USA > Pennsylvania > Bradford County > History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections > Part 22
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137 | Part 138 | Part 139 | Part 140 | Part 141 | Part 142 | Part 143 | Part 144 | Part 145 | Part 146 | Part 147 | Part 148 | Part 149 | Part 150 | Part 151 | Part 152 | Part 153 | Part 154 | Part 155 | Part 156
Soon after the occupation of Asylum by the French they established a weekly post to Philadelphia.
In 1810, Conrad Teter contracted to carry the mail once a week, in stages, from Sunbury, via Wilkes-Barre, Wyalusing and Athens, to Painted Post.
Post Offices .- We make mention of the following existing and discontinued post offices in Bradford county :
Alva, January 5, 1827, Fred. Wilson.
Altus, Columbia township, established 1888, C. E. Gladding.
Allis, Hollow (Orwell township), August 17, 1868, George N. Norton.
Aspinwall (Wells township), established May 17, 1838, named Old Hickory, Alfred Ferguson ; changed to Wells, February 28, 1862, Joel Jewell: changed back to Old Hickory, July 23, 1868, John O. Randall; changed to Aspinwall, November 10, 1869, Levi Morse.
Asylum (see Terrytown); changed to Frenchtown, September 15, 1857, Charles Stevens.
Aurora, in Warren township, established 1883.
Austinville, Columbia township, established as Havensville, June 2, 1846, Dunsmer Smith; changed to Austinville, August 13, 1861, Lyman S. Slade.
Athens, January 1, 1801, William Prentice.
Barclay, January 10, 1866, George E. Fox.
Ballibay, Herrick township, October 9, 1871, John Nesbit.
Bently Creek, January 7, 1859, Benjamin F. Buck.
Berrytown, near Troy.
Big Pond, Springfield township, May 31, 1870, Isaac F. Bullock.
Birney, May 6, 1872, John Bolles.
Black, in Sheshequin township, established 1887, William Stevens.
Browntown, December 11, 1839, Ralph Morton. Discontinued.
Brinkhill, near Athens, established 1882.
Burlington, February 24, 1849, John Rose.
Bumpsville, Rome township, 1887.
Brushville, Pike township, established as Pike, January 15, 1868, Isaac Ross; changed to Brushville, January 23, 1871, Giles N. De Wolf.
Cadis, Warren township, 1887.
Camptown, December 7, 1841, William Camp.
Canton, September 23, 1825, Asa Pratt.
Carbon Run, LeRoy township, July 9, 1874, Robert A. Abbott. Discontinued.
Cold Creek, Pike township, March 4, 1870. Edward S. Skeel.
Columbia Cross Roads, December 7, 1826, Elisha S. Goodrich.
Covert, Smithfield, 1888.
Kumisky, established 1888.
Durell, originally Benjamintown, November 24, 1840, Selden S. Bradley; changed to Durell, March 29, 1843, W. W. Goff; discontinued, January 4, 1844; reinstated, December 11, 1848, Simeon Decker.
East Canton, April 15, 1862, Warren Landow.
East Herrick. January 26, 1839, Jeremiah C. Barnes. Discontinued.
East Smithfield, October 11, 1825, James Gerould.
East Troy, April 25, 1851, Andrus Case.
Edsallville, Wells township, December 14, 1827, Samuel Edsall.
Elwell, Wilmot township, May 21, 1857, Warren R. Griffis.
Evergreen, Albany township, February 9, 1871, William Allen.
Fassett, June 6, 1867, Joseph M. Young.
Franklindale, January 6, 1826, John Knapp.
Floss, Smithfield township.
Foot of Plane, Barclay township, March 11,1872, Theodore Streator.
Ghent, Sheshequin township, June 14, 1848, R. N. Horton.
Gillett, station on N. C. R. R., 1856.
Granville Centre, established as North Branch, December 8, 1825, Sylvester Taylor ; changed to Granville, February 25, 1831, Sylvester Taylor; changed to Granville Centre, January 30, 1865, Luman D. Taylor.
.
213
HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.
Granville Summit, February 9, 1856, William Nichols.
Greene's Landing, Athens to wnahip, October 18, 1875, W. A. Plummer. Grover, Canton township, February 13, 1872, H. C. Green.
Herrick, established as Wheatland, February 28, 1837, Isaac Camp ; changed to Herrick, December 28, 1837.
Herrickville, July 22, 1843, Daniel Durand.
Highland, Burlington township, March 27, 1837, George H. Bull.
Highland Lete, Warren township, October 18, 1870, John I. Arnold. Discontinued. Hoblet, established 1888.
Homet's Ferry, Frenchtown station, November 22, 1869. J. V. N. Biles. Hollenback, in Wilmot township.
Hornbrook, Sheshequin to wuship, February 25, 1827, William S. Way. Kasota, established 1888. Discontinued.
Kimberly. Kipp, 1886.
Laddsburgh, May 11, 1850, Peter Sterigere.
Leona, established as Leonard Hollow, November 13, 1856, Enos Hubbard; changed to Leona, August 2, 1865, William T. Daley.
Le Raysville, February 12, 1827, Josiah Benham. Le Roy, December 22,1835. William Holcomb.
Liberty Corners, September 5, 1856, Joseph Bull.
Lime Hill, Wyalusing township, June 30,1857, John F. Chamberlain. Lix, 1886.
Litchfield, November 5, 1825, Daniel Bush.
Long Valley, 1886, McFinney.
Luther's Mills, Burlington, established as Mercur's Mills, November 24, 1852, Sam - 1 el W. Prentice ; changed to Grow, January 7, 1862, James Wilcox ; changed to Luther's Mills, November 16, 1865, Roswell Luther.
Macedonia, Asylum, December 20, 1856, William Coolbaugh.
Marshview, May 17, 1872, Alvin T'. Ackla.
Mercur, August 20, 1872, George A. Stevens.
Merrickville, July 27, 1852. Discontinued.
Merryall, December 20, 1849.
Milan, established as Marshall's Corners, December 21, 1835, Josiah B. Marshall; changed to Milan, December 27, 1838, John L. Webb.
Milltown, December 9, 1826, William P. Rice. Discontinued.
Minnequa, September 21, 1869, Richard L. Dodson.
Monroeton, originally Monroe, October 29, 1822. Changed July 30, 1829.
Mountain Lake, May 20, 1861, Earl Nichols.
Myersburgh, April 9, 1850, Elijah R. Myera.
Neath, Welsh settlement, Pike township, October 18, 1870, Newton Humphrey. New Albany, April 1, 1826, James Moreland.
New Era, Terry township, October 2, 1857, John Huffman.
Narconks, Wilmot township, December 27, 1856, John Cummisky. Discontinued. North Orwell, March 27, 1833, Roswell Russell.
North Rome, January 5. 1846, Charles Forbes.
North Smithfield (now Smithfield), March 2, 1829, Davis Bullock.
North Towanda, June 21, 1852, Stephen A. Milla.
Opposition.
Orcutt Creek, Athens, June 14, 1848, David Gardner. Discontinued. Orwell, July 22, 1818, Edward Benjamin.
Overton, originally Heverlyville, July 1, 1857, Edward McGovern. Changed Feb- ruary 28, 1856, George W. Hottenstein.
Overshot, 1889, D. O. Sullivan.
Park's Creek, first Seeley, February 28, 1870, Daniel Russell; changed and discon- tinued.
Pike, changed to Brushville. Potterville, August 5, 1852, E. C. Potter.
Powell, first Lindwood, December 3, 1855, Samuel C. Naglee; changed April 1, 1872, Elbaman W. Neal. Prattville. Quarry Glen, 1888. Ridgebury, May 6, 1826, James Covell. Rienzi. Riggs, 1888.
214
HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.
Rome, June 11, 1831, Peter Allen.
Rummerfield Creek, December 17, 1833, Eli Gibbs.
Saco, 1888.
Sayre, March 11, 1874, Harvey G. Spalding.
Sciotaville.
Sheshequin, January 1, 1819, Avery Gore.
Silvara, in Tuscarora, first East Springfield, April 23, 1868, Daniel L. Crawford; changed May 11, 1875, Andrew Silvara.
Smithfield Summit, December 21, 1860, Joseph L. Jones. Discontinued.
Snedekerville. August 1, 1867, William H. Snedeker.
South Branch, December 11, 1863, Chester Caster.
South Creek, January 26, 1826, George Hyde.
Discontinued.
South Hill. January 28, 1837, William Warfield.
South Litchfield, December 18, 1865, Jerrold B. Wheaton. Discontinued.
South Warren, January 12, 1827, Benjamin Buffington.
Springfield, May 24, 1819, William Evans.
Spring Hill, December 29, 1836, H. Ackley.
Standing Stone, January 26, 1826, Jonathan Stevens.
Stevensville, in Pike, January 24, 1837, Cyrus Stevens.
Sugar Run, first Blaney, May 4, 1839, Nathaniel N. Gamble; changed February 5, 1846, Elmore Horton.
Sylvania, March 18, 1818. Reuben Nash.
Terrytown, July 27, 1826, George Terry; changed to South Asylum, June 23, 1854, John M. Horton; changed to Asylum, September 15, 1857, Jobn M. Horton; changed to Terrytown, January 13, 1862, Nathaniel T. Miller.
Tioga Valley, September 23, 1854, Hiram Rogers. Discontinued.
Towanda, August 8, 1810, Reuben Hale.
Trinket.
Troy, December 29, 1817, James Long.
Tuscarora Valley, February 2, 1871, Henry L. Rugg. Discontinued.
Ulster, September 8, 1821, Sidney Bailey.
Taroter.
Velarde.
Virtus.
Wapaseming.
Warren Centre, July 27, 1853, Jacob L. Brown.
Warrenham, January 1, 1835, Andrew Coburn.
Wells, first French's Mills, December 12, 1825, James S. French; changed, Novem- ber 26. 1869, Charles L. Shepard.
West Burlington, July 19, 1833, Luther Goddard.
West Franklin, April 25, 1857, N. Smith (2d).
West LeRoy.
West Terry.
West Warren, March 16, 1864, Robert Tyrrell.
West Windham, originally Windham, January 17, 1818, Benjamin Woodruff; changed February 8, 1833, Elijah Shoemaker. Discontinued.
Wetone .
Wickizer, 1887.
Wilawana.
Wilmot, March 15, 1866. Israel Van Luvanee.
Windfall.
Windham.
Windham Centre, July 9, 1866, W. C. Peck.
Windham Summit, December 10, 1868, John Van Est.
Wyalusing, January 1, 1801, Peter Stevens.
Wysox, October 1, 1804, Burr Ridgway.
There are more post offices to-day in Bradford county than there were annually letters when the county was formed, and for the two men, who footed it from Wilkes-Barre to Painted Post, carrying the mails at one time, there are now many hundreds of employes connected with the postal service in the county. Thus the growth of population was great, from a wilderness to nearly 60,000 people, yet the use and
217
HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.
distribution of reading matter has grown in a most wonderful ratio, during the century. Something of the measure of the growth and spread of civilization may be accurately seen in the postal department -a much better measurement, it would seem, than that of the philos- opher who would gauge it by the amount of soap the people used.
Canal .- In 1828, the people of Bradford county, seeing the great success of the movement in New York to construct the Erie Canal, and anticipating the immeasurable advantages of such facilities to commerce, began to agitate the subject of a north and south canal, following the Susquehanna river, and connecting this portion of the State with the outside commercial world. Meetings were held, and public sentiment was rapidly instructed, and in 1830 the entire route was surveyed by Mr. Randall, chief engineer. And now the people believed that soon would be made amends for the terrible failures to navigate the river by steamboats. The State was invoked and gave aid, but sparingly. The work was commenced in Bradford county, in 1836, with a general hurrah all along the line; contractors and laborers swarmed along the river, and, after long waitings, now was coming a rapid completion. But in the course of the year funds were exhausted, and the works were doomed to lie idle awhile, and from 1841 to 1849 work was suspended for the want of funds. Another general rally followed, and operations were resumed, then were again suspended and again resumed, and finally the work was completed, and it went into operation in 1854. An era in this part of the State. Compared to our present facilities, it was a wretched make-shift, but in its time it was glorious. When the canal was commenced a railroad was only a dream in the progress of civilization, but when it was completed, so swiftly have we moved upon Fulton's great invention, that it was at the dawn of an era of railroad building throughout the country. Even in the new, wild West. they were then actually build- ing some of the sections that have since become integral parts of some of the greatest railroads in the world. The great Illinois Central Rail- road was in the rapid process of building when the old canal was opened for business. These marvels were rapidly educating the people -the packet canal-boats carried the newspapers that told of the movements elsewhere, and the National songs were little else than of the glories of the " age of fire and steam," and Fate was folding its arms about the North Branch Canal. The work on the canal had not been done in the best manner; from one end to the other it was leaky ; viaducts, embankments and reservoirs soon, began, sadly, to need expen- sive repairs, and these called for immense outlays, and the tolls were not sufficiently encouraging to justify them. It had been operated only four years (1858), then public sentiment had undergone such a change as to authorize the sale of the canal, the first moment when a sale would promise them a railroad to be built along its towpath.
A pet scheme of Philadelphia's great financier, Nicholas Biddle, was to connect Philadelphia and the lakes by a line of railway. In 1858 the Legislature passed an act authorizing the sale of the North Branch Canal to the Sunbury & Erie Railroad Company, which sale was at once effected, the consideration being $3,500,000. This was the
12
218
HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.
inception of that State problem that in time assumed portent us proportions, and came to be known as the " tonage tax" law. That was finally repealed when Pennsylvania's great railroader, Tom Scott, had succeeded to the place of Nicholas Biddle, both as a financier and as a railroad operator.
The canal from Wilkes-Barre to the State line had been contracted to be built by Welles, Mercur and Hollenbach of this county, and other parties of Luzerne county.
The Pennsylvania & New York Railroad & Canal Company was formed, and purchased the canal ; they were little else than successors to the Canal Company. Their purchase expressly permitted the building of a railroad on the towpath, and putting a new path on the brim side of the canal, and this was the end of the canal to all practical intents.
The North Branch Canal had attracted attention, and was a subject of great interest to the State; and, from first to last, in its vicissitudes it lasted forty years, or nearly so-though its actual useful life was very brief. Its defects in construction were apparent to the first trip boats ever made over its waters. In 1872 an act was passed allowing its abandonment by the company, and now only the dimmest traces of where it once was can be pointed out by the old residents over the few spots where a vestige is to be seen.
When the North Branch Canal was building, it was seen that some way should be provided to connect it with the canals of New York, and this would require sixteen miles constructed in that State. The Junction Canal Company was formed, and of this company were Laporte and Mason, of this county. The others were from Wilkes- Barre and New York. The canal was built, and went down with the North Branch Canal.
Railroad .- In 1858 a company was formed, as above stated, and purchased the canal from Wilkes-Barre to the State line; the purchase was made and soon the company realized that as a canal it would never be successful. In the face of innumerable obstacles they determined to convert it into a railroad, and the old canal company was succeeded by the Pennsylvania & New York Railroad & Canal Company, now the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
The railroad was surveyed in the summer of 1866, and the road building from Wilkes-Barre up the river was completed, and a train was run to Towanda, November 26, 1867, and the road opened from Wilkes- Barre to Waverly, September 20, 1869-thus filling in a connecting link from the Lehigh Valley Railroad at Wilkes-Barre to a connection with the Erie road at Waverly. In fact it was but an extension of the Lehigh Valley from Wilkes-Barre to Waverly.
Barclay Railroad .- In order to develop the large coal deposit in the southwestern portions of the county, the Barclay road was constructed in 1857, starting from Towanda, at the canal basin, and running to the Foot of Planes, in Barclay township. A junction was formed with the railroad when built ; built a narrow-gauge road, and has been extended in branches at its southern terminus so as to best
219
HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.
reach the different mines. It was leased out for a term of years to other roads, but in 1890 it passed to the control of the owners.
Sullivan and State Line Railroad .- In 1865, in consequence of the discovery of valuable coal deposits in Sullivan county, a railroad was built from Towanda to the coal fields of Lopez, a distance of twenty-eight miles. The road runs over the Barclay road track to Monroeton. It was opened for business in 1871.
Southern Central Railroad .- A part of the Lehigh system that branches at Sayre and runs to Auburn, N. Y.
G. I. and S .- The Geneva, Ithaca & Sayre, built by the Lehigh, commences at Sayre, and runs to Geneva.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad is building from Geneva to Buffalo, and they expect to have the work completed this year (1891). This will give them their own track to their Western connections, and relieve them of using. as now, the Erie track from Waverly.'
The Lehigh is at this time building many other branches and con- necting links, extending rapidly in new territory in every direction, and is already one of the great railroad systems of the world. Rich and powerful, with a keen eye to advantages, as well as to inviting ter- ritory. The main line is now double tracked its entire length, and the vast trains constantly flying each way begin to point already to the necessity of yet another track to accommodate the ever increasing traffic and transportation over the line.
Northern Central Railroad. This was the first railroad built in . Bradford county. It runs from Williamsport to Elmira, through the western part of the county. Canton and Troy are the chief towns on the line in this county. This is a single-track road, but is well con- structed and operated liberally, and is the convenient outlet to all the western part of the county to the outside world.
The topography of the county-New York on the north, and the lower Susquehanna, Philadelphia and Baltimore on the south-pointed out this locality as a natural highway, reaching and connecting the two rich sections. In the latter part of the last century, the keen-eyed pioneers found a stream heading near Canton, that ran a due course to Williamsport, and they wanted to trade at the latter place, and soon a path was worn, to be followed by a rough wagon track. The State saw the importance of this highway and aided in the construction of a road, and the work had proceeded north as far as Canton in 1805, and was soon pushed on to Troy, and thence to Elmira. At that day this was the most important improvement in the county.
The railroad idea grew out of this State road, and one of the first roads built in this part of the State is now the Northern Central. It taps a rich region of country allalong its line, and between the north and the south in the State, and the east and west of the Union, is one of our great trunk lines.
220
HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XII. WARS AND RUMORS.
THE WAR FEVER OF 1799-WAR OF 1812-15-MEXICAN WAR-CIVIL WAR 1861-65-BRADFORD'S PART THEREIN-COMPANIES AND REGI- MENTS-BOUNTIES GIVEN BY THE COUNTY-MILITIA OF 1862- EMERGENCY MEN, 1863.
A S a kind of substitute for grim and bloody war, June 28, 1803, John Dalton, living near Merryall, on the Wyalusing, met his neighbor, Amos Hurlbut, a son-in-law of Samuel Gordon, near Town's Mill ; they quarreled, when Dalton struck Hurlbut with a hoe he was carrying, and fractured the skull, and he died July 5, following. Dal- ton was arrested, and examined by Guy Wells, and sent to Wilkes- Barre, and at court was tried and convicted of manslaughter and sen- tenced to eighteeu years' imprisonment; but in 1808 was pardoned out by Gov. Mckean, and he soon after died.
The '97 Wur Cloud .- The Americans have been described as every "man running around with his arms full of fight; much of this fighting spirit was toned down by the late war. But in 1797 we had so recently whipped Great Britain that we were ready to " knock off the chip " of any fellow who dared to put it on his shoulder. In 1797 the word passed around that we were going to have a war with France. Gov. Mifflin ordered the State militia to be enrolled in June, 1798, to be equipped, drilled and put in fighting trim. A great war meeting of Luzerne county, in which this then was, was convened at Wilkes-Barre July 3, 1798. Our general (Simon Spalding) was at the meeting as a matter of course, and was made president of it. All made war speeches and rung the glories of victory ; resolutions were adopted, and, ainong other things, they declared: "No sensations of gratitude, no relics of enthusiasm [relics is good] remains to distract us from our duty, as Americans citizens, to our country, and here proceed to offer our serv- ices to the State, whenever the emergency arises in which she needs them." That was "the word with the bark on," so far as Luzerne county was concerned. A call for volunteers soon followed, and a company of seventy-five men, under Capt. Samuel Bowman, was recruited and attached to the Eleventh U. S. Regiment. John Hollen- back, as sergeant, enlisted the company, and his reports contain this item : "I enlisted fourteen at Wyalusing, by the Kingsley spring.
* * * We met to play ball. I sent to Gaylord's for two gallons of whisky, and when they had drunk pretty freely of it I paid them eight silver dollars apiece. I enlisted Wareham Kingsley, Thomas Quick, Hugh Summerlin, Jonah Davis, James Lewis, Asa Harris. At Wysox and Tioga Point, I enlisted more. After hunting deserters in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas, I went into
221
HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.
winter quarters at Bound Brook, N. J. We were disbanded in the Spring, after Jefferson was elected."
The movements of the militia will be found in extracts from the files of the Bradford Gazette.
The War of 1812 came simultaneously with the civil organization of Bradford county, and nearly with the establishment of the first news- paper in the county-the Bradford Gazette. The good people of the county were not, it seems, very deeply interested in that war. The New Englanders, so far as there was opposition to the War of 1812, led the opposition, and as the people of Bradford county were mostly from that section, this no doubt had its influence. The first draft for soldiers ever enforced here was in the year 1815. Several men were drafted from Wyalusing, Wysox and Canton mostly, but these got but little further on the way to the war than the place of rendezvous, when the treaty of peace released them, and they returned home. Looking over the old files of the Bradford Gazette of that time there is no other mention of that war, except the expedition of Harrison to the lakes, and the naval battles fought on the ocean and on the lakes.
Mexican War .- No organized force went from Bradford county to this war. A few individuals may have enlisted at other points. The excitement caused by this struggle extended to this part of the country in a feeble way, and the recruiting officers did not open an office in Bradford county. There was an old Mexican soldier, how- ever, who was several years a member of the State Senate, and every session he produced his measure for the State to do something for these old veterans whose long marches in the cactus country, and whose puissant arms on the bloody field had won so vast a territorial empire from the Greasers and gave it to the Union. He never could get much attention to his bill-it was regularly "hung up" in the committee. There were no votes behind it on election day, and this weakness the thrifty politicians took advantage of-how fixed is the fact that kissing goes by favors.
The Civil War .- The first gun was fired April 12, 1861 ; the last, April 9, 1865 ; four years, less three days, from the rising of the cur- tain on this bloodiest tragedy in the tide of time and the ringing it down and putting out the lights, and dismissing to their homes the two million sun-burned and battle scarred veteran actors. The " boys" from the North had fattened many and many a new-made Southern graveyard. Never were such angry human passions stirred, never was such a mad rush made into the very jaws of death. Exactly what it was all about depends upon whom you ask the question. A noted man wrote a book entitled " The Great Conspiracy," that would seem to hold to the idea that American slavery and British free trade had joined hands to destroy the Union, and drive home the entering wedge. Others say it was to abolish slavery; and still others say it was a struggle for supremacy between the sections, a quarrel that had to come, fate; and "if it were done when 'tis done, then it were well it were done quickly," etc., etc. This one thing, it seems, is tolerably well agreed upon among the Union soldiers: They went to war, after the dance of death had opened, to save the Union, to suppress rebellion
222
HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.
and maintain the supremacy of government. That much is clear, but in this there is nothing for the historian to put his finger on as to the causes that ultimately led up to actual hostilities. The historian, or rather present chroniclers, must employ themselves simply aiding pos- terity in hunting out the remote causes, and by gathering and system- atizing such facts as about which there can be no great differences of opinion.
Bradford county responded promptly and bravely to every call of the country during that long and terrible struggle. The merchant and clerk jumped over the counters, the mechanics left the bench, the plows were standing in the furrows, the lawyers laid aside their briefs and the physicians mercifully turned over their patients to "yarb" tea and the good old motherly nurses; flags fluttered in the breezes and the shrill fife and rattling snare-drum vexed the air, and pale and earnest men made war speeches, and the little erstwhile cloud, no larger than your hand, suddenly lowered from the whole heavens; grim-visaged war was afoot; the heavy tread of armies began to freight the winds, and the bugle charge but preceded the clash of the em battled hosts, and the Civil War was a terrible reality, and ladened the air with death and made it redolent of decay. As family quarrels are worse than all other manner of disputes, so is a civil war the most horrible of all manner of military strifes. The people of Bradford county for the first time in the history of this section were solidly united on the subject-that is. fighting it out to the bitter end-no peace but that of a restored Union. The guns that were fired upon Fort Sumter were not only heard around the world, but their dull echoes are reverberating yet, and effects will certainly not wholly pass away in the next hundred years. It was a sad day for the institutions of freedom here and elsewhere; its effects upon other nations, strug- gling toward their liberty and independence, were nearly disastrous, and it left upon many American minds that dark and hopeless faith in strong governments only ; it made many Americans forget that our Revolution was against a government too strong where were a people too weak. The self-evident truth that the stronger the government always the weaker the people to resist usurpations was forgotten, and madmen rushed at their brothers' throats. Beneath the bending heav- ens has there been anything, since the birth of Christ in this world, worth a tithe of the awful woe, the unspeakable sufferings, the wasted young lives, desolated homes and broken hearts that came of it all ? Divest yourself of all hysterical sentiment, and per se what is there that should make reasonable human beings go to war? Germany is a military encampment, where the men are nothing more than mere parts of war machinery, animated muskets with fixed bay- onets, and under that military empire the people go to war at the beck and nod of their divine emperor -- who makes of his children's nursery a soldier's camp, but who is murdering German thought and civilization by "divine authority "-that fatal curse that came to bar- baric man, that "a king is divine." When his Satanic Majesty was unchained for a thousand years, he need only have visited the earth and invested mankind with the cruel and wicked delusion that it was
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.