The family name of Strawbridge is an old name derived from one of the divisions of the British Isles. There are many facts missing concerning the early history of the family. Some have said that the name is of Welsh origin, while others claim it is of Scotch- Irish origin. Yet another source claims that one of the early members of the family in the Baltimore area was Irish. This is the tradition as to the origin of the name, according to what my late father heard repeated at one of the old Alcorn~Prather-Strawbridge reunions held more than 50 years ago: One time in Wales someone found an abandoned baby under a bridge which was covered over with straw. Hence the foster parents gave the name "Strawbridge" to the baby. Very humble beginnings in the least, I must say. The spelling of the name varied through the years. Besides our basic spelling of the name, STRAWBRIDGE, it was also spelled Strobridge and Trowbridge.

Members of the family arrived early in America. I do not know exactly how was the relationship of these earliest ones to our branch that settled in Venango County, Pa. A compendium shows that a member of the family, spelling his name with the "O", arrived in Massachusetts in 1635. Another named William came about 1690 and also settled in Massachusetts. Record states that his great grandson settled in Pennsylvania.

I mentioned earlier that an Irish Strawbridge was in the Baltimore area. He was Robert Strawbridge, a lay preacher in the early Methodist Church. He was in Frederick County, MD., at least by 1753. He then crossed over the Potomac River into present Loudon County, Va., and began work which resulted in the founding of the Old Stone Methodist Church at Leesburg. Outspoken and independent, Strawbridge was often a trial to those of his brethren who adhered to the High-Church tradition. Though a lay speaker, he administered the sacraments of baptism and communion. He formed the first Methodist society in Maryland. He died in 1781.

There were others of the name here and there. One James Strawbridge settled in Londonderry Township, Chester County, Pa., before 1747. His son, Colonel Thomas Strawbridge, was a member of the convention of July 15, 1776, that formed the first state constitution. He was also a Revolutionary War veteran, and he was detailed to superintend the manufacture of arms during the closing years of that war. He married Margaret Montgomery, a sister of Gen. William Montgomery, and they eventually settled in an area now embraced in Liberty Township, Montour County, Pa. He became presiding judge of the courts in 1785;. He also established a tannery, one of the first north of Harrisburg. He had a few sons, and the town of Danville, Pa., was named in honor of one of them, Daniel Strawbridge.

Speaking of towns, there was a village called Strawbridge in eastern Lycoming County, Pa. A post office was established there in 1886, and it was still in operational least as late as 1910. Oldtime geography and atlas books used to show this town on Pennsylvania maps. Presently it is "only a wide place on the road", with a small sawmill, a store and one or two farmhouses nearby.

Tax lists of Potter Township, Northumberland County, Pa., give the name of Benjamin Strawbridge in 1787. A history of Miles Township, Center County (which county was formed in 1800 from parts of other counties, one of which was Northumberland), States that Benjamin Strawbridge lived in. a small hut on the Anthony Bierly tract in Brush Valley when Bierly took possession of it in 1791. He was therefore an early settler. He resided at different places in that valley at different periods, and finally located at Yankee Run, Brush Valley Narrows. Benjamin was a Yankee, from which fact the little stream derived its name. Benjamin and his wife, Margaret, were members of the Brush Valley Lutheran and Reformed Church, Miles Township, in 1794. A comical incident will be related here. There were a few brothers named Pickle who were mischievous. Benjamin Strawbridge at that particular time lived near a mill owned by the father of the Pickle boys., One day Benjamin did not feel well, so he put some straw into a heated oven and crept in to "sweat himself". The Pickle boys closed up the mouth of the oven and set fire to the straw. Benjamin, who was a big Muscular man, escaped from the fiery furnace by bursting through the vaulted roof.

The first survey made in Keating Township, Clinton County (which county was formed in 1839, reducing the size of Centre County), was made on Aug. 13, 1785. It was made in pursuance of a warrant #557, dated at Philadelphia on May 17, 1785, for John Strawbridge, and contained 285 acres with allowances, and it was situated on both sides of the Sinnemahoning Creek at and near its mouth. Strawbridge soon sold it afterward to a Patrick Lusk. The census records of Pennsylvania in 1790 lists the following Strawbridges: David of Allegheny County, John of Philadelphia, Joseph of Cheater County, Benjamin, John and Thomas of Northumberland County. The latter, Thomas, held one slave according to record. Benjamin, the Yankee, was from New England. The 1800 census records of Northumberland County lists Thomas, Justice, Joseph, John, James and Benjamin Strawbridge. You may note that most of those names have been carried down through the years in our branch that settled in Venango County. Present inquiry reveals that there are no people named Strawbridge in the Northumberland County area, anymore. The name of James Strawbridge appears as an Associate Judge of several terms in 1799, but nothing definite concerning his appointment or personal history has been learned. I have mentioned to you several early members of the old Strawbridge clan, but just how were they connected with us? I am sure that all of us' wish that answer.

OUR BRANCH IN VENANGO COUNTY
Our earliest known direct ancestor was-of course John Strawbridge, who settled in Cherrytree Township, Venango County, before 1800. He was born in 1770 in the upper Susquehanna River Valley, probably in the vicinity of Williamsport . The name of his father cannot be found Since wild guesses are occasionally made, I will also make one that his father's name was Benjamin. My reason for such a guess is because the oldest son of John was named Benjamin and the names of John and Benjamin have alternated down through several generations.
Tradition has stated that John had a brother who settled in Philadelphia. There definitely is a connection between our branch and the Philadelphia Strawbridges, who incidentally became quite wealthy. My great-great aunt, Elizabeth Strawbridge Buchanan, or "Aunt Lib", as I heard my elders call her, was the last of our branch, to my knowledge, to visit the Philadelphia relatives.

John Strawbridge formed his first acquaintance with western Pennsylvania as an assistant to a surveyor. He was employed in that capacity in the neighborhood of Meadville when that infant city consisted of but two houses. In 1797 he purchased 400 acres of land in Crawford County which he sold shortly afterwards to James and Daniel McCombs. On Sept. 25, 1798, he contracted with the Holland Land Company Tract No. 12 in present Troy Township. The agreement was that he was to settle, erect a house on or before the first day of October, following; also to clear, fence and cultivate eight acres- by Nov. 1, 1799, and to reside for five years from Oct. 1, 1798, for which he was to receive 100 acres gratuity, and at the same time agreeing to purchase 50 acres at $l..50 per acre. Records fail to show that his contract was completed. I have understood that this land was the later George Breed place north of Stone Springhouse Corners. That year, 1798, was the very year which he and James Tuthill settled in Cherrytree Township. They were the second and third settlers in that township. The first settler was William Reynolds who had arrived the previous year.

John's farm contained 237 acres, and it was located on the road from the village of Cherrytree to Breedtown. John kept bachelor's hall for three years. On July 1, 1801, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Lucas who was born in Ireland in October, 1785. The wedding was performed by one Abraham Selders, a justice of the peace. One known witness at that pioneer, wedding was, a woman called Lydia Stewart. Tradition states that Elizabeth came to America at the age of 11 as a stowaway aboard a ship. She had boarded the ship to bid her sister farewell, and she hid in the vessel until it was far out to sea. She came to Venango County with her brother-in-law, Francis Buchanan, and settled on Oil Creek on what was later known as the Blood Farm, famous for its oil developments. It is said that she had known John Strawbridge only three weeks before their marriage. In that day it was necessary that John travel to Franklin two days each month to do militia training. Some tough fellows were picking on Francis Buchanan who was a small man. John who is said to have been one of the strongest men in his area took Francis' part, and the toughies scattered. Francis then invited John to his home, which invitation John accepted. It was there that John, made his acquaintance with beautiful Elizabeth Lucas. After their wedding John and Elizabeth walked the entire distance to his Cherrytree Township farm, carrying their possessions bundled in a large cloth wrapped on a stick. They of course lived in a log cabin. Their chairs were blocks of wood, their table a slab-type one, and their windows were greased or buttered brown paper. Their bed ticks were stuffed with oak leaves. Elizabeth used to grind wheat between two stones for their flour. The stone was still on the farm several years ago .It is said that John used a log as the eve of the log house. He had carved the date and his initial on it. It was stored in the barn decades later, but it has since disappeared. They had a cow the first winter, and the poor animal had to eat leaves and forage the, best it could. John apparently increased his number of animals later because family tradition states that he used to drive his cattle and sheep to the markets at Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

During the time of the War of 1812 John served in the Erie sector. He served two different periods - the first time during the fall of 1812 when he served in the 132nd Regiment, commanded by Col. Samuel Dale, with Capt. Daniel McComb in charge of his particular company. Then he also served a period of time during the winter of 1814 in regiment commanded by Major E. Cossit. John served as a private ,and he received $5.00 per month. [Pa. Archives Vol XXII page 9- Major Epaphroditus Cossett. List Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Dale ] Descendants once stated that while John was at Erie, he would worry about his family and start home, following only footpaths. He kept going until it became' so dark he could not see, then he stopped at a cabin north of present Tryonville where the hosts invited him in to eat some johnny cake and stay all night. He laid on the bare floor there to sleep. As soon as dawn broke he got up and started again, arriving at his Cherrytree Township cabin later that day. While he was in the service, his oldest son, Benjamin, then 10 or 12 years old, cut down live saplings for firewood and hauled them to their cabin with a gray mare which the family kept Thus the family never lacked fuel for their home fires.

A very close call happened to John and Elizabeth during the winter of' 1817. One day a stranger stopped and stayed a few days with them. Elizabeth was suspicious of him and she did not want him around. In the middle of one night she heard a noise. She looked over and saw the stranger sitting up in his bunk. The next day she told John that the stranger had to go. So John informed him as such, though he thought the stranger harmless. The fellow had a new axe which he kept in the cabin "so it wouldn't ,rust overnight" The stranger went on his way and in a few days he committed the first murder in Crawford County by splitting open the head of one Hugh Fitzpatrick near Spartansbrurg with the axe. The murderer, named George Speth Van Holland,, was hanged in Meadville on July 26th of that year. Thus were Elizabeth's fears of the stranger verified.

John and Elizabeth had lived in two different log houses before he built a large attractive structure which still stands on the farm, although the title of the farm left the Strawbridge family a number of years ago. The date of 1838 was placed over the door. He installed an English lock on the front door. Politically, John was a member of the Democratic party. It is recorded that one J. Strawbridge was elected as an overseer of Cherrytree Township in 1826. Whether this was John or his second son, James, then 21 years old, I do not know. John gave a great deal of assistance to each of his sons when each began farming on his own. John died on August 29, 1850, having lived a life of four score years. He was buried in the Breedtown Cemetery. His sons, James and Benjamin Strawbridge, were the administrators of his estate. Three sons and another man, James, Benjamin and George Strawbridge, and A. W. Mahle, were bonded in the sum of $4000.00 the following June to make a just and true account of their administration of the old pioneer's estate His widow, Elizabeth, survived him by 19 years. Her death occurred on Sept. 11, 1869, and she was buried beside John. The late Mrs. Mary Borntrager, who was Elizabeth's first great-grandchild, told me the winter before her death in 1954 at the age of 95, that she remembered her pioneer great grandmother when she made a visit there as a little girl. Mary recalled her as a straight, prim old lady sitting on a splint-bottomed chair. when told that Mary was her first great-grandchild, the elderly lady remarked that she would never live to see Mary get big enough to make a dish of tea.

John and Elizabeth were blessed with a family of ten children, who were as follows with the dates of births: Benjamin Strawbridge, Sept. 27, 1802; James Strawbridge, Jan. 1, 1805; George Strawbridge March 8, 1807; Joseph Strawbridge, May, 1809; Eleanor Strawbridge, Jan.12, 1812;Mary Strawbridge, 1814; Jane Strawbridge, May 7, 1816; Elizabeth Strawbridge, July 21, 1818; John Strawbridge, April 29, 1821; and William Strawbridge, Feb. 3, 1824.

Benjamin was married on Nov. 2, 1826, to Miss Elvira Sheffield who was born on May 30 1806, in Stonington, Conn. She came to Pennsylvania in a wagon drawn by oxen. Benjamin and Elvira lived in a log cabin on a farm which he cleared and cultivated a distance east of Wallaceville. He followed the occupation of farming. Elvira died on Feb. 23, 1879, and Benjamin died as the result of a stroke on Nov. 9, 1883. He had the very rare distinction of having his obituary published in the Franklin newspaper four months before his death The issue of July 5, 1883, reported his death as having occurred on July 1st. Apparently he was very bad at that time and someone mistakenly understood that he died and reported his obituary to the newspaper. They are buried in the Fairview Cemetery, Cherrytree Township.

They had eleven children as follows: Elizabeth Strawbridge Buchanan, John Strawbridge, Charles Strawbridge, Freelove Strawbridge Thompson, Maria Strawbridge James, Sarah Jane Strawbridge Prather, Elvlra A. Strawbridge, Margaret Strawbridge Loncot, Lucy Ellen Strawbridge Alcorn, George W. Strawbridge and Benjamin Stanton Strawbridge. James was married in 1862 to Miss Catherine Weis who was of German origin. They resided on the old homestead farm in Cherrytree Township. He was elected a township justice of the peace about 1841, and he served in that capacity until his death. He was known as " Squire" Strawbridge. He was also Cherrytree Township treasurer for several years. He was considered the best justice in the county at that time, and his decisions were never reversed by the county court. He was very fancy at penmanship. He died Mach 20, 1876, on the same farm upon which he was born. His widow died on Jan. 27,1892. They are buried in the Breedtown Cemetery, They had no children. George was married to Miss Hannah Archer, a native of this region. They resided on a farm in Cherrytree Township where he kept cattle, sheep, chickens and a yoke of oxen. George united with the Breedtown Baptist Church in May, 1854, under the ministry of Rev, R. D. Hayes. He was appointed on the building committee in 1859 to plan for the new church structure which was erected the following year. He died on Feb. 10 1875. His illness must - have been brief because Dr. B. C. Westlake's bill was $8.00. *1 [inconsistancy here]

Hannah died Sept, 14, 1887. They are buried at Breedtown, They had no children, Joseph was married to Margaret Brogan on May 14, 1839, Some have said that Margaret was Catholic in faith, They first settled in Warren County where he remained 12 years, then, as a widower, he moved to Cherrytree Township on a farm, and in 1861 settled on a different farm, He followed lumbering and farming. He was proud of the fact that he had voted at public elections for 65 consecutive years. Margaret died Nov.11, 1842, in her early age. Joseph died in CherrytreeTownship nearly 53 years later - on April 7, 1895. They are buried at Russellsburg, Warren County. They had one daughter, Elizabeth Strawbridge Hamilton, wife of William M Hamilton Eleanor never married, Tradition states that she had lost her lover when she was young. An anecdote has been told that some man who was searching for a wife stopped to examine her cooking ability one time, She was a good cook. After making a dish of some kind, he inquired from her what were the ingredients. She told him so many eggs, so much butter, etc., and he answered, "that makes stones eat good", In other words he thought she cooked too expensively and he went on his way. She was remembered as having been a medium sized woman, and the late Mrs, Borntrager said that her great aunt Eleanor, or "Aunt Elen", as she was called, attended her wedding in 1878. Eleanor may have been a member of the Breedtown Baptist Church. She died of dropsy in the William Hamilton home on March 25, 1886, and she is buried at Breedtown.

Mary was married on Feb., 14, 1850, to Capt., Richard S, Irwin, who was born in Cherrytree Township in 1806. Capt. Irwin worked with his father at wagon making until he reached manhood, then he went to Pittsburgh where he remained for 13 years. He then returned to Cherrytree Township and settled on an old farm. Mary died in 1880, and the captain died on Nov., 23, 1887. They are buried at Breedtown, They had four children: Lucy Irwin Kerr, Jane Irwin Irwin, Lizzie Irwin and Addie Irwin Mallory. There are no descendants of this branch today.

Jane was first married to a man named Colby. She was married a, second time on March 3, 1845, to Uriah Williams who was born in Chenango County, Ny. in 1817. He came to Venango County the year that he married, following which they lived in Warren County for three years. They returned to Cherrytree Township in 1848. Probably around 1880 they moved to Colorado where they took up a claim of land and worked it. Uriah died there on Dec. 21, 1887. He was tying cows in preparation for milking them when he suddenly expired. Jane died on Feb., 6, 1894. They are buried at Orson, Mesa County, Colo. Jane and Mr. Colby had one daughter, Eliza Jane Colby Ghering, who died when a young woman. Jane and Uriah Williams had the following children: Eugene Williams, John Williams, Sarah Williams Ghering, James Williams, Margaret Williams Gallage, Oliver Williams, Francis Williams and Mary Williams Updyke. Elizabeth never married, She died April 15, 1848, at the age of 29. There appears to be no record as to the cause of her death, It could have been consumption or typhoid which claimed so many lives in the early days at Breedtown,. She is buried in the old Strawbridge family lot at Breedtown. John was married in 1842 to Miss Mary Prichard who was born April 2, 1827. They lived in Cherrytree Township where he followed the occupation of farming. Their farm was in later years owned by a Mr. Buxton. John, having been a prosperous farrmer, raised cattle and sheep. Each of his children was assigned certain jobs, and the family continued their business on a very systematic basis, John died of pneumonia on March 14, 1875. His widow survived him by more than a quarter of a century. She died on March 4, 1903, at kelletville. They are buried at Breedtown. They had 12 children as follows: John F. Strawbridge, William P, Strawbridge, Benjamin F. Strawbridge, Elizabeth Strawbridge Prather, Rachel Strawbridge Williams, Ellen Strawbridge Hughes, Joseph Strawbridge, Barbara Strawbridge Prather, James B. Strawbridge, George H, Strawbridge, Jennie Strawbridge Folwell and Allie Strawbridge Moffit.

William was married in 1854 to Miss Mary Buchanan who was born in Ireland on July 4 l837. Tradition states that she arrived in this country in a sailboat. They spent their married life on a farm east of the Kerr schoolhouse in Cherrytree Township. They had a log house and a log barn, and lived rather primitive, even though they did have a quantity of money stored in tea kettles. They occasionally sold some virgin timber and seemed able to keep the proceeds from it. William always fed his home fires with green oak wood, it was said, instead of gathering up odd pieces of wood or cutting trees already dead. He then hauled his wood in a "bier", which was composed of a couple of poles and cross-pieces. His by-word was "I say". He was sickly during his last year with a dropsical condition.. He refused to contact a doctor. On April 20, 1904, he climbed atop a haystack to feed his cattle, and he died suddenly on the stack. Mary died Dec. 26 1913, at East Troy. They are buried at Breedtown.. They had one child who died in infancy.

(This history was presented at the annual reunion of the Strawbridge family held at Burgess Park, Titusille, on Sunday afternoon, Aug.22, 1965. H. W. Strawbridge)