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. II > Part 19
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* Fort Wyoming.
t It was not iu 1771, but 1772.
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the collections of the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society- reads as follows :
"YE LIST OF SETTLERS IN YE TOWN OF WILKSBARRE IN YE YEAR 1771." "[1] A list of ye persons that was here in ye Seige [that] belongs to Wilks Barre. [N. B. The numbers affixed to the names refer to the lots in the town-plot. See page 655.]
Jabez Fish,
No. 13.
George Minor, *
No. 40.
William Warner,
= 43. Aaron Wilder,
8.
Daniel Gore,
20. Reuben Farnum,
39.
Peregreen Gardner,
= 36. Isaac Bennit,
19.
Silas Gore,
27. Peabody Moseley,
11.
John Frazier, on Jones' Right,
10. Jonathan Downing,
41.
Jonathan Weeks,
" 15. Stephen Fuller,
16.
Robert Hopkins, 18.
Levi Farnum,
" 28.
Thomas Fish, No. 21.
"[2] .A List of ye persons admitted into ye town above sd ye 24th of Sept., who
were in ye seige : Thomas Weeks,
John Smith,
Asahel Atherton,
Timothy Peirce, on
Eleazar Carey,
Richard Cook, t
James Sloat,
Jordan Hopson,
James Bigger,
Christopher Reynolds,
George Kintnor,
Roasel Franklin,
Brink Van Orman,
John Staples,
Michael Rood,
Peregrine Gardner, [Jr .? ]
Obadiah Gore, Jr.,
William Crofford,
Cornelius Vinson [Vincent],
Moses Utter.
"[3] The persons undernamed were admitted in ye above town since ye 24 of Sep! Thomas Stephens, Cyprian Hibbard, Asa Stevens.
Crocker Jones, Caleb Spencer, "Total, 41."
Upon comparing the names in the first section of the foregoing list with the list on page 662 we find that John Frazier, Peabody Moseley and Jonathan Downing were, without doubt, admitted as proprietor- settlers in Wilkes-Barre between June 29, 1770, and January, 1771. Only fourteen of the men named in the list on page 662 having taken part (together with Messrs. Frazier, Moseley and Downing) in the siege and capture of Fort Wyoming, it would appear that the rights of the remaining proprietors in the township were considered as having been forfeited, and their places were filled by the men whose names appear in the second and third sections of the list on this page.
The following is a copy of the original minutes of a meeting held at Fort Wyoming on the last day of September.
"Wilksbury, Septy 30th, 1771. This meeting is opened & Held by an adjornment, &c. "Voted-m! William Park undertakes to thrash out all ye English grain Now In ye fields-Rye and Wheat-and to take every seventh Bushel for his Thrashing, &c.
"Voted-that Cap! Butler, Capt Stewart & Capt Gore Is appointed as a Comtee to Lott out all ye corn Now standing at Wyoming to the persons now on ye Ground that will undertake to gather & stack ye same and Bring it in to ye fort and crib up ye same, &c. "Voted, That what grain each man shall soe shall be his own to Reap ye Next year for his own private Property-Lett it be on his own Land or on any other mans Lott, &c. "Voted, that Doct. Joseph Spraguet shall Have a settling Right In one of ye five towns.
"Voted, that No person that is admitted in as a settler shall go Home or absent himself without Liberty of ye Comtee -if they Do they shall forfitt their settling Right. "this meeting is adjorned untill Fryday ye 4th Day of october next at six a Clock in ye morning at this place."
On October 4th the settlers assembled in town-meeting, but, with- out transacting any business, adjourned till Saturday, October 12th, at six o'clock in the morning-which seems to have been the favorite hour here, in those days, for holding town-meetings; presumably in order that the settlers might attend to the public affairs of the community be-
* This was GEORGE MINARD, who in 1787 was living at either Manville, or Montville, Connecticut.
t In all probability intended for Reuben Cook, Richard Cook having been killed during the siege of Fort Wyoming.
¿ See page 721.
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fore repairing to their usual daily vocations, which they desired to pur- sue without interruption. In this latitude, at the middle of October, sunrise does not occur until after six o'clock.
The following is a copy of the minutes of the meeting referred to. "Att a meeting Legally warned and Held In Wilksbury october 12th 1771 Capt Butler was chosen moderator for ye work of ye Day.
"Voted, that John Dougherty, Peter mathews, John White, William young, David young, Thomas Robinson, John McDaniel, William Vallentine, Asa Lyon, William Buck, John Depew, Levi Green are to be stationed on ye west side of ye River in ye Block House with Capt Stewart.
"Voted-that Atherton's Family, Adsel's [Hedsall's, or Hadsell's] Family & Anguish & his family is to Have ye Liberty to Live on ye west side of ye River provided they move to ye Block House with Capt Stewart.
"Voted-that all ye Persons that are Not stationed in ye Blockhouse on ye west side of ye River & in ye Blockhouse at ye mills* is to move in to ye fort at this Place.
"Voted-that David Sanford & William Vallentine is to Have a settling Rite In one of ye towns Now laid out &c.
"Voted-that ye Comtee shall Dispose of ye Pennemites cows to such Persons as they think Proper.
"Voted-that this meeting is adjorned untill Fryday ye 18th Day of this Instant october at 7 a Clock in ye forenoon at this place."
At the meeting on October 18th Obadiah Gore, Jr., was "appointed and chosen Clerk to the Company," to serve during the absence of Ezekiel Peirce, who, on that day, set out for his home in Connecticut.t At a meeting held on October 23d by adjournment it was "Voted, That Lieut. Gaylord, Capt. Follett and Capt. Gore Be a Committee to Treat with Mr. Atherton about the corn that he harvestd, and make their re- turn at the next meeting." At an adjourned meeting held October 28th it was "Voted-that this Company takes 45 Baskets of Corn that the Athertons have raised, and except that in Full for their part of sd corn. Voted-that every one that has brought up corn [to the fort] shall bring an account of the Number of bushels to Capt. Butler this evening."
In Volume II of the original "Westmoreland Land Records," referred to on pages 26 and 28, ante, there is recorded "A list of Settlers on Susquehannah 5th Sept. 1771." In April, 1885, the present writer ex- amined that list and extracted from it a few of the 104 names composing it; but recently, when he desired to make a complete copy of the list for insertion in this history, the person now having in possession the public record-book mentioned would not allow it to be seen or examined by this writer or any other person. However, among the collections of the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society there is an original doc- ument (in the handwriting of Zebulon Butler) entitled : "List of Set- tlers on Susquhannah River, October, 1771." This list, which was pre- prepared by Zebulon Butler, Lazarus Stewart and John Smith of the Committee of Settlers, contains 121 names-including those of the Committee-and the following is a careful copy of the same. In most instances the date affixed to a name indicates the time of the arrival at Wilkes-Barré of that particular person.
"Atherton, James -Home 22d.
Brokaw, John
Bennet, Thomas
Atherton, Asel
Belden, Ezra
Carey, Eleazar-24th Oct.
Baker, John-Home 12th.
Crofford, William
Beech, Amos -Home 17-30 Oct.
Brown, David
Bates, Caleb-4th Oct.
Home 11th. Ret. Dec. 15.
Comstock, John Cook, Reuben -- Home 19th. Crooker, Joseph
* At Mill Creek.
t See his name in the list on page 715.
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Atherton, James-Jr. -Home 22d. Anguish, Jacob Bennet, Isaac
Buck, William-Lieut.
-Home 19th. Ret. Dec. 15th. Bennet, Joshua-23d Oct.
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Cole, Leonard -Home 19th. Ret. Dec. 15. Colegrove, Jeremiah -4 Oct. Home 11. Cockran, Andrew-23 Oct., Wm. Reynolds' Right. Cary, Barnabas-24 Oct. Carey, Eleazar-Jr .- 24 Oct. Cary, John-24 Oct. Depew, John Dorrance, John Dougherty, John Dixon, Robert-31 Oct. Follet, Benjamin-Capt. Fish, Elisha Fish, Jabez Fenton, William Fuller, Stephen Farnum, Levi Feezler, Henry
-Home 25 Oct.
Feezler, Jacob
French, Thomas-21 Oct.
French, Arthur - 25 Oct. Frazier, John-27 Oct. Green, Levi
Gardner, Peregreen
Goes, Philip -Home 18th. Ret. Dec. 20.
Gore, Daniel
-Home 19th. Ret. Dec. 15. Gore, Obadiah-Jr.
Gore, Asa
Goss, Nathaniel
Gaylord, Samuel-Lieut. Gore, Silas
Gore, Obadiah-Capt.
Gordon, Thomas-28 Oct. Hopkins, Robert
Hopson, Jordan Hopkins, Timothy -Home 25. Hotchkiss, Samuel Hibbard, Ebenezer -Went away 17. Hedsall, James Hickman, Andrew-2d Oct. Hawkins, William-24 Oct. Johnson, Edward -Home 19th. Ret. Dec. 15. Jones, Crocker -Went home 11th.
Reynolds, Christopher Roberson, Thomas Stark, Aaron-23 Oct. Sprague, Joseph Satterly, William-Away 1. Smith, Timothy Smith, Abel-Went away 11. Returned Dec. 15.
Stewart, Lazarus-Jr. Stephens, John Stephens, Eliphalet -Home 29th. St. John, Daniel Sanford, David-4 Oct.
Staples, John-23 Oct.
Sawyer, John-23 Oct.
Stewart, William Silsberry, Elijah-27 Oct.
Terry, Parshal-Jr.
Vincent, Cornelius
Vincent, Isaac
Vannorman, Brink
Valentine, William -7 Oct. to 27.
Wilder, Aaron Woodward, Richard
White, John
Walworth, Thomas
Warner, William
Weeks, Philip Williams, William-23 Oct.
West, Richard-24 Oct.
Weeks, Jonathan-27 Oct.
Young, William
Yale, Enos
Yale, Ozias -Home 26th for 25 days. Young. David Yates, John-DDD. 18."
In an original "List of Settlers on the Susquehannah, December, 1771," made up by Zebulon Butler and Stephen Fuller, and now in the possession of the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society, are the following nineteen names which do not appear in the foregoing list for September. Zebulon Butler is marked as having gone home on Decem- ber 18th.
"Allen, Daniel-Dec. 1st. Buck, Philip -- 28th. Clark, Benjamin-15th. Eveland, Frederick-15th.
Harding, Stephen Heffelfinger, Henry
-Home 18th.
Willcox, Eason
Weeks, Jesse-Home 10th.
Forgason, John
Phillips, Frank-15th.
West, Eleazar-Dec. 1st.
Gore, Samuel-15th.
Perkins, John-15th.
Yale, Stephen -Home 13th."
At last the Wyoming settlement under the auspices of The Susque- hanna Company was beginning to flourish ; new settlers-men, women and children-from Connecticut and elsewhere were coming to the val- ley nearly every week; town-meetings were being frequently held at Fort Wyoming, Wilkes-Barre, by the qualified "proprietors" of the whole
*This was Timothy Pearce originally of Pawling Valley, or Pawling's Precinct, Dutchess County, New York. He was a descendant of Nathan Pearce, Sr., who settled in Pawling about 1760. He traced his origin to John Pearce, a Welshman. who immigrated to America about 1600. At "Pawling's Pre- cinct," under date of September 8, 1771, James Starke wrote to "Captain Butler at Wilksborough on Susquehannah" as follows (see original letter in the possession of the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society): * * "I have hired the bearer hereof, Timothy Pearce, to go on the same right for two months. * * At the end of two months I will come and take possession of it myself.'
As shown by the memorandum made opposite the name of Timothy Pearce in the foregoing list. he arrived at Wilkes-Barre October 31, 1771. Subsequently he became an inhabitant of Pittston Township, and was residing there in 1776, 77 and '78, as is shown by the tax-lists for those years. Immediately after the battle of Wyoming he made his way back to Pawling.
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Johnson, Hendrick - Home 19th. Kentnor, George Lyon, Asa Lake, Thomas-23 Oct.
McDonnor, John Minard, George McClure, Thomas Marvin, David-Capt. Marvin, Matthew Matthews, Peter
Nelson, Martin Nisbitt, James Nisbitt, Samuel Osburn, John
Osburn, Jacob-27 Oct.
Peirce, Ezekiel-Maj.
-Home 18th.
Parks, William Pettibone, Noah -Home 26th for 20 days. Phillips, Nicholas Post, Stephen
Peirce, Timothy Pearce, Timothy-Jr .* -31 Oct.
Hollenback, Matthew-9th.
Ross, Daniel-15th.
Utter, Abraham
Utter, Moses
Hopkins, William-15th.
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settlement, at which affairs of common interest and public good were discussed and acted upon. In every respect the people showed that they were competent to defend themselves, and their footing seemed securely established. In the meantime, what were the Pennamites doing ? Let us betake ourselves to Philadelphia and learn.
October 4, 1771, President Hamilton transmitted to Governor Trumbull of Connecticut copies of the Articles of Capitulation of Fort Wyoming and of the depositions of Colonel Clayton and Captain Mor- ris, previously mentioned, and at the same time wrote a vigorous letter relative to "the disturbances and violent proceedings" of The Susque- hanna Company, "who have associated to themselves some of the most abandoned and profligate of our [Pennsylvania] people, such as are ac- cused, and indeed stand indicted, of capital crimes here." Continuing, President Hamilton wrote* :
"As the people concerned in these violent and even hostile measures, profess to act under the authority of your Government, and have made a capitulation expressly on be- half of the Government, I have thought it proper and expedient to send a messenger to your Honor, on purpose to know with certainty whether they have proceeded in any sort under your countenance or authority, or that of your Assembly." *
Connecticut had not yet "asserted its title" to the Wyoming region, and consequently Governor Trumbull cautiously replied to President Hamilton on October 14, 1771, as followst :
"The persons concerned in these Transactions have no order and directions from me, or from the General Assembly, for their proceedings upon this occasion ; and I am very confident that the Assembly will never countenance any violent, much less hostile, measures in vindicating the right which The Susquehanna Company suppose they have to the lands in that part of the country, within the limits of the Charter of this Colony. * * You will see that * * the claimants under that Company *
* complain that they were first attacked and ill treated by the people of your Province, when they meant only a peaceable possession of the lands they claim a title to, and wished to vindicate that title in due course of law." * *
At Philadelphia, October 8, 1771, the Provincial Council addressed to the Hon. Thomas Penn and John Penn, Esq., the following com- municationț :
"In our letter of August 20th we acquainted you of the unfavorable situation of your affairs at Wyoming, and that we had an intention of laying the matters before the Assembly, in hopes of their assistance. We did so, and now inclose you copies of our message and their answer ; by which you will perceive the uncertainty of succeeding in our application. We have despatched a messenger to the Governor of Connecticut to know whether that Government have given any countenance or authority to the proceed- ings of their people at Wyoming. If they should deny that they act under the authority of Government (as we conceive they will), it is thought it may favor the application we intend to make to the approaching Assembly. If they should avow their proceedings, it may be a proper foundation for an application at home. ¿ Our intelligence from Wyo- ming is that their numbers have not increased, as expected ; that there is a disagreement between the New Englandmen and [Lazarus] Stewart's party, and that they are not preparing for a crop of Winter grain. From a view of what is past, we think it highly probable that nothing but the interposition of the King and Council can put an end to this troublesome and expensive business."
July 15, 1771, Richard Penn (mentioned in the note on page 560, Vol. I) was commissioned Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, and some weeks later he set sail from England for Philadelphia, where he arrived about the 14th of October. On the 16th of October his com- mission was read in public and he assumed the office to which he had been appointed. The next day he issued a proclamation announcing his appointment, etc., to the office of Lieutenant Governor, and setting
* See "Pennsylvania Colonial Records," IX : 777. t See ibid .. X : 3.
For the original, see "No. 185" of the "Penn Manuscripts," previously described.
¿ To the King and his Council.
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forth that the Hon. Thomas Penn and John Penn, Esq., were "the true and absolute Proprietaries and Governors-in-Chief of the Province." On the following day he sent to the General Assembly an address, in which he recommended the adoption of measures for the suppression of "the riotous settlers at Wyoming." He said, among other things* :
"I am sorry to be under the necessity at my first arrival among you to apply for your assistance. * * * It is a matter of public notoriety that those daring offenders Lazarus Stewart and his accomplices, with a number of adherents, expelled our people from their settlements at Wyoming. *
* It is more than probable that, encouraged by their late success, they may extend their possessions to other parts of the Province."
From the Pennsylvania Packet, published at Philadelphia, Monday, November 4, 1771, we glean the following :
"An Oyer and Terminer was held in this city on Monday last [October 28th], when an indictment was read against WILLIAM SPEEDY, for the murder of Captain Ogden.t The counsellors for the King were Andrew Allen and James Tilghman, Esquires. Those for the defendant were John Rosst and Edward Biddle (of Reading), Esquires. The examination and pleas lasted until nearly six o'clock in the evening, when the jury retired and in half an hour returned with their verdict, 'Not guilty.' Their Honors, the Judges, then passed sentence upon the culprit, to wit : That he should give security in £1,000 for his good behavior for a year-himself, in £500, and two free- holders in £250 each."
Speedy procured bail in due time and was set at liberty, but in- stead of repairing to Wyoming he returned to the West Branch of the Susquehanna (whence he had come to Wilkes-Barre in 1770), and there we shall meet him again before we reach the end of this chapter.
On page 1,054 of "The Town Book of Wilkes Barre" mentioned on page 27, ante) we find the following original minutes of a town-meeting held at Fort Wyoming.
"Att a meeting of ye Inhabitants of ye townships at wyoming in wilksbury Legally warned & Held December 7th, 1771-Capt. Zebn Butler was chosen Moderator for this meeting.
"Voted, That this company is to take in settlers on ye following considerations : That those that take up a settling Right in Lackawanas shall pay to this company Forty Dollars, and those that take a Right in Wilksbury or Plymouth shall pay Fifty Dollars ; & those that take a right in Kingstown|| shall pay 60 dollars-all for ye use of this Com- pany. Ye above dollars not to be paid untill it is determined that ye land belongs to ye Susquehannah Purchasers, and ye money to be on interest from ye first day of July next till paid.
"Voted, That Capt. Butler and Capt. Fuller is appointed by this Compy a Comtee to take bonds, in ye behalf of the Compy , of those settlers that shall be admitted, &c."
At a town-meeting held December 17, 1771,T it was "Voted, That Joseph Sprague, ** John Frazier, Timothy Pearce, Jr., tt Stephen Hard- ing, Caleb Bates * * [and others named] have each a settling right in ye township of Lackaworna. That Capt. Stephen Fullertt be ad-
* See "Pennsylvania Colonial Records," X : 2. t See pages 679 and 682.
# Of Easton, Pennsylvania. Admitted to the Bar of Luzerne County as a non-resident attorney about 1797. See Chapter XXXII.
§ Lackawanna Township, mentioned on this page and on page 677, was the original name of Pitts- town (later Pittston) Township. It seems to have borne the name "Lackawanna" from 1769 till late in the Spring of 1772.
! This is the first time, either in the records of The Susquehanna Company or of the settlers at Wyo- ming, that the name "Kingstown" is applied to the township in question. Previously it is always referred to as "The Forty Township."
{ See page 1,065 of "The Town Book of Wilkes Barre"-previously mentioned.
** May 27, 1772, Joseph Sprague (then of Wilkes-Barre) conveyed to Jeremiah Blanchard of Coventry, Kent County, Rhode Island, for £50, his settling right in "the township of Lackawanna, so called." May 80, 1772, Barnabas Cary, of Lackawanna Township, conveyed "ye 8th Meadow Lot in Lackawanna Town- ship" to Jeremiah Blanchard.
tt See note on page 715.
# STEPHEN FULLER, (JR.), the son of Stephen Fuller, Sr., was born about 1716 in the north-eastern section of the town of Windham, then in Hartford, but later in Windham, County, Connecticut ; which section (including what was known as "Windham Village." as distinguished from "Windham Green," mentioned on page 249, Vol. 1) was erected about the year 1717 into the parish of Canada, and in 1786 into that of Hampton. From May, 1750, to May, 1762, Stephen Fuller, Sr., was annually appointed and com- missioned by the General Assembly of Connecticut one of the Justices of the Peace in and for the county of Windham. In May, 1789, Stephen Fuller, Jr., was established and commissioned by the General As-
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mitted [permitted?] to purchase a settling right in ye township 40, provided he puts on an Able bodyed man on said right and doe duty equal to ye rest of ye setlers, &c." The same action was taken with reference to Capt. Caleb Bates.
The following is a verbatim copy of the minutes of a town-meeting recorded on page 1,056 of "The Town Book of Wilkes Barre," previ- ously mentioned.
"Att a meeting of ye Inhabitants Now att wyoming Legally warned and Held in Wilksbury January ye 13th 1772-Capt. Fuller was chosen moderator for sd. meeting &c. Mr. John Perkins was chosen Clerk &c. Voted, That their shall be Built a good Block house at ye East end of ye fort for ye guard to keep in and to place ye cannon in. Voted, That Capt. Fuller, Capt. Bates, Timothy Smith, Danl. Gore & Mr. Allen are appointed as overseers to see sd. House is Built according to sd. vote of ye Company. Voted, That Timothy Smith* is added in as a Comtee man with Capt. Butler & Capt. Fuller to admit
sembly Ensign of the 3d Company, or Train-band. of the militia in the town of Windham ; and in May. 1749, he was appointed and commissioned Captain of the same company. Captain Fuller was one of the grantees named in the Indian deed of July, 1754 (see page 272, Vol. I), being the owner of one right in the Susquehanna Purchase. January 6, 1782, he sold half of that right to his brother-in-law, Joseph Abbott of Pomfret, Connecticut. Captain Fuller came to Wyoming in May, 1769, in the company of settlers led by Major Durkee-as described on page 487-and he seems to have been, from the first, a man of importance and influence among his fellow settlers, and his name is mentioned frequently in these pages.
Having been admitted a proprietor in the township of Wilkes-Barre Captain Fuller drew Lot No. 16 in the town-plot in June, 1770 (see page 082, ante), and at the same time, or later, he drew Lot No. 1] in the "First Division, or Meadow, Lots, "Lot No. 20 in the "Third Division, or Back, Lots," and Lot No. 10 in the "Fourth Division, or Five-Acre, Lots." In 1778 he acquired from Thomas Weeks Lot No. 17 in the town-plot and from Solomon Avery Meadow Lot No. 12-which last-mentioned lot Captain Fuller "manned by his son John Fuller, agreeably to the regulations of The Susquehanna Company." . February 24. 1774, Captain Fuller conveyed to his daughter Abigail ( Fuller) Bidlack, "in consideration of natural love and affection," Lot No. 17 in the town-plot. (December 15, 1797, Mrs. Bidlack-then the wife of Col. John Franklin-conveyed this lot to Nathan Palmer.) June 15, 1782, Captain Fuller conveyed thirty-two square perches of Lot No. 16, at its southern corner, to Messrs. Matthias Hollenback and John Hageman, and two months later he conveyed the remainder of the lot to his son John Fuller. . In 1787 Matthias Hollen- back acquired the title to the whole lot, by purchasing the respective interests of John Hageman and John Fuller. Captain Fuller also owned lands in Plymouth, originally drawn by him as one of the pro- prietors of that township. These lands, aggregating about 270 acres, with some improvements, he sold April 12, 1780, for £1,500 to Benjamin Harvey. the present writer's great-great-grandfather. In October, 1775, Stephen Fuller was appointed and commissioned Captain of the First, or Lower, Wilkes-Barre Com- pany in the 24th Regiment, Connecticut Militia. (See Chapter XII.) He was in Wyoming in July, 1778. and undoubtedly took part in the battle of Wyoming. (See, in Chapter XVI, his name in the list of militia under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Butler.) In 1780 and 1781 Captain Fuller was the heaviest tax- payer in the town of Westmoreland.
Capt. Stephen Fuller was married in Canada parish, in the town of Windham, October 17, 1751, to Mary (born July 6, 1782), second daughter and fifth child of Philip and Abigail ( Bickford) Abbott of Wind- ham. (For a sketch of the Abbott family see page 721.) About 1788 or '84 Captain Fuller and his wife and other members of their family removed to Sheshequin-then in Tioga Township, Luzerne County. and now in Athens Township, Bradford County-Pennsylvania, where Mrs. Fuller died May 5, 1808. Captain Fuller died at Athens (formerly Tioga Point) in the Spring of 1818.
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