The Erection Of Delaware County

Messrs. Roberts, Gray, Gibbons, Thomas Ross, and Sellers a committee to attend the funeral of Judge Graham the next morning, January 26th, at eleven o'clock. On Wednesday, Mr. Roberts reported "they had performed that service," and the same day the county of Delaware was directed to hold a special election on Wednesday, 3d of February, to fill the vacancy occasioned by Graham's death. On Friday, Feb. 5, 1790, the return of the special election was presented to the convention, and Nathaniel Newlin, who had been chosen a member of that body, was duly qualified and took his place therein.

The last member of the Supreme Executive Council from Chester County was Col. Richard Willing, of Haverford township. When Delaware was erected Chester County discovered that the division had left the old territory without a member in Council, hence at the election in October, 1789, Dr. Thomas Ruston was chosen to represent that county.

Dr. Ruston, on October 26th, addressed a petition to President Mifflin, claiming a seat in Council, because, as he argued, every county by law was entitled to one representative, and no councillor could represent more than one county; that by the erection of Delaware Col. Willing virtually became its representative, for in that county his property and residence was located, and that Chester, believing a vacancy existed in Council, had, in accordance with law, filled the vacancies at the ensuing election. The Supreme Executive Council, however, was unmoved by his reasoning, for on Oct. 29. 1789, it was unanimously

"Resolved, That Dr. Thomas Ruston cannot he admitted to take his seat as councillor for the comity of Chester, that county being represented in Council by Col. Richard Willing, who was elected on the fifteenth day of October, 1788."

With the adoption of the Constitution of 1790 the Supreme Executive Council ceased to be, and the last cause of contention between the two counties was laid at rest by the new and better order of things which was ushered into being when the republic of Pennsylvania gave place to the great commonwealth of the like name.

From The Erection Of The County Of Delaware To The Second War With Great Britain.

The sparsely-peopled territory, which in the anger of defeat at the removal of the court-house from "Old Chester" - for so the ancient borough now began to be termed to distinguish it from the newly-born West Chester - had formed a separate county government, now began bravely to organize its local administration, select its officers, and prepared to meet the obligations it had assumed. So bitter had been the quarrel respecting the removal of the seat of justice in the old county of Chester, that in those townships which had been erected into Delaware County, regret for the step taken seldom found utterance, notwithstanding the cost of separate government soon began to be oppressive to the taxpayers. The people unwillingly paid their taxes, scolded the rulers for want of economy in county matters, but rarely reflected that the additional cost had been the direct outcoming of their own action. The burden of maintaining public highways and county bridges particularly bore heavily on the people. The Queen's Highway from Darby to Chester, and the King's Highway from Chester to the State of Delaware, formed the direct line of communication to the Southern States, and travel was exceedingly heavy on these roads. The county was unable to keep those thoroughfares in good repair; their condition in winter time was so wretched that the press of that day, as well as travelers' letters, constantly referred to them in the most uncomplimentary terms. The State, at length, in order that the county of Delaware might be relieved in a measure of the oppressive cost for the maintenance of these roads, which, in the major part, was incurred for the benefit of persons residing without her borders, authorized the county commissioners, by act of Assembly, April 11, 1799, to place toll-gates on the post-road for the term of five years, when the law expired by limitation, and to collect tolls from persons using that highway. The county commissioners, in compliance with the law, placed a toll-gate at the bridge over Ridley Creek, and the following schedule of tolls was observed:

In 1793 the yellow fever raged as a dire pestilence in Philadelphia. It is related that a party of boys in that year, at Chester, went in a boat to a vessel lying in the stream on which were several persons ill with the disease, and in that way it was communicated to some of the residents of the town and neighborhood, but it did not spread, nor was it as fatal as the same malady proved to be five years thereafter. Ninety-four years before the period of which I am now writing, in 1699, when for the first time we have undoubted record of the yellow fever visiting the shores of the Delaware, Chester and the adjacent settlements suffered severely, but beyond that fact very meagre particulars respecting it have been preserved. In 1793, however, the scourge in Philadelphia was so malignant that the city was almost depopulated; those of its inhabitants, as a rule, who had the means, fled for safety to the surrounding country districts. The record of the noble deeds of a few men who remained