USA > Pennsylvania > Chester County > Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Chester County, Pennsylvania : comprising a historical sketch of the county, by Samuel T. Wiley, together with more than five hundred biographical sketches of the prominent men and leading citizens of the county > Part 15
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BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
Boston Silver Lead Company's mine on the west, to John G. Crawford's house, and thence east to the Forge dam, the azoic measures are composed of successive alter- nations of hornblendic gneiss and quartz conglomerate or feldspar porphyry. There is nothing of importance to remark about three-fourths of the township occupied by mesozoic rocks. But the border of this mesozoic area is made extremely interesting by the range of lead and copper mines east of Pickering creek, of which the old Wheatley, now (1880) New York and Bos- ton Silver Lead Company's mine is the principal."
Schuylkill township was formed in 1826 from Charlestown, and was named after the river which forms its eastern boundary. The borough of Phoenixville was taken from its territory in 1849.
Its landholders of 1774 are included in the list of those owning land in Charles- town township for that year.
The following description of the Picker- ing creek minerals we condense from a re- port made of them by Prof. H. D. Rodgers in 1853: "It will be seen, upon consulting the map of the mining district of Mont- gomery and Chester counties, that the metalliferous lodes or veins extending from the Perkiomen mines in Montgomery county to the Charlestown mines in Chester county occur not far from the boundary which separates the gneissic rocks of this region from the middle secondary forma- tion of red shale and sandstone. Some of them would seem to lie entirely in the one set of strata, and some of them in the other; while others again, especially the interesting group of Pickering creek veins -on the economical prospects of which I propose to venture some opinions-
are partly within the gneiss and partly within the red shale, penetrating the latter, however, to apparently a trivial extent. It would seem to be a pretty general fact, that such of these veins as are confined en- tirely or chiefly to the gneiss, bear lead as their principal metal, whereas those which are included solely within the red shale are characterized by containing the ores of copper. But the zinc ores, zinc-blende and calamine prevail in greater or less proportions in both sets of veins, existing, perhaps, in a rather larger relative amount in the copper-bearing lodes of the red shale. Thus the Perkiomen and Ecton lode, the United Mine lode, the Shannon- ville south lode, a small lode on French creek, a lode at Port Kennedy, and the Morris lode near Phoenixville, are genuine copper veins, and they are all, without ex- ception, in the red-shale formation.
" A soft, white, and partially-decomposed granite is a very frequent associate of the stronger lead-bearing veins, particularly in their more productive portions; but this material belongs, in all probability, not to the ancient granitic injections of the gneiss, but to those much later metalliferous intru- sions which filled long parallel rents in that formation with the lead ores and their associated minerals.
"The gneissic strata and their granitic injections throughout this district, display a softened, partially decomposed condition, extending in many places to a depth of several fathoms. This rotted state does not, however, pervade these materials to as great a depth as it does in the belt of gneiss lying south of the Chester county valley and nearer the level of the tide. To its influence we must impute the fertility of the soils resting on the formation, and
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OF CHESTER COUNTY.
the soft lines of the landscape. Its origin is dne, in part, at least, I think, to the action of the sea water, which onee evi- dently rested over all this south edge of the low Atlantic slope of the country, dis- solving by chemical forces the more soluble ingredients of the feldspar, hornblende, and mica.
"Of the one dozen or more lead and copper lodes of greater or less size brought to light in this quite limited region of five or six miles in length, and two or three miles breadth, the greater number are remarkably similar in their course, ranging N. 32º-35° E. and S. 32º-35° W .: and what is equally worthy of note, they dip, with scarcely an exception, towards the same quarter, (S.E.), though in some instances so steeply as to approach the perpendicular. Those which do not observe this direction seem, as far as traced, to range N. 52º-54° E., and S. 52º-54° W., and by their mutual parallel- ism to each other to constitute, as it were, a second subordinate group or system of veins. There are one or two other lodes, such as the counter-lode of the United mine, which range at even a less angle to the meridian than the first or principal set, namely about N. 26° E.
" The metalliferons and other minerals found in these veins form quite a numerons list.
"Selecting the Whentley lode as present- ing, perhaps, the greatest diversity of species, and as that which has received altogether the closest study, we find the mineralogy of these veins represented by the following large and interesting cata- logue : Sulphate of lead, carbonate of lead, phosphate of lead, arseniate of lead, molyb- date of lead, chromate of lead, chromo- molybdate of lead, arsenio-phosphate of 9
lead, sulphuret of lead, antimonial sul- phuret of lead and silver, sulphuret of zinc. carbonate of zinc, silicate of zine, sulphuret of copper, green malachite, blue malachite, black oxide of copper, native copper. oxide of manganese, native sulphur, native silver, quartz, cellular quartz, oxide of iron containing silver, hematite iron, brown spar, sulphate of barytes, iron pyrites, and two or three other species."
South Corentry Township .- It is bounded on the north by North Coventry township : on the east by East Coventry and East Vin- cent townships ; on the south by West Vin- cent and Nantmeal: and on the west by Warwick township. "The mesozoic rocks continue south over the greater part of the township down to French creek, which forms the boundary between them and the azoic series alluded to already on a previous page. In the northern part of the town- ship these rocks are yellow and red sand- stones and shales, showing wherever ex -. posed in place the dip usual to this part of the mesozoic sandstones: but towards the southwest margin of the formation there ocenr's at many places large numbers of fragments and debris of the older and ad- jacent rocks, including the quartzites, and the rock of doubtful signification called alternately conglomerate, feldspar porphyry. &c. Besides this there are small detached collections of dolorite fragments, suggesting the presence of a dyke, of which the course and features are hidden beneath the soil." Southwest of Pughtown a plumbago vein runs through gneiss. After being mined and washed this plumbago makes an ex- cellent fireproof mineral paint. South Cov- entry is drained by the waters of French creek. It was formed in 1844, by a division of North Coventry township.
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BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
The names of those holding land within the present boundaries of this township in 1774, are included in the list of East Cov- entry landowners for that year.
Thornbury Township .- This small town- ship is extremely irregular in shape, and is bounded on the northwest by Westtown township; on the southeast by Delaware county ; and on the southwest by Birming- ham township. It lies in the southern gneiss region. The rocks are hornblendic gneisses and their concomitants. The eastern part is covered with fragments of syenite granite and hornblendie gneiss, while in the west there is much loose debris of quartzite fragments. Thornbury is principally drained by Chester creek. It was organized in 1687, and received the name of Thornbury in compliment to the wife of George Peirce, in honor of her birthplace, Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England. When Delaware county was erected in 1689, nearly three-fourths of the township became territory of that county, and Thornbury is to-day one of the smallest townships in Chester county.
In 1774 the land owners of Thornbury were: John, Joseph and Thomas Cheyney, Joshua Hoops, William Dunwoody, Joseph Hemphill, George Hunter, Daniel Broomal, John Kimbler, Persifor Frazer, William Elliott, Daniel Calvert, William Johnston, Dennis MeCay, James Ramage, Jeremiah Pennell, Nehemiah and David Baker, Wil- liam Williamson, Benjamin Jolison, Ben- jamin Jones, Jacob Vernon, Thomas Hick- man, Richard Goodwin, Thomas Howell, William and Israel Pyle, William Beau- mont, Daniel Thompson, Henry Guest, Isaac, Thomas and Stephen Taylor, Samuel Mendenhall, Richard Parks, David Lewis, John Pierce, William Thatcher, John and
Caleb Pierce, John, George and Caleb Brin- ton, William Reed, Jacob Sharpless, Ben- jamin Cox, sr., Benjamin Cox, jr., William Armen, Richard and George Evanson, Isaac Davis, Thomas Gibbons, Joseph Dilworth, George Fryer, William Hawley, Thomas Mercer, and John Woodward.
Tredyfrin Township .- It is bounded on the north by Schuylkill and Charlestown townships; on the east by Montgomery county ; on the south by Easttown town- ship and Delaware county ; and on the west by Willistown and West Whiteland town- ships. "This is the easternmost township of the valley tier. The outcrop line of the mesozoic descends to it from the north. The belt of serpentine and crystalline rocks crosses its southeastern part. The junction of the limestone and the Potsdam sandstone is at the northwest corner of Tredyffrin, as well as the small band of the latter which separates the limestone from the crystalline gneisses to the north. The valley attains a width here almost as great as that spoken of in East Whiteland, and at the northwest corner just mentioned is located one of the largest limestone quarries in the county." Potsdam sandstone is quarried on the north line of the township by the Phoenix Iron Company. The principal stream of the township is Valley creek in the northern part. The Pennsylvania and the Chester Valley railroads cross it from west to east. Tredyffrin township was organized prior to 1707. Tredyffrin is compounded from the Welsh words tre and dyffrin, meaning re- spectively "town" or "township," and "a wide cultivated valley." As a name the word is appropriate, for Tredyffrin is a township in a wide cultivated valley. The township is a part of a large tract which was surveyed for the Welsh, and
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OF CHESTER COUNTY.
was principally taken up and settled by them.
The landholders in 1774 were: Henry Bear, John Brown, William Barnes, John Beaver, John Baker, Jacob Baugh, Richard Currie, Sarah Christie, William Clayton, John Cloyd, Henry Castlebury : Isaac, Ben- jamin, Dr. John, Rev. John, James, David and Samuel Davis; Joel, Jonathan and Josiah Evans; Jacob Frick, Adam Gider, John and Lewis Gronow, John, Samuel and David Havard, Adam Hate, David Howel, Jacob Huzzard, Richard Horton, David. Samuel and Levi John ; Esler James, Stophel Kittleman, John Keck, William Potts, Abel Thomas, Alexander Logan, Peter Mather, Anthony Moore, Joseph Mitchell, James, Richard and Enos Miles, Dewees & Potts, John Peck, Thomas Pennington, Judith Rees, Samuel Richard, Abel Reese, John and Jonathan Rowland, Michael Reed, Adam Rickabaugh, Rev. John Simonton, Jacob Sypher, Paul Sharaddin, Abijah Stephen, Peter Stikeler; Daniel, Felty and John Showalder; Conrad Snider, Benjamin Thomas, Philip Upright, Thomas Walter, Joseph and Jacob Walker, Joel Watts, John Wilson, Christian Workizer, Hannah Wetherby, Thomas Hampton, Mary Pugh, John Maxfield. Caleb Smedley, Charles Ramsay, Charles Pennington, John Nailer and James Aspin.
Upper Orford Township .- This township is bounded on the north by West Fallow- field township; on the east by Londonderry and Penn townships ; on the south by Lower Oxford; and on the west by Lancaster county. It lies within the South Valley hill region, and all of its rocks are mica- sehists, being chloritic in character. Its drainage is to the west by the waters of East Octoraro creek. Upper Oxford was
formed by the division of Oxford township in 1797.
The names of those who held land in the township in 1774 are included in the land- holders given in Lower Oxford for that year ..
Upper Uirchlan Township .- It is bounded on the north by East Nantmeal township; on the east by West Vincent and West Pikeland townships ; on the south by Lower Uwehlan : and on the west by East Brandy- wine and Wallace townships. It lies in the northern gneiss region, and near the town of Windsor are some very fine graphite mines, while good beds of iron ore are in the same locality. It is drained by the waters of East Brandywine river. Upper Uwehlan was formed in 1858 from the northern part of Uwehlan township. Uwehlan means npland, and the term Up- per Uwchlan is a pleonasm. The carly set- tlers were Welsh.
The names of its landowners at the com- mencement of the revolutionary war are given in the list of the landholders of Uwehlan for 1774.
Uirchlan Township .- This township is bounded on the north by Upper Uwchlan township; on the east by West Pikeland and Charlestown townships: on the sonth by West Whiteland and East Caln; and on the west by East Brandywine township. It lies in the northern gneiss region, and large areas of Potsdam sandstone exist in the southern part. Uwchlan is drained by several small streams, and the Waynesburg railroad runs through the western part of its territory. The word Uwchlan means upland, and the early settlers of the town- ship were Welsh, who came about 1712. In 1858 the northern part of Uwehlan was erected into the township of Upper l'wchlan.
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The landowners of Uwchlan in 1774 were : William Denney, Joseph and John Mc- Clure, Richard and John Evans, Robert Carson, John Lewis, Matthias Keely, Wil- liam Milhouse, Miles Davis, Robert Alison, Charles Reede, William Byers ; Daniel, David Eliazer, Evan and David, jr., Evans; Peter Wills, Thomas Guest, David Pugh, William Owen, Joseph Philips, William Dillins, John and Robert Smith, Ruth Roberts, David and Robert Beaty, Robert Beaty, jr., Jacob Moses, Israel and John Wheelan, Willian, Noble, Benjamin and Enoch Butler; John Buler, David Lloyd, James Packer, John Benson, jr., James and James Benson, jr., John Miles, William and Samuel Griffith, Stephen Philips, Joseph Bentley, Thomas Evans, William Hiddings, Christian Treat, Jacob Neeler, Dennis Whelan, John Young, David and John Philips, James Adams, Elizabeth Davis, Thomas Thomas, Jacob Haines, Christian King, Evan and Cadwal- ader Jones, Samuel Bond : Reuben, Griffith and Daniel John : George, Aaron, John and Jonathan Phipps : Peter Ashifeler, Jonathan Me Veagh, Dugal Cameron, Rief Gatlive, Jacob Tianey, Thomas Martin, John Hos- kins, Richard Thomas, Edward and David Owen, David Davis, Robert MeMinn, Rich- ard Downing, Isaac Lewis, and Esther Crosby.
Valley Township .- It is bounded on the north by West Caln and West Brandywine townships: on the east by Caln; on the south by East Fallowfield township ; and on the west by Sadsbury and West Caln town- ships. It lies in the South Valley hill, the Downingtown limestone, and the northern gneiss regions. The northern and central parts are covered with Potsdam rocks, while the limestone lies south of the Pennsyl- vania railroad, and has on its southern
boundary line a narrow strip of mica-schist rocks. Valley is drained by the West Brandywine river, and the Pennsylvania and Wilmington & Reading railroads pass through its territory, affording easy ingress and egress to the inhabitants of every sec- tion of the township. Valley township was formed in 1852 from parts of East and West Caln, West Brandywine and Sadsbury town- ships. The territory of the borough of Coatesville was taken from it in 1867, and in the succeeding year its eastern part, with a portion of East Caln, was erected into the township of Caln.
The names of the persons holding land within the territory of Valley township in 1774 are included in the lists of landhold- ers for that year in East Caln, West Brandy- wine and Sadsbury townships.
Wallace Township .- This township is bounded on the north by East Nantmeal township; on the east by East Nantmeal and Upper Uwchlan ; on the south by Up- per Uwchlan, East Brandywine and West Brandywine; and on the west by West Brandywine and West Nantmeal townships. Wallace township "is withont a semblance of other rocks in place except the horn- blendic gneisses and the quartz conglom- erate (Potsdam sandstone in the southeast- ern part), and the series that has been mentioned as concomitant with these." Wallace township is drained by the East Brandywine river, along whose banks the Waynesburg railroad passes. It is six hun- dred feet above tide-water, has no marshes, and is remarkably healthy. Wallace was formed in 1852 by a division of West Nant- meal, under the name of Springton, as it included nearly the same territory as the old manor of Springton. The next year the name was changed, by act of legislature,
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OF CHESTER COUNTY.
from Springton to that of Wallace, after Robert Wallace, a Seotchman, who owned " Mormon Hollow."
The early settlers of the township were Scotch-Irish, and the names of those who owned land within its present limits in 1774 are included in the list of that year given for West Nantmeal.
Warwick Township-Is bounded on the northeast by North and South Coventry townships; on the southeast by East Nant- meal township: on the south by East and West Nantmeal townships; and on the northwest by Berks county. Warwick lies in the Schuylkill or mesozoic region, and is drained by the headwaters of French creek. The French Creek Branch railroad runs nearly through the township in a northeast direction from Berks county. Warwick township was formed in 1842 from the di- vision of East Nantmeal, and received its name from Warwick iron works, within its boundaries. The old Warwick furnace cast the celebrated "Franklin Stoves," an in- vention of Benjamin Franklin, and during the revolutionary war cast cannon and can- non balls for the American army.
The names of the landowners of this township for 1774 are included in the list of landholders of East Nantmeal for the same year.
" Warwick is one of the most interesting townships in the county on account of the great variety of rocks exposed within its area, and also because of the important iron ore mines which it contains. Two areas of mesozoic rocks cross it from the main body of that formation westward. One is a very narrow strip bounded on the south from Knauertown eastward, by the north branch of French creek, and on the north by the great outburst of trap
which covers about a third of the whole township .. This thin strip penetrates with a width of barely a hundred meters (or yards) almost to the extreme western limit of the township, but is cut off and obseured by the Potsdam a short distance west of St. Mary's ( Warwick postoffice ). The other belt of mesozoic measures fills the entire area of the township north of the north branch of French creek. This great area of trap is of irregular lenticular shape, and is not itself perfectly uniform as to character. The southern half appears to be doleritic-typically so : the fragments often being of great size : but whether large or small they exhibit the rough striation on a conchoidal surface so characteristic of dolerite and are in general very little weathered. The northern half of the area, however, is more syenitic in character and shows in places very well- defined syenite. The feldspathic granite or conglomerate rock is found in the neighborhood of the Hopewell iron mines, in the extreme west. Half a mile south of Knauertown the rocks are composed of crystals of a green mineral, not determined, and Pegmatite."
Of the iron mines of Warwick township are the Hopewell mines, the Hopewell ore pits, the Warwick large mine, St. Mary's mines, the Warwick mine proper, and the French creek magnetic ore mines. Copper ore also exists in the township, and the Elizabeth copper mine near Knanertown was opened prior to 1854.
West Bradford .- This township is bounded on the north by Valley, Caln and East Cal townships : on the east by East Bradford ; on the south by Newlin; and on the west by East Fallowfield township. It lies in the South Valley hill region except the
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BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
southeastern part, which is in the southern gneiss region. Along the line dividing these two regions in the township are sev- eral detached strips of limestone extending in a straight line northeast by southwest. The township is drained by the East and West Brandywine rivers. West Bradford was formed on November 30, 1731, by the division of Bradford into the townships of East and West Bradford.
The landowners in 1774 of West Brad- ford township were: Sarah Arnold, Ralph Ackison, Richard Baker, John Batton, John Buffington, James Brown, Joel Baily, Rob- ert Buffington, William Buffington, James Bane, John Batton, jr., James Bruce, Jona. Buffington, Richard Buffington, John Chal- fant. Joshua Clayton, William Clayton, John Clark, William Cooper, James Chal- faut, John Clayton, George Currey, John Dowdle, Robert Eastburn, Valentine Em- erick, William England, Thomas Ellis, Latham Engram, Abram Ford, James Galbraith, Thomas Green, Joseph Green, George Grosse, Joseph Hawley, Stephen Harlan, John Jordan, George Jacobs, Dan- iel Leonard, Walter Lilley, Mary Lewis, George Martin, Humphry Marshal, James Marshal, Martin Miller, Isaac Marshall, James McElhaney, Joseph Martin, John Marshal, James Milleson, Samuel Marshal, Abraham Pile, James Ramsey, Samuel Sel- lers, jr., Samuel Sellers, Thomas Shuart, James Trimble, Richard Townsend, Joseph Thornbury, Caleb, Martin, Samuel Worth, John Woodward, Joseph Woodward, Saralı Woodward, William Woodward, William Woodward (carpenter), Robert Woodward, Robert Wilson, James Woodward, John Young, Archibald Young, John Young, jr.
Elk Township .- This township is bounded on the north by East Nottingham and New
London ; on the east by Franklin township ; on the south by the State of Maryland; and on the west by East Nottingham town- ship. Elk lies in the southern gneiss region, with a small area of mica-schist rocks and a large area of serpentine in the western part. "The serpentine southern boundary line erosses Barren Branch run a short dis- tance from the township line. Just west of the store at Rogers' mill-dam the rock frag- ments become more and more those of coarse mica-schist, the characteristic mineral being of a silvery white color. Southeast of the store by the mill the rocks are clay slates, with much mica, and at the mill a broad crystallized mica-sehist dips uni- formly. On the south bank of the Big Elk, about half a mile from Bullock's fording, large bowlders of granitie gneiss with pink feldspar abonnd. The dip of the strata from which these came, is probably south very gentle, but this is not certain. This granitic character is observable in the north- ern part of the township as well. Thus on the road from Randolph & Arthur's paper- mill, through Peacedale ( Hickory Hill post- office), both the mica and feldspar are of brownish color, and the rock is very con- pact."
Elk is drained by the waters of Little and Big Elk creeks, and has some very fertile farming lands along the Maryland State line. This township was formed in 1857, from East Nottingham, and received the name of Elk at the suggestion of Charles Ramsey. The names of its landholders in 1774 are included in the list of that year given for East Nottingham.
West Brandywine Township .- It is bounded on the north by Honeybrook, West Nant- meal and Wallace townships; on the cast by Wallace and East Brandywine; on the
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OF CHESTER COUNTY.
south by Caln and Valley ; and on the west by West Caln and Honeybrook townships. It lies in the northern gneiss region, and contains but a single area of Potsdam sand- stone, which is in the northern part and seems to be isolated from the other Pots- dam rocks of that region. . West Brandy- wine is drained by the river of that name, along whose banks passes the Wilmington & Reading railroad. West Brandywine was erected in 1844, out of the western part of Brandywine township, which had been taken in 1790 from the northern part of East Caln. In 1853 a small portion of the southern part of West Brandywine was taken in the formation of Valley township, and in 1860 West Brandywine was enlarged by an addition to it on the north from Honeybrook and Wallace townships. It derives its name from the Brandywine river, and the names of its landowners in 1774 are included with those of that year given for East Calu township.
West Caln Township .- This township is bounded on the north by Honeybrook; on the east by West Caln township; on the south by Valley, Sadsbury and West Sads- bury townships; and on the west by Lan- easter county. West Caln lies in the north- ern gneiss region. The l'otsdam sandstone extends over the entire territory of West Caln, excepting an area of gneiss in the east and a narrow tongue of Lancaster lime- stone in the west. West Calu was formed in 1728, from Caln township, and the first names suggested for the new township were those of Spefford and Caln Grove.
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