USA > Pennsylvania > Tioga County > History of Tioga County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations, portraits and sketches of prominent families and individuals > Part 84
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The following lists show the names of the men into whose hands the interests of the township have been committed:
Supervisors .- 1857, George Beecher, Lyman Pierce Hoyt; 1858, Mancier Gleason, William Barker; 1859; Morgan Seely, Clark Kimball; 1860, John Tubbs, Clark Kimball; 1861, George Beecher, Clark Kimball; 1862, George Beecher, John Tubbs; 1863, William Barker, George Tubbs; 1864, Alvin Bosard, George Tubbs; 1865, Julius Scott, George Beecher; 1866, 1867, George Tubbs, Oliver Rice Gifford; 1868, Robert Hammond, James Atherton; 1869, 1870, 1871, 1872, Robert Hammond, Morgan Seely; 1873, James Tubbs, Morgan Seely; 1874- 78, James Tubbs, Robert Hammond; 1879, Allen Seely, Myron Lee Bonhanı; 1880, 1881, Myron Lee Bonham, James Egbert Taylor; 1882, John Tubbs, James Egbert Taylor.
Town Clerks .- 1857, Enos Slosson; 1858, 1859, Vo- lent C. Phelps; 1860, 1861, David Coates; 1862, M. H. Abbey; 1863, Joseph Barker; 1864 66, A. K. Bosard; 1867, Chester D. Kinney; 1868 72, Adelbert J. Heggie; 1873-81, Charles Tubbs; 1882, Wilmot Grow Humphrey. Auditors .- 1857, Truman Crandall, V. C. Phelps, Sam- uel Ellison; 1858, Joseph Weaver; 1859, Russel Cran- dall; 1860, Benson Tubbs; 1861, Truman Crandall; 1862, Clark Kimball; 1863, E. M. Steere; 1864, Allen Seely; 1865, Morgan Seely; 1866, Clark Kimball; 1867, Russel Crandall; 1868, Henry Seely; 1869, A. K. Bosard; 1870, Smith Cornell; 1871, Isaac Packson Van Zile; 1872, A. K. Bosard; 1873, Gaylord Griswold Colvin: 1874, Edward Elmore Bosworth; 1875, Hoyt Tubbs; 1876, Gaylord Griswold Colvin; 1877, Henry Seely; 1878, Edward Elmore Bosworth; 1879, Gaylord Griswold Colvin; 1880, Charles Henry Bosworth; 1881, John Wells Hammond; 1882, G. G. Colvin.
Constables .- 1857, Justus Hathaway; 1858, William Weeks; 1859, James M. Mapes; 1860, 1861, Joseph Cul- ver; 1862, Augustus Smith; 1865-67, Shelden Ocorr; 1868, A. O. Preston; 1869-71, John O'Conner; 1872-74, Edward Weaver; 1875, Charles Henry Bosworth; 1876- 82, Charles Ryon Taylor.
Justices of the Peace .- 1857, Isaac B. Taft; 1858, Ly- man Pierce Hoyt; 1860, 1865, 1875, Andrew Keller Bo- sard; 1861, 1866, 1871, Norman Strait; 1870, Edward Elmore Bosworth; 1872, Charles L. Hoyt; 1876, 1882, Morgan Seely; 1877, Merville F. Hammond; 1878, John Wells Hammond; 1880, Orville Samuel Kimball.
A poor-house was erected for the county of Tioga under the act of March 12th 1866. Previous to that time the poor were a township charge, and the supervis- ors were ex officio overseers of the poor. A vigilant over- seer would not permit an indigent person or family to gain a legal settlement in the township, thereby making the township liable for their support. We therefore find it a matter of record that previous to 1866 many persons were notified to move on. We extract the following:
June 6th 1858 .- Notice called for by the supervisors to notify Seth J. Brewer and family to leave this town- ship. S'd notice issued & meeting adjourned sine die.
(Signed) V. C. PHELPS, Town Clerk.
December 10th 1858 .- Notice called for by s'd super- visors to notify William Bryant to leave this town, as they fear he will become a town charge.
(Signed) V. C. PHELPS, Town Clerk. A post-office was established at Osceola February 16th 1852. The postmasters, with dates of commission, have been as follows: Enos Slosson, April 3d 1852; James M. Mapes, September 20th 1856; Joseph Barker, March 28th 1859; Henry Carter Bosworth, August 7th 1861; Edward Elmore Bosworth, January 6th 1871; Charles Henry Bosworth, April 21st 1879.
The following named citizens of Osceola have been elected to serve as county officers: Robert Tubbs, county treasurer, 1820; sheriff, 1827. Elihu Hill, county treas- urer, 1829. Charles Frederick Culver, county commis- sioner, 1856. Newel L. Reynolds, county superintendent of common schools, 1857. William Thomas Humphrey, representative, 1865, 1874. Andrew Keller Bosard, county auditor, 1875. Vine Crandall, county auditor, 1878. Charles Tubbs, representative, 1880, 1882.
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION.
The first road up the Cowanesque Valley followed the river closely and crossed it many times. The State took notice of it. To correct its erratic course the Legisla- ture passed an act March 28th 1820 appointing Arnold Hunter and others commissioners " to lay out a road be- ginning where the road from Newtown in New York crosses the State line on Seely's Creek, in Bradford county; to deposit a draft of it; to receive a compensation and money for expense," etc. This commission per- formed its duty by locating the "river road " along the valley substantially where it runs to-day.
" The Old State road," which crosses the territory of Osceola, was built in pursuance of the following statute:
" Whereas many respectable inhabitants of the county of Lycoming have presented their petition to the Legis- lature, stating that the present road from the town of Newberry, near the mouth ot Lycoming Creek, to the Genesee country is extremely bad, so as to be passed with great difficulty, and praying that a road might be opened by a new course, and it is reasonable that the prayer to their petition should be granted upon the terms hereinafter mentioned; therefore
"SEC. 1 .- Be it enacted, &c., that the governor be and he is hereby authorized to receive proposals for lay- ing out and opening a road, not less than twenty feet
357
RAILROADS, BRIDGES AND RIVERS IN OSCEOLA.
wide, from the town of Newburg in the county of Ly- coming to Morris's mills; from thence by the best and most direct route to the northeast corner of Straw- bridge's Marsh, or as near to that as may be; and from thence by the nearest and best route to the one hundred and ninth mile stone on the line dividing this State from the State of New York, or as near as may be; which road, when surveyed, laid out and opened as aforesaid is hereby declared to be a public highway.
"SEC. 2 .- That the expense of said road shall in the first instance be paid by such of the citizens of Lycom- ing county as may think proper to subscribe for that purpose.
"SEC. 3 .- That after the said road shall have been opened the governor shall appoint a suitable person to view the same and make report to him; and if it shall appear that a road or cartway is actually opened between the town of Newburg and the one hundred and ninth mile stone in the State line, the governor is hereby authorized to draw his warrant on the State treasurer for the sum of three thousand dollars to reimburse the per- sons who were the subscribers for opening the said road."
This act became a law April 8th 1799, and under its provisions the road was constructed. Calvin Chamber- lain and Reuben Cook, residents of this valley at the time, helped chop the timber out upon its course, sleep- ing in the woods wherever night overtook them.
This road enters the township near the Block House upon the farm of Charles Tubbs, approaches the Wind- fall Brook, and follows its course to the river. It crossed the river near the mouth of Windfall Brook, upon lands of Henry Tubbs, and pursued its winding way across the flats to the residence of Chester B. Hoyt; thence to the North Hill in the rear of the residence of Charles Bulk- ley, and thus out of the township. From the town line it pursued its way to Knoxville, and thence up Troup's Creek to Austinburg, which is " as near as may be " to the " one hundred and ninth mile stone " * mentioned in the act and on the route to the "Genesee country." Thus the first two roads in Osceola, and the principal ones to this day, were built by the State. The general direction of one is east and west; of the other north and south. The old State road was built before Tioga county was set off from Lycoming, and its existence had much to do with the early development of this county and the location of the county seat. All the other roads of the township are tributary to these two.
" The Cowanisque Creek in the county of Tioga " was declared a public highway for the passage of boats, rafts and other vessels March 26th 1813, by an act of the Leg. islature.
The navigation of the Cowanesque has been the sub- ject of considerable legislation. March 4th 1854 it was enacted that it should not be lawful for any person " to float upon its waters any loose logs, as great damage has been done to the owners of property located on said creek, as well as to arks, boats, timber and board rafts navigating the same." April 13th the same year this was
repealed so far as to allow owners of logs to float them four miles to a saw-mill.
The Cowanesque River was forded at Osceola. until 1849, teams from the south entering the water at the south end of the bridge and emerging therefrom where Hiram Stevens now resides, as the street from the north end of the bridge to Russel Crandall's store had not been opened at that time. Foot passengers crossed upon a foot bridge-of which there were several-or were fer- ried over in a "dugout " which 'Squire Seely for many years maintained near the ford. Sixpence was the usual price for "setting " a passenger across the river.
In 1849 the county built a bridge 200 feet long across the river, on the site of the present structure. Messrs. Culver & Slosson were the builders. This bridge fell down in 1865, and in 1866 the county built a new one 266 feet long to replace it. John Howland was the con- tractor and builder. Robert Casbeer has recently re- paired it for the county.
Abel Hoyt built a bridge across the Cowanesque upon his farm. It was swept away in the flood of 1861, and has never been rebuilt.
In 1850 the Cowanesque Plank Road Company was incorporated, and graded several places upon the route of the main road from Lawrenceville to Osceola. This was done preparatory to laying down the plank. A crew of men employed by this company cut down the hills at George Barker's and near the Fair View cemetery. The men quit work at the latter place, and the project was abandoned because the company failed to pay the con- tractor.
"The Osceola Plank Road Company " was incorpor- ated by act of the Legislature March 25th 1852. Enos Slosson, Morgan Seely, Benson Tubbs and others were authorized in the charter to build a plank road from Os- ceola to Potter's Hotel in Middlebury. This company did not build the road, and its charter expired according to its terms in three years from its date.
The Cowanesque Valley Railroad Company was in- corporated in 1869 by act of the Legislature, with power " to construct a railroad from Lawrenceville, Pa., by way of the Cowanesque Valley, to a connection in the coun- ties of Potter or Mckean with the Buffalo and Washing- ton Railroad." Under the authority of this act ten miles of the road were built and put in operation in 1873. terminating at Elkland. For operating purposes it was consolidated with the Corning, Cowanesque and Antrim Railway, of which it is a branch. In 1882 this road was extended to Osceola, an excursion train leaving that place with passengers September 2nd, and regular trains running on and after October 23d. It is in process of construction to Westfield (November 1882).
" The Addison and Northern Pennsylvania Railroad Company " procured a charter of incorporation from the office of the secretary of the commonwealth under the provisions of the corporation act in July 1882, author- izing it to build a railroad from Addison, N. Y., to Gaines, Tioga county, Pa.
This road has been built from Addison to Westfield,
*Austinburg .- The road from Austinburg, Pennsylvania, to South Troupsburg, N. Y., is 3,162 feet west of mile stone 109 .- Report for the year 1880 of the Pennsylvania Board of Commissioners on the Northern Boundary, p. 77.
158
HISTORY OF TIOGA COUNTY.
and is in process of construction throughout its whole extent. It passes through Osceola to the north of, and on a line nearly parallel to, the route of the Corning, Cowanesque and Antrim Railway. Upon this road reg- ular trains are not yet running.
Addison, N. Y., to Osceola, and from thence to West- field. G. W. Remsen and Hoyt Tubbs were the main promoters of this enterprise. In 1881 this company sold its line to the " Tioga County Telephone Company," which is now in operation, having two offices in Osceola.
The Postal Telegraph, a main line from New York to Chicago, is now in process of construction through this township. The poles are set ready for the reception of the wires.
Until about the year 1822 no mail route passed through Osceola. Previous to 1814 letters intended for residents of this valley were directed to "Delmar, to be School-house in the Norways, February 1845; caught fire from stove. Dwelling, Andrew K. Bosard, July 4th 1854; struck by lightning; unoccupied. Dwelling, Hor- ace B. Cilley, March 7th 1857; caught fire from chimney. Saw-mill, Charles Frederick Culver, August 1860; of in- cendiary origin. Brier Hill school-house, May 1866; of incendiary origin. Tannery, H. & J. Tubbs owners, R. Hammond & Co. lessees, March 1866; believed to have been accidental. Dwelling house, A. O. Preston, Janu- ary 20th 1867; accidental in its origin. Tannery, R. Hammond & Co., August 1868; accidental. Hotel, Eu- gene O. Martin, May 1870. Dwelling house, George W. Newman, March 1871. Barn, Henry Seely, September 1871; set on fire by an incendiary. Lumber in mill yard, George S. Bonham, September 23d 1871; incendi- Barn, Morgan Seely, January 17th 1873; incendi- left at the post-office village of Wellsborough, State of Pennsylvania."* About 1822 the first mail route through the valley was established, having Bath, N. Y., as its initial point. Colonel Whiting of that place was the contractor, and he employed Simon Snyder Chamberlain to carry the mail the first year. The route was from Bath to Cameron, N. Y., 11 miles; from Cameron to Mayberry's, and from thence to Addison, N. Y .; from Addison to the Log Tavern at the mouth of the Canisteo River; from the Log Tavern to Lawrenceville, 9 miles; from Lawrenceville to Elkland, ro miles; from Elkland to Knoxville, 8 miles; from Knoxville up Troup's Creek to Jasper; from Jasper to Cameron, and from Cameron to Bath, the place of beginning. The service required was to pass over this route once a week, which was done ary. ary. upon horseback and took three days' time. The carrier M. E. church, February 1873; damaged, not de- stroyed; incendiary fire. Barns and sheds, Clark Kim- ball, October 10th 1876; incendiary. Cooper shop, George Beecher, July 17th 1878; incendiary. Dwelling house, Grant Gleason, January 10th 1878; accidental. Dwelling house, Ira French, January 10th 1882; acci- dental. forded all the rivers, as there were no bridges. He passed through Osceola every Tuesday. Besides carry- ing mail the post boy delivered in boxes erected upon the highway letters and papers for people living along the route, for a compensation. Upon approaching a post-office or one of these boxes where he left mail matter he was required to blow a horn. The post- The fire in Bonham's mill yard destroyed about two and a half million feet of lumber in September 1872. In the month of December following R. Hammond & Co. masters upon this route were: James Brownell, at Cam- eron; Thomas Mayberry, at Mayberry's; Bassett Jones, at Addison; Hiram Beebe, at Lawrenceville; John Ryon, purchased a second hand fire engine. The citizens of at Elkland; Aaron Alba, at Knoxville, and William T. Osceola raised $600 and purchased hose and formed a Gardner, at Jasper.
From 1828 to 1833 Joel Crandall carried the mail twice a week from Lawrenceville to Whitesville, N. Y., the route having been changed and the service doubled in the interval. He also carried it upon horseback. In the last year of his service he occasionally drove a wagon.
In 1848 the advantages of a daily mail were first ob- tained by the establishment of a new route to Addison. Over this route Edward Wescott carried the mail from
1848 to 1874, and with him came in the era of the stage coach. During these years Wescott's weather-beaten face was a familiar sight along the valley. He had a pe- culiar physiognomy and a cynical way of expressing him- self. As his stage coach rumbled up to the post-office
In January 1868 the Keystone Telegraph Company he answered the inquiries of the loungers in terms more erected its line of wires and established its offices from brief and humorous than polite. He could be trusted. was honest and attentive to business. His son J. E, Wescott succeeded him, and carried the mail from 1874 to 1881.
FIRES, FLOODS AND TORNADOES.
The village of Osceola, though compactly built, of wood, has never been visited by a sweeping conflagration, destroying at one time any considerable portion of the village. There have however been a number of fires de- stroying single structures and entailing individual or corporate loss. Some of these have been as follows:
fire company of 54 members, of which R. Hammond was chief engineer, Charles L. Hoyt foreman, E. E. Bosworth secretary, and Charles Tubbs treasurer. The company realized for its funds $200 from a public supper, and from a dramatic entertainment entitled "The Serious Family." It attended two or three fires, and in 1873 the organization was allowed to die out for lack of interest in its object.
Two floods have visited the Cowanesque Valley that have been specially destructive of property-that of May 1833, and that of September 23d 1861. The " May flood " undermined and swept away a log house standing on the east bank of Holden Brook, which had been but
* The writer has in his possession three letters thus directed to Paul Gleason; after 1814 other letters, that were directed " Elkland, to be left at the post-office village of Wellsborough," etc. Paul Gleasou at that time lived near the mouth of the Island Stream and in Delmar township.
359
FLOODS AND FIRES-CEMETERIES.
recently occupied by L. L. Carr. As many bridges as
esque Valley, unroofing buildings and demolishing forests there were across the Cowanesque were taken off, and in its track. The flat east of Henry Tubbs's dwelling much property was destroyed.
Of the destruction wrought by the great flood of Sep- tember 23d 1861 we present two contemporaneous ac- counts:
" Osceola was damaged most from Holden Brook. It took Cameron's house and lot off, and undermined Wil- liam Week's house. It took off Freeborn's tannery and Timothy Pringle's cooper shop and all his tools, and also the shop and tools of M. H. Abbey and John Beecher. H. and J. Tubbs have lost heavily. The docking and dams about their mills, their logs and sawed lumber, and three houses with all the furniture in them have been swept away. The families got into the grist-mill. The main part of the Cowanesque bridge is left standing, but both ends are washed away. The Windfall Brook washed Ed. Burch's garden and house off, and then burst its banks and ran down the road to the river. It dug holes four to six feet deep in the road, and in other places filled it full of stones and gravel. All the corn and buckwheat that were cut went off-such as was not cut was washed down and covered with sand. The farms are stripped of their fences. The losses in land, houses, lumber, cattle, sheep and hogs are shared by each in proportion to his property. It is a hard look- ing valley."
Chester B. Hoyt's house was taken off and transported bodily about half a mile from its original standing place. The voyage is thus described by one who was on the in- side:
" The water began coming in at the door. We put books, hats, satchels, &c., on lounges and beds, thinking that 18 inches from the floor would clear anything but a Noah's flood. We then bolted the doors and fled to the stairs. We watched the progress of the water until it oozed through the key holes. We then retreated to the head of the stairs, when bump, bump, went something, like the starting of cars from a depot. 'We are going,' says I, 'and had better get away from near the chimney.' We went into the parlor chamber. There we stood watching each others' anxious faces and waiting for the hand of Providence to decide our fate. We rode on smoothly, the house sinking nearly to the top of the doors. We had floated probably a minute when bump, again it went, followed by a crash. The ship plunged and tottered backward and forward. The woodshed had broken loose from the main part and had been shivered to atoms. I said, 'I think our time may be very short for this world.' 'I think so too,' said Mr. Gray. After a few plunges she righted and proceeded on her voyage, with no rudder or sails-to what port we knew not. Soon, to the joy of our little crew, we came to a stand in the midst of driftwood, whole trees and stumps. The night was so dark we could see nothing but the ra- ging waters. When the moon came up we saw an apple tree, and by a little calculation I told them we were in Bosard's corn field; not to steal his corn, but by right of squatter sovereignty. We watched anxiously for the morning light. Daylight finally came, and with it the salutation from Mrs. Bosard: 'Good morning! I am glad we have such near neighbors. Why don't you call and see us?' I replied, 'It is not fashionable for new comers to make the first call.' Men came up from Osceola and helped us clean out the house. I shall never forget their kindness."
In 1837 a furious storm of wind accompanied with rain proceeded out of Troup's Creek and down the Cowan-
house was at that time covered with heavy hemlock and maple timber. This tornado demolished the forest, up- rooting in its course, among others, trees four feet in diameter. At this one point it swept down twelve acres of trees.
November 6th ISSo another tornado crossed the valley of the Cowanesque in Osceola. Its direction was from southwest to northeast. Its track was about eighty rods wide. It completely demolished Charles L. Hoyt's to- bacco shed, containing eight tons of leaf tobacco upon the poles. It wrought a similar destruction upon the sheds of Hoyt Tubbs, having six tons of leaf tobacco upon the poles. It unroofed C. H. Bosworth's barn and Henry Tubbs's barn, wrenched up apple trees by the roots, and threw down nearly every chimney in the vil- lage. Fences and outbuildings innumerable were over- thrown. It occurred at 11 o'clock at night.
CEMETERIES.
The burying ground of the pioneers was located on the west bank of Holden Brook, near its mouth, and on the site of Augustus Cadugan's garden. It was triangu- lar in shape, having one side resting on the bank of the brook and the sharp end of the wedge pointing west- ward. Here, among the tall pines that covered the land- scape, the pioneers buried their dead. They all be- longed to that class of early settlers, already mentioned, that have left no descendants in the valley. On that account very little can be told about them.
The burials were all made between 1795 and 1815. The only monuments erected were rude stones from the hillsides, with no inscription upon them, and many graves were altogether unmarked. Such stones as were set up were swept down while the ground was occupied as Culver & Slosson's mill yard (1848-60). Some of the graves have been undermined by the brook, thereby ex- posing the remains 1845-55 . So much of the ground as remains is now under the plow.
Among those buried here were: Cooper Cady's wife; Smith who settled near where John Tubbs resides ; Caleb Griggs and wife; Baker Parce (who died in 1815), first settler on the Ryon farm, Elkland; three children of Daniel Philips. In all there were about twenty in- terments at this place. It is a matter of regret that they were not left undisturbed, " under the sod and the dew, waiting the judgment day."
The Osceola Cemetery Association has its grounds on an eminence west of the village and north of the Cowan- esque road. They are kept free from briers and weeds, and are enclosed by a neat and tasteful picket fence. Over the ornamental gateway at the entrance is in- scribed the legend " Man goeth to his long home." The association was incorporated by an order of the court of common pleas of Tioga county April 21st 1876. Its officers are: Robert Hammond, president; Charles Tubbs, secretary; Russel Crandall, treasurer. The as- sociation owns 220 perches of land, one-third of which
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HISTORY OF TIOGA COUNTY.
is occupied by the indiscriminate and unregulated burials of the past seventy years, and the remainder is divided into symmetrical family burial lots. In the old part of the ground are many unmarked graves, some of which deserve a passing notice.
The first person buried here was Abner Gleason, whose unchiseled tombstone stands to the left of the main en- trance. He was buried about 1812. He owned the ground at the time he died, and requested to be buried upon this spot. His choice determined the site of this cemetery. Other graves gathered about his, and from time to time additions were made to the grounds. He came, in his old age, from Dudley, Mass., with his son Paul Gleason. In another unmarked grave lies buried Nathaniel P. Moody, a soldier of the Revolutionary war and a graduate of Yale College. Also another Revolution- ary soldier, about whom some facts are known, as follows:
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