Ufa fEB 4 1915 "LAND 0' THE LEAL" Home of Roosevelt's Ancestors in Bucks The Story of a Sturdy People. Little Colony of Ulster Scots who were Prominent for their Piety and Courage. Sketch of the Home Life of a Self-Reliant Race. The fact that the foremost citizen of America, Theodore Roosevelt, Presiden' _of tile Un'ted States, sprans? from Buck county ancestry, lends at this time addi- tional interest to the history of his pro- genitors and their v.-ontemporaries. our early Scotch-Irish settlers. Histor-. has touched lightly upon the home life of the little colony of Ulster .Scots, who settled on the banks of the Neshaminy in the townships of Warwick, Warr ingion and Sew Britain, but these people wnr^ none the less worthy of a prominent place in the records of the past. Driven by religious persecution from their native highlands in the Seventeenth century, the remnants nf many a noble clan sought temporary ri-f uge in the province of Ulster, Irleand, from whence, between the years 17S0 and 1740, thousand of them migrated to America and peopled the hills and val- leys of Pennsylvania's frontier witn a sturdy rugged race that was destined to play an important part in the formation of our national character. Clannish by nature and tradition, they .clung together in small coranmnilies of 'two score or more families, a majority of j them related by ties of blood or marriage. I They took up the unsettled portions of \he new province. Accustomed for gen- fc'ations to the rugged mountain sides of Aieir native land, the roughness of the new territory did not discourage them. Ifl foot the steep hillsides on the banks of our riVers and smaller streams, shunned or neglected by the earlier English set- tlers, seem to have had an especial attrac- tion for them. Thus we ttnd the two I most considerable settlements of Scotch- / Irish in onr onrn oo*;j:frj', fc.'ie otie on tile banks of the Neshaminy in Warwick, Warrington and New Britain, and the other along the Tohickon in Tinicum. I There were several distinct trends of iiiigration in the settlement of our county. The English Quaker element, welliiig up from the Falls and Middletown in the closing years of the Seveneenth and the beginning of the Eighteenth century, kept to the east of the Neshaminy, up through Wrightstown and the Makeflekls, into Buckingham and Solebury and over- flowed into Plumstead, while the Dutch settlement in North and Southampton expanded into the lower half of War- minster, and the Germans and Welsh Baptists worked their way over our borders from the westward, through the upper half of New Britain, Hilltown and the territory farther north. The greater part of Warrington, Warwick and New Britain was owned during the first quarter of the century by non-resident land spectulators L-ather than by actual Bettlers. To this section, between 1720 and 1740, came two score or more families frcji the Province of Ulster. The Lungs, Griers, Jamesons.Kerrs. Millera,.Stewarts, Finleys, Darrochs, Walkers, Wallaces, Grays, Craigs. Creightons, Polks, Bar- clays, Weirs, Hairs, Barnhills and a score of others all more or less onnected by ties of consanguinity or marriage. The Jamesons. Longs, Polks, Breadys, Mearns, Brackenridges and Millers purchased large tracts in the lower end of Wanine- ton and Warwick between 1720 and 1730. Just north of rhese tracts, and lying be- tween the Bristol and Street roads, was a tract, of neirlv 2000 acres, patented to William .\llen"in 1730 The whole of this tract was taken up by Scotch Irish families prior to 1740, as well 'as the strip of land lying between it and the County line and large tracts in New Britain and Warwick. Upon these various tracts, comprisine a compact area of probably 10 000 acres, was established a community as unique as it w.as interesting. Looked upon with suspicion, regarded as little better than barbarians by their Quaker neighbors on the east, and having little intercourse with the Germans on the north by reason of alien customs and language and hav- ing within its borders, all the necessities of a primitive life, owing to the diver- sity of trade and calling of its indivdual members, this community became suffi- cient unto itself. Here were transplanted and cherished, so nearly as their primitive enrivonment would permit, the customs of their native land. The quaint dialect of the Scotch yeomanry was used for gener?i^it!»s Ho Isolated were they in a sense, and so tenaciously did they cling to the mother tongue, that many of their descendants now living, can. recall the "dinna ye ken" and like expressions of their grand- parents, to whom they were always the "byes and lasses" Also tenacious in their peculiar religious views, those of the Presbyterian Kirk, of Scotland, one of their first concerns was the establish- ment of a Kirk of their own, which sur- vives today in the Neshaminy Church of Warwick, built in 1727. Possessed of a. character as stern and uncompromising as the granite of their native mountains, this little colony did not concern itself in the affairs of its neigh- bors. Indeed there was no occasion to do so. They had brought with them the things they needed, and had inherent In their nature that which made them a people separate and apart from the com- munities by which they were surrounded. In their lives and characters was a decla- ration of independence in itself, that nourished the spirit of freedom, which ■was to carry these people into the thick of / •3 :, ^j^-^i?. th<- fl(;ht whi'n the time arrlvi>d to bid dHfliincv to thf- iMolhiT country This Bpirlt WHS ftirthfr iiiiKint-ni^^ bv (heir In- de(i»-n»!»*nce nnd n*Mnini"* in x\\** liewiop- nient •• ov»*restiiiiat**d. Prlnivt-on. as well an like Inhtitutiona vlvewherv. hiul lc« lnu*-piU>ii in ort own Ixii; C"oll.-(.'.-.and Finley. it.s llri-t l^rwsident was akin to tbo8e of thi* tsime nunie In Warrington The soUH of Huck8 county's sturdy pionet-rH were constrfintly pushing on 1»'- Toiid uur frontiers, cjirrylng with ihem the lessons of fnignlity, piety and Inde- pendence. learn>*m- Miunliy Th>-> foruH-d new colonies and engenden*i'ndenc>- In our Suite And lntiej*'nttenci' aci-oiuplishtHl they re- lurneil to their homes nuil again took up the liuslm 8.S of self uuvrmmeht. ijnmdened nnd reflni-U by cont^tcl with the outside World — the primitive characteristics of Ihelr early life goa. — but n-taining the liule|>en(lim'v and courage of their for bears which hail develo|»'-nu)vrner the slie of "'Iraig's TaM-rn" now Warring- (onvllle Daniel t'nilgs 'J.'iu acn- tnicl lay next above that of liray, and Thomas Craig's pun-has<' »t 'JlL' airi'S adj-s of Kli-hard Walker lay along what was then the New lirlialn line. th« ITri m-n- tract o William Cr<-lghton intt-r- veiilMg l»*twseveli. Ihesi- thn-e men. Ki<'har I???., n:.^ ^n*- commlsslo xt a captain in the provincial s-Tvli-e February V>. \'W He die«l April 11. I7yl lived KM years His w'fe. .Sirah Craig. dl.-d April' 2, 17S4 ageil 7x years. John Gray was o true dl-i-lple of John Knox. He was oneof the lirst lrusi«vs of the "New LiL-hts" of the Sehhamlny Church after the H<-paniilon in 1741. and was one of the most active in the propo- gallon of Ihe (ios|Kd "aivonlliiif to the riles and usagesof the Pri-sbvteri.iii Kirk of .-;c«.tland." He dii-d .-Vpril --'7. 17t«, aged r>7 yeiirs By will d il>-sinsi-n> of her iiart-nts & her .\uiit Margan*t, with whom sin- now livi^s. I do bei|iieith to her live pounds iiion". " After milking small l>H|Ue>ts to cousins in Ire- land and els<-when' he devis<-s all the bil- nno- of his estate ^> his wife Margiovi for life, whi-u one half of it is to go to thi- pn-panition of souths for the ministry. He entirel;. igiiori'd his two sims John anil Jiuites, who had bi^xime pioni^'rs in the valley of the Juniata, whence the former r»'tiir "d to the home of his luothiT In Warriigt- ton to die in 17.MI after his wife n'«i cli/d hml bei-n carried Into wiptivity by tie Indians. Daniel Cmlg lived to an lulvancj-d iiije and dl«l one month l»-fori' the De»'l« ii- ti'in of Inilfptmileni^-. Iui\ing lus-n lotallf blind for si-veral years. His widow Mar- gari't and eight rhlirtri-n surrivwU him. His sons Thomas and John were among the most prominent in thedefemv of Kheir itiuntry in the war of the |{«'Volu- llon. Thomas was coiiiiiiissioni'd a Cap- tain Oclobi-r 2:1. 1771). and <-.iiiimanded a coiiutny In Col. Williaiu Baxter's Hegl- nient ot the " Klvin^l^aini)" In th<' bat- tle of Forth WashingUm. Nov. 177tl. His o-rtillcnte of the il.ath of Col. Baxter In this Ivillle is .,n lile in the tirplmns' couit olllc*' of Bucks county in «>nn.-ction with the widow Baxter's aiiplicjiilon for "half Iniy. ' He M-rveil through the en- tln- wai- and at its close was Cummis sloner of Pun-ha.s«-s for the army with Ihe rank of Colonel His itaislns, Thomas and John Cmlg, of .Northam|>ton. wen- al»> among the moat prominent of I'enn- gylvanla's soldiers in Ihe Id-volution, the former r»'tlring with the rank of (ienernl. The other children of Daniel Cmlg w.-re William. evidenlly a "ne'.rdo w.-ll " ix-n- Bion.-. l«fore n-fernd t«i; Sarah, v i Barn- hill; Jane, wife of .... .rnhill '^Uv^ the property of his descendants for 100 years and much of It for nearly half a century later. Richard Hough died in 1706 and by will dated May 1, 1704, devised the whole tract to his son, Joseph Hough who settled thereon and became a very promi- nent man in the community. On January 10, 1761 Joseph Hough and ^iizsi- beth his wife, conveyed the above men- tioned tract in about equal tracts to his sons Joseph Jr., and John Hough, re- spectively, the division line running a northwest course directly across the tract seviral perches southwest of the Nesham- iny, the southwestern end going to Joseph Hough and the northeastern end contain- ing about 150 acres, to John Hough. It was on the last-mentioned tract that the ancient mill was erected. It stood directly on the southwest bank of the Neshaniiny, near the late residence of Thomas Fr s, about one mile northwest of the alms- house, on land nowt- 3 property of Charles B. Krause, of Uoyle^'own. Not the least remnant of the walls of the old mill pre now visible on the surface of the ground, clearly indicates that the mill was built against the steep sloping bank of the creek so that the second stor was easily entered from the surface of tlie lane which led to it down the bank of the Neshaniiny and a remnant of the road which led around to the mill to give access to the lower story is still plainly visible as is also the ancient tail race.running almost in north- easterly direction to the Neslhaminy at a point diectly opposite the buildings on the present Krause farm. This tail race is still mentioned, in the deeds as the division between the Krause and Fries farms. When this ancient mill was built and how long it continued to supply the earl_v settlers with the stall of lite, is very much a matter of conjecture. But that it was one of the earliest mills erected on the upper Neshaininy is beyond a doubt and it probably antedates the old Turk mill which was built about 1750. The Hough's though of two distinct families were pioneer millers in this vicinity. 'John Hough, of another family, was one of the builders of the Carversville mill in 1730, another John Hough was the owner and operator of the mill at Mechanics Valley as early as 1754, and John Hough, of the Warwick family, became the owner of the Turk Mills in 1797. The first authentic record we have of this ancient mill is in the year 17e8. when Robert Tompkins, petitions the Court of Quarter Sessions of Bucks county, setting forth that he had rented the 'M griat and sawmill of John Hough in Warwick and asks for ttie opening of n, road from the Bristol road at George Hair's meadow to the said mill. George Hairs' meadow was at the present village of TraUesville ant' the road laid out in pursuance of the petition above referred to probably followed the old line of the Hough tract str, ignt down to the Ne shaminv about three-eighths of a mile above the mill, where it interesected the present road from New Britain to the Almshouse. From the point where the almshou.'e road makes a detour to the right a private road still leads down to the old mill site. The first mile of the new road is the present State roati from Tradesville eastvmrd. The dam which supplied the water for the old mill proba- bly extended across the Xeshaminy hut a few yards above the mill, but very little trace of it can be discerned at this time, the frosts and floods of a century having well-nigh obliterated all trace of it. On January 20, 180'2, John Hough con- veyed to his son Thomas what purported to be "about 150 acres" of the 414 acres conveyed to him by his father in 1701. but which was really i84 acres and 9 perches as shown by later conveyances comprising the present Krause and Costello farms. The description in this deed beginning at the Wells road is as follows: "Thence by other land of sd John Hough an qlu southwest course to the middle of Ne- shaminy Creek, thence up the middle of the same the several courses thereof to the on<2 at t.be ^^^^. ?-j»!I fpoe of »hp nl :i luilJ, where it formerly emptied into said creek, thence up along the middle uf said tail race to the old mill seat. " cCc , &c. This clearly demonstrates that the "old mill" had become a thing of the past one hundred years ago and it protably was abandoned somewhere between 1788 and 17yO when the present Reed mill a mile further up the Neshaminy was erected by Daviil Grove. These are what some may term the dry records concerning this ancient mill, but they supply the foundation for funcy to build anew the old structure and to re- people with folks long since dead its charming environment. The site is at the present time one of the picturesque spots in the county. The Neshaminy, winding down from Castle Valley, courses along a high, s| ruce clad bluff and no doubt on the loadway at the foot of the rocky hill there could have been seen in by-gone days the slow-moving ox cart or the old farm horse with the barefoot boy astride bearing home the bag of meal. There were no big towns at hand or railways to carry one to the distant cities in those days, ajid social conaitions were devoid of the tormality that makes this or that class to day. But now and then there would came among these early inhabitants of the county some [lerson di.sti i-'uished from the common folk whose evCentricities would long be remembered. Thus it was with Thomas Meredith said to be study-crazed who dreamed that he was- building a great CttsCl^ ove-rloakir^-iJC *-h" twj.t.iififiij valley that bears that name. The kind hearted people humored his fancy and conveyed logs from the mill to the castle site, that the old man might continue his child's play. This is only one incident of the many that could be reailled to lend addi- tional charm to the story of this long for- gotten mill. THEANTIQCJARY. Miirj- I^wlii Hnd Rebecca, wife of Hiiirh SuMihenttin Siirah. the neconil (laiif^hbT of Daniel nnil MiirKor^l CrilK- fn-nis to hiive Kfi-tit 'it least Ik pr>rtl<>D of her iflrl- h'Rxl (liiVH with her unrle iind aunt John uml M irimivt (iniv. as eviilenre*! hv thi- will wf the firiM-r In IT4», Whether r.he "in:irrie«l with the ei)n~-nt of her ptn-nts anil her Aunt Mirpun-t" |8 not iliiielo«-f KoU-rt Htirnhill. a Seotvh Irish Itninitmnt who was n resident of New Hrit.iin lus early as 173M. and probably a decade earlier. As I{<>hert Unrnhill was one of the pi-Il- Uoni-rs for the hiving out of the Ferry Ko.ul, ( the pres«'nt line between Doyles- town ami .New Rrliain townships i In lT:i^. he W.18 prohjihly the holder under leas.' of the ai'.' acr»-s he purchnio-d six years later of John KIrkbrlde. This tract Jay to rit'ht of the New (jiilenn, e.xtenil- lUkT from the Kerry lio^td to the New (iaiena K»ad Ijetwien the Wljit. in and St.-wiiri tracts, the latter belntf the pn-s- enr Arthur Chapman farm KoU-rt and t'aarh Mnilitiiil (Sinve.i Ife to it.uir soi., Jolwi Hirnhlll. NoveniliiT 11, ITtll In the yi-ar IT.'si John Bjirnhill piirchaM-vl HHS a'T»*s in Warwick Ivlnjf on both sUles of the Vnrk r<>.'id comprising.' all thai part of the vlll.itre of Jamison lyinir east of the A nishouse ro;ul and extt-ndlne enslward to a iiotnt near the prt-sent residence of I'.itruk Hre»n li was |>art of the iireat K'niiii.'tn triet of Itf-J,") aiTe-i. In the year KtS' .lames Itaii-lltfe was (rninied a Ik-t-nst- to k> ep a tavern on the York Hoad within the Imunds of this tract, presumably at the iir-hent site of the Jamison Hotel, and (he years later David l..inds<-y who was a tenant of Itodman |ii-lltloned for and was ^rante the Gov- ernor for a llo-nse. His petition wn« itraiiled and he continued to keep the luvern until I7i>l, when he sold lln' pn«p- eriy to Isvac Hutchinson and removed to Phllmlelphia. when; he continued to be known as an "Innkeeper" as late a^ 17i»7. On July 'ii. I7ii;. he puchased of Benja- min Davis two brick nouses i^n the south side of Kim stnvt. between Se<-ond and Third sreets. which we Rupi»se to bi" thv site of hlg. inn. In I'lft he purchased a tract of N.*! acres in Oxford township, on the bunks of thi- Delaware. By 177l' he had l»-coine a merchant and purchaHMl in that ye..rthe site of iJ North Third street, wher»' he contlnue«l to ki-eii a store until his death in 17'.t7. His wlaow Sarah sur- vived him They had thix* cblldivn, liiiber*. the |tre«t-(rrnuilfail>er of l>r»*l- dent RiK)!»-velt, born In New Britain township In I7.'>1, Mar(tar.t. who married llrst a Henry and st-cond a Burpess, and .''arah, wife' of Henry Toland. Robert Barnhlll married Maruiin't Putlai, dauph- •••r of John Potl8, of (jeniiantown. and like his father enffa(ie«l in the mercantile business. In ITld he w.'is lo<-jil.-d at iC North Thlrtl street, but at his f.ither's death, in 1?.'7, purch(is«l the stoiv formerly iK-cupi«l by the fath.T He dle»l in l^l^. His daughter Alnrfturei, lOumea Cornelius Viin .'"chalch Uoosevelt, Krandfutber of the President There were lu.tny other members of the Scot<'h- Irish colony on the Nesjijuiiiny quite as worthy of mention as tlios«- refer red to in this brief article, si>nie of whom achieved distinction either here or in other jBirls of the country. .\ number of the sons of the Warwick seiilers were plontH-rs In the s>-ttlement of the "dark and bliKxlv ground," on the bunks of the Ohl.i Anions the lievolutionary hemes fniin the Neshamin.v settlement mit:ht be men- tioned t'ol. William Ba.Mer, whoik- hemic death has Uen n f. rtN-mi' of these worthy jieople and the plaivs of their abode. THE ANTIQUARY A Long Forgotten Mill. An Ancient Structure that Stood on the Bank of the Ne- shaminy. In Warwick Township. M<»re than a Century and a Half A$o. Some wwks a^o the attention of the writer was arnst.d by a n-ference in a ilea'd t4i an old mill on the Neshaminy In Warwick townshl|i. the exlstj'in-"' of which no one niw llvinit remeiiiliers. Till- lis-al ami<|Uary Is always lnt<>n where the old Dyer's mill mad, now the Doylestown and Willow llnive turnpike, ernsws the Neshaminy. It extended from the Bristol n>nd to the W.-lls riuid, and was boiiniled on the southi'.'isT bv f h'- Bo alms hoiiM- Ire ' by the land of tl ^ lat«'r James Menoilli and «iii>rt.- Uair. This tract wasinnveyi^d hv Jo(» |ili Clowes lo his Ron Inhiw, Richard Hough In the year littj and the entire tract n-tualnvd