The Union Society For the Detection of Horse Thieves - Constitution and minute Book 1817-1859
JOHN GALLAGHER, ALIAS GUYSEND (?) - A NOTORIOUS FELON AND HORSE THIEF.
THE UNION SOCIETY FOR THE DETECTION OF HORSE THIEVES. CONSTITUTION AND MINUTE BOOK 1817-1859
ACCOUNT BOOKS OF JOSEPH HAWLEY WHO WAS A QUAKER SHOEMAKER AND MANUFACTURER OF LEATHER GOODS plus the MANUSCRIPT CONSTITUTION AND MINUTE BOOK OF THE UNION SOCIETY FOR THE DETECTION OF HORSE THIEVES CONSTITUTION AND MINUTE BOOK 1817-1859
Hawley Family Archive.
Manuscript Account Books of a Quaker Shoemaker and Manufacturer of of Leather. Chester County, Pennsylvania: 1788-1859. Four
volumes. Folio. 13 x 8 inches. Bound in contemporary boards with leather spines. Very legible and in vg cond.
Two account books of the Pennsylvania Quaker Joseph Hawley, a shoemaker and manufacturer of leather goods. Folio. 13 x 8 inches. 438 pp. Both account books are written very legibly in ink. Leather backed marbled paper boards, leather tips; spines and edges a bit worn, paper stock with some discoloration and minor spotting; Joseph Hawley’s name and dates written on the endpapers numerous times in both volumes. With faults very good copies.
Account books recording the business activity of what appears to be a very successful and profitable shoe maker and leather goods manufacture. Extremely well organized, indexed, and legible, these accounts are arranged by date and customer name and offer an insight into the leather needs of customers over a given year. For instance Moses Jefferies had eleven transactions in the year 1793 for new shoes, mended shoes, and new soles for himself, his wife and children. Under the account for William Hawley, a relative no doubt, twenty-six transactions are recorded. Opposite each page listing a customer account is a “Contra” page which lists cash received and expenditures for materials.
The first volume begins in 1793 and ends in 1796. The second volume begins in 1799 and continues through 1805. Many of the transactions include the names of family members who the shoes are for and provides a genealogical record of many families in the Chester County area. For a transaction for Samuel Lightfoot in 1801 the entry reads, “To make a pair of shoes for Black Isaac, cost 0/5/0.
Included are the names of customers Hannah Bennet, Susanna Hawley, Hannah Hawley, Rachel McCam, Rachel Naylor, Ann Townsend, Mary Thomas, Sarah Woodward, Rebecca Hawley, Mary Baker, and Susanna Bottom to name some of the women who had shoes made and mended at the Hawley Shop.
On folio 52 of the second volume Back Ben’s purchase of shoes for his children is recorded. On folio 21 is a full page of transactions by Mary Lightfoot which included both shoe repair and the purchase of food stuffs and meat.
Vol. III. Joel Hawley (1804-1883). Manuscript Account Books of a Quaker Shoemaker and Manufacturer of Leather Goods for Horses and Arithmetic Work Book. Chester County (Pennsylvania), 1829-1846. Folio. 12 ½ x 7 ¾ inches. 125 pp. Accounts written in ink in legible hand. Original marbled paper wrappers; showing wear at spine and edges, paper stock brown in places; with faults a very good copy.
Joel Hawley was the oldest son of Joseph, who continued in the shoe manufacture business but as the ledger shows, expanded into saddle making and the production of bridles, straps, harnesses, halters, and leather collars for horses. Organized in a similar way to his father’s account book, Joel’s contains less information and lists only the customer name, a few words of description and the price. He also records his expenses for coffee, candles, spices, sugar, butter, etc. It is interesting to compare prices from the first years of Joseph Hawley’s business with prices thirty years later as recorded in Joel Hawley’s account book.
This account book records transactions with Lida Minster, Mary Lewis, Rachel Reed, Hannah Smedley, Anna Stiller, and Sarah Downing to name a few of the women who had shoes made and mended and saddles fixed by Joel Hawley.
The second half the ledger, about 20 pages is an arithmetic workbook which focuses on simple principles of geometry, multiplication, calculating compound interest, figuring discounts, and annuities. It also contains some doddles, scribbles, the names of his brothers, Simon and Benjamin and samples of calligraphic script.
Vol. IV. Benjamin and Simon Hawley. UNION SOCIETY FOR THE DETECTION OF HORSE THIEVES. CONSTITUTION AND MINUTE BOOK. 1817-1859.
Unpublished folio manuscript. 13 x 8 inches. 175 pp. Written in a variety of hands in ink, very legible. Bound in leather backed marble paper boards; paper and spine a bit rubbed but sound and attractive; first two leaves are sprung from sewing, some inserted notes laid in; some light foxing, otherwise very good.
Manuscript constitution and minute book of the UNION SOCIETY FOR THE DETECTION OF HORSE THIEVES AND OTEHR STOLEN PROPERTY which spanned 42 years. The Union Society, like scores of other similar groups in the Northeast, created a service for the protection and recovery of private property stolen from farms and warehouses. It was organized by the leading horse traders and merchants of various counties in the greater Philadelphia/Wilmington area, and its constitution and by-laws outlined its goals and the responsibility of its membership. Members of the Union Society were from Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Peach Bottom, Elkton, Wilmington and New Castle and it covered all the major travel routes in these areas. There were no women members.
Benjamin Hawley, a founder of the society, and his brother Simon, both owners of a horse-trading company, were instrumental in the establishment and management of the Society. Simon was recording secretary for many years and it is the reason that the journal of the Society was part of the Hawley Family Archive.
Some of the articles of the constitution included the responsibilities of membership, the payment of dues, mandatory attendance at meeting or the levy of a fine, what do to if a member witnesses or is informed of a theft of a horse or property over the value of $ 30.00 and a list of rewards for the finding stolen property and the levy of 6 percent of the value of returned property from the owner. All members needed to brand their horses with the letter “U” on the neck of the animal to help in its identification if stolen.
The minute book records the details of each meeting, attendance, list of absent members, fines for absenteeism, appeals, new members, treasure reports and the election of officers. One of the more interesting narratives that is contained in the minutes of annual meetings was the discussion of the various routes that were to be covered if an alert was made from one of its members about a stolen horse or property. The Union Society established 11 routes from Philadelphia and surrounding counties and to Wilmington local members were assigned to cover the route if a theft was discovered.
The following are the three situations of horse thievery referenced within the journal.
“August 10th, 1835
The company was again notified that another horse had been stolen the previous night from E. Evans and traced as before, when every member of by himself or a Substitute made immediate pursuit and at their return it appeared that the thief had taken the road for Baltimore via Lancaster and Columbia which rout had been taken by Jonathan Couch and John King in the Railroad Car and by Richard Evans and John Stiteler on horses. It having been determined by the majority of the Company to offer a reward of Fifty dollars for the apprehension of the thief, and the owner offering Twenty five dollars for the recovery of his horse. Advertisements to that effect were circulated by the members on their routs, and intelligence being received by the Columbia party, that the horse had crofs the bridge before noon that day. Evans & Stiteler continued the pursuit – but Mr. Collins of Columbia with a fresh horse and better acquainted with the roads of York County Succeded in tracing the thief near thirty miles from Columbia and Captured him in bed at an inn in Meadstowne at about 3 o’clock in the morning and lodged him the following night in Lancaster City Jail and on the following night in West Chester jail. When the horse was restored to his owner and the prisoner recognized as being John Gallagher, alias Guysend (?), a Notorious felon and horse thief.
The promptitude which every member exhibited in each of the above cases in repairing to his post and pursuing the thief, gave ample evidence that the apathy which appeared for some years to threaten the existence of the Afsociation wanted only some exciting cause to dispel it or Stimulant to exertion to rouse their dormant energies into action and convince themselfes and the public that the utility of the institution Should not Suffer by inactivity of its members.”
“Febry 12th 1845
Notice was given that a Bay Mare belonging to Paxson ____ had been taken from his Stable the night of the 11th the members of the Company were generally notified as Soon as practiable to meet at the Red Lion in order to obtain Such information, and to determine on Such Course of action as would be most likely to eventuate in the recovery of the Horse, and the apprehension of the thief. A large number attended promptly at the place mentioned, the opinion prevailed that the thief had taken an Easterly, the route toward Morristown, Phil. & were Strengthend by Several of the “------” members riding thereon. All the routes that it was thought at all probable the thief might have taken being maned, and the weather being particularly bad Several of the older members of the Co. Some that there ___ did not ride, Although all manifested an entire willingness to do all that the particular Circumstance Seemed to require.
However the result justified the prevailing opinion, as to the course the thief had taken, in as much as the Stolen Mare was retaken in Morristown (by members of the Co. who had taken that route), on the afternoon of the 12th. She having been Sold that morning in Philadelphia by a Black Man, to the person in which possession She was found. Immediate pursuit was made to Phil, and diligent Search, aided by Police Official instituted throughout the City, but up to the 14th without Success. When the members generally returned home. Having offered a Reward of Fifteen dollars, in pursuance of the Constitution and left Such a description of the thief with the Police, as would Serve to identify him, hopes are yet entertained of his arrest and punishment.”
“Saturday the 6th day of September, 1845
“...The case of the Horse Stolen from Jonathan Couch a member of the Company now came up for Consideration, the facts of which, So far as ascertained, are as follows, on the night of the 11th of July the Horse was taken from the field of Mr. Crouch, of which notice was given the Company who thereupon generally Started in pursuit and after riding as Required by the Constitution Returned without any sidings of Horse or Thief, the Horse was then advertised as provided for in the Constitution. But before the advertisement was circulated, ___ on Monday the 14th of July, the Horse was Returned to the owner having been found on the premises of Mr. M. Root near Pottsgrove, turned thereon as it Supposed by the Thief. Jonathan Couch paid to Mr. Root Ten dollars for the Keep and return of Said Horse which was ordered by the Company to be paid out of the Treasury thereof back to Mr Couch.
On Motion of Joseph Gordon, duly Seconded (made after the excuse for not riding of Several of the Members had been given and they exonerated) it was resolved that those members of the Company who did not ride in pursuit of Jonathan Couch Horse, be all exonerated from the payment of fine for any Supposed delinquency of duty, but that hereafter the _____ and indeed the very existence of the Society required a Rigid enforcement of the provisions of the Constitution relative thereto, and that they will be enforced without exception.”
On September 5th, 1859, the minutes record a motion to dissolve the Society. It was seconded and passed by a vote of 23 to 11. The assets of the Union Society were distributed, and each member received $ 1.45.
A small collection of papers from Hawley family are in the Chester County Historical Society. They pertain mostly to Joel Hawley, who in addition to running his mercantile business in Lionville, Uwchlan Township, was elected Associate Judge of the Chester County Courts and was Director of the Bank of Chester County. His sons Joseph Williamson Hawley and Samuel Hawley both fought in the Civil War and the archive at the Historical Society focuses mostly on the years 1861-1864.
An extremely unusual archive with the inclusion of the Union Society For The Detection of Horse Thieves volume included. The examples of thievery are of utmost importance to the understanding of these horse thieve societies and how they were systematically thought through and executed in the pursuance of the horse thief. A very important volume. All volumes are very legible.
