Phyllis Great stuff!!!! You make it sound exciting! Good info and great writing! Keep it up!!! Doug -----Original Message----- From: Phyllis Ryerse <phyllis@webnet.com> To: DUTTON-L@rootsweb.com <DUTTON-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Thursday, October 15, 1998 12:30 PM Subject: PA-Dutton Trip Pt.4 >So if this is all boring to you Mass-Dutton/Dunton folks..... >just hit the ole' delete key. We'll understand!! <grin> > >OK...we're on Concord Road and heading back towards Aston Twp. >As soon as you hit the township line and the Dutton property..... >well, you might as well hear about the SUN OIL COMPANY now as later! >It seems that back in the 1930's Sun Oil bought a whole lot of land >beginning at that place....and on further south into Chichester Twp.and >other areas of the county. On that land, they tore down everything and put >in place .....oh there must be 15 or 20 huge gas/oil storage tanks in this >area alone!! Unbelievable. Yes, some of them on Dutton land! >When you get the big 1998 County map.....you'll see them as black dots >scattered all over the area! They have chain link fences around >them....and the only nifty thing I discovered about them, is that there is >a herd of deer living within those fences.....and I hope you can see the >stag I caught looking at me as I was trying to get a picture before the sun >went down! These particular tanks are on the old Robert Dutton part of the >land. > #11 Sun Oil Tanks >Continuing on down Concord Road you come to a sharp turn in the road on >which corner sits the Mt. Hope Methodist Church. This is where Doug >Hall's father is buried.....and yes, there's no doubt that it is also on >part of the old Dutton land. It was raining hard when I stopped by....so I >didn't get to look for his Dad's grave.....but the cemetery is very >large....so I probably wouldn't have found him anyhow! The cornerstone >says that the church was founded in 1807. It has had many additions and >educational wings added including a very impressive sanctuary. > #12 Mt. Hope >Continuing on down Concord Road you'll pass Neuman College (Catholic). >It covers many acres of rolling hills and retains a natural look (more on >this location later). The next intersection is called Five Points....and is >in an area now called Village Green. I kept reading about that and thought >it must be the park near city hall! But in fact, it's a "neighborhood" and >all directions are given from Five Points and Village Green. The main road >thru this intersection of course, is Route #452. It's the "strip" for gas >stations and McDonalds and grocery stores etc. Nothing colonial or >historical about it at all! This is pure suburbia. <grin> > Now let's talk about John Duttons original land. You've seen it laid out >on the old map.....from the Aston Twp. line on the left side -- across to >the Chester River on the right side. When it was finally surveyed >carefully, it was determined to contain 590 acres. Now then.....Cope says >it was a mile and 3/4's long and half a mile wide. So now I'm >confused......when I look at that section on TODAYs township map......it's >sure longer than 1-3/4 miles. It's more like 3 miles from side to side!! > Is it possible that Cope was only talking about one section of it? Can >anyone tell me how many acres OUGHTA fit into a piece of land that size?? > Of course later maps show additional Dutton acreage, purchased in later >years...on the north side of the west branch of the Chester also. It's >all very confusing. > By the way -- in a little booklet called Aston Township Tricentennial 300 >- it mentions that this area was originally called Northley. In 1686, >Edward Carter, the constable, changed the name from Northley to Aston after >his hometown in Bampton Parish, Oxfordshire, England. So it appears that >John Dutton wasn't responsible for naming the area after all - as we at >first assumed. > Now let's talk about Mary (Darlington) Dutton. Since she's our maternal >g-g-?-g-grandmother, her ancestry also becomes important. It appears that >our good friend Gilbert Cope was a prodigious historian and writer. I was >amazed at all the books I encountered that were written by him! (...and >one book of abstracted wills for Chester Co., done in 1896...was gathered >by a James Mortimer Dutton FOR Gilbert Cope....so one of our earlier >cousins was interested in family history too!) Anyhow...Cope wrote a >DARLINGTON Family History....much like the Dutton book. (Actually it's >bigger!) I found it about 10 minutes before the library closed (@#$%) and >could only study it in fast forward! >I believe, however, that it has been copied and is available on microfilm >from Salt Lake. I will check on that. Unfortunately, the book I saw had a >big note on it.....TOO fragile for copying......so I couldn't have copied >anything from it anyhow. >My quick look: The text began in the year 1282 with a John Darlington, the >Arch Bishop of Dublin, Ireland....but mentioned, tongue in cheek, that, >considering the rules of celibacy,,,the family probably descends from a >collateral relative! >It then picks the name up in London in the year 1484...there's a whole >chapter on "Our English Kith and Kin," and it has a coat of arms that says >"some Darlingtons in England make use of the arms as shown." It then jumps >right to the Darlingtons of ASTON!! I caught a glimpse of Job and Mary >Darlington being married at GREAT BUDWORTH (!) It was Job who Cope says >was a brother to Mary (Darlington) Dutton. It goes on to mention briefly >Thomas Rowland of Acton, Cheshire (another family connection?) and there is >a nice section on the Duttons. Here it states that John Dutton's death was >recorded in the Philadelphia Friends minutes...and suggests that he died >there. (I knew I saw that somewhere!) On page 53 it talks about John >Nield....who Mary Dutton married after John Dutton's death. And it >mentions that after the brothers Abraham and John Darlington migrated to >Chester Co. PA (they were Job's sons) ....succeeding generations then moved >westward into West Chester...where even today I drove down Darlington >Street! There is also a little village over that way called >Darlington....the name being as familiar in the area as the Dutton name. > The History of Chester Co., PA Gen& Biographical record also has >information on the family and succeeding generations...including some b/w >pictures of a couple of the later Darlington men - grumpy looking fellows. >Then there was George E. Darlington, the famous Delaware County lawyer >who I believe served in the State Government. I found mention of him >everywhere. > During a visit to the Chester Co.Hist. Soc. I was able to look at a small >portion of the Gilbert Cope PHOTOGRAPHIC collection.....of some 2500 >pictures he took during his life time.....an unbelievable array of >buildings and wagons and mills and best of all...people. From the good >index I could find only one that caught my interest....titled Mary >Darlington and her daughters. It's very dark but you can see the old >white haired lady sitting on the porch with 3 younger girls. >She must be a 3rd or 4th generation cousin. > #13 Mary Darlington > I also found several long news clips about the Darlington family....one >headlined as follows: "Jesse Darlington, 75, tills the soil deeded by >William Penn - a 293-year Heritage of Farming." It makes for very >interesting reading....and if you would like to see it, you'll have to ask >and I'll mail you a xerox. (He's described as something of an eccentric - >won't buy a mechanized tractor....still plows the fields with a team of old >horses!!) > I also found the original invitation to the wedding reception of Mary >Dutton and Jared Darlington....the gathering to be held at Thomas Dutton's >house on "4th month 7th, 1831." (whatever that means) >Hand written - very quaint.....(copy on request.) > And lastly, I found a really neat little booklet (probably of limited > production) called "The Sesqui-Centennial Gathering of THE CLAN >DARLINGTON." I was able to copy the first 20 or so pages of text but not >the following pages of "who begot whos." It tells about the 1853 gathering >of the family in Chester Co. PA...gives several of the speeches and gives >an interesting overview of the family. Here again, if you have an interest >in the Darlington family.....ask and I'll send you a copy. This a very >rare booklet and there are very few copies to be found. (Hmmm.....I wonder >if the Mormons might have copied it too??? I'll check!) > Think this is enough for today. I'll be away on business over the >weekend but I'll try to get maybe three more stories to you next >week---about (1) Thomas Dutton who lived to be over a hundred years >old....and his house, (2) the search for the Kingsman Dutton house, and (3) >the thrilling story of the Chester Creek FLOOD and how the Dutton mills >washed away with Jonathan hanging on for his life! Hope to have the >picture problems cleared up by then so you can see it all in living color! > ;-) (Let me hear how these 3 come through, Carole!) > We'll talk again......Phyllis > > >