History of Washington County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 187

Author: Crumrine, Boyd, 1838-1916; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Hungerford, Austin N
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia : H.L. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 1216

USA > Pennsylvania > Washington County > History of Washington County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 187

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I. O. O. F .- Lodge No. 966 was organized in West Alexander July 8, 1879. The charter members were Oliver Murray, William Frazier, John A. Luse, James Alexander, Duncan Blayney, John C. Porter, Rufus T. Slater, William H. Leyda, Andrew W. Tense, J. N. Donnely, D. R. Frazier, James Lidey, Felix Muldoon, Jacob Guess, A. Blayney, E. N. Dulap, William B. Gibson, David Sheller, C. M. Leggett, John Sheller.

Murray Brothers .- The young men composing the firm which conducts a general merchandising business in the building here represented were born

EFEFFENTD

MURRAY S BLOCK, WEST ALEXANDER.

and reared in West Virginia, near the boundary line between that State and Washington County. The business was begun in West Alexander in 1871, by J. W. and William M. Murray, under the firm-name of J. W. Murray & Brother, and was continued under that caption until 1878, when J. W. disposed of his interest to his brother, O. E. Murray. The firm-name was then changed to William M. Murray & Brother, and so continued until 1882, when they enlarged their

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DONEGAL TOWNSHIP.

store-room that they might accommodate their con- stantly increasing trade, and changed the firm-name to Murray Brothers.

West Alexander is located within the boundaries of Donegal township, in its southwestern part, and only a short distance from the line of West Virginia. The elevation of the place above tide-water is seven- teen hundred and ninety-two feet, according to the survey made by David Shriver, Esq., for the route of the old National road, which passes through the town, forming its main street. Along the north line of the borough runs the track of the Hempfield Railroad, which at this point passes through a tunnel about six hundred feet in length. This railway connects the city of Wheeling with the borough of Washington, and was opened for travel in this part (from Wheeling through West Alexander to Claysville) in the fall of 1856.

The borough of West Alexander contains one hun- dred and ten dwelling-houses, many of them of modern style and fine architecture, three church edi- fices in use, and another not used as a place of wor- ship, a fine school-house, an academy building (not now in use for educational purposes), post-office, rail- road depot and telegraph station, two hotels, nine stores, two saddlery- and harness-shops, one carriage- and wagon-shop, two furniture- and cabinet-making shops, two shoe-shops, one cigar-factory, two grain- and feed-stores, three millinery-stores, five physicians, two pastors of churches, two justices of the peace, two blacksmiths, and several artisans of other trades. The population of the borough by the census of 1880 was four hundred and twenty-five.

Vienna is a station on the Hempfield Railroad in Donegal township, about midway between Claysville and West Alexander, and is also the name of a little village or hamlet clustered about it and on the Na- tional road, which at that point is near and parallel to the railroad. Locally this settlement was known, years ago, as "Coon Island." The railroad was opened at this point in the fall of 1856, and about the same time a post-office was established at Vienna, with George Chaney as postmaster. He was suc- ceeded by John Lights, and he in turn by David Frazier, who has been the postmaster here since 1874. Besides the post-office, Vienna has two stores, two blacksmith-shops, and seven dwelling-houses.

Just south of the railroad and west of the bridge at this place was the location of William Hawkins' house, which was attacked by Indians in the fall of 1781, on which occasion he and his daughter with others were taken prisoners, and Hawkins was butch- ered by the savages while on their retreat to their villages beyond the Ohio, the daughter being spared from the slaughter to become the wife of a chief.

main street, and also on the line of the Hempfield Rail- road, which was opened from Wheeling to this point in the fall of 1856. The line of the railroad lies through the south part of the borough, and the track passes through a tunnel a short distance east of Claysville. The borough contains ninety dwelling-houses, three churches, a good school-house, a steam grist-mill, a tannery, a saw- and planing-mill, two hotels, post- office, railway station and telegraph-office, five stores (including grocery and dry-goods), a drug-store, five physicians,-Drs. William Denny, J. N. Sprowls, George Inglas, George Calder, and S. C. McCracken,- one clothing-store, a hardware-store, a tin-shop and farm-implement store, four millinery establishments, a marble-factory, a wagon-shop, two saddlery- and harness-shops, one jewelry-store and watch-repairing shop, two livery stables, two blacksmith-shops, and the usual proportion of artisans of other trades. The population of Claysville by the census of 1880 was three hundred and twenty-six.

The site of Claysville is part of a tract of land taken up by Thomas Waller, on a Pennsylvania warrant to him dated Feb. 25, 1785, surveyed April 2d of the same year as "Superfine Bottom," containing four hundred acres, adjoining lands of Robert Walker, Robert Henry, and other lands of Thomas Waller. The Robert Walker tract referred to as adjoining was a tract of four hundred and twenty acres, located on the waters of Buffalo Creek, taken up by Walker on a Virginia certificate dated in January, 1780, and filed for survey June 5th of the same year, with Robert Woods, surveyor for Ohio County, Va. (then claiming to cover the western part of the present county of Washington). A warrant for part of this tract (ninety-two acres) was issued to John Stacks May 30, 1785, and surveyed to him November 25th of that year.

The first-mentioned tract, "Superfine Bottom," or at least the part of it embracing the site of Clays- ville, passed by subsequent transfer from the original proprietor, Thomas Waller, and became the property of John Purviance. The old Wheeling road was laid out and opened through it, and on this road, not long after the year 1800, Purviance opened a tavern in a large two-story log house (having three rooms on the lower and four in the upper story), which stood on the lot now occupied by the hotel of David Bell, Esq., in Claysville. The old Purviance house was demolished when Mrs. Kelly was proprietor of the land on which it stood.

John Purviance had been keeping tavern in his large log house a number of years when the prelimi- nary surveys were made for the great National road from Wheeling to Cumberland, and when it became certain by the final surveys for location, made under Col. Eli Williams, that the route of the road would pass his place, he promptly surveyed and laid out a prospective town upon his land, and inserted in the

The Borough of Claysville lies within the bound- aries of Donegal, in the southeastern part of the town- ship. Like the town of West Alexander, it is located on the line of the old National road, which forms its | Washington Reporter (and no doubt also in other

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

newspapers) the following advertisement, which is found in that journal's issue of April 21, 1817, viz. :

" CLAYSVILLE .- The subscriber having laid off a number of building lots in the new town of Claysville, will offer the same at public sale, on the premises, on Thursday, the Eighth day of May next. Lots will be sold agreeably to a plan or plot exhibited on the day of sale.

" Claysville is distant ten miles from Washington westward, and about 18 east of Wheeling, and six from Alexandria.1 The Great National Road from Cumberland to Wheeling, as located by Col. Williams, and confirmed by the President, and now rapidly progressing towards its completion, passes directly through the town. The lots contain a front of fifty feet on the road, and a depth back of two hundred feet, with suit- able and convenient avenues to each block of lots. The scite of the town is beautiful, well watered, a fertile country around it, and a good population. To persons who may purchase and improve the present season, the subscriber will give timber for any frame building that may be put up without price. On the day of salo the terms of credit will be made known.

" JOHN PURVIANCE.

" WASHINGTON, April 21, 1817."

The result of this advertised sale of lots in Clays- ville has' not been ascertained, but it is known that soon afterwards a store was established in the new town by George Wilson, who had a thriving trade there during the construction of the National road, from 1817 to 1820, when it was completed. It appears that he was an enterprising man, and in addition to the business of the store he carried on that of tailor or manufacturer of clothing, and furnished cheap gar- ments (principally of cotton and linen) to the laborers and others engaged in the construction of the road. Another merchant who established a store here very soon after Wilson was Alexander Chapman.

The first house built on the site of Claysville after its laying out by Mr. Purviance was one erected by Samuel Sherr. Whether it was a frame or a log building has not been discovered. Another early dwelling (and perhaps the next after Sherr's) was that built by Mr. Miller, and at about the same time a house was built here by William Brownlee. One of the earliest residents in Claysville was James Sawhill, who opened the first tailor-shop. Joseph Bryant was a blacksmith here, and perhaps the first in his busi- ness. The first resident physician in Claysville was Dr. James Kerr. It has already been mentioned that the first tavern here was that kept in the two-story log house by Purviance. How long he continued to keep it is not known. On the 11th of June, 1821, James Sargent advertised that he had removed from Washington to Claysville, and opened a public-house "at the sign of the Black Horse, in the brick house formerly occupied by John Porter." Whether the brick house referred to was erected for a tavern or a dwelling, and for which of these purposes Porter had used it, does not appear from the advertisement, but it is evident that it had been built very soon after the laying out of the town.

That Claysville was a place of some importance even at the time of its laying out is to be inferred from the number of signatures appended to a sub- scription agreement made for the purpose of estab- lishing a school and building a school-house in the new town in the first year of its existence. It is not to be supposed, however, that the people whose names appear on the paper were all residents of Claysville. Many, and probably most of them, were inhabitants of the township, outside of but of course reasonably near to the town. The paper referred to is as follows :

"We, the undersigned subscribers, do agree to pay the several sums annexed to our names [the sums subscribed are omitted in the list] for the purpose of building a school-house in the town of Claysville, on a lot given by John Purviance, Esq., for the said use. Claysville, 1817. Simon Shurr, Solomon Cook, George Wilson, Patten Gawlel, Samuel Gilman, William Porter, John Brownlee, John Griffith, B. McGiffin, Esq., Alexander Buchanan, Thomas Stuart, Michael Curran, M. Martin, Robert Graham, William Creswell, Samuel Porter, Robert Graham, John Mes- raken, Curtis Melonefy, John Stevenson, Leonard Carpenter, John Young, Edward McLaughlin, Jasper Campsey, James Brownlee, William Robinson, Thomas Gorley, George English, Mrs. Adams, John McMillin, Samuel Gumlel, Samuel McMillin, Ebenezer White, Michael O'Curran, Daniel Cray, Alexander Porter, John Stevenson (hauls the timber), James Chruthen (one shingle tree), Abraham Morris, John Knox, John Marshall, Michael McGlaughlin, William McCall, Hugh Crary, John Mulligan, Andrew Bell, Robert Mulligan, Daniel Mesaughan; Joseph Thompson, William Stevenson, William Marshall, William Hawkins, James Mitchell, John Hains, Robert Caughan, Burnet McKeehan, John McMillan, Esq., Hugh Crary, James Chruthers, James McNinch, Thomas McGlaughlin, Jacob Ozenbaugh, Jacob Werick, Esq., George Knox, Wil- liam McGuffin, Andrew Bell, Christian Werick, Mrs. Kurtz, Philip Kees- ler, Burnet Boner, David Alexander Lyel, Alexander Lyel, Peter Car- penter, James Nabal."

The total amount subscribed by these persons for the building of the proposed school-house in Clays- ville was $255.50.

From the time of its laying out in 1817, Claysville remained an unincorporated town for fifteen years, and then, in 1832, it was erected a borough by act of Assembly, passed on the 2d of April in that year, by which it was provided and declared :

" That the town of Claysville, in the county of Washington, shall be, and the same is hereby, erected into a borough, which shall be called the borough of Claysville, and shall be bounded and limited as follows, to wit : Beginning at & stake at the corner of land of Porter's and Dough- erty's heirs ; thence by lands of Porter's heirs north thirty-one and a quarter west, two hundred and fifty-three perches to a white oak ; thence by lands of Charles Wilson north eighty-two and a quarter east, one hundred and sixty-three and three-tentha perches to a white oak ; thence by lands of James Worrel south one quarter east, one hundred and ninety-eight and seven-tenths perches to a white oak ; thence by lands of Thomas Stewart and Dougherty's heirs south sixty-five and a quarter west, ninety-two perches to the place of beginning."

The time of the first borough election was fixed by the incorporating act on the second Friday of May, 1832. The result of that election cannot be ascer- tained, for the reason that the first six pages have been cut from the borough records. The first entry found having reference to officers of the borough is as fol- lows: "May 28, 1833 .- The Town Council met agree- ably to adjournment. Members all present. Mr. Simon Shurr, the president, called the house to order, after which the following-named gentlemen were respec- tively elected to fill the several offices, viz .: Mr. Henry Jamison, treasurer; Mr. John Barr, street commis-

1 The town of West Alexander, which had been laid out by Robert Humphreys in 1796, was re-laid out (or added to) by Charles De Hass in the same year in which Claysville was platted (1817). And De Ilass in this reviving or relaying out of his town changed the name from the original " West Alexander" to " Alexandria."

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DONEGAL TOWNSHIP.

sięner; Mr. James Shannon, collector. . . . " In 1834 the Council was composed of Henry Jamison, Lee- man McCarrell, James Noble, Robert McNeal, John Kelly. For succeeding years none but a very imper- fect list of borough officers has been found, which, on account of its incompleteness and inaccuracy, is omitted here.

The first justice of the peace of the borough of Claysville was James Noble, who held the office by appointment until after it became elective under the Constitution of 1838, and was one of the first two elected under that constitution. The dates of his previous appointments and commissions have not been found. The list of justices of the peace chosen in the borough of Claysville since the office became elective is as follows :

Nicholas Bearly, April 14, 1840. James Noble, April 14, 1840. John Birch, April 15, 1845. Nicholas Bearly, April 15, 1845. Nicholas Bearly, April 9, 1850. Hugh McCaskey, April 9, 1850. Alexander White, April 13, 1853. James Noble, April 11, 1854. Thomas S. Irwin, June 9, 1856.

James Noble, April 12, 1859. G. W. Bodkin, April 9, 1861. John Birch, April 12, 1866.

John Birch, April 12, 1871.

- John Birch, Jan. 17, 1874. A. J. Stillwagon, March 17, 1875. James McKee, March 11, 1876.

A. J. Stillwagon, March 30, 1880. James McKee, April 9, 1881.

From the time of the building of the first school- house in Claysville (1817-18), as before mentioned, it remained on the same footing with other districts of the township until 1858, when it became a separate and independent district. The present school-house was erected in 1860-61. It is a fine and commodious building, in which the schools of the borough are taught in three departments.

Societies and Orders .- Hopewell Lodge, No. 504, I. O. O. F., was organized at West Middletown, May 17, 1854; reorganized at Claysville in 1872.

Claysville Lodge, No. 447, A. Y. M., was organized Aug. 5, 1869. Officers : Isaac Teal, W. M .; William Wilson, S. W .; T. J. Bell, J. W.

The Claysville Sentinel, a newspaper "devoted to the interest of the Republican party politically and to the dissemination of useful knowledge," was es- tablished in 1878, the first number having been issued on. the 21st of November in that year. Horace B. Durant, Esq., editor.

Hon. Daniel Rider, a former citizen of Claysville, was born in Masontown, Fayette Co., Nov. 28, 1808. He received his education at the old subscription schools taught by Clark Ely, James T. Redburn, and others. After leaving school he acquired an exten- sive library and pursued a systematic course of read- ing. His father died in 1826, and he came to Clays- ville, and engaged in the tanning business, afterwards having the Hon. John Birch for his partner for sev- eral years. Daniel Rider was a resident of Claysville for a period of twenty years. He emigrated to Fair- field, Jefferson Co., Iowa, in the year 1847, where he is engaged in the location and sale of government lands, in which business he has had great success. He participated in the centennial exercises at Wash-

ington, in September, 1881, and returned to his West- ern home, followed by the good wishes of the surviv- ing friends of his earlier days in Washington County.

Hon. John Birch, another of Claysville's honored citizens, was born in Cumberland County, near Ship- pensburg, Aug. 5, 1810. He was educated in the old subscription schools, and came to Washington County in 1817, and settled on the waters of Buffalo Creek. He moved into Claysville in the year 1832, where he has since resided. He is a tanner by trade. He was elected justice of the peace in 1845, and has been re- elected three times to the same office, but resigned before the completion of his last term. In 1848 he was elected county commissioner. He received the nomination for representative, and was elected, serv- ing with Billingsley and Barnet during the sessions of 1875 and 1876.

Presbyterian Church of Claysville .- This church was formally organized on the 20th of September, 1820, while there were yet but a few scattering in- habitants in the town. An unpretentious frame build- ing was erected as a house of worship, and was used by the congregation until 1830, in the fall of which year they occupied a new church edifice of brick, which had been erected at a cost of about $3000. The first minister in charge of this church was the Rev. Thomas Hoge, who continued in that relation till 1834, when he was succeeded by the Rev. Peter Has- singer, whose pastorate closed in 1838. Then for four- teen years the church was served by supplies, among whom were the Revs. John Knox, - Whythe, and, after October, 1846, the Rev. Alexander McCarrell, who served in that capacity till December, 1852, when he was installed pastor.

The Rev. Alexander McCarrell was born in Hano- ver township, Washington County, Sept. 22, 1817. He was reared under the ministry of the Rev. John Stock- ton, graduated from Washington College in 1841, then followed a course of theological study, and was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Washington in April, 1845, after which for a time he served the churches of Wolf Run and Amity as stated supply. From October, 1846, as before mentioned, he supplied the church at Claysville for more than six years. On the 16th of December, 1852, he was installed, and commenced a pastorate which continued until his death, April 18, 1881. His wife was Martha, daughter of William McLean. They had four sons and a daughter. One of the sons is an attorney at Harris- burg, Pa., the others are Presbyterian ministers,- one at Shippensburg, Pa., one at Waynesboro', Greene Co., Pa., and one at Shelbyville, Ky.

The successor of the Rev. Alexander McCarrell, and present pastor of the church at Claysville, is the Rev. J. L. Leeper, a graduate of Princeton, who was licensed in the spring of 1881, and called by this church March 6, 1882. He assumed charge on the 1st of May following.

The present membership of the church is two hun-

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

dred and fourteen. Connected with the church is a Sabbath-school of two hundred pupils, under the superintendency of T. C. Noble.

Methodist Episcopal Church .- The Methodist Church of Claysville dates back half a century, but the records have been so badly kept and are so defec- tive that it is impossible to gain from them much information concerning the history of the church. Their first church edifice was a brick structure, which became insufficient for the requirements of the con- gregation, and the present commodious frame build- ing was erected to take its place. The present membership of the church is forty-eight. It is one of several churches recently composing the charge of the Rev. George Sheets, and now under charge of the Rev. Thomas Patterson.

Roman Catholic Church .- For many years the Catholics of this vicinity worshiped in an old log church building that stood about three miles east of West Alexander. Scarcely a vestige of this old edifice now remains. In 1873 a brick church was erected for the use of the Catholics at the west end of Clays- ville. This congregation is more fully mentioned in the religious article of the general history of the county in this volume.

The Dutch Fork Christian Church.1-In giving a historical sketch of the Church of Christ, known as the Dutch Fork Church, it becomes necessary to re- fer to some facts which preceded its establishment, which facts will be found narrated in the account of the early labors of Thomas and Alexander Campbell, given in the Rev. W. L. Hayden's article on the Christian Church (page 416, et seq.) in this volume, to which article the reader is referred.

At a meeting held at Buffalo, Aug. 17, 1809, con- sisting of persons of different religious denominations, most of them in an unsettled state as to a fixed gos- pel ministry, it was unanimously agreed to form themselves into a society to be called "The Christian Association of Washington, Pa." The first article of the constitution which they adopted, after giving the name, declares the object of the organization to be " for the sole purpose of promoting simple evan- gelical Christianity, free from all mixture of human opinions and inventions of men." After the organ- ization of the above-named association, Thomas Campbell labored under its auspices for a while. During this year his son Alexander and the rest of his family arrived in this country and joined Thomas Campbell in Washington County, Pa. In the spring of 1810, at the house of Jacob Donaldson, after his father had given a discourse, Alexander Campbell, for the first time and at the request of his father, ad- dressed the congregation briefly in a word of exhorta- tion, and on the 15th of July of that year he gave his first regular discourse under a tree on the farm of Maj. Templeton, some eight miles from Washington.

This discourse was based on the closing verses of the Sermon on the Mount, and was very acceptable to those who heard it.

In the fall of that year the members of the Christian Association decided to build themselves a meeting- house, and they accordingly selected for the site a piece of ground on the farm of William Gilchrist, now the property of - Miller, in the valley of Brush Run, about two miles above its junction with Buffalo Creek. Early the following spring this house was erected, and the opening discourse was given by Alex- ander Campbell, on the 16th of June, 1811, from these words : " Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world,"-Gal. i. 4. On the 4th of May, a little over a month before the new house was thus opened, the members of the Asso- ciation had met and organized a church. Thomas Campbell was appointed elder, and Alexander Camp- bell was licensed to preach the gospel. John Daw- son, George Sharp, William Gilchrist, and James Foster were chosen deacons. The names of the members constituting this Brush Run Church were Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell, Mrs. Jane Campbell and her daughter Dorothea, James Foster and wife, John Dawson and wife, Thomas Hodgens, Sr., and wife and his son James Hodgens, James Hanen and wife, William Gilchrist and daughter, with his wife and her mother, George Sharp, Sr., and wife and son John, Thomas Sharp and Mrs. Sharp, wife of George Sharp, Jr., George Archer and wife, Abraham Altars, Margaret Fullerton, Joseph Bryant, and John Donaldson. These met and worshiped al- ternately here and at Cross-Roads. At Mount Pleas- ant, sometimes called Hickory, another church was organized about the same time as the one on Brush Run. The Campbells continued to minister to these and to preach and plant other churches in new fields. In 1813, James Foster was ordained an elder in the Brush Run congregation, and aided in the instruction of the church, and Alexander Campbell had been ordained "to the work of the holy ministry" on the 1st day of January, 1812.

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History of Washington County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 187

Author: Crumrine, Boyd, 1838-1916; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Hungerford, Austin N Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Philadelphia : H.L. Everts & Co. Number of Pages: 1216

Author: Crumrine, Boyd, 1838-1916; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Hungerford, Austin N
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia : H.L. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 1216