HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. [1730. 



slavery appears to have had its origin in this action of Ches- 

 T Monthly Meeting. 



Mutters of smaller moment also claimed the attention of the 

 meetings about this time ; as the practice of making large provi- 

 sions at funerals, and the serving of those who attended them 

 with wine and other liquors; the erection of tombstones, &c. 

 Concord Meeting also bore its testimony against putting names 

 and dates upon coffins, and decided, "that in future members 

 should be dealt with for such idolatrous practice." 



The subject of the Indian claim of one mile on each side of 

 the Brandywine was formally brought to the notice of Governor 

 Gordon, by a letter from Checochinican, a principal chief. This 

 functionary bases the claim of the Indians upon "a wrighting 

 for the creek of Brandywine, up to the head thereof, with all y^ 

 land a mile wide of y^ creek on each side," which their brother, 

 William Penn, was pleased to grant to them after they had sold 

 their interest to him, but " which wrighting, by some accident 

 was now lost." He acknowledges, however, that they had sold 

 this land "up to a rock in y'^ said creek, it being in the line of 

 the land of Abraham Marshall." Their complaint now is, that 

 Nathaniel Newlin, a member of Assembly, who had purchased 

 some of the land, but who had given them a writing in 1726, 

 "that neither he nor his heirs would, in any way, disturb or mo- 

 lest them in the free and peaceable enjoyment thereof," had, 

 contrary to the same, sold his land, greatly to their disgust ; that 

 they had been forbid "so much as to make use of timber grow- 

 ing thereon, for y^ convenience of building some cabins, & fur- 

 ther that the town at the Head of the Brandywine is surveyed 

 to one James Gibbons and many more, and now has an assurance 

 of a conveyance of the same from the Com" of property, as he 

 himself says by James Steel." In a postcript to his letter, the 

 worthy chief says, that "James Logan promised to me, that 

 James Gibbons, nor any body else, should never have a confir- 

 mation, thereof, nor any other person within our claim." What 

 order was taken upon this letter does not appear.^ 



A new commission of the peace was issued in 1730, to the 

 following persons, viz. : Richard Hayes, Henry Pierce, Henry 

 Hayes, Elisha Gatchell, John Crosby, Abraham Emmitt, junr., 

 Mercer Brown, James James, John Perry, James Gibbons, 

 Joseph Pennock, Samuel Hollingsworth, Joseph Brinton, and 

 Nicholas Pylc. The reason assigned for the new commission was, 

 "that divers of those named in the last had declined to act," and 

 that one George Asheton "had acted but too much." 



It was ordered by the Court, with the consent of the Commis- 

 sioners and Assessors of the county, " that Nathan Worley he 



1 Penna. Archives, i. 239. 



