USA > Pennsylvania > Bucks County > Falls in Bucks County > Historical sketches, chiefly relating to the early settlement of Friends at Falls, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania > Part 6
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and persuasive eloquence, gained the cause (of doubtful utility) for them. The other side of the case was represented by an eminent mem- ber of the legal profession-by the man who had trained and initiated Nicholas into the knowledge, the mysteries and the responsibili- ties of the practice of law, and who upon witnessing the keen sallies of wit, and the irresistible force of the current of the ingenious arguments of this youthful aspirant for legal distinction. suddenly exclaimed, "have I raised up a young eagle to tear my eyes out ; " "no,"was the energetic response, " only to open them."
One night two thieves entered the dwelling of J. B., but being disturbed in their operations, fled ; the hounds were unkenneled and started upon their tracks, and the robbers were over- taken and captured. This night's enterprise proved to be the last opportunity for the grat- ification of their thieving proponsities, for having robbed a store a few nights previous, they were for that offence tried, condemned,
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and executed. This item is introduced as a specimen of the severity of the laws in those davs.
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In the early days of the Republic, while the war was still progressing, the Continental Con- gress issued paper money, and although it never was redeemed, yet the penalty for refusing its acceptance in payment of debts was death. At this time a Friend residing near Newtown admitted that he had hay for sale. at a named price; an American officer told the Friend that he would take the hav. and offered Continental money in payment, which the Friend refused ; he was immediately arrested, and after sum- mary proceedings was condemned to suffer death : and it was not until after much earnest and persevering importunity from his wife and others, that a reluctant amelioration of the sentence was granted.
In the days of the Revolutionary War there was a family of six sons bearing the name of Doan. residing within the limits of Bucks Quarterly Meeting : they were members of the religions society of Friends, and it is said of-
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them, that they were desirous of holding them- selves aloof from the controversy existing between the Colonies and the Mother Country ; bat, as in this position they possessed the confidence of neither party, and were very un- charitably treated by some of the zealous supporters of the new government; instead of being willing to suffer for righteousness sake. their feelings became irritated, and also alien- ated from the American cause, and they attached themselves to British interests with abundance of zeal, and apparently with much cordiality. They became a terror in the community; for- feiting the sympathy of the Friends, with whom they had walked in fellowship, and bidding defiance to law, they depredated indiscriminately upon American property, selling much of the spoils to members of the British Army. Possessing fleet horses, they were skillful in evading capture, but several of them eventually met violent deaths. There is a locality in the neighborhood of Fallsington, then within the recesses of a dense wilderness swamp called "Tory Spring:" this hiding place has been
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represented as having been much resorted to by some of the brothers.
From about that period of time when the controlling administration of the laws of Penn- sylvania passed from the hands of Friends, until the close of the Revolutionary War, their loyalty to the waning Colonial government, and to that which afterwards arose upon its ruins, was seriously questioned ; and in many instances, a most uncharitable and unchristian spirit was manifested toward them, notwith- standing their well known peaceable principles. And although there was no member of Bucks Quarterly Meeting among the exiles to Vir- ginia, vet the same spirit of intolerance was extended to many of the former locality. Whether this purifying and refining process in the furnace of affliction did, or did not. operate against the best welfare of faithful Friends of Bucks County, may be an unsolved question, but it is clearly manifest that they had much to be thankful for notwithstanding their tribulations : the loss of political power. most likely, was no disadvantage to their
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spiritual condition, and taking into considera- tion the peculiar position which they occupied in the community, the extension of Divine favor was marked, and unmistakable; of course they suffered many hardships and privations, but the preservation of life, the attainment of daily bread, the very general continued possession of their homes, and surrounding households, their supported Christian testimony against war. the valuable examples of their pious and circumspect lives; for these and other favors Divinely extended in the hours of solemn need. through a most perilous and agitated period of time, there was cause for gratitude. and humble thanksgiving, and doubtless they that were worthy were mindful of it.
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CHAPTER XI. -
PENNSBURY was the name bestowed upon William Penn's favorite American mansion and its near surroundings: the location was in Penn's Manor. near the Delaware River, and near the south-eastern extremity of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was a place which · attracted much attention in its early history. and is yet a locality around which clusters much historic interest-religious, political, ju- dicial. social, domestic. The spacious mansion itself was a prodigy of the times, and the illus- trious family which occupied it the centre of great attraction. The founder of a new and untried system of government, there spent some of his happier hours, relaxing at times from the severe duties of his position, and in the enclosure of the family circle, partaking of the more quiet enjoyments of life; but these hours of recreation doubtless were mingled with seasons of thoughtful, and sometimes painful, solicitude, under the weight of the
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great trust that had been committed to his care, and the heavy responsibilities he had accepted and assumed; yet he pursued his way amid the sunshine and the clouds which sometimes surrounded him, with unwavering trust in the triumph of his humane, liberal, just and Christian policy. The infant govern- ment of Pennsylvania received no inconsider- able portion of its nursing at Pennsbury,
Penn's Manor, as originally laid out by Markham, contained S431 acres-the land partly alluvial, and principally covered with forest. The boundaries were somewhat irreg- ular, but they bordered for several miles on the River Delaware, and extended several miles inland ; they also bordered on several tracts of land taken up by earlier settlers under the jurisdiction of the Governor of New York, and never belonged to the Penn Estate. About three miles intervene in a northerly direction between Bristol. Penna., and the nearest point in the original Manor boundary.
That portion of the domain lying between Governor's Creek and Welcome Creek, con-
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taining the site of the original mansion and its surrounding improvements, has been repre- sented, and with a degree of plausibility, as a noble island, an ancient Indian royalty, with affluents from the river bending several times around it, chosen by chieftains nurtured in aboriginal warfare, as a position possessing many advantages for defense against their en- emies, and while in their possession bearing the name of Sepassin. There is a portion of Penn's Manor formerly occupied by beds of creeks and affluents from and to the river. which is now cultivated land, and this circum- stance may in a degree account for the changed appearance of the surface and surroundings. Pennsbury is not now upon an island.
Upon the chosen situation, the agents of William Penn commenced building a habita- tion suitable for the governor of a great pro- vince, even before his first arrival in the coun- try. It was erected in 1632-3, and with the improvements. some of which were perhaps tudod at a later date, ersts $5000, which was estimated in those days as a large sum of
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money. The mansion was sixty feet in length. forty in breadth, and two stories high, built of bricks, and covered with tiles. There was a large reservoir for water on the top of the house. constructed of lead, and to the leakage from it was partly ascribed the premature decay of the building. It has also been said that much of the lead was pillaged at the time of the Revo- lutionary War, for the purpose of moulding bullets. Judging from relics found upon the premises, at least some of the window sash was likewise of lead. The out-houses-includ- ing a kitchen and larder, a wash-house, a house for brewing and baking, and a stable for twelve horses-were all buildings one and a half stories high, and are said to have been so disposed as to produce an effect agreeable and picturesque. The large wooden brew- house was more secluded: after this historic building, which has attracted so much curios- ity and been visited by so many people, was not needed or made use of for the special pur- pose of brewing, it was utilized as a farm house
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for many successive years; but it has now disappeared. except the foundations, which are still visible,
The point has been somewhat controverted. but it is generally believed that the mansion faced the Delaware; its appearance has been represented as stately, and that the upper windows commanded a magnificent view of the river and of the opposite shores of New Jersey. The entrance was by stone steps lead- ing to a handsome porch, on the oaken capitals of which were displayed carvings of vines and clusters of grapes, imported by the Proprietor from England. The porch opened into a spa- cious hall extending nearly the whole length of the house, which was used upon public oc- casions, for the meeting of the council. for the accommodation of strangers and distinguished guests, for collective intercourse with the In- dian tribes, and probably for courts and reli- gious meetings, which it is asserted were held at the mansion. On the first floor there was also a small hall. and three parlors, all wain- scotted with English oak and communicating
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by folding doors. From information obtained through the instrumentality of John Penn, the great hall is represented as containing, among other articles of furniture, one long table, a supply of pewter plates and dishes, and six vessels for holding water or beer. It is pro- bable that this hall was also occupied upon various public occasions for the festive enter- tainment of William Penn's numerous guests, among whom the Indians are said to have been the most frequent partakers of his hospi- tality. Information through the same channel, giving a descriptive account of the varied fur- niture distributed through the three parlors and little hall, described a great leather chair in one of the apartments: this was probably used by the Governor upon important public occasions. The same source of information describes the four chambers as being well supplied with beds, bedding, chairs, tables, ete. In one of them the bed curtains were of satin ; in another, of camlet; in another, of striped linen. The chambers in the garret were furnished with four beds. We also
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gather from the same authority, that upon the broad walk or avenue lined and shaded with poplars, extending from the mansion to the river brink, and descending by a flight of stone steps from the upper to the lower terrace, . on one occasion the tables were spread for the festive entertainment of a large number of In- dian guests ; and among the viands prepared were one hundred turkeys, beside venison and other meats.
The mansion stood upon a gentle elevation surrounded on all sides by gardens, lawns, shrubberies, and flower beds to which the most beautiful wild flowers found in the country, native and procurable, were trans- planted. The Proprietor has been represented as being extremely fond of a suitable country house with extensive gardens, and that he spared neither care nor money in order to make Pennsbury prominently attractive as a residence. He imported skilful gardeners, both from England and from Scotland. The gardens themselves were a marvel in the colony for their extensiveness, for their beauty,
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for their attractiveness of location, and for the skill manifested in their management; various kinds of trees, shrubs. seeds and roots were imported from England ; among them walnuts and fruit trees. The adjacent woods were laid out in walks and drives at the time of the Governor's first visit to the country, and he afterward, in several of his letters. required the preservation of the trees. There were also more distant vistas, opening prospects down the Delaware, and upward toward the falls.
The Governor, both on his first and second visits to Pennsylvania, imported valuable horses. The family had a large traveling coach at its disposal, but owing to the fre- quent badness of the roads it was not very often called into service; a calash was a more frequent accommodation. Hannah and Letitia, the wife and daughter of William Penn, role in a sedan chair when they went a shopping in the city, or visited their female friends in the neighborhood, and judging from the circum- stance that several side-saddles and billions
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were found in the mansion after the family had left America, it is reasonable to suppose that the women to some extent practised horseback riding. The Governor himself frequently rode around the country on horseback, but he gene- rally traveled between Pennsbury and Phila- delphia in his barge, to which he was very partial, manifesting peculiar interest in it; it was of considerable dimensions, furnished with a mast and six oars. In a letter to his stew- · ard. he says: " But above all dead things, my barge. I hope nobody uses it on any account, and that she is kept in a dry dock, or at least covered from the weather."
Isaac Norris thus writes of the Proprietor's wife when the family were about leaving the country : " His excellent wife, and she is be- loved by all ( I believe I may say in its fullest extent) : so is her leaving us heavy and of real Sorrow to her friends; she has carried under and through all with a wonderful evennes. humility and freedom; her sweetness and goodness have become her character, and are indeed extraordinary. In short, we love her.
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and she deserves it. " . Letitia, the daughter of William and Gulielma Penn, has been repre- sented as very interesting and attractive : the certificate setting forth membership and re- moval granted by her friends in a collective capacity, upon her return to England, por- trayed their estimation of her merits in lan- guage very appreciative. But it has been represented. that these two worthy females. Hannah and Letitia Penn, after the novelty of the wilderness had passed away, had no cor- dial love for the country of their adoption. and had more than once invited the Proprietor to take them back to their beloved England ; that they were in a flutter of delight at the prospect of leaving America ; and that they themselves, were perhaps the only persons in Pennsylvania who rejoiced at their departure.
Isaac Norris also writes: " The Governor's wife and daughter are well : their little son. a lovely babe; his wife is a woman truly well beloved here. exemplary in her station. and of an excellent spirit, which adds lustre to her character. and has a great place in the hearts
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of all people. " Deborah Logan mentions a tradition heard in her youth from an old woman in Bucks County, "who went, when she was a girl, with a basket containing a rural present to the Proprietor's mansion, and saw his wife, a delicate, pretty woman, sitting beside the cradle of her infant," The child which is here brought into notice was pro- bably the one, and the only one of William Penn's children born in America.
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CHAPTER XII.
It has been said that William Penn died a slaveholder, but if so, it is manifest that it was unintentional ; although there is reason to be- > lieve that slaves continued to be appendages . to the estate at Pennsbury after he left Penn- sylvania for the last time, and even at the time of his decease in 1718, and for several years after; vet, as he sets forth in a will which is still extant, made in 1701. containing this clause : " I give to my blacks their freedom. as is under my hand already, and to Old Sam 100 acres, to be his children's after he and his wife are dead," it is not likely that he changed his mind afterwards, but more pro- bable that those entrusted with his American affairs. were embarrassed in carrying out his benevolent intentions. The following is from a letter dated in 1721, from James Logan to Hannah Penn :
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"The Proprietor, in a will left with me at his departure hence, gave all his negroes their freedom, but this is entirely private : however there are very few left.
"Sam died soon after your departure, and his brother James lately, Chevalier by a writ- ten order from his master, had his liberty several years ago; so that there are none left but Sue, whom Letitia claims, or did claim, as given to her when she went to England. These things you can best discuss.
" There are, besides, two old negroes, quite worn, that remained of three which I received eighteen years ago of E. Gibbs' Estate of New Castle County."
It may be that some of those slaves, advanc- ing as they were in age, were retained in an unchanged condition, for the humane purpose of supporting them out of the estate in their declining years. William Penn's last will makes no allusion to property in slaves.
When it became known among the Indians that Onas, as they called the Proprietor, was about to leave the country, a large number of
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them flocked to Pennsbury, to renew their covenants, and to bid him farewell : many of them were sad under a fear and an impression that he would never return ; hovering around his promises of friendship, protection and jus- tice with increasing tenacity, and anxious lest those who were left in trust of the administra- tion of his affairs in his absence might not prove satisfactory. This gathering together of the Indians at Pennsbury upon the eve of the Governor's absence from the province, was a memorable and important occasion ; they met in council, and for themselves and people. re- spectively, expressed their earnest solicitude that all their former covenants might remain inviolate, and agreed, and earnestly urged, that if any differences should arise amongst them, such might not be made the occasion of alienation and hostility between William Penn or his people and the Indian chiefs or their people; but that justice should be done under all circumstances, that all animosities on all sides might be forever prevented.
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We can scarcely sufficiently appreciate in this day the advantages which resulted from William Penn's pacific policy towards the In. dians, and his consequent influence over them. The mutual hatreds and jealousies between whites and Indians which prevailed in other colonies, and impeded their prosperity, were obviated here; and the carly settlers, while pressed with the cares and privations of pion- cor life, experienced not only their friendship. but their services.
J. Richardson, of England, has left an in- teresting account of a visit which he made at Pennsbury in the year 1701 or 1702. The following are extracts from his memoranda :
"I was at William Penn's country house, called Pennsbury, in Pennsylvania, where I stayed two or three days, on one of which I was at a meeting and a marriage. Much of the other part of the time I spent in seeing to my satisfaction William Penn and many of the Indians, not the least of them, in council concerning their former covenants, now again revived upon William Penn's going away to
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England, all of which was done in much calm- ness of temper and in an amicable way.
"When they had ended the most weighty parts for which they (their councils) had been held, William Penn gave them match coats and some other things, which the speaker ad- vised to be put into the hands of one of their cossacks or kings. for he knew best how to order them. I observed, and also heard the saine from others, that they did not speak two at a time. nor interfere in the least with each other in that way in their councils. Their cat- ing and drinking was also in much stillness.
" William Penn said he .understood they owned a Superior Power, and asked the inter- preter what their notion of God was in their , own way. The interpreter showed by mark- ing several circles on the ground with his statt. until he reduced the last into a small circum- forence, and placed, as he said by way of re- presentation, the Great Man, as they called him. in the middle of the circle, so that he could see over all the other circles, which in- cluded all the earth.
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"They went out of the house into an open place not far from it to perform their worship. which was done thus : First they made a small fire, and the men without the women sat down about it in a ring, and whatsoever object they severally fixed their eyes on, I did not see them removed in all that part of their wor- ship, while they sang a very melodious hymn. which affected and tendered the hearts of many who were spectators. When they had thus done, they began to beat upon the ground with little sticks, or make some mo- tion with something in their hands. and pause a little, till one of the elder sort sets forth his hymn, followed by the company for a few minutes, and then a pause; and the like was done by another, and so by a third. and followed by the company as at first : which seemed exceedingly to affect them and others. Having done, they rose up and daneed a little about the fire, and parted with some shouting like triumph or rejoie- ing."
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There is scope for thoughtfulness in the re- membrance that this interesting people has long since passed away from a large space of country which spreads around Pennsbury- a people so sincere in their devotions, so moral in their lives, so warm in their attachments, so unalterable in their friendships; no linger- ing remnant remains to represent the race of their worthy fathers, or exibit the attainments in civil and religious progress of which it was doubtless susceptible.
And as the personal presence of William Penn among the poor Indians was marked by many testimonials of affection on their part, and as their friendship was pure, it was deeply rooted and lasting, time and distance did not ' wear it out; the memory thereof was precious to them, and they exhibited evidence of it long after William Penn had passed away. It ap- pears they had a veneration for Pennsbury on account of associations connected with it. and some tribes were wont to perform annual visits to the locality. These visits were continued until late in the last century, and perhaps
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were continued until a later period of time. An eye-witness, who had been a young girl residing with the family occupying the brew- house dwelling about the time to which refer- ence has been made, represented that among the annual visitors were some of great age: -- and at that period there yet remained some of the walnut trees that William Penn had planted, and these were objects to which they clang with howling and lamentation, appa- rently frantic with grief. vet with wild enthu- siastie fondness. Some of these aged children of the forest had knowledge of William Penn personally as well as from tradition, and there must have been something touching in these exhibitions of true-hearted affection for his memory, which still remained so fresh and lively, so long after his earthly pilgrimage had ended.
The bursts of affection with which the power Indians sometimes greeted their friend Wil- liam Penn were somewhat singular in exhi- bition, and, although doubtless annoying. per- haps were not altogether displeasing to hi-
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generous feelings. If tradition truly repre- sents, these warm-hearted creatures upon one occasion met him on the road in the neighbor- hood of Pennsbury riding in his coach, and from the impulse of the moment, drew him from it, and wrapped their blankets around him in token of affection; and so impetuous was their zeal to manifest their friendship and attachment, that all danger from the fright of horses was unheeded, overlooked, or not com- prehended, and it was needful for the driver to tie them to trees for safety.
The Governor of a great province sometimes condescended to the low estate of the simple- hearted and confiding Indians, partaking of their venison, their hominy, their roasted acorns, and other Indian dainties, joining in their athletic sports, and sometimes rivalling them in feats of agility ; with all of which they were immensely pleased.
The Indians bore frequent testimony that William Penn had never deceived them. and unbounded was their confidence in his integri- to: doubtless it was good policy in him to
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cultivate their friendship; but apart from every temporal consideration, they possessed a large share of his sympathy, brotherly kind- ness and disinterested love.
There is something truly pleasing in look- ing back to the beginnings and advance, the manifestations, comforts, and good fruits of the friendship which continued to subsist between William Penn and the Indians. Although he possessed the land which had descended to them from their fathers, and they were exiles from it, still that friendship remained unim- paired. Were we now to look abroad over the scattered remnants of our Indian popula- tion, how few examples of warm attachment, unwavering friendship, and bursts of affection would be manifested at the presence of those that have been instrumental in dispossessing them of their ancient inheritance, and how few would be the testimonials to the justice and generosity of these.
.\ seanty remnant of one or two of the okl cherry trees, which it is said William Penn
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planted with his own hands, is still obtainable as relies. A portion of the brick pavement which constituted the cellar floor of the man- sion, is now an unaltered portion of the cellar floor of the attractive modern farm-house built partly upon the foundations of its ancient but more pretentious predecessor. The occupants of the present dwelling are supplied with ex- cellent water from a well near the door. from the same well which, vielding the like pure and refreshing water, contributed to the neces- sities and comforts of the Penn family in days which have long since passed away. The wor- thy farmer who now owns and occupies the premises, bears the name of William Penn Crozier.
The ancient improvements and the forests have nearly all disappeared from Pennsbury and its adjacent surroundings, but. the site of the mansion is still there. and the river pur- sues its wonted course as when the Propri- ctor of a great province, and the introducer of a new, and to the world novel, system of
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government, launched his favorite barge upon its waves . or tranquil waters, and perhaps contemplating the rapidly approaching period when the progress of civilization would change the sylvan scene before him, and his beney- olent exertions to implant the blessings of civil and religious liberty be crowned with success.
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