History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, Part 78

Author:
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk
Number of Pages: 1288

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One of the pioneers of Mercer County was John McGranahan, of Sugar Grove Township. He was born in Cumberland County, Penn., November 12, 1778, the son of John and Nellie (Smith) McGranahan. While a mere lad he removed from Cumberland to Westmoreland County, where he remained until 1798, when he came to the settlement in Sugar Grove. On the 12th of May, 1801, he was married to Nancy, sister of Bishop R. R. Roberts. These children were born to them: Eleanor, Sarah, Elizabeth R., David, George G., Jane L., Lewis N., Nancy A., Jesse M., Mary M., Sophia and Margaret. He was a successful farmer and a famous hunter. He was a captain in the War of 1812, and served in the defense of Erie. He held many township offices during his time; was always a Democrat and a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He died September 2, 1868, full of years, and . leaving a large number of descendants to carry on his work. His father, John McGranahan, settled further north, in Crawford County. He was a packer for the American army during the Revolution. He died in 1830. David MeGranahan, the oldest living child (born November 24, 1808), resides near the old Roberts place. He married Abigail Riley, daughter of John Riley, who came also from Westmoreland County in 1798 and settled in the same region.

Jacob Hannell, also a Westmoreland County man, began clearing a tract of land in the eastern part of the township about 1798. Thomas Arnold entered in the same year, located in the southwestern part of the township, and after clearing a tract of land, erected a cabin and took up his residence. Along near the Salem line, where the Roberts family settled, Lewis Roberts came over into what is now a portion of Sugar Grove Township. His cabin was erected near what is now Kennard Station, and about it he cleared what afterward became an excellent farm. A bear story is related concerning this man, which is here given. He had been in the township for several years, when, one day, upon coming from Hannell's mill toward his home, a little dog, which followed him, spied a young bear endeavoring to creep away un- noticed among the bushes, and, running after it, chased it up a tree. Roberts, thinking that he might capture the animal, which was quite small, climbed the tree, when his horror can be easily imagined at seeing the parent brute appear and prepare to go up after him. But in this dilemma, when he was meditating upon the expediency of jumping to the ground, at the risk of breaking his neck, the little dog proved his friend, for as the bear approached the tree he attacked her upon the flanks, and obliged her to turn her attention in that direction. Several times she reared upon her hind feet and com- menced climbing, and as often the cur bit her furiously, and compelled her to turn back. Meanwhile, his master had followed the cub to the end of one of the limbs, and, shaking it with all his strength, threw him to the ground, when both of the beasts left, and he was able to come down in safety.

The tract lying directly east of Arnold's was settled first at an early date, probably 1799, by one Jonathan Lodge, who had just built a cabin and was preparing to begin a clearing when winter set in, and he was forced to turn back to the settlements. In the following spring, when he returned to resume the labors he had left off the autumn before, he found a man named William Mortimer firmly intrenched in the cabin, and with a clearing well under way. When he requested Mortimer to relinquish his claim and yield possession, the

And Fell

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latter refused to comply, alleging that, according to border law, the land had been vacated, and was, consequently, open to settlement at the time he (Mort- imer) had arrived. No efforts Lodge could make had any effect upon the in- truder, and at last the former had to give up in despair and seek a home in some other locality. This species of squatter sovereignty was very common in those days, when that truth of the old adage, "possession is nine points in law," was illustrated on every hand. The year 1800 witnessed the arrival of Thomas Jolly, who located just east of James Walker.

In 1802 Jolly was bought out, claim, cabin and improvements, by John Leech, of Somerset County, who removed to his new home with his family and took possession on the 4th of May, 1802. Leech was a prominent man in his time, being a justice of the peace, a State representative and a State senator, and a full biography of him will be found elsewhere. Of the others who set- tled about this time, a few only can be mentioned. Leech's eastern neighbor was a man named Gibbons, who came in shortly afterward. John Gildon and William Mahan arrived about 1805. North of Gildon settled Abram Smith, and east of him John Atchison. William McCurdy immigrated from Ireland about 1812, and located in Sugar Grove Township. He married Mary Listen, by whom he reared six children. He died in 1874, aged eighty-two, leaving many descendants to perpetuate his memory.

Industries. - The industrial history of the township is brief. The first en- terprise of an industrial nature was a saw-mill, built in 1808 by Jacob Hannell, to which millstones were afterward attached and a grist-mill started. The loca- tion of this establishment was alongside of a little run near Kennard. Hannell was succeeded in the ownership by Philip Berrier. The business was a profit- able one, as no competitor was within easy access. A fire, in which two of Hannell's sons perished, destroyed a portion of the structure. The second mill was established by Jacob Leech, near the hamlet of Leech's Corners. It was a saw-mill. In later years the movable steam mill superseded the old stationary water-power ones, and many of the latter are now in operation in the northern part of the county. In this connection might be mentioned the cheese factory, which was opened at Leech's Corners in 1873, by Breckenridge & Harper, in a small frame building, 40x50 feet in size. It served a good purpose, turning out at one time as many as eight cheeses per day.

Villages .- There are two villages in Sugar Grove, Leech's Corners and Kennard Station. The former was established as a post-office during the ad- ministration of Andrew Jackson. It was discontinued and then re-established. John Leech opened the first store in 1841.

Kennard is a station on the Erie Railroad. The first store in it was opened in 1854 by Pennock & McCardney. In the list of post-offices given elsewhere will be found the names of the various occupants of the two offices.

In the list of innkeepers, given on another page, will also be found the name of Cornelius Riley, who opened a tavern in the township many years ago. He was killed while on his way from home to Greenville.

Salem Methodist Church is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, Methodist congregation in Mercer County. It grew out of the Roberts settlement, made in 1796, 1797 and 1798, nearly all of whose members were Methodists. The original house of worship, built of logs, 25x40, stood near or on the site of the present house at Leech's Corners. Just when it was erected is not known with certainty. It must have been as early, however, as 1807, that being the date fixed by the most reliable authority. The house continued to be used until about 1823, when its place was taken by a frame structure, about 35x45, with gallery. This second building continued to be used until about the open-

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ing of the late war, when the third and present frame, 45x60, was built. So far as could be ascertained the original membership of this congregation em- braced the following: Robert R. Roberts and wife, John Caughey and wife Hattie, William McLean and wife, William Lindsey and wife Agnes, John McGranahan and wife, William McGranahan and wife, Smith McGranahan and wife, John Riley and wife, Thomas Roberts and wife, John Leech and wife, John McFetridge and wife, Thomas McClelland and wife, James Stevenson and wife, Lewis Roberts and wife, John Rogers and wife, William Steward, Nancy Wilson, Thomas Dumars and wife, James Dumars and wife, Jacob Gurwell and wife, Thomas Jolly and wife, James Walker and wife, Morris Dunlavy and wife, William Gurwell and wife, John Waters and wife, Probson Gibbons and wife. It will be seen that this nucleus of Methodism in the north- ern part of the county furnished the names of men and women who achieved not only a creditable local reputation, but a world-wide fame. Families are numerous who rejoice in the fact that their ancestors were connected with the old Salem (place of peace) settlement.

The names of the early preachers cannot be given. Roberts, McClelland, Gurwell and others supplied the pulpit of the home congregation. For a long, time R. R. Roberts (afterward better known as Bishop Roberts) was the lead- er of the class at Salem. The watchful care which this duty imposed prepared him gradually for the more extensive labors he was subsequently called upon to perform. For many years Salem belonged to the Shenango Circuit. She- nango finally lost its identity, and about 1834 Salem took its place in the Meadville District. The preachers since then have been: T. Stowe, A. G. Sturgess, 1834; E. B. Hill, R. Peck, 1835; A. Keller, C. C. Best, 1836; A. Keller, 1837; S. W. Ingraham, L. Burton, 1838; L. Rodgers, S. P. Hemp- stead, 1839; L. Rodgers, H. N. Stearns, 1840; J. Leslie, H. S. Winans, 1841; H. S. Winans, R. Parker, 1842; H. Luce, J. W. Davis, 1843; W. Patterson, H. D. Cole, 1844; J. Deming, W. Patterson, 1845; J. Crum, A. Callender,. 1846-47; D. H. Jack, G. Stocking, 1848; J. McLean, H. M. Chamberlin, 1849; J. McLean, T. Benn, 1850; J. Leslie, B. F. Langdon, 1851; J. B. Orwig, J. Leslie, 1852; I. C. T. McClelland, J. W. Wilson, 1853; D. King, J. W. Wilson, 1854; W. French, R. Gray, 1855; W. French, S. L. Wilkin- son, 1856; J. Abbott, A. Hight, 1857; J. Abbott, J. C. Sullivan, 1858; I. Scofield, A. H. Bowers, 1859; A. H. Bowers, 1860; J. W. Hill, 1861-62; W. H. Mossman, 1863-64; G. H. Brown, 1865-67; J. W. Blaisdell, 1868; S. L. Wilkinson, 1869; J. Abbott, 1870-71; J. A. Humes, 1872-74; J. L. Mecklin, 1875-76; A. R. Rich, 1877-79; J. F. Perry, 1880; J. M. Foster, 1881-83; S. E. Winger, 1884-86; F. R. Peters, 1887, present incumbent.

WEST SALEM TOWNSHIP.

This subdivision was formed in 1805, and contained, as first constituted, a large portion of Hempfield Township and all of Greene. It extends from Sugar Grove and Hempfield on the east, to the State line dividing Ohio and Pennsylvania on the west. On the north it adjoins Greene and Sugar Grove, while the southern boundary is Pymatuning. West Salem is one of the larg- est and richest agricultural townships in the county, and it has always been politically Democratic. The surface is quite diversified. Most of it is high and rolling, a small portion quite hilly and broken, and an occasional stretch of low, wet country intervenes. An abundance of fine timber covered the land when the pioneers began the clearing process, since which it has yielded to the woodsman's ax, and very little of the original forest remains to attest its former glory.

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

Extensive coal measures underlie a considerable portion of the township. The first coal used in Mercer County was taken from a ledge on the farm now owned by Peter Simpkins. It was discovered late in the eighteenth or early in the present century by prospectors from Trumbull County, Ohio, who were seeking it for blacksmithing uses. This farm has ever since annually yielded a large amount of good coal. Many coal banks have been operated in West Salem during the past fifty years, and thousands of tons have been mined and sold. At one time the principal operations of the Greenville Coal Company were confined to the strata lying a short distance west of that borough. The coal measures west of Greenville are still worked to a considerable extent, and a very fine grade of coal for domestic purposes turned out.

There are also considerable quantities of superior building stone quarried from the hill west of Greenville. Here we find the quarries of Charles Frey, Plimpton Leech and Amy & Brown, all of which turn out a splendid class of building and paving material. These features, combined with the rich agri- cultural interests, make West Salem second to none in the county.

Pioneers .- The early settlement of this township was contemporaneous with other portions of the county. It is claimed that John Walker, of the land firm of Lodge, Probst & Walker, was the first settler, and that he built his cabin on the farm afterward owned by Jacob Loutzenhiser, and subse- quently by Jacob Hommer, in the spring of 1796. At least he was found liv- ing on that place by the first party of land prospectors from Westmoreland County, who visited the Shenango Valley the following autumn. Walker was a bachelor, and is said to have died in the township.

Thomas Brown and family located northwest of Walker in the fall of 1796. During the succeeding winter their small stock of provisions began to give out, and Brown concluded to go through the trackless forest to Pittsburgh, and obtain a new supply. The trip consumed more time than he anticipated, and his wife often related to subsequent settlers how closely the family approached starvation ere the return of her husband. The brave woman gathered the mosses from the forest trees and dug up the roots of wild herbs, which she cooked and fed to her children to preserve their lives. Their son Solomon is said to have been the first male child born in the township. Brown and wife died in West Salem, and none of their descendants are living in this vicinity.

In the fall of 1796 a company of Westmoreland County citizens visited the valley on a land-prospecting tour. These were the Klingensmiths, Kecks, Loutzenhisers, Christys, and perhaps others, several of whom selected lands in this township. Daniel Klingensmith, a German by birth, was the father of the family of that name, and in the spring of 1797 settled permanently on the site of the Greenville Rolling Mills, where both he and wife spent the balance of their lives. His wife was a sister of Jacob Hommer, Sr., and was also a native of Germany. His family consisted of three sons and three daughters, Peter, Daniel, John, Mary, who married Jacob Loutzenhiser; Catharine became the wife of Joseph Keck, and Magdalena married Abraham Keck. His son Peter settled on the William Bortz farm, where a daughter, Susan, was born October 17, 1799, the first female born in the township. She became the wife of William McLaughlin. Peter finally sold his farm and removed into Pymatuning Township, where he passed the remaining years of his life, being drowned in the Big Run in 1842. His brother Daniel died young, and John settled and died on the Howe farm.

The Kecks included five brothers and one sister, viz .: Peter, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Daniel and Catharine, all of whom settled in West Salem in the spring of 1797. Peter located on the Martin Benninghoff farm, near

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

Greenville, where the remainder of his life was spent. Of his children only one, a daughter, is a resident of the county. Abraham occupied the Levi Bortz place, a little farther south, on the Clarksville road. His wife was Magdalena, daughter of Daniel Klingensmith, Sr., who was the mother of a large number of children, all of whom are dead except two daughters living near Sheakleyville. Abraham and his wife both died on the old homestead. Jacob settled on the Cossitt farm, four miles south of Greenville, where he died. His widow, Betsy, a daughter of Jacob Loutzenhiser, married again. One son, Isaac, lives in Greenville, a daughter in Salem Township, another daughter in Ohio, and a son in California. Joseph married Catharine, daughter of Daniel Klingensmith, and located on the site of Shenango. He was doubt- less the most widely known of the family, as he began operating a distillery at his farm in 1801, and carried on a grist-mill in Greenville .several years, and also owned the land and laid out the original portion of the town east of the river. He reared nine children, of whom three are still living: Mrs. Esther Bean, of Wellsville, Ohio; Abraham, of Hancock County, Ohio, and Henry, of Greenville. The parents spent their lives in the vicinity of Green- ville, the mother dying in 1847, and the father in 1854. Daniel settled west of his brother Jacob, on the farm now owned by Peter Seiple, where his wife died. He subsequently removed to the place not far from his former home, where two of his daughters still live. He died there. One son lives at Leech's Corners, and one in the West. Catharine married Frederick Ever- hart, a pioneer of West Salem, and died in that township. Everhart was engaged for many years in the pottery business, and was succeeded by his son Paul.

William Fell and his son, George W., selected land in the southern part of what is now West Salem Township in 1796. The next spring they returned, built a cabin and made a permanent settlement. The family came out in 1798. They came from Bucks County, Penn., of which they were natives. He died in 1841, but his wife about twenty years previous. Two grand- daughters, Mary and Hannah, still reside upon the old homestead.

In the spring of 1797 Jacob Campbell, of Chestnut Hill, near Philadel- phia, came to Mercer County, and selected a tract of land in the southwest cor- ner of West Salem. He made a small improvement by clearing a patch of ground and erecting a cabin, and then returned for his family, whom he brought to his new home the same year. His family consisted of his wife Barbara, two daughters, Catharine and Rachel, and a six-year-old son, Andrew. The daughters afterward married John and George Fell, respectively. The parents died on the old homestead. Andrew removed to Greenville at quite an early date and assisted in erecting many of its first buildings. He bought the old log mill in 1829, and a few years afterward replaced it by a frame structure. Campbell was in the milling business several years, and also owned a part of the present town site.

William and Molly Woods were natives of Ireland, but came to West Sa- lem from Westmoreland County; he in 1797 to take up land and build a cabin, and she the following year. They brought with them four children. William was the first to be born in the new county, the date of his birth being January, 1800. The descendants of this pioneer family are still residing on the land settled by their ancestor.

The Mossmans were one of the most numerous and prominent families of the township throughout its. early history. The ancestors of the branch that settled in Mercer County were John and Elizabeth (Herdman) Mossman, na- tives of Ireland, and the parents of four sons and three daughters, viz. : James,

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

Francis, John, William H., Eleanor, Nancy and Lillias. The mother died in Ireland, and on reaching maturity the three eldest children, James, Francis and Eleanor, emigrated to Maryland, where the last mentioned married a Mr. Harris and remained. James and Francis removed to Fayette County, Penn. About 1790 John, William H., Nancy and Lillias, accompanied by their father, also emigrated to Maryland, whence William H., Nancy, Lillias and father removed to Fayette County, and joined James and Francis, while John stayed in Maryland and lived there, and in Adams County, Penn., until 1807, when he followed the family to Mercer County. In the autumn of 1797 Francis and William H., with John and Thomas Gillis, visited the Shenango Valley and selected a body of land in what is now West Salem Township, lying along the Ohio line. They then returned to Fayette County, and the following year, accompanied by several more to whom they had spoken of the new country, again came out and made some improvements on their lands. In 1799 they removed their families, and became permanent residents of the township. The Mossmans included James, Francis, William H., Nancy, Lillias and their father, John. James, however, settled across the line in Ohio. The father died in 1802, and was the first interment in what is now Rock Ridge Cemetery, then a part of Francis Mossman's farm. This was the second death in the settlement, John Mclaughlin having died the year previous.

The eldest son, James, reared five children: John, Joseph, Robert, Francis and Eleanor, who married James Bailey, a pioneer of West Salem. Francis, the second eldest, married, in Ireland, Sarah Brown, sister of Hugh Brown, who settled at the same period, near Greenville. She reared the following children: John, Elizabeth (who married George McCord), Mary (who became the wife of Thomas Gillis), Hugh, Jane (who married Isaiah Brainerd), James, Francis and William, all of whom became heads of families. John, the third son, married Jane McGowan, and reared four children: John, James, Eliza- beth and Mary. William H., the fourth son, married Sarah Gillis, of Mary- land, who bore him eight children: Robert G., John, Thomas, Elizabeth (who married John McCrumb), William, Lovina, James and Allen, all of whom are dead except James, a resident of Kansas. Of the two daughters who came to this county, Nancy married John Richardson, and Lillias became the wife of Isaac Moreland, a pioneer of Greene Township.

James, Francis, John and William H. Mossman all served in the War of 1812, and the three youngest spent their lives in West Salem and were laid to rest in Rock Ridge Cemetery. They were among the largest land owners and wealthiest citizens in this part of the county during pioneer days, but the beautiful farms they settled and improved have, since the deaths of the old stock, passed into the hands of strangers, while nothing remains of Mossman- town, once a flourishing little hamlet, but the decaying ruins of an old tan- nery.

With the Mossmans came Thomas and John Gillis, Richard Melvin, Miles Cherry and James Bailey. The Gillis family settled west of what was known as the Big Hollow, on the Greenville and Vernon road, while the others set- tled on the east side of the ravine. Cherry died in 1820, and his wife, Nancy, in 1823. Both are interred in Rock Ridge. Some of the Gillis family are yet residing in the township, but none of the Cherrys or Baileys remain in this part of the county.

Richard and Agnes Melvin were natives of Ireland. They migrated first to Wilmington, Del., and thence to the Red Stone settlement, from which Mr. Melvin came to West Salem Township in the spring of 1798, and built a cabin, and the following year became a permanent resident. His family at

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the time consisted of his wife and one son, James R. The old homestead is now occupied by his grandson, Lester. Mr. Garvin relates the following anec- dotes concerning this family:

"Richard Melvin was one of the pioneer settlers in West Salem Township, along the State line. An incident of some interest occurred soon after his arrival. With considerable difficulty he had transported to the wilderness a little pig, which he hoped to turn into a good fat porker in due time. Accord- ingly, he built a small pen for it close to the cabin. One rainy, dark night he heard it squeal; alarmed for its safety, he sprang to the door. The blackness of a rainy and moonless night prevented his seeing what was the matter. He then seized a burning brand from the fire, and running out he heard the squealing pig going away. He followed, waving his brand, when the squeal- ing ceased, and he suddenly found himself confronted by a bear, standing on the other side of a fallen tree, and the pig on his own side. He again waved his brand, and rushed toward bruin, who ran off without further ceremony, although he was loth to leave his tempting supper.

"James Melvin, a brother of Richard, was another of the first settlers in the neighborhood of his brother. He wanted to provide for wool in the future, and became the purchaser of a single sheep, which he attempted to protect by a pen of rails from the prowling wolf. His efforts, however, were unsuccessful, a wolf one night getting into the pen and killing his sheep. Whether the wolf gorged himself so as to be unable to jump out, or the pen was so constructed that it was easier to get into than out of the difficulty, is not known; but poor wolf could not get out, and paid with his life for the meal of mutton he enjoyed the previous night."

William McClimans, a native of Scotland, immigrated with his parents to Virginia before the Revolutionary War. He served in that war, and afterward settled in Bedford County, Penn., where he married Mary Ritchy, a lady of Irish parentage. In 1798 or 1799 he removed with his wife and children to Mercer County, and settled in the northeast part of this township. They reared two children, John F. and Margaret, who married William McMillen, a pioneer of Hempfield. Mr. McClimans died on the old homestead, north of the site of Thiel College, in 1825, and his widow in 1854. Numerous descendants of this pioneer couple are living in Mercer County.

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History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, Part 78

Author: Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk Number of Pages: 1288

Author:
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk
Number of Pages: 1288