USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Annals of Luzerne County; a record of interesting events, traditions, and anecdotes > Part 19
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264
ANNALS OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
period of ten years in a county like Luzerne. We have no doubt, however, that it was sufficient to meet the demand, as the people were not then fully aroused to the importance of the subject.
By the provisions of the common school law of 1833, the people were to express their approval or disapproval of the measure by electing, or refusing to elect, six direc- tors in each township. In September, 1834, a vote was taken in 26 townships, when 23 approved of, and three, Hanover, Newport, and Nescopeck, disapproved of the law. In November following, the directors elected assem- bled, as instructed by Act of Assembly, at the court-house in Wilkesbarre, and resolved to levy a school tax equal to double the sum appropriated and allotted by the state to Luzerne county. The sum so allotted was $1331.20, and consequently the whole amount appropriated for public education in this county for that year was $3993.60. This was a creditable and flattering commencement. In the following year a tax of $3000 was levied, and, with the exception of two or three townships, the excellent system of free education was permanently established among us. It is now in full operation in every ward, borough, and township in the county, carrying its en- lightening and ameliorating influence into every family. But we are forbidden to believe that every individual among us feels this influence directly. The system has not been long enough in operation, nor has it yet attained to that degree of perfection which we anticipate for it. In 1850, there were 55,000 adults in this state who could not read and write, and of these 2228 were inhabitants of Luzerne county. This great Commonwealth, in spite of an almost overpowering public debt, has gradually built up her splendid system of education at an enormous expense. She annually appropriates hundreds of thou-
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EDUCATION.
sands of dollars for this purpose, and, strange to say, there are some townships in the state which have not to this day availed themselves of the advantages of the school law. It has been made a question in some sections of the country whether the right of the elective franchise ought to be extended to those persons who are unable to read. It would certainly be a powerful incentive to parents and others if the right to vote depended on a certain degree of mental culture to be readily acquired under our school system. If eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, it may be said no vigilance can be effectual without educated mind to direct it.
The following table exhibits a statistical view of the public schools in Luzerne county, taken from the Report of the Superintendent for the year 1865 :
School Districts.
No. of Schools.
No. of Scholars.
Amt. of tax levied for sch'l purposes.
1. Abington
19
875
$2,643 02
2. Bear Creek
2
75
3. Benton
9
339
1,260 00
4. Black Creek
4
190
500 00
5. Blakeley
11
1095
2,775 86
6. Buck .
5
118
462 18
7. Butler
7
333
914 93
8. Carbondale eity .
10
1219
3,575 57
9. Carbondale township
4
145
461 29
10. Columbus, New .
1
45
106 49
11. Covington
7
282
930 65
12. Dallas .
8
292
597 82
13. Denison
4
139
661 02
14. Dorrance
4
147
626 58
15. Dunmore
6
299
531 00
17. Fairmount
8
333
825 00
18. Fell
5
174
590 75
19. Foster .
5
295
2,198 26
20. Franklin
5
193
647 94
21. Greenfield
9
281
400 00
22. Ilazel .
15
1475
5,598 93
23. Hazelton borough
5
563
2,160 71
24. Hollenback .
8
312
25. Hanover
9
538
1,260 49 1,800 00
26. Huntington
10
459
1,129 10
27. Hyde Park .
6
431
1,893 32
7
571
1,500 00
16. Exeter
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ANNALS OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
School Districts.
No. of Schools.
No. of Scholars.
Amt. of tax levied for sch'l purposes.
28. Jackson
6
232
417 42
29. Jefferson
44
151
457 70
30. Jenkins
6
478
1,213 40
31. Kingston borough
2
117
315 40
32. Kingston township
11
519
1,492 36
33. Lackawanna
8
751
2,389 50
34. Lake .
6
182
372 00
35. Lehman
6
177
434 31
36. Madison
8
385
755 29
37. Nescopeck
=5
270
759 20
38. Newport
4
133
633 00
39. Newton
6
200
592 67
40. Pittston borough
13
1110
2,865 52
41. Pittston township
7
484
1,250 00
42. Pittston, West
3
204
771 16
43. Plains
4
364
859 95
44. Plymouth
10
715
1,519 63
45. Providence borough
5
344
1,700 00
46. Providence township
4
429
1,200 00
47. Ransom
4
138
311 30
48. Ross
7
274
400 00
49. Salem .
10
422
1,152 40
50. Scott
11
557
669 82
51. Scranton
15
2976
8,871 05
52. Shickshinny
2
112
322 45
53. Slocum
2
68
298 37
54. Spring Brook
3
86
246 00
55. Sugarloaf
7
350
950 50
56. Union .
9
380
600 00
57. Waverly
3
145
467 36
58. White Haven
4
250
980 38
59. Wilkesbarre borough
16
687
3,404 40
60. Wilkesbarre township
123
662
2,265 53
61. Wright
2
72
100 00
419
25,534
$77,088 98
. 267
EDUCATION.
OLD ACADEMY, WILKESBARRE.
WILKESBARRE ACADEMY.
After the erection of the new court-house, in Wilkes- barre, in 1804, the old building, which had been removed to a point a few feet west of the present court-house, was converted into an Academy. It was incorporated under the style and title of the Wilkesbarre Academy, and was the first institution of learning, superior to the common log school-house, in Luzerne county. The first teacher or principal was the Rev. Mr. Thayer, an Episcopal clergy- man, who was followed by Mr. Finney. Mr. Finney was succeeded by Garrick Mallery in 1809. The trustees requested Dr. Dwight, of Yale College, to send them an active, intelligent, and competent teacher and graduate. The doctor sent them Mr. Mallery, under whose superin- tendence the school advanced to considerable eminence. Greek, Latin, the mathematics, and all the higher English
268
ANNALS OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
branches were taught here. Soon the institution became very popular, and students from abroad came in such numbers that the trustees, by the advice of Mr. Mallery, engaged Andrew Beaumont as assistant. Mr. Beaumont was then an active, intelligent young man, just arrived in the valley. Messrs. Mallery and Beaumont were suc- ceeded by Joel and Joseph H. Jones. Then followed Woodbridge, Baldwin, Granger, Orton, Miner, Talcott, Ulmann, Hubbard, and Dana. Finally, the old edifice was sold to Colonel H. F. Lamb, who removed a portion of it to his lot in Franklin street, where it was used in the erection of the building now occupied as a dwelling. Such was the end of the first court-house and academy in Luzerne county. There are among us men and women who can look back twenty, thirty, forty, or even fifty years, with fond recollection to the days when, with bounding youth and health, they assembled with their companions within the walls of the old academy, or sported on its play-grounds. Some, within its venerated walls, have filled their minds, as from a storehouse, with useful knowledge, and have so disciplined their intellectual faculties as to have been enabled to rise to positions of distinction and profit. Others there were of brilliant talents, bright prospects, and surrounded by all the advantages of social position, who went forth from that institution and became mere ciphers in society. They have gone down to their graves unhonored and unsung.
In 1842 a new brick academy was erected on the site of the old one, and a high school prospered there for several years, under the tuition of Messrs. Owen and Jackson, but eventually dwindled to a common day school. In 1858, the building was sold to E. B. Harvey, Esq., who removed and converted it into his present resi- dence on Union street.
269
EDUCATION.
It may not be amiss to mention the names of some of the teachers and students of the Wilkesbarre Academy, who have risen to eminence in the world.
Garrick Mallery, LL.D., was a president judge of the state courts, and is now one of the first lawyers in the nation. Andrew Beaumont was a statesman, who ably represented his constituents in the State Legislature and in Congress, and who held important trusts under the federal government. Daniel Ulmann is an eminent lawyer in New York, and was a candidate for the office of governor of that great state. Joel Jones has been a president judge, and is now a prominent lawyer in Phila- delphia. H. B. Wright is an able lawyer, and has repre- sented this district in Congress. B. A. Bidlack also represented this district in Congress, and afterwards became the United States minister at the capital of New Granada, where he died. Luther Kidder was a lawyer of note, and a president judge. George W. Woodward is one of the supreme judges of Pennsylvania. Dr. S. D. Gross is Professor of Surgery in the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. Ovid F. Johnson was a brilliant lawyer, and the attorney-general of this state. Samuel Bowman, D.D., was the acting bishop of the Protestant Epis- copal Church in Pennsylvania. J. S. Hart was lately the eminent principal of the Philadelphia High School. There are also Zebulon Butler, D.D., of Mississippi, and George Catlin, a celebrated painter. E. W. Morgan was major of the eleventh United States regiment of infantry during the Mexican War, and is now principal of the military school at Newport, Ky. Major A. H. Bowman of the United States Army, and Lieutenant J. C. Beaumont of the United States Navy, were also pupils in this academy.
In 1812 the citizens of Kingston erected a large two story frame building, to be used for the purposes of an
270
ANNALS OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
academy. This school was first taught by Thomas Bart- lett, who had been an assistant under Mr. Mallery, in the Wilkesbarre Academy. He was followed by Bennett, Severs, Bissel (Governor of Illinois), Ketchum and others, under whose discipline and instruction the institution prospered for many years. It was finally supplanted by new and enlarged schools, and the building becoming dilapidated, it was demolished by Mr. E. Reynolds, who erected his present residence on or near its site.
In 1815 the citizens of Plymouth erected a large two story frame building for educational purposes. Schools were taught in it by Steel, Park, and others, until 1828, when the first classical school was organized under the direction and principalship of Benjamin M. Nyce. He was succeeded by Patterson and Severs. This building is still standing, and is the oldest academy in the county. Like the one in Kingston, it had a bell, and was used for many years as a place of religious worship.
With these venerated old school-houses and teachers, the plain, substantial, old-fashioned system of education has passed away. They have been replaced by new and splendid edifices, occupied by new teachers, adopting new systems, new books, and imparting new ideas.
MADISON ACADEMY.
The late H. W. Nicholson, Esq., opened a select school at Abington, now Waverly, in 1836. He was succeeded by one of his pupils, G. S. Bailey, who, with the assist- ance of Dr. A. Bedford and others, laid the foundation of Madison Academy. This academy was incorporated in 1840. The building is frame, two and a half stories high, and is located on an elevated point of ground, overlooking the town and surrounding country. It is one of the most healthy and pleasant locations in the county. During
THE NEW YORK PUBLICLIBRARY
ISTOM LENOX ILDEN FOUNDATIONS
DOTY & BERGEN LONS
KINGSTON. PA.
271
EDUCATION.
the first five years the average number of students in attendance was one hundred, which was afterwards reduced to about eighty. The principals have been Messrs. Dimock, Walker, Johnson, Richardson, Shafer, Granger, and Dalpe, the last-named gentleman being the present incumbent .* The establishment of this institu- tion, and its successful operation under the direction of active teachers and enterprising trustees, does great credit to the energy, intelligence, and public spirit of the people of Waverly and the surrounding country. This school has been advantageous not only to the immediate neigh- borhood, but its beneficial influence has been felt abroad.
WYOMING CONFERENCE SEMINARY.
This flourishing institution is pleasantly situated in the village of Kingston. It was opened on the 24th of Sep- tember, 1844, with 30 students, the faculty at the time consisting of Rev. R. Nelson, A. M., Principal, and Mr. E. F. Farris and Miss Ruth Ingalls, Teachers. The open- ing address was delivered by the Rev. J. P. Durbin, D.D. The anticipated success of this seminary has been fully realized. The yearly number of students has increased to upwards of 700, which fact establishes the character of Mr. Nelson and his assistants, together with the Board of Trustees, for competency, energy, and good govern-
ment. The original building cost about $6000, one-fourth of which was contributed by Thomas Myers, Esq. In 1851 William Swetland, Esq., contributed $3000 for the erection of Swetland Hall, and the Hon. Ziba Bennett donated $500, as the foundation for a library. On the 15th of March, 1853, the entire establishment was con- sumed by fire, but through the noble liberality of William Swetland, his son George and his son-in-law Payne Petti- bone, who together donated $8000, of Isaac C. Shoemaker,
* This academy is now conducted by Rev. J. N. Lukens and Mr. HI. W. Mitchell. Students, 100.
272
ANNALS OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
who gave $1000, and of Urban Burrows and A. Y. Smith, who each contributed $500, the institution was at once raised from its ashes. Judge Bennett also made another liberal donation to replace the library. The entire pro- perty of this institution is now valued at $50,000. The seminary is under the general superintendence of the Wyoming Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, but the trustees and board of directors are composed of able men, without regard to denominational preferences. The present faculty is composed as follows :-
Rev. Reuben Nelson, D. D., Principal and Professor of Intellectual and Moral Science.
Rev. B. D. Sturdevant, A. M., Professor of Natural Science.
George Forsyth, A. B., Professor of Languages and Vocal Music.
Conrad S. Stark, A. M., Professor of Mathematics.
Miss Hannah M. Price, A. M., Preceptress and Teacher of English Literature.
Miss Penelope E. Baldwin, Teacher of Instrumental Music.
Mrs. Jane S. Nelson, Teacher of Drawing and Painting. George Forsyth, A. B., Librarian.
COMMERCIAL COLLEGE .* Faculty.
Winfield S. Smyth, A. M., Principal and Professor of Science of Accounts and Lecturer on Political Economy.
Rev. Horatio R. Clarke, D. D., Lecturer on Commer- cial Ethics.
Caleb E. Wright, Esq., - Lecturers on Commercial Law. Conrad S. Stark, Esq., S
J. A. Wickersham, Professor of Plain and Ornamental
* The Wyoming College Journal is connected with this department. Motto: " The time has come when every young man must have a business education."
:
273
EDUCATION.
Penmanship and Book-keeping.
A. J. Erdman, Teacher of Practical Telegraphing.
THE WYOMING INSTITUTE.
This Institute is located in the pleasant village of Wyoming, and was established chiefly through the agency of the Rev. Thomas P. Hunt, Thomas F. Atherton, Esq., and the Rev. J. D. Mitchell, its first Principal. The buildings are commodious and well arranged, being divided into separate departments for the two sexes. The first classes were formed in 1849, and the institution was incorporated in the following year. It has a library, and a philosophical and chemical apparatus. It has been successively under the teachings of the Rev. R. Lowrie, missionary to China, Rev. C. R. Lavie, Rev. P. E. Ste- venson, and A. B. King, the present incumbent. The school is prosperous, and though not sectarian, it is under the principal direction of the Presbyterian Church.
THE WILKESBARRE FEMALE INSTITUTE.
This is a fine airy three-story brick building, standing on River street, in the borough of Wilkesbarre. It was chartered in 1854, and in October of that year opened with 50 female pupils, under the superintendence of the Rev. J. E. Nassau. Mr. Nassau was succeeded by the Rev. J. S. Howes, A.M., the present principal .* The institution is under the general direction of the Presbytery of Luzerne county. It has a library, a philosophical and chemical apparatus, and is in successful operation with about 80 pupils. This institution, becoming pecuniarily involved, was extricated from its embarrassment by the liberality of Colonel G. M. Hollenback and others.
* This flourishing school now numbers upwards of 100 pupils, and is conducted by Rev. W. S. Parsons, A. M.
18
.
274
ANNALS OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
.
SCRANTON GRADED SCHOOL.
In addition to the above incorporated institutions, select schools have been established at various periods in Wilkesbarre, Pittston, Scranton, Carbondale, Huntington, and other places in the county. Large and spacious buildings have been erected at Scranton, Providence, and Waverly, where preparations are making, in accordance with the true intent and meaning of the common school laws for the establishment of graded schools. Perhaps no county in the state can boast of better and more extensive means for educating the youth of the land; and though there is gross ignorance in some localities, yet much intelligence is diffused among the great body of the people. Noble, generous-hearted, and benevolent men, as well as the Commonwealth, have done all in their power to advance the cause of education among us. Let us bear in mind that the acquirement of useful knowledge should be one of the first objects of every American, for its pos- session is the surest protection against poverty and oppression.
1
CHAPTER IX.
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.
IT has been the impression that the Count Zinzendorf was the first white man who ever visited the Wyoming Valley, but it is probable this is a mistake. Conrad Weiser had been employed, long before the arrival of the Count, as interpreter and agent, by the proprietary government. He frequently visited the councils of the Six Nations, bearing messages and presents, and arrang- ing the preliminaries for forming treaties. As the grand council fire of the Iroquois was kindled in the state of New York, his direct road thither was through our valley. It is probable it was in view of his acquaintance with the country, as well as its inhabitants, that Count Zinzendorf applied to Weiser to accompany him to this region. Zin- zendorf, however, was undoubtedly the first minister of the gospel who proclaimed the glad tidings of salvation to the red men of our forests.
The doctrines of Jesus Christ were announced for the first time, on the banks of our river, one hundred and eighteen years ago. We have given, elsewhere, an account of the doings of the zealous Moravian mission- aries. We proceed now to give a brief history of the first introduction and establishment of the principal religious denominations in our county, together with some facts and statistics relative to their present condition.
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276
ANNALS OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
The Presbyterian Church in the United States is the offspring of the Scottish and Scotch-Irish Churches in Scotland and Ireland. It differs from the Congregation- alism of New England only in form of church govern- ment. The former acknowledges the authority of Pres- byteries, Synods, and the General Assembly; the latter views each congregation as entirely independent, and vests all ecclesiastical authority in each local church.
The Presbyterians, who settled in Pennsylvania, Mary- land, and Virginia from 1670 to 1690, received their pastors from the Presbyteries of the Old World, whereas the Puritans, who settled New England, acted indepen- dently of the Mother Church. As the first settlers in Wyoming were chiefly New England Congregationalists, their form of church government was adopted here. But during the administration of the Rev. Mr. Murray, prior to 1833, the Presbyterian form of church government took the place of the Congregational, and the church in Luzerne is now embraced in the former organization.
The first Presbytery in the United States was organ- ized in 1704, and the first Synod in 1716. In March, 1744, the Presbytery of New York sent the Rev. David Brainerd, a native of Haddam, Conn., as a missionary to the Indians on the Delaware. At the Forks, where Eas- ton stands, he began his labor of love among the wild men of the forest. In the following October, accompa- nied by the Rev. Mr. Bayram, the minister at Mendham, New Jersey, he set out for the Susquehanna. His jour- ney over the mountains and through the wilderness was attended with great hardships and misfortune. In pass- ing over some rocks his horse broke one of her legs, and
277
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.
he was compelled to kill her, and proceed on foot. They arrived at length at the Delaware town, at the mouth of the Wapwallopen Creek. He preached here to the In- dians for several days, and then returned to the Delaware river. In 1745 and 1746 he traveled along the Lower Susquehanna, and up the West Branch, preaching to the Indians at Shamokin (Sunbury) and at other points. On one of his missions he was compelled to shelter himself, during a cold and stormy night, in the branches of a tree, and getting very wet, he contracted a severe cold, of which he died. He was succeeded by his brother John, who resided on the Delaware, but who frequently visited Wyo- ming, and preached to the Indians there. On the break- ing out of the French war, both the Moravian and Pres- byterian missionaries were compelled to retire from the frontiers.
Among the earliest acts of the Connecticut Susque- hanna Land Company, was a regulation providing support for a minister who should accompany the first emigrants to the valley in 1763. The Rev. William Marsh, a pastor of the Congregational persuasion, was selected to minister to the spiritual necessities of the colony. He discharged the duties of his calling until the fatal 15th of October, 1763, when he and about twenty others were murdered by the savages in the village of the whites, which stood on the river bank, below the site of Wilkesbarre .*
At a meeting held by the company at Hartford, in 1768, the standing committee was directed to procure a pastor to accompany the second colony, called the First Forty, for " carrying on religious worship and services according to the best of his ability, in a wilderness coun- try." He was to receive " one whole share or right in the
* For names of persons killed, see Appendix, A.
278
ANNALS OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
purchase, and such other encouragements" as others were entitled to have and enjoy. The company recommended the settlers to provide their pastor " with sustenance, according to the best of their ability." The services of the Rev. George Beckwith, Jr., of Lyme, Mass., were engaged, and he arrived at Wyoming, with the first forty, February 8th, 1769.
For the support of schools and " an orthodox gospel ministry," the company now appropriated three shares of land in each township, one for schools, one for the erec- tion of a church and parsonage, and one for the support of a pastor. Each tract or share contained about 300 acres, but with one or two exceptions the will of the com- pany was not carried out, owing to the unsettled condi- tion of affairs down to the organization of Luzerne county. After that the church and school lots alike were sold, and the proceeds passed into the treasuries of the townships. Mr. Beckwith remained at Wyoming about one year, and was compensated for his services from the treasury of the Susquehanna Company. In 1770, the company engaged the Rev. Jacob Johnson, of Groton, Conn., to supply the place of Mr. Beckwith. Mr. Johnson hastened to his new field of labor, and ministered as best he could in holy things, in the midst of civil strife. He remained .but a few months, when he returned to Connecticut, leaving the Rev. Elkanah Holmes in charge of the belligerent flock of Yankees and Paxton Boys.
In 1772, the Rev. Noah Wadhams, who had graduated at Princeton College, N. J., in 1754, and on whom Yale College had conferred the degree of A. M. in 1764, came to Wyoming, and soon after settled in Plymouth. Here he preached at stated seasons, and extended his pastoral labors to Kingston also.
In 1773, the Rev. Mr. Johnson received a call from
279
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.
the settlers at Wilkesbarre. He faithfully performed his pastoral duties, preaching in private dwellings until 1791, when the new log court-house was erected in the public square. Here public worship was conducted for a num- ber of years.
About this time a Dutch or German Reformed Congre- gational minister, named Von Benscotten, arrived in the valley from the Hudson. He was very zealous in the cause of religion, and established the first Congregational society in Hanover township. Here the Paxton Boys were settled, who were chiefly Presbyterians, and who had erected a frame church, the first in the county, near the present German Presbyterian church, four miles below Wilkesbarre.
In 1792, Von Benscotten was succeeded by the Rev. Andrew Gray, a Scotch Irish preacher of considerable ability. Shortly after assuming his pastoral duties he married one of his thirty communicants, Miss Mary, daughter of Captain Lazarus Stewart. He, with Mr. Johnson of Wilkesbarre, and Mr. Wadhams of Plymouth, constituted the entire clerical force of Congregationalism at this time in the valley.
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