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 7
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John Loar emigrated from Maryland to Whiteley township, Greene county, in 1829. From thence he removed to Richhill in 1850. He and his wife were the parents of fourteen child- ren, eleven of whom are still living-six sons and five dangh-
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
ters. Five of these persons are still in Greene county, viz: Jacob Loar, Esq., Rev. George Loar, Sarah Morris, Martha Loar, (wife of Rev. Jacob G. Loar, a cousin,) and Hester Jane Jacobs. The remainder of this extensive family are scattered in different parts of the great West. Of the portion still in Greene county, Jacob has eight children living; George has eight; Sarah has four, and Martha seven. The ancestors of those still here belonged to that hardy race that were capable of living so long and enduring so much. The old lady died on the 20th of December, 1881. She was a devout Methodist, of whom it was almost impossible to truly say a harmful word. She had reached the good old age of eighty-six years. Previ- ous to their immigration to this county the old man passed through one of those dangerous adventures that were some- what frequent three-fourths of a century ago, as follows: One night while enjoying that sound, refreshing sleep that only comes to the relief of the weary, he was awakened by the loud squealing of one of his hogs. Suspecting that some wild beast had made a descent from a neighboring mountain, he sprang up, seized his rifle and proceeded to investigate. Dimly seeing some dark object by the light of the stars, he drew the trigger and sent a ball through the front leg of a mammoth bear, which immediately let go its victim and departed for the thick woods. When daylight came, his trail was plainly visible. Mr. Loar and a few of his neighbors started in pursuit, some armed with guns, some with axes, and others with pitch-forks. Mr. Loar seems to have been armed both with a gun and a fork. The bushes were dripping with dew, and soon the priming in the pan of his old flint-lock gun had become so dampened that when the wounded bear was at length aroused, and a fine op- portunity presented itself for a shot, the gun snapped. Mr. Loar in his excitement dropped his gun and seized his socket fork, thinking to dispatch his enemy in that way. After pur-
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
suing the bear for some distance, they engaged in mortal com- bat, Mr. Loar vigorously applying his fork ; sometimes thrusting, sometimes sticking, until the handle came out of the socket, when Bruin, as though conscious of his advantage, made his last grand charge with rampant body and open mouth. Mr. Loar, seeing that the chances were against him, made a spring and seized his antagonist by the lolling tongue, preferring to loose his arm rather than his head. By this means, he kept the wide extended jaws from closing upon him, and as the bear only had one foot that could be used, Mr. Loar seemed to have some chance for his life. But the other paw, applied to different parts of his body, tore off large portions of flesh, al- most divesting him of clothing and lacerating him in the most fearful manner, so that death would soon have ensued, had it. not been for the timely arrival of two of the remainder of the company, who dispatched the ponderous beast, and carried their bleeding companion to a place where his many wounds could be dressed, which, severe as they were, fortunately did not terminate fatally, for he lived many long years, and died in a good old age, respected by all who knew him. Mrs. Jacob Loar,! who was formerly the wife of Benj. Durbin, deceased, is one of these intelligent reading women who are thoughtful enough to keep a scrap book. She placed this book in my hand, say- ing I was welcome to copy anything it contained. In turning : through it I came across an extract from the docket of Thomas' Lazear, Esq., father of the late General Jesse Lazear. This old man was the most prominent Justice of the Peace in Richhill township, seventy years ago. This extract contains a list of marriages which will no doubt be interesting to the descend- ants of those gallant old beaux and dames, who at that early day, olad in buckskin and linsey, stood before the hymenial: altar. The list is as follows: Married-In the year 1704, John Byley and Lydia MoChung; John Scott and Susanna Nysongen
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY. ;
In 1805, John Teagarden and Rosa McGuire. Jacob Teagar- den and Elsie "McGuire were married in 1806; so also was Matthew Gray and Lottie Enoch. In 1807, Alexander Cald- well and Elizabeth Whetzel. In 1808, Thomas Wharton was wedded to Eliza Gray. In 1809, Daniel Clark and Elizabeth Teagarden ; also Robert Wharton and Elizabeth Speelman ; also Jacob Gander and Rosy Ryley. In 1810, Christian Dur- bin and Margaret McGuire; also Hiram Gray and Mary Crow. In 18.11, Thomas Dinsmore and Mary Gray. In 1812, Edward Grandon and Debbie Wright; also Joshua Hix and Eleanor Dunche ; also Thomas Scott and. Eleanor McBride ; also Henry Bane and Jane McBride. In 1813, Christian Cummings and Betty Holmes. In 1814, Thomas Barnet and Margaret Gray. In 1815, William Gray and Sally Nysonger; also David Ruple and Miss Durbin ; also Henry Haish and Mary Nysonger. In 1816, Martin McCleary was married to Eleanor Whetzel, a de- scendant of Lewis Whetzel, the great Indian hunter. Steven Durbin was married in 1814 to Mary Fink. In 1817, James McDonald and Amy Gray were married ; also Abraham Ny- songer and Elizabeth Holden. In 1819, William Teagarden and Mary Holmes ; also Jolin Mellon and Elizabeth . Gray. .Leonard Plants and Elizabeth Barney were married the same year, 1819. James Mellon and Elizabeth Amos were married in 1820. Marcus Gun and Louisa King were married the same year. In 1822, John Barnet and Mary Stoutmen. Francis Gray and Sarah Roseberry were married in 1824. Samuel Cummings and Martha Crichbaugh, Stephen Simmons and Rebecca Speelman were married in 1826.
Close to the line of Richhill township, now resides William H. Cook, who is descended from William Cook, who in company with his brothor, Alexander came to New York City about the. commencement of the 19th century. Here William was .mar- ried to Miss Margaret- Harvey, and in company with the Har-
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
vey family the Cooks came out to Greene county and settled on a traet of land adjoining one of the large bodies of land held by Thomas Lieper and known as "Lieper lands." William Cook was a lame man unable to farm or clear land. He was a carriage trimmer by trade and occasionally engaged in small speculations. At that day it was often the case that a few men would invest their small means in a boat load of merchandise and provisions destined for the trade along the shores of the Ohio River, and unless sale was previously made, they finally arrived at New Orleans. This boat usually contained flour, whisky, apples, cider, crockery ware, etc. On one of these boats Mr. Cook took passage, and was never heard of by his friends again. Whether he was killed by the Indians, cap- tured by the Spaniards, or fell overboard and was drowned, are questions that cannot be answered. The widow lived to ex- treme old age. During her last years, she made her home with her son, William H. Cooke, who still resides on the old home- stead by the side of the old Drove Road, some two miles below Graysville, where he lives in easy circumstances, sur- rounded by a numerous family of intelligent, kind children. The only drawback to his happiness seems to be that many years ago he lost his partner in life whose place has never been filled by another. This lady's maiden name was Elizabeth Rinehart. For many years Mr. Cooke has been a very success- fnl sheep raiser, having invested considerable sums about the year 1845, in some of the best grades of Vermont sheep, which, although living on a road along which so much stock has been driven, he has been able to protect from foot-rot. In the western extremity of this township the Burns family settled on Owens run. Here the ancestors, Alexander Burns and James Burns, first built their cabin on their arrival from Ireland about the commencement of the present century. The sons of Alexander were James, Jr., Robert, John (who was for
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HISTORY OF CEPESE COUNTY.
many years a Justice of the Peace in West Finley township, Washington county), William and Alexander, Jr. The two! daughters of Alexander, Sr., were Mary, who married John' Johnston, and Nancy, who married William Davis. The sons of James, Sr., were John, James, Jr., and Joseph; also three daughters who all married and settled in Clairmont county, Ohio. A very unusual circumstance occurred at the port in Ireland from which these ancestors sailed which seemed to be the cause of their coming, as follows: They seem to have beeli a couple of inquisitive boys who, during their rambles one day. had arrived at the sea coast, and actuated by curiosity they stepped aboard a vessel lying in the harbor which was about to sail, and while feasting their eyes on the "sights," the ship weighed anchor and was gone bearing away the two un- willing passengers who never set foot on land again until they arrived at New York, from whence by different stages they fi- nally arrived in Greene county. The sons of James, Jr., were Alexander, William and Robert. William still lives on the old homestead, Owens run. Alexander lived one and a-half miles from the old homestead, where he raised a large family, consisting of James, William, Oliver, Harvey, John, Robert and Grant; also three daughters-Jane, married Newton Brad- dock ; Martha, married Francis Throckmorton, while Mary still remains at home in single blessedness.
I will now invite your attention to the partial history of the original Greene township, which at the time of the organiza- tion of the county included all the territory between Little Whiteley creek on the north, and Mason & Dixon's Line on the south, fronting all the way on the Monongahela river, including the entire valley of Big Whiteley, and the principal part of the valley of Dunkard ; hence it may be treated as the south-east- ern or corner township of the county. I find this definition of its boundaries in Creigh's History, page 128: "Beginning a
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
the mouth of Little Whiteley creek and running therewith to the dividing ridge between that and Big Whiteley creek ; thence with that ridge between it and Muddy creek to Mason and Dixon's Line; thence to the Monongahela river ; thence by the river to the place of beginning, having Cumberland town- ship on the north, the Monongahela river on the east and Ma- son & Dixon's Line on the south." In the bounds of the orig- inal township, at a point a little west of the present town of Mt. Morris, in the year 1767, a scene of most intense interest took place. The long and angry dispute between the author- ities of Virginia and heirs of Wm. Penn had from time to time almost led to the shedding of blood. How soon the pur- ple tide would begin to flow no human being could divine; all parties are frightened ; the boundary line must be run. The ambiguity of the charter granted by King Charles II to Wil- liam Penn, rendered it very uncertain where the boundary was to commence, and much more uncertain where it would end. Different surveyors had been selected for the purpose of settling these vexed questions, who after three years of diligent labor in running lines of which "the town of New Castle, Delaware. was to be used as the centre of a circle of twelve miles radius, whose north-western segment was to connect the river with the beginning of the 40th degree, while the province was to extend westward five degrees of longitude, to be computed from said eartern bounds." [Creigh's History, 2d Appendix, page 25.] No wonder the surveyors did not understand the charter, for even I do not understand it. In consequence of their failure to proceed with the boundary line they were superceded in August, 1763, by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon of Lon- don. These men seem to have meant business from the very start. They were called on to run a line due west from the Delaware river, extending five degrees of longitude in length. They first ascertain the latitude where their line is to begin,
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
which they make to be 39º 43' 32." By the 27th of October, 1765, they have arrived at the North Cove, Kittatinny Mount- ain. Wearied with their summer's labor, and fearing to be caught in a trackless mountain wilderness by the snow storms that might any day be expected, they take Captain Shelby with them to the summit, who points out the blue Allegheny Mountains as part of the extreme western landscape. They then return to their settlements along the Delaware to spend the winter and get their appointments renewed. As soon as the weather will permit, in the spring of 1766, they are again at their arduous work ; by the 4th of June they are on top of the Allegheny Mountains. Hope stands on tip-toe that this herculean work will be accomplished before another win- ter's storms shall come. But these brave, energetic men are doomed to disappointment. The Six Nations of Indians send a deputation of chiefs to inform the white men that they "must stop." The valorous Mason and Dixon are anxious to proceed, but these imperious Iroquois chiefs clenched the tomahawk and gave the same intimation that Brunnus did to the Romans, when he informed them that his sword made the weight by which they were to settle, there was but one alternative-stop. Thus one year of valuable time was lost. During the ensuing winter, the Governors of Maryland and Pennsylvania expended about £500 in purchasing the consent of the Indians to the ex- tension of the line. Early in June, 1767, the surveyors are in their camp on top of the Alleghenies, and are here met by fourteen warriors with an interpreter and a chief, who have come to escort the surveyors and other "pale-faces" down into the Valley of the Ohio, whose tributaries they were soon to cross. All hands now work with a hearty good will, hoping the uttermost limits will surely be reached this year. By the 24th of August they have reached the crossing of Braddock's Road. They still hold on their western way across Brice
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
Mountain and Laurel Hill, down the steep declivities of Cheat river, which stream they cross at the "line ford," throwing about six miles of the narrow peninsula into Pennsylvania. Again they are compelled to cross the Monongahela near the mouth of Crooked run. Here, on the 27th of September, when they have already run the line two hundred and thirty- three miles, twenty-six of the laborers desert, leaving but fif- teen ax-men to clear out and mark the line as they proceed. Undaunted, however, by desertion or danger, they still proceed, cross Dunkard Creek once, and still hold on their western way, conscious that less than thirty miles will finish the work which is to immortalize their names. They have reached the "Warrior Branch" of the old Catawba war path at the sec- ond crossing of Dunkard creek, when suddenly their Indian escort cries "Stop." How disappointed are all parties. The Penns are anxious to proceed ; the scattered settlers are wearied with the controversy, and are anxious to know where the end of the line would be, so as to ascertain whether they are in Pennsylvania or Virginia. But none are more disgusted than the surveyors, Mason and Dixon. They can almost see the end of the five degrees of longitude : they have seen the joy and satisfaction that lit up the countenances of the rude settlers on both sides of this line, as they fixed their destiny in one or the other of the colonies ; they were well aware of the litiga- tions and animosities that would still continue to fester along the remaining twenty-three miles that they were not permitted to run. But remonstrance was useless ; the savages this time can neither be reasoned out nor bought out, and hence, after several days of disputing. right there on the bank of Dunkard creek, in what afterward became Greene township, Greene county, the assembly broke up, the Indians went their way, the disappointed surveyors make their final report, and on the 27th of December. 1767, they are honorably discharged. They
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
sail for England, and there is no evidence that they ever visited this land again. Brave men! Although disappointed, you did immortalize your names. Garard's Fort was built in the ; bounds of this township, of which I propose giving a particu- lar description hereafter.
On the west side of the Monongahela river, opposite New Geneva, still stands the town of Greensboro, in the bounds of this old township of Greene. This town was laid out by Elias Stone, on the 31st of May, 1791. It is located on part of a traet of land called "Delight," which was patented to Elias Stone and Elizabeth, his wife, in 1787. Each lot contains eighty-one perches ; the streets are forty feet wide. Lot No. 60 was presented to the citizens for public uses at their discre- tion. The town contains eighty lots; the names of the streets back from the river, are Water, Front, Second, Third and Fourth. The cross streets are named as follows: Diamond, Stone, Clear, Walnut, Minor and County streets. One of the principal business pursuits of late years in this town has been the manufacture of stoneware. Mr. James Hamilton has brought this business to a high state of perfection-so much so that it has to a great extent superceded the former staple of the town which was almost exclusively glass. Before we take our departure from this end of the county, it may be well to say what remains to be said about the completion of this great line about which we have already written so much. I have already said that about twenty-three miles remain to be run. Mason and Dixon had estimated the entire length of the line to fill up Penn's Charter to be two hundred and sixty-seven miles, and one hundred and ninety-five and one-sixteenth perches. They had already run to the stopping place at the old war path at the second crossing of Dunkard creek, two hundred and forty- four miles, and one hundred and thirteen perches and seven and one-fourth feet. They made their measurements with a
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
four pole chain, and marked each mile as they went along. But now the question began to be agitated by interested par- ties, as to whether the calculation was right. Mason and Dixon had said that a degree of longitude in the latitude of their line, was fifty-three miles and one hundred and sixty- seven and one-tenth perches. Were they right? was the ques- tion ; for as Penn was to have a due north meridian line from the end of his five degrees of longitude, it is evident that every perch of distance in the length of this line, whether minus or plus, would add or subtract thousands of acres to or from Penn- sylvania. Lord Dunmore and men of his ilk contended that the line was much too long already, that it ought never to have crossed the Monongahela river. But during the years that the line was halted at this point, a new state of things is intro- duced. The Empire of England in these western wilds has "tottered on its old foundations." Lord Dunmore and his usurp- ing tool, Connolly, have become fugitives, and the representa- tives of freemen in the old Colonial Assembly, have declared, "These Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and inde- pendent States!" It is now no longer the subalterns of the King of Great Britain that are authorized to make decisions, but the representatives of a free people have this prerogative. Here we see the advantage of having persons possessed of astronomical knowledge in high places. That great man, Thomas Jefferson, was at that time Governor of Virginia. Rising above all pecuniary or partizan motives, he notified both parties that this whole matter might be settled by astronomical observations. Agreeably to this recomendation, two astrono- mers of each State, provided with proper instruments and a good time-keeper, repaired to Wilmington, Delaware, nearly at the eastern end of the line, and there they erected an observa- tory. The other four proceeded to the western end of the temporary line, twenty-three miles from the second crossing of
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
Dunkard, near the site of Mt. Morris, and there on one of the highest Fish creek hills, they erected a rude observatory. At both these observatories, during six weeks immediately preced- ing the 20th of September, 1784, they take their observations of different celestial phenomena, particularly the immersion of the moons of Jupiter. When this is done, they meet and com- pare notes, and find that their stations are twenty minutes and one and one-eighth seconds apart ; on the supposition the globe is 25,000 miles in circumference, and that every part of this distance is turned to the sun in twenty-four hours, they de- vide that twenty minutes of time is equal to five degrees of longitude ; hence their stations are a little too far apart. They then shorten back on their line to precisely twenty minutes of time, and here they fix the corner of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ; they then and there set up a square, unlet- wred white-oak post, around which they rear a conical pile of rough stones, which is still visible near the Board Tree Tunnel, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
Among the surveyors that completed the remaining twenty- three miles of this famous Mason & Dixon's Line, I find this difference between Judge Veech and Dr. Creigh : The former has the name Andrew Ellicott, the latter writes it Andrew El- :iott. As they both say he was from Maryland they no doubt refer to the same man, and the difference is merely an uncor- rected error on the part of Dr. Creigh's printer, who has omit- ted the letter "e" in setting his type. If then, this was Andrew Ellicott, I presmue I was acquainted with some of the same family on Cheat river, where Evan T. Ellicott & Co., were largely engaged in the manufacture of iron, within a very short distance of this famous line. While preaching in that vicinity I was occasionally invited to dine with them. They were from Ellicott's Mills on the Potapsco, some fifteen miles from Balti- more. Another difference among historians is the spelling of
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
the name of one of the creeks of this county. Judge Veech always spells it "White Clay," while almost all other writers spell it "Whiteley." Who is right? But this is a small matter. We have seen with how much reluctance the Indian permitted the running of this great State line, and finally utterly rebelled against its further extension. The very efforts made by the Penns to coax and buy the right of way for their line was a tacit admission that the Iroquois Indians were the owners of the soil. Their title had in no instance been extinguished be- yond the Monongahela in the present Greene county, in 1767, and yet settlers were taking up and making preparations to per- manent settlement of the choice lands along Tenmile, Muddy creek, both the Whiteleys and Dunkard. The Indians became loud and boisterous in their declarations, that if the settlers are not driven away, something serious will happen. Forthwith the Governors of Virginia and Pennsylvania issue proclama- tions notifying all persons settled on Indian lands to pull up stakes and depart. The notice is unheeded, and soldiers are now sent up from Fort Pitt to drive them away. But when the settler met the soldier on the threshold of his cabin, with his ample draught of old Monongahela whiskey, his artillery was spiked at once, and he allowed the settler to set his goods out of his cabin into the woods until the soldier was gone, when the goods were carried back and all things assumed the statu quo ante. It became evident on the extension of the line that these intruders were all in Pennsylvania, principally in Fayette and Westmoreland counties on the east side of the river. Gov- ernor Penn, in January, 1768, called the special attention of the Assembly to the subject, saying, "Their removal was in- dispensible in order to avert war." The Assembly was as much alarmed as the Governor himself, and on the 3d of Feb- ruary, 1768, they pass a law which was certainly a complete Brutem Fulmen, declaring that all persons who had presumed
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
to settle on or take up Indian lands, should evacuate the same within thirty days from the time notice was served upon them, and if after their removal they should return, or if any should settle after being notified, "every such person thereof legally convicted by their own confession , or the verdict of a jury, shall suffer death without benefit of clergy." To try the effect of the new law Governor Penn sent out Rev. Capt. John Steel of Carlisle, a Presbyterian minister, to deliver proclamations, preach to the people, and warn them to quit. But it was all to no purpose. The first meeting seems to have been held at Christopher Gist's plantation at the foot of Laurel Hill, on the spot that has long been known as Mount Braddock. The sec- ond meeting was at Red Stone Old Fort, (Brownsville). While here a deputation of Mingo Indians came to the meeting and publicly forbade the whites from settling on any Indian lands until after the treaty. This treaty came off at Fort Pitt in May, 1768. Nothing however was accomplished except sun. dry talks, the lodging of various complaints, and the distribut- ing of about one thousand pounds sterling worth of presents. In the autumn of the same year, (1768) a great treaty came off at Fort Stanwix, at which, for the sum of £10,000, the Penns bought all the before unbought portions of the Province, except what lay north and west of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers. As this was just at the time when tomahawk rights were be- coming numerous along the eastern border of Greene county, and very few if any permanent settlements were yet made, the "bloody law" did not effect them much. It is quite certain that none of them "suffered death without the benefit of eler- gy." On the 3d of April, 1769, the Penns opened their offiec at Philadelphia for the sale of land on the new purchase. Dur- ing the first month there were 3,200 applications for titles. No doubt many of these were for land on the eastern border of Greene county, as during the autumn of the same year we find
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