USA > Pennsylvania > Bradford County > Annual of the Bradford County Historical Society, 1906 > Part 6
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52. What connection has the name of John B. Gibson with the courts of Bradford county and the Su- preme Court of Pennsylvania ?
A. He was the first Judge of Bradford county and the 22nd Chief Justice of Pennsylvania.
53. What musical prodigy and noted song writer was educated in the schools of Bradford county ?
A. Stephen Collins Foster, who was a student both at the Old Towanda Academy and the Athens Academy.
54. What Bishop of the M. E. church spent his boy- hood days in Bradford county, where he was converted ?
A. Bishop H. B. Bascom, who was converted and re- ceived into the church at Ulster in 1810.
55. What man known as the " Indian Fighter " spent his last years in Southern Bradford ? Relate a thrilling incident connected with his life.
A. Joseph Elliot of Wyalusing township. He was captured at the battle of Wyoming and taken to the " Bloody Rock " to be executed, but breaking away from his captors, though being wounded, he escaped by swim- ming the river.
56. Members of what Bradford county families were carried away by the Indians during the Revolution ?
A. Rudolph Fox of Towanda, the Stropes and Van Valkenburgs of Wysox, Lemuel Fitch and Richard Fitz- gerald of Standing Stone and Amos York of Wyalusing.
57. What Indian, who was a friend to the first white
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settlers in the county, has a stream named in his mem- ory ?
A. Tom Jack, the friendly Indian located at Burling- ton.
58. What township was originally named in memory of a celebrated Universalist preacher ?
A. Springfield was originally called Murraysfield in honor of Noah Murray, a Revolutionary soldier and Universalist preacher, who died in Springfield in 1811.
59. What township was named in honor of a resident of Europe ?
A. Barelay, in honor of Robert Barclay of London, England.
60. What two townships originally embraced all of Bradford county ?
A. Tioga and Wyalusing.
61. What beeame of the township of Durell ?
A. When Terry was formed in 1859 Durell was changed to Asylum.
62. Who encountered the most hardships, the settlers along the river or those back on the hills ? Why ?
A. Those on the hills. They were remote from mills, stores and doctors, surrounded by ferocious wild beasts and had to clear away the great timbers before they could grow crops.
63., What pioneer was caught in a blinding snow storm and frozen to death, while making a trip from one settlement to another ?
A. Henry Lent of Rome, who was frozen to death, February 15, 1801, on Towner Hill.
64. Who was the Hermit of Wysauking " ?'
A. Matthias Fencelor (Van Sler), a Hollander, who came to Wysox in 1790.
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65. Without watches or clocks how did the pioneers determine the time of day ?
A. By "sun-marks" or " noon marks" upon the door of the cabin, or the location of the sun in the heavens.
66. For want of doctors, what did the early settlers do in times of sickness ?
A. They were their own doctors. Every mother learned the use of herbs and applied them as the symp- toms of the disease required.
67. What Indian villages were in North Towanda ?
A. Ogehage, Oscalui and Newtychanning.
68. Did all of Sullivan's army come up on the east side of the river ?
A. One company of 60 men under Captain Gifford came up on the west side of the river to prevent any sur- prise or interruption from that direction.
69. What town now occupies the site of an important Indian village ?
A. Athens.
70. Were any white people ever killed by the Indi- ans in Bradford county ?
A. None of the settlers were killed by the Indians, but lives were lost during the Hartley and Sullivan ex- peditions and in the engagement with the Franklin rescu- ing party.
71. From what circumstance do Break-neck hill and run derive their name ?
A. Tradition has it that an Indian squaw was offered a quart of rum if she would jump from the rocks into the river. She tried for the rum and broke her neck, hence the name of the locality. The point at which she made her leap is known as the "Squaw's Head." Here
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for many years the image of a squaw's head was painted upon the rocks, originally having been done, it is claim- ed, in her own blood, by the Indians.
72. What were the opposing political parties at the first election held in Bradford county ?
A. Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.
73. What Bradford county village once bore the name of " New Baltimore " ? -
A. Wysox, expecting to be the county-seat, was sur- veyed and platted and given the name New Baltimore.
74. How many court houses and how many jails has Bradford county had ?
A. Four court houses and four jails.
75. What man was Associate Judge of Bradford coun- ty for a period of 27 years.
A. John McKean.
76. Where and when did a victorious army celebrate by a great dance in Bradford county ?
A. 1779, upon the return of Sullivan's army to Fort Sullivan (Tioga Point) after their successful raid into the Indian's country.
77. What Revolutionary soldier, buried in Bradford county, was assigned the responsible duty of personal guard over Major Andre, after his capture, in conveying him to American headquarters ?
A. Samuel Wood, who died in Smithfield in 1828.
78. What two women distinguished as heroines of the Revolution are buried in Bradford county ?
A. Elizabeth Hagar, wife of John Pratt, and Mara Sergeant, wife of Joseph Grace. The former died in Granville in 1843, aged 88 years, and the latter in Spring- field in 1844, aged 82 years.
79. What man noted in this section as a mill builder
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in pioneer times, was captured by the Indians when a boy and lived among them three years ?
A. James Lewis, who died at Powell in 1822, aged about 80 years.
80. Name the Indian burying grounds, beginning with the most extensive, in Bradford county.
A, South Towanda, Athens, Wyalusing, Sheshequin, Wysox, North Towanda, Burlington and LeRoy.
81. When was our public school system founded ? Who was our first County Superintendent and which one was elevated to the office of State Superintendent ?
A. 1834; Emanuel Guyer ; Charles R. Coburn.
82. What grand celestial phenomenon occurred in November, 1833 ?
A. The meteoric shower or " Falling Stars." 1
83. What president of the Mormon church was bap- tised into the Mormon faith in Western Bradford ?
A. Brigham Young, in a pool on the Hunt farm in Troy township.
84. What township has the distinction of being the birthplace of a Governor ?
A. Wm. Goebel, governor of Kentucky, who was as- sassinated, was born in Albany township. His parents were Germans.
85. What Bradford county people have a strain of Indian blood ?
A. The Vanderpools, Johnsons, Heemans and Wheel- ers.
S6. Who was Bradford county's most distinguished soldier in the Civil War?
A. Gen. Henry J. Madill.
87. Where is Fencelor's fort, and what are the cir- cumstances from which it derives its name ?
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A. One of the most interesting natural curiosities to be found in the territory of Rome is the rock known as Feneelor's Fort. Half way between Rome village and North Rome, where the public road runs close to the creek, the traveler will observe, in going over the ground, that he has gradually ascended to the crest of a small hill. Here is Fencelor's Fort. The formation of the ground is like that of a huge wedge driven into the bank with the butt lying in the creek, the three sides showing a perpendicular face of some 15 or 20 feet. Thus at the crest, where the public road crosses, there is only a nar- row neck leading to the top of this natural fortress. The tradition for the name is substantially as follows : Mat- thias Fencelor, " the hermit," who came early to Wysox and of whom many interesting tales are related, having been to the upper settlements along the river found him- self drifting through the darkness before he could reach home. A pack of wolves came upon his track and press- ed him closely until he reached the rock above described. The only point of attack left open for the wild denizens was the narrow neck at the crest of the hill. Here Fen- celor built a fire, through which the wolves would not venture to pass, making his situation secure. Upon the dawn of morning, the pack departed and Fencelor re- sumed his journey without further interruption.
88. To what townships have scriptural names been given ?
A. Armenia and Mt. Zion (changed to Orwell).
89. When, where and by whom was coal discovered in Bradford county ?
A. 1812, by Abner or Absalom Carr, a hunter, at Coal Run in Barclay township.
90. When and by whom 'was the first settlement made in Towanda borough ?
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A. Wm. Means, 1786-'87.
91. When was the county line changed for the sole purpose of keeping a resident of Athens township out of the Legislature ? Did the scheme work ?
A. In 1804 an act was passed by the Legistature set- ting off that part of Luzerne county which contained the residence of Col. Jno. Franklin to Lycoming. In 1805, however, he was elected by the people of Lycoming, and to the chagrin and mortification of his enemies he ap- peared again at Lancaster and took his seat.
92. What anti-slavery champion of National fame was born in Athens ?
A. Joshua R. Giddings, who for several terms repre- sented Ohio in Congress.
93. Was it ever thought that transportation by steam boat might be made profitable on the North Branch of the Susquehanna ? What was the first steamboat to ply these waters ? When ?
A. For many years it was generally believed that transportation by steamboat on the North Branch of the Susquehanna could be made profitable. The first trial was made by Captain Elgar in his steamboat Codorus between Wilkes- Barre and Elmira in 1826.
94. In what township was the first settlement formed by three hardy sons of Rhode Island, who came all the way on foot, carrying a leather saddle-bag, gun and axe upon their shoulders ?
A. Warren, in 1797. These pioneers were Wm. Ar- nold, Wm. Harding and Thos Gibson.
95. What Chief Justice of Pennsylvania was born in Towanda ?
A. Ulysses Mercur.
96. What were known as the "Big Hunts" and when did they occur ?
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A. To rid the country of the destructive wild beasts, wolves, panthers and bears, the farmers in a large terri- tory fixed upon a time for a general " round up," when all with guns took their places in the circle, extending several miles, and moved gradually toward a common cen- tre. Thus when the animals were brought within a small space, they could not escape and were killed by the scores. There were two of these general or " Big Hunts," in 1805 and 1818.
97. Why did many of the early settlers prefer hill lands to those along the river ?
A. Generally the large timber was back from the river. There was a popular notion that the size of the tree was indictive of the quality of the soil where it grew. Accordingly many settlers chose hill lands with its supposed richer soil.
98. What once important villages in Bradford county are now but a memory ?
A. Friedenshutten, the Moravian village at Wyalu- sing ; Asylum, the French settlement in Asylum town- ship ; and of a later date, Barclay and Fall Brook.
99. What town derives its name from a natural curiosity ?
A, Standing Stone.
100. Who were the patriot mothers of Sheshequin, one of whom had six sons and two sons-in-law in the Revolutionary war, the other, sending nine sons to fight for the Union ?
A. Mrs. Hannah Gore, mother of Obadiah, Samuel, Daniel, Silas, George and Asa Gore and mother-in-law of John Murfee and Timothy Pearce, eight Revolutionary soldiers ; Mrs. Abraham Vaneise, mother of Cornelius, Thomas, Andrew, Abraham, William Riley, Robert, Charles, Jeremiah and Samuel, nine soldiers of the Civil War.
BRADFORD COUNTY.
CONTRIBUTED BY C. F. HEVERLY.
RADFORD COUNTY was formed as Ontario county February 21, 1810, by an Act of Assembly, from the counties of Luzerne and Lycoming. By Act of March 24, 1812, the county was organized for judicial purposes and the name changed from Ontario to Bradford, in honor of William Bradford of Pennsylvania, second At- torney-General of the United States under President Washington.
The first election held in and for the county of Brad- ford was on Tuesday, October 13, 1812, at which time, Abner C. Rockwell was chosen sheriff, Wm. Myer, Justus Gaylord, Jr., and Joseph Kinney, county commissioners, and John Horton, coroner. The other officers, with the exception of county auditors (chosen the next year), were appointed by the Governor. They were John B. Gibson, President Judge, George Scott and John McKean, Asso- ciate Judges, and Charles F. Welles, Clerk of the several courts, Prothonotary, Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds.
The first court in the county was convened Monday, January 18, 1813, at the house (" Red Tavern ") of Wil- liam Means in Towanda. Henry Wilson appeared as prosecutor for the Commonwealth. These grand jurors were called and sworn : James Ward (foreman), Jona- than Stevens, John Spalding, Isaac Chaapel, Adonijah
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Warner, Isaac Foster, David Rundle, Samuel Cranmer, Jonathan Fowler, Austin Leonard, Zephon Flower, Ezra Spalding, Jesse Allen, Moses Calkins, Parley Coburn, John Harkness, Reuben Hale, Humphrey Brown, Robert Ridgway, Jonathan Frisby and Elisha Rich.
DIVISIONS.
The following are the townships, area, date of organi- zation, territory from which taken and origin of name :
Wyalusing-Area, 26 square miles, organized March 1790, from Stoke; name is of Indian origin corrupted from M'chwihilusing, the place of the hoary veteran. Another version is from Wigalusni, the good hunting ground.
Wysox-Area, 20 square miles, organized April 1795, from Tioga ; derived from the Indian word Wisachgimi, signifying the place of grapes. Zeisberger spells the word Wisachk, Sauk, or Saucon, a canoe harbor ; Wy- Sauk, where there is a canoe harbor.
Athens-Area, 49 square miles, organized January 1797, from Tioga ; so called because of its (the town and original village) similar location to that of ancient Ath- ens, on a peninsula partly encircled by hills.
Ulster-Area, 16 square miles, organized January 1797, from Tioga ; derives its name from the Susque- hanna company's township of Ulster, being a part of the original township.
Burlington-Area, 24 square miles, organized Janu- ary 1802, from Wysox ; so named in memory of the early home of a number of the pioneers, who came from Burlington, Vermont.
Orwell-(Mt. Zion 1801), Area, 32 square miles, or-
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ganized from Athens and Ulster, changed to Orwell in 1802; named in memory of Orwell, Vermont, the town from which many of the first settlers came.
Canton-Area, 38 square miles, organized August 1804 from Burlington ; derives its name from a Connecticut township of that name, which included a part of what is now called Canton.
Towanda-Area, 15 square miles ; organized January 1808, from Wysox and Wyalusing ; name is of Indian origin. Awandae in the Nanticoke tongue signifies, " a burial place ;" and Towandaemunk in the Delaware dia- leet, " where there is a burying," or " where we bury the dead ;" also said to be derived from Gowanda, which, in the Indian tongue, means "a town among the hills by the waterside."
Smithfield-Area, 42 square miles, organized between 1804 and 1810, from Ulster; named for David Smith, who claimed the township under Connecticut title, but never lived in the town.
Pike (Bradford)-Area, 43 square miles, organized from Rush and Orwell, changed to Pike in April 1813 ; named in memory of Gen. Zebulon M. Pike, a noted ex- plorer who was killed by the explosion of a magazine in the War of 1812.
Warren-Area, 44 square miles, organized April, 1813, from Rush and Orwell; named in memory of Gen. Joseph Warren, who was slain at the battle of Bunker Hill.
Windham-Area, 35 square miles, organized April 1813, from Orwell ; so called from Windham county, Connecticut, the former home of a number of the early settlers.
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Wells-Area, 35 square miles, organized April 1813, from Athens; named in honor of Gen. Henry Welles, a resident of Athens at the time of the formation of the township.
Columbia-Area, 43 square miles, organized August 1813. from Smithfield ; takes its name from the Susque- hanna Company's town of Columbia, a portion of which is included in the present township.
Springfield (Murraysfield)-Area 44 square miles, or- ganized August 1813, from Smithfield ; so named in re- membrance of Springfield, Mass., the former home of a large number of her pioneers.
Asylum-Area, 24 square miles, organized November 1814, from Wyalusing. From the original township of Asylum, Albany was taken off in 1824; Durell town- ship was formed from Asylum, Monroe and Wysox in 1842; Wilmot was next taken off from Asylum and re- organized from Asylum and Wilmot in 1858; now fol- lowed the dispute over names, which was settled in 1859 by dropping the name of Durell and removing the name of Asylum to what had been Durell and name of Terry given to what had lastly been Asylum. Asylum is a Latin word meaning a sanctuary, or place of refuge. During the French Revolution among those who fled to other lands for safety and protection were a number of Frenchmen who, in 1793, founded a settlement in Bradford county to which they gave the name "Azilum." When the township was formed it was named Asylum, in memory of those French refugees and their settlement.
Troy-Area, 42 square miles, organized December 1815, from Burlington ; derives its name from the ancient city of Troy in Asia Minor.
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Bradford County.
Ridgebury-Area, 38 square miles, organized Febru- ary 1818, from Athens and Wells ; Samuel Bennett, one of the first settlers, located on a hill covered with berry bushes. He named his place " Ridgeberry," and being active in the organization of the township, the people gave him the privilege of naming the town, and he con- ferred upon it the name of his farm.
Franklin-Area, 15 square miles, organized Septem- ber 1819, from Towanda and Canton ; so named in honor of Col. John Franklin, a distinguished patriot of the Revolution, who is buried at Athens.
Sheshequin-Area, 35 square miles, organized May 1820, from Ulster and Wysox ; the name is an Indian term, and is believed to be derived from Tschetschequan- nink, signifying " the place of a rattle."
Monroe-Area, 36 square miles, organized September 1821, from Towanda. Monroe township was taken from Towanda, and Towanda re-organized from Burlington and part of Towanda ; so named in honor of President James Monroe, during whose administration the town- ship was organized.
Litchfield-Area, 30 square miles, organized Decem- ber 1821, from Athens; derives its name from the old Connecticut township of Litchfield, which included in its limits the present township, also in remembrance of the former home of some of the pioneers, being from Litch- field, Conn.
Albany (New Albany)-Area. 36 square miles, organ- ized February 1824, from Asylum ; derives its name from the old Connecticut town of that name, which in- cluded in its limits the present township ; the old town being named by a party of gentlemen who were formerly
Bradford County.
residents of the city of Albany in the State of New York, and who purchased a large tract of land in the southern part of the county of Bradford. Albany is derived from the Celtic and means a country of heights. In 1664 the English applied this name to the present capital of New York, in honor of the Duke of Albany, who received this title from the Scottish Council in 1398.
Tuscarora (Spring Hill, 1829)-Area, 29 square miles, organized from Wyalusing, changed to Tuscarora, 1830 ; so called for the Tuscarora Indians, a tribe once inhabiting that locality.
Granville-Area, 23 square miles, organized February 1831, from Burlington, Canton, Franklin and Troy ; so named in memory of the former home in Massachusetts of some of the early settlers.
Rome (Watertown)-Area, 30 square miles, organized December 1831, from Orwell, Sheshequin and Wysox ; so called and the name adopted by her citizens, from the fact that the township is in the same latitude as Rome, Italy.
South Creek-Area, 31 square miles, organized May 1835, from Ridgebury and Wells ; derives its name from the principal stream flowing through the township, being a south branch of the Chemung river ..
LeRoy (Union, September 1835,)-Area, 44 square miles, organized December 1835, from Canton and Frank- lin ; LeRoy is a French name, meaning "the King." This name for the new township was suggested by Ira Crofut and was adopted by a vote of the citizens when the township was formed.
Herrick-Area, 20 square miles, organized February 1838, from Orwell, Pike, Wyalusing and Wysox ; so
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named in honor of Hon. Edward Herrick, who was Pres- ident Judge of Bradford county when the township was formed.
Standing Stone-Area, 17 square miles, organized September 1841, from Herrick, Wyalusing and Wysox ; the name was first given to the locality by the Indians, on account of a very remarkable stone which stands in the river near the right bank.
Armenia-AArea, 17 square miles, organized February 1843, from Canton and Troy ; the name signifies " Heav- enly Mountain." The mountain from which the town- ship derives its name was first so called by Noah Wilson, who settled in what is now Alba borough in 1803.
Wilmot (Greenwood)-Area, 50 square miles, organ- ized May 1849, from Asylum; so named in honor of Hon. David Wilmot, then in the heighth of his fame as a congressman.
North Towanda (Sugar Creek,)-Area, 10 square miles, organized December 1851, from Towanda ; the name follows naturally in the division of Towanda town- ship, the new township being the northern section.
Overton -- Area, 46 square miles, organized February 1853, from Albany, Franklin and Monroe ; so named in honor of Edward Overton, Sr., a distinguished member of the Bradford county Bar, who gave generous assistance to the people in their effort to secure the erection of a new township, and held large tracts of land in the terri- tory.
West Burlington -- Area, 34 square miles, organized February 1855, from Burlington ; the new township be- ing the western section of Burlington divided, hence the name.
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Bradford County.
Terry -- Area, 34 square miles, organized May 1859; Asylum changed, Durell, dropped ; so named in memory of Jonathan Terry, the first permanent settler in 1787.
Barclay-Area, 20 square miles, organized May 1867, from Franklin ; so named in honor of Robert Barclay of London, England, who had purchased, prior to the dis- covery of coal (1812) on his lands, 51 tracts, containing nearly 21,000 acres lying on what is known as the Bar- clay Mountains.
BOROUGHS
AND DATE OF INCORPORATION. -
Towanda-March 5, 1828. Athens-March 25, 1831, Troy-April 11, 1845. Sylvania-May 5, 1853.
Burlington-February 14, 1854.
Monroe - May 19, 1855. Rome-February 3, 1858.
LeRaysville-May 16, 1863. Alba-February 4, 1864. Canton-May 10, 1864. South Waverly-January 28, 1878. New Albany-December 6, 1879. Wyalusing-February 16, 1887. Sayre-January 27, 1891.
EARLY MARRIAGES
IN BRADFORD COUNTY.
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CONTRIBUTED BY C. F. HETERLY.
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UTUMN, 1776, in Wyalusing, Aholiab Buck of Kings- ton, Pa., and Lucretia, daughter of Amos York.
October 1, 1783, in Sheshequin, John Spalding and Wealthy Ann, daughter of Judge Obadiah Gore.
February 20, 1788, in Sheshequin, Benedict Satterlee and Wealthy, daughter of Joseph Spalding.
April 20, 1788, in Sheshequin, by Judge Obadiah Gore, Matthias Hollenback and Sarah Hibbard.
October 19, 1788, in Sheshequin, by Judge Obadialı Gore, Elisha Durkee and Hannah, daughter of Judge Obadiah Gore.
1788, William Means and Elizabeth, daughter of -
Rudolph Fox, both of Towanda Creek.
August 23, 1789, in Sheshequin, William Witter Spald- ing and Rebecca, daughter of Gen. Simon Spalding.
June 3, 1790, in Sheshequin, John Shepard and Anna, daughter of Judge Obadiah Gore.
March 14, 1792, in Sheshequin, Moses Park and Mary, daughter of Gen. Simon Spalding.
. 1792, Joshua Bailey of Sugar Creek and Miss Susan Bennett of Wyalusing.
June 13, 1793, in Sheshequin at the home of the bride's father, John Newell, by Rev. Ebenezer Martin, Samuel Rutty and Polly Newell.
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Early Marriages.
August 22, 1793, on Sugar Creek, at the house of the bride's father, Ezra Rutty, by Rev. Ebenezer Martin, Orr Scovell and Polly Rutty.
September 19, 1793, in Sheshequin, at the home of the groom's father, John Newell, by Rev. Ebenezer Martin, John Newell and Lydia Ogden.
October 3, 1793, in Sheshequin, at the home of the bride's father, Ephraim Garrison, by Rev. Ebenezer Mar- tin, Wm. Avery and Anna Garrison.
December 12, 1793, in Sheshequin, by Joseph Kinney, Esq., Avery Gore and Lucy, daughter of Silas Gore.
December 19, 1793, on Sugar Creek, at the home of the bride's father, Jonas Smith, by Rev. Ebenezer Mar- tin, Isaac Horton and Sally Smith.
June 3, 1794, in Wysox, at the house of Wm. Fergu- son, by Rev. Ebenezer Martin, James Lewis and Polly Rutty, both of Wysox.
1795, Abial Foster of Sugar Creek and Miss Mary Means of Towanda.
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