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 23
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For a period of several years the various companies en- joyed a quiet and modest existence. Then the progressive spirit possessed by the young members of the Third Ward Company, began to assert itself. A charter was obtained from the court and the name of the company changed to that which it now bears, Good Will Hose Company, No. 3. The property at the corner of Swain
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and Pearl Streets was purchased and converted into a comfortable and commodious hose house. Borough Council presented the company with a Combination Chemical and Hose Wagon, and the members raised suffi- cient funds to purchase a one-horse hose wagon. The chemical wagon proving unsatisfactory, it was exchanged for a chemical engine. A pair of horses was procured by the company but the experiment was a costly one. Finally, with the consent of Borough Council, the chemi- cal engine and horses were sold and the proceeds used to purchase an up-to-date Automobile Combination Chemi- cal and Hose Wagon. The new apparatus was housed with appropriate ceremonies on Saturday afternoon, October 1, 1910. Three years ago (1908), the old Second Ward Hose Company was reorganized and its name changed to the Enterprise Fire Company, No. 5. A char- ter was obtained and during the year 1909 the company erected a $7,000 hose house on Wood Street near Jeffer- son Avenue. Its membership has steadily increased and its efficiency is recognized by the whole community.
The Fourth Ward Hose Company, like the other ward companies, no longer bears its original name, but is now known as the Beaver Fire Company, No. 4. Although not a chartered company, its members are enthusiastic firemen and are ever ready to respond to the call of duty.
Borough Fire Department Organized .- By request of the Fire Committee of Borough Council, a meeting of the Fire Committee, with a committee from Bristol Com- pany No. I, and America H. H. & L. Co. No. 2, was held in July, 1894, and a set of rules and regulations providing for the election of a Chief Engineer and Assistant Engi- neer and the organization of a fire department for the borough was presented by the committee of No. I com- pany and unanimously approved. The committee also reported a uniform for the chief and his assistant, and at a subsequent meeting of the delegates, Norwood P. Chase, of No. I, was elected Chief Engineer and Thomas R. Vandegrift, of No. 2, Assistant Engineer of the Fire Department of Bristol Borough. This was followed by the installation of the Gamewell Fire Alarm System,
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which, under the care of Frank T. Chambers, has proven a valuable adjunct in the speedy extinguishment of fires, supplanting the former method of notification by mag- neto bell signals from the two fire houses to the water works. Since the organization of the Borough Fire De- partment two other companies, namely Good Will Hose Company No. 3 and Enterprise Fire Company No. 5, have taken out charters and become members of the department. A second assistant chief is now also elected.
Death of Matilda Swift Booz .- Miss Matilda Swift Booz, Superintendent of the Bristol Public Schools, was stricken with apoplexy at a meeting of the school board, held in the directors' room in the high school building, on April 2, 1897, and died the next morning. Miss Booz was a self-made woman. She received her education in the Bristol schools and owed her advancement to the posi- tion she occupied at the time of her death to her own indefatigable labor and patient study. Ex-County Super -· intendent Hugh B. Eastburn, Esq., of Doylestown, writ- ing of her subsequent to her death, said: "The success- ive steps which she took and the promotions which she steadily earned were the logical results of her industry, of her perseverance, of the exercise of tact and discrimina- tion in the work given her to do, of a rare devotion to duty and of a constant endeavor to fulfill a high ideal." She was elected an assistant teacher in the Secondary school in the old school building on Wood Street, Aug- ust 9, 1865. In July, 1872, she was promoted to the prin- cipalship of the Girls' Grammar school, and on. August 14, 1873, became the assistant principal of the High School under Professor J. G. Krichbaum. In 1884 she was elected superintendent of the Bristol Schools, which posi- tion she held up to the time of her death. Miss Louise D. Baggs, the then principal of the High School, but since the death of Miss Booz, her successor as superintendent, paid the following beautiful tribute to her memory, in behalf of herself and teachers :
"We bear testimony to her efficiency and faithfulness, ever giving of herself and her time most willingly ; by her advice, helping ; by her example, stimulating ; by her kind
MISS MATILDA SWIFT BOOZ. First Superintendent Bristol Public Schools.
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words, encouraging. Her own love of study and breadth of culture were quiet but potent factors in enthusing the oft-time weary brains of others to more activity. Her strict integrity held up constantly such a high standard of living that intercourse with her inspired a striving after noble things. Her keen sense of justice often made the more hasty to halt, and taught them to hold judgment in abeyance until reason could look fairly on the subject from all sides. In her the children ever found an inter- ested friend, one who fully appreciated honest effort but never exacted the impossible. As a woman and as super- intendent we loved, admired and respected her, and we feel that while today the world is poorer for her absence, yet it is much the richer for the time she tarried here."
Memorial services were held in the assembly room of the High School building, on Monday evening, April 12, 1897, at which were present directors, teachers, members of the Alumni Association and a few others connected with the schools. President of the School Board John K. Wildman was elected chairman and Miss Louise D. Baggs, secretary. Several addresses were made and a number of letters from prominent educators read, all of which bore testimony to her fidelity. Suitable and appro- priate resolutions were also adopted. Ex-County Super- intendent W. W. Woodruff, of West Chester, Pa., in closing his letter of eulogy, said :
"Somewhere, I cannot tell you where, you will find these lines, as nearly as I can recall them :
Were a star quenched on high, For ages would its light, ,
Still streaming downward from the sky, Fall on our mortal sight.
So when a good man dies, For years beyond our ken, The light he leaves behind him lies Upon the paths of men.
"This applies to our dear friend who has left us, and for a generation to come, Bristol will feel the influence of her life."
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Miss Louise D. Baggs Elected Superintendent .- A meeting of the Bristol School Board was held on April 26, 1897, for the purpose of electing a Borough Superin- tendent of Schools to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Miss Matilda S. Booz. All the directors were in attendance, twelve in number. On the first ballot Miss Louise D. Baggs was elected, receiving the unanimous vote of the board. It was a marked indication of the recognition of her merits by those who are qualified to judge. Miss Baggs is a graduate of the Philadelphia Normal School of the class of 1880. She taught seven years before she was chosen, in 1892, as Principal of the Bristol High School, and during her five years of active service in that position, she gave entire satisfaction as an earnest and competent instructor. She is well fitted for the office of superintendent, having fine intellectual ability, a high grade of scholarship, and admirable per- sonal qualities. She is still occupying the position (1911), and the progress which the schools have made during her incumbency, is a splendid testimony to her qualification and competency.
Revolutionary Skeletons Unearthed-1903 .- While the sexton of St. James' Protestant Episcopal Burying Ground, at Bristol, was digging a grave, he unearthed portions of several skeletons. Lying among the bones were a number of brass buttons of different varieties, such as were worn by British and American soldiers dur- ing the Revolution. One of the buttons bore a representa- tion of a crowned head, surrounded by a wreath of laurel. Above this was the inscription, "Georgius III, Rex, Dei Gratia," and underneath the date, 1774. The present site of St. James' burying ground was used in the past cen- tury as a temporary resting place for the victims of the Revolutionary battles. Several years ago a number of other momentoes of these long forgotten heroes were dug up in the same place. Charles Foster, of Bristol, at that time secured a piece of red cloth in a good state of preservation, which was part of the coat of a British soldier.
MISS LOUISE D. BAGGS, Superintendent Bristol Public Schools.
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B. Franklin Gilkeson .- The late Benjamin Franklin Gilkeson, for many years one of the leading attorneys of the Bucks County bar, and prominently identified with the political affairs of his native county, was born in Bristol, Bucks County, August 23, 1842, and spent his whole life here.
His grandfather, Andrew W. Gilkeson, Esq., was born in Montgomery County, but was of Bucks County ances- tors, and spent most of his life in this county. His father, also named Andrew, was a lieutenant-colonel in the War of 1812, and prominently identified with the volunteer militia in the years immediately following the second war with Great Britain, and the family were among the early settlers of Pennsylvania. Andrew W. Gilkeson was a prominent attorney, being admitted to the Bucks County Bar April 29, 1840, and practicing for many years at Bristol. He took an active interest in the affairs of the county, and filled the office of prothonotary of the county for the term of 1854-7. He married Margaret M. Kinsey, of that borough, whose ancestors were among the early English settlers in Bucks County, her great- great-grandfather, Samuel Kinsey, having settled in Bristol Township in 1728. Andrew and Margaret M. (Kinsey) Gilkeson were the parents of four children, of . whom Benjamin Franklin was the eldest and the late A. Weir Gilkeson, also a prominent attorney of Bristol, was the youngest.
Benjamin F. Gilkeson was educated in the graded schools of Bristol and at the Academy of Hartsville. He studied law with the late Anthony Swain, of Bristol, and was admitted to the bar February 2, 1864, and at once engaged in practice at Bristol. Possessed of more than ordinary ability in the line of his profession, an earnest and careful student, his unflagging and indomitable will soon brought him to the front, and for twenty-five years prior to his death, which occurred in 1903, he was the leader of the Bucks County Bar, and represented vast corporate interests both in the county and elsewhere. Soon after his admission to the bar, he launched into the political arena, and was a prominent figure in the political councils of the county and state for many years. Reared
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in the Democratic faith, he was an early convert to the principles of the Republican party, and was for several years a colleague of Hon. Caleb N. Taylor, at that period a potent political factor in Bucks County and twice her Representative in Congress.
Taylor and Gilkeson later became estranged, and the rising young attorney became the recognized leader of his party in the county, and held that position in local and State politics for many years. He served as the repre- sentative of his county in many State, National and Con- gressional conventions and also in the State Committee, of which he was for some years chairman.
He was intimately associated with the leading states- men and politicians of his day, serving in the cabinet of Governor Daniel H. Hastings as commissioner of bank- ing, and taking an active part in State affairs for many years.
He was second controller of the United States Trea- sury during the administration of President Harrison, and made an excellent record. He was prominent in the Masonic fraternity, and served as district deputy grand master for Bucks and Montgomery Counties. He was one of the trustees of the State Lunatic Asylum at Nor- ristown, and held many other positions of trust and honor.
Mr. Gilkeson was twice married; first in 1870, to Char- lotte B. Jones, daughter of George B. Jones, of Pittsburg. She died in 1872, and he married (second), in 1874, Helen E. Pike, daughter of Samuel Pike, of Bristol, and they were the parents of three children : Franklin, a member of the Bucks County Bar, and of the firm of Gilkeson & James, and two daughters, Helen and Ethel. (Davis' History of Bucks County.)
Death of John K. Wildman .- On Monday morning, March 21, 1905, the community was startled by the report of the death of John K. Wildman. The deceased was a highly respected citizen and for eighteen years had held the position of president of the local school board. He was affable in his manner, devoted to his work in con- nection with the schools, and many a boy and girl
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received from him inspiration and encouragement, which proved of inestimable value to them in after life. As an illustration of his kindly qualities, on one occasion, after a young lady had graduated from the schools, he taught her stenography, giving his services gratuituously, and when his pupil became proficient, secured for her a posi- tion and later obtained an advance in her wages. Under his careful attention the schools advanced to a lofty state of efficiency and usefulness. It was under his administra- tion that the present high school was established. It was his great ambition to build up a strong public school library. He loved good books and his intense desire to cultivate a similar taste among the boys and girls of our town, guided him always in the selection of books for the school library, which he started, and which at the time of his death numbered over 600 volumes. He was known by all the pupils for he frequently visited the schools, and always had a few words for the children, praising what he knew to be good and encouraging honest effort, so that even the little ones felt free to speak to him by name when they met him on the street. He also took an active interest in town affairs and for several years was presi- dent of the Bristol Public Library. He was a Republican in politics and was generally called upon to preside over public meetings held under the auspices of his party. The funeral services were held on the Thursday afternoon fol- lowing his death, when the relatives and friends of the deceased were present in large numbers. The school board delegated Director Doron Green to deliver an eulogy at the funeral, which duty was performed. On the following morning, in the presence of the immediate family and members of the school board, who acted as pall bearers, the body was interred in the Bristol Cemetery. William C. Peirce, a close friend of the deceased, read a chapter from the Bible and with sorrowing hearts, the directors lowered the body of their friend and companion down into his last resting place.
On Friday evening, a public memorial service was held in the assembly room of the high school building, at which time a large number of men, women and school children gathered to pay their respects to the memory of
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one whom they all loved, and one who had unselfishly given his time and talents to the upbuilding of the public school system of the borough. Director Green was called upon to preside, after which eulogistic addresses were made by Miss Louise D. Baggs, Superintendent ; John C. Maule, Charles E. Scott, W. F. Leedom, Howard I. James, Esq., Joseph R. Grundy, John C. Stuckert, John Angus. Resolutions of sympathy were adopted and sub- sequently the school board placed a memorial tablet, dedicated to the memory of the deceased, on the wall in. the front vestibule of the high school building.
Bristol Lodge, No. 970 B. P. O. Elks .- Bristol Lodge,. No. 970, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, was. instituted May 25, 1905. Its first officers were as fol- lows: Exalted Ruler, John J. Kilcoyne; Esteemed Lead- ing Knight, Lewis T. Rodan; Esteemed Loyal Knight,. Frank T. Chambers; Esteemed Lecturing Knight, Wm. V. Leech; Secretary, Doron Green; Treasurer, Wm. K. Highland; Tyler, E. W. Minster; Trustees, Howard I. James, Esq., Wm. B. Rogers, Jr., and John J. Tyrol. Three years after the organization of the lodge, the build- ing at the corner of Radcliffe and Walnut Streets, known as the Beaver Meadow House, was purchased for $6,500, and opened as an Elks' Home.
The corner stone of the new home was laid with appro- priate ceremonies on Saturday afternoon, June 25, 1910, at 2 o'clock. The exercises were in charge of Past Ex- alted Ruler Howard I. James, Esq. The members met in their lodge room in the post office building and marched in a body to the site where the building was in the course of construction. Prayer was offered by the chaplain, after which the Secretary read the list of articles which had been placed in the corner stone. They con- sisted of the following: Copy of Grand Lodge Laws; copy of By-Laws of the Bristol Lodge ; a list of the grand officers and local officers; copies of the local papers; a description of the old home and of the new home; a small silk American flag; several old coins and a poem dedi- cated to the Elks. Mr. James then received a silver vessel filled with water and sprinkled the stone, repeating at the
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same time the words of the ritual. The chairman of the building committee, James Mooney, handed the trowel and mortar to Mr. James, who set the stone in position and then declared it to have been laid according to the rules and ceremonies of the order. The chaplain led in prayer and after a short address by Mr. James, the exer- cises closed by the members singing the lodge ode.
HOME OF BRISTOL LODGE, NO. 970, B. P. O. E.
The dedication of the home took place on Saturday afternoon, March 4, 1911, at 4 o'clock. The exercises, which were private, were held in the lodge room, in the presence of a large number of members. Eloquent ad- dresses were delivered by Past Exalted Ruler Howard I.
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James, Captain John Jack, of Oregon Lodge and others.
The new building is three stories high at the front and four stories at the rear. Up to the second story the material used in construction is gray stone and the bal- ance of brick. The style of architecture is modified colonial, with a "hip" roof. The building has a frontage of forty-four feet and extends to the rear seventy feet. At the rear of the building is a double-decked porch twelve feet wide, of pretty design. Under the basement is a cellar for the boiler and storage of coal. The basement is fitted up as a rathskeller. The first floor contains a large lobby, from which stairways lead to the upper floors and to the rathskeller. Next to the lobby, opening into the main corridor, are two rooms, the one on the left being used as a parlor and the other as a card room. The corridor connects in the rear with a large pool room. The second floor contains an auditorium with stage, and will be used for social sessions and other functions. Com- modious cloak rooms have been placed on this floor. The third story is used exclusively for lodge purposes. The hip roof affords a high ceiling, which is dome shaped. There is also two ante rooms on this floor. Three of the floors are supplied with lavatories and on the second floor is a bathroom fitted with tub, shower bath and stationary washstand. The building is lighted with gas and electricity, heated with steam and elaborately fur- nished from top to bottom. It is a handsome structure, and one that not only adds to the beauty of the locality in which it is erected, but is one of the attractive struc- tures of the town.
The building was designed by Architect C. J. Brooke, of Philadelphia. The contractor was C. F. Bachman, of Camden. Peirce & Williams furnished the woodwork, L. T. Rodman did the plumbing, and the heating plant was installed by S. B. Ardrey & Sons. The Building Com- mittee of Bristol Lodge of Elks consisted of James L. Mooney, C. L. Anderson and Doron Green. The cost of the building independent of the lighting and heating, was $12,800. The total cost, including furniture, was about $24,000.
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The Italian Presbyterian Evangelical Mission .- The Italian Evangelical Mission was organized in June, i905, in the audience room of the old Presbyterian Church, with Rev. Francis J. Panelta, missionary in charge. Dur- ing its first year, twelve men professed their faith in Christ, according to the Evangelical doctrines. After two years, Rev. Panelta resigned and was succeeded by Henry C. Sartorio. During the summer of 1907, street services were held on Sunday afternoons in the Italian district and in the summers of 1908 and 1909, a tent was secured and very successful Evangelistic services were held. The Sunday School was organized in June, 1909. On December 18, 1910, the new church building at the corner of Wood Street and Lincoln Avenue was dedi- cated. Rev. Sartorio, whose ordination to the ministry occurred in the Presbyterian Church, in 1909, resigned in the fall of 1910. His successor was Rev. Nicola Mucci, the present pastor. At present the church roll contains the names of fifty communicants, although a few have recently removed from town.
Death of Hon. William Kinsey .- August 9, 1895, after a long and active career, the Hon. William Kinsey de- parted from this life, in the 92d year of his age. Mr. Kinsey was prominent in Methodist circles and one of the best known laymen in the Philadelphia Conference. His grandparents were among the early members, awakened by the preaching of Captain Webb, in 1771 and 1777. In 1828, Mr. Kinsey was converted and joined the Bristol Church. He was made an exhorter in 1828. For over fifty years he was a trustee, and at the time of his death he had been president of the board many years. He was a great promoter of the new church enterprise, but died just ten days before the ground was broken for the new edifice. At his death he bequeathed his fortune to his two surviving daughters, Lizzie and Caroline. Upon the death of Miss Caroline, the last member of the Kinsey family, the bulk of the fortune, amounting to about $35,000, was bequeathed to the Bristol Methodist Church. It was this legacy which enabled the Methodist Congre- gation to cancel the mortgage indebtedness on their
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church property and set aside $10,000, which is now in- vestèd in good securities.
Wm. Kinsey was a descendant of one of the earliest settlers of this state. The family was early divided into two branches ; one engaged in iron-working and the other as workers in leather. Of the former branch were the ancestors of our subject, and several of them were in the Revolutionary War. The first to settle in Bristol was Samuel, the son of a cotton manufacturer of Birmingham, England, who came here in 1728. He was a farmer. His son was the great-grandfather of our subject and was born in 1755. All of the family since then have been born here. William was born in November, 1804. His early education was limited, but he had been a constant reader. He worked in a cotton mill for a short time, but early in life learned the trade of a blacksmith, which he followed until 1850. Afterward he engaged in iron manu- facturing for several years, subsequently dealing in real estate, acting as auctioneer, etc. In 1829 he was married to Mary, daughter of Richard Gosline, whose family have been residents of Bucks County for three generations. Their children were Mary Anna, Caroline, Elizabeth, Margaret, Fanny and Samuel, who was a graduate of West Point. Mr. Kinsey held many public positions. In 1829 he was elected high constable, serving six years ; in 1836 chief burgess, holding the position for seven years; and in 1837, school director, serving twenty-four years. In 1842 he was appointed assignee in bankruptcy for the county, and in March, 1845, was appointed post- master, filling that office for four years. In 1850, he was elected justice of the peace for five years. As assignee, executor and administrator he settled about fifty estates. In 1862 he was elected to the State Senate for a term of three years, and proved himself an able speaker on the floor, besides serving on the committees of education, agriculture, domestic manufacture, etc. On the call for troops to defend the State invasion, he assisted in raising a company and went into the service, receiving an honor- able discharge at the close of his term. He was a fre- quent contributor to the newspapers and to local history. In politics he was a Democrat and at the time of his death was the oldest Free Mason in Bristol.
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