jeff

jeff of pa

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I'll look around
 

jeff of pa

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to wet your appetite.

Near Port Jervis, lived a Timberman named Daniel skinner.
He was one of the first Timbermen in PA in the 1760's
he used to raft 80 foot logs down the Delaware
to Philly where he would sell them & Insist on
Gold as payment. the logs were used for Ship Masts.

He supposedly Buried alot of his gold on his farm,
according to local Stories.

Find his farm & If it's still detectable.
you may get Lucky.

a local Historical Society or History Book may pinpoint the farm
 

jeff of pa

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this 1920's post card of St Joseph's R.C. Church Rectory

appears to have either a Picnic Grove
or Tabernackle to the rear left

!!20St Joseph\'s R.C. Church, Rectory, Matamoras, PA.jpg

Would be the Church & The Rectory

looks Awsome if you can get on the land. Perhaps do a Penn Pilot search from above

!!! File0023_op_800x427.jpg

also check the cool old cards here

http://www.portjervisnewyork.org/PortJervisNewYork4.html
 

jeff of pa

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This says danial was from New York

The first raft ever to navigate the Delaware was constructed by Daniel Skinner, of Cochecton, N. Y., after he had first endeavored to float long pine timbers loose ahead of a canoe. This method was a failure. He then constructed a raft quite similar to the replica I have here. (Ed. Note: The Society still has the model in its collection.) This was in the year of 1764. It took him several days to reach Philadelphia from Cochecton and he was gone two weeks. The raft was 15 feet wide and 80 feet long. He had a Dutchman as a helper. This first raft was exceptionally fine pine spars and he received 4 pounds per stick. The largest raft ever to be taken down the Delaware was operated by a Mr. Barnes. This raft was 85 ½ feet wide and 215 feet long and was loaded 120,000 feet of lumber.

Admiral Skinner
I was interested in learning who this man Skinner was. In the book - Stories of the Raftsmen, by Charles T. Curtis, of Callicoon - I find - "Daniel Skinner has long been identified in the history of the upper Delaware Valley as the first man to navigate a raft of logs down the Delaware River, and he has been recognized as the founder of that vast lumbering industry which occupied the time and labor of the people both along the river and far back in the country for well nigh three-quarters of the last century.
"Daniel Skinner was born at Salem, Conn., in 1733 and in 1754 came to the Delaware with his father, Joseph Skinner, and Dr. John Calkin and Bezeleel Tyler, members of the Delaware Land Co., to take possession of the Cochecton Valley under a grant from the Provincial Government of Connecticut. That colony claimed jurisdiction from the Delaware to the Susquehanna."
"Rafting on the Delaware" and James Quinlan's History of Sullivan County written in 1873 have the following regarding Daniel Skinner:
"We have seen and conversed with men who assisted him in running lumber down the river before the close of the last century. He was honored in a jocose way by the hardy men who followed his example. By general consent he was constituted Admiral of all the waters of the river in which a raft could be taken to a market, and no one was free to engage in business until he had the Admiral's consent. This was done by presenting Skinner with a bottle of wine, when liberty was granted the applicant to go to Philadelphia as a forehand. To gain the privilege of going as a steersman, another bottle was necessary, on the receipt of which the Admiral gave full permission to navigate all the channels of the river."


http://www.portjervisny.org/historya.htm
 

Purrdee

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Jeff,

You are totally awesome.....walking talking knowledge guy....kiddin' aside...really thank you for all you do!!!

Purrdee
 

smurf-42

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OK, I back with more information, lol.

There was a John Land who married a Lillian Skinner, daughter of a Daniel Skinner.

In 1796 John built a large two storey house between the Thomas farm and Milanville. Known as "The Old Red House', it stands today in a good state of preservation and is believed to be the oldest frame house in Wayne Co.PA. In 1815 John sold the property to Nathan Skinner for $10,000, and purchased land at Ashland known as Stanton Corners. In 1828 the building in Damascus that housed St. Tamany Lodge 83 burned down and the lodge moved into the third floor of the former Land home.

Notes for JONATHAN LAND:
Per Damascus Manor: After he was imprisoned during the Rev. War, he returned to Cochecton & purchased back the Land farm of 438 acres, which he paid for in beaver skins. On assuming ownership of the old farm on the Delaware, John Land had built, in 1796 a mill and a large 2 story frame house very near the site of the original old home which had been destroyed by the rebels. This house is still standing & is known far & wide as "The Old Red House." It has never passed out of the hands of the family (1935) & is still in an excellent state of preservation. The Lands had eleven children, William, John, Maskel, Robert, Marillal, Rebecca, Mercy, Polly, Phoebe, Libby and Maximilla. The oldest house in Wayne Co. was built by of for Mr. Land. The design is of early 18th century and has many features of the 17th century English home. The designer designed the house to use the materials that were located on or near the site of many large pine trees. It was purchased in 1814 by Nathan S!
kinner Byron White restored it in 1969 per Bradley: among the improvements he made was to build a large 2 story building with basement. This house was built in 1796 is in a good state of preservation and is occupied by a Skinner descendant. John Land sold the house and a large acreage of land to his brother in law Nathan Skinner.

John was the oldest son of Robert and Phebe Scott. In April 1777, Robert and Phebe appeared before the Committee of safety, a tribunal held to hear charges of treason against the Patriots. Robert was found guilty and condemned to prison, but he escaped from his captors and fled into the hills. leaving Phebe and the family to carry on at their homestead. One night the Indians raided their farm and burned down their home, however they managed to escape only through the intervention of a friendly Indian, but Abel was carried off in the
raid. John, with a group of neighbours, followed and overtook the raiders. He bargained successfully for his brother's release, but not before Abel was forced to run the gauntlet, escaping with minimum injury due to his speed.

On a trip to the grist mill to get flour for the family, John and a friend were captured and taken to prison at Minisink by a Capt. Mush, who was on his first trip to Cochecton. John was abused by his captors and sent to a prison in New Jersey known as the "Log Jail" where he remained for the duration of the war.

After the war he returned to Conchecton, married Lillian Skinner, daughter of Daniel Skinner, former neighbour and friend of Robert Land. As John had not been personally involved in the war due to his imprisonment, he was able to purchase 433 acres of the original Land farm from "Joseph Thomas and Jonathan Dextor for 5 pounds of New York money good and lawful".

Phebe Land with two of her sons Robert and Ephraim, stopped off to see John and Lillian on their way from New Brunswick to Niagara. John tried to persuade them to remain with him as they thought their father was dead, but Phebe was determined to go on to Niagara.


Is this the same Daniel Skinner daughter? I don't know. More about this can be found at http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/LAND/2008-07/1216040678

Sue
 

Gypsy Heart

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Daniel Skinner, referred to here as Daniel #1, lived at Newtown, Sussex Co., NJ from about 1760 to 1763. His brother, Benjamin had settled there by that time as well.

Daniel did not stay long. He relocated further upstream on the Delaware River to an area called Cochecton. Cochecton straddles the Delaware River at Sullivan Co., NY and Northampton Co., PA. This land was first purchased by his father, Joseph Skinner, from the Indians. Daniel and another brother, Hagaii, were well-known in the timber business, transporting timber down the Delaware River.

Map of Sussex Co., NJ; Cochecton, PA/NY; and Orange Co., NY

Daniel's brother, Benjamin Skinner, stayed on in Sussex County, NJ until the Revolutionary War. Records (tax list-11b) show that Benjamin Skinner was recorded at Newtown, Sussex Co., during the census of 1773/4. Ultimately, he had lands confiscated at Hardiston in 1784 because he was a British sympathizer. Hardiston is about 8 miles northeast of the town of Newton. The British government compensated him for the loss with land in Ontario, where he relocated. There is much information relating to raids against British sympathizers in Sussex Co, and other eastern Jersey counties, going back to the earliest days of the Rev.War. (www.njstataelib.org)


Benjamin's offspring are unknown. However, it is widely assumed that his children included another Daniel Skinner (referred to here as Daniel #2). There is no proof of such and others have expressed reservations.


An overview of the descendants of Thomas Skinner of Malden, MA is contained in Exhibit-1.


A more detailed look at the branch of his family that relates to Sussex Co., NJ follows (per exhibits 9-11):


JOSEPH SKINNER (1/17/1708 - ) married 30 Apr 1729 Preston, CT MARTHA KINNE (1/20/1712 Preston, CT - )

Joseph was one of the proprietors of the Susquehanna Purchase; shot and killed Wayne Co., PA 1755-59.

1. JOSEPH SKINNER (b. Preston, CT - d. 9/13/1730 age 18)

2. BENJAMIN SKINNER (b. Preston - ) married MILLICENT ___


3. DANIEL SKINNER (Daniel #1)
b. Mar 22, 1733 Preston, Windham Co., Connecticut; son of Joseph Skinner
d. Feb 23, 1813 buried St. Tammany cemetery, Northampton Co., PA

m. Mar 11, 1761

w1. Lillie Richardson - a widow, nee HEALY, with daughter Phoebe.

b. Nov 11, 1737 Preston, CO

d. Jun 7, 1807 buried St. Tammany cemetery, Cochecton, Northampton Co., PA

Children:
1. REUBEN SKINNER (11/27/1761 - ) married Anna M. Chase

2. DANIEL SKINNER (11/17/1763 - ) married Hannah Burleigh

3. LILLIE SKINNER (3/4/1767 - ) married John Land

4. MERCY SKINNER (3/12/1769 - ) married Reuben Hanckett

5. JOSEPH SKINNER (3/10/1771 - ) married Mercy Dunlop

6. WILLIAM SKINNER (3/22,/1763 - ) married (1) & (2)

7. SARAH SKINNER (2/15/1775 - ) married JOHN CONKLIN

8. NATHAN SKINNER (4/4/1777 - ) married SARAH CALKINS

9. CORTLANDT SKINNER (8/26/1779 - ) unmarried June 22, 1796

w2. Rosabelle Kinne, married May 4, 1808 no issue

b.

d.




,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Daniel was a merchant sailor and logger. His son, Nathan, wrote the Nathan Skinner manuscript about the early history of Cochecton.

On 4 Sept 1755 Daniel purchased 25 acres from his father near Cochecton, part of Joseph's 100 acre share of the Susquehanna purchase. He left about 1759 and took up residence in Newtown, Sussex Co, NJ. In 1763 he returned to Cochecton, and began a career rafting timber down the Delaware river to Philadelphia.

Unable to get clear title to his property, and harassed by neighbours anxious to take over the timber business, Daniel moved to Shawngunk Kill in Nov 1772 where his brothers Timothy and Abner had property. He returned to Cochecton in 1777 just in time to run into a 'Committee of Safety'. His new house was plundered and burned.

After the War, Daniel settled again in Cochecton and named his farm St. Tammany Flats.

Mrs. George A. Wahl, The Skinner Kinsmen: The Descendants of Joseph and Martha (Kinne) Skinner of Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania, Vol 1 (Niagara Falls, NY: 1959).
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