USA > Pennsylvania > Annals of Buffalo Valley, Pennsylvania, 1755-1855 > Part 19
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53
212
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY. [1782.
evinced all the sullenness of a captive. Boys and girls played about him for several days before he showed any disposition to join them. At last he began to inquire the names of things. By degrees he became civilized, and obtained a good education."-Meginness, page 276.
John Van Buskirk told me when he came to the Valley, in 1816, the old people thereabouts showed him the spot where Lee was killed, by what is now (1877) a blasted pine, some little distance in a westerly course from the furnace stone stable; and he said Lee was buried, with his family, near their residence, which Isaac Eyer, senior, tells me, stood just where the furnace railroad crosses the road to the river, and that his father lived in it until he built the new house, within his own recollection.
I once had occasion to examine the title papers of Youngman's and Walter's place. Among them is the release of Thomas Lee, the eldest son, his signature, excellent hand-writing, dated Ist April, 1797, to Robert Lee, of Point township. Release of Sarah, mar- ried to William Beard, of Lycoming county, 24th April, 1797, to Robert. Rebecca, married to Robert Hursh, of Lycoming county, of same date; and Eliza Lee. She was probably the infant spoken of in the narrative. Robert Lee then sold to Abraham Eyerly, (now Eyer,) 2d May, 1797.
The sequel to John Walker's murder, Mr. Meginness relates, as follows : " In the year 1790 his sons Benjamin, Joseph, and Henry Walker were living on a farm not far from the mouth of Pine creek, a few miles above Jersey Shore, when two Indians, one a youth and the other a middle-aged, well-proportioned man, came into the neighborhood. At Stephenson's tavern, near the mouth of the creek, some people, and among them the Walkers, had gathered. The Indians got drunk, and performed many antics; and the old Indian, putting on the most horrid grimaces, and twisting his face into all sorts of shapes, said, ' this is the way old Walker looked when I killed and scalped him.' That evening the brothers per- suaded one Samuel Doyle to accompany them, and murdered the Indians, placing their bodies in the creek near where Phelps' mill stands. The bodies were washed out by a freshet, and suspicion pointed to the Walkers, who fled the country."
The county records show that letters upon the estate of John
213
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
1782.]
Walker were granted to his widow, Jane, and eldest son, Benjamin, in August 1782, and the rest of his family consisted of William, who died before 1790, (leaving a son, John,) Henry, Joseph, John, Samuel, and Sarah, married to William Morrison.
During this year, a boy sent to Van Gundy's mill (now J. W. Shriner's, near Lewisburg,) was shot from his horse. This occurred on the Meixell place, a short distance above Francis Wilson's. He was only fourteen years of age, and his name has not been preserved, but the spot, a marsh by the present road, was haunted, people said, by his ghost riding a white horse.
Deaths.
· Casper Weitzel, Esquire, was a lawyer, practicing at Sunbury, ! when the war broke out, in 1775, and as secretary of the county committee, took a very active part in favor of independence. In 1776 he raised a company in and around Sunbury, which was at- tached to Colonel Miles' regiment, and participated in the disastrous battle of the 27th of August, on Long Island. He fought through the British ranks, and made his way into camp, with Lieutenant Colonel Brodhead, with a loss of twenty, officers and men, of his company. His rolls, written in his own neat hand, are in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. He was a granduncle of P. R. Weitzel, Esquire, of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
John Smith, of Buffalo township; his children were Mrs. Cath- erine Norgang and Mrs. Christian Storms. Martin Trester and Adam Smith, of Buffalo. James Poak, of White Deer, leaving a widow, Mary ; Sarah, married to Colonel John Kelly ; Deborah, to Ephraim Darrough,-James, Thomas, William, and David were his children. He lived at the mouth of Little Buffalo creek, Fort Horn, (Cameron's. )
4
1783.
STATE OFFICIALS-ELECTION RETURNS-CONTESTED ELECTION-REVEREND CYRIACUS SPANGENBERG-THE BRADY FAMILY.
TATE OFFICIALS: His Excellency, John Dickinson, President. Judges of the High Court of Errors and Appeals, John Dickinson, Samuel Miles, and Henry Wyncoop. Edward Burd, Prothonotary. "
Councillor, John Boyd. Members of Assembly, William Maclay, James McClenachan, and William Cooke. President Justice, Wil- liam Montgomery. Prothonotary, Major Lawrence Keene, appointed September 25, vice Matthew Smith. (Among the applicants for this appointment were Colonel Atlee and Daniel Montgomery.) County Commissioner, John Clarke. County Treasurer, Frederick Antes, appointed October 20. Collector of Excise, William Wilson, ap- pointed October 20.
Officers of Buffalo : Constable, Ludwig Derr ; Supervisors, Jacob Dreisbach and John Dabellon ; Overseers, George Overmeier and Alexander McGrady. Additional residents : Foster, Andrew ; Foster, Thomas; Frederick, Thomas; Garret, John ; Greenhoe, Andrew ; Gibson, James ; Gray, John ; Grosvenor, Richard ; Gunner, Jacob; Hart, John ; Harman, Samuel ; Hanna, Isaac; Kennedy, Alexander ; Knox, George; Lincoln, Mishael ; May, George ; Macpherson, John; Spangler, Christian ; Thompson, John, junior ; Troxell, George. Improvement, Andrew Morrow, grist and saw-mill.
Residents of White Deer : Iddings, Samuel ; Potter, James, Es- quire.
Penn's : Boop, George ; Moore, George ; Pyle, George ; Sherk, John ; Weaver, Michael. Widow Stees is taxed with grist and saw- mill.
21.1
ELECTION RETURNS-October 14 and 15, 1783.
COUN. OF CENS'RS COUNC'R
ASSEMBLY.
SHERIFF.
CORONER.
COM'R.
Samuel Hunter, junior.
William Gray, (Buffalo.)
William Montgomery.
James Potter.
John Boyd.
Robert Martin.
William Maclay,
William Cooke.
John Weitzel.
Frederick Antes.
Daniel Montgomery.
James McClenachan.
Henry Antes.
Thomas Grant.
John Lytle.
Christopher Gettig.
Charles Gillespie.
John Scott.
John Byers.
John Clarke.
Augusta, October 15, .
189
182
31
22
171
35
193 191 187
27
21
21
121
141
61
192
63
32
191
14
Buffalo, October 14, . .
24
23
53
16
22
18
23
22
8
32
50
52
61
22
52
16
14
54
73
Northumberland, Oct. 14, ·
69
64 173
167
66
168
59
69
176
169
171
209
71
167
40
214
16 217
Muncy,
6
5
60
60
7
58
6
6
6
60
60
60
56
12
54
6
...
58
3
56
288
274
317.
265
266
279
281
288
201
295
300
304
447
246
334
214
117
358
210
360
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
215
X
1783.1
.
·
·
·
.. .
...
.
216
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
[ 1783.
Two returns were made of this election, one signed by Elias Youngman, Anthony Geiger, and John Tschops, judges of the Augusta or Sunbury district, and Jacob Dreisbach, for the Buffalo district, certifying to the election of Samuel Hunter, junior, and William Gray, of Buffalo, as members of the Council of Censors ; John Boyd, as member of the Supreme Executive Council ; William Maclay, William Cooke, and John Weitzel, as members of Assem- bly: John Byers, Commissioner ; Henry Antes, Sheriff, &c .; the other return, signed by James Murray, James Espy, and Simon Spaulding, of the Northumberland district, and Richard Manning, of the Muncy district, certified to the election of William Mont- gomery and Samuel Hunter as Censors, Robert Martin as Councillor, James McClenachan, Daniel Montgomery, and Frederick Antes as members of Assembly; Henry Antes, Sheriff ; John Clarke, Com- missioner, &c.
The former judges arrived at their result by throwing out the Northumberland and Muncy boxes. They did this because in- truders from Wyoming were allowed to vote at Northumberland, and residents upon the Indian lands were allowed to vote at Muncy.
On the 25th of November, the House of Representatives arrived at a little different result, by rejecting the Muncy box alone, thus admitting William Maclay, William Cooke and James McClenachan as members ; Samuel Hunter and William Montgomery became members of the Council of Censors, on November 13, by counting all the votes ; John Boyd, Councillor, and John Clarke, (Buffalo,) County Commissioner.
The deposition of Thomas Hamilton proved that, at the Muncy election, Richard Manning, who lived on Long Island, supposed to be Indian land, acted as judge, and David Mckinney, who lived opposite the Great Island, on Indian land, acted as inspector ; that John Price, John Hamilton, Britton Caldwell, one Thorp, and others, who resided upon Indian land had voted at the Muncy dis- trict election, held at Amariah Sutton's. The Muncy district was composed of Bald Eagle and Muncy. Robert Fleming was the only one from Bald Eagle who voted. Manning testified that he acted as judge; lived on Long Island; that Daugherty, who acted as inspector of the election, lived fifteen miles from the district, in Turbut township, which was in the Northumberland district; that
.
217
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
1783. ]
the Indian land men voted generally in favor of Montgomery, Antes, and McClenachan for Assembly, &c.
William Sims' testimony, with that of others, in regard to the Northumberland box, was that he had been up at Wyoming, and saw William Bonham there, in company with Colonel Zebulon But- ler, and Bonham acknowledged to him that it was his business there to get the Wyoming people to go down to Northumberland and vote ; that Bonham was exceedingly busy in inviting and persuading the New England people to go down and vote ; that Colonel Butler told Captain Gaskins that there would be over one hundred down ; that many of them were in Northumberland and had voted, and Bonham kept an open house for them; heard Bonham tell Schott to go up to his house and get his dinner ; and further said the elec- tion had cost him $20. Captain Spaulding, one of the New Eng- land men, acted as judge, and Lord Butler, son of Colonel Zebulon, acted as clerk.
Simon Spaulding testified that he lived at Stoke; had been seven years captain in the army, &c .; that the principle on which the people came down to vote was to show their design of conforming to the laws of Pennsylvania, and that they took that as the first op- portunity of doing it, &c.
A petition to the Assembly remonstrating against receiving the returns from Muncy and Northumberland was numerously signed by the inhabitants along Penn's creek, and of Buffalo Valley, and other parts of the county. Among the names of the Hesslers, Ulrichs, Jacob Welker, &c., occurs that of Cyriacus Spangenberg, V. D. M. The autograph is that of an elegant penman, and fixes the date of his residence on Penn's creek two years earlier than Doctor Harbaugh supposed when he wrote the following notice of him : " In the latter part of the year, one Rev. Cyriacus Spangen- berg, who had come over with the Hessian mercenaries, and had secured, irregularly, ordination by a frivolous preacher named Philip J. Michael, thus, not by the door, but 'climbing up some other way,' was this wolf admitted into the fold ; located near Selinsgrove and began to preach there, at Row's Church, Mahantango, Middle Creek, and other places.
"Such characters often found their way into the quiet and rural settlements of Pennsylvania, as the serpent did into Eden, insinuate
218
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
[ 1783.
themselves into the favor of the needy and unsuspecting, before their old sins could follow them, or new ones could disclose their true character. Hungry souls, who had been for years without the ministry, would hope the best, even amid doubts and fears, and thus were in a favorable position to be deceived. Like all others, the German Reformed Church has not escaped these painful afflictions.
"Spangenberg was not long here before his true character ap- peared. He had represented himself as a single man, drew upon himself the affections of a young female, obtained her promise of marriage, and the day was fixed for the wedding. But on the day previous, a letter was discovered from his wife, still living in Europe. This at once arrested the whole business, and set the son of perdition bare before the community. He now left Selinsgrove, to the great relief of the people. There are still (1857) aged persons along Penn's creek, who in youth heard the story of this vagabond's doings, and much of it still floats, in half uncertain tradition, among those of the present generation.
" His fate will interest our readers. In 1795 he had succeeded in introducing himself to congregations in (then) Bedford county, in- cluding Berlin, now Somerset county, Pennsylvania. A division had for some time been growing wider in the congregation at Berlin-some anxious to be relieved of him, others as desirous of retaining him. On a day appointed for a vote, the people assembled in the church, Spangenberg being also present. Just before voting, a pious and influential elder, named Jacob Glassmore, who sat in the altar with Spangenberg, made some remarks favoring a change of ministers, and expressed a hope that the result of the vote would show that the congregation were inclined in that way. Whereupon Spangenberg sprang to his feet in wrath, drew a dirk from his pocket and plunged it into the elder's heart. In a moment Elder Glassmore lay in blood and death in the altar before the whole congregation.
" Spangenberg was seized immediately and placed in Bedford jail. His trial ended on the 27th of April, and he was found guilty of murder in the first degree. Efforts were made with the Governor for a pardon, or to have the sentenced commuted. The Governor submitted the records to the chief justice. 'The reply was unfavora- ble, and on the roth of October, 1795, between ten A. M. and two p. M., Spangenberg was hanged at Bedford."
219
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
1783.]
Reminiscences of the Brady Family.
October 20, died Mrs. Mary Brady, widow of Captain John Brady. Her remains rest in the Lewisburg cemetery. She died on the Ja- phet Morton place, a long tract, which extends from (and gives the name to) Mortonsville, (better known as Smoketown,) up to the place lately owned by John Schrack, Esquire. She was born in 1735, and her maiden name was Quigley. She died at the early age of forty-eight years, and left the following family :
Captain Samuel Brady, born 1758, at Shippensburg. James Brady, killed in 1778. John Brady, born 1761, and known as Sheriff. Mary (married to Captain William Gray, of Sunbury, ) died December 13, 1850. William P. Brady, who removed to Indiana county, Pennsylvania. He was deputy surveyor in Northumberland county many years. His son, Hugh, was a noted attorney in the western counties of the State. The latter married a daughter of Evan Rice Evans, Esquire, and their son, the first Brady that ever was killed in battle, fell at Antietam, in 1862. General Hugh Brady, who died in Detroit, in 1851. Jennie Brady, a twin sister, born 29th July, 1768. Robert, married afterwards to a daughter of Colonel William Cooke. Hannah. Liberty, born August 9, 1778, so called as she was the first child born to them after the Declaration of Inde- pendence. She married William Dewart, and died without issue, July 25, 1851.
I copy here, in full, General Hugh Brady's account of the family, taken from an appendix to his funeral sermon by Reverend George Duffield, loaned me by Mrs. Nancy Eckert, of Lewisburg, grand- daughter of Captain John Brady :
" I was born on the 29th day of July, 1768, at the Standing Stone, in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, and was the fifth son (they had six sons and four daughters) of John and Mary Brady. My brothers all lived to be men, in every sense of the term, and at a period when the qualities of men were put to the most severe and enduring tests. While I was yet a child, my father moved on to the West Branch of the Susquehanna river, and pitched his tent about eight miles above the town of Northumberland. At this time, (as well as in later periods,) titles to wild lands could be obtained by erecting a log-house, and by girdling a few trees, by way of improvement or
220
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
[1783.
cultivation. In this way, my father, John Brady, took up a vast quantity of land ; and, had he not fallen in the war of 1776, would have been one of the greatest land-holders in the State. But, owing to the dishonesty and mismanagement of those connected with him, his family received but little benefit from his exertions. Soon after the commencement of the war of 1776, he was appointed a captain in the twelfth Pennsylvania regiment ; and, in a few weeks having recruited his company, he joined the army, with which he remained until after the battle of Brandywine.
"At this time the Indians had become very troublesome in the set- tlements on the Susquehanna ; so much so, that application was made to General Washington for regular troops to protect the fron- tier. Not being in a condition to spare any troops at that moment, he ordered home Captain John Brady, Captain Boone, and Lieuten- ants John and Samuel Dougherty, to use their influence in inducing the people to sustain themselves, until he could afford them other relief. And nobly did they execute his design. All that brave and experienced men could do, was done by them, even to sacrificing their lives in the defense of their country; for, in less than two years from that date, Captains Brady and Boone, and Lieutenant Samuel Dougherty, had fallen by the hands of the savages. Ten months before the death of Captain John Brady, his son James had fallen (in 1778) by the Indians. Another son, Samuel, was then an officer in the United States army. John was then at home, in charge of the family, and in his sixteenth year.
" After the fall of Captain Brady, my mother removed, with her family, to her father's place in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, where she arrived in May, 1779, and where she remained till Octo- ber of that year. She then removed to Buffalo Valley, about twenty miles below our former residence, and settled on one of our own farms. We found the tenant had left our portion of the hay and grain, which was a most fortunate circumstance. The winter fol- lowing (1779 and 1780) was a very severe one, and the depth of the snow interdicted all traveling. Neighbors were few, and the settle- ment scattered, so that the winter was solitary and dreary to a most painful degree. But, while the depth of the snow kept us confined at home, it had also the effect to protect us from the inroads of the savages. But, with the opening of the spring, the Indians returned,
221
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
1783.]
and killed some people not very remote from our residence. This induced Mrs. Brady to take shelter, with some ten or twelve families, on the West Branch, about three miles from our home.1 Pickets were placed around the houses, and the old men, women, and child- ren, remained within during the day ; while all who could work and carry arms, returned to their farms, for the purpose of raising some- thing to subsist upon. Many a day have I walked by the side of my brother John, while he was plowing, and carried my rifle in one hand, and a forked stick in the other, to clear the ploughshare.
" Sometimes my mother would go with us to prepare our dinner. This was contrary to our wishes ; but she said that, while she shared the dangers that surrounded us, she was more contented than when left at the fort. Thus we continued till the end of the war, when peace-happy peace-again invited the people to return to their homes.
" In 1783, our mother was taken from us. In 1784, my brother John married, and, soon after, my eldest sister followed his example. All the children younger than myself lived with them. I went to the western country with my brother Captain Samuel Brady. He had been recently disbanded, and had married a Miss Swearingen, in Washington county, Pennsylvania. He took me to his house at that place, and I made it my home until 1792, when I was appointed an ensign in General Wayne's army. Previous to this, my brother had moved into Ohio county, Virginia, and settled a short distance above Charlestown. At that day, the Indians were continually committing depredations along the frontier. West of the Ohio the settlements were very sparse, and the people from the east side went frequently in pursuit of parties of marauding Indians who visited the neigh- borhood.
" I joined with several parties in pursuit of Indians, but only met them once in action. This was, I think, on the 22d of May, 1791. Our spies in front had discovered a trail of Indians, about eight miles up Indian Cross-cut, making for the settlements. The next morning, ten citizens were niet by Lieutenant Buskirk, with twelve State rangers, at the old Mingo town, and from there we went in pursuit. After following their trail till near sunset, we were fired on by the enemy, who lay concealed in a thicket. Lieutenant Bus- ' At Jenkins' mill in East Buffalo.
222
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
[1783.
kirk was killed, and three men wounded. After a fight of about ten minutes, the Indians retreated, leaving one gun on the ground and much blood on the bushes. We pursued the party then till dark, but did not overtake them. The next day, we returned to the field with a large .party ; and, about one hundred yards up the stream which had divided the combatants, we found twenty-two Indian packs, showing that our party of twenty-two men had fought the same number of Indians. It was afterwards ascertained that eight of them died of wounds received before they reached their towns. I had a fair shot at the bare back of one of them. I do not know whether I hit him or not. He did not fall, and I think I was some- what excited.
"On the 5th of March following, 1792, I was appointed an ensign in a rifle company, commanded by Captain John Crawford, a sol- dier of '76. William Clarke, of Kentucky, was the first lieutenant. I reported to my captain, and was put on the recruiting service. But, as the pay of a soldier was only $3 per month, I met with little success. Our clothing was also indifferent, and the feelings of the people generally averse to enlisting. They did not consider regu- lar soldiers the thing, exactly, to fight Indians. I then joined the headquarters of the army, at Legionville, the spot where Harmony now stands, twenty miles below Pittsburgh. The first duty I per- formed was on Christmas day, 1792, when I commanded a picket guard. The officer of the day, Major Mills, saw, at guard-mount- ing, that I was very green, and when he visited my guard, at twelve o'clock, he took much pains to instruct me. He also let me know at what hour at night the grand rounds would visit me. I had Baron Steuben's Tactics, and a good old sergeant, and was pretty well prepared to receive the rounds when they approached.
" The major complimented me, and remained with me for some time. His treatment had the effect to inspire me with that confi- dence which is indispensable in a young officer, to enable him to perform any duty in a suitable manner. I then thought Steuben had nothing with which I was not familiar, and the confidence it gave me has unquestionably been of service to me up to the present day. The history and movements of that army are before the world ; but its sufferings and privations are only known to those who shared them, of which I had my full proportion. Our campaign in Canada,
223
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
1783. ]
during the war of 1812, was by no means interesting, and its priva- tions, &c., were the subject of much discussion. Compared with the campaign of General Wayne, it was all sunshine. At its close, I was left under the command of Colonel Hamtramck, at Fort Wayne. The force consisted of Captain Porter's company of artil- lery, Captains Kingsbury's, Grattan's, and Reed's companies of infantry, and Captain Preston's company of riflemen, to which I was attached.
" During that winter, 1794-5, we lived very poorly. Our beef came to us on the hoof, and poor, and we had little or nothing to fatten them with. Having no salt to cure it, it was slaughtered, and hung up under a shed, where, by exposure, it became perfectly weather-beaten, and as tough as an old hide. Of course, it made a miserable soup. At the same time, our men received but half ra- tions of flour, and were working like beavers to complete our quar - ters. Thus we lived until about the middle of February, when a brigade of pack-horses arrived, loaded with flour and salt, and with them came a drove of hogs. From this time forward we considered ourselves as living on the ' fat of the land.' An early spring fol- lowed, and with it came ducks, geese, and trout, to improve our living ; and the Indians, soon after, came in with their flags to sue for peace ; and our time passed away pleasantly. The treaty was opened at Greenville on the 4th of July, 1795, on which day I ar- rived at that place. I had been ordered there as a witness in the case of Captain Preston, who was tried for disobeying the orders of Colonel Hamtramck. The court sentenced him to be reprimanded, and the General laid it on pretty heavy.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.