OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 365 



Indians, returned in the spring to their homes. Tlie town has never 1)ecn disturbcl l.y 

 hostile Indians since its lirst settlement. 



In the year 1757 or '58, a physician (Dr. Moore,) came from Philadelphia t.) inocnlate 

 the children who never had had the small-pox; being all connected, thoy were taken to 



one house, to make it convenient for the Doctor. He had forty patients one or two 



that did not take the small-pox, by inoculation, died; the rest all did well. It was the 

 opinion then, that it would be wrong to inoculate the second time, lest tlie subject 

 should take the disease the natural way, and have a double jjortion. 



Shortly after this date, the tranquillity of the town was disturbed by the revolution- 

 ary movements; great excitement was felt here, as the inhabitants were moved by a 

 patriotic spirit; having no, or few arms of any kind, their trainings, in particular for 

 war, were performed with sticks, &c. 



From this date, the histoiy of the place is on record. 

 Second account. 



We are indebted for the information contained below to a highly respectable lady of 

 the Society of Friends, whose opportunities for gathering facts relative to the early 

 history of the place, have been numerous: 



About the year 1726 or '27, Robert Barber of Chester, came to the eastern banks of 

 the Susquehanna and took up 1000 acres of land, bounded on the north-west by the 

 Chicques hills, and to the south-west by what was afterwards called Patton's hill. About 

 500 acres of this land is embraced in what is now Columbia. At that time, the noble 

 river, pursuing its undisturbed course in solitude, or ruttled only by the light canoe of 

 the Indian — the shore covered with lofty trees — must have jn-esented a grand and im- 

 posing sight. The land was purchased of .Jeremiah Langhorne, the agent of the pro- 

 prietors. 



After the purchase, Mr. Barber returned to Chester, and in 17'-28, ho, with Sanuiel 

 Blunston and John Wright, together with their families, left their homes in that place, 

 and came to settle on the land which had been taken up the year before. These pei-sons 

 were members of the Society of Friends. This journey was thought a very great under- 

 taking; the country was uninhabited except by the Indians, who had their cabins in 

 many places. 



Samuel Blunston, was the most wealthy of the three; he took 500 acres of the land 

 next to the upper hills, and built where S. B. Ileise now lives. The old house was 

 pulled dovm some years since, to make room for the building which is now .standing; 

 the brick part of the building was afterwards built by him. His wife was a widow of 

 the name of Bilton; her first husband kept a ferry over the Schuylkill. S. Blunston 

 had no children; his estate w^ent to two nieces, and is now held by the Bethels, their 

 descendants. 



.John Wright took 250 acres of the land, and built his house where E. Wright and 

 sisters now live; the house has been much repaired and altered, but a part of it remains 

 as originally constructed. He came from Manchester in England, among the early 

 settlers of the province— w^as a preacher of the Society of Friends, and for many years 

 judge of the court. His speech to the grand jury may be seen in Proud's History of 

 Pennsylvania; he kept a store in Chester. He had two sons and three daughters. .John, 

 the eldest, kept the ferry on the west side of the Susiiuehanna. and built the ferry-house 

 there. Susanna, the eldest of the daughters, did not leave England till some time after 

 her father. She was a person of great note in this place; her education was superior 

 to most of her day: she was consulted in all dilhcult matters-tlid all the writings 

 necessary in the place— was charitable to the poor, and gave medicine gratis to all the 

 neighborhood. Samuel Blunston left all his estate to her during her life, and at Ins 

 death she and all the family removed to his house. She lived to a great age; and died 

 as she had lived, in the principles of the Friends. Patience, another daughter of John 

 Wright, was married to Richard Lowden-the present John L. Wright is their descend- 



