USA > Pennsylvania > Chester County > History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and biographical sketches > Part 44
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At the court held at Upland, or Chester, on the 14th day of March, 1683, Naaman's Creek was recognized as the boundary line, and it is also laid down as such by Thomas Holme, surveyor-general under Penn, in his "map of the improved part of the province of Pennsylvania in America."
In 1693 some of the inhabitants of Chester County petitioned the Governor and Council, setting forth that they suffered for want of a division line between that county and New Castle. After discussion in Council, it was, on the 9th of August, 1693,
" Resolved, That for the present cenvonience of the governments, ,and not for an absolute and final proprietarie division, but that the inhabitants on the borders of beth ceunties may know te which ef the twe te pay their levies, taxes, ctc., and perform their other countie services, the bounds of New Castle county shall extend northward to the meuth of Naaman's creek, and upwards along the south west side of the northmost branch (excluding the townships of Concord and Bethel), and not to extend backwards of the said northmest branch, above the said two townships."
This was but an approximation to correctness, and the line was still unsettled. A disagreement had arisen be-
160
HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
tween the province and the three lower counties, as they were generally termed ; a separation was threatened, and it was of importance to adjust the boundary. Accordingly, on the 20th of 7th month, 1701, the Assembly petitioned Penn " that the division line between the counties of New Castle and Chester be ascertained, allowing the boundary according to the proprietary's letters patent from the king," to which he replied, " It is my own inclination, and I de- sire the representatives of New Castle and Chester Coun- ties forthwith, or before they leave town, to attend me about the time and manner of doing it." It will be re- membered that Penn was also the proprietary of " the three lower counties" ( now constituting the State of Dela- ware), which he had purchased from the Duke of York, and those counties were represented in the Assembly at Philadelphia.
A conference was accordingly held, and a warrant, dated the 28th of the 8th month, 1701, was issued, directed to Isaac Taylor, of Chester County, and Thomas Pierson, of New Castle County, authorizing them to accompany the magistrates of the counties of Chester and New Castle, or any three of them, and
"In their presence to admeasure and survey from the town of New Castle the distance of twelve miles in a right line up ye said river, and from ye said distance accerding to ye King's letters patent and deeds from the Duke, and ye said circular line to be well marked two- thirds part of ye semicircle."
The "letters patent" here referred to was the grant of Pennsylvania, and the " deeds from the duke" were the two deeds from the Duke of York, conveying the territory now constituting the State of Delaware, one of them for the town of New Castle and twelve miles around it, and the other the territory south of it to Cape Henlopen.
The centre of the arc of the circle, or the point of be- ginning of the radial line, was established by the magis- trates "at the end of the horse dyke next to the town of New Castle."
The following extracts from the report of the surveyors appointed by the foregoing warrant fully explains the work performed by them, and the mode they adopted of running the circular line :
"The 26th day of the ninth month we did hegin, in the presence of the said Justices (Cornelius Empson, Richard Halliwell, Jehn Rich- ardson, Caleb Pusey, Philip Roman, and Robert Pyle, Esqs.), at the end of the horse dyke, and measured due north twelve miles to a white oak marked with twelve notches, standing en the west side of Brandywine creek in the land of Samuel Helm, and from the said white oak we ran eastward circularly, changing our course from the east south ward ene degree at the end of every sixty-seven perches, which is the chord of one degree to a twelve miles radius ; and at the end of ferty-three chords we came to the Delaware river, on the upper side of Nathaniel Lampley's old house at Chichester; and then we returned to the said white oak on Israel Helin's land, and from thence we ran westward, changing our course one degree from the west south- ward at the end of every sixty-seven perches, as before, until we had extended seventy-seven chords, which, being added to the ferty-three chords, make two-thirds part of the semicircle to a twelve mile radius, all which said circular line being well marked with three netches on each side of the trees to a marked hickory standing near the western branch of Christina creck. Surveyed the 4th day of the tenth month, 1701, by us,
" ISAAC TAYLOR, "THOS. PIERSON."
This survey, which, it will be observed, took place in 1701, is the only one which was ever made of the circular
boundary between Pennsylvania and Delaware, except for a short distance at the southwest end, which will be noticed presently. The marks which were then made to designate the line have long since been obliterated, and there is now nothing but vague and conflicting traditionary evidence of its location. ..
In the year 1849 the Legislature of Pennsylvania passed an act authorizing the Governor
..
"To appeint a Commissioner to act in conjunction with Commis- sioners appointed, or to be appointed by the States of Delaware and Maryland, with power to survey and determine the point of intersec- tion of the three States of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, and to fix some suitable mark or monument whereby the said peint may hereafter be indicated."
This act was passed in consequence of the general belief that the stone planted by Mason and Dixon to mark the point of intersection had been removed, and that some others of the stones planted in the vicinity had been dis- placed. Similar laws were passed by the States of Dela- ware and Maryland, and under them the following com- missioners were appointed by the Governors of three States, viz. : on the part of Pennsylvania, Joshua P. Eyre; of Delaware, George Read Riddle; and of Maryland, H. G. S. Key. ..
These commissioners procured the services of Col. J. D. Graham, of the United States Corps of Topographical En- gineers, who was detailed by the Secretary of War to make the requisite surveys, at the request of the commissioners.
The commissioners and engineers, in the performance of the duties assigned them, proceeded to the northeast corner of Maryland, the commencement of Mason and Dixon's east-and-west line. This point is in a deep ravine, on the margin of a small brook, and near its source. They found that the stone monument, with the respective arms of Lord Baltimore and the Penn family graven thereon, which had been placed there in 1768 to designate the point, was miss- ing. From the tradition of the neighborhood, it appeared that some years before, after it had fallen nearly prostrate from its place, owing to the encroachments of the stream upon whose margin it stood, some individual had taken it away for a chimney-piece. A stake was found firmly planted in the ground, which, they were informed by the neighbors, occupied its place. Their subsequent surveys established that this stake occupied the true position, and they there planted a new stone of cut granite about seven feet long, five feet of which was imbedded in the ground. It was marked with the letter P ou the north and east sides, and with the letter M on the south and west sides.
They ascertained the tangent-point and point of intersec- tion of the due north line with the semicircle established by Mason and Dixon to be substantially correct, although some errors were discovered which did not materially affect the result. Some of the miles had been made a little too long. The radius of twelve miles was found to be two feet four inches too short, and by some error in locating the tangent- point and point of intersection, it was found that Maryland had got about one acre and three-quarters to which she was not strictly entitled, but which belonged to Delaware. These trifling errors, however, served to prove the general accuracy of the work of Mason and Dixon.
161
BOUNDARY LINES.
The commissioners, in addition to the new monument at the northeast corner of Maryland, caused new stones to be planted at the tangent-point, the point of intersection, and also on the meridian of the circle, viz. : at the tangent-point, a post of cut granite six feet long, inserted four and a half feet of its length in the ground, with the word tangent and the date 1849 graven on the north side ; at the junction of the three States, a triangular prismatic post of cut granite seven feet long, inserted four and a half feet of its length in the ground, marked with the letters P D and M on the sides facing respectively towards Pennsylvania, Dela- ware, and Maryland, and on the north side the names of the commissioners and date 1849 ; and at the meridian or middle point of the arc, corresponding to the length of the chord, and at the distance of one hundred and eighteen and four-tenths feet perpendicular from the middle point of said chord, a post of cut granite six feet long, inserted four and a half feet of its length in the ground. This stone was rounded on the west side to indicate that it was on the curve, and the date 1849 was cut on the east side. The curve here referred to is that circular line between the tan- gent-point and point of intersection of the three States which was cut off by the due north line from the tangent- point.
The marks made in surveying the circular boundary in 1701, as before observed, having become obliterated by time, the commissioners ran and marked it for a distance of three miles and three-quarters northeastward from the point of junction to a point about east from the northeast corner of Maryland.
The authority of the commissioners did not contemplate a survey of the entire line, and they proceeded no farther than the point indicated.
The territory constituting the little peak on the southern boundary of Chester Country, lying between the right line of Maryland on the one side and the curved line of Dela- ware on the other, is about three-quarters of a mile wide at the upper part, and three and a half miles long, tapering to a point at the intersection of the three States, and contains about 800 acres. It comprises within its limits the village of Mechanicsville, the Presbyterian church known as " Head of Christina," and several farms.
This territory undeniably belongs to Pennsylvania, and properly forms part of the township of London Britain, in Chester County. The State of Delaware, however, has al- ways exercised jurisdiction over it, treating her boundary
as extending to the northeast corner of Maryland. The land is taxed in Delaware, the inhabitants vote as citizens of that State, and offenses committed therein are punished by her courts, while, on the other hand, Pennsylvania has never exercised any authority over it.
The question may be asked how it comes that this terri- tory, thus without doubt a part of Pennsylvania, should be under the control of Delaware ?
Without having seen any explanation of it, our conclu- sion is that it probably arose in this way : the circular line was run in the year 1701, extending from the Delaware River to the Christina Creek, a distance of about twenty- five miles. The survey of Mason and Dixon, establishing the eastern boundary of Maryland, was not made until the year 1764. The marks designating the circular line had in the mean time become in a measure obliterated, and no part of this line was run by Mason and Dixon. When the east line of Maryland was established, the impression was created that the boundary of " the three lower counties," now constituting the State of Delaware, extended to the same line, up to the northeast corner of Maryland, and no survey was made or stones planted to indicate that a small peak of land belonging to Pennsylvania ran down between Maryland and New Castle County. The corner of Mary- land was therefore assumed to be also the corner of New Castle County, and jurisdiction has always been exercised in accordance with this impression. In addition to this, the survey of the circular line in 1701 was probably not very accurately made, and, for aught that is now known, the line as then marked may at the western end have approached nearer to the line of Maryland than the true line, as indi- cated by the partial survey of it made in 1849, and thus have included in New Castle County at least a portion of the territory now known to belong to Chester County. Be- sides this, the point of ending of the survey of 1701, at the Christina Creek, shows that the line was not run as far south as the point of intersection, afterwards ascertained by Mason and Dixon. It was not, therefore, until 1849 that the end of the circular line south of the Christina Creek was run at all. The commissioners, in running the line the distance of three and three-quarter miles from the point of junction, found the impression general that the boundary of Delaware extended up to the north line from the junction to the northeast corner of Maryland.
It is hoped that the whole line may at no distant day be authoritatively surveyed and marked.
21
TOWNSHIPS AND BOROUGHS, ETC.
ASTON.
ORGANIZED about 1687. The taxables for 1715 were as follows :
Robert Carter, John Pennell, Moses Key, John Dutton, Thomas Dutton, Thomas Woodward, John Neeld, James Widdows, William Rattew, Samuel Jones, Thomas Barnard, Abraham Darlington, John Hurford, Jonathan Monroe, Thomas Gale.
Freemen .- Thomas Dunhabin, Isaac Williams, Joseph Darlington, Edward Richards, Samuel Stroud.
This township is now a part of Delaware County.
BETHEL.
This name occurs as early as 1683. In 1715 the tax- ables were :
Robert Pyle, John Grist, Robert Booth, Edward Beazer, John Can- nady, Benjamin Moulder, Joseph Pyle, John Hickman, Edward Dut- ton, Edward Pennock, William Griffith, John Hopton, John Gibbons, Thomas Durnell.
This township is now in Delaware County.
BENSALEM.
In 1704 a number of surveys in and near the forks of Brandywine were said to be in Bensalem, and in 1708 a tract of land west of the present Unionville was described by deed as in that township. The territory included therein was afterwards absorbed by the townships of Bradford and East Marlborough.
BIRMINGHAM.
This township was probably named by William Brinton, one of the earliest settlers, who came from the neighbor- hood of the town of that name in England, and, as was common with the early settlers, selected for his wilderness home the name that would recall to his memory the early associations of his life. It was surveyed about the year 1684 to various persons, in right of purchases made in England, and was organized as a municipal district in 1686, by the appointment of John Bennett as constable.
Upon the division of the county in 1789, the greater part of the original township fell into Delaware County. Each division thereafter bore the name of Birmingham township in its respective county. Until the year 1856 the Street road was the northern boundary of the township in Chester County. In that year (1856) it was enlarged by the addition to it of a portion of the southern end of East Bradford township.
The battle of Brandywine was fought in this township. The site of the field of operations at Chads' Ford is in Delaware County, and that at Birmingham Meeting-house in Chester County.
The name of the township was originally pronounced Brummagem, and it is so given on Holme's map of the
early settlements of Pennsylvania. This pronunciation was brought by the early settlers from England, and is generally supposed to be a corruption of Birmingham. That, how- ever, is a mistake. The name Brummagem is derived from Brumwycheham, the ancient name of Birmingham, and was used in common with Birmingham, which signifies the home of the descendants of Beorm, a Saxon chief. Bir- mingham, in England, was formerly the great emporium for plated ware and imitation jewelry, and hence the word Brummagem came to signify anything trashy or common. The Saturday Review, an English magazine, speaks of
" Diluted history and Brummagem lore."
The following were the taxables in 1715 :
£ 8. d.
£ s. d.
William Brinton 0
8
0
Richard Webb. 0 6 4
John Beckingham 0 1
8
John Weith.
0
3
7
Robert Pyle, Jun" 0
3 10
Edmund Butcher 0
2 3
Robert Chalfan 0
2
6 Daniel Davies. 0
4
2
John Chalfan, JunT
0
2
4
John ffrød
0
8
Jonathan Compton.
0
1
0
Thomas Chandler. 0
1
Magnus Simonson ...
0
2
6
Swithin Chandler
0
8
John Chalfan, Sen"
0
0 10
Thomas Codery ..
0
2
6
Sarah Green 0
2
6
Providence Scott
0
1
3
Henry Gunston. 0 2
4
Sam" Hollingsworth 0
3
6
1 0 Samul Scott, JunT. 0
Joseph Gilpin ... 0
0
8
4
John Harvey .. 0 4 0
John House. 0 4 0
William Turner.
0
1
3
-
John Bennett 0
7
6
Total. 5 1 3
The taxables of 1753 were as follows :
Edward Brinton, Esqr, John Chads, Wm Jones, Geo : Gilpin, Jaª Dilworth, Thomas Chandler, Isane Harvey, Charles Turner, Wm Senl, Abram Darlington, John Jackson, John Bennit, Benja Way, Caleb Brinton, Amos Harvey, John Wilson, Daniel Guest, Samuel Painter, Robert Chamberlin, Jonathan Thatcher, Benjamin Ring, Jun", Jane Noset, Ralph Pyle, John Painter, William Smith, Thomas Gibson, John Chandler, Eliza Cathcart, Robert Hannum, Robert Chalfont, Robert Green, Benja Ring, Isaao Smith,. Robert Chalfont, JunT., James Brooks, Ohadiah Bonsall, Matthew Guy, Francis Simonson, John Shaw, William McMath, Andrew McCoy, John Chamberlin, Rohart Mcfarson, Isnac Bullock, John Woodward, Neal Woodward.
Inmates .- Joseph Dutton, Providence Scott, John Gibson, Edward Patridge, John Martin, John Newberry, William Baxter, Nathan Frame, Elias Neal, Peter Glancoy, John Thatcher, Allen Carson, Philip Philips, Georgo Moor, Samuel Batten, Wm Richardson, James Durnal.
Freemen .- John Plumer, Wm Warrick, Wm McMurry, Samuel Jennins, John Maxfield, John Henderson, John Bryan, Stephen Maddon, William White.
LAND-OWNERS, 1774.
Edward Brinton, Caleb Brinton, George Brinton, David Brinton, John Bennett, Obadiah Bonsell, Thomas Bullook, Wm. Boid, Thomas Chandler, James Chandler, Robert Chandler, Abraham Darlington, Jr., Joseph Davis, Sr., Joseph Davis, Jr., Lydia Dilworth, Charles Dilworth, Joseph Dilworth, Robert Frame, Harry Gordon, Gideon Gilpin, Robert Green, Jane Gibbons, John Gordon, William Harvey, Amos House, Thomas Hannum, John Henderson, William Jones, Bao- jamin Miller, Robert McElhos, William Mason, Robert Messer, John Nicklin, Samuel Painter, James Russell, Robert Rankin, Benjamin
162
ffree Men.
Samuel Painter, Sen". 0
0
8
Samuel Paioter, JunT .. 0
2
3
8
4
Joseph Robinson
0
1
6
8
1
Gyao Stevenson
"MONTEBELLO." RESIDENCE OF PRESTON W. LOBB, BERWYN, PA.
"FOUNTAIN FARM." RESIDENCE OF RICHARD J. LAMBORN, NEWLIN.
Farm of 205 acres.
RESIDENCE OF GEORGE. B. MELLOR, EAST BRADFORD.
163
TOWNSHIPS AND BOROUGHS, ETC.
Ring, Nathaniel Ring, James Smith, William Smith, Edward Simp- son, Rachel Sail, James Stroud, John Thatcher, John Woodart, Rachel Warson, Nathan Yarnall, Elias Neals, Thomas Stroud, Thomas Jones, John Perry, James Dilworth, David Johnson, David May, Thomas McDaniel, Benjamin McDaniel, Jamos Latimore, John Mo- Glochlin, Robert Logan, James Newman, and Fras. Herberson.
Lying immediately north of the Street road, and extend- ing from Brandywine to the line of Westtown, was a tract of 1000 acres, laid out for William Cornthwet and Edward Atkinson, purchasers of 500 acres each from Penn, and who sold the same to John Cornwell and William Hudson, of Philadelphia. By a resurvey in 1701 there proved to be 1132 acres. John Davis, of Thornbury, purchased the eastern half of it in 1712, and by will dated March 3, 1719, divided it between three of bis sons, Daniel, Abraham, and John, the first receiving 166 acres next the Street road, and the others 200 each. Of the remainder of the large tract, Samuel Painter purchased, in 1722, about 300 acres, much of which is still in the family name. John Collier obtained, about the same time, 245 acres north of Painter's, and Joseph Taylor, of Kennet, with an eye to a mill-seat, bought from Collier 26 acres at what is now Sager's mill. He devised it to his daughter, Sarah Jones, in 1744, and her husband and sons crected thereon grist- and saw-mills. Some of the Collier lands passed into the Carter family, and thence to the Forsythes.
Abraham Davis, who owned 200 acres next the West- town line, was succeeded by his eldest son, John, who in turn left one son, Amos. The latter, with Eleanor, his wife, conveyed the land to Joshua Sharpless, 4, 19, 1784. It was next divided between Joshua's sons, Benjamin and Isaac, the latter obtaining the farm late of his son Aaron, whose family still reside thereon. Benjamin left an only son, of the same name, who now holds his father's land, 120 acres, by bequest. His father built the barn in 1804, and the house in 1805, but the present owner, who began farm- ing in 1856, has remodeled all the buildings, and made many improvements in accordance with this progressive age. A view of his residence is elsewhere given.
Susanna Davis, a widow, lived alone in a log house on the site of the residence of the late Aaron Sharpless, and was murdered on the night of Jan. 3d, 1782. Joseph Dennis, of Vincent, offered a reward of ten pounds specie for the arrest of George Holt, an Englishman, who was accused of robbery and the murder, but it does not appear that he was caught.
In 1688 a survey was made for Daniel Smith on 360 acres in Birmingham, which by resurvey proved to be 415 acres. It was sold by Sheriff Hoskins, April 25, 1702, to Richard Webb, to whom a patent was granted the same year. His widow, Elizabeth Webb, by deed of 10, 27, 1721, conveyed one acre thereof to William Brinton, of Birmingham, Joseph Taylor, of Kennet, Philip Taylor and Joseph Brinton, of Thornbury, John Bennett and Nicholas Fred, of Birmingham, trustees, for the use of the Society of Friends, and Birmingham meeting-house was built thereon.
BRADFORD.
Organized about 1705, Richard Buffington being con- stable for that year. He was succeeded by Robert Jefferis in 1706, and Abiah Taylor in 1707.
In this, as in some other townships, the first settlers were not the first owners of the land, and the first surveys were made for persons who had purchased before leaving England, if indeed they ever came over. Prior to 1686 the surveyor's chain had probably not been stretched within its limits, and an unbroken wilderness existed where now may be seen some of the finest farms in the county ; even for several years after that date little was done towards reclaiming the forests and making the soil produce food for civilized man. The Welsh tract had been laid out, and its western line afforded a base for further operations, as did also the surveys to the southward, in Birmingham.
About the year 1686 surveys were made of nearly all the land south of the Strasburg road, but some of these were afterwards altered. It must be remembered that the Street road formed the southern limits of the township until within a few years. Commencing at this line, a fract of 1000 acres was laid ont for Thomas Langhorn and company, cx- tending from the Westtown line to Brandywine. Next, on the north, came Robert Whitton, 192 acres, and John Gardner, 244, both of whom sold to John Loftus, of Phila- delphia. Adjoining the Goshen or Welsh line, a tract of 1500 acres was patented to Arthur Cook, of Philadelphia County. This extended from the Westtown line nearly as far as the north line of the borough of West Chester, the north west corner being a few rods west of the old Black Horse tavern, and the southwest corner near Strode's mill. To the west of this, and north of Gardner's tract, three others were laid out parallel to the Welsh line, and with their northern end just crossing the east branch of the creek. That on the east side was for Samuel Noyes, of Wiltshire, about 250 acres; the middle tract, 250 acres, for Thomas Martin, of Bedwin Magna, in Wiltshire, who came over in 1685 and settled in Middletown (now Dela- ware County). The third tract, 140 acres, was for John Martin, of Edgcott, in Berkshire, who also settled in Mid- dletown. Another tract of 1000 acres for Langhorn and company included the greater part of the township lying -
west of the east branch of Brandywine. The company con- sisted of John Cornwell, William Hudson, Thomas Lang- horn, and Arthur Borradail, of whom the two latter set- tled in Bucks County, and the others in Philadelphia. The remainder of the land in the township was mostly surveyed in after-years as it was wanted for settlement, and some of that in the northern part, not being naturally of so good a quality, was left unimproved for a long time.
Among the land-owners who became actual settlers Richard Buffington was probably the first. He was the ancestor of the numerous family of the name, and had set- tled at Upland (now Chester) before William Penn obtained a grant for Pennsylvania. In 1696 he purchased, in con- junction with William Vestal, 218 acres from the execu- tors of John Loftus, and in 1701 they obtained the re- mainder of the Loftus tract, or 218 acres more, in two pieces ; and it appears they made a division by Vestal taking the last purchase. This land extended from the Brandywine, below the forks, nearly to Strode's mill. In 1708, Richard Buffiogton purchased from Thomas Martin, of Middletown, 210 acres, extending northward from his
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