History of Butler County, Pennsylvania, Part 48

Author: Brown, Robert C., ed; Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.); Meagher, John, jt. comp; Meginness, John Franklin, 1827-1899, jt. comp
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago : R. C. Brown
Number of Pages: 1658

USA > Pennsylvania > Butler County > History of Butler County, Pennsylvania > Part 48

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The Butler Cemetery Association was chartered by act of March 24, 1851, the incorporators being as follows : Rev. William White, D. D., Rev. Loyal Young, D. D., Rev. Isaiah Niblock, D. D., Rev. William A. Fetter, Charles C. Sullivan, William Beatty, Samuel A. Purviance, John Bredin, George W. Smith, William Campbell, William S. Boyd, Dunlap Mclaughlin, William Timblin, James Campbell, George W. Reed, Robert Carnahan, David Walker, Dr. Henry C. De Wolf, James T. Mc Junkin, Andrew Carns, Samuel M. Lane, John Gil- christ, John Negley, Jacob Mechling, Jr., John L. Maxwell, James Mitchell, John Graham and William B. Lemmon. Seven acres were purchased from Ebenezer Graham, lying on the north line of the borough, overlooking the town, and immediately after the association was incorporated steps were taken towards laying out the ground in lots. The borough council also passed an ordinance forbidding any more interments in the old graveyard, and since that time it has been one of the principal burial places of the borough, though it is being gradu- ally filled up, and finally a new cemetery became a necessity. The present

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officers are : Col. John M. Sullivan, president ; Maj. Cyrus E. Anderson, secre- tary ; R. C. McAboy, superintendent and treasurer ; and Dr. A. M. Neyman, Dr. Samuel Graham, Hon. John M. Greer, Lewis Z. Mitchell, Cyrus E. Ander- son and R. C. McAboy directors. Many prominent and well-known early settlers are buried in this cemetery, and scores of graves are marked by handsome monuments.

North Side Cemetery Association was chartered July 2, 1887, and thirty acres were purchased of Charles Duffy adjoining the old cemetery on the north. John S. Campbell was the leading spirit in the enterprise and worked hard to carry the project through. The first officers were as follows : John S. Campbell. president ; Harvey Colbert, secretary and treasurer ; Joseph L. Purvis, W. D. Brandon, E. D. Robinson, Alfred Wick, E. Mackey, C. G. Christie, A. G. Will- iams, Clarence Walker and John S. Campbell, directors. W. H. H. Riddle and L. S. Mc Junkin succeeded Messrs. Mackey and Walker in 1893, but no other changes have occurred since the organization. Many substantial and costly monuments have been erected during the past seven years, and several of the pioneers have found their last earthly home in this cemetery. D. S. McCol- lough, who has filled the position of sexton of the old cemetery since 1856, suc- ceeding his father, John McCollough, is also sexton of North Side cemetery. Though there are two separate and distinct associations, the old and new grave- yards are virtually one, and are so regarded by the people of Butler.

Calvary Cemetery Association was incorporated July 9, 1887, by Rev. Will- iam A. Nolan, Charles Duffy. George Schaffner, William H. Reihing, David and Thomas F. Niggel, Willliam G. Vinroe, Patrick Kelly, Daniel Mclaughlin. N. J. Criley, D. H. Wuller, John McCune, P. A. Golden, Hugh D. McCrea, Jacob Faller, Joseph J. Lavery and Charles F. Kane. Thirty-five acres were purchased from Charles Duffy, immediately north of North Side cemetery, twenty of which belong to St. Paul's congregation and fifteen to St. Peter's. The grounds are rapidly assuming shape, and in a few years will be a beautiful burial place. The monument marking the grave of Father Nolan is a fine tribute to him as a man and servant of the Master. Those erected over W. HI. Reihing and Francis X. Grieb, are also fine specimens of the sculptor's art. The burial plot of the Duffy family contains the remains of its members who first settled in Butler county, as well as those who died in more recent years, and the monuments are solid, sub- stantial and striking in their simplicity.

This combination of cemeteries, in one enclosure, and dedicated to the uses of all denominations, embraces seventy-two acres. The location is admirably adapted for the purpose to which it has been consecrated, and in time must become a beautiful city of the dead.

OLD AND NEW BUTLER.

We have traced the history of Butler through its various stages down to the present time. From an obscure hamlet of less than fifty inhabitants more than ninety years ago, it has grown into a thriving, substantial and modernized borough of 9,000 population. Since the Butler Palladium appeared in 1818, under the guiding hand of John Galbraith, no backward step has been taken. To-day there

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

are five weekly papers and one daily published in the town*, which is now recog- nized as the social, commercial, and educational center of a rich and populous county.

It is true that for many years the borough languished and gave but feeble signs of life. The streets were unpaved, sidewalks poor, and the buildings typi- cal of the back woods period. But a better day dawned upon the town and peo- ple when nature developed her vast stores of wealth which had been so long concealed beneath the rugged surface. The discovery of oil and gas soon made the county an inviting field for investment and speculation, and the town profited immensely from these sources of wealth.

An era of improvement and building set in. Fine business blocks took the place of " tumble-down shanties," the boundaries of the borough were enlarged, new streets were opened, stone sidewalks, both natural and artificial, took the place of dilapidated board walks, and comfortable houses, constructed in the mod- ern style of architecture, beautified the streets and avenues. This was the result of the activities of the seventies. But as extremes often followed each other, a period of depression came, only to be followed by renewed activity in the eighties. This movement begat a greater spirit of enterprise, which cluminated in 1891-92 in a complete sewerage system and the laying of brick pavements as follows : Main street, 4,600 feet ; Jefferson, 3.800; Pearl, 2,200; Central avenue, 2,000; making a total of 12,600 feet, or within a fraction of two and one-half miles. These splendid improvements gave the town new life and vigor. The electric light, both incandescent and are, make the streets and dwellings all that could be desired at night, whilst natural gas, cheaper than coal, warms the homes of all. A drive over the undulating hills which surround the town on nearly all sides, reveals many charming and picturesque views, which never fail to impress one with the beauty and grandeur nature has so lavishly displayed here.

The Butler gas and oil fields are among the best in the State and a boon of incalcuable wealth to the people. Appreciating the value of the blessing, excel- sior has become the watchword of the people of the borough. Improvements are still being made, streets opened and attractive dwellings erected on the many eligible sites found on the slopes and plateaus. Industries are constantly spring- ing up and the hum of machinery increases with the demands of trade. In a short time an electric railroad to Pittsburg will be built, and as the surveyed route is only thirty-two miles, the Iron City will be brought into closer commun- ion with the new Butler on the Connoquenessing.

. For a history of the newspapers of Butler see chapter on The Press.

CHAPTER XXIV.

BUTLER TOWNSHIP.

ORGANIZATION-CHANGES OF BOUNDARY-PHYSICAL FEATURES-PIONEERS AN OLD CEMETERY- EARLY MILLS-POPULATION-JUSTICES-CHURCHES.

B UTLER township originally occupied an area of about eight miles square, and was organized in 1804. when the county was divided into thirteen townships. Some years later it was subdivided into North and South Butler, by a line running from the center of the western boundary to the Conno- quenessing creek, and thence northeasterly along that stream to the eastern boundary line of the township. This subdivision continued in force until 1851, when the township was established within its present limits, which embrace an area of about five miles square. The Connoquenessing creek, which, with its tributaries, drain and diversify the surface of the township, is fed, near the northeastern corner, by the Kearns and Bonny Brook branches. It flows centrally through the township in a southwesterly direction, receiving the waters of Smith's branch, Butcher's run, Sullivan's run, Rock Lick run, and other smaller streams. The Little Connoquenessing flows through and drains a small area in the northwestern part of the township. The general surface of the township is hilly, the numerous streams breaking it into valleys. The soil varies from a stiff clay to a light sand. The township, notwithstanding its hilly surface, has a fair proportion of tillable land, which is not only well cultivated but highly productive. The Upper Freeport coal, which underlies the eastern part of the township, was mined at an early day on the William Kearns farm. During more recent years, it has been extensively and profitably developed, especially in the neighborhood of Butler and along Butcher's run and its tributaries.

PIONEERS.

The honor of being the first actual settler in the township is said to belong to William Kearns, a native of Ireland, who came here from Westmore- land county, Pennsylvania, in 1795. He entered a large body of land, nearly 1,000 acres, in what is now Butler and Summit townships, building his home within the limits of the former township, a short distance northeast of the town of Butler. His sister, Jane Kearns, who came here with him, exercised her settler's right by selecting 100 acres of land in her own name. She married John Potts, who came to the township in 1799, and who afterwards engaged in business in Butler as a merchant. The first graveyard in the township was located on the land selected by her. It became the resting place of many of the old pioneers, among the first of whom was a Mr. MeCurdy, who was cof-

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

fined in a hollow log, as were many other carly settlers, for lack of lumber to make coffins. Harmon Neyman, the great grandfather of Doctor Neyman of Butler, was buried here, as were also Jacob Rudolph and a Mr. Thorn. The site of the cemetery is now overgrown with woods, the only things left to mark it being the rough uninscribed headstones above its well-nigh forgotten graves.

James McKee, eldest son of Thomas McKee, a Revolutionary soldier, came to Butler township, from Ligonier, Westmoreland county, in 1795, and settled on a tract of land three miles west of Butler. Hisfather, Thomas McKee, with the remainder of the family, came a year later and settled on an adjoining tract, now occupied by the William Barnhart farm. Thomas McKee died in June, 1815. John Pierce, another Revolutionary soldier, came here in 1796, and settled on land near the center of the township. He built a cabin, and leaving his young wife, whose maiden name was Jane Venate, alone in the wilderness, returned to his former home at Turtle Creek for supplies. He died in 1846.

John McQuistion, a native of Donegal county, Ireland, came to Butler county, from Philadelphia, in 1796, and purchased 500 acres of land southeast of Butler. He erected a large tannery, which he operated for a number of years. He was a man of energy and enterprise and became a prominent and influential personage among the early settlers. Among others who came in 1796, or earlier. were James and Andrew Moore, who located on land west of Butler.

Robert Graham, a native of of Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, came here in 1797, and purchased a tract of 100 acres of land. This he afterward sold to the commissioners, who laid out a portion of the town of Butler thereon. He then purchased 400 acres of land outside the town limits on which he resided until his death. William Wilson came in 1797 or 1798, but removed to Indiana in the early part of the present century. John Morrow located in the western part of the township in 1798. About the same time came Peter Peterson, who, as a member of the Colonial forces sent against the French at Fort Duquense, partici- pated in that ill-fated battle known as " Braddock's defeat." He was in the hottest of the fight, and was one of six survivors out of a company of eighty. He afterwards served in the Revolutionary war.

In 1800, John Burkhart came from Allegheny county and settled on a tract of land in the southeastern part of the township. He was noted as a hunter and for his general knowledge of woodcraft. He died in 1855, in the ninetieth year of his age. Robert Maxwell and his son, Abraham, came here from Maryland, in 1800, and settled on a tract of land just west of the village of Butler. Abra- ham Maxwell, about 1814, leased his land for three years to Samuel Robb, who came into the township in 1800, and settled in Butler. In the fall of 1815, while an attempt at the instigation of Stephen Lowrey was being made to evict Robb, Abraham Maxwell was shot and seriously wounded by some one unknown. He recovered, however, and afterwards became one of the early sheriff's of the county. Ile died in 1841. Adam Fryer, another noted hunter, settled in the western part of the township about 1800 or 1801. He died in 1840. John Bailes, known as "Little John" to distinguish him from the John Bailes of Connoquen- essing township, settled about 1800, in the western part of the township. In 1801, Lawrence King settled four miles west of Butler, coming here

Garage cita

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BUTLER TOWNSHIP.

from Eastern Pennsylvania. Alexander Bryson came about 1800 and set- tled on the Little Connoquenessing creek near the northwestern part of the town- ship. He afterwards removed to Ohio where he died. His sons Richard and Joseph remained upon the old homestead, which is still the property of their descendants.

Paul Bratton, a batter by trade, came soon after 1800 and settled on 100 acres of land south of Butler, where he afterwards set up a shop. He married Hannah Pierce, their marriage being the first solemnized in the township. In 1805 Alexander Hamilton settled on a tract of land in the northwestern part of the township. Among the settlers in the township at this time, besides those already named, were James Borland, William Brown, William Burbridge, William Boyce, James Boyd, John Cratty, Samuel Dunbar, Josiah Crawford, John Dougal, William Freeman, Joseph and Henry Evans, Thomas Fletcher, Charles McGinnis, William Flowers, George MeGuffy, William Martin, Matthew Skeer, and others. Of these, John Cratty ran a distillery, while William Freeman owned a saw-mill.

Col. Robert Lemmon, a native of Ireland, came to the county in 1796, and located in the village of Butler soon after it was laid out. During the War of 1812 he served as a sergeant. After its close he settled on a farm southwest of Butler, afterwards the home of his son Andrew. In 1815 Leslie Maxwell, who married a daughter of Alexander Hamilton, located in the western part of the township. Jacob and Henry Dufford came in 1817. The latter soon afterward moved to Indiana. Henry Young came from Luzerne county in 1824. David McIlvaine settled here in 1825. Joseph Bernhart Sliker and wife came here from Baltimore in 1830. Francis Criley, another German, came direct from the "Fatherland" to Butler county in 1831, and settled on Three Mile run. Ile bought his land from John Negley at four dollars an acre. The Cunninghams, Mechlings, Negleys, Brinkers and other pioneers who settled in Butler are men- tioned in the chapters devoted to that borough.

Among the earlier enterprises in the township, in addition to those already noticed, were the two saw-mills erected by Moses Sullivan, on his home place, known as " Solitude," a short distance northwest of Butler, on Sullivan's run. These he operated for a number of years. In 1857, George, Jacob and Martin Reiber erected a distillery on the site of the upper mill, and carried on the manu- facture of whiskey there until a recent date. About 1850, William Ralston, Sr., built a grist mill on the Little Connoquenessing creek, just south of the Butler and Prospect road, in the northwest corner of the township. It is now owned and operated by John Cranmer.

The population of the township, in 1810, was 453; in 1820. 472; in 1830, 768; in 1840, 1,389; in 1850, 2,622 ; in 1860, after the division of the township. 1,198; in 1870, 984; in 1850, 1,007, and in 1890, 1,297.

The justices of the peace elected in the township for North and South Butler previous to 1854 are as follows : North Butler-David Walker, 1840; Hugh Stephenson, 1813: William Jamison. 1845; Hugh Stephenson, 1848; Robert K. Hunter, 1849, and Robert McKee, 1854. South Butler-Robert McNair, 1840; Anthony Faller, 1843; Henry Rishaberger, 1845; John Kennedy, 1847; James 25

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

MeKinney, 1848; Elijah Burkhart, 1849, and Joseph Patterson, 1853. The fol- lowing have been elected since 1854: Peterson Pieree, 1856; Nathaniel Walker, 1858; John Huselton, 1861-66-71; Robert McKee, 1863-68-73-78-83-88; Anthony Hoon, 1872; Samuel Schaffner, 1877; William C. Kelly, 1883; John C. Kelly, 1888 and 1893; S. L. Rasely, 1889, vice Robert McKee, who removed into the borough, and Sebastian Beck, 1891.

CHURCHES.

The Zion Reformed Church, whose house of worship is located in the west- ern part of the township, near the junction of the Meridian and Harmony roads, was organized in 1815, at the Henshaw school house, by Rev. Samnel Miller of Westmoreland county. Among the original members were Frederick Barickman, Henry, Jacob and Samuel Dufford, Abram, Eli and John Henshaw, George Sleppy, Henry and Gideon Schlegle and Henry Sarver. The elders were Frederick Barickman and Henry Dufford. The deacons, Abram Henshaw and Philip Dufford. In 1846 the congregation, having increased in number until the membership in October of that year numbered eighty-two, determined to build a house of worship. Committees to solicit subscriptions, purchase a build- ing lot and superintend the erection of the edifice were appointed. The work was prosecuted with such vigor that on May 28, 1847, the corner stone was laid, and the building was dedicated in the following December, the ceremonies being conducted by Rev. Samuel Miller, assisted by Rev. L. D. Leberman and Rev. M. Hoffman of Westmoreland county. It was named Zion Reformed Church.

In 1848 the pulpit was supplied by Revs. Leberman and Iloffman. In 1849 Mr. Miller returned and continued as pastor until 1852, when he was succeeded by Rev. Joseph Miller, who remained until 1851. From 1854 to 1859 the pulpit was supplied. In 1859 Rev. F. W. Deehand became pastor, remaining until 1863. The pulpit was vacant until 1866, when Rev. W. M. Landis was installed. Hle continued until the fall of 1870, in June of which year he organized an Eng- lish society under the name of St. John's Congregation, both societies using the same building. From the fall of 1870 until January, 1874, Rev. F. A. Edmonds served both congregations. In May, 1878, the German congregation, which, with the church at Harmony, had constituted one pastoral charge, was united with those of Butler and Prospect, the three being known as the Butler charge. The Harmony congregation was then made an independent charge. In January, 1874, Rev. C. A. Limburg was called as pastor. Ile remained until 1877, when both congregations united in calling Rev. Mr. Sandoe. In November, 1877, the Ger- man congregation was constituted an independent charge, known as the Henshaw charge. November 20, 1880, Rev. Josiah May beeame pastor, serving both con- gregations.

After this the German congregation dwindled in numbers, while the English congregation increased. The former being too weak to maintain a pastor and hold regular services, the latter undertook to gain possession of the church prop- erty. This resulted in both congregations becoming incorporated in 1887. The German congregation retained possession of the property. In 1889, their pulpit being vacant, they requested Rev. E. Cronenwett of St. Mark's Evangelical

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CONNOQUENESSING TOWNSHIP.

Lutheran church, Butler, to preach for them at stated periods, He consented. holding service every fourth Sunday. This led to the members-to the number of nineteen-uniting themselves with St. Mark's church, and to the Reformed Zion church passing out of existence. Rev. Mr. Cronenwett still preaches in the old church every fourth Sunday.

St. John's Congregation of Zion Reformed Church wasorganized June 19, 1870, by Rev. Mr. Landis, at that time pastor of Zion Reformed church. The original members were John J. Dufford, Eli Henshaw, Michael Dufford, Samuel Dersheimer, John Fry, Peter Gruver and Francis Heckart. The elders were Eli Henshaw and Francis Heckart; the deacons, Samuel Dersheimer and John J. Dufford. In the fall of 1870 the congregation united with that of Zion Reformed church in calling Rev. F. A. Edmonds as pastor. He remained until January, 1874, when Rev. J. B. Thompson, superintendent of the Orphan's Home, at But- ler, became pastor of the new church, which in 1876 numbered eighty-two mem- bers. In 1877, both congregations-Mr. Thompson having left the charge- united in calling Rev. W. B. Sandoe, who resigned September 1, 1880. On November 20 following Rev. Josiah May became pastor. In December, 1886, Rev. D. N. Harnish, who has also charge of St. Paul's Reformed church, Butler, was installed. The legal title to the old building remaining in the German con- gregation, the new society concluded to erect a house of worship for its own use. A lot was secured near the old church and a frame building erected upon it, at a cost of $1,500. It was dedicated in February, 1889.

CHAPTER XXV.

CONNOQUENESSING TOWNSHIP.

ORIGIN OF NAME-ORIGINAL AND PRESENT AREA-DRAINAGE-PHYSICAL FEATURES- COAL AND LIMESTONE-PIONEERS-POPULATION AND STATISTICS-EARLY ELEC- TIONS AND JUSTICES OF THE PEACE-MILLS-SCHOOLS-CHURCHES-VILLAGES- SOCIETIES.

T HIS township takes its name from the Indian word Connoquenessing, mean_ ing "For a long way straight," applied to the creek by the Indians. It was one of the four original townships of the county, and embraced the present divi- sions known as Cranberry, Jackson, Lancaster, and Muddy Creek, and parts of Worth, Brady, Franklin, Connoquenessing, Forward and Adams, all within the Depreciation lands district, in Jones', Nicholson's and Alexander's surveys. In 1804. the township was reduced to nine miles square : in 18 12. it was divided into East and West Connoquenessing, and in 1854 reduced to its present area.

Connoquenessing township is drained in its southeast corner by a half dozen

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

little feeders of the main stream. Crab run rises above Whitestown, flows along the west line and enters the Little Connoquenessing just west of the town- ship line. This last named stream receives the Semiconon almost in the center of the township, and the two creeks drain the northeast quarter, the center of the south half, and the southwest quarter. West of the Butler and Petersville road, the township is hilly, its inclines being very decisive. For this reason, it is easier to drive from Butler to Whitestown via Prospect, or from the White Springs neigh- borhood via Petersville and the old pike road, than cross the hills, which in some places rise 450 feet above the creek bottoms. Withal it is a fine farming country and possesses many first class agriculturists. Near the Lancaster line, the old coal banks of Daniel Cable, in the Gallitzin coal, were worked for years ; while a simi- lar coal was found in the McCandless bank and the Muder bank on the opposite side of the Little Connoquenessing. At the mouth of the Semiconan, it is found on the Graham farm, and farther up, in the Wilson bank, the Edmondson mine, and above and below the okl mill, as well as on the Galloway lands near Allen's mill, now operated by Finerty & Son, and along Crab run, east of Whitestown. Below the mill dam, a brecciated Freeport limestone has been quarried for building and burning, and Freeport coal is also found.

PIONEERS.

The settlement of Peter Kinney, commonly written Mckinney, in Forward township, in 1792. and his transfer to a point at or near Petersville, shortly after, are noticed in the chapter on The Pioneers, and as a veteran of the Revolution is also spoken of in the chapter on Early Military History. Petersville, where he resided until his death, in 1849, was named in his honor, and a thousand reminis- cences of olden days cluster round the pioneer's tavern and shoemaker's shop.

Dunning McNair, the land speculator, erected a cabin in 1795, on or near the James McCandless farm and laid claim to large tracts of the Morris lands. He induced five or six Scotch families to leave Westmoreland county and settle in this township. They trusted the man and paid him for their lands : but when the legal owner appeared, they had to pay again. John Ekin came hither in 1795, erected a cabin, and in 1796, brought his wife, Agnes, from Westmoreland county, and located near the site of Whitestown, where this pioneer wife died in 1833, and her husband in 1837. Leonard Shannon, who came with Ekin in 1795, and erected a cabin here, did not bring his family to their new home until 1799. Ifis son David, born in 1791 in Westmoreland county, became publisher of the Repository at Butler, built a mill on the Semiconan and was a sterling citizen.

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History of Butler County, Pennsylvania, Part 48

Author: Brown, Robert C., ed; Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.); Meagher, John, jt. comp; Meginness, John Franklin, 1827-1899, jt. comp Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Chicago : R. C. Brown Number of Pages: 1658

Author: Brown, Robert C., ed; Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.); Meagher, John, jt. comp; Meginness, John Franklin, 1827-1899, jt. comp
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago : R. C. Brown
Number of Pages: 1658