Dominic DeBenedictis and the Indian Queen

Dominico DeBenedictis was born in Italy around 1881. Sources indicate that he immigrated to America in 1886, when he was 5, though no passenger list can be found to corroborate. He was naturalized in 1905 while residing on Sansom Street in Philadelphia, around the age of 25. 

Dominic DeBenedictis and Shep

He was married to his wife Mary around 1903 and they had a son Eugene, and daughter Olivia. Eugene was born in New Jersey, though no record of Dominic living there could be found. Both Dominic and Mary were born in Italy, yet were listed on censuses as speaking English. He arrived young, so this is unsurprising. On the 1920 census, Dominic is listed as a master painter, and in a 1914 directory he is listed as a printer. There is nothing in the papers to indicate it, but Dominic's life in Philadelphia was about to come to a close, and a new chapter would open up about 27 miles away.

In December of 1917 DeBenedictis enters the picture in Bucks County, buying one of the most important farms in Upper Makefield township. He purchased the Samuel Merrick Farm, aka. The House of Decision, from William H. and Laura M. Hogeland near Woodhill. This is where General Nathaniel Greene made his headquarters prior to the Battle of Trenton. Dominic immediately set about painting the property and making repairs. This isn't surprising, given his listed occupation 3 years later.

Merrick House Plaque

Shortly thereafter, in November of the same year, he places an ad in the Enterprise for a hurry-up sale of personal property. The sale shows that at this time DeBenedictis had a well-stocked farm's worth of animals and implements available. This included four horses, 20 pigs, 60 chickens and a variety of crops. Presumably this was the Hogeland farming outfit which he inherited.

Nov 16, 1918 Newtown Enterprise

The sale was well-attended, despite inclement weather, and brought good money. It was reported that DeBenedictis couldn't make his necessary business trips to Philadelphia while simultaneously running the farm, so he sold his outfit. It appears that while Dominic moved away and left his family behind, he still had ties to Philadelphia and traveled there frequently. 

Dominic must've found the neighborhood to his liking, as two months later he bought the Woodhill Store, aka. The Eagle property from Mary B. Fell, of Yardley. The property is adjacent to the Merrick House property. It was reported that he intended to transform the store into a summer hotel or boarding house, and was already at work on the plans for this endeavor. No such undertaking ever took place and the building today is a residence.

The Woodhill Store

Albert E. Slack was a farmer on an adjacent tract to DeBenedictis'. On November 7th, 1919, we see him take out an advertisement in the Enterprise in which he apologizes for anything derogatory he might've said towards Dominic and his family. Prior to Dominic's arrival, one would be hard-pressed to find a farmer of Italian descent in Upper Makefield, Bucks County, PA. In fact, scanning the 1920 census shows that he is, in fact, the only citizen of Upper Makefield who was born in Italy. One wonders if the immigrant who was buying up properties in the yet sleepy hamlet of Woodhill had a warm reception from his new neighbors. The apology suggests he did not.

Slack's Apology

We must presume that Dominic left his wife Mary and their two children behind in Philadelphia when he decided to try his hand at farming. In the 1920 census he is listed as living with his housekeeper Avis Peterson, and one boarder. The next mention of Mary comes from an announcement about their divorce proceedings in February 1921. It seems that Dominic had traded the city (and family) life for greener pastures. 

Dominic's land purchases weren't limited to Upper Makefield. In 1920 he bought a building lot in Wycombe, though we never hear of this property again. He also bought the Anchor Hotel property in 1921, with nothing else found in the papers about his ownership. Often times rumors of sales, or failed sales are reported and later corrected. 

Things were going well for DeBenedictis. He owned multiple properties in a new area, and soon after the divorce he and his 10-year younger housekeeper Avis got married at his home, the Merrick House. The wedding was written about three times in the paper, the printer was getting some press himself. Naturally, we see an advertisement in the Philadelphia Inquirer looking for a new housekeeper, which he needed after promoting his old one. 

Philadelphia Enquirer June 30, 1922

DeBenedictis's land holdings were growing, and in 1925 he places an ad in the Enterprise looking to buy more farms. 

March 21, 1925 Newtown Enterprise

Dominic appears to have moved around during this time frame. We know he lived at the Merrick House in 1921, then in 1925 we see an article in the Enterprise indicating that he moved from Lettie W. VanHorn's house on Chancellor Street to rooms rented of Russel Janney, in the building on the south west corner of State Street and Center Avenue. 

A week later multiple land transactions were reported. DeBenedictis purchased three tracts of timber in Buckingham Township, 14 acres in Doylestown Township, along with the 104-acre Heginbotham farm from John Tomlinson in Upper Makefield. He also secured a thirty-day option on three other Upper Makefield farms. They were Mary J. Paxon 130 acres, 60 or 70 acres from Horace B. Hunt, and a portion of the 105-acre farm of Georgiana Thornton. It was reported that these farms were being bought up for parties involved in the excavating and selling of gravel.

Next, he buys the 106-acre farm of Charles C. Winder, near Taylorsville. It appears that the sellers were not happy with the deal, as a month later it is reported that certain heirs of Winder filed a protest against the confirmation of the sale, alleging inadequate price. 

Dominic DeBenedictis was on a buying spree and he now held hundreds of acres in the county. His next purchase would be his largest-to-date. In May of 1925 he purchased the 184 acre farm of prominent farmer and citizen George L. Eastburn, the Creamery Farm. He set about making repairs to the farm, and the paper mused that it would be one of the showplaces in that locality. 

That same month he bought a building lot on North Congress Street in Newtown, which he later sold to the Burns Brothers, who erected a garage and paint shop on the property. He also bought Elmer E. Harvey's farm of 94 acres, east of the Eagle. This is also around the time that his dog lost a fight with an elephant. Whether or not this was hyperbole is unknown, as there was an actual elephant barn down the road to Brownsburg at the time. This is where the circus quartered their animals in the winter.

May 16, 1925 Newtown Enterprise

In 1926, Dominic DeBenedictis owned several farms in Upper Makefield, including some of the most well-known properties. He took out an ad in the Philadelphia Inquirer offering city-dwellers the opportunity to try their hand ar farming. Raise some chickens or ducks, he says. He had properties of 5 acres and up for rent. Interestingly, at this time, 1926, it took less than an hour to get to Philadelphia from Upper Makefield. It often takes longer than that today. 

June 6, 1926 Philadelphia Inquirer

That same year Dominic was in the newspaper for stumbling up an abandoned car with 50 half-pints of whiskey and $70 in paper money on the Buck Road. Dominic, despite being mistreated by at least one of his neighbors, likely more, did the right thing and turned the booze over to the police. 

Presumably, Dominic wasn't buying these farms for the love of the land. He was in it to make money, and now was the time to strike. Though it wasn't reported, he sold the Merrick House in this time frame to Charles A. Baldi. On April 29th, 1927 the Enterprise wrote that DeBenedictis had sold two of his Upper Makefield farms to Edward McPeak, of Philadelphia. The farms were the Eastburn (Creamery) farm of 184 acres and the Elmer Harvey farm of 94 acres, 278 acres in all. He allegedly earned himself a big advance over his purchase price. It appeared that Dominic's budding career as a real estate broker was taking off. 

The 94 acre Elmer Harvey farm, also known as the Highland School Farm because the school was located across the road, was formerly a part of the 184 acre tract on Creamery once owned by Frank Harvey. Running along the west side of Highland Road from Wrightstown Road to Woodhill Road, it featured a two and a half story frame and stone house, frame barn and wagon house and other outbuildings. We know this because of the fact that the property was seized from DeBenedictis by the sheriff and put up for auction, two years after the reported sale, which must not have gone through. Neither had the sale of the other tract that he sold to McPeak, as he was advertising them both for rent again in April, 1930. This ad shows that he also owned the Cannan Farm, located on Wrightstown Road, West of Eagle Road. 

April 3, 1930

Around this time, DeBenedictis was in an automobile accident on Roosevelt Boulevard. He was driving during a storm and his car struck and killed a woman named Mrs. Anna Meta, from Philadelphia. He was arrested, though he must've gotten away with it because, 8 months after having it seized, he was still renting out his arsenal of farms. 

At the beginning of the Great Depression Dominic DeBenedictis no longer lived in Upper Makefield township. In 1930 he was listed on the census as living back in Philadelphia, along with his former housekeeper, now wife, Avis Peterson. She must have also had a child in a previous marriage, as there's a 13 year old daughter named Dorothy E. Peterson living with the couple. There's also daughter Avis, 8, son Robert, 6, and daughter Gloria, 4 years old. Dominic's occupation is listed at this time as one would expect, real estate broker. We cannot glean much from a list of names, but things must not have been well in the household, as shortly after this, Dominic is back in Upper Makefield, again, without his family. This time would be his last in the township. 

Somehow Dominic found himself caught up in an issue over Arthur P Townsend's land that he sold to the State for a new park. Some idiot alleged that the land was worthless because it was of no historical value. The April 3, 1930 Enterprise writes that said idiot stated:

"I have absolute proof that Washington's army never camped there, and that no event of the Revolution happened there, and that the land hasn't the slightest bit of historical value, and that Townsend tried to get rid of it for $100 a lot."

Then the humorous part of the thing, he called on Dominic DeBenedictis to verify his statement. Dominic, a former resident of Newtown, and the owner of much acreage along the Delaware that he would like to sell the State, posing as a Bucks County historian, is just a little too rich for Bucks County folks.

In 1930 prohibition was still in effect and Bucks County had its fair share of bootleggers. Tenants from out of town, the exact kind Dominic advertised towards, would rent farms in Bucks County and set up illegal distilleries on the properties, (usually) unbeknownst to the owners of the farms. On December 11, 1930 the Enterprise reported that a man from Philadelphia, who was renting one of DeBenedictis' farms near Stoopville, was raided by authorities and found to contain two 200-gallon stills and hundreds of gallons of moonshine. Hyman Benn was sentenced to serve two months in prison and to pay a $200 fine. This was a small-time operation, another bust in Morrisville produced a 10,000-gallon still. 

Here we hit an obstacle with the research for this story. The Newtown Enterprise was published from 1868-1965, and the vast majority of issues are available on microfilm and pdf. The only exception is 1931. No library or archive has copies of the 1931 Newtown Enterprise. Other papers were searched, as Dominic showed up in the Trenton Times and Philadelphia enquirer, though nowhere near as many times as he appeared in the Enterprise. But whatever happened to Dominic DeBenedictis in 1931 will remain a mystery. We do, however know a piece of the story.

David Barton Taylor (1795-1873) was the younger brother of prominent Taylorsville businessman Mahlon K. Taylor. He built a house (today's Washington Crossing Vineyards) on the east side of Wrightstown Road, and a clover mill on the west side where he processed clover seed. The mill was never a success and was abandoned on Hough's Creek. Mary Snyder Taylor, in her tome about her ancestor's life in Upper Makefield and the surrounding areas, Annals of a Bucks County Family, says this about the mill (writing in 1940). 

As late as twenty years ago [1920] the mill was still standing and in 1928 when we attempted to take pictures of what remained, enough of the old walls and machinery were left to make a picturesque ruin. Now scarcely a vestige remains to mark the site although traces of the old dam may still be seen in the creek. 

DB Taylor's Mill on Hough's Creek

What happened to the mill between 1920 and 1940? There's no mention of it in the newspapers, but surely someone dismantled it. Who could it have been, and where did the materials go? We can again turn to Mary Snyder Taylor for some insight.

Upon a part of the tract near the road a large stone house has been erected, which has never been occupied. This house was built by Dominic DeBenedictis who intended it for a hotel. The funds for it's construction were furnished by George [L] Eastburn, a wealthy man to whom DeBenedictis had rendered a kindness. The interior of the house is now being changed into apartments, and the surrounding grounds are being graded and improved. The stones used for the house are said to have been from the old mill, who's last grist was ground many years ago. 

The Indian Queen

1058 Little Rd sits on an aptly-named lane near where Route 532 and Wrightstown Road intersect. It is a substantial squarish stone building, divided into multiple apartment units. According to tradition, it was known as the Indian Queen and was reportedly a speakeasy, though both accounts are unconfirmed. No good source exists calling it a speakeasy, nor is there anything in writing calling it the Indian Queen. It was likely built in 1931, and the demolition of the mill and  its subsequent re-use would've been reported in the newspaper. As far as we know, the Indian Queen is the only building that Dominic DeBenedictis ever built in Upper Makefield, or anywhere else for that matter. 

Very near the Indian Queen sits a house that was known as the "Widow's Curse Place". The house was built by Benjamin Taylor for his daughter, who had life rights to the property. Her husband had drowned in Hough's Creek and she and her 7 children lived in the modest home until David Barton Taylor urged her to sell it so he could use it as a miller's house for the nearby mill. Allegedly she uttered Barton, the Widow's curse will always be upon this property and thee will never succeed with thy mill. The mill did fail, as did the intended hotel that Dominic built with it's ruins. Nothing good happened to him after he demolished the mill. Perhaps the curse, trapped in stone, got to him as well. 

Dominic's name appeared at least 7 times in the 1930 Enterprise, and 10 times in 1932. We can presume that his real estate transactions and life happenings would've been reported just as much in 1931.  Events in 1932 suggest that whatever happened to Dominic in 1931 wasn't good. 

Avis Peterson

We pick up the story in the Enterprise in May 1932 when Dominic was in what the papers called an amusing bout in court with his still-wife Avis. Dominic had deserted his second family around 1931 and was living with another woman somewhere in Upper Makefield, presumably at one of his farms. Avis came down from Philadelphia looking for money for the children's shoes and food. The meeting became acrimonious and the other woman, who was afforded fancy footwear of her own, was slapped across the face by Avis. Dominic replied in kind, and Avis kicked him in the shins. The money was handed over and they parted ways. In court, he called her the daughter of the devil and said she came looking for "dramatics" and I gave it to her. He expressed that he felt he got the worst of it, hiking up his pants to show his wounds. Everybody got a laugh out of the situation except Dominic. True he was acquitted but he was required to pay the costs of the entertainment. 

Dominic's pattern of marrying and starting a family, only to desert them doesn't paint the picture of the most honest man in the township. Perhaps Albert Slack was right about him when he first got to town. Karma was about to catch up to the man, as the 1932 papers are filled with sheriff's sales of his once large landholdings. First we see the Creamery Farm being seized, followed by other tracts he owned, some as small as an acre. Besides the assault on his wife there isn't one story about Dominic, just sheriff's sales, in both the Enterprise and the Doylestown Intelligencer. 

Creamery Farm Sheriff's Sale

What happened to Dominic DeBenedictis that led to him losing all of the property he acquired? We could assume that building the Indian Queen for a hotel in 1931 might have hurt him financially, but Mary Snyder Taylor says that it was funded by George L. Eastburn. She's not always the most reliable source, but that's oddly specific. Eastburn was a prominent man, owning the pumpkin farm in Pineville, among others. Apparently, their friendship wasn't enough to keep DeBenedictis in Upper Makefield.

We may never know exactly what led to the loss of his properties. Dominic lived in the township for a brief period one hundred years ago and the only mark he left was the Indian Queen. People remember it being called that, but Dominic's name had been lost to history. Someone out there knows more information and it will come to light one day with further research. No map of the township at the time exists, 1940 is the closest we get. Had one been drafted, his name surely would've been featured prominently next to the families who had lived on the land for generations. 

There is a fairly good tree for Dominic DeBenedictis online, the source of the images of him and Avis, though it isn't perfect. There is no record of Dominic's birth, death or immigration. Census records and newspapers articles brought his story to light. The trail stops in 1932, both in the papers and genealogically. He is not in the 1940 census, so he either died, or perhaps moved abroad, once again fleeing his family obligations. 

Searching for Dominic DeBenedictis was uniquely easy, despite the few variations of his first and last name. This is because there was nobody else named Dominic being written about in the Newtown Enterprise during this period, except for Dominick Kay and a few random out-of-towners who made the news. Since I also research Kay, this was fun. 

Whatever ultimately happened to him, we have a man who for a brief time entered a foreign space and planted his colors. He had ambition and drive, and wasn't afraid to blaze a new trail for himself. He also left us the Indian Queen, which will outlive us all, cursed or not.

The Little Church Around the Corner

Recently, my friend and colleague Jeff Marshall sent me an article asking if a particular referenced building was the Makefield Monastery. The article was from September 11th, 1880 and the monastery only existed for a brief period in 1895 so I quickly surmised that it couldn't have been that. The article says

Adolphus Y. Watson having obtained possession of the Church building at Jericho, in Upper Makefield, so long in dispute, has concluded to remove it and make a wagon house of it. - Thus holy places are desecrated.

If it wasn't the Monastery, and it was too early to be Woodhill Chapel, then what church in Upper Makefield were they talking about? We went back and forth a few times, but the bottom line is that neither of us had heard of this before. I needed a new research topic, so I set about discovering what I could about this forgotten church.

Adolphus Y. Watson is on the 1876 Atlas owning the house that today sits at 100 Stonybrook Rd. The  surrounding property is now the Sycamore Farms development and extended across Stonybrook Rd to Brownsburg Rd, where it formed two triangle shaped parcels. The middle triangle has Stony Brook running directly through the center of that parcel and the upper is at the base of Jericho Mountain. 

1876 Atlas

If we look at the 2008 Upper Makefield Subdivision Map we see that the middle triangle parcel is still part of the property, though the upper is not. 

Modern Roads View

Note that we see an extension of today's Shannon Rd that no longer exists, which once connected Woodhill Rd directly to Brownsburg. In fact, that road once extended even further, over the mountain, and was the main thoroughfare before Eagle Rd was realigned through J. Merrick's (on this atlas) property, splitting the barn from the main house. This stretch of road over the mountain was known as "Chatter Lane", according to local historian Harry W. Van Horn, and once contained a village of log houses with stone walls to keep them from tumbling down the mountain.

Samuel Merrick Property 1916

General Nathaniel Greene made his headquarters in the Samuel Merrick house prior to the crossing of the Delaware. In this picture we see Eagle Rd leading to Jericho Mountain bisecting the farm. Today it is two separate properties, and the 1773 main house as well as the circa 1800 barn and carriage house are deservingly well-preserved.

Surprised I'd never come across this church before, and only knowing the ending to the story, I started a few searches in the Newtown Enterprise for the years surrounding the article and in no time had something to work with.

The first mention of any church in the neighborhood is on October 9th, 1875.

A new church is to be built on Jericho Mountain, near the Eagle. It is to be commenced at once, and finished by Christmas. It is to belong to the "Christian" society, but we have not heard who is to be its pastor, or any further particulars.

Three months later we see an advertisement for the opening of the church, with a Reverend James M. Burdick presiding over the dedication.

Jan 15, 1876 Newtown Enterprise

On January 22nd, 1876 the paper published an article about the opening of the church.

Opening Of A New Church - The new Church recently erected near "Jericho Hill", on ground generously donated by Mr. Adolphus Watson, and who also, together with other liberal minded citizens, contributed freely toward the construction of the building proper, was opened for worship on Sunday last, with fitting services. The edifice is said to be the result of the recent revival at Lurgen (sic), and we hear this new Church is undenominational - that is doors will be open to all who believe in Christ crucified. In appearance, the building is plainly constructed in pine boards, with a capacity for seating over a hundred persons. It starts forth under very favorable circumstances, and it is believed will do much good in the neighborhood, no other house of worship being nearer than three or four miles. The pulpit will be occupied during each service by some minister or layman at the command of the officers of the Church. Rev. Burdick and J.W.S. Johnson conducted the services. The building will be dedicated on Sunday.

There was excitement at the prospect of a new place of worship in a location that seemed convenient for the neighborhood, as there were no other churches in the vicinity. The papers reported on the dedication the next week, January 29, 1876.

Dedicated - The new Free Christian Church located in Upper Makefield, near the upper course of the stream of water known as Stony Brook, "where the rugged pine in its lonely price, leans groomily over the murky side", was dedicated last Sunday afternoon by the Rev. Mr. Burdick of Wilmington, Del., assisted by the Rev. J.W.S. Johnson, of Frenchtown, N.J. The attendance was surprisingly large, and had the weather been more auspicious, the belief is that the edifice would have been filled to overflowing. All the young men of this neighborhood were there with their sisters or somebody else's sister - and entered into the exercises with the true Christian spirit. In the rear of the pulpit, in bold and beautiful letters, were the words: "Come to Jesus," and "Ye must be born again."... Services have been held in this church every evening during the week. There is a small indebtedness yet remaining on the edifice, to liquidate which every worthy effort available is being made.

Five months later we find a notice in the paper that the church is going in a different direction and would now be known as the Congregational Methodist Church of Upper Makefield and would hold an "old-fashioned Methodist Love Feast" the next week. 

June 3, 1876 Newtown Enterprise

Shorty after the announcement of this denominational shift we find a lengthy article that gives a synopsis of the congregation and outlines some of the problems happening at the little church. A power struggle was brewing between some of the founders of the church and Burdick. June 10, 1867:

Congregational Methodist Church of Upper Makefield - Dissatisfaction Among the Pastors and Attendants. - For some time past, and in fact from the first commencement of the building of this edifice for church worship, numerous drawbacks and discouragements have attended the progress of  Christian work in this new field of labor. The history of the church, briefly stated, is as follows: By generous donation and liberal subscriptions of money the work was commenced with apparently good prospects. The church building was located, planned and built during last fall and winter under the supervision of Ralph T. Anderson, of Hunterdon county, N.J., assisted by Gardner Randall, of Easton, J.W.S. Johnson, of Kingwood, N.J., and William Scott and B. Sylvester Bennett of Newtown, Pa., official men in a new religious organization, known as the Free Christian denomination. A small strip of land, pleasantly situated in a delightful grove of majestic oaks on the bank of Stony Brook half way between the Eagle and Brownsburg, had previously been deeded gratuitously by Adolphus J. Watson, upon which the building was erected. The meetings were held from time to time under the supervision of the above named exhorters, until the 16th of January last, when Rev J.M. Burdick, of Wilmington, Del., was called to dedicated the house, but owing to improper discipline and by laws which had been selected, together with a large debt outstanding for work and material against the church, and not very bright prospects now in anticipation, Mr. Burdick refused to perform the dedicatory ceremonies. He, however, continued to preach in the house for some time. A discipline was subsequently compiled for the church government, embodying the doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal Church, or so much thereof as would apply to a congregational or independent body. This was agreed to with one exception, which exception caused a division in the body, and the house was thereupon closed by the trustees. Subsequently the house was opened, and by invitation of the trustees and the remaining members of the congregation, Mr. Burdick preached a sermon on the evening of the 31st of January, and has been preaching there ever since. Ralph T. Anderson, the person formerly in charge, has also been about the neighborhood most of the time for the past six months, and since the call of Rev. Burdick to the pastorate, has been devoting his time principally to the selling of bibles, some of which we understand are now in the hands of the express agent at this place. On Sunday, the 28th ult., whilst Mr. Burdick was engaged in conducting the services at the "little church in the grove," Mr. Anderson came in and took a seat in the pulpit, and we are told that when Mr. Burdick sat down after the congregation had commenced singing the opening hymn, Mr. Anderson endeavored to gain the attention of the audience but without avail. This led to considerable comment after the close of service, and from that time until the present quite an excitement has prevailed from this quarter in the heretofore quiet and reserved regions about Jericho. Mr. Anderson is said to be supported in his course in the matter by some of the prominent members of the church, together with Mr. Watson, the donor of the land for the building, and while he is not endorsed by the trustees and the present attendants at the church, there appears to be a desire manifested by some that he shall have charge of the mission instead of Mr. Burdick. Many of his followers are those living in the vicinity of Brownsburg. However, on the morning of Friday, the 2d inst., Mr. Anderson brought two stout iron hasps over from Brownsburg, screwed them tightly on the doors, and securely locked them with padlocks, taking the keys away with him. Mr. Burdick hearing of this shortly afterwards, proceeded to the building and removed the fastenings, and again the church was opened. He then in company with Mr. Peter Weckerly, one of the trustees, went to New Hope, and before Johnson, J.P., had a warrant issued for the arrest of Anderson and one of his friends. Anderson hearing of this speedily departed from the neighborhood, and retraced his steps across the river into New Jersey, from Whence he came. In compliance with previous announcement services were held in the church on Sunday last, morning and evening, but the attendance was not so large as was anticipated, and the "noon lunch" was accordingly dispensed with. At the morning service the sacrament was administered to a number of communicants. Selections were read in the service from I and XXXVII Psalms and I and II chapters of Luke. All present seemed attentive listeners to the sermon, and the pastor, judging from his discourse, is undoubtedly a learned and earnest man. The church has been thoroughly reorganized and is now known as the Congregational Methodist. The trustees are Mr. Weckerly and Cadwallader, B.S. Bennet having resigned, leaving a vacancy unsupplied. The trustees have assumed the remaining debt of the church, and have taken a mortgage on the building as security. The portion of the congregation who followed the teachings of Mr. Anderson, have established themselves at Brownsburg, and hold services in the private dwelling of Mr. Carver regularly. Mr. Anderson hd been preaching there previous to his return to our sister State, and was being assisted in the work by William Scott of this place. We understand that the services will be continued at both points. Mr. Burdick is the inventor of the celebrated hay tedder, and a machinist of no little acquirements, having been previously in the employ of the Remington Gun Works and of the Singer Sewing Machine Co. We are sorry to be called upon to publish these statements, and hope that at no distant day we shall hear of a union of these factions, and that good feeling will be restored and everything transpire harmoniously in connection with the Congregational Church of Upper Makefield.

There's a lot to unpack in that article but the problem seems to have arisen when the congregation wanted to change to Methodist, there was one holdout, Ralph T. Anderson. Anderson was a founder and the man who supervised the building of the church, before Burdick entered the picture. Burdick soon took over as the de-facto head of the church, and eventually Anderson wanted the power back. While Burdick preached at the little church, Anderson and his followers assembled at a private residence in Brownsburg, where most of them lived. Anderson's desire to be the leader led him to attempt to lock Burdick out of the church, which didn't go as planned. Once the authorities were notified, he fled his congregation and went back to N.J., where he came from. Burdick resumed preaching in the little church and Anderson was out of the picture.

We also find out that Rev. Burdick was an inventor of sorts, as he is credited with inventing the hay tedder, and he had previously worked for some large corporations. In 1879 we see him winning an award at the State Fair.

Sep 27, 1879 Newtown Enterprise

Despite Burdick's successes in the secular world, his antics in the sacred were starting to wear on the normally quiet and reserved neighborhood of Jericho. On July 7, 1877 an article is written about a trip taken to the neighborhood, which leaves out any mention of the church. A flabbergasted Burdick anonymously, though it was clearly him, writes a letter to the editor titled A Blast from the Walls of Jericho! wondering why the church wasn't visited. He goes on to tell the editor of all that he missed out on, while he ruminates over why another preacher, this time church founder J.W.S. Johnson, was allowed to hold an outdoor meeting "within hearing distance of the church."

The next week appeared a rebuttal to Burdick's letter titled A Counter-Blast From Jericho. The author, Charles T. Clark, calls out Burdick for having penned the first letter and appeals to a third party to mediate the church difficulty that has raged twenty months. A week later we see William Scott preaching at the "out-of-doors" meeting at Jericho, presumably the same spot as Johnson near the little church, again annoying the hell out of Burdick.  

The question of who should have the right to preach at the church wasn't the only trouble Burdick found himself in the middle of. On October 19th, 1878, the Newtown Enterprise published the following article detailing a spat over the collection of shellbarks between the owner of the land and Burdick which happened the previous year. 

Before Our Justices - On Tuesday Adolphus Y. Watson of Upper Makefield, was brought before Justice Merrick upon a charge of assault and battery preferred by Rev. J.M. Burdick. It is alleged that the offence was committed during the month of Novemer, 1877, and grew out of a quarrel about trespassing and gathering shellbarks upon the premises of the Free Christian Church, located between the Eagle and Brownsburg. Watson was bound over for his appearance at Court. A similar case will be brought before Merrick to-day, the 19th inst., in which the trustees of the above named church will prosecute Watson, the Clark's father and son, and others, for the gathering of nuts upon the church premises this season. The "little church around the corner" seems to have been shrouded in difficulties from its very infancy. 

In 1878 and 1879 there are a few mentions of Burdick speaking or preaching at various locations such as Dolington and Doylestown but not much about the little church until early 1880, when we learn of its fate.

February 2, 1880 Newtown Enterprise

It seems as though the little church by the creek, corner and grove was no longer James M. Burdick's domain. He was unusually short in his assessment of the situation, choosing not to call out his enemies and simply give a run down of the accounting. After this, Burdick went to New York for a year.

On April 9th, 1881 he writes a letter to the Enterprise.

Remembrance of Jericho - It would have been a great pleasure to me to have worked a reform in Jericho, but the rum influence is so strong, and the better portion of the community so indifferent to any reform, that Time's reaper must do the most of the work. Those brought up under the shadow of the old still must first die off. The little church will probably be turned into a wagon house or some other common use. After over 30 years in missionary work, spending all my leisure for the benefit of those around me, this Jericho is the first failure. Here we have a strong temperance element, and this year the town voted "no license," giving 200 majority against Rum.

Burdick laments that alcohol was the reason for the churches failure, which is interesting as it's the first time we hear anything of the sort. He dedicates another paragraph to his recent marriage, to a woman of 253 pounds, which he found noteworthy. 

So now we have the story of the church, but where exactly was it located and what did it look like? We find some context clues hidden in the newspaper articles. 

• Near the upper course of the stream of water known as Stony Brook
• Little church in the grove 
• Little church around the corner
• Little church by the bridge
  
• The building is plainly constructed in pine boards

The little church is a frame building near the creek, in a grove, around a corner and by a bridge on the property of A.Y. Watson. Since the creek only runs through the triangle shaped parcels of Watson's property, it must be located on one of those. The church is by a bridge, of which there must be 2 on the property. One bridge on Brownsburg Rd and another on the extension of Shannon. Logically, one would think that the extension of Shannon would be the lesser traveled road, especially since it has disappeared completely. Also, Watson owned the property on both sides of Brownsburg Rd, where John O'Brien owned the other side of the Shannon extension, now Jericho National Golf Club. 

1937 Aerial showing outline of Shannon extension

If he were to choose a location to build, I would think that the best option would be off Brownsburg Rd, as it was well-traveled with traffic to and from Brownsburg. The church could've been built on either side of Stony Brook, and either side of Brownsburg we don't have enough clues to know for sure. Based on all of this, I think it was likely on the right before you cross the creek headed towards Brownsburg. 

Stony Brook from the Bridge Today

So that's the story of the little church around the corner. I keep getting discouraged by thinking there's  no story in Upper Makefield we haven't heard yet, but here we are. Thanks to Jeff for piquing my interest and leading me to this research.

The final story is from the Enterprise on May 7th, 1881.

It is under consideration to erect a creamery in Upper Makefield, at the site of the disused Jericho Church, on the land of A. Y. Watson. This is a place having many natural advantages; a shady situation, at the intersection of public roads, and where pure cold water can be brought by pipes from springs on the hill side, with sufficient elevation to flow to any part of the building. 

This was a time when there was a creamery boom in the county, though this one never materialized. To see what happened to the building we go back to the original article Jeff Sent me.

Adolphus Y. Watson having obtained possession of the Church building at Jericho, in Upper Makefield, so long in dispute, has concluded to remove it and make a wagon house of it. - Thus holy places are desecrated.

Thus holy places are desecrated.  

I sent this to my friend Clint Flack and he came back with some cool ephemera for James M. Burdick. First, a patent for his Hay Tedder.

1880 Patent

And next he found an amazing trade card for the Burdick Hay Tedder, when he was working out of Point Pleasant in 1886. 

Courtesy Clint Flack

Historic Maps of Bucks County

If you're reading this you're probably like me and spend a lot of time on Google Maps checking out various old houses and locations mentioned in history books. I find the modern aerials fascinating, but what were these properties like one hundred, or two hundred years ago?

Luckily we have plenty of maps printed over the years that can help us with our research. Most of these are well-known and have been used by researchers forever, some are more obscure and are only useful in certain situations. Here's the list of all the maps I use in my research, perhaps you’ll find something new and useful for yours.

Holme Map

In 1687, the first Surveyor General of Pennsylvania Thomas Holme (1624-1695) printed the Map of ye Improved Part of Pensilvania in America Divided into Countyes, Townships and Lotts which includes original purchasers of land in Bucks County. William Penn appointed Holme as one of his councilors, and he eventually served as justice of the peace and commissioner of property. This map gives us the first glimpse of what the early settlement of the county looked like and is an important research tool.

1775 William Scull

Almost one hundred years later William Scull engraved a mouthful of a map of Revolutionary era Pennsylvania, which is also one of the most important cartographical works of its time. There are various revisions of this map with different towns shown from different years, such as 1770. Bucks County is well represented with churches, mills, ferries and many towns noted. 

Bucks County 1775 Scull Map

1817 Thomas G. Kennedy

Thomas G. Kennedy published his colorful map of Bucks County in 1817. This map doesn't show landowners, but it has towns and landmarks of note like churches and mills. Kennedy was the husband of Eliza Violetta Hicks, sister of Edward Hicks, who drowned in Newtown Creek the same year this map was published. He was also a prominent figure in other areas. He was a member of the house of Representatives in 1818, prothonotary and sheriff in Bucks and unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1828. He died at the age of 53 in Erwinna. 

1817 Brownsburg

In this we see Brownsburg, aka Pebbletown for the cobbles that were quarried from the Delaware River for cobblestone street paving. It notes John Knowles' mill, Vances is the Eagle tavern. Bowmans' Hill, Pidcock's Creek and Neely's Mill are all recognizeable landmarks of today.

1828 Thomas Gordon

In 1828 Thomas Gordon published a Map of the State of New Jersey with part of the Adjoining States Compiled that includes Bucks County in its entirety. There are many long gone villages to be found here. This is regarded as the most important map in New Jersey history, as it was the first large format map for the state. Multiple revisions of this map came out in the ensuing years, with publication eventually being taken over by Robert E. Horner.

A few lost villages, some still here

1831 Kennedy

In 1831 the son of Thomas G. Kennedy, Augustus Willet Kennedy, published a map of Bucks County showing towns and some buildings, though the locations and numbers of buildings aren't particularly precise. It's still a good resource. It seems as though the skills of mapmaking passed from father to son. This map includes a table with population, acreage, number of taxables and valuation for each township. 

Morris Map

A more robust attempt at a map of the County was made in 1850 by W.E. Morris, with great success. This map shows landowners, a few engravings, and insets of Bristol, Doylestown and Newtown Boroughs. There is a population table and description of the county. It is beautiful and large and a valuable resource.  

Morris Map Newtown Borough

Upper Makefield 1857

Next, in 1857 R.K. Kuhn and William B. Shrope published a Map of Bucks and Montgomery Counties and the Consolidated City of Philadelphia, which is much like the Morris Map. You can find individual images of the Townships here. 

Farm Map of Plumstead 1859

In 1859 Matthew Hughes published a series of Farm Maps of Bucks County, which are exceedingly scarce. These large-scale wall maps are very valuable and each has around a dozen beautiful lithographs of farms in the township. There's not a lot out of these out there, if anyone has a line on a copy of the Upper Makefield map it's my white whale so please get in touch with me. Here's a link to the beautiful Plumstead map.

1859 Residence of Benjamin Hall, Danborough

1860 Gillette and Stone

In 1860 John E. Gillette and C.K. Stone published a map of the vicinity of Philadelphia which includes Bucks County. 

1876 Atlas Title Page

Next up is the most detailed mapping of Bucks County to date, the 1876 Combination Atlas Map of Bucks County published by J.D. Scott. This large volume spanned 45 pages, with beautifully drawn, highly detailed maps for every Township and Borough. There are dozens of interesting lithographs of different properties in the county, statistics and more. 

1876 Farm of Thomas B. Scott, Newtown Litho

Original Receipt for 1876 Atlas

1891 E.P. Noll Atlas

In 1891 E.P. Noll, of Philadelphia, published another Atlas of Bucks County much like Scott's volume, minus the lithographs. This is another amazing resource that brings us close to the turn of the century.

Brownsburg in 1891

1948 Farm Atlas

A lesser-known atlas was published in 1948 by Franklin Survey Company, "America's Leading Publishers of Real Estate Atlases". This volume only has certain Townships and was supposed to be the first of three. The second two were never published. It is even larger than the first two atlases and gives a glimpse into the land owners of the middle of the 20th century. When comparing these atlases, one notes the reduction in parcel sizes that occured in the 57 years between publications. It's one of my favorites, as it includes Newtown, the Borough and Upper Makefield broken into 2 gigantic pages. 

Nowadays, people who don't appreciate what they have buy the atlases to cut them up and sell the pages individually. There's only so many of these extant, let's keep them together. 

Those are the main maps I use for Bucks County research, but there are some lesser known maps, or documents that include maps, that one should seek out as well. 

AW Kennedy 1829 Canal Map

There were a few different Delaware Canal Maps published in the 19th century that are useful for researching the towns that it ran through. In 1829 A.W. Kennedy, who would publish the map of Bucks two years later, published a map of the proposed canal and all of it's mechanical work. It's a clearly drafted, well presented view of the landowners and certain buildings in the area of the canal. The mechanical work includes locks, aqueducts, lock houses and more. It's a great lesser-known resource. 

Taylorsville 1829 Canal Map

1868 McNair Canal Survey

The canal was surveyed again in 1868 by Thomas S McNair. This 60 page volume shows the canal and it's appurtenances along its entire length and is beautifully colored. Oddly, there are 2 versions of this same map, each with minor differences such as different buildings. Copies are available at the Pennsylvania State Archives.

Taylorsville at the Canal in 1868 showing Lime Kilns

Moses Moon Land Survey Upper Makefield 1777

Moses Moon was an 18th century Bucks County surveyor who lived at Woodbourne his entire life (1754-1822). Many of his original surveys exist and some are on collection at the Mercer Museum. in MSC 304 Moon Family Land Drafts, 1751-1812. He was a remarkably accurate surveyor who produced clear and precise maps. I wrote about that particular survey here. 

RR 938 Showing Taylorsville in 1827

A road return is a report filed with the county by a surveyor after a road was laid out. There are many of these on file at the Mercer Museum and they are absolutely fascinating. The original road petitions are there as well and contain the signatures of many important early Bucks County settlers. 

1756 Upper Makefield Road Petition

In this petition we see the early settlers of Upper Makefield petitioning for a road leading through the London Land Company's lands down to Taylorsville Rd (Riverside Rd) near Thompson's Mill, granting easier access to the "back settlers". What's interesting about this is that two of the signers owned houses that were headquarters prior to the crossing, Samuel Merrick and William Keith.

Road Return Research at Mercer Museum

Road returns are fascinating in that they show the development of our modern day roads, essentially road genealogy. Theres much info to be found in these and they're an important part of Bucks County history. 

1893 Fowler

Thaddeus Mortimer Fowler was known for his birds-eye panoramic lithographs of different towns. He was active for over fifty years (1870-1922) and produced 426 views, 248 of those were in Pennsylvania. Bucks County is lucky to have a few towns represented. There's Newtown, Perkasie, Sellersville, Morrisville and other views. While not maps, per-se, these are very interesting in their own right. They're essentially highly-detailed early aerial views of the towns, with great lithographs of important landmarks and accurate, scale drawings. 

White Hall Hotel 1893

1915 Newtown Sanborn Map

Sanborn Fire Maps were produced for Newtown in 1909 and 1915 and are highly detailed. There are other Bucks County towns, such as Doylestown and New Hope. Unfortunately they doesn't show owner information, except in the case of businesses, which can be very handy for research purposes. The layouts of the buildings, including their composition, is meticulously catalogued. 

1909 Newtown Sanborn Fire Map

In 1849 M. Dripps published a Plan of the Township and Borough of Newtown, which is a good early map showing landowners and buildings in the borough. This map isn't available online, but a copy can be seen at the Newtown Historic Association.

1849 Dripps Map of Newtown

Washington Crossing 1937

Aerial photography is an important avenue to research. We don't have aerials from the 19th century (unless you count the Fowler map), but we have great images of the county in 1937, 1958 and 1971. These can be found at Penn Pilot and Historic Aerials. It's fascinating, and somewhat heartbreaking to compare the parcel sizes through the years. 

Newtown Common Survey

The PHMC has copies of survey books from 1681-1912, series #17.114, on file. Many of these surveys contain detailed maps, though locating them can be a pain. Here's the layout of the Newtown Common sometime in the 18th century. 

1781 Upper Makefield

Historical organizations often reproduced, or created maps of their particular area of focus. Jeff Marshall has done a few of these including the 1981 the Upper Makefield Historical Commission's map showing landowners in 1781. This is a fascinating map showing many names that are still familiar to the township as roads or families who still reside here. I can't possibly cover all of the other countless number of maps that have been produced for researchers and fans of local history, but they're all great resources.

I'm sure there are other original maps out there for particular locations like the Dripps map of Newtown, but my main focus here was all of Bucks, and the towns I care and know most about. Hopefully this opens up research opportunities for others.