USA > Pennsylvania > The Wyoming Valley in the nineteenth century > Part 4
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What is now Pringle's store was the store of Elias Hoyt, and where Dr. L. L. Rogers lives was his residence. Benjamin Bidlack, the old Revolutionary soldier, lived on the next lot, in a house that was taken over to Seminary street and was the Roat homestead. Bidlack became famous for singing the Swaggering Man, when he was a prisoner of the Pennamices at Sunbury, and being given too much liberty to act his song he sprang over the enclosure and escaped. Dr. Wright, a surgeon of the United States Army, lived in a house that stood where is now the residence of Mrs. Samuel Hoyt. Dr. John Little, who was also a cabinet-maker, had a shop and house up near the next corner. The old yellow house that is now standing on the northwest corner of Wyoming avenue and Hoyt
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A REVIEW.
street was the Daniel Hoyt homestead, the father of Elias, Ziba, Levi and Abel, Mrs. Benjamin Reynolds, the mother of Mrs. Dr. Tubbs, Mrs. Leis Hoyt. He owned the land from the Myers grant up to what is now Hoyt street, from Main street over the hill.
Plymouth street, Kingston : The first house below the stone house on the corner stood where the residence of A. J. Roat now stands, and was the residence of Anson Martin. James Gallop lived on what is known as the Slocum property, below the school house. Next below lived the father of John Gates ; John Gates lived there for many years ; the house is still standing. . Near where Plymouth street turns to go to the hill was the farm of Aaron Roberts; this property now belongs to William Loveland, who inherited it from his father, Elijah Loveland. Across the street lived Adoniram Covert; there were two houses on this place, one near the road and the other at the lower end of the lot. Near where the L. & B. R R. passes lived Bester Payne, the father of the late H. B. Payne, Esq .; at an earlier day a Mr. Moore lived in the house: the old homestead is standing. occupied by Hungarians. On the lower side of the street (the right hand side), near the creek Major Helme had a turning works. Albert Skeer lived near the creek for many years.
Below the lane going back to the Myers property the father of Thomas Macfarlane, of Kingston, lived ; later the place was owned by Dr. Tubbs, of Kingston. On the hill lived the grandmother of the late Isaac Rice; Mrs. Di. Rogers, of Huntsville, was one of her grandchildren. In Blindtown lived John Covert. Down the old road the first house was on the upper side, where a Mr. Jacquish lived, and owned by John Covert. Beyond him was Lenard Devans, father of Benjamin. Ezia Howard lived below, then came Joseph Kellar. the father of John and Peter, late of Larksville. Next lived George Snyder, father of Gardner; opposite was Peter Snyder, the father of George, well known in Larksville. In Poke Hollow Joseph Morgan and a man by the name of Cool lived.
Wyoming avenue, south side, from the corner : There was a little red house near the corner, the occupant not known. Albert Skeer had his blacksmith shop and residence adjoining, and later James Barnum lived on the premises. Above was the house and harness shop of Arnold Taylor, a brother of Judge Taylor. Joel Linn now lives in this house ; Stephen Vaughn was born there. Then came the house and store of David Bald- win, who was a son-in-law of General Thomas. Where Thomas Macfarlane lives was the old homestead of Ezra Hoyt. The next building was the old Kingston academy; it was located above what is now the home of John B. Reynolds. A large farm extending back to the river and from the Dorrance estate down to what is now the Rutter annex was owned by Pierce and Chester Butler ; Pierce lived on the ridge by the creek. Benjamin Dorrance, father of the late Charles Dorrance, owned the land adjoining this property.
Down Pringle's lane lived Thomas Pringle, the father of Alexander, Samuel, George, Mrs. Elias Culver, Caroline and three other daughters; Peter Sharp was the original owner. The next property extended to Sharp's lane and was owned by Anson and James Atherton. John Sharp owned the next property : Peter, William, Jacob and John were some of his children. Ziba Hoyt, the father of the late ex-Governor Henry M. Hoyt, lived where the railroad crosses Wyoming avenue, and it was here where the Governor was born. The other children were John D., of Kingston, the wife of Rev. Charles Corss, Mrs. Abram Reynolds. Noah Pettibone owned the property above on both sides of the street.
On the right-hand side, above the stone bridge was an old house where Anning Owen, a blacksmith and a local preacher lived. The last family that lived in the house was Robert
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THE WYOMING VALLEY.
Sealey, the father of the late Mrs. Alfred Darte. The Benjamin Dorrance tract extended from the river back of the first hill to the foot of the mountain ; in the division of the land, that on the east side went to Col. Charles and that on the west side to the Rev. John Dorrance.
A large barn stood on the corner of the street going down to Mill Hollow. There was an old cider mill next to the barn.
Goose Island : Gilbert Lewis lived here. There were two buildings on the lower side, a tannery and a house in which Joshua Belding, a broom-maker lived ; he owned some property there. Below the tannery was one of the old Hoyt houses
FORTY FORT, north from Vaughn's corner : Where Stephen B. Vaughn lives was the home of John Bennet, a prominent man in his day. The old house was built about 1819. John Gore lived where Jacob Ely lives; he had four sons; Mrs. John B. Wood, the mother of John G. Wood, of Wilkes-Barre, and Mrs. Moses Wood were daughters. Thomas Slocum built a brick house between J. Bennet's and I. Tripp's. It burned down and was afterwards built by E. McNeill, who owned the property, and was General Superintendent - of the L. & B. R. R. Later it was sold to M. A. Lines and is now the residence of his daughter, Mrs. Augusta Hollenback. The Isaac Tripp property was owned by Anson Atherton ; Thomas, Mrs. Michael Laphey, Mrs. David Corey, Mrs. Alice Abbott, Mrs. Needham, James, Thomas, Anson were the children.
Across from the cemetery lived George Shoemaker. On the present site of the Isaac Tripp homestead was a log house where the father of Elisha Buskirk lived. Above was a farm-house. Above was the old frame house where Robert Shoemaker lived many years. Then came the Shoemaker strip, settled upon by Elijah Shoemaker, one of the first settlers in the Valley. There was a large tract of land extending from the river to the mountain and from the Isaac Tripp farm to the Maltby lane belonging to Elijah Shoemaker. That was divided. From Isaac Tripp's to Shoemaker's land was set apart to George; then Robert came in next; then Charles next; then Elijah Shoemaker up to Maltby's lane. The old Shoemaker store stood on the opposite side of the street, on the corner of the cemetery. Above, back from the road, was the house of Pierce Smith, who was a brother of Dr. John Smith, of Wilkes-Barre. The property was sold to Maltby. Next was the house of Joseph Tuttle, who owned a mill opposite. This is Abram's creek and is covered by one of the substantial stone arches that our fathers built.
Up the creek from the bridge was the home of Lazarus Denison ; all the late genera- tion of that family were born there. The next house was that of Elisha Atherton, the father of Mrs. William Henry and Mrs. Charles A. Miner ; Mrs. Henry is the mother of Thomas H. Atherton, who took the name of Atherton. Above lived Cook Atherton ; then came Thomas P. Hunt, the celebrated lecturer and the great temperance reformer. The house belonged formerly to the Willis family. William Swetland, who donated Swetland Hall to the Wyoming Seminary, owned a large estate adjoining. He was a farmer and merchant. The old store house on the opposite side of the street is still standing. Op- posite Erastus Ilill owned a farm. There was no house until above the monument on that side of the street. Then came Fisher Gay, a farmer, and next an old settler by the name of David Perkins, who owned a large tract of land in that section. Beyond the Perkins property lived John Breese. The next was a house owned by Steuben Jenkins. Where is now the Laycock hotel, was a house. The first building above was that of John
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A REVIEW.
Perkins; he kept a tavern. The next property was a house standing down near the river occupied by Christian Miller. There was a road down to the river where Miller had a ferry. Where the fair-ground is located lived Henry Hice, who owned a farm there. The next property was that of John Schofield. Beyond him was Charles Fuller, on the ridge. S. Larnard lived in the next house. Above was Joseph Schooley. Then came David Goodwin, the father of Mrs. John R. Gates, and brother of Abram Goodwin. Lot Breese, a brother-in-law of James Jenkins, lived next. Across the street lived Peter Sharp, a farmer. This brings us to the forks of the road leading to Pittston.
From Laycock's hotel. going up on the north side of the street : On the corner was a tavern kept by James Jenkins, the father of Steuben Jenkins. Then came the Samuel LaFrantz house. Above were two old houses, the occupants not known. Near them was John Cowder. Then there was no building until you came to the Exeter line. Mrs. Betsy Landon lived at this point.
On the back road below Wyoming were a few old houses. John Gore and the father of David Laphey lived there. The street from Wyoming back to the mountain: There was an old house, of which we have no information, near the corner. James Jenkins lived next. Across lived John Jenkins. Near the creek on the left lived the father of Lot Breese. Beyond was Ezra Breese. Jonathan Moore lived next to him. A watch-maker by the name of Ensign lived on the next lot. Then there was Jacob Shoemaker's tavern ; Isaac and William were his sons; Mrs. David Baldwin, the first wife of Isaac Tripp, Mrs. Holden Tripp and Mrs. Ira Tripp were his daughters.
Up the back road was a house where a brother of William Swetland lived. Above lived Abram Goodwin, the father of John Goodwin, and Abram Goodwin, formerly of Kingston. Daniel, the father of Henry VanScoy, of Kingston, lived beyond, on a property that was owned later by Mr. Shaw. There was a tenant house next. Then came the Daniel Jones homestead. Then William Jacobs.
West Pittston, from the forks of the road: On the left-hand side of the street lived Albert Polen. Next was a Mr. Polen. Next to him was a tenement house. Near the site of the West Pittston depot lived William Sharps. Near him were Charles Chapin, and Isaac Carpenter. Then came a family by the name of Slocum. The Capenter hotel stood up by the river and above was Laton Slocum, the father of William and james.
North from the stone bridge on the right-hand side of the street : The first house above the bridge was that of Noah Pettibone. Near was an old house occupied by the father of Sharp D. Lewis. This was taken down by Noah Pettibone. He was the father of Jacob S., Henry, John S., Stephen H., Mrs. Martha Myers, Noah, Walter G., Harper N., Mrs. S. E. Johnson. The next house was occupied by Mrs. Daniel Marsh. Where the Rev. E. H. Snowden lives, who is alive and well, nearly one hundred years old, was owned by James Jones. Then came the cemetery and the old church. Elijah Shoemaker, the father of the Shoemaker family, came next; it stands next above the residence of the late C. D. Shoemaker. Above was the Shoemaker house on the ridge. Then came the grist-mill of Joseph Tuttle.
Forty Fort, River street, from Wyoming avenue : The first house on the lower side was Gideon Underwood, the father of Dr. Underwood. Philip Jackson lived next. in a house that stood where James Space lives. The famous log house and tavern of Philip Myers stood, until it was burned down a few years ago, in this locality. He was the father
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THE WYOMING VALLEY.
of Henry, Thomas, John, Mary and other children. Where Rev. H. H. Welles lives was a log house. Below was Asa Jackson. Across the street lived Christopher Buskirk. On the cross street was the home of William Church ; Almond, Adison, Anson, Jabez and Mrs. Thomas Reese and Eunice were his children. A family by the name of Biglow lived near and later Oliver Pettibone.
In the early days there was but one street down the Valley on the west side and that followed the creek down back of Forty Fort and ran along the brow of the hill where A. H. Coon lives and bisected the old road to Wilkes-Barre down by the creek at the end of Goose Island. Along the ridge many of the old families originally settled, building log houses and farming the bottom land, which was free from forest but covered with a tall rank grass. When the settlers left the Valley, after the Massacre, most of the houses on this ridge were burned ; some of them were rebuilt.
On this old road lived Oliver Pettibone, when he first came from New England. Noah Pettibone, Jr., was killed at the Massacre and his brother Steve was killed on the upper flats near where the motor-house of the electric railroad is located. He with five men came over from the block house on the Redout to thresh grain in a barn located there. There were a few bands of Indians in the vicinity, notwithstanding that General Sullivan had broken up their villages and thoroughly routed them. One of these bands surprised these men at their work and shot five of them ; one man fell in fright, then feigned death and was scalped. The men in the block house, hearing the firing and guessing the cause, hurried to the rescue. The Indians had fled. but not before they had headed off a man with a team of oxen who was part of the way across the flats and shot and scalped him. The man that had fallen and had been scalped recovered but was prematurely bald. Many of the Indians remained permanently in the Valley. Some dashes of their blood still remain to testify of Indian ancestry.
Old John Gore, Benjamin Dorrance and the Pettibones lived on the old road. The Butlers lived where the Butler house now stands. Pierce Butler, who lived there, was a man of great intelligence, generosity and force of character. Below lived George Lazarus and later John, his brother. This was the Hollenback property. Where A. H. Coon's house stands was an old house. Mr, William Barker, the father of Abel Barker, had a blacksmith shop there. The Ira Carle house was built by General Samuel Thomas, cap- tain of the company in which James Bird belonged when he was shot at Lake Erie.
What is now Wyoming avenue was opened nearly one hundred years ago. Most of the settlers on the back road had been killed by the Indians, their houses burned and their stock driven off either by the Tories or the Indians. The cemetery at Forty Fort holds the remains of many of the old settlers, some are buried in the little burying plot at West Pittston. There was an old grove of primitive oaks in front of the old church. The old U'nion church was built 18os. It is a quaint old structure. with high-back, unpainted pews. The pulpit is twelve feet high, curiously paneled and is approached by a winding stairs. It is now known as the old Forty Fort church. The style of architecture came from Kingston, R. I. Kingston was named after this town. The cemetery was not the first burial ground in the Valley, but it is the oldest now in use. In 1770 this burial place was laid out and contained an acre of land. Where the Shoemaker store-house stands was a house in which a man named Landon lived. Henry Stroh's father lived where the hotel stood that was burned, below on the river side of River street. Below him lived
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A REVIEW.
Charles Bryant. Next was the father of David Culver. Then came the Reel house, next was Abe Jackson.
LUZERNE was originally named Hartzoff, after a German who was one of the first settlers. Later it was given a postoffice and was named Mill Hollow. Up the creek . between the mountains was a paper mill built by Henry Buckingham, an uncle of Stephen Vaughn. Where the turnpike begins was the flour mill of John Gore; he was a brother of Jerry, John and Asa: Harry Pettibone owned the mill afterwards; later John S. Pettibone bought it; then Samuel Raub. Where what is known, as the Wright mill now stands was an iron furnace and foundry owned by Gaylord & Smith, of Plymouth, and afterwards by George W. Little, of Kingston. The present residence of Andrew Raub. Jr., was at one time a tavern kept by Lambert Bonham ; his children are Miller, Lambert, Henderson, of Luzerne, James and Barns. The next building was the old island school-house. Where the Schooley mill stands was a mill owned by George M. Hollenback ; George Bartholomew bought it ; he was a prominent man ; one of his sons was a surveyor and another a doctor ; Mrs. John Lutz, of Luzerne, is his daughter. Across Toby's creek was the old Charles Mathers house, located where Waddel's breaker stands; he was a millwright and a promi- nent man ; his wife was a daughter of Andrew Raub; Mrs. James Atherton, Mrs. A. C. Church, Mrs. Fuller Bonham were sisters of Mrs. Mathers; Judson, Andrew, Correy, Samuel and Orlando are his children: John Mathers, a brother of Charles, lives on the hill; Mrs. J. C. Jackson, Mrs. George Boughtin, Stella, Mary, Charles, William Penn, Ziba and Frank are the family.
On the main road lived David Laphey, who was one of the old settlers; Thomas, his son, lives in the old house. There was but one building from Laphey's until you came to the James Hughes property, except an old barn that stood where the Ross drug store stands : Mr. Hughes was one of the old settlers: Captain James Hughes, who is still living, is his son : Mrs. Hiram Johnson, Mrs. John Denniston, Charles and Edward are the children. John Bowman lived where the Atherhol building stands ; he had a trip-hammer and was a blacksmith ; he also had a comb factory; later Willliam Hancock built a dwelling and store on the property; Pierce, Erastus, Luther, Mrs. Oliver Pettibone, Mrs. William Reel. Mrs. Shofels were some of Mr. Bowman's children. William Hancock lived in a dwelling that was converted into a tavern ; it is now the Luzerne House ; he owned what is now the Bennet estate and was a prominent man ; James, of the Plains, Henry, deceased, Mrs. Fuller Reynolds, Mrs. Dr. Blair and Mary were his children. Where Mrs. Harris lives was a house where Jerome V. Blakesly, the father of Dr. Blakesly, of Plymouth, lived. This was the only building from the Hancock house to where E. W. Abbott now lives. This place was originally a part of the Oliver Pettibone estate ; Daniel C. Marsh lived there ; he married a daughter of Oliver Pettibone. After turning the corner was the resi- dence of Morris Cramer; the property was owned by J. F. Snyder ; this house was one of the oldest in the Valley; Cramer was a member of Captain Thomas's company that went to Lake Erie in 1812. There was no building until you came to the residence of William Hancock ; he ha ha tannery below his house ; near by was an old house occupied by O. G. Pettibone, a son of Oliver. From where the Presbyterian church stands to where the railroad now crosses there were no buildings. Bennet street extended to the mountain. There was a coal bed that was opened sixty years ago by John Bennet and Joshua Petti- bone. The Sarah S. Bennet estate was originally owned by Isaac Carpenter ; it is now
£
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THE WYOMING VALLEY.
owned by Martha Bennet, of River street, Wilkes-Barre. There was a house in the field down the creek in which Reuben Holgate, a prominent citizen, lived ; he owned a carding mill; it is now the mill of Henry Schooley; it was known for many years as the old red mill. The facts for this sketch of Luzerne were furnished by E. W. Abbott, of that borough.
PLYMOUTH, formerly Shawneytown, and then Shawnee : This is an old town. There is no section in the Valley where there are more marks of formerly stately houses than in the lower end of Plymouth. In the deepest humiliation and disgrace, covered with the grime of time and of the culm pile, swarming with Huns and Poles, they are rapidly going back to nature and, like most of their proprietors, to oblivion.
Going down River street, on the right-hand side, the first building was a mill owned by Philip Shupp, the grandfather of Peter. He owned a large farm on the side of the hill; near the mill was his residence ; he was Abram Nesbitt's grandfather. Below lived Jacob Gould, a farmer. Where 'Squire Eno lives was the house of Abijah Smith. Where John Shonk lives was owned by one of the Davenports and was called the Bull's Head tavern. Where the old elm stands was the old whipping post ; this statement cannot be verified ; near by was the house of Horace Morse. Where the railroad crosses lived Abraham Nesbitt, a farmer, the father of James and the grandfather of Abram Nesbitt, of Kingston. Across the creek, on the lower side, lived 'Squire Noah Wadhams. Below was the store of Andrew Gaylord, on the right-hand side.
The next place was a tavern kept by Joseph Worthington. Where the depot stands was a house where Samuel Ochy lived. Farther down on the same side of the street lived Thomas Van Loon, the brother of the late James Van Loon, of Kingston; Mrs. George Evans is a daughter. Next came the Gaylord residence. The old academy was on the upper side of the street. Below, on the other side of the street, was the store and residence of John Turner, father of Frank, James and Samuel. Lower down came Moses Atherton, the father of Caleb, who served as Sheriff. On the opposite side lived a sister of John Turirer. Next was the tannery of Caleb Atherton. Below was the store of Chauncey A. Reynolds ; afterwards it was owned by Davenport & Smith. Then came the old Reynolds homestead ; he was a brother of Judge William C., Elijah, Fuller and Abram, deceased.
On the opposite side of the street lived John Ingham ; Mrs. Samuel Davenport was a daughter of Mrs. Ingham by a former husband-Abijah Smith. Henry Gabriel, the black- smith, lived opposite ; he was the father of Mrs. Charles Young and Mrs. A. J. Roat, of Kingston. Further down lived Joshua Pewh ; Peter was his son. Below was the store of Samuel Davenport, the father of Abijah. The next house was that of Charity Reynolds, the mother of Thomas, Robert, Daniel, Samuel and other children. John Davenport, the i ther of Mrs. Ira Carle, of Kingston, Mrs. Frank Gregg, Robert, Ira, Daniel, Elijah, Thomas, William, Mary, Anna and Charity, lived next. Below lived Thomas Davenport. Farther down lived Col. George P. Ransom, an old Revolutionary soldier. Near by lived Samuel French. Below him Samuel Ransom. Then came the home of Joseph Wright, the father of Col. Hendrick B., Harrison, Caleb E. and Ellen. The house was formerly occupied by Moves Wadhams, the father of Phebe and Lydia, the wife of Samuel French. On the Lower side William Hodge lived, the brother of the Rev. James Hodge. On the upper side of the roadl livel Freeman Thomas, and next to him was the old stone house of Thomas Pringle, the father of Alexander, George and Samuel, of Kingston ; Mrs. Elias
المئى
30
A REVIEW.
Culver is his daughter. The next place was that of Jamison Harvey, the father of William J. and H. H. Harvey, of Wilkes-Barre. The next house was that of Silas Harvey; this was the last house on the way to Nanticoke.
Shawnee avenue, from the upper end : The first house was that of James Nesbitt, brother of Abram Nesbitt. Across the street on the upper side Hiram Davenport lived. Then came the father of Dr. Rogers, of Huntsville, and the grandfather of Dr. L. L. Rogers, of Kingston. The next house was that of Albert Bangs, father of Martin, Alba and Benjamin. Below lived Thomas Dodson, then Clark Davenport. In the next house Calvin Wadhams lived, the father of Samuel, who was the father of Moses, Elijah and Mrs. L. D. Shoemaker, all deceased. Adjoining Mr. Wadhams lived Benjamin Reynolds, father of Mrs. Dr: Tubbs, William, Charles. Fuller, Elijah. Next was R. Davenport ; adjoining lived Oliver Davenport, the father of Edward, the merchant ; Mrs. Whitney, Mrs. Andrew F. Levi, A. S. Shaver, Mrs. H. H. Ashley were the children. In the next house lived Daniel Davenport, Jr. John Smith lived near. The next house was that of C. S. Rinus ; William, Ebenezer, Lorenzo Dow, John Shonk's second wife were his chil- dren. Samuel Lewis lived below. Then came George Puterbaugh, Patrick Cullen, David Pringle, C. Garrahan, the father of Michael Garrahan, of Kingston.
7
BIOGRAPIIICAL HISTORY.
ALEXANDER H. VANHORN was born in Hunlock township, February 23, 1833 ; educa- ted at Wyoming Seminary ; went to Carbon county in 1855 and worked on a salary; in 1864 became interested in the coal business; came to Wilkes-Barre in 1871 and became identified with the Wyoming Manufacturing Company, now the Vulcan Iron Works ; elected director of the Wilkes-Barre Deposit and Savings Bank, and in 1880 elected presi- dent ; married in 1867 at Summit Hill to Miss Harriet Abbott ; in 1885 married Miss Dora L. Reading, of New Jersey ; member of the firm of Payne & Co., limited, and is chairman of the company.
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