242 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. [1732. 



ministration of Governor Gordon, and at this time contained 

 more white inhabitants than all Virginia, Maryland and both 

 the Carolinas.^ Its exports were large, consisting of wheat, 

 flour, beef, pork, leather, fish, lumber, staves, &c. From this 

 county flour and meal were important items of export, and were 

 sometimes shipped by the millers. 



The wearing of a badge by criminals, indicating the crime for 

 which they had been convicted, as the letter T for theft, ceases 

 about this time to be inflicted as a punishment by our Court. 

 Confinement in the stocks has very rarely formed any part of a 

 sentence ; but still these implements of torture were maintained 

 at Chester, Marcus Hook and Darby. At a town's meeting 

 held in the latter township March 14th, 1732, it was agreed 

 " that there shall be a pair of stocks built in some public place 

 in Lower Darby, and the charges of the same shall be paid of 

 the Town's stock now in the hands of Thomas "Worth, one of the 

 overseers of the poor."^ In the absence of facts on the subject, 

 it may be presumed that the smaller kinds of misdemeanors were 

 punished by means of the stocks, upon the authority of a justice 

 of the peace, a chief burgess, or perhaps, in earlier times, upon 

 that of a town meeting. 



Licenses for keeping a tavern or an ordinary, were still 

 granted by the Governor, upon the recommendation of the 

 Court. Some of the reasons assigned by the petitioners for 

 wishing to engage in the business, would appear rather singular 

 at this time. -Thus, Wm. Surnam, who has, "for divers years 

 past lived in Middletown in good credit and esteem, near and 

 convenient to the public road, who has for the greater part of 

 his residence there followed the occupation of Malt making & 

 the Brewing of Beer for a livelihood, but being greatly oppressed 

 by travellers, and the constant visitation of his wonted acquain- 

 tances, has been (as it were) forced to give continually gratis the 

 fruits of his labor." The application was unsuccessful. 



Griffith Evans, of Haverford, was located at a convenient 

 stage, and had a dwelling-house suitable for travellers " on the 

 great road y' leads from the Branches of the Brandywine & 

 Goshen & several other parts," and withal was "an ancient 

 man and his wife also well stricken in years & subject to lame- 

 ness." Griffith kept the well-established stand known as th^ 

 Old Frog in that day. It was located a short distance above 

 Cooperstown, in Haverford. 



1 This statement is on the authority of an anonymous writer of this year. It is ex- 

 tracted by Anderson and quoted by Proud. Other authorities make the popuhition of 

 Virginia alone exceed that of Pennsylvania. Perhaps the difficulty may be recon- 

 ciled, by including or excluding the negro population. See Holmes' Ann. ii. 132. In 

 a tiingle year, (1729) 6208 immigrants arrived in Pennsylvania. lb. 123. 



^ Upper Darby Township Book. 



