'^> • V %^^^' ^ i^ "W* •^: ^^/ .•^- "W* -M^ *^ %/ '\o'^ V^^*.^-^^ %^^^'\o'> \/^o*J ^^\^:i^^'^^ .^r.!^-._V J>\:iiki.^^^ y. \.^^ **'% ''V' v**^^*/ v^^'V V'^^v .•>o ^AriJ^'*^ oo^.^^jSi..^ /..ii^.\ ,4q V-i^'\.»*' WILLIAM H GLACE Early History and Reminiscences OF CATASAUQU A IN PENNSYLVANIA BY WILLIAM H. GLACE 1914 SEARLE S DRESSLER CO., INC. PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS ALLENTOWN, PA. C23 QS TO THE MEMORY OF MY PARENTS This Compilation is AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED PREFACE When I Vv'as a boy, my attention was drawn to the early history of this community by my parents, my grand-parents, and my great-grand-father in narrat- ing to me occurrences, incidents and reminiscences which related to local affairs on both sides of the Le- high River. My mother's great-grand-parents (the Mickleys) located in Whitehall township near Egypt along Coplay Creek in 1733, and her grand-parents (the Swartzes) in the Irish Settlement along Dry Run in 1787. My father migrated from Mauch- Chunk to Biery's-Port in 1830; I was born on the Christian Swartz plantation in 1839 ; and my parents established their residence at Catasauqua in 1845 ; and here I have been until now, excepting my absence from home while serving in the Civil War from 1861 to 1864. I was admitted to the Bar of Lehigh County in 1868, and, during a long practice of my profession as an attorney-at-law at Catasauqua since that time, ray business related almost wholly to the settlement of estates and the transmission of title to property in the borough and the surrounding townships; and, besides being thus identified with local affairs as a legal adviser, I was practically concerned for a time in the administration of the local government as a Justice of the Peace and Chief Burgess. It was in this manner that I became thoroughly familiar with all the important matters and things of the community, not only of a financial and political nature, but of an historical nature as well. With this knowledge of the early local affairs, quite naturally, therefore, when the people of Catasauqua determined to celebrate the "Seventy-fifth Anniver- sary ' ' of the founding of the town, I united with other interested citizens to make the necessary preparations for the extraordinary occasion ; and now, as the Chair- man of the Historical Committee, I submit this com- pilation, limited to the "Early History," as my con- tribution towards its proper observance. It will be noticed that I confined the compilation to the times anterior to the Civil War, excepting several prominent matters which I could not well present only partly described. William H. Glace. February 12, 1914. CONTENTS Page Original Title 7 Irish Settlement 9 Indian Relics 10 Weiser Letter 11 Early Residents 12 Crane Iron Works 19 Thomas and Contemporaries 28 Thomas Letter 40 Character of Employees 42 Local Improvements 43 Oldest Buildings 65 First Occupations 68 First Rocker 72 First Carriage 72 First Sulphur Matches 72 Churches 72 Fairview Cemetery 81 Soldiers' Monument 83 First Funeral 87 Early Schools 89 Public Libraries 95 Brass Band 96 Temperance Societies 96 Political Animosity 96 Mexican War 99 Incorporation of Borough 100 Banks 107 Justices of the Peace Ill Burgesses 112 Census 112 Early History and Reminiscences OF THE BOROUGH OF CATASAUQUA ORIGINAL TITLE— The Borough of Catasauqua is situated on a part of 10,000 acres which William Penn, the Proprietary of Pennsylvania, devised to his daughter Letitia, who afterward married William Au- brey, of London, England, and in 1731 they granted and conveyed this land to John Page. Some months afterward. Page secured a warrant, dated at London, Oct. 10, 1731, to take up 2,723 acres of the 10,000 acres, and in pursuance of this warrant, Nicholas Scull, on Oct. 10, 1736, surveyed and set apart the same for him. The patent from the Proprietaries to Page erected the tract of 2,723 acres into a Manor, by the name of ' ' Chawton, ' ' in the following words : — "And we do further by these presents and by virtue of the power and authorities granted by the Royal Charter to our Father William Penn, Esq., by his majesty, Charles the Second, erect said tract into a manor and to call it 'Chawton' and so from henceforth we will have it called, and reposing trust and confidence in the prudence and ability and integrity of the said Page and his loyalty to our sovereign. Lord George the Second, do give and grant untn the said John Page, his heirs and assigns, full power and authority to erect and constitute with the said manor a Court Baron with all things whatsoever which to a Court Baron do belong, and to have and to hold view of Frank Pledges, for the consideration of the peace and better government of the inhabitants within the said Manor by the said John Page, his heirs and assigns, or his or their stewards lawfully deputed and generally to do and to use all things which to the view of Frank Pledges do belong, or may or ought to belong : To be holden of us, our successors, proprietors of Pennsylvania, as of the signory of 'Windsor' in free and common socage by fealty or in lieu of all other services, yielding and paying 8 EARLY HISTORY therefor yearly unto us, ourselves and successors, one red rose on the 24th day of June in every year from hereafter in the City of Phila- delphia to such person or persons as shall from time to time be ap- pointed to receive the same." John Page died aged 60 years. He was by profes- sion an attorney, and as such acted for William Penn's heirs. He also owned another tract of 1,500 acres, adjoining the 2,723 acre tract. He acted as agent for William Penn from 1707 until his decease in 1718. The 1,500 acre tract was given for services rendered but was not invested with the right of a Court-Baron. John Page b}^ his will, bearing date July 18, 1741, devised all his land and estate in Pennsylvania to Evan Patterson, of Old Broad Street, in London, who, by Letter of Attorney, dated July 7, 1750, appointed William Allen of the city of Philadelphia and William Webb of the county of Chester, his true and lawful attorneys, to bargain, sell and convey any lands in his name. There has been some controversy as to whether the Manor was called "Chawton" or "Charotin. " It is true that in some of the older deeds at Easton Re- corder 's office the word is written ' ' Charotin ; ' ' but local antiquarians, who have paid some attention to this matter, agree that it was written wrongly by some scrivener or written illegibly, so that the clerks in the Recorder's Office wrote Charotin for what was or meant to be ' ' Chawton ; ' ' for it can be seen that if the letter "w" were not written plainly it could easily be meant for " ro, " thus making it Charotin. Among the names of the early settlers and pur- chasers of this tract are the following : Thomas Arm- strong, Robert Gibson, Robert Clendennin, Joseph Wright, John Elliott, Andrew Mann, George Taylor and Nathaniel Taylor, all Irish names, showing that the town is situated within the bounds of the original Irish Settlement. IRISH SETTLEMENT 9 Nathaniel Taylor resided on the Lehigh River, north of the town, at "Dry-Run." In his will at Easton, he mentions the spring on the Lehigh, south of Dry-Run. This tract was purchased in 1787 by Christian Swartz of Longs wamp township, in Berks county. The writer was born here and is a great grand son of said settler. Swartz 's Dam takes its name from him. It was long supposed that Nathaniel Taylor was the father of George Taylor, but later investigations go to show that his father never left Ireland. The Armstrong tract contained about 330 acres. The greater part of this is noAV owned by the de- scendants of Jacob Deily. It was previously pur- chased in 1767 by George Taylor. The Robert Gibson tract contained 1931^ acres and included the Paul Faust farm. Part of this land is now" owned by the Lackawanna Land Co. That portion of the original tract in which the greater part of the town was first built appears to have passed into the possession of Andrew Hower and Marks John Biddle, of Philadelphia, who secured possession of 190 acres at a Sheriff's sale in 1795. Frederick Biery made his purchase from Biddle in 1795. Biddle also sold some portions of his land to Ziegler, who sold to Biery and Kurtz. Hower retained a small amount of the land situated at 3rd and Walnut streets until 1823, when he sold it to John Peter. IRISH SETTLEMENT— Rev. Leslie Irwin stated in a letter to David Thomas (in which he requested the privilege of preaching in the Old Church of the Irish Settlement), that, according to the original grant to the Irish settlers, it extended from Siegfried's to Koehler's at the locks, one mile below Catasauqua, and this was confirmed by Rev. Mr. Clyde in his 10 EARLY HISTORY history of this settlement, and extended in the form of a trapezoid beyond Bath. A peculiarity of these people was an innate disposi- tion to argue, for some of them were educated, and, while the Pennsylvania Germans delved and dug, they themselves would not toil hard, but would discuss the possibilities of the French and English War in Canada, and the prospect of a war with the mother country. They established a small academy on the Monocacy creek which was the fore-runner of the Lafayette College at Easton. When the Revolution came, they responded patriotically, and their pastor, Rev. John Rosburgh, organized a company and fell at the Battle of Trenton. Their disinclination to manual labor caused them to sell their farms when good prices could be obtained, and in almost every case, a Pennsylvania German was the purchaser, so that by the year 1800 not an Irish owner of land was left along the Lehigh river, nor within two or three miles of it. This disposition asserted itself for years afterward, and now there are only a few descendants living in the settlement. As they sold their farms they went to Central Pennsylvania and the West, where land was cheaper. Another important factor was their inter-marriage amongst themselves (very few marrying out of the Colony) and the sterility of the families was a natural consequence. INDIAN RELICS— Very few relics of the past have been found in the vicinity of Catasauqua. When the Lehigh Valley R. R. was constructed an Indian skull was found on the bluff below the station, sur- rounded by boards, pipe and other relics. Opposite the mouth of Coplay creek, when the Canal was dug, many arrow-heads of flint were found, showing that the Indians had made these WEISER LETTER 11 arrow-heads where the spring flowed into the Lehigh river. Joseph Miller (who lived in the old stone house on the road to Hokendau(iua, above the cemetery gates), told me shortly before his death in 1866 that he heard his grand-father say that there was an Indian bury- ing ground on the lowlands and while standing on the hills on the opposite side of the river and peering through the heavy under-brush and evergreens, he saw at different times parties of Indians bury their dead at that place. WEISER LETTER— I found the following re- markable letter amongst my papers relating to local history which I have had in my possession since 1858. The predicted incursion occurred in 1757, and again in 1763. Some of the barbarous cruelties of the Indians during the latter were inflicted upon the inhabitants of Whitehall township in the vicinity of Egypt, several miles northwest of the Irish Settle- ment. This malicious attack resulted from the decep- tion practiced upon the Indians in the "Walking Purchase," conducted by the Provincial Government in 1737, when their land was taken under an agree- ment, lying between the Delaware and Lehigh rivers, and extending from the "fork" at Easton to the Blue Mountains. It included the Irish settlement. Gentienipn : — I am from good authority informed that the enemy Indians have attacked the Frontiers in Northampton county nnd that intelligence has been given to an officer of credit by a Friend Indian that a considerable body of French and their Indians design again to invade the Province and a number are on their way to fall afresh on the Minnisinks or parts adjacent. The particular view of the Ohio Indians at this time, as it is reasonably supposed, is to obstruct the Susquehanna Indians in their treaty with the English and to prevent thereby a well-established peace between them. How the forces, within the battalion I have the honour to com- mand, may be disposed of, upon the expected incursion of the savages and the French who prompt them with a cruelty equal to that of the barbarians, I cannot say ; but you may depend on it that I 12 EARLY HISTORY sh- 11 ever endeavor to serve the country l)y doine; all in my power to succour every distressed part as soon as possible. But, gentlemen, you must knovi' that the number of forts which are on the east side of the Susquehanna will require a very large part of the First Battalion to garrison them and to allow of scouting parties to watch the motions of the barbarians. It will therefore be necessary that the inhabitants should do all in their power to defend themselves and neighbors against an enemy whom we know by e.xperience to strike great terror wherever they commit their ravages. I recommend it to you to persuade your neighbors to associate them selves immediately into companies under discreet officers of their own choice, that we may be able to preserve our own and the lives of our tender wives and children. Great must be the advantage we shall give the enemy if we are tinprepared upon their sudden invasion. It needs, not much reflection upon what happened about 16 months ago to bring to your minds the amazement and confusion with which the spirits of our people were effected upon a sudden incursion of Indians of whose numbers we were never well informed. It would appear as if I had an ill opinion of the disposition of my countrymen to suggest any special motives upon this occasion. I only pray that Divine Providence may direct you to proper measures and then you can not fail of success in an endeavor to serve your country. In which service you may depend on my promise that you will be ever joined hy Your most humble servant, CONRAD WEISEK, L. Col. ATTEST: WM. PARSONS. Reading, April 27th, 1757. EARLY RESIDENTS— Prior to the establish- ment of the iron-works, this locality, which was known as Biery's Port, was settled in about the same degree as the surrounding countr}^ the few residents having been farmers with one or two exceptions. There were only four families owning the ground on which the town was originally incorporated, the Bierys, Fausts, Peters and Breischs, and of these, one family, Fausts, resided beyond the present borough limits. The Deilys lived in the old stone house, south of the creek, which was ])uilt in 1767 ; and Mr. Kurtz, east of town, on a farm. The Bierys (Frederick and Henry) had come to the locality soon after 1800, and bought the stone mill, EARLY RESIDENTS 13 afterward owned by William Younger, and since 1897 by Mauser & Cressnian, who then rebuilt it and have since carried on the business. Henry Biery soon re- moved to New York; but Frederick remained and exerted his energy in making many improvements in the neighborhood. He carried on what was known as Biery 's Ferry, and in 1824 built a chain bridge, which was swept away by the high water of 1841. It was rebuilt the same year, and in the progress of the work Daniel Tombler received injuries from which he died. This chain bridge of 1841 was taken down and a wooden bridge erected in its place in 1852, which was destroyed by the flood of 1862, when the second wooden bridge was erected. He built a stone tavern (still standing and occupied as a private house) in 1826, and a stone building of the same material (also standing) in 1835 ; also a stone house in 1830, now occupied by Frank Mauser. Thus a little cluster oi buildings was in existence at the east end of Biery 's Bridge. His sons were Daniel, Jonas, Solomon, David and William ; and his daughters were the wives of N. Snyder, Samuel Koehler and Jacob Buehler. Solo- mon inherited his father's energy, and was during his Avhole life an active character. He carried on a tavern for many years. Jonas was engaged in the lumber trade. John Peter lived at what is now the corner of Bridge and Front streets, and this spot is still marked by his old stone barn. He moved to this location in 1823 from Heidelberg (where he was born in 1799), and bought his small farm of Andrew Hower, at first occupying a house which had been built by John Zoundt, and afterwards erected a stone dwelling. He followed weaving for nine years, and was one of the first lock-tenders for the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. In 1851 he moved away and died at Allentown. The Faust family had been long settled just north of the borough boundary. The first representative 14 EARLY HISTORY of the family here was John Philip Faust. Jonas, his son, after his death, about 1831, received his lands, and, dying two years later, the farm w^as accepted at its appraised value of fifty dollars per acre by his son Paul, who lived upon it until his death, in Novem- ber, 1883. A portion of his land was divided and sold in town lots. Paul Faust was born Sept. 30, 1809, and died at the homestead in Allen township, immediately outside of the limits of the borough of Catasauqua, on Nov. 12, 1883, aged 74 years, 1 month and 12 days. At the time of his birth and early manhood the surrounding country was but thinly settled, his near- est neighbors on the south being John Peter and Frederick Biery. while those on the north were Michael Fenstermacher and John Swartz; on the east the Kurtzes, and on the opposite side of the river the Miller, Mickley, Butz and Biery families. His great- grandfather, Henry Faust, purchased the farm (orig- inally 1931/^ acres) of Robert Gibson, a Scotch-Irish settler, who owned 2,723 acres in Allen township, em- bracing all the land from a point near Bridge street to Stemton, west of the Howertown road. Prior to the Revolution, the lands hereabouts on the east side of the west branch of the Delaware (as then called) were all owned by Scotch-Irish settlers; south of Bridge street to Taylor's land was owned by Jos. Wright ; that east of Howertown Road, in Hanover township, by Robert Clendennin, while that north of Gibson 's large tract being owned by Andrew Mann. The immense immigration from the Palatinate at the invitation of Penn and his agents in the early part of the 18th Century, as well as the large number of Hessians who settled lower down the river after the battle of Trenton, began to crowd out the Irish settlers even at that early day, until now there remains but few of the broad acres of Northampton county in the possession of their descendants. EARLY RESIDENTS 15 Their large farms were cut up in smaller tracts, and under the stubborn will, patient plodding, and untiring industry, characteristic of the race, trans- formed the wilderness and forest into the rich agricul- tural lands of to-day. Among these early settlers was Henry Faust, born in Albany township, Berks county. He was the son of one of two brothers, Bastian or John Faust, who landed at Philadelphia at an early period of the immigration from the Palatinate, and settled in Berks county. He died April 14, 1795, and left to survive him a widow and eight children. The eldest son, John Philip, the grandfather of Paul Faust, accepted the land at the appraisement and built the old stone man- sion (still in good condition) and purchased a tract of five acres which was afterwards sold to Mr. Kratzer, and Mr. Kratzer sold to John Peter, who, in addition to managing his small farm, carried on the business of weaving. In addition, John Philip Faust purchased 5 acres of land from Yarrick Rockel (now bounded by Third, Pine and Walnut streets to Howertown Road), while about 11 acres were sold to the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. to build the dam and canal to supersede the floating of arks of coal down the river. Upon his death, July 12, 1832, he left to survive him a widow and four children, the eldest of whom, Jonas Faust, accepted the land at the appraisement at $55 per acre, being the upper tract, while Elizabeth Knauss, his sister, accepted the lower tract of 60 acres, and soon after sold to John Peter, who thus increased his acres to 75, and all of which, less some lots sold, passed into the possession of David Thomas about 1850. Jonas Faust died the following year and left to survive him a widow and seven children, the eldest, Paul Faust, the subject of our article, accepted, on Jan. 24, 1834, the land at the ap- praisement of $50 per acre. 16 EARLY HISTORY Paul Faust was at this time 24 years of age, and took upon himself a burden few, at that time of scarcity of money and poor markets, would undertake, and a less sturdy man would have despaired of retaining the land; for, in addition to the recog- nizances entered into to secure his brothers and sisters, there were those of his father who had died soon after his acceptance of the land, and three dowers, viz. : his great-grandmother, Catharine, widow of Henry Faust, who lived long on the place in a small house, afterwards occupied by Jesse Brown, at the lower spring, now the site of F. W. Wint & Co.'s planing- mill, and afterwards married a farmer named Huth, who died at an advanced age in Moore township, near the Blue Mountain; the dower of his grand- mother, Barbara, who died Oct. 4, 1842, at the resi- dence of her daughter, at the stone mansion still stand- ing near the entrance of the bridge across the Lehigh from Stemton to Coplay; the dower of his mother, who subsequently married Henry Breisch, and is re- membered by the earlier residents, who occupied the farm of 11 acres and the old stone house at the corner of Third and Bridge streets, which was built at an early day and owned by a farmer named Gross. David Thomas came here in 1839 and he started the town of Catasauqua, but it was a half-mile across the fields from his farm to the works, with the Peter's farm between. There was no road where Front street now is; the road led from the dam along the canal west of the house, crossed present Front street where Chapel street intersects, and was laid out at an early day in a direction due east, passing where the chapel of the First Presbyterian Church stands, and along north side of the Breisch farm-house to the Hower- town Road where it intersects with the road to Beth- lehem, which passed the farm-house of Henry Kurtz. Prior to 1860, Paul Faust had sold a lot to the Catholic Church, and a few others south of Chapel EARLY RESIDENTS . 17 street, on Front and Second streets, which helped him to pay off some of his liabilities. Lots, however, were cheap, and it was not until 1865 that he was fair- ly out of debt. The last dower was paid off in 1870 upon the death of his mother at Allentown, where she had removed with her second husband at the time of the sale of their land to David Thomas about 1847. By the rapid extension of the town northward, at the close of the Civil War, Paul Faust sold about 45 acres, besides the new canal tract, to the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. for town lots, the greater portion lying in Northampton county, and by the time of his death, he accumulated considerable wealth, his land, prior to the panic of 1873, being valued by good judges at $75,000. He was the oldest of seven children, the others being Joseph (South Whitehall) ; Reuben (Catasau- qua) ; David (president Union National Bank of Philadelphia) ; William (Allentown) ; Elizabeth Laub (Kreidersville) ; and Maria Koch (Allentown). He was married Jan. 6, 1835, to Amelia Breinig, born Sept. 7, 1816, in Longswamp township, Berks county, one of twelve children (having had eight sisters and three brothers). She was the daughter of George Breinig and Polly Wetzell. He had five chil- dren: Amy Borger (Peru, 111.) ; Walter; Jane Koehler (Easton) ; M. Alice and Clara B. His form was familiar to all the residents. He possessed strong physical and mental characteristics, which, if fortune had smiled more kindly upon him in his earlier years, would have made him a success- ful man in any sphere of life. Of more than average size, a positive man of strong likes and dislikes, his confidence was slow to obtain, but when once gained it could not easily be shaken. His nature was too kind and easy, however, for a successful financier, and he w^as therefore often imposed upon in monetary mat- te's by designing, unscrupulous men. He had strong 18 EARLY HISTORY domestic tastes, was retiring in his habits, and his life was a singularly pure one. None can say that he was ever heard to speak disparagingly of or to his fellow- men. Henry Breiseh was a stone-mason and lived where Dr. Daniel Yoder now lives, and owned 10 acres of land surrounding his home. At the time the town was laid out, a road extended up the hill from the Faust farm-house, past Breiseh 's home, and onward to the Howertown Road. The land on the gentle slope, where are now the best residences of Catasau- qua, was in part tilled and in part rough pasture land, in many places overgrown with brush and trees. Among the first settlers after the establishment of the iron-works were the Williams family, the Fullers, James Lackey, Joshua Hunt, Joseph Laubach, Peter Laux, Charles G. Schneller and Nathan Fegley. [See Thomas and Contemporaries.] David Williams, father of Thomas (who was killed on the railroad in 1872), David (superintendent of the Union Foundry), John (cashier of the Crane Iron Co.), and Oliver (president of the Catasau(iua Manufacturing Co.) came here in 1840 from Wales, and took a contract for moulding with the Crane Iron Co. His death occurred in 1845. Nathan Fegley came here soon after Mr. Lackey, and opened a store. Afterwards he kept a temperance hotel, and in addition to his mercantile business opened the first lumber and coal-yard in Catasauqua. He left in 1854, and his store passed into the posses- sion of Weaver, Mickley & Co., a firm which was com- posed of Y. Weaver, Edwin IMickley, Samuel Thomas and John Thomas. In 1847, Joseph Lauliach came here from Allen township, adjoining Hanover, and opened a store near Biery's Bridge. In 1850 he bought the property, where, two years later he started the Eagle House, which was the next hotel after that carried on bv the CRANE IRON WORKS 19 Bierys. The Catasauqiia House was built by Jesse Knauss about the same time ; the American House by Solomon Biery in 1856 ; and the Pennsylvania House about 1857. Charles G. Schneller started in business in a small way on Second street and Mulberry alley in 1848. In 1854 he moved to Front street, where he sold stoves and hardware for 80 years. He was a native of Beth- lehem, and came to Catasauqua from Bucks county. Other early merchants were Getz & Gilbert, who established themselves in 1854 ; Peter Laubach, wdio opened a store shortly afterwards ; and Joseph and J. W. Swartz, who ])egan in 1856. Morgan Emanuel, a native of Wales, was another early resident, who did much towards the development of the town. He died April 11, 1884, aged nearly 80 years. CRANE IRON WORKS— The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. was organized in 1818, and after op- erating their coal beds and canal for twenty years, in which time they had increased their production and transportation of 1,000 tons in 1821 to 224,000 tons in 1837, they quite naturally considered the propriety of encouraging the establishment of industries along the Lehigh river for the consumption of their coal. They, therefore, in 1838, offered the valuable water privileges of the river from the Hokendauqua Dam to the Allentown Dam to any persons who would expend $30,000 in the erection of a furnace and run it suc- cessfully for three months ]\v the exclusive use of anthracite coal. This offer led to the organization of the Lehigh Crane Iron Co., which included members of the Coal and Navigation Co., and, in the Fall of 1838, Erskine Hazard (one of the leading spirits of the Iron Com- pany), went to Wales for the purpose of securing a competent person to come to the United States in their interest and superintend the erection of furnaces. 20 EARLY HISTORY He there met George Crane (proprietor of the Crane Iron Works at Yniscedwin) who recommended David Thomas, an expert employee for 20 years, and they called to see him. Thomas Agreement — At first, Thomas was re- luctant to leave his native land, but, influenced by a liberal offer, besides the consideration that his sons would have better opportunities in America than they could hope for in Wales or Great Britain, he con- sented and on the night of the last day in the year 1838, he entered into an agreement with Mr. Hazard, which was as follows (including a supplement made afterwards at Philadelphia) : Memorandum of Agreement made the thirty-first day of December, 1838, between Erskine Hazard for the Lehigh Crane Iron Company of the one part and David Thomas of Castle Dhu of the other part. 1. The said Thomas agrees to remove with his family to the works to be established by the said company on or near the river Lehigh and there to undertake the erection of a blast furnace for the smelting of iron with anthracite coal and the working of the said furnace as fur- nace manager, also to give his assistance in finding mines of iron ore, fire clay, and other materials suitable for carrying on iron works, and generally to give his best knowledge and services to the said company in the prosecution of the iron business in such manner as will best pro- mote their interests for the term of five years from the time of his ar- rival in America, provided the experiment of smelting iron with antlira- cite coal should be successful there. 2. The said Hazard for the said company agrees to pay the expenses of the said Thomas and his family from his present residence to the works above mentioned on the Lehigh and there to furnish him with a house and coal for fuel — also to pay him a salary at the rate of Two hundred pounds sterling a year from the time of his stipend ceasing in his present employment until the first furnace on the Lehigh is got into blast with anthracite coal and making good iron and after that at the rate of two hundred and fifty pounds sterling a year until a second fur- nace is put into operation successfully wlien fifty pounds sterling shall be added to his annual salary and so fifty pounds sterling per annum additional for each additional furnace which may be i)ut into operation under his management. 3. It is mutually agreed between the parties that, should the said Thomas fail of putting a furnace into successful operation with anthra- cite coal then, in that case, the present agreement shall be void and the said company shall then pay the said Thomas a sum equivalent to the CRANE IRON WORKS 21 expense of removing himself and family from the Lehigh to their pres- ent residence. 4. In settling the salary four shillings and six pence sterling are to be estimated as equal to one dollar. In witness whereof the said parties have interchangeably set their hands and seals the date above written. Erskine Hazard [seal] for Lehigh Crane Iron Company Witness: David Thomas [seal] Alexander Hazard. It is further mutually agreed between the Lehigh Crane Iron Com- pany and David Thomas, the parties to the above written agreement, that the amount of the said Thomas salary per annum shall be ascertained by taking the United States Mint price or value of the English Sovereign as the value of the pound sterling, instead of estimating it by the value of the dollar as mentioned in the 4th article and that the otlier remaining articles in the above written memorandum of agreement executed by Erskine Hazard for the Lehigh Crane Iron Company and David Thomas be hereby ratified and confirmed as they now stand written. In witness whereof the President and Secretary of the Lehigh Crane Iron Company by order of the Board of Managers and the said David Thomas have hereunto set their hands and seals at Philadelphia the second day of July, 1839. David Thomas [seal] In presence of Timothy Abbott. It should be mentioned in this connection that Solo- mon W. Roberts went to Cardiff, Wales, in 1836, as an inspector of rails which were ordered by the Phila- delphia and Reading R. R. Co. and other railroad companies. He visited the Crane Iron Works in May, 1837, and then informed his uncle, Josiah White, of the successful use of anthracite coal in the manufac- ture of iron there. He returned in November, bring- ing the details of Crane's plans and specifications il- lustrative of the process. He was asked to take up the manufacture, but declined and recommended that one of Crane's associates be employed. In accordance with his recommendation, Erskine Hazard, of the Le- high Coal and Navigation Co., went to Wales in November, 1838, and Hazard secured the services of David Thomas. 22 EARLY HISTORY In the Spring of 1839, Samuel Glace, while inspect- ing the canal along Biery 's-Port, noticed a number of men standing on the east side of the canal, which led him to think that there might be a leak in its bed, and so he asked the lock-tender, Jonathan Snyder, who they were. He then recognized Owen Rice and Frederick Biery, and they introduced him to the strangers as gentlemen from Philadelphia. Shortly afterwards, he received orders from Mauch Chunk, to ascertain if there were any quick-sands along the canal at Biery 's-Port. And these were the men who selected the site for the furnace where the first iron was made in America with the use of anthracite coal, which proved a commercial success. The organization of the Lehigh Crane Iron Co., prior to Mr. Hazard's going abroad, had been only an informal one, and on the 10th of January, 1839, it was perfected at the first meeting of the board of directors. The board consisted of Robert Earp, Josiah White, Erskine Hazard, Thomas Earp, George Earp, John McAllister, Jr., and Nathan Trotter, and organized by electing Earp as president and treasurer, and McAllister as secretary. In April they entered into articles of association, which are here appended, as aifording some idea of the foundation on which this great company arose and flourished : Articles of Association of the Lehigh Crane Iron Company, made and entered into under and pursuant to an Act of the Legislature of Pennsylvania entitled an act to encourage the manufacture of Iron, with Coke, or Mineral Coal, and for other purposes passed June the sixteenth, One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six. Witness, that the subscribers, citizens of Pennsylvania, whoso names arc hereto affixed have associated themselves, under and pursuant to the act aforesaid for the purpose of making and manufacturing Iron, from the raw material with Coke or mineral Coal, and do certify and declare the articles and conditions of their association to be as follows: Article 1. — The name, style or title of the Company, shall be Lehigh Crane Iron Company. CRANE IRON WORKS 23 Article 2.— The lands to be purchased by the Company shall be in Northampton, or Lehigh county, or both. ARTICLE 3. — The capital stock of the company shall consist of One hundred thousand dollars divided into two thousand shares of fifty dol- lars each, the whole of which has been subscribed for by the subscribers hereto in the number of shares set opposite to their respective names. Article 4.— The sum of twenty-five thousand dollars being the one- fourth per cent, of the whole capital stock, subscribed for, has been actually paid in. , , j v Article 5. — The remaining installments on the stock, already sub- scribed for shall be called in in such sums, and at such times and with such forfeiture for nonpayment thereof as the Board of Directors may prescribe. Article 6.— The Board of Directors shall consist of such a number of persons as the stockholders may from time to time prescribe. Article 7.— This company shall be in all things subject to and governed by the provisions of the Act of Assembly, under which it is created and shall have the same, and no other, or greater powers, privi- leges and franchises than are conferred upon it by virtue of the said act. Robert Earp. George Earp. Josiah White. Joh" McAllister, .Ir. Erskine Hazard. Theodore Mitchell. Thomas Earp. Nathan Trotter. Philadelphia, April 23, 1839. TiiOMVS Emigrates to Penna.— Mr. Thomas sailed from Liverpool in May, 1839, on the "Roscius," which made the unprecedented run of twenty-three days, and reached New York June 5th. He brought with hnn his whole family, including wife and children. Before leaving England he had had the blowing machinery and castings for the hot-blast made, and all were shipped except the two cylinders, which were too large for the hatches of the ship. So when the other ma- chinery arrived the projectors of the works were as badly off as if none had been sent. There was not at that time a foundry in the United States large enough to cast such cylinders as were needed. There were small ones at AUentown and Bethlehem. The company applied to the Allaire Works of New York and the Alger of Boston, but neither of them could bore a five-foot cylinder without 24 EARLY HISTORY enlarging their works, which they were unwilling to do. Mr. Thomas then went to Philadelphia to the Southwark Foundry of S. V. Merrick and J. H. Towne, who enlarged their boring machinery and made the five-foot cylinders required. Fire-brick were imported from Wales, there then being none manufactured in this country, and in August, 1839, ground was broken at Craneville (now Catasauqua) for the first furnace. First Furnace Started— After many difficulties and discouragements, the furnace was finally blown in at five o'clock July 3, 1840. The ore was two-thirds hematite to one-third New Jersey magnetic. It was blown with two-and-a-half-inch nozzles, and the blast heat was six hundred degrees. The first run of iron was made the 4th of July, and proved a great success. From this time on, the manufacture of iron by anthracite was successfully conducted at the Crane Works, and continuously ex- cept for the slight cessations common to all manufac- turing establishments. Furnace No. 1, in which the success of the new dis- covery was first fully demonstrated in this country, was forty-two feet in height, with twelve feet bosh. It was operaed by a breast-wheel twelve feet in di- ameter and twenty-four feet long, geared by segments on its circumference to a spur-wheel on a double crank, driving two blowing cylinders, five feet in di- ameter, with a six-foot stroke, worked by l)eams on a gallows-frame. The motive power was the water of the canal, the difference between the upper and lower levels of lock No. 36. The furnace remained in blast until its fires were quenched by the rising waters of the flood of January, 1841, a period of six months, during which time 1,088 tons of pig iron were produced. The largest output for one week was 52 tons. CRANE IRON WORKS 25 The furnace was blown in again after the freshet, May 18, 1841, and continued in blast until Aug. 6, 1842, producing in this time 3,316 tons of pig-iron. Mr. Thomas had been looked upon as a visionary and the remark was made by a leading charcoal iron-master that he would eat all the iron Mr. Thomas made with anthracite coal ; but he didn 't accept an invitation from Mr. Thomas to take a hearty dinner on merchantable pig-iron which was cooked in the Company's first furnace, and ready for him whenever he was prepared to eat it. Other Furnaces Erected — This successful opera- tion of their first furnace led the Company to increase their facilities, and they put up one furnace after an- other to supply the increasing demands of their trade, until they had six in operation, as follows: 1842 Furnace No. 2, 45 ft. high; 14 ft. bosh. 1846 Furnace No. 3, 50 ft. high; 18 ft. bcsh. 1849 Furnace No. 4, 50 ft. high; 18 ft. bosh. 1849 Furnace No. 5, 50 ft. high: 18 ft. bosh. 1868 Furnace No. 6, 60 ft. high; 17 ft. bosh. The first load of iron-ore was brought to the Works on April 30, 1840, by Henry Hoch; and this was hematite from the mine of Jacob Rice in Hanover township, Lehigh county. One was also brought dur- ing the first year from the mine of Nathan Whitely, near Breiningsville, in Upper Macungie township ; and from the mine of John Kratzer, in South White- hall township. In 1842, the celebrated Goetz bed was opened in Hanover township, Northampton county, and the first ore was taken to the Crane furnace. The first magnetic ore was brought in 1840 from the Mount Hope mine in Morris county, N. J. In the erection of the furnaces no machinery was used. Trees were cut down and set up as poles to which ropes and chains were fastened and these held scantling in place at intervals; planks were laid as a 26 EARLY HISTORY floor on this scantling and on this floor heavy stones were carried or pulled up to the masons on small two- wheeled carts with long handles. A large lilowing-engine was afterward erected, be- cause the water-wheels were not powerful enough to furnish blast for all the furnaces, even though a small engine had been erected at an earlier date. This ne- cessitated more room, and Bridge street (which ran in a direct line to the Canal) had to be vacated and located as at present. Canal Bridge Moved. — The next question was how to remove the canal bridge to the new location, and Samuel Glace, an experienced superintendent on the canal, solved it. He waited until the boating season was over; then he placed two empty boats under the bridge and drew the water from the canal, which put the boats on the ground; then he placed long blocks on the boats and covered them with planks ; then the water was let into the canal, which raised the boats and put the bridge up in the air ; and then the bridge was easily drawn to its new position. Public Interest — The manufacture of iron was (juite a curiosity and down to the Civil War, for a per- iod of 20 years, the Works were visited by many peo- ple of prominence. I remember Sir Morton Peto, Simon Cameron, Horace Greeley and Dom Pedro (Emperor of Brazil). The bridge house was at times crowded with people, and it became a custom of the villagers to come to the evening cast. The girls at the Female Seminary of Bethlehem came here during the Summer in relays and some boys were detailed to escort them who took special care to lead them by the water-house, past the hori- zontal c.ylinders, which had two enormous doors or flaps, and these upon every revolution of the ponder- ous cog-wheels (driven by the water wheels) opened CRANE IRON WORKS 27 with a fearful noise, which caused the maidens to shriek and jump away, to the great amusement of their escorts. The teams which brought iron ore from the mines were sometimes more than two miles in length, reach- ing from the Crane Iron Co. scales out to Eberhard's Quarry on the Mickley Road. The roads in the county were made fretjuently impassable to the far- mers and this reconciled them to the proposed C. & F. R. R. The magnetic ore was brought from New Jersey in loads and hoisted on an inclined plane by horse-power and then piled up in front of the furnaces 60 feet high. The coal was piled up on the site of the new canal, opposite the Bryden Horse Shoe Works, in immense quantities. It was brought by boats, and in the Winter season placed on barrows which were then taken on huge scows to the furnaces, ready for use. This was done night and day during the entire Winter. On one of the midnight trips, Hugh Dougherty (a brother-in-law of the late Johnston Kelly) was missing, and found drowned. This was the first Catholic funeral in town. The interment was made at Easton. Immense quantities of coal were also hoisted by buckets and piled in great heaps on the site of No. 6 Furnace (which was torn down in February, 1914.) The opening of the L. V. R. R. and of the C. & F. R. R. changed this and many costly improvements had to be made to meet these new conditions. The six furnaces operated by the company for many years have been reduced to two. The men employed vary from 300 to 500. The company erected numerous small two-story brick and frame dwellings in the First Ward of the borough for the convenience of its workmen, number- ing altogether 95, put up at the same time as the fur- nace. It has also 5 dwellings in the 2nd Ward, 3 in the 3rd, and 1 in the 4th ; total assessed, 104. 28 EARLY HISTORY The company made an assignment in 1893 ; a re- organization was effected under the name of the Crane Iron Works, and passed under the control of the Em- pire Steel and Iron Co. The main office of this enterprise was at Philadel- phia from 1839 to 1895, then it was transferred to the Front street office at Catasauqua where it con- tinued until 1908, when it was removed to the Empire Steel and Iron Co. building on Bridge street. Iron Curiosities — At the laboratory of the Crane Iron Co. there are two interesting curiosities on the side of the building which look like the mouths of two projecting cannon. They were placed there as mementos in 1907. They are abandoned tuyeres, which had been in the furnaces, through which the hot-blast was forced. The one next to the pavement Avas in the first furnace, erected in 1840. THOMAS AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES— The following biographical sketches have been included in this narrative to show the character of the founder of Catasauqua and his contemporaries. David Thomas was born Nov. 3, 1794, in the coun- ty of Glamorgan, South Wales. He was an only son and his parents gave him the best education which their means would allow, but this was confined to the rudimentary elements. He was very studious by nature and took much delight in the acquisition of knowledge. Not satisfied with working on a farm, he secured employment in iron works when 17 years of age and continued there 5 years, in which time he showed great aptitude for business. His progress was so great and his accomplishments as an iron-worker were so highly appreciated that he was selected in 1817 as the general superintendent of the blast fur- naces connected with the Yniscedwyn Iron Works in the Swansea Valley, and also of its iron-ore and coal mines; and he filled this position for upwards of 20 THOMAS AND CONTEMPORARIES 29 years. During this time, he experimented success- fully with the use of anthracite coal as a smelting fuel, and ultimately produced anthracite iron by the introduction of a hot blast into the furnace. While he was developing his experience in the suc- cessful manufacture of anthracite iron at this estab- lishment in Wales, enterprising capitalists connected with the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company in Pennsylvania were considering means to develop their business in the Lehigh Valley, and in this behalf they offered valuable water privileges along the river to an}^ persons who should lay out $30,000 in erecting a furnace and run it successfully for three months by the exclusive use of anthracite coal for fuel. Selected Manager — This great inducernent led these capitalists to organize an iron company, which they named after the active proprietor of the works in Wales where Thomas was employed, and they dele- gated one of their associates, Erskine Hazard, to visit that establishment and secure a competent man to superintend the erection of such a furnace as was contemplated; and this resulted in employing Mr. Thomas. The Company selected Biery's-Port along the Canal, three miles above Allentown (afterwards named Catasauqua) as the locality for their great un- dertaking, and in one year after his arrival, Mr. Thomas demonstrated the practicability of producing iron successfully as a commercial commodity by th^ sole use of anthracite coal. Since then Mr. Thomas has become recognized as the pioneer in this particular line of business in Am- erica, which directed much long-continued public at- tention to this locality. Quite naturally his accom- plishment and its beneficient results to the community will be made a significant feature in the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Catasauqua in the year 1914. Therefore, the manner of his first arrival is worthy of emphasis in this sketch. 30 EARLY HISTORY Visits Biery's-Port — In pursuance of his agreement with the Lehigh Crane Iron Co., Mr. Thomas came to Pennsylvania, reaching Allentown with his family on July 9, 1839. Two days afterward, accompanied by his son Samuel (then a lad twelve years of age) he walked to Biery's-Port to see where it was proposed to erect the new furnace. When he reached the top of Frederick's Hill (now called Packer's Hill), he stopped "to view the landscape o'er." In the dis- tance he saw the Blue Mountains whose blue outline extended along the horizon with its great ridge broken by prominent gaps in several places. The residence of George Frederick was at the foot of the hill where he lived with a number of stalwart sons in a two-story stone house, erected in 1757, and a few hundred feet north of it, near the entrance to Biery's Bridge (which crossed the Lehigh river) were the house and red barn of William Miller ; while just across the river from Frederick's was the residence of Jacob Deily, formerly the home of George Taylor, a signer of the Declaration of Independence ; and at the far end of the bridge was the hamlet of Biery's- Port, where two farm houses on a large plain seemed to be the only habitations directly north, and woods extended as far as the eye could reach to the right. Startling Noise — While the prospecting Welshman and his son stood there, a loud noise from the vicinity of the hamlet startled them. Little Samuel, while in the great city of London, on the way to their new home beyond the sea, with the foresight which was charac- teristic of him in later years, had provided for such a supposed emergency by purchasing a gun, but, alas, at that moment of apparent peril, he recalled that it was among the family effects somewhere in a canal- boat on the Morris Canal, slowly moving towards this point and not just then availal)le. After discovering the cause of this explosion, they decided to venture forward and soon reached the bridge which they THOMAS AND CONTEMPORARIES 31 found to be constructed of chains, anchored at both ends and in the centre to heavy stone piers. They each paid a big copper penny to the toll gatherer (Daniel Tombler, ancestor of the Tombler family of this community), and, proceeding farther across the canal bridge, reached the hamlet which consisted of a grist-mill, saw-mill, fulling-mill, and several dwelling houses. The middle stone building (which is still standing) was the hotel of the place, and Frederick Biery, the village nabob, sat there on a bench. Mr. Thomas en- tered into a colloquy with him and soon learned from him wiiere the proposed furnace was to be erected. Hardly had he gotten this iu formation, when, sudden- ly, that terrifying report again broke the prevailing quiet of the village, and turnig around quickly the agitated pedestrians in wonderment learned that it was caused by an upright saw in yonder mill, ripping into slabs, by means of water-power, a large log on the skids. Thence they walked to the site of the pro- posed new enterprise, and after inspecting the place they returned afoot, late in the afternoon, to their hotel at Allentown, Haberacker's, now the Hamilton. A house was then rented for Mr. Thomas and his family (the site now of the Prince Furniture Co.) and there they made their home until the two-story frame dwell- ing at Biery 's-Port was completed for them by the Crane Iron Co. Difficulties Surmounted — It was late in the "Thirties" that the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. (which owned the great anthracite coal fields near Mauch Chunk) realized that they had no ade(|uate market for their products. Locomotives were few in number and largely wood-burning. The entire num- ber of stationary engines running in eastern Pennsyl- vania probably did not exceed twenty-five. A few spasmodic attempts had been made to smelt iron ore with the use of anthracite coal, but the success was 32 EARLY HISTORY indifferent. The hour brought the man as heretofore, and Neilson's great idea of hot-blast having already been successfully applied to the smelting of iron ore with a similar coal in South Wales, it was at once de- cided by the Lehigh Company that they would make a market for their coal by adopting the process to smelt the abundant iron ores not far from the line of their canal. To accomplish this they organized the Crane Iron Co. with a capital of $100,000 (a sum more difficult to raise then than twenty times that amount would be to-day) ; and under the superin- tendency of Thomas they came to erect their first anthracite furnace at Catasauqua. One can hardly appreciate the difficulties that daily beset the manager; ores and fuels of unknown and varying constituents ; no experienced help ; no foun- dries or machine shops worthy of the name within reach; and weakly constructed blowing-engines which were continually breaking down. Hot-blast ovens of the crudest tj^pe, capable of heating only 500 to 600 degrees, were but a small part of this manufacturer's difficulties. After their pig-iron had reached market, it met customers who had no faith in it and often it could only be sold with a guarantee of faultless casting. With the opening of the Lehigh Valley R. R. in 1855, a new impetus was given to the iron industry. Prior to that time, the furnaces were obliged to de- pend upon the canal for coal and for shipments of iron ; and it was about this time that Thomas built the first of those minimum hot-pressure blowing-engines which afterward became the common type and al- lowed the use of the New Jersey rich magnetic ores. Founder of Town — Mr. Thomas was prominently identified with the management and success of the Crane Iron Works for many years. He became the promoter of the large iron works at Hokendauqua, THOMAS AND CONTEMPORARIES 33 which were named after him. He was interested in other enterprises here and elsewhere. He took much interest in the political, financial, religious and char- ital)le affairs of the town, and therefore he came to be commonl}' recognized as its founder. He was par- ticularly concerned in the establishment and success of the First Presbyterian Church of Catasauqua, and encouraged temperance and thrift amongst the nu- merous workingmen under him. Mr. Thomas was married to Elizabeth Hopkins, daughter of John Hopkins, of Wales, and they had five children: Jane, Gwenny (married to Joshua Hunt), Samuel, John and David. He died June 20, 1882, in the 88th year of his age. His remains were deposited in the large Thomas Vault in Fairview Cemetery. Samuel Glace was born at Reamstown, in Lancas- ter county. Pa., on Oct. 12, 1805. He went from Conyngham, in Luzerne county, to Mauch Chunk, in the Lehigh Valley, in 1826, where he entered the employ of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. In 1830 he took up his residence in Biery's-Port upon receiving the appointment of division superintendent of the canal from the "Slate Dam" at Laury's to the "Allentown Dam," and he filled this position for 10 years. Then he became the mining agent of the Crane Iron Co., which he served for many years. Mr. Glace was the first person to produce hydrau- lic cement in the Lehigh Valley at Lehigh Gap, his son having prepared a paper on the subject for the His- torical Society of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia. He was married to Isabella Swartz, of Allen township, and they had two children, William H. Glace (At- torney-at-law), and Amanda E. (married to Dr. Daniel Yoder), both of whom reside at Catasauqua. He died January 3, 1892, at the remarkable age of 86 years, 2 months and 21 days. 34 EARLY HISTORY FuEDEKicK BiERY — I heard my grand-father, John Swartz, fanner of Allen township, state that Fred- erick Biery first introduced the custom of entertaining at funerals in this section of the country. It was at the time of the burial of a member of his own family. The interment was made at the church in Shoeners- ville, and there the announcement was first publicly made from the pulpit by the minister that the mourn- ers and friends were invited to return to the home of Mr. Biery for the refreshment of man and beast. There the guests were arranged in roM^s in the yard and servants appeared, some with bottles of whiskey and glasses, and others with lunch consisting of bread, meat, pie, cake and coffee ; and hostlers provided fod- der for the horses. Thus was a custom introduced which prevailed hereabouts for many years. It be- came a necessity because the country was sparsely populated, and some of the relatives and friends were obliged to start early and travel far if they wished to attend a funeral. Mr. Biery owned a large tract of land here and the site for the Crane Iron Co. furnace was purchased from him. He had five sons, Daniel, Jonas, Solomon, David and William, and three daughters, Mrs. Nich- olas Snyder, Mrs. Samuel Koehler and Mrs. Jacob Buehler. Three fine and attractive cut stone two- story dwelling houses erected in 1826, 1830 and 1835 along the main road in the village near the bridge which carried his name for nearly seventy years, are still standing in a remarkable state of preserva- tion. He died in 1845. His son Solomon carried on the tavern (erected in 1826) for many years; and he served as post-master of the Catasau(|ua office from 1855 to 1861. In later years he was interested in the car-builing firm of Frederick & Co., at Fullerton. Jonas lived in the farm house, now the residence THOMAS AND CONTEMPORARIES 35 of August Hohl on Race street and Railroad alley, and was engaged as a farmer. He owned and sold all the land upon which East Catasauqua came to be established, now included in the 3rd Ward. The quarry along the Catasauqua creek, where the Crane Iron Co. obtained all their lime-stone for the furnaces for years, netted him more than $40,000 on a royalty; of three cents a ton. A large part of the land along 2nd street, and also along AVood street, was sold by him into lots for buildings, though quite a number had previously been sold by his father. Daniel resided on his farm near Weaversville, now owned by Peter Laubach, and there he died ; David resided on his farm near Mickley's, and there he died; and William, the youngest son, died at home at a comparatively early age. James W. Fuller figures very prominently as a contemporary of David Thomas. His father, Chaun- cey Dorrance Fuller, came to Biery's-Port from the "Plains," above Wilkes-Barre, soon after the con- struction of the Lehigh Canal was started, upon the invitation of Abiel Abbott, one of the earliest super- intendents of the canal, and was employed by the company for a number of years. Subsequently he served as one of the Justices of the Peace of the borough for ten years, from 1855 to 1865. The son, in his early years at Biery's-Port, ran boats on the canal, and afterward conducted the canal store at the bridge. From 1852 to 1856 he was specially employed by David Thomas, for the Crane Iron Co., to secure from the Legislature of Pennsylvania a charter for a rail- road to extend from Catasauqua to Fogelsville and Red Lion (near Mertztown in Berks county), for the purpose of enabling the Company and also the Thomas Iron Co., to bring iron ore from the westerly and southerly portions of the county to their large works at a reduced expense, and also to discontinue 36 EARLY HISTORY dainagiiig the public roads with their numerous heavy teams which had come to be a source of com- plaint by the tax-payers. But his efforts developed intense opposition which resulted in public meetings at Allentown to denounce the attempts of the "Black Republicans" towards securing such a charter, be- cause, as alleged, it would finally destroy the fine farms of the yeomanry in the beautiful and produc- tive valley of the Jordan. His skill and perseverance brought success, first obtaining a charter for a plank- road, and afterward another charter for a railroad. In the Spring of 1856, the railroad was commenced, and within a year the ore teams were no longer seen on the public roads, tearing up the roadway and mak- ing it well-nigh impassable as had theretofore been the case. Of course, the loud complaints subsided. During the Civil War, Mr. Fuller became promi- nently identified with the political and military affairs of Pennsylvania, and his influence with the Republican administration then was generally recognized. He was married to Clarissa Miller and his children, who lived to mature years, were Orange, James W., Jr., Abbott, Clinton H., and Clara (married to Ogden E. Frederick.) Two of them survive, Abbott, who resides at Philadelphia, and Mrs. Frederick, at Cata- sau((ua. He established the Fairview Cemetery in 1858. He died in 1872. John George Kurtz, the grand-father of the late Henry Kurtz at Catasauqua, settled in Hanover town- ship along the Catasaucjua creek, in 1760, and es- tablished a homestead here when the surrounding country was a wilderness and the land extending thence to Shoenersville was generally known as ' ' Dry- lands, " because no water was obtainable in this im^ mediate vicinity during the Summer months and the farmers' cattle had to be driven to the Lehigh river where the creek had its outlet. It is said that after Kurtz had erected a cabin he went to Europe to THOMAS AND CONTEMPORARIES 37 fetch his family, but upon his r"eturn with them he found the cabin in rnins, having been destroyed by the Indians. In 1839, the Kurtz plantation came to be divided between two of his grand-children, Henry, who took the western portion, and George, who took the eastern. Their descendants here have become numerous. For many years these grand-sons refused to sell their land for building lots, and this caused the town to develop towards Bethlehem, and the improved sec- tion came to be called East-Catasauqua. Jonathan Snyder was a native of Shoenersville, and had a fair education with a fine handwriting. In 1839 he became the lock tender at the locks opposite the furnace of the Crane Iron Co. Afterwards he occupied the toll-house at the Biery Bridge. He col- lected all the tolls in this section of the canal. When the town was erected into a borough he served as as- sessor for some .years. Of his immediate family, the only survivors are his grand-children, the Williams family, who reside at 2nd and Bridge streets. James Lackey was a native of Reading. He came here at an early day in the history of the town and carried on the canal-store (where George B. F. Deily resides) when David Thomas came here. He occu- pied this store several years, then he leased an acre of ground north of the furnace between the canal and river and erected a store and dwelling which he carried on until about 1850. By this time, the busi- ness of the Crane Iron Co. had increased so much that they were obliged to extend their plant to the north ; so they purchased the property and Lackey located on Front street, south of Mulberry, where he erected another store and dwelling. He conducted a general- store business there until 1857, when he was elected to the office of prothonotary of Lehigh county and he 38 EARLY HISTORY removed to Allentown. This locality on Front street then became the site of the National Bank of Cata- sauqna, and is now occupied by the Imperial Hotel. Mr. Lackey served as prothonotary from 1857 to 1863, and as deputy for many years afterward. He died in Allentown at an advanced age. He was a highly respected man. John Leibert lived near "Rohn's," which has come to be included in the 3rd Ward. He was a boss- carpenter for the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. for a time ; then, upon receiving a similar appointment from the Crane Iron Co., he located at Biery's-Port, which he served for several years. He died about 1845. His widow survived him for upwards of 50 years. His son Owen became prominent as the super- intendent of the great industrial establishment of the Bethlehem Steel Co. The only descendants still living here are a daughter Jane, and a grand-daughter Emma (wife of James Morrow, Esq.) The day Leibert moved to Biery's-Port (then Crane- ville), my father asked him where he was going. He answered rather ironically — "Oh, to Craneville, and now I suppose my daughters will marry Irishmen." The late James Nevins was his son-in-law. John Peter was born in 1799 in Heidelberg town- ship, Lehigh county, and lived at the corner of Bridge and Front streets, at a point between Schneller's block and the Lehigh Canal. He moved to this locality in 1823 and bought his farm from Andrew Hower, heirs of Jno. Philip Faust and others. His first home was built by John Youndt. He afterward erected a stone dwelling which is now the sta])le of F. W. Wint & Co. He followed weaving for nine years. Upon the completion of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. canal he became a lock-tender. In 1851, he sold the remainder of his farm (not heretofore sold into lots) to David Thomas, and moved to Bethlehem. After the death of his wife, he made THOMAS AND CONTEMPORARIES 39 his home with his daughter, Mrs. Owen Swartz, at Allentown where he died at an advanced age. His chiklren were Franklin, Joseph, Susanna and Mer- sena. There are still living of his children, Susanna, widow of Owen Swartz deceased, and Mersena, who was married to David Jones, a brother of Capt. Bill Jones. In contrast with many of the original inhabitants who opposed David Thomas in his projects and ideas, owing to politics which raged more violently then than now, John Peter could always be relied upon to support him. George Breinig — The ancestors of George Breinig were among the first settlers of Longswamp township, in Berks county. His great-grandfather was one of the building committee in the erection of the Old Lehigh Church near Alburtis in the early part of the 18th Century. While a young man, he attended the Academy at the ' ' Irish Settlement ' ' and on his way to and fro he passed the farm which was irrigated by the Catasauqua creek and became noted for its fer- tility. Upon reaching manhood he purchased this farm of 245 as. 76 ps. in Allen township from the Es- tate of Peter Beisel, deceased, on April 4, 1831, by virtue of a special Act of Assembly, passed Feb. 26, 1831, and moved upon it in 1832. It is still owned by some of his descendants. Robert IMcIntyre came here with his teams from Mauch Chunk where he had finished a contract soon after Mr. Thomas arrived, and he did considerable work in digging the race for the water which turned the large water-wheel in the furnace. Soon after- ward he purchased the farm adjoining Fairview Cem- etery and there mined iron-ore which was washed where the Lehigh Valley R. R. depot is situated. The race for the washery is now used to run the turbine- wheel which raises the water for the Lehigh Valley R. R. and Catasaucjua and Fogelsville R. R. locomo- /.O EARLY HISTORY tives. He also purchased the farm on the road to Bethlehem, now owned by the Oberly Estate. He owned real estate in town, including the properties now known as the Eagle Hotel and the Lehigh National Bank. He built several sections of the Cata- saur. Charles J. Keim 1906.8; 1914 William H. Glace 1876 Dr. Henry H. Riegel 1909-13 P. W. Wint 1877 CENSUS— The population of the borough, accord- ing to the U. S. enumeration, since its incorporation, has been as follows : — I860 1932 1890 3704 1870 2853 1900 3963 jggQ 3065 1910 ^'^''^ W 98 V*^ \.'*^^i^** %;^^V*^ \.**^^>' .' 0** v^'^v %•'••'•%<•* V'^v •^- %/ '^' ^"•^-o-* •^*°''-o/V \/ %'^'?^V' V^^'^/ "0**^^**0' ■■' /j(M/^% \.-&* /€^\ ** A* .'aVa-. V .** /. f '.-« «■ -o>*"