Yardley Ferry Chronology

Our neighbor and close friend Catharine Belville (b.1897, d.1995) ( Ref: Yardley News Feb. 16, 1995) always claimed that the left side of her house was the Yardley Ferry House & Tavern. J. H. Battle in 1887 had broadly stated that "There was a tavern near the bank of the river, but the ferry was located some distance below what was now the central portion of the town…" not much more was known. The Belville claim was based mainly on the interior layout, the fact that the left third of the house was built years earlier than the rest, and the fact that the door of the original structure was on the left side facing down river. The Belville "Ferry House" viewed from River Road, has windows on the left side which are lower than those on the right side. This was mentioned by me in my talk on Linford R. Craven the "turn-of-the-century" Doylestown photographer, on March 13, 1995 to the Washington Crossing Post Card Club. The windows show up very well in a Craven photograph shown as Fig. 4 in the follow-up article published April 2, 1995, WC4 Dispatch #268. I later gave the same Craven photograph presentation to the Yardley Historical Assoc., adding at the end a short section about the Belville "Ferry House" and the 1763 Road.

Auerbach Study (1987): [Return to Hopkins Letter]
The lack of information on the ferries in Yardley was explained in a very comprehensive study by Kathryn Ann Auerbach in her report dated 1987. This was the first important publication about the Yardley Ferry which had been almost a complete mystery up until that time. She uncovered the 18th century road returns, properly identified both the 1721 road and the 1763 road as Langhorne Road and Oxford Valley Road in a well documented report including a nine page synopsis which presented the facts, with some conclusions at the end.[1]

The questions raised by Auerbach concerning the actual location of the Ferry and Ferry Roads inside the Borough and the contradictions she found with regard to possible sites, first came to my attention in 1995. In preparation for my talks on the turn-of-the-century Doylestown photographer Linford R. Craven, I had requested information about the Yardley Ferry from Vince Profy and he provided a copy of the Auerbach report. This was the first time we ever heard of the 1721 or 1763 Road Returns.

Since 1995 and using my civil engineering background... I have been trying to find the precise location of the old roads leading to Yardley's Ferry site or sites, and to discover more about the entire ferry operation… while walking the roads around Yardley for exercise. Using the two Auerbach road returns as a starting point, I was eventually able to locate the 1721 and 1763 roads on the ground, based mostly on topography and various engineering observations made in the field. This encouraged Marie-Therese Hale to resume the search for documentation that she and Catharine Belville had originally started back in 1965. During a long series of field trips, she has found an amazing number of documents. By analyzing these deeds, wills, road returns, orphans court records, and other items, I believe we have now confirmed and documented the results of my field investigation and survey work.

As part of this work we have assembled a mapping system consisting of a series of colored overlays. We hope to be able to present these in due course. It would also be of interest to find out more about actual ferry operations, and perhaps even to present all this in some more popular format.

By 1721 Thomas Yardley has been shown by others to already be operating and/or in possession of both the mill and the ferry. The mill had been started by John Brock who is identified in early deeds as a millwright, i.e. a person who designs and erects mills and mill machinery. Brock may have also been involved at a very early date with a ferry operation on his property opposite Heath's Ferry. Andrew Heath had acquired the lands in the vicinity of Lower Ferry Road on the New Jersey side in the year 1700. By 1733 Thomas Yardley was in possession of all the riverfront lands between Brock Creek and the railroad. Our chronology mainly covers 1721 to 1835, but continues past 1835 insofar as needed to help track down information on the ferry during the earlier period. This work follows my letter dated 4/29/99 mainly about General Dickinson , and my letter dated 5/13/99 mainly about the field investigation methods. This chronology replaces the first one released on June 3, 1999, and is still a work in progress.

Mar 3, 1681 John Brock land grant including Delaware River frontage extending from the center of Brock Creek to the present day lower Yardley Borough line on Ralph Thompson's Map (Ref: DB 5, PG 21.22.23). This tract included the lands on which Brock built the early grist mill, which must have included the race and the initial mill pond behind the dam. The Brock's owned and developed these lands over a period of 32 years.

1693 J. H. Battle says, "Upon his death in 1693 <<<referring to William Yardley who immigrated in 1682>>> Thomas Yardley his son, <<<not his nephew Thomas Yardley who immigrated in 1704>>> established a ferry" [presumably with access to Prospect Farm ---rev:Oct 1, 2001] Baker's Ferry was already in operation a few miles up the river.

The Thomas who immigrated with his father in 1693, had married Hester Baker in 1700 (Ref: "Yardley Family 1402 - 1881" by Thomas W. Yardley, published 1881, Bucks County Historical Society Library, 81-152-1), but little further is known.

1700 Andrew Heath acquired 400 acres at Lower Ferry Road in New Jersey "lying along and to the east of the present Reading Railroad tracks. From this site Andrew Heath operated his ferry across the Delaware River." (Ref: Ewing Township, A History to the Year 1700, by Joseph J. Felcone, 1985). The railroad is just above Heath's Creek, later referred to as Gould's or Gold's Creek. Heath's Ferry was patented years later in 1723 by Nathaniel Leonard, and eventually became Howell's Ferry of Revolutionary War fame.

Nov 1, 1720-21 Birth of Thomas Yardley (Jr.), the son of Thomas Yardley the 1704 immigrant and Ann (Biles) Yardley.

1721 Wagon Road - Langhorne Road to Yardley Ferry - Road Return (Ref: Road Book "A" Page 1 - File 2). (Found by Auerbach). The Ferry Road from the Delaware River passes "through Thomas Yardley's Orchard to the road that leads to the Falls, near the said Yardley's mill race." Ferry Road then bends 6 degrees right at Main Street and proceeds "up the mill race" on the second course to Brock Creek. It bends 25 degrees to the left where it crossed "Mill Creek" now known as Brock Creek. The Mill Creek crossing was located at the bottom of the hill from Scammel's Corner and downstream from the present bridge.

The distance of the first course, the one between the river and Main Street, if you hold the bearing, somewhat dictates the location of the road. This is because the actual distance between Main Street and the river narrows in the upriver direction.

May 22,1722 Act of Pennsylvania Assembly confirms the ferry upon lands of Thomas Yardley, to be kept for a term of 14 years.

Aug 23, 1723 Date of Patent for Ferry on New Jersey side opposite lands of John Brock. Refers to Nathaniel Leonard petition for Ferry "at place formerly known by the name of Andrew Heath's Plantation… about three miles above the falls… and that formerly the said Andrew Heath and of late the Petitioner since he purchased the said plantation from the said Heath… " were already keeping a ferry at their own expense. In other words, this ferry had already been in operation for some time at this location under two different owners. (Ref: Patent for Ferry, August 23, 1723, West Jersey Deeds, Book B-B, Page 308)

1728 Thomas Yardley, Sr. built Lakeside. T. Yardley (Jr.) is 8 years old. North Main Street which had probably run straight through, was likely shifted at this time to run around Lakeside, and may have been shifted several times since then. South Main Street below the traffic light has probably never moved.

Mar 1, 1729 "A House and Ferry to be let on Delaware above the Falls, commonly called Heath's Ferry, Inquire of Thomas Gould or Francis Rowes." (Ref: "Old Inns & Taverns in West Jersey" by Charles S. Boyer, 1962)

Nov. 1730 Survey of Heath's Ferry on the other side of the Delaware River recorded by Thomas Gould,

Jul 24-31,1732 Ferry was formerly kept above Delaware River Falls on N.J. side by Warren Barr.

Jan 30, 1732 Thomas Yardley, Sr. purchases two large parcels from Thomas Lambert (Ref: Deed Book 6, Page 46,47,48), including 222 acres from the large Brock Tract, starting at a point about where the borough line meets the river, West 7,458 feet, North 1,584 feet, and along lands of Clows 4,752 feet back to the river, together with the Overton Tract which increases the area to 413 acres (not calculated).

This survey from Newtown ends where it intersects with Langhorne Road, but it also gives a distance to the Ferry as 280 perches (4,620 feet). This distance does not appear to quite reach the river, but it is not known if this has any significance.

1735-1740 Estimated date of construction of the Belville Home by expert on Colonial Architecture (Ref: "Old Houses of Yardley" by Elizabeth D. Clayton, Yardley Civic Club). This would date it during the lifetime of Thomas Yardley (Sr.) who died in 1756, but we are not familiar with the details of this study. The will and various deeds of Thomas Yardley, Sr. do not as I originally thought, show any obvious imbalance between his sons. See items dated Nov 3, 1752 and Nov 21, 1756.

Linford R. Craven the turn of the century Doylestown photographer, took a photograph of the "Belville Home" in 1906… we refer to it as the Belville "Ferry House."; The information we present proves that the left side of the home is the original Yardley Ferry House which undoubtedly also served as the Tavern, but does not point to Thomas Yardley, Sr. as the person who expanded the structure to the full size shown on the Craven 1908 photograph.

Mar. 1736 Survey of Ferry noting New Jersey side as Gould's Ferry, and Penna side as Yardley's Ferry,

1742 Daniel MacCarty, Makefield Twp - Tavern License Petition - Tavern Sign/Name "Yardley's Ferry"

1745 John Dalley's Survey, "A Map of the Road from Trenton to .Amboy" shows the main road from Trenton to Maidenhead (Lawrenceville). The map shows that the first connecting road coming in from the left is "Road to Gold's Ferry" which joins the main road just below Maidenhead. (Ref: "New Jersey Road Maps of the 18th Century" by Princeton University Library, 1964).

1750 John Job, Lower Makefield Twp - Tavern License Petition - "Yardley's Ferry"

Aug , 1751 Thomas Yardley (Jr.) (31 years old) married Mary Field of New Jersey.

1751 John Job, Lower Makefield Twp - Tavern License Petition - "Yardley's Ferry"

Nov 3, 1752 Thomas Yardley Indenture (Ref: BK 28, PG 33,34,35,36) description of 27 1/2 acre tract starting at the river, up right side of Brock Creek, and coming back in the vicinity of Afton Avenue.

It enclosed most of the waterways involved in the mill operation. It includes the following reference to Ferry Road in the vicinity of E. Afton:

"to a stone by the road that leads to the Ferry. thence North 81 degrees East five chains and fifty links to a stone by the side of the last mentioned road.

Fortunately, there are no "open" sides. Other surveys of these same lands including the Grist Mill and the Mill Pond were invariably missing the bearing and/or the distance on two or more sides, and typically ended with the phrase "thence over several courses and distances to the point of beginning. In the 1752 survey, the segment along Ferry Road is fairly well positioned on the map for us because 1)it is only the third leg back from the known point of beginning, 2) the point of beginning is in a familiar and well defined area, 3) the last three courses are short lines and over favorable terrain, and 4) the date 1752 is relatively close to the 1721 date therefore the magnetic declination should be not too different. So far, the 1752 survey provides the best possible direct link to the original 1721 Ferry Road.

The early 1721 survey is straightforward consisting of only two courses between the river and the bridge going up to Scammel's Corner. The actual location of the road is believed to be fairly well positioned on the ground based on my earlier field work. The first two courses along the 1721 road have bearings as follows:

The 1752 survey is more complicated consisting of 11 courses, and it's position on the ground needs to be determined based on various references provided and other considerations. The courses of interest (coming back to the river) are listed below and the bearings have been shown for two courses which possibly relate to the 1721 survey:

7) thence N 81 E to a stone for a corner at the point where the two roads meet

Note that the surveyor does not describe the 9th course as actually running along the side of Ferry Road. If we interpret the same way, i.e. as not running along the side of Ferry Road, then the 1721 road which ran straight between the river and Main Street, must have already been changed by 1752. If this or something similar turns out to be true, it means we are missing one road return showing a road relocation somewhere between 1721 and 1752 as the final link between the original 1721 road, and the network of many road relocations which followed during the ensuing 280 years.

The purpose of this document was to convey 27 1/2 acres including the mills and associated mill races and mill ponds and creeks to Thomas and William, but there is no mention of the ferry, which is probably already in Thomas Junior's hands. It also includes a separate section for the 2 1/2 acres encompassing Lakeside. Although we have not studied this aspect of the deed or the will, the ownership of both the 27 1/2 acres and Lakeside appears to be 3/4 to Thomas and 1/4 to William.

1753 John Job, Lower Makefield Twp - Tavern License Petition - "Yardley's Ferry"

1754 John Job, Lower Makefield Twp - Tavern License Petition - "Yardley's Ferry"

Jan 30, 1754 Thomas Yardley (Sr.) signs his will. Thomas (Jr.), by a separate contract is to provide support for his father for 4 years. If the father dies before 4 years, the amount is to be paid into the estate.

1756 Thomas Yardley, Sr. died. Samuel inherited extensive property in Solebury. William and Thomas (Jr.) inherited all the properties in Makefield (Ref: Will Book 2, Page 302).

To William (b. 1716, d. 1774)… besides what is already conveyed to him, all that plantation formerly belonging to John Clows. See Nov 3, 1752 deed for what was previously conveyed.

To Thomas (b. 1720, d. 1803))… besides what is already conveyed to him, all that tract purchased of John Lambert together with that purchased of Nathaniel… See Nov 3, 1752 deed for description of what was previously conveyed.

Thomas (now 36 years old) inherited Delaware River frontage extending from Brock Creek to a triangular point not too far below the Railroad Bridge. Although we didn't see it mentioned in either the will or the deeds referred to above, Thomas Yardley (Jr.) now owns the entire ferry operation.

1763 Stage Coach Route - Stony Hill Road to Yardley Ferry House (Oxford Valley Road) - Road Return (Ref: RB "A" Pages 84-85, File 179) (Found by Auerbach). Road ran toward the Yardley ferry site on the east bank of the river. When it arrived near the end of the ferry ramp it turned and went to the Belville "Ferry House." Opposite and slightly below the Yardley ferry site was Howell's Ferry which was originally Heath's Ferry, and then Gould's Ferry (Gold's Ferry on some maps).

Dec 13, 1764 Advertisement for unrelated property in New Jersey, gives directions how to find the property being sold by referencing it to Howell's Ferry as follows. The property being sold is "situated about four Miles from Trenton... and about three Miles from Howell's (late Yarley's) Ferry on the Road to Princeton. (Ref: Documents Relating to Colonial History, Volume XX1V, Extracts of Newspapers, Vol. V. 1762-1765, page 467). [LHH Added Link on 8-28-2010

1769 Present mill was built by Thomas Yardley (Jr.) on same site as earlier mill.

1770 Scull's Map shows ferry as Yardley's (Ref: N.J. Archives 1-XX1V-467). This large map was displayed at a recent antique paper show and observed to be Scale 1" = 5 miles.

Jun 8, 1770 Lands in New Jersey conveyed by A. Davis to Philemon Dickinson of Trenton, Gentleman mention Yardley's Ferry… "Beginning at stone in the road that leads to the ferry called Yeardley's ferry…" etc. (Ref: Hunterdon Co. Mortgages, Book 1 Page 112). Re-mortgaged, as above,

Dec, 12, 1775 Survey of Yardley/Langhorne Road shows mill race with no lake or mill pond. Both the Mill and Lakeside are also shown. Ferry Road appears to be in the original 1721 configuration. Main Street is easily identified by a bend around the Yardley Mansion now known as Lakeside.

The FERRY HOUSE is shown on the 1775 surveyor's drawing located seemingly nearby but more likely some distance below where the 1721 Ferry Road meets the river. Although the small scale makes it difficult to read or interpret, the Ferry House scales at a distance below Ferry Road which puts it at least below College Avenue. I believe the Ferry House in 1775 was still at the Lower Yardley Ferry location.

The surveyor's drawing demonstrates no knowledge of the true path of the creek or that the creek separates from the race some distance above the mill and the two rejoin below the mill.

1785 Howell's Ferry - In New Jersey, "Israel Howell, son of David, applied for a tavern license… The Petition specifically states that the house was in Trenton Township ." (Ref: "Old Inns & Taverns in West Jersey" by Charles S. Boyer, 1962)

Mar 27, 1787 Sandy Run Road was surveyed and recorded as a private road by Peter Vansant (Ref: RB "A" Pages 168-169, File 310). This private road connects Peter Vansant's Mill to both the 1721 Ferry Road and the 1763 Ferry Road. The survey is of great interest because it clearly identifies these two separate Yardley Ferry Roads at either end of the new private road.

The 1721 Ferry Road to Langhorne must have already been reconstructed, because the original road running along the top of the hill would have required Sandy Run Road to have a steep incline to reach it. The older original road obviously followed the original ground surface rather than the deep cut modern highway, and it was somewhat to the northwest side of the earlier road.

1790 Benjamin Fleming, Tavern License Petition - "Yardley's Ferry." Note Fleming's Tavern is shown at Yardley Inn location on the 1794 Road Return for Lower River Road

This was the first Tavern License Petition at the (Upper Yardley) Ferry location.

"at what had long been known by the name of Green's Ferry opposite Yardley's Ferry in the Township of Trenton and that from the great concourse of people passing and Boatmen landing at Ferry… since Ferry more than 1/2 mile below has been discontinued on the Pennsylvania side."

Trenton Township included what is today known as Ewing Township. Richard Green was succeeded by Joseph Green. (Ref: "Old Inns and Taverns in West Jersey" by Charles S. Boyer, Camden County Historical Society, 1962).

May 10, 1794 Thomas Yardley (Jr.) sells 410 acre tract to Cornelius Vansant including the Grist Mill, the Saw Mill, and the Mansion House (Lakeside) "where Thomas Yardley (Jr.) and wife Mary have lived." (Ref: DB 28, PG 129,130). This deed also includes an informative map.

1) The described property line follows along part of Newtown Road "South 85 degrees East" then intersects and follows part of Philadelphia Road "South 52 degrees 40 minutes West

2) The map shows the entire Ferry Road all the way to the river, but with no description.

3) The road up the hill to Scammel's Corner coincided with the property line between Vansant and Vanhorn.

4) The map shows Cornelius Vansant already occupying 212 1/2 acres along the west side of the Philadelphia Road, and Joshua Vanhorn occupying 193 1/2 acres along the east side of the road.

5) The map also appears to show the precise location of the Dam at White's Creek (on the Golf Course), and at least part of the race from White's Creek to the Mill Pond.

May, 1794 Newtown Road to Scammel's Corner (Ref: RB "A" Pages 204-205, File 387). This road survey from Newtown ends where it intersects Langhorne Road. But the drawing includes the road from Scammel's Corner to the river which appears to be precisely shown although without distances and bearings. It is shown bending around Afton Lake and arriving at the "Road to Trenton Ferry" (Main Street). At this junction the road to the Yardley Ferry bends to the left toward the Mill and then bends back out to a point in the vicinity of East Afton from which there is a direct road toward the river, and then bending toward Morrisville with no connection shown to the river. The road along the river continues in a straight line and ends at a distance which is twice the distance between Main Street and the river. No structures are shown anywhere on this map. The part of the 1794 Newtown Road survey which does not have distances or bearings, i.e. Scammel's Corner to the river… appears to be the same as shown on the 1807 plan.

Oct 30, 1794
Road to Morrisville ) (Lower River Road) - Road Return (Ref: RB "A" Page 210, File 386). This was the most interesting road return so far uncovered.

FIRST, the survey carefully accommodates "Yardley's Easement" near the lower end of Yardley Borough by designing the 1794 road to bend around it. The road as laid out bends in three places in the shape of a triangle to get around the Yardley Easement where ferry ramp was located. Going down river, the first bend was near Letchworth, with the apex in front of the white farm house, and bending back into alignment with the river near the railroad. The described apex in the 1794 Morrisville Road is about 594 feet from the Belville "Ferry House" and is also in line with the 1763 Ferry Road coming from the vicinity of today's railroad underpass. The distance shown on the survey between the Road to the Mill, i.e. Afton Avenue, was paced and found to be the exact distance to site we have identified as the Ferry Ramp. That may be a coincidence since a one half mile survey along the river might be expected to show a line longer than it is on the ground, but nevertheless everything fits.

The 1794 Road Return (Lower River Road to Morrisville) validates our findings with regard to the Belville "Ferry House" and the location of the Ferry Site at the lower end of Yardley Borough.

The map does not show any structure at the Belville site but does show other mansions along the river, including H. Margerum, D. Anderson, and what appears to be Anderson's Ferry below an island which is roughly drawn on the map.

SECOND, the survey shows FLEMING'S (Fleming's Tavern) located on the north side of the (Upper Yardley) Ferry Road and the word "Ferry" is clearly written at the location where Ferry Road meets the river. The 1794 survey description ends at the middle of the road which leads from the Yardley Ferry to the Mill. There is not yet any road to Taylorsville. Flemming's is shown more or less opposite where the road from Morrisville ends but the scale is too small to attach much significance to this. The short road to Yardley's Mill is shown on a peculiar angle which is attributed to the fact that the drawing runs up against the edge of the page in the record book, and this road to the mill was not part of the survey. Note that there is nothing shown which definitely fixes the Yardley Ferry Road at precisely the present location of Afton Avenue.

Fleming's is identified as a Tavern based on Tavern License Application dated 1790 and is shown on the 1794 Lower River Road survey plan northwest side of Ferry Road.

The location of Fleming's Tavern might have been anywhere nearby the Yardley Inn. The surveyor's plan shows that the centerline of River Road ran straight, so it would have run through the curb immediately in front of the present monument.

Dec 19, 1795 Petition of Thomas Yardley (Jr.) to vacate the 1763 Road between Main Street and the River

Apr 2, 1796 The 1763 Road is vacated (Ref: RB "A" Page 218-219, File 179). This final reference further proves the 1763 road.

1797 Richard Green living at Ferry House & Tavern on Pennsylvania side on lands which the Greens later purchased. One reference from New Jersey has Richard Green dying 6 months after he made the 1790 petition from Greensburg, but it is likely he died closer to 1799.

Aug, 1799 Road Return (Ref: RB "A" Page 240) - Converts Private Road from Oxford Road, thence to Peter Vansant's Mill, thence to Langhorne Road, into a public road (Sandy Run Road). Contains a reference to the "late Richard Green" who apparently had owned land in the vicinity of Peter Vansant's Mill.

Apr 30, 1799 Sixty Five acres 28 perches of land conveyed by Israel Fish to Thomas Yardley of City of Trenton. Describes parcel starting at road commonly called River Road, and then along the road leading from Green's ferry to Princeton N 62 degrees 15 minutes E 1,535 feet… etc. (Ref: Hunterdon Co. Mortgages, Book 2 Page 373).

Apr 13, 1800 Thomas Yardley, Jr. (80 years old), resident of Trenton, conveys 25 acres to Joseph and George Green of New Jersey, riverfront lands from Mill Creek to just south [100 feet ---rev:4-20-01] of College Avenue including Ferry, Ferry House & Tavern where "Richard Green has already been living for several years"

(Ref: DB 30, Page 858). This undoubtedly refers to Fleming's Tavern as the Ferry House. Fleming's was in the general vicinity of the Yardley Inn.

Apr 14, 1800 Thomas Yardley, Jr. conveys 41 acres between College Ave & a line about 200 feet above Letchworth [includes Belville site ---Rev:4-20-01] to John Stapler (Ref: DB 30, Page 480). John Stapler married Yardley's niece Hannah Oct 21, 1779. The conveyance excluded Janney's Landing, a narrow strip along the river. There is never to be a ferry on the 41 acre site being sold to Stapler.

May 10, 1800 Stapler sells 20 acres of riverfront land [includes Belville site ---Rev:4-20-01] to Elijah Leedom (Ref: DB 31, PG 105). This includes the 18 acres where the Yardley Ferry House sits. In conveying this land, Stapler chose the most logical new property line on the left bank of White's Creek (possibly already diverted to the Mill Pond (Afton Lake) by that time) and the 18 acres being sold represented the highest elevation land where the berm is closest to the river. The river frontage along the 18 acres remained intact until 1775 when Mrs. Harriet W. Longshore sold the first lot to Mrs. W. Baker Livezey.

1800 Joseph Green, Tavern License Petition - "Yardley's Ferry" (Thomas Yardley Transfer)

July 24, 1800 Thomas Yardley (Jr.) of the City of Trenton signs his will, leaving all his landed property in Pennsylvania to his nephews Thomas, Mahlon, William, and Joseph Yardley with provisions for their sister Acsah Stapler (Ref: Will No. 2089J Hunterdon).

Feb 1, 1803 From his 41 acres, John Stapler conveys about 15 acres to Joseph Green and George Green… thus expanding their holdings further south all the way to a line which ran along the bank of White's Creek [not including Belville site ---revised 4-20-01]. We are quite familiar with this line along the creek [because the barn and cow shed were built right up against this line ---rev: Dec 2002]. It was the upper line of Stapler's 18 acres sold to Leedom, and it was the lower line of Stapler's 15 acres sold to Joseph & George Green. It ran along the still visible high bank of White's Creek, past the upper end of our stone wall, and right along the north side of our house. This line also corresponds to the lower end of the two river landings.

The lower line of Stapler's overall 41 acres ran along the lower Belville property line, which is about 200 feet up from Letchworth. In 1842 Jolly Longshore bought another 15 acres from George Yardley thereby creating a property line which ultimately in 1895 was chosen as the Township Line. [---Deleted sentence ---rev:Dec 2003] Some of this additional 15 acres purchased by Longshore from George Yardley must have been subsequently sold, because the September 7, 1894 Harriet Longshore Subdivision Plan appears to show she owned from E. Afton to only 80-90 feet below the lower R.O.W. line of Letchworth.

Mar 24, 1803 Thomas Yardley (Jr.) Estate Inventory includes "Joseph & George Greens bond with interest to the 15th of April 1803 $1, 473.64.

Nov 7, 1805 Resurvey of Langhorne Road - Road Return (Ref: RB "A" Page 329, File 556)- Alteration of road from Yardley's now Green's Ferry. Shows more detail and shorter segments than original 1721 survey.

Sep 5, 1805 Elijah Leedom sells 18 acres of riverfront land ---includes Belville site(rev:4-20-01)--- to Cornelius Vansant for 600 pounds (Ref: DB 35, PG 222). He sells "about 18 acres (of the 20 acres) of land… which John Stapler… <<May 10, 1800>> recorded in Deed Book No 31 Page 105 granted unto the said Elijah Leedom… beginning at the side of the River Delaware, thence along the bank of an old ditch by the land of Thomas Yardley…" at the lower Belville line.

Initially I thought that there may have been a mix-up and that the "old ditch" should refer to the upper property line, at the creek location shown on the 1776 Carrington Map. But it turns out there is some evidence on the ground of a former ditch just inside the lower Belville line, with the high bank being just inside the fence of the Eastburn Estate. A ditch at this location would be logical, due to the low lying elevation behind Belville. There is no mention of White's Creek which may have been abandoned and filled-in by 1794, since at least by this date we find a reference to the race which connected White's Creek to Lake Afton.

The difficulties tracing the ownership of the Yardley Ferry House are legend, and for many years the records back beyond Longshore were thought to have been lost. We now know owners of the land included: 1) Brock, 2) Lambert, 3) T. Yardley (Sr.), 4) T. Yardley (Jr.), 5) Stapler, 6) Leedom, 7) Vansant, 8) Green, 9) John Hough, 10) Martha Hough, One confusion factor was that some of these lands passed through the hands of Margerum representing the nieces and nephews of Martha Margerum Hough, and further that one of the deeds was to the uncle of Jolly Longshore who was the guardian of these children.

1807 Daniel Carpenter, Lower Makefield, Tavern License Petition - "Green's Ferry"

1807 Jacob Chapman, Lower Makefield, Tavern License Petition - "Green's Ferry" (Transfer)

Jun 3, 1807 Road Adjustment between Main Street and Mill, witnessed May 10, 1807 and Recorded Jun 3, 1807 (RB "A" Page 350, File 590). Map shows Lake Afton, with only a race from Main Street to the Mill. Only one short cut-off is being proposed, but the survey is particularly valuable because it includes a description for the nearby roads pre-existing before 1807. One of these is referred to as:

A complete description of the "old road" is provided, and shows it leading straight to the water's edge, with a more lightly dotted and narrower cartway shown extending a short distance down along the berm of the river and nothing going up the river. There are no structures shown at the river.

On it's face, the new part of the road… lets call it "the 1807 cutoff" can easily be visualized starting on a line somewhere behind Hyatt Pharmacy. The main intersection of Ferry Road with Main Street was near the Weidel Sign rather than at today's traffic light. The part of Ferry Road being abandoned in 1807 passed to the left of the Weidel sign and followed the race toward the left front of the grist mill. The new cut-off appears to have been roughly toward the old tree, i.e. the one with the large stone leaning against it, but may have been on a slight angle one way or the other. It was required that the relocated road allow 16 1/2 feet from the northwest corner of the "store" and also that the owners of the land Atlee & Kinsey (William Atlee & John Kinsey)are required to provide a bridge across the race which obviously branched to the right to serve the saw mill.

The cut-off itself may have been subject to a further minor relocation, perhaps occurring after the Newtown Road had been moved and after the Ferry Road at the Weidel sign had been converted to a simple road serving the two mills, or later to a double driveway.

But in any event, the 1807 cut-off terminated near the right end of the Grist Mill, where it intersected with the pre-existing road which already ran out to E. Afton. The dominant topographic feature is the fact that the Grist Mill was backed up against a sharp drop-off on the edge of the creek, and Ferry Road out to E. Afton had to angle to the right to avoid the creek. The 1807 plan provides the bearing of this road out to E. Afton. When it reached E. Afton, it may at one time have intersected with the initial 1721 road. This is still being investigated.

As mentioned elsewhere, the possible point of intersection of the two roads mentioned above, may also have been at or near a separate and earlier cut-off from the original 1721 road to the "Old Ferry Road" which we have located at the lower end of the present Rescue Squad Property and which is described in the Hoff Deed (see Jun 6, 1894). If this "cut-off" doesn't show up, then I would conclude that either 1) the so-called "Old Ferry Road" was constructed perhaps at the same time as the bridge, or 2) the so-called "Old Ferry Road" was connected via River Road.

1809 Jacob Chapman, Lower Makefield, Tavern License Petition - "Green's Ferry"

Mar 30, 1810 Cornelius Vansant conveys 18 acres of land with frontage on the Delaware [located between upper end of stone wall on Livezey property and a line 200 feet above Letchworth ---revised 4-20-01] to George Green (Ref: DB 39, PG 330,331). Along the rear of this parcel there are five different courses, and these provide a key to confirming the location of the 18 acre parcel on the map. These five courses ran along the rear of various Main Street properties. One is parallel to Main Street at 38 degrees. Other ways in which the rear Vansant line tends to key-in with the various property lines of lots along Main is described below.

"Together with the dwelling house barn and other buildings thereon since erected by the said Vansant…"

We interpret this to mean that Vansant built the extension to the original Yardley Ferry House and also the barn, probably soon after he acquired it in 1805. The 1906-1908 Craven photograph postmarked 1908 shows two cut tree stumps located equidistant from the front entrance on the Craven photograph. These appear to reinforce the 1805 date as follows:

1906-1908 date of photograph shown on postcard with 1908 postmark -[minus] 100 year estimated age of tree when it was cut down -[minus] age of the stump.

According to this scenario, the fact that the earlier 1794 River Road survey did not show a mansion on this site is because the Yardley Ferry House had not yet been extended to the full size ”Belville Home" photographed by Craven. At least the tavern function in the Yardley Ferry House which shows on the left side of the Craven photograph is believed to have been closed for some years… Fleming's Tavern having opened around 1790 at the upper location. Perhaps the small stone building was temporarily abandoned. In any event it was not considered to be either a Ferry House or a Mansion House by the 1794 surveyor as he made his way along the path of River Road.

The Mansion House is further mentioned when this 18 acre parcel was acquired by Hough (see items dated Dec 31, 1829), and again later when a plan of the overall properties of Martha Margerum Hough was made in 1835 and the lands shown on this plan were purchased by Jolly Longshore.

The location of the 18 acres owned by Vansant is confirmed by our mapping system. Each map overlay, starting with Yardley to Stapler 1800, fits reasonably well so that all the property lines between Brock Creek and the lower Borough line are reconciled. The 18 acre parcel has a unique rear line (the side away from the river) and this rear line seems to key-in fairly well with the various property lines along the rear of the S. Main Street lots. We should be able to verify this by checking a few more deeds along South Main Street. Furthermore, the Vansant to Green parcel is described as being between lands of Green to the north and George Yardley to the south, so everything fits. The upriver side of the Vansant 18 acre lot runs along the top of the bank of White's Creek which formerly ran through our side lot and this stream bank is still visible on the ground with the high ground being on the Vansant side.

Apr 17, 1810 John Depuy, Blacksmith, purchased lot on Main Street from Atlee and Kinsey (Ref: DB 46, PG 719). The 1875 map shows that the original Depuy lot extended all the way to the Methodist Church. This was a key property used to help position various surveys relative to each other, since it appears in many descriptions.

1810 Jacob Chapman, Lower Makefield, Tavern License Petition - "Green's Ferry"

Apr 1, 1812 William Force purchased lot on Ferry Road (E. Afton) from Elijah Leedom . It is an important lot to us because it is believed to be on the path of the original 1721 Ferry Road and all subsequent re-locations of that road.

Apr 1, 1815 Arron Larue had a store on E. Afton, on land purchased from William Force (Ref: DB 81, PG 346). The initial Larue lot is believed to have had 147 feet frontage on Ferry Road. The lower corner of this lot is referred to in many deeds. Many surveys followed the lower property line The stone house may have been erected anytime after Apr 1, 1812 when Leedom sold it to Force, or after 1815 when Force signed it over to La Rue. On the 1851 map it is shown as J. Neil. In 1952 Larue sold the lower 60 feet frontage to Jesse Niel. At one time the overall lot was part of the larger Pattison Vanhorn holdings.

The original House #45 is stone. The wood extension to the rear is occupied by the Khalsa Clinic. Dr. Khalsa permitted me to take a close look at the lot. The parking lot alongside the clinic as well as the ditch alongside the property would be central to any map of the various locations of Ferry Road.

1815 Jolly Longshore now 29 years old, married Mercy Yardley (b. Oct 29, 1793, d. Aug 27, 1835)

Mercy Yardley was the grand daughter of William Yardley, who in turn was the brother of Thomas Yardley (Jr.) who owned the original Yardley Ferry House. Mercy Yardley's father's name was also Thomas and he was the nephew of Thomas Yardley (Jr.). Mercy Yardley's mother's name was Susanna Brown.

1818 Joshua White "tied the bateau to the river-bank leaving the gaudy valise at a tavern-barn at Yardleyville (Ref: Hale letter dated 4/29/99).

Nov 26, 1821 Thomas Stapler purchases Continental Inn site (Ref: DB 48 PG 53) which has 89' frontage on Main Street. Lot included a Dwelling House and Store House and shortly afterwards sold it to Charles Stapler (Ref: DB 50 PG 6.7).

Feb 6, 1822 Green to Green… 42 acres. Includes following… "heretofore known as the Yardley Tavern & Ferry House where Jacob Chapman now lives." He was the applicant for Tavern License in 1809 and 1810. Deed describes 42 acres of land along the Delaware River from just below College Avenue all the way to the Mill Creek. (Ref: DB 49, PG 43). Note that George Green at this point still owns the 18 acres with the Mansion House.

Feb 15, 1822 Joseph Green conveys one acre lot including Ferry House & Ferry Tavern and "Ferry privileges as well from the mouth of the Creek up to Mahlon Yardley's line and along the river to the same extent as is since enjoyed by the aforesaid Joseph Moon the present tenant and… all rights to operate a ferry along a strip of land between the Delaware River and Lower River Road and extending in upon and out of the Strip of Land lying between the road leading to Morrisville and low water mark on the River Delaware as far as the present passageway from the landing to said Road…" (Ref: DB 51, PG 87,88 found by Ralph Thompson).

This survey appears to show that the southeasterly property line, i.e. "Beginning at the Water's Edge on the Margin of the River Delaware a Corner of land lately sold to John Hough and thence along said Hough's line running in the middle of the Newtown Road…" was as of 1822 the same as present day Afton Avenue at it's lower end.

Sep 9, 1822 Survey of property being conveyed to M. Dungan (Ref: DB 49 PG 436,437) (Green Plastic Overlay). This large property has over 20 sides. It is valuable to us because one of those side is fully identified as a 147 feet course along the centerline of Ferry Road, which is in turn described as being in front of the Larue property.

"to the corner of Aaron Larue's lot, thence by the same North 53 West 23 perches to the edge of said Ferry road, thence by same North 55 East 8.9 perches to the line of the ferry road land, thence along this line to the creek and down the creek to the place of beginning."

Since Vanhorn's Tavern is surmised to have existed by this time based on recorded tavern licenses, and since the location of Vanhorn's Tavern is precisely shown on the 1829 map, therefore, and since the road in front of today's Yardley Inn appears to have close to it's present location, then the identified segment must be part of modern East Afton Avenue or very close to it.

Another part of the description helps fix the Ferry Road as follows: "along the middle of Fallsington Road to Newtown Road & Ferry Road, thence along it by Stapler's lot about 10 perches (165 feet) <<the bearing was not given>>, thence by said lot and sundry others South 45 degrees 503 feet to line of Joseph Lovett's lot…" The 503 foot rear property line is parallel to

S. Main Street and helps fix the location of the Ferry Road near the Weidel sign.

It will be shown below that Charles Stapler purchased two contiguous lots on Main Street between the Ferry Road at the Weidel Sign. The resulting lot was 503 foot long and included the land now occupied by E. Afton at the traffic light.

Apr 27, 1822 George Green and Henrietta to Joseph Green… 42 acres of land including Ferry House… land acquired by two deeds, one of them by T. Yardley Apr 13, 1800 DB 30 PG 658 and the other through a series of deeds originating from John Stapler, the 42 acres extending from Mill Creek to White's Creek… up to the edge of George Green's lands acquired from Vansant.

Another deed of the same date shows Joseph Green to Hough. $1,822 between Joseph Green and John Hough. For sum of $2,600… sells Hough the two following lots… lying contiguous to each other, in one large lot described as on lot as follows: This is the same lands as described in the above deed. It passes around Larue property out to creek and down the river, and then down Delaware to place of beg. Containing 40 acres, being the same two lots which T. Yardley and John Stapler by their several deeds to wit deed dated Apr 13, 1800 and said Stapler and Hannah by deed dated Feb 1, 1803 granted and conveyed to Joseph Green and George Green

The above combined lot does not include the lot which Vansant separately sold to George Green. George then dies intestate and it goes to the orphans court.

Apr 23, 1823 Charles Stapler buys S. Main Street lot of William R. Atlee at Sheriff's sale (Ref: DB 50, PG 46-47). His combined lot along Main Street now measures 503 feet, and extends solidly from the Ferry Road at the Weidel sign, to the left side of the small shopping complex which is to the left of the Bean and Leaf Café, in the Blacksmith's Shop Building. On this description the rear property line was parallel to S. Main Street.

Jul 9, 1827 Survey commenced from Easton to Bristol on Delaware Canal. More detailed survey started September 13 from Bristol to Washington's Crossing. Work began same year on canal 18 mi section above Bristol.

1828 Pattison Vanhorn, Lower Makefield, Tavern License Petition - "Yardleyville"

It is of interest to note that Mahlon Dungan owned a house just up the road from the Tavern on the site which was identified on the 1875 map as the Lafarge House next to the canal. Also in 1828 he was appointed Yardley's first Post Master and the Post Office was in his home (Ref: Pennsylvania Postal Historian Nos. 124 & 125).

1828 Thomas Yardley III (nephew of our Thomas Yardley (Jr.) died. His daughter Mercy married Jolly Longshore

Dec 8, 1828 Petition by Administrator of George Green who died intestate leaving widow & 3-children Charles, George, Henrietta, regarding 18 acres on Delaware bounded by John Hough & George Yardley (Ref: Orphans Court Book 7, Page 164).

Jan 16, 1829 Afton Avenue Road Return (Ref: RB "A" Page 463, File 1017). This creates two segments of modern day Afton Avenue at the traffic light. The first from near the left end of the Hyatt Pharmacy parking lot to the light… The second from the light to just past the canal at the Larue lower property line, House No. 45. The last run coming from Newtown to the beginning point at the left end of the Hyatt Pharmacy parking lot, is said to have crossed a race. Also contains reference to the race from White's Creek which crossed Newtown Road and entered the lake on the left side.

Although the 1829 survey is limited to the two segments mentioned above, the survey helped further by showing that prior to 1829, the Ferry Road ran along the rear of the Hyatt Drug Store, then bending toward the Mill. The common point of these two surveys appears to be the point in the Road to Newtown at the left end of Hyatt Pharmacy and in front of the sidewalk of House #11, but this is not proved. It appears that the lake may have been expanded several times after it was originally created. Originally it may have been expanded from a race alongside the 1721 road, into a long mill pond still alongside the same road. Second, the 1721 road was moved allowing the lake to expand to the left. Third, North Main Street, probably already relocated at the time Lakeside was built, and at one time believed to be more perpendicular to Langhorne Road.

The only buildings shown on the map are the Mill and Vanhorne's Tavern which appears to be at the Fleming's location. No other structures are shown anywhere on the plan. Order to open the road was dated July 2, 1829. It shows the canal constructed ending at a point just below Afton at that time.

After the canal was built, and after E. Afton was opened at today's traffic light, the former Ferry Road at the Weidel sign is referred to as "the road leading to the Grist Mill and the Saw Mill."

1829 Jolly Longshore traded the Brick Hotel for the Temperance House in Newtown. He sold Temperance House to Betts on April 4, 1834

Feb 9, 1829 Date of Notice. Greens sold to John Hough 18 acres for $3,000 (Ref: OC Book 7, Page 195). This price probably reflects the value of the two structures which were probably already existing as shown on the 1834 plan. These two structures have thus far not been identified. They may have been a Residential House and a Barn presumably both built by Greens.

Dec 15, 1829 Lower River Road from Taylorsville to Yardley - Road Return (Ref: RB "A" Page 473,474,475, File No 1029). Witnessed December 15, 1829 and confirmed February 11, 1830. This map shows the Vanhorne Tavern and also the nearby structure to the left which must be a barn. This is probably the Tavern-Barn where White stopped in 1818. There might still have been some further minor adjustment in Afton Avenue after 1829 for better alignment with the Delaware Canal Bridge and/or the Yardleyville Bridge across the Delaware River. The 1829 map shows the canal already existing between Taylorsville and Yardley .

Dec 31, 1829 George Green's 18 acre property which we have identified as located between White's Creek and Letchworth, is advertised for auction. George Green had died intestate, and the administrator of his estate, finding the personal property insufficient for payment of all debts and education and maintenance of minor children … therefore petitioned the Orphans Court and obtained an order to sell the real estate of said George Green…

"consisting of the mansion house and about 18 acres of land in Lower Makefield Township aforesaid which was conveyed to George Green by Cornelius Vansant by deed dated Mar 30, 1810…"

John Hough who had previously acquired the adjacent Green property extending all the way to the E. Afton, submits the highest bid of $3,000 and buys the 18 acre property (Ref: DB 54, PG 359). It is assumed that Mrs. Green and her 3 children had been living at the Belville "Ferry House" as it is pictured in the Craven 1906 photograph. Note the two tree stumps planted equidistant on either side of the entrance porch to the Mansion House and how these trees which have been cut appear to have been at least 100 years old! So far it is unknown whether Mrs. Green stayed there, or whether the Hough family moved-in. In any event, a large part of the lands which had been divided and sold off by Thomas Yardley (Jr.) were now back together in one piece, shown as such on a plan made for the Martha Margerum Hough Estate which was to be eventually owned by Jolly Longshore.

Dec 15, 1830 Upper River Road from Hough's Creek to Woodside Road - Road Return (RB "A" Page 489, File 1049). The Order to Open was made out Sep. 24, 1831.

March 1831 Canal opened and watered by June. First full years operation without problems was not until 1834. (Pennsylvania's Delaware Division Canal, 2002, by Albright G. Zimmerman)<<>>

1831 Lakeside sold to Cortland and William Yardley, incl. Old saw mill, four mill, 30 acres of ground

Courtland remodeled Lakeside

1831 Courtland Yardley, Lower Makefield, Tavern License Petition -

1831 1st Map of Bucks County by A.W. Kennedy

1832 White Swan Inn opened (?)

1832 Map 14, Delaware Division Pennsylvania Canal (Provided by Zimmerman) shows configuration of roads immediately after the canal was built. Shows mill pond extending to north side of Main Street. Shows layout of the Grist Mill and Saw Mill and an access from these properties to the canal at the approximate location where the Ferry Road existed. Shows original Yardley Inn structure located midway between centerline of E. Afton at the same location as Vanhorn's on the 1830 Taylorsville Road map.

1833 First year that canal was continuously open.

Jan 1, 1833
Ferry Road (Road Return) -the part that passed behind the Hyatt Pharmacy and to the left of the Continental Tavern, i.e. the "1807 cut-off" is vacated (Ref: Road Book 6, PG 39). This document includes another plan of the lake and is the only old plan which shows the dam. This plan is particular in the following ways:

1) The clerk who copied the surveyors drawing did a meticulous job showing the dam and the waterworks.

2) The plan shows that the road being vacated, as coming back out to E. Afton above the canal rather than below it as would be indicated based on 1807 bearings. My guess is that this road, scheduled to be vacated, was temporarily run out to E. Afton when the canal was built over it former location.

3) The plan shows a strange alignment for W. Afton, unlike what was shown in the 1829 Road Return. The 1829 plan had been troublesome since it did not resolve the way that E. Afton is offset between it's upper and lower parts. Note also that between the canal and Main Street there is an offset in the store fronts along the south side of E. Afton. This might mean that the upper part of E. Afton was initially perhaps 15 feet south of the present road, and the clerk who copied the 1833 map was trying to show this. This has not been resolved.

Under item 2 above, the plan shows that the old Ferry Road now being vacated, continued to connect to E. Afton for a short time after the Canal was built. This may indicate that the reference in the 1943 Power Plant Deed to "a certain right-of-way" is truly a reference to the former Ferry Road, since it does not appear to remain in position to serve as access to the canal.

Apr 4, 1834 Jolly Longshore sold Temperance House Newtown to Betts. He had lived there and had not operated it as a tavern.

May 19, 1834 Executors of Estate of John Hough sell 51 acres of land along the river to Martha Hough (Ref: DB 58, PG 498,499). This is the same land which was later shown on the Martha Hough Estate Plan, except that in 1834 it is shown as one overall parcel. The description provides distances for all the sides even including those along the river, and was used to help reconcile the position of the various overlay maps.

Dec 16, 1834 Petition of Israel Margerum brother of Martha Margerum Hough who died intestate without children but leaving several brothers and sisters. She owned 51 acres.

A plan was prepared showing the overall property proposed to be sold as two separate lots..

(Ref: Orphan's Court BK 8, PG 330)

1834-35 John Vanhorn owned the ferry when the bridge was built

Feb 13, 1835 Orphans Court. Inspect property of Martha Margerum Hough (Ref: Orphan's Court Book 8, Page 357-358). A special plan dated February 1835was prepared. It divides the land into two lots,

Lot 1 & Lot 2. Note that there are no longer any lands along Main Street. There were some complicated transactions, but both of these lots ended up in the hands of Jolly Longshore. He paid $802 for Lot 1, and $2,420 for Lot 2. Since the price for Lot 1 is substantially less than the appraisal, I assume either this was a "wash sale" between family members or there is something else about it that we don't understand.

Lot 1 Stone House & Barn 29 acres $95 per acre $2,800 appraised

This is a recombined 18 acre Vansant to George Green tract including Belville "Ferry House" (but this structure does not appear to be shown on the map) … together with the roughly 15 acres sold by Stapler to the Greens. The plan does not appear to show any structures at all on Lot 1.

Lot 2 Frame House & Barn 22 acres $110 per acre $2,420 appraised

The plan appears to show these two structures on Lot 2 although at very small scale. One is believed to be the Boat House at top of the Ferry Ramp. The other may have been constructed by the 2nd generation Green's (from Richard Green) as a residence, conveniently located at the abandoned 1721 Ferry Ramp, and later becoming the Tenant's House on the Longshore farm. One roughly scales at 170 feet below Afton, and the second roughly scales at 350 feet below Afton which is the approximate location of the 1921 funeral home.

The PLAN also shows two structures on the Vanhorn Tavern site with the Tavern shown close to the road, and the second structure at to the left of the Tavern. This structure to the left may be the same structure which shows up in a 1912 Craven photograph showing what appears to be a barn with a wide overhang in front under which is parked a wagon..

This overall map shows other buildings along Afton and Main, but does appear to show any structure at all on the Stapler/Vansant/Green 18 acre parcel, even though at least the original Yardley Ferry House and undoubtedly the Vansant Mansion House and Barn still existed there.

1835 Wooden Bridge built.

Apr 2, 1835 Jolly Longshore purchases Main Street property from William Gregg (Ref: DB 59 PG 655). This lot was located between Joseph Lovett and Leander Rice. It's the last lot inside the 503 foot frontage from Ferry Road.

Aug 27, 1835 Mercy Yardley Longshore died

Mar 19, 1836 Jolly Longshore sells his Main Street property to Joel Palmer (Ref: DB 60 PG 457).

May 9, 1836 Jolly Longshore (1786-1869) purchases both Lots #1 and #2 of the Martha Margerum Hough Estate.

(Ref: DB 59, PG 557)(Ref: DB 61, PG 209). These lands did not include the Tavern which the Greens had sold off.

1840s Temperance wave swept over Bucks County

1841 Great Flood destroyed bridge. 2 days rain and snow melt. 10 ft h higher than terrible flood of 1839. Swept all bridge away between Easton and Trenton. The 1806 Trenton Bridge was the only one left standing.

Apr 1, 1842 Jolly Longshore purchases about 15 acres with river frontage from George Yardley (Ref: DB 68, PG 216,217). This purchase by Longshore extends his lands 468.6 feet down river. Whereas prior to this purchase his land extended to the lower Belville property line, they now have been extended past the future location of Letchworth to a new property line which will eventually become the Yardley Borough Line. The fact that the lower line of this 15 and a fraction acres parcel falls neatly on the Borough Line is the last piece of the puzzle. The 15 acres purchased from George Yardley were part of his 130 1/2 acres acquired from Thomas Yardley (III ?), on June 8, 1825.

1848 Elisha G. Scattergood moved with father into the Ferry House. He lived there until 1869. In 1880 to 1903 he moved back to the Bridge and was Bridgekeeper until October 10 1903

Sworn Affidavit Dated May 2, 1922. - Original Document).

This is the key piece of information which shows the "Ferry House" still existed in 1848 and at least until 1869 and therefore it must be one of the structures showing up on the 1851 map. It also firmly placed Scattergood in the Ferry House. By investigating this clue, we were finally able to discover the "Ferry House" being referred to was on the site of today's Yardley Inn and that there was a tavern named Fleming's on the site of the Yardley Inn starting in 1790. The Yardley Inn as shown by Craven in 1906 turns out to have been the "Ferry House" for which we have been searching.

Apr 2, 1849 Elijah E. Scattergood, Inn Keeper, purchased 8 acre tract including the Ferry House and Ferry Tavern from Pattison Vanhorn. This site lies between present day Afton Avenue and the Brock Creek and includes lands on the other side of Brock Creek between the creek, the canal, Brown Street, and the river. These lands are shown on the 1875 map as Estate of Mrs. Scattergood.

(Ref: DB 77, Pages 500,501,502).

This deed in combination with the sworn statement of Elisha G. Scattergood (Ref: Sworn Affidavit Dated May 2, 1922 listed below), establishes that the "Ferry House" referred to was the original main part of the Yardley Inn, as photographed by Linford R. Craven in 1906.

Year 1850

1850 1st wall map of Bucks County (William E. Morris Civil Engineer), publ. by Robert P. Smith. Isolated Unidentified Structure is shown at the approx. location of funeral home.

1858 Thomas Hughes Farm Map shows two structures in the vicinity of Ferry Street same as the 1834 map and a boundary around the structure closest to Afton Avenue. This same "subdivided property" is shown on the 1875 map, and is believed to be the tenant house on the Longshore Estate. It was gone by 1893.

1864 Jolly Longshore signs his will (Ref: Will No 12307, Bucks County, Pennsylvania).

1866 Samuel Slack's son received license to use house at the site of today's Continental Tavern

as a hotel. He purchased entire site in 1875 after corner destroyed by fire.

1869 Jolly Longshore died

1869 Elisha G. Scattergood moved out of the Ferry House

We want to keep tract of this fact up until we determine whether it relates in any way to the year of death of Jolly Longshore.

Dec 1871 Final statement of Jolly Longshore Executors includes following:

"Rents on Tenant House $105"

Year 1875

1875 Modern Continental Hotel constructed replacing Temperance House operated by Sam Slack after entire corner destroyed by fire

1875 Harriet W. Longshore owns a house on South Afton Avenue by 1875.

Nov 1, 1875 Harriet W. Longshore, conveys lot on River Road to Elizabeth W. Baker Livezey, wife of Theodore Livezey (Ref: DB 177, PG 384). Lot is located behind stone wall.

1875 Isolated Structure shown on Centennial Map in vicinity of Ferry Street in 1875 with lot lines extending well past structure on down river side. But the Lower Makefield page of same 1875 map series still shows two structures and the upper structure had lot lines around it

1885 Harriet W. Longshore, 2nd wife of Jolly Longshore, signs her will (Ref: WB 24, Page 243). There are no children. Her will leaves almost everything to niece an nephew who are the Skinner children.

Aug 1889 Items appearing in Settlement of Accounts - Longshore Estate

Jane McGregor mortgage paid 9 mos $500

William Richards mortgage paid 9 mos $500

WS.C. Crafts mortgage paid 6 mos $500

Oscar A. Crafts mortgage paid 6 mos $250

Martha Howell

Timothy Howell

E. Mauson

Long List of Names for small amounts

Aug 21, 1889 Appraisal Farm (between Letchworth & Yardley Bridge, 35 acres @ $130 = $4,550

(Belville "Ferry House")

Jul 13, 1891 Extract from Settlement of Accounts - Longshore Estate

Cash from sale of Farm House $1,975

1893 Longshore Subdivision Plan. The isolated structure (near Ferry Street) which I formerly believed to be the Ferry House, does not appear on this map. The map does show other structures on Afton Avenue which are not part of the subdivision. A big advantage of this plan is it's scale of 1 inch = 100 feet which is the same as our base map.

1893 Marguerite Klein, the name of Catharine Belville's mother before she married, purchased Belville "Ferry House" 1.824 acres with house. It was part of the 29 1/2 acres. See postcard (c.1914) from Catharine Belville to her mother.

Jun 6, 1894 Harriet W. Longshore Estate conveys parcel containing several lots to Daniel Hoff (Ref: DB 270, Page 517). The description provides us with the bearing proceeding from the Delaware up from the river along the south side of the "Old Ferry Road" which is exactly opposite the storm culvert at the lower end of the Rescue Squad Property formerly owned by the Yardleyville Bridge Company. The bearing of this road from the Delaware River turns out to be exactly perpendicular to River Road. This may be a barn or boat house used by the ferry. This hypothetical "Boat House" is believed to be different from the actual boat house owned by Miller on the lot between the funeral home and Ferry Street.

Year 1900

Jun 18, 1900 "Yardleyville and Newtown Turnpike Road" along the left cemetery wall. Starting at a stone at the rear of the old part of the graveyard, thence along the rear of the old cemetery S 81 degrees 4 minutes W, 93.22 feet, thence along the side of the old cemetery S 6 degrees 41 minutes E, 168.3 feet to a stone in the "Yardleyville and Newtown Turnpike Road" thence by same S 84 degrees 6 minutes W, 326.7 feet to a stone, thence continuing by said Turnpike road S 57 degrees 52 minutes W, 450.94 to a stone on the west side of the creek. "Cold Spring Bleachery and Finishing Works." In 1951 the cemetery was extended to the left when 70.40 feet of the 326.7 feet line was conveyed to the church. (Ref: DB 292, PG 506). This cemetery wall was used to help position the 1721 road.

The June 18, 1900 deed for the Nicholson property was used to help tie-in a compass survey from the borough line to the Brock Creek bridge. It provides support for my 1721 road location in the following way: The property line follows the centerline of modern Afton Avenue across the bridge and then suddenly turns on a angle and runs North 24 degrees 10 minutes West a distance of 107.74 feet to a point which appears to fall right onto my 1721 road, where it turns this time in a direction away from the Turnpike. The point where it makes the second turn falls exactly on or close to the centerline of the 1721 road which I selected based on early field investigations. This apparent tie-in needs to be further confirmed.

It is interesting to note too, that the rear line of the cemetery property is not parallel to the front, but rather is nearly parallel to my selection for the 1721 road. Again, this needs to be confirmed, We are still trying to "lock-in" my selection for the 1721 road.

Apr 6, 1906 Survey of "Lakeside" including 7.9 acres with lake, by C. H. Moon. This is an accurate survey and excellent map. In the process of constructing the colored map overlay, this map was laid down early in the sequence, and helped position other surveys in the center of the borough. The overlay system was used to confirm the various ferry road locations.

Right-of Way: The map shows a 20 foot wide right-of-way along the left side of the Yardley Mills property and up against the small lower mill pond which was on the Lakeside property. The right-of-way allows Lakeside access to the other side of their pond. This is one of several right-of-ways on the grist mill property. It may be the part of the pre-1807 ferry road which ran to the left of the Weidel sign..

May 2, 1922 Sworn Affidavit Dated May 2, 1922 (See item dated 1848): Elisha G. Scattergood cites Ferry House.

Apr 9, 1923 Charles E. Miller writes his will (Ref: Will No 38515) and to his wife Lilian Miller leaves "the boat house and lot situated at the corner of Ferry Street and Delaware Avenue… with all the boats, nets," etc. Mr. Miller died Jan 15, 1940. The Boat House is on [Lot 17 ---Rev. Jan 18, 2004], which he purchased from Harriet Longshore, and located between the funeral home and Ferry Street.

Year 1925

Apr 15, 1943 Survey of former Yardley Electric Light, Heat and Power Co. property recorded (Ref: DB 721, PG 402). From Afton along the east bank of canal "and re-crossing the said canal and passing through the center line of a certain right of way thirty feet wide… thence along said center line of said right of way… 1) S 42 degrees 14 minutes W 53.2 feet, and 2) S 28 degrees 48 minutes W 53.2 feet…"

The "certain right of way thirty feet wide" in some ways appears to match the location of the ferry road which existed in 1807 and can be made to fit. The survey includes two courses, each 53.2 feet long. The one closer to the canal may coincide with an original part of the 1807 cutoff to the ferry, the same road that crossed over the race to the saw mill. The other closer to Main Street may represent a later minor relocation, to straighten out the road as it passed by the Stapler lot out to N. Main, perhaps after Ferry Road had been converted to a pair of driveways. In addition, the centerline it crossed may be the lower part of the ferry road which pre-existed prior to 1807, i.e. the part which ran toward the Larue property on Afton. The "certain right of way" was located at least within feet of the former Ferry Road. But the exact relationship has not been proved. It might only have been access to the canal, or it could be access to the canal which occupied the old Ferry Road. If it turns out to be Ferry Road this will be great because there are two iron surveyors spikes on this line.

The combination of the original mill structure and the topography of this site as relates to Brock Creek (before the canal was built) almost completely dictate how the road was laid out from the beginning. Coming from Newtown, the road goes almost directly to the mill, but then needs to turn fairly sharply to the right to stay above the creek which is immediately behind the mill.

Sep 14, 1945 Oak Grove School surveyed by Pickering (Ref: DB 1017, PG 453). "…thence along the centerline of New Oxford Road (which line passes along the line between Yardley Borough and Lower Makefield Township) S 88 degrees 4 minutes W a distance of 667.37 feet to a point, a corner in the middle of the Old Oxford Road (now abandoned); thence along the middle of the latter road, and by lands of North Penna R.RE. Co N 12 degrees 31 minutes E a distance of 504 feet and N 18 degrees 7 minutes E a distance of 216.3 feet to place of BEGINNING." There is a stone at the centerline of the Old Oxford Road at the end of the 504 feet run. We found that the reference contained in the 1763 survey to "land belonging to the school house" was referring to the Oak Grove School, and that the 504 foot line mentioned above was on or near the 1773 road. Various clues on the ground led us to this deed. Further proof included the 1796 vacating of this road between Main Street and the Belville "Ferry House." Still later Marie-Therese found the final piece of evidence, i.e. the 1794 road return for Lower River Road, which "nailed it down."

Year 1950

LIST OF STRUCTURES TO BE INVESTIGATED

Various structures near the Ferry include the following, and we don't want to loose sight of any of these until they are all sufficiently identified. :

1) Fleming's Tavern dating from 1790 and later Vanhorne's Tavern at approximate location of today's Yardley Inn.

2) At the turn of the century there was a wooden building with a barn like overhang in front and wagon parked under the overhang, located to the left of the Yardley Inn building. Photograph by Linford R. Craven.

3) Earlier there was a nearby structure on the north side of the Tavern, possibly a barn.

4) There is the Miller Boat House described in 1921 but not shown on the 1893 Longshore Subdivision Plan.

There were two structures inside the Green property purchased in 1800, and these are the same two as shown on the 1834, 1851, and 1875 maps, but neither is shown on the 1893 Longshore Subdivision Plan.

5) The upper structure is shown on the 1851 map enclosed inside a boundary line, and the lower structure is just outside the lower end of the long lot formed by the boundary. This upper structure may have been a barn or boat house used by the ferry. It appears to be located right in front of the "Old Ferry Road" described in the Hoff Deed.

6) The lower structure may be at the site of the funeral home. It may be the solitary structure shown on the Yardley 1875 map. On the Yardley map it is surrounded by a boundary so it is not clear whether only one or both of the structures had a boundary line. An educated guess would be that this lower structure was a house built by the Joseph Greens at the site of the former 1721 ferry ramp, that it might have been their residence, and that it might have later become the tenant house listed in the inventory of the Jolly Longshore Estate. It may have also been part of the ferry operation. [This building remands unidentified ---Rev:Dec 2003]

7) There was a place remembered by many called "Dirty Bills" at the site of "Steaks & Things." His place has been described as nothing more than a shack.

8) Empty lot at Rescue Squad (formerly owned by the Yardleyville Bridge Company)

9) There was some sort of structure, perhaps a barn behind the Rescue Squad (see photograph on wall at the Yardley Inn)…

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OTHER FERRY LOCATED AT FERRY ROAD (NEAR THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT)

1809 Joseph Carpenter, Lower Makefield, Tavern License Petition

1809 Joseph Kirkbride, Lower Makefield, Transfer

1812 Richard Flowers, Lower Makefield, Tavern License Petition "Kirkbride's Ferry"

1822 Williams Magee, Lower Makefield. Tavern License Petition - "Kirkbride's Ferry"

1832 William Magee, Lower Makefield. Tavern License Petition - "Trenton Ferry"

1824 William Magee, Lower Makefield. Tavern License Petition

1816 Richard Flowers, Lower Makefield - Tavern License Petition ?

1818 Richard Flowers, Lower Makefield, Tavern License Petition

1825 William Magee, "Stage Wagon"

1826 William Magee, Lower Makefield, Tavern License Petition - "Stage"

1829 William Margerum, Lower Makefield, Tavern License Petition - "Kirkbride Ferry"

References:

The Battles of Trenton and Princeton, Stryker, 1898

The Battle of Trenton, Smith, 1965

Improving Navigation... Ferries, Bridges, and Canals, Fackenthal, 1927

The History of Yardley by Charles Wagner

A Survey of a Tract of Land - Yardley, by Sister Maureen Fasy

Lanrick Manor, Appendix B, Yardley's Ferry, Auerbach, 1987

Washington's March to Trenton, Godfrey, 1924

Battle Maps and Charts of the American Revolution, Carrington, 1974

A History of Trenton, Published Under Auspices of Trenton Historical Society), 1929

Historic Newtown, Barnsley, 1934

Washington's Partisan War by Mark V. Kwasny, 1996

Yardley Family, by Thomas W. Yardley, 1881

Ewing Township, by Joseph J. Felcone, 1985

Old Inns and Taverns in West Jersey, by Charles S. Boyer, 1962

The History of Bucks County, by J. H. Battle, 1887

Ralph Thompson Maps, 1988, Lower Makefield Historical Society

Canal History and Technology Proceedings, Vol. VIII, Mar. 1989, pages 161-211, by Albright G. Zimmerman

Delaware Div. Canal Co. of Penna, Yardley Maps, and other writings by Dr. Zimmerman

[1] Lanrick Manor, Appendix B, Yardley's Ferry, Auerbach, 1987 (Page 8)

"To conclude, the Yardley ferry very likely may have operated from at or near Afton Avenue down to College Avenue from its inception in 1722. While there is no deed of purchase for the land that early, other records indicate that Yardley was in possession of this land, referred to as the Brock-mill tract, from at least 1729. While there is a possibility that Yardley first established the ferry on Yardley patent land to the north of the borough, and opposite the Upper Ferry Road in New Jersey, this theory is unlikely due to the very early road returns leading to the Afton Avenue point on the river. That the ferry was established specifically further to the south of the center of the borough and opposite the Lower Ferry Road is equally unlikely for the same reasons. It is the writer's opinion that the ferry always operated slightly to the south of the present day Afton Avenue, and that the locations of the ferry house and tavern should be found near this area, i.e. near Ferry Street. It must be remembered, however, that the actual landing of the ferry took place at various points along the river front, as currents in the river and other conditions dictated. The confusion regarding the location of the Yardley Ferry essentially comes from this latter fact that Yardley owned all of the river frontage and therefore the ferry could land at any point thereon. The ferry activity, therefore, can be considered as occurring roughly north of Letchworth Avenue up to Afton Avenue and from primarily north of College Avenue to Afton Avenue. By the late 1820's it appears to be specifically located at Afton Avenue according to Kennedy's engineering map of the Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal."

"While a considerable number of historical documents were consulted to prepare this synopsis, it must be remembered that further search may yield documents which would give more precise information on the ferry location than what has been found so far."

Kathryn Ann Auerbach

January 1987

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