USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections > Part 30
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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
1 241
George R. Wright, September 6, 1875; Edward A. Lynch, September 11, 1875; Charles H. Sturdevant, October 4, 1875; Frank C. Sturges, October 18, 1875; John B. Reynolds, November 15, 1875; A. H. Mcclintock, January 20, 1876; Charles W. McAlarney, February 7, 1876; John McGahren, February 14, 1876; Thomas R. Martin, April 10, 1876; Oscar J. Harvey, May 16, 1876; Thomas H. Atherton, September 29, 1876; George W. Shonk, September 29, 1876; H. A. Fuller, Janu- ary 9, 1877; Clarence W. Kline, January 10, 1877; F. W. Sturdevant, June 11, 1877; Bernard McManus, November 19, 1877; R. H. Wright, May 22, 1878; P. V. Weaver, September 23, 1878; A. F. Derr, December 2, 1878; James L. Lenahan, January 28, 1879; Frank W. Wheaton, September 2, 1879; Emmett D. Nichols, September 16, 1879; Edwin Shortz, March 20, 1880; Jasper B. Stark, April 26, 1880; Martin F. Burke, May 10, 1880; William J. Hughes, June 7, 1880; Edward E. Hoyt, September 17, 1880; Robert D. Evans, November 15, 1880; William R. Gibbons, April 4, 1881; William R. Raeder, June 6, 1881; George H. Butler, June 6, 1881; W. H. Hines, June 6, 1881; John D. Hayes, June 11, 1881; A. E. Chapin, October 19, 1881; Henry W. Dunning, June 5, 1882; George H. Fisher, June 5, 1882; James D. Anderson, June 5, 1882; William C. Price, October 14, 1882; Dennis O. Coughlin, November 20, 1882; Joseph Moore, November 20, 1882; John S. Harding, November 21, 1882; Cecil R. Banks, January 10, 1883; Cormac F. Boban, March 15, 1884; Tuthill R. Hillard, June 6, 1885; Samuel M. Parke, June 9, 1885; Peter A. O' Boyle, July 27, 1885; Daniel A. Fell, July 27, 1885; John B. Woodward, September 7, 1885; John B. Hillard, September 7, 1885; Henry H. Welles, October 10, 1885; Moses W. Wadhams, October 10, 1885; Anthony L. Williams, October 12, 1885; John M. Garman, January 29, 1886; Lid- don Flick, June 2, 1886; George D. Hedian, June 4, 1886; John Q. Creveling, June 19, 1886; Peter A. Meixell, September 20, 1886; Charles E. Keck, October 18, 1886; Anthony C. Campbell, October 18, 1886; Thomas C. Umstead, December 4, 1886; James R. Scouten, January 6, 1887; James M. Fritz, January 29, 1887; George P. Loomis, January 31, 1887; Edward F. McGovern, June 6, 1887; George Urquhart, June 27, 1887; John F. Everhart, November 15, 1887; Frank W. Larned, May 21, 1888; Darryl L. Creveling, June 18, 1888; Alexander Rick- etts, September 28, 1888, George B. Hillman, December 10, 1888; George W. Moon, December 10, 1888; W. J. Trembath, December 10, 1888; William H. Hibbs, March 11, 1889; James L. Morris, April 22, 1889; Thomas Darling, April 22, 1889. Later admissions: T. D. Garman, Granville J. Clark, Harry B. Ham- lin, Thomas D. Shea, Frederick L. Smith, Ralph H. Wadhams, Andrew M. Freas, Abner Smith, Paul J. Sherwood, John D. Faroham, U. C. Smythe, D. Ogden Rog- ers, Charles P. Bohan, Samuel S. Herring, Michael H. McAniff, Michael N. Don- nelly, E. F. McHugh, Bradley W. Palmer, Frank H. Bailey, George F. Nesbitt, S. W. Davenport, Sidney R. Miner, John F. Shea.
The above is mostly taken by permission from George B. Kulp's Families of the Wyoming. In his account of the lawyers of the county he concludes as follows:
"As to the gentlemen of the Luzerne bar, reviewing the list from the date of the organization of the Luzerne county courts, May 27, 1787, shows that up to April 22, 1889, there has been a total of 489 members, of whom 165 are deceased, 163 are non-residents, and 159 are still with us, a remarkably equal division.
"Of the ten president judges eight are dead and two (Judges Harding and Rice) are still living. Of the six additional law judges only one is dead and five are living. The only separate orphans court judge we have had is still in service. Of the thirty-five lay judges one survives, all having been called to that higher court from whose decrees there is no appeal. The total of judges and lawyers, dead and living, 539.
"Nine Luzerne lawyers have abandoned the profession to take places in the pulpit. Of these, four became Episcopal ministers, one rising to the bishopric,
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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
three preached in the Methodist Episcopal church, one in the Presbyterian and one in the Baptist. Popular prejudice will stand surprised to find that a calling, the practices of which are so persistently ascribed to satanic influences, has contributed thus liberally to the noble army marshaled for the overthrow of its alleged patron.
"To the armies of the country the Luzerne bar has given more than her quota. She had two soldiers in the Revolution, two in the war of 1812, and ten in the Mexican war. To the forces whose energies won in the Civil war of 1861-5 she contributed five generals, three colonels, one lieutenant-colonel, three majors, twelve captains, ten lieutenants, and twenty-three privates, while three others served in the navy.
"In high civic offices she has had one United States senator, sixteen congress- men, two governors, two attorney-generale, one minister in the diplomatic service, four judges of the supreme court, two judges of the United States court, and eleven judges of common pleas courts in other counties or states, in addition to ten law judges she has furnished our own bench."
A Judge Impeached .- Thomas Cooper was born in England, October 22, 1759; educated at Oxford and became eminent in chemistry and medicine. He was driven out of England for political offences and came to America in 1794, and soon after his arrival in this country commenced the practice of law. He was a strong Jeffer- sonian, and for a severe attack on President Adams, he was tried under the sedition law, fined $400 and imprisoned six months. But the democrats soon came into power and in 1806 Gov. Mckean appointed Mr. Cooper judge of the court of common pleas for Northumberland, Luzerne and Lycoming counties. In his rules of the courtroom he was stern and severe and the people and lawyers soon came to dislike him. In 1811 he was summoned before the senate committee and put upon trial to answer the following charges:
1. Fining and imprisoning Constable Hollister in 1807 at Wilkes-Barre for whispering in court.
2. Fining and imprisoning John Hamah for wearing his hat in court.
3. For passing sentence of one year on a Wilkes-Barre horse thief and the next day learning he was an old offender, recalling the prisoner and sent him for three years.
4. Deciding important points in a case in which he had a pecuniary interest.
5. Setting aside the verdict of a jury in an intemperate and passionate manner.
6. Browbeating counsel and witnesses.
1, 2 and 3 he did not deny but defended, 5 and 6 he emphatically denied. There were other charges numbering to ten, but they were not very serious, even if true. Judge Cooper had able counsel and spoke four and one-half hours in his own defence, but the committee reported against him and he was turned out of office. He never again entered public life; quit the practice of law in a short time and became professor of chemistry and geology in Dickinson college and then in the University of Pennsylvania, and was made president of South Carolina college and became a citizen of the state, where he died aged eighty-one.
County Commissioners: 1794, Jesse Fell, Alexander Johnson.
1795-6, John Phillips, John Jenkins, Thomas Wright.
1800-1, Lawrence Myers, E. Blackman, Thomas Wright.
1803, E. Blackman, Arnold Colt, Oliver Pettebone.
1804, Arnold Colt, Ezekiel Hyde, Oliver Pettebone.
1805, Oliver Pettebone, Benjamin Dorrance, E. Hyde, Eleazer Blackman.
1806, E. Blackman, Benjamin Dorrance, Elisha Harding.
1807, B. Dorrance, E. Harding, H. Tiffany.
1808, E. Harding, H. Tiffany, James Wheeler.
1809, H. Tiffany, J. Wheeler, Benjamin Perry. Peleg Tracy was clerk of the board from 1804 to 1809.
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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
1810, Benjamin Perry, Thomas Walles, Noah Wadhams, Samuel Bowman.
1811, B. Perry, N. Wadhams, Thomas Park.
1812, B. Perry, N. Wadhams, Abiel Fellows.
1813, Cornelius Cortright, Napthalia Hurlbut, Abiel Fellows.
1814, N. Hurlbut, C. Cortright, Benjamin Carey.
1815, C. Cortright, Benjamin Carey, James Reeder.
1816, Benjamin Carey, James Reeder, Lord Butler. From 1810 to 1816 Jesse Fell was clerk of the board.
1817, Lord Butler, James Reeder, Isaac Hartzell.
1818, Lord Butler, Isaac Hartzell, E. Shoemaker. Arnold Colt was clerk 1817-8.
1819, E. Shoemaker, I. Hartzell, Cyrus Avery.
1820, E. Shoemaker, C. Avery, Joel Rogers.
1821, Cyrus Avery, Joel Rogers, Samuel Yost.
1822, Joel Rogers, Samuel Yost, Hezekiah Parsons.
1823, Samuel Yost, H. Parsons, Stueben Butler.
1824, H. Parsons, Steuben Butler, Elisha S. Potter.
1825, Steuben Butler, E. S. Potter, Deodat Smith.
1826, E. S. Potter, Deodat Smith, Arnold Colt.
1827, D. Smith. A. Colt, John Bittenbender.
1828, Arnold Colt, John Bittenbender, Isaac Harding.
1829, John Bittenbender. I. Harding, William Swetland.
1830, Isaac Harding, William Swetland, Cornelius Cortright. From 1819 to 1830 Jesse Fell was clerk.
1831, William Swetland, C. Cortright, Jacob Rambach.
1832, Cornelius Cortright, J. Rambach, Luman Ferry.
1833, Jacob Rambach, Luman Ferry, Joseph Tuttle. From 1831 to 1833, E. Carey, clerk.
1834, Luman Ferry, Joseph Tuttle, Sebastian Sybert.
1835, Joseph Tuttle, S. Sybert, Samuel Saylor. Thomas Myers, clerk, 1834-5.
1836, S. Sybert, S. Saylor, John Fassett.
1837, S. Saylor, John Fassett, William Koons.
1838, John Fassett, William Koons, Gorton Wall.
1839, William Koons, Gorton Wall, Philip Yost.
1840, Gorton Wall, Philip Yost, Nathaniel Cottrell. Chester Tuttle, clerk from 1836 to 1840.
1841, Philip Yost, N. Cottrill, Thomas Irwin. This year Chester Tuttle was clerk. He was succeeded in 1842 by Edward Dolph, who was in the office to 1844. Jared R. Baldwin was clerk from 1845 to 1850.
1842, N. Cottrill, Thomas Irwin, J. Benscotter.
1843, J. Benscoter, John Rosencranse, Jr., Thomas Irwin.
1844, J. Benscoter, J. Rosencranse, Jr .. E. Chamberlin.
1845, J. Rosencranse, Jr., E. Chamberlin, Charles Berry.
1846, E. Chamberlin, C. Berry, Philip Meixell.
1847, C. Berry, P. Meixell, Ira Branson.
1848, P. Meixell, Ira Branson, Robert Eaton.
1849, Ira Branson, Robert Eaton, Jacob Besicker.
1850, Robert Eaton, Rowland Richards, Isaiah Stiles.
1851, L. H. Litts, Isaiah Stiles, R. Hutchins.
1852, Isaiah Stiles, R. Hutchins, Peter Winter.
1853, R. Hutchins, Peter Winter, Abraham Smith. From 1851 to 1853 Chester Tuttle was again clerk.
1854, Peter Winter, A. Smith, Daniel Vail.
1855, A. Smith, D. Vail, Silas Dodson.
1856, D. Vail, S. Dodson, W. A. Tubbs.
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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
1857, S. Dodson, W. A. Tubbs, Benjamin F. Pfouts.
1858, W. A. Tubbs, B. F. Pfouts, John C. Dunning.
1859, B. F. Pfouts, J. C. Dunning, John Blanchard.
1860, J. C. Dunning, J. Blanchard, Daniel Rambach. 1861, John Blanchard, Daniel Rambach, Samuel Vaughn.
1862, D. Rambach, S. Vaughn, Nathan Kocher.
1863, S. Vaughn, N. Kocher, Stephen Devenport.
1864, N. Kocher, Stephen Devenport, Uriah A. Gritman.
1865, S. Devenport, U. A. Gritman, William Wolf.
1866, Uriah A. Gritman, William Wolf, William Franck.
1867, W. Wolf, W. Franck, W. W. Smith.
1868, W. Franck, W. W. Smith, Michael Raber.
1869, W. W. Smith, M. Raber, B. F. Louder.
1870, M. Raber, B. F. Louder, G. W. Bailey.
1871, B. F. Louder, G. W. Bailey, Charles F. Hill.
1872, G. W. Bailey, C. F. Hill, A. J. Williams.
1873, A. J. Williams, C. F. Hill, R. Gersbacher.
1874-5, A. J. Williams, R. Gersbacher, N. Seibert.
1876-8, N. N. Dean, Samuel Line Peter Jennings.
1879-81, L. C. Darte, Stephen Turnbach, James D. Harris.
1882-4, Thomas W. Haines, Casper Oberdorfer, Henry Vanscoy.
1885-7, Thomas W. Haines, Thomas English, Cyrus Straw.
Charles T. Barnum, clerk from 1855 to 1863. Steuben Jenkins, clerk from 1864 to 1869. Steuben Jenkins and George M. Nagle, clerks in 1870. George M. Nagle, clerk 1871 to 1873. P. F. Lynch, clerk 1874-5. H. C. Jones, clerk 1876. S. A. Whitebread, clerk 1877 to 1881. S. A. Whitebread and H. W. Search, clerks in 1882. H. W. Search, clerk 1883-4. Robert P. Robinson, clerk 1885.
For list of present commissioners see elsewhere.
County Boundary Line Established. - The uncertainty of the line in the separation of Lackawanna from Luzerne county was in the end settled by three commissioners, John F. Snyder, W. H. Sturdevant and W. A. Mason, who had been appointed for the purpose, and the boundary line they established is as follows: Beginning at a point on the Susquehanna river a little over a mile above the mouth of Falling Spring brook; thence south and east, crossing the Pennsylvania and New York canal and railroad company's track to a chestnut and two yellow pine trees, the line being all the way through improved lands; thence south to a small brook on the north side of public back road and to the left bank of the Lackawanna river, cross- ing the tracks of the Bloomsburg division of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroad, to the inersection of the Pittston back road with the Moosic road, to the branch railroad to the central breaker of the Pennsylvania Railroad company; thence to a cut-stone corner in Little Mill creek; thence up the center of the bed of the creek to a cut-stone corner; thence south and east crossing the track of the Delaware & Hudson railroad and the Erie & Wyoming Valley railroad at Pleasant Valley station, leaving the station on the right, crossing Spring Brook railroad and Spring Brook at cut stone on easterly side of wagon road leading up the stream; thence to the northwest corner of the Jasper Irving tract, and a corner of the Edward Kennedy tract and the corner of Spring Brook township near Covey swamp; thence south to the crest of the mountain sloping toward Spring Brook to a cut stone at the wagon road at the foot of the mountain, crossing Spring Brook 150 feet below the old Dolph sawmill; thence across Spring Brook railroad and Trout creek, to the southeast corner of the Richard Gardner tract; thence across Monument creek, to the corner of Jacob Yoner and William Parker tract; thence on the line between these tracts, across the branch of Monument creek and Pittston road to a corner of Robert Gray and Joseph Lawrence tracts, thence along the line of the
Stephen to Tellerime
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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
William Monee tract to a cut-stone corner of Keating's field, and to a ont stone near the road; thence crossing John Christ's and Mathias Baff's tracts to a cut-stone corner in the northerly line of John Spohn tract; thence to a cut stone for a line in the road leading from Meadow run to Bear lake, to a corner in the left bank of Choke creek; thence down Choke creek along the center of its bed to the Lehigh river."
This line, it may be understood, was to settle the dispute over a little fraction of land claimed by both counties and gave it to Luzerne county.
County Government, 1892 .- Congress .- This county is the twelfth district; Hon. George W. Shonk, present member has declined a renomination.
Legislature .- Senate, twentieth district, M. E. McDonald (D); twenty- first district, W. H. Hines (D), nominee for congress. House, first district, C. Ben Johnson (D); second, E. A. Coray (R); third, J. M. Fritz (D); fourth, W. R. Jeffrey (R); fifth, John T. Flannery (D); sixth, Thomas M. Moyles (D).
President Judge, Hon. C. E. Rice (R). Additional law judge, Hon. Stanley Woodward (D), Hon. John Lynch (D). Orphans' court judge, Hon. D. L. Rhone (D). Court stenographers, J. F. Standish, Jr., S. F. Innes. Minute clerks, Michael Donnelly, John Shea. Treasurer, John S. McGroarty (D). Clerks, Thomas W. Hart, John Turnbach, Jr. Recorder, Joseph H. McGinty (D). Deputy, J. J. Ferry. Clerks, P. F. Lynch, P. Shoemaker, W. H. Toole. Register of wills, Phillip V. Weaver (D). Deputy and assistant clerk of orphans' court, Charles P. Campbell. Clerk, Frank Needham. Coroner, Dr. W. F. Pier (D). Commissioners, Harry Evans (R), Thomas Smith (R), T. M. Dullard (D). Clerks, James M. Norris, T. R. Peters and Patrick Norton. District attorney, John M. Garman (D). Assist- ant, P. A. O'Boyle. County detective, M. F. Whalen. Sheriff, R. P. Robinson (R). Chief deputy, John Robinson. Assistant deputy, John Dougher. Pro- thonotary, J. C. Wiegand (R). Deputy, J. T. L. Sahm. Clerk of the courts, A. L. Stanton (R). Auditors, W. E. Bennett (D), J. J. Brislin (D), G. W. Rimer (R). Jury commissioners, Patrick Finn, John H. James. Prison commissioners- the county commissioners, ex officio, with Hon. L. D. Shoemaker (R), and W. P. Kirkendall (D). Warden of the county prison, Thomas W. Haines (R). Assistants, Dwight Wolcott and Thomas Smith. Matron, Mrs. T. W. Haines. Physician, Dr. G. H. Kirwan. Mercantile appraiser, Thomas McGraw. County solicitor, Joseph Moore. County surveyor, James Crockett.
Of the Luzerne county centennial, we learn from the Historical Record, as follows:
"It was on the 25th of September, 1786, that Luzerne county was erected, and the centennial of that event was commemorated with interesting exercises. The celebration was very properly held in the courthouse, Judge Woodward adjourning court at 10 o'clock, out of compliment to the historic occasion. Luzerne county has had no less than three centennial celebrations-that in 1872, in honor of the laying out of Wilkes-Barre, in common with the National centennial, and in 1878, the one hundredth anniversary of the battle and massacre of Wyoming. This being the case, the present centennial lacked the feature of novelty, and was permitted to pass without the pomp and circumstances usually incident to such occasions. The Wyoming Historical Society determined to not let the occasion go by unobserved, and a meeting was arranged for, Gen. E. L. Dana being the chief mover in the matter.
" The hour set was 10 o'clock, at which time Judge Woodward was still on the bench. He stated, that in view of the historic event, so important to the county history, he had adjourned the court and ordered the fact to be spread upon the day's minutes as a perpetual record. The Judge then went on to give some historical data. He proceeded to read from the statute for erecting the county, which was an act of September 25, 1786. It provided that Luzerne county be set off from the
248
HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
northern portion of Northumberland county. He exhibited the first continuance docket or minute book of the county organized under the statute, from which it appeared that the first session of court was held May 29, 1787, in the house of Zebulon Butler. The first business was to organize. Dr. William Hooker Smith, Benjamin Carpenter, James Nesbitt, Timothy Pickering, Obadiah Gore, Nathan Kingsley, and Mathias Hollenback were sworn in as justices of the peace. Timothy Pickering-who might have served as a prototype for Gilbert & Sullivan's Poo Bah in the Mikado was made prothonotary, clerk of the peace and of the orphans' court, register of wills and recorder of deeds. Joseph Sprague was made court crier. Lord Butler, the first sheriff of the county, was instructed to take measures for the erection of a jail.
"Judge Woodward exhibited the commission of Sheriff Butler, who was a grand- father of the Judge's wife. It bears the signature of Benjamin Franklin. The legal practitioners who were sworn in were Ebenezer Bowman, Putnam Catlin, Rosewell Welles and William Nichols. The speaker exhibited the first legal paper - a capais, September term, 1787, Samuel Allen vs. Henry Burney - Catlin, attorney. At that time the county contained only 2,730 taxables, now the same territory has a population of nearly half a million. Having concluded his hasty retrospect, Judge Woodward said he would come down from the bench, and turn over the meeting to its proper custodian, the Historical society.
"Judge Dana, president of the society, took the chair, and after a few appropriate remarks called upon Rev. E. Hazard Snowden, the oldest minister in the county, to open the exercises, and he addressed the throne of grace in language peculiarly adapted to the occasion.
"Judge Dana read a brief but valuable paper by Dr. Hollister, of Providence, who was unable to attend, on the "Birth of Luzerne County." In it reference was made to the attempt to locate the county seat on the west side of the Susque- hanna, and of Ethan Allen's scheme to bring his Green Mountain boys here, and establish an independent government in Wyoming.
" Hon. Steuben Jenkins, the veteran Wyoming historian, read a paper descriptive of the government of Wyoming prior to the erection of Luzerne county. It had to deal with the quartersessions, the speaker said, as Judge Woodward had with the common pleas. The troublous times were described, as also the local dissatis- faction with the new regime, which placed all the offices of profit in the hands of a single individual - Timothy Pickering - and he a Pennamite. The paper was a valuable contribution to local history.
" Mr. C. I. A. Chapman took exceptions to the language of the act changing the boundary of the new county. He made the point that instead of changing the western boundary from west to north, one degree west, as provided by the act, the change contemplated was from west to north, eighty-nine degrees west. The latter represented the contemplated change of one degree, while the former implies a change of eighty-nine degrees, which was not contemplated. Mr. Jenkins replied that he was aware of the technical error, but he could not change the language of the act.
"A most elaborate and scholarly paper was presented by Hon. E. L. Dana, on ' The Chevalier de la Luzerne,' from whom the country derived its name. Most of the subject matter was entirely new, having been obtained by the speaker's son from the unpublished archives of the French government. The paper revealed, what few people are aware of, how warm a friend Luzerne was to the struggling colonists, and the practical aid given by him to the American cause. Not the least interesting was the official advice to Luzerne of the naming of a county for him, together with his reply, which was replete with words expressive of his love for America and for Pennsylvania, in which he had lived for a time.
"The assistance given by the Paxtang rangers to the Connecticut settlers at
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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.
Wyoming, in their contest with the Pennamites, was graphically portrayed by Dr. W. H. Egle, of Harrisburg, who read an admirable paper on "The House of Lan- caster to the Rescue." Dr. Egle was probably the best reader of the day, and his portraiture of the hardy Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, who rallied to the standard of the Yankees in their struggle against what they believed to be the tyranny of Pennsylvania, was graphic in the extreme. Dr. Egle is one of the most exten- sive historical writers in the commonwealth, and the historical society was fortu- nate in securing his presence. His address was warmly received and generously applauded.
"F. C. Johnson gave a synopsis of a paper now being prepared by him, present- ing what is virtually a chapter of unwritten history, referred to only by one his- torian, Miner, and disposed of by him in a sentence or two. The subject was 'The Proposed Exodus of Wyoming Settlers in 1783.' In that year the Connect- icut settlers in Wyoming, discouraged by the decree of Trenton, which had decided the land controversy in favor of the Pennamites, determined to seek the friendly shelter of another State. A petition was drawn up and signed by 400 settlers, ask- ing the assembly of New York to grant a tract of land on the Susquehanna, begin- ning near the Pennsylvania line and continuing to Oquago, immediate settlement to be made. The memorial was taken to Albany by Obadiah Gore, on horseback, where he met the favorable action of both senate and assembly. The exodus never took place, as such, though some of the petitioners did seek a retreat along the waters of the upper Susquehanna. As time passed by, Pennsylvania rule was found less oppressive than had been anticipated and the Wyoming people remained on their possessions. The paper was interesting, as being made up of new material, the original petition, with signatures, having been furnished the speaker by the sec- retary of the Oneida Historical society, and most of the other matter having been found among the State historical records at Albany.
" William P. Miner, for many years editor and proprietor of the Wilkes-Barre Record, read a most interesting paper on the progress of printing in Luzerne county. The paper began with an account of his trip on horseback from West Chester to Wilkes-Barre in September, 1832, having been promoted from the office of assistant 'devil' in the West Chester Village Record to the position of imp of the ink balls in the office of the Wyoming Herald, printed and published by Asher Miner and Steuben Butler. Mr. Miner described the primitive method by which the Herald was printed on a Ramage press, inked with wool-stuffed buckskin balls held in each hand. Mr. Miner alluded to these papers in his possession-Wilkes- Barre Gazette, 1797 to 1800; Luzerne Federalist, 1801 to 1811; Gleaner, 1811 to 1818-as well as many subsequent.
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