History of the counties of Dauphin and Lebanon : in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania ; biographical and genealogical, Part 2

Author: Egle, William Henry, 1830-1901
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1046

USA > Pennsylvania > Dauphin County > History of the counties of Dauphin and Lebanon : in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania ; biographical and genealogical > Part 2
USA > Pennsylvania > Lebanon County > History of the counties of Dauphin and Lebanon : in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania ; biographical and genealogical > Part 2

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).

Age scattered u and for many dences of thi:

I. FEMALE ORNAMENT.

2. AXE.

3. PESTLE.

4. " BISCAY AXE."

5. CHISEL

6. HAMMER.

7. EARTHEN JAR .:

8. LAST.

12. SCRAPER.

18. CARVED HEAD.

' All stone implements except , and 7'

9. PAINT CUP.

13. ORNAMENT.

10. QUOIT.

14. BORER.

II. SPEAR.

15. SCEPTRE.

1 -

GENERAL HISTORY.

to a small one without breaking it as it is for a Cau- casian to whittle a stick down to a tooth-pick." As to their manufacture, the authority just quoted says, "The first step was to select a solid stone of uniform density, and by trial discover which way the stone chips. Flints do not chip equally well in all diree- tions. The second step is flaking or breaking large chips off' a rock." The stone celt for chisel and ham- mer, it is true, bore a conspicuous part in the instru- ments used in forming the larger implements of war. agriculture, and those employed in the preparation of food, namely, mortars and pestles, and to a certain extent in shaping the arrowhead and articles above mentioned. Yet, says a good anthority.' in the ex- amination of a collection of hundreds of chips and flakes, there was not found the first one bearing the marks of the celt upon the face or edge, showing that the application of instruments of bone and wood. com- bined with friction, were the means by which they were dressed into shape. This method has been ex- perimented upon very -uceessfilly by Professor Brun- ner with a block of chalcedony and a hard, dry piece of hickory. "For the large and even middle-sized chipped implements the Indians must have tied a

To undertake to describe a collection of these points is not in our province, nor would it repay the reader. As previously stated, they were made of different de- signs, such as the faney of the arrowhead-maker sug- gested. The head> were attached to the end of reed shafts or split hickory, about two feet in length, by means of a eord, and sprung from a bow in such a manner that made tbem a mo-t formidable instrument of warfare. They were u-ed in the chase, and so ex- pert were the aborigines that it was rarely they missed their object. The arrowheads of larger size were at- tached to sticks and used for spearing fish. Loskiel says, " Little boy- are even frequently seen wading in shallow brooks, shooting small fishes with their bows and arrows."

Knives ineludes diverse forms, some of which be- come allied to the arrow heads ] rodt. ced by ehipping, and thus used as a saving of labor and material. Upon a close comparison these may be readily distinguished from the arrowheads, the former being beveled on one side to form a sharp-cutting edge and point, while the latter, unfinished, is full in the centre and beveled both ways, both being flat on the lower side. ' The leaf- shaped knife pre-ents the finest appearance, vary little in thickness, and are from two to five and six inches in length. Those found in this section are made of limestone or slate, although quartzite and jasper are not uncommon. There is a much larger class found

along the banks of the Susquehanna and Swatara and adjoining fields which resemble in shape those just alluded to, and may be properly called bark-knives, and used no doubt in barking trees and making canoes, as a large percentage of canoes were made of that material. They were also employed in " digging out" the knots used for bowls and buckets. It may also be stated that some of the knives were stemmed and fastened to a handle. They were frequently used for "sticking beasts" or stabbing.

Line-Sinkers, or Pendants, are abundant on the islands in the Su-quehanna, notably at the head of Conewago Falls, at Duncan's Island, mouth of the Juniata, or farther up, at Clemson's Island, noted fishing-grounds, until the past fifty years. Some of the sinkers are made square, with rounded corners. well polished. having light notches on two edges in which to attach the cord. They are usually from one to three or four inches square, by one-fourth to five- eighthsof an inch thick, composed principally of lime- stone and -late, and others with derper grooves in the common river pebble. The latter stone, with frag- ments of pot -- tone vessels used for the same purpose, are generally perforated either in the end or one side. bone on a heavy stick and used it as a lever, other- . These -inkers were used in connection with long lines, wise it is difficult to conceive how they could have, to which the hooks were attached by shorter ones on obtained a sufficient amount of pressure-direct physi- cal force would have been inadequate."

the same principle of our present manner of out-line fishing, by being attached certain distances apart, and east from the shore with heavier sinkers or anchor- stone at the outer end of the line, the whole being drawn back at certain intervals by the angler. That their fish-hooks were made of bone we have no doubt, and in a collection of implements gathered and sent to England thirty years ago were two rude fi-h-hooks | made of the bone of some animal.

Borers or drills are generally lanceolate and very delicate, and it is surprising so many are found in so perfect a condition. The material of which they are made is usually limestone. It is astonishing with what neatness and accuracy these small and delicately- made perforators do the work, even in the hardest kind of stone. That they, too, were used by expe- rieneed workers of stone, there is no doubt. as we have many instances where the slightest carele -- ne-s on the part of the mechanic would have spoiled the design, especially where they appear in -cepter-, as some of them present but au eighth of an inch of stone between the hole and the face of implemente, which is one reason, no doubt, so many are found broken in use. The borers were fastened to a stick like arrowheads and whirled around with the hand, or a bow and string. The perforating no doubt com- pleted the specimen, no matter to what class it belonge.l. as there are specimens of every class of implements to be found in this section perfect in every respect ex- cept to the perforated part. These also appear in dif- ferent stages of completion, from a slight depre -- ion made by the point of the borer to a distance almost completing the work.

1 Mr. T. G. Galbraith, of Bainbridge, to whom the author is under ob- ligations for certaiu details.

HISTORY OF DAUPHIN COUNTY.

Of all the implements none are equal in beanty of design and work manship to the stone seepter, or drilled ceremoniai implement, which are > eldom found whole ; half scepters are frequently found. These are invariably broken through the eye, or perforated part of the stone, done most likely in use, as they are as a general thing delicately made. One of the fine-t we have seen is ovoid in shape, and truncate at base and top. The -ides are beveled to form a very accurate edge ; the groove is through the long diameter of the implement, and -hows concentric slight grooves made by the boring implement. One of the raised edges which runs parallel with the groove is acute, the other truncate. The great -t length of this implement i- four inches, and its greatest breadth three and a half inchies ; diameter of groove five-eighths of an inch. The material has not been determined.

It was customary among all aboriginal tribes to re- cord the most memorable events by notches in wood or stone, designating the importance of it by the size of the noteli, thu- the record of victory by one deeper and more durable than those recording time and the less important events. The-e calendars are frequently met with, and often appear upon ornaments of bone, wood, and -tone, of which we have several in our collection.

Their ores were generally made of a hard rock, snch as diabase, sand-tone, etc., by taking any frag- ment of rock obtained by striking one rock upon an- other, when after trimming it down to a de-irable shape, ground down all the irregularities by some proces- of abrasion. This they could have done by rubbing the stone to be polished on a sand-tone, or by using sand as abrasive material npon any hard stone. When it is considered how slow a process this must have been, some idea may be formed of the un- bounded patience it must have required to grind the larger axes into shape.

The question is often asked, says Professor Brun- ner, with a great deal of emphasis, how did the Indians cut wood with these axes? The Indian could not use his stone axe for the same purpose for which we use the -teel axe. Loskiel says, "Their hatchets for axes| were wedges made of hard stone. six or eight inches long, sharpened at the edge and far-tened to a wooden handle. They were not used to fell trees, but only to peel them or to kill their ene- mies." The next question that ari-es is how did they fell their trees ? Loskiel answers again. " Formerly, when they had no axes but those made of stone as above mentioned, they u-ed to kindle a fire around large trees and born them so long till they fell ; then by applying fire to different parts of the stem and branches, they divided them into smaller pieces for Use." " Formerly they kindled a fire by turning or twisting a dry stick with great -wittness upon a dry board, using both hands." They kept their fees constantly burning in their wigwams. It is difficult to imagine how happy the Indian- must have been

when they first obtained axes from the traders or set- tlers, with which they were enabled to manipulate their wood and erect their wigwams more expedi- tiously and satisfactorily. The axes were used also to girdle the trees and take off the bark which they used to cover their huts. In making their canoes they would cover the sides of the log with ground or other material which was constantly kept wet, and would burn out the middle. The axes are supposed to have been employed to remove the charcoal in this operation. These are the purposes for which it is generally eonceded that the stone axes were adapted, but the variety of their implements was compara- tively small, and they might have used their axes for various other objects. The size of the axes varied. The one from which our illustration was made is nearly eleven inches in length by three and a half inches in width, while others scarcely one-third the length have been preserved.

The perfle was used in the grinding of corn, and are of varied lengths, the original of the one shown being about eighteen inche- in length, formed of hard, un- crystallized rock, perfectly smooth and eylindrical, each end nicely tapering. Implements of this char- acter were not used especially for pounding in a mor- tar, but for rubbing soaked or green corn on a fiat stone into a pulp, which was then moulded and baked in the ashes. Other pestles there were which were tised for pounding. the blunt ends denoting this.

The totalnrk of the aborigine was simply a small- -ized axe tinely polished, to which a handle was firmly tied, and carried by its owner in his belt. That implement, which we associate with the atrocity of the red man, was not a stone instrument but one of iron, secured from the trader or early settler in ex- ehange for skins. In this connection we must refer to the hatchets found in many localitie, frequented by the savages and known in the Indian trade as "Bi-cay Axes." They were of several sizes, the largest about eight inches long by three inches across the face, weighed about three pounds; the smaller, about six inches long by three inches across the face, weighed one and a half pounds. The largest size was the squaw axe, used in gathering firewood, the smaller was the tomahawk of the warrior, and carried ha- bitually when traveling or when on the war-path. In battle they were used at close quarters, and sur- prising stories are told of the accuracy with which they could be thrown at di-tances of several yards. In certain localities where Indian towns have been destroyed by fire great numbers are found. So plenty were they when the country was new, that the pi)- neers who were fortunate enough to have a town site of this character on their farms had iron sufficient to shoe their oxen and horses and to supply other neces- sary want- for several years. A> late as 1879 there were found no less than six in one farm serap heap on the site of a Shawanese town along the Su-que- hanna. They are generally of the model shown in

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GENERAL HISTORY.

our engraving, and almost invariably have the three cross trade-marks on each side. Specimen- of these there is good reason for believing have been buried two hundred years, somewhat corroded, but just as serviceable a- when new. Many have not a particle of steel, and never had : others are well steeled and finely tempered. So far as we are able to judge there was no difference in model or finish. whether fur- nisbed by the Dutch, English, or French traders. Henry Fleet, an English trader on the Potomac in 1632, met some Indians from the direction of Lake Erie, called HERECHKEENES. He says, "There came from another place seven lusty men with strange attire ; they had red fringe, and two of them had beaver coats, which they gave me. Their language was haughty, and they seemed to ask me what I did there, and demanded to see my truck, which upon view they scorned. They had two axes such as Capt. Kirk traded in Cannida, which he bought at Whits of Wapping, and there I bought mine, and think I had a- good as he."

Within the brief compass of a local history it is im- possible to allude at length to all the implements used by the natives. They had mortare, barking tools, polishing -- tone-, scalping-knives, digging tools with- out numbers, and relics have been discovered the use of which is unknown. Bowl-, pots, and kettles were as essential in the Indian hon-ehold as in that of the white man. Before they purchased these from the traders or took them in payment for land they were obliged to make them in their own peculiar way. All crockery is fragile, and for this reason only -mall pieces of Indian earthenware can be found. The most notable collection is that in possession of the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society at Wilkes- Barré, and concerning which Dr. Harrison Wright has recently given a description. We have had pieces sufficient, if properly placed together at the time. to make a large pot holding two quarts of water. Por- tions of vessels made of soapstone are to be found, but we have never discovered or known of one entire to be found in this region.

The Indians had their games, the principal of which was quoits, and we give an illustration of one secured on Duncan's Island. At one time these were quite numerous, but no notice being taken of them they seem to have disappeared altogether. They are cir- cular or of disc shape, with a cavity on the upper side for the thumb, the lower side round, and thus well fitted to the hand for throwing.

some arehæologist had not discovered them ere the age of improvement completely obliterated the spot, and preserved to us a record thereof.

About 1850, George Zimmerman, of Middletown. found in a bed of gravel on the east bank of the Sus- quehanna, below the mouth of Swatara Creek, a fine specimen of Indian carving. The material is brown -late, and represents a portion of the head and face of an Indian ; size, seven-eighths of an inch in di- ameter and half an inch thick at the cars, from which it tapers to the forehead and chin, somewhat in the shape of a half-moon, having high cheek bone re- semblance, with deep-set eyes and Roman nose: in every particular a faithful type of the Indian coun- tenance. It is the work of a skillful artist, and in perfect state of pre-ervation.

One of the most interesting characteristics and study of the aborigines i- that of ornamentation. Nothing was more sublime and elevating in the eyes of an aged savage whose lease of usefulness was about to expire than the sight of their warriors equipped and painted. Thi- habit was indulged in in various ways by ornaments of stone, bone, shell-, wood, feath- ers. and beads for the festivities of camp life, while no warrior was known to enter upon the chase. the war-path, or any important council of the tribe of which he was a member without first undergoing a process of ornamentation, in which the "war-paint" was applied to face, brea-t, and arms in such manner as to give them the most hideous appearance, red pre- dominating, which usually consisted of a mineral substance resembling ochre, pulverized and mixed with bear's oil in small mortars made for the purpose. The paint thus mixed was kept ready for use in little cup-shaped implements of stone, or in jars of pottery, illustrations of both of which are given.

Ornaments of brown polished stone have been found in numerous places along the Susquehanna. Some of these are cone-shaped, round, Hat, and oval, all pierced with holes, showing conclusively to us that they were worn around the neck on strings. One shown in our engraving, found at the mouth of Clark's Creek, is of peculiar shape, and worn by married women as evidence of feeundity. Slabs of stones or tablets, varying from two to three inches in width by four to six inches in length, and one-fourth inch in thickne -- , were also used. Some of these have ground edges, while other- are scalloped. Upon them are eurious design- consisting of straight and cross lines, oblique, round, and lines of triangular form. The representation of a saltier is not uncommon, as also on their pottery, which, we are satisfied, was simply an accidental resemblance, although it must be con- fessed that designs somewhat heraldie descended from one chief to another, an insignia not of royalty, but of family renown and valor, and why not?

Rock carvings, although to be found. are not nu- merous. On the western shore of the Susquehanna. opposite the city of Harrisburg, one-fourth of a mile below the Cumberland Valley Railroad bridge. there was, prior to the construction of the Northern Cen- tral railway, a cave opening to the river, on the walls of which we saw quite a number of rude figures, some- William Penn, in his letter to the Free -wiety of Traders in London, dated at " Phila delphia, the 16th what like those on the sculptured rock in the sa-que- hanua near Safe Harbor. It is to be regretted that | of the 6th month, called August, 1683," thu - rekry to

HISTORY OF DAUPHIN COUNTY.

the natives. His estimate of their moral character in some respects differs widely from our own. His was made from a brief acquaintance of a few months, our own deduced from the general record of the race covering the intervening period since his day :

"The ndices I shall consider in their persons, language, manners, Tee ligion, and government, with my sence of their original. For their per- sons, they are generally tall, straight, well-lauft, and of singular pro- portion : they tread strong and clever, and mostly walk with a lufty chin. Of completion, lack, but by design, as the diapers in D'appel. They grease themselves with hear's fat clondied, and using a . detine. against -autor weather, their skin unmet needs be swarthy. Their eye is little and black, not unlike a straight-looked Jem. The thick Hip and fat nose, se frequent with the List i doms and blacks, are ont common to them, : " I love se mas comely Euro, cun-like faces among them. of both, as on your sale the sea ; and truly an Ital an complexion i. this t unich more of the white, and the fuses of severa. of them have a- mo h of the Roman.

" Their language is lufty, yet narrow ; but, like the Hebrew, in signi- fication full ; like short-hand, in writing, one word serveth in the place of three, and the rest ate supplied by the understanding of the hearer ; imperfect in their tenses, wanting in their moods, partic les, adverts, conjunctions, interjections. I have made it my bosiness to uuderstand it, that I might unt want an interpreter on any occasion, and I mm-t sny that I kiriw not a language spoken in Em pe that hath words of more sweetness, of greatness in accent and emphasis than theus; tor instance, Deteckon, Rainercas. Oricum, Shan, Marian, Pogneven ; all which are names of places, and have grandeur in them. of words of Surethess. Anna, is mother ; Issimus, a brother ; Jeloup, friend ; Care- oret, very good; Pine, bread; Metu, rat ; Mata, no; Helt, to have; Pizza, to come; & pusan, Passion, the names of places ; Fameuse, Seuil, Menune, Secrerene, are the ones of persons ; if one ask theor for any - thing they have not, they will answer. Mittu ne hatte; which to trans- late is, not I here, instead of I have not.

" Of their customs and manners there is touch to be said ; I will be- gin with children; so soon as they are born they wash thein in water; and while very young, and so cold weather to choose, they plunge them in the rivers to> harden and embolden them. Having wrapt them 10 a cloui, they lay them on a straight, that Iward, a little more than the length and breath of the child, and swaddle at last upon the board to make it straight; wherefore all Indiens have fat heads ; and thus the? carry them at their backs. The children will go very young, at nine months commonly ; they wear only a small clout round their waist till they are 17 : if boys, they go a fishing, till ripe for the woods; which is about fifteen; then they haut; and after having given some proof of their manhood, ly a good return of skios, they may marry ; eise it is a shame to think of a wife. The girls stay with their mothers, ated help to hue the ground, plant coro and carry burdens; and they do well to use them to that young, which they must do when they are old , for the wives are the true servants of the husbands ; others ;- the men are very affectionate to them.

" When the young women are fit for marriage, they wear something upon their heads, for an advertisement, but so, ns their faces are hardly to be seen, lait when they please. The age, they marry at, if women, is abont thirteen, and fourteen ; if men, seveuteen and eighteen ; they are rarely el. ..

" Their houses are mats, or lack of trees, set on poles, in the fashion af an English barn, lut out of the power of the winds; for they are hardly higher than a man ; they he on reeds, or grass. In travel they lodge in the woods, about a great hre, with the mantie of anthls they wear by day wrapt about them, and a few laughs stick around theu.

" Their diet is marze, or Indian corn, divers ways prepared : some- times roasted in the ashes; sometimes beaten and boiled with water ; which they call homine : they also make cakes, not unpleasant to eat. They have likewise several sorts of beans and grace, that are good nur- ishment ; and the words and rivers are their lerder. . " If on European comes to we them, or calls for lodging at their house, or anyum, they give him the best place and Bist rot. If they come to visit us, they salute us with an Derk; which is as much as to say, Good be to you, and get them down ; which is mostly see the grond i, close to their heels, their leg, njnight ; it may br they speak flot a win I, Lut observe all justice If you give them anything to eat, or drin, Well, tor they will not ask ; and be it httle ur much, if it be with kind- uess, they are well pleased, el-e they go away sullen, but say nothing. " They are great concenters of their own resentments ; brought to it,

I believe, by the revenge that hath been practised among them. In either of these they are not exceedel by the Halams. A trigical in- stance [ell out > ner I came into the country : i king's daughter, think- Ing herself sighted by her husband, in sufferin_ another woman to lie down between them, rose of, went out, plucked a root out of the ground and ate it ; upon which she immediately died ; and, for which, last week, he made an offering to her kindred, for at nement, and liberty of mai. ringe : a- two others did to the kindred of their wives that died a nath- ral death. For, till widower have done so, they must not marry again. Some of the young women are sand to take undue liberty before mar- rage, for a portion; but when married, chaste When with child they know their husbands no more, till delivered; and during their month they touch tas ment they cat but with a stick, lest they should defile is ; nor do their haal ands frequent them till that time be expired.

" But in bberality they excel; nothing is too good for their friend ; give them a fine sun, count, or other thing. it may pas- twenty hands In face it sticks: ligle of heart, strong affections, but soon efent. The most merry creatures that live, frust an i dance perpetually; they never have much, not want ouch ; wealth circulateth like the Blood : all parts purtake ; and though none shall want what another hath, yet exact o !- servers of property. Some kings have sold, others presented me with several parcels of land; the pay or presents I made them were not hoarded by the particular owners; but the neighboring hings and their rian+ being present when the goods were bought ont, the partie- chiefly concerned consulted what, and to whom, they should give them. To every king then, by the hands of a person for that work appointed, is a pr portion sent. so sorted and folded, and with that gravity that is ad- mirable. Then that king subdivideth it in like manner among his d-pendant. they hardly leaving themselves an egnal share with one of their subjects. and be it on such occasions na festivals, or at their commun meals the kings distribute, and to themselves last. They care for little, because they want but little: and the reason is. a little contents them. In this They are su liciently revengod on us; if they are ignorant . fo ;r pleasures, they are a so free from our pains. They are not disquietod with bills of lading and exchange, nor perplexed with chancery suits and exchequer reckonings. We sweat and toil to live; their pleasure feels them; I mean their hunting, fishing, and bowling, and this table is spread everywhere. They eat twice a day. morning and evening; their seats and title are the ground. Since the Encoreune came into these parts they have grown great lovers of strong liguees, rum especially; and fur it exchange the richest of their skins and futs, H they are heated with liquors, they are restless till they have enough to sleep; that s their cry, Some more and I will go to sleep ; but, when drunk, one of the Dost wretched spe tacles in th . world !

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History of the counties of Dauphin and Lebanon : in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania ; biographical and genealogical, Part 2

Author: Egle, William Henry, 1830-1901 Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1046

Author: Egle, William Henry, 1830-1901
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1046