USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > History of Wayne County [Pa.] > Part 23
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365
BOROUGH OF HONESDALE.
stone, sixty-five feet in front, and one hundred and four feet in depth, is being built on the Cherry Ridge road, near the borough limits, by the St. John's Cath- olic Church.
There are about twenty-five families of Hebrews, or Jews, in Honesdale. Our readers probably know that they believe in the Old, or Hebrew Bible. They are thought to be a clannish, exclusive people. The truth of their history is stranger than fiction. They have been a proscribed, persecuted people in some coun- tries, having been denied the right of holding lands or offices, and were placed under great civil disabilities. Germany relaxed her severities, and England, under the strong arguments of Lord Macaulay, was forced to suspend her rigors; but the United States, under the Constitution of Washington, Jefferson, and other founders of true liberties, had nothing to suspend. Here every man could worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience. To this tolerating country the Jews were then attracted. They never take the name of God in vain, avoid intemperance, do not violate the injunction of the seventh com- mandment, have no cases of assault and battery. support their own poor, and never cite each other to the litigious bar. Their morality is worthy of gene- ral imitation. They have a synagogue on Third street, of which the Rev. Mr. Fass is Rabbi. Prominent among them is William Weiss, grocer, who came to this country from Austria, in 1847, declared his inten- tion to become a citizen in 1848, and was admitted as
366
HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
such in 1853, since which time he has been a jury commissioner, and auditor of the county, and has been for eighteen successive years a member of the Hones- dale Board of Education.
The original stock of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company was $1,500,000, which has been increased to $20,000,000. Over one million tons of coal can be shipped by the canal in an uninterrupted season. About one thousand boats constitute its carrying capac- ity. The boats are towed down the Hudson river from Rondout to the docks of the Company at Weehawken. As said before, there were shipped by the way of Honesdale, in 1879, one million, nine hundred and thirty-three thousand, eight hundred and seventy-four tons of coal. Consequently a large amount of coal is transported by the Honesdale Branch of the Erie Rail- road. The laboring force of the Company is about twelve thousand men, and they mined and delivered at different markets, in 1879, three million, fifty-four thousand, three hundred and ninety tons of coal. The progress and prosperity of Honesdale and the sur- rounding villages and townships, with all their divers branches of industry, have been identified with and dependent upon the business and success of this Com- pany. The canal is supplied with water by flowing a number of ponds in different parts of the county, thereby forming reservoirs that. can be drawn upon as needed. These are as follows: Belmont reservoir, Miller's pond, and Stevenson pond, in Mount Pleasant ; Long pond and reservoir below on its outlet, White
367
BOROUGH OF HONESDALE.
Oak pond, and Elk pond in Clinton ; Keen's pond in Canaan; Lower Woods pond in Lebanon; Yarnell pond in Oregon ; and Cajaw pond in Cherry Ridge. All the coal carried to market by the canal is brought over the Moosic mountain by the Gravity Railroad. This was the first railroad built for actual transportation in America. There are no locomotives used on the road. The road ascends an elevation of eight hundred and fifty feet to the summit of the mountain. At the head of each plane is a substantial stationary engine. An endless wire rope passes over a huge drum at the head and extends to the foot of the plane; there the cars are attached to the rope, and, upon a given signal, the cars start up the plane, often at the rate of twelve miles an hour. The track between the head of one plane and the foot of the next is built on a decline of fifty feet to the mile and is called a "Level." There are eight of these planes between Honesdale and Carbon- dale, and from Carbondale to Honesdale there are eight planes up and four down the mountain. The cars, having been let down the mountain by four in- clined planes to Waymart, from thence run by their own gravity to Honesdale. The track from Honesdale to Carbondale is called the "Light " track because the cars return to the mines empty. The other is called the "Loaded" track as loaded cars use it only. The scene- ry along this mountain railroad is enchanting. This road has been several times relaid and has undergone important repairs, adding greatly to its strength and safety.
368
HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
Passenger trains commenced running upon it in 1877 ; they are well conducted and safely run, and are a source of profit to the company. They are exten- sively patronized by the votaries of pleasure and in- valids seeking pure air. The docks of the company at Honesdale are nearly a mile in length, along the western side of the village, and sometimes there are 500,000 tons of coal stored there awaiting shipment ; at other times there is none. The present officers of the company are as follows: President, Thomas Dick- son, of Scranton, Pa .; Vice President, Robert M. Olyphant, New York city ; General Manager, Coe F. Young, Honesdale, Pa .; Treasurer, Jas. C. Hartt, New York city; Secretary, George L. Haight, New York city; Sales Agent, Rodman G. Moulton, New York city; General Agent of Real Estate Department, E. W. Weston, Providence, Pa .; Superintendent of Coal Department, A. H. Vandling, Providence, Pa .; Su- perintendent of Railroad Department, R. Manville, Carbondale, Pa .; Assistant Canal Superintendent, W. F. Wilbur, of Honesdale; Sales Agent, Southern and Western Department, Joseph J. Albright, of Seran- ton, Pa.
The streets of Honesdale are broad, and finely shad- ed by maples and other trees. The sidewalks are paved with flag-stones. Main street is the principal business part of the town; Second and Third streets are mainly occupied by private residences. Second street might with propriety be called Church street, as the Baptist, Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, Episco-
BOROUGH OF HONESDALE. 369
pal, German Lutheran, and German Catholic churches are situated upon it. There are three substantial iron bridges in the borough. In the central part of the town is a spacious park, in the center of which, through the enterprise of the ladies of the borough, a fountain, sparkling with beanty, was erected in 1879. Soon after the late civil strife the patriotic ladies of Honesdale, assisted by others in the county, erected in the park a costly monument to perpetuate the mem- ory of the Wayne county volunteers who fell in that war. This monument, of Quincy granite, is pedestal in form, and surmounted by a bronze figure, life size, of a U. S. soldier at parade rest. The monument, together with the statue, is about fourteen feet in height, and is surrounded by a neat iron fence. The inscription and names of the fallen soldiers are as follows :
1869.
THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED
BY THE
LADIES MONUMENTAL ASSOCIATION
OF WAYNE COUNTY, TO THE MEMORY OF OUR DEAD WHO FELL,
"That Government of the people, by the people, and for the people, should not perish from the earth."
CAPT. JAMES L. MUMFORD.
J. H. Bryant,
J. Markle,
D. Palmer,
H. C. Pulis,
W. Rix,
G. Palmer,
G. Scambler,
E. Jordan,
A. F. Elmendorf,
J. J. Thorp,
D. Seibold,
S. E. Elmendorf,
R. Barhight,
J. C. Griggs,
O. K. Stears,
C. Thorp,
A. Graham, S. F. Davall,
47
370.
HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
J. E. Chubb,
S. Strong,
W. Brotzman,
T. Clark,
H. Case,
J. Wallace,
T. J. Firth,
H. Kinney,
C. N. Bagley,
A. Little,
C. H. Munroe,
D. Howell,
F. Marshall,
G. H. Palmer,
O. Wolf,
N. G. Hurd,
N. J. Simpson,
S. Gilcrist, H. Nye,
G. W. Simpson,
S. H. Cross,
W. Surplice,
A. C. Starbird,
J. H. Simpson,
H. McKane,
J. W. Smith,
T. Noddin,
M. Rollison,
J. H. Worth,
W. E. Martin,
A. Rollison,
W. Short,
R. Martin,
W. Holdron,
J. Ogden,
G. H. Hoover,
J. L. Reed,
J. Ogden,
J. Shiever,
G. Compton,
J. Northcott,
B. Pell,
N. Warder,
S. Hines,
G. Pell,
D. Freer,
J. Keifer,
J. Simpson,
W. Kellum,
J. H. Belknap,
O. Gillett,
N. G. Hand,
O. Chamberlain,
S. Bidwell,
J. Johnson,
T. C. Brigham,
H. Bidwell,
'T. Bourke,
V. D. Brigham,
F. Bidwell,
N. Foy,
H. B. Wood,
E. Bidwell,
R. Kirtz,
W. E. Dodge,
S. Peet,
M. Devitt,
J. Lukens,
W. Brooks,
L. Cole,
D. L. Brown,
O. Brooks,
E. Haven,
G. D. Parsons,
J. Mann,
J. D. Simpson,
C. T. Jackson,
G. Hathrill,
P. Ennis,
J. A. Dodge,
T. Bryant,
J. Kranghan,
J. W. Frampton,
W. Tamblyn,
J. Mclaughlin,
I. Frampton,
D. C. Lathrop,
J. C. Anthony,
G. Parsons,
M. Stevens,
D. Wall,
H. Conklin,
G. H. Stevens,
H. Buchanan,
J. Cole,
D. Maloney,
E. W. De Reamer,
Z. N. Lee,
J. R. Garton.
CAPT. JAMES HAM.
A. Broat,
G. W. Haynes,
F. Zahn,
M. V. Tyler,
G. D. Slocum,
B. Lord,
G. Seely,
E. W. Farnham,
J. Jones,
J. T. Whittaker,
E. Jones,
T. Sterling,
J. Baker,
J. Price,
R. Whitney,
J. B. Karslake,
N. Tyler, Jr.,
H. Keersey,
D. B. Torrey,
J. Hauser, C. H. Cole,
T. Benney,
S. D. Ward,
J. Hardwick,
E. M. Clark,
J. E. Bagley,
C. Henwood,
I. Knapp,
J. M. Gavett,
I. Thomas,
BOROUGH OF HONESDALE.
371
A. K. Pruden,
W. T. Hall,
D. Woodward,
N. Thorp,
G. Ortnung,
D. Darling,
W. Hunter,
J. Tobin,
A. J. Darling,
A. Benjamin,
E. Dexter,
J. Hull,
W. W. Valentine,
E. J. Bunnell,
C. M. Griffis,
E. Taeubner,
H. J. Borchers,
P. P. Knight,
C. Neihart,
D. Avery,
W. Randall,
F. Wilcox,
A. E. Gleason,
R. Humphrey,
A. S. Ludwig,
A. Niles,
D. Martin,
F. Metzger,
W. J. Thomas,
J. O'Niel,
E. E. Fisher,
J. Best,
M. Kingsbury,
G. Metz,
J. D. Hamlin,
A. B. Hall,
H. Nelmes,
E. Torpyn,
T. Coddington,
D. Burton,
R. Clift,
J. W. Waller,
D. S. Charles,
W. Cory,
J. Elmer,
W. Carney,
J. Bronson,
H. C. Wright,
G. Frace,
J. E. Taylor,
F. O. R. Benjamin,
G. M. Cole,
G. A. Taylor,
I. J. Bradshaw,
H. Price,
H. Whittaker,
G. M. Grotevant,
J. Brown,
D. Reynolds,
D. Howell,
W. H. Gifford,
E. Lake,
E. G. Belknap,
L. Bailey,
O. S. Hoffman,
G. W. Warner,
L. N. Purdy,
T. Newman,
E. W. Freeman,
C. Haines,
W. Surrine,
J. B. Hanser,
H. West,
S. H. Thomas,
A. L. Chittenden,
H. Lynch,
W. C. Thomas,
J. B. Muzzy,
G. J. Price,
I. Hill,
O. Wilcox,
J. Hathaway,
S. W. Jayne,
J. J. Rude,
A. B. Hathaway,
E. S. Hufteln,
A. D. Stark,
J. E. Dart,
J. H. Wilds,
J. Mckeon.
CAPT. OLIVER MUMFORD.
Lieut. H. F. Willis, Lieut. A. E. King.
D. Lake,
P. G. Griffin,
T. Kennedy,
D. McGowan,
H. Shaffer,
R. Harford,
W. C. Bently,
S. H. Thomas, A. Colbath,
W. S. Hoffman,
S. Dobson,
E. S. Bayley.
J. Jackson,
H. T. Angel,
H. J. Wheeler,
G. W Welton,
E. O. Polly,
R. Bunnell,
M. Wood, H. Nicholson,
J. Emery,
J. Markle,
D. Dickins,
L. Slote,
B. Sherwood,
C. Dickins,
L. Burleigh,
W. Rhodes,
G. W. Dickins,
A. Mattison,
J. Brgham,
J. Dickins,
D. Mattison,
1
W. F. Hurlburt,
I. Crago,
A. Martin,
372
HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
G. W. Marks,
J. J. Monk,
A. J. Marks,
C. P. Andreas,
D. Sutliff,
A. L. Rowley,
D. Carpenter,
A. Clock, W. Upright,
J. F. Barnes,
D. Swingle,
A. London,
T. Woodward,
J. Helmes,
B. Curtis,
J. Bray,
J. M. Easby,
H. Brigham,
O. Tyler,
J. N. Stevens,
G. Foler,
J. A. Adams,
C. Lees,
F. Baird,
D. Catterson,
J. S. Sutliff,
N. Wilbur,
P. Swartz,
J. F. Wright,
A. H. Stewart,
L. Appleman,
A. Huffman,
A. Jordan,
S. Shearer,
E. Cramer,
L. Jordan,
D. Brazee,
D. A. Denslow,
J. Rollison,
N. P. Knapp,
J. F. Jackson,
C. A. Weed,
N. T. Andrews,
G. G. Andrews,
G. S. Brown,
G. W. Brown,
A. J. Swingle, G. P. Enslin, J. Tobee,
J. J. Cummiskey,
J. S. Kennedy,
J. Adams,
L. Spangenberg, E. Lake,
J. H. Schoonmaker.
J. G. Boss,
B. S. Merwin,
D. Dibble,
N. J. Van Orden,
B. Boults,
J. W. Cobb,
W. H. Wilcox, J. C. Rockwell,
E. O. Haines,
L. Crone,
J. Cautlı,
J. S. Marricle,
J. Elmor,
J. G. Ross,
M. L. Denslow,
O. L. Bath,
H. Harris,
The enterprise of Isaac P. Foster, in connection with Jason Torrey and John F. Roe, in erecting the first buildings, and in starting the first stores in Hones- dale has been mentioned. Mr. Foster was of New England descent, and, in 1827, came from Montrose, Pa., at the instance of Major Torrey. Mr. Foster had been for some years engaged in the tanning business. and soon resolved to establish a tannery near Hones- dale. Having chosen a site, one mile up the west branch, in company with Ezra Hand, Daniel P .. Kirt- land, and John F. Roe, reliable business men, a tan- nery was built and put in operation in 1830. At an early day, Mr. Foster bought out the interest of his
M. Hickney,
W. Cole,
H. A. Thurston,
373
BOROUGH OF HONESDALE.
partners, finally associated his sons with him, and the tannery was run as long as bark could be obtained for its support. In connection with his mercantile busi- ness, his tanning establishment proved to be highly remunerative, and he acquired more than a compe- tence. It is claimed that Deacon Foster brought the first imported hides into the county, and sent out of the county the first leather manufactured therein. He was called Deacon Foster, from the fact of his having been for many years a deacon in the First Presbyte- rian Church. He was an ardent abolitionist and was doubtless sincere in his professions. When the free- dom of the slaves was fully assured, lifting up his hands, he exclaimed, " Lord, let now thy servant de- part in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." He was much more than an ordinary man, and died in Honesdale, Nov. 18, 1876.
Henry W. Stone, now living in Honesdale, aged eighty-nine years, was born in New England, and, in 1822, was assessed in Mount Pleasant as a single man and a merchant. Afterwards he traded awhile in Honesdale, and then, in company with Horace Drake, established a tannery and store at Beech Pond, which were successfully continued for many years, when Mr. Stone sold out to Drake & Sons, and, with a compe- tence, retired from business. Being a temperate and unexcitable man, his bodily and mental powers remain unimpaired by the ravages of time. Judge Charles P. Waller married his oldest, and E. F. Torrey anoth-
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HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
er daughter. His only son, Henry William, is living in Honesdale.
Among the attorneys of note who practiced in our courts since they have been held in Honesdale were the following :
Earl Wheeler, who was born in Hampden county, Mass., 1802. He was a son of Ransom Wheeler, and a cousin of the late Marvin Wheeler, a well known mer- chant of Hancock, N. Y. Earl Wheeler commenced the practice of law in Dundaff, from thence he removed to Bethany, and, upon the removal of the county seat, took up his abode in Honesdale. He was a well-read lawyer and very fond of mathematics. In his sixty- fourth year he was smitten with paralysis, which un- fitted him for practicing his profession. He died De- cember 30, 1875, at the residence of his brother-in- law, Hiram K. Mumford, in Dyberry township.
William H. Dimmick, Sen., was a son of Dan Dim- mick, of Milford; he studied law with N. B. Eldred, was admitted to the Bar in 1840, removed to Hones- dale, was elected to Congress in 1856, and died Au- gust 3, 1861. He was never married.
Samuel E. Dimmick was born in Bloomingburg, Sullivan county, N. Y. He was a son of Alphens Dimmick, and cousin of William H. Dimmick, Sen., with whom he commenced the study of law, in 1844. He was admitted to the Bar in 1846. Such was his celebrity as a lawyer that, in 1873, he was appointed by Gov. Hartranft, attorney-general of Pennsylvania, in which office he died, Oct. 11, 1875.
375
BOROUGH OF HONESDALE.
Frederick M. Crane was born in Salisbury, Conn., in 1815. He came to Honesdale in 1844, and was then admitted to the Bar, and was twice elected as a member of the Legislature. His mental capacity was great, and his legal knowledge extensive. IIe died suddenly at Honesdale, January 8, 1877.
Ebenezer Kingsbury, Jr., John I. Allen, Simon G. Throop, Jackson Woodward, and H. B. Beardslee were admitted to the Wayne County Bar, but busi- ness outside of the legal profession diverted their at- tention therefrom.
Want of space compels us to contract our intended notice of the present members of the Bench and Bar.
Hon. Chas. P. Waller, president judge, was born in Wyoming Valley, of which place his father was a native. His mother came from Connecticut, and his grandparents were from the same State. He studied law with Judge Collins, of Wilkesbarre, came to Honesdale in 1843, and was then admitted to the Bar.
The senior members of the Bar 'are as follows: Charles S. Minor, who was born in Washington, Con- necticut, in 1817, graduated at Yale College in 1841, and at the law school in New Haven, in 1844, came to Honesdale, and was admitted to the Bar that year.
G. G. Waller, who was born in Wyoming, studied law with Judge Collins, came to Wayne county, and was admitted to practice in 1849.
E. O. Hamlin was born in Bethany, studied with Hon. Geo. W. Woodward, was admitted in 1852, and practiced two years in Wayne county. He then re-
376
HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
moved to Minnesota, was there president judge for several years, but finally returned, and took up his permanent residence in Wayne county, in 1873.
Henry M. Seely was born in Wayne county, studied law in the city of New York, and was admitted to the Bar in 1859.
William H. Dimmick, son of Oliver S. Dimmick, of Pike county, Pa., studied law with Hon. S. E. Dim- mick, and was admitted to the Bar, in 1863.
George F. Bentley, son of Judge Bentley, of Mon- trose, Pa., studied with C. P. & G. G. Waller, and was admitted to the Bar in 1866.
The junior members of the Honesdale Bar are all natives of Wayne county, namely: P. P. Smith, Geo. S. Purdy, Win. H. Lee, E. C. Mumford, D. H. Brown, Homer Green, and W. J. Tracy. They all studied law in Honesdale, and have been duly admitted to the Bar. Being studious and temperate men, they give promise of attaining eminence in their profession. E. Richardson, of Hawley, and L. G. Dimock, of Way- mart, are also members of the Honesdale Bar.
The progress that Honesdale has made within the past twenty years may be seen in the superior value and permanency of the buildings erected, and in other important improvements made. The Keystone and Centennial blocks below the canal bridge and many other buildings in the town would not appear to dis- advantage in any city. Many dwelling-honses have been erected on the north side of the Lackawaxen, above Park street, which although unlike in strue-
377
BOROUGH OF HONESDALE.
ture, are ingenious specimens of architectural taste and beauty. Main street has been macadamized at great expense. The streets and the public and private buildings are lighted with gas. The town is abun- dantly supplied with water which is principally drawn from the First and Second ponds in Dyberry. The business of the canal and railroad affords so large a field for labor that but little attention has been paid to manufacturing. Still that branch of industry has not been entirely neglected. The yearly manufacture of boots and shoes by Durland, Torrey & Co., amounts to $350,000. The Honesdale Iron & Agricultural Works, carried on by Gilbert Knapp, do a very large business. There is also a foundry on Front street, conducted by Thomas Charlesworth, which does con- siderable business. P. Mc Kenna is largely engaged in the manufacture of butter firkins, churns, tubs, buckets, and many other articles all of superior qual- ity, thus supplying the county and adjoining sections. M. B. Van Kirk & Co. have an umbrella-stick factory. John Brown manufactures cabinet-work. C. C. Jad- win manufactures a large amount of his "Subduing Liniment," for which there is an extensive demand. B. L. Wood & Co. manufacture lumber for building purposes.
The cause of education has always been considered of the first importance by the people of Honesdale. The first school taught in the place was kept in a house located on River street, near John Brown's residence, and was taught by Lewis Pestana, in the winter of
48
378
HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
1828. The next winter he was succeeded by Charles P. Clark, whose school was patronized by about fifty pupils. An academy was founded in 1838, and its first principal was Henry Seymour, A. B., of Amherst College. He was succeeded by B. B. Smith, A. M., of Honesdale, and it continued to flourish under his control until the State appropriation was withheld and it gave place to the Honesdale Graded School, in 1861. A classical course in the latter school includes the usual studies preparatory to college. Prof. J. M. Dolph became its principal in 1878. He succeeded Prof. L. H. Barnum, who was principal for the pre- vious six years. By the school report of 1878 there were eleven schools in Honesdale. The tax levied for all school purposes in that year amounted to $5,029.21.
The contract for building the first court-house in Honesdale, was awarded to Charles Jameson. It was built of wood and cost $16,000. The first court was held therein at September Sessions, 1843. The fire- proof brick building in which the public records are now kept, was built in 1856, by Beers & Heath, and cost the county $11,500. The present jail was built in 1859, but the original cost is now unknown. The order of our judges for the erection of a new court- house was made after a report of the grand jury at February Sessions, 1876, and was as follows:
"In view of the crowded state of the court room for the past year, and the manifest necessity for enlarged accommodation for the people of the county who have business in the courts, as lawyers, jurors, parties, and witnesses, and the very imper- fect ventilation of the present court room, we cordially approve
379
BOROUGH OF HONESDALE.
the report of the grand jury on this subject, and recommend the county commissioners to carry out the same by at once maturing plans and erecting the foundation of a new building the coming season; they can then distribute the expense through the years necessarily required for the erection and completion of a building which shall meet the wants of, and be a credit to, the county and not impose unnecessary burdens upon the taxpayers.
Dated, Feb. 15th, 1876. CHAS. P. WALLER, President Judge,
Signed, OTIS AVERY, Associate Judge, H. WILSON,
To make way for the building of the new structure the old court-house was taken down in the summer of 1877. The new court-house has been so far finished that the courts were held in it at May Sessions, 1880. What will be the final cost of the building is as yet unknown. There are so many questions about the matter that are in abeyance, that want of time and space prevents our giving its tangled and disputed his- tory; we leave that labor to the coming historian. Who should be cannonaded and who should be canon- ized in the premises, it is not our province to decide.
The first newspaper printed in the county was start- ed at Bethany, by James Manning, who bought a printing-press and type. It was entitled the Wayne County Mirror. Manning edited it himself, and it was well conducted. Its first number was dated in March, 1818. The Mirror was followed by the Re- publican Advocate, which was published by Davis and Sasman, Manning owning the press. It com- menced in November, 1822, but Davis became unpop- ular, and, in 1830, it took the name of the Bethany
380
HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
Inquirer, with Win. Sasman as editor. In 1832 the first number of the Wayne County Herald was issued in Honesdale by Peter C. Ward. The Wayne County Free Press and Bethany and Honesdale Advertiser was established January 1, 1838, by Paul S. Preston, at Bethany. Richard Nugent was editor and compos- itor. Ebenezer Kingsbury, Jr., was then editor of the Honesdale Herald. In 1840, The Free Press was re- moved to Honesdale, and, in 1842, took the name of The Beechwoodsman, which was succeeded, in 1844, by The Honesdale Democrat, and edited by F. B. Penniman, Esq., the veteran editor in Wayne county, now of Honesdale. The purity, propriety, and con- ciseness of his style attracted the notice of the emi- nent writers and politicians of that day, and he was pursuaded to accept the editorship of The Pittsburg Gazette, then one of the most influential political jour- nals in the Commonwealth; but failing health forced him to retire from the position. He has not, how- ever, lost his skill in the use of felicitous language. His ancestors were of Puritan origin. Upon the retirement of F. B. Penniman from the Democrat, it took the name of The Republic, and was conducted by E. A. Penniman. In 1868 The Honesdale Citizen was established, which has ever since been published as the organ of the Republican party in the county ; Hon. Henry Wilson and E. A. Penniman are its editors and publishers. The Wayne County Herald, the organ of the Democratic party, has been owned and conducted, at different times, by John I. Allen,
381
PALMYRA TOWNSHIP, PIKE COUNTY.
H. B. Beardslee, and Menner & Ham. In 1865, it passed into the hands of Thomas J. Ham, who is its present editor and owner. Several other papers have been started from time to time, which were short lived. The Hawley Free Press was succeeded by The Hawley Times, formerly edited by F. P. Wood- ward, a son of Daniel D. Woodward, Esq., of Cherry Ridge, but now edited by his brother, H. P. Wood- ward. The Wayne Independent was established in 1878 by Benjamin F. Haines. The initial number was issued in February of that year. It being a suc- cess, the paper was enlarged with the first number of the second volume, when Mr. Haines associated as copartner with him Miles Beardsley, of New York State, and it has since been conducted under the firm name of Haines & Beardsley. It is independent in politics.
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