History of Washington County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 241

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 241

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" Stewart's' " Civil and Military Engineers of America," pp. 240, 241.

during his own lifetime, and among his neighbors and many friends a character of unsullied probity and consistent Christian kindness."

Jonathan Knight died at his residence in West Pike Run township, Nov. 22, 1858. The following account of the event, and of the fatal illness pre- ceding it, is furnished by his eldest son, William Knight, of Iowa: "He was taken suddenly ill with bilious colic in a very severe form at his home, on the 13th day of November, 1858. In a few hours in- flamation had set in, causing a severe pain and a con- tinual oppressive sensation in the chest. He died on the tenth day of his illness, being the seventy-first anniversary of his birthday (November 22d). During his last illness he was very patient and calm, conversed little, but always spoke pleasantly to those about him, recognizing them until the last moment, and with his last words said that he had made his peace with God, and had no matter to make up with any 'man, and that he was entering upon a state of rest and happi- ness in the life to come.""

Of the ten children of Jonathan Knight, William, the eldest, lived in East Bethlehem until 1864, when he emigrated to Mahaska County, Iowa, and resided there until the fall of 1881, when he removed to his present home at Marysville, Marion Co., in the same State. Oliver lived in East Bethlehem and West Pike Run townships till his death. Henry C. settled early in life in Detroit, Mich., and died there. David S. passed his life in East Bethlehem township, Washing- ton County. Zephaniah B. migrated from Washing- ton County to Oakland County, Mich., and remained there until a few years ago, when he removed to Omaha, Neb., and now resides there. Jonathan Knight, Jr., settled early in life in Mehaska County, Iowa, but soon afterwards removed to Tonganoxie, Kan., where he is now living. Abel was located for a short time in West Pike Run township, then removed to Oakland County, Mich., and soon afterwards to Leavenworth County, Kan., where he remained but a short time, and removed to the State of California, where he remained till his death, in the fall of 1881. Three other children of Jonathan Knight-Eber H., Elizabeth, and Ann-resided in West Pike Run township with their parents until their death.

Benjamin White was the owner of " Apple Green," a tract of land in West Pike Run township which contained four hundred and sixty-three acres, and was surveyed to him June 5, 1786. Mr. White was an excellent scholar ; he taught school and music, and practiced surveying. More than sixty years ago he taught school in the stone house which is now the mansion house of Amor Jeffreys. He was very badly crippled, and only able to move about with consider- able difficulty. His wife was Jane Beall, a sister of Zephaniah Beall, who founded the town of Bealls- ville. Mr. and Mrs. White had but two children, both daughters, Tabitha and Keziah White. Tabitha died when very young, and Keziah became the wife

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WEST PIKE RUN TOWNSHIP.

of Simon Johnson. She inherited the homestead, or rather her father gave it to her during his life, and lived with her. She afterwards sold the property, and the whole family removed to the State of Ohio.

William Griffith came from Wales to America be- fore the year 1690, and settled in New Castle, Del. Although William Griffith had formerly been wealthy, he came to this country poor, and remained thus all his life, dying at the age of one hundred and five years. His son, William Griffith, Jr., was born in New Castle in December, 1714, and in 1735 crossed the Susquehanna River and settled on Beaver Creek, in York County, remaining there until his death, which occurred Sept. 21, 1778. Jacob Griffith, a son of William Griffith, Jr., came into Washington County in 1790, and located upon the land in West Pike Run township now owned and occupied by Elijah Hawkins. He was a member of the Society of Friends, and founded the Clover Hill Friends' Meeting in this township, of which he remained a supporter until his death. Israel Griffith was a son of Jacob Griffith, who located on' the property near ' the site of Henry Hornbake's mill, and worked in the old Benjamin Vore mill, though he was also a cooper by trade. He married Letitia Shaw, by whom he had eight children. Of these but five are living,- Eli R., Israel L., Einmor H., and the two daughters, Anna and Eliza. Israel L. Griffith resides in Mar- shall County, Iowa. Emmor H. Griffith lives in Centreville, Washington Co. Eli R. Griffith lives one and one-half miles northeast of Centreville. Emmor H. has no children; Eli R. has two,-the son Oliver R. Griffith, who lives near his father, and another son, who is a merchant in Minneapolis, Minn.

Joseph Jeffreys, who was born in Chester County, Pa., was a farmer, and emigrated to Washington County in 1795. He was a witness of the battle of Brandywine, which occurred Sept. 11, 1777, but was not old enough to be a participant in the engage- ment. His wife was Miss Elizabeth Robinson, of Loudoun County, Va., and they had a family of nine children, of whom only Pleasant, Amor, Job, and Mary lived to the age of men and women. Of these four but Job and Amor are now living. Job married Rebecca Coyle. Amor married Sarah Gregg, and they had a family of eleven children, of whom only five are now alive,-Joseph, Anderson, Jacob, Eliza, and B. Franklin Jeffreys. Amor Jeffreys is a fuller by trade, and owns the old Benjamin White prop- erty. Mary Jeffreys, the daughter of the early set- tler, Joseph Jeffreys, became the wife of Samuel McCoy, and Pleasant Jeffreys married John Keys.

The present townships of Carroll, Allen, East Pike Run, West Pike Run, Fallowfield, and a part of Somerset were originally included in one township, Fallowfield. At that time all the residents of the territory mentioned gathered to vote at one point, which was usually at the residence of Edward West, the property in Fallowfield township now owned by

Allen White and others. The paternal ancestors of Edward West were English, and those of his mother were Germans. Mr. West himself was born in Lou- doun County, Va., and when he came to this section he purchased a tract of land containing three hun- dred and five acres, which is now owned by Edward West, Jr., Dixon Spahr, Allen White, and John Rider. Edward West, Sr., had quite a large family of children. Of the sons, the youngest died in in- fancy, and Edward, Jr., died leaving no heirs. The son Jonathan married Frances Nixon, and their sons - Thomas, Edward, Jr., Jonathan, Jr., and Robert West-are living in Washington County. Thomas West, son of the pioneer, Edward West, Sr., had a son, Thomas West, Jr., who died near Pittsburgh. The sons, Joseph and Matthew West, had the old homestead. Joseph had a large family, who are now living in Southern Illinois. Edward . West, Jr., the son of Jonathan, and grandson of Edward West, Sr., is the oldest representative of the family in this county. His sons are four,-Robert, Thomas, George, and Jonathan West. His daughter Anna married George Morrison, Esq., of Uniontown, Fayette Co. His daughter Mary became the wife of Robert Gregg. Jane West married Thomas Hondan.

Seaborn Crawford settled on a small tract of land in this township, located near the town of Beallsville, where he followed the trade of blacksmith, and lived upon the place until his death. He had two sons, Richard and Nathan Crawford. Nathan Crawford, Jr., of Somerset township, is a grandson of Seaborn Crawford, and Mrs. Susan Graves, of West Pike Run township, is his granddaughter.

Mr. Mahlon Riggs, now eighty-four years of age, and long a resident of this section, gives many names of persons who lived in West Pike Run township in the early part of the present century. } Among them were Rezin Beall, Charles Dobbs, Mark Deems, George Fitzsimmons, Eleanor Hopkins, Thomas Hopkins, Alexander Hopkins, William Howe, Robert Hill, James Moffitt, James Mitchell, 'Abijah Riggs, and George Riggle. Information has been obtained of but few of this number, save the fact that their names belong in the list of early settlers. The land owned by Mark Deems was a tract located near Beallsville, which is still in possession of descend- ants of the family. He had four sons,-Mark, Jr., Jacob, John, and George Deems. His daughter be- came Mrs. David Jenkins. Mark Deems, Jr., mar- ried Miss Baker. Jacob's wife was Miss Duvall. John died in Illinois. George Deems was married twice, first to Miss Baker, and after her death to Miss Sharp.

James Moffit was an Irishman, a good farmer, and a highly respected man. He owned a farm in West Pike Run, but followed the trade of a weaver and let his sons attend to the farm. The property is now owned by his grandson, John T. Moffit. James Mof- fit had quite a family of children. Thomas, the eldest

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of the family, was a physician, and practiced his pro- fession in the town of Carmichael's, Greene Co. The son James married Miss Bennett, and lived in West Brownsville. John Moffit became a farmer, and after he had reached old age married a Miss Wilson. William Moffit, another son of the elder James Moffit, married Mrs. West. The son Andrew, whose wife was Miss Vance, lives in this township. Of the daughters of James Moffit, Sr., Dorcas became a school-teacher and afterwards the wife of Ellis Johnson, removing to Ohio. Isabella became the wife of Judge James Hart, and Jane married John Hopkins.

John Baker was an early resident of this township. He was twice married, and reared two families of chil- dren. Of the first family, Nicholas Baker, the eldest child, lived and died on the homestead. Joshua, another son, married Miss Shaw, and died in the town of Beallsville. The daughter of this marriage became Mrs. Graham, and lived in Brownsville, Fayette Co. Lewis Baker was the oldest son and child of John Baker's second wife. He married a lady of the same name, and after her death married Miss Sowers. They lived for some time in the town of California, but he died in East Bethlehem town- ship. John Baker, another son, married Miss Hill, and emigrated to Ohio, and Thomas also went to that State. George Baker married Miss Sharp, and set- tled in Greene County, but a short time before his death returned to this township. The son Wesley removed West, and never married. The daughter Sarah went West after her marriage, and Elizabeth, who never married, went to Ohio and died there.

William Almond was a farmer in this township, and had a family of children, many of whose de- scendants still reside here. The son Haman married Abigail Powell, and lived and died in this his native township. The son, Henry Almond, married a Miss Hopkins, and spent his whole life in Washington County.

Mr. Kelley was a resident of West Pike Run, who owned two fulling-mills, one situated on Pigeon Creek and the other on Ten-Mile Creek. He married Mrs. Cooper, a widow lady with two sons, Samuel and Moses Cooper. Mr. Kelley gave the mill on Ten- Mile Creek to his step-son Moses, and the one on Pigeon Creek to Lemuel Cooper. The last named is still living, having reached the age of eighty-five years.

James Riggle owned a farm near Centreville, and also kept a tavern on the old Washington and Browns- ville road before the National road was built. Zeph- aniah Riggle, a son of James Riggle, kept a public- house in Centreville, the same that is now kept as a hotel by Joseph Jeffreys. He is still living in West Virginia. His two sisters, daughters of James Rig- gle, were Mrs. Mary Thompson and Mrs. Samuel Smith.

Henry Hornbake's mill, located on Pike Run, in this township, was built in 1857 upon the site of a

former mill, which was burned in 1855 or 1856. The Hornbake family, originally from Germany, came directly to Washington County, and kept a hotel on Maple Creek, near the Monongahela River. Henry Hornbake had two brothers, George and Jacob. Henry's sons are Robert, William H., Jesse B., and Charles S. Hornbake.

The first and only post-office that has been at Clover Hill is that called Garwood post-office, established in 1880. John B. Graves is postmaster, and has the office in connection with his store.

Schools .- All that is known of early schools within the territory now embraced in this township has been given in the history of East Pike Run, in connection with those of old Pike Run township, which included in its boundaries nearly all that now forms East and West Pike Run. This was the case until after the adoption of the public school law of 1834. Soon after the erection of East and West Pike Run, in 1839, they were redistricted for school purposes, and school boards elected, that for West Pike Run consisting of John S. Cooper, Samuel Taylor, W. F. Hopkins, B. Taylor, and Nathan Rogers. The amount of school . money raised in that year does not appear. Accord- ing to the school report for West Pike Run for the year ending June 1, 1863, the number of schools then in the township was seven ; number of teachers, seven ; number of pupils enrolled, three hundred and forty- seven. Ten years later the report showed the number of schools, six ; teachers, six ; pupils enrolled, two hun- dred and seventy-four; amount of school funds re- ceived for the year, $1461.06. In 1880 the school re- port gave the following: Number of schools, six ; number of teachers, six; number of pupils enrolled, two hundred and forty-nine; amount of school moneys for the year, $1848.65.

Churches .- The first Episcopal Church formed in Washington County was "St. Thomas' Church," which existed in West Pike Run township as early as 1777. In the year 1791 a building was erected for the use of th church, and as there were no other houses of worship in the neighborhood, this one was also used by other denominations, although the special property of the Episcopalians. It was built upon a lot of one acre of land, purchased of Edward West for five shil- lings, Thomas Dowler, William Crawford, Henry Gregg, John Gregg, Frederick Cooper, Jacob Springer, James Ellis, Edward Morton, Robert Kerr, William Riggs, Jacob Crabs, and John Honsh, vestrymen and trustees of the church, making the purchase. The building erected was of logs, twenty-seven by thirty feet in size. It was fitted up with a pulpit and gal- lery, was weather-boarded upon the outside, had plas- tered walls, and was ceiled overhead. From being built upon land formerly owned by Mr. West it was called West's Church, although the name by which it was known among Episcopalians was St. Thomas' Church. In the gallery was a stone seventeen by twenty inches in size, upon which was the following

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inscription : "Surely the Lord is here. How dreadful is this place. This is no other but the house of God and gate of Heaven. A.D. 1791."

The first minister was Rev. Robert Ayers, who was preaching in St. Thomas' Church in 1803. He was succeeded by the Revs. Davis, Temple, Ten Broeck, and others. In the memoirs of the Rev. Joseph Doddridge is found the following report concerning this parish :

" Ata convention held in St. Thomas' Church, in Washington County, Pa., there were present Rev. Robert Ayers, Rev. Joseph Doddridge, and Rev. Francis Reno. After divine service, Rev. Robert Ayers was ap- pointed chairman, and Stephen G. Francis secretary. Several resolu- tions were passed. The last one declared that the next convention should be held near Gen. Neville's old place on Chartiers Creek, Pa., to commence the Saturday before next Whitsunday, and that Rev. Robert Ayers preach the opening sermon.

" Done in convention, September 25, 1803.

"STEPHEN G. FRANCIS, " Secretary."

A convention of Protestant Episcopal clergymen again took place in St. Thomas' Church in the year 1810, when it was " Resolved, That the Rev. Dr. Dod- dridge open a correspondence with the Right Rever- end Bishop White, of Philadelphia, for the purpose of obtaining, through him, permission of the General Convention to form a diocese in the Western country." The object was to unite the western counties of Penn- sylvania, Western Virginia, and Ohio in one diocese. This appeal, as stated, was made in 1810, but no an- swer was made to it until 1818, eight years later, when it was incidentally noticed by Bishop White when re- plying to a letter pertaining to other matters of the church, in which letter the bishop gave sundry rea- sons for not responding to calls from the West. Be- side the services held in this building by the Episcopa- lians, Rev. Boyd Mercer, an Old-School Presbyterian, preached in it for several years. About thirty years after its erection it fell into disuse, and the next to re- vive interest and attendance in services there were the Episcopalian clergymen, Revs. Roseman, Pfiffer, and Freeman. Under Rev. Mr. Freeman's rectorship the building was remodeled and new seats and a new pul- pit put in it. After he left, however, there was but an occasional sermon by the minister at Brownsville, and finally Episcopalian services were entirely aban- doned because the membership had died out. But Revs. James Samson and David Cross and Rev. Jacob Momyer, a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, all used the house. Rev. John Jordan, a Free-Will Bap- tist minister, also preached there two years. After Rev. Mr. Jordan came Rev. Mr. McKey, an Episco- palian minister of Monongahela City, and with sev- eral others tried to revive the membership and ser- vices, with but indifferent success. The last Episcopal members to worship within the walls of the house were Jonathan and Mary A., Ruth, Ann, Francis, Je- mima, and Melissa West, Azariah Crow and wife, and their daughter. The old building, that is nearly a century old, is a complete wreck, and vandalism will soon destroy the last vestige of it. In the churchyard

attached to St. Thomas' Church the following old residents have been buried : Ann Johnson, died Feb. 2, 1819, aged eighty-two years; Edward West, died in June, 1872, eighty-three years old; James Kerr, died March 16, 1865, seventy-two years of age; John Stroud, Sr., died Feb. 6, 1820, aged fifty-one years ; Elizabeth Stroud, died Feb. 8, 1855, seventy-five years old ; Thomas Dowler, died April 1, 1824, eighty-five years old ; Rosanna Chamberlain, died March 9, 1859, in the seventy-seventh year of her age. The yard is in poor condition, surrounded by a dilapidated stone fence. The place is full of graves, many unmarked, uncared for, and overgrown.

The first Quakers in the vicinity of West Pike Run township were David and Ruth Graves, both minis- ters of that faith. Persons who become preachers among this people are never educated or ordained for the work. Their church in this section was known as the Westland Meeting-house, and was built upon land originally belonging to Michael Riggle. On March 5, 1785, the tract called "The Brewery," con- taining ninety-nine acres, and adjacent to the lands of Mark Deems, Herbert Wallace, and William Clouse, was warranted to Michael Riggle, and sur- veyed to him May 17, 1786. On April 9, 1794, he sold this land to John Samms, and of him David Grave, Jacob Griffith, John Heald, John Almond, Joseph Pennock, and Alexander Pedan, "trustees on behalf of the Society of the People called Quakers," appointed by Westland Monthly Meeting for this es- pecial purpose, purchased four and one-half acres of land upon which to build their house of worship, tire consideration being twenty dollars. The purchase was made on the 26th day of Sixth Month, 1797. Upon this land they built a frame house, twenty by thirty feet in size, and in it the regular meetings of the Friends were held, attended by all the persons of that faith in the vicinity, until the dissensions created by the preaching of Elias Hicks arose among them. Hicks taught "that the devil had no existence, and that if we did right our heaven was here." This was the rock upon which the society split into the "Hicksite" and "Orthodox" Quakers. The Ortho- dox Friends continued their services in the Westland Meeting-house, and had quite a large membership, among them Philip and Jeremiah Rodgers, Mary and Priscilla Rodgers, Richard and Priscilla Crawford, Nathan and Mary Crawford, Francis Crawford, and Amos and Edith Griffith. All children born to parents who were Quakers had a birthright in the church. At the time Elias Hicks' preaching divided the original Westland Meeting he was a man a little past the prime of life, tall and spare in appearance, and having no permanent residence, but traveling about from place to place, wherever he believed his work to call him. His followers were William Mc- Gerr, who was the leader of the Hicksites after Mr. Hicks left, Rebecca McGerr, Benjamin and Elizabeth

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Taylor, Ann, Josiah, Alvinia, and John Graves, and many others whose names have been forgotten. To accommodate these people another house of worship was erected upon the same lot, a brick building of the same size, twenty by thirty feet, and fifty-two feet distant from the first building. In these two houses the Orthodox and Hicksite Friends worshiped until the members of both societies passed away from the place. Elias Hicks died in the East, not far from Boston. The only one of his followers left in this section is Mrs. Rebecca McGerr, a beloved and re- spected old lady, now more than ninety years old.

About the year 1851 the Orthodox Friends ceased to exist as a religious organization, all the members except Amos Griffith and his family having emi- grated to other parts. From this township Amos Griffith went to Brownsville, Fayette Co., and from there removed to the Quaker settlement near Mount Pleasant, Harrison Co., Ohio. Some years after the Quaker services ceased to be held in West Pike Run township, and all prospect of their revival had died out, their property was sold by them under permis- sion granted by the Legislature of the State of Penn- sylvania, as follows :

"COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA TO SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.

" An Act to authorize the sale of a certain lot of ground by the Society of Friends in the county of Washington.

"SEC. 1. Be it onacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, that Peter Clever, Josiah Johns, E. R. Griffith, Ellis Delly, and Joseph H. Miller, the representa- tives or committee of the two divisions of the Society of Friends, be and they are hereby authorized and empowered to sell and convey in fee simple and by a clear deed of transfer, at public or private sale, as they may determine, that tract or lot of ground situate in West Pike Run township, in the county of Washington, known as the West Pike Run Meeting-House lof, with the appurtenances appertaining or belonging thereto. Approved April 1, 1863."

This resulted in the sale of the property, which, after passing through several hands, came into the possession of Samuel Price. On March 25, 1865, it was purchased by Mrs. Ann Gregg, a widow lady, who lives in the building used by the Orthodox so- ciety, and her son uses the brick building erected for the Hicksites for a wagon-shop. A graveyard for the common use of both churches was laid out by them, and although there are no tombstones at the graves, -their peculiar belief prohibiting the placing of them,-the yard is quite full of graves, and kept in a moderately good condition.

Taylor's Church, of the Methodist Episcopal de- nomination, is included in the Beallsville charge, and is under the care of the Rev. W. R. Spindler. The trustees of the church are C. B. Holland, Eli Greenfield, and James Hill. The present number of members is seventy-five. Their first house of worship was built of logs about the beginning of the present century ; this was replaced by one built of stone, which was in use till 1857, when it was torn down,

and a brick structure built on the site. This was partially destroyed by fire, and a new brick edifice was erected upon the same site, and was dedicated by the Rev. Edward B. Griffin. In the Taylor's Church graveyard, located near the National road, are found the graves of the following-named persons: George Baker, died July 26, 1840, aged eighty-two years ;. William Jackman, died Sept. 5, 1830, eighty- eight years of age; William Taylor, a native of Ireland, who was born in 1754, came to America in 1789, and died Aug. 6, 1841; aged eighty-seven years ; David Powell, died Jan. 5, 1854, aged eighty-five years.

Little Zion Methodist Episcopal Church, situated in West Pike Run township, was organized in 1844, under the ministration of Rev. Augustus R. Green, and with the following membership : Abraham and Rachel Lowdrake, William and Nancy Wallace, Mary and Rebecca Howard, Hannah Young, George and Patty Morris, Sabina and Cynthia McTerry, Samuel, Melissa, Permelia, and Clarissa Wheeler, and Elizabeth Kane. The religious services were held until 1850 at the house of Abraham Lowdrake. In that year the society purchased a building lot of Mrs. Mary Lewis and her son Charles, and upon it they erected a small log house and gave it the name of Little Zion Church. This effort on the part of the few members to secure a place for the worship of God seemed to receive its reward at once, and their numbers increased so rapidly that very soon the building had not seating capacity for the congrega- tion. The school building near by, known as the Jenkins school-house, was abandoned for another one, and the society made a purchase of the building and converted it into a house of worship. This they con- tinued to use until 1881, when they erected a good frame edifice, which was dedicated in September of that year, Rev. Benjamin Wheeler preaching the dedi- catory sermon. The clergymen who have had charge of Little Zion Church from the first have been Revs. Augustus R. Green, Fayette Davis, George and James Coleman, William Newman, Mr. Hart, William Ralph, S. T. Jones, C. W. Herbert, William H. Brown, Charles Smith, L. Gross, William B. Lewis, and the present pastor, Rev. S. T. Jones. The present membership is divided into two classes. The first class, having Abraham H. Wallace for leader, has fourteen mem- bers. Class No. 2 has also fourteen members, with Noah West as class-leader.

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History of Washington County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 241

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