USA > Pennsylvania > Bradford County > Asylum > Short history of Asylum, Pennsylvania founded in 1793 by the French exiles in America > Part 2
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After the conclusion of peace he returned to France, and though he belonged to the nobility him- self, with a long line of titled ancestors, he became one of the most zealous and active advocates of the popular cause. He was a deputy of the nobility to the States General in 1789, and subsequently a mem- ber of the National Assembly, where on the 4th of August of that year, he proposed the celebrated acts by which the whole federal system, with its abuses and class privileges, was abolished. . He was active in the re-organization of the army, colonel of a regi- ment, (the highest position he would accept), and Field Marshal of Sedan. At length, like many other zealous Republicans, he fell under the displeas- ure of Robespierre, because he would not sanetion his policy of murder, was condemned to death and his property confiscated. He managed to escape to England and from there came to America, and took up his residence in Philadelphia, where he found many of the friends and acquaintances he had met when serving in the army of the United States.
Mr. Wansey, an Englishman who resided in Phil- adelphia during the time of the settlement at Asy- hm, wrote in his journal as follows:
"June 8th, 1794. I dined this day with Mr. Bing-
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ham, to whom I had an introduction. There dined with us Mr. Willing, president of the Bank of the United States, (the father of Mrs: Bingham), Mon- sieur Callot, the exiled Governor of Guadaloupe, and the famous Viscount de Noailles, who distinguished himself so much in the first Constituent National Assembly, August 4, 1879. ITe is now engaged in forming a settlement about sixty-five miles above Northumberland town. It is called "Asylum" and stands on the eastern branch of the Susquehanna. His lady, the sister of Madame Lafayette, with his mother and grand-mother, were guillotined without trial by that arch villian Robespierre."
A French biographer states that "Noailles has become discouraged at the condition in France. The revolution had not been carried out as he expected and desired, and he resigned his commission in the army and went to England and thence to America of his own free will and accord." Then why did he not take his wife and two young sons along? Mr. Wansey lived at Philadelphia at the time of the French flight to that place, (and as he stated) had his information at first hand. (Mr. Wansey re- moved from Philadelphia to Towanda, Pa., previous to 1842.)
At the accession of Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul, de Noailles estates were restored to him, but he did not return with the other exiles. He was in partnership with William Bingham in the banking business, had probably sold his estates as he needed cash in hand in his business more than land. Bingham was the first United States senator from Pennsylvania. A Mr. Douglas states that de Noailles in 1803 went to Haiti on business and was
Eharben & allation
afanew
الجلاء مخام للآلام الصدر
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there persuaded by Rochambeau, (the French Gen- eral) to take the command of a fort besieged by an English squadron. When summoned to surrender de Noailles answer was: "A French general who has provisions, munitions and devoted soldiers, could not surrender without shame." He then got his men on board a ship in the night without being dis- covered, and went to Cuba. Soon afterwards he em- barked in a small ship with a company of grenadiers. They fell in with a British sloop of war-the "Haz- zard"-whose captain he deceived by displaying the British flag, and speaking excellent English. The British captain asked if he had seen anything of de Noailles, whom he was commissioned to cap- ture. De Noailles replied he was on the same or- rand. They sailed together and in the middle of the night de Noailles rammed the British vessel and then boarded it. After a long, bloody fight, in which he received a mortal wound, he captured the ves- sel. He died a week later, off the harbor of Havana, Cuba. There is a doubtful story that his soldiers, by whom he was greatly beloved, enclosed his heart in a silver box and attached it to their flag.
About 1791, Madame Laval, (whose husband had been executed) accompanied by her daughter, land- ed at Philadelphia. From thence, accompanied by their mechanics and laborers, she removed to Tren- ton Point, now known as Lamogne. She had. con- siderable money, bought land, and endeavored to in- duce French exiles to settle there, but the Asylum project of settling in the woods on cheap land, was now being so well advertised and so attractive, that Madame Laval's colony at Trenton Point did not in- crease much in numbers.
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Marquise Antoine Omer Talon was bom in Paris, Jan. 20th, 1760. Hle belonged to one of the most il- lustrious families of the French magistracy, or law judges. He was Advocate General, (or Attorney General) when the revolution of 1789 broke out and where he did his duty as an able lawyer, and was distinguished for his fearless defense of the royal prerogatives. In 1790 he was compromised in the flight of the King, Louis XVI, was arrested and imprisoned for a month. His loyalty to the King angered Robespierre and his conclave, and his ar- · rest for the second time was ordered. Knowing what his fate this time would be, he kept himself secreted for several months and fled to Marseilles, where he lay in hiding for several weeks. Here a young Frenchman (Bartholomew Laporte), who had been a wine merchant at Cadiz in Spain, and had his prop- erty confiscated, was desirous of getting to America, as was the case with Talon. They had become ac- quainted. There was an opportunity to embark in an English ship and Laporte and some friends put Talon into a large wine cask and carried him on board, where he kept concealed until the vessel sail- ed. On reaching England Talon engaged a passage for himself and Laporte to Philadelphia, where they arrived early in 1793, and where he was afterwards naturalized as a citizen of the United States.
He had brought money, and his hospitality to his less fortunate countrymen was unbounded. When the settlement at Asylum had been determined upon he became one of its active promoters, and general manager. Talon and de Noailles had been political enemies in France, the one on the side of the people, and the other on the side of the King. Both were
معيلل
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now companions in exile and misfortune. They soon became warm personal friends and co-workers in the colony enterprise. They joined heartily in the plan to buy lands on the Susquehanna and secure a home for their unfortunate countrymen, who had fled from the terrors of the guillotine, with but lit- tle money, and whose estates had been confiscated.
The first land purchase company with which Noailles and Talon had been connected, after having been once altered, was entirely dissolved on account of the financial failure of Robert Morris and John Nicholson, after which Noailles and Talon formed a new company, retaining a large body of land in Bradford, Sullivan, Lycoming and Luzerne coun- ties. Unimproved lands in Pennsylvania were cheap in those days, only a few cents per acre, but land titles were very insecure, owing to the conflicting claims of Pennsylvania and Connecticut for Juris- dietion. In the organization of the new company, October 26th, 1801, Noailles was to manage its con- cerns in Philadelphia, and Talon to superintend the affairs at Asylum, for which he was to receive three thousand dollars a year as his salary.
The building, and other necessary expenses of the establishment, were to be paid by the company.
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CHAPTER II.
M. BOULOGNE SELECTS SITE FOR TOWN.
M. CHARLES FELIX BEU BOULOGNE, who had been a lawyer in Paris, and could speak the English language fluently, and Adam Hoops, who had been a Major in General Sullivan's army, and had passed up the river in 1779, and was acquainted with the Susquehanna Valley from Wilkes-Barre to the State line of New York, sent on a tour of observation up the river to select a suitable place for the proposed settlement. They carried the following letter, dated August 8th, 1793, from Robert Morris, who had managed the financial affairs of the United States with great wisdom and success during the Revolutionary war, and was supposed to be very wealthy. He was now a sen- ator of the United States. His letter was addressed to Matthias Hollenback, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and to others to whom Mr. Boulogne and Mr. Hoops may apply :
"Should Mr. Boulogne find it necessary to purchase pro- visions or other articles in your neighborhood for the use of himself and his company, I beg you will assist him therein, or should you supply him yourself and take his draft on this place, you may rely that they will be paid, and I will hold my- self accountable. Any service it may be in your power to render this gentleman, or his companions, I shall be thankful for, and remain
Sir Your Ob't Servant, .
ROBERT MORRIS.
To Mr. Dunn at Newtown,
Messrs. James Tower & Co., at Northumberland.
Or to any other person to whom Mr. Boulogne, Mr. Adam Hoops and the gentlemen in their company may apply, also to Matthias Hollenback, Esq., Wilkes-Barre.
(This letter of credit was endorsed on the back as fol- lows): "I do hereby certify that the within letter is a true
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copy of the original which is in my hands, as witness my hand this 27th day of August, A. D. 1793."
MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK.
I have not copied their spelling lest some reader might think they were not well educated. Their spelling was correct for the time in which they wrote.
Boulogne and Hoops struck across the country from Philadelphia to Northumberland, and thence followed up the North Branch of the Susquehanna to Wilkes-Barre, where they arrived August 27, 1793, and delivered the Morris letter of credit to Matthias Hollenback, who had several stores and trading posts along the river up to Tioga Point. The letter is still in the possession of the Hollenback family.
After a careful examination of different localities, Mr. Boulogne and his party selected the Schufeldt flats, now called Frenchtown, in the township .of Asylum, nearly opposite the Rummerfield station on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, for the settlement .; The flats were named after Peter Schufeldt, a Pala- tine emigrant, who had come from the Mohawk re- gion and settled there for a short time, and then went to Tulpehocken in Berks county, where Con- rad Weiser and other Germans from the Mohawk valley had settled.
The location of Schufeldt flats was satisfactory to the French, only on the condition that all the set- tlers on it could be bought out, and that both the Pennsylvania, and Connecticut titles could be se- cured at a reasonable price. Judge Hollenback ob- tained the Connecticut title,. and Mr. Morris the Pennsylvania claim.
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The names of settlers holding Pennsylvania patents were discovered by Mr. J. A. Biles, a sur- veyor, who has been an indefatigable investigator of land titles, and of facts concerning the French settle- ment at Asylum. The names are as follows: Archi- bald Stewart, William Nicholson, David Lindsay, Robert Stevens and John Bowne (or Bohem). The prices paid for the. 300 acre lots varied from $133 to $800. The difference in prices depended upon the value of the improvements.
In the carly part of October, 1793, Mr. Boulogne purchased the possession of Simon Spalding at the lower end of Standing Stone, who then removed to Sheshequin. Boulogne took the deed in his own name and lived on the place. There was not mueb chance for the settlers on the lands to charge exo"- bitant prices for their possessions. In case they had only the Connecticut title, Mr. Morris would alarm them with a writ of ejectment. If they had the Pennsylvania title, Mr. Hollenback would show them that their lands were within the boundaries of one of the seventeen townships in which only the Connecticut title was good, and would hold the land. Under date of October 9th, 1793, Mr. Morris wrote to Mr. Hollenback as follows:
"Sir: I rec'd your letter of Sept. 14th, and also one from Mr. Talon and forwarded them both to him for his information and consideration. The one addressed to him he has returned with his observations, but that which was directed to me he has neglected to send back, so that if I omit to answer any points contained in it you must excuse me, as I cannot do it from mere memory. Messrs, de Noailles and Talon desire to make the purchase of the eight lots, or tracts, that compose the tracts of land called "the Standing Stone," and also the island, or islands, which they mentioned to you, but they will have all or none. This they insist on as an absolute condition,
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له والفراولة
all Jo good
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as you will see by a copy of their observations on nine articles extracted from the contents of your letter to Mr. Talon.
"They do not object to the prices or terms of payment stated in your letter, but you will perceive by their decision to have all or none, that it will be necessary to make conditional contracts with each of the parties, fixing the terms, and bind- ing them to grant conveyances of their right upon the perform- ance of the conditions by you, on your part, but reserving to yourself for a reasonable time to make the bargain valid, or to annul it. If you can get the whole of them under such cove- nants, under hand and seal, you can then make the whole valid and proceed to perform the conditions and take the convey- ances in the name of Mr. Talon, but should any of these parties refuse to sell or raise in their demands so that you cannot com- ply with them, you can in such case hold the rest in suspense until Mr. Hoops or you send me an express to inform me of all particulars, which will give my friends an opportunity to con- sider and determine finally.
"Mr. Adam Hoops will deliver this letter. He possesses my confidence and will be glad to render the best assistance, or ser- vice in his power upon occasion. He must, however, act under you for in any other character, the Connectent men would consider him a new purchaser, and rise in their demands He will go with you if you choose, or do anything you may desire to accomplish the object in view. You and he will, therefore, consult together as to the best mode of proceeding, and I must observe that although Mr. Talon has agreed to the prices. and terms demanded by the Connecticut claimants, yet I can not help thinking them very dear, and more so as we have been obliged to purchase the Pennsylvania title, which Mr. Hoops will inform you of. } hold it then as incumbent. on you to ob- tain the Connecticut rights on the cheapest terms that is possi- ble, and you may, with greit propriety let them know, if you think best to do so, that unless they will be content with rea- sonable terms that we will bring ejectments against them, or rather that you will do it and try the strength of title, in which case they will get nothing.
"Whatever you do must be done soon .- Winter is approach- ing, and these gentlemen are extremely anxious to commence the operations necessary to the settlement they intend to make, but they will not strike a stroke until the whole of the lots are secured for them, and unless the whole are obtained they give up the settlement and will go to some other part of America.
"I engage to make good the agreements and contracts you may enter into consistentiy with your letter of the 14th of Sep- tember last to Mr. Talon, and with his observations thereon, a copy of which Mr. Hoops will give to you if desired, and to en- able you to make the payments according to these stipulations which you may enter into in that respect. I shall also pay the order for a thousand dollars already given you on their account.
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"The settlement which these gentlemen meditate at the Standing Stone is of great importance to you, and. not only to you, but to all that part of the country. therefore you ought, for your own interest, and the intetrest of your country, to exert every nerve to promote it. They will be of great service to you, and you should render them disinterestedly every service possible. Should they fail of establishing themselves- at the Standing Stone there is another part of Pennsylvania which I should prefer for them, and if they go there, I will do everything for them that I possibly can.
"I am, Sir, your obedient humble servant, "ROBERT MORRIS."
Matthias Hollenback, Esq., Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Mr. Morris frequently uses capital letters where they are not needed, and often makes the character "&" serve for "and;" mistakes which I have not copied. College graduates and members of Con- gress make mistakes when their minds are intently fixed on their subject. What the reader will wonder at is his copious, diffusive style of writing, requiring twice the space necessary to make the subject equal- ly clear.
All the lots were purchased in accordance with Mr. Morris' directions, and the conveyances legally executed early in 1794. On the 19th of October, 1793, Mr. Boulogne wrote from Standing Stone to Mr. Hollenback as follows:
I received from Mr. Town the favor of yours, dated the 11th instant, and your boat also arrived here a few days after. All that was enumerated in your bill of lading has been delivered, and you are therefore credited on my account of 48 £, 10s, 2p, this currency. When you send me the price of the ox cart, cows, and bell, I shall do the same. The cows are exceedingly poor and hardly give any milk, but I hope. they will come to, and therefore we will see one another on that account; but I cannot help observing to you that your blacksmith hath not treated us well. The chains and tools are hardly worth any- thing. The iron is so bad or tender, that it breaks like butter. I wish you to mention it to him for the future. The difficulty of having the buildings (finished) and a great many articles of provisions in proper time hath determined us, and the gentle-
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men in Philadelphia, to lessen them, (the expense), and as Mr. Keating hath told you, the expenses will of course be lessen- ed, therefore I have not sent you the draft for $3000.00 which we spoke of when I was in Wilkes-Barre, and one of the gentle- men who will deliver you this letter is going to Philadelphia; if you are not gone will be very glad of your company. Will you see Messrs. Talon and de Noailles in that city and send, or bring their answer on things relating to the expenses?
I will be obliged to you to deliver to the other gentleman who is coming back here directly as much money as you pos- sibly can, or the $1250.00 which remain in your hands for my draft on Robert Morris, Esq .; and you will take his receipt and charge it to my account. You may also make me debtor for the sum of 13 € 17s 60, which Mr. John Whitney hath given me for your account and of which you will dispose according to the note herein enclosed, having credited you here of the same.
Esq. Hancock had not yet concluded his bargain with Gay- lord; and Skinner, you know is now of the greatest importance . to have it concluded, as well as the one of Ross; otherwise it will stop me here, all at once the gentlemen in Philadelphia being determined to have the whole, or none at all, or to reject the whole purchase from Mr. Morris.
In your letter you speak to me of having bought from Ross the house and part of the land; but you don't tell me the quan- tity of land. I hope you have concluded the whole; and beg of you to say something to me of that account in your letter .. and explain it well, because of your answer I shall either go on with the buildings or stop them immediately.
I remain with esteem, Yours, CHAS. BUE BOULOGNE.
(Postcript)
Sir: In buying from Mr. Ross you must absolutely buy the crop which is in the ground. Everybody here is sorry you have not done it so, for the other purchase, because it keeps one year entirely without enjoying our property.
I have received the cloth that was over Mr. Talon's boat; but you have forgot to send me by your boat the frying pan, salt, axes, &c., that Mr. Ross hath returned to you. Be kind enough to send by the first opportunity the sack of things be- longing to Mr. Michael, which by mistake I sent, or left, at your house,"
Toward the last of November he wrote to Mr. Hollenback to send up some Franklin stoves and pipe, since the weather had become so cold the masons could not build chimneys. Other letters in- dicate that during the whole autumn Mr. Boulogne
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was engaged busily in making the needful arrange- ments for the reception of the colonists. Workmen Were employed in building houses, repairing fences, on the cleared fields, and' making other improve- ments. A large number of men were employed, as he speaks of wanting a thousand dollars to pay his workmen.
About the middle of November, Mr. de Noailles, who continued to reside in Philadelphia, visited the place where the work was going on, which now took the name of Asylum, or "Azyhim" (as the French pronounced it), and as the American residents also pronounced it for many years afterwards. The plan of the settlement was determined on, and the whole plan accurately surveyed into town, and outlying lots. A map of this French survey is still in exist- efter, but badly worn and yellow with age. Mr .. John A. Biles, au experienced surveyor, has made an excellent copy, an impression of which is printed in this history.
The lots purchased at Asylum contained 2400 acres, and in addition the Asylan Company had se- cured a title to a large mumber of traets of unim- proved, or "wild land" (as it was fermed) in .the counties of Bradford, Sullivan, Lycoming, and Lu- zerue, which were sold on liberal terms to actual settlers. The plan for the village was nearly a par- allelogram. Five streets were laid out running due north, and south; these were crossed at right angles by nine other streets, each street being 50 feet in width. Near the center of the plot was an open square containing about two acres. The middle street of the five streets was 100 feet wide, twice the width of the others.
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Four hundred and thirteen house lots were sur- veyed containing abont an acre each. There were also on the west side adjoining the town, seventeen lots of five acres each, and fifteen lots of ten acres each, which were called town lots. One hundred thousand acres of wild land were purchased by sub- scription on the Loyal Sock creek, now Sullivan county, 2500 acres of which were divided into town shares of 400 acres cach. When any part of this land was cleared by a subscriber, he received nine dollars per acre ont of the common fund. "Fabul- ous sums were anticipated," says Mr. Craft, in his history of Bradford county, from this land specula- tion.
Mr. Boulogne bent all his energies to get the honses ready for the colonists in the early Spring, and was favored with mild weather which continued until nearly Christmas. The houses which were be- ing built were mostly two stories in height, built of hewn logs, squared on four sides and planed to make them fit closely together and for good appear -. ance. They were roofed with pine shingles and all the houses had a good cellar under the dining room. In the interior they had good floors and generally were papered. To the native Americans their houses looked like palaces. Their good doors, large glass windows and shutters, and piazzas, or porches, were regarded as extravagant. A few of the resi- dents had some furniture that came from France, and all had their houses better furnished than most of the "Yankees." The settlers in Bradford Coun- ty, having come mainly from Connecticut, were so called by the French.
The house built by Talon was the most pretentious
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of any in the village and was said to be the largest log house ever built in America. It was generally known as "La Grande Maison" or the great house. It was built of hewn logs like the others, with shingle roof. It was about 84 feet long and 60 feet wide, two stories high, with a spacious attic. There were four stacks of chimneys and eight fire places on each floor. The windows were all square, with small panes of square glass. There was no Hooded, or fancy work about the windows. On each floor there was a hall from 8 to 12 feet wide, running the entire length of the building, with outside doors at each end. There were three rooms on the side next the river, and four on the other. The four rooms were of equal size. On the river side the middle room was twice the size in length of the others, and extending into the hall, with double doors set cross- wise on each corner, opposite of each was a broad flight of stairs leading to the upper story. In each end of this room were fire places, que much larger than the other. "So large indeed," Mrs. Louise Murray says in her history, "that when it was used by the Laportes, after the colony liad been broken up and the house vacated, oxen were used to draw back-logs right into the room." These big fire places were common in those days. In the center of the side was a double door with the upper half set with. small panes of glass. On each side of this door were very large French windows, reaching from the floor nearly to the ceiling. Boards, planed and matched, were used for ceilings and walls instead of lath and paster. Most of the wood work was planed, but un- painted. The stairs had rails and posts of black walnut. This house was built for Talon and oecu-
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