USA > Pennsylvania > Perry County > History of Perry County, Pennsylvania, including descriptions of Indians and pioneer life from the time of earliest settlement, sketches of its noted men and women and many professional men > Part 121
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Toboyne Township was also the home of the Blaines, one of America's noted families, which gave to the country both then and since distinguished services, but as the lands taken up by these pioneers of that name were in that part of Toboyne which later became Jackson Township. The history pertaining to them is included in that of Jackson Township and the chapter devoted to the Blaine Family.
As early as 1800 records show two schoolhouses in that part of Toboyne Township which constitutes it at present. One was located at the western end of New Germantown, and Anthony Black and two men named Johns- ton and Steele were teachers before the county was created. The other was near the farm now owned by Samuel B. Trostle. It had a clapboard roof, slab benches and desks, a wooden chimney, and two windows, the lights of which were of greased paper. The ceiling was of poles, and the floor of hewed logs. About 1805 another schoolhouse was erected at the farm now owned by D. Dervin Hollenbaugh. As early as 1814, a bill dated March 28th, passed the Pennsylvania Legislature relating to To- boyne, as follows :
"Section 1. The land officers to make a title clear of purchase money and fees to trustees for schools to be established in the township of Toboyne for a piece of land.
"Section 2. A majority of subscribers to supply vacancies of trustees."
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There is record of a schoolhouse "built of mud," located near New Germantown, and taught by a man named Thatcher, among the pupils be- ing children of James Johnston, then a prominent citizen of that com- inunity, one of whose sons, George Johnston, was later Perry County's representative in the State Legislature.
The business places of Toboyne Township, according to the report of the mercantile appraiser, are as follows :
General stores, Vernon Smith, C. W. Bistline, J. A. Rhea.
Stambaugh & Smith, coal ; M. E. Morrison, millinery, Kirby Moose, meat market.
New Germantown. Joseph MeClintock warranted much land and bought more until he owned a large tract. The Kern farms and the Wilhide lands were a part of his holdings, as were also the lands on which New German- town to-day stands. He took up most of them before 1767. Solomon Sheibley came into possession of the property on which the town stands and which he laid out in lots March 1, 1816. The original plan was four blocks of six lots each, eighty feet wide by one hundred and fifty feet in depth. A public sale of lots was held on March 18, 1816.
Among the earliest residents of which there is record were J. Kuntz, shoemaker; John Leiby, carpenter; J. Smith, hatter, and William and Mathias Stump, blacksmiths. The lots for taxation purposes were valued at ten dollars. Jacob Kreamer, who once owned the mill southeast of town, was another resident.
At the east end of the town, on the George Kern farm, now owned by George M. Smith, is a remarkably large spring-one of the noted springs of the county-and which gave to the immediate vicinity the name of Limestone Spring, before the town was laid out. It is so named on Mitchell's old map of Pennsylvania. One of the early settlers of the town was William A. Morrison, who located there in 1830, father of the present Morrisons residing there, who was a county auditor, postmaster for eleven years, and for a period of thirty years a justice of the peace. In 1830 there were two taverns there, the "Old Stone Castle" or "Blue Ball Hotel" of David Koutz, and another kept by Thomas B. Jacobs, who died in 1833. It was then purchased by Mrs. Emily Gray, grandmother of the Morrisons, who kept a licensed house, known as "Travelers' Rest," until 1860, when she decided to run the place as a temperance house, which shows that over a half century ago the temperance question was already a matter of issue in Perry County. The Koutz place was unlicensed from 1831 to 1875, when William A. Shields was licensed. Samuel Kern and John Sanderson were once proprietors. From then on until the county "went dry" in 1918, there was a license at times and at times not. It was once known as the "Blue Ball" tavern, the sign being two large globes.
John Kooken was appointed a justice of the peace in 1822, and served many years. The tannery in the early years of the county's history, was operated by Noah A. Elder.
On June 18, 1842, the town was incorporated as a borough by an act of the legislature, but failure to fulfill all the provisions of the act caused the charter to be forfeited. Its existence as a separate unit must have been longer than usually stated, as an act of the Pennsylvania Legislature, March 12, 1849, creates it a special election district, and an act of May, 1850, authorizes New Germantown Borough and Toboyne Township jointly to sign liquor applications. During the existence of the town there have been two serious conflagrations. On March 3, 1876, the stores of Dr. F. A. Gutshall and J. Morrison & Son and the dwellings of Barbara Kreamer and Jane Morrison's heirs were destroyed by fire, and in 1885 J. E. Rumple's store burned.
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
New Germantown is located twenty-eight miles west of Newport, almost at the extreme west end of Sherman's Valley, and is the western terminus of the narrow gauge railroad. It is on the state highway leading from New Bloomfield, Perry County, to Chambersburg, Franklin County.
Rev. Dr. Frederick Oberholtzer was the first physician at New German- town, being also pastor of the Lutheran Church. This was prior to 1821, in which year he died. Dr. J. R. Scott began practice there in 1824, but there is no record of the length of his practice in point of time. In 1843 Dr. William C. Hays located in New Germantown, where he practiced for six years. Dr. F. A. Gutshall, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1866, located in New Germantown, but some years later removed to Blain, where he is still in active practice. Dr. A. R. Johnston, reared in the vicinity, located here in 1883, but removed to New Bloomfield a year later. Dr. Milton Shull located here in 1885, but later removed to Hummelstown, where he was successful. Dr. W. J. Allen, Baltimore University, '76, was located here for a while, when he transferred to Lan- disburg. Dr. Russell Campbell, Medico-Chi., '09, was also here for a year or two, until his death. Dr. B. F. Grosh, an able and learned physician, came from Lancaster County and located at Andersonburg in 1844. He married into the well-known Anderson family and practiced here until his death in 1857. He was the father of Alexander Blaine Grosh, later a pro- thonotary of the county, and successor of the late John A. Baker as editor of the Perry County Freeman. After Dr. Grosh's death Dr. E. B. Hotch- kin was located there for about two years. Previous to locating in Ickes- burg Dr. Jonathan Jackson practiced in Andersonburg in 1859. Dr. George W. Mitchell, a native of the county, located at Andersonburg at the close of the War between the States, having graduated in 1860, and served in the war as a surgeon of one of the Pennsylvania regiments. He prac- ticed until about 1900.
New Germantown Lutheran Church. A number of Lutheran families having been residents of New Germantown and vicinity, a meeting was held March 12, 1893, at which an organization was effected. The church was built in 1894, its first officers having been : Solomon Gutshall and J. K. Shoemaker, elders; S. A. Gutshall, William Hollenbaugh and P. G. Beigh- ler, deacons. It belongs to the Blain charge, and has the same ministers.
New Germantown M. E. Church. The first Methodist organization was effected in 1841, and at that time the congregation was connected with the Concord (Franklin County) Circuit. The church was built in 1843 on land donated by Solomon Sheibley, who also gave the land for the ceme- tery. Until then the congregation had worshiped in the school building, but was refused its further use. They also worshiped in a discarded schoolhouse owned by James Adams. The church later belonged to the New Bloomfield Circuit until about 1875, when the Blain charge was formed, and it became a part. (See Bloomfield and Blain chapters for list of pastors.)
Horse Valley M. E. Church. A Methodist Episcopal church was built in Horse Valley in 1857, being located on lands of Benjamin Scyoc, who donated them. It was dedicated December 27, 1857. It was then desig- nated as "Scyoc Chapel." Among those interested in its erection were Elias Cook, Benjamin Scyoc, William Widney and Jacob Seibert. It is still in use, the pastor from East Waterford holding services.
TUSCARORA TOWNSHIP.
Tuscarora Township, with the single exception of Howe, was the last division in so far as the townships of Perry County are concerned. It was at the October term of the courts in 1858 that the matter of the formation
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of a new township from parts of Greenwood and Juniata Townships was presented. The court ordered an election to be held, which was the only instance in the entire list of townships where such a course was taken, and it was accordingly held on November 30, 1858.
The result of the election being favorable the court at the session of January 3, 1859, issued the following decree :
"Whereupon, January 3, 1859, the Clerk of the Court of Quarter Sessions having laid the within return before the court, it is ordered and decreed that a new township he erected agreeably to the lines marked out by the commis- sioners, whose report is filed, and that the said township be named "Tuscarora," and further. the court do order and decree that the place of holding the elec- tions shall be at the house of Michael Donnally, at Donnally's Mills, and do ap- point Jacob Yohn, Judge, and James H. Deavor and David Leonard, Inspectors, to hold the spring elections for the present year, and also appoint John S. Kerr, constable."
Tuscarora Township is bounded on the north by the Juniata County line, on the east by the Juniata River, on the south by Oliver and Juniata Townships, and on the west by Saville Township. Its territory is con- siderably of wooded land, being traversed its entire length by four ridges of more or less importance. At the north is the Tuscarora Mountain, its crest being the township line as well as the county line. Ore Ridge, com- paratively low, and running parallel, comes next. Then south of the fer- tile Raccoon Valley lies Raccoon Ridge, and south of that is Hominy Ridge, which separates it from Juniata Township.
Raccoon Valley is drained by Raccoon Creek, which empties into the Juniata River below Millerstown. The streams from the Tuscarora Moun- tain all flow into Raccoon Creek, and the streams from Raccoon Ridge and Hominy Ridge flow into Sugar Run in Buckwheat Valley. The soil in the latter valley is not so fertile as that of Raccoon Valley.
Among the early warrants for lands was that of Robert Larimer for 219 acres, opposite Millerstown and above Raccoon Creek, in 1766. The next property northward was warranted by Lewis Gronow in 1775, and contained fifty-three acres, and still further north Thomas Craig war- ranted 214 acres in 1794. Up the valley to the north, James Black war- ranted 251 acres in 1763; John Black, Jr., 366 acres in 1790: Robert Coch- ran, 212 acres in 1767, and Samuel Atlee, 200 acres in the same year. The John Black tracts were occupied in recent generations by Jonathan Black and James G. Kreamer. The tannery built by John Black and operated by him, and later by his son Jonathan, was located here.
The mill property known as Donnally's Mills, and still in possession of a member of that family. L. E. Donnally, who once represented his county in the General Assembly of Pennsylvania, was warranted by Henry Bull in 1763. He built the gristmill and sold to Michael Donnally about 1840. The William Fosselman and B. H. Inhoff farms were warranted to Wil- liam Bull in 1767. Other warrants were granted A. Thomas White, Janet Brown in 1763, Robert McCrary in 1767, and George Robinson in 1763. The Loudons took up almost a thousand acres, as follows: James Loudon, 266 acres in 1767; Matthew Loudon, 372 acres in 1768, and Archibald Loudon, 296 acres in 1784. Another warrant was that of John Murray, for 130 acres in 1766.
In Buckwheat Valley Cornelius Ryan warranted lands in 1792, George Leonard in 1782, and Edward O. Donnally, the ancestor of the Perry County Donnallys, in 1782. John Miller warranted lands in 1794, and Rob- ert Campbell's heirs in 1767. This is, no doubt, the Robert Campbell re- ferred to in one of our chapters on the Indians, in which a house was attacked while six men were at dinner, and all of them, including Campbell,
1068 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
were murdered, except one George Dodds, who escaped. The cabin was burned by the redskins.
A thousand acres of ridge lands were warranted by Peter Jones, Philip Jones and William White. The John and Matthew Louden lands were later known as the Devor tract. Colonel John McKenzie built the gristmill there about 1840. In 1845 it passed to Devors. On Sugar Run, William Brown warranted 416 acres. The Archibald Loudon named here as war- ranting lands was doubtless the author of the famous Loudon's Narratives, reference to which is made a number of times in this book. The William Bull named as warranting lands, had three sons. On one occasion he and his son William were in a field planting corn when they were surprised by the Indians and taken captive, being held for a year. One of William Bull's children, Rebecca, later became Mrs. William Neilson, who was the grand- mother of the late Judge William Neilson Seibert. Bull's Hill graveyard. which was a burying ground for a hundred years, was named after this family. This place of burial was started by the burial of a man who was crossing the old Indian path over the Tuscarora Mountain and was frozen to death. The graves in earlier days were covered with stones to prevent the wolves from digging up the remains. The oldest stone in this grave- yard is dated 1783, to the memory of James Loudon, who was the father of Archibald Loudon, author of Loudon's Narratives. Colonel Bull was killed after the surrender of Fort Erie on July 4, 1814, being ambushed by the Indians. See chapter on the War of 1812.
Ward's mill was located in Tuscarora Township, near the mouth of Raccoon Creek, and not far from the line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, on lands once owned by Jacob F. Markley, which passed to George Roth- rock in 1844, and to others in 1858. In 1868 Fietta Ward, wife of John Ward, became the owner. Just when it was built cannot be stated but, in the deed of 1868, from Win. and Jacob Rothrock and William J. Jones, it is described as having thereon erected "a frame gristmill and sawmill." About 1886 it was burned down, ownership at that time resting in the Wards. It was never rebuilt.
The oldest schoolhouse in Tuscarora Township was situated in "the narrows," along the road from Donally's Mills to Buckwheat Valley. It was built in 1780. Owing to defective wooden chimneys three houses were burned on this site. There was an old-time house in Buckwheat Valley and another known as Bull's, at Donally's Mills, in an old carpenter shop.
Donnally's Mills M. E. Church. The Donally's Mills M. E. Church was erected in 1868, under the pastorate of Rev. A. R. Miller. It then belonged to the Newport Circuit, but in 1904 it was assigned to the Mil- lerstown Circuit, whose pastors serve it.
The Gingerich Church. This church was formerly an old stone school building which was remodeled for church purposes about 1861, for the U. B. denomination. In1 1892 it was replaced by a new church while Rev. Barshinger was pastor. Henry Harman, Samuel Buchanan, Andrew Paden and Chas. Gutshall were then the officials. The split in the U. B. denomi- nation caused it to be sold, in 1910, to the Methodists who are served by the pastor of the Millerstown church.
According to Wright's History, that part of Tuscarora Township known as Raccoon Valley was settled by the Blacks, the Nobles and the Robin- sons, in the order named from the Juniata River westward. We quote : "In this selection certain distinctions gave precedence of location. Their pastor, Rev. Wmn. B. Linn, having the preference, chose his portion near Robinson's Fort; the father of the Irvin families in Saville Township, chose their old mansion property; he was joined by Elliot's on the west, and he in turn by a younger man, until we reach the Robinson, Noble and Black farms in Raccoon Valley, extending to the Juniata River. The chain of settlements extended more than twenty miles, and included some of the
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best and most highly respected citizens of the county. It is historic for its arrangement of families in chronological order, as well as the noble record made during every war in which its own or the general welfare was endangered."
The business firms, according to the report of the mercantile appraiser, are as follows, the date being the time of entering the business :
L. E. Donnally, flour and feed; J. Logan Jones, general store; R. H. Kerr (1913), groceries, old location of Marsh Run postoffice; I. B. Secrist (1910), coal, feed, flour, etc.
There was once a United Brethren Church near Donally's Mills, known as Otterbein Chapel, which was then a part of Eshcol Circuit, long since out of existence. The church was sold on April 3, 1900, to Harriet Hogen- togler, for $500.
Donnally's Mills United Evangelical Church. Services by the members of this faith were first held in the homes. About 1870 the first church was built, the building committee being Mr. Inhoff, John Bressler and Joseph 1.esh. It has always been a part of Perry Circuit, whose minister resides at Elliottsburg. The names of the pastors will be found under the chapter relating to Spring Township.
TYRONE TOWNSHIP.
After the Albany treaty of 1754, which included the lands which now comprise Perry County, we find the following upon the records of Cum- berland County, in reference to new townships: "And we do further erect the settlements called Sherman's Valley and Bofolo's Creek into a separate township and nominate the same the township of Tyrone, and we appoint John Scott Linton to act as constable therein for the remaining part of the current year."
No definite boundaries were fixed, but it included all of that part of Perry County as now constituted lying west of the Juniata River. The same territory is now divided into fifteen townships and six boroughs. It was often referred to in its pioneer days as "the eternal state of Tyrone." When Perry County was erected it had already been divided by the crea- tion of Toboyne, Rye, Juniata and Saville. As now constituted Tyrone Township is bounded on the north by Saville, on the east by Spring, on the south by Cumberland County, and on the west by Southwest Madison Township.
As Tyrone Township comprised such an extensive domain at the time of its creation and long afterwards, of the places named and the descendants some are likely to be found in other townships, since created from parts of Tyrone.
There is an assessment list in existence which shows the names of prop- erty holders in the year 1767, as follows :
Hugh Alexander, Hermanus Alrieks, John Black, Robert Brotherton, David Beard, Henry Cunningham. David Carson, John Darlington, John Dunbar, Sr., James Diven, James Dunbar, Thomas Elliot, Edward Elliot, Samuel Fisher, Hance Ferguson, Thomas Fisher, Henry Gass, James Glass, Obadiah Garwood, John Hamilton, John Johnson, Thomas Hamilton, John Kilkead, Hugh Kil- gore, the Widow Kennedy, Patrick Kinsloe, the Widow Kinkead, Robert Kelly, John Kennedy, Samuel Lamb, Thomas Maney, William McClure, Owen McKeab, David McClure, William Miller, John McConnell, William Noble, Richard Nicholson, William Officer, James Orr, William Patterson, John Perkins, James Purdy, Thomas Ross, Jonathon Ross, George Robinson, Alexander Roddy, Robert Robinson, Robert Vin, William Sanderson, John Sanderson, Alexander Sanderson, John Sharps, Andrew Simonton, John Scott, Peter Stone, John Simonton, Peter Titters, Francis West, William Waugh, Daniel Williams, John Williams, Robert Welsh, John Wilson, Thomas Wilson.
As early as 1779 Obadiah Garwood was assessed with a sawmill, Widow Robinson with a gristmill, and Francis West with a grist and sawmill.
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
West resided on the line between Tyrone and Rye. By 1782 the assessment on mills and distilleries was as follows :
Hugh Brown, John Black, Robert Irwin, Sr. (2), Robert Irwin, Jr. (2). George Hamilton, William Neilson, and Robert Scott, stills; James Fisher, malt kiln : Alexander Roddy, sawmill; Robert Garwood and Francis West, gristmills ; John Sanderson, two stills and a gristmill.
After a period of thirty-two years had elapsed the assessment roll of industries included the following in the year 1814, six years before Perry became a county :
James Diven, Samuel Nickey, Robert Thompson, tanyards ; Francis Gibson, two distilleries : John Linn, Francis Portzline, Josiah Roddy, Samuel Smiley, Henry Shoemaker, Jacob Stambaugh, Frederick Shull, Englehart Wormley, Adam Webley, stills; John Foos, sawmill and still; Christian Heckendorn, sawmill and still ; Nicholas Ickes, sawmill and two stills ; Zalmon and Azariah Tousey, saw and gristmill and still; John Waggoner, saw and grstmill and still ; George Elliot, Widow Gibson's heirs, Zachariah Rice, gristmills ; Conrad Halleman, Nicholas Loy, Samuel McCord, Francis Patterson, John Shafer, Jacob Shatto, Frederick Smiley, George Waggoner, sawmills; Samuel and An- drew Linn, grist and sawmill; Peter Mores, tilt hammer ; William Power, store ; Thomas Purdy, stores; Adam Seller, Martin Swartz and Shuman & Utter, saw and gristmills ; George Stroop, sawmill.
Alexander Roddy, named above, who later built the mill known to this day as Waggoner's mill, lived at several places before taking up the mill tract, which is covered rather extensively in the chapter devoted to "Old Landmarks, Mills and Industries."
The land office opened in 1755 for the settlement of lands in the new purchase, and when James Wilson, Andrew Simeson and others came in at that time their warrants name Alexander Roddy as "adjoining," which is evidence that although he had been ordered out before the lands were available, that he had come back. These locations were west of Montour's Run. He lived there several years before taking up the Waggoner mill tract, May 13, 1763, on Roddy's Run. He purchased other lands adjoining his on both sides of "the run," and in 1767 was assessed with 100 acres and a gristmill in Toboyne Township, and 300 acres and a sawmill in Tyrone Township, part of this 300 acres being the original tract warranted by him on Montour's Run. His sons, Josiah and Alexander Roddy, warranted 175 acres in 1786, and in 1789 the Roddys took out a warrant for 312 acres adjoining the county home tract. Robert and James Wilson, whose de- scendants yet live about Landisburg, took up four hundred acres in 1755, which they describe as located "where Thomas Wilson and Alexander Roddy have presumed to settle on Montour's Run, adjoining the dwelling plantation of Andrew Montour." The Andrew Simeson place was later known as the John Albert and the John Creigh farms.
In the early chapters of this book, among the matters and disputes be- tween the Indians and the provincial authorities, there will be found an account of the encroachment of the pioneers on lands which the Indians still claimed and which those in authority decided should be vacated by all settlers. Under the authority of the province this was done, and An- drew Montour was then authorized to settle somewhere in that territory to see that the law would be observed. He located in what is Tyrone Township, near a large stream which flows into Sherman's Creek and which to this day bears his name-Montour's Run. He took out a warrant for 143 acres of land lying between where the town of Landisburg now stands and Sherman's Creek and Montour's Run, which was surveyed to William Mitchell, June 13, 1788, and passed to Abraham Landis soon there- after. This is what has been known for a century as the Rice mill prop- erty, the old mill still being in operation. The history of this old land-
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mark also appears in the chapter entitled "Old Landmarks, Mills and In- dustries." As settlers came in and Indians vanished Montour found his occupation as a trader gone, and he then left.
In 1787 Abraham Landis warranted a tract of 116 acres, which he com- bined with the Montour tract, and in 1795 both tracts were patented to him. Landis laid out Landisburg, but probably never lived in Tyrone Township or Landisburg, as all the deeds mentioned his home as in Lancaster County. On March 10, 1813. Landis sold his property to George Stroop, who laid out an addition to the town, but died before 1828. His heirs failed to comply with the terms of sale made by Landis and the property again reverted to Landis. Matters were compromised with lot purchasers and the remaining farm lands were sold to Dr. Samuel Moore, General Henry Fetter and Zachariah Rice. Peter Fahnestock, a son-in- law of Landis, who transacted the latter's business by power of attorney after Stroop's death, later (before 1830) built a scythe and edge tool factory and also had a tilt hammer at the old Francis Patterson mill.
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