History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 78

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

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This township contains twenty-eight square miles, a portion of which is mount- ainous, and the remainder is flat or river-bottom and rolling land. Its timber is chiefly oak, chestnut and hemlock, and its soil is adapted to wheat, rye, oats and corn. Its market is Hazleton. It has 3 sawmills, 2 gristmills, 1 carding and fulling mill, 1 forge, 2 stores, 2 churches and 3 taverns.

Nescopeck village is built on the site of an ancient town of the Delaware Indians. It was the rendezvous of the hostile savages during the French and Indian war, upward of 100 years ago. It has about twenty dwellings, one store and a tavern. The southern line of Luzerne county crosses the Susquehanna at this place, cutting the Nescopeck bridge diagonally about midway.

List of taxables in Nescopeck in 1796:

Walter Kaar, Henry Hepler, William Sims, Jacob Hepler, Abraham Arnold, Henry Mattis, Joseph Bush, Martin Herner, Henry Nulf, Lawrence Kurrens, Cornelius Bellas, Jacob Severlin, Michael Horriger, Christian Smeeders, Casper Nulf, John Nulf, Adam Nulf, John Freese, Benjamin Van Horn, George Tilp, Robert Patton, John Kennedy, James McVail, Adam Lurner, John Decker, Isaac Taylor, Daniel Lee, Zebulon Lee, John Pattman, William Rittenhouse and Joseph Kaar.

It is believed the first settler in what is now Nescopeck township was George Walker, in 1786, settled near where was the old-time Benjamin Evans' gristmill. Walker made improvement and commenced to build a mill, but the "Pumpkin

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flood " of that year washed everything away. About the same time a family settled on the Michael Raber farm. The whole family were massacred. George Walker soon after the massacre left the country, and it is supposed went west, where he could have more room.

In 1787 a road was laid out from Nescopeck falls to the Lehigh river, following afterward very nearly all the way by the turnpike that passed through the village of Conyngham, on its way to Hazleton. Evan Owens was the proprieter of Berwick, and to this day you will hear old men speak of the "Owens road."

The first land grant was the Campania tract, lying west of Big Wapwallopen creek, surveyed to Daniel Grant in 1769; patented to George Campbell in 1773. The next grant was to Jacob Bittendorfer in 1808. This was then Evans mill tract.

Settlers along the Nescopeck creek in 1791 were Jacob Smithers, Jacob Shover, Martin Aton and Jacob Seyberling. In 1807 Henry Dewespecht, Michael Harrier, Conrad Bloos, Jacob Bittenbender, Jr. ; William Moore, Thomas Cole; Conrad Reider- ich, John Henry, Casper Henry, Michael Whitenecht, Michael Nauss, Conrad Bing- heimer, Peter Clingeman, Bernard Snyder, John Rooth, George Bittenbender, George. Keens, John Buss, Daly, - Bassinger, and a surveyor by the name of Chesney had settled in Nescopeck. They were nearly all from Northampton county. From this time settlers came in rapidly. The Fortners, Sloyers and Smiths came about 1828, and the families of Evans and Williams soon after. Jonas Buss, who settled here in 1807, is now living at Mifflin, Columbia county, at the age of eighty- nine. He still retains his memory of early events to a remarkable degree, and we are indebted to him for many facts concerning the early history of the township.

William Rittenhouse, who owned large tracts of land in this and adjoining towns, built a log gristmill on Nescopeck creek about 1795, as an inducement for settlers to purchase his lands. He sold to Jacob Rittenhouse in 1808. Nathan Beach, so prominently mentioned in the account of Salem township as a man of great enterprise, built a mill on Wapwallopen creek near a place called "Powder Hole," in 1795. There were three mills on this site-all burned by accident. In 1795 Samuel Mifflin built his sawmill near the mouth of Nescopeck creek. In 1824 Henry Bowman built on this spot, using the old dam, his three-story gristmill; sold to Daniel Evans in 1838, who added a plaster-mill. In 1853 John McMurtria built his gristmill above the Evans mill; he sold to J. Johnson in 1860. In 1840 John T. Davis built a fulling-mill on a branch of the Nescopeck; sold it to J. Stephenson in 1860, who ran it until it closed down. H. Haschner built a sawmill in 1867 on Nescopeck creek. On the same creek, in 1830, E. and J. Leidy built their forge, three fires and two hammers, making blooms and bar iron of ore obtained from Columbia county. The late Hon. Simon Cameron at one time had an interest in this forge. It passed into the hands of S. F. Headley, who enlarged it and ran it until 1854, when its fires were permanently banked. A tannery on Nescopeck creek was built in 1858 by Theodore and George Naugle; run until 1870. They built a sawmill in 1856.

Nescopeck Village was started into life in 1786 by the fact that at that time Samuel Mifflin opened his little store on the bank of the river, now in the village site. His agent and manager on the ground was William Baird, residence and store room all one. The building was frame and is said to be the first of its kind in the township. The next move toward making the place was the opening of George Rough's blacksmith shop near by. A ferry was now operated, and a man named Steiner opened his log cabin hotel at the foot of the ferry. In 1807 John Myers built his frame hotel and then the village began to put on airs, as well it might. Another was built by John Rothermel in 1815. His son, the painter of the cele- brated picture, "The Battle of Gettysburg," was born here. In 1817 Christian Kunkle built the stone house now owned by the Cooper heirs, in Nescopeck village, burning the brick for the chimneys, and for a three-story building in Berwick, on the ground. Michael Raber built the first brick dwelling and burned the brick for all the rest.

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A bridge across the Susquehanna was built in 1816. A flood swept the bridge away in 1836, and the following year it was rebuilt. It is 1,250 feet long.

It is now estimated there are 650 residents in the village. The old stone house was once the hotel of the place. In 1827-8 the place was noted for its rapid growth and the business air that prevailed. The drowsy village was wakened into active life and the musical horns of the canal boats roused up the latent fires of the once lucky-go-easy natives. The little boys then, the little remnant now left, are very old men, love to tell how they played hookey and would go down and all day watch the great canal boats arrive and depart, and how they longed, and hardly dared hope, the time would come when they could reach the exalted positions of drivers on the canal. About the total business of the people was at one time canaling, and as soon as a boy was fourteen or fifteen his ambition would be gratified-surfeited the first round trip, and then he would commence scheming to run away from his cruel master. The boy had to whip the mules and the boss would whip the boys, or perhaps it would be more descriptive to say he whipped the mules through the boys-a kind of vicarious tickling. The village has an important railroad junction. The main line of the Pennsylvania Central passes through the place, and in 1886 a branch was built from here to Hazleton. No village in the county is improving better than this. Many of the people have their homes here and do business or work in some of the industries across the river in Berwick. Milton Brundage was the original town proprietor. His three sons have sold their interests and reside in Hazleton. G. P. Miller was the first to buy a lot on the north side of the main street, pick off the stones and build his present Central hotel. There are in the place 2 hotels, 1 grist mill (the old Evans mill mentioned above); 3 general stores; railroad round house and machine shops (working about 60 men); 2 drug stores, 1 furniture, 1 grocery, 1 hardware, 1 meat market, some small trading places, black- smith's and carpenter's shops.

Briggsville is the only other postoffice in the township. There is a store here; was at one time a tavern, but no longer open to the public.

Sugarloaf is a station on the Hazleton branch of railroad, six miles from Nes- copeck. A station house. A fertilizing factory is the only business of the place.

NEWPORT TOWNSHIP

Was one of the original townships when this was Westmoreland county, Conn., and derives its name from Newport, R. I. It now contains within its boundaries but nineteen square miles, whereas originally it was all of what are now Newport, Slocum, Dorrance, Hollenback, Conyngham and Nescopeck townships.

The first settlement in Newport was made by Maj. Prince Alden, in 1772, on the Col. Washington Lee property. A few years after this his sons, Mason F. and John Alden, erected a forge on Nanticoke creek. In the same year Mr. Chap- man put up a log gristmill, with one run of stone, near the forge. This was the only mill in Wyoming that escaped destruction from floods and from the torch of the savage. In 1780 it was guarded by armed men, and, as far as possi- ble, it met the wants of the public, but many of the settlers were compelled to carry their grain to Stroud's mill, at Stroudsburg, a distance of fifty miles.

Even when Stewart Pearce wrote his Annals he states that the industry of farm- ing, once quite a business of all the people, was passing away-the farmers selling their land to the coal companies and moving off. While the lands were mostly hilly and undulating, yet they were once productive, but when the coal operators got possession of them, farms began to be neglected and soon agriculture was given over to careless and indifferent renters or turned out as commons. "Companies seem to take no interest in the improvement of the farms, further than to rent them . on short and uncertain leases for enough to pay the taxes." In other words, New- port is now almost exclusively "a mining district"-a term sufficiently descriptive to the average reader.

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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.

Prince Alden made his improvement on Newport creek; in modern times his place was the property of Col. Washington Lee. This description is still somewhat vague, as Lee owned at various times a great deal of property. Either Alden's first loca- tion was in what is now a part of Nanticoke borough or was very close thereto. Of one thing there is little doubt, namely, that his settlement here was the cause of the coming of the first settlers in what is now Nanticoke borough, such as William Stewart and others, who came in 1773. About one-third of the borough of Nanti- coke, the south part, was taken from Newport township. To which the reader is referred for the early settlers. The first record information we can find of the original settlers is of date June 13, 1787, as follows:

NEWPORT TOWNSHIP .- At a meeting legally warned and held at the house of Prince Alden, Saturday, June 9, 1787, made choice of Mr. Prince Alden, moderator, and Mason F. Alden, clerk.

" Resolved, Whereas the survey of this town was utterly lost at the destruction of this settle- ment, it is, therefore, resolved that a committee of three persons be appointed to carefully inspect into and ascertain the proprietors and actual settlers of the town of Newport at or before the decree of Trenton," etc.

The town meeting provided for other things, but the material act is given verbatim. The committee appointed were Prince Alden, Capt. John P. Schott and Mason F. Alden. They were also to " allot out the third division of 300 acres to each proprietor." The persons who were residents and found to be entitled to lots, as reported by that committee, were as follows: James Baker, Mason Fitch Alden, John P. Schott, Prince Alden, Sr., William H. Smith, John Hegeman,- Ebenezer Williams, William Smith, Caleb Howard, Clement Daniel, Isaac Bennett, William Stewart, George Miner, Peleg Comstock, Samuel Jackson, Benjamin Baily, Anderson Dana, John Canaday, John Jameson, Elisha Drake, John Carey, Edward Lester, Luke Swetland, William Hyde, Hambleton Grant, Turner Jameson, John Bradford, John Nobles, James Barks, Prince Alden Jr., Andrew Alden. There were seven other proprietors' names in the reported list, but they were non-residents, and therefore omitted. It should be further explained that "non- residents" means those not in this part of the State. There are in the above list some who were well known residents of Wilkes-Barre and Plymouth.

Prince Alden and John P. Schott were agents to lay out the lots of land, or to act with the surveyors, and Shubart Bidlock and Elisha Bennett were chain bearers and ax-men.

September 15, 1790, William Jackson, Isaac Bennett and Silas Smith were appointed to care for the public lands. John Hegeman was appointed to revise the town records. It was voted that each proprietor in elections should be entitled to cast as many votes as he owned "rights."

In 1792 William Jackson, John Fairchild, Mason F. Alden, M. Smith, Daniel McMullen and Abram Smith were appointed a committee to lay out roads. They employed Christopher Hurlbut to do the work.

August 3, 1794, Isaac Bennett, Sidney Drake, John Fairchild, Jonathan Smith and William Jackson were appointed a committee to attend to the land trials with the Pennsylvania authorities, and to attend to any other township business that might arise. This committee, October 4, 1794, leased for 900 years lot 18, second tier, first district, to Elias Decker, at a rental of one pepper corn per year, if demanded to be paid into the town treasury. Also on the same terms to Jacob Crater, lot No. 49, third division. Putnam Catlin was voted £25 17s. 3d. for expenses of land trials. March 15, 1800, the committee leased to John Alden lot 25, for 999 years for $43, to be paid any time before the expiration of the lease, and $2.58 a year to be paid the treasurer; to Henry Schoonover, lot 1; to Abram Setzer, lot 13; to Andrew McClure, Nos. 26 and 27.

February 25, 1805, the following persons signed and agreed to abide by the lines and surveys established by William Montgomery under the confirming act:

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Silas Jackson, James Stewart, John Noble, Benjamin Berry, Mathew Covel, Andrew Dana, Nathan Whipple, Martin Van Dyne, Abraham Smith, Jr., John Fair- child, Abraham Smith, James Mullen, Fredrick Barkman, Philip Croup, William Bellesfelt, Cornelius Bellesfelt, Isaac Bennett, Andrew Keithline, Cornelius Smith, William Nelson, Jacob Reeder, Christian Sarver, Casomin Fetterman, Daniel Adams, James Reeder, John R. Little, Jonathan Kelley, Daniel Sims, William Jackson, John Jacob, Jr., Elisha Bennett, Henry Bennett, Michael Hoffman, Valentine Smith, John Lutsey, James Millage, Andrew Lee, Jacob Lutsey, Conrad Line, Jr., Jacob Scheppy (Slippy) and Henry Fritze.

After Chapman's mill had worn out, William Jackson put up his mill, also on Newport creek. And for years this was the only mill in the township. When it was worn out there was no other attempt at this time to build a mill in the township. John Slippey put up his sawmill about one mile west of where is now Wanamie; which was in after years changed into a foundry and made cast-iron plows here as early as 1820. Mason F. Alden and his brother John Alden built a small forge on Nanticoke creek, not far from Chapman's old mill-making their own iron from ores dug in Newport township. This ore running thirty-three per cent. of metal of a superior quality, and the Aldens sold their bar iron at one time as high as $120 per ton. This property was afterward owned and operated by Washington Lee. All these mills and industry, like agriculture, have faded away, given place to coal mining.

The first store was that of Jacob Ramback on the road between Wanamie and Nanticoke. There was a " corners " once called "Newport Center." Here was the first postoffice, served by the mail coaches that ran from Wilkes-Barre to Con- yngham in Sugarloaf township. This was the old "State road " that branched off from the old Berwick turnpike at the west end of Hazleton, on its way to Wilkes- Barre. The postoffice was abandoned long since. The township has never had but one resident physician-Dr. William Thompson, who lived near the Hanover line.

Wanamie is a postoffice and mining town. It came into existence by the open- ing of the Wanamie colliery. A company store, now a private one, a hotel, and a little shop or two are the entirety of the industries of the place outside of mining. The railroad passes it and has a station.

Alden is another mining town and is east of Nanticoke about four miles and about two miles from Wanamie. This was opened by the sinking shafts and erect- ing a colliery a few years ago by the Messrs. Sharp.

Glenlyon is about four miles from Nanticoke and the mines were opened in 1870. A postoffice, store and hotel and all else of the thriving place is connected with coal in some way. The Central railroad of New Jersey built a branch road from Ashley to Nanticoke and Wanamie and extended it to Alden and Glenlyon, thereby securing a large transportation of coal.

PARSONS BOROUGH

Was formed of territory taken from Plains township January 17, 1876, and John D. Calvin was elected first burgess, with Councilmen William Smurl, president; O. A. Parsons, G. W. Mitchell, A. A. Fenner, H. McDonald and Philip Harris. The clerk was Richard Buchanan. The succeeding burgesses were William Sword, John Trethaway, A. W. Bailey and Patrick Cox. Present officers: David McDon- ald, burgess; council: Thomas J. Jordan, president; Fredrick Pyatt, secretary; George M. Lewis, treasurer; W. W. Reese, Wallace Ross, John Mills, Daniel W. Kimble and Edward O. Boyle; collector, John J. Reese.

Parsons is one of the young, but one of the most vigorous and growing boroughs in the county. It has made itself of sufficient importance that a street car line (electric) was built there in 1890, and already it may be considered practically an adjoining suburb of the city, possessing as it does all the advantages of country and

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city. But a few years ago what is now such a flourishing town, was dense forests, and here and there an opening in the dark old woods where a farmer had cleared away his "patch" and was tilling the soil. It is supposed the first settler was Dan- iel Downing, in 1785, on what became the Thomas Goren place. Hence the first house in Parsons was Mr. Downing's. In 1800 he put up his sawmill across the run opposite Capt. Calvin Parsons. This mill was worn out, and rebuilt in 1842 by Calvin Parsons, who had some time before purchased the property. This second mill was in active operations until 1876, when it was dismantled and torn down.

In the spring of 1813 Hezekiah Parsons built the main part of the house now occupied by his son, Calvin Parsons. The house was then but one story high, and was the first framed house in Parsons. Hezekiah Parsons was a clothier by trade, and built a cloth-dressing mill on the north side of Laurel Run, a short distance from his house. In 1814 he associated with him in business Jehoida P. Johnson, and they built a carding-mill, and carried on both branches of business until 1820, when Mr. Parsons became sole proprietor. He continued the business till 1850, when he sold all the machinery to J. P. Rice, who removed it to Truxville. In 1810 Jehoida P. Johnson built a gristmill near Laurel Run, below where the carding-mill was built. In 1812 John Holgate built a turning-mill below Johnson's gristmill. They were both on what is now known as the Johnson property; they went to decay many years ago.

In 1832 Hiram McAlpine built a turning-mill on Laurel Run, near Mr. Parson's house, for the manufacture of scythe snaths; in 1839 the machinery was moved to Wilkes-Barre. The first resident blacksmith in Parsons borough was Rufus David- son. He worked in McAlpine's shop. In 1838 Capt. Alexander built a powder- mill on the site of Laurel Run coal breaker. It was blown up several times, last in 1864 or 1865, when owned by Capt. Parrish. In 1844 the Johnson beirs built a powder-mill just above the side of the gristmill on Laurel Run. This mill was blown up in 1848, and was never rebuilt. J. P. Johnson and C. Parsons manu- factured powder kegs on Laurel Run from 1838 until 1858.

The first store in the borough was kept by Golden & Walsh, on the corner of Main street and Watson avenue; and the first tavern was the Eagle hotel, kept by Lewis R. Lewis, on the corner of Main street and Hollenback avenue. The next hotel was kept by Morgan Morgan, on Main street, between Hollenback and Welles avenues.

The pioneer postmaster was Samuel Davis. He kept the postoffice at the corner of Main street and George avenue. The next postmaster was John W. Watkins, who was succeeded by G. A. Freeman, and he by Hezekiah Parsons, who keeps the office in his store, on George avenue.

The first successful coal mining in Parsons was done in 1866, when the Mineral Spring mine was opened, and the coal breaker built by the Mineral Spring Coal company. The spring from which this company takes its name was on the lands of Calvin Parsons. It had gained some notoriety by the curative quality of its waters, and an effort was made but a year or two before the opening of the coal mines to buy the property, in order to establish a water cure. When the mining commenced in 1866 the source of the spring was tapped, and it was destroyed.

The next coal mine in this borough was opened in 1867 or 1868 by the Delaware & Hudson Canal company, at the Laurel Run breaker.

In addition to the great coal interests and industry of Parsons, there are 7 gen- eral stores, 3 grocers, 3 hotels, 1 blacksmith, 3 boot and shoe makers, 3 carpet weavers, 4 confectioners, 1 harness-maker, 1 livery stable, 4 meat markets, 1 mer- chant tailor, 2 milliners, 1 undertaker.

PITTSTON TOWNSHIP.

This is one of the original five townships formed under Connecticut, and its existence dates back to 1768-124 years ago. Each township was five miles square,

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and each was to be given to forty settlers who would organize, go upon the lands and become permanent settlers. Hence the word forty came to be a conspicuous one in this section of the country. Forty Fort is, therefore of itself, a historic name. Of the hundreds of millons of beings then animate, breathing lusty life, struggling, warring or cooing, not one is now left upon the earth alive-what a silence so far as they are concerned! What a thought, applied to any century and a quarter! What a gruesome and appalling silence and waste would settle upon all this world were this stream of new life dammed but a brief space of time! There was not even the solitary white man residing here in 1768. But the hour had struck when all was prepared for the white man's advance, and the pressure behind broke away the obstruction and the tide came that was never to recede.

At a glance the reader will know it was named for Sir William Pitt, the elder of the English statesmen, spelled originally Pittstown. It is situated on the left bank of the Susquehanna river and in the northeast corner of the county.

The Pittston township formed in 1768 under Connecticut was one of the five townships of the Susquehanna Land company, and was surveyed and established in 1768. In 1784 the high waters destroyed the surveyors' marks, and an act was passed for a new survey to ascertain the land claims of the Connecticut settlers. The lands in this township thus resurveyed became certified Pittston and contained thirty-six square miles.

The leading families who were in the township prior and during the Revolution were the Blanchards, Browns, Careys, Bennetts, Sibleys, Marceys, Benedicts, St. Johns [Miner says that Daniel St. John was the first person murdered at Forty fort after the surrender], Sawyers, the gallant Cooper, Rev. Benedict, the first preacher in that locality. Capt. Jeremiah Blanchard, Sr., was commander of the Pittston company. His command was cut off from Forty fort at the time of the battle and could not reach the patriots in time to partake in the fight. Zebulon and Ebenezer Marcy were brothers. The flight of Mrs. Ebenezer Marcy through the wilderness after the July 3, 1788, battle, with an infant six weeks old in her arms and leading another child two years old, and the death of the latter in that awful journey through the "Shades of Death" (most literally so in this case) is one of the many terrible tales of those times of deepest afflictions.

Zebulon Marcy was the first white man that ever built a brush or log cabin in the township, and may, therefore, be known as the first settler.

In 1776 Brown's block-house was erected in what is the borough of Pittston and in the attack in 1778 this building was the refuge of all the women and chil- dren in the vicinity, and was guarded by thirty men under Capt. Blanchard.

As said this township was one of the five formed in 1768. The first step that was so soon to be followed by the migrating of the first forty of the " Moss troop- ing" Yankees from the east and whose arrival and finding the Pennites in posses- sion, determined to hold that possession, especially against the Yankees, was the opening episode in the "first Pennamite and Yankee war." This arrival of the Yankees was on the 8th of February, 1769, still in the dead of winter.

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History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 78

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

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