History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 20

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.)
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1340

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Returning a little in the chronological order, it is well enough to here explain that in 1783 what was the settlers' portion of Bradford county became known as Stokes District. That year the State had appointed Joseph Montgomery, William Montgomery and Moses McLean commissioners to proceed to the Wyoming valley, establish peace, if possible, among the inhabitants, and organize some kind of civil government. In the discharge of this duty they laid off in April, 1783, the Wyoming settlements into three townships, called Wyoming, Shawanese and Stokes ; the latter included what is now Bradford county. A report by William Gray, surveyor, in that year describes a tract of land surveyed for John Lawson on the 10th day of October, 1783, as " situate joining land surveyed for Job Chilloway and others at Wyalusing in Stokes township, Northumberland county." From this new civil district it was more than sixty miles to the nearest justice of the peace, so if any of Rudolph Fox's family had desired to marry, even after all the usual awful trouble of courtship, getting ma's and pa's consent, and going perhaps to Philadelphia to get the license, there would have still remained the matter of a week or more journey to find a squire to bind the knot. Anything like such obstructions to marriage in these days would no doubt have a most serious effect on the marriage returns in the census reports.

The first civil government really established in what is now Brad- ford county was December 27, 1787,when by act of the Legislature an election was provided for for this part of Luzerne county. Col.Nathan Dennison was chosen to the Supreme Executive Council; John Franklin, member of Assembly ; and Lord Butler, high sheriff. Col. Timothy Pickering was appointed prothonotary, and William Hooker Smith, Benjamin Carpenter, James Nesbit, Timothy Pickering, Mathias Hol- lenback, Nathan Kingsley and Obadiah Gore, justices of the peace and of the court of common pleas of the county. This was really the first time the people along the north branch of the Susquehanna river ever had representation in the State Legislature, and had courts of their own choosing.

At the June session, 1788, the court proceeded to divide Luzerne county into districts for the election of justices of the peace. Those lying within what is Bradford county were as follows :

I. From the upper line of the county to the place at which the road crosses Roswell Franklin's mill-creek, near Mr. Lanning's, in Wysox, by an east and west line, comprehending both sides of the river, to be called the First District-one justice.

II. From the last-mentioned line to the mouth of Wysox creek, by an east and west line, comprehending both sides of the river, to be called the Second District- one justice.

III. From the last-mentioned line to the mouth of Teague's creek, by an east and west line, comprehending both sides of the river, to be called the Third District-one justice.

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

The justices commissioned in these three districts, respectively (the ones within Bradford county), were Noah Murray, Obadiah Gore and Nathan Kingsley.

At the Wilkes-Barre Court, March, 1790, it was ordered that Luzerne county be divided into eleven townships :

1. Tioga, commencing at the north line of the State and extending from the east line to the west line of the county, and on the south by an east and west line which sball strike the Standing Stone.

2. Wyalusing, bounded north by the south line of Tioga, and on the south by an east and west line passing through the mouth of Meshoppen creek, and extending east and west through the county.

Thus Tioga included all of Bradford county from the north line, a distance a little more than eighteen miles south. And Wyalusing was the same east and west, and extended south a little more than ten miles. This was all of Bradford county, except a small point that was south of the south line of Wyalusing, and was in Tunkhannock.

Wysox .- In April, 1795, Tioga was divided on the prayer of the people to that effect, and the part taken off became Wysox. The divis- ion was on an east and west line passing through a small stream on the east side of the Susquehanna, southwesterly of Breakneck; the north part remained Tioga and the south part Wysox.

At the November session, 1796, a petition signed by Simon Spalding and others, prayed the court for another division of Tioga. Thereupon, Elisha Satterlee, Moses Coolbaugh and Simon Spalding were appointed to examine the subject and report at the next term of the court. January 17, 1797, they reported, unanimously agreeing to the division "on the line dividing between Athens and Ulster [ the old Connecticut survey], then extending on an east and west line as the line of Ulster and Athens doth extend." The north township was now called Athens, and the south one Ulster. And thus the old historic "Tioga " was dropped-Tioga seems yet the natural name of the point of confluence of the two rivers.

Thus the century closed. What is Bradford county had four town- ships : Athens, Ulster, Wysox and Wyalusing-very long east and west, and about six miles wide each.

The First Gerrymander .- The art of gerrymandering is a peculiar American institution. As is well known, it is a trick by which territory is sometimes divided up after the manner of a crazy quilt; or, a " shoe-string district " is formed that the party in control may gain great advantages over the enemy. A Democratic State or a Repub- lican State, or any other fellow who may happen to be in control when the whole is to be again re-districted, figures out the minority with a skill that is amusing, on the principle that all is fair in war, horse- racing or politics. For instance, in one of the Southern States, after "reconstruction " times, and the Democrats were again in power, they found that the negroes could outvote the whites on a fair vote, so they made a " shoe-string district " and put the blacks nearly all together, and allowed them to have that one district, unanimously as it were, and the whites took all the balance. Thus a district might wind around over the State, and be two or three hundred miles long, as crooked as a crooked dog's crooked hind leg, and it might in some places be not

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

much wider than a race track. Thus a candidate for Congress in such a gerrymandered district, in order to visit all parts of his district, would require an able corps of engineers to keep on the correct trail. This is "smart " politics, so accounted in this country by the fellow that is "in," but is considered downright political rascality always by the fellow "out." All parties have invariably practiced it, whenever the opportunity offered.

"Shake not thy gory locks at me-thou cans't not say I did it." Upon the principle of " you're another"-or the kettle must not upbraid the pot for being black, this rather disreputable practice, really swind- ling the honest voters, has been and will continue to be difficult to rid ourselves of-the outgrowth of the everlasting struggle for office from dog-catcher to President.

This original gerrymander was one against an individual, and not a numerous class of voters, and it occurred April 3, 1804, and was a legislative thunderbolt directed at Col. John Franklin. This man was the leader of the "Connecticut claimants," and in that bitter and long controversy he was no common or diminutive figure, but was literally " a thorn in the side " of what was, in those days, termed the "Penn- sylvania land-jobbers." The voters of Luzerne county would elect Franklin to the Legislature year after year, and the " Pennamites " could make no combination for his overthrow; so on the day above named they determined by act of the Legislature to gerrymander him out of office. He had been persecuted, thrown in prison, chained and brutally treated, and impeached for high crimes and treason, but his neighbors only the more and more honored and respected him. So the act provided that that part of Luzerne county, including Franklin's residence, be struck off of Luzerne and attached to Lycoming county. Col. Franklin was a member, and present when the original bill was introduced. There was no secret made of the purpose of the bill, and something of the nature and daring of the man is seen in the fact that, as drawn, the bill had made a mistake and drew the line so as not to change Franklin into the other county. He immediately arose and notified them of the mistake, and told them how they could change the same so as to include his residence. It was so amended, and became a law, and the Legislature congratulated itself that it had " killed Cock Robin." But, without a break in the record, he appeared fresh and smiling at the very next session of the Legislature. The sifter in that case wouldn't carry water, and the world was given an illustrious instance of poetic justice.

Election Districts .- As early as 1785, September 13, an act was passed dividing the several counties into election districts. The county of Northumberland was divided into four districts, and the townships of Turbet, Mahoning, Wyoming, Shawanee and Stokes became the sec- ond, and these people were required to all vote at the town of Nor- thumberland. This was doing the "high sovereign act " by the good people of Bradford under great difficulties. Miner's history relates the fact that Capt. Simon Spalding and twenty others repaired to Northumberland, some of them traveling one hundred miles or more, and none of them less than sixty miles, to reach the nearest place of

not. N. Laving

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voting. After taking the oath of allegiance, their ballots were depos- ited in separate boxes, lest they should be deemed irregular; this caused it to be known for whom they voted. It so happened that parties were so evenly divided that these twenty-four votes decided the elec- tion of a member of the Supreme Executive Council, two representatives to the Assembly and the sheriff.

September 7, 1789, by an act making new election districts for Luzerne county, "all that part beginning at the north line of the State and extending down and including both sides of the Susquehanna river, to a line east and west across the county at Wyalusing falls, shall be an election district "-called Tioga; the voters to meet at the, house of Simon Spalding, and hold elections. This election district included all of now Bradford and Susquehanna counties-to meet at Simon Spalding's. Elections, though now improved, were still not as convenient as the fellow's pocket in his shirt.

Three years after this convenient arrangement, March 29, 1792, Wyalusing district was struck off from Tioga and Tunkhannock dis- trict. Its boundary was as follows: Beginning at the mouth of Wy- sox creek, following down and including both sides of the river Susquehanna, to the mouth of Meshoppen creek. The freemen were, in this new district, to hold their elections at the house of Isaac Han- cock. This was changed to the house of Justus Gaylord, Jr., March 17, 1802.

The Wyalusing district was again changed April 10, 1799, by a dividing line east and west, crossing at Breakneck, thence following down the river to Rummerfield creek. to an east and west line through the county at that point. The electors in the new district to meet at the house of William Means, in Wysox township.

The election law of 1800 directed that all that part of the county included in Wvalusing, Wysox, Tioga and Willingborough, begin- ning at a point due east from Standing Stone; thence north to the forty-first milestone on the north line of the State; thence east to the boundary line, the twenty-eighth milestone; thence south until it intersects a line due east from the place of beginning, was made an election district, called Rindaw; electors to meet at the house of Eze- kiel Hyde.

April 3, 1804, Tioga, in Luzerne, was made a separate election dis- trict ; to meet at the house of Thomas Berry.

In 1805, Burlington election district was formed, and so called; electors to meet at the house occupied by Nathaniel Allen.

Orwell district was formed April 11, 1807; meetings at the house of Josiah Grant.

Cleftsburg district was formed March 28, 1808, out of that portion of Lycoming county now Bradford ; meetings at the house of John Cummings-changed to the house of William Furman, March 20, 1810.

Wysox was formed into a separate election district, March, 1808, at the house of Amos Mix.

Canton township became an election district, meeting at the house of Joseph Wallace, March, 1810.

With the beginning of the century the people began to agitate the 11

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subject of a new county. The road to the then county-seat was not only long, but horrid, and there was no fun in going to law by the good people toward the northern State line. Then there were the old disputes over the land claims, and the Connecticut settlers instinctively felt that the farther south they went in matters of land disputes, the worse they fared. These "half-share men," poor fellows, as they were, were between the devil and the deep sea. The " compromise " and " intrusion " laws passed by the State had satisfied the old settlers or claimants, who now favored these laws, and that divided the Connecticut people, and there- fore the " half-share men " found themselves being attacked in front and rear, or, in other words, the Connecticut people were now "a house divided against itself." As these laws went into effect, friends became more and more arrayed against each other, and soon there were in many places neighbor against neighbor in open hostility. In a lucky moment the happy inspiration came to some one, and upon the mere suggestion there arose the cry "a new county." After much talking among themselves, the movement began to take form, and in 1806 it had reached such proportions as to be felt in the Legislature at the Capital, and the proposition was broached in that body. This was evidently responsive to the movement now actively afoot, and headed by such men as John Taylor, John Horton, Jacob Strickland, Jonathan Terry, William Means, Asa Stevens, Thomas Wheeler, B. LaPorte, Amasa Wells, Justus Gaylord, Jr., Josiah Grant, Reuben Hale, Eleazer Gaylord and Job Irish. Frequent meetings had been held in every neighborhood, and on the eleventh day of November, 1806, the inhab- itants of north Luzerne held a meeting and appointed the above- named delegates to meet in general convention at the house of William Means, and " agree where the dividing county line shall be run." While this was the first concerted movement of the people, the matter was now vigorously pushed. One point that bobbed up on all occasions was that of satisfying the " half-share men " by making the south line low enough down to include all or as nearly all as possible of this class; nearly everyone of these wanted to get ont of Luzerne county, and, on the other hand, the county wanted to spare as little of her territory as possible.

As intimated above, March 24, 1806, an act was introduced to form a new county of the northern part of Luzerne; the act was read and disposed of by ordering that it be "recommended to the attention of the next Legislature." The Legislature was not eager to accommodate the Connecticut settlers, and hence this dodging all responsibility by referring the whole subject to their successors. Something like the sharp practice so frequent now in Congress, where the admission of a new State depends more on its voters agreeing with the party in con- trol in Congress than on the justice there may be in the case. In fact, in many of our Governmental affairs, to an impartial spectator, there is frequently too much political bias in political affairs. For instance, when the country was confronted with the question of negro suffrage, at the same time there was a serious movement over the land for female suffrage-both were backed by equally strong advocates, except, for the latter, there were all the great women of the North,

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

who had been organized many years, and had sent out able male and female lecturers and missionaries in the cause of woman's voting-the "friends of home" and the enemies of a debauched and drunken oncoming generation. The women have signally failed in their elo- quent appeals to the country's statesmen ; while the negro, indifferent, happy, laughing, singing his old plantation roundelays, or in the merry hoe-downs and rollicking cake-walks, knowing little and caring less about politics, had suffrage fairly thrust upon him, handed out to him on silver platters, by grand waiters in paper caps and long white aprons. In the language of the immortal "Artemus," "Why was this thus ?" At this long-off day we can readily see why Pennsylvania was slow to give the Yankees of the upper Susquehanna a new and separate county. The lower end, when it was Northumberland county, could hold the upper end in check. They had, it is also true, somewhat hocused themselves when Luzerne county was struck off in order to gerryman- der Col. John Franklin out of the Legislature. The colonel had laughed at it, and the people had spat upon it, and, when too late, the Legislature had found out that, instead of quenching the fire, they had only added fuel thereto.

Can not the student of history as readily see why, when negro suffrage prevailed so easily, female suffrage has not only failed temporarily, but is about as dead as a dried mackerel ? The great sun-eclipse Senator in his place in the Senate-his own re-election depending-proclaims the fact that American suffrage, by its universality in this country, is but " feculent sewage "-that our nation is about being smothered by its excess, etc., etc .- notifying the dear women that they must " save our homes" by some other potent device than that of the ballot. Was not the fatal mistake the ladies made that of not agreeing to vote as a unit with one or the other of the two great political parties of the country ? The answer to that question will, it is believed, help solve the problem of why the Yankees finally secured their own county of Bradford. As noted above, they had become " a house divided against itself"-the "old settlers " and " the half-share men." The Legisla- ture accurately forecast the future-the outcome of the division and, if there must be more contention, why simply tie the two cats together, throw them across the clothes-line and let them fight it out, always fun for the boy, but rather serious for the felines.

Be that as it may, we are not greatly concerned about the details now,-sufficient is the fact that, after four years of trifling over the question in the Legislature, the people triumphed, and Bradford (Ontario) county was created. As an indication of the steps taken at the time, it may be proper here to refer to some of the doings of the people and the responses by the Legislature. We have seen that a bill was introduced in March, 1806, to form a new county. December following, the act was reported as " unfinished business." March 11. 1807, a petition came from 154 inhabitants of Luzerne and Northumber- land counties, praying for a new county. December 19 following, four petitions of a like nature were presented, signed by many people of the north section. These petitions respectfully asked that the new county be called HIRAM, and the seat of justice be fixed at Wysox.

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

In January, 1808, the inhabitants of Burlington township, Lycoming county, petitioned for the new county to be called HIRAM. All peti- tions had been referred to a committee, which reported, January 12, 1809 : "That your committee have [has] taken the subject committed to them [it] into consideration," and in effect recommended it be granted. Thereupon a committee was appointed to draught a bill in accordance with the prayer of petitioners. The bill was reported, discussed and postponed for further consideration. During the session of 1808-9, the county question was frequently up for consideration. During the session, eight several petitions had been reported to the Assembly, all remonstrating against the erection of a new county as per metes and bounds of the other petitioners-these were all from Luzerne county; but they described a different territory, and insisted, if a new county must be formed, that it be made of the territory they described, and called Loraine. Mr. Miner then introduced a bill for the appointment of three commissioners to lay off a new county from Luzerne and Lycoming. This bill was read and ordered to a second reading, and then dropped. In the meantime, petition after petition were pouring in on the Legislature. A special committee on the subject was finally appointed, as follows : Benjamin Dorrance, of Luzerne ; Isaac Smith and Samnel Satterlee, of Lycoming ; John Murray, of Northumberland ; Jacob Snyder, of Berks, and James Ralston. Mr. Dorrance soon after reported another bill to organize ; this was read, and a day fixed for its second reading ; it was then advanced to a second reading, and February 10, following, to a third reading, and then sent to the Senate for concurrence. The Senate now commenced the delay tactics; the bill was read and " referred to the next session." Finally, January 12, 1810, Chairman Dorrance reported from his committee, and strongly urged the erection of a new county, laying down the boundary lines for the same substantially as they are now for Bradford county, and February 21, following, it became a law, and the new county was called Ontario-changed, as stated above, to Bradford, March 24, 1812.

The Governor was required to appoint three trustees, whose duty it was, among other things, to establish the county's lines. Moses Cool- baugh, Samuel Satterlee and Justus Gaylord were appointed trustees, and they employed Jonathan Stevens, then deputy district surveyor, to run the lines thereof.

In the act defining the boundary lines, quoted above, it will be remembered there is a slight discrepancy in the lines in the southeast corner of the county in the original act, and as now given in the county maps. That is explained as follows: The old township of Braintrim was divided by the county line, and the inhabitants peti- tioned the next session of the Legislature to alter the line, so that the whole of Braintrim might remain in Luzerne, and therefore, March 28, 1811, the trustees of Ontario county were required to make a new line, as follows : "To establish a point east of Slippery Rocks, at the head of Wyalusing falls, in the River Susquehanna, for the southeast corner of Ontario county; thence a line west to the said Slippery rocks ; thence a southwesterly course to the nearest point of Lycoming

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county." This was all the change that has ever been made in the original county boundary lines.

Thus fashioned, Ontario (Bradford) county contained the town- ships of Athens, Burlington, Canton, Columbia, Orwell, Towanda, Ulster, Wyalusing, Wysox and a part of Rush-ten townships-and there were six election districts: Burlington, Canton, Cleftsburg, Tioga, Wyalusing and a part of Rindaw. The part of Rush township was made a distinct township in the new county ; while the electors of that part of Rindaw were added to Tioga.

December 20, 1810, the people had petitioned the Legislature for the organization of the new county for judicial purposes, but the mat- ter was allowed to stand just one year, and in December, 1811, Mr. Satterlee favorably reported a bill for that purpose, and March 24th following it became law. This provided for a county election at the October election following for county officers, and directed that the courts should be held at the house of William Means, of Meansville, Towanda township, until suitable buildings should be erected. This act also changed the name from Ontario to Bradford, in honor of William Bradford. The very first important question, of course, in the organization of the new county was the point to be selected by the commissioners as a site for the county buildings-county-seat. The law required it to be within seven miles of the geographical center of the county. Every man with a cleared truck patch within that charmed boundary began to have day-dreams of its coming to him-the future city to be his "clearin'," the convenience of a court-house in his own dooryard, a jail to the right, and a handy poor-house on the left. In some lines men's ambitions are easily excited to open activity-sweet dreams of the golden fleece. But in this case the question soon settled to one of neighborhoods; that is, to places along or near to the river where were collections of houses or, at least, where there was one house. William Means, Wysox and Monroe were all entered for the race. Wysox looked with some contempt upon Monroe, and Monroe, in turn, laughed at William Means and his hopes of carrying off a whole city on his back. Wysox, by a vote of herself, had it unan- imously. It even chose a new name for itself equal to the great occa- sion, "New Baltimore," without stopping to think it would have been just as easy to have spelled Old London, Paris, or Pekin. Her broad and sweeping rich valley was her pride and glory-a winning card, surely-and, therefore, why not take an afternoon siesta ? Monroe felt a deep pride in her strong Democratic name ; unlike Wysox, it did not have to shed its miserable Indian name-malodorous name, almost as well have been "Heavysox " so a Monroe ready wit said; there- fore, "hurrah for Monroe!" While all this preliminary skirmish- ing was going on between Monroe and Wysox, William Means was laying low, and, figuratively speaking, was stuffing both sleeves full of aces; he wasted no time laughing in his sleeve, but was putting them to a better purpose. Means was strongly backed by Thomas Overton, who owned most of the land that is now the heart of the city ; and also there was another man, E. B. Gregory, also a land owner. When these three men united the other appli-

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History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 20

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.) Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Chicago, S. B. Nelson Number of Pages: 1340

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.)
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1340