USA > Pennsylvania > Bucks County > History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania: From the Discovery of the Delaware to the Present Time (Volume 1 and 2) > Part 19
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The marines on board Commodore Barney's ship, the Hyder Ali, were
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Bucks county riflemen, and behaved in the most gallant manner in the des- perate action with the General Monk, April 26, 1782. The life of the Commo- dore, written by his widow, says: "One of these brave fellows, who was much better acquainted with the use of his rifle than with the rules of subor- dination, called out to Captain Barney, with a coolness of tone and familiarity of manner that evinced anything but intended disrespect; 'Captain, do you see that fellow with the white hat?' and, firing as he spoke, the Captain saw the poor fellow, 'with the white hat,' make a spring at least three feet from the deck, and fall to rise no more. 'Captain,' continued the marksman, 'that's the third fellow I've made hop.' It was found that every man of the enemy who was killed by small arms was shot in the breast or head, so true and deadly was the aim of the Bucks county riflemen."
A number of persons in this county joined the British army and drew their swords against their country. Among these were Edward Jones, Hill- town, who raised a company of cavalry in that township and New Britain ; Evan Thomas, of the same township, commanded a company in Simcoe's Rangers, was in the attack on Lacey at the Crooked Billet, went with Arnold to Virginia, 1780, and was among the prisoners at Yorktown. After the war he removed his family to New Brunswick where he died. Joseph Swift, who was known as handsome but stuttering Joe Swift, son of John Swift, Bensalem, an officer of the British army before the war, re-entered the service as captain of horse in the Pennsylvania Loyalists. He lost his estate, and died in Phila- delphia in 1826. Thomas Sandford, who commanded a company of Bucks county dragoons, was a captain in the British Legion, and Walter Willett, of Southampton, was also a lieutenant of cavalry in the same corps. Enoch, son of Cadwallader Morris, and Thomas Lewis, New Britain, joined the British army, 1778, and settled in Nova Scotia. A number of others entered the mili- tary service of the enemy, but they did not reach distinction enough to be re- membered in history. Joseph Galloway, of this county, one of the most prom- inent men in the Province, joined the enemy, but never took up arms against his countrymen.
Under the confiscation act of March 6, 1778, a number of persons in this county lost their estates for remaining loyal to the British crown. Among these may be mentioned Gilbert Hicks and Joseph Paxson, of Middletown, John Ellwood and Andrew Allen, of Bristol, Samuel Biles and Walter Willett, of Southampton, Richard Swanwick, John Meredith and Owen Roberts, of New Britian, Evan Thomas, Jonathan and Edward Jones, Hilltown, Peter Perlie, Durham, and John Reid and John Overholz of Tinicum. Some of these es- tates were valuable, that of John Reid containing one thousand four hundred and twelve acres. A considerable amount of money was realized to the treas- ury from these sales. A record in the surveyor-general's office, Harrisburg, contains the names of seventy-six Bucks countians who were required to purge themselves of treason to prevent confiscation, but probably only a few of them were proceeded against. The commissioners for this county, under the con- fiscation act, were George Wall, Jr., Richard Gibbs, John Crawford and Ben- jamin Seigels.
The war bore with great severity upon those who would not take up arms, or submit to all the unjust exactions of the period. Among others, Joseph Smith, a son of Timothy, Buckingham, the inventor of the iron mould-board, and a consistent Friend, was committed. to Newtown jail. He whiled away his prison hours in whittling out models of his iron mould-board plows, which he threw over the jail wall. They excited so much interest among the military
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officers, to whom they were shown, that they asked to see the ingenious pris- oner, and were much interested in his explanations of the benefits the iron mould-board would confer upon the farmer, and he lived to see his anticipa- tions fully realized. The case of Thomas Watson, a Friend, Buckingham, was ·one of still greater hardship. Hay had become exceedingly scarce in the winter of 1778 and 1779, by reason of some detachments of troops being en- camped in his vicinity. He saved a stack which he intended to distribute among his less fortunate neighbors, but which the landlord at Centreville wanted to buy with worthless Continental money. Mr. Watson refused to sell, but told the landlord if he would come the day the stack was opened he would receive a share of it without price. This did not suit this pretended patriot. Finding out the price of the hay, he offered it to Mr. Watson, who refused it. The landlord immediately caused his arrest, on the charge that he had refused to sell his hay for paper money and he was confined in the Newtown jail. He was tried by court-martial, sentenced to be hanged and all efforts to obtain his pardon failed. At last Mr. Watson's wife appeared before Lord Sterling, then in command, at a time when his nature was softened by good cheer, provided purposely by the landlady of the tavern where he boarded, and her appeal was more successful. He withstood her eloquence as long as he could, when he raised her to her feet and said, "Madam, you have conquered, I must relent at the tears, and supplication of so noble and so good a woman as you. Your husband is saved."
The following data, from the Pennsylvania Archives, first series, vols. 4, 5 and 6, may assist the student of Revolutionary history in finding what he may be looking for :
Vol. 4, page 702, 9, 25: Letters of Henry Wynkoop, Bucks county, to Committee of Safety, 1776; Saltpeter, Bucks county powder mills, resolutions .of Bucks county on war measures, 1776.
Vol. 5, page 31 : Tory election, Newtown, Bucks county, 1776. Page 83 : Resolution of Real Whigs, 1776. Page 95: General Cadwalader at Trenton Ferry. 1776. Page 108: Bristol Camp, Bucks county militia, 1776. Page 115: Resolved by Council of Safety, that General Washington issue orders for militia of Bucks county forthwith to join his army. Page 125; Value of Penn. Currency. Page 157: Letters of Lord Sterling, Newtown, January 4, 1777. Page 166, 175, do, January 6 and 8, 1777. Page 321 : Colonial Court books taken from Isaac Hicks, Newtown, February 22, 1777. First and second class militia, Bucks county, directed to camp at Bristol, 1777. Page 331 : Great diffi- culty in securing substitutes. Page 334: one half of quota made up of substi- tutes. Page 369: First class at Coryell's Ferry. Page 375: Report on fording places on Delaware. Page 405 : Driving of cattle, June 25, 1777. Page 441 : Fords on Delaware. Pages 459-471 : Militia ordered to Chester to meet ex- pected approach of General Howe. Page 463: Bucks county militia at Bill- ingsport. Page 530: General Conway writes from Warminster camp, Bucks county, August 17, 1777. Page 545: Driving of cattle. Page 549: Third class militia called. Page 558: Militia returns from Billingsport. Page 615: The third and fourth class called out. Page 711 : Price of wheat, Indian corn, rye, beef, pork, etc.
Vol 6. page 100: Letters from Major-General Armstrong to President Wharton, Lancaster, concerning usefulness of militia. Page 116: Proclamation of Washington ; defense of counties of Philadelphia and Bucks during Gen- eral Howe's occupancy of Philadelphia. Pages 92, 107, 146, 187: Goods ( clothing) seized in Great Swamp, Bucks county. l'age 227 : Col. Coates hopes
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Friends may turn out in defense of their country. Pages 261-62-63: Capture of Colonel Coates ; inroads of British in Bucks county. Page 265 : militia reduced to sixty men. Page 266: Prisoners captured up Newtown road. Page 280: Constant alarms in lower part of Bucks county. Page 285: Raid of Tory Lighthorse into Bucks county. Page 291: Washington on the raid. Page 323: Resolution of Congress, 1778, to organize troop of lighthorse. Page 595 : Renewal of ravages of Tories on Bucks county. Pages 596-7-9, 600, 605 : Examination of Garret Vansant etc., June 15, 1778. The author is indebted to Mr. Winfield L. Margerum, Philadelphia, for this interesting data.
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CHAPTER XI.
DURHAM.
1775.
Was settled early .- Minerals .- Iron discovered .- Land purchased by Durham company .- Quantity .- Pechoqueolin .- Richard Mitchel .- Constable, 1739 .- Attempt to organize township .- Caleb Todd, overseer .- Second petition for township .- Organized, 1775 .- Names of petitioners and area .- Roads .- Place of Indian treaties .- Furnace built .- First shipment of iron to England .- Scarcity of labor .- Present furnace .- Robert Durham .- First Durham boat built .- Furnace company dissolved .- Galloway's in- terest confiscated .- Richard Backhouse .- George Taylor and other owners .- The manufacture of stove plates .- West Point chain .- The Laubachs .- Fackenthalls .- Longs .- John Pringle Jones .- General Morgan .- Durham cave .- Attempts to annex Durham to Northampton .- Durham creek .- Villages .- Churches .- Schools .- Popula- tion .- Newspapers.
Durham, at the extreme north-east point of the county, and the last of the original townships organized, was one of the earliest settled in Upper Bucks. Attention was directed to this section at an early day. In a description of "New Albion," published at London, 1648, mention is made of "lead mines in the stony hills ten leagues above the falls of Delaware," which possibly had reference to the iron ore in the Durham hills, where a little lead was occasionally found. This information was probably received from the Indians, who would not per- mit Europeans to explore the river above the falls, or from white men who penetrated to that point without their knowledge. B. F. Fackenthall thinks this information was received from the Indians. Iron ore may have been taken for lead : the presence of lead was not likely in that formation ; however, may have lead to the discovery of the valuable iron ore in Durham.
The Proprietary government knew of the deposit of iron ore in the Dur- ham hills as early as 1698, but there is no reliable record of its discovery. It is stated in a letter from James Logan to George Clark, August 4, 1737, that when the Shawonoe Indians came from the south, 1698, part of them "was placed at Pechoqueolin, near Durham, to take care of the iron mines." Their village was probably on the high ground back of the lower end of Riegelsville and near the furnace, where traces of an Indiana town are still to be seen, and where arrowheads, and other remains of the red man, are picked up. The chief. in charge of the village near Durham, in 1728, was called Ka-kow-watchy. In 1715 there was an Indiana town, called "Pahaqualing," above the Water Gap on the New Jersey side of the Delaware. As one of the leading objects of
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the Free Society of Traders was the manufacture of iron, their attention was early directed to this region; and, in 1701, Jacob Taylor, surveyor-general of the province, surveyed five thousand acres for this company, and called the tract Durham. On the 8th of September, 1717, a patent was executed to Jeremiah Langhorne and John Chapman for three hundred acres, situated on . "Schook's," now Durham creek.
The location of the Indian village of Pechoqueolin has given rise to some little discussion. An article in the March number of the American Archaeolo- gist, 1898, pp. 69, 70,1 says it began one hundred yards north of Durham cave, and extended to the built up part of Riegelsville; in this distance various stone relics have been found, axes, arrow and spear points and discoidal stones, etc. The jasper quarry by the Indian trail was a mile from the implement factory and the refuse was scattered a distance of five hundred yards and ten or twelve feet in average width. This was its condition forty years ago. John A. Ruth, Bethlehem, believes the village was north of Gallows Run" in the extreme southeast corner of the township, where the refuse usually found on Indian sites is abundant and the relics are evidence an Indian town was located there, To these opinions Mr. H. C. Mercer adds his own, that the original name of the village was Peahotwoallank, meaning "where there is great depression in the ground," descriptive of the south-east corner of Durham. Giving these expert opinions credit for all they are worth, there is no evidence there was not an implement factory at both places, each bearing the name applied to it.3
We have seen a statement that what is known as the Durham tract was purchased as early as 1718, but can find no confirmation of it." There were a few settlers about where the iron-works were first located, in 1723, but few above it. The discovery of iron ore, led to the permanent settlement of Dur- ham earlier than otherwise, but we believe the ownership of all the land in the township being in a rich company, retarded its settlement and prosperity as there was not the same general distribution of land as in other townships. They who purchased, had to buy of the Durham company at their own price. We are not informed just what year the tract was purchased of the Proprietaries, but it must have been prior to 1727, the year the first furnace was erected, near the ore beds."1/2 The company must have included in their purchase the five thousand acres owned by the Free Society of Traders." The tract originally con-
I Written by Charles Laubach.
2 Indian name, Perlefaken.
3 W. J. Buck contends that Peckoqueolin was located a short distance above Dela- ware Water Gap.
4 In 1718, a release was obtained of the chiefs of our Indians, for all the lands this side of the Lehigh Hills, and beyond there, it was resolved no settlement should be made till the land was purchased of the natives. Joint letter to John, Thomas and Richard Penn dated Philadelphia, 13th of 9 mo., 1731, by Isaac Norris, Samuel Preston and James Logan, Penn's Commissioners of Property.
41/2 The old map of Durham shows the location of a stamping mill. This suggests that iron was made prior to the crection of the blast furnace, 1727, because it is not likely a stamping mill would be erected after the iron moulders method of reducing iron ore in a blast furnace was in operation. Mr. B. F. Fackenthall, good authority, dis- sents from the opinion of Mr. Hartman.
5 While this is historically asserted there is no documentary evidence to sus- tain it.
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HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.
tained six thousand nine hundred acres, but was added to afterward, and at its division and sale, in 1773, the area was eight thousand five hundred and eleven acres and one hundred perches.31/3 Down to this time the title to but little of these lands had passed out of the company, which was the landlord of the tenants. As the history of the furnace goes far toward making up the history of the township for the last hundred and seventy-five years, we shall give a more particular account of it before this chapter is concluded.
No doubt the sparseness of the population was the cause of the long delay in organizing the township, and it is possible the company opposed the efforts of the inhabitants to obtain local government. But however this may be, the Durham tract was recognized as a township many years before the court authorized its organization. We find that Richard Mitchel, of Durham, was commissioned a justice of the peace, and Richard Cox, constable, 1738. In 1739 Daniel Bloom was appointed constable for "Durham and Allen's town," and seemed necessary on account of its remoteness from the county-seat. The inhabitants made several efforts for a township before they were successful. As early as June 16, 1743, the settlers "adjoining Durham" petitioned the court to be "comprehended in a new township," and the same month and year eighteen families in "Durham township" petitioned to be included in Springfield." In March, 1744, the owners of the Durham iron works petitioned the court to lay out a township "that may include all the land between Lower Saucon township on the west, the west branch of the river Delaware on the north, the river Delaware aforesaid on the east, and the southern boundary of Dur- ham tract on the south." On the back of the petition is endorsed, "Read and allowed, and Peter Roke appointed constable." Here the effort ended. These limits would have embraced all of Durham and Springfield, and what is now Williams township, in Northampton county. In 1745 Caleb Todd was appointed overseer for Durham township; the middle of March the same year, Robert Ellis, of Durham, wrote to Lawrence Growden to petition the court on behalf "of the owners of Durham works" for a township of Durham. Ellis was prob- ably a justice of the peace, for, in a letter written to him by Lynford Lardner, who had purchased a plantation near the Lehigh, the following November, he is spoken of as "being on the bench." In spite of these efforts, the town- ship of Durham was not organized until 1775. On June 13th a few of the in- habitants living on the Durham tract, namely. Jacob Clymer, Henry Houpt, - George Taylor, George Heinline," Wendell Shank, Thomas Craig. Michael
51/2 One map of the tract gives the area eight thousand four hundred and eighty-four :acres and fifty-two perches, but the difference is not material.
Mr. Ruth gives the original area of the Durham purchase at six thousand three hundred and forty-eight acres; three hundred patented to Jeremiah Langhorne and John Chapman, September 8, 1717, twelve hundred to Langhorne without date, and four thou- sand eight hundred and forty-eight from James Logan by warrant of survey. March, 1727. The last mentioned tract was from John Strieper's estate, which the Penns allowed Logan to surrender for an equal quantity in Durham he had previously located. These three tracts were conveyed to Samuel Powell and by him to the "Durham Company," Febru- ary 10. 1727. "The Plan of the Durham Lands, 1773" gives the whole area at the time of division and sale, at eight thousand four hundred and eighty-four acres and fifty-two perches, but how and when the remainder was acquired we are not informed
6 The same year that Springfield was organized.
7 George Heinline was captain of militia in the Revolution; served in New Jersey and saw a fight.
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HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.
Deemer, William Abbott, Francis Wilson, Daniel Stillwell, and two others whose names cannot be deciphered, petitioned the court to organize the town- ship of Durham. This attempt was successful, and it was probably laid out with its present boundaries. Enough of the territory of the old Durham tract was excluded and fell into Williams township, to make one tier of farms. The area is five thousand seven hundred and nineteen acres.
Having the river as a great highway to and from the furnace, there was. not the same urgent necessity for an early opening of roads as in most of the other townships. In 1832 the "Durham company" petitioned the court for a road thence to join the Wrightstown road at the Pines, now Pineville, and was granted and laid out on the Indian path from the lower country to the Lecha or Lehigh. This was not a link in the Durham road, already opened above Buckingham, but the road that crosses the mountain below Greenville, and thence to Pineville, known, we believe, as the "Mountain road." The road from the furnace down to the Tohickon, to meet the Durham road, which had been extended to that point some time before, was opened, as a continuation of the Durham road, about 1745, and the road from the furnace up to Easton in 1750. An outlet to the west was opened about the same period. Prior to 1747, although the year is unknown, a road was opened from the furnace through Springfield and Richland to the New Bethlehem, then a Provincial, road over which pig-iron was hauled to Mayberry forge near Sumneytown. This was probably the road that now runs up the south bank of Durham creek, through Springtown to Quakertown. In 1748 a road was laid out from the furnace to Bethlehem. Meanwhile a few local roads were opened, but most of them. were to accommodate the inhabitants getting to and from the furnace, where all the business of that region of country centred. How many roads had been opened we do not know, but in 1767 the inhabitants petitioned the court not to allow any more through the township, because "they had enough already." The road from Monroe to Easton was laid out, 1817.
Durham was early celebrated as a place for holding treaties with the Indians, and the Penns often resorted thither to meet their red brethren. The place of meeting was in the meadows about the center of the township, near where the old furnace was built, where one Wilson,' an Indian trader, had estab- lished himself. The treaty which led to the celebrated Walking Purchase of September 19 and 20, 1737, was begun at Durham, 1734, adjourned to Pennsbury and was concluded at Philadelphia, August 25, 1737. Casper Wister, an carly land holder in Springfield, owned six hundred and fifty-one acres on Cook's creek, in Durham, 1738.
The history of Durham township would be incomplete without an ex- tended notice of its furnace, one of the earliest erected in the country. The tract owned by the company was purchased direct from the Indians several. years prior to their title being extinguished by the Proprietaries, and em- braced, with subsequent purchases, eight thousand five hundred and eleven. acres and one hundred perches. The title was not confirmed until March 3,. 1749, the deed being executed to Richard Peters who conveyed it to Plum- stead, et al. The purchase was acknowledged by some Indian chiefs at the-
8 Francis Wilson was the son of an Indian trader.
9 Probably Francis Wilson, one of the petitioners for the township in 1775, but. Wm. J. Buck says George Wilson lived here, 1737, and was represented as an Indian trader.
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139.
HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.
Minisink, in a letter of Nicholas De Pui to Jeremiah Langhorne, 1740, and. by Teedyuscung at the treaty of Easton, 1758.
The three tracts, included in the original purchase are as follows: Three thousand acres, strict measure, patented to Jeremiah Langhorne and John Chap- man, September 8, 1717, one thousand two hundred acres and allowances to Jeremiah Langhorne, date not known, four thousand four hundred and forty- eight and allowances to James Logan by warrant of survey March, 1727. The last mentioned tract was from John Strieper's estate, which the Penns allowed Logan to surrender for an equal quantity in Durham he had previously located. These three tracts, aggregating five thousand nine hundred and forty-eight acres, were deeded, by the above-named owners, to Samuel Powell in fee ; and on February 10, 1727-deed recorded at Philadelphia, in Book G, Vol. 3, page 240 -these three tracts were conveyed by Samuel Powell in fee to the twelve per- sons named below who formed the original "Durham company." The title, however, was not confirmed until April 3, 1749, the patent being executed to . Richard Peters in trust for the then owners. On the same day (April 3, 1749) a patent was granted to Richard Peters in trust, for a tract of land, contiguous to the above, three tracts, containing one thousand four hundred and seventy-two acres, this patent reciting that Griffith Owen and Samuel Powell the younger, the original trustees, are both deceased. The four tracts aggregate seven thou- sand four hundred and twenty acres .. They do not include the six hundred and twenty-four acres, and forty perches, contained in tracts Nos. 21, 22, 23, 24 and 37, as shown in the plan for partition proceedings of 1773; if the allowance of six per cent for roads be taken into consideration the entire area is practically accounted for. The accompanying plan, laid down from the surveys, will show the location of the four tracts.
On or about the year 1726, a co-partnership or business arrangement, was entered into between Jeremiah Langhorne (Bucks county), gentleman, Anthony Morris, brewer, James Logan, merchant, Charles Read, merchant, Robert Ellis, merchant, George Fitzwater, merchant, Clement Plumstead, mer- chant, William Allen, merchant, Andrew Bradford, printer, John Hopkins,. merchant, Thomas Lindlay, anchorsmith, and Joseph Turner, merchant, the last eleven of the city of Philadelphia, for the purpose of making iron.
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