History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Part 114

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

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main army and secure supplies, who were soon cap- tured by the Indians, together with a letter to Clark, disclosing the destitute condition of Lochery's force, from which, and the accounts given by the nineteen deserters from Clark's army, whom Lochery had arrested, and who, on being released, joined the Indians, they thus learned that Clark and Lochery were not together, and ceasing to be awed by Clark's artillery, they collected in force below the mouth of the Great Miami and placed their prisoners in a conspicuous position on the right bank of the river and promised to spare their lives if they would hail their comrades as they should pass down, and induce them to surrender. But they, being weary and despairing of meeting Clark's army, landed about 10 o'clock A. M., August 25, at the mouth of an inlet, since called Lochery's creek, where they landed their horses to feed on the grass. While preparing a repast of the meat of a buffalo which they had killed, they were as- sailed by a volley of rifle balls from an overhang- ing bluff, where the Indians had assembled in large force. The men, being thus surprised, seized their arms and defended themselves until their ammuni- tion was exhausted, and then attempted to escape in their boats, but, as they were unwieldy, as the water was low, and the men too weak to render them available, they only 106 strong, were obliged to surrender to more than 300 Indians, who hastily massacred Lochery and several of their prisoners, which Brandt, or whoever their chief commanding was, condemned. Forty-two of those prisoners were killed, and 64 were taken prisoners. Among the latter was Captain Orr, whose arm was broken in the engagement, who was taken to Sandusky, where he was retained for several months, when, his captors not being able to properly treat his fracture, he was removed to the hospital at Detroit, whence he was that winter removed to Montreal, and with his fellow prisoners was exchanged after the close of the revolutionary war, and returned to Westmoreland county in the summer of 1783, his house and property having been destroyed by the burning of Hannastown, July 13, 1782. He was one of the few men who were in Lochery's unfor- tunate expedition that ever reached their homes. Soon after his return he raised another company to serve two months in the defense of the frontier, which advanced to the mouth of Bull creek, on the right bank of the Allegheny river, where Tarentum now is, where, under his direction, a blockhouse was built. Having completed that term of service satis- factorily, he was elected the same fall (1783) sheriff of Westmoreland county, and was prompt and faith- ful in the discharge of his official duties. From

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

the time of his settlement in what is now Sugar Creek township he resided on the heretofore-men- tioned McDonald-Monteith-Dinsmore-Wilson tract until about 1812, when he removed to this tract, on which he remained until he rented his farm to Solomon Rumbaugh, about 1824, about which time he removed to Kittanning. When this county was organized for judicial purposes iu 1805, he was appointed one of the three associate judges of its several courts, which position he creditably filled until his death. By the act of assembly of March 30, 1821, the state treasurer of Pennsylvania was authorized to pay to him or his order, immediately thereafter, $750, in consideration of his services and losses during the revolutionary war, which was to be considered as a full compensation for those services and losses, including all his claims for military service.

In 1818 or 1819 he laid out north of his resi- dence on this tract, and west of the present Kit- tanning and Brady's Bend road, the town of Orrsville, the plan of which is not on record, and the writer has not been able to ascertain the exact number of the lots which it contained. Its first separate assessment list was in 1819, when Henry Torringer was assessed with Nos. 44 and 46, seated, at $25 each, and William Shea, tailor, with lots Nos. 53 and 56, seated, and his occupation at $75. Robert Robinson, sheriff, sold Torringer's two lots on a judgment in favor of J. E. Brown for $30.20}, of debt, and $6.74 of costs, on the premises, to Robert Orr, Sr., September 23, 1822, for $15 each, and executed his deed therefor the next day, both of which the latter conveyed to James Adams, May 2, 1831, for $30. These last two conveyances are the only ones of lots in that town of Orrsville on record.

The assessment list shows that these Torringer lots were " transferred to William Adams," and the Shea ones were "taxt to John McClatchey " in 1824. James Torringer had his blacksmith-shop on one of these lots about 1823-4.

Robert Orr, Sr., conveyed his interest in this tract to his sons Chambers and Robert, May 7, 1831, which, and the parcel of the Moore tract which Adams had sold to them, they conveyed to Christopher Foster (of Thomas), 199 acres, except all the Orrsville lots that had been sold by their father, and for which the purchase money had been paid.

The violent tornado that occurred on the 29th or 30th of May, 1860, began to move with or to gather its devastating force on the Kittanning and Brady's Bend road on this tract, between Christo- pher Foster's house and barn, where it swept in a

course slightly south of east to David C. Porter- field's, and turned thence northeasterly to William A. Foster's, tearing off the roof and upper story of his house. He was absent at the time. As he saw, returning from Middlesex, the storm moving toward his house, apprehensive for the safety of his two young children whom he had left there, he hastened thither with utmost speed. The little girl, when she saw the storm approaching, took the little boy with her from the house, and both, as they were just about to encounter it, lay down in a gutter which proved to be a place of safety for them. It passed thence northeasterly through Washington township, crossed the Allegheny river a short distance above the mouth of Sugar Camp run, through Madison township with slight de- flections to Red Bank creek nearly east of Owen now Thomas Meredith's residence, moving every- thing in its course.

Lewis Bish said he was standing on a hillside of Red Bank creek, between the old Red Bank Fur- nace and William Shoemaker's, while the tornado passed above him. It did not disturb anything where he then was; some sand fell on him while viewing it; the hillside is steep and the bench of the hill was 100 feet above; he saw the largest trees whirling in the air above him, and felt thankful that none of them fell on him. William Shoemaker's house, near Anthony's tunnel, except the sleepers and kitchen floor, was swept away. Two boards having been taken out of the floor, a small nursing child was dropped down through the opening thus made and was unhurt. Neither the cradle in which that child was, nor any part of the house or spring-house, was ever found, nor any part of the barn which was blown away. The orchard, except six stumps of apple-trees whose bark was stripped off, was uprooted and borne along in the irresist- ible current of the tornado. Pieces of stone were driven so deeply into these stumps that Lewis W. Corbett could not draw them out. The fences . were strewn all over the farm, and Shoemaker was so seriously injured that he was disabled from work for several weeks. Passing with increased force . through the southern part of Clarion county, it swept away everything in its track. Passing about half a mile north of New Bethlehem, it reached Charles Stewart's place while the family were at dinner. Mrs. Stewart, as the door opened, ex- claimed: "What a storm is coming!" which struck the house while she was attempting to close the door, and removed it some distance from its founda- tion. She was found lying between two rafters and beneath a heavy piece of oak timber, whose crushing weight caused her death in three hours.

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SUGAR CREEK TOWNSIIIP.

Her child was in the cradle, which dropped into the cellar, where it was found in the same position in which it had been in the room, with its occu- pant uninjured. The rest of the family were scat- tered over the meadow and more or less injured. Stewart's barn was ignited by what appeared to Philip Huffman to be a stream of burning fluid, two feet thick, borne along by a dark cloud. The grass in some places was burned on the ground. Some of the timber, used two years afterward in building John Henry's barn, was so imbedded with small stones that it could scarcely be worked. John Dougherty's daughter, about sixteen, in at- tempting to escape from the house was killed by a falling log, while those who remained about the chimney suffered no injury except a few light scratches. Valentine Miller, who resided across the hollow from Dougherty's, his mother, wife and children were together in a log house which was struck by the tornado. The superstructure was blown away, but they, having huddled about the chimney, were not injured. It struck John Mohney's house north of Millville in the absence of himself and wife. Their oldest son, when he saw it approaching, ordered all the children into the cellar; taking the youngest in his arms, he sprang to the foot of the cellar stairs, and before he had time to think of anything the house was blown away, but neither he nor any of the children were injured. The bank barn was nearly leveled to the ground, and a heavy new four-horse wagon standing back of the barn was found crushed within the foundation of the barn, and a new wheelbarrow at the other end of the barn was blown into the top of a maple tree about 75 rods distant, where it was found unbroken. John Shields and his horses were blown over and over through a large field about half a mile east of Mohney's without serious harm.

When the tornado struck Maysville, Dr. Stram- ley was having his horses shod at the blacksmith shop, which was blown away and the blacksmith seriously injured; the horses were borne some distance, and when the storm ceased the doctor was found lying in the middle of the street beside a large dog; the latter, which was well enough before the storm, was dead. The doctor's boots, coat and hat flew away, and were never again seen by him ; he never afterward saw any part of his buggy but the seat, which was found a quarter of a mile up the creek. The bridge and every build- ing in that town was swept away. There were three run of buhrs in the gristmill, one set of which was turned upside down ; another pair were carried up to the dam and left setting as they were

in the mill ; the third pair fell into the millpit ; and the gearing was blown away, only pieces of the metal part having since been found. The book kept by the miller was afterward found 65 miles distant in Union county. Irvin McFarland's hotel was borne diagonally across the street and precipi- tated down the bank of the creek above the bridge. His wife, who was in it, lived about two and a half hours after her removal. He, in searching for his little boy, four years old, thought he heard a noise like his voice, and, in endeavoring to follow the sound, he approached a pile of brick-the large brick chimney had tumbled into a pile where it stood-and, think- ing he could hear the sound more distinctly, he began to throw the loose brick off the pile. About four feet of the foundation was still standing, at the side of the lower part of which he found his boy unharmed, with his right hand extended as high as he could reach against the chimney. Adam Bachman was carried, with his own building, a short distance, and died of the injury which he re- ceived. All that was ever found of the three new wagons at the blacksmith shop, one finished, and two unfinished, were the rims of two wheels and a few spokes left on the ground where the wagons were.

The width of that tornado varied from 30 rods to half a mile. It carried everything before it where it was widest, but its force was greatest where it was narrowest, plowing up the ground three feet deep and from three to five feet wide, swinging trees on the ground, large oaks around, as if on pivots, one-fourth of a circle, and pruning off all the branches within reach. It took a north- easterly course three miles south of Brookville, and, passing through Clearfield, Union and other counties in this state, struck the ocean between New York and Philadelphia.

Thus sped to the mighty deep that tornado which, wherever else it was generated, began its devastating career in a whirlwind in the public road on this Orr-Foster tract, reminding one of DeKay's description of this destructive force of nature, which closes thus:

"And as in conrt-yard corners on the wind Sweep the loose straws. honses and stately trees Whirl in a vortex. His nnswerving tread Winnows the isle bare as a thresher's floor, His eyes are fixed; he looks not once behind, But at his back fall silence and the breeze. Scarce is he come, the lovely wraith is sped. Ashamed the lightning shuts its purple door, And heaven still knows the rohes of gold and sun While placid ruin geutly greets the sun."*

* The church edifice of the Medway Presbyterian congregation, frame, one story, 36×54 feet, ceiling 18 fect, was erected in the sum- mer of 1880, and its interior is very ncaily finished and furnished. It was dedicated Friday, October 29, the services being condneted by Rev. David Hull, D. D., of Iudiana, Pennsylvania.

542

HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

Adjoining these Moore and Orr-Conly tracts on the east and the division line between the depre- ciation and donation lands, is one, a rectangular parallelogram, 356 acres and 37 perches, on which John Davis was an early settler, with 200 acres of which and 1 cow he was assessed, in 1805, at $126. Josiah White acquired an early interest in it. James Fulton having obtained a judgment against White, his interest was sold by John Orr, sheriff, to Robert Brown, for the use of Charles Campbell, for $450, to whom the deed was executed June 23, 1808, Campbell and Nicholas Day having agreed, the day before, with Fulton, that Campbell should make him the sheriff's deed, including all of Da- vis' interest in the 200 acres, and Campbell and Day agreed to pay one-half of the purchase money and of the fees on the patent, and Fulton agreed to make to them a deed in fee simple. That agreement was, however, to be void if the sheriff's sale should be set aside, unless the sale should be again made good, and Fulton also agreed to acknowledge satisfaction of the sum at which the land was struck down to Brown, in order that the sheriff's deed might be acknowledged in court. All these preliminaries must have been satisfac- torily adjusted, for Campbell conveyed the 200 acres to Fulton, October 31, for $454. The patent was granted to Campbell, January 19, 1819. After the latter's death, July 5, 1819, Campbell conveyed to Robert Orr, Sr., and John Patton 100 acres and 36 perches, which he had agreed to sell to Fulton, in trust for the persons claiming under Fulton, which they conveyed to Andrew McKee, Sr., De- eember 25, 1820, who had agreed to purchase, and had paid the purchase money for the same. One hundred and forty acres of this tract appears to have been vested in John Brown, for he conveyed that quantity to Andrew and Thomas McKee, Oc- tober 25, 1819, for $775, which became vested in the latter, who conveyed 115 acres to his son, Thomas V. MeKee, July 17, 1855, for $800, and which the latter conveyed to William H. Leard, October 20, 1866, for $3,300. Andrew McKee con- veyed 100 acres and 36 perches to Andrew Rod- gers, December 27, 1830, for $800, which, with another parcel, his heirs conveyed to Joseph and Samuel Rodgers, November 17, 1849, for $1 “ as well as other good considerations."

Next north is a similar tract, 405 acres, on which are the names of Robert Buchanan and John Clark, to one or both of whom the warrant was probably granted in 1794, whose interests having become vested in John Orr, the patent was granted to him February 19, 1818. He conveyed 122 acres and 94 perches to Jacob Bish, Sr., April 17, 1818,

for $366, which the latter conveyed to Jacob Bish, Jr., April 6, 1853, for $800. Orr conveyed 50 acres and 113 perches to Henry Buzzard, June 13, for $52, which the latter conveyed to Leonard Rumbaugh, April 1, 1828, for $125, which he conveyed to Jacob Hepler, Sr., September 9, 1837, for $150, who conveyed the same to William Hep- ler, September 2, 1847, for $800. Orr agreed to sell 24 acres to Joseph Blaine, October 15, 1819, for $54, to whom the deed for which was made by the grantor's administrators November 12, 1826, by virtue of a decree of the proper court, and which parcel was included in Blaine's conveyance of 134 acres to Robert Farley and others, trustees of the Brady's Bend Iron Company, April 14, 1846, for $500. Orr agreed, August 28, 1820, to convey 70 acres and 87 perches, as surveyed by Robert Orr, Jr., September 25, 1819, to Peter Bish, to whom the former's administrators, by virtue of a decree of the proper court, executed a deed November 12, 1826, 12 acres and 132 perches of which the latter agreed, October 20, 1865, to convey to James Bish, and which the latter conveyed to David Harmon, June 12, 1868, for $384. In the northwest corner on the map, and on Meredith's more recent con- nected drafts, is a rectangular parcel of 40 acres bearing the name of Peter Harmon.

Adjoining the Buchanan-Clark-Orr tract on the north is a similar one, 416 acres 55 perches, in which James McCoy vad an inchoate interest, on which Frederick .Shoop was an early settler, with 100 acres of which, ? horses and 2 cows, he was assessed, in 1805, at $102, and the next year with 1 cow and 1 horse less at $71.

On July 18, 1807, Shoop, by written article of agreement, agreed to convey to Peter Harmon, of Hempfield township, Westmoreland county, 100 acres of this tract, then adjoining Nicholas Ponti- ous, Jacob Millison and Melchior Buzzard, on which Jacob Hepler was then living, for $550, and both parties were to occupy the cabin then erected thereon until they could erect one suitable for the habitation of Harmon and his family, which, 102 acres 90 perches, Shoop's administrators conveyed to Harmon's heirs, Catherine and John Harmon, and Hannah, wife of Barnabas Vensel.

Shoop agreed, October 29, 1813, to sell to James Blain 100 acres, for $300, in four annual payments, a part of each to consist of 1 cow, to be valued by two neighbors, if the parties could not agree upon the price.

Shoop also agreed, November 15, 1813, to sell to John Linaberry (Linaberger) 100 acres adjoining Conrad Moyers, John Read and Peter Harmon, for $100, of which $45 were to be " in good, lawful

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SUGAR CREEK TOWNSHIP.

money," and $55 " in trade or produce at market price." Shoop received the same day $27 in cash and $16 in trade. The agreement and payment were duly proven in the court of common pleas of this county by the affidavit of Peter Wiles, Sep- tember 23, 1818, and there ends the record.

The warrant for the entire tract, about one-third of which is in what is now Brady's Bend township, was granted to Shoop March 8, 1814, to whom it was surveyed, and the patent was granted to John Hep- ler, his administrator, and Margaret Shoop, his administratrix, September 8, 1819. Shoop's ad- ministrators conveyed to Blain the parcel which Shoop had sold to him, to Deborah and Joseph Blain, executors of James Blain, which he had vested in Joseph Blain, and was included in his conveyance to the Brady's Bend company.

Adjoining the McCoy-Shoop tract on the east is one, a rectangular parallelogram, 401 acres and 102 perches, lengthwise east and west, for which a warrant was probably granted to John Buchanan in 1794. This tract was conveyed by Presley C. Lane, United States marshal for the western dis- trict of Pennsylvania, to John Reynolds, May 19, 1802, who conveyed it to John Vensel (formerly written Wentzel), June 22, 1805, for £50 " lawful money of Pennsylvania." Vensel was assessed with 300 acres of this tract and 3 cattle in 1805, at $142, and the next year, with an additional head of cattle, at $148, and on which he erected his sawmill in 1807. By virtue of a writ of Vend. Ex. No. 9, March term, 1814, on a judgment in favor of Samuel S. Harrison for the use of John Wells, it was sold by James McCormick, sheriff, to Jacob Hershey and Frederick Howard, June 20, 1814, for $505, and so much thereof as was needed was applied to the payment of a prior judgment in favor of John Reynolds against Vensil. How- ard conveyed his 150 acres to David Snyder, March 10, 1825, for $250, to whose heirs this parcel still belongs, and from whom the run by which the tract is traversed has been called Snyder's run. Hershey's heirs released their interest in the other purpart of 150 acres to Andrew Hershey, Febru- ary 17, 1845, for $100. It is probable that Jacob Hepler, whose name is on this tract on the map, occupied Howard's portion of it until the latter's sale to Snyder.

Adjoining the Moyer portion of that Buchanan- Reynolds-Vensel tract is a similarly-shaped one, 400 acres and 112 perches, lengthwise from north to south, the warrant for which was granted prob- ably to William Buchanan in 1794, who conveyed his inchoate interest to Alexander Blair, who con- veyed his interest therein to Josiah White, June

20, 1811, for $200 paid by Thomas Taylor, and $200 paid by White per Taylor, and empowered White to take the title-papers out of the land- office, to whom the patent was granted December 5, 1837, and who conveyed 216 acres of the south- ern part to Jacob Rumbaugh, January 23, 1840, 80 acres of which the latter conveyed to Samuel Philips, July 1, 1845, for $480. White conveyed a parcel covered by his above-mentioned patent and his other one, granted November 13, 1839, to Thomas Leard, February 26, 1840, which he con- voyed to Charles Wick, March 13, 1841, which he conveyed to James P. Wick, February 26, 1849, who conveyed the same, 133 acres, to John M. Gillespie and Charles Mckeever, November 21, for $950, who and Mannasses Mckeever conveyed 20 acres and 6 perches to Samuel Phillips, January 10, 1856, for $250, and 41 acres and 106 perches to Nimrod Flick, same day, for $500. Charles McKee- ver conveyed to Flick 4 acres and 105 perches, January 5, 1859, for $93, to whom also Charles Mckeever's administrator, Stephen McCue, con- veyed 26 acres, June 15, 1860, for $384; Hugh Mckeever, committee of Manasses Mckeever, con- veyed to Joseph McElroy, June 8, 1861, for $300, who conveyed 22 acres to James Brownfield, April 5, 1863.

Next south of that Buchanan-Blair-White tract was one of a similar shape and of nearly the same area, the patent for which was granted to Charles Campbell, March 22, 1816, who conveyed 100 acres and 22 perches to William Blaney, June 24, 1819, for $250. Blaney by his will dated September 6, and registered September 16, 1842, devised that and another parcel mentioned below, being the farm on which he then lived, to his son John. Camp- bell conveyed the southern part of this tract, 200 acres, to James C. Porterfield, September 13, 1816, for $500, who occupied it for several years, and by his will dated November 8, and registered December 30, 1837, he devised it to his son, David C. The second schoolhouse in this township was built on this parcel about 1814, and the first teacher in it was David Cunningham, after whom that last- mentioned devisee was named.

Adjoining the Campbell-Blaney-Porterfield tract on the east and the depreciation line on the south, is another of the same shape, 356 acres and 37 perches, March 1, 1794, which was conveyed to Charles Campbell, June 15, 1814, for $200. The early settler on it was Alexander Foster, who was assessed with 100 acres, 1 horse and 1 cow in 1805 at $91. Campbell conveyed to him 100 acres and 25 perches, June 14, 1821, for $10. Foster acquired title to the rest of this tract, except about 90 acres

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

in the northwestern part, which constituted the farm on which he lived at the time of his death, and which by his will, dated April 17, 1828, and registered May 19, 1838, he devised to his sons, Christopher, Thomas and William, which he di- rected to be divided in three equal parts as to quantity, and allotted the part on which was the house, in which he then lived, to Christopher, the west end to Thomas, and the northeastern part to William.

William McKean acquired an interest in 93 acres in the northwestern part of this tract, which was conveyed by Philip Mechling, sheriff, to James Monteith, March 23, 1819, who devised it to his daughters. The legal title to this parcel having become vested temporarily in Thomas Foster and Robert Orr, they conveyed it to Dr. John Gilpin and William Johnston, who, and their wives, Mon- teith's daughters, conveyed it to William Blaney, November 13, 1843, for $500.

Adjoining the Shields-Foster tract on the north is a similar one, 405 acres and 112 perches, the warrant for which was granted to William Campbell and which was improved and settled by John Craw- ford, who was assessed with 220 acres and 3 cattle in 1805 and 1806, at $114. The warrantee's interest having been transferred to " Judge James Wilson," and vested in Charles Campbell, he and Crawford agreed March 25, 1825, on such a division as that Crawford's 200 acres should include the settlement which he had made and for which he had paid taxes for the land, and Crawford agreed to prove . his settlement on the tract, so as to enable Camp- bell to obtain the patent. Campbell and Crawford conveyed the entire tract to James Hart for the purpose of enabling him to procure the patent for them. Crawford, desiring him to make a deed for his purpart, brought an ejectment suit therefor to No. 41, December term, 1837, in the common pleas of this county, which resulted in a verdict, Sep- tember 20, 1838, for the plaintiff, on which judg- ment was rendered September 22. By consent of the parties the verdict was to be released on the de- fendant procuring a patent for the whole tract in the name of William Campbell, and executing a conveyance to the plaintiff for one-half of the whole tract, which was to be delivered within six months, and the plaintiff was to furnish the neces- sary proof of settlement and conveyances to enable the defendant to procure the patent, which was granted January 9, 1839. Crawford conveyed his entire interest in his purpart to his son John, April 20, 1839, for $1 "and natural love and affection," 67 acres and 73 perches of which he conveyed to Alexander Crawford, February 16, 1861, for $22.50.

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History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Part 114

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