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 6
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divided between male and female. They arranged them- selves on the floor in a square, and danced to each other to the tune of "The Girl I Left Behind Me." When the fiddler would call out reel, they would clasp each other around the waist and go round in a circle at great speed, three or four times, then again form the square and dance on. This was an affectionate dance, very popular with the old and young.
In the course of time the fairs became very unpopular. the lawlessness and crime engendered at these popular gatherings at last became so great, that on the 10th of November, 1773, the burgess and council resolved that the fair was useless on account of the large number of stores, and that the "debauchery, idleness and drunken- ness consequent on the meeting of the lowest class of people together is a real evil, and calls for redress." They had no authority, however, to abolish them, as they were granted in the charter, so the legislature was applied to, and the relief asked for was given in 1796.
Bristol in 1748 .- In the fall of 1748, Professor Peter Kalm, a distinguished foreigner from Sweden, traveled through the lower part of Bucks County, enroute from Philadelphia to New York. He crossed the Neshaminy by ferrying, paying three pence for each person and his horse, and continuing up the river, he says : "About noon we came to (New) Bristol, a small town in Pennsylvania, on the bank of the Delaware, about fifteen English miles from Philadelphia. Most of the houses are built of stone, and stand asunder. The inhabitants carry on a small trade, though most of them get their goods from Phila- delphia. On the opposite side of the river, almost directly opposite Bristol, lies the town of Burlington."
Improved Style in Living .- The war between France and England, in 1754, changed the situation of things in several respects. A more plentiful supply of money stimulated trade and improvements, and raised prices. Wheat went up to a dollar a bushel. Taxes were raised to pay off the war debt, but the burden was not felt. be- cause of the increased ability to pay. The importation of foreign goods was largely increased, and many luxuries
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were brought into the country, among which were cali- coes and other expensive articles for women and men's wear. Fashion now intruded itself among the rural population, to change with each year, and household furniture was increased in quantity and improved in quality. With this improved style in living and taste in dress, was introduced the distinction between rich and poor, which grew up almost insensibly, and was main- tained with considerable rigor in colonial times. Those who had the means now bought foreign goods, and homespun was discarded. Habits of luxury were thus introduced, and the simple, but virtuous society of our ancestors split upon the rock of fashion. Bristol was at this time a thriving market town, and being the port of entry for foreign goods, for all the surrounding country, was susceptible to this new condition in society.
William McIlvane and Alexander Graydon .- The ancient records show that in 1752, a conveyance was made by William Whittaker and wife, to Alexander Graydon and William McIlvane, for a tract of 1,000 acres of land, which embraced all of the eastern section of the borough, having a frontage of 217 perches on the river. A part of the tract which is now covered by the mills, was meadow land and considered in those days the most valuable part of the farm. It was the opinion of farmers that grass could not be grown on upland, and it, there- fore, was necessary to have a portion of meadow to raise grass to feed the cattle in summer and winter. Clover and timothy seed were not introduced into the country until a later date.
The McIlvanes were among the earliest settlers in Bristol, and was a family of wealth and influence. Wil- liam McIlvane practiced medicine in Bristol before he removed to Philadelphia. His father sent him to Edin- burg, Scotland, to complete his education in the science of medicine. He returned to Bristol and was dis- tinguished for his talents, integrity and zeal. The old tax records show that he was assessed for sixty ounces of silver ware, being the owner of more than one-half the silver owned by all the other inhabitants.
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Alexander Graydon was a prominent citizen and re- lated to the McIlvanes by marriage. He wrote the his- tory of Bristol, in 1756, in which he says :
"The great road leading from Philadelphia to New York, skirting the inlet at the head of which stands the mills, and thence turning short to the left along the Delaware, formed the principal street, called Mill Street, 120 perches long and three perches wide. This was the only street marked by a continuity of buildings. A few other streets were opened from the main one, on which here and there stood an humble dwelling."
He says at a corner of one of these streets stood a Quaker meeting house, and at a remote spot a small Episcopal Church, "whole lonely graveyard with its sur- rounding woody scenery, might have furnished an appro- priate theme for such a muse as Gray's. These, together with an old brick jail, constitute all the public edifices of this, my native town."
Captain Graydon, the author of this early sketch of Bristol, was the son of an Irishman who came to this country about 1730. His mother, the daughter of a Barbadoes merchant, was a native of Frankfort-on-the- Main, and he was born in Bristol the 10th of April, 1732. At his father's death his mother removed to Philadelphia and opened a boarding house, the resort of the leading colonial worthies of the day. When the Revolution broke out, young Graydon espoused the cause of the colonies, and was appointed a captain in Colonel John Shee's Pennsylvania Regiment, in January, 1776. He recruited for his company at Attleborough, Newtown and New- hope. He was made prisoner at Fort Washington, and exchanged at the end of two years, but did not re-enter the military service. After the war, he was appointed Prothonotary of Dauphin County, and died there. He was a gentleman of culture and ability, and maintained a good position in society. At the time of which Captain Graydon wrote, all the inhabitants of Bristol were Friends, with the exception of the De Normandies and two or three other families.
In writing about this tract of land, owned by McIlvaine and Graydon, the late William Kinsey gave the following
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interesting reminiscence. "My mind reverts back to my boyhood days, when a part of this tract lying on the river front, between Walter Laing's residence and Hollow Creek, was covered with heavy pine timber, in the midst of which stood a small house occupied by a half-blood Indian, who went by the name of Sambo, and his wife, who professed to be a conjuror and fortune teller. Many were the lads and lassies who went there to have their fortunes told. Aunt Judy, as she was called, was a mulatto, and straight as an arrow, thin lips and piercing black eyes. She professed to point out to any one who would pay her a small charge, what their fortune would be, for weal or woe, by the use of a pack of cards. She would shuffle the cards and request you to cut them. If the first card she turned up happened to be a Queen, then you would be sure to marry a woman of wealth and beauty. If it should be a King, then the girl would marry a man of wealth and influence and she would be a great lady. The Seven of Clubs for men and the Ten of Hearts for women, were lucky cards. Diamonds were sure to indicate early and happy marriages. If it happened to be spades, then your life would be one of sorrow and dis- appointment. Happily those days of superstition and necromancy have passed away."
Bristol College .- On the banks of the Delaware, three miles below Bristol, stands what is known as Bristol College. About 1778, the farm belonged to one Benger, an Irish sporting gentleman, who imported the famous horse Messenger, which he purchased of a brother of the Duke of York. It was then called Benger's Mount. He sold it to Andreas Evarandus Van Braam Honchgust, the governor of an East India island, who retired to this country on the island being taken by the British. He erected an elegant mansion and called it China Retreat. The marble used in the construction of this building was brought up the river by Samuel Hibbs, of Bensalem, in a shallop. In 1798 he sold the property, containing 361 acres and thirty perches, to Captain Walter Sims, for £10,706, whose father-in-law, Captain John Green, who lived on the Roberts' farm, near Newportville, was the first
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American sea captain who carried our flag to China. He made the round trip in about a year, passing through the straits of Sunda. He was also the first to import a full set of chinaware direct from China into the United States about 1772, and to import Shanghai chickens, from a cross with which comes our celebrated Bucks County chickens. Captain Green died in 1797, and was buried in Saint James' Churchyard, Bristol. China retreat was turned into a seat of learning in 1833, and organized as Bristol College, with the Rev. Chauncey Colton, D. D., president, and under the patronage of the Episcopal Church. Additional buildings were erected, and at one time as many as eighty or one hundred students were in attendance. It ran its course in a few years, and was succeeded by a classical school. In 1842 the late Captain Alden Partridge, one of the earliest superintendents at West Point, opened a military` school in the China Re- treat Building, which was kept up for about three years. During the late civil war the buildings were occupied as a military hospital, and later were used for a state school for the education of colored soldiers' orphans. Subse- quently the land was used as a picnic grounds and known as College Park. Today the property is occupied as a private residence.
His Majesty's Troops Visit Bristol .- Bristol, lying on the great highway, was frequently before the Revolution, visited by bodies of troops. The old records say, that in 1757, two hundred troops of His Majesty, King George, were billetted on the inhabitants. The bill for their ex- penses was presented to the county commissioners for payment. They refused to pay and the borough had to meet the expense.
George the Second-Now Delaware House .- In 1765, Charles Bessonett built the George the Second Hotel, now the Delaware House, on the site of the Ferry House, and was kept by him for many years. After his death his son John succeeded him, of whom it is said he was never known to drink a glass of liquor. This was a famous house in its early days. It had the reputation of being
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one of the best hotels between Philadelphia and New. York. In the summer season it would be taxed to its utmost capacity to accommodate the people who came to Bristol from all parts of the country for the benefit of the Bath spring waters.
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DELAWARE HOUSE.
During the Revolutionary War, a company of Yankee troops arrived in Bristol and encamped in the wood on the farm owned by James Rogers. It was afterwards called the Yankee woods. The next day they marched into town; when they came to the King of Prussia at the corner of Mill and Pond streets, they gave three cheers. The landlord called them in and treated, being pleased with the compliment. They marched down the street to Bessonett's Hotel, an seeing the sign of King George the Second, they commenced to fire at it, and did not stop until it fell out of its frame. After the war Mr. Bessonett erected a new sign representing a fountain. It was much admired in its day. This is the oldest public house in Bristol.
Charles Bessonett .- Mr. Bessonett came from France and settled in Bristol as early as 1730. He was a brick
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layer by trade and built many houses in Bristol, making his bricks on the lot now occupied by the Leedom mills. He built the George the Second Hotel, now the Dela- ware House, in 1765, and in 1773 started a stage coach line between Philadelphia and New York. In his adver- tisement to the public he says: "Unparalleled speed. From Philadelphia to New York in two days, fare $4.00. Comfort and safety assured." The return of the asses- sors for the year 1785, show that he was assessed for one building, sixteen horses, two cattle, one bound servant, three negro slaves, two stage wagons, one ferry and his occupation, upon which he paid a tax of £3 I shilling, being the largest tax payer in the borough. His three slaves were valued at fioo. At the time of his death he left five children, John, James, Charles, Daniel and Mary, with a large and valuable real estate, not a foot of which is now in possession of any of his descendants.
Market House .- The building of a market house was broached at the town meeting held in September, 1753. A year later it was unanimously agreed that a market house for the use of the borough should be erected in the middle of Mill Street, opposite Cedar. The market house was not erected, however, until 1768. It took fourteen years of talking and wrangling before the building was erected at a cost of £28, 13s. 6d. A storm blew the market house down in the fall in 1773, and in April, 1774, John and Charles Bessonett were given the contract to rebuild it in the same place. In 1790 the market house was moved to the centre of the square formed by the intersection of Market and Cedar Streets. The old building was torn down about 1871.
A Distinguished Friend .- James Thornton, a dis- tinguished minister among Friends, passed several years of his life in Bristol. He was born at Stony-Stratford, in Buckinghamshire, England, in 1727, and landed in Phila- delphia in 1760. He afterward married and settled in Byberry, where he spent the remainder of his life, and died there June 24, 1794, in his sixty-seventh year.
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Anti-Revolutionary Houses .- Several houses of the anti-revolutionary period survived the condition of society under which they were built, and have only been demolished within the last twenty-five years. Of the three oldest, one, a brick building, was situated at the foot of Wood Street, on land formerly owned by John McGinley. It was occupied at one time by William Davis, a shipbuilder, who built some of the fastest sailing vessels of his day. Another old house, which was demol- ished in the year 1887, was that of Mrs. Closson, adjoin- ing the Hotel Closson, on Bath Street. It must have been a house of some note, for the assessed valuation as given in an old record, was £350, the highest sum assessed upon any of the fifty-three houses in Bristol in that day. Mr. John Gosline, chief burgess for many years, a large land owner and prominent Free Mason, lived here at the beginning of the last century. The house now owned by John McOwen, in Mill Street, is thought to have been one of the first brick buildings erected in the borough. These three houses are supposed to have been built prior to 1720. Among other old build- ings are the Friends' meeting house, at the corner of Market and Wood Streets, erected in 1713, and the house of Richard Corson, which was built in 1745, as a work- house, on the Beaver Dam Road, and recently demol- ished by the Barrett Brothers. The oldest hotel in Bris- tol is the Delaware House. It was originally opened as the "George the Second," in 1765, by Charles Bessonett, a Frenchman, who settled in Bristol in 1730.
Repairs to Streets .- Mention of repairing the streets occurs in the records at an early period, and it appears that as early as 1769, half the money realized from fines, was applied to this purpose. In March, 1798, Mill Street was declared to be impassable, and a number of the in- habitants subscribed a sum of money for its repair. No systematic efforts in the direction of permanent improve- ment were made until recent years, beginning with 1856, when Dorrance Street was paved, curbed and graded by order of council. This treatment has since been extended to other highways in the borough, and few towns in the
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state are more likely to impress the observer more favor- ably in this respect.
Bristol Methodist Episcopal Church .- About the year 1771, Captain Webb, a local preacher, while on his way from New York to Philadelphia, stopped in Bristol and preached to the people, assembled under a tree that stood on the lot upon which the old Methodist Episcopal Church, now Pythian Hall, on Wood Street, was subse- quently erected. This is the earliest record of Method- ism in Bristol and was apparently its introduction. On a later occasion, while on a visit to Burlington, N. J., Cap-
OLD METHODIST CHURCH, WOOD STREET, NOW PYTHIAN HALL.
tain Webb crossed the river and preached to the people in his regimentals, being an officer in the British army, which action caused much criticism on the part of some of his hearers as to the consistency of a man preaching a "gospel of peace and good will to men" in the habiliments of war. Webb was licensed to preach before he came to America, by Mr. Wesley. Captain Webb was stationed at Albany, N. Y., and afterward at Trenton, N. J. He was at the battle of Louisburg, and while with General Wolf
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at the siege of Quebec, on the Plains of Abraham, was wounded and lost one eye. It is said of him "he was faithful to his God and loyal to his king." He was ar- rested at Burlington, N. J., in May, 1777, and taken to Philadelphia to answer to the charge of being a spy. He was, however, ordered to Bethlehem and shortly after was discharged. Subsequently he returned to England, resigned his commission in the army and was a faithful preacher until God called him to his reward in the year 1796. John Adams, President of the United States, heard him preach in St. George's Church in Philadelphia. After- ward, in conversation with some of his friends, he said: "He was one of the most eloquent men I have ever heard."
Bristol Circuit was formed September 10, 1788, and embraced that part of Northern Pennsylvania, lying be- tween the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers and- between the Philadelphia county line and the Pocono Mountains. William Dougherty was appointed by the bishop, preacher in charge of the circuit. He visited Bristol and found a number who had been awakened by the preaching of Captain Webb, and others who had followed him. He organized a class of eleven persons among whom were Mary Connor, Francis Stackhouse, his wife Priscilla; Richard Gosline, his wife Mary; Job Stackhouse, his wife Rebecca; William Kinsey, his wife Catharine; Joseph Stackhouse and his wife. Public meetings were held in the upper room of the old court- house on Cedar Street, and prayer and class meetings in private houses, until the year 1802, when the Society, having increased in numbers, it was found necessary to have a larger and more convenient place to hold their meetings. It was decided to build a place of worship and Mary Connor was authorized to solicit funds. Her efforts on this occasion justly entitled her to the honor of founding the church. The ground upon which Webb had preached his first sermon was purchased of Colonel Joseph Clunn and Mary, his wife, for the sum of £25. The work progressed so far that the materials were collected and money placed in the hands of the treasurer sufficient for their payment, when he defaulted. He had spent the
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money and could not replace it. He was dealt with and expelled. It was a sad blow to the little Society. Many of them were discouraged and ready to give up. But Mary Connor did not believe in giving up. Her motto was: "Trust in the Lord," and she believed they would succeed in building a house for the people of God to wor- ship in. She succeeded in raising sufficient money to build a brick church, twenty-four by forty feet, one story high. The church was finished in 1803 and dedicated by Rev. Harry Buchin, amid the rejoicing of a happy people, clear of debt. After the dedication of the church, there was preaching once in two weeks, at nights. The Society continued faithful, holding their prayer and class meet- ings regularly. In 1825, under the preaching of Edward Stout and Samuel Grace, many joined the church. In 1827, a revival took place; seventy persons were con- verted and joined the church, among whom was the late William Kinsey, a grandson of one of the early founders of the church. In consequence of this large addition to the membership, it was found necessary to enlarge the church building. Through the efforts of Mrs. Mary Ann Johnson, a zealous Christian lady in the church, the sum of $600 was raised. Twenty feet were added and the seat- ing capacity increased. After the enlargement an ar- rangement was made with the Association of Local Preachers of Philadelphia, among whom were many eminent men, to supply the pulpit on Sabbath mornings. In 1840 a division was made in the circuit; Bristol, Bustleton and Holmesburg were united into one charge. In 1843 another change was made in the circuit; Bristol, Bensalem and Neshaminy were made one charge.
During the pastorate of the Rev. Joseph Aspril, in 1844, the old church was torn down and a new one, forty by sixty feet, two stories high, was built on the same ground, at a cost of $7,000, and was dedicated by the Rev. John Kenneday, D. D., in 1845. In 1849 another change was made in the circuit; Bensalem and Neshaminy were added to Attleborough Circuit and Bristol became a separate charge. Under the pastorate of the Rev. Wil- liam McCombs, in 1851, a debt of $1,300 was cancelled and the next year a parsonage was erected adjoining the
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church property, at a cost of $2,700. During the pastor- ate of the Rev. George W. MacLaughlin, in 1859, a won- derful revival took place and the church membership was greatly augmented.
In 1888, under the pastorate of the Rev. S. T. Kemble, the centennial anniversary of the church was celebrated. The celebration lasted for one week, beginning on Sun- day, November II, and lasting until the Sunday follow- ing. The Rev. E. E. Burriss was appointed in 1891. He organized the Senior Epworth League and also the Junior organization. During his third year a great re- vival took place, as a result of which nearly 200 names were added to the church roll. The following year the formulating of plans for the building of a new edifice was begun.
Among the many deeds of kindness shown by mem- bers of this denomination to strangers, was one to a Mrs. Carson, of Philadelphia, who visited Bristol with her two daughters, for the benefit of the mineral waters at Bath Springs. One of them died. The trustees of the church offered her a place of burial in the churchyard. Some time after the other daughter died, and the mother re- quested permission to lay her remains by the side of her sister, which was granted. Some years later the mother died. On examination of her will, it was found that she desired to be buried by the side of her daughters, and had devised all her estate, consisting of valuable property at the corner of Twelfth and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia, to the Methodist Church of Bristol, upon the death of two relatives, to whom she had granted a life right.
When the new church enterprise was in its incipiency, an effort was made to purchase the life right of the sur- viving heirs, which was finally accomplished by the pay- ment of about $5,000. When the property was finally sold the church received $12,000. The lot at the corner of Mulberry and Cedar Streets, known as the Rousseau property, was purchased and it was decided to erect the new church edifice at the intersection of Mulberry and Wilson Streets. The Rev. Burriss, having finished his fourth year, accepted a call from the Memorial M. E. Church of Philadelphia, and was succeeded by the Rev.
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Chas. H. Rorer. Plans and specifications were so quickly drawn, following his incumbency, that in five months' time the work on the new building was ready to begin. The old church building was sold to the Knights of Pythias for $4,500, and the parsonage to C. F. Lippincott for $2,500. The contract for erecting the edifice was awarded to Lewis Walton, of Corwells, the price being $26,635. The windows, heater, gas fixtures and furniture
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METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
cost $5,000 more. The contract for digging and walling the cellar was also awarded separately at a cost of $2,700. With a trifle over $10,000 in cash, after paying for the cost of the ground ($12,000), it required no little faith to begin an enterprise costing over $46,000. On August 9, 1895, just ten days before the time set for the break- ing of the ground for the new church, William Kinsey,
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