History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc, Part 58

Author: Bates, Samuel P. (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902; Whitman, Benjamin, 1940-; Russell, N. W. (Nathaniel Willard); Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Weakley, F. E; Warner, Beers & Co. (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : Warner, Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1280

USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc > Part 58

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).

A second monument, one of the handsomest of its kind in the Union, was dedicated in Erie in 1872, and adds to the attractiveness of the West Park of the city. It commemorates the dead sailors as well as soldiers of the county, and owes its existence largely to the persistent labor of three patriotic ladies- Mrs. Isaac Moorhead, Miss Sarah Reed and Miss Helen Ball.

THE REVOLUTION.

As the permanent settlement of Erie County did not begin until 1795, twelve years after the acknowledgment of American independence, it is evi-

James & Marshall .

499

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

dent that very few of its citizens could have taken part in the long and des- perate struggle with the mother country. The British held possession of the lake region for some years after peace was declared, and even claimed some sort of title to the country, as is explained in another chapter. The pioneers of the county included a fair proportion of Revolutionary soldiers. Among them were Seth Reed, who fought at Bunker Hill and rose to the rank of Colonel; Capts. John Lytle and Robert King, and privates John Vincent, Thomas Rees, William Miles, Zelotus Lee, Michael Hare, Daniel Stancliff, John McCoy, Stephen Sparrow, Titus Allen, Stephen Oliver and Robert Irwin, and Nash, Trask and Burrows. Many of the descendants of these gentlemen live in the county, and are justly proud of the patriotism of their ancestors.

THE MEXICAN WAR.

The number of men required for the war with Mexico, in 1847, was so small, comparatively, that the proportion of Erie County was not equal to a company. A number of young men belonging to the county enlisted in organi- zations elsewhere, and some of them fought all through the war. Among these was John W. McLane, who won great distinction in the war for the Union, as commander of the Eighty-third Pennsylvania Regiment. The scene of the war was so remote that it is only remembered as a national historical event.

ANTI-SLAVERY.

The first anti-slavery society in the county (which was also one of the ear- liest in the State), was formed in 1836. Col. J. M. Moorhead was chosen Pres. ident, and William Gray, Secretary. The principal members were Philetus Glass, Dr. S. Smedley and Truman Tuttle, of North East; Col. Moorhead, Mr. Jessup and Samuel Low, of Harbor Creek; William Himrod, Alex Mehaffey and Aaron Kellogg, of Erie; Giles and Hamlin Russell, of Mill Creek; Stephen C. Lee, of Summit; Rev. T. H. Burroughs, of Concord, and William Gray, of Wayne. Another society was formed in North East about the same time, with Truman Tuttle as President, James Duncan as Vice President, Dr. E. Smed- ley as Secretary and R. L. Loomis as Treasurer. An anti-abolition meeting was held the same year in Springfield.

The " underground railroad," which was the name generally given to the system by which slaves from the South were run away from their masters, was in full operation in this county from about 1840 to 1860. The slaves usually made their escape from the South by way of Washington County, Penn., aud from there were helped along through Allegheny, Beaver, Lawrence, Mercer and Crawford Counties, to the lake shore. There were regular stations along the route, where zealous anti-slavery people openly defied the law and gave the runaway slaves food, shelter and money. The chief "station agents," as they were jokingly called in Erie County, were William Gray, Stephen C. Lee, Hamlin Russell and William Himrod. The slaves were secreted in Erie until a good chance offered to send them to Canada. Many romantic stories are told of the skill and desperation displayed in keeping the slaves from being capt- ured and returned to the South by the officers of the law.

OLDEST MEN AND WOMEN.

Michael Hare, who was buried in Waterford Cemetery, attained the remarka- ble age of one hundred and fifteen years eight months and twenty-three days. He was born in Ireland June 10, 1727, and died at Waterford on the 3d of May, 1843.

Patrick Ward died in Girard Township, aged one hundred and five years.

500

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

When in his one hundred and third year, he walked three miles to Girard Borough in order to vote.

James Davis lived in Greenfield until he was one hundred, when he moved to Michigan, where he died, either one hundred and three or one hundred and five years old. On the anniversary of his ninety-eighth birthday, he chopped a lot of wood for William E. Marvin, then a resident of Greenfield.

Two men have died in their one hundredth year. They were Levi Atkins, of North East, and the father of ex-County Commissioner Garner Parmer, of Conneaut.

John Teel, first, a native of New England, died in Erie early in the century, aged ninety-seven years; Stephen Oliver, in Mckean, January 14, 1857, lack. ing one month of ninety-seven; Benjamin Colton in the same township, in May, 1883, aged ninety-six; Griffith Hinton, in Venango, on the 15th of March, 1880, aged ninety-six; Andrew Matteson, at or near Corry, on the 26th of March, 1883, aged ninety-five; John Teel, second, in Erie, April 21, 1873, in his ninety-fourth year; William Green, near Wellsburg, on the 9th of January, 1882, aged ninety-three, lacking three days, and Josiah Kellogg, in Erie, March 21, 1884, in his ninety. third year. Mr. Matteson attempted suicide some ten days before his death, cutting himself in such a horrible manner that nearly one-half of his bowels fell out upon the bed where he laid. - Mr. Sisson, of Springfield, was living on the 15th of June, 1881, in his ninety-eighth year.

The oldest woman is claimed to be Mrs. Sarah Green, of Fairview, who was living on the 26th of February, 1883, at the supposed age of one hundred and two. Next in the order of age was Mrs. Mary Dobbins, relict of Capt. Dob- bins, of Erie, who died on the 24th of January, 1879, in her one hundredth year. Mrs. Mary Shaughnessy died in Erie July 30, 1882, aged one hundred years. The fourth oldest was Mrs. William Smith, formerly of Waterford, but later of Beaver Dam. Her death occurred in the latter place on the 6th of August, 1875, in her ninety-ninth year.

Mrs. Anna Margaret, relict of Casper Doll, of Fairview, died February 3, 1881, aged ninety-seven years and ten days; Mrs. Lucy, relict of Asa G. Olds, in Erie, August 13, 1881, lacking a few days of ninety-seven; Mrs. Phelps, of Waterford, in August, 1879, aged ninety-five; Mrs. Martin Stough, of Weigle- ville, October 3, 1881, in her ninety-fourth year; and Mrs. Thomas Bowman, of Conneaut Township, in the fall of 1882, aged nearly ninety-two. Mrs. Ruth Osborn, of Waterford Township, attained her ninety-third year on the 2d of February, 1883, and was still quite vigorous.

It is safe to aseert that few counties can show as long a list of very old people as the above.

THANKSGIVING DAY.

The first time a day for Thanksgiving was set apart in Pennsylvania was on the last Thursday of November, 1819, at the suggestion of Gov. Findlay. The Governor's proclamation was generally respected throughout Erie County. No Governor followed his example until Findlay's son-in-law entered the executive office when he re-inaugurated the custom of an annual public Thanks- giving, which has been maintained ever since. The first chief executive to propose a day of national Thanksgiving was President Taylor.

THE FLOOD OF 1883.

One of the greatest floods ever known took place at the beginning of Feb- ruary, 1883. It washed away nearly every mill dam in the county and de- stroyed numerous bridges. The damage amounted to tens of thousands of dollars.

PART III.

HISTORY OF CITY OF ERIE.

CITY OF ERIE.

CHAPTER I.

HISTORICAL.

W ELL authenticated records fully establish the fact that an Indian tribe or nation known as the " Eriez," dwelt upon the southern shore of Lake Erie ere the coming of the white race to this portion of the continent, and that this tribe was exterminated or driven farther toward the southwest by the ter- rible Iroquois more than 200 years ago. When the French took possession of this region of country, it was a favorite hunting ground of the victorious Iro- quois, commonly known as the Six Nations, with the Senecas nominally occu- pying the territory now embraced in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The vicin- ity of Erie seems to have been a favored locality, perhaps, for the reason that the beautiful bay of Presque Isle provided a safe retreat for their frail canoes from the lake storms.

The French early built up a large trade with the Indians, and in 1753 Sieur Marin, commander of the French expedition of that year, erected a fort or block-house at Presque Isle, thus taking possession of the site whereon the beautiful city of Erie now stands. A road was constructed from Presque Isle to Fort Le Bœuf, on French Creek, and all was completed early in August, 1753. On the east bank of Mill Creek, a little back from the lake, a French village sprung up, which at one time numbered 100 families, besides numerous Indians, with a Catholic priest, a schoolmaster, grist mills and other concomit- ants of civilization. They cleared land and cultivated corn fields in the vicinity of the fort, but it is believed that the village was abandoned after an experiment of four or five years' trial, as it was not in existence in 1757-58. A garrison of French soldiers occupied the fort, which stood on a bluff immediately west of the mouth of Mill Creek near the shore of the bay.

The long and bitter struggle between the French and English for posses- sion of the country west of the Alleghanies, eventually ended in favor of the latter, and though peace was not declared until 1763, the French abandoned Presque Isle three years prior to that event, and Maj. Rogers, in behalf of the English, came on and occupied the fort at this point in 1760. It was the last post west of Niagara given up by the French, and was always considered by both nations an important point in their chain of defenses, as well as an invaluable supply depot.

Pontiac's conspiracy flamed out in 1763, bringing destruction and death upon nearly all the Western forts. Presque Isle was attacked on the 22d of June, and after an obstinate resistance was surrendered to the savages. Many conflicting accounts have been published of this event, but as the principal facts connected therewith are given in Chapter VI of the general history of

504

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

Erie County, we refer the reader to that chapter for further information on the subject.

In 1764, Gen. Bradstreet, in command of 3,000 British soldiers, stopped at Presque Isle on his way to the relief of Detroit, and upon his return occupied the fort at this point. On the 12th of August, 1764, he made a treaty with the Shawnee and Delaware tribes of Ohio, which, however, was of short dura- tion. For the succeeding twenty years, little appears to have transpired at Presque Isle worthy of mention, and the old fort seems to have been abandoned during this period.

Though the war between England and the Colonies ended in the recognized independence of the latter by the treaty of 1783, and though the English Gov- ernment then gave up all claim to the Western region, they still kept a garri- son at Presque Isle in violation of said treaty. In fact, it was not till 1795 that the American occupation of this territory actually took place. With the dawning of peace the American Government came into recognized though nominal ownership of the whole Western interior, and by treaties executed with the Six Nations in 1784 and 1789, those tribes signed away their title to this portion of the State. Some dissatisfaction with the treaties, however, ex- isted among the Indians, and in 1791 the Government paid to the Seneca tribe a certain sum of money, in consideration of which they agreed to waive for- ever all claims to the lands in question. In 1792, the State acquired the " Triangle " by a purchase from the United States Government, and the same year the General Assembly of Pennsylvania passed an act to stimulate the set- tlement of the lands around Presque Isle; but the Indians, encouraged by the English, would not consent to the scheme, or allow a garrison to be stationed at the fort. The savages, abetted by their white allies, began to make hostile raids upon the scattered settlements, and in May, 1795, attacked four men who were coming from Fort LeBœuf to Presque Isle, near where the railroad bridge crosses State street in Erie. Ralph Rutledge was killed and scalped, while his son was shot and scalped, but survived until he was taken to LeBœuf. The father's body was buried on the west side of State street, close to where he fell, and his son was interred at the fort previously mentioned. Wayne's victory at the battle of "Fallen Timbers, " on the Maumee River, in 1794, crushed the spirit of the Indian tribes, and the treaty of Greenville, consummated August 3, 1795, with the Western Indians, and the treaty with the Six Nations the follow- ing November, ended all hostile demonstrations in this locality.

On the 8th of April, 1793, an act was passed by the General Assembly and approved by Gov. Mifflin to lay out a town at Presque Isle. The act provided for the survey of 1,600 acres of land into town lots of not more than one-third of an acre each, and 3,400 acres adjoining in outlots of not less than five acres nor more than ten acres each. The Governor was authorized to reserve within or without said plat for the use of the United States so much land as he thought necessary for forts, magazines, arsenals and dock yards. It was also provided that the first two hundred persons who should settle in said town before Janu- ary 1, 1794, would be entitled to one town lot. They had, however, in com- pliance with said act, to erect a house sixteen feet square, containing one stone or brick chimney, and reside in the town three years ere becoming actual owners. Provision was also made for the sale of 200 lots exclusive of those granted, the purchaser to erect a similar residence, and reside in the town the same length of time as the previous two hundred settlers. In February, 1794, an act was passed which provided for a detachment of soldiers to protect the settlement at Presque Isle; but through the treachery of the English, who them- selves coveted this post, the Indians, as already mentioned, were stirred up

505

CITY OF ERIE.

into opposing the settlement and garrisoning of Presque Isle by the Americans. For prudential reasons, which are fully explained in the general history of the county, operations were for the time suspended, and the subsequent victory of Wayne inspired such a wholesome terror among the Indians that it hastened the treaties of 1795, through which all opposition to the settlement of Presque Isle was swept away, and the title of Pennsylvania unreservedly acknowledged.

In the meantime, the General Assembly passed an act, April 18, 1795, somewhat differing from that of 1793, and repealing the latter. The Governor was authorized to appoint two Commissioners, who were instructed to survey 1,600 acres of land for town lots, and 3,400 acres adjoining thereto for outlots, " at or near Presque Isle, on Lake Erie; and the said lands so surveyed shall respectively be laid out into town lots and outlots, in such manner and with such streets not more than 100, nor less than 60 feet wide, and such lanes,. alleys and reservations for public uses as the said Commissioners shall direct, but no town lots shall contain more than one-third of an acre, no outlot more- than five acres, nor shall the reservations for public uses exceed in the whole. twenty acres; and the town hereby directed to be laid out shall be called 'Erie,' and all the streets, lanes and alleys thereof, and of the adjoining outlots, shall be and forever remain common highways."

The Commissioners were authorized to sell one-third of said town lots and. outlots to the highest bidders, the purchasers to erect on each town lot, within two years from the date of purchase, a house sixteen feet square, containing one stone or brick chimney. Half of the purchase money of each lot had to be paid within three months from the date of sale, and the balance within one year, together with lawful interest. The sale was not to be valid, and no pat- ent was issued until such time as these terms were complied with in every respect.

Reservations were made of sixty acres on the south bank of the harbor and near the entrance thereof, thirty acres on the peninsula at or near the entrance to. the harbor, and one other lot of 100 acres on the peninsula for the use of the- United States in erecting forts, magazines, arsenals, dock-yards, etc. It was. further provided, " That if the mill seats on the creek running near the ruins of the old French fort should fall within the cessions hereby made to the United States, the same shall nevertheless be and hereby are reserved for the- use of this State, with the right of erecting mills thereon, but no buildings (mills excepted), shall be erected within 600 yards of the center of any fort. which may be erected by the United States on either of the lots ceded to them as aforesaid." Pennsylvania did not, however, cede to the General Govern- ment " the jurisdiction or right of soil in and to the said three last mentioned lots, but only the occupancy and use thereof for the purposes aforesaid."

By an act passed February 19, 1800, that portion of the act of 1795 which made it obligatory for purchasers of lots to erect houses thereon ere becoming bona fide owners, was repealed; and lots previously forfeited on account of non-compliance in full with said law were allowed to be pre-empted by their former purchasers at the original price, provided application was made within twelve months from the passing of this act .. The leniency here adopted was. continued by subsequent enactments, thus making it easy for the first settlers. of Erie to become owners of real estate.

The first permanent American settlement effected on the site of Erie. occurred in the spring of 1795, when Thomas Rees, who had been appointed Deputy Surveyor of this land district on the 16th of May, 1792, pitched his tent near the mouth of Mill Creek, and began his labors in this field. The,

506

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

previous year he had done some surveying in this portion of the State, but on account of Indian threats, the undertaking was very hazardous, and the work was abandoned until 1795. Mr. Rees was a native of Northumberland Coun- ty, Penn., and was the agent of the Population Land Company, all its first sales being made by him at his tent upon the bank of Presque Isle Bay, the first real estate office opened at Erie. While living in Erie, the Duke de Chartres, who subsequently became Louis Phillippe, King of France, made him a brief visit, accepting the rude but generous hospitality of Mr. Rees, with befitting dignity. On the 31st of March, 1796, he was appointed by Gov. Mifflin, Justice of the Peace for the district consist- ing of "the township of Mead, in the county of Allegheny," which then embraced all of the territory now composing Crawford and Erie Counties. He was thus the first Justice of Erie County, his term of office being "so long as he shall live and behave himself well." In the fall of 1795, his wife joined him in his Western home. In 1796, he was succeeded by Judah Colt as agent of the Population Land Company, and became State Commissioner for the sale of lots, which position he held until 1806. Mr. Rees had obtained a large quantity of land in Harbor Creek Township, and thither he removed in 1802. He divided his land into farms, since known as "Rees' Reserve," and here he died in May, 1848, having survived his wife some years.

In the spring of 1795, a detachment of Wayne's army under the command of Capt. Russell Bissell, landed at Presque Isle, and began the erection of two block-houses on the high point east of Mill Creek, where the Wayne Block- House Monument now stands. The work was completed during 1795-96, and here December 15, of the latter year, Gen. Wayne closed his earthly career, one of the most brilliant in the annals of American history.

Gens. William Irvine and Andrew Ellicott, the State Commissioners ap- pointed to lay out the town of Erie, arrived iu June, 1795, accompanied by a corps of surveyors, and escorted by a company of State troops, commanded by Capt. John Grubb. This latter gentleman located permanently in Erie, and though subsequently settling on a farm, may be called the second settler of the town. Capt. Grubb and wife were noted as being the tallest couple in Erie County. He spent the balance of his life in the county, dying in June, 1845, was one of the pioneer Justices, and an Associate Judge of Erie County for many years.

Erie was laid out in three sections, each about one mile square, and extending from the bay south to Twelfth street. First section ran from Parade to Chestnut; second section from Chestnut to Cranberry; and third section from Cranberry to West street. The outlots extended south to Twen- ty sixth street, east to East avenue, west to the western boundary of the alms- house farm, and north to the bay of Presque Isle, thus embracing the whole face of the harbor from its entrance to within a short distance of "The Head," which was the intention of the Commissioners when laying out the town. An old map made by Col. Thomas Forster from the original surveys, presented by him to George A. Eliot, of Erie, and now in possession of his son, John Eliot, shows the original town as here described. The streets were laid off twenty rods apart, with State street running north and south as the center of first section, the streets west of State, and parallel with it, being named after trees, and those east of it after nationalities, excepting Parade, which was so called on account of starting from the old French fort or parade grounds. Parade street was almost identical with the old French road to Fort Le Bœuf, and for years was the only road leading into the town, except the lake road rom the east side of the county. The streets running parallel with the

P. Metcalf

509

CITY OF ERIE.

bay were numbered from one to twelve, though First street was called Front, and has since been known by that title. At the center of each section, a plot of land was reserved for public uses, and in first section was utilized for the court house, market house, etc., throughout the earlier years of the county's history, and up until the erection of the present county building.

Soon after the surveyors began their labors at Erie, another arrival is chron- icled, doubtless the most important during the pioneer history of the town. On the last day of June or 1st of July, 1795, Col. Seth Reed, with his wife Hannah, and sons Manning and Charles J., dropped anchor in the harbor and landed on the peninsula, thinking it more secure from Indian attack than the main land. The family had come from Buffalo, in a sail boat owned and operated by James Talmadge. The Colonel built a rude one-story log cabin, covered with bark, near the mouth of Mill Creek, and concluding that the settlement needed a public house, put up a sign as the " Presque Isle Hotel." This was the first house erected in Erie, and though insignificant in appearance, was provided "with plenty of good refreshments for all itinerants that chose to call. " Mrs. Hannah Reed was the first white woman to locate at Erie, and as such her name deserves perpetuation as the pioneer of her sex in this county. In September, 1795, Col. Reed's sons, Rufus S. and George W., came to Erie, and with them Mrs. Thomas Rees and Mrs. J. Fairbanks. The following year the Colonel erected a large two-story log house on the southwest corner of Second and Parade streets, which he placed in charge of his son Rufus S., who kept a tavern and store in it until 1799, when it was burned down. The next year, Rufus S. Reed rebuilt it, and for many years afterward carried on business at that place. Col. Seth Reed removed to a farm on Walnut Creek, where he died March 19, 1797, his widow surviving him until December 8, 1821. A lengthy sketch of the Reed family, from the pen of another historian will be found elsewhere in this work.

The only settlers of 1795, besides those already mentioned, were James Baird and family. Doubtless, many persons came and went, but careful investigation has failed to find the names of any others who located here permanently during that year.

On returning to the East, after the completion of their work as Commis- sioners, Irvine and Ellicott were appointed State agents, in conjunction with George Wilson, for the sale of the lots in the towns they had laid out. The fol- lowing is a copy of their advertisement of the sales, printed in 1796:

Agreeably to instructions from His Excellency, Thomas Mifflin, Governor of this Commonwealth, we shall offer for sale the following town and outlots of Erie, Water- ford, Franklin and Warren, at the time and places hereafter specified, viz .: The sale of that portion of town and outlots of the several towns to be disposed of in the city of Philadelphia will commence on Monday, the 25th day of July next. That portion of the town and ontlots of the several towns to be disposed of at Carlisle will com- mence at that borough on Wednesday, the 3rd of August next; and the sale of that portion of the town and outlots of the said towns to be disposed of at Pittsburgh will commence at that borough on Monday, the 15th day of August next.

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.

History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc, Part 58

Author: Bates, Samuel P. (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902; Whitman, Benjamin, 1940-; Russell, N. W. (Nathaniel Willard); Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Weakley, F. E; Warner, Beers & Co. (Chicago, Ill.) Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago : Warner, Beers & co. Number of Pages: 1280

Author: Bates, Samuel P. (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902; Whitman, Benjamin, 1940-; Russell, N. W. (Nathaniel Willard); Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Weakley, F. E; Warner, Beers & Co. (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : Warner, Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1280