History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Part 122

Author: Ashmead, Henry Graham, 1838-1920
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L.H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1150

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Ward Academy .- In 1882, Benjamin F. Leggett erected on the road from Concord Station to Concord- ville a commodious building for educational pur- poses, and therein established the Ward Academy. Although an institution of recent date, it has been well attended, and gives promise of extended useful- ness. It has grown rapidly in public approval, and is firmly established.

Leedom's Mills .- At the court held Oct. 2, 1695, occurs the first mention of Concord Mills, now Lee- dom's. The grand jury, following the recommenda- tion of a previous grand inquest "to lay an assess- ment" to pay the judges' fees, to meet the county expenses, and provide funds for the erection of the prison then building, assessed Concord Mills at ten pounds. According to Smith's map of early grants and patents, accepting the above date as the year of the erection of Concord Mills, in 1695, the company's enterprise was located on the west branch of Chester Creek, and on the tract of five hundred acres which

1840, Joseph Hannum, Robert Mendenhall ; 1841, -; 1842, John H. Marsh, Peter W. Mattson; 1843, Marshall Cloud, Moses D. Palmer; . was entered by William Hitchcock, Sept. 8, 9, 1681,

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

secured to him Feb. 18, 1682, and a patent was issued therefor June 27, 1684. This tract was a long and narrow strip, extending the entire width of the town- ship, near its northern boundary. On Feb. 7, 1701, Hitchcock sold two hundred and fifty acres of this land on the west of Concord Street road, laid out in 1682, - the road has ceased to be, excepting the upper part known as Thornbury Street,-to Nicholas Pyle, and the same day the remaining two hundred acres east of the road was conveyed to Benjamin Mendenhall. Concord Mills is on the extreme east- ern and lower end of the Pyle tract, the race be- ginning a long distance above the mill, on the west branch of the creek. The mill was built by a com- pany of which William Brinton, the younger, of Birm- ingham, was one of the owners and the chief pro- jector of the enterprise. In those days the mill was of great importance to the neighborhood, for prior to its erection there was none within several miles, and hauling was difficult excepting in the winter, when sleds moved easily over the frozen snow. The assess- ment in 1695, which gave the appraised value of this mill as ten ponnds, clearly indicates that it was a frame structure, which subsequently, at a date not as- certained, gave place to a stone building. In 1715, Nicholas Pyle had charge of the mill, for he appears on the assessment-roll for that year " for ye mill." When Concord meeting-house was burned, in 1788, the mill was used as a temporary place for Friends to gather until the present meeting-house was rebuilt. At that time it was owned by Thomas Newlin, who had acquired title to the mill prior to 1780. From 1790 to 1810, John Newlin rented and operated it, and in 1817 he became the owner. A short distance below this mill, in 1696, Nicholas Newlin built a saw-mill, which in 1790 was owned by Nathaniel Newlin, in 1802 by Thomas Newlin, and in 1817 by Benjamin Newlin. The grist-mill, from 1810 to 1820, was rented and operated by Mendenhall and Pennell, and after the latter date by John Newlin. He con- tinned there many years. The grist- and saw-mill sub- sequently became the property of Casper W. Sharp- less, and finally was owned by George Drayton. The latter, in 1859, sold thirty-eight acres and the upper mill to Samuel Leedom, by whose son, Emmor S. Leedom, both the saw- and grist-mill are now held as trust estate.

Hill's Mill .- On Sept. 24, 1683, five hundred acres of land was surveyed to Nicholas Newlin, which, lying to the south of the Hitchcock tract, extended from the eastern township line westward to Concord Street road, which ran north and south, dividing the township in the centre. Within this estate, which was patented to Newlin May 1, 1685, a part of the head- waters of the west branch of Chester Creek were em- braced, and through the lower part of Newlin's land, running east and west, Providence and Concord road was laid out Ang. 15, 1715. Twenty-two years prior to this highway being approved, Ang. 21, 1693, a road

still in nse, beginning east of the present school-house on that road, and running thence northward to the Thornbury line, was laid out by the grand jury. On April 2, 1703, the tract was resurveyed to Nathaniel Newlin, the son of Nicholas, and was found to con- tain five hundred and fifty-two acres of land. The following year (1704) Nathaniel Newlin built a stone grist-mill on the west branch of Chester Creek, now owned by Samuel Hill. In the walls of this old mill is a date-stone marked " Nathan and Ann Newlin, 1704." This mill passed from Nathaniel or Nathan Newlin to his son Thomas, and in 1817 was sold to William Trimble as twenty-seven acres, and the "Lower Mill." Thomas Newlin having for many years previous to that date been the owner of the "Upper Mill," or Society Mill, as it was known in early days, and now as Leedom's. The terms Upper and Lower Mills being used to designate the one from the other, after they had both become the property of Newlin. The Lower Mill later came into possession of Abraham Sharpless, who operated it several years, and after his death it was sold by Casper W. Sharp- less, executor of his father, Abraham Sharpless, in April, 1861, to John Hill & Son. The junior mem- ber of the firm, Samuel, operated it until the death of his father, John Hill, when the latter's interest was acquired by his son, Samuel Hill, who is the present owner of the mill.

Trimble, or Felton Mills .- In 1734, William Trimble appeared at Friends' Meeting at Concord with Ann Palmers, and there they declared their in- tention of marriage. Soon after their marriage, Wil- liam Trimble bought one hundred acres of land, the half of the two hundred acres patented to Thomas King, July 22, 1684. The part purchased adjoined the Nicholas Newlin Mill land, to the south of the latter. In 1742, William and Ann Trimble built a stone house, which is still standing, and now owned by Dr. Joseph Trimble. William Trimble, the younger, had on this estate a saw-mill in 1782, and prior to 1799 had erected a paper-mill, which was operated as such by him until 1813, when it was changed to a cotton-factory at the instance of John D. Carter, an Englishman, who had just previous to that time immi- grated to Pennsylvania. This factory was four stories in height, sixty by thirty-four feet, and was conducted by Carter until 1826, when he purchased the Knowlton Mills and removed there. The Trimble cotton-factory at that time contained four carding-engines, ten hun- dred and sixty-eight spindles, and spun seven hun- dred and fifty pounds of cotton yarn weekly. The mills, after Carter's removal, were leased by Jacob Taylor, and later by Joseph Trimble, Charles Cheel- ham, Callaghan Brothers, and others. In March, 1873, the mills were destroyed by fire, and the prop- erty was sold to Gen. Robert Patterson. The execu- tors of the Patterson estate, on July 1, 1884, sold the site of these mills to George Rush, Jr., who is rebuild- ing the burned mills, wherein he proposes to manu-

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facture the Rush roller skates, of which article he is the patentee. Early in this century, Samuel Trimble conducted the saw-mill in the immediate neighbor- hood of the Trimble paper-mill, and continued there many years.

Marshall's Tannery .- In the year 1785, Thomas Marshall had a tannery and stone bark-mill on the west bank of Chester Creek, below the present Mar- shall Mill. It was still owned and operated by him in 1826, and later fell into disuse. The property is now owned by Ellis P. Marshall.

In 1770, Robert Mendenhall was operating a saw- mill on the Mendenhall tract, which he conducted till 1788, when it was in charge of Stephen Mendenhall, and later went out of use. In 1788, Thomas Hatton owned and operated a saw-mill until 1799, when John Hatton succeeded him in the business, and also con- ducted a currying-shop and tan-yard. In 1802, Joseph Hatton appears to have control of the business, and he conducted it subsequent to 1830. In 1770, John Newlin was operating a grist-mill, and in 1774, Cyrus Newlin and Daniel Trimble were also engaged in that occupation. In 1782, Abraham Sharpless and Hugh Judge were each running a grist-mill. About 1800, William Walter built a grist-mill, which was oper- ated by him many years. A grist- and saw-mill is now on the site of the mill, which is owned by his descendants. In 1788, William Hannum was oper- ating a saw-mill on Green Creek, where in 1811 the business was conducted by William Hannum, Jr., who in the same year had a tan-yard connected with the mill. In 1818, Aaron Hannum built a grist-mill, which, prior to 1826, had been changed by John Han- num to a fulling-mill and woolen-factory, which was operated by John Jones. At that date the machinery consisted of two carding-engines, one belly of thirty- six spindles, one jenny of fifty spindles. Subsequent to 1848 the business was abandoned and the building no longer used as a factory.

In 1811, Matthias Corliss had a carding- and spin- ning-machine in Concord, which he operated for a short time. In 1779, Henry Myers owned a saw-mill on Concord Creek, which, in 1811, was owned and operated by John Myers, and in 1848 by Jesse Myers. It is not in use at the present time. Prior to the last century William Vernon had a saw-mill on Green Creek, near the Bethel line, which was discontinued many years ago.

Johnson's Corners .- The locality known by the above name was the site of the old Three Tun Tavern, established by Nathaniel Newlin in 1748, which was kept as a public-house until 1814. The property in 1848 was owned by John H. Newlin and William Johnson. A school-house was erected there in 1856, which is still used. A store was at the Corners in 1875, but is discontinued. The land on the west side of the road is now owned by Thomas Johnson. The grounds of the Brandywine Summit Camp-Meeting Association are located on the farm of Thomas

Johnson. Camp-meetings have been held at the place for twelve or fifteen years, but without organi- zation. In the summer of 1884 an association was formed, and a charter was granted by the court of Delaware County. The association obtained a lease of twenty acres of land, and meetings are held there in the month of July or August. The Brandywine Summit Camp-Meeting is under the charge of the Wilmington Conference.

Elam .- The tract of land on which the hamlet is situated was first granted to Francis Chads, and con- tained one hundred and thirty and a half acres of land. It was resurveyed April 9, 1702, and April 19, 1708, it was sold to John Willis. The road that runs northerly through it was laid out in February, 1705. At the place now called Elam, formerly known as Pleasant Hill, James Smith lived, and in 1819 he petitioned court for a license, which was not granted him till 1823. A full account of his troubles will be found in the account of the licensed houses. Sub- sequent to 1832, the property was sold as the estate of James Smith to Edward Hoskins. It passed from Hoskins to Joseph Cheyney, and later to William May, whose heirs are now in possession of the land. In 1848 there was at the place a store, post-office, and tavern. The store was built by Marshall P. Wilkin- son, and later was sold to Miller & Yarnall. Mrs. Mary A. Yarnall now conducts the store and post- office, having been postmistress since 1865.

The Elam Methodist Episcopal Church, situated a short distance from Elam, was established as a branch of the Siloam Methodist Episcopal Church, of Bethel, in 1882. A lot was purchased of Daniel Husband and Jehu Tolley, and a neat stone chapel, thirty by forty-five feet, was erected. The pastors of Siloam Church, Bethel, have this in charge.

Concordville .- Except the few dwellings clustered about the Friends' meeting-house at this point there was no conspicuous settlement until 1831, when John Way was licensed to keep a public-house there, and in the next year a mail station was established, and known as the Concordville Post-office. A line of stages from this time ran through the village on the New London, Philadelphia and Brandywine Turn- pike. John Way acted as postmaster until 1844, when he was succeeded by George Rush, who in June, 1869, was followed by Mrs. Sheoff. The latter held the office for only a short time, and was suc- ceeded by George Rush, the present incumbent, who established a store at Concordville in 1844.

Ivy Mills and the Willcox Family .- For many reasons a historical sketch of the Willcox family is interesting, identified as it has been with Delaware County since an early period. Their business, estab- lished in this county as far back as 1729, has continued in the family for more than a hundred and fifty years, descending from father to son through five successive generations. This is the oldest business house now standing in the United States. It has had intimate

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

relations not only with Franklin, Carey, and all the principal printing-houses of the last century, but also with the authorities of all of the old Colonies that issued paper money in the colonial days for forty years preceding the Revolution ; with the Continental authorities of the Revolutionary period, and with the United States authorities ever since that period ; all in the line of its regular business as manufacturers of printing, currency, and security papers. On three different occasions, far apart, the services it was able to render the government, in times of war and dis- credit, were so important that it may be said they were services of necessity. After more than a century and a half of continuous business the principal place of manufacturing is still within two miles of the orig- inal location, and the mercantile house still remains in Minor Street, Philadelphia, where it has always been.

The Willcox family in Pennsylvania dates back to 1718, in which year Thomas Willcox and his wife Elizabeth (née Cole), settled in Delaware County, selecting their future home on the west branch of Chester Creek, in Concord township. Their property has passed by inheritance four times from father to son, and is now owned by their direct descendant of the fifth generation of the same name as the founder, Thomas Willcox.

The name Willcox (Wild Chough) is undoubtedly of Saxon times and origin, as the family crest (a Cor- nish chough upon a pile of rocks) indicates. The chough is a red-legged raven of the southwest of Eng- land, and the first Willcox was so called, doubtlessly, because he bore a wild chough (pronounced gutturally) upon a shield or pole in the many battles fought in those rude days.

Thomas Willcox, originally from Devonshire, Eng- land, came over young, as he and his wife lived together in Concord from 1718 until his death, in 1779, his wife dying in the following year. They were of the Roman Catholic faith, as are all their descendants of the name in Pennsylvania to-day, and the family is believed to be the oldest Catholic family in the State. At their house was established one of the ear- liest missions in Pennsylvania, but at what precise date cannot now be determined, as the early records of some of the Jesuit missions (of which this was one) were destroyed by a fire at St. Thomas, Md., where they were kept ; but it is supposed to be about 1732. A room devoted to chapel purposes has always been reserved in the mansion-house of all the successive proprietors up to this time, and the Catholics of the neighborhood have ever been invited and accus- tomed to attend the religious services conducted there. Many articles of the old chapel furniture, such as chalice, missal, vestments, etc., that have been in use there from the beginning, are still preserved and prized by the family. In 1852, chiefly at the cost of James M. Willcox, the then proprietor of Ivy Mills, the church of St. Thomas was built near Ivy Mills, since

which time the private chapel has been maintained for occasional services and private devotion.

Thomas and Elizabeth Willcox had nine children, -John, Anne, James, Elizabeth, Mary, Deborah, Thomas, Mark, and Margaret. The eldest son, John, and Mary (married to John Montgomery ) removed to North Carolina in early life, settling near Fayetteville, and their descendants of several generations are nu- merously scattered throughout the Southern States. The counties of Willcox in Georgia and Alabama, respectively, have taken name from some of these, and the old family Christian names of Thomas and Mark are carefully handed down among the Southern branches of the family. The eldest daughter, Anne, married James White, and a distinguished Governor of Louisiana of that name was her grandson. Her grave and tombstone are in old St. Mary's church- yard on Fourth Street, in Philadelphia, the lettering nearly obliterated by time. John's and Mary's de- scendants embrace many of the best-known names in nearly all the cotton States, and are particularly nu- merous along the Ocmulgee River in Georgia, and in the Carolinas. The original home in Concord, including the large farm and Ivy Mill, descended to the youngest son, Mark, born in Concord in 1743.

Mark Willcox, better known in the community as Judge Willcox for the last thirty years of his life, after an early study of law entered into business with his father for a time, and then removed to Philadelphia, where he became a prominent merchant of that city. The firm (Flahavan & Willcox) consisted of his brother-in-law Thomas Flahavan and himself; and their books, some of which are still preserved, show that they owned several vessels, and traded principally with Wilmington and Newberne, N. C., and with London, Dublin, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. Some of the letters of their letter-book, covering the period of 1783 to 1787, are interesting, and contain valuable materials connected with the history of the time, re- garding not only Philadelphia and vicinity but a number of other places. In one, for instance, of date Philadelphia, March 20, 1786 (per ship " Adolph," Capt. Clarkson, via Amsterdam), they write to their correspondents Messrs. Roquett F. A. Elsires and Brothers Roquett, of Rotterdam, requesting the latter to sell in Europe all or part of six thousand acres of land belonging to the firm, lying above Mount Vernon on the Potomac ; and, subsequently, in letter of date April 21, 1786, they thus enter into a fuller expla- nation of the location and value of the lands :

"Should you not be able to sell, you'll kesp the Papers in your hands belonging to us until you hear from us. We have the pleasing news from a Gentleman who has Lands in the same Neighborhood, & has moved lately 28 Families on them, that the County is settling faster than any other in the States, & he says he makes little doubt of those Lands being soon settled as thick as within 20 Miles of Philadelphia. There is another advantage which they have, that we neglected to men- tion to you in our former Letters, that is, that General Washington'e Lands are in the vicinity of our's, that Virginia has undertaken to clear the Potowmack River, and that the General has the Direction of it, & no doubt as well for his Country's Interest as his own, will forward the

"Upper Glen Mills," erccted 1836.

"Ivy Mills," erected 1729.

" Lower Glen Mille," erected 1845.

WILLCOX'S PAPER MILLS,

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CONCORD TOWNSHIP.

work as fast as possible. Also that a Town ie to be built withio 5 Miles of the Lands hy Order and Permission of Government. You may therefore Insure them as prime Lande and of the First Quality. There is very little doubt but in a little time this will be the first Country in the World. There may be some Objectione Respectiog the Savages, but thie yon may clear up by informing to a Certainty that there are no Savages within a hundred Miles of them, &c., &c.

" With great estsem, " FLAHAVAN & WILLCOX."

The future "town to be built by order of Govern- ment" is the present city of Washington, rapidly be- coming one of the most beautiful capitals of the world. The " savages" are now far enough away.

They were very extensive owners of land, as will appear from the following extract of a letter to the same correspondents, in Rotterdam, dated June 4, 1787 :

"Since then we have Accts. from France to Gentle- men here, who had letters from their Correspondents in Europe, of their contracting with the Farmer Gen- eral for 200,000 acres in the neighbourhood of our Lands, for 200,000 French Crowns, & that the Govern- ment was sending out Settlers. If so no doubt it will add to the value of our Lands. If you could not sell on advantageous terms you had better find out the Gentleman that sold those Lands and send him the papers. Perhaps he may have it in his power to sell ours along with his Own. Or, if you could sell a larger tract, say twenty thousand acres more, that is, if Speculators in Land would rather have a larger Tract, we would have you engage 20 or 30 Thousand Acres more, and shall seud you out all the papers, or deliver them to your Order. We have also Accts. from England of Mr. Vancouver's selling 100 Thou- sand Acres to English settlers who are coming out next Spring, so that that Place will be as thick as any Place in the States. If these Schemes should fail send back the papers as Quick as Possible. You will soon hear if this news of sale to Farmer General is true and you will be able to judge whether a tryal in France will answer." It is also well known that Mark Willcox, following the example of many promi- nent men of means in Philadelphia at that time and long after, committed the mistake of investing in lands in many of the interior counties of Pennsyl- vania, instead of at their very doors. The rapid growth of the city was not foreseen, nor the overleaping by emigration of the mountainous districts of Pennsyl- vania, where they purchased, for the rich and vast valley of the Ohio and Mississippi. The whole tenor of this venerable letter-book shows plainly the great and lasting depression in all business that followed the Revolution. Its foreign correspondence contains many references to public matters transpiring at the time, one of which to the great Convention of '87 shows the feeling of the intelligent portion of the community in regard to it. This letter is of date July 18, 1787 : " We have nothing new to Relate you except that Our Grand Convention, being deputed from the different States, is now sitting here. They have sett

for upwards of six Weeks, and are as Respectable a Body as one ever had to meet on Public Business, as well for their Understanding & Fortunes as for the unbounded Confidence being placed in them by their Constituents. The purport of this Meeting is to see into the Situation of the Foederal Union, mend De- fects, and Strengthen it upon such solid Basis as will give power to Congress as well as many Resources, so that they'll be reputable abroad as well as at Home. In the mean time to guard against the Infringing upon the Liberty of the Subject. This, no doubt, they will be able to Accomplish, as the People are Tired of the Loose Manner in which they have been Governed for Some time."

The last reference to the convention appears in a letter dated Sept. 25, 1787, as follows : " The Conven- tion has broken up, & has recommended us a Code of laws which, if adopted, will make us Happy at Home and Respected abroad, and we have little doubt of their being adopted, as the People are Generally for it. Nor is there any doubt of General Washington being Universally appointed President General, &c."

There are many precious bits of history and histor- ical reference in this old book which should not be lost, and which will become more valuable as time passes and the still fresh tints of recent history fade away.

Mark Willcox's first wife was his partner's sister, Ellen Flahavan ; another sister became the wife of Mathew Carey and the mother of the late Henry C. Carey, of Philadelphia, whose writings on social sci- ence and political economy have given him a world- wide reputation. Among the brothers-in-law an inti- mate friendship always existed, ending only at the death of Mark Willcox, in 1827. The only child of this first marriage, Ellen Willcox, was educated at the only boarding-school in Pennsylvania at that time, the Moravian School at Bethlehem. She married William Jenkins, of Baltimore, Md., and their de- scendants, quite numerous, are among the best-known and most-esteemed citizens of that city. His second wife was Mary Kauffman, daughter of Dr. Theoph- ilus Kauffman, of Strasburg, Germany, who came to Philadelphia long before the Revolution, and who died some years afterwards in Montgomery County, whither he removed away from the "rebels," who had captured the city, and with whose Revolutionary ideas he had no sympathy.

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History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Part 122

Author: Ashmead, Henry Graham, 1838-1920 Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L.H. Everts Number of Pages: 1150

Author: Ashmead, Henry Graham, 1838-1920
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L.H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1150