USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 73
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
by John Morrison. William Mendenhall settled on the farm now owned by his heirs, previous to 1827. Mr. Mendenhall died in 1870. John W. Monks settled on the farm now owned by his son, G. D. Monks, in 1828. William Summerville, in 1829 settled down in the woods and cleared the farm now owned by Nathaniel Oaks. Joseph Hughes, William Morrison, and James Sharp, came previous to 1827, John Fleming about 1829, Michael Troy in 1831 or 1832. The White's came at an early day. Samuel Love is also an old resident of the township.
The first marriage of which there is any record was that of James Hind- man to Miss Rachel Christy about 1825 or 1826.
The first deaths were Alexander Powers and Mrs. Sharp, mother of Thomas and Samuel Sharp, who reside in Union. These deaths occurred about 1827. They were both buried in the old grave-yard on the present Cowan farm, and were the first interred there. Mrs. William McKee states that she, with a Miss Lott and another lady whose name she cannot recall, were the only women at Mr. Powers' funeral, and that she helped prepare the shroud in which he was dressed.
Mr. William McKee states that when he first came to the neighborhood, there was an old school-house built of logs, standing on what is now the Ren- sell place, opposite Cowan's. It had first been built and used as a shanty by the men who worked on the turnpike. He says that the family of John Mat- son attended that school. The next school-house was built on the top of the hill west of William McKee's, in 1834 or 1835. The first church was the old Bethel, built in 1824, about three miles west of Brookville, near the present residence of Mrs. Cowan. Soon after it was built a fire broke out in the woods surrounding it, and the logs of which the church was constructed were much scorched and blackened, presenting a rather hard appearance. In 1830 or 1831, the church was divided by a new congregation being organized at Brook- ville, and for a time what is now the Corsica congregation, worshiped and held their communion services in John Christey's barn, as the old church had become unfit for use.
The first grave yard, as has been stated, was started on the farm now owned by the heirs of James Cowan, and there repose nearly all the pioneer settlers of Union-the Christys, the Kaylors, the Hughes, Mendenhalls, and many others. This ground is still used as a burial place by some of the de- scendants of the early settlers buried there.
The first grist-mill was built at Corsica, and the first saw-mill was erected on Little Mill Creek, where the Olean road crosses, by Nathan Bunker.
The first coal was taken out on the Mendenhall farm, opposite Cowan's. The coal of Union township was mostly developed by James Cowan, who fol- lowed mining in and about Corsica for about twenty years. Mr. Cowan's set- tlement in Eldred township has already been noticed. He removed to Union
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in 1866, where he purchased ten acres of land from G. H. S. Brown, and after- wards, in 1867, bought the Joseph Hughes farm, where he resided until his death, in 1878, and where his wife and family still reside.
Among the oldest persons, and longest residents in Union are Mr. William McKee, who is now eighty-two years of age, and his wife, who is not much younger. They have lived in Union over sixty years. Mr. Sheridan McCul- lough is now in the eighty-fourth year of his age, and has resided in Union about fifty-eight years. Mr. Mccullough for some years has been almost blind. He says that the worst experience he had in farming in Jefferson county was caused by the long and severe drought of 1844, which was of longer duration than that of the summer of 1887-no rain fell for many weeks. The streams were almost all dry, and the mills stopped for want of water. Mr. Mccullough had taken grain to four different mills, but though he went to the mills time after time, he found his grain unground, and his family had to subsist on pota- toes. When he had gone for the ninth time to mill, his son David, and daugh- ter, Elizabeth, who were digging potatoes upon which to make another meal, descried him coming, and perceiving that he had at last a " grist" with him, threw down their hoes and rushed to the house, knowing that they would have bread at last. Mr. William B. Kennedy, though not the oldest in years, is probably the oldest citizen of the township, to which he came with his parents almost sixty-five years ago.
Nearly every person who travels the road between Corsica and Brookville knows where " Ghost Hollow " is. This dark, grewsome place is the ravine of Campbell's Run, where, years ago, a man named Campbell built a saw-mill, the rotting timbers of which are still to be seen. It is said that one evening in 1831 a terrific rain and wind storm visited the locality, and that all those from Union who had been in Brookville that day took shelter from the storm at the house of Joseph Clements, except one man who, with his wife and two children, were in a carriage, drawn by two horses. Although the others earnestly be- sought him to stop until the storm was over, he refused, saying he would go on to his destination or to h-, and drove on. When the storm had subsided it was found that a large tree had fallen across the carriage, crushing it to the ground, and killing this man, who was driving, instantly, while the horses and other inmates of the carriage escaped unharmed. It was for a long time asserted by the ignorant and superstitious that the hollow where this occurred was haunted by the ghost of this unfortunate man, who would appear to be- lated travelers, and one stage driver asserted that on one dark, stormy night his horses were stopped by the ghost, at which he threw a hatchet. The ghost must have been somewhat dishonest, as the hatchet could not be found the next morning. The uneasy spirit of Ghost Hollow seems to have been appeased of late years, as very little is now heard of it, only as a legend of the past, the only excitement that the locality has had in later years being the un-
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
successful attempt to get gas in the hollow, a test well being put down there in 1886.
Present Business, etc .- At present there is only one store in Union town- ship, kept by William B. Cowan at his coal mines. There are two saw-mills, both on Little Mill Creek, one owned by Marlin Brothers, and the other by Charles Love. There is no hotel in the township outside of Corsica, and for a number of years there has been no licensed house.
Mail facilities are supplied to the citizens of Union by the post-offices of Corsica and Brookville.
Farms -Farming is the principle business of Union, and among the best improved farms are those of William L. Morrison, Joseph D. Orr, Crawford Hindman, Matson Knapp, Joseph Matson, Thompson Moore, James Moore, Hugh Magill, J. H. Kennedy, David Simpson, Robert Hindman, James Cow- an's estate.
Those farmers in the township paying the most attention to raising im- proved stock are : I. M. Knapp, Peter B. Cowan, and Thompson Moore.
Excellent fruit, apples, peaches, pears, plums, grapes, etc., are raised on nearly all the farms.
Elections .- At an election held in the township of Union, on the 25th day of February, 1850, the following persons were elected : Justices of the peace, William H. Barr, John W. Monks; constable, Anthony Rencill ; supervisors, Samuel Hindman, Joseph Hughes ; assessor, J. K. Mendenhall; auditor, Jo- seph Summerville ; fence appraisers, Michael Haugh, Joshua Mckinley, Will- iam Kelly; overseers of the poor, John J. Y. Thompson, Joseph Kaylor ; school directors, George H. S. Brown, Samuel Sowers, William M. Hindman ; town clerk, Ebenezer Barton ; judge of election, George H. S. Brown ; inspec- tors, David Lamb, William McKee.
At the election held February 15, 1887, the following township officers were elected : Constable, George Shultz ; tax collector, George Shultz ; school directors, N. J. Hawk, L. Clinger ; supervisors, N. J. Hawk, J. W. Kyle ; an- ditor, John Morrison ; assessor, James Brown ; justice of the peace, James Brown ; poor overseer, G. W. Kelso; town clerk, John Mendenhall ; judge of election, R. A. Summerville ; inspectors, G. B. Orr, J. P. Steel.
The other justice of the peace is J. T. Aaron, and R. A. Summerville, S. Snyder, William Moore, and J. H. Summerville are the other members of the school board of Union.
The number of taxables in Union township in 1849 was 93 ; in 1856, 179; in 1863, IIO; in 1870, 156; in 1880, 205 ; in 1886, 206. The population, according to the census of 1850, was 597 ; 1860, 542 ; 1870, 595 : 1880, 809. The decrease of taxables and population was on account of the erection of Corsica into a borough in 1859.
The triennial assessment for 1886 gives the number of acres of seated land
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in Union township as 9,980 ; valuation, $42,163 ; average value, $4.43. Saw- mills, 3 ; valuation, $400. Unseated, 274 acres; valuation, $1,888 ; average per acre, $6.89. Number of horses, 155 ; valuation, $3,670 ; average value, $22.93. Number of cows, 223 ; valuation, $1,904; average value, $8.53. Oxen, 2; valuation, $40. Number of occupations, 49; valuation, $1,865 ; average, $38.00. Total valuation subject to county tax. $51,930. Money at interest, $14,192.
The number of schools in Union township for the year ending June 7, 1886, were 5 ; average term taught, 5 months; teachers, 3 females and 2 males ; average salary of female teachers, $27.00 ; males, $23.43; number of male scholars, 123 ; number of females, 116; average attendance, 169; per cent. of attendance, 84 ; cost per scholar, 56 cents : mills levied for school purposes, 13 ; mills levied for building purposes, 2 ; total amount of tax levied for school purposes, $764.02.
CORSICA.
The first improvements made in what is now the borough of Corsica, was about 1802, as has already been stated, by John Scott and Alexander Powers. The first hotel was McAnulty's, which was located at the intersection of Olean road and the pike, and the first store was Lee Tipton's in 1835 or 1836. The town was first surveyed and laid out in 1847 by John J. Y. Thompson and Daniel Stanard, esq., of Indiana. Mr. Thompson had previously purchased a tract of land of Mr. Stanard, embracing what is now the town of Corsica, where he erected a hotel and where he was appointed postmaster in 1843. Mr. Thompson gave the name Corsica to the new town, calling it for the birth place of Nopoleon Bonaparte, an island in the Mediterranean. In 1856 Cor- sica is spoken of by the papers of the day as "a thriving town seven miles west of Brookville, with about three hundred citizens, and containing five stores, three taverns, two blacksmith shops, two churches, and one in process of erection, two groceries, two tailor shops, two shoe shops, one wagon shop, one cabinet shop, one school-house, a line of stages passes through east and west daily."
Corsica was incorporated as a borough in 1860. Among its oldest citizens besides those already mentioned, is Hon. Peter Clover, eldest son of Paul Clover, one of the first settlers in Clearfield county. John Scott, the first set- tler at Corsica, married Mr. Clover's sister. He was one of the first Metho- dists in Jefferson county, being one of the original members of the class formed at Troy. Mr. Clover is now ninety-two years of age, but retains all his men- tal faculties unimpaired.
Another of the old residents whose history is interwoven with the first era of civilization in Jefferson county is the venerable Isaac Jones, son of Peter Jones, who has been already noticed in the history of the first settlers of the
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
county. Mr. Jones's.mother was a sister of John Scott above noted. He has resided during the greater part of his life on his farm west of Corsica, in Clar- ion county, but in his declining years has come to Corsica, where his son, Joseph Barnett Jones, resides. Mr. Jones, who is now in the eighty-seventh year of his age, in 1826 married Jane Love Wilson, who is also past eighty. They have been more graciously favored than usually falls to the lot of persons wedded here below, having in 1876 celebrated their golden wedding, and Jan- uary 9, 1886, celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of that event at the home of their son, J. B. Jones, of Corsica. A sister of Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Nancy Hender- son, wife of Judge Henderson, of Brookville, was the only one present on this occasion who had witnessed the ceremony sixty years before. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are cheerful and happy in their old age, and bid fair to celebrate more anniversaries of their marriage day.
Two of Mr. Jones's children reside in Corsica, Miss Rebecca with her aged parents, and J. B. Jones, who is one of Corsica's most prominent citizens, hav- ing for about fifteen years been engaged in merchandising and lumbering there.
Fires .- Corsica has been twice terribly devastated by the fire fiend. The first fire occurred on the night of March 17, 1860. The loss principally fell upon E. B. Orcutt, whose hotel, occupied by Calvin B. Clark, was destroyed. The entire loss was estimated at $3,000.
In 1873 nearly the whole town was laid in ashes, the loss being estimated at $100,000.
The first grist-mill in Union township was built in Corsica by John P. Wann, a short time before the big fire.
Pisgah Presbyterian Church was the first erected in the town, and the first grave-yard was laid out adjacent to it, the first interment being a child of Da- vid and Polly Lamb. Mrs. Lamb, the mother of this child, now resides at Port Barnett.
Present Business -In 1887 the business register of Corsica was as follows :
J. B. Jones, general store ; G. M. Simpson, dry goods and groceries ; R. R. Snyder, dry goods and groceries ; Isaac Lucas & Son, dry goods and gro- ceries ; F. R. Knapp, groceries and feed ; Mrs. Ellen Ray, millinery goods ; Miss Hettie Reed, millinery goods; Holden & Scott, drug store ; C. N. Ray, dentist ; D. Glenn & Co., shoe shop; W. H. Scott, shoe shop ; Robert Moore, shoe shop ; H. A. Smith, blacksmith ; P. C. Love, blacksmith ; A. P. Simkins, blacksmith ; J. A. Myers, harness maker ; Jones & Orr, planing-mill; A. Knabb, stave-mill and jointer ; A. M. Slack, dealer in wagons and buggies, and undertaker ; E. B. Orcutt, hotel ; W. B Glenn, barber.
There are three churches in Corsica, Presbyterian, Methodist and Catholic. Corsica sustains an excellent select school, or academy.
The post-office at Corsica was established in 1843, and the present post-
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UNION TOWNSHIP.
mistress, Mrs. Sarah A. Reed, has handed out the mail to the citizens of that pleasant little town for the past twenty-five years, having been appointed in 1862.
Elections .- The first election after Corsica became incorporated as a bor- ough, was held in 1860, and resulted in the election of the following town officers :
Justice of the peace, James Garvin, S. P. Barr; constable, H. McGiffin ; town council, W. B. Mapes, S. C. Espy, F. H. Sowers, J. C. McCombs, William B. Slack; auditors, D. Undercoffer, G. H. Kennedy, J. L. Mccullough ; assessor, J. W. Rea, J. J. Merideth ; judge of election, William B. Slack, J. H. Dill (tie vote) ; inspectors, Samuel Short, F. Sowers ; school directors, J. W. Rea, Will- iam B. Slack, J. W. Ardery, J. C. McCombs ; burgess, A. Slack.
At the election held February 15, 1887, the following persons were elected :
Burgess, N. Taylor ; justice of the peace, A. M. Slack ; constable, W. H. Glenn ; town council, A. P. Simkins and I. D. Lucas ; school directors, John Mccullough and A. P. Simpkins and John Myers, tie vote; poor overseer, John McCauly ; assessor, Samuel Cable ; collector, J. M. Garvin ; auditor, W. B. Reed ; judge of election, J. H. Monks; inspectors, Harry Thompson and I. H. Smith.
The other members of the school board are A. Knabb, N. Corbet, J. H. Monks and R. R. Snyder.
The taxables in Corsica in 1863 were 45; in 1870, 89; in 1880, 91; in 1886, 126.
The population of Corsica in 1860 was 249; 1870, 372; 1880, 391.
The triennial assessment for 1886 gives the number of acres of seated land in Corsica as 211 ; valuation, $3,053 ; average per acre, $14.42 ; number of houses and lots, 112 ; valuation, $10, 171 ; number of horses, 47 ; valuation, $1,390 ; average value, $29.57 ; nuniber of cows, 36; valuation, $336; aver- age value, $9.33; number of occupations, 69; valuation, $1,890 ; average, $27.39; total valuation subject to county tax, $16,840; money at interest, $32,603.
The number of schools in Corsica borough for the year ending June 7, were three ; number of months taught, five ; one male and two female teachers ; sal- ary of male teacher, $35 ; females average salary, $26.50 ; number of male scholars, 60; females, 71 ; average attendance, 105 ; per cent. of attendance, 94 ; cost per scholar, 64 ; thirteen mills levied for school, and five for building purposes ; total amount of tax levied for school and building purposes, $1,300.56.
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
CHAPTER LI.
HISTORY OF BEAVER TOWNSHIP.
B EAVER, the twentieth township, was organized in 1850, being formed from portions of Clover and Ringgold. It was named for the principal stream within its bounds, Beaver Run, which traverses the township from east to west, entering Red Bank at Heathville.
This township has Clover township on the north and Rose and Oliver on the east while on the west is Clarion county, and Ringgold forms the south- ern boundary, being separated from the latter by Little Sandy while Red Bank flows along its western boundary. These two streams then unite just beyond the Jefferson county border. The central part of the township and the east- ern part consists of high land much diversified by small ravines, but contain- ing summits which range from 400 to 450 feet above Red Bank Creek.
Geology .- The principal coal found in Beaver is the Brookville seam, which is the only workable one. Its average thickness is four and a half feet though it has been opened at Hetrick's where it was found to be seven feet thick. The Freeport, Kittanning and Clarion coals are of no account in Beaver town- ship.
The Freeport upper limestone is one of the conspicuous features of the geology of Beaver. It tops all of the highest knobs, and is found at D. Buck's and at E. Jones's, near Worthville, not less than fifteen feet thick.
The ferriferous limestones found on the Boyer, Updegraff, Brocius and Lang farms, also on the farms of Daniel Reitz and C. Brocius, at all of which places it has been worked. It is generally about five feet thick, richly fossil- iferous and in good condition for quarry lime.
Buhrstone iron ore is also found at several localities in the township, but has not been investigated.
Early Settlement and Improvements .- Hulett Smith and his wife were pro- bably the first settlers in Beaver township, to which they came from Connecti- cut in 1816. They were thirty-five days making the journey and when they came, Brookville as well as nearly all portions of the county, was a dense wil- derness. Mrs. Eunice Smith died at her home three miles south of Troy, where she had lived fifty-three years, June 6, 1869; she was in the seventy- sixth year of her age. Mr. Smith removed to Brookville, during the later years of his life where he died in 1879, aged ninety years; he was a soldier of the War of ISI2.
Then in the year 1834 a number of families came from Dauphin county, among whom were those of J. and S. Philliber, Jonas Sowers, Ludwick Bierly, William McAninch, Mr. Mentear, Henry and Conrad Nulf, Solomon . Gearhart, George Reitz, Michael Hetrick. The Holt family came about 1837.
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The only ones of those early settlers now living are four sons of William McAninch and two of Jonas Sowers's.
Henry Nolf and Hance Robinson made the first improvements and cleared the first land. The descendants of these early pioneers yet reside in the town- ship and are among its best and most enterprising citizens.
The first school house was built about the year 1837 on the Mentear farm or at William Furguson's, and the first church on the Philiber farm, about the same time. The first grave-yard was located on the Holt farm and the father and mother of J. and S. Philiber were the first persons buricd there. Hance Robinson built the first grist-mill at Heathville, and he or his brother William started the first store. Henry Nolf built the first saw-mill at Heathville; the second was built by Hance Robinson and the next by Conrad Nolf. Aaron Fuller built a saw-mill in 1830 at the mouth of Beaver Run.
In 1835 James McKennan and Thomas White, of Indiana, under the firm name of MeKennan & White engaged in lumbering at what is now Langville. They also established a store at that place with Adam Bausman as clerk. James Maize, father of James H. Maize, cashier of the First National bank of Punxsutawney was the general manager for McKennan & White while they done business in Jefferson county, a period of about three years. Mr. Maize removed to Armstrong county and has been dead for a number of years.
Samuel Lerch was born in Lebanon county in 1800 and in 1836 removed to Jefferson county, locating in what is now Beaver township, where he pur- chased eighty-seven acres of land with a one and a half story shanty 24x24 upon it and having about five acres cleared. His children were all young, three of them being unable to walk. The family set to work to make a home in this place, and for a time were obliged to exercise the utmost economy. They made their own clothes, even to the buttons and for years their own fields and garden furnished all their food. Instead of Rio their coffee was rye and for the invigorating herb from China they substituted the native herbs.
Mr. Lerch was a good carpenter and cabinet maker, and in the small cabin which had one room below and a loft above he placed his work-bench in one corner. Above was set the tread-lathe and the children would tread this lathe while their father would turn out in a day four bed-posts, four feet long and four inches square.
In 1854 Mr. Lerch engaged in store- keeping at New Salem, in Armstrong county, and in 1859 removed to Ringgold, where he engaged in merchandis- ing until his death, which occurred in 1862. His wife, née Rebecca Bultz, died in 1844. Mr. Lerch was the father of nineteen children.
Jacob Reitz, with his family, came to Jefferson county in 1842 from North- umberland county, the journey being made in wagons. He purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in what is now Beaver township. This land was partly cleared, but in very poor condition. Having but little money, and
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
being in debt for part of his farm, and only two of his children, Manuel W. and Edward, aged respectively eleven and thirteen, being able to render him any assistance ; but as the others became large enough, they, too, put their shoul - ders to the wheel that moved the home machinery, and in a little over ten years the farm was cleared from debt, besides being in a good state of cultiva- tion. Jacob Reitz lived to enjoy the prosperity that the toil of himself and family had secured until 1877. when he died in the seventy-fourth year of his age. He was the father of ten children-seven sons and three daughters. They have all borne prominent parts in the history of Beaver township. M. W. and Edward have filled the different offices of trust in the township. The former while serving as constable was appointed deputy-sheriff by Sheriff P. H. Shannon, and in 1863 was elected to that office, his brother, Edward, serving as deputy. Since 1866 four of the brothers -- Manuel W., Edward. Aaron, and Benjamin W .- formed a copartnership and purchased the James Hill property at Belleview, where they have since been engaged in merchan- dizing, lumbering, and farming. Aaron and Jonathan reside in Beaver town- ship, as does Mrs. Samuel Thomas, one of the sisters. Mrs. Sarah Lankert, the remaining member of the family, lives in Mississippi.
Thomas Holt, another of the early settlers of Beaver township, was born in Cumberland county, in 1793, and served in the War of 1812. He was mar- ried in Cumberland county to Sarah Pilgrim, and in 1838 removed to Jeffer- son county, locating in what is now Beaver township. Mr. Holt was a car- penter and pump- maker by trade, but on his arrival located on a farm about seven miles from Brookville, where he followed farming until his death, in 1871.
Thomas R. Holt, their son, was raised on a farm, but learned the black- smithing trade, being an apprentice of the late Arad Pearsall, of Brookville, and of Jacob Lehman, of Rose township. He erected a shop on the home farm, and worked at his trade for seven years, when he purchased the John Philliber farm, and has since that time devoted his attention to farming and lumbering. He is largely engaged in stock-raising, Durham cattle being his speciality, owning some fine registered and graded animals.
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