A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from its first beginnings to the present time; including chapters of newly-discovered, Vol. II, Part 72

Author: Harvey, Oscar Jewell, 1851- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Wilkes-Barre [Raeder press]
Number of Pages: 683

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 72

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Under the date of July 4, 1786, Col. John Franklin, a member of the "Standing", or Executive, Committee of The Susquehanna Company, issued to Captain Spalding, as a "half-share-man", three certificates (Nos. 278, 282 and 283) entitling him to as many "half-rights" in the Susquehanna Pur- chase, under the vote passed by the Company July 18, 1785. (See a subsequent chapter for a full account of this "half-right" scheme.) These certificates were immediately "entered" in the proposed township of Ulster, which was subsequently surveyed and laid out (so as to include the lands upon which Captain Spalding was then located) as mentioned on page 834.

In May, 1788, Simon Spalding was elected, and subsequently commissioned, Lieutenant Colonel of the "Upper Battalion" of Pennsylvania militia in Luzerne County, and in 1793 he was appointed and commissioned by Governor Mifflin Brigadier General in the militia. This office he held until April, 1799, when he resigned and was succeeded by Lord Butler of Wilkes-Barre. In 1791 and again in 1792 he was elected the Representative from Luzerne County to the Pennsylvania Legislature. In 1797 he was one of the founders of the Academy at Tioga Point, now Athens. He was a member of the Connecti- cut State Society of the Cincinnati. He was made a Free Mason in Newtown Lodge, New York, but upon the constitution of Rural Amity Lodge, No. 70, F. and A. M., at Tioga Point, May 21, 1798, under a warrant granted by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania July 6, 1796, he became a member of that Lodge. Charles Miner describes General Spalding as having been "a large man of imposing and pleasing appearance", and prints the following encomium from Col. Joseph Kingsbury, the General's son-in-law: "General Spalding was a man calculated to gain the love and esteem even of a savage. A better hearted man I was never acquainted with. He had a peculiar tact in pleasing the redskins". He seems to have been "brave, and a friend to all mankind" -- as the inscription on his tombstone states. He died at Sheshequin January 24, 1814, his wife having died there October 1, 1806.

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Second Lieutenant, Phineas Peirce ;* Sergeants, Thomas Baldwin, Pere- grine Gardner, John Hutchinson, Thomas McClure, Thomas Neill, Thomas Williams and - Whitman; Corporals, Benjamin Clark, Jere- miah Coleman, Jr., and Azel Hyde; Privates, Mason F. Alden, Amos Amesbury, - Austin, James Bagley, Waterman Baldwin, Isaac Ben- jamin, Charles Bennett, Oliver Bennet, Rufus Bennet, David Brown, James Brown, Jr., Moses Brown, Asa Burnham, John Carey, William Carroll, Gideon Church, John or Joel Church, Nathaniel Church, Benja- min Cole, Benjamin Cole, Jr., - Colton, William Conover, William Cornelius, David Crouch, Daniel Denton, Nathaniel Evans, Frederick Eveland, Frederick Follett, William French, John Franklin, Elisha Garrett, Ambrose Gaylord, Justus Gaylord, Jr., John Halstead, Richard Halstead, Henry Harding, Israel Harding, Timothy Hopkins, Lawrence Kinney, William Kellogg, Jr., Rufus Lawrence, Elisha Matthewson, William McClure, John Neal, Thomas Parks, Josiah Pell, Nehemiah Patterson, Thomas Pickett, John Peirce (killed in the battle of Wyo- ming), Thomas Porter, George Palmer Ransom, Elisha Satterlee, Con- stant Searle, Jr., Shadrack Sill, Stephen Skiff, Asa Smith, Isaac Smith, Jr., James Smith, William Smith, James Stark, Jr., John Stark, Nathan Stark, Ifa Stephens, Roswell Stephens, Stephen Still, John Swift, William Terry, Samuel Tubbs, Ephraim Tyler, - Underwood, Elijah Walker, Obadiah Walker, James Wells, Jr., Nathaniel Williams, Richard Woodcock, John Worden.

Colonel Butler returned to Wilkes-Barre from his flying visit to the Board of War at York about the same time that Colonel Denison arrived home from Hartford, and steps were immediately taken by these two offi- cers-aided by various officers of the 24th Regiment, and by the civil authorities of Westmoreland-to make the best preparations possible in the circumstances to defend the inhabitants of Wyoming Valley against an incursion from their savage and worse than savage foes. Everywhere there was bustle and anxiety. It was expected that an attack would cer-

Gen. Simon and Ruth (Shepard) Spalding were the parents of the following-named children: (i) Sarah, born January 31, 1763; married at Wilkes-Barre, June 22, 1781, to Joseph Kinney (born at Plainfield, Connecticut, in 1755; was a soldier in the Revolutionary War; was a Free Mason; was for a short time in 1788 and '89 one of the Judges of the Luzerne County Courts; he died at Sheshequin June 3, 1841). Mrs. Sarah (Spalding) Kinney, having borne her husband seven daughters and four sons, died at Sheshequin June 9, 1840. (ii) John, born November 14, 1765; was a fifer in his father's company for a time, and accompanied him on the Sullivan expedition; later he took an active part in the Pennsylvania State militia, and in 1788 was elected and commissioned Captain of the Sheshequin company; some years subsequently he was commissioned Colonel; for several years about 1799 he kept a tavern at Sheshequin; he was a member of Rural Amity Lodge, No. 70, F. and A. M .; he was mar- ried October 1, 1783, to Welthea Ann Gore (mentioned on page 835), who bore him eleven sons and three daughters. Colonel Spalding died January 19, 1828, and his wife died January 2, 1854. Rebecca, born December 16, 1773; married at Sheshequin August 23, 1789, to William Witter Spalding (born at Plainfield, Connecticut, November 18, 1767), and some years later they removed to Genesee, New York, where she died in April, 1813; he died at Wysox, Pennsylvania, October 16, 1845. William W. and Rebecca (Spalding) Spalding were the parents of five sons and five daughters. (iv) Mary, born July 20, 1776; married at Sheshequin March 14, 1792, to the Rev. Moses Park (born at Preston, Con- necticut, August 1, 1766; settled in Sheshequin soon after 1785; in 1797 removed to the State of Ohio; in 1801 returned to Pennsylvania and settled at Athens, where he died May 30, 1817; he was a member of Rural Amity Lodge, No. 70, F. and A. M.). Mrs. Mary (Spalding) Park bore her husband five daughters and six sons. She died May 2, 1842. (v) Anna, born April 21, 1779; married at Sheshequin February 1, 1797, to Joseph Kingsbury (born at Enfield, Connecticut, May 19, 1774; settled in Sheshe- quin in 1798 as a land-surveyor; for many years was postmaster at Sheshequin and a Colonel in the State militia; was for eighteen years Worshipful Master of Rural Amity Lodge, No. 70, F. and A. M .; died January 22, 1849). Mrs. Anna (Spalding) Kingsbury bore her husband five daughters and five sons. She died at Sheshequin September 18, 1864. (vi) George, born September 5, 1782; died May 26, 1800, unmarried. (vii) Chester Peirce, born June 18, 1784; married in 1806 to Sarah Tyler; died at Palmyra, New York, in 1811.

t Mentioned in the note on page 711. He marched for Wyoming from Lancaster with his com- pany, and did not hurry home "from the seat of war in New Jersey", as incorrectly stated in the above- mentioned note. .

" The youngest brother of Lieut. Timothy Peirce, as noted on page 711. He was probably an orig- inal member of the 2d Westmoreland Independent Company, commanded by Captain Ransom, although his name does not appear on any of the rolls now known to be in existence. According to the Resolu- tion of Congress (see page 978) he had been promoted Lieutenant, of either the 1st or the 2d Company, April 1, 1778.

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tainly be made, and soon; but the precise time could not be calculated. Almost daily spies, or scouts, were sent up the river from the Valley, but they were unable-perhaps unwilling-to venture farther than Wyalusing. In no instance did any of them get as far as Tioga Point, and so the true state of affairs at that place was neither known nor approximately surmised at Wyoming. Care sat on every brow in Wyo- ming, and fear dwelt in many a heart too stanch to allow a syllable of apprehension to escape from the lips. The daily vocations of the peo- ple were attended to as usual, but the indispensable labors of the field were performed by armed men.

The one and only cannon in the settlement-the old 4-pounder mentioned in earlier pages-was in the fort at Wilkes-Barré; but, there being no shot on hand for firing from it, arrangements were made to use it for an alarm-gun, to warn the people of approaching danger and to summon the militia to their places of rendezvous. Every company of the 24th Regiment, including the "Alarm List" companies (see page 922), was ordered to be ready at a moment's warning. Indeed, every man and youth in the Valley who possessed the strength and skill to load and fire a gun, and who had, or could procure, a gun, was called into service and trained. Two deserters from the British army-Abraham Pike, who had fled from Boston several years before, and - Boyd, a fine, active, young fellow from Canada, who had been a Sergeant-were in the Val- ley, and they made themselves useful in aiding to train the militia.

During those last days of June the inhabitants generally-particu- larly those dwelling in isolated localities-sought the protection afforded by the several forts, stockades and block-houses in the Valley. Probably the largest number of people gathered at Forty Fort (see pages 774 and

FORTY FORT, AS IT IS SAID TO HAVE APPEARED IN 1778. Reduced reproduction of a drawing by Edmund L. Dana, Esq., originally published in Pearce's "Annals of Luzerne County."

885), owing to its larger dimensions and promise of greater security. Concerning this fort it is stated in " Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania" (I : 438) that "in 1777 it was partly rebuilt, adding much to its strength, as well as its dimensions. Opinions differ as to its size; the better authority seems to be that it enclosed an acre or more of ground. In-

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VIEW DOWN THE SUSQUEHANNA FROM FORTY FORT CEMETERY. From a photograph taken in 1902. Forty Fort (erected in 1772) stood on the right bank of the river, at the bend.

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deed, recent excavations disclose the remains of the timbers in place, extending in one direction 220 feet, indicating in connection with other circumstances an inclosure of at least an acre. The walls of this fort were of logs, the material generally used in such defenses ; these were set upright in a trench five feet in depth, extending twelve feet above the surface of the ground, and were sharpened at the top. The joints or crevices between the upright logs were protected by another tier of logs planted and secured in like manner, thus forming a double wall. Bar- racks, or huts, were built along the walls within the fort, for the shel- ter of the occupants ; the roof of these buildings serving as a platform from which the garrison could defend the works ; and the space in the center, surrounded by the barracks, was used as a parade. The inclos- ure was rectangular in shape, having a gateway opening towards the north, another towards the south, and small sentry towers at the four corners, rising a few feet above the walls. A strong flowing spring at the margin of the river, below the structure, supplied water to the fort. Access to the spring was rendered safe by means of a sunken passage- way, having the top protected by timber work, leading down from the fort."

Turning our attention now in the direction of Tioga Point, where Maj. John Butler and his forces established themselves early in June, we find that during the greater part of the month active preparations were carried on there for the descent on Wyoming. Boats and canoes were built, a large quantity of provisions was collected for the subsistence of the expedition until it should arrive at Wyoming, and additions, both of white men and Indians, were made almost daily to the ranks of the invaders.

Nearly every writer of Wyoming history, heretofore, has stated, in substance, that the white men of this expedition numbered about 400, consisting of Butler's Rangers, a detachment of Sir John Johnson's "Royal Greens," and a number of Tories from Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. It is very doubtful if any white man (with one excep- tion, mentioned hereinafter) joined the expedition who was not already an enlisted member of Butler's Rangers ; or, if he was not a member of the corps when he arrived at Tioga Point, was not soon thereafter regu- larly mustered into the British service as a "Ranger." The regiment of Sir John Johnson (see page 934) was in service in another part of the country-at a considerable distance from Tioga Point and the valley of the Susquehanna-in June and July, 1778. This regiment, which was composed largely of Tories from the Mohawk Valley, was not a corps of scouts, or rangers, but a light infantry organization, and was officially designated as "The King's Royal Regiment of New York." For con- venience it was usually referred to as "Sir John Johnson's Regiment," and unofficially, by contemporaneous writers, it was often called "John- son's Royal Greens,"* from the color of the uniforms worn by the men. But this last title was, in a sense, a misnomer, for all the Provincial military organizations in the British service in America during the Revolutionary War wore green uniforms. This fact was probably un- known to the inhabitants of Wyoming who, in July, 1778, saw those "Rangers " of Butler's corps who then wore green uniforms, and pre-

* In the "Introduction"-written by William L. Stone-to the "Orderly Book of Sir John John- son" (published at Albany, New York, in 1882), we find this statement: "We learn, among other items, that Sir John Johnson's regiment never, in a single instance, in this Orderly Book-although elsewhere invariably known as such -- is called the 'Royal Greens.'"

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sumed that they were some of "Johnson's Royal Greens." (It was not until December, 1778-as stated on page 943-that all the " Rangers" were mustered at Fort Niagara and supplied with the distinctive uni- forms which had been provided for them.)

The Indians who took part in the Wyoming expedition were chiefly Senecas, under the supreme command of Sayenqueraghta. There were in addition, however, some Delawares (mostly of the Monsey clan), On- ondagas and Cayugas, and probably a few warriors from other tribes. There was at that time a small Indian village on the Tioga Point pen- insula, near its extremity. Three miles up the Tioga River was a small village known to the whites as " Shawnee," and nine miles farther was the large village of Chemung. One mile south of the mouth of the Tioga River, on a broad and fertile plain on the right, or west, bank of the Susquehanna (near where the village of Milan, in the township of Ulster, Bradford County, now stands), was a small Indian village known to the whites as " Esthertown ;" while five miles farther south, on the site of ancient Sheshequin (formerly described), was another small village. From all these villages the expedition received many recruits-nearly the whole population of Esthertown, headed by the principal personage of the place, "Queen Esther,"* being among the earliest ones to flock to

. "QUEEN ESTHER", previously mentioned on pages 917 and 918, belonged to the Seneca nation, being the fourth child of Margaret Montour, or "French Margaret," and a younger sister of the famous Catharine Montour, or "Queen Catharine", mentioned on pages 206 and 207, Vol. I. Esther Montour was born about 1720, and at an early age was married to a certain Ach-co-bund, or Eg-ho-bund, a chief of the Monsey clan of the Delaware nation. The earliest knowledge we have of him dates no farther back than the year 1768, when, according to the records of the Moravian missionaries, he was chief of a small village at Sheshequinunk, or Sheshequin (the present village of Ulster), mentioned on page 980. The Rev. David Craft (author of the "History of Bradford County") states that Sheshequinunk was an old Indian village, abandoned during Pontiac's War, but afterwards (about 1765) resettled by two distinct bands of Indians-Eghobund, with quite a number of Delawares, on one side of what is now Cash Creek, and another band of Christian Delawares under Wchoholahund on the other side. The latter was probably the chief "James Davies" (mentioned in the note on page 448, Vol. I), who belonged to the Unami, or Wanamie, clan of the Delawares.

According to the Moravian records Zeisberger, the missionary, tarried over night at Sheshequin in May, 1766, and preached to the natives. In 1768 the Moravian Brethren again visited the place and found a village of twelve huts-but whether above or below the creek is not stated. Between February 4, 1769, and May 5, 1772, John Rothe and his wife Mary, Moravian missionaries who had formerly preached and taught at Friedenshutten (the Indian village mentioned on page 220, Vol. I, and on other pages), labored among the Indians in the village at Sheshequin of which "Achcobund was chief." Other Indians of note in Provincial history who resided there at that time were "Joe Peepy" (mentioned on page 831, Vol. I) and "Isaac Still" (mentioned on page 364). "The Friedenshutten mission received accessions from this Indian town, and seventeen of its inhabitants accompanied the Moravian Indians to the West in June, 1772". (See page 733.) After this exodus Eghobund and the remnant of his clan removed five miles up the river and established the village subsequently known as Esthertown. About that time Eghobund died, and thenceforth his widow Esther-who was a woman of intelligence and shrewdness, and had considerable influence among her people-managed with a firm hand, and without interference, the affairs of the little village, including the cultivation of the extensive flats contiguous thereto. In a very short time Esther became known to the whites as "Queen Esther", and her village as "Esthertown.

According to a letter written at Elmira, New York, October 18, 1853, by the Hon. Thomas Max- well (born at Tioga Point in 1790) to H. R. Schoolcraft, and printed in the latter's "Indian Tribes of the United States". V : 670, Mrs. Jane Whittaker was a daughter of Sebastian Strope, and was one of the members of his family captured by the Indians about the first of June, 1778, as narrated on page 974. Mr. Maxwell's letter reads, in part, as follows:

"Mrs. Whittaker narrates that previous to her captivity she had often seen Queen Esther at her father's house, where she was always a welcome visitor and hospitably received; that she talked English poorly, yet making herself understood upon ordinary subjects. She boasted, however, that there was another language with which she was quite as familiar as with the Indian. Although it was not so stated by the narrator, this was probably the French. Mrs. Whittaker describes her as tall, but rather slight in form; cheek bones not high; complexion not as dark as that of the [ordinary] Indian; hair, black, but soft and fine, unlike the heavy, black hair of the squaw; her form erect and commanding, and her appearance and manners agreeable. A sister lived with her by the name of Mary, who was tall, and resembled the Queen in personal appearance, except that she was much heavier. Both of them had been often at the house of Mr. Strope and were on friendly terms with his family.

"Queen Esther's influence with the natives was unbounded. When she appeared among them she was treated with the utmost deference. Her costume was rich and showy, with a profusion of glitter- ing ornaments, and comported well with her claims to deference and queenly dignity. She wore a neck- lace of pure white beads, from which was suspended a cross made of stone or silver. her capture Mrs. Whittaker received many marks of kindness from the forest Queen. During the prepa- ration for the attack upon Wyoming, the family of Mr. Strope were detained at Tioga Point, as has been before stated. At this time they were visited in a friendly way by their old friend Queen Esther, who showed them many marks of kindness. On one occasion when about to return home she desired to have the little captive accompany her to her castle for a visit, and although the distance was not great Mrs. Strope declined her proffered civility. The refusal did not seem to make her angry, for she acquiesced in it after discovering the reluctance of the mother to be parted, even temporarily, from her child. Afterwards, in company with her mother, Mrs. Whittaker crossed the river and rambled over the premises of the Queen.

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Butler's standard .. The miscellaneous Indians-that is, those who were not Senecas-were placed under the command of Capt. John Johnston* (mentioned on page 985), an officer of the Indian Department under Col. Guy Johnson, the Superintendent.

Everything being in readiness the expedition set forth from Tioga Point in the morning of Saturday, June 27th. In his report made to Lieut. Colonel Bolton, some twelve days later, Major Butler stated that his forces, upon his arrival at Wyoming, had consisted of "about 500 Rangers and Indians." But, without doubt, he, for various reasons, be- littled them ; because, according to statements (printed at length here- inafter) made at the time, and later, by certain inhabitants of Wyoming whose knowledge of the subject was pretty complete and whose opinions on most matters were reliable, the invaders numbered about 700. How- ever, various chroniclers of Wyoming history-from Chapman up to present-day writers-have made diverse statements as to the num- ber of the invaders; none placing it lower than 800, and some fix- ing it as high as 1,600. Our own judgment is that there were no more than 250 "Rangers,"t some 350 Seneca warriors, and probably 100 "mis-

"The plain upon which the so called castle stood was on the west side of the Susquehanna, near the mouth of the Chemung, not far from and in full view of the 'Point' at the confluence of those two rivers. The main building was a long, low edifice, irregular in shape, built of hewn logs and planks, but neatly done, with a porch at the doorway of some architectural pretension, and surrounded by quite a number of other buildings."

Queen Esther had several children, only one of whom, however, has been mentioned by her biog- raphers-the sofi who is said to have been killed at Exeter, as described on page 991, post. Mary, or "Molly", Montour, sister of Esther, lived with the latter for so'ne time at Esthertown. She is said to have been married to a well-known Indian, Kanaghragait, or "John Cook", sometimes called the "White Mingo", who died at Fort Wayne in 1790. In September, 1760, Governor Hamilton of Pennsylvania was notified by the Indian Agent at Shamokin that John Hutson (brother-in-law of "Queen" Catharine Montour, as mentioned on page 207, Vol. I) had arrived there in eight days from Margaret Town, and delivered to the Agent, for the Governor, a string of wampum and a speech, or letter, "sent by Cath- arine, daughter of 'French Margaret', " relative to her bringing down in the Autumn two white pris- oners who were in her custody. This letter also set forth that Catharine's "sister Molly" had gone "to the Allegheny with the white woman she has prisoner." (See "Pennsylvania Colonial Records", VIII : 499.) Upon one occasion, about 1790, while Mrs. Hannah (Gore) Durkee (see page 835) was living at Scipio, Cayuga County, New York, "Queen Esther" came to her house in the evening on her way to Onondaga, accompanied by her sister "Molly", who was much intoxicated, and was carrying a papoose on her back. They asked for shelter for the night, which was furnished them. At that time the home of Esther was at Canoga (the birth-place of the famous Seneca chief "Red Jacket"), west of Cayuga Lake, in what is now Seneca County, New York. She had abandoned Esthertown in the Autumn of 1778, and some time later was married to an Indian known as "Steel Trap" and as "Tom Hill." Dr. Craft says she died at Canoga about 1800.

Some writers-notably William L. Stone, in his "Poetry and History of Wyoming"-have refused to entertain the belief that "Queen Esther" was in Wyoming Valley at the time of the battle of July 3, 1778, and the subsequent massacre. Stone says, "the remotest belief cannot be entertained that she was the Hecate of that fell night. A night, indeed, of terror, described with truth and power by the bard of 'Gertrude' as the dread hour when

"'Sounds that mingled laugh and shout and scream- To freeze the blood, in one discordant jar-

Rung to the pealing thunderbolts of war.''

But Stone confused Esther Montour with her sister Catharine-"Queen Catharine"-who seems to have been a very different kind of a woman. "Queen Esther" was well known to many intelligent and reliable people in Wyoming Valley-as for example: Colonel Denison, Col. John Franklin and Lieut. Roasel Franklin-and they united in declaring that she was present and was seen by them at the time of the surrender of Forty Fort. Other reliable witnesses-named hereinafter-testified as to her pres- ence and her conduct at "Bloody Rock." Peck, in his "Wyoming", gives an account (on page 154) of a visit which "Queen Esther" made to Wyoming in the Autumn of 1777, when she was seen and talked to by Martha Bennet (later Mrs. Philip Myers), who also saw her at Forty Fort, at the head of the hostile Indians, on July 4, 1778.

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A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from its first beginnings to the present time; including chapters of newly-discovered, Vol. II, Part 72

Author: Harvey, Oscar Jewell, 1851- [from old catalog] Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Wilkes-Barre [Raeder press] Number of Pages: 683

Author: Harvey, Oscar Jewell, 1851- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Wilkes-Barre [Raeder press]
Number of Pages: 683