History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania, Part 88

Author: Mathews, Alfred, 1852-1904. 4n
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co.
Number of Pages: 1438

USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania > Part 88
USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania > Part 88
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania > Part 88

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ROADS .- Much uncertainty exists as to when the first roads were laid out and by whom. It is certain that before 1790 a road had been cut through from Stockport to Harmony on the Susquehanna. This was un- der the direction of Judge Preston. From the letter of Jason Torrey to Blackall W. Ball we may infer that it touched the Shehawken Creek within one mile of Lizard Lake; thence over hill and dale to Harmony. A road was cut through from Stockport to Mount Pleasant prior to 1820. None of the present residents know who surveyed it. This was an import- ant road to people on the Delaware, for it was by this they reached the Newbury Turnpike and Bethany, the county-seat. The road from Stockport to Equinunk along the river was opened at an early period. From the best in- formation obtainable, it is safe to assume that it was opened as early as 1806, as was also the road leading from Stoekport to Shehawken Creek and beyond.

The only post road in the township at present is that from Equinunk to High Lake, semi-weekly ; Michael Spratt, carrier. One from Hancock to Lake Como and Preston,

daily. Sunshine, on Shehawken Creek, is sup- plied by this route. Another from Hancock to Autumn Leaves, on Kingsbury Hill, semi- weekly ; D. B. Belknap, carrier.

RELIGIOUS MATTERS .- It would be quite impossible to fix a date or name a place where the first religious meeting was held, or whose was the first preaching. The Prestons were Quakers, a peculiarity of which sect is that they do not care for much preaching. The early set- tlers in the township being forced to a constant struggle to care for the material, had but little time to bestow to the spiritnal. No doubt itin- erants came in occasionally from Shehawken (now Hancock) as well as from other places. The first preacher of whom there exists an au- thentic account as being hired to preach regu- larly in the township was Rev. Levi Tucker, a Baptist minister located at Deposit, N. Y. He was hired by the people of Kingsbury Hill as early as 1828. He preached there with great success for some time. A number of conver- sions followed his preaching, the converts meet- ing with Baptist Church at Deposit. He finally went from Deposit to Philadelphia, from whence he went to Egypt as a missionary, from which field he went to his reward. In 1831, the Rev. Charles Hubbard, of Bethany, came to preach statedly at Kingsbury Hill, and in November of that year organized the Buckingham Baptist Church, with twenty-eight members, among whom were the Belknaps, Kingsburys and others.

This was certainly the first organized church in the township. Has never had a church edifice. The organization still exists, but in conjunction with a similar one in Scott. History of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Lake Como will belong to Preston. History of Metli- odist Episcopal Church at Equinunk will be given in the chapter on Equinunk. The Irish in the southwestern part of the township are, with the exception of one family, devoted ad- lierents of the Catholic Church, their church edifice being in Mount Pleasant township.

SCHOOLS .- The first school-house in the township was built near Stockport, about 1808. The first teacher's name not obtainable. A school was established near the mouth of She-

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hawken Creek, in 1825. In 1828 another near the Woodmansees. A school was established on Kingsbury Hill, in 1832; taught by Miss Berthia Jones, at one dollar per week. Part of the time she had as many as ten scholars. Some bills which the writer finds among some papers kindly loaned him by Miss Ann Preston indi- cate the names of some of the early teachers, and give some insight into the amount paid for teach- ing. Of the teachers we find the names of James Woolley, Sarah Abbott, Harriet Hubbell, Cas- sandra Lukin, Olive Chapman, Theodosia New- ton and Berthia Jones. Men seemed to have received about eleven dollars per month ; fe- males from one to two dollars per week. There is no date to show what the action of the town- ship was on the school-law of 1834. The town- ship has never been formally divided into dis- tricts. Schools are named after their several localities. All the school-houses now in the township have been built under the present sys- tem. There are at present ten school-houses, but two or three really good school-buildings; all of wood, the most expensive one costing six hundred dollars. Number of pupils, two hun- dred and eighty.

INDUSTRIES .- The first saw-mill in the town- ship was built by Judge Preston at Stockport, soon after his locating, probably as early as 1792. Very soon after he built a grist-mill. Both grain and saw-mills have been maintained there until the present time.

Mention has been made of the building of a distillery by Abiel Squires and Thaddeus New- ton, and of its being discontinued. The building rotted down, and no distillery has existed since in the township.

An axe-factory was built by the Messrs. Pres- ton at Stockport, in 1847. The business was first carried on by Thomas Coon & R. S. Dorin. Subsequently by Ira Snyder. Burned down in 1865. Another axe-factory was built at Equi- nunk in 1866 or 1867.

The first tanning ever done in the township was by Thomas Holmes, on Shehawken Creck. The tannery was run in a small way and a prim- itive manner. It was burned down in 1867; rebuilt by Cole Brothers, of Equinunk, in 1876, and burned two years later.

In 1849 a tannery was built at High Lake by Ezra Brown and Isaiah and D. C. Scudder. Brown withdrew in about three years. In 1856 Isaiah Scudder conveyed his interest to Sendder & Bates. Subsequently Scudder & Bates sold to the firm of Deegan & Wrede. This firm failed to make the business a success, and for some years no business was done in the tan- nery. In 1866 Ed. Jones and R. Wales, under the firm name of Jones & Wales, commenced business there. After a few years it passed into the hands of Stout Bros., of New York. The fatality which attends old tanneries overtook it in 1880, when it was burned. Its capacity was two thousand sides per year.

In 1870 William Holbert and John D. Browning, under firm name of Holbert & Browning, built a tannery near Equinunk Creek, and about half a mile from Equinunk. After a few years Browning dropped out of the concern. It is now owned by William Hol- bert. Capacity, three thousand sides.

There are three chemical works in the town- ship. These are establishments for converting wood into acetate of lime, wood naphtha and charcoal. The first was built, in 1880, by Finch & Ross, of Binghamton, N. Y. About two thousand cords of wood are used per year. It has twelve retorts. The next was built in 1882, and run by the Equinunk Chem- ical Company. It has eight retorts, and con- sumes about twelve hundred cords of wood per year. The third was built in 1882 by the Ball's Eddy Chemical Company, limited. It has six retorts, and uses about one thousand cords of wood per year. The kinds of wood used are beecli, birch and maple, (hard and soft.) The factory of Messrs Finch & Ross is on Shehaw- ken Creek, about one mile from the Delaware ; the Equinunk Chemical Works, at Equinunk ; the Ball's Eddy, at Ball's Eddy. There is a very small margin for profit at present in the business.

There are works for wood-turning about two miles from Lake Como, doing a small busi- ness. They were construeted in 1865, and are owned now by H. A. Williams.

There is a planing-mill and machine-shop at Equinunk, built in 1880, by L. W. Lord, the present proprietor.

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There are at the present time eight saw-mills in the township. While their united capacity would probably be seven million feet of lum- ber per year, they do not, through laek of material saw one-half that amount. To be brief, the supply is cut off. At the present time there is not a foot of lumber to spare from the township.

POST-OFFICE .- The first post-office estab- lished in the township was at Stoekport, in 1820, Samuel Preston, Sr., postmaster. Mails were received from Mount Pleasant for a num- ber of years. After the completion of the Erie Railroad, mails eame by that route and were delivered at the station on the opposite side of the Delaware. The office was kept by the Preston family until 1870, when it was removed to the New York side of the Delaware. A post-offiee was established at Kingsbury Hill, in 1870, under the name of Autumn Leaves. D. B. Belknap was the first, and is the present, postmaster. Mails are reecived from Hancock, N. Y. Another was established on Shehawken Creek, about two miles from Hancoek, N. Y., under the name of Sunshine, in 1882, John Terwilleger, postmaster. Mails received from Haneock, N. Y. A post-office was established at High Lake in 1853.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

THE PRESTON FAMILY. 1

For a century this family has been as prom- inent as any other in the annals of this county, and has been noted for intelligence, probity, purity, charitableness and enterprise.

The founder of it was Samuel Preston, a Quaker, from Bucks County. He was certainly here in 1789, and probably before engaged as a surveyor and conveyaneer for Henry Dein Kee, of Philadelphia, one of the original pro- prietors. Of his anecstors what little know- ledge we have is mainly through communica- tions he made in his life-time to John F. Watson, author of " Annals of Philadelphia,".

published in 1830, and by him embodied in that work. In these communications Samuel Preston states that the Christian name of his grandfather was Amos, and that he was living near the Delaware at or before the first coming of William Penn in 1682. There is a tradition in the family that he either came with Penn or very early under Penn's auspices, but no historic confirmation of this domestie tra- dition is attainable. Many Quakers were sct- tled in and near Burlington, N. J., before 1681. Proud, in his " History of Pennsyl- vania," mentions that thirteen Quaker marriages werc celebrated at Burlington before that date. He further states that on the Pennsylvania bank of the Delaware, and particularly at the falls thereof, and at Bristol and contiguous places Quakers were established as early as at Burlington. In a foot-note he gives the names of a number of these persons. So far as defin- itely appears, Amos Preston may have been one of these post Penn Quakers.

Who or what the wife of Amos was Samuel did not inform Watson. He, however, gives several particulars concerning her, that she died in 1774, and was then one hundred years old, making her eight years old when she first came ; that she was living with Swedes at Neshaminy, where that event oceurred ; that she was present with Swedes and Indians to welcome Penn when he landed at or near where Philadelphia now is ; that Penn was present at her wedding, at or near Pennsbury ; that she spoke the language of the Indians living thereabout ; that she and Amos resided with the Swedes after their marriage at Wicaco, and that he made up frocks, trousers and moccasins for the Swedes, those people adhering to the national fondness for skin dresses ; that after Penn's eoming the Swedes through these fifty years before soon lost their distinetion and existence as a separate raee ; that the Wieaeo settlement was burnt out by being surrounded by fire, and that upon invita- tion of friendly Indians Amos and his family went to Buekingham, in Bucks County, to live, and that the wife served as interpreter at the negotiation of a treaty with Indians at Halle- Konek. Upon this showing it must have been during Penn's second visit to Pennsylvania

1 By Francis B. Penniman.

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WAYNE COUNTY.

in 1699, that the marriage happened, his bride being then twenty-five years old.

Samuel mentions, in Watson, only one child of his grandparents, and that was Paul, his own father. This Paul married a woman whose Christian name was Hannah, and this is about all the family records disclose relative to him. In Watson, Samuel mentions that Paul, his father, was present in some capacity, in 1756, at Easton, when Lieutenant-Governor William Denny made a treaty with the Indians, and that Benjamin Franklin was there as adviser of the Governor, and that a memorable display of wit and humor . happened between those high per- sonages.

This is essentially all that can now be gleaued as to the first two generations of these Prestons in this commonwealth. Coming down to Samuel, the founder of the family in Wayne County, the essential facts are all known and attainable. He was a man of excellent natural mental capacities ; well educated; strong in mathematics, and an exact surveyor and con- veyancer. He could not have failed, with his endowments, of attaining conspicuity and power whether his lot had been cast upon the outskirts of civilization or in one of its crowded and brilliant centres. His correspondents among public men were numerous, and he carefully preserved all letters. Goodrich, in his History, states that Samuel made frequent journeys to Bucks County ; that he brought merchandise up the Delaware River in Durham boats, pro- pelled by setting poles, except in ascending Foul Rift, and other swift waters, the boats were drawn upwards by long ropes extending to the shore.

His original thought was to locate on the Susquehanna River, and he laid out the village of Harmony, a few miles above the present village of Susquehanna. Drinker was princi- pally concerned financially in that project. Then Preston resolved to fix himself permanently on the Delaware, which he did by contracting for the domain which he named Stockport. The township in which that domain is situated he called Buckingham, after the township from whence he came in Bucks County. He farther projected and made a road from Stockport, by

way of Cascade, to Harmony, under the belief that it would become an important line of travel between East and West. He erected the first mills in Buckingham township, and, before 1806, cleared and brought under cultivation one hundred and thirty acres of land. He did much in various ways to promote the settlement of the region. Upon the erection of the county of Wayne he became its first associate judge, and at the December Sessions of 1798 charged the first grand jury impanneled therein.

He was as notable in personal appearance as he was vigorous and incisive in mental organ- ization. Much above the average stature, as years increased upon him he ordinarily walked with a long staff of hickory wood, and presented an unusual configuration. In speech and writ- ing there was force, piquancy and aggressive- ness in whatever proceeded from him. As an illustration, it may be recalled that in 1799, when Thomas Mckean, then Chief Justice, was a candidate for the office of Governor, Preston wrote letters to certain persons denouncing him as unfit for public station, and this with so much directness and force that Mckean had him in- dicted for libel. Preston faced the matter witlı characteristic boldness, and obtained an acquittal from the traverse jury.

Samuel Preston, son of Paul and Hannah, was born in Buckingham, Bucks County, Pa., June 17, 1756. Bucks County was named Buckingham by Penn, and was one of the three original counties established by him in 1682. The borough of Bristol was first called Buck- inghanı.

September 1, 1796, Samuel Preston married Marcia Jenkins, daughter of Valentine and Marcia Jenkins. She was born in Dover, Dutchess Connty, N. Y., October 14, 1763, and died at Stockport June 12, 1835, aged seventy- one years six months and nine days. He died at Stockport December, 8, 1834, aged seventy- eight years and six months.

Samnel and Marcia Preston's children were : 1. Paul Samuel, born at Stockport, August 24, 1796. He married Henrietta M. P. Mog- ridge June 11, 1818. He died September 8, 1873, and she August 8, 1875.

2. Hannah and Sammel (twins), born at

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WAYNE, PIKE AND MONROE COUNTIES, PENNSYLVANIA.

Stockport, December 21, 1797. He died un- married, April 15, 1871, aged seventy-three years, three months and fifteen days. Hannah married Mr. Randall, and they will be referred to farther on.

3. Warner Mifflin, born at Stockport, March 2, 1802. He died, unmarried, at Philadelphia, March 25, 1873, aged seventy-one years and five days.

Paul S. Preston became early the owner of Stockport by purchase. He married Maria, a daughter of Samuel R. Mogridge, who came from England and settled in Manchester town- ship. She was a remarkable woman, some years older than her husband, and outlived him a number of years. Industrious, frugal, hospitable she never forgot the poor and needy. She brought up fifteen orphans. Paul was a man of uncom- mon natural abilities ; was well educated ; accu- mulated a library of substantial books ; was a terse and felicitons writer, abounding in information ; a brilliant, witty and versatile correspondent ; and as thoroughly honest and truthful a man, even to his own hurt, as ever lived.

As characteristic of him, it may be stated that one autumn, in the early time, seed-rye was scarce in the district about Stockport, while the Preston granary was full. One day a man drove up, having a good wagon and span of horscs, and asked Paul if he had rye in store. Paul answered that he had. The man inquired the price, and upon being told said he would take a certain quantity. Paul inquired whether he had the money to pay for it, and whether he was the owner of the horses and wagon. The inan answered that he had money to pay for all he wanted, and was owner of the team and vehicle. Then rejoined Paul, "You cannot have rye of me, for you have money to pay and a team and wagon to go where you will and get what you require, whereas many of my neighbors have no seed rye, no money to buy it with and no horses and wagons to go for it if they had money with which to pay ; and they must have what rye I can spare."

Warner acquired quantities of timber land, much of which he retained till his death. Sain- uel was content with less. Neither Warner nor Samnel married. They lived at Stockport with

Paul. Samuel took charge of the farm and stock ; Warner in the main of the lumber, and Paul looked after the grist-mill and other mat- ters that did not fall under the supervision of his brothers.

Paul had two children, both daughters, -Gu- lielma (so called in honor of William Penn's first wife, nee Gulielma M. Springett), who married Allen K. Hoxie, dying a few years later, leaving three children, a boy and two girls, and Ann, who never wed- ded. Upon Paul's death he bequeathed one undivided half of Stockport and its belong- ings to his wife and the other half to his daughter Ann, then his only surviving child. Upon the death of his wife she bequeathed her half of the estate to Ann.

The Preston brothers, as part and parcel of inherited Quakerism, as well as by instinct and upon conviction, were opposed to slavery. Upon the organization of the Republican party Paul contributed to the direction of its move- ments in his section of the State. Samuel was a declarcd abolitionist ; devoting much time and money to running slaves off on what was known as the under-ground railroad. Warner was less impulsive, and hence less demonstra- tive in the advocacy of his views.

Paul, in 1828, was sheriff of the county ; in 1835 he was clerk of the courts and register and recorder, and later still he became associate judge, but not liking the office resigned it.

Paul's death was sudden. The week before he had been in Honesdale some days, had paid taxes on unseated lands. He went home on Satur- day. On Monday he went to post-office, mailed letters, asked for a quantity of postage stamps and while the postmaster was getting them fell back and expired.

Hannah Preston married Benjamin Randall, an Englishman. She and her husband are dead. They left two sons-Benjamin Randall, Jr., and Peter Randall-and a daughter, who married J. A. Pitcher. This daughter was a favorite of her uncles.

The Preston name, so far as relates to the family in this county, is destined to extinction. There is no male descendant of Samuel Preston, the founder thereof. His daughter is represent-

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WAYNE COUNTY.

ed by the Randall group. Of his sons Paul alone married, and he left no son. His eldest daughter, Gulielma, married A. K. Hoxie, who now lives in Iowa, and has with him his only son, Paul Preston Hoxie. Gulielma, the eldest of Hoxie's daughters, married Denison Crary, who now holds Stockport under lease from Ann Preston, the owner. He has a number of chil- dren. Etta, the other daughter of Hoxie, married Warner P. Knight, who died in 1884, leaving her with six small children. She has

making all due allowances for the frailties of human nature, truth compels me to say that I shall never look upon their like again."

GEORGE R. DILLON.

The first man bearing this family name in Wayne County was Abraham Dillon, who was born in Bedminster township, Bucks County, July 11, 1770, and removed to Wayne County in 1797, taking up a large tract of land situa- I ted half way between Equinunk and Stockport,

& Ro Dillon

purchased a dwelling-house in Middletown, N. Y., and removed thither to procure educa- tional advantages for her family.

While the Preston name has thus disappeared from the Wayne County branch the flavor of the Preston reputation is likely to remain as a fragrant tradition for generations to come. Goodrich in his history truly declares,- " Knowing as I do, the moral, social and intel- lectual excellencics of tlic Preston family, and

which latter place had just then been com- menced by Judge Samuel Preston an old time acquaintance of the new settler. He was mar- ried to Miss Ester Bascom, who was born on April 18, 1780. Their children were as fol- lows, viz. : (1) Williamı, (2) John K., (4) Cal- vin, (6) Abraham, (8) Hamilton, (5) Hamlet, (7) Martha (Lloyd), (3) Rebecca (Baker), (9, Electa (Cole). Mr. Dillon engaged in farming and lumbering and was quite successful. He

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WAYNE, PIKE AND MONROE COUNTIES, PENNSYLVANIA.

was an upright, earnest man, and died Decem- ber 8, 1850. His wife died November 4, 1825.

John K. Dillon was born December 23, 1800, and followed his father's example by launching out in lumbering operations. On June 14, 1827, he married Miss Lura Read, who was born December 23, 1806, in Delaware town- ship, Delaware County, N. Y. Their union was happy and resulted in the birth of (1) Chester H., born May 7, 1828, married to Delilah D. Hicks, and on her decease to Helen Rood. (2) Rebecca, born November 8, 1830, married to Chester Rood. (4) Julia, born Jan- uary 21, 1835, married to George McKune. (3) George R., born March 17, 1833. In con- nection with his eldest brother William, John K. Dillon erected the saw-mill at the mouth of Dillon's Creek, Wayne County, on Delaware River, about the year 1840, and commenced to cut the lumber which was obtained from their extensive lands. They carried on a large and prosperous business until the dissolution of partnership August, 1856, when George R. took the interest of his father in the mill.

He afterwards attended to the farming of his lands and was a highly respected and valued citizen. His death occurred on February 7, 1872, and his widow followed him April 4, 1880. George R. was sent to the district schools some several years, and when in his eighteenth year attended the Franklin Academy, Delaware County, N. Y., where he remained two terms increasing in breadth of culture. In his twenty-first year he returned to the home- stead and jobbed in lumbering and bark opera- tions besides managing the mill business, con- tinuing in this associated with his uncle, Wil- liam Dillon, for some years and subsequently with his cousin Robert, the son of William, until January, 1876, when he sold out the manufacturing department and entered upon his present work of lumbering and farming. For over thirty years he has rafted and run lumber down the Delaware River to various large towns below, making a specialty of cut lumber to Philadelphia and bark to Chester, Pa.

Through a long business career his reputation has been high, and to-day his character is unas-

sailable. An honorable, upright and progres- sive man, lie has the hearty respect and esteem of the citizens without regard to party affinity. He was elected by the Republican party of his township to the responsible office of supervisor, in which he served three years. Always a strong partisan from fervent belief in the prin- ciples of the Republican party, he has never- theless held aloof from political offices, though frequently proffered them.

Married to Miss Louisa, daughter of Daniel and Sophia Ann (Pierce) Knight, on October 3, 1860, their union was blessed in the birth of one child, a son, Ralph, on April 23, 1879. This true helpmeet and loving mother was not spared to enjoy the family relation many years, succumbing to the insidious disease consump- tion on March 4, 1885 (Inaugural day of Presi- dent Cleveland).

Together with his wife, Mr. Dillon had been prominent and valued members of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church at Stockport since 1876, and in 1879 he was elected steward, and still fills such responsible duties. The Knight family have been representatives of the highest grade in Delaware County, N. Y., since the early days, and several of its members have been promi- nent in business and manufacturing circles, and they still occupy an honorable position before the community, being universally respected and esteemed.

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History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania, Part 88

Author: Mathews, Alfred, 1852-1904. 4n Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co. Number of Pages: 1438

Author: Mathews, Alfred, 1852-1904. 4n
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co.
Number of Pages: 1438