USA > Pennsylvania > Lackawanna County > Ransom > History and directory of Newton and Ransom townships, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania; > Part 6
USA > Pennsylvania > Lackawanna County > Newton > History and directory of Newton and Ransom townships, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania; > Part 6
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37
The Pennsylvania forces left the valtey, and during the remainder of the summer and au- tumn the Connecticut settlers increased largely and made ample preparations for defense, but during the succeeding four years they were not disturbed, and were left in the quiet possession of the valley.
At no period until 1772, were there more than three hundred Connecticut men in the valley at one time.
THE FIRST CIVIL GOVERNMENT
"By the rapid increase of the population, it soon became necessary that some form of civil government should be adopted, and the inhabi- tants of the valley proceeded to elect a govern- ment of their own, which, without doubt, was the most thoroughly democratic (supreme power vested in the people collectively) that has ever existed elsewhere among civilized men. They laid out townships, founded settlements, erected fortifications, levied and collected taxes, passed laws for the direction of civil suits, and for the punishment of crimes and misdemean- ors, established a militia, and provided for the general welfare of the colony."
December 24, 1775, the valley was again a scene of civil war, when Colonel Plunkett, un- der orders of Governor John Penn, with seven hundred men, well armed and furnished with supplies, made an attack upon the Connecticut settlers, but they found the vigilant Yankees posted in an advantageous position and pro- tected by breastworks, and though inferior in numbers they gave Colonel Plunkett and his forces a warm reception with a loss of some killed and several wounded, after which they returned to their homes.
The Revolutionary War having broken out on the 19th of April. 1775, the contest for the
29
HISTORY OF THE WYOMING VALLEY
possession of the valley was suspended until after the surrender of Cornwallis, October 19, 1781.
Nearly three hundred men from the valley enlisted for service in the Revolutionary War, two companies being organized in the vicinity of Wilkes-Barre and sent on the first call. It was this drain upon the new settlement that left it so unprotected at the time of the Wyoming Massacre by Indians and Tories on the memor- able 3d of July, 1778.
THE FIRST PENNAMITE WAR
The Pennamite Wars comprised the struggles of the Yankees to retain possession of the Wyoming lands which had been purchased by the Susquehanna Company from the Indians in 1754; but which were claimed also by the Pro- prietaries of Pennsylvania, who were bent upon securing the recognition of their own claim, or the ejection of the settlers.
"The first Pennamite War extended over a per- iod of three years-from February, 1769 to Sep- tember, 1771; during which the 'Yankees' had been expelled five times, but as often renewed the contest, and with ultimate victory. The close of 1771 found the Susquehanna Company mu full possession. In 1772, Wilkes-Barre was laid out near Fort Wyoming, which the settlers had taken under Col. Durkee, who had com- mand in 1769."-Miss Blackman's History of Susquehanna County.
In January, 1769, Amos Ogden, John Jen- nings, and Charles Stewart leased of the Pro- prietaries of Pennsylvania 100 acres of land, and came on and took possession of the im- provements made by the Connecticut settlers who were driven away by the Indians in 1763. Ogden and his party had leased the land for seven years, on condition that they should es- tablish a trading-house for the accommodation of the Indians, and adopt the necessary meas- ures for defending themselves, and those who might settle under their lease. They built a blockhouse near the mouth of Mill Creek, which was called Fort Ogden.
The Connecticut people returned in the spring of 1769, and from that time till the final adjustment of the difficulties between the Sus- quehanna Company and the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania, there was an almost continuous series of victories and defeats for each claim- ant.
"It must not be supposed that peaceful meas- ures were not first resorted to by the settlers, be- fore pitting themselves against a superior force. In May, 1769, Col. Dyer and Major Elderkin went to Philadelphia and submitted to Benja- min Chew, agent for the Proprietaries-a pro- position to have the matter in dispute between
the Susquehanna Company and the Proprie- taries, referred either to a court of law or to referees to be mutually chosen by the parties, and in either case the decision to be conclusive. But Pennsylvania would in no wise recognize the Connecticut claim. Thirteen years later such a court was convened; but, had the first proposition been acted upon, how much blood- shed and misery would have been avoided."- Miss Blackman's History.
THE PROPRIETARY GOVERNMENT ENDS
In September, 1776, the Proprietary Govern- ment of Pennsylvania was superseded by that of the State.
THE SECOND PENNAMITE WAR
Soon afterward magistrates and troops were sent into the valley, and measures were taken to dispossess the settlers of their lands and im- provements. The settlers claimed that only the jurisdiction of the territory had been de- cided by the decree at Trenton, and that the titles of individuals to the soil were not affected thereby. The conduct of the soldiers and magistrates was from the first exceedingly arro- gant and oppressive, and as time went on the people came to regard endurance as no longer a virtue, and resolved on forcible resistance. Upon this they were treated as insurgents, and on the 12th of May, 1784, they were plundered of their property, and one hundred and fifty families were driven from the valley. Such was the cruelity with which they were treated that the sympathies and indignation of the peo- ple in other parts of the State were aroused, and soon the soldiers were discharged, and the set- tlers invited to return. Many of the discharged soldiers lingered in the valley, living by plun- der, and on the 20th of July a party of them attacked some of the settlers, killing two and wounding several. This was followed by hos- tilities toward the Yankees, which were resisted by them. In the course of the summer and autumn several engagements took place between the settlers and the military forces which were sent against them, in which several were killed and wounded. The people of the State became very weary of this contest, and their sympathies became more actively enlisted in behalf of the Yankees.
By the middle of October the hostile force in the valley numbered only forty men, and so unpopular, and even disgusting had the pro- ceedings against the settlers become, that not a recruit could be induced to join them. On the approach of winter the commander of these forces, finding himself unable to. procure either supplies or recruits, discharged his men and abandoned the valley. Thus (in 1784) ended
30
HISTORY OF THE WYOMING VALLEY
the second Pennamite War, which fortunately lasted only about one year, and also ended the last military demonstration against the people of Wyoming, which resulted in the restoration to the Yankees of the lands from which they had been cruelly driven during the spring of that year.
PEACE RESTORED.
During the succeeding two years the people were prosperous and happy, and the population rapidly increased by the influx of immigrants, not only to the valley but to the circumjacent regions, Col. John Franklin being the leading spirit among them; while on the other side, Colonel Timothy Pickering had been appointed by Pennsylvania to introduce her laws and sup- port her claims in Wyoming. Colonel Picker- ing had executed with fidelity and approbation, the office of Quartermaster-General of the army, and was a native of Massachusetts, and after the peace he had settled at Philadelphia.
The County of Luzerne was erected from Northumberland in 1786, and Colonel Picker- ing was appointed Prothonotary, Clerk of the Peace, Clerk of the Orphans' Court, Register and Recorder for the county. The people were
satisfied with the government, and a more kindly feeling was springing up between the inhabitants of the valley and the citizens else- where.
We copy the following from "Miss Black- man's History of Susquehanna County," which gives the dates of both, the Connecticut and Pennsylvania claims for ownership of the land in dispute :
CONNECTICUT.
1662. Charter from Charles II.
1754. Purchase from the Indians.
1762.
Settlement at Wyoming.
PENNSYLVANIA.
1681. Charter from Charles II.
1768. Purchase from the Indians.
1769. Settlement at Wyoming.
There is no dispute as to the above facts and figures ; and, to the casual reader, nothing more would seem necessary to make clear the validity of the Connecticut claim. To explain how Pennsylvania claimed to prove her right to the land above the Blue Mountains, a few more dates must be given :
CONNECTICUT.
1662. Pre-emption rights with charter, the grant extending "from the Narragansett river to the South Sea."
1753. Formation of the "Con- necticut Susquehanna Company" (and soon after, of the Connecticut Delaware Company), with a view to purchase the Indian title.
1775. The Assembly of Connecti- cut "manifest their ready acquies- cence" in the purchase made by the Susquehanna Company, and "gave their consent for an application to His Majesty to ereat them into a new colony." Surveyors sent out, but obliged to return because the Indians were at war with the French against the English.
1769. Second settlement at Wy- oming, by people of Connecticut, which, after varying success, at last became permanent.
1782. The Decree of Trenton had reference solely to jurisdiction, and not to right of soil, which had passed from the government of Con- necticut to the Susquehanna and Delaware Companies.
PENNSYLVANIA.
1681. Charter to William Penn not given until "the eastern bounds of New York had been decided to be the western bounds of Connecticut, which restored the land beyond those settlements westward, to the Crown, and laid them open to a new grant."
1736. Deed of the Indians which conveyed to Thomas and Richard Penn the then proprietaries of Penn- sylvania, the right of pre-emption of and in all the lands not before sold by them to the said proprietaries within the limits of their charter. "Said lands bounded on the north by the beginning of the 43 degrees of north latitude," or where the fig- ures 42 are marked on the map.
1779. By an act of Legislature, the right of soil and estate of the late Proprietaries of Pennsylvania was vested in the Commonwealth.
1782. The Decree of Trenton in favor of Pennsylvania.
The publisher has endeavored to give an un- prejudiced account of the controversy between the Susquehanna Company of Connecticut and
the Pennsylvanians, and leave it for the reader to judge for himself, which side was in the wrong, or the one the most at fault.
31
HISTORY OF THE WYOMING VALLEY
"On the 3rd day of November, 1781, only fif- teen days after the surrender of Cornwallis, the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania sent a petition to Congress, requesting a deci- sion on the question of jurisdiction of the land in dispute. Arrangements to this effect were made, and one year later, November 12, 1782, a court composed of five commissioners con- vened at. Trenton, who, after a sitting of forty- one judicial days, in which the parties, repre- sented by their counsel (four gentlemen on be- half of Pennsylvania, and three agents from Connecticut), had proceeded with their pleas, they gave their decision that the territory in dispute belongs to the State of Pennsylvania, and that Connecticut has no right to the lands in controversy."-Blackman's History of Sus- quehanna County.
The Yankees endured many hardships and privations during the years intervening be- tween 1762 and 1784. They were three times driven back to Connecticut, through the wilder- ness, a distance of over two hundred miles, but they were undaunted, and each time returned with renewed courage. Every New England settler was driven from the valley five different times within twelve years, to find a home in the vacant wilderness with their perishing children and wives, and during this time nearly every
male member was carried to the Easton jail, where they were fed on 'bread and water. They were charged with no crime that could be sus- tained and were released to return to their de- solated homes.
Today the "Angel of Peace" hovers over this beautiful valley of Wyoming, and one can hardly realize that a few years over a century ago the soil was reddened by the blood of the slain, and long strings of scalps were dripping from the belts of the Indians, and their toma- hawks stained with the blood of innocent chil- dren and women, and the brave men who fought to protect their homes. Now the forest is cleared, the dweller in wigwams has bid a long farewell to this region so full of. song and beauty, beautiful homes have been built where once the log cabin of the early settlers stood, and the fertile fields are producing bountiful crops.
Wyoming valley, taken as a whole, compen- sates the tourist in the highest degree for the trouble of visiting it. The grand beauty of the old Susquehanna river and the sparkling current of its blue waters nowhere along its en- tire course appears to better advantage than here, where on the broad acres of Wyoming, humanity wears a smile nowhere more sweet or lovely.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE PIONEER SETTLERS
How THEY CAME, SETTLED AND DEVELOPED THE RESOURCES OF THE COUNTRY
The first settlement of the Wyoming valley was commenced, as elsewhere stated, under the auspices of the Susquehanna Company in 1762, near the mouth of Mill Creek in Luzerne county. Then about two hundred, mostly from Connecticut, came and began their preparations for homes in this region, which was then sixty miles distant from any settlement of civilized people. They were not the effeminate sons of wealthy parents, who had been reared in the lap of luxury. From their infancy they had by precept and example been taught the in- dustry and economy which had enabled their fathers to thrive among the rocks and hills of their native country. They were the hardy, active and ambitious sons of New Englanders, and in the exercise of the independent, self-re- liant spirit which they had inherited from their sires, they left their paternal roofs and sought homes in this valley, far away in the untamed wilderness of what was then the West.
How THEY CAME
A few brought with them their wives and children, and came with oxen and carts, bring- ing a few indispensable articles of household furniture and driving domestic animals. Most of them, however, came on foot, with knapsacks on their backs, rifles on their shoulders, and axes in their hands. Thus equipped they bade adieu for a time to the loved ones at home, and turned their faces westward to make for them- selves homes and fortunes.
For a time they followed the trail of emi- grants who had settled in other regions, but finally they abandoned this, left the borders of civilization and struck into the forest. They followed Indian trails through forests and swamps, and climbed over mountains, camping in squads along the roads by night, till at length they reached the valley, and having se- lected their locations commenced preparations for the future. Shanties for temporary shelter were constructed, clearings were begun ,and preparations made for the erection of rude log
.
32
IIISTORY OF THE WYOMING VALLEY
houses for the shelter of those whom they were to bring with them on their return the next year.
While this work was in progress they sub- sisted largely on the game with which the sur- rounding forests abounded, and the fish which were taken in great numbers from the river. Their neighbors were making similar prepara- tions at different points in the valley, and with these they often exchanged visits, to talk of home and to discuss their plans for the future, to anticipate the pleasure which they would de- rive from such visits the next year, when they would be accompanied by their partners who were to share their fortunes and their priva- tions.
They frequently "changed works" in order to accomplish some of their various tasks with greater facility, and to dissipate the sense of loneliness which haunted them as they pursued their solitary labors. In this way they occa- sionally hired, from those who had brought teams, a yoke of oxen, with which to draw to their building sites the logs which they had cut for their houses, and to "log up" the timber which they desired to burn on their clearings. Thus passed their first summer in the valley. By night they lay in their shanties on their beds of boughs and dreamed of the homes they had left, or of the future homes which their fancies pictured; or in their waking intervals listened to the distant howling of the wolf on the moun- tain side, and the nearer hooting of the owl. Day after day they toiled on, sustained and cheered by their hopes of future happiness with their chosen companions and children in the midst of the surroundings which they were creating.
THEY RETURN TO CONNECTICUT FOR THE WINTER
By early autumn their rude houses were erected, and partially prepared for their recep- tion on their return. Small areas had been burned off, and here they "brushed in" their first wheat. Larger areas had been cut over and made ready for burning and planting the next spring. When these preparations were completed they deposited in places of safety their axes and few other implements, and with light hearts turned their faces toward their paternal mansions. Thus terminated the first summer with many a pioneer in the Wyoming valley. As he journeyed homeward the sky above him was brighter, and the songs of the birds in the forest through which he passed were more melodious than ever before, for he was returning to the haunts of his early life from the scenes of his prospective manhood.
In due time he arrived among the scenes of
his childhood and wended his way to the old home where parents, brothers and sisters wel- comed him warmly, and listened with eager attention to the story of his experience in the wilderness. He received a still more hearty welcome from another, who during his long absence had not ceased to think of him by day and dream of him by night. She listened to the recital of his doings with a deeper interest, for to her and him they were matters of equal importance.
A wedding soon occurred, and the last winter of the pair in their native State was a season of busy preparation for removal to their western home, interspersed with social gatherings and merry-makings among the scenes and compan- ions of their childhood. They sat down to their last Thanksgiving dinner with their parents, brothers and sisters; attended their last Christ- mas and New Year's festivals with their former playmates and school fellows, and on the ap- proach of spring bade all these scenes and friends a tearful adieu, and departed for their new home, followed by the good wishes of their friends, and the benedictions and prayers of their parents.
THEIR RUDE OUTFIT
Their outfit consisted of a yoke of oxen and a cart, loaded with a few utensils and necessary articles of household furniture. They brought with them a cow or two and a few sheep, the latter to serve as the nuclus of a flock, which, if spared by the wolves, was to furnish wool for their future clothing. Thus equipped they pursued their toilsome journey till at length their destination was reached, and they entered at once on the realities of pioneer life.
Their house was made tenable by the few preparations which pioneers found necessary for their comfort, though open holes in the walls at first served as windows and one in the roof for a chimney, and a blanket was the door. A small spot was prepared for the garden seeds which they had brought, their corn field was burned off and planted in due season, and a large area prepared for other wheat and corn fields. In this the labor of the husband was lightened by the presence and encouraging smiles, and sometimes by the assistance of his young wife. In their solitude they were sus- tained by their buoyant hopes of the future, and they ever after referred to this summer as the happiest period of their lives.
Their wheat fields gave good returns. The few acres which they cleared and planted with corn yielded abundantly, and early in the win- ter they secured a sufficient supply of venison. Their wheat and corn were ground in a "pioneer mill"-a mortar hollowed in a stump or in the end of a log. A hovel had been constructed of
33
HISTORY OF THE WYOMING VALLEY
logs, and roofed with brush or straw, for the protection of their animals against the inclem- ency of the weather and the attacks of wild beasts. No hay was provided for the cattle, but from day to day trees were cut on ground that was to be cleared the next summer, and they lived on the brouse which these afforded. A couple of pigs and a few fowls were fed each morning at the door of the house with corn from the wife's folded apron. Thus passed their first winter in the woods. The sound of the husband's ax echoed through the forest during the day, and the wife plied "her evening care" in the cheerful glow of the "blazing hearth" at night. Their simple fare and active exercise in the open air gave them robust health, and though their surroundings were quite different from those in the midst of which they had been reared, this was the home which they had made for themselves, and they were happy in the enjoyment of it.
During the summer other settlers had come in, some singly, others in companies, with their families; and neighbors were more numerous and less distant, and the monotony of their life was varied by occasional exchanges of evening visits among these. This social intercourse among the pioneers had none of the bad fea- tures which characterized that of later times. There were among them no conventionalities, no unmeaning expressions of civility, no un- kind criticism of each others' dress or surround- ings, no rivalries and jealousies, and no hypo- critical manifestations of interest in each others welfare. Each rejoiced with his neighbor in his prosperity or sympathized with him in his adversity. These visits were anticipated with pleasure and remembered without regret.
PROSPERITY OF THE PIONEERS
The happy life which the pioneers had com- menced was darkened by many shadows, but notwithstanding these interruptions a few years brought evidence of increasing prosperity. The clearing had been enlarged, and a portion of it fenced. A stick chimney, plastered with mud, filled the hole in the roof; glass had taken the place of greased paper in the window; a plank door swung on wooden hinges where formerly hung the blanket, and some flowering shrub- bery was growing at the side of it. A more capa- cious and comfortable stable had been erected for the animals. A "worm" rail fence appeared around the house and garden, and a log bridge had been built across the stream which ran near the house. Near the edge of the clearing the crackling fire was consuming the trees that the men of a logging bee were piling together for that purpose. The corn, potatoes, pump- kins, etc., which had been planted among the
stumps had attained sufficient growth to be visi- ble from some distance. A calf frolicked at the side of its mother, and a litter of grunting young porkers asserted their right to life, liber- ty, etc. Every thing wore an air of thrift. The solitude of the wife was enlivened by the prattle of her children, and their playful caresses sweetened the labor and lessened the fatigue of the husband and father.
The tide of immigration, the first wave of which had borne them hither, continued with increasing flow. Settlers came more rapidly, the smoke from their hearths curled upward at shorter intervals, and clearings encroached more and more on the surrounding wilderness. The hissing and rushing of the whirlwinds of flame were oftener heard as the trees that had been felled and had become dry were consumed. Small fields of waiving corn, and here and there a verdant meadow were to be seen. The "mu- sic" of numerous cow bells was heard and "drowsy tinklings lulled the distant folds" where sheep were herded to protect them from the wolves at night. The hum of spinning wheels might be heard in almost every house, and the merry laughter and shouts of frolic- some children resounded as they gamboled through the woods.
IMPROVEMENTS MADE A FEW YEARS LATER
The lapse of time brought with it many changes. The old log cabin, which had sur- vived the winds of several winters, had come to be only the wing of a new house, that had been built of squared logs, covered with a shingled roof, lighted by glazed windows, and closed by a paneled door. A lawn appeared in front, tastefully ornamented with flowers, and fruit trees were growing on the former site of the garden. An apiary stood on the margin of the lawn, which was bounded by a straight fence, where the busy bees were carrying stores of honey. A commodious frame barn had been built to replace the old log barn, and where forests once stood were fields of waiving grain. Beyond the grove of sugar maples could be seen the log school-house where, "in her noisy man- sion skilled to rule, the comely mistress taught her little school."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.