History: Local: Chapters XL-XLIII: Boroughs of Bridgeport, Conshocken, East Greenville and Green Lane: Bean's 1884 History of Montgomery Co, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Susan Walters USGENWEB NOTICE: Printing this file by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/montgomery/beantoc.htm URL of html Table of Contents and illustrations. 技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技 BEAN'S HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA 技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技 707 CHAPTER XL. BOROUGH OF BRIDGEPORT. By Wm. J. Buck. [NOTE: Acknowledgements are due to Dr. George W. Holstein, of this borough, for information, he having also kindly furnished the writer with some materials on it of the subject for two previous works on the county, -namely in 1858 and 1876.] THE borough of Bridgeport is of recent origin, having been incorporated by an act of Assembly passed February 27, 1851. Its area is four hundred and sixty acres, and was wholly taken from the township of Upper Merion, in which it had been previously situated. In its form it is irregular, having, somewhat the shape of a scalene triangle. It is bounded on the north and northeast by the Schuylkill and on the south and west by Upper Merion. Few towns have a more beautiful and advantageous situation. It is opposite Norristown, and the land rises gradually from the river. The borough extends on the Schuylkill from the dam down to the outlet bock, a distance of a mile. De Kalb Street, which was laid out in 1830 as the State road, extend across the bridge from Norristown, and is turnpiked. Front Street extends from De Kalb Street to the Swedes' Ford Bridge. The nearest street running parallel with the river is called Front Street, the next is Second and so on to Tenth Street, which forms the southwestern boundary of the borough. De Kalb, Front, Second and Third are the principal streets, and contain handsome brick houses, several of which are occupied by persons who have retired from business. According to the census of 1850, Bridgeport contained 572 inhabitants in 1860, 1011 in 1870, 1578 and in 1880, 1802. That Bridgeport is no inconsiderable business place is sufficiently proven from the number of its stores, manufactories and other establishments located within limits in May, 1883, it contained seventeen stores, four hotels, two dealers in flour and feed, two restaurants and one lumber and three coal-yards. The Minerva Mill ranks among the extensive manufactories in the State. It is now conducted by James Lees & Sons in the manufacture of blankets, Kentucky jeans and worsted carpet-yarns, giving employment to near one thousand hands. In consequence of the space required for such extensive operations this firm has greatly enlarged the buildings. The factory was originally erected in 1854 by Bodey & Jacobs, and afterwards owned by Needles & Brothers. Next in extent is the woolen-mill of Worrall & Radcliff, manufacturers of Kentucky jeans, employing one hundred and seventy hands. Isaac W. Smith, formerly of Valley Forge, has erected an extensive building on Swede Street (in 1883) for the manufacture of cotton and woolen goods, calculated to give employment to about one hundred hands. Hugh McInnes carries on the manufacture of Manilla paper at the Rebeccka Mill, employing some thirty-five hands. This building was formerly known as the Norris Oil Works, established by Dr. H. T. Slemmer in 1866. Dager & Cox employ twenty hands at the Eureka Mill in the manufacture of Manilla paper. They occupy the building, formerly used as a saw-mill, near the canal basin, which they have enlarged and improved. Isaac Richards occupies the building formerly used by Joel W. Andrews as an agricultural warehouse, employing ten hands in the manufacture of elevators and patent dumb-waiters, Allen Ridgway occupies a portion of W. W. Potts' car-works building, employing fifteen hands in the manufacture of woolen yarns. Benjamin Gardner occupies the other part in the manufacture of Turkish toweling, giving employment to ten hands. In the spring of 1883 a creamery war, put in operation of Kersey & Brothers, from Chester County. Besides the aforesaid there are two extensive flouring-mills and several smaller manufacturing establishments and mechanic shops. In 1882 the real estate was valued at $695,525, and, for 1883, 455 taxables were returned, holding a total property of $755,550, the aggregate per capita being $1656. The public are five in number, all held in one commodious brick building, erected in 1856 on a lot of ground one hundred and fifty feet square, situated at the south corner of De Kalb Sixth Street, They are divided into three departments, -grammer, secondary and primary. The schools are open ten months with are average attendance of one hundred and fifty-five pupils for the year ending June 1, 1882. In 1857 the schools were three in number, open only five months. The school-house, previously used was built for this purpose in 1842, and stood at the corner of Mill and Second. It was a stone structure, twenty-five by fifty-eight feet in dimensions, and the schools were kept in it until the erection of the present large building, when it was used for several years for the meetings of the Borough Council. After remaining awhile unoccupied it was torn down in the spring of 1883. THE BAPTIST CHURCH OF BRIDGEPORT was constituted March 19, 1850, with fifteen members, by a council composed of delegates from the Baptist Churches of Norristown, Roxborough, Chestnut Hill and Balligomingo. A preliminary meeting had been held February 20, 1850, at the house of Samuel Yocum, and eleven persons, mostly members of the Baptist Church of Norristown, signed an agreement to endeavor to organize a church. A lot, eighty by one hundred feet, had been purchased on Fourth Street, and a church edifice, forty-five b sixty feet, was then being built, and was completed at a cost of two thousand four hundred dollars. It was dedicated June 16,1850, the Rev. A. S. Patton, of West Chester, and the Rev. J. A. McKean, of Philadelphia, officiating. On the 9th of April 1850, the Rev. William Smith was called to the pastorate, and accepted and served until September 19, 1851. The church was admitted to the Philadelphia Baptist Association October 10, 1850. The pastors who have served the church from the resignation of the Rev. William Smith are as follows David T. Carnahan, May 15, 1852, to April 30, 1856 Charles Thompson, January, 1857, to February 27, 1861 Miller Jones, December 14, 1861, to March 30, 1864 Henry Bray, January 13, 1865, to March, 1867 Samuel C. Meade, June 26, 1867, to February 26, 1868 E. E. Jones, December 3, 1868, to March 27, 1872 Miller Jones, May 1, 1872, to December 7, 1879 Charles F. Williams, March 31, 1882, to September 3, 1884 C. C. Earle, September 29, 1884 The last is the present pastor. The church has a membership of about two hundred and fifty. 708 The parsonage on the church lot was built in 1868 at a cost of about three thousand five hundred dollars. The church edifice was remodeled and refurnished in 1880 at a cost of about fifteen hundred dollars. THE SECOND PRESBYTERIAN (OLD SCHOOL) CHURCH OF NORRISTOWN, located at Bridgeport, was constituted in 1850 and its charter was obtained the same year. A meeting was held in 1849 at the house of Samuel Stewart, at which a number were present. A committee was appointed to visit Samuel Paul, who was sent out from New York as a missionary to near Phoenixville. He visited this place, and services were held for a time in the German Reformed Church of Norristown. In 1852 the small frame building that had been used by the Protestant Methodists, and which stood on the corner of Green and Airy. Streets, was rented and, later, purchased. Mr. Paul preached to the people until 1852, when the Rev. Joseph Nesbitt assumed charge of this church with the church at Conshohocken, and continued as pastor until about 18,59 when he was succeeded by the Rev. Samuel Harrison Upon the breaking out of the war, in 1861, the entire male members of the church, except three, joined the army; this left the congregation so small that the Rev. Mr. Harrison resigned. From that time until the close of the war the pulpit was supplied, without charge, by the Rev. Charles Collins, a clergyman of the German Reformed Church who resided near here. At the close of the war the Rev. James Mosten was chosen as a stated supply, and remained until about 1870. About this time the church and lot were sold, with privilege of use for church purposes for one year, 1872 the congregation began to hold service in Mogee's Chapel and continued to do for two years, In the spring of 1874 a lot, seventy-seven by one hundred and fifty feet, on Sixth, De Kalb and Green Streets, in Bridgeport, was purchased of Benjamin F. Hancock's estate, and the present church edifice was erected, at a cost of twenty-two thousand eight hundred dollars. About 1872 the Rev. Belleville Roberts; was chosen as supply and, later, as pastor. He served four years and was succeeded by the Rev. Henry F. Mason, who served until 1882, since which time the church has been served with supplies, mostly from Princeton College. The various public improvements that either pass through or begin here contribute much to the prosperity and business advantages of the place. Among the first constructed was the Schuylkill Navigation and Canal. This great work is one hundred and eight miles in length, beginning at the Fairmount dam and extending to Port Carbon, above Pottsville. It was commenced in 1816 and finished in 1824 for the passage of boats of sixty tons' burthen. It was sufficiently completed to this place in 1818 to admit the descent of a few boats. The whole line in 1816 was enlarged, and boat, of one hundred and ninety tons now pass and repass. When the navigation company constructed the dam here it was their intention to make the canal or, the east side of the, river, but the people of Norristown was so much opposed to the measure that, through the liberal offers of Elisha Evans the principal owner of the land on the Bridgeport side, they were induced to locate it there. No doubt at this early day, when there were but two houses here, Mr. Evans foresaw the advantages that would arise in the future from such an arrangement. The result, however, occasioned some alarm, for a public meeting was held in Norristown June 27, 1820, recommending the appointment of a committee to purchase from John Markley the right of way across the lower end of Barbadoes Island that readier access be afforded to the canal in the shipment or transportation of goods. This, it should be remembered, was ten years before the completion of any bridge over the Schuylkill for miles within this vicinity. The entire works of the navigation and canal were leased by the Reading Railroad Company July 12, 1870, and have since been under their control. The bridge over the Schuylkill, at De Kalb Street, is eight hundred feet long, resting on three stone piers, and with the abutments ten hundred and fifty feet. The original cost was thirty-one thousand two hundred dollars; of this amount the county subscribed ten thousand dollars and the State six thousand dollars. It was erected by a joint-stock company, chartered April 6, 1830. It was commenced in the spring of 1829, and by September was so far completed that foot-passengers were enabled to cross, It was finished in 1830, but the largest portion has since been rebuilt. In October 1884, it was made a free bridge and now belongs to the county. A company had been chartered as early as 1815 to erect a bridge here, but failed for the want of sufficient capital. The Swedes' Ford Bridge Company was incorporated March 30 1948, but the bridge was not finished until the close of 1851, at a cost of about forty thousand dollars. On the evening of March 15, 1883, it was destroyed by fire, but has since been rebuilt by the Reading Railroad Company whose tracks are laid over it, and who have leased it since 1872. No sooner had the De Kalb, Street bridge been built than efforts were made to have a State road laid out from New Hope, on the. Delaware, though town, by way of this place and West Chester, to the Maryland line. To authorize this the Assembly passed accordingly laid out December 29, 1830, passing through Montgomery County a distance of sixteen miles. The court, August 17, 1831 directed it to be opened and cleared to the breadth of forty feet. It has since been generally known as the State road. This road was turnpiked from Bridgeport to the King of Prussia in 1853. 709 The Reading Railroad Company was chartered April 4, 1833, and the next year the larger portion of the road was put under contract. On December 9, 1839 the first locomotive and train of cars passed over it to Reading. It was not opened to Pottsville till early in 1842, when the event was celebrated with a military display and an immense procession of passenger cars twelve hundred and fifty-five feet in length containing two thousand one hundred and fifty persons three bands of music one hundred and eighty tons of coal part of which was mined the same morning four hundred and twelve feet below water-level. In August, 1858, the writer while standing in De Kalb Street counted train of ninety-five cars passing loaded with coal drawn by a single locomotive. The depot here was built in 1838, eighty feet long by thirty feet wide. Near by the company have also a building or reservoir with water while stopping which is elevated by means of water-power furnished at the spring. The Chester Valley Railroad Company was incorporated by act of April 22, 1850 and extend from Bridgeport to Downingtown twenty-two miles. The first train of cars passed over it September 12, 1853. It is also operated by the Reading Company and is connected with their road here and in Norristown. In the desire to have a post-office here in 1836 a contest arose as to what it should be called; some were in favor of Evansville others of Keigersville, but the majority settled on Bridgeport which name has been retained. The post-office was established in 1837 and Jonathan Morris appointed postmaster. He kept at this time a store in De Kalb Street near the bridge. Strange to say from the want of support it was abolished about 1843. After the borough had been incorporated over two years or in 1853, the application was renewed and it was reestablished with Francis Lyle postmaster. He was succeeded the following year by John H. Rowan, next Abraham Schoffner for two years, E. M. Bickel in 1858, Jacob M. Hurst until May, 1861, when Dr. George W. Holstein was appointed who still retains the position. The mails have increased from one daily arrival and departure to seven thus showing that the office is no sinecure. Although Bridgeport is of recent origin as has been already stated yet its history extends back to an early period. Swedes' Ford is within its limits around which cluster both colonial and Revolutionary reminiscences. In the year 1712, Mats Holstein with his wife, Brita Gostenberg, moved into this neighborhood from the country below accompanied by Gunner Rambo, Peter Rambo, Peter Yocum and John Matson. His tract lay farthest up the river, along which it had a frontage of nearly a mile and extended back into the country twice that distance embracing all the territory upon which the borough of Bridgeport is now laid out, the Shainline farm and the land from Red Hill to he river. The house into which be moved his family was built of logs on the site of what was afterwards known as the Swedes' Ford Hotel. In 1714 he built a stone house upwards of a mile from the river the walls of which are still standing having been built upon and added to several times since. He died in 1738, aged sixty-one years. His eldest son Andrew inherited the land in the vicinity of Swedes' Ford where he settled and remained until his death in 1769. He had an only son Peter who inherited the property who married Abigail Jones. He kept the Swedes' Ford public- house in 1779, if not earlier, and the following year was appointed collector of taxes for Upper Merion. In 1780 he was assessed for holding here one hundred and ninety-seven acres of land. Mats Holstein, the first settler, at the time of his death had a second son, Mathias, who was just then aged twenty-one years. He soon afterward married Magdalena, daughter of Marcus Huling, an early Swedish settler at Morlatton, on the Schuylkill four miles above the present borough of Pottstown. From this union has descended all of the name now in this locality. They had one son and seven daughters. Samuel, the son, married Rachel, the daughter of Philip Moore, of Haverford. The offspring of this marriage were four sons,- Mathias Charles George W. William. Samuel Holstein is rated in the assessment of 1780 as holding in Upper Merion two hundred and seventy-eight acres one negro five horses and nine cattle. Respecting his son, Major Mathias Holstein, who became a prominent citizen of Bridgeport and Norristown we shall have more to say. Swedes' Ford must have borne this name sometime before 1723, for in November of this year application was made to the Governor and Council to have a road laid out from Whiteland, in Chester County, to this ford which in the spring of the following year was confirmed and ordered to "be with all convenient speed opened cleared and made good." A portion of the old Swedes' Ford tavern was supposed by the late Matthias Holstein to have been built before 1730. How early a public-house was kept here is not known, but certainly before 1760. It is a tradition that before the Revolution the inn had on its sign a representation of a ferry. A road was opened in 1730 from Wells ferry now New Hope, on the river Delaware through the present Doylestown to this place and in an advertisement in the "Pennsylvania Gazette" of 1780 is called "the great road to the Swedes' Ford." That this was an early noted and important crossing place is also confirmed by other authorities. Lewis Evans on his maps of 1749 and 1755 mentions it, also Nicholas and William Scull in 1759 and 1770, Thomas Pownal in 1776, and Reading Howell in 1792. 710 The battle of Brandywine was fought September 11, 1777; at twelve o'clock that night Washington wrote a dispatch to Congress from Chester, in which he says, "This day's engagement resulted in our defeat." On the 13th he formed his headquarters at Germantown with the determination of having another engagement before the fate of Philadelphia should be decided. General Armstrong, with a portion of the militia, was posted along the Schuylkill to throw up redoubts at the different lords where the enemy would be most likely to cross, and which were to be occasionally occupied while Washington moved with the main body of the army to the other side to make another attack. Apprehending that it would be very likely that the British would attempt to cross at Swedes' Ford, Chevalier Du Portail, a French engineer, constructed a number of redoubts on the east side of the river, upwards of half a mile in length, with the assistance of Armstrong's command. It is said that they had scarcely completed these works before the British made their appearance on the opposite side of the river and on beholding the defenses, changed their purpose and crossed at Fatland Ford. When Washington broke up his encampment at Whitemarsh with the intention of going into winter-quarters at Valley Forge, it was his intention to cross at Matson's Ford now Conshohocken the Schuylkill, for which purpose a temporary bridge was formed, but on reaching there they found that Lord Cornwallis was in possession of the Gulf Hills, when the troops were recalled, and he proceeded up the east side of the river. It was ascertained afterwards that the British troops on, this occasion had only been out here on a foraging expedition. At Swedes' Ford the army crossed December 13th, which was witnessed by Major Holstein, then a boy accompanied by his father, who related that it was effected by making a bridge of wagons all backed to each other. The aforesaid date is confirmed by an eyewitness in a letter, Colonel John Laurens, Washington's; private secretary, to his father, from which we take all extract,- "The army was ordered to march to Swedes' Ford and encamp with the right to the Schuylkill. The next morning the want of provisions--I could weep tears of blood when I say it--rendered it impossible to march. We did not march till the evening of that day. Our ancient bridge, an infamous construction which in many parts obliged the men to march in Indian file, was restored, and a bridge of waggons made over Swedes' Ford, but fence-rails from necessity being substituted to plank, and furnishing a very unstable footing, the last served to cross a trifling number of troops. On the 19th instant we marched from the Gulph to this camp." The aforesaid is interesting, showing conclusively that Washington crossed here at the aforesaid date and that they remained encamped in the vicinity until the 19th, when they reached Valley Forge. Historians have been heretofore somewhat puzzled as to the exact date of the army arriving at their winter quarters, which this now clearly establishes. Mary, the only child of Peter Holstein, on the death of her father in 1785, inherited the whole of his property. Within four months of that occurrence she married Levi Bartleson, stated to have been of reckless habits and to whom her parents had been opposed. Records show that he kept the Swedes' Ford tavern in 1786. In one year she was compelled to sell one hundred acres of the tract to pay off his most pressing debts. Thus the property became divided and before long passed entirely out of her hands. The Chevalier Louis L. Du Portail, mentioned as an engineer, arrived in country in 1777, having previously served in that capacity in the French army. On the following, November 17th he was commissioned a brigadier- general, and in the beginning of 1778 a colonel of engineers. He was at Yorktown, and for his services in November 1781, appointed a major-general. He soon after this sailed for France, but returned before 1789, and purchased a farm here from James Philip Delacour, assessed in 1804 as, containing one hundred and seventy-one acres. He built a dwelling where the present Evans House stands, where he resided with his family. He advertised to sell at public sale, June 15, 1801, all his farming stock and utensils, including "two plantations adjoining each other." He soon after this sailed for France, but it is stated died on the passage out. The property going to decay and the taxes unpaid, it was sold by the sheriff some time after 1804, and purchased by Elisha Evans, and from him came into the possession of his son, Cadwallader Evans, who laid out the upper part of Bridgeport and also largely contributed to its improvement. The remaining portion of the tract around Swedes' Ford, which Mary Holstein was obliged to part with after her marriage with Bartleson, was purchased by Jesse Roberts who sold it in 1800 to Samuel Holstein, from whom it descended to his son, the late Major Mathias Holstein, of Norristown. We find in the assessor's list of 1804 that he then kept the old Swedes' Ford tavern and was the owner of two farms in Upper Merion, one of fifty-one acres, which we presume was here; the other contained one hundred and fourteen acres. He was also taxed for keeping the ferry, which was rated at one hundred and twenty dollars per annum. While he resided here he built an addition to the house. In 1806 his property here was purchased by Samuel Henderson, and he removed to Norristown. In this connection a further account of Major Holstein may not be amiss. He was born October 10, 1772, on the old homestead that had been so long in the family. He related that about 1790 he was the means of killing, on his father's farm, a bear, by shooting it while on a tree where it had sought refuge. In the spring of 1802 he was elected major of the Thirty-sixth Regiment of Pennsylvania Militia, and in October 1805, General Francis Swaine appointed him quartermaster of the First Brigade in the Second Division. 711 In 1808 he went into partnership with David Thomas, and continued for several years storekeeping at the corner of Main and Swede Streets, where they also kept a lumber-yard. In 1812 he was elected a member of the Borough Council, a Presidential elector of the Clinton ticket, director of the Ridge Turnpike Company and one of the building committee of the new Episcopal Church. From 1800 to 1829 he was the proprietor of the principal mill for manufacturing flour, in which he did an extensive business. Eliza, his first wife, died February 22, 1815. In the summer of this year the Bank of Montgomery County was chartered, and he was made the first cashier, which position he held for some time. When the bridge over the Schuylkill was built he was one of the directors. In 1837 he became the ticket agent of the Philadelphia and Norristown Railroad. He died August 10, 1849, aged upwards of seventy-seven years, and his remains were deposited in the graveyard attached to Christ Church, below Bridgeport. He was a man endowed with more than ordinary powers of observation, and withal enjoyed a strong, retentive memory, and before his death few minds could be found better stored with the reminiscences of the past. PICTURE OF SWEDES' FORD IN 1828, VIEW OF CHURCH AT SWEDES' FORD, APPEARS HERE. A view of Swedes' Ford was taken from an eminence on the east side of the river, by Mrs. Mary Ann Potts, in 1812. In this sketch a rope is represented stretched across the Schuylkill, fastened to the trunks of two trees, and a boat on the western shore. The only buildings seen are the stone tavern and its barn to the northwest. A short distance south of the home is the sign, suspended beneath a stout and elevated frame; standing near it is a tall white-pine and in the front a row of five fair-sized Lombardy poplars. It has been supposed that the said Mrs. Potts was a resident of Valley Forge, and a daughter-in-law of Isaac Potts, who was known to sketch landscapes. Another drawing was made in 1828 or a short time previous by William L. Breton, which is superior to the former, engraved by Gilbert. The house is very well-done; the road in front of it leading to the Schuylkill is represented as passing over the canal on a bridge. Only one pine and one Lombardy poplar are given, but of a large size. Immediately on the rivers bank by the road-side the same trunk is represented with its ferry-rope to aid the flat or boat in transporting passengers, horses, wagons, cattle and sheep to the other side. The ford or main crossing-place was about one hundred yards above the present bridge, and is not now readily recognized from the great changes made here by the improvements of more than sixty years. The white-pine spoken of was a remnant of the forest, and stood till 1847, when, through decay, it was deemed prudent to cut it down. It had been a twin-tree; its companion had been blown down in a violent storm in 1822. From their great height they had long served as conspicuous marks to the surrounding country, and thus became an object of interest to travelers. Samuel Henderson, as has been mentioned, in 1806 purchased the Swedes' Ford property, which he afterwards sold to Jacob Ramsey, who kept the public-house and carried on the farm until his death, in 1827. Lewis Ramsey, his son, and Daniel Schupert, as administrators, advertised the property at public sale August 15, 1829, wherein they state it to be a "valuable and desirable Tavern-stand and Ferry," containing one hundred and Sixteen acres and one hundred and one perches, situated half a mile below Norristown, adjoining lands of Elisha Evans, Samuel Coates and the river Schuylkill. "The improvements are a large two-story stone Tavern-house, large stone barn and other out-buildings. A fountain of spring Water at the door, from a large and never-failing spring, which is sufficient to turn a wheel for grinding scythes, axes, etc., and is now used for that purpose. The canal passes through the premises, and affords of the most eligible situations for factories on the Schuylkill." From this we 712 learn that the water-power of the stream had been used some time previous to its present application by the Reading Railroad Company. The aforesaid property was purchased by Davis Henderson, who, in 1846, sold it to colonel James Bush And John Freedly, who divided it into building lots and made many improvements in the lower portion of the borough, Mr. Bush converted the old house into a private residence, which is now occupied by his widow. It is still in good condition and its former appearance has been preserved After the incorporation of Bridgeport into a borough, in the winter of 1851, Perry M. Hunter, L. E. Corson, M. McGlathery and Alexander H. Supplee were appointed commissioners to lay out its territory from the township of Upper Merion. The following boundaries were then agreed upon: "Beginning at low water-mark of the river Schuylkill, in said township; thence on a line dividing land of E. C. Evans and the Schuylkill Navigation Company, south 20 degrees and 20 minutes, west 34 perches and two-tenths of a perch to a point in a public road in the great valley; thence, along the middle of said road, south 65 degrees and 40 minutes, west 165 perches and five-tenths of a perch to a point in the middle of a road leading to Swedes' Ford road; thence along the same south 26 degrees 30 minutes, west 156 perches to a point in lands of Henry Novich; thence north 66 degrees east 73 perches to a point in a line between lands of John and Lindsay Coates; thence by lands of Samuel Coates, south 83 degrees east 145 perches and four-tenths of a perch to a point; thence by lands of said Samuel Coates, north 63 degrees 30 minutes, east 253 perches to low water-mark of the river Schuylkill aforesaid, and along and up said river the several courses thereof to the place of beginning. The following is a list of the burgesses of the borough of Bridgeport since its incorporation: 1851-52, Washington Richards 1853-56, Francis Mulvaney 1857-58, George W. Holstein 1858-59, Francis Mulvaney 1860, George Pechin 1861-62, Philip Bowman 1863-64, F. Mulvaney 1865- George S. Patterson 1866- A. D. Delp 1867-68, Benjamin B. Hughes 1869-70, F. Mulvaney 1871, C. D. Hess 1872-73, Thomas Thomas 1874, Charles L. Corman 1875-78, Benjamin B. Hughes 1879, John A. Keiger 1880-82, C. D. Hess 1883, Isaac Ramsey 1884, William Rennyson 1885, William Rennyson. In 1830 Bridgeport contained but three dwelling-houses, a tavern, and a large three-story Stone mill, still standing near De Kalb Street and the canal, built in 1826. The erection of the Norristown bridge in 1820, and the opening of the State road the year after, began to give the first impulse to improvement, 713 which had not since been materially checked. In 1832 beside a store, the house had increased to eight in 1840, to fifty-three and in 1849 to ninety- six. Elisha Evans, who did much through his enterprise to promote the growth of Bridgeport, kept in the beginning of this century the Rising Sun Hotel, in Norristown. He died in 1830 his wife having some time preceded him. His son, Cadwallader Evans, still resides here, the owner of considerable real estate. Gas was introduced in 1876, from Norristown, by means of a large pipe over the De Kalb Street Bridge. Water is still procured from wells, being readily obtained at depth of twenty feet of excellent quality. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. BENJAMIN B. HUGHES. Mr. Hughes is of Welsh descent, his great-great-grandfather, John Hughes, having emigrated from Wales about the year 1750, and purchased a tract of nine hundred acres in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery Co. He had two sons, Isaac and Hugh, the latter of whom had a son Isaac, the grandfather of Benjamin B., who married Hannah Holstein, and had children four daughters and one Son, John, who married Hannah Bartholomew, of Chester County. Their children were Rachel (Mrs. Jacob Dewees) Isaac Benjamin B. Slator C. Francis W. Theodore J. Collin and J. Curtis. Benjamin B., of this number, was born June 27, 1808, on the Walnut Grove farm, in Upper Merion Township, which is a portion of the ancestral estate. After such educational opportunities as the nearest school afforded, he determined to render himself independent by the acquirement of a trade and chose that of tanner and currier, serving his apprenticeship at Frankford, Pa. Very little time was spent, however, at this trade, Mr. Hughes having soon after returned to the farm, which he purchased of his father. Upon this land were extensive deposits of iron-ore and a limestone quarry of much value, to which his attention was mainly devoted until 1851, when he removed to Bridgeport, since that date his residence. Though released from the responsibilities of active business, much of his time is absorbed in the management of his varied interests. Mr. Hughes was, in 1829, married to Miss Mary daughter of Jonas Rambo, of Upper Merion Township. Their children are John Isaac W. Nathan R. (deceased) Collin Mary (Mrs. H. 0. Blackfan) Henry C. Hannah (deceased) Kate (Mrs. E. M. Evans), William C. and Francis (deceased). He was a second time married in 1858, to his present wife, who was Miss Mary J., daughter of David Brooks of Upper Merion. Mr. Hughes was formerly a Whig in politics, and has more recently affiliated with the Republican Party. Though not ambitious for the distinction of office he has served as county auditor and been repeatedly chosen burgess of the borough of Bridgeport. He is a director of the First National Bank of Norristown, and has filled the same position in the Montgomery National Bank. His integrity and excellent judgment have caused his service to be much in demand in the capacity of guardian and as the custodian of important trusts. He is a member of Christ (Old Swedes) Protestant Episcopal Church, of Bridgeport, in which he has served for forty years as senior warden. CHAPTER XLI. BOROUGH OF CONSHOHOCKEN. By Wm. J. Buck [NOTE: Acknowledgments are due to William Henry Cresson, Esq., of this borough, for information relative to the improvements in the place.] THE borough of Conshohocken was incorporated by an act of Assembly May 15, 1850, and in population is now the third in the county. It is situated on east bank of the Schuylkill, four miles below Norristown and thirteen from Philadelphia, and is bounded on the north and northwest by Plymouth, east and Southeast by Whitemarsh, and south and southwest by the Schuylkill. In its territorial extent it is one mile square, and therefore contains six hundred and forty acres, one-half of which was taken from Plymouth and the remainder front Whitemarsh. The land on which it is situated slopes gradually from the river for the distance of a quarter of it mile, when it attains, by a moderately steep elevation, the height of upwards of one hundred feet, after which it becomes level. Just below the borough and along the Schuylkill is an extensive flat reaching nearly to Spring Mill. Though of recent origin, Conshohocken has become an important place, particularly in the variety and extent of its manufactures. According to the census of 1850, it contained 727 inhabitants; in 1860, 1741; in 1870, 3071; in 1880, 4561. In the assessment for 1882, 1110 taxables are returned, holding real estate and personal property valued at $2,085,555, being an average of $1869. Licenses were issued in 1883 to 18 hotels 7 restaurants 3 dry-goods 15 grocery 3 tobacco 3 drug 2 meat 4 confectionery 1 carpet 3 boot and shoe 2 clothing-stores besides 1 lumber 5 coal-yards. The First Ward in 1880 contained 1726 inhabitants, and the Second 2835. The place in 1832 contained only 1 store, 1 tavern, a rolling-mill, grist-mill and 6 houses; in 1858, 4 taverns and 22 stores; the census of 1860, 323 families and 324 houses. The manufacturing establishment in 1870 were 4 rolling-mills, 3 furnaces, 1 cotton-mill, 1 print-works and a woolen-mill. 714 The first improvement which laid the foundation for its prosperity was the Schuylkill Canal and Navigation, which was commenced in 1816 and sufficiently completed in 1818 for the descent of a few boats of sixty tons burthen, but was not finished till 1824. It was the water-power of the dam here that gave the impetus to this manufacturing town. The bridge over the Schuylkill was built in 1833. in August, 1835, the railroad was finished through here to Norristown. The railroad to Plymouth was completed in 1836, and extended in 1870 to Oreland, where a junction is formed with the North Pennsylvania Railroad. A turnpike was made in 1849 to Plymouth Meeting, which was extended in 1855 to the Three Tons where it strikes the Limekiln pike. The Schuylkill Valley Railroad was opened through here in 1884, affording additional facilities for transportation to Philadelphia and the coal regions. These several improvements have all tended to promote the prosperity of the place. In addition to these, the abundance of excellent iron-ore, marble and limestone found in the neighborhood, afford unusual facilities for the borough to become a large manufacturing town. The first rolling-mill in Conshohocken, and among the first in the State, was built by James Wood in 1932. It was erected for the manufacture of sheet-iron, saws, shovels and spades. The saw and shovel-works were built in 1835, and after running a two years were removed to Philadelphia. The rolling-mill was propelled by water-power furnished by the canal, and at the time was regarded as a great curiosity, people coming many miles to witness it in operation. It was rebuilt and enlarged in 1845, again in 1867, and also in 1883, when its capacity was more than doubled. When first started three hundred tons of sheet-iron were thought a good production for one year, but now, under the management of John Wood & Brother, sons of the former proprietor, it has been increased to fifteen hundred tons. This firm, in 1852, built a new steam-mill on the opposite side of the canal, which has also been rebuilt and greatly improved. They erected a second steam-mill in 1864, which was destroyed by fire in 1882, both since rebuilt and enlarged. The production of their mills is now about six thousand tons of sheet and plate-iron per year, giving employment to two hundred and fifty men who receive one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars for wages. The Schuylkill Iron-Works of Alan Wood & Co., have a capacity of fifteen thousand tons of sheet and plate-iron per annum. Ten acres of ground being inclosed for their operation and buildings. They employ between five hundred and six hundred hands, and pay out thirty-five thousand dollars monthly for wages. Before 1858 they employed twenty hands, but in that year they built their large steam rolling-mill, to which they have since several times made additions. John Wood, Jr., has an establishment for making boiler and machinery with a foundry and car-shops, giving employment to twenty-five skilled hands. W. T. Bate & Son also carry on the manufacture of patent boilers and machinery, employing from thirty to forty men. The Longmead Iron-Works, Jawood Lukens, proprietor, employ about sixty hands in the manufacture of muck-bars. They posses a capacity of five thousand tons annually. The Plymouth Furnaces and Rolling-Mill, belonging to a company, are in charge of Samuel Fulton, as general superintendent. They have capacity of twenty-two thousand tons of iron per annum, and give employment to three hundred men. They also carry on the Lucinda Furnace, at Norristown. These work were originally started by Stephen Colwell, an enterprising citizen of Philadelphia, in 1844, and in the following year he had the furnace in operation. He also erected here at the same time a large foundry for the making of various kinds of water and gas-pipes. So extensive had this latter manufacture become that it is reported on reliable authority that for several years previous to 1849 three thousand ton of iron were used for this purpose alone. Mr. Fulton is a nephew of the late Mr. Colwell. The second furnace was built here in 1864. A Company has been recently incorporated with one hundred thousand dollar capital called the Conshohocken Tube Works, A. L. Murphy, manager. The Conshohocken Cotton and Woolen-Mill, Stanley Lees, proprietor, employs one hundred and eighty hands. It contains one hundred and forty looms and produces twenty-five thousand yard of cottonades weekly. This mill was built in 1856 one hundred and forty by sixty feet in extent and the present proprietor has been a manufacturer here since. The Conshohocken Woolen-Mill of H. C. Jones & Co. employs seventy-five hands and has capacity for making three thousand yards of cloth per week. This establishment in 1858 was conducted by James and Lawrence 0gden. The Albion Print-Works, Lea & Cresson, proprietors, is an important industry, employing two hundred and fifty hands. This establishment is on the site of Walter Cresson's mill who was an early manufacturer here. The Conshohocken Warp Mill, Hamilton Maxwell, late proprietor, is not now in operation. Jones & Yerkes have a steam planing-mill giving labor to twenty-five hands. Evans D. Jones & Co. carry on an extensive lumberyard. The East Conshohocken Stone Quarry Company carries on a large business. They have supplied the heavy foundation-stone for the railroad bridges lately built over the Wissahicken and Schuylkill at Manayunk. The North Conshohocken quarry also gives considerable employment. The public schools are twelve in number, open ten months, with an average attendance of four hundred and thirty-four pupils for the school year ending June 1,1882. These are all held in two buildings, Professor J. Warren Schlichter, principal, the primary department occupying four rooms, with four teachers; the higher, eight rooms in four division with eight teachers. The buildings are of stone, rough-cast and two-stories in height. The grammar department possesses a collection of chemical and philosophical apparatus and a library of upwards of nine hundred volumes of standard works for reference. The public schools in 1857, were only three in number, attended by two hundred and thirty-two pupils, kept in one building, erected for this purpose in 1855, at the corner of Fayette Street and Second Avenue, in which the elections were also held. 715 The churches of Conshohocken are six in number, Presbyterian, St. Matthew's Catholic, Methodist Episcopal, Calvary Episcopal, Baptist and African Methodist Episcopal. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. -The first organized congregation was the Presbyterian. In 1846 the Rev. Thomas Murphy, then pastor of a Presbyterian Church at Frankford, visited this place and interested the members to organize a church and erect a house of worship. Service was held at various times, and early in the year 1847 a church was constituted. A lot was donated for church purposes at the corner of Maple and Elm Streets, and the present church was erected in 1848. It was used until 1868, when repairs and additions were made to the extent of five thousand dollars. The pastors who have served from the organization to the present time are as follows: Revs. ____ Paull _____ Martin Joseph Nesbitt James Laverty Henry B. Townsend John Symmes and the present pastor, the Rev. William H. Fulton. ST. MATTHEW'S CATHOLIC CHURCH was organized in 1850 by the Rev. Patrick Nugent, pastor of the church at Norristown. A lot was purchased at the corner of Hector and Harry Streets, and a house of worship erected and used without material change until 1865, when an addition was made to the rear, and in 1881 the present front was erected. It is now the largest church edifice in Conshohocken. In 1870 a lot was purchased on Hector Street, and a building, seventy-six by fifty feet, two stories in height, was erected, at a cost fifteen thousand dollars, which is known as St. Matthew's Parochial School. It contains live hundred pupils, and is under the charge of Edward McDonald and nine assistants. The parish has a membership of two thousand five hundred souls. A cemetery containing two acres of ground, adjoining the borough limits, in Whitemarsh township is the property of the church. Soon after the organization, in 1850, the Rev. James Maginnis was called to the charge and remained pastor until 1863. He was succeeded by the present pastor, the Rev. R. Kinahan. THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH was organized this at this place in 1856 through the exertions of the Rev. Lewis C. Pettit, then pastor of Merion Square Methodist Episcopal Church, and Joseph Lees, a resident of Mill Creek and a member of that church. They visited this place and held service in the old Temperance Hall. Among the first Methodists in this place were John Major and Caleb Collins. Services were held by the Rev. Mr. Pettit until the Conference of March, 1857, when the congregation was organized and was made a charge, and the Rev. Rufus Owen, D.D., now of Philadelphia, was appointed pastor. The church was erected in that year, and has since been remodeled. Among the pastors who have served since the organization are the Revs. Jerome Lindermuth W. W. Wythe George Haycock John O'Neal Samuel G. Hare Rufus Owens Daniel Patterson W. C. Johnson Samuel Pancoast and the present pastor, the Rev. J. T. Miller. The church has membership of one hundred. THE CALVARY EPISCOPAL CHURCH is situated on the corner of Fayette Street and Fourth Avenue. The first service of this denomination was held in Conshohocken on the 25th of July, 1858, in the old schoolhouse (Temperance Hall). The rectors present were the Rev. William H. Reese, Rev. Marmaduke Hurst and the Rev. J. W. Claxton. Service was begun by the Rev. E. L. Lycett, August 15th, in that year, who Continued preacher until September 1, 1863. On the 17th of December 1858, resolutions were passed to organize a parish to be called Calvary Episcopal Church Parish. The first communion service was administered February 27, 1859, to eight communicants. The present church lot was selected; plans for a church were adopted July 19, 1859, and the corner-stone of the edifice was laid on the 25th of August in that year. The church was first used for worship February 19, 1860. It is a one-story stone Gothic structure, and with its parish building, which is now a part of it, presents a picturesque appearance. In 1873 a rectory was erected on the church lot at a cost of four thousand nine hundred dollars, and in 1880 the parish building adjoining the church was built at a cost of nine thousand dollars. In this building is the free library and reading- room. The library now contains about two thousand volumes, including the private library of George Bullock, which was under charge of the parish in December, 1882. The library is circulating and is open two evenings and an afternoon in each week. The reading-room is supplied with the leading periodicals of this country and England and three daily newspapers. It is open three evenings in the week and is well patronized. A chancel was added to the church in 1884, at a cost of six thousand five hundred dollars. The Rev. E. L. Lycett resigned September 1, 1863, and the following are the names of pastors and terms of service from that time: John Tetlow, March 22, 1864, to March, 1866 Thomas S. Yokum, April 1, 1866, to May 31, 1870 T. William Davidson, October 1, 1870, to June 23, 1872 A. E. Tortat, December 1, 1872, to November 14, 1876 James J. Creigh, April 1, 1877, to January 1, 1881 A. B. Atkins, March 15, 1881. The last is the present rector. The parish has about two hundred and thirty communicants. 716 THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF CONSHOHOCKEN was constituted June 10, 1870, with forty-two members. The Rev. J. G. Walker, who was active in the organization, had preached to the people in this place about three years. In 1868, George Nugent, of Norristown, deeded to three trustees a lot in the village for the use of the first Baptist Church when organized. This lot was deeded to trustees of the church soon after they were properly constituted, and the present chapel was erected at a cost of four thousand dollars. A parsonage was erected upon the lot in 1884 at a cost of three thousand five hundred dollars. The pastors who have served the church are as follows: Revs. J. G. Walker Ebenezer Packwood H. H. Lemy T. J. Siegfried and the present pastor, Thomas A. Boyd. THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH has an organization in the place, and the society erected a church edifice in 1881. The First National Bank was incorporated February 15, 1873 capital, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. George Bullock, president Evan D. Jones, vice president William McDermott, cashier The Tradesmen's National Bank was organized February 15, 1882, incorporated the following May 1st and, commenced business on the 23d. Its capital is one hundred thousand dollars John Wood, president William Henry Cresson, vice-president and cashier. They occupied their new building, northeast corner of Fayette and Hector Street, July 5, 1883. The "Weekly Recorder," William L. Prizer, editor and proprietor, was commenced in February, 1869, and re-established in 1877, the present proprietor having greatly enlarged it. The post-office was established here before 1851. The Washington Steam Fire-Engine and Hose Company was incorporated February 23, 1874. They now possess two engines and three hose-carriages. One of the latter ranks among the finest in the State, having recently been awarded a premium at the Reading Fair. The engine-house is a creditable building. The association now numbers eighty-one active members. The Washita Hall Association was incorporated May 19 1868 with a capital of fifteen thousand dollars. their building is intended for concerts, exhibitions and lectures. It was enlarged in the summer of 1883 at an expense of three thousand dollars. The Matson Ford Bridge Company was incorporated in 1832 and the bridge was completed the following year. On the night of September 2, 1850, it was swept away by a high freshet, but was shortly after rebuilt. In this bridge the county holds stock to the amount of ten thousand eight hundred dollars. It was reconstructed and built of iron in 1872. To the traveler in going across, it affords a fine and interesting view of the scenery up and down the Schuylkill. There are, besides, in Conshohocken several secret and beneficial associations. Among these can be mentioned the Independent Order of Odd-Fellows Ancient York Masons American Protestant Association Washington Camp of Patriotic Order of the Sons of America Improved Order of Red Men, Druids Good Templars Sons of St. George, Ladies' Philopathion Knights of Birmingham German society. There is also a General Smith Post, Grand Army of the Republic, No. 79 Schuylkill Iron-Worker Beneficial Association the Corliss Iron-Workers' Association The last two are composed of employees in the Messrs. Wood's establishments. Gratitude Lodge, of independent Order of Odd-Fellows, have purchased a lot of round for thirteen hundred dollars, on which they propose before long to build a hall. The Washita Tribe of Red Men No. 53, possess a controlling interest in the hall wherein they hold their meetings. There is also a band and a flute and drum corps. Water is supplied from the river by a Worthington steam-pump to a reservoir or basin on an elevated situation in the rear of the town, on Fayette Street. The first permits for this use were granted November 3, 1873. The offices of the Water and Gas Company are Jawood Lukens, president Alfred Craft, treasurer A. D. Saylor Alan Wood, Sr. Lewis A. Lukens Evan D. Jones William Summers, managers. As has been stated, Conshohocken is a mile square, and in consequence the streets are laid out quite regular, crossing each other at right angles. Fayette is the main business street extending from the Schuylkill bridge northeasterly, dividing the borough into two equal parts from which the ground descends in opposite directions. On the upper part of this street are some of the handsomest private residences in the place. It is broad, turnpiked and shady. Washington is the chief manufacturing street, along Which the railroad to Norristown passes. Next and parallel comes Elm, Front, after which the avenues are called Second, Third, Fourth and so oil in regular order to the northeastern bounds of the borough. The main streets running northeast from the river, beginning on the upper or northwestern side are Freedly Wood Maple Forest Fayette Harry Hallowell Wells Jones. In the southern portion, in addition, are Spring Mill Avenue Hector Poplar Cherry Apple Streets. The borough was divided into two wards June 12, 1876, the second or lower ward being decidedly the most populous. The following is a list of those who have served as burgesses since the incorporation, May 15, 1850: 1850, '53, John Wood 1851-52, John R. Roberts 1854-55, Charles A. Urick 1856, '62, '63, '64, '70, '71, '72, '73 William Hallowell 1857, A. D. Saylor 1858, '67, Frederick Light 1859, '60, '61, Lewis A. Lukens 1865, Henry Beaver 1866, Evans D. Jones 1868, E. S. Tomilson 1860, '74, James Tracy 1875-1876, William Summers 1877-78, H. C. Messinger 1879, William F. Smith 1880-81, Michael O'Brien 1884, John Field 1885, Joseph Chrislett. 717 Conshohocken is the name by which the Indians called Edge Hill. We have the evidence of this in the deeds of purchase from them by William Penn, of July 14, 1683, and of July 30, 1685, wherein it is so mentioned as forming one of the boundaries. This range still retains the name on the west side of the Schuylkill, and from thence became applied to this place. Some time before the Revolution Peter Matson was a land-holder on the opposite side of the river, and on the laying out of roads here the crossing-place, in consequence, became called Matson's Ford, which name was not changed till about 1832, when the town was laid out as "Conshohocken." During the Revolution the American army crossed the Schuylkill at this place several times. On the 19th of May, 1778, while Lafayette was stationed with a detachment of two thousand one hundred men at Barren Hill, three and a half miles from here, the British attempted to surprise him with a greatly superior force, divided into three divisions. One was led by General Grant and the others by Sir Henry Clinton and General Grey. When the division under Grant had approached within a mile of his rear, Lafayette received the first intelligence of their presence through an officer who had been sent early in the morning to reconnoitre. Thinking his situation critical, he withdrew in haste to this ford, and as the last division of his command was crossing with the artillery, the enemy's advanced parties made their appearance on the bank and fired a volley after them, when a skirmish ensued, in which the Americans lost nine men killed and taken prisoners. The British loss was two light-horsemen killed and several wounded. Lafayette proceeded to the high ground opposite and formed in order of battle, when the divisions under Grant and Clinton made their appearance. These, not deeming it prudent to cross, though they had more than four times the number of men, wheeled round and marched disappointed to the city. In consequence of this affair the old road which led to the ford, and on which this retreat was effected, has been called Fayette Street. The ground upon which the town was laid out belonged at the time to the Schuylkill Navigation Company, who sold it in square lots, James Wells and John Freedly, of Norristown, being the principal purchasers. David Harry, in 1830, built a grist-mill, which was the first improvement here. For a number of years this mill had a large run of custom, always having a sufficient supply of water from the canal. Trains of farmers' wagons could be seen around it in times of drought waiting for their grists, some of the farmers living ten and fifteen miles distant. At this time there were two farm-houses here, one occupied by Mr. Harry and the other by Cadwallader Foulke. About a year or so afterwards Messrs. Wells and Freedly built a mill for sawing marble, which was obtained from the neighboring quarries; they did a flourishing business for a number of years. They were followed in 1832 by James Wood, who built and put in operation a rolling-mill, the first in the place. The building of a furnace and foundry here, in 1844, by Stephen Colwell, also materially aided to help on the early progress of the place. In 1832, where is now the large store of William Sommers, corner of Fayette and Hector Streets, stood a cabin in which had lived for some time a colored man called Ned Hector, who had been team-driver for the army in the Revolution. On laying out the town it thus came that a street was named after him. He died January 3, 1834, aged ninety years, and his wife, Jude, two days thereafter. Conshohocken had so advanced by 1849 that its inhabitants petitioned the Legislature for an act of incorporation, which was granted the following 15th of May. The commissioners appointed for laying out the borough agreeably to the charter were Isaac Roberts Joseph Crawford John M. Jones L. E. Corson. The bounds were fixed as follows: "Beginning in the township of Plymouth at low-water mark of the river Schuylkill, at the distance of half a mile, measured on a direct Hue at right angles from the middle of the Whitemarsh and Plymouth turnpike road, which is on the township line between said townships; thence north forty degrees forty five minutes east parallel to said turnpike road, over lands of Cadwallader Foulke, John Stemple, Evan Davis and others to a point where the continuation of certain public road line which now leads into said turnpike at the eastern corner of the farm of James Cresson and which road is nearly at right angles with mid turnpike, if continued northwesterly, would intersect said parallel line first mentioned as relining north forty-throe degrees east; then from mid point southeasterly the course of mid road and crowing said turnpike and continuing its course in Whitemarsh, up over lands late of Daniel Harry, deceased, and Isaac Jones, land, one mile to a point on the land of said Isaac Jones ; thence on his said land south forty degrees forty-five minutes west to the river Schuylkill aforesaid, and along up mid river the several courses thereof to the place of beginning." BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. BENJAMIN HARRY. David Harry, who was probably of Welsh descent, early settled in Montgomery County, where he purchased a tract of twelve hundred and fifty acres of land, a portion of which is now embraced in the borough of Conshohocken, the remainder being in Whitemarsh township. Part of this land is still in possession of the family. Reece Harry a son of David, born about 1701, who died in 1778, inherited a section of this tract, upon which he resided, subsequently deeding a portion to his son John, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, the former having married Alice Meredith, and had children,- Sarah, whose birth occurred in 1763; Mary, born in 1769; David, who was born on the 17th of November 1771, on the paternal estate, and who married Ann, daughter of Thomas Davis and his wife, Lydia White. Their children are Samuel Benjamin Reece Mary (Mrs. Joseph Yerkes) David, all of whom, with the exception of Benjamin, are deceased. 718 The last mentioned, and subject of this biographical sketch, was born May 16, 1809, on the homestead, which has been the scene of the experiences and incidents of a lifetime. He was educated at the boarding-school of Joseph Foulke, of Gwynedd township, and on the completion of his studies entered the mill of his father, located on the banks of the Schuylkill, for the purpose of acquainting himself with the details of the business. This mill he afterwards successfully managed until the sale of the property. Mr. Harry from this date never engaged in any business undertakings apart from the management of his private interests. He was, in 1836, married to Lydia F. Wood, of Conshohocken, and has children,- David Anna James Mary Winfield John. PICTURE OF BENJAMIN HARRY, APPEARS HERE. Mrs. Harry is the daughter of James Wood, who established the rolling-mills at Conshohocken, and granddaughter of John Wood, of Plymouth, who was the son of James Wood, one of the earliest settlers of that township. Mr. Harry's political principles have been those of the Whig and Republican parties. He has frequently been solicited to accept office, but has invariably declined, though on one occasion elected to the honorable position of burgess of the borough. He is by birthright a Friend, and worships with the Plymouth Meeting. JOHN JONES. Mr. Jones is of Welsh descent. His grandfather, Jonathan Jones, resided upon the land now owned by the subject of this sketch, as did his father before him, both having been enterprising farmers. His children were Isaac Jonathan John Susan Mary Ann, of whom only the last-named survives. Isaac Jones was born in 1772, and followed farming pursuits in Conshohocken, having married Elizabeth Yerkes, daughter of John and Nancy Coffin Yerkes. Their children are John William Jonathan Isaac Charles Susan Elizabeth Ann. Mr. Jones was married, a second time, to Rachel Foster, and, a third time, to Martha Lukens. His death occurred June 13, 1868, in his ninety-seventh year. John Jones was born December 18, 1795, on the homestead where his youth, until his twenty-first year, was spent. He received his education, in those early days necessarily limited, in the immediate neighborhood and at Plymouth, afterwards engaging in labor on the farm of his father, which then embraced a very large portion of the present borough of Conshohocken. He subsequently removed to a farm purchased by his father in Upper Merion township, which he cultivated for a period of six years. 719 In 1819, Mr. Jones married Martha, daughter of Joseph and Ann Lukens, of King of Prussia, whose death occurred January 18, 1883. Their children are Joseph L., of Philadelphia; Isaac, of Illinois; William H., of Philadelphia; Rachel (Mrs. John Webster), of Chester County, Pa.; Elizabeth (Mrs. James T. Lukens, of Philadelphia; Mary, of Conshohocken; Edwin, also of Conshohocken; George W., of Minneapolis, Minn.; Sallie (Mrs. Ephraim Fenton), of Abington; and Charlotte, (Mrs. Daniel Lukens), of Chester County. PICTURE OF JOHN JONES, APPEARS HERE. Mr. Jones, after a residence of some years in other parts of Montgomery County and elsewhere, returned to Conshohocken in 1852 and took possession of the homestead, since that date his home. In 1861, he retired, after a long life of industry, his son Edward assuming the management of the farm, which he cultivated until 1868, when the land was divided into town lots and sold for building purposes. Mr. Jones has always been either a Whig or a Republican in politics, but has never sought nor accepted office. He has since his youth worshiped with the Society of Friends, having been admitted to membership when fourteen years of age. Mr. Jones may justly be regarded as the pioneer in the business of milk shipping in the State, having shipped the first can of milk to Philadelphia by rail in 1847. CHAPTER XLII. BOROUGH OF EAST GREENVILLE. THE borough of East Greenville was incorporated September 6, 1875. Its area, about one hundred and eighty acres was wholly taken from Upper Hanover township. The assessed value of real estate at the time of its creation was eighty-two thousand and thirty dollars. It contained at that date ninety-four taxables, and upwards of fifty residences, all of them recently built. The land formerly belonged to George Urffer, upon his death it descended to Daniel Y. Urffer, who in April 1849, sold forty-three acres of the tract to Captain Henry H. Dotts; it was timber-land at the time of this sale. The wood-leaf was sold the land cleared and that portion fronting on the highway divided into building-lots. During the years of 1851-52, Mr. Dotts sold a number of the lots at an advance. 720 On a four-acre lot, at the corner of Church road, he erected a two-story brick dwelling, and subsequently sold it for twelve hundred dollars, Mr. Dotts continued building and selling, and later erected the large three- story hotel now occupied by Charles P. Keely. Stores and mechanical industries followed the line of improvements and the village became a new creation, rivaling the older claims of Fennsburg, a mile or more eastward. The project of building up a village at this point was partly due to the construction of the Green Lane and Goshenhoppen turnpike road, which was opened to travel in 1851. The village received a further impetus in 1864, when some forty additional acres of land belonging to the original Urffer estate came into the market by the death of Mrs. Frey, a daughter of George Urffer, deceased. The tract was out up into lots and sold to persons who built upon them. Philip Super, Esq., in his account of the Perkiomen Valley, writing of this village says: "To show the gradual rise in the price of land from the original price of seventy-five dollars per acre in 1851-52, we give the prices at which lots were sold during subsequent years up to the present time. The first of the original half-acre lots were sold in January, 1853, for fifty dollars, and resold in May of the same year for seventy-five dollars; in June of the same year, Mr. Dotts repurchased a half- acre lot for ninety-five dollars; in March, 1855, he again purchased half an acre for one hundred and twenty-five dollars; in March, 1856, an acre lot was sold for one hundred and sixty-five dollars; in September, 1857, a quarter-acre lot was sold for one hundred and thirty-five dollars; and in 1859 a half-acre lot was sold for two hundred dollars. "The original lots, of from two to four acres each, with which the place started in 1851, have been divided and sold in smaller ones; at the present time there are but few lots in the place having more than fifty feet front. The village received its name in 1852, which appears to have been suggested by a tall pine-tree, with an evergreen top, and which is observable from all parts of the surrounding country. This 'old pine tree, with an evergreen top,' has become historical, if not immortal; from it a village takes its name, and a Greenville post-office is announced upon the post-office directory of Christendon-a fortunate tree, differing in no essential, save in its location, from hundreds of its kind that fell before the sturdy axemen of the Honovers." This very pretty village is beautifully located, the elevation commanding an extended view of the valley and distant hills. The landscape is in every sense pastoral; cultivated farms, browsing cattle, green meadows, crystal streams, shaded homes, huge barns, ancient mills and steepled churches, with whitened graveyards, complete the rural and attractive picture. Only the screaming, whistle of engines, and racing trains of cars, as they spin along a back street of the town, breaks the prevailing country quiet of the place. The main street or highway is well-kept, the sidewalks are curbed and paved, shade-trees, flowers and trailing vines ornament the neat and substantial residence that front upon the main thoroughfare. The borough has the characteristic thrift and commercial enterprise common to all railroad towns in the country. Among the merchants may be named Henry Bobb, drugs Fluck & Bernhard, live stock Nicholas Kase, boots and shoes William Kehl, merchandise A. E. Kurtz, stoves Keeley & Brother, coal, lumber, flour and feed Levi Meschler, merchandise Edwin E. Steltz, furniture E. H. Stauffer, jeweler. The mechanical industries are represented by the village blacksmith, and carriage-builder. The manufacture of cigars is largely carried on here, the first to introduce the business being Amos K. Stauffer, who began in 1860, William K. Stauffer in 1865, and Daniel Dimmig and Thomas K. Gerhard about 1870. There are, now carrying on the business in this place Amos K. Stauffer, Thomas K. Gerhard, William M. Jacobs, H. A. Dimmig and several others who have smaller establishments. These firms employ about one hundred and twenty persons, and manufacture about nine million cigars annually. The Evangelical Association of East Greenville was organized about sixty years ago. A lot was purchased for a house of worship and burial-place on the road leading from East Greenville to Krousdale. A house of worship was built and used until 1873, when the present brick edifice was erected on Main Street, in East Greenville. Prior to the erection of these church buildings the congregation existed, worshiping in the spacious houses of the farmers who made up its numbers. The pastors who served at the old church from 1838 to 1873 are as follows: Revs. Isaac Hess Daniel Wieand A. Ziegenfuss Edmund Butz R. M. Lichtenwollner A. F. Leopold C. K. Fehr John Schell Franklin Sechert Reuben Deisher Those who served from 1873 to the present time are Revs. G. Sharf David Lentz Henry Klick Solomon Ely and Jeremiah Fehr, the present pastor. The church has a present membership of twenty-three. The public schools of the borough are in advance of those of the township, out of which it has been carved. They are taught during the term of seven months in the year; male and female teachers are employed at salaries of from thirty-two to thirty-eight dollars per month. There are one hundred and four pupils enrolled for the Year 1884. Population in 1880, 331 ; number of taxables 1884, 128; value of improved land, $166,321; unimproved, $3850; forty-three horses valued at $3655; thirty-five cattle valued at $955; total value of property taxable for county purposes, $192,476. Burgesses: 1875, Charles K. Lorentz 1876, C. W. Wieand 1877, William H. Kehl 1878, Daniel Roeder 1879, N. B. Keely 1881, John Hirsh 1882-83, F. L. Fluck 1884, Jacob H. Knetz 1885, Jacob M. Knetz. 721 CHAPTER XLIII. BOROUGH OF GREEN LANE. GREEN LANE BOROUGH was incorporated by decree of the Court of Quarter Sessions December 10, 1875, and was carved out of Marlborough township. It contains an area of about one hundred and fifty-four acres. The boundaries are irregular, and were made to conform to the wishes of the owners of adjoining farms, who were hostile to being included in the proposed borough limits. The Perkiomen Railroad passes through the village, which is located at the convergence of three turnpike roads, -the Spring House, constructed in 1848; the Perkiomen, open to public travel in 1849; and the Green Lane and Goshenhoppen turnpike, completed in 1851. The place contains a hotel, store, railroad station, school-house and upward of fifty dwellings. There is also a grist-mill, smith-shop and a large ice house, located on the Perkiomen. In 1875 there were fifty-six taxable persons assessed, and the real estate was valued at thirty-one thousand three hundred and fourteen dollars. It is distant from Philadelphia forty-three miles and eighteen miles from the Perkiomen Junction, on the Reading Railroad. The entire area of this borough rests upon the old Mayberry title, taken about 1730, being the same referred to in the account of Marlborough township. The derivation of the name of the village is from the Old Forge, or "Green Lane Iron-Works," noted on the oldest maps of the county, and it is believed to have been given to the works named from the prevailing foliage covering the rocky hills to the north and west of the stream, it being largely of evergreen, with occasional pine, and from the narrow and tortuous road or lane that led from the main highway around the base of the hills to the forge. The locality was noted thirty or forty years ago for wild game, and sportsmen resorting there found pheasants, partridges and rabbits in abundance, and the ancient villagers gave generous welcome to the liberal "spendthrift gunners," whose annual pilgrimage thither was impatiently waited for by the expectant guides, who earned handsome fees for easy service in piloting these hunters and their dogs over and around the hills. The place was early and widely known as the location of the iron forge referred to. The fine water-power and abundance of wood, its easy conversion into charcoal, afforded unusual facilities for the manufacture of iron and for many years the best blooms in the market were produced at this place. Hammered iron long preceded rolled iron for general smithing purposes, and the produce of the forge found a ready market. In those days the country blacksmith purchased his bar-iron at the forge, and converted it into the hardware used in the building of houses from the wrought nails in the floors to the hinges and latches of the doors. Iron was a commodity that fifty years ago was fashioned into a thousand useful forms by the village smith which are now produced by the foundry and with the aid of improved machinery, and sold by the village storekeeper. The transition has changed the face of affairs at this old village. The forge has long since gone into decay; the old water-wheel; the huge bellows, the ore-crushers, the cone-like charcoal kilns, the famous teams and teamsters who made their weekly trips "to town" and back, the stage exchange stables, the huntsman and his hounds, the system of barter and exchange that prevailed at the country store, -these have all been displaced by the changes wrought in the last quarter of a century, and Green Lane has become a railroad village differing in no essential from a dozen others which make the Perkiomen Valley so charming from Treichlersville to the Schuylkill River. The public or common school in this borough is open for seven months in the year, and the wages paid the teacher is thirty-three dollars per month. The post-office is located here, and the railroad depot for passengers, and freight bridge to the village the general trade of an industrious and providential community. Mercantile appraiser's return for 1884: Merchandise, J. R. Allebach; live stock, Frank Frederick; lumber, H. N. Scholl; flour and feed, H. N. Scholl; Number of taxables, 1884, 54; value of improved land $74,400; value of unimproved land, $5685; value of horses, $2015; value of cattle, $670; total value of taxable property for county purposes, $91,210.