History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 16

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 812

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Lemuel Fitch was settled on the creek in the upper part of the village of Standing Stone, which by the older people was called Fitch's creek. He was a native of Colchester, Conn., where he married Rebecca Comstock. In the spring of 1774 he and James Wells laid out the Long township, as it was called, and the same year moved upon the lot he had selected for himself. Here he remained until after January, 1778, as at that time a nephew of Mrs. Fitch was sick at her house. He was captured by the In- dians, probably by the same party which took Mr. York, who plundered his house and carried off whatever they could take. Mr. Fitch died in captivity. His widow married a Mr. Gromet. She died childless previous to June, 1795.

The late Hon. Jonathan Stevens, in a communication to the Pennsylvania Historical Society, says, "In it [the town- ship of Standing Stone], including where the respondent resides, the first settlements were made between the years 1774 and 1776, by Anthony Ruminerfield, Richard Fitz- gerald, Low Dutch, from near Albany; Henry Birney, from Ireland; Lemuel Fitch, from New England ; Conrad Sill, believed to be Dutch, from near Albany. These were driven away by British, Indians, and Tories in 1777, but some of them returned after the war. The farms they settled are the most valuable in the township."

The above, and in the conveyance of Simon Spalding, are the only references I find to Conrad Sill, and contain all I know of him.

Besides these, there were living in the neighborhood of the Standing Stone three or four brothers by the name of Van Alstyne, who were connected by marriage with the Wintermoots of Wyoming. These young men were in ill repute among the Whigs of the valley. Miner mentions then as among the interlopers who came from eastern New York to the Susquehanna at the beginning of the war. Col. Franklin says that the news of the departure of the Ilartley expedition was carried to the enemy by a deserter by the name of Van Alstyne. In a paragraph of a letter written by William Huyck, he says, " Now comes on the Tories, the Van Alstynes, and Isaac Larraway, and Jacob Bowman, and his father, and his uncle, and Philip Fox, and Parshall Terry."

Adam Simmons and Charles Angars were of the same stripe as the Van Alstynes. After the war they retired to Canada. Near them was John Pensil,* whose reported

inhumanity in murdering his own brother Henry in cool blood at the battle of Wyoming has given him the name of the " Fratricide," and covered his memory with infamy. Above, but in the same neighborhood, were Henry Anguish, Jacob Sipes, Michael Shawers, Isaac Larraway, and Isaac Larraway, Jr. Adonijah Stanborough while living at Wyoming secured a claim to a number of rights covering several thousand acres, lying within the seventeen townships of Luzerne county. In the deed by which he conveys his claim to William Jones he describes one piece as containing nine hundred acres, settled by Charles Angars, John Pensil, Conrad Sill, and Adam Simmons, which would locate these in Standing Stone; a thousand acres settled by Jacob Bruner, Henry Anguish, Jacob Sipes, and Michael Shawers, -this tract isat present called Macedonia ; and eight thousand acres, said formerly to be the right of Abraham Jacob Lansing [Claverack ], settled by Van Valkenburgs, Larra- ways, Bruner, and others.

Peter Schufeldtt (so spelled in the Albany Genealogies) was most likely from the Schoharie region, and settled at Asylumn in 1770. In 1776 he sold to James Forsyth, and moved to the West Branch, where he was killed by the Indians, in June, 1778.

Samuel and Amaziah Ketchum came from Warwick, Orange Co., N. Y., and made a settlement on the flats just above William Storrs, Esq., and opposite Standing Stone village, in 1776, cleared several acres, built a log house, and made other improvements. On the breaking out of the war they returned to Warwick, joined the Association of the Sons of Liberty, and were in active service through the war. After peace they returned, sold their possession to Amos Bennett in 1791, when they probably left the valley.

Samuel Cole came from Gageborough, Berkshire Co., Mass., to Macedonia about 1775. He had lived about a year in Wilkes-Barre. His possession in Macedonia covered all the plain from the mountain to the river. Of this he sold one hundred acres to Jacob Bruner, who, on Dec. 20, 1777, was arrested on suspicion of being a Tory, and sent to Hartford. By deed dated at Springfield, Montgomery Co., N. Y., Feb. 25, 1789, he re-conveys the lot to Samuel Cole. On the breaking out of hostilities, Mr. Cole removed to Wyoming, where one son and a son-in-law were slain in the battle. In the list of the killed, as given by Mr. Miner, is a Samuel Cole ; this may be the son. It will be remembered Mrs. Budd speaks of one of her sons having inarried the daughter of a man living up the river. The name of Joseph Budd is given in the Springfield list, and is also in Miner's list of the killed ; from these facts it might be sur- mised that Joseph Budd had married the daughter Mary, wlio afterwards married a Culbertson, became insane, and was known as Molly Cole. Mr. Cole removed his family to Windham Co., Conn., during the war, and afterwards

# As against this there is on file at Hartford, Conn. (vol. Wyoming, No. 132), a memorial to the general assembly of Connecticut, setting forth that the memorialists had been in the Continental service until date, and praying to be discharged, dated Jan. 23, 1782, signed by John Ryon, Lemuel Whitinan, John Jackson, John Oakley, John

Platnore, John Pencill, and certified by the selectmen of Westmore- land. Query .- Is the whole story of the Fratricide a myth, which is most likely, or were there two men of the same name and nearly the same age living at Wyoming, and no mention inade of but one? It looks as if great injustice had been done a true man.

t Usually spelled "Shoefelt" by English-speaking people. His farin was for many years called "Schoefelt's flats,"

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

returned to Macedonia. Some of his descendants are still on the property.

Stephen Sarah, a Loyalist, was in the immediate neighbor- hood.

The Van Valkenburg and Strope families settled on the west bank of Wysox creek, near its mouth, a few rods south- east of the present residence of Thomas Madill, M.D. They were of Holland descent, from the neighborhood of Clav- erack, on the Hudson. In the gencalogies of Schenectady, Isaac, son of Jochem Van Valkenburg, and Lydia, daugh- ter of Jacques Van Slyck, were married May 12, 1705. They had a son,-Isaac, -- who married Jannetje Clement, whose daughter, Marytje, was baptized Jan. 29, 1744. Early in the spring of 1773, Isaac Van Valkenburg, with his family, his brother Hermonos,-a bachelor,-and his two sons-in-law,-Sebastian Strope, who had married his daugh- ter Lydia, and John Strope,-an unmarried daughter, and probably a son John, emigrated from Catskill on the Hud- son, and selected the site of their future residence at Mis- siscum, having their log house on the low flat below the Frenchtown depot. Here they remained for two years, when finding the land was held by another right, they moved up to the Wysox. In the deed by which they quitelaimed their possession to William Ross they deseribe it as a lot improved by them in May, 1773. They purchased by deed dated Feb. 17, 1776, a whole right in the Susque- hanna purchase, which they laid in Wysox. As this was some time before the allotment of Claveraek, within which their pitch was made, according to the rules of the company, they retained possession of their location. Here for about three years they pursued their avocations in peace. When the disturbances of the war began to be felt in these remote settlements their situation was a very trying one. Their location, nationality, and language made them strangers to the party with which they were in sympathy. They hoped, however, that by kindness they might conciliate the others, and so be left in peace. After the capture of sev- eral of his neighbors, Mr. Sebastian Strope made arrange- ments with the officer commanding at Wyoming that if danger was apprehended help would be sent to move them to a place of safety. In anticipation of this they buried many of their kettles and other heavy articles.

On the evening of May 19, 1778, an Indian stayed over night at Mr. Strope's, and was treated with great kindness. His conduct and the hints he threw out aroused suspieion of danger, and immediately after his departure Mr. Sebas- tian Strope set off in great haste for Wyoming for the prom- ised assistance. He had been gone but a short time, when a company of thirteen Indians was seen ascending the bank towards the house, and the family were quickly informed that they were captives. It is likely that Hermonos Van Valkenburg had died previous to this, as his name is not mentioned in any of the subsequent narratives. The cap- turing party soon gathered the stock and grain from the farm, and the furniture from the house, and setting fire to . what they could not carry, hastened the family on their tedious journey. An incident occurred here which deserves to be related. Old Mr. Van Valkenburg had taken posses- sion of his Bible, a large, massive, heavily-bound book, which will weigh several pounds, and holding to it with

great care, an Indian snatched it from his arms and flung it into the fire. The old man at onee sprang forward and pulled it out of the flames, carried it with him through all of his journeyings, and it is now preserved, bearing the marks of the fire, as an heir-loom in the family. The men were separated and sent to various parts of Canada. The women and children were kept for some time about Tioga Point, Niagara, and Montreal. After nearly three years, arrangements were made for their exchange, which was effected near White Hall, in New York. Here they were met by Sebastian Strope, and the whole family, except John Strope, were reunited, and returned to their old home in New York. John Strope did not return until after peace, and bore all his lifetime the marks of the hard usage he had received while in captivity.

Sebastian Strope returned to Wysox the next day after he left with the aid he desired, only to find his family and relatives taken away, and the charred and smouldering ruins of what was the morning before a quiet, happy home. He returned to Wyoming, hoping that from some of the scouts which were sent up the river he might learn the fate of the captives. He joined the patriot army in defense of the common interest, and escaped on the evening of that fatal 3d of July. He returned to the Hudson, where, hearing of the exchange of prisoners, he hastened to White Hall to find his family all safe. In 1784, Sebastian Strope and his son returned to Wysox, rebuilt their house, planted eorn and potatoes, and in the fall the rest of the family gathered on the old spot to begin life anew. Here the old people died, and were buried on the knoll baek of Dr. Madill's house. The family have been widely scattered ; none of the name, and scarcely one of the blood, remains in Wysox .*

William Nelson made a possession on the farm now owned by Mr. Lanning, which was ealled Nelson's posses- sion. Neither the time of his coming or of his return can be exactly determined. He probably did not remain long.

Living nearly opposite the Stropes, on the other side of the river, and on the west side of Towanda creek, was the family of Rudolph Fox, the first permanent white settler in Bradford County. There seemed to be a very general opinion among the Germans of New York that in Pennsyl- vania the Indians were regarded as the lawful owners of the soil, and a purchase from them was sufficient to give good title. When Mr. Fox eame to Towanda, a few families of Indians were living on the stream near Major Hale's, who claimed all the land in the vicinity. Of these Mr. Fox purchased the land lying on Towanda creek, extending from the river to the forks at Monroeton. He built his eabin near the mouth of the creek, and on the fertile flat all kinds of crops grew in wonderful luxurianee. Excepting the Christian Indian towns at Wyalusing and Sheshequin, the nearest white settlements were at Wyoming. So far removed from all the appliances of civilized life, he must of necessity

* In a letter of Wm. Huyek, he says, speaking of the sufferings from the Indians, "Likewise Mr. Strope and his family and Mr. Van Val- kenburg. Mr. Bastian Strope made his escape from them, and got safe to Wilkesberry, and was in the Massacre, but he made his escape. The rest of his family was taken to Canada, and suffered greatly, and never returned until peace was proclaimed, and then they were taken to Albany by a British escort."

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

have supplied his wants in the rude manner of the pioneer.

While Mr. Fox had purchased his land of the Indians for a satisfactory price, yet their presence was anything but pleasant. Soon after the breaking out of the war, the friendly feelings of his tawny neighbors were observed to undergo a change, and they became more haughty and ex- aeting. Living so remote from all other settlers, his cattle and horses had unrestricted range of the country, and some- times wandered widely. In the month of March, 1777,* while in search of his cattle, he was seized and taken a captive to Quebee, where he was kept for nine months, during all of which time his family were ignorant of his fate. At one time the Indians, who were frequent and troublesome visitors, informed Mrs. Fox that her husband was killed because he was not a good King's man. The family were now obliged to secrete whatever the Indians might fancy in order to keep it from their depredations, especially pro- visions. So watchful were they for plunder that frequently the family were compelled to pass the whole day without food, and at night eat in the cellar. In December, on a very cold night, a call was heard from the other side of the river, which Mrs. Fox recognized as that of her husband. The Indians had stolen their canoe, and a raft could not be pushed across the river on account of the ice, so he was obliged to encamp in the pines, which grew thickly on the Wysox plains, and spend the night within eall of his family. It was a night of suffering for all. So intense was the cold that the river had frozen over during the night, and in the morning he ventured aeross it, and reached his family in safety.

He was not molested again until the party which captured the Strope family came along, when they took Mr. Fox on their way down lest he should give the alarm. He managed, however, to escape from them before reaching Tioga Point.

Danger from the Indians daily increased, and Mr. Fox determined to take his family to a place of greater safety. John Neeley, an Irishman from Northumberland, had taken possession of the tract of land above Mr. Fox, at Green- wood, and was probably there at this time, and aided Mr. Fox in his emigration. Gathering some of his horses and cattle, he and his assistant undertook to take them by land, while the family went in a canoe. When in the vicinity of Dodge's island, Mr. Fox discovered a band of Indians crossing the hill in front of him. He motioned his family to come to shore with the canoe, when he aban- doned his stoek, got into the canoe with his family, and seereted themselves beliind the island until the hostile party passed on, when they resumed their journey. It was about the time of the Wyoming battle, and the river was swarming with parties of hostile Indians. It seems almost miraculous that they could have escaped. At one time, as they were passing along, they heard firing and

cries on the shore. A band of Indians had surprised and attacked a party of whites. The family expected dis- covery and certain death. What added to their danger, the babe, Rudolph, commenced screaming, so that more than once the mother took him up to throw him overboard, -a desperate, but apparently only means of escaping dis- covery. But the mother's heart could not consent to the sacrifice. They succeeded in passing the Indians, and reached Sunbury in safety. After the battle of Wyoming, Mr. Fox came up the river to look after his affairs, and passed up the river as far as Tioga with Col. Hartley, and came back in company with the detachment to his family. " They remained at Northumberland until the close of the war, when, in 1783, Mr. Fox moved his family to Wilkes-Barre, while he and four of his children proceeded to their old home in Towanda. "They came up in company with Jonathan, a brother of James Forsyth, who pushed on to Binghamton.

Here they found everything had been burned. A bark- covered cabin was constructed, and other preparations made for the reception of the family. When ready to return for the remainder of the family, the daughter, Elizabeth (Mrs. Means), then thirteen years of age, was the only one who would consent to remain. A more heroic undertaking conld scarcely be proposed. A young girl, on the spot where their buildings had been burned, surrounded by savage beasts, and liable to be disturbed by savage men, consents to be the sole occupant of the premises for ten days, the time supposed to be necessary for the trip. But unexpected trials awaited her. The mother was found to be too ill to be removed, and a delay of more than a month was unavoid- able. Provisions ran short with the little girl. The For- syths returned, and called to see hier, and tried to persuade her to go back with them. This she stoutly refused to do, and they left her some food, while she awaited the coming of the family. One night she was surprised by a fierce attack upon her bark-covered cabin. Nothing daunted, she kindled a fire, and the unceremonious visitor departed. From the marks found the next morning it was supposed to be a panther. She kept her post for about six weeks, when, after eating the last of her provisions, and seeing no prospect of relief, she set out to meet the family, or find a hut where she might procure some food. She had pro- ceeded but a few miles, when, at Gordon's island, she dis- covered the boat with her family slowly aseending the river. The moment of deliverance from peril was not only a moment of pleasure, but of pleasantry. The father inquired, " Where are you going ?" " To Wilkes-Barre, to get something to eat," replied the daughter. She was taken on board, and they reached home after an absence of five years .* The subsequent history of the family belongs to a later period.

* Unless there is some mistake in dates here, which does net seem likely, the reasons fer the capture could hardly be on account of his political sentiments, as the Indians ohserved their pledge ef neutrality, and manifested no hostility to the patriots until the autumn of this year. The probable cause was likely to have been more personal in its nature. After the Indians began to show their hostility to the patriots, it would have been very natural for them then to have assigned the reason they gave, " Ile was not a good King's man."

* In a narrative of the family contained in an obituary of Deacen Jehn Fox, written by Rev. Julius Foster, which has been substan- tially followed, he makes the period of absence three years. The battle of Wyoming was July 3, 1778; John Fex was born in Sunbury, Oct. 31, 1778; that fixes the time of their departure. Elizabeth, born Sept. 1, 1770, was thirteen years old when they returned, which would give 1783 as the date. Forsyth, who was in company, gives the same date. This makes the interval five instead of three years.

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Jacob Bowman came from about the mouth of Bowman's creek, and settled on the opposite side of Towanda creek from Mr. Fox, about 1777. Some members of the family were accused by the Yankees of being Loyalists. Whatever of truth there may be in the accusation, Jacob was too young to take an active part in the contest, and was in the British camp only by compulsion. After the war he returned to his old home on the Towanda, married a daughter of Rudolph Fox, and was the father of a large and respectable family, some of whom still remain about the place of this early settlement.

George Kentner and Jacob Anguish (the full name was probably Hans Jacob) were among the earliest settlers at Wyoming, where they held rights in the Susquehanna company, and made common cause with the Yankees. They were both Germans, from Pennsylvania, and probably came together to Wyoming, as their names are found together in the list of Sept. 5, 1771. Anguish moved up into the neighborhood of Tunkhannock. In a deed given to God- frey Guernsey, dated April 6, 1774, he deseribes " two hun- dred acres on Tunkhannock creek, being a part of a piteh I had liberty to make by the committee of settlers." Kentner probably remained near Wilkes-Barre until March 22, 1774, when he sells lot No. 2 to William Stark, and moved near Anguish.

What was the occasion of the disaffection between these men and the settlers below cannot now be ascertained. In the beginning of 1777, they came up in the neighborhood of Sugar creek, or Sheshequin. Under date of March 18, 1777, Kentner deeds to Reuben Harrington his "house, grain, and improvements on a fourth of a proprietor's right, and the improvements I now live on," etc. In December of that year (1777) they, with sixteen others, were captured by the Westmoreland militia, and sent, under guard, to Hartford. In a memorial to the general assembly of Con- necticut they tell their own story, which is as follows :

" To the Honourable Assembly of the State of Connecticut, now sitting at Hartford, in ad State, the memorial of Jacob Anguish and George Kentner, of Westmoreland, in ad State, humbly sheweth :

"That your memorialists, in the Spring of the year 1777, lived up the Susquehannah River about thirty miles above the main settlements on sd River; and by some evil and designing persons your memo- rialists were induced to leave sd settlement and move up sd River on to some Indian lands, and that soon after your memorialists had removed, your memorialists were taken by a number of foreign In- dians and carried to Niagara, and then obliged to go into the service of the King of Great Britain or into confinement. Whereupon your memorialists went to battoing in sd service, and as soon as your memorialists could find opportunity, got from sd savages and re- turned to our former settlement, about thirty miles above the main settlement on sd River; and some time after our return as afore- said, a number of persons who were inimical to the United States, with a number of Indians, came down sd River; and took and plundered sundry persons living up sd River. Whereupon the colonel of the 24th Regiment in sd State, sent a party to take sd party that had been taking, &c., as above said, and in their way found your memorialists, whom they suspected had been joining sd party plundering as aforesaid, and took and confined your memorialists in the common gaol in sd Westmoreland, and after some time sent your memorialists with others to the gaol in sd Hartford, where your inemorialists are now confined, and your Honours' memorialists would beg leave to say that your memorialists are friends to their country, and never had any intent to hurt or destroy their country, and are willing to take the onth of fidelity required iu this State, and will to tho utmost of our ability [contribute] to the support the United States.

Whereupon your memorialists pray that they may be liberated from sd gaol and return to their families in sd Westmoreland, who are in distressed circumstances, or in some other way grant relief to your Honours' memorialists as your Honours in your great wisdom shall think best, as your memorialists, in Duty bound, shall ever pray.

" Dated at IIartford, this 27th day of May, A.D. 1778."

They were released.

John Lord was an early settler near the mouth of Horn- brook. The only information I have of him or of his settlement is in the following from the Westmoreland records : Know all men by these presents, that I, John Lord, for and in consideration of forty-one Spanish milled dollars to me in hand paid by William Stewart, . . . I do forever quitelaim unto him, the said Stewart, one whole right or share of land in the Susquehanna purchase, which right I bought of Major John Durkee on July 7, 1770, together with my improvement on the first flat below She- shequin, with rights, privileges, and appurtenances, &c.,- given Feb. 17, 1772."

John Seacord at first settled on the west side of the river above the narrows, nearly opposite Tunkhannock. Of his early history or place of emigration nothing definite is known. In 1777 he moved to Tioga Point, where he re- mained most of the time until the close of the Revolution- ary war, when he retired with the British to Canada. " On the 8th of August, 1775, John Seacord was appointed with others a committee of inspection, to watch and note the conduet of the settlers in reference to their conduct to- wards the British cause; but he afterwards became luke- warm in the American side of the confliet, and was said to have become an active enemy or Tory." (Col. Jenkins' Journal.) In the spring of 1778 his son James, leading a band of Tories and Indians on an expedition for plunder as far as Wyalusing, sent forward his father to reconnoitre the village and see if any Yankee soldiers were there. Enter- ing the house in which Mrs. York was living, he asked for something to eat. While she was getting the food in readi- ness, her son reported that three men were approaching on horseback. Seacord, in alarm, begged Mrs. York to secrete him, which she did, and after the men had crossed the river, Seacord informed Mrs. York of the approaching ex- pedition, but said, " Mrs. York, you have saved me, and I will save you." He returned to his son, and reported a strong force of Yankees in the settlement, and the hostile party beat a rapid retreat.

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History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 16

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts Number of Pages: 812

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 812