History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 75

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.)
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago : S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1532


USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections > Part 75


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


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New Columbus became an organized borough in 1859. While it takes in con- siderable territory it has never become more than a hamlet in fact, and has only


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about sixty voters. Here is Edgar's gristmill (water power), a fair merchant mill; also a lumber mill at what was old Careytown, which was taken into the borough limits; three general stores, one wagon manufactory of fair size and good work by Long Bros.


The Huntington Mills Educational society was organized in 1878. An acre of ground was purchased of Amos Howard, and a two-story frame building erected, suitable for an academy, at a cost of $2,000. The first term was commenced Sep- tember 2, 1878-100 pupils, under Prof. J. W. Swingle, assisted by W. W. Van Horn. The stockholders were F. A. B. Koons, S. H. Dodson, Franklin Monroe, Perry Monroe, Dr. Clinton Bacon, Gove Larned, Amos Howard, George Remaly, William Workhiser, Redmond Koons.


Huntington Mills, formerly Hublerville, is on Huntington creek. Here are the paper-mills of F. A. B. Koons and Redmond Koons-firm name Koons Bros .; these were built in 1872, and from the surrounding country they obtain the straw for the manufacture of wrapping paper. They also have a store. There is an excellent gristmill, and some years ago, in the rear of the gristmill, was erected a carding- mill.


Town Hill is a postoffice, store and blacksmith shop, an old tannery and harness shop, two churches and a schoolhouse. It is east of New Columbus, a little over two miles.


Cambra postoffice has two stores, hotel (no license), wagon and blacksmith shop.


Harveyville, two gristmills with modern improvements; Koons' planing-mill is just across the creek. This was an old tannery and was converted into a planing- mill.


Register is a postoffice midway on the road from New Columbus to Huntington Mills. Here is a gristmill, store and blacksmith shop. This is a nice hamlet and has considerable trade.


JACKSON TOWNSHIP


Bears the name of the immortal old "Hickory"-the hero and statesman-the man of brains and both physical and moral courage. The township was formed in 1844; is fifteen square miles in area, and was taken from the original township of Plymouth. It once had only game and a grand old forest, that thirty or forty years ago gave employment to its nine sawmills cutting it into lumber; then there were three gristmills, and in the entire township was but one old-time country tavern. Its oak, hemlock and pine forests have faded away before the strokes of the wood- men's axes, and the people sought out every spot to make farms and homes. It lies in the hills, much of it broken and rough, and everywhere the sweet waters of the mountain springs suggested dairying to the thrifty inhabitants, and the town- ship at one time bid fair to lead all others in the county in this respect.


The first white man to make this a permanent home was Palmer Ransom in 1795; leading the way for the soon coming of John Lemereaux, Jesse Brown, Maj. B. Fuller, and a few others. The increase for fifty years was very slow, the permanent settlements uncertain, in 1850 it contained a population of 592; in 1880, 661; in 1890, 657; forty years showing a total increase of 69, and the last decade a loss of 4.


A pretty complete list of the early settlers is the following in addition to the above first comers:


Samuel and David Allen, William Baker, Jared R. Baldwin, Jude Baldwin, Asahel Drake, Rufus Drake, Jehiel Fuller, Thomas Lamoreaux, Edon Ruggles, Joseph Reynolds and Mathias Van Loon, these were the settlers in the other century. Griffin Lewis came in 1800; Thomas Case, Joseph Reynolds and Levi Bronson came in 1804; Anson Carskadden, 1806; Jared R. Baldwin, 1819; Joseph Howard, 1821. In the western part of the township the first settler was Henry Cease, 1831.


In 1795 Asahel Drake and Rufus Drake built the first sawmill on the J. M.


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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.


Nesbitt place; three different mills were built and worn out on this site. Soon after Jared and Jude Baldwin built their mill at Huntsville; Fuller near the same time built his near Baldwin's. Ziegler & Wilcox's mill was on the Baldwin site; George P. Ransom built his mill, 1815; worn out, and in 1840 torn down, and his son Chester built a new mill. In 1823 John Lamoreaux and Daniel Davenport built their sawmill on Bidlack's creek. In 1830 Henry Cease built his on the old site of Josiah Cease's mill on Harvey creek; Sandford Parsons built at Huntsville in 1847; this afterward was Harvey Fuller's. Jeremiah Fuller and Truman Atherton added a gristmill to their sawmill at Huntsville in 1805-the first food mill in the town- ship. Henry Cease built the Gregory mill on Harvey creek in 1830. Harvey rebuilt and added a gristmill to his Huntsville property in 1863. The saw and gristmill of Ziegler & Wilcox was built by Truman and Green Atherton and Egbert Bogardus-a saw and gristmill with one water power. Albert Lewis is now the lumber man of this section. His mills at the lake are rapidly clearing up the remaining lumber of this section.


There are two hamlets and two postoffices in the township-Huntsville and Cease's Mills. At the latter is a gristmill. Huntsville is near the water reservoir, where is gathered the water with head to supply all the country south and southwest of Shickshinny. Below the reservoir about two miles is a second dam, and near thisis now by far the most important improvement in the township-Mr. Conyngham's farm and summer residence. He has made expensive improvements and in the way of fancy farming and stockraising it has become famous; blooded dairy cattle and fine horses are the leading purpose. As an "outing" summer home this gentle- man has all that heart could wish.


JENKINS TOWNSHIP


Bears the honored name of Col. John Jenkins, one of the most distinguished names connected with the settlement of this portion of Pennsylvania. Nearly the whole of the township is heavily underlaid with coal and the most of the land has passed to the coal companies. Though much of it is as fine farming land as any in the state, yet this interest is overshadowed by the later developed one. But little of the settlement ever extended more than the valley between the river and to Gard- ner creek.


The township was taken from Pittston, June 24, 1852. The first important set- tlement in the township was Joseph Gardner's gristmill in 1794, on Gardner's creek. In 1866, says Stewart Pearce, "the oldest living inhabitants are Peter Waiters, seventy-four and Letitia Cotant, seventy-one. "


Isaac Gould, it is said, came about the same time as Joseph Gardner and were the first permanent settlers. They located near where the Laflin powder mills are. Daniel Seeley built the first sawmill (portable) on Gardner's creek. Jesse Thomas had a sawmill above the powder mills. James, John, Isaac and Joseph Thompson located in the hollow just below Sebastopol in the old road from Wilkes-Barre to Inkerman. John Stout had the first blacksmith shop on the hill near Yatesville. His coming was late as 1824. In 1846 George Price built the first brick house in the township on the road from Wilkes-Barre to Pittston. Other settlers on this road were Joseph, James and Jacob Swallow near the township south line; Jesse Gardner was on Gardner's creek; Isaac Tompkins, James and Joseph Armstrong were nearer the river. Among others of the early settlers are mentioned William, Jacob and Daniel La Bar, Peter Miller, Anthony Lacoe, Abram Thomas, John Hess and a Mr. Goode.


The first schoolhouse was built about 1810 or 1812, near where the brick school- house now stands, on the Wilkes-Barre & Pittston road, in Sebastopol. The old schoolhouse is now in use as a workshop, having been sold to Francis Yates. It stands opposite his residence at Yatesville. The first teacher was Joel Hale. There was a log schoolhouse at Inkerman on the hill above Port Blanchard. John Blanch-


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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.


ard and his sisters and George Cooper were among the early pupils. Roswell Hale was the first teacher at Inkerman.


The oldest cemetery is the Cooper burying ground, in the northwest corner of the township. We find upon the tombstones the following names and dates: Conrad Schiffern, born May 18, 1744, died May 18, 1820; Rachel Schiffern, born June 27, 1742, died January 23, 1810; Adam Wagner, born 1754, died 1806; Margaret Tedrick, died June 6, 1811; Peter Sailor, died March 18, 1809, aged thirty-nine; Mary Ann Sailor, died May 26, 1814; Elizabeth Good, died February 27, 1825, aged thirty; Eva La Bar, died January 10, 1809, aged thirty-six; Rensselaer Billina, died April 1, 1806; Margaret Winter, died February 14, 1833, aged eighty-one; Peter Winter, died March 11, 1814, aged sixty-five; James Swallow, died February 2, 1804, aged fifty; Elizabeth Swallow, died April 15, 1814, aged sixty; Mary David, died January 26, 1816, aged thirty-six; Nancy Blanchard, died September 24, 1809, aged eighteen; Cordelia Blanchard, died December 27, 1794; Henry Cortright, Jr., died February 2, 1828; William Day, born in England in 1740, died February 7, 1829, aged eighty-nine.


Port Griffith was thus named in honor of one of the original stockholders of the Pennsylvania Coal company, one of whose mines is at this place. It was then the terminus of the company's railroad. It was for several years quite a flourishing place, and is at present an ordinary mining town. It is a station on the Lehigh Valley railroad, and is a postoffice. In addition to the overshadowing mining inter- est, there is a stone quarry and a large brickyard, two general stores, one hotel, and several small trading places; population, 900, engaged in mining.


Port Blanchard is a little below Port Griffith, and bears the name of an early resident, John Blanchard. The first settler here was Capt. Jeremiah Blanchard, who built his log house on the property that continued in the family name. He next built on the "old mansion" lot. John Blanchard located in the place in 1823. The old hotel was opened in 1845 by Samuel Hodgson, and about the same time a postoffice was opened, and he was postmaster. There is a river ferry and a hotel.


Inkerman is a mining town; was first settled by Peter Winter in 1810, with his blacksmith shop, and this first advertised it. It is situated on what is known as the "back road" from Pittston to Wilkes-Barre. The mining interests have collected here about 630 inhabitants; postoffice, hotel, store, grocery; coal shafts 5, 6 and 11. Sebastopol is but a mining suburb of Pittston. Nothing there except those engaged in mining.


KINGSTON BOROUGH


Was made a borough November 23, 1857. The petition therefor bore the names of the following: Robert H. Tubbs, F. Helme, Reuben Jones, Thomas Pringle, Richard Hutchins, William N. Raymond, A. H. Reynolds, Reuben Marcy, A. C. Church, William C. Morris, M. G. Whitney, George E. Hoyt, Abram Nesbitt, William Perigo, P. M. Goodwin, Abraham Goodwin, Jr., Abraham Goodwin, Thomas Myers, Francis A. Page, Anson Atherton, Isaac Tripp, M. F. Myers, H. S. Butler, George Sealy, Thomas Somers, Charles Raymond, F. C. Woodhouse, H. C. Silkman, R. Nelson, Samuel Griffin, William Loveland, Z. B. Hoyt, Thomas Slo- cum, Albert Skeer, H. M. Hoyt, Samuel Hoyt, Bester Payne, R. H. Little, Conklin Robbins, Ira W. Dilley, Thomas Fender, James Grenawalt, John Keller, William C. Reynolds, E. W. Reynolds, Joshua Belding.


The first election was December 15, 1857, at the house of Thomas Wambold. Ira Carl, judge; Reuben Marcy and Abram Nesbitt, inspectors. The following officers were elected: Reuben Jones, burgess; council, Bestor Payne, Marshal G. Whitney, Reuben Marcy, Thomas Pringle, president, and Richard Hutchins; high constable, Edward A. Pringle.


The early history of Kingston and the early history of the famed Wyoming valley are much one and the same. It goes back to 1769, or one hundred and


L. C. Tyrell


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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.


twenty-three years ago. Therefore much of its history is in preceding chapters, giving an account of the early settlement, the trials and tribulations of the first pioneers. Wilkes-Barre and Kingston were rival points for at least two generations, and, as usual in history, it was mere straws that decided, like fate, which should be the city proper and which should be suburb.


It is not now certainly known who was the first settler at the village of Kingston, but one of the first located in the township in 1769 settled within the limits of the borough, namely, James Atherton, who with his sons, James Atherton, Jr., Ashael and Elisha Atherton, built the first log house, nearly opposite the site of the old academy, on Main street. There the father resided to the time of his death, in 1790. His son Elisha occupied the old homestead until 1817, when he died. The old log cabin then disappeared.


This portion of the township was the last to be occupied by the settlers from abroad, and up to 1803 there were but three houses between those of James Ather- ton and Lawrence Myers, the latter at the corner where now stands the Abram Goodwin store. Previous to 1796 there was a small one-story house directly opposite the residence of Abram Reynolds. It was painted red, and for many years was occupied by Epaphras Thompson, a silversmith and a Baptist of the Hardshell order. He left here about 1818, and the house disappeared about 1835. It was the first frame house built within the limits of the borough.


Up to 1818 the old township line road was the only avenue to Wilkes-Barre; it was reached by the extension of the main Kingston road, ninety-nine feet wide, and was then known as the Wilkes-Barre and Blind Town road, as it led from the ferry opposite the foot of Northampton street, Wilkes-Barre, to Blind Town, sepa- rating the townships of Kingston and Plymouth. Near the point of intersection of these roads was a swing gate across the Blind Town road. There were no fences at that day on these extensive bottom lands to protect the crops from trespassing cattle, and every person passing was enjoined by stringent laws, with heavy penalties, to close the gate after him. This gate was maintained from 1770 up to the time of building the Wilkes Barre bridge and the opening of the present avenue from the bridge to Kingston, in 1818, when the old road from Eleazer Loveland's to the ferry was vacated, the old gate was unhung, and owners of lands had to build fences for the protection of their crops.


The road leading from Goodwin's corner to the Blind Town road, at the old Eleazer Loveland place, was not laid out in the original survey of the township, but was opened by Myers and Hallett Gallop, through their own lands, on the comple- tion of the bridge in 1818. William Gallop built the first house (of logs) on the site of the residence of the late Giles Slocum.


At the junction of the new road given by Myers and Gallop with the Blind Town road, on the Plymouth side, was a small log house as late as 1802. From this point to where the railroad now crosses the Blind Town road there was but a single residence, which was occupied by Darius Williams. On the Kingston side of the Blind Town road there was not a residence up to 1796 between the Myers and Gallop road and Toby's creek, where Peter Grubb had a gristmill and a sawmill and lived on the site of the Kingston Coal company's No. 1 from 1790 to 1807. The mills subsequently became the property of Thomas Borbridge, who took them down in 1826. These were the only grist and sawmills ever built within the limits of the borough of Kingston.


On the triangle, in the rear of the old stone house, at quite an early day were a small tannery, a shop, and a dwelling house. The date of their erection is unknown, but in 1815 the property came into the possession of Gen. Samuel Thomas, and he built thereon a frame dwelling, which is now standing. Here he kept his justice's office from March 20, 1816, till his removal to Illinois, when he sold the property to Ziba Hoyt. In this house Gov. Henry M. Hoyt was born. In 1817 Levi Hoyt built his house on the triangle, a short distance southwest from his brother's. This


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house is also still standing. The old homestead of Lawrence Myers (of hewn logs) was probably built as early as 1787 by his predecessor. Lawrence Myers was appointed a justice of the peace July 7, 1790. In this log house he held his courts and continued to dispense justice to the litigants of Kingston up to the time of his death in 1810. He was succeeded by Stephen Hollister, who left the township in 1816. The latter was followed by Samuel Thomas, and he by Sharp D. Lewis, who retired about 1840.


Henry Buckingham, from Connecticut, opened the first store, where is the Jacob Sharps residence, and in or about 1804 he built a dwelling and store on the lot owned and occupied by Abram Reynolds, east of McPike's hotel. Here he did business till 1821, and after him Thomas Borbridge, from Philadelphia, several years. William C. Reynolds was then the merchant here until his death. In 1807 or 1808 Sidney Tracey opened a short-lived store in the Giles Slocum house. In 1811 Elias Hoyt and Thomas Bartlett opened a store on Main street, a short dis- tance above the Exchange hotel; and in 1818 Hoyt built and for many years occu- pied the store, afterward occupied by Laycock & Pringle. A. O. Chahoon and one Lanning succeeded Hoyt & Bartlett. Goods were brought from Philadelphia and New York on the old-fashioned Conestoga wagons, each drawn by four, five or six horses. Derrick Bird, Joshua Pettebone and John Shafer were among the old pioneer teamsters. James Barnes had a little book store connected with his other business about 1820. He owned all the land from Toby's eddy to Larkeville, which is now worth millions of dollars.


Tradition tells us that at the time of the Wyoming massacre a man by the name of Tracey kept a tavern near the corner where stands the Pike hotel. He was both schoolmaster and poet. He was the author of the ballad entitled "The Massacre of Wyoming." In 1804 John Ebert began building the Exchange hotel. He left the country in 1807, and James Wheeler built and finished the house, and kept it until 1809 or 1810. Naphtali Hurlbut then occupied the house several years. His suc- cessors were Archippus Parrish and Oliver Helm. William Johnson, John Sax and Frank Helm have also kept the old tavern, which was a popular resort for all the old settlers. Elnathan Wilson, about 1820, opened a tavern where McPike's hotel was built; afterward occupied by Thomas Myers & Co., as a store. A distillery was built about 1808, a log structure, where was made honest corn juice, opposite the old Exchange on Main street. It should be stated that they made " corn juice" mostly from potatoes. The noted "Myers Cocked Hat" was the old stone building put up in 1818 by James Barnes for a store. It was made a residence long ago, after Thomas Bordridge and Thomas Myers had had a store in it. The first floor was once a foundry and after all these vicissitudes it was converted into a residence and then again into a store, justice office, etc.


The ancestral home of Gov. Hoyt, called the "old Hoyt house," was on " Goose island," now the extension of Main street, west from Railroad avenue. An old landmark is the "old Loveland house," after many changes, still standing-a frame that stood at the intersection of the old Myers and Gallup, or Plymouth road, and the Blind Town road. The first cemetery was on the William Gallup farm. The first interment there was the body of Nathaniel Gates, died November 7, 1793. Most of the bodies have been removed and the grounds long neglected. The next burial there was Eunice, wife of Aaron Dean, died November 8, 1795; Elizabeth Grubb, died July 28, 1796; Peter Grubb, died July 23, 1807; William Gallup, died January 1, 1815; Betsy, wife of Peter Clark, died January 25, 1807; Hallet Gallup, died October 6, 1804; Mary Gallup, died October 6, 1804; Israel Skeer, died Octo- ber 14, 1804; Hannah, wife of Alph Jones, born 1772, died 1864.


The business of the place is represented as follows: 1 seminary, 4 blacksmiths, 4 boot and shoe dealers, 1 cigar factory, 9 carpenters and contractors, 1 dentist, 2 draymen, 11 dressmakers, 3 drnggists, 1 electric light company, 1 flour and feed mill, 3 furniture dealers, 7 general stores, 10 grocers, 3 hardware, 2 harness, 4


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hotels, 1 house furnishing, 1 laundry, 2 livery, 2 lumber dealers, 3 meat markets, 2 merchant tailors, 1 miller, 5 physicians, 1 stove and tinware, 1 undertaker, 1 upholsterer, 1 jeweler.


Present borough officers: Burgess, Butler Dilley; council: J. C. Van Loon, president; George W. Lewis, secretary; George H. Flanagan, George Nesbitt, A. J. Root, Robert Cooper, Abraham Hoyt and James Waddell; assessor and col- lector, E. C. Starbird; justices: C. W. Boone, Ira M. Carl; school directors: J. E. Nugent, Alexander Nichols, Enoch R. Aston, W. G. Colley, Thomas R. Phillips, E. B. Jacobs; postmaster, David S. Clark.


KINGSTON TOWNSHIP,


The heart of the rich and beautiful Wyoming valley, one of the eleven of the Susquehanna townships into which Luzerne county was divided in 1790, also one of the original formed under the authority of Connecticut and the Susquehanna Land company, has been diminished from its original size by taking off Dallas and parts of Franklin and Laketownships, and now contains but twenty-nine square miles, but is all naturally the most productive agricultural lands in the State. From this twenty- nine square miles are to be subtracted the territory of the four boroughs: Kingston, Dorranceton, Forty Fort and Wyoming. Stewart Pearce says it derived its name from Kingston, R. I., and was originally called " Kingstown."


The "forty " Yankees who entered the valley in 1769 had among them Ezra Dean and family. When they had their territory assigned and located they all met under the trees and Dean proposed to furnish the crowd a quart of whisky for the privilege of naming the township. The proposition was accepted and Mrs. Dean named it " Kingstown." All took a pull at the bottle and then said "Kingstown " and it was christened. The memorable old Forty fort stood within its limits, on the river a short distance below the church, about eighty rods from the river. The first sawmill was James Sutton's on Tobey creek, built 1778. With Dallas and parts of Lake and Franklin, in 1796 it contained the following taxables:


James Atherton, Elisha Atherton, John Allen, Joseph Brown, Oliver Biglow, Alexander Brown, William Brown, Daniel Burney, Andrew Bennett, Josephus Bar- ber, Caleb Brundage, Samuel Breese, Laban Blanchard, Almon Church, Gilbert Carpenter, Jonathan Carver, Samuel Carver, James Carpenter, Tunis Decker, Jesse Dickerson, Benjamin Dorrance, John Dorrance, Nathan Denison, Christian Cornigh, Joshua Fuller, Benajah Fuller, Hallet Gallop, William Gallop, Peter Grubb, John Gore, James Gardiner, Lewis Hartsoff, John Horton, Peter Hartsoff, Daniel Hoyt, William Hurlbert, Elijah Harris, Joseph Hillman, John Hinds, Stephen Hollister, Philip Jackson, John Joseph, John Keely, Samuel Landon, Nathaniel Landon, David Landon, James Landon, James Love, William Little, Isaiah Lucas, Lawrence Myers, Philip Myers, Nathan Mulford, Lewis Mullison, John Montoney, Isaac Montoney, Joseph Montoney, Andrew Miller, Elisha Matterson, Anning Owen, Able Pierce, John Pierce, Joseph Pierce, Elias Pierce, Oliver Pettibone, David Perkins, Aaron Perkins, John Rosenkrans, Aaron Roberts, Benjamin Roberts, Nathan Rob- erts, James Rice, Sherman Smith, Daniel Spencer, Martin Smith, Luke Sweetland, Joseph Sweetland, James Scofield, Comfort Shaw, Alexander Swartwout, Elijah Shoemaker, Abraham Shoemaker, Adam Shafer, Peter Shafer, Frederick Shafer, Peter Shale, Henry Tuttle, John Tuttle, Joseph Tuttle, William Trucks, Isaac Trip, Israel Underwood, Gideon Underwood, Abraham Van Gordon, Lemuel Wakely, John Wart, Ashel Fish, Benjamin Smith.


Around this spot centered those tremendous events of the colonial times. As said, here was Forty fort, and therefore, for the history of this particular part of the county the reader is referred to the preceding general chapters, wherein is told the story, from the first arrival in 1762, to the close of the contention between the Con- necticut people and the Pennsylvania authorities.


The township was not only stripped of its territory by taking portions to make


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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.


other townships, but a large part of it now is in thriving boroughs. Commencing with Kingston and running north, is borough joined to borough for miles, reaching nearly to the north line of the township. To Kingston is added Dorranceton, Forty Fort and Wyoming, all being of recent formation, and all rapidly improving and property advancing. From the public square in Wilkes-Barre starts the electric car lines, and branching to Luzerne all the points to Wyoming are now well served, and the ride to the borough of Wyoming, now (August 15, 1892) ready to run to Pitts- ton, and before this is in print, on to Scranton, is a delightful excursion. You pass one moment through the business portion of a borough, then palatial residences and their well-kept lawns and shade trees; then the gardens and truck patches, and then perhaps a good-sized field of waving corn. How rapidly the panorama has changed the past twelve months-and how this will go on, until pretty much all Kingston township is the suburban towns of Wilkes-Barre, is not difficult to see. A gentle- man can now do business in the city, and his family and residence in this beautiful suburb will be as formerly when their home was a few squares away. So nearly do the boroughs occupy all the ground in Kingston township that is historical, that the reader is referred thereto for much of its history. Of course the history of its trials and triumphs in the old colonial times is to be found in preceding chapters, that tell of the Revolutionary war and the struggle with the Pennsylvania authorities.




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