History of Bedford, Somerset, Fulton counties Pennsylvania, Part 78

Author: Waterman, Watkins & Co.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 967

USA > Pennsylvania > Bedford County > History of Bedford, Somerset, Fulton counties Pennsylvania > Part 78
USA > Pennsylvania > Fulton County > History of Bedford, Somerset, Fulton counties Pennsylvania > Part 78
USA > Pennsylvania > Somerset County > History of Bedford, Somerset, Fulton counties Pennsylvania > Part 78

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

YOUTHAMPTON township was organized in S 1799. Within its borders settlements were made very early. An influx of settlers, most of whom became permanent residents, set in after the close of the revolutionary war, and from that time forward there has been a steady increase of population and a constant progress of improvement. Nearly all the people living in the township today are descendants of the pioneers.

Elisha Huff was one of the earliest settlers of Black valley. He lived here during the revolu- tionary war, but would take no part in the struggle on either side. Of course he was ac- cused of toryism. He discovered a saltpeter mine in Sweet Root gap, and the authorities agreed to exempt him from military duty, provided he would furnish what saltpeter he could mine for the use of the armies. Huff agreed, and worked the mine until the close of the war, living on the mountain. His wife was with him, and beneath the shelter of a rock, on the top of Warrior ridge, she gave birth to a son, Michael Huff, who lived in this township until about 1855, when he died. About 1810 Elisha Huff and a man named Conrad had some dispute which re- sulted in a fight, and Huff was found dead imme- diately after. The corner-stone of Huff's cabin is still to be seen on the farm of John H. P. Adams.

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THOMAS DONAHOE.

HON. JOSIAH MILLER.

DAVID L. RICE.

MRS. DAVID L. RICE.

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SOUTHAMPTON.

Jacob Adams was born in Loudon county, Virginia, in 1747. He was colonel of Washing- ton's rifle regiment in Virginia, and served in the revolution as captain, being present at the battle of Trenton. His sword is still in posses- sion of the family. Mr. Adams moved to Friend's cove in 1785, and to Southampton in 1805. He served as justice of the peace for thirty-five consecutive years. He died in 1853. His children were : Jacob, Elizabeth (Powell), Mary (Mood), Margaret (Howsare), Sarah (Row- land), George, William, Ellen and Henry. George, in Wisconsin, and William, on the old homestead, are the only survivors.

William Adams, Esq., an old and respected citizen, was born in 1805. In 1825 he assisted his father in erecting a gristmill, 25 × 40 feet and three and one-half stories high, on Sweet Root branch. The mill is still standing and in good condition. Its capacity is about twenty-five barrels per day. Mr. Adams has served this township as justice of the peace forty consecutive years, making seventy-five years that the office has been held by him and his father ; and, what is still more remarkable, no appeal was ever taken from the decisions of either. Squire Adams is the father of seven children : Sarah A. (Sheeley), Ellen (Hixon), Charles, John H. P., . Rachel J. (Shearer), Joseph W. and Legrand B.

John H. P. Adams has followed the trades of miller and millwright from youth. In 1851 he went west, where he remained several years. In 1856-7 he erected for Hon. Alexander Ramsay, ex-governor of Minnesota, a large gristmill. In 1857-8 he assisted in bringing the Territory of Minnesota into the Union as a State. Mr. Adams was the inventor of the centrifugal force feeder, thousands of which are now in use in mills throughout the country. The patent on this in- vention, granted to Mr. Adams, expired in 1858. Mr. Adams also invented a universal balance rine and screw feeder, which was first used in the mill built for Gov. Ramsay. The land on which Mr. Adams now lives was conveyed to Michael Huff during the reign of King George II. From Huff it passed into the hands of Robert Priest ; from Priest to Jacob Howsare, by whose heirs it was owned until 1869, when Mr. Adams purchased it.

The earliest gristmill was probably erected prior to 1780 by one Fliehart, near the present site of the Adams mill. Prior to 1790 it was

torn down and rebuilt on another site farther down the stream.

Thomas Still built a mill on the Jacob Row- land property before 1800. In 1810 Simon Howsare erected a mill on the same stream. On Black Valley branch there was a gristmill erected about 1820. It is now owned by E. Mc- Elfish.

The first sawmill in this township was erected by William Williams, on the present Adams property, as early as 1774.

Joseph Powell settled on land adjoining the Adams farm in 1795. He was the father of fifteen children. The fourteenth child, now Mrs. Nancy Adams, is still living and in the en- joyment of good health. She was married to William Adams in 1826.

Jacob Baer was among the pioneers, locating in Black valley as early as 1780. In 18,00 he sold his farm to John Gruber, who died in 1850, aged about eighty years. Another old settler in the same valley was Michael Crow, who came about 1795.

Joseph O'Neal was born in Monroe township, Bedford county, in 1789. He was the father of twelve children : Mary A. (Lauderbaugh), de- ceased ; Barnard, Hezekiah, Elizabeth (Row- land), John H., George (deceased), William, Daniel (deceased), Emanuel, Jesse, Rebecca (Wilkinson) and Sarah A. (Johnson). Barnard O'Neal moved to Chaneyville in 1847 and opened a hotel, which he kept until 1875. In 1853 he erected a gristmill on Sweet Root branch, near Chaneyville, which he still owns and runs. The mill is 35×40 feet and three stories high. Its capacity is twenty-five barrels per day. Besides milling, Mr. O'Neal carries on a farm of four hundred and forty acres.

Jacob Rowland settled in this township in 1790. He followed milling. Two of his sons, David and John, lived and died here. John died in 1875 and David in 1880.

John A. Rowland, deceased, was born in this township. In 1852 he married Barbara E. Ben- nett. Seven children were born of this union. In the spring of 1865 Mr. Rowland went into the army. He contracted disease in the service, returned to his home in June and died about three weeks later. His farm of four hundred acres is now carried on by his widow and children.

The first schoolhouse in Black valley was a small log building, which stood near Adams' mill. It was erected in 1808.

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HISTORY OF BEDFORD COUNTY.

The first school in Bean's cove was held in the log church, built in 1816, where the Metho- dist Episcopal church now stands. The school was continued there until the Walnut Grove schoolhouse was erected, in 1872.

The first settler in the cove was a man named Bean. The first brick house was built in 1858 by Archibald Perdew. The first frame house was built by Rice W. Growden in 1860. It is now the residence of John Casteel.

James Donahue, the first representative of this family, settled in the cove in 1815. Fifty- four of his descendants now live in the cove. No one family have done more for this section of the county than they. A fuller record of them appears elsewhere. Francis Donahoe is one of the prominent farmers. The building of the Catholic church was quite largely due to his enterprise and public spirit.

The people of Bean's cove believe in old- fashioned families. At one time there were fourteen families in this locality with an aver- age of fifteen children each, all full-grown and healthy.

The early settlers paid fully as much atten- tion to hunting as to agriculture. Their first plantings and. sowings were made as soon as the ground had been cleared of small timber and underbrush. The larger trees were girdled and left standing. The rudest kind of farming implements were used at that day. The work was arduous, and only men of strong constitu- tions could endure it. The returns for their toil were often scanty, but the pioneers succeeded in making a living, and this sufficed. They were not without their social gatherings and amusements. On the whole, they were happy and contented.

Thomas Leakins, the pioneer Methodist, lived on land which is now owned by Judge Thomas Donahoe. In early years his services as a performer of marriage ceremonies were in great demand. The states of Maryland and Virginia demanded a license, while Pennsyl- vania did not. Oftentimes parties consisting of a dozen or more couples, each of whom de- sired to be married, presented themselves before the parson. On such occasions, Mr. Leakins had all the business he could well attend to, while the young people were merry, happy and full of fun. The oldest orchard in the cove is that on Judge Donahoe's farm, planted by Leaking.

Lost run, on the farm of Judge Donahoe, is a curious and interesting natural phenomenon. Two streams of considerable size meet here, and the united waters disappear into a large cavity. Where they emerge, or whether they emerge at all, has never been discovered, though several attempts have been made to solve the mystery. . Thomas Chaney, Sr., the progenitor of the Chaney family, moved from Washington county, Maryland, and settled in Black valley, in 1786. He was a noted hunter in early years. He died in 1856. He was the father of ten chil- dren, whose names were : Abraham, Nancy (Browning), deceased, Sarah (Crow), de- ceased, Elizabeth (Rampley), Thomas, Rebecca (Fletcher), deceased, Hagar, deceased, Mary (Perrin'), Jane (Howsare) and William. Will- iam Chaney resides on the homestead farm, where he was born.

Jacob Browning moved to this county from Frederick county, Maryland, very early. His son Basil, born in this township in 1796, reared five children : Lewis, deceased; Eliza (Dicken), Mary J. (McElfish), Jacob T. and Rebecca E. (House). Lewis Browning was born in 1819 and died in 1880. He was the father of nine children : Emily (Filler), Eliza, Susan, Basil, Walter M., Irvin, Josephine, John F. and Martin L. Six of the children occupy the old homestead, which is a farm of three hundred and fifty acres, with good buildings and improvements.

Abraham Ash, Sr., moved to Flintstone bot- tom from Hagerstown, in 1795. He died in 1833. His children were : Jacob, David, George, Henry, Abraham, Amos, Emanuel, Jesse, Mary (Bowser), Catharine (Keifer), Eliza (Miller), Rebecca (Ingard), Tillie (Rose) and Sarah (Drowden). George, Henry, Emanuel, Jesse, Catharine, Rebecca and Tillie are still living.

Amos Ash was born in 1802 and died in 1862. In 1832 he married Mary Bennett, who is still living, being now seventy-four years of age. Her son Abraham, who resides on the old Ash homestead, is one of the progressive and pros- perous farmers of this locality.

Valentine Bartholow, a revolutionary soldier, moved from Maryland to this township in 1790. He reared eight children, all of whom are dead : William, Richard, Thomas, Rachel (Wig- field), Mary (Long), Charity (Mills), Nancy (Karns) and Elizabeth. Richard, the second son, died in 1834. He was the father of John,

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David, George, Michael, Anthony, Joseph, Nancy (Gillam), Susan (Roby), Mary (Wide- man) and Catharine. The daughters are all dead. George Bartholow is the father of four children : William, Samuel, Jacob and Michael.

William Wigfield came to this county, and after residing a short time in Bean's cove, about 1800, removed to Flintstone creek, where he purchased of Jacob Bowser an improvement containing one hundred acres. He followed blacksmithing and farming. He died in 1843. He was the father of four children : Benjamin, Isaac, Joseph and Cinderilla (Robinett). Ben- jamin Wigfield was born in 1802 and died in 1879. His widow, Rebecca (Blair) Wigfield, now in her eighty-seventh year, is still living with her son, John B. Wigfield, on the old homestead. She is healthy and active, despite the weight of years. She is the mother of two children, Hester A. (Rice) and John B. The latter is a prosperous and progressive farmer, now owning a well-improved farm of four hundred acres.

Isaac Wigfield, brother of Benjamin, died in 1876. He was a practical millwright and built some of the first mills in this vicinity.

Jesse Casteel was an early settler of the cove and located on the bottom-land of the creek.

Alfred Wilson, a native of Allegheny county, Maryland, moved to Pleasant valley in 1837 with his father, Otho Wilson. His father re- mained but a short time, then returned to Maryland. In 1852 he came to Pleasant valley, where he now resides. Mr. Alfred Wilson fol- lows farming and chairmaking.

Rev. James W. Troutman is a native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania. In 1847 he re- moved to Cumberland, where he remained until 1852. He then traveled for several years in the western states and Canada, returning to Cumberland in 1857. In 1859 he removed to this township. In 1864 he enlisted in the 91st Penn. regt., and served until the close of the war. He was wounded at Hatcher's Run, Vir- ginia. Since the close of the war he has been engaged in farming and the manufacture of lime. Mr. Troutman is a minister of the Christian denomination, and is at present the pastor of Mount Union Christian church, at Clearville.

Jeremiah Robinett came from Allegheny county, Maryland, in 1840, and located on the farm where he now lives. His son, Capt. Amos

Robinett, was then eleven years of age. He resides on the homestead farm, which he helped to clear and improve. In October, 1862, he en- listed as private in the 171st Penn. Inf. On arrival at the seat of war he was chosen as cap- tain of Co. I, and entered upon the duties of his office, commanding the company until the close of his term of service, in August, 1863.

Norman H. McElfresh, a native of Allegheny county, Maryland, moved to this county with his mother in 1849. Mrs. McElfresh married David Rice ; she died in 1851. N. H. Mc- Elfresh was married in 1863, and since that time has followed farming in Pleasant valley.

CHANEYVILLE.

Chaneyville is a small hamlet, situated in the northern part of the township. It contains two stores, a hotel and a few shops. The place takes its name from Thomas Chaney, Jr., who located here and built the first house, between 1880 and 1835. The building, renovated and improved, is now William Bartholow's hotel.

Daniel Tewell was a pioneer hunter and trapper, and was probably , among the very earliest settlers. He lived to be one hundred years old. His son Moses, born in 1800, was the father of fourteen children. One of his sons, Leonard S., is now a resident of Chaney- ville. In 1878 he brought the first steam saw- mill into the township. In 1874 he erected a planing-mill and in 1875-6 a woolenmill. These mills, located near Chaneyville, were burned in 1878, but Mr. Tewell is now rebuilding them.

William Bartholow, a native of this township and a son of George Bartholow, an old resident, purchased the hotel property in Chaneyville in 1882, and is now carrying on the hotel business in connection with farming.

CHURCHES.

Bean's Cove Methodist Episcopal Church .- Among the early settlers of the cove were two local Methodist preachers, Thomas Leakins and John Leasure. As early as 1816 a log church was erected, on the site of the present edifice, which continued to be used as a place of public worship until 1881. The present church is a frame building, 28×36 feet, which cost one thousand dollars. The membership is small. The congregation belongs to the Flintstone cir- cuit.

Chaneyville Methodist Episcopal Church .- Rev. Thomas Leakins preached at the house of

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HISTORY OF BEDFORD COUNTY.

Joseph Powell about 1838, and was the first preacher in that neighborhood. Subsequently meetings were held at the Adams schoolhouse until 1860, when the present church edifice was erected, at a cost of about one thousand dollars. The building committee were : Barnard O'Neal, Jared Hanks and Jason Hanks. The first trus- tees were : Jason Hanks, Nathan Evans and Owen Ash. The church was organized with nine members. The present membership is sixty. It belongs to the Cumberland circuit.

Christian Churches .- Mount Zion Christian church was organized by Elder Lewis Comer, about 1825. The charter members are deceased, and the old records lost. Comer was succeeded in the pastorate by Elders Long, Sells, Lewis, Ramsey, Proctor, Miller and Cooper, Barney and Logue. Rev. B. A. Cooper is the present pastor. It now has a good house of worship and a respectable membership. The church is quite prosperous.

In connection with the pastors above named, this church has enjoyed, transiently, the labors of Elders Seever, Robinson, Pugh, Smith, Pen- nell, McDaniel, Browning and Garland.

Prosperity Christian church, organized by Elder John Ramsey in 1843, with thirteen members, now has a membership of thirty-two. Elder Ramsey was succeeded by Elders Proc- tor, Miller, Smith, Pennell, Jacobs, Cooper, McDaniel and Garland. Cooper and Garland are at present officiating. This church has a good house of worship, but being environed by mountains, its membership must remain small.

Mount Hope Christian church was organized about 1840. It passed through many vicissi- tudes, and recently nearly lost its individuality. It was reorganized by Rev. B. A. Cooper in 1875 ; has now a respectable membership, and is erecting a house of worship. Cooper and Garland are the officiating pastors.

Catholic .- The Church of Seven Dolors, Bean's cove, was erected in 1877, at a cost of one thousand five hundred dollars. It is a frame building ; size, 27×52 feet. The Donahoes were the' principal subscribers. Francis Donahoe superintended its construction, made all collec- tions and paid all bills. He still has charge of the financial affairs of the church. The build- ing was dedicated by Father Brennan, of Cum- berland, Maryland. The Capuchin fathers of Cumberland supply the church. Services are held once a month.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

DAVID L. RICE.

The Rice family are of German extraction, but at what period they emigrated to America cannot now be ascertained. The first one of whom we learn was Christian Rice, who was born in Maryland, and came to Pleasant valley in 1812. He purchased seven hundred and seventy-eight acres of land, and he and his de- scendants have done much pioneer work, and assisted very materially in transforming what was then a comparative wilderness into a well- cultivated region, fitted for the habitation of man. The old home was located where Mr. N. H. McElfresh now lives, and it was here that Mr. Rice lived, and died about 1835. His wife Elizabeth (Eisenhart) died about 1853. Both were members of the Lutheran church. They were the parents of eleven children.

One of their sons, Daniel, was born in 1804, and lived and died on a portion of the old homestead. His death occurred in 1879, at the advanced age of seventy-five years. His wife, Harriet (Hinkle), still survives, aged seventy- five years. He was, as is his wife, a member of the Lutheran church. They became the parents of seven children : David L., Martha A. (de- ceased), George (deceased), Dennis (died in the army), Samuel, Elizabeth and Frederick.

David L. Rice was born in 1833. He received a common school education, and then engaged in school-teaching. Agricultural pursuits being congenial to him, he purchased two hundred and thirty-eight acres of the original farm, on which he has made many marked improvements. He is a successful farmer, and has added to his original purchase another farm of about the same number of acres (two hundred and sixty), and is, therefore, numbered among the large landed proprietors of the township, and is a progressive farmer. He also, to a certain ex- tent, engaged in carpentering. He has largely interested himself in educational matters, and has held the office of school director for nine consecutive years. Politically and religiously he is a democrat and Methodist (South). In 1858 was married to Elizabeth Rice, a most estimable lady -a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, who departed this life July 12, 1874. They were blessed with two children, Thomas Lee and Mary M., the latter of whom

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William Donahoe®

HON. WILLIAM DONAHOE.

By reference to another page in this volume the reader will learn that the Donahoe family have been prominently identified with the early settlement and prosperity of the county. James Donahoe, grandfather of the subject of this bi- ography, settled in Rainsburg prior to 1800 and in Bean's Cove in 1815. He and his wife, Jane Cassady, became the parents of twelve children -Patrick, John, Mary, Judith, James, Thomas, Jane, Rebecca, William, Francis, Sarah and Margaret.

Their eldest son, Patrick, was born in Rains- burg, September 12, 1803, and now lives on the old homestead, which has been his home since 1815. Mr. Donahoe has been quite prominent in county affairs, having been county commis- sioner two terms, county surveyor one term, and justice of the peace two terms.

Observing the large demand for fine fruit in an early day, and anticipating an increased de- mand, he planted large orchards of the finest fruit, and, as a consequence, has for many years been one of the most prominent fruit-growers in the country, reaping a rich harvest from his investments. In 1832 he married Ann McAtee, and she and her husband in their declining years are reaping the benefits of a well-spent life, honored and respected by all who are fav- ored with their acquaintance. They have been blessed with thirteen children : Thomas (de-

ceased), Jane (Adams), .James (deceased), Mary (Mattingly), William, Margaret (Herni), Sarah E. (deceased), Edward (deceased), Ella (Mat- tingly), George, John (deceased), Lewis (a physician) and William.

William Donahoe was born in Bean's Cove, July 18, 1839. In addition to a common school education, obtained in the schools of his district, he attended school at the Allegheny Seminary, and there learned surveying, which knowledge he afterward perfected under the tutelage of his father while in the field. He has since done considerable surveying in the interim of his labors on the farm.

In addition to filling several township offices, he, in 1880, was elected to the state legislature on the democratic ticket, and filled this office with credit to himself and the entire satisfaction of his constituents. He refused the renomina- tion to this office in order to devote himself to the prosecution of his private business, which is largely farming, he having purchased the parental estate, where he now resides, and is one of the energetic, prosperous farmers of his township. He is also quite extensively engaged in handling tanbark, from which business he has derived quite a large revenue.

October 22, 1876, he was united in marriage to Anna, daughter of Samuel Whip, of Center, ville, and they have one daughter, Mary. The Donahoes are members of the Catholic church.

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is deceased. In 1881 he married Rosannah Rice, sister of his former wife.

JUDGE THOMAS DONAHOE.

In the early settlement and future develop- ment of Southampton township- more particu- larly that portion known as Bean's cove-the Donahoe family have been an important factor. James Donahoe, the progenitor of the American branch of this family, came from Ireland and settled in Rainsburg prior to 1800, where he prominently engaged in business for several years, conducting a store, hotel and tannery. In 1815, thinking it better to bring up his family apart from the influences of village life, he moved to Bean's cove-"the backwoods," as he then expressed it. He purchased twelve hun- dred acres of land, including two small improve- ments. In 1803 he married Jane Cassady, of Huntingdon county, this state, also of Irish descent. Mr. Donahoe died in April, 1838, and his wife in 1864. They were both members of the Catholic church. They reared twelve chil- dren : Patrick, John (deceased), Mary (Dicken), deceased, Judeth (Dicken), deceased, James (de- ceased), Thomas, Jane (Mattingly), Rebecca, William, Francis, Sarah (Owens), deceased, and Margaret (deceased). Judge Thomas Donahoe was born in Rainsburg in 1815, and came to Bean's cove with his parents when an infant. He lived at home until he had attained the age of twenty-four years, when he purchased the farm where he now resides, and has since spent his life largely in agricultural pursuits, in which he has been quite successful. He engaged in cattle-droving to a limited extent, which resulted in his financial advancement. In 1878 Mr. Donahoe was elected associate judge on the democratic ticket, he being a stanch democrat. He is a man of much force of character, quick perception, and a fearless advocate of any meas- ure or code of principles which he deems honest, upright and just. A man of unsevering princi- ples, he has, by the positions he has maintained in the community, won for himself an enviable reputation. In 1841 he was married to Eliza- beth Hendrickson, who departed this life in May, 1880. Mrs. Donahoe was, as her husband is, a member of the Catholic church. He is now passing his declining years on a farm, which he has largely improved by his own industry. He is the father of twelve children : Ann T. (deceased), James C., Emma, Francis, Jonathan,

Patrick, William, Augustin, Michael, Peter, Mary and Jane. Francis and Augustin are in Washington Territory. James C. lives on Flint- stone creek, and is in possession of a good farm. Peter, the youngest son, now operates the home- stead farm.

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History of Bedford, Somerset, Fulton counties Pennsylvania, Part 78

Author: Waterman, Watkins & Co. Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Number of Pages: 967

Author: Waterman, Watkins & Co.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 967