History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 65

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 812

USA > Pennsylvania > Bradford County > History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches > Part 65

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South Creek, near the centre of the township, on N. C. R. R., Jan. 26, 1826, George Hyde.

South Hill, south part of Orwell, Jan. 28, 1837, Wil- liam Warfield.

South Litchfield, southeast corner of the township, Dec. 18, 1865, Jerrold B. Wheaton.

South Warren, near the south line of the township, Jan. 12, 1827, Benjamin Buffington.

Springfield, near the centre of the township, May 24, 1819, William Evans.

Spring Hill, central part of Tuscarora, Dec. 29, 1836, H. Ackley.

Standing Stone, sonth part of the township, on the Pa. & N. Y. R. R., Jan. 26, 1826, Jonathan Stevens.

Stevensville, south part of Pike, Jan. 24, 1837, Cyrus Stevens.

Sugar Run, northeast part of Wilmot, established as Blaney, May 4, 1839, Nathaniel N. Gamble; changed to Sugar Run, Feb. 5, 1846, Elmore Horton.

Sylvania, south part of Columbia, March 18, 1818, Reuben Nash.

Terrytown, west part of township, July 27, 1826, George Terry ; changed to South Asylum, June 23, 1854, John M. Horton ; changed to Asylum, Sept. 15, 1857, John M. Horton ; changed to Terrytown, Jan. 13, 1862, Nathaniel T. Miller.

Tioga Valley, west part of Litchfield, Sept. 23, 1854, Hiram Rogers.

Towanda, borough, Ang. 8, 1810, Reuben Hale.

Troy, borough, Dec. 29, 1817, James Long.

Tuscarora Valley, southeast part of the township, Feb. 2, 1871, Henry L. Rugg.

Ulster, central part of the township, on Pa. & N. Y. R. R., Sept. 18, 1821, Sidney Bailey.

Warren Centre, central part of the township, July 27, 1853, Jacob L. Brown.

Warrenham, northeast part of Warren, Jan. 1, 1835, Andrew Coburn.

Wells, west part of township, established as French's Mills, Dec. 12, 1825, James S. French ; changed to Wells, Nov. 26, 1869, Charles L. Shepard.

West Burlington, west part of the township, July 19, 1833, Luther Goddard.

West Franklin, west part of the township, April 25, 1857, Nedebiah Smith (2d).

West Warren, west part of the township, March 16, 1864, Robert Tyrrel.

West Windham, on the Wappusening, established as Windham, Jan. 17, 1818, Benjamin Woodruff; changed to West Windham, Feb. 8, 1833, Elijah Shoemaker.

Wilmot, in the east part of the township, March 15, 1866, Israel Van Lnvanee.

Windham Centre, near the centre of the township, July 9, 1866, W. C. Peck.

Windham Summit, near the western line of the town- ship, Dec. 10, 1868, John Van Est.

Wyalusing, village on Pa. & N. Y. R. R., Jan. 1, 1801, Peter Stevens.

Wysox, village on Pa. & N. Y. R. R., Oct. 1, 1804, Burr Ridgway.

There are one hundred and thirteen in all; each township and borough has at least one, except Armenia, while the town of Wyalusing has six. Each one of these post-offices has a history of anxious pleading and patient waiting before the government allowed it to exist, and then, oftentimes, of neighborhood strife and personal or political preferences which secured the change of both name and postmaster. Nearly all of the persons named in this long list were associated with the political struggles of the community in which they are located.

STEAMBOATS.

Several attempts have been made to navigate the river by steam, but the rapid, shallow current of the Susquehanna has caused all of these attempts to prove failures. "Two neat little steamboats, the ' Codorns' and the 'Susquehanna,' were launched upon its waters in 1826, and made several trips up and down, much to the gratification of the inhabi- tants dwelling upon its banks, and the time was anticipated when a regular line of boats might ply on the river, trans- porting both freight and passengers. But the want of suffi- cient water in the low stage of the river soon proved it to be impracticable, and after a disastrous explosion of the boiler of the 'Codorus,' and the loss of several valuable lives thereby, the enterprise was abandoned."

Very early in the history of the county, rafts of logs and lumber were sent down the river to Harrisburg and points below. As early as 1792, a Baltimore paper notices that a number of rafts are in from Tioga Point. The first raft of which we have any knowledge going from this county, was the one constructed from the squared timbers of the Mora- vian meeting-house, on which were loaded the goods of the

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

settlers, to remove them from the reach of the Indian dep- redations ; and from that time to this rafts have been found a cheap and convenient method of transporting heavy and bulky artieles. Formerly, in the early spring, the rafts would be loaded with hay, grain, and potatoes, from Brad- ford and adjoining counties, and with salt from New York State ;. but afterwards these articles and shingles were more commonly transported in arks, as they were called, that is, large boats, roughly and cheaply made, but which had a carrying capacity of several tons. Running the river, that is skill and ability to manage the various crafts which were used for transporting goods, was a business by itself, and to be a good waterman was to be able to command whatever wages might be demanded. But safer and more expeditious modes of transportation have almost entirely superseded this, so that now a raft or ark is beginning to be a rare sight.

SHAD-FISHING.

When the country was first known to the white people, not only were the woods full of game, but the streams were full of fish. The brooks and ereeks abounded in trout, and innumerable quantities of shad, in their season, were found in the Susquehanna. These were said to have been of a superior quality and flavor, and afforded an abundance of delicious food for the early settlers. As soon as the ice went out of the river the shad started on their journey to the fresh- water creeks, for the purpose of spawning, returning to the sea late in the season. They came in schools, frequently of several thousand in a school. From time immemorial the natives of the forest had been in the habit of taking them in large quantities with their bush-nets. At the Wyalu- sing mission we have accounts of several hundred having been taken at a time.

As soon as the white people began to settle along the river they sought out some favorable spot, usually a cove or the point of an island free from roeks and large stones, the bottom was cleared of all flood-wood and other obstrue- tions ; then the seine, a long net from two to four hun- dred yards in length and thirty-three meshes wide, with weights on one side and buoys on the other, so that when it was let into the stream the two edges would be perpen- dicular to the surface of the stream, a couple of long ropes, and two canoes, and the party are equipped for the fishing. The seine is carefully folded and plaecd in the end of one canoe, the other keeps as far away as the length of the rope attached to the upper end of the seine will permit. Having proceeded some distance up the stream the net is quietly let out of the canoe, and the two parties, keeping as far apart as may be, each having a rope attached to an oppo- site end of the seine, slowly start for the beach. Quietly they make towards the landing, and the fish before the net are crowded towards the shore. As soon as they reach the land, if the haul is a good one, a seene of great excitement ensues. The fish are floundering in the net, some break through and others leap over and escape, men and boys are shouting to each other, and each is in haste lest all will not be secured. So plentiful were these delicious fish that they were sold for three dollars per hundred, and, sometimes, three dollars for one hundred and twenty-five. The damns which were thrown across the river when the canal was

built have prevented the shad from ascending the river, and thus deprived the people of a great luxury.

THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1865.

In another chapter an account has been given of the great " Ice Flood" in 1784, and the " Pumpkin Freshet" in 1786; but the month of March, 1865, witnessed the highest water ever known by the white people on the Sus- quehanna. In the month of February an unusually deep snow had fallen, and, as the weather continued cold for four or five weeks, other snows accumulated on the top of it. In the early part of March the weather became suddenly warm, the wind blew from the south, with frequent showers of rain, and the snow melted with surprising rapidity. As the ground was frozen, the water all ran into the streams. Fortunately, the ice had broken up and gone down the river a few days before. Everybody along the river expected a flood, but when the water was at a height as great as ever had been known before and was still rising, great anxiety began to be manifested. Steadily, at the rate of about four inches per hour, the water continued to rise until it reached a point, varying with the width of the river, from six to eight feet higher than ever known. There were many hair- breadth escapes, but no lives were lost in Bradford County. But the damage otherwise was immense : fences, houses, barns, cattle, horses, stacks of hay and grain, and piles of lumber were swept down the stream in a confused mass. Several estimates have been made of the value of property destroyed by this freshet, but all of them were from such insufficient data that the figures are very unreliable.

This tremendous freshet has been styled St. Patrick's flood. The following was entered on the records of the court of quarter sessions of Luzerne county, and is quoted from Stewart Pearce's " Annals of Luzerne :"

" In Re St. Patrick's flood in Susquehanna river, 17th and 18th March, A.D. 1865.

" Now, 29th of August, A.D. 1865, the following record is submitted to the court for preservation among its records, to wit :

"' WILKES-BARRE, 26th August, 1865.

"'HON. JOHN N. CONYNGHAM, President Judge of Luzerne county :

"' From levels from explorations for rail route from the Lehigh valley to this valley, by C. F. Mercur, Esq.,

"' I find the elevations above tide-water of the door- sills of the court-house 543.102 feet.

"'Low water in the Susquehanna river 512.9

"' High water in the Susquehanna river, 18th March, 1865 537.6

"' Door-sill of the court-house ahovo the high water, 18th March, 1865 . 5.5

"' Rise of water in the flood of 17th and 18th March, 1865, at Wilkes-Barre .

24.7

"'And the general opinion is that the flood of 1865 was four feet higher than the pumpkin flood of October, A.D. 1786.

"'Respectfully submitted,

"' MARTIN CORYELL.'

"Certified from the records, this sixth day of February, A.D. 1866. [SEAL.] "E. B. COLLINGS, Clerk."

HONEY-BEES.

As bee culture has awakened considerable interest in some parts of the county, it will be interesting to note the

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

first swaruis of bees of which record has been made which came into this county.

In the Advocate, a paper published for a short time in Rome borough, in 1869, is the following paragraph : " We are credibly informed that the first honey-bees ever owned and domesticated and cared for anywhere in this section of the county, were hived by Joshua Vought, of this place (Rome). Mr. Vought says, 'Sixty years ago this coming 4th of July, while hoeing corn on the side-hill near the steam-mill, above town, a swarm of wild bees came flying over, which I took the necessary measures to hive, and which were the first bees ever known in this county, and the same stock of bees still exist in this community and are doing well.'"

Some time about 1801, Mrs. Case, of Troy, found a " bee- tree" in which a swarm of bees had taken possession of the forks of a hemlock. The extreme length of the comb was nearly twelve feet, and two hundred pounds of strained honey were obtained from that very long, narrow, but rich bee-hive.

THE GREAT HUNT IN 1818.

In the early history of the county wild animals were numerous. Hunting was then a matter of absolute neces- sity : of the bear and deer to furnish food for the family, of the wolf and panther to protect the flocks from their incur- sions. As the settlement of the county progressed, the supplies of food were derived from other sources, while the more destructive sorts had learned to fear the rifle and re- tired into the more unfrequented places, the deeper woods and the darker glens. Hunting became more a matter of amusement and sport than of necessity. In addition to this a considerable bounty was offered for the killing of de- structive wild animals, which, on the presentation of the proper proofs, was paid from the county treasury. In the year 1818 three great hunts were planned for the part of the county east of the river, and which embraced also a part of Susquehanna county. Mrs. Perkins, in " Early Times," thus describes one of these : " When the New York and Pennsylvania boys engaged in a grand deer hunt in this beautiful valley, in the fall of 1818, it was a gala day, such as they seldom enjoyed. The necessary plans and arrangements had all been matured. Fires had been lighted on the North mountains the previous night, and the hounds sent out early to drive the deer to the plains. Marshals for the day had been chosen to lead their respective bands. The appointed day anxiously looked for arrived, when about two hundred men, armed with guns and rifles, sallied forth from their homes in the early morning to engage in the ex- citing sport. A circle of men, several miles in extent, was to be formed on the broad plains between the Susquehanna and Chemung rivers, extending beyond the hills on the north and to the southern limit of the pine woods on the south. They were to move in uniform time and regular order towards one common centre, driving before them the deer that traversed the plains and hills, and were thus sur- rounded by the hunters or hemmed in by the rivers.

" The marshals of the day, at the head of their respective commands, and clothed with due authority for the occasion, mounted their steeds and rode forth at early dawn, each having under command about one hundred men. Mr. Elias

Mathewson, leading the Pennsylvanians, posted his men along the borders of the pine forest below Mile hill, ex- tending his line from river to river, about two miles above the junction of the two streams.

" The line of the New York men was stretched from the Chemung river, near Buckville, across the river to Shepard's creek, on the north, all being at their posts and in due order of readiness. At the appointed time the march commenced. Highly excited, the men on both sides pressed forward, eager for the game, watching every hillock and glen, and scouring every thicket which might serve as a hiding-place for the deer. Often a lusty buck was started from his retreat. Here and there through the forest the timid doe and fawn might be seen darting away from their pursuers, who, still urging them forward from every quarter, were driving and pressing them towards the place of rendezvous, a point not far from the centre of the present village of Waverly. Occasionally an animal more fortunate than the rest would break through the ring, and make his escape, but this only added to the excitement and eagerness of the hunters. The men were not to shoot any of the game until orders were given. But now the lines close in as they approach the rendezvous from every side. Quite a number of deer are discovered to be within the ring, ex- citement is at its height, and orders are given to fire. The woods ring with the report of the musket and the crack of the rifle. Many a noble buck is brought down. Some of them stand at bay for a while, but all in vain ; while the cringing doe and helpless fawn become an easy prey to the pitiless foe, who give no quarter at such a time. As they approached the centre of the ring (said to be near where the Waverly foundry now stands), the excitement increased to rashness and recklessness. In their great anxiety to secure the whole of the game, the hunters shot in every direction.

"' In the heat of excitement men do not stop to consider,' and suddenly it was announced that a man was wounded. This arrested the attention of all for a time, such an inter- lude not having been in the programme. The marshals ordered a cessation of firing, and the eager inquiry, ' Who is it?' went round the circle. The unfortunate hunter thought himself desperately, if not fatally, wounded, and the woods resounded with his piteous cries. Great was the consternation, and deep the sympathy among his friends and neighbors. The surgeon examined the wound with great caution, and not a little of anxiety. As he removed the garments, anxious friends were relieved upon ascertaining that it was not a serious wound ; indeed, it proved to be rather a slight one, from which the man soon recovered. ' Big Decker' also narrowly escaped being shot, a ball having struck a tree where he was standing, about six inches over his head. His ire being a little aroused, he asked to borrow a gun, having none of his own, to return the fire. But better counsels prevailed, and all was calm again. The business of the day had not yet come to an end. There were about thirty slaughtered animals to be cared for still,-skinned, dressed, and divided among the men, that each might have his due share of the spoils and results of the day. This was the drudgery of the hour, but skilled hands applied themselves to the work with a

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

will, and it was soon accomplished. Distribution was then made of a part, the remainder sold at vendue, and the men dispersed to their several homes, glad to rest, and with the coming of the night all was quiet and still."

In the early part of December of this year, another and more general hunt was agreed upon. The description found in the journal of Col. Stevens, of Stevensville, is so vivid, and having the advantage of being made at the time, it will be quoted from at length, premising that the general ar- rangements resembled the one described by Mrs. Perkins. But to the journal. " Friday, 4 (December) .- Clear and heavy frost. This day the agreed hunt takes place, several hundred men having volunteered to engage in it. The ground is marked out, and is as follows: Beginning on the Susquehanna road from Wysox down the river to the road that leads up the Wyalusing ereek, up the creek eight miles to a road that runs across to Wysox, and then down the Wysox to the place of beginning. This part of the wilderness is about ten miles square. In this square is a circle marked out and agreed upon to bring the game to. No one is to fire a gun until he comes to that ring in the centre, except at a bear or wolf." The orders of the day, which were published some time beforehand, were that every man was to be on the lines at eight o'eloek A.M., and bring as many tin horns as could be found. The men being arranged were to mareh at the sound of the horn. One captain was appointed for every ten men. The horn was first to sound at Wysox, then down the line to Wyalusing, up the creek and around the whole square. The march was to begin with the first blast of the horns. The signals were to be given at short intervals until the centre was reached. Mr. Stevens says, "I stood and listened. It took about thirty minutes to pass the signals around the line. The men marehed with guns, axes, spears, and pitchforks." It was night before the place of rendezvous was reached and the game dispatched, and the greater part of the com- pany remained on the ground all night.

The incidents which have been related of this day's sport are some thrilling and some laughable. The line on which the whole party, and there were eight or nine hundred of them, were to halt, was a circle about one mile across, inclosing a hill, near the centre of the area formed by the outside line, and about a mile south of the State road. Within this circle were bears, deer, wolves, and foxes ; how many of each never were known, as many of them broke through the ring and escaped. In one place, where the line was not closed, more than thirty thus regained their liberty. About one hundred and fifty deer were killed, and it was thought as many escaped. There were also several bears and wolves killed. The hill which the men eneircled was covered with beech, free from underbrush, and of regular ascent. The excitement, as the deer endeavoring to escape began to be shot down, was intense. The men were marched slowly until they could see the heads of those on the opposite side of the hill, when they were commanded not to fire another gun. There was then one deer, one bear, and one fox in the circle. The men advanced upon them with a savage yell, blowing their horns and shells until they took the field, gave three cheers, and named it "Slaughter Hill," a name it has ever since borne. In killing the bear the men be-

labored him with their clubs, but he paid but little attention to their cudgeling, and would have escaped had not two men standing outside the ring shot him. Col. Theron Darling, quite a tall man, was standing on the top of a steep bank, near the foot of the hill, when an old doe, that had been slightly wounded, eame down with a determination to break the ranks. The men by this time had got so close together that they stood shoulder to shoulder. The deer, discovering a larger opening between the colonel's legs than anywhere else, put down her head and attempted to pass through. The colonel fell forward and clasped his arms around her, and away they both went down the bank a couple of rods, the colonel feet foremost. Being a good soldier, he did not relinquish his hold until he got the deer down and cut its throat.

There was much dissatisfaction expressed by many of the parties who engaged in this hunt, and so many were the charges of dishonesty and fraud made against some parties living along the river that the hunt was never repeated.

On the 18th of December of this year (1818) another hunt was arranged to take place in the east portion of Sus- quehanna county. The country surrounded was that lying between the north and east branches of the Wyalusing ereek, from the forks to the turnpike which runs from Montrose to Owego. On account of the extremely cold weather which happened at this time, there were not more than three hundred men present, which was not enough to inclose the area described, so that many wolves and bears escaped. Only about thirty deer were killed. The small number of men, and the large tract of country to be inclosed, rendered the plan a failure.

This was the last attempt at any general hunt of which the writer has any knowledge.

SURVEY OF THE BOUNDARY-LINE OF THE STATE.

In the general assembly of the State of Pennsylvania, Sept. 20, 1783, the house elected William Maclay, James Wilkinson, and William Montgomery "to examine the navigation of the Susquehanna river to the sources of the same, and ascertain, as near as conveniently may be, where the northern boundary of the State may fall, particularly whether any part of Lake Erie is within the State of Penn- sylvania, taking partieular notes of the nature and geography of the county as to the practicability of roads, water-carriage, air, soil, natural productions, etc." Whether any steps were taken this year to ascertain the boundary-line does not ap- pear, but Sept. 20, 1784, the assembly reappoint this same commission for the same purpose, expressed in almost the same language. Aug. 11, 1785, the supreme executive council audit the bill of William Maclay, Esq., as late com- missioner for negotiating a treaty with the Indians, also as one of the commissioners for running the northern boundary of the State, and Aug. 17, 1785, an order was drawn in his favor "for fifty-nine pounds, seven shillings, and four- pence half-penny, being a balance due to him upon a settle- ment of his accounts as late one of the Indian commis- sioners, and a commissioner for ascertaining the northern boundary, according to the comptroller-general's report." Excepting a reference to the temporary boundary-line of

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

the State, made in a warrant of survey, these seem to be all the facts on record relating to it.

The assembly, Feb. 18, 1785, after conference with the commissioners, declare that in their opinion there is need for ascertaining more accurately the boundary-line between this and the State of New York, and direct the supreme executive council to communicate with the governor of the State of New York and request the appointment of a joint commission to run a temporary line between the two States. The State of New York very promptly met the overture, and, having recited that in 1774 Samuel Holland and David Rittenhouse did fix upon the point on the Delaware river which was on the parallel of 42º north latitude, direct that the joint commission shall proceed from that point and ascertain the line of jurisdiction between the two States. In April the governor of New York was informed that David Rittenhouse and Andrew Porter had been appointed, on the part of Pennsylvania, commissioners " for ascertain- ing our common boundary." On the 12th of October, 1786, the commissioners reported that they had completed the line to the 89th milestone, which carries the survey beyond the limits of our county. It was finished in 1787. Stones, properly marked,* were set up at the end of every mile on the whole line. These are frequently referred to in surveys and descriptions of boundaries on the State line.

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History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 65

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts Number of Pages: 812

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 812