seat is the same now Duffield's Mill power and establishment. It was first deeded to Yeaman Gillingham, by Penn's Commissioners in 1695; and afterwards was constructed into a Grist Mill, Saw Mill, &c.

The aged Giles Gillingham, who died at Frankford in 1825, at the age of 93 years, said that when he was a boy there, it was quite common for him to play with Indian lads in the neighbourhood. Frankford then had but very few houses, and was often called Oxford, after the name of its township. About the time of Braddock's defeat, there came an Indian from a distance, blowing a horn as he entered the Indians' place; they soon went off with him, and were no more seen near there.

There has been an opinion prevalent about Frankford village, that it derived its name from Frank, a black fellow, and his ford, where he kept a ferry for passengers on foot; but besides its looking too artificial to be true, there are obvious reasons against that cause of its name. I see it as early as 1701 referred to in a public petition concerning a road under the name of "Frankford:" besides, it lies on the creek, the Indian Wingohocking, which comes from the "Frankford Company's land" in Germantown. It was their proper water passage to the river.

Jonathan Dickinson, in 1715, when writing respecting "Fairman's land at Frankford creek," says, "a ford there will be very needful and very expensive, as the winds drive the waters from the Delaware over much marshy land there. For 200 acres he offers £400. He says it cannot be surveyed on the marsh (since all converted into productive meadows, &c.) until the winter is so advanced as to make the survey on the ice!

He speaks, even then, of its losing 100 loads of timber cut off, because it was untenanted, and borne off in moonlight nights-probably for ship timber use, and for

staves.

It appears by the minutes of council, 1726, that "the inhabitants then of Frankford," petition that the road may be so altered, as to have but one bridge in use, instead of the two then existing.

In the year 1814, C. Kuhn, in digging near the waterside, for a foundation for a small store, on the tan-yard premises, now of Kinsay & Hilles, discovered an interred earthen pot of silver coin, of about 100 pieces, of very old dates. Several were divided coins, cut into sections of dollars and quarters. Some dates were as old as 300 years. One was an old Massachusetts coin of 1652. He sold them all for old silver.

SETTLEMENT OF GWYNEDD.

This township, originally settled by the Welsh, was taken up in 1698; the original purchasers being William, John, and Thomas Evans, who distributed portions among their associates,-to wit: William, John, Thomas, Robert, Owen, and Cadwallader Evans; Hugh Griffiths, Edward Foulke, Robert Jones, John Hughes, and John Humphrey. Only the two last named were Friends ; all the others were churchmen. These latter were accustomed to meet at Robert Evans's; and there Cadwallader Evans was in the practice to read from the Bible to the people assembled. But one

time, as Cadwallader Evans was accustomed to relate to the late venerable Jesse Foulke, he was going as usual to his brother Robert's, when passing near the

road leading to Friends meeting, held at John Hughe's and John Humphrey's, it seemed as if he was impressed "to go down and see how the Quakers did." This he mentioned to his friend at the close of his own meeting, and they all agreed to go to the Friends meeting the next time, where they were all so well satisfied that they never met again in their own worship. In 1700, the Friends built their log meeting house, on the site where now stands their present stone house, built in 1823. An intermediate stone house was built there in 1712.

Mrs. S. Nancarro, the kinswoman of the above mentioned Jesse Foulke, who lived to be 80 years of age, used to tell the story a little variant, saying that the brothers Evans used to read the public services of their church, in a summer house, constructed of boughs of trees; and that when one of the brothers was proceeding to his meeting, having to pass by where William Penn was speaking, he became so convinced, that he succeeded in bringing over all his brethren to the same profession.

The same Mrs. N. had often seen and conversed with her grandfather, Hugh Evans, who lived to be ninety years of age. When he was a boy of twelve years of age, he remembered that William Penn, with his daughter Lætitia and a servant, (in the year 1699 or 1700,) came out on horseback to visit his father, Thomas Evans. Their house was then superior, in that it was of barked and hewn logs, a refinement surpassing the common rank. At that house, William Penn ascended steps on the outside to go to his bed-chamber; and the lad of twelve, curious to see so distinguished a guest,

went up afterwards to peep through the apertures, and saw him on his knees at prayer, giving audible "thanks to God for such a peaceful and excellent shelter in the wilderness!" The same facts I heard also from another ancient person.

The same Hugh Evans told, that Lætitia, then a lively young girl, was very desirous to go to an Indian festival which was near; but her father would not give his consent, though she entreated him much: she then went out as if chagrined, and seeming to wish for some novelty to dissipate her grief, she took up a flail near some grain, at which she began to labour playfully,when she inadvertently brought the unwieldy instrument so severely about her head and shoulders, as to have induced quite a new concern upon her mind, and caused her quickly to retreat into the house. The impression this fact made upon H. Evans, was never lost, and was often told.

SETTLEMENT OF CHESTER.

This ancient town was several years in being before the arrival of Penn's colonists. It was the proper county town of what had been usually called Upland county by the Swedes and Dutch, and as such, it was itself usually called Upland also. The original name of the place, by the Indians, was Mocoponacka.

Some of the Friends who had designed for a settlement in Jersey, had preferred this little village as their residence as early as 1677,-wherefore, when Penn's first colonists arrived by the ship Factor, in the winter, in December 1681, they were there met and welcomed

by those Friends. Robert Wade was the chief person among them; and his house, called "the Essex house," was often made the head quarters of the emigrants. It was at this hospitable mansion, that William Penn, when he arrived, made his landing and his home. The house is no more; but facts sufficient still exist, to make the scene of the landing, the theme of an historical painting. The house stood on the lower side of Chester creek, not far from the river side; was a large one and a half story wooden building, with a piazza. Near it by the river side, stood several lofty pines, and a long range of lofty walnut trees. Wade's premises on that side of the creek, extended some distance inland as a large farm. The upper side of the creek, where now stands the town of Chester, was originally the land of James Sanderland, a Swede, whose remains are noticed on a stone inscription of fine character, in the present ancient St. Paul's church in that town. It represents him as dying in the year 1692 in the 56th year of his age.

The brick house is still standing, now a cooper's shop, owned by John Hart, in which it is said, was held the first Assembly of Pennsylvania! It is a one and a half story structure of middle size, close by the creek. The oaken chair, in which William Penn there sat as chief of that assembly, is said to be still preserved in the possession of the aged and respectable widow of Colonel Frazier,-a chair to be prized by us, with a regard as venerative as that felt by Englishmen for their celebrated chair in Westminster Abbey, brought from Scone to help in the investiture of royal power.

At the mill-seat up the Chester creek, now belonging