History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Part 102

Author: Smith, Robert Walter
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago : Waterman, Watkins
Number of Pages: 790

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This tract was called "Cheshire," after one of the counties in England, adjoining the northeast- ern border of Wales, whose northwestern part, like a tongue of land between the rivers Dee and Mer- sey, touches the Irish Sea. The city of Chester, Birkenhead and various other important towns and boroughs are in that county.

Adjoining " Cheshire " on the west is, on both maps, depreciation lot No. 246, containing 230,36 acres, which, like " Cheshire," was included in the sale to George C. McCall, who conveyed it to Richard McCall, October 27, 1830, for $716.96, whose heirs, by their attorney, Amos N. Mylert, agreed, January 19, 1851, to sell it to Matthew and William Millen for $1,200, which they agreed to pay. William F. Johnston, for himself, Brown and Gilpin, released and quitclaimed to them what- ever interest he and they had in it, and a strip of the depreciation lot adjoining it on the west, May 31, 1859, for $100.

This tract was called " Plymouth ;" like Ply- mouth, Massachusetts, called by the Indians Aceo- mack, where the pilgrims, who came over in the Mayflower, settled in 1620, and other towns of this name in the United States, this tract of land was

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

named after Plymouth, in the county of Devon, in England, on the north side of the British channel.

Contiguous to "Plymouth " in the west, on those maps of surveys, is depreciation lot No. 245, containing 32516 acres, which, in the partition be- tween McCall and McDowell, fell to the latter, and in the partition between his heirs was allotted to Archibald Tanner, guardian, in trust for his wards, Laura M. and Sarah P. Tanner, daughters of Margaret Tanner, who was one of McDowell's daughters. Joseph McDonald had acquired some kind of an interest in it, for he and Jacob S. Garver agreed, April 20, 1804, to put Jacob S. Garver in possession of it, which was then decided as adjoining John Durning, James Sheridan, and Garver's " old place," for the term of two years, and have all the benefit of the improvements by paying an annual rent of $I, and give McDonald peaceable possession if required; and McDonald was to give Garver 50 acres of the northwestern part, for which he was to take out an office right. Garver remained in possession until his death. Those minor children by their guardian brought an action of ejectment to No. 6, of June term, 1834, in the common pleas of this county, against Garver for the entire tract, which abated, Decem- ber 25, 1835, by reason of the defendant's death. McDonald sold his claim to the tract to Archibald McCall, who accepted 163 acres of it as a com- promise between him and the plaintiffs, which purpart was included in the conveyance from his heirs to Brown, Gilpin and Johnston, who claimed that 40 acres of the eastern end belonged to " Plymouth," of which Johnston conveyed 73 acres and 96 perches to Daniel McCarren, October 1, 1861, for $515.20, and the same quantity to James C. McCarren, the same day, for the same amount.

This depreciation lot, like some counties' and towns in this country, was named "Somerset," after the county of Somerset, in the southern part of England.

South of the southwestern part of "Somerset," on the Gapen map, is about one-third of a tract, which portion is on this side of the county-line, that was surveyed by Gapen to Joseph Brown, as containing 414 acres and 66 perches, which should be the same on the other map, but is not-an inad- vertent transposition of the one above it having probably been made, upon which Jacob McGinley made an improvement in the spring of 1797, and on which McCall obtained a warrant of acceptance. By an agreement entered into between McCall and McGinley, April 1, 1808, founded partly on another one of the preceding month, McGinley covenanted that he had continued his settlement and improve-

ment for about 11 years, and McCall in consideration thereof, and to encourage McGinley to continue to faithfully perform his covenants, to convey to him 200 acres off the east side of this tract, by paral- lel to "the last boundary of survey," and the use of the improvements on the tract for ten years. McGinley agreed, May 16, 1823, to convey that parcel of 200 acres to Mary McGinley for $175, which was conveyed to her by McCall, after her marriage to Peter McAnamy, August 10, 1837, for $1, and which she and her husband conveyed to Patrick Coyle, August 22, 1837, for $950.

Adjoining that Jos. Brown tract on the east, on the Gapen map, is one of the same shape and area, which was surveyed by Gapen on an improvement for Joseph Stone, on which Jacob McGinley set- tled, April 9, 1797, and McCall afterward obtained a warrant of acceptance. McGinley continued his settlement on it for several years. He was assessed with 400 acres and 1 cow, in 1805, at $106, and the next year, with the addition of 2 cattle, at $110. It was one of the covenants in the above-mentioned agreement, that he should have the use of the improvements on this tract for ten years. The patent for it was granted to McCall and McGinley, March 18, 1820. McCall conveyed his interest in this tract to his son, George A. McCall, July 8, 1834, and which was included in the latter's conveyance to William F. Johnston, July 10, 1847, who conveyed, March 28, 1857, 15 acres to Michael Kyle, for $110, and 50 acres and 14 perches to Jacob Yost, for $356, of which he conveyed 14 acres and 158 perches to Kyle, April 9, 1867, "to finally settle disputes between the par- ties as to lines and boundaries between them," which were run by J. E. Meredith, September 18, 1861. Other purchasers of other parcels of this tract were John McDade, Patrick McGonagle and Thomas Patterson, portions of which are in Butler connty.

Adjoining the last-mentioned tract, the Stone- McCall-McGinley on the east, and "Somerset" on the south, on the Gapen map, is unsurveyed terri- tory, but on the other, a tract of 400 acres, trav- ersed southeasterly by Long run, on which Thomas Johnston, who was county commissioner of this county in the year 1807-8-9, made an early im- provement and settlement, with which (at 600 acres), 1 house, 2 lots and 2 cows, he was assessed, in 1805, at $262 on the Buffalo township list, which then included that of the town of Freeport. The next year he was assessed with only 400 acres, 1 lot and 2 horses, at $150. He continued to be assessed with these 400 acres, a horse and cows, until 1812. The next year, Henry Weaver was

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WEST FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP.

assessed with 300 acres " for the land that Thomas Johnston formerly held," and with which quantity he continued to be assessed for the next three years. The records do not show any conveyance of any part of this tract by either Johnston or Weaver, with the exception that, by the will of Thomas Johnston, a resident of West township, Huntington county, Pennsylvania, dated July 20, 1847, and registered in Armstrong county, February 1, 1855, after making several bequests, he devised "all the residue and remainder" of his estate to his third and youngest son Joseph, whom he appointed his executor. Portions of this Johnston tract are now occupied by Barney Kerr and James Callahan. Schoolhouse No. 1 is situated on it.

Adjoining that Johnston tract on the east and " Plymouth " on the south, unnamed on the Gapen map, but on the other to " William Kier and Alex- ander Mckinney, 440ª.," to whom it was origi- nally surveyed on warrant of March 16, 1807. It is a very irregularly shaped tract, having thirteen sides, its southwestern part extending over the line between this and North Buffalo township. The warrant was granted to Andrew Kier and Cathe- rine his wife, née Miller, June 7, 1824, who con- veyed their interest in it to David Beatty, John Keener and others, which they conveyed to other parties, and they to others until the interest of the warrantees became vested in the following paten- tees : Joseph Barnes, James Campbell, John C. Duffey, Henry Hartman, Michael Kyle and Charles C. McClatchey, to whom the commonwealth grant- ed its patent April 25, 1873, for 440 acres, on the payment of $98.60, besides the amount paid by Kier and Mckinney.

East of the northwestern part and northeast of the eastern projection or tongne of the Kier-Mc- Kinney tract in a western bend in the Buffalo creek, is the name of John Craig on unsurveyed territory on the Gapen map, but on the other a tract with ten sides, " 114ª.11P," south of the south- western part of "Cheshire " and the southeastern part of "Plymonth," the major part being on the east side of the creek, for which a. warrant was granted to John Craig, April 4, 1793, all his inter- est in which, "at the mouth of a run emptying into Buffalo creek, commonly known by the name of Glade run," he conveyed to Robert Long, June 25, 1807, for £55, and which the latter by his will, dated June 7, 1848, and registered October 19, 1852, devised to his daughter Elizabeth McGary, during her life, and to her children after her death, by whom it is still retained.

East of the Kier-Mckinney tract and below the Craig-Long tract, is unsurveyed territory on the

Gapen map, but on the other is one containing 440 acres, traversed southeasterly by Buffalo creek, with 150 acres in the western part of which Samuel Walker was assessed from 1809 until 1812, when that quantity was transferred to George Hollo- bough and assessed to him until 1818, and then transferred to John Hoover and assessed to him until 1830, and was then transferred to David Hoover and assessed to him until 1832, when it was transferred to John McClain, who was there- after assessed with 200 acres.

William Beatty was first assessed in 1816 with 150 acres of its southeastern part, partly in what is now North Buffalo township, adjoining the parcel which he had purchased from David Hall, and which, after 1824, was assessed to his son David, to whom it was devised. The rest of this tract on the northeast side of the creek was settled, proba- bly before 1800, by Jacob Garver, who was assessed with 200 acres in 1805 at $80, and thereafter with quantities varying from that to 400 acres, until 1830. The records do not show what disposition, if any, he made of his interest in it before his death. Jacob Garver, Jr., was for years assessed with 100 acres. On the county and township map of 1860 appears on this part of that tract the name of "Jac. Graver," and on the township map of 1876, "Garver Est." There does not appear to have been any administration on his estate.

Adjoining that Beatty-Garver-Walker tract on the "vacant lands " on the Gapen, but on the other map a tract containing 400 acres, on which Thomas Hooks made an improvement February 25, 1793, and a settlement March 10, 1796, and which was surveyed to him, by Deputy Surveyor Ross, July 3, 1801. The patent for this tract, called " St. Thomas," was granted to Hooks, June 3, 1804. He was assessed with 200 acres of it, 2 horses and 2 cows, in 1805 and 1806, at $128. He conveyed 200 acres of its southern part to David Hall, Sr., miller, January 9, 1806, for £10; 153 acres and 13 perches of which the latter conveyed to George Long, the same day, for $366, where the latter probably resided when he was county com- missioner in 1811-12-13. Hooks conveyed 216 acres of "St. Thomas" to Allen and Robert Hooks, May 3, 1831, for $200, the half of which Allen conveyed to Daniel and Hugh McCreary, March 15, 1834, for $280, of which they conveyed 62 acres and 1103 perches to Robert C. Claypoole, August 5, 1854, for $1,000, and 69 acres and 13 perches to George Miller, March 26, 1861, for $124.46.

(As there is a considerable scope of other terri- tory in this part of what is now West Franklin

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

township vacant, except the numbers of some of the depreciation lots on the Gapen map, it will not be referred to until the Gapen surveys be again reached. Until then the readers may consider the other map before them.)

Adjoining "St. Thomas" on the east on the other map is depreciation lot No. 260, surveyed October 20, 1785, one of the Holland tracts, for which, 20016 acres, a patent was granted to Samuel Holland, August 14, 1830, and which he conveyed to James Campbell, Sr., November 22, for $400, who conveyed 101 acres and 30 perches of it to James Campbell, Jr., November 15, 1844, who con- veyed 53 acres and 24 perches to Valentine Bow- ser, January 7, 1854, for $650, and 52 acres and 110 perches, two days later, for the same amount, or $1,300 for the two parcels. James Campbell, Sr., conveyed 101 acres and 30 perches of No. 260 to his other son Samuel, for $1 and " natural love and affection," August 14, 1830, who, by his will, dated August 4, and registered August 15, 1871, devised the part " next to the Bradford farm " to his son Jacob, and the part "next to the David Claypoole farm" to his son John, i. e. the north- western part of " Moorefields."

Adjoining No. 260 on the east and the eastern part of " Moorefields " on the north is depreciation lot No. 264, 20176 acres, called "Springfield," for which a patent was granted to John McCoollbach, January 22, 1792, and was a part of the real estate which he authorized his executors to sell. Dr. Samuel McCulloch, his sole surviving executor, agreed to sell it to Peter Groff for $562.17. The purchase money was paid to that executor in his lifetime, who died without executing the deed. Hence his administrator, John S. McCulloch, con- veyed it to Groff, June 4, 1849, for $1-being the tract of which the latter conveyed 3 acres and 39 perches to Samuel H. Bowser, April 1, 1854, for $100, and 154 acres and 6 perches to David Shaffer, March 23, 1855, for $924, who conveyed 50 acres and 70 perches thereof to Elizabeth Fails, June 18, 1857, for $200. William Anthony's store, with which he was first assessed in the fall of 1870, is near the township line in the southern part of No. 264.

Adjoining the last-noticed depreciation lot on the north is depreciation lot No. 265, 2037% acres, which also belonged to John McCulloch's estate, and which John S. McCulloch, administrator, con- veyed to James B. and Robert O. Porterfield, June 5, 1849, for $1,019.50. James B. conveyed his in- terest therein to Robert, O. Porterfield, March 23, 1852, for $239, and the latter to John Shields, the next day, 103 acres and 15 perches, for $1,700,

which Shields conveyed to John Brown, April 1, 1862, for $2,500 .* James B. Porterfield conveyed 103 acres and 15 perches of the western part to James Clark, April 21, 1855, which the latter con- veyed to George Monroe, September 5, 1863, and he to Robert Noble, April 28, 1866, for $2,600.

Adjoining No. 265 on the west is another square tract, 202 acres and 62 perches, in the southern part of which is the junction of the run that flows through Worthington into Buffalo creek, which was improved and settled by Abner Bradford about 1796-7. He was assessed with 270 acres, 2 horses and 2 cows, in 1805, at $210, for which a warrant, as recited in a conveyance of a portion of it-perhaps the patent was meant-was granted February 2, 1836. A primitive log schoolhouse was built on this tract before 1820. The first school in it was taught by a Mr. Jack, who was followed by Mr. Speer, and he by Mr. Russell. Bradford, by his will, dated April 13, 1829, and registered March 2, 1841, devised this tract to his sons, John and Samuel, who were to live together on it and properly main- tain their mother during the rest of her life, and if they should not prefer to continue to live together after they were twenty-one years of age, they were to divide the tract between themselves as equally as possible, but if it could not be divided without injury, it was to be appraised by three honest and judicious men, and the one who should take it at their appraisement should make the other secure for his undivided half. They occupied it together as long as both lived. They conveyed 1 acre along its eastern line to James Campbell, David and John Claypoole, "the building committee or trustees of the regular Baptist church, called ' Union,' and their successors," April 2, 1845, for $1, on which the present frame edifice is located. This church was organized by 20 members of the regular Union Baptist church in North Buffalo township, who withdrew from the latter, April 18,

1846, for that purpose. The original members of this church, then, were Elizabeth, Mary, Peter and Sophira Bowser, Mary, Sarah and William Brad- ford, James and May Campbell, David Claypoole, Jr., Jane, John, Mary Ann, Nancy, Sarah, Samuel, Samuel, Jr., Susannah and William Claypoole and Catherine Martin.

John Bradford died intestate and without lineal heirs, so that the entire tract, except the church lot, became vested in his brother Samuel, who con- veyed 136 acres and 59 perches of the eastern part to John Bonner, June 24, 1868, for $1,185.

Adjoining the Bradford tract on the west, " St.

* Which he conveyed to his son, John F. Brown, May 7, 1877, for $1 and natural love and affection.

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WEST FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP.

Thomas" and the Garver part of the recently noticed 440-acre tract on the south, the Craig- Long-McCreary tract on the west, and the south- eastern part of " Cheshire" on the northwest, is a tract with ten sides, several of which, like those of most other multi-lateral tracts, are very short, on which James McCullough made an improvement, January 26, 1793, a settlement in February, 1797, and which was surveyed to him by Deputy Sur- veyor Ross, July 4, 1801, containing 373 acres and 44 perches, for which a patent was granted to him March 8, 1804. He conveyed 73 acres of its east- ern part to Abner Bradford, January 6, 1814, for $10, 50 acres of which the latter conveyed to Robert Long, March 23, 1818, for $100, and was first assessed with his sawmill in 1828. The records do not show that Mccullough conveyed any other portion of this tract in his lifetime. By his will, dated May 25, 1838, registered September 21, 1841, he gave his sons Alexander and Thomas " all the plantation on which " he then resided, subject to the maintenance of his son George during the rest of his life and of daughter Anne during the rest of her life, or until her marriage-she " to have the free and undisturbed possession of the house" while single, and the payment to each of his other sons, Archibald, John and Samuel, after the death of George and the marriage of Anne. School- house No. 4 (before Franklin township was di- vided), in the forks of two public roads, is in the eastern part of this tract. The major portion of the original tract is now assessed to Alexander and T. B. Mccullough.

Adjoining the Mccullough tract on the north are depreciation lots Nos. 250 and 256, both rectangular parallelograms, their longest sides extending from north to south. The former's northwestern corner is traversed by the Buf- falo creek. It adjoins "Cheshire" and the McDonald, afterward Buffalo Furnace, tract on the west. Patents for it and its adjoiner No. 256 were granted to William Todd, October 13, 1786, who conveyed them to Abraham Nilson, March 28, 1789, to whom they were assessed, as unseated, at 40 cents an acre, in 1805 and 1806. Nilson, by his last will, dated July 6, 1798, and probated in New York, devised both of these tracts to his only child Martha, who afterward married Joseph Thompson. They being residents of the townland of Islandmore, in the parish of Bally- willin and county of Londonderry, Ireland, by their letter of attorney, dated July 1, 1826, empowered James Stewart, who was " about to proceed to the United States of America as a general agent," to sell both of these tracts. He conveyed No. 250,

35116 acres, called " Williamsburgh," to John Young, February 22, 1827, for $150, who by his last will, dated November 17, 1833, and registered March 26, 1835, devised all his “ plantation of land, with the appurtenances," to his son-in-law and Elizabeth his wife, and his daughters Isabella and Nancy, to be divided equally between them at the expiration of five years, subject to the payment of a legacy to his grandson, James Young Mc- Cullough.

James Stewart empowered the late Judge Bre- din, of Butler, Pennsylvania, to sell the other tract, No. 256, which Thompson and his wife, by John Bredin, their attorney-in-fact, conveyed No. 256, 33975 acres, called "Toddsborough," thus: 100 acres of the northern part to Peter McAnamy, March 18, 1828, for $175, who conveyed 53 acres and 122 perches to Jeremiah Hare, May 1, 1829, for $12, and which Chambers Orr, sheriff, conveyed to James Sample June 18, 1834; 2 acres and 38 perches of which Sample conveyed to Peter Graff in July, 1849, for $75 ; McAnamy conveyed 124 perches to John Ross March 21, 1829, for $6, and another parcel of 49 acres and 49 perches to Hare, July 11, 1831, for $12 ; and 50 acres to John Young, January 11, 1831, for $100, which parcel was ordered to be sold by the orphans' court after Young's death, and was purchased by Christopher Foster, his son-in-law, and con- veyed to him June 20, 1843, which, with other 33 acres and 43 perches, having become vested in Rev. Henry S. Ehrenfeld, he conveyed the same to Peter Graff March 5, 1859, for $4,000, which, with 101 acres and 80 perches additional, Graff con- veyed to George W. Benton, September 26, 1863, for $7,250. Thompson and wife, by their attor- ney-in-fact, conveyed 134 acres and 73 perches of the central part of "Toddsborough " to Henry and John McAnamy, April 4, 1828, for $175, which James Douglass, sheriff, conveyed to Samuel Por- terfield, September 21, 1830, for $201, which was described in the levy as consisting in part of 43 acres cleared, 6 of which were meadow, with an orchard, 2 cabin houses, 1 cabin barn and a cabin stable thereon, which that vendee conveyed to John Porterfield, February 18, 1831, for $225. Thompson and wife, by their attorney, conveyed 100 acres and 34 perches of the southern part of " Toddsborough " to David Campbell and Baker Grafton, April 4, 1828, for $175, which they con- veyed to Samuel Porterfield, March 5, 1849, for $170, which, with other 29 acres and 131 perches, he conveyed to Aaron Benton, September 26, 1863, for $4,700, and emigrated to Champaign county, Illinois.

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

Adjoining the southern half of " Toddsborongh " on the east is a tract of 223 acres and 70 perches, whose eastern portion is traversed by the stream flowing northwesterly into Buffalo creek, a short distance above Firth & Graff's woolen factory. John Hall made an improvement on it February 24, 1793, and it was surveyed to him June 30. George Brown also made an improvement on this tract, called "Oakland," in January, 1793, and an actual settlement in April, 1796, which was sur- veyed to him by Ross, deputy surveyor, January 31, 1801, and for which the patent was granted to him, March 2, 1805, and which he conveyed to James Claypoole and his son George Claypoole, April 16, for $893.75. They afterward made an amicable partition of "Oakland " "by a line running east and west, or nearly so; and the south side or part of said tract by the said division by lot or otherwise, free to said James Claypoole, as his part of said land," who, by verbal agree- ment, sold 30 acres in the southeast corner of his purpart to his son James, which the other heirs of James Claypoole, Sr., released and quit-claimed to James Claypoole, Jr., of Beaver county, Pennsylva- nia, September 8, 1829, for " divers valuable consid- erations," and which the latter conveyed the next day to Alexander Findley for $63.75. A glance at the township maps of 1860 and 1876 shows that the major part of " Oakland " is still in the posses- sion of the descendants of James Claypoole, Sr., and George Claypoole. One hundred and eight acres of the latter's purpart are still assessed to his son James, from whom the writer obtained the statement that his grandfather, James Claypoole, Sr., was the first white settler in what is now the borough of Kittanning, and an early settler on the manor tract, from which he and his family re- moved to " Oakland."

Adjoining " Oakland" on the east is deprecia- tion lot No. 266, one of the numerous tracts in this and other counties which became vested in Gen. Andrew Porter, a citizen of Montgomery, Pennsylvania, a proficient surveyor and engineer, who was a captain in the Pennsylvania regiment of artillery in the revolutionary war, and with his company in common with the devoted patriots of other regiments or companies endured the terrible hardships in camp at Valley Forge.

Depreciation lot No. 266 is one of the tracts which Andrew Porter conveyed in his lifetime to his son, George B. Porter, who by his last will, dated March 29, 1830, devised to his wife, Sarah H. Porter, and which she conveyed as containing 196 acres and 100 perches, as surveyed by J. E. Mere- dith, to George Monroe, January 5, 1842, for $1,771.

Adjoining No. 266 on the north is depreciation lot No. 267, 22516 acres, called "Sugar Tree Grove," which was surveyed by Joshua Elder, October 14, 1785, sold at public auction to John McCulloch, who released it to Andrew Porter, to whom the patent was granted, January 22, 1792, who conveyed it to his son, George B. Porter, in 1812, for $1 and " natural love and affection," and he to Washington Ross, September 10, 1829, for $775.

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History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Part 102

Author: Smith, Robert Walter Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago : Waterman, Watkins Number of Pages: 790

Author: Smith, Robert Walter
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago : Waterman, Watkins
Number of Pages: 790