History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 177

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 177

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emigrated to the West, settling in Iowa, and his land, which was first sold to William Homer, has passed to strangers. The children of Joseph Huston Tor- rance were twelve, but only four are left,-Joshua, Samuel, Carrie, and James. They all live within or near Tyrone, Joshua occupying the homestead.

John Stephenson and Mary Stephenson came to Tyrone abont the time the families of Vance, Cun- ningham, and Torrance did, and settled on land very near theirs, John receiving a warrant for seventy- six and one-quarter acres, and Mary for three hundred acres.

One of the earliest of the pioneers of this section was Valentine Crawford, a brother of Col. William Crawford. He was in correspondence with Gen. Washington during the time from 1773 to 1776 in reference to the Washington Bottom lands. As nearly all his letters were dated at Jacob's Creek, they show his residence to have been in this county at that time, still it is known that for a while at least he lived on the Westmoreland County side.

Near the year 1772, Capt. Joseph Huston, with his family, came from Peach Bottom, Va., to this vicinity, and settled upon a tract of land containing two hun- dred and seventy-seven acres, for which he took out a warrant in 1786. His wife was Margery Cunning- ham, the eldest sister of Barnett Cunningham, who followed them thither within a year or two. Upon the land which he located Capt. Huston built a cabin for his family, wherein they lived prosperous and contented. In 1782 the father accompanied Col. Crawford upon his expedition which proved so dis- astrous. Before leaving home he gave to the town- ship a piece of land which has always been known as the Cochran graveyard. Soon after returning from the Crawford expedition Capt. Huston died, and his remains were the first to be carried to the cemetery for which he had made provision, and where so many of those ancient families now lie.

William Huston, the oldest son of Capt. Joseph Huston, was born east of the mountains in 1754. He was but a boy of eighteen when his father crossed the range to make his home upon the western side. April 14, 1791, he warranted twenty-seven acres of land ad- joining that of his father, the survey being made April 30th of the same year. William Huston had two sons, William, Jr., and Joseph, who both lived and died upon the old place. William Huston, Jr., had three sons,-Lewis, Eli, and Boyd. The first two are still living in Tyrone township. Joseph Huston, the second son of William, Sr., had a daughter Kersey, who became the wife of James Cochran, usually called " Little Jim," and their home is upon the old Huston homestead. John Huston, a son of old Capt. Joseph, was born in 1757, while the family still lived upon the east side of the mountains. He was at one time a resident of Dunbar township, afterwards he kept a tavern in Uniontown, and later went to Kentucky, where he died. His son, John, Jr., or Judge Huston,

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HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

was born in Dunbar, and went to Kentucky with his ' William and Presley Moore, came to these gentle- father. When nineteen years old he returned to Ty- men through their grandmother, Mrs. James Hurst, the daughter to whom Blackstone gave it by will. The 208 acres of land adjoining the Blackstone prop- erty was taken up by Joseph Copper before 1786. He afterwards sold the property and emigrated West. rone, his father's home, and entered the employ of his uncle Joseph, as clerk in the Huston Forge and Old Redstone Furnace. He afterwards became pos- sessor of the property, and conducted it until his death. Agnes, a daughter of Capt. Huston, was born in 1760, The Stewart family are found by the records to have been connected with the history of the Tyrone and was the wife of Joseph Cunningham. They lived and died in the town of Tyrone, leaving many de- . Church some ten years prior to the date of their land scendants. Sarah, another daughter, married Mr. Nesbitt, and with him removed to Kentucky. Joseph Huston, son of Capt. Joseph Huston, was born in 1763. During his younger years he led a roving life, but after reaching maturity settled in Uniontown, where he built the first brick house the place boasted, and where he was elected sheriff of Fayette County in 1790. Later he purchased land on Redstone Creek, in North Union, and built a forge. In 1804 he be- came proprietor of the Redstone Furnace, which he operated until his death in 1824. His wife was a daughter of John Smilie. patents. A deed is upon record reciting that on Nov. 19, 1785, Edward Rice, of Tyrone, sold to Jacob Stewart, of the county of York, Pa., three hundred and fifty-three acres of land,-consideration five hun- dred pounds. On May 12, 1787, Jacob Stewart re- ceived a patent for three hundred and ninety-four acres. The tract of three hundred and fifty-three acres was purchased by Edward Rice of John Ste- phens, April 23, 1773, and Dec. 22, 1791, Jacob Stew- art sold the entire three hundred and ninety-four acres to Jacob Strickler. Jacob Stewart was a brother of Abraham Stewart, the father of Andrew Stewart, who was generally known as "Tariff Andy."

William Chain was an early resident in Tyrone, settling here at the time the families of Vance, Cun- ningham, and Torrance did, and living two miles west of them. He had three sons,-Robert, John, and William. Robert lived on the homestead, John very near him, and William went into Westmoreland County. Hugh Chain, a son of one of these brothers, built the Chain mills, situated on Jacob's Creek. William Chain, Sr., was auditor in Tyrone in 1789, '94, '96, '98.

The land on which John Torrance located in 1780 was a tract of 193 acres, which is now the farm of David Galley. The warrant for it was made Feb. 11, 1790, and the survey but thirteen days later. John Torrance's sons were James, Barnett, and Joseph, the last named having served three years (1787, '88, and '89) as sheriff of Fayette County.

James Blackstone was a native of Maryland, and must have located in Fayette County prior to 1784, as in that year he is recorded as " appraiser of dam- ages." He located upon the land called "The Sum- mit," in Tyrone township, which now belongs to William and Presley Moore. April 18, 1798, James Blackstone was appointed a justice of the peace. His family consisted of one son and three daughters. Two of the daughters married James and Thomas Hurst, leaving near Mount Pleasant, and the other became the wife of Judge Boyd Mercer, of Washington County. The son, James, Jr., removed to Connells- ville in the year 1803, building for his home a brick house on Water Street, which is now known as the Dean House. He also carried on a general store in this building. Of his two children, both sons, Henry, the oldest, is a civil engineer, now in the em- ploy of the government. James, the younger, has lived upon a farm near Connellsville for the last forty years. The land which was originally taken up by the elder Blackstone, spoken of as the property of

The ancestors of the Stewarts of Fayette County lived among the Grampian Hills of Scotland, whence the grandfather of Jacob and Abraham Stewart emi- grated to America, and settled first in New Jersey, removing afterwards to York County, Pa. In that county the father of Jacob Stewart married a Ger- man woman named Snyder. They had four sons- Jacob, John, Abraham, and David-and three daugh- ters. They were all educated in German schools. All settled in Fayette County except John, who set- tled on the Muskingum, in Ohio, and Barbara, who married William Morris, and remained at York, Pa.

In 1791, when Judge Nathaniel Breading con- tracted with the government to survey the "depre- ciated lands" up the Alleghany River, he employed Jacob and Abraham Stewart to make the survey. They were occupied on the work all the summer of that year, and in the following winter Jacob com- pleted the calculations and plans. In 1797 he, with a man named Mowry, established the first newspaper in Fayette County, the Fayette Gazette and Union Ad- vertiser, published at Uniontown. Jacob Stewart was never married. He was a justice of the peace for many years, being first appointed to that office March 31, 1787. The people of Tyrone township and the vicinity considered him an excellent adviser, and many disputes which would otherwise have gone into the courts were adjusted amicably through his in- fluence and arbitration. David Stewart, brother of Jacob and Abraham, also lived for some years in Ty- rone, but removed to Connellsville, where he followed the trade of cabinet-maker, and where he resided until the time of his death. He left two sons, Abra- ham and Hamilton. . Two of the sisters of David and Jacob Stewart married John and Jacob Strickler. They both lived in Tyrone and reared large families.

Philip Meason received (Oct. 3, 1785) a warrant for

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TYRONE-UPPER AND LOWER TOWNSHIPS.

two hundred and seventy-two acres of land lying in Tyrone township. It was surveyed Jan. 14, 1786, by the name of " Union," and a patent granted upon it March 17, 1786. Mr. Meason disposed of this prop- erty Oct. 14, 1797, to Abraham Newcomer and An- drew Schallenberger. May 4, 1799, these men divided the tract, and Schallenberger conveyed one hundred and a half acres to Philip Galley.

John Smilie took up, by warrant dated in 1786, a tract of land, which was surveyed to him in the same year under the name of "Prospect." This tract con- tained three hundred and sixty-eight acres, and in- cluded the site of the present borough of Dawson. This land, which he left by will to his son, was sold in December, 1852, by Robert P. Smilie, trustee of John Smilie. It was divided into three parcels, of which one was purchased by Stewart Strickler, and the others by George Dawson, of Brownsville, father of the Hon. John L. Dawson. Through this tract the route of the Pittsburgh and Connellsville Railroad was located, and on it was established "Dawson's Station," around which there grew up a village, which was afterwards incorporated as the borough of Daw- son, an account of which will be found farther on in this history of the township.

The dwelling of John Smilie was on the hill back of the site of the present town. One of his daughters became the wife of Joseph Huston, a well-known ironmaster. Another married Mr. Bryson, and, as his widow, was again married, becoming the wife of George Dawson. John Smilie was one of the most prominent men of Fayette County in public life, and a more extended sketch of his career will be found on another page of this work.

Abraham Strickler was one of the early settlers in Tyrone, taking up by warrant 204} acres of land. On the 22d of December, 1791, Jacob Strickler bought of Jacob Stewart, his brother-in-law, a tract of land containing 394 acres, whereon he lived and brought up his large family of children. His daughter Eliza- beth married Moses Vance, and his daughter Mary became the wife of Alexander Long. Jacob, his son, after his marriage settled on Redstone Creek, near the Sharpless paper-mills, but afterwards came to Tyrone, and settled upon the farm now owned by the Hickman Coke-Works. His son Stewart lived upon the place many years after his father's death, and first established the coke-works there. Stewart Strick- ler married a danghter of John Newcomer, Sr., and is now in Tennessee, where he removed some twelve years ago. David Strickler, another son of Jacob, was a cabinet-maker.

Valentine Secrist, Oct. 5, 1790, took up by warrant 198 acres of land, which was surveyed to him Feb. 11, 1791. This tract was in what is now Lower Tyrone, and is situated on Jacob's Creek, adjoining the Perry line. About the same time he took up other lands in Perry township. He had lived upon them for years, and they are still in possession of his descendants.

Matthew Gaut must have located near Jacob's Creek, in what is now Lower Tyrone, some time be- fore 1793, as we find him mentioned as auditor of accounts in that year. His sons were James, John, Matthew, Joseph, and Samuel. The daughters after marriage were Mrs. Love, Mrs. Espey, and Mrs. Cun- ningham. All the sons save Joseph early emigrated to the West. Joseph remained all his life upon the homestead, and died there. He had a family of seven children, viz. : Matthew, a physician in New York ; Robert, a physician in Westmoreland County ; and William, who kept the home-farm. The daughters, four in number, married George and Henry New- meyer, John Gallatin, and David Sherbondy. They all lived iu Tyrone township, where their children and grandchildren now reside.

John W., Christopher, and Martin Stauffer were natives of Tyrone, their father having settled here early in life. John W. owned for a time a grist-mill at Scottdale, on the Westmoreland side of Jacob's Creek, but returned again to this township. Christo- pher lived in Upper Tyrone, between Jacob's Creek and Bullskin. Martin also settled in Tyrone, near the Valley Works, where he passed his whole life. Martin Stauffer's sons were John G., of Mount Pleas- ant, and Abraham, who settled near his father, about a mile below the iron bridge, where he lived and died, and where his son Joseph now lives. John W. Stauf- fer's daughter married Solomon Keister, who owns a grist-mill on Jacob's Creek, and is also interested with James Cochran in the coke-works.

James Sterrit was early in the township, and in 1797 was township auditor, still the name of Ster- rit does not appear upon the books after 1801. He lived upon the land now owned by the heirs of Alex- ander Boyd. The daughter of James Sterrit became the wife of James Power, of the family of Rev. James Power.

Oct. 14, 1797, Abraham Newcomer and Andrew Schallenberger together purchased a tract of land in this section. Newcomer, who was a native of Ger- many, lived and died upon his portion of the farm, as did his son Uriah, and their descendants still own it. John, another son of Abraham, purchased the property known as the Smith place, but later sold it to Mr. Overholt and moved West.

Christian and John Newcomer came to Tyrone be- fore 1800 with their father, who was also born in Germany. Christian bought the property formerly known as " Poverty Neck," which was the bottom- land on the north bank of Youghiogheny River. Christian's son Jonathan now lives at Connellsville, and his daughter lives in the West. David New- comer, Christian's son by a second marriage, lives on a part of the Jacob Newcomer tract. John New- comer, the brother of Christian, purchased a farm of 200 acres near Hickman's Run, and quite near the Tyrone Church. This tract was originally patented by John Stewart, Oct. 3, 1787, under the title of

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HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

"Pleasant Garden." and in 1800 was the property of Absalom Kent. John Newcomer's children were nine,-four boys and five girls. Jacob, the oldest, lived until his death upon the homestead, which was then sold, and is now owned by E. H. Reid. Dr. George Newcomer, of Connellsville, is a son of Jacob Newcomer. Of the other sons of John Newcomer, John, Jr., also lives at Connellsville; Joseph is a resident of Dayton, Ohio; and Samuel is in West- moreland County. Polly, one of the daughters, married Stewart Strickler, and lives in Tennessee ; Barbara married Joseph Strickler, and resides in South Union ; Catharine, who was the wife of John Newcomer, and Sarah, who married Thomas Boyd, are both dead.

Philip Galley was a native of Lancaster County, Pa., and went from there to Frederick County, Md. In 1799 he purchased one hundred and a half acres of land of Andrew Schallenberger, in this township, a portion of the original Meason warrant, and imme- diately after his marriage in Lancaster County came here to reside. His family of eight sons and three daughters all reached maturity, married, and reared families of their own in and near Tyrone. The daughters were Catherine, who married Jacob Smith, of Connellsville; Elizabeth, who became Mrs. Jesse Oglevee; and Barbara, the youngest, who married Henry Snyder, of Westmoreland County. Philip Galley first lived on the land now belonging to the Morgan Coal- and Coke-Works. He was the first fruit-raiser in this region, and continued to be largely engaged in the cultivation of fruit-trees until 1835. In 1820 he sold his farm to his eldest son, Peter, and purchased that of Joseph Huston, in the township of Franklin, living there until his death, which occurred in 1852. This farm, lying on the river, and on the line between the townships of Frank- lin and Dunbar, is now owned by his son Henry. John Galley, another son of Philip, lives on Dickin- son Run, in Dunbar township, his property joining that of his brother Henry. Peter lived and died upon a part of the old homestead in Tyrone. Jacob, a fourth son, had the other portion, upon which he lived and followed the business of a weaver. Below is a notice of that business, which appeared in the Genius of Liberty Oct. 9, 1827, which is of interest in this connection :

"Jacob Galley informs his friends that he has com- meneed the business of coverlet-weaving at his resi- dence in Tyrone township, one mile from the Youghio- gheny River, near the road leading from the Broad Ford to Hurst's mill on Jacob's Creek, where he is prepared to weave all kinds of coverlets, carpeting, and table linen, according to the most fashionable patterns."

In 1829, Jacob Galley was killed at Broad Ford by the overturning of a boat. Of his family, his daughter married Henry Newcomer, of Tyrone township, and moved to Missouri, where she now lives ; David lived

and died upon a portion of the old Matthew Gaut tract, in Lower Tyrone; Samuel settled near Union- town, where he lived for twenty years, and then went West and now resides in Nebraska ; Jonathan lives in German township, in this county; Abram, the youngest of the family, lives on a farm adjoining Henry Galley, in Franklin township.

Alexander Long and his wife, as early as 1800, lived on the land first patented by the Stevensons, and now owned by the Tinstmans, Of their large family of children only one, the daughter Mary, is living at this time. She married James B. Hurst, and after his death became the wife of James Cun- ningham, a grandson of Barnett Cunningham. Ja- cob, one of the sons, lived on Redstone Creek, near Brownsville, but afterwards returned to his father's place. David, another son, went to Clarion County and died there.

Samuel Cochran was born in Chester County, Pa., and lived until manhood in the eastern part of the State. His profession was that of a surveyor, and he served in the war of the Revolution. At the close of the war he removed to Chambershurg, Pa., where he married Esther, a daughter of Daniel Johns.1 When Samuel Cochran came to this section he lived for a time on the Washington Bottoms, in Perry township. After a while he purchased in Tyrone township, of Capt. Joseph Huston, three hundred acres of land, on which he built a log cabin, the usual style of a home at that day. In 1811 he built the large stone house still standing upon the old place, where he dwelt the remainder of his days. By will the property of Samuel Cochran passed to two of his sons, Mordecai and James, the homestead part falling to Mordecai. Upon it he built a large brick house, and was one of the first to engage in the manufacture of coke, which business has since increased to such magnitude. He died Dec. 29, 1880, aged eighty-three years. The other children of Samuel Cochran were James, Samnel, Jr., John, Thomas, Isaac, and a daughter, Esther, who married John Strickler. James was a bachelor, who lived in Tyrone all his life, dying in August, 1875, at the great age of ninety-four years. Samuel, Jr., went to Beaver County, in this State, where his family are now numerons. John settled on Jacob's Creek, in Westmoreland County, at Chain's Mills, and many of his family are still there. Thomas. married and remained in Tyrone, dying when about forty years old. His immediate family have all moved West. Isaac was a farmer in Tyrone, and his sons were Samuel, Isaac, Jr., Sample, James, and John M.

Mordecai Cochran, Jr., a son of Mordecai, Sr., and grandson of old Samuel Cochran, is a lawyer in Uniontown. James W., called "Big Jim," is an- other son, who lives in Tyrone and is quite exten-

1 A brother of Mordecai Johns, who settled in South Union township. Gideon, a son of Mordecai, was sheriff of Fayette in 1832.

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TYRONE-UPPER AND LOWER TOWNSHIPS.

sively engaged in the manufacture of brick. James Cochran, a son of Isaac, and familiarly termed "Little Jim," married Kersey, a daughter of Joseph Huston. He owns eleven hundred acres of valuable coal lands on the west side of the Youghiogheny River, and for seventeen years has been largely engaged in the de- velopment of the coal and coke interests of this vi- cinity. John M., his brother, made his home in Mount Pleasant, where he died in May, 1880, leaving a valuable coke property.

Joseph Martin, now eighty-four years old, lives in Tyrone, about half a mile from the mouth of Laurel Run. He came to this county when a young man, locating for a time near East Liberty, and at that time worked with Joseph McCoy in a sickle-factory. In 1840 he purchased a farm in this town, where he has since lived, and his family of children have all settled near him.

Daniel McDonald was not one of the earliest settlers in this township. His land was located on Smilie Run, adjoining the farm of Squire Joseph Cunning- ham on the south. His children were Daniel, Mar- garet, and James. The latter lived upon the farm of his father, and held the office of justice of the peace for twenty-five years. In 1873 he was elected county treasurer, but died during the first year of his incum- bency. Daniel died young, and Margaret became the wife of A. J. McGill, who owns a farm adjoining the homestead. Malcolm McDonald, of Franklin township, is a brother of Daniel McDonald, and Mordecai and John K. McDonald, of Dawson, are . sons of Malcolm. In 1869, and again in 1872, John K. McDonald was elected prothonotary of Fayette County, serving both terms with credit and satisfac- tion to the people.

The following list, taken from the assessment-rolls , mill intersects the road from Perryopolis to Connellsville ; thence

of Tyrone for several years,-from 1787 to 1799, in- clusive,-gives some idea of the business enterprises of the township in that period, viz. :

1787 .- J. Eager, grist-mill; Rebekah Hntehinson, distillery ; William Huston, distillery ; Thomas Mounts, distillery ; Alexander MeClintock, grist- and saw-mill ; J. Strickler, distillery.

1788 .-- Willliam Chain, Samuel Breden, Jasper Bredkour, John Eager, David Mitchell, and J. Strickler were all assessed on distilleries.

1789 .-- J. Eager, distillery, grist- and saw-mill : James White- sides, William Gaut, James B. Coxton, distilleries.

1791 .-- Jacob Snider and David Mitchell, distilleries: Robert Smith, grist- and saw-mill.

1799 .-- John Holker, furnace; Andrew Fernier, mill ; Oliver Montgomery, two mills ; George Ruse, mill ; Jacob Bow- man, two mills; Jacob Strickler, mill (now Keister mill).

ERECTION OF TYRONE AS A TOWNSHIP OF FAY- ETTE COUNTY, CHANGES OF TERRITORY, AND LIST OF OFFICERS.

term of that year took the following action in refer- ence to the erection of Tyrone as a township of Fay- ette, viz. :

"In consequence of the late addition to this County the Court divide the Township of Tyrone and part of the Township of Donegal, annexed by that ad- dition, into two Townships, as follows : A Township to begin at the Broad ford on Youghiogeni river, and by the new road from thence to Hannastown, to the crossing of Jacob's Creek ; thence by the said Creek to the mouth thereof; thence by the River Youghio- geni to the beginning. To be hereafter known by the name of Tyrone Township."

In 1839 a part of the territory of Tyrone was taken off and given to Perry in the formation of the latter township (see particulars in history of Perry). Sub- sequently (in 1845) a change was made in the boun- dary line between Tyrone and Perry. At the Sep- tember term of court in 1842 there was presented "a petition of sundry inhabitants of Perry township for an alteration of the line between said township and the township of Tyrone." On this petition an order was issued appointing "viewers," who made their final report to the court at the June term in 1845. The cause of so long a delay does not appear on the record, but the report is as follows :

"We, the undersigned viewers, appointed according to the above order, met on the 8th day of January, 1845, and after being duly qualified according to law, proceeded to view the line proposed for an alteration in the above-named line between the townships of Perry and Tyrone as near as possible 80 as to embrace the whole of the school district specified in the above order, viz. : Beginning at a point in Jacob's Creek, about four rods above Turnbull's old mill, on the land of Henry Sweit- zer, ruoning thence sonth five degrees east one hundred and ninety perches to a point where the road from Robinson's old sonth twenty-five degrees west three hundred and twenty perches to the margin of the Yonghiogheny River at the Great Falls of said river, near the foot of said falls, on the land of Abraham Layton ; thence up the said river to the mouth of Virgin's Run, said run being the present dividing line between the townships of Perry and Franklin. In testimooy whereof we have hereunto set our hands the date above written.

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History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 177

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