removal to North Wales in 1867, terer, second to Catharine Schuler, and and where he has continuously held the ' had a large family. His end came sud¬ same office. Whilst in Towamencin, denly and tragically, having been blown he was actively engaged in various up by a powder mill explosion, along business affairs and prominently con- , j with his son, at Sumncytown, about nected with the Sunday school of 1847. Jacob became a clergyman of Christ’s church. ‘ a the Lutheran Church, and was pastor of the Trappe church at the time of THE FRITZ LOT. ' his death, which took place at the age A piece of the old Wampole property i of thirty-five. His wife was Miss is now the premises of Michael Fritz, j Fisher, of Philadelphia, and they had ‘comprising 24 acres, bordering the three children, Jacob, Sophia and tqrnpihe, near Christ’s chqrch. This ' was detached in 1859 by Henry Freed- j before I860. IHscfnlSen wereTJarret, ey, til© assignee of Frederick Wampole^ l’eter, Henry, John, Jonas, Susan, yhq sold to Heory Sphauerman. F'ritz sold to Heory Sphauerman wife of John Delp ; Mary, wife of Ja¬ bought ji; qf his exeoutprs In 1878, cob Fry ; Elizabeth, wife of Jonas ; That portion of the VYarapolo estate Booise; Ann, wife of John Clemmer, row held by Benjamin Ruth, of Lower and Catharine, wife of Jacob Alderfer. Salford, has had several transfers in These heirs sold to Frederick Wam¬ recent years: 1875, John Keller to Wil¬ pole for S2300. The later transfers have liam 0. Royal; 1875, Royal to Jacob been: 1849, Wampole to John Funk; Z. Wampole; 1878, George D. Alder - 1855, Funk to Henry Leppla ; Leppla fer, assignee of Wampole, to John H. sold to Charles Wambold, whose dwell¬ gchwartz; 1879, Schwartz to Joel Cas- ing is at the extreme north corner. isai; 1886, Caesel sold thirty-three acres BENJAMIN FURLEY. to Benjamin H, Ruth. Concerning Benjamin Furiey, who A NOOK OP TOWAMENCXN. once owned the north corner of Towa- There is a nook of fifty acres along mencin, we have the following account: the upper line of the township. It has He was born in Colchester, England, Been a separate property since *1745, April 13, 1636. He began life as a a portion of the time was owned merchant there and became identified Ify-parties living in Lower gaifoyd, with the early Quakers. In 1660 he l^hik is a trqct between the Skippaok went to Amsterdam,Holland, but after¬ snd OhrisFs, church, bounded on one ward made Rotterdam his permanent fide by the great road leading to Har- home, where he engaged in mercantile leysville, and on the other by the town - j and shipping business. He married a jhip line road. For only a brief time Dutch girl, named Dorothy Grainge. iid it belong to the Wampole estate He became one of the leading mer- j jartly surrounding it. Its surface ^as chants of Rotterdam. A scholar as raversed by Washington’s soldiers d'ur- well as a merchant, he took an interest ng tire encampment' hear here in the in literary pursuits, and was a prolific m ot vri,' dnd if! woodland existed author, writing in English, German, hen, it was cut to' supply th§ «eedn of Dutch and French. He became the “iharppy.' It is BOW wholly cleared, chief agent of William Penn on the ife eheampment Is supposed to have Continent of Europe for the sale, of his been on the Towamencin side in a field lands in Pennsylvania. He died in just northeast of the present residence March, 171 i, in bis 78th year, and was Of Charles Wambold, as in later times buried at the Cathedral church at Rot¬ numerous relics of the array’h occupa¬ terdam. Ho was a man of independent tion were foy#d he#:" This fifty-acre thinking, and in some respects differed j pie(ie slopes' north west towards the Skip¬ with the Quakers in some points of be¬ jack- It WPS square cornered former- lief and practice. y, and at the west angle extended THE LUKENS PLANTATION. above the township line road, covering HIS farm, now owned by George the mill dam, and reaching nearly to T Lukens, lies a mile northward of the present creamery. The present Kuipsville. It is bounded by the farm house is modern, built by Freder¬ Forty-Foot road on the southeast ick Wampole in 1836. and by a cross-road on the south- This was the west corner of the 500, The buildings are situated sev¬ teres owned by Jan Lukens, the. Hol- west. eral hundred yards from either high¬ [Under, ap’d acqUifeT by him in 1703. way. A meadow rivulet, . running vfter his death in 1744 his executors rte- west, waters the farm. Here is a large jched this piece the next year, selling stone farm house. This property is ) Christopher Heebner, a Schwenk- remarkable as having been continuously felder, who lived across the Skippack in possession of the Lukens family in Salford, where he had other land, since the first settlement of the town¬ ‘here were several changes of owner- ship, or for six generations from Jan lip during the last century, and it Lukens. This forms the eastern por¬ ay have remained a forest till the tion of his 500 acres. devolution. In 1758 Heebner sold to This was the home of Abraham Lu¬ ans Getz. Christopher Heebner came kens, or at least the latter .built a America in 1737, with his wife, Ma¬ house thereon during his lifetime. He la Yeakle. He died September 28, was born in 1703. By the assessment L763, aged 74 years. He Jett one son, of 1776, Abraham Lukens was taxed Ihriatopher, Who lived in Worcester. for 215 acres. By the date of 1758 he n lt69. Hans Getz sold to Bernard had a son John, grown and married, Tetz. The latter was enrolled among j who wanted a farm. So he sold him ia non-associates of Lower Salford in a home and 100 acres for £200: Be¬ 77, when his name was incorrectly ginning at corner of Samuel Tennis: jelled Goeb. In 1774 he sold to Jacob by same northwest 200 perches; by lossert, and at the close of the Revo¬ Abraham Lukens’ land southeast 80 lution, in 1782, Garret Godshalk perches ; by same southeast 200 perches , ,ought it for £330, It was then bound- by John Edwards northeast 80 perches. ,1 by lands of Frederick Wampole, This deed was witnessed before Row¬ Leonard Hendricks and other lands of land Evans, a Gwynedd ’Squire. It It remained in possession of the God- Ifialk family for two generations. In gOt Garret Godshalk sold to his son " odshalk Godshalk. The latter died __ will ITo'obs eiwed'tfi aT" thia was died some years a go. The presen Forty tract,| \j ■ runningA 14 U AAA ^back: ^ '**' from the house was built in two portions. The Foot road 3300 feet, but onlyone-quwr- older west end was erected by Jojip ter of a mile broad. In the assessment Lukens in the latter part of the last of 1776 John1 Lukens was taxed tor Ilo century The newer portion was built by Abel Lukens. dCJohu Lukens, grandson of Jan Lu- THE OLD jpUTOH BIBLE. ... kens, the pioneer, held the farm dur¬ In the possession of William Lukens, ing a long lifetime, covering the Revo¬ landlord of Gwynedd hotel, is a Bible lutionary period. He was enrolled in printed in the Dutch language, and Captain Springer’s Company °* iV*“ ' in Holland, in the year 1598. It was tia. The name of his wife was Rachel, brought to America by Jan- Lukens, in 1810 he sold the farm of 102 acres to who doutbtless could readily read it. his son George Lukens for TToOU. He was what may be called a Dutch George Lukens’ wife wap a Quakei Quaker. In the blank leaf are the fol¬ lady-named Rather Jeans. 0®. was a lowing dates of the births of his chil¬ devoted member of the bpciety . 0 dren : 1684, July 7—Elizabeth ; 1686, Friends, and is remembered as bejn May 5—Elase; 1688, December 22, accustomed to ride on horseback twice William ; 1689, July 19--Sarah ; 1691, a week to Gwynedd Meeting, some t«» August 27—John ; 1693, .November 18— or six miles distant. Kept gehool Mary; 1696, January 30— Peter; 1698, I for many years in a building on his May 25—Hannah ; 1700, August- 13— ieinises. Mathias; 1703, July 16—Abraham; In 1811 George Lukens added to his 170u, August 3—Joseph, the youngest. farm by buying a narrow strip of 25 Further record is made that Mary, the acres, lying op its northeast side. This mother of these children, died in 1742, ran northwest from the Forty-Foot and Jan, the father, in 1744. "One road for the distance of half a. mile, other entry says that Susanna, wife of. though only 412 feet wide. This was Joseph Lukens, died March 27, 1771. bought of Anna Maria Hendricks for THE PLANTATION OF ABKM. LUKE.jSfA £300. It was part of 60 acres detached THIS is one of the original home¬ from lands of Samuel Tennis in 1757 steads of the northern part of and then sold to William Hendricks. the township. Here is a beauti¬ In 1760 Hendricks died, leaving a wid¬ ful little valley, through which ow, Anna Maria, and a daughter, flows a rippling brook westward Jane. This only daughter married to join the Skippack. The surface is Daniel Sampey, and in 1793 Sampey quite undulating and irregular, gen¬ sold the land to his mother-in-law, erally slqcing westward, but rising to Anna Maria Hendricks. the hillsides to the south and nort; George Lukens d.ed in 1819, leaving On the summit of the latter is a pie tract of 5000 acres in Pennsylvania. eldest son of Abel Lukens,now has the Three years later, April 21st, 1686, old homestead, and where his lather there was actually laid out to Furley — ~ > iueo min Fuller, of the city of Philadel¬ It is not supposed that this Amster phia,' to whom a deed was granted on dam merchant ever saw his acres in the 29th of March, 1777. This convey¬ America. At any rate, on April 23, ed 200 acres for the sum of £2100. 1700, he appointed two lawyers, David This was an oblong plantation on the Faulkner and Justus Faulkner, agents northeast side of the present turnpike. to sell his lands. It was on the 17th It extended from the Kulpsville corner of June, 1703,that these attorneys con of the Forty-Foot road 175 perches veyed the 1000 acres to Jan Lukens and northeast along sai d road ; thence the Abraham Tennis. The tract then had line ran northwest 101 perches by lands the following boundaries: of John Lukens, and by same north¬ Beginning at a hickory, standing at east 80 perches to corner in line of the corner of land appropriated to the Balthaser Yoakle; thence northwest 20 Proprietary’s use; thence by the said porches; thence southwest by line of land northwest 334 perches to another Frederick Wampole 255 perches to the hickory tree; by same southwest 480 Maxatawny road, or present turnpike; perches to a black oak by John Hol¬ : thence southeast along same 220 land’s land southeast 334 perches to a I porches to beginning. black oak ; by James Claypool’s land The name of Benjamin Fuller ap¬ northeast 480 perches to beginning. pears in the Towamencin enrollment It will be seen that this piece of land of 1777. He held the farm during the was one and a half miles long by over Revolutionary period, and down till one mile in breadth. It extended 1790, when he sold to Mathias Stover. from the Lower Salford line to the Later the farm lessened in size, as in Forty-Foot road at Kulpsville, and 1810 Mathias Stover gave deed to his from the Skippack road northeastward son Abraham for 121 acres. The lat¬ to the Hatfield line. This comprises ter married Catharine Hackman, and all the northern corner of the town¬ was the father of the family that later ship, now divided into many farms and lived in North Wales, including Ma¬ lots, in a high state of cultivation, thias and Charles Stover. The old and improved with many dwellings and homestead was sold to Septimus Krie- farm buildings. In 1709 Lukens and j bel by Christian Landis in 1867 and is Tennis agreed to divide their 1000 j now owned by his son, H. S. Kriebel, acres into equal portions of 500 acres. I of North Wales. \__ The former took the half next to the ! The children of Abraham Stover were Maxatawny road, while Tennis reserv¬ Mathias, Charles, Aaron, Abraham, ed to himself the northeast end, bor¬ Ccitharine, Annie, Eliza and Mary. dering Hatfield. Of these Abraham died in 187G; Ma¬ Time passed away; the settlement thias in 1819 and Charles in 1895. Ma¬ became more dense; civilized societj thias Stover, grandfather of this fam- began to appear; the land became di¬ j ily, died about 1826 and his son Abra¬ vided into smaller tracts, and John ham in 1839. The heirs of the latter Lukens became old and sot about mak¬ sold the property to Christian Landis. ing his will, which he wrote on the 9th | A military camp was held on the Sto- of October, 1741, and died in January, ■ : ver farm in the fall of 1849, which was 1744. lie bequeathed to Abraham Lu¬ largely attended. Its site was on the kens, one of his sons, 300 acres “where edge of the woodland northwest of the he now dwells”, part of 500 acres farm buildings. which I bought of attorneys of Benja¬ Will of Hathias Stover. min Furley, the which acres are This document was penned January bounded northeasterly by lands of Wil- , : 23, 1823 and registered October 3, 1826. ! Ham Tennis; southeasterly by George Its purport was: To my wife Ann £100. Claypoole; southwesterly by Jacob To children Catharine, wife of Jacob! Godshall and northwesterly by remain¬ Stover; Christian, Abraham, Mary, i ing part of the 500 acres. wife of Harman Godshalk; Susanna, According to this will, Abraham Lu¬ wife of Cornelius Custer and Eliza¬ kens already dwelt here at the time of beth, wife of Abraham Reiff, £200 his father’s death. Another genera¬ each. tion of men passed away ; the Revolu- The administration on the estate of j tionary war came on, and Abraham Lu¬ Abraham Stover was granted February kens, feeling in his turn that old age 27, 1837. J was stealing upon him, wrote his last After the death of Abraham Stover | testament on the 31st of March in the the old plantation was temporarily di- I memorable year 1776. By this docu¬ - vided. Mathias Stover took the new ment we learn that he had been twice house and 53 acres lying along the married; that Elizabeth was the name turnpike, and kept them seven years. of hja second wife, q,nd by these wives In 1844 he sold off 46 acres (not "in¬ he had children to the number of nieo • cluding the house) to Christian Lan- John, Ma.thias, Wild**" I des. The same year Landes bought Joseph, Job '' Abraham, 1 of the other heirs the old house and 70 Tn- , -L.xargaret, Jonathan and «acres, and so the farm was reunited ^.nos. In this will he made his wife again. In 1867 Landes sold to Sep- Elizabeth and sons John and Mathias ; timus Kriebel 118 acres. The latter executors, who sold the farm to Benja-

: • remov ‘Custer) and William won, H. S. both his brothers-in-law, were property. executors, whilst the witnesses The Qodshalk Lands.—Godshalk Qodshalk. Garret Schwager, Peter Hendricks and HESE lands lay in the northwest Jacob Godshalk. Of the daughters, T Mary married John Johnson, of Hors¬ portion of Towamenein along the Skippack. The name of God- ham ; Margaret, to Henry Cassel; shalk Godshalk sounds queer to Magdalen to Jonn Hendricks ; Gertrude us of this generation, but per¬ to Mathias Hendricks; Ann to Mel- haps did not to the people of former • choir Yoder and Eve to Jacob Schwartz. times. In fact Godshalk Godshalk Garret Godshalk was a life long citi- had a grandson of the same name, who yz.an of Towamenein, and the assessor lived during part of the present cen- of tPa township in 1776. He is styled Itury. The original Godshalk family a miller, and probably built the mill iiWere Hollanders and Mennonites. We on the Skippack. Becoming old, in first hear of Godshalk Godshalk in 1810 he conveyed 114 acres to his son Germantown as early as 1708, and he (3od|halk Godshalk, named after hia came to Towamenein in 1713, along granSffrtfeefc Tljis second Godshalk with his brother Jacob, a Mennonite Godshalk died before 1836. His chil¬ / ’’preacher. They each bought tho same dren were Garret, Peter, Henry, John, J quantity of land adjoining, at thesame Jonas, Susan, wife of John Dolp: date and of the same person. The Mary, wife of Jacob Fry ; Elizabeth, present grist mill on the Skippack, wife of Jonas Boorse; Ann, wife of / • '(now Kriebel’s) was built on land ac- John Clemmer, and Catharine, wife of v / ffl Jquired by Godshalk Godshalk. Jacob Alderfer. land was part of that granted to In 1836 Garret Godshalk, Jr., had John Philips, Samuel Taver- received the mill and 71 acres from the jjner and Thomas Parke, and sold .by other heirs. In 1850, he being deceas¬ them to James Shattich in 1708. In ed, his administrators who were Daniel 8.713 the two Godshalk brothers each Godshalk and Isaac G. Godshalk, sold bought 123 acres, and each paid £35 the mill and 63 acres to Daniel G. herefor. The boundary of that sold Boorse, and the property thus passed :o Godshalk Godshalk was: Beginning out of the Godshalk name, after a per¬ ht corner of Jacob GodshalK, then iod of 137 years. The same year Boorse northwest by some vacant land 117 sold to Charles L. Wampole. There 4perches, thence southwest by marked have been several later transfers: 1858, trees 123 porches to corner of Leonard Sheriff D. Rudy to Henry Freedley, as Hendricks, thence southeast by same estate of Charles L. Wampole; 1858, 203 perches to line of Henry Hendricks, Henry JtTeddley'to {saac W.‘ Wampole; | thence northeast by Jacob Godshalk 1§67, Sheriff' E. M. Beysher to Michael

three courses 209 perches to beginning. / JHderfer, as estate of Isaac W. Wara- In 1725 he bought 50 acres more, pole; 1869, Michael Alderfer to Jacob adjoining this, of Israel Penning¬ D. Moyer, mill and 48 acres: 1871, Ja¬ ton. cob D. Moyer to Hannah Gehrnan, the Qodshalk Godshalk, along with other mill and 76 perches; 1874, Sheriff Lar- Dutchmen in! Towamenein, probably zelere to Elias Cassel; 1881, Assignees understood three languages—Dutch, of Elias Cas9el to Henry S. Krieble, German and English. This was not tfid ill ill and;76 acres. It will be no- from any literary desire to acquire lan¬ Hced'ihat several of the owners during guages, but because he could not well the past 42 years were unfortunate and help himself. It was necessary to his the Sheriff or assignees had to inter¬ situation. Dutch was his mother vene. The mill has for many years tongue; there were so many German been equipped with steam as a motive ettlors near him that he had to learn power. heir language in order to talk with The farm belonging to the mill prop¬ hem, whilst he could not get along at erty was owned by Jacob D. Moyer till arrv distance from home or in market his death. It has belonged to James unless he understood English, M. Markley since 1884. In 1867 Sher¬ His death took place in the winter iff Beysher sold it to Michael Alderfer. of 1748. The name of his wife was The transfer to Moyer by Alderfer was Eve, and they had fourteen children. in 1869. It was detached from the At this prolific rate we need not won¬ mill in 1871. der that there are many Godshalks, Jacob Qodshalk, the Preacher. and he was only one of several settlers He came with his brother Godshalk of that name. The names of these to Towamenein in 1713, and bought children were Jacob, William, Suken 123 acres of James Shattich. These or Susau, Mary, Catharine, Margaret, aoreB lay on the southeast side of the Garret, Jane, Magdalen, Gertrude, purchase of the latter, and on the op¬ John, Ann, Eve and Peter. There posite side of the Forty Foot road, were far too many to all stay in the These lands slope northwest towards

home nest, and so they scattered. Gar¬ the Skippack. It may be supposed SiflU ret kept the homestead. In the will that bisjiome.was at or near the site of the father of these children, Peter west ward! y. The house is of stone and the later Boorse homestead, formei- ■appears old. This property alTe^r® £ that of Daniel Boorse, who held bJ have come from two sources in 1» acres. This is about one-fourth of a Benjamin.Fuller foM M.a%la8 S'tq’ mile west of Kulpsville, where a brick ver 200 acrls,|o§Whi;l|s«$S home was built by Daniel Boorse. Ihe are contained in fifeeiit-efftote. - ^ boundaries of the 123 acres were: Be^ Peter Godshalk sold to Abraham Sto ginning in line of John Holland and ver ten acres for £300. J-bis m at corner of Henry Hendricks, north- . doubtless once been part of Une l-> east 123 perches, northwest by vacant acres held by the first Godshalk Cod land 203 perches, southwest by Dod- shalk. In 1802- Abraham Sto vex solo ghalk Godshalk 61 perches, southeast, to his father, Mathias Stover. The ^7 perches, southwest 61 perches to latter held possession for a quarter oi line of Henry Hendricks, southeast ID a century. In 1327 his executors eok perches to beginning. to George Snyder. It was the h Jacob Godshalk lived for half a cen¬ of the latter during a long life. Attei tury after bis arrival in the township. his death in 1879 his administrators He made his will in 1760 and his death conveyed to Jacob B. Moyer. On the took place in May 1763. In his will north end of this stone house is the it is said that he was a turner by date of 1S52. The other portions art. trade,'and that he made this will, “having considered my old age. Ui C ^ The Farm of Henry Kratz. his children, mention is made that, This is situated on the southeast side three were then deceased, including pis of the Forty Foot road, and adjoining son John. He had kept his plantation the Mennonite meetinghouse property. intact, and willed the whole of it to It is hillside land sloping towards the his son Herman. There was another Skinpack. Here is a large white plast¬ son living, named Godshalk, and a ered dwelling about sixty yards from daughter Magdalena, wife of leter ihe highway. This is quite an old Ouster, of Worcester. This son John homestead. The writer has been able had died in Hatfield in 1

assigns Hendricks 100 acres, two horses enrollment’Oi ilU Oil lb of 1776, his -name appears% and two cows. In 3783 the latter sold in Captain Springer’sRnrinaer’s company of mi-mi to John Metz for £500._ Before 1791 lit-ia as “John Boorse, weaver. The Metz was deceased and in that year hie will of John Boorse was made in 1793, administrators sold to Garret God- and his death took place about D98. shalk this tract then bounded by lands He had no children. In fact, he is of Christopher Reinwalt, Jacob Kolb, called a “bachelor” in the old docu John Boorse, Peter Godshalk and Bam- ments. In 1801 his executors sold his uel Hendricks. This transfer was but form to Abraham Godshalk, who was teraDorary, for Garret Godsniajk tne the owner for a long lifetime In 1851 same year sold to John Climer (1791) the assignees of Abraham Godshalk In 1800 Climer sold 79 acres su'd to John Edwards who immediately to Mordeear Davis, the hotel keeper, conveved to Isaac Bean In 1867 Bean who held the same for forty years. In conveyed to Abraham Ruth It has 1840 Davis sold the greater part of his been the property of Henry Kratz since land, or 57- swres, to-- Daniel, Boorse, 18Q9 who remained here a.lifetime. In 188s Tfte Former Ruth Farm. his heirs sbTdr’ffieWm and sixty-one At a former period the later Ruth acre* toTsraehWood, the present owner. farln comprised about 50 acres a,nd ex- *1 , -ptei; Farmer Snyder Farm. tended on both sides of the Forty hoot * This is a small property of 27 acres, road That portion on the southeast bordering the turnpike and Forty Foot side of that highway now belongs to road. The buildings are at the foot ol John C, Boores, Esq, and has no build the steep hill, which de|t*nds~pa&± the 'ines The new' brick dwelling on the Mennonite meetingfoufif gnj f northwest side was erected about ten a meadow thrca^^ft*ei«ftrlMie^t«flawg», I '?.h

years since, after the destruction by Shattick and EdwarcT fire of the house and barn about 1884, ite grant of 4,000 acres. 1708, Com¬ then belonging to Benjamin W. Ruth. missioners of Property to Shattick 492 These lands are part of the original acres; 1713, Shattick sold 12.Tacres to Godshalk property, and 6old in 1822 by Jacob Godshalk ; 1760, Jacob Godshalk Godshalk Godshalk to Garret God¬ by will to his son Herman Godshalk : shalk, who sold to Jonas C. Godshalk. 1772, Herman Godshalk to Leonard They passed out of the Godshalk name Hendricks 893| acres; 1783 Hendricks in 1837 by sale to Jacob Schultz. The to John Metz, the same for £500; 1719, succeeding transfers have been : 1845, Administration of John Metz to Gar¬ Schultz to Henry Ziegler. The portion ret Godshalk, bounded by Christophes without buildings became separated in Reinwalt, Jacob Kolb, John Boorse, 1854 by Ziegler’s sale to Eli Stover, Peter Godshalk,and Samuel Hendricks ; who transferred in 1857 to Joseph John¬ 1791, Garret Godshalk to John Climer. son 28 acres. Later it became the Mordecai Davis. property of John C. Bobrse. Mordecai Davis, was of Welsh de¬ In 1850 Ziegler sold the portion with scent. He was a young man, when he buildings to Joseph Kriebl'e; then came purchased here in 1794, and had learn¬ changes: 1852, Joseph Kriebel to his ed the trade of tailor. He erected the son Abraham ; 1860, Abraham Kriebel present tavern home in 1799 of bricks to Aaron B. Kriebel, a home and 18 hauled from Philadelphia. He soon acres; 1868, the Sheriff to Abraham opened a store and obtained a license R. Ruth; 1884, Abraham R. IJuth to for a public house, of which he was his son Benjamin W. Ruth. Recently the landlord for many years. In the it has been sold to Henry Kratz. early part of tho present century there The West Corner at Kulpsville, was much market travel stopping here, THE west corner at Kulpevilie is and also many drovers and teamsters. now occupied by’ a' hotel kept He sold off in 1840 land to theamounl and owned by Sylvanus Bean. of 57 acres to Daniel Boorse, part of 7f Here also .is Rulpsvjlle hall, acres which he had owned. Mordecai built in 1856, the lower story of Davis was twice married. The name which is occupied as a dwelling. Along of his first wife was Lukens, and win both roads are the dwellings and shops was the mother of his children. His of the village. second wife was Hannah Tennis. His A narrow strip of ]and at this junc¬ children were Amos, John and Edith. tion of the tw7o roads seems to have The two latter were unmarried. Johi been overlooked by the early settlers, went to the South, but returned and cnA Proprietary Govern men u gav e Ai pat¬ died in Towamencin. Edith was th( ent to Herman Godshalk for 13 acres idministrator of her father’s estate. and 125 perches. This was a piece only She afterwards died in Philadelphia. 248 feet wide along the presont turn¬ Amos Davis married Hannah Bemlej pike, but extending up the same for a md had a family, among whom wer( third of a mile and covering the site Nathan, Mordecai, Cyrus and Isaac. of the Mennonite meetinghouse. The latter married Hannaretta Esher, In 1756 Godshalk conveyed the nar¬ of Philadelphia, and was the father o; row strip to Isaac Croll, who lived at Rhettie Davis, now of Philadelphia. the later Stover place to the south¬ Mordecai Davis was an Episcopalian, ward. Croll owned it for fifteen years, though others of his family were Qua¬ during which time the Mennonites kers. He sometimes attended a qhurcl built their house of worship. In 1771 at Evansburg. His death took place sold off six acres of the upper part in 1849 and in 1850 his daughter EditL mid the tavern and 33 acres to Charles to Jacob Kolb—a piece 180 feet wide L., Wmnpole.. The latter proceeded t< but 1750 feet long. In 1791 Kolb sold .sell olflthe land in lots along botl this to Mordecai Davis for £70. |o<-fds,§ previous to "which time there Another small piece was bought by -‘ntd been oniv the tavern-Tiouie at this Mordecai Davis in 1794 of John CJimer, comprising ten acres for £100. This corner. Mordecai Davis, lay alongside of the first piece and on After the death of ip-T--.pso»erjv changed own- the southwest side. It had belonged Hor times. The rapidly suc- to a farm of 893.4 acres sold to Climer 1 ng °t ransfera have been: 1850, in 1791 by Garret Godshalk for £456. Mordecai Davis afterwards acquired Charles L. Wampole to Jesse H. Price, much of this farm. It comprised the che hotel and ten acres ; 1855, Assignees summit level lying west and southwest of Price to James Price; 1855, Price te of Kulpsville, a portion of which is Charles Roop; 1856, Administratora.oi now contained in the farm of Israel Koop to Joseph Johnson;; 1857; = John¬ Wood. son to Kulpsville Hall Association:: Brief of Title. 1861, Hall Association to Seth Lukens: The preceeding history of this land 1863, Seth Lukens to Abraham G. was as follows: 1704 John Phelps, of Freed; 1866, Freed to Enos Wambold: Bristol, England; Samuel Tauerner, 1867, Wambold’s administration to Dr. of Limerick, Ireland, and Thomas John N. Jacobs; 1868, Jacobs to Jus , Pierce, of Limerick, sold to James tus II. Scheetz; 1870, Scheetz tc

. <; ueorge Sackett, of Buckingham. ^^^EPrederTc’k to He^^^LnBergey, Bucks county; 1875, Sackett to Joseph Franconia, fifty acres for 86,000. Peter B. Zepp; 1877, Assignees of Zepp’s es¬ B. Hendricks lies buried in the Men- tate to Benjamin Z. Alderfer; 1877, nonite graveyard. He was born in Alderfer to Henry Z. Wamople; 1879, 1799 and died in 1869. Administration of Wampole to Peter The Ziegler Farm. C. Boorse; 1883, Boorse to William Z. Hunsicker; 1891, Hunsicker to Sylva- iThis lies oh t^io Forty-Foot road. A nus C. Bean. arge smooth|frIast.ered house stands on he southeafe* side of the road. This Mordecai Davis kept a store in this place came into possession of Jacob K. house in 1798, when he ventured to Philadelphia during the prevalence oi De.fcwikr.in This is also an old Hendricks liome^tbad. It is doubtless yellow fever, got his goods very chea] part of tkfeIatnd?:iowned by Lawrence and sold them at highest rates. His- Hendricks, conveyed to him by James house ceased to be licensed about 1825. ghattick in 1713. After the death of It again became an inn between 1851 and 1855. Hendricks about 1753 the farm came The Farm of Henry 0. Bergey. into possession of his son Peter Hen¬ IHIS is an old homestead along the dricks, who owned it for the next Skippack. The farm buildings thirty years, including the time of the are near the Kriebel mill prop- Revolution. In the assessment of 1776 - erty, on the southwest side. The he is ratpd for 88 acres, 2 horses _and present buildings are modern, 3 cows.p IJifli Yvill was made in 1785,_ in Ipart of the house having been erected which we find mention of his wife, by Bergey. This is an old Hendricks Anna, and children, Joseph, Maria, (property. It is part of the original Catharine, Margaret and Dorothy. purchase made by Lawrence Hendricks. Joseph was then-a thinot. Hfenry Clem- The latter obtained 123 acres of James nrd-J^p iftlgijaan erf-sons- Shattick in 1713, including the Ziegler in-law, and executors. The tombstone farm. Lawrence Hendricks may have iof Doro!hV;fi;lys fhkt she was- born in obtained other land besides this. At 1763 and died in 1829. The son Joseph any rate, he had built a house here prior (Hendricks inherited the farm of 88 I to 1753, when he made a will. In the acres. He married, and had one child, enumeration of taxables in 1734 he is named Ann, who married Emanuel credited with 150 acres. In his will Swartz. She survived her husband, mention is made of a wife who bore the and in 1855 she conveyed the farm to queer name of Yanichen, and sons Abraham K. Ziegler, just forty years Cornelius, Henry, Peter and Benjamin. lafter. Ziegler sold to Jacob K. Detwiler, This part of his property was devised the present owner. to Benjamin Hendricks and released to The Frederick Farm. him by the other heirs in 1754. An¬ This farm lies along the Forty-Foot other part was willed to Peter Hen¬ road, adjoining the former Ziegler dricks. property. Here is a large brick house | Benjamin Hendricks was the owner on the southeast side of the highway. for the next forty years and during the This has for mauy years belonged to Revolutionary period. In the assess¬ John S. Frederick, now removed to ment of 1776 he is rated for 88 acres, 2 Kulpsville. In it are comprised 59 horses and 3 cows. His name is among acres. This was once a Hendricks the non-associators, probably being old Inomestoad. In 1836 Peter Hendricks V, at that time. sold to Herman Hendricks. The lat¬ The will of Benjamin Hendricks was ter conveyed to Jacob D. Moyer m made in 1792. Mention was made 1844, and John S. Frederick purchased therein of children Abraham, Alice, of Moyer in 1869. A neighboring Susannah, wife of George Baker ; Cath¬ boundary of the Bergey place says that arine, wife of Henry Freed, and Eliza¬ in 1792 on this side were Henry and beth, wife of Peter Weil. To Abraham Leonard Hendricks. This may be a was devised a farm of eighty-eight recital from an earlier deed. In the acres. Then this was bounded on the absence of positive proof, this may bo northeast by land of Godshalk God- supposed to have been part of the prop¬ i: shalk; on the southeast by Henry and erty of LawrenceHendricks, and which Leonard Hendricks; on the southwest ^iad descended to his son Henry. Lack by Joseph Hendricks, and byChristian t>f records renders it difficult to trace Stover on the northwest. !the history of this farm. It is believ¬ The lifetime of Abraham Hendricks ed that the early history is tbe same extended to 1853, when the farm came as the adjoining Ziegler place and that into possession of his son, Peter B. in Colonial times it was a Hendricks Hendricks. Among other sons men¬ property." It is certain that Abraham tioned were Benjamin B., Harman, Hendricks had possession in 1794. Abraham and Charles Hendricks. The Will of Lawrence Hendricks. later transfers have been : 1895, Peter This was made in 1753 and registered B. Hendricks to Jacob D. Moyer; September 22d of that year. It was 1874, Moyer to Samuel II. Cassel; 1877, Witnessed by Goshen Sctirager and An¬ Cassel to William M. Frederick; 1880, drew Ziegler. The testator was a tan¬ ner by trade. Mention is made of his . t Vs"'': •••'.

■ , - — - .-"HIT _ wife Ifaniehen, to whonf was left £T25" surface slopes generally northwest to and all needed house room. He held wards the Skippack. This was former¬ ly a Boorse homestead, and originally 400.400 aCTheTh children1K-n0WameEcin were Peter,’ valued Bania- at belonged to the Hendricks family. min, William, Mathias, Cornelius The present farm.comprises 81 acres. It is part of the 123 acres sold in 1713 ThR1£QfMtargafetVSu9arlnah and J°hn.’ The testator also held 111 acres in Hat¬ bj James Shattick to Hendrick Hen¬ field, which was devised to his son dricks. The latter is credited with 123 John,_ and valued at £200. The Tow° acres in 1734. His lifetime was spent mencin real estate was willed to his here, lasting 42 years thereafter. His aons Peter and Benjamin Jthey £ death took palce in 1765, leaving a out legacies to the other heirs! P * widow and eight children. The names of the latter were William, Jacob, The Cassel Farm. John, Samuel, Leonard, Christiana, TH?h?af61 fa,rm is finely situated wife of John Godshalk; Catharine, S°flla u- ° of ^uJpsville. wife of John Metz, and Susannah. frnmd 3Dg '8 ^ S°“e distance Of his father’s plantation, Samuel from a cross road and also naa* Hendricks acquired the greater por- Jpe Morris road. Here is wnite | tion. In 1776 he was taxed for 112 d stone habitation- This has acres, 2 horses and 2 cows. He was •' Gassel property since 1776. enrolled among the non-associators. Originally the land in this farm was The other heirs had released to him in granted to Leonard Hendricks in 1720 1765. He was the owner during the by James Steele, who sold Hendricks Revolution, and down till 1792. At 158 acres. In 1734 he was assessed for the latter date he sold the whole to 150 acres. Here are the boundaries : I Harman Boorse, Jr., for £550. The Beginning in corner of John Welch • latter was the son of Harman Boorse, by vacant land northeast 96 perches to the immigrant, who came from Hol¬ corner bf Lawrence Hendricks: - by land. The elder Boorse was a man of same southeast 264 perches: southwest i means and of education. He made 96 perches to corner of Christian Bren- several voyages back to Europe and neman : by same northwest 264 perches finally died on his last trip to America. to beginning. This was part of 1500 The wiii of the second Harman acres bought by Steele of the Commis- Boorse was made in 1801, devising “to sioners of Property. The will of Leon- my son Peter the plantation where 1 was registered March 8, now live,” comprising eighty-two 1776. Mention is made of wife, Eliza- acres, and for which Peter was to pay beth, and children William, Mathias, out £450 to the other heirs. The lat¬ Mary, Elizabeth and Herman; also, grandchildren, Paul and Margaret ter were John, Margaret, Anna, wife .••children -of Ills son Mathias. The of AbrahamHendrieks; Catharine, wife isndow was to get the interest on £400. of Samuel Metz; Sybilla, wife of Jacob This will was witnessed by Adam Got- Hendricks; Susanna, wife of Jesse &a,3s and Peter Hendricks. Lewis, and Elizabeth Boorse. During his lifetime Hendricks sold The plantation soon became divided, off a smaH part, but retained 13J acres. fn 1801 Peter Boorse sold to his brother John Boorse 49 acres. The central -His will was made in homestead finally passed from the i/ - aad, Herman Hendricks and Lieorge Keiif were his executors. These Boorse family in 1844, when the ad¬ jold the same in 1776 to Henry CasgeL ministrators of Peter Boorse, who were it w presumed that hm death took Daniel and John Booise, sold to Elias Grater. In 1846 Grater conveyed to place that year, as the assessment calls aim| aged and as owning 125 acres, Jonas K. Moyer, who remained for a l horse and 2 cows. Henry Cassel wan long time. The later transfers have been; 1877, Moyer to Esther Delp; Idown’+or^duriiE?,tlle Revolution and cmwn to nearly the end of the century 1383, Esther Delp back to Moyer, who died in 1888. In.1 889 the executors of •W4 •-T"* ,he » Jonas K. Moyer sold to Kate Rome- made of nh“m 1W mll ,°* 1797 mention is ■ %% ! man. In 1889 Abraham Borneman ac¬ Trumboron and Susanna quired title to the farm of 81 acres. S “wer; other heirs were Jacob The boundaries of the land bought by Sprinfer’ %r80aS^1DBer* Abraham Henry or Hendrick Hendricks in 1713 Leidvg V irbno Spnn£er and Henry of James Shattick were: Beginning WiL Veih.8 Cassel died about 1825 at corner of Lawrence Hendricks: John B-nh7,d°« and Gve cbiJdren, nn, Barbara, Susan, wife of Henrv southeast by John Welch 160 perches to corner of John Holland : northeast by These heirs"sold | same 123 perches to corner of Jacob 1826 ThfPn886^i; ' the last named in Godshalk: northwest by same 160 cob 'IT Vn3 ~ P^PeHyV now omuiigebelongs 10to Ja ■ oassei,Cassel, son of the above named...j perches to line of Godshalk Godshalk : southwest by line of Lawrence Hen¬ mu . The Borne»nan Farm. dricks 123 perches to beginning. John Welch was an early owner along the canyeaDv faa ™mile;,b uildwestings of onKni^c^sux this Pla«e _arej R nmilf of Kulpaviiib!' and , Forty-Foot road, though probably roadh Th7heaSt ?lde of the Morris I never a resident. The conveyances to - The house is of brick, and the 1 or from him are not recorded.

' . The Farm of Jolin Q. rietz. cob Stauffer or Stover—the present Sto¬ HIS is a beautiful homestead, ly¬ ver property^ to the southward. Fi- ing about one and a half miles naljy, in 1805, Kline, whofiad femoved 4f westward of Kulpsville. The to Lower Salford, sola a house and 110 buildings are ' on the northwest acres here to Jacob Metz. side of a road, and the dwelling Ihe will of Jacob Metz was made in 1 white plastered. The surface of the June 1823. in this document mention I surrounding lands have a general is made of children, John, Jacob, Pe¬ I southwestern slope toward Ihe converg¬ ter, Garret, Margaret and Mary. These 9 il it s\ 1 r-1 4- i-’ I , , ing streams, the Skippack and Towa five last sold their shares to John Metz [ mencin. The fine farm surrounding is m that year, who remained the owner now owned by John Q. Metz, and this for a long period. In 1861 John Metz has been a Metz property since 1805. sold the farm yet containing 110 acres In the early history of the township to Peter Metz. In 1874 Peter Metz this farm was the property of a Ger¬ conveyed to the present owner, John man named Christian Bennerman, or Gvji^tz1_81acrest thirtv acres hay in cr Birnaman. In 1734 he was taxed for been detached in 1861 to the other Metz loO acres. He purchased this tract in farm on the Forty Foot road. 1720 of James Steel and so was one of This property is about two miles the earlier settlers of Towamencin. southwest of Kulpsville, on the south¬ A boundary of this purchase given in east side of a cross road and near Fry’s 1729 runs 9.3 follows: Beginning at' school house. The farm lands, com¬ corner of Paul Hendricks northwest by prising 49 acres, slope southward to¬ Henry Fry 207 perches, by John Welch wards the Towamencin. The latter is northeast 133 perches, southeast by here crossed by a road. The house has Leonard Hendricks 207 perches, south¬ been built in two portions of stone and west 138 perches to beginning. This brick. The west end of stone bears deed conveyed 177 acres. It will be the date of 1817 and the initials, “J. ooserved that John Welch, a non-resi¬ E. S.,” standing for Jacob Stauffer or dent, then held an extensive tract along Stover and wife. In front lies a the Forty-Foot road. pleasant meadow. Brenaman was the owner here ffor This farm was the south end of the 37 years, and made the first improve¬ old Brennaman plantation and its form¬ ments. His lands comprised the Metz er history is the same as that of the and Stover farms, besides thirtv acres Metz farm. It was detached in 1803, on the northwest side of the first when Abraham Gotwals sold to Jacob named farm. Stauffer a tract, beginning in line of Jacob Fry, on or near the east bank of Will of Christian Breneman. the Towamencin creek, by Jacob Fry This will waa made November 8, northwest 93 perches to corner of 1757, and probated the 7th of Decem¬ George Fry, by Gotwals’ other land, ber following. (intended to be sold to Jacob Klein) At that time Breneman had leased six courses or line of Johannes his plantation to his sons, Christian Springer, by same southwest 25 perches and William. This will mentions a to corner of Gotwals’ land (intended wife, Susannah, and children, Chris¬ to be sold to Daniel Kramer) on east tian, William, Henry, Catharine, wife side of creek, along east bank of creek of George King; Benjamin, Samuel northwest 45 perches to beginning. and Jacob. The three latter were For these fifty acres £630 were paid, minors. Henry was the oldest son. a price indicating some sort of a house. The plantation was ordered to be sold. Jacob Stauffer spent forty years here. On it was a windmill. This will was After his death, in 1843, his adminis¬ witnessed by Goshen Shrager, Jacob trators conveyed to his son, Henry Shoemaker and Andrew Ziegler. Stover. The next transfer was to Ja¬ What became of his family we are cob C. Stover, of the third generation, not informed. In 1764 one Christian Breneman died in Tredyffrin township, in 1867. We believe that this Stover family does not claim relationship to Chester county, leaving a widow Catha¬ rine, and children Christian, Catha¬ the one that had their residence near Kulpsville. rine and Samuel. He may have been the son mentioned in the will of the The county erected a new biudge elder Christian Breneman. across the Towamencin near this prop¬ erty in 1856. Christian Breneman was deceased by The Farm oi Benjamin Harkley. 1659. In that year his administra¬ tors, Christian, Jr., William hhd' Su¬ RS the traveler proceeds southwest along the Forty Foot road, he en¬ sannah Breneman, sold 18J£ acres to ters a beautiful farming region Adam Gotwals. The latter held posses¬ sion during the Revolutionary period bordering the Skippack. 'The and long after. His will was made in surface is tolerably level, with Wide meadows bordering that stream 1792, devising this portion of his land beyond which rise slopes to the Sal¬ to his son, Abraham. In 1800 Abra¬ ham Gotwals sold to Jacob Kline. ford line. Among these productive Another piece of 37 acres along the farms is that of Benjamin Markley. Here is a largo stone house on the Forty-Foot road he sold to John Reiff northwest side of the highway. A and a third piece of fifty acres to Ja- green meadow separates the buildings from the Skippack. from John Metz.. Ih Tb67 Portions of this part of Towamenein sold to Henry G. Metz. remained in the hands of the Proprie¬ AdamGotwals, above mentioned, was tary Government till a late period. probably a German, or porhaps of Hol¬ Not till 1761 was a patent granted to lander origin. The name is variously Goshen Schrager, a German, for 160 spelled in the old documents. He was ?acres. In 1769 Schrager sold this to one of the largest property owners at .-JlChristian May, who may have held the time of the Revolution, being as¬ other lands in Salford; and as early as sessed in 1776 for 270 acres, 3 horses 1734 Schrager had 100 acres in the and 7 cows. His will was mad6 in 1792. township. Possibly this was the same The Faj’tti of Joseph Allebach. tract of which Schrager was the occu¬ MOST of the area near the Skip- pier in 1734. Along the Skippack was pack and along the Forty Foot a small piece of 28 acres to be account¬ road was originally owned by ed for. This part of 15S acres convey¬ the Fry family. The surface ed in 1737 by James Steel to Leonard of the country here is nearly Hendricks, and which, the same year level and quite fertile. The dwelling Hendricks sold to Yellis Y’ellis, or on the farm of Joseph Allebach . ia.. on ' Julius Julius, as the name sometimes the westerly side of the highway. That • appears. of John Moyer is also on the westerly In 1772 Christian May.sold to Adam side, whilst HenryFoity owns a property Gotwals his land here, bounded by on the easterly side where the road lands of Jacob Fry, Jacob Reiff, Leon¬ turns southward. On the premises of ard Hendricks and touching the Morris John Moyer a new barn was erected in road. Adam Gotwals had other land 1896. It ia a property of sixty acres adjoining, which he had bought of formerly owned by Pr. G.eorge Fry. Christian Brenneman. In the assess¬ The farms of Edward Gods balk and ment of 1776, Adam Gotwals was one Henry Felty were once held by John of the largest landholders in the town¬ B. Fry, whose widow, born in 1800, is ship, owning 270 acres, 3 horses and 7 yet living. cows. He is placed in the Non-Asso- The early history of the Fry family ciator column in the militia enroll¬ more properly belongs to the original' ment. His son Henry is likewise homestead of Henry Fry on the south mentioned. side of the TowamerjeJn, and will be The fletz Farm and Family. told in connection with an accpunt of This farm, now the residence of Ben¬ the Schloeser farm. This portion, held jamin Metz, borders the Forty Foot by Jacob Fry, descended to his sons road and the Skippack, and extends Joseph and George, who were then, mi¬ up the slopes beyond that stream. The nors. This was devised by his wjll surface is level and portions aro mead¬ made in 1785. The death of Jacob Fry ow lauds. The dwelling is on the took place about January 1785. Joseph northwest side of the highway, the and George Fry each got 62 acres, and brick house bearing the date of 1841. on the share of Joseph were the build¬ The farm now comprises eighty acres. ings. In 1792 the latter bought 23 The Metz family are of Low Hutch, acres from his brother George. The or Hollander origin. An aged man in¬ will of Joseph Fry was made in 1793. formed the writer that in his boyhood He was a blacksmith and the name he used to hear Peter Metz talking in of his wife was Susannah. He was a the Dutch language, which the hearer, young man at the time of his death, a German, could not understand. It leaving a son Jacob and a child not is presumed that Peter Metz was the yet named. The sale of his property last person retaining that tongue, was made after his death, conveying which his ancestors spoke. 82 acres to John Reiff. This property is derived from two The territory along here was early tracts. One came from the patent to owned by Henry Joseph Heyd. Deter Goshen Schrager made in 1761;. the Tyson was the possessor in 1724 and in other from the Reiff lands. The latter |734 was assessed for 100 acres. He fathily oivrred over on the Salford side bought 200 acres of Hans Yost in 1719. and once possessed the mill site, on the In 1734 Goshen Shrager was assessed Skippack. In 1772 Adam Gotwals sold for 100 acres formerly possessed by thirty acres, part of 106 acres, to Jacob John Welch. Reiff. In 1738 George Reiff sold an¬ Tl?f Felty Farm and Oodshalk Farm. other portion to Jacob Eeitf. In 1806 This formerly belonged to George Abraham Gotwals sold 37 acres to John Fry. In 1847 his estate was partition¬ Reiff, who the same year bought of ed and this capae to his son John B. Jacob ReiffMJskae^eSy., ti& 1820 Reiff Fry. In 1871 the executors of Fry sold to Gepfgj|||ftoj^^|^gui!ding andj eoid to Harman Boorse and Elias Cas- 57 acres, ana-in 182§ J oh if Hariev was sel. The later transfers have been the purchaser. Harley’s death took] 1874, Boorse and Cassel to Nathan placesip.1833 and the.pex^yyc^s bji%ad] Hendricks; 1884, Administrators of ministrators sold to Peter Metz,. who Hendricks to Eleazer G. Bergey; 1891, in 1861 added thirty j&Srfes ’by;ipfctfelrsse Assignee of Bergey to Henry Felty. The Godshalk farm on the western side oTfluTroad was part of the same ances, aha an executor of estate of estate and likewise came into posses¬ Christian Stauffer in 1735, and of Claus sion of Booree and Cassel in 1871. Of Oblinger in 1739, both of Lower Sal¬ these Andrew L. Godshalk bought in ford. His sons were Christian, David, 1871 and put up buildings, which have Peter and John. Of these, David mar¬ since come into possession of Edward ried Catharine, daughter of Michael Ziegler, a Mennonite minister of Skip- i iQodahalk, the son. pack. Among their children were Da¬ ^jjebach Farm and Family. vid and Michael. The first married a The wj}i of Adam Gotwals was mado Godshalk. David G. Allebach, of ; in'1792. He devised his farm to his ( Towamencin, was a son of this David, T aon Henry, the latter to pay £300 to I and he had brothers, Jacob, Christian the other heirs. These were Elizabeth and Henry. Michael had a son David Gotwals, Yarichen, wife of Joseph 1 who owned the decayed Bean’s mill, Johnson; Maria, wife of John HajJ- i The late Joseph Alle'baugh, of the Nor¬ man; Fronica, wife of Benjamin Hall- ristown bar, was a son of the lastmen- Effi3n; Anna, wife of Samuel Headricks I tioned, and thus a grandson of Michael. and Magdalena, wife of Abraham Got¬ | The lawyer claimed that the origi wals. , , nal namo’was Allebaugh, and so dis- Henrv Gotwals was miller, and by I carded the usual form of the last syl- 1797 was living in Providence. In lubie. that year he sold to Andrew Krieble, a The Fry Family. 'Schwenkfelder, 113 acres. Neither did HE Fry family was among the he stay long, for in 1802 he sold 108 T earliest settlers of Towamencin, acres to Jacob Metz, of Worcester, for and its members were important .£1700. Al_JJiat. d£vte,_the _farm was citizens and large landholders in I bounded bv lands of Christian Got- Colonial times and till a much ; wais, Jacob Keitf, Conrad Gergas, later period. The lands they held were ; Christian Stover, Joseph Hendricks in both the southwest and northern . : and Yeliis CasseJ. The next year Metz .portions of the township. The originsi sold to George Hagey, who came to settlement was along the Towamencin I .stay a lifetime. His death took place creek. The other plantation -north of in 1830, and the next year his execu¬ Kulpsviile,. held -by Henry Fry, has al- tor, Daniel Boorse, sold to David G. ;ready been, treated. Allebach—often called by the Germans _ The. immigrant was Heinrich, or Allenbach. His ownership was over Ttehry Fry, or Frey, a native 'of Alt- forty vears. In 1872 he sold to David heim, in 'Alsace, who came to Penn¬ H. iflebach. There were two later sylvania before the arrival of Penn and PUransfers, 1880, Administrators of Alle¬ settled near Roxborough, In 1692 he bach to Daniel K. Rittenhouse; 1884, married at Germantown, Anna Catha¬ Rittenhouse, eighty acres to Benjamin rine, daughter of Weigart Levering. EiiW. Markley. He had nine children, of whom six The Allebach Family. were sons. Of the latter, we know the It is claimed that the Allebach fam¬ names of John, Henrv and Jacob. The ily were not of German origin, but daughters weie Amelia, wife of Fred- w*ere Huguenot French, coming from I crick Leinbach; Elizabeth,; wife of Alsace and Loraine. Driven from j John Miller, and Rebecca Fry. It is a thence bv religious persecution, they j family tradition that two of these sons, came to America. One branch settled supposed to have been Jacob and in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, and Henry, walked up from the Wissabickon their descendants were active Confed¬ on Monday mornings, bringing^ erates during the civil war. Another provisions with them for a week. They branch went to Western Pennsylvania. were making a clearing and building David Allebach settled in Lower Sal¬ 1 a house, which they completed the fol- ford and was the ancestor of many, if i lowing spring. This stood on or neai not all, of the Montgomery county the site of the present dwelling of branch. He was the grandfather of Adam Schlosser. A few Indians ling¬ David G. Allebach, above mentioned. ered along the Towamencin, where The name originally was Allebough. they had a couple of wigwams. With On the contrary, James Y. HecKler, these they exchanged provisions. The th9 local historian, claims that the exact time of this occurrence is un¬ original emigrant was a German Men- known, but it is supposed to have been nonite, and the name spelled Allebach. much earlier than the date_ of receiv¬ All agree that Christian Allebach was ing a deed for the land. Heinrich Fry the American ancestor of the Mont¬ and his sons may have been residents gomery county family. He was here before 1713, at which date he signed a before' 1728, when he signed a petition petition for the opening of the Skip- to Governor Gordon, and soon after pack road. The statement in the re¬ that was a resident of Lower Salford, cent history of Montgomery county probably coming there from Skippack. that he purchased 1250 acres of land is He was connected by marriage with incorrect. The amount was very the Graters. He appears to have been much smaller. a man of veracity and good qualities. )le was a witness to numerous convey¬ Brief of Title to the Fry Lands. 1681, William Penn to William miin, THstory of the old Fry homestead, or 1250 acres. that part coming into possession oftbe 1683, William Smith to .Richard Hi 11- second Jncob Fry, by his father’s will gqrd, 500 acres, of 1782. The latter married Margaret Pcichard Hillgard by will to his wife Springer about 1793. Ho had children, Mary, who married Thomas Peart. Daniel, born 1794 ; Mary, Nancy, John, 1709, Thomas Peart sold 200 acres to born in 1800 and Barbara. The father Thomas Fair man. of this family had been born in Octo¬ 1712, death of Fairinan, leaving two ber 1756. His name appears in the mi¬ sons, Thomas and Benjamin. litia enrollment as a member of Cap¬ 1724, Thomas Fail-man, Jr., died and tain Springer’s Company. Benjamin was his heir. he 5chlo3ser Farm. 1724, Benjamin Fairinan sold to Here is an old stone house between Henry Fry, 200 acres. the Towamencin and a cross road, The boundaries of the 200 acres sold which is said to have seen more than | to Fry in 1724 were: Beginning at cor- a century of time. lt_was built prob¬ | nor of Peter Wentz, northeast by line ably by the first or second Jacob Fry, j of Bristol township (Worcester) 100 and likely between 1785 and 1790. A | perches to cornpr pf John Welch, north¬ strip of low meadow land separates the west by Welch land 320 perches, south¬ , buildings from the creek. Jacob Fry west by vacant land 100 perches, south- was the life long owner of the home¬ i cast by Wentz’s land 320 perches to be¬ stead he had inherited from his father, A ginning. This deed was witnessed by and here he died February 26, 1844, , V!j Jacob Levering and George Fry. It being past 87 years of age. His chil¬ will be observed that then Peter Wentz dren mentioned in his will were Dan¬ held all that portion of the township iel, John, Margaret, wife of Frederick i on the southwest side of the Fry pur- Bergstresser; Nancy, wife of Garret | chase to theSkjppack iipe; that John Godshalk, and Barbara, wife of Joseph Welch held oh the northeast side; Cassell. ■ that the Fry land extended just one » According to the will of Jacob Fry, mile northwest from the Worcester line made in 1843, the old homestead was ■ and was but 1620 feet wide, or less than devised to his son Jacob S. Fry, who one quarter of a mile. held possession till 1858, It was then sold to Henry Fuss. The latler soon Jacob Fry. died, and in 1862 his administrators In 1732 Henry Fry, then a resident of sold to Isaac Kulp. The two last con¬ Towamencin, sold his plantation to his veyances were in 1866 to Henry Cooker, son Jacob. After the death of Henry and in 1869 Adam Schlesser, the pres¬ Fry, his widow survived for many ent owner, bought the buildings and years, living with her son who remained 53 acres. unmarried, until her death. He thus Adam Schlosser. remained unmarried until late in life. The latter is an example of what in¬ The will of Jacob Fry was made 1782, dustry, economy and good business , and probated February 7, 1785, indi- qualifications can do for a poor Ger¬ I eating his survival till the winter of man immigrant. At first young Schlos- 1 the latter year. It was witnessed by ser followed the occupation of a labo¬ MelchoirWeigner and Garret podshaltc. rer, a hostler and a shoemaker. He Will of Jacob Fry. gradually increased his store till he be¬ lu this document mention is made of came an extensive property owner. In his wife Margaret, and children, Ja» 1896 he sold his homestead to his son j cob, Joseph, George, William and Valentine Schlosser. Henry. The (‘old home” is referred The Fry Burying Ground. to, and his sons Jacob and Joseph re¬ This is at some distance from the quested to build their mother a new Schlosser homo and about 120 yards one, when convenient, on a lot of four southeast of the cross road. It is in a acres. It was directed that his plan¬ much neglected condition and has not tation of 220 acres be divided into two been used for a place of interment for parts ; the half; next to the Skippack to a long while. There are no legible be again divided between his sons Jo¬ tombstones. Here were buried the seph and George. To Jacob was given earlier members of the family. the plantation “where I now live’’ on Daniel S. Fry, son of Jacob, lived fo the Towamencin. His son George got the extraordinary age of ninety-six. his share on the northwest side of th His iast days were spent in a home Towamencin, with no buildings. Jo¬ that he had erected near/-the public seph got the northwest end where were school house. In his later years he buildings, supposed to have been joined the Brethren, or Tunkers, and at the later Moyer premises. These was ever afterward a very devout man. sons who inherited land were to pay John S, Fry removed to Illinois where out £600. Joseph and George were yet he died. Ho had sons Jacob and Jo¬ minors, William never married and seph. Henry, born after 1770, became a phy¬ Jacob Fry, son of the first Jacob Fry, sician. died in 1794 and left children Jacob In this connection we will follow the Joseph and Margaret, wife of JosepI ■ iM&ffifev

■ ing left a family in Europe, but Fry „ [Hallman. Theresons tlitl not bccoTutT and Beiff were "bachelors. They settled landholders in Towamencin. Jacob as squatters on a broad huckleberry went to live somewhere along the Per- plain between what is now Box boro ikiomen, whilst Joseph, Jr., lived in and Germantown. Fry was by trade Skippack and Power Salford. a turner, and so afterwards was hjs son George b'py, son of the first Jacob, Jacob. 1 have a very handsome wooden hhd his dwelling at the present Felty jar that he turned. As the climate place. He married Margaret Bean, was very congenial to them and fish and had a son John B. Fry, and four and game plenty, they enjoyed thsro- jdaughters. John B. Fry, mentioned seiyes for a time, but Beiff soon be¬ elsewhere, inherited his homestead. came discontented with his bachelor IGeorge Fry, father of this family, was life, and accordingly left his comrades born May 12, 1765, and died January and went back to his native country 1 22, 1853. to get hi niseis’ a wife, with the inten¬ Dr. Henry Fry:; , Was th^|^>ungest son tion of returning with her to the new of the first llji\y yqMb was born world. Levering authorized him to after 1770. He married Elizabeth bring his family along with him. He Shoeneberger, and had children soon found a wife who was willing to George, Elizabeth, wife of Michael share with him the pleasures and per¬ Hoot, and Susan, wife of William God- ils of the wilderness, and also brought ekalk. Ho held a farm of 71 acres the family of Levering, as he had prom¬ along the Forty Foot road. He lived ised. at the present Moyer place. And now it was the turn of Heinrich Dr. George Fry was thrice married. Fry to become discontented when lie His first wife was his cousin, Mary Fry, saw his two old-time bachelor friends 'and they had a son Henry; the third blessed with the companionship and wife was Catharine Swenk, mother of love of woman. They doubtless did William Fry, of Lansdalo, and Charles not seem the same to him as before Fry, a dentist, of Beading. Dr. Henry they had come under the matrimonial Fry discovered a remedy to prevent yoke. He asked himself why he should [hydrophobia after being inoculated by not be likewise blessed? And who was I the bite of a rabid animal. This rem¬ so attractive in his eyes as the young edy has been kept secret, and trans¬ daughter of hia friend Levering? mitted from father to son to the third Doubtless in the wilderness other eli¬ land fourth generation now resident of ! gible women were not pear at hand. Lansdale. It has proved remarkably j But the girl was very young in com- effieaceous, and it is claimed to have parison.to Fry, who, however, forth¬ ;uever failed when adopted in due sea¬ with made love to her. She looked son. with favor upon her middle-aged sui¬ Dr. Henry Fry acquired his land in different parcels. We find record of tor, and the family of Levering made ■ his purchase of 19 acres of John Beiff no objections. And so their nuptials in 1808, and of six more acres, bought approached. By this time a number of the same party in 1818. Other of settlers had arrived, and a log meet- j transfers to him are not recorded. He inghouse was built, where their inten- j owned the land once the property of tion of marriage was announced on the j Joseph Fry, who died in 1793, of which 24th of March, 1692. his farm was sold to John Beiff. The original certificate of their mar¬ • The will of Dr. Henry Fry was offer¬ riage is yet preserved. It is very cur¬ ious, consisting of five commits. ed for registry November 7, 181(5. extract from it runs as follows: This . Mention is made of his wife Elizabeth present certificate witnesses that the and two sons-in-law, William Godshalk said Heinrich Frey and Anna Oatha- and Michael Hoot. The first had mar¬ rin Levering have this day solemnized ried Susannah Fry, and the latter, such their marriage by taking one an¬ ! Elizabeth Fry. The name of the son other as husband and wife according to was George, who adopted his father’s the laws of this country, before and profession. in the presence of us, whose names are An Account of the Fry Family from A. H, Cassell. hereunto written at Germantown, th9 About the year 1879 Abraham H, 2Cth day of the second month, April Cassell, the famous antiquarian of 1692. Signed, Francis Daniel Pasto- Lower Salford, furnished the writer a rius, Justice of the Peace. Then fol¬ detailed account cf the Frv family. low the signatures of the parties and This account was made the basis of also of the bride’s parents Fry could what is told in Bean’s history of Mont¬ not write, neither could his young wife gomery county. It was first published or her parents. They all signed by in the North Wales Record. Omitting making their respective marks. Out facts previously related in foregoing- of the 30 other signers, living in Ger¬ ■ pages, his statements were: mantown, only 15 wrote their names, Heinrich Fry came with other adven¬ and some of them so badly that they turers from Alsace to Pennsylvania as can hardly be deciphered. ..early as 1680 and probably sooner. Two Although the difference in the ages of these other adventurers were Wej- ot' Fry and his wife was so great they garfc Levering and Jacob Beiff. Lever¬

i lived happily together, and their union in our local politics, long a member oil was blessed with nine children, six the Legislature, and for four years, or! sons and three daughters. The names from 1819 to 1823, meaiber of Congress. of these have been preserved, some¬ Gross also resided at Trappe, where he thing is known of one other; and two was buried in 184-4 at the Lutheran are supposed to have died young. We cemetery. Fry was a school teacher nave the names of three sons, Jacob, in his younger days, and was appointed Henry and John, and of thiee daugh¬ Prothouotary in 1830 by Governor ters, Elizabeth, Rebecca and Amelia. Wolfe, which position he held for four These children seem to have acquired years. In 1334, at the early age of 32. education, as their penmanship was he was elected to Congress, where he served till 1839. In 1853, after four- excellent. Of the sons, Jacob remain¬ ed at home and his parents lived with I teen years retirement, he was elected tolj him when old. Two of his brothers the Assembly and again in 1854. Such went to Virginia and settled there. was his high standing with the Demo-: era tic party that he was frequently Old Heinrich Fry did not neglect to acquire property and had a large landed mentioned for Governor. In 1856 he; . estate, situated in and near Roxboro. ran for Auditor General of the State From this he sold several parcels of and was elected. He sorved three years, I LOO acres and more. The tract that he retiring in 1860. His death took place purchased along the Towamencin con¬ November 28, 1866, in the village of tained the residence of an Indian chief, his nativity, and he lies buried in the concerning whom there are many inter¬ ancient cemetery of the Augustus Lu¬ esting traditions. The price paid was theran church at Trappe. £33 and the purchase made of 200 Congressman Fry is remembered as' acres on the 10th of December 1724. a tall man, handsome in appearance: Fry must have lived to be quite an and of rather dark complexion. He old man, as his married life exceeded was a Democrat of commanding influ- \ forty years and he lived over 52 years ence in county politics for many years, j after coming to America. In October He was considered a man of more than | 1732 he had a curious legal paper drawn usual ability and force of character. | up in relation to his minor children. He was regarded as very firm and j This was an agreement between him¬ strenuous in his opinions in church and ■ self, his sou Jacob and his three minor neighbor hood matters, on any subject daughters, providing among numerous upon which he had sot his mind. He other things that they get their proper kept a store for many years at Trappe. outfit out of his estate at their respec¬ His son, Rev. Jacob Fry, D. IX, of tive ages of eighteen, or day of mar-1 Reading, was pastor of Trinity Luther¬ riage, whichever shall first happen, an church from 1SS4 till 1896, which I besides ten pounds in money, Of lias 1097 communicant members. He these, Elizabeth was married August • is a preacher of eloquence and power, id, 1735, to John Miller and Amelia on and stands high in his denomination. the 18th of November, 1737, to Frederick The divine has two sons, who are also clergymen. These are Rev. Charles L. 1 Leinbach. Of the five sons of Jacob Fry, it is Fry, pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran known that William w'as born in 1721; V, church, Lancaster city, with 816 mem¬ lacob, the second of the name, remain¬ bers, and Rev. F. F, Fry, pastor of j ed on the homestead, w'hile several of Grace Lutheran church, Bethlehem, the others removed to Shamokin, North- with 109 members. In 1896 Rev. Ja- j | umber-land county, where they exper- cob Fry, D. IX. of Reading, removed : : lenced many hardships, having their to Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, being con¬ idwellings burned and their lives en¬ nected with the Tt),eo|ogical Seminary ■ dangered by the fray of the hostile In- there. idians. Jacob Fry the second had two The Farm of Valentine Schlosser- sons, Daniel and John. The first re¬ The southeast end of the original mained on the homestead, while John, Fry plantation, bordering the Worces¬ born in 1762, went to Montgomery ter line, is now owned by Valentine township and died in 1816. He mar¬ Schlosser, Here is a modern stone ried Mary, daughter of Edward Jones, house, on the easterly side of a cross of Ililltown, and grand-daughter of road. The farm now comprises 53 Henry Lewis, who built the first tavern acres. It was detached in 1843 by will house at Ohalfont. His son, John Fry, of Jacob Fry, conveying to his son died in Montgomery township before \ John S. Fry, who held it till 1858, 1338. when the property finally passed out of Hon. Jacob Fry. the Fry name after a holding of 134 Among the notable men who have years. Henry Fuss was the purchaser, descended from Heinrich Fry was the • who sold in 1862 to Isaac Kulp. The lion. Jacob Fry, who held a distin- subsequent transfers have been : 1866, j gu.ished place in our State and Nation- Kulp to Henry Cooker; 1869, Cookor ! a I politics. He was born at Trappe, to Adam Schlosser; 1891, Schlosser to June 10, 1302, and was the son of Ja¬ liis son Valentine Schlosser. cob Fry. lie! married Mary Cross, The Property of Adam H. Schlosser. ^ daughter of a man also distinguished ! ~ ' .. yssfav — iAniffrii———irj A lot, or small farm of 19 acres-, now | What difficult to say where was the owned by Adam H. Schlosser, is an- ; residence of William Godshalk, but it other portion of the old Fry plantation, j ’is supposed to have been where James "'Here aro modern buildings on the f D. Kerr now holds possession. southeast side of a cross road, and op¬ The Farm of James Kerr. posite to an old blap^mith shop near This is on the cross road, and also the Towamepcip. bounded bv the township line, separat¬ This was part of the estate conyeyed ing from ' Skippack. The surface in 134t» by will of Jacob Fry to his son slopes northward towards the Towa¬ Daniel S. Fry, who held possession mencin. The dwelling is partly of j down till 1870, when he sold to William brick and stone. It has the appearance F Hallman. In 1881 Hallman sold to of an old homestead. This farm was Jacob gchlosser, blacksmith, who plied detached in 1811. In 1810 Garret Cod- his trade in the roadside shoe, there Ishalk sold 120 acres to William God- were two conveyances in 189z, irorn lehalk, his eldest son. The next year Schlosser to Benjamin Z. Aldorfer, and the latter sold 22 acres to his son Wil from the latter to Adam H. Schlosser, liara, the third of the name, who re¬ son of Adam Schlosser, and a merchant mained the owner till 1838, when he now of Berwyn, Chester county, sold to Abraham Johnson, who imme¬ The1 he GodshalkU Plantation. — William Godshalk. diately transferred to John Godshalk. LL that extreme southwest corner The latter remained here a lifetime. of Towamencin adjoining Wor¬ The last transfer was in 1874 to James cester and Skippack townships D. Kerr. iff was in Colonial times a planta¬ The Farm of Abraham Landis> tion of 160 acres, held by Wil- This is a small farm, lying along the lliam Godshalk. Of whom, or when township line road, close to which is the latter bought has not been ascer¬ the dwelling. This was also a God¬ tained by the writer. In 1784 this was shalk property, and pjart of that owned 'part of the lands of Peter Wentz, and by the third William Godshalk. It (probably not vet improved. This re¬ was part of 65 acres sold by him in 1838 gion slopes towards the northwest, or to Abraham Johnson, who. retaining ithe valley of the Towamencin. It is ten acres, sold the remainder to Joseph intersected by two cross roads, bounded Johnson. A portion of this land was in the southwest by the township line in Skippack. The succeeding trans¬ road, and divided into numerous prop¬ fers have been: 1845, Joseph Johnson erties. Heie are the farms of James to JosephJohnson, Jr. ; 1848,Johnson to Kerr, Adam Doerler, Garret Moyer, Jacob K. Kinsey; 1860, Kinsey to Jo¬ Andrew Krieble, Abraham Landis and seph Van Eossen 34 acres. It was sub¬ Ijohn Clemens. sequently sold to Leonard Van Fossen, In 1776 William Godshalk was taxed who erected the present house. J. S. for 160 acres, three horses and five Landis was a later owner, succeeded !cows, and one of that name is men¬ by Abraham Laudis. tioned in the militia enrollment. The The Farm of John Clemens. will of William Godshalk was made in Here is a large stone house on the February 1775, but his death did not northwest side of a cross road. It is take place till 1781, and his will was flanked by a meadow and orchard on not registered till November 19th of the west side. This farm is the farth¬ that year, in this document mention est south of any bordering the Worces¬ is made of a wife Gertrude, and six ter and Skippack lines. This was part children; Jane, Garret, Margaret, God¬ of the great Godshalk plantation and shalk, Eve and William—the latter detached in 1811, when 26 acres were then a minor. The father wished them sold by William Godshalk to Abraham all to live together till this youngest Springer. In 1814 Springer bought Bon became of age. The testator prob¬ 12 acres of Abraham Tyson, and in ably died in middle life, and if so, did 1834 five more from Godshalk, making not acquire this plantation earlier than a farm of 43 acres. Springer was the 1755. The widow was to have the owner for over thirty years. In 1842 privilege of living in the north end he sold to Abraham Hendricks. Jacob of the house, and to have support and AJ. Hendricks succeeded him, till, re¬ various privileges. Godshalk was evi¬ cently it came into possession of John dently a man of considerable means. llpiata^n|. Each of his children got £100, except banlcl Springer, the HlHtia Captain of tpe Garret. The latter received £30 and ' Revolution. “my whole dwelling place of 166 acres” Daniel Springer belonged to a Ger¬ —valued at £700. This will was wit¬ man family and was born in Earl town¬ nessed by Melchoir Wagener and God¬ ship, Lancaster county, in 1744. This shalk Godshalk (son of Jacob God¬ ' is in the northern part of that county, shalk). There was doubtless a close and has since been divided into Earl, relationship between William God¬ Wes£ Earl, and East Earl townships. shalk and Jacob and Godshalk God When a young man his family removed shalk, who settled near the Skippack to Towamencin at some period prior to At this distance of time it is some jthg Peyolutiop What was the cause qf thejr removal such a distance east- taming 19 acres. The remainder of the ward is unknown. Tbs presumption estate was to be converted into money is that he was a resident of the town¬ and divided into three shares, to go to ship in 1770, as he was on the assess¬ Abraham, to his daughter Maria, and ment list. the children of his daughter G’atha According to the traditions of their rine, then deceased. Abraham was descendants, the family ttien lived on - made executor of the will. the Allentown road, near Kneedler’s This daughter Maria, or Mary, had i Tavern. One William Springer, a married Michael Stonebech. She was wheelwright from Gwynedd, bought the born August 5, 1774, and died January later Bower property, north of White’s 15, 1854, and lies buried beside her corner, then of 52 acres, in 1764 and sold parents, with inscription on her tomb¬ it in 1774. stone “Mary, wife of Michael Stone¬ The first deed on record to him was bech,” born Springer.” She was mar¬ made in 1792, when he bought a lot of ried about 1795, and was the mother of five acres in Skippack for £130. This 3ix children, four sons and two daugh¬ was in Skippack, along the “great ters. Stonebech died before the birth road to Philadelphia’’ (Skippack road of the youngest daughter, who was born now), and on its northeast side. This in February 1804. The names of the was bought of Joseph Eaton, and in two sons were Henry, born in 1796, the deed Springer is styled a shoema¬ and Daniel, born in 1800. The latter ker. In 1798 he bought another and died in 1842, and was buried at the 8 larger Jot adjoining the first, com- Kidgo Valley church, on the Allentown !'.rising Pi acres, of Samuel Moyer, pay- road, about a mile above Tylersport. tig i£182 therefor. This was in the He was the father of William Stone- Very upper edge of Worcester, and on back, now a resident of New Vork city, the northeast aide of the great road but who was born in Kockhill town¬ “on southeast side of line dividing ship, and reared near Skippackville. Worcester from Skippack, and also Catharine, the other daughter of glong line separating Worcester and Daniel Springer, married John Hiser. Towamencir,.’* It was adjoining land She died soon after 1805. John H. jSf Joseph Johnson, William- Godehslk Wanner, of Koyersford, is a grandson Qtid Qsrret Gorishalk. 1 ft rah hack of this Catharine Hiser, whose mother from the Skjppacjt road, lfO perches, was born in 1802. or nearly half a mile, but was only 25 Abraham Springer. perches in width. There is no after The youngest of the three children record of the sale of this lpfc by of Daniel Springer was born Novem¬ Springer. ber 13, 1781. lie lived a long life, Daniel Springer was Captain in the reaching his 79th year. lie died Au¬ company of 5th Batallion of Phil¬ gust 21, 1SG0, and lies buried atWentz’s adelphia County Militia in 1780, com¬ church by the side of his wife Hannah, manded by Lieut. Colonel Daniel Hies- whose death took place June 22, 1866, ter. The Pennsylvania archives of the when very near eighty years of age. .Revolution say that he was in active As aforementioned, Abraham Springer service during that year and also jn inherited his father’s lots comprising guarding prjsonprs of syar. 19 acres in Worcester and Skippack. * Ijjjari iel Springer died’Jutme 8th, 1825, In 1811 ho bought 26 acres of William gtThe age'of 'erghty-ohe years, as ins Godshalk in Towamencin ; in 1814 he fombstone in Wentzls church graveyard bought 12 acres more adjoining, ol tells us. One account says his closing Abraham Tyson, and in 1834, a lot of ^eare were spent on the farm of his son five acres or William Godshalk, form ^hraham, in the south corner of Town ing a farm of 43 acres in the extreme jpenciri, but’it'ip evident that' he was south corner of the township. This the owner of real estate at the time he he owned till 1842, when he sold to made his will. Abraham Hendricks, who later sold to Will of fianlel Springer, John Clemens, as told elsewhere in This was made twenty years before this history, and in 1894 belonging to his death, September 25, 1805, but not Jacob M. Hendricks, but later to Hor¬ presented for registry till June 27, 1825. ace Nyce. idle gave to his wife -ttuzaueiu, "^~the He had four children, Daniel, John, two rooms on the second story over the Elizabeth and Catharine. Daniel lived 'l kitchen at the northwest end of my with his father, and died in Skippack- present dwelling house, together with viiie, April 17, 1854, in his 45th year. liberty and privilege in the kitchen, •John removed to Now Jersoy, to Pal¬ springhouse, and bakeoven, and one- myra, where he died years ago; Eliza¬ fourth of the kitchen garden. beth died young, and in 1897 Kitty or Also lawful interest on £100, payable Catharine was living with Martin S. annually by his son Abraham; also dulp, in Worcester, having been born £50, being amount of bond due him in 1812. In the will of Abraham from Barney Fryer; also bedding and Springer, made 1860, he pathetically household furniture, and one cow. directed that he should “be buried b> To my son Abraham, the plantation the side of his children who had gont upon which he now resides, situated before’’ in Wentz’s graveyard. He was partly in Skippack and Worcester, con- m i i .■v iving in SkippackTon a lot mill as we|f as £aw itjll heiC Ihl827 Tiie Farm of Andrew Krleble. Moses Springer, grandson of John The buildings on this farm are on Springer, sold the grist and saw mill, the northwest side of the cross road and together with 54 acres, toWilliam God- near the Towamencin, beyond which shalk. Moses Springer had only ac¬ the bank rises abiuptly. The barn is quired the property that year from the nearest the road. This was formerly executors of his father’s property. He known as the Mailman place, being only obtained possession to sel 1.‘ The owned for many years by Abraham same year he transferred title tq Wil Hallman. It was detached in 1811, Uam Godslialk, and the old mill passed when Abraham Qodshalk sold 54 acres out of the Springer name, in which it to Samuel'Williams. In 1820 Williams had remained for three generations. sold to Abraham Hallman a house and Godshalk held possession for six 21 acres. It was later owned by Reu- years, when in 1833 he sold a saw and ben Krieble, and now by Andrew Krie- grist mill, together with ‘54 acres, to ble. Abraham 'Ryith. This was then The Kooker mil. bounded by lands of Jacob Sfover, Ja¬ THIS mill is on the Towamencin, cob Fry, Moses Springer. Abraham about ono and a half miles south¬ Hendricks, Jessp Hendyicks,, Daniel west of Kulpsville. Some mead¬ Boorse and John Hendricks.' 'Abraham ow lands border that stream, op¬ Ruth was the owner for many years, posite the buildings. The mill In 1850 his will conveyed the mill and is on the southerly side of the high¬ farm to his son Abraham, who, in 1851, way. Near this are two dwollngs, one I sola .to David Fry, of Lower Salford, across tne road from the mill. _ It is who was the owner for twenty years. In quite an old mill property, having ex¬ 1871 came the transfer to Henry R isted at least as a saw mill before the Kooker, who paid $2,000. Revolution, Daniel Springer, the militia captain It is not certainly known who first of the Revolution, doubtless belonged utilized the water power of the creek to this family, and may have been a at this point, but probably it was a brother of Johannes, the miller. He German named Johannes Springer. In evidently did not adhere to the Menno- the earlier history of the township, nites, or he would not voluntarily have this land was included in the tract of assumed military duties. The writer John Welch. It was probably part ol has not ascertained that he owned real the lands of Paul Hendricks. There estate in the township. An Old Hendricks Homestead. is no deed on record to John Springer. As his death took place as late as 1817, nMILE southwest of IvulpsviJle, it is not likely that he was the ownei down the slope of the valley before 1765. In 1776 he syag assessed for towards Towamencin creek a saw mill, sixty acres, two horses and there was until 1896 an old three cows. The later Keeley lot was house—probably the oldest in included in this farm. In 1799 I t‘le township. It stood upon an Springer sold the mill and most of the I elevation a short distance eastward farm to his son Jacob, himself retiring from the highway. It was last occu¬ to a lot on his premises.' The* farm pied by Mahlon Erb, carpet weaver, was then bounded by lands of Adam and was owned by the late Hupert Gptwals, Paul Hendricks and JohnHen- Boorse. The house had been built in drjcks, and the prjce paid vyas £1,000. two portions. The oldest, or south¬ western end was of plank. The other This will was probated August 27,1817, end of stone, bore the date of 1761 indicating his death during that sum¬ mer. In this will mention is made of The surrounding surface is quite ir¬ regular and broken, but the general daughters, Gertrude, wife of John slope is toward the southwest. Hoot; Elizabeth, wife of Jacob Hoot, and Margaret, wife of Jacob Fry, and /nJColonial times a large plantation ot 200 acres was attached, extending sons, Jacob and John. Jacob Springer, the miller, died be¬ from Worcester to within a half mile 1 of Kulpsville. This has been reduced i 1816. fore his father, or in In his will from time to time, till now only a lot 1 mention is made of his wife Susannah, belongs to the buildings. The barn 1 to whom he gave his property till his son Moses was of, .age. It was pro¬ likewise is quite ancient, and of frame vided that after the death of his father, while a curious little one-story build¬ ' ing stood in front of the house, built ! John Springer, that ten acres be sur¬ of plank. This is supposed to have veyed to Susannah, adjoining lands of been the first one here erected. Benjamin and Abraham Hendricks, To go back to the beginning, this and the Morris road. On this she might was part of 400 acres granted to Street rebuild the dwelling wherein my and Taylor in 1723 by several parties father now lives,” The children men¬ in London, and by Thomas Old of tioned were Hlias, JSljgabeih, Moses, Bristol, England. The London gran¬ Mary Ann and' Levi, This will was tees were Henry Gouldney, Joshua probated June 3*2, 1818, Of these chip VJfGee l Siltman, John Wood and John dren, Elias was deceased before 1827. | Fiield. They sold to Paul Hendricks, jpong before this d.afe there wag a grist , Dutchman, two Hundred acres, uT 1729. There were no improvements, as had children, WTTTiamT Benjamin, Hendricks only paid £44. The boun¬ Abraham, Jesse, Margaret, wife of daries were- Beginning at corner of Abraham Godshalk; Barbara, wife of Jacob Gotta -ik: thence southwest William Sampey ; Susannah, ' wife of by vacant lana 48 perches; Northwest John Cassel, and Sarah, to all of whom by AbrahanrLefovre 62 perches : south¬ the estate descended. A partition of west by Lefevre 86 perches.,- northwest the same w-as made in 1815. In 1816 by marked trees-v42 perches to corner Daniel Boorse bought the old house oi xiom-y Fry: by Fry’s line northwest and 47 acres, and at other times ob¬ 56 perches: northeast by same 234 tained more of the old farm. His perches: southeast 164 perches to be¬ death occurred before 1849, when his ginning. estate of 49 acres was sold to Herman The Hendricks family, like that of Boorse and Aaron Hendricks', who di¬ Godshalk, Boorse, Freed, VanFossen vided the property. Catharine, daugh¬ and others is not German, but of ter of Daniel Boorse, had married Hutch origin. The Dutch immigra¬ Abraham Hackman. Since that time tion into Bucks and Montgomery coun¬ there have been many transfers, some ties was quite considerable. Jn both not recorded. 1849, Harman C. Boorse counties these people lost their lan¬ to Solomon Lang; 1853, Lang to Hub¬ guage. In Bucks county, being sur¬ ert Cassel, four tracts, of which 38 rounded by English-speaking neigh¬ acres were attached to the house. In bors, they adopted English. In Mont¬ 1854 Cassel sold the house and 15 acres gomery, being differently situated, they to Abraham Stone, of Nockamixon, learned the Pennsylvania dialect of the Bucks county, for 81584; Stone made Germans from contact and intermar¬ assignment to Abraham R. Springer riage with the German immigrants and Henry JKratz of the house and 35 and their.descendants. acres; in 1860 Springer sold the house Paul Hendricks was the first ^settler and 15 acres to Peter Fry. Hubert here, and built the plank house as Boorse became the owner at a later long ago as 1730. The spring of water period. The lands formerly contained that supplied the family was down the are now or were recently contained in slope northward. Wanting more room the properties of Henry Tyson, Jacob he built the stone end in 1761. In that Godshalk, Joseph P. Bustard and Wil¬ liam Springer. A meadow of the part of the house a store was "kept, as . told by tradition. This was probably original Hendricks farm along the Towamencin creek is now owned by before the opening of a store at Kelps-, Joseph P. Bustard. ville iu 1794 by Mordecai Davis. Hen¬ dricks must have been a young man Th« Former Jesse Hendricks Farm- when he came here, as he Jived forty- On the northeast side of the Towa¬ six years thereafter. His will was ! mencin, and about a mile southwest of registered March 10, r. 177:.%, In thisfj Kulpsvillo, are now two farms, formerly document mention is made of his wife, j one plantation, belonging to tho Hen¬ Margaret, to whom is given privileges dricks family for several generations. in his dwelling; flre^d6d;";-‘etd.v-and The original homestead where were the £12:annually, fti-seh iidreir were John, buildings were on the farm late of Paul, William,t Mary,; wife, of Henry Jesse Hendricks, now belonging to -r.; Sophia,. wife, of Nicholas- Gqd- William Fritz. The old stone home ahaik ; Margaret, wife' of Herman Hen- I here stood at some distance from the dricks; Rachel, wife of William Nash; highway, and was demolished some Susannah and Elizabeth—the two lat¬ thirty years ago. It was succeeded by ter then deceased. Paul got his father’s a brick dwelling standing near the windmill, and wagon house gears, and road. The other property is the farm also the plantation “whereon I now now owned by Michael J. Bean, on live’’. A curious fact is stated about Green Lane. This was detached in his son William. He says he had left 1844, and buildings erected by Harman home about eighteen year’s ago (1757) 0. Boorse, who then became the owner. and had never more been heard of, and A small lot on the southwest side of that there was no certainty of his ber the Towamencin also belonged to this ing alive yet; therefore, he was re¬ property, and whereon a house wasl garded as dead. His share was to go built by Jesse Hendricks, and whicl^ to the other children did he not appear was occupied by his son, William H. within one year. The will was wit- . Hendricka. This lot is now owned by nessed by Melchoir Wagner and Sam¬ Joseph Cassel. uel Hendricks. The early history of this tract goeq In the list of taxables for 1734 Paul back to Paul Hendricks, the emigrant. Hendricks is credited with 100 acres, It is believed to have been part of th(. indicating that between 1729 and 1734 200 acres bought by Paul Hendricks if he had sold half his original purchase. 1729 of James Steel and of which In In 1776 the second Paul Hendricks was is credited with owning one-half ii assessed for 99 acres. two| horses and 1734. Benjamin Hendricka was assess' three cows. This second Paul Hen¬ ed for 88 acres in 1776. At any rate dricks died intestate before 1815. The he owned these properties before 181P name of his wife was Annie, and he when he sold to Abraham Hendrickf _J A Alter ttie detachmenCbi the places, or which much was in Bucks ; (i Bean farm the remainder came into pos- county. In 1720 Steel, wishing to re¬ l session of Henry B. Keeler, a son-in- tire, !)og;Vn to sell his land to : actual law of Jesse Hendricks. The death ox settlers- and conveyed 150 acres to Hen¬ drick Hendricks, and the same amount the latter took place in the summer ot itl* 1877, leaving a widow and four chil- to Leonard Hendricks. In 1729 he sold dren. This farm was devised by will 200 acres to Paul Hendricks, which • i to Henry B. Keeler. The latter sold extended to the Worcester line and be¬ yond. The area nearest the south cor¬ i the same to William Fritz in 1894. The Bean farm was sold in 1865 by ner of Kulpsville, comprising 150 acres, Harman C. Boorse to Jbseph H. Tyson was sold by Steel to Herman Godshalk. ' 1 and in 1867 Tyson transferred to Mi- . This covered the later Stover and Rein¬ walt farms, together with various small _ ! chael J. Bean, the present owner. Paul Hendricks, the elder, willed lots between the two cross roads. his homestead in 1775 to his son Paul, Godshalk retained possession of the eastern portion of this purchase, butou it..- In 1815, on the death of the latter, the 5th of July, 1727, he sold a curious¬ |iv his son Benjamin took this portion Jr comprising 81 acres, whilst the upper ly shaped piece of 58 acres to William portion of 51 acres was taken by his Nash for £15. This price indicates no improvements, and Nash was there¬ sop William Hendricks. fore the first real settler on the present The Tyson Farm. Springer place. This tract comprised | This portion of the old Paui Hen¬ two nearly detached portions. One of s' dricks tract is now owned by H. G. these was a small piece of eight acres, i Tyson, and was the northern part, or whereon the buildings stand, and on 8 on the upper side of the road toKulps- the upper cross road. The fact that ville. After the death of the second there was a spring and some meadow Paul Hendricks .in 1815, his son Wil- land there doubtless was the reason ^ Ham acquired 51 acres of his estate, why this nook was attached to the . ' and which in 1816 he sold to Daniel other fifty acres. To the first settlers Boorse. Ho owned this home for a life¬ a spring and a meadow were alike in¬ time, and had also acquired small dispensable. The other 50 acres were I tracts of Jacob Metz and others, so that ; southward, on the brow and the sum¬ | ho held 91 acres. Abraham Hackman , mit of the hill overlooking the Towa- 1 married his daughter Catharine and mencin. This part is now owned by in 1849 sold to Harman G. Boorse a David Stover and Andrew Krieblo. house and 42 acres. The latter imme- The boundaries in 1727 were: Begin¬ ) diately transferred to Solomon Long. ning at a corner of Paul Hendricks, by The later transfers have been: 1853, 3ame northwest 80 perches to line of Pf. Long back to Harman C. Boorse; at a Henry Hendricks ; by last named north¬ date not recorded to Iluppert Cassell; east 123 perches, and northwest 35 1883, Cassell to Henry G. Tyson, a j perches to line of Jacob Godshalk ; by house and 41 acres. i same northeast 30 perches and south- The Sprinfter Property. j west 40 perches and southwest 53 HIS property is about one-fourth perches; thence southeast by same to of a mile southwest of Kulpsvijle, I line of John Lukens; by last line and is now owned by J. Wesley | southwest 100 perches to beginning. Springer. Here is an old stone This deed was witnessed by x\braham farm house, supposed to have Lukens and Joseph Lukens before Sep¬ been built about 1806 by Christopher timus Robinson. Rein wait, great-grandfather of the Nash proceeded to make improve¬ present owner. An older log one-story ments on the north corner of this pur¬ chase, building a log house, which building on the northeast side of the house, was Reinwalt’s weaving shop. stood on the meadow bank about eighty The farm has never been a large one yards south of the present Springer house. There also was erected a spring only fifty-eight acres, and there only house. He may have built the present remains a lot of eight acres now. This weaving shop. At any rate, he was a s was a Reinwalt property from Ii60 to weaver by trade. Nash lived here 1882—a period of 122 years, and it is nearly thirty years, and is mentioned yet in the hands of a descendant of in the assessment of 1734. In 1756 he that family. sold to William Keller, a carpenter and All the lands hereabouts may. be traced to an indefinite grant made in j , went we know not whither. Keller was not of long continuance here. Be¬ 1682 by William Penn, of 5,000 acres, i | to an Englishman named William Ba- \ fore 1760 he died, and jn March of that year, his administrators, Catharine fc con. It is not supposed that Bacon Keller and Abraham Heydrick, sold the ever saw this country. In 1718, after fifty-eight acres to Christopher Rhein- the long period of 36 years, Bacon walt, or Reinwalt, for £191. conveyed his rights to Humphrey Mar¬ shall and John Budd, who, the next The Reinwalts. vear, conveyed 1500 acres to James The Reinwalts arp a Schwenkfelder Steel. The latter lived in Philadel¬ family, descended from George Rein- phia, was a speculator and held large wald, who came { along with the ■tracts .of .unimproved land in various m m 140

Huh wen KfeTder emigration of 1734. Steel, aland jobber, of PhTTadelphTa. He was born in Silesia in 1703, mar¬ Finally an actual settler wanted land ried Susanna Seipt, and died in 1755. for a house, and in 1720 Herman Gcd- Hisson Christopher married Maria, shalk, a Hollander, bought 150 acres daughter of Melchoir Meschter, April of Steel. 21, 1762, and died December 13, 1814, Doubtless it was Godshalk, who first in his 78th year. His son, the second made improvements here and he held Christopher, was born April 7, 1775, possession for 24 years. In 1744 he and died September 26, 1828. In the had 100 acres to sell to Isaac Krall, or assessment of 1776, Christopher Rein- Kroll—presumably a German. He walt is mentioned as owning 58 acres, came to stay a long time, though we two horses and three cows, besides a know little about him. Godshalk grist mill—which must have been sit-, held other land above the upper hotel, uated elsewhere, as there was no water a narrow strip of 13 acres, upon which here to propel a mill. A long period stands the Mennonite meetinghouse, passed away till in 1820 Sheriff Philip conveyed ot these people by Godshalk. Sellers sold 40 acres, p>art of the estate In 1771 Isaac Kroll, who was a shoe¬ of Christopher Reinwalt to Abraham maker, as well as a farmer, sold to lleinwalt, his brother, who had been Jacob Kolb, or Kulp, then of Whitpain, born in 1780. This sale was at the suit 100 acres. Kulp was the son of Peter of William Heaton, assignee of Baltzer Kulp, who came from Germany. He Heydrick for a judgment of £254, 7 was a Mennonite, as was Godshalk and shillings. The farm was then bounded Kroll. Peter Kulp had two other sons, by the properties of Andrew Krieble, Diliman and Henry. The same year William Heudricks, Daniel Boorse, Kroll sold a narrow strip of six acres Mordecai Davis, Christopher Stover, above the cross roads, and whereon the John Lukens and David Kline. In tavern and public hall now stands. 1851 Abraham Reinwalt, Jr., sold the This had been obtained in 1755 by farm for $2310. As before stated, the patent to Herman Godshalk—-seem¬ premises remaining were bought by J. ingly a piece overlooked by the earlier Wesley Springer in 1882. surveyors. In 1776 Jacob Kolb was During the time of the Revolution assessed for 160 acres, two horses and one John Springer owned sixty acres four cows. Ho died in 1818, having and a saw mill on the Towamencin been born in 1741. He left a son, Da¬ creek. There have been three John vidC. Kulp, who started a store in Springers in succession. John Springer, Kulpsville in i.812. He was a justice son of the first named, was born March 'of peace for 40 years, and died in 1843. 22d, 1794, and married Maria, aaugrr- He lived on the site of the present ter of Christopher Reinwalt. This sec¬ residence of John C. Boorse. His son, ond Christopher Reinwalt had married Charles C. Kulp, became the first post¬ Barbara, daughter of John Hendricks, master here in 4829. in 1803. His daughter, Maria Springer, A portion of the village of Kulpsville died in 1868. The present owner of > is now built on the old Kulp planta¬ the old home is a son of Abraham tion, or various houses on the lots Springer, who was a son of John along the southwest side of the turn¬ Springer. The latter married Mary pike. ■ - Reinwalt, daughter of Christopher In 1803 Jacob Kolb sold 77 acres to Reinwalt. Abraham Reinwalt, the Christian. Stpver. ;-?he name has been last owner of that name was unmarried. angUoiged iiioutthh tGermah, Hiauh'er. His sister, Mary Reinwalt, born in The family were Hunkers. In 1771 1808, died in the Springer house in the boundaries given were: Beginning 1895. in middle of great road in line of Abra¬ The Stover Homestead. ham Lukens, by same and John Eu- This farm lies at the south corner of kens southeast 104 perches to corner oi the cross roads at Kulpsville. The John Lukens; by same southwest 174 house stands on the meadow bank, a perches; by Christopher Reinwalt conspicuous object from the highway. northwest G4 perches ; by same north¬ In front a large meadow slopes to the east 53 perches and northwest 40 southward. This is one of the oldest perches; northeast 121 perches by line homesteads in the township. Here of Herman Godshalk to beginning. has been a human habitation since The farm extended from the upper to 1720. Prom the family which owned the lower cross road, and to the south¬ it during the closing quarter of the west over half a mile. last century the village of Kulpsville The Stover ownership lasted the took its name. greater part of the present century. An old brief of title says that in 1681, In 1840 Christian Stover by his will, William Penn granted 5,000 acres to bequeathed his homestead to hi3 son an Englishman named William Bar¬ Jacob. The name of his wife was Su¬ ron. Whether Barron ever saw his land sannah, and he had two children, Ja- is doubted. He held it for the long * /cob and Hannah, wife of Eli Stover. time of 37 years. In 1718 he sold to He left the latter $4,000. In 1869 Ja¬ the Budd family, comprising Humph¬ cob Stover conveyed to Elijah Stover, rey, Mary and John Budd. in 1718, who married Mary K. Moyer. After the Budds sold 1500 acres to James the death of the latter in 1882 there i

- .-ft ETVX' The North Corner at Kulpsville. were various conveyances, hut in 1892, The North corner at the cross roads the old farm, now reduced to 63 acres, was sold for @7,000 to Joseph flecker. at Kulpsville is occupied by the post T office, S. S. Apple, postmaster, and a The East Corner at Kulp.svllle. small store, kept by B. M. Clemens. At the east corner of the cross roads Near by is the residence of Wm. Z. at Kulpsville stands a large stone Hunsicker, and the tinshop of Isaac II. building. One portion of this is now ! Snyder. This corner was the most a the hotel, of which H. H. Hallmeyer southern extension of the plantation of is at present the landlord. The upper Mathias Stover, who bought 200 acres portion of this building next to the in 1790 of Benjamin Fuller. In 1808 Forty Foot road, was, until a few years Stover detached eighty acres by sale to ' ago, a general store, since removed to Herman Godshalk, his son-in-law, (the south corner on the opposite side whose land extended.^0^20 H^rnhpa of the turnpike. A hotel has existed along the turnpike’ ahcl~l75“percfies, or here for more than half a century, one over half a mile along the Forty-foot having first been established about road. The farm buildings of God¬ 1812 by Benjamin B. Hendricks, who shalk were at the later residence of erected the building for the same. Henry Allebach. In 1837 Godshala Previous to that time a blacksmith detached a small lot of six acres to shop stood on the corner, in which John John Baker, who soon after opened a Li. Adamson plied the hammer. store. This store was kept here for In Colonial times, this corner bo- ifl more than forty years, or till after longed to Abraham Lukene. In 1777 T 1870, being kept by Franklin E. Baker, his executors sold to Henry Smith, son of John Baker. The latter died in I who owned the later Jonas Godshalk ' 1855, leaving a widow, Ann, and two farm. Abraham Lutrens had bought * children, Franklin and Clementine. (fifteen acres at this corner of John The latter married John S. Apple, Johnson previous to 1760. Johnson blacksmith, and also a widely known bought of David Alorris in 1758 a farm teacher of music. In 1859 John S. of 99 acres, as told in the account of Dannehower bought the property at .the Jonas Godshalk farm. Henry public sale for @2510. There have been Smith owned the lot for a long period, several changes of ownership since that or until 1810, when he conveyed 15 5, time. Among these were Amos Krie- acres to Amos Adamson, for @600. No bel, who kept a shoe store. It was house is mentioned in this deed. afterwards bought by Israel Wood and Adamson was a blacksmith and a Qua¬ sold by him about 1886 to Benjamin ker, and carried on his trade here for M. Clemens, the present owner, who many years. His dwelling fronted in 1896 opened a general store here, the present turnpike. In 133S he The Edwards Plantation and Family. sold to John L. Adamson, also a black¬ The Edw'ards family were long one smith. In 1810 Adamson sold to George Delp, owner of the farm on the of the most prominent families in east, and in 1811, Delp sold to Benja¬ Towamencin, and yet hold one of its min B. Hendricks,- who became the homesteads. This is about three- tavern keeper. John Adamson remov¬ fourths of a mile northeast of Kulps¬ ed to Philadelphia. ville, fronting oil the Forty-foot road Hendricks, who had erected a tavern on the southeast side. The family here, owned the property for sixteen were of Welsh origin, and the former years. In 1857 he sold to Jacob H. generations adhered to the people Swartz. Since then there have been called Quakers, and worshipping at transfers: 1859, Swartz to Abraham F. Gwynedd. The farm is now held by Delp; 1862, Delp to Philip N. Hart¬ Humphrey W. Edwards, son of the late man ; 1865, Hartman to Jacob K. owner, John B. Edwards. Modern Meschter, a brother of Dr. George K. buildings are^near the high way erected Meschter, of Worcester; 1869, Mesch¬ by the father of the present occupant. ter to Nathaniel H. Anders; 1878, An¬ Formerly the farm buildings were ders to Edwin L. Kirk; 1S79, Kirk to down the hillside, much nearer the Jesse Shepherd, of Plymouth. The Towamencin, toward which most ol tavern house has twice been burned the surface slopes. The present farm down since its erection by Hendricks. comprises about 84 acres. It was erected in its present shape by The Edwards family have been land¬ Shepherd, now deceased. The store holders in Towamencin since 1720. In here was formerly kept by Jacob Gel- that year Edward Foulke sold to John ler. The store formerly kept here has Edw'ards 280 acres which Foulke had been removed to the South corner of bought of George Claypoole in 1714. the cross roads, where, a few years ago' i In 1734 Edwards was assessed for 205 . ' ■ a large building was erected' by John acres, lu all probability he was a na¬ / ' "h'‘f Kindig, the present owner. Jacob H. tive of Wales

ny toe elate oi r/bl tne pioneer" had ____| become o!d, and his will of that year went to school, as had several genefa- sajs he was the owner of 166 acres. : tions of children before him. At- This land he devised to his two sons, : tacned to the church was, or had been, Evan and John in unequal portions. a well, a stable, a garden, and a The latter got fifty acres and Evan 116 kitchen.. It had formerly been the acres, where his father lived. In 1767 residence of the teacher of the school. the second John Edwards released his A store vdis kept here in the last cen- ••hare 1o his brother Evan, who was trury, and the Krieble family have in the owner of the homestead during the their possession an earthen water jug, Kev/dutianary period. In the assess- bought at that store in the time of the eliO)f if7G?Eva» Edwards was credit¬ Revolution. ed with 91 acres and John Edwards Among the earliest teachers was a with 48 acres. The latter was enrolled German (name unknown) who taught as a member of Capt. Springer’s C'omi school at or near the period of the panv of Militia. In 1767 Evan Edr Revolution. Later came Andrew Krie- wards detached 25 adres by selling JtC bel, who was born in 1765. Others re¬ Henry Smith for £101. This was h membered were William Frank, R&v. narrow strip of the northeast • side oj Daniel Krieble, his son Isaac Krieble, the later donas Godshalk farm.. . . Franklin Cassel, Daniel Krieble and Before 1793 Evan Edwards died in¬ Rev. Reuben Krieble, the historian of testate, leaving three children, Robert, the Sehwenkfelders. The school house John and Elizabeth. In that year, and the store proceeded the church. the two latter released to their brother During the Revolution a family from John the 84 acres. This piece fronted Germantown, supposed to be fugitives, the Forty Foot road for 123 perches, dwelt in the old house. A long time and was otherwise bounded by lands afterwards—perhaps three-quarters of of Henry Smith, Isaac Krupp and a century—soma of the descendants of Jacop Krupp. In 1799 John Edwards this family came from that place one sold back to Robert Edwards. In 1824, day to see where their ancestors had the latter made an assignment to lived during the troublous period, and James White and Henry Snyder, of at toon dinner at the Kriebel farm house. least a portion of his lands, including Mr. Krieble also relates various tra¬ the later Bower farm, near White’s ditions of the Revolution conuected corner. Humphrey Edwards became with"! he church and the homestead. the next owner of the farm which he One American soldier of that period held for many years. He died between lies buried in the old graveyard bv the 1845 and 1850. His children were a side of the little forest. ‘He was a son, John B. Edwards, and a daugh¬ famished fugitive, and obtaining some ter Martha, who wero his heirs. The honey in the comb, ho partook of it daughter never married. The barn at too freely and died. Other American the old place down the slope was de¬ soldiers, fleeing from the battle of Ger- j stroyed by fire about 1850. This was mantown, tarried for a time at the old ' rebuilt by the then owner, J. B. Ed¬ Kriebel house on the side hill. It was wards. About 1863 the latter built a a secluded place to hide. They foraged house on or near the site of the pres¬ for themselves, taking the good tbin<~ about the fan™ * . . , ent one, to be succeeded by the larger ; — anu ii'om neighboring dwelling, now existing. He married un-ms, sheep, cattle, grain, eggs, etc. Elizabeth, daughter of Ur. Humphrey Ao fowls were let about the Krieblei White, and had a family of children. rarrn, but one old hen, trying to hatch1

Mr. Edwards was a prominent man in I f, brood. One day a couple of his neighborhood, and in township af¬ ':::r pentries hurriedly ga,va warning! fairs. His death took place in the early that the British were coming and were part of 1894. Humphrey Edwards only two miles away, whereat the married a sister of Abraham Yeakol. soldiers at once decamped, fleeing Additional Concerning the Schwcnkfelder Meet¬ northwest to the hills and forests along ing House. the Towameiicin and Skippack. Dur- According to the recollections of l^L* u I)er*°d there was a troop of Abraham K. Krieble, the earlier house light horse also quartered at the An- of worship stood in about the middle cleJ'9 farm, to the northward. of the orchard, now growing on the hor these facts we are mainly in¬ side hill northwest of the new meeting¬ debted to the recollection of Reuben house. He is now the owner of the Ariebel, grandfather of the present land, and the orchard, which he plant¬ owner of the premises, and who was a ed, has grown since the demolition oi hoy of a dozen years at that time. the old chhrch. This building was of (The end.) logs, pebble dashed, with the gable ends woatherboarded and painted red. There was a portico in front, with seats y. on either side. The date over the por¬ tico was of 1795. It is not certain whether this signified the time of the erection of the house, or of the addi tion of the portico. Here Mr. Krieble J 143 1 going further than the Quarterly Meetings in j i New Jersey. He was broad-minded and lib-i I eral in his views, and tolerant of those who ! differed with him. He died December 24, i 1879, aged eighty-four years, and was buried at Wriehtstown. His wife died three years and six months later. They lived together as 1! husband and wife for fifty-two years. Henry Woodman was bom in the old house on the farm now Lewis Pearsoll’s, the land having been given to Edward by his father-in- law on his marriage with Sarah Stephens. The father was killed by falling from a hay mow j in the old barn, still standing, December 22, ! 1820, he heiug buried on Christmas day follow¬ ing. His age was seventy-one years.. Edward Woodman’s widow lived many years, dying in 1847, at the age of eighty- nine. Both were buried at Valley Friends’ ' ground. Woodman’s Tributes to tire Memory Henry Woodman, in his “ History of Val¬ of His Parents. ley Forge,” which was written about 1850 and published in the Doylestovrn Intelligencer, the Norristown Herald and elsewhere, presents The Career of the Historian of the his mother, who was undoubtedly a very re¬ Campground—The Changes Which markable woman, in a most pleasing light. Have Taken Place in the Half-Cen¬ Many of the Traditions and reminiscences of the encampment which he relates, were de- tury Since He Wrote on Revolution¬ j rived from her, she being an eye-witness of ary Topics—General Morgan’s Birth¬ much that is contained in his history. He place. ; says of her : “She was one who was born and died on Henry Woodman, while he grew up amid j the same spot of earth, and whose long life the scenes cf the campground, being familiar was attended with many vicissitudes. She 1 as a youth with the fortifications and other < had to encounter many severe hardships and j remains of the occupation by the American trials, particularly about the time of the Revo¬ I army, had left the vicinity many years before lution. Possessing strong powers of mind ! writing the sketches which recall so vividly ; and health of body, she was enabled to per- • to the mind of the reader the persons and i severe through all ; and though fortune events of the encampment. The incidents ! smiled not upon her, and disappointment and which he relates were impressed upon his | distress often marked her passage through ! mind at the time when it is most susceptible ; life, yet she attained a great age, retaining to to impressions—in very early life. He had the iast her mental facnlties, including her | listened to these narrations at his mother’s memory, though for several years of her life knee, as it were, and they were readily re- ! deprived of the blessings of sight and hear¬ I called in after life when he sought to give ing and in other respects much debilitated. I them permanent form. “ Her recollection was vivid and she, hav¬ He has left an invalnable record of what oc¬ ing the use of her conversational powers, and curred, the only regret being that it is not a happy facility of conveying her sentiments, fnller and more circumstantial at many her company, even in old age, was very inter¬ points. It corroborates throughout the story i « esting. She abounded in anecdotes, reminis¬ | of suffering and privations endured by the | cences and historical facts of the period of the j soldiers of Washington’s army which has j Revolution, particularly at the time of the en¬ ; come down to ns in other channels. It snp- ; campment. Having been intimately acquaint¬ plies information on many points which ed with Washington, DeKalb, Lafayette, would have been otherwise scarcely obtain¬ Wayne, Greene, Mifflin, Sullivan and many able at all, and, if it leaves something to be others of the general officers, she was ofien desired, it is still full of interest. ! visited by persons eager to obtain information A half-centnry having rolled aronnd, it is of those times.” necessary to identify the dwellings and the Henry Woodman writes of his father in a farms which he describes, and to ascertain somewhat similar strain : j their occupants and owners at the present “The place of his nativity was Maryland. day, in order to make his record intelligible. He was left an orphan when very yonng, and This being done, an additional charm is given never had any knowledge of his parents or to the perusal of his sketches, and their discur¬ family connections. He left that country sive and fragmentary character is forgotten when young, and never returned to it. I for the time being. have heard him mention having seen General Henry Woodman was abont twenty-five Braddock with his aiBiy land at Annapolis. years of age when he became a minister. “ He settled when young in Hillsborough, During the next twenty years he travelled North Carolina. He was one of a number of much in obedience to what he believed was re¬ yonng men who accompanied Col. Daniel quired of him. From that time, his wife’s Boone and Henderson to Kentucky. He en¬ health being poof and he having a large fam- tered the army. * * ® * He finally set¬ J ilv around him, he travelled much less, seldom I tled, nearly forty years before his death, at ' " ~ « - place where he spent the remainder of “ Fackenthall replied that none is days.” were allowed to drink at the well, 1 GENERAL MORGAN’S BIRTHPLACE. the general handed him his own sword to put In a previous article, New Jersey was given od, after which he was not interrupted when as the native state of General Daniel Morgan, he went to the well td get water. the distinguished .American Revolutionary “The Fackenthalls, father and son, were General, who commanded the outposts for a both men of unimpeached veracity. portion of the tirno dnring the Valley Forge “Rev. Richard Webster, in his “History encampment, and whose headquarters wereat of the Presbyterian Church in America,” the residence of Mordecai Moore, more recent¬ says that Durham township was the birth¬ ly the Zook property, and now owned and oc¬ place of General Morgan. A writer in the cupied by John W. Andrews. Further re¬ Bucks County Patriot, of January, 1827, says search shows that he was born in Bucks coun¬ that General Daniel Morgan was a native of ty, this state. He was the son of James and Dnrham and the son of a charcoal burner.” Sarah Morgan, and was born near Durham June 19, 1772, Joseph Morris conveyed his iron works in 1736. His parents were Welsh, interest in Durham furnace and the lands and his father was employed many years at belonging thereto, to James Morgan, father of the furnace. Daniel ran away from home at General Morgan, for 375 ponnds, and at the the age of seventeen and when he was nine¬ subsequent partition he was allotted plat No. teen he was engaged, as already noted, in 26, containing 191 acres 120 perches. General driving a baggage wagon in the nnfortnnate Morgan’s birthplace was on plat No. 30. expedition of Braddock to Fort DuQuesne. ' Ellwood Roberts. His daring career in the Bevolntionary War at the head of his regiment of riflemen has been detailed. He died at Winchester, Vir¬ ginia, July 6, 1802, in bis sixty-seventh year. There were several of the family in Dur¬ Prayer of the Commander-in-Chief in ham. In 1783, Abel Morgan owned 530 acres the Woods at Valley Forge, of land there. Mordecai Morgan and Enoch Morgan resided in the township ten years later. It is surmised that they were nephews Incorrect Statements on This Point— of General Daniel Morgan. The latter’s The Facts as they Have Been parents were both alive in 1773, but the exact Handed Down in the Potts Family— date of their death is not known. Isaac Potts’ First Experience as a General W. W. H. Davis, of Doylestown, says in his “ History of Bucks County Preacher and His Subsequent Ca¬ ‘‘His biographer fixes his birthplace at reer — Connection with the Iron the little town of Finesville, in New Jersey, Works in This Vicinity. five miles east of Dnrham furnace, and states that his father was a charcoal burner. This Isaac Potts, the owner and occupant of the is an error, and the place of bis nativity mansion which became Washington’s Head¬ should have been fixed on the west side of quarters and which is visited annually by the Delaware, near Durham furnace. thousands of persons who are attracted by the ‘‘Our most important witness to prove our patriotic memories of Valley Forgo, is the ’case is the late Michael Fackenthall, who I member of his family who is most prominent died thirty years Migo. He" served in the from the standpoint of historical research. Revolutionary army several times as soldier, . He was born May 20,1750, and was, therefore, officer, and the driver of a baggage wagon. a young man at the time of the encampment. Ha often related his meeting with General His father died before he reached the age of Morgau, and that on one occasion Morgan told him he was born in Dnrham township, eighteen, throwing him upon his own re¬ sources on coming to the age of manhood. By and described the house as standing in the this time, however, he had taken a portion of corner of the Sold where the road from Easton the Valley Forge property. December 6th, crosses Durham creek, and where a small ; 1770, he married Martha, daughter of Samuel stream empties into that creek. and Mary Divezey Bolton, about his own age. “ The spot designated is about a mile from He was a man of the world at that time, his the Delaware, on th3 farm of Anthony Dau¬ social disposition making his company much bach, on the east side of the Easton road. Tbo house that stood there is remembered by seught after by persons of his own age. At this time no one would have imagined that John Dixon, and a large fiat stone that may ! he was destined to become a Quaker have been the hearthstone, found on the site, was recently broken to pieces. The house preacher, and that in a very few years. The story of his first experience in this line has stood near the creek. been often told, hut it may be new to many “ Michael Fackenthall, Jr., a son of the readers. above Michael, a man of the highest respecta¬ bility, related to Samuel H. Daubach, just be¬ The Pottses, like most other colonial fami¬ fore his death in 1871 what he said was often lies, held slaves. One of Isaac’s having died, told him by his father—that on one occasion, he was interred in the negro burying ground, while he was serving in the army with Mor¬ on the opposite side of the Schuylkill. Isaac gan, they were encamped near a well, which, joined the funeral procession, proposing to re¬ I getting low, none blit officers were allowed to turn when the melancholy flotilla had ' use. Morgan said to Fackenthall: ‘ Michael, ; reached the other shore. you need not go to the creek to drink, you When the boats touched the bank Isaac was can drink at our well’ moved to go on with the mourners. Approach- ing tho new-made grave, he was influenced by a defeated army, who, in his opinion was wag¬ the solemnity of the scene to utter words of ing a wicked and hopeless war.” warning to those who stood around. Tho Tradition points out the exact spot where dusky mourners wore completely surprised at I Washington was found in prayer by Isaac hearing an exhortation of this character from Potts. It is a short distance above the vil¬ their master. Mrs. Thomas Potts Jones, in lage on the lower side of Valley Creek. her “ Memorial,” tells the story of the recep¬ Tne following account of tho prayer inci¬ tion of Isaac’s first effort as a minister in this dent was copied from a paper in tho posses¬ way : sion of one of Isaac Potts’ granddaughters, “ One of the colored girls present, a slave of being in the handwriting of his daughter, Mrs. Col. William Dewees, told her mistress, Ruth Anna Potts, who died in 1811. when she reached home, that ‘Massa Isaac The fact that it has been preserved had preached a most splendid sermon at the by a member of his own family who funeral’; but the statement was so incredible had an excellent opportunity to know the that Mrs. Dewees reprimanded her severely facts in the case, may probably bo accepted as for telling such a falsehood, especially about an endorsement of its authenticity : one of the family ; and when she continued “In 1777, while the American army lay at to reiterate it, saying it was nothing but truth, Valley Forge, a good old Quaker by the name her mistress threatened her with punishment, of Potts had occasion to pass through the but wisely concluded, before inflicting it, to thick wood near headquarters. As he ' ascertain the facts from her cousin himself. traversed the dark-brown forest he heard, at “The next day, when she saw him ap¬ a distance before him, a voieo which, as he proaching the house, she went to the door to advanced, became more fervid and inter¬ question him, expecting to hear from him an esting. Approaching with a slowness and indignant denial of the slave’s statement; circumspection, whom should he behold in but, to her surprise, he advanced with a sub¬ the dark bower apparently formed for the dued air, and, seating himself on the door- purpose, but the Commander-in-Chief of tho I step, said that only the humblest and lowest armies of the United Colonies on his knees in place was suitable for a sinner like himself. ’ tho act of devotion to the Ruler of the Uni¬ From this time forth he became an acceptable verse. At the moment when Friend Potts, Quaker preacher or public Friend.” concealed by the trees, came up, Washington Isaac Potts appears to have had no connec¬ was interceding for his beloved country. tion with the iron works at Valley Forge un¬ With tones of gratitude that labored for ade¬ til after the close of the Revolutionary War. quate expression, he adored that exuberant The flour mill was built in 1759. and the erec¬ goodness which, from the depth of obscurity, tion of the house, Washington’s Headquarters, had exalted him to the head of a great nation took place the same year, it is believed, al¬ and that nation fighting at fearful odds for all though there is no positive evidence on this the world holds dear. I point. The old flonr mill, once operated by “ He utterly disclaimed all ability of his Isaac Potts, was burned down by a spark own for this arduous conflict; he wept at the from a locomotive in the spring of 1643. It thought of that irretrievable ruin which his stood close to the railroad, and had massive mistakes might bring on the country, and timbers. The miller at the time of its de¬ with the patriot’s pathos spreading the in¬ struction was Abraham Bond, belonging to an . terests of unborn millions before the eye of | old family in the neighborhood. Isaac owned Eternal Mercy, he implored tho aid of that | and carried on the flour mill from the time of arm which guides the starry host. Soon as I his father’s death until nearly the close of the General had finished his devotions and the century. After the war Isaac Potts was had retired, Friend Potts returned to his also largely engaged in the iron business. house and threw himself into a chair by the Mrs. James says concerning tho tradition of side of his wife. Isaac Potts discovering Washington at prayer: * “‘Hegb, Isaac,’said she with tenderness, | “ The accounts of Isaac Potts discovering ‘ thee seems agitated ; what’s the matter ?’ Washington at prayer always represent him * Indeed, my dear,’ quoth he, ‘ if I appear agi¬ , as an old man and I have seen one, at least, tated’tis no more than I am. I have seen where he is called a blacksmith. How incor¬ this day what 1 shall never forget. Till now rect such statements are, the readers of this I have thought that a Christian and a soldier volume will readily see. were characters incompatible ; but if George “ In 1777 he was only twenty-seven years of Washington be not a man of God, I am mis¬ taken, and slill more shall I be disappointed i age, and, like most of the Quakers, was de¬ if God do not through him perform some great cidedly opposed to the war ; but he remained thing for this country.’ ” at Valley Forge during its occupation by the American forces, and no doubt superintended It is unfortunate that we have been left the grinding of the grain which Washington with such extremely meagre details as to tho ordered the neighboring farmers to bring in relations botween the two families during the occupation of a portion of the Potts man¬ to his suffering army. These mills were sion by General and Mrs. Washington, ex¬ large and in good repute for the quality as tending over a period of several months. well as the quantity of flour manufactured We are left largely to imagine the character there: and it was not in human nature, or of Isaac Potts, whose relations with Washing¬ Quaker nature either, for Isaac to be very much pleased to run his mills according to ton must have been, necessarily, quite close, for the time, being. He is said to have been a military requisitions, to see his peaceful val¬ person of considerable originality and inde¬ ley invaded by men at arms, or to give up his pendence—qualities, indeed, that distin¬ own quiet home to the commander-in-chief of guished the family for several generations. It is stated that he slivered a sermon at a Friends' meetiug in 1 siladelphia on the death vicinity at the time of the Revolution is rror of General Washing :on. How unfortunate, George G. Groff, of Lewisbnrg, whose great if such be the case,] hat no traces of it r@- annt, Deborah' Beaver, wife of John Beaver main. It is said ta ta have been a splendid went to live in Chester Valley after her mar- eulogy upon Washington, entirely without nage m 1815. She often remarked that her pieparation, as Isaac only heard of the event father-in-law’s people (the family of Devanlt; on his way to meeting. A tradition has been Beaver) had often seen the snow colored with anded uown that a member of Congress who blood, from the feet of the almost shoeless heard Isaac’s discourse, when asked to go American soldiers. hear another by General Lee said, “ I have Prof. Grofl’s-great-great-grandfather, John I heard a much better one than he will deliver Pawling, hying near Pawling’s bridge W- from an old Quaker.” ’ raided by the British. He was told he mn-t Isaac’s wife, Martha, died at Cheltenham give up stock and feed. These he had con- Farm, April 30, 1793. March 10, 1803, he ] cealed in the woods. He started to lead the daughter of Joseph and Eliza- foragers to the spot, bat the wood was so long th Mather Evans, at Abington meeting. He and tortuous that they, fearing an ambush, only survived this marriage a few months, left without their plunder. ymg Jane 15, of the same year. He was Two brothers of John Beaver settled in t ken sick while attending meetine at Ger¬ Maxatawney, Berks oounty, from one of mantown, and carried to Dr. Ben sill’s, where whom Governor James A. Beaver is also de¬ he died, in his fifty-fourth year. He had been scended. One of these famili- i is now known a minister more than a quarter of a century as the “ B’ar Beavers,” because tbei^progeni- and possessed in a high degree those talents tor, unarmed, met and slew a black bear in and virtues that ennoble humanity. He was his pasture. noted for his liberality towards other denomi- John Barry, a member of Friends’ Meeting, i nations, not wishing to condemn those who Radnor, was an ancestor of Prof. Groff He differed from him in religious belief. was turned oat of meeting for joining the p^me® J.ot,ts> a younger brother of Isaac army. Potts, studied law. He was bom in 1752, and Prof. Groff relates several incidents in a m jJ? uiarned Anna, daughter of Anthony pleasant manner, including the following : and Margaret Stocker, of Philadelphia. He A MISHAP TO LAFAYETTE. died Nov. 20, 1788. His widow survived him My great-great grandfather lived near Val¬ thirty4wo years> dyiuK Mar 24, ley torge, on land occupied in part by the 18~1. Others of the family of thirteen of American Army during the historical winter whom Isaac Potts was one, were Rebecca of 1777 and 78. In the road close to the Grace, born 1755, married Dr. Benjamin Duf- bouse were several large holes filled with field, and died February, 1796 ; Jesse, born mud and water, in which, in the warmer 1757, who married Sarah Lewis, and died parts of the year, the pigs were accustomed to ’ ®uth, already mentioned, bom in wallow. One day in the spring of the year Lo8, who married Peter Lorah, and died June 1, 1811. just before the army left Valley Forge, a number of horsemen were seen to gallop'up After the Revolutionary War, Isaac Potts the road. When just opposite the house one of continued to reside in the headquarters man- the horses suddenly shied and the rider, who sion. About 1794, he sold it to Jacob Paul, of was resplendent in a beautiful uniform, was Germantown, and jt remained in his family thrown sprawling into one of the bog wallows over twenty years. In 1826 it belonged to his When he arose he was literally covered from son, Joseph Paul. It was then purchased by head to foot with the mud. In the house, and acommnmty, organized on the theories of witnesses of the mishap, were a number of ! Robert Owen, whose possession of the prop¬ young women, great-great aunts of the erty was brief. The plan of mutual interests writer, who shortly offered their services, and i proved a failure as it has almost everywhere the young French general, at their hands, in ! else, and the property went to James Jones, time began to appear presentable. When as :| the only man of means among them, who re¬ much of the mud as possible was removed, he I sided in the mansion from 1828 until his rammed mauy thanks to his fair assistants : aeatmn 1849 at an advanced age. and galloped away. Ellwood Bo beets. The above was related to me by George W. Lewis, who recently died at the age’of 86 j years. He was born near Valley Forge and I received the facts directly from one of the j young women who took part in the work of I A New Version of tlie Shooting removing the mud. DEVAULT BEAVEB. by Devanlt Beaver. Early in December, 1777, General Wayne was sent to Valley Forge to prepare the place j A Mishap to General Lafayette of for the encampment of the army. To haul ! Which a Traditional Account Has supplies the available teams of the neighbor- ' Been Preserved—Reminiscences by icg farmers were impressed. Among these farmers was John Beaver, whose home was Prof. George G. Groff. within sight of the camp. While the father ...ft was away from home, hauling for the army, Among those who have read with interest a party of soldiers, or camp followers, came the reminiscences of Valley Forge Encamp¬ to the house and among other depredations ment and the families who resided in the robbed the bee hives of their stores. John Beaver TiacTa son Devaalt, a young man of about eighteen years. He attempted to defend the family possessions and was rough¬ A VALLEY FORGE HOMESTEAD ly handled by the marauders, being beaten and thrown into the creek, where he would The Old House in Which Duportail have drowned, had he not been rescued by hi3 mother. The next day the boy appealed Was Quartered. to General Wayne, who had established his headquarters at the -next farm to the south. Wayne, after hearing the tale of the lad, his J A Relic of Revolutionary Times Pos- mind doubtless occupied with other matters, I sessingr More Than Ordinary In¬ answered abruptly with an oath, “Shoot terest-Articles of Furniture Which them, then, if they do not remain away.” A few days later, the father, John Beaver, came Have Come Down From a Remote ! home dying from pneumonia or camp fever, Period — The Havards and Their contracted while working at the camp. Connections. While the father was dying, Devault, in the grey of the early morning, saw a man milk¬ A few hundred yards from the wooded hill¬ ing one of their cows, whan, under the spur side where the Pennsylvania Line, under the of the moment, and having in mind Wayne’s command of General Anthony Wayne, was answer, he took down bis rifle and shot the quartered in log huts chincked with mud, intruder dead. On picking up the unfortu¬ whose cellars are still plainly visible, stands nate man, it was at once seen that he was the the antique dwelling which was owned and sentinel stationed near their house. The lad occupied at the time of the encampment by bad taken the command of Wayne too liter¬ John Havard. The only living descendant of ally. John Havard is Cyrus Havard Davis, of He was at once arrested, and notwithstand¬ : Cayuga, New York, who usually speuds a ing the death of his father on the same day, ! few weeks of every year in the vicinity, and he was tried by a court-martial, and would who feels an intense interest in everything have been executed on the permanent gallows relating to the old house in which be was erected within sight of his home had he not born about seventy-eight years ago. He is | been able to prove Wayne’s order by several unmarried and that branch of the family i competent witnesses. The death sentence was will be extinct at his death. changed to a fine of 1000 bushels of threshed Tho Havard house was the residence of wheat, which was paid. Shortly after the General Duportail, the story of whose actire, close of the war, Devaalt Beaver married and brilliant and useful life has such a sad end¬ occupied the old homestead. Here he lived ing, he having died at sea while on a voyage , many years, one of the most prosperous and to his native country. Under the immediate respected citizens of the whole community. supervision of this famous French engineer s His mother resided with him, living a widow were constructed tho fortifications whose re¬ for nearly fifty years. His descendants are mains are an object of interest to every visi- : now widely scattered, but many of them are tor to Valley Forge. That they were properly among the most substantial citizens of the made is attested by tho excellent state of Keystone State. preservation in which we find them after the Devault Beaver had a son John, who mar¬ lapse of a hundred and twenty years. ried about 1815, and who resided within two That portion of the house which dates miles of Valley Forge. Shortly after his back to tho Revolutionary era and a consider¬ marriage he took a ramble with his bride oyer able time beyond it, has a high pitched roof the hills at the Forge and in the depth of tho and massive chimneys, in the usual style of woods came across a bleached skeleton lying the old Colonial farmhouse. The distance in the leaves at full length. From seme arti¬ from the eaves to the ground is comparatively cles near he knew it to be a skeleton of a sol¬ short. The front portion of the building is dier of the Revolution. Removing a rule more modern in appearance and arrangement, from his pocket he measured the bones and having been erected about the beginning of estimated it to have belonged to a man, who the present century. The Havards in those when alive, stood over six feet high. This days were among the wealthiest families in story I had from the bride herself, being the this seotion of Pennsylvania, and they have widow of an honored hnsband. been more or less prominent in every genera¬ THE WEAPON IN EXISTENCE. tion since that time. They come of Welsh Prof. Groff’s story of Devaalt Beaver is ex¬ ancestry, like so many of the old families iu actly as it has been preserved iu the traditions those portions of Montgomery and Chester of the family. It will be seen that it varies counties which are contiguous to Valley somewhat from the commonly received ac¬ Forge. count of the affair. The wholo exterior of DuportaiPs quarters Hon. Francis M. Brooke, of the Valley indicates its great ago. Beyond keeping the Forge Commission, informs the writer that roof in repair, there has probably been little the weapon used by young Beaver is now in alteration to this portion of the farmhouse in the possession of a member of the Brooke the last century. There are everywhere the family, a cousin of his. It has heretofore characteristics of the house-building of the been related how Abner Supplee was injured well-to-do settler. This impression of great : by the accidental discharge of the weapon age is very muoh heightened wlion one pnlls ; while repairing it in 1822. j the old-fashioned latchstriug and the door \ &LWOOD Robeut§/ opens through which Duportail passed daily | on his way to and from the room in the second j story where he was domiciled daring the en¬ uavis, was rue lather of Cyrus. campment. Davis removed to Cayu ga, New An examination of the windows with their years ago and died there t deep recesses, the low ceilings and other Ancient deeds show t b« chain of title for peculiarities of the olden time show much of these fertile acres for two centuries back. real interest to the antiquarian and others. David Powell, t|ho re fcsived a grant from Looking around upon the many reminders Penn, conveyed eight hundred acres, of of a historic age, it is easy to imagine one’s which this tract was a p ext, to an older John self transported to the days when King Havard in 1707, be dyin g in 1770. George claimed the allegiance of all the inhab¬ Prior to his death, hov lever, the elder John itants of the magnificent empire on this side the Havard distributed his large holdings to his Atlantic which Great Britain threw wantonly children, conveying to his son Samuel, in away rather than abandon the chimera of 1763, a farm not far diirtan!, containing 200 taxation that caused the rupture between the acres. This tract lies on Valley oreek, and thirteen embryo states and the mother coun¬ on it is the mansion in w hich w ere Lafayette’s try. The stupidity of the English king and headquarters. It is now divided into two ministry is among the most remarkable facts farms, one occupied by Harr}’ Wilson, the of history. other by Winfield S. Wilson. On the first floor is an exceedingly interest¬ In 1766, the elder John Hava."d conveyed ing article of furniture-— a bookcase of the 300 acres to David Havard, anotimr son, and olden time, made of lun iber from an apple the same year another isract of lt'O acres in tree on the farm, by a me ohanic of the neigh¬ the vicinity to his throe daught ers, Annie, borhood, years before the Revolutionary war. nannah and Sarah. John inherited BOO It is of quaint pattern; and antique appear¬ acres, including the taaot on wh'.ioh is the ance. Tradition tells hot7 it was rifled of a house in which the Frenoh ongi neer was large sum of money, pro! 'ably by hangers-on quartered. of the American camp. John Havard, it is Cyrus H. Davis recalls many famft'y romi- said, contemplated bayin g a neighboring nisconces, and numerous occurrences of boy¬ farm, owned by one of the- Browns, and he hood days. He was bora in the old hipuse, as had laid by the sunn, a large amount for were several generations of his ancestors. those days, “ all in gold.” Bauks points out a very shaggy old cedar were not within reach, and the money tree which, he says, is one of two was kept in the old appletn’e bookcase, ac¬ that stood very close together at the cording to the custom of those days. One time of the encampment, under which night he looked into the depth s of one of the the sentinels who protected the home where drawers and saw that the money was safe. Duportail was domiciled, were wont to take Next morning it was gone forever, past all shelter occasionally during the storms of hope of recovery, no one knew where. winter, as they trod back and forth on their It was easy to gain access to the room, for the tiresome beat. Upstairs he carefully exam¬ latcbstring was not always pulled in at night, ines an old closet door on which he remem¬ and it was useless to complain of the theft. bers seeing in his young days, cut in bold The purchase of the Brc wn farm had to be relief by the hand of Duportail himself, tra¬ foregone, because the m sans were lacking to dition has it, the word “Independency.” carry out the nndertakin g. flhe inscription is gone, however, and the Thomas F. Lyons occs :pies the house at the most careful search, a lamp being brought, present time, and tills f 10 old John Havard althongh outside is the bright sunshine of a farm. It can readily b(i) seen how these an¬ lovely March afternoon, fails utterly to reveal tique articles of fumi tnre are retained in !t. The name of Duportail in another place, such houses, from generation to generation, said also to have been cut by the famous en¬ even when the property passes oat of tfte fam¬ gineer, has been covered by successive coats ily and into the hands of strangers. When of wall paper, and no one could exactly locate the farm is sold, the household goods of the the spot. An aunt of Mr. Davis, Rebecca owner are usually offered at public sale, and Davis, died in the old boose a few years ago, who so well entitled to hay the old relics as at a very advanced ago, somewhere in the the new occupant of tide premises? From nineties. She had a store of recollections of motives of delicacy, tbe neighbors may re¬ old time which should have been taken down frain from bidding againpt him, and thus he from her lips for the benefit of posterity. becomes the possesses- oi’ priceless treasures, Mr. Davis tells how Samuel Havard, who often for a mere song;. dwelt on the other side of Valley Creek, at In the hall is stilt shou'n the old Havard the house which was Lafayette’s headquarters, timepiece—a more than "gt andfather’s clock,” had the experience of being robbed five times since it has been owned h y the Havards and by burglars. His two maiden sisters kept their descendants for mom thau a century bouse for bim, for Samuel was never married. and a-half. Cyrus Davis, the great-grandson After being robbed four times, the old man of John Havard, the Revolutionary owner, grew desperate, and took extraordinary pre¬ recently piloted the write firth rough the quaint cautions to foil tbe intruders. They effected old house, and, pointinff with pride to the an entrance the fifth time, and the two sisters, heirloom, said he owned a share in it, but very much frightened, ran all the way across would on no account ren love it from the place the fields to the John Havard farmhouse. where it had stood for so many decades. Samuel remained at home because he was Mr. Davis’ relations! lip to John Havard n nable to perform such a feat, on account of may be briefly explaine id. The latter had his age, according to the family tradition. a daughter, Mary, who because the wife of Dr. John Havard Davis, when he married William Davis. Their son, John Havard Elizabeth B. Hall, of Seneca county, New - -Jk-—• • • . v ___r York, a grandniece of Lyman Hall, a signer tion with Wayne’s occupancy of his father’s of the Declaration of Independence, took his dwelling as his quarters, and who subse¬ yonng bride to the Samuel Havard mansion, quently engaged in business in Philadelphia, and lived there a few years. She soon be¬ and died there at the age of eighty-seven came a widow, and later married Mosely years, August 27, 1854. Hutchinson, a prominent lawyer of Ithaca. There is probably no better authority as to She died in 1877, leaving seven children, he any Revolutionary occurrence connected with having died about fifteen years earlier. the Walkers or with the immediate vicinity ■ Elizabeth Hall was no ordinary woman. in which he lived, than Lewis Walker. As She came of Revolutionary stock, her grand¬ to what occurred on the John Havard prop¬ father being a soldier of the patriot army erty, however, we are safe in accepting the and one of the number at Valley Forge. account of William Davis, who married the Many of her descendants are active members only child of John Havard, and was an eye¬ of the Sons and Daughters of the American witness of mnch that took place at the time Revolution. Her children, besides Mr. Davis and a sister who died in infancy, are Wm. of the encampment. ! M. Hutchinson, of Cayuga ; Mary R. Hutch- The writer has before him a paper in the ' inson, who became the wife of Dewees Ferree, handwriting of William Davis, son of the i of Parkesburg; Elizabeth C. Hutchinson, William Davis just mentioned, giving very I who married Edwin Cowles, founder of the interesting particulars as to the location of Cleveland Leader ; Sarah T. Hutchinson, wife the headquarters of various commanders, the of Alfred Cowles, of the Chicago Tribune positions of different brigades and other details (both now deceased); Helen Davis Hutchin¬ of the encampment, the information contained son, wife of George Cowing, a well-known in which was derived from his father. This inventor of Seneca Falls. paper dates hack many years, and it is The farm of John Havard is still owned by deemed of sufficient importance for insertion a Havard, though not a descendant of the here in full. It is undoubtedly correct as to Revolutionary owner. It was bought some what came under the elder Davis’immediate years ago by David Havard, who resides, how¬ observation, he being a man of more than ever, in the parsonage property, near Valley ordinary ability and intelligence, as well as Store, the store being kept by Abijah Stephens, his son. The contents of the paper follow : brother of William Stephens, whose home is THE HEADQUARTERS. at the old Varnum headquarters on Valley Gen. Washington’s headquarters wore at Isaac Potts’, now Mrs. Ogden’s. j Forge campground. David Havard’s daughter Gen. Lord Stirling was at Parson Carrie’s, I Lydia isthe wife of Abijah Stephens. now J. B. Walker’s. Ellwood Roberts. Gen. Layafette was at Samuel Havard’s, now Edward Wilson’s. Gen. Knox was at John Brown’s, now Mary Jones’. VALLEY FORGE HOMESTEADS Gen. Woodford was at John Havard’s, now — William Davis’. Count Duportail was at John Havard’s. American Officers Quartered at the Came in March. Gen. Anthony Wayne was at Joseph ^Jiouse of John Havard. Walker’s, now Ivans Walker’s. Gen. Muhlenberg was at John Moore’s. The Interesting Records on This and , Gen. Varnum was at Abijah Stephens’, now William Stephens’. Other Subjects Handed Down in the Gen. Huntington was at Zachariah Davis’, Davis Family — Disagreement on now Dr. Piersoll’s. Some Points With Woodman—Ca- !! Colonel North was at BeDj. Jones’, now Nathan Walker’s. reer of Gen. Duportail—His Pur¬ Colonel Crane, Major Wallace and Captain

chase of a Farm Where Bridgeport ‘ Grey came to John Havard’s after Gen. Wood¬ ford got afurlongh. is Now Located. POSITION OP BRIGADES. i Gen. Maxwell’s troops lay from where i3 Mrs. Priscilla Walker Streets, in her excel¬ ; now Bernard McMenamin’s, to the road lent work, “Lewis Walker of Chester Valley 1 leading from Valley Forge to King-of-Prussia. | and his Descendants,” says in describing the Gen. Conway’s from said road, about 40 or John Havard farmhouse, now owned by 50 perches across the field belonging to Isaac Richardson. David Havard and occupied by Thomas F. : Gen. Huntington’s from thence across Lyons : Maurice Richardson’s, to the road leading from “ During the winter of 1777-8 General the Valley Forge by William Stephens’, Count Duportail had his headquarters at the j Gen. McIntosh’s each side of said road by house of John Havard, and has left his name Stephens,’ at the upper end of the fields fac¬ cut upon one of the panels of a door.” She ing headquarters. also quotes Henry Woodman’s statement that j Gen. Varnnm’s lay between Stephens’ and Henry’s, then Zachariah Davis’, now Dr. i “General Knox lived with John Havard, i Piersoll’s ; on the eminence. whose property extended towards Valley I Gen. Woodford’s on the right above Brown’s j Forge on both sides of the Baptist road.” orchard, now Mrs. Jones’, extending as far Diligent research fails to substantiate Wood¬ | east as the tnrn in the Baptist road. man’s statement, which he gives, not on his ON FRONT LINE. own authority, or that of his parents, from Gen. Knox about Camp school house, ex¬ whom most of his own knovzledge was de- tending down towards limekilns. He com¬ I rived, but on that of Lewis Walker, son of manded artillery, and it was ranged facing I Jnsenh Walker, already mentioned in connse- i50 sontn. Gen. Scott lay on Thomas Brower’s patch, be remote from the scenes“TdF Tflsordei now owned by Kendal, extending from point of hill to fence, 40 or 50 perches. being aware that a serious accusation i: Gen. Wayne east of Scott, extending 40 or to effect his min, was about to be brougnt, he 50 perches. left the army, spent two years in conceal¬ Gen. Poor east of Wayne, about same dis¬ ment, and returned to America. tance. It is unfortunate that so little is known of Gen. Glover east of Poor, about 40 or 50 the family of Duportail. It has been perches. stated that he was the son-in-law of Pulaski, Gen. Larned east of Glover, about same distance. and this is probably correct. He was one of ! Gen. Patterson east of Larned. the band of foreigners who came with Lafay- ij Gen. Wheedon east of Gen. Patterson. ette to America, including DeKalb; Pulaski, j; Gen. Peter Muhlenberg east of Gen. DuBuysson, Kosciusko and others. The |l Wheedon, extending to the Schuylkill. strong prejudice existing among the American Gens. Patterson, Larned, Glover and Poor soldiers and officers against foreigners being came from taking of Burgoyne. assigned to important commands, embarrassed j The Major Generals were Lafayette, Lord Stirling, Sullivan, Lee and Greene. General Washington and Congress for a time General Greene was Quartermaster General. in making their services available, but this It will be noticed that the Davises agree gradually wore away as time passed, and the with the generally accepted locations of prom¬ exigencies of the situation became more and inent officers, wherever they mention such. more apparent. The value of the services Their statements as to Knox and Woodford rendered by Lafayette and those who were are in harmony with all existing maps on induced, mainly through his influence, to as¬ which any reliance can be placed. Neighbor¬ sist the straggling colonies, soon began to be hood tradition corroborates the Davises, and it appreciated. Pulaski received bis death- is seemingly impossible to avoid theconclusion wound at Savannah ; DeKalb was slain at that Henry Woodman erred in locating Max¬ Camden, and others of them displayed their well at John Brown’s (the Jones place on courage and devotion to the cause of inde¬ pronerty now owned by Mr. E. J. Matthews); pendence on numerous battlefields, from Knox at John Havard’s, and Woodford at Monmouth to Yorktown, the final triumph some distance further up the Valley. These being achieved at the last-named place as the must probably be classed as among Woodman’s result of the combined attack of the French very few misstatements. and American forces. That the colonies It will be observed that Duportail did not might have won without foreign aid is possi- | take up his abode at John Havard’s until ble, but there can be no doubt that the un6el- j March. General Woodford was there earlier, fish efforts of Lafayette, Duportail and others j and after he obtained his furlough, Col. were a powerful factor in the final result. Crane, Major Wallace and Captain Grey be¬ That Duportail was a man of means has i came inmates of the old house which still re¬ been handed down by tradition, and it is also ' tains to so great an extent the characteristics stated that the impression made upon his j of the colonial times in which it was erected. mind by the beautiful scenery of the Schuyl- I Further mention will be made in due time kill had its influence in turning his steps I of these various officers and of the Havard hitherward when the reign of riot and an- j family, this paper closing with a sketch of areby deluged his native country with blood. the great military engineer and close friend of He came to Upper Morion and purchased a Lafayette, who had his habitation in the part of the Holstein tract for a residence, liv¬ dwelling of John Havard for several months. ing there until 1802, when the events occur¬ GENERAL DUPORTAIL. ring in Franee under the leadership of Napo¬ Lonis Labsque Doportail, born in France in leon recalled him and he set out at once 1736, and educated at the famous military on his return. He died on the voy¬ school of Mezieres, had a high reputation as age. His portrait, belonging to the Peale an engineer. One of tho French officers en¬ collection, is among those of Bevolntionary gaged by Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane, heroes in Independence Hall. who represented the colonies in Paris, to The property in Upper Merion, about two serve in the American army, he was appoint¬ hundred acres of land, was sold to Elisha ed colonel of engineers on his arrival with Evans. He retained most of it until his death Lafayette, being afterwards promoted to be in 1730, when it passed to his son, Cadwal- brigadier general, Nov. 17, 1777, and major lader Evans. general Nov. 16, 1781. While Duportail was at John Havard’s. He had charge, as already stated, of the whero his room in the second story is still i construction of the fortifications at Valley pointed out to visitors, it being in practically Forge, and, later, of the engineering opera¬ the same couditiou as when he occupied it, tions at Yorktown, which resulted in tho he and Lafayette were much in each other’s capture of the entire army of Lord Corn- company, being closely bound together by the gl 4 wallis. ties of friendship. The distinguished for- | At the close of the struggle he returned to eigners, most of whom were quartered within |j . France. His close relations with Lafayette, a short distance, formed a coterie of friends j at this Lime in high favor with the govern- j who kept up a constant interchange of civil- | meat, gave him political influence. Nov. 16, j ities, their ignorance of the language spoken j‘ 1760, be was named as Minister of War. The generally in the camp and the distrust with J rising tide of revolution, which preceded the which they were regarded by most of the | Beign of Terror, caused dissatisfaction with officers and men, having a tendency to com- j all who had been in office under the king. pel such associations. The traditions of the j Duportail was denounced in the Assembly for Havard family confirm the frequent and ; maladministration in his office. He forth¬ lengthy visits of Lafayette to Duportail, and with resigned, Dec. 3, 1891. He was given a the kindly feeling that existed among the military appointment in Lorraine, supposed to little band of partly proscribed foreigners at Valley Forge. Ellwood Eoberts.