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Weekly News September 14, 2009Description
1776, a very important year: In the fall of 1776, a 20-year-old Quaker was apprenticed to a tanner in Uwchlan, Chester County, PA. Present-day Uwchlan is on Route 100, about a mile north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. His widowed mother (who had re-married) and his sisters lived at Coryell’s Ferry along the Delaware River near the site of present-day New Hope.
General Washington and his troops fought long and hard that summer to prevent a far-superior British force, supplemented by Hessian mercenaries, from taking New York, but battle-after-battle they were pushed back and finally nearly annihilated at Fort Washington on the New Jersey palisades. Washington’s hungry and deprived army hurried southwestward across New Jersey with the British in hot pursuit. The young tanner apprentice worried for the safety of his mother and sisters, and in November asked his employer if he could take time off to check on their precarious situation. The employer agreed, and the apprentice made his way to Philadelphia with the hope of catching the first coach to Coryell’s Ferry.
He was relieved when he found the coach to New York was still operating, but was told there was little chance he could get from Morrisville (where passengers were ferried across the river to Trenton) to his mother’s home at Coryell’s Ferry, as the area along that section of the river was in chaos. Refugees from New Jersey were everywhere, and it was considered a highly unsafe area. Rumors abounded. The young apprentice was apprehensive about continuing when he encountered a Scotch-Irish teamster with a wagon who said he was half Quaker and half Presbyterian. “Where’s thee going?” the teamster inquired of the apprentice. “I want to find my mother and sisters at Coryell’s Ferry, but I’m told I have little chance to make it safely” was the reply. “Good luck and Godspeed” said the teamster, and the young apprentice climbed aboard the coach as it pulled out for Morrisville, many hours and several stops away.
Morrisville was indeed crowded with refugees. There was no chance he could get a coach to Coryell’s Ferry, about 20 miles away. Someone suggested he might get a ride on a wagon if he could find one going that way. As he looked around, here was the same teamster he had seen in Philadelphia who greeted him with “Laddie, what brings thee here?” The apprentice told him of his predicament. “Never fear, laddie, the Americans have 2,000 troops on this side of the river and the redcoats don’t want to get their boots wet coming after them. Besides, Washington has commandeered all the boats between here and Phillipsburg. Now, we’ve got to get thee to thy family. I have a proposition for thee, but thee may have to think about it, thee being a Quaker. I signed up to take a wagon of clothes, shoes, stockings and blankets for Washington’s boys as soon as they got across the river- no guns or ammunition or anything like that. I’m a Quaker, too, and don’t believe in war, but our boys need help. Thee can ride on the wagon if it’s not against thy principles”. The apprentice thought hard about the teamster’s proposition. When the wagon pulled out, however, he was aboard. “How can I pay thee?” he inquired. “Don’t worry about that, lad”, replied the teamster. “If thee ever gets to Uwchlan, I’ll make thee a new harness!” said the young apprentice as he jumped down from the wagon and prepared to walk the few miles to his mother’s home. “Don’t worry, Thomas Marshall, the British won’t try to cross the river this winter” were the teamster’s parting words.
As history tells us, Washington and his troops crossed the river on Christmas night and captured Trenton. Thomas later became a successful tanner in Concordville. His uncle, John Marshall, had bought 160 acres of land on Red Clay Creek in Kennett Township (Marshall’s Bridge) in 1759 and was known in the family as “John of Kennett”. He was my great great great grandfather. Nancy Marshall Bauer of Madison, WI, has just written a wonderful genealogy of our branch of the Marshall family, from which this story is taken. Young Thomas was her great great great grandfather, which makes Nancy and me fifth cousins, once removed.
The group of tour operators scheduled for last Wednesday had to cancel at the last minute, and Chadds Ford Days became one day only, as Saturday was rained out. On a beautiful Sunday, however, our 1912 Model 87 and our 1918 Model 735 Stanleys and our ’32 Packard were parked in a prominent location at the annual craft fair, and with Jerry Novak, Anne Cleary, Art Wallace, Dan Citron, Steve Bryce, Emil Christofano, Lou Mandich, and myself talking and handing out rack cards to many people interested in FAHP, we know we got some good “P.R.”.
Tomorrow evening Richard Bernard, Dan Citron, and I are presenting a program on Auburn Heights at Cokesbury Village, the retirement community which is now home to Ruth and me. On Thursday at about 1:30, the Delaware Valley Region, AACA, plans to visit Auburn Heights with about 30 cars and 50-60 people, as part of a tour they are making through our area. They will tour the house and museum and will be with us until about 4 P.M. Some of you have volunteered to help with this group, as we need at least two or three in the museum and help with parking and getting across the road (most will use our parking area, as on public days). Thursday night at 7:00, the Events and Scheduling Committee will meet in the FAHP office. This is an important scheduling meeting, so, if you are on this committee, please try to attend.
We expect nine of our cars will be going to Hagley for the annual Car Show on Sunday, September 20. For those not involved with meetings or other work, the Tuesday and Thursday night work sessions can be mostly dedicated to getting these cars ready. The list now looks like this: STANLEYS, 1902 “Stick-Seat Runabout (Tom with Bill S. in trailer), 1908 Model EX (Bill Rule), 1910 Model 71 (Tom), 1913 Model 76 (Steve Bryce), 1913 Model 78 (Richard Bernard), 1915 Mountain Wagon (Butch Cannard), 1916 Model 725 (John Hopkins), 1918 Model 735 (Dan Citron), and the 1932 PACKARD (Rose Ann Hoover). In addition, Bill Schwoebel will take his 1907 Autocar, Jerry Novak one or both of his early Chevys, Lou Mandich probably his 1918 Buick, Rob Robison an outstanding Cadillac, and Emil Christofano and Chuck Carisch, one or more of their fine cars. Cars going from Auburn Heights must leave no later than 8:50 A.M., as they must be on the grounds at Hagley by 9:30. There are plenty of seats for those of you wanting to ride along (I think two free tickets to Hagley are provided for each car; above that number you should expect to pay as a spectator). Cars earlier than 1916 are featured this year, and the ’02 Stick Seat Runabout will be in one of the parades.
Next weekend, September 26 and 27, we have an event each day. On Saturday, we have promised one or two cars to be at the Robert Fulton birthplace west of Oxford, PA, for the Bicentennial celebration of his first steamboat, the “Clermont”. I’m not sure who has volunteered to drive a Stanley, but it is a nice trip of about 35 miles each way. On Sunday, our invitation from Irenee and Barbara duPont to visit their estate and home at Granogue still stands. More details will be provided next week. Tom
