History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Part 108

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

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Adjoining the main portion of "Moran " on the east is the southern part of a tract, nearly a rect- angular parallelogram, lengthwise north and south, traversed near its center from west to east by a tributary of Limestone run, with " William Todd, Esq." and "429.58" acres on the Gapen map, but on the other the name of " John Mateer " and the same number of acres. Mrs. Rosannah Mateer made an improvement and settlement on it in 1807, and having married a young Irishman by the name of McCune, much younger than she, who after a while left her and married another woman in Washington county, she was assessed with 400 acres, 1 horse and 1 cow, in 1808, at $131, and with which she continued to be assessed until her death. By her will, drawn by Dr. Samuel Mc- Masters, dated July 31, and registered August 23, 1826, she devised the farm on which she then lived to her son, Samuel Quigley McCune, who trans- ferred his interest to Jonathan H. Sloan. Todd's interest became vested in Archibald McCall, and Mateer's in Jonathan H. Sloan, and the patent for the entire tract was granted to them, as tenants in common, October 29, 1829. Sloan took 193 acres and 3 perches in the partition between them, which McCall conveyed to him July 8, 1830, and which he conveyed to William McCollim, Sr., October 21, 1831, for $637.50, 102 acres and 56 perches of which the latter conveyed to William McCollim, Jr., June, 1850, for $1,000.

McCall conveyed his purpart thus: 19 acres and 2 perches to Robert Brown, Frederick Rohrer, Philip Mechling and Simon Turney, trustees of the Protestant Episcopal and Evangelical Lutheran

churches of Kittanning, October 20, 1830, for $1; 180 acres and 124 perches to Joseph Tarr, April 5, 1837, for $994.

Adjoining the southern part of that McCall- Sloan tract is a nearly square one, 211 acres, adjoin- ing " Arragon " on the south and the northern part of "Clover Hill" on the west, without boundary lines, but bearing on its face " William Todd, Esq." on the Gapen map, but on the other within boundary lines, "Dan'l Lemon," whose father set- tled upon it in 1797, but soon after removed to Lexington, Kentucky. It became vested by patent, April 12, 1838, in his son Daniel, who before his death conveyed the principal portion of it to his son Thomas. Purpart " D," 72 acres and 48 perches, was not taken by any of his heirs in the proceed- ings in partition, but they joined in releasing their respective interests to Joseph Lemmon, January 30, 1865, for $400, that is $50 to each, who after- ward conveyed it to his brother Thomas, to whom it is now assessed at $648. Daniel Lemmon agreed to sell 89 acres to Nathaniel Richey, July 11, 1834, who transferred his interest to William Richey, to whom Lemmon conveyed the same, May 27, 1846, for $150, which Richey conveyed to George Rummel June 13, he to John Campbell July 23, 1849, and he to Thomas Ingram, March 11, 1857, for $1,400.

Adjoining that Lemmon tract and " Arragon " on the east is a tract in shape a trapezium, traversed southeasterly in a meandering course by Limestone run, which in its southeastern part empties into the Allegheny, so that the southwestern part of it was left in Buffalo when Sugar Creek township was organized in 1806, the mouth of Limestone being the eastern point of the line which then divided these two townships. Much of this tract on the Gapen map is included within boundary lines within which is "Wm. Todd, Esq.," but on the other map is included a larger area with "Fred'k Tarr" and "3713a." The warrant for this tract was granted to Todd April 15, 1794, who conveyed it to James Matthews, March 3, 1809, for $1,000, and the latter to Frederick Tarr, April 20, 1811, for $1,856.50, with which, 2 cows and 2 horses he was first assessed that year at $259.50. He erected his sawmill thereon in 1813, which was afterward assessed to his son Joseph. Frederick Tarr resided on this tract when he was appointed and commissioned a justice of the peace for district No. 5, then consisting of Buffalo town- ship, by Governor Snyder, March 26, 1817, and was qualified two months thereafter. He and Samuel Richey entered into an agreement, June 4, 1815, for the sale and purchase of a portion of

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

this tract bounded by a "condition-line marked on the creek [Limestone], on a Spanish oak, an elm and plum tree, to run in a straight line by those three marks across the tract, and bounded by lands of Daniel Lemmon, John Quigley and Christian Shull," for $3 an acre. Richey paid Tarr before the latter's death $372.95, the full amount of the purchase money, but as the vendor did not execute a deed for that parcel before his death, the vendee proved the contract and pay- ments in the court of common pleas in this county, which the court, December 24, 1835, ordered to be recorded as provided by the act of March 31, 1792. That parcel was afterward known as the "Richey Farm." Having died intestate in 1825, on appli- cation of the administratrix and administrator the orphans' court, March 18, 1835, ordered 100 acres of the upper end to be sold for the payment of debts, but the records do not show that any report of the sale was made. 228 acres and 17 perches of this tract were in proceedings in partition awarded to Joseph Tarr, December 18, 1837, which he conveyed to Alexander Colwell, August 29, 1838, for $3,000, which the latter agreed to sell to Mor- ris P. Hicks, who conveyed his interest to Henry J. Arnold, October 7, 1854, for $6,000, and Colwell conveyed his interest to Arnold, March 27, 1856, for $4,560.

Adjoining that Todd-Matthews-Tarr tract on the east is a hexagonal one on the Lawson & Orr map, 340 acres, the eastern part of which is trav- ersed in a southerly course by the first run above Limestone, which, having been sold for taxes, was conveyed by Samuel Matthews, county treasurer, to William Brown, March 19, 1814, for $105, which Brown conveyed to John Quigley and John Sloan, March 23, for $29, which they conveyed to Christian Shull, of Westmoreland county, Septem- ber 20, for $40, and which Shull agreed to convey to Frederick Tarr as containing 366 acres more or less, for $1,300, who agreed to convey 200 acres of the central and northern part to William Orr, December 30, 1816, for $1,000, but as the patent was not granted to him in his lifetime, and not to his administrator and administratrix until April 19, 1831, Orr did not get his deed until September 22, then next. He conveyed this parcel to William Zillafrow, March 22, 1833, for $887.62}, who con- veyed it to his son Abraham, April 6, 1850, for $1.

A log schoolhouse about 20×24 feet was erected on the left bank of Schoolhouse run, on this parcel, about 1815, among the teachers in which were Joseph Bullman, George Forsyth and Robert Kirby, whose pupils numbered from 35 to 40, some of them living from 13 to 2 miles distant.

Those of them known to be now living are John and Montgomery Patton, James S. Quigley, Mrs. Margaret Richardson, Mrs. Mary Tarr and Abra- ham Zillafrow. The present schoolhouse is situ- ated about 60 rods east of the site of that old one, on or near the line between that Orr-Zillafrow parcel and "Montreal."

Frederick Tarr and John McAfoos entered into a written agreement, January 21, 1817, for the sale and purchase of 150 acres, as they estimated the quantity, of the southern part of this tract, " to be run agreeably to a line that had been run between William Orr and McAfoos, and to continue up the run on the side near to John Q. Sloan's field, agree- ably to a course that Robert Orr run." The terms of that agreement were that Tarr should pay Mrs. McAfoos $500 as her dower, probably in the 110 acres on the Cowanshannock creek, which her hus- band in the same agreement covenanted to convey to Tarr, and $300 to McAfoos, in all $800. That line between those two parcels extended south- westerly from a point on the eastern line of the tract about 115 rods above the point where it touches the river, across the run nearly the same distance above its month to the western line of the tract, the Orr parcel containing 240 and the McAfoos 100 acres, their names being on their respective parcels on that map.

Adjoining that Shull-Tarr tract on the cast, in the bend of the Allegheny river, is a tract, 4274 acres, surveyed by Gapen, deputy surveyor, to Robert Cooper, who conveyed his interest to McCall, and he, having paid the purchase money to the commonwealth, obtained a warrant of accep- tance for that survey. But, as he could not obtain a patent for it without the improvement, settle- ment and residence thereon, required by the act of April 3, 1792, for the purpose of complying with that legal requirement, McCall agreed to convey 150 acres of it to William Little, in consideration whereof the latter gave the former, August 12, 1796, his bond in the penal sum of $500, condi- tioned for improving, settling and residing on this tract, building thereon a house fit for the habita- tion of a family, clearing, fencing and cultivating 8 acres thereof before February 12, 1797, and pay- ing "one penny " on the delivery to him of the deed. There are these inscriptions on the Gapen map: "Rob't Cooper, 4273," and "Patented to A. McC. & Wm. C., 431.96." But on the other map is this inscription : "A. McCall & James Sloan, Jun'r, 4313a." It was surveyed to McCall and William Cochran, by Ross, deputy surveyor, May 1, 1805.

The patent for this tract called " Montreal " was

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EAST FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP.

granted to McCall and William Cochran, who had probably bought Little's interest, February 6, 1809. They made partition, and McCall conveyed to Cochran the 158 acres, April 4, 1816, when it then adjoined Robert McDowell, William Sloan and the Allegheny river. Cochran released 281 acres and 96 perches to McCall, April 18. Cochran was first assessed with 400 acres of "Montreal," 3 horses and 4 cows, in 1806, at $244 ; and the next year with two horses and two cows less, at $197. He conveyed his purpart of "Montreal " to James and John Q. Sloan, October 19, 1819, for $750, which James Sloan, of Buffalo, New York, conveyed to Jonathan H. Sloan, August 1, 1883, for $700, and which the latter conveyed to Robert O. Quigley, April 5, 1872, for $3,135.

McCall conveyed 109 acres and 39 perches of his purport of " Montreal " to James Patton, Novem- ber 18, 1833, for $546.22, and the residue, 169 acres and 79 perches, was included in the sale of McCall's heirs to William F. Johnston, who con- veyed the same to John Swigert, November 5, 1855, for $1,525.50, one hundred and three or four acres of which the latter conveyed to Robert O. Campbell, to whose heirs it belongs, April 18, 1860, for $2,500, and 3 acres and 1573 perches to Esther M. Zillafrow, April 13, 1861, for $200.

This tract was named after Montreal, meaning Mount Royal, either the island or the city in Canada.

Adjoining the Shull-Tarr tract and "Montreal " on the north is a hexagonal tract, "4242" acres, which was surveyed by Gapen, deputy surveyor, to Samuel Cooper, November 7, 1794, whose interest was purchased by Archibald McCall, who obtained a warrant of acceptance, July 3, 1795. John Car- roll and John Orr having commenced an actual settlement on it, they and McCall, by his attorney- in-fact, Thomas Collins, entered into a written agreement, the terms of which were that they should continue their settlement five years, to fur- nish proof of it and render the necessary assistance for obtaining the patent, and he to make them a deed for 80 acres adjoining the land then occupied by them and Christopher Ober, and they to make a deed to McCall for the remainder of the tract, which was surveyed to them and McCall by Ross, deputy surveyor, May 1, 1805. Carroll transferred his interest to Orr, who agreed, August 21, 1815, to convey 100 acres or more off the northeast cor- ner of this tract, including Robert McDonald's improvement, to John Quigley for $1 per acre, the deed for which was made by Robert Orr, Jr., and Samuel C. Orr, John Orr's administrators, June 19, 1827, to John P. Quigley, whose heirs

conveyed 20 acres thereof to John A. Quigley, January 10, 1850, for. $ -. 225 acres and 108 perches of the McCall purpart of this tract were included in the sale by McCall's heirs to William F. Johnston, 75 acres and 30 perches of which he conveyed to Mary Bowser, July 11, 1850, for $175; 67 acres and 20 perches to Charles Merrill, July 10, 1852, for $469.87; 137 acres and 104 perchés to Abraham and Leonard Cornman, August 31, 1854, for $903.55. Merrill conveyed 17 acres and 20 perches of his parcel to James S. Cochran, October 2, 1854, for $700, and the rest to Solomon Hooks; A. Cornman conveyed 87 acres and 20 perches of his parcel to Matthias Bowser, November 22, 1854, for $1,254, which he afterward conveyed to Hooks; and 25 acres and 30 perches of Mary Bowser's par- cel was conveyed by J. E. Meredith, who was ap- pointed a trustee by the orphans' court of this county to sell her real estate, to Thomas McCon- nell, June 7, 1860, for $155, and which the latter conveyed to John Claypoole, Jr., June 2, 1869, for $200. Solomon Hooks conveyed the two par- cels which he had purchased from Bowser and Merrill to Jacob Toy, February 1, 1865, for $1.

Adjoining that Cooper-McCall-Orr tract on the north is another hexagonal one, 437 acres and 71 perches, surveyed by Gapen, deputy surveyor, to John Cooper, Jr., on which Thomas McClymonds settled, probably before 1800. He was assessed with 200 acres of this tract and 4 cattle in 1805, at $82. Robert Mckinley also settled about the same time on the other part of it, and was assessed with 200 acres, 2 distilleries, 2 horses and 1 cow in 1805, at $166, and the next year, with the land, I distillery and 2 cows, at $170; in 1807 with 100 acres, 1 distillery the last time, I horse and 1 cow, at $191, and the last time with the land as un- seated, in 1809. The next year William Kiskad- den was assessed with 400 acres of it, 1 horse and 1 cow, at $216, afterward with 100 acres, and the last time with that, or any other quantity thereof, in 1815.

This tract was surveyed to McCall and McCly- monds by Ross, deputy surveyor, May 5, 1805, and the patent for it, called "Perseverance," was granted to them and Mckinley, May 11, 1807. McClymonds probably disposed of his interest either to McCall or Mckinley, for the latter con- veyed 237 acres, September 20, 1821, for $1 and in consideration of the partition made between him and McCall, to E. J. Du Pont, de Nemons, who was then McCall's assignee, by whom it was re- conveyed to McCall, January 17, 1833, and was included in the sale by the latter's heirs to William F. Johnston, who conveyed the northeastern por-

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

tion to John P. or George L. Davis, or both of them, and which was conveyed by Sheriff Sloan to Ross Mechling, September 7, 1861, for $610, which the latter conveyed to George Neff, April 4, 1862, for $1,112, and he to Henry Ekis 100 acres, a small portion of which is in Washington township, De- cember 28, 1864, for $1,800. Johnston conveyed 68 acres and 10 perches of " Perseverance " to John Ruffner, April 1, 1856, for $576.75 .*

Passing southwesterly across "Perseverance " and the McCall-Orr tract to the latter's western adjoiner, is a nearly rectangular parallelogram, lengthwise from east to west, 420 acres and 49 perches, for which a warrant must have been issued to John Heaton, for on the Gapen map Heaton's name is inscribed on the face of this tract, and on the other map, his and John Quigley's names. It was seated by John Quigley, who was assessed, as a single man, with 400 acres in 1805-6 at $100.

Adjoining that Heaton-Quigley tract on the north is one, a pentagon, nearly a rectangular par- allelogram, without full boundary lines on the Gapen map, but having "John McKissick " on its face. On the other map the names of James Gib- son and John McKissick, and 407 acres and 34 perches. McKissick probably occupied or claimed a right to this tract some time between 1792 and 1796, when Gapen surveyed adjoining tracts. Gib- son was assessed with it as unseated as early as, perhaps earlier than, 1805, at $100, to whom the patent for it was granted, April 19, 1820. Dr. James Hutchinson, of Philadelphia, also had an interest in it-perhaps he purchased McKissick's. His heirs and Gibson made partition, and the lat- ter conveyed to the former 207 acres and 34 perches, August 5, 1820, for $1. Gibson conveyed 200 acres and 16 perches of his purpart to Frederick Christ- man, November 1, 1834, for $400, which he and George F. and John Dodd agreed, December 13, 1847, to sell and purchase for $2,200. Jacob Myers and his wife having acquired an interest therein, they and George F. Dodd conveyed 106 acres to Robert and Sarah Coleman, March 19, 1863, for $1,300, 99 acres and 923 perches of which Dodd conveyed to Joseph Higgenbotham, April 14, 1866, for $1,500.

Adjoining that MeKissick - Gibson - Hutchinson tract on the north is a tract, 416 acres, a rectangu- lar parallelogram, lengthwise east and west, the northern portion of which is in what is now Wash- ington township, which was surveyed by Gapen, deputy surveyor, to Jared Ingersoll, who probably transferred his interest to Dr. James Hutchinson.

It was settled first by Daniel Henry, who was assessed with 400 acres and 1 cow in 1805-6, at $106. The patent for it was granted to him, March 25, 1824. He and Hutchinson's heirs having made partition, he released their purpart to Randall Hutchinson, November 25, who conveyed an undi- vided half to Mrs. Margaret Pepper, and the other to Israel P. Hutchinson. Mrs. Pepper's executor conveyed her half to Israel P. Hutchinson, who ' conveyed thus : 113 acres and 38 perches to John D. Wolf, May 12, 1852, for $900; 184 acres and 81 perches to Robert and William Mccutcheon, De- cember 5, 1853, for $1,387.50; 73 acres and 62 perches to William Bowser, December 28, 1855, for $770.57; 108 acres and 140 perches to John McGarvey, January 18, 1853, for $690, which and three other parcels, aggregating 182 acres and 100 perches, the latter conveyed to Thomas McCracken, September 28, 1855. An oil-well was put down here by the Monticello Oil Company.

Daniel Henry conveyed his purpart, at least a part of it, to Alexander Duncan, September 13, 1824, who conveyed the same to John P. Davis, April 21, 1834, who conveyed it to David Flanner, who conveyed 38 acres and 60 perches, including ten acres which had been conveyed to him by John Bowser, to William Wiley, April 15, 1840, for $100, which, with 5 acres that David had con- veyed to David Flanner, Wiley conveyed to Mc- McGarvey, June 30, 1841, for $190.

Adjoining that Henry-Hutchinson tract on the west is a heptagonal one, 403 acres and 136 perches, on which Andrew McKee settled, prob- ably in 1797, and was assessed with 400 acres, 1 horse and 1 cow in 1805 and 1806, at $131. He, by virtue of his improvement, settlement and resi- dence on it, had a joint interest in it with Francis Johnston. In the partition between them, McKee took the southern part, the chief portion of which is in what is now East Franklin township. In the latter part of 1814, or early in 1815, McKee and John Christman agreed to sell and purchase the former's interest, and the latter built his gristmill on Limestone run, with which, 400 acres, 1 horse and 1 cow he was first assessed in the last-men- tioned year, at $307. He built his sawmill five years later. McKee obtained the patent, April 19, 1820, and conveyed to Christman 201 acres and 148 perches, June 27, for $1,100. By his will, dated December 11, 1860, and registered March 13, 1862, he devised his real estate* equally to his daugh- ters. The Johnston purpart is chiefly in what is now Washington township, of which 78 acres and 70 perches were conveyed to Thos. Laird, April 1,

* Elizabeth and Mary Mckinley conveyed 48 acres and 35 perches of this tract to Solomon Hooks, April 6, 1877, for $1,000.

# Scc Washington township.

515

EAST FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP.

1834, for $75.48 ; 101 to Jacob Toy, October 26, 1839, for $505 ; 50 acres and 150 perches to Oliver Leard, the same day, for $254.70 ; and 28 acres and 8 perches to John Montgomery for $75.

Adjoining the Johnston-McKee-Christman tract on the south is the one, a pentagon, 304 acres, on which John Montgomery made an improvement and settlement, about 1797, with which and 3 cattle he was assessed in 1805, at $72, and the next year, with 2 cattle less, at $66. The patent for this tract was granted to him April 18, 1831, and he conveyed 200 acres of it to Henry and Philip Christman, May 28, for $400, on which they built their grist and saw mills in 1834. Montgomery, by his will, dated March 4, 1832, registered Decem- ber 4, 1837, devised his real estate to his son John, who conveyed 119 acres of this tract to Jacob Bowser, September 15, 1848, for $1,071.

In 1851 Montgomery laid ont the town of Mont- gomeryville, consisting of 17 in-lots and 7 out-lots, 14 of the former 66×165 feet. The out-lots, ex- cept 1, contain, respectively, much larger areas. The streets, Washington and Jefferson, are each 30 feet wide. The bearing of the former is south 74} degrees east, and of the latter, north 13 de- grees east. The lane is 26 feet wide, with a bearing south 33 degrees west. Union street is 16 feet wide, with a bearing south 3 degrees east. Another street, not named in the plot, between the southern tier of in-lots and the out-lots and the southeastern tier of in-lots, 26 feet wide, with a bearing of north 743 degrees west. The town, sur- veyed by James Stewart, lies between the parcels conveyed to Jacob Bowser and the Christmans. The conveyances of but few of these lots have as yet been recorded. The prices of the in-lots ap- pear to have varied from $12.50, $17 to $103.33. Montgomery conveyed 4 acres and 122 perches, within the limits of the town, to Johnston Best, April 25, 1867, for $325. Joseph Lemmon con- veyed lots Nos. 5 and 7 to Daniel Hufham, Febru- ary 2, 1866, for $250.

A log schoolhouse was built on the site of Mont- gomeryville, about 1830, one of the teachers in which was Robert Kirby, among whose pupils were Samuel Mateer and James S. Quigley.

Adrian postoffice was established here, June 26, 1862 ; James Hughes, postmaster.

Adjoining that Montgomery tract on the west is a heptagonal one, 434 acres and 134 perches, on which James McKee made an improvement and settlement about 1797. He was assessed with 400 acres as a single man, in 1805, at $100, and the next year, as married, and 1 horse and 1 cow, at $121. Philip Anthony conveyed 108 acres to Mc-

Kee for $400, which he conveyed to Anthony Montgomery, October 17, 1812, for $600, who re- conveyed to him 108 acres of the southwestern part, May 20, 1813, for 5 shillings and his bonds for $500. Montgomery conveyed his interest in the entire tract to John Mateer, December 12, 1822, for $900. John Buchanan, who had obtained a warrant for this tract, February 13, 1794, conveyed his interest to the heirs of Francis Johnston, Jnne 18, 1823, for $1. Montgomery conveyed his in- terest in the 400 acres to John Mateer, December 12, 1822, for $900. The patent was granted to Alexander W. Johnston, executor, in trust for the heirs of Francis Johnston, and to John Mateer, October 18, 1833. Partition having been made between them, Johnston's executor released 18 acres and 71 perches to Mateer, December 26, who released the residue to that executor in trust for the heirs of his testator.

The Johnston purpart was conveyed thus : 78 acres and 70 perches to Thomas Leard, April 1, 1834, for $75.48, which Thomas Leard, Jr., con- veyed to John Leard, the present owner, August 27, 1867, for $1,270.60 ; 101 acres to Jacob Toy, February 26, 1829, for $805; 50 acres and 151 perches to Oliver Leard, the same day, for $254.70; and 28 acres and 80 perches to John Montgomery, for $75.

Mateer conveyed his purpart to his son Samuel, April 10, 1855, for $3,100, who conveyed it to Jonathan H. Quigley, August 18, 1856, for $3,800, who conveyed it to Esther and Rosannah Quigley, the same day, for the same amount, which they conveyed, as containing 240 acres and 24 perches, to David C. Quigley, June 1, 1857, for $2,800 "and other valuable considerations;" 30 acres and 108 perches of which he conveyed to Jacob Toy, March 15, 1859, for $90.80 ; and 25 acres to Abraham Frick, October 31, 1860, for $50. Quigley, with whom William H. Leard and James Wylie and and their wives joined, conveyed 109 acres and 9 perches to Robert Ralston, April 6, 1867, for $6,362.50, which, except 50 acres and 50 perches conveyed to Esther Quigley, he conveyed to James Long, April 26, 1873, for $6,000.

Adjoining that McKee-Montgomery tract on the west, or rather the southwest, is one, an equilateral, though not a rectangular, parallelogram, 95 acres, to which Andrew Milligan acquired title, on which he probably settled in or about 1797. He was assessed 200 acres and 4 cattle, in 1805 and 1806, at $112, to whom the patent was granted April 4, 1834. He having died intestate, leaving a widow and three children, Rachel Milligan, one of them, conveyed her interest to William M. Lyons, 141

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History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Part 108

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