History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 102

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 1314

USA > Pennsylvania > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 102

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On the 3d day of May, 1866, a call was extended by the vestry to the Rev. S. E. Arnold, who declined the invitation. Then the Rev. O. Permchief was called, and also declined.

In June of the same year the Rev. H. H. Loring, of Olean, N. Y., was called to the rectorship of the parish, which call was accepted, the rector taking charge shortly after.

On the 29th day of January, 1872, Mr. Loring ten- dered his resignation to the vestry, to take effect at Easter of same year, viz., March 31st. The vestry accepted the resignation, to take effect at the time specified, and on the 1st day of April of the same year the parish was again declared vacant after a rectorship of nearly six years.

On the 14th of May of the same year the vestry tendered to the Rev. J. F. Ohl an invitation to again become their rector. The call was declined. In June of the same year a call was extended to the Rev. S. D. Day, of Rockford, Ill. The call was declined at this time. It was renewed in September of the same year, and then accepted, the rector taking charge Jan. 16, 1873, and is now in charge. At the present time there is a chapel in the course of erection. It is to be built of stone with open timbered roof. The walls are completed, and the contract for the wood- work has been awarded to Messrs. Gibbons, Wood & Cromlow. The cost of building when completed will be about three thousand dollars.

The statistics of the parish, according to the rec- tor's report, are as follows for the year ending June 1, 1881: Families, 50; present number of confirmed members, 105; contributions for parish purposes, $2783.06; for diocesan work, $261.50; for missions and other charitable work outside the diocese, $400 ; total, $3444.56. The present members of the vestry are Messrs. Nelson Blair Bowman, John Wallace, John Johnson, James Witherington Jeffries, John

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HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Nelson Snowdon, James Lowry Bowman, William Chatland, Charles Leida Snowden, Samuel Page Knox; Church Wardens, Messrs. N. B. Bowman, John Wallace. The building committee on the chapel are Messrs. N. B. Bowman, J. W. Jeffries, J. L. Bowman, and the rector, Mr. C. L. Snowdon, being treasurer of the chapel fund.

The parish has suffered much during the past eight years by removals, and especially by death. Two of the most valuable and liberal supporters of the church have gone to rest,-Mr. and Mrs. G. H. Bowman. These were untiring in their good work for the church, and their places cannot be filled.

CATHOLICITY IN BROWNSVILLE AND MISSIONS DEPENDENT THEREON.

The history of Catholicity in this mission prior to the year 1800 is involved in obscurity. After this date we find that the Rev. F. X. O'Brien had this town as the centre of his mission, which comprised the southwestern counties of the State, viz .: Greene, Washington, Fayette, Allegheny, Westmoreland, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence, Mercer, Armstrong, and part of Somerset. In 1807 he fixed his residence at Pittsburgh, visiting Brownsville occasionally until his retirement in 1810. His successor, the Rev. Charles B. Maguire, either by himself or his assist- ants, attended to the necessities of the few Catholics here until his demise in 1834. One of his assistants, the Rev. P. Rafferty, the present pastor of St. Francis Xavier's, Philadelphia, built old St. Peter's, a neat brick edifice, said at that time to be one of the best churches in America. From 1833 until 1837 they were visited only four times a year from Blairsville by the Rev. J. A. Stillinger, the present pastor of that place. In the baptismal registry (the first kept here) we find that in July, 1837, the Rev. Michael Gal- Jagher had charge of the district then comprising the counties of Fayette, Greene, and Washington, and part of Somerset and Allegheny Counties.

Old St. Peter's was destroyed by fire on the 25th of March, 1842, when the Rev. Mr. Gallagher com- menced building the present church, which was dedi- cated to the service of Almighty God on the 6th of April, 1845.

In 1848, Mr. Gallagher retired from the mission, and associated himself with the hermits of St. Au- gustine, at Philadelphia. From 1848 until May, 1851, there seems to have been no permanent pastor. The names of Rev. Messrs. Reynolds, Kearney, Kenny, and MeGowen appear on the registry.

In 1851, Rev. Wm. Lambert was again appointed to the charge of the eastern portion of the district, viz .: Fayette County, eastern part of Greene and Washington ; the remainder of Greene and Washing- ton being formed into a separate mission. Rev. John Larkin succeeded Mr. Lambert until Ang. 14, A.D. 1855, when Rev. Peter Malachy Garvey entered upon the duties of this charge.

In January, 1856, Father Garvey drew up the fol- Jowing, which shows the state of the Catholics scat. tered over the mission :

" There are at present in the Brownsville district 190 souls which can be called a permanent popula- tion, and about 80 of a floating population. In the Uniontown or mountain district the permanent popu- lation is eighty, with a floating or unsettled popula- tion of twenty-five.

"Number of families in the Brownsville district 38; Uniontown district, 16; total, 54.

"Number of Easter communions in Brownsville 108; in Uniontown, 42; total, 150."

The Right Rev. Dr. O'Connor, bishop of the dio- cese, made his visitation of this mission as follows af Brownsville, Sept. 4, A.D. 1856, when twenty-seven received the sacrament of confirmation, as will ap. pear by the registry, and at Uniontown on the 5th when fifteen were confirmed. . Total communions in 1856 : permanent, 345; floating, 60; total, 405.

The following is found in the church records: "] find at present date, 1859, in the county of Fayette and that part of Washington and Greene attached to the Brownsville mission, viz. : from Monongahela City to Rice's Landing, a population of 430, of which 280 I believe, are permanent or will remain at least a few years, and 150 who are not likely to remain over a few months. The latter may be found scattered along to Youghiogheny from West Newton to Connellsville and at Belle Vernon and other places along the Mo- nongahela."

The following pastors have been in charge from 1859 to the present time: Revs. F. Morgan, 1859 Henry Haney, 1869; Henry McCue, 1870; P. Her- man, 1874; Martin Ryan, 1877 ; Arthur Devlin, in the same year ; H. Connery, 1879; C. A. MeDermott, May, 1880; H. Connery, June, 1881.

Uniontown and its adjacent stations were formed into a separate and independent district the Ist of June, 1881. The present number of communicants in the Brownsville mission is sixty.

BAPTIST CHURCH OF BROWNSVILLE.

A small Baptist society existed in Brownsville for many years prior to 1842, but the precise date of its formation cannot be given. At that time the Rev. Mr. Wood was their pastor, and their meetings for worship were held in the basement of the Masonic Hall building. On the 15th of April, in the year named, George Hogg sold to Evan Evans, Morgan Mason, and Tilson Fuller, trustees of the Baptist Church, a lot of land on Church Street below the Methodist Church lot, and on this land they shortly afterwards built a brick building, 40 by 60 feet in size, which became the society's house of worship.

The successors of the Rev. Mr. Wood in the pas- toral office have been the Revs. William Barnes, Rich- ard Austin, - Hughes, and William Barnes (sec- ond pastorate), who ceased his connection with this

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BROWNSVILLE BOROUGH AND TOWNSHIP.

church in 1880. The congregation is now without a pastor and feeble in numbers. The present member- ship is chiefly outside the borough of Brownsville.

BURIAL-GROUNDS.

On the hill adjoining the " public square" on Front Street is Brownsville's oldest burial-place, but now, and for some years past, inclosed with the grounds of J. W. Jeffries. Within the inclosure may be seen the head-stone which once marked the grave of Thomas Brown, the founder of the town. Upon it is the fol- lowing inscription, still legible: "Here lies the body of Thomas Brown, who once was owner of this town. Departed this life March, 1797, aged 59 years." There is also a stone sacred to the memory of Basil King, who died in 1805, and three others, which were re- spectively erected over the graves of John H. and Archibald Washington and Edward B. Machen, all of whom died in 1818. These three men (of whom the latter was a native of South Carolina, and the other two of Southampton, Va.) were members of a party who came through from Baltimore, Md., having with them a gang of negro slaves, manacled and chained together, and bound for Kentucky, which they expected to reach by flat-boat from Brownsville, down the Monongahela and Ohio. Arriving at Brownsville they were compelled to wait there for some time for the means of transportation down the river, and during the period of this delay the "jail fever" broke out among the negroes, several of whom died and were buried in the south part of the public ground. The disease was communicated to the white men ; the two Washingtons took it, and both died on the 10th of April in the year named. Machen was also a victim, and died three days later, April 13th. All three were interred in the old burial-ground, and stones erected over their graves, as before mentioned. These stones, as well as all others in this old ground, have been removed from their places at the graves which they once marked, and none are now left stand- ing, though these and a number of others still remain within the inclosure. Many years have passed since any interments were made here, and, save the loose stones which still remain, there is nothing seen upon the spot to indicate that it was ever used as a burial- place.

Connected with the churchyards of the Episcopal and Methodist Churches are grounds set apart many years ago for burial purposes, and containing a great number of graves. These were in general use as places of interment until the opening of the ceme- tery outside the borough limits, about twenty years ago. The Catholics have a cemetery connected with the grounds of their church.

The " Redstone Cemetery," situated on the high land on the south side of the National road, about three-fourths of a mile southeastwardly from Browus-

ville, was laid ont and established as a burial-ground by an association formed in 1860, and composed of William L. Lafferty, Rev. R. Wallace, William H. Clarke, James Slocum, William M. Ledwith, William Parkhill, Thomas C. Tiernan, John R. Dutton, David Knox, and Capt. Adam Jacobs. They purchased the cemetery tract (about nine acres) of Daniel Bruba- ker for $1600. The soil is underlaid, at a depth of about two feet, with a bed of soft sandstone, and this, in the case of each interment, is cut through to the required size of the grave, thus forming a sort of vault, which in making the burial is covered by a flag-stone, of which a large supply is constantly kept on hand by the association.

The cemetery is located on a spot which was made attractive by nature, and its beauty has been greatly enhanced by the laying out, which was done in the modern style of cemeteries, with winding paths and graded carriage-ways, and all embellished by the planting of ornamental trees, with an abundance of evergreens. There have been many handsome and expensive monuments and memorial stones erected in this ground, and in regard to these and other par- ticulars, few cemeteries can be found more beautiful than this.

The cemetery association, formed in 1860, was not chartered until Feb. 24, 1877. The first president was Dr. William L. Lafferty ; secretary and treas- urer, William M. Ledwith. In 1865, Dr. Lafferty was succeeded by John R. Dutton, the present presi- dent.

POST-OFFICE.

The Brownsville post-office was established Jan. 1, 1795. Following is the list of postmasters from its establishment to the present time :

Jacob Bowman, Jan. 1, 1795.

Martin Tiernan, April 29, 1829.

Margaret Tiernan, Dec. 6, 1834.

William G. Roberts, Dec. 12, 1838.

William Sloan, July 10, 1841.

Henry J. Rigden, June 4, 1845.

William Sloan, May 11, 1849.

Isaac Bailey, May 18, 1853. Samuel S. Snowdon, March 13, 1861.

Oliver P. Baldwin, March 7, 1865. Henry Bulger, April 9, 1869.

John S. Wilgus, April 9, 1873.

J. Nelson Snowdon, Jan. 23, 1878.

EXTINGUISHMENT OF FIRES.

Brownsville has never had a fire department, nor has there ever been in the borough any efficient or- ganization furnished with adequate apparatus and appliances for the extinguishment of fires, though at least three of the old style hand fire-engines have been purchased. The date of the purchase of the first of these has not been ascertained, for the reason that no borough records cau be found covering the

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HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

period from March, 1821, to August, 1840,1 as before mentioned. That the borough was in possession of an engine-house, and therefore, presumably, an en- gine, prior to the latter date, is shown by the fact that at that time a bill was presented and allowed by the board " for painting the Engine-House."

On the 12th of October, 1842, the petition of about fifty citizens was presented "praying the Council to provide suitably to guard against the accident of fire, and to take a loan for the purpose of defraying the necessary expenses thereof." At the same time a committee was appointed to examine the three springs2 at the head of the town with a view to the construction and supply of a reservoir, and to report on the same. On the 17th of the same month the committee reported that to " construct a reservoir at the spring above Workman's, thirty feet square and twelve feet deep, and to cover the same, and to bring the water through iron pipes to Brashear's Alley, will cost about one thousand dollars; and for each addi- tional foot of pipe, and laying the same, one dollar thirty-seven and a half cents." Also that fire-plugs should be put in at each square, costing, by estima- tion, forty dollars. George Dawson was instructed by the Council to confer with the heirs of Neal Gil- lespie to ascertain what they wonld charge for land for the reservoir. On the 24th of October, Mr. Daw- son reported that permission to build the reservoir could not be obtained.

Oct. 17, 1842, the Council resolved " that Robert Rogers and Edward Hughes be and they are hereby appointed a committee to contract for a Fire Engine."

1 In the records of some years following this period are found several disconnected matters of some interest, which are here given, viz. :

Oct. 26, 1840, an ordinance was passed requiring the clerk of the market to ring the town bell for the space of five minutes every night at ten o'clock.

March 5, 1841, the bell on the town hall was purchased of the vestry of the Episcopal Church for $83 6212.

March 15, 1841, an ordinance was passed regulating wharfage and establishing charges, viz. : 25 cents for each steamboat making the landing, and 121/2 cents for each twenty-four hours lying at the dock or wharf. For each flat-boat or keel-boat, 1216 cents wharfage.

In 1842 considerable difficulty was experienced in finding any suit- able person who would accept the office of collector. Sebastian Brant, Jim's C. Graff, G. H. Bowman, Adam Jacobs, Daniel Barnhart, Jan es Workman, and Paul Jones were successively appointed and refused to serve. At last Edward Morehouse was appointed, and having accepted the office and qualified, was anthorized and directed by the Council to collect, by snit or otherwise, the fine of $10 imposed upon each of those who had refused to serve as collector.

July 31, 1845, "a reservoir or watering trough" was ordered to be constructed above Workman's Hotel, to be supplied from a never-failing sjning above Workman's.

In 1852 a "lock-up" was built of brick near the market-honse, and is still in use as a place of detention.

In February, 1859, and again in February, 1860, a project was agitated for changing the name of the borough of Brownsville to Redstone Oid Fort. A petition to that effect, drawn up by James Veech, Esq., and intended for presentation to the Legislature, was read at the latter time before the Council, but did not find much favor with that body, and the project failed,-a result which was doubtless pleasing to most of the people of Brownsville.

" In Angust, 1818, by a resolution of the Council, all springs and wells in the streets of Brownsville were declared to be public property.

October 20th, Robert Rogers was appointed to con- tract for four ladders-two of twenty feet and two of sixteen feet in length-and for six fire-hooks.

Jan. 12, 1843, " the President, Mr. Robert Rogers, was appointed to contract with some one to build an Engine-House at the west end of the Market-House." On the 17th of the same month, " Robert Rogers, President, reported that he had articled with Faull & Herbertson for a Fire-Engine for three hundred and fifty dollars," and two days later he reported that he "had contracted with John Johnston to build the Engine-House."

The Mechanics' Fire Company, of Brownsville, pe- titioned the Council, Nov. 7, 1843, to furnish them with one hundred feet of rope and two axes, which was done.

June 27, 1851, " the large fire-engine" was placed under control and in charge of a company who had recently organized and petitioned the Council for that purpose.

Subsequently, at different times, when, by the occur- rence of fires, the attention of the citizens had been called to the necessity of taking measures to prevent wide-spread disaster from that cause, new fire com- panies have often been formed and organized, but as often have become disorganized and disbanded after a brief period of activity and enthusiasm. The old fire-engines are still in existence and in possession of the borough ; but at the present time the people of Brownsville have no adequate means of preventing an accidental fire from becoming a general conflagra- tion if it should occur at a time when all the con- ditions are favorable to cause such a catastrophe.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.

THIE MONONGAHELA NATIONAL BANK OF BROWNSVILLE.

This institution was identical with the old Monon- gahela Bank of Brownsville, which went into opera- tion (though then unchartered) in 1812 under the following

" Articles of Association of the Monongahela Bank of Browns- ville.

" To all persons to whom these presents may come or in any way concern : Be it known that we, the subseribers, believing that the establishment of nn association in the town of Browns- ville for the purpose of raising a fund in order to assist the Farmer, Manufacturer, Mechanic, Trader, and Exporter in the purchase of sueb articles as they respectively raise, manufac- ture, denl in, or export will more effectually tend to bring inte active operation the resources of the western conntry, will ma- terially assist the spirit of enterprise and improvements in commerco, manufactures, and the mechanic arts hy affording to all facility in the prosecution of their business, have asso- ciated and do hereby associate and forin ourselves into a com- pany to be called the Monongahela Bank of Brownsville.

"The following persons are hereby constituted and appointed Directors of the said Bank, and shall continue to hold their re- spective offices until the first Monday of April, 1813 :

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BROWNSVILLE BOROUGH AND TOWNSHIP.

DIRECTORS.

" William Hogg. Joseph Thornton. Jonathan Miller.

Charles Shaffner.

Robert Clarke.

Thomas MeKibben.

Israel Gregg.

William Ewing.

Jonah Cadwalader.

Samuel Jackson.

Elisha Hunt.

Jacob Bowman.

Zephaniah Beall, Esq., of Washington County."

These articles were adopted May 12, 1812, and signed by one hundred and fifty-six stockholders, including the directors above named. The capital stock was $500,000, in 10,000 shares of $50 each, "of which 4000 shares were immediately offered, and the remaining 6000 shares were reserved for future dis- position, whereof 2500 shares were apportioned for the use of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania."

Under these articles a limited business was done until 1814, when a charter was obtained. The follow- ing notice appeared in the Genius of Liberty of Sep- tember 14th of that year :

" MONONGAHELA BANK OF BROWNSVILLE.

" The subscribers, heing authorized by Letters Patent from the Government of this Commonwealth incorporating said Bank, do hereby give notice to all persons who have subscribed for stock therein to attend at the Banking-House in Browns- ville on Thursday, the sixth day of October next, at ten o'clock A.M., for the purpose of electing thirteen directors and fixing upon the Seite of said Bank.

" NATHANIEL BREADING, WILLIAM LYNN,

" MICHAEL SOWERS, ISRAEL MILLER,

" WILLIAM TROTH,

GEORGE DAWSON,

" LEWIS SWEITZER."

The first election under the charter was held on the 6th of October, 1814. Jacob Bowman was elected president, William Troth cashier, and William Blair clerk. On the 8th of December, in the same year, the directors of the old association voted to discon- tinue operations and transfer its effects and business to the chartered institution.

On the next day (December 9th) the bank com- menced business under the charter.1 The office was on Front Street, in the building now occupied by Dr. C. C. Richard. In that building the business of the bank was transacted for nearly sixty years, until the removal to the present banking-house in 1873.

Jacob Bowman continued as president of the bank from its incorporation until Sept. 26, 1843, when, on account of his advanced age and infirmities, he re- signed, and was succeeded by his son, James L. Bow- man, who held the position until his death, March 21, 1857. Goodloe H. Bowman was then elected presi- dent, and remained in that office until February, 1874, when he died. He was succeeded (February 24th) by George E. Hogg, who is the present presi- dent.

William Troth, the first cashier, died in July, 1816,

1 The first issue of notes of this bank (ordered filled and signed Oct. 21, 1814) was in amount $39,415, viz. : 1986 tens, 1986 twenties, and 5967 fives.

and on the 23d of that month John T. McKennan was elected. He held the position until his death, Sept. 18, 1830, and on the 28th of the same month Goodloe H. Bowman was elected cashier. He re- signed March 29, 1842, and David S. Knox (who had for some years acted as teller) was elected cashier. Upon his death, in November, 1872, William Parkhill was elected cashier, and filled the position till Febru- ary, 1880, when he resigned, and on the 2d of March following William M. Ledwith (who had been teller since 1854) was elected cashier, and still holds the position.

In January, 1864, the institution, having conformed to the requirements of the National Banking law, was reorganized as the Monongahela National Bank of Brownsville, with an authorized capital of $500,000, and a paid in capital of 8200,000. The bank, from the time of its chartering in 1814 until the present (with the exception of about three months in the year 1837) has redeemed its notes in coin.

The present bank building, located on the corner of Market Street and Bowman's Alley, was built and occupied in the fall of 1873. It is an exceedingly fine brick structure, about forty-four by sixty feet in size, and two stories high. The banking-room is twenty feet in height, finely decorated and furnished. The cost of the building was $36,000, including the lot.

The present officers of the bank are the following : George E. Hogg, president; William M. Ledwith, cashier; Samuel P. Knox, teller; Directors, George E. Hogg, John R. Dutton, Jacob Sawyer, John John- ston, N. B. Bowman, W. P. Searight, W. K. Gallaher, Isaac C. Woodward, Eli J. Bailey, James L. Bowman, H. B. Cook, W. S. Craft, William M. Ledwith.

THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF BROWNSVILLE.

This bank was organized Aug. 18, 1863, under the National Banking law, which was passed for the pur- pose of establishing a uniform currency throughout the whole country, and to aid the government in its great struggle against the Rebellion. It was among the earliest of the banks which went into operation under that law, as is shown by its charter-number, 135. The gentleman to whom the bank owes its ex- istence more than to any other is its present presi- dent, Mr. J. T. Rogers.

The Monongahela Bank, from a very early period in the history of banking in Western Pennsylvania down to the present time, enjoyed the patronage of all this end of Fayette County and that part of Wash- ington County adjoining Brownsville on the west and north, so that when Mr. Rogers projected his plan of formning a new bank under the national law it en- countered obstacles and opposition. But Mr. Rogers, who is a gentleman of resolute purpose, was unde- terred by obstacles, and the First National Bank be- came a fixed fact. After getting enlisted in his pro- . ject all the men of means he could, all the stock he

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HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

could raise after a thorough canvass of the moneyed men of the place was about forty thousand dollars, ten thousand less than was necessary to organize under the law. But Mr. Rogers was not to be foiled in his undertaking, and he, with two others, Robert Rogers and William H. Clarke, promptly subscribed what was lacking, and the bank was organized as above stated.

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History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 102

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885 Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co. Number of Pages: 1314

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 1314