USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Nanticoke > History of Hanover Township : including Sugar Notch, Ashley, and Nanticoke boroughs : and also a history of Wyoming Valley, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania > Part 8
USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Ashley > History of Hanover Township : including Sugar Notch, Ashley, and Nanticoke boroughs : and also a history of Wyoming Valley, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania > Part 8
USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Sugar Notch > History of Hanover Township : including Sugar Notch, Ashley, and Nanticoke boroughs : and also a history of Wyoming Valley, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania > Part 8
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"IIth. The Directors of each town shall make out and exhibit to their first quarterly meeting, a list in the ratable estate and polls of the inhabitants of each town, and such quarterly meetings shall have power to assess the inhabitants for defraying public expenses, as also to enforce the assessment made in each particular town, if need be.
" 12th. The law regulating the militia of this colony shall be particularly attended to by the Directors of the respective towns, and the general regulations thereof, as the particular circumstances of the people require, shall be in the power of such general quarterly meeting."
Then follows a solemn pledge that they will all abide faithfully by the above regulations, or any other they may make until they are made a part of a county, or a county themselves, or a colony, by the proper authority. Persons were appointed Directors in each of the townships to attend to this matter at once; and "For the township of Hanover, Captain Lazarus Stewart, William Stewart and John Franklin," were appointed.
This would seem to be a purely republican-democratic govern- ment, limited only by a few articles in a voluntary agreement between private parties, for their mutual protection and government. But then these were Yankees, and the Yankees seem always to have taken law, (as well as other matters) with them wherever they went, if there was none there when they got there.
In 1774 the General Assembly of Connecticut passed an Act erecting all the territory within her charter limits from the river Delaware, to a line fifteen miles west of the Susquehanna into a town, with all the corporate powers of other towns in the colony of Connecticut, to be called Westmoreland, attaching it to the county of Litchfield. This most desirable event was hailed by the people of Wyoming with unbounded satisfaction. Venerating law, they
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HISTORY OF HANOVER.
now felt that it pervaded the settlement with a holier sanction than their own mere agreement, or the resolutions of the Susque- hanna Company could impart. A sense of security existed, a feel- ing of confidence ensued which gave force to contracts, encouraged industry and stimulated enterprise.
Now we should take notice that this town differed from a town- ship. There were several townships within this town. The town- ship had power to make needful rules and by-laws for their interior regulation, the establishment of roads, the care or disposal of vacant lots, and other matters entirely local. One would now think the powers of the townships of those days pretty large.
A town-meeting after this when "legally warned," called together all the freemen of all the townships or settlements, from the Delaware to fifteen miles west of the Susquehanna, north to "Tioga Point"-now Athens.
Now, let us take a view of a town-meeting, the first one ever called in the town of Westmoreland. Notice what a pure democ- racy was here. Did these people, under allegiance, as they were, to a king, know what they were doing ?
"At a town-meeting legally warned and held for Westmoreland, March ye Ist, 1774, for choosing town officers, etc., Zebulon Butler, Esquire, was chosen Moderator for the work of the day. Major Ezkiel Pierce was chosen town clerk.
"March ye Ist, 1774. Voted that this meeting is adjourned until to-morrow morning at eight of ye clock in ye forenoon.
"March ye 2nd, 1774, this meeting is opened and held by ad- journment. Voted that ye town of Westmoreland be divided in the following manner into districts-that is to say :- That ye town of Wilkes-Barre be one entire district, and known by the name of Wilkes-Barre District. And that ye town of Hanover, and all the land south of Wilkes-Barre, and west on the Susque- hanna river, and east on the Lehigh, be one district by the name of Hanover District. And that Plymouth with all ye land west of Susquehanna river," (The town of Westmoreland extended fifteen miles west of the Susquehanna river.) "south and west to the town line, be one district, by the name of Plymouth District. And that Kingston with ye land west to the town line, be one district, by ye name of Kingston District. And that Pittston be one district, by
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ye name of Pittston District. And that Exeter, Providence, and all the land west and north to ye town line be one district by ye name of ye North District. . And that Lackaway settlement, and Blooming Grove, and Sheolah, be one district, and to be called by ye name of ye Lackaway District." (This last was mostly on the Lackawaxen River, now in Pike county.) "And that Coshutunk, and all ye settlement on Delaware, be one district, and joined to ye other districts, and known by ye name of ye East District."
SELECT MEN.
"Christopher Avery, Nathaniel Landon, Samuel Ransom, Isaac Tripp, Esqr., Caleb Bates, Lazarus Stewart, Silas Parke, were chosen Select Men for the year ensuing. Isaac Tripp, Esqr., refused to accept; John Jenkins was chosen Select Man in ye room of Esqr. Tripp. Captain Stewart refused to accept. Rosewell Franklin was chosen Select Man in ye room of Captain Stewart.
TOWN TREASURER.
"Zebulon Butler, Esqr., was chosen Town Treasurer.
CONSTABLES AND COLLECTORS OF RATES.
. "Asa Stevens, Timothy Smith, Jonathan Haskel, Asaph Whit- tlesey, Noah 'Adams, Phineas Clark, William Smith, were chosen Constables and Collectors of Rates.
SURVEYORS OF HIGHWAYS.
"Anderson Dana, Daniel Gore, Elisha Swift, Thomas Stoddart, Jonathan Parker, Isaac Baldwin, Thomas Bennett, Perrin Ross, Rufus Lawrence, Samuel Ransom, Zavan Tracy, Elisha Witter, John Ainsley, William Hibbard, James Lastley, John Dewitt, John Jenkins, Jr., Aaron Thomas, Anthony Chimer, Abraham Russ, Benjamin Vancampin, Benjamin Harvey, were chosen Surveyors of Highways.
FENCE VIEWERS.
"John Abbott, William Warner, Ezekiel Pierce, William Buck, Nathan Denison, Esqr., Thomas Stoddart, Frederick Eveland, John Baker, Charles Gaylord, Samuel Slaughter, Abraham Harding, Captain Parrish, John Jamison, John Gardner, were chosen Fence Viewers for ye year ensuing.
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HISTORY OF HANOVER.
LEATHER SEALERS.
"Elisha Swift, Ebenezer Hibbard, and Captain Silas Parke, were chosen Leather Sealers for ye year ensuing.
LISTERS. [Assessors ?]
"Anderson Dana, Daniel Gore, Elisha Swift, Eliphalet Follet, Perrin Ross, Nathan Wade, Jeremiah Blanchard, Zavan Tracy, Uriah Chapman, Gideon Baldwin, Silas Gore, Moses Thomas, . Emanuel Consawler, John Jenkins and Phineas Clark were chosen Listers for ye year ensuing.
GRAND JURORS.
"Jabez Sill, James Stark, William Buck, Elias Church, Phineas Nash, Thomas Heath, Barnabas Cary, Lemuel Harding, Hezekiah Bingham, John Franklin, Timothy Keys, were chosen Grand Jurors ye year ensuing.
TYTHING MEN.
"Philip Weeks, Elihu Williams, Luke Swetland, Justice Gaylord, James Brown, Isaac Parrish, Timothy Hopkins, were chosen Tyth- ing Men.
SEALERS OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
"Jabez Sill, Captain Obadiah Gore, Captain Silas Parke, Captain Lazarus Stewart, were chosen Sealers of Weights and Measures.
KEY KEEPERS .*
"Daniel Gore, Jabez Fish, Timothy Pierce, Uriah Stevens, Thomas Heath, Jeremiah Blanchard, Jonathan Haskel, Zipron Hibbard, were chosen Key Keepers.
"Thus was the town organized by the designation of one hundred officers."-Miner.
In April a second town-meeting was held. Two hundred and six persons took the Freeman's oath, as required by law. A tax was laid of one penny in the pound, "to purchase ammunition for the town's use, and other necessaries." "Pounds" were ordered built,
*The duties of the Key Keeper were to hold the keys of the fort or block-house, the church, the school-house, and the pound.
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WYOMING.
and others already. built were declared lawful. Roads heretofore established were declared lawful, and the taxes were to be used upon them.
A "Town Sign Post" was established-a tree on the river bank at Wilkes-Barre. A legal sign post was a weighty matter in those days. Newspapers were not published in the town then, of course, and yet there had to be some method of advertising legal papers, sales by the sheriff, administrations, public notices, meetings legally warned, advertising strays, and a hundred other things; but this is hint enough what that sign post was for. It was the place for holding town-meetings, elections, the public hall for conducting the public business. Township town-meetings were held in a house. But that same post was for another purpose also. It was the "Whipping Post." And a pair of "stocks" was provided there at that post also, for the punishment of the guilty, and as a warning to deter from crime.
No one of the present age remembers when any such punish- ments were inflicted, for they were long since abolished. "They were monuments of civilization brought over from England by our ancestors when they first came over, and were not considered use- less for the prevention of crime for at least a hundred and fifty years."-Miner. .
An enumeration of the number of inhabitants in Westmoreland was made this year, 1774. The number was 1,922. Of these there were in Hanover probably about 210 or 215.
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CHAPTER V.
1774, CONTINUED.
N these town-meetings, every freeman, or person who had taken the freeman's oath, had the right to vote. The voters came from all the different townships or districts, and it will be seen that some had to come fifty miles or more through the wilderness, where there were in those early days only foot-paths. In the autumn of 1774, a committee was appointed in town-meeting to mark out a road from the Delaware River to the Susquehanna, so we may be quite certain that up to this time no road existed from any direction into Wyoming Valley, but only paths. The river was, of course, a public highway, as it has always been.
The last thing done in town-meeting this year, was to appoint a school committee; two persons from each township or "District." No matter what happened these people never forgot to provide for schooling their children. Three whole rights of four hundred acres each-twelve hundred acres of land-were set aside for the ministry and schools in each township.
At this time there were not more than two hundred and fifteen inhabitants in Hanover township. The next year there were a little over two thousand in the whole of Westmoreland all told, and they were much the most numerous in Wilkes-Barre and Kingston.
On April 19, 1775, the battle of Lexington was fought with the British soldiers in Massachusetts, and on the 17th of June the battle of Bunker's Hill. The people of Westmoreland in town-meeting legally warned August Ist, 1775, "Voted that this town does now vote that they will strictly observe and follow ye rules and regula- tions of ye Honorable Continental Congress, now sitting at Philadelphia."
"Resolved, by this town that they are willing to make any accommodations with the Pennsylvania party that shall conduce
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to ye best good of ye whole, not infringing on the property of any person, and come in common cause of liberty in ye defense of America, and that we will amicably give them ye offer of joining ye proposals as soon as may be."
They desired to adjourn their quarrels with the Pennsylvanians until the continent had settled with the English. But the Pennsyl- vanians would not.
This was before the Declaration of Independence. There was no place within the thirteen colonies where more patriotic zeal was displayed in favor of freedom from the tyranny of the British gov- ernment than Westmoreland. They were a reading people and greedily devoured the contents of such newspapers as the new immigrants brought into the settlements. They were passed round and neighbor would read to neighbor, so that no one was unin- formed of what was taking place in the outside world.
It had now been some four years since the first "Pennamite and Yankee War" had ended, and the settlements were growing larger, and better houses, and better farming implements, and better farms were had, and peace seemed to reign secure. , But now, on the eve of a war with England, another Pennsylvania invasion was planned, to be led by one Colonel Wm. Plunket. Excitement prevailed on both sides, it is said; it certainly did here. Early in December, 1775, Colonel Plunket took up his line of march from Northumberland along the Susquehanna river, with five hundred men well armed and equipped, and with cannon and stores in boats, under orders from the Proprietary government to destroy the settlements and drive off the Connecticut settlers from the Wyoming country. Of the settlers who had taken the freeman's oath the whole number in Westmoreland was but two hundred and eighty-five, and of these several came from the Lackawaxen settlement, more than forty miles east of Wyoming.
The young men from fifteen to twenty-one rallied with spirit on the occasion. There were not fire-arms enough in the settlements to arm them all-they numbered about three hundred-so scythes were fastened on handles as straight as possible; the boys that carried these called them "the end of time." Rude spears also were made for close quarters, if they should come to that. This was the second Pennamite and Yankee War.
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HISTORY OF HANOVER.
Colonel Plunket arrived with his forces at the western opening of the Valley, just below and across the river from Nanticoke, at the mouth of Harvey's Creek, on the 23d of December. A few rods above the creek the Yankees had thrown up a rude breastwork of stones and dirt. The next day, the 24th, Plunket attacked the breastwork, and was defeated. There was some loss of life on both sides, but Plunket retreated and was not followed up by the Yankees. Up to this time the winter had been very open and there was no ice in the river. After the attack on the breastwork, Plunket sent a boat loaded with men, across the river and up above the falls, to go up the river far enough to cross over again and get in the rear of the Yankees, but the Yankees, who had expected such a manœuvre, had placed a small party (20 men) at the proper point above the falls to intercept them, and at the proper moment they fired upon the boat. They killed one and wounded several others. The men in the boat lay down, and begged the Yankees to cease firing and let them steer their boat down the falls; for they knew that unless the boat was properly steered down it would capsize and be sure death for all of them. The Yankees consented, and they passed down safely. And so ended the expedition of Colonel Plunket. This last the writer heard told by an eye-witness, a boy of fifteen at the time, who drove an ox-cart loaded with provisions, from Wilkes-Barre down on the Hanover side of the river, and arrived there in time to see this boat, and hear the party in it beg for life.
While this was going on, the Connecticut Assembly resolved not to make any more settlements at Wyoming. But settlers con- tinued to come. And so ended 1775. And, now comes in the memorable year that marks the birth of a new nation; one destined probably to excel all others in numbers, wealth, discovery, invention, learning, and national progress, (unless corruption ruins us).
According to the most reliable estimates and calculations, there were about two thousand five hundred inhabitants in the whole town of Westmoreland in 1776, contained in seven townships includ- ing the one at Lackawaxen and the one on the Delaware, and the one on the Lackawanna (Providence). How many then did Han- over, and its district contain? Wilkes-Barre and Kingston being the most thickly settled, it is probable that the other townships did
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WYOMING.
not contain more than three hundred inhabitants each, if so many, and of these not more than sixty were adult men, old and young, in each township.
In an assessment made in 1774, corrected for 1775, the whole of Westmoreland is assessed at forty-three thousand six hundred and ten dollars-as reduced from the pounds, shillings and pence of the old Connecticut currency of six shillings to the dollar. The sum assessed as the value of property in Wilkes-Barre in this assessment, was twelve thousand one hundred and fifty-three dollars and thirty- four cents. This was considerably more than one-fourth of the whole. If the same proportion held good in inhabitants as in property, then Wilkes-Barre had about six hundred and twenty-five inhabitants, Kingston about the same, and each of the other town- ships an average of about two hundred and fifty each; and this was probably very near the truth of the matter.
It must be remembered that there was almost no business carried on except farming. That was the business, and such trades as were necessarily connected with it, such as blacksmiths, coopers, wheel- wrights, etc., and all buying and selling was by barter. Every man took his pay "in kind," and kept his accounts in pounds, shillings and pence. The only dollars known in those days were Spanish dollars .* The same Spanish dollars with fractional currency in Spanish silver coin, continued in use in the United States until 1853, when Congress concluded that we could coin a currency for our- selves, and passed an act that had the effect of retiring those Spanish coins.
In 1776 at a town-meeting held in Westmoreland in March, " Voted that the first man that shall make fifty weight of good salt- peter in this town, shall be entitled to a bounty of ten pounds, lawful money; to be paid out of the town treasury." A subsidy! So-they wished to encourage the manufacture of salt-peter! It was too far and too dangerous in this frontier settlement in time of war, sur- rounded by lurking, hostile savages, to carry powder for so long a distance, or to have to depend upon that method of getting it, or even
- *Before the revolutionary war ended, Congress had authorized the issue of many millions of a legal tender paper currency in dollars, and called Continental Currency. It became almost valueless in about three years; five and six hundred dollars of it being worth, or exchangeable, for one silver dollar.
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HISTORY OF HANOVER.
to carry salt-peter so far, if they had had the means of buying it, and so they made their own. It is well to be able to make every- thing we want, even if it costs a little more, so that in case of necessity we can be independent of any outside supply. It may not in all cases be the cheapest to buy where one can get it the cheapest. "Circumstances alter cases."
This was not an idle offer of a bounty, that was not intended nor expected to produce any result. It produced the result desired, and salt-peter was made here, and powder made at home in their own settlements, and nothing but sulphur had to be brought from abroad. Who knows but they would have made that also if a bounty had been offered. They could probably have made it from our coal. Hereafter the manufacture of salt-peter will be described.
At the same town-meeting: "Voted, that the Selectmen be directed to dispose of the grain now in the hands of the Treasurer, or Collector, in such way as to obtain powder and lead to the value of forty pounds lawful money, if they can do the same." From this, one can plainly see that there was no money of any account among the settlers, and their taxes were paid "in kind." And from the above it would appear that Selectmen were officers similar to our present county commissioners, but that they were subject to orders from town meetings.
At a town-meeting held in August, 1776, "Voted as the opinion of this meeting that it now becomes necessary for the inhabitants of this town to erect suitable forts as a defense against our common enemy." Sites were fixed upon for the forts in Pittston, Wilkes- Barre, Hanover and Plymouth. And there was adopted the follow- ing vote :- "That the above said committee,-(a committee elected to attend to the locating and planning of the forts,)-do recommend it to the people to proceed forthwith in building said forts without either fee or reward from ye town." And they were so built by the poor settlers of the different townships. It is to be hoped the patriot- ism of the present is not inferior to that of the past.
Independence declared, the Indians that still lived in the valley began to be impudent and insolent, and to demand provisions and liquor with an air of authority and expressions implying threats of vengeance if refused. Matters growing worse and worse, and look- ing so threatening for the people of this far frontier; Congress being
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WYOMING.
fully informed of the situation of Westmoreland and its needs, in August, 1776, "Resolved that two companies on the Continental establishment, be raised in the town of Westmoreland, and stationed in proper places for the defense of the inhabitants of said town and parts adjacent."
They were to serve wherever ordered, and serve during the war unless sooner discharged by Congress. In less than sixty days both companies were full, numbering eighty-four men each, all able- bodied men. They had to furnish their own arms, and all the best arms in the settlements were taken by them. They were enlisted to defend Westmoreland, but the disasters to Washington's army in New York, and the retreat across New Jersey from post to post, and crossing the Delaware into Pennsylvania, with troops dispirited, almost naked and barefooted in December, Congress resolved December 12th, 1776, "That the two companies raised in the town of Westmoreland be ordered to join General Washington with all possible expedition." . And on the same day adjourned from Phila- delphia to meet on the 20th at Baltimore.
Thus were our "boys" raised for the defense of our own homes from the savage Indians and tories, armed by ourselves, with our best and nearly all, our arms, taken away with these our arms, and kept away until after the massacre at Wyoming in 1778!
The town of Westmoreland was this year, 1776, erected into a county, and the county seat fixed at Wilkes-Barre.
1777. Throughout the year 1777 schools engaged the greatest attention. They levied an extra penny in the pound for free schools. Each township was established a legal school district, with power to rent the lands "sequestered by the Susquehanna Company therein for the use of schools, and also receive of the school committee appointed by their town, their part of the county money, according to their respective rates."-Miner.
"Surrounded by mountains, by a wide spreading wilderness, and by dreary wastes, shut out from all the usual sources of in- formation, a people so inquisitive could not live in those exciting times without the news. Fortunately an old, torn, smoke-dried paper has fallen into our possession, which shows that the people of Wyoming established a post to Hartford, to go once a fortnight and bring on the papers. A Mr. Prince Bryant was engaged as
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HISTORY OF HANOVER.
post rider for nine months. More than fifty subscribers remain to the paper, which evidently must have been more numerous, as it is torn in the center. The sums given varied from one to two dollars each. Payment for the newspapers was, of course, a separate matter. It may well be questioned whether there is another instance in the States, of a few settlers, especially as those at Wyoming were situated, establishing at their own expense, a post to bring them the newspapers from a distance of two hundred and fifty miles!" -Miner.
During the summer active measures were in progress to place the settlements in the best posture of defense the circumstances would admit. By detachments the people worked on the several forts, built upon a larger scale, and with greater strength, but in the same manner as those of Forts Wyoming and Durkee in Wilkes-Barre, That is, by large logs fifteen or eighteen feet long, and from one to two feet in diameter, set upright or on end in a trench four feet deep in the ground, closely, side by side.
The one in Wilkes-Barre was on the Public Square on the south side of where the court house now stands, and inclosed about a half an acre of ground.
"The venerable Major Eleazer Blackman says: 'I was then a boy of about thirteen, but was called on to work in the fortifications. With spade and pick I could not do much, but I could drive oxen and haul logs.' Every sinew from childhood to old age was thus put in requisition."-Miner.
The young and active men were employed upon scouting parties to guard the inhabitants from being surprised, and to bring intelligence of occurrences up the river, in the direction of the Indian towns, and the British at Niagara. Some portion of the militia was constantly on duty. It was necessary, as most of the able-bodied men were away with the army, and these settlements so exposed. The old men formed themselves into companies and per- formed duty in the forts. These companies of ancient men were called Reformadoes. Where the block-house thus built in Hanover stood is not now certainly known; nor the commander of the Re- formadoes; but it is probable it was somewhere near, but below the Hanover basin; and that Jonathan Fitch, the sheriff of the county; commanded the Reformadoes.
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