History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Part 70

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

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Lochery advised Reed, June 1, that he then needed 600 pounds of powder and the same quan-

tity of lead, and a quantity of flints ; that since the beginning of hostilities in the spring he had received but six pounds of powder, a large quan- tity having been damaged in its carriage over the mountains ; so that, at that time they had only twenty pounds of good powder, of public property, in the county.

That part of the frontier consisting of the manor also shared directly or indirectly in the benefits resulting from the money and other sinews of war furnished to the authoritics of Westmore- land county. Reed, in his letter to Lochery, in- dorsed June 2, 1780, advised him that he would therewith receive £10,000 for the supply and ser- vice of his county, stating that it was, in the first instance, to be employed in recruiting the company of rangers agreeably to the accompanying instruc- tions, and should there be any particular exigency, he must use the money with discretion and judg- ment, ever remembering that money had then a fixed value, and that there was then such an atten- tion given to expenditure as had not theretofore been observed. The instructions required the pro- posed company to consist of one captain, one lientenant, one ensign, four sergeants, four corpo- rals, one drummer, one fifer and sixty privates. They were to be enlisted to serve until January 15, 1781, unless sooner discharged by the supreme executive council, under whose orders and direc- tion they were to be during the service. The lien- tenant of the county (Lochery) was authorized to muster in the recruits, but not to admit any under eighteen or over fifty years of age, all to be able of body, and at least five feet and six inches high. He was to be especially careful not to enlist any deserters from the continental army, or prisoners of war. Lochery, August 24, acknowledged the receipt of supplies in good order.

William Amheron was informed by President Reed, by letter dated August 5, that his appoint- ment as commissioner of purchases for Westmore- land county had been forwarded to him early in the summer, with a sum of state money with which to make purchases. In fixing the quotas of supplies to be drawn from each county, that of Westmoreland was fixed at 50 barrels of flour, 500 bushels of Indian corn, and 100 gallons of whisky per month, with which to supply the garri- son at Fort Pitt. That post was then in danger of being evacuated for want of provisions. As the harvest in that county that year was plentiful, it was hoped there would be no difficulty in getting those needed supplies, but if there were, he was directed to impress them. Yet, as late as the mid- dle of September, that garrison was sadly in need

* Pennsylvania claimed under the charter granted by Charles II, and Virginia on that granted by James I.

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of provisions. One cause of the difficulty in ob- taining provisions Brodhead attributed to the un- settled state of the boundary between Pennsyl- vania and Virginia, which had greatly discouraged the people, and, he apprehended, had “given a handle to the disaffected." A conception of the difficulties encountered by his foraging parties in the country may be had from his reply to Capt. Samuel Brady, October 11, in which he said: "I am favored with yours of the 9th inst., and am much distressed on account of the apparent aver- sion of the people to afford supplies, and the more so as I see no alternative between using force and suffering. If Col. Lochery expects to claim a share in the cattle that may be collected, his proposal is inadmissible, but if it is intended to provide for the regulars only, it ought to be accepted. Under our present circumstances we cannot admit a modest thought about using force as the ultimate expedient ; and in case you are likely to meet with opposition, yon must send notice to Captain Springer, near Little Redstone, who will doubtless detach a party to your assistance."

There was also an embarrassing lack of money. On the 21st August he wrote to President Reed : " Could a considerable sum of our state money be obtained, our wants would speedily be supplied, for I am informed that the people will gladly re- ceive it in payment for their produce. * * If we could he furnished with some half Johannes here we could recruit a number of excellent men for the service, but they will scarcely agree to go all the way to Philadelphia to be mustered be- fore they receive their bounty. I think it sounds best upon the drumhead ;" and on the 16th Sep- tember, "If a little hard money could be sent to this side [of the] hills for the recruiting service, I flatter myself that a number of good men might be raised for my regiment. But paper money is too plenty amongst the lower class of people to allure them."

Another drawback to the recruiting service for awhile after he assumed the command at Fort Pitt was the higher bounty paid by Virginia, which, including that allowed by Congress, amounted to $750 to each recruit. "This puts it out of my power," he wrote to Gen. Washington, July 31, 1779, "to recruit my regiment until the state of Pennsylvania offers a higher bounty."

It appears from the foregoing stubborn facts how great and various were the obstacles to gar- risoning Fort Armstrong as constantly and effect- ively as the exigencies along this frontier at times required.

One of the earliest settlers in the upper part of

the manor, and, in fact, in this region, was Jere- miah Cook, Sr., who emigrated from Virginia, and was, perhaps, among those mentioned by Wm. Findley as having moved up to Crooked Creek in 1769. He was the father of Conrad, George and Jeremiah Cook, whose names are on the assess- ment list of Allegheny township for 1805, within whose limits the manor tract was then included. Others were James Barr, one of the associate judges of this county, James Claypoole, John Mon- roe, Joel Monroe, Jonathan Mason and Parker Truitt. John Mason volunteered in Capt. Alexan- der's company, and was killed by a bombshell. What induced Claypoole, and probably the others, to settle here was their impression that the manor bottom would be divided into tracts of about 100 acres each, and sold at moderate prices. But when the Duncans became the owners they determined not to sell in small tracts. Barr and Claypoole purchased elsewhere. The others - some of them, at least -remained as renters. John Monroe was one of them, living at first on the hill, and after- ward on the bottom, about halfway between Fort Run and Tub-mill Run, on that part of the tract now owned by Brown & Mosgrove.

The Duncan portion of the manor remained undivided about eighteen years after the death of Robert Duncan. By his will, dated April 5, and registered May 2, 1807, he directed that the residue of his real and personal estate, after paying his debts, should be divided into fifteen parts, nine of which he devised and bequeathed to his wife, Ellen Duncan, and six to his daughter Mary. By pro- ceedings in partition, No. 32, March term, 1825, in the court of common pleas of this county, 651 acres and 21 perches of the lower part, and 580 acres and 57 perches of the upper part, were awarded to and taken by Thomas Duncan, and 1,130 acres and 141 perches of the central part were awarded to and taken by Ellen and Mary Duncan, under and by virtue of the decree of the court made on March 24, 1825. Thomas Duncan was appointed a puisne judge of the supreme court of Pennsylvania, March 14, 1817, which position he filled until his death, in the spring of 1827. By his last will and testa- ment he authorized his executors to sell and dis- pose of all his estate, except what he had specifically devised and bequeathed. As he did not specifically devise his manor lands, they were first advertised for sale by Eben S. Kelly, agent for the executors, July 26, 1828. The executors having, at their own request, been discharged from their executorship, without selling these lands, Thomas Chambers was appointed administrator, with the will annexed, who, through his agents, whom he selected after

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

Mr. Kelly's death, disposed of them, viz .: 349 acres and 7 perches to John Christy and Moses Patter- son, June 5, 1833, for $3,839.45; 304 acres and 33 perches to John R. Johnston, July 1, 1835, for $2,437.60; 147 acres and allowance to William Ehinger, August 2, 1842, for $1,029; 17 acres and 93 perches to Rev. Gabriel A. Reichert, January 13, 1845, for $123; 111 acres and 17 perches to Mary and Eliza Sibbett, June 12, for $777.70. The records do not show to whom the residue, or 305 acres and 88 perches, adjoining the eastern line of the tract sold to Christy and Patterson, was con- veyed. It is said to have been owned by David McLeod and John McGraw, both of whom have been dead for many years.

Ellen and Mary Duncan sold their part of these lands thus: 349 acres and 140 perches to John Mechling, March 16, 1835, for $4,200, and to Daniel Torney 330 acres and 149 perches, for $2,887; 108 acres and 34 perches to John Houser, December 28, for $324; 222 acres to Jacob and Joseph Hileman, May 22, 1838, for $666; and 106 acres and 64 perches to Jacob Wolf, for $318. Mechling sold his tract to Charles Montgomery, May 3, 1837, for $8,500-an advance of $4,300 in less than two years.

The territory included within the Thomas Dun- can and Ellen and Mary Duncan purparts has since been so divided and subdivided by numerous trans- fers, that it now contains, besides the major part of Manorville, 57 tracts, whose areas vary from 3 acres to 256 acres.

That part of the southern portion of the manor conveyed by Cobeau to Cochran was conveyed by the latter to the late Judge Ross by deed dated October 25, 1813, namely, 681 acres and 151 perches, for $6,000. In 1848 the latter conveyed 318 acres and 37 perches to his son Washington, and devised 200 acres to his son James, and the residue, or 163 acres and 123 perches, with the mills, to his daughters Margaret, Mary, Amelia, Eliza- beth and Hannah.

The other part of the southern portion, con- veyed by Cobeau to Smith, remained in the own- ership of the latter and of his legal representa- tives until and subsequent to 1844. The latter, under the authority of his will, on the 1st of Octo- ber of the last-mentioned year, conveyed 453 acres and 133 perches to John J. and Frederick Kling- ler ; * April 1, 1849, 245 acres and 131 perches to John Christy, 175 acres and 116 perches to John. Huston, 111 acres and 15 perches to Robert Wil-

son ; May, 1849, 35 acres and 9 perches to William W. Beatty ; April 4, 1852, to John Stephenson and David Barr 104 acres and 52 perches ; April 24, 195 acres and 120 perches to Rev. L. M. Graves, whose wife is one of that testator's heirs ; July 21, 1855, to Margaret Jane Fry, 150 acres and 80 perches ; March 20, 1857, to Joseph Wolf 195 acres and 139 perches ; June 30, 1859, to Thomas Mont- gomery 50 acres and 7 perches ; June, 1877, to the administrators of the estate of Hamilton Kelly, in trust, etc., 229 acres and 48 perches, in pursuance of an article of agreement dated December 12, 1848. The aggregate amount of the purchase money for these tracts is $25,710.13.

The Cobeau portion of the Manor tract contains, besides the town of Rosston, twenty-five tracts, with areas varying from 20 to 250 acres.

Among the first, if not the very first, white set- tlers on the southern part of the Manor were William Green and his sons James, John and Samuel, who emigrated from Fayette county, in the spring of 1787, and took up their abode above the month of Crooked creek, on what is now the site of Rosston. They brought with them a quan- tity of cornmeal, which, for want of shelter for it, . became wet and was spoiled. The nearest points of supply were Pittsburgh and Brownsville. Food was very scarce. They lived for about six months on milk, venison and ground-nuts. They boiled the ground-nuts in milk, which imparted to them a taste somewhat like that of potatoes. John Green said that he and the rest of them became quite weak on that kind of food, so much so that it required two of them to carry a rail. Deer were caught by means of a large steel trap set in a deer- lick, with a chain to which three prongs were attached, which left their marks on the ground whereby the deer were traced and captured.

The pioneer settlers here experienced the want of a mill for grinding corn and other grain. For a few years they used handmills for that purpose. In 1789, or the next year, William Green erected a small tub-mill, about sixty rods from the river, at a short turn on the stream still called Tub-mill run. The forebay was constructed from the trunk of either a gum or sycamore tree, and a pair of small millstones, from material near the run, which were moved by the stream that flowed through the mill- race and forebay falling on fans attached to the shaft. That was the only mill for grinding grain in this region, until Alexander Walker's mill, else- where mentioned, was erected.

" The Indians were numerous and had camps on both sides of the Allegheny river. From 1787 until 1791, they were not troublesome. They had

* On which Archibald Dickey, and afterward Thos. Correy previ- ously resided. The stone house-the second one on the manor tract- was built by the latter, near the river, about 130 rods above Tub-mill run, in 1821-2.

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their war-dances where Rosston now is, and oc- casionally vied with the white settlers in running foot-races.

Soon after the Indians become troublesome and dangerous, Col. Charles Campbell wrote to Will- iam Green to remain there ten days longer, and assured him that he would send thither some sol- diers. Mrs. Green and the children for safety occupied the fodder house at night, which con- sisted of a ridge-pole, placed upon two forked stakes which were sunk into the ground, with poles about four feet apart, slanting therefrom in opposite directions to the ground, on which smaller ones were fastened transversely. Bundles of topped corn were placed on the outside, and calves, husks and pumpkins were deposited within. In ten or twelve days thereafter, a body of soldiers arrived and built a log fort about the size of a common blockhouse, and a number of huts around it for soldiers' dormitories, about thirty-five rods above the mouth of Crooked creek, or what is now the Heigley lot, or lot No. 22, eight or ten rods below the street extending from the railroad past Christy's store to the river. It was called Fort Green, at least it is so named on the historical map of this state. There were different commandants, one of whom was Capt. Sparks, who is the only one whose name the writer's informant, Samuel Green, of North Buffalo township, a grandson of William Green, remembers to have heard mentioned in connection with the foregoing and following facts respecting these pioneer settlers, and that fort. Both drafted and enlisted men were stationed there. The num- ber of scouts usually sent out together was twelve or fourteen, and the number of spies two. Among the events that occurred, while that fort was thus occupied, and which Samuel Green remembers to have heard related, is this : Capt. Sparks and William Green discovered, one day, an Indian under a large sugar tree on the opposite side of the river. Having crossed to Bushy island, afterward called " Cast-off," they shot at him. But the scouts who were sent over to ascertain whether he had been killed could not discover any trace of him. They supposed, from the appearance of the trail, that there were about thirty Indians on the top of the hill further back from the river.

After Harmar's defeat on the 19th and 22d October, 1790, the Indians became more trouble- some, aggressive and dangerous, and still more so after St. Clair's defeat November 4, 1791. Before the first of those defeats, early in the year 1790, correspondence respecting the alarming and de- fenceless condition of the frontier counties of this state -of which Westmoreland was one - was

commenced between citizens of these counties and Gov. Mifflin and Gen. Knox, then the United States Secretary of War. The General Assembly, February 23, 1790, having set forth that for many years the Indians had harassed and distressed the inhabitants on these western frontiers, that they were likely to continue to do so unless provision were made against their future murders and depre- dations, and that this commonwealth was desirous of procuring the protection and safety of all its citizens, recommended the Supreme Executive Council to apply to the President and Congress of the United States to afford protection to those in- habitants, but which was rescinded within two weeks thereafter, but why does not appear from the published minutes of that body. James Mar- shall and David Redick, of Washington county, were among the first to call the attention of Gov. Mifflin, by their letters, to the perilous situation of persons and property along these frontiers, of which the territory of Armstrong county was then a part, who transmitted them to President Wash- ington. Some murders were committed on the Allegheny in March, 1791, respecting which Maj. Jonathan Heart, in his letter, May 10, wrote to the Secretary of War, assuring him that they were not committed by the Munsee and Senecas - not by the Indians on the Allegheny, for they in every particular manifested the most sincere attachment to the United States. He intimated that they were committed by Indians living on the Beaver waters, some of whom were friends and relations of the Indians killed by Capt. Brady. Presley Neville and others had fears that the Senecas were really hostile, though professedly friendly.

In those days the intelligence of murders com- mitted by the Indians spread rapidly from settle- ment to settlement, considering the kind of facili- ties then enjoyed for transmitting it. On the 29th April, 1791, William Findley, who resided beyond Greensburgh, wrote to A. J. Dallas, secretary of the commonwealth, that "yesterday morning the In- dians attacked the house of James Kilpatrick " (Kirkpatrick) "on Crooked creek" - near the mouth of Plum creek -"and killed two men and broke a child's leg. The people, however, sup- ported the house. There were six militiamen sta- tioned at the house, and nine, I understand, at a house in the neighborhood." That event made a wide and deep impression. David Stewart wrote concerning it, "Sunday, 8th day of May, 1791," to Gov. Mifflin : " I have this day received informa- tion which may be depended upon, that a party of Indians known to be Senecas, sometime in the last week of April, killed two men and one child * *

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at a place known by the name of Crooked creek, near Kittaning Old Town, and within twenty- eight or thirty miles of our frontiers. * * * Our settlements are in considerable fear and dan- ger." Andrew Gregg, in his letter to Col. Bryson* dated "Penn's Valley, 16th May, 1791," wrote : " We have received some tolerably well anthenti- cated accounts of the Indians being on onr fron- tiers. Not many days since they attacked a house on Crooked creek, where a party of seven men had assembled for their mutual defence, and killed two men and one boy in the house. The Indians had one killed on the spot and another appeared badly wounded. Crooked creek, where the above hap- pened, is not more than eighty or ninety miles from my house. * * * The people here are a good deal alarmed, and are urging me to do some- thing in the way of preparing for defence."

The Secretary of War, May 19, 1791, informed Gov. Mifflin, in accordance with the latter's request, he had given Col. Clement Biddle, the quarter- master-general of this state, an order on Maj. Craig, at Fort Pitt, for 200 arms and accouter- ments and a proportionate quantity of ammu- nition.

Col. Chas. Campbell, at Greensburgh, August 13, wrote to Gov. Mifflin that in consequence of the latter's letter of the 19th of May he had ordered by draft a full company of militia of Westmoreland county to guard the frontiers until the general government would grant them protection ; that he had applied to Major John Clark, who had com- mand of the troops in that county, for the dis- charge of all its militia, but as the latter had not sufficient men to guard so extensive a frontier, he requested Campbell to continue fifty of his men, which he did, having discharged the captain and thirty of his men; those retained served their proper time. When their term had expired Gen. Butler informed Campbell that he intended to withdraw the new levies from their posts, and re- qnested him to protect the frontiers of his own county. He added that he had agreed with the lieutenants of Allegheny, Fayette and Washington counties to furnish for his quota for that purpose seventy-five men, which force he found to be insuf- ficient on account of there being so many of the enemy along the frontiers constantly stealing horses, but doing no other damage. He therefore ordered to their assistance one lientenant and twenty-five men, and with all of them he found it difficult to keep the frontier inhabitants from breaking up, i.e., fleeing to some other less exposed part of the state. In conclusion, he said he ex-

pected the governor would order the expenses to be paid to William Findley, as his character was at stake for the punctual payment of the men and provisions.

Lt. J. Jeffers, Fort Franklin (in what is now Venango county), December 26, 1791, sent a mes- sage to the commanding officer at Pittsburgh, or to Maj. J. Irwin of the militia, stating that he had just then "received authentic accounts from the Cornplanter that an attack on this garrison will almost immediately take place, for the Indians from below declare that they are determined to re. duce this place, and shake the Cornplanter by the head and sweep this river from end to end," and he earnestly requested that one subaltern and thirty men, with his men who had been left sick at Pitt, should be immediately sent to him as a reinforce- ment. At the same time he wrote to Eli Williams, the contractor: "I am happy to inform you that the cattle and salt arrived safe ; the danger is so great in this country, that I sent soldiers and In- dians to escort them. The bearer of these dis- patches and one from Col. George McCully of the same date, said that a council of hostile Indians was then sitting at Buffalo creek (N. Y.), and that Cornplanter had been summoned to it." The relia- bility of that information could only be estimated by the then late disasters. These dispatches reached Pittsburgh at 3 P. M. on the 28th of De- cember.

A few days before the reception of these dis- patches, the inhabitants of Allegheny, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties drew up a memorial to Gov. Mifflin, dated at Pittsburgh, December 21, presenting the defenseless state of their frontiers, the fearful apprehensions of the people resulting from the defeat of the army under Gen. St. Clair, requesting arms and ammunition to be furnished, recommending the raising of 800 active partisans under experienced officers and pro- vided with good rifles so as to meet the enemy ou eqnal terms, and to scout and give the alarm when needful, who should be paid in proportion to the price of common labor, which then averaged 50 shillings per month, as the pay allowed to the troops of the United States would not be a sufficient inducement to able-bodied men, possessing the requisite qualifications, and representing that the drafting of men in those counties had been going on all the preceding summer, and in Westmoreland even until the time of their meeting. It was signed on behalf of the last-mentioned county by Charles Campbell, then the lieutenant thereof, and John Young, afterward president judge of the courts in the tenth judicial district of this state.

* Lieutenant of Miiffin county, Pennsylvania.

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MANOR TOWNSHIP.

Such having then been the imminent need of protection to the people and their property along this as well as other parts of the frontiers of West- ern Pennsylvania, President Washington through the secretary of war, December 26, 1791, communi- cated to Gov. Mifflin his adoption of the following measures, which were then being put into execu- tion : On the 16th of that month, orders were issued to Maj. Isaac Craig to build a blockhouse at Fort Pitt and surround it with palisades, so as to contain about 100 men, where, viz., at Fort Pitt, a commissioned officer and thirty-four non-commis- sioned and privates should remain, they being taken from two companies, a part of which had been stationed there from the 20th of October to the 15th of December, when they were under orders to descend the Ohio. On the 26th of December, besides commissioned officers, a detachment of about 120 non-commissioned officers and privates were to march from Philadelphia, a part of whom to be stationed at Fort Pitt, and detachments posted at such other places on the Ohio and up the Alle- gheny as would be most conducive to the general safety of these parts. Then the lieutenants of Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland coun- ties were to be authorized to call out scouts or patrols not exceeding eight for each county, who were to be the best of hunters or woodsmen, and to be allowed, as an inducement to render such ser- vice, the high pay of five-sixths of a dollar a day, which was equal to the amount paid for that kind of service on the frontiers of Virginia. On the 29th of December, the secretary of war issued his circular to the lieutenants of those three counties, informing that the above-mentioned detachment of recruits for the regular army had marched for Fort Pitt, who were to be posted so as best to conduce to the safety of the inhabitants, reiterating what had been communicated to Gov. Mifflin as to the kind of men that should be selected for scouts and the high pay they should receive, and directing how they should be mustered into and out of the service.

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History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Part 70

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