USA > Pennsylvania > Northumberland County > History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania > Part 48
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Mr. Maclay kept a journal during his senatorial term, in which he sum- marized the debates in both open and secret sessions; it has been published in book form with notes by George Washington Harris, and also in the New York Sun, and forms a most interesting and valuable contribution to the history of this country in the period immediately succeeding the adoption of
*Pennsylvania Genealogies, pp. 357-358.
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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
the Federal Constitution. After his retirement he resided permanently upon his farm at Harrisburg, and erected the substantial stone building subse- quently occupied by the academy of that city. He was elected to the lower house of the Pennsylvania legislature in 1795 and 1803; in 1796 he was a presidential elector, and in 1801-03 associate judge of Dauphin county. He died on the 16th of April, 1804, and was buried at Paxtang church. In 1769 he married Mary, daughter of John Harris, the founder of Harrisburg, and they were the parents of nine children, of whom the fourth in order of birth, Mary, married Samuel Awl, a prominent citizen of Upper Augusta township, Northumberland county. Mrs. Sarah Welker (nee Awl), Mrs. Hester H. Brindle (nee Awl), and Dr. R. H. Awl, of Sunbury, and Mrs. Elizabeth J. Rohrbach (nee Awl), of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, are the only living de- scendants of William Maclay in the second generation.
Captain Nicholas Miller was commissioned as an officer in the Twelfth Pennsylvania regiment, October 4, 1776, and served with it until it ceased to exist as an organization, July 1, 1778. He died in Northampton county be- fore the close of the century.
David Mckinney located at Sunbury in the spring of 1772. He was formerly a resident of New Jersey and Virginia, and, although a miller by occupation, established one of the first distilleries at Sunbury and continued in this business some years. Late in life he removed to a farm on the West Branch near the Great Island, and there he died at an advanced age. He was the father of nine children: Abraham; Mary; John; Isaac; Sarah; Jacob; James; Elizabeth, and Rachel. Abraham was born, November 12, 1762, and died at Sunbury on the 13th of September, 1835; he built and operated the first mill on Mahanoy creek, Jackson township. Isaac removed to Centre county, Pennsylvania, established an iron furnace, and became associate judge. " Robert McBride," wrote John Weitzel to the Council of Safety, Decem- ber 2, 1776, " goes down on purpose to apply for a lieutenancy in the service of the United States; I therefore take the liberty to recommend him as a man of spirit and resolution, and have not the least doubt but he will make a good officer. He served during the last war."* He was commissioned as second lieutenant in the Ninth Pennsylvania regiment, January 15, 1777. At the close of the war he returned to Sunbury. The second jail of Northumber- land county was built by him as a private enterprise.
Thomond Ball performed the duties of prothonotary of Northumberland county as deputy under David Harris. The latter was appointed, September 11, 1777; he entered the Continental army as third lieutenant in Colonel Thompson's battalion and rose to the rank of captain in the First Pennsyl- vania regiment, but resigned on the 20th of October, 1777, and engaged in mercantile pursuits at Baltimore. Mr. Ball was the first secretary of the Northumberland county Committee of Safety and acted as paymaster of
*Pennsylvania Archives, Vol. V. pp. 85-86.
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Colonel Hartley's regiment while it was stationed on the frontier. He served as deputy prothonotary until his death in 1779.
John Simpson, the second register and recorder of Northumberland county, was descended from the Scottish family of that name which possessed the earldom of Linlithgow in the sixteenth century. He was commissioned as register and recorder, March 29, 1777, and performed the duties of those offices more than a score of years. He married Ann Thompson, a lady of English parentage; Jeremiah Simpson, their son, was born, October 10, 1773, and died on the 11th of August, 1829. He was commissioned as register and recorder, July 24, 1798, and served until 1805. He married Mary, daughter of Henry Vanderslice, of Berks county, and they were the parents of nine children: John; Hannah; Mary; Rachel; Ann; Jeremiah; Henry V .; Jesse M. M., and Sarah. Jesse M. M. Simpson was elected treasurer of North- umberland county in 1848 and served one term.
David Mead was born at Hudson, New York, in 1752, son of Darius Mead, who settled at Wyoming upon lands obtained under Pennsylvania title. A conflicting Connecticut claim having obliged him to relinquish his improvements, he located in Point township six miles above Northumberland on the North Branch, whence the family removed to Sunbury at the com- mencement of the Revolutionary war. There David Mead kept a hotel and established a distillery. He was elected county commissioner in 1782 and served one term. In 1787, accompanied by his brother John, he made a journey to the region west of the Allegheny river; they returned in the spring of 1788 with seven others, and established the first settlement in northwestern Pennsylvania at the site of Meadville, Crawford county. David Mead was actively connected with affairs in that part of the State until his death, August 23, 1816.
Christopher Gettig was commissioned as first lieutenant in the Twelfth Pennsylvania regiment, October 14, 1776. At Piscataway, New Jersey, he was wounded on the 11th of May, 1777, taken prisoner, and had his leg amputated. He died at Sunbury, July 2, 1790, leaving a widow, Anna Dorothy, and seven children: Magdalena; Barbara; Elizabeth; Frederick; Christopher; Catharine, and Joseph.
Christian Gettig kept hotel on Front street at a building subsequently known as "the barracks; " he was commissioned as justice, November 2, 1787, and the sessions of the court were frequently held at his house. He also operated a tannery. He died in 1797, leaving a widow, Elizabeth, and five children: Christian; Henry; Jacob; John, and Elizabeth.
Laurence Keene was commissioned as captain in Colonel Patton's regi- ment, January 13, 1777, and continued with that rank after its incorporation into the Eleventh; from the latter he was transferred to the Third, and served for a time as aid-de-camp on the staff of General Arthur St. Clair. He was appointed prothonotary of Northumberland county, September 25, 26
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1783, and died at Sunbury in July, 1789. He married Gaynor, daughter of John Lukens, surveyor general of the State.
Captain William Gray was born near Belfast, Ireland, in 1750. At the commencement of the Revolution he resided in Northumberland county, and on the 15th of March, 1776, was commissioned as first lieutenant in Captain Weitzel's company of Colonel Miles's regiment. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776, but was exchanged on the 8th of December following and promoted to captain in the Fourth regiment on the 3d of January, 1777. He retired from the service, January 1, 1781, and returned to Northumberland county, where he was engaged in merchandising at Sunbury for a time and also held the office of deputy surveyor. His residence was a log house at the southeast corner of Second and Walnut streets in that borough. He married Mary, daughter of John and Mary Brady, in 1784, and they were the parents of four children: Elizabeth; Mary; William M., and Jackson. He died on the 18th of July, 1804; the circumstances of his death were thus stated in Kennedy's Gazette: "On Wednesday the 18th instant, died suddenly, while superintending the reapers in a field near his house, Captain William Gray, of Sunbury. He had gone to a spring situ- ated in a swamp below the field to fetch some water for the men, and prob- ably was too weak to extricate himself after having fallen into the head of the spring .... He was found dead with his head in the spring and sunk to about the middle."
John Lyon came to Sunbury from the State of Delaware. He was a shoemaker by trade, but relinquished this occupation for that of brickmaking, and furnished the bricks which entered into the construction of the court house, "state house," jail, and many of the first brick residences of Sunbury. He also owned and operated the ferry immediately prior to its acquisition by the borough. He was elected county commissioner in 1797, served one term, and died on the 1st of January, 1800. He married Mary, daughter of David Mckinney, and they were the parents of nine children: David; John; Elizabeth; David; James; Mary; Rebecca; Matthew, and Abram.
John, Henry, and Dietrich Bucher emigrated from Switzerland to Penn- sylvania: Dietrich established an iron furnace near Reading; John and Henry located at Sunbury. Henry Bucher was a farmer, and resided at the southwest corner of Walnut and Third streets; he owned nearly all that part of the borough between the Susquenanna river and Shamokin creek from the mouth of the latter to Spruce street, and first reduced this land to cultiva- tion. He married a Miss Epley, and they had issue as follows: Henry; Elizabeth, who married George Weiser (tanner); Mary, who married Jacob Leisenring; Francis; George, a soldier in the war of 1812, and John. Henry had a hotel on Front street and operated the ferry for some years; Francis was a tanner, and one of the last persons engaged in that business at Sun- bury. He died on the 19th of March, 1875, at the age of seventy years.
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The first physicians were Doctors William Plunket, Francis Allison, James Davidson, Solomon Markley, Joseph Thomson, Peter Kraut, William Westhoven, Isaac Cushman, George Slough, C. H. Bailey, John Y. Kennedy, Peter Grahl, William T. Morris, etc .; the first lawyers-Casper Weitzel, Stephen Chambers, Charles Smith, Daniel Levy, Charles Hall, Evan Rice Evans, Jesse Moore, Enoch Smith, Samuel Roberts, Hugh Bellas, E. G. Bradford, Ebenezer Greenough, Samuel J. Packer, and others, of whom extended mention is made in the appropriate chapters of this work.
1 SUNBURY IN 1808.
The first triennial assessment of Sunbury borough was made in 1805, but the list of taxable inhabitants for that year is incomplete; the second was made in 1808, and exhibits the following improved property, with names of respective owners and occupants.
Front Street .- Frame house and stable, owned by Henry Aurand; log and brick house and stable, owned and occupied by James Black, weaver; log house and stable, owned by Conrad Minnich and occupied by John Baker; stone house and stable, owned and occupied by John Boyd, register and recorder of the county; brick house and stable, owned and occupied by John Buyers, merchant and justice of the peace; log house, occupied by Widow Brown; log house, owned by William Moore and occupied by Andrew Cal- lum, school master; small log house, owned by James Black and occupied by William Coldron, baker; frame house, owned by William Witman and occupied by John Colsher, school master; frame house, owned by John Buy- ers and occupied by Philip Cook, tailor; log house, old house, and stable, owned and occupied by William Dewart, Sr .; log house and stable, owned and occupied by Henry Goodhart; log house and stable, owned and occu- pied by Ann Gettig, widow; log house and stable, owned by Jacob Kendig and occupied by Peter Grahl, physician; log house and stable, owned by Henry Shaffer and occupied by Samuel Hahn, weaver; brick house and stable, owned and occupied by Charles Hall, attorney; log house and stable, owned by Zachariah Robins and occupied by John Kinzer, boatman; frame house and stable, owned and occupied by Mary Lyon, widow, innkeeper; frame house and stable, owned and occupied by Daniel Levy, prothonotary of the county; log house, owned by William Witman and occupied by Nicholas Mantz, butcher; frame house and stable, owned and occupied by Widow Mckinney, storekeeper; old log house, owned by a Mr. Hubley and occupied by Adam Snyder; log house and stable, owned by John Buyers and occupied by Jacob Singer, innkeeper; log house and stable, owned by a Mr. Fisher and occupied by Joseph Shannon; log house and stable, owned and occupied by Enoch Smith, attorney; stone house, owned and occupied by Jeremiah Simpson; small brick house, owned by Elizabeth Gettig and occu- pied by William Withington, hatter; frame house, owned by Margaret Bax-
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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
ter and occupied by Elizabeth Wilet; log house, owned by Widow Epley and occupied by Adam Snyder, butcher.
Market Street .- Frame house, occupied by Widow Albright; log house, owned by Christian Shissler and occupied by John Bright, saddler; log house and stable, owned and occupied by Paul Baldy, blacksmith; blacksmith shop, owned and occupied by Paul Baldy; frame house and barn, owned by Jacob Vanderslice and occupied by Hugh Bellas, attorney; brick house and stable, owned and occupied by Lewis Dewart, merchant; log house and stable, owned and occupied by Evan R. Evans, attorney; frame house, owned by Aaron Foulk and occupied by Widow Albright; log house and stable, owned by C. Wag- ner and occupied by Stophel Gettig, innkeeper; log house and stable, owned by Widow Gobin and occupied by Edward Gobin, joiner; still house, owned and operated by Edward Gobin; house, owned and occupied by Daniel Hoff- man, shoemaker; log house, owned by a Mr. Graham and occupied by Timo- thy Harris; stone house and stable, owned by Charles Hall and occupied by Charles Hegins, innkeeper; brick house and stable, owned and occupied by Charles Haas, merchant; log house, owned by Joseph Harris and occupied by Rees Harris, shoemaker; brick house and stable, owned by Jacob Prei- singer and occupied by Michael Kutzner, innkeeper; log house and stable, owned and occupied by Theodorus Kiehl, justice of the peace; log house and stable, owned and occupied by Joseph Lorentz, coroner of the county; brick house and stable, owned by Jacob and Joseph Sinton and occupied by Daniel Lebo, innkeeper; log house and stable, owned by Thomas Robins and occupied by Conrad Minnich; frame house, owned by George Heim and oc- cupied by Charles Maus, attorney; log house, owned and occupied by Widow Miller; small brick house and stable, owned and occupied by Henry Masser, tinsmith; log house and stable, owned by Thomas Robins and occupied by Henry Ruch, Sr., shoemaker; log house, owned by Thomas Robins and oc- cupied by Henry Ruch, Jr., shoemaker; log house, owned by Leonard Epley and occupied by John Richards, mason; log house, tannery, and barn, owned and occupied by Zachariah Robins, tanner; brick house and stable, owned by Samuel Roberts and occupied by Henry Shaffer, innkeeper; small frame house, owned and occupied by Henry Shaffer; brick house and stable, owned and occupied by James Smith, innkeeper; log house and stable, owned by Widow Geiger and occupied by Widow Schwartz; frame house and stable, owned and occupied by Jonas Weaver, innkeeper; stone house and stable, owned and occupied by Elizabeth Weitzel, widow, storekeeper; log house and stable, owned by William McAdams and occupied by Christian Wagner, carpenter.
Chestnut Street .- Log house, owned and occupied by Joseph Alter, car- penter; frame house and stable, owned by Andrew Graeff and occupied by Andrew Albright, merchant; frame house and stable, owned and occupied by James Alexander, merchant; log house, stable, and pottery, owned and
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occupied by Daniel Bogar, potter; log house and shed, owned by George Bright and occupied by Esther Bright, widow; log and frame house and stable, owned by O. Bird and occupied by Francis Cook, farmer; log house and stable, tannery, etc., owned and occupied by William Dewart, farmer; log house and barn, owned by Christian Miller and occupied by John De Long, shoemaker; log house and stable, owned by John Weigans and occu- pied by Jacob Gass, barber; old log house, owned and occupied by Rebecca Gorman; log house and stable, owned by John Hauswart and occupied by Simon Glass, nailer; log house and stable, owned and occupied by Thomas Giberson; log house and stable, owned and occupied by Daniel Hurley, mer- chant; log house and stable, occupied by John Kendig; log house and stable, owned by Daniel Bogar and occupied by George Martin, Jr., shoemaker; brick house and stable, owned and occupied by Solomon Markley, physician; brick, frame, and log house, owned and occupied by William McAdams, tailor; log house, owned by Daniel Bogar and occupied by Frederick Miller, tailor; log house, owned by Joseph Alter and occupied by John Mangrow; log house, owned by Alexander Hunter and occupied by William Smith, school master; log house, owned by George Spice and occupied by Sarah Wharton; log house, tannery, etc., owned and occupied by Jacob Yoner, tanner; log house and stable, owned and occupied by John Young, black- smith.
Penn Street .- Log house, owned by Daniel Hurley and occupied by Charles Cameron, tailor; log house and stable, owned and occupied by Jacob Durst, blacksmith; old house, owned by Abraham Fry; log house and stable, owned and occupied by Adam Renn, shoemaker; log house, owned by U. Billman and occupied by John Sloan, innkeeper; log house and stable, owned by Daniel Hurley and occupied by Jane Wight; small house, owned by George Mantz and occupied by Widow Ween.
Walnut Street .- Log house, owned by Martin Epley and occupied by Christian Bower, carpenter; log house and old barn, owned and occupied by Henry Bucher, farmer; log house and stable, owned and occupied by Jacob Conrad; log house, owned by William Dewart, Sr .; frame house, owned by James Silverwood and occupied by Widow Duncan; log house and barn, owned and occupied by Mary Gray, widow; log house and stable, owned and occupied by Abraham Kiehl, carpenter; log house and stable, owned and occupied by George Martin, Sr., shoemaker; frame house and stable, owned and occupied by Aaron Robins, mason; old house and stable, owned and occupied by Peter Smith; log house and stable, owned by Philip Masser and occupied by John Snyder, blacksmith; old log house, owned by a Mr. Shellhard; old house, owned and occupied by Jacob Vanderslice; log house, owned and occupied by Henry Vanderslice, tailor; log house, owned by James Smith; old log house, owned by William McAdams; small frame house, owned by Jonas Weaver.
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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Indefinite Locations included the following: frame house adjoining An- drew Rowe, owned by Daniel Baker and occupied by Jacob Baker; log house adjoining Martin Epley, owned by John Bucher; log house and barn adjoin- ing Peter Smith, owned by Andrew Graeff and occupied by Henry Bucher, farmer; log house adjoining Charles Hall, owned by Jacob Vanderslice and occupied by Robert Carr, weaver; small log house and stable adjoining J. Preisinger, owned and occupied by Melchoir Deitrich, carter; small log house adjoining Adam Hileman, owned by Mary Carter and occupied by John Dentler; log house and stable, owned and occupied by Widow Geiger; log house and stable adjoining Gear and J. Epley, owned by Leonard Epley and occupied by Peter Goodhart, hatter; frame house adjoining Joseph Alter, owned and occupied by Jacob Haines, butcher; log house and stable adjoin- ing Mary Carter, owned and occupied by Adam Hileman, tailor; log house and barn adjoining William McAdams, owned and occupied by George Har- rison; house adjoining Owen Foulk, owned and occupied by Conrad Minnich; log house and stable adjoining Henry Bucher, owned and occupied by James McEwen, weaver; log house and stable adjoining John Young, owned and occupied by Mary Martin, widow; log house and stable adjoining Widow Geiger, owned by Widow Ponteous and occupied by Peter Gray; old log house adjoining James McEwen, owned by Andrew Rowe and occupied by Martin Waldorf; house and stable near Thomas Giberson, owned by Fred- erick Haas and occupied by Thomas Weaver; log house adjoining Daniel Hurley, owned by Leonard Epley and occupied by John Richard, mason; small log house adjoining Adam Hileman; William Graham, school master, at "point of the creek." Some of these persons doubtless resided on Second, Third, Fourth, Arch, or Race streets, to which no locations are definitely as- signed.
The Single Freemen were John Beitzel, clockmaker; Jacob Beck, black- smith; John Baldy, blacksmith; John Buyers; David Bright, saddler; Charles Clark; Henry Donnel, surveyor; William G. Forrest, attorney; Rob- ert Gray, register's clerk; John Grahl; E. Greenough, attorney; Cornelius Gorman, tobacconist; John Hurley, farmer; Jared Irwin, sheriff; William Johnson, clerk; Henry Long, laborer; Martin Millet; Baltzer Myerly, car- penter; Jacob Mantz; John Mantz; John Nail, shoemaker; Adam Mantz; Thomas Painter, clerk; John Robins, mason; Gilbert Robins, hatter; Andrew Rowe, tanner; John Rogers, distiller; Joseph Richardson; Alexander Strick- land, school master, and George Shuff. It is probable that some of these persons had families, and appear in this class from the fact that their resi- dence at Sunbury did not involve the occupancy of improved property.
REMINISCENCES OF DR. R. H. AWL.
The Sunbury of to-day presents a wide contrast with the town of sixty years ago, not only in its material aspects, but also in the general character-
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istics of its people. The following with reference to the social diversions of a former generation and the appearance of the borough at the time of his earliest recollection is given as the reminiscences of Dr. R. H. Awl.
The State militia organization, which received an impetus in the war of 1812, was tolerably efficient for some years thereafter. "Battalion days" occurred annually, and were the great social events of the county. The Sun- bury battalion was composed of the militia of the surrounding townships; on the morning of the appointed day the companies formed in line on the pub- lic square and adjacent streets, marched to the parade ground, and engaged in the various military evolutions until three or four o'clock in the afternoon. The rural population was present en masse; a line of wagons and booths surrounded the parade ground, and gingerbread, cakes, ginger ale, oranges, lemonade, pickled oysters, spruce beer, and various other refreshments were dispensed in great profusion. Measured by the results in increased efficiency to the military organization the "battalion days" were not a pronounced success, but in the friendly social intercourse fostered by these occasions their influence was highly beneficial.
The Sunbury races were widely attended for many years. This form of diversion was doubtless introduced anterior to the present century; the man- ner in which announcements were made at an early date is shown by the fol- lowing notice in the Republican Argus of October 23, 1805 :-
SUNBURY RACES,
Free for any horse, mare, or gelding, will commence on the 29th of October next. First day's race, four miles and repeat-purse, two hundred dollars. Second day's race, three miles and repeat-purse, one hundred twenty dollars. Third day's race, two miles and repeat-purse, one hundred dollars.
Sweepstakes on the fourth day for the entrance money, one mile and repeat.
About the time that Judge Cooper was elevated to the bench there was a general movement against horse-racing, and he issued a proclamation for its suppression within the counties composing his district. Extensive prepara- tions were then in progress for a great race at Sunbury; horses were ex- pected from Philadelphia, the tavern keepers had been to much expense in providing for the anticipated crowd, and, in view of these circumstances, the Judge was induced to withdraw his inhibition upon the personal assurance of the promoters that there should be no gambling or disorder. The appar- ent inconsistency of this action was urged against him in 1811 in the pro- ceedings before the legislature for his removal, and in reply he stated that the race in question was the last in the county during his judicial incum- bency. The turf was again patronized under the administrations of his suc- cessors, however, and at the period of Doctor Awl's earliest recollection there were two courses at Sunbury, one of which extended along the bank of the river from Spruce street to two trees near the Shamokin dam, while the other occupied "Back alley " (Third street) within corresponding limits. Entries
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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
were made from distant points in Pennsylvania and adjacent States, and jockeys were present from all parts of the country. Considerable money changed hands on these occasions, and if the local favorite did not happen to be the winner the town was sometimes almost destitute of cash during the succeeding days.
The game of long bullets was a popular sport at the beginning of the present century. Iron balls were used, one of which, four and three fourths inches in circumference with a weight of twelve and three fourths ounces, is now in possession of Doctor Awl and was formerly owned by his father. The regular ground for this game was Spruce street between Fourth and the river; it was rolled, leveled, and hardened, and was popularly known as "Bullet alley." In grasping the ball the index and third fingers were tied in front of the second finger; the ball was then projected with a jerk and made to bound along upon the ground the greatest possible distance. If elevated too high, the force was spent when it reached the earth; the fine art, therefore, consisted in projecting the ball at the proper angle to secure the least resistance as it rebounded from the ground. This sport developed great precision in the muscular action of the arm, and was also calculated to strengthen the chest and back. It was prohibited by ordinance of the bor- ough in 1803, but the name of " Bullet alley " retained a place in the street nomenclature of Sunbury many years after that date .*
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