Excerpt from the Diary of Christiana Leach, of Kingsessing 1765-85

From The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 35:3 (1911). 343-347.

1765. Feb. 23. ö Received the first letter from my brother in England, stating that he was well received by the King and Queen and sometimes conversed with them for two hours about all kinds of curiosities.

Nov. 2^nd. ö Born, our son Henry at 1 o'clock, and daughter Catharine at 3 o'clock in the afternoon (twins) in the sign of the waterman.

1766. November 3^rd. ö My brother William returned from London with Captain Marshall, happy with the title of Botanist to the King and Queen, to our great joy.

November 23^rd. ö My brother left Philadelphia for Carolina.

1767. April 1^st. ö Myself, John and the whole family moved again to Kingsessing to fathers.

January 13^th. ö My brother departed from Carolina for London with many barrels filled with plants.

March 20^th. ö Born, our son , Joseph Leech, at 12 o'clock at night, in the sign of the goat.

November 6^th. ö My brother arrived well and hearty from London.

November 17^th. ö My brother left Philadelphia for Carolina to get more plants.

1769. March 3^rd. ö My brother arrived again from Carolina after a voyage of twenty-nine days, well and hearty, with 19 boxes filled with plants and roots of great variety.

Nov. 5^th. ö My brother sailed with Captain Falconer for London with many casks and boxes filled with plants.

1770. Aug. 26. ö My brother arrived from London well and hearty.

1771. April 16^th. ö All our children were vaccinated by Dr. Paschal; Billy, John, Max, Henry and Joseph got over it very well, but Betsey had a sore eye, and Katy got the inflammation in her mouth, and an abscess eat away her chin and lips, and all her teeth fell out, and while she got well, she is disfigured.

Nov. 13^th. ö My brother sailed again with Captain Falconer from Philadelphia for London, with a quantity of plants.

1772. Sept. 17^th. ö My father bought of Samuel Powell, 40 acres of woodland for L400, cash.

December 30^th. ö My brother and his wife, whom he brought from England, arrived here safe and sound to our great joy.

1776. June 6^th. ö My sister, Catharine, married Jacob Hoffman.

August 6^th. ö My son, William Leach, said farewell to us all, to go with Captain Rudolph's Kingsessing Militia to Amboy. God keep him safe!

August 13^th. ö My son, John Leech, and my brother-in-Law, Jacob Hoffman, said farewell to us all and have gone as Militia with Captain Gibson to Amboy, at 50 shillings a month. God be with them; the Lord's will be done!

September 17^th. ö All our dear ones came back from Camp safe and sound. God be thanked!

1777. May 1^st. ö Born, my nephew, William Hoffman, at nine o'clock in the evening.

May 15^th. ö My son, William Leech, went in the Militia with Captain Young, to Bristol. God be with him!

July 8^th. ö My son, William Leech, came back from Camp well and healthy, he was sick in Camp for six days, but is well again; -- Thank God!

September 11^th. ö In a battle between our army and the English at the Brandywine, our army was defeated and had to retreat.

September 26^th. ö The English entered Philadelphia.

October 4^th. ö A bloody battle was fought near Germantown between our army and the English; although our men fought well, they lost the field leaving their dead.

October 16^th. ö An English General, named Burgoyne, was captured with his whole army by our brothers at Saratoga.

October 21^st. ö In a battle at Red Bank, a Hessian General named Donop was killed.

November 21^st. ö My dear Mother, Elizabeth Young, departed this life at 4 O'clock in the afternoon, aged 66 years, and buried Sunday, the 23^rd in Kingsessing, in our burial ground, in a troublesome King's time.

1778. March 18^th. ö A party of English soldiers came into our home at 10 o'clock, at night, and took my brother-in-law Hoffman and my two sons, William and John, prisoners to Philadelphia, and put them into the new prison, to our great fear. A sad and troublesome time, but God will protect us.

March 28^th. ö A party of rascals came to our house, sent by Galloway, and took our cattle and plundered the house, and also took father with them to the old prison. Our loss is at least L400. My sister and I have passed many anxious hours.

April 16^th. ö Father was released from prison on parole, to remain in town.

April 25^th. ö Jacob, Billy, and John, came from prison home. John sick and miserable.

June 18^th. ö The English have gone from the city to Jersey. Father came home.

June 30^th. ö Battle at Monmouth, between our army and the English.

August 15^th. ö My son, John, apprenticed to a wagon-maker for one year and ten months. I must furnish clothes and a suit at the end of the time.

October 9^th. ö Born, my nephew, Jacob Hoffman, at one o'clock in the afternoon.

1780. June 15^th. ö My son, John, home from his apprenticeship, and began to work on his own account.

October 15^th. ö My son, Maximilian, apprenticed to a Black-smith for four years, his Master to furnish clothes six months and a suit at the end of the apprenticeship.

1781. March 6^th. ö Born my niece, Betsy Hoffman, two o'clock at night. Peace is established this year between England and America. God be thankful for this peace.

1784. April 4^th. ö My son Henry is apprenticed in town to a Blacksmith for two years and seven months. I have to furnish clothes and a suit at the end of his apprenticeship.

October 15^th. ö My son, Maxy, ended his apprenticeship and remains with his Master as journeyman.

December 6^th. ö My son, William, departed for Carolina over-land.

1785. March 16^th. ö My brother, William Young, was drowned in a river called Gun Powder Falls, ninety miles from his home. He remained seven weeks three days in the water before he was found, and was buried on the bank. And this was my brother's end, he died honorably in pursuit of his botanical business, aged 43 years. God's will be done!

April 13^th. ö Born my niece, Katy Hoffman between eight and nine o'clock in the morning. My dear and only sister, Catharine Hoffman died in childbirth, aged forty years. She was buried on the 15^th in our family burying ground, wept for and mourned by all the friends and neighbors of the family.

May 28^th. ö My dear and worthy father, William Young, died between three and four o'clock in the afternoon. He exchanged the earthly life for an eternal rest, aged 73 years. He became sick May 15^th, but remained about and died in his clothes from apoplexy, and was buried the 30^th, accompanied to his rest by many friends at Kingsessing, to the family burying ground.

August 16^th. ö John and Max departed for Gun Powder Falls to find my brother's grave.

September 12^th. ö My son and my brother's wife departed in a carriage with a driver and three horses for Gun Powder Falls, to bring back my brother's body, which they did on the 16^th, and we buried him also in our family burying ground.