The Late Wm. S. Davis. The Danville American mentions the attendance upon the funeral of the late Wm. S. Davis, in that place, of Daniel Edwards and Rev. T. C. Edwards, of Kingston. The American says:

Early on Monday morning, March 21, W. S. Davis departed this life in the 78th year of his age. Mr. Davis was born in Glammorganshire, South Wales, in 1809. He emigrated to this country in 1839 and settled in Pottsville. In 1856 he came to Danville and for the past thirty years has resided here, following his occupation, that of a miner, excepting the last eight years, when his age compelled him to seek less arduous tasks. He had been assisting his son, Wm. C. Davis, until the infirmities of old age took a strong hold on him. resulting in his death on last Monday morning after a short illness: Mr. Davis was a good citizen and beloved by all his acquaintances. His wife died some sixteen years ago. He leaves two sons to mourn his loss, W. C. Davis, of this place, and Daniel S. Davis, of Kingston.

Twenty-Five Years in Town,

It was just 25 years ago Monday that our townsman, H. H. Derr came to WilkesBarre, and in conversation with him on Sat. urday relative to this quarter-centennial, Mr. Derr said it was remarkable what advancement Wilkes-Barre had made in that space of time. This advancement is in territorial area, in population, in railroad facilities and in the value of real estate. At that date, March 23, 1862, Mr. Derr came into town alone and on foot. Instead of being the important railroad centre that it now is, making it one of the most advantageously located business points in the country, it had only one road, the Lehigh & Susquehanna, which had a depot at the lower end of Main Street and hoisted a few passengers up the Ashley planes. But even this means of exit suspended in the winter season. The only outlet north was via the Lackawanna & Bloomsburg road at Kingston. Mr. Derr says his brother, Thompson, had preceded him some six years and that the day after his (H. H. Derr's) arrival the two brothers walked to Pittston and back, in the absence of any railroad. That year the insurance firm of Thompson Derr & Bro. was formed, thongh the business was not extensive enough to require an office until October, when a lease was made with Ziba Bennett for the rooms over what is now the Adams Express. These rooms were occupied for 16 years. The business, no longer local, but comprising State agencies, now requires a force of 14 in the Wilkes-Barre office, and 150 throughout the State.

was

At that date Wilkes-Barre had a population of about 4,000-now it is estimated to have 40.000. The borough extended from North Street to a short distance below Ross, and from the river to the old canal, where now stands the Lehigh Valley RR. depot.

Not only has the population been multiplied by 10, but the value of real estate has advanced, fully as much if not more. Mr. Derr says he was offered in 1882 the property on Public Square where Isaac Long's store is now located, at $75 a foot front. Property on Public Square to-day is worth $1,000 a foot.

The borough of that day has become a populous city and has added suburb after suburb until scarcely a trace of old WilkesBarre is discoverable. The latest addition is that being made by Mr. Derr himself, whose recent purchase of 40 acres, the Conyugham farm in North Wilkes-Barre, will throw hundreds of desirable building lots into the market. Its proximity to the Lehigh Valley shops and the Sheldon axle works, as well as its nearue-s to town, make it particularly desirable for homes for workingmen and already 200 lots have been sold, some as low as $10 a front foot. It would be interesting to know the value of this tract 25 years from now.

Mr. Derr came here without capital but by industry he has become highly successful in business. Besides this he has taken such an interest in the development of the town and the advancement of the interests of the community that he has for many years been an indispensable factor in our local life. While he has achieved a competency out of our people, he has always spent his money here and in that way has replaced everything he took out. His business life has not been a parasitic one by any means.

His host of friends will unite in congratulating him on passing the quarter century post in his business life, with a satisfactory record for the past and a bright outlook for the future.

An Old Wilkes-Barre Editor.
[North Wales Record.]

Samuel R. Gordon, of North Wales, has in his possession an old copy of the Pennsylvania Correspondent, published by Asher Miner, in Doylestown. It is of the date of September 15, 1823, and is interesting from its antiquity. Asher Miner was the father of Bucks County newspapers. He came from Hartford, Connecticut, in 1804, and commenced the publication of the first newspaper in that county that had a continued existence. The Correspondent was the predecessor of the present Bucks County Intelligencer.

OLD TIME RIVER NAVIGATION. Interesting Reminiscence by Cateb E. Wright, Esq.-A Novel Rope that was Used, all Knowledge of Whose Making is now Lost.

[Letter to the Editor.]

In passing over the Lackawanna & Bloomsburg RR., a certain point near the Plymouth Academy always calls up recolections of the time when it was the scene of busy enterprise. It might be entitled to the appellation of a shipyard. There was not its equal in the valley. It was the point of shipment of coal. Here the Smiths, pioneers in the traffic, constructed their arks, on the side of an excavated basin, as I remember it, three or four hundred feet square. From the basin, a canal outlet led to the river. This was a dry basin, until filled by the back flow, in times of freshets.

The bottoms of the arks, ninety feet in length, were first constructed, the lower side uppermost. Then they were turned over, and the sides and diamond shaped ends added. They were sometimes filled with coal at once, awaiting the rising of the river, and when afloat, towed into the stream. Four men formed the crew. The pilot had charge of the front oar; the steersman the hind one. I had the honour, in my boyhood, of taking two voyages on coal arks. The excitement of river navigation was very great in going down to tide water. But the up-river tramp, on foot, not so agreeable. But we formed lively squads on the march, and found abundant supplies of ham and eggs

at the taverns.

I have made the foregoing prefatory to the notice of an implement in river navigation, which, I am disposed to think, was original with the coal trade. It was the ark rope, as then called, and one man enjoyed the monopoly of its manufacture This man's name was Lee. At one time he owned a valuable farm on the east side of the river, near Shickshinny. A prevailing fever carried off one of his children. He denounced the region as unfit to live in, sold out at a sacrifice and moved to the western part of our State. There, in a year's time, another child died during the prevailauce of à fatal epidemic. He said this was more than he could stand, and pulled out for Ohio. soon, in the new locality, he lost two more. He swore vengeance against the Buckeye region, and, bankrupted in means, came back to Luzerne. With his anti-febrile convictions in full blast, he severed connection with the human race and squatted in the woods at the foot of the North Mountain, back of Harvey's Lake, five miles from the nearest neighbor. A difficult place, as he thought, for a fever to find out. He put up his cabin on the margin of a small poud,

Very

where his inventive genius found scope in a branch of mauufacture, that came in and went out with his own existence. In fact it gave him local immortality. I don't know of any other artificer, at least in that quarter of the globe, who ever made a hawser a hundred feet long and big as a man's arm, out of hickory sprints. A cable had need of strength, required to stop a heavily freighted ark in a swift current. But old Lee's ark rope could do it.

These hawsers were brought by him, one at a time, to Smith's basin, where they each brought a dollar or two. I more than once saw the old mountaineer arrive, with the enormous rope wound round the body of a ringboned Bucephalus and himself on top of it. C E. WRIGHT.

Doylestown, March 28, 1887.

Wilcox Genealogical Data Wanted.
[Letter to the Editor.]

Isaac and Crandal Wilcox, brothers, came from Rhode Island to the Wyoming Valley after 1772, escaped the massacre in 1778 and returned to Rhode Island. Isaac there married Nancy Newcomb, whose mother was a Gardner, came again to Wyoming and a few years later moved to Dutchess County, New York, where he died in 1810. Crandal came to Wyoming again about 1791. They had a sister who married Daniel Rosekrans and went to Ohio.

In 1792 Amos Wilcox, of Minisink, conveyed to Isaac Wilcox, husbandman, and Crandal Wilcox, blacksmith, land in WilkesBarre Township.

Esen Wilcox in 1771 occupied land in Pittston on his father Stephen's right. Esen was killed in the battle.

Elisha Wilcox sold to Ebenezer Marcy, Aug. 1, 1773, his land in Pittston and took up his residence in Putnam Township, on the Tunkhannock. In 1778, on his way down the river to warn the inhabitants at Wyoming of the enemy's approach. he was taken prisoner. What became of him?

Daniel Wilcox appears as one of the grantees in the Indian Deed of Purchase 1754. He was from Connecticut.

How were Amos, Daniel, Elisha and Esen related to Isaac and Crandal, if at all?

Any information regarding these people is desired by William A. Wilcox, Wyoming, Pa.

The newly organized Bucks County Society has had a seal cut. It is a fac simile of the first seal of Bucks County. It is a shield in the centre, with the Penn circles or balls across the middle. Above is the tree branching forth, while on the sides depending from the top of the shield are the vines or branches. Around the edge is the inscription "Bucks County Historical Society-Incorporated 1885."

Origin of the Union League. EDITOR RECORD: This organization originated in Luzerne County. which fact, I presume, most of your readers are not aware of. The writer hereof and four others, then members of the Luzerne County Executive Committee, S. P. Longstreet, chairman, were the initial members, the first who subscribed to the obligations of the League.

A man by the name of Hosea was sent to Harrisburg in February, 1862, conveying from us letters of introduction and recommendation to the Republican members of the Pennsylvania Legislature, expressing a hope that they would give the matter their favorable consideration, that they would introduce the League and get it started among their constituents.

Democrats at Harrisburg suspected that some movement antagonistical to their interest was being inaugurated, and while Hosea was absent in Philadelphia a day or two, parties succeeded in gaining access to his trunk and abstracted therefrom papers relating to the secret workings of the League; also our endorsements of the organization, which were published in the Harrisburg Patriot and Union, and many other papers. The Patriot and Union was curious to know who the endorsers of the organization were, etc., and the Luzerne Union, of Wilkes-Barre, responded by giving us all a raking down, calling the writer a John Brown Abolitionist, which, at that time, was about as approbrious an epithet, viewed from the Union's standpoint, as could well be applied to a person.

Hosea, to whom reference has been made, resided, I think, at Carbondale. He was afterwards assistant provost marshal in time of the war, and was shot and killed by a deserter whom he was endeavoring to arrest.

The Union League speedily grew from an apparently obscure origin to national prominence and importance. It is closely connected with, in fact it comprises part of, the history of the war of the Rebellion. It rendered efficient aid to the party in power, both during and subsequent to the war. C. J. BALDWIN.

Norwalk, O., March 28, 1887.

The Organizers of the Union League. A writer in the Leader takes exception to the reminiscence furnished the RECORD by Columbus J. Baldwin, of Norwalk, O., relative to the organizing of the Union Leag ue, and in the course of the article says:

It is true that the organization originated in Luzerne Co., but Hosea Carpenter, of Scott township, who was sent to Harrisburg with the important letters from the Luzerne

County Executive Committee, of which Mr.S. B. Longstreet (a patriot who thought he could do more good by staying at home than by going to war) was chairmau, to the Pennsylvania Legislature. Carpenter was a half-witted fellow, and died a natural death, and therefore was not shot and killed by a deserter he was endeavoring to arrest while serving in the capacity of assistant provost marshal. Mr. Baldwin who recalls this interesting League reminiscence, was formerly a resident of Jackson township, subsequently of this city and was at one time Clerk of Courts of Luzerne. He was a bright, witty fellow, fully as patriotic as Mr Lou street, and did considerable newspaper [in the RECORD OF THE TIMES] writing under the nom de plume of "Mountaieer.'

A Former Beach Haven Lady Dead. Mrs. Anna Seely, widow of Andrew Seely, a well known resident of lower Luzerne County, died on Monday, April 4, at the residence of her son-in-law, J. W. Dreisbach, with whom she had lived for seven years. She was sick only a few days and death reseulted from pneumonia. Mrs. Seely's maiden name was Fenstermacher, and she was born in Salem Township 69 years ago. Her husband, who was a farmer, died seven years ago. They had no children Mrs. Seely is survived by three children from her first marriage-Mrs. J. W. Dreisbach and J. M. Brymer, both of this city, and Mrs. Josephine Hendershot, of Kingston. Mrs. Jacob Housenick, of this city, is a sister, also Mrs. Rombach, of Watsontown, and Mrs. Michael Hess, of Salem, and Mrs. Philip Weiss, of Hollenback. John Fenstermacher, of Salem, is the only surviving brother. Mrs. Seely was a member of the Presbyterian Church and worshipped at the South Wilkes-Barre Chapel. She was a woman who was held in very high esteem and her death will be sincerely mourned, not alone by her immediate family, but by all who knew her. Funeral Thursday at 8 am., from residence of Mr. Dreisbach, 101 Hanover Street, proceeding on 10 o'clock train to Beach Haven by L. & B. RR. Interment at Beach Haven.

At the annual meeting of the Montgomery County Historical Society the following officers were recently elected: President, Theo. W. Beau; Vice Presidents, ex-Juзge H. C. Hoover and Dr. Hiram Corson; Secretary, Isaac Clusen: Treasurer, William McDermott; Trustees, H. M. Kratz, Benjamin Wertzner; James Detweiler, J. K. Gotwals and William McDermott. Interesting papers on several historical topics were read.

Latitude of Wilkes-Barre.

41 degrees, 14 minutes, 17 seconds in 1755, as taken by John Jenkins.

41 degrees, 14 minutes, 27 seconds in 1770, as taken by Samuel Wallis.

41 degrees, 14 minutes, 40 seconds in 1787, as given by David H. Conyngham.

41 degrees, 14 minutes, 40.4 seconds in 1881, as taken by second geological survey.

These observations were made at the following points: The third and fourth on the Public Square. The second at Fort Durkee, situate on the bank of the Susquehanna about where the residence of Wm. L. Conyngham stands. The first at a point unknown.

The distances apart, in a southern direction, would be: the third, 2.4 rods south of the fourth; the second about 80 rods south of the fourth, and the first about 142 rods south of the fourth.

I accept the fourth point of observation as giving the most perfect result, as it was done with modern instruments made expressly for that kind of work, with great care and at large expense, and after many observations, in a house built for the purpose, covering a considerable period of time; while the others were made by com.. mon surveyors' compasses in the woods or on the open plain.

The agreement is very close considering the great disadvantages under which the early observers labored. Who made the Conyngham observation it is not stated. He was on a visit to the valley in 1787, and noted in his journal "Wilkes-Barre is in 41 degrees 14 minutes 40 seconds north latitude." STEUBEN JENKINS.

Not a Relative of Mrs. Garfield. EDITOR RECORD: In a communication in the RECORD published March 28, 1887, signed "W. J." is the statement that "It is said that Mrs. President Garfield is a granddaughter of Jacob Rudolph." Jacob Rudolph is in Mr. Yarington's list of business men in Wilkes-Barre in 1818. He married a daughter of Darius Preston, of Hanover. Mrs. President Garfield was no relative of his. Her great grandfather was Jacob Rudolph, of Maryland. Her grandfather was John Rudolph,who removed from Maryland to Ohio as early as 1806. Her father was born in Ohio, and was alive there three years ago, and has no knowledge of any of his uncles or cousins coming to Pennsylvania. H. B. PLUMB.

Dr. H. Hollister, of Providence, has a series of interesting articles running in the Saturday issues of the Scranton Truth, descriptive of life in the Lackawanna Valley 40 years ago.

Slight Change in Name. At the March meeting of City Council the name of Careytown Koad was changed to Carey Avenue. The Careys, for whom the throughfare was named, were pioneers in old Wyoming and their memory is held in high esteem. Eleazer Carey was one of the first settlers in Wyoming Valley, coming first in 1769 and bringing his family from Connecticut three years later. Of the sons, John was a soldier in the Revolutionary Army, settling afterwards below WilkesBarre on the river road, the community being known ever after as Careytown. Nathan was in the battle of Wyoming, but escaped. Benjamin and Comfort were mere lads when the battle occurred, and afterwards they settled in Hanover Township. Benjamin was the father of ten children, of whom Sarah, who married Bateman Downing, was the mother of our townsman Reuben Downing.

Loveland Genealogy.

George Loveland, Esq., of this city, has been engaged for several years in an interested search for data pertaining to the Loveland family. He already has enough material to fill a good sized volume. The other day he received a copy of the Rutland, Vermont, Record, dated Feb. 26, 1887, giving the following interesting reference to a remarkably long-lived family of his kinsfolk:

A remarkable family gathering was held last Friday afternoon at the residence of Mr. S. B. Loveland, in Proctor, one of our best known inhabitants, who has 1 ved all his life on a farm here, which has been in the possession of his family for almost a hundred years. It was a re-union of all the members of his family, with the exception of two, who found it impossible to attend. There were present Mrs. Wheeler, of Brandon, age 90 years; Mrs. Goodrich, of Brandon, age 88 years; Mrs. Betsey Mead, of Rutland Valley, age 84 years; Mrs. Ruth Parmelee, of Toledo, Ohio, age 80 years, Mrs. Hewitt of Brandon, age 75 years, Mrs. Butterfield, of Tenbridge, age 72 years, all of them sisters of Mr. Loveland and widows, and besides these Miss Lozina Loveland, age 75 years. A. N. Loveland Pittsford, age 67 another sister and brother, and Mr. Loveland himself who is 70 years old. united age of these nine members of the family is 701 years, to which must be added the age of another sister and brother not present, 160 years, making a total of 361 years, a record which is hardly, if ever, excelled. Their health, is in spite of their advanced age, the best and they all have preserved the use of all their faculties in a remarkable degree. All of them but one were born and brought up on the old homestead.

years,

The

An Autograph Letter of Washington. The RECORD is permitted to reprint a hitherto uupublished letter from Gen.George Washington to Major Samuel Hodgdon. Major Hodgdon was Commissary of Subsistence in the army of the Revolutionary war and a personal friend of Washington. The original letter 18 in the possession of Mrs. Dr. Urquhart, who is a granddaughter of Major Hodgdon. The letter was written at the close of the Revolutionary War, between the sessions of Congress, which opened at Princeton, N. J., June 30, 1783 and closed at Annapolis, Md., Nov. 26, 1783:

PHILADELPHIA, 13th Dec. 1783-SIR:The Trunk, and two boxes or cases which you brought from New York for me, with a few other articles, which I shall send to you tomorrow, I would have go by Land as my Papers, and other valuable things are contained in them.

The Boxes and other parcels which were sent from Rockyhill by Col. Morgan, may go by water to Alexandria, for which place a vessel (Col. Biddle informs me) is just on the point of sailing, and will probably be the last for that River, Potomack, this season -let me intreat therefore that the opportunity may not be lost in sending them by her.

Inclosed is 40 dollars-5 more than your account.-I am sir as

SAM'L HODGDON Esq.

Most obed. Servt G. WASHINGTON.

Almost a Golden Wedding.

On April 2d occurred the 45th anniversary of the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Morgan. Mr. Morgan is a Wilkes-Barrean by continuous residence of over half a century, and was married on April 2, 1842 by Rev. Mr. Bristol, then pastor of the M. E. church in Wilkes-Barre. A year later he entered the boot and shoe business, the firm being Kline & Morgan until 1847, when Mr. Morgan became sole proprietor. The establishment grew into large proportions, becoming one of the substantial industries of the town, by reason of Mr. Morgan's sterling business qualities. In 1879 its owner and founder had the satisfaction of placing the business in the hands of two of his sons who are now engaged as wholesale manufacturers with a large factory on North Main Street.

In 1868, though still engaged in the shoe business Mr. Morgan established the hardware firm of C. Morgan & Son on the present location of the People's Bank. March of last year he severed his conection with this concern also, leaving it in the

In

hands of his three other sons who conduct the business on the sound principles which have made it a permanent success. Mr. Morgan has now laid aside the active responsibilities of business life, and has the rare pleasure of seeing his five sons established on their own feet in control of two of the important industries of the town.

On Saturday there was a quiet family reunion at the residence on North Franklin Street, all of Mr. and Mrs. Morgan's children being present. A golden wedding is an anniversary of rare occurrence in WilkesBarre, but Mr. and Mrs. Morgan have reason to anticipate such a celebration, the former being 73 and the latter 64 years of age, both being hale and hearty.

Another Old Land Mark Going.

That historic old residence corner of Franklin and Union Streets, once occupied by Chief Justice John Bannister Gibson, is now in process of demolition to make room for the block of six private residences to occupy the same lot extending from Union street to the old canal, now L.V. RR. track. This is an old structure, so old that perhaps no one living here remembers when it was built or by whom; the frame is yet staunch and sound, but the style of architecture is too antiquated for the present generation, and more than that, land is too scare to allow a half acre to each dwelling here in the central portion of the city.

The old frame building adjoining the Leader office about to be removed to make room for two fine wholesale stores, though it may not be considered as among the "old landmarks," is yet not of very recent date. It was first used as a public house by Archippus Parrish, after the destruction by fire of his former hotel, which stood on the east side of the Public Square, about where Josiah Lewis' stores now are. The old tavern was burned on the night of 22d February, about the year 1831. The sleighing was fine on that day and there was to be a Washington's birth-day ball at night. Bright fires had been kindled to warm up some of the upper rooms for the comfort of expected guests during the early evening, when at about 9 o'clock a cry of fire was heard on the Public Square and flames were seen shooting up through the shingles of the roof, and in half an hour the old hostelry was reduced to ashes. The new building was used but a short time before Mr. Parrish removed to another hotel, corner of Public Square and East Market Street, which was also destroyed by fire many years ago.