USA > Pennsylvania > Delaware County > A history of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and its people; Volume I > Part 34
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51
The first removal act authorized the sale of the old courthouse and jail at Chester upon the completion of the new buildings at the Turk's Head, but this sale was not consummated till March 18. 1788. when William Kerlin became the purchaser of the property. The first court held in the new court- house commenced November 28, 1786, before William Clingan, William Haslet, John Bartholomew, Philip Scot, Isaac Taylor, John Ralston, Joseph Luckey, Thomas Cheyney, Thomas Levis, and Richard Hill Morris as Jus- tices.
In 1783 an agreement was entered into between Pennsylvania and New
253
DELAWARE COUNTY
Jersey, in respect to the jurisdiction of the river Delaware and its islands! In 1786 an act was passed distributing the islands assigned to Pennsyl- vania among the several counties bordering on the river. Up to this time the jurisdiction over Hog Island was doubtful, but it had been exercised by Philadelphia county. By this act, that Island was permanently annexed to Cliester county, and attached to Tinicum township.
The people of the borough of Chester and vicinity, who had been deaf to the complaints of the inhabitants of the remote parts of the county, on account of their distance from the seat of justice, and who had for years strenuously opposed granting them any relief, were not slow to learn front experience that those complaints had not been wholly groundless, though their distance from the new seat of justice did not compare with the dis- tance of most of the removalists from the old one. The people of the. southeastern section of the county had been favored in fixing upon the Turk's Head as the site of the new seat of justice, for several other parts of the county were still much more remote from that place. "The inhabi- tants of the borough of Chester and the south-eastern parts of the county," however, became restive under their new relation to the seat of justice, and by their petitions, "set forth to the General Assembly that they labored under many and great inconveniences, from the seat of justice being re- moved to a great distance from them," and prayed that they might be re- lieved from the said inconveniences, "by erecting the said borough and south-eastern parts of said county into a separate county."
Unfortunately for the pecuniary interests of a large majority of the inhabitants of the part of the county mentioned, the Assembly regarded: their petition as "just and reasonable," and by an act passed September 26; 1789, authorized a division of the county of Chester, and the erection of a part thereof "into a new county." The first section of this act provides that all that part of Chester county lying within the bounds and limits there- inafter mentioned, shall be erected into a separate county: "Beginning in the middle of Brandywine river, where the same crosses the circular line of New Castle county, thence up the middle of the said river to the line dividing the lands of Elizabeth Chads and Caleb Brinton, at or near the. ford commonly called or known by the name of Chad's ford, and from thence, on a line as nearly strait as may be, so as not to split or divide plantations, to the great road leading from Goshen to Chester, where the Westown line intersects or crosses said road, and from thence along the lines of Edgemont, Newtown and Radnor, so as to include those townships, to the line of Montgomery county, and along the same and the Philadel- phia county line to the river Delaware, and down the same to the circular iine aforesaid, and along the same to the place of beginning, to be hence- forth known and called by the name of DELAWARE COUNTY."
By this act the townships of Birmingham and Thornbury were divided :: but provision was made, that the parts falling in each county should each
254
DELAWARE COUNTY
constitute an independent township, and each new township should retain the name of the original township from which it was taken.
The petitioners for the new county, to make things sure, had con- tracted in advance with Mr. Kerlin, the owner of the old court-house and prison, for the purchase thereof, "at a price far beneath what such buildings could be erected for, which they were willing and desirous should be con- veyed for the use of the [ new] county, on repayment of the sum agreed upon." Henry Hale Graham, Richard Reiley, Josiah Lewis, Edward Jones, and Benjamin Brannin, or any three of them, were constituted trustees by the act, to take assurances and conveyances of the property, "for the use of the inhabitants." A conveyance of the old building with the appurtenant grounds was accordingly executed November 3d following, when at the same same time a declaration of trust was executed by the gentlemen above named. The price paid by the county for the property was £693 3s. 8d.
By the same act, John Sellers, Thomas Tucker and Charles Dilworth, or any two of them, were appointed commissioners, "to run and mark the line di- viding the counties of Chester and Delaware," in the manner before men- tioned. A draft in possession of the author, doubtless prepared from the sur- veys made by the commissioners, presents several interesting facts which it may not be amiss to notice. A straight line was run from the starting point on the Brandywine to the intersection of the Goshen road by the western line, which is six miles three quarters and fifty-four perches in length ; whereas the crooked line, between the same points, passing along the boundaries of the farms, cut by the straight line, and now forming the division line between the two counties, has a length of eleven miles one quarter and nineteen perches. On a line perpendicular to the above mentioned straight line, the courthouse at West Chester is only three miles three quarters and fifty-eight perches distant. The bearing of this perpendicular line is N. 46° W. It is charged, in a note on the draft that a member of the Legislature, while the act for a division of the county was under consideration, asserted that no part of the straight line run by the commissioners "would come nearer West Chester than six miles."
The court-house at West Chester lies nearly due north from the com- mencement of the division line on the Brandywine, and is a little over five miles distant from that point ; whereas it was alleged at the session of the legislature at which the act was passed, that the distance was nine miles. From the inter- section of the Goshen road and the county line to West Chester, the distance in a direct line is four miles three quarters and sixty perches nearly, and the course N. 85° W. The shortest distance from the street road to West Chester is 935 perches.
It also appears from the draft that another division line had been pro- posed. This commenced at the mouth of Davis's or Harvey's run, on the Brandywine, and ran so as to include the whole of Thornbury township in Ches- ter county.
The average gain to the whole people of the new county, in the way of convenience in reaching their seat of justice, did not exceed four miles ; and
255
DELAWARE COUNTY
when it is considered that the whole population of the new county at that time (1790) was only 9,483, and many of the land-holders really poor, in con- sequence of the war and the exhaustinng system of agriculture that had been pursued, it is truly wonderful that our ancestors ever consented to this division which necessarily subjected them to all the increased municipal burdens inci- dent to a small county.
The first election for the county of Delaware was held at the usual time in October, 1789, when Nicholas Fairlamb was duly elected sheriff, and Jonathan Vernon, coroner. On the 12th of October, John Pearson, Thomas Levis, Richard Hill Morris, and George Pearce, were duly commissioned, by the president and Council, justices of the court of common pleas of the same county. The appointment of a president of the court was delayed till the 7th of November, when the position was unanimously conferred upon Henry Hale Graham. It was soon discovered, however, that the appointment of Mr. Gra- ham was illegal, as he did not then hold a commission of justice of the peace ; whereupon, the president and Council "revoked and made null and void" the commission they had granted to him, commissioned him a justice of the peace, and then appointed him President of the several courts of the new county. The first court for the county of Delaware was held February 9th, 1790. No orphans' court business appears to have been transacted till March 2d, follow- ing.
On September 2d, 1790, a new constitution was adopted for Pennsyl- vania. Jolın Sellers and Nathaniel Newlin represented Delaware county in the convention, by which that most important document was framed. Under this constitution, justices of the peace ceased to sit at judges of the courts. The courts were about this time organized as they now are, with a president and two associate judges.
On April 9, 1792, an act was passed to incorporate the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Road Company. The work of making the road was im- mediately commenced, but was not completed till 1794. It cost $465,000, or about $7,516 per mile. This important road passes only about four miles through Delaware county. It was the first turnpike road constructed in America. The making of this turnpike seems to have inspired the people along the Brandywine with the idea that an easier and cheaper mode of trans- portation for their produce, and for that brought along the road, to tide water, would be found in a canal and lock navigation by that stream. Accordingly an act was passed in 1793, concurrent with one passed by the Legislature of Dela- ware, authorizing a company to be incorporated, with authority to make this improvement. The navigation was to extend up each branch of the Brandy- wine to the point where it is intersected by the Lancaster turnpike road. It is believed that no part of this improvement was ever made.
For some years past the different meetings of the Society of Friends have had the subject of schools for the more careful and guarded education of their youth, under very serious consideration. From the extreme diffi- culty of finding suitable teachers, the progress made in the establishment
250
DELAWARE COUNTY
of these schools was at first slow, but up to this period several had been es- tablished on a proper basis. Each monthly meeting had a committee spe- cially appointed on the subject, who from time to time reported upon the condition of the schools under their charge. As early as 1788, Concord Meeting had three schools, and notwithstanding the difficulty of the times, the committee express the belief that there were no Friends' children amongst them "but what received a sufficiency of learning to fit them in a good degree for the business they are designed for." Three schools had also been established within the limits of Chester Monthly Meeting-one at Darby, one at Haverford, and one at Radnor. These schools, though established for the benefit of Friends' children, were open to those of every denomination, and being the best then established, were generally well pa- :ronized by them. By the constant care bestowed upon these schools, they were greatly improved in after years, so that at the time of the establish- ment of our general system of education by common schools, several of them were in such excellent condition that it was reasonably doubted whether any benefit would result from the change.
The proper education of the colored population also claimed a share of the attention of the Society. Many had been recently set free, and their helpless condition presented a very strong claim upon those who had been foremost in the work of emancipation.
In early times the general election for the whole county of Chester was held at the court-house in Chester. Before the Revolution, Chester county was divided into three election districts, called Chester, Chathamn, and Red Lion-the places at which the election was held. Chester district embraced nearly the same territory that is now included in Delaware county. After the division, the people of the whole county continued to vote at Chester till 1794, when an act was passed dividing the county of Delaware into four election districts. This act constituted the townships of Con- cord, Birmingham, Thornbury, Aston, Bethel, and Upper Chichester, the second election district-the election to be held at the house of Joshua Ver- non, in Concord; the townships of Newtown, Edgemont, Upper Providence, Marple, and Radnor, the third election district-the election to be held at the house then occupied by William Beaumont, in Newtown ; and the town- ships of Darby. Upper Darby. Haverford, Springfield, and Tinicum, the fourth election district-the election to be held at the house then occupied by Samuel Smith. in Darby. The people of the remaining townships still held their election at Chester, and those townships composed the first district.
It was during the year 1794 that the general government was under the necessity of organizing a military force to quell a rebellion in the west- ern part of Pennsylvania, known as the "Whiskey Insurrection." This county furnished one company, which was commanded by Captain William Graham.
The class of laborers known as redemptioners, and who consisted of Dutch and Irish immigrants, who were sold for a term of years to pay their passage;
257
DELAWARE COUNTY
were much employed about this time. So much were these servants in demand at one period, that persons engaged in the traffic as a business, who would buy a lot on shipboard, and take them among the farmers for retail. But some of these dealers, who were usually denominated "soul drivers," would go them- selves to Europe, collect a drove, bring them to this country, and retail them here on the best terms they could procure-thus avoiding the intervention of the wholesale dealer. One of this class of drivers, named McCulloch, trans- acted business in Chester county about the time of the division. A story is told of him being tricked by one of his redemptioners in this wise: "The fellow, by a little management, contrived to be the last of the flock that remained unsold, and traveled about with his owner without companions. One night they lodged at a tavern, and in the morning, the young fellow, who was an Irishman, rose early and sold his master to the landlord, pocketed the money, and marched off. Previously, however, to his going, he used the precaution to tell the purchaser, that his servant, although tolerably clever in other respects, was rather saucy and a little given to lying-that he had even pre- sumption enough at times to endeavor to pass for master, and that he might possibly represent himself so to him. By the time mine host was undeceived, the son of Erin had gained such a start as rendered pursuit hopeless."
In the winter of 1795, a great ice freshet occurred in the streams of this county, doing considerable damage. The creeks were raised to a greater height than at any previous flood within the recollection of the oldest inhab- itants ; and yet this freshet was one foot less in height than the ice freshet of 1839, and eight feet three inches below the great flood of 1843, as accurately measured at Sharpless' Mills, on Ridley creek.
The use of intoxicating drinks, and consequently drunkenness, was probably increased by the Revolution. Certain it is, that the Quakers, the moral reform- ers of the age, about that period, set about the discouragement of the manufac- ture, sale, or use of these drinks by their members, in a spirit of earnestness not before exhibited. For a long time their success was only partial. A belief prevailed that severe labor, particularly that of harvest, could not be performed without the use of stimulating drinks, but even at this early day, "many Friends had declined using thereof in harvest." That practice was not, however, generally laid aside, and was continued for many years afterwards; yet members of the Society refrained from the distillation or sale of spirituous liquors.
In 1797, subscriptions for the establishment of a boarding-school, to be under the care of the yearly meeting, were circulated among the several monthly meetings of this county, by committees appointed for that purpose. Liberal subscriptions were made; and the result of the undertaking was the purchase of a tract of 600 acres of land in Westown township, Chester county, and the erection of a building 55 by 110 feet, four stories high, including the basement, at a cost of $22,500. The first pupils were admitted in the 5th month, 1799. The main building was subsequently enlarged, and many other improvements have been made to the premises since that time. Westown
17
258
DELAWARE COUNTY
school is not within the limits of our county, but many of our people of both sexes have been educated there. Since the division of the Society of Friends, the school has been exclusively under the management of that branch of it termed Orthodox.
The burden of supporting the bridges over our numerous streams, and particularly those on the Southern Post-road became too great for our small county to bear. As a means of relief, an act of Assembly was procured in 1799, authorizing the commissioners to erect toll-gates on that road, and to collect toll from persons traveling thereon. The rates of toll authorized for passing over the road were, for a stage-coach or pleasure carriage with four wheels and four horses, twenty-five cents; the same with two horses, fifteen cents, and with two wheels, ten cents. Carriages of burden were charged about one-half these rates. The act expired by its own limitation at the end of five years.
On May 8, 1803, our good people had a rather unwelcome visitant, so late in the season, in the shape of a snow storm. The snow covered the ground. though the greater part of it melted as it fell. On the next morning still water was frozen into ice a quarter of an inch in thickness, and the ditches and ponds of water in many places were frozen over.
On February 13, 1804, an act was passed "to provide for the erection of a house for the Employment and Support of the Poor in the County of Dela- ware." This act provided for the election by the people of seven persons to fix upon a site for the county house. The gentlemen chosen selected the prop- erty adjoining the present town of Media, upon which the old poor-house now stands. The selection made was generally regarded at the time as injudicious, on account of the exhausted condition of the land that was chosen ; but the lo- cation of the new seat of justice adjoining the property, made it a very profita- ble investment for the county. The original farm consisting of 137 acres, was purchased for less than $33 per acre; subsequently an additional small tract was bought for about $100 per acre. The chief part of this property was sold in two tracts-46 acres at $250 per acre and 112 acres at $341.50 per acre. Up to the time of the completion of the new poor-house, the poor were sup- ported in the several townships by boarding them in private families under the charge of two overseers of the poor for each township. This office was abolished as soon as the poor were removed to the newly erected building.
From 1804 till the breaking out of the war between the United States and Great Britain, nothing worthy of particular notice occured. Owing to the European war that raged during this period, the commerce of our country was benefited, and there was an increased demand for its agricultural products. Our county fully shared these advantages, and the result was an effort on the part of our farmers to improve their lands and thereby to increase their pro- ducts. These lands, in many places, had become exhausted by a system of bad farming that is generally adopted in new countries, and it was not then un- common to see large tracts abandoned for agricultural purposes, and left unenclosed. These exhausted tracts generally received the appellation of "old
259
DELAWARE COUNTY
fields." The use of gypsum and lime as manures now began to be introduced, the former, at first, working almost miracles, by the increased productiveness it imparted to the soil. It was soon discovered, however, that its effect was greatly diminished by repeated applications, and as a consequence it became less used; while lime, though slow in developing its benefits, soon became the general favorite with our farmers, and deservedly so, for it cannot be denied that it was owing to its extensive and continued application, combined with a better system of farming, that much of the land of this county has been brought from an exhausted condition to its present state of fertility and pro- ductiveness.
The declaration of war by our government in 1812 against Great Britain, created no greater alarm in our community than was common over the whole country. It was not until the summer of 1814 that apprehensions of immedi- ate danger were seriously entertained. The appearance of the British fleet in the Chesapeake aroused the Philadelphians to the adoption of measures for the defence of their city. The approaches by land were to be defended by a series of earthworks which were hastily erected. The most distant of these defences from the city was located in this county between Crum and Ridley creeks, so as to command the Southern Post-road.
The danger of Chester was still greater than Philadelphia, and the means of defence much less, although an extensive earthwork had been thrown up immediately below Marcus Hook, and mounted with cannon, so as to com- mand the river. As a measure of precaution the public records of the county of Delaware were kept packed up, ready for removal to a place of greater se- curity in the interior.
In October, an encampment of several thousand militia was established on the high grounds immediately back of Marcus Hook. The men composing it were drafted from the southeastern part of Pennsylvania. Of these Delaware county furnished two full companies of 100 men upon two separate drafts, the second of which was regarded as illegal. The first company was convened at the "Three Tuns," now the Lamb tavern, in Springfield, on the 14th of Oc- tober, and marched to Chester that day. Its officers were, Captain William Morgan, First Lieutenant Aaron Johnson, Second Lieutenant Charles Carr, and Ensign Samuel Hayes. This company remained at Chester two weeks waiting for their camp equipage, before repairing to the encampment at Marcus Hook. During this time the men occupied meeting-houses and other public buildings. The second company arrived at camp about two weeks later. It was com- manded by Captain John Hall and Ensign Robert Dunn. John L. Pearson, of Ridley, was lieutenant-colonel of the regiment to which the above two com- panies belonged.
The danger of an invasion of the State by way of the Delaware or Chesa peake having passed away, the encampment was broken up early in December. The two Delaware county companies with others were marched to Darby, where for two weeks they occupied the Methodist and Friends' meeting-
DELAWARE COUNTY
houses, the bark-house, school-house, &c., after which they were marched to Philadelphia and discharged the day before Christmas.
Besides the two companies of militia mentioned, Delaware county furn- ished two companies of volunteers. One of these, called The Delaware County Fencibles, numbering 87 men, including officers, was commanded by Captain James Serrill : First Lieutenant George G. Leiper ; Second Lieutenant James Serrill Jr., and Ensign George Serrill. This company was fully equipped on the 21st of September, and marched on the 23d. On the 26th the tents of the company were pitched at Camp Marcus Hook, where it remained one month. At the expiration of this time the company marched to Camp Dupont, and thence on the 16th of November to Camp Cadwalader; both of these latter camps being in the State of Delaware. On the 29th of November they marched by the way of New Castle towards Philadelphia, where the company arrived on the 2d of December, and was dismissed on the 6th of that month.
The other company was called The Mifflin Guards, and was commanded by Dr. Samuel Anderson as captain : First Lieutenant Frederic Shull; Second Lieutenant, David A. Marshall, and Ensign William Biggart. This company, which did not muster so many men as the Fencibles, was in service about the same length of time. It was stationed part of the time at Camp Dupont, and another part near Kennet. Both of these companies were well officered, and were composed of men able and willing to do their duty. Like the militia, they were called into service to defend the approaches to Philadelphia against the threatened invasion of the enemy; but fortunately the presence of the troops stationed on the Delaware was sufficient for the purpose, and no actual hostili- ties ensued.
The Bank of Delaware County was incorporated in 1814. The act au- thorizing its incorporation was passed in opposition to the veto of Simon Snyder, then governor of the commonwealth. A large number of banks was created by this act, but many of them soon failed, and but few of them have been more generally successful than the Bank of Delaware County. This bank, however, met with one serious reverse, in having more than one-half of its capital abstracted. It was never discovered who committed the robbery, nor was the exact time or times when it was committed ever ascertained.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.