USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Wilkes-Barre > A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from its first beginnings to the present time; including chapters of newly-discovered, Vol. I > Part 80
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§ The original writ is now in the possession of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania-among its "Wyoming Papers."
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in my presence, commit a riot to the great terror of His Majesty's liege subjects and against the peace of our Lord the King. These are to require you to receive the bodies into your custody."
Quoting further, now, from the joint-affidavit of Messrs. Elderkin and Dyer, previously mentioned, we have :
"At that place [Lackawanna] they [the "Forty"] remained in a peaceable manner, building huts, shelters, &c., until about the middle of said March, when they were attacked by about 150 armed men, headed and commanded by the Sheriff of Northampton County. (The subordinates of that company were mostly of low and despicable char- acters. ) The whole soon made an onset, seized upon the people in one of our huts, and by their legs dragged and drew them out and off to some distance, and leveled the small building with the ground. They were then about to treat the remainder of the settlers- who then were in the other lut-in the same manner, when two of their number, as a committee, went out and treated with the assailants ; the conclusion of which was that (as the settlers had no orders or liberties to commit the teast act of hostility) the whole became prisoners, were disarmed and drove down to Easton under a strong guard. When arrived at Easton the Court was there sitting, and the whole [were] admitted to bail in about the sum of £100 each-conditioned for their appearance before the Quarter Sessions in June then next following."
The following extract is from an original unpublished affidavit (now among the "Trumbull Papers" previously mentioned) sworn to by Cyprian Lothrop of Lebanon, Connecticut, before William Williams, Esq. (see page 283), October 9, 1782.
"That he, with about forty settlers, some time in the month of February, 1769, went from Connecticut to settle on our lands nigh the River Susquehanna ; and some time in the month of March next following was attacked by a number of Pennsylvania people with arms, who demanded surrender of our garrison. A party from them set fire to a house belonging to our neighbours and then returned to the house that he [the depo- nent] was in and made a second demand of the same ; and he and the rest that occupied said house was constrained to surrender the same, and fell into their hands and was kept under guard one night and then dismissed without further trouble."
"Allen Wightman" deposed in 1782* that :
"In January or February, 1769, he, with a number of other settlers, went from the town of Lebanon [Connecticut] to Wyoming, and some time in March following was attacked by a body of armed men to the number of about 100, from Pennsylvania-as they said. When he and a number of his friends was in their house, was demanded by the said Pennsylvania people to surrender the same to them. Whilst they were consulting among themselves a party of the Pennsylvania men went to our neighbours' house and set fire to it, which consumed it. Then they returned to the house that he [the depo- nent] and others were in and mnade a second demand of the same, and he and they were compelled to surrender ; and he was kept under their guard one night and then dismissed."
The statement of Sheriff Jennings, as to what happened at Lacka- wanna on the 14th and 15th days of March, differs somewhat from the foregoing statements. At Philadelphia, June 1, 1769, the Sheriff de- posed+ before James Biddle, Esq., that :
"He went to Lachnawanack near Wioming. That the said intruders had built there two houses, one of which was a strong log house, built for defense. That the said in- truders betook themselves to their said houses and declared they would not give up pos- session of the said lands, but would maintain the same as their own and put to death any persons that attempted to dispossess them. That, after long and fruitless expostulations, the said Justices recorded the forcible detainer, and this deponent, by their orders, pre- pared to take the said intruders, and received two blows from some of them ; but having forced into one of the said houses and taken those that were therein, at length the rest surrendered, and the whole, to the number of thirty-one, were taken into custody. That sonie of theni, on their way to Easton, found means to escape, and the rest procured bail at the next Court."
In the foregoing warrant and mittimus issued by Justice Gordon the names of thirty-one of the "First Forty" appear. The other nine of the company were either temporarily absent from the encampment at Lackawanna when the Pennsylvanians arrived there, or, in the excite- ment, managed to escape from the encampment, and thus avoided
* See his original affidavit among the "Trumbull Papers," previously mentioned.
+ See "Pennsylvania Archives," First Series, IV : 343.
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capture and arrest. It is quite evident that the names in the warrant were not placed there until after the arrests had been inade. Some of the thirty-one-as, for instance, Cyprian Lothrop and Allen Wightman -were, for one reason or another, released by Sheriff Jennings the day after their arrest ; while others, on the way to Easton, escaped from their custodians (as stated in the deposition of Sheriff Jennings) and returned to their respective homes-as, for example, Thomas Bennet, who got away at Mill Creek, went to the Minisinks and thence to his home at Goshen, New York .* When, therefore, the Sheriff and his party reached Easton they had in their custody only twenty prisoners, as follows : Asahel Atherton, Ezra Belding, Silas Binghanı, Richard Brockway, William Buck, Nathan Denison, Thomas Dyer, Vine Elder- kin, Benjamin Follett, Samuel Gaylord, Stephen Harding, John Jenkins, Timothy Peirce, Benajah Pembleton [Pendleton], Elias Roberts, Elijah Shoemaker, Timothy Smith, Isaac Tripp, Rudolph Brink Vanorman and Job Yale. These were formally arraigned before Justice Gordon, and in default of bail were committed to the jail of Northampton County. Almost immediately, however, their friend William Ledlie, of Easton, came to their assistance and entered bail for their appearance at Court- as mentioned in the affidavit of Messrs. Elderkin and Dyer, from which we have hereinbefore quoted. The released prisoners immediately set out from Easton for the Minisinks, where some of them sojourned for a few weeks, while the others proceeded to their respective homes.
Within a short time after the release of these twenty men under bail Benjamin Chew, Esq., the Attorney General of the Province, drew up an indictment against them, setting forth that they, at the time and place set forth, "the close of the Hon. Thomas Penn and Richard Penn, Esquires, Proprietaries of the Province of Pennsylvania, then and there riotously, routously, tumultuously and unlawfully did break and enter, and twenty timber trees, of the value of £30, current money of this Province, the property of them the said Thomas and Richard Penn- then and there standing and growing-riotously, routously, tumultuously and unlawfully then and there did cut down and prostrate; and in and upon the said close then and there with force and arms riotously, rout- ously, tumultuously and unlawfully did erect and build a messuage." Upon this indictment the Grand Jury of Northampton County returned a "True Bill."
Returning now to Connecticut from the almost-deserted valley of Wyoming we find that on the 10th of March Col. Eliphalet Dyer wrote as followst to William Samuel Johnson, Esq.} (previously mentioned), who was still in London.
* See "Pennsylvania Archives," First Series, IV : 391.
+ See the "William Samuel Johnson Papers," previously mentioned, for the original letter.
Į WILLIAM SAMUEL JOHNSON was born at Stratford, Fairfield County, Connecticut, October 7, 1727, the son of the Rev. Samuel Johnson (born 1696; died 1772), a native of Guilford, Connecticut. The latter was graduated at Yale College in 1714 a Bachelor of Arts. He received the degree of M. A. from his Alma Mater in 1717, and from Oxford and Cambridge Universities in 1723, and in 1743 Oxford conferred upon him the degree of D. D. Dr. Dwight called him the "father of Episcopacy in Connecticut"-he having, within a few years after leaving college, abandoned the Presbyterian, or Congregational, for the Episco- pal Church. When, in 1750, the "Academy of Philadelphia"-now the University of Pennsylvania-was opened, the Trustees (particularly Benjamin Franklin) endeavored to induce the Rev. Dr. Johnson "to undertake the general direction of the Academy." But the Doctor declined-partly on the ground that the Academy was too distant from his home in Stratford, where he was then rector of an Episcopal Church. But some four years later he became the first President of King's College, in the city of New York-whose charter was granted October 31, 1751, nearly four months subsequently to The Susquehanna Company's purchase of the Wyoming lands. Dr. Johnson continued at the head of this institution until 1763, when he resigned his office. He continued to live in Stratford, where he died in 1772.
William Samuel Johnson was graduated at Yale College in 1744 with the degree of B. A. The degree of M. A. was conferred upon him by his Alma Mater in 1747 and by Harvard and King's Colleges in 1761. In 1766 Oxford University conferred upon him the degree of D. C. L., and in 1788 Yale gave him the degree
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"Your last [letter] advised to a settlement of the Susquehanna lands when the line should be settled with the Indians. At the late congress held at Fort Stanwix * % the line was fully settled, and for the lands lying within the line the Indians were fully paid and satisfied to their full content, and such precautions have been taken as to obviate any troubles with the Indians ; and as far as we can learn the Indians have no objections as to our settlement of the Susquehanna lands by us purchased, lying within the line. As we was informed that Mr. Penn proposed to send on a number of settlers in the Spring, our Company voted to send forward forty men to take possession the latter end of Janu- ary. The forty went forward, and were enjoined to use no violence nor force. Mr. Penn, it seems, sent up a Sheriff and one or two Constables with a number of men hired from the Jerseys for assistance, who lighted upon a small number of our people and arrested three for a riot or forcible entry. They went peaceably with them before Authority at Easton, who was ready to take their own bonds for appearance at their next Court. *
* Our friends are numerous in Pennsylvania, and many gentlemen of first note and con- sequence esponse our cause. Our people are still upon the land. They do not design to be removed by any illegal force. Col. [Samuel] Talcott is about setting out for the Court at Easton, but inclines to think they will not prosecute the action."
According to adjournment The Susquehanna Company met at Hartford, April 12, 1769, and transacted a considerable amount of ill- portant business-John Smith, Esq., acting as Moderator and Samuel Gray as Clerk. First, it was voted that the proprietors then present, together with the special committee appointed at the last meeting (see page 466), be empowered "to admit and receive" additional settlers to the number of "300 good, able men, to proceed and settle the afore- said lands by the 10th of May next ensuing ; which said 300, as their encouragement, shall [should] have to themselves-or in proportion, if the number shall [should] fall short of 300-three townships on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, in the place they shall [should] choose, of the contents of five iniles square each"-on the samne condi- tions as the grants theretofore made to the "First Forty" and the 200 other settlers. (See pages 465 and 466.) It was further voted that the entire number (540) of settlers thus arranged and provided for by the several votes of the Company should be comprised only "of the proprie- tors, or of such as shall [should] come in under a proprietor." The following resolutions were then adopted :
"l'oted, That the 540 above proposed to settle and take possession of the Company's land on Susquehanna River, and all others who may join them, shall be under the direc- tion and order of the Committee of Settlers ; and that the Committee form the whole number present on the tand into one body, joined together in one common interest and settled as compact together as may be, properly fortified, without any regard to any par- ticular township or townships which may be afterwards laid out ; * * * and also to divide and part out the men into parties, proper for the various businesses-husbandry, tillage, labor, fortifying, scouting, hunting, providing, and other parts necessary and con- venient for the whole, and to unite in peace and good order.
of LL. D. After leaving college he began the study of law, and within a few years following his admis- sion to the Bar he was looked upon as one of the ablest lawyers in Connecticut. In 1755 he was an in structor in King's College. In October, 1766, he was commissioned by the General Assembly of Connecti- cut to go to England as agent and attorney for the Colony in certain important affairs. He sailed from New York December 21, 1766, and remained abroad, in London, until August, 1771, when he left for home. During a number of years he acted as attorney and counselor for The Susquehanna Company in respect to some of its most important affairs. In 1774 William Samuel Johnson was Lieutenant Colonel of the 4th Regiment, Connecticut Militia. In that year he was elected a delegate to the First Continental Congress, but did not attend any of its sessions. During the Revolutionary War he was a Loyalist, but did not make himself obnoxious to his fellow-citizens of Stratford, where he continued to live quietly during the war. From 1784 to 1788 he was a Representative in Congress, and fromn 1789 to 1791 a United States Senator, from Connecticut. In May, 1787, he was appointed by the Connecticut Assembly a dele- gate to the convention for framning the Constitution of the United States. With his retirenient from the Senate in 1791 he gave up the practise of law.
In April, 1776, the exercises of King's College, previously mentioned, were suspended, and the college buildings were prepared for the occupancy of troops. During the remainder of the Revolutionary War the buildings were used for barracks and hospital purposes, now by the Americans and then by the British. When the college was reopened in 1784 an Act was passed by the Legislature of New York by which the name of King's College was changed to "Columbia"-"a word and name then for the first time recognized anywhere in law and history." The college-now Columbia University-was reopened May 19, 1784, under its new name and government, and DeWitt Clinton entered as its first student. In 1787 William Samuel Johnson was elected the first President of the reorganized and renamed institution, and in that office he served until 1800, when he resigned it. He died at Stratford November 11, 1819-five weeks after his ninety-second birth-day. At the sesqui-centennial celebration of the founding of King's College, held by Columbia University in October, 1904, "The Johnsonian Professorship of Philosophy" was established by the Trustees of the University in memory of Samuel Johnson and William Samuel Johnson.
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"Voted, That Maj. John Durkee, Jolın Smith, Esq., Mr. Gore,* Vine Elderkin, Mr. Ebenezer Backus, Captain McNeal, Mr. Ezra Dean, Mr. Nicholas De Pui, Mr. Stephen Gardner, Mr. Thomas Dyer, Mr. Michael Baldwin, Mr. Daniel Sherrard, 3d, Mr. Moses Keney and Mr. Noah Phelps be added as a committee to the former Committee of Settlers ; and that the settlers, when they arrive on the land, have power to choose and elect such other gentlemen as they think proper from among themselves as a further addition to said committee.
"In addition to the vote passed at the last meeting, it is now Voted, That a chap- lain or minister, as a teacher and head in religious matters and to carry on religious wor- ship, be provided by the Standing Committee, to go forward with our settlers as soon as may be; and that, as an encouragement, such minister proceeding and carrying on religious worship and services, according to his ability in a wilderness country, shall be entitled to one whole right, or share, in said Purchase, and to such other privilege and encouragement as others whom he goes to serve are entitled ; and it is further recom- miended, to the settlers whom he goes to serve, to provide him sustenance with theniselves, according to their ability.
"Voted, That the thanks of this Company be returned to Mr. William Ledlie for his kind services to our friends [of ] the 'First Forty' while at Easton under arrest ; and, as a testimony of their grateful sense of his humanity and kindness aforesaid, that he be en- titled to one whole right, or share, with us in the Susquehanna Purchase.
"Voted, That Eliphalet Dyer, Samuel Talcott and Jedidiah Elderkin, or either two of them, be appointed to go, with proper attendants, to Philadelphia and thence to the Court at Easton (by the beginning of June next) to look after the interests of the Company in the Courts there, and to defend the prosecution commenced against sundry of our 'First Forty' who proceeded to settle our lands last Winter ; and that Colonel Tal- cott be one of the Standing [or Executive] Committee in the room of John Smith, Esq., t released."
The Company further resolved at this meeting that "fifty barrels of pork be procured by Samuel Gray, Esq., and Mr. Gershom Breed for the use of the settlers," and that there be raised two dollars on each right held in the Purchase, to be paid to Treasurer George Wyllys, Esq., to defray the charges of the Company ; "and that for the saine purpose there be sold one hundred rights at £12 per right-thirty of which [shall be sold] by the Committee of Settlers, twenty by Mr. Ebenezer Backus (all to be sold in the back parts of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania) and six by Ephraim Bowen, Esq., of Providence."
The committee of the Company charged with the duty of approv- ing and enrolling those who desired to constitute the body of 200 set- tlers (see page 466), having gone about their work diligently, with little difficulty soon secured more than the desired number of men. As leader and commander of these settlers in their march to Wyoming Maj. John Durkeet of Norwich, New London County, was selected. He was at that time a Justice of the Peace by appointment of the General Assembly,
$ Capt. OBADIAH GORE, of Norwich, Connecticut.
+ Mr. Smith purposed going to Wyoming with the 200 settlers who were soon to set out, and he had already been chosen a member of the Directing Committee or "Committee of Settlers." Hence his release from the Standing Committee.
# JOHN DURKEE, the founder and namer of WILKES-BARRE ! His daring and praiseworthy deeds as a patriotic, liberty-loving citizen, his able and brilliant services as an officer in the Colonial wars, as well as during the Revolutionary War, and his hardships and sufferings as the brave and judicious leader of the Wyoming settlers of 1769-'72 have been either unknown to or overlooked by every writer of Wyoming history hitherto ! Sixty years ago, or more, Charles Miner, in making some brief references ("History of Wyo- ming," Appendix, page 19) to the Durkee family, wrote : "So far as our knowledge extends the name in Wyoming has ceased to exist but in remembrance." To-day the name of JOHN DURKEE, instead of being fixed in the memories of all Wilkes-Barreans, is only an unknown quantity ! Perhaps this is largely due to these reasons : He never visited Wyoming Valley after the year 1774 ; he died more than 120 years ago and none of his descendants has ever lived here. In the absence from this locality, therefore, of any who, it is presumed, could or would have taken steps to preserve the name and a recollection of the services of JOHN DURKEE, our early writers passed him on to posterity with not much more than the mere mention of his name.
The surname "Durkee" seems to have been generally pronounced in early days as if spelled Durgee ("g" having the hard sound), and often-even as late as 1774-it was frequently spelled, by others than members of the family, in the latter form. John Durkee-the first of this surname of whom the present writer has any information-was born at Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1664. Prior to 1700 he removed to Gloucester in the same Province. He was married (Ist) to Elizabeth - -, who died September 23, 1711 ; and (2d) December 12, 1713, to Hannah Bennet of Manchester, Massachusetts. He was a Deacon in the Church. About 1720 he removed with his family to the town of Norwich, New London County, Connecti- cut, where he lived until his death, September 11, 1739, at about the age of seventy-five years. He left a large estate. By his two wives "Deacon" John Durkee had fourteen children1. His eldest son, John Dur- kee, Jr., was born at Ipswich, Massachusetts, November 23, 1689, and removed with his father's family to Gloucester and thence, about 1720, to the parish of West Farms, in the town of Norwich, Connecticut. In
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1735 he was elected Deacon of the West Farms Church. itis wife Mary died December 15, 1732, and in 1738 he was married (2d) to Hannah Adgate. In 1746 he was still living in the town of Norwich, and in certain deeds was denominated a "husbandman."
Thomas Durkee and Jeremiah Durkee were two other sons of "Deacon" John Durkee, Sr. They were horn in Massachusetts, and both died in Norwich-the one December 26, 1724, and the other January 5, 1725. Another son was Robert Durkee, Ist, who was married at Windham April 27, 1738, to Esther Warren ; while still another son was Andrew Durkee, Ist, who lived in Pomfret, Windham County. In May, 1762, he was dead, being survived by his wife Mary.
William Durkee, fifth child of "Deacon" John and Elizabeth Durkee, was born at Gloucester, Massa- chusetts. January 30, 1700. He removed to Norwich with his father, and a few years later settled in the town of Windham, where he lived until his death. He, like his father and eldest brother, became a Deacon in the Church. He was married (1st) March 8, 1726, to Susannah Sabin, who bore him four children, and died February 8, 1735. "Deacon" William Durkee was married (2d) August 5, 1735, to Elizabeth Ford, who bore him nine children. He died at Windham March 17, 1753, leaving an estate which was inven- toried at £880, 15s. 10d. His widow Elizabeth was subsequently married to Jacob Woodward, and died at Windham March 26, 1757. The second child of "Deacon" William and Susannah (Sabin) Durkee was JOHN DURKEE, the subject of this sketch, and their third child was Mehetabel Durkee (born February 14, 1731), who, prior to 1754, became the wife of James Bidlack of Canterbury, Windham County, Connecti- cut-a sketch of whose life will be found in a subsequent chapter. The third child of "Deacon" William Durkee and his second wife, Elizabeth Ford, was Sarah Durkee, born August 27, 1739, at Windham, and married there November 22, 1751, to her cousin Robert Durkee, 2d, mentioned hereinafter.
Stephen Durkee, the eighth child of "Deacon" John Durkee, Sr., and his first wife, Elizabeth, was born at Gloucester, Massachusetts, June 9, 1706. About 1725 or '26 he settled in the town of Windham, Connecticut, where he was married March 19, 1730, to Lois Multon, who bore him nine children. Their third child was Robert Durkee, 2d (born November 26, 1733 ; killed at Wyoming July 3, 1778), who, as noted above, was married to his cousin Sarah. A sketch of his life will be found in a subsequent chapter. The fourth child of Stephen and Lois ( Multon) Durkee was Andrew Durkee, born November 24, 1737. He was married January 28, 1762, to Mary Benjamin, and their third child, born July 25, 1768, was named Wilkes Durkee. Stephen Durkee died at Windham August 18, 1769.
JOHN DURKEE, second child of "Deacon" William and Susannah (Sabin) Durkee, was born at Wind- ham, Connecticut, December 11, 1728. About 1750 he removed to Norwich, where he was married January 3, 1753, to Martha Wood of that town. Miss Frances M. Caulkins, in her "History of Norwich" ( Edition of 1866, page 421), says : "Could the life of this able and valiant soldier [John Durkee] be written in detail, it would form a work of uncommon interest. Only the outlines can now be recovered, but they are of a nature that indicates a career full of adventure and a character deeply imbued with patriotic resolution. He kept an inn, cultivated a farm and was often engaged in public business."
Of the doings of John Durkee before he reached the twenty-eighth year of his life we have been unable to learn anything-except as to liis removal to Norwich and his marriage, previously referred to. His entrance upon the stage of public action was made in 1756, as a soldier. As noted on page 297 war was formally declared against France by England in May, 1756, although hostilities had been begun and disas- trous battles had been fonght months before that time. In March, 1756, Col. George Washington had twice passed through New London County, Connecticut, going to and returning from Boston on military business. In the same month Joshua Abell and John Durkee of Norwich were appointed by the General Assembly of Connecticut, and duly commissioned, Captain and Second Lieutenant, respectively, of the 4th Company of the 2d Connecticut Regiment, raised for service under the Earl of Loudoun against Canada. The Earl had come over to America early in 1756 to take charge of the war for the English. "But." say historians, "he did nothing effective." Says Woodrow Wilson ("History of the American People," II : 90): "The Government at home sent reinforcements, but nothing was done with them that counted for success. 'I dread to hear from America "' exclaimed Pitt." Expeditions against Canada formed a marked feature of the Colonial history of New England. Those enterprises were constantly recurring and con- suming the strength and treasure of the country, without any compensation.
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