History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 137

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 137

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Youghiogheny and Cheat Rivers drain the town- ship. Beaver Creek, west of Laurel Hill, Mill, Hall, and Tub-Mill Runs, east, fall into the Youghio- gheny, while Cheat receives from the southwest Lit- tle Sandy and Glade Runs; both rise in the edge of the township. The rapid fall in the Youghiogheny and these different runs offer many splendid sites for mills or factories. The soil is principally a clay loam on the hills and a sand loam along the streams and on the chestnut ridges of the mountain. Oak is the main timber, next chestnut, then small quantities of sugar, poplar, wild-cherry, dogwood, sycamore, and walnut. Originally it was a very heavy timbered region, but much of it has been cut, yet a large amount remains. Coal exists throughout the township, but in many places the veins are only from fifteen to eighteen inches thick. The Upper Freeport coal-vein, about four feet thick, is found on Hall's Run, Beaver Creek, along the river, and near Markleysburg. Above the river, north of the National road, the Philson coal- vein, two feet thick, is found, and close to the Horse- Shoe Bend the Berlin coal-vein, two feet thick, is found. South of Somerfield, and on land of H. J. and J. J. Easter and Susan Lenhart, are found veins of bituminous coal six feet six inches in thickness.

The coal is of excellent quality, and has been mined here for more than forty years. The principal supply of coal for the villages of Somerfield and Jockey Val- ley, as well as for much of the surrounding country, comes from these mines.

On the same lands there is found a vein of excel- lent iron ore, which is utilized to some extent, and which will be of great valne if railroad facilities should be extended to this township.

The Mahoning sandstone is found in many places, and from twenty to fifty feet thick. Traces of the Morgantown sandstone are found, and other good building rock. The silicious limestone is found on Beaver Creek, well exposed, and also exists in the river hills in veins five to six feet thick, in bowlders or chunks.

Fruits, especially apples, do well throughout the whole township. Peaches are injured by the borer, and do not yield a regular crop. Pears, plums, and cherries do well, and grapes are a never-failing crop. Berries are an abundant crop.

Wheat yields from six to fourteen bushels per acre. Forty years ago it was supposed it could not be grown, but a better system of farming than what prevailed then shows that it can be raised. Rye, corn, buck- wheat, and oats are raised, while potatoes are the staple crop. The soil, improved by limning and well farmed, would give better results than have yet been attained; but the high elevation of the township above the ocean, with its length of winter season, will always keep most of its productions below the average of lower localities. The township is well adapted to grazing and dairying. The climate is very healthy, from the high elevation, pure air, absence of swamps, and the best of water. The winter season commences with early frosts about two weeks sooner, and ends with rough weather two weeks later than in any other part of the county outside of the other mountain townships.

The township contains two villages,-Jockey Valley, on the National road, within one mile of the river, in the southeastern part, and Markleysburg, in the south- ern part, one mile and a half southwest of the Na- tional road. In 1870 the population was 951, of . which 15 were foreign born, and all whites. In 1880 the population was 1232, including Markleysburg, the population of which was 77.

The Indian path known as Nemacolin's trail was the route of the old Braddock road through the town- ship, and where it crosses the river, a half-mile up the river from the Smithfield bridge, on a high hill on lands of J. J. Easter, were several Indian graves. At Sloan's Ford an Indian trail crossed the river, and on land of Charles Tissue, on a beautiful knoll, was a stone pile or Indian grave. Mr. Tissue opened it and found a very large skull, apparently that of an Indian. The body had been laid down on the ground and stones set up edgewise along each side of the body, and then flat stones laid over them, and then about a wagon-

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load of stones gathered and laid over them. The In- dians only used this region as a hunting-ground, and never killed any settlers in the township.

Gen. Braddock's first camp in Fayette was at the Twelve Springs, near Job Clark's tavern stand. Per- sons have doubted his camping here, as the place does not suit the description of his first camp, but John E. Stone took the description, and after a full day's ex- ploration found the place to agree with it in every particular.

PIONEERS AND EARLY SETTLEMENTS.

In 1768, John Penn granted to Chew & Wilcox several large traets of land in the township. These proprietary (preferred) grants comprised three hun- dred and thirty-two acres on the head-waters of Bea- ver Creek, close to the Glover school-house, called Beaver Dam, a tract on Hall's Run, above W. Barnes, one hundred and fifty acres near the river at Conflu- ence, three hundred and thirty-seven acres back of J. J. Easter's, running to the Maryland line, and over two thousand acres on Glade Run, near the corner- stone in the boundary line of Maryland and West Virginia.

Enoch Leonard was supposed to have been here about 1770. He lived within two or three miles of Sloan's Ford. His wife was Lydia Fish. His son Enoch married Henry Abram's sister, and went to Virginia. His daughter Charity married Joshua Jones, Elizabeth married a man by the name of Clay, and Lydia married Job Clark.

one else) a very convincing argument. Moses Hall had a son Ephraim, and his son Squire kept tavern after him. Joseph Liston and Planeet came with Moses Hall. Andrew Flanigan from near Farming- ton, where his father, David Flanigan, lived. He married Isabella Clark about 1799. He was often iu Henry Clay township when a mere child. He was in the war of 1812 under Capt. Andrew Moore. He kept on Braddock and National roads, in the same house. Clark Flanigan, one of his sons, married Mary Roberts and lives above Sloan's Ford, quite an old man, possessed of a good memory of the past.

John Sloan was the ancestor of the Sloans, Sloan's Ford being named after him. He came from Ireland about 1787, then disposed of his property to Sebastiau Tissue, and removed with his family to Maryland, where he died. Of his family, William, David, Mar- garet, and Sarah returned to Henry Clay. William had two sons, Henry and James, and two daughters, Eliza and Sarah. The latter married Jonathan But- ler, and is now living near the ford.

John Potter came from New Jersey to Henry Clay (then Wharton) in January, 1787. In 1797 he married Elizabeth Callaghan. John and George, their oldest children, went to Ohio, and died there. Elizabeth married Capt. J. Wickline, and died in Illinois; Ann married a Mr. Hathinson; Samuel married Sarah Leonard, and lives in Stewart township ; Amos, the youngest, lives in Wharton, now seventy-four years of age. John Potter was justice of the peace for many years, and lived on the Braddock road. He was a wheelwright in New Jersey, and the British burned his shop. He built the first bridge near Somerfield, which was burnt. He was the author of a work of two hundred pages called "Potter's In- quiry." He was said to have been in the Revolu- tionary war. He was born in 1748, and died in 1826.

Henry Abrams came soon after Leonard. Job Clark came about 1778. He left home on account of his step-mother and enlisted in the American army, and claimed to have fought at Bunker Hill. He was a small man, with black hair and blue eyes; born in Connecticut, and married Lydia Leonard about 1779 or '80, and built his tavern soon after at the Twelve John Burnworth came in 1792 from Lancaster County. He settled near Fairview Church. He was born in 1767, and died in 1848. His wife was Han- nah Hinebaugh. Their children were John R. (whose son is Rev. P. Burnworth), James (who married a cousin to Judge Shipley), Mary, Barbara, George, Christopher, Jonathan, Ziba {who lives near Fair- view Church), Susan (the widow of Peter Lenhart, the tavern-keeper), Keziah, Rhoda (who married Julius Kemp, of Somerfield), and Rheuma (who married Charles Tissue, near Sloan's Ford). Springs. He was born in 1758, and died in 1842. The Hon. Andrew Stewart secured a pension of ninety- six dollars a year for him. His son Job was killed at the Inks tavern, in Wharton, by his team running away. Leonard married Hannah, daughter of Ben- jamin Price, Esq., and went West. Isabella married Andrew Flanigan, and Sallie married John Collier, who kept tavern at Mount Angusta. Moses Hall was supposed to have come here about 1785. He oeca- sionally preached to the people of the surrounding country, though it does not appear that he was very In 1800, Ephraim Vansiekle came to where A. B. Bradley now lives, close to Jockey Valley. His wife was Anna Robison. They came from New Jersey. Ephraim, one of their sons, is the hotel-keeper at Som- erfield, and previously kept at Jockey Valley. much gifted in that direction. On one occasion he closed one of his sermons in this way. "Suppose," he said, "that all the men in the world were put into one man, all the rivers into one river, all the trees into one tree, and all the axes into one axe ; that the John O'Hegarty came from Lebanon, Pa. He bought the Mount Augusta farm, which was formerly the Daniel Collin stand in the days of the staging on the National road. There were stables for seventy-five one man should take the one axe and cut down the one tree, so that it would fall into the one river, what a splish, splash, and splatter dash there would be!" No doubt this was thought (by himself if by no . horses then. This property is the highest point on

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HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

the road in this county, and commands a magnificent view of the Alleghenies.

Before 1800 Charles Shipley came from Baltimore to near Fairview Church. His sons were William, Charles, and James. Sebastian Tissue married Su- sannah Haines. He was at Sloan's Ford at this time, and was in the war of 1812. His son Charles still lives at the ford. He had also three daughters,- Ursula, married James Lalon ; Rachel, married Amos Butler; Nancy, married David Thorp. There are many descendants of Charles Shipley in Henry Clay and other parts of the county, among whom is the Hon. Samuel Shipley, of Uniontown, who was justice years, and associate judge five years.

The old roads in the township were : 1st, Brad- of the peace for ten years, county commissioner three dock's; 2d, Turkey Foot road, from Confluence by

In 1807 Michael Thomas was living near Markleys- burg. He came from Somerset, and married Magda- lena Maust. One of his sons, Michael, lives near the home-place, an intelligent old gentleman. Isaac Umbel, the ancestor of the Umbels in the township, came about this time. His wife's name was Nancy Campbell. Andrew, his oldest son, lives near Mark- leysburg, and William, another son, lives on the National road.

In 1815 James Thorp was living on Beaver Creek, and in 1820 John Hall, Joseph Hall, John Show, Thomas and James Laland, and John Lechner were here. Lechner shot his son one evening in the brush, taking him for a deer. In 1832 Amos Glover and his wife, Eliza Gilmore, came here from Virginia. In 1852 Andrew Boyd came from Stewart, and about 1858 Jacob Staup came from Maryland. In 1818 William Chidester came to settle where W. T. Reck- ner now lives, near Fairview Church. John Lenhart

came from Maryland and settled in Henry Clay | through lands of Jacob Humberston ; thence through about 1820.

John Easter came from Allegheny County, Md., about 1829, and settled on land purchased of William Butler, it being the same on which his son, J. J. Easter, now lives. Jacob Easter came from Maryland or Virginia and settled in Henry Clay about 1830.

John Griffin married Sarah Knotts, and came from Delaware about 1823. He bought the old Twelve Springs tavern, and lived in it till he built his stone tavern. His daughter Elizabeth now lives in it. Her | now stands on its site. Conaway moved from it to husband was Jacob Stone, a son of Squire Stone, of Greene County, John Barnes came in 1840 to near Jockey Valley. His son, J. P. Barnes, is a leading citizen.

Samuel Rush lived in Henry Clay township, on what is now the Flanigan farm. He was a contractor on the National road in 1832 and 1833. His son, Marker Rush, used to ride as a postilion ahead of the mail from Uniontown east in the days of the National road.

Israel Parnell came to Henry Clay in 1817 ; settled on the property now occupied by his son, Israel Par- nell. His three sons-Hiram, Jackson, and Israel- are now living in Henry Clay.

As late as 1824 wolves, panthers, and bears re- mained in the township. In that year a wolf chased Mrs. Elizabeth Stone, then a small girl, with her sis- ter, into the old Twelve Springs tavern, then kept round the house till it heard a horseman approaching. In the same year Michael Thomas, then a young man, with three dogs and a heavy cinb, killed a bear near Markleysburg, and Richard Hall in that sum- mer shot a panther. But since 1828 no wild animals but wildcats and deer have been known in the town- ship.

ROADS.

Sloan's Ford, past Liberty Church, past Potter's Mill, to Dunbar's Camp; 3d, Selbysport road, from Whar- ton, passing south of Markleysburg, -- often called Haydentown road; 4th, the National road.

Township roads: 1st, River road, from Somerfield to Liberty Church, connecting the National and Tur- key Foot roads; 2d, Beaver Creek road, from Griffin's stand, past Beaver Creek, and joining Turkey Foot road near Liberty Church ; and another branch from Beaver Creek, running into Stewart, to the Falls. And since these roads many minor roads have been laid out in different parts of the township.

Braddock's road entered the township about one- half mile up the river from the Widow Lenhart's, on lands of J. J. Easter. It passed from the ford down to the mouth of Hall's Run, or Jockey Valley, passing up Jockey Valley through T. Conaway's place ; thence through lands of William Umbel, passing within one- half mile of Markleysburg, through lands of Michael, and past the residence of George J. Thomas; thence lands of Squire O'Hegarty, the old Griffin place, and through lands of Andrew Moyes to the township line.

After 1790 wagons were put on the road, and regular tavern stands were established along the road. The first wagon-stand after crossing the river was at Jockey Valley, kept by Andrew Flanigan, a log building, still standing. The second stand was about one-half mile farther west, a log building, kept by John Conaway. The old Jockey Valley school-house

the National road when the latter was opened. The next stopping-point was Squire John Potter's, who from 1790 kept travelers till the road went down, but never had a license or followed it as a business. His house was of logs and stood about seventy yards south of William Umbel's residence on the National road, and during the time of the "Whiskey Insurrection" Potter was known as a government man, although owning a small still. "Tom the Tinker" sent him one or two threatening notices, but he gave no heed to them, and tradition has it that the party who ar- rested Col. Gaddis stopped at Potter's with him and stayed all night. When the road went down Potter moved to the house now occupied by William Umbel.

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The third wagon stand was Moses Hall's, over half a mile west of Squire John Potter's. Moses Hall kept tavern at an early day. His son Squire kept a short time before the road went down. The house was a large log house, which stood just across the road from George J. Thomas' residence. Thomas moved in it in 1864, and the next spring tore it down. Squire Hall built a brick addition of two rooms to it, but never put a roof on it.

The "Standing Rock" is nearly a mile west of the Hall stand, on Squire John O'Hegarty's land. It is a large rock fifteen feet high, resting on a bed rock six feet square in the ground. The Standing Rock com- mences small at the bottom (about two feet in diam- eter), widening out up to the bulge, and then, instead of drawing in, gets wider for three or four feet higher up, and presents a top level as a table and sixteen feet square.

On the road nearly one mile south of Squire O'Hegarty's, where the Widow Bird lives, and over a mile west of the Standing Rock, John Bower- master cleared land and kept and pastured pack- horses before there were wagons used on the road.

The fourth wagon stand was Job Clark's, or " The Twelve Springs," nearly two miles west of Bower- master's, a large log house and log barn, a stone spring-house, and stone game- and meat-house, and within a circle of three hundred yards twelve strong-flowing springs, and on the hillside Clark planted a large orchard.

The National road was built through this town- ship chiefly in 1816-17. In September, 1815, about six and a half miles of the road west of Smithfield was let by coutract. It reached the present Wharton line. The contractors were Hagan, Doherty, Mc- Glaughlin, and Nicholas Bradley, Aull, and Evans & Ramsey, and they sublet many parts. Kincaid, Beck & Evans built the Smithfield, or Somerfield, bridge in 1817-18 for $40,000.

The bridge is 1465 feet above the level of the ocean, and 513 feet above Uniontown. Barren Hill, or the crest of Laurel Hill, west of O'Hegarty's, is 2450 feet above the ocean and 1498 feet above Uniontown. Woodcock Hill, or Briery Mountain, a spur or hill just west of Laurel Hill on the road, is 2500 feet above the ocean and 1548 feet above Uniontown.

TAVERN STANDS.

The first stand west of the bridge in the township was the Lenhart tavern stand. A man of the name of Ebert ran a tannery and had a small log house here, and John Lenhart bought it about 1830, and built to it and kept it. He rented to Jacob Tabb in 1839, and William Bruce in 1840, who kept it. His son, Peter Lenhart, kept it from 1841 to 1872, repairing and building to the house. It is a long two-story (frame) building, and was always a wagon stand. It is now occupied by Peter Lenhart's widow.

The second stand was the Flanigan, or Jockey

Valley stand, built by Andrew Flanigan as a tavern on the Braddock road, and when the National road was made through Jockey Valley he repaired his log house, and opened it in 1817 as a wagon stand. He was followed by Maj. Paull and Clement, who was succeeded by Jacob Probasco; then John Baker, Peter Baker, Jacob Richards (1841), Charles Kemp, and James Gooden were landlords. Morris Mauler, from Frostburg, kept and left, and followed the road into Wharton, renting and keeping from Frostburg, Md., to Monroe, Fayette Co.

Aaron Wyatt came next (in 1848) as landlord. He afterwards removed to Uniontown, and was succeeded in 1857 by John Olivine, who was followed by Lewis Hamill, now at Chalk Hill, and in 1871 by Alexander Spear, and since that it has been a private residence. It is a long two-story building of log, frame, and stone, and owned by Marshall Spurgeon.

The third stand was a two-story frame building, a few yards west of the Flanigan stand, and was leased by Ephraim Vansickle and his son-in-law, Daniel Brad- ley, in 1851, and was known as the Vansickle stand. It burned down in February, 1852, and Vansickle & Bradley built a log house and weather-boarded it, and were keeping in it in forty days after the fire. They kept till 1857. It was a wagon stand.

The fourth was the Conaway wagon stand. John Conaway left the Braddock road and built a log house on the National road, near a mile west of Jockey Val- ley. It was kept by him and afterwards by his sons. The house is now gone. It stood close to Thurman Conaway's residence.

The fifth stand was the Brown (wagon) stand, a log house kept by Thomas Brown. In 1826 a man by the name of Fuller furnished the material and built a large stone two-story house, forty-five feet front and seventy feet deep. He kept it, and after him his son Jacob, who went West and died. Jacob Humberston bought the property in 1857, and kept it in 1864 and 1865, and still owns and resides in the house.

The sixth staud was the Mount Augusta stand, over a mile west of the Brown stand. John Collier first kept here, about one hundred and fifty yards east of Mount Augusta. Daniel Collier, a son of John, then built a log house and kept it, and in 1824 built a large brick, the Mount Augusta proper. McMillen sue- ceeded Collier, and then Thomas Brownfield bought and changed it from a wagon to a stage stand. He was elected county commissioner and sheriff, and went to Missouri. John O'Hegarty bought the property a few years ago, and the house burned down in 1872. It stood a few yards from O'Hegarty's present resi- dence.

The seventh stand was the Griffin stand, and about one and a half miles west from Mount Augusta a large two-story stone building was built by John Grif- fin in 1824, who occupied it as a stage stand. After his death it was changed to a wagon stand, and kept by his widow and his son William in 1827, after whom

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HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

came Benjamin Miller, Charles Kemp, Isaac Denny, William Spau, and William Griffin again. It is now occupied by Mrs. Elizabeth Stone, a daughter of John Griffin.

The eighth and last tavern stand in the township was the Marlowe wagon stand, nearly a mile west of the Griffin stand. It was a large two-story brick house. Benjamin Miller, an old wagoner, built and kept it a short time. It is supposed to have been built about 1830. James Marlowe came from Petersburg, and kept till 1856 ; then his sons Jeff and Upton kept it a short time. Andrew Moyes, from Allegheny County, bought the property in 1876, and resides upon it at the present time.

The mails over the National road passed from Farmington to Somerfield, and to those points the citizens of the township had to repair for their mail. In 1862 the Somerfield, Pa., and Bruceton, W. Va., route was established, passing through Markleysburg, where a post-office was established, and Dr. Benjamin Feichtner appointed postmaster. Elias Hicks suc- ceeded him in charge of the office till 1865, when Joseph Reckner came in as postmaster ; following him were Marion Arnett in 1872, H. Griffith, 1874, and the present incumbent, H. Umbel, who came in possession in 1879.

Moses Silbaugh, of Bruceton, was the first con- tractor for carrying the mail on this route. He was succeeded by George Burke, the present carrier, whose successor, J. C. Dehaven, of Jockey Valley, has been appointed.

The first bridge built over the Youghiogheny River in the limits of the township was a long wooden bridge near Braddock's Crossing, about one- half mile above the National road bridge. Squire John Potter built it, and it was burned by a barrel of tar being poured on it and set fire to in the night. The second bridge was a long wooden structure, built by Philip Smyth, the founder of Smythfield, or Somerfield. It stood about one-half mile below the present bridge. It was allowed to go to decay, and after it became impassable the ford over the river was used. Smyth's bridge was succeeded by the present bridge, a good stone structure of three arches, built by Kincaid, Beck & Evans in 1817-18. The longest span of this bridge is ninety feet, the next in length is seventy-five feet, and the other sixty-five feet. The height is forty feet; width, thirty feet; length of parapet walk, three hundred and fifty feet.

The first mill in the township was called the old Blougher, or Plucker's mill, about a mile down the river from the Widow Lenhart's, near to the mouth of Tub-Mill Run. According to some it was built by a man by the name of Oswalt. The old mill was rented for many years after Plucker owned it. Sam- uel Dean had it rented, and Levi Rush, father of Se- bastian Rush, of Farmington, rented it about 1814.

Jacob Easter bought the property about 1850, and built a new mill in place of the old one, and sold to Jacob Beeghley, who sold to Harrison Hinebaugh, who sold to Jackson Tissue, the present owner.

Years ago people came to mill here for many miles around. The next mill was the old Shipley mill, said to have been built by William Shipley, a small log mill, on a run three-quarters of a mile from the river, about fifty years ago. It was bought by John K. Tissue (father of Jackson Tissue) in 1872, and torn down and a frame mill built in its stead which is running now. The next and last flouring-mill was built by Jacob Probasco at Jockey Valley about 1825, and is now owned by Marshall Spurgeon. It is a steam- mill; an engine was attached to it by Aden Clary. The two Tissue mills are run by water-power.

Distilleries .- About 1794, John Potter had a small distillery on the old Braddock road; about 1800, David Woodmansee had a distillery close to Sloan's Ford, and John Rush had one on the river. About 1814, Barnabas Bond had one close to Plucker's mill, and about 1820, John Kirkpatrick had a distillery on the river, and Michael Thomas one close to Markleys- burg; but they are all gone, and there is not a distil- lery to-day in the township.

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History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 137

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