USA > Pennsylvania > Tioga County > History of Tioga County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations, portraits and sketches of prominent families and individuals > Part 40
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For the next few years but little progress was made same indomitiable pluck and energy which characterized in settlement, and in 1828 there were but four log
This is decidedly an agricultural district. It is situ- ated on the crest of the ridge of hills dividing the waters of Crooked Creek and the Cowanesque River, and thus county. Its soil is equal if not superior to that of most other upland townships in the county. It is naturally divided into three distinct parts -- eastern, middle and western.
township and commenced a settlement on the State road, a road which was cut through the forest from Williams- port, Lycoming county, to Bath, Steuben county, N. Y., crossing the Cowanesque River at Osceola, six miles west of Nelson. Bryant's claim was located about six miles from the river, and the farm is still known and recognized as the old Bryant lot.
cabins in the township. An election for township offi- cers took place at the Bryant house in 1830, when it was found that the entire voting population numbered only 11, and Bryant was unanimously chosen for the
has a drainage unsurpassed in any township in the office of justice of the peace. An amusing anecdote of
this election day is related on the authority of the late James Campbell, of Nelson township. He says that he, in company with two or three neighbors, was returning from Wellsboro, the county seat, on horseback (the only
Farmington was a dense, unbroken wilderness in 1820, way of traveling in those days', when at the close of when David Bryant came into the western portion of the the day, tired and hungry, the party drew rein at the
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HISTORY OF TIOGA COUNTY.
door of Bryant's cabin. The election fiasco was over, and the stout and hardy woodmen had departed for their homes. The horses of the new comers were tethered to the trees, and the hospitable old lady was busied in preparing the supper for her guests, when one of the little towheaded urchins came running in, almost breath- less, and exclaimed, "I say, mam, are we all squares now?" The old lady, assuming an air of dignity, re- plied, "No, child, nobody but I and dad." It may per- haps be necessary to add that the office of justice of the peace was not elective until many years after, when the new constitution was adopted, with several important changes from the old one. Justices held office by ap- pointment from the governor, and usually served during good behavior, or were changed at the caprice and pleasure of the administration.
In 1828 a road was cut through from the river at Nel- son up Thorn Bottom Creek, intersecting the State road six miles west, at a place known as House's school-house. Soon after this settlers began to move into the west end of the township. Among the earliest of those who made permanent settlements may be mentioned Chandler Chamberlain and brothers, Cromwell Pierce, Lemuel Cady, Orrin Russel, Walter Vandusen, Peter Mourey, Carlos House, Rockwell House, Robert Casbeer, John Weeks, David Stevens, Asel Wright, William Peck, Wait Johnson and J. B. Redfield, who as late as 1840 were found to be the owners and occupants of the several pieces of land upon which they had erected their build- ings.
Simultaneously with the advent of Bryant in the west David Cummings passed up a creek which has its source near the State road and after many meanderings flows into the Cowanesque River half a mile east of the village of Nelson. After ascending about four miles Cummings located his claim and built a log house, the ruins of which are still seen upon the farm of the late Frederick Cady. He was followed soon after by the Gee family, Jacob Lichenthaler, Job Herrick, Lockwood G. Hoyt, John McCallum, Freeman Place and John C. Robb, all of whom made permanent settlements.
The first settlement on the hill directly south of the vil- lage of Nelson was made by Lockwood G. Hoyt, who was succeeded by Charles Lugg, a gentleman who came from England with his family, bought the claim of Hoyt, and settled there, where he lived up to the time of his death, in 1873. His large and beautifully cultivated farm is now owned and occupied by his two sons, A. W. and Robert S. Lugg, both estimable citizens enjoying the pin, James Beebe and D. C. Kemp, all exhibiting to the confidence of the community in which they live.
Samuel P. Babcock, Jonathan Sobres and Charles Bot- tom also commenced settlements at this time. Mr. Bab- cock's fine farm south of Mr. Lugg's is still owned and occupied by his descendants. In 1850 William Campbell purchased a tract between the property of Mr. Lugg and that of Mr. Babcock, and erected thereon fine buildings, which have recently been sold by his heirs to Messrs. Smith and Duly, who are now in possession. Still fur- ther to the south, possessions, as they were called, were
owned by Nathan Bottom, Charles Carr, Randal Drake, George Stanley and William Perrigo. These possessions have recently been bought up by Charles Bottom, with the exception of the Stanley lot, now owned by Freeman Pierce, who resides upon it with his widowed mother, having recently erected thereon a very fine house and other buildings. Mr. Pierce was a volunteer in the 2nd regiment Pa. cavalry in the late Rebellion, and was terri- bly wounded in one of their engagements with the ene- my, and is now enjoying the blessings of peace and the confidence and respect of his neighbors.
In the eastern part of Farmington John and Daniel Crippin penetrated the dense wilderness, and began to make improvements. They were soon followed by others-Johnson Butts, Henry B. Turk, Harvey Foster, Hiram Merritt, Samuel Buckbee, Daniel Buckbee, Abner Webster and others-who began improvements; but, as usual in such cases, these improvements changed hands quite often, until the year 1841, when the entire town- ship was entered and occupied by permanent settlers; with very few exceptions these lands were held by the trustees of the estate of the late Mr. Bingham, by virtue of warrants issued from the surveyor-general's office at Harrisburg, and were located and numbered. Although considerable opposition was made at first by the settlers the courts subsequently decreed the validity of their claim, and their title has been fully established.
The township has no manufacturing interest.
In the eastern part there are two churches-Presby- terian and Methodist. There are eleven fine school- houses, and they are usually kept open about six months in each year, with competent teachers.
There is no place in the township where intoxicating liquors are bought and sold. The people are all en- gaged in agricultural pursuits.
It is forty-five years since Charles Bottom pur- chased the property south of the farms of the late Samuel P. Babcock and William Campbell, and he now owns about 600 acres of good land, 400 of which are under a fine state of cultivation. In short the township of Farm- ington is to-day one of the best cultivated districts in Tioga county. The old farm formerly owned by Free- man Place is now the property of George Hall, who has recently built a very handsome dwelling, and resides there with his family.
In East Farmington may be found upon the crest of the hill as it looks toward Tioga the farms of Oliver H. Blanchard, R. Hall, Otis Butts, Eli Knapp, George Crip- eye of the traveler the taste, energy and pluck of their owners.
Passing down the valley of Cummings Creek from George Hall's, on the summit of the hill, one has an op- portunity to see the old Gee farm, owned by James and Robert Gee, and the farms of Edward Close, James Robb, Joseph McCallum, Joshua McCallum, John Mc- Callum, Alwert D. Kemp, Euclid White, J. R. White, A. Wheeler,- Ellison, Frederick Cady, William Hoyt, William Pierce, James Preston, Hazard Young and G. W.
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TOWNSHIP OFFICERS-PIONEERS IN GAINES.
Maynard, all of which are in a fine state of cultivation. history of Farmington which would interest the general E. Fish, Alanson Hoyt, Joseph Hoyt and Justus Leonard reader, and it is a pleasure to the writer to note that also own farms between the two roads, which run nearly this township has never figured very largely in the courts, parallel to each other to the Crooked Creek road, where or produced any strange and startling anomalies in the they unite with the public road leading to Wellsboro.
category of crime. The people are generally peaceful,
On the State road from Osceola to Crooked Creek are law abiding citizens, content to breathe " their native air the farms of William Vandusen, Cady M. Seely, James S. on their own ground."
Peters, Taylor brothers, Hiram Pierce, Dill Vandusen, J. B. Redfield, Carlos House, M. T. Cass and brother, ship was given as follows in a Wellsboro paper:
Willard Cass, Anson Cass, E. Stevens and many others which present the same general appearance of prosperity I. G. McCallum, 1. and thrift.
The township has a voting population of about 350.
On the road west from Nelson in entering the town- ship one finds the farms of William H. Baxter and brother, John H. Bozord, H. G. Bowdish, Julius and Warren Phelps, William Babcock, Frank R. Davenport, Jonathan Russell, Ira Mourey, Henry Mourey, Daniel Mourey, O. P. Rice, and - McIntyre, and strikes the State road at House's school-house, on the lands of J. B. Redfield.
There are no important incidents connected with the | rie, 32.
The vote at the latest election for officers of this town-
Supervisors-Frank Dunham, 132; J. R. Smith, 134;
Justice of the peace-E. D. Fish, 92; I. Leonard, 39. Constable-E. W. Close, 132.
School directors-D. C. Kemp, 83; Frank Davenport, 124; J. B. Redfield, 89; Thomas Hill, 85; William Hoyt, 2.
Assessor-A. D. Kemp, 132.
Assistant assessors-R. H. Close, 132; Alva Baxter, 132. Town clerk and treasurer-J. E. White, 134. Judge of election-Daniel Allen, 134.
Inspectors of election-E. J. Hall, 102; Charles Mou-
GAINES TOWNSHIP.
BY JOHN L. SEXTON JR.
HE township of Gaines was formed in 1838, rial increase in population, inspired by the tanning and from the township of Shippen, and contains lumber business.
The township officers for the year 1882 were: Super- visors, A. Brinegen, E. P. Fish; justices of the peace, George Langdon, Russell M. Smith; constable, Daniel Ruggles; school directors, Dr. F. D. Ritter, Jesse Locke; assessor, W. W. Tate; assistant assessors, W. H. Watrous,
about fifty square miles, or 32,000 acres of land. It was named in honor of General Gaines, who was conspicuous in the removal of the Creek Indians from Georgia during the ad- ministrations of John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. It is bounded on the north by the township of C. H. Rexford; town clerk, J. M. Barnhart; treasurer, F. Clymer, on the east by Shippen, on the south by Elk, A. Sears; judge of election, G. F. Ogden; inspectors of and on the west by Potter county. Pine Creek, a stream election, Isaac Miller, W. W. Watts; auditor, O. A. Smith. navigable for rafts, runs nearly through the center of the township from west to east. Painter Run, Lick Run and Elk Run flow into Pine Creek from the south within the THE SETTLERS AND THE INDIANS. limits of the township, and Phenix Run, Long Run and Mill Run from the north. The township was originally covered with a dense forest of white pine, hemlock and hard wood timber. The surface is broken, hilly and mountainous, with narrow valleys along the runs we have
Settlements were made within a few miles of the east- ern boundary of the township as early as 1804, by Josiah, Aaron and William Furman, and in 1818 Josiah Furman purchased 265 acres three miles below the present village of Gaines. Between 1804 and 1818 he brought in canoes mentioned, and quite an alluvial valley along Pine Creek from Northumberland 220 apple trees, and set out two which is capable of producing wheat, corn, oats, grass, ; orchards, one at the Big Meadows in Shippen township and the other in Gaines, on the farm now owned by his son-in-law, David Rexford.
tobacco and the orchard fruits. There are deposits of coal and iron in the mountains in an undeveloped state; on the early completion of the Jersey Shore, Pine Creek
Joseph Furman was the pioneer on the upper waters of and Buffalo Railroad these will probably be examined, Pine Creek. He was a native of Shamokin, Northum- and developed if found profitable. There is also a min- berland county, and his family consisted of his wife and eral spring on Elk Run.
The population of the township according to the last census was 508. Since that time there has been a mate-
seven children. The children were: Bloomer, Furman, Mary Ann (wife of James Carsaw , Phebe (wife of Henry Hilbolt), William B., Josiah jr., Israel M. and Catharine
172
HISTORY OF TIOGA COUNTY.
(wife of David Rexford). Mr. Furman died about the year 1823. When he came upon Pine Creek the Indians were still to be found located here and there along the stream, having their hunting lodges. They were friendly and kind, but when the war broke out between the United States and Great Britain in 1812 they suddenly departed for the north, going toward Buffalo. This sud- den departure led to considerable alarm, and Judge Ira Kilbourn, Aaron Bloss, Seth Daggett, David Lindsey and others wrote a letter to Governor Snyder, apprising him of the fact. They say that they no longer have any confidence in their red brethren, who have "lately left their homes to join the enemy, as we suppose." Whether they all joined the enemy never was known; only a few, however, returned, and they were silent upon the subject of where they had been, and were not trusted as readily as before by the citizens along Pine Creek. By degrees they left the country, a number of them going to the Cattaraugus reservation in New York, on the waters of the Allegheny. It is evident that Tiadaghton or Pine Creek had been a favorite haunt of theirs for genera- tions, for arrow heads, skinning knives and skeletons were found along that stream. No wonder they left its waters reluctantly, for there was no place in the domain of the Six Nations, extending from the Potomac to the lakes of the north, more suited to their habits of hunting and fishing. The streams were full of fish and the forest of elk, deer and bears.
Soon after the close of the war of 1812 lumbermen were attracted to the Pine Creek region, and from 1823 to 1830 a number of saw-mills were built in the township of Shippen, then embracing the township of Gaines. It was in 1823 that the township of Shippen was formed, which then extended west to the Potter county line. In that year Silas Billings settled at Knoxville, on the Co- wanesque, and soon afterward he extended his lumbering operations to points in the township of Gaines on the waters of Pine Creek. He gradually withdrew his oper- ations from the Cowanesque, and concentrated his ener- gies on Pine Creek and its tributaries.
The great freshet of 1832 on Pine Creek made sad havoc with the lumbermen and their establishments. Many were ruined financially, while others recuperated, and renewed after a few years the manufacture of lum- ber and timber. Few sections of the country are favored with continued prosperity, and depressions in business will occur in the course of human events. Many times these depressions are only resting spells, and when re- action takes place it is with renewed energy and life.
The taxpayers of that portion of Shippen lying next to the Potter county line believed it was for their inter- est to establish a new township, and in March 1838 this was done. James Carsaw was the first assessor, and John L. Phenix the collector. The taxables on seated lands were as follows:
John B. Benn, John Benn, William J. Benn, David Crandall, W. Chaphey, James Carsaw, Sylvester Davie, Henry Erway, Jacob Erway, Benjamin Furman, Daniel H. Furman, Aaron K. Furman, William Furman, David Furman, Levi Furman, William B. Furman, Aaron Fur- man, Josiah Furman, William Griffin, George Harvey, Zachariah Herringer, Dudley Hewitt, Wheaton Hewitt, George Huyler, Joshua T. Jackson, William Larrison, William I. McNiel, Asa McIntire, Calvin Newton, Na- thaniel Owen, John L. Phenix, N. Proughty, Moses Pierce, John Robins, Scoville & Babcock, William Steele, Henry Steele, Jonas Schoonover, William W. Tate, S. N. Shelly, Aaron Stiles, Henry Schleick.
The highest taxes were those of John L. Phenix, $13.0672; Scoville & Babcock, $11.92; and Silas Billings, $11.80.
The tax was levied for the year 1839 and collected in 1840, John L. Phenix, collector, receiving his appoint- ment from George Lovegood and Buell Baldwin, com- missioners, March 11th 1840.
David Rexford, one of the pioneers of the eastern por- tion of the township, was born in Cortland county, N. Y., July 10th 1820. He came into Tioga county forty- three years ago, on the 14th of January, and went to work in the saw-mill of Scoville & Mather in Shippen township, near the east line of the township of Gaines, taking a contract to run the mill on shares. The lumber was manufactured and rafted into Pine Creek and run to the southern market. In 1843 Mr. Rexford was married to Miss Catharine Furman. Their children are David Delos, Jesse J., Anna, William L., Delia and Charles. His father-in-law, Josiah Furman, was the pioneer set- tler on the upper waters of Pine Creek. Mr. Rexford for the past 40 years has been engaged in lumbering and running lumber to the southern market, and for 39 years has been a pilot. He is in his 63d year, and probably no man now living on Pine Creek has run more lumber than he. Immediately after the battle of Gettysburg, in 1863, a company of 110 men was raised in the townships of Clymer, Gaines, Shippen and Elk, and he was chosen captain. John C. Maynard was first lieutenant, D. A. Paddock orderly sergeant, Miner Marsh first corporal, and Levi Furman second corporal. The company was drilled by Major John M. Kilburn, of Potter county, but was not called upon and saw no service. Mr. Rexford was supervisor for more than twenty years in the town- ship of Gaines, and acted in other civil capacities. He has now 785 acres of land, 100 of which are improved, with a good orchard (one of the oldest in the township), dwelling and barn thereon. He is one of the hardy, honest and industrious representatives of the pioneers of Gaines.
John Persing settled on what is known as Wall Bottom in 1824. His house stood near the present mill dam on the estate of Silas X. Billings.
Stephen Babcock, from Connecticut, settled near the Furman log grist mill, opened a store and continued it for a number of years.
Harry Allen, Roland Blackner, Horace Braughton, In 1832 a Mr. Hamilton, from the southern portion of the State, peeled a large quantity of hemlock bark, and Oliver Babcock, Riley Burdick, Stephen Babcock, Ste- phen B. Barnes, Simeon Babcock, Conrad Benaur, Wil- liam Babcock, Silas Billings, Isaac Beach, John Blue jr., intended to have it run down Pine Creek into the Sus-
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LUMBER OPERATIONS OF SILAS BILLINGS.
quehanna, but the great freshet of that year swept it plus grain thither, at the same time carrying on a war away and he did not attempt it the second year, but re- moved.
D. A. Paddock, who was born in Sherbune, Chenango county, N. Y., in 1828, and came into Tioga county in 1843, has been prominently connected, as an employe of Silas X. Billings, with the affairs of the township. In 1844, before he was employed by Mr. Billings, he em- barked on board of the ship "J. E. Donnell," of New Bedford, as a common sailor, and went to the Sandwich Islands. In February 1845 he rounded Cape Horn. He left the ship at Honolulu in 1845 and engaged on board a French whaler, which was wrecked on the west coast of California. From there he went into the interior, and remained with the Mexicans until the war between Mex- lumber" and take a trip down the river. The regula- ico and the United States made it unsafe for him, and tion suit consisted of a long-topped pair of boots, with
then went to Magdalena Bay and shipped for La Haina. He remained there one year and tanned goat skins. From there he returned to California and helped Captain Sutter in his great wheat harvest in 1848. Finally he re- turned to Tioga county in 1849 and went to work for "Lunger " or Silas Billings on Cedar Run, and subse- quently for McNeil and Silas X. Billings, and was con- stantly in the employ of the latter gentleman up to the time of his death. Mr. Paddock was the confidential ex- plorer and land operator for Mr. Billings, and was privy to all of his land operations. In the year 1850 he was married to Miss Nancy Brace. Their children are An toinette, wife of Charles Park, of Catlin, N. Y., and one son, Charles. Probably no other man in western Tioga county is so familiar with the topography of that portion of the county and eastern Potter and northern Clinton as he. He is a most excellent woodsman, and a very accurate land surveyor.
THE LUMBER ERA-SILAS BILLINGS AND SON.
with Mexico; and, with a lumber mania which extended from the Chesapeake Bay to all branches of the Susque- hanna, the harvest of timber was great. It was during this period in 1847 that the late Silas Billings, referred to in the history of Elk township, commenced his lum- bering operations on Cedar Run. Every man that could swing an axe or lift a cant hook was employed during the winter of 1846-7, and every man that could file a saw, carry a board, pull at an oar or pilot a raft was pressed into service at high wages. The farmer, the mechanic, the doctor, the lawyer, the merchant, the la- borer and the pale young man who was fond of an adven- ture hied themselves away to Pine Creek to "raft in
the pantaloons tucked inside; two woolen shirts, the out- side one red, with a flowing collar, and a yard-square black silk handkerchief tied loosely about the neck; a soft white hat, banged to a sugar loaf or conical shape; a loose blouse or roundabout coat, with three pockets, one on each side of its extremity and one on the left breast, from which protruded a colored bandanna. Thus caparisoned the adventurers entered the arena of the Pine Creek lumber regions. They seemed to have cut loose from all former ties of civilization, and were a boisterous, hard working, devil-may-care crowd, who en- joyed hard knocks and good stories and songs, and en- countered dangers which at their homes they would have shrunk from. As they floated along the current of Pine Creek, with its rugged and wild banks, with rocks and mountains towering hundreds of feet above the level of the stream, now pulling the oar at some abrupt turn, now sailing along smoothly, with songs that echoed far up the mountain heights, they were the embodiment of deviltry, good humor and fun; and when they moved out on the
The reaction we have alluded to took place in 1840. waters of the west branch and sailed into the broad Sus- The campaign for " Tippecanoe and Tyler too " in- quehanna they seemed to the honest German settler of fused its spirit into the business operations on Pine the lower counties a band more terrible than army with Creek, and large lumber operations were carried on dur-
banners. Generous to a fault, they cast aside all con- ing the year mentioned. The promise of " two dollars a ventional rules of etiquette, established a new code, and day and roast beef " to the laboring classes had its effect, were "a law unto themselves." Men who have since held official positions-sheriffs, members of the Assem- bly, senators, judges, members of Congress and United States senators-have taken a trip down the river, and been among the host we have described. and swung the Democratic State of Pennsylvania over to Harrison and Tyler; and though there was a relapse in 1842-44, and the State went back to the candidate of the Democratic party in the latter year, still the impetus of 1840 to business on Pine Creek, and particularly in One of those who took a conspicuous part in the lum- bering business on Pine Creek in early days and in scenes such as just described was Silas Billings. He was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, May 23d 1790. In 1820 he settled in the township of Southport, Chemung county, N. Y., on Seeley Creek, and engaged in the manufacture of linseed oil and the carding of wool. In 1823 he sold Gaines township, upon the whole resulted in attracting capital to that region for investment, which afterward re- mained permanently. By the year 1847 Pine Creek was alive from its mouth to its source with lumbermen en- gaged in building mills, cutting saw logs and manufac- turing them into lumber, and hewing timber. Men and money flowed into the Pine Creek region, like the current fout his manufactory, removed to Deerfield in this county, and purchased large tracts of timbered lands on the Cowanesque. He soon ascertained that Pine Creek, only a few miles distant, was a better field for the carry- ing on of the lumber business, and made large purchases on that stream. He bought land and erected saw-mills of a ceaseless stream. The farmer neglected his plow, and the tillage of the soil was a secondary affair. Wheat was worth $2.30 a bushel, oats ninety cents and a dollar, and corn $1.63 per bushel. In Ireland there was a famine, and the United States were shipping their sur-
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