Northampton County PA Archives History - Books .....Scotch-Irish Settlements 1920 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 November 12, 2008, 7:43 pm Book Title: History Of Northampton County CHAPTER III SCOTCH-IRISH SETTLEMENTS The Scotch-Irish were Scotch and English people who were encouraged in their immigration to Ireland by James VI of Scotland, afterwards James II of England, to occupy the estates of the Irish rebels whose estates had been confiscated by Queen Elizabeth and James I. The immigration was numerous, and began in the early part of the seventeenth century. Towards the middle of the same century the confiscation of Irish lands by Cromwell increased the emigration to still greater proportions, and many Englishmen joined the movement. These people became known in England as Ulstermen, diametrically different in character and religion to the native Irish. They were not Celtic Scotch, but people of English stock, whose progenitors had lived for many generations in Scotland. They were more thrifty and intelligent than the native Irish, took long leases of the lands they occupied, and began to make the country blossom like a garden. They were, however, persecuted by Charles I in his attempt to force the Scotch people in both Scotland and Ireland to conform to the Church of England. At the same time the native Irish rose to expel the Scotch, and they succeeded in killing a few thousands of these people. So between these two persecutions the settlers, already sturdy from their race and religion, were not without the additional discipline of suffering and martyrdom. Charles II, on his restoration to the throne of England, attempted to introduce episcopacy into Scotland; this act was resisted by the people of the Lowlands, who were disciples of John Knox. The immigration to Ireland was increased by these acts of Charles II, and the inhabitants of the southern portion of Scotland crossed the North Channel to the counties of Londonderry and Antrim in northern Ireland. The immigration was not diminished by the accession of William of Orange to the throne of England, though he had a decided preference for the doctrines and principles of the Presbyterian church. In the revolution that followed the attempt of James II to regain the throne of England, the Scotch Presbyterians of Ireland rendered valiant aid at the Battle of the Boyne and the Siege of Londonderry. For one hundred and nineteen years these hardy Scotch-Irish dwelt on the new land that James VI had given them. Some of them, however, in 1718 and a few years later, had emigrated in small parties to New England. and became identified with the early settlements of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Those remaining in Ireland were in 1727 overtaken by the famine of that year: for three seasons their crops failed, mills were closed, there was no work; gaunt starvation ruled the land, and taxation devoured their property. The Duke of Ulster foresaw an alarming disaster springing up. Speculators in American lands flooded Great Britain with exaggerated descriptions, and the desire to emigrate became an epidemic disease, hurrying immense multitudes to the land of promises and new desires. In Ireland they were simply tenants, holding their lands by lease, having no prospects of rising above the conditions of hired laborers, and in a new country they could acquire lands and better their social and religious conditions. In the summer of 1726 over three thousand left their Irish homes for the land of freedom and progress, and the following summer ships carried thousands of Scotch-Irish to New England and Pennsylvania. Among these bands of home-seekers in a new land was one led by Colonel Thomas Craig, which arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1728. They proceeded northward in their endeavors to find a permanent location, finally deciding to locate at the Forks of the Delaware. Here they established three Scotch-Irish settlements-on the north branch, at Mount Bethel; another, the Craig Settlement, on the west branch, in what is now Allen township, Northampton county. The Craig or Irish settlement was situated in original Allen township, and extended from the Monocacy on the east to the Hockandauqua on the west. It included the Manor of Charlton, a holding of fifteen hundred acres, in what is now East Allen, patented in 1735 by Sir James Page of London; also the Manor of Fermor, or Drylands, which at that time constituted the unsurveyed lands not definitely described in Northampton county, granted to the Proprietaries in 1736. This settlement antedated the settling of Easton eleven years, of Bethlehem thirteen years, and of Nazareth fifteen years. There is no list of the names of the original band of Scotch-Irish, but from authentic authorities there were living in 1737 at the Irish Settlement the following: Thomas Craig and his son William; James Craig, his sons Robert and James, and in his family was Thomas Reed and wife; John Boyd; Hugh Wilson and his sons Thomas, Samuel and Charles; Thomas Armstrong; Robert Gregg; James King; John McNair; John Walker; Robert Walker; James Ralston; John Hayes; Arthur Lattimore; James Lattimore; James Horner; James Kerr and Samuel Brown. The Craig families were not related. Colonel Thomas Craig was well advanced in life at the time of the settlement, and his only son William was in the vigor of manhood, and married a daughter of Hugh Wilson. Colonel Craig's name first appears upon the roll of the Synod of Pennsylvania in 1731 as an elder, and it was about this time that a Presbyterian church was organized in the Settlement. It may be supposed he was the original elder. James Craig was a connection by marriage of Chief Justice Allen, who presented him with a gift of a farm in the Irish Settlement. Hugh Wilson was born in Cootehill, near Coleraine, Ireland, in 1689. He was one of the commissioners appointed to establish the site of Northampton county. He was granted 730 acres of land northwest of what is now Hanover township. He operated in 1740 a grist mill on the Hockandauqua, and was one of the first justices in Northampton county. He married, in Ireland, Sarah Craig, and they had a family of five sons and three daughters. Samuel, Thomas and Charles, as before stated, were residents of the Irish settlement: William was in business in New York; and Francis was an Episcopal minister in South Carolina. One daughter married Rev. Francis McHenry of Deep Run, Pennsylvania; another became the wife of William Craig; and a third daughter married William McNair. James Horner was born in Ireland, 1711; he took an active part in the early affairs of the county, and lived to be an octogenarian. His farm was located near the Hockandauqua creek. His wife, Jane Horner, was born in County Berry, Ireland, May 1, 1713; she was killed by the Indians in 1763. Their family consisted of Hugh, John, Thomas, Sarah, Mary, James and Jane. Three brothers-Arthur, James and John Lattimore-were natives of Ireland. Arthur was born in 1710, and settled near the mouth of the Hockandauqua creek, He married Mary, a daughter of Hugh Wilson. She was a native of Ireland, born in 1715. Arthur died in 1777; his widow survived him till 1780. They were the parents of two daughters, Elizabeth and Jane, both deaf-and-dumb. James Lattimore also was a land-owner; he purchased in 1766 of Andrew Allen, a son of Chief Justice Allen, a farm just east of the Monocacy creek, on which the greater part of the borough of Bath is now located. He died in 1781, intestate, and the homestead was acquired by his eldest son Robert, an appointee of the Provincial Assembly in 1777 to collect clothing for suffering patriots. John Lattimore was also a resident of the settlement, and the father of General William Lattimore. James Ralston was born in Ireland, 1698. He was a member of the first grand jury of Northampton county, and died in 1775. His surviving children were: John, who was a delegate to the first constitutional convention of Pennsylvania, and a captain and paymaster in the militia. His son James surveyed for the plan of the village of Bath. The other children were Samuel and Jane. Samuel Brown resided on a farm near Bath. He was born in Ireland, 1714, and died 1798. He married Jane, a daughter of John Boyd, and their family consisted of Robert, born 1745, was an officer in Pennsylvania "flying camp," a brigadier-general of state militia, was a member of Congress from December 4, 1798, to March 3, 1815. Samuel Brown's other children were: William, James, Esther, Sarah, and another daughter. John Hayes was born in Ireland, 1704, and died November 16, 1789. His farm was located on the Catasauqua creek, near where Weaverville is now located. James King, who married Mary Walker, died in 1745, aged thirty-eight years; he was survived by his wife and four daughters. John McNair married a sister of Mrs. King, who was also a sister of John, Robert and Captain Richard Walker. John and Robert Walker were brothers of Captain Richard Walker, who married a relative of Chief Justice Allen, and resided at Neshaminy. Robert died unmarried. The other Scotch-Irish families that lived near Bath were the Boyds, Clydes, McCords, McCooks, McConnels, McKeans, Rosbroughs, Agnews, Kennedys and Clendenens. The Irish Settlement in the township of Lower Mount Bethel, a few miles northward from Easton, Pennsylvania, was first settled by a band of Ulster Scots about 1730, who gave it the name of Martin's Settlement, but now known as Martin's Creek. The first Scotch-Irish settler was named Smalley: he built a grist mill in 172S, and the stream became known as Smalley's creek. The property was purchased by James Martin, who was a leader amongst the Scotch-Irish, and the waterway became known as Martin's creek. On the ancient tombstones in the old church burial yard are read the names of Galloway, Foresman, Lowrey, Lyle, McCallum, McCracken, McCrea, McFarren, McKibben, McFall, Moody, Patton, Rea, Scott, and other North Irishmen whose names also are recorded in the Colonial and Revolutionary wars, where they were active in the struggle for American independence. Among the early settlers and wealthy land-owners besides the above-mentioned were the Beards or Bairds, Brittains, Crawfords, Gastons, Hannas, Hutchinsons, McDowells, McIlhaneys, McIlroys, McQuouns, Morris and Nelsons. Another Scotch-Irish settlement was located near the present site of Portland, south of the Blue Mountains, bordering on the Delaware. It was called Hunter's Settlement, and was supposed to have been named in honor of Governor Hunter of the province of New York. In the "Documentary History of New York," mention is made of this band of Scotch-Irish, who had been refused a settlement in Massachusetts, and asylum was offered them by Governor Hunter, but the settlement was subsequently lost sight of. The country at this time was a wilderness, and the new settlers supposed they had settled within the boundaries of the province of New York, but they were, however, within the limits of Pennsylvania. The Scotch-Irish in these settlements were ardent patriots; their fighting proclivities and their antipathy towards the German settlers caused inharmonious conditions with the peace-loving Moravians. During the later years of the Revolutionary war some of the Scotch-Irish became disloyal and many of them became Tories, which made them antagonistic to the government. Colonel Robert Lever had superseded Samuel Rea, a Scotch-Irishman, as lieutenant of the colony, and the demonstrations of the disaffected portion of the Scotch-Irish practically ceased, though Lever was decided in his actions in cases of disloyalty. He was magnanimous and friendly as a magistrate. and his efforts were concentrated in having the Scotch-Irish become loyal to the country and establish themselves as home-loving and law-abiding people. They were, however, persecuted by the German settlers, and they decided it was better for them to emigrate, and upwards of eighty or one hundred families, consisting of nearly all of the Scotch-Irish excepting those who had intermarried with the Germans, decided to find a home beyond the pale of civilization in the unsettled country of the west, taking with them all of their historical records if they had any. They finally located near what is now Knoxville, Tennessee, calling their settlement Mount Bethel, and established Mount Bethel Church. The burying-ground adjoining this is revered in the hearts of the citizens of Knoxville, in which are graves of many of their Irish settlers. In eastern Tennessee their descendants still live, and the same family names here abound similar to those in Northampton county. At the time of the settlement of the Scotch-Irish colony, the nearest place of worship was at Tinicum, in Bucks county. They were, however, people not to wait long without the means of grace, and application was made to New Brunswick Presbytery, then recently organized, for a minister to supply the district, and Rev. James Campbell was sent to supply them. For the next five years itinerate preachers were sent to supply the congregation, among whom were the Revs. William Robinson, Charles McKnight, William Dean and Eleazer Wales. In May, 1744, they were visited by the eminent divine and missionary, David Brainerd, justly styled "the man of God," who had taken up his abode at Mount Bethel. His untimely death in 1746 caused the cessation of his fruitful work amongst the Indians and white settlers of Northampton county. There was erected in 1746 on the south side of the road in Craig's meadow, near what is now Weaversville, a rude log structure for a house of worship. This was succeeded by a second log building on the north side of the road, and these two structures served the people until 1813. From 1743 to 1752, Rev. Daniel Lawrence was pastor. He was a pupil of the Rev. William Tennant, and was educated at the Log College, and licensed May 28, 1745, to supply the two Scotch-Irish settlements in Northampton county. His health failing him in 1751, he was obliged to relinquish his charge. For the next decade there was no settled minister, but in 1762 the name of Rev. John Clark, the second pastor, appears on the church records. He was a graduate of New Jersey College, 1759, and the same year was taken under the care of New Brunswick Presbytery, being installed over the two congregations in the Forks of the Delaware, October 13, 1762. Troubles in the congregations, however, arose, and a conflict took place between the parishioners and their minister, which culminated in 1766 with the withdrawal of Rev. Mr. Clark, and the charge was without a permanent spiritual adviser until 1772, when Rev. John Rosbrough accepted the call, and was installed October 28, 1772. He was a graduate of New Jersey College in 1761, and after studying divinity with Rev. John Blair, was licensed to preach by the New Brunswick Presbytery, March 22, 1762. He was a devoted patriot, and in 1776 joined a company of infantry as chaplain, and on Washington's march through New Jersey he was barbarously murdered at Trenton by the Hessians. The church, after the death of Rev. John Rosbrough, was supplied by ministers from the First Philadelphia Presbytery, under whose charge, at the request of the congregation, it had been placed. In 1783 the Rev. Francis Peppard became its permanent minister. He was a native of Ireland, a graduate of the New Jersey College, class of 1762, and joined the New Brunswick Presbytery in 1773. The Forks had, in October, 1780, requested leave of the First Philadelphia Presbytery to seek supplies from New Brunswick Presbytery. This was granted, and Mr. Peppard was installed in August, 1783. The erection of a building for an academy, afterwards known as the Wolf Academy, soon after his installation was viewed by Mr. Peppard as preparatory to setting up altar against altar, thereby dividing the congregation. This became a matter of contention, and in August, 1794, he asked to be dismissed from his charge, alleging as a cause the nonpayment of his salary. Thus again the church was to be supplied by itinerant ministers. The congregation was incorporated in 1797, and the following year Rev. Robert Russell became pastor. Mr. Russell was a native of Fagg's Manor, and had married the daughter of Thomas Armstrong, formerly an elder in the Settlement. Early in the nineteenth century the congregation was materially weakened by the removal of many of their prominent members to other sections of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The site for a church was purchased in 1813 on which a stone house was built, and it was enclosed in weatherboards in 1870. Mr. Russell died December 16, 1827, a worthy minister of Jesus Christ. He was succeeded by the Rev. Alexander Heberton, who remained five or six years; to him is given the credit of having opened a sessional record and preparing a history of the congregation. His labors were not without fruit, nor were those of Rev. Brogan Huff, who remained a short time. The Rev. William McJimpsey was the stated supply for one or two years. In 1835 the Rev. Leslie Irwin began to labor in the Settlement, and was ordained December 25, 1835. He was for over thirty years in charge of the parish and resigned in 1868, being succeeded by the Rev. David M. James. For the period of sixty-three years the church had only two pastors. The Rev. David M. James was born in Deerfield township, New Jersey. He graduated from Lafayette College in 1S52, studied two years in the Theological Seminary at Princeton, New Jersey. He was licensed by the Presbytery of Passaic at Morristown, New Jersey, July 3, 1854, and on October 4th following was ordained and installed pastor of the Mount Olivet Church, near Schooley's Mountain Springs, New Jersey, where he remained until 1869, when he removed to the Irish Settlement, where he was installed pastor of the Allen Township Church, November 9, 1869. During his charge of the congregation the fourth church edifice was erected in the borough of Bath. The degree of doctor of divinity was conferred on him by Whitworth College in September, 1892. He resigned his pastorate in the spring of 1898. and shortly afterwards removed to Easton, Pennsylvania. He was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Clews Sterling, born in Darvel, Ayrshire, Scotland, February 16, 1S64. His rudimentary education was acquired in the public schools of his birthplace. He then studied under Professor John Kclligan. tutor for Ayr Academy: also prepared himself for his entrance examination in medicine under Dr. Matthew G. Easton. After studying medicine four years he received an M.D. diploma from the Physico-Medical College. Having great desire for the gospel ministry, he studied seven years more at Glasgow University, under the eminent scientists and philosophers, Professors Lord Kelvin and Edwards Caird, and received diplomas of Ph.D. and M.S. He graduated from Auburn Divinity Hall, Auburn, New York, and was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Otsego, June 6. 1S95. He preached as missionary and evangelist for seven years at Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland, and was student supply in the Presbyterian church at Dresden, New York. He was installed October, 1898, this being his second pastorate. Dr. Sterling was succeeded in 1905 by the Rev. Seth P. Downie; his successor in 1910 was Rev. H. H. Henry, who was in charge of the congregation until 1917, when Rev. Raymond Hittenger, the present incumbent, was installed. Additional Comments: Extracted from: History of Northampton County [PENNSYLVANIA] and The Grand Valley of the Lehigh Under Supervision and Revision of WILLIAM J. HELLER Assisted by AN ADVISORY BOARD OF EDITORS VOLUME I 1920 THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY HOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/pafiles/ File size: 20.1 Kb