Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-09-04


with their fellow. citizens, the Scotch Irish
and Pennsylvania GermaDA during the Rev
olution. Dr. Egio has sifted the matter 10
the bottom and having had socs.. 70 paper.
had either no knowledge or were denied the
use OF, has given tho truth OF history In refer.
ence 10 the socalled " Paxtang Boys Insur-
rectiou."
THE OLD CHURCH AND GRAVEYARD.
Three miles east OF Harrisburg, q little dis.
tance from tho Heading railroad, In Paxtang
township, are situated the old Paxtang
church and graveyard. They arc within five
minutes walk OF the station. A more charm
ing location It would be difficult 10 ind.
The church In In the upper part Of grove Of
some six acres What beautiful places those
old PresbyteriAns invariably chose for their
temples Of worship. The building is q sub
stantial stone structure, one story high, aud
is supposed TO have been erected about the
year Tto. Tho old square, high.backei
pews and pulpit with It's sounding board,
arc gone, but the old gallery remaina II
was a cspacious building In Its day. Stand
Ing within its sacred precincts, what
thoughts crowd upon tho mind. You are
carried back involuntarily to the days OF the
rifle, the saddle-bags, the tomshawk and tho
scalping knife to the times when the mem
bers, carrying their rifles to church, trusted
In God and kept their powder dry. Those,
indeed, were the times TO try the mettle OF
men, and could the walls OF old Paxtang
speak, what brave, gallant aud cbivalrous
deeds would be brought 10 light which have
remained In undisiurbed ot~curity for sew
ersl generations Paxtang gathered In all
the Presbyterisns from Derry to Harris
Ferry, now Harrisburg, and the building
spoken Of was used for religious worship
iorty,iiye year. before Harrisburg was
the Rev. John Elder, OF whom further on.
IL II proposed to commemorate the one hun.
dred aud fitieth anniversary OF this building
In 1890, and such an occasion must prove ono
ofgreat and solemn Interest To religious peo-
pie generally, and especially the Pressyte-
rians oi tho Lebanon, tonewago, CoDestoga
and Cumberland valleys
~ ruE GRAVEYARD
repose the remains of the progenItors of many
noted families scattered throughout the Leb-
anon and Cumberland valleys, and In fact
all over the state and beyond its bounds.
What more familiar than the names OF Elder,
Harris, Maclsy, Rutherford, Stuart, Awl, Espy,
Forster, Wallace. Simpson, Murray, Gillm ore
and Graham These are but few OF those
10 be read ON the tombstones In old laxtanR
graveyard, and a brief notice Of two or three
must close my sketch OF this interesting
spot.
The Rev. John Elder, tho progenitor OF the
Elder family, was q native OF Edinburg,
Scotland, where he was born in 1905. lie be-
came pastor OF Paxtang in 1896, and cuntin-
ued as such until his death In l1G2. To
show what manner Of man he was, I quote
the following extract from Mr.. Charles
Miners history OF Wyoming valley
al am greatly struck by the evidences OF
learning, talent, and spirit displayed 10y him.
He was beyond uoubt the most eNtraordi-
nary man Of interior Pennsy lvania / hope
some one may draw up full memoir OF his
life, aud narrative, well digosted, Of his
times lie WAS man OF most eS-
tensive influence, full OF activity and enter
prise, learned. pious, and ready writer.
taE 10. has l.aa Of .l. n,,Ia
blood. Had his lot been cast in New Eng.
land he would have been leader of the
Puritans. 'lie had with one who well re-
membered the old minister, "a good and very
handsome face. His features were regular
no one promineut-good complexion, with
blue eyes 10 was portly, long, straight
man, over six feet in height, large frame and
body, with rather heavy legs. lie did not
talk broad Scotch, and spoke much a. we do
now, but grsmmatically.'
lie was patriot In every sense OF the word,
and rendered good service both In colonial
and revolutionary times Dr. Egie says Of
him
at the time the British overrsn New
Jersey, driving before them the fragments of
our discouraged, naked and half-stary we'd
troops, aud without any previous arrange
ment, the Rev. Mr.. Elder went on sunday
as usual 10 PaNtang church. The hour ar
rived f1r church service, when, instead of
sermon, he began short and hasty prayer
| In the Throne oi Grace ; then called upon the
| patriotism OF all elective men present, and
exhorted them To ALL in the support of
| liherty's cause and the defense OF the coun-
| try. In less than thirty minutes compan v
| ot volunteers was formed. Col. Robert
| Elder, the parsons eldest son, was chose n
captain. They marched next day, though IN
| winter; his son John, at sixteen years, was
| among the first His son Joshua, sub-lieu-
| tenant of Lancaster county, could not quit
the service he was employed in, but sent a
/ substitute
|
whisky insurrection in 1894, was attorney
| general of the state from lS20 TO lS23, during
| Governor Hester - administration, and was
| the father OF the late Mrs. Amos Ellmaker,
oiyour city.
BuRIED IN rANTANd.
John Harris, the founder OF Harrisburg
died in 1891. lie IL buried at Paxtang. lie
was the son OF the Indian trader, OF whom
the highly-colored account of being tied to g
mulberry tree on the river bank, when he
was about To be burned and was rescued by
friendly Indians, has been penned. His re
mains are supposed to lie beside what is said
to be the stump OF the tree, In front OF the re-
| sidence OF Gen. Simon Cameron, on From
street Both father and son had much to dc
with public affairs in the early settlement o
| this region.
William Msnlay, whose grave is near t.
that OF Mr.. Elder, was the first United States
Senator from Pennsylvania He was electet
in January, 1859, drew the short term, ant
his time expired March 3, 1871. Subsequent
| ly he was a member OF tho Pennsylvan
House OF Representatives, a presidential
elector In 1896, and an associate judge O
Dauphin county " In personal appearance
Mr.. Maclay is said to have been six Tee
} throe inches in height, and stout aud muscu
lar. His complexion was light, and his hal
In middle age appeared 10 have been brown
and was worn tied behind or bbed." Ii
| was married to the oldest daughter of tn
founder of Harrisburg.
The body OF Andrew Stewart, who died Il
3 l11l, agod 10 years, is another Of the honore
{ dead OF PaxtanR. He was married TO a siste
/, | OF the famous Governor Dinwiddie, of Vii
z | glnia. ii o had son, Rev. John Stewar
o who was born near Harrisburg, in l7i0 II
= was educated in Philadelphia and went
n England just before the breaking out of til
o revolution, lie was ordained a minister
J. the Church OF England, and was sent ~
Q missionary "for the propagation Of the go
y | pei to foreign parts" HIS first work wf
among the Mohawk Indians, and subs
II | quently he was appointed q chaplain In III
v British army. A direct descendant of his
"a | the present Sir Charles Stewart, of Eng Liant
d Archibald Stewart, the brother of Andre,
10 | was one Of the earliest settlers of PaXtan
B. subsequently removed to Virginia, and
- the ancestor OF the Stuarts in that state. /
ir | WAS the head of remarkable family-tl
D, more prominent of recent years being Il
A. late Gen. j. T.. B. Stuart, the noted Go
Al tederate cavalry loaded, and Hon. A. IL.
IN Stuart, who was secretary of the interi
70 under President Fillmore's administratiO
d and Is now president of tho Virginia Histo
ID | cal Society