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 24
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The western county line was the original line between the an- cient township of Fannett and Toboyne, Cumberland County. Fannett became a part of Franklin County and Toboyne, a part of
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PERRY COUNTY ESTABLISHED
Perry County. This old line sufficed until 1841, when, on April 28, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed an act "for the purpose of running and marking the lines between Franklin and Perry Coun- ties." Abraham S. Mckinney, of Cumberland County; John Johnston, of Perry County, and Andrew Wilson, of Franklin County, were appointed commissioners to run the line. To them was left little but the actual surveying, as the language of the act commanded them to leave the entire Amberson Valley in Franklin County, and the entire Sherman's Valley in Perry County. The line was to start "at the corner of Cumberland and Franklin Counties, on the top of the Blue Mountain ; thence by a line in the direc- tion of Concord, to the summit of the next mountain ; thence along the summit of said mountain as far as practicable, so as to leave the entire valley of Amberson, in the county of Franklin, and to divide the mountain territory as equally as possible between the two counties : thence along the summit of the Round Top, to the most practicable point on the Conococheague Mountain, leaving the entire valley called Sherman's Valley, in the county of Perry : and thence to the corner between Franklin, Perry and Juniata Counties ; and said commissioners are required in all cases (in running said division line), to keep as near possible to the sum- mit of said mountains." A year's time was allotted in which to complete the task and triplicate copies of the survey made, one each for the offices of the prothonotary of Perry and Franklin Counties and a third for the office of the surveyor general. This survey was a complicated affair to tackle, as anyone familiar with the various laps of the mountains there can readily realize.
There is a legend that at the northeastern corner of Perry County, in the river, there is a rock which is supposed to be the corner stone of five counties: Northumberland, Dauphin, Perry, Juniata, and Snyder. This is another of those local legends which is not borne ont by facts. The fact is that but three, Dauphin, Perry, and Juniata Counties, meet at the river shore at that point. Juniata has a short stretch of river frontage, which bars Snyder from touching, and the Dauphin-Northumberland line would touch the shore considerably below the Perry-Juniata line. A similar legend, relating to the northwestern boundary, would have four counties, Perry. Juniata, Huntingdon, and Frank- lin, centre at a common corner. Save that of Huntingdon, the other three do meet there.
When Perry County was formed Landisburg was designated as the temporary county seat, pending the selection of a permanent site, and its residents immediately, as noted elsewhere, began a campaign to secure that advantage permanently. During the time the town was the county seat, the courts were held in a log build- ing, located at the northwest corner of Carlisle and Water Streets.
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
It was unfinished, "chunked and daubed." The entire first floor was occupied by the court room, while the second floor was di- vided by board partitions into an office for the county commis- sioners, a room for the grand jury and a room for the traverse jury. The entrance to the second story was by a rude open stair- way from the court room. The judge's "bench" was made of un- planed boards and was located on a raised platform at the north- ern end of the room. At its front was a shelf, the top of which was used to write upon or for placing documents, etc. The coun- sel table was an ordinary pine dinner table. The clerks' desks were very ordinary wooden affairs and the seats in the court room ordinary board benches. A small one-story dwelling adjoined it on the west, on Water Street, in which lived a tanner by the name of Allen Nesbit, whose small tanyard was located on the same lot. He rented the building to the new county for fifty dollars a year. With the exception of the commissioners' office the other county offices were located in the homes of the officials. The first sheriff, Daniel Stambaugh, and also his successor, Jesse Miller, had the office in the house located on the northeast corner of Centre Square. the first sheriff dying there during his term. The house is now owned by the S. P. Lightner estate, Mrs. Lightner occupying the property.
The register and recorder's office was located on Water Street, in a stone house belonging to Mrs. Robert Shuman at this time. This building had once been a hotel operated by W. P. West. Its erection was started in 1794 and it was completed in 1809. The rear part, or addition, was built of logs and in it at one time was a factory in which nails were made by hand, machine-made nails being then unknown.
The prothonotary's office was located in the parlor of the Pat- terson brick building, on Carlisle Street, until 1826, when removed to the new courthouse at New Bloomfield. William B. Mitchell was the prothonotary. This lot was bought December 11, 1811. by Jacob Fritz and sold to Samuel Anderson, who built the brick building. After 1826 it passed to Henry Fetter, who was a mer- chant there for years.
John Topley, Sr., was the court crier. Court was called by small boys ringing a bell along the street. Until each obtained a church building of its own the court room was the place of worship of the Presbyterian and Methodist congregations. When the court- house at New Bloomfield was completed and the county seat re- moved the old courthouse became the property of Robert Gibson, who used it for a cabinet maker's shop until 1840, when he razed it and built the present building, which is now owned by D. B. Dromgold.
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PERRY COUNTY ESTABLISHED
The first court of common pleas ever held in Perry County was convened in Landisburg on December 4, 1820. John Reed, originally of Westmoreland County, was the president judge, and William Anderson and Jeremiah Madden were the associate judges. David Stambaugh was sheriff. The first grand jurors were William English, Henry Bellin, William Brown, Jacob Weib- ley, and Joshua Jones, of Juniata Township; Andrew Linn, Peter Moses, Philip Fosselman, Christian Simons, Henry Hipple, Thomas Kennedy, and John Eaton, of Tyrone Township; Con- rad Rice, John Milligan, Thomas Milligan, Moses Oatley, Jacob Burd, and Jacob Keiser, of Saville Township; William Arbigast, of Greenwood Township; William Potter, of Buffalo Township; Samuel Willis, of Rye Township; Nicholas Burd, John Kogan, and Daniel Motzer, of Toboyne Township.
The first traverse jurors were George Beard, John Linn, John Staily, Josiah Roddy, Jacob Reiber, George Arnold, Charles El- liott, John Moses, Peter Baker, John Elliott, John Holland, Robin- son Black, Samuel Linn, Andrew Mateer, Thomas Black, Nicholas Ickes, Frederick Peale, Samuel Grubb, John Purcell, Jushua North, Jr., Charles Wright, John Keiser, William McClure, Jr., Michael Horting, Benjamin Leas, Sr., Daniel Bloom, Owen Owen, Philip Deckard, John Hallopeter, John Snyder, John Rum- baugh, Jacob Dubbs, and Samuel Thompson. They were paid for five days, except Nicholas Iekes, who was present only four days, at the rate of $1.00 per day and twelve and one-half cents per mile, one way, and the total cost of this jury was $223.25.
The constables at this time were: George Fetterman, Buffalo Township; John O'Brian, Greenwood Township; Thomas Mar- tin, Juniata Township; Daniel McAllister, Rye Township; Ma- thias Moyer, Saville Township; John Cree, Tyrone Township : Abraham Kistler, Tyrone Township, and James McKim, Toboyne Township. The grand jury were paid $1.00 per day and six cents per mile circular, and for two days, the total cost of the first grand jury having been $73.48. The auditors were paid $2.00 per day, and the constables were paid $1.00 per day, but no mileage, for attending court.
The first record of a conveyance was a recorded deed from Jacob Sole, of Juniata Township, to Elizabeth Sole, of Millers- town, dated March 1I, 1820, for three acres of land in Juniata Township, the consideration being $1.00. The first mortgage re- corded was given by Samuel Stroop, of Tyrone Township to John Shuman, of Greenwood. The first proceedings in Orphans' Court was on December 4, 1820, when Caleb North, of Greenwood, was appointed guardian of Julia Power, minor daughter of James Power, late of Juniata Township. The first letters testamentary issued by the register of wills were those of Christian Seiders, of
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Buffalo Township, on December 7, 1820, his executors being David and Samuel Seiders, and his will dated November 26, 1820. The first will recorded was that of Abraham Grassel, dated September 26, 1819, letters not being issued thereon until January 1I, 1821.
ROBERT MITCHELL. One of the first Board of County Commissioners. Mr. Mitchell was born in 1782 and was Commissioner at 38. He died in 1872, over fifty years after the county's beginning.
The second court was held on the last Monday of January, 1821. and there were nine suits on the trial list, one of them being Mel- choir Miller (the grandfather of the future governor of Minne- sota) against James Murphy.
The first board of county commissioners was composed of Rob- ert Mitchell, Thomas Adams, and Jacob Huggins.
'The register and recorder's office was removed to New Bloom- field on March 6, 1827, and the prothonotary, treasurer's and sheriff's offices on March 12 and 13, 1827. The first court was held in New Bloomfield, April 2, 1827.
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PERRY COUNTY ESTABLISHED
'T'he first justices of the peace of the new county were as fol- lows, the transcript being taken from the Executive Minutes:
Friday, November 17, 1820.
The governor this day appointed and commissioned the following named persons to the office of justice of the peace in and for the districts here- after mentioned in the county of Perry, that is to say: David Bloom, Robert Adams, and Jacob Bargstresser for the district composed of the township of Toboyne, in the said county, lately district number ten, in the county of Cumberland; Jacob Fritz, John Taylor, Jacob Stroop, William Power, and Henry Titzel for the district composed of the township of Tyrone, including the township of Saville, in the said county of Perry, lately district numbered eleven, in the county of Cumberland; John Ogle, John Owen, and John White, in and for the district composed of the town- ship of Rye, in the county of Perry, lately the district numbered twelve, in the county of Cumberland; George Monroe, Benjamin Bonsall, Fred- erick Orwan, and James Black in and for the township of Juniata, in the said county of Perry, lately the district numbered thirteen in the said county of Cumberland ; Caleb North, John Huggins, John Purcell, Samuel Utter, John Turner, Abraham Adams, Willian Linton, and Richard Bard, in and for the district composed of the township of Greenwood and Buf- faloe, in the said county of Perry, lately the district numbered fourteen, in the county of Cumberland .- Executive Minutes, Volume Eleven, page 251.
Other justices of the peace commissioned during the county's very first years were as follows :
1822. John Kooken, Toboyne; Robert Thompson, Buffalo; Francis Gibson, Tyrone; Thomas Gallagher, Liverpool.
1823. Andrew Linn and George Baker, Saville; Frederick Speck, Wheat- field.
1824. Joseph Martin, Juniata; Alexander Rogers, Wheatfield; George Mitchell, Liverpool.
1825. Jacob Bloom and James R. Scott, Toboyne; Alexander Branyan, Rye.
Just why Perry County was so named has often been asked. Why was this name selected rather than some other? It will be remembered that the battle of Lake Erie was one of the greatest events of the War of 1812, or our Second War with England, that Commodore Perry was the hero, and that the war was over but six years before the erection of the county. But the great out- standing reason was that Commodore Perry died on August 23, 1819, at the Port of Spain, Island of Trinidad, and the news of his death had just reached our shores in the year of the county's . creation ; and that his death, like that of Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt in 1919, was the occasion of much grief, the erection of memorials, etc. Not only was he honored by the naming of Perry County, Pennsylvania, in memory of him, but counties elsewhere are so named. There are Perry Counties in nine other states, as follows: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mis- sissippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee.
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
And so it was named Perry-after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, who in 1812, as a young lieutenant, was sent to take charge of the fleet of boats on Lake Erie, who unfurled a blue flag bear- ing in white letters the dying words of the gallant Lawrence, "Don't give up the ship;" who succeeded in overcoming the powerful British boats and sent to General Harrison the famous dispatch, "We have met the enemy and they are ours-two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop;" and who saved the young nation from an enemy's entrance over the lakes. He was in charge of the whole West Indian fleet as commodore at the time of his death.
A newspaper notice of the period, relating to the death of the hero for whom the new county of Perry was named, may not be inappropriate here :
NORFOLK, September 25.
Died. On the 23 of August, on board the United States schooner, Non- such, at the moment of her arrival at Port of Spain, in the Island of Trinidad, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. He was taken with yellow fever on his passage from the town of Angostura, and although he was attended by two able physicians, he was reduced to the greatest extremity on the fourth day of his illness. Sensible to his approaching dissolution, he called his officers together, and communicated his last wishes. His re- mains were interred at Port of Spain, on the 24th of August with naval and military honors.
Pennsylvania counties have been named under probably eight distinct classes, as follows: First, after English shires or counties ; second, from Indian derivation ; third, of sentimental suggestion ; fourth, geological, geographical or faunal titles; fifth, topographi- cally ; sixth, of local historical connection; seventh, of political significance ; eighth, in honor of patriots, etc. It is the last named and largest class which includes Perry.
A story, in connection with the locating of the temporary county seat at Landisburg, which is persistent, coming from a dozen widely separated sources, and always the same, is, it is believed, worthy a place here. The reader may pass judgment upon it. On all occasions the scorner turns up, but when this one turned up Perry Countians were in no humor to be ridiculed, having just came into their own after the opposition of Carlisle citizens, espe- cially. The new county had just been created and the first court was to be held in an improvised courthouse in Landisburg. A number of young men from Carlisle came over and one of them kept up a continual interrogation, "Where's the town clock?" This angered a man named Power, and strangely enough Power was the next man to whom he put the question. A brawny arm shot out and the inquirer went down, but true to the species, he retorted, "There it is; it struck one."
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PERRY COUNTY ESTABLISHED
Strange as it may seem, within two years after the separation of Perry County from "Mother Cumberland," there were peti- tions out for their merging, and strangest of all, the plan advo- cated was to annex Cumberland to Perry. A copy of the petitions was printed in the Perry Forester, Perry County's first paper, on February 7, 1822. It follows :
PETITION.
"To the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in General Assembly met. Sheweth :
"That on account of the great dissatisfaction which prevails in the bor- ough of Carlisle, and the surrounding country, by reason that they have been separated from the county of Perry, and which has much increased our taxes, and not only this, but our once thrifty and flourishing old bor- ough of Carlisle, has become delirious and inconsolable on account of the separation-and further, as we would prefer the name of Perry to that of Cumberland, because the latter savors something of royalty, being taken from the Duke of Cumberland in England, which your petitioners deem to be repugnant to the principles of our republican government; we there- for pray your honorable bodies to pass a law annexing Cumberland to Perry County, and that the seat of Justice may be located at Landisburg. "And your petitioners in duty bound will pray, &c."
When the new county of Perry was formed the keepers of tav- erns, as they were then known, were holding licenses granted by the Cumberland County court. Accordingly the first licenses granted in Perry County were in 1821. From the Divisions of Records at the State Capitol a copy of the return to the state is made. It follows :
A list of the tavern keepers of Perry County to whom licenses have been granted by the Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace for said county, at January and April terms, 1821, and for which licenses have been delivered to William Power, Esqr., Treasurer of Perry County, viz :
At January Sessions, 1821.
David Pfautz, John Woodburn, George Eckerd, John Flurie, Henry Zimmerman, Anthony Brandt.
At April Sessions, I821.
Andrew Tressler, John Foose, Thomas Craighead, Jr., Michael Sypher, John Hipple.
Henry Lightner, John Strawbridge, Gilbert Moon, Henry Long, John Dunkelberger, Thomas Paul.
Christian Hipple, Peter Wolf, John Miller, Peter Musselman, Frederick Rinehart, Henry Landis, George Wilt.
Benjamin Leas, James Baird, Peter Shively, John Snell, Daniel Gallatin, Jonathan Harmon.
Frederick Smiley, George Billow, John Neiper, John Rice.
County of Perry, S.S.
I, Henry Miller, Esquire, Clerk of the Court of General Quarter Ses- sions of the Peace, held at Landisburg for the County of Perry, do hereby certify that the within is a true statement of the tavern keepers of Perry County licensed by the Court at the January and April sessions, 1821, and
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
that thirty-four licenses have accordingly been delivered to William Power, Esqr., Treasurer of Perry County.
(Seal)
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Seal of said Court this fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord, one thousand, eight hundred and twenty-one. HENRY MILLER,
Clerk of the Quarter Sessions.
To James Duncan Esq., Auditor General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The following is the first return from the new county of Perry to the State Treasurer, being copied from the original document in the Bureau of Records at the State Capitol :
Win. Powers, Esq., Treasurer of Perry County in account with the State of Pennsylvania.
Dr. With amount of eight licenses to retail foreign merchandise and liquors to the following persons, viz: to Robert H. McClelland, Henry Fetter, Abraham Fulweiler, George Tharp, Henry Walters, Philip Bosserman, Edward Purcell, Isaiah Clark, at fifteen dollars each, .cash $120.00 With amount of ten licenses to retailers of foreign merchan- dise only to the following persons, viz: to Thomas Coch- ran, David Moreland, William Irwin, Nathan Van Fossen, Daniel Okeson, Thomas Gaulagher, John Rice. Anthony Black, Robert Welch, Peter Beaver, at ten dollars each, cash 100.00
$220.00 ('r. With treasurer's commission, $217.75, at five per cent, $10.88 With amount paid constables for making returns of eighteen retailers of foreign merchandise and liquors at 121/2c each, 2.25
13.13
Balance due state, $206.87
Settled and entered at the Auditor General's office, December 14, 1821.
FIRST RECORDS OF THE COMMISSIONERS' OFFICE.
*The first minute book of the commissioners of Perry County, which, according to the inside of the cover, cost $3.75, has the following inscribed on page I :
"Landisburg, Oct. 26th, 1820.
"Agreeably to previous arrangements Thomas Adams, Jacob Huggins & Robert Mitchell, Esquires, duly elected Commis- sioners for the County of Perry met at the house of Michael Sypher and after having taken and subscribed the oaths of office required by the Constitution and laws of the Common- wealth of Pennsylvania,
*For the interesting data from this first minute book of the first Board of County Commissioners we are indebted to Walter W. Rice, attorney- at-law. New Bloomfield, Pa.
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PERRY COUNTY ESTABLISHED
"Appointed Jesse Miller Clerk to their Board for the term of one year and agreed to allow him Forty eight dollars pr. annum.
"Oct. 27th.
"Commissioners met. A full Board.
"Agreed with Jacob Albert for him to make the necessary seals for the different county offices at seven dollars per seal to be delivered on or before the Ist of Dec. next.
"Oct. 28th.
"Commissioners met. A full Board.
"Appointed William Power, Esqr., Treasurer for one year (commission 2 per cent for all monies by him rec'd and paid out according to law)."
This old minute book further shows that, on Nov. 6 and 7, 1820, Messrs. Huggins and Mitchell, Commissioners, "attended at Carlisle for the pur- pose of obtaining the original assessments of 1820 to get them tran- scribed, and that, on Nov. 8, 1820, Mr. Mitchell, having obtained the said assessments together with a transcript of the Treasurer's book of Cum- berland County for the monies paid by the collectors of Perry County, returned to Landisburg and met Mr. Adams. These two met on the 9th, Ioth, IIth and 12th of Nov., 1820, and on the 21st "a full Board" met and agreed with George Dunbar "for the making of a bench for the Judges of the Court & a counsel table." On Nov. 24th, 1820, the Board met for the purpose of "selecting jurors and comparing assessments." On that day the first order on the county treasury was granted to Robert Mitchell for $28.00 for pay as Commissioner from Oct. 26th, 1820, to Nov. 24th, 1820. On Nov. 25th, 1820, the Commissioners bought of William Power "6 candlesticks & 3 pair snufflers for $4.00," which were paid for by order No. 41 given on Feb. 2d, 1821. On Dec. 4th, 1820, order No. 2 was given to James Beatty "for $26.90 pay of the election officers of Juniata District for holding 2 elections in 1820." In the first part of the minute book the words "order given" were used, but later on "O. G." indicates that pay- ment was ordered. On Dec. 5th, 1820, order No. 4 was given to David Grove, return judge for Toboyne Township, for $25.20 "pay of election officers of said District for holding 2 elections in 1820." On the same date an order was given to Alexander Magee, for $12.00 "for a transcribing docket to transfer suits from Cumberland County to Perry County." On Dec. 6th, 1820, orders for $20.00 and $26.00 were given to Thomas Adams and Jacob Huggins respectively for their pay' as Commissioners from Oct. 26th, 1820, to Dec. 6th, 1820, "both days inclusive." These bills of the Commissioners evidently included their expenses, as no bills were presented for expenses. On Dec. 8th, 1820, orders were granted to Jacob Albert for $49.00 for seven seals for the county offices, George Dunbar for $9.00 for carpenter work and Andrew Martin $9.75 for making chairs. Robert McCoy was paid $50.00 for transcribing into a docket for the Court of Common Pleas of Perry County the record of the suits in the Cumberland County Court between persons residing in Perry County. On Jan. 30th, 1821, John Diven was paid $12.00 for making a jury wheel, and Alexander C. Martin was paid $2.58 "for the tuition of paupers as per acct." The witnesses were paid 50 cents per day and 3 cents per mile circular. An ink stand was bought from Samuel A. Anderson for 31 cents.
On Feb. 2d, 1821, Abraham Fulweiler was paid $106.87 for stoves, pipes, etc., and William Power $6.45 for candlesticks, wood, etc.
On Feb. 17th, 1821, the Commissioners met to lay the tax for 1821, and apportioning the rates on the different townships. Messrs. Huggins and
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Mitchell held appeals on April 16th, 1821, at Clark's Ferry, on the 17th at Montgomery's Ferry, on the 18th at Capt. Frederick Rinehart's for Greenwood Township, on the 19th at the Blue Ball for Juniata Township, and all three Commissioners held appeals on the 20th at Ickesburg for Saville Township, on the 21st at Zimmerman's tavern for Toboyne Town- ship, and on the 23d at their office for Tyrone Township. On the latter day they paid Robert Kelly, Teacher, $5.91 for tuition of paupers in Sa- ville Township. On the 24th they paid William Charters 20 cents for candles. On April 30th, 1821, they paid John Jones $12.00 for a wolf scalp, and on May Ist, they paid William B. Mitchell $0.75 for two old fox scalps.
The records show that the office of tax collector was not a very de- sirable one in those days. Henry Kline, the Collector selected for Tyrone Township, refused to serve and paid a fine of $20.00. Robert Cree was then selected; he refused, and a suit was commenced against him for the fine.
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