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 5
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" Unfortunately this house no longer exists, it having been replaced by a handsome modern structure.
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the Bristol turnpike, under pretence of fulfilling orders issued by General Washington, to prevent the grain from falling into the hands of the British, then in possession of Philadelphia. They burned some wheat-stacks belonging to James Thornton, near Byberry Meeting House, and some owned by his tenant, Robert Thomas, not far from Knight's mill, and supposed to contain three hundred bushels. A barn belonging to Andrew Singley, at White Sheet Bay, on the Delaware, and one owned by Thomp- son, at Prospect Hill, were also destroyed. One account says, that James Thornton met them near Joseph Knight's corner, and threatened to inform Washington of their proceedings if they did not desist ; others say that a supe- rior officer met them, and ordered them to destroy no more barns, after which they proceeded to the Billet. Shortly after this General Lacy caused many of the cattle and sheep to be driven into Bucks County under a similar plea. Some were taken as far as Doylestown, and others left near the Buck Hotel, in Southampton; but the owners going after them, nearly all were recovered. There was but little security for either persons or property, for wheat was taken from the granary, corn from the crib, fatted hogs from the pen, and even pork from the tub. One man left his corn in the shock until spring, thinking thus to save it; but it was taken as soon as husked. The same person, in order to save his wheat, had it ground, and the flour packed in barrels and hid under some buckwheat straw, where it remained all winter. In the spring he found a ready market among the poor people, who came up the river in boats, and walked across the country to his place. They first exhausted the supply at Howell's, now
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Comly's mill; and were then sent to this farmer, who always kept a barrel open ready to supply their wants. The flour was soon sold, and silver received in payment. The men, it is said, carried a half, and the women a quar- ter of a hundred, to the river, a distance of three miles. There was considerable difficulty in getting produce to market, as Washington had prohibited any intercourse with the British while they were in Philadelphia ; yet, as provisions were high, and gold or silver paid for all that was purchased, many ran the risk of being captured, and when a successful trip was made, they seemed to be well repaid for the danger. They generally went along by- paths and across fields, and travelled only by night. A. company of these men, when returning home, were bold enough to venture up the Bristol road, and when near Holmesburg were fired on by a body of soldiers, and one of their number, Tommy Price, was killed.
An old account says that Washington, while on the march to attack Cornwallis, at Yorktown, in 1781, en- camped one night with the main part of his army on both sides of the Poquessing Creek, in the southern part of By- berry, and near the Red Lion Hotel.
Notwithstanding the great difficulty of getting their produce to market, and the losses sustained in various other ways, there were but few cases of failure among the inhabitants of either township. They made their ex- penses correspond with their income, and were generally prosperous ; while some of the military collectors, who had taken undue advantages, afterward became very poor, and in one case reduced to actual want.
Many of the inhabitants were in favor of the old form
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of government, but they generally took no part in the con- test, and but few were compelled to leave the townships on that account. It is said that William Walmsley harbored Joseph Galloway after he was compelled to leave his resi- dence at Trevose, now Belmont, on account of his favor- ing the British, but Walmsley was not interfered with. Jonathan Walton,45 of Moreland, took an active part against the Americans, and was forced to go to Canada, but afterwards returned and was not molested. His property was not confiscated, and he sold it some years after peace was declared to Judge Sommer. Some of the Tories in the adjoining townships were so active in their operations against the colonists, that they were forced to flee to Nova Scotia, England, and other places. After the war was closed, the new government passed an act requiring the oath of allegiance to it to be taken by all citizens, and denying to all who refused to do so the rights of citizenship. Some took the test without hesitation, but others felt some scruples about the matter. As the provi- sions of the new government became better known, the seeming objections were removed, and the inhabitants generally came into the measure, although some called it "swallowing the pill."
There was one act done by the people of Byberry which illustrates their true character, and deserves a place in this history. Benjamin Kite, who kept school at Byberry dur- ing the Revolution, gives the following account of this circumstance : "A singular civil arrangement took place
45 In 1850, an unofficial inscription on one of the rafters of Byberry Meeting, in which Jonathan Walton is spoken of as a "D- Tory," could still be seen.
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in Byberry, with which no one who now lives is better acquainted than myself, which I think ought to be known. Soon after the Revolutionary War began, and with which the inhabitants being all Friends could take no part, some of the better class, convinced that the few poor of the township should be provided for, and the roads kept in order without applying to any of the constituted authori- ties, either of the old or new regime, for years held elec- tions, chose overseers and supervisors, who regularly laid out and collected taxes, took care of the poor, and re- paired the roads; and it is worthy of note that the taxes were never more regularly paid, though the collectors had no power to enforce their payment, nor were the poor ever more comfortably taken care of, nor the roads kept in better repair. The elections and the settlement of the offi- cers' accounts took place in my school-room, and I, on those occasions, acted ex-officio as clerk."
During the war, as is well known, Congress issued "Bills of Credit" to a large amount. This was called Con- tinental money, and soon, began to depreciate, so that in a short time it was worth little or nothing. One man in By- berry, it is said, paid two hundred and fifty dollars of it for a tea-kettle, and another paid one hundred dollars for a mug of beer.46 Some, who were opposed to any change in the government, refused the Continental money, and hoarded up the old Province money, which they thought would be of full value after the war; but they were doomed to disappointment, it being entirely valueless.
46 In Henry Tomlinson's diary, a portion of which has been in- serted in this history, is an entry stating that Continental money was at the ratio of six-hundred to one.
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*Byberry and the adjoining townships, although never the scene of any Revolutionary battle, if we except that at Hatborough, yet were, during that period, closely connected with the war.
On the 9th of December, 1776, General Washington stationed Colonel Nixon's regiment at Dunk's Ferry, where it remained for about a month, affording opportunity for much intercourse with the people of the locality. About the same time the Legislature of New Jersey met at Four Lanes' End (since called Attleborough and Lang- horne).
When Washington marched through Pennsylvania in 1777 to meet the British at Chadd's Ford, on the Brandywine, he stopped at Ger- mantown. This was August 6th. On August 10th, he retraced his steps as far as Hartsville on the Neshaminy. Here he encamped for more than a week.
During the British occupation of Philadelphia, the country be- tween the Delaware and Schuylkill was the scene of an active guerrilla warfare. On the same day on which the attack was made on Red Bank, Simcoe's Queen's Rangers advanced over Frankford Road as far as Frankford, then moved around the American post at Frank- ford and proceeded to the Red Lion Hotel at Torresdale. They made no captures. A few days later, these same troops attempted to cap- ture the American post at Frankford, but found the place deserted. A number of those wounded at Germantown on October 4th were cared for in this locality. On October 16th, Captain Webb was cap- tured at Abington with his command. About Christmas, 1777, Gen- eral Lacey's men advanced over Frankford Road to force a British foraging party to return out of New Jersey. According to William H. Egle, the British entered Moreland, Byberry and Bensalem on January 13th, 1778, and captured John Vandergrift, his son, and Edward Duffield. On February 13th the British took prisoner Mr. Butler, on the Old York Road. On January 20th, General Lacey, who had been ordered to occupy this locality about January Ist, sta- tioned eighty men at Smithfield to keep a closer watch on the enemy. Here, on February 14th, they were surprised and about one-half were either taken prisoners or slain by Captain Thomas and his Bucks County Tories. Thomas came out of the city along with Hovenden to devastate the country and capture stragglers. Thomas took the Bustleton road and fought the above-mentioned skirmish at Smith- field. Hovenden took the Bristol Road and captured Gunning Bed- ford, Master of the Commissary Department of the Army, Major John Snyder, John Miller and Benjamin Walton. On February 18th, the British again advanced into the section, this time as far as New- town. Here they captured a quantity of cloth intended for the army, and Major Murray with about thirty soldiers. On February 19th, General Lacey ordered Lieutenant Vanhorn of Southampton, to watch the enemy on the Bristol, Smithfield, Old York and White- marsh roads. A little later, a drove of a hundred cattle were cap- tured while crossing the lower end of Bucks county on its way to Washington's camp. In April, a party of British advanced to Bristol
*Note by the Editor.
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and captured Colonel Penrose and several other officers. On April, 26th, a party of Northampton teamsters left General Lacey's camp near Hatborough and after proceeding about a mile on the County Line Road were surprised and captured.
During the British occupation, the British entered Bensalem with the purpose of conducting Joseph Galloway's goods to the city. For this purpose they impressed wagons and teamsters of the locality. On their return to the city, they were annoyed by General Lacey's men who hung on their rear. They did not dare to attack them, however, and returned to the Galloway mansion and shot several bullets into the eaves of the house. A load of butter, eggs, poultry and produce was taken by someone of the neighborhood to the city under the British protection. The produce was sold and the pro- ceeds invested in salt which was then very scarce. By this means much money was gained.
This seems to have been a constant practice with the inhabitants. Whenever a British force would invade a district, it would be fol- lowed on its retreat to the city by one or more wagons bearing pro- duce. Indeed, this business was so profitable that great risks of cap- ture were run in its pursuit. At one time Isaac Ryan of Moreland, in Montgomery county, made one of these expeditions to the city with a very fast horse. He reached the city in safety, but, on re- turning with a bag of salt, was discovered and pursued. To escape he had to cast away his salt. His horse was ruined. At another time John Tomlinson, while on a similar journey to the city, was captured near Germantown. He was stripped, tied to a tree and pelted with his own eggs. He was given a very ragged suit and forced thus to return home.
To stop this illegal trade seems to have been the chief duty of such men as Howard, Dover and especially Allan McLane. The latter operated mostly within eight or ten miles of the city and from the. nature of his task was often led into amusing as well as dangerous. situations. At one time, while going down the Bristol Pike, he was. surprised near Cedar Hill by a large party of British in ambush. Quickly turning, he galloped over the fields only to encounter a larger force of the enemy. By advancing toward these as if to surrender, they were thrown off their guard. Under this advantage, he quickly turned toward Oxford Pike and galloped toward Fox Chase. The British now sent two horsemen in pursuit. These overtook Mc- Lane. With his pistol, he shot one and knocked the other from his horse and escaped. At another time, he was surprised when leaving the Rising Sun Tavern, where he had been consulting with a patriot from Philadelphia disguised as a woman. Galloping toward the enemy, he ordered his imaginary troops to charge. Firing his pistol in the face of the captain, he escaped. He would often send one of his men, disguised as a countryman with produce, to the city to ob- tain information. When on such an errand, it was thought an ex- cellent joke to sell to the British horse flesh for beef.
The Marquis de Lafavette crossed the township, stopping at Lang- horne, on his way to Bethlehem, after being wounded at Chadd's Ford. He is also popularly supposed to have lived in the old log
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house just north of the Pennypack Creek on the Bristol Pike. An- other tradition connects him with Cresson's Corner. It is said that he rode out to the Red Lion and with an aide continued his ride into Byberry. Stopping at the house of Chamberlain, he asked for supper. After supper was served, Lafayette pulled from his pocket a handful of coins, telling the woman to take the price of the supper. Upon her refusing to accept anything, he threw down a half sovereign.
In concluding this note, it will be well to make a few extracts from the diary of Henry Tomlinson of Bensalem.
"1775, May 18th-Joseph Cox went to learn the military trade at the Red Lion.
1775, August 5th-A great muster among the soldiers.
1776, May 3d and 4th-Great guns fired down the river.
1776, July 2Ist-The soldiers in Bensalem set off for Trenton.
1776, August 24th-The Americans and Regulars fighting on Long Island.
1776, October 3d-The Rebels after Gilbert Hicks.
1776, December 31st-Two soldiers came here and inquired the way to Newtown.
1777, January 2d and 3d-Terrible fighting at Trenton. The can- non roared like thunder.
1777, June 24th-N. W. and two soldiers took away two horses out of the plough.
1777, July 3d-The soldiers went by Byberry Meeting House and shot off many guns as they went.
1777, July 31st-Heard of the English fleet being in the Delaware.
1778, January 4th-The soldiers took away one bull and one heifer from me.
1778, January 8th-Sharp firing toward Philadelphia.
1778, March 6th-Much wheat and hay burnt.
1778, March 15th-A horse taken by the soldiers.
1778, March 27-A mare taken by the soldiers for the use of the Continental Army. .
1778, April 8th-The English at Smithfield.
1778, April 13th-Much shooting toward Philadelphia.
1778, April 17th-The English ranging at Bristol and in Bensalem. 1778, June 18th-The English left Philadelphia.
1780, April 3d-Heard of Benjamin Gilbert and family being taken captive by the Indians and had his house and mill burnt by them.
1780. August 17th-Had a horse taken out of the plough for the wagon hy J. N.
1780. November 13th-Distressed for fines by A. L 45 bushels of corn and 25 of buckwheat. and took £300 in Continental money beside.
1781, May 24th-The lower battalion met at the Four-lanes-end (Langhorne). It is called a field day among the militia. Adieu to Continental money six hundred for one-not worth having at that rate.
1781, August 30th-General Washington went to Philadelphia, escorted by 40 or 50 men-rode sword in hand as a guard."
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Before closing this part of our history, we propose to notice some of the customs of the people at or about the commencement of the contest. The section of which we are writing the history had long since ceased to be a wil- derness, and fine farms and fertile fields occupied the place of what was once lonely plains. The industrious white settlers had continued to increase, not only in numbers but in enterprise, until they had reclaimed the whole of the land; while the "red men of the forest," thus crowded out, had left the homes of their forefathers and moved onward toward the setting sun. These last had indeed sold out all their possessions to William Penn; but the lands thus given up had been the home of their childhood, and most of the important deeds of their youth had been enacted there. These lovely spots-their native grounds -around which so much that was pleasant clustered, were annually visited by them; and when the storms and chill- ing winds of winter had passed away, and the spring, with her life-giving breath, had clothed the earth with buds and blossoms, these rude sons of the West were sure to come, bringing with them the earthly wealth they possessed, to. remain during the summer on the very spot where their early days had been spent. But as year succeeded year, and these little bands continued to arrive, it was plainly visible to all that the ruthless hand of time was gradually removing them to another world, and in a few years more none remained to keep up this custom. During such visits. they occupied the orchard belonging to Thomas Walms- ley, and lately owned by Charles Walmsley,47 subsisted upon what game they could obtain from the woods and
47 This is now the property of Elijah Osmond.
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waters, and the charities of their white friends around them.48
They roamed about the woods shooting small game with their bows and arrows, or along the streams in quest of the inhabitants of the waters. Frogs, fish, and turtles were much sought after by them, and even the land tor- toises did not escape, for they furnished many a feast to the Indian and his family. They looked upon the land as still belonging to them, and always felt a freedom to help themselves to everything they met with in their ram- bles. We have no accounts of their having disturbed any of the people, for they considered the whites as their brothers, and ever held them in the greatest respect. It is said that the last Indians who lived in the townships, were the two squaws, who were buried in the old grave- yard at Byberry Meeting, near the large cedar tree in the centre of the place. 49
With the disappearance of this race, and the conversion
" The Indians appear to have been exceedingly cunning. My friend, Mahlon Carver, tells the story of some Indians who stopped at Byberry Cross Roads for whiskey. They had a two-gallon jug in which was already one gallon of water. Telling the proprietor it was whiskey, they had him put a gallon of good whiskey into the jug. Asking for credit and being refused, they ordered the propri- etor to remove the whiskey from the jug. Continuing on to Bus- tleton, they repeated the same manœuvre. This made the whiskey three-fourths pure and fit to drink.
4º About this time, there resided in Ezra Townsend's mill an Indian called Taminy, who was engaged in collecting hides, making baskets, hunting, fishing, etc., in the neighborhood. Before his death, he made Ezra Townsend promise that he would bury him under a certain tree on his property and keep a fence around the grave. Ezra Townsend faithfully kept the promise. But at his decease. his son, John, allowed the fence to be neglected. Cattle broke into the inclosure and on the next night, it is said, Taminy appeared to John reminding him of his obligation which was long afterward faithfully fulfilled.
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of their hunting-grounds into agricultural districts, the wild animals gradually disappeared. Wild turkeys, at first so numerous, were rarely seen after the Revolution. Bears, wolves, and wild-cats, also, had sought safer places of retreat, or been destroyed by the inhabitants. Unceas- ing war had been waged against these animals, and partic- ularly the wolves, as they had been so troublesome in de- stroying the sheep and hogs belonging to the inhabitants. Smaller game, however, seems to have been plenty; and we find accounts of myriads of pigeons frequenting this section. In 1764, they became so plenty that two young men, having no other employment, knit a net and com- menced operations early in the autumn of that year. They were successful, and by the first of the following April had caught over twelve thousand, which were disposed of in Philadelphia at about eight cents per dozen.
If we were but to glance back at the condition of the country only a few years previous, great indeed would be the changes to be observed ; and it is quite probable that in no one thing had those changes been greater than in the erection of buildings. The old mode of constructing houses by means of logs, and but one story high, continued in repute until about the year 1700, when some of the more enterprising commenced to erect houses of stone, and to make them two stories high. The last of the old log houses stood upon James Thornton's property,50 and was torn down only a few years since. Some of the first of the stone houses are still standing. Among these are the old Gilbert mansion in Byberry, now occupied by
" This property is now owned by Jesse Tomlinson.
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Thomas James,51 built in 1708, and the mansion, late the residence of Franklin Comly, Esq., in Moreland, built in 1702.52 The house on Thomas Townsend's farm53 was built previous to 1712, by James Carver. It was one and a half stories high, hip-roofed, and built of stone. It has since been materially altered. The houses of William Walmsley (now Edwin Tomlinson's), John Carver, Thomas Townsend, Jacob Eckfeldt, and Reuben Parry, in Byberry, and those of Henry Brous, Charles Tillyer, and Jacob Saurman, in Moreland,54 are quite ancient, al- though some of them have been modernized in their ap- pearance. Those belonging to Charles Tillyer and Jacob Saurman were built previous to 1720, and not having been materially altered since, furnish good specimens of the antique style of those days. The furniture in use was of the plainest kind, and the floors were without any car- pets. The food of the inhabitants consisted principally of such articles as were produced on their farms, and but few luxuries, even such as are now to be met with in the most humble stations, were then to be had. The more common, yet indispensable articles, were cheaper than at present. Molasses sold for twenty cents per gallon, salt twenty to twenty-five cents per bushel; but sugar was worth fifteen to twenty cents per pound. Beef was four cents per pound, rum fourteen cents a quart, and sheep-
51 This property is now owned by the heirs of Thomas James.
62 This date should be 1704.
53 This property is now owned by E. Morris Townsend.
54 The Henry Brous property is now owned by T. Miles Brous, that of Charles Tillyer by Charles Saurman, and that of Jacob Saurman by Ira and Elizabeth Saurman.
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skins $1.75 a dozen. About the year 1750 the more wealthy began to adopt the fashions and customs of Phila- delphia. Silk and linen handkerchiefs, silk for ladies' gowns, and fustian or cotton velvet for coats, were intro- duced soon afterward, but the general article of clothing for both men and women was the "linsey-woolsey" made by the frugal housewife. The men wore breeches only coming to their knees; but these as well as their shoes were often ornamented with silver buckles of elaborate workmanship. As late as 1760, workingmen wore panta- loons having no falling flaps, but slits in front. They were so large that when the seats were worn out the back part was taken for the front, and by this means were made to last much longer. Some of the gentlemen carried muffs to keep their hands and wrists warm; and the more elderly women wore bonnets made of black silk, which, when on the head, is said to have looked much like the top of a Jersey wagon, and hence were denominated "wagon bonnets."
In 1744, breeches made of plush and lined with sheep- skin were in use, although many buckskin breeches con- tinued to be worn in Philadelphia by men of rank, and sheepskin was worn by boys as late as 1760, and in the country until after the Revolution. These leather dresses were warm and comfortable, and were very durable. One man tried to wear a pair out, but after many years of con- stant effort, he at last despaired of his purpose and cut them into flail-strings. Breeches went out of fashion in the early part of the present century. Before they disap- peared the name had become scarcely tolerable in refined society, and those made of buckskin were contemptuously 6
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called "leather organs." Tea and coffee were introduced about this time, but were at first used only by the more wealthy, and then only on Sundays. Instead of these articles, people made tea from garden herbs, and subse- quently, during the Revolution, when tea could not be obtained, they used the Ceanothus Americana (New Jer- sey tea), a plant growing abundantly in many localities, from which a harmless beverage was made. In the place of coffee, rye and wheat-but particularly the former- were used, and furnished a cheap drink for all classes.55
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