USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > Annals of Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania in the olden time; being a collection of the memoirs, anecdotes, and incidents of the earliest settlements of the inland part of Pennsylvania, Vol. I > Part 7
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We are indebted for a primitive story of much interest, to Deborah Morris, of Philadelphia, a pious lady of the Society of Friends. She died about 40 years ago, at about the age of 93. She having fine affections for the relics and the incidents of the primitive settlers, made the codicil of her will peculiar by some of the memorials she there perpetuated, by connecting the history with the gifts which she there wills to her descendants. The facts are best told in her own simplicity of language, and her habitual pious feelings, to wit :- "The large silver old-fashioned salver, I give to my nephew, Thomas Morris, was given to my dear parents by my mother's aunt, Eliza- beth Hard, a worthy good woman, [she being the first orphan ever left in charge of George Fox's Society of Friends in England,] whose sweet innocent deportment used to give me high esteem and regard for the ancient people. She came from England with Wil- liam Penn and other Friends. My grandfather and wife came two years before her, and settled in the Jerseys; but when she heard her
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eister designed to Philadelphia, they removed thither also, and just got settled in a cave on the bank of the river, where is now called the Crooked Billet wharf, (so named from an ancient tavern on the wharf, about 100 feet northward of Chestnut Street, having a crooked billet of wood for its sign) when my dear aunt (Hard) arrived; which she esteemed a divine providence thus to find her sister, whom she had not seen for some years, thus ready to receive her in the cave. They there dwelt together until they could build .* I remember, whilst writing, one passage among many others which she related, which I have often pleasingly thought of, as it has raised my hopes, increased my faith and dependence on that arm which never failed our worthy ancestors. It was with them supporting through all their difficulties, and many attended them in settling a new country. In hopes of its being as profitably remembered by my cousins as myself I'll repeat it, to wit :- All that came wanted a dwelling, and hastened to provide one. As they lovingly helped each other, the women set themselves to work they had not been used to before; for few of our first settlers were of the laborious class, and help of that sort was scarce. My good aunt (Hard) thought it expedient to help her husband at one end of the saw, and to fetch all such water to make mortar of as they then had to build their chimney .; At one time, being overwearied therewith, her husband desired her to forbear, saying, ' thou, my dear, had better think of dinner;' on which, poor woman, she walked away, weeping as she went, and reflecting on herself for coming here, to be exposed to such hardships, and then not know where to get a dinner, for their provision was all spent, except a small quantity of biscuit and cheese, of which she had not informed her husband ; but thought she would try which of her friends had any to spare. Thus she walked on towards her tent, (happy time when each one's treasure lay safe therein,) but was a little too de- sponding in her mind, for which she felt herself closely reproved; and as if queried with,-' didst thou not come for liberty of con- science,-hast thou not got it,-also been provided for beyond thy expectation?' Which so humbled her, she on her knees begged forgiveness and preservation in future, and never repined afterwards. " When she arose, and was going to seek for other food than what she had, her cat came into the tent, and had caught a fine large rabbit, which she thankfully received and dressed as an English hare. When her husband came into dinner, being informed of the facts, they both wept with reverential joy, and ate their meal, which was thus seasonably provided for them, in singleness of heart. Many such providential cases did they partake of :- and thus did our worthy
* Anthony M. Buckley, of Philadelphia, a descendant, showed me, in 1841, a very fine napkin in diamond figure, which had been spun by Elizabeth Hard while in that cave, and woven by the Germans in Germantown. He also showed me a very pretty chair, low and small, which had been a sitting chair in that cave.
+ In that manner Carter's wife carried the hod for him when building his dwelling, on the south-east corner of Fourth and Chestnut street, where is now Carey's book store.
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ancestors witness the arm of divine love extended for their support." [She lived to be 93 years of age.]
In memory of the foregoing moving recital, the said Deborah Morris wills to her beloved uncle, Luke Morris, a silver tureen, (once a sugar-box, and supplied with the addition of handles) marked A. M .- S. M .- D. M., which had once been his grand- father's; but made chiefly interesting to the present reader, by the additional fact, that it had engraved upon it the device of the cat seizing upon and bearing off the rabbit, according to the preceding recital.
I have heard some other facts connected with the above incidents, told to me by Mrs. Nancarro, who had taken soup out of that tureen. She had heard them among some of the Morris family descended of Anthony Morris of Penn's day. But the story is already sufficiently long.
William Penn's letter of 1683, thus describes some of the earliest facts of Philadelphia, to wit :- the names of the streets are mostly taken from the things which spontaneously grow in the country.
There is a fair key of about 300 feet square, (a little above Wal- nut Street,) built by Samuel Carpenter, to which a ship of 500 tons may lay her broadside. Others intend to follow his example. We have also a rope-walk, made by B. Wilcox, (Mayor of the city) there inhabits most sorts of useful tradesmen ; divers brickeries going on; many cellars already stoned or bricked, and some brick houses going up. The hours for work and meals for labourers are fixed and known by ringing of bell. After nine at night the officers (all pri- vate citizens serving in turns) go the rounds, and no person, without very good cause, suffered to be at any public house, except as a lodger.
Robert Turner, in his letter to William Penn of the 3d of 6 mo., 1685, describing the progress of Philadelphia, speaks thus :- " The towne goes on in planting and building to admiration, both in the front and backward, about 600 houses in three years'time. Bricks are exceeding good, and cheaper than they were, say at 16 shillings per thousand, and brick houses are now as cheap to build as wood. Many brave brick houses are going up with good cellars. Humphrey Murray, (Mayor) from New York, has built a large timber house with brick chimnies." After naming several persons who have built, he adds, " all these have balconies; we build most houses with them."
" Last winter great plenty of deer were brought in, by the Indians and English, from the country. The Germans are manufacturing linen finely."
The first Isaac Norris was married at Philadelphia, after the man- ner of Friends, in a private house in Front street, a little northward of the Drawbridge. I have learnt, that when the Society was but small, it was the practice of the Friends to hold their week-day meetings in private houses; from that cause Isaac Norris was so married
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Colonel Coxe, the grandfather of the late Tench Coxe, Esqr. made an elopement in his youth with an heiress, Sarah Eckley, a Friend. What was singular in their case was, that they were mar- ried in the woods in Jersey by fire light, by the chaplain of Lord Cornbury, the then Governor of New Jersey. The meeting of the chaplain there seemed to have been accidental. The fact gave some scandal to the serious friends of her family. A letter of Margaret Preston, of 1707, which I have seen, thus describes her umbrage at the fact, saying :- " The news of Sarah Eckley's marriage is both sorrowful and surprising, with one Colonel Coxe, a fine flaunting gentleman, said to be worth a great deal of money,-a great induce- ment, it is said, on her side. His sister Trent was supposed to have promoted the match. Her other friends were ignorant of the match. It took place in the absence of her uncle and aunt Hill, between two and three in the morning, on the Jersey side, under a tree by fire light. They have since proselyted her, and decked her in finery."
In the early period of Philadelphia it was very common for the good livers to have malt-houses on their several premises for making home-made strong beer; there were such at J. Logan's at Penns- bury, and at several others, even till 70 years ago.
Professor Kalm, the Swedish traveller, who visited Philadelphia in 1748-9, relates what he heard of Nils Gustafson, an old Swede of 91 years of age; he said he could well remember the state of the country at the time when the Dutch possessed it, and in what case it was before the arrival of the English. He had himself brought a great deal of timber to Philadelphia at the time it was built. He still remembered to have seen a great forest on the spot where Phila- delphia since stands.
Kalm states some facts of the city of his own observation, such as, that whenever he walked out beyond the streets, he saw numerous grape vines growing in every direction near the city.
He speaks of the red cedar being once so abundant as that all post of fences were made of it, in some places even to the very rails. Several of the canoes, the most common kind of boat in use, were sometimes made of red cedar.
Several houses were of tiled roofs, and several of stone of a mix- ture of black or gray glimmer, i. e., having isinglass therein; these he said did not make moist walls. Water Street, in his time, ran along the river, southward of the High Street,-the northern part being a later work. The greatest ornament of a public kind he then saw in the city, was "the Town Hall, (the State-house) having a tower with a bell." It was then greater than Christ Church; (not then fully built up) for he says, "the two churches then in Elizabethtown surpassed in splendour any thing then in Philadel- phia!"
He speaks of minks being sometimes found living in the docks and bridges at Philadelphia. and there destroying numbers of the
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rats. They were generally along the Delaware in the hollow trees.
Many of the ancient houses which he saw still in Philadelphia had been built of stone, and had the lime made from oyster shells ; this caused them always to have wet walls for two or three days before a rain, so that great drops of water rested on them; they were indeed good hygrometers, but much complained of; they fell into prema- ture decay, and are since gone.
One fact related by Mr. Kalm attaches with peculiar force to Philadelphia; he was much surprised with the abundance and hard- ness of our laurel tree, called by the settlers and Indians the spoon tree, because the latter made of it their spoons, trowels, &c. Lin- næus has called it Kalmia latifolia, after the name of Kalm, who took it home to Sweden in the form of a spoon made by an Indian, who had killed many stags on the spot where Philadelphia now stands,-they subsisted on its leaves in the winter season.
Old George Warner, a Friend, who died at Philadelphia in 1810, aged 99 years, gave a verbal description of Philadelphia as he saw it at his landing here in the year 1726. The passengers of the ship, having the small pox on board, were all landed at the Swedes' Church, then "far below the great towne;" there they were all generously received by one Barnes, who treated them (such as could receive it) with rum,-the first Warner had ever seen. Barnes led them out to the " Blue House Tavern;" (which stood till the year 1828, at the south west corner of South and Ninth Streets, near a great pond,) they then saw nothing in all their route but swamps and lofty forests, no houses, and abundance of wild game.
There they remained till recovered; then he was conducted to the ' Boatswain and Call Tavern," (in aforetime the celebrated "Blue Anchor Inn") at the Drawbridge, north-west corner. In all this route he saw not one house, and the same character of woody waste. At that time, he knew but of three or four houses between that place and the Swedes' Church, and those houses were in small " clearings" without enclosures. Northward from the Drawbridge, as high up as High Street, there were but two wharves then built ; say, the one of Anthony Morris, the other belonging to the Allen family in more modern times.
In walking out High Street, he much admired the very thrifty and lofty growth of the forest trees, especially from beyond the Centre Square to the then romantic and picturesque banks of the Schuyl- kill. The only pavement he then noticed, was near the old Court House, and the then short market house, extending from that house westward, about a half a square in length.
As this venerable old gentleman possessed his faculties to the last, he would have proved a treasure to one in my way of inquiry. It was indeed a mental fund to himself, to have had in his own person so much observation of the passing scenes he must have witnessed in such a changeful city ; contrasting its infant growth with its rapid
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improvements as late as the year of his death ! He was of course in his 15th year when he arrived-just at an age when the imagina tion is lively, and the feelings are strongly disposed to observation.
Holmes' " Portraiture of Philadelphia," done in 1683-4, as a kind of city platform, shows the localities first chosen for buildings at that early time. It shows about 20 cabins constructed on the river bank.
At the "Society hill," from Pine street to above Union street, they had their houses and grounds extending up to Second street. At the little triangular " square," at the south-east corner of Second and Spruce streets, was the lot and residence of their president, Nicholas Moore. On the north-west corner of Second and South streets was a small house, on the lot of William Penn, Jr.
All lots owned on Delaware Front street are marked as running through to Second street, and they all have the same quantities also on Schuylkill Front street. About six to eight of such lots fill up a square. These were all owners of 1000 acres and upwards in the country, and received their city lots as appurtenant perquisites to their country purchases.
Samuel Carpenter's lot is from Front to Second street, and is the second lot above Walnut street, No. 16. Charles Pickering (the counterfeiter, I presume,) has his house on No. 22, midway from Chestnut street to High street. John Holme, (related to the sur- veyor-general,) who owns No. 32, at the north-west corner of Arch and Front streets, has also the first house built on the Schuylkill, at the correspondent corner there. The chief of the first buildings marked begin northward of Dock street, and continue up to Race street. Several are marked as built on Second street, but only be tween Chestnut and Walnut streets, and they all on the western side of the street. In truth, the eastern side of Second street was regarded for some time as the back lots, or ends of the Front street lots. Three houses are marked on Chestnut street, above Third street, and three on Mulberry street, above Third street; on High street there are none. The map itself may be consulted on page 372 of my MS. Annals in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Among those who plotted the dethronement of King James was Lord Peterborough. To conceal his purposes, he effected his voy- age to Holland, by passing over to Pennsylvania with William Penn. What he says of his visit there is curious .* "I took a trip with William Penn (says he) to his colony of Pennsylvania. There the laws are contained in a small volume, and are so extremely good that there has been no alteration wanted in any of them, ever since Sir William made them. They have no lawyers, but every one is to tell his own case, or some friend for him. They have five persons as judges on the bench ; and after the case is fully laid down on all
· A friend, however, suggests that this must be metaphorically taken. He only meant that he visited William Penn, and that their discourse was about his province and its government, &c.
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sides, all the five judges are to draw lots, and he on whom the lot falls, decides the question. It is a happy country, and the people are neither oppressed with poor rates, tythes, nor taxes." As no mention of this visit, incog. occurs in any contemporaneous papers, the probability is that his rank and character were concealed from the colonists.
I heard by the late Mrs. Isaac Parrish, an aged lady, an anecdote of her relative, the widow Chandler. Mrs. Chandler came to Phila- delphia at the first landing ; having lost her husband on the shipboard, (probably from the small pox,) she was left with eight or nine children Her companions prepared her the usual settlement in a cave on the river bank. She was a subject of general compassion. The pity was felt towards herself and children, even by the Indians, who brought them frequent supplies as gifts. Afterwards a Friend, who had built himself a house, gave them a share in it. In future years, when the children grew up, they always remembered the kind Indians, and took many opportunities of befriending them and their families in return. Among these was "old Indian Hannah," the last survivor of the race, who lived in Chester County, near West Chester, under which head some account of her may be seen in these pages.
An ancient lady, relative of the present Coleman Fisher, Esqr., whose name was Rebecca Coleman, arrived at Philadelphia, at the first settlement, as a young child. At the door of her cave, when one day sitting there eating her milk porridge, she was heard to say again and again ; "Now thee shan't again!" "Keep to thy part!" &c. Upon her friends looking to her for the cause, they found she was permitting a snake to participate with her out of the vessel rest- ing on the ground! Happy simplicity and peacefulness !- reminding one strongly of the Bible promise, when "the weaned child should put its hand upon the cockatrice's den!" &c. The said Rebecca Coleman died in 1770, aged 92 years; of course I have, even now, opportunities of conversing with several who were in her company and conversation! If she had been asked to chronicle all the changes and incidents she had witnessed, what a mass of curious facts she might have left for my present elucidation and use!
Mrs. D. Logan told me of her having been informed by the Ho- nourable Charles Thomson, that he often in his younger days used to see persons who had been contemporary with William Penn. It was his pleasure to ask them many questions about the primitive settle- ment; but as he kept no record of them, many of them have no doubt been lost. He remembered, he said, conversing with a lady whose name was Mrs. Lyle. She had come out in the first expedition. She related to Mr. Thomson that after they had come to Chester, the whole collection of vessels went on up to Burlington. The vessel she sailed in, being the dullest sailer, was left behind the others, so that at eventide, they had reached the present Philadelphia, and not being willing to proceed farther by night in an unknown channel. 5*
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and finding there a bold shore, they made their vessel fast to a large limb of a tree, there to pass the night .* The next morning their Captain went ashore to make his observations, and being pleased with the situation, pursued his walk and investigations until he reached the river Schuylkill. When he came back he spoke of the place with raptures, as a fine location for a town. This being reported to the colonists when they arrived at Burlington, several of the leading men, with William Penn at the head, made a visit to the place, and event- ually it became Philadelphia.
This same Mrs. Lyle was asked why her husband, who had the choice of places before him, had chosen to locate himself on the Dock Creek (street) and she replied it was because of its convenient and beautiful stream, which afforded them the means of having vessels come close up under their bake-house, then located there below Se- cond Street.
An ancient MS. letter of the year 1693, in my possession, from S. Flower of London to his son, Henry Flower, settled at Philadelphia, t is strongly expressive of that religious excitement in Europe, which so powerfully conduced to supplying this country with population as a place of refuge from impending judgments. Among many other things, it says, "Here was a friend, a Quaker, came lately to Lon- don from the North, near Durham, with a message from an inward power or command, and has been to declare it in most or all the Quaker Meetings in London, that sword, famine and pestilence is at hand, and a dreadful earthquake to come, within many months, that will lay great part of the city and suburbs into rubbish and ruins! The Lord grant a repentance to prevent it; if not, to give us hearts to be prepared against the day of tribulation to come upon us." To many who fully confided in such messengers in England and Ger- many, it was but a natural consequence to sigh for an escape "from woful Europe" and for "peace and safety on our sylvan shore." Such could feelingly say,-
" Oh for a lodge in some vast wilderness, Some boundless contiguity of shade Where rumour of oppression and deceit,- Of unsuccessful or successful war Might never reach !"
The original inequality of the surface of Philadelphia was once much greater than any present observer could imagine, and must have been regarded, even at the time of the location, as an objection to the site. But we can believe that its fine elevation, combined with its proximity to the then important water of Schuylkill River, must have determined its choice where we now have it. The Delaware front must have been a bluff of 25 feet elevation, beginning at the
*It may be observed that much of this story is like that before imputed to the Shield of Stockton, and perhaps both growing out of the same facts ; and this, if so, the most direct to us. If the stories are different ones, they show singular coincidence.
+Vide original, page 336 of my MS. Annals in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
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Navy yard and extending up to Poole's Bridge. If that was desira- ole, as it doubtless was, "to have it high and dry," besides the sup- posed conveniency of natural docks for vessels to be wintered from the ice at Dock Swamp, Pegg's Swamp, and Cohocsinc mouth or swamp, we cannot but perceive that no place like it was to be found below it to the mouth of Schuylkill, and none above it, after passing Kensington, until you approach the Bake-house, near Poquesink creek; and there the water was too shallow. Therefore Philadelphia was chosen on the very best spot for a city, notwithstanding it had so irregular a surface then; evidences of which I have shown elsewhere. The probable debates of that day, which must have occupied the minds of those who determined the location, might now make a cu- rious fancy work! The Penn ideas, (which we know) as compressed into few words, are strongly expressed, viz. "It seemed appointed for a town, because of its coves, docks, springs, and lofty land !"
My aged correspondent, Samuel Preston, Esqr., formerly of Bucks County, on pages 488 and 500 of my MS. Annals in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, has given some long details from the recol- lections of his grandmother, who died in the year 1774, at the age of 100 years, in full mind and memory. When she was married, (at or near Pennsbury,) William Penn and sundry Indians were present. He was very sociable and freely gave them friendly advice. She described him as of rather short stature, but the handsomest, best looking, lively gentleman, she had ever seen. There was nothing like pride about him, but affable and friendly with the humblest in life.
After their marriage they went to Wiccaco; her husband there made up frocks, trowsers and moccasons of deer skins, for the Swedes, &c., there ; after a time, the little settlement was burnt out, by being surrounded by fire in the woods. They went then, on the invitation of friendly Indians, to Hollekonck, in Buckingham. Both she and her husband, Amos Preston, spoke Indian readily. She even served as interpreter at an Indian treaty at Hollekonck.
She said, at the news of Penn's arrival in the province, she had gone down from Neshamony creek (where she then lived) with others to get to see him; the Indians and Swedes also went along. They met with him at or near the present Philadelphia. The Indians, as well as the whites, had severally prepared the best entertainment the place and circumstances could admit. William Penn made himself endeared to the Indians by his marked condescension and acquies- cence in their wishes. He walked with them, sat with them on the ground, and ate with them of their roasted acorns and homony. At this thev expressed their great delight, and soon began to show how tney could nop and jump ; at which exhibition William Penn, to cap the climax, sprang up and beat them all! We are not prepared to credit such light gaiety in a sage Governor and religious Chief; but we have the positive assertion of a woman of truth, who said she saw it. There may have been very wise policy in the measure as an act
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