the patriots in that great struggle, as we know further by historical records that "Benjamin Eastburn had £119 awarded him by the State of Pennsylvania, for damages inflicted by the British when they passed down the river to Philadelphia in 1777."

This Benjamin was doubtless the father or grandfather of Samuel Eastburn, who resided all his life at the homestead where our subject lived, and where the former died, 1855, and whose widow Mary survived him some four years. Samuel and Mary Eastburn were, as most of the name in this locality, in sympathy with the Baptist denomination, but he was not a member. They were greatly respected and esteemed by their neighbors. They had twelve children; three sons, Lemuel, Jesse R. and Samuel, and five daughters, four of their children dying in infancy. The daughters were intermarried as follows: Louisa, with Benjamin Rambo; Hannah, with David Rambo; Mary Ann, Thomas Holloway; Eliza, John Richards, and Jane with B. D. Abraham. Of the sons, Samuel traveled South and died there of cholera, 1855. Samuel Eastburn's large estate and plantation of 300 acres was administered to by his two sons, Lemuel and Jesse R. Lemuel had farm buildings erected on the upper section of the land, where he now resides. He is intermarried with Elizabeth Johnson, and has eight surviving children and two deceased.

Jesse R. Eastburn, our subject, born November 22, 1831, was in early life well educated in common schools of the locality, but later under Rev. Samuel Aaron, at Treemount Seminary. After finishing his education he farmed on his father's place for a time, but being well trained and capable took charge of a public school at Evansburg, and served in like capacity there and elsewhere for a considerable time.

He first married Anna M. Dewees, and they had one child, Robert, who died in infancy. After remaining widowed a period he was united, February 15, 1866, to Miss Annie E., daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth Mancill, who bore him two. children, Mary R. and Charles. Mary died October 8, 1885, in the bloom of youth, in her nineteenth year. Charles, a young man nearly grown, lives with his mother at the ancient homestead, and at this writing attends school.

In 1874 Jesse R. Eastburn was induced to purchase of William Davis, his established lumber and coal yard at Bridgeport, and later took in a partner, which arrangement continued several years, resulting, however, at last disastrously, as the said partner (mainly responsible for the failure of the business) drew out, leaving Mr. Eastburn to shoulder the wreck alone. To add to Mr. Eastburn's misfortune, his close attention to an exhausting business had brought on a pulmonary disease that carried him away, after a month or two of confinement, March 31, 1884.

Jesse R. Eastburn was a man of rare intelligence, taste and judgment, universally esteemed for his genial, manly qualities of head and heart. In person he was tall, well formed, and of very agreeable deportment. He died at the early age of fiftytwo years. He left his widow and children the encumbered farm and a large library of choice books.

In addition to occupying a large mansion owned by the family for over a century, Mrs. Eastburn and son have also in possession another "heir-loom" in an ancient coat of arms, evidently brought over with the family, showing that it was reputable where it emigrated from, or belonged to what is called the "gentry" class. Not being much versed in heraldry we can hardly describe it, but may attempt it thus: Over and beneath the apex of a triangle, its bars resting on their two legs, are engraved three or four rampant griffins, surmounted by a cornucopia, the whole embowered in shrubbery and flowers, and underneath this motto:

BY THE NAME OF EASTBURN.

ELIZABETH THOMSON.

THE THOMSON FAMILY.

The above named lady, better known to the people of Norristown during many years as "Aunt Betsy Thomson," was the mother of eleven children and the widow of Benjamin Thomson, who died April 6, 1829, aged fifty-three years. Her husband thus died comparatively a young man, and when his wife was but forty-three, and yet she survived him as his widow looking after her children, grandchildren, nephews, and nieces, for nearly half a century; hence she acquired her fond title "aunt" worthily, apart from the affectionate regard felt for her in the Presbyterian church of which she was so long a worthy and consistent member, she attending divine service thereafoot-until nearly reaching her centennial year.

Benjamin Thomson, her husband, was doubtless a son or nephew of the celebrated Colonel Archibald Thomson, of the Revolutionary army, whose house the British burned as they passed down to Philadelphia in 1777, as was their custom towards all belligerents. It is the more probable that he was an only son of Col. Thomson, as the latter is known to have died 1779 at the age of thirty-nine years; and as Benjamin and Elizabeth's first son was named "Archibald," seems conclusive that he was so related.

It is impossible at this late period to know much of the private life of Benjamin Thomson beyond the fact that he lived and died at or near Norristown.

"Aunt Betsy" Thomson's maiden name was Stroud; and it is a mooted question also with those who have been looking up the genealogy of that very reputable name whether it is Welsh or from Nottingham, England. She was born in Whitemarsh or Plymouth township, near Barren Hill, November 14, 1776, and died at Norristown, December 28, 1878, aged one hundred and two years, one month and fourteen days. Her father's name was James, and her grandfather's William, the latter being the first keeper of the new jail erected at Norristown. "Aunt Betsy" has left, recorded by others, many reminiscences of early days of the town of "Norris," as it was

named by its founder. She came to live at the young county town when ten years old, and ate her first dinner on arriving, at the then new stone prison building, which stood on the corner of Swede and Airy streets; and by a curious providence or coincidence, partook of the last dinner prepared and eaten within the old prison about 1850, nearly seventy years after, and just before the demolition of the building to make room for the new court house. The author "interviewed" her some years ago, and she said she remembered seeing prisoners, secured with ball and chain, hoeing garden for the jailor on his corner lot diagonally across the street; and she had also seen prisoners suffering at the "whipping post" erected near by. These punishments were under the British code then unrepealed. She remembered also the execution of John Brown for burglary, which took place April, 1788, and said “lawyer Thomas Craig, a very influential man then, was very indignant that the new county seat should be 'disgraced' by the hanging of a man for such a crime, and compelled the officers to erect the gallows 'out jail lane' on the highway, and not on the public grounds." "Aunt Betsy" further said it fell to her lot to "make the black cap in which Brown was hanged." She used to relate further that when General Washington was President (probably as he traveled westward on horseback to look after the whisky tax troubles in western Pennsylvania), she saw him at Black Horse tavern below Norristown, where she handed him a drink of water and shook hands with him.

As this is designed to be not only a family but geneological sketch we will trace a little further the affiliated branches of the Stroud family. Our earliest named progenitor, James Stroud, had, beside our subject, two sons, Thomas and James. The former was a carpenter by trade, lived long, and died at advanced age in Norristown, though he had been years previously a resident of Lower Merion. He married Sarah West and had nine children, six daughters and three sons, named Mary, wife of Edwin Sower, who died 1886; Edward, who lives, in advanced life, in Philadelphia; Margaret, wife of Horatio J. Armstrong; and Isabella, also of Philadelphia; William intermarried with Jane Jamison; Henrietta, wife of George Wright; Elizabeth; and Sarah, widow of Joseph H.

Bodey, all of Norristown, as also a son who died at the age of seventeen years. Nearly all of the foregoing offspring of Thomas and Sarah Stroud had families of children, omitted for lack of space. The elder James Stroud had also a son William, who lived near Norristown, and another James, who enlisted in the war of 1812, but never returned again.

We come now to record the "children of Benjamin and 'Aunt' Betsy Thomson" as follows: Maria, Archibald D., Hannah, James, Sarah (died in infancy), William, Sarah D., Benjamin (also died an infant), Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Ann, four sons and seven daughters, and all but two grew to maturity, married and had offspring, as described below.

The eldest, Maria, married Samuel Everly, had three children, but she died December 25, 1827. Her first daughter, Mary, married Jacob M. Clair, and had seven children; her second daughter, Catharine, died 1837, aged thirteen years, and her third, Elizabeth, 1828, aged two years. The record of Mary Everly Clair's offspring is continued as follows: Sarah Elizabeth; Kate died October 7, 1850, aged three years, Susan, the third child, married William Sands-issue, Walter and Mary; Harry M. married Sarah Gaunter-issue, one child, Laura; William B. married Elizabeth Miller; she bore one child, Lottie; the sixth child, Frederick M., married Clara Hiltner-issue, Jacob M. and Irene.

We turn now to Aunt Betsy's second child and first son, Archibald D. Thomson. He married Elizabeth Bryan, who bore him eleven children, she dying August 11, 1857. Their descendants are here enumerated: Louisa married Henry Butler and had the following offspring: Henry, intermarried with Louisa Butz, one child, Jennie; Elizabeth married Henry Townsend, also one child, Laura, who married John Engle; Helen L. married to James Moore, who died January, 1878, leaving one child, Lena V.; Laura J. married to Henry McDowell; William, Clara A., Mary E., Charles E., Walter T. (died November, 1885), and John J.

Archibald Thomson's second child, Elizabeth, died in infancy; his third, William K., married Anna Maria Randall, but died August 29, 1858, without issue. James B. married Sarah Newcomer; their eldest child, Laura, died December