Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 163

Author: Stocker, Rhamanthus Menville, 1848-
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : R. T. Peck
Number of Pages: 1318

USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania > Part 163

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"The settlers had many sore trials to pass through, -poor roads, poor houses, a want of buildings to store what little they did raise, and a want of many things they had been used to having before they

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

came here; but, with all their trials, there was some real enjoyment.

"On the 6th of July, 1814, about 5 P.M., there came up a thunder shower, accompanied with a hurricane," says Mr. M. Dimmick, "which leveled almost every- thing before it for five or six miles in length and about a half-mile in breadth, commencing on the north side of Elk Mountain and reaching to Moosic Mountain. It unroofed buildings and tore down others, and opened a new world in appearance."

The year 1816 was marked here, as elsewhere, by the peculiarity of its seasons. "The most of January and the whole of February was like what our weather generally is in September-the ground dry and dusty, and the atmosphere warm and pleasant as summer. This was followed by a cold, sickly spring and summer. Many died of 'inflammation of the lungs.' It snowed in June."

Eber Dimmick, the second son of Captain Edward Dimmick, lived on part of the homestead. He was the father of sons named Minor M., Walter T., Ed- ward V., Orville and Eber. Joshua T., the third son, married Rhoda Carpenter, and reared George M., a minister in Minnesota, and another son, Love- joy. The fourth son, Shubael, was the father of Dr. Anthony Dimmick. Edward, the youngest son, moved to Wyoming County, where he still lives. The daughters married,-Abigail F., Zenas Carpen- ter; Esther, John J. Williams; and Eunice, Eli Nichols. The latter came from Fairfield County, Conn., in 1812, and settled on the farm later occupied by his son-in-law, Samuel Burritt, who was married to his daugliter Amanda. Another child was Ira Nichols, for many years a prominent business man at Herrick Centre. In 1816 Eli Nichols gave the people of the township a number of books to form a library for general circulation, whichi was kept some time at the house of Stephen Ellis, He died in 1824.

Jolın J. Williams came from Scituate, R. I., in 1816. He was a lineal descendant of Roger Wil- liams. For a few years he followed his occupation as a shoemaker, but in 1823 married and settled on the Mortimer Williams place, where he died March 25, 1848, aged fifty-three years. Mrs. Williams died in 1879, aged seventy-six years. Their children were Mortimer, living on the homestead; Dimmick, Henry L., Edgar, Harry L. and John J., of Schuylkill County ; Benjamin F., a minister ; Emeline married D. K. Oakley ; Gulielma married John F. Stewart.

Several sisters of John J. Williams came with him, and were married,-Abigail to Pardon Churchill, and Bathsheba to Williams Churchill. The latter came to Wayne County from Massachusetts in 1816, and for three years followed the occupation of a clothier in that county. In 1819 he came to Herrick, and commenced clearing up a farm on the ridge between the Lackawanna and the outlet of Low Lake. On the latter stream he built a pioneer saw-mill, getting his mill-irons from the settlement where Scranton now

is. He was an active Methodist, and sustained the reputation of a local preacher many years. He died on the homestead in 1877, aged eighty-two years, and he aud other members of the family are buried in the family burial-ground on the old farm. His children were Abraham, living at Lenoxville; Joshua W., of Clark's Green ; Elisha died at Tunkhannock; James died at Scranton ; Charles living at Susquehanna ; Silas O. living on the homestead ; Mary married John C. Higgins; Susan, Homer Davidson; Abbie, Alvin Chandler ; Emeline, Israel Rounds.

The latter was a son of Arba Rounds, who came from Rhode Island and settled first in Jackson, but died on the Curtis farm in 1866, aged eighty-seven years. He had reared a large family, the sons being Nathan, Alva, Levi, Israel, Zenas and Hubbell. Of his married daughters, Laura was the wife of Edward Dimmick, Jr .; Lydia, of Lucius Curtis; Mary, of P. H. Stanton ; and Eliza, of Mortimer Williams.

A number of other settlers came in earlier, in 1810, among them being Abijah Hubbell, Hezekiah Buckingham, Blackleach Burritt and Henry W. Cur- tis, from Connecticut. The latter located on the flat lands, below Uniondale, and was the father of Enoch and James Curtis. The former died at Herrick Centre, the latter on the homestead, which is now owned by his son, Isaac T. Daughters were married into the Hubbell and Coleman families. Hezekiah Buckingham lived in the same neighborhood, but re- turned to Connecticut in the course of a few years.

"Blackleach Burritt settled first on the Flat, near M. Dimmick, but afterwards moved to the Willkes- Barre turnpike, below Stephen Ellis, in Clifford, where he died. His widow died in the fall of 1869, aged ninety-one. His sons were Grandison (now in Wisconsin), Samuel, Rufus and Eli. One other died young, and Rufus, at two years of age, was drowned in the creek during the fall of 1813. Of the sons of Samuel Burritt, Loren P. has represented this county in the State Legislature two years, and Ira N. was private secretary to President Grant to sign land patents." 1

Philip I. Stewart came about the same time, 1809, or '10, and bought a tract of land from John Kent, upon which he built a house where he kept tavern, in 1816. Two years later he moved to Clifford townshlp, where he lived many years.

In 1810 Stephen Ellis and his family came from Connecticut and bought a tract of land on the lower part of Lyon Street, west from Uniondale. He was a Revolutionary soldier and a pensioner. He died November, 1847, aged eighty-four years. His. son, Captain Huntington H., died on this farm in 1828; Stephen, another son, became a Presbyterian clergy- man ; and Jonathan T. was a business man at Union- dale.

David N. Lewis came from the Wyoming Valley

1 Miss Blackman.

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in 1810, and purchased four hundred acres of land at and north of Uniondale, including Lewis Lake. His only child married Joseph Sherwood, of Wayne County. A half of the above tract of land was sold to James Lewis, a nephew, who lived on the hill north of the mills, and was the father of Horace H. Lewis, of Uniondale.

James Giddings, a retired sea captain, came from Connecticut in 1811 and purchased a farm north of Walter Lyon and south of Asa Dimock. Of his thirteen children, twelve became adults, namely: Andrew, who lived on Elk Mountain, where his son, Charles A., now resides ; Charles became a Methodist minister ; Giles A. went to Texas in 1835 and died in 1836 from wounds received at the battle of San Jacinto ; James D., a lawyer, moved to Texas in 1838, where he accumulated a large fortune; George H. became a mail contractor in the West ; John J., also a mail contractor, was killed by the Indians on the plains in 1861; Francis M., a doctor, was killed in Mexico; Clinton D., living in Texas; Sarah became the wife of John Lyon, of Herrick; Louisa married Spencer Watrous, of Bridgewater ; and Maria A. be- came the wife of Walter Lyon, Jr., and is still living with her son, James Walter Lyon, at Guelph, Canada.

On the Clifford township line, south of Uniondale, Ezra Carpenter settled seventy years ago, owning a tract of four hundred acres of land. He came from Harford and remained here until his death, in 1821, leaving a family of ten children-sons named Ezra, Daniel, Zenas, Shepherd and Artemas, the latter still living in the township. The daughters were Mary, married Enoch Curtis; Eliza, wife of John Westgate ; Rhoda, wife of J. T. Dimmick ; Tryphena married Thomas Comstock; and Tryphosa. Ezra Carpenter married Happy Burdick, and died February 15, 1887, in his eighty-sixth year. He was the father of Elijah, Alva, Russell, Stephen, Zora and Warren Carpenter.

In the northeastern part of the township James Dunn was an early land-owner, and the descendants made substantial improvements. There were sons named Battus, John, Joseph, Peter and James I. The former was the father of Alexander, Zaccheus K. and Robert H. Dunn. Later settlers in this locality were George W. and Erastus B. Barnes, sons of Ezekiel Barnes, of Gibson. In the western part of Herrick Dr. Erastus Day was an important man in his time. He reared a large family-the sons being Alanson, Sela, Erastus and Thomas M. This farm is now the home of Benjamin Reynolds, a Welshman, and others of that nationality occupy the farms of pioneers already named,-John Thomas (father of John W. W. and Frank Thomas) locating on the Benjamin Watrous farm; W. E. Jones on the Asa Dimock place; and R. Davis, Thomas Owens and Owen Owens on farms nearer Elk Mountain. The Welsh have made very desirable citizens and are be- coming more numerous in the township.

TAXABLES OF 1826 .- Daniel Avery, Charles Bonner, Jeremiah Beard, Timothy Beard, Orey Burns, Roswell Burns, Stephen Brush, Amos Bo- nan, John Blow, James Barham, Samuel Benjamin, Ellsworth Benja- min, Shuhael Baldwin, Roswell Barnes, Williams Churchill, Seril Church- ill, Sylvenus Camphell, Nathaniel Campbell, Enoch Curtis, James Curtis James Coleman, Benjamin Coleman, Ezra Carpenter, John Doyle, Justus L. Doyle, Warren Dimock, James Dunn, Edward Dimmick, Edward Dimmick, Jr., Eber Dimmick, Martial Dimmick, John T. Dimmick, Erastus Day, Stephen Ellis, James Giddings, Elisha Harding, Wheeler Hardman, Carlton Kent, Wheeler Lyon, Jacob Lyon, Walter Lyon, John Lyon, Henry Lyon, David N. Lewis, John Munford, Lillibridge Munford, Jerry Munford, William Miller, Eunice Nichols, Robert H. Newton, John S. Niles, Oliver Oshorne, Daniel Ogden, Benjamin Ogden, Asa Parker, Arha Rounds, Almon Spoor, Chester Scarborough, Timothy J. Symons, John Snyder, John Snow, Simeon Taylor, Philip Truax, Cy- rus Tucker, Mercy Tyler, Jabez Tyler, Andrew Watt, Ezra Walter, John Williams, Gershom Williams, A. Woodruff, Chancey Woodruff, P. Whit- ney, Edmund Worth, Mary West, W. B. Walker, James Waterman.

THE BUSINESS INTERESTS of Herrick have been limited to a few occupations, and such as are general in almost all parts of the county. The country was heavily timbered, and the work of converting the woods into lumber gave employment to a large force of men many years. On the Tunkhannock Carlton Kent and Asa Dimock had pioneer saw-mills, the former being last owned by Owen Davis. This mill has gone down, as has also the one owned by Luke Bradley. On the outlet of Low Lake, Silas Churchill, the Campbells, John M. Meyers and Israel Meyers owned a mill-power which is still employed for sawing purposes. Higher up the stream Alvin Chandler had a small feed-mill, which is now owned by Samuel Clark. Nearer the lake a circular saw-mill, operated by steam, was built by Hathaway & Putnam in 1883, and is still carried on by them. On the East Branch of the Lackawanna, Z. K. Dunn has had a circular saw-mill in operation more than thirty years.

Near by was another mill, operated by Israel Meyers, which was removed to Virginia in Novem- ber, 1886. It was built in 1880, and the power was steam. Lower down the stream Fred. James built a mill, in 1860, which is still operated by him. Here was formerly a steam grist-mill, by George Fowler, which has been moved to Carbondale: Below the turnpike, on this stream, Ira Nichols built a water- power saw-mill, which is now carried on by Albert Corey. On the West Branch of the Lackawanna Frank Clark had a water-power mill as early as 1857, which, in a rebuilt condition, is now carried on by Elijah Howell. On the stream west, a mill built by Aaron Reynolds has been abandoned.

The Forest Creamery was built by M. D. Wimple. two miles northwest from Uniondale, in 1880, at a cost of two thousand dollars. It was supplied with apparatus for making butter and cheese, and was operated by Wimple until 1886. That year the farmers of the neighborhood combined, and carried on the creamery, with Mr. Wimple as manager. The milk of five hundred cows was consumed.

Dimock's Corners, in the northwestern part of the township, at the crossing of the Newburg and Wilkes-Barre turnpikes, was for many years one of the best-known places in the county ; and the taverns

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

in this neighborhood, both on the turnpikes and the old " Brace " road, had a large patronage for the ac- commodations they offered. Other branches of busi- ness were carried on at the Corners, but it never be- came a hamlet, and lost its importance after 1845, being thereafter only farm property. Abel Kent was a "taverner" as early as 1798, on the farm now owned by J. Thomas. He died in 1806. His brother John then kept a public-house on the old road until 1812, when lie built and removed to a tavern at the junction of the two turnpikes. In 1813 a road was laid out from Gideon Kent's to A. Gregory's. About this time, possibly a year or two earlier, William Tan- ner kept a tavern on the turnpike near the western line of the present township. A year or two later, Dr. Erastus Day succeeded him, and became quite a prominent man in the vicinity. A tavern was kept sonie time by A. Hubbell Gregory on their farm, near Dart's Corners, but was not continued long after 1818. The tavern at Dimock's Corners was kept, in 1816, by Philip I. Stewart, and, in 1817, by Eber Dimmick, who built the last tavern-stand. Warren Dimock became the landlord in 1825, and remained until 1843, after which Shubael Dimock kept the house a short time, when it was given up for farm purposes. Stores were kept in a small way at different periods, by A. Gregory, Alanson Read and Shubael Dimock. Mechanic-shops were also carried on, but not long continued.

The post-office at Dimock's Corners was established with the name of Dimockville January 31, 1826, and Warren Dimock was the postmaster. The subsequent appointees were as follows : February 10, 1829, Orrey Burns ; May 11, 1831, Shubael Dimock; May 25, 1832, Erastus Day; March 30, 1840, Alanson Read ; March 16, 1843, Warren Dimock; March 18, 1844, Shubael Dimock ; July 22, 1845, Walter W. Dimock. Discontinued June 3, 1846.

Herrick Centre is a village of a few hundred in- habitants, on [the Lackawanna, where the Newburg turnpike crosses that stream. Its position is central from north to south, but it is within a few miles of the Wayne County line. There is a good station on the Jefferson Branch Railway, this place being an im- portant shipping point for a large scope of country in Wayne County. The village has a Methodist Church, a Baptist meeting-house now building, two hotels, three stores and a large tannery. The latter industry has given the place existence and growth as a village. It was commenced in 1854 by G. L. Morse and Ira Nichols, but was not completed until 1856. Originally the building was one hundred and fifty feet long, and there were sixty-eight vats. Subsequently one hun- dred feet were added, and later fifty feet more, making the main building three hundred by forty feet, and containing one hundred and sixty-eight vats. The leach house is twenty-two by one hundred and fifty- eight feet, and there are bark-sheds for storing five hundred cords of bark. The motive-power is steam, a

forty-five horse-power engine being employed. Sole- leather only is tanned, the acid process being used. On an average thirty thousand sides per year were tanned, and thirty-five men were employed in the different departments of the work. In late years the business has declined, and work will be suspended within a year.

There are connected with the tannery plant twenty- two houses, shops and a store, the whole having at one time been a valuable property. The work of tanning was commenced in 1857 by the firm of Morse, Nichols, Alden & Emmons. In 1859 the firm was constituted of Morse, Nichols & Co. (Alden), and so continued until November, 1874. At this time Henry Alden, L. H. Alden and R. P. Patterson formed a new firm-Alden & Patterson-and carried on business until 1879, when Henry Alden retired, leaving the firm with the same name. The remaining two mem- bers have successfully carried on the business until the disadvantages of location have made it un- profitable.

The first merchandising was done by the tannery company, and a good store has since been carried on by the various firms. In this building is kept the Herrick Centre Post-office, which was established March 16, 1852, with Asa W. Dimock as postmaster. The office was discontinued April 13, 1857, but was re-established April 19, 1871, with Ira Nichols as postmaster. He was succeeded, January 24, 1876, by Henry J. Alden, and he, in turn, by Roswell P. Pat- terson, July 29, 1878, who is the present incumbent. The third store in the place was opened by M. J. Van Horn, who continues in trade. In 1879 G. W. Entrott put up the fourth store building, which was occupied for trading purposes by Leach & Barnes, succeeded by George Fowler and the present Osmer Fletcher. Since the fall of 1886 G. S. Tingley and D. B. Lumley have transacted a coal and lumber business. The second store in the place was opened by Charles C. Spencer, in part of the Flynn Hotel. Lucius S. Cur- tis also traded there a short time. M. H. Davis and N. A. Walker also merchandised in the village for brief periods in a building which has become a private house.

The first place of a business nature at what is now Herrick Centre was the public-house of Silvanus Mott, a son of Ithamar Mott, of New Milford. In the last days of the Newburg turnpike, relays of stage-horses were kept here and the hotel was a stage- office. Mrs. Mott was a later keeper, and, in time, John M. Myers succeeded to the hotel. He tore down the old house, which stood opposite the present Her- rick Centre hotel, built and kept this house many years. This hotel is now kept by G. W. Entrott. After the Mott hotel was sold, some years after the mysterious disappearance of Mr. Mott, Alanson Tilden and Mrs. Mott opened a new hotel on the " Flat," which they kept many years. It was a popular place, famous for its good dinners, Mrs.

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Mott having the reputation of being the best cook in the county. George W. Potter succeeded to the ownership of this house, keeping it until lie was killed by the cars at Susquehanna. A part of the popular Flynn Hotel was built by G. W. Entrott, in 1881, and was completed by the present proprietor, P. H. Flynn, who became the owner in 1882. It is a commodious country inn, having eighteen rooms. A Dr. Bates is remembered as a practitioner of medicine at this place, years ago. Other doctors have been Doctors G. A. Fiske, Simon Hubler, and the present, A. L. Craft.

THE LYON STREET M. E. CHURCH .- Among the first settlers of this part of the township were persons who adhered to the faith of Methodism, and a class was formed in the Kent settlement in 1810. After a few years it ceased to exist and there appears to have been no organized body of that sect, until the society was formed by the Rev. V. M. Coryell, about 1830, which was the beginning of the above church. The members belonged to the Lyon, Kent and Giddings families, and the meetings were held in the school- houses in this section until 1853, when the Lyon Street Church was built, and placed in care of the trustees of Dundaff Circuit, to which the church be- longed at that time. Since 1884 it has been a part of Uniondale Circuit, and prior to that time it belonged to Herrick Circuit. The church was built mainly through the efforts of Walter Lyon and his sons,- Wheeler, John and Walter,-Carlton Kent and An- drew Giddings, and though plain, was neat, and has been kept in a fair state of repair. In the last few years it has been but little used, as the membership here has become very small. In 1859, when the class was set off to Ararat Circuit, the members were Elisha Churchill, leader; Sarah Churchill, Eliza Ellis, Wheeler Lyon, Carlton Kent, Orpha Harding, Betsey Harding, Abel Kent, Maretta Kent, John Craft, Catherine Craft, Eugene Lyon, Antoinette Lyon, Lucinda Avery, Daniel A. Moon, Jane Moon, Margaret Stewart and Margaret Giddings. At a later period the members were yet more numerous, and some of them aided to constitute

THE HERRICK M. E. CHURCH, at Herrick Centre. A class was formed in this part of the township, soon after the one at Lyon Street, but had a more perman- ent existence after the establishment of Herrick Circuit, in 1870. In 1871 a parsonage for this cir- cuit was built at the Centre, and the erection of the church building followed eight years later. It was put up by a building committee composed of Dr. Simeon Hubler, James A. Munyon and S. O. Churchill. The edifice is attractive in appearance, thirty by fifty feet in size, and the interior is finished with hard woods. The church and parsonage are valued at two thousand five hundred dollars, and the property is controlled by a board of trustees which was incorporated April 7, 1872. These trustees were, in 1887, D. R. Lumley, Z. K. Dunn, George : church reported its highest number of members-

McGonigal, James Rogers and S. O. Churchill. At this time the members numbered twenty, forming one class, of which A. C. Dunn was the leader until his death, March 30, 1887. There have been con- nected with the church as local preachers, the Revs. Williams Churchill, Alexander Dunn and James Rogers.

At Herrick Centre a Baptist congregation was organized in August, 1880, with about twenty mem- bers, Henry Simpson and Albert Peck being chosen deacons. John Kegler at present serves in that capacity. In the fall of 1880 a meeting-house was begun and the frame-work raised. Since that time but little has been done towards its completion, and the organization of the church is nominal only. Elders G. D. Nash and E. O. Stearns have preached for this people, but lately meetings have not been regularly held. The school-house has been occupied as a place of worship.

THE LYON STREET FREE-WILL BAPTIST CHURCH was built in 1852, and for several years was the place of public worship of a number of people residing in this part of the township. Changes of population and other causes have made it impossible to maintain regular services, and for many years the house has been only occasionally used to hold Free-Will Baptist meetings. It has been frequently occupied to hold funeral services, and ministers of other denomina- tions sometimes preach here. Among the early members, were some who had formerly been con- nected with the regular Baptist Church, after it was disbanded in 1851, and members of the Harding and Bunnell families. Elders Sampson, Ellis and Fish occasionally preached in this church, which, on ac- count of its location near the cemetery, is kept in a good condition.

THE HERRICK REGULAR BAPTIST CHURCH was organized in the western part of the township June 11, 1834, with the following members : Jacob Lyon, Martin Bunnell, Silas Finn, Alexander Burns, Thos. Burns, Benjamin Coon, Harriet Coon, Benj. Watrous, Mahala Lyons and Emily B. Finn.

At a meeting held July 5, 1834, J. Lyon was chosen deacon and Benj. Watrous clerk. In September, the same year, the church joined the Abington Associa- tion, and in 1839 reported five baptisms and eighteen members, in consequence of having a regular minis- ter, the Rev. Joseph Currin being the first pastor, and serving until 1841. Up to this time the church had no pastor, but covenant meetings were held regularly. On the 26th of September, 1840, Silas Finn, one of the members, was licensed to preach, but removed to Luzerne County two years later. At this period Elder John Baldwin preached one-fourth his time, and, on the 14th of July, 1842, added six members by bap- tism. In the winter of 1842 Geo. A. Hogeboom com- menced to preach, and, continuing several years, labored with success. The following spring the

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

thirty-one. Many removals took place the next few succeeding years, which so much weakened the church that services could no longer be maintained, and it was disbanded July 13, 1851.

UNIONDALE BOROUGH .- The village of Union- dale was incorporated as a borough, by a decree of the court, January 12, 1885, and the first election ordered to be held February 17, the same year. It resulted in the selection of the following officers: Burgess, C. HI. Ellis ; Councilmen,-Philo Burritt, Trevenan Mills, O. T. Carpenter, Stephen Branson, J. E. Thomas, Edward Corey ; Justices,-Horace H. Lewis, Elijah Carpenter ; Poor Masters,-A. A. Tingley, Elias Westgate; Assessor, Robert Westgate; Consta- ble, D. H. Coleman.

Since 1886 J. E. Thomas has been the burgess and Philo Burritt the clerk. At the time of the incorpora- tion there were thirty-two freeholders and fifty-five lot-owners. In 1887 there were seventy voters within the limits of the borough whose bounds are as follows : Beginning at a point where the Clifford line touches the Wayne County line; thence north four hundred and sixty-fiverods, on said Wayne County line ; thence west five hundred and two rods ; thence south five hundred and seventeen rods, or fifty-two rods across the Herrick line into Clifford ; thence east five hundred and two rods to the Wayne County line ; thence north fifty-two rods to the place of beginning. Uniondale is a flourishing village, on the outlet of Lewis Lake, where its waters fall into the Lackawanna and occu- py the southeast corner of Herrick. It is, also, an important station on the Jefferson Branch of the Erie Railroad, through whose agency it has attained the most of its growth. Most of the buildings have been put up since the completion of the road, and many within the past few years, giving the place an attrac- tive appearance. In March, 1887, there were the interests noted below, constituting a village of nearly three hundred inhabitants.

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Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 163

Author: Stocker, Rhamanthus Menville, 1848- Publication date: 1887 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : R. T. Peck Number of Pages: 1318

Author: Stocker, Rhamanthus Menville, 1848-
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : R. T. Peck
Number of Pages: 1318