Darby Township.

In alluding to the name of the municipal district which in early times included Upper and Lower Darby as one township, Dr. Smith says, "Perhaps the opinion is universal that our ancestors, who came from the county of Derby, in England, corrupted the spelling of the name in their former place of residence when they, in kind remembrance, adopted it for their home in America. The corruption, if it be one, was effected in England before our ancestors migrated to America. In the 'New World of Words,' published in 1671, Darby and Darbyshire are given, but not Derby or Derbyshire; and in the certificates brought over by early Friends, it is almost uniformly spelled with a instead of e. The author of the work referred to makes the name of the English town a contraction of the word Derwentty, 'because it standeth on the river Derwent.' This would make the proper spelling of the name Derby; but it is clear that our ancestors brought the name with them as it was generally written when they migrated to America, and so it has remained, notwithstanding some fastidious persons have made efforts from time to time to change it."¹

Darby was settled almost immediately after the coming of Penn, and in 1683 was recognized as one of the localities where a permanent lodgment had been made, but, despite that fact, the population must have been sparse for more than a quarter of a century, for Mrs. Ann Davis, who was born at Darby - she was the daughter of John Bethel, the miller - informed Dr. William Martin, in 1790, "that she was born in the place where Darby now is, and remembered playing with the Indian children in the neighboring wig-wams.''² In 1684 Darby Friends' Meeting had been established, the members meeting at the dwelling of John Blunston, which was located nearly in front of the present meeting-house, and near the mill-race which was "digged" through Blunston's meadow. In the same year the first official record of Darby occurs in the list of collectors "to gather the assessment for the building of the court-house." Thomas Worth and Joshua Fearne were appointed to those offices for Darby, and Mons Stacker and William Cobb "for Amosland & Calcoone Hook." The latter was recognized as a distinct municipal district until 1686, when Calcoone Hook was made a part of Darby township, and Amosland was annexed to Ridley.

Calcon or Calkoen's Hook comprised all the territory between Cobb's Creek on the east, and the Mokormpates Kill or Muckinipattas Creek on the west, and derives its name from the Swedish word Kalkon, "a turkey," Walda Kalkoen, "wild turkeys," having "very much abound in that vicinity."³ Later the territory known by that name became restricted to that part lying south of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, while its eastern boundary was Morhorhootink, as shown in the atlas of the early grants in Delaware County. The historical map of Pennsylvania terms the stream Tenakong Kolen, and Acrelius says that "Nyecks Kihl" was the Indian name of Darby Creek, which it will be difficult to convince the public ought to be accepted as a term known to the Indian tongue, even on the authority of the usually accurate historian of New Sweden. On June 18, 1668, Governor Lovelace issued a patent to Israel Helme, Hendrick Jacobson, Ole Kock, and Jan Minsterman for that "portion of land on West side of Delaware River within the Mill Kill upon the Hook commonly called Calcoone Hook, reaching from the said mill kill to that which is called by the Indians Mokornippates, including all the lands between the said two Kills as also the valley or meadow ground thereunto belonging, containing by estimation as it lies along the river (creek) side about an English mile, and there being also in the said Mill Kill, a certain little Island near unto and over against the said land known by the name of 'hay Island,' as the said land was granted Aug. 4^th 1663 to Ericke Nichels, Moorty Poulson, Andreas Johnson & Henry Jacobson, the three former of whom afterwards parted with their rights thereto."⁴ The territory mentioned in the patent included almost all the land in the township south of the Queen's Highway, and west of a line drawn due south from the toll-gate on that road. On this tract the real estate of the Sharon Land Association, incorporated by act of Assembly March 4, 1871, is located. The Calcoon Hook road, which enters the Queen's Highway at the toll-gate, is first alluded to at the court held Oct. 3, 1691, when complaint was made to court "concerning a way to y^e landing at Calcon Hooks, ye inhabitants there being at difference about it. To end y^e discourd the Co^rt ordered y^e Grand Inquest to lay out a road & make return of y^e same at next court." At the subsequent sessions the following report was submitted to the justices, approved, and was the route on which the road was afterwards opened to public use and travel:

⁴ Smith's "History of Delaware County," p. 520.

"Grand Jury return road in Darby township to Landing place at Calcon Hook. The s^d road to begin at a corner stone near to an ash tree by y^e creek side at ye bottome of Morton Mortonson orchard, then on a straight line four perches to another corner stone being at the lower corner of s^d Morton's orchard, then continuing the s^d straight line eleven perches and four feet to a corner stone near y^e upper end of s^d orchard which s^d stone standith on y^e outermost straight line mentioned in Mounce Pettersons deed from Andrew Swanson Bone. Then continuing a line at thirty-two feet distance, the end of s^d Morton's house being built before y^e s^d road was agreed upon, standing about six foot in y^e s^d road, excepted from said Mounce Pettersons fence to the end. Still continuing y^e s^d Line through y^e woods to a tree with notches by y^e road agreed on among themselves to Darby, thence along y^e severall corses of