Upper Darby Township.

site of the present Griswold Worsted Company's mills in the borough of Darby) to Richard Lloyd. Bonsall had erected a saw-mill at the site of the present paper-mills, about the middle of the last century, and in 1766, his son, Joseph Bonsall, was assessed on the saw-mill at that location. Joseph Bonsall, the elder, lived until 1803, at which date a grist- as well as a saw-mill had been erected, the former operated by his son James, and the latter by his son Joseph. On April 17, 1809, under proceedings in partition, fifteen and a half acres of land, the dwelling, grist- and saw-mills were allotted to James Bonsall, who, on December 26th of the same year, conveyed a half-interest in the property to his brother Joseph, and the mills were operated by the Bonsall brothers until 1840, when James died. His interest in the mills was devised to his wife, Elizabeth, during life, and with the remainder, at her death, to Joseph Palmer, a nephew of the decedent. Mrs. Bonsall died prior to Nov. 24, 1852, for on that date Joseph Palmer purchased the half-interest of Joseph Bonsall in the mills, thus perfecting his title to the whole real estate. On March 31, 1866, Christopher Palmer bought the mills, and by his will, dated May 25, 1868, devised it to his son, Robert Palmer. The latter, in 1872, sold the property to Edwin T. Garrett, who changed the grist-mill to a paper-mill, since which date it has been used as such, daily making an average of one thousand pounds of paper manufactured.

Morris Truman's Paper-Mills. - In the bend of Darby Creek, south of Kellyville, are located the Mathews Paper-Mills, or in later times known as the Beehive Mills. The history of these mills is interesting. During the Revolution, on March 31, 1777, Morris Trueman and Joseph Cruikshank purchased six acres of land from Joseph Bonsall, which plot adjoined other lands owned by Bonsall. The deed conferred on the purchasers the right to erect such mills as they saw fit; to build on the creek a dam abutting on Bonsall's land, as also to raise the water sufficient to attain the power necessary to carry on the proposed mills. In the next year a low two-story, stone paper-mill and two stone dwellings were erected. An old log house, which still stands on the premises, is said to have been built prior to the sale to Trueman & Cruikshank. The paper-mills were operated by this firm until May 16, 1785, when Trueman purchased Cruikshank's interest in the property, and continued to operate the mills until 1788, when he associated Evan Trueman in the business. On April 6,1799, Trueman sold the estate to John Mathews, who conducted the business until his death, and was succeeded by his two sons, one of whom, Thomas, is still living, residing on the estate. In 1859, Thomas Mathews sold the property to J. Howard Lewis, who conveyed it the next year to his brother Samuel. The latter changed the mill into a cotton-factory. In 1868 a new building, forty-five by ninety-five feet, two stories in height, was erected on the site of the old paper-mills. In April, 1876, the new building was destroyed by fire. At that time the mill was not in use, the stock had been removed, and the machinery would also have been taken out during the following week. The mills were rebuilt, and cotton-manufacturing resumed therein. In March, 1884, the buildings were again destroyed by fire, and have been again rebuilt. The walls of the buildings were used, and asbestos is manufactured there at the present time by George D. Lewis. The two houses built in 1778 are still standing.

Kellyville Mills. - The land whereon Kellyville is located, and extending up the creek, so as to include the Union Mills, was the tract of six hundred and fifty-five acres surveyed to George Wood, Nov. 6, 1682, as heretofore stated. Two hundred acres of that estate were conveyed to Richard Bonsall, March 6, 1697/8. A century later, in 1799, Isaac Lobb owned three hundred and eighty acres of land at that locality, and on May 6, 1812, he sold to Asher Lobb the right to build a dam across Darby Creek, which the latter did, and shortly after built a saw-mill. Between the years 1822 and 1826 Lobb erected a stone cotton-factory, seventy-two by forty-two feet, four stories in height, which in the last-mentioned year was operated by Bernard McCready. At that time the machinery consisted of thirty carding-engines, thirty-two looms, three thousand and fifty-six spindles, and three thousand three hundred pounds of cotton-yarn was spun weekly. McCready continued at this mill until Nov. 28, 1836, when Lobb leased the factory to Dennis & Charles Kelly for a period of ten years. The following year Lobb died, and by will directed that at the expiration of the lease to Kelly the mill property should be sold. Under this clause in Asher Lobb's will, on March 5, 1845, Charles Kelly purchased the mill property. In 1847 the main building of the Kellyville Mills was one hundred and sixty by fifty-two feet, and five stories in height. The machinery, consisting of eight thousand spindles, ten self-acting mules, seven hand-mules, seventeen live spindle-throstles, and one hundred power-looms, was driven by two overshot wheels fifteen feet in diameter and sixteen feet wide, assisted, when the water was low, with a fifty horse-power engine, three boilers forty feet long and thirty-six inches in diameter. Two hundred operatives were then employed. The weekly production of the mills was thirty-five thousand yards of ticking, canton flannel, and plantation goods, while forty thousand pounds of cotton were required per month. The village at that time contained fifty dwelling-houses, mostly of stone, and the population consisted of over five hundred persons. Dennis & Charles Kelly and their heirs operated the mills until 1877. On September 21st of that year the mills were purchased by George Campbell. The latter, on March 2, 1878, sold the estate to Sellers Hoffman, who now owns the property. The Hoffman Mills contain three thousand five hundred spindles,