USA > Pennsylvania > Warren County > History of Warren County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 17
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I37
THE ERA OF FORMATION, FROM 1800 TO 1819.
When the council assembled Cornplanter welcomed the delegates and wished to hear from them. Major Farrelly explained the object of their mission, viz., to preserve the peace and friendship heretofore existing between the whites and Indians. After a short consultation with the other chiefs Cornplanter replied, reciprocating the sentiments expressed by Major Farrelly, whereupon the council broke up with the best of feelings.
At this period a treaty existed between the Senecas and the United States government which provided that if a white man should kill an Indian, or vice versa, the culprit would have to pay $200 to the friends or heirs of the mur- dered man. Though this might now be regarded as very questionable justice, yet it helped to establish a feeling of confidence among the Senecas, which made them the allies of this nation in the War of 1812-15, though every effort was made by the agents of the British government to seduce them from their allegiance to the American cause. To Cornplanter's influence was due this happy result, as after the Revolutionary War (with the exception of the year 1794) he was always the steadfast friend of the young republic in her struggle against English arrogance, which was exhibited on every occasion, until the War of 1812-15 taught her to respect the rights of American freemen. Corn- planter, then an old man of about four score years, took no active part in that war, but many of the Senecas, including his son, Major Henry O'Bail, and his half-brother, Half-Town, were conspicuous in the last struggle against English tyranny.
Of the white residents of Warren county who served in the last war1 against Great Britain but little can be said, since it is an impracticable matter to ascertain who they were, how many there were, or where they served. But there is no room for doubt that the two townships furnished their full quota of soldiers and that the men who marched to the scene of conflict well performed the duty assigned them.
During the year 1813 "the Holland Land Company sold to the Lancaster Land Company one hundred and seventy thousand acres of land, mostly situ- ated in Warren county and covering the territory now included in Mead, Pleasant, Kinzua, Cherry Grove, and Sheffield townships. The latter com-
1 On the 15th of June, 1869, a number of the surviving soldiers of the War of 1812-15 met in Warren. Hon. William Siggins was chosen president of the meeting and Robert Miles secretary. They passed resolutions regarding the granting of pensions to soldiers of the last war with England, and were hospitably entertained by L. L. Lowry, Esq., at the Carver House, with a dinner sumptuous in its appointments. The veterans present were as follows : Zachariah Eddy, of Warren, aged ninety years; Robert Miles, of Warren, aged seventy-six years; Stephen Olney, of Warren, aged seventy- eight years ; John Geer, of Glade township, aged seventy-eight years ; Emanuel Crull, of Tidioute, aged eighty years ; Caleb Thompson, of Pine Grove township, aged eighty-four years ; Isaac Davis, of Brokenstraw township, aged seventy-seven years; John Brown, of Brokenstraw township, aged seventy-three years ; William Siggins, of Youngsville, aged eighty years ; Isaac Lopus, of Pittsfield, aged seventy-seven years ; Elisha Sterling, of Limestone, aged eighty-one years. Ira Badger, of Pine Grove, aged seventy-four years, and Joseph Ackley, of the same township, aged seventy-nine years, were also veterans of the same war, and living at that time, but were unable to attend the meeting.
138
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
pany immediately employed Samuel Dale, of Franklin, to re-survey and sub- divide the original surveys into small lots of one hundred and sixty-five and two hundred and twenty-five acres each. This work was performed in 1814, numbering them anew from one to seven hundred and seventy. These lands have ever since been bought and sold, taxed and mapped, by these subdivision numbers. In 1816 these lots were partitioned among the several members of the company and the titles made to each in severalty.
" The hard times which followed the close of the War of 1812-15 seems to have crushed the ability or the spirit of these Lancaster gentlemen for further land speculation. Commencing with 1816, those lands began to be sold for taxes, and soon a great portion of them were in the tax market, sold and resold many times for unpaid taxes, for thirty years and upward, before their value was properly appreciated. Many other lands in the county, especially those in the northwestern part, between the river and Conewango Creek, have passed through the unseated tax mill and are now held by treasurers' deeds. It is proper here to say, for the benefit of outsiders and new-comers, that the tax titles by which so large a portion of the land in the county is now owned, are generally very reliable and safe ones to deal in. They are free from com- plication, and it has been the policy of the law and the courts to sustain them, when not vitiated by gross irregularities." 1
In the summer of 1816 Rev. Timothy Alden, before mentioned as the founder of the Allegheny College, set out on a brief missionary tour among the Indians residing on the upper waters of the Allegheny, and spent some days at the village of the venerable chieftain, Cornplanter. Upon his return to Meadville he wrote a letter to the Rev. Joseph Mckean, of Harvard Uni- versity, giving an account of his labors, etc., wherein he says: "Cornplanter, as soon as apprised of our arrival, came over to see us, and immediately took charge of our horses. Though the chief Sachem of his tribe, and having many around to obey his commands, yet, in the ancient patriarchial style, he chose to serve himself, and actually went into the field, cut the oats, and faithfully fed our beasts from time to time, while we continued in the place, in ipsa per- sona propria.
"Cornplanter has been the greatest warrior the Senecas have ever had ; yet he has always been remarkable for his humane treatment of the women and children of his enemies, who at any time have fallen into his hands. He is a man of strong mind and masterly eloquence. At the treaty of Fort Stan- wix, he greatly distinguished himself by his talents and address, insomuch that by general suffrage he has ever since held the first place of power among the chiefs of his nation.
" He appears to be about sixty-eight years of age." [Mr. Alden was mis- taken as to Cornplanter's age. lle was born about 1732, and in 1816 was
1 Hon. S. P. Johnson.
I39
THE ERA OF FORMATION, FROM 1800 TO 1819.
eighty-four years old.] "His countenance is strongly marked with the lines of intelligence and reflection. Contrary to the aboriginal custom, his chin is covered with a beard three or four inches in length, and upon his head are many of the blossoms of age. His house is of princely dimensions compared with the generality of Indian huts, and has a piazza in front. He is the owner of about 1,500 acres of excellent land, 600 of which encircle the ground-plot of his little town. From the United States he receives, annually, according to stipulation, $250, besides his proportion of $9,000 equally divided, one half in goods and one half in money, among those of every age and condition in the tribe."
At this time (1816) the tax-paying inhabitants of the county were as follows :
Conewango Township .- Samuel Anderson, James Arthur, who owned a saw-mill, Robert Arthur, Sen", Boon Arthur, James Akin, Adam Acker, John Brown, John Brown, Jr., John Barr, David Brown, a tanner, and justice of the peace as early as 1811, Andrew Buchanan, Ozias Barrett, Joseph Bailing, John Cole, James Cole, Benjamin Covel, Isaiah Cole, Cornelius Cole, Samuel Campbell, Josiah Chandler, Charles Chandler, John Chandler, Charles Dougherty, William Davis, Thomas Davis, Ezra Devereaux, Henry Dunn, Levi Doan, who owned a saw-mill, Zachariah Eddy, Randall Evans, Daniel Faulkner, Stephen Frank, who owned a grist-mill, Robert Falconer, Luther Freeman, Joseph Fitch, Eli Granger, Widow Gilson, Joseph Gray, Asa Geer, Joseph Goodwin, Hackney & Harriott, owners of a saw-mill, Jacob Hook, who owned a saw-mill, John Hood, Samuel Hunter, owner of a grist-mill and saw- mill, William Hodge, Ebenezer Jackson, Daniel Jackson, David Jackson, Isaiah Jones, justice of the peace, Jehu Jones, Edward Jones, John King, John Littlefield, Levi Morrison, Hugh Marsh, John Marsh, Webster Marsh, Jesse Murphy, owner of a grist and saw-mill, John Marsh, Jr., Michael McKin- ney, Joseph Mead, Ephiriam Morrison, Samuel Morrison, owner of a saw-mill, Elisha Morrison, James Morrison, Sen1, William Morrison, John Morrison, Robert Miles, Widow Miles, John Miles, James Morrison, Jr., William Miles, Samuel Magee,1 John McClain, John Neville, Joseph Northrup, Abraham Os- born, Eben Owen, a blacksmith, James Portman, Squire Phillips, John Rus- sell, Jr., Thomas Russell, Martin Reese, Jr., John Reese, Robert Russell, Michael Reese, John Russell, Sent, Stephen Rogers, Rankin & Cochran, owners of one-half of a saw-mill, Martin Reese, Sent, Christopher Schoonover, James Stanton, Simeon Scowden, James Stewart, Jr., Robert Stewart, William Stew-
1 At the June term of Court of Common Pleas, 1821, one James Magee, an insolvent debtor, then eighty-six years of age, made statement under oath that early in 1776 he enlisted in the State of Dela- aware in a company commanded by Caplain Lattimore, called the " Wilmington Greens," for a term of fifteen months. Subsequently he re-enlisted in the same State in a company commanded by Captain Mitchell. His company was attached to Colonel Grayson's regiment of the Virginia Line. and served till 1780. Mr. Magee participated in the battles of Brandywine, Paoli, Germantown, and Monmouth.
140
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
art, Thomas Stewart, James Shipman, David Sturdevant, George Sweet, Jonathan Thompson, Caleb Thompson, and Asa Winter, owner of grist and saw-mills.
Brokenstraw Township. - Robert Andrews, justice of the peace, Arthur Andrews, James Andrews, William Arthur, Robert Arthur, owner one-half of saw-mill, Thomas Arthur, John Arthur, James Arthur, Richard Arthur, Na- than Abbott, George Berry, James Bonner, owner of a grist-mill and saw-mill, Samuel Burnett, Peter Burgett, owner of saw-mill, Robert Bell, Isaac Bucka- lew, Thomas Boyd, James Benson, Thomas Burbank, George Carpenter, James Culbertson, owner of a saw-mill, Alexander Clantz, Luther Chase, Daniel Corbett, owner of a saw-mill, John Courson, Stephen Carhart, George Cover, Henry Catlin, John Campbell, David Courson, John Camp, a millwright, Sam- uel Cole, David Dalrymple, Mark Dalrymple, Clark Dalrymple, David Dal- rymple, Jr., Robert Donaldson, Abraham Davis, John Davis, Isaac Davis, Eli- jalı Davis, Abraham D. Ditmars, Benjamin Davis, Thomas Duprey, a black- smith, Richard Duprey, John De France, James Darling, owner of saw-mill, John Elder, James Elder, Andrew Evers, Nathaniel Frampton, Obediah Ford, Samuel Ford, Isaac L. Fitch, John Gardner, Joseph Grant, Jacob Goodwin, who owned a saw-mill and one-half of a grist-mill, Joseph Gray, owner of a saw-mill, John Gillespie, merchant at Youngsville, John Gregg, Samuel Gregg, Nehemiah Gray, John Gibson, James Green, Daniel Horn, owner of saw-mill, John Hamilton, a blacksmith, William Hunter, Poland Hunter, William Hare, James Hamilton, Robert Hunter, Richard Henderson, Joel Hill, Daniel Hough- wout, a joiner, Paul Huffman, Jacob Huffman, James Irvin, John Irvine, a mer- chant, Callender Irvine, Septimus King, Henry Kinnear, a merchant, Elijah Jackson, George Long, Cookson Long, owner of saw-mill, Hewlett Lott, Har- monious Lott, a merchant, William McClain, Solomon Miles, Richard Miller, William McGee, Patience McGuire, William McGuire, David Matthews, Arthur McGill, Samuel McGuire, Thomas McGuire, Samuel Moore, John Mckinney, owner of saw-mill, Barnabas Mckinney, John Mead, William Mead, Anna Mead, owner of one-half grist-mill and one-half saw-mill, Daniel McQuay, Charles McNair, Ephraim Miles, Humphrey Miller, Nathaniel Norris, Stephen Norris, James Phillis, Robert Prather, owner of saw-mill, Samuel Peoples, John Peoples, Leonard Pike, Thomas Page, Jonathan Rute, James Sturdevant, James Sturdevant, Jr., l'eter Simons, George Shultz, Jesse Sims, Charles Smith, Adam Shultz, David Stillson, Abraham Strickland, Thomas Sims, Richard Stewart, John Sample, Jr., George Siggins, Samuel Sprague, William Siggins, Stephen Sweet, William Smith, Robert Thompson, John Thompson, John Tut- tle, Thomas Tubbs, James Williams, James Watts' heirs, William White, Henry White, Samuel White, James White, Parsons Wetmore, Lansing Wetmore, Will- iam C. White, Canvas B. White, Hugh Wilson, Joshua Whitney, Alexander Watts, Amos York, Nelicmiah York, Christopher Young and Mathew Young.
I4I
FROM THE ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY UNTIL 1830.
This is a remarkable showing, as compared with the list of taxables of eight years before, and clearly proves that hard times, cold seasons, litigations con- cerning land titles, and the War of 1812-15 had proved disastrous to the new settlements in Warren -had discouraged many and caused them to migrate to more congenial parts farther West; for, although this list discloses many new names, yet the number of tax-paying inhabitants in 1816 is exactly the same as that of 1808 - two hundred and fifty-six. During the next four years, however, a rapid increase in population took place; for when the county was organized in 1819 it contained nearly two thousand inhabitants.
CHAPTER XIV.
FROM THE ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY UNTIL 1830.
Onerous Duties Imposed Upon Early Inhabitants - Passage of the Act of Organization -- Its Provisions - Initial Proceedings of County Commissioners - The First Term of Court - Its Officers - Jurors - Attorneys- Early Inn-keepers - Reminiscences Concerning the First Term of Court- Population of the County in 1820- New Townships formed in 1821 - The Attempts to Collect Taxes from Cornplanter - The Old Chief Victorious - The Ilook Murder Trial - Incidents Connected Therewith - Results-Other Early Events.
F OR five years the inhabitants of Warren county had plodded their weary way from their log cabins in the wilderness, over the hills to Meadville, when it was necessary to transact public or legal business, and for fourteen years more had they made toilsome journeys to Franklin, a distance of sixty- five miles from the then hamlet of Warren, when business of the same nature imposed its duties upon them. This condition of affairs at last became too onerous and irksome to be longer borne without an effort being made to effect a change. Hence in the winter of 1818-19 Colonel Joseph Hackney, of the town of Warren, then representing Venango county in the State Legislature, introduced a bill providing for the separate and independent organization of the county of Warren. His efforts were crowned with almost immediate suc- cess, and on the 16th day of March, 1819, an act containing the legislation de- sired was passed
This act provided that Warren should be organized as a separate county from and after October 1, 1819, and be attached to the Sixth judicial district. Also, that the legal electors should choose county officers at an election to be held on the second Tuesday of October of that year, whose duties were to be considered as commenced from the first day of October, 1819. We have no evidence, however, that such an election was held, and from the fact that 10
142
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
Lansing Wetmore's commissions as prothonotary, clerk of courts, register and recorder, etc., were signed by the governor, September 25, 1819, it is belicved that all the chief officers of the county at the beginning were appointed by the same authority.
The county commissioners, viz., James Benson, Asa Winter, and Henry Kinnear, appear to have been the first officials of the county to make use of the power and priviliges vested in them. Their first meeting was held October 16, 1819, at the house of Ebenezer Jackson, which stood on the west, or rather northwest, corner of Water and Hickory streets. Messrs. Benson and Winter only were present at this meeting. They appointed John Andrews as their clerk. They also hired a room from Jackson at a rental of two dollars per month, to be used and known as the county commissioners' office. The next mecting was held on the 28th day of the same month, all of the members being present, when Henry Dunn, of Conewango, and Isaac Connelly, of Bro- kenstraw, were appointed township assessors for the ensuing year.
On the Stli day of November Charles O'Bail, a son of Cornplanter, pre- sented a claim for bounty on two full-grown wolf scalps. A room in which to hold the first term of court was rented from Ebenezer Jackson at a rental of $15 for the term, on the 10th of the same month, and five days later, or November 15, 1819, Archibald Tanner was appointed county treasurer for the term of one year.
Preparations having been completed for the proper observance of such a grand event, the first Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace and Common Pleas, to convene in the newly-organized county of Warren, began its sessions on Monday, November 29, 1819, in an unfinished room of a house then being built by Ebenezer Jackson. This house of Jackson's, as before described, stood on the corner now occupied by the Carver House. There were present as officials Hon. Jesse Moore, president judge; Joseph Hackney and Isaac Connelly, associate judges; Andrew Bowman, sheriff of Venango county, act- ing, and Lansing Wetmore, prothonotary, clerk of courts, etc.
The grand jurors summoned to attend at this term, all of whom answered to their names with the exception of Emanuel Crull, were Richard B. Miller, foreman, Alexander Watt, James Sturdevant, Henry Catlin, John Long, Joseph Gray, David Sturdevant, Philip Mead, William Bingham, John Portman, Samucl Trask, David Miles, Orange Owen, Jesse Tarbox, Samuel Gilson, John Dixon, Levi Doane, Squire Phillips, Thomas McGuire, Zachariah Eddy, John Tuttle, Emanuel Crull, Arthur Andrews, and Peleg Cranston. While of the traverse jurors summoned there were present John Geer, William Siggins, Abrahanı Strickland, James Wilson, John Gilson, Henry Myers, John Rogers, Cookson Long, Levi Morrison, Ebenezer Jackson, Enoch Gillam, Eli Granger, Samuel Gregg, James Follett, John Sample, Ethan Owen, Cephas Holbert, Walter Seaman, John Mckinney, and Philip Huffman.
143
FROM THE ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY UNTIL 1830.
These jurymen had been summoned by Andrew Bowman, sheriff of Ve- nango county, to whom had been directed the precept. He also cited the grand and traverse jurors who assembled at March term in 1820, by reason of the fact that Mark C. Dalrymple, the first sheriff of Warren county, was not com- missioned until about the time of holding the second term of court above mentioned.
During the first day of the first term Ralph Marlin, of Meadville, Thomas H. Sill, of Erie, John Galbraith, of Franklin, and Patrick Farrelly, of Mead- ville, were admitted to practice as attorneys at law in the various courts of the county. During the same day, also, David Stillson and George Stoolfire were granted license1 to sell liquors and keep houses for public entertainment. For other interesting details relating to this first term of court held in Warren county, our readers are referred to the following accounts, written for publica- tion years ago by two of Warren's early citizens-Hon. Lansing Wetmore and Hon. Abner Hazeltine. True, these statements are somewhat contradictory, especially in describing the fight between the lawyer and the grand juror ; but both are very readable, and only prove, for the millionth time or more, how easy it is for two men, in speaking of one and the same incident, to tell two entirely different stories.
"This first term of court," says Judge Wetmore, "went off rather as a jubilee and jollification than the sober business of administering justice to par- ties, and trial of cases. Every body drank liquor then and almost every body got drunk, or, as Mr. Parmlee used to have it 'Gentlemanly gay.' Temper- ance Societies were unknown then. There were but two cases tried, and they were in the sessions. They originated in a fight on Monday evening of court week, between one of the grand jurors and an attorney at the bar from Mead- ville. The attorney had been a Colonel of the Militia in the War of 1812, and the juryman a soldier. He, the colonel, was telling in rather a boasting way of his exploits while on the frontier. The juryman listened to him for some time, when he asked him if he was the officer who dodged behind a tree when there was an alarm of an attack by the British. The gallant colonel replied by a blow on the head of the grand juryman. It was promptly returned, when a general melec ensued. It resulted in some bloody noses and black eyes, but no serious injuries; all being a little more than 'gentlemanly gay.' The colonel was indicted and convicted of an assault and battery; a motion was made in arrest of judgment, which still remains unargued and undisposed of ;
1 Others to whom licenses were granted for the same purpose during the next four years were John Thompson, place not stated; Robert Miles, Thomas Slone, and Marshall Jones, of Pine Grove ; Ebenezer Jackson, David Jackson, Henry Dunn, Rufus Olney, 'and King & Jackson, of the town of Warren ; Ambrose I .. Pratt, John Langley, Oldham & Gilman, John Reese, Jacob Wells, Mark C. Dalrymple, and Philo Brown, places not slated; John I. Willson, Samuel Ilall, James Seaman, and Artemus Buel, of Sugar Grove ; Alfred Vanornam and William Siggins, of Brokenstraw ; Samnel Magee, of Deerfield, and Isaac Williams, of Kinzua.
I44
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
the colonel has long since gone to his final account. The grand juryman was also indicted and tried, but was acquitted on the plea of se defendendo."
Judge Hazeltine, in his graphic description of the opening of the first term of court, and subsequent proceedings, says : "As all our county officers were wholly without experience, the prothonotary and sheriff of Venango county came up with Judge Moore, the president, and brought the Venango court crier, a Mr. Morrison, a dapper little man of wonderful volubility of speech, and certainly a great curiosity. There was no show of carriages in the streets. The attendants upon the court came either on horseback or on foot. I recol- lect that Richard B. Miller, the foreman of the grand jury, and Guy C. Irvine, who then lived on the Little Brokenstraw, came on foot by the way of Chan- dler's Valley, over the hills then a wilderness, with knapsacks on their backs. A rude bench for the judges, with seats for the other members of the court, were hastily improvised in the spacious and rather open court room.
" On the arrival of the hour Crier Morrison blew his horn, bells being then unknown, and the court assembled, Sheriff Bowman, of Venango, accom- panied by Sheriff Dalrymple,1 of Warren, leading the way. Judge Moore, a large, venerable-looking man, took his seat on the bench, wearing as large a beaver as ever graced the head of William Penn. The associate judges, Hack- ney and Connelly, then took their seats, one on the right and the other on the left of the president, they also wearing their hats. Crier Morrison, in a very andible manner, then made proclamation that the court was opened, and that all persons having any business with the Court of Oyer and Terminer, Court of Quarter Sessions, Common l'leas, and Orphan's Court, might draw near, give their attention, and they should be heard ; ending with what Daniel McQuay, a witty Irishman, used to call a bit of a prayer, viz .: 'God save the Commonwealth and this Honorable Court.'
"The next business in order was administering the oath of office to such members of the bar as were present from other counties in the district. There was no attorney living in the county but myself, and I was then a foreigner. There were present Messrs. Marlin, Farrelly, Sill, and Galbraith, and they were severally admitted to the Warren Bar, and sworn according to seniority. The first sworn was Colonel Marlin. The oath was administered by Judge Moore to each one separately ; and in doing it he rose from his seat, laid aside his hat, and repeated the words of the oath in a very solemn and impressive manner. The grand jurors were then called and sworn, the oaths being ad- ministered by the Hon. Alexander McCalmont, prothonotary of Venango county, who assisted Judge Wetmore, then the prothonotary of Warren; Mor- rison, the crier, ejaculating sworn at the conclusion of each oath very emphat- ically. Judge Moore, then in a sitting posture, but with his hat removed,
" This is an error. There was no Sheriff Dalrymple at that time. See " Commission Books," in register and recorder's office.
145
FROM THE ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY UNTIL 1830.
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