USA > Pennsylvania > Annals of Buffalo Valley, Pennsylvania, 1755-1855 > Part 5
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ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
1772.]
When she reached Philadelphia, she found that the court had ad- journed, and she then made a journey to Goshen, and attended to some business. When the trial came on she was present, and her testimony cleared Speddy. He was wasted away to a mere skele- ton. When he was discharged his joy and gratitude overleaped all bounds. He fell upon his knees before Mrs. Bennett, and almost worshiped her. 'Get up, Speddy,' said she, 'I have done no more than any one ought to do for a fellow-creature.' He kissed her hand and bathed it with tears." This story of " Pennsylvania rigor " is reduced in dimensions from two years to probably eight months, as no man was ever tried twice for the same murder in Pennsylvania ; and he was acquitted on the 4th of November, 1771. Long enough, however, for this old war hawk of New England rights, to be caged, to render him very grateful to Mrs. Bennett.
As it is said the honey bee precedes about fifty miles and heralds the advance of the white man into the wilderness, Speddy was the honey bee of New England civilization in Buffalo Valley.
He chose for his residence the prettiest little dale in Buffalo Valley. It is on Turtle creek, near what is now Supplee's (formerly Treaster's) mill. Jacob Brown now owns the place. In Decem- ber, 1776, he volunteered in Captain John Clarke's company of Northumberland county, and served during the campaign of Tren- ton and Princeton. In 1778 he resided upon the same tract, which was known as the George Gall tract of two hundred and sixty-two acres. In 1780 he is taxed with the same tract, one horse, and three cows. In 1782, in connection with John Lee and William Storms, he was assessor of Buffalo township. His signature to the assessment is in a full, round, beautiful hand. In 1785, his name is dropped from the assessment books, and he disappears from our local history. He had a son, William Speddy, junior.
J. W. Speddy, of Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, wrote me in 1870 that William Speddy, senior, was his great-grandfather, and that the latter removed to Lost creek valley, Juniata county, and died at a place called Speddy's Gap, near McAllisterville. H. Swartzell, Es- quire, deputy surveyor of Mifflin county, allowed me to copy a draft of the Speddy tract. It is the border one of the Valley surveys, and the finger-board to the Shade mountain surveys, and, there- fore, though dead, he yet speaks, and his name will, no doubt, be
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[1772.
called over in court and out of court for hundreds of years yet to come.
In April, James Wilson made a number of surveys for John Low- don, in what is now the territory of West Buffalo. On the 15th of May he made the leading survey in the lower end of what is now Union township, for Daniel Rees, so many years owned by Joseph Fearon, and now owned and occupied, in part, by Joseph Shannon. In consequence of the suit between Bonham and William Gibbons, referred to hereafter in connection with the capture of the Emerick family, the Rees lines were often run and found well marked. On his original field notes, Wilson says : " This land is situated about two miles from John Lee's, on both sides of the path that leads to Treaster's." Trester's was at the mouth of Tuscarora creek, on Penn's, one mile above New Berlin, now in Jackson township, Sny- der county.
Ludwig Derr bought the tract on which Lewisburg now stands, during the summer of this year, from the Reverend Richard Peters. His mill, which is still standing, being the front portion of Smith & Fry's, so many years John Brown's mill, was in existence in the fall of this year. How long previous I cannot ascertain. Derr bought the "Joseph Hudnot tract," (still owned, except the part belonging to Joseph W. Shriner, by his grand and great-grand- children,) in June, 1772, of John Coxe, merchant, of Philadelphia, for £175.
On the 3d of October, John Aurand bought the " Jenkin's mill " property, on Turtle creek, and it went by the name of " Aurand's mill," when he sold it to Morgan Jenkin. It is still owned by the Jenkin's family. Doctor Harbaugh, in his " Fathers of the German Reformed Church," states, upon the authority of John Aurand, of Yellow Springs, Blair county, a grandson of John Aurand, that the latter built both flour and saw-mill at Turtle creek. Wilson, how- ever, had some sort of a mill there as early as 1771. John Wilson died during the year 1772, according to my researches-Miss Sand- ford, ante, says in 1774.
In the fall Robert Barber, Esquire, built the first house on the White Springs tract of which we have any knowledge, as he recites in a lease dated 9th August, 1773, to John Scott, that he leases him the house he had built last fall at the head of White springs for
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seven years. It was on the Edward Lee warrantee, which Barber had purchased, in August, from Reuben Haines.
Christian Diehl (written Dale) lived on part of the Ewing tract, (now Colonel Slifer's upper farm, near the iron bridge.) The late John Beeber told me that his father's term of service was purchased by Mr. Diehl from the captain whose ship he came over in, and he helped Mr. Diehl clear that place in 1772, owned then by Ludwig Derr. Adam Beeber then returned to Philadelphia, served five years in the army, after which he came up to Muncy, where he settled and died. Christian Diehl's grandson, Captain Christian Dale, of Harris township, Centre county, aged sixty-six, confirms the story, as a tradition of the family, in regard to Adam Beeber's service with his grandfather.
William Wilson bought of James Wilson, his father, the John Moore warrantee. Settled there during this year. He was then unmarried. Boarded at a house near Mortonville, whence he walked over every day to clear his place, on which he died in 1824. His mansion residence is now owned by Reverend Jacob Rodenbaugh.
Wendell Baker bought of Samuel Maclay the George Calhoun tract, still owned by his descendants, in August, and moved into the Valley from York county. Mrs. David H. Kelly and J. T. Baker Esquire, are of his descendants.
John Lowdon settled on the Levi Shoemaker place, near Mifflin- burg, which he called "Silver Spring," removing there from Nor- thumberland point, where he subsequently laid out the present town of Northumberland.
John McClung settled on the place known as "Hard Scrabble," in East Buffalo. In 1807 Matthias Macpherson bought that por- tion of the McClung place, and sold off the lots.
In December occurred the first wedding in the Valley I find any record of. Magdalena, widow of Michael Weyland, to Peter Swartz, senior. The latter then moved upon the place described as containing three hundred acres at Sinking spring-Shikellimy's old town. On the 18th of December, Mrs. Swartz took out letters of administration upon her former husband's estate, the first ever issued in Northum- berland county. Her account was filed 8th September, 1774, in which Peter Swartz joins. It has an item on the debtor side of deer skins, accepted for a debt due the estate from Captain John Brady.
4
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[1773.
Peter Smith, who lived at White Deer Mills, (part of his old stone house still stands, now occupied by Doctor Donowsky,) died this fall. Jesse Lukens had the rightful title, and brought a suit, in 1772, against Peter, marked abated by the death of Smith, in 1773, February. His widow held on the possession, (postea 1785.)
Thomas McKee, the Indian trader, from whom McKees' Half- Falls gets its name, died in April, 1772.
1773
SETTLERS-ROADS-BUFFALO CROSS-ROADS CHURCH-EJECTMENT CASES. "
B ICHARD PENN, acting Lieutenant Governor until July 19. £ After August 30, John Penn, who was confirmed Lieutenant Governor by the King, June 30, was awarded the title of Governor by the Provincial Council.
Member of Assembly, Samuel Hunter ; Presiding Justice, William Plunket ; Prothonotary, William Maclay; Sheriff, William Cooke; Coroner, James Murray ; County Commissioner, Casper Reed.
Officers of Buffalo: Constable, James Boveard; Supervisors, Joseph Green and Martin Trester ; Overseers of the Poor, William Irwin, late of Carlisle, and John Lee.
Settlers during this year : Abel Reese, on the place now owned by John Gundy's heirs, in East Buffalo ; Joseph Sips, on the David Henning place, in Buffalo; Philip Hoy purchased the place in Limestone township, still owned by his descendants ; James Fleming settled on Dale's place, opposite late Thomas Clingan's, erected a cabin, and cleared four or five acres. He sold out to Samuel Dale. See Gray vs. Dale, 4 Yeates, 494, for an account of their dispute about the dividing line.
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1773.]
On the grand jury for May occur the names of William Irwin, John Foster, Peter Swartz, Abel Reese, John Gillespie, William Foster, William Leech, and John Thompson. Leonard Groninger and James Buchanan had a battle, which came before them. Joseph Green became Buchanan's bail.
Christian Van Gundy recommended for license. He kept a tavern at the Strohecker landing, his house standing on Derr's land. Its remains were removed by excavation for the railroad in 1854.
William Irwin, John Kelly, Robert King, Jacob Grozean, (called French Jacob,) and Ludwig Derr were appointed viewers to lay out a road " from the fording between Ludwig Derr's and John Aurand's mill through Buffalo Valley to the Narrows." They never reported, and at May sessions, 1774, Samuel Maclay, William Irwin, Henry Pontius, Christian Storms, and William Gray were appointed in their stead. They reported in February, 1775. William Foster and John Lee (first tavern at Winfield) were recommended for license. Among the viewers to lay out the road from Great Plains to Sunbury were James Potter, John Thompson, Joseph Green, et al. Among the jurors were Thomas Sutherland, William Thompson, Philip Cole, the first inhabitant of Hartleton. He was colonel of the militia regiment of the Valley in 1776, went on a tour of duty to Reading and Philadelphia ; he left the Valley with the " great runaway," 1778, and never returned. Peter Kester succeeded Cole as tenant of Colonel Hartley, who purchased of Cole in 1784. It went by the name of Kester's until Colonel Hartley laid out the town. An indictment was found against Martin and Michael Trester for assault and battery; they were found guilty, and that was all the sessions business of this year.
Buffalo Cross-Roads Presbyterian Church.
According to Mr. Hood's account, this church was organized this year, and James McClenachan and Samuel Allen were its first ruling elders, the former ordained at Derry, now in Dauphin county, the latter at Silver Spring, Cumberland county. Mr. McClenachan was from Hanover township, Dauphin county, and came into the Valley in April, 1773. These gentlemen continued to act as elders to receive supplies until 1781, when the church was broken up in con-
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[1773.
sequence of the country being overrun by the Indians. In 1783 the people returned, and in the same year Mr. McClenachan died, and as Mr. Allen had died while the people were away, it appears the congregation were without elders until the year 1785, when Matthew Laird, who had been an elder at Big Spring, came to reside in the congregation. (Doctor Grier's manuscript sermon.)
Ejectment.
At May term, Adam Christ brought ejectment against William Speddy, tenant in possession of the George Gall tract, now Sup- plee's mill, in East Buffalo. Speddy's possession under his Connec- ticut title did not avail, and he was ousted. Hartley and Burd for Christ ; Stedman and Wilson for Speddy.
Japhet Morton also brought suit vs. Christian Storms, tenant in possession of Captain John Brady's land, now Frederick's, adjoining Mortonsville. Brady held it, and it was in possession of his widow until 1783. The family lost it after her death, and Morton became owner.
I copy, as a curiosity, a deed for a tract of land now owned by David Heinly, in White Deer township, near New Columbia :
" I promise to deliver to Valentine Lees, his heirs or assigns, a convience for fifty aciers of land adjoining Rees' grief and John Cox, and to agine when surveyed to land belonging to Valentine Lees, which warent was entered some time last Spring in My own name, and for the performance I bind myself, my heirs, in the sum of one hundred pounds, if in consequence of the said Lees pein me 5 pound 10 shillings of cash and one pair of lether britches to the valy of one pound 11 shillings. Witness my hand this 26th day of August, 1773.
HAWKINS BOONE.
Witness present : SAMUEL YOUNG.
William McMurray, of Sunbury, made many surveys in the Valley this year. The Leonard Welker, East Buffalo, 11th May; Fred- erick Deel, on Penn's creek, near Centreville bridge ; James Watson, east of Wehr's tavern, on 13th ; Thomas Procter, on Penn's creek, Robert Jewel, Joseph Alston, Samuel Breck, James Barnes, ditto ; Philip Cole tract, McMurray and Grant, &c., in Hartley township.
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1774.]
William Black settled on Black's run, in Kelly township, and was a juror this year.
Extract from a manuscript journal of Richard Miles, (who died in Centre county many years ago, ) April 20, 1773 : "Started for Sha- mokin, in company with James and Enos Miles, Abel Thomas, and John Lewis," (from Radnor, Chester county.) They passed up the river, stopping at Malone's, Huling's, Muncy Hill, Wallis's, Loyal- sock, Lycoming, Pine creek, Great Island, and returned, by way of the Narrows, down through Buffalo Valley, to Tarr's Mill, where they got a horse shod ; thence they went to Huling's, (Milton now ;) thence down the river to the Fort, (Augusta.)
In June a large body of armed men from Connecticut attempted to dispossess the inhabitants of the West Branch. This attempt was successfully resisted by the posse of the neighborhood, only to be renewed in 1774.
1774.
POTTER TOWNSHIP ERECTED-POLITICAL DOCUMENTS-CROSS-ROADS CHURCH TITZELL'S MILL-ENNION WILLIAMS' JOURNAL.
OHN PENN, Governor. Samuel Hunter, Member of Assembly. 4th April, Robert Fruit and Thomas Hewitt sworn as County Commissioners. William Gray elected in October.
Officers of Buffalo : James Young, Constable ; James Park and Michael Hessler, Supervisors, the latter lived where Crotzerville now stands ; Hawkins Boone and John Foster, Overseers. In February, William Wilson, (grandfather of Doctor T. H.,) and Samuel Dale, appear as jurors. Colonel Kelly was foreman in May. John Clarke, William Hutchinson, grand jurors.
At May sessions Potter township was erected out of Penn's, Buf-
[1774.
ANNALS OF BUFFALO VALLEY.
falo, and Bald Eagle. Bounded eastward by a north north-west line from the top of Jack's mountain, by the four-mile tree on Reuben Haines' road, in the Narrows, to the top of Nittany mountain ; thence along the top to the end thereof, at Spring creek, on the old path ; thence south south-east to the top of Tussey's mountain ; thence along the county line, to the top of Jack's mountain, and along the same to the beginning.
To August term one hundred and forty suits were brought. The ninety-ninth was Slough vs. Blythe. Margaret Blythe's title was confirmed. There was also an ejectment brought by Christian Van Gundy vs. Ludwig Derr for the site of Lewisburg.
In May Daniel Christ settled and made the first clearing on the place where C. Sheckler, Esquire, now resides, in West Buffalo. James Anderson was then his neighbor, and had an improvement on the Matthew Irwin place. Anderson left before the runaway of 1778. Irwin took possession after the war. George Books also cleared a part of the Sheckler place.
Political.
The following letter, found among the papers of Captain John Lowdon, discloses the means taken to organize an opposition to the encroachments of the mother country upon the liberties of the Amer- ican people, which culminated in the Revolution and the Declara- tion of Independence, on the 4th of July, 1776 :
PHILADELPHIA, June 28, 1774.
"To William Maclay, William Plunket, and Samuel Hunter, Es- quires, Northumberland :
" GENTLEMEN ; The committee of correspondence for this city beg leave to inclose you printed copies of the resolves passed by a very large and respectable meeting of the freeholders and freemen, in the State House square, on Saturday, the 18th instant ; and by the fourth of these resolves, you will observe that it was left for the committee to determine on the most proper mode of collecting the sense of this Province in the present critical situation of our affairs, and appoint- ing Deputies to attend the proposed Congress. In pursuance of this trust, we have, upon the maturest deliberation, determined upon the mode contained in the following propositions, which we hope may
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1774.]
meet with the approbation and concurrence of your respectable county, viz :
" Ist. That the Speaker of the House of Representatives be desired to write to the several members of Assembly, requesting them to meet in this city as soon as possible, but not later than the Ist of August next, to take into consideration our very alarming situation.
" 2d. That letters be written to proper persons in each county, recommending it to them to get committees appointed for their respective counties, and that the said committees or such number of them as may be thought proper, may meet at Philadelphia at the time the Representatives are convened, in order to consult and advise on the most expedient mode of appointing Deputies for the General Congress, and to give their weight to such as may be appointed.
" The Speaker of the Assembly, in a very obliging and ready manner, has agreed to comply with the request in the former of these propositions ; but we are now informed that, on account of the Indian disturbances, the Governor has found it necessary to call the Assembly to meet in their legislative capacity, on Monday, July 18, being about the same time the Speaker would probably have invited them to a conference or convention in their private capacity.
" What we have, therefore, to request is that, if you approve of the mode expressed in the second proposition, the whole or a part of the committee appointed, or to be appointed, for your county, will meet the committees from the other counties at Philadelphia, on Friday, the 15th day of July, in order to assist in framing instruc- tions, and preparing such matters as may be proper to recommend to our Representatives at their meeting the Monday following.
" We would not offer such an affront to the well-known public spirit of Pennsylvania, as to question your zeal on the present occasion. Our very existence in the rank of freemen, and the security of all that ought to be dear to us, evidently depend upon our conducting this great cause to its proper issue with firmness, wisdom, and unanimity. We cannot, therefore, doubt your ready concurrence in every meas- ure that may be conducive to the public good ; and it is with pleasure that we can assure you that all the Colonies, from South Carolina to New Hampshire, seem animated with one spirit in the common cause, and consider this as the proper crisis for having our dif-
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ference with the mother country brought to some certain issue, and our liberties fixed upon a permanent foundation. This desirable end can only be accomplished by a free communion of sentiments and a sincere, fervent regard to the interests of our common country.
" We beg to be favored with an answer to this, and whether the committee from your county can attend at Philadelphia, at the time proposed.
THOMAS WILLING, Chairman."
On this letter is indorsed, in Joseph Green's handwriting, the fol- lowing: "At a meeting of a number of the principal inhabitants of the township of Buffalo, at Loudowick Derr's, of Saturday, the ninth of July, John Lowdon, Esquire, and Samuel Maclay were chosen as committee-men to meet the other committee-men from the other townships, on Monday, the 11th instant, at Richard Malone's, in order to choose proper persons out of the township committees to go to Philadelphia to the general meeting of the committees chosen by the respective counties of this Province ; and likewise to fix upon some proper way and means to correspond with the other commit- tees of this Province.
" By order of the meeting.
JOSEPH GREEN, Clark."
The committees that met on the 11th, at Richard Malone's, selected William Scull and Samuel Hunter to represent Northumber- land county, at the Provincial meeting, at Philadelphia. This meet- ing convened in Carpenter's Hall, at Philadelphia, on Friday, the 15th day of July : Thomas Willing, chairman, and Charles Thomp- son, secretary. William Scull was of the committee to draft instructions to the Assembly. The resolutions were as follows, (Some passed unanimously, indicated by "U ;" in case of difference of sentiment, the question being determined by the Deputies voting by counties : )
"U. I. That we acknowledge ourselves and the inhabitants of this Province liege subjects of His Majesty King George III, to whom they and we owe and will bear true and faithful allegiance.
" U. 2. That as the idea of an unconstitutional independence of the parent state is utterly abhorrent to our principles, we view the unhappy differences between Great Britain and the Colonies with
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1774.]
the deepest distress and anxiety of mind, as fruitless to her, grievous to us, and destructive of the best interests of both.
" U. 3. That it is, therefore, our ardent desire that our ancient harmony with the mother country should be restored, and a perpetual love and union subsist between us, on the principles of the constitu- tion and an interchange of good offices, without the least infraction of our mutual rights.
" U. 4. That the inhabitants of these Colonies are entitled to the same rights and liberties within these Colonies that the subjects born in England are entitled to within that realm.
"U. 5. That the power assumed by the Parliament of Great Britain, to bind the people of these Colonies, 'by statutes in all cases what- soever,' is unconstitutional, and, therefore, the source of these unhappy differences.
" U. 6. That the act of Parliament for shutting up the port of Boston is unconstitutional; oppressive to the inhabitants of that town ; dangerous to the liberties of the British Colonies ; and, there- fore, that we consider our brethren at Boston as suffering in the common cause of these Colonies.
" U. 7. That the bill for altering the administration of justice, in certain criminal cases, within the Province of Massachusetts Bay, if passed into an act of Parliament, will be as unconstitutional, oppressive, and dangerous as the act above mentioned.
" U. 8. That the bill for changing the constitution of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, established by charter, and enjoyed since the grant of that charter, if passed into an act of Parliament, will be unconstitutional, and dangerous in its consequences to the American Colonies.
" U. 9. That there is an absolute necessity that a Congress of deputies from the several colonies be immediately assembled, to consult together and form a general plan of conduct to be observed by all the Colonies, for the purpose of procuring relief for our suffer- ing brethren, obtaining redress of our grievances, preventing future dissensions, firmly establishing our rights, and restoring harmony between Great Britain and her Colonies on a constitutional founda- tion.
"U. 10. That although a suspension of the commerce of this large trading Province with Great Britain would greatly distress
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multitudes of our industrious inhabitants, yet that sacrifice, and a much greater, we are ready to offer for the preservation of our liber- ties. But in tenderness to the people of Great Britain, as well as of this country, and in hopes that our just remonstrances will at length reach the ears of our gracious Sovereign, and be no longer treated with contempt by any of our fellow-subjects in England, it is our earnest desire that the Congress should first try the gentler mode of stating our grievances, and making a firm and decent claim of redress.
" II. Resolved by a great majority, That yet, notwithstanding, as an unanimity of counsels and measures is indispensably necessary for the common welfare, if the Congress shall judge agreements of non-importation and non-exportation expedient, the people of this Province will join with the other principal and neighboring Colonies in such an association of non-importation from and non-exportation to Great Britain, as shall be agreed on at the Congress.
" 12. Resolved by a majority, That if any proceedings of the Par- liament, of which notice shall be received on this continent, before or at the General Congress, shall render it necessary, in the opinion of that Congress, for the Colonies to take further steps than are men- tioned in the eleventh resolve, in such case the inhabitants of this Province shall adopt such further steps and do all in their power to carry them into execution.
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