USA > Pennsylvania > Montour County > Danville > Danville, Montour County, Pennsylvania : a collection of historical and biographical sketches > Part 3
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During the time Mr. Gibson taught in this school he was quite successful, and the size of his school was much larger than of his predecessors. His pay was by voluntary subscription. For the smaller scholars, he received eleven shillings three pence, for the larger ones, fifteen shillings, Pennsylvania currency, per quarter, of three months, equivalent to $1 50 and $2 oo Federal money, as it was then termed.
28
HISTORY OF DANVILLE.
During his mastership, most of the leading citizens contributed to the support of the school. Legendary history has preserved the names of the following patrons of the school: Gen. William Mont- gomery, John Montgomery, John Sechler, John Frazer, Daniel Fra- zer, Thomas Osborne, William Sheriff, Thomas Stevenson, John Gulick, George McCulley, Edward Morrison, Murdo Morrison, John Simpson, Paul Adams, John Evans, Philip Maus, Joshua Halleck, John and James Emmitt, Alexander, Ewing, Dr. Forest, John Hill, and the Sanders, the Blues, the Moores, the Woodsides, the Cor- nelisons, the Colts.
The pupils, as has been stated, attended school only about one fourth of the year, few of them for more than two or three winters ; at different periods they were John, Jacob, Samuel, and Harmon Sechler, Archibald, John, James, and Robert Woodside, Jacob, Isaac, James, Ann, and Mary Cornelison, Jesse Simpson, Mary, Margaret, and Charles M. Frazer, and their cousin Charles Frazer, Samuel and John Huntington, Isaac, Peter, Samuel, and John Blue, Asa, Samuel, and Charles Moore, Abie, Josiah, Griffith, and Wil- liam Phillips, Joseph and Jacob W. Maus, Charles Evans, John Mc- Coy, Jefferson and Robert Montgomery, from Tennessee. Except the Frazers's, Sechler's, and Montgomery's, the pupils were too re- mote from the school to go home for dinner, and were obliged to bring their dinners with them. There was but one intermission dur- ing the day, from twelve to one o'clock, but the students were per- mitted to withdraw one at a time. A triangular block about the size of a spelling book with the word in painted on one side, and out on the other, suspended to a nail on the back of the door ; the student going out turned the out to the school, and on his return the in, when another might enjoy the same privilege.
The fuel for the school was supplied from the windfalls in the two- acre lot, and was chopped by the school boys. During the noon hour, they amused themselves by swings formed by bending down the small saplings, by quoits, shindy, ball, running, jumping, and wrestling. Marbles and kites had not yet reached the rural settle- ment, and they were rare thirty years subsequently.
If the temperature permitted sugar-making in February, many of the larger boys left the school to engage in it before the expiry of their three months' study. The demand for labor at home often
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29
MASTER GIBSON AND THE MAHONING SCHOOL.
shortened the term of study at school, and the want of the fifteen shillings for the payment of tuition not unfrequently forbade their attendance for the winter.
Mr. Gibson was the last teacher in the old log school-house. General Montgomery having donated a lot in his plat of Danville, west of Mill street and north of Market street, in 1802, a new frame school-house was erected. Mr. Andrew Forsyth, eminent for his scholastic acquirements and his virtues, became principal of the school. He was succeeded by Mr. John Moore, who afterward be- came one of the principal merchants of the place. Mr. Thomas W. Bell, the skillful penman, was the next instructor ; and he was succeeded by Colonel Don Carlos Barrett, the most popular and successful educator that ever presided over the school. He subse- quently became an eminent lawyer and statesman in Texas, and, . with Austin and Huston, constituted the triumvirate, with dictatorial powers, during the Texan Revolution. After him came Samuel Kirkham, the distinguished and successful grammarian ; and after him, Ellis Hughes, a cultured and most competent teacher. Simul- taneously with these latter, were John Richards, Thomas Grier, and Stephen Halff. Soon after, the public schools superseded the private institutions, and their history can be traced up more satisfactorily than that of the latter, left almost wholly to tradition, not always reliable.
Master Gibson taught seven or eight winters. He was a rigid disciplinarian, with European ideas of control of his school, and, without hesitancy, used the birch freely, in accordance with the precept of the wise king. Nevertheless, he was honored and re- vered by his pupils. He was a good and useful man in his day and generation. Little is now known of his family. The writer met his daughter in 1822, then the wife of a respectable farmer on the Chillisquaque.
The last survivor of Master Gibson's pupils has recently passed away. The venerable Jacob Sechler, one of the first white children born in Danville, and a nonogenarian, died on Christmas day, 1880. A year or two since, Mr. George S. Walker, with courteous civility, submitted to him the data from which this notice was written, and he stated they were substantially correct, but, from impaired mem- ory, he could give no further facts whereby the account could be rendered more perfect.
30
HISTORY OF DANVILLE.
Union Hall Hotel.
Union Hall Hotel, near the court-house, was built by Philip Good- man, in 1818. He had previously kept the " old Pennsylvania House." His card in the town paper was inserted as follows :
"NEW TAVERN · PHILIP GOODMAN
informs his friends and the public that he has commenced keeping tavern in his new brick house, sign of the GOLDEN GLOBE
Mill street in the town of Danville, two doors south of the Court House, where by his attention and superior ac- commodation as to house room and stabling, he hopes to merit a share of the public patronage. DANVILLE, July 9th, 1818."
The house was kept by Mr. Goodman for several years; but it seems that its building, together with a line of stages to Pottsville, swamped him, financially, and he moved to Owego, New York, where he died some years ago. Several persons kept the house from that time until 1836, when it was purchased by William Henrie. He made several improvements and also changed its name to " Union Hall Hotel," which was suggested by his son Arthur, a brave young soldier, who died soon after the war. Mr. Henrie successfully con- ducted Union Hall Hotel for thirty-five years. It enjoyed great popularity under his administration. Some years ago it was nearly destroyed by fire, after which it was re-constructed and enlarged. It was afterwards kept by Alem M. Sechler, and others.
Fifty Years Ago.
The recollections of Mr. John Frazer, now of Cincinnati, are so interesting and so admirably detailed, that I copy them entire, ex- actly as written by himself, as I also copy many other sketches in relation to the olden time. In kindly replying to my request for sketches on various points, historical and biographical, he has given them, not only more correctly, but in better style than my own, that
31
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
I felt bound, in justice to the reader, to insert them without the change of a syllable.
Random Recollections of Danville as it was half a Century since.
" This is my own, my native land."
It is half a century this day since the writer bade a final adieu to Danville as a place of residence. He was then a youth, and regret- fully parted from kindred and friends, to whom he was attached by the closest ties of consanguinity and friendship. His reminiscences of that period are very distinct ; he proposes giving you a brief sum- mary of them.
The population of the village was then seven hundred and forty; the buildings numbered eighty ; most of these were dwelling houses on Water, Market, and Mill streets. They were bounded by the river, Church street, Sechler's run, and Factory street ; these limits were very much less than the present area of the borough. They were chiefly frames, but many of the primitive log buildings yet re- mained. The brick buildings were the court-house, Goodman's tavern, Dr. Petrikin's and Mr. Frick's residences, and Mr. Baldy's store. Subsequently many brick structures were erected, all, or nearly all of which remain.
The pursuits of the citizens were confined to the ordinary me- chanical trades, the professions, and for so small a population, a large amount of merchandising. There was scarcely a germ of the manu- facturing interest which has grown to be of such vast importance since that day. About 1817, on Market street, near Pine, William Mann manufactured nails in a primitive way, by hand. 'The bars or hoops of nail iron were cut by a machine worked by a treadle with the foot, and by a second operation, the heads of the nails were formed by a blow or two with a hammer ; by unremitting industry, I suppose a workman could only produce as many nails in a month, as one can now, by the aid of machinery, in a single day. And this simple, modest manufacture was the precursor of the immense iron manufactures of the present time, which has earned for the place a high reputation excelled by few in that industrial pursuit, and it has been the cause of the rapid increase of the population of the place, so that it now more than equals all the residue of the county.
32
HISTORY OF DANVILLE.
The nucleus of the settlement, around which the accretion of population was subsequently gathered, was American, originating during the last two decades of the last century, by emigration from south-eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, Sunbury, and Northumberland. To these were added, from time to time, European emigrants-chiefly Germans, British, Irish, and Swiss, a few French and Dutch, possibly some· Danes and Swedes. Of British emigrants up to that date, I do not recollect a single Welshman, although they soon after became a most important element of population em- ployed in the iron manufacture. These apparently discordant ele- ments soon yielded to the potent attraction of association, so that early in the present century, the homogenity of the young and vigorous community was assured. Seldom did any people enjoy a more happy harmony. . This uniformity extended both to religion and politics. They derived their revealed theology from the Bible, as expounded by the followers of Calvin and Knox; their moral theology from the Presbyterian pulpit, the Westminster catechism, and, to no inconsiderable extent, from Milton's Paradise Lost, which was received as a commentary by some, as a supplement by others. With what awe they read,
" Of Providence, foreknowledge, will, and fate ; Fixed fate, free will, foreknowledge absolute." a
Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress was also a work of great authority. The libraries were very limited ; neither Aristotle, nor Pliny, nor Buffon were in demand ; but Æsop's Fables, Weem's Life of Wash- ington, Cook's Voyages, and Riley's Narrative were among the most popular books for miscellaneous reading. Shakspeare's Plays were placed on the index purgatorius by some, and few advocated their general use. The venerable Doctor Nott, who was president of Union College for the unprecedented term of sixty-two years, used to say to the students : " If you want to get a knowledge of the world and human nature, read the Bible; but if you will read any other books, read Homer and Shakspeare. They come nearer Moses and Paul than any others I am acquainted with." Fox's Book of Martyrs was esteemed a much more suitable book for youthful readers than the great English bard ; they were also allowed that most captivating of boys' books, Robinson Crusoe.
33
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
All were not Calvinists ; yet, under the wise and judicious pas- torate of that good and faithful shepherd Reverend John B. Pat- terson-ever honored for his blameless life and unostentatious piety-they were kept within one fold and one baptism until the close of his long ministry. He was occasionally aided by pastors from neighboring towns. I can now recall the names of Reverend Messrs. Dunham, William Smith, Nicholas Patterson, Isaac Grier, John Bryson, and Hood.
The Reverend William B. Montgomery and his wife, nee Jane Robinson, of the Presbyterian church, the devoted missionaries to the Osage Indians, had recently departed for Union Station, the scene of their labors, which then seemed to us tenfold more remote than Japan does now, and took a longer time in journeying thither. For more than thirty years they labored there, under great priva- tions, until they both fell victims to epidemic cholera.
For a number of years, the followers of Wesley increased in num- ber, and through the zeal and labors of William Woods, William Hartman, William Whitaker, of the village; Judge Jacob Gear- hart, of Rush township, and others, a church was established about 1815. It was supplied by itinerant preachers. Of these, I can now only recall the name of Reverend George Dawson. There was a local preacher, Simons by name, who occasionally exhorted and preached at his own house, on Market near Church street. I well remember the appearance of these devoted itinerant preachers in their journeys around the circuit, with their jaded horses, their portmanteau and umbrella tied on behind their saddle, and hat covered with oil cloth to protect it from the storms, and their ex- tremely plain garb, such as I saw Lorenzo Dow wear at a subsequent date.
The Catholics, now so numerous, were scarcely known as sec- taries, Michael Rafferty and Francis Trainor being the only two I can recollect. The Reverend Mr. Kay, a Socinian or Unitarian, preached at times, but without making proselytes. The Reverend Mr. Shepherd, a Baptist of the Campbellite portion of that sect, preached occasionally. He was an eloquent and popular divine. There were a number of Lutherans, to whom Reverend Mr. Kesler, from the vicinity of Bloomsburg, preached at long intervals. The Episcopalians. were not numerous, and it was suggested that they
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34
HISTORY OF DANVILLE.
and the Lutherans unite and form a union church ; but this was im- practicable, and the former erected, own, and occupy the church edifice on Market street, on ground included in what, at an early day, was called Rudy's woods. These sectaries were all destitute of church buildings, except the Grove church. This was the spacious log church, built more than forty years before the time of which I write, in the form of a T, and was amply large for the congregation.
Besides the sects named I can recall none others of that date.
The old log church had recently been demolished and F. Birken- bine was building a brick church edifice under a contract with James Donaldson, Robert Curry, Robert C. Grier, Herman Sechler, and John C. Boyd, the trustees, for the consideration of $1,775.
The social relations of the community were eminently pacific and cordial, doubtless promoted by the matrimonial unions between members of the several very large families of some of the early emigrants. The Montgomerys, of whom there were two brothers, Daniel Montgomery the elder ; and his brother ; General William Montgomery, whose sons were General Daniel, Colonel John, and Alexander. The son of the senior Daniel Montgomery was Judge William Montgomery. The Woodside family was a large one, con- sisting of Thomas, Archibald, John, James, Daniel, William and Robert. Of the Moores; Asa, John, Abner, Burrows, Samuel, Charles, Andrew Y., Edward S., and several daughters. Of the Mauses ; George, Elizabeth, Philip, Susan, Samuel, Lewis, Charles, Joseph, and Jacob W. Of the Sechlers, I recollect Rudolph, George, John, Jacob, Samuel, and Harmon. At a later date came Mrs. Cornelison and her children, Joseph, William, Jacob, Isaac, Cornelius, James, Ann, and Mercy. Of the Whitakers, John, Thomas, William H., Irwin, Jane, Elizabeth, Polly, Nancy, Fanny, and Juliana; William Wilson, the long time justice of the peace, with a large family of eleven children and their descendants, now numbering about one hundred. There were also the Clarks, Gear- harts, Gaskinses, Blues, Rishels, Phillipses, Diehls, Sanderses, Fousts, Frazers, Donaldsons, Willitses, and Brewers.
Many of the pioneer customs still prevailed. Manufactures of the most pressing necessity were found in almost every household. The spinning-wheel for tow and flax ; the big wheel, as it was called, for woolen yarn. These were woven in the place, and made into
35
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
clothing at home, and most of the villagers and their children were clad in these domestic suits. The tailor and shoemaker itinerated here and in the vicinity and were almost constantly employed. A dwelling without a detached bake-oven would have been deemed in- complete ; there were no bakers by profession, and of necessity each housewife was her own baker. The Franklin stove and the six- plate stove were still in use ; the ten-plate stoves had recently been introduced and were a great improvement on the former, as much so as the Palace Cook and Heater are upon the latter. Our stoves were then manufactured by Mr. Hauck, and bore the legend, " JOHN HAUCK, Catawissa Furnace ;" and it was one of the mysteries that troubled the brains of the boys, how it ever got there in iron letters, as much as did the effect of the music of Orpheus, which " drew iron tears down Pluto's cheek."
By industry and frugality the people lived in comparative com- fort, paid their preacher and school-master promptly, and their printer as soon as convenient, thereby preserving a good conscience and securing peace of mind.
The school-master was abroad. Thomas Grier taught a classical school and prepared boys for college. Stephen Halff also taught a private school, and Reverend Mr. Painter was principal of the Danville Academy, then a new institution. The predecessors of these were Master Gibson who taught in the old log school-house near the first edifice of the Grove church ; Messrs. Andrew For- sythe, John Moore, Thomas W. Bell, Don Carlos Barret, an emi- nent teacher, John Richards, Samuel Kirkham, the distinguished grammarian, and Ellis Hughes, a most competent and successful educator, favorably remembered by many of his pupils still living. In all these schools the girls and boys recited in the same room, which I then thought contributed much to the decorum and good order of the schools, and think so still.
The houses were then chiefly on Water, Mill, and Market streets, and with scarcely an exception had gardens attached to them, with a portion of each allotted to flowers. The damascene rose, guelder rose, flowering almond, peony, narcissus, lilac, lily, pink, and other familiar floral productions were wont to ornament it and make it " unprofitably gay." The boys, after school hours, often reluctantly, tried their 'prentice hands at horticulture, and the most
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36
HISTORY OF DANVILLE.
onerous part of their labor was the removal of the water-worn stone, rounded by attrition in by-gone antediluvian ages, in fluviatile or oceanic currents. They abounded on Market street lots and other elevated portions of the village. Doubtless by this time a suc- cession of youthful gardeners have removed them all and made horticultural pursuits less laborious.
Amongst other amusements the boys enjoyed skating, sledding, sleighing, nutting, trapping, fishing, playing ball, bathing in the river and in the Mahoning; in the latter, west of Factory street, hard by a buttonwood or sycamore, was a famous bathing-place. Flying kite and playing marbles in the spring were not forgotten. All these afforded them the needed recreation from study and labor.
But I must not omit the muster days of the military. The old Rifle Blues was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, volunteer mili- tary organization of the county. The Light Dragoons, Captain Clarke, were the admiration of all the boys of the place and their parades were gala days. The Columbia Guards was a fine company of infantry, numbering over sixty, commanded by Captain James Carson. The train band, Captain Yorks, was also one of the in- stitutions of that day. The regimental musters were generally held at Washingtonville, and drew together crowds of spectators to wit- ness their grand maneuvers, discuss politics and tavern dinners.
The Watchman was then the only newspaper. George Sweeny, the veteran editor, was its proprietor. He had published the Columbian Gazette in 1813 ; which was succeeded by the Express,. by Jonathan Lodge in 1815, and afterwards by Lodge & Caruthers. The Watchman was established in' 1820. It was published on Market street, east of Ferry, and had a sign in front of the office upon which was painted the head of Franklin with the legend from Milton, "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." There were then few painted signs in the place, and this one was very con- spicuous. Although the Watchman was not half the size of the American it was esteemed a grand journal and had great influence in the politics of the county. It was made up chiefly by copy from other papers and seldom contained editorial articles. Readers were not so exacting then as in these latter days.
The politics of the village like those of the county were largely Democratic. What Democratic principles were I had no very
37
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
definite idea, but had a vague impression that they were just the reverse of Federal principles, and I suppose that this negative definition quadrated with the ideas of the dominant party. State politics absorbed the attention of politicians and banished from their minds national politics to an extent that must have gladdened the hearts of those stolid politicians, the States' rights mnen. I re- member how a villager pertinaciously urged the nomination of General Jackson for Governor, and he honestly believed that the gubernatorial honor was the highest that could be conferred upon the old hero.
The members of the bar were few in number. Ebenezer Green ough had recently removed to Sunbury. Judge Grier, from his profound legal attainments and fine scholarship, stood at the head of his profession. Alem Marr, the pioneer lawyer, was a good classical scholar and a graduate of Princeton. He represented the district in Congress in 1829. LeGrand Bancroft was district at- torney. The other members were George A. Frick, William G. Hurley, John Cooper, James Carson, and Robert McP. McDowell. A short time subsequently John G. Montgomery, Paul Leidy and Joshua W. Comly were added to the number. All of them are de- ceased, except the latter.
The medical men were not numerous. The first in the place was Doctor Forrest, the grandfather of Mrs. Valentine Best. His suc- cessor, Doctor Barrett ; his, Doctors Petrikin and Daniels. At the period of which I write there were also Doctors McDowell and Magill. The latter was then a young practitioner in the beginning of his long and successful career, and now remains, beyond the age of four-score years, the honored head of the profession which has increased fourfold since he became a member of it. And now Dan- ville began to rear medical men of her own. Herman Gearhart and Alexander C. Donaldson were initiated into the profession, under the tuition of Doctor Petrikin. At the same time Samuel Montgomery and Matthew Patterson were divinity students. John Martin was a law student in Mr. Marr's office, and subsequently practiced in Clearfield county.
General Daniel Montgomery was the first merchant, but, having acquired a fortune, was now residing on his fine farm a mile or two above town. His cousin, Judge William Montgomery, an old citi-
38
HISTORY OF DANVILLE.
zen, was now the oldest merchant, with his store corner of Mill and Market streets and his residence on the opposite corner. He bore his full share in the burden of improving and bettering the condi- tion of his fellow-men ; was one of the pillars of the church and founder of the first Sunday school ; when many others, if not op- posed to it, aided it only in a prefunctory way, and he lived to see it permanently established. Peter Baldy, though still a young merchant, was engaged in an extensive business and dealt largely in grain. He commenced in the old log building which had been occupied by King & Hamilton; from thence, he removed to his well-known store on Mill street where he continued his business for half a century, when he retired having accumulated a fortune. The other merchants were John Moore, John Russell, and William Colt, all old and esteemed citizens ; and William Bickley, Boyd & Montgomery, John C. & Michael C. Grier, and Michael Ephlin who had more recently engaged in business. Mr. Loughead had retired from business to devote his time to the post-office, and Jere- miah Evans had recently moved to Mercersburg.
The old Cross-Keys tavern, kept by Mrs. Jemima Donaldson was the best in the county and it is doubtful whether it has been sur- passed to this day. The Union hotel, the first three-story brick building and the best one in the place was built and kept by Philip Goodman. John Irwin kept a tavern, corner of Market and Ferry streets. And the most ancient hostelry of them all, the Rising Sun, the old red house at the foot of Mill street with the walnut tree at the door, and its crowd of the devotees of Bacchus who made it resound with
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