USA > Pennsylvania > Delaware County > Chester > Historical sketch of Chester, on Delaware > Part 29
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I now call upon his descendant, Mr. LLOYD P. SMITH, to per- form this grateful duty.
Mr. Smith, taking the tree, a linden, and setting it in its place, said :
Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen :
I have little or nothing to add to the very fitting words in which my friend Dr. Stille, on the part of the contributors, has dedicated this monument. His ancestors, like my own, were resident on the banks of the Delaware before William the Conqueror-if you will allow me so to designate him who conquered all hearts, and whose victories are more renowned than those of war-here set his foot. TheStille's of Upland and the Smith's of Burlington gave a welcome to the good ship Welcome and her precious freight. In their turn William Penn and his followers gave a welcome to the Welsh, the Mennonites, the Scotch-Irish, the United Brethren, the Schwenkfeld- ers, the Irish and the Huguenots. The learned orator has told you how the mingling of these diverse though kindred elements has made Pennsylvania what it is. But there was another elenient, small, it is true, but most valuable, which should not be forgotten. I mean the New England element. The presence of Napoleon on the field of battle was said to be worth ten thousand nien to the French army. It would be hard to say how much the presence of Franklin in Phila- delphia added to the might of our native State. His manly, original and active mind; his extraordinary aptitude for affairs; his comnion
302
Historical Sketch of Chester.
sense carried to the point of genius. his persevering patriotism have left undying traces on the history of this Commonwealth. I have no- thing but Quaker blood in my own veins and I venerate the memory of the Quaker Founder of this State as much as any man, but I say they were too unworldly. Our dear ol I Commonwealth, with all the virtues of its founders, needed, it.may be, the infusion of a more virile element and that it found mainly in the Scotch-Irish, but from the time of Franklin to the present day the men of New Eng- land, in small numbers, have been a most useful, a most valuable part of the population of Pennsylvania. We all remember Samuel Breck, the philanthropist, the legislator, the historian; the Ingersolls, the Binneys, the Chaunceys are still with us, and I see around me some of New England blood whom I will not name-one of them a descendant of Roger Williams, whom you all love and respect. Let us then on that Pennsylvania soil where two hundred years a; o the treaty with the Indians was entered into by our great Founder, where one hundred years age the Continental Congress made an- other treaty between Sovereign States, let us on this ever memor- able occasion make a final treaty of peace with all our brethren. Unitel at heart it needs no prophetic eye to discern that this na- tion will soon hold the destinies of the world in its hand.
Gentlemen, the Committee has asked me to plant a tree here in memory of James Logan, sometime Chief Justice of this Province, and the friend of Penn. The proper person to perform that duty is my worthy cousin Albanus C. Logan of Stenton, the hereditary Trus- tee and Librarian of the Loganian Library under the will of the Founder and the Act of Assembly of 1792; but as he is not here to- day, I will ask one who bears the name, my nephew, Lloyd Logan Smith, to help me in this pious task.
I plant this tree in the name of James Logan, the Founder of the first free public Library, and I pray God, who alone giveth the in- crease, to bless the tree and to keep his memory green.
Mr. Keyser, introducing Mr. Justice Cox, Jr., said:
The second of these trees (an elm) the committee purpose to plant in remembrance of Captain Lasse Cock, as he wrote his name (Law- rence Cock,) a Swedish gentleman, as the Upland Records deter- mine him to have been, and very notable in his time. He was the interpreter for the first settlers and the interpreter for the Founder in his great Treaty with the Indians at Shackamaxon. His descen- dant is with us; he represents a long and honorable line, and 1 call upon him, Mr. Justice Cox, Jr., to plant the second tree in his an- cestor's memory.
Mr. COX, placing the tree in position, spoke as follows: Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen:
I am proud to be here to-day as a descendant of the Swedes who were here to welcome William Penn and his party when they land-
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303
The Memorial Stone.
ed on these shores-to be here to testify to the love he had for the Swedes as his friends; and you will remember that history records that the Swedes formed his body-guard, and when he returned to England he sent his love to Peter Kock and Rambo, the two Swedes whom he remembered as his good friends when he landed on the Delaware. The Swedes, like the Quakers of those days, lived in friendship with the Indians, and never were known to do any un- fair act to them. This was remembered by the Indians for many years after William Penn and the Swedes had gone to their long home. With all these memories in iny mind to-day I now plant this tree, and I hope as it grows and becomes green in the return- ing suminer, that it will be a fresh landmark to keep in our meno- ries and those of our children the return of this day and all that it has brought to us and to them.
Before the earth was thrown in about the roots of this tree, Mr. Robert Coulton Davis, of the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society of Pennsylvania, deposited among them four medals-one com- memorative of the Landing of William Penn, one of the Treaty with the Indians at Shackamaxon and two of the Bi-Centennial.
Mr. KEYSER then said:
The third tree (an ash) the committee propose to plant in memory of Anthony Morris, a follower of the Founder and himself the foun- der of a family beloved and esteemed in all the vicissitudes of war and peace through which the Province and the State have passed during the two centuries since he came. In the absence of Mr. Phineas Pemberton Morris, I call upon Mr. Samuel Chew, of Ger- mantown, to pay this tribute to the memory of a noble man
Mr. CHEW, holding the ash in the place prepared for it, spoke as follows:
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen:
You have conferred a great and unexpected honor in calling up- on me to take an active part in the Commemoration of the Landing of William Penn at Upland two centuries ago. The gentlemen who have preceded me have said so much of the past, and spoken so happily of its worthies who came with Penn, who welcomed Penn and who followed Penn and became, as it were, one with Penn, that I am sure you feel that nothing need be added to what they have said, and that you will permit me to say a few words to connect the past with the future
You have already heard of Anthony Morris as an early follower of William Penn and his trusted friend. He was a good man. "Ye shall know them by their fruits." His children through all these generations have earned distinction and are to-day prominent in nearly every field of honorable and useful effort. In his memory I
304
Historical Skitch of Chester.
plant this tree with the wish that it will grow and flourish and help to keep fresh and green in the minds of you and your children the commemoration we celebrate this day. I know that it can last but a few generations at most, and that it may be blasted by the se- verity of the coming winter, but I have no such fear for the recol- lection of you and your posterity of the Founder of this great Com- mionweilth and of his great characteristics-justice, piety and liberality-ind I have no doubt but that these memories will in- cite and stimulate you and yours for countless ages in the future, as they have in the past, to imitate his virtues.
Among the roots of this tree one of the Bi-Centennial medals of Chester was placed by Mr. William Shaler Johnson, and when the planting was finished Mr. KEYSER said:
We have heard the representatives of the first Swedish settlers and the representatives of the Founder's followers. Permit me now, gentlemen, to introduce to you one who represents a Swedish an- cestry, settle i on the Delaware in 1638, and a Quaker ancestry which settle l in New Jersey cotemporaneously with the arrival of William Penn. The committee have requested Mr. George M. Conarroe to a.I.lress you and to read also a letter received from John G. Whittier. It is an interesting feature of the last two observ- ances of our Bi-Centennial thit the Historical Society of Pennsyl- vania should have receivel a letter from Alfred Tennyson,* the Laure ite of the Crown under whose title our Foundler cime here, and this Committee a letter from the Laureite of that whole bro- therhood of humanity whose first forward steps were made by our Founder in the government he established under that Crown.
Mr. CONARROE said :
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen:
I have been requested to read a letter from our distinguished Quaker poet, John G. Whittier, expressing his interest in our cele- bration to-day, written to my old friend Colonel Etting, and to say a few words. Mr. Whittier's letter refers in eloquent language to
# 86 EATON SQUARE, LONDON, S. W., March 3, 1882. My Friends: - I would have written ere this to thank you for the honor you have done me by asking me to write a few verses on the celebration of the 200tl Anniver- stry of the Founding of Pennsylvania, but I have had the gout in my right hand and writing was impossible, and just now it seems to me that a verse upon anything is be- yond my powers, but does that matter much while you have your noble old Long- fellow still among you and other poets who might be more likely than myself to give you a strain that would not fall below the subject. I do not say that I may not make the attempt, but I cannot promise you anything except that I will be with you in spirit on the 8th of November and rejoice with your rejoicing, for since I have been unwell I have read Hepworth Dixon's life of your countryman and mine, William Penn, and find him as there portrayed no comet of a season, but the fixed light of a dark and graceless age shining on into the present, a good man and true.
Believe me, yours very heartily,
A. TENNYSON.
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305
The Memorial Stone.
our great Founder, and his sentiments of admiration are those in which we all heartily join. His letter is as follows :
OAK KNOLL, DANVERS, Mass., 10 mo., 8, 1882.
FRANK M. ETTING, Esq.
My dear Friend :- It is hardly possible for me to do more than send this greeting of my hearty sympathy with your celebration on the spot where William Penn first trod the New World, two centuries ago. What you propose on that occasion com- mends itself to my sense of what is due to the character and work of the great Foun- der of Pennsylvania. As the world wheels slowly but surely into the light and liberty which he anticipated in advance of his generation, it will more and more honor and revere the memory of a Christian and lawgiver, wiser and greater than those of Greece and Rome. Thy friend,
JOHN G. WHITTIER.
Reference has been made by some of the previous speakers to the composite character of the population of Pennsylvania. I may refer to the fact that this population has also been, more especially in Phila- delphia, which for over a hundred years was not only the chief city of the Delaware but of this country, recruited largely from the families of the best settlers of our sister States of New Jersey and Dela- ware. At the time of William Penn's landing the settlements did not extend far back into the interior, but were principally clus- tered along and near the banks of the noble river now before us, and the inhabitants formed a frien lly and almost homogeneous pop- ulation, without much regard to present State lines. The territory comprising the present State of Delaware was long known simply as the Lower Counties on Delaware-New Castle, Kent and Sussex. Some of my ancestors used to cross the river in open boats from Penn's Neck, near Salem, to attend the church, built as early as 1667, at the mouth of Christina creek-which stood, as Ferris tells us, on a beautiful spot close to the shores of the Delaware, so that the people from New Castle and Raccoon creek, (on which Swedes- borough was situated, ) as well as those on the banks of the Chris- tina and Brandywine could come almost to the church door in their
boats From that time to this the friendly relations of these river communities have been maintained, and in nothing can the people of the Delaware river unite more appropriately and heartily than in paying honor to the memory of William Penn-whose beneficent principles, enlightened statesmanship, and services to humanity, are more and more appreciated as the centuries roll on.
Mr. Conarroe having finished Mr. Keyser said :
Dr. Levick is present here. He is well known for his researches into the characteristics and purposes of the first settlers of our State and will in conclusion give a proper place to the Welsh element which was not without its influence on its destinies and claiming even a remote ancestry in Wales for its Founder. I have the honor to introduce to you Dr. JAMES J. LEVICK.
306
Historical Sketch of Chester.
Dr. Levick spoke as follows :
Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen:
Of the Welsh people, for whom I am so unexpectedly asked to speak, I can truly say that they filled a very important place in the early life of this colony.
There were, it is true, but few Welshmen on the "Welcome." Many had preceded the Proprietor, and a large number came soon after he did. Penn was very fond of the Welsh, and, it is said, claimed a Welsh ancestry for himself. He had on board the "Wel- come," as his physician, a Welshman-Thomas Wynne, "practitioner of physick," as, in his last will, he styles himself. For Wynne he had a warm personal regard, and gave his name to one of the prin- cipal streets of his new city, now known as Chestnut street. Indeed it is quite probable that Philadelphia owes the rectangular form of her streets to the Welsh town of which Dr. Wynne was a native.
A very large number of the important offices of the young Com- monwealth were held by Welshmen. Thus, Dr. Wynne was Speaker of the first Provincial Assembly held in Philadelphia. Edward Jones wasone of the first surgeons; Thomas Lloyd was the first deputy Governor after Penn; Griffith Owen one of the earliest Mayors; Henry Lewis one of the first "Peacemakers," while the Roberts, Ellis, Cadwaladers, Owens, Georges and other Britons were then, as their descendants now are among her most useful and hon- ored citizens. It is, however, not to one race or to another, but to the harmonious blending and co-operation of them all that the wonderful development of our country is due.
And now, one word to our friends of Chester, who have to-day so kindly received us. I do not wonder if it were on such a lovely day as this is, and it his reception were at all so cordial as this has been, that William Penn was a happy man when he first came ashore at Upland My friend, Dr. George Smith, the historian of Delaware County, always regretted that the name of this place was changed to Chester. Knowing as I do that the old name of Upland has been retained in the higher lands back of the city, I cannot share these regrets William Penn was too good a classical scholar not to know that the old British town of Chester was but another name for Castra-a camp-the old Roman camp, which it so long was. While obliging his friend Pearson, if that story be a correct one, there doubtless seems a peculiar propriety in giving the name of Chester-a camp-to the place where he was first to pitch his tent in his new domain. Unlike the old Roman camp this was to be a camp of peace. Could he see that Camp now he would find its officers, like himself and his comrades, men of peace, its tents filled with useful wares, its caissons carrying not cannon but calicos, and its artillery made up of hammers and of saws, of shuttles and of looms-a camp, indeed, after William Penn's own heart.
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The Memorial Stone.
The address of Dr. Levick closed the formal or rather it might be better said, the informal ceremony of the day. Under the foun- dation of the Memorial Stone Samuel L. Smedley placed a small stone taken from the soil over Penn's grave in England. Then the party from Philadelphia, under the guidance of the Chester Committee, examined some of the historical buildings in the city. The site of the Essex House and the old well, the Boar's Head Inn, the old Court House and Prison, site of the House of Defence, Graham (Hoskins) House, Logan House, Richardson House, tomb of John Morton, Friends' Meeting House, site of Sandelands Double House and other places of interest were a mong the points visited. At half past twelve the Philadelphians took the special train for Codnor Farm, Col. Frank M. Etting's place near Concord, to which they had been invited. The party was accompanied by the following gentlemen from Chester and Delaware county :
John Larkin, Jr., William Ward, H. B. Black,
Adam C. Eckfeldt.
James Barton, Jr., Rev. Henry Brown.
Rev. Philip Mowry,
D. M. Johnson,
George B. Lindsay, John A. Wallace,
Dr. Ellwood Harvey,
Dr. Hilborn Darlington.
George M. Booth, Dr. F. R. Graham,
P. M. Washabaugh,
Dr. R. P. Mercer,
Charles E. Hyatt,
Dr. Samuel Starr,
W. Ross Brown,
William Shaler Johnson,
Joseph R. T. Coates,
H. G. Ashmead,
Edward A. Price,
Henry B. Taylor,
Oliver Troth,
Joseph McAldon,
Henry Palmer,
Samuel Oglesby,
James A. Hargan,
R. A. Gilpin.
The train reached Woodland station in good time and from thence a short walk brought the party to Codnor Farm and to the old stone mansion now the residence of Col. Etting. The walk was delight- ful, the scenery beautiful-all the glories of the autumn in shade and color, lending enchantment to the country wherever the eye turned, and when the house was reached a simple yet ample repast was served, followed by segars, and a stroll about the grounds by those who wished or visits to the stables and examination of the stock for those who took an interest in farm details.
About three o'clock the party was assembled upon the piazza and lawn and Mr. N. W. Bennett, of Germantown, photographed the group, obtaining very good results.
George K. Crozer,
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Historical Sketch of. Chester.
In these various ways and in pleasant talk the afternoon passed quickly away and about five o'clock, after kindly congratulations and adieus had been exchanged with the hospitable host, the party walked back to the train and in due time reached their homes in Chester an [ Philadelphia, well pleased with the success of the day both ceremonially and socially.
Among the letters of regret received were the following :
CHADD'S FORD, PA .. II Mo., 1882.
Esteemed Friend. Frank M. Etting :- Thy kind note, with programme of exercises to be held in Chester to morrow, was received yesterday. While thanking thee sin- cerely for the courtesy extended, I regret my inability to be present at what I have no doubt will be an interesting occasion. Hoping you may have a pleasant day and all will pass off well on the real anniversary of the landing of that "great luminary in civil and religious affairs," William Penn, I am, Thy friend, CLEMENT BIDDLE.
The following is an extract from a letter of Benson J. Lossing, the historian:
THE RIDGE. DOVER PLAINS, N. Y., November 7th, 1882. My dear Colonel ;- I need not tell you how delighted I should be to accept your kind invitation to Codnor Farm, to partieipate in the sensible celebration of the Bi- century of the landing of the Founder of your State. But I am deprived of that plea- sure by an engagement which requires me to be in Hartford, Conn., to-night. I hope you will all have a good time as I know you will. Yours as ever,
BENSON J. LOSSING.
Major General Hancock writes :
GOVERNOR'S ISLAND, NEW YORK, November 6th 1882.
My dear Colonel : - I have your note of the 4th instant, inviting me to be present on the gth at the celebration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the landing of Wil- liam Penn at Chester. Pa , October 28 1682. (O. S.).
On account of the sudden death a short time since of a very near relative, I have declined, for the present, all invitations to appear on social or public occasions: otherwise I should have accepted your invitation with great pleasure. * * * * * * *
With thanks for your courtesy in this matter, I am very truly, Yours, WINFIELD S. HANCOCK.
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INDUSTRIES OF THE
CITY OF CHESTER
AND DELAWARE COUNTY, 1882.
311
Industrial Establishments.
INDUSTRIES OF CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTY.
I THE compiler regrets that while the industries of the city of Chester and the surrounding boroughs will be found fairly com- plete in the following description, those of Delaware county, out- side of these limits, should be so meagre. Circulars were sent to all known industries of importance in the county requesting de- tailed information, but the returns made have, for some reason, been very few. He is obliged, therefore, to give a general resume . of a part of those industries derived from the censes of 1880, for which he is indebted to the kindness of Hon. William Ward, of Chester, and such other detailed information as it has been possible to obtain, in the midst of other engagements.
The primitive industries of this section at the time William Penn bought the Province were of a very simple character. Agricultural pursuits, the culture and exportation of tobacco, and her trade with the Indians, and fishing with some little exchange of com- modity with contiguous sections, seems to have been the extent of the business transacted by the primitive settlers. Later on the list of industries increases and during the next century and a half there was a rapid growth of all kinds of milling and other business. A grist mill was established at Upland, in 1683. The Ivy Paper Mills, in Concord, were established by Thomas Wilcox, in 1729, and others are among the first established. In 1826 a list of Dela-
TA
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Historical Sketch of Chester.
ware county industries showed: 38 flour mills, 53 saw mills, 5 roll- ing mills, 14 woolen factories, 12 cotton factories, 11 paper mills, 2 powder mills, 1 nail factory, 4 tilt blade and edge tool manufac- tories, 1 power loom factory, 2 oil mills, 1 machine factory, 5 snuff mills, 2 plaster or gypsum mills, 3 clover mills, 3 bark mills, 1 mill for sawing stone. In all 158 mills and factories reported in Dela- ware county in 1826, more than half a century ago.
The census returns of a part of the industries of Delaware coun- ty, for 1880, show a steady advance in all branches in the time named above.
In this report 381 establishments are given. The invested capi- tal is $14,070,920; the average number of hands employed is of males, above 16 years, 6,711; of females, above 15 years, 2,885; of children and youths, 1,788. The amount paid in wages anually is $3,822,434; the value of material $10,872,672, and of products $19,161,663.
It must be remembered that this report is only partial. It does not include the statistics of breweries and distilleries, coke, fishery products, flouring and grist mills products, gas and petroleum re- fining, the compilations for which were not completed, nor does it include the oil products and exports, which is a very large trade but which has been located in the county since the preparation of the census. It would be safe to accept $17,000,000 as the amount of capital invested in manufactures in Delaware county.
The same report gives the following agricultural satistics :
DELAWARE COUNT).
Improved land, tilled ..
meadow. 7.345
10,766
Unimproved land, woodland.
Value of farms . other 1,257
$18,437,570
66 farm implements
545,091
live stock ...
1,228,347
117,668
Paid for repair of fences .. 66 fertilizers
75,301
Live stock of all kinds, numbers.
38.121
That is not a bad general showing and we should have liked to have supplemented it by a full description of every important in- dustry in the county, but as has been said the material has not come to hand. Below we give such returns as have come to us, beginning with-
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87,982 Acres
313
.
Industrial Establishments.
CHESTER.
The Shipyards of John Roach.
The Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding and Engine Works is well-known and its history and usefulness well recorded in the large number of ships built there. The works were first established by Reaney & Son, in 1860. The manufacture now com- prises iron chips, engines and boilers, and the name of John Roach, the President. is a household word among all interested in American sh pbui ding. Its value to the community in which it is located cannot be over-estimated In it are employed 1.296 men and 104 boys, whose weekly pay reaches the sum of $15.000. The present com- pany have operated the work . for the past eleven years, and during this period sixty- four first-class ships and a large number of other vessels have been built and many large contracts for engines and boilers tilled. The yard is always an objective point of interest to visitors to our city and its reputation is world-wide.
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