History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 60

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 60

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" The survey of this land was made on Oct. 4, 1718, and calls for eleven hundred and fifty actes, on the 28th of February, 1724, he bought two hundred and fitty acres from Martin Kendrick and Hans Herr, who bad purchased five thousand acres from Pena on the 220 of November, 1717. Under these two warrants there were surveyed to him in a single tract, ou a branch of the Conestoga (Groff's Run), fourteen hundred and nineteen acres on Oct. 10, 1727, amit for which a deed was made to him by Thomas Penn on Nav. 18, 1737. This dred, after reciting the circumstances of the survey, goes on and minkes transfer "of all mines, minerals, quat- ties, mendows, marshes, savaninas, swamps, cripples, woods, underwoods, timber and trees, ways, waters, water-courses, liberties, profits, commodi- ties, advantages, hereditamenta, and uppurtenuti'es whatsoever, to hawk and hunt, fish and fowl in und upon the hereby granted land and prom. ises." The price paid for this grondly tract of Luat was (141 18 , atul one English silver shilling quittent for every one hundird ueres, to be paid annually on every Ist of March in the city of Lancaster. Asvet- taining in some way that his tract did not contain the full number of acres called for by lus deed, he asked for n resurvey, which was granted on Oct. 16, 1742, when ninety-one additional acres were given bim as shortage.

CHAPTER L. EARL TOWNSHIP.1

AMONG the townships of Lancaster County, laid ont at its organization in 1729, none seems to have en- joyed more advantages than Earl. Of considerable extent, it embraced lands among the best in the new county. The soil was principally limestone. The surface ofthe district was moderately rolling, includ- ing several valleys of considerable extent. A range of hills, the Welsh Mountains, skirted its southern border. Nowhere was the soil more fertile. It was famous for its excellent timber and the abundance of its water supplies, almost every farm having had its own spring of water. Its numerous advantages early drew the attention of emigrants, and none of the early townships tilled up more rapidly. The settlers were principally Germans from the Palatinate, men of a hardy type, accustomed to toil, and the possessors of many sterling virtues. Their descendants to-day, for the most part, still holl the lands they purchased from the Proprietaries, and Earl, with her vigorous offspring, East Earl and West Earl, is to-day among the best cultivated, the richest, and most intelligent portions of Lancaster County.

1 The history of the three Earls was very carefully prepared by Frank R. Diffendeifer in 1876, and is here reproduced, with some additional materint, bringing it to the present time. It has been thought best to retain ita unity, and the early history of what is now East and West Earl will be found in this sketeb.

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EARL TOWNSHIP.

While colonies had thus been founded, both in | the Presbyterians of Caernarvon traversed the Welsh what are now the bounds of West and East Earl, up Mountain to attend the parent church in Pequea, or those of the Reformed Church gathered at Zelten- reich's.i to this time no white men had effected a settlement in Earl proper. In the summer of 1727 the ship " William and Sarah") sailed from Rotterdam with ninety families of Palatines, numbering in all about four hundred souls2 They arrived in Philadelphia in September of that year. Among them were two brothers, Alexander and John Diffenderfer ;3 the former settled in Oley, Berks Co., while the latter, ; in 1728, loaded his family and household goods on a wagon owned by one Martin, of Weaverland, and at lengthi came to a halt beneath a spreading oak in the near vicinity of the present New Holland.

His neighbors at Groff's Dale and Weber's Dale kindly aided him in putting np a rude cabin wherein to shelter his family. These same kind friends sup- plied him with flour and meat for his immediate ne- cessities, and a Mr. Bear generously gave him a cow. This was the humble beginning of New Holland, the metropolis of the Earls, but at that day known as Saene Schwamm. This very suggestive name was applied to a narrow strip of low land lying imme- diately north of the present town, and now in the ownership of the Hoovers, Mentzers, and Rolands. Jolin Diffenderfer was not left long alone in his wood- land solitude. In the course of a few years quite a number of other Germans located in the neighbor- hood ; among them were the familiar names of Stone, Brimmer, Diller, Brubaker, Koch, Roland, Sprecher, Mentzer, Kinzer, Ranck, Weidler, Becher, Luther, Bitzer, Schultz, and many others, all of whom are to this day represented by numerous descendants." The youthful colony must have increased rapidly, as no less than seventy persons communed with the Lu- theran congregation of this place in 1748, which would indicate a population of several hundred, although itis more than probable that many of them were from the adjacent settlements, where, in the absence of any church organizations of this denom- ination, such privileges were not obtainable, just as

1 Col. Rec. III. 390.

: When large bodies of Germans came together they were almost in- variably accompanied by a clergyman, Along with these four hundred Palatine emigrants came the Rev. George Michael Weis, a German Re- formed minister, and a graduate of the University of Heidelberg. lle was a learned divine, a fine scholar, and spoke Latin as readily as his mother tongue .- Haszard's Reg. of Pa, xv. p 198.

3 The Palatines who came over in the " William and Sarah" were registered on Sept. 21, 1727. Alexander Diffeuderfer signed his own Datue, but John could not write. John was sick when the vessel ar- river, and huis untne was not registered immediately.

+ The Zimmermans, Rudy's, Wolffs, Witmers, Smiths, Stauffers, Mil- lers, Seigles, Shultzes, Styers, Hoffinans, Keysors, Wengers, Kochs, Schmidts, all came over in 1727; tho Shirks, Eshlemans, Ranchs, Stoufers, Seylers, in 1728; the Reifs, Bowmans, Keisets, Kuchs, in 1729; the Nagels, Hesses, Meyers, Oberholsers, Benrs, Kihans, in 1730; the Eckeits, Muuimas, Mulls, Freys, in 1711 ; the Musselmans, Halls, Stegers, Rudys, Benders, Schlaughs, Sprechers, in 1732; tho Winters, Wunners, Brimmers, Sunnys, In 1733. In some cases as many as a dozen persons bearing the same numto came in the same year, and each bue- ceeding year brought more of the same name. Tho spelling hins in nearly every Instance been changed to that now in vogue.

Earl Township Organized .- Lancaster County was legally'established in the spring of 1729. On the 9th day of June following a county meeting was held, and the names and boundaries of seven- teen townships were then established by the people and magistrates assembled for that purpose. Earl township was tenth on the list, taking its name, as has already been stated, from the first white settler within its limits. The boundaries and name were confirmed by the Quarter Sessions Court, held on the Ist of August ensuing. The following is a transcript of the original entry in the court docket : "Earl township : beginning by Peter's Road by Conestogoe Creek, being a corner of Leacock township; thence up Conestogue Creek by the east side thereof, to the mouth of Muddy Creek, and up Muddy Creek to the Indian path; thence along the southern branch of Peter's Creek to the brow of Turkey Hill; thence sontherly on a direct course to the northeast corner of Thomas Edward's land, and by the said land southerly over Conestogoe Creek to another corner of P(enn's) land; thenee on a direct course to the corner of the west line of Nathan Evan's land, then by the said land and along southerly to the top of the mountain ; thence westerly along said moun- tain by Salisbury line to David Cowan's west corner ; thence to Peter's Road, and along the same to the place of beginning." However plain these bounda- ries may have been to those who located them, they seem a little indefinite to us, and a surveyor would have a tough and puzzling time of it to run those lines now. At the same time constables, supervisors, and overseers of the poor were appointed for the town- ships just organized. The first constable for Earl was

6 It is a very common error to suppose that all those of the same mime in a certain district ure desconded from a single ancestor. This mistake prevails very generally in these townships and throughout the county. Hardly any name can be mentioned among the German emigrants that is not represented by dozens and often scores of duplicates of the same, who followed each other over in rapid succession. For instance, I have seldom seen a Groff or a llerr who did not claim to be a bucal descend- ant of those early pioneers, Hans Graaf and Hans Herr ; this is a par- donable weakness, boat will hot bear the test of strict historical seru- tiny These names, and that ot Guth or Good, appear on almost every ship's list, and it might perhaps stagger the faith of these claimants if they were asked what has become of ull the offspring of the other Gianfs nul Herrs who followed the fist ones of these nantes. Dol only these first ones leave descendant4? May not the scores of other Granfs and Heris who came to Pennsylvania also have band children, and if so, wlint has become of them? This argument, if pressed home, would, I fear, rule out miny who believe they can trace their ancestry to certain early settlers.

Unfortunately, bardly one in a hundred of all the tidling thousands who Bought refuge and homes in the hunt of Penn, has left written evt- ilence, through which nlono the claims of the living lineage might be authenticated. The Hoovers, hving near New Holland, are among these fortunate few. Their ancestor was Johan C'hich Huber, one of the thirty-three thousand who, nt the invitation of Queen Anne, in 1708-9, left Germany fot England.

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HISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY.

Martin Grove;1 no supervisor nor overseer of the poor was named. This circumstance may doubtless be explained by the fact that the public roads were too few and unimportant to require the services of a su- pervisor, and that the number of indigent and needy was so few as to not require overseers; at all events, we give the benefit of this supposition. Edward Ed- wards was, in 1739, appointed pound-keeper of the township; he and the constable already named are the first township officer- of whom there remains any record.

Township Divided .- For a period of one hundred and four years the boundaries of Earl township as already given remained unchanged and undisturbed ; the increasing population and the inconvenience arising from its great area made a division necessary. A petition was accordingly addressed to the County Court to that effect. On Aug. Is, 1828, viewers were appointed; their name- were William Gibbons, Adam Reigart, and Christian Il. Rauch. Their report was in favor of a division, and was confirmed on Nov. 18, 1833, the new township being called West Earl, while the old township continued to be called Earl, some- times East Earl. There being a considerable sum of money in the township treasury at the period of sepa- ration, the newly-created district claimed its share, but the parent township failing to see the matter in the same light, an adjustment of the difficulty was reached through the medium of the court-, which awarded a pro rata dividend. A further subdivision was petitioned for eighteen years later. Samuel Eh- erly, John L. Sharp, and Adam Keller were ap- pointed viewers to inquire into the propriety of di- viding Earl ( alias East Earl) township. They reported recommending such division on July 23, 1851; their report was read and filed on Aug. 19, 1851, and con- firmed by the court on the same day. The area of the township as originally defined was forty-three thousand nine hundred and eighty-six acres, a prin- cipality in it.elf. Ina-much as for more than one hundred years, and those the most important and in- teresting of their history, the Earls were a single, in- dividual township, it has been deemed proper for the purpose of this sketch to attempt no divisional his- tory ; they were the same in manners, customs, and government, and in a general sense what shall be

I Tho township constables for a series of years beginning in 1762, when the earliest kept record begins, were as follows: 1702, Henry Stouffer aud Peter Baker ; 1763, Grunge Gehr; 1744, Frederick Spur ; 1765, Abraham Forney (this same Forney having appeared at the regn- lar term of conrt in November when the roll was called, and after wnids absentes himself without prinnaston, was hned len shillings, along with twelve other delinquent-); 1766, Jounthan Roland: 1767, Andrew Gehr; 1768, Joseph Gelir; 1709, Fleury Landes: 1770, Joseph Geht ; 1771-73, Valentine Kinzer; 1774, William Reynolds.

In 1707 the regularly beende Junkerpris in Earl were George Hinkle, George Staley, Alnahat Forney, Christian Schwartweller, Martin Soyer, and Conrad Bustling The hrst named took out hcenses tegu- larly for a long series of years ; when his name disappears that of Ann Hinckie, doubtless Inis widow,or daughter, takes its place ; if oxperience has anything to do with the matter, we may safely infer she " knew how to run a hotel."

said concerning them is as applicable to the whole township in its entirety as to any particular parts thereof, and not to these townships only, but also, in a metsure, to the county and the State at large.

Lands . taken up .- Nearly all the early settlers took up land, as it was called,-that is, purchased a certain number of aeres from the proprietary. Penn himself did not sell in small quantities, but those who bought large tracts resold to others. The price established was about ten cents per acre, with a small quit-rent .? It is hardly necessary to say none is to be had here at that price now. As the Palatinate was one of the best cultivated districts of Germany, so, too, did this and the adjacent townships soon become the most thrifty and prosperous portions of the State. Many of the early settlers were very poor. These were known as redemptioners, persons who, upon their arrival here, were obliged to sell their personal services for a term of years to pay their passage- money. In 1722 we read some of these were disposed at ten pounds each for five years' servitude. A manu- seript of the times says " many who have come over under covenants for four years are now masters of great estates." Some of the redemptioners here in Earl became prominent and wealthy citizens: it was no bar to wealth or respectability.

Roads and Highways .- A- has already been said, no road supervisors were appointed when the town- ship was organized, as was done in some of the others ; the natural inference is that there were few roads within the Earl limits. There were, however, three prominent highways, of which mention is made prior to the township organization, but no facts rela- tive to the time when they were laid out have been ascertained. Perhaps they were originally Indian paths only, and afterwards converted into highways. These were, first, the Horse-Shoe road, running east and west, upon which New Holland is built, and the road upon part of whose course the New Holland turnpike rest-, The second was known as the Paxton road ; the village of Hinkletown is traversed by it, and it is now known as the Harrisburg and Down- ingtown turnpike. The third was the Peter's road, leading from the Conestoga to Pequen, and crossing the Horse-Shoe road about two miles west of New Holland. Tradition, ever an unsafe guide, says it derived its name from a well-known friendly Indian, called Peter, who, in his excursions across the town- ship, followed this road ; but history more truth-

2 t'enn's published price for lands was na follows: 5000 acres, free of all Indian incumbrances, for fl00, and one shilling quit-rent for every IN aeres, the quit-rent was not umitutm in all cases and conhl bu ex- tingnished at the time of purchase by paying £20 in addition to the original Eloo purchase money. Lands were also rented to such as could not tony at Id. per acre; ni binglo router was allowed to take more Iban 200 acres. All quit-renta, except in manois, were abolished by an uet passed Nov 27, 1779. Theso rents, in the course of time, produced the proprietary a very large revenue "The annual income of the pro- prietaries (in 1755) frommn gmt-rents, ground-rents, teuts of manors, and other appropriated and settled lands was nearly £30,000."-Bancroft, vol. iv. 192.

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EARL TOWNSHIP.

fully tells us that Peter Bizailion, a French Indian trader, whose grave is to be seen in St. John's Epis- copal Churchyard, at Pequea, traveled it often and bequeathed it his name. The necessities of the set- tlers soon demanded others, and a number were peti- tioned for within the next few years. Naturally enough the mills were the objective points, and 1 nearly all the roads laid out from 1740 to 1775 were from the few early roads to certain mills: "to mill and market" was the usual reading of the petitions.

Of these mills quite a number were in existence as early as 1760. Among them were Rein's mill, Henry Weaver's mill, Greybill's mill, Carpenter's mill, Peter Light's mill, and William Douglass' mill. It would be an interesting study for local antiquarians to deter- mine the sites of these early establishments. For a time the mills nearest the early settlers were those on the Brandywine, whither they often went for meal. It was not an uncommon thing for a settler in these townships to load several bushels of wheat on his horse, take it to Downingtown, and exchange it for salt.

An artificial road from the Blue Ball Tavern to the borough of Lancaster was approved by Governor Simon Snyder in 1810. The commissioners named in the act, having certified that thirty and more per- sons had subscribed for one hundred and twenty-two shares of the stock, the Governor, by letters patent bearing date of March 3, 1812, created the subscribers into a corporation, called "The President, Managers and Company of the New Holland Turnpike Road," which title was, in 1856, changed to " The New IIol- land Turnpike Road Company." Four miles of the road having been completed in 1816, examiners were appointed by the Governor, and upon making a favor- able report, the company was authorized to erect gates and collect toll. A second section of five miles was completed quring Governor Hiester's administration, in 1823, and accepted by him. The road was not com- pleted until 1825. The first toll-money was received in July, 1816, and the first dividend declared in 1839. By an act passed May, 1821, the Governor was author- ized to subscribe for five thousand dollars of the stock in behalf of the commonwealth.

Assessors' Lists and Taxation .- No existing doc- uments are more interesting or throw more light on the early history of these townships than the asses- sors' lists. Unfortunately, these go back no further than the year 1754, all prior to that year having been destroyed by fire .. Nor is the series complete from that time on; more than half are missing until we Military Record .- The carly population was loyal come down to 1814. Consisting at times of a single . to the colonial government in its times of trouble, sheet of foolscap paper, and at most of a few sheets loosely stitched together, we need not wonder they were not better preserved, but rather that any at all . brought suspicion on the Germans, but this gradu- have survived the flight of years.

In the year 1754, just twenty-five years after the town- ship organization, we find the number of taxables one hundred and ninety-nine, and the amount of tax levied | from the county, and Earl sent her full share. She

£29 198. Od., or less than $150. The population for the same period may be set down at about eight hun- dred, the increase being, no doubt, largely attributable to the influx of new emigrants. The names of some of the first colonists had multiplied considerably, and as a matter of interest and curiosity a list of the nunt- ber of the best known, as found on that list, is here given : Graaf, 7; Davis, 7; Carpenter, 5; Weaver, 5, Martin, 4; Diffenderffer, 3; Hildebrand, 3; Bear, 3; Hoover, 3; Edwards, 3; Ronk, 2; Reif, 2; Mumma, 2; Sheaffer, 2; Roland, Smith, Shirk, Kinser, Diller, Kurtz, Greybill, Eby, etc., only one time each. The largest tax paid by any one man was seven shillings and fourpence, by Emanuel Carpenter, Esq., who for a long series of years stood at the head of the list. The smallest sum paid was one shilling. Jacob Ro- land was the collector for this year. The tax-list is commonly headed " Earltown Tax for the King's use."

Three years later, in 1757, when Moses Irwin and John Smith collected it, that assessment had increased nine hundred per cent., amounting to .€274 28. 6d. In 1759 the amount of tax levied went up to £290 98. 9d. The early names on the tax-list had increased still more rapidly. There were twelve Martins, eleven Weavers, nine Carpenters, eight Groves or Groit's, seven Davises, five Diffenderffers, five Bears, three Rolands, two Ellmakers, two Kinzers, two Greybils, etc.

The names on the tax-roll were divided into several classes. First came the list headed " Inmates;" these were married men and house- or land-holders. After these followed the list of "Freemen," which in- cluded the unmarried portion of the male population. When the Revolutionary war commenced, the assess- ment-lists were still further subdivided into such as took the oath of allegiance to the State, and those who refused to do so. At this period we also have " Associators" and " Non-Associators." The latter represented the non-fighting element, such as Qua- kers, Mennonites, etc., while the former, untrammeled by religious or other scruples, were willing and ready to take up arms when called upon. In the year 1777 the list of Non-Associators numbered no less than three hundred and thirty-eight names, If they were exempt from doing military duty they were not ab- solved from contributing their quota of money to the good cause, for in this year these peace-loving citizens were obliged to pay 23 10g. each into the strong-box of their sorely-pressed country.

and was always ready to give it effective aid. The Mennonites, from being non-combatants, for a time ally wore away. In the French and Spanish war of 1762 not less than nine companies, numbering three hundred and twenty-five men, were sent into service

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HISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY.

had previously contributed her quota of horses and wagons to equip the unfortunate expedition of Gen. Braddock. As the struggle with the parent country gradually eame on, nowhere were stancher patriots found than here. The few loyalists that here and there discovered themselves were too closely watched to become a source of apprehension. The Continen- tal Congress, sitting in Philadelphia, in November, 1774, requested the freeholders of the province to hold an election for representatives to the General Assembly. At this election, held December 15th of the same year, Alexander Martin, Emanuel Carpen- ter, Anthony Ellmaker, William Smith, Zaccheus Davis, George Rein, and John Brubaker were chosen. In the following year (1775) the committeemen chosen were Gabriel Davis, George Rein, and Jonathan Ro- land. This Gabriel Davis doubtless came from the Welsh colony at the eastern end of the township ; he was an assessor in 1730, and a juryman in 1733; he was evidently a man of ability and influence. In ac- cordance with a recommendation of the Continental Congress, made on May 15, 1776, a provincial con-

gates from the ten counties into which the State was then divided, and it was resolved to hold a general election for persons who should establish some form of government. For the purposes of this election, Lancaster county was divided into six districts ; the fourth division was composed of Salisbury, Breck- nock, Caernarvon, Earl, and Cocalico townships, and the poll to be opened in New Holland on July 6, 1776. James MeCamant, Gabriel Davis, and Michael Whitman were elected.

The muster-rolls of the nine regiments and battal- ions furnished by this county for the Revolutionary war show how largely Earl township participated in the struggle for independence. By a resolution of Congress, passed May 25, 1776, an exclusively Ger- man regiment was authorized to be raised in Peun- sylvania and Maryland,-four companies from each State. The former's quota was filled by July 17th, and an additional company besides. The Earls were represented in its ranks. It was of this regiment that David Diffenderfer was standard-bearer.1

1 David Diffenderffer was the grandson of John Diffender fler, the ft-t settler in the present Eurl township, and the grandfather of the writer, A sketch of his life and services in the Revolution may be found in Rupp's " History of Lancaster County." In addition to the particulars there given, a few other facts may be here mentioned. At the Inne of lus retirement from the army the State was unable to discharge the sum due him for pay ns ensign. It was the custom to issue Sinte warrants for these af rentages, nud the une baned to him was tor 4134 28. 4d., dated April 10, 1783. On April 10, 1784, the comptroller-general reported a certain sum of interest due him on his depreciated certifente, -namely, £8 0x, 10d. None of these certificates, I believe, were ever paid in money ; the State was unable to discharge them in that way. David Diflenderf- for got a small piece of land for his, located in Northumberland County, which he afterwards sold for a small sum. On May 1, 1783, he received, withont sulicitation on his part, a commission as " Lieutenant in the seventh company of foot in the Fourth Battalion in the county of Latt- caster." The war being over, and no regular military coganization being really necessary at that time, his services as such officer were not

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History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 60

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