USA > Pennsylvania > Warren County > History of Warren County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 59
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A formal organization was first effected in 1805, at Harmony, Butler county, Pa., where they first located, by written articles of agreement, signed by all the members, whereby each delivered up and surrendered all property owned and held by him individually to the association thus established, thus forming a common stock or fund, joint and indivisible, held and managed by a trustee therein designated, for the common use and benefit of all members of the so- ciety ; and bound themselves to submit to the rules and regulations established for the government of the society, and to labor for and promote the interests of the same; and also that if any should withdraw from the society for any cause whatever, those thus withdrawing should not make or have any claim or demand for the labor or services of themselves, their children or families, but whatever they might do or labor should be done as a voluntary service for their brethren, and for the common benefit. In consideration for what each thus voluntarily surrendered and contributed in property, labor, or otherwise, to the common fund, he or she became a member of the society, and entitled to all the rights and privileges of members to maintenance and support in health and in sickness, from the common stock or fund, and to the religious privileges and teachings, etc., etc., established and provided. In 1821, 1827, and 1836 respectively, further and additional agreements were entered into, being signed by all the members, whereby some modification of and additions to the original compact were made, for the furtherance of their views and wishes
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and the better establishment thereof, and of a more complete union, brother- hood, co-operation, and mutual assistance.
George Rapp, who had been the principal founder of the society, its spir- itual teacher, and also trustee of the property, died in 1847. After his death a new and more complete system of government for the society and the man- agement of its property and affairs was ordained and established by the mem- bers, all of whom united therein and signed the written instrument in which the same is fully set forth. In none of these instruments or agreements, which were intended mainly for the better management of the social affairs of the society and its business with others, was there any departure from their views of entire community of property, labor and interests, adopted at their organiza- tion ; but they reiterated this as one of their cardinal principles, declaring that all their property was, and was deemed to be, joint and indivisible, the property of the society for the common benefit of all its members, and this has always been regarded and maintained as one of the essential features of their compact.
In 1814 and 1815 the society sold their property at Harmony, Pa., and re- moved to New Harmony, State of Indiana, where land was bought as the joint property of the society, and held and used for the common benefit of all under their compact. The location proving unhealthy, this was in turn sold, and in 1825 they removed to Beaver county, Pa., where land was again bought, held, and used as before, and where they still remain. The society has not escaped the fate of other similar associations, but there have been those of its members who became dissatisfied and withdrew, and who subsequently sought to re- cover from their former associates what they claimed they or their ancestors had put into the common stock, together with a proportionate share of the accumulations of the society, or if that could not be, then compensation for their labor and industry while they were members. Different suits were in- stituted for this purpose, some in the courts of the State of Pennsylvania, and others in the courts of the United States, wherein the affairs and management of the society were thoroughly investigated and the validity of the agreement or compact as originally entered into by the members, and as modified and ratificd by the subsequent agreements, was fully and carefully examined by eminent counsel engaged on either side, and on most careful consideration sustained and established.
Biographical .- Among the prominent citizens of Limestone township are William Merkle, superintendent of the Economy Oil Company; John Myres, farmer, owning one of the best farms in the county, consisting of two hundred acres, and located upon the river bottom within a mile of Tidioute; L. H. Sprague, J. 11. McDonald, Michael Merkle, jr., Jacob Eisenbrown, Thomas Stroup, John Shoelkopf, T. A. McDonald, and W. S. Thompson.
Houser, John P., was born in Venango county in 1819. He came to Lime- stone township in 1836. He purchased three hundred acres of land on tract
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5225, of which he has cleared fifty acres. He was elected justice of the peace in 1864, and has held that position for five terms. He married Margaret Tut- tle in 1843. They still reside on their farm about four miles from Tidioute. Their children now living are Ordelia Houser, born 1844, married W. J. Slater and lives in Watson township; John P. Houser, jr., born 1854, married and lives in Limestone township; Margaret E. Houser, born 1860, married C. A. Buchanan, and lives in Kane, Pa .; Carrie S. Houser, born in 1860 and resides at home.
L. H. Sprague was born in Jefferson county, N. Y., in 1836. He came to Limestone township in 1860, and entered the employment of the Economy Oil Company. He married Cordelia Richardson in 1862. He has been constable and collector in Limestone for one or two terms.
Kelly, Andrew, was born in Clarion county in 1820; he came to Limestone township in 1861 and purchased one hundred acres of land, most of which by hard work he has cleared and made tillable. In 1845 he married Elizabeth Kelly. They have had ten children born unto them. Those now living are Hannah Daubenspeck, John Kelly, Sharron S. Kelly, Flora Kelly, and Madge Kelly, who reside in Limestone township, and Samuel Kelly, who lives in Kansas.
Averill, Sylvester, was born in Erie county, Pa., in 1819, and came to Limestone township in 1840; here he purchased one hundred and ten acres of wild land which he mostly cleared. He died in Limestone township in 1880. His wife, Hulda (Brown) Averill, still resides on the farm. Of the eight chil- dren born unto them there are living Lee Averill, who is married and lives at North Clarendon, Pa .; W. C. Averill, married Ufretta Gilmore and resides on the old homestead ; Lunette Averill and S. H. Averill also reside in Lime- stone ; S. B. Averill married and lives at Grand Valley.
Shanley, John, was born in Canada in the year 1848, and came to Lime- stone in 1869. Since that time he has been in the employment of the Econ- omy Oil Company. He served four years and ten months in the Union army before he was twenty-one years of age. In 1879 he married Belle Morrow, and has a family of four children ; at present he is constable and collector in Limestone, which position he has had for two terms.
The first oil well in Limestone was drilled by the Economy Oil Company in the fall of 1861, and proved to be a small well, yielding but two or three barrels per day. On Christmas day of the same year their first flowing well was struck. This produced about fifty barrels of oil per day. The oil business in Limestone township assumed large proportions from this time on ; many different parties became interested, and large quantities of oil were produced. The Economy Oil Company alone drilled about seventy-five oil wells. The territory of Limestone township was lasting, and the quality of the oil-bearing sand was good, though the rock was not thick. The production from the old
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
oil districts of Limestone has now dwindled down very low. New fields with small productions are now being operated in other parts of the township.
The general business of Limestone at present is farming and lumbering. A number of saw-mills are kept runuing during a greater part of the year. Within the past few years a number of farms on the lands of the Economy Oil Company have been cleared, fenced, and made tillable. A few years more and the lumber will be gone, the oil exhausted, and then attention will be turned to clearing farms, and tilling the soil. Most of the land throughout this township will make fair farms.
There is but one church in Limestone-a Union church, located upon what is known as Economite's Hill. In this church services are frequently held in German, to accommodate the German population living upon and working the lands of the Economy Oil Company. Religious services and Sunday-schools are held in nearly all of the school-houses throughout the township, under the direction of the Evangelical Association. Rev. M. V. De Vaux has charge of the work at present.
About the time Limestone township was organized, half an acre of land on the Mckean farm was donated for a public cemetery, and has been generally used since that time. In 1886 an association known as the Limestone Ceme- tery Association was incorporated, and purchased the old cemetery and land adjoining, placed the same in good condition, and opened it for public use.
There are six schools in operation in Limestone township, and have an enrollment altogether of about one hundred scholars. The population of the township at present is about four hundred.
CHAPTER XLII.
HISTORY OF ELK TOWNSHIP .!
T HIS township, the organization of which was effected on the 3d of May, 1830 (although formed as " Number Seven" and attached to Kinzua March 8, 1821), is situated in the northeastern part of Warren county, and is bounded north by Cattaraugus county, in the State of New York, east by Alle- gheny River, separating Elk from Corydon, south by Glade, and west by a part of Glade and Pine Grove. In extent it is one of the largest townships in the county, though for obvious reasons it is not so thickly inhabited as many of the more favorably situated and naturally wealthy towns. In general appearance it is rough, mountainous, and very rocky. Huge boulders scattered
1 Substantially as prepared by Peter Holt, of Elk.
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over the surface of the township present, superficially at least, the appear- ance of having been set in their beds by the convulsion of some prehistoric upheaval, earthquake, or " tempest, dropping fire." On the Warren and Olean road, about one and a half miles north of Peter Smith's residence, there are several rocks of such immense proportions as to be worthy of special mention. This road was changed by Mr. Cobham to conform to the demands of these silent but immovable sentinels. Two of the rocks are about 100 feet in length and rear their rough shoulders some fifteen or twenty feet above ground. The earth about them is of a beautiful white sand. The roadway here is always dry and smooth. Here are also two cavities shaped like wells, one of which is about five feet in diameter at the mouth, and some twelve feet in depth, after which it diminishes in diameter, though still extending into the bowels of the earth. A pole twenty-five feet in length cannot be made to reach the bottom of this aperture. Near this is another cavity so small as not to admit the body of a man, which is still unfathomable with any pole. A stone dropped in either of these holes may be heard tumbling along its dark descent for a number of seconds.
The soil of Elk varies from a light sand to all kinds of clay and black loam, and is well adapted for the cultivation of nearly all the crops raised in the north-wheat, oats, potatoes, onions, grass, clover, fruit, and all the garden vegetables. It requires a good deal of manure, however. The writer has used plaster largely for this purpose, and finds it very effective, though he needs at least five bushels to the acre, rather than half a bushel, as a few the- orists are accustomed to recommend. The principal business of the town is agricultural. The inhabitants, a stranger would think from their polyglot speech, are contributions from many nations, English, Irish, Dutch, German, Swedish, Danish, and Yankee. The lumber trade, at one time thrifty, has now dwindled, and is really unprofitable. The fact is that the timber has all been cut away except small tracts of hemlock and oak, and indeed, the latter is nearly all gone now, owing to the heavy demand for it in the manufacture of railroad ties. There are now about four tie mills in town, which consume all the oak timber, and do not realize very heavy profits. The dairying interest here is in its infancy, the land not having yet been sufficiently cleared for graz- ing large numbers of cattle. The facilities will undoubtedly be good in a few years.
No oil has been discovered within the present boundaries of Elk, though many profitable wells have been drilled in that part of the original township which now forms a part of Glade township.
Coal Bed .- The Quaker Hill coal mine was discovered about 1834 by one Pond Curtis, who made the discovery while he was digging a well on the west side of the little ridge, about where the opening of Silas Dinsmoor's mine now is. I do not remember how long Curtis operated the mine, but I have been
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informed that the coal was used for fuel in the house into which my father moved about 1839 previous to the time of his removal. At the date of my earliest recollection of the mine it was worked by a Mr. Thomas. This was about 1843. William Jones operated the mine next after Thomas. My bro- ther, David Dinsmoor, moved to the mine in the fall of 1847, according to my best recollection. With the exception of about two years, 1854-55, he con- tinued to operate the mine until his death in 1881, when his son, the present owner, Silas Dinsmoor, succeeded to the ownership and operation of it.
Township Officers .- There is no record of the first election held in the township, nor of the elections for several years. I cannot find that the first settlers voted at any place for many years. As Elk had been settled many years before the organization of either Kinzua or Elk, and as there were nine years between the organization of Kinzua and Elk, the citizens of Elk must have voted at Kinzua, if anywhere. The first account of any organization that I can find was a school meeting held on the 11th month, 26th day, 1835. Of course there must have been an election held in 1831, but no record was kept in the town; neither does this adjourned meeting give a single name of the members of the board of directors. The writing is Daniel Pound's. The pres- ent officers in the township of Elk are: Justice of the peace, W. O. Martin ; Mrs. Mary Walling, postmistress; constable, E. A. Headly; road commissioners, Jacob Shulers, A. A. Instone, Frank Nelson; William O. Martin, secretary ; school directors, Andrew Clendening, president ; Charles Frostburgh, A. A. Instone, Stephen Lounsbury, August Fosburgh ; collector, August Fostburg ; treasurer, Charles Fostburg ; mail carrier, John McStraw ; auditors, Jerome Knapp, Lyman Walling; assessor, William McMahon; board of election, judge, Peter Larson ; inspectors, George Holman, Daniel McMahon.
Charles Fostburg keeps a store on the Warren road near the Roy farm. Mike Quinn also keeps a store of groceries.
There are four nearly new church edifices in Elk, besides the holding of meetings in school-houses, and besides the Presbyterian (Indian) church. The Methodist Church stands idle. The Lutheran Church is most largely attended by Swedes. The Evangelical and Catholic Churches have small congrega- tions. The United Brethren have meetings occasionally in school-houses. There were twelve school-houses in town in 1835. I built a school-house at my own expense in 1857 on Cornplanter Run. The present population of Elk may be very near 700.
The First Roads .- The first road is called the Old State road, and leads from Erie county, and passes through Warren and Mckean countics, I be- lieve, to Philadelphia. This road crosses the Allegheny River near William Marsh's, in Kinzua. The next road leads from the old house of Robert Miles, in Pine Grove, to the house of Benjamin Marsh, in Elk, at the Allegheny River. There was opened a road from Warren to the house of Benjamin
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Marsh, in Elk, up the Allegheny River, and connecting with the above named road at Benjamin Marsh's. Another leads from Warren to the New York State line at the Allegheny River, near Calvin Webb's.
The First Settlers of Elk .- From the best information to be had at this late date, a George Schoonover made the first settlement on tract 5566, on the west bank of the Allegheny, on the farm which is now a part of James Roper's place, and lies opposite the lower Cornplanter Island. Mr. Schoon- over was moving down the Allegheny, either to Franklin or Cincinnati, late in the fall of 1815 or 1816, and having heard that the river at Big Bend was frozen over, he landed his boat, unloaded his goods and family, made himself at home, and commenced building a log house. It appears that Schoonover and his wife were both young. His wife was a very handsome woman, and gave birth to the first male child of the town. Walter Seaman and Schoon- over were related, and Seaman soon after appeared on the ground, and built another shanty near the first. It appears by recent developments, that Sea- man had three daughters born here, viz., Susanna, Polly, and one other. Susanna was born in 1819. In the mean time, however, Benjamin Marsh arrived and built a hewn-log house, and, I believe, it is a part of the present dwelling house of Lewis Ladow. It seems that Marsh had a son born here, which died in infancy. It also appears that it became necessary to make some division of the property, whereupon Schoonover sold his interest to Seaman, who in turn disposed of his land to Marsh. Marsh soon after divided this property, giving to his second son, William S. Marsh, some 250 acres at the south end, and himself keeping about 170 or 180 acres-the same piece now occupied by James Roper. He next gave Ira F. Marsh, his eldest son, 100 acres next north. Meantime Enoch Gilman had married Marsh's eldest daughter, and bought of his new father-in-law 270 acres south of the Corn- planter reservation. Hiram Gilman, who married Marsh's youngest daughter (for these giants of other days looked upon the daughters of men that were very fair), received from his father-in-law the 170 acre piece upon which, as we have said, he lived. These transactions took place about 1829 or 1830.
Hiram Gilman was the first postmaster in Elk, at that time Kinzua, and was also justice of the peace in the days when justices were appointed by the governor, upon the petition of their neighbors. Mr. Gilman held the two offices for several years, or until 1834 or 1835. Elk was organized as a sepa- rate township on the 3d of May, 1830, having previously been a part of Kin- zua. During the progress of a convivial spree, as it is called, but which our author forcibly and justly denominates a drunken row, Guy C. Irvine stabbed William S. Marsh in the abdomen, a thrust which cost Mr. Irvine $500. So much for whisky, which was a staple article in early times. Benjamin Marsh was drowned in the Allegheny River while on his way to Warren on a float. His body was discovered by Indians, some three months after the fatality, under
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
an oil boat at Sill's Landing, and was identified by Osmer Hook, John F. Davis, and Abijah Morrison, who sent word to the family. Mr. Marsh was interred in the cemetery at Warren.
Enoch Gilman sold his land in Elk, before mentioned, to the writer of this chapter (Peter Holt), and he and his wife are long since deceased. They reared a large family of children, all girls but one, and all of whom have gone to other parts.
Up the river, at the State line, Abel Morrison and Russell M. Freeman moved to the place afterward owned and occupied by Calvin Webb, and be- gan to build a saw-mill, but soon concluded that the site was hardly suitable, and therefore with their families crossed the river into Corydon, where they built and operated the mill. The ground they abandoned was next occupied by a John Morris and by Warren Reeves. Reeves kept tavern in the very house that his predecessors had built, and sold large quantities of whisky. Calvin Webb bought the property of Reeves, and also kept tavern and store in the building. It is related that a wayfaring man, who stayed with Webb a few hours, warned him that his house was going to be destroyed by fire, and it is further said that another man, named Levi Leonard, who took supper at Webb's, taking notice of the old-fashioned and broken stove, set up in a box of sand, also informed Webb of the danger to which he was in this careless man- ner exposing the building. Mr. Leonard and the wayfaring man went on to Dalrymple's for the night. About midnight of that same day the house was irretrievably in flames. Some years afterward, when a new house had been placed on the same site, Mrs. Webb took an axe and knocked in the head of a barrel of whisky, with the expressed determination that that should be the last whisky in that house. Mr. Webb kept a store there for many years, and gave the property and good will to his son, James K. Webb, who also engaged in the mercantile business for a long time, though whisky was forever a pro- scribed article in that household. The property has remained in the Webb family ever since, though Mr. James K. Webb has resided in Frewsburg, N. Y.
We now come to the Dalrymple place opposite Corydon. Here, in 1832, David Dalrymple built a house, in which for a long time he kept tavern. He also built the saw-mill now owned by his son James. Next below Dalrymple was S. Fisher, who was the father of quite a family, and filled a number of important offices, such as that of school director, justice of the peace, road commissioner, etc. Mr. Fisher came from the vicinity of the Genesee River, in the State of New York. He was killed by the overturning of his buggy in the Narrows. One daughter now lives in town-Mrs. E. Harrington, about half a mile below the old homestead. Dr. Peter Hollister, with his son, now occupies the Fisher farm. He has doctored in the writer's family to the fourth generation. In this neighborhood, and on the Dalrymple farm, a store was kept at a later day by Amos Peterson, who, after a brief experience here, re-
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moved to Corydon. Jacob McCall also kept store in this town for a time, and went to Corydon, where he was the quondam proprietor of the Corydon House. The Messrs. Morrison, mentioned above, came from the East in 1817.
Going down the river, we next come to the old Elk mill, built very early by one of the Halls, from Jamestown, N. Y. It has been quiet for many years, and the very place can hardly be discovered. Next is the old Merritt or Flagg mill near the Big Bend. At this place was kept the first school under the school law of the State, in 1834. The old tavern house, torn down a few years ago because it was in the way of the railroad near Big Bend, was built by William Culbertson, one of the first settlers, who came to this town at the be- ginning of this century. Another early settler in this vicinity was Devorck Hodges, especially noted in his day for his extreme fondness for liquor. He moved away from this part of the country many years ago.
The first settler on Quaker Hill, in this township, was Daniel Pound, who came as early as 1823 or 1824. Upon his arrival, and until he was able to build a rude shanty for shelter, his only house was his wagon. He is remem- bered principally from the fact that he was perhaps the most indefatigable friend of the schools in the township. He and his brothers, Elijah, Asa, and Thomas, with the assistance of their cousin, Jonathan Asher, built a log house on the corners, near the site of the present Evangelical Church, which was used for both church and school purposes. Daniel Pound here taught a night- school for the benefit of the young people of this town, and he also frequently organized and conducted spelling schools. He also erected a building on his farm in which he kept a select school. He and his brothers bought a number of thousand-acre tracts of land from the county commissioners of Warren county. The names of the Pound brothers were Daniel, Thomas, Jonathan, Elijah, jr., and Asa, sons of Elijalı, sr. As has been stated, Asher Pound was a cousin of these brothers. Daniel Pound settled on the farm now owned and occupied by William Holman, where he lived until 1844. He was a surveyor, and subdivided the greater part of the township of Elk. Most of the mem- bers of this remarkable family were determined Abolitionists, both in practice and principle. For example, Daniel would use neither clothing nor food that was the product of slave labor. Jonathan Pound lived next north of the resi- dence of Daniel, and cleared the larger part of the farm now owned by Jacob Mack. He afterward exchanged farms with his brother Thomas, who had set- tled the place now owned and occupied by Andrew Clendenning. Jonathan . left this part of the country a few years later. Thomas continued to reside on the land which he had obtained by the trade with his brother. He built a saw-mill on a branch of Jackson Run, above Russellburg, and in 1834 sold it to the writer of this chapter. He owned several large tracts of land in Elk township, but he sold them all and removed to the East, and later still to the West.
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