USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 67
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Churches .- In 1828 the Associate Presbyterian (Seceder) congregation of Jefferson was organized in the Irish settlement of Clover township.
In 1831 this congregation built a church on the property of Robert An- drews, a half mile north of Dowlingville. This was one of the first frame church buildings, if not the very first in the county. Some years passed be- twixt the erection of this building and the seating of it. During this time each family provided a board, or slab, and placed it on blocks of wood, or stone, for a seat. Then, when the seats were inserted, they were sold, and the name of the purchaser was written on the end of it with a red pencil. "When I was a small boy I took great pleasure in deciphering those names, and am able, after the lapse of forty years, to furnish from memory the following list of them : James Shields, Moses Knapp, Robert Andrews, William Morrison, John Kelso, John Kennedy, Matthew Dickey, John McGiffin, Joseph Magiffin, Will- iamı Kelso, John Fitzsimmons, George H. S. Brown, George Trimble, John Ferguson, Hugh Millen, Christopher Barr, Beech Wayland, Solomon Cham- bers, James Ross, Thomas Sharp, Isaac Covert, and perhaps some others.
This (Jefferson) congregation has never been long without regular preach- ing services. The following pastors have been at different times installed, a part of the time in connection with Beaver Run, and a part of the time, as at present, in connection with Brookville: Revs. James McCarrol, John McAuley, John Todd, J. C. Truesdale, A. B. Struthers, G. C. Vincent, D. D., and at the present time Rev. G. A. B. Robinson.
In 1866 the Jefferson congregation erected a new church building about a half mile north of where the first one stood. In 1876 a new church was built near the site of the old one by a few persons who refused to enter into the union formed by the Associate and Associate Reformed Presbyterians. This last named is commonly known as the Seceder Church. Standing on a hill which is in sight of Baxter Station, a person can see four church buildings, viz., United Presbyterian, Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter), Associate Presbyterian (Seceder), and United Brethren. Each of these has a Sabbath- school in connection, except the Seceders. The first three use the Bible psalms exclusively in worship. Jefferson Sabbath-school has an enrollment of one hundred and fifty members.
The following sketch of the Covenanter Church was furnished by Mr. Jo- seph Magiffin :
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"The Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter) Church had for a number of years occasional preaching in Clover township. But their first church building was built in the year A. D. 1865.
"The carpenter work was done by Mr. Patterson Leech, and the stone work by Mr. John B. Shields. The cost of the building of the church, as nearly as it can be ascertained, was two thousand and ten dollars. There was a church belonging to the same body in Rose township, near Belleview, built some years before. The membership belonging to both was about eighty-two. The pastors who presided over the congregations were Revs. R. J. Dodds, who went to Syria as a missionary, and died there, T. M. Elder and A. J. McFar- land."
The United Brethren Church building in Dowlingville was erected in 1874. Although it is probable that a Methodist congregation was organized in Sum- merville at a much earlier date, an old citizen tells us that the first Methodist Church was built in 1842. It was a large building, and was frequently filled. This building was replaced by a new one in 1885. The new church, though not as large as the old one, is very handsome and commodious. The name of the present pastor is L. G. Merrill. There is a Sabbath-school in connection with this church.
The first church at Mount Pleasant (Johns') 1 was built in 1850 by the United Brethren, and purchased in 1855 by the Methodist Episcopal congre- gation. The second church building, which was erected on the site of the first, in 1875, by the Methodist Episcopal congregation, is a neatly finished build- ing, size 56 by 36 feet. The name of the present pastor is R. M. Felt. There is a Sabbath-school in connection with this church.
A Presbyterian congregation was organized in Summerville in 1870. They built a church in 1874. There is a Sabbath-school in connection with this church, but not kept open in winter. This congregation has no pastor at present.
Schools .- Charles C. Gaskell, the agent of the Holland Land Company, donated four acres of land for school purposes at the corners of land pur- chased by John Lucas, Robert Andrews, William Morrison and John Kelso. In 1825 a small log shanty was built on the acre reserved from the Lucas prop- erty. This was the first school-house in Clover, and was also used for preach- ing services. A Presbyterian minister named William Kennedy preached a few sermons in this house, and thus it was that this lot came to be used as a cemetery.
The first school teacher was Robert Knox. The house was not floored the first year. The pupils sat on the sleepers. There was a little platform for the teacher ; but one day the boys managed to put rollers under the platform, so
1 This was better known to the old settlers as the Johns' Church, being located on the property of Samuel Johns.
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that when the teacher ascended his throne, it flew from under him, and down he went between the timbers.
March 1, 1827, Joseph Magiffin commenced a three months' term of school, afterwards extended to six months. Tuition was fifty cents per scholar per month. He had twenty-five or thirty scholars. He boarded with the schol- ars, and was free of the school every second Saturday.
There are at present three graded and three ungraded schools in Clover. The ungraded schools are very large, that at Mount Pleasant having an enroll- ment of about eighty scholars.
The graded schools are in Summerville, in a fine large four-room building, erected for the purpose in 1884. The teachers names are: For the lower grade, Miss Henrietta De Haas; for the middle, John S. Kelso; for the higher, · W. S. Osborn.
The names of teachers of ungraded schools are: For Mount Pleasant, William Shields; for Lucas, E. H. Shields; for Ross, Samuel C. Simpson. Teachers' wages average thirty-three dollars per month of twenty days.
The finest building in Clover for literary purposes, is Mount Pleasant Ly- ceum, built in 1881 by Webster Literary Society, at a cost of twenty-three hundred dollars, twelve hundred of which was paid by A. A. Carrier. The orchestra is furnished and occupied by the Twin Sisters Cornet Band.
Societies .- There is a branch of the Woman's Christian Temperance Un- ion in Dowlingville, which holds regular semi-monthly meetings in the U. B. Church. Mrs. R. Campbell is president. There is a Woman's Foreign Mis- sionary Society in connection with Jefferson U. P. congregation. This society was organized and presided over by Mrs. M. J. Millen, as long as the care of an invalid mother would permit. Mrs. E. A. McGiffin is now president. There is also a Woman's Foreign Missionary Society in connection with Summerville Presbyterian congregation of which Mrs. W. J. Corbet is president.
The Webster Literary Society of Mt. Pleasant was organized in 1880, and erected the lyceum building in 188t. This society was instituted for the pur- pose of furnishing better employment for young men and women than loafing, smoking, drinking and such like, and an intelligent, orderly and progressive neighborhood, witnesses to the wisdom of such an institution.
Soldiers. - There is one soldier of the War of 1812 buried in Carrier Cem- etery. His name was John Alexander. Of his history we know but little. He was justice of the peace in Troy about thirty years ago.
Some time between 1840 and 1850 Clover was the headquarters of a famous rifle company. This company was recruited and organized by Dr. James Dowling, and was called the Independent Greens. The uniform con- sisted of an Indian hunting shirt of green baize cloth, trimmed with a red fringe, and leggins of the same material. David L. Moore, the Knapps, Guth- ries and many other large men were members of this company, and it would
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have been difficult to find anywhere a company of abler-bodied men. Besides this many of them were expert riflemen. They were armed with their own rifles. They never had occasion to meet a foe, but if they had been placed on a skirmish line, and properly handled, they would have made their mark. The " Greens " took several lessons in tactics from Colonel Hugh Brady of Brook- ville. Captain Dowling soon turned over the command to John Lucas, Hugh McGiffin and others. The members served seven years, and were, therefore, exempt from militia duty or fine.
The farm of Robert Andrews, one-half mile north of Dowlingville, was at an early day, one of the camps of the "Cornstalk Militia." They were inspected by Brigade Inspector Major Joshua Marlin of Indiana. They were not required to uniform nor arm, but only to report for duty three days in the year. The fine for non attendance was fifty cents per day, and as excuses were allowed, even this small fine was seldom paid. But as the muster or review (two of those days were called musters, and one review), was a day of general meeting greeting and hilarity, the turnout on training-day was sometimes quite large. In those days any person could take whisky to a muster (or anywhere else), and sell it in quantities large or small, by the gallon or by the drink. Drink- ing then was the rule, abstinence the exception. Doubtless this was the rea- son why fights and fighting men were more numerous then than now. A train- ing day which passed without any fighting, was reckoned a dull one. The principal amusements at those musters were foot-racing, throwing the shoulder- stone, jumping, wrestling, and a free for all row, in which the strongest came out best. The militia law required the enrollment of all able-bodied men be- tween the ages of twenty-one and forty-five. It is not now known why they were required to meet. We think it must have been for the purpose of ascer- taining if they were still alive.
It may well seem surprising that in a township which in 1861 numbered less than two hundred voters, seventy-six men bore arms in the War for the Union, and yet this is the record of Clover.
The plan of this history calls for " memorable deeds performed by Jefferson county men in the late war." Now the writer of this (Clover township) history claims that any man who was in the Union army for a considerable length of time, who did his duty and was honorably discharged, did many memorable deeds, and the same writer could specify some of the memorable deeds done by Clover township soldiers, but they were only such as were done in common by all good soldiers. The record shows that " eleven men from Clover died in the line of duty during the war." This is more than thirteen per cent. of those who bore arms. A very heavy loss to leave on the field, as it seldom repre- sents one-half of the real loss, and gives no account of the maimed, crippled, and diseased. Of those eleven, we may at least say that they did memorable deeds. Then we have eleven who enlisted in the first three months' service, and
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most of whom re- enlisted. Well, now, when we consider that they expected to squelch the Rebellion, we must admit that though disappointed in the accom- plishment of their object, still they did memorable deeds. Then we have about twenty who enlisted and re-enlisted and having been through almost the whole war, were honorably discharged at its close. It will never be disputed that they did memorable deeds, for if they had not so done, the union of States should have long ago been a thing of the past. The following are the names of soldiers of the late war who enlisted from Clover, with rank, company, regi- ment and remarks, so far as they could be ascertained :
One Hundred and Fifth Regiment .- Company B: Captain Joseph C. Kelso, veteran, three times wounded, and once taken prisoner. First Ser- geants : Samuel H. Mitchell, killed at Fair Oaks, May 31, 1862 ; William N. Pearse. Sergeant William Lucas, mustered out with company, July 11, 1865. Corporals : Nathan D. Carrier, killed at Fair Oaks, May 31, 1862 ; James M. Thompson. Privates: William Covert, Mathew M. Dowling, David D. De Mott, Thomas Hildreth, died of wounds received at Fair Oaks, May 31, 1862 ; James A. Robinson. Musician, Winfield S. Lucas. Company G : Corporal, William H. Lucas, mustered out with company July 11, 1865.
Eighth Regiment (first three month's men). - Company K : Privates: Da- vid Baldwin, James Baldwin, Isaac Carrier, Andrew Love, Hiram McAninch, Harvey McAninch, Adam M. Sugert, Barton B. Weldon. Musicians : David B. Dickey, James Campbell. Company I : Private, Robert J. Robinson. All discharged on expiration of term of service.
Eleventh Cavalry. - Privates : John Alexander, Darius Baldwin, George E. A. Clark, Jesse Evans, John J. Guthrie, John L. Knapp, John L. Lucas (died in Andersonville prison), James McCann, David McElroy (died of fever in Eastville, Va., June 6, 1865), Thomas McDoell, George McDoell, Lewis Stine, Frederick J. Strong, Robert M. Thompson, James R. Vandevort, Albert C. Vandevort, Paul Vandevort.
Seventh Emergency Regiment .- Company B : First Lieutenant, William Dickey. Privates: Philip Carrier, Lanford Carrier, Oliver Darr, John McEl- roy, C. B. McGiffin, John Moore, Charles Shingledecker, Ira Welch, Jackson Welch. Company H: Corporal, Hiram McAninch. Private, James J. Wal- mer.
These men were called out for the purpose of heading off the great Con- federate raider, John Morgan, and were discharged immediately after his cap- ture. They were in the service about six weeks, and would have died for their country if Morgan had killed them.
One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Regiment .- Company B : Sergeant, Sam- uel M. Moore. Privates : James Hildreth, Chauncey P. Harding, James E. Mitchell, Frank M. Robinson.
Two Hundred and Eleventh Regiment. - Company B : Private, David W. Craft. 71
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One Hundred and Third Regiment. - Privates : Daniel Brosious (died in Andersonville prison), Samuel Clark (died in Andersonville prison), Leonard Stine (died of fever at Yorktown, Va.), George Scott, George R. Ward (killed in Seven Days' battie).
Eleventh Regiment Reserves. - Company K : Privates : Milo M. Bryant, Clark B. Haven, Moses M. Sugerts.
One Hundred and Forty-eighth Regiment .- Company I : Sergeant, Ben- jamin F. McGiffin. Privates: Peter P. Love, Joseph M. Thompson (killed at Spottsylvania, May 12, 1864).
One Hundred and Ninety-ninth Regiment .- Company K : Privates : Ja- cob Brosious, George W. Brosious (died of chronic diarrhea at Richmond, Va., June 16, 1865).
Regiment Unknown. - Privates : Abram Miller, Andrew Hetrick.
Two colored men, named Green and Butler went to fill the quota of Clo- ver, for the draft next to the last one, but when they arrived in Pittsburgh, they were offered $600 local bounty, instead of $400, which Clover was giving, and so they accepted the $600, and were enrolled for Allegheny county.
Agriculture and Stock Raising .- There are many good farms in Clover, four of which have but few superiors in the county.
First. The farm at Mount Pleasant, partly cleared by George Eckler, an early settler, who was married to Amelia Carrier. A. A. Carrier has occupied this farm for thirty years, and has, during this time, made the following im- provements, besides customary farm buildings, viz : A hen house, 70 by 20 feet, in which five hundred chickens were produced this season ; also a cream- ery building, furnished with Cooley creamers for twenty cows, the churning being done by steam power ; also a three hundred dollar steam engine for cutting and steaming feed, running chopper, etc. These extra improvements were made at an expense of about fifteen hundred dollars.
Second. The farm chiefly cleared by William Simpson, and now owned by Isaac Lucas, has produced large crops of grain for the last thirty years.
Third. The farm chiefly cleared by John Kelso, and now owned by William Kelso, has produced yearly over one thousand bushels of oats and corn, besides large crops of wheat and buckwheat for twenty years.
Fourth. The farm cleared by James Shields (a first settler) and David, his son, and now owned by Samuel M. Shields, although more devoted to stock feeding, produces good crops of grain. Here the purchaser or breeder can find at all times the best quality of draft horses, and the best breeds of cattle and sheep. As farms having peculiar advantages, either natural or acquired, we might mention those of J. K. Ross, Jacob Lehman (the old Johns place), James Dickey, J. H. Shields, D. B. Dickey, George A., and G. B. Carrier. On the farm of G. B. Carrier may be seen the best stock barn in Clover, and perhaps there is none better in the county. The barn is octagonal (eight
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squares), sixty-five feet in diameter. The fodder room is in the center, the stock all around. The fodder comes down from the mows by flumes, which also serve as ventilators. There are many other improvements in this barn too numerous to mention. They must be seen to be appreciated.
John Mclaughlin has a fine flock of thoroughbred Merino sheep. The adjoining farms of David Dinger and John Love produce both good stock and good crops. J. K. Ross, William Kelso and John C. Smith, each took first premiums for Short-horn cattle at the last county fair. S. M. Shields took first premium for Percheron draft horses.
Almost every farm in Clover has an abundance of choice fruit. In 1882 John C. Smith planted one thousand peach trees, besides a large number of apples and pears on his farm at the mouth of Watertrough (formerly Welch) Run. He is also the first in Clover to introduce the fish industry, having this season built a fine pond and stocked it with German carp.
William Miller has a first premium team of Mexican ponies. George A. Carrier has a herd of ponies bred from stock purchased of the cowboys at the fair.
On the farm of Captain J. C. Kelso may be seen a flock of fine Southdown sheep, and on the farm of David W. Smith, on the opposite side of the creek, a fine flock of Cotswolds. A team of three year old horses, belonging to John Brosious, would draw nearly thirty hundred on the scales. These are only examples of Clover's choice stock, and must not be mistaken for a full list.
Roads .- Clover is bisected by the Kittanning and Brookville road, which follows the creek except at the bends. We cannot easily learn when this road was made, but it was traveled seventy years ago-1816. It has, however, undergone many alterations, the most notable of which is that from Summer- ville to Millville via Shannondale, instead of following the creek. Most of the high hills over which this road passed have three grades of the same road ; the first seemed to have been made by a point of the compass over the tops of the hills and the bottoms of hollows; the second was a better grade, and the third still better. From the beginning of the war, 1861, till the completion of the railroad, 1874, this Kittanning road was constantly full of teams hauling freight from the river at Mahoning, besides a stage line, three hack lines, and hundreds of private conveyances.
The roads in Clover are not very good and never will be until there is some system of road-making agreed upon and strictly adhered to.
Railways .- The Low Grade Division of the A. V. Railroad, which follows the creek through Clover, was completed in 1874, and then it seemed to be a strange experience for a raftman to get home with all ease by bed- time on the same day on which he ran out of the creek. Summerville and Baxter stations are both very considerable shipping points, especially for railroad ties and lum- ber. There is a part of this railroad between Summerville and Baxter (Ma-
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lone's cut and two bridges), which cost two hundred and forty thousand dollars for fifteen hundred feet.
The Bench and Bar .- There is not a lawyer in Clover township, but 'Squire Charles A. Jacox has considerable knowledge of law, and the citizens seldom go higher than his court for the settlement of their disputes. The cit- izens of Clover are, as a rule, peaceably inclined, and much opposed to law- yer's fees. Two of the young and rising lawyers of Brookville are from Clover, viz., S. H. Whitehill and H. H. Brosius.
The Press -- P. E. Thompson, of Dowlingville, has a small hand- press, from which he turns out some excellent work.
Banks .-- Although there are persons in Clover who have money at interest, we have no banks, nor bankers.
The Medical Profession .- We are informed by an old resident that there was a physician named Newton in Troy in 1818. " He (Dr. Newton) boarded at Fuller's, and made his own spirits of turpentine. I have often seen the notches which he cut in trees to collect pitch. He was a good physician, but no surgeon. In 1819 Moses Knapp's leg was amputated by Drs. Newton and Rankin, neither of them had surgical instruments. They sent to Kittanning and then to Indiana for instruments. Failing to get them they cut the bone with a carpenter's tenon saw. The bone was not covered by a flap and was always sore to the touch. Dr. Rankin resided in Clarion county, perhaps in the vicinity of Rimersburg."
Dr. Robert K. Scott, who resided on the pike about three miles west of Brookville, was the only medical practitioner in Clover in 1826.
About 1836 Dr. James Dowling came from Jamestown, Mercer county, and located in New Prospect, now Dowlingville, and remained till about 1846, when he removed to Brookville. Next to Dowling a young physician named Whitehill practiced a year or two in Troy. Then R. B. Bryant, for a few years. Then came a young man named R. B. Brown in 1850. Dr. Brown, by good practice, moderate bills, and unfailing faithfulness to the poor, has built up a practice which is not even approached by any other physician and surgeon in the county.
Hotels .- There has not been a house licensed to sell liquor in Clover for the ' Jast fifteen years. There are three boarding-houses in Summerville, kept by B. F. Osborn, C. A. Jacox and Ed. Ditty. The Osborn House, lately fin- ished, is large, handsome and convenient, and considerably patronized as a summer resort.
There are two fine boarding-houses in Dowlingville, one of which is kept by Jacob Eshelman, and the other by Joseph Knapp. The Knapp House, erected especially for a hotel, is a fine, large building, well patronized by lum- bermen, fishing parties, etc.
The Eshelman House, or rather the site of it, has been occupied as a hotel
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for fifty years. The sign used to read "New Prospect Inn." There is no sign up now, but travelers will tell you to go to Eshelman's and you will get a good square meal.
Mills .- The history of Clover would be incomplete without a sketch of the mills which have been. Thomas Lucas built a saw-mill at Puckerty in 1820. Some time previous to 1830 Lucas sold to 'Squire John C. Corbett. The mill did but little work in those ten years. In 1830 'Squire Corbett sold the mill and thirty acres of land to Henry Smith and Samuel Lucas, jr., for twenty-five thousand feet of boards delivered at the mouth of Redbank. Smith and Lucas repaired the mill and the dam, and Lucas's share of the boards, which he ran to Pittsburgh market one spring, was one hundred and fifty thousand feet, which was a large business for that time. In 1834 Smith sold his share of the mill property to John Carrier. In 1836 Lucas also sold his share to Carrier. About a year after this Carrier took down the old mill and built a fine double mill on the site of the old one. When this mill had cut only about twenty- five thousand feet of lumber, a rise in the creek took out a crib next the mill which had been built without stone, and in a few days the mill was under- mined by the flood, and fell down and went to pieces.
About the year 1819 Moses Knapp built a saw-mill where Baxter's mill now stands. After running the mill for a few years Knapp sold the mill prop- erty to Holden & Fairweather; they in turn sold to John Averill and Caleb Howard; they to Orcutt & Engles; they to John J. Y. Thompson ; he to Dowling & Calvin ; they to Haskells ; they to Rice ; he to Mayo, and he to Baxter. In 1854 Richard J. Baxter bought the foundation (the mill having been burnt), water privilege, and seven acres of land for the sawing of one hundred thousand feet of boards, Mayo furnishing the stock.
In 1864 Baxter bought the land originally belonging to this mill property - three hundred acres. Other parties had examined this land and thought that there was no timber on it worth purchasing. Baxter took timber enough off ten acres of this land to pay for the whole property.
A shingle-mill was inserted in the saw-mill in 1855, and the whole build- ing and machinery rebuilt in 1885, including also a chopper. The property now consists of the mills, a good farm, a large tract of woodland, a post-office building, several houses for rent, two barns, and many out-houses, the whole being valued at sixteen thousand dollars.
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