History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Part 110

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

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The population of East Franklin, in 1870, was : white, 1,448 ; colored, 3; native, 1,391 ; foreign, 60. The number of taxables, in 1876, is 398.

According to the mercantile appraiser's list for 1876 there are 4 merchants in the fourteenth and one in the thirteenth class in this township.

Schools in 1876-Whole number, 10; average number months taught, 5; male teachers, 8 ; fe- male teachers, 2 ; average salaries of male teachers per month, $33.18 ; female teachers, $31.88 ; male scholars, 235 ; female scholars, 234 ; average num- ber attending school, 353; cost per month, 75 cents; tax levied for school and building purposes, $3,000; received from state appropriation, $343.17; from taxes, etc., $2,961.83 ; cost of schoolhouses, $1,054; paid for teachers' wages, $1,645.38 ; paid for fuel, $497.37. All the schoolhouses in East Franklin school district are now substantial brick ones.

The school statistics for Franklin township, in 1860, are-Whole number schools, 16 ; average number months taught, 4; male teachers, 13; fe- male teachers, 3 ; average salaries of male teachers per month, $17.61; average salaries of female teachers, $17.66; male scholars, 414; female scholars, 370 ; average number attending school,

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EAST FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP.

476 ; cost of teaching each scholar per month, 42 cents ; amount levied for school purposes, $1,675.36; amount levied for building purposes, $358.45 ; re- ceived from state appropriation, $211.46 ; received from collectors, $1,768.81; cost of instruction, $1,128; fuel, etc., $188; cost of schoolhouses, $382.

The occupations, agricultural exclusive, of the people of East Franklin, in 1876, were : Laborers, 57; carpenters, 10; merchants, 7; miners, 6 ; teachers, 5 ; blacksmiths, 4 ; sawyers, 4 ; millers, 3 ; masons, 3 ; teamsters, 3 ; tenants, 3 ; ministers, 2 ; painters, 2; clerk, 1; cropper, 1; grocer, 1; cripple, 1 ; daguerreotypist, 1 ; innkeeper, 1 ; gun- smith, 1; ferryman, 1; physician, 1 ; shoemaker, 1 ; speenlator, 1; wagonmaker, 1.

The vote of East Franklin township, February 28, 1873, stood 101 against and 61 for granting licenses to sell intoxicating liquors.

The geological features : The surface rocks con- sist of lower barrens, lower productives and the Pottsville conglomerate. A large quantity of Free- port coal is represented, but in many places is obscure by reason of its reduced size. The Free- port limestone is more easily recognized than the coalbed. Along Glade run, however, the upper and lower Freeport coalbeds are large. The Johnstown cement is also here represented, but of little value, except as means for identification. The ferriferons limestone is along the river front through the entire length of the township, and its ore is on top. The ore has been extensively worked by the Allegheny, American and Monticello furnaces. The Pottsville conglomerate is from 60 to 75 feet thick. The river gravel, including rounded pebbles of gneiss and granite, are found on the slopes near the old Alle- gheny furnace, 100 feet or more above the present river channel. An ancient island in the river can be distinctly traced by means of this gravel and sand depoist, 20 feet thick above Loeben Tarr's house, in the vicinity of the old Allegheny furnace. The Freeport sandstone is very prominent along the river front in this township. It makes a line of cliffs 40 feet high, opposite Kittanning. The upper Kittanning coal appears directly below it, but is small and unaccompanied by the Johnstown

cement, and the middle Kittanning coal is not seen at all in this vicinity. The interval between the lower Kittanning coal and the ferriferous limestone un- dergoes some instructive changes in this locality. At Loeben Tarr's the distance between the two is 13 feet. On the hill, directly below Judge Boggs' residence, the same interval is 50 feet, while oppo- site, at Ross Reynolds' quarries, not more than 30 feet intervene between the two. The Clarion coal, one foot thick, is represented at the foot of the hill, where the Worthington road begins to ascend toward the west.

Structure .- An anticlinal axis runs lengthwise through the township, which it enters near Mont- gomeryville and leaves in the neighborhood of Center Hill. The southeast dip from the Craigs- ville axis is sharply felt near Middlesex in the northwest corner of the township .- Plutt.

The following sections are from Rogers' Geology of Pennsylvania : At Allegheny Furnace-top of the hill - shales, 70 feet ; coal, 3 feet ; unknown, probably shales, 42 feet ; Elk lick coal, pure coke vein, 4 feet ; unknown, 40 feet; upper Freeport coal, 22 feet ; Freeport limestone, nodular iron ore, 1 foot; unknown strata, containing oölitic (egg-shaped) iron ore, 80 feet; lower Freeport coal, 3 feet ; shale, limestone in nodules ; brown and black shale, with nodular ore, 55 feet ; Kittan- ning coal, 3 feet ; shale, with nodular ore, 27 feet ; ferriferous limestone, overlaid by ore, from 30 to to 40 inches thick, 14 feet ; brown and blue shales, with argillaceous ore, 40 feet ; Clarion coal, im- pure, 3 feet, is 135 feet above the Allegheny river. The Tionesta or Sharon coal is said to have been found.

A little farther down the river : Shale ; upper Freeport coal ; shale, 10 feet ; Freeport limestone, 6 feet ; shale and yellow sandstone with vegetable remains, 40 to 50 feet; blue shale in the river, 18 feet.

The Franklin election district and Franklin township were of course named after Benjamin Franklin, whose illustrious public life is so famil- iar to the generality of readers, that it is super- fluons to give anything of his history in this con- nection.

CHAPTER XXIV.

SUGAR CREEK.

A Small Remnant of the Parent Township- Original Owners -Conveyances- Ezekiel Lewis and other Pioneers - The Middlesex Presbyterian Church - St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church - The Donation Lands - Lutheran Church - Robert Orr, Sr. - Orrsville - Damages of the Tornado of 1860 - Sugar Creek and Philips- burg Ferry Company -Templeton Oilwell - Census and School Statistics- Geology.

THE present township of Sugar Creek is a com- paratively small remnant of the parent one, left after organizing from what was its original ter- ritory, besides the portions of it included in East and West Franklin, 4 townships, 2 boroughs and 1 city.

In the southeastern part is the tract, nearly a square, 356 acres and 147 perches, which appears from the Gapen map to have been claimed by Samuel Kincaide, but the other map shows it to have been the Michael Red tract, about one-half of which is in what is now Washington township. Red probably settled on it the latter part of the last century. He was assessed, in 1805, with 400 acres, 1 horse and 2 cows, at $142, and the next year, with 300 acres and 4 cattle, at $122, and with 2 distilleries in 1812. Red's heirs conveyed it as containing 360 acres to Daniel Red, December 4, 1816, for $1,000. Chambers Orr, sheriff, conveyed it as containing 356 acres to Thomas R. McMillen, September 23, 1840, for $100, of which 130 acres were then cleared, and on which were a stone dwelling-house, a square log barn, stillhouse and other buildings, a meadow, and apple and peach- orchards. McMillen conveyed it to Patrick Red, December 3, 1851, for $5, who by his will dated March 15, and registered June 6, 1854, devised it to his son Charles, the present owner.

Adjoining that Red tract on the north is a tract, a rectangular parallelogram, 386 acres and 136 perches, partly in Washington township, to which Robert Beaty once had a claim, and on which David Henry settled about 1797, with 300 acres of which, 2 horses and 2 cows, he was assessed in 1805 and 1806 at $212, and which was surveyed to him by Ross, dep- uty surveyor, March 5, 1805. He agreed to convey 162 acres and 136 perches of the northwestern portion of which were surveyed in his lifetime to his son, Stewart Henry, to whom Alexander and Nathaniel Henry, Mrs. Margaret Colwell and the other heirs released that parcel October 8, 1838. HIe and his son-in-law, James Hutchison, entered into a written agreement March 27, 1850, for the

sale and purchase of 100 acres in consideration of the vendor's proper maintenance during the rest of his life, in pursuance of which the vendee removed thither and entered upon the dne performance of his part of the agreement May 6, having given his bond in the penal sum of $2,400 conditioned on such performance. In six weeks and four days there- after the vendor died. The vendee subsequently presented his petition to the orphans' court of this county for the specific performance of that contract, which was the first case of the kind in which the writer was concerned after his admission to the bar. On due proof of the contract and com- pliance therewith on the part of the vendee, the court ordered and decreed the specific performance thereof April 3, 1851, and the vendor's adminis- trator accordingly executed a deed to the vendee. The latter conveyed 50 acres, reserving a strip of the Summit coal-vein in the northeast corner to Sarah Buyers and John E. Gilchrist, June 12, 1858, for $700, 120 acres and the above-mentioned strip of coal to Catherine Olkus, February 6, 1865, for $3,250, and all his interest in that strip of coal to Joseph Sutton, March 1, for $75. The vendor's administrator, Stewart Henry, Jr., by order of the proper court, conveyed the remaining 68 acres of his father's land to Hutchison, September 15, 1851, for $619.65.

The other portion of the David Henry tract, 200 acres, was conveyed by James Mechling, sher- iff, in proceedings in partition, to Alexander Col- well, Alexander Henry and Philip Mechling, June 18, 1829, for $426, which they conveyed to Samuel Templeton, Jr., March 9, 1830, for $600.

Adjoining the Beaty-Henry tract on the north is a rectangular one, extending north to the line between the depreciation and - donation lands, the major portion of which is in what is now Washington township, where it will be further noticed. Adjoin- ing it on the west and the last-mentioned line on the north is a hexagonal one, 2964 acres, on which John Crawford was the first settler, and with 100 acres of which he was assessed in 1805 at $40, and

523

SUGAR CREEK TOWNSHIP.

the next year with the same and 1 horse and 1 cow at $66; to whom the patent for the entire tract was granted December 15, 1826, which he conveyed thus : To Robert G. Crawford, 169 acres and 146 perches, October 20, 1828, for $100, of which the latter conveyed 20 acres and 25 perches to Joseph Thomas, July 13, 1857, for $320; to An- drew Shriver, 129 acres, same day as to Robert G. Crawford, for $-, which Shriver conveyed to Jo- siah Woodroe, April 13, 1839, which Woodroe con- veyed to Sylvanus S. White, April 5, 1841, and which White conveyed to Solomon Wolf, Novem- ber 8, 1853, for $1,300.

West of the northern and north and northwest of the southern part of that Crawford tract is an irregularly shaped one, 390 acres and 97 perches, at one time claimed by John Blain, on which Eze- kiel Lewis made an improvement in March, 1793, and a settlement in April, 1797, surveyed by Ross, April 23, 1802, to whom the warrant was granted March 18, 1805, and the patent September 5, 1809, in which it is called "Lewisburgh," for $71.78. He was assessed with 200 acres, 3 horses and 1 cow, in 1805, at $176, and the next year with the same, less 1 horse, at $156.

Lewis conveyed "Lewisburgh " thus : To An- drew Blair, 190 acres and 97 perches of the eastern part, December 8, 1810, for $1, 187 acres of which Joseph Brown, sheriff, sold on judgment in favor of Andrew Kelly against Blair-debt $118, costs $24-to William Ayres, and conveyed the same to him, September 17, 1816, for $167, who conveyed the same to George and William Byers, Decem- ber 29, 1819, for $400, Blair having agreed to sell it to George Byers, in April, 1811, for $760. Adam A. Byers conveyed 90 acres and 114 perches to Joseph Thomas, February 11, 1850, for $1,050. George Byers having died intestate, William Dickey, his administrator, by order of the orphans' court, in proceedings in partition, conveyed 108 acres of this parcel of " Lewis- burgh" to John Moore, August 28, 1856, for $1,730.16, which the latter conveyed to Richard Meldrun, September 6, 1864, for $2,160. Lewis conveyed 200 acres, the western part of " Lewis- burgh," to William Lewis, his son, and Peter Pence, his son-in-law, April 17, 1832, for $400 and " natural love and affection," which they recon- veyed to him, March 6, 1833 ; 125 or 130 acres of which the latter conveyed to Pence, April 5, 1837, for $800. Pence agreed to convey 3 acres, "a rectangular triangle," on the southwest side of the Kittanning and Fairview road, to James Witherow, September 7, 1846, which the latter agreed to sell to Samuel Caldwell, March 13, 1847, for $175,

which, with four more acres, was included in Pence's deed to Caldwell for $25. Pence conveyed 863 acres to Platt Sutton for $2,600, and 33g acres to Joseph Thomas, March 3, 1865, for $1,000.

There was a schoolhouse as early as 1829 in the northeastern portion of "Lewisburgh," near the intersection of the old Butler and Wattersou Ferry road and the one branching northerly from the Kittanning and Brady's Bend road, about 13 miles from the town of Middlesex, among the earliest teachers in which were Matthew Brown and Cyrus Kilgore.

Ezekiel Lewis was a citizen of Westmoreland county, and, in the early part of the summer of 1781, volunteered to serve in Captain Campbell's company of cavalry, which constituted a part of Captain Robert Orr's command, which participated in Col. Archibald Lochery's disastrous expedition down the Ohio to aid Gen. George Rogers Clark.

Lewis was, among others, captured by the In- dians at the mouth of an inlet, since called Lochery's creek, about ten miles below the month of the Miami river. He and his comrades, with their horses, were about landing from their boats to cook their breakfasts on shore, when they en- countered a shower of bullets from a large force of Indians lying in ambush. The men shielded themselves as far as they could by placing them- selves behind their horses, which were shot down. A number of the men were killed and others wounded, so they were forced to surrender. After being removed to the river-bank, several were killed. Lewis may have avoided the fate by the dark color of his hair, for the Indians spared none with red hair. He ran the gantlet so swiftly that the Indians could not hit him. They were then taken to Montreal, Canada, and taken over in squads and sold to the English. They suffered so severely from hunger while on their way, that when the Indians killed and dressed a deer and cooked the venison with pieces of its unwashed entrails, they relished the meal thus prepared. The squaws, when the Indians were intoxicated with whisky, hid the prisoners to prevent their being killed. After Lewis was sold to the English, he was clothed and well fed. He and his comrades hecame weary, so he and four of them escaped, crossed the St. Lawrence and landed near a camp where the Indians were jolly, dancing around their fire. Lewis and his companions having discovered a young bull which the Indians had tied to a tree, intending, no doubt, to feast on him the next day, dispatched him, cut out the best of the meat, took it with them and concealed themselves all the next day, and after traveling all night they were sur-

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

prised to find themselves in the morning at the point whence they had started. It so happened because clouds obscured the star which they had learned to follow as a guide. After seventeen days' weary traveling they reached a settlement and finally their homes. It is not improbable that Lewis subsequently rendered other military services during the Indian troubles. In March, 1793, he came west of the Allegheny, made an extensive examination of the timber-land in what is now East Franklin township, especially near that part of " Hop Yard " now owned by John Brown, and slept, one night, under a white oak which stood west of the present Kittanning and Butler turn- pike road, with a rock for his pillow ; but, not lik- ing what he deemed the scantiness of timber, he traveled northward and selected the tract after- ward called "Lewisburgh." He was very active until his death, which occurred in April, 1850, aged 95 years and 2 months, not long before which the writer saw him at Kittanning, looking quite liale and hearty.

Adjoining the above-mentioned John Crawford tract on the south and the David Henry one on the west, is one, a rectangular parallelogram, length- wise from north to south, but partly defined on the Gapen map, but having the name of John Craig inscribed on it, but which was settled by Philip Templeton in March, 1796, to whom it was sur- veyed as containing 391 acres and 100 perches by Ross, deputy surveyor, April 23, 1802, and to whom the patent was granted Jannary 30, 1805, in which year he was assessed with this tract, 2 horses and 5 cattle at $258, and the next year with an additional cow at $264. He erected his dwelling-house on the eastern part of the tract, where he resided when he was elected county commissioner in 1818, and until his death, which occurred January 28, 1826. By his will, dated October 24, 1825, and registered February 20, then next, he devised the half of the tract on which he then lived to his wife until the arrival of his son Philip at the age of 21 years, directing the tract to be divided by a straight line, beginning at Patrick Graham's line; thence to the big road; thence to the foot of a ten- acre field; thence to where the line crossed, and thence straight to the Crawford line. The eastern half he devised to his son Philip, but if he should die without legal heirs as he did, September, 1876, he directed to be sold and the proceeds to be equally divided between his sons and daughters. To his son John he devised the western part on which the new house was, but if he should die without lawful heirs, as he did not, he directed it to be sold and the proceeds to be divided as in

the other case. John conveyed his purpart, 194 acres and 80 perches, to his brother Philip, who had been a successful merchant, May 18, 1864, for $4,000, and removed to Illinois where he after- ward died, and which Philip conveyed to the present owner, William Richardson, August 19, 1865, for $5,400.

Adjoining the Templeton tract on the south is, on the Gapen map, a nearly square one, surveyed by Gapen, deputy surveyor, to Patrick Harvey, as containing 402 acres, the central part being traversed southwardly by Long run, and a south- ern strip of which is in what is now East Franklin township. The records do not show to whom Harvey conveyed his interest. This entire tract was surveyed as containing 394 acres and 148 perches to John Johnston by Ross, deputy sur- veyor, March 6, 1805, against whom Absalom Woodward had a judgment for £69 14s 7d debt, 9d costs on transcripts, and 3s 9d " dam- ages by occasion of detention of debt." By vir- tue of an execution on that judgment, Jonathan King, sheriff, sold Johnston's interest in 250 acres of this tract to Woodward for $120, and which he conveyed, October 14, 1811, which the latter con- veyed to Philip Templeton, December 17, for " a stud horse and $50," and which he conveyed to David Johnston, August 25, 1812, for $225. The records do not show when and for what considera- tion the latter conveyed this parcel to Patrick Graham. David Johnston obtained a patent for 153 acres and 60 perches of the eastern part of it, February 4, 1815, and conveyed 101 acres and 140 perches of the southern part to Rev. John Dickey, December 6, for $335, to whose estate most of it still belongs .* Johnston conveyed 51 acres and 80 perches of the northern part to John P. Quigley, December 20, 1815, for $100, which the latter con- veyed to James C. Porterfield, March 14, 1816, for $160, 50 acres of which he agreed to sell to Samuel Swartzlander, August 31, 1837, for $300, on which he soon after erected his blacksmith shop. Patrick Graham was first assessed with the other part of it, 250 acres, I horse and 2 cows in 1818 at $157. By his will, dated May 22, and registered May 31, 1831, he did not devise it, but his widow, Margaret Graham, by her will, dated May 8, 1833, and regis- tered January 24, 1838, devised 50 acres to her son- in-law, Edward Mckinney, and 150 acres to her daughter Polly, with 125 acres of which Leander and William Graham are assessed in 1876 at $1,750.

Adjoining that Harvey-Graham-Johnston tract on the west is a rectangular hexagonal one, surveyed by Gapen, deputy surveyor, as containing 421 acres

$ See East Franklin.

CHARLES READ.

Among the first settlers of Armstrong county we find the name of Read. Michael Read, grandfather of Charles Read, emigrated from County Derry, Ireland, in 1794. He died in Armstrong county, April 15, 1817, in his fifty-ninth year. For three years he resided at Laurel Furnace, east of the Allegheny mountains, from whence he came and settled where the immediate subject of this biography now resides. Five years subsequent to his settlement his family came, which consisted of three sons and three daughters-Daniel, James, Bridget, Alice, Patrick and Catherine-all of whom were born in Ireland. Michael, the youngest, was born in Armstrong county. Daniel, James and Patrick engaged extensively in the cattle trade, and were the first who drove a herd of cattle across the Allegheny river near Kittanning, in 1810, on their way "east of the mountains," to find a market for them.

Patrick Read married Miss Mary Bradley, of Cambria county, 1821. She was daughter of Charles Bradley, one of the six who built the first church in Cambria county for Rev. Demetrius Galitzin. He was a black- smith by trade. His last work in Ireland was to shoe a general's horse of the English army that was bound for colonial service during the revolutionary war. The fol-" lowing anecdote is given to the writer regarding him :

As he had finished the shoeing of the general's horse he remarked to those present in the shop, "That is the last work I will do in Ireland until I oppose that general in the cause of freedom in the colonies." Several of his companions accepted his cause, and at once sailed for the States. During their voyage they were pursued by an 'English ship, which would eventually have captured them were not the impending dangers overcome by the skill and tactics of their valiant captain. When they lauded, they joined the revolutionary soldiers, and op- posed and successfully captured the very general whose horse he shod in Ireland.

Patrick Read succeeded his father in the homestead, and in those early days of inconvenience, trials and hard- ships, not only contributed to secure the church farm attached to St. Patrick's church (Sugar creek), but helped to build the old log church in 1806. He also helped the Rich Hill congregation to build their first church, now

the United Presbyterian church of Middlesex, notwith- standing he was always a practical and devoted Catholic. He had two children-Mary, who is married to Cornelius Kelly, of Butler county, and Charles, who is the subject of this memoir. He died April 25, 1854, aged sixty-four years.

Mr. Charles Read was born November 8, 1822. In 1859 he was married to Mrs. Mary Gallagher, of Freeport. Previous to this marriage Mrs. Gallagher had several children with her former husband, and only three sur- vive-James and William, who live in Minnesota, and Miss Annie Gallagher, who has always lived in the family. Mr. and Mrs. Read were blessed with four chil- dren, two of whom survive-Catherine, born in 1860, died in 1879; Mary Jane, born in 1862, and Charles, born 1864, still live with their parents, and Margaret Eliza- beth, who was born in 1866, died in 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Read and family are practical, devoted and highly- honored members of St. Patrick's church, of Sugar Creek township.

Although now exclusively engaged in farming, Mr. Read carried on the stilling business nearly all his life until 1864. This business was first established in 1804, on the homestead, by his grandfather, and the famous "Charley Read" brand of whisky became extensively known because of its well-merited qualities. It was not only used by business and professional men generally, but found a ready welcome in legislative halls and was selected for the army for medical use.

Mr. C. Read affiliates with the democratic party, and has always taken an active part in the politics of his county. In 1867 he was candidate for the sheriffalty, and came within one hundred and ten ballots of being successful, notwithstanding the fact that he had an ad- verse majority of eight hundred to overcome, and the large number of adherents he drew from the oppos- ing political party (republican) attest the esteem and popularity of the man. In 1871 he was a candidate on the democratic ticket for associate county judge.

Mr. Read is numbered among the large, progressive and prosperous farmers of Armstrong county, and is a man whose identification with any enterprise is pro- ductive of good.

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History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Part 110

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