Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 96

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

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SILVER LAKE post-office was established June 29, 1810, with Robert H. Rose postmaster, who held the appointment until his death, in 1842, when E. W. Rose succeeded him.

In 1834 Philip Griffith removed to the vicinity of Dr. Rose's residence, and kept the post-office accounts, and also those of the estate. A farm-hand was then paid but fifty cents a day. In 1836 oak plank was worth one cent per foot; shingles three dollars per one and a half thousand. John Nicholson was the postmaster in 1848, and the following year it was re- moved to its present locality-Mud Lake. Since May 16, 1872, a new post-office has been maintained at Silver Lake, with the name of Sheldon, and Anna Rose, postmistress.

RICHMOND HILL post-office was established June 6, 1867, with Thomas Hartnet postmaster. Septem- ber 13, 1872, it was discontinued, but re-established two weeks later. Since 1878 Jane Lannan has been the postmistress. All the offices in the township are on the Montrose and Binghamton routes, and have daily mails, Silver Lake being unusually well fa- vored in this respect for an agricultural section.

RELIGIOUS .- The early settlers of Silver Lake ad- hered to the Congregational or Presbyterian faitlı,

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and that form of worship was the first established with- in its bounds. The Church of Christ in Silver Lake and Choconut was organized February 16, 1816, by a council composed of the Rev. E. Kingsbury, Rev. Ol- iver Hill and John Thatcher. The meeting was held at the house of Dr. Rose, and the following day the Lord's Supper was administered to the communicants in Dr. Rose's office. Seven persons entered into mem- bership and four more applied for admission condi- tioned upon receiving letters of dismission from other churches. Ephraim Strong, Daniel Chamberlain, Samuel Wheelock and Henry Dennison were selected to conduct the religious meetings of the church, and the first-named was chosen clerk. On the 6th of Oc- tober, 1816, Mary Strong and Mary Elizabeth Whee- lock were baptized. Ephraim Strong removed, in 1819, and John Peters was chosen in his stead, and that year the meetings were held in the school-house. The following year preaching was held at the house of Joshua Griswold, in Choconut, and later, meetings at the houses of Jehiel Griswold and Zenas Bliss. The ministers rendered missionary service mainly, and, prior to 1823, those who preached were Revs. E. Kingsbury, O. Hill, M. M. York, G. N. Judd, Solomon King and Enoch Conger. The last-named may have been a stated supply, and his labors increased the membership of the church. On the 22d of June, 1822, he received twenty-one persons into the church on profession of faith; but as many of the former members had removed, the whole number of commu- nicants, in 1823, was but thirty-one, and the following year two less than that number. Most of these re- sided in Choconut, and the first house of worship was built in the valley of that creek. It was a plain frame building and soon after was converted into a residence. In February, 1828, the county prayer-meeting was held at the house of Zenas Bliss, but two years later the Rev. Todd preached twelve sermons in Silver Lake and Choconut. In 1833 the Rev. Smith preached in the Presbyterian meeting-house and, on the 13th of July, that year, received five persons into church membership. Six days later he preached at the house of Squire Wright and seven persons more were ad- mitted. The forms of the church were strictly ob- served and special attention was paid against the des- ecration of the Sabbath. On the 7th of January, 1833, Deacon Daniel Chamberlain was constrained to bring charges against Gordon Bliss for traveling on the Sabbath day, but it does not appear that action was taken in the matter to investigate the charge. After this period preaching was held with less regu- larity by the Revs. Burr Baldwin, Daniel Deruelle and John Sherer, and the interest began to wane on account of the removal of many of the members. In 1836 the church lost, among other members, by re- moval, Daniel Chamberlain and wife, Gordon Bliss and wife, Charles Tubbs and wife, all of whom had taken a prominent part in keeping up the organiza- tion. The last record concerning the old church was

made March 20, 1837, when the fact was recorded "that of the seventy-one persons who had joined since the organization of the church, but twenty re- mained, living over a large area of territory, and nearly all of them were females."

Although the church had ceased to exist, the spirit of Presbyterianism had not wholly departed from this section. With the coming of new settlers came a purpose. to revive the work, and, in the course of a few years, meetings were again held, which developed so much interest that a new organization was effected March 21, 1847, with the following members : Mrs. Jane Rose and four daughters, John Simpson and wife, Henrietta Craik, W. Coon and wife and Eliza North. About this time the meeting-house, which had been begun the preceding fall, was ready for occu- pancy and has since been the place of worship. It was erected on the west bank of Mud Lake, on a very pleasant site, through the liberality of Mrs. Rose and her family, under the superintendence of John Simpson, at that time the manager of the Dr. Rose estate. He was an exemplary man and up to the time of his death, November 8, 1848, was a very pillar of the church. The church having been organized, it be- came an incorporate body November 27, 1847, with the name of the Presbyterian Congregation of Silver Lake, and the following trustees: John Simpson, William Maine, Ansel Hill, Thomas Rogers, John Craik and Edwin Bliss. Their successors have cared for the church property, which, in 1886, was a neat frame edifice, relieved by a spire, which had been improved in 1883. On the church lot of one acre of land, including the graveyard, are a number of good sheds. The controlling trustees were Thomas Rogers, Sr., Wm. Meeker, Thomas Patton, H. K. Sheldon, George Holmes and George L. Tracy.

The congregation has never been strong numeri- cally, having, in 1886, less than a dozen active mem- bers, from the Wakeley, Patton, Rogers, Meeker, Hill and Rose families. The minister was the Rev. D. L. Burrett, who supplied the pulpit. The Rev. Francis D. Ladd was the first pastor of the church and served several years. Then the pulpit was supplied by the Rev. Thomas Thomas, the Revs. Palmer, Frame, Alexander, Boyd, Calnon, Kilmer and others. For many years Nathaniel H. Wakeley and Thomas Pat- ton have been the elders of the church.

The Brackney Methodist Episcopal Church .- As early as 1818 an effort was made to form a Methodist class in the township, which was not successful on account of the unsettled condition of the people. But, about 1831, meetings began to be held regularly by Elder Solon Stocking and others, at the school-houses and the homes of the members. These belonged to the Heath, Jaycox, Minkler, Miller and other families. In 1839 the Revs. Charles Perkins and J. R. Boswell were appointed preachers for this section and on New Year's day, 1840, began a series of meetings, contin- uing a month, which resulted in forty conversions,

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and which is yet spoken of as the " great reformation." Most of the converts connected themselves with the Methodist Church, which from this time on became an active, aggressive body. Among these later additions were persons belonging to the Gage, Meeker, Hoag, Griffith, Wilber and Finch families, and have ever since been conspicuous in its history. In 1846 a plain frame meeting-house was built, on the northeast cor- ner of the cross-roads, south of Brackney and opposite from theschool-house, where the meetings were then held, which was dedicated in February, 1847. This was the house of worship until after the Civil War, when the building was moved to a more eligible site, on the same road, farther north, where it was greatly enlarged and improved. Since that time a bell has been supplied and other improvements added so as to make it a very attractive country church. The society became an incorporated body Jan. 24, 1868, with the following trustees: J. S. Gage, R. B. Meeker, Wm. Meeker, Benjamin S. Gage, Mortimer Gage, Aaron Meeker and John W. Brackney. These offices were filled, in 1886, by J. S. Gage, Lewis Jaycox, Mortimer Gage, Aaron Meeker, Asahel Roberts, George Mink- ler and H. F. Inderleid. The first-named was the leader of the class at this place, which had about twenty-five members. For many years the church has been a part of the Hawleyton charge, and had, in 1886, Rev. P. Holbrook as the pastor. Adjoining the church is a burial-plat, where some of the former members are interred. But, in 1880, Henry Meeker opened a cemetery, containing one and one-half acres, south of this, which is finely located and which has become the principal place for interment in this part of the township. South of this place, near Quaker Lake, on the old Meeker farm, is one of the oldest burial-places in Silver Lake, but which is now seldom used.

The Chapel of St. Augustine ( Roman Catholic) is the third house of worship in the township, and is, in its external appearance, the most attractive. It was erected in 1871 and first occupied for service on Christmas day of that year. This is the second chapel the Catholics have had in this township. The first was built on the head-waters of Ranney Creek, on lands owned by P. Fitzgerald, a nephew of Father O'Flynn. It was also the first Roman Catholic Church in the county, and was used until its destruction by fire, April 3, 1870. The location of the present church is very fine and the building is a credit to those wor- shipping in it. St. Augustine belongs to the parish of St. Joseph, in Choconut township, and their history, aside from what has been here given, is essentially the same.

CHAPTER-XXXIII. LIBERTY TOWNSHIP.

LIBERTY is on the State line and occupies an inter- mediate position among the townships on the northern

border. It is bounded on the east by Great Bend township; on the south, by Franklin; and on the west by Silver Lake. It extends six miles along the State line, and nearly four miles from north to south, having had this area since the erection of Franklin, in December, 1835, most of its territory having been taken off from old Lawsville township. 1 The present township retained the name of Lawsville until Septem- ber, 1836, when the title of Liberty was adopted, as being more expressive of the feclings of the citizens of this section, and the time-honored name passed out of use in this county. The surface is very much broken, steep hills skirting the water-courses, some of them being unfit for cultivation ; their sides and tops are covered with huge boulders; and the soil, where tillable, is not remarkable for its fertility. On the more level lands and in the valleys the lands are good, and the cereals grow to perfection, while the grasses pro- duced are exceedingly nutritious. Hence dairying and sheep-growing are profitable employments.

The principal stream of the township is Snake Creek, which enters the southern border, west of the centre, and flowing northeast, passes into New York, about a mile from the northeast corner. It is here a stream of considerable volume, and affords several good mill-sites. The principal tributary, Ranney Creek, enters it from the west, near Brookdale. Bai- ley Brook is next above it, rising in the hills which separate it from Ranney Creek. The outlet of Tripp Lake, a small body of water in the western central part, falls into Snake Creek at Stanford ville ; and flow- ing from Mud Lake, in Silver Lake township, is a small brook, whose waters are taken above Lawsville Centre. In the southeastern part of the township is a small brook emptying into Wylie Creek, which here bends into Liberty, thence passes again into Great Bend, within the space of a mile. In all parts of the township springs of pure water abound, which served as one of the attractions of the country when first opened for settlement.

The Pioneers of Liberty were persons of limited means, many having no other capital than their good health, energy and a purpose to succeed. These re- quisites stood them well in need, for the country was hard to clear, and the advantages of location not the most favorable, since settlements were generally of an individual nature and slowly made. The Hon. Tim- othy Bickering, of Revolutionary fame, is credited with having been the first resident of the township. Near 1800 he built a cabin on the Garry Law place, above the village of Lawsville Centre, and made a small clearing, but after a few years' residence left. He afterwards continued to own large tracts of land in the county, much of it being in the township. On the next stream of importance a temporary settlement was made, about the same time, by Stephen Ranney, of Litchfield, Connecticut, for whom the creek in the

1 See Franklin Township.

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

northwestern part of the township was named. He may have lived here a few years, and cleared a piece of land which was afterwards a part of the Butts farm. Several other persons came in as temporary settlers, but no authentic account of them is available.

The first actual settler with his family was Samuel Woodcock, of Litchfield, Connecticut, who came in 1800, and located on a tract of land half a mile from the State line, ncar where was afterwards the saw-mill of Alanson Chalker. He appears to have been a mill- wright, and superintended the putting up of mills for Robert Bound in 1802, in what is now Franklin town- ship. It is possible that he removed when that work was accomplished. The same year, 1800, two single men by the name of Joseph and Ira Bishop settled on the lower part of Snake Creek, the former at Brook- dale and the latter at what, five years later, became the Hance farm. Neither of them appears to have remained in the township.

"In 1805 Waples Hance purchased the Ira Bishop farm, now owned by J. Sullivan, where he lived until his death, in 1843, at the age of ninety years. He reared two sons and three daughters, who married, Lydia N. Durke, of Binghamton; Rachel, A. A. Beman ; and Hannah, Zebulon Blakeslee; both the latter were merchants in Liberty. Isaac, the oldest son, lived on the farm now occupied by his only son, George. His daughter, Gertrude, was for sixteen years a missionary in the Zulu country, in Africa, re- turning to this country in September, 1886. Another of Isaac's daughters, Frances, is a teacher at Bing- hamton, N. Y.

Within the next half a dozen years lands were im- proved by Peleg Butts, Jonathan and Jesse Ross, Caswell and Nathaniel Ives, John Holmes and Edward Hazard.

Peleg Butts had been in Silver Lake at an earlier day. He settled on the State line, where he lived to be more than eighty years old. His son Isaac died on the homestead a few years ago; Abraham lived on an adjoining farm ; Perry lived at Brookdale, but moved to Binghamton. He had also three daughters.

Jesse Ross was the father-in-law of Dr. Stanford, and lived north of him. His death occurred at an early day, and he was the first person interred in the Ives burial-ground, at the Centre. His sons Jesse, David and William, moved to Western Pennsylvania ; Alfred and Timothy died in Liberty, the latter having been the father of Jonathan Ross, of Lawsville Centre.

Caswell Ives came from Litchfield, Conn, about 1810, and finally settled on the farm now owned by his son William, at Lawsville Centre. At that time there were no roads or any public improvements. William H., the oldest son, was born on the homestead, where he was born in 1813. Of the other sons, Reuben moved to Maryland; John lives at New Milford; Ansel, at Oshkosh, Wis. ; George, at Falls Church, Va.

Nathaniel Ives, a brother of Caswell, came the same time, and after living some years in the town- ship, married and moved to Great Bend. Reuben, a younger brother, not of age when he came, after at- taining manhood improved a farm on the cross-roads at Lawsville Centre, which is now owned by Michael Dawley. He moved to Virginia, as also did Ayner, another brother, who had lived for some time on the place improved by Nathaniel.

Of Edward Hazard, his son, the Rev. H. C. Hazard, at that time sixty-five years of age, gave Miss Black- man the following account in 1870 :

"Fifty-eight years ago last March, my father, with his family, moved from Otsego County, N. Y., down the Susquehanna River to where Windsor Village now stands, and over the Oghquago Mountains to Great Bend, via Taylortown ; crossed the river in a scow, thence down the south side of the river to the mouth of Snake Creek, aud up the creek two miles, where he located in an almost unbroken wilderness. The wolves were our nearest neighbors, especially at night. I saw one in the daytime within ten rods of the house, where a beef had been dressed the day before. My father used to kill as many as forty deer in a year ; the hides furnished clothing and the carcasses meat.

" There was not a school-house from Binghamton to Montrose, and a meeting-house I had never seen. The first school-house was built where is now Brookdale, on Snake Creek, at my father's instigation : and he, being a carpenter and joiner, built the house, and afterwards taught the first school. I went to Binghamton to the grist-mill with my father in a canoe, some fifty years ago, when it was a wilderness where half or two-thirds of the city now stands ; however, we usually got our grinding done at Josiah Stewart's, where Mckinney's mill now stands. Great Bend was our point of trade."

Samuel Truesdell and his sons, who came in 1811, located several miles southeast from Ives, on what is now the Javan Beebe place, where he died. His son James settled on an adjoining farm, which is now oc- cupied by his son, Henry A. Other sons of James were Willard, living in Scranton, and Samuel at Franklin Forks. Samuel Wheaton Truesdell, a brother of James, lived on the homestead until his death, in October, 1872, aged seventy-three years. He was the father of Calvin Truesdell, who became a noted criminal lawyer in Wisconsin.

In the same neighborhood settled Arch. Marsh, who came from Connecticut in 1817, walking most of the way, and accompanying S. W. Truesdell, who had been to his native State on a visit. He married Lois Merriman, and both died on the farm they improved and which is now owned by a son, Kirby Marsh. Another son, Jarod, lives in the same locality.

Jedediah Adams came from the township of Great Bend soon after 1812, settling on the farm which had been improved by Ebenezer Allen, a year or so pre- viously. He reared sons named Asahel, who settled on Ranney Creek, where his widow, Anna Roe, still resides. He served in the War of 1812. Eli, the second son, moved to New York. Dr. Daniel Adams, another son, lived on the homestead until his death, when he was more than ninety years old. His family still occupy this place, below Brookdale. Of the daughters of Jedediah Adams, Lucy married Israel Richardson, the surveyor, spoken of farther on, and Polly became the wife of Nathan Marvin.

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Below the Adams place, on the creek, Peter Gun- salus, a carpenter, lived. He was of Spanish descent. His wife, Mary Salmon, survived him many years, becoming more than ninety years old. The two sons, Virgil and Wallace, remain in the township.

Benajah Howard settled on the creek near the present Comstock place, coming from Schoharie County, N. Y. He next moved to Ranney Creek, but died in Bridgewater. He reared the following sons : Moses, who died on Ranney Creek, on the place he had cleared ; Otis, still living, south of the creek, at the age of eighty-seven years; Salem, who died in Binghamton; Cheney, who cleared up a farm near the old homestead; Grovener, who lived near Laws- ville Centre, and who was killed by the falling of a tree while clearing up his land.

Dr. Daniel Stanford came from New Hampshire in 1814, and bought three hundred and thirty acres of land on the Snake Creek, at what is now Sanford- ville. He died in 1829, at the age of forty years. His son, D. D. Stanford, still resides on part of the homestead, where also lived other sons, Charles, Calvin and Williston. Mrs. Ruth Stanford, at the time of her death, was eighty-six years old-an age attained by but few persons in the township in late years.

Below him settled David Bailey, who came fromn Bucks County, Pa., about 1812. Here he died in 1844, but his widow survived him until 1868, aged eighty years. Of theirthirteen children, two-William Bailey, of Ranney Creek, and Mrs. Green-are still living in the township. Other sons were Watson, David, Richard, Joseph and Edward L. The latter became a well-known Baptist minister, was chaplain of the Senate at Harrisburg three years, and died while pastor of the church at Carbondale, in 1870. The descendants of the Bailey family number more than a hundred, but they are not so numerous in Liberty as in former years.

In 1815 Daniel Marvin settled on a place where Joseph Hutchinson had previously been; and two years later Jonathan Howard, who had been a soldier in the War of 1812, came to Liberty, remaining until his death, in 1869, at the age of eighty-eight years. The following year Stephen Dawley located in the northern part of the township, coming from Connecti- cut with an ox-team, the journey consuming sixteen days, and the weather being very cold.

In the southern part of Liberty, Chauncey North settled before 1820, occupying the farm next south of Ives. Here also lived John Morse, and both places afterwards passed into the hands of Newton Hawley and Garry Law. The latter came in 1826, and died on this place, which is now occupied by his son, Hiram.

In 1820 David O. Turrell settled on part of the present Ross farm near Lawsville Centre. He after- wards moved to the western part of the township, but died in Franklin. His son Daniel was killed by the

falling of a tree, and was the second person interred in the Ives Cemetery. Other sons were Samuel and Dimock Turrell.

Roger Kenyon, from Rhode Island, lived near the south line of the township, coming in 1822. His son James died on the homestead, Othmal lives farther down the valley, and Roger iu Montrose. Constan- tine Choate lived in this locality a few years, about 1820, but returned to New Hampshire. In this part of the township also lived several members of the Webster family, their father, Joseph Webster, being an early settler in the northern part of Franklin. Alexander, James and Joseph Webster, Jr., lived in Liberty. Elder John Webster lived in Franklin, not far from the township linc.

In 1819 Dr. Rufus Fish settled on the clearing made by Stephen Ranney, but returned to Great Bend. Some time after this he again moved to Liberty, buy- ing a place on Snake Creek, below Stanfordville, which he sold out and moved to the Salt Spring, in Franklin, where he died. His farm in Liberty passed into the hands of Philo Luce and Henry Warner. The latter was a native of Connecticut, and in 1834 bought out the improvement made by Dr. Fish, living on this place until his death, November 12, 1871, aged seventy-two years. He was the father of Benjamin Warner, of New Milford, Simon E., on the homestead, and Andrew, living in Liberty. The father of Mrs. S. E. Warner, Benjamin Wilson, an Englishman, living here with his daughter, is more than ninety years old.

Lower down the valley Isaac Comstock, from Great Barrington, Mass., settled in 1826, and died there fifty years later, at the age of eighty-three years. His wife, Belinda Markham, became eighty- five years old, dying in 1882. Their son, Isaac, still occupies the homestead, and their daughter, Mary A., was for thirteen years a teacher in the public schools of the township.

In this neighborhood lived Samuel Chalker, whose family settled in Choconut, but who improved a farm in Liberty, and died near Brookdale. His son, Joseph W., still lives on Ranney Creek ; Jacob B., on Snake Creek; Samuel died in Silver Lake township; and Alanson resides in Conkling, N. Y.

The lands west of Snake Creek were settled up slowly, and but few clearings were made prior to 1820. Besides those mentioned, Nathaniel Knapp, a native of New York, was an early settler, living on the present Ansel Roe farm. He was the father of sons named Simeon and Harlow. Descendants of this family still reside in that part of the towuship, as also do those of the Roe family, which cleared up some of the best farms in this section.

West from Lawsville Centre the country was long an unbroken forest. Gideon Southworth and his sons settled there, and after clearing up some lands, se- cured the road leading to Silver Lake. Of these sons, John was killed by the falling of a tree soon after they

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

had moved to this placc. Russell lived at the Centre, where he carried on a cooperage, but died in the fall of 1886, aged more than eighty-three years. Benjamin died on the homestead and Arthur lived south of Lawsville Centre.

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Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 96

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