For Pennsylvania Dutch families, the Revolution was initially news received from distant places like Massachusetts and New York. That changed in the fall of 1777, when British and Continental troops arrived in Philadelphia County, occupying roads, fields, and even churches as they maneuvered across the region. Friends, families, and neighbors responded differently, shaped by loyalty, religious conviction, and the need to protect their farms, food, and lives.
Maria Grimly Keely’s Recollections
of the
Revolutionary War Encampment
In the fall of 1777, fourteen year old Maria watched as Washington’s army filled the fields along the Perkiomen Creek. Years later, she set down her memories for her grandson, one of the few firsthand accounts of that encampment.
The Grimly property, East Branch of the Perkiomen Creek
Section One
Maria tells of the soldiers burning the old log house on the family farm.
I do not remember anything about my grandfather on my father’s side. But as an old house stood Down in the (alt house Schwemmel) which must have stood there perhaps a hundred years before the war in 1776 it stood there. It was made of Logs Square about as long as a Rail we use to have our (hanf Land there). But in 1777 when the Soldiers came they tore it all up and burnt it Except the Slippers. I remember when we were married in 1787 the Slippers were there yet over the cellar, But afterwards it fell in & Now they plow over it but the Slippers that fell in were left in.
Maria Grimly Keely 1846
In Section Two – Maria describes hearing the thunder of cannon from the Battle of Brandywine nearly thirty miles away and recounts the Continental Army’s movements from that day to the night George Washington stayed in her future father-in-law’s house.
In Today’s Terms
The old house built of squared logs Maria describes was likely constructed by her Grandfather Solomon Grimly shortly after he purchased the land in 1734. The East Branch of the Perkiomen Creek meandered through his 99 acre property (part of the property is in Lenape Park) and that of his neighbor, Samuel Pannebacker, (Pennypacker Mills, historic site)
Timeline
Of the people and events in Section One
- 1711 Solomon Grimly, Maria’s Grandfather, born in Switzerland.
- 1734 Solomon Grimly (23 yo) purchased 99 acres along the East Branch of the Perkiomen.
- 1750 Solomon Grimly (39 yo) died. He and Anna Lapp had four children.
- 1763, April 11th, Maria Grimly born
- 1777 Continental Army encampment on and around the Grimly farm. (Maria 14yo)
- 1846 Solomon K. Grimly asked his Grandmother, Maria Grimly Keely (83yo), to write down her recollections.
- 1848 Maria Grimly Keely died
- 1889 Solomon K. Grimly recopied his grandmother’s recollections.
- 2015 Maria Grimly Keely’s recollections found by Alan Keyser in a box of her grandson’s papers.
Q & A
with Historians
Robert Wood and Alan G. Keyser
Maria Keely’s first recollection above offers rich details about 18th century Pennsylvania Dutch life. Click on the “V” symbol to the left of each question below to read the answer.
One might assume the soldiers burned the house as a hostile or destructive act. In this situation that was likely not the case. The Grimly family supported the Patriot cause, and there is no indication that the burning was meant as punishment or retaliation.
By September of 1777 Washington’s soldiers were exhausted, cold, and hungry after the Battle of Brandywine and days of marching. The dry wood from the old log house and all nearby fences was used as fuel for the cooking fires needed to prepare the food the men needed to regain their strength before moving on.
When Pennsylvania Dutch families purchased land, they set about improving it in a fairly predictable order. Before they could begin the real work of clearing the land, building fences, and outbuildings, they needed temporary shelter for the workers or family.
Typically this first structure was a hut and may have been built from branches. Maria’s describes the old house as having a cellar and built of squared logs which suggests it was the first permanent Grimly family dwelling.
Solomon Grimly purchased the property in 1734 so it is reasonable to assume the log house was built in the 1730’s.
Demolition of an old house constructed with squared logs.
Maria is using the word “rail”as a unit of measure. Although the rails of the “Schtaag fens” are gone, we can still estimate their length as 12 feet by measuring the distance between remaining “ruuk schtee”, the stones the zig zag fence corners rested on.
We would use the spelling “sleeper” which is the horizontal timber laid (sleeping) on the ground or a foundation to support the floor joists or wall logs. Railroad ties are also called sleepers. Perhaps these beams had begun to decomposes and were no longer suitable for firewood.
Hemp was an important crop in the 18th century, especially during the war, when it was used for rope, rigging, sails, tents, bags, and clothing. Industrial hemp plants could grow more than ten feet tall, but processing them into fiber was a long and labor-intensive process. Distinctive cone-shaped hemp stones, found locally, are evidence of this work.
Around 1800, hemp production declined as flax increased. Flax was easier to process and could be used for both linen and flaxseed oil. Linen was also whiter and easier to dye than the reddish-colored hemp.
Cellars were important cool food storage areas under the living areas of the house but not under the kitchen which typically had a stone or dirt floor. The 12 foot sleepers would have rested on the cellar walls so the cellar was either 12 feet wide or long.
About Maria Grimly Keely’s Recollections of the 1777 Continental Army Encampment
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