History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Part 25

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

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The public mind in this country, notwithstanding the present losses, had been aroused to the possibili- ties of manufacturing on a large scale, and the inter- vention of Congress was had in the tariff act of 1816, which imposed a duty of twenty-five per cent. ad val- orem on all cotton cloths for three years, the minimum valuation at the port of exportation being fixed at i twenty-five cents per square yard, which was a spe- cific duty of six and a quarter cents on every yard. The tariff bill, however, was a sliding one, providing for a reduction of twenty per cent. ad valorem at the end of three years, and the same rate was applicable to cotton twist, yarn, or thread, unbleached costing less than sixty cents per pound, and bleached or colored less than seventy-five cents per pound. Delaware County had, as before stated, become largely inter- ested in manufacturing, and then, as now, the people, irrespective of party, were ardent advocates of pro- tection. Public meetings were then held to give ex- pression to this opinion. The first gathering of citi- zens in this county friendly to " Domestic Industry," which I have met with, was held at the Rose Tree Tavern, then kept by Isaac Cochran, on July 3, 1819, of which meeting Maj. William Anderson acted as president, and John Wilson secretary. It was there

" Resolved, That George G. Leiper, William Anderson, Benjamin Pear- sou, Johu Mattson, and John Willcox be a committee to draft articles for the formation of a society in Delaware County, and an address to the citizens to promote the important national object of fostering national industry."

The officers of the meeting were also instructed to publish the proceedings in the Village Record, Down- ingtown Republican, and Philadelphia papers, after which it adjourned to August 14th. If there was any subsequent meeting at the time designated, I have failed to find reference to it in the newspapers of that day.

In Delaware County the majority of cotton- and woolen-factories after the war, most of them hastily built or changed from ancient grist-mills and filled with crude machinery, were compelled to close, while the larger number were sold by the sheriff to meet the outstanding obligations of their owners. Indeed, we are told by John P. Crozer that about 1821 only one cotton-factory in Delaware County was in suc- cessful operation,-that of Wagstaff & Englehorn, and that that firm could continue was mainly due to the fact that the senior member of the firm was a prac- tical cotton-spinner from England.2

In considering that period of our history it should not be overlooked that all Europe as well as the

1 History of Delaware County, p. 353.

2 Life of John P. Crozer, page 51. It is to be regretted that neither Mr. Crozer nor Dennis Kelly, both actively engaged in manufacturing in Delaware County, and hoth familiar with the story of its early strug- glee, have left no extended historical account of that industry, present- ing its birth, growth, aud ultimate establishment as the leading indue- try in Delaware County.

HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

United States had just emerged from war, the long Napoleonic contest which had drained the resources of the Old World's governments to maintain armies in the field and navies on the sea. There, as here, on the cessation of hostilities business enterprises crum- bled under the sudden withdrawal of the governments from the markets as purchasers, and failure followed failure as a rule. But in England, as on the Conti- nent and in the United States, an impetus had been imparted to manufacturing industries which could merely be impeded, not arrested, and in the end its importance to mankind far outweighed the defeat of the great captain at Waterloo.

In the general depression of that period all suf- fered, and no class more severely than owners of real estate. In cases where farms and town-lots were encumbered, in the event of the foreclosure of the mortgages it rarely happened that properties when forced to sale brought more than the charge against them, and, although in Delaware County such sales were not so numerous as in other counties in this State, the rule stated maintained in almost every case.

In manufacturing, the protection offered by the tariff law aided largely in the ultimate success of these enterprises; but of greater importance was the introduction of power-looms, and to that fact more than the tariff should be ascribed the permanent establishment of cotton manufactories as a national industry. In 1826 we find that in Delaware County there were then fourteen woolen-mills, employing 228 hands; twelve cotton factories, employing 415 hands; and one power-loom mill, with 200 looms, employing 120 hands.

Six years afterwards, in 1832, there were eleven cotton-mills, employing 600 hands, and using a total of 19,500 spindles; three cotton-weaving mills, em- ploying 480 hands and 400 power-looms; two cotton- spinning mills, employing 120 hands; and eight woolen-mills, with 350 hands; the entire yearly pro- duction being a total of $950,000. In the documents transmitted to Congress from Pennsylvania in that year, John P. Crozer stated that he had established his mill in 1825, that it was run by water-power, and that the capital invested was fifteen thousand dollars. From the year 1829 to 1830 the business had yielded him no profit, but since that time until he made the report it had been paying an average profit of eight per cent. on the capital invested, and that he annu- ally expended two-fifths of that income in improve- ments. Woolen-mills, he stated, were doing better than that. At his mills the consumption of cotton was three hundred and eighty-three bales a year, and in the article he made there was no competition by foreign goods. At that time his mill gave employ- ment to fifteen men, sixteen women, and twenty chi !- dren, who worked twelve hours daily all the year round. The production of the mill was sold in Phila- delphia to owners of looms on a credit of four months.

If the tariff of twelve and a half cents, as provided in the bill pending before Congress at that time, should become a law, he stated he would be compelled to abandon the business; for although at the time no duties were necessary to protect him against foreign competition, yet the then tariff was not sufficient to absolutely protect him from European sacrifices. Finally, as a general conclusion, he declared that cotton-spinning was a " very uninviting" occupation.

It is unnecessary to continue the narrative of man- ufacturing in this county, as a whole, further at this time. The story of the rise, progress, success, and decay of the various industrial establishments will be given in the histories of the several townships and boroughs wherein such works have been or are located.

Free Public Education .- At the session of the Legislature in 1830-31, the first steps were taken to- wards a general free education of the children of the commonwealth by providing for the levying of a tax to create a school fund. At that time John Lindsay was the representative from Delaware County in the House, and John Kerlin in the Senate. It will be required here to retrace our steps. That Penn's in- tention before coming to his province was to provide for public instruction is evident from the twelfth arti- cle of his frame of government, which declared "that the Governor and Provincial Council shall erect and order all public schools," which declaration is twice repeated by the General Assembly, the last time in 1696. At the second General Assembly, held at Phil- adelphia March 10, 1683, when Penn personally pre- sided, the general laws, chapter cxii., provided,-

" And to the End that Poor as well as Rich may be instructed in good and Commendable learning, Which is to be preferred before Wealth, Be it, &c., Thst all persons in this Province and Territories thereof, having Children, aod all the Guardians or Trustees of Orphans, shall cause such to be instructed in Reading and writing; so that they may be able to read the Scriptures, end to write by that time they attaio to twelve years of age. And that then they be taught some neeful trade or skill, that the poor may work to live, and the rich, if they become poor, may not want. Of which every county court shall take care; And io case such parents, guardians, or overseers, shall be found deficient Io this respoct, every euch parent, guardian, or overseer, shall pay for every sucha Child, five pounds, Except there should appear ao iocapacity in body or naderstanding to hinder it."

This law was abrogated by William and Mary in 1693, but in the laws "made and past" in the same year when Benjamin Fletcher as captain-general of Pennsylvania had superseded Penn's authority the law numbered twenty-five was enacted, entitled "The law about education of youth." It presents the fore- going provisions in the same language, except where it applies to guardians and trustees of orphan chil- dren, and in these cases those having the care of such minors were required to have them taught to read and write, provided the wards had "sufficient estate and ability so to do."1 It nowhere appears in our colo- nial history, so far as I have learned, that public funds

1 Duke of York's Laws, p. 238.

FROM THE SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND TO 1850.

were set apart to pay the costs of educating the youth even in the slight acquirements then deemed essen- tials, but where such information was imparted, the costs of tuition must be discharged by the parent or guardian of the children so taught. By the middle of the last century it had become a practice generally in townships throughout the present county of Dela- ware, to provide schools for the instruction of youths to which the several residents of the neighborhood made voluntary contribution, but the sum so contrib- uted was a contract that could be enforced by process of law. The idea, however, of free public instruction for the children of persons in indifferent circumstances is presented throughout all our State history. The section of the Constitution of 1776 which provided that "a school or schools shall be established in each county by the Legislature for the convenient instruc- tion of youth, with such salaries to the teachers paid by the public as may enable them to instruct youth at low prices," did not bring into existence the free- school system of which we are now so proud, nor did the seventh article of the Constitution of 1790, which directed that " the Legislature shall, as soon as conve- Diently may be, provide by law for the establishment of schools throughout the State, in such manner that the poor may be taught gratis."

As far back in our county annals as 1794 we find Dr. William Martin, of the borough of Chester, in a lengthy article in the Aurora (a Philadelphia paper) for December 31st, urging the establishment of pub- lic seminaries of learning ; but his views were far in advance of the times. On April 4, 1809, the Legis- lature enacted a law-the pauper law, as Thaddeus Stevens termed it-that the children of parents too poor to provide for the education of their offspring out of their own means, could have proper instruc- tion given them at the public cost, and directing how the expenses thereby incurred should be defrayed. The act of April 3, 1831, provided that all money due the State by holders of patented lands, and all fees received by the land-office, should be invested until the interest annually would amount to one hundred thousand dollars, after which time the interest was to be applied to the support of common schools through- out the commonwealth. At the time of the passage of the act of April 1, 1834, about half a million dol- lars had been received from the sources named, and the opponents of the school law of 1834-for they were many and included a large number of the ablest and best men of the State-were clamorous in their denun- ciation of the Legislature for having, as they alleged, violated their plighted faith in providing for the sup- port of the schools by direct taxation instead of wait- ing until the fund set apart in 1831 had accumulated to two millions of dollars, when the interest alone should be applied to the maintenance of the schools. The act of April 1, 1834, however, was submitted to the various townships in Delaware County, when the result showed that fourteen townships were favorable

to the adoption of the law and seven against it. Dr. George Smith at that time was the senator from this district, and Samuel Anderson, representative, both of whom were warm friends of the measure, Dr. Smith being particularly active in advocacy of the bill. The opponents of the law in this county assem- bled Oct. 30, 1834, at the public-house of Isaac Hall, in Nether Providence, and the list of the committee then appointed indicates how strong and influential that opposition was. The meeting was presided over by Benjamin Pearson, and Jonas P. Yarnall was sec- retary. The following resolution was unanimously adopted :

" Resolved, That we disapprove of the law passed at the last session of the Legislature as a system of general education, believing that it is unjust and impolitic. That it was uever intended by our Constitution that the education of those children whose parents are able to educate them should be educated at the public expeuse."

Dr. Joseph Wilson, Joseph Gibson, James S. Peters, George Lewis, and Benjamin Pearson were appointed a committee to draft a memorial to the General As- sembly, which contained a statement that while not disapproving of the clause of the Constitution pro- viding for the education of the poor gratis, yet the law of 1834 was oppressive inasmuch as it "imposed a disproportionate and unreasonable burden on the middle class of the community, who can partake but little of its benefits ;" that the authority of the school directors under its provisions was unlimited, having power to tax the citizens to any extent, and being "responsible to nobody;" that the assessments for State and county purposes were sufficiently oppressive "without any addition to carry into operation an ex- periment of doubtful efficacy." and for these reasons they petitioned for the repeal of the law. Capt. James Serrill and Joseph Bunting were appointed a com- mittee to have the memorial printed, and a committee of sixty-four persons was appointed to circulate printed copies for signatures, which papers were to be returned to the chairman by the first Monday of November following.

In the mean time the friends of the law were not less active, for on Nov. 4, 1834, the school delegates in the various townships, excepting those of Aston and Concord, together with the county commis- sioners, met in the court-house at Chester in ac- cordance with the provisions of the act. George G. Leiper was chairman, and Homer Eachus secretary. The proceedings were not harmonious, but a reso- lution was adopted by a vote of thirteen to nine, providing that two thousand two hundred dollars should be appropriated for school purposes, and a meeting of the citizens at the usual places of election in each township was called to be held in the after- noon of November 20th to ratify or reject the action of the deputies. Those citizens who favored the act also assembled in convention at Hall's Tavern, in Nether Providence, on Nov. 13, 1834, when William Martin acted as president ; J. Walker, Jr., and I. E.

HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Bonsall, vice-presidents; and J. S. White and A. D. Williamson as secretaries. That meeting adopted the following resolution :

" Resolved, That the tax lavied by the Commissionara and Delegates ought to ha extended to honda, mortgages, stocka, etc., in the sama pro- portiou as on real estate, and that in order to raise an additional tax for the support of common achoola, that the directors io the savaral diatricts shall meat aa directed in the Soveuth Saction, and determine whether thera aball ba an additional tax, aud if thay decida in tha affirmative, than the Clark of the Board shall notify the directors, who shall deter- mine the amount and be authorized to lavy and collect such tax ou bouda, mortages and profitabla occupations, as well as real eatata, and the proper officers of the townships constitute a Court of Appeal in casa any person may think himaalf aggrieved in the amount of tax 80 levied by said Directors."

The second resolution indorsed the course of Gov- ernor Wolf in the matter of popular education, as also that of the members of the General Assembly who had voted for the measure, and the third resolution appointed William Amies, Dr. Jesse Young, Spencer McIlvain, Samuel T. Walker, and William Martin to prepare a memorial to be presented to the Legisla- ture. This memorial stated that the signers were " deeply impressed with the importance of a proper system of education by common schools throughout the State. They have examined the last act passed at the last session of the Legislature for that purpose, and are of opinion that the objects contemplated by the law would be greatly promoted by an alteration in the mode for raising the fund necessary to support public schools. So far as the law bears equally on all, they cheerfully acquiesce in it, but some of its provi- sions they deem burdensome and unequal in their operations on a portion of their fellow-citizens. The landed interest, as the law now exists, pays nearly the whole expense of the system, while many that are proper objects of taxation contribute but a very small proportion."

The memorial therefore suggested that bouds, mort- gages, money at interest, and occupations should be taxed, as well as a fixed proportion to be paid by real estate; that such sums as may be necessary, beyond the State appropriation, should be levied by the school directors as a township tax, while the township offi- cers should act as a Board of Redress. The memorial concluded :

" Your memorialists remonstrate against a repeal of the law, and are only desirous that the matter may have your deliberate consideration ; sensible that such amendments will be adopted as you may deem most beneficial and just, tending to equalize the operations of the law, the effects of which will strengthen the system, disseminate knowledge among the people, the only sure means of perpetuating the principles of national Liberty."

Those opposed to the law presented thirty-three petitions to the Legislature, containing one thou- sand and twenty-four names, while those remon- strating against its repeal presented thirteen peti- tions, bearing eight hundred and seventy-three names. It is creditable to Delaware County that the remon-

strants against the repeal of the school law exceeded in numbers almost threefold that from any other county in the State.

James W. Baker, superintendent of the public schools of Delaware County, in his report for the year 1877, presented an interesting and valuable his- tory of education in this county, in which he says, "On the 4th of November, 1834, of the twenty-one districts of the county, eleven accepted the law, viz., Birmingham, Chester, Haverford, Lower Chichester, Marple, Nether Providence, Radnor, Ridley, Upper Darby, and Upper Chichester. In consequence of the obscurity of the law, and the difficulty of putting it in operation, only six accepted it the following year ; but in 1836 all the districts but one accepted the new law enacted that year. The last one joined the others in 1838."1 On the other hand, in the report of James Findlay, secretary of the commonwealth, ou the sub- ject of common schools, submitted to the Legislature and dated March 2, 1835, it is stated that in Delaware County all the school districts had accepted the law, that the State appropriation was one thousand seventy dollars and ninety-three cents, and that two thousand two hundred dollars had been voted to be raised in that county by tax.2

The narrative of the rise and progress of the benefi- cent public school system is from this time part of the story of the several townships, and will be therein related under the proper heading.

On July 4, 1834, the equipped militia of Delaware County, as was usual with those organizations at that time, celebrated Independence Day with a parade, followed by a banquet. On that occasion Gen. Root presided, and at his right hand was a militia colonel, who was called on for a toast. The latter, not having prepared himself, trusted to his genius and the oc- casion to creditably propose a sentiment when the time came, sat a moment in thought, and finally concluded his toast ought to be something of a mili- tary nature. The guests called again upon the colonel before he had fully determined what he would say. In response, he arose and announced in a loud voice, "The military of our country-may they never want-" Here he hesitated,-"may they never want !" He came to a full stop, and looking im- ploringly at Gen. Root, he whispered, "What the devil shall I say next?" " And never be wanted," whispered back the general. " And never be wanted," roared the colonel. The joke was too good to prevent it being related, and at length it found its way into the newspapers of the day, and now it is so popularly known in the country that long since its birthplace was generally forgotten.

The military history of the county, other than that occurring in times of actual war, is brief and of a spasmodic character, usually the ground-swell after

1 Report of Superintendant of Public Instruction for 1877, p. 239.

2 Hazard's Registar of Pannaylvania, vol. xv. p. 194.

FROM THE SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND TO 1850.

the storm of battle had subsided. In our early an- nals, the Swedish settlers and the Dutch were more or less under military organization, as were the English previous to the coming of Penn. In the Duke of York's book of laws considerable space is devoted to ordinances relating to military service, and providing for the maintenance of bodies of soldiers. As early as 1673 the Council at New York directed the enlist- ment of ten or twelve men from settlers on the Dela- ware, and ordered that every sixth man of the inhabi- tants should be summoned to build a fort for the defense of the river. Previous to that date the pre- sumption is that the troops were recruited abroad, and were brought hither in the character of soldiers. James Sandelands, we are told by Dr. Smith, came to the Delaware River settlement as a private under Capt. Carr's command, and was discharged in 1669. In May, 1675, there was a company enlisted, for at a court held at Peter Rambo's in that month, James Sandelands, as a punishment for a "scandalous busi- ness" (he had thrown a drunken Indian out of his tavern at Upland, and injured him so that he died from the effect of his fall), was sentenced to pay a certain sum towards building a new church at " Weck- ahoe," a like sum to the sheriff, and was " put off from being Captain." Hans Junian, who had been lieu- tenant, was made captain, John Prince lieutenant, and Jonas Keen ensign. The new captain and ensign were residents of the present Delaware County.

On Sept. 23, 1675, Capt. John Collyer was by Gov- ernor Andross appointed commander of Delaware River, and he was particularly required to take care that the militia in the several places should be well armed, duly exercised, and kept in order. We know that previous to that date, towards the end of the year 1671, it was ordered, "That every person that can bear arms, from 16 to 60 years of age, be always provided with a convenient proportion of powder and bullets, fit for service and their mutual defense, upon a pen- alty for their neglect herein to be imposed by the commission-officers in command, according to law. That the quantity or proportion of powder and shot to be adjudged competent for each person to be at least one pound of powder and two of bullet."

the State, continued in operation for forty years with- out any definite action being taken by the people to correct its provisions. Under the law of April 9, 1799, the militia of the commonwealth was arranged into regiments. From it we learn that " in the county of Delaware the regiments commanded by Lieut .- Colonel Levis shall be No. 65, and by Lieut .- Colonel Wilcocks, No. 110." Five years previous to the latter act, Jonah Lamplugh was convicted at the January session, 1794, of refusing to discharge the duties of the office of collector of militia fines, to which he had been appointed.

It is unnecessary to recall the incidents of the whis- key insurrection and the war of 1812, related else- where. During the latter struggle, the Delaware County Troop was organized, with Dr. Joseph Wil- son as captain, and it was commanded by Capt. Pear- son Smith when it took part in the ceremonies at the dedication of the Paoli Monument, Sept. 20, 1817. The next year Dr. Wilson again became its captain, and its lieutenants Baker and Cornog, and George Kirk quartermaster.

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History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Part 25

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