USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > Historical sketches : a collection of papers prepared for the Historical Society of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Volume I > Part 7
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Joseph Williams, son of Isaac, inherited from his father his large farm, afterwards owned by Charles Williams, became a large land owner in Whitemarsh and adjoining townships. and died some years ago, at quite an advanced age, upon his farm, which passed by inheritance to his son Charles. The original tract, as purchased by Anthony Williams, was under- laid with rich deposits of iron ore, which have within thirty or forty years been worked quite extensively by James M. Couls- ton, Charles Williams and Lewis A. Lukens.
In August, 1793, a jury was appointed to vacate a road "forking out of the Great road, crossing the Wissahickon near George Hocker's and Isaac Williams', and leading to the Man- atawny road." This crossing at the creek was at the same place where the new bridge was built by Com. Kittson during the past summer (1883). It thence took a southerly course to the great Manatawny road, known as the old Germantown and Perkiomen turnpike, as already noticed. In November, 1818, a jury was appointed to lay out and vacate a road "be- ginning near a school house, at an angle in the road leading from George Kline's (now Cleaver's) mill to Hickorytown, through Isaac Williams'." This road is the present one pass- ing through the property lately owned by Lewis A. Lukens, and Charles Williams', to the old turnpike or Manatawny road.
James Fox, one of the first settlers of Plymouth township, petitioned the colonial councils for a cart road from Plymouth Meeting to Cresheim, Germantown, for the purpose of hauling lime to the city. This road already before the Revolution was known as the great Manatawny road, leading northwest- erly to Pottstown, crossing the Manatawny creek at that place, and thence to Reading. The cart road from Plymouth Meet- ing bore a more easterly course, in the direction towards James M. Coulston's, through the forests toward the Wissahickon, crossing the creek at the same place as at present, and thus avoiding several of the hills between Marble Hall and the foot of Chestnut Hill. This old cart road was laid out Second- month, 1687. In after years, as the county became more set- IO
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tled, the road was considerably straightened, and became the Manatawny road.
The Germantown and Perkiomen turnpike road was incor- porated February 12, 1801, and laid out upon the bed of this road, with a capital of $285,000, solely built by individual subscription, the state taking no stock in the company. The turnpike was completed in 1804, at $11,287 per mile, the entire length being twenty-four miles, ending at the Perkiomen bridge at Collegeville. In 1874 this company lost its rights of incor- poration against the city of Philadelphia, by which the gates on the road were removed, and the entire length thrown open to free travel, since which time the townships through which it passes attend to the repairing of the road as other roads are kept in order. By a decree of court, the city was compelled to pay the stockholders the sum of $91,000. This was for the entire length of the road.
The old tumble-down buildings yet standing on the south corner at the cross roads at Marble Hall in the field some dis- tance from the old turnpike, were built in the year 1743 by Adam Kitler, who was a land holder in 1734, as appears on the list of taxables of that year. He purchased in 1745 the pro- perty on both sides of the Manatawny road from the cross roads at Marble Hall southward to the Barren Hill church. . This tract is rich in mineral deposits of both iron ore and marble. The Lentz property, a part of this tract, and upon which the old dilapidated buildings still remain, contains a marble quarry which has been worked for a number of years, large quantities having been taken from this place to Philadel- phia. These quarries until a year or two ago were operated by D. O. Hitner. Immense quantities of iron ore have been taken from the Freas and Hiltner properties, now belonging to D. O. Hitner, formally belonging to the Kitler purchase. Probably the first ore was dug at this place that was mined in the township. Adam Kitler was buried in the grave-yard at Barren Hill. There are none of his name remaining in the township.
In November, ISII, the cross road at Marble Hall was
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laid out by a jury in the following manner: "Beginning at the Ridge road, dividing lands of John Lentz and Daniel Hitner, to a road leading from Plymouth Meeting to Jarrett's Mill (now Cleaver's).
Patrick Menan, the eminent surveyor, conveyancer, and school-master, as he was called in those days, lived and died at what is now Marble Hall, on the east corner of the cross roads now the property of D. O. Hitner. He resided there from 1753 until his death. On the assessor's list of 1780 he is assessed as follows: "Patrick Menan, aged, fifty acres, one horse and two cows. Affirmed." He was an excellent pen- man, as evinced by deeds written by him yet in existence; he was quite useful in conveyancing and drawing instruments of writing, settling estates and adjusting accounts. He was noted as a school-master, as he was called in those days, and taught a classical school in the township, probably where he resided. Tradition says that Dr. Rittenhouse and Gen. Andrew Porter, the father of Gov. D. R. Porter, used to walk all the way from Norriton to attend this school. He is said to have been an "Irish gentleman of culture." He made his will Jan- uary 8, 1789, appointing two of his daughters executors, namely, Sarah and Mary. He died February 5, 1791, at the age of 80 years, and is buried in the Lukens burying ground, together with all of his family. He had an only son, named John, who died at Penn's Neck, New Jersey, October 12, 1768, aged 25 years; he left three daughters. Elizabeth married a man by the name of Trump, and left three children, Sarah, Margaret and John. The executors of his estate made final settlement, as found in the Register's office at Norristown, in 1796, by which it appears that the property was purchased by George Freas. By his will he bequeathed his surveying instruments to his daughters, Sarah and Mary.
The road leading from Marble Hall, or more particularly from the Ridge turnpike road to Springmill, was known as the "Joshua" road. It received its name from an old citizen of the township, Joshua Paxton, who resided on the property which he owned, lately the residence of George W. Hocker,
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deceased. Mr. Paxton lived to be quite an aged man, and was a Friend and a member of Plymouth Meeting. He died about forty or fifty years ago. Immense quantities of iron ore have been hauled over this road to the Springmill furnaces ever since the development of the great beds of iron ore located in this section of the township. At times the road would become nearly blockaded with large teams hauling ore to Springmill, to the great annoyance of light travel and the public generally.
The celebrated Col. Hugh Lindsay, the Berks county comedian, in his life written by himself about 1882 or '83, relates several incidents in connection with his own, of a noted character by the name of Barnhart, who lived about Barren Hill in the early part of this century. Barnhart was a sort of vagabond and tramp who lived by his wits, traveling about the country from tavern to tavern, playing cards, thimble ring- ing and playing other games of chance, at which he was quite expert, and many a boy and man, too, suffered the penalty by the loss of his watch and money. Among the many incidents told by the comedian as appeared in the Reading Times, the following is the most graphically related, and which took place at Barren Hill. Col. Lindsay is still well remembered by our older citizens as a prominent play actor and comic performer, and the pleasure he afforded his audiences in all portions of our township; he was an exemplary and honest man. But we shall leave Lindsay tell his experience in his own way:
" Old Barnhart had won a great deal of money and many watches in his days, but he is now no more; he got to be very old and poor, and died in Lebanon county poor-house, I think, in the year 1838. Many years ago he kept himself about Barren Hill, twelve miles from Philadelphia (B.'s tavern), looking out for farmers and wagoners, to win their money and watches. One night they were playing in the dining-room; it was full of farmers and teamsters gambling among them- selves with cards, and some betting with old Barnhart. About midnight a large black bear broke loose from his master, that lived five miles from Barren Hill; the bear had a large chain
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dragging after him at the time. The bar-room being open, old bruin came into the bar room and made his compliments, where there were some twenty or thirty teamsters lying on their feed-bags about the bar-room floor. The teamsters got awake at the grumbling and noise of the bear, sprang up, thinking the devil had come for them; they rushed back to the dining-room where some forty or fifty teamsters and farm- ers were gambling together, swearing and cursing, drinking whiskey and cider oil, and betting with old Barnhart. The bear made his appearance suddenly, walking erect on his hind feet. The men took the bear to be the devil himself, and were so frightened that they screamed and jumped through the win- dows, breaking sash and all, down went the kitchen door, head over heels went old Barnhart and his table, his money all spilt. The bear was tame and wanted to take a hand with them, as he smelt Dutch cheese and gingerbread, but no one would stop for his company; they ran out helter skelter, head over heels, through doors and windows, and any way they could get out from the grasp of the devil, as they thought.
There was great confusion the next morning at Barren Hill, as many believed that the devil had visited the place after gamblers. The bear was now having the house to himself; all those up stairs were afraid to come down. The bear got into the kitchen, upset the kitchen cupboard, broke the dishes, helped himself to a good lunch, and left for other quarters. His master captured him the next day, three or four miles from Barren Hill. The farmers and teamsters returned for their horses, and left and told the people on the road home that the devil was at Barren Hill; they had seen him and 'smelt' the. brimstone."
Militia Hill, extending from the Wissahickon creek at St. Thomas' church to the village of Cold Point, is a spur or con- tinuation of Camp Hill, its principal course being from east to west, and it is principally covered with chestnut timber of good growth. Both Camp and Militia Hill during the Rev- olution were occupied by the Americans under Washington about the time of the battle of Germantown. The commander- in-chief made his headquarters at the Emlen mansion, the present residence of Charles T. Aiman, with the main body of. his army quartered on Camp Hill, while the militia, seven
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hundred strong, occupied the heights of Militia Hill, hence the name The neighborhood yet shows traces of the occu- pation of the army. These are quite visible at the present time. On the northern slope of Militia Hill, what is supposed to show the position of tents can be readily traced; they are circular plots, about 25 or 30 feet in diameter, surrounded in all cases with a ditch; from appearances the earth was thrown into the centre of the plot for the purpose of drainage, as they are made by this means some ten or twelve inches higher than on the outside of the ditches. These plots appear to be in a well-formed line near the summit of the hill. They are all in the forest, and from indications it appears that the timber has been cut off three times since they were made, the stumps and timber bearing evidence of this. They are in many instances not more than one hundred feet apart. On the east side of the Chestnut Hill and Springhouse turnpike, and north of St. Thomas' church, a short distance below Fort Washington, are the remains of a well-preserved redoubt, on the property of Jacob W. Haines, deceased. Other remains existed until a few years ago, but time and the hand of improvement have obliterated them from our view.
·Militia Hill evidently rests upon a bed of limestone from the Wissahickon creek to Cold Point. This is quite percepti- ble, as quarries of limestone may be seen at the east end where the Wissahickon divides it from Camp Hill, on the property of S. W. Comly, above the range of the hill. This is one of the earliest places where lime was burned in Pennsylvania. On May 19, 1698, Nicholas Scull petitioned the colonial coun- cil to open a road from Farmar's mill to Cresheim, for the purpose of hauling lime to Philadelphia. This was accordingly done. In the ravine through which passed the road leading from Chestnut Hill to Blue Bell, known as the Welch road, to Gwynedd Meeting, and so mentioned in old deeds in the olden times, the limestone rock is quite visible in the bottom of the run of water which passes along the side of the road. This gap in the hill, through which several roads pass, is quite an important point and accommodation to the inhabitants residing
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in the vicinity of Lancasterville in getting through the hill from the north or south and east or west.
At the west end of the hill, at Cold Point and somewhat north of the range, are kilns and quarries which have been operated until quite lately. Thus it is quite evident that the whole hill rests upon a bed of solid limestone, but extends to no distance on the north side.
The hill itself is a singular formation, and bears no similar- ity to the structure of its base upon which it rests. The south side of the hill is often very abrupt and climbed with some difficulty, while on the north side the ascent is much more easy and gradual. The stone is of a very hard and flinty nature, and at a few places quarries have been opened and operated to some extent, and principally used for turnpiking and building, but too hard for successful dressing with the mason's hammer.
In February, 1820, the following road was laid out by a jury: "From the Broad Axe tavern and Plymouth Meeting House road, at the corner of George Heydrick's land, thence through said Heydrick's land to the Whitemarsh church and Plymouth Meeting House road at a corner of John Conard's land," late Benjamin Jones.' This road partially occupies the old Welch road, heretofore mentioned, to the gap, and thence by an angle to the east, and continues to Whitemarsh church on the north side of Militia Hill.
The road from Cold Point to the gap at Lancasterville, was laid by a jury, as follows: " Beginning at a corner of Alan W. Corson's land, Michael Rodeback and John Rodeback's land, in the lines of Whitemarsh and Plymouth, through Joseph Foulke's to the North Wales road." This road was laid out and located in August, 1815. From the records at Norris- town, I find a jury was appointed by court to open the town- ship line as follows: "Beginning at Philip Lair's (now Moses Pierce's) property and dividing Whitemarsh from Plymouth and Whitpain townships to the Broad Axe tavern, at the Skip- pack road. Jury viewed August, 1804."
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In August, 1800, a jury located a road "In the Skippack road at a corner of Anthony Morris' land (the Highlands, the residence of George Sheaff, afterwards the late Charles Stout), and through lands of said Morris, Jacob Edge and Jacob Reiff, to Morris road. This is a township line road between these points. In 1877, the road leading from what was formerly a Methodist church, through the properties of Brownholtz, Har- ner, Kehr and Peterman, to the Skippack turnpike, opposite the Sheaff road, was laid out by a jury.
Buck, the historian of Montgomery county, observes, in passing along the road from Whitemarsh to Lancasterville, on the north side of Militia Hill to the gap: "In traveling this distance we were surprised at the wildness of the country, especially from the Skippack road to this place (Lancaster- ville)." This is true, even at this day, though written in 1859. The country seat of the late James E. Trexler is the only im- portant improvement made since he passed along this road.
In May, 1777, Sir Henry Clinton formed a plan to cap- ture Gen. Lafayette, who was posted at the Barren Hill church, and for this purpose he sent General Grant and Sir William Erskine with five thousand troops to cut off his retreat to Valley Forge. General Grant proceeded by way of Frank- ford on the 19th of May, and reached Whitemarsh on the morning of the 20th. Watson, the annalist, says of the failure of Gen. Grant to accomplish the capture of Lafayette: "The British made their approach with all possible quietness and secrecy in the night. They turned at Mather's mill (Farmar's) to go to Plymouth. At the mill lived a Captain Stoy, who, having occasion to get out of bed, chanced to see the army passing his door. He immediately ran across the fields and nigh cuts to give Lafayette the alarm; but, his breath failing him, he called up one Rudolph Bartles (Bartleson), who ran on to Barren Hill and gave the intelligence. Lafayette imme- diately sent off his artillery to the other side of the Schuylkill, at Matson's Ford, and going himself to the same place by the way of Springmill." Thus the "young stripling " outgeneraled both Clinton and Grant. Samuel Maulsby, who lived at Ply-
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mouth, was Watson's informant. He said that the British General delayed his troops an hour and a half at his place, and that in the meantime Lafayette was successful in making his escape to Washington's headquarters at Valley Forge after some skirmishing at the ford. Rudolph Bartleson lived at the same place where Charles A. Yeakle now lives.
Whitemarsh was known as Farmarstown, and so called the first twenty or twenty-five years after Penn sold to Major Jaspar Farmar the patent embracing all that portion of the present township from the Skippack road to the Schuylkill river. On Holmes's map of original surveys, published be- tween 1682 and 1695, the lines are well defined and as they exist at the present day, and the territory included is known as "Jaspar Farmar's Plantation."
The name of Whitemarsh was not applied to the town- ship until about the first decade in the last century. Edward Farmar, son of Jaspar Farmar, in deeds executed before 1708 or 1710, is designated as "Gentleman, of Farmarstown"; and not until about 1720 is he mentioned as of "Farmarstown, alias Whitemarsh." From then on the name of Whitemarsh is universally used; and as no other place is so called, it is quite original to the township. Dr. Millett, in his history of St. Thomas's Church, says it was derived from a parish of the same name in England; but in this he is undoubtedly in error, as no such parish existed there. Buck, in his history of Mont- gomery county, says that the name may be from the fact that the sand oozing out of the springs at Springmill is white, and from the marsh surrounding them. I think this theory quite questionable, as the marsh around the spring is too small in area to give it such a character. I think, beyond a doubt, that the name originated at the east end of the township, at the vil- lage of Whitemarsh; and, in fact, along the whole course of the Wissahickon, from the Upper Dublin line to the Spring- field line, within the township there is probably a thousand or fifteen hundred acres of excellent meadow land bordering on both sides of the creek. This low or bottom land has been reclaimed and made very productive since its settlement. In
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the neighborhood of the old Farmar mill the marsh was quite wide; in fact, to the Upper Dublin line the properties of Reiff, Conard and the late Jacob Wentz contained much of this char- acter, and has been made very productive for agricultural pur- poses. Southward of the old mill, through what was the Valley Green farm of the late Hon. Morris Longstreth, the Yeakle farms, Cleaver's, Erdenheim, the Williams's to the Springfield line, the same character of soil is continued. In primitive times much of this territory was quite marshy, but eventually was made the best land in the township. I think there can be no question that the meadow or marsh land, be- ing quite wide in many places, gave name to the township.
In a petition to the Court of Quarter Sessions in Philadel- phia, June 2, 1713, the inhabitants living in Bebberstown (now Worcester) and the country in the vicinity of Skippackville asked that "a road or cartway be laid from the upper end of the said township down to the wide marsh, or Farmar's mill, which will greatly tend," etc. This was the origin of the Skip- pack road, and was accordingly granted. .
Thus the name of Whitemarsh was readily changed from "wide marsh," the common name at first used to designate the low lands or swampy nature of the grounds along the Wissa- hickon in those early days in the settlement of the colony. Nor was the change from "wide marsh" to its present one a great transition or stretch of idea, taken in connection with the simi- larity of the name. I think beyond a doubt that is the true derivation of the name Whitemarsh. As late as 1740 and 1760 the name was written frequently Wit-Marsh, Wit Marshen and Whit-Marsh. From this it appears that it was some years before the name assumed its present beautiful one-namely, Whitemarsh.
The Bartlesons of Whitemarsh came from Holland and settled in Germantown in or about 1700; at least, Sebastian Bartleson is named as among the residents of Germantown at that time. The name is variously spelled, as Bartlestall, Bar- tles and Bartleson. Sebastian or Sebus was quite a common name among them. They came to Whitemarsh shortly after
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1700, and remained there until about the time of the Revolu- tion. It is known that Sebus or Sebastian and Henry Bartle- son, probably father and son, owned and lived where Charles A. Yeakle now occupies. Henry Bartleson was elected a trustee of the old Lukens burying-ground in 1746. He is like- wise mentioned as a land-owner on the list of 1734.
In 1832 William Burk, a descendant of the Burks of Upper Dublin and Whitemarsh, was postmaster, and carried on mer- chandising in the village of Whitemarsh at the intersection of the Skippack turnpike and Chestnut Hill and Springhouse turnpike, directly opposite Wentz's kilns. During his leisure hours he would devote his time to inventions and the mechan- ical arts, and became quite an adept in his way. He invented a propeller to be applied to boats of different kinds, but he had never procured a patent for it, and others took advantage of his ingenuity and reaped the benefit from it. Many of the name of the Burk family are buried in the cemetery of St. Thomas's Church, and were frequently officers in the manage- ment of its affairs. The venerable Charles Burk, of Upper Dublin, still living at a great age, and relator of traditionary lore and facts of the olden time which he delights to impart, belongs to the family.
Alan W. Corson, son of Joseph and Hannah (Dickinson) Corson, was born in Whitemarsh township on the 21st of Feb- ruary, 1788. The family are of Huguenot origin, having fled from France in 1675, on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, with other Protestants, and found an asylum in America in the vicinity of New York. Benjamin Corson, of Staten Island, was the first who came to Pennsylvania, and who settled at Addisville, Bucks county, May 19, 1726. He was the great- grandfather of Alan W. Corson. The Dickinsons, his mother's family, came to Pennsylvania from Virginia about 1683, and settled at Plymouth Meeting. A part of the meeting-house grounds are owned by William Dickinson, the first who set- tled in the neighborhood. Joseph Corson, who was a farmer and merchant, came to Whitemarsh from Bucks county in 1786, and located at Plymouth Meeting.
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Alan W., his oldest son, when young hired out and served as boy in a store at Hickorytown. In after years, when he grew to manhood, he devoted himself to teaching school for a livelihood. Though receiving only an ordinary educa- tion in the schools of the day, he soon mastered the different branches of a higher education, and by his aptitude soon be- came quite proficient in the different branches of mathematics in which he excelled. He at first kept the school at Plymouth Meeting for some time, and in after years opened a school at his residence, near what is now Cold Point, on the south side of the Broad Axe turnpike. This school was one of quite a high grade, and some of the best families of our county and elsewhere patronized it. He established a nursery at this place upon an extensive scale for the cultivation of fruit and orna- mental trees and shrubbery, which he followed until within a few years of his death, when he sold it, owing to his advanced age. In the prime of life he abandoned teaching, devoting himself to his nursery in connection with his farm, and divided his time between these and land surveying, in which he was considered one of the most skilled in the country. Mr. Auge, in his "Eminent Men of Montgomery County," says of Mr. Corson : "His reputation in this department was so eminent that he was often called to distant places and employed where there were difficult lines to run that required extra skill and accuracy to determine true boundaries. In this calling he was not relieved from service till infirmities and advanced age com- pelled him to decline. He was also for many years, because of accuracy in accounts, excellence of judgment, and high character for integrity, employed by neighbors and acquaint- ances to write wills, deeds, and draw agreements for them. He was frequently appointed executor by testators or chosen ad- ministrator of those dying intestate."
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