History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 34

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Evans, Samuel, 1823-1908, joint author
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1320

USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 34

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Slaves in Colonial Times .- From a list of negroes taken from an old account-book at Windsor were the names of " Philadelphia Jim," " Lonnon Boat-swain," "Black Bill," "Cooba," "Quash." These were Guinea negro slaves, some of them bought from other parties, others from shipboard, who were employed about the forges and also in farming operations. I have heard my father tell anecdotes he had heard of their ignor. ance of civilized life, such as " Eat grass in de tiel"' when salad was set before them. The first generation of these negroes got their names apparently from the accident of where they were first gotten, or from their occupation, thus, " Philadelphia Jim," "Slave Boat- swain," " Negro Mig" ( Mingo), or they were pre- fixes indicating their employment ; but the succeed- ing generation got the classic names of Greece or Rome. In my early childhood I remember old ne- groes bearing the names of " Pompey," "Caesar," "Cato," 'and "Scipio." No doubt the taste or au- thority of the master decided the name, while the females who presided in domestic matters got the names immortalized by the English poets in their addresses to their mistresses, such as " Cloe," " Phyf- lis," " Priseilla," " Clarissa," or " Diana," and the

visions brought up of one of these names in that day, instead of a sylvan beauty, was that of a comfortable old negro cook or a stout washerwoman.

By the laws of Pennsylvania there was gradual other property-are all out of the name at this time. emancipation. The children of these slaves served until they were twenty-eight, and their children were born free, but were generally bound in the families to whom their parents belonged until eighteen or twenty- one. Every family of any size had at least two, and the routine of domestic life moved along much more smoothly than at the present time. These slaves, as a class, were a people of extremely courteous manners, and many anecdotes could be told of their pride of station in the families to whom they belonged.1

The Bangor School-House .- The village school was under the auspices of the Bangor Church, the church-wardens being trustees of it. They first put up a log school-house, and afterwards erected a large and substantial stone building. It was located in the centre of the village, and divided from the ground of Bangor Church by a little street running north. The school-house was set about the depth of a lot back from the main street. This side street seemed to have been opened for the sake of access to a fine spring of water which tlowed in that neighborhood, and was convenient to the school.

About sixty or, perhaps, seventy years ago Mr. Jacobs purchased the house now in the occupancy of Mr. Coxe, and determined he would make a hotel of it. Objection was made by the inhabitants, as there was a large and good hotel at the eastern end of the village, which was considered sufficient for the needs of the place, and when Mr. Jacobs gave out that he wanted the school-house and its property for the use of the hotel, his offer for it was indignantly refused. But he had determined he would have it, and at once began to build on his lot, adjoining the school-house, a large barn and stabling for horses, so close that the wall abutted on the eastern wall of the school-house, and the windows had to be taken out to be filled in with stone and mortar; the school, of course, had to be given up while the building was going on, and when opened again it was found the light bad been destroyed, nor could the lives of children be endangered by their proximity to horses, and, worse, their morals, from the loose class of men who are apt to hang around tavern-stables. The village felt a great wrong had been put upon it, the more so, as the school-house had been used by the Methodist Church as a place for holding worship, and Mr. Jacobs found he must make some amends. This property of Pool extended up to the extreme western

1 As an Illustration of the character of " Quash," I will tell on aner. dote which, although almost too personal, is too good a story to be lost. One day " Quash" met the Rev. Levi Bull, of whose church he was a member, who said to him, " Well, Quash, how d'ye do ?" " Very bud, inister, wid de rheumaisz." " Ah, I'm sorry to hear you are suffering, Quash." " I mus look for it, master, in my old days, for de rheumatiz run in de Jenkins' blood."

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CAERNARVON TOWNSHIP.

limit of Churchtown, where a road led down to the lower Windsor Forge. From this he cut off' a depth of lots for building purposes fronting the great road, and below them, facing the road that ran to Windsor Forge, laid off a small plot of ground on which he built a school-house similar to the one he had spoiled, and appropriated the Bangor school-house to the use of his hotel as a granary, thus securing the use of the ! church and school property as an outlet for his hotel. Whether the trustees of Bangor deeded the property to him I do not know, or on what tenure Mr. Coxe holds it.

ments. In the early part of the present century Dr. John McCamant became the physician of Caernarvon. He was a man of skill and success in his profession, but towards the latter part of his life turned his at- tention a good deal to politics ; served in the State Senate; removed to Pottsville late in life, where he died. Two of his sons now serve in official capacity in the State service.

Of the families of the early incomers whose names are on the list of those who contributed to the estab- lishment of the Episcopal Church, I can hardly give any history. The Davies family had a representa- tive in late years in Edward Davies, Esq., who re- sided in Churchtown and was a man of much in- fluence. He was engaged in mercantile life, but represented our county in Congress, and was a prin- cipal supporter of the Episcopal Church. He left a

attracted by the visions of wealth to be made in the great West, migrated, and are scattered here and there throughout the extent of it. Sometimes the okdl Welsh name turns up in some aspirant to political honors or in some high professional career. When the report of the gold found in Mr. Suter's mill-race struck the ear of the North, California got its propor- tion of seekers after it from Caernarvon. Few to bring back the shining dust, and some, alas, to close their lives in a miner's desolate hut, while the last vision of the glazing eye, most probably, was some home- scene of their dear old native Caernarvon.

The fine farms of Caernarvon settlement have for many years been gradually passing into the hands of Germans. Of the settlers whose farms lay on the northern bank of the Conestoga, running from Wind- sor to Morgantown, with one exception all are owned by Germans. The Nicholas Huttson farm, above Windsor, is now owned by a German, so also is the Beach Spring, formerly owned by Robert Jenkins. The George Jenkins mill property is now Wertzler's mill. The John Jenkins property is now occupied by Martin Bickam and owned by Count Dupont, of

Paris, France. The David Jenkins farm was sold to Peter Carpenter (Zimmerman), and the Joseph Jen- kins place to -- Caufman. . Joseph Jenkins' family were intermarried with the Morgans, of Morgantown, his wife being a Morgan and his daughter, Rachel, marrying Francis Morgan. This farm approached the borders of Morgantown.

Caernarvon Presbyterian Church,-As the Jen- kins family, who owned Windsor, were Presbyterians, and desired a place for worship and the burial of their dead, they, with the descendants of Mr. David Jen- kins living in Churchtown, laid off a site for the pur- pose, this was on a portion of land of the Windsor estate lying at the eastern end of the village. On this was erected, by the help of others, a neat house

Physicians .- The earliest knowledge I have of physicians in Caernarvon was of Dr. Edward Hand, son of Gen. Hand, of Revolutionary fame. He was said to be a young man of more than ordinary attain- " of worship, situated in the centre of the graveyard, which was planted with evergreens and shrubbery. Here repose the remains of the deceased of the family of the last century.

The Methodists .- In the beginning of the een- tury, when Methodism became a power in the land, with its system of itinerant ministry reaching to every family with its earnest zeal, most of the people fell away hom the Episcopal and joined the Metho- dist Church, -notably so the large and influential family of the Evans.

The Methodists of the early times of their church, being served by the itinerating system, held circuit stations for worship in private houses, and for several years service was held at the house of James Nott, one of the principal forge-men of Windsor place, and Mrs. Jenkins always opened her house to the entertain- ment of the clergy. In this way came to be their guest

family, most of them deceased, one is now the wife ' the Rev. John Summerfield, a very distinguished of Judge Strong. English Methodist clergyman, who was making a

Many of the sons of other old families, when grown, | tour of America. Wherever he preached thousands hung enraptured on his eloquence; and so pleasant an impression did he make in his private intercourse with the family that the remark was made that his eloquence was not excelled by the graces of his high social culture. Mr. Jenkins always gave great en- couragement to the Methodist Church on his place, and some of the workmen were among the best and most influential members of the church. He some- times gave them the privilege of holding camp-meet- ing on his timber-land on the Welsh Mountain.

After some years a church was built, and a few years ago, this not meeting their wants, a location was selected on the southern side of the village, the site once a part of the Windsor estate, on which a beau- tiful house of worship has been erected. Standing at the church-door the lovely landscape that greets the eye is not often looked upon. A well-located ceme- tery lies on the northern side of the street, opposite the church. The congregation now have the minis- trations of a clergyman resident among them.

Schools .- As nothing but the elementary branches were taught in the village school, there at length was felt a need for higher education, and an effort made

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HISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY.

to supply it. An academy was built in 1854, on the ground belonging to the Caernarvon Presbyterian Church. James E. Giffin was the first principal. Ile was succeeded by Thomas IT. Reifsnyder, by whom it was conducted till 1872, when it was discontinued ; the house for several years was nnoccupied and was rapidly going to ruin when the township school directors took the matter in hands and offered to take the building, restore it, and take a lease of ninety- nine years, paying annually a certain sum to the Caernarvon Presbyterian Church, and it is now used as a school-house for the district.

Bangor Church from being a large and influential Fred was a son of Lunnon, who was a native African, and was a thorough type of his nation; ebony black, with protruding jaw and receding fore- congregation has dwindled down to mere existence. Some years ago great consternation was awakened by its being found that the lease of ninety-nine years | head, exuberant in his deference to the "powers that had expired, and some people made hard threats against their property in case they should be obliged to give it up to the church, but the alarm died away. The breaking up and removal of the Davies and Jacobs families have left none to take their place. By the strenuous exertions of some parties the old building has been removed, but it may be as truly as painfully said, " Ichabod" is written on Bangor Church.

The Old Graveyard. - The old graveyard, "God's acre," has fulfilled its purpose. How thickly crowded lie its sleepers in their narrow homes! What mem- ories arise before us! Who can forget the image of that man of God, the Rev. Levi Bull, as with face ; made it famthar, and we saw nothing ludicrous about upturned to heaven, and every feature beaming with the inspiration of Christian faith and hope, with majestic step, led the way to the open grave, repeat- ing as he went, " I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord, he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live." "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that in my flesh shall I ace God !"

But a history of Bangor and its old graveyard would not be complete without some mention of its old sexton, " Black Fred." According to the church record the sexton's salary was to be paid out of the contributions to the penny box, which, I think, were rather slim ; but I think they must have come under a more definite arrangement, as the record says else- where the sextou was to get " CI ten shillings yearly for the services required," and as a perquisite of office was to get " seven shillings and six pence for breaking ground for a grave for all persons over ten years of age, and five shillings for each grave under ten years," with the condition that he must keep them in good order. But Fred could not have earned the molasses for his bread in digging graves, for the country was healthy, and the perquisites must have been few and far between. But year in and year out, through win- ter's storms and summer's heat, Fred was always found punctual in, his office, and as the Sabbath mornings opened, the sound of the "church-going bell" would be heard sending its sweet melody over

the beautiful landscape, reverberated by the Welsh Mountain and the Forest Hills, and soon through fields and lanes, from the forges and the highway, would be seen people wending their way to church. In those offl times a carriage was the exception to the usual mode of conveyance, and when at too great a distance to walk, a horse carrying double was a usual sight; generally a woman occupied the saddle, and a girl or boy behind on a pillion, and Fred was ever ready at the horse-block to help the women off and hitch the horse in the little wood adjacent the church.

be," but he had a very positive manner to those he thought fell below that order, which was very apt to be demonstrated towards any poor white who inno- cently took a seat which Fred did not think com- ported with his station. The arrangement for ring- ing the bell in Bangor was prinntive. A stout rope was attached to the bell in the belfry, it was then passed through a small hole pierced through the floor of the gallery and hung dangling down into the body of the church. Punctual to the hour of convening, Fred would take hold of the rope and, swaying up and down, would ring the bell. To a stranger the sight must have bordered on the burlesque, but habit

! it; with its last toll, good Rev. Mr. C -- would walk in with a very conscious air of the dignity of eccte- siastical authority, and service would begin. Fred always stationed himself in the main aisle and was very devout in his responses, doing duty as a clerk ; ha! if an unfortunate eur would venture to track his master into church, Fred would stop in the midst of a response to give him a most unmerciful thwack, ' which would send him out yelping, and it was won- derful how wise and well-behaved children and dogs became under Fred's vigilant eye.

Poor old Fred! how inseparably Bangor Church and you are associated in my mind's eye! Why were your bones not laid in the shadow of the church you loved so much and served so long and faithfully? But they rest among your brethren in a solitary spot on the Welsh Mountain. flow reverently now I would stand at your grave. What if, in my child vision, I did think you looked like what Darwin or Huxley would have called a "link" as you stood jangling that bell-rope, you were in the earnest ful- fillment of duty, and what greater motive to com- mand reverence? May we all be as worthy of the plaudit; " Well done, good and faithful servant," as you. The profound silence of your mountain resting- place is broken only by the bark of the squirrel or the whirr of the pheasant, and the mountain arbutus opens, its sweet fragrant buds on your grave. Peace to your ashes, good old Fred !

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CAERNARVON TOWNSHIP.

It has been said, " No place but has its character," and Caernarvon had hers in the person of a reputed wizard.

was thought proper to teach children good manners, we were required to stop and drop a courtesy, and wish "good-day" to the passer-by, but old Yacob neyer got that attention ; from sight of him we would fly as nimbly as a flock of our mountain partridges, hiding behind the old churchyard wall and the poke- berry bushes that grew so luxuriantly along its sides, until he was out of sight.

About the year 1788 there first appears on the Ban- gor Church record, in a cramped, foreign, and almost illegible chirography, the name of Yacob Northamer, afterwards corrupted to Nothammer. The man who bore this name was a German, a tailor by trade, who, with a wife and family, settled in a solitary spot on Ouce, I remember, he happened in our home, and notwithstanding our mother's remonstrance that " he was an innocent old man," we lost no time in making our way up-stairs to crawl under the nursery bed, and found ourselves in the plight of being wedged under a trundle in the hope of getting as far off as possible from his mysterious power. I have no doubt, had he lived a century earlier, he would have met with the same cruel fate as did the unfortunate Salem George Jacobs ; but, after living to an old age, Yacob took sick and died, and when people found that his body was not carried off by the devil they went to his funeral, ate the " burying cake," and drank the wine, followed his poor old body to the grave, and saw it laid in the consecrated ground of old Bangor Clinreh, where he had, no doubt, worshiped in earn- estness and truth. the Welsh Mountain. Although perfectly harmless in their deportment to those with whom they came into communication, all their habits of life were so different from those of the surrounding community that it threw an air of mystery about them, and at last there got to be a suspicion that they had deal- ings with the evil one. Of course, the idea was only entertained by the ignorant and superstitious; what it first arose from I have never been able to find out, probably it was from his superior intelligence to the people of his class. Being a close observer of nature, he would foretell changes in the weather, ete. What now would be attributed to scientific observation was then set down to his communion with infernal powers. I rather think, too, that a peculiarly unfortunate per- sonal appearance had something to do with it. He had a large hump on his back, and as he sat from The Germans .- As I have said, the Germans have succeeded the old Welsh settlers. They are mostly Mennonites, and sustain a church in the village. To- barco is now the great product, but I hope, under their splendid farming, the time will again come when our beautiful valley will be " covered over with year to year on his tailor-board, it grew larger and larger until his shrunken body seemed to go all up into the protuberance. Then his little wizen fare was a mass of wrinkles, from which looked out small gray eyes of a peculiar expression. In walking he always used a great hickory staff, with which he ges- ( corn," and the shocks of wheat will stand so thickly on the harvest-field that a wagon can hardly drive between, as was said in old time of some portion of it.

tieulated to give force to his broken language. 11- together there was such a weird look about him, to which was added great brusqueness of manner, that superstitious people became sure that he was a very agent of " Auld Clutie," and, of course, children soon got the idea fixed in their minds. I never heard of any

The schools of Caernarvon township prior to 1834 were like those of other townships, and spoken of positive accusation that he lamed cattle, or blighted . elsewhere. Upon the passage of the school law in that year efforts were made to carry its requirements into effect, and in that year twelve townships of Lan- easter County accepted the provisions and proceeded to organize under the system. Caernarvon was one of this number. It then contained four hundred and eighty-nine persons who were liable to taxation for school purposes. The township was divi led into seven districts, in several of which school-houses were at once erected. The report of the State super- intendent of schools in the year 1837 shows that at that time there were seven school-houses, in which there were seven teachers employed and four hun- dred and twenty pupils in attendance. The amount portion of the State appropriation that was allowed to this township was $775.96. The total receipts | from all sources for school purposes were $2186.92, and the total expenditures $1988.52, of which last 8607 was expended for the erection of school-houses

a farmer's crop, or threw "witch-balls" at cows, or that children threw up pins and needles after being in his shadow, -all was vague; neither was it charged that he frequented " Boggy Hollow," a much traduced bit of timber land, lying in a low place about a half- mile beyond the village, through which the great road ran, and in which people who stayed until twelve o'clock at night at the village tavern, asserted " they saw witches dancing around a boiling ealdron, horses galloping on the tops of trees, and headless men walking by their sides," as they were making their way home, yet poor old Yacob, it was conti- dently asserted, was a wizard. Weak mothers fright- ened their children into submission by threatening ; of tax levied for school purposes was 8666.18. The "Old Nothammer," and I suppose no children of Salem ever fled with greater speed from the nufor- tunate George Jacobs than did the children of our village from the sight of old Yacob and his staff. His first approach on the road was the signal for us to scatter, although in those good old times, when it ! in the year 1836. At the present time there are ten

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HISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY.

school districts, containing four hundred and nine- teen pupils (one less than in 1837). The cost of maintaining these schools for 1882 was $4911.08.

In the year 1739 the county of Lancaster was di- vided into eight judicial districts, and the township of Caernarvon, with Robinson and Cocalico, were made into the seventh district. No account of who the justices were prior to 1777 has been obtained. At that time the district which embraced Caernarvon and Brecknock townships was designated as District No. 5. A list of the names of the justices who held jurisdiction over this territory from 1777 to 1840 will be found in the civil list of the county in the general history. By the Constitution of 1839 the township became a separate district, and the names of the justices from that time to the present are here given, viz .:

April 14, 1840. Heury Hoffman. William Hoar.

June 25, 1864 Hansom B. Jacobs. June 25, 1865, James McCaa.

April 1.3, 1841. Lot Rogers. June 25, 1866. Edward D. White.

April 12, 1842. James MeCan. June 25, 1>70 JAQUIPs MeCAN.

April 15, 1845. Charles Robinson, April 10, 1849. Hansom B. Jacobs.

June 23, 1871. Edward D. White.

June 25, 1874 M. Ilollingel.

April 15, 1832. James McCaa. June 25, 1875. M. Hollinger.

April 11, 1854. Hansom B. Jacobs.

June 25, 1876. Edward D. White.

April 14, 1857. John E. Valentine.

June 25, 1879 D. B. Yoder.

April 19, 1859. James McCau. June 25, 1881. Robert M. Asters.

June 22, 1861. David I Sengen- ich.

The village of Churchtown lies on the Morgantown turnpike, nearly central in the township. The early history of the village is given in the preceding sketch by Mrs. Nevin. It at present contains a pop- ulation of about three hundred. There are three churches (Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Methodist), two hotels, two general stores, post-oflice, and two practicing physicians. The postmasters since 1856 have been Lot Rogers, George Compton, Lot Roger -. George Compton, and Mrs. Jane E. Compton, the present incumbent.

Beartown lies in the southwest corner of the town- ship. It is a small hamlet containing a hotel and a post-oflice. The meeting-house of the Evangelical Association is a short distance from the village. The church edifice is about forty by sixty feet, built of stone. The congregation is large and flourishing. The Rev. Mr. Crouse is in charge.

The Amish, of whom there is a congregation in this township, have a meeting-house near the east line of the township. The congregation is of the two Caer- narvons, of Lancaster and Berks Counties.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

DAVID STYER.

More than a hundred years ago, John Adam Styer, a German youth, left his native land to seek a home in the New Worhl. Ilealth, energy, and ambition were his in the fullest degree, but in worldly posses- sions he was poor,-so poor, indeed, that to pay his

) famil flyer

passage across the sea he "sold himself," as was the custom among many of the hardy emigrants in these days. Upon his arrival he was taken by his purchaser, one Rhine, to Mill Creek, in Lancaster

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History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 34

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Evans, Samuel, 1823-1908, joint author Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1320

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Evans, Samuel, 1823-1908, joint author
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1320