USA > Pennsylvania > Carbon County > History of the counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pt. 2 > Part 44
USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > History of the counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pt. 2 > Part 44
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" Benjamin Peart, after his release, was employed in Col. Johnson's service, and continued with him for several months. His child had been released for some time, and his wife, by earnest entreaty and plea of sickness, had prevailed with the Indians to permit her stay at the fort, which proved a great consolation and comfort after so long a separation.
" About the middle of the Eighth month there was preparation made for their proceeding to Montreal, as by this time there were six of the prisoners ready to go in a ship which lay in Lake Ontario, whose names
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SETTLEMENT BY MORAVIANS IN CARBON COUNTY.
were Joseph Gilbert, Benjamin Peart, his wife and child, Abner Gilbert, and Elizabeth Gilbert, the younger. These went on board the vessel to Charl- ton Island, which is as far as the large vessels they use on the lake can proceed ; the remainder of the way (on account of the frequent shoals) they are obliged to go in smaller boats.
" The commanding officer at Niagara proenred a suitable supply of provision, and furnished them with orders to draw more at the several garrisons as oeca- sion required.
"In' two days they arrived at the upper end of Charlton Island, and went to the commander-in-chief to show their pass, and obtain what they were in need of. Afterwards they continued on to the garrison of Oswagotchy, by the side of the river St. Lawrence, in an open boat rowed by four Frenchmen, this class of people being chiefly employed in laborious services.
"The stream was so rapid and full of rocks that the | prisoners were too much alarmed to remain in the boat, and concluded to go on shore until they passed the danger, but the Frenchmen, who had been accus- tomed to these wild and violent rapids (the longest of which is known by the name of the Long Sou) kept on board. This surprising scene continued for the " When they arrived at the place of their intended settlement they went on shore and built a house. distance of six miles, and they viewed it with a degree of horror, their heads becoming almost giddy with the " A few days after they came to this new settlement . they returned with Elizabeth to Fort Slusher, when she was told her child mist be taken away from her; this was truly afflicting, but all remonstrances were in vain. prospect. When the boat had shot the falls they again went on board, and continued down the river to Cœur de Lac. No great distance below this they anchored and landed at the place where their father was in- terred, shedding many tears of filial affection to his " From Fort SIusher she traveled on foot, carrying her child to Niagara, it being eighteen miles, and in sultry weather, rendered it a painful addition to the thoughts of parting with her tender offspring. The intent of their journey was to obtain provisions, and memory. They afterwards applied to the command- ing officer of the garrison for provisions and other necessaries ; they then bid adieu to this solemn spot of sorrow, and proceeded to Lasheen, which they reached the twenty-fourth day of the Eighth month, : their stay at the fort was of several days' continuance. having been eight days on their voyage. Capt. Powell afforded her an asylum in his house.
" After refreshing themselves at this garrison they set forward on foot for Montreal, which they reached the same day. They went to the brigadier-general and showed him their passport, and as soon as at liberty waited on their mother at Adam Scott's, as had been already related.
"The situation of Elizabeth Peart, wife of Benja- min, and her child is next to be related :
" After she and the child were parted from the husband, Abigail Dodson and the child were taken several miles in the night to a little hut, where they stayed till morning, and the day following were taken within eight miles of Niagara, where she was adopted into one of the families of the Senecas ; the ceremony of adoption to her was tedious and distress- ing; they obliged her to sit down with a young In- dian man, and the eldest chieftain of the family re- peated a jargon of words, to her unintelligible, but which she considered as some form of marriage, and this apprehension introduced the most violent agita- tions, as she was determined, at all events, to oppose
any step of this nature; but after the old Indian con- cluded his speech she was relieved from the dreadful embarrassment she had been under, as she was led away by another Indian. Abigail Dodson was the same day given to one of the families of the Cayuga nation, so that Elizabeth Peart saw her no more.
" The man who led Elizabeth from the company took her into the family for whom they adopted her, and introduced her to her parents, brothers and sis- ters, in the Indian style, who received her very kindly, and made a grievous lamentation over her according to custom. After she had been with them two days the whole family left their habitation and went about two miles to Fort Slusher, where they stayed several days. This fort is ahout one mile above Niagara Falls.
" As she was much indisposed, the Indians were de- tained several days for her; but as they cared little for her, she was obliged to he on the damp ground, which prevented her speedy recovery. As soon as her dis- order abated of its violence they set off in a bark canoe which they had provided, intending for Buffalo Creek, and, as they went slowly, they had an opportunity of taking some fish.
"The Indians took the child from her, and went with it across the river to adopt it into the family they had assigned for it, notwithstanding Capt. Powell, at his wife's request, intereeded that it might not be re- moved from its mother, and, as it was so young, they returned it to the mother after its adoption, until it should be convenient to send it to the family under whose protection it was to be placed.
"Obtaining the provisions and other necessaries they came to Niagara to trade for, they returned to Fort Slusher on foot, from whence they embarked in their canoes. It being near the time of planting, they used much expedition in this journey.
" The labor and drudgery in a family falling to the share of the women, Elizabeth had to assist the squaw in preparing the ground and planting corn.
" Their provisions being seant they see . Amuch, and as their dependence for a sufficient supply until the gathering of their crop was on what they should receive from the fort, they were under the necessity of making a second journey thither.
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
" They were two days on the road at this time. A small distanee before they eame to the fort they took her child from her and sent it to its destined family, and it was several months before she had an oppor- tunity of seeing it again. After being taken from her husband, to lose her darling infant was a severe stroke. She lamented her condition and wept sorely, for which one of the Indians inhumanly struck her. Her Indian father seemed a little moved to behold her so dis- tressed, and in order to console her assured her they would bring it back again, but she saw it not until the spring following.
" After they had disposed of their peltries they re- turned to their habitation by the same route which they had come.
" With a heart oppressed with sorrow, Elizabeth trod back her steps, mourning for her lost infant, for this idea presented itself continually to her mind ; but as she experienced how fruitless, nay, how dangerous, solicitations in behalf of her child were, she dried up her tears and pined in secret.
"Soon after they reached their own habitation, Elizabeth Peart was again afflicted with sickness. At the first they showed some attention to her com- plaints, but as she did not speedily recover, so as to be able to work, they discontinued every attention, and built a small hut by the side of the corn-field, plaeing her in it to mind the eorn. In this lonely condition she saw a white man who had been made prisoner among the Indians. He informed her that ! her child was released and with the white people. This information revived her drooping spirits, and a short time after she recovered of her indisposition, but her employment of attending the eorn continned until it was ripe for gathering, which she assisted in. When the harvest was over they permitted her to return and live with them. A time of plenty com- menced, and they lived as if they had sufficient to last the year through, faring plenteously every day.
" A drunken Indian came to the cabin one day, and the old Indian woman complaining to him of Eliza- beth, his behavior exceedingly terrified her; he stormed like a fury, and at length struck her a violent blow, which laid her on the ground. He then began to pull her about and abuse her much, when another of the women interposed, and rescued her from fur- ther suffering. Such is the shocking effect of spiritu- ous liquor on these people; it totally deprives them both of sense and humanity.
" A tedions winter prevented them from leaving their habitation, and deprived her of the pleasure of hearing often from her friends, who were very much scattered ; but a prisoner, who had lately seen her husband, informed her of his being much indisposed at the Genesce River, which was upwards of one hun- dred miles distant. On receiving this intelligence, she stood in need of much consolation, but had no source of comfort except in her own bosom.
" Near the return of spring, their provisions failing,
they were compelled to go off to the fort for a fresh supply, having but a small portion of corn, which they ! allowaneed out once each day.
" Through snow and severe frost they went for Ni- agara, suffering much from the excessive cold; and when they came within a few miles of the fort, which they were four days accomplishing, they struck np a small wigwam for some of the family with the prison- ers to live in until the return of the warriors from the fort.
" As soon as Capt. Powell's wife heard that the young child's mother had come with the Indians she desired to see her, claiming some relationship in the Indian way, as she had also been a prisoner among them. They granted her request, and Elizabeth was accordingly introduced and informed that her hus- band had returned to the fort, and there were some expectations of his release. The same day Benjamin Peart came to see his wife, but could not be permitted to continne with her, as the Indians insisted on her going back with them to their cabin, which, as has been related, was some miles distant.
" Elizabeth Peart was not allowed for some days to go from the cabin, but a white family who had bought her child from the Indians to whom it had been presented, offered the party with whom Eliza- beth was confined a bottle of rum if they would bring her across the river to her child, which they did, and delighted the fond mother with this happy meeting, as she had not seen it for the space of eight months.
"She was permitted to stay with the family where her child was for two days, when she returned with the Indians to their cabin. After some time she ob- tained a further permission to go to the fort, where she had some needle-work from the white people, which afforded her a plea for often visiting it. At length Capt. Powell's wife prevailed with them to suffer her to continue a few days at her house and work for her family, which was granted. At the ex- piration of the time, upon the coming of the Indians for her to return with them, she pleaded indisposition, and by this means they were repeatedly dissuaded from taking her with them.
" As the time of planting drew nigh she made use of a little address to retard her departure ; having a small swelling on her neck she applied a poultice, which led the Indians into a belief that it was im- proper to remove her, and they consented to come again for her in two weeks.
" Her child was given up to her soon after her arrival at Capt. Powell's, and her husband came frequently to visit hier, which was a great happiness, as her trials in their separation had been many.
" At the time appointed some of the Indians came again, but she still plead indisposition and had con- fined herself to her bed. One of the women interro- gated her very closely, but did not insist npon her going back. Thus several months elapsed, she con- triving delays as often as they came.
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PROGRESS OF SETTLEMENT AND INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
" When the vessel which was to take the other five, among whom were her husband and child, was ready to sail, the officers at Niagara concluded she might also go with them as they saw no reasonable objection, and they doubted not it was in their power to satisfy those Indians who considered her as their property."
Eventually all of the captives were redeemed, and, reaching this country in safety, assembled at Byberry to recount in a happy reunion their strange adven- tures during a captivity of two years and five months.
CHAPTER II.
PROGRESS OF SETTLEMENT AND INTERNAL IM- PROVEMENTS IN CARBON COUNTY.
Beginning of Permanent Seltlement-The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company-The Canal-Railroad Building, etc.
WE have seen, in the preceding chapter of this work, that the white man made his advent in what is now Carbon County as early as 1746. It is of a later influx of immigration, and one of a distinctly marked era, that we now propose to treat,-in brief, that in- coming of people which may be regarded as the second settlement of the region, the people who re- mained permanently, developed the resources of the county, and ultimately, as one of the natural results of their great enterprises, brought about the organiza- tion of Carbon County.
But first we will remind the reader in a few words of the earlier history of the region, which has already been given in detail. That little Moravian mission and colony, founded on the site of Lehighton, in 1746, and its sister settlement on the opposite side of the river, where Weissport now is, were not destined to long remain undisturbed. They were in reality very minute dots of civilization in the great mountainous wilderness north of the Blue Ridge, on which was bestowed by the proprietaries the Indian name "Tow- amensing." and a savage horde wiped them out on Nov. 21, 1755, as completely as if they had been characters written on the sand. When the Indians made their onslaught with tomahawk and fire, those of the people who were not massacred fled from the burning village southward toward Bethlehem, and although some of them who had secreted themselves in the neighborhood returned after the immediate danger was over, they did so only to gather up such articles as the savages and the flames had left, and they soon made their way down the river to the ! parent colony, which they knew to be a place of security. Col. Burd, who crossed the Blue Ridge ou his way to Fort Allen, in 1758, says, " When I ar- rived on the top of the mountain, I could see a great distanee on both sides of it; the northern part of the county is an entire barren wilderness, not capable of
improvement." The Indian name of the region, "Towamensing," we will here remark, was an ap- propriate one, as its meaning is literally "a wilder- ness." Four or five years after the destruction of the Moravian missions some men had returned into this wild country and taken up lands, but their number was very small. In 1762 the whole distriet of "Tow- amensing," embracing all of what is now Carbon County and a portion of the present county of Schuylkill, contained but thirty-three persons who were subject to taxation and whose names were placed upon the assessment-roll. The region had been practically deserted.
Soon after the division of Towamensing, by the set- ting off' of Penn township, in 1768, a few other fami- lies settled in what is now Carbon County, most of them loeating on the east side of the river. Among their number were the Salt, Haydt, Beltz, Arner, and Boyer families, which, in common with others who arrived later, are made the subjects of brief sketches in the township histories.
In 1775 there came to Penn township, on the west side of the river, the Gilbert, Dodson, and Peart families. The capture of the Gilbert family by the Indians, which has already been related at length in the preceding chapter of this work, led to a general exodus of the settlers from that immediate loeality, and again the region was left as the almost undis- puted ranging-ground of the Indian and of wild beasts. Some of the settlers farthest removed from the river, along which the Indians most frequently roamed, still retained possession of their cabins and small clearings, trusting to their remoteness from the war-path for security. The assessment-list of Penn for 1781 (given in the history of that township) shows the names of quite a large number of inhabitants, but it must be borne in mind that Penn then stretched westward far beyond the present boundary of Carbon County, and that the assessment-list was made in the early part of the year. The Podsons appear to have remained until 1796, or the following year, when they removed to Shamokin.
From that time until 1803 or 1801 there appear to have been no settlements of importance made in Penn township. Following the discovery of coal at Summit Hill in 1791,1 the lands including that im- portant spot were taken up by Hillegas, Miner, and Cist, and in 1793, 1794, and 1795 other large tracts of land were taken up by various persons living in Phila- delphia and Easton, on the supposition that they too contained coal. These traets were on both sides of the river, and some of them were south of the Blue Ridge.
About 1804 enterprising men, who had the hardi- hood to take up the work of making homes in the forest, began to come into Penn and Towamensing townships, and then really was commenced what we
1 See chapter on the Borough of Manch Chunk.
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594
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
may eall the enduring settlement of Carbon County. Gradually the frontier population extended north- ward, civilization each year encroaching upon and effacing a little more of the great wild. By 1808 the assessment-lists showed quite a large number of per- manently-settled pioneers.
Settlements were also soon made on the west side of the river, and the population slowly spread through- out the Lizard Creek and Mahoning Valleys, where agricultural pursuits were commenced and so well carried on that in a few years the people were in comfortable circumstances. North of them were commenced, in 1818, the gigantic operations of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company in Maueh Chunk township. Still farther north in the Quakake Valley a few farmer pioneers located themselves, chiefly in what is now Packer township. West of Packer, in what is now Banks township, coal was discovered, which has in later years been mined by numerous companies, who have expended vast sums of money in that region. North of Packer, in what is now Lehigh township, the mountains were covered with valuable timber, and about 1826 that district was temporarily settled by the Coal and Navigation Company's employes, who took out great quantities of timber for the making of boats, on which anthra- cite eoal mined farther south was sent down the river.
What is now Penn Forest, and Kidder townships was a vast tract of valuable pine and hemloek timber, which was called the Pine Swamp, the greater part of its surface being very wet, notwithstanding its moun- tainous character. This was a portion of the extensive uninhabited region which for many years was com- monly called the "Shades of Death." These lands were not permanently settled, but in 1838 the forest was invaded by timber companies, who purchased large tracts from the warrantees, built mills and tenant-houses for their armies of humbermen, and began the work of cutting timber and sending lumber to the market. After they had denuded the country of its splendid growth of forest these companies re- moved to other regions, which were still in the pris- tine condition in which they found this, and the townships which we have named were almost wholly abandoned by the people who had found employment there for a long term of years.
Most important among all of the settlements founded in the county were those which were planted by Josiah White and Erskine Hazard, the leading spirits of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, and as indomitable characters as ever penetrated any portion of Pennsylvania. They were, to be sure, not in the common sense pioneers of this region, but in another sense they were the princes among pioneers, the pioneers of an era of tremendous activity and marvelons advancement. One writer, dwelling upon this period in the history of the region, says, . . . " In the wilds of Upper Northampton, where the Lehigh,
yet an untamed mountain stream, frets in its rocky bed, brave spirits were fighting the powers of nature -as men of old fought dragons-if, peradventure, they might wrest from her enchantments and share with their fellow-men the treasures she fain would keep to herself in her savage solitudes. It needed brave spirits indeed to pioneer the way for that inex- haustible traffic which now pours a continuous stream of merchandise through its great artery in the valley of the Lehigh to the emporiums of the Western world. Such spirits were Cist, Miner, White, Haz- ard, and Hauto, whose names are inscribed upon the title-page of the almost fabulous history of anthra- cite coal. Exchanging the amenities of civilized life for the hardships and denials of life in the woods, these men toiled year after year in a howling wilder- ness (on the land and in the water), hewing roads through its sombre forests, clearing its river-channel of obstructions, hoping against hope, and yet perse- vering until they had accomplished what they de- signed should not be left undone." 1
Internal Improvements-The Descending and Ascending Navigation of the Lehigh .- The story of the discovery of coal at Sunumnit Hill in 1791, of the several endeavors to mine and place it in the market, and of the successful though difficult opera- tions of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, under White and Hazard, is given, for obvious reasons of convenience and propriety, in the chapter on Mauch Chunk Borough, and it is our purpose to here present an account of the successive enterprises of internal improvement undertaken by the company, and also those in later years carried out by other or- ganizations. The great carrying traflie of the Lehigh Valley had its inception in the measures resorted to by the Coal and Navigation Company to place the product of their mines in the market, and has ad- vanced from the ernde system of river navigation, through the better one of the canal, to the most per- feet mode of transportation known, that of the rail- road.
The task which Josiah White and Erskine Hazard undertook, that of making the Lehigh a navigable stream, was one which had before been several times attempted, and as often abandoned as too expensive and difficult to be successfully carried out. The Legislature was early aware of the importance of the navigation of this stream, and in 1771 passed a law for its improvement. Subsequent laws for the same object were enacted in 1791, 1794, 1798, 1810, 18144, and 1816, and a company had been formed under one of them which expended upwards of thirty thousand dollars in elearing out channels, one of which they attempted to make through the ledges of slate about seven miles above Allentown, though they soon relinquished the work.
1 William C. Reichel, in his monograph on the "Crown Inn," built near Bethlehem, in 1745.
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PROGRESS OF SETTLEMENT AND INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
No sooner had White, Hazard, and Hauto obtained a lease of the coat lands in what is now Mauch Chunk township than they applied to the Legislature for an aet authorizing them to improve the navigation of the river. They stated in their petition their object of getting coal to market, and that they had a plan for the cheap improvement of the river navigation, which they hoped would serve as a model for the improve- ment of many other streams in the State. Their pro- jeet was considered chimerical, the improvement of the Lehigh being deemed impracticable from the failure of the various companies who had undertaken it under previous laws. The act of March 20, 1818, incorpor- ating the Lehigh Navigation Company, "gave these gentlemen the opportunity of ruining themselves, as many members of the Legislature predicted would be the result of their undertaking." The various powers applied for and granted in the act embraced the whole seope of tried and untried methods of effecting the object of getting "a navigation downward once in three days for boats loaded with one hundred barrels, or ten tons," with the reservation on the part of the Legislature of the right to compel the adoption of a complete slack-water navigation from Easton to Stod- dartsville should they not deem the mode of navi- gation adopted by the undertakers sufficient for the wants of the country.
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