USA > Pennsylvania > Armstrong County > Armstrong County, Pennsylvania her people past and present, embracing a history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I > Part 41
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Stewart for $400, the church to build the stone work and furnish all the heavy timbers. as well as the furnishings. The cornerstone was laid in 1847 and the building dedicated in 1850. Many different customs were adopted at times in this church's history. The second charter of 1848 did not permit the women of the congregation to vote, so in 1894 this clause was amended in their favor. In 1851 the custom of renting pews was adopted, and in 1852 a choir of eleven men was elected.
Rev. David Earhart closed his pastorate in 1859 and Rev. Jacob H. Wright was called. After his departure in 1867 the following pastors served here: Revs. Michael Colver, 1867-68; John A. Ernest, 1869; G. F. Ehren- feld, 1870; J. B. Miller, 1871 ; A. S. Miller, 1872-77 ; G. W. Leisher, 1877-85; J. W. Tress- ler, 1886-89; J. E. F. Hassinger, 1899-1903 ; E. F. Dickey, 1903. The present pastor is Rev. Elmer Kahl. Membership, 100; Sunday school, 115.
In 1877, after being in use for thirty years, the old church was razed and a new one, cost- ing $2,217, replaced it, being dedicated in 1879. The building committee was: S. B. Wolf, James Beatty, William Hileman, John Wareham and A. R. Wolf. At the time the burial ground was enlarged and laid out in walks and drives. In the summer of 1901 extensive repairs were made to the church at a cost of $1,000, making it almost new. The women of the congregation are given the credit of these improvements to a great extent. The church is financially strong and the member-
Crooked Creek (St. Paul's) Presbyterian church is located on that stream, not far from the site of the old Robert Walker mill, and its history is lost in the obscurity of the early times. In 1825 Alexander Walker started to construct a meetinghouse, but did not complete it, for in the summer of 1834 Dr. Joseph Painter came through that part of the county and noticed that the structure was simply a wall, and cattle used it for shelter from the winds. He took steps to render it habitable, giving the congregation, which was formed some years previously, half of his time until ship is larger than most country charges. 1838. Then it was supplied by Rev. John Homewood Baptist Church, at Kelly Sta- Kerr until 1840. The pastors following him tion, is under the charge of Rev. J. W. Schu- were Revs. Levi M. Graves, William College, maker, who is in the Clarion Baptist Associa- G. K. Scott and Perrin Baker. Rev. J. P. tion.
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
SCHOOLS
This township furnished several teachers who have attained eminence, and one county superintendent-J. D. Wolf.
The first schoolhouse in this township was that of Henry Girt, not far from Kelly Sta- tion, erected about 1821. Statistics of the schools previous to 1878 can be found in the sketch of Gilpin township.
Number of schools in 1913, 7; average months taught, 7; male teachers, 5; female teachers, 2; average salaries, male, $44; fe- male, $40; male scholars, 114; female schol- ars, 113; average attendance, 125; cost per month, $1.95; tax levied, $1,998.21; received from State, $1,072.86; other sources, $2,- 501.49; value of schoolhouses, $7,000; teach- ers' wages, $2,104; fuel, fees, etc., $1,007.83.
The school directors are: L. P. Dunmire, president ; Dr. Thomas L. Aye, secretary ; S. S. Blyholder, treasurer; W. R. Miller, David Wareham.
POPULATION
ber of acres, 9,357, valued at, $149,895 ; houses and lots, 94, valued at, $16,335, average, $173 .- 77 ; horses, 172, value, $6,655, average, $38.69; cows, 163, value, $2,090, average, $12.20; tax- ables, 345; amount, $8,735; total valuation, $264,399. Money at interest, $68,233.15.
GEOLOGICAL
At the mouth of Kiskiminetas, the slaty cannel coal is separated from the bright bitu- minous bed by from six to eight feet of slate. The cannel stratum averages five feet in thick- ness. The Freeport sandstone beneath forms massive ledges along the railroad. On the east side of the Allegheny the coals are at a much higher level than on Buffalo creek, owing to a local rise in the strata, but there can be no difficulty in identification. A proximate analysis of Dodd's cannel coal by Dr. Alter, developed thirty-four per cent of volatile mat- ter. From twenty-two pounds of the coal he obtained thirty-three ounces of crude oil, a gallon of which yielded one ounce of paraffine, besides coal tar, lighter oils, benzole, etc.
A hill on the Allegheny, a short distance above Kelly Station, is the highest point in
The population of Bethel in 1880 was 871 ; in 1890 it was 788; in 1900, 839; in 1910, 952. In 1913 the assessment returns were: Num- the township, being 1,420 feet above the sea.
CHAPTER XXV MANOR TOWNSHIP
ONE OF THE ORIGINAL "MANORS" OF PENN FAMILY - FIRST SETTLERS - HARDSHIPS - PIONEER PRICES - AN ORIGINAL GENIUS - ROSSTON - MANORVILLE - SCHOOLS - APPLEBY MANOR
CHURCH-POPULATION-GEOLOGICAL
This division of Armstrong county was The name of this township originated from one of the proprietary manors, which was a part of the territory within what are now its boundaries. The word manor is derived from manere, to remain, because, in England, the usual residence of the owner. It was a piece of land generally consisting of several thou- sand acres, owned and held by a lord or some great personage, who occupied as much of it as was needed for the use of his own family, and leased the remainder to tenants for cer- tain rents or services. This is said to have been the origin of copyhold estates, which were those held by copy of the court roll, or a tenure for which the tenant had nothing to show ex- cept the rolls made by the steward of the manor, who was the registrar of the court- relating to tenures and tenancies, was before it. formed in 1849 from the western portion of Kittanning township. The first township elec- tion was held in March, 1850, at which the following officers, were elected: Judge of election, George M. King; inspectors of elec- tion, John Christy and Michael Isaman ; con- stable, Isaac Bouch ; assessor, David McLeod ; justice of the peace, William Copley ; super- visors, George Bouch and John Hileman ; township auditors, Richard Bailey, John Shoop and John Williams; township clerk, A. J. Bailey ; overseers of the poor, Josiah Copley and William Truby ; fence viewers, John Davis and John R. Shoop. The record shows only five school directors to have been then elected. Matthew ( Matthias ) Bowser, John Christy, William Ehinger, Rev. Levi M. Graves and baron, and who held that court when business John Robinson.
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
The charter granted in 1681 by Charles II. four hours. The Duncans and Cobeau mutu- to William Penn vested in the latter and his ally agreed upon a partition of this manor tract, by which the former took 2,367 acres, 130 perches of the upper or northern part, and the latter 2,458 acres of the lower or south- ern part, as mentioned in their quit-claim deeds. The division line between their pur- parts began at a witch-hazel, on the left bank of the Allegheny river, about 200 rods above the mouth of Tubmill run, and extended thence south 52° east 98 perches to a post ; thence south 48° west 69 perches to a post ; thence south 5372° east 245 perches to a white oak; thence north 33° east 9 perches to a post ; thence south 55° east 324 perches to a post, on the line between the manor and the John Biddle tract.
heirs the absolute ownership of all the land in Pennsylvania, with comparatively slight exceptions. From then until July 4, 1776, all titles to that land were derived either from Penn himself or some of his family. Though a manor had not been granted in England since the reign of Edward III., which began in 1327, the surveyor general under the Penns surveyed to them forty-four manors in the eastern, western and other parts of Pennsyl- vania, aggregating 421,015 acres, 82 perches. One of them was "The Manor of Kittanning," which was surveyed, March 28, 1769, on a warrant dated February 23d next preceding. Its boundaries, as given in certain quit-claim deeds and releases, were: "Beginning at a
The quit-claim deeds or releases of the black oak on the east or southeast side of the Duncans to Cobeau, and of the latter to them, Allegheny river, which was about 125 rods below the mouth of Garrett's run, and running thence by land surveyed to Rebecca Smith, south 72° east 391 perches to a 'Lynn' (linden tree) ; thence extending by hilly poor land south 18° west 977 perches to a white oak; thence by vacant land south 45° west 500 perches to a white oak; thence extending by hilly poor land north 35° west 560 perches to a birch at the side of Crooked creek, at the first bend above, its mouth; thence down said creek, the several courses and distances thereof about 170 perches to a hickory at the side of said river; and thence up the said river the several courses thereof, crossing the mouth of said creek, 969 perches to the place of begin- ning, containing 3,960 acres, and allowance of six per cent for roads, but, according to later surveys, 4,887 acres and 86 perches." are respectively dated the 11th and 12th July, 1805, in which the land thus divided is still mentioned as "The Kittanning Manor." Cobeau conveyed 681 acres, 151 perches in the southwestern portion of his purpart to Samuel Cochran, by deed April 25, 1807, for $4,086, in which it is mentioned as a tract of land situate in "the Manor of Appleby," this being the first instance in which that name occurs in the old records. "The Kittanning" is an expression almost invariably used in the old records and documents, and it must have included a much longer stretch of territory along the left bank of the Allegheny river than was included in the extent of the site of the old Indian town destroyed by General Armstrong. The idea that the borough of Kittanning is located on this manor is erron- eous, for the borough is a mile or more north of the manor's northern limit.
Neither records nor the oldest inhabitants solve the question why, by whom and just when the name of this manor was changed to "Appleby."
John Penn, of Stoke Pogis, and Richard Penn, of Queen Anne street west, in the parish of Marylebone, in the County of Middlesex, England, by John Reynal Coates, of Phila- delphia, their attorney in fact, conveyed this entire manor to Frederick Beates, of the last- mentioned place, by deed dated June 26, 1804, in which it is mentioned as "all that tract of
Kittanning Manor,'" for the sum of $6,400. Beates, by his deed, dated the next day there- after, conveyed "the undivided moiety or half of the Kittanning manor" to Thomas and Rob- ert Duncan for $8,000, and the other undivided moiety to Alexander Cobeau for an equal sum, a gain of $9,600 in the brief space of twenty-
The Duncan portion of the manor remained undivided about eighteen years after the death of Robert Duncan. By his will, dated April 5 and registered May 2, 1807, he directed that the residue of his real and personal estate, after paying his debts, should be divided into fifteen parts, nine of which he devised and bequeathed to his wife, Ellen Duncan, and six to his daughter Mary.
Thomas Duncan's part was sold to John Christy, Moses Patterson, John R. Johnston, land called and known by the name of 'The William Ehinger, Rev. Gabriel Reichert, Mary and Eliza Sibbett, David McLeod and John McGraw. Ellen and Mary Duncan sold their parts to John Mechling, Daniel Torney, John Houser, Jacob and Joseph Hileman, and Jacob Wolf. The Cobeau portion of the manor was sold to the late Judge Ross and Jonathan Smith of Philadelphia, who later divided it
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
into smaller tracts and sold it to various par- ties.
FIRST SETTLERS
One of the earliest settlers in the upper part of the manor, in fact in this region, was Jere- miah Cook, Sr., who emigrated from Virginia, having moved up to Crooked creek in 1769. He was the father of Conrad, George and Jeremiah Cook, whose names are on the as- sessment list of Allegheny township for 1805, within whose limits the manor tract was then included. Others were James Barr, one of the associate judges of this county, James Clay- poole, John Monroe, Joel Monroe, Jonathan Mason and Parker Truitt. John Mason vol- unteered in Captain Alexander's company, and was killed by a bombshell. What induced Claypoole, and probably the others, to settle here was their impression that the manor bot- tom would be divided into tracts of about 100 acres each, and sold at moderate prices. But when the Duncans became the owners they determined not to sell in small tracts. Barr and Claypoole purchased elsewhere. Some of the others remained as renters.
Among the first, if not the very first, white settlers on the southern part of the Manor were William Green and his sons James, John and Samuel, who emigrated from Fay- ette county, in the spring of 1787, and took up their abode above the mouth of Crooked creek, on what is now the site of Rosston. They brought with them a quantity of cornmeal, which, for want of shelter, became wet and was spoiled. The nearest points of supply were Pittsburgh and Brownsville, and as food was very scarce, they lived for about six months on milk, venison and ground-nuts. They boiled the ground-nuts in milk, which imparted to them a taste somewhat like that of potatoes. John Green said that he and the rest of them became quite weak on that kind of food, so much so that it required two of them to carry a rail. Deer were caught by means of a large steel trap set in a deerlick, with a chain to which three prongs were at- tached, which left their marks on the ground, whereby the deer were traced and captured.
Wolves, bears and deer were numerous. Samuel Green, Sr., killed a very large bear with a club. He shot and killed a panther on Green's, now Ross' island, which is said to have been the largest one ever killed in this county. It measured eleven feet from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail.
The pioneer settlers here experienced the
want of a mill for grinding corn and other grain. For a few years they used handmills for that purpose. In 1789, or the next year, William Green erected a small tubmill, about sixty rods from the river, at a short turn on the stream still called Tubmill run. The fore- bay was constructed from the trunk of either a gum or sycamore tree, and a pair of small millstones, from material near the run, which were moved by the stream that flowed through the millrace and forebay falling on fans at- tached to the shaft. That was the only mill for grinding grain in this region, until Alex- ander Walker's mill in Bethel township was erected.
William Green and his sons removed, prior to 1804, to the west side of the river, and Judge Ross became thereafter the first perma- nent white settler in this southwestern por- tion of the Manor, as he is first assessed in Kittanning township in 1808. He and his family occupied for a while one of the cabins near Fort Green. In the course of a few years he built the stone house now owned and oc- cupied by Margaret, the widow of his son, Washington Ross, which was the first one of that material erected in this region, on the east side of the Allegheny river, except the one in Kittanning borough. He was then assessed with 100 acres, valued at $4 per acre. He was first assessed with a gristmill and saw- mill in 1820, so that they were probably erected in 1819. They were situated on the right bank of the Crooked creek, about 200 rods above its mouth. In the former were two runs of stone. Grists were brought to it at times from a distance of from twenty to thirty miles. It is said that this portion of the Manor tract was once called "Egypt," on account of the abundant quantity of grain which it yielded.
Lieut. Samuel Murphy related in his life- time that a man by the name of McFarland had a store about fifty rods below Fort Run, between 1787 and 1790, and carried on a con- siderable trade with the Indians, with whom he was apparently on friendly terms. They finally captured and took him to Detroit. Mc- Farland was a brother-in-law of General An- drew Lewis, of Virginia.
Among the white settlers near the mouth of Garrett's run, in the latter part of the eighteenth and the early part of the nine- teenth century, was James Henry. Jeremiah Lochery, a singular and somewhat noted char- acter in those times, lived with him. Lochery was reputed to have accompanied General Armstrong in his expedition to Kittanning, and
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
to have been wounded in one of Capt. Sam Alexander Hileman, is still manufacturing Brady's raids. grain cradles in Manorville.
AN INDIAN TRADER
The original tracts outside of the Manor appear to have been unoccupied for many years after they were surveyed, except by those who seated them and a few others who were transient residents. Patrick Daugherty, however, settled on the northwestern part of the Davison tract, a short distance below where the rolling mill now is, and above the small run, in 1790, where he resided twenty-two years, during a part of which period he traded with the Indians and others, and transported freight to and from Pittsburgh in a canoe cap- able of carrying twelve barrels of flour, ac- cording to the statement of one of his de- scendants.
His accounts were kept in pounds, shillings and pence, in Pennsylvania German, probably by his wife, who was a daughter of the elder Jeremiah Cook, elsewhere mentioned. It ap- pears from the entries that Daugherty was trading there as early as October, 1793. On the fourth day of that month, Stephen Allen was charged with sundry quantities of cherry, walnut and poplar boards, and about the same time Gollit and Himmig were also charged with divers quantities of the same materials. Those parties, perhaps, resided in Pittsburgh, whither Daugherty transported these articles in his large canoe. The reader may be curious to know the prices which those kinds of lumber then brought. The following items are there- fore given: 450 feet cherry boards, fI 10s. 6d. ; 400 feet walnut boards, 16s. ; 700 feet pop- lar boards £2 5s. 6d. The price of liquors, probably whisky, appears to have been two a ferry between his place and Sloan's on the ferriage for one person was sixpence, and the same for one horse.
AN EARLY GRAIN CRADLE MANUFACTURER
One of the earliest small industries of the Manor was the manufacture of grain cradles by Thomas Montgomery, who began business shingle nail and a fire poker. His first cradle was in use for several years and was quite a success. This induced him to make others and he soon became a manufacturer. He contin- ued the work until his death, having built up a fine business. One of his former workmen,
ROSSTON
This village was laid out in 1854 by Wash- ington Ross, who soon thereafter built a saw- mill. His home, a neat stone structure, was the first of that kind in the Manor and still remains the home of his descendants.
The first postmaster here in 1858 was Thomas McConnell. The first storekeeper was John C. Christy. The village is at pres- ent perhaps even smaller than in the begin- ning, as it has only one store and no industries. The present storekeeper and postmaster is Lewis P. Rearich.
MANORVILLE
John Sibbett in 1854 laid out the town of Manorville, which lies between Kittanning and Ford City. It was incorporated as a borough in 1866.
The following borough officers were elected at the first borough election: Burgess, Joseph M. Kelley; town council, Jesse Butler, Cal- vin Russell, David Spencer, Peter F. Titus and Samuel Spencer; justices of the peace, John McIlvaine and A. Briney ; school direc- tors, for three years, David Spencer and Dietrich Stoelzing; school directors, for two years, A. Rhoades and M. A. Lambing ; school directors, for one year, R. C. Russell and Jesse Butler ; high constable, Jonas M. Briney ; bor- ough auditors, Robert McKean, Milton McCormick and W. M. Patterson; judge of election, Joseph M. Kelley ; inspectors of elec- tion, William Copley and H. M. Lambing ; assessor, David Spencer; overseers of the shillings a quart in 1799. Daugherty also kept poor, James Kilgore and George W. Shoop.
opposite side of the Allegheny river. The was William Shearer, who established a tan-
The first resident in this part of the Manor nery in 1803. He was a resident here until 1807. The Lambing brothers settled here in 1830, engaging in milling and other occupa- tions. One of their descendants, Father A. A. Lambing, is a Catholic priest of high repu- tation as an historian and man of letters, and now resides at Wilkinsburg, near Pittsburgh.
at the age of twelve with a drawing-knife, a brick here in 1847, the business being carried
Josiah Copley began the manufacture of fire- on after his death by his sons. Andrew Arnold had the largest tannery in the county here in 1878. This industry was started by him in 1850.
An oil refinery was operated here from 1861 to 1875 by various firms. The founder
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY. PENNSYLVANIA
was J. C. Crumpton and the last owner was the Standard Oil Company.
The first storekeeper was Henry J. Arnold, of the trolley lines through Kittanning, and in 1855. The present ones are Lesser & Baker, E. M. Shaul, and Charles Bovard.
The Manorville post office was established in 1862, James Cunningham holding the of- fice for twenty years. Miss Mollie Shearer is the present one. Dr. James G. Allison is the resident physician.
The Lutherans secured a foothold first here or two before the adoption of the common when Rev. G. W. Leisher canvassed the town in 1878 and succeeded in organizing the Man- orville Evangelical Lutheran Church. F. S. Shoop and William Truby were elected elders, and Alex. Hileman and G. W. Crytzer, dea- cons. The members were: Alex. Hileman, one-story dwelling, converted into a school- Laura Hileman, John Wolf, Sarah Wolf, Wil- liam Truby, Christina Truby, W. S. Heffel- finger, Catherine Heffelfinger, Levi Crawford, Sarah Crawford, Kate R. Leisher, Elizabeth Shoop, Mary McClarren, Nancy A. Schall, Christina Marks, Elizabeth Truby, John A. H. Crytzer, Margaret Crytzer, F. S. Shoop, Re- becca A. Shoop, John A. Fry, Lucinda Fry, George W. Crytzer, Turnie Neal, Ella Neal, Caroline Otto, Susannah Truby, Amelia Euchler, Susannah Mansfield. house, on the lower side of the Leechburg road, near its intersection with the river road. In 1853 a frame schoolhouse was erected by the school board of Manor town- ship, at the head of School or Butler street, near the hill, which was several years after- ward moved from its base by a landslide. The next school building was a substantial frame, with a cupola and bell, erected by the board in 1862. The present schoolhouse is brick. The first annual report of Manorville was
The first services were held in the Manor- for the school year ending June 1, 1868, for ville school and also at other times in the No. which year the statistics are:
9 schoolhouse, north of there. In 1882 the present church building was erected at a cost of $1,659. It was dedicated in 1884.
The pastors have been: Revs. G. W. Leisher, 1878-85; J. W. Tressler, 1886-99; Franklin J. Matter, 1900-10; and the present pastor, Rev. J. G. Langham. Membership, 100; Sunday school, 200. The title of the church has been changed to Grace Evangelical Lutheran, since the date of organization.
The Methodist Episcopal Church here is under the charge of Rev. Samuel M. Cousins.
The Phoenix Firebrick Works were estab- lished in 1880 by Isaac Reese, who was the inventor of the first silica firebrick, for fur- nace linings, in the United States. He ob- tained a patent on the process and amassed a fortune from the business. The average daily production was 8,000 bricks per day. The plant was sold in 1905 to the Harbison-Walker Company, of Pittsburgh. They found it un- remunerative to operate the works, owing to the cost of shipping the clays used in the process from Brookville and other points, so they shortly thereafter dismantled the works and moved the machinery to Templeton.
Here also are the shops and power house of the West Penn Electric Company, operators who now supply that city with light and power.
SCHOOLS OF MANORVILLE
The first school in what are now the limits of Manorville was opened in a log dwelling house, built by James Kilgore, probably a year school system. That house was situated be- tween the railroad and the hill, a few rods below the brickyard. It was a pay or sub- scription school, taught by William Stewart. The next one, nearest to Manorville, was a
School, 1; number months taught, 5; male teacher, I; salary per month, $50; male scholars, 40; female scholars, 39; average number attending school, 49; cost per month, cach, 77 13/100 cents ; levied for school pur- poses, $315.18; levied for building purposes, $121.22; received from collector, etc., $355; from State appropriation, $21.08; cost of in- struction, $250; fuel and contingencies, $54.94; repairs, $4.82.
Statistics for 1875 are here given : School, I; number months taught, 5; male teacher, I ; salary per month, $50; male scholars, 37; fe- male scholars, 28; average number attending school, 51 ; cost each, per month, 92 cents ; tax levied for school and building purposes, $339.99; received from taxes, etc., $430.78; from State appropriation, $38.69; teacher's wages, $250; fuel, collector's fees, $86.98.
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