Middletown Township.

Lima. On Dec. 12, 1698, Hoskins sold the land to James Serrill, and the latter, on June 10, 1700, conveyed it to David Odgen. Hoskins, who built the Hoskins house in Chester, owned also a lot of ground in Philadelphia on the north side of Walnut, between Front and Fifth Streets, which he subsequently sold to David Lloyd. To the east of Hoskins' tract, which separated the township in the centre, lying just below Lima, and extending south to a line drawn due east from Lenni across the township, and following Ridley Creek in a northerly direction, John Bowater had surveyed to him one hundred acres, and thereon he settled. He was an earnest Friend, and at his house the first meeting of Friends in Middletown was held. Above this tract, to Joseph Allibone, was surveyed two hundred and fifty acres on March 14, 1684; it, however, soon passed to John Malin. Above the Allibone land Nathan Edwards took up one hundred and ten acres. The Edgmont and Providence roads cross each other on this plantation. For some reason Malin Bishop, on April 3, 1856, received a patent from the State for this land. One hundred acres to the north of Nathan Edwards' tract was surveyed on rent to Owen Musgrave, Feb. 4, 1683. On Dec. 8,1741, this land was patented to John Edwards.

Above the Musgrave tract on March 13, 1684, William Edwards took up one hundred acres. He was, it is stated, from Glamorganshire, Wales, and settled on this land, his son, John, living on the premises after his father's death, in 1716, in the original cabin his father erected when he first made a lodgment in the wilderness. Above the Edwards tract George Smedley took up two hundred and ninety-five acres in 1684. He was from Derbyshire, England, and settled on this estate, building his dwelling-house on the west bank of Ridley Creek, about one mile northwest of the present town of Media. The homestead farm is still owned by his descendants. Along Ridley Creek to the township line, Jacob Minshall on Sixth month 16, 1701, took up five hundred acres. Much of this property is still owned by his descendants, Minshall Painter having retained possession of his ancestral acres during all his long and useful life, as did also his brother, Jacob Painter.

The ancient dwelling built by Jacob Minshall in 1711 still stands in good repair. The largest room on the first floor is laid with flagstones. The barn on the adjoining farm now the property of Stephen Byre, known as the "Round Top farm," was the first erected on that section that had a floor and bays above the stables, as also a gangway. It is stated that men came forty miles to see the wonder of that day. It is said to have been erected in 1712. On a portion of that tract is an Indian burial-ground. A remnant of the Lenni Lenape continued to reside on the tract until the beginning of this century. Andrew, Isaac, and Nanny lived in a cave in the valley of Dismal Run. Andrew died in the cave, and was buried in Middletown Friends' graveyard.

To the southwest of the Minshall tract, and along Dismal Run, Peter Trego, on Tenth month 11, 1694, purchased for Joseph Edge fifty acres, for which he paid "£14, or good merchantable wheat for market price." Roger Jackson, at the Edgmont line and west of the Minshall tract, purchased from George Willard two hundred and fifty acres, which were known as "Cumberland," but he sold the plantation to several parties, hence it did not pass under the devise in his will that his estate should be equally divided among such of his relations in England who should come to the colony and apply for their share in his (Jackson's) property. Continuing along the Edgmont line, an irregular plot bounded partly on the south by David Odgen, two hundred acres, which extends up to where the Hicksite Friends' meeting-house now stands, and partly by Caleb Pusey's land, Joshua Hastings took up four hundred and seventy-two acres of land, on which, however, he never settled; but in 1692 it was purchased by John Turner, and in 1718 Joseph Talbot became owner of the land. Joseph Talbot died in 1721, and his son, Joseph, took the real estate when he came of age, and built the mill, now Humphrey Yearsley's. As mentioned, David Odgen's plot of two hundred acres lay to the south of this plantation, extending from Friends' meeting-house to a short distance below Lima. David Odgen came with Penn in the "Welcome" in 1682, and settled on this tract, where he died in 1705. The land west from the Hastings tract, along the Edgmont line and extending to Chester Creek, was surveyed as two hundred and fifty acres to Henry Sleighton April 10, 1684, which in 1803 was patented to Ephraim Jackson, a noted Friend of Edgmont. South of this estate, along the creek, and following the southern line of the road from Thornbury to Middletown, on April 10,1684, two hundred and fifty acres were surveyed to Edward Blake. The estate subsequently passed to John Bowater, the noted Middletown Friend. South of this tract, and continuing along the creek to Martin's Run, was a plantation of three hundred acres, which was surveyed to John Sharpless April 4-5, 1682, and was patented to Joseph Sharpless Third month 4, 1703, who settled on the estate after his marriage to Lydia Lewis, in 1704, and died there in 1757. South of the Sharpless tract, having Martin's Run for part of its northern boundary, a lot of two hundred acres was surveyed to Thomas Cross, Jr., Twelfth month 21, 1683, but this and other tracts were purchased by Thomas Martin, before the latter left England. He emigrated from Edgcott, county of Berks, about 1689, and died on this land in 1719.

The taxables in the township in 1715 were as follows:

John Martin, George Grist, Caleb Harrison, Edward Woodward, Daniel Cookson, Joseph Jervis, William Pennell, Jacob Tregoe, John Edwards, George Smedley, Jacob Minshall, Peter Tregoe, Sr., Thomas Barns, John Chauley, John Turner, Joseph Sharpless, Alexander Hunter, Moses Martin, Robert Baker, Thomas Barnsley, Thomas Martin, Jr., Edward Lawrence.