Quicktown, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Quicktown, Pennsylvania is a scenic rural community in Northeastern Pennsylvania approximately 17 miles east of Scranton, more specifically in the eastern portion of Madison Township
. (known to the locals as Madisonville). Madison Twp (Madisonville) formed on Aug. 7, 1849 from parts of Covington
and Jefferson
Townships and is named after President James Madison
. Located on most printed maps about 1.2 miles Northeast of Madisonville corners, Quicktown is centered at Quicktown Corners, the intersection of Quicktown Road and Rt. 690
in Madison Township. This intersection was previously known as Carey’s Corners after the Carey family that lived near the intersection. The Carey family no longer resides in the area, but was still present up until at least 1930 according to that census.
Quicktown is named after the Quick family that lived in the area, but there are no records of Quicks that actually resided in Madison township in the census records other than Matilda Quick, a school teacher boarding with George Weldy in 1880. Rather the records show that the family and descendants of Daniel Thomas Quick (1824–1911) and Almira J Pedrick Quick living just across the county line in Hollisterville, part of Salem Township
, Wayne County
. Daniel came from Pike County
near Milford and first appeared in Salem in the 1860 census. Daniel’s son used the address of Hollisterville on his World War I draft registration.
The first settler in the Quicktown area is unknown. It was likely Alfred Wilcox, Benjamin Pedrick or Benjamin Parker Carey (1819-1873). Alfred Wilcox and Benjamin Pedrick both appear in the 1840 census in Jefferson (before Madison Township was formed). Both lived in or near Quicktown in 1850 and both appear on the 1873 Madison map (see below). Wilcox lived about where I-84
now passes under Rt. 690. Pedrick lived about where Flip's Market is now located. Benjamin Pedrick is also the father of Almira Pedrick, the wife of Daniel Quick (mentioned above). According the article, “The Settlers of Drinker’s Beech” by G. Ellis Miller, Benjamin Parker Carey (or Cary), a carpenter and the son of Minor Carey and Sarah Robinson of Old Providence Township, was the first settler at Carey’s Corner. He settled there sometime between 1840 and 1850. His home was at the Southern corner of Quicktown Corners.
According to family records and census data, John Biesecker’s son in law, Peter Alt (1797 - 1891), born in Bavaria, was also an early settler in Quicktown. The Alts moved from Salem, PA to Quicktown in 1847, buying a farm from Balser Fetherman. Records suggest that the Fethermans never lived on this property.
The Swartz family was certainly one of the earliest families to settle Quicktown, although the original Swartzes in Madisonville, George and Jacob, seem to have settled in parts of Madisonville that are outside what is usually considered Quicktown.
By 1850, census records show the Alt, Dings, Hornbaker, Pedrick, Swartz, Wilcox families in the area. Of these, only the Pedrick and Wilcox families appear in Jefferson in the 1840 census, but a section is missing that includes the name of one family.
In 1861, Peter Alt sold his property to Joseph and Esther Ellis Mead and moved to Wisconsin
. Joseph Mead (1804 -1880) was born in NY, the son of Selah Mead and Tamar Griffen. Esther Ellis (1819 - 1895) was born in Connecticut
, the daughter of Isaac S. Ellis and Sarah Ann Pepper. Joseph had been a farmer in Providence, PA prior to buying their farm in Quicktown. The farm is still in the possession of Joseph Mead’s descendants.
Peter Alt's son, John Alt, a Civil War
veteran, married Sarah Ann Clouse and settled at Carey's Corner where he worked as a blacksmith. Many of their descendants still reside in Quicktown.
Floyd Smith bought property in Quicktown from the Quick family, according to local word-of-mouth. Perhaps Almira Pedrick-Quick inherited the property from her parents which would explain how Quicks came to own this property. Today this farm is owned by the Thomas family, descendants of Floyd Smith.
In 1873 “The Corners" had Madisonville Hall, located about where Yonk Mead’s former garage stands and John Alt’s blacksmith shop across the road. Later, Billy Fuegline built and operated a small one room store at Quicktown Corners. Eventually it was run by Durward "Huck" and Mary June (Alt) Field. The stand sold bread, candy, gasoline etc. and Huck ran a small equipment repair area there too. The stand closed up sometime in the 1950's or 1960's.
The, Dings, Hornbaker, Pedrick, Swartz and Wilcox names have since disappeared from Quicktown. The Alt and Mead families still remain.
Madison Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
Madison Township is a township in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,750 at the 2010 census. Quicktown is part of Madison Township.-Geography:...
. (known to the locals as Madisonville). Madison Twp (Madisonville) formed on Aug. 7, 1849 from parts of Covington
Covington Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
Covington Township is a township in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,284 as of the 2010 census.-Geography:...
and Jefferson
Jefferson Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
Jefferson Township is a township in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,731 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
Townships and is named after President James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
. Located on most printed maps about 1.2 miles Northeast of Madisonville corners, Quicktown is centered at Quicktown Corners, the intersection of Quicktown Road and Rt. 690
Pennsylvania Route 690
Pennsylvania Route 690 is an long state highway located in Lackawanna and Wayne counties in Pennsylvania. The western terminus is at Route 502 in Spring Brook Township...
in Madison Township. This intersection was previously known as Carey’s Corners after the Carey family that lived near the intersection. The Carey family no longer resides in the area, but was still present up until at least 1930 according to that census.
Quicktown is named after the Quick family that lived in the area, but there are no records of Quicks that actually resided in Madison township in the census records other than Matilda Quick, a school teacher boarding with George Weldy in 1880. Rather the records show that the family and descendants of Daniel Thomas Quick (1824–1911) and Almira J Pedrick Quick living just across the county line in Hollisterville, part of Salem Township
Salem Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania
Salem Township is a township in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,271 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 31.5 square miles , of which, 30.6 square miles of it is land and...
, Wayne County
Wayne County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,722 people, 18,350 households, and 12,936 families residing in the county. The population density was 65 people per square mile . There were 30,593 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
. Daniel came from Pike County
Pike County, Pennsylvania
-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River * Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...
near Milford and first appeared in Salem in the 1860 census. Daniel’s son used the address of Hollisterville on his World War I draft registration.
History and Settlers
History and Directory of Newton and Ransom Townships, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, 1754 - 1912, compiled by J. B. Stephens, 1912 name the original settlers in what would become Madison Township as Thomas Biesecker and Richard Edwards both arriving in 1825. Horace Hollister names “John Besecker” (not Thomas) and Richard Edwards among the original settlers in Drinker’s Beech in History of the Lackawanna Valley, (p. 288). Census records support Hollister’s claim that it was John Biesecker and Richard Edwards. There is no census entry for any Thomas Biesecker in Luzerne County (before the formation of Lackawanna County), but John Biesecker is in Lower Mount Bethel, Northampton County in the 1820 census and in Covington in the 1830 census. However, neither of these original settlers lived in the area considered Quicktown.The first settler in the Quicktown area is unknown. It was likely Alfred Wilcox, Benjamin Pedrick or Benjamin Parker Carey (1819-1873). Alfred Wilcox and Benjamin Pedrick both appear in the 1840 census in Jefferson (before Madison Township was formed). Both lived in or near Quicktown in 1850 and both appear on the 1873 Madison map (see below). Wilcox lived about where I-84
Interstate 84 (east)
Interstate 84 is an Interstate Highway extending from Dunmore, Pennsylvania at an interchange with Interstate 81 to Sturbridge, Massachusetts, at an interchange with the Massachusetts Turnpike . I-84 has mile-log junction numbering in Pennsylvania; otherwise, exit numbers are roughly sequential...
now passes under Rt. 690. Pedrick lived about where Flip's Market is now located. Benjamin Pedrick is also the father of Almira Pedrick, the wife of Daniel Quick (mentioned above). According the article, “The Settlers of Drinker’s Beech” by G. Ellis Miller, Benjamin Parker Carey (or Cary), a carpenter and the son of Minor Carey and Sarah Robinson of Old Providence Township, was the first settler at Carey’s Corner. He settled there sometime between 1840 and 1850. His home was at the Southern corner of Quicktown Corners.
According to family records and census data, John Biesecker’s son in law, Peter Alt (1797 - 1891), born in Bavaria, was also an early settler in Quicktown. The Alts moved from Salem, PA to Quicktown in 1847, buying a farm from Balser Fetherman. Records suggest that the Fethermans never lived on this property.
The Swartz family was certainly one of the earliest families to settle Quicktown, although the original Swartzes in Madisonville, George and Jacob, seem to have settled in parts of Madisonville that are outside what is usually considered Quicktown.
By 1850, census records show the Alt, Dings, Hornbaker, Pedrick, Swartz, Wilcox families in the area. Of these, only the Pedrick and Wilcox families appear in Jefferson in the 1840 census, but a section is missing that includes the name of one family.
In 1861, Peter Alt sold his property to Joseph and Esther Ellis Mead and moved to Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Joseph Mead (1804 -1880) was born in NY, the son of Selah Mead and Tamar Griffen. Esther Ellis (1819 - 1895) was born in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, the daughter of Isaac S. Ellis and Sarah Ann Pepper. Joseph had been a farmer in Providence, PA prior to buying their farm in Quicktown. The farm is still in the possession of Joseph Mead’s descendants.
Peter Alt's son, John Alt, a Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
veteran, married Sarah Ann Clouse and settled at Carey's Corner where he worked as a blacksmith. Many of their descendants still reside in Quicktown.
Floyd Smith bought property in Quicktown from the Quick family, according to local word-of-mouth. Perhaps Almira Pedrick-Quick inherited the property from her parents which would explain how Quicks came to own this property. Today this farm is owned by the Thomas family, descendants of Floyd Smith.
In 1873 “The Corners" had Madisonville Hall, located about where Yonk Mead’s former garage stands and John Alt’s blacksmith shop across the road. Later, Billy Fuegline built and operated a small one room store at Quicktown Corners. Eventually it was run by Durward "Huck" and Mary June (Alt) Field. The stand sold bread, candy, gasoline etc. and Huck ran a small equipment repair area there too. The stand closed up sometime in the 1950's or 1960's.
The, Dings, Hornbaker, Pedrick, Swartz and Wilcox names have since disappeared from Quicktown. The Alt and Mead families still remain.
