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. II > Part 9
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I ought to take this suitable occasion to explain why it formerly was, that great country stores could be so well sustained at German- town and Frankford, and out on Lancaster road. It arose from the extreme badness of all great roads leading into the city, in particular seasons. To avoid such, farmers bringing produce could sell out their whole loads to Rex, and others, on Chestnut hill, or at Stoneburner's, Fry's, and Miller's, in Germantown. In return they could get salt, fish, plaster of Paris, clover and grass seed ; all kinds of groceries and dry goods. Such stores were granaries for all kinds of grain, and received and cured hogs and beef. They all made money. You might see a dozen country wagons at a time about their pre- mises. All this continued until turnpikes insured safe passages into the city ; and then the stores began fast to decline, and finally to give up, or to contract themselves into small affairs.
The present aged Jacob Keyser was told by A. Cook, a primitive inhabitant, that he could well remember Germantown street as being an Indian foot-path, going through laurel bushes.
John Miller, Esq., a respectable gentleman and a magistrate, dwelling in Germantown, in the house now belonging to the Chan- celler family, kept a diary of passing events, during the time the British occupied that place and the city of Philadelphia. He was a strong whig, and eventually lost a great deal by the continental money. From his MS. book of twenty pages, quarto, I select the following notices, to wit :
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Pennsylvania Inland .- Germantown.
Sept. 18th, 1777, he speaks of much alarm among the people from the expected approach of the British, and the apprehended capture of Philadelphia. He and his wife go to the city to consult with their children there, to settle to what places they should remove for refuge. They determine to wait a little.
September 19th. On a second visit to the city, found his son-in-law, Mease, and family, had, in the interval of a day, fled from their house at four o'clock in the morning, and had gone towards Trenton. He finds there, that great numbers had fled the last night and this morn- ing. The roads were full of persons going away.
September 20th. He states that the roads are still full of poor people flying off from their good homes, to fall perhaps into greater danger. To-day, his wife went to the city to endeavour to save some of the furniture, left behind by her daughter.
September 22d. The news and reports, of to-day and yesterday, are all uncertain. They heard a cannonading up the Schuylkill ; cause unknown.
September 23d. The alarm this morning is great. The militia are returning in great haste ; tell us the British passed the Swede- ford last night, and are since in full march for Germantown. From this news many fled this night. Among them was Doctor Bensall and family, which went to Horsham. He left a well furnished house and a large shop of medicines, which the enemy, as he was a known whig, destroyed, or carried off.
September 25th. The British army entered Germantown at eleven o'clock, and encamped around them, and occasions much fear, especially from the foreign mercenaries. They burnt and destroyed all his fences, grain, potatoes, turnips, &c., and endeavoured to in- veigle away some of his negroes. To his person they were com- plaisant, and readily gave him a safeguard to keep his effects in door, from harm. A heavy rain fell at night.
September 26th. The morning was cool from the rain. General Lord Cornwallis marches into Philadelphia in great state,-the inci- dents of which were inscribed in pompous language, and at much length, on the Coffee House books.
September 28th. He hears that his daughter's family, which had gone to Summer Seat for refuge, had to change their place, and were going to Lancaster for greater security. Her husband, Mr. Mease, was with the camp. This day, for the first time, General Howe made his entrance into Philadelphia, and made his call upon Lord Cornwallis, then at Richard Penn's mansion, in High street, near Sixth street. [The same afterwards Washington's residence.]
September 29th. The army seem all quiet-have a fine season -- are hourly destroying the property of all within their reach.
September 30th. This day, and at other times, he speaks of visit ing Galloway in the city for a pass, to visit his daughter, but is always refused or put off.
October 2d. He hears the attack begun on the Fort at Mud
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Pennsylvania Inland .- Germantown.
Island. He mentions hearing, from day to day, for near two months after this, the heavy cannonading continued on that fortress-(so gallantly and long defended). It sensibly shook the ground, he says, at Germantown !
October 4th. He returned to Germantown this morning from the city, and finds that a hot engagement had occurred between the two armies at Germantown. His poor wife was alone, up two pair of stairs, when a cannon ball passed through a window very near her.
October 6th. Great numbers came out from the city to satisfy their curiosity respecting the battle of yesterday. After the battle, the Hessian camp is placed just by him, and makes him much dislike their presence.
October 7th. Several were executed for desertion and others were flogged for offences. An aid of General Knyphausen, (one Copen- house,) robbed him of a Map of Pennsylvania, and otherwise be- haved unlike a gentleman. In the evening, a great number of the Highlanders were encamped up town,-and the following morning were again moved off.
October 10th. He notices the army to be in great motion this morning; and it is the opinion of some, that Washington is ap- proaching :- others say, (so uncertain is the news!) that he has crossed the Delaware.
October 11th. He notices the first white frost. Before day light the soldiers went off to try to surprise the Americans, and by eight o'clock, A. M., returned without falling in with any of them.
October 17th. Orders came for all horses in Germantown and the environs to be sent to Philadelphia by eight o'clock, with their har- nesses. About five hundred were so sent and appraised, but only tories received their pay! His horse was exempted by the kindness of Sir William Erskine. At this time, his house being marked for the quarters of General Sterne, it is occupied below stairs by his aids; and next day, there came a great suite of his officers, and fixed their sentinels around the house-filling the stables with their horses ;- but in an hour, much to his joy and comfort, came an order for their return, and to say, he would not come.
October 18th. Three regiments marched as high as Barren hill in quest of rebels, as they said. In the evening he heard thirteen cannons and volleys of small arms,-which proved afterwards to be a feu-de-joie from the Americans, for the capture of Burgoyne's army.
October 19th. The army is in motion at day light, to march from here and not to return. By ten o'clock, they were all gone for the city. In about an hour, the American light horse appeared, and soon had some skirmishing down the road. They took three or four prisoners and some wagons.
October 20th. A part of General Wayne's division marched down through Germantown, and returned in the evening. He speaks of several American officers as being entertained at his house as friends .
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Pennsylvania Inland .- Germantown.
such as General Reed, Colonel Bradford, &c., and then, as return- ing to their camp in the afternoon.
October 23d. A part of General Washington's army began to march by ten o'clock at night through Germantown, and continued till day-break. They formed on the heights near the city and drove in the pickets. The enemy not venturing out, the troops withdrew, as they did not wish to attack the city. They hear the cannon- ading at the fort, and two violent shocks of explosion, shaking the earth,-which afterwards proved to be the Augusta man-of-war blown up, &c.
November 10th. Several parties from our camp pass through town to forage. Several deserters from day to day from the city confirm the scarcity of bread, &c., there. The cannonade at the fort is still very heavy, and still shaking the very earth.
November 11th. A hard frost, and next day seems to begin the first of the winter-snow having fallen all the preceding night.
November 15. The weather clear and cold. They can see from a house in Germantown, by the aid of a spy glass, two men-of-war, closely bombarding the poor little fort, which has held out nobly since the 2d October, and only yielded at the end of seven weeks.
November 17th. Several women of the British camp were caught last night plundering the gardens, and were carried to head-quarters, to look and feel very awkwardly.
November 20th. Several women came from the city to look up a little provision for their families. Desolation and famine seem to threaten us.
November 22d. In the afternoon the British burnt the house of John Dickinson, Esq., (the same now known as J. P. Norris' house,) also the tavern of the whig lady, Mrs. Nice, at the Rising Sun, and several others in that neighbourhood, on the Germantown road. They also burnt the house of Jonathan Mifflin ; Peale Hall, Francis' place, &c. This to their great shame !
November 25th and 26th. There was much alarm in Germantown, from reports that it was the purpose of the enemy to burn this place. It was even said, that the party for this purpose was resting at the Rising Sun. In consequence of this fear, he conveyed away a trunk of valuables as far as Chestnut hill.
November 27th. There appeared a great and surprising northern light-as red as blood.
December 4th. The enemy were much in motion-had pressed yesterday numerous horses, wagons, &c.
December 5th. The whole of the enemy's force, last night and this morning, passed through Germantown on their way to surprise General Washington at Whitemarsh. They did much damage as they went-wantonly burning and destroying houses and property in the night time. At ten o'clock, A. M., was heard a heavy firing begun on Chestnut hill, and lasting for two or three hours. They returned on the 8th instant.
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Pennsylvania Inland .- Germantown.
December 6th. The enemy and our light horse place us in much danger, as they patrol our streets alternately.
December 10th. He finds many of the inhabitants of the town deploring their losses. Several had sent their goods for safety to Chestnut hill-where the enemy took some and burnt the rest. He, however, found that his trunk, which had been left at Mr. Bush's house, had escaped the pillage, although the house itself had lost much, while occupied as the temporary quarters of General Howe and his attendants. [This house was, since, Lentz's house, at the fork of the road.] When they returned, the night of the 7th, down the Old York road, they spared neither friends nor foes, but burnt and robbed all along the road. They carried with them about forty loads of wounded." Mrs. Bush was so frightened by the violence of some towards her son, Dr. Bush, then a wounded officer in bed, in threat- ening to stab him, &c., that she miscarried with her twentieth child, and was interred at Philadelphia, on the 21st December.
December 20th. The navigation at Philadelphia was stopped for ten or twelve days by the ice.
In January, 1778, the weather being severely cold, the British army goes into winter quarters-often sending out foraging parties to rob the country around, and on market days to protect the country people bringing them produce.
The 19th of May, a large detachment of British marched up the Old York road; and next day a second party came through German- town, and had a skirmish. They returned about five o'clock, P. M. in some haste, with several wagons of dead and wounded. The In dians killed seven British horsemen on the banks of the Schuylkill.
May 28th. A large detachment of the enemy came up and re turned, without permission to do any harm.
June 3d. The British army came up and went through the town by break of day, and returned by nine o'clock, A. M. They rok gardens and steal fowls, as they pass along.
June 6th. They came up again in force and returned by nine o'clock, A. M .- having with them a few wounded in a skirmish.
June 10th. The enemy came up again by different routes, and joined forces at Allen's lane, (now Mount Airy,) and returned be- fore nine o'clock in the morning-effecting nothing but the plunder- ing of gardens, &c.
The English commissioners came up strongly guarded as far as Chew's house, and returned just after the above force.
June 13th. The army marched up for the last time, and got as far as Mount Airy. They returned in two hours.
June 16th and 17th. They are embarking and making all prepa- rations for a departure from Philadelphia; and on the 18th, the Americans again took possession of the city. Laus Deo!
The foregoing, it will be observed, speaks more of the preda tory aggressions of the enemy, than was generally complained of, by others. We give the facts as they have been told us.
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Pennsylvania Inland .-- Frankford.
Such are the leading facts of the ancient town of Germantown- first, of its antiquities, as old as Philadelphia itself ; and next of its stirring incidents as a captured country, and a battle field. We con- clude with a single additional recital and confirmation, to wit:
Mrs. Hall, of Philadelphia, gave a short notice of the retreat of her family to Jersey-which, like many others, was by market wagons, carts, and other rough vehicles. She went away with others in a wood flat, fully crowded, sitting in smoky cabins, or wrapped in blankets and laying on the decks. Many were thankful to get into barns and out-houses in the country on their first arrival. Those who met abroad felt an instinctive brotherhood, and all did what they could to help and accommodate each other. Some went down to Delaware and along the Chesapeake, and were again driven from their asylums in the following summer, by new alarms. When they afterwards met at their desolate homes, marvellous and amusing were the adventures recounted at the firesides. “Sir, (said a gen- tleman, whose name was eminent among the patriots,) these stories will be told by our children when we are dead and gone!" And so they shall,-Ecce res facta !
Frankford.
There has been an opinion prevalent about Frankford village, that it derives its name from Frank, a black fellow, and his ford, where he kept a ferry for passengers on foot ; but, besides its looking too artificial to be true, there are obvious reasons against that cause of its name. It is called Frankford creek in Holmes' map, in 1682. I see it, as early as 1701, referred to in a public petition concerning a road under the name of Frankford : besides, it lies on the creek, the Indian Wingohocking, which comes from the " Frankford Com- pany's land" in Germantown. It was their proper water passage to the river.
Jonathan Dickinson, in 1715, writing respecting Fairman's land at " Frankford creek," says, " a ford there will be very needful, and very expensive, as the winds drive the waters from the Delaware over much marshy land."* For two hundred and twenty acres he offers £400. It falls short in the survey thirty-seven acres, thus show- ing how vaguely it was first done. He says it cannot be surveyed on the marsh [now all converted into productive meadows, &c.] till the winter is so as to go over it on the ice. He states that one hun- dred loads of timber were cut off it, because untenanted in the last winter, by moonlight night. Thus there were great depredators then! They probably cut it for staves and ship timber.
In the year 1814, Christopher Kuhn, at Frankford, in digging a cellar foundation for a small store house, on Kinsey and Hilles' pre- sent tanyard, came to a pot of old coin, hid perhaps by pirates
* Thomas Fairman had been a surveyor, who dwelt at the Treaty tree.
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Pennsylvania Inland .- Frankford.
This tanyard, on the Frankford creek, was close to the bank where it is high; and at three feet depth, he came to an earthern vessel highly glazed, which held about half a pint, and contained one hundred pieces of various sizes and shapes of silver coin. None of it was left to be shown to me; the whole having been sold soon after to the silver smiths as old silver ! On questioning him as to their character, he stated that there were many cut pieces of the size which would re main in cutting quarters and halves of dollars into sections of four pieces each. He observed dates to some as much as three hundred years old. One piece was as large as a crown, and was square. Two pieces had a tree on one side, and were marked Massachusetts, such a coin I have myself, of the year 1652. On the whole the vessel contained quite a treasure for a collector, and yet none were saved.
The aged Giles Gillingham, who died at Frankford in 1825, at the age of 93 years, said that when he was a boy, it was quite common with him to play with Indian boys in the neighbourhood. Frank ford then had but very few houses, and was often called Oxford, af. ter the name of its township. About the time of Braddock's defeat, there came an Indian from a distance, blowing a horn as he entered the Indians' place; they soon went off with him, and were no more seen near the place.
The Frankford mill, now possessed by Mr. Duffield, was origi nally used as a mill by the Swedes before Penn landed. The ear- liest house in the place, now T. W. Duffield's, near the same mill, was deeded to Yeamans Gillingham, by Penn's commissioners, in 1696. The "Swedes' mill" was probably a saw mill, as wind mills were first used for grist.
It appears, by the minutes of council, that the inhabitants of Frankford petition, in 1726, that the road may be altered so as to have but one bridge in use, instead of the two then existing.
Some very old tombstones are still in existence near Crescentville, in Bristol township, on the country seat of James N. Dickson, which have been intended to designate the remains of a mother and her two sons, of the name of Price, of Welsh origin, who died there in 1702. They were members of the community of Seventh-day Baptists,-the same which afterwards took the name of Keithian Baptists, from their union in sentiment with George Keith, who had been a Friend. They owed their origin to Abel Noble, who arrived in 1684, and formed a society of Baptists in Upper Providence, Ches- ter county, where he baptized Thomas Martin, a public Friend, and others. This last, as a public minister, baptized Rees Price, in 1697.
In the year 1702, Rees and John Price, and others, built a meet- ing house in Oxford township, on a lot given to them by Thomas Graves ; but neglecting to get their deed in due time, it came to pass that the Episcopalians got both the lot and house,-the same pre mises on which now stands the Oxford Episcopal church.
The tomb stones referred to are thus inscribed, to wit:
VOL. II .- K
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Pennsylvania Inland .- Frankford.
No. 1.
FOR THE MEMORY FOE ELIZABETH PRICE WHO DIED AVGVST THE 2st 1697.
No. 2.
No. 3.
FOR THE MEMORY OF JOHN PRICE WHO DIED JVNE THE 11th DAY 1702 AGED 20 YEARS
FOR THE MEMORY OF REES PRICE WHO DIED JVLY THE 17 DAY 1702 AGED 23 YEARS.
Back of No. 2. This YOUNG man was So much with sence indved That of his own and Brothers Death contlvde Saying Dear Brother This know well Do i 'Twill not be long Before we both must die.
Back of No. 3. These are first Thats in this Dust i say Gods sabbath kept To wit ye seventh Day. in faith they DY'D Here side by side remain Till Christ shall come To raise them up again.
It may not be inappropriate to mention another old tombstone, of the same vicinity. It is one to the memory of Ralph Sandiford, and is now in the possession of Jesse Griffith, at the place where R. Sandiford was buried-at Sandy hill-on the Bustletown road. The stone, to some, will be regarded as a curiosity, because he was a Friend, and was withal the early protestant against negro slaver"- to wit:
IN MEMORY OF RALPH SANDIFORD SON OF JOHN SANDIFORD OF LIVERPOOL. HE BORE A TESTIMONY AGAINST THE NEGRO TRADE, AND DYED YE 28th OF YE 3d MONTH 1732, AGED 40 YEARS.
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Pennsylvania Inland .- Byberry.
Byberry.
This township was settled as early as Philadelphia itself. The first Englishmen who explored it were four brothers of the name of Walton, who had landed at New Castle, and set out on foot to make their discoveries and choice of location. When they came to By- berry, they were much pleased with a spot of open grass land, and determined to make it their permanent home. They soon got a few acres into wheat, although they had to go back as far as Chester to procure their seed.
These were soon after joined by other settlers, among whom were Comly, Carter, Rush, and others,-the latter named was the ancestor of the distinguished Dr. Rush. The greater part of the first settlers were Friends, which for numerous years afterwards gave to the country the ascendency of Friends' principles and manners. It was therefore, for many years, the preferred spot of visitation for the re- maining Indians, numbers of whom used to gather annually from Edge Pillock and other places in New Jersey, forming little colonies, which would set down at favourite places in the woods, and subsist a while on the land turtle they could catch, and the game they could kill. In these woods they gathered their supply of materials for making baskets, spoons, and ladles, bows and arrows, &c., and say- ing, as their apology, that their forefathers had reserved such rights in their disposal of the territory. The people were too kind to them to dispute their privilege, and they continued to visit, unmolested, until the period of the revolution.
The frank and generous hospitality of the Indians to the original settlers deserved a kind and generous return. The descendants of the original settler, (Carver,) have told me of a striking case of kind- ness. When his family was greatly pinched for bread-stuff, and knew of none nearer than Chester or New Castle, they sent out their child- ren to some neighbouring Indians, intending to leave them there until they could have food for them at home ; but the Indians took off the boys' trowsers, tied the legs full of corn, and sent them back thus seasonably loaded.
Byberry is remarkable for having been once destined as the location of Philadelphia city ! At the lower or southern side of the mouth of the Poquessink creek is a pretty elevation of table land, conform- ing to the line of the river Delaware, covered with a range of pine trees and others, intermixed, and showing now a primitive state and character, such as we understand Philadelphia itself originally had. Our youth who pass it in the steamboats should observe it. This site had once been surveyed and plotted as Philadelphia ; and cir- cumstances, for numerous years afterwards, caused it to be called popularly, "Old Philadelphia." It is now a part of the country seat of Mr. Morgan ;- and his present mansion, altered and repaired, was once celebrated as " the bake house," at which, on a large scale, bis- cuit were baked for sea service, and for the continental army.
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Pennsylvania Inland .- Byberry.
So many of the descendants of the primitive inhabitants still oc- cupy in prosperity the places of their forefathers, and give perpetuity to the names of so many original settlers, that it is gratifying now, to ride through their township, and to witness the comforts enjoyed by them.
This love of visiting and contemplating places filled with local im- pressions, generated by the events and doings of our forefathers, is one of the strongest and purest feelings of our nature, and one which we wish to foster, with warm hearted interest, in these pages. It flings over the imagination a delightful spell, where fancy draws those pictures of the past, more homebred, social and endearing, when viewed glimmering through the mist of years. With thoughts like these, we are prompted to add, in conclusion, some extracts from a letter written with pathos and feeling by the celebrated Dr. Rush, to the Hon. John Adams-his warm and social friend, on the oc- casion of his visit to Byberry, in 1812, to see the old homestead, and to revive the images of his childhood and departed kindred ;- even its length, in this place, will be excused by those who know how to appreciate such pure emotions, so prompted by country and home. Such feelings are full of poetry and sensibility, and may some day present to some future Byberry poet, the theme of a touching poem
When silent time, with lightly foot, Had trod o'er fifty years, He sought again his native spot With grateful thoughts and tears ;- When he drew nigh his ancient home His heart beat all the way,- Each place he pass'd seem'd still to speak Of some dear former day.
" I was called," says he, " lately to visit a patient in that neigh- bourhood, and having with me my youngest son, I thought I would avail myself of the occasion to visit the farm on which I was born, and where my ancestors for several generations had lived and died In approaching it, I was agitated in a manner I did not expect. The access was altered, but every thing around was nearly the same as in the days of my boyhood, at which time I left it. The family there, though strangers to me, received me kindly, and discovered a disposition to satisfy my curiosity and gratify my feelings. I soon asked permission to conduct my son up stairs to see the room in which I drew my first breath and made my first unwelcome noise in the world, and where first began the affection and cares of my be- loved and excellent mother. I next asked for a large cedar tree which once stood before the door,-planted by my father's hand. It had been converted into the pillars of the piazza before the house. Filled with emotion, I embraced the one nearest me. I next in- quired for the orchard planted by the same hand, and was conducted to an eminence behind the house, where I saw a number of apple trees which still bore fruit, to each of which I felt something like the
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