1843 History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania

Besides the Susquehanna, which winds nearly through the centre of the co., there are its tributaries, Wysox cr. and Wyalusing cr. on the east, and the Tioga river, and Sugar cr. and Towanda cr. on the west side, with several streams of less note. The surface of the co. is quite rough, but there are no very long and distinct ranges of very lofty mountains. The great subordinate chains of Laurel hill and Chestnut ridge, so prominent in other sections of the state, are here found to be much depressed in height, and broken and scattered in innumerable isolated ridges and spurs. There is, however, along the course of the Towanda cr., on its southern bank, a high precipitous ridge stretching away towards the head of Pine cr., formerly called Burnett's mountain, which may indicate the track of the Laurel hill. The same ridge forms the precipitous "narrows" on the Susquehanna, two or three miles below Towanda.

The land on the summits of the ridges is gently undulating, forming good grazing farms. Along the streams are many enchanting valleys, with meadows and uplands not exceeded in fertility and picturesque beauty by any in the state. The bituminous coal formation touches the southwestern corner of the co., and veins of from three to seven feet in thickness are found on the heads of Towanda cr. A railroad route from Towanda to these mines was surveyed in 1839, but it now slumbers with many of the other projects of that day. Iron is abundant, but not developed: and indications of copper have been discovered. There are sulphur springs at Rome, eight miles from Towanda. Considerable pine and other lumber is still prepared and sent to market from this county; more perhaps than is for the real interest of the population, who would derive a surer profit from the cultivation and export of agricultural produce.

The Berwick and Newtown, or Susquehanna and Tioga turnpike road, which passes through the co., was projected at the early settlement of the co., about the year 1802 or '04, and was driven through the then wilderness by the exertions of Philadelphians and others interested in the lands. It was not fully completed until subsequent to 1820. The Williamsport and Elmira railroad is completed from Williamsport to the southwestern corner of the county, but has been suspended for the present.

The north branch division of the Pennsylvania canal follows the windings of the Susquehanna to the north line of the state, forming a connection with the canals of New York. Most of the heavy work has been done upon the line; and a company has been chartered to take the unfinished work from the state, and complete it. When this opening is made, a profitable exchange will take place between the salt, plaster, and lime of New-York, and the coal and iron of Pennsylvania.

It was also on the great war-path between the Six Nations and the southern tribes; and it may be inferred from the reply of the Cayuga chief to the Moravian Indians, that these now peaceful valleys have been the scene of many a bloody encounter. Tradition states that Wysox valley was occupied by a tribe of that name, who had two sanguinary battles with the Towanda Indians, on the flats at the mouth of Towanda cr. Many relics have been found of these former races. About two miles above Towanda, at the " Break-neck narrows," on the left bank of the Susquehanna, is the resemblance of a squaw's head and face carved in the perpendicular rock. It is now much obliterated by the ice- freshets. It is said that the name of Break-neck was given to these narrows by Sullivan's army, who lost some cattle there: but whether there is any connection between the name and the sculpture does not distinctly appear.

The calumet or pipe of peace was found a few years since on the Sheshequin flats, and is now in possession of Mr. Silas Gore. It is curiously wrought of red-stone, as perfect as when new; and the material corresponds with the description given of the red pipe-stone of the Rocky Mountains, by George Catlin, Esq. In Burlington township the skeletons of two human beings were lately found in excavating a cellar. They were uncommonly large, and had apparently been deposited with much ceremony and care. Their heads were laid eastward, and their bodies enclosed with large flat stones. The bones were in a state of perfect preservation.

Before the men of Connecticut bad asserted their claim to the fair valleys of Bradford co., the holy pioneers of the Moravian mission had penetrated the wilderness along the Susquehanna, and made settlements at various points.

A" early as 1750, Bishop Cammerhof and Rev. David Zeisberger, guided by an Indian of the Cayuga tribe, passed up the Susquehanna on a visit to Onondaga. To each night's encampment they gave a name, the first letter of which was cut into a tree by the Indians. They tarried at Tioga, which is described as "a considerable Indian town." The same year, it is said, "there was a great awakening, which extended over the whole Indian country, especially on the Susquehanna." There appears to have been an Indian village, in 1759, at Machwihiluaing, (Wyalusin,) where one Papanhunk, an Indian moralist, had been zealously propagating his doctrines; with little success, however, for his hearers were addicted to the most abominable vices, and he himself wag but little better. On a visit to the missionary station Nain, on the Lehigh, he heard for the first time the great doctrine of the Cross, and such an impression did it make upon him, that the following year he took down his wife and 33 of his followers, to hear this new doctrine; at the same time endeavoring, without success, to persuade the Christian Indians of Nain to remove to the Susquehanna.

Peace at length arrived at the close of 1764, and in 1765 the whole body of Indian brethren returned to the deserted huts at Wyalusing. Devoting themselves anew to Him who had given them rest for the soles of their feet, they began their labors with renewed courage, and pitching upon a convenient spot on the banks of the Susquehanna, a few miles below Wyalusing, they built a regular settlement, which they called Friedenshuetten, (Tent of Peace.) It consisted of 13 Indian huts, and upwards of 40 frame houses, shingled, and provided with chimneys and windows. A convenient house was erected for the missionaries, and in the middle of the broad street stood the chapel, neatly built, and covered with shingles. Gardens surrounded the village, and near the river about 250 acres were divided into regular plantations of Indian corn. Each family had their own boat. The burying-ground was at some distance in the rear.

During the progress of building the town, the aged, infirm, and children, lodged in the old cottages found on the spot; the rest in bark huts. In fine weather they lifted up their voices in prayer and praise under the open firmament. It was a pleasure to observe them, like a swarm of bees, at their work; some were building, some clearing land, some hunting and fishing to provide for the others, and some cared for housekeeping. The town being completed, the usual regulations and statutes of the Moravian stations were adopted; order and peace prevailed, and the good work went gloriously on.

As one of the great confederacy of the Six Nations, the Cayugas kept that door of their " long house" which opened upon the valley of the Susquehanna, and it became necessary for the missionaries to seek their permission to reside within their jurisdiction. With all the solemnity of Indian diplomacy, the Christian Indians gave notice to the chief of the Cayugas, that they had settled on the Susquehanna, where they intended to build and live in peace with their families, if their uncle approved of it; and they likewise desired leave for their teachers to live with them. The chief, after consultation with the great council of Onondaga, replied, in a friendly manner, " that the place they had chosen was not proper, all that country having been stained with blood ; therefore he would take them up and place them in a better situation, near the upper end of Cayuga lake. They might take their teachers with them, and be unmolested in their worship."

This proposal did not exactly suit the Indians of Friedenshuetten, and they evaded an acquiescence, giving the chief hopes that they would reply "when the Indian corn was ripe." This was in the Bummer of '65. After waiting until the spring of 1766, the Cayuga chief sent a message to Friedenshuetten, "that he did not know what sort of Indian corn they might plant, for they had promised him an answer when it was ripe; that hit corn had been gathered long ago, and was almost consumed, and he soon intended to plant again." The chief, ultimately, and the council, gave them a larger tract of land than they had desired, extending beyond Tioga, to make use of as their own, with a promise that the heathen Indians should not come and dwell upon it This grant, however, was forgotten at the treaty of 1768, when the whole country on the Susquehanna was sold to Pennsylvania

The station at Friedenshuetten continued to prosper for several years, until the year 1773. During this period the persevering Zeisberger had several times threaded the wilderness to the waters of the Allegheny and Ohio, and planted new churches among the Delawares dwelling there. (See Beaver and Venango.)

About half a mile from Sheshequin the savages used at stated times to keep their feasts of sacrifice. On these occasions they roved about the neighborhood like so many evil spirits, making the air resound with their hideous noises and bellowings, but they never approached near enough to molest the brethren. Brother Rothe had the pleasure to see many proofs of the power of the word of God, and it appeared for some time as if all the people about Sheshequin would turn to the Lord. Some time after, an enmity began to show itself: some said openly, "We cannot live according to the precepts of the brethren : if God had intended us to live like them, we should certainly have been born amongst them." Nevertheless James Davis, a chief, and several others were baptized.

In 1771, there was an immense flood in the Susquehanna, and all the inhabitants at Sheshequin were obliged to save themselves in boats, and retire to the woods, where they were detained soar days.

The brethren had received many pressing invitations from the Delawares on the Ohio to leave the Susquehanna, and the dangerous vicinity of the whites, and settle among them. These invitations were declined until 1772, when the brethren became convinced that the congregations could not maintain themselves long in these parts. The Iroquois had sold their land, and various troublesome demands upon them were continually renewed; the contest between the Connecticut men and the Indians and Pennamites at Wyoming had commenced, white settlers daily increased and rum was introduced to seduce the young people. They therefore finally resolved to remove to the Ohio.

Their exodus was remarkable. To transport 240 individuals of all ages, with cattle and horses, from the North Branch across the Allegheny mountains by way of Bald Eagle, to the Ohio, would be, even in these days of locomotive facilities, a most arduous undertaking. What must it have been through that howling wilderness! fortunately most of the company were natives of the forest. The scene is given in the language of Loskiel, the annalist of the missions.

" Brother Ettwein conducted those who went by land, and brother Rothe those by water, who were the greater number. This journey was a practical school of patience for the missionaries. The fatigue attending the emigration of a whole congregation, with all their goods and cattle, in a country like North America, can hardly be conceived by any one who has not experienced it; much less can it be properly described. The land travelers had 70 head of oxen, and a still greater number of horses, to care for, and sustained incredible hardships in forcing a way for themselves and their beasts through very thick woods and swamps of great extent, being directed only by a small path, and that hardly discernible in some places; so that it appears almost impossible to conceive how one man could work his way and mark a path through such close thickets and immense woods, one of which he computed to be about GO miles long. While passing through these woods it rained almost incessantly. In one part of the country they were obliged to wade 36 times through the windings of the river Munsey, besides Buffering other hardships.

However, they attended to their daily worship as regularly as circumstances would permit, and had frequently strangers among them, both Indians and white people, who were particularly attentive to the English discourses delivered by brother Ettwein. The party which went by water were every night obliged to seek a lodging on shore, and suffered much from the cold. Soon after their departure from Friedenshuetten, the measles broke out among them, and many fell sick, especially the children. The attention due to the patients necessarily increased the fatigue of the journey. In some parts they were molested by inquisitive, [probably in the Wyoming valley] and in others by drunken people. The many falls and dangerous rapids in the Susquehanna occasioned immense trouble and frequent delays. However, by the mercy of God, they passed safe by Shamokin, and then upon the west arm of the river by Long Island to Great Island, when they joined the land travelers on the 29th June, and now proceeded all together by land. When they arrived at the mountains, they met with great difficulties in crossing them, for, not having horses enough to carry all the baggage, most of them were obliged to carry some part.

During a considerable part of the journey the rattlesnakes kept them in constant alarm, as they lay in great numbers cither in or near the road. These venomous creatures destroyed several of the horses, but the oxen were saved by being driven in the rear. The most troublesome plague in the woods was a kind of insect called by the Indians Ponk, or living ashes, from their being so small that they arc hardly visible, and their bite as painful as red-hot ashes. As soon as the evening fires were kindled, the cattle, in order to get rid of these insects, ran furiously towards the fire, crowding into the smoke, by which our travelers were much disturbed in their sleep and at meals. These tormenting creatures are met with in a tract of country which the Indians call ' a place avoided by all men.' The following circumstance gave rise to this name:

About 30 years ago, an Indian hermit lived upon a rock in this neighborhood, and used to appear to travelers or hunters in different garbs, frightening some and murdering others. At length a valiant chief was so fortunate as to surprise and kill him. To this true account fabulous report has added, that the chief, having burnt the hermit's bones to ashes, scattered them in the air throughout the forest, and they became ponks.

In another part of the forest, the fires and storms had caused such confusion among the trees, that the wood was almost impenetrable. Some persons departed this life during the journey, and among them a poor cripple, 10 or 11 years old, who was carried by his mother in a basket on her back. Our travelers were sometimes compelled to stay a day or two in one place, to supply themselves with the necessaries of life. They shot upwards of 150 deer during the journey, and found great abundance of fish. They likewise met with a peculiar kind of turtle, about the size of a goose, with a long neck, pointed head, and eyes like a dove.

" July 20th, they left the mountains and arrived on the banks of the Ohio [now the Allegheny,] where they immediately built canoes to send the aged and infirm with the heavy baggage down the river. Two days afterwards they met brother Heckenwelder and some Indian horses from Friedenstadt, (in Beaver co.) by whose assistance they arrived there on the 5th Aug., and were received with every mark of affection by the whole congregation."

" Beginning on the east side of the east branch of the river Susquehanna at a place called Owegy, down the said branch on the east side to the mouth of a creek called by the Indians Awandac (Tawandee,) and across the river and up the said creek on the south side, and along the range of hills called Burnett's hills by the English, and by the Indians on the north side of them to the heads of a creek which runs into the west branch of the Susquehanna, which creek is called by the Indians Tisdaghton," &c. &c., over to Kittanning, and thence down the Ohio. (See the whole boundary under Lycoming co.)

Again, at Fort Stanwix, Oct. 23,1784, the Six Nations sold to the state of Pennsylvania all the land in the state lying northwest of the abovementioned boundary; and this latter sale was confirmed by the Wyandots and Delawares at Fort McIntosh, (in Beaver co.) in Jan. 1785.

It was also ascertained at Fort Stanwix in '84, that the creek called Tisdaghton by the Indians, was the Pine creek of the Pennsylvanians; and that the Indians had always known Burnett's mountain by the name of the long mountain.

Maj. Gen. Sullivan passed up the Susquehanna in the ensuing summer of 1779, on his memorable expedition against the towns of the Six Nations. The army arrived at Tioga Point on the 11th Aug., and hearing that the enemy were at Chemung, an Indian village 12 miles above Tioga Point, went up and had a slight skirmish with the Indians, who had abandoned the village, and were lying in ambush. The Indians were driven off; and after destroying the grain, &c, the army returned to Tioga to wait for Gen. Clinton's brigade, which came down the east branch on the 22d Aug. from New York, with 200 bateaux.

The united forces now moved forward up the Tioga into the Genesee country, ravaging and burning the Indian villages, and destroying their crops.* While the army remained at Tioga they erected blockhouses on the peninsula, where Col. Shreeve was left with a garrison of 200 men to guard the place. The army returned on the 30th Sept., and were received by Col. Shreeve with a joyous salute, and " as grand an entertainment as the circumstances of the place would admit."

*A journal of this expedition, kept by Sergeant-major Grant of the Jersey troops, is published in foil in Hazard's Register, vol. xiv, pp. 73 to 76, where the curious may consult it. The more interesting passages relate to the history of New York.

A Mr. Irwin, a surveyor from Easton, while sitting, after the fatigues of the day, in the door of Mr. McDuffie's house on the Tioga above Athens, was shot dead by some person unknown. Mr. McDuffie was sitting near him playing the flute. A Mr. Smiley was tarred and feathered one night near Towanda creek. The feeling that prevailed among the settlers at the time, and the difficulty of bringing such offenders to justice, may be inferred from the fact, that the individual who lent the bottle to the rogues to hold their tar, was himself on the grand jury for investigating the case ; but as no legal evidence was presented to him officially that such a use had been made of his bottle ; and as he did not actually know the fact, he did not feel bound to state his suspicions to the grand jury.

Col. Satterlee, who was one of the most active in securing the original organization of the co., obtained an appropriation at an early day of $600 for opening roads into the northern part of the co., which gave an opportunity for the hardy and enterprising New Englanders to settle in the townships of Wells, Ridgebury, Springfield, &c. Smithfield and Columbia townships are settled by Vermonters, whose fine farms attest their industry.

Towanda was first laid out in 1812, by Mr. Wm. Means, who resided here at that time. The act organizing the co., directed the courts to be held at his house until public buildings were erected. Old Mr. Fauks, a German, and his son-in-law, Mr. Bowman, lived then on the point below Towanda. Mr. Fauks had settled there before, or during the revolution, having been attached to the British side in that contest. The village for several years was called Meansville, and so marked upon the maps. Other names were also occasionally tried on, but did not fit well enough to wear long. The Bradford Gazette of 4th March, 1815, says, "the name of this village having become the source of considerable animosity, the editor, (Burr Ridgway,) willing to accommodate all, announces a new name-Williamston-may it give satisfaction and become permanent." But subsequently, in that same year, the Gazette appears dated Towanda; and in 1822, again the Bradford Settler was dated at Meansville.

Towanda was incorporated as a borough in 1828, and its name was thus permanently fixed. The location of the canal, the discovery of coal-beds in the vicinity, and the establishment of a most accommodating bank, gave a great impetus to the growth of the place between the years 1836 and 1840 ; but the subsequent disastrous failure of the bank, in the spring of 1842, following, as it did, the already severe commercial distress, and the suspension of the public works, spread a gloom over its prospects. The natural advantages of the place, however, are too great to be annulled by any temporary cause, and Towanda must soon shake off the load, and eventually become a place of considerable business. Besides the great valley of the Susquehanna, three smaller valleys, rich in the products of agriculture, centre here, and must pour their trade into the stores of Towanda.

Athens, now one of the pleasantest villages in Pennsylvania, extends across an isthmus, between the Tioga and Susquehanna rivers, about two miles above their confluence. Above and below the town, the land widens out into meadows of surpassing fertility. The long main street of the village runs lengthwise of the isthmus, and is adorned by delightful residences, and verdant shades and shrubbery. The annexed view exhibits the northern entrance to the street. There is an academy here, and Presbyterian, Methodist, and Episcopal churches. There is a substantial bridge over each of the rivers; that over the Susquehanna has been recently erected ; that over the Tioga was built in 1820. The borough was incorporated in 1831. On the completion of the North Branch canal, a great increase of trade maybe anticipated. Population, 435.

Catharine Montour was a half-breed, who had been well educated in Canada. Her reputed father was one of the French governors of that province, and she herself was a lady of comparative refinement. She was much caressed in Philadelphia, and mingled in the best society. She exercised a controlling influence among the Indians, and resided in this quarter while they were making their incursions upon the Wyoming settlements. It has been even suspected that she presided at the bloody sacrifice of the Wyoming prisoners after the battle; but Col. Stone, who is good authority upon the history of the Six Nations, utterly discredits the suspicion.

The plain upon which the mansion stood is called Queen Esther's flats. Old Mr. Covenhoven, who still lives in Lycoming co., was one of Col. Hartley's expedition to Tioga, just after the battle of Wyoming, for the purpose of burning the Moravian villages and the Indian town at Tioga. Mr. Covenhoven says, that he himself put the brand to " Queen Esther's castle." He describes it as a long, low edifice, constructed with logs set in the ground at intervals of ten feet, with horizontal hewn plank, or puncheons, neatly set into grooves in the posts. It was roofed, or thatched, and had some sort of porch, or other ornament, over the doorway.

In 1784, Judge Hollenback, of Luzerne co., had an establishment at Tioga for trading with the Indians, of whom many were still residing up the Tioga valley. Daniel McDowell was his clerk. The Indians having buried the hatchet with the peace of '83, were disposed to be friendly; but the villainy of straggling white traders, aided by the demon of rum, often exasperated them to such a degree, that great fears were entertained for the safety of the resident families.

About this time a good-natured Indian, who boasted chiefly of his stature as a " big Shickashinny," was murdered while intoxicated, near Hollenback's store, by a little roving fur-trader from Delaware river. It was with some difficulty the villagers, through McDowell's intercession, appeased the exasperated feelings of the relatives and friends of the Indian by purchasing his corpse at the price of a pair of old horses! The murderer enlisted in the army, and before long received his due from the Indians on the northwestern frontier.

In '84, also, Christopher Hollabird and a Mr. Miller came in and squatted upon lands near the town, supposing them to be in the state of New York. The town appears to have been laid out between the years 1784 and '88, for in the latter year, Elisha Mat fire was kept burning.

The aged Cayuga chieftain, Fish-Carrier, who was held in exalted veneration for his wisdom, and who had been greatly distinguished for his bravery from his youth up, officiated as the high priest of the occasion,-making a long speech to the luminary, occasionally throwing tobacco into the fire as incense. On the conclusion of the address, the whole assembly prostrated themselves upon the bosom of their parent earth, and a grunting sound of approbation was uttered from mouth to mouth around the entire circle. At a short distance from the fire a post had been planted in the earth-intended to represent the stake of torture to which captives are bound for execution.

After the ceremonies in favor of Madame Luna had been ended, they commenced a war-dance around the post, and the spectacle must have been as picturesque as it was animating and wild. The young braves engaged in the dance were naked, excepting the breech-clout about their loins. They were painted frightfully-their backs being chalked white, with irregular streaks of red, denoting the streaming of blood. Frequently would they cease from dancing while one of their number ran to the fire, snatching thence a blazing stick, placed there for that purpose, which he would thrust at the post, as though inflicting torture upon a prisoner. In the course of the dance they sang their songs, and made the forests ring with their wild screams and shouts, as they boasted of their deeds of war and told the number of scalps they had respectively taken, or which had been taken by their nation. During the dance, those engaged in it-as did others also-partook freely of unmixed rum ; and by consequence of the natural excitement of the occasion, and the artificial excitement of the liquor, the festival had well nigh turned out a tragedy.

It happened that among the dancers was an Oneida warrior, who, in striking his post, boasted of the number of scalps taken by his nation during the war of the revolution. Now the Oneidas, it will be recollected, had sustained the cause of the colonies in that contest, while the rest of the Iroquois confederacy had espoused that of the crown. The boasting of the Oneida warrior, therefore, was like striking a spark into a keg of gunpowder. The ire of the Senecas was kindled in an instant, and they in turn boasted of the number of scalps taken by them from the Oneidas in that contest. They moreover taunted the Oneidas as cowards. Quick as lightning the hands of the latter were upon their weapons, and in turn the knives and tomahawks of the Senecas began to glitter in the moonbeams, as they were hastily drawn forth.

For an instant it was a scene of anxious and almost breathless suspense, a death-struggle seeming inevitable, when the storm was hushed by the interposition of old Fish-Carrier, who rushed forward, and striking the post with violence, exclaimed-" You are all of you a parcel of boys : When you have attained my age, and performed the warlike deeds that I have performed, you may boast what you have done; not till then !" Saying which he threw down the post, put an end to the dance, and caused the assembly to retire.*

This scene, in its reality, must have been one of absorbing and peculiar interest. An assembly of nearly two thousand inhabitants of the forest, grotesquely clad in skins and strouds, with shining ornaments of silver, and their coarse raven hair falling over their shoulders, and playing wildly in the wind as it swept past, sighing mournfully among the giant branches of the trees above,-such a group, gathered in a broad circle in an " opening" of the wilderness-the starry canopy of heaven glittering above them, the moon casting her silver mantle around their dusky forms, and a large fire blazing in the midst of them, before which they were working their spells and performing their savage rites-must have presented a spectacle of long and vivid remembrance.

* MS. recollections of Thomas Morris. Mr. M. was known among the Indians by the name conferred upon him on this occasion, for many years. After his marriage, his wife was called by them Otetiani squaw, and his children, Otetiani papooses.

" Near the confines of Pennsylvania a mountain rises from the bank of the river Tioga in the shape of a sugar-loaf, upon which are seen the remains of some entrenchments. These the in. habitants call the Spanish ramparts; but I rather judge them to have been thrown up against the Indians in the times of Mr. Denonville, [1688.] One perpendicular breastwork is yet remaining, which, though covered over with grass and bushes, plainly indicates that a parapet and a ditch have been constructed here."

The following is copied from a manuscript found among the papers of the late Mrs. Scott, in the handwriting of Joseph Kinney, Esq.

" The treaty held in 1796 with the Six Nations, was one of much interest. About three hundred warriors, well dressed in Indian costume, passed down the Susquehanna, and encamped on the Sheshequin flats. Their whoops and war-dance, although terrifying, still became interesting in the extreme. Gen. Spalding made them a present of six thrifty long-legged shoats, (Col. Kingsbury says only two,) turned loose upon the large flats. They selected as many young runners, each with a scalping-knife, who immediately gave chase. This was fine sport for the inhabitants. The race was long-they striking with their knives at every opportunity. Their mode of cooking would not suit our refined notions. The hogs were thrown into a large fire and the hair burnt off, which was the only dressing. They were then put into large kettles, with a little corn and beans, and cooked. This was their feast, and this they culled Ump-a-squanch. On their return from Philadelphia they stopped at the same place. Here they gave the whites a challenge to a foot-race-and Wm. W. Spalding (still living in the Wysox valley) was selected by the whites. The whites were successful: this gave umbrage to the Indians. He then wanted to run a mile, which was of course refused ; and it was with the utmost difficulty that peace was restored, as many of the Indians drew their knives."

About the year '87 or '88, Gen. Spalding was visited by John Livingston and others, to solicit his aid in effecting the memorable lease of land for 999 years in New York, from the Six Nations. After the lease was effected, many moved to that country from the Susquehanna, and subsequently suffered much loss and hardship by disputed titles.

(For an interesting account of Old Sheshequin see the history of the Moravians, above.)

The Connecticut Herald of 1817, says:

In the town of Wysox, Bradford Co., state of Pennsylvania, is the " ci-devant" residence of a hermit. It is a beautiful valley, unbosomed by mountains, and refreshed by a small river which loses itself in the waters of the Susquehanna. The name of the solitary old man, who was, a few years since, found dead in his cabin, was " Fencelor." Hence the place still does, and probably ever will, retain the name of " Fencelor Castle." This sequestered spot, replete with the most delightful scenery, is now occupied by a gentleman of taste and fortune-an emigrant from Connecticut-who recently transplanted into that garden of nature, earth's fairest flower, an amiable wife.

(For an adventure of Van Camp's, near Towanda cr., see Columbia co.)

Burlington is a village not long since started, about 8 miles west of Towanda, where the Berwick and Newtown turnpike crosses Sugar cr. -, Troy is another pleasant village on Sugar cr., about 18 miles from Towanda, where the Williamsport and Elmira railroad crosses the cr.

Monroe, laid out a few years since by Gordon F. Mason, Esq., surveyor of the co., is on Towanda cr., 8 miles S. W. of Towanda, where the Berwick road crosses the cr. The railroad to the coal mines, at the head of the cr., was located through the village.

Canton is a small village recently started on the Williamsport and Elmira railroad, near the source of the main branch of Towanda cr.

Ulster is a small village on the right bank of the Susquehanna, halfway between Athens and Towanda.

Just above the mouth of Wyalusing, a small village has grown up since the construction of the canal, and a mile or so below the mouth is the extensive agricultural and trading establishment of C. F. Wells, Esq. The history of the Moravian towns, near this place, is given on pages 137 to 140.

The village and township received their characteristic names from circumstances related in the following account, condensed from the travels of the Duke de la Rochefaucauld Liancourt, a French nobleman, who travelled through this valley in 1795. He was a close observer of every thing relating to the agriculture, land, &c., of our new country; and, of course, took an especial interest in the settlements of his own countrymen.

Asylum (Frenchtown) has been only fifteen months established. Messrs. Talon and De Noailles, French gentlemen, came to this country from England, intending to purchase, cultivate, and people 200,000 acres of land. They had interested in their project some planters of St. Domingo who had escaped from the ruins of that colony with the remains of their fortune. Messrs. Robert Morris and John Nicholson sold them the lands, and in Dec. 1793, the first tree was cut at Asylum. Mr. De Noaillcs was to manage the concerns of the colony at Philadelphia. Mr. Talon attended to the erection of log houses, and the preparation of land for the reception of the new colonists. They were disappointed in the receipt of a part of the funds upon which they had relied, and were obliged to relinquish their purchase and improvements. They then became joint partners in the business with Morris and Nicholson; the quantity of land was enlarged to a million of acres, and Mr. Talon was to act as agent, with a salary of $3,000 and the use of a large house. Ignorance of the language, want of practice in business of this nature, other avocations, and the embarrassments of the company, deprived Mr. Talon of the happiness of opening a comfortable asylum for his unfortunate countrymen, of aiding them in their settlement, and thus becoming the honored founder of a colony. He and Mr. De Noailles, therefore, sold out to Mr. Nicholson. Notwithstanding these drawbacks,

Asylum has already attained an uncommon degree of perfection, considering its infancy. Thirty houses are inhabited by families from St. Domingo and from France, by French artisans and by Americans. Some inns and two shops have been established. Several town-shares (out-lots) have been put into very good condition, and the fields and gardens begin to be productive. Considerable land has been cleared on the Loyalsock cr., where the company has allotted 25,000 acres, in part of 100,000, which the inhabitants of Asylum have purchased by subscription. The town-shares consist each of 400 acres, from ten to twenty of which are cleared. The owner can therefore either settle there himself, or in trust it to a farmer. The clearing of town-shares is effected by subscription, $9 per acre being paid, provided at least ten acres are cleared, of which five must be under fence. Mr. De Montul directs the clearing, the plan of which he conceived for the welfare of the colony. Mr. Nicholson, now the only proprietor, has formed a bank of his million of acres, divided into 5,000 shares, each of 200 acres, at $2 50 per acre, making $500 per share. They bear six per cent, interest, which increases in proportion to the state of the land ; at the end of fifteen years, the company is to be dissolved, and the profits and advantages to be divided among the shareholders. An office has been established by the latter for the direction of the bank.

Motives arising from French manners and opinions have hitherto prevented even French families from settling here. These are now, however, in great measure removed, and if the company manage with prudence, there can hardly remain a doubt that Asylum will speedily become a place of importance, as an emporium of inland trade. French activity, supported with money, will certainly accelerate its growth, and show that the enterprise and assiduity of Frenchmen are equally conspicuous in prosperous and in adverse circumstances.

Mr. De Blacons, deputy for Dauphine", in the constituent assembly; he has married Mademoiselle De Maulde, late canoness of the chapter of Bonbourg. They keep a haberdasher's shop. Their partner is Mr. Colin, formerly Abbe- de Se'vigny, arch-deacon of Tours, and conteiller au grand conteil.

Mr. De Montule'. late captain of a troop of horse, married to a lady of St. Domingo, who resides at present at Pottsgrove. Madame De Sybert, cousin of Mr. De Montule', relict of a rich planter of St. Domingo.

Mr. Becdelliere, formerly a canon, now a shopkeeper; his partners are the two Messrs. De la Roue, one of whom was formerly a petit gens d'armes, and the other a captain of infantry. The latter has married a sister of Madame Sybert, Mad'slle De Bercy, who intends to establish an inn eight miles from Asylum, on the road to Loyalsock.

Mr. Beaulieu, formerly captain of infantry in the French service-served in America under Potosky-married an English lady- now keeps an inn.

Mr. Buzard, a planter of St. Domingo, and physician there, has settled here with his wife, daughter, and son, and some negroes, the remains of his fortune.

Mr. De Noailles, a planter of St. Domingo. Mr. Dandelot, of Franche Compt£, late an officer of infantry, who left France on account of the revolution, and arrived here destitute, but was kindly received by Mr. Talon, and is now engaged in agricultural pursuits with spirit and success.

Mr. Du Petit Thouars, an officer of the navy, who embarked in an expedition in quest of Mr. De la Perouse. lie was detained by the governor of a Portuguese colony in Brazil, sent to Portugal, stripped of all his property, and only escaped further persecution by fleeing to America, where he lives free and happy, without property, yet without want. He is clearing two or three hundred acres which have been presented to him. His social, mild, yet truly original temper, is adorned by a noble simplicity of manners. [Du Petit Thouars returned afterwards to France, commanded a ship of the line, and was killed in the unfortunate battle of the Nile.]

Mr. Nores, a young gentleman who embarked with Du Petit Thouars, and escaped with him to this country. He was formerly one of the secular clergy of France-he now earns his subsistence by cultivating the ground.

Mr. Keating, an Irishman, late captain of the regiment of Welch. In St. Domingo he possessed the confidence of all parties, but refused the most tempting offers from the commissioners of the assembly, though his sentiments were truly democratic. He preferred to retire to America without a shilling, rather than acquire power and opulence in St. Domingo by violating his first oath. His advice and prudence have been of great service to Mr. Talon, and his uncommon abilities and virtue enable him to adjust matters of dispute with greater facility than most other persons.

Mr. Renaud and family, a rich merchant of St. Domingo, just arrived, with very considerable property, preserved from the wreck of an immense fortune.

Mr. Carles, a priest and canon with a small fortune-now a fanner, much respected. Mr. Prevost, of Paris, celebrated there for his benevolence. He retired to America with some property, most of which he expended on a settlement he attempted to establish on the Susquehanna, but without success. He now cultivates his lot of ground on the Loyalsock as if his whole life had been devoted to the same pursuit; and the cheerful serenity of a philosophical mind attends him in his retreat. His wife and sister share his tranquility and happiness.

Madame D'Autremont, widow of a steward at Paris, and three children. Two of her sons are grown up; one was a notary, the other & watchmaker; but they are now hewers of wood and tillers of the ground, highly respected for their zeal, spirit, and politeness.

Some artisans are also established at Asylum, but most of them are indifferent workmen, and much addicted to drunkenness. In time, American families of a better description will settle here, for those who reside at present at Asylum are scarcely worth keeping. A great impediment to the prosperity of the colony will probably arise from the prejudices of the French again* the Americans. Some vauntingly declare that they will never learn the language of the country, or enter into conversation with an American. Such prejudices injure the colony

[Source: Historical Collections of the State of Pennsylvania, by Sherman Day, Philadelphia, 1843, Page 136-150]