History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 25

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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Early in the period of the French Revolution, many of her citizens,* apprehending troublous times, fled from their native conntry to other parts of Europe, while a large num- ber came to America. At the time of the French Revolu- tion, the island of St. Domingo belonged partly to the Spaniards and partly to the French, the latter occupying the western third of the island, where they had a few flour- ishing towns and many rich plantations cultivated by slaves. To this colony many wealthy and noble French-

men fled at the beginning of the troubles in their own country. Reports of what was doing in France, and dis- cussions concerning the new order of things, were not con- fined to the whites, but were soon participated in by the blacks, who were in proportion to the whites as sixteen to one. These soon took up the cry of freedom and liberty, and deeming the occasion a favorable one planned an insur- rection against their masters. This was carried into effect in 1791, when one of the most terrible wars broke out which it has ever been the duty of the historian to chroni- cle. Speedily the whole north western portion of the island was blazing with burning plantations, and the self-emanci- pated slaves were running riot over the possessions of their late masters. This conflict of races, with its record of hor- rid cruelties and exasperated hatred, was the occasion of many of the wealthy French planters fleeing to the United States. These, in most instances, were compelled to leave their wealth behind them, glad to escape with their own lives and the lives of their families. t

Prominent among these emigrants were the Viscount Louis M. de Noailles and the Marquis Antoine Omer Talon. Of these two men more than a passing notice is demanded. Louis Marie Viscount de Noailles was born in Paris, April 17, 1756. Very early in life he entered into the military service of his native country, and rapidly rose to a position of distinction in the army. When the French government espoused the cause of American independence, the young viscount sought and obtained permission to come to Amer- iea. Here his great military ability, his ardent zeal for the cause of the colonies, and his unflinching courage won the esteem of both French and American officers, so that a number of times he was complimented for his bravery by Washington in general orders. At the battle of York- town he was appointed by Washington to receive, on the part of the French, the surrender of Cornwallis, and nego- tiate the terms of the capitulation.

On the conclusion of peace he returned to France. " At the epoel of the Revolution he accepted its principles, and was counted among the most zealous defenders of the popu- lar cause." IIe was a deputy of the nobility to the States General, May, 1789, and subsequently a member of the National Assembly, where, on the 4th of August, he proposed those celebrated acts by which the whole feudal system, with its long train of abuses and privileges, was abolished. At length, in common with all true republi- cans, he fell under the displeasure of Robespierre, by whom he was condemned to death, and his property confiscated. He however escaped to England, and thence came to the United States and took up his residence in Philadelphia, where his former active service in the American Revolution brought him into intimate relation with the leading men of the country. In his " Journal of an Excursion to the United States of North America in the Summer of 1794," Mr. Wansey thus alludes to the viscount. Under date of June 8, he says, " I dined this day with Mr. Bingham, to whom I had a letter of introduction. ... There dined with us Mr. Willing, president of the Bank of the United

# It has been estimated that seventy thousand of the nobility left France at this period.

t See article " Toussaint L'Ouverture," in Penny Magazine, March, 1838.

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

States, the father of Mrs. Bingham ; Monsieur Callot, the exiled governor of Guadaloupe, and the famous Viscount de Noailles, who distinguished himself so much in the first National Constituent Assembly, on August 4, 1789, by his five propositions, and his speech on that occasion, for the abolition of feudal rights. He is now engaged in forming a settlement, with other unfortunate countrymen, about sixty-five miles north of Northumberland town. It is called ' Asylum,' and stands on the eastern branch of the Susque- hanna. His lady, the sister of Madame La Fayette, with his mother and grandmother, were all guillotined, without trial, by that arch-villain, Robespierre." In company with Mr. Talon, he succeeded in establishing the Asylum colony, and was a prominent shareholder in the Asylum company. On the accession of Napoleon his estates were restored to him and he returned to France, and again entered the military service, and was killed in a naval battle with an English corvette before Havana. His soldiers, by whom he was greatly beloved, enclosed his heart in a silver box, which they attached to their flag.

Omer Talon was born in Paris, Jan. 20, 1760. At the age of sixteen he was accepted as an advocate, and rose through various grades to the position of civil lieutenant in 1789. In 1790 he became a member of the National Assembly, being a deputy for the district of Chartres. He was distinguished for his unflinching defense of the royal prerogative. Compromised by the flight of Louis XVI., he was arrested and imprisoned a month. He then became one of the faithful advisers of the king, with whom he had frequent meetings at the Tuileries, always at night. His name was found in the " Iron Chest," which led to the de- cree for his arrest. He managed to keep himself secreted from the police for several months, part of the time in Paris, and part of the time at Havre, until his friends finding an American ship about to sail for the United States, he was put into a large cask, carried on board, and secreted in the hold of the vessel, where he was kept until the vessel sailed, when he was released from confinement. In Philadelphia he kept open house for his distressed eoun- trymen, and when the settlement at Asylum had been de- termined on, he became one of its active promoters, and the general manager of the business at Asylum. He re- turned to France under the Directory, but was transported, for political offenses, to the isle of St. Marguerite, in 1804, and did not obtain his liberty until 1807. His mind gave way under the pressure of repeated privations and disap- pointments, but he continued to live in a sort of premature senility until Aug. 18, 1811, when he died at Goetz, in the fifty-second year of his age.

So great was the number of refugees fleeing to this country from France and St. Domingo, that some perma- nent provision for their maintenance was found to be necessary. For this purpose contracts were entered into with Robert Morris and John Nicholson, who were large proprie- tors in the wild lands of Pennsylvania, for a large body of these lands, provided a suitable place could be found for the settlement. Accordingly, M. Charles Bui Boulogne set out, in company with Mr. Adam Hoops and some other gentlemen, on a tour of observation. Under date of Aug. 8, 1793, Robert Morris addressed the following letter to Mr.

Dunn, at Newtown, Matthias Hollenback, of Wilkes-Barre, Messrs. James Tower & Co., of Northumberland, and to any other persons applied to, saying, "Should Mr. Boulogne find it necessary to purchase provisions or other articles in your neighborhood for the use of himself or his company, I beg that you will assist him therein ; or should you supply him and take his drafts on this place, you may rely that they will be paid, and I hold myself accountable. Any ser- viees it may be in your power to render this gentleman or his companions, I shall be thankful for."

The large plain of " Schufeldt's Flats," lying on the Sus- quehanna, opposite the mouth of Ruinmerfield creek, was the place fixed upon as a suitable site for the settlement, provided the title could be made secure. In order to effect this, it was thought advisable to obtain both the Conneeti- cut and the Pennsylvania claim. The latter was undertaken by Mr. Morris, and the former was intrusted to Judge Hollenbaek, on whom the colonists depended not only to eash their drafts and bills of credit, but to procure nearly all of their supplies. The following letters, found among Judge Hollenback's papers, will throw some light upon this period of the colony, while they establish the fact that the col- ony was established several months earlier than the date given by the Duke de la Rochefoucault .*

Under date Philadelphia, Oct. 9, 1793, Mr. Morris writes to Judge Hollenback : " Messrs. De Noailles and Talon de- sire to make the purchase of the eight lots or tracts that compose the tract called the Standing Stone, and also the island or islands which they mentioned to you ; but they will have all or none as an absolute condition, as you will see by a copy of their observations on nine articles extracted from the contents of your letter to Mr. Talon. They do not object to the prices or terms of payment stated in your letter. . If you can get the whole of them under such covenants under hand and seal, you can then make the whole valid, and proceed to perform the conditions and take the conveyances in the name of Mr. Talon ; but should any of the parties refuse to sell, or rise in their demands so that you cannot comply with them, you can, in such case, hold the rest in suspense until Mr. Hoops or you send an express to inform me of all particulars, which will give my friends an opportunity to consider and determine finally. " I must observe, that although Mr. Talon has agreed to the terms and prices demanded by the Connecticut elaimants, yet I cannot help thinking them very dear; and more so, as we have been obliged to purchase the Pennsyl- vania title, as Mr. Hoops will inform you of. I hold it, then, to be incumbent on you to obtain the Connecticut rights upon the cheapest terms that is possible, and unless they will be content with reasonable terms, let them know that we will bring ejectments against them, or rather that you will do it, and try the strength of title, in which case they will get nothing. Whatever you do must be done soon. Winter is approaching, and these gentlemen are ex- tremely anxious to commence the operations necessary to

# The duke says that M. Talon cut the first tree in December, 1793, intimating that this was the first improvement made. The site of the town was an old clearing begun in 1770, while Mr. Boulogne was engaged in building houses and making improvements all through the month of November.

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

the settlement they intend to make, but they will not strike a stroke until the whole of the lots are secure for them; and unless the whole are obtained, they give up the settlement, and will go to some other part of America.

" I engage to make good the contracts and agreements you may enter into consistently with your letter of the 14th of September last to Mr. Talon, and with his obser- vations thereon, a copy of which Mr. Hoops will give you if desired; and to enable you to make the payments accord- ing to these stipulations, which you may enter into in that respect, I shall also pay the order for a thousand dollars already given you on their account. The settlement which these gentlemen meditate at the Standing Stone is of great importance to you, and not only to you, but to all that part of the country; therefore you ought, for your own interest and the interest of your country, to exert every nerve to promote it. They will be of great service to you, and you should render them disinterestedly every service possible. Should they fail of establishing themselves at the Standing Stone, there is another part of Pennsylvania which I should prefer for them, and if they go there, I will do everything for them that I possibly can.'

It may be remarked that the purchase of these lots was effected according to the wishes of Mr. Morris, and the con- veyances legally executed in the early part of 1794. Mr. Boulogne had also, in his own name, purchased the farm of Simon Spalding, at Standing Stone. Either to this, or on the lands purchased on the opposite side of the river, he re- moved early in October, 1793. On the 19th, from Stand- ing Stone, he writes to Judge Hollenback a letter, of which the following are some extracts :

" I received by Mr. Town the favors of yours dated the 11th inst. All that has been enumerated in your bill has arrived and been delivered, and you are therefore credited on my account. When you'll send me the price of the ox-cart, cows, and bell, I shall do the same. The cows are exceeding poor, and hardly give any milk, but I hope they will come to. The difficulty of having the buildings and a great many articles of provisions in proper time hath de- termined us and the gentlemen in Philadelphia to lessen them, and, as Mr. Keating hath told you, the expenses will of course be lessened ; therefore I have not sent you the draft of three thousand dollars which we spoke of when I was in Wilkes-Barre. Esquire Hancock hath not yet con- cluded his bargain with Gaylord & Skinner. You know it is of the greatest importance to have it concluded, as well . as the one with Ross; otherwise it will stop me here at once, the gentlemen at Philadelphia being determined to have the whole or none at all, or to reject the whole pur- chase from Mr. Morris. In buying from Mr. Ross you must absolutely buy the crops which are on the ground, as everybody here is very poor."*

Other letters indicate that during the whole autumn, Mr. Boulogne was busy in making the needful arrangements for the reception of the colony. Workmen were employed in building honses, repairing fences, and making other improve- ments. Quite a large number were thns employed, as he speaks of wanting a thousand dollars to pay his workmen. About the middle of November, Mr. De Noailles visited the place of the settlement, which now took the name of " Asylum." The place of the settlement was determined on, and the whole plain was accurately surveyed into town and outlying lots. A map of this survey is still in exist- ence.

Having determined upon the place of the settlement, the other arrangements were speedily completed. The lots pur- chased at Asylum were supposed to contain two thousand four hundred acres. In addition to this, Messrs. Noailles and Talon proposed to purchase a tract of two hundred thousand acres of wild land, to be cultivated by the colonists. But as the number of emigrants continued to increase, their plans were enlarged. In connection with Messrs. Morris and Nicholson, a company styled the " Asylum Company" was formed, and " Articles of Association" were entered into on April 22, 1794, between Robert Morris, on behalf of himself and others, his associates, of the one part, and John Nicholson, on behalf of himself and others, his asso- ciates, of the other part. The object is stated to be the " settling and improving one or more tracts of country within the State of Pennsylvania," to which they had ac- quired the titles. The affairs of the company were to be controlled by a board of managers, the lands surveyed, agents appointed to secure their settlement, and fabulous sums of money were anticipated as the result of the spec- ulation. The capital stock of the company was to consist of a million acres, which was to be represented by five thousand shares, of two hundred acres each.

April 25, 1795, Nicholson having purchased the inter- est of Morris in the company, new articles of association were formed, by which the title of the lands was vested in a board of trustees, who were to be under the direction of the board of managers. The capital stock and number of shares remained unchanged, further purchases of land were prohibited, and an annual dividend of thirty dollars per share was guaranteed to each shareholder.

The company did not prove to be as successful as was anticipated. Aside from Messrs. Morris and Nicholson, only two thousand shares, representing four hundred thou- sand acres, had been taken up to Oct. 26, 1801, when the company was again reorganized, on account " of the inability of Robert Morris and the late John Nicholson to perform their covenants therein contained, arising from pecuniary embarrassments and judgments obtained against them." Under this last arrangement, the company secured the title to a large number of tracts of land in this and Sullivan, Lycoming, and Luzerne counties, which were sold on ad- vantageous terms to actual settlers.

# The reader, who may be curious to know whose these eight lots were, how situated, and when obtained, may be interested in the fol- lowing from the deed records of Luzerne county :

1. M. Hollenback, Adm'r. of the Es't. of Robert Cooley, to the Directors of the Asylum Co., Jao. 8, 1796, 300 acres in Asylum.

2. Charles Townley to Louie de Noailles, May 28, 1794, Nos. 19, with improve- ments, and 20.

3. Robert Alexander to L. de Noailles, Jan. 11, 1794, No. 21.

4. Robert Alexander, Jr., to L. de Noailles, Jan. 11, 1794, ao leland known as Standing Stone Island.

5. M. Hollenback to L. de Noailles, Oct. 9, 1793, the lot purchased of Adelphi Ross,-this includes Perrin Ross' improvement.

6. The Forsythi lot sold at Sheriff's sale to Rosewell Welles, who to Benajah Stone, Jan. 11, 1793, to Ebenezer Skinner, June 30, 1793.

7. The lot of Justus Gaylord, Sr.,-no record of the conveyances of the last two to M. de Noailles, but probably Nov., 1793.

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

In the organization of the company, Mr. Noailles was to manage its concerns in Philadelphia, and Mr. Talon was to superintend its concerns at Asylum, for which he was to receive a salary of three thousand dollars per year. The buildings and other necessary expenses of establishing the settlement were placed to the account of the company. The houses were built of logs, the clearings were small, and the surroundings were anything but inviting. In fact, we can hardly imagine the effeet of the contrast which these scattered log cabins, hidden in the woods, must have pre- sented to the minds of these Parisian gentlemen and ladies to the wealthy and luxurious homes which they had aban- doned. No sooner, however, were they settled in their new homes than they at once set about to improve their land and make themselves comfortable, so that in a short time they were surrounded with many of the luxuries to which they had been accustomed.

Mr. Talon came on the ground about Dec. 1, 1793, and on the 23d of the same month Mr. Boulogne writes that the masons were compelled by the severity of the weather to leave their work. With the returning spring, however, work was resumed, and as soon as navigation opened on the river the emigrants and their goods began to arrive. Here, as in all of their other works, Judge Hollenback was de- pended upon to manage the whole business, and the cor- respondenee is quite voluminous which gives direction for the shipment of their various articles from Philadelphia via Catawissa, and thence by boat to Asylum.

The town was laid out in the form of a parallelogram, its greater length being from north to south, with a large market square in the eentre. There were five streets run- ning due north and south, extending the length of the plat. These were erossed at right angles by nine streets running east and west. The present road, running north from Hon. B. La Porte's house, was the western limit of the plat, and the corner of his, Mr. Miller's, and George Gordon's farms is on the old market square. This plat contained 413 lots, the most eligible of which were on the river-bank, and have since been entirely washed away. There were also surveyed back of the town, on the west, seventeen lots of five acres each, and fifteen lots of ten aeres each. In addition, there were purchased by subscription 100,000 acres on the Loyal Sock creek, 25,000 acres of which were divided into lots of 400 acres each and ealled town-shares, of which when any part was eleared and inclosed by a subscriber, he received nine dollars per acre out of the common fund.

Of the emigrants, some were of noble birth, several had been connected with the king's household, a few belonged to the clergy, some were soldiers, while but very few, if any, were of the laboring class, and none were agriculturists. They had spent their lives in the city, were accustomed to its ease and luxury, but knew nothing whatever about clear- ing land, nor of the hardships, toil, and privation to which the early settler in a new country is necessarily exposed. Instead, therefore, of providing for their present necessities, and voluntarily subjeeting themselves to some inconven- iences, they expended their means for improvements which never contributed to their welfare, and for a style of living which was to them exceedingly expensive.

About the time that Asylum was founded, another com- pany attempted a settlement on the Chenango, a few miles above Binghamton, at a place called " the Butternuts."

One of their number, M. D'Autremont, a man of con- siderable wealth, contracted for a tract patented to William W. Morris, containing thirty thousand acres, upon which the settlement was made. Log houses were built, and eight families moved on the tract. Their surroundings were even more unpleasant than those at Asylum. All their provision had to be carried from Chenango Point, the Indian reserva- tion was in their immediate neighborhood, and not even a corn patch was cleared in the woods. To add to the unpleas- antness of their situation, M. D'Autremont, on his way to Philadelphia, was drowned while fording the river on horse- back. In consequence of failure in the payments due on the land on which they resided, it fell baek into the hands of the original owners. Discouraged and disheartened, Mrs. D'Autremont and her two sons went down to Asylum, where Madame Seybert, her sister, already resided, and where she received a cordial welcome. On making known. to Mr. Talon the distressed situation of the other families at this settlement, he immediately sent up boats, which brought down the remainder of the settlers and their effects. By this means the number of souls at Asylum was materially increased, but not the wealth or the efficiency of the colony.

In May, 1795, the Duke la Rochefoucauld de Liancourt visited the settlement, which at that time consisted of " thirty houses, inhabited by families from St. Domingo and from France, by French artisans, and even by Americans. Some inns and two shops [stores of general merchandise] have been established, the business of which is considerable. Several town-shares have been put in very good condition, and the fields and gardens begin to be productive. A eon- siderable quantity of ground has been cleared on the Loyal Sock, from ten to twenty acres per share [of 400 acres] having been eleared. The owner can either settle there himself or intrust it to a farmer. The sentiments of the colonists are good. Every one follows his business-the cultivator, as well as the innkeeper or tradesman-with as much zeal and exertion as if he had been brought up to it. . . . Motives arising from French manners and opin- ions have hitherto prevented even French families from settling here. These are, however, in a great measure re- moved. Some families of artisans are also established at Asylum, and such as conduct themselves properly can earn great wages. This cannot be said of the greatest part of them. They are, in general, very indifferent workmen, and much addicted to drunkenness. Those who reside here at present are hardly worth keeping. The real farmers who reside at Asylum live, upon the whole, on very good terms with each other, being sensible that harmony is requisite to render their situation comfortable and happy. They possess no considerable property, and their way of life is simple. Mr. Talon lives in a manner somewhat more splendid, as he is obliged to maintain a number of persons to whom his assistance is indispensable. The price of the company's land at present is $2.50 per aere; that in the town of Asylum fetches a little more. The bullocks which are con- sumed in Asylum are generally brought from the back settlements, but it is frequently found necessary to send

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

thither for them. The grain which is not consumed in Asylum finds a market in Wilkes-Barre, and is transported thither on the river. In the same manner all kinds of mer- chandise are transported from Philadelphia to Asylum. They are carried in wagons as far as Harrisburg, and thence by barges up the river. The freight amounts, in the whole, to two dollars per hundredweight. The salt comes from the salt-houses at Genesee. Flax is produced in the country about Asylum. Maple-sugar is made in great abundance ; each tree is computed to yield, on the average, from two to three pounds per year. Molasses and vinegar are prepared here. A considerable quantity of tar is also made, and sold for four dollars per barrel, containing thirty-two gallons. Day laborers are paid five shillings a day. The manufac- ture of potashes has been commenced at Asylum, and it is contemplated the brewing of malt liquors. A corn-mill and saw-mill are building on the Loyal Sock."

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History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 25

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