History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Part 80

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

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Rev. Joseph Walker, who succeeded Mr. Moore, was a native of Delaware County, having been born in Lower Chichester in 1787. In 1822 he was licensed to preach, and in 1824 became the pastor of the church at Marcus Hook, continuing there twenty- four years, during which period he frequently preached at Birmingham. In 1848 he became the pastor of the latter church, and continued there until 1863, when he resigned, his seventy-six years having brought with them the infirmities of age. On Feb. 10, 1870, the present and third church, on the same site, was dedicated, and not quite three weeks there- after the aged pastor, Mr. Walker, having completed, excepting two weeks, his eighty-third year of life, died in Alleghany City.

The sixth pastor was Rev. Jesse B. Williams, who was ordained in 1866, and remained in charge of the Brandywine Church until 1869, when he was suc- ceeded by the seventh pastor, Rev. Isaac M. Halde- man. The latter was a native of Concordville, Dela- ware Co., and was twenty-six years old in 1871, when installed pastor of the Brandywine Church. Just previous to his taking charge of the congregation the old stone building was torn down and the present edifice erected. It was dedicated Thursday, Feb. 10, 1870, and on that occasion, it appearing that two thousand dollars was still due for work and materials, Samuel A. Crozer offered to discharge five hundred dol- lars of it, if the remaining fifteen hundred dollars could be collected. This was done and the church freed from debt. Mr. Haldeman's pastorate was eminently successful, and the church thrived under his care as it had never done before. In April, 1875, he resigned to accept a charge in Wilmington, Del., and was fol- lowed by Rev. John Reader, who continued there from May, 1877, until the following April, when he resigned. In May, 1878, Rev. Alexander MacAuthor, a graduate of Crozer Theological Seminary in that year, was ordained, but resigning in the following February, the present and tenth pastor, Rev. J. Wes- ley Sullivan, also a graduate of Crozer Theological Seminary, was installed in June, 1880, and is now in the fourth year of a successful pastorate. Before dismissing the account of the Brandywine Baptist Church, it is proper to recall Robert Frame, who, dying Feb. 20, 1871, in the seventy-eight years of

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BIRMINGHAM TOWNSHIP.

life which had been allotted to him, could remember the three sanctuaries, the old log, the first stone, and subsequently the preseut, third and imposing, struc- ture, and, perhaps, to no man is the Brandywine Baptist Church more indebted than to Robert Frame, Delaware County was erected, stood the ancient his- toric Birmingham Friends' meeting-house. The old battle-scarred building, in the division of the town- ship, fell to the lot of Chester County. However, as Friends in Lower Birmingham for over a hundred who through life labored to advance its interest and ! and fifty years have assembled in the structure to well-being. commune together in religious exercises, I will briefly The adherents to the forms and rituals of the Church of England, until within a year, had no house of worship in Birmingham ; but it must not be supposed that there were no earnest Episcopalians in that township. Ralph Pyle was an ardent church- man, and by his will, dated Jan. 1, 1739, provision was made for three sermons to be preached on three certain days in each year at Concord parish, by a minister of the Church of England. touch on its history. The first house, which was of cedar logs, was erected in 1722, on grounds given by Elizabeth Webb for that purpose, and the burial-lot was inclosed with a post-and-rail fence. About 1763 the oldest part of the present stone meeting-house was built, and the old log house used as a stable. Subse- quently an addition was made to the stone building on the east end. Tradition states that the stone walls surrounding the burial-ground, in the battle of Bran- dywine, were used by the American riflemen, and the dark spots on the oaken floor are said to have been made by the blood of wounded soldiers, the building having been used as a hospital for nearly a week, or until the British army marched to the Boot Tavern. In the old "God's Acre" surrounding the building for many years, in digging fresh graves, relics of the slain in that battle were disinterred. As late as 1828 a writer,1 in describing a visit to the old meeting-house and battle-field, says,-

St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church .- Ser- vices according to the ritual of the Episcopal Church were had at Chad's Ford from time to time, the first consecutive services having been held by Rev. J. Coupland, rector of St. John's Church, Concord, which were continued during the rectorship of Rev. H. B. Dean. The congregation assembled in the school-house and at private houses. St. John's par- ish being without a rector, until the election of the present incumbent, Rev. J. J. Sleeper, services were necessarily discontinued, but on the latter being in- stalled rector, a determined movement was made to locate a permanent church organization at Chad's Ford. J. M. Baker entered earnestly into the move- ment, and the result was that funds were collected justifying the erection of a church edifice. A lot was secured from John Arment, and on June 11, 1883, the corner-stone was laid by Rev. W. H. Graff, of Phila- delphia, assisted by Rev. John Bolton, of West Chester, and Rev. J. J. Sleeper, rector of St. John's parish. On May 1, 1884, St. Luke's Church was opened for divine service, the rector of St. John's parish officiating, assisted by Rev. Messrs. Henry Brum, William H. Graff, William M. Jefferis, John Bolton, Richardson Graham, H. Greenfield Schow, and George C. Moore. At the conclusion of the ser- vices, as a testimonial to Rev. J. J. Sleeper for his untiring efforts to establish the church at Chad's Ford, a costly gold watch was presented to him. On May 12, 1884, the church was organized by Rev. Jo- seph J. Sleeper, rector of St. John's parish, the first vestrymen being Frank Graff, Frank Tempest, Dr. H. Hayward, L. S. Williamson, W. William Ring, J. T. Brittingham, and George K. Barney. Mr. William- son was elected accounting warden. After the board of vestrymen organized, Rev. Joseph J. Sleeper was elected rector, and J. M. Baker treasurer of the build- ing fund. Frank Graff was appointed rector's warden by Mr. Sleeper. The church is an ornate frame struc- ture, located a short distance northwest from the rail- road station at Chad's Ford.

Friends' Meeting-House .- In the old township of Birmingham, before its dismemberment at the time

" You may be shown a gold coin of the olden time which some Hes- sian private had concealed, with several of its fellows, in the cue of his hair, and which may have recently been disinterred with his mouldering remains, or you may visit the Birmingham graveyard, and as you see the sexton turning up, some two feet below the surface, the bones of a British soldier, with fragments of his red coat still retaining its color, his stock-buckle, pocket-glass, flints, and buttons (stamped with the number of his regimeat), contrast the peaceful scenes which now sur- round you and the peaceful tenets of the religious society worshiping in the humble tabernacle near with that terrible day when mighty armies here met in conflict, this spot echoed back the tempest of war, shook with the thunder of artillery, and was literally drenched with the blood of the slain."

Tradition asserts that a young man named Percy, supposed to be a relative of the Duke of Northumber- land, was killed near the meeting-house. "When he had arrived with the regiment he accompanied, in sight of the Americans ranged in order of battle upon the heights near Birmingham meeting-house, he sur- veyed the field around him for a moment, and then turning to his servant, handed him his purse and his gold watch to take charge of, remarking, 'This place I saw in a dream before I left England, and I know I shall fall here.' The coincident was striking and re- markable; the event verified the prediction. His name is not mentioned in the British official account of the battle, because he held no commission in the army. He was merely a volunteer." Gideon D. Scull, writing from Rugby, England, Feb. 5, 1880, says, respecting this alleged incident of the battle,-

" TO THE EDITOR OF THE DELAWARE COUNTY REPUBLICAN :

"The recent revival in some of your papers of the old popular belief that Earl Percy, or some near relative of that name, was killed at the Battle of Brandywine, has no foundation whatever in fact. Lossing also asserts that he never was present even in that engagement.

1 Hazard's " Register of Pennsylvania," vol. i. p. 365.

318

HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

" Earl Percy succeeded his father in 1786, but was summoned to Par- liament in 1777, as Baron Percy. He married, in 1764, Lady Anne Stu- art, 3d daughter of the Earl of Bute, by whom he had no issue, and from whom he was divorced by act of Parliament in 1779.

" In the register of Westminster Abbey the following entry duly at- teste his burial there :

"' 1817. July 19. The most noble Hugh Percy, Duke and Earl of Northumberland, Earl and Baron Percy, Baron Lucy, &c., &c., (died) at Northumberland House, Strand, July 10th, aged 75. (Buried) in the Northumberland vault in St. Nicholas Chapel.'

" Earl Percy's father was Hugh Smithson, 2d con of Sir Hugh, who was 3d Baronet of Stanwick, county of York. Hugh Smithson suc- ceeded to his father's title and estates in 1749-50, and married Lady Eliza- beth Seymour, whose father was Charles Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset (known as the proud Duke of Somerset), and who wee, in 1749, created Earl of Northumberland, he having married Lady Elizabeth Percy, ouly daughter of Joseline, 11th Earl of Percy, who died in 1670, at the age of twenty-six, withont male issue. Sir Hugh Smithson assumed the name of Percy, and was created, in 1766, Earl Percy and Duke of Northumber- land. He was succeeded by his 2d con in 1786, who died in 1817, and was buried, as before mentioned, in Westminster Abbey.

" A glance at the Percy pedigree in Burke's ' Peerage' is sufficient to convince any one thet Earl Percy (of 1777) could not possibly have had any male relatives of his name who could have been present at the battle of Brandywine in 1777. There were, however, several children of the Duke's (Earl Percy's father) who were recognized as his illegitimate offspring by different mothers, two of whom were buried in Westminster Abbey, in the South Cross. They were named Philadelphia Bod Dorothy Percy. The former died in 1791 and the latter in 1794.

"They had a half brother James Macie, who some years after as- sumed his father's name of Smithson, and who died in Genoa, Italy, in 1826, and is the same person who left his fortune, which was large, to found the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, D. C. He commences his will thus, 'I, James Smithson, son of Hugh, first Duke of Northum- berland, and Elizabeth, heiress of the Hungerfords of Audley, and niece of Charles, the Proud Duke of Somerset.' So that this James Smithson wae well born both on bis father's and on his mother's side.

" The Proud Duke of Somerset received this sobriquet on account of hie intolerable pride. After his wife's death he agaio married, and it is recorded that on one occasion his new spouse, who was also of high birth, placed her hand upon his shoulder. Thereupon he drew himself up in & haughty manner and said, ' Madam ! my first wife was a Percy, and ebe never dared to take that liberty.' He was also fond of remarking that he really pitied Adam, 'for he had no ancestors.'

" After reading Judge Futhey'e communication, one feels inclined to think that there must have been some foundation for the various state- ments and traditions current in the neighborhood of the battle-field, coming down, as they have done, from the life of such respected and truth-telling old Friends as he cites, and it is not at all improbable than an illegitimate son of the Duke of Northumberland was wounded and died and was buried on the battle-ground. But supposing there was such a one, his name need not necessarily be looked for amongst the British list of dead, under the name either of Percy or Smithson, for many of different names claimed paternity of Earl Percy's father."

Mills .- The story of the Brandywine in reference to the industrial establishments located along that creek, as well as those on its tributary streams in Del- aware County, is interesting. In attempting to relate it, I propose to begin at the Delaware State line, and follow the creek up to where the line dividing Chester and Delaware Counties intersects with that stream. Beaver Creek empties into the Brandywine just south of the circular line, and there, partly located in Del- aware County and partly in the State of Delaware, is the grist-mill of Marshall Brinton. "The Beaver Valley Mills" at one time were owned by Thomas Gibson, a practical millwright, who, in 1808, sold them to John Farra, who repaired or rebuilt the mills. At the latter's death the estate was sold to Lewis Smith, and he subsequently conveyed the mills to Marshall Brinton, who enlarged the building by addition of an

upper story and put in improved machinery. The mills are now owned by Joseph Brinton. Following Beaver Creek, near the highway leading to Smith's bridge, was a woolen-factory, built in 1817 by John Farra, who leased it to La Forrest brothers, but in 1824 it was burned, and remained as the flames had left it until 1830, when it was rebuilt on part of the old walls as a paper-mill. As such it was occupied by William and John Gilmore for a year, when Farra took possession, and manufactured paper therein until his death, in June, 1832. He was succeeded by his son, Daniel. On May 15, 1851, the paper-mill in its turn was destroyed by fire. The property then passed into the ownership of Frank Tempest, who rebuilt the mill and added to the machinery an engine, so that either water or steam-power could be used. Still following the east branch of Beaver Creek, on the same highway, near Tempest's mill, in 1809, Peter Hatton built a fulling-mill, and in 1817 he erected a woolen-factory, wherein were manufactured flannels, satinets, cloth, etc. The fulling-mill has gone to de- cay, but the factory is still standing, now idle for the purpose it was built, the water which formerly fur- nished it power being now used to assist in driving the machinery in Tempest's paper-mill, both mills now being owned by the Tempest family. In 1826 the two mills were supplied with water by the same race. The machinery consists of one pair of stocker and two carding engines. The business was carried on by his sons, Samuel and Gideon Hatton. In 1843 the Hat- ton mill was owned by Philip Hizer, and the dam there was washed away in the flood of that year. In the bend of Beaver Creek, just beyond the circular line, in the State of Delaware, was the woolen-factory built in 1825 by Charles Dupont, and operated by Lewis Sacriste, but the structure was washed entirely away in the flood of Aug. 5, 1843. Farther along its east branch, in close proximity to the line of Concord township, is located the old Green saw-mill. It was built shortly after the beginning of this century, and subsequently became the property of Reece Perkins, who owned it in 1843 at the time of the flood; after- wards it was owned by Daniel Farra, Jr., then by Samuel Talley, and now by William Hinkson. On the west branch of Beaver Creek, according to the map of Dr. Joshua Ash, in 1848, there was an axe- mill,-edge-tool works,-owned by William Morrison. I have no information respecting this establishment.

Returning to the Brandywine, just below the Dela- ware State line is Smith's bridge, which was built on piers in 1816, and in 1822 was swept away in a freshet. It was rebuilt, to be again carried off by the water in 1839. At the side of where the single-arched bridge now stands is a ford, which is occasionally used to this day. Following the creek above Smith's bridge, in the bend of the stream, is Willis' or Corner Ford. On the day of the battle of Brandywine, Gen. Arm- strong's lines extended to that point for the purpose of preventing the English troops from crossing there.

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BIRMINGHAM TOWNSHIP.

As we proceeded in the abrupt bend of the creek to the south, near where Twaddell's old paper-mill stands, at the beginning of this century was a saw-mill, which has long ago disappeared. Previous to 1777, William Twaddell became the owner of the estate, comprising all the neck of land, and here he erected iron-works in connection with the saw-mill. In 1780 he was in Aston, and in that year called himself a "forge- master," and registered three slaves as his property. At that time he doubtless was working the old forge at Rockdale. It is by tradition asserted that when the American army lay encamped at Chad's Ford, Twaddell bargained with a number of deserting militiamen to dig a race for him, extending from above Pyle's Ford to his saw-mill, situated nearly three-quarters of a mile below. When the race was about finished, Twaddell, in apparent alarm, came running to where the men were working, shouting out, "The British ! the British !" whereupon the de- serters hastily decamped without waiting to be paid for the job. The iron-works were erected subsequent to 1780. The distance which Twaddell had to cart the ore before and the iron after smelting induced him to change the works into powder-mills in 1807, which were known as the "Cannon Powder-Mills," and as such they continued until 1831, at which time he had two powder-mills and four drying-houses, when they were again changed into paper-mills.

It is alleged that on several occasions there were explosions at the mills while powder was made there, but in no instance was any person injured. Just above Twaddell's dam, which crossed the Brandywine obliquely, Thomas Gibson had a saw-mill on the west side of the creek, the dam of the latter being at right angles to the stream. Even now, when the water is low and clear, the race can be traced down to where Gibson's saw-mill stood. Long years ago the mill was struck by lightning, the building destroyed, and the sawyer killed. Half a mile above Pyle's Ford is the Twin or Barney bridge, at John B. Barney's farm, from which circumstance the bridge is frequently called by his name. The term Twin was applied to it because while one span crosses the creek the other spans the meadow at Barney's, which was done by the commissioners on the score of economy, believing the bridge over the land would cost less than to fill the eastern approach with earth.

An interesting event happened in April, 1880, at John B. Barney's residence, when his son, accompanied by his bride from New York, visited the old homestead. It was the ninetieth anniversary of the birth of Mrs. Barney, and on that occasion a bottle of wine that had been recovered from the wreck of the British sloop-of- war "Mercury,"1 which was sunk in the North River, seven miles above New York, in 1777, was opened. When taken from the wreck the bottle was full of

wine and almost imbedded in oysters. In 1822 it was opened when John B. Barney was named, and had been sealed anew to be again opened nearly sixty years thereafter.

The bridge of the Baltimore Central Railroad, be- low Chad's Ford, was built in 1859. In forming the embankment for this bridge, in September, 1859, the skeleton of a soldier was found, together with the brass belt-buckle and leather buttons of his uniform, the latter indicating that it was the remains of an English soldier. A bullet-the one which had de- prived him of life-was found among his rib bones. At the east of the bridge stood Chads' mill, heretofore mentioned, the remains of which were discovered in 1860, when Caleb Brinton, Jr., built the present mer- chant-mill at that point. Previous to that time Brin- ton had built a large frame building for a merchant-, flour-, and saw-mill on Dix's Run, above the Dela- ware County line. There he conducted business for some time, but the water-power being insufficient, he moved the machinery to the larger building he erected on the site of Chads' old mill. Following the creek a short distance below the county bridge at Chad's Ford is the mouth of Harvey's Run. The first mills on this stream were those erected by Benjamin Ring some years previous to the Revolution, and comprised grist-, fulling-, and saw-mills. The mills subsequently became the property of Eli Harvey, and in time that of his son, Joseph P. Harvey, and are now part of the estate owned by Joseph Turner. The old mills have disappeared-were torn down by Turner to erect in their place a large grist- and merchant-mill. Still fol- lowing the east branch of Harvey's Run, about a mile east of Chad's Ford, was a saw-mill, said to have been erected by one of the Butcher family about the beginning of this century. In March, 1819, it is re- corded that Benjamin Hampton, the sawyer at this mill, while running through a large poplar log, heard the saw strike against an unusually hard substance, which he found to be a forty-four-pound cannon-ball, completely imbedded in the wood so as to leave no external mark. It was a relic of the battle, the tree having been cut just back of the grove, on the west side of the creek, where the British artillery was stationed. The old solid shot, however, absolutely destroyed the teeth of the saw. This mill disappeared sixty years ago, but the property was purchased in 1842 by Job Pyle, who set up a saw-mill there to cut the tim- ber felled on the farm. Pyle sold the estate to Thomas Brinton, who repaired the mill, and also put in buhrs to grind feed.

Retracing our steps to the west branch of Har- vey's Run, immediately opposite and some distance up the road, where Chalkley Harvey's house stood, was in the olden times a corn-mill, while some dis- tance farther up the road was an oil-mill for grind- ing linseed. The place where the mill stood can still be traced by the indentations in the bank on the north side of the road.

1 Is not there some error in the name? Was not the vessel the "Hussar," and did she not sink in the East, not the North, River?

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE FOR BIRMINGHAM.

Thomas Newlin. Ang. 19, 1791

Joseph Brinton 1 .May

20,1800

Matthias Kerlin. July

4, 1808

Thomas Pierce .. Feb.

5, 1814

Joseph Brinton, reappointed. Feb.

3, 1820

Joseph Fox ..

Dec.

4, 1823

1 Briston seems to have conducted himself in his office is such a man- ner that complaint was made to the Senate and House of Representa- tives. In the journal of the latter bedy for Jan. 11, 1816, from the report of the committee it appears that Brinton had been charged with demand- ing and receiving illegal fees, altering his docket by interlining without the knowledge of one of the parties to the snit, to the injury of the lat- ter ; refusing to furnish transcript of his docket when demanded and legal fee tendered for such transcript, fining persons for the violation of laws unknown to the people of the commonwealth, demanding and receiving the coat from a man's back to satisfy coste, and on one occasion it seems he commanded a person brought before him on a writ to go down on his koees and ask his (the justice's) pardon, which the man did. The House and Senate, on Jan. 16, 1816, adopted the following address :

"To SIMON SNYDER, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

"The Senate and House of Representatives of the said Common- wealth represent :

" That it has been proved to our satisfaction that Joseph Brinton, a Justice of the Peace, residing in the County of Delaware, ought not to be continued as such. Therefore we request that Joseph Brinton be removed from said office."

The address having been forwarded to the Governor, the latter, on March 19, 1816, sent the following message to both Houses of the Legis- lature:

" A supersedeas under the great deal of the State has issued, predi- cated upon, and carrying into effect the address of the Legislature for the removal of Jeseph Briaton, Esq., late Justice of the Peace in and for the County of Delaware.

" SIMON SNYDER."

The following is the supersedeas and the sheriff's return, as appears of record in the recorder's office, at Media :

"PENNSYLVANIA, 88. ] " In the name & by the Authority of the Com- monwealth of Penn., Simea Snyder, Governor of

Simon Snyder. the said Commonwealth, To Joseph Brinton, of Seal. J the County of Delaware, sends greeting.

" Whereas by a commission under the hand of my predecessor, the late Governor Mckean, and thegreat seal of the state, dated at Lancaster the 20th day of May, in the year One thousand Eight hundred, you, the said Joseph Brinton, were appointed a justice of the peace in and for the district numbered two, composed of the township of Concord, Aston, Birmingham, Upper Chichester, Thornbury, & Bethel, in the Connty of Del. And, whereas, by an address te me from both houses of the Leg- islature for the reasons therein contained, it is recommended and requested that you may be removed from the said office.

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History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Part 80

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