History of Warren County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 70

Author: Schenck, J. S., [from old catalog] ed; Rann, William S., [from old catalog] joint ed; Mason, D., & co., Syracuse, N.Y., pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co.
Number of Pages: 1020


USA > Pennsylvania > Warren County > History of Warren County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 70


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A short time previous to 1830 William Cady settled about on the site of Lander, where he resided until his death, on the 23d of October, 1848, when he was aged nearly seventy-four years. Not long after his arrival Aaron Scranton made the first large clearing exactly on the site of Lander, and gave to the place the name of "Scranton's Corners." He afterward moved south of this farm, where his death took place. Aaron Scranton, now living here, is his son, and he has other descendants in town.


Early and Present Business Interests .- The first mill in what is now Farm- ington township, and, indeed, in this part of Warren county, that belonging to William Shelden, has already been mentioned. The little grist-mill of Hugh


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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.


Frew, undoubtedly the first in town, has been mentioned. Among the other early mills was the saw-mill of John Marsh, built soon after the year 1830, almost across the road from what is now the Marsh Cemetery. Another saw- mill-stood on the Johnson farm, and was kept in operation for some time by Shubel Chapel. A Mr. Gates afterward rebuilt it and operated it for a time. About 1835 Horatio Saddler built a short lived saw-mill in what is known as the Thompson Settlement. About the year 1853 Levi Phillips erected a saw- mill half a mile south of the county road. Previous to 1865 Melancthon, son of David Miles, built a flouring-mill in the south part of Lander village, which burned while Mr. Miles owned and operated it. On the north side of the vil- lage, about 1879, Benjamin Franklin suffered loss from the destruction by fire of a saw-mill which he had but a short time previously erected. The saw-mills now in operation in Farmington are the saw-mill and planer built by its pres- ent owner, A. R. Mix, a little more than four years ago, in the south part of Lander village. Mr. Mix also grinds feed, meal, etc. He formerly owned a saw, shingle, and spoke-mill on Jackson Run, with his brother Horace, which was destroyed by fire ten or twelve years ago. Another saw-mill stands in the western part of the village, and is owned by John Eccles, who bought it of R. Stewart in the spring of 1885. Stewart had removed an old mill building to this site and rebuilt it in its present form. In the summer of 1885 James Dunham built a saw-mill in the southern part of the township, near the old mill (repaired and now operated by steam) of Joseph Fay. The cider- mill now owned by Peter Mahan and James Arird, was formerly the property of Mahan brothers. There are now three creameries in town, one owned by Ira Burgett, in the western part of the village (opened in the summer of 1886); another by James Curry, in the southern part of the village, which, until the season of 1886, had been for about twelve years a cheese factory; and the third by R. Houghwot, of eight or ten years standing, in the eastern part of the township.


The rest of the business of Farmington may be described as follows :


There are three blacksmith's shops, one kept in operation by H. MeKitrick, who has been here about fifteen years; one by A. I. Strickland, who has been here not far from twelve years, and one by H. Mix, jr., who has been here about two years. There are two wagon-shops, one owned by WV. S. Liver- more, who has been in the business in Lander for not less than twenty-five years, and one by E. G. Wilcox, who has been here about ten years. There are two cooper-shops in Lander, under the ownership and management of William S. Brown and Hatten Sweet respectively. E. F. Thompson has had a shoe- shop in Lander for many years, beginning as the successor of Daniel Thomp- son.


R. E. Miller has been dealing in general merchandise in Lander since the fall of 1865, at which time he established the business. His brother, J. H.


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FARMINGTON TOWNSHIP.


Miller, was in partnership with him from the beginning until about five years ago. Mr. R. E. Miller was elected county treasurer in 1874, and served his term with the greatest satisfaction to his constituents. For some time previous to 1865 Melancthon Miles was the principal merchant in Lander or Farmington.


J. L. Thompson began to deal in general merchandise in Lander on the Ist day of February, 1884, succeeding J. H. Houghwot & Son. Their predeces- sors were Houghwot & Thompson. J. H. Houghwot had been in the mercan- tile business in the village for about twenty years, and had once been burned out. Mr. Thompson carries a fine stock of goods, valued at about $4,000. It was through his efforts that the telephone connection between Russellburg and Lander was effected in May, 1884, as he raised the money by his individual endeavors. The drug department of his store is owned by H. H. Cowles, M. D., who has practiced medicine in Farmington since the fall of 1877. Dr. Cowles is a native of Harbor Creek, Erie county, Pa., and received his medical education at New York city. He is of the eclectic school.


Henry N. Frazine owns a harness-shop in Lander, and has owned it for ten years or more. He carries a good line of stock and is doing a good busi- ness.


The first post-office in Farmington was on Jackson Run, about four miles south of Lander, and was called Jackson Run, but it was of short duration. The post-office was established at what is now Lander village soon after the formation of the township in 1853. The office was first called Beech Woods, and Rev. Obed Ovatt, a Baptist clergyman, was appointed the first postmaster. The name was soon changed to Farmington, and held that name until it was discovered that another office in the State had a name so similar as to produce confusion, when the present name of Lander was adopted in honor of General Lander. Among the successors of the first incumbent were Ansell Franklin, Peter Burgett, S. W. Brown, M. D. (who kept the office for as long as twenty- five years, though during a portion of that time J. H. Houghwot was acting postmaster), and the present postmaster, J. L. Thompson, who was appointed in May, 1885.


Schools and Churches .-- The first school in what is now Farmington town- ship was taught in 1803 by John Marsh in his own dwelling in Beech Woods, the pupils being his own children, those of his brother, Hugh Marsh, and one or two others. The second school was taught in the same place by Isaiah Jones. In 1805 John and Hugh Marsh built the first school-house in Farm- ington, near the site of the present one in Marshtown. It was constructed of logs, with white greased papers for windows, a large fire-place four or five feet wide, and seats made of slabs with the convex side downward. There were no desks, except a narrow shelf fastened to the side of the house for the pur- pose of writing upon with the split goose-quills.


The first religious organization in the township was of the Methodist Epis-


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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.


copal denomination. The church called the First Congregational Church of Farmington was first organized as a Presbyterian Church on the 11th day of February, 1830, with thirteen members, who adopted the faith of the Buffalo Presbytery. The organization was effected by Rev. W. F. Houston. Aurey Ballard and Vetes Pond were elected deacons. Meetings were held at first in private houses and new barns, membership increasing by letter and profession until 1836, when the roll showed a membership of eighty-four. In October, 1838, the Rev. Emery delivered a lecture, after which the church voted to dis- solve their relations with the Presbytery and unite with the Congregational Association. They soon afterward received a discharge from the Presbytery. In January, 1839, Deacon Pond was the first representative of the church at a meeting of the association, and in June of that year letters of confession and faith were approved. In the spring of 1843 the services of William Todd were secured for half the time, meetings being held in the school-house at Pond's Corners. Measures were now projected to build a house of worship, and by continued effort and much sacrifice, a house was completed and dedicated on the 14th of August, 1845. Up to 1878 meetings were regularly held, most of the time with preaching. At this time the numbers diminished, the members seemed to flag in interest and influence, and it was finally decided to remove to Farmington Center. The old church building was accordingly torn down and a new one erected, which was dedicated on the 20th of June, 1882, at which time and place the semi-annual meeting of the Western New York As- sociation was held. At this time the pastor was the Rev. J. B. Davidson, who has been followed by the following ministers: Rev. Emery, Rev. A. C. Kaye, and Rev. H. N. Cornish, the present pastor. The present membership is thirty-seven, and is nearly evenly divided between the sexes. C. B. Mix and N. Preston are deacons. The Sabbath-school has an average attendance of seventy-five scholars, Dr. H. H. Cowles being the superintendent.


The Farmington Baptist Church was organized on the 21st of February, 1831, Elder Turner, moderator, preaching at the time. Following are names of the first members: William Heaton, Jacob Allen, Levi Hitchcock, Thomas Foster, Elizabeth Heaton, Olive Allen, Elizabeth Putnam, Louis Hitchcock, Bethana Foster, Bethiah Braley. Jacob Allen was the first dcacon. The first house of worship was a log building, which stood about two and a half miles south of the village, near the present residence of R. G. Strickland. The church was recognized on the 24th of May, 1831, when it was decided to build a framed edifice for worship nearer the village. This was not completed until 1854, and stood at the junction of the main street leading south from the vil- lage and the street to the cemetery. After being ready for occupancy (except the seats) it was burned. Two years later the church rallied and built the present house in the south part of the village, which was dedicated September 23, 1856. The following have served as pastors in the order named : Revs.


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TRIUMPH TOWNSHIP.


Gage, Alvord, Rathborn, Ovatt, Sparks, Stoddard, Hammond, Derby, Sharp, Merriman, Allen, Phellps, Foster, Harrington, Myers, Fisher, Seyse. The pulpit is supplied in union with the Congregational Church at present by Rev. H. N. Cornish, from Brokenstraw, N. Y. The present deacons are D. F. Strickland, Zurial Allen. The membership is fifty-two. The Sabbath-school is conducted in connection with the Congregational Church. A bequest from Mrs. Ross Marsh in 1879, approximating $700, placed this church on a sound financial basis, where it stands to-day.1


CHAPTER LIV.


HISTORY OF TRIUMPH TOWNSHIP.


T HE township of Triumph was formed from Deerfield on the 7th of March, 1878, and is bounded as follows: North by Deerfield, east by Deerfield and the Allegheny River, separating it from Limstone, south by Venango county, and west by Southwest and Eldred. It is of irregular contour, and since the lumber has been taken from its surface is adapted principally to the production of farm vegetation and oil. So much of its early history was nec- essarily included in the history of Deerfield that but little is left for this chap- ter. Among the first settlers, who came in in about the order named, between the years 1828 and 1835, were the Gormans, James Culbertson, Charles Mc- Nair, Michael McGraw, Samuel Parshall, and Benjamin Clark. When Michael McGraw came here on the 17th of April, 1830, he found not more than half a dozen families in the present township. Michael McGraw was born in East Freedom, Blair county, Pa., in 1809, and was son of Peter and Catherine (Mc- Affee) McGraw. When he came here he settled on a tract of 400 acres, now occupied by his sons, J. A. and W. A. McGraw. (See sketch of Michael Mc- Graw in later pages.) About the first saw-mill in town was built by A. B. Funk about 1840. Mr. Funk was an extensive lumberman and operator in oil, and died but recently. There are three small settlements, hardly villages, in Triumph township; Triumph, McGraw's, and Fagundus. Fagundus derives its name from Charles Fagundus, the first settler on its site, who died soon after 1860. The other villages were the simple products of the oil excitement of more than twenty years ago. A. M. Gillam, the present merchant at Triumph village, came there in 1867 from West Hickory. A short time previous to his settlement he had a well here, which promised abundance and resulted in his


1 For the history of the churches, and for other interesting matter connected with the business in- terests of Farmington, the reader is indebted to the kindness of Mr. J. L. Thompson.


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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.


removal from West Hickory. When he came here A. J. Sink, Mr. Moore and others had opened small stores, and everything was in a state of incertitude and everybody was excited. The United States Hotel had just been com- pleted. In 1868 a destructive fire swept away these stores and the hotel. There were during this period many saloons and hotels and mixtures at Tri- umph, but they were ephemeral, and it would be difficult and uninteresting to attempt an enumeration. The floating population (and what little there was of a permanent population) amounted to some three thousand souls in Tri- umph village, where now are not more than one hundred and fifty. Among the first wells drilled were those of Captain Goodrich, Mr. Hart, A. M. Gillam. The village suffered almost total destruction from the fire of 1868, and again in about two years later. About 1870 there was a temporary abandonment of the place, lasting nearly two years. Samuel Wiggins had a drug-store in the village, however, for some time subsequent to about 1871. The second oil excitement, which owed its existence to Mr. Gillam, was greater in intensity than the first. The first fever had exhausted, apparently, the first twenty feet of rock, and the second was fed from the second twenty feet. Mr. Gillam is now drilling other wells and is quite confident of creating another and a healthy boom. About the time of the first excitement the National Hotel was built and kept by Messrs. Thompson, Fairchild, and others. It was torn down in 1885, though it had long been out of use. The Pine Grove Hotel was also started, during the first excitement, by David Wiggins, who still lives in it, though it is no longer open to the public. The store now kept by Mr. Gillam was first opened by Mr. Moore, shortly after the fire of 1868, and after awhile was put into the hands of Andrew Husband, who had previously kept a gro- cery in the barn of Mr. Gillam. After him came as proprietors of this store Hawks, William Wiggins, Wiggins & Curtiss, A. R. Curtiss, and about 1880, A. M. Gillam.


The store at McGraw's, now owned by A. Dunn, of Tidioute, was founded by Peter Stinwandle and Frank Foster a few years after the Triumph store was opened. The first post-office in the township was established about this time by the appointment of Peter Stinwandle, at McGraw's. He was succeeded by P. Masterson, William Hurry, and the present incumbent, E. C. Tullock, who was appointed by President Arthur. There was never a post-office at Tri- umph. There has been an office at Fagundus but a short time, the present postmaster there being W. P. Wagner, a merchant there, successor in the office of Joseph W. Jones.


There are at present nine school-houses in Triumph township, but they are not all in use, as the present population will not fill them. At Funk's Mills is a Methodist Church, which was built about 1860; at Fagundus is another, built about 1872; the Union Church at McGraw was erected in 1878. At Triumph village, during the early period of the oil fever, a union church was


ALnTLE FWIL A


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TRIUMPH TOWNSHIP.


built, though previous to that time the school-house was used for religious pur- poses, as it had been built with a view to its employment as a church.


We cannot do better than close this chapter with a well-written poem from the facile pen of Mr. A. M. Gillam, who thus contributes to the literary enlight- enment of his community no less than to its material development.


TRIUMPH -PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.


All hail, old Triumph ! Thrice all hail ! Thou art like a ship without a sail ; Thy masts are broken, rudder gone ; Thy crews have vanished, one by one, Till scarce an anchor-watch is left Of those of whom thou art bereft. In olden times thine honored name


Both far and near was known to fame ;


For man, along thy rocky breast


Deep holes had bored from base to crest,


And with a suction pump did draw Vast riches from thine oily maw.


But now, alas ! thou'rt wrecked, old tug, And in each vacant hole a p


Is left. Thy golden stream is clogg'd,


And people say thou'rt water-logg'd. And even I, thine old-time friend, Believed that thou had'st reached the end Of thy wonderful oil career ; Not thinking (as it doth appear


In the sequel), that while weeping


O'er thy death, thou wert but sleeping.


Surface water could not fill thee, Consequently could not kill thee ; Thou art alive ; thy rocky vault No water holds excepting salt.


The sandrock in its virginity, (So to speak). had an affinity For salt water. Ages ago, When earth was young, the ocean's flow


Deposited on bar and beach


The pebble sand, a porous leach,


Through which the briny waters crept,


And oil for ages past has slept Secure in nature's stony hed. But man's persistency, 'tis said, Stove in the rocky door, and woke The sleep of ages at a stroke. Thy stately hills were forest-grown In that decade ; thy name unknown, Till vandal man, with axe and spade, Thy shady woodlands did invade, With avaricious thought intent


596


HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.


Thy old sandrock to circumvent. Thy veins were pierced ; the gushing oil Flowed out upon thy virgin soil ; As the struck whale, whose gory spout And bloody form stains the liquid route Through which he glides, with crimson gore, From wounds the cruel iron tore, So thou, man's comfort to promote, Doth, from thy hydra-headed throat Spew out upon the thirsty sands The contents of thine oily glands. A noted town, which seemed to suit All hands, including Tidioute, Was built, but hearts and pockets broke


When that fair town went up in smoke.


And then salt water was the bane Of the gay oil man. On the brain He had it. Also in the rock, (In imagination). The shock


Was immense ! "He vamosed the ranch ;"


Pulled up stake and left, root and branch.


But yet thou wert not left alone, A few old fogies with backbone And some money, another raid Commenced upon the rock, which paid.


The sand in feet was full five score And ten in depth. Never before


Nor since, in all the regions round,


Was another such sandrock found Like to the first. Another rush


Was made, and every tree and bush


Was leased, and oil in torrents poured


From these old holes, that others bored.


Judging the present by the past, This new excitement cannot last. Five hundred leeches soon must drain


The life-blood from thy stony vein.


The first excitement drained the head ; The next thy lower end was bled ; They thought their pumps were sucking higher,


And so thy trunk was left entire.


A man addicted to the weed


A spear-head bought. With hungry greed


He bit from either end a chew,


And then deliberately threw The plug away. Such silly waste


Is like the oil men's foolish haste. Again, grim want thy hills menace ; The wiry grass that grew apace, 'Twixt rock and stump, is closely nipp'd ; Thy noble flocks and herds have skipp'd


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WATSON TOWNSHIP.


To pastures new. A lonely buck


Remains to browse upon the truck


That's left : and watch the creeping vine, The plantain and the dandelion Put forth their tender crimson shoots ; A mess of greens, for men or brutes.


And now another leaf we'll turn, Man never gets too old to learn. Of Triumph's future we will sing, Her possibilities we'll bring To view ; and let the people judge,


This kindling flame, or smoky smudge,


For weal or woe ! !. 'Tis Triumph's good We seek, and her near neighborhood.


Come gentle muse, inspire my song, That we may reach the skeptic throng Who take no stock in this debate Of Triumph's old conglomerate.


"Tis not with water, that's distill'd By solar heat, this rock is fill'd. By gravitation's law it drops From top of well to base, nor stops


The intervening rocks to spoil,


Where nature brews and tanks her oil.


The water scarce is from below ;


It is a sort of undertow ;


Deep in the rock its level finds,


And through the stony chasm winds


Its course along through slaty shells,


A nemesis to pumping wells.


Oh ! had I hut a Chinese gong,


A butler's voice, a smutz's tongue,


With eloquent and oily phrase


I'd portray Triumph's means and ways ;


Her seventy feet of virgin rock That ne'er has felt torpedo's shock ;


I'd wake the echoes round about


Repeating, 'tis not "drowned out," But only needs a plug below To guard against the undertow.


CHAPTER LV.


HISTORY OF WATSON TOWNSHIP.


N the year 1880, on the 4th of March, Limestone township was divided into


1 about equal parts, and the northern half was organized into a separate township called " Watson," in honor of Hon. L. F. Watson, of Warren, who owned extensive tracts of timber lands in that section.


598


HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.


No oil developments have as yet been made in this township, but it is by no means condemned territory, as it has never been thoroughly tested, and what may be in store for it in the future as an oil field, can only be ascertained as the drill makes its way thoroughly through the township.


The inhabitants at present are engaged in clearing lands, farming, and lum- bering. Some of the finest timber tracts in the county are to be found here, and there are eight steam saw-mills located in this township, with an aver- age capacity of twenty-five thousand feet of timber per day. At this rate the best timbered tracts will soon be stripped, and the attention of the inhabit- ants must of necessity be turned more exclusively to farming. The aggregate value of the saw-mills as assessed in this township is over $12,000.


The schools of Watson township are good country schools. There are five school-houses valued in the aggregate at $2,000, and schools are at present held in each. These schools with number of scholars enrolled are as follows: Miller's school, 18 scholars enrolled ; Cobham school, 22 scholars enrolled ; Luken's school, 15 scholars enrolled ; Slater's school, 10 scholars enrolled ; Baxter's school, 8 scholars enrolled ; making a total of seventy-three scholars.


There are no churches in Watson township, but religious services are held in the various school-houses regularly under the control of the Evangelical Association. Rev. M. V. De Vaux has charge of this work at present. A public burial-ground is located near the Lukens school-house.


Large tracts of the land in Watson township, as in Limestone, are owned by capitalists and others. Hon. L. F. Watson owns about 3,500 acres in this township. Grandin and Slater own about 2,000 acres. B. D. and J. Mowris own about 1,500 acres. B. F. Rynd owns about 1, 100 acres. These large tracts, owned and controlled by single individuals, would naturally retard the settlement. A large part of Watson township is still an entire wilderness.


The unseated lands of Watson township are valued at $51,590. There are about three hundred inhabitants in this township at the present time. Among the prominent citizens of Watson township are Jacob Conarro, Benjamin D. Mowris, William Lawrence, John H. Conarro, James McFarland, Samuel Mc- Farland, W. J. Slater, James Russell, John Rapp, Robert Slater, and John W. Wilkins.


Sketches of the lives of a few of the above will be found below :


Mowris, Peter, one of the earliest settlers in Watson township, was born in Ulster county, N. Y. He came with his wife to Warren county in 1843, and settled in Watson township, then called " Limestone." He died in 1880. His wife survived him six years.


Mowris, B. D., son of Peter Mowris, was born in Ulster county, N. Y., in the year 1830. He came to Watson township with his father in 1843, where he still resides. His wife, Nellie (Cameron) Mowris, was born in Morayshire, Scotland, in 1850.


599


THOMAS STRUTHERS.


Conarro, Jacob, was born in Monmouth county, N. J., in 1821, and came to Watson township in 1852. His wife, Harietta (Fredrick) Conarro, was born in Steuben county, N. Y., in 1832.


McFarland, James, was born in Tyrone county, Ireland, in 1824, and came to Watson in 1855. His wife, Elizabeth (Lukens) McFarland, was born in Philadelphia in 1824. His father, Samuel McFarland, was a soldier in the War of 1812. He belonged to the artillery, and was a participant in the bat- tle of New Orleans.


Slater, W. J., was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1845, and came to Lime- stone, now Watson township, in 1858. His wife, Ordelia (Houser) Slater, was born in Limestone township in 1845.


Russell, sr., James, was born in Butler county, Pa., in 1812, and came to Warren county in 1868. His wife, Rachael (Connely) Russell, was born in Youngsville, Pa., in 1821. His father, Samuel Russell, was born in Ireland in 1776; he was a soldier in the War of 1812, and came to Warren county in 1860.




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