USA > Pennsylvania > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 145
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looking man in America and call him Heaton, with a positive assurance that there would be no mistake." Heaton was philosopher enough to laugh, and as a proof that he was not sensitive about it used himself to tell the story as a capital joke. Another story about Heaton deals with him as a miller. Ile set out one day with a boat-load of stones to stop a hole in his mill-dam. He got his boat around in what he judged the proper position, and caught hold of a great bowIder which he proposed to push into the opening. By some mischance he failed in his intent, so that instead of pushing the bowlder in he lost his balance and himself went headlong from the boat into and through the aperture. He shot into the lower depth> with considerable velocity, but managed to scramble up and out of his involuntary bath without feeling seriously damaged. Indeed, he was more surprised than hurt, and as he recovered his mental balance he exclaimed, with a good deal of emphasis, "By Jove. the man that beats that performance will have to go through the other way !" He said, moreover, that it was about the closest shave he had ever sustained, for his body just about fitted the opening, and while he was going through even he feared he might stick fast and be drowned. Mr. Ileaton was widely known and highly respected, and in business as well as politics bore a conspicuous place. Singular to re- late, four of his children were born mutes, and thus remained all their lives.
Nathaniel Breading, living in Cecil County, Md., found himself at the close of the Revolutionary war in possession of considerable Continental money, and not knowing what better to do with it, carried it away on horseback over the mountains to Southwestern Pennsylvania, and laid it out in about seven hundred acres of land lying upon Dunlap's Creek, in Luzerne township, about one mile above Merrittstown. Having bought his land, Mr. Breading proceeded at his leis- ure to bring his family out, and got comfortably located some time during 1784. Later he built a grist-mill and saw-mill down the creek, and hired Samuel Bunt- ing as his miller. Mr. Breading always appeared in knee-breeches and silver buckles, and wore his hair in a cue. Ile rose to the distinction of member of the Supreme Executive Council from 1790 to the close of the Council, and of associate judge of the County Court, serving from 1790 until his death in 1821. IIe bore otherwise a prominent part in local affairs. The stone house which he built in 1794, and in which he died in 1822, is still a solid structure, and serves as the occasional residence of his grandson, George E. Hogg, of Brownsville, who owns the old Breading farm. A portion of the land purchases of Nathaniel Breading, as above noticed, appears to have been ac- quired by him from David Breading, his brother, of Lancaster, as per recorded deed bearing date May 8, 1783, the consideration being £500. The land is men- tioned as being "a certain tract lying and being on Dunlap's Creek, in the township of Menallen, in
642
HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
Westmoreland County, containing three hundred cumbents have been Taylor Lynch and David Con- well, the latter being the present postmaster. and eighteen acres, adjoining lands late of Robert Evans, Charles Porter, John Ewing, and other lands, From 1785 to 1800 licenses to tavern-keepers in Luzerne were issued as follows: William Homan, March, 1785; Abram Forker, March, 1792; Job Briggs, December, 1792; Samuel Large, June, 1796; Eber Homan, September, 1796; James McCoy, Sep- tember, 1797 ; John Black, September, 1797; Elijah Crawford, March, 1799; Isaac Kimber, September, 1799 ; Adam Blair, June, 1800. it being the tract whereon John Mckibben, of the County of Westmoreland and Commonwealth afore- said, settled on the 24th of April, in the year of our Lord 1766, and which was surveyed and located to the aforesaid John Mckibben by Alexander McLean, but without warrants." Mckibben sold to David Bread- ing, and he to Nathaniel Breading, as stated. A tract adjoining this, and containing two hundred and twelve In the records of the September sessions in 1784 appears the following entry : "William Homan, of Luzerne, having been reported to the court by the constable of that township for keeping a tippling- house, and Thomas Scott, Esq., having declared upon his oath to the court that in his opinion all the prop- erty of said William Homan would be insufficient to pay the fine and costs on an indictment, and that he must become a charge on the township, the Court duly considering these circumstances do recommend dictment against him." acres, was surveyed under two warrants, dated respec- tively Nov. 6, 1771, and June 4, 1772. Rev. John McMillan, a pioneer preacher in the West, recorded in his journal under date of "second Sabbath in Au- gust, 1775," " Preached at the house of John McKib- ben, and lodged there all night." David Breading, who with his brother Nathaniel served through the Revolutionary war, bought land in Fayette County while still living in Lancaster, and in 1786 followed Nathaniel to the new country as a settler. He lived on | to the attorney for the State not to prefer a bill of in- the farm now owned by Robert Hogsett, who lives in the stone house erected there by David Breading in 1800. Both David and Nathaniel Breading died in EARLY ROADS. Luzerne. None of Nathaniel's children are now living. David's son, Clark, the only remaining member of the family bearing the name of Breading, resides in Uniontown.
The hamlet of Heistersburg, so named from Gov- ernor Heister, was in 1825 the location of a roadside inn that Yates S. Conwell opened to accommodate the travel that passed between the river and the moun- tains over the State road. A store was opened there in 1830 by Robert Brown, who kept also the Conwell tavern. This latter house has been a house of enter- tainment since 1825, and for a long time was known as " The Exchange." The last landlord was Samuel Kelly, who died in the winter of 1880-81. In 1827, Samuel Roberts built a brick house at Heistersburg, and in a little while afterwards William Rice bought it, and kept store in one portion of it. In 1837, Zebu- lon Ridge rented it of Rice and converted it into a tavern stand. For some years Heistersburg boasted two taverns, each of which was tacitly understood to be a rallying-point for members of each political party, and report has it that Heistersburg was on more than one occasion a very animated locality. The best known of the respective landlords during the exciting political eras were Zebulon Ridge and John S. Con- well. Thomas Acklin is remembered as among the early store-keepers at Heistersburg, but he failed to make much of a mark as a merchant. The present brick store, kept by John Ridge, was built by John S. Conwell, and kept by him for some time. The first postmaster at Heistersburg was John S. Conwell. The office was discontinued after he resigned, and remained so for some time. Upon its revival Neil Hostetler was appointed. Succeeding him the in-
One of the early roads laid out through Luzerne was the one extending from James Crawford's ferry to Uniontown. Upon a petition for the road, pre- sented at the June sessions of court, 1784, Roger Roberts, Josiah Crawford, Aaron Hackney, Wil- liam Royl, David Jennings, and Nathaniel MeCarty were appointed viewers. A report of the road was made at the September sessions of the same year. The course of the road lay through Luzerne, Red- stone, and Menallen townships, by way of "Mr. Lawrence's," "Mr. Fenting's," and "Big Meadow Branch," and so to Uniontown. At the same ses- sions the court confirmed the report and ordered it opened, cut, cleared, and bridged, thirty-three feet wide. A petition for a road from Oliver Crawford's ferry to Uniontown was presented at the June ses- sions in 1784. Samuel Adams, William Ross, Wil- liam Gray, James Hammond, Andrew Fraser, and William Haney were appointed viewers. The road " is spoken of as "the nearest and best way from Oli- ver Crawford's ferry to Uniontown," and passed by Thomas Davidson's house, Absalom Littel's, Charles Porter's, intersecting the road leading from James Crawford's ferry to Uniontown, and thence by the course of said road to Uniontown. A road twenty-five feet wide from Josiah Crawford's ferry to Uniontown was reported at the December sessions of 1784 by the viewers, Messrs. Armstrong Porter, Henry Swindler, Amos Hough, Samnel Douglas, Josiah Crawford, and Thomas Gregg, and accordingly confirmed. The route was from the ferry by way of Daniel Gud- gel's, Samuel Douglas' mill (at Merrittstown), Amos Hough's mill, and intersecting the road from James Crawford's ferry to Uniontown, the course of which road thereafter being followed.
643
LUZERNE TOWNSHIP.
A report of two roads from Redstone Old Fort was made to the court at December sessions of 1788. One of the roads reached from the ferry of Thomas Me- Gibbin, just below the Redstone Old Fort, on the Monongahela River, to Septimus Cadwallader's grist- and saw-mill, and from thence to intersect the road from the Friends' meeting-house to the ferry afore- said, near the mouth of Joseph Grayble's lane. The second road was the road from the Friends' meeting- house to the ferry aforesaid. The viewers were Sam- uel Jackson, Josiah Crawford, James Crawford, Lewis Deem, Samuel McGinley, and Robert Baird. In Sep- tember, 1794, Jehn Conwell, Charles Porter, Jr., Rob- ert Baird, Michael Cox, Thomas Gregg, and William Oliphant laid a road thirty-three feet wide from Kin- sey Virgin's ferry towards Brownsville, a distance of six miles and seventy-eight perches, intersecting a road leading to Brownsville. June, 1795, a road was laid from near Robert Adams' to James Crawford's road. The viewers were Jeremiah l'ears, Robert Adams, Samuel Adams, Thomas Gregg, Hugh Laugh- lin, and Charles Porter, Jr.
TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION AND LIST OF OFFICERS.
At the December session of the Court of Quarter Sessions for 1783 the county was divided into town- ships, of which one was Luzerne. The limits were described as follows :
" A township beginning at the mouth of Danlap's Creek, thence up the Monongahela River to Oliver Crawford's Ferry, thence along the road leading from Oliver Crawford's Ferry to Uniontown to MeKibbin's Ran, thence down the said ron to Dunlap's Creek, thenee down Dunlap's Creek to the beginning, to be hereafter koowo by the name of Luzerne township."
At the December sessions of 1820 a petition of a number of persons living near the dividing line be- tween the townships of German and Luzerne was presented, setting forth,-
"That the said line being declared to be the old Muddy Creek path, which is now obliterated, its precise location being known to few or none, whereby inconveniences may occur ; besides, as the market and business of your petitioners are at Brownsville, it would be more convenient for them to be in- eladed in Lazerae township; they therefore pray the court to appoint three impartial men to enquire into the expediency of so altering said line as to make the same more certain and more convenient to your petitioners by beginning at Seceders' meet- ing-house, and running thenee by a straight line to the head- waters of Patterson Ron, and down said run to the Mononga- bela, or by such other course as they may think proper whereby the greater part of said line will he a natural boundary not liable to mistake or dispote. Viewers appointed, George Craft, Charles Porter, and Robert Boyd. Order issued; returned March 6, 1821; confirmed June 7, 1821."
A petition was presented to the court at this sessions of June, 1845, for the alteration of the line between German and Luzerne township. An order was issued and commissioners were appointed. A report was made and approved Sept. 4, 1845, and confirmed Dee. 12, 1845. The change of boundary is indicated in the
report of the commissioners, as follows, viz. : "Com- mencing at the corner between German, Luzerne, and Redstone townships, thence up Lilly's Run to Bixler's line, thence with said line until it intersects the present township line."
A list of the principal township officers chosen in Luzerne between 1784 and 1881, as gleaned from the imperfectly preserved records, is here given, viz .:
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.
1840. P. F. Gibbons. 1866. Joseph G. Garwood.
James Cunningham. Isaac Covert.
1845. James Cunningham.
1869. Isaac Messmore.
Lewis Mobley.
1871. W. S. Baker.
1850. Jesse B. Ramsey.
William R. Milligan.
1855. William Dunaway.
James Conningham.
1876. William S. Baker.
1860. Isaae Messmore.
Moses B. Porter.
Levi Antrim.
1861. Isaae Covert. Joshua Meredith.
1878. James C. Acklia. Jehu Conwell.
ASSESSORS.
1841. Samuel John.
1842. John Bradman.
1843. James D. Williams.
1863. William G. Wood.
1844. George D. Moore. 1864. Richard Covert.
1845. Lewis Knight.
William Dunaway.
1846. Mark R. Moore.
1865. Joseph Scott.
1847. James F. Baird.
1566. Joseph Hackney.
1848. John Bradman.
1 1867. Albert McMullin.
1849. John G. Hackney.
1868. George A. Miller.
1850. Samuel S. Crawford.
1851. Clark Breading.
1871. Joseph T. Hackney.
1872. Reason Walters.
1853. James Dunaway.
1854. Charles C. Stewart.
1874. Joha Hackney.
1875. George C. Porter.
1876. James Robinson.
1857. John G. Hackney.
1858. John A. Nealon.
1878. William Porter.
1859. George G. Johnson.
1879. John W. Dearth.
1880. Oliver Miller.
AUDITORS.
1841. James Ewing.
1842. P. F. Gibbous.
1843. William Dunaway.
1844. William C. John-ton.
1845. William R. Milligan.
1846. James Cunningham.
1862. G. M. Nelan.
1847. Joseph Crawford. Jesse P. Crawford.
1848. William Miller.
1849. James Conningham.
1850. Alexander Gibson.
1851. James Ewing.
1852. Cephas Porter.
1853. James Cunningham.
1854. George A. Nealon.
1855. Hamilton II. Cree.
1856. Johnston MeGinnis.
1857. James Ewing.
1858. Samuel Roberts. Mark R. Moore.
1859. William Cattell.
1860. John D. Scott.
ISGI. Jesse Coldren.
1863. James Conningham.
1864. John D. Cree.
1865. John Nelan.
1866. Joseph Crawford.
1867. Otis G. Harn.
1868. James Ewing. William P. Craft.
1869. John O. Stewart.
1870. Lewis Knight.
1871. David Porter.
1869. John A. Messmore.
1852. Samuel MeGinnis.
1873. George W. Crawford.
IS55. John Armstrong.
1856. William P. Crawford.
1877. James Dunaway.
1860. William HEeller.
1861. John Conwell.
1862. John Vernon. Alexander Gibson.
1874. Lewis Mobley.
1877. Isaae Covert.
1865. Isaac Messmore.
1872. William J. Stewart.
1873. John Conwell,
644
HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
1872. John N. Jacobs.
1873. William Dunaway.
1874. George W. Aeklin.
1875. James Ewing.
1876. William Moore.
1877. John L. Nelan. David Porter.
1878. William J. Stewart.
1879. Jefferson Ilibbs.
1880. Jehu Conwell.
SCIIOOLS.
The oldest school record extant in Luzerne is an ancient document now in the hands of John M. Moore, dated 1802, and inscribed "School-House Subscription." The document reads as follows :
"We, the undersigners, do promise to pay sueh sums as shall be laid on us by James Thompson, John Work and David Breading, to William Moore and Ebenezer Finley, trustees for the purpose of building a school house near Thomas Barnes, at the intersection of the Morgantown and James Thompson road, the size of 20 fr. by 18 do. Such sums we promise to pay in manners following : The one half payable in wheat at 9 p. rye at 3, corn 2-6 p. Bo. in James Thompson or Ebenezer Finley's mill; all on demand, as witness our hands and seal this Ist day of Dec. 1802. Further, we agree that the above witness shall purchase a seven-plate stove and set it up in the house when finished.
John Moore. $5.50
Abram Haney. $4.50
Ebenezer Finley. 14.50
William Haney 6.00
Thos. Frame. 9,00
Samuel Haney. 2.00
William Moore .. 2.00
Win. Brown .. 3.50
Robt. Baird. 14.50
Jacob Muss. 2.00
John Nicholson 1.00
Robt. Thompson. 3.50
Christ. Buchanan ... 5.50
Jacob Brown 2.00
James Frame ...
6.50
Aaron Moore, 3.00
John Frame 5,50
James Hany 2.00
" We are of the opinion that the foregoing assessment is equitable according to the above article.
[Signed]
"JAMES THOMPSON,
" JOHN WORK,
" DAVID BREADING."
The school-house they built still stands, and is known as the okl cross-roads or Morgantown road school-house. It was constructed of round logs, chinked and daubed, and covered with slat-boards and shingles ; chimney made of split sticks. Slabs with two sticks under each end served for seats. Rough boards fastened against the walls were writing- desks. Two square holes about two by two and a half feet, one on each side of the house, were win- dows. There was one door, which was all that was necessary. The building has been inhabited for a number of years by Aaron Moore and John White, who vacated it on April 4, 1881.
Merrittstown was a little more fortunate than the surrounding country in the matter of educational ad- vantages, for it had a school that was enough better than the ordinary school of the time to win the honor of being designated as "the college." The school-house, which stood near the old Baptist graveyard, was not any different from the log cabin school-houses of the period, but old Anthony Burns, the teacher, must have been considered a superior sort of pedagogne, since in that respect only was the superiority of the Merrittstown school discernible. Schoolmaster Burns
must have been a teacher in great favor, for he taught in Merrittstown and vicinity about fifty years, and gave up the business of teaching only when, at eighty years of age, he found himself too infirm to continue it. Andrew Stewart (afterwards known to fame as "Tariff Andy") took his first lessons in that school- house under a teacher named Carr, who ruled there before 1805, or before the advent of Burns, and who boasted in his school a Latin class, of which three members were Andrew Stewart, Jobn Cunningham, and William Cunningham. Andrew Stewart's father was a blacksmith at Merrittstown for a while, and thus Andrew was a pupil in Daddy Carr's school. Later the Rev. William Johnston, pastor of the Dunlap's Creek Presbyterian Church, opened a Latin school at Merrittstown, and conducted it suc- cessfully for some years. Mention may likewise be made that William Darby, afterwards editor of The Gazetteer, was among the earliest teachers in the old Merrittstown log school-house, which, standing until 1836, was then accidentally burned. In 1806 the school-house in the present Crawford district stood about three-quarters of a mile distant from the site of the house now in use. The teacher in that year was Joseph Wanee, son of John Wanee, then living where John Wanee now lives. School children were not over plentiful there even in 1806, and by dint | even of strongest effort the number available fell short of the requirement; whereupon Joseph Craw- ford, exceedingly anxious for a school, agreed to pay for the tuition of ten children, although he could send only three, and so the school was started. In 1813 the house in the Charleston district stood near the present house .. Murdock, the then teacher, was succeeded by Mr. MeCleary, Anthony Burns, and others.
The following is a list of the school districts of Luzerne as formed in 1835 under the operation of the school law of the previous year, and of the districts of the township at the present time (1881), viz. :
In 1835. In 1881.
Merrittstown Merrittstown ( No. 1).
Heistersburg
Heistersburg ( No. 2).
Middle District (changed to). llames' ( No. 3).
West Bend. West Bend (No. 4).
Crawford's .Crawford's ( No. 5).
Cross- Roads (changed to Charleston (No. 6).
Serabbletown (changed to) Luzerne Village (No. 7).
Davidson's (changed to). Sassafras ( No. S).
Oak Hill
Oak Ilill ( No. 9).
Colored School (No. 10).
The amount expended in the year 1835 for school purposes was 8611.36. Teachers' wages then were from eleven to twenty-five dollars per month. The directors in 1838 were Joseph Crawford, Jr., John Moore, David Porter, Jr., Clark Breading, P. F. Gib- bons, and David Craft. Joseph Crawford, Jr., was president, and David Craft secretary. The list of school directors of Luzerne elected since the year 1840 is as follows :
643
LUZERNE TOWNSHIP.
1841. Ephraim R. Crawford. Johnston MeGinnis.
1863. Isaac Woodward. Lewis Knight.
1842. William Dunamon.
1864. John Armstrong.
Jesse B. Glenwood.
1865. Samuel McGinnis.
1843. Larkin S. Dearth. William R. Milligan.
1844. Benjamin Vernon. John R. Jennison.
1845. Wm. G. Crawford.
George Vance. 1866. Samuel S. Meredith. James Cunningham. Robert Doully. Jacob S. Jamison.
David H. Wakefield. 1846. James Ewing. Johnston McGinnis.
1867. Robert Harn. Henry Crawford.
1847. John R. Jamison.
1868. William Hatford.
Cephas Porter.
John J. Cree. William Keller.
1869. I. C. Woodward. J. N. Craft.
Andrew Porter. Win. J. Stewart.
1850. Wm. Y. Roberts.
William Cattle.
1870. I. C. Woodward.
1851. J. R. Jamison.
Jesse Heacock.
1852. James D. Williams.
David Porter.
1871. E. T. Gallaber. Aaron llackney. J. L. Nelan.
1872. John Conwell.
1854. James Ewing.
John S. Pratt.
Samuel McGinnis.
1873. Iliram Calvert.
1855. William Iufford.
C. D. Krepps.
Caleb B. Doully.
1874. John C. Stewart. John MeEldowney.
Thomas L. Wood.
1857. Clark Breading.
John R. Jamison. David Porter.
1875. Levi Antraui. E. T. Gallaber.
1858. William Cattell.
1876. William S. Cruft.
I-aac Covert.
Caleb Duvall.
1859. Ebenezer T. Gallaher.
Adin Horn.
William Dunaway.
1877. Adin Horn.
1860. James Ewing.
Elisha P. Gibbons.
David Porter.
1861. William MInrford.
1878. L. C. MeDongal.
Samuel McGinnis.
Oliver Miller. 1879. John L. Nelan.
Isaac Messmore.
William S. Craft.
1862. Jacob N. Ridge. Joshua Meredith.
1880. Jobn W. Dearth.
Charles Swan.
The school board of 1881 was composed of Oliver Miller, Charles Swan, John W. Dearth, John L. Ne- lan, L. C. McDougal, and William S. Craft.
CHURCHES.
Although Luzerne contains now but three houses of worship,-a Cumberland Presbyterian, a Methodist Episcopal, and an African Church (the latter at Ln- zerne Village),-no less than four other churches have been known to the township's history, although of those four nothing now remains save the recollec- tion that they onee flourished. Each church had a history that began almost as soon as the history of the township itself, and each has for so many years been a thing of the past that but little save a refer- ence to their existence can be here presented, since
the church records have disappeared, no one knows where. One of the oldest of the four was the Baptist Church at Merrittstown. It must have been organ- ized as early as 1800, for the present recollection is that when the church building was destroyed by fire in 1836 it was old and dilapidated. The church stood near the school-house, and was burned with the latter structure. Among the leading members of this Baptist organization were Abram Vernon, Josiah Richards, David Wilson, the Crafts, Harfords, 1libbs, and others. The congregation was a large one for many years, but towards the last it became weakened, and was virtually dissolved even before the church was burned, so that there was not strength to create a revival of the organization or the building of a new house of worship, and so the record was closed. The last pastor the church had was the Rev. William Brownfield, whose home was near Uniontown. He was a very eccentrie preacher, and seems to take great comfort in doing and saying things widely ont of the common way. Mr. James Cunningham re- members going one Sunday with James Walker to hear Brownfield preach, and that the parson paused suddenly in the midst of his sermon to point his fin- ger sharply and apparently at Cunningham and his companion, to exelaim, in a loud voice, " Did you ever see me fly ?" Then, keeping his eyes intently fixed upon the two young men, who blushed and looked much confused, he said, quite as loudly but more de- liberately, "No, you haven't, and what's more you never will." Having thus relieved his mind of a seeming burden, he went on with his sermon. He was once engaged in reading the Declaration of Inde- pendence at a Fourth of July celebration, when, com- ing to that part of it where recital is made of the English king's oppressive acts, he grew quite excited, and with flashing eyes commented upon the passage with the single exclamation, " The villain !" delivered in such emphatic and fiery manner that none who saw or heard him could doubt for a moment that if Parson Brownfield could get at King George at that instant he would make short work of him.
HOPEWELL METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHI
was formed not long after the year 1800, and near what is now known as Heistersburg, where its house of worship stood until about 1835. Singing-schools are said to have flourished there with considerable vigor, but the church organization did not maintain a very long lease of life. It may be well to say, how- ever, that the dissolution of the church organization was chargeable as much as to anything to the fact that the location of the church edifice was not a con- venient one. This statement would appear to be borne out in the declaration that when West Bend Methodist Episcopal Church was formed, about 1835, many of Hopewell's old members participated in or- ganizing the new church.
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