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 20
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At different times I have received communications from William Boughner, Esq., of Greensboro. One of them is ats follows, with reference to the manufacture of the first glass made west of the Allegheny Mountains: "About the year 1790, Albert Gallatin, (who was the founder of the town of New Geneva, which he named after his birth place in Switzerland),
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while crossing the Allegheny mountains on horseback, lodged at "Tomlinson's old tavern stand." Here he providentially met eight German glass blowers, the names of five of whom were as follows, viz: Christian Kramer, Baltzer Kra- mer, Lewis Reitz, George Reppert and Adolph Eberhart. The other three names are lost. These glass blowers had previ- ously been settled on the "Monocracy," near Tyderville, Md., and were then emigrating to Limestone, (now Maysville), Ky., which State was then the great Eldorado of the west. The public spirit that always animated Mr. Gallatin, prompted him to try to induce these men to locate near his splendid farm and mansion at. "Friendship Hill," at the mouth of George's Creek, opposite Greensboro. Agreeable to their promise, they left the main emigrant road at Mt. Braddock, at the foot of Laurel Hill, and came to inspect the site for a glass manu- factory at the log cabin town of New Geneva. After a few days spent in prospecting, three of their number started in a canoe for Limestone, Ky., where, after carefully comparing the advantages and disadvantages of both situations, they decided in favor of the Monongahela. They then pushed the same ca- noe five hundred miles up stream to the place of starting. A glass furnace was soon erected, surrounded by log buildings, about three-fourths of a mile from the mouth of the creek where they manufactured principally window glass 8x10, which they sold for cash at fourteen dollars per box.
About the year 1816 these men decided to cross the river into Greene county, where they purchased the property and erected the buildings known as the "Old Glass Works," a short distance below the town of Greensboro where they soon com- menced using store coal as fuel for melting glass. A great amount of prejudice had to be encountered in introducing it, as all the fuel previously used had been wood. Albert Gallatin had furnished a large portion of the capital while they remained
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on the east side of the river, but as they were now abundantly able "to stand alone," and as his duties in the Commonwealth and Nation were so numerous, he seems to have withdrawn from them with the greatest good will on all sides. Mr. Galla- tin has furnished all the wood and sand without money or price while they remained on the east side. Mr. Boughner claims that these men were the pioneers of the glass manufacture, not only in Greene county, but in Western Pennsylvania, as they undoubtedly commenced here one or two years before the build- ing of the O'Harra glass factory in Pittsburg. About forty- two years ago I formed some acquaintance with George Kra- mer and his son Lee (merchants), of Morgantown, W. Va., who, ' suppose, were descended from this same original glass blow- er stock. I have paraded many a day in the "George's Creek Cavalry" in company with Adolph and Martin Eberhart, de- scendants of Adolph (Dull) Eberhart. This glass factory passed through numerous firms, and was not finally abandoned until some time between 1850 and 1860.
PIGEON ROOST .- Upwards of fifty years ago, one of these resorts existed on the waters of Fish Creek, not far from Free- port in Springhill township, one mile from White's mill on what is often called "Wagon Road Run." Near this same date John and William Lemons (whose father was one of the pi- oneers of this region of country) decided to make a visit, and! spend the night at this famous rookery. They were accompa- nied by David and James Lemons, (sons of John), also by four young men who were neighbors, viz: Alex. Cox, Cephas Morris, Amos and John Minor. They arrived at the outer verge of the roost about sundown and built their camp-fire, and prepared for a night's rest. But in this they were sadly disappointed, for the flocks of pigeons had already begun to arrive, and as the shades of evening began to fall, those shades were rapidly in- creased by the vast multitudes of croaking, crying, flying
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birds that filled the air. All thoughts of sleep at the camp were abandoned, for before their homely supper was ended, a neighboring tree became so overloaded with croakers that it turned out by the roots, and fell prostrate on the earth a short distance from their camp, crushing beneath many birds that had taken refuge among its branches. The torches of the visitors were at once lighted, and they sallied forth to gather up and bag the killed and crippled pigeons that were not able to rise with their companions whose discomfiture had added two-fold noise to their piteous complainings. The falling of this tree only seemed to be the harbinger to numerous others which shared the same fate, accompanied by limbs without number that came crashing to the ground, making a Bable of confusion and conflicting jargon of sound that effectually drove all "sleep from the eyes and slumber from the eyelids" of those who thus passed a night on the verge of a roost. When the first streaks of morning light began to return, our hunters stood ready, guns in hand, to give the birds a parting salute. But as soon as their first volly was fired, they discovered that it was a waste of time to attempt to reload. When abandoing their fire-armes and siezing some poles that had been used by other hunters, they continued to knock down their unresisting game until the lower limbs were cleaned, when, by a seeming- ly preconserted signal, the vast flocks took their fight in dif- ferent directions, with a whirring, roaring sound, somewhat ro- sembling distant thunder, leaving our hunters in possession of the "goary field," with abundant time to gather up their nu- merous sacks of birds and retire to their homes.
During the month of July, 1882, Mr. J. Brice Rickey and Hannah, his wife, made a visit to their friends in Greene county of which they are both natives, being residents for many years of Oskaloosa, Wahaska county, Iowa. From them I obtained the following historical statements: The funily of the Rick-
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eys was descended from the stock of Puritans who fled to Holland during the days of persecution in England for opin- ion's sake. From Holland Bejamin Rickey emigrated to America during the last century and settled in New Jersey. Jacob Rickey was brought across the Atlantic when a very small boy. He was united in marriage to Miss Parnell Geerin who was one of the little girls dressed in white, who strewed the ground with flowers at Trenton in April, 1789, when Wash- ington was on his way to be inaugurated first President of the United States. The family removed to the town of Amity, Washington county, Pa., about 1810, where after a short so- journ, Jacob Rickey removed to Greene county, where he was elected an Elder in the Presbyterian Church of Unity in 1814. He was also appointed Justice of the Peace by the Governor. Here he raised a large family consisting of three sons and five daughters, as follows; Abraham C., B. Franklin and J. Brice. His daughter Jane married Silas Ayres ; Susanna married Eli Masters; Pernina married Thomas Hendershot : Matilda . married Lindsey Mc Vay, while Harriet died single at about nineteen years of age. Mrs. Hannah Rickey's maideu name was MeNay, daughter of James McNay, who came to Greene county in 1815 and settled in Franklin township, t'irce miles from Waynesburg. Mrs. Rickey was born in 1820. She had seven brothers and two sisters-Samuel, John, William, Marion, Harry, Porter and Newton. All are living except Marion, who died at home of fever, and Newton, who died at the Union Hospital at Louisville, Kentucky, during the late civil war. Her sister, Mary Ann, married John Sprowls, of Windy Gap, while Caroline married Jonathan Simpson, of Washington county. Mrs. Rickey's mother's maiden name was Miss Auna Dickeson, of Butler county, Pa.
On September 9, 1882, I got off the train at Sycamore Station, and came up Brown's Fork as far as the house of G. W. L.
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Johnson, who is a son of Andrew Johnson, dec'd, who was the father of the following additional children-Jackson, Column- bus, Harrison, Daniel, Jane, Mariah, Lavina, Caroline and Rosanna. Their father emigrated from New Jersey upwards of fifty years ago. Layfayette Johnson's wife was Miss Ma- riah Taylor, daughter of Thomas W. Taylor, Esq., who was for many years a deacon in the Baptist Church, at Bate's Fork. This woman is a niece of the late Major Maxwell McCaslin, and cousin of William Maxwell Kincaid, whom I had the pleasure of uniting in marriage upwards of twenty years ago, with Miss Emily Nichols, daughter of "Vol" Nichols, of the vicinity of Jefferson. At the same house I met a grand-daugh- ter of Michael Rupe who emigrated from the valley of the Shenandoah, near Winchester, Virginia, near sixty years ago. He was of German descent, and settled on Brown's Fork of Tenmile. His son Samuel afterwards settled on Bate's Fork, where he raised a family of eight children-five boys and threc girls. One of these daughters, Nancy, was married to George McLane who enlisted as a soldier in Company A, of the Onc- hundredth Regiment. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Cold Harbor, and when last heard from was at Florence, South Carolina, where in all probability he died, leaving his friends to this day ignorant of his fate. Leaving the house of Mr. Johnson, I soon arrived at the residence of David Buchanan, Esq., who is now engaged in putting up a splendid dwelling- house. From his most excellent lady I learned that he had three brothers-Andrew, John and J. A. J., Esq., one of the leading attorneys at the Waynesburg bar. They also had five sisters-Elizabeth, who married William McClelland ; Martha, who married Zachariah Ragan, a Methodist minister ; Harriet, who married Elijah Adams ; Rachel who married J. N. Brown. These nine children were the sons and daughters of Andrew Buchanan, Sr., a prominent lawyer at the Waynesburg bar
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fifty years ago. Mrs. David Buchanan was formerly Miss Keziah Swart, of Washington county, a sister of my old friend, Henry C. Swart. I still pursued my way up Brown's Fork, where the road has been greatly improved dur- ing the present year, making it now a smooth, easy grade in- stead of the continuons ups and downs with which it was formerly adorned, showing a decided improvement in engi- neering, since the old road was located in the days of "the fa- thers." Near sun-down I arrived at the hospitable home of James Patterson, Jr., a grand-son of James Patterson, Sr., who was born in Ireland in 1755, from which place he emigrated to America while quite a young man. Almost immediately after his arrival he enlisted in the Continental Army, where he was engaged in some of the fiercest battles of that sangui- nary struggle for independence. Ile was attached to a Vir- ginia regiment near Winchester. Soon after the close of the Rovolution he emigrated to Greene county, Pa., and settled in what is now Whiteley township, near Newtown, on the same farm that William Patterson now resides, he being in the seventy-fifth year of his age. John Patterson, the father of my informant, was born in Whiteley township in 1791, where he spent his minority, at the expiration of which he was united in marriage with Elizabeth Shriver (who still lives, and is in the eighty-eight year of her age). This young couple immediately set out for the "back-woods," which was then found in abundance along the different forks of Ten- mile creek. Here on Brown's Fork they arrived in 1820, the locality being in Morris township. Here these hardy pioneers began the work of subduing the mighty forest. Here they set up their "altar" and became noted as the leading Metho- dists of this section, whose hospitable home became the place of retreat for the toil-worn embassador of the cross as he wended his weary way over the rough hills and valleys of this
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then inhospitable region. As I looked upon the the elegant buildings, the green fields and smiling meadows, the refined family, the magnificently spread table, loaded with splendidly cooked food, I could not resist the uprising exclamation, "What a change !" Here on this spot John Patterson and Elizabeth, his wife, raised six children, viz .: Jacob, John and James (my informant); also three daughters, Nancy, who mar- ried James Fonner ; Mahala, who married John Patterson (no relation, although of the same name), and Elizabeth, who is now the wife of Hiram Smith. John D. Patterson resides on a farm adjoining the old homestead. His wife was Miss Amanda Mahana, daughter of Bradley Mahana, and grand- daughter of Capt. James Seals, both prominent men in Waynesburg during the last generation. The wife of James Patterson is a grand-daughter of Caleb Spragg, one of the old pioneers of Greene county. He was born on the 22d day of Sept., 1778, and died in 1854. He was married on the 6ih of November, 1798, to Miss Deborah McClure. They emi- grated from Trenton, New Jersey, to what is now Wayne township. They raised a family of eleven children-six sous and five daughters, viz. : John, Uriah, David, William, Jere- miah and Otho ; one of the daughters, Amy married Joseph Wells, Eliza married Simon Strosnider, Rebecca married Wii- liam Cosgray, Deborah married Thomas Hoge, Sarah remain- ing single. John Spragg's descendants are as follows : David R., Caleb, Henry, John and Mark; one of the girls, Sarah married John Stewart; Elizabeth, my informant, married James Patterson ; Minerva married Kendall Brant, and Lydia married Inghram Strosnider. These families of the Pattersons have long been connected with the Methodist Epis- copal Church of Hopewell, situated on the ridge road frem Graysville to Waynesburg. The house of worship is Low being rebuilt in elegant, modern style. Mr. Patterson showed
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me the original deed for the church lot, which was made by Peter Grimes, and Mary, his wife, to John Simpson, James Smalley and Ichabod Ross, Trustees and their successors in office. The deed is dated Ang. 6th, 1839, and is aeknowedged the same day before Jesse Kent, J. P., and is recorded in hook "I," Vol. 1st, page 75, March 17th, 1840, George Hos- kinson, Recorder.
THE RINEHART FAMILY OF GREENE COUNTY .- Joseph Rine- hart emigrated from Germany during the last half of the eighteenth century. His first location on this continent was in Maryland, where his father and mother died. Shortly after- wards, Joseph Rinchart, Jr., removed to Greene county, Pa .. ' where he was married to Miss Elizabeth Huffman, sister of Benjamin Huffman. They had but two children-Thomas and Joseph. Thomas had but two children, both daughters, named Delila and Elizabeth, the latter of whom was married to Jos .. a son of William Rhodes, the artist, near Jackson's Fort. Delila was married to Isaac Nelson. Joseph Rinehart was born on the fifth of November, 1776. His wife was Miss Sainh Smith, daughter of Ichabod Smith. They were married on the 29th of November, 1807, and were the parents of sis sons and three daughters, who were all born in Greene county. Their names and dates of their births are as follows: Eliza was born December 21st, 1808: Aaron G. was born Septem- ber 26th, 1810 ; Joseph was born January 19th, 1813 ; John II. was born January 18th, 1815. Mary was born October 5th, IS17. Hiram H. was born January 15, 1820; William Har- vey was born May 2d, 1823; Sarah was born June 22d, 1825 : Benjamin Franklin was born August 29th, 1829. John H. Rinehart has for upwards of fifty years been a citizen of the State of Ohio ; his present address is Me Kay, Ashland county, Ohio. He seems to be a man of remarkable memory, and has sent me at different times numerous reminiscenses of events
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that occurred in this county upwards of half a century ago, which are hereto appended in his own words: In the year 1829, Joseph Rinchart sold his farm of two hundred acres, two and a half miles east of Waynesburg, to Solomon Gordon, and in April 1830, he removed to a farm adjoining the west- ern line of Wayne county, Ohio. Seven years later, he re- moved to Richland county, Ohio, and settled in Greene town- ship, which is now part of Ashland county. Aaron J. Rine- hart became a book-keeper, and Alderman in the fourth ward of Pittsburg, Pa. Joseph Rinehart, became a carpenter. H.ram became a minister of the Gospel. William H. became , a mill-wright and farmer. Benjamin Franklin is an artist and portrait painter in New York City. Of the next generation of :his name were the following persons : Barney, Simon and Samuel, of one family. John, William and Arthur were sons in another family, while John, Stephen and Jacob were sons in a third family. Of the next generation-1st, Barney had three sons, James, Samuel and Simon. 2d, Simon had two sons and three daughters; Samuel and Jesse were the sons, the daughters' names not remembered ; 3d, Samuel R. was the father of six sons and three daughters, viz : Joseph Asa, Enos, Reason, John and Samuel ; these sons if living, are all over sixty years of age. 4th, Barnet Rinehart of this generation, also raised a large family, but the names cannot be found. Of the sisters of this generation, Sarah was married to Henry Church, Elizabeth to William Inghram, Mary R. to Richard Hughes; also one sister whose name was Susar. was married to Isaiah Strawn. John Hughes Rinehart. my informant, is now sixty years and sixmonths old. He was born near Tenmile creek, where Hicey, now Pollock's mill, below Jef- ferson, has since been erected When he was one year old, his father removed to a spot one-half mile from the town of Car- michaels, on Muddy creek, where they resided for four or five
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years; then removed to the east branch of Laurel run, about. two and a half miles cast of Waynesburg. where they con- tinued to reside until the spring of 1830, when they removed to Ohio. The only school teachers this man ever received in- struction from, were Arthur MeCourtney and Dr. Arthur In- ghram, who both taught in an old log school-house, on Dr. Arthur Inghram's father's farm, on Laurel run. Since John HI. has lived in the Backoye State, he has erected several mills. and is now possessed of a valuable landed property. The sons of Simon Rinehart (of Barnet) are J. Morris and James R. R. The daughters, Mary F., who married Frederick Hambright . Mariah is now the wife of Elias Hartzell. The sons of Jesse (of Thomas) are J. Workman, Thomas, Dill, Henry and George.
GEORGE WISFCARVER was born in Franklin township, Greene county, Pa., on the 22d of July, 1815. His parents had emt- grated from Frederick county, Virginia, about the year 1800 Through various losses common to frontier life, the old man died about "square with the world," leaving his son George the same legacy he did the rest of his children -- "root hog, or die." George happened to be one of those boys who had no notion of dying, if a hving could be made by "rooting." The first day's work he ever done for which he received the pay was when he was very small and the compensation was a "fish- hook." This was his first property. and from it sprang the de. sire to accumulate more. Finding that fishing not did pay, he learned to make flour harrels, whisky-barrels, meat tubs, lard kegs, etc., and it was not long until he became so proficient in his business and so active in his movements, that he could dress the staves, heads and hoops and frame sixteen flour bar. rels in a day, and by a little extra exertion, he has on severa' occasions made one hundred barrels in a week. The first set. tlement of the family was on the farm now owned by Peter Morris. On the 1st day of May. 1843, George Wisecarver
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and Priscilla Barnes were married, and soon began to accumu- late by investing in good lands that have steadily increased in value until he has become one of the most wealthy men in the county, owning at the present time a little upwards of three thousand acres of as good land as the county can produce. It is truly said "history is always repeating itself." In the case of this man we have the old adage verified, that the "poor boys of one generation become the wealthy men of the next generation." Mr. Wisecarver's reason for his success is that "he was always so busy with work that he had no time to get into mischief." Let poor boys profit by the exam- ple of so many of our wealthy men who began the world ou nothing. -
While making a visit at the house of John Orndoff, on the 10th of October, 1882, I came in possession of the following facts : William Orndoff was of German descent an d emigrated from the Shanendoah Valley uear Winchester about the year 1826. His first location in Greene county was on big Whiteicy about four miles from Newtown, where he was united in mar- riage with . Miss Salome Wisecarver. Thier sons were Eli, "Joseph, William, John, Isaac and Lindsey. Their daughters Rachel married Jesse Fordyce; Jane married Asa Sellers : Su- sanna married Levi Hoge; Margaret Ann married Abijah Scott ; Salome married Daniel Orndoff. The second place of residence of this family was on Hargison's branch of South Tenmile creek in Centre township, about two miles from Rodgersville, where the old gentleman still lives, enjoying good health, although in the eighty-third year of his age. The old lady still survives and is in her seventy-sixth year. John Orndoff (my informant) resided at the head of Pursley for about eleven years, and then removed to the old David Enoch farm near Graysville in April 1879, where he is extensively en- gaged in farming and s'ock rai-ing. His wife's maiden name
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was Miss Minerva Rosberry, daughter of Matthias Roseberry. and consequently extensively connected with some of the car- liest settlers in the eastern part of the county, such as the Hughes, Randolphs, Curls, Swans, Neels, Lindseys and others.
SECOND WHITE CHILD BORN IN GREENE COUNTY .- On the 24th of October, 1882, I met in the office of the Independent . James Moore of Wayne township, who claims that his father John Moore was the second white child born on the territory of Greene county, Abraham Armstrong being the first. The original John Moore, was born about fourteen miles from Du- lin, Ireland, about the year from which place he came to Greene county about the year 1770, in company with the Crawfords and Armstrongs, one of whom Miss Hannah Arm- strong, became the wife of Mr. Moore. After the birth of their first child, John, on Muddy creek, they removed to the waters of Whiteley, not far from Newton, on the farm where Lindsey Stephens now resides. Here on this old homestead James Moore, my informant, was born His wife was Miss Elizabeth Brown who is in the seventy-sixth year of her age. This man had four brothers-Armstrong, John. W., Abraham and Thomas. He had also three sisters-Elsie, Jane and Sally. James Moore seems to be a great reader ; is in his seventy-sixth year ; possesses a good memory ; has carefully read the portions of my history published in the Independent, and unlike many others, he finds much to approve and nothing to condemn. He has passed through all those scenes I have lescribed, such as "weddings," "huskings," "raisings," and "musters," and thinks the portraits are true to the life. How much more pleasant to meet persons of this kind than those of the opposite description, who in an unmannerly way approach the historian, exclaiming: "See here, Mr., I want to tell you of a great mistake you made." After hunting through the manuscript for a long time theyat last exclaim : "There it is ;.
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that man had five daughters, and here you have only named four." What a pity ! I was really under no obligation to name any of them ; but I have got four of their names right, and inadvertently omitted the fifth. Good-humored, healthy criticism is always invited and cheerfully received and the cor- rection made. But this petulent, peevish hunting for matters of no possible consequence is by no means desirable. On the same day at the Allum House, I met Hon. Jesse Phillips, who has been attentively reading my history from the first and ex- presses his convictions that the statements made are about all strictly correct.
THE ACKLEY FAMILY .- On the western line of Greenc county adjoining Washington county, has long lived a family by the name of Ackley. The ancestor of this family was Sarah Ackley, a widow, who came in 1818, and settled on the same tract of land that was originally taken up by William Teagarden, after his disastrous loss of the entire funds re- ceived for the sale of his magnificent land which he had taken ap on the Monongahela river. The descendants of this old lady were Joshua, Daniel, Jehu, Naomi and Eliza. Joshua continued to reside on the old homestead until October 1st. 1881, when he died. He was a man of considerable promi- nence, and was married three times. His last wife was Mrs. Rhoda Litman, originally Miss Rhoda Sturgis, daughter of Isaac and Dianna Ross Sturgis, of Fayette county, one of the companions of my early school-boy days. One of Joshua Ackley's daughters, Sarah, is now the wife of Robert Carrel, a citizen of Richhill township. Daniel Ackley and his sister Naomi live on part of the old homestead farm at the month of Owen's run, where it forms a junction with Enlows fork of Whecling creek. The wife of Daniel was Mrs. Rosanna Rockey. Jehu was married to Elizabeth Ator, with whom he removed to Athens county, Ohio, many years ago. He has
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