USA > Pennsylvania > Delaware County > A history of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and its people; Volume I > Part 19
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The meeting accepted the offer of the young men. At the next meeting (January, 1696) the committee reported that they had conferred with the young men, and there had been "many arguments on both sides-at length, Philip concluded with us that he did not know that he should use that art of Astrology again, for he had denied several that came to him to be resolved of their questions already. Robert promised the same but with this reserve-un- less it was to do some great good by it. From which belief of some great good, we could not remove him." This was not satisfactory to the meeting. Philip was required "to give forth a paper to condemn his practice of resolving ques- tions in Astrology, concerning lost and Gain, with other vain questions." The meeting gave out a similar paper against Robert.
The subject of these dark practices was also brought before the Chester Quarterly Meeting, which body appears to have taken a rather rational view of the subject for the times. The following is an extract from the preamble of a long testimony published by that meeting, early the year 1696:
"Whereas the meeting being acquainted, that some persons under the profession of truth, and belonging to this meeting, who professing the art of Astrology, have undertaken thereby to answer questions, and give Astrological Judgments concerning persons and things, tending to the dishonor of God, and the reproach of Truth and the great hurt of themselves and those who come to inquire of them; and whereas, it is also reported that some professing truth among us seems too much inclined to use and prac- tice Rabdomancy, or consulting with a staff, and such like things, all which have brought a weighty exercise and concern upon this meeting, as well because of the reproach, that is already brought upon the truth hereby, as also to prevent, as much as in us lies, its being further reproached by any among us that may attempt to follow the like practices for time to come, &c."
But this business did not end with the meeting. An offence so serious as the practice of Geomancy could not escape the vigilance of the grand jury, par- ticularly as the foreman lived in the same neighborhood with the parties. In bringing the matter to the notice of the Court they say : "We the grand Inquest by the King's authority, presents Robert Roman of Chichester for practicing Geomancy according to hidden, and divining by a stick. Walter Martin, Foreman."
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With the view of effectually eradicating the evil, it became necessary to- destroy the implements of mischief by another presentment, which is thus re- corded : "We the Grand Inquest by the Kings authority presents the following books: Hidons Temple of Wisdom, which teaches Geomancy, and Scots dis- covery of Witchcraft, and Cornelias Agrippas teach Necromancy. Walter Martin, Foreman." Upon which "the Court orders as many of said Books as can be found be brought to the next court." The following minute records the closing scene of this ludicrous judicial procedure: "Robert Roman was called to answer the presentment of the Grand Jury the last Court; he ap- peared and submitted himself to the Bench. The order of the Court is that he shall pay five pounds for a fine and all charges, and never practice the arts, but behave himself well for the future, and he promised to do so, whereupon he is discharged for this time."
Two young men were presented at the next court "for running a horse race on the first day of the week." They cach got off with a fine of 5 shillings, thus proving that the practice of Geomancy in those primitive times was a twenty fold greater offence than Sunday horse racing.
"John Simcock brought in his account .- The County of Chester debtor to John Simcock, for balance of his account to the year 1695, the sum of £28 2s. John Simcock debtor to the sale of the old Court house, the sum of £57 .- By balance remains due John Simcock £28 18s." This must have been the court- house erected in 1685, the expense of which does not as yet appear to have been fully liquidated, as William Clayton makes complaint that "there is due to him £18 Is. 6d. for his father's salary and work on the old Court house." Nor is this remarkable, as by a presentment of the grand jury, it is shown that taxes laid on large tracts of land in 1685, for the erection of the court-house and prison, were still due.
In 1696 a road was laid out "from David Meridiths plantation to Haver- ford Meeting house." This road passes White Hall and west of Haverford College. The court orders Ellis Ellis, supervisor of Haverford, to cut and clear the road way, "that leads to the limestone hill from Darby through Har- ford."
The several meetings composing Chester Quarterly Meeting subscribed £85 8s. 4d. towards building a meeting-house in the city of Philadelphia. The meetings composing Haverford Monthly Meeting also subscribed, but the amount is not given. The minutes of that meeting show that the location of the meeting-house to be built in Philadelphia was "in ye second street near the market place."
The following minute from the Haverford Records, is the authority upon which the Friends' meeting at Newtown was established: "William Lewis and some other friends having proposed to this meeting. to settle a meeting at Newtown, they are left to their freedom therein." It is dated nth mo. 14th 1696 O. S. Before the close of the year, Thomas Jones was ordered by the meeting "to acquaint friends of Chester Meeting, that the meeting lately set-
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tled at Newton is done wth ye consent of this meeting, in order to have their approbation therein."
Notwithtanding the Governor and Council in 1694 sustained England in his claim to a monopoly of ferrying people over the Schuylkill, the following extract from the Haverford Meeting Records shows that this monopoly was not continued by the Proprietary's government when restored, and that a ferry was again kept up by the monthly meeting: "David Evans & Daniel Hum- phrey are ordered by this meeting to collect twenty shillings out of each of the meetings of Haverford & Radnor and the rest yt are unpaid of the subscrip- tion towards the ferry, to pay Nath: Mullenex's wages."
Notwithstanding that this meeting and others occasionally gave their at- tention to secular affairs, there was no falling off by the members in the per- formance of their moral and religious duties. It is really wonderful, the amount of patient labor that was bestowed about this period in preserving the church in its purity ; in counselling and advising the rising generation, and in reclaim- ing the wayward. And it is even still more wonderful to see the large amounts that were appropriated to charitable purposes. This was particularly the case among the Welsh Friends. Every reasonable want was attended to. If a newly arrived immigrant, or a "poor friend" stood in need of a house, it was built for him; of a plough or a cow, he was provided with one. The fields of the sick and the weak were not allowed to remain uncultivated, and their pe- cuniary wants and other necessities were liberally supplied. Nor was their care in these respects confined to their own little communities. Wherever suffering humanity was found, our Quaker ancestors were ever ready to con- tribute liberally to its relief.
In 1697 the meetings were made acquainted with the distressed condi- tion of the people of New England; "the great want and necessity of Friends and others, by reason of the Indians making inroads upon them, burning and destroying their habitations and the lives of many, and by reason of the fail- ing of their crops." The relief afforded was prompt and liberal. Haverford Monthly Meeting subscribed £60 14s. IId .; Chichester, Concord, and Birm- ingham, £37 5s. 3d .; and Chester, £32 2s. IId. The amount subscribed by Darby is not given.
There was a subscription made this year of £86 by the Friends of Con- cord, Birmingham, and Thornbury, towards the erection of a meeting-house- it is supposed at the first-mentioned place. The subscription list contains thir- ty-four names. From its heading, it is very apparent that some of the mem- bers were imbued with Keithian doctrines. A list of those who contributed towards fencing the grave-yard is also given.
As traveling by land increased, the inhabitants of Chester felt more strongly the inconvenience of being located at a distance from the King's high- way-the main thoroughfare of travel between the northern and southern Provinces. To bring the main road through the town, a bridge over the creek would be required, and to secure this object, "several of ye Inhabitants of ye town & countie of Chester & others," presented a petition to the Governor and
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Council. But this petition was met by a strong remonstrance, and after the matter had been considered in "Grand Committee," that is, a meeting of the Council and Assembly together, it was put "to the vote of ye sd grand commit- tee, whether a bridge should be built over the navigable part of Chester creek, as is petitioned, it was carried in the negative, nemine contradicente." So ended the matter at this time.
At the July court a deed was acknowledged to John Simcocks, John Blun- ston, Samuel Levis, Jasper Yeates and Jonathan Hayes, the justices of the county. "for all that piece of land whereon the new court house stands, con- tayning in breadth to the street twenty-nine foot back to Chester creeke, unto them and theyr sucksessors for ever :" the deed bearing date the ninth day of the fourth month called "June An. Dom. 1697."
A road was in 1697 laid out "from Henry Hames, (in Marple) to Haver- ford Meeting House." The closing part of the report of the grand jury in laying out this road is rather remarkable for the evanescent character of the land marks they fixed on to identify the route they selected. When they ap- proach the meeting-house they say : "running up the said line betwixt William Howell and David Lawrence-making the fence the middle of the road till it comes to the fence where we pulled downe, and so to the meeting house where we end. Andrew Job, Foreman."
There was also a cart-way reported, "for the convenience of the county, from the corner of Walter Faucetts fence to Darby." This is the first laying out of the King's highway between the points mentioned.
The number of servants brought into court to be "judged." has greatly increased. More than thirty were brought to a single court. In some instances the justices direct that they shall be taught to read and write.
The justices were exceedingly strict in seeing the law enforced against persons who failed to comply with the legal enactments on the subject of mar- riage. In one case, the grand jury presented the parties and all the witnesses, and in another case one Matthew Risley was sentenced to receive thirteen lashes for attempting to marry persons contrary to law, although it was proven on the trial that it was a joke practiced on him-the parties being both men.
Corporal punishment is becoming more common. A man was sentenced to receive thirty lashes on his bare back, well laid on, for the larceny of one bushel of wheat.
A grand jury, of which George Pearce was foreman, made a presentment against a law that took the business of levying taxes out of their hands and placed it in the hands of six assessors. They desired "that the six assessors might be laid aside, and that the grand jury, which are the body of the county, may have the order of such things as formerly."
A Provincial Court is occasionally held at Chester. At one held in Octo- ber, 1698, before which there was but one case, John Moore appeared as coun- sel for the "Appellant," and David Lloyd for the "Appellee."
In the appraisement of 700 acres of land situated in Providence. taken in execution by the sheriff. it will be seen how little land had improved in price.
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independently of the improvements. The land was valued at £80; "One house, barn, orchard nursery and Garding at £160;" and the wheat in the ground at £18.
Haverford Monthly Meeting now appears to be disposed to get rid of the municipal concerns with which it has heretofore been burdened. To accom- plish this object, it was concluded by the meeting "that there be a towns meet- ing held at Haverford to regulate matters and decide controversies, the first third day of the third month, for the townships belonging to this monethly meeting, & then to appoint meetings & adjourn the same as they think con- venient." The minutes of these town meetings have not been discovered. The monthly meeting has been constantly held at Haverford since the erection of the meeting-house at that place. Now it is agreed to let the monthly meeting alternate among the several meetings composing it, viz: Merion, Haverford and Radnor. It still retained the name of "Haverford Monthly Meeting."
The Friends of the Quarterly Meeting of Chester county became dissat- isfied "that some Welsh Friends live within their county, and yet join with friends of ye county of Philadelphia in their monthly and Quarterly meetings." John Bevan, William Howell, Row. Ellis and Rees Thomas were appointed by the Haverford meeting "to remind them of the conclusion made betwixt them & the Welsh friends, that their meetings should not be separated." This effort of the Friends of the Chester Quarterly Meeting failed, and the meetings that then composed the Haverford Monthly Meeting have remained attached to the Philadelphia Quarter to this day.
The Keithian doctrines had found more favor in the meetings that com- posed Concord Monthly Meeting than in any others located in the county. There was one disownment by that meeting in 1698 of a prominent member, expressly on that ground, and the minutes furnish evidence that others had quietly separated from the Society without any formal disownment. Some of these subsequently returned, made an acknowledgment of their error, and were restored to their former standing in the Society. This was also the case in other meetings, but not to so great an extent.
In Darby Meeting, a father having unreasonably refused his consent to the marriage of his daughter, the couple, after having made legal publication of their intentions, went before John Blunston, a justice of the peace, and also a member of meeting in high standing, and were legally married. The parties, and the father of the bride, were dealt with by the meeting, but the part taken by the magistrate was not called in question as being an offence against the rules of the Society.
The practice of holding preparative meetings by the Society of Friends here, commenced about this time.
In the minutes of Darby Meeting for 1699 there are several entries in re- spect to the building of a new meeting-house. At length it was agreed "that a meeting house sixty foot one way and twenty foot added to the side 21 foot wide in the cleare be built." A portion of this meeting-house is still standing, inside of the grave-yard at Darby.
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The young people among Friends were very much restricted in these early times in the matter of courtship and marriage. The meeting at Haverford ordered, "that all young men among friends make known their intentions to their parents or guardians before they acquaint ye young woman's relations, and to make it known unto the woman's parents or Guardians, before they speak to them, and if any do otherwise, that they shall condemn the same be- fore they proceed any farther. * About the same restrictions, it is believed, prevailed generally in the Society.
David Lloyd presented a petition to the Council, setting forth that he had purchased a small parcel of land at Chester, "called the Green, wch Lyes very commodious for building a town. It fronts to both Chester Creek & delaware river, and is protracted, & a market place Laid out, with Streets by ye Sur- veyor General, as by the mapp to the said petition annex't appears." He asked the board "to allow and confirm the sd model as the law in that case directs." But in this he was opposed by Jasper Yeates, who regarded the Green as church land, and was unwilling that David Lloyd should "obtain an act of As- sembly to strengthen a pretended title of his to the green Lying before Up- land." So the matter rested for the present.
The inhabitants of Chichester [Marcus Hook] this year petitioned the Council, "requesting a weeklie markett & two fairs in the year; after a full debate y'upon, The Leivt. Gor & Council granted ym a weeklie market on fri- days, to be kept in Broad street as is desired."
Edward Shippen, Cornelius Emptson, and William Biles, as judges, held a Provincial Court this year at Chester, assisted by the county justices. After John Moore and David Lloyd, as attorneys, had had "several debates about the cause depending," the parties "referred the matter wholly to three judges on the benches as arbitrators," the parties to be bound by the decision, which was immediately made.
At the June court, Joseph Edge, the constable of Chester, presented Henry Barnes, "for calling our Governor Penn a Rogue," &c., &c. The rest of the constables returned "all was well." For very many years after this date the same return was made, when a constable had no breach of the peace to report. It was also a practice to read the newly enacted laws, in open court immediately after the grand jury was called.
The last road laid out by a grand jury was from the neighborhood of Birmingham and Thornbury to Joseph Cobourn's mill and Caleb Pusey's mill, the report of which was made to the June court. The same court made the first appointment of six viewers to lay out a road in the manner now practiced. The appointment was to lay out "a convenient cart road," for Robert Smith of Darby. The court ordered, "that two supervisors, to witt, Thomas Fox of Darby, and Matthias Morton of Ridlye, to make good that new road from Walter Fawcet's fence to Darby, sixty foot wide."
If the people of Chester did fail in obtaining permission to build a bridge over the creek, they were determined to divert some share of the travel of the King's road through their town. With this view, Ralph Fishbourne exhibited
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to the October court of 1699 a petition, "with many hands of the inhabitants of the County for a convenient road way from the west side of Chester Creek, where the ferry is to be kept, for to lead to the now King's road." The court accordingly appointed six viewers "for to go and lay out the said road way in the most convenient place they can for the conveniency of the Inhabitants."
That dreadful scourge, the yellow fever, prevailed in the city of Philadel- phia in 1699, producing the greatest consternation and alarm among the peo- ple. The September court at Chester adjourned without transacting any busi- ness, and though the cause is not given on the record, it may reasonably be in- ferred, that the malady had made its appearance at that place. After a very protracted voyage, William Penn arrived in the Province with his wife and family, with the avowed intention of ending his days in Pennsylvania. He landed at Philadelphia in the beginning of November, after the ravages of the fever had ceased.
When proceeding up the Delaware, Penn left the vessel, and spent one night at the house of Lydia, the widow of Robert Wade, in company with Thomas Story, who had recently arrived from a religious visit to Virginia. Before proceeding to the vessel in the morning, he crossed over to the east side of the creek in a boat, "and as he landed, some young men officiously, and contrary to express orders of some of the magistrates, fired two small sea pieces of cannon, and being ambitious to make three out of two, by firing one twice, one of them darting in a cartridge of powder, before the piece was sponged, had his left arm shot to pieces ; upon which, a surgeon being sent for, an amputation took place."
After the government was restored to Penn, a new constitution had been adopted under the administration of Markham, which was not satisfactory to the Proprietary. An entirely new council was elected ; and from Chester coun- ty, David Lloyd was returned for three years, Caleb Pusey for two, and John Simcock for one year. Many new laws were passed shortly after the arrival of the Proprietary, which were duly read at the opening of the March court at Chester.
Ralph Fishbourne now appears as a justice, and Henry Hollingsworth as clerk of the court. In a prosecution for highway robbery, John Moore ap- peared as attorney for the King.
That everlasting subject, the court-house and prison, again claimed the attention of the court and grand jury, who ordered them to "be forthwith re- paired for a present necessity that the two back-rooms in the pris- on be arched over with a brick in length, and be furnished with sufficient doors, and the whole prison to be laid over with beams close together, and planked on the top of them." Provision was also made for a pair of stocks and a whip- ping-post ; all to be at the county's charge.
The justices appoint "four substantial freeholders," as assessors to assist them in levying the necessary taxes : but the duty now performed by assessors was then performed by the constables, while the justices and assessors sup- plied the place of county commissioners of the present day.
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Among the presentments of the Grand Jury was that " did frauduently expose peces of lead and potshards unto John Stubbs of this coun- ty for current silver of the Province."
The court and grand jury authorized a levy towards the close of this year of 3d. in the pound, and 12 shillings poll tax. In anticipation of this duty, three of the grand jurors, though present, refused to serve, and submitted to a fine of 20 shillings each ; it being understood that the tax was for the defence of the Province. This tax amounted to £325, and was laid by the assembly- men and assessors of the county, in pursuance of a law lately enacted at New Castle.
What is now known as "the old end" of Haverford Meeting House was built this year, at an estimated cost of £158. It was built as an addition to a former meeting-house, which was replaced by the present "new end" in the year 1800-one century afterwards. The old meeting-house was without a chimney, being warmed by a kind of stove, or furnace, placed on each side of the building, and supplied with fuel from the outside of the house. Only the top of these stoves were of iron, and the smoke escaped by flues opening on the outside of the wall, a few feet above the opening through which the fuel was introduced. Part of this arrangement is yet conspicuous in the walls of the old meeting-house.
Clarkson records the attendance of Penn at a general meeting of the Welsh Quakers at Haverford-doubtless in their then newly erected meeting- house. If tradition is to be relied on, a goodly number of our Welsh ancestors were so little acquainted with the English language, that they were unable to understand the sermon preached by the Proprietary.
, On another visit to Haverford, an anecdote is recorded of the Proprietary. A little girl named Rebecca Wood was walking from Darby, where she resided, to Haverford Meeting, when Penn, who was on horseback, overtook her, and inquired where she was going. Upon being informed, "he with his usual good nature, desired her to get up behind him; and bringing his horse to a conven- ient place, she mounted, and so rode away upon the bare back, and being without shoes or stockings, her bare legs & feet hung dangling by the side of the Governor's horse."
From the first settlement of the country up to this time, disownments from the Society of Friends were very rare. The first minuted loss of mem- bership in Chester Monthly Meeting occurs this year. By repeated visits, and patient careful and judicious management, nearly every offender was reclaimed and restored to his former standing in the Society. Some thus restored by careful dealing, afterwards became the pillars of the church. The growth of the Society now appears to be rapid, both in numbers and means ; new meetings are being established and new meeting-houses erected. In 1699 a new meeting- house was proposed to be erected "by the Friends belonging to Thomas Min- chall's meeting, at the burying ground by Thomas Powell's" This burying ground is now known as Sandy Bank. The committee appointed to fix the site of the meeting-house, decided that, "the farther end of Thomas Minshall's.
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land by the high road side," was the best location. Thomas Minshall donated an acre of land for the purpose and the meeting-house was erected and ready for use this year. It occupied the present site of Providence Meeting-house.
Early this year a committee fixed a site "for a meeting house, for friends of John Bowater's Meeting upon the land or lot belonging to the meeting's burying place." This is the site of the old meeting-house in Mid- dletown. The house proposed to be built may not have been completed before the next year.
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