USA > Pennsylvania > The Wyoming Valley in the nineteenth century > Part 3
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South Main, east side: Next to the corner lived Thomas Dyer. Then came Dr. Edward Covell ; his daughter, Eliza R., resides in this city. Beyond was the cabinet-shop of Captain Jacob J. Dennis. On the corner of Northampton street was the Perry house, still standing. Opposite the Hollenback house was a log house where General William Ross lived. Where Dr. Harvey lives was the old Ross homestead ; it is still known by that name. Down to the Hazleton turnpike was farm land. Where Lewis LeGrand lives was occupied by the sister of General Ross,
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THE WYOMING VALLEY.
South Franklin street, west side: The first house below the corner was the O. Collins homestead ; his law office was in his house. Then came the office of William Wurts and later of Lyman Hakes. Next was the residence of Jasen Greene, now occupied by the Westmoreland Club. Below stood the Episcopal church, a frame building, on the same lot where the present splendid church edifice now stands. Next was a blacksmith shop. Below was a house built by Whitney Smith; in this building E. Lynch lived; he was the father of Samuel Lynch ; the front part of the building was occupied by the Wyoming Bank; this is where the Wyoming National Bank began its existence; it was chartered in 1829; later it was moved to River street and then to its present location on the corner of Franklin and West Market streets. Then the barracks of the infantry soldier during the war of 1812. Joshua Miner built on this lot, and next to him was the Presbyterian church ; the first building was wood and was built in 1831. Across Northampton street was the printing office of the Wyoming Herald, edited by Steuben Butler. Some distance below was a small house in which lived the father of Jerusha Whitney. Below was a small house occupied by Mrs. Jacobs.
South Franklin, north side, from Market street: Samuel Howe had a tin-shop near where John Laning lives. Next was the residence of Steuben Butler, and where the Female Seminary stands was the office of Judge Mallery, and adjoining was his residence. Then came a little house on the corner occupied by Dupuy. There was no building below this. Some of the old men of this city remember dropping corn on the ground facing Franklin and West Market streets, and stoning frogs in the pond on Public Square.
North Franklin, from Market street, east side : Above the Lamb property there was a frame building occupied by Captain Morse, a tailor. A one-story school-house came next, in which Josiah L. Arms presided, teaching painting out of school hours. Then came the Gildersleeve property; he was a noted abolitionist ; in 1837 he was ridden on a rail, after having his face colored with hatters' blacking; he was the father of Mrs. Rev. N. G. Parke. Next was a house occupied by Charles and John Davis. Where the First M. E. church stands was a vacant lot. The adjoining property was owned by Ziba Bennett. Then came Anthony Brower, the grandfather of Edith, of Wilkes-Barre, and father of Mrs. W. S. Parsons. Beyond lived Sharp D. Lewis. Then came the Yarrington house. On the corner of Union lived Charles Vernet.
North Franklin from Market, west side: Above the corner lived Edmund Taylor. Then came the old Bowman property, occupied by Anning O. Cahoon. The school-house of Mrs. Ruth Elsworth, where many children of that generation received their education, came next. Beyond lived Gilbert Laird, the father of James Laird and Mrs. Easterlinc. Next lived John P. Babb. Where General Osborne lives was the Andrew Beaumont homestead. Then came the house of Amos Parker and next the Claxton school-house. Then came the Methodist Parsonage, and the last house was built by Andrew Beaumont.
Down River street from South Wilkes-Barre: The first house was where General Sturdevant lived. The Richards family lived near. In that neighborhood was the Weeks property; the three sons of the elder Weeks were killed at the Massacre, Philip, Jonathan and Bartholomew ; a daughter of Philip was the wife of Silas Benedict, who was killed in the Massacre ; Hulda afterwards married Comfort Carey, and lived on the back road in Han- over, almost the southern line of Ashley : the family all went west. Between the Sturde- vant place and the Hanover line were a number of other houses not now remembered.
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A REVIEW.
On the Hanover line lived Miller Horton ; one son, N. Miller Horton, lately died in Wilkes-Barre. Miller Horton was a stage proprietor and ran a number of lines of stages.
Then came the house of Jonas Hartzell, who married Sarepta Downing. Alexander Jamison's house came next ; he married a daughter of Capt. Lazarus Stewart and through her came into possession of that property. The Stewart block house stood about half way between the river and river road. There was a road that went from the Stewart block house to the outlet of Solomon's creek. The Inmans lived on that road. The old man was Elijah ; his son, Richard, was the one who became intoxicated on the way to the Massacre and laid down by the side of the road and went to sleep, but after the fight woke up in time to shoot one of the Indians who were chasing Rufus Bennett. Every one remembers how Bennett, seeing Inman sitting with his gun, halloed to him and asked him if it was loaded, and being informed that it was told him to shoot the Indian, which he did. The Indians hunted people here afterwards as they hunted turkey or other game. Fourteen were killed in Hanover by these hunters. After the settlers returned to possess their plundered farms many were killed or taken prisoners. - A humber were killed in the fall of 1778. The Valley was largely made up at this time of widows and orphans, who were dependent upon the public. The history of the murders and the captures and the rescues is not made public to any great extent. The Spencers, Inmans, Hibbards, Stewarts and others lived on this old road ; fifty years ago George Lazarus lived there and some of his children since. George Learn lived in the large house beside the canal, belonging to Alexander Jamison. His son George lived there until about 1866. One of the Wades lived near there. There were several log houses that stood along there off from the road, apparently without any road leading to them, as the old road had been abandoned from near where the Buttonwood now is down to the outlet or mouth of Solomon's creek.
On the present river road : Below where the railroad crosses was the house of George Sively ; Mrs. Pfouts is his daughter. Below was a property owned by old Matthias Hol- lenback ; this was the first land he ever owned; Thomas Lazarus lived on the property ; his father bought it of Mr. Hollenback in 1818. On the same lot, on the east side of the creek, Ashel Blodgett lived ; his wife was a daughter of old George Lazarus. Below was the old George Lazarus house. Next below lived Coble Spencer. There was an old log house in that neighborhood that belonged to George Sively. Below lived a Jacobs family. Edward Inman lived still further south ; he married a Dilley ; one of his daugh- ters was the wife of John Espy and another was the wife of John Turner, of Plymouth.
Across the road lived Dr. Crystal, the grandfather of John Laning, of Wilkes-Barre. There were several houses there that have been gone for many years. The next house was on the top of the hill, where James Dilley lived. John Greenawalt, a tailor, lived on the left-hand side below. On the right was the old log house that belonged to the Dilley heirs, where lived the two old maids, the children of Richard Dilley, Jr.
There was a frame house below, on the left, where a blacksmith lived. Adjoining the Green was a beautiful little cottage; this was where Cyprian Hibbard lived before the Battle of Wyoming, 1778; his wife was Sarah Burrett ; he was killed in the Massacre ; ten years later she married Matthias Hollenback, of Wilkes-Barre. The next was the ceme- tery lot, known as the Nanover Green. The church was built as a German Reformed
THE WYOMING VALLEY. 19
church in 1825 ; the attendance has not been large enough for thirty years to keep it in repairs. Adjoining lived Stephen Burrett, then came the Red Tavern, which Frederick Christian built as early as 1789; previously he had a distillery ; the town meetings and the elections were held there for many years. On the next lot on the hill, on the left, lived Rebecca Thomas. There was a house down by the river where the father of George Palmer Steel, of Wilkes-Barre, had a ferry. There was a distillery there. Below, on the river road, was a house where John Garringer lived ; he came about 1810; Charles, his son, lived there after him ; the Hurlbuts originally lived there. Beyond, on the right, lived Henry Minnich. Beyond was the old Henry Sively house ; George Kocher lived in the house at a later day. The next place beyond that belonged to Barnet Miller; on that lot Roswell Franklin lived before the Revolution, and after till 1790; his son was murdered, his house burned and his stock driven off by the Indians ; he is supposed to have built a block house there. Next was the farm-house of Samuel Pell. Below was a log house, then across the Nanticoke creek was the house of James S. Lee, on the right : then came Samuel Jamison, on the left, the son of John Jamison, who was killed with Asa Chapman while riding to Wilkes-Barre on the road at the Green ; Stewart Pierce erected a stone there to mark the place and a monument in the cemetery over the men ; Dr. Hakes married a granddaughter of Samuel Jamison, and at her death he came into possession of the property ; Samuel Jamison's aunt married Elisha Harvey; Samuel Jamison married a Hunlock and his sister married a Hunlock.
Below on the left, was a place that belonged to Capt. Lazarus Stewart ; James Campbell married his daughter and lived on the lot afterwards; his daughter married James Dilley, on Dilley's Hill ; another married James S. Lee and was the mother of Mrs. Ziba Bennett, who is still living. Peter Mill owned the place later. This brings us into Nanticoke.
The Middle Road from South Wilkes-Barre to Newport : On the hill below the Vulcan Works stood a farm-house that belonged to William Ross; Jacob Rummage lived there in 1839. On the same side of the road, near Solomon's creek, high up on the bank, stood a little log house that looked as if it was about ten feet square and twenty feet high, in which lived William Askam, the tailor and peddler, who when his wife sent him after oven wood took seven months and three days to gather it.
Across the creek on the right-hand side lived the father of the late Thomas Quick and Mrs. Avery Hurlbut. Fifty years ago Fritz Deitrick, the father of Miller H. Deitrick, so long the Kingston street-car conductor, lived on the hill ; Fritz's wife was a Lazarus. In sight, on the cross-road, lived Mrs. Stroh : her husband and son were drowned near the head of the Island, in the river below Wilkes-Barre. Down the hill in an old house Christian Naugle lived ; he had a distillery where he made cider into cider brandy: in front of his place was a watering trough, and the cup put there for the accommodation of the public would never be disturbed ; this was some time ago; it isn't so now. In 1843 the Deerhamer house stood on the left, south, up the hill ; this property is now the Hanover Catholic cemetery. Further up the hill John Inman lived ; he had a coal mine opposite the Deerhamer house and supplied the people in that section with coal. About half way up the hill from the Inman house in an old house lived Mrs. Stroh ; Amos, her son, lives in Pittston ; the property belonged to William Shoemaker, who afterwards built a brick house there. On the top of the hill lived Joseph George, a tailor; later Simon Rinehamer lived in the house. Across the road rocks crop out above the soil, on which
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20
A REVIEW.
can be plainly seen the action of giaciers, Below, south, on the left-hand side, on the corner of the road going over to Sugar Notch, lived Samuel Burrier. On the right-hand side, farther down, was the Jacob Fisher house; formerly, back in the field from this, there was a house in which his father lived ; his mother was 105 years old when she died. The next place was the old Benjamin Carey house; Mrs. Bateman Downing and Mrs. Harvey Holcomb were daughters. Lorenzo Ruggles lived on the right-hand side; his wife was Polly Bennett ; here was the creek that comes down from Sugar Notch. Across the creek lived a Mr. Wright in a house that is still standing. Nathan Bennett lived on the right-hand side of the street, forty rods further south. On the top of the hill Henry Hoover lived, on the left. Opposite was the Hocver-Hill school-house which Avery Marcy built in 1838. Back of the school-house was a road back to where Edward Edgerton lived ; his wife was Prudence Dilley. There were some old houses in this locality of which I can ob- tain no information, except that in one of thein for many years lived a woman who, when a girl, worked for the father of Frances Slocum, and was the girl who, when the Indians carried off little Frances, caught up one of the children and ran to the fort over on Public Square ; the Slocum house stood across the street from where is now Conrad Lee's planing mill ; the fort on the Square was the second one built there, as the first one was partly destroyed by the Indians by fire.
South of the Hoover house lived an iron maker by the name of Wiggins, who worked in the forge at Nanticoke; Mrs. Cornelius Robbins, of Kingston, was a daughter.
At Askam was the Metcalf house. Near was the house where old John Hyde lived ; he planted the orchard that is still standing ; he died in 1804; his daughters were Mrs. Eleazer Blackman, Mrs. Rev. S. Phinney, Mrs. Boaz Stearns ; one son married Catharine Hurlbut ; there were several children ; the Hydes were of the family of Lord Clarendon ; the Hanover branch were intelligent, prosperous and influential. Richard Metcalf moved on the place and is still alive. On the right-hand side across the street was a private road that led to the house of Rufus Bennett, by Bennett's creek ; Rufus Bennett was the grandfather of the progenitors of the Marcy family in this section; one of his daughters married George Gledhill. Next was a stone house built by William Hyde; the house is still standing and must be a hundred years old. Next came William Askam. Here Speck Miller's house stood ; his name was John, but he was called Speck because he went one night to a neighbor's and stole what he supposed was a shoat lately butch- ered and left there to cool off, but when he reached home and unwound his load he found that it was the corpse of a negro child; the people nicknamed him Speck, which is the German for pork.
This section has not furnished much material for the historian, but from Wilkes-Barre to Nan coke nearly every house has an interesting history. It might be added that if some of this history was published it would make a sensation.
On the left-hand side, some eighty rods beyond the Askam house, was where the Shafer family lived when they came to the Valley ; Harvey Holcomb owned the place and lived there at a later day ; there had been, across the Nanticoke creek, on the right, a log house, afterwards belonging to the Rummage family. On a rise of ground was a house where John Babb lived; it formerly belonged to the Sorber family. On the other side of the road, and forty or more rods beyond the Babb house, on the side of the hill, which. by the way, was named Hog-Back, which leads us to infer that the Hanoverians paid more
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THE WYOMING VALLEY.
attention to pork than poetry, was the residence of Conrad Rinchimer, the father of all of that name now living in this section. Opposite Rinchimer's was Mi's. Ash's house, afterwards owned by John Sorber. Below lived John Keithline on the corner of the cross- road that goes over to Nanticoke. On the right was a house belonging to James Stewart, the son of Captain Lazarus Stewart, who was killed in the Massacre. John Espy, who was the grandfather of B. M. Espy, Esq., of Wilkes-Barre, lived in the next house on the left. Beyond this place lived Henry Lines, down in the hollow to the left, back from the road ; he was the father of Abram and Samuel. On the line of Hanover and Newport townships lived Conrad Lines, the father of the fate John R. Lines. Nearly a half mile below lived Abram Lines; his wife was an Espy; his daughters are Mrs. Rev. W. S. Smyth, Mrs. Charles Wells and Mrs. Augusta Hollenback.
ASHLEY, and the Back Road : Beyond the McCarragher house on the top of the hill, on the left, many years ago, there was a house in which a Dow family lived. Beyond, also on the left, were two houses, in one of which Joseph Davis lived ; this man was a miser and died in an insane asylum ; he shot a man by the name of Dively or some such name, a neighbor, who tormented the old man. Below, at Blackman street, on the lower side, was the gun-shop of Henry Young, on the left, where Hart's house now is. On the left, further on and back in the field, on the bank of the creek, in 1846, a brother of Judge Kidder lived. On the right, on the high bank, lived the Bergolds. Below was the wooden bridge across the creek, where a railroad has long run to the Blackman mines. Back in the field, on the right, was a log house, of the tenants of which no one has given me any information. Up the hill on the left Joseph Frederick lived. On the top of the hill the father of S. V. Ritter, of Wilkes-Barre, lived. Here was the Hanover line, the place now called Newtown. Here, across the Hanover line, on the left, was the house of Thomas Brown, who married Askam's daughter, Maria, in 1815. Across the road from Brown's lived Jacob Deitrick, and there were other houses here whose owners are not now remem- bered. Here the road branches, the left going toward Ashley. In the triangle at the point was the log cabin of Phebe Williams and her mother. A little beyond, on the left, was Luman Gilbert's house, and on the right Daniel Frederick, who still lives, 87 years old. On the right-hand side of the street was another log house and beyond was still another, where the father of Louis Landmesser lived. There were many log houses in this section sixty years ago, a number of which were tenantless and given over to the elements.
Daniel Hartzell lived where the wagon road goes under the railroad toward the Black- man mines, and the house of Samuel Pease came next, on the right. On the top of the hill, on the right, Fritz Deitrick kept a tavern. Down on the flat was a store known as the " Scrabble Town Store." On the left, where the road turns up the mountain, old Valentine Keizer lived, and near him some other Keizers. Up the mountain was a green house that belonged to the Cook estate. Up the creek at Solomon's Falls was the old William Ross mill, or the old Red mill ; this was a beautiful and picturesque place ; for many years the mill was rented to tenants, and finally burned down.
Going up the mountain you came to a stage house that, previous to 1840, was kept by Israel Inman. So many places, like this one, that were well known in the past have not only disappeared but also every trace of their tenants, or even a memory of their lives. Like a sealed book, these old taverns, mills and cabins awaken an interest and also declare in a humble but impressive manner the brevity of human life.
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A REVIEW.
From the foot of the plane : On the main road, across the bridge, over the foot of the inclined plane, and across Solomon's creek, on the right, lived Daniet Kreidler ; he had a trip-hammer and carried on quite a business there. On the right was one of three green houses that was a part of the Cook estate; the next house on the left was one of three green houses ; opposite was a house that George W. Bennett built in 1840. On the right lived Comfort Carey; he had formerly lived in a house that stood back from the road. On the lower side of Ashley there was a house on the land of William Ross. Here is the south line of Ashley. Beyond, on the right, was a house with a high stoop and a base- ment, that belonged to John Saum. On the left below was Darius Preston, afterward Williston Preston. I here were no buildings until you came to the Knock house. On the top of the hill at Sugar Notch borough was a little log house belonging to Andrew Shoe- maker, on the right, where the road crossed over to the middle road at Samuel Burrier's. On the cross-road lived Cornelius Garrison ; he was thrown from a wagon and killed ; he came here from Alsace, France, during the Revolution as a French soldier and settled here. On the main road below lived Rachel Garrison, by herself, for many years. Over the creek lived Jacob Rimer. On the left-hand side of the street was the residence of Ash- abel Ruggles. On the right was a small log cabin where Peggy Sterling lived. Down by the creek Ishmael Bennett, who was one of the early settlers, built a log house. Later his son, Josiah Bennett, lived in it, and his father, Ishmael, built a log house that is still stand- ing on the south side of the creek. The next house was that of Henry Bunny. On the right, the next was a house belonging to Speck Miller; Abram Smith lived there at one time. Across the road a little below was the house of Josiah Bennett, the grandfather of the writer ; this was built about 1816. Below lived John Garrison, in a two-story log house. On the cross-road on the right-hand side was the residence and property of Elisha Blackman, the grandfather of H. B. Plumb, Esq., the historian, to whom the writer is greatly indebted for information. Elisha came here in 1791 and made the first clearing south of Ashley.
On the back road below this cross-road Harry Blackman lived ; the house is standing. The next house was on the left and at one time belonged to Henry Mack. The Rummage property was in this vicinity; there were four houses on the property in which four branches of the family lived. Here the back road ended now, but formerly it ran on. A mile and a half beyond there were some houses. George Koker lived in this neighbor- hood. Below him lived Polly Pell. Half a mile below at the end of this road was the old homestead of Christian Lueder, who owned a good farm and raised a family of children that were a credit to him.
KINGSTON. The old road to Wilkes-Barre went from the ferry opposite Northampton street across the flats and was, as it is now, the dividing line between Kingston and Ply- mouth townships. This street ran across the mountain in a straight line. The ferry was kept by Major Helme. What is now Wyoming avenue joined it down on the flats where an old barn now stands. The place was called the Kingston corners. There was no bridge across the river. The present road to Wilkes-Barre was laid out at a later day. Market street only extended back to what is now Seminary street. At the end of Market street stood the old Methodist church; this was moved to the lower side; it was destroyed by fire and the present structure erected. Where the Seminary stands was an orchard, which extended to Main street, as the avenue was called. Market street from the
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THE WYOMING VALLEY.
corner back was opened by Thomas Myers about 1840. Lawrence Myers owned a tract of land that extended from the Curtis lane up to where Benjamin Tubbs now lives, and from Wyoming avenue back to the first hill ; his residence stood where the shoe-shop of Joel Walp stands. There was only a lane going back to his house and barn ; the old well is covered by the sidewalk in front of the shoe-shop.
Plymouth street ran across Ross Hill to Shawneytown, the old name of Plymouthi. Curtis's lane extended back to the farm house of Lawrence Myers, past the old Kingston graveyard. Many of the old families of Kingston and vicinity were buried there; most of the remains were removed some years ago. William Gallup gave the land for a grave- yard. He received a grant of land extending from the river to the mountain, as did Lawrence Myers a similar strip adjoining. All the land was divided up in these grants. Mrs. Curtis retains a few acres of the original grant to her grandfather. F. B. Myers also retains some of the grant to his great-grandfather. Pringle's lane was the same as now ; above was called Sharpe's lane.
The old stone house on the corner of Plymouth and Market streets was built by James Barnes, and antedates the recollection of the oldest resident. It was built for a residence and store, probably being one of the finest houses in the Valley; there was a foundry in the back part at one time. Barnes was a wealthy Quaker; part of Ross hill belonged to him. A strip of land over Ross hill was owned by Levi Hoyt, an uncle of John D. Hoyt. The house where James Franck lives was built by him and was for one year the residence of Judge George W. Woodward. In its day this homestead was an elegant place. The daughter of Judge Woodward, with two of her young lady friends, was drowned. They attempted to cross the flats on the ice ; the water had flooded the flats and frozen over. On the old road crossing Ross hill was an old long farm-house with a porch the entire length, that remained until a short time ago. Here Ross lived, after whom the hill was named. The stone house on the corner was at a later day the home of Thomas Myers; later it was used as a store. On the north corner, where the hotel stands, was owned by Lawrence Myers, who had a store there. Near where George Lazarus has his market was the store of William Reynolds; where Mrs. Abram Reynolds lives was his home. This grant was originally occupied by a store and dwelling built and occupied by Henry Buckingham. The Exchange Hotel was formerly owned by James Wheeler, who was Sheriff of the county; later Major Helme was the proprietor; the building is still standing ; here the county conventions were held. Next was Dr. Parker; later George Reese built a house and a hat store there ; Sharp D. Lewis published his paper there. Where Dr. Tubbs' family lives was the old Elijah Loveland homestead; William Loveland is his son ; he built this house.
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