USA > Pennsylvania > Chester County > Downingtown > History of Downingtown, Chester County, Pa > Part 5
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turned unopened, was preserved by Mr. Buchanan in a separate envelope from the other papers, and that letter Mr. Curtis prints in his life of Mr. Buchanan. It is touchingly beautiful and word- ed with exceedingly good taste, and the highest appreciation of the unfortunate surroundings of Miss Coleman. It shows con- clusively the bitterness of feeling that existed in the mind of Robert Coleman against the suit of James Buchanan. Miss Auld, to the day of her death, most bitterly regretted her in- voluntary part in this domestic tragedy.
Chapter 4
The First Newspapers-Ann Welch and Her Writings- Downingtown in 1820.
Downingtown, by reason of the enterprise and culture of its inhabitants, attracted to its location men who delighted in the gentle literary delights of peace.
Charles Mowry was born in Litchfield, Providence County, Rhode Island, in 1111. He received a classical education, and came to Pennsylvania about the year 1800 and engaged in teach- ing. In 1808 he began the publication of a newspaper, called the "Temporate Zone," at Downingtown, Chester County. Its title was subsequently changed to the "Downingtown American Republican" at the expiration of one year. As the "Temporate Zone" it was neutral in politics, but under its new title it became Democratic-Republican. Names Democratic-Republican in those days were convertible terms and were both used. that of Repub- lican being oftener used than Democratic to designate its party or its members in opposition to the Federal party. In the issue of the paper of August 3, 1813. the word Downingtown was dropped from the title and it was called the "American Repub- lican," although still published in Downingtown. Charles Mowry continued to publish it until November 28, 1820, when he sold out to William Schultz and William J. Marshall. This firm was in existance but about a month. The interest of Schultz reverted to Mowry, and he and Marshall published it from Janu- ary to June, 1821. under the firm name of William J. Marshall, & Company. Marshall was a practical printer and had learned his trade with Mowry. Mr. Mowry was not a polished but was a vigorous writer, and sustained Governor William Findlay with such force and ingenuity that he was considered the ablest Demo- cratic-Republican editor in the State, and the leaders in his party. insisted on his leaving Downingtown to take charge of a paper at Harrisburg. He acceeded to their request and removed to Harrisburg and became editor of the "Pennsylvania Intelli- gencer," which paper had been previously the "Harrisburg Re- publican." This Harrisburg paper was eventually disposed of
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to General Simon Cameron, who had been associated with him as partner in its management, in order that he (Charles Mowry) might assume the duties of Canal Commissioner, to which he had been appointed by Governor Schultze. During his career Mr. Mowry had become distinguished as a political writer, and exercised a marked influence upon the policy of this party. He died at Harrisburg, July 29, 1838. He married, March 31, 1812, Mary Richmond, daughter of George Richmond, of Sadsbury Township. Chester County, Pennsylvania. She died March 28, 1862, aged 72 years. The Downingtown paper passed into the hands of George Crabbe and George Lauman who published it for a number of years. During the time that Mr. Mowiy was in the printing business at Downingtown he printed a number of publications of which the writer has two or three examples, among them a book entitled "Fruits of Retirement," written by Ann Welch, a member of the Society of Friends, and which book was published in 1816, and from which publication I make the following extracts :
MEMORANDUM
To answer every week in the year 1781.
I. The smiling year begins its circling round ; If thou wilt grant my prayer, gracious Lord ! Let me, like time, thus constantly be found, And to thy glorious present make my will accord
II. All things in sober sadness do appear, Except in vain man, who always should be so: Who driveth in folly's wild career, Regardless of the coming day of woc.
III. Our Maker, when he first did man create, He sober was, as we may well suppose ; And our Redeemer, when he took man's state, Ile serious was, beneath a load of woes.
IV.
Tho' he was truth and innocence and never knew a crime Yet when he took our wretched state it sunk him low ; Ile was never known to smile at any time.
But tears they often from his eyes did flow.
V.
Gram me, O Lord! a sober state of mind, That I may waiting in thy truth appear ; And so I may thy loving kindness find. For to preserve me from temptation clear.
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VI.
:
Mankind was placed in this world to be, Their Maker's favorite, and him to glorify; But mark how different the event we see,- Most try for to exceed in sin and vanity.
VII.
How long, O Lord! will truth be banish'd from the land, And righteousness no more regarded be?
How long will sinners thy pure laws withstand, And lose their souls by not regarding thee ?
VIII.
How pure thy laws, to them that doth attend On thee who art the only sinner's friend.
Thou wilt lead their souls unto thy crystal fountain, And when they are wash'd will set them on thy mountain.
IX
Thou art the chiefest good, thy beauty doth excel For nothing lovely is compar'd to thee :
Blessed are those that in thy bosom dwell, In full fruition of eternity.
X.
The fullness of thy springs doth still supply the poor, That cry to thee in time of great distress ; And grace doth open to their souls a door, And sweetly calls their troubled minds to rest.
XI
The plant of thy own hand doth set deep root in thee, In trouble and distress, thou art the only stay ; And thou suppliest its tenderness, and sets't it wholly free, Thou art their only trust and hope from day to day.
XII.
How great thy glorious name, and worthy of all praise ;- O, teach my soul thy mercies to adore : As I may sing the mercies of thy grace .- And follow on to know thee more and more.
XIII.
My life is sure with thee, whatever ills attend, Tho' death do seem to threaten very near : Thou art to me a faithful constant friend, And bears't my soul above the thoughts of fear.
XIV.
To thy all glorious will, let me resigned be, Whatever trials may on life attend : Thy power o'er all and that can set me free. And in all trouble thou wilt comfort lend.
XV.
Tho' dreadful rocks, and lofty mountains rise, To stop my progress to the promis'd land ;
:
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Thy grace, O Lord, will me alone suffice, And in thy strength and power I must stand.
XVI.
O, give me faith, that I may look to thee, And in thy word I shall true comfort find ; In true obedience do thou humble me. Then shail I find that happy peace of mind.
XVII
Which far surpasseth all this world can give, With all its fading pomp and vanity ; To be with thee, and in thy house to live. Where all thy servants shall rewarded be.
XVIII.
With thy great love, which ever doth endure, And as the master is, so shall they all be pure; Which happiness thou doth for them provide, Which doth exceed all other joys beside.
This was that happy prince and prophet's choice. When he requested favor at thy hand; 'Twas in thy house of glory to rejoice, And in thy presence with acceptance stand ;
Which thou hast purchas'd by our Saviour's death, Thy only son, whom thou for man did give ; In him we live, from him receive our vital breath, And by his death, salvation do receive.
XXI.
Well might they sing and raise their voices high, For their great master he did condescend ; With his eternal Father's fiat to comply, To raise mankind to be the angel's friend.
XXII.
To bring them unto paradise again, Which Adam lost, by breaking thy command : Tho' Eden's garden has been sought in vain. The Angel there with flaming sword will stand,
XXIII.
To guard the entrance of that lovely place. Where all the pleasures in this world did meet : All flowers there did bud and bloom, but grace, And that alone would make it most complete.
XXIV.
Four rivers from this source here gently rose, Which winding round this garden took their way, That to four countries wealth and trade bestow, And sep'rate sent their streams unto the sea.
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XXV.
The first was pison, silver streams so fair, Which compasseth Havilah, wealthy land ;
Where other gold and precious diamonds do appear, And other nations do with wealth command.
XXVI.
The second beautious Gihon nam'd,
Which deep through Ethiopia took its way;
In Afric's land, by the black people fam'd,
Its commerce to those nations doth convey.
XXVII.
The fourth Uphrates, lofty stream doth roll. Through many nations with his silver wave;
Whose lovely murmurs calm the troubled soul. The greatest river that those countries have.
XXVIII.
The gentle streams which from those rivers flow'd, Which watered Eden's charming groves and bowers,
Where our first mother happily bestow'd Her time while innocent in rearing flowers.
XXIX.
The beauteous rose, in tints original green, here, Unlike to those which our dull gardens wear ; For they did bloom and blossom all the year. With twining jessamine and spotless lilies fair.
All lovely plants in every country nam'd. Grew with perfection in those charming bowers; The Hesperides' gardens once so loudly fam'd. Could not compare with those delightful flowers.
XXXL.
Tall cedars there in comely order grew, Like those which afterward Lebanon did adorn :
Likewise the trees of life and knowledge too. . Whose tempting fruit caus'd poor mankind to mourn.
XXXII.
Is there no power this darkness to remove,- The long lost joys of Eden to restore? Or raise our views to happier seats above. Where fear, and pain, and death shall be no more?
XXXIII.
Yes. those there are, who know a Saviour's love. The long lost joys of Eden can restore : And raise their views to happier seats above, Where fear, and pain, and death shall be no more.
This is all that the authoress prints in her book. She evidently supposes that the thirty-three stanzas can be used for the fifty-two weeks in the year.
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MEDITATIONS IN MEETING. March 23d, 1806.
I was led to consider that text in Scripture where it is said, "The Lord is my preserver ; the Lord is my defender and my guardian God," -and I thought if he was my preserver, I need fear no evil ; for he was the Almighty King, both in Heaven and earth. If he was my defender, I need fear no evil; for his power was over both Men and Devils; and none should be ever able to place me out of his hand. And if he was my Guardian God, what have I to fear? for the child's guardian preserves it from snares and tempta- tions, if it is in his power. Now my guardian is all powerful. The child's guardian likewise secures its estate for it-so doth my gracious Saviour se- cure my estate for me, until I am of age to heir it-for it is safe with him in his Heavenly City," where moth nor rust cannot corrupt, or thieves brake through and steal." This was wrote the day that Jesse Haines was at Meeting.
AX ELEGY
On the death of Patience Barton, who died the 14th of January, 1785. Speak my sad muse in pensive numbers tell, And mourniul notes ; now take thy sad farewell, And grant the small tribute of a parting tear Unto the memory of thy friend so dear : Thy much lamented friend, who in great grief did go,
And bitter pangs unto the shades below ;
And left her helpless babe, to mourn with tears,
Her dreadful loss throughout its infant years :
Her husband, too, with hopeless grief bewails,
The deep distress which in his house prevails.
My mournful friend, thy loss is great indeed ; Too great 1 fear to be repair'd with speed : For thou hast lost thy kind and constant mate,
And like the true dove, art left to mourn thy fate.
The tender mother and thy loving wife .-
Thy faithful friend, through all the ills of life ; By death's cold hand is torn from thy embrace; How sudden and surprising was the case ;- When, with the doctor, he return'd that night,-
Alas, her eyes were closed. no more to see the light ; And in remembrance to her much loved shade,
We may suppose, he this sad lamentation made : Awake, my dear: O! take a view and see The deep distress of poor dejected me- See what I suffer by the loss of thee ! And then farewell, thou bosom friend of mine ; It grieves my heart, that I'm no longer thine. Let other men feel something of my woe, That they may tell just what I undergo. O! my dejected friend, thy grief is just ; But to the Lord's decree resign we must. Those virtues that made her endear'd below, Did from the fountain of perfection flow. To that immense sea, those streams do all return, Whilst we their loss on earth are left to mourn. In deep distress her soul was called away, But now, perhaps she smiles in endless day. Then let this thought relieve thy heart from pain, That thy great loss, is her eternal gain.
.
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IN MEMORY OF JANE HUNT, WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE 6TH MO. 18TH, 1807. Alas, the fatal moment came, That call'd my friend away ; I hope she has arrived at home, And cross'd that narrow sea.
That narrow sea of death divides This glorious land from ours ; O'er which the soul triumphant rides, Exulting in her powers.
When Angel bands convey The stranger to the bar, To hear what the great judge will say, And meet its sentence there.
The judge in robes array'd, Of pure resplendent grace, Will meet the fair, the bloodwash'd soul, With smiles upon his face.
The body lifeless lies, Within the silent tomb, Until the Archangel rend the sky, And shout the prisoner home.
When Gabriel's trump shall sound, And bid the dead arise ; Awake ye nations, under ground,- Ye saints ascend the skies.
Although she was cut off in bloom, Ere life's mid-stage was run ; Yet dare we not presume,- But her day's work was done.
For patient and resign'd she was To her great Master's will; Although by sickness long confin'd, She never murmur'd still.
About her future state. She thoughtful did appear ; And to her friends was very kind, As now is proved clear.
No doubt she is at rest, And has obtained the prize; But with her husband and her friends, We truly sympathize.
IN THE MEMORY OF THE REV. JOSHUA VAUGHAN,
Who departed this life, August 30th. 1808, in the 55th year of his age. Alas. he is gone; his active spirits fled ; His body's laid in dust among the silent dead : His journey, in his Master's cause is o'er,
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And safe arrived on the Heavenly shore. No more opprest with sickness, loss of sight and grief, His Heavenly Master now does grant relief. Sure Jesus whom his faithful soul ador'd, Whose praise employ'd his tongue, whose mercy he implor'd, Did not forsake his servant in distress, But cloth'd his soul with his own righteousness.
That spotless robe by sovereign mercy made,
In which, when drest, he need not be afraid. To meet that Judge, who fills the middle throne,
Who for his sins most freely did atone. His name he preached-his name he highly praised.
And in his name he journey'd and baptiz'd.
How many souls as seals, there doth remain,
To shew he glorified in the Lamb once slain. Bold was he in his Master's quarrels, and, Very undaunted to his Lord's command. Nor fear'd the face of man: directing all, Right in the way that leads out of the fall; Open and free to every thirsty lamb, Unspotted, pure, in doctrine without blame. No doubt he is at rest, and has gain'd the prize ; But with his widow and his friends, we truly sympathize
Her darling son is gone. that was her chief delight ; In grieving for his death, her husband lost his sight.
Who will her comfort be, in life's declining stage ? And who will her support. and cheer her drooping age ? But God, the widow's friend, has promised faithfully,
That to the widow in distress, he will each want supply This satisfied me; down I threw my quill
ยท Willing to be resign'd to God's pure will.
Thomas S. Ingram was one of the old residents of Down- ingtown, and to his daughter he gave much recollections, as are embodied in the following article, which was published some years ago in the columns of the "Downingtown Archive." I give it herewith in full, so as to convey to the reader a panorama of the village twenty years after the beginning of the last cen- tury :
DOWNINGTOWN IN 1820.
A crisp, cheery morning in October, the sun above the hill- side floods the little hamlet with brightness.
William Frame, the genial host at the John Downing Inn (now the John Fox Home). is all activity and thoughtfulness, incident upon the arrival of the U. S. mail coach.
Far down the Lancaster Pike, far as the eve can reach, it may be seen, with its double span of perfect horses and its proud jehu awakening the echoes of the valley with the ringing notes of the bugle horn. and his steeds well in hand, drawing near, every horse at his best as they take the clean stretch of level valley road, and with a proud flourish draw up at the inn.
Hostlers to their work, and in a twinkling, while mail is
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changed and passengers refreshed, other spans are harnessed, and with their driver are speeding on their way through the vil- lage. On the north side, as they pass after leaving the inn, can be seen the store of Jesse Meredith, now the home of the Martin sisters ; near by the Dr. Fairlamb home, now owned and occu- pied by John P. Edge, M. D. A side glance on the south side would show you (now the home of Mrs. George Brown) Captain Lowry's cigar establishment, and in close proximity to it an old log house, occupied by people of color.
Confining our glances to this south side, we would next see the house owned by Malachi Parke, and now known and recog- nized as the home of William Torbert.
Joshua Hoopes, at the Boarding School, is the nearest neigh- bor the Parke's have, and the fine stone building is at present the home of the Misses Thomas.
We must not fail to notice the Samuel Hoopes store, on the north side of the street and a little east of the Hoopes Boarding School. It is now the home of Mrs. Dennison and daughters, and is adjacent to a saddler shop and malt house. Adjoining that is the Samuel Downing's widow's property, now occupied by A. P. Tutton.
The Whelen home is next, and is now that of Edward Down- ing, while near by, and over whose fireside Mrs. M. A. Heins now presides, is the home of Richard Downing's widow.
The present modest home of the Downingtown Library is a store.
You can notice in passing the spacious home of William Downing, owned by Shelmire's, with its old, noisy, rumbling mill contiguous.
While there glance across the street you will see a brick house belonging to John F. Parke, occupied by Jacob Downing, now the site of "The Heilbron." Near it, where the Presbyterian Church stands, is an old log house, belonging to the Parke estate, and is next to what is known as the Half-Way House, kept and owned by Daniel and Joseph Fondersmith.
The home of Thomas Parke, now that of Austin Bieking, is almost opposite the inviting home of Richard Downing, grand- father of our present townspeople, Thomas Downing and Louisa Miller. It is occupied by Judson Armor at this writing and sev- eral families.
The business interests of the place are represented in an old cooper shop, standing where the carriage bazaar now is-a one- story stone building used for making flour barrels. Opposite the Swan Hotel (kept by Jesse Evans), at the corner of the Forge Road and Lancaster Pike, is the shoemaker shop of Hunter
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Rettew. Richard Webster is in business on the same corner.
The horseshoeing business is controlled by Benjamin Fell, in the same blasksmith shop as is at present under the manage- ment of George Jones.
The old homestead of William W. Downing is a little to the north at this point. and is near to a palatial log house, used as a store, kept by the Valentine Sisters. John Weldin's under- taking establishment is located thereabouts. The home of Joseph Downing, grandfather of our present Burgess, is the next desirable location, and is vet seen and known as the home of Mrs. Louisa Miller.
After passing the Swan Hotel on the south side, we can stop at the store of Joseph Hunt, built in what we would term the corner at the Race.
To the south of it William Brown enjoyed harmless com- petition in the same line, in the same place as the Bicking stores now stand.
The very old stone house near by, with the Fulling mill and saw mill, bring us, with the mention of the old log house on the north, to the Brandywine Bridge, in an entire, careful and com- plete survey of the East Ward in 1820.
Cross the bridge, winding our way westward, we will see the home of the Misses Reese, then that of their grandmother. Next is the house built by Jesse Evans, now the Miller property. We can stop at the old stone house built by George Edge, now enlarged and modernized by Mrs. Thomas C. Hoopes ; then, deviating slightly south, notice the double stone house on Via- duct avenue, now owned by John B. Criswell.
After that. west again, to the Thomas Edge home, now the abode of our townsman, William H. Wells. Its nearest neigh- bor on the south side of the street is an old log house, where, sheltered by an oak of "the forest primeval," it was the privi- lege of the writer to dwell, while on the north side, where the Samuel Black property is, the Sides' and Roberts' stores and the Masonic Hall, can be counted five houses, stone and frame, occupied by different families.
This village with its forty-two buildings was the Downing- town of 1820, not girded by iron bands on the south side. not in railroad communication with the north ; no churches with their spires pointing in mute eloquence to Heaven.
No inviting hostelries with their broad verandas and well- shaded lawns, no mercantile establishments, with their free de- liveries : no whistling, screaming steam mills, no iron foundries, no graded schools, no paved, electric-lighted streets ; no tasteful cottage homes, no real estate offices. no building associations, no fire companies, no publishing houses, no Justices of the Peace,
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no constables, no lawsuits, just a peaceful settlement of good, quiet Quakers, who attended Divine service in their Quaker meeting house home and heard Jesse Kersey expound the way to "deal justly, love mercy and walk humbly."
MARY SALKELD INGRAM.
1892.
Chapter 5
The Friends and Education-Joshua Hoopes-The Penn- sylvania Lyceum-The School of the Misses Thomas-Jesse Kersey
Proud, in his history of Pennsylvania, published in 1797, says : "The Friends were so careful in the education of their chil- dren and youth that there were none of them brought up without a competency of useful and plain learning." Clarkson, though not a member of the Society of Friends, writing in 1806, speaks thus of Friends in America : "It may also be mentioned as a sec- ond trait that they possessed extraordinary knowledge. Every Quaker boy or girl who comes into the world must, however poor, if the Discipline of the Society be kept up, receive an edu- cation. All therefore who are born in the Society must be able to read and write. Thus the keys of knowledge are put into their hands. Hence we find them attaining a superior literal and his- torical knowledge of the Scriptures, superior knowledge of human nature, and a knowledge that sets them above many of the super- stitions of those in their own rank in life. If, as a body, Friends have not been distinguished for their liberal learning, it can be truthfully said that it has scarcely ever been possible to find an illiterate member of their Society. Their general policy leading them to prefer an universally educated many to a highly-edu- cated few."
By the time the common school system was agitated in Pennsylvania many Friends had established many schools, which schools were under the control of Meetings of Friends. They regarded it as onerous that they should be taxed to support the common school system, when they had already established a suf- ficient number of schools in their several communities. This was the cry of the conservative against the progressive. A few years ago the writer conversed with men, then living in Downingtown, who in their early life had opposed the building of railroads, because they alleged that the price of horses would go down so low that they would not be worth their keep, and that farming products would be so diminished in price that agriculture in the eastern counties of Pennsylvania would cease to be profitable.
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These good Friends did not feel the pulsation or the vibration of progressive America. It is always difficult either to measure the past by the present or measure the present as developing in the same manner as the past.
Joshua Hoopes opened "Downingtown Boarding School for Boys" in 181;, and continued his school prosperously and suc- cessfully until 1834,when he removed to West Chester and estab- lished "Hoopes Boarding School for Boys," which he conducted until 1862. Joshua Hoopes was well known to the writer. He was an excellent teacher, and one of the most profound scientists of the day. He was more than six feet in stature and exceedingly active and energetic and thought nothing of taking his boys upon a tramp of thirty or forty miles in a single day. He was a life- long and consistent member of the Society of Friends, and at the time of his death in West Chester, sat "at the head of the Meeting." As I have heretofore stated, the Society of Friends generally were opposed to the beginning of a common school system in Pennsylvania. Of course, there were some notable exceptions in the organization, and in 1835 in Philadelphia, a Lyceum of Teachers was organized, of which Josiah Holbrook was a prominent member. On the 18th day of August, 1835, a number of teachers and friends of education met in the Court House at West chester, at 10 o'clock, agreeable to public notice. Mr. John Beck was called to the chair and Mr. John Simmons appointed secretary.
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