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 III > Part 84
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"From this statement it appears that there may be four justices of the peace, of whose residences the most distant will be but four or five miles from the county town: but as Mr. Hollen- back (the justice residing here in the town) has observed, his business frequently obliges him to be absent several weeks together, & sometimes three or four months; and at such times the inability to attend of a single justice suspends the business of the Orphans' court, and of any special Ses- sions of the peace.
"Should it be thought proper to grant another justice for the county-town, it will be very necessary for Council to define in the grant, the meaning of the word county-town, to prevent disputes among the electors. What in Pennsylvania are called townships, in new England are commonly called towns; & possessing these ideas, some people in Kingston supposed the present court-house & jail might have been built there, because by the law, it was to be erected in some convenient place 'in or near Wilkesburg,' under which name they imagined the entire township was comprehended. In the law for erecting the county of Luzerne (passed Sept'r 25, 1786) this town is called Wilkesburg, & in the first supplement to that law Wilkesborough, but I find the name originally given to it by the new England people, and which appears in their records, is Wilkes- Barre, by which name they designated not only the town, but the township of five miles square."
That Justice Kingsley from his up-river home, at Wyalusing, suffered from all the inconveniences of travel related in the Pickering letter, to an extent of
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SCALE OF PERCHES
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Original Town
TOWNSHIP OF WILKES-BARRE IN 1789
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seeking relief from his arduous duties, is indicated, the following year, by his let- ter of resignation:
"To his Excellency the President, and the Supreme Executive Council of the "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
"Nathan Kingsley, of the County of Luzerne, commissioned one of the judges of the Courts of Quarter Sessions & Common Pleas for the County aforesaid, finding it impracticable many times, by reason of high water, to attend Courts, and living sixty miles from the County Town, joined to the smallness of the fees allowed him in this behalf, is obliged, from necessity, to inform Council that he cannot in future serve in his aforementioned capacity. Were his abode nearer than what it is at present to the County Town, he would not think of resigning his office, but would continue in it with pleasure and satisfaction. The Fall and Spring sessions happen at a time in which the Waters are high, and of consequence make his traveling not only expensive, but very difficult & dangerous. The time of attending, coming to and returning from Courts, takes up so consider- able a part of the seasons of the Summer and Fall, that he is obliged to neglect his agricultural pursuits, to the singular injury of his intrist. From these considerations, he desires Council to accept his resignation and take such other Order in directing the choice of another Judge in his District as to them shall seem meet.
"Wilksbarre, Jan'y 14, 1790.
"NATHAN KINGSLEY."
Aside from the industry of agriculture and its accompanying side line of milling and weaving, there seems but little thought given to the manufacture of any products in the infant County at this period. The Gores and others, as will appear in a later Chapter devoted to the coal industry, were undoubtedly
12
11
HOMINY BLOCK OR CORN POUNDER, Used at Wyoming before 1789. From "Pearce's Annals of Luzerne County,"
using for forge purposes, the "stone coal" so readily obtained from outcrop- pings in the Wyoming Valley. Strange as it may seem at the present, the earliest efforts of promoters of the time appear to have favored the iron industry.
In 1778, John and Mason F. Alden erected a forge on Nanticoke creek, in Newport township. It contained a single "fire" and one hammer. The hammer itself had been brought from Philadelphia to Harrisburg by wagon, thence by boat up the Susquehanna. The iron ore which supplied it was manufactured into bar iron, affording an available supply for the smithies of the day. It was
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to this forge or "bloomery" that Colonel Pickering drew attention in an effort to interest outside capital.
To William Bingham, a distinguished citizen of Philadelphia, Colonel Pickering wrote on April 9, 1789, while in Philadelphia :
"You desired me to give you in writing what I had communicated relative to the manu- facture of iron in Luzerne County. The ore is about 8 miles below Wilkesbarre, and within a short distance of the Susquehanna-perhaps half a mile from it. It is close by a creek where a bloomery has just been erected and set to work. The adjacent lands have a sufficiency of wood for charcoal; and if there should fail in time, the river will enable the proprietors to obtain, for ages, a full supply of wood or coal. *
* * It is not improbable that the stone coal, with which the county abounds, may be applied to the same use, according to the late invention we have heard * of in England. * * The ore, I am assured, is in great abundance. "Tis bog ore, which is continually renewing. "Tis of rich quality, and the iron made of it at the bloomery is equal to almost any refined iron."
Mr. Bingham gave the matter serious consideration, we may infer, months later, and following what seems to have been a careful inquiry as to titles to the iron deposit in question, he reached a conclusion which, for more than a decade in future, was to detract from the settlement of the County by new comers, and to interfere with whatever development was then in prospect. In October, 1789, he wrote Colonel Pickering that "no claimant was willing to sell for less than he thought the whole land was worth." In other words, as indicated by the above letter, if title to lands in Wyoming were to be obtained without a possibility of légal complications, those who held under Pennsylvania as well as those who claimed a prior title under Connecticut, must both be consulted, with a result that neither admitted his claim was rendered less valuable by reason of the other.
für , Wither Garne august 14. 1789. John Ryan Leven Shillings & fi pancer for the fine incurred by sme by an cureasonable and . i
almond militia low/ for not appearing ue the search of the tika sumpter in May vyst.
Timothy Pickering
tomentonie. adjutant General Quarter thata qual ofthe
Geraiy nu the United States, in
AN ORDER IN THE HANDWRITING OF COLONEL PICKERING,
The scarcity of money as a medium of exchange may be remarked as one of the characteristics of the times. The Federal government had not yet assumed that control over general finances which Alexander Hamilton was later to work out. The pound and its denominations were still current. In various states the pound was quoted at different amounts, as measured by the oncoming dollar. With these uncertainties existing as to the actual value of the small amount of currency in circulation, the usual method of trade was in actual barter; so many bushels of grain for so many pounds of necessities, or so many yards of cloth. Illustrative of this is a complaint from Colonel Pickering to his brother-in-law, George Williams, at Salem, Massachusetts, dated November 24, 1789, as related to Luzerne County :
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"The fees in these offices would now yield me 200 pounds per year, but cash cannot be obtained; produce is the currency of this county and I have received as yet very little of this. * * * At our last September term of court, I was employed from Monday morning til Satur- day night in my five offices and yet, during the whole week, I received but one quarter of a dollar, and that from a man coming from another county."
Outside the County, events were slowly shaping themselves toward a wider statesmanship.
The new national government having become a reality, and the steps taken to put it in motion, the people of Pennsylvania turned their attention to a change in their own State Constitution. A general conviction existed that such change had become necessary. The want of energy and of an intelligent comprehension of the interests of the State, was shown in the instance of the imbecile and stupid course of the Assembly, in reference to a settlement of land titles in Luzerne County.
The State was substantially without an Executive under the old Con- stitution of 1776.
The President of a Council of twenty members was substantially the Gover- nor, and was frequently spoken of as such.
Appointments were made by the Council by secret ballot. Such a body grew to be called, in time, a mere "excrescence" of government. Citizens gener- ally were clamorous for a change. But before any alteration could be made, the first indispensable step was a law to be passed, calling a convention of the people for that purpose.
To meet the case, petitions were put in circulation in every county and Chief Justice McKean warmly espoused the popular cause.
Finally the Assembly yielded to an overwhelming sentiment and passed the required law. Dr. Rush, upon hearing the news immediately wrote Colonel Pickering, at Wilkes-Barré, under date of September 21, 1789, as follows:
"I take the liberty of concurring with your other Philadelphia friends in urging you to accept a seat in the Convention."
Colonel Pickering was elected a Delegate from Luzerne County, at the fall elections of 1789, although absent from the County at the time, just as he had before been absent, when elected to a seat in the convention which passed favor- ably upon the Commonwealth's adoption of the Federal Constitution, in 1787. All of which tends to bring us back again to the chief figure of the County in this stage of its development. Try as he might, the historian cannot escape Colonel Pickering. As long as he remained at Wyoming, he dominated the situation. To follow his course until circumstances removed him seems, there- fore, the logic of the situation.
He accepted the call of a majority of Wyoming residents as the County's representative at the Philadelphia Convention. This met late in the fall of 1789. Its sessions dragged unmercifully. On December 5th of that year, he wrote his wife at Wilkes-Barré, as follows:
"I fear, with you, my dear, that my absence has injured my farming business. This I hope, will be the last sacrifice I shall make in this way. If finally, an excellent Constitution for this State should be formed, of which I have sanguine hopes, I shall not regret my loss of time. For, though I can have but little hand in its formation, yet I shall reflect with pleasure that I was a contributor, according to my ability, and that my endeavours were pointed singly to the public good. The debates are a daily source of information and satisfaction. The three foundation principles have been substantially agreed on,-that is, two branches to the legislature, a single Executive, with a qualified negative in the legislature acts, and an independent judiciary. There appears so good a disposition in most of the members of the Convention. I hope we shall get happily through the formation of the Constitution; but it will take more time than I expected, probably till New Years Day at least. Have patience, my dear Beckey, this once. God forbid I should ever again leave you so long, and so burthened with business, even for considerations more weighty than those which occasion my present ahsence."
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On January 15, 1790, he again wrote: "I am yet to lament that I can give you no kind of assurance when the Convention will rise." On February 15, 1790, he again wrote: "The Convention still sitting; and probably will not rise before the close of the week. The Wyoming business being before the As- sembly, and Pennsylvania claimants pushing hard to repeal the Confirming Law, may occasion my staying here the best part of next week."
The Convention did not "rise" the next week. Indeed on April 6, 1790 it took a recess. "Six months I have been absent" he wrote on that date to his wife. "To crown all, the Confirming Law repealed! You will be surprised not to see me with Mr. Gore and Mr. Butler. I shall wait for one more disappointment .*
The one more disappointment Colonel Pickering referred to in the previous letter actually followed. The annoyances he met with in public life, his burden- some and unremunerative duties at Wyoming and this, the loss of an appointment as Surveyor General of the State, led him to write to his wife in a somewhat pessi- mistic strain. "There is nothing that I could more earnestly pray for in respect to my sons, than that they might engage in such private pursuits as to preclude even the wish for a public employment." In this pessimistic mood his friend Andrew Ellicott found him, then about ready to start back to Wyoming, on April 5, 1790. The outcome of the visit was that Colonel Pickering applied for the office of Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, made vacant by a resignation. Alexander Hamilton, to whom the application was addressed, advised friends of the Commissioner that he had already promised the place to another.
That General Washington knew of the application and had other things in view for his former Quartermaster General is of record. In the meanwhile, Colonel Pickering returned to Wilkes-Barré, after an absence of nearly seven months. Scarcely had the induction of Washington into the office of first Pres- ident of the United States become a fact, before the affairs of Colonel Pickering changed for the better.
The Convention for framing a new Constitution for Pennsylvania came to an end on September 2, 1790. It adjourned with an understanding that the members would come together as a body, the next day, to meet President Wash- ington. Colonel Pickering was again in Philadelphia for the final sessions. The President upon meeting him proposed that his former companion in arms accept a commission in connection with an impending conference with the tribe of Scnecas. Colonel Pickering accepted this mark of esteem in the part of his chief. Next day, September 4th, the President issued the following: "Colonel Timothy Pickering.
"You are hereby authorized and required forthwith to proceed to the Painted Post,-or to such other place or places as may seem proper, there to meet, in behalf of the United States, the sachems, chiefs, and warriors of the Seneca Nation of Indians, or any person or persons deputed by them: to assure them that the murders committed at Pine Creekt on some of their tribe are causes of great displeasure to the United States; to explain to them what measures have been taken, and are still proposed to be taken, to apprehend and bring the offenders to justice; to communicate to them in a plain and fair manner the late act of Congress respecting the trade and intercourse with the Indian tribes; to declare to them the friendly disposition of the Federal government towards them, and its readiness to extend protection and support to them on all needful occasions; and in general to do such matters and things as may be necessary for the more complete execution of the foregoing powers.
"Given under my hand and seal, this 4th day of September, 1790. "Philadelphia, September 4th, 1790.
"G. WASHINGTON."
*Among his friends a movement was started in 1788 to have Colonel Pickering appointed Surveyor General of Pennsylvania. A petition to this effect was signed by a number of influential residents of Philadelphia and presented to the Council but nothing seems to have come of it.
+"The Fine Creek Murders" as they were known in a considerable correspondence between President Washington and Chiefs of the Senecas, occurred along a tributary of the West Branch of the Susquehanna. Two Indians of that tribe, on a peaceful mission, were wantonly murdered by drunken traders. The murderers were later brought to justice and, with considerable difficulty owing to the prejudice of the times, were convicted of the crime.
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On October 17, 1790, Colonel Pickering left Wilkes-Barré, as the head of the Indian Commission.
Many interesting documents connected with the treaty which was finally concluded with the Senecas and others of the Six Nations, are preserved among the "Pickering Papers." A reference to one of them, will indicate their trend.
On November 15, 1790, some twenty or thirty chiefs had assembled at Tioga Point, including representatives of all the Six Nations who considered the grievance of the Senecas their own. The eloquent Red Jacket was present, as were Farmer's Brother, Good Peter, Captain Hendrick Aupaumut, Fish Carrier and Big Tree.
After passing the pipe, according to Indian customs, Colonel Pickering opened the conference and recorded its speeches in his own handwriting. The usual ceremonious language was used:
"'Brothers, Sachems, Chiefs, and Warriors of the Six Nations:
"'I bid you a hearty welcome to this council fire, and thank the Great Spirit who has brought us together in safety, though I sincerely lament the cause of our meeting,-I mean the murder of our two brothers of your nation at Pine Creek.
"'Brothers: I have already informed you by letter that I was appointed by our Great Chief, General Washington, to meet you on this occasion. You must well know that he is the President or Great Chief of the United States. What I shall say to you will be in his name, by the authority of the United States, pursuant to the powers vested in me by this Commission under his hand and seal.'
"The President's commission to me was then read and interpreted.
"'Brothers: I desire you to look on my commission, and observe the seal of our Great Chief, and his name, written with his own hand.'
"My commission was then handed round among the chiefs.
" 'Brothers: As this is the first time that I have held a treaty with you, it cannot be expected that I am well acquainted with your customs. I therefore desire you to excuse any defect in point of form. But what I speak to you shall be the truth; which I am sure you will think more important than a strict observance of ceremonions forms.
" 'Brothers: You now see my commission, which has been read and interpreted, that, according to my letter to you, I was appointed to wash off the blood of our murdered brothers, and wipe away the tears from the eyes of their friends; and that this occasion was to be improved to brighten the chain of friendship between you and the United States.
" 'Brothers: You said the hatchet was yet sticking in your head. I now pull it out. I have now met you to wash off the blood of the slain, and wipe away the tears from the eyes of their friends. And, as a token of friendship and peace, and of the perfect security with which we may confer together, I now present to you these strings.'
"I then delivered to the principal chief, usually called "The Farmer's Brother', strings of wampum. After some consultation with the chiefs near him, he rose and addressed me to the following effect:
" 'Brother: We thank the Great Spirit who has appointed this day, in which we sit side by side, and look with earnestness on each other. We know you have been long waiting for us, and suppose you have often stretched up your neck, to see if we were coming. Brother: We sent your letter to the Grand River by the Fish Carrier, and we have been waiting for its return; but it has not yet come to hand; and therefore we cannot yet properly enter upon business. We must wait two days for the arrival of the Fish Carrier, or to hear from him. But, in the mean time, as the letter is not come back, we desire you to accept this belt as a pledge.'
"He then delivered the belt.
"After a pause, the chief, called Red Jacket, rose, and spoke to this effect:
" 'Brother : We are happy to see you here, for which we thank the Great Spirit.
" 'Brother: You say you are not acquainted with our customs. Brother: We are young, but we will describe the ancient practices of our fathers. The roads we now travel were cleared by them. When they used to meet our brothers of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia, our brothers not only pulled the hatchet out of their heads, but buried it. You say you have now pulled the hatchet out of our heads; but you bave only cast it behind you; and you may take it up again. Brother: While the hatchet lies unburied, we cannot sit easy on our seats.'
" 'Brother: From the time we made peace with the United States, we have experienced troubles, even more than before. The United States have also had their troubles. Brother: we now hear General Washington, the Great Chief of the United States, speaking to us hy you; and hope our troubles will now have an end. But our eyes are not yet washed, that we may see, nor our throats cleared, that we may speak.'
"As soon as Red Jacket sat down, I rose, and spoke to the following effect:
" "Brothers: You say that I have only pulled the hatchet out of your heads, and have not buried it; and that, while it remains unburied, you cannot sit easy on your seats.'
" 'Brothers: In declaring that I pulled the hatchet out of your heads, I meant to comply with your own demand, in your letter to the President and Council of Pennsylvania; which was,
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that he should come and pull the hatchet out of your heads. However, to give you entire satis- faction in this point, as the hatchet is already pulled out of your heads, I now bury it, and pray God that it may remain buried; that its edge may never more be seen. Brothers: The United States have no wish but to live with you as brothers in perpetual peace.'
" 'I now wash off the blood of your murdered brothers, and the tears from the eyes of their friends.'
"I then drank to their healths.
"After they had been served round with a glass of rum, the Farmer's Brother rose, and spoke to this effect :
" 'Brother: You have now taken us by the hand, and washed our eyes. Our women expect you will show them equal attention. They are here waiting your invitation, to receive the same tokens of your friendship, which, the last evening, you gave to us. Perhaps, in taking them by the hand, you may see one who may please you.' (A general laugh at the speaker's humor.)
"I rose, and addressed the women:
" 'Sisters: . I am very glad to meet you here. I have seen agreeable women of various complexions, and doubt not such are to be found among you. I invite you to my quarters, where we may eat and drink together in friendship. I now take you by the hand as my sisters.'
"I then went round and shook hands with every woman present."*
Colonel Pickering's conference with the Indians at Tioga Point was the beginning of long service in this connection. He was singularly adapted to it.
There were many elements of his aspect, character and deportment that gave him great influence over Indians, and won both their confidence and good will. He stood six feet, of broad mus- cular frame, his carriage and gestures together with the initiative, courage and firmness stamped on his face were what they admired.
The Six Nations made him a Chief and at the Council fire addressed him as "Conni-Santi," "The Sunny Side of a Hill."
On April 10, 1791, Major Hodgden was approached by the War Depart- ment in order that Colonel Pickering might be felt out as to accepting another important Indian Commission. He measured up to this task as he did others, by accepting the call. In a letter to his brother John, acknowledging acceptance Indian Student and Painter, who sketched "Colonel Pick- GEORGE CATLIN of the Commission, he brings out what ering at Tioga Point," illustrated page 1128, Vol. II. is fixed in his mind, as to the education of his children:
"Dear Brother,
"Philadelphia, April 23, 1791.
"An unexpected call to this city, to prepare for holding another treaty with the Indians of the Six Nations, gives me the pleasure of this opportunity of writing by Mr. Dalton.t
*Colonel Pickering's bill of accounts for services rendered in connection with the Seneca conference follows: "THE UNITED STATES. To TIMOTHY PICKERING, Dr.
"For my time and trouble in Philadelphia two days, in various matters preparatory to the intended conference, at eight dollars a day. $ 16.00
"For my time and trouble in procuring provisions for the Indians, and holding a conference with them from October 17th (when I set off from my house in Wilkesharre for Tioga) until November 29th, at night (when I reached home), both days, included, at eight dollars a day $352.00 $ 3.37
"For my travelling expenses from Wilkesbarre to Tioga and back
"For my time, trouble, and expenses, after my return, in transcribing the rough minutes of the proceed- ings, to report to the president; in making a journey from Wilkesbarre to Philadelphia for that purpose and to get the account of expenses settled; and in completing the payments yet to be made to sundry persons in Luzerne County and York State, equal to twelve days, at eight dollars .. $ 96.00
"Philadelphia, January 8th, 1791."
iSee the "Life of Pickering." III . 486.
$467.37
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