History of Washington County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 214

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 214

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litical movements of his time. Neither the time nor place of his death is accurately known. His wife was Catharine Beeler, and their children were Joseph, Dorsey, Catharine, Sarah, Lucy, George W., and Rebecca. Joseph, the eldest, studied law, and was admitted to the bar of Washington County in 1792, and settled in Washington, Pa. He was known by the people throughout the county as "the Honest Lawyer." He died of apoplexy in 1823 in Wash- ington borough. He left, among other children, a son, George W. Pentecost, now living with his family in West Middleton; the latter's son, Joseph, the great-grandson of old Dorsey Pentecost, was mortally wounded at Fort Steadman, March 25, 1865, in the war of the Rebellion, while lieutenant-colonel of the One Hundredth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. His death occurred the next day.

Of the other children of Dorsey Pentecost, Catha- rine became the wife of Andrew Rabb, of German township, Fayette County. Lucy married James Ash- brook, at one time a prominent member of the bar of Washington County. Sarah married Ezekiel Gra- hạm, and removed from the county. Of the other children nothing definite has been learned.

The large brick house on the Pentecost lands was built by Joseph Pentecost, and later came into pos- session of Robert McClelland, ex-sheriff of Washing- ton County; and about two hundred acres of the tract, including the Pentecost house, is now owned by John Gamble. M. O. Brownlee, Mrs. Ada B. Reed, of Washington, - Homer, and others own the old Pentecost estate.

John McDowell was a native of Ireland, born a few miles from Belfast on the 23d of September, 1736. When a young man he emigrated to this country, and settled near Elizabethtown, N. J., where he mar- ried Agnes Bradford, daughter of James Bradford, and sister of David Bradford, whose history is so well known in connection with the Whiskey Insurrection of 1794. In company with the Scotts, Allisons, and other families, they emigrated west of the mountains in 1773, and settled on the waters of Chartiers Creek, in what is now Washington County. That he lived here in August, 1775, is shown from Rev. John Mc- Millan's journal, in which he says, "The fourth Sab- bath of August, 1775, preached at John McDowell's." Other records show that in pursuance of a warrant he obtained possession of a tract of land, which in the survey was called "Mount Pleasant," and con- tained four hundred acres, situated about two and a half miles southwest of where Chartiers Church now stands. On this tract he built the log cabin in which Dr. McMillan preached his first sermon in the terri- tory now Washington County. This log cabin served as his dwelling for some years, and was replaced by a two-story log house. This house was for a long time the finest residence in the vicinity. He pur- chased numerous tracts of land besides that already mentioned. In October, 1776, he was commissioned

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

. one of the justices of the peace of Yohogania County, and was one of the first elders of the Chartiers Church. Upon the erection of Washington County, in 1781, he was appointed one of the three commissioners of the county. In 1783 he was one of the Council of Censors of the State, appointed by the Supreme Ex- ecutive Council. In 1798 he was elected a member of the House of Representatives ; re-elected in 1799, 1800, 1801. He was prominent in the organization of the Canonsburg Academy in 1791, and was one of its trustees from the first. He succeeded Judge James Edgar, April 27, 1803, and served in that capacity four years. On the 31st of May, 1802, he took the oath of office as associate judge of Washing- ton County, having received a commission from Gov- ernor Thomas Mckean the 8th of April previous. He died on the 12th of August, 1809, in the seventy-third . year of his age, leaving a widow, three daughters- Mary, Rachel, Rebecca, Sarah, and Agnes-and two sons, James and William.

Mary, the eldest child, was born April 24, 1766, and married John Urie, who then resided in the township of Strabane. They had seven children,-John, Thomas, Agnes, Rebecca, Sarah, William, David, and Mary. John Urie and Mary, his wife, both died about 1802. John, the eldest son, was born April 28, 1784. In 1822 he was elected county commissioner. In 1837 he was elected prothonotary, and served one term. He was president of the board of managers of the Washington and Pittsburgh Turnpike Company, and afterwards sequestrator of the road many years. His children were Nancy, William, and Samuel. Mrs. Georgie Cook, of Canonsburg, is a daughter of William McDowell.

James, the eldest son of John McDowell, was born in November, 1767. Arrived at years of maturity he married and settled on part of his father's farm, and died in early manhood, leaving four sons,-John, Elijah, William, and Samuel. William, born in Oc- tober, 1771, also settled on part of the estate and died, leaving two sons, John and James.

Rachel McDowell was born in November, 1773, after her parents had removed to this section of coun- try. In 1790 she became the wife of Alexander Scott. They settled on part of the McDowell estate, where they raised a large family of children, Violet, the eldest daughter, became the wife of William Colmery in April, 1810. She lived to be eighty-five years of age; their children are now residents of Ohio. A daughter Sarah became the wife of John Kerr, son of James, who lived in the neighborhood. A son Josiah was born - Dec. 1, 1803, and early entered Jefferson College, where he graduated in 1823, when in his twentieth year. He was one of a class of thirty-two members, and the first class that graduated under the presidency of the Rev. Matthew Brown. Soon after this he went to Newton, Bucks Co., Pa., and taught in a classical academy for about two years. He then taught near Richmond, Va., two years, and while there

commenced the study of law. About 1828 he re -. turned home, and was a tutor in Jefferson College, still continuing the study of law. In the spring of 1829 he removed to Bucyrus, Ohio, and opened a law- office. Both his knowledge and practice were at first limited, but careful, unremitting study and his natu- ral abilities soon placed him on a level with the best lawyers of the time. In 1849 he removed to Hamilton, Ohio, where he at once ranked with the foremost. In May, 1856, he was nominated for the office of judge of the Supreme Court of Ohio, and was elected, and remained on the bench fifteen years, at the end of which time he declined a renomination. He died in 1878, in the seventy-sixth year of his age.

In 1839, Alexander Scott, the father of Josiah, removed to Knox County, Ohio (where most of his children had settled), and died there in December, 1868, at the age of eighty-five years.

Rebecca, daughter of John McDowell, was born in 1776, on the farm in what is now North Strabane town- ship, and in June, 1793, became the wife of the Rev. Abraham Scott, a brother of Alexander. He was connected with Jefferson College, and lived in Canonsburg for a time. They had eleven children, -William, Violet, Nancy, Josiah, John, James, Rebecca, Abram, Park, Samuel, and Alexander T. Of these, Josiah studied law, and practiced in Cadiz, Ohio, represented Harrison County in the State Legislature, and was a member of the Constitutional Convention of that State that framed the present con- stitution. Most of the other children emigrated to the West.

Sarah, also a daughter of John McDowell, in 1792 became the wife of John Parks, of Cecil township, where they settled. Further notice of this branch of the family will be found in the sketch of the Parks family in that township.

Agnes McDowell, the youngest daughter, became the wife of Dr. John White. They settled in Hick- ory, where he was in practice many years. Mrs. Dr. John H. Donnan, of Washington, Pa., is a daughter.

The Rev. John McMillan has already been men- tioned so fully in the religious and educational chapters of this history that it is not thought neces- sary here to do more than note the facts immediately relating to his settlement and life as a citizen of this township, with a brief account of his descendants. He was a native of the eastern part of the State, and when he made his first visit to this section of country resided at Fagg's Manor, Chester Co., where he had been preaching. He was licensed to preach in Octo- ber, 1774. In the summer and fall of the next year he started out on a preaching tour, and passed through the settlements between the North and South Moun- tains in Augusta and Rockbridge Counties, Va., crossed the mountains between Staunton and the head of Tygert's Valley, preaching along the route. On the first Sabbath of August he preached at Mount

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Moriah Meeting-house, in Fayette County ; the next Sabbath at John McKibbin's, on Dunlap's Creek, also in Fayette County. The next Sabbath he had reached the house of Dorsey Pentecost, who then resided on the Yough River, now in Rostraver township, Westmoreland Co. The fourth Sabbath of the month he was stopping at the house of John McDowell, at which place he preached his first sermon in what is now Washington County. Here he remained for a short time and returned to his home at Fagg's Manor. He made a similar tour the next spring, and preached to the people in this section, who were much interested, and decided to give him a call to become their pastor. He returned home, was ordained by the Presbytery of New Castle at Chambersburg, to which Presbytery he had been dismissed by the Presbytery of Donegal that he might accept the call of the people of Chartiers and Pigeon Creek, who were within the limits of the territory embraced by that Presbytery. He married Catha- rine, daughter of William Brown, a ruling elder in the church of Upper Brandywine. She remained at home until 1778, when they removed to the new home in what is now North Strabane township. This course was thought best by reason of the troubled condition of the country. He accepted the call of the congre- gation, the church was organized, and he commenced his labors, spending a part of the time at home with his family, and also preaching throughout the county of Washington.

On the 8th of September, 1777, John McDowell, as trustee of Mr. McMillan, purchased three hundred and thirteen and seven-tenths acres of land of Mich- ael Thomas and Thomas Cook, "on the western side of the eastern prong of Shirtees Creek," adjoining lands of Paul Froman, Samuel Shannon, and Dr. John Morgan (Morganza). Itwas not until Oct. 29, 1784, that a warrant was obtained for the land. It was later surveyed, and named "Snow Hill." His settlement on his place with his family is best de- scribed in a letter by himself written in 1832 to Dr. Carnahan, president of Princeton College :

" When I came to this country the cabin in which I was to live was raised, but there was no roof to it, nor any chimney por floor. The peo- ple, however, were very kind. They assisted me in preparing my house, and on the 16th of December I removed into it. But we had neither bedstead, nor tables, nor stool,.nor chair, nor bucket. All these things we had to leave behind us, as there was no wagon-road at that time over the mountains. We could bring nothing with us but what we rar- ried on pack-horses. We placed two boxes, one on the other, which served us for a table, and two kegs served us for sents; and having committed ourselves to God in family worship, we spread a bed on the floor, and slept soundly till morning. The next day a neighbor coming to my as- sistance we made a table and a stool, and in a little time had everything comfortable about us. Sometimes, indeed, had no bread for weeks to- gether, but we had plenty of pumpkins and potatoes, and all the necessa- ries of life. As for luxuries, we were not much concerned about them. We enjoyed health, the gospel and its ordinances, and pious friends. We were in the place where we believed God would have us to be, and we did not doubt but that He would provide everything necessary, and, glory be to His name, we were not disappointed."

In the cabin of which he speaks in the letter he lived many years. About 1782 he established a Latin

school in his own house, and soon after built upon his farm not far from his house a log cabin school-house, and commenced the education of young men for the min- istry. The first cabin was destroyed by fire, and an- other, still standing, was erected near the site of the first one. This school increased in numbers, and an assistant was obtained in James Ross, who later be- came a prominent lawyer at Pittsburgh and United States senator. This school was kept in operation until the opening of the Canonsburg Academy in 1791, at which time the students were transferred to that institution.

Upon the organization of the college, in 1802, Dr. McMillan became the president of the board of trus- tees and Professor of Divinity. He retained his con- nection with the Pigeon Creek Church for nineteen years, and from that time his life was devoted entirely to Chartiers Church. His wife, with whom he had lived forty-three years, died on the 24th of Novem- ber, 1819. He lived at his home on the farm all his days. When returning from a visit in 1833 he stopped at the house of Dr. Jonathan Letherman, his friend and physician, where he was taken sick and died Nov. 16, 1833, aged eighty-one years.

Dr. McMillan had three sons, William, John, and Samuel, and four daughters, Jane, Margaret, Mary, and Catharine. William settled in Mercer County, Pa., married and died there, leaving no children. John settled on the home farm and died there, leaving a family of children. John, his eldest son, lives on an adjoining farm. Rebecca (Mrs. Caldwell) and Sarah, her sister, settled in Allegheny County. Catha- rine became the wife of J. B. Haines, who lived on the Haines farm near the McMillan homestead. Thomas settled near Chartiers Church, and died there. Jane married T. H. Lyons, and settled at Linden. Robert became a minister in the Presby- terian Church, and settled in the West. Samuel now resides at Canonsburg. William settled on the home farm, and about 1874 sold the homestead to the Ful- ton Brothers, whose mother, Mrs. John Fulton, was a daughter of Samuel, son of the Rev. John Mc- Millan. Mary became the wife of John Means, and settled in the neighborhood.

Samuel, the third son of the Rev. John McMillan, settled on part of the homestead and died there. Two of his children arrived at maturity ; one became the wife of John Fulton. They settled at Letonia, Ohio. In 1874 two of her sons purchased the homestead place of John McMillan, and now resides there, their mother living with them. Another son is a dentist in Washington, Pa.

Jane McMillan, daughter of the Rev. John Mc- Millan, married the Rev. William Moorhead, a Pres- byterian minister. He died Nov. 30, 1802. She afterwards married Samuel Harper, of Greene County, where their descendants now live. Margaret married the Rev. John Watson, the first president of Jeffer- son College. He also died on the 30th of November,

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

1802. These two clergymen were married on the same day ; a short time afterwards they were taken sick on the same day, and died on the same day. The funeral services were held, one at Canonsburg, the other at the residence of Dr. McMillan. The processions met at the Chartiers churchyard, and they were buried in the same grave, and one slab covers their last rest- ing-place. The widow of the Rev. John Watson later became the wife of John Neill, and settled in Peters township.

Catharine, a daughter of Dr. McMillan, became the wife of the Rev. Moses Allen. He was for many years pastor of the Raccoon Presbyterian Church. Of their children, Eliza became the wife of John Simonton, of Mount Pleasant township, and is still living. Wat- son died leaving two children, John and Catharine. Harper, also a son of Moses Allen, became a physi- cian, and settled in Butler County, Pa. Moses R. Allen, of Burgettstown, is a son of Harper. He has in his possession the original journal of his great-grand- father, also a fine portrait of the veteran clergyman.

John, David, and James White, three brothers, em- igrated to this county and township about the year 1773, and settled here. John was elected a justice of the peace July 15, 1781. He died in 1806. He had sons John, Jones, Samuel, William, George, Nathan- iel, and Benjamin. The latter remained at the home- stead. This land was adjoining that of his brothers David and James.

David White, brother of John and James, received a Virginia certificate for land which was surveyed to him on the 24th of September, 1787. The property was sold on the 31st of May, 1802, to William Smith, of Philadelphia, who transferred it to Joseph Pente- cost on the 8th of December, 1806, and on the 15th of July the next year he conveyed it to Reynolds C. Neill, by whose heirs it is still owned.

James White received a Virginia certificate for a tract of land "on water of Chartiers Creek," dated Feb. 25, 1780, " to include his actual settlement made in the year 1773." On the 2d of February, 1797, he sold the whole tract to his son Samuel.

Col. George Craighead, who lived in his early days near Carlisle, was a colonel in the Revolutionary army. He emigrated to this township in 1795, and purchased ninety acres of land on the 15th of Septem- ber in that year of Levi Hollinsworth. It was part of a large tract (the Pentecost lands) sold by David Williamson, sheriff of the county, in 1789. He was justice of the peace from Jan. 19, 1799, till his death in 1811. His two sons, Thomas and William, by a first wife, came from the East with their father. Thomas was a physician settled in Chartiers town- ship, and died there, leaving two children, who died young, William settled in Cecil township, and pur- chased in 1802 part of a tract taken up by Thomas Brocken, and later moved to Chartiers Creek, near the Morgan mill on the Bunyan property, where he died. Of his children, George settled in Peters town-

ship. His son, William R., lives on the homestead in Cecil township, and James and John, also sons of William, live in Cecil, near Canonsburg.

Jonathan Crawford was in the township in 1788, and was in possession of a tract of land containing about one hundred acres. In 1799 he was assessed on three hundred, and each of his sons on one hundred acres each. He had four sons,-Josiah, John, James, and Gavin,-to each of whom he gave one hundred acres of land. The settlement of the Crawfords was in the southeast quarter of the township. These sons left numerous descendants, some of whom are on the original tract, others in the neighborhood, while many emigrated to the West.

Samuel Pollock emigrated to this country from Scot- land, and warranted a tract of land called "Plenty," containing one hundred and forty-eight acres.

On this place he settled and died, leaving three sons and four daughters,-John, Samuel, William, Mary, Grizella, Jane, and Margaret. John lived at home, single, and died there; William married Nancy McNary, and settled upon the homestead, where he lived and died; James, his son, now lives upon the place. Samuel, son of Samuel Pollock, Sr., married Ellen Young, and settled in Mercer County ; Mary married a Mr. House; Grizella became the wife of Robert Johnson, and located in Canton township; Jane became the wife of John Crow, and emigrated to Butler County, Pa .; Margaret married Alexander McNary, and settled in Ohio.

Daniel Weller was born near Lancaster, Pa., and on the 2d of May, 1781, married Elizabeth Mechie. He was a weaver by trade, and settled in that locality several years before coming to this county, and where the older children were born. On the 28th of May, 1796, he purchased a tract of land in Strabane town- ship of William Price, who had purchased of Craig Ritchie in 1790. Price had built a cabin on the tract, and in this cabin Mr. Weller lived several years, then built the residence now occupied by his grandson, Daniel Weller, who was born in the old cabin in the + year 1801. Daniel Weller died on the 23d of March, 1824, and left one hundred and four acres to each of his sons, Jacob and Daniel. His children were Bar- bara, John, Elizabeth, Jacob, Catharine, Agnes, Dan- iel, and Peter. Agnes became the wife of John Hair, who settled at Linden, and built what is known as Hair's mill ; Jacob settled on the homestead part of the farm, and died there, leaving the farm to his son Daniel.

James Bradford was a native of Ireland, who came to Washington in 1784, and obtained a warrant for a tract of land which was surveyed as " Montgomery," and contained three hundred and six acres, adjoin- ing land of Robert Hamilton and Samuel Stewart. Several of his children had married and settled in the county prior to his coming. He lived on this farm till his death. On the 26th of December, 1788, he sold one hundred and ninety-one acres of the

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NORTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP.

tract to his son James, who was afterwards one of the elders of Chartiers Presbyterian Church. His son, the Hon. John Bradford, of Bell Brook, Greene Co., Ohio, is still living at ninety years of age.

On the 3d of December, 1811, William Quail pur- chased one hundred and forty-seven acres of this land of the Rev. Thomas Hamilton, of New York City, March 12, 1813; he also purchased of Ham- ilton one hundred and fifty-seven acres, and later purchased other tracts. He lived and died on the farm, leaving four sons and two daughters,-David, James, Robert and William, Jane, and Mrs. John Hoge. David settled on the homestead, and left the farm to his son, William McA. Quail, who now re- sides upon it. James bought a part of the old tract and died there. His son William now lives in Topeka, Kan. Jacob Moringer now owns the farm. Robert was a carpenter, and lived in Washington, Pa., where he died. Jane married Dr. George McFar- land, and removed to Indiana. John Hoge married a daughter of William Quail. They lived in Wash- ington for a time, and retired later in life to his farm in South Strabane, where he died. She survived him, and died in Cleveland.

A Virginia certificate was granted to George Van- eman on the 22d of February, 1780, for three hun- dred and eighty acres of land, "lying on the east fork of Shirtees Creek." Patent for it was granted Feb. 28, 1786. George Van Emen had four sons, Joseph, George, William, and Nicholas. Joseph set- tled in Cecil township, on the farm now owned by his son Samuel, who resides upon it. George, son of George, emigrated West, as did William, who later returned and purchased the mill property (now owned by William Smith) and resided below Can- onsburg. The Rev. Thomas B. Van Emen, of Can- onsburg, is his son. Nicholas, the youngest son of George, Sr., also emigrated West. Elizabeth, the only daughter of George Vaneman, became the wife of the Hon. Joseph Lawrence, and resided in West Bethlehem, in Washington County.

Andrew Vaneman, brother of George, also took up a tract of land on a Virginia certificate, which was named "Zobeide," containing three hundred and ninety-five acres. It was located on Chartiers Creek, adjoining land of his brother George. On this farm he lived and died, leaving a large family of children, of whom Catharine married John McCully and moved West. William settled near Burgettstown, but finally went West and died there. Polly married James Wilson, and settled on the farm now owned by Homer Donnelly, who married a daughter. John died young. Margaret married James McDowell. Jane became the wife of Andrew Vaneman, a cousin. He died in Can- onsburg, and she moved West. Andrew lives in Kan- sas. Elizabeth became the wife of Squire William Smith, of Somerset township. He owns the most of the original tract, which is in both Somerset and South Strabane townships. His son Wylie lives in the old

Vaneman homestead. Hannah, a daughter of An- drew Vaneman, remained unmarried, and now lives in the township.

James Leeper received a warrant dated April 8, 1786, for the tract of land "Round Bottom," contain- ing two hundred and forty acres. He sold a portion of it to James Thorn, who also bought ninety-six acres of Andrew Vaneman, April 1, 1813. James Thorn, a son of James, now lives on the land his father bought of James Leeper.

One of the earliest warrants issued by the Pennsyl- vania land-office in what is now Washington County was to John Altman, and bears date May 23, 1769. It came into possession of Alexander Speer by patent, April 2, 1798. Alexander Speer left four children,- Robert, Maria, James, and Ellen. Robert settled on the hill on a part of the' tract now owned by Mrs. John Weaver, who is a daughter of Robert. He had four children,-John, who settled in Mount Pleasant and still resides there ; Mrs. John Weaver, now living on the homestead of her father; Nancy (Mrs. Porter), Jane (Mrs. James McCoy), who both emigrated West. Maria became the wife of Moses Linn, and settled on the Linn farm in North Strabane township. Of their children, one became the wife of Ebenezer Boyle; Jane married John Campbell, and settled near Venice; Hannah married Andrew Henderson, and settled near McConnell's Mills. James, a son of Alexander Speer, lived at home, and died when a young man. Ellen, the youngest daughter, became the wife of John Pat- terson, and settled where their 'son, Speer Patterson, now resides.

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History of Washington County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 214

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