A history of Montana, Volume II, Part 33

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883-
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1002

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His own story begins as follows: "I was born in Wales, June 5, 1836, and was reared on a farm until I was nineteen years old. My parents' names were Edward and Elizabeth Vaughan. There were six chil- dren-Jane, Hugh, Robert, Edward, John and Mary. Edward lives in the old home at the present time. His address is Dugoed Bach, Dinas Maudduy, Merconeth- shire, Great Britain.

"My parents were of good family; by that I mean they and their ancestors were good Christian people, father and mother were members of the Episcopal church. Father was a warden as long as I can remem- ber. Mother was my only teacher. She taught me to obey, to tell the truth, to be kind, to respect others and above all to fear God.

"I left home when I was between nineteen and twenty. At this time I could speak but the Welsh language. I had a great desire to learn to speak Eng- lish; therefore I went to Liverpool where sister Jane lived. Here I secured employment from the Honorable Benjamin Haywood Jones to work in the flower gar- den at his beautiful home on the West Derby Road. He was a rich banker in the city. I remained there over a year. Brother Hugh had gone to America a year before I left home, locating near Rome, New York, so, in the fall of 1858, instead of going home as I intended, I concluded that it would be a good idea for me to go to America and see my brother, and then return after three or four months. Therefore, without the knowledge of my parents I took passage on board a steamship, named the Vigo, bound for New York. I was on the ocean twelve days and a half. As soon as I landed I wrote home and stated what I had done, and that I would be back home in four or five months, and at that time it was my honest intention to do so. From New York City I went to my brother's and stayed with him about three months. I next went to Palmyra, Ohio, to see my Aunt Ann, my father's sister. I was right at home now, and my father was satisfied since I was in the care of his sister. I was at her home over a year, going thence to Youngstown, Ohio, where I worked for Joshua Davis on a farm, and where I later worked in the coal mines. From there I proceeded to McLean county, Illinois, where my brother had been living for two years. I farmed with him one summer,

then I went to Fairbury, Livingston county, and mined coal until 1864.

"During all of this time I wrote home regularly and received letters in return, but instead of going home I was continually getting further from it. Somehow I could not resist the desire to venture into the un- settled regions of the West. I kept drifting further and further until I found myself in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, six thousand miles from home.

"In this way over fifty-six years have elapsed since I left my childhood home, but the picture remains in my memory as though it were hut yesterday; every- thing appears to me as it was the last time I saw it. The home still seems the same. The ivy creeping up the walls; the sycamore, alder, birch and spruce trees stand there like sentries guarding it. The rose bushes and evergreen in front; the hollies where the sparrows huddled together at night; the orchard and the old stone barn; and I imagine that

"I see the quiet fields around. I stroll about as one who dreams Till each familiar place if found, How strangely sweet to me it seems.

"The old and well known paths are therc, My youthful feet so often pressed. Gone is the weight of manhood's care, And in its place a sense of rest.

"The broad expanse before me lies, Checked here and there with squares of green ; Where freshly growing crops arise, And browner places intervene."

"I see the dancing rill flowing by the garden gate, and the great arch of white thorn overspanning the passageway that led to the main road. There my mother embraced me and kissed me and bade me good-bye, for the last time. Here 'my only teacher' gave me her last instructions, which were these: 'My dear son, be care- ful in selecting your companions to go out with in the evenings. God be with you, good-bye.'

"Oh, how sweetly her voice fell on my listening ear, And how I imagine those soft words I hear ; If I ever view her silent grave, My tears will flow like an ocean wavc."

"There she stood gazing at her wandering boy leaving home. We watched one another until a curve in the road hid me from her sight. That was the last time I saw my mother. Father came with me about a quarter of a mile. We spoke hut very little; we were both very sad. Suddenly father turned to me and took me by the hand and said: 'Well my son, fare thee well. he a good boy.' I was weeping bitterly, and after I had gone a little way I looked back and saw father leaning against a gate, which led to the meadow, with both hands over his face. This caused my tears to flow faster than ever. I shall always believe that father was praying for me then. And that was the last time I saw him. Father and mother are now sleeping in the silent tomb, but in my memory they appear as I saw them last. Nothing can efface that vision from my memory. I often think that I might not have fared so well and would perhaps he a worse man than I am, were it not for the prayers of father and mother."

In a recent contribution to the Montana Historical Library, Mr. Vaughn told in graphic verse of the char- acter and experiences of the men who settled Montana, and this tribute may fitly close this article :

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

To MONTANA PIONEERS

Montana pioneers were they, Who opened the Wilderness Gate, That civilization might come, And transform it into a state.

They were the brave pioneers who, Away, away westward went O'er countless miles of trackless plains When stirring were the events.

Most popular way to go west then Was in a prairie schooner, Though there were other outfits Would get them there much sooner.

What a long and perilous journey Was the trip across the plain, Out in cold and stormy weather, Tugging through mud and rain !

Many fights they had with Indians, Who were watching night and day, For a chance to steal and plunder And to run their stock away.

Those came first went to the mountains In small bands to hunt for gold. They had bloody fights with Indians, Endured hunger, fear and cold.

One was killed near the camp fire While drinking his cup of tea, Another arrow rent the air And came near killing me.

Later others came and settled In the valleys and the plains. They, too, fought some desperate battles, In which many a one was slain.

In those battles with the savages Many a pioneer then did fall, And as many of the enemy Answered to the rifle's call.

Blessed be those noble women Who then crossed the trackless plain. They were the "Red Cross" in those battles To the wounded and the slain.

It cost twelve hundred lives or more To win the glorious victory, That now the people of this state May live in peace and plenty.

Honor the memory of those who've Passed over the Great Divide To rest in Camp Eternity On the plain on the other side.

After all we greatly enjoyed Life on the wild frontier, As long as we had a grub-stake mine And the Indians not too near.

As a general thing our health was good, (When Indians were not near), And as a rule we had plenty to eat, Antelope meat and deer.

And when the holidays would come We had a Christmas dinner, A partridge, vension and plum-duff, We cared for nothing better.

Little we thought that we were then Paving the way for a state, Paving a way for Montana, MONTANA, The Treasure State.

DAVID B. WEAVER. Now venerable in years but ad- mirably preserved in both mental and physical faculties, this sterling pioneer of Montana maintains his home at Saxton, Bedford county, Pennsylvania, but his experi- ences in connection with early affairs in Montana as well as the noteworthy contribution which he has made to the recorded history of this great commonwealth render it most consonant to accord him special representation in this publication. As a pioneer of the West he was one of those urged to intelligent self-development and in- vention as well as discovery, as, like others who braved conditions on the frontier of civilization, he was wholly dependent upon his own resources. Conditions made the pioneers inventive and self-reliant, and this was not only in material things but also in less tangible matters. They became philosophers and thinkers-real exercisers of thought and reason, because when confronted with the new conditions and compelled by necessity to over- come them, there was no escape except by thought and action. Wherever there is real thought, and independ- ence, and discipline, and bravery, there is bound to be philosophy and justice. And the pioneers as a rule were intensely just. Their very ruggedness and strength, their simple-heartedness and directness made them just and kept them just; for in their natural acceptance of the wild and primitive life they learned the wonderful fact that as they judged so were they judged. Mr. Weaver has ever retained the deepest interest in the state to which he came nearly half a century ago and he has been most zealous in historical research and investi- gation concerning Montana and other parts of the great empire of the West, the while his various historical con- tributions are of great and enduring value. He came to Montana in 1864, the year that marked its segregation from Idaho as an individual territory, and he is the only survivor of the three men who discovered placer gold mines of paying yield in the Yellowstone valley, in August, 1864, besides which he was the first deputy re- corder of the Shorthill district of Montana, in 1864-5.

David B. Weaver was born in Hopewell township, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, on the 7th of March, 1840, and is a son of Jacob and Mary (Berkstresser) Weaver, the former of whom was born in the same county, in 1810, and the latter of whom was born in 1816, their marriage having been solemnized in 1838. The father devoted his entire active career to the great basic industry of agriculture and both he and his wife continued to reside in the old Keystone state until their death. At a reunion of the Weaver family held at Shy Beaver, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, on the 14th of September, 1912, an occasion on which about six hun- dred representatives of the family were present, David B. Weaver, the subject of this review, gave a brief out- line of the Weaver genealogy, and from this record are taken the following data.

Jacob Weaver was one of three brothers who came to America, probably from Holland or the low countries, about the middle of the eighteenth century,-at least prior to the War of the Revolution, the names of his brothers having been Uranamus and Abraham. Urana- mus settled in New York and Jacob, and probably Abra- ham also, located in the province of Maryland. It is practically well authenticated that Jacob Weaver first settled in Prince George county, Maryland, whence he later removed to Washington county, where he became the owner of what was then known as the "Big Spring" property, about a half-mile distant from the present city of Hagerstown, on the Funkstown road. It is said that during or just after the Revolutionary war he sold this property, for which he received payment in gold which he was induced to exchange for Continental currency,

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

with subsequent total loss, owing to the depreciation of the latter. He then took out a land warrant, to which he was entitled for his services in the Revolutionary war or army, and located the warrant in "Guilford town- ship." At various places in the published Archives of Maryland are references to Jacob Weaver, with record of his service as an officer in a Revolutionary regiment that was recruited partly in Maryland and partly in Pennsylvania, and it is virtually assured that this Jacob Weaver was the pioneer physician here mentioned. Dr. Weaver married Susan Eitner, a native of Wittenberg, Germany, and of their children Christian figures as the next in line of direct descent to him whose name in- troduces this article. ' Christian Weaver wedded Mary Eicher and they established a home in Pennsylvania. They were the parents of Jacob Weaver, father of David B. Weaver, the Montana pioneer. At the family gath- ering before which the genealogical record was pre- sented, as noted in a previous paragraph, a permanent. organization was effected and David B. Weaver was elected its president, a position in which he is making special effort to amplify and preserve information con- cerning the family lines.

In the common schools of his native county David B. Weaver received his early educational discipline, which was later to be most effectively supplemented by self-application and by the lessons learned under the direction of the wisest of all head-masters, experi- ence. He was vital, energetic and ambitions as a youth, and he never acquired the habits of using tobacco or in- toxicating liquors. He has since stated that these "luxuries" never appealed to him in the least. He has also stated that the curriculum of the common schools in his youth was deficient in American history, and that the only available book that interested him along this line was the journal of the Lewis & Clark expedition across the continent, the same having been compiled by Patrick Gass. This work he read and re-read until he had memorized much of its contents, and incidentally there was fostered in him a great desire to see the won- derful country described in the publication. It is interesting to record in this connection that Mr. Weaver secured within recent years a copy of a most interesting work entitled "The Life and Times of Patrick Gass," and that he generously contributed the same to the public library of Butte, Montana, together with a reproduction of the only photographic por- trait known to have been taken of Mr. Gass, the same having been an old-style ambrotype.

Mr. Weaver was reared on the farm and continued to be identified with its work until he had attained to his legal majority. He then went to the Broad Top coal mines, about four miles distant from the old homestead farm, and there he was employed in various capacities until the latter part of the year 1863, when he formed a partnership with David R. Shorthill and leased the Prospect coal mine, from which they mined and shipped coal for the Broad Top Railroad Com- pany. Mr. Shorthill was one of the pioneers in the Pike's Peak district of Colorado and when the Idaho gold fever began to spread through the East he and his partner, Mr. Weaver, both succumbed to its ravages. Mr. Weaver now saw a means for indulging his desire to see the West and was sent to Iowa City to purchase oxen and wagon and other necessary equipment for the long and hazardous trip to what is now Montana. He was joined by Mr. Shorthill, Richard Owens, George Travis and Alexander Norris. This little company of adventurers crossed the Missouri river at Omaha, and thence proceeded along the road on the north side of the Platte river until they arrived at the Bozeman Cut- off, by which trail they continued their journey, theirs having been the third wagon train to follow this route and C. C. Coffinberry having been captain of the train. Captain Bozeman had taken the first train through this route and Captain Townsend had headed the second wagon train. The party of which Mr.

Weaver was a member arrived at the mouth of Emi grant Gulch on the 27th of August, 1864. His financial investments in the buying of ranch land in the Yellow- stone valley and town property in Yellowstone City proved a total loss. Concerning incidents in connec- tion with his early experiences in Montana Mr. Weaver has given the following interesting data :

"All lands lying east of the Yellowstone river were included in the Crow Indian reservation, and the hos- tility of the Indians compelled the frequent abandon- ing of mining operations in Emigrant, Bear and Crev- ice gulches, the while the United States government compelled the abandonment of the three ranches held by J. A. T. Hull, Captain Stafford and myself, who had purchased property from T. E. Stevens. Through this action on the part of the government I lost six hundred and fifty dollars. This land on the east side of the river was held by the Indians until 1880, when it was ceded to the government, the land having been thrown open to settlement in 1882. (Reference: His- tory of the Yellowstone Valley, by the Western His- torical Publishing Company, Spokane, page 130.)

"I left Yellowstone 'City' on the 15th of October, 1866, and with riding and pack horses made my way to Helena. There I properly equipped my outfit, and thence 'packed' my way through to Walla Walla, Wash- ington. I left Helena on the 23d of October and ar- rived in Walla Walla eighteen and one-half days later. Thence I proceeded to San Francisco, from which city I soon made my way to the Mount Diablo coal mines, where I was employed as pumping engineer until Jan- nary, 1868. I then took passage on a steamer and pro- ceeded to New York, by way of the isthmus of Panama."

Mr. Weaver returned to Pennsylvania, where he was actively identified with farming and lumbering enter- prises until 1883, when he removed to the state of Florida. There he engaged in the ginning of cotton and also in the manufacturing of lumber. He operated not only a cotton gin and a saw mill, but also a grist mill and planing mill. The climate of Florida caused his health to become impaired and he accordingly re- turned to Pennsylvania a year later. Since that time he has maintained his home in the old Keystone state, and he is one of the representative citizens of Saxton, Bedford county, where he has substantial property interests.

The first public office held by Mr. Weaver was that of deputy recorder of the Shorthill mining district, in Emigrant Gulch, Montana, in 1864-5. In Hopewell township, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, he has served as school director, township auditor, and other offices, and he served as a member of the board of com- missioners of that county from 1876 to 1878, inclusive, having been elected on the Democratic ticket. In poli- tics he has for a number of years maintained an in- dependent attitude, and has given his support to men and measures meeting the approval of his judgment. Thus he has voted for both Republican and Demo- cratic candidates.

In Toppings' Chronicles of the Yellowstone Valley Mr. Weaver has called attention to a number of inac- curacies, and his familiarity with the early conditions and incidents in that section makes his dictum prac- tically authoritative, so that it is specially interesting to note that he now has in preparation a History of the First Settlement and Settlers of the Yellowstone Val- ley, 1864-6, a compilation that cannot fail to prove of great value as an addition to the recorded annals of Montana. In this work Mr. Weaver is showing the most careful discrimination and historical accuracy, and the same should find place in all public and reference libraries in Montana. He has previously made con- tributions to other historical works touching the Yel- lowstone valley, and concerning errors appearing in one of such publications he has written as follows:

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

"The statement is made that gold was found in Emi- grant Gulch in 1863, by Thomas Curry, who remained in the vicinity for some time, living with the Indians and putting in his time hunting and fishing. This is not correct. Thomas Curry told me personally that he came over from Alder Gulch in March, 1864, with two companions, and that they were prospecting at the mouth of Emigrant Gulch when the Indians came to them and robbed them of all of their 'grub.' I asked him why he permitted this, and he replied that the Indians were too numerous to justify resistance. Con- sequently he and his companions returned to Virginia City for new supplies. Reason will tell us that if Curry were in Alder Gulch in 1863 he would have pro- ceeded to dig for gold there, as the metal was dis- covered there in May of that year, while the gulch is more than fourteen miles in length and at that time afforded an ample amount of rich mining ground for him to locate a rich claim. So this story of his having been in Emigrant Gulch in 1863 is entirely unauthentic.

In his home town Mr. Weaver is a charter member of Saxton Grange, No. 1132, which was organized about fifteen years ago. He is a member of the So- ciety of Montana Pioneers and also of the Society of Pioneers of Eastern Montana. He has, as already stated, made most valuable contributions to histories of Montana, both general and specific, and the pub- lication here presented is fortunate in having such a contribution from his pen. Though not formally iden- tified with any religious body Mr. Weaver has the deepest reverence for the spiritual verities and attends the Church of God, at Saxton, supporting the work of that denomination.

At Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, on the 2d of Decem- ber, 1868, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Weaver to Miss Elizabeth Mountain. She was born in the old Keystone state and her ancestors were numbered among the early settlers of the beautiful Juniata valley. She was a granddaughter of Jane Maguire, whose mar- velous escape from capture by the Indians, in 1777, is narrated in Brumbaugh & Walton's "Stories of Penn- sylvania." Mrs. Weaver was a daughter of David Mountain, who was a man of excellent intellectual at- tainments and a successful and popular teacher in the public schools of Pennsylvania in the early days. She was born on the 27th of May, 1841, and was sum- moned to the life eternal on the 10th of November, 1910, her memory being revered by all who came within the sphere of her gracious and gentle influence. She had one sister and four brothers, and three of her broth -. ers were gallant soldiers of the Union in the Civil war. Concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Weaver the following brief data are given: Clara B. is the wife of Orbison L. Benson and they reside at Salter, Pennsyl- vania ; William E., who resides in New York City, wed- ded Miss May Rogers and they have three children,- Ralph, Donald and Gilbert; John M., a resident of Mill- town, Washington, married Miss Mary Shearer; James A. is at Saxton, Pennsylvania; Mary C. is the wife of Clarence L. Metzgar, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and they have four children,-Elizabeth, Clarence, Jr., Jack and Harold; and Effie H. resides with her father at Saxton, Pennsylvania.

From an article written by D. H. Fisher, are taken the following brief statements: "D. B. Weaver is the last survivor of the three men that discovered gold in paying quantities in the Yellowstone valley, in 1864. "The first gold mined in what is now known as Mon- tana was by Grannville Stuart, and four companions, on Gold creek, a branch of the Little Blackfoot river. The next or second gold discovery and mining camp was the 'Grasshopper Diggings' discovered by John White, and John McGarvin, and others, about the first of August 1862. The third mining camp discovered was Alder Gulch by Bill Fairweather, Mike Sweeny. Barney Hughes, Harry Rodgers, Tom Coover, and

Henry Edgar on the 26th of May, 1863. The fourth mining camp discovered was Last Chance Gulch by John Cowan and three companions, on July 15, 1864, where the city of Helena is now built. The fifth mining camp discovered was the Emigrant Gulch and mines on the Yellowstone Valley, on the 30th of August, 1864, by David R. Shorthill, David B. Weaver and Frank Garrett. This afterward became known as Emigrant Gulch and the village at the mouth of the gulch was known as Yellowstone City. Mr. Weaver worked for Colvin and Uncle Johnnie Cowan on Dis- covery claim, in 1866. Both of these men are dead, and so at this date there are probably only two men living that marked or blazed the trails to the five first placer mines of Montana. These pioneers are Gran- ville Stuart, of Butte, Montana, and David. B. Weaver, of Saxton, Pennsylvania."

Mr. Weaver gives the following record concerning the Last Chance discovery, the gulch in question now constituting the main business street of Helena, the capital of Montana: "The Last Chance placer gold mines were discovered on the 15th of July, 1864, but the prospectors did not find the gold in paying quan- tities, so they went on further north. Not meeting with better success, they returned to the site of the present city of Helena in November, 1864, to try again on the bar previously discovered. They spoke of this being their last chance, and hence the locality became known as Last Chance Bar or the Last Chance Diggings. John Cowan and Colvin were natives of the state of Georgia and had been gold miners in that state, which probably liad much to do with their successful prospecting in Montana and in finding the rich placer mines where Helena now stands."

NICHOLAS J. BIELENBERG is one of Montana's fore- most citizens, not only from the conspicuous character of his identification with the state's development and up- building, but from his long residence therein and the various channels of progress through which his influ- ence, progressiveness and public spirit has been felt. He was but a boy of seventeen when he came to Mon- tana in the spring of 1865, with no other capital than a stout heart, an industrious nature and habits of frugality that his excellent German parentage had naturally en- dowed him with, yet from this modest equipment he has, by dint of his own efforts, been for years accorded a foremost position among the substantial, high class citi- zens of the state.

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A history of Montana, Volume II, Part 33

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883- Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1002

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883-
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1002