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 4
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
cape with impunity ? The very opposite of this is true, al- - though they seemed to be the immediate gainers by this sharp practice, yet the recoil of the hard times that had long lingered around the poor man's door at last came home to roost in the sumpteous halls of those who could but would not prevent the impending calamities. Is the question asked, why does not the Government now redeem this money and thus wipe out the national disgrace ? This question is pardonable when it comes from the lips of the young, and only from such lips will it come. The men of eighty or ninety years do not ask it. They know that in those times that tried men's souls, there was a constant struggle to keep the wolf of starvation and nakedness away from the door, and if those small farmers with large families are in possession of a note calling for one hundred dollars for which he can only get two dollars, although it seems like a des- perate sacrifice, yet it must be made, and so the note changes hands for almost nothing, and yet the depreciation was even worse than this; for in December, 1780, it took seventy-four dollars of this money to buy one dollar in silver. As a grand- son of an old revolutionary soldier I never want to hear that that landlord's decendents have received forty-five dollars and accumulated interest for that poor breakfast their ancestor fur- nished my ancestor ; consequently to pay those notes off now as they are held by persons who scarcely gave a decent song for them, would only be adding insult to injury, and would be in the highest sense of the word, unjust. The Nation must leave the stain on her fair escutchcon, since to attempt to wipe it out would only be to extend the blur.
Just a few words more in reference to this money question, which will throw light upon this subject when the writer is in his grave, and I hope this will be pardonable, as history is in- tended for the benefit of the future generation as well as the gratification of the present. I distinctly remember the first
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
greenback I ever had in my hands, though I do not remember the exact date, probably in 1862 or 1863. I remember the doubts that were expressed about it, one of which was: "Oh, it will turn out like the old Continental money. I have some of it in my house now, and it ain't worth a d-d continen- tal." And why did it not turn out thus ? First, it was a legal tender. If you could do nothing else with it, you could pay your debts, and leave some other person to bear the loss, pro- vided he was so unfortunate as not to be in debt. But the greatest source of success wa's in the fact that when you met a business man, he began to eulogise the new money: "Now we had something that would be par everywhere in the United States. This will be a deathblow to brokers and big interest, mind if it don't," etc. Gold and silver vanished from sight, and even our small change down to three cents was in "scabs"; although the gold went up, and consequently the greenbacks may have been said to go down until it took two dollars and ninety cents to buy a gold dollar, yet the coun- try lived. The "scabs" took their flight and the long concealed silver suddenly showed its smiling face like the sun after a storm ; the silver and gold accumulated until the United States Treasury buildings were encumbered by it, and then Uucle Sam said he would pay specie for his paper. A few calls were made to see if he were in earnest, and when the bright silver dollars were pushed towards the visitors, they bowed respect- fully, saying ; "No, I thank you," and retired with his prom- ises to pay, tightly clutched in their hands. So we all do, ex- cept for a little change. We all prefer the Government note, which was nothing but enforced credit at first, with national honor alone to back it; but is now voluntary credit, with untold millions to back it. And so might it have been with the first national money, if the same course had been pursued. Al- though the resources of the land are greater in point of im- ٩٠
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
port duties, and her resources are far less in the way of public lands than they were at that day, yet this money was allowed to go down. Oh, shame! For what comparison did their debt of $200,000,000 bear to our debt at the close of the war, which was so tremendous large I will not attempt to put it on paper for fear I should make a mistake. I will here add a list of tavern keepers' prices established by the Court of Youghiogheny county, in the 1781: For half a pint of whis- key, feur dollars ; breakfast or supper, fifteen dollars ; dinner, twenty dollars; lodging, with clean sheets, three dollars; one horse, over night, three dollars; one gallon of corn, five dollars ; one gallon of oats, four dollars : string beans per quart, six dollars. These prices were proclaimed on Court days, from the steps, and also set up in the most public places. Our gen- eral title to these pages was "hard times," and I do not know why I should confine my remarks to the times of the Revolu- tion. I in common with all poor boys, have seen hard times personally. I began in 1838, to seek a portion of this world's goods. Times were then comparatively good. Two or three years before, times were brisk. There was an abundance of money in circulation, such as State Bank of Illinois, State Bank of Indiana, and Ohio money in abundance on such banks :s Circleville, St. Clairsville, Urbana, Miami Exporting Company, Wooster, Cant », Massilon, Mechanics' Bank of Wheeling, &c. In 1839, Sibet & Jones, brokers of Pittsburgh, and Robert Bricknell, of Philadelphia, began to quote this money up or down as suited their whims or interests-down if they wanted to buy ; up if they wanted to sell-until no person knew what any of the money was actually worth. In 1840, the money had almost all disappeared and General Harrison was elected in order to make money so plenty that every laboring man could receive "two dollars a day and roast beef." In the spring of 1841, money began to be plenty again, and we began to
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
feel like saying: "glad to see you, but where have you been all this time?" Then we took a second look-yes, these were our old friends, but how changed. They once were "new and pretty too," but now dirty, greasy and ragged. They looked as though they might have been fumbled during their entire absence by the filthy Sodomites, after at least a partial scorch- ing. The inauguration took place on the 4th of March, 1841, and we all stood on tip-toe in anticipation of the good time coming. An extra session of Congress was called in order to raise the tariff and prevent the gold and silver from all run- ning out of the country. Congress met, and very prudently seemed to conclude that the tariff might answer the purpose a few months longer, but it would be asking too much of the good people of this country to ask them to put up with this dirty, ragged money any longer. Hence, the first thing these good men undertook to do, was to prepare for making a large amount of new, pretty, bright money with the words, "Bank of the United States," engraved on the top of every note. The bill was under consideration, when suddenly and unexpectedly, William Henry Harrison died : The Nation stood aghast. Consternation was written on every countenance, until some one spoke and said : " As yet there is no cause for discour- agement Here is honest John Tyler, who is as good a man as ever Harrison was ; let us inaugurate him and all will be right. Tyler came forward, and with his most profoundly dignified bow, accepted the situation, and the Government moved on withont a jar. Congress finished the consideration of the bank bill, and passed it, and sent it up to the White House with their compliments. But what was the astonish- ment of the nation when he vetoed the bill. One of the rea- sons assigned by President Tyler for this nnexpected veto was, that the Bank question had in no shape or form been be- fore the people during the exciting campaign of 1840. That
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
he considered this question settled by the second election of General Jackson, in 1832, when even his best friends trembled lest he should reap the consequences of what they regarded as his rash act in vetoing the bill to recharter the United States Bank. When this election resulted so overwhelmingly in Jack- son's favor, he (Tyler) considered it an endorsement of the course he (Jackson) had persued. Whether his reasons were correct or not is not for the historian to decide. But we come now to witness the result of this act. The bloated aristocrats who controlled the finances of the country, seem to have deter- mined that if they can not have the kind of money they want, the people shall not have any. Almost immediately the dirty ragged money in circulation begins to go down; the brokers had heretofore quoted down or up, as suited their interests, but now they quote altogether down. There seemed to be an un- derstanding that there should only be three specie paying banks west of the mountains, and that these should be the Old Bank of Pittsburg, Monongahela Bank of Brownsville, and the Franklin Bank of Washington. Why were these the favored pets ? Because for years they had been refusing to lend their own notes in their own neighborhoods. What little they did lend was sent to the extremes of either cast or west. But there were accommodating banks in this section what were willing to help the people bear their burdens, provided they were let alone. Among the accommodating institutions, none were more so than the Mechanics' Bank of Wheeling, and the Farmers & Drovers' Bank of Waynesburg. But now the time has come for them to run the gauntlet. The brokers try to cry them down, until the Waynesburg Bank made an issue of notes that were due some months after date. These were called "post notes," and the uncompromising enemies of this accom- modating institution did succeed in putting these notes down ten cents on the dollar. How about the Western paper ? State
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
Bank of Illinois, Shawneetown, etc., went down to fifty cents on the dollar; while other western banks ranged all the way between five and fifty per cent., just whatever way the brokers saw proper to make them; this and nothing more. But it may be asked, why all these complaints ; is there not an extra session of Congress, sitting for the relief of the peo- ple! Yes ; well why don't they relieve them ? It looks as if vid John Tyler would have to bear the blame forever. Let us see how this turned out. It was supposed that the hard times of 1839 and 1840 was in consequence of the low tariff that pre- vailed at that time. The calling of this extra session of Con- gress was for the express purpose of revising the tariff, and this securing immediate relief. Now that Tyler had vetoed the bank bill it was declared in many directions, that it was useless to pass a tariff bill, for it would be sure to share the same fate. When hints to this effect came to the ears of "Old honest John," he said, " just let them pass the bill and then , they will see." The bill was eventually passed and the Presi- tent, without a word of criticism, signed the bill and it became "the law of the land." Surely the people are relieved ; this Congress that composed this extra session, as well as the two regular sessions, have done enough to immortalize their names as the benefactors of the people; but no, their great immortal- izing act is yet to be performed, and it comes in the shape of a bankrupt law." This brought hard times indeed to every poor man's door. I among the rest was the holder of several notes on men said to be good, but before I was aware, three of them had applied for the benefits of this law involving the loss of nearly all I was worth. Yet these men, anxious to hold ap their heads in society, and not willing to have it said of them that they cheated a poor boy out of hard earnings, were willing to compromise on their own terms and at their own prices. One would furnish the amount of his note in lumber ;
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
another in brick ; another in nails. These were some of the things that induced me to commence the erection of a large house, tbe carpenter work of which amounted to four hundred and twelve dollars. One hundred and thirty dollars of this sum remained due and unpaid. Sheriff and constables were riding in all directions hunting up the unhappy victims of boundless credit who now labored "under the suspicion of debt." Prothonotaries were compelled to employ additional clerks. While the minds of the people seemed completely de- moralized, "mercy seemed clean gone forever." Constable and Sheriff sales were matters of weekly occurrence, at which it was common to hear such announcements as this : "Nothing taken from purchasers at this sale except gold and silver, or the notes of Old Bank of Pittsburg, Monongahela Bank of Brownsville, or Franklin Bank of Washington." Just at this critical moment, my carpenter frightened by the crash all around filed a mechanic's hen and directed the issuing of a writ of lecam fo zas, that if permitted to issue and be executed, would have sold my new house and left me worse off than when I started four years before. Things were growing serious ; my own resources were exhausted, and yet something must be done and that soon or the consequences would be fatal. With a view of obtaming relief if possible, I left my home in Fayette County on horse back, crossed the river at Hatfield's Ferry, took dinner in Jefferson, Greene Co., and in the evening passed over the dividing ridge at the head of Ruff's Creek into Washington county and continued my journey until on the evening of the third day, I arrived at the place of my nativity in Trumble county, Ohio. Soon after the first salutations were over, even before I had stated my business, the doleful tale of "hard times" was repeated in my ears in even a more exagerated form than I knew them to exist in the place from whence I came : and when I told my errand to relatives living in fine
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
houses, surrounded by magnificient broad acres, I was told that I had come "to the Goat's house for wool," that money was a thing of the past, that its history might now be written, &c. After turning every stone, offering to sell some obligations I held that were not yet due, for about two-thirds of their value, even this liberal offer not being accepted, I turned my face homeward, "a sadder but a wiser man." In retracing my steps I crossed the Ohio river at Georgetown, came through Frank- fort, Florence, Burgettstown and Hickory, to Washington; when in the direction of present plank road to "Gobles" (Van Buren). Thence down the ridge to the house of Robbert Wal- iace, near the present town of Prosperity, which had no exist -. vice then (1842). About sundown I arrived at the house of iForge M. French, right in sight of, and only a few rods from the Greene county line. With him I remained until morning. when I was surprised by him telling me that he thought he could furnish the funds to meet the demands of my false and , Hard-hearted carpenter; and he did furnish the one hundred und thirty dollars in notes on the bank of Brownsville, as good as gold, showing that it is not always the man that puts on the most style and spreads the loftiest sail. that is in possession of the present ability to relieve a friend, or has the largeness of heart to do it, even if he has the ability. I kept a horse in those days, but having no pasture lot. I hired pasture of a man near a mile away. This pasture was to be paid for monthly. Harvest had come, two months pasture was due, and not a dime had I to pay it with. There was a way, however. I had two strong arms, and with these I shouldered a cradle, and ent oats two days at seventy-five cents per day.
Thus much for hard times as endured by our fathers and' mothers in the early settlement of the country, and by myself? and thousands of others, as late as 1842. This much for my; opinion, founded on forty years' observation, that the goodness;
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTT.
or worthlessness of paper money does not depend so much on the real solvency of the corporations that issue the same as on the determined combinations of business men, who decide before hand that they will put one up and another down. As illus- trative of this, I will record an old story, that no doubt many of the old men of Greene county have already heard. I have it from good authority. Many years ago when banks went up and down-almost annually-Gideon Johns, whom many of us knew, was in Baltimore on business. One morning there came a rumor that caused an immediate panic. Slam ! went the .doors of the rickety banks, and the brokers began to count over the funds in the safes, as eagerly as a card-player ever inspected 'his deal. When several of them found they had considerable amounts on Brownsville Bank, the thought was a simultaneous one-now let us grab their gold before they hear this news- for there was no telegraph in those days, and we'll send a man Rt once, and lay their much-boasted specie over the Blue moun- tains, where it will soon command a high premium. No matter wow how imparative the business of Mr. Johns, in Baltimore, as a good loyal friend of the bank, he now has paramount in- terests at Brownsville; the stage (the only means of convey- ance then) is ready, and Gen. Johns has a seat and whirls away. By his side sits a quiet, reticent man, and as the long hours pass away they become somewhat acquainted, and finally make the discovery that they both stop at Brownsville. After a few pauses and comments, Mr. Johns is in possession of the all im- portant fact that this man now carries in his "belt," thirty thous- and dollars of Brownsville paper, for which he is going to try to get the specie. Mr. Johns assures him that for that little sum it is scarcely worth while to call at the bank, that almost any of the merchants of the place can furnish him the 'change". in time for the morning stage for the East, and he need not wait. till nine o'clock for the bank to open. The stranger, however,
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
thinks this is yarning ; but finally Brownsville is reached, it is' one o'clock in the morning, and no time is to be lost. Mr. Johns knows that the teller sleeps in the bank. He first sees that the stranger is safely ensconced at Workman's hotel, then. wends his way down the dark, back street to the Bank, knocks first lightly, then vigorously, then furiously. A cross voice from within demands, "Who's there ?" "Gideon Johns," is the response. "What does Gideon Johns want at this time of night ?" is the question asked. "Come here to the keyhole and I will tell you," is the intimation. The teller approaches, re- ceives the information, admits Mr. Johns, and wakens up the Cashier and President. Several good horses make fast time out into the country and back for the purpose of borrowing the various "piles" of old Jonathan Sharpless, Daniel Brubaker, Solomon G. Krepps and his father, as well as various parties in town. Against daylight the horses are all back in their stables, the specie is in the store at Goodlo Bowman, the old Cashier. Old man Workman gets a hint of the way he may talk to his Eastern guest at breakfast, and plays his part well, informing him that he can be off in the morning coach if he wishes to, as "Mr. Bowman or any of these storekeepe.is round here can pay you that little sum." The stranger calls, receives his specie, and is off, believing that he has visited the "Golconda." And Brownsville Bank, with a depleted pile of specie, is a stronger bank, so much so, that her notes were locked up to that extent that they did not relieve the distresses of the people to half the degree that the notes of Waynesburg did, although they had nothing like the same amount of hallalujahs sung in their wake. In view of all this, I conclude that the business men of this land could have made the Continental money good, and thus saved all the accumulated suffering that was the consequence of its failure. That the business men of this land did keep the notes of the Old United States Bank up to par and even at a premium
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
when there was very little, perhaps almost no specie in her vaults. I conclude that the business men of this nation could have accepted Martin Van Buren's Sub-Treasury proposition and could have saved the hard times of 1839 and 1840. I con- clude that if General Harrison had not died just when he did he would have signed the bank bill and then the business men of this nation would have made money abundant and good and thus would have saved all the disasterous losses of 1842 and 1845. I conclude that the greenbacks would have went flat to the ground, except for payment of debts, had it not been that the business men took hold of this paper, as well as the national currency, they smiled on all that spoke well of it, booked sour and stamped their feet, denouncing as disloyal all who doubted its intrinsic excellency ; and thus they brought these notes up and have kept them up, to a standard of excel- lence that has never been surpassed by any paper money in the civilized world, and I conclude that whenever these business men think it will promote their secular interests, pecuniary 'ad- advantages, or political aspirations, (judging the future by the past,) they will at once tear down the magnificient currency that has so long blessed us, and leave in its stead nothing but poverty and financial disaster. Whenever the disastrous wave shall start in Wall Street, I presume it will be found to be . irresistably rolling on still further westward, depreciating val- ues, undermining confidence, and crushing out business until its direful work is done.
TOPOGRAPHY .- Thus far I have said but little with reference to the topography of Greene county. At a distance we often hear people say with a sneer, "the Greene county hills," as though it was composed entirely of hills. Now there are abun- dance of hills in this county, yet it is exhonerated from the possession of mountains, and we are content to be left in the possession of green hills whose very sumits are rich ; yet as it
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
always did require two hills to form one valley, we find about this proportion in the entire southwestern portion of the county, while in the extreme eastern portion the valleys extend on al- most continuously without the interruption of a single hill. The southwestern portion of the county slopes toward the Ohio river and is drained by the waters of Wheeling creek which "nites with the "Beautiful River" (Ohio) at the city of Wheel- ing. The numerous affinents of this stream are known as En- low's Fork, Hunter's Fork, South Fork, Thomas' Fork, Owens' Run, Wharton's Run, Crab Apple Run. Some of the tributa- ries of Fish Creek also rise in this county on the southwestern slope. But the principal part of the county is drained toward the east and northeast, where Big Tenmile forms the line be- iween Greene and Washington counties up to the junction of the north and south fork at Clarksville, some three or four miles from the mouth of the large creek at Millsboro, where it empties into the Monongahela river. From Clarksville to what was formerly known as Wallace's Mill, the north fork divides the two counties and then bears off still more northwesterly. exclusively in Washington county. The large stream of Dunk- urd rises partly in West Virginia and partly in Greene county. where after crossing and recrossing Mason and Dixon's line it flows about in a northeast direction and empties into the Monongahela river a short distance above Greensboro opposite New Geneva. Big Whiteley, Little Whiteley, Muddy Creek, Pumpkin Run and the South fork of Tenmile, drain the re- mainder of the eastern slope of the county. Of these the South fork is much the longest stream, fully three-fourths of the length of the county, receiving into its bosom, above Waynes- burg, the waters of Bates' Fork, Brown's Fork, Claylick, Pur- sley Creek and Smith Creek. Below Waynesburg, it is sup- plemented from the north by the waters of Ruffs Creek about three miles above Jefferson. But the great water course of the
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
county is the Monongahela river, which rises in Randolph county, West Virginia, at the foot of Laurel Hill Mountain ; it flows in a northward direction for about three hundred miles, including its numerous bends and curves, to Pittsburg, where uniting with the Allegheny river, the two form the placid Ohio. It is from three to four hundred yards wide through the last hundred miles of its course. The waters are exceedingly tur- bid and muddy, notwithstanding the accession of the two little mountain rivers of Youghiogheny and Cheat, which flow into it from the eastern side, the waters of these streams being re- markably clear. The Monongahela is made navigable at most seasons as far as Greensboro by the construction of six or seven dams, at the end of which a capacious lock allows the large class of river steamers to pass through. It is said to derive its name from its highly discolored waters to which the Indians gave the name Monongahela or Muddy Water. Beyond the boundary of our State some of its tributaries are Tigart Valley, West Fork, Decker's Creek, at Morgantown, Buffalo near Fair- mount, Pricket's Creek, Morgan Creek, &c.
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