USA > Pennsylvania > Clearfield County > History of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 53
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" Few of the beloved forms then instinct with life and joy, now remain to greet us ; delightful and many sad memories crowd in upon our minds as we congratulate the people of Brady township and Clearfield county upon the one hundredth anniversary of the settlement of Brady township, by the revered James Woodside.
" Brady township holds the sacred and honored dust of our brave and no- ble pioneer. She will honor herself by guarding it, by rearing a plain granite shaft to his memory. So that those who are yet to be, can point with respect and pride to the resting place of what was mortal of Clearfield county's sainted pioneer."
Prof.W. S. Luther was then introduced to speak on the "Early Settlers of Clearfield County," but it being late he gave up his time to Gen. Patton, who spoke at length of "The Rise and Progress of Clearfield County." This address was listened attentively to by the large crowd, and the speaker carried his hearers away back to times that but a few of those present remembered.
D. C. Gillespie, esq., our newly appointed deputy internal revenue collector, was then introduced and spoke at length on "The Patriotism of Our People.'
The monument suggested at the close of the writer's address, was unveiled on July 30, 1886, just one year after the " centennial," with much enthusiasm and the usual speech-making. 61
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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXX.
HISTORY OF BURNSIDE TOWNSHIP.
T HIS township occupies a position in the extreme southwest corner of the county, having as its south boundary Cambria county, and as its west boundary Indiana county. The township is bounded on the north by Bell, and on the east by Chest township, from the latter of which it was taken in the year 1835. Chest, the mother township, was taken from the still older ones, Beccaria and Pike, nine years earlier, in the year 1826.
The proceedings, under which the township was erected, were instituted in the year 1834, by the presentation of a petition to the Court of Quarter Ses- sions, asking for a division of Pike and Chest, and the formation of a new township therefrom. This plan seems to have met with disfavor from some of the residents of the townships affected, who presented a further petition, asking that a township be formed on the west side of Chest, and along its north boundary. This, in turn, was followed by a third application, requesting a further division, which last petition, inasmuch as it refers to the subject-matter of this chapter, will be appropriately mentioned at this time :
"To the Honorable, Thomas Burnside, Esquire, President, and his asso- ciates, now composing the Court of Quarter Sessions of the peace, and Court of Common Pleas at Clearfield town, in and for the county of Clearfield: A petition of divers inhabitants of Chest township, in said county of Clearfield, humbly represents that they understand that there has been a division of said Chest township at the last court, and if it should be confirmed as the lines ap- pear to be laid out, it will be very inconvenient for a great number of the in- habitants.
"We therefore pray your honorable court to divide the township so as to . give each new township an equal share of the population; to begin at the Cherry Tree and extend north along the county line six miles and make a corner, and strike a line due east across the township; then continue north along the county line the same distance, and there make a corner; and start a line due east across the township that would leave the upper or south end for 'Cherry township,' the middle for Chest, and the lower for Bell township. Then each township would have an equal share of the population, and an equal share of the unseated lands. We, your petitioners, pray your honorable court to ap- point three disinterested persons to view and lay out the townships agreeable to the wishes of the people, and they will forever pray, etc. Signed, Abraham Schamp, John Teeples, Robert Pennington, James Gallaher, Joseph R. Bou- slaugh, Daniel Branchler, George W. King, John King, William Dunlap, John Mccullough, O. W. Coffey, David Fulton, jr., and Hugh Gallaher."
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This request, like the others bearing on the division, was referred to the viewers, Alexander B. Reed, James Allport and David Ferguson, who, by their report, dated February 4, 1834, made the division of the territory, but not strictly according to the prayer of the petitioners. Burnside was laid out, having a length north and south of eight miles and one hundred and fifty perches, and of a width, east and west, of six miles. The report of the com- missioners was confirmed by the court on the 4th day of May, 1835, and the township was named " Burnside," in honor of Hon. Thomas Burnside, then president judge of the Fourth Judicial District.
Had the request of the petitioners been carried out in full, this township would have been called "Cherry," so intended on account of its situation in the vicinity of the " Cherry Tree," the head-waters of canoe navigation on the West Branch, as mentioned in the land treaties between the proprietaries of the province and the Indian occupants, a hundred years ago. The viewers evi- dently thought another name to be preferable, and suggested that of "Burn- side," which suggestion was made in writing and attached to their report. Modesty, undoubtedly, forbade his honor, Judge Burnside, from so naming the township, and that office was performed by Moses Boggs, one of the asso- ciate judges then sitting.
The historic reminiscences of Burnside township, as already intimated, date back over one hundred years, to the purchase from the Indians in 1768, which included all south (here east) of the Susquehanna River, as far up as a canoe could be pushed, which terminated at a cherry tree on the west bank of the river, a little above where the bridge in Cherry Tree borough now crosses. The purchase extended thence west as far as could be traveled between sun and sun. This day's journey was an extraordinary one, reaching the Allegheny River near where Kittanning now stands, about fifty miles; from thence all southward between the river and Mason's and Dixon's line was included. This left a narrow strip of Burnside west of the river, which was not acquired by purchase until sixteen years after, in the purchase of 1784, which included the northwestern corner of the State to the New York line. The river from Cherry Tree only diverges about one mile from due north till it leaves the township, and Chest Creek is only about a mile from the township line on the east, the river valley, with its branches, and the dividing ridge between the river and creek, being nearly all within this township.
The river at Burnside is about 1,300 feet above sea level, and the ridge only about 400 feet more at the highest point.
About five miles from the river, on the west, is the dividing ridge of the Atlantic slope, the waters on the other side flowing west and south to the Gulf of Mexico.
The whole extent of the township was originally covered with a forest of pine and hemlock, with oak, chestnut, sugar maple, ash, beech and cherry, especially on the ridges.
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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
About sixty years ago the early settlers commenced to hew and run rafts of pine timber to market at Marietta, below Harrisburg. In later years it has been cut into saw-logs and driven to the booms at Lock Haven and Williams- port where it is manufactured.
The whole of the township is also underlaid with coal, which has been worked for home consumption for many years. Most of the coal right has recently been purchased by speculators, and the prospect is, that in the near future, the iron track will be laid to transport it to less favored localities by nature. The Bell's Gap Railroad now is within four miles of the township, in the river valley, and the Chest Creek Road, now being built, is within less than a mile on the east side.
Within two miles of Burnside, on northwest, are coal veins now opened, from six to eight feet in thickness, the natural outlet of which is by the river valley.
The first settler in the township was James Gallaher, who came in 1816, when it was part of Beccaria township. His first improvement was on what is now the farm of J. M. Cummings, in New Washington. He held the office of justice of the peace, and was the legal authority for all the neighborhood for many years. He is remembered as a tall, active man, and retained his faculties to a great age. He died in 1854, aged ninety-five years. His son James was a boy of about sixteen when he came with his father and helped make the first improvement. The first preaching in the township was in Mr. Gallaher's cabin in 1822, by Rev. John Bowen, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Thus early did the Methodist itinerant follow up the early settler. James, jr., was married to a daughter of Jacob Lee, another early settler of the neighborhood, and had several children, all of whom are dead but the youngest daughter, Maggie, who married Dr. McCune, and lives near Winchester, W. Va. After his wife's death he was married a second time to Mrs. Kelly, widow of James Kelly, a well known lumberman, father of James Kelly, esq., by whom he had two sons and two daughters. Mr. Gal- laher died in 1880, aged seventy-nine years. He was a deep thinker, and a man of sound judgment. He had accumulated considerable property, prin- cipally in timber lands. His widow lives in a fine residence in New Washing- ton.
Crawford, another son, moved many years ago to Virginia, and died years ago. He has one daughter living in Burnside, the wife of Jos. S. Neff, and one son, G. W., in New Washington, who has one son and four daughters, three of whom are school teachers.
Caleb Bailey came about 1820, and made a small improvement and pat- ented about four hundred acres of land, part of which is now the Smith and Eisenhower farms, two miles east of Burnside. He remained until 1826, when he sold and removed to Union township and lived with his son Samuel. He diedionly about a year ago.
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BURNSIDE TOWNSHIP.
As nearly as can now be ascertained George Atchison came and settled on the river bank, above Burnside, in 1820, when there was no neighbor nearer than New Washington, and no settler along the river from Greenwood Bell's to Cherry Tree. Perhaps no man did more to mould the sentiments of the community in which he lived than Mr. Atchison. He was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, about 1792. When quite young he was out gunning and shot some game on a gentleman's estate. To avoid a prosecution under the oppressive tenant laws he came to this country and made his way to Centre county, where he stayed some years and married. With his wife and one child he traveled over the mountains to get a home, and began an im- provement in the wilderness. He often left wife and child, or children, for weeks alone, although wild animals, bear and wolf, were numerous, and went back to Centre county to find work, bringing on his back the purchase of his earnings. He took up a large tract of land and had many law suits to hold possession. His hatred of oppression prompted him to adopt the anti-slavery, or abolition cause, and he was one of the conductors of the " Under-Ground Railroad " (as it was called), secretly helping runaway slaves to escape to free- dom. About 1845 he built a fine house on the side hill near his log cabin, and had a secret apartment built in it to hide runaways, which was not dis- covered until about two years ago, although the house has been occupied for many years by different families.
The house was built as two houses, the gable of one against the side of the other, and a story lower, and a hall at one side of the upper house. Just at the stair landing a space three or four feet wide is taken off, extending the width of hall and stairs with no access from inside except a small aperture half way up the wall of the room adjoining, about large enough for a little cup- board or recess for a clock. On the outside, just above the roof of the lower house is a small four light window which can be seen from the river, but no one ever seemed to observe that it did not show light on the inside, until very recently when the false room was discovered.
When the principle of Squatter Sovereignty was adopted for Kansas in 1855 and 1856, Mr. Atchison took his son William and his son-in-law, Joseph Lovelace, to Kansas, and got them land there to help the cause of freedom. His son afterward returned and is living now in Du Bois.
Some years before his death he moved to Cherry Tree, where he died in peace, having seen the desire of his heart, the abolition of slavery.
The McKeague brothers at Cherry Tree are his grandsons. Mr. Atchi- son was a large, bony man, rather uncouth, very plain spoken, approaching bluntness, but with a kind heart and very hospitable. He was, early in life, a member of the Methodist Church, but such was his hatred of slavery he would not remain in a church allowing fellowship with slave-holders, and united with the Wesleyan Methodist Church, in which he remained during the rest of his
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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
life. He was buried in the Cherry Tree cemetery. His wife died only two or three years ago, being the last of the original settlers.
Samuel McKeehan took up a piece of land adjoining Bailey's, and lived on it many years alone. His house was on the side of the public road where Mrs. Anderson, a granddaughter, now lives. One night his house caught fire and burned, and the old man was found next day cooking alongside the road, where he continued to stay, sleeping in a little pen he had for some of his stock for a couple of years, until his death, about 1840.
John Byers came in 1821, from Huntingdon county, and took up four hun- dred acres of land about a mile from New Washington, where his grandson, David Byers, now lives. He was born at Valley Forge, on the Schuylkill, above Philadelphia, in 1762 ; was a boy of fifteen when General Washington's army was quartered there, and had a distinct recollections of their privations during that memorable winter. He died at his son-in-law's, John Mahaffey, near Cherry Tree, in 1862, at the advanced age of almost ninety-nine years.
His son Lemuel was a boy of twelve years when they came from Hunting- don, and often recounted the hardships of the early settlers.
Smith's Mills (at Janesville) was for a long time their nearest mill, and when the streams were swollen they could not cross, there being then no bridges. Sometimes their grain had to be ground on a hand-mill. Deer and wild turkeys were plenty and afforded a part of their subsistence. Lemuel was married in 1838 to Mrs. Stephenson, mother of James Stephenson, of Bell township, at the house of her uncle, George Atchison. James was then about ten years old. Mrs. Byers raised a family of five sons and four daughters, and had a farm under cultivation of nearly two hundred acres. He died in 1873, in his seventy-fourth year. His wife preceded him only a year. Only one of his sons, David, is in the township, on the old homestead. The three daugh- ters living are in the neighborhood: Ellen, married to Russell Rorabaugh ; Sarah to Joseph Hutton, and Maggie to David T. Mitchell. About a year ago one of the sons, Robert, was returning from Kansas, where he had acquired considerable property, ard had written to his brother David when to expect him. He had reached Blairsville intersection, and in crossing the track while waiting for the Indiana train, the limited express came flying along and struck him, throwing him about a hundred feet, partly under the waiting train. When taken up he was dead.
John, another son of John Byers, sr., was married about 1830, to Sarah, daughter of John Weaver, of Bell township, and settled adjoining his father's land on the west, where he reared a large family. He was one of the original members of the Methodist Protestant Church at its formation in 1829, and was a very intelligent, well-read man. The first camp meeting held in the town- ship was on his land in 1834, and another the year following, at which many embraced religion. It is a noticeable fact that most of the early settlers of the
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upper Susquehanna were moral, God-fearing men, who carried their morality and religion with them to their new homes, and their descendants show the same traits of character to a remarkable degree. John Byers, jr., died in 1881, aged seventy-nine.
Samuel, another son of John, sr., settled on a piece of land adjoining his father's on the south, and raised a large family, some of whom still reside in the township. He died many years ago.
Another son, George, moved west at an early day. The only daughter, Ellen, was married to John Mahaffey about 1831 or '32. They first lived at the old Mahaffey improvement (now Burnside borough), but soon after moved to a mile below Cherry Tree, where they still both reside. Mrs. Mahaffey is al- most as lively and cheerful as in her youthful days, and highly esteemed by all.
Jacob Lee came in 1822, from Centre county, with his family, and settled about a mile south from New Washington. His house was early a preaching place for the Methodists. Bellefonte circuit then embraced all this county. In 1823, a preacher by name of Samuel Bryson, was holding religious services at Mr. Lee's house. During the prayer he noticed that a pet squirrel the fam- ily had, made its escape through the open window. Anxious to let the family know of the escape, he hastily attached it to the closing, thus: "Amen. Jacob, your squirrel's gone." Mr. Lee died in 1847, aged seventy-seven years. His son Isaac still lives on the old homestead, an aged man now. Several of Isaac's sons live in the township. Eliza, a daughter of Jacob, was married to John Irvin, of Curwensville, and is still living but very infirm. Five of their children are living : Col. John, Jared, James, Mrs. Dr. Thompson and Miss Annie. Another daughter, Rebecca, was married to Hugh Riddle, in Centre county, several years before the family moved from there.
Hugh Riddle was born in County Down in the north of Ireland, in 1779 ; came to the United States about the time of the Irish rebellion in 1798, and lived awhile with his brother William, at Bellefonte. His brother had come some years before. While there he went to Wilmington, Delaware, after his baggage, and there being no public conveyance, he started on horseback and reached the Susquehanna at Clark's Ferry, near the mouth of the Juniata, where the river is a mile wide. Having recently crossed the ocean, the dis- tance over the Susquehanna seemed insignificant, and urging his horse for- ward he entered the stream. The current was strong, and horse and rider were swept down the river, till fortunately the horse rested on a large rock that was but two or three feet below the surface. After resting a while he pushed forward again, and by a desperate struggle succeeded in reaching the shore, where he found several persons who had been watching him in his peril- ous adventure and expecting to see him drown. He was carried down the river more than a mile. An account of this undertaking was published by the newspapers of the time, and it has ever since been regarded as a feat per- formed by no other man.
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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
He was for many years employed as superintendent of the iron works of Roland Curtin, father of Gov. Curtin. In 1814 he married Miss Rebecca Lee, (daughter of Jacob) and followed farming till 1824, he removed to Clearfield county and settled near his father-in-law. Part of Mount Zion cemetery was taken off his land in 1830. He taught school in his own house some years after, by voluntary subscription, before there were any public schools. The Mitchells, Byers, Huttons and other of the early familes were taught by him. He was an exemplary citizen, a member of the M. E. church, and highly re- spected. He died in 1856, aged seventy-seven years. Of his nine children all are now dead but John M., who resides not far from the old homestead; a man of sound judgment and highly respected by all. He has held for years the responsible position of township treasurer. He has two sons, Fillmore, who owns the old McMurray farm in New Washington, and James, who lives with his father. One daughter is married to John E. Rorabaugh, and one, Thirza, still lives with her parents.
James, another son of Hugh, was married to Margaret Fulton, daughter of one of the old settlers on the river. He was justice of peace many years, and died about thirteen years ago, leaving two sons, Hugh and Alexander, who live in the neighborhood.
Mary, oldest daughter of Hugh, sr., was married to John Rorabaugh, and died in 1871. Three of their sons, Russell, Wesley and Britain, are living in the township, one, James, at Lumber City. There is a family genealogy lately published, gotten up by one of the Riddle family living in Boston, which traces the family back over a thousand years, to the time of Charles the Bold of France, A. D. 860, through the old Norman stock, some branches of which are in England, Ireland, Scotland, and in many of the United States.
The family name was Ridel, changed in the course of time through Riddell, Ridlon, Ridley until finally Riddle. They held many high positions both in church and state in Great Britain. The different family coats of arms are rep- resented in the work referred to, a copy of which is in the possession of John M. Bishop Ridley, the martyr, was of one branch of this family. Rev. Fin- ley B. Riddle, a well-known minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, is a first cousin of John M. Riddle.
David Fulton came from Centre county in 1823, and settled on part of the McKeehan land along the river below the upper Burnside bridge. He must have been quite a woodsman, for as early as 1799, he made a trip from Miles- burg, in Centre county, to Westmoreland, striking the Susquehanna at Cur- wensville, when there was only one house there, and traveled up the river through an unbroken wilderness with only his gun for protection. At Chest Falls he killed a panther, and near where Burnside is located he killed a bear. Here he left the river and struck across the country to Indiana, a distance of over fifty miles, at that time without a house.
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BURNSIDE TOWNSHIP.
Mr. Fulton had two sons and two daughters when he moved from Centre county. For some years after coming he and George Atchison would return in the fall and cut cord wood for the furnaces of Centre.
An old sailor, called Johnny White, came with Mr. Fulton, who cared for him many years without any apparent recompense. He was about ninety years of age ; sometimes made splint baskets to sell when he could. The old man often told a story of one of his acts on shipboard, which seemed to affect him very much in its recital. One of the officers on shipboard was very ty- rannical and abusive, and the sailors got a great dislike to him. One day when White was aloft in the rigging, this officer came on deck directly under- neath him. White let the marlinspike he was working with fall perpendicu- larly, and it pinned the officer to the deck by the toe of his boot. Of course, it was made out only an accident. Johnny's whole frame would shake with emotion when telling this story. The listener could scarcely decide whether it was laughter or tears, but most probably the latter.
Mr. Fulton was a tailor by trade, and for many years made nearly all the coats worn in the neighborhood, for there was no ready-made clothing to be purchased for many years after. He was of a kind disposition and very lo- quacious. The young boys were often entertained by his stories of his early history and adventures. He died in 1874, aged ninety-seven, and was buried at Mount Zion. A large number of his descendants live in the township.
About the same time that Mr. Fulton came, John Westover moved from Huntingdon county and settled in the southeast corner of the township, on what is now known as the Myers farm, near East Ridge. He had a family of nine children. Others of the family name afterwards came, some in adjoining part of Cambria county. There are a number of the name still in that neigh- borhood. One of John's sons, Oliver J., born in Huntingdon, is now living within one-half mile of the old place. Oliver served during the rebellion in the 115th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, and was a while a prisoner in the South. The old war spirit revives in him'still, whenever he hears anything like disloyalty or anything said against the " boys in blue."
John Rorabaugh came from Centre county about the same time, 1824. He had a large number of sons, several of whom moved to the West many years ago. It is said he saw the first raft taken out of Chest Creek. Died in 1850, aged seventy-four years. His son John bought part of the Mitchell land near Mount Zion ; married Mary, daughter of Hugh Riddle, and cleared out a fine farm. He was a good citizen, a consistent member of the M. E. church, and had the respect of all. He died suddenly in 1879, aged sixty- eight years. He had four sons and two daughters, both of whom are dead. One of his sons, Russell, who was married to Ellen Byers, lives on part of the homestead. All the rest live in the county.
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