USA > Pennsylvania > Union County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 2 > Part 1
USA > Pennsylvania > Mifflin County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 2 > Part 1
USA > Pennsylvania > Snyder County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 2 > Part 1
USA > Pennsylvania > Perry County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 2 > Part 1
USA > Pennsylvania > Juniata County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 2 > Part 1
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واوق
Gc 974.8 H624 v.1 pt.2 1927668
M. L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01151 0275
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/historyofthatpar12elli
8.15 HISTORY
OF THAT PART OF THE
SUSQUEHANNA AND JUNIATA VALLEYS. Pa,
EMBRACED IN THE 72
COUNTIES OF MIFFLIN, JUNIATA, PERRY, UNION AND SNYDER,
IN THE
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA.
16325
IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. V.1 Pt. 2
PHILADELPHIA: WVERTS, PROK & RICHARDS. 1886.
1
HISTORY OF MIFFLIN COUNTY.
1927668
CHAPTER I.
Civil History-Erection of Mifflin County-Location of Seat of Justice-Public Buildings-Provision for the Poor -- Rosters of Officials 1789 to 1885 -- Population.
THE territory embraced in Mifflin County at the time of its erection was in that part of Com- berland County which was contained in the great tract or " Purchase," the title to which was seenred from the Indians at Albany July 6, 1754. Settlements were made so rapidly during that season that petitions were sent in to the court of Cumberland County from settlers in Sherman's Valley, along Buffalo Creek and in Tuscarora and Path Valleys setting forth " their great distance from the county-seat and asking for the ercetion of new townships, that they might better transact the necessary business to facilitate the improvement and good govern- ment of the new settlements." These petitions were presented to the court at its August term in that year, and, in accordance with their prayer, four " new townships tother side the N. Mountain " were erected. One of these was " Lac," whose territory was thus stated : " And we do further erreet the settlement called the Tuskerora Valey into a sepparate Township aud nominate the same the Township of LAC, and we appoint John Johnston to act therein as Constable for the remaining part of the current year." It embraced all of the county of Juniata lying west of the Juniata River. Its territory was reduced by the erce- tion of Milford, November 7, 1768.
The trouble with the Indians, arising from the defeat of Braddock, ocenrred soon after these first settlements, and great hardships and
29
many massacres followed. Almost all of the settlers returned to Carlisle or sought other strongholds, and remained some years before again seeking the frontier. A few ventured back in 1762, and in that year the territory lying north and east of the Juniata River was erected into the township of Fermanagh, which embraced all of the New Purchase not before organized. A glance at the history of that township, in Juniata County, will give the reader a knowledge of that mother of townships, which then contained a large part of the terri- tory which is now Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Huntingdon, Centre and Snyder Counties.
The years 1763, 1764 and 1765 were years of great trials, and but few settlers came to the lands except those who had made locations be- fore the outbreak of hostilities.
In the years 1766-77 the rush of emigration was very great. Locations were selected, ap- plications made, warrants secured, possession taken and improvements begun. From this time peaceable possession was obtained. This influx of settlers brought a demand for the di- vision of the large townships, that the voting- places might not be at such great distances. At the July term of Cumberland County Court, Fermanagh township was divided, and from its territory was taken Greenwood, Penn's and Derry townships, the latter comprising nearly all of the present territory of Mifflin County. Its boundaries were given as follows : " Beginning at the Middle of the Long Narrows ; thence up the north side of Juniata as far as Jack's Nar- rows, thence to include the valey of Kishacock- ulus and Jack's Creek." It will be noticed that a portion of the county lying south of the Juni-
449
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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
--
V
ata River and north of the Black Log Mon- tain is not embraced in the boundaries here given. No action of court has been found that annexed it to Derry, but that it was soon after a part of its territory is apparent from many records. The township of Derry was divided in 1771 by the erection of Armagh, with Jack's Mountain as the dividing line. Wayne also was taken off from the upper part in 1782.
Bald Eagle township was erected as a town- ship of Northumberland County in 1772, and Potter was taken from it in 1774.
It was from the territory embraced in the townships of Lack, Milford, Fermanagh, Derry, Armagh, Wayne, Bald Eagle and Potter that the county of Mifflin was composed upon its ercetion in 1789.
Prior to this time Cumberland County had been reduced by the formation from its territory of Bedford County, March 9, 1771, part of Northumberland March 27, 1772, and all of Franklin September 8, 1784.
Petitions were prepared, circulated, signed and sent to the Legislature of Pennsylvania, in the winter of 1788-89, asking for the erection ofa new county, with boundaries embracing nearly all of the territory now within the bounds of Juniata and Mifflin. A bill was framed, came up for consideration, and was passed by the House on the 21st of March, 1789, but, owing to complications and opposition, presently to be explained, it did not pass the Senate. The complicated causes of antagonism to the bill are, perhaps, best described in a document drawn up eleven years later,-a petition for the removal of the county-seat from Lewistown to Mifflintown, presented to the Assembly of 1801-2. This petition was not granted, and is only presented here for the reason that it so well rehearses the matter of the county erection. It reads as follows:
" Reasons offered by the Petitioners for the removal of the Seat of Justice from the borough of Lewistown to the town of Mifflin, which are, with all deference, submitted to the Legislature of Pennsylvania, now sitting at Lancaster, and are as follows, viz. :
"First, That on the 21st day of March, 1789, a bill for the ercetion of Mifflin County passed the Legisla- inre and was published for consideration: the de-
scribed boundary being nearly as the lines of said county are at present.
"Second, That previous to the publication of said bill, the inhabitants within the described boundary for the new county, by their Delegates chosen for that purpose, met at the house of Robert Chambers, in the township of Derry, and agreed to nominate three dis- interested men, whose judgment, with respect to the Seat of Justice, being above or below the Long Nar- rows, should be final and conclusive, and some con- siderable time after the Delegates as aforesaid met at the house of David Sharron, in Fermanagh town- ship, and agreed that Col. James Dunlap, of Com- berland County, Col. James Johnston and Matthew Wilson, Esquire, of Franklin County, should be the three persons recommended to the Legislature as dis- interested and suitable characters to explore said pre- scribed boundary and make report to the succeeding Legislature of the most convenient and central place for a Seat of Justice within said boundary ; that then and there said delegates, viz., William Brown, John Culbertson, James McFarlane, Jolin Bratton, John Oliver, William Smith, Arthur Buchanan and James Burns, of Armagh, Derry and Wayne townships, and John Stewart, Thomas Turbett, John Lyon, Robert Little, Jolm Harris, Samuel Cowan, Samuel Sharron and James Murray, of Lack, Milford, Fermanagh and Greenwood townships, by written address and petition, stated to the Legislature the mutual agreement so en- tered into, with a particular request that the bounds of said county, agreeably to the Bill published, should remain unaltered; and that the aforesaid James Dun- lap, James Johnston and Matthew Wilson were ami- cably chosen for the purpose aforesaid, requesting their judgment should be final and conclusive.
" Third, That the Legislature accorded with the choice of the aforesaid three persons, and nominated them in their Bill for consideration, who actually went into and carefully explored the same, and upon mature deliberation made report of the plantation whereon Mitllintown is situated as being the most convenient and central for a Seat of Justice within the described boundary.
"Fourth, That the inhabitants of Lack, Milford, Fer- managh and Greenwood townships, who are your pe- titioners for the removal, resting npon the plighted faith of the Delegates from Armagh, Derry and Wayne townships, and not suspecting any intrigue, device or advantage would be attempted to frustrate whatever the JJu Igment of the Commissioners aforesaid might be, did not prepare to meet any attack of the kind; but by the privity and counivance of one (or perhaps all) of the Delegates from Armagh, Derry and Wayne aforesaid, Spurious petitions were brought forward to the Legislature signed with the names of the greater number of the inhabitants of Potter and Bald Eagle townships, in Northumberland County, praying to be taken into the new county then about to be erected ; said townships lying on the north side of our de-
451
MIFFLIN COUNTY.
weribed boundary, and including a tract of country upwards of 50 miles in extent more than was contem- plated by the Bill published for consideration, and which has been struck off nearly two years since as Centre County.
"Fifth, That by the petitions aforesaid, and another untairly obtained, from a small part of Greenwood township, in Cumberland County, praying to be con- tinned in said county, your petitioners being unpre- pared to combat such artful conduct and the Legisla- ture being ultimately deceived into a belief that the petitions aforesaid were genuine, did declare the town- ships of Potter and Bald Eagle a part of Mifflin County and left out a great part of Greenwood town- ship, in Cumberland County, which was included in the Bill (thereby destroying its originality and substi- tuting a very different one instead thereof, thereby derogating from their plain constituted authorities, by which your Petitioners humbly suggest they or any succeeding Legislature are or onght not to be bound), and did enact that William Brown, John Oliver and Andrew Gregg, within the townships of Armagh, Wayne and Potter, together with John Stewart, David Beale and David Bole, in the town- ships of Lack and Greenwood, should be Trustees for said county.
"Sixth, That John Stewart and David Beale, being all the Trustees who lived below the Narrows (David Bole being left out of the county by the line described in the Act), uniformly refused to act as Trustees, con- sidering the Laws as uuconstitutional, together with the undue advantage obtained thereby, until, by other device of those who lived in the vicinity of Lewis- town, got a fourth trustee added to their side of the County, viz., James Armstrong. On the 23d of June, 1791, the four Trustees who lived above the Narrows, viz., William Brown, John Oliver, Andrew Gregg and James Armstrong, published in the Carlisle Gazette,- ' The Trustees hereby give notice that, agrecable to said Act, they have received by bargain a quan- tity of land at the confluence of the river Juniata and the Kishageoquillas Creek and confirmed thereon a town for the Seat of Justice called Lewistown.'
"Seventh, That your petitioners, as early as November 14, 1789 (see Journals, page 327, that year), also Feb- ruary 9, 1790 (see Journals, page 118, of that year), have uniformly held out to publie consideration that whenever the period would arrive that a division off the north part of Mifflin County would take place, the people who lived below the Narrows would assert their just rights, thereby undeceiving every person who might have an inclination to purchase in the borough of Lewistown, in order that they might judge for themselves with regard to the seat of justice re- maining in that place, and those who purchased ean- not plead ignorance of an existing dispute, but are on the same footing with a person purchasing his chance of a disputed title.
"Eighth, That numbers of your petitioners who live below the Long Narrows (and have the same to pass through to get. to Lewistown) live at the distance of 37 miles from thence; and those who live above the Narrows (except a few persons in the west end of Wayne township, who are petitioning to be annexed to Huntingdon County) do not exceed eighteen miles from their Seat of Justice.
"Ninth, That your Petitioners believe, as to num- bers of those above and below the Narrows, very little difference exists, but claim the majority, and contend the town of Mifflin to be much more central and con- venient than Lewistown, taking into view the local situation of Mifflin County as it at present stands; also a further and very material accommodation of Green- wood township, in Cumberland, Mahantango and Beaver Daro townships, in Northumberland, and Dnb- lin, in Huntingdon Counties, the three latter of whom have petitioned to be annexed to Mifflin County on proviso that the Seat of Justice be removed to the town of Mifflin.
"ANDREW NELSON, "Agent for the petitioners who pray for a removal."
The act of erection of Mifflin County was finally passed on the 19th of September, 1789. It recites in the preamble that,-
" Whereas, It hath been represented to the General Assembly of this State by the inhabitants of those parts of Cumberland and Northumberland which are included within the lines hereinafter mentioned, that they labour under great hardships by reason of their great distance from the present seat of justice and the public offices for the said counties, for the remedy thereof,"
Section 1st provides,-
" That all and singular the lands lying within the bounds and limits hereinafter described and follow- ing, shall be and are hereby erected into a separate county by the name of . Mifflin County,' namely : Be- ginning at Susquehanna River where the Turkey hill extends to the said river ; then along the said hill to Juniata, where it cuts Tuscarora mountain ; thence along the summit of the said mountain to the line of Franklin county ; thence along the said line to Hunt- ingdon county line;1 thence along the said line to Ju- niata River ; thence up the said river to Jack's Nar- rows ; thence along the line of Huntingdon county to the summit of Tussey's mountain ; thence along the lines of Huntingdon and Northumberland counties, so as to include the whole of Upper Bald Eagle town-
! This line between Huntingdon and Mifflin Counties not being clearly defined, the boundary was afterwards sur- veyed, marked and established by three commissioners, appointed by the Governor, under authority of an net passed September 13, 1791.
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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
ship, in the county of Northumberland, to the mouth of Buck Creek, where it empties into Bald Eagle Creek ; thence to Logan's gap, in Nittany mountain ; then to the head of Penn's creek ; thence down the Said creek to Sinking creek, leaving George McCor- mick's in Northumberland county ; thence to the top of Jack's mountain, at the line between Northumber- land county and Cumberland ; thence along the said line to Montour's Spring, at the heads of Mahantango Creek, thence down the said creek to Susquehanna river ; and thence down the said river to the place of beginning."
It will he noticed that the boundaries of the county under the act embrace Upper Bald Eagle and Potter townships, and are not as originally intended.
The line between Huntingdon and Mifflin Counties soon came into dispute, and on the 1st of April, 1791, an act was passed defining the line from the Concord Gap north to the Juni- ata River and appointing commissioners to rim it. The people residing in Mifflin County op- posed this effort to include the territory from Me Veytown npward in Huntingdon County, and much angry feeling was engendered, which only subsided when another aet was passed, March 29, 1792. This act designated the line between the two counties as "a straight line beginning in the middle of the water gap in the Tuscarora Mountains and from thence to the River Juniata in such direction as to include Joseph Gallo- way's farm within Huntingdon County, at the mouth of Galloway's Run, shall be the line he- tween Huntingdon and Mifflin Counties."
The line so remained until it was again changed by an act passed April 5, 1831. It was then defined as " beginning on the Jimiata River so as to divide equally between the said counties that part of the road which passes around Blue Rock Hill ; thence due east until it strikes the Huntingdon and Mifflin County line; thence along said line to the Juniata River; thence up said River to place of beginning."1
On February 18, 1800, the county was re- dueed by the erection of Centre County.
Changes in the line were made abont 1812,
' A dispute is liable to grow out of the location of the present line between Huntingdon and Mifflin, which can only be settled by the courts, and Huntingdon, County will claim an amount for taxes which have been for forty years paid in Mifflin County.
annexing to Mifflin a part of Beaver Dam town- ship, which, upon the erection of Union, in 1813 became a part of that county, but in 1819 was reannexed to Mifflin, and is now a part of Decatur township, in that county.
After many years of tribulation Juniata County was erected by act of Legislature March 2, 1831, and was taken from Mifflin.
Thus the originally extensive boundaries of Mifflin have been much reduced. It is now beunded as follows: On the northwest by Cen- tre County, on the north and cast by Union and Snyder, on the southeast by Juniata and on the south and west by Huntingdon. Its length is about thirty and its width about fifteen miles ; its area about three hundred and sixty square miles, or two hundred and thirty thousand four Indred acres. The population of the county in 1790 (the next year after its erection) was 7562; in 1800, 13,809 ; in 1810, 12,132 (the decrease is caused by the erection of Centre County) ; 1820, 16,618; 1830, 21,690; 1840, (after Juniata was erceted) 13,092.
LOCATION OF THE COUNTY-SEAT. - It is shown in the petition heretofore given that the delegates selected from all parts of the county, after two meetings, agreed that James Dunlap, James Johnston and Matthew Wilson should be appointed to locate the conuty-seat, and that their judgment should be final and conclusive. In accordance with this action on the part of the delegates, the names of the men so desig- nated were incorporated in the bill which passed the House March 21, 1788, and was published for consideration. They, in good faith and in accordance with their judgment, selected John Harris' plantation (Mifflintown). This was not satisfactory to the people of the upper end of the county, and measures were taken to annex territory north to the proposed county, which result was brought about and other commissioners appointed by the act of erection, September 17, 1789, Section 9 of which provides,-
"That John Oliver, William Brown, David Beale, John Stewart, David Bole 2 and Andrew Gregg of said county, be, and they are hereby appointed trustees
2 Elsewhere spelled Bowel, in public documents.
453
MIFFLIN COUNTY.
for the county aforesaid, with full authority for them, or a majority of them, to purchase, or take and receive by grant, bargain or otherwise, any quantity or quan- tities of land, not exceeding one hundred and fifty neves, on the north side of Juniata river, and within one mile from the month of Kishicoquilis Creek, for the use, trust and henefit of said county, and to lay out the same inta regular town lots and to dispose of so many of them as they or any four of them, may think best for the advantage of said county ; and they, or any four of them, are hereby authorized to sell and convey so many of them as they may think proper, and with the monies so arising from the sale of said lots, and with other monies to he duly assessed, levied and collected within the said county of Mifflin, for that purpose, which it is hereby declared it shall and may be lawful for the commissioners thereof to do, or cause to be done, to build and erect a court-house and prison, suitable and convenient for the public, on the public, and such other square as shall be reserved for that purpose; and the said trustees shall, from time to time, render true and faithful accounts of the ex- penditures of the same, not only to the commissioners, but to the Grand Jury, for inspection, adjustment and settlement of the accounts of said county."
David Bole, one of the trustces, resided in Greenwood township (now Perry County), and by the boundaries of the proposed county as defined in the last bill the territory in which he lived was ent off. It is evident from an act passed April 5, 1790, that he was not in accord with the other trustees, the reasons for which can be found in the petition heretofore given. The act recites that,-
" Whereas David Bowel (Bole), one of the said Trustees, does not reside within the limits of the said county of Mifflin, and as the act erecting Mifflin County requires its trustees to concur in every trans- action done under and in virtue of theirappointment, | On the 29th of June in that year he sold to ete., Be it therefore enacted :
"That Dr. James Armstrong is hereby appointed a trustee in and for the county of Mifflin, and is here- by invested with like powers and authorities in every matter and thing whatsoever that of right be- longs to any trustee appointed for the county of Mitllin."
It will be seen in Section 9 that the trustees were instructed where to lay out the county- seat, and in accordance with those instructions, they appointed Samuel Edmiston and James Potter surveyors to locate and lay it out upon the site selected.
They were also authorized to purchase one hundred and fifty acres of land, to lay out
town-lots and sell all lands except those needed for county buildings and county purposes. This they did not do, nor did they possess title to the lots an which the county buildings were erected until January 11, 1802.
The reasons why the trustees did not pur- chase the land on which Lewistown is situated are as follows : At the July term of the Cum- berland County Court, 1787, one Mary Norris recovered judgment of one thousand pounds against Arthur Buchanan, who owned three hundred acres of land on the north side of the Juniata River and at the junction with the Kishacoquillas Creek. Thomas Buchanan, the high sheriff of Cumberland County, was or- dered to levy upon the property of Arthur Buchanan, in Derry township, and on the 26th of October, 1787, seized it and exposed it for sale at the house of Robert Smith, of Carlisle, on the 30th of December, 1788. It was not then sold, and remained in the hands of the sheriff until 1790. In the mean time Mifflin County was erected, and the trustees desired this location and selected the site while the property was still in the hands of the sheriff, and in September, 1790, the jail was in process of building two months before the Buchanan lands were sold at publie sale to Samuel Ed- miston (as bills for work and material in the commissioners' records show). The property of Arthur Buchanan was again ordered to be sold, and was exposed November 27, 1790, and sold to Samuel Edmiston, who received a deed from the sheriff dated Jannary 22, 1791. Samuel Montgomery and James Potter cach a third interest in the tract, and in the deed of Potter he says of the traet,-" And on which the Trustees of Mifflin County have covenanted with the said Samuel Edmiston to fix the seat of justice for the said county of Mifflin."
The town of Lewistown was laid out, lots sold and public buildings erected, and on Jan- uary 14, 1802, Samuel Edmiston conveyed to Jahn Oliver, William Brown, David Beale, John Stewart, Andrew Gregg and Dr. James Armstrong, trustees of Milllin County, lots Nos. 15 and 16, containing one-quarter aere of land, for a meeting-house and burying-ground ;
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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
lot No. 86 for a jail ; lot No. 120 "for use of a publiek school-house;" also ground on the Juniata from the first alley to the junction of the river with Kishacoquillas Creek, together with the streets, lanes, alleys and the centre of said borough, agreeable to the plan of the town of Lewistown, as laid out by the trustees; "also all reversions, remainders, rents, issues and profits."
This deed also recites that the trustees "laid ont the seat of justice for the said county of Mifflin on the land of Samuel Echmiston, lying on the north side of the river Juniata, and sit- uate on the high ground at the junction of said river with the Kishacoquillas Creek."
Much dissatisfaction was expressed by the residents in the lower part of the county at the location of the county-seat at this place, and petitions were sent to the Legislature for sey- eral years after its location in 1790, asking for its removal, as the petition heretofore given will show. About the year 1805, when the people in that region found they could not bring about the detrol change, agitation was begun for a new county, to be called Juniata, and which did not cease until that county was erected in 1831.
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