USA > Pennsylvania > Bucks County > Bristol > A history of Bristol borough in the county of Bucks, state of Pennsylvania, anciently known as "Buckingham"; being the third oldest town and second chartered borough in Pennsylvania, from its earliest times to the present year 1911 > Part 1
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL PENNSYLVANIA DORON GREEN
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http://www.archive.org/details/historyofbristol00greerich
DORON GREEN.
A
History of Bristol Borough
IN THE
County of Bucks, State of Pennsylvania
ANCIENTLY KNOWN AS
"BUCKINGHAM"
BEING THE
Third Oldest Town and Second Chartered Borough
IN
PENNSYLVANIA
From Its Earliest Times to the Present Year 1911
By DORON GREEN 11 Bristol, Pa.
PRINTED BY C. S. MAGRATH, CAMDEN, N. J.
LOAN STACK
WILLIAM V. LEECH. President Bristol Public School Board.
This book is respectfully dedicated to
Mr. William V. Leech
President of the
Bristol Public School Board
Through whose encouragement and kindly assistance this work is published
B8
INTRODUCTION.
-
To the Public :
In presenting this work to the public, the writer hopes that its perusal by our many citizens may stimulate with- in the hearts of all, a greater interest in our town's de- velopment and a more earnest desire to promote its wel- fare. The collection of data covers a period of several years and was the outcome of an intense love for history, on the part of the writer. The collection began primarily, not with the object of publication, but simply as a scrap book of useful information. Several times it has served its purpose well. On one occasion a few months ago, the president of our local school board, Mr. William V. Leech, while examining the scrap book, was surprised at the information it contained, and suggested the expedi- ency of publishing its contents in book form, as an up- to-date history of Bristol. The writer consented, and after arranging the events in their chronological order, and collecting additional information to make a con- nected story, this work is the result.
Most of the early history of the town has been taken from General Davis' History of Bucks County, and from the scrap book of the late William Kinsey. Additional information was obtained from Battles' History of Bucks County, and Bache's History of Bristol. Few of the younger generation realize what the town owes to Wm. Kinsey for the preservation of valuable data, relative to the early history of Bristol. It was his intense love of history, his unswerving devotion to the town, his splen- did memory, his cultured intellect, all combined with his facile pen, that has caused him to hand down to us, his posterity, information that will prove of inestimable value as the years pass by. In many places in this work the writer has purposely mentioned Mr. Kinsey, as the foun- tain from which he drew his information, in order that succeeding generations may bestow proper credit where
vi.
INTRODUCTION.
it is due. Information has also been obtained from the columns of the Bucks County Gazette and the Weekly Courier. To Charles M. Foster, C. Wesley Milnor, Frank Woodington, Sr., Capt. Burnet Landreth, and Joseph H. Vanzant, the writer is also indebted for much valuable data.
In concluding, the writer wants to say that this book is published without thought of financial reward or profit from its publication. The compiling of the data has been a labor of love, and if a perusal of its pages will create within the hearts of our citizens a greater love for their town, and cause the horizon of the future to glow with resplendent hopes of a happy, harmonious and prosper- ous community, the writer will feel fully and abundantly repaid for all his labors.
Very truly, DORON GREEN.
CONTENTS.
EPOCH I.
CONSTRUCTION PERIOD. Pages II-34 Introduction. George Fox, an early English Traveler. Algonkin Indians. The Chil- dren of the Algonkin Indians. Early Settle- ments on the Delaware. Primitive Farming. The Early Settlers Lived Well. The Homes of the First Settlers. The Site of Bristol. The Ferry Against Burlington. Development of Roads. The King's Highway. Social Progress. A History of Burlington Island. The Coming of William Penn. Islands in the Delaware Below Bristol. The Town Plot Staked Out. Phineas Pemberton and James Harrison. First Postal System.
EPOCH II. THE MARKET TOWN. Pages 35-57
Introduction. Bristol Mills. Samuel Car-
penter. Bristol Court House. Cutler's Draft of Town (1715) .. An Old Landmark. The De Normandies. Old Records Lost. Bristol Society of Friends. St. James' Pro- testant Episcopal Church. St. James' Graveyard.
EPOCH III.
BRISTOL BECOMES A BOROUGH. . Pages 58-84 Introduction. Election of Borough Officers. The Town Meeting. Borough Taxes. Bris- tol Visited by a Great Fire. Daniel Boone Born in Bristol Township. The Golden Age. House of Correction. The First Stage
Wagons. Rev. George Whitefield Visits Bristol. Bristol Hotels. The Fairs. Bris- tol in 1748. Improved Style in Living. Wil- liam McIlvaine and Alexander Graydon. Bristol College. His Majesty's Troops Visit Bristol. George the Second now Delaware House. Charles Bessonett. Market House. A Distinguished Friend. Anti-Revolution- ary Houses. Repairs to Streets. Bristol Methodist Episcopal Church.
ยป EPOCH IV. THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION .... . Pages 85-100 Introduction. Society of Friends Against the War. Bristolians Captured at Fort
viii.
CONTENTS.
Washington. Prisoners of War Held at
Bristol. Washington Decides to Retreat. The Continental Army Enters Bucks County. General Cadwalader's Army Encamped at Bristol. Washington Plans to Attack Hes- sians at Trenton. The Destiny of the Coun- try Hung by a Single Thread. The Battle of Trenton. Camp of Instruction at Bristol. Continental Army Again Enters Bucks
County. Lafayette Wounded Brought to
Bristol. Bristol Captured by the British. French and American Armies Pass Through Bristol. Bristol Lodge No. 25, F. A. M.
EPOCH V.
BRISTOL A FASHIONABLE WATERING PLACE .. . . . 10I-143 Introduction. A Famous Seed Producing
Establishment. Charter Obtained From State. Ship Building Industry. History of Early Steamboating on the River Delaware above Philadelphia. An Interesting Record. First Post Office in Bucks County. The Badger Fishery. Story of a Duel. A Whis- key Story. Bloomsdale Ferry Lane. Bela
Badger. The Celebrated Bath Springs'
House. The First Sunday School.
Bristol's Old Time People.
A Queer
Custom. A House With a History. Dick Shad, the Runaway Slave. The Farmers' National Bank. First Woolen Mill. Sime Ento, the Spanish Minister. Bristolians in War of 1812. Jones' Shipyard. Joseph Bona- parte, ex-King of Spain. Major Lenox and the Keene Mansion. Lafayette's Visit. A Tale of the Stage Coach Days. Rowland Stephenson.
EPOCH VI. BRISTOL A COALPORT TOWN. .Pages 144-210 History of the Canal. The Town Hall. The First Railroad. The First Public School. Board and First School House. Colored Children's Right to Attend the Public Schools Questioned by Townspeople. St.
Mark's Roman Catholic Church. Presby- terian Church. Bethel A. M. E. Church. Silk Worm Industry. History of the First Baptist Church. Bristol Newspapers. Downing's Flour Mill. Pleasing Reminis-
censes by C. Wesley Milnor. Bristol's Forges. Landreth's Machine Shop. The Temperance War. A History of Bristol's Physicians Down to 1854. Charles Burleigh, the Abolitionist, Denied the Right of Free
ix.
CONTENTS.
Speech. Public School No. 2. Bristol Fire Company No. I. Washington Hall. Build- ing Associations. A New Charter Obtained For the Borough. The Bristol Gas Light Company. Bristol in 1853. Disastrous Fire, How it Was Fought. A Singular Accident. County Elections. Caleb N. Taylor, of Bris- tol Township, Only Delegate From Pennsyl- vania Who Voted for Abraham Lincoln, in the Republican National Convention of 1860.
EPOCH VII. PERIOD OF THE CIVIL WAR. Pages 211-238
Lincoln Greeted by Bristolians. A Bristol Girl Unfurls First Confederate Flag. Bris- tol's Patriotism at Sumter's Fall. Young America Aroused. Patriotic Enthusiasm.
Sword Presentation. The Montgomery Guards Inspected. Bristol's Three Military Companies. The Ladies' Aid Society of St. James' P. E. Church. Captain Henry Clay Beatty. Commissioned Officers in Civil War. Terrible Railroad Accident. Robert Tyler. A Whale in the Delaware at Bristol. Death of Dr. John Phillips. Bristol Woolen Mill Company.
EPOCH VIII. BRISTOL A MANUFACTURING TOWN .... Pages 239-323 Introduction. Industrial Progress. Joseph Ridgway Grundy. Bud Noble, the World Re- nowned Horse Trainer and Jockey. Bristol Water Company. Buckley Street Mission Sun- day School. America Hose, Hook and Ladder Co. No. 2. A Fruit Preserving Establish- ment. Reminiscences of 1875-1880. The Clark Insulated Wire Company. Washing- ton Street School House. An Exciting Elec- tion; Ballot Box Stolen. The Providence Knitting Company. Bath Street Public School. A Republican Wigwam. Memor- able Freshet and Ice Gorge. The Pennsyl- vania Railroad Changes its Course. Open- ing of the Streets. The Roller Skating Craze. A Memorable Blizzard. High School Building. St. Paul's P. E. Church. Organization of Fire Companies Nos. 3, 4 and 5. Borough Fire Department Organ- ized. Death of Matilda Swift Booz. Miss Louise D. Baggs Elected Superintendent. Revolutionary Skeletons Unearthed, 1903. B. Franklin Gilkeson. Death of John K. Wild- man. Bristol Lodge No. 980 B. P. O. Elks.
X.
CONTENTS.
Italian Presbyterian Evangelical Mission.
Death
of
Hon.
William Kinsey.
St.
Ann's Italian Roman Catholic Church. The Grundy Medal. Jefferson Avenue
School House. Governor Edwin S. Stuart Visits Bristol. Maggie Winder, a Phenome- nal Racing Filly. Lincoln Centennial Anniver- sary. Memorial Tablet Unveiled. The Penn- sylvania Railroad Company's New Roadbed.
Railroad's New Concrete Bridges. Hal-
ley's Comet. The First Airship to Pass Over Bristol. History of Radcliffe Street. Showing Increase in Population.
Bristol's Oldest Citizen.
EPOCH IX.
BRISTOL OF TODAY Pages 324-335
Introduction. Unsurpassed Opportunities.
Population Cosmopolitan. Manufacturing District. Well Supplied With Churches. Public Schools. Newspapers. Hotels. Div- ided Into Wards. Borough Government. Re- pairs to Streets. Banking Institutions. Post Office. Extension of Streets. Anchor Yacht Club. Secret Societies. Social Clubs. Practicing Physicians. Drug Stores. Mov- ing Pictures. Burlington Island Park. Trol- ley Service. Grand Army of the Republic. Dawning of a New Bristol.
APPENDIX.
Pages 336-370 Items from Diary of C. M. Foster. How Otter Street Received Its Name. The Bristol Library. How Radcliffe was Named. How St. James' P. E. Church Extended the Bound- aries of Its Land. More About the de Onis Marriage by Proxy. Description of the First Episcopal Church. The Beginning of the Public School System. A Whale in the Delaware. "Weston" Passes Through Bris- tol. Leasy's Point a Noted Place. More About the Willis (Buckley) House. Show- ing Dates of Ward Divisions. Bristol's Old- est Manufacturer. Bristol's Oldest Citizens. A Reference to the Vanzant Family. Earli- est Settlement in Bucks County. Showing the Origin of the African M. E. Church. Con- ductor William Bailey and "Bailey's Line." National Rivers and Harbors Committee Visits Bristol. More Reminiscences of By- Gone Days. Bristol Borough to Purchase Water Works. Borough Officers.
EPOCH I.
CONSTRUCTION PERIOD.
From the Earliest Times, to 1697, the Chartering of the Market Town.
Introduction .- "Among the earliest projects of our colonial predecessors, who settled on the lands bordering upon the Delaware river, was the selection of the more desirable sites for the erection of villages. One of these, which claimed their first attention, was that upon the western bank of the Delaware, north of Neshaminy creek, then called the town of Buckingham (Bristol), in the district of country then bearing the same name (now in the County of Bucks)."
"The beautiful and luxuriant sections of country on either side of the lovely Delaware, everywhere offered inviting inducements to the earlier settlers in selecting places and rearing their intended homesteads. Their dwellings were chiefly built of heavy forest timber, known as log cabins. At the lapse of about the first fif- teen years from its civil settlement, lands in the south- eastern portion of that section of country known as Buckingham (Bristol), skirting the Delaware, even before Philadelphia was designed and laid out, were eagerly taken up and settled upon, the patentees deriving their titles from Governor Andros. (See Watson's Annals, i. pp. 10, II.) And, indeed, strong expectations had been entertained, that the city of Philadelphia would have been founded at Buckingham, or Bristol; but their cherished hopes were overruled, mainly in consequence of the river
2.
12
A HISTORY OF BRISTOL BOROUGH.
navigation being more favorable to heavy shipping further down. There were some who even anticipated the erection of that city at Pennsbury, the favored home- stead of the Proprietor; others again at Byberry, then distinctly known as a 'Friends"' settlement, which, indeed, appears for a time to have been once called 'Old Philadelphia."
"The success of the Pennsylvania colonial enterprise, which was equal to the most sanguine hopes of its illus- trious founder`and law-giver; the 'unbroken chain of friendship' and confidence which was maintained, 'ever bright and untarnished,' between the colonists and the Indians, under the system of mutual concessions adopted by William Penn, operating more favorably than the unwise, if not unjust policy, of the neighboring colonies, especially that of Lord Baltimore, afforded perhaps, feel- ings of greater satisfaction and security from assault, on the part of settlers here. And on this account, it may be fairly surmised, it was in some measure, that lands in this immediate neighborhood, comprised within the tract then called Buckingham (Bristol), commanded their first attention. Besides, the supposition appears reason- able, that many, especially those embued with the religious sentiments of the Friends, should have cherished an inward desire to locate themselves in a near proximity to the favorite spot chosen as the manor of their good and great patriarch and founder."-(Bache's History of Bristol.)
George Fox, an Early English Traveler .- One of the earliest English travelers down the Delaware was George Fox, the eminent Friend, in the fall of 1672, on his way from Long Island to Maryland. Starting from Middle- town harbor, New Jersey, he traveled through the woods, piloted by Indians, toward the Delaware. He reached the river the evening of the 10th of September; stayed all night at the house of Peter Jegou, at Leasy Point, and the next morning crossed over to Burlington Island and then to the main land, just above Bristol. Himself and friends were taken over in Indian canoes, and the horses swam.
4
I3
A HISTORY OF BRISTOL BOROUGH.
Algonkin Indians .- The Indian Tribes with which the whites first came in contact on the Delaware river, were radically different from those who occupied the interior, and at a later day became so conspicuous a figure in the annals of the province. They appear to have been inde- pendent tribes of the Algonkin family, living on the tribu- tary streams of the Delaware, probably a tribe in some parts, for every ten or twenty miles. Many of the names applied to these tribes appear to have been arbitrary designations derived from the aboriginal names given to the streams on which they dwelt, and few of them are met in the records and writings of later years. Thus Smith, in his History of New Jersey, speaks of the Assumpinks, Rankokas, Mingo, Andostaka, Neshamine and Shacka- maxon tribes. Those about Burlington he calls the Mantas, probably the "Roodehoeks or Mantes" of the early Dutch adventurers and the authors of the massacre which extinguished De Vries's colony in 1631. "But these and others," says Smith, "were all of them distinguished from the back Indians, who were a more warlike people, by the general name of Delawares." He notes also other tribes that had a wider reputation and occasionally "in- habited New Jersey and the first settled part of Pennsyl- vania," among which are the Monseys, the Pomptons, the Senecas and the Maquaas. "The last was the most numerous and powerful."
These more notable tribes represent the two great families of the Indian race which the earliest explorers found in possession of the vast region defined by the great lakes and the St. Lawrence on the north, and the Poto- mac and Chesapeake bay on the south. The Iroquois were the first to reach this region in the course of their traditional migration from the west, and settled in the lake district. Subsequently, the Leni Lenape, the great head of the Algonkin family, found their way hither, and fixed upon the Delaware river as their national centre. Of this nation only three branches appear to have crossed the Alleghenies, of which the Turtles and the Turkeys continued their migration to the seaboard, where they planted their villages and remained until dispossessed by the whites. The Wolf branch, better known by their
14
A HISTORY OF BRISTOL BOROUGH.
English name of the Monseys, planted itself at the "Mini- sinks," on the Delaware, extending the line of their villages on the east to the Hudson, and to the Susquehanna on the west. From this branch were derived the different tribes which occupy the foreground in the early annals of the pioneers.
For a time the two great families lived on terms of friendly intercourse, but hostilities eventually broke out between them, which by means fair and foul, resulted in the humbling of the Delawares, as they were named by the English. How this was accomplished is differently related by the dominant and subject people It appears, however, that the Algonkins were at first successful and threatened the extinction of their rivals. This danger suggested the confederation of the Iroquois, a measure which these astute natives were wise enough to accom- plish, and from this period their power began to increase among the Indian nations. Dates in connection with the history of the North American aborigines are of the most uncertain character, and when the complete ascend- ency of the Iroquois was affected, and whether accomplished by force of arms or artifice, are still unsettled questions.
At the time of William Penn's coming to America, the Iroquois exercised almost unquestioned authority over the aboriginal occupants of the country east of the Missis- sippi river, and as conquerors of the different tribes, claimed the absolute ownership of this vast territory. Until the coming of the Europeans they maintained their supremacy by a policy not unlike that of the Romans. Warlike tribes were divided and kept employed in further conquests or in reducing refractory nations, while all were placed under a close surveillance and some form of tribute. But when the whites established themselves upon the continent and demonstrated their power, many of the subject tribes were quick to perceive how they might profit by their friendship. Emboldened by such alliances, some of the Algonkin tribes resisted the bound- less claims of the Iroquois, and much of the bloodshed and ravages of war inflicted upon the early settlements in all parts of the country resulted from a too general
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A HISTORY OF BRISTOL BOROUGH.
neglect of this change of attitude in the subject nations. Penn, fortunately wiser in this respect than many of his contemporaries, not only extinguished the claims of the dominant nation, but repeatedly purchased the rights of the native occupants and thus saved his colony from much of the harassing experiences which fell to the lot of less favored provinces.
Happily, Bucks county was never called upon to resist the ravages of an Indian war in her own borders. At one time, when depredations seemed imminent, through the influence of the provincial authorities, Pennsylvania became a neutral zone between the Iroquois and southern Indians, and over which the hereditary foes traveled in quest of trophies. Neither of these antagonists fully respected the neutrality of the Delawares, and thus beset on all sides, these tribes began to meditate a revenge which would have involved the savages along the whole border. The settlements could not fail to suffer in such a contest, which might eventually have been directed chiefly against them. Through the efforts of the gov- ernors of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York, this threatened danger was averted, and at a meet- ing with the Indians, a new deed was executed, which released all the lands between the Delaware and Susque- hanna, and "from Duck creek to the mountains on this side of Lechay."-Battles' History of Bucks County.
The Children of the Algonkin Indians .- The children were washed in cold water as soon as born, and to harden them they were plunged into the river. They could walk at about nine months. The boys fished until about fif- teen, when they began to hunt, and if they had given proof of their manhood by a large return of skins, they were allowed to marry, usually at about seventeen or eighteen. The girls remained with their mothers and helped to hoe the ground, plant corn and bear burdens. They married at about thirteen or fourteen. The homes of the Indians were made of mats or the bark of trees set upon poles not higher than a man, with grass or reeds spread on the ground to lie upon. The Indians lived chiefly on maize or Indian corn roasted in the ashes,
I6
A HISTORY OF BRISTOL BOROUGH.
sometimes beaten and boiled with water, called hominy. They also ate beans and peas. The woods and the river furnished the greater part of their provisions. They ate but two meals a day, morning and evening. They mourned a whole year, but it was no other than blacking their faces.
Early Settlements on the Delaware-In 1624 the Dutch sailed up the Delaware and erected a trading post near the site of Gloucester, N. J., which they dignified by naming Fort Nassaw. The Swedish West India Com- pany followed in 1638, with two vessels laden with Swedish colonists and supplies. They sailed up the bay and river to the mouth of a stream which they called Christina and proceeding up its course some three miles selected a site for a colony. In 1640 the English settled at Salem, N. J., but their trading post was burned by the Dutch and the people removed with no excess of gentle- ness. The Salem colony was subsequently driven off with the approval of the Swedes, if not with their active co-operation. Then followed a period of unrest, during which the two nations, the Dutch and Swedes, struggled for supremacy.
In 1664 the English sailed up the river, and with a superior force and little ceremony, brought the colonies under subjection. In 1673 hostilities broke out between England and Holland, and early in August, a Dutch fleet sailed into New York bay intent on conquest. New York surrendered without resistance, and on September 12, delegates from the Delaware settlements appeared in New York and made submission, and the Dutch were once more constructively in possession of their former domain in the "new world." The war closed in 1674 and the terms of peace stipulating for the return of all places captured during the hostilities, brought the colonies again in the possession of the English.
During this period of conquest, the settlements were constantly pushing northward. In 1677 the Kent, with about two hundred and thirty souls on board, arrived at Newcastle and soon afterward, landed at Raccoon creek, in New Jersey. It was this company that, a little later
I7
A HISTORY OF BRISTOL BOROUGH.
in the same year, founded Burlington, the lots and streets being laid out by Richard Noble. In October the ship "Martha," with one hundred and fourteen emigrants, and in November the "Willing Mind," with sixty or seventy passengers arrived. All these were destined for the settlements east of the river and first landed there, though many subsequently removed to the other side. It was this year, which marks the advent of the first permanent settlement in the limits which now form the boundaries of Bucks county.
Primitive Farming .- As the early history of Bristol and its people, is contiguous with the settlement of the county, we may therefore learn from the customs and habits of the earliest settlers, how the founders of Bristol lived in that ancient formative period of the town's history.
For many years, while it was a question of bread for themselves and families, our Bucks county ancestors farmed in a primitive way. While the fathers and sons cleared the land and made the crops, the mothers and daughters attended to indoor work. They picked, carded and spun the wool for clothing, and swingled, hatcheled and spun the flax, quilted, and did many other things that fell to the lot of woman in the new country, besides frequently assisting the men in their farm work. The children of the first settlers were accustomed to hardship, and were noted for their strength and vigor. In that day there were few or no barns, the grain was stacked and threshed with the flail on the ground. Wheat was the main crop, which was carried a distance on horseback to mill through the woods along Indian paths. The horses traveled in trains, tied head and tail, like the pack mules among the Andes, with a man riding or leading the fore- most mule. Wheat was the only article for market until there was a demand in Philadelphia for butter, cheese and poultry. In 1720 most of the original tracts were settled, and to some extent improved. The farms were divided into large fields, and pretty well fenced. Low and swampy ground was always cleared for meadow, but the plow was seldom used to prepare new land. But
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