USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > A history of the townships of Byberry and Moreland, in Philadelphia, Pa. : from their earliest settlements by the whites to the present time > Part 11
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" At the early introduction of the mowing machine there was much opposition which extended to attempts of wrecking them by putting obstructions into the grass.
I56
THE HISTORY OF
ROADS.
WE have but little account of the roads, bridges, etc., in Byberry and Moreland, hence our remarks must be lim- ited. It is quite probable that the Bristol turnpike, as it is now called ; the road leading from Byberry Cross-roads to the Red Lion; what is now the Byberry and Bensalem turnpike, and the Bustleton and Somerton turnpike, are the oldest, and were laid out prior to the Revolution. Mention is made of the Bristol turnpike road as early as I700. The Byberry and Bensalem turnpike road was formerly known as the King's highway, and was the main road leading from Philadelphia to Growden's mansion, now C. W. Taylor's, in Bensalem. The owner of the mansion placed mile-stones along this road, three of which are still standing in Byberry. Jacob Meyers said that when he came to Byberry sixty years ago, the road leading from Byberry Meeting-House to Townsend's Mill passed through the woods near Carver's house. The present road was laid out soon afterwards.
Many years since a turnpike was made from the Rocks, near Frankford, to Somerton, a distance of eight miles; but owing to imperfect construction it became very rough, and was shunned by travelers; hence the company was soon dissolved, and the road left in charge of the Super- visors of the townships. This continued until 1842, when the present company was incorporated. They took pos- session of the road and put it in good condition, at a cost of $8,000 per mile, since which time it has been much traveled.
The Byberry and Bensalem turnpike was chartered in
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BYBERRY AND MORELAND.
March, 1848, and was open for travel in 1852. It is 51/4 miles long and cost $11,442.
In 1790, the inhabitants of Byberry and Southampton met to decide which part of the county line should be mended by each township, when it was agreed that By- berry should take the upper and Southampton the lower part.
In 1793, John Swift, Edward Duffield. William Wal- ton, and Isaac Comly, met in regard to mending the road between Byberry and Moreland, when it was agreed that Byberry should mend the lower and Moreland the upper part.
In 1798, supervisors were, for the first time, allowed a compensation for collecting the road-tax.
The Byberry and Andalusia turnpike was chartered in 1857. It was covered with gravel to the depth of eight inches. It is about two miles long, and cost $5,000.
In 1816, a road was laid out between John and Evan Townsend's land, extending from a road leading to Mink- town to the road from Townsend's Mill to Mechanics- ville.24
24 Concerning the question of roads, it may be said that the early settlers were accustomed to travel in the well-beaten Indian tracks. The Indians had a path running parallel to the river. The early Dutch and Swedes followed these paths which were known as bridle paths. This early bridle path along the Delaware was probably on a line with the Bristol Pike. In 1677 a road was laid out from Chester and Philadelphia on a general line with the Bristol Pike to the Falls at Trenton. It was known as the King's Road or Path.
This road was never, however, carefully laid out until after the arrival of Penn. On November 19, 1686, the City Councils ordered a road laid out from Broad Street in Philadelphia to the Falls of Trenton. Instead, however, of laying it out as ordered, it com- menced nearer the river and followed the general direction of Frank- ford Avenue and Bristol Pike to the Falls. Work on the road pro-
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THE HISTORY OF
POST-OFFICES.
FOR a long time after the first settlement of the town- ships, the nearest post-office was at Philadelphia; but as the villages of Frankford, Bustleton, and Holmesburg grew up into importance, post-offices were established there for their convenience, and the people of Byberry and Moreland resorted to them for the little business they had through that channel. As Byberry became more densely populated and the circulation of newspapers began to increase, the people felt the want of a more convenient post-office, and, in 1826, one was established at Byberry Cross-roads, with a weekly mail.25 This answered for a short time; but, in 1832, the office was removed to the store near the meeting-house, and a daily mail arrived from Andalusia. In 1834, this was changed to a tri-week- ly mail, and so continued until within a few years, since which they have had a daily communication by mail with Philadelphia. In the year 1858 the post-office was re- moved to Mechanicsville; but as this was very inconveni- ent to the citizens, it was soon removed to the tailor shop near the meeting-house, and Jackson Brown appointed postmaster. Here it gave general satisfaction, and was continued until 1862, when it was again taken to the gressed slowly, for in the year 1700 it was still obstructed by stumps and logs.
In 1693 the road from the Falls of Trenton through Langhorne and Bustleton to Frankford was laid out. This road was at one time an important road between Philadelphia and Trenton.
25 About this time, the mail was robbed by Porter, who dwelt for a time at Langhorne. He murdered the driver but was captured, tried and hanged. His skeleton is now in use in the University of Pennsylvania. After this murder a United States marine was placed on the mail coaches.
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store near by, where it still remains. The office has at different times been under the care of Oliver Parry, Cyrus Pierce, Jackson Brown, William Penrose, and Ross M. Knight.26 It is now under the charge of the latter gentle- man. The mail route was formerly by way of Bustleton and Somerton, and was for many years carried by Silas Vanarsdalen. Since that time the mail-carriers for By- berry have been Joseph Fell, Nathan Webster, Jackson Brown, Charles B. Comly, Peter States, Isaac Knight, and Theodore Hawk. It is now brought up by the Phila- delphia and Trenton Railroad Company to Andalusia, and carried to Byberry by the last-named person. The amount of mail-matter to this office has been gradually increasing since its first establishment, and for the quarter ending June 30, 1863, was as follows : Letters received, 1,496; sent, 1,095 ; newspapers received, 4,019 ; sent, 40. A daily mail to Somerton was established many years since, and has proved a great blessing to the people in that vicin- ity. It reaches the city by way of Bustleton, and is car- ried by George Birkman.27 For many years the postmas- ter was Benjamin Comly; but it is now under the charge of William Hoot. The village was formerly called Smith- field ; but when the post-office was established it was nam- ed Somerton, in honor of Judge Sommer, who resided near by.
26 The Byberry store has since been kept by Wallace Dudley, Charles Gilbert, John Samms, George Fries, Mrs. Apple, William Vandergrift, George Woodel and William Hoffman.
"7 The mail now reaches the village by way of the railroad which was constructed in the year 1876.
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THE HISTORY OF
OVERSEERS OF THE POOR.
BYBERRY and Moreland have always maintained their own poor. Previous to 1752 this was done entirely by the members of Byberry Monthly Meeting, but since that time each township has taken care of all except the poor belonging to the Society of Friends. At no time since the above date have the people been entirely free from persons depending upon them for support; some for a short time only, while others were for a long term of years. Among the latter were a husband and wife, both of whom were maintained fifteen years; Timothy Hibbs, an idiot, twenty-six years; one aged widow, thirteen, and another twenty-five years ; one spinster, Hannah Howard, thirty-three years; Rebecca Adams, who died in 1818, at the advanced age of ninety years, for several years; and Mary, familiarly known as "Old Molly Jerden," near- ly sixty years. These were all in Byberry. In Moreland, there was Susan Quee,* for about fifty years; "Black Hannah," for several years, who died about 1857, aged nearly one hundred. The first Overseer of the Poor in Byberry was John Worthington, elected in 1752, to serve one year. In 1753, Job Walton and Richard Walton were chosen to perform the duties of that thankless but neces- sary office. Since that time two persons have annually been elected in each township, and a regular account of their expenditures, etc., in Byberry, has been preserved in the township book. The accounts in Moreland we have not been able to obtain. From these books we find that from 1761 to 1809 the average annual amount of poor-tax
* I believe still living.
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BYBERRY AND MORELAND.
was $143-the least being in 1776, when it was only $10. Since 1809 the largest amount spent in any one year was in 1851, when $998.50 were required. In 1860, six per- sons only were supported by the townships. This account does not include the poor belonging to the Society of Friends; for we find the Meeting has paid $100 per an- num, on an average, for the support of its poor since 1761. When Lower Dublin created their poor-house many per- sons wanted Byberry and Moreland to join with them; but the latter township preferred to maintain their own poor by boarding them in the neighborhood. It is the duty of the Overseers to provide the necessaries of life to all who are unable to procure them, and not let them suf- fer ; and to lay and collect an annual tax to pay all debts thus contracted. It is probable the poor are better and more comfortably provided for than where poor-houses have been erected in which to give them quarters.
BYBERRY LIBRARY.
AFTER peace was declared between Great Britain and the American Colonies, and wars and rumors of wars had died away, the people in the vicinity of Byberry began to turn their minds more and more to educational mat- ters. The schools were much improved, and a taste for general reading created in the community. Books of all kinds were expensive, and few persons at that time pos- sessed much of a library. In order to make up this defici- ency, and to furnish each other with reading matter, it was proposed by John Comly, Ezra Townsend, Thomas Townsend, Benjamin Walmsley, Asa Walmsley, and
II
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THE HISTORY OF
James Walton, to establish a circulating library. After considerable discussion, and not a little opposition on the part of some of the women Friends, the constitution of the Byberry Library Company was adopted, 12th mo., 29, 1794. A clause in the constitution "prohibited the intro- duction of all atheistical or deistical works, all novels, plays or romances, and every other book that has an im- moral tendency, or that is prejudicial to the Christian re- ligion.28
For this reason the Library now contains a better se- lection of useful voulmes than is usually found in such places. The constitution was signed by twenty-three per- sons, some of whom resided in Moreland and Bensalem, and each paid in the sum of $4, the most of which was used in purchasing books; so that when the Library was opened it contained about seventy volumes, exclusive of several loaned by members. It was first placed at the house of Ezra Townsend; but in 1798 was removed to Byberry School-house, where it remained until 1816. It was then taken to Gilbert's store, while the Library Com- pany were fitting up a suitable room for it in the school- house, whither it was removed in 1818. When the new school-house was built, in 1823, a room was finished ex- pressly for the Library, and it has remained there ever since.
The books are arranged according to their size, whether quarto, octavo, or duodecimo, and members are permitted to keep them out from one to eight weeks, varying with
28 The Hatborough Library originated in 1755 in much the sameway that the Byberry Library and the Philadelphia Library started, it being the second oldest in the State.
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BYBERRY AND MORELAND.
the size and contents of the volume. Members have ac- cess to the Library at all times ; but they can take out only two volumes at a time, and these must be returned before others can be had. The members pay an annual tax, usual- ly about $I each, to defray the expenses of the Company, and procure new books. Those owning shares in the Library now number about forty ; and the annual tax, to- gether with the fines received for keeping books out be- yond their time, amounts to over $50, so that probably about thirty volumes are annually added to the collection. This library is one of the best to be found outside of the city, and now contains over two thousand volumes, which treat principally of religious, historical, or scientific subjects, and affords an excellent opportunity for all to acquire much valuable and useful information. The price of the stock has been raised to $6 per share, and new shares are from time to time created, to meet the wants of the people.
This library has been of great value to the neighbor- hood, and much of the information diffused among the citizens of the place is attributable to this source. Many of the young people avail themselves of this opportunity for reading; and many of them, along with the writer of this, have had occasion to feel thankful to those liberal-minded persons who originated and bequeathed to us this invaluable legacy.29
" The library is still in the upper room of the school erected in
1823. It now contains about 3,000 volumes, many of which are rare. The library is not utilized as once it was. Library stock will now sell for about ten dollars.
A
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THE HISTORY OF
BURIAL-PLACES.
The proper interment of the dead has always been. felt to be a solemn duty devolving upon every Christian, and places suitable for the deposit of the bodies of those who had served out their earthly pilgrimage early claimed the attention of the people, and lots were set apart by our forefathers for this purpose. Among the first of these was a lot of one acre, which was bequeathed, May 30th, 1786, to Byberry township, by John Hart, grandson of the ancient John Hart, as a burial-place for the poor of the vicinity forever. This is still the township burial- ground, in which, at long intervals, some unfortunate mortal, whose life had probably been imbittered by the strange vicissitudes of fortune is laid in the narrow grave, without so much as a friend to shed a sympathizing tear. It is located in the lower end of the township, near the Red Lion Hotel, and from the number of persons annu- ally placed therein, will serve the township as a burial- place for at least another century.
This might indeed be made a beautiful resting-place for the dead, but for many years there has been little care taken of it, and brambles, weeds, and small cedars cover the ground, giving it a forlorn and repulsive appearance, strangely contrasting with the far more attractive spots of the kind around Philadelphia. The last burial I re- collect at this yard was that of a friendless old man who was taken sick near Knightsville, in Moreland, and found his way to a neighboring barn, where he soon afterwards died. No one knew him; and his name, as well as his history, has remained unknown to us to the present time.
--
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BYBERRY AND MORELAND.
A single one-horse market wagon composed the proces- sion, and two men beside the driver, were all that follow- ed the mortal remains of the deceased stranger to this "Potter's Field," where it has since reposed undisturbed by the bickering world around it. As I surveyed this procession I thought how sad is the life of the pauper, for he is grudgingly cared for while living, and when about to be buried,
"They rattle his bones over the stones,
Because he's a pauper whom nobody owns."
The graveyard for colored persons, previously men- tioned as being situated in the eastern part of Byberry, is still kept for that purpose. Some years since a por- tion of this yard was plowed up, and most of the "little mounds" were levelled with the earth around, so that the exact spot where many of this race were buried can no longer be seen. What a pity that man should ever be willing to disturb the resting-places of the dead in order to add to his coffers! Of late years more care has been taken of this place, and it is now kept in good order by Byberry Meeting.31
There was, also, a burying-place for slaves on Wil- liam Tillyer's farm, in Moreland, which was continued until within the last twenty years. The lane leading to the dwelling-house then went in opposite to the school- house, and made a sharp turn about two hundred yards
30 This graveyard is somewhat neglected, it being covered with briars and shrubbery.
3' This graveyard was converted into farm land about twenty-five years ago, all the mounds being levelled with the ground.
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THE HISTORY OF
from the road to get to the house.32 At this bend the graveyard was located. It was a small triangular lot, and had been used as a burial-place for many years. Jacob Saurman informs me that it had a Swede fence around it when first recollected by him, but that in later times it was left open, and as it was overgrown with grass, weeds, and briers, the cattle of the farm were permitted to roam over it at pleasure. He remembers that two colored per- sons were buried there, one of them while he was Over- seer of the Poor in Moreland. About a dozen graves were then visible, and the place remained in this condition until the death of William Tillyer, when the route of the old lane was changed, and the "old graveyard" was destroy- ed, so that not a vestige of it now remains to mark the last resting-place of the ancient dead. Connected with its history is the following: On one occasion a black dog in the neighborhood died, and the children attending Tillyer's school, on account of the color of the animal, obtained the body and made preparation for its burial in that yard. Twelve o'clock (noon) was the appointed hour; and punctually at that time the pupils, young and old, met, and forming themselves into a procession, sol- emnly followed the remains, borne by two pall-bearers and accompanied by a chaplain, to their "final resting- place," where they were decently interred and a eulogy pronounced on the good qualities of faithful old Tray, after which they returned to their usual pastimes at the school.
82 An old lady of the Lukens family informs me that when the field was first plowed, the horses' feet sank into some of the graves. A slight depression opposite the school marks the place where the old road entered.
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BYBERRY AND MORELAND.
F
The "old graveyard" belonging to Byberry Meeting, and of which we have frequently made mention in this history, contains one acre of ground, and is situated in front of the meeting-house, about fifty yards distant. It is surrounded by a stone wall about four feet high, and has two entrances on the eastern side. It has been full for many years, and the last of those buried there were Margery Knight, Ist mo. 27, 1841, aged eighty-three years, and Elizabeth Townsend, 7th mo. 7, 1841, aged seventy-five years. Among those first interred were two Indian squaws, in 1692, and whose graves are under the large cedar tree* near the centre of the yard, where they have slept for nearly two centuries.
A graveyard should always be the most inviting and lovely spot on earth, for as we all love the beautiful while living, it is a pleasing thought that when our journey through life is over, we shall be laid amid the pleasant scenes we love so well. It is said of Alexander Wilson, that his last wish was to be "laid beneath a shady tree where the songsters that charmed him while living might come and sing around his tomb!" And poor John Fitch, the great American mechanic and inventor of the steam- boat, prayed that he might be buried on the banks of the Ohio River, so that he would be near the many steamboats which his hopeful spirit led him to believe would one day glide up and down that stream! A cemetery should, there- fore, be the type of our thoughts and our religion, and in this respect the old graveyard, with its quiet air and its ab-
* This tree was planted by Joseph Gilbert at the head of his wife's grave, about 1750. Isaac Comly, who died in 1823, aged fourscore years, recollected seeing him come there to water it. Isaac at that time was a small boy going to school.
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THE HISTORY OF
sence of gorgeous tombs and other memorials of the dead, is highly characteristic of the people who now slumber within its walls. In ancient times they rarely marked the spots where their families were buried, but within a few years many have been careful to have headstones placed at the graves of their families and friends, and in this respect the new graveyard differs from the old one. The absence of these little memorials in the latter makes it far less interesting to the present generation who may wish to spend an hour
"Where the rude forefathers of our township sleep."
Very few stones, indeed, are found in the yard, and only about fifteen of them have dates to tell us when those who lie beneath paid the debt of nature. Two of these have the names in full, while all the rest have the initials only. But one marble stone is in the yard, and that is less than one foot high. After some difficulty in deciphering the initials and figures on the stones-for they were cov- ered with moss and lichens-and in making reference to some notes, we learned that the following persons had been interred there previous to the beginning of the pres- ent century : Jonathan Knight, son of the first Giles and his wife Jane, in 1745; Thomas Knight, brother to Jona- than, 1774; Joseph Knight, another brother, 1762, aged eighty-two years, and his wife Abigail, 1764, at same age; Giles Knight, son of Joseph, 1799, and his wife Elizabeth, 1766; and Samuel Scott, 1761.
But little care is taken of this yard, and tall briers and rank grass are permitted to grow and cover the whole surface so as nearly to obliterate the little mounds and
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BYBERRY AND MORELAND.
hollows beneath. Most of the graves have sunk so that it is difficult to tell where they are, and the wild Indian or wood-grass has become so firmly rooted that not a single wild flower can unfold its beautiful petals there. In one corner of the yard a family of elders have taken quiet possession, to the exclusion of everything else. Scat- tered here and there over the whole surface are a few small cedars, and in the centre stands a large tree of the same species, whose trunk has been scarred by the thun- derbolts of heaven, and through whose top the wintry winds moan sadly :
"For it is ever sad when others' grief is fled, And still remains the constant mourner of the dead."
No walks have ever been laid out in this yard, and the visitor to this full-tenanted resting-place of the long- since dead must make his way as best he can among the little mounds. This yard contains nearly all of our early ancestors, and it has been estimated that not less than four thousand sleep beneath its sod. When it was nearly filled, another lot of about one acre, a little to the south of the meeting-house, was purchased from the property now owned by Robert Purvis.38 The first per- sons buried there were in February, 1832, scarcely one- third of a century ago, yet it is now more than half filled, and contains not less than two thousand graves. Margery Walmsley was the first one buried there, and she was followed in a few days by Joseph Carver. It was for several years the only burial-place in either township, and was used by nearly the whole neighborhood, whether Friends or not. It is beautifully situated, and forms an
83 This lot is now owned by John Dilworth.
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THE HISTORY OF
appropriate resting-place for departed friends; and around it are a number of trees,
"Which make a lone and silent shade, Where none but reverent footsteps tread; Where many friends are calmly laid To sleep the slumbers of the dead.
"Oh! sadly sighs the evening breeze, As it sweeps o'er the lonely place, And sadly droop the murm'ring trees As tho' they mourned the slumb'ring race."
The sextons at Byberry graveyard have been Benjamin Atkinson, 1793 to 1796; T. Simmons, 1796 to 1797; Griffith Street, 1797 to 1819, then removed to Ohio; Watson Atkinson, for about one year ; James Jenks, from 1820 to 1850; and William Forrest since that time.
After the Methodists became more numerous and built their church in Somerton, the question of having a churchyard attached occupied the attention of the people ; but after some years spent in considering the matter, it was finally agreed to form an association, and to purchase ten acres of land near the village for a cemetery. A very appropriate spot was selected to the east of the village, and the grounds were neatly graded, the walks laid out, and it fitted up for that purpose. Many of those in the vicinity have purchased lots there, and a large number have already been buried in the place. The ground is called the William Penn Cemetery, and was opened in 1855. The first interment there was Thomas Dyer's child II mo., 7, of that year, since which time it has been growing more and more in favor with the people. It is
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