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 early Wyoming Valley history, together with many biographical sketches and much genealogical material. Volume II > Part 17
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Photo-reproduction of a portion of the original letter printed in full on pages 704 and 705.
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Wyoming, and, being superior iu Number to our People then on the Ground (a good many of our Settlers having left the place to take care of their Harvests on Delaware) they had confined them to the Block-House, and seized upon their Cattle, Horses and other Effects.
"Upon considering the great inconvenience of having this settlement broke up and abandoned, the discouragement it might give to the settlement of the other parts of the New Purchase on the Susquehanna, and how dangerous it might prove to the public Peace and Tranquillity of the Province to suffer it to remain without opposition in the Hands of these Intruders-who had taken under their Protection those dangerous villains Laz- arus Stewart and his Accomplices in the murder of Nathan Ogden (for apprehending whom the Assembly had offered large Rewards)-we came to the Resolution of once more attempting to remove them by a legal proceeding upon our Riot Act, and to relieve our own people in the Block-House from their distressed situation ; and as this could not be effected without some considerable Expence-which the Settlers at this Time were not in a capacity to defray, we, upon considering Mr. Willnot's letter to Mr. Chew (approved by the Proprietaries) relative to the removal of the Connecticut Intruders, were of opinion we might venture to draw upon the Receiver General for the sum of £300 for this service, and even to indemnify him for the Payment of it ; and we were the rather induced to this Measure as we were well informed that the principal Members of the Connecticut Company opposed this Expedition (though a Majority were for it), which leads us to ex- pect that could they now be effectually opposed they would not again embark in the affair against the opinion of their principal People.
"To promote and forward this service Mr. Tilghman and Mr. Joseph Shippen went to Northampton ; but it being in the midst of Harvest a sufficient number of People to attempt a removal could not be immediately raised, and, therefore, a Party of twenty was sent over with a Quantity of Flour ( the only article they were in great want of ) to relieve the People in the Block-House and enable them to hold out 'till the Harvest was over and a sufficient Posse could be raised to remove the Intruders. This Party was attacked and fired upon by the Connecticut People, who had by this time invested the Block- House, and with great difficulty got in with a part of their Provisions-two of the men being wounded. Our People in their own defence returned the Fire, and it is said killed and wounded some of the other party. This Event made it exceeding difficult to collect anything of a Posse to attend the sheriff or to send any further relief to the Block-House, which was known to be in great distress. At length on the 13th inst. the number of sixty- two men was made up, and marched towards Wyoming ; but on the 15th, about ten Miles on this side Wyoming, they received intelligence that the Block-House, unable any' longer to hold out for want of Provisions, had surrendered the night before. . Upon re- ceiving this intelligence, and considering that the number of our People was insufficient for the purpose of dispersing the Rioters-who are superior in number, and in possession of the Block-House-we ordered them to be discharged, to avoid a further expence.
"Thus unfortunately has this troublesome affair ended, and it seems as if these In- truders must retain their Possession unless the Assembly will take the Matter up and give that assistance of money which is absolutely necessary for their removal. We have no Militia, and it is not possible to raise a Posse for such a service in a legal way ; and, if the Assembly will not Interest themselves, you have, in our opinion, no way left but to push a decision of the Right before the King and Council. And as it is a Point of Juris- diction as well as of Right, it ought to have all possible Dispatch to prevent the many fatal Consequences attending a Settlement made in a manner entirely hostile, and not subject to any Government. But we have good reason, upon conferring with the Speaker and some principal Members of the Assembly, to expect the Government will have their Assistance in this matter.
"As soon as the People who commanded at the Block-House come down to Town1 a particular Account of this Affair shall be taken upon Oath and transmitted to you by the first opportunity.
"We are truly concerned at this indignity which the Government must suffer, and that the Expence it has been to you has not answered our Expectation .. It will amount to considerably more than the three hundred Pounds for which we drew on the Receiver General, but the Overplus will not come out of your Purse.
"We have the Honor to be with due Regard, Your most Obedient humble Servants,'
[Signed] "JAMES HAMILTON, Presidt "BENJAMIN CHEW, t
"Jó. TURNER, "JAMES TILGHMAN,Į
"RICHARD PETERS,* "ANDREW ALLEN, §
"THOS. CADWALADER, "EDWARD SHIPPEN, Jr. ||.
"P. S. August 22d. The Persons who commanded in the Block-House having come to Town since writing the above, their Depositions have been taken, and are now inclosed."
* The Rev. Richard Peters, mentioned on page 262, Vol. I. + Mentioned on page 501.
# Then Secretary of the Provincial Land Office. ¿ The Attorney General of Pennsylvania.
|| Mentioned in the fifth paragraph of the note on page 360, Vol. I.
I Col. Asher Clayton and Capt. Joseph Morris are here referred to.
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At Philadelphia, August 21, 1771, Col. Joseph Shippen, Jr., Secre- tary of the Provincial Council, wrote to his father, Edward Shippen, Esq., at Lancaster, as follows* : * * "The Government have had a great deal of trouble since Governor Penn's departure, in taking measures for retaining the possession of the Wyoming Lands against the Intrusions and hostile proceedings of Lazarus Stewart's Party and the other Rioters from Connecticut ; but all our Attempts have proved unsuccessful, for those villainous Dis- turbers of the public Peace have at length obliged our People, whom they had surrounded in the Block House at Wyoming, to surrender it to them for want of Provisions, which we in vain endeavour'd to supply them with. The Proprietaries have been put to a very considerable Expence in this affair, not only before, but since they sold all their Lands at that place to a number of people, who engaged to defend them at their own Expence. This Affair is now become a very serious Concern to the public, and justly claims the At- tention of The Legislature and calls for a full Exertion of their Power. It is, with good Reason, expected that the Assembly, at their next Meeting, will take the Matter in hand and concert some effectual Means for removing such a Nest of Villains, Murderers, and Banditti from our Borders ; and for apprehending and bringing to exemplary punish- ment those atrocious offenders, who bid Defiance to the Laws and the Authority of Civil Government.
"Jenny and my Children are now very well. She desires her Love to yourself and Mammy, in which I heartily join her. My little Daughter indeed has been very low and thin ever since she had the small-pox ; but she has been this fortnight at Abington drink- ing and bathing in the mineral waters, which have been of great Benefit to her."
At Paxtang, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on September 7, 1771, Samuel Simpson (mentioned on page 704) wrote to James Tilgh- man at Philadelphia as follows :
"This day arrived from Wioming after the second trip Thomas Forster and I have had with flour and liquor to Captain Ogden ; and the last trip has not only proved hurt- ful to our interest, but I have suffered much in my person by a parcel of unmanly villains. When the fort was given up Captain Ogdent wanted one of the doctors to go back to the. fort to take care of his brother, { and the doctors refused. But after some time Dr. Horton agreed to go, provided I would go with him ; and on request of Captain Ogden and some others I went back with the Doctor to the fort. And because I had been with Ogden's party, four or five of them [the Yankees, or probably some of Lazarus Stewart's Hanover- ians], with sticks and clubs, used me without mercy ; but with the assistance of one friend there I got off, notwithstanding they followed me three miles. We [Forster and Simp- son ] have still a quantity of flour and liquor hid thirty miles this side of Wioming, which we purpose going up soon about ; but would be first glad to hear if there is any prepara- tions making to raise men to go against the villains."
At Philadelphia, September 17, 1771, the Provincial Council met and discussed Wyoming affairs, and upon the following day President Hamilton sent to the Provincial Assembly a communication worded in part as follows§ :
"As by the Laws of this Province the administration of the Government, upon the departure of our late Governor, devolved upon us, We cannot, consistent with our duty, omit to lay before you a matter which appears to us of a very serious Nature, and nearly to concern the peace and good order of the Province.
* * "The making of the present Riot Act, and the unhappy occasion of it, and the publication of large rewards for apprehending and bringing to justice those daring offenders Lazarus Stewart and his accomplices, must be fresh in your memories. * We are sorry to inform you that the very persons for whose apprehension the rewards were published have lately, with a number of adherents, in open contempt of the powers of Government, again appeared in arms at Wyoming, and after seizing upon all their effects forced our settlers there (to whom the Proprietaries had sold the lands) to retire into a block-house, which they besieged in a regular hostile manner, keeping up an almost continual fire from intrenchments, for the space of sixteen or seventeen days. At length our people, reduced to the last extremity for want of provisions, were obliged to surrender upon terms of capitulation, since which it is reported that the intruders have burnt the btock-house and are fortifying themselves at a more convenient place in the neighborhood ; and that they have intentions of seizing on Fort Augusta and the Provincial cannon and other warlike stores there.
* See the original letter, heretofore unpublished, in the collections of The Historical Society of Penn- sylvania.
+ AMOS OGDEN, who was then at or near Easton, in Northampton County.
# GILBERT OGDEN, dangerously wounded on July 30th. See deposition of Captain Morris on page 700. ¿ See "Pennsylvania Archives," Fourth Series, III : 229.
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"We must inform you that upon the first intimation of these violences the Govern- ment took every step in their power, at a very great expence, to raise a sufficient Posse to enforce the execution of the Riot Act against the intruders, and to apprehend the offend. ers, and that several of the magistrates of Northampton County were on their way to Wyoming with a Posse, when they received intelligence of the surrender of the block- house. We ordered the Posse to be discharged. Your own understandings, Gentlemen, will point out to you the fatal consequences of suffering these lawless people to remain long in the possessions they have thus obtained, as it were, by open war. They will probably soon become more formidable by associating to themselves numbers of profligate people from this and the other Provinces. Of course they may extend their possessions by force, as far as they please ; take upon themselves, in a little time, to give laws to Government itself, and in the end bring on us all the evils which have lately been ex- perienced by a neighboring Colony to the southward." * *
From the 24th to the 28th of September, 1771, the Provincial Council held a conference at Philadelphia with some thirty Indian chiefs of the Cayuga, Tuscarora, Shawanese, Delaware, Mohegan, Nan- ticoke and Conoy tribes who had come thither chiefly from the West Branch of the Susquehanna. During the conference information was given by the Indians of the death of Thomas King (mentioned on pages 379 and 400), "a principal sachem of the Oneidas, and a man much esteemed and beloved by Sir William Johnson." Later in the conference a Cayuga chief said* :
"When we were at home we were looking towards Wyoming, and observed that the people of New England were come to live there. Now we want to know what reason these New Englandmen have for doing this, since we never gave that land to them. * * The New Englandmen tell some of the Indians that they, the Indians, gave them the land at Wyoming ; but we the Indians say that we never did give them this land. We who are here, of several different nations, *
* all declare that the Indians never did give this land to the New England people, but we gave it to the Proprietor Onas, and to no other person ; and we not only gave Wyoming to him, but a great space of land round about it."
In response to this speech President Hamilton said :
"We will tell you, Brethren, how this matter is. During the great treaty at Albany with all the chiefs of the Six Nations, the New England people, as we have been informed and believe, made some of the head men of the Six Nations drunk, and gave them money to sign a deed for the lands at and about Wyoming, and now pretend that they bought the land of the Indians before your brother Onas made his purchase, and that it is a part of their country of Connecticut. But it is well known that a Great Council at Onondaga condemned those Indians for signing any deed in that private manner ; and all the head men of the Six Nations, assembled in Council at the Great Treaty of Fort Stanwix, declared that they never had sold that land to the New England people, and that their people had been imposed upon and abused by one Lydius of Albany, and persuaded while they were drunk to sign those deeds. Soon after the treaty at Fort Stanwix your brother Onas caused the lands at Wyoming to be settled, and these New England men have come in arms and driven them away. But, Brethren, we would advise you not to meddle with them; for, though they are very wicked men, they are the great King's people, and therefore you must not on any account hurt them. We have informed our great King of their conduct, and he will punish them himself."
From an interesting paper read by the late Sheldon Reynolds, Esq., before the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society September 12, 1884, and published in the Society's "Proceedings and Collections" (II : 206), we get the following information concerning the Rev. Bernard Page, A. M., the "first Episcopal minister of Wyoming," and his brief sojourn here in the Summer of 1771. Mr. Page came to this country from England as a missionary in 1770 or 1771. As Mr. Reynolds states, Mr. Page "seems to have undertaken the mission [to Wyoming] in some- what the spirit of the early martyrs, and despite the warnings and mis- givings of his friends. His position was very different from, and far more trying than, that of the other early ministers ; they came in response to a call from the people, and found about them friends whom they had
* See "Pennsylvania Colonial Records," IX : 774, and "Pennsylvania Archives," First Series, IV : 4:9.
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known for years ; he came as a stranger, uninvited, with no one to re- ceive him, and no provision made for his support, but animated never- theless with the spirit expressed in the words of the Master-'Go ye and preach the gospel.'" Mr. Page arrived at Wilkes-Barre about the 7th of August, 1771, after the investment of Fort Wyoming by the Yankees had taken place. With the consent of the Yankees, presumably, he took up his abode at the mill at Mill Creek, and shortly after his arrival addressed to each of the contending parties a letter in these words :
"Fellow Sinners :- I have long had a hearty desire to see Wyoming ; not for the sake of the land there, but for the souls' health that are in possession of the same. It is now high time to apply for a remedy to cure your poor wounded souls ; and I have an errand from my Lord and Master to you for that purpose. My weapons of war I have with me, and with which I will, by God's leave, fight you, are these : The Girdle of Truth about my loins, the Breast-plate of Righteousness on my breast, the Shoes of Peace on my feet, the Shield of Faith in its place, the Helmet of Deliverance on my head, the Sword of the Spirit in my hand, the Threshing Instrument in my mouth, with a per- severing spirit. And to these my Master will lend me His arm, wherewith I shall be able to fight the devil that reigns powerfully in many of your souls, and to quench all his fiery darts ; and if I wound profoundly I wont leave you to perish in your blood, for I have the Universal Medicine with me, called the Balm of Gilead, which my Master has ordered me to apply to every one, without respect to persons that is wounded by the above-named instruments, and to whomsoever this is applied it will surely heal. Remember, Noah was sent to warn and to heal before the Deluge; Lot, to Sodomi and Gomorrah before its destruction ; and Jonah to Ninevah, to save the same. And these last immediately obeyed the voice of the Lord in throwing down the rebellious arms and flying to Sovereign Arms for protection, and they were spared. Now, I am come in the strength of the great and grand General of the Armies of Israel to fight with the Powers of Darkness for your poor bruised souls, and I trust I shall, by the help of this General, be able to present many of you to King Jesus for a free and absolute pardon ; but if you are determined not to hear my voice, my Master's orders are to shake off the dust of Wyoming that hangs on my feet, that every atom thereof may be a swift witness against you in the great day of Judg- ment, when all flesh must appear before Him and give an account for the deeds done in the body.
"Men and Brethren : I believe you will not reject my voice, but gladly hear it ; and I heartily wish it may be a savior of life unto eternal life to those that shall hear it. I hear that the Devil is making sport with many of your poor, benighted souls, and I fear that the impending hand of the Sword of the Lord will shortly strike on Wyoming if ten righteous are not found therein. Therefore, suffer me, my dear souls, to expostulate with you touching your Souls only, for I long for the salvation of the same; yea, my soul thirsteth for your souls more than many of your spirits do for blood. Some persons have' advised me not to go to Wyoming, saying, 'Perhaps by one or the other party you may be killed.' I replied, 'If they be so brutish as to kill me for my errand to them, and for the love and affection I have for their souls, I am willing to die in my Master's service.' And therefore, in the name of Jesus Christ, my loving and merciful Master, I am come to preach the glad tidings of Eternal Salvation to swearers, cursers, blasphemers and drunk- ards, yea, and to murderers, if any such be here ; and to present to and for them-of them who believe-my Master's gracious pardon for their souls, which, that all that stand in need of the same may have, are the prayers, men and brethren, of your ready and willing servant for Christ's sake. I beg to have nothing to do with your secular affairs, and to be by myself until matters are settled."
A few day later Mr. Page addressed "to the Leading Persons in the Block House" (Fort Wyoming) the following letter :
"THE MILL, SATURDAY, AUGUST YE 10TH, 1771.
"Fellow Sinners : Mr. Arrison and some others that are within your house have sat under my ministry, and Mr. Arrison knows me and my handwriting perfectly well ; and therefore this is agreed on by this party [the Yankees] for me to preach here to-mor- row morning, and without-side of your house in the afternoon, with two witnesses of this party ; but you must -- and I hope you will, if I preach to you-assure this party that the persons that come with me shall in this case be in no more danger of losing their lives by you or any of your party than myself, nor in any respect whatever hurt. I am obliged to you for your salute yesterday ; but not for the ball in the piece-but, providentially, it took a tree instead of me. Surely, both parties if determined for war, ought to have a prospect-glass. I remain your ready and willing servant for Christ's sake."
Mr. Reynolds states-in the paper previously referred to-that Mr. Page preached to the besieging party, but was not permitted to preach to the besieged, on Sunday, August 11th ; upon which day there was a
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suspension of hostilities, "doubtless due in part to Mr. Page's interven- tion." According to the affidavit of Colonel Clayton (see page 702) the cessation of hostilities on Sunday continued only long enough for the besieging party to send forward, under a flag of truce, a demand for the surrender of Fort Wyoming ; which, being refused, "the Yankees began to fire at the block-house with small arms and from a wooden cannon." The following letter was written by Mr. Page at "The Mill" on Tues- day, August 13th, and was delivered to Captain Butler :
"You know that I do not know so much as you touching the other party, for I know no more than the old universal reports in the Jerseys; and if I were on the verge of Eternity and sensible of it, I would, if required, take my Sacrament of the same. I have desired you and the rest of your party already to consider the sin of keeping me from them, as I came out of real love to both parties' souls ; and I desire those yoices that let and hinder me to read the 54th of Isaiah and the last verse. But if you are still de- termined to hinder me, I am nevertheless heartily willing to preach to your party when- ever it is convenient ; as it will not do for me to appoint when and where, lest you should think I have schemed to draw you forth for a Mark."
To Capt. Lazarus Stewart the officers of Fort Wyoming addressed the following note :
"Sir: Our people being all desirous of hearing the gospel preached would have been glad to have had the opportunity. As that is denied, shall be ready to give our women and children the opportunity, and beg you'll keep your men close, as you desire the same of ours. You'll communicate this to Mr. Page. We are as usual,
[Signed] "ASHER CLAYTON, "Jos. MORRIS, "JNO. DICK."
It would seem that Mr. Page was not an Episcopalian in 1771, but a Presbyterian. The Rev. William Smith, D. D., previously mentioned in these pages, writing from Philadelphia to the Bishop of London, October 13, 1773, stated with reference to Mr. Page :
"The people in general who subscribed, and whose subscriptions he laid before your Lordship [in 1772], believed him to be a Presbyterian, and are chiefly of that per- suasion. He never meant to settle among them, but only to get into Orders. He knew none of us would recommend him. Nay, he knew that we would write to your Lordship against him, if we had known of his intentions."
It is doubtful whether Mr. Page remained at Wilkes-Barré after the surrender of Fort Wyoming. His name does not appear in any of the existing lists of settlers of that period which the present writer has seen, nor in any of the minutes of the town-meetings of those days.
Late in 1771 Mr. Page set out for London, where he was ordained and licensed by the Lord Bishop August 24, 1772, and was assigned to the "Wyoming parish." He returned to America in 1772 or '73 under the auspices of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, but, so far as known, never visited Wyoming Valley again. In 1775 he was, for awhile, located on the West Branch of the Susque- hanna, near Muncy, within the bounds of Westmoreland (the Wyoming region). In 1792 he was preaching in Virginia-for a part of the time at Christ Church, Alexandria, where General Washington was a pew- holder and attended services. About 1795 he was preaching at Shep- herdstown, in what is now West Virginia. He died in southern Vir- ginia about 1799.
As soon as possible after the capitulation of Fort Wyoming, and its evacuation by all the Pennamites except those who, by reason of wounds or illness, were unable to depart, the Yankees abandoned their intrench- inents and divided their forces between Fort Wyoming and the Mill Creek block-house-the larger number being assigned to the fort. When1 the capitulation occurred the Yankees and their associates numbered 115
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men, as is shown by the list mentioned on page 694. Among the collec- tions of the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society are the original receipts, given to Capt. Zebulon Butler at Wilkes-Barré in 1773 and 1774 by thirty-six of the mnen named in the list referred to on page 694, for five dollars each, being the "bounty" paid for services in "going on and assisting in retaking possession from the Pennamites at Wilkesbarre of the Susquehanna lands, 9th July, 1771, according to vote of The Susquehanna Company at Windham in March, 1771." (See page 684.) In the same collections are also a number of pages of the original minutes of several town-meetings held at Wilkes-Barré within a few weeks after the expulsion of the Pennamites. Those minutes are in the handwriting of Maj. Ezekiel Peirce,* "Proprietors' Clerk" of the Wyo- ming settlement, and the earliest of thein read as follows :
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