Captain Phineas Howe 1772-1843
Large Landowner; Builder of Schools and Taverns
By Ruth Altemier, Greene-Dreher Historical Society
Phineas Howe, 1772-1843, was an early settler of the area. As per Matthews’ A History of Wayne, Pike & Monroe Counties, Phineas Howe acquired the title of Captain in the Plainfield, Windham, Connecticut militia following the Revolutionary War. In 1802 he came to Newfoundland and first settled, or squatted, on the Flats near the now Albright Bennett Cemetery on the south end of the Wallenpaupack Valley on a cleared portion of the Flats. The flat part of the valley in the Newfoundland area has been called “The Flats” for generations.
The Mathews book (page 806) states that Captain Howe built the first school in the Flats near the residence of Denman Coe. Local historian Peggy Bancroft wrote an article in 1964 which stated that the school was built in 1804. That one-room school was built near the site of Wallenpaupack South Elementary School, built in 1984. Of course, there have probably been five school buildings on or near that site in the interim 180 years.
Captain Howe, his wife Lepha, and their family moved to what would be known as Howe Valley, known today as Jericho. They settled at the foot of Howe Mountain (Route 196 or the North & South Turnpike in Sterling Twp), south of the Butternut Creek.
Howe paid tax on 30 acres. He built a log tavern under the cliff of Howe Mountain, on the old State Road, which ran about one-half mile west of the present road. Supposedly, the Captain had the road’s course changed because of some arrangement with the government. As for someone’s opinion, the original road was more convenient than at present, but Howe was to obtain land for working it. This way Capt. Howe obtained better land and became a large landholder. Subsequently, he was paying taxes on 2,744 acres and was the largest taxpayer in Sterling Township.
He then built a large tavern on the road, which burned down about 1826. Altogether he built three taverns. When the Easton & Belmont Turnpike, also called the North & South, was the main thoroughfare from Philadelphia into New York State, Howe’s Tavern was a noted stopping spot.
Until 1815, southern Wayne County was all Salem Township. After Sterling Township was taken from Salem, Sterling contained Dreher and Lehigh Townships until 1877, when they were all separated into their own.
In 1831 Capt. Howe built the first school in Paupertown. It was used as the first polling place. The building was relocated to Jericho and continued to be active until 1918. Church services were held in Howe’s Tavern before the organization of the Jericho Church in 1836.
Captain Howe married Alice “Lepha” Hall, daughter of Jonathan and Alice Gary Hall in 1796 in Plainfield, Windham, Connecticut. Lepha’s birth certificate and her tombstone states her name was Alice, but she was apparently called Lepha. Captain Howe and his wife are buried on land they set aside for a cemetery at Howe Mountain, now known as the Howetown Cemetery.
The Captain and Lepha had five children—three girls and two boys. Little information was found about their first daughter, Mary Jane, called Polly. She was born in 1797, presumably in Plainfield, Connecticut. She married James Woodridge and moved west. Second born Sarah was born on July 10, 1798 in Plainfield, Windham, Connecticut. She died on September 10, 1856 in Nicholson, Wyoming, PA. She married Ezra Wall on August 27, 1820 in Sterling, Wayne, PA. Ezra was born in 1792 in New York. He died in 1880. They had two children: Elizabeth A. was born in 1832, and son William Winton Wall was born in 1844.
Son Phineas Howe, Jr. was born March 28, 1801 in Connecticut. He died on May 30, 1879 in Sterling. He married Mary Ann Hewitt on February 19, 1829. She was born November 17, 1808 in Pittston, Luzerne, PA. She died in June 1880 in Sterling. Phineas, Jr,. remained on the homestead and succeeded his father in business. He was the Sterling Postmaster from 1832-1857. He was once an Associate Judge in Wayne Co. PA. Phineas and Mary Ann had nine children.
The fourth child, Abram Sterling Howe was born in Sterling on June 20, 1806 and died on Nov 3, 1857. He married Rebecca Bortree and they had five children. They lived about one mile from his father.
Alice, known as Elsie, lived from 1808 to 1862. Genealogy research reveals that many women of that time exchanged Alice for Elsie and visa versa. Alice married Captain Hamilton Avery and had one son. They lived in Salem Township until 1854, when they moved to Illinois.
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