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 48
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* See "American Archives", Fourth Series, III: 1906.
| Author of " The Farmer's Letters", referred to on page 548, Vol. I.
# See "American Archives", Fourth Series, III: 1911.
¿ See note " #" on page 664.
| See "American Archives", Fourth Series, III: 1799,
850
Two days later (viz., November 25th) Governor Penn, at Philadel- phia, wrote " to William Plunket and his associate Justices of the Peace, in and for the county of Northumberland," a letter reading as follows :*
"I have just now received a message from the Assembly, founded on a letter ad- dressed to them from the county of Northumberland, respecting the Connecticut settlers at Wyoming, requesting me to give orders for a due execution of the laws of this Province in the counties of Northumberland and Northampton. In consequence thereof I do most chearfully order you to use your utmost Diligence and Activity, in putting the Laws of this Province in Execution throughout the county of Northumberland; and you may de- pend on the Faith of the House and my concurrence with them, that every proper and necessary Expence that may be incurred on the Occasion will be defrayed."
After the failure of their expedition to Warrior Run the New Eng- landers in Wyoming managed, by the aid of spies, and in other ways, to keep themselves informed as to the movements of the Pennamites. The present writer has in his possession an original anonymous letter which was written at or near Sunbury, December 10, 1775, concerning some of the doings of the Pennamites at that time, was addressed to Zebulon Butler, and was received by him some days later. In view of subse- quent happenings the information contained in this letter is interesting. With numerous changes in spelling, punctuation, and the use of capital letters, the document in question is as follows :
"Sir-You may depend upon what I write to be facts, as I have taken great pains to inform myself as I have ridden through the country, and I think it my duty to inform you. Sir, keep this letter secret, and do not discover the author, for it would undo me here in my business. You may surely depend upon their [the Pennamites] coming up to Wyoming, for they will not be stopped by the Congress, but are now miustering their men at Shamokin. They came down from Big Island yesterday, and from the Indian Lands and Muncy, and I believe they will muster between 200 or 300 men about here. How many they will get [from] down the river and the forks of the Schuylkill I don't know, nor how many from Northampton County; but I will assure you that they will immediately be on their niarch. By what I can learn they expect to meet the men from Northampton County at Fishing Creek.t
"Sir, you may depend on their plundering you of all your effects, for they are deter- mined to rob and plunder the country; and you will find theni as inhuman as the Devil. For God's sake put yourselves in readiness, and fight for your lives and fortunes. Take special care of your enemies up ye river. There is letters sent down almost every day. Your good friend (?) John Young has been down with a packet of letters from Wyoming. The Pennamites up the river have engaged to join with these people whenever they shall come; and a number more that live among you. Put no faith nor trust in the Strouds, for they are your enemies ; for they have entered into league with the Pennamites, and bonds of indemnity are given by the best gentlemen in Philadelphia to free him [Colonel Stroud] from his indictments, and this was done at Harris' Ferry about three weeks ago, and letters have been since sent down from him.
"Sir, this you may depend on to be truth. You need not depend on anything that the Congress has done, for the Governor of Pennsylvania is a Tory, I believe, and would do all that lies in his power to break the union of the Provinces, and lias ordered them [the Pennamites] to go in the very face of the Congress. Your enemies are implacable. They say the Yankees won't fight; that you are all cowards and dare not fight. But in the name of God convince them of their mistake, and give these infernal dogs their de- serving. I have received intelligence since I began to write that one hundred men have passed yesterday and to-day from above Muncy."
At his home in Kingwood, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, under the date of December 13, 1775, Charles Stewart (see page 459, Vol. I) wrote to Governor Penn at Philadelphia as follows:
" In pursuance of your Honour's letter (of 25th ultimo) to the magistrates of Northampton County-which was delivered to George Taylor?, Esq., in Philadelphia- he and I met at Easton on the 28th, where the contents were made known to Messrs.
* See " Pennsylvania Archives ", Fourth Series, III: 518.
+ At the mouth of Fishing Creek, on the Susquehanna, about one mile below the present borough of Bloomsburg, Columbia County, Pennsylvania.
See "American Archives," Fourth Series, IV : 251.
¿ A resident of Easton, Pennsylvania, a Judge of the Northampton County Courts, a Delegate to the Continental Congress, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
851
[Lewis] Gordon*, [Peter] Kachleint and [John] Van Campent. The Justices Nicholas DePui and Garrett Brodhead were wrote to to attend at Easton, but did not come. In a day or two after, writs were renewed against the New England people who had been for- merly indicted, and Mr. Taylor furnishing ammunition for the occasion, Mr. Sheriff pro- ceeded over the [Kittatinny] mountain, where some time was spent in collecting a posse. Meantime I sent a proper person to examine the situation of Fort Park§, with directions to return and meet Mr. Sheriff, who accordingly did, and reported (what was found afterwards true) that the Yankees [at Lackaway] would make little or no resist- ance; therefore, those that were found were taken. About one-half got out of the way. Mr. Sheriff returned forthwith, without demolishing any part of the fort, and the prisoners were forty miles on their way to Easton when an express from Fort Augusta [at Sunbury] arrived, with intelligence that the Sheriff and posse of Northumberland had not yet moved up the river, and wanted to get some assistance from Northampton County. This account embarrassed us exceedingly.
"The prisoners were told, when they met me, terms would be made; and, declar- ing their willingness to do any and everything, I produced to them the enclosed paper [see next page], which they readily executed. I sent a mian back with them to see that they performed what further promises they made, viz .: to cut down the stockades of the fort, and to collect all the settlers that had hid or fled and get them to sign a copy of the enclosed, and send it to Easton at Court next week, with their principal men, where they propose to take leases for their respective improvements, or purchase-which some of them say they mean to do, if possible. Silas Park, who is the only one amongst thein who stood indicted, had gone to Wyoming the day before the Sheriff got up. Had he been taken, I would not have consented to his stopping short of prison. The rest we had, in fact, no process against, except a warrantin which their names, as they gave them in, were inserted.
"Notwithstanding Yankees have so often deceived me, I really expect those men will appear at Court and gladly come under lease. If they do not, I flatter myself the paper they have signed will operate against them hereafter, and be a foundation for call- ing on them again. At any rate, I beg leave to assure your Honour I did it for the best, and was cautious of giving no reason to censure us for cruelty. I also thought treating those people tenderly might facilitate the expedition of the Northumberland Sheriff at Wyoming. I sent an express to them, informing them of what was done, and a copy of the terms. I likewise sent a duplicate of the writ, attested under the seal of Mr. Gordon's office, that they might liave all the authority that would be given them to secure the old offenders that are at Wyoming. As the party who went to Fort Park, or Wallenpau- pack, were weary at their return-some disputes having also happened among them-it was with great difficulty I could collect a party to go and join the Sheriff of Northumber- land; however, about thirty set out on Monday evening and Tuesday morning, with Isaiah Jennings at their head. I expect that, if they can cross the creeks, they will be this night with the Northumberland men at Wapwallopen||, the place proposed in their letter to meet at.
"I had daily intelligence from Wyoming whilst I was over the mountain. Great divisions have arisen at Wyoming lately. Lazarus Stewart [see page 640, ante] has sent ine repeated assurances of his neutrality, at least, and his adherents are hourly wrang- ling with the real Yankees, so that I think a surrender must ensue. John McDowel [see page 730, ante] and his son-in-law, Jacob Stroud, from Fort Penn, set off last Sunday to bring away from Wyoming their relations, who are numerous, and secure the moneys due them at Wyoming, which are considerable. I believe Stroud'[ will do all he can to serve the cause now, as he has lately been chosen a Colonel, and I gave him to under- stand he must exert himself or his cockade would be in danger-complaints having been made against him for supplying the Yankees with ammunition and arms to disturb the peace of the Province. Mr. Taylor has done everything in his power to serve Govern- ment on this occasion, and furnished the ammunition, without which nothing would have been done. Mr. Kachlein and Mr. Van Campen have also been active. I hope the Northumberland posse will succeed without shedding blood. At any rate, I am convinced they will make them submit; and a few days will bring the news. * *
* If Col. Tench Francis and Mr. Taylor were appointed to treat with those people, I believe it would be answering a good purpose. I know no man so fit to talk to Yankees as Colonel Francis, and Taylor inay surely be depended on. I will, if able to ride, be at Easton, but anı, and have been several days, in great pain with rheumatism in my legs."
* See page 473, Vol. I. + See page 669, ante. See page 692, ante.
§ At Parkbury, in the Lackaway District of Westmoreland-described on pages 771, 790 and 795, ante.
| See page 214, Vol. I.
" JACOB STROUD, whose name is several times mentioned in the foregoing pages, was commissioned Captain of the Lower Smithfield Company of the Northampton County Associators May 22, 1775, and in the following August was commissioned Colonel of the Fourth Battalion, Northampton County Asso- ciators. He was still holding this latter office in October, 1776, when he was commissioned Colonel of the Fourth Battalion of Northampton County, Pennsylvania Militia.
852
The document referred to in the foregoing letter as having been executed December 8, 1775, by the New England settlers at Lackaway, within the bounds of the town of Westmoreland, read as follows *:
"Whereas we, the subscribers, with Silas Park and others, our associates, have riotously and in defiance of the laws of the Province of Pennsylvania, seized upon and taken possession of a tract of land surveyed for the Honourable the Proprietaries of this Province of Pennsylvania aforesaid, situate on the waters of Lackawaxen, at a place called Wallenpaupack, in the county of Northampton; for which forcible entries, riots, and other illegal acts if any, bills of indictment have been found against us. And the Sheriff and magistrates of the said county, producing His Majesty's process, or writs, upon us, we confess the legal service thereof on us severally; and do voluntarily and most cheerfully surrender ourselves to the humanity of the Honourable the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania, in regard to our possessions and to the lenity of the laws of said Pro- vince in regard to our crimes, and will appear, agreeably to our recognizances, at Easton Court next term. And we do, each for himself, solemnly and voluntarily declare and promise that we will, in future, pay due obedience unto and be governed by the laws of Pennsylvania in every respect.
" We also disclaim all title to our present possessions, in pursuance of any claim or pretended right we, or any of us, may formerly have had under The Susquehannah or Delaware Companies, in Connecticut. And we covenant and promise to yield up our said possessions to the said Proprietaries, or their agents, at any time they may please to demand the same; and we do severally empower James Biddle, Esq., Attorney, or any other Attorney in the Province of Pennsylvania, to appear for us and to receive a declar- ation in ejectment as of any term after this date, and to confess judgment thereon, with full powers to release all errors in the said judgment. We likewise promise that we severally will avoid all future quarrels with our neighbors, and [will] unite and muster with Captain Van Etten's companyt; and, if necessary, are willing to march where our assistance may be required for the defence of American liberty, in the common cause; and [will] cheerfully, hereafter, obey all and every the resolutions and orders of the Continental Congress, the Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania, or the Committee of Safety, of all whom we severally and humbly crave forgiveness for past offences; and in testimony of our sincere intentions to behave becomingly in the future, we have here- unto set our hands and seals this 8th Dec., 1775.
[Signed] " W. FITCH, [L. S.] " ZADOCK KILLAM, [L. S.]
" WILLIAM PELLET, [L. S.]
" DELIVERANCE ADAMS, [L. S.]
" AMOS PARK, [L. S.]
" HEZEKIAH BINGHAM, [L. S.]
"ABEL KIMBALI,. [L. S.]"
"Test-GARRETT BRODHEAD,
JOHN VAN CAMPEN."
The Connecticut Delegates in Congress were promptly informed by the Westmoreland authorities at Wilkes-Barre of the doings of the Pennamites at Lackaway, of the unhappy situation of affairs there, and also of the threatened incursion into Wyoming Valley ; and the Dele- gates, in turn, presented to the Congress on December 18, 1775, a memorial which they had prepared without delay, and which read in part as follows:
"That certain persons having formed an association for the purpose of seizing on, and removing by force of arms, the people settled on the River Susquehannah under the government and protection of the Colony of Connecticut, have, in pursuance of such de- sign, raised a large sum of money, and with the same employed agents to enlist men.
* See "American Archives," Fourth Series, IV : 252.
t The settlers at Lackaway were mainly, if not wholly, New Englanders ; and, as they were settlers under the auspices of The Delaware Company (previously mentioned), they not only recognized the juris- diction of Connecticut, but considered themselves to be bona fide inhabitants of the town of Westmore- land, Litchfield County, Connecticut. As early as March, 1774, in accordance with Connecticut law and custom, they had taken part in a town-meeting held at Wilkes-Barre, and some of them (Silas Park, Elijah Witter, Hezekiah Bingham, Zebulon Parrish, Jonathan Haskell, John Ainsley, and others) had been elected to, and had accepted, various town offices. (See page 795, ante.) Later, the 8th Company of the 24th Regiment, Connecticut Militia, had been organized in their midst; its officers had been establish- ed and commissioned-the Ensign of the company being Elijah Witter, one of the signers of the above document-and the rank and file of the company were, at stated intervals, as required by Connecticut law, engaging in military exercises. Hence the inhabitants of Lackaway District had refused to "unite and muster with" Capt. Johannes Van Etten's company of Pennsylvania militia, which was composed of inhabitants of the northern part of Northampton County. Captain Van Etten had been commissioned May 22, 1775, Captain of "the Delaware Company of the Northampton County Associators." He resided some three or four miles above Wells' (later Dingman's) Ferry, within the bounds of Westmoreland, and during the Revolutionary War his house was stockaded, and was known as "Van Etten's Fort."
Į See "American Archives," Fourth Series, III : 1964-1968.
" ENOS WOODWARD, [L. S. ]
" ELIJAH WITTER, [L. S.]
" MATTHEW CLASH, [L. S. ]
853
"That they have also collected a great number of blankets, shoes, firelocks, with a quantity of powder and ball, and other military stores, in this city, and conveyed the same to their agents in the country, who have therewith clothed and armed the men they have raised for said hostile purpose.
"That to induce men to engage they have, by the agents, been promised the plun- der of the inhabitants they should in this manner seize on and remove, over and above the exorbitant wages given them.
"That by artful and wicked means the late resolution of Congress, respecting said inhabitants, which the honorable President sent forward for the purpose of preventing hostilities, has been represented as a forgery and a libel, propagated among the people who were solicited to join in these hostilities, fictitiously signed John Hancock, Presi- dent; the purport of which was that this Congress had ordered the removal of said in- habitants.
"That the agents of said Association had proceeded to seize on large quantities of goods and stores belonging to some of the said inhabitants of Connecticut and others, which were going up the River Susquehannah to supply the said settlers in part, but that much the greater part of said goods were designed for the Indians of said Six Nations, at the head of said river.
"That the detention of said goods, the total interruption of all supplies to the Indians, and the hostile preparations making, have given the Indians the most-alarming apprehensions.
"That the different parties engaged in this hostile invasion began their march on Monday last [December 11th], to their place of rendezvous, giving out as they went that they should be 1,500 strong when collected.
"That all passes leading to and from said settlement [at Wyoming] are seized and guarded by said parties.
" That the distressed settlers have put themselves into the best posture of defence in their power, having no other alternative but to submit to plunder and ruin, with their families, or defend them to the last extremity.
"To support the truth of the above information, credible persons are ready to be examined, and many depositions are taken and ready to be produced.
"During this inquiry which the Delegates desire may be entered upon immedi- ately, and pursued until the whole scheme be detected and the extensive mischief medi- tated prevented, they move that some one or more persons be instantly sent by the Congress with orders to stop all hostilities above complained of; to restore to the people on either side of this unhappy dispute their property that may be taken from them; to set at liberty all who may on either side have been taken prisoners; to direct that commerce be opened on the Susquehannah with said settlers and the Indians, and to give orders that all hostilities between the parties cease, and that every one continue peaceably to enjoy and occupy the lands he was in possession and improvement of before the late disturb- ance between them."
Accompanying the foregoing memorial were the following deposi- tions, which had been forwarded by express from Wilkes-Barre to the Delegates at Philadelphia.
"STEPHEN PARRISH and MOSES TILLMAN, of Westmoreland, in the county of Litchfield and Colony of Connecticut, of lawful age, testify and say, that in the even- ing next following the fifth day of December instant at Lackawack District in Westmore- land, they were informed that a number, consisting of about forty armed mien, were coming to take and carry away the New England people there with the deponents at Lacka- way, who were there settled under the New England people's claim; and about the middle of the night the company of armed men came into Lackaway and said that they had orders, signed by the Governor of Pennsylvania, to take them off the land, and carry them to Easton jail; then took and carried away ten of the inhabitants, and said that Wyoming was all taken before that time, for there was 700 of these men gone over; and they be- lieved that they did break open sundry chests and carried away sundry papers of conse- quence. And further the deponents say not.
" Westmoreland, December 10th, 1775. [Signed] "STEPHEN PARRISH, " MOSES TILLMAN."
"Westmoreland,
Litchfield County, ss .:
December 10, 1775.
" Then personally appeared the above Stephen Parrish and Moses Tillman and made solemn oath to the truth of the above written deposition. Before 111e,
[Signed] "NATHAN DENISON, "Justice of the Peace."
"ELISHA RICHARDS of Westmoreland, in the county of Litchfield and Colony of Connecticut, of lawful age, testifies and says that on Tuesday the 5th day of December, instant, tliis deponent set out from Wells' Ferry*, on Delaware River, and went the road to Lieut. John Shaw's, at Sholiola, on his way to Wyoming, when he was stopped nigli by the said Shaw's house by one Fuller, who was said to be Sheriff of Northampton
* See page 646, ante.
854
County; and that the said Fuller came up to him and gave this deponent a slap on the back, and told him he was his prisoner; and this deponent demanded the sight or hear- ing of his precept or order for so doing, when he replied he would show him by and by, and would use him well; and then the said Fuller commanded two persons of them that were with him to keep this deponent for the present. And after this, about one hour and a-half, one Capt. Alexander Patterson, with about fifty men of the number that was with the Sheriff, mustered at the said John Shaw's door, and directly marched off towards Lackawack, and I heard some of them often say they were going to assist the Sheriff to take the New England people settled at Lackawack.
"As they were going off Esquire John Van Campen, of said party, and the said Sheriff asked the said John Shaw if he would not give bail for this deponent; when the said Shaw said he would give bail that this deponent should appear at Lackawack settle- ment before the Sheriff the next morning, and accordingly acknowledged himself bound in a bond of £20 before the said John Van Campen, Esq. And the said John Van Campen said that the Congress had passed Acts against the New England people settled at Wyo- ming, and that they were very mad at them, and that they had turned the Connecticut Del- egates out of the Congress on that account, and that 500 of their men was gone to Wyoming to take them off, and he supposed they had done it. And then the said Van Campen and Fuller went on toward Lackawack, after the other company, and the next day this deponent set out from said Shaw's towards Lackawack settlement, and on the way he met some of the party that set off the evening before from Shaw's, with a number of prisoners, inhabitants of Lackawack; and when I got to Lackawack, at the house of John Ainsley, I found the said Van Campen and Fuller, with the rest of the party.
" When I asked Van Campen and Fuller what further they had to do with me, the said Van Campen said he was willing I should pass on to Wyoming, if the Sheriff was willing; when the Sheriff said he was willing, if I would pay the costs. When I asked what costs, he said the costs of serving a writ on me last night. When I told him he had shown me no precept last night, nor to-day, then he made an attempt to pull some- thing out of his pocket, and then drew back his fist as though he was going to strike me
with it. * * Sundry of the women belonging to Lackawack settlement told this de- ponent that the party had taken nine of the inhabitants prisoners and carried them off, and said they were going to carry them to Easton jail."
[Dated at Westmoreland December 9, 1775, and sworn to the same day before Zebulon Butler, Justice of the Peace. ]
"HENRY BUSH and ASHBEL ROBERTSON, both of Westmoreland, testify that they went from the town of Westmoreland on Monday last [December 4, 1775], and on Wednesday last they were at Mr. Brinker's mills at Lower Smithfield, in the Province of Pennsylvania, and that they there saw one Joseph Savage, who told them that the town of Westmoreland at Wyoming was all cut off and burnt; when we replied that we came from there on Monday last and it was not then done; when the said Savage replied again that certainly it was done by this time, if it was not done then, for he certainly knew that the people from that Province were gone up to do that, in great numbers, every road.
"And further, we were at Japack Heller's, at the Wind Gap, the same day, and he the said Heller told us that the people from their Province were gone up to Wyoming to cut off the New England people, and that there were great numbers gone up; and that about 300 people had gone from the Jerseys to Shamokin last week to join their Province people to cut off the New England people, and that he believed their towns were all in ashes by that time; and that the said 300 people from the Jerseys passed through the county of Northampton as they went to Shamokin. And further, that on our way home from said Heller's we met Shureman Fraud, of Upper Smithfield, who told us that Henry Fuller, Sheriff, and Garrett Brodhead, Esq., and Capt. Alexander Patterson had pressed [impressed] sixty men in the town of Upper Smithfield, and did press his two sons, and they did go with them, and that sixty others who they pressed did go with them, and they were gone to cut off the Lackawack settlement of the New England people."
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