History of Greene County, PA ^ JKH_ cr^HiinrsrSrSiKrisarSSJrS????????-™--?^-^^^ DATE DUE /\0*7 ^7 ZOCZ H ISTORY GREENE COUNTY.PA. -CONTAINIXG- AN OUTLIl OF THE STATE FROM 1682, -UNTIL THE- Formation of Washington Co-anty in 1781. -o—:o: —o- HISTORY QUIRING i^ YEA^S OJ UNION. The Virginia and New State Coxtroveksy—Ruxxing op Mason's and Dixon's Line—Whisk fy Ixsukrection, —History of Churches, Families, Judoes, Senatoks, Assejibly.aien, Etc., Etc. REV. WILLIAM IIANXA, 1832, Library Entered according to Act of Congress, Bv Rev. Wm. IIanxa, Id the Copy-Riglit Office, Washingtor, D. C, On the J St day of December, 1882. PRjiFACE. IT was a cnislung blow to the nobles and ignoblos of the old world when an obscure man like Christopher Columbus T>'a3 daily receiving the thanks of Monarchs and the continuous ap- plause from the masses. The envious were heard to say, "Oh, who could not do that ? Nothing easier in the world/* To si- • lence these gainsjiyings he ])roposed at the dinner jiarty that each guest should try to make an egg stand on its end on the marble table. When all had failed, he struck his ogg a sliglit ' blow on its larger end, crushing the shell slightly, and at onco it stood up. The sore-headed growlers at once said, "J low easy tlie discoverer any one can do that," to which great modestly , replied, "Yes, after I have showed you how." The historian often meets the same class of envious peo])le who are continu- ally saying, "what an easy thing to Avrite history ; any onc: <"an do that." So they can after some one has shown them how. And this is the great difficulty in Avriting a history of Greene County : no one has gone over the whole county before me to *i '' show me how. Another difficulty is' that I have presumed '; to bring the history down to the present day ; had I droj)pe(ll tlie tliread eighty years ago there would have been but few if any now living tliat ccjuld risv n\> and contradict me. But. there are hundreds of men and women of my own age who ! have witnessed tlie scenes that I describe and who-se recollec- • tlon of the particulars will very likely dilTL-r from mine. Let the candid reader ask hitnself, how is it that eight or ten men, good citizens of Greene Countv, wili come into Court and uu- 335608 * I'KEFACE. der oath give such different statements with refci-ence to a transaction that occurred within the last six months. lie (tlio reader) will then be prepared to make a great amount of allow- ance for thr different statements of persons who have witnei«ed the same transactions forty or fifty years ago. Some of these difficulties I do not pretend to solve, but give the different views of intelligent men and then leave the reader to form his owu opinion. In -wiiting this history I have imitated no model, ; purj)Osely intending that it shall differ in style and aiTange- ment from any other history that ever was written. Hoping all persons will extend to me that charity that hopeth all things I submit these pages, trusting that no wa-ong motive will be im- puted to me, although some of my statements may differ from, tbeir opinions. Wiixiaji Haxna. j i IXTEOOCCTIOX. CHAPTER I. grnntea to Win. kl^^ ^ t"''^ 4t1i of March, lesi, Charles TI. the ' ^1^^ Ponn a charter for tlie Province of Pennsylvania, (Penn's) t^^^i^ King liaving i-egard to the meiuory of his ^J^'^ father, who had served his Majesty in nuraerQus ways, csix-cially in tho lat<^ victory over the Dutcli fleet, commanded by Heer Von Oixlara in the year 1 G55. The English forces in the battle were command^l by James, Duke of York. In consid- eration of these services, King Charles II granted to William I'enn all that tract of land in North America, bounded on the Biist by the Delaware river, commencing at a point twelve miles northward from New Castle town unto the forty-third degree of north latitude if the river doth extend so far; but if the river does not ext.end so far northward, then by the river HO ftar as it docs extend, and thence by a meridian line to bo nrawn from the head of the river extending northward as far as the forty-thiixl degree. The said tr;xct of land to extend , westward five degrees of longitude to be computed from the river, the nortli i Delaware and the said land to be bounded on by the beginning of the three and fortieth degree of northern latitude, and on tlie south by a circle drawn at twelve miles- j ;.distant from New Castle northward and westward unto the be- ginding of the fortieth degree of northern latitude and then by j ' a straight line westward to the limits of longitude mentioned Above. This Cliarter is in tlie office of the Secretary of the State of Pennsylvania until this day, and consequently is up- yrards of two hundred years old. It is written on parchment 6 IIlSTOIiV OF OI;ki:XK COLiNTV. \rltb In Uie o)d English haTxi-writing ; cacli. line luidcrscoi-exl >^ Ted ink. The bcn.lers are cniblazeni^Hl with heraldic designs, and on t/.)}.> is a poortrait of King Charles the Second. Enucr the provisions of this Charter "William Penn, by and witli the advice, assent and approbation of tlie freemen of the c<juntry above described liad authority to make, ordain and enact laws. ;. Accordingly on the 2oth of April, 1G82, ^Villiam Penn framed a form of govei-nment for the I'rovinco of Pennsylvania. It consist-ed of a preface and twenty-four articles, contirming ' :;nto the freemen thereof their liberties, franchises and j/roper- . ty. (Creigh History, page 28, William Markman was inniiedi- , utely dispatched as Penrrs deputy, Avho entered into negoti:i- tion with the Indians on the loth of July, 1C82, leaving their contracts open for the opproval or rejection of the projn-ietc" himself when he should arrive, which event took place on the 2-ith*of October, 1682. The landing of Penn and a large num- ber of colonists at New Castle formed a kind of epoch in the history of those early times. Indeed the 24th of October, 1GS2 ought to be celebrated on the 24:th of October, 1882 as a kind of "Red Letter Day." The consequences were so important td all parties. Had his rapacity and love of gold been equal tti that of a Cortes or Pizarro, how different doubtless would have been the results of his landing. Indeed it requires all the = ingenious laudations of the descendents of some of those prima- ' live settlers of some of these northern colonies to preserve the names of their ancestors from justly merited odium. Not so with AA^illitmi Penn. His career needs no sophisticated apolo- • o-ist ; his conduct was endorsed by the savages tliemselves ; the very kind of hat he wore became in after times a pastport of safety t-o all who conscientiously wore it, as the following and : , numerous other instances will abundantly illustrate Soon aftei , cabin I Christopher Gist had built his log at the foot of Laurel Ilill on the location long known as Mount Braddock, Jacob' ik:Tw<.'D;.v.iio\'. 7 ^Bccson built liis caLin at tho cdiro of r.i; oxtor.slvo plumb thicket- that tlioii covcrod llic ontiie silf* of 'Aw I'rcsent I'niontowri.' One night tlic iuiiiatesoi" thishunibio '-hoiiic li: the woods" wer<?-. awakeucHl by the animntod disc-ussioji Lroin'^- on "itt.-ide with, reference to the proprictv of at ov.cv ;rmi'.i!:i'iii!4" those })nmitvc ;|^ clwellcrs. While the family listoncd -a i'h tl.iobbiiia; hearts ' to the half Indian, half English discussion, they could distinct- ly hear the expression "na na na : Brua<l Ibim/' The argument was ('onclusis^e ; the savages withdrew without doing the least harm, for Mr. J^eeson did conscicnciously wear the "Broad Hrim. ' and no Indian could be four.d so low-fallen as to do vi- olence to a family protected by this well recognised "talisman."' No wonder then that all jtarties rejoiced on th.e arrival of tho man whose good name had gone lu'iore hiio. and v/ho after long years of contact and trial was found to be in all respects Avorthy of it. His attention was innnediately called t-o the condition- al contract made by his deputy on tho l.'th of July, 1682. This contract Penn continued v/itii the Sachems and their tribes under tlic "Elm Tree" at Shackamaxon," now Kensing- ton. This treaty was the first nnide l)y Penn with the Indians and was for the purchase of the lands lying between the falls of the Delaware and the Neshamiug Ci'cek ; the deed was dated October 21, 1G82. The next purchase was made on the 23d of June, 1083, and was for a tract of land between Xesh- aniing Creek andPenncpack, and was to exti'ud as far back into the country as a man could travi'l in two days on horseback. Two days afterwards, June 25, KiHo. Penn ])urchased from tho Chief Wiuebone, what is styled his (Wiuehone) "release," for lands on the west side of Schuylkill. l)egimiing at the falls and extending back on the same as far as his right is uiubsputed. On tlie 14th of July of the same year, another deed was mado to Pemi by the Chiefs conveying tlie lands l)etwcen Selmylkill river and Ch.cstcr creek.