Colonial Iron Manufacture Ledger 1770-1773

The furnace most frequently noted in the ledger is the Berkshire Furnace which was built by William Bird around 1755/6 on Spring Creek, Lower Heidelberg Township originally named Roxborough Furnace. William Bird was one of the first settlers in Berks County. He served his apprenticeship in iron making with Thomas Rutter at Colebrookdale Furnace, the first iron furnace in Pennsylvania. Bird was iron master at Pine Forge, Durham Furnace and built Roxborough Furnace. In 1744 he built Bird Manor House and established Birdsboro, Pennsylvania in 1751 He was appointed one of the first five Justices of the Peace in newly established Berks County in 1752. William Bird married Brigitte Huling and they had 13 children. William Bird died in 1761. His widow married John Patton (d.1790) an iron maker at Oley Furnace. Together with Mark Bird (1739-1812), they managed the Roxborough furnace changing the name to Berkshire Furnace. In 1764 Pennsylvania Orphans Court gave all the iron works in Bird’s name to Mark Bird. Mark sold his interest to Patton in December 1764. Patton managed Berkshire Furnace through the Revolution. In 1790 Berkshire Furnace was sold by John Patton’s widow, Brigitte Bird Patton to George Ege who lived at Charming Forge. He changed the name Berkshire to Reading Furnace. Oley Forge was also known as Lesher’s and John Lesher was one of the clients of Berkshire Furnace. He is listed as the master of his Negro named Conrad. Pine Forge was originally called Rutter’s Forge built by Thomas Rutter (1660-1730) in 1720, the first iron master in Pennsylvania, located on the Manatawny Creek. Pine Forge was rented 1760-1770 by Thomas May (1731-1792) also a client mentioned in the Ledger. Moselem Forge located in Richmond Township in the Manatawny region of Berks County was occupied by Christian Lower (1740-1806), a blacksmith, and his uncle Jacob Winey around 1767 (see Ledger entry Winey & Lower). The forge was connected to a rich ore deposit referred to as the “Moselem mine” an area along the Moselem Creek which provided ore to the Oley, Spring and other forges in the area. Pine Forge eventually is also referred to as Bailey’s or Potts. Charming Forge was built by John George Nickoll and Michael Miller about 1749 on the Tulpehocken Creek, two miles north of Womelsdorf also a client mentioned in the Ledger. Reading Furnace existed 1736 to 1783 was located on Spring Creek in Heidelberg Township, three miles from Womelsdorf also mentioned in the Ledger. In 1770 Tulpehocken Forge was purchased by Charles Stedman and name changed to Charming Forge. Tulpehocken Forge is also mentioned in the Ledger. The common denominator of all the entries in the Ledger is the relatively close proximity to Berks County and Reading, Pennsylvania.