USA > Pennsylvania > Clarion County > History of Clarion County, Pennsylvania > Part 36
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Frederick, D. E., drafted March 15, 1865; served in Company F, 46th Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company July 16, 1865 ; died at Blair's Corners January 4, 1880.
Fulmer, George, drafted March 15, 1865 ; served in Company G, 56th Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company July 1, 1865.
Ganoe, William S., enlisted June 18, 1862, at Pittsburgh, Pa., in Company A, 2d Battalion 17th United States Infantry ; wounded at Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863 ; served three years ; discharged at Fort Preble, Maine, June 18, 1865.
338
HISTORY OF CLARION COUNTY.
Grable, William J., enlisted at Franklin, Pa., in Company C, 39th Regi- ment P. V. (10th Reserve), June 23, 1861 ; absent, wounded, at muster out.
* Greenland, W. W., enlisted in Company D, 5th Pennsylvania Reserve Corps June 15, 1861 ; mustered into State service at Harrisburg, Pa .; discharged by Governor Curtin on account of age (fifteen years, five months and nine days) at time of enlistment ; enlisted again and mustered into the United States ser- vice at Harrisburg, Pa., as private in Company C, 125th Regiment P. V. ; pro- moted to 5th sergeant August 18, 1862 ; to color sergeant on the battle-field at Antietam September 17, 1862 ; mustered out May 18, 1863.
Goodman, Henry, substitute, April 8, 1865 ; enrolled in Company A, 98th Regiment P. V .; died at Alexandria, Va., July 28, 1865.
Guffey, John A., enlisted in band of the 105th Regiment P. V., October IO, 1861 ; discharged by general order discharging regimental bands August 13, 1862 ; re-enlisted a veteran in Battery C, 3d Pennsylvania Heavy Artil- lery ; mustered out with company November 9, 1865.
Ginkle, William, substitute, April 8, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
* Hall, Ellis, enlisted May 29, 1861, in Company K, 42nd Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company June 11, 1864.
* Hancock, O., enlisted at Pittston, Luzerne county, April 27, 1861, in Com- pany C, 15th Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company August 7, 1861 ; served in 3d New Jersey Cavalry, in which he was promoted sergeant-major.
Harbst, George, enlisted August 27, 1861, in Company I, 83d Regiment P. V .; mustered out with Company C June 28, 1865.
Hagan, William, drafted March 15, 1865, in Company F, 46th P. V .; de- serted June 5, 1865.
* Hansom, H. E., enlisted January 18, 1862, in Company L, 12th Pennsyl- vania Cavalry (113th Regiment P. V.); promoted from corporal to sergeant March 20, 1865 ; mustered out with company July 20, 1865 ; veteran.
Hariff, John, drafted March 15, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regiment P. V .; discharged by general order June 15, 1865.
* Henry, J. C., enlisted at Lock Haven, Pa., October 17, 1861, in Company C, 52d Regiment P. V. ; wounded in head and shoulder at White Oak Swamp; discharged at expiration of term, November 5, 1864; native of Clarion county.
Horton, James, a member of Company H, 37th Regiment; transferred to the 3d U. S. Artillery ; horse shot under him several times, hat and spur shot off, never injured ; died at East Liverpool, O., January 5, 1885.
Hoon, Francis, substitute April 8, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
Hours, Samuel W., enlisted September 13, 1862, in Company E, 62d P.V .; transferred to Company D, 155th P. V., July 3, 1864; mustered out with Company D June 2; 1865.
339
MISCELLANEOUS ENLISTMENTS.
* Holbrook, H. H., private in Company F, 2d New York Cavalry.
Horner, Andrew, drafted March 15, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
Hosey, M. M., entered Company L, 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry, March 18, 1864, for three years ; discharged by general order July 18, 1865.
Hogan, J. A., enlisted October 16, 1862 ; discharged July 23, 1863 ; be- longed to Company A, unattached Pennsylvania Volunteers; served as a musician.
Hilliard, David, company and regiment not known.
Jennings, William B., drafted March 15, 1864, in Company A, 98th Regi- ment P. V .; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
* Jolly, T. H., company and regiment not known.
Kahl, N. L., enlisted in Company F, 12Ist Regiment P. V., August 29, 1862 ; transferred to Invalid Corps April 6, 1864 ; discharged July 3, 1865.
Kriebel, Samuel, enlisted August 12, 1862, in Company K, 91st Ohio Reg- iment ; discharged June 30, 1865.
Kuhns, Emanuel B., drafted March 15, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regi- ment P. V .; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
Kinch, E. S., enlisted May 21, 1861, in Company I, 34th Regiment P. V .; transferred to Signal Corps, date unknown.
Keatley, John, major and paymaster.
Kirkpatrick, John C., enlisted at Franklin, Pa., June 23, 1861 ; sergeant in Company C, 39th Regiment P. V. (10th Reserve); discharged on surgeon's certificate December 14, 1861.
Kirkpatrick, W. H., enlisted at Franklin, Pa., June 23, 1861 ; corporal in Company C, 39th Regiment P.V. (10th Reserve); discharged on surgeon's cer- tificate October 14, 1861.
Kifer, Levi, drafted March 15, 1865, in Company A, 56th Regiment P. V .; mustered out July 1, 1865.
Kifer, Henry, drafted March 15, 1865 ; assigned to Company A, 56th Regi- ment P. V .; deserted June 15, 1865.
Kriebel, John, drafted March 15 in Company A, 98th Regiment P.V .; mus- tered out June 29, 1865.
Leech, Lot C., enlisted in band of the 105th P. V. October 10, 1861; dis- charged by general order discharging regimental bands August 13, 1863; en- listed January 4, 1864, in the 188th Regiment ; promoted to commissary sergeant April 1, 1864; to quartermaster January 6, 1865; mustered out with regiment December 14, 1865.
Logan, George, drafted March 15, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
* Logue, James B., enlisted in Venango county, Pa., September 27, 1862, in Company E, 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry (16Ist Regiment P.V.); participated
340
HISTORY OF CLARION COUNTY.
in all the battles fought by the Army of the Potomac; discharged June 17, 1865 ; native of Clarion county.
Logue, Joseph L., drafted March 15, 1865 ; served in Company A, 56th Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company July 1, 1861.
Longwell, M. V. W., drafted March 15, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regi- ment P. V .; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
Magee, Adam H., enlisted in Company H, 152d Regiment P. V. (3d Ar- tillery), January 16, 1864; mustered out with battery July 25, 1865.
Meager, George, enlisted at Franklin, Pa., June 23, 1861, in Company C, 39th Regiment P. V. (10th Reserve); mustered out with company June II, I864.
McGonagle, William C., corporal, enlisted June 21, 1861, in Company C, 34th Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company June 1I, 1864.
McKinley, Sylvester, enlisted June 7, 1861, in Company K, 40th Regiment P. V. (IIth Reserve) ; died October 22, 1862, of wounds received at Antietam.
* Maitland, William S., enlisted February 20, 1865, in Company H of the 16th Ohio Cavalry ; mustered out August 11, 1865 ; discharged at Harrisburg, Pa., August 19, 1865.
McClelland, James, enlisted October 10, 1861, in regimental band of the 105th P. V .; discharged by general order discharging regimental bands Au- gust 13, 1862.
McEntire, B. M., drafted March 15, 1865 ; served in Company G, 56th Regiment P. V. ; absent, sick, at muster out.
Miller, R. P., enlisted at Pittsburgh, Pa., November 20, 1862, in Company L, 2d U. S. Cavalry ; promoted to first sergeant ; discharged at Fort Leaven- worth, Kansas, November 20, 1865.
Miller, Jacob, enlisted at Pittsburgh, Pa., November 20, 1862, in Company L, 2d U. S. Cavalry ; discharged at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, November 20, 1865.
Miller, John L., drafted March 15, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regiment P. V. ; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
Miles, Jacob, mustered in in Company L, 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry, March 28, 1864; discharged July 20, 1865.
Mooney, James, enlisted October 10, 1861, in band of the 105th Regiment P. V. ; discharged August 13, 1862, by general order discharging regimental bands.
Mong, Leonard M., drafted March 16, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regi- ment P. V. ; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
Mong, Leonard, substitute April 10, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regiment P. V. ; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
Moyer, Charles, substitute in Company F, 98th Regiment P. V .; enrolled April 8, 1865 ; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
341
MISCELLANEOUS ENLISTMENTS.
Murray, William Parks, drafted March 15, 1865 ; served in Company F, 46th Regiment P. V. ; mustered out with company July 16, 1865.
Neiderreiter, William, substitute April 10, 1865, in Company A, 98th Reg- iment P. V. ; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
Nolph, Thomas C., enlisted at Brookville, Pa., in Company K of the 11th Reserve June 7, 1861 ; discharged on surgeon's certificate January 1, 1863 ; re-enlisted in the IIth Cavalry ; killed at Reno Station, Va., (see Company L, I Ith Cavalry).
Patton, W. H., enlisted February 20, 1864, in Company B, 152d Regiment P. V. (3d Artillery) ; discharged July 11, 1865.
* Patrick, John B., enlisted July 23, 1863, in Captain John McClain's Com- pany B of Colonel Lininger's Independent Battalion ; discharged January 21, 1864; enrolled again July 15, 1864, and discharged September 21, 1864, be- cause of re-enlistment for one year in an Independent company of the 97th Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company June 17, 1865.
Patton, W. M., enlisted at Franklin, Pa., July 21, 1861, in Company C, 39th Regiment P. V. (10th Reserve) ; promoted from Ist sergeant to Ist lieu- tenant, April 26, 1864; mustered out with coumpany July 11, 1864.
Phipps, John, enlisted August 29, 1862, in Company F, 12Ist Regiment P. V .; wounded at Fredericksburg December 13, 1862 ; died of said wounds in hospital at Washington, D. C., January 15, 1863.
* Philips, J. B., enlisted in Company G, 149th Regiment P. V., August 26, 1862 ; discharged on surgeon's certificate January 21, 1864.
Pollock, Thomas, H., enlisted at Franklin, Pa., June 23, 1861, in Company C, 39th Regiment P. V. (10th Reserve) ; discharged for wounds February 12, I864.
Rankin, George W., substitute April 8, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regi- ment P. V .; mustered out with Company June 29, 1865.
* Reeseman, Thomas C., enlisted January 5, 1862 ; died at Point Lookout, Md., June 5, 1862.
Revir, John, substitute April 8, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
Ritchey, P. J., enlisted September 10, 1862, in Company L, 4th Pennsyl- vania Cavalry ; commanded for a time the dismounted camp near Washington City ; served as orderly for General U. S. Grant; discharged July 1, 1865 ; promoted from private to corporal ; drowned April 4, 1866, in Tionesta Creek while running out a raft.
Richter, Boniface, drafted March 15, 1865 ; served in Company F, 98th Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
Rider, John, drafted March 15, 1865 ; served in Company A, 56th Regi- ment P. V .; mustered out July 1, 1865.'
Rugh, Solomon, sergeant in Company F, 12Ist Regiment P. V .; enlisted 34
342
HISTORY OF CLARION COUNTY.
August 25, 1862 ; discharged at Finley Hospital near Washington, D. C., on surgeon's certificate May 25, 1863.
Say, Leslie L., enlisted August 28, 1862, in Company F, 12Ist Regiment P. V .; lost at Fredericksburg, Va., December 13, 1862.
Saylor, H. E., company and regiment not known.
Sharrow, Peter, enlisted May 21, 1861, in Company I, 34th Regiment P. V .; transferred to Battery C, 5th U. S. Artillery ; killed at Fredericksburg.
Sheridan, William, substitute April 8, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regiment P. V .; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
Showers, George A., enlisted August 29, 1862, in Company F, 12 Ist Reg- iment P. V .; deserted at Sharpsburg, Md., October 26, 1862.
Shirley, Washington, company and regiment not known.
Simpson, Milton, company and regiment not known.
Silvis, S. D., enlisted September 3, 1864, in Company M, 203d, Regiment P. V. (5th Artillery) ; mustered out with the battery June 30, 1865.
Smith, James M., drafted March 15, 1865, in Company F, 46th P. V .; de- serted June 7, 1865.
Smith, William, served in the 103d Olio Regiment ; died at Andersonville, Ga., dates unknown.
Stanford, John W., drafted March 15, 1865 ; served in Company K, 56th Regiment P. V. ; discharged July 19, 1865.
Steele, Samuel S. W., enlisted September 1, 1862, in Company C, 139th Regiment P. V. ; promoted to first sergeant June 1, 1865 ; wounded at Flint's Hill, Va., September 21, 1864 ; discharged on surgeon's certificate April 20, I865.
Sterner, John, company and regiment not known.
Stover, William H., drafted March 15, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regi- ment P. V. ; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
Stratton, John T., enlisted October 10, 1861 ; leader of the 105th Regi- ment band; discharged August 13, 1862, by general order discharging regi- mental bands; re-enlisted as a veteran August 13, 1863, in Company D, 3d Pennsylvania Artillery ; transferred to the war department in October, 1864; mustered out with the regiment at Philadelphia November 9, 1865.
* Thompson, A. L., enlisted August 16, 1861, in Company I, 102d Regi- ment P. V .; wounded at Wilderness May 5, 1864 ; promoted to sergeant June 10, 1865 ; commissioned second lieutenant, but not mustered ; mustered out with company June 28, 1865.
Varner, William A., enlisted at Franklin, Pa., June 23, 1861, in Company C, 39th Regiment P. V. (10th Reserve) ; mustered out June II, 1864.
* Weaver, Coon, company and regiment not known.
*Wenner, Jacob, company and regiment not known.
Wiant, George P., substitute April 8, 1865, in Company A, 98th Regiment P. V. ; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
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FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE OIL ERA.
* Wilson, Rev. W. J., enlisted February 12, 1864, in Company D, 105th Regiment P. V. ; mustered out with company July 11, 1865 ; native of Clarion county, enlisted in Jefferson county, Pa. (See also Company H, 57th Regi- ment, militia of '63, Wm. J. Wilson).
* Wilson, James, belonged to a colored regiment ; lives at Clarion.
* Williams, John, company and regiment not known.
* Wise, George W., enlisted in October, 1861 ; mustered into United States service December 13, 1861, in Company K, 64th Regiment P. V. (4th Cav- alry) ; promoted from second lieutenant to first lieutenant December 13, 1864 ; mustered out with company July 1, 1865.
* Wright, Henry, drafted September 26, 1863 ; enrolled in Company K, 76th Regiment P. V., as " Henry Reich ;" discharged June 29, 1865.
Yingling, John, enlisted at Franklin, Pa., July 21, 1861, in Company C, 39th Regiment P. V. (10th Reserve) ; discharged for wounds April 11, 1863. ยท Yingling, G. W., drafted March 15, 1865; served in Company A, 98th Regiment P. V. ; mustered out with company June 29, 1865.
Yingling, Harrison, drafted in Company F, 98th Regiment P. V., March 15, 1865 ; mustered out June 29, 1865.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE OIL ERA-1865-1877.
Oil Mania-Apprentices-The Allegheny Valley Railroad -- The Low Grade -- Telegraphic- Attempt to Move County Seat -- Politics -- Statistics -- County Finances.
IN 1864 and 1865 Clarion county was the scene of the wildest speculation in hypothetical oil lands. Then almost every point within fifteen miles of a producing well was considered good territory, and available tracts were seized upon with great eagerness. A host of fancy oil companies-most of them having headquarters in Philadelphia-sprang up, their object being to buy up and operate the prolific petroleum deposits, which, in their ardent imaginations, were to be found in the bosom of every rugged Clarion river hillside. Real estate changed hands at fabulous prices, and many a farmer, whose stony acres had been just sufficient to supply him with the necessaries of life, received five or tenfold their real value. Leasing was almost unheard of, such was the reck- lessness and confidence of the times. Buy first and test afterwards, was the rule.
This craze, excited mainly by the discovery of oil at Deer Creek, reached its height in December, 1864, and in a year had entirely subsided. The spec-
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HISTORY OF CLARION COUNTY.
ulators retired from their Clarion county experience with light purses and heavy hearts ; sadder but wiser men.
The apprentice system was yet in vogue, in 1865, as the following adver- tisement in a newspaper of that date shows :
" SIX CENTS REWARD .- Ran away from the subscriber in Licking tp., Clarion co., an indentured apprentice named - on the roth day of May, inst. All persons are hereby warned not to harbor or trust the said - on my account, as I will prosecute any person who shall be known to harbor him about their premises, and I will hold such person or persons to pay to me his wages if hired by any person to work during his minority. The said - is about twelve years old, large growth, dark hair, dark complextion and black eyes. Any person returning said apprentice to the subscriber will receive the above reward for his trouble.
" Licking tp., May 12, 1865-3t. -. "
Two other runaway notices appear in the same number.
A destructive flood on Thursday, March 15, 1865, carried off the bridges over the Clarion, and there was a general severance of communication between one town and another for awhile.
At an early period in the fifties the much wished for railroad through Clar- ion county was discussed. Prominent among the schemes afoot was the " Phil- lipsburg and Waterford Railroad." Later came the "Clarion County Rail- road," which was to connect Clarion with some point on the Allegheny valley, and which finally materialized in the Sligo Branch.
The Allegheny Valley road was completed as far as Kittanning in 1856, and to the mouth of Mahoning in 1865. Work on its extension to Oil City started in the autumn of 1866, and trains began running in June 1867.
In 1852, when the Allegheny Valley Railroad (then called the Pittsburgh, Kittanning, and Warren) was projected, an act of assembly authorized the counties through which it was to pass to subscribe stock. The route, as origi- nally planned, was either to leave the Allegheny River below the mouth of the Clarion, or to follow its border along Redbank Creek, on the line of the present low-grade. By the act of 1852, the commissioners of this county (or a major- ity of them) were empowered to take stock for the county, and issue bonds to the railroad company in payment therefor, " provided, that the amount of subscription by any county shall not exceed ten per cent. of the assessed valu- ation thereof, and that before such subscription is made, the amount thereof shall be fixed and determined by one grand jury of the proper county, and upon the report of such grand jury being filed, it shall be lawful for the county commissioners to carry the same into effect, by making in the name of the county, the subscription so directed by said grand inquest. Provided farther, That whenever bonds of the respective counties are given in payment of sub- scription, the same shall not be sold by said railroad company at less than par value."
The grand jury of Clarion county, at the September sessions of the same year, recommended a subscription of $168,000, and on the roth the commis- sioners executed a written agreement with the company to that effect. This
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FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE OIL ERA.
was signed by Daniel Bostaph and Peter B. Simpson, James T. Burns dissent- ing. For some reason there was a delay in closing the negotiations ; the bonds were not issued, and the stock was not delivered. The route of the railroad was changed so as to run along the western edge of the county and terminate at Venango (Oil) City, instead of passing centrally through the county towards Warren, as originally intended. This was considered a breach of the contract, and to release the county from its former obligations.
In 1871, after a lapse of nineteen years, the company wished to enforce the issuing of the bonds, but there was a general aversion against compliance, and the commissioners demurred. Their counsel published an opinion unfavorable to the claims of the railroad, and the company let the matter drop.
The next road to enter the county was the Low Grade division or Bennett's Branch of the A. V. Railroad, intersecting the Philadelphia and Erie at Drift- wood. Grading began in 1872, and the road was completed through Clarion county in March, 1873. William Phillips, then president of the A. V. Rail- road, was the prime mover in this enterprise ; John A. Wilson, chief engineer ; J. J. Lawrence, superintendent. A considerable section in this county was con- tracted for by Jones & Brinker.
The road derives its name from the gradual ascent of Redbank valley; its maximum grade being twenty-six feet to the mile. The Anthony's Bend tun- nel is a notable one, piercing the solid rock; it is five hundred and five feet long, twenty-nine wide, and twenty-two feet high. The Sligo Branch, styled at first the Clarion County Railroad, was built in 1873-74, to reach the rich ore beds in the vicinity of Rimersburg and Sligo.
The first telegraph line in the county was that connecting Franklin and Kittanning by way of Clarion. It was constructed in November, 1864, by Baldwin. The second wire was strung in the spring of the following year. The line to Brookville was built in 1865. At present there are about two thousand miles of telegraph wire in Clarion county, three-fourths of which is controlled by the Western Union, the balance by the United Pipe Line.
In the winter of 1872-73 a strong attempt was made to have the seat of justice removed to Sligo. It had become apparent that the old county jail would have to be replaced by a new one, and the Sligoites seized upon the interval to make the change, knowing that the erection of another jail at the county seat would considerably diminish their chance of success.
The movement was initiated by the proprietors of Sligo furnace, J. Patton Lyon, in particular, and William Phillips, president of the Low Grade, then contemplating a branch to Sligo. Sligo was a promising place, newly laid out, on an excellent site, by Mr. Lyon, and was rapidly filling up.
Hon. David Maclay, the newly-elected senator (Republican) from this dis- trict, resident near Sligo, favored the change, and these influential advocates had the majority of the citizens of the lower portion of the county at their back.
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HISTORY OF CLARION COUNTY.
On the other hand, the inhabitants of the north and the people of Clarion borough strenuously opposed the measure. Petitions pro and con flew about thick ; meetings of both factions were held, and the agitation reached a white heat. It was understood that Senator Maclay would introduce a bill in the Legislature which met January, 1873. The Clarionites held a meeting and selected a committee to go to Harrisburg and fight the proposed removal. Their expenses were defrayed by the citizens. The delegation consisted of Hon. James Campbell, Theo. S. Wilson, W. W. Barr, Joseph H. Patrick, and J. B. Knox. They interviewed the Senate committee on counties and county seats, which was composed of Hons. D. Maclay, Alexander McClure, Elisha. Davis, B. B. Strang, and
The Sligo advocates sent no regular representation, although Colonel Lyon and others visited the capital in the interest of that town. There was a pro- tracted struggle in the committee, but the bill was finally returned with a neg- ative recommendation, and the matter thus settled. Colonel McClure, Elisha. Davis, and another formed the majority in the committee unfavorable to the bill.
Politics .-- In the spring of 1863 what was known here as the Union party was organized for the purpose of supporting the administration in its war pol- icy, and to enlist the sympathy of "War Democrats." This was really the Republican party, with the addition of some liberal Democrats. It maintained its organization till Grant's first nomination in 1868, and then its nominal dis- tinction from the Republican party disappeared.
In the presidential campaign of 1868 Seymour and Blair had a majority of 930 in this county over Grant and Colfax; 1872, Greeley and Brown had 2,558 votes, Grant and Wilson 2,304, a pretty narrow majority for the Demo- crats.
Under the local option law in 1873 twenty-one precincts in Clarion county voted against license and eight for. Those in favor of license were Ashland, Beaver, Elk, Farmington, Knox, Paint, St. Petersburg, and Washington. The general majority against license was 597. The voting was light.
In 1876 Tilden had a majority here of 1, 107.
. In 1862 Crawford, Mercer, Venango, and Clarion became the Twentieth senatorial district, and by the apportionment of 1864, the Twenty-third sena- torial district was formed out of Clearfield, Cameron, Clarion, Forest and Elk.
In 1871, Twenty-seventh senatorial district, Clarion, Armstrong, Jefferson, and Forest counties-Clarion and Forest to elect one member of the Legisla- ture.
In 1873 Clarion county was placed in the Twenty-fifth congressional dis- trict, with Armstrong, Indiana, Forest, and Jefferson.
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