The Borough Of Upland.

1816 his father died, and his mother's death occurred the next year.

He was very desirous of purchasing the farm, and preventing its falling into the hands of strangers, but upon carefully considering the matter in all its lights he became convinced that it was not practicable.

In 1820, after leasing the farm pending its sale, he made an extended trip through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and the then sparsely-settled country in Indiana and Illinois. The trip was made almost entirely upon horseback, and covered a distance of twenty-seven hundred miles, extending from April to December. Upon his return the farm had been sold, and his share of the property was about two thousand four hundred dollars. This, together with a little more than one thousand dollars additional, was his sole capital, and with it he began his business career.

His first enterprise was in connection with Mr. G. G. Leiper, who had bought the home-farm, and was that of conducting a saw- and merchant grist-mill. The capital was to be furnished equally, and the rent of the mill owned by Mr. Leiper was to offset Mr. Crozer's personal services. After prosecuting the business vigorously, and accumulating a large stock of lumber, the depression in business prevented a ready or profitable sale, and to prevent a failure, which he foresaw, he retired from the business with the consent of his partner. After looking around for a new field, he decided to engage in cotton manufacturing, and to this end rented Mr. G. G. Leiper's mill on Crum Creek. His entire capital was about three thousand seven hundred dollars; this, with two thousand dollars put into the business by Mr. John Lewis, was the entire capital at commencement.

The business was at first small, and many were the difficulties to be overcome, but by unceasing personal effort and patient, tireless economy he was at last upon the high road to success. In 1825 he bought the property known as Mattson's paper-mill, on the west branch of Chester Creek, and after altering it as seemed necessary, he moved his machinery here in the autumn of that year. From this time onward his business interests grew larger and larger, and continued to increase as long as he remained in business. In 1845 he purchased the Flower estate, about two miles from Chester, and gave it the name of Upland. Here he erected an elegant and spacious mansion, and to it he removed from West Branch on April 19, 1847. From this time to the date of his death he made his home at Upland, and dispensed that generous hospitality for which the place is noted. Though a man of great business cares and ventures to engross his time, his enlarged and advanced views of the duties of a Christian, and of the responsibilities of the enjoyment of property, made him an active and incessant worker in benevolent projects.

Mr. Crozer died at his home at Upland, on Sunday morning, March 11, 1866. Among the many good works he accomplished, and to which he was a liberal contributor, were the building of the First Baptist Church at Upland, the endowment of a Professorship in the University at Lewisburg, the founding of the Normal School at Upland, after his death endowed by his family and now the Crozer Theological Seminary. He was president of the Pennsylvania Colonization Society; president of the board of directors of the American Baptist Publication Society; president of the Pennsylvania Training-School for Feeble-Minded Children, at Media; president of Home for Friendless Children at Twelfth and Fitzwater Streets, Philadelphia; president of Women's Hospital at Philadelphia; president of Pennsylvania Baptist Education Society. He was one of the founders of the Christian Commission, and, together with George H. Stuart, represented the city of Philadelphia at the meeting in the city of New York, on Nov. 14, 1861, at which the Commission originated. During the war of the Rebellion he gave the use of his school at Upland for a hospital. It would be almost impossible to enumerate the services of this benefactor of human kind, so numerous are they, and his benefactions seem to have been guided by an intelligence more than human. He passed away in the seventy-fourth year of his age, in the full possession of his strength of mind, still planning future acts of benevolence.

Mr. Crozer was married on the 12th of March, 1825, to Miss Sallie L. Knowles, the daughter of a near neighbor of his youth. She was a lady of intelligence and education, and an active participant in all of his plans for good. In addition to grace of mind she had that grace of the heart which springs from pure goodness and innate, true Christianity. To them were born in the fullness of time nine children, - Samuel A., Margaret, Elizabeth, J. Lewis, Sallie K., James, George K., Robert H., and Emma. Of these James died Oct. 25, 1838, Sallie in August, 1852, and Margaret in March, 1870. His widow died August 3, 1882, aged eighty-two years.

The Schools of Upland. - Prior to the year 1849 the children residing at Upland were compelled to attend school at Sneath's Corner, or at the "Old Mud Wasp" at Cartertown. The distance from Upland to these schools was a serious difficulty to the residents of the village, for in the winter season and early spring the roads would often for weeks together be almost impassable, the clay soil having softened to a thick adhesive mud. Female children frequently could not go to school for days together. John P. Crozer, in the year mentioned, proposed to the school directors of Chester township that if they would establish a school at Upland he, at his personal expense, would erect a building which could be used exclusively for school purposes without cost to the board. This offer was accepted, a house was built on Rose Street, not far from the Pusey house, a school was established, and Mrs. Warren Dixon was employed to teach the pupils. For nine years this building was used by the directors, but in 1858 the