USA > Pennsylvania > Greene County > History of Greene County, Pa. : containing an outline of the state from 1682, until the formation of Washington County in 1781. History during 15 years of union. The Virginia and new state controversy--running of Mason's and Dixon's line--whiskey insurrection--history of churches, families, judges, senators, assembly-men, etc., etc. > Part 19
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on one occasion when he assisted our old pastor, Dr. Fairchild, at the "Old Frame" (George's Creek.) Although I was but a boy I was struck with the peculiarity of his gestures and man- ner, such as bowing so low that his hand could have easily touched the floor, then raising both his long arms high above his head, etc. I had never seen such motions made by a public speaker before and only once since, and that was in 1840, when I listened to John Tyler, who was such a perfect fac simile of Rev. Baker that I concluded they surely must have been trained in the same school. How this was I do not know, but there is a probability of it, as they were both from Eastern Virginia. During the frequent vacancies that have occurred in this old church in the last hundred years, the pul- pit was filled occasionally by Revs. Guthrie, Gillet, Henry, Bristol and Davis, also by four young men, viz : Robert Fin- ley, Joseph II. Chambers, John M. Smith and Wm. McMichael, ?ach remaining about six months. On the 3d of Decem- her, 1839, a call was placed in the hands of Rev. John McClin- tock, a licentiate of the Presbytery of Washington, asking that he might be ordained and installed as pastor of this church, which solemn act was performed on the 15th of Janu- try, 1840, at which time Rev. A. G. Fairchild preached the or- daining sermon, and Rev. Joel Stoneroad presided and deliv- ered the charges. The time of the new pastor was to be two-thirds at New Providence, and one-third at Jefferson ; the salary at Muddy Creek, being three hundred dollars, and at Jefferson, one hundred dollars. This arrangement continued until 1819, when Rev. Mcclintock was at his own request re- leased from his charge at Jefferson, and commenced preaching. on alternate Sabbath evenings at Greensboro, which arrange- ments have continued with but slight change until the present day. And now in contenplating a pastorate of upwards of forty years. how many things are there that may truly be said
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to be both painful and pleasing. How painful to reflect that of the Elders then in active service, all are dead. Of the fifty- five unofficial members, twenty-six had died previous to the Sth of September, 1876. Many others had moved away and were dismissed to other churches until at that date there were but ten persons living who were members when the present pastor began his long continued labor. How many of these ten have gone since that date to that country from whose bourne no traveler shall ere return, I cannot tell, but on the day of the centennial celebration the names of these ten were as follows : Garret Mundle, Paul Rea, John Rea, John S. Flenniken, Hetty Ann Flenniken, Hannah Mundle, Elizabeth Jamison, Martha Davis, Catharine Davis and Helen M. Arm- strong. The men that have served in this church as elders during the one hundred and six years of its existence, are about as follows : First elected at the organization, James Flenniken, John Armstrong, John Crawford and John Flenniken. Each of these men has a biography full of interest to the student of history, as follows : James Flenniken came from eastern Penn- sylvania, and was of Irish descent. He was sent by his Pres- bytery in 1802, to the meeting of the General Assembly. He died August 25, 1823, aged seventy-six years. John Arm- strong was of Scotch-Irish descent, exceedingly tenacious and firm in his adherance to the "faith once delivered to the saints." He trod in the good old way until a good old age, and then as a shock fully ripe, he was gathered into the garner. This man had two sons whose history has reached us. Their names were Abram and William. It was at his house that the youthful preacher McMillin delivered the first Presbyterian sermon ever ยท listened to in Greene county, in August, 1775. Of the history of John Crawford, but little is known, only that having served his generation well, he fell asleep. John Flenniken came to the territory that now constitutes this county at a very early
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period in its history. The place from which he emigrated was North Carolina, where he had already exhibited his patriotism by taking an active part in the convention that assembled at. Charlotte, on the 19th of May, 1775, where he not only used his influence, but also signed his name to the instrument called the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, which paper antedates the one drawn by Thomas Jefferson, by about thirteen and a half months. From this declaration the sage of Monticello, drew some of his strongest and most patriotic sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence, of July 4th, 1776. Soon after the erection of Greene county, Elder Flenniken was elected to represent it in the State Legis- 'ature. He was also for many years one of the Associate Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of this county. Hc raised a numerous family of children. One of his sons, I have uften seen in Uniontown. He, in early life, had served an ap- prenticeship to the millwright trade with James Barnes ; then studied law, and was a prominent member of the Fayette rounty bar ; then elected to the State Legislature. I seen him, und heard him make a speech in 1841, standing on the stone portico of the National House, in Uniontown, at the close of which he introduced to the assembled thousands, James K. Polk, President-elect of the United States. He was afterwards appointed by President Polk as Minister to Denmark, and still later he was appointed a Judge in one of our Western Terri- tories. His name was Robert P. Flenniken. Elder Flenni- ken's youngest daughter Hannah, was married to Rev. Asa Brooks. The next addition of Elders in this old congregation were Andrew McClelland, Henry Jennings, Robert Morrison, Josiah Lowrie, William McClelland, and Samuel Harper. The last mentioned was a man of considerable prominence in hit. day in Cumberland township. He was a son-in-law of Rev. John McMillin, having married Mrs. Jane Moorhead, who had
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been left a widow. Soon after the erection of the county, Mr. Harper was elected Sheriff, and besides serving as a Ruling Elder, he acted for many years as a member of the Board of Trustees. Another man of considerable prominence in this church and county was David Beech with reference to whom I have already written a few things near the first of this his- tory. He died in 1866, in the eightyfifth year of his age. A small Quaker Church existed at an early day about two miles south-west of Carmichaels, where remnants of a grave-yard are still visible. But the original worshippers have passed away, while their descendants have as a general thing united with other denominations. It has been fully fifty years since any service was held in this place by this people. Among the original settlers in this locality was the family of the Swans. Charles Swan came from England, during the last century. Ho had four sons, William, Richard, Thomas and Charles. Two of these, viz: Richard and Thomas removed to the vicin- ity of Uniontown, where they purchased some of the best sit- uated and most fertile land in Fayette county, where after living long, peaceable lives, they died. I remember one of these old men. Of the descendants of Wm. Swan, but little is known. None of them seem to be left in the place of their nativity. Charles Swan was for many years an Elder in New Providence Church. He had seven sons, two of whom are dead, while Hugh, Henry, Thomas and Alexander are in the West. Only one son, Solon B. Swan, remains in the locality. He is at present a Ruling Elder in New Providence Church. He also has two sons. Alexander D., who is now an Elder in the Presbyterian Church in one of the Western States ; Thomas D. Swan is still surviving; but I have no definite history of him. The Barclays were also early residents in this neighbor- hood. Hugh Barclay was the ancestor of this family. I have been informed that he had four sons, but have only been able
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to learn the names of three of them-Hugh, Henry and Solon. Hugh became an Elder. in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Two of his sons-Isaac and Wm. Henry, still reside near the old homestead. Henry Barclay was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church. He had three sons-Russel, Aretas and Alfred. Aretas became a member of the Presbyterian Church. All the family went West, where the father, Henry Barclay, ilied at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Hugh Barclay at one time repre- sented Greene county in the Legislature, and finally died at home on Muddy creek. Some of the numerous branches of the Flenniken family of whom I have received information is as follows: Miss Rebecca resides in Waynesburg. So also does Mrs. Hannah Brooks, widow of the late Rev. Asa Brooks. John C. Flenniken also resides at the county-seat of Greene. Mrs. Brooks' son, Aretas, is an Elder in the Second Presbyte- rian Church of Pittsburg. Her daughter Cordelia lives with her mother. Another of the ancestors of this large family was Elias Flenniken, Sr. His sons-John W., Joseph and Elias, Jr. are all dead. Four sons of John W .- James D., William, Elias and A. Stewart, now residing in the vicinity of Muddy creek, are married and have families. J. S. Flenni- ken, a son of Elias, Jr., is also living near Carmichaels. He has three sons, young men. William Flenniken, a grandson of James, the original settler, is still living in the Muddy creek settlement. Of the three brothers, James, William and Cyrus, the two former still reside in Greene county, while the latter is a resident of Iowa. But I must close my long history of this old church, and I cannot do it better than to refer to some of the religious customs of the times in which it was planted. First, their family instructions. To say that the manners of the ministers of the Presbyterian church one hundred years ago, were attractive and pleasing would no doubt be saying too much. Those ministers were learned, dignified and pious,
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Yet the people did not go to the sanctuary then for the pur- pose of being fascinated and pleased ; but they went for the purpose of having themselves and their children instructed, and they did not regard their duty as being done without fam- fly instruction, consequently when the often long services at the church were over, all parties, parents and children went directly home. A very small portion of time was spent in pre paring the Sabbath dinner, as most of it had been cooked th. day before. When this plain meal was over, then all persons present, whether parents, grand-parents, children or visitors, formed the "circle round the ingle wide," and the well-worn Confession of Faith, or the John Rodgers Primer was pro- duced, and the one hundred and seven questions were asked, and the one hundred and seven answers were given-the smaller children commencing at the "chief end of man," and answering as far as they could, and then dropping out and listening, while the older ones and parents con- tinued on to the end of the "Petitions." Pernaps Fisher or Erskine, and always the Bible were present as the highest source of appeal. Another custom of Presbyterians and Seceders in those good old days, was that they made it a conscientious duty to sing the praises of Jehovah. They had! no thought of selecting some half-dozen persons, and making them responsible for that part of the worship. On the con- trary the Session chose a man who had the ability to read wel! and sing well, and they called him "the clerk." A grand de- scription of one of these personages is found in the language of Rev. John McClintock, who has for upwards of forty years ministered to this old church on Muddy creek. The name of this singer was Francis McClelland, the pen-picture is as fol- lows: "Courteous in manners of the old Virginia type, ven- erable for age, of commanding appearance and erect form, of genial temper and social habit." Nearly simultaneous with the
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late of American Independence, he made his home in what was then called west of the Allegheny Mountains. A pleasure enjoyed by few persons now living-he once had the op- portunity of seeing him whom the Americans delight to cali the Father of his Country. Mr. Mcclelland was conversant with the stirring scenes and events of the Revolution, and would relate many thrilling adventures connected with Indian warfare. In the nineteenth year of his age, under the minis trations of Rev. Robert Finley, he united with this chure !. of which he continued to be a member for a period of seventy- 's years. His pilgrimage on earth closed with the joyful hope of heaven at the age of ninty-five years. This man for may long years stood up before the congregation reading two lines at a time from Watts, then raising some one of the following tunes : Oid hundred, Coronation, Mear, Pisgah, Portugai, Russia, Dunlap's Creek, America, or Coles Hill. The clerk usually beat the time, while all the pco- pie helped to raise the "joyful sound." The people and session of this old church have long ago pledged themselves to total Abstinance from all intoxicating drinks ; hence we find on their :minutes this record, "Resolved that in the judgment of this session, no person can be regarded as a member of this church in good standing, who habitually indulges in the use of intoxi- rating drinks." In addition to this I fear dissultary history of some of the old families connected with this old church. I will append several names of persons not so immediately con- nected with the church, but dwellers in the neighborhood up- wards of half a century ago. The list was sent to me by Mr. John H. Rinehart, an old Greene countian now living in Ash- land Co., Ohio, who has not been in this county for fifty-two years. I sent the list to Rev. J. McClintock, who has ap- pended numerous explanations. The first name is William Carmichaels, proprietor, I suppose, of the town ; James Londec,
16
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Isaiah Cleavenger, father of Samuel Cleavenger, a member of the Waynesburg bar, and at one time a prominent candidate for Congress ; Samuel Higinbothem is said to have no descend- ants in Greene, but several in Fayette county , Mathew Irwin, no descendants in these parts ; James Hughes, numerous de- scendants about Jefferson and Rices' Landing; Jay Thomp- son, Justice of the Peace; James Scaton, Esq., descendants all gone from original neighborhood, Daniel Moredock has two sons, James and Ligget, near the place of their ancestors' settlement; Aaron Gregg has one son Aaron still in the vi- cinity; Alfred Gregg has several sons in the neighborhood. James Curl was the father of Thomas and Hiram; Thomas is dead. John Sharpneck has some children here yet. John Crawford was the father of John, William and Jefferson, all deceased. Charles Anderson has no children here except Mrs. John Hathaway. James Carr and Archie Carr are both here yet with many children, each family having a James, William and Archie. James Barnes, one of the most ingen-
jous men in this county, came from Virginia at an early day and is still living. He also has two sons, William and Thomas. Philomen Hughes, a school-teacher ; Benjamin West, a school- teacher. John Crago was among the early settlers of the Muddry creek region. His son John, of Carmichaels, is said to be in possession of some interesting reminiscences, which I hope to see before the history is closed. I learn there is also another Jolin Crago, a carriage-maker living in the town, w'iile "Jack" lives in the country. The Rea family were old settlers. James and J. H. Rea are sons of John Rea, who emigrated from Bucks county long ago. The Jamison fam- ily that once was numerous, has now only three representa- tives left-Jehu and two daughters of Henry Jamison, Abbie and Jennie. The McClellands came to Greene county shortly after the commencement of the present century and, became
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
very numerous, but by emigration and death their numbers have been depleted until they are nearly all gone. The Cree family, which was once numerous in this vicinity, have now but three representatives left ; these are Hiram Cree and two sisters. Their father's name was Hamilton Cree. The men who were at different times members of the Board of Trustees of New Providence Church, which was incorporated in 1804, are as follows: James Flenniken, John Flenniken, Josias Lowrie, Samuel Harper, John McClelland, William Moore, Andrew McClelland, Jr., Samuel Huston, Robert Morrison, Elias Flen- niken, Robert McClelland, James Veech, Francis McClelland, David Veech, Abram Scott, George Davis, William Armstrong, Daniel Stephenson, Andrew Morrison, James Irwin, Charles Swan, John Rea, John N. Flenniken, Henry Barclay, James Flenniken, Russell Armstrong, William Crawford, Alfred Arm. strong. Other extensive familes are located on Muddy Creck in the direction of Jefferson and Waynesburg. Among these families are the Longs, the ancestors of which I have no in- formation at present. Eli Long was a man of considerable prominence. His homestead was near the spot where the first court was ever held within the bounds of this county, at the house of Jacob Kline, in 1799, previous to the building of the log house on the corner of Greene street and Whisky alley, which was long occupied as a temple of justice. Another extensive family of this neighborhood was the Baileys, My information concerning them is chiefly confined to my own recollection during the last fifty years and is very imper- fect, at that. Ellis B. Bailey and most of his family are Pres- terians. E. E. Bailey has been a minister and active worker in the C. P. Church a number of years. He visited the Indians in Indian Ter. as a missionary. I also knew a silversmith, Wm. Bailey, in Uniontown, who, I believe, was of the same family ; also a Miss Louisa Bailey, who afterward became the wife of
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Moses Nixon, of Fayette county. Another of the families of this immediate vicinity was that of the Gwynns. Upwards of a quarter of a century ago I preached several times at Gwynn's school house as one of the outposts of the Cumberland Pres- byterian congregation of Carmichaels. Since this, however, a plain, neat church has been erectedin order to accommo- date the upper portion of this large congregation. I have been told that some of the ancestors of these people were of Qua- ker origin. Whether this and other facts relative to them are so, I propose to write whenever I am better informed myself.
FIRST WHITE MAN WHO SETTLED IN GREENE COUNTY .- AS to who deserves the credit of being the first white settler in this county I find such a diversity of opinion that I can do 110 better than to give some of the various versions, and leave the reader to judge for himself. I have gathered the idea from Judge Vecch and others that Swans, Vanmeters and Hughes, on Muddy creek, were undoubtedly the first permanent settlers. Lawrence Minor, Esq., of Waynesburg, insists that his father, Col. John Minor, and Jeremiah Glasgow who settled on Whiteley, were certainly entitled to this honor. L. K. Evans is fully persuaded that the Eckerline Brothers, who first pitched their "camp" on Dunkard creek, and then removed. to "Dunk- ard Bottom," were unquestionably the pioneers of Greene county. I have this day (May 17, 1882,) received a letter from William Boughner, of Greensboro, claiming this honor for quite another man. As Mr. Boughner is a man of the first respectability and intelligence, and writes in a very easy, readable style, 1 give this part of his letter in his own words : "The first white settler in the present Greene county was Augustine Dilliner, who, with his wife, came from the valley.of Virginia in com- pany with the Swearingens, who founded Swearingen's Fort on the farm of Michael Crow in Fayette county, near Morris' X Roads. The six or seven families, including Dilliner's and
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Swearingen's, emigrated before Braddock's defeat, and all set- tled in Fayette county, except Dilliner who settled on the farm now occupied by his grand-son, Jacob Dilliner, in Dunkard township, one mile below the mouth of Cheat river, at Dilliner's Ferry. There are four grand-sons of Augustine Dilliner still living near this place, viz : Samuel R. Dilliner, of New Geneva, aged over eighty years ; Jacob Dilliner, at the old homestead above named; Ambrose Dilliner, one mile above Jacob on the river bank ; and Allen Dilliner being a mile further up the river from Ambrose. These old men all concur in the statement that their grand-father Augustine Dilliner was the first settler on the west side of the Monongahela, and claim that he settled on the farm now owned by Jacob Dilliner, built his cabin and lived in it with his wife before "Redsone Old Fort" was built-long before. When he heard of Braddock's defeat in 1755, expecting an immediate Indian raid, he fled to Swear- ingen's Fort, across the river in Feyette county, and remained there for some days, returning to the cast bank of the river daily to make observations whether the Indians had burned his cabin on this west side of the river, and only returned after being satisfied that there were no Indians about. These four grand-sons all live here in Greene county (except Samuel R., who lives in New Geneva, Fayette county,) are highly re- spectable people, good citizens whose word is as good as their bond. These traditions they have from their father, and they have not a particle of doubt as to their correctness. They claim also to have some family records in their possession to substantiate the fact that Augustine Dilliner settled on this homestead farm not later than 1754, and had his cabin on the same spot now occupied by the residence of Jacob Dilliner." I have often crossed the river at Dilliner's Ferry during the decade of years between 1845 and 1855. I have often been on the site of old Fort Sweringen, on the farm of Michael Crow
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near Morris' Cross Roads, and am disposed to think there is a. great deal of truth in the above statement, and yet it does not contradict the statement I made, which is as follows : "The first permanent community seems to have been on Muddy Creek, spreading out towards Tenmile on the north and Whiteley on the south." Taking for granted that Augustine Dilliner did settle on the west side of the river in 1754, his one isolated cabin did not form a "community." as his neighbors and place of retreat were always on the east side of the river, in what. afterwards became Fayette county. In reply to the question who is right with reference to the orthography of the creek .. Judge Veech who spells "White Clay," or others who spel; "Whiteley," Mr. Boughner says: "I have in my possession an old map once the property of Albert Gallitin, printed in Lon -. don in August, 1792, in which the name is spelled 'Whiteley, the original settlers having brought the name with them from: the valley of Virginia-same as did the first settlers of White- ley county, Ky." This would indicate that Judge Veech stands all alone in spelling White Clay. Another of Mr. Boughner's: suggestions is that "James Vecch was not born in Cumberiaun township, but in Monongahela township, one mile south of Little Whiteley creek, on the old Veech farm now owned by Robert Hanna." This is all very true as the townships are now subdivided ; but we must remember that at the time of the formation of Greene county in 1796, the entire territory embraced the five townships of Cumberland, Morgan, Franklin. Greene and Richhill. It is evident all the original townships have been shorn of their former greatness, and as Monongahela township had no existence at that day, the locality of this old farm must either have been in Cumberland or Greene township. I certainly was right when I said it was in the bounds of the old Presbyterian congregation of Muddy Creek. The last of Mr. Boughner's suggestion is with reference to the question who.
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started the first successful steam engine in Greene county. I wrote what I did on the strength of the statement madein the County Atlas in the sketch of Mr. Barns. When this was called in question, I received a letter from Mr. Barnes, dated May 8, 1882, in which he says, "I claim to have been the first in the county who succeeded with a steam engine." He then re- fers to the same effort to establish a steam engine that Mr. Boughner refers to, in these words: "Abont 1815 or 1816 a company was organized at the old glass works, just below Greensboro. They built a steam mill (house). But the canal not being finished to the East, they withdrew their stock as unprofitable for the want of trade, and it closed." After Mr. Barnes has given a detailed account of his own experience and success up to 1833, he says: "In the year following Esquire Stone put up a saw mill between town (Greensboro) and the mouth of Dunkard." He leaves the impression on my mind that this mill was driven by steam. These diversities of state- ments all go to prove that Greene county ought to have had an accurate history written long ago, and yet they will necessitate so many corrections that the present history, in many places. will resemble a piece of "patch work" which our readers must condone, as it is better to have patches even in this form than to have fiction, no matter how smoothly it may read. As to the conflicting statements between these men, I think one word will go far towards making an explanation, and that word is successful, which Mr. Barnes applies to his own adventures, but will not apply it to the efforts made by others.
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