USA > Pennsylvania > Annals of Buffalo Valley, Pennsylvania, 1755-1855 > Part 3
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2.1
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
[1768.
Bouquet's camp, at Loyalhanna, and made for home, through the woods, with a bullet in his leg. He lived mostly on wild grass on the way. Reaching Penn's creek, he stopped, married a German woman there. and settled. He served in Captain Clarke's company the winter of 1776-7, and when, during the war of 1812, one of his sons was drafted, and for some reason could not go, the old man went with him to Sunbury, and asked to be substituted for his son. The board rewarded his patriotism by discharging his son. He died in Beaver township, about the year 1820, leaving a large family of boys. His grandson Jacob was a member of Captain Middleswarth's company, in 1814, and now resides about two miles from Bellefonte, (1877.) I am indebted for these facts to William Gill, nephew of William, senior, who at the advanced age of ninety years, had a remarkable recollection of dates and events, which I have frequently verified by old papers and assessments. He died at Bellefonte, November 21, 1876.
Murder of White Mingo.
Sunday, roth of January, occurred the murder of White Mingo and five other Indians, by Frederick Stump. The information of William Blythe, made at Philadelphia, on the 19th of January, is in substance, that, hearing of the murder, he went to George Gabriel's, where he met Stump and several others, on the 12th, and was then told by Stump himself that six Indians, White Mingo, Cor- nelius, John Campbell, Jones, and two women, came to his house, near the mouth of Middle creek. Being drunk and disorderly, he endeavored to get them to leave, which they would not do. Fear- ing injury to himself, he killed them all, dragged them to the creek, and making a hole in the ice, threw in their bodies. Then fearing the news might be carried to the other Indians, he went the next day to two cabins, fourteen miles up the creek, where he found one woman and two girls, with one child. These he killed, and putting their bodies into the cabin, he burned it. That he ( Blythe) sent four men up the creek, who reported that they had found the cabins burned, and the remains of the limbs of the Indians in the ashes. The scene of the latter deed was on the run that enters the creek at Middleburg, which goes by the name of Stump's run to this
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ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
1768.]
day. Stump and his companion, Iron-Cutter, were arrested at Gabriel's, and taken to Carlisle jail. They were forcibly rescued on the 29th, were concealed about Fort Augusta a few days, and then fled the country. Tradition has it, that Stump died in Virginia, many years afterwards.
For William Blythe's services in this matter, he received the two tracts of land which were surveyed on applications in the names of his daughters, Margaret and Elizabeth, containing, together, six hundred and forty acres, lying immediately south of White Deer creek, whither he removed during the year, and was, therefore, one of the first settlers of Buffalo Valley after the purchase. He was an Indian trader at Shippensburg in 1748, and a lieutenant in the French war, 1758.
His cabin stood on Red-Bank run, near the river, on the Eliza- beth Blythe tract, below the late Samuel Henderson's house. Her application of 3d April, 1769, describes it as including an old Indian fort and a settlement begun by her. William Blythe lived to be a very old man. Roley McCorley informed me he knew him well, and that he was a tall, raw-boned man,, and, in latter years, quite blind.
His daughter Margaret married Captain John Reed, who had commanded the " Paxton Boys." Her tract was patented to Cap- tain Reed in 1774. Her children by Captain Reed were William, (father of James Reed, who still resides near Hartleton, and grand- father of Doctor Uriah Reed, of Jersey Shore, and of Robert Reed, now of Clearfield, Pennsylvania,) James, who moved west, and Elizabeth, who married John Armstrong. Captain Reed died before 1778, and, with " the Runaway" of that year, the Reeds went to Cumberland county. William Reed's family remained there until some years after, when he came up and settled in Hartley township. Captain Reed's widow married Captain Charles Gillespie, an officer of the Revolution, and raised a second family-Edward Gillespie, Susanna, (married to Arthur Thomas,) Eleanor, Charles, junior, Thomas, and John. By a division of the place, the lower half, one hundred and seventy-six acres, fell to Charles Gillespie and wife, the upper to the Reeds, who conveyed it, on the 6th of May, 1796, to Gillespie and wife. The Gillespies all went west, except Edward, who hung himself, many years ago, at the old homestead, which
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ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
[1768.
passed into the hands of the late Daniel Ludwig, Esquire. Marga- ret Blythe survived the fortunes of her second family, and took refuge with her first husband's children. She died at her son's, Wil- liam Reed, in Hartley township, and her remains were interred in the graveyard at Kester's school-house.
Elizabeth Blythe married Doctor Joseph Eakers, who had been a surgeon in the revolutionary army.1 In October, 1798, they sold the place to James Hepburn, and went West, where she died. The Doctor returned, resumed practice, and was drowned in Muddy run, above Milton, many years ago.
5th November. Thomas and Richard Penn purchased from the Six Nations, at Fort Stanwix, (now Rome, New York,) the remain- der of the Valley whose annals we are writing. As one of the incentives to this purchase, I may state that, as early as the year 1764, the officers of the first and second battalions who served under Colonel Bouquet, made an agreement with each other, in writing, at Bedford, " that they would apply to the Proprietaries for a tract of land sufficiently extensive and conveniently situated, whereon to erect a compact and defensible town ; and, also, to accommodate each of us with a reasonable and commodious plantation ; which land and lots of ground, if obtained, we do agree shall be propor- tionably divided, according to our several ranks and subscriptions," &c. Signed by Lieutenant Colonels Turbutt Francis and Asher Clayton, Major John P. deHaas, Captains Jacob Kern, John Proc- ter, James Hendricks, John Brady, William Piper, Timothy Green, Samuel Hunter ; Henry Watson, adjutant first battalion ; Conrad Bucher, adjutant second battalion ; William Plunket and James Irvine, captains ; Lieutenant Daniel Hunsicker ; Ensigns McMeen and Piper, et al. They appointed Colonel Francis, Captain Irvine, &c., commissioners to act for all the officers. These commissioners made an application to the Proprietaries on the 30th of April, 1765, in which they proposed to embody themselves in a compact settle- ment, on some good land, at some distance from the inhabited part of the Province, where, by their industry, they might procure a comfortable subsistence for themselves, and by their arms, union, and increase, become a powerful barrier to the Province. They
1 In a petition to the Executive Council, dated February 15, 1779, he states that he had been a long time surgeon's mate in the hospital department.
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ANNALS OF BUFFALO YALLEY.
1769.]
further represented that the land already purchased did not afford any situation convenient for their purpose ; but the confluence of the two branches of the Susquehanna at Shamokin did, and they, therefore, prayed the Proprietaries to make the purchase, and make them a grant of forty thousand acres of arable land on the West Branch of the Susquehanna. Lieutenant Thomas Wiggins and En- sign J. Foster, who were absent from Bedford when the agreement was signed, were subsequently admitted into the association. The minutes of the association are published in full in the first volume of the Collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1769.
OFFICIALS-FIRST SURVEYS IN THE VALLEY-JOHN EWING, et al .- OFFICERS' SURVEYS-ORIGINAL SETTLERS.
OVERNOR, JOHN PENN. Representative of Berks, Edward Biddle; Sheriff, Jacob Shoemaker.
Representatives of Cumberland, William Allen and John Montgomery; Sheriff, David Hoge; Prothono- tary, Hermanus Alricks.
On the 3d of February, the commissioners of the officers of the first and second battalions met at the Governor's, and obtained an order allowing them to take up twenty-four thousand acres, to be divided among them in distinct surveys, on the waters of the West Branch of the Susquehanna, each three hundred acres to be seated with a family within two years from the time of survey, paying £5 sterling per hundred, and one penny per acre, &c. The names of the officers in whose favor the order of survey issued were Colonel Francis, Major deHaas, Captains Irvine, Plunket, Hunter, Kern, Green, Houssegger, Sems, Hendricks, Brady, Piper, Bucher, Lieu- tenants, Stewart, Wiggins, Hays, Nice, Hunsicker, Askey, McAl-
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ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
[1769.
lister, Ensigns Piper, McMeen, Morrow, Steine, and Foster; and the order signed by John Lukens, surveyor general, and directed to William Scull and William Maclay.
By advertisement, dated the 23d of February, the land office was to open to receive applications for lands in the "New Purchase," on the 3d of April. "So long a day was fixed to give the back in- habitants time to repair to the office." Meanwhile surveys were made on special orders for the Proprietaries or their friends.
On the 18th of February, William Maclay made the first survey in person on the west side of the river. His field notes are yet pre- served among the records of the deputy surveyor's office of Union county. He began at a black oak on the river, afterwards the south- east corner of the Richard Manning tract, and ran S. 60° W. 70, W. 212, S. 45° W. 755, S. 49° E. 295, to the black oak or Spanish oak on the river, on the line of the purchase or Gabriel's land; thence up the river N. 36° E. 51, N. 45° E. 23372, N. 39º E. 462, and N. 2612º E. 220, to the place of beginning. He says this survey is of land above George Gabriel's, for which Andrew Allen has a warrant, and on which Charles Willing intends an old right of five hun- dred acres, " neither of which are in my hands yet." The next day, Sunday, the 19th, he says he received from Colonel Francis the Charles Willing location. The caveat, Willing vs. Allen, was de- termined on the 21st of December, 1772, by the board of property. Present, Mr. Tilghman, Hockley, Physick, and Lukens. . "That the location on the warrant of Charles Willing (which bore date the 24th December, 1768) is such an appropriation of five hundred acres and allowance, that it was not liable to the Proprietaries' warrant," and they directed the surveyor general to divide the land by a line N. 49° W. from the river, so as to leave five hundred acres of the lower end to be returned for Willing. This division line is about where the present road running west from Hettrick's store, in Mon- roe township, Snyder county, is laid.
The distance of the river line of the John Cox survey, (which in- cluded Gabriel's settlement,) from the mouth of Penn's creek to the Indian line, was two hundred and ninty-two perches; of the Richard Willing, from the black oak or Spanish oak, marked by Gabriel and the Indians, to a white oak, which stood on the river bank near Het- trick's store, was two hundred and ninty-five and one half perches.
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ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
1769.]
The Andrew Allen reached thence six hundred and seventy-one perches, to a black oak which stood below the Sunbury ferry, nearly opposite the old tavern. The Richard Manning survey (made in 1 770) extended up one hundred and fifty perches to a maple, where began the John Galloway, which ran up three hundred and forty- eight perches, to the confluence of the West Branch. I will here add, as having interest upon the question of the location of Fort Augusta, that a topographical survey found among the same papers of this date, has a station on the mouth of the little stream that enters the river below the present bridge. The course to the main point is N. 27° E. and S. 5312° E. to the " redoubt at Fort Augusta."
The survey next above the " Galloway," is the Daniel Hoffman, (1814,) extending one hundred and eighteen perches; then comes the Joshua McAfee, (the John Mason place,) surveyed in 1771, extending up sixty-eight perches, and we are in Buffalo Valley.
22d February, the Reverend John Ewing's survey was made ; the first in the Valley. It extends from the mouth of Buffalo creek, six hundred and seventy-five perches, to a walnut that formerly stood on Doctor Dougal's line. Mr. Maclay's starting point for this survey was sixty or seventy rods above the present site of the iron bridge across Buffalo creek. This survey contained eleven hun- dred and fifty acres.
24th February, Mr. Maclay surveyed the Bremmer tract for John Penn. He notes in his. field-book the fine spring at late An- drew Wolfe's, the one on the Cameron farm, and the one at Ellis Brown's, and leaves out "the pine barrens," as he calls the present Linn place. This tract contained one thousand four hundred and thirty-four acres, and was called the " fiddler's tract," tradition said, because given a fiddler for one night's performance on the violin. Bremmer was a music dealer in the Strand, London, and was,. per- . haps, a fiddler by occupation.
28th February, the site of Lewisburg was surveyed for the Pro- prietaries, by Mr. Maclay, commencing at a white oak, at the present Strohecker's landing. At sixty-eight perches he notes the spring now belonging to the University grounds. This line he makes one mile long, to the mouth of Buffalo creek ; he then ran up the creek to a hickory that stood where the present road reaches the creek at the iron bridge ; thence he ran due south, two hundred and
30
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
[1769.
eight perches, to a pine, the stump of which was dug up when the railroad excavation was made north of the Eighth Street school-build- ing ; (it stood some eight feet inside of Jacob Derr's fence ;) thence he ran S. 50° E., two hundred and ninety-eight perches, to the river. Several of the latter line trees stand near the cemetery. These lines now mark the limits of the borough, with the exception of the Jacob Spidler place, which was taken out of the borough many years ago by act of the Legislature.
In the latter part of February many of the officers of the first and second battalions met at Fort Augusta, and agreed to take the land upon the terms proposed by the Proprietaries, and that one of the tracts should be surveyed on the West Branch, adjoining Montour's place, (Chillisquaque creek,) and one in Buffalo Valley. In order to expedite business, it was agreed that Captains Plunket, Brady, Piper, and Lieutenant Askey, should go along with Mr. Maclay to Buffalo Valley, and Captains Hunter and Irvine with Mr. Scull, to direct the survey in the Forks.
On the 1st, 2d, and 3d of March, Samuel Maclay, for William, ran out the officers' survey. He commenced at a white oak on now William Spotts' land, at the east of the Limestone ridge, and ran west and south-west to the east line of what is now William Young's land, in Lewis township. The western line he ran N. 318 to Buffalo creek ; thence he ran north of the present turnpike, until he crossed its site a little east of Vicksburg, and came back to a white oak, yet standing, one hundred and twenty-five rods east of where Salem church is now ; thence he ran south to an elm on Turtle creek, and west and south-west to the place of beginning. This survey em- braced the heart of Buffalo Valley, and, as their minutes say, " was made without opposition ;" and the officers returned to Fort Augusta, held a meeting, and determined that the third tract of eight thou- sand acres should be surveyed on Bald Eagle creek. Captains Hunter, Brady, and Piper were appointed to over-see that survey, to be made by Charles Lukens. The record says that Colonel Francis, Doctor Phinket, and Major deHaas, furnished the stores on the present occasion.
16th May, The officers met at Harris' Ferry. Messrs. Maclay, Scull, and Lukens laid before them the drafts of their respective sur- veys. Mr. Maclay reported the tract surveyed by him in Buffalo
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ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
1769.]
Valley contained eight thousand acres ; Mr. Scull that in the Forks, six thousand and ninety-six, which left nine thousand nine hundred and four for Bald Eagle creek, and Mr. Lukens' survey was several thousand acres short of the quantity. They agreed then that Colonel Francis should receive his share, two thousand seven hundred and seventy-five acres, surveyed to him in one tract, adjoining the tract purchased by him of Montour. Colonel Francis' tract accordingly extended from Chillisquaque creek down to and included Northum- berland point. Boyd and Wilson purchased of him, and erected the mill at the mouth of Chillisquaque creek, in 1791, and John Lowdon bought the site of Northumberland town from Colonel Francis, and it was patented to his wife, Sarah Lowdon, 7th July, 1770. Same day, 16th of May, lots were drawn for the choice of lands. Captain Hendricks, having won the first choice, took the eastern end of Buffalo Valley survey, now the Zellers, Aurands, &c., farms. Captain William Plunket then chose the Dreisbach place, site of the church, &c. Captain Brady the Maclay place afterwards, now Joseph Green's, William Cameron, Esquire's, &c. Captain Kern next took the site of Vicksburg. Lieutenant Doctor Thomas Wiggins got three hundred and thirty-nine acres. Doctor Wiggins resided in Lower Paxton township, now Dauphin county. By his will, proved August 31, 1798, he devised to his brother, John Wig- gins, his land in Northumberland county ; and by the will of John Wiggins, second, proved November 30, he devises it to John and James Wiggins Simonton, each one hundred and ten acres. Hon- orable John W. Simonton many years associate judge of Union county, still owns this military fief. Reverend Captain Conrad Bucher secured the tract now owned by the Pontius's; Captain Timothy Green the site of the Rockey mill; Lieutenant Askey the site of Mifflinburg ; Captain Irvine the place so long owned by the Kleckners ; Lieutenant Stewart the old Foster place ; and Lieuten- ant McAllister the old John Hayes place. Captains Plunket and Brady superintended the running of the division lines, which was accomplished by Samuel Maclay, on the 25th, 26th, 27th, and 28th of May.
The John Ewing survey was made on the 3d of March, extend- ing from the east line of the officers' survey, down 'Turtle creek, to
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ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
[1769
the Gundy farm. These are the leading surveys, run with astonish- ing accuracy, and well marked all around.
The John Harris surveys, from Jacob M. Shively's, near White spring, up to and including Esquire Lincoln's farm, were also upon special warrants, before the opening of the land office. They were made on the 23d of February. The walnut, the beginning point, stood on Penn's creek, below the mouth of White Spring run. John Harris had bought, as stated before, the improvement made by Turner in 1755. He also owned the Edward Lee, the White Spring tract, the improvement title of which also dated back to 1755 ; both re-surveyed, however, by Mr. Maclay, in February, 1769. He was the father-in-law of William Maclay, and was favored by the Proprietaries in consequence of his services with the Indians.
On the 3d of April the land office was opened, and a great crowd attended. Numerous applications or locations, as they were called, were received for the same spots of land, from different persons, under various or similar descriptions. The method taken to decide the preference was to put them all into a trunk, and after mixing them well together, an indifferent person drew them out, and they were numbered in the order of drawing, priority thus being determined by lottery. To illustrate by example : there were numerous applica- tions for the old Muncy town or Shikellimy's town tract. Michael Weyland's was the thirty-second application drawn, and so numbered, and put down on the list. Any subsequent application descriptive of the same locality was, when opened and read, laid aside. Jacob Weyland's application for land, "on a run of water adjoining Michael Weyland's at Shikellimy's town," was the sixth drawn. John Grove now owns part of that warrantee tract. Dietrick Rees' appli- cation for land, "on a run below Dog run, adjoining land of Lud- wig Derr, in Walnut bottom," came out the eighth. It embraces New Columbia, and the land north and west of it. Derr seems to have marked out a claim for himself, near New Columbia, before the drawing, which he failed to get.
In August, the greater part of the surveys on the north side of Buf- falo creek were made, from Colonel Slifer's place up to Farmersville, together with most of the surveys in Buffalo and the Lowdon sur- veys in West Buffalo. Those along the river, down to Turtle creek, also in August. From thence to the county line below, in October.
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ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
1769.]
The surveys from Doctor Dougal's place up to the mouth of White Deer creek, along the river, were made by Charles Lukens, in October. He speaks in his field notes of Ludwig Derr being with him. Along Penn's creek, above and including the mouth of Switzer run, the sur- veys were made in August. In November, William Maclay made sur- veys of some of the best land in the Valley, including Ray's church, John and Isaac Reish's land, in which he was interested. Colonel Kelly's tracts were also surveyed in August. In December, Samuel Maclay surveyed the lands in Dry valley, now owned by Isaac Eyer, David Gross, &c.
The settlers this year, as far as I can ascertain them, were John Lee, at the spring near the stone barn at Winfield; John Beatty, at the spring near New Berlin; Jacob Grozean, near Hoffa's mill; Barney Parson, at the old Iddings place; John Wilson,1 at Jenkin's mill; Adam Haines, on the McCorley place, White Deer. William Blythe's cabin is marked on a survey made 24th October; as standing twenty- five rods from the river, on the little run above the Ard place. Joseph Mclaughlin had an improvement on White Deer creek, west of Blythe's, and one Bennett had a cabin on White Deer creek, about one mile above the cotton factory. John Fisher took up the place now known as Datesman's, West Milton, and settled upon it. Michael Weyland the George F. Miller place. William Armstrong lived where the road comes out to the old ferry, below New Columbia. James Parr commenced an improvement on the same tract, a little above, and they agreed to divide the land, Armstrong to fill up his application by taking more land in the rear. In doing so, he en- croached on the Earnest Burke, a tract belonging to Hawkins Boone. Hence a law suit reported in 2 Binn., 55.
1 John Wilson died in 1774. He was the father of Thomas Wilson, afterwards a prominent citizen of Erie county, and of Mrs. David Mead, (of Meadville.) Sanford's Erie, page 220.
3
1770.
EARLY SURVEYS-SETTLERS FROM PAXTON-SCULL'S MAP.
OHN PENN, Governor. Officials the same as in 1769. May 21, Turbutt Francis, Esquire, appointed Prothon- otary of Cumberland county, vice H. Alricks, resigned. The following notices of settlers are derived from old conveyances and notes of surveyors :
As early as the 28th of March, John Buchanan and his father re- sided on the Richard Edwards tract, where Stoltzfus now lives. By a lease, dated that day, he agreed with Thomas Lemmon and Sarah, his wife, to build a log house, eighteen by twenty, thereon, clear and fence ten acres of field, two of meadow, plant ten apple and twenty cherry trees, &c.
.Jacob Fought bought of Captain Timothy Green two hundred and sixteen acres at the mouth of Cedar run, including the forks of Buffalo creek, the Rockey mill site, and moved there. 23d March, James Wilson surveyed the George Palmer tract, embracing Win- field, for John Lee. He speaks of commencing at Lee's spring, and running S. 40°, E. 53, to an ash at the river, and thence, by the back side of Lee's fields, N. 40° W. This explains the corner left out of the Craig survey below, and shows that Lee had cleared the fields where Thomas Pursel now lives as early as the 4th of October, 1769, when Craig's survey was made. The first regular clearing, perhaps, in the Valley, and its exact locality is thus iden- tified. In May, Wilson surveyed the addition to David Moore, along Buffalo creek, now A. J. Rishel's, and speaks of Hans Fleming
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ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
1770.]
living in there. On the 12th of May, he surveyed the Thomas Sutherland place in Dry valley, where Emerick's family was after- wards captured. He says " this land Robert King has bought," indi- cating the residence of the first constable of Buffalo township. 17th May he surveyed the John Umstead tract, on Stony run, which empties into Buffalo creek, east of the mouth of Rapid run. On the 18th, the Peter Horning, where Esquire Sheckler now lives. This land was afterwards in litigation between Christopher Johnston and Matthew Irwin for over thirty years. His field notes explain the origin of the trouble. He commenced at an ash, (which stood in the road afterwards laid out, nearly in front of Esquire Sheckler's house,) in the line of the eight hundred tract made for Foster and Rees; thence ran north 168, to a black oak of same, (this distance was found by subsequent surveys to be one hundred and eighty-two perches ;) and thence, by an old Indian cabin, W. 74 to a maple ; and thence, by a ridge, crossing a run at seventy-two perches, N. 78 to a hickory, west 122 to a chestnut oak, and by a ridge S. 138 to a Spanish oak, E. 80 to a white oak, and by a ridge S. 122 to a white oak, (subsequent surveys made this distance 135.) " I had set the course east from this white oak, and at 54 I intersected a line of Doctor Plunket's, made by Samuel Maclay, which I found ran north and south. The distance between two black oak corners was between sixty and seventy perches, where, I made a halt, and left open the line between white oak and ash beginning." Leaving this line open, made the difficulty, the white oak having disappeared.
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