History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and biographical sketches, Part 95

Author: Futhey, John Smith, 1820-1888; Cope, Gilbert, 1840-1928
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1162

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Isaac Taylor :

" I received thy letter and also my instrument by thy sou Philip. The affair with Thomas Green is settled ; he was up with us this week and we have agreed with him to go on with an Iron work. I pro- posed to have thee for a partner but he and brother Shute assured me that thon hadst ntterly declined it. . . .

"JAMESTEEL."

What hecame of this project is unknown. The proposed site was probably near what is now Dowlin's " Mary Ann Forge."

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HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

200 and 150 acres were in right of the two warrants above mentioned. He also says,-

"Draughts of 4 other Traots, viz: one of 645, ona of 340, one of 225, and another of 200 acres were sent to me by John Taylor, but the waters not being showed in those Draughts, at W. Branson's request I sent 'em back to J. T., but he returned them back again without any amendment; and W. Branson being very desirous to have the waters shewed in the Draughts, received them from mo (as I believe), to get that done, since which time I have not seen them."

A memorandum on the same paper says that further surveys of 183 and 714 acres were returned on the above warrants. It is not stated upon what warrants the missing surveys were made, but without them we have 34162 acres, or nearly all that the two call for.

Some of the surveys were adjoining Nutt's land, and J. Steel, writing to John Taylor, Nov. 26, 1735, says,-

"I have not seen Samuel Nutt since I received thy letter which in- forms me of his returos being sent up. I hopa Wm. Branson's are also sent that thereby the long depending affair between them may be at length settled."

William Branson's first wife was Mary, daughter of Robert Tate, of Philadelphia, and to her death he refers, 1727, in a letter to his cousin, Thomas Green. In 1731 a wife Elizabeth joins him in a deed for some land in Caln, and in 1738 we find him again taking a partner in the person of Sarah, a daughter of Joseph Wilcox, of Philadelphia. She had been twice a widow under the names of Bryant and Warren. The first wife was doubtless the mother of his children. These were Rebecca, who married Samuel Flower ; Mary, who married Bernhard Van Leer; Hannah, . who married Richard Hockley ; and Elizabeth, who married Lynford Lardner. In 1744, William Branson, by three separate deeds, vested in each of his three daughters, Re- becca, Mary, and Hannah (with their husbands), one-fourth part of all and singular the messages, plantations, lands, tenements, forges, furnaces, iron and other mines and min- erals, and hereditaments of the said William Branson within the several counties of Lancaster (now Berks) and Chester, and of all the servants, negroes, household goods, cattle, utensils, implements, live and dead stock, etc., there- unto belonging. A similar conveyance of the remaining fourth part of the estate was made in 1750 to Lynford Lardner and wife, but by these conveyances only a life estate was vested in his danghters and sons-in-law, after whose deaths it was to become the inheritance of their children.

William Branson died in 1760, having survived all of his children except Elizabeth. His grandchildren, who inherited the property, were fifteen in number. Rebecca Flower left three children,-Mary, married to Gerardus Clarkson ; Hannah, to Thomas Assheton; and Samnel, who was a physician. Mary Van Leer's children were William, George, Branson, Benjamin, and Samuel. Hannah Hock- ley left two,-William Branson and Mary, who married Joho Wilcocks. The Lardners were John, Frances, Han- nah, William, and James. The interests of all these heirs were purchased by Rutter & Potts, of the Warwick Fur- nace, by several conveyances in the years 1778 to 1783, the shares of William and James Lardner being the last obtained.

Acrelius, a careful historian, in the " History of New Swe- den," 1759, writes thus of iron-works in Chester County :

"Friend's [French ] Creek, io Chester County, near the Schuylkill. The mine is rich and abundant, from ten to twelve feet deep, com- mencing on the surface. Its discoverer is Mr. Nutt, who afterwards took Mr. Branz [Bransoo] into partnership. They both went to England, brought workmen back with them and continued together. Each has his own furnace-Branz at Reading, Nutt in Warwick. Each also has his own Forges-Branz in Windsor. Nutt supplies four forges besides his own in Chester County.

"Sarum balongs to Taylor's heirs; has three stacks, and is in full blast.

" Crum Creek belongs to Peter Dicks ; has two stacks, is worked sluggishly, and has ruined Crosby's family.

" Two others are in the Great Valley.

" At French Creek, or Branz's works, there is a steal-furnace, built with a draught-hole, and called an 'air-oven.' In this iron bars are set at the distance of an inch apart. Between them are scattered horo, coal-dust, ashes, etc. The iron hars ars thus covered with blis- ters, and this is called ' blister-steel.' It serves as the best steel to put upon edge-tools. These steel-works are now said to be out of operation."

The location of the works in the Great Valley is uncer- tain, but it may have been in the neighborhood of Valley Forge. Sept. 26, 1751, Stephen Evans and Joseph Williams advertise for sale a two-thirds interest in 375 acres near the mouth of Valley Creek, with a forge and saw-mill thereon.

The works of Peter Dicks, mentioned by Acrelius, were established as early as 1742, by John Crosby and Peter Dicks, whose dam on Crum Creek overflowed Thomas Dell's land, and caused the latter to complain to Chester Monthly Meeting, 8th month 25th of that year. ·

In the petition of William Trego, of Goshen, 1739, for license to keep a public-house, he represents that he is on the great road from the north branches of Brandywine to Chester, Concord, and Birmingham, which road is much more used than in the previous year, " by reason of the Great Quantities of fflower and Pigg mettle carried down the sd road." What became of this pig-metal is not clear, but if not used on the river it was probably exported from Chester.

John Taylor, who established Sarum Forge, on Chester Creek, at the present Glen Mills, had a store, and seems to have been using iron in 1742, as appears by the following order :

"SON ISAAC : Let sister Mary [Brogdon] havo goods to the value of three pounds, fiva shillings, being for half a Tun of Pig Iron, & charge it to account. JNº TAYLOR.

"July 22d, 1742."

We find Taylor, on Jan. 18, 1745, making an agrcement with Thomas Wills, forgeman and finer, who was to work in the forge two years, making anconies, at 22s. 6d. per ton. June 10, 1746, Rees Jones agrees to coal for John Taylor 200 cords of wood in Middletown, at 11s. 8d. per 100 bushels, " half money, half goods, as customary." In 1751, Taylor sent an invoice of bar-iron to Mr. Plumsted, of Philadelphia, for shipment to Boston, and asked for the returns to be made in oil, loaf-sugar, and rum.

The policy of England towards her colonies was adverse to the exportation of American products, and a duty was imposed on iron taken to England. Thomas Penn, writing, Aug. 19, 1743, to Richard Hockley, mentions liis en- deavors to have the duty taken off, and adds,-

" GLEN CAIRN." FARM OF JOHN PATTERSON, WALLACE.

ISABELLA FURNACE AND RESIDENCE OF JOSEPH D. POTTS, WEST NANTMEAL.

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MILLS, IRON MANUFACTURE, ETC.

"I am told that it is a mute point whether the duty could be re- covered upon Bar Iron if it was disputed, and intend to have some opinion upon it : if that should be the case it might be worth Mr. Branson's or some of the Iron masters' while, together, to send over a few Tons and order their Correspondents to try it. I should be very ready to bear a part of the Expense."

When at length this duty was partly taken off, a more unjust measure took its place, and an act of Parliament was passed which provided " That from and after the 24th day of June, 1750, no mill or other engine for slitting or roll- ing of iron, or any plating-forge to work with a tilt-ham- mer, or any furnace for making steel, shall be erected, or after such erection continued, in any of His Majesty's colo- nies in America, . . . and further that every such mill, engine, forge, or furnace so erected or continued, contrary to the directions of this act, shall be deemed a common nuisance, to be abated," etc. And the Lieutenant Governor, on the 16th day of August, 1750, issued his proclamation to the sheriffs of the several counties, commanding them to furnish lists of such establishments or owners thereof as came within the provisions of the law.

John Owen, the sheriff of Chester County, reported that there was but one mill or engine for slitting and rolling iron within the county, which was situated in Thornbury township, and erected in 1746 by John Taylor, and that there was no " Plateing fforge to work with a Tilt Hammer, nor any ffurnace for making of Steel" in the said county.

July 1, 1750, Thomas Penn writes to Richard Hockley :

" You will before this time be informed of our success in getting the Duty taken off Pig Iron from the Plantations to any part in Great Britain, and of Bar Iron to the Port of London or any of the King's Yards. There never was a strongor opposition to any common busi- ness that was carryed, I believe, in Parliament and tho' we could not get all we wanted, I hope what we have get will be of great advan- tage to America in time. I enclose you the Act you will find there must not be any more Steel Furnices or Slitting Mills erected. I think Mr. Branson has one of the first which you will take care to keep upp and in time it may be of great advantage to you."

Some extracts from a statement prepared by John Tay- lor, May, 1754, in regard to one of his workmen, will give some insight of the iron manufacture at that day :

"By Article of the 25th of June, 1748, said Cæsar Andrew did agree to work with me as a Hammer man for three years at 158. per Tun, unless he could improve himself so as to become a compleat Hammer-man, and then he was to receive half the customary wages, heing then 17/6d. per Tun : But in consideration that he released his claim to all arrearages of standing wages and on the 2d of February, 1750, agreed not to charge anything for cutting of Hammers & anvils for the future I allowed him 208. per Tun to ye expiration of the three years, and then he agreed with me to work on ye same terms for one year more but upon an agreement he afterward made with his partner, Richd Helton, I paid him 17/6 only for the last 36 Tun, 17 hundd & two quarters of Iron he drawed and he then absconded, not having settled accots with me. Cæsar neglected my business, de- stroyed my hammers & geers and wasted my anconies & coals so that upon a moderate computation I am damaged by his ill conduct above £100. The anconies be wasted or converted to his own use are charged at £28 per Tun, when I sold ye Iron to ye Best customers at £30 per Tun, as appears in Book I, page 208 & 156. The anconies are drawn out for 35/ per Tun and five shillings per tun is allowed for coals. Each Tun, finers' weight is 22 hundred, which will yield 20 hundred bar Iron, and what more the Hammer-man useth, he always pays for, and this is ye rule amongst all Iron masters who understand their business.

" Cæsar will say we want water at ye forge & he cannot be fully Employed but must go to other work. This is not so for the works being rebuilt go with less water than ever."

Reading Furnace, in East Nantmeal, now Warwick, after its purchase by Rutter & Potts, was allowed to fall into disuse, and it is likely the object was principally to get possession of the lands belonging thereto. In 1788, Capt. Samuel Van Leer, a grandson of William Branson, was as- sessed with a forge, which it is said he built on the site of the old furnace. Isaac W. Van Leer, a grandson of Samuel, says of it,-

"The forge was carried on successfully for many years by Capt. Van Leer & Sons, but, like most sublunary things, it had its decline and fall. William, the second son, who had chief management, diced at the early age of thirty-two. The dam-breast broke, and was never rebuilt ; the menotone of the ever-falling water and the 'go-penny- compound' of the old hammer (which we children used te think it spuke as plainly as the whippoorwill repeats its name) are silenced forever."

In 1786, Jesse Potts is assessed in Coventry with a steel furnace, but in 1787, Ellis Jones & Co. appear to be the operators, and these, in 1788, give way to North & Evans. In West Nantmeal, David Moore had a forge in 1786, and in 1788, James Moore appears to have the same, with 564 acres of land.

Vincent Forge is frequently mentioned in the records of the last century, particularly in the shape of advertise- ments in the Philadelphia Weekly Mercury, in a man- ner to show that it often changed ownerships .* John Young, of Vincent, forge-master, made his will March 2, 1781. He devised his forge to his son John, at age of twenty-one. Possibly his wife, Susanna, held it in trust meanwhile, as it is assessed to her in 1785-87. In 1788, James Templin appears to have had the forge,-perhaps on lease.

" Rebecca Furnace," which drew its supply of ore from "Jones' mines," was built by Mordecai Peirsol about the year 1764.f In 1793 it was owned by Jacob Vinance, Thomas Rutter, Sarah May, and Samuel Potts. It was discontinued in 1794, on account of the inability to obtain wood for charcoal, the farmers refusing to sell it. "I have seen," says Prof. McClune, "stoves purporting to have been cast at Rebecca Furnace which bore the date of 1768, but the late Dr. Happersctt informed me that they were cast for Peirsol at Warwick Furnace."

Old historie Warwick Furnace is now no more, having been out of use and dismantled for several years, and upon its site (where cannon used in the Revolution and a

# The following are some of the advertisements referred te, in a condensed form :

Oct. 29, 1767 .- John Davis warns persons from buying Vincent Forge, advertised by sheriff for sale as the property of George and Myrick Davis, as he bought it of the last sheriff and paid all the pur- chase money.

March 10, 1768 .- John Davis offers at public sale 200 acres in Vin- cent, good forge, three fires, two hammers; also between 200 and 300 acres of timber land.

March 9, 1769 .- John Evans and John Davis offer to sell at public sale a forge for making bar-iron-3 fires, 2 hammers-known by the name of French Creek; stock of coals, etc .; 206 acres of land-30 acres of rye in the ground in Vincent.

Nov. 23, 1791 .- Thomas Bull and Henry Christman, guardians, offer to let for two years Vincent Forge, 4 fires, 2 hammers, 300 acres grist- and saw-mill, on French Creek.

Feb. 26, 1800 .- John Young advertises Vincent Forge.

't In 1788 he was assessed with a furnace, grist- and saw-mills, and 180 acres of land.

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HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

bell which did duty in the days of '76 were cast)* the peaceful occupation of butter- and cheese-making is now carried on, a creamery being there erected the present year (1881).

" Isabella Furnace" was established by David Potts about 1830.

VALLEY FORGE.

Valley Forge was built on the western side of Valley Creek, in Chester County. The original site was about five-eighths of a mile from the mouth of the creek. It was owned and operated by members of the Potts family from the spring of 1757 until its destruction by the Brit- ish, about two months before the American army encamped there, in 1777. From 1771, Col. William Dewees, son of Sheriff William Dewees, of Philadelphia, was associated with the Pottses, and in 1773 appears to have bought an interest. The iron used at this forge was hanled by teams from Warwiek Furnace. After the close of the war, an- other forge was erected about three-fourths of a mile far- ther down the stream, on the Montgomery County side, on ground now covered by part of the cotton and woolen factory, and a new dam was built, raising the water partly over the site of the old Mount Joy Forge. (This second forge was in ruins. in 1816.) About the same time a slit- ting-mill was erected on the Chester County side, most probably being constructed out of one of the buildings used by the artisans for the army. The forge and slitting- mill were built by Isaac Potts and his brother David.

In 1786 they were operated under the firm-name of Isaac Potts & Co., the company consisting of David (Isaac's brother) and his son James. The property sub- sequently passed through the hands of Joseph Potts, Ralph Peacock, Rebecca Robbins, and Jacob Vogdes, until, in 1814, the latter, who had not operated the works, sold them to John Rogers and Joshua Malin. Malin, who was a cousin of Rogers, was the manager. He rebuilt the rolling- and slitting-mill, making it about 30 feet wide by 80 feet long. There was a " tilt-mill" in one end, and between the main building and the dam a small foundry, the cupola of which was blown by a water-blast. He also commenced a three-story stone building on the present cotton-factory. This was intended for the manufacture of hardware. In 1816, Malin became involved, and John Rogers was by suit proven to be his partner and compelled to pay his debts. April 1st of that year Rogers bought Malin's half-interest in the property, and in the fall of the year James Wood went there as a partner of John Rogers and manager of the works. Isaac Smedley was also a member of the firm. Wood completed the mill, which was intended by Malin for a hardware-factory, and made it into a saw-factory principally, though shovels, spades, files, etc., were also made. Ile also operated the rolling-mill,

made boiler-plate and sheet- and band-iron. Part of this was slit for the nail-mill at Phoenixville, where as yet they had no such facilities. (Lewis Wernwag operated the nail- mill at Phoenixville at the time.) Malin had made nails by hand in a frame building nearer the road. The iron used by Wood in the rolling mill was obtained from Laurel Forge, Coventry Forge, and Springton Forge.

About 1818, John Rogers sent John Parkios and his son, Jolin, Jr., to Wood to see if they could successfully make cast steel, to be used in their saws. These men had during 1812 made an attempt to make cast steel in New York City, but failed. A furnace was built in the back end of the rolling- mill, but did not prove large enough ; then a large stack was erected between the rolling-mill and the smith-shop (part of the smith-shop is still standing and used as a stable), and six furnaces were built around it. Here cast steel of good quality for use in saws was made. Sixty barrels of clay for crucibles were brought from Perth Am- boy. Early in 1821, Brooke Evans, of Sheffield, England, went to Valley Forge, having leased the property from Rogers. He converted the saw-factory and rolling-mill, then being vacated by James Wood, into gun-factories. He raised the roof of the rolling-mill and added two stories to it. (He made at Valley Forge 20,000 muskets.) This building was subsequently destroyed by a freshet, and no traces of it remain. The building on the Montgomery County side, after being vacated as a gun-factory, was en- larged and converted into a cotton and woolen factory.t

Mary Ann Forge, on the north branch of the Brandywine, two miles north of Downingtown, was built in 1785, and Springton Forge, on the same stream, five miles north of Mary Ann Forge, was built in 1766. Springton is still active .¿ Hibernia Forge, on West Brandywine Creek, four miles north of Coatesville, was built in 1793, and a small rolling-mill was added in 1837 ; they were abandoned and dismantled in 1880. Rokeby Rolling-Mill, on Buck Run, four miles south of Coatesville, was built in 1795, and Brandywine Rolling-Mill, at Coatesville, was built in 1810. Sadsbury Forges, on Octorara Creek, near Christiana, were built in 1800 and 1802. One of these continued in oper- ation until December, 1880, when it was burned down. Ringwood Forge, on Octorara Creek, also near Christiana, was built in 1810, was in operation in 1856, and has since been abandoned. Pine Grove Forge, sixteen miles south of Penningtonville, on Octorara Creek, in the same county, was built about 1800; a small rolling-mill was added in 1844, on the Chester County side of the creek. These enterprises have been abandoned. Pleasant Garden Forge, five miles southeast of Oxford, and two miles south west of New London, was built in 1806, and abandoned about 1848. A small rolling-mill was built in 1845, which is also abandoned.

GERMAN STEEL, ETC.

Frederick Sheeder, who was born at Saarbrücken, Ger- many, in a history of Vincent township, gives an interesting

# Along with the old cannon cast by "Warwick," on exhibition at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, was a bell, cast at the same furnace in 1757 by the ancient firm of Potts & Rutter. It was used to call the mnen to work from tho date of its manufacture until May 15, 1874, when it was sent to Col. J. M. Feger, of Phila- delphia, by Thomas W. Potts, Jr., of Warwick. While Washington was at Valley Forge this bell was rung to assemble the citizens in order to bury the cannon, that they might not fall into the enemy's bands.

For this sketch, written by Joseph E. Thropp, we are indebted to a " Ilistory of Iron-making in Pennsylvania," by James M. Swank, secretary of the American Iron and Steel Association.

# "This is the only forgo ever built in West Nantineal, and is the oldest now in operation in the county."-Prof. McCl.ine.

RESIDENCE OF DR. CHARLES HUSTON, COATESVILLE.

COATESVILLE IRON-WORKS, DR. CHARLES HUSTON, PROPRIETOR,

"WATERLOO FARM." RESIDENCE OF WELLINGTON HICKMAN, THORNBURY.

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sketch of some attempts to manufacture iron and steel in that neighborhood, from which we condense the following :

In the spring of 1793 my father, with his family and seven fam- ilies more, left for America on account of the then French Revolu- tion. Father, Henry Sheeder, and Clemens Rentgen, steel factors, had received letters two years before that time, and one shortly bo- fore they left, from the Messrs. Potts and Ilobart, of Pottsgrove, in which they promised to ereet a forge for them to make German steel in this country. They never would have left Europe but for those flattering letters. Hillarius Baker, then mayor of tho eity, a Gor- man, and brother-in-law of Mr. Ilobart, used to write the letters for them. We arrived at Philadelphia iu October of the first sickness. In two weeks wagons were sent by Mossrs. Potts and IIobart to take us to Vincent township, where they were thon erecting works. First a slitting-mill, which was under roof when we arrived, and as father bad intended me to be his journeyman to make steel (though I had learned the tailor trade before leaving Europe), we all worked, help- iag to make the dam and to erect the stahling and forge to make steel. The proprictors eame over almost every Saturday to see how we were coming on, there being from 35 to 40 hands at work. Nearly every time they came after the foundations for the steel- works were staked off, father and Rent, en eautioned them not to allow the millwright to go on as he had been, for it would never do to make steel in such a thing as this seemed to he. None of our folks could talk to the Pottses, ns they did not speak German, but Mr. IIo- bart did, and his answer was to be satisfied, that they had a wise and ingenious millwright, and he would make all right. "Yes," was the reply of father and Bentgen. "He will empty your purse for you, and then you will see." They told him the millwright had never seen a German steel-factory, and could not be expected to erect one. When at last The work was pronounced to be finished, the proprie- tors had notice to be present and see it go into operation. Father ohjected to drawing the gate, and they asked his reasons, and he quickly replied that even if the machinery for eoaveying the air to the furnace would answer, none of the rest would. The millwright had his borse saddled, and when father was prevailed on to draw the gute, off he went like wind, and I never heard that they saw him again. In less than no time the gentlemen were convinced of their error. They altered the works so as to make some tons of raw steel. I went to Philadelphia to work nt my trade, and father and Reutgen left soon after. If it was not for posterity to know where, and that German steel had been manufactured in this country and in this towaship, I should not have mentioned it. It was not brought to perfection, however, at Potts' works, which were changed to make or forge iron, which business was carried on some fifteen years, when Clement Rentgen purchased them, but they lay idle ever since. Father was induced by Jucob Lesher, of Pottstown, to go to him, and works were erected for making steel at a place called Long Swamp, iu Berks County, now Trexler's Iron-Works. Father made steel at that place for six or nine months, but the stream was too light, and he quit it, after which Lesher turned it into an iron forge, which takes bul about half as much water. Mr. Eekerd, above Reading, turned his forge into a steel forge, and hought of Lesher the tackling, and father went there and worked for some time.

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History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and biographical sketches, Part 95

Author: Futhey, John Smith, 1820-1888; Cope, Gilbert, 1840-1928 Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia, L. H. Everts Number of Pages: 1162

Author: Futhey, John Smith, 1820-1888; Cope, Gilbert, 1840-1928
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1162