Scranton, PA
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"Every farmer was his own carpenter, and thus every style of architecture became popular. Doors were made without boards; windows, without glass. The rich skin of the fawn easily obtained, or the bushy robe snatched from the old bruin while visiting the barn-yard, brought comfort and ornament to the cabin, warmed in winter by piles of fire-wood, and illuminated at night with pine-knots every where abundant. In every township one lot of three hundred acres was thus reserved for the first minister of the gospel in fee - one for a parsonage - one for the support of a school; three were reserved as public lots, subject to the future disposition of the town. Nearly 2,000 acres of land were thus held in Providence Township."  The first bridge across the Lackawanna River was built in 1796. A more substantial bridge was not built until 1826 when the turnpike was created. Town meetings were first held in 1813 at the home of Stephen Tripp. There were 82 individuals in the whole valley, an area of over 600 acres.

Over the years, Providence's fortunes waxed and waned due to Indian attacks and phenomenons of nature. In particular, a huge tornado hit in 1834, afterwhich there were only a handful of settlers left. In 1849, Providence was incorporated into a Borough; and, in 1866, consolidated into the City of Scranton. There were 5,000 citizens when the consolidation took place.

In the 1860 US Census the only Irish born Lavell(e) males in the Providence township of Scranton were James Lavell(e), my great-great grandfather; and Thomas Lavell(e). After comparing several Census, and reviewing the Providence residents, in particular, I am of the opinion that James and Thomas were brothers. They both arrived around the same time, settling close by to each other, as immigrant families were prone to do. We may never find a document that definitely makes this familial link, but I am comfortable enough with it to link the two men together in this Family Tree. My thanks to Renee Lavelle Tedrick for providing information on this valuable branch of the Lavelle tree. As you will soon see, while James Lavelle and his family headed west, Thomas Lavelle's descendants would journey north from the Lackawanna Valley, in Pennsylvania, to Lackawanna, New York, providing manpower to a burgeoning Bethlehem Steel industry near Buffalo, New York.

In addition to the Providence township, another borough within Scranton became a 'cradle' to my family: the borough of Hyde Park, on the West Side of Scranton.

Dr.  Hollister's 'History'  goes on to mention that Benjamin Fellows' family, who owned 'Hyde Park' around 1804, frequently killed panthers and bears in the vicinity. Hyde Park will become an adjacent township to Providence and home to my O'Grady ancestors. In fact, Daniel O'Grady will purchase two lots in Hyde Park from Joseph Fellows in the mid-1800s. Luzerne County, the one time seat of Scranton PA, was able to provide Deeds for property bequeathed in Daniel O�Grady�s Last Will & Testament dated 4 October, 1889 and signed in Butte, Montana two days before his death. Daniel bequeaths to his wife and children: ��share and share alike all that certain tract of land consisting of about two lots and two houses situated in the South East Corner of Chestnut and Jackson Streets in Scranton, Pennsylvania...�  The deed goes further in identifying the �suburb� of Scranton where the property is located.


Land of the O'Caithniadh
To America
The War
Butte MT
20th Century
Bibliography
Contact Information
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The Tripp House, built in 1771, site of first Scranton Town Hall meeting.
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