History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 128

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 128

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1 By M. M. Hopwood.

" The panie of this township, originally George, has become by general usage Georges, and the la. ter is therefore adopted in this history.

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GEORGES TOWNSHIP.

broken the metallic lustre can be seen on every face of the fracture. It is stated that the Indians had a lead-mine in this township, and used the lead in moulding bullets. Evidently it must have been very pure ore, or it would not have been either possible or expedient to have used it as we use merchantable lead. Upon several occasions the Browns and other very early settlers attempted to find out the locality of this mine, for lead was in demand on the frontier ; but, owing to the fact that they risked their lives if found watching the Indians, they never succeeded in finding the treasure for which they sought.

The earliest settlement of which any positive in- formation can be gathered is that which was made upon the land now owned by Mr. Joel Leatherman. This settlement was made probably as early as 1730, which is demonstrated from the following facts: The grandfather of Basil Brownfield settled in this county soon after Braddock's defeat, say 1760; he lived to be a very old man, and Mr. Basil Brownfield said that when he was a little boy he often heard his grand- father and father mention the French village which had once stood upon the Leatherman farm. At some time, early in the eighteenth century, a party of Frenchmen settled there and built a village; they were on good terms with the Indians, and to some extent intermarried with them. They were a pro- gressive and intelligent community, and immediately began to improve their new home. After having re- sided there a number of years, they from some cause vacated the premises, and when the next white settlers came upon the scene, some thirty years later, the vil- lage had gone to wreck, and a dense thicket had taken its place.

Towards the close of the century Mr. Joel Leather- man's father purchased the tract of land from Richard Reed, and soon thereafter they proceeded to grub the thicket of hazel-bushes, and after due preparation it was sowed in grass. Upon plowing it they found the remains of the houses, one of which had a solid stone foundation and a floor of stone. Some articles of crockery-ware were also found, and irons of peculiar device; the remnant of what had been a well ; also a macadamized road running through the farm; and upon opening the coal-bank near by it was found that it had been mined before and considerable of coal used. To make all of these improvements would re- quire a good many years of labor for such a small colony, and the land, too, was densely overgrown with hazel-bushes when the first permanent settlers came into Fayette County. In order to have erected this village and added all the improvements it would, as we have stated, have required no brief time; then after it had been abandoned it must have taken a series of years to have reduced such durable build- ings to ruins so that a thicket might spring up and occupy the place where the buildings had been erected. All of which would tend to impress us with

the fact that there were settlers of our own color in this county long before the coming of the permanent settlers, such as the Browns, Gists, and others. What the name of this French village was we never may know, neither can we expect to learn of the particu- lars as to the length of its duration or the causes which led to its abandonment; yet it is a satisfaction to know that there were white people who had a home in these beautiful valleys a century and a half ago. In addition to this fact, Georges township has the credit of one of the earliest permanent set- tlers. As early as 1752 or 1753, Wendall Brown and his three sons, Maunus, Thomas, and Adam, settled in Provance's Bottom, on the Monongahela River, but changed very soon to Georges and Union town- ships, where some of their descendants yet live. The change from the place of their original settlement was brought about by the Indians, who assured them that their new home, in what is now Georges town- ship, would be better, the land being, as they said, much richer. When Washington surrendered Fort Necessity in 1754 the Browns accompanied him and his troops back to their old Virginia home, but a few years thereafter returned to their former frontier home, after Gen. Forbes had reinstated the English dominion.

In 1787 the number of property-owners in Georges township had increased until there were more than two hundred, as follows: Jacob Abraham, Ichabod Ashcraft, Daniel Ashcraft, Richard Ashcraft, Riah Ashcraft, Robert Allison, John Archer, William Archer, Robert Brownfield, Charles Brownfield, Bazil Bowell, Alexander Buchanan, Joseph Boultinghouse, John Boultinghouse, John Bell, Humphrey Bell, Eze- kiel Barnes, Sylvanus Barnes, Jeremiah Bock, Cathe- rine Bavens, Peter Byrnhardt, Samuel Bovey, Melchior Baker, John Carr, Moses Carr, Thomas Carr, Elijah Carr, Absalom Carr, Joseph Coombs, John Coombs, William Coombs, Edward Coombs, Jr., George Conn, William Cubert, William Cross, John Chadwick, John Coon, James Calvin, Christley Coffinan, Jr., Edward Coombs, Sr., Owen Davis, James Dale, Roger Dough- erty, William Downard, Jacob Downard, James Downard, Benjamin Davis, John Drake, Samuel Drake, James Dummons, Evan Davis, William Davis, Lewis Davis, Sarah Drake, Thomas Downard, John D. Duval, Peter Edwards, Benjamin Everett, Henry Efford, John Fowler, John Finley, Daniel Ferrel, William Forsythe, Mark Graham, Daniel Green, William Green, Uriah Glover, James Graham, Charles Glover, Moses Gard, William Graham, John Graham, Benjamin Hardin, John Hntson, John Hustead, Mat- thias Hawfield, Peter Hawfield, Catherine ITawfield, Elizabeth Hawfield, Thomas Heddy, Sr., Thomas Ileddy, Jr., James Heddy, John Hayden, John Har- rison, John Harnet, James Hay, William Hoagland, Isaac Hoagland, Robert Hannah, David Johns, John Jenkins, Philip Jenkins, James Jameson, "Little"

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HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Daniel Johnston, James John, John Jackson, Henry Jennings, Joseph Kinnison, James Kinnison, Sr., James Kinnison, Jr., James Lupton, Alexander Mc- Donald, Isaac McDonald, David McDonald, Mary McDonald, John McDowell, Arthur McChristy, Abra- ham MeCafferty, William Mininger, Daniel Minson, David Meredith, Daniel Moxford, William Mitchell, John Moore, Rachel McDonald, Adam McCarty, James McClean, Sr., James McClean, Jr., Alexander McPherson, Jeremiah McDonald, John McDow, Ste- phen Mackey, George Main, William Nixon, Christo- pher Noon, Allen Oliver, James Orr, John Phillips, Isaac Phillips, Thomas Phillips, Jenkins Phillips, Benjamin Phillips, Richard Poundstone, John Pat- terson, William Patterson, John Pierson, John Quar- den, Adam Quarden, Richard Reed, Thomas Reed, Samuel Reed, Caleb Reed, Andrew Reed, Giles Reed, Thomas Reed, Jr., Robert Ritchey, James Robinson, Joshua Robinson, Henry Robinson, William Robin- son, Philip Rogers, Sr., Philip Rogers, Jr., Henry Rogers, William Rhoades, Jacob Riffle, Nathaniel Reeves, Jonathan Rees, William Salli-bury, John Shacklet, Peter Smith, Charles Smith, Henry Smith, Philip Smith, Phelty Smith, George Smith, Corbet Smith, William Smith, Andrew Smith, G. Sangston, Zadoe Springer, John Street, John Shanks, Peter Snider, Joseph Stillwell, Jacob Southard, John Scott, Basil Sillwood, Samuel Stephens, Philip Slick, James Steel, William Sharon, Obadiah Truax, Hendrick Taylor, John Taylor, John Tucker, Joseph Thomas, George Tobin, Levi Thomas, U. Vandeventer, James White, John White, Sr., John White, Jr., James White, Jr., Levi Wells, Samuel Woodbridge, James Walker, William Welsh, William Watson, Jesse Worthington, Zachariah Wheat, Abraham White, Isaac White, Daniel Wood, David Wood, Ruth White, Ephraim Woodruff, Jesse York, Jeremiah York.

The quota of tax for Georges township in 1796 was 8272.57. In 1808 it had increased to $337, and had nine mills, five forges and furnaces, three tan-yards, seven distilleries and breweries, four hundred and ninety-two horses, five hundred and eight cattle ; the total amount of the assessment being $223,660. The number of acres of land taken up in 1796 was more than twenty-three thousand. In 1810 the population was two thousand and eighty-six. In 1820, when the census was taken, it was found that there was a de- crease of fifty-five in the population. At the next census of 1530 the population was two thousand four hundred and sixteen.

OLD ROADS.

Georges township has the honor of the first road after Fayette County was organized. An old trail, known as the "Cherokee" or "Catawba Trail," ran through Georges township, entering Fayette County at Grassy Run, in Springhill township, and passing through the land of Charles Griffin by Long's Mill, Ashcraft's Fort, Philip Rogers' (now Alfred Stewart's),

William James'; thence through the remaining por- tion of Georges township almost on a line with the present Morgantown road. It was on this trail that the Grassy Run road was laid ont. It was confirmed and ordered opened up, thirty-three feet wide, at March ses- sions, 1784, which was the second sessions of the court. At the previous sessions the view had been prayed for, and Empson Brownfield, Henry Beeson, James Neal, John Swearingen, and Aaron Moore appointed viewers. The "Sandy Creek" road was in existence long before Fayette County came into being. It came from the Ten-Mile settlement in Greene County, crossing the Monongahela River at Hyde's Ferry, and thence passing through Haydentown to David John's mill ; thence up Laurel Hill, through the Sandy Creek settlement, to Daniel MePeck's and on to Virginia. It was by this road that Rev. Joseph Doddridge traveled in 1774 when he made his tour west of the Allegheny Mountains, at which time he preached at the Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church, in Springhill township, near New Geneva, After the organization of the county this was the second road viewed and ordered opened by the court. This was opened as so ordered Dec. 28, 1785. The viewers were Zadoc Springer, Philip Jenkins, John Hill, Owen Davis, and Wil- liam Hill.

ASHCRAFT'S TORT.

On the property now owned by Mrs. Evans Willson, in this township, and on the line of the Cherokee trail, stood the Ashcraft fort. To this place of refuge the settlers were accustomed to flee when Indian diffi- culties were feared. It was named after Ichabod Ashcraft, who took up this property (199; acres, called " Buffalo Pasture"), receiving his warrant for it, dated May 20, 1770. Here they built their fort near a bubbling spring. Long since the fort has disappeared, but the spring gushes forth to the sunlight just as it did a century and a quarter ago. The fort was built on the same plan as other early forts,-the second story projected out about one foot over the lower, so that in case the Indians should attempt to fire the fort they could be readily shot from the loop-holes above. There was a stockade of an acre with a ditch and picket-line for the purpose of protecting the stock from the depredations of the savages. It is related that one morning Mrs. Rachel Ashcraft was awakened by the call of a turkey gob- bier. She told her husband that she believed she would go out and kill it. Her husband said she had better not, it might be an Indian. The call was re- peated, and Mrs. Ashcraft cautiously opened one of the port-holes and looked out. Presently the call of the turkey gobbler was repeated, and then out came the head of an Indian to see if any one was stirring in the fort. She quietly took down her trusty rifle, and the next time he gave the call and protruded his head from behind the tree she sent a bullet through his head, striking him square between the eyes. Ash- craft's fort was built at the crossing of two Indian

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trails. At this cross-roads suicides were buried, in conformity with an old English custom. It is said that the Indian shot by Mrs. Ashcraft was interred at this place. It is also related (but how truly is not known) that he was skinned, and his skin tanned and made into razor strops, which were distributed among the settlers as trophies.

In the valley, near Fort Gaddis, Daniel Boone and his companions encamped when on their way to the Western wilds. This was previous to the year 1770. Mr. Basil Brownfield said that an old man who died a great many years ago-in fact, soon after the com- mencement of this century-informed him that he saw Daniel Boone when he was camped near Gaddis' Fort.

There was an Indian village near where Abraham Brown now lives, four miles west from Uniontown, and there was an Indian burying-ground near the village. In this graveyard some bones of immense size have been found, indicating an unusual height for the person when alive.

HAYDENTOWN.

This town is located upon a tract of land known as Haydenberg, which was patented by John Hayden in 1787. Haydentown was laid out soon after 1790, and at first bore the name of Georgetown. By deed for one-fourth of an acre of ground, lying in George- town, from Robert and Mary Peoples, dated Nov. 20, 1793, we learn that there was a forge there then, and one of the boundaries in the description is Forge Street. Robert Peoples evidently owned much of the land, and may have laid out the town. The forge spoken of is evidently the same one which was sold to Hayden and Nicholson in the previous spring.

John Hayden was the son of William Hayden, who came from the East to Georges township in 1781. His mother was a daughter of a wealthy merchant of Philadelphia by the name of Nichol- son. We believe that it was Mr. Nicholson's son who was State comptroller, and embarked with John Hayden in the iron manufacturing business. In the town uamed in honor of John Hayden there was more iron made in ISIO than in the city of Pitts- burgh, the iron being worked into hoes, axes, sickles, scythes, log-chains, trace-chains, etc. The subject of this brief notice was a good soldier in the war of 1776, and an estimable and energetic citizen there- after, doing much to promote early industries. He raised a family of twenty-two children.

The first store ever kept in Haydentown was prob- ably that of Jesse Evans, who had one there about the year 1800. Since then Joseph Kyle and James D. Low have had stores.

In 1818, Jehu Shadrack was making scythes and edge-tools in Haydentown. Samuel Anderson learned the trade under him, and followed it successfully at Haydentown and at his stand on the Morgantown

road. Mr. Shadrack also carried on the wagon- making business.

James Miller had a powder-mill here in IS10. IIe pulverized the charcoal by hand in a mortar, and made both rifle and blasting powder. He also made grindstones, and he was the man who took a stone such as he used for grindstones and cut the inserip- tion upon it and put it up at his own expense to mark the last resting-place of the murdered Polly Williams.

The Haydentown flouring-mill was built about 1775. It was afterwards owned by Philip Jenkins, who received it from his father, John Jenkins. In February, 1790, it was sold to Jonathan Reese. March 7, 1792, Reese disposed of it to Robert Peoples, who remained in possession of it for a number of years. Afterwards it was owned by William Nixon, Abra- ham Stewart, John Oliphant, Jehu Shadrack, An- drew MeClelland, Joseph Davison, Philip Victor (who remodeled it), and the present owner, William Swaney. This was one of the very earliest flouring- mills west of the mountains. Previous to its erection it was the custom to go to Cumberland for flour.

Public-houses were kept by William Spear, James Miller, George Nixon, Matthew Doran, - Davis, Joseph Vietor, Otho Rhoades, Jacob Kyle, and Joseph Kyle. The first school ever taught in Haydentown was taught by Andrew Stewart, before 1810.

For a number of years, commencing about 1825, Rev. Peter T. Laishly held religious service in the house of Philip Victor, and organized what was called the "Bible Christian," or "New Light Church." Some years afterwards he left the New Lights, and connected himself with the Methodist Protestant Church, and preached for that denomination for a number of years. About fifteen years ago the ad- herents to this church succeeded in building a house of worship in Haydentown.

In the vicinity of Haydentown was the old Fair- view Furnace, previously known as the " Mary Ann" Furnace, with considerable settlement clustered about it. At this place Melchior Baker manufactured guns about the year 1800. Abraham Stewart made knives, forks, spades, shovels, stirrups, bridle-bits, tracc- chains, etc. He was what was called a whitesmith, Col. John Morgan and the Hon. Andrew Stewart (son of Abraham ) both learned the trade of whitesmith in Stewart's factory. Here at the Mary Ann Furnace, which ran about a ton and a half of metal daily, the pig-metal was converted into salt-kettles, tea-kettles, etc. These were usually taken to New Geneva, and shipped by the river down to New Orleans. They were also sent to Canada. At that time there were eight or ten moulding-shops there in full operation. The place is now but a ruin of what was once a pros- perous and thrifty village.

Not far from Haydentown is the Woods tannery, which was built by George Patterson about 1825.

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HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

He was succeeded by Charles Brownfield, Zadoe Brownfield, Henry Stimple, George Woods, and Smith Fuller, and William H. Baily. Dr. Smith Fuller is now the proprietor. The new tannery was built about 1857.

Before 1800 Joseph Page had a carding-machine above where Smith Brownfield now has one. The new one of Brownfield's was built in 1868. There was one other before that, located farther up the Pine Grove Run ; it was built by Alexander Brownfield.

IRON INDUSTRIES.

This township was one of the first west of the Alle- gheny Mountains to introduce the manufacture of iron. Here, about the year 1790, Thomas Lewis built the old Pine Grove Forge, which was located on the Pine Grove Run, on the property now owned by Mr. Thomas Farr. The first mention of the old Pine Grove Forge is in the minutes of the Mount Moriah Baptist Church, in Smithfield, showing that Richard Reed had loaned Thomas Lewis one hundred pounds of Pennsylvania money, and was to receive in pay- ment four tons of iron from his forge. Previous to this he had been making iron, and Mr. Basil Brown- field said that he had always understood from old people that Pine Grove was the very first forge west of the Alleghenies, and Mr. Brownfield was raised at Smithfield, but a few miles from the location of this forge, and could remember back as far as 1800. Jacob Searing, when a very old man, informed Joseph Hiekle that he dug ore for Thomas Lewis for a num- ber of years before he failed, and the failure occurred in 1799. The earliest mention of this forge which we find upon the county records is in a mortgage made by Thomas Lewis to Philip Jenkins, of Georges town- ship, in 1796, which embraced "all that certain traet of land, located in Georges township adjoining lands of Joseph Stillwell, John Shacklet, the heirs of Augustus Smith, and William Davis, with his forge, houses, and all manner of buildings." All of this tract of land was held by warrant and improvement.

At this forge, by the use of charcoal, they worked the raw ore into bar iron of unusual toughness. The ore used was specially adapted to their crude process, and was excellent when made into bar iron; it was what is known as the " Red Short ;" the thickness of the vein is about two and one-half feet.

The forge property was finally sold at sheriff's sale to Isaac Sutton, for one hundred and forty-five dol- lars. After this sale by the sheriff in 1800 we find that Thomas Lewis mortgaged one-half of a four-hundred- acre tract, upon which was erected a forge, dwelling- house, etc. This tract was located on Georges Creek.

About the year 1789, John Hayden dug out what he supposed was limestone from the creek-bed of a tributary to Georges Creek, in Georges township. The location is said to have been on the line which divided the properties of the late F. H. Oliphant and Rev. Isaac Wynn. Ile attempted to burn his sup-

posed limestone, but found it would not work ; taking some of it he went to an old blacksmith-shop which stood at the corner of an orchard on the property of Richard Reed, bought by the Leathermans in 1799, and at present in the possession of Mr. Joel Leather- man. Here he soon discovered that the supposed limestone was iron ore of the best quality. After making his discovery, Mr. Hayden hurried off to Philadelphia to see if lie could there interest some wealthy person or persons in the manufacture of iron. We find he was successful in his efforts, for in 1792, March 31st, he entered into partnership with John Nicholson, State comptroller, under articles of agree- ment, by which a forge and a furnace were to be built and put in operation on land which had been pur- chased by Hayden, and on other lands in Georges township to be purchased of Joseph Huston, then sheriff of Fayette County. The result of this agree- ment, the completion of Hayden's forge, but failure to finish the contemplated furnace, will be found more fully mentioned in another part of this work, in the account of iron and iron-works in the county, as will also be found separate mention of the old " Fair- field," the " Mary Ann," the " Fairchance," and Oli- phant's Iron-Works, which were erected at different periods in Georges township.

COKE MANUFACTURE.

This business has recently taken rapid, progressive strides in this township, and it is only a question of a few years until there will be a continuous line of ovens through Georges township, along the line of the Southwest Railway. Already the Fairchance Iron Company have ovens manufacturing coke, which they consume in the furnace. The "Fayette Coke and Furnace Company" erected extensive coke-works in 1881 at Oliphant's, and have now one hundred and thirty ovens in successful operation.

The " Marie Coke-Works," owned and operated by Bliss & Marshall, of Uniontown, are located on Georges Creek, about half a mile from Fairchance, on the land known as the Jacob Kyle farm, which is one of the finest mineral farms in Fayette County. Fifty or sixty acres lie on water-level. The ores are of superior quality,-Blue Lump, Big Bottom, and Red Flag,-all of them the finest of blue carbonates. The coal is worked from crop. The land on which this plant is located is admirably adapted in every respect for furnaces and for the manufacture of coke, being abundantly supplied with pure water from copious springs and from Georges Creek, which runs through the farm. The present number of ovens at these works is sixty, which will be increased to one hun- dred, giving employment to about forty men.

MILLS.

One of the earliest industries of the township was the erection of mills. One of the first mills west of the mountains was that at Georgetown, now Hayden-

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town. Before the erection of this mill, and Beeson's, at Uniontown, the people went to Fort Cumberland for their flour. This mill was built, it is said, by Robert Peoples and Jonathan Reese, two of the most energetic business men of the frontier conntry. It was in existence at the opening of the Revolutionary war, and was owned by Philip Jenkins as early as 1787. Other proprietors have been William Nixon, Andrew Stewart, John Oliphant, Jehu Shadrack, who was succeeded by Andrew McClelland. Philip Victor, when he came into possession of it, remodeled it and sold it to Jehu Shadrack, after which it passed into the hands of William Swaney, who operated it a number of years, but long since it was allowed to pass into disuse, and is now but a remembrance of what it was in past years.

Near Smithfield, Jonathan Reese built a saw-mill before 1790, and it was at this mill that the timber was sawed for the Mount Moriah Baptist Church in 1785. At first horse-power was used; afterwards they substituted water-power for its propulsion.

Nixon's mill, now Abel's mill, was built before the year 1800. It was originally constructed by Moses Nixon, who disposed of it to Jefferson Nixon, after which it passed into the hands of Pierce Vernon and John Vernon, then J. Mackeldowney, who sold it to Bryson Abel, and it still remains in the possession of this family. This was an excellent flouring-mill in its time.

The Ruble mill was originally the property of Me- shack Davis and Jesse Evans, and was a log struc- ture. After Davis and Evans sold it, Lyons and Thomas Batt came into possession, and they sold to Nathaniel G. Hurst. In 1844, Mr. Hurst had the new mill built upon the site of the old one, the millwright being William S. Barnes. The contractors upon the framework were Robert Britt and Robert Britt, Jr. The mill was remodeled by Mr. Mickey. Mr. Hurst traded it to George T. Paull for a farm in Dunbar township about the year 1858. Mr. Paull disposed of it to William Mock, of Westmoreland County, from whom the present owner, Mr. Jacob Ruble, pur- chased it. He has remodeled it recently. It has been a good mill, and the water supply is sufficient to run it all the year.

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History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 128

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