History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania, Part 93

Author: Mathews, Alfred, 1852-1904. 4n
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co.
Number of Pages: 1438

USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania > Part 93
USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania > Part 93
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania > Part 93

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

farm was sold on a mortgage, and lie then moved to Milford, in Pike County, Pennsylva- nia, and for two or three years worked at the mason trade. In February, 1815, he moved with his family into Canaan township, Wayne County, Pa., where, in what was then called Elk Forest, he purchased two hundred acres of wild land, which included Canoe Pond and which he intended to turn into a mill site. In

She bore him two children, Jane and George. After his marriage the captain moved to New York city and engaged in the draying business. This must have been about the year 1801. He remained in the city a couple of years, then re- turned to Orange County, N. Y., and in Mid- dleton engaged in the mercantile business, and afterwards in the hotel business. In 1808 he sold out and went to Mechanicsville and bought a farm ; but, owing to endorsing for others, his

man, built on his land a log house or cabin of the most simple structure possible. It had a bark roof, and its doors were only blankets. To get to it he drove through lumber roads and, part of the way, through an unbroken wilder- ness. Their household goods and the family were drawn in a sleigh, and while it was being unloaded Mrs. Keen sat in the sleigh and cried, so dreary and wild appeared what was to be her future home. The family settled in the new

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house, he at once commenced the work of im- provement. Soon after his arrival he was badly wounded by the accidental discharge of a rifle, while hunting. However he had a log dam built across the outlet of the pond and thus raised the water ten feet. In 1816 he finished the grist-mill commenced the year previous and supplied a want which had been deeply felt by the inhabitants of the surrounding country for many miles. The stone for the mill were ob- tained in the mountains and shaped by Mr. Keen's own labor. In 1830 the grist-mill was torn down and a saw-mill built in its place. Mr. Keen, as stated, was a stone-mason, and he worked at his trade after he came to Canaan. He had charge of the building of the locks on the Lehigh Canal at Easton. Also built the lock at Durham, on the Pennsylvania Canal and locks on the Delaware and Hudson Canal. While in Orange County, New York, he raised a company of militia, called the Republican Blues, of which he was made captain. He be- came proficient in military drill, and on his arrival in Wayne County he took an active interest in military affairs and was commissioned by Governor Snyder captain of the eighth com- pany of the One Hundred and Third Regiment Pennsylvania militia. Captain Keen was an ardent Free Mason and was installed, in 1816, Worshipful Master of Freedom Lodge, No. 147, of Bethany, and was its first Master. He was a Jackson Democrat, and a strong one. He held township offices at various times. His second wife was Anna Reeves, whose children were Julia, James, Mathias, Elvira, Mary, Jacob L., Ann, Catherine, Rosetta, Louisa and Elizabeth. Captain Keen died January 9, 1835.

Jacob L. Keen was born in Mechanicsville village, Orange County, N. Y., May 15, 1809. When five years old his father moved into the woods in Canaan, as before described, and he well remembers his father bringing fire from the last neighbor's house, three miles from his home. Jacob grew to man's estate on the farm of his father, attaining only a common school educa- tion at the winter schools in his district. On the death of his father he purchased one hun- dred and fourteen acres of the homestead. It was all new but five acres, and is now nearly

all improved, and has a fine house and good out-buildings, all of which attest the industry and energy of Mr. Keen. He is and has always been a Democrat of the old school, and has been honored by his party with the office of county commissioner and other minor offices. He is a Universalist in religious belief, but has helped build churches for other denominations. On the 21st day of December, 1831, he mar- rid Miss Rachel Felton, who was born July 17, 1808. Her ancestor, Henry Felton, came from Germany prior to the Revolution and settled in Philadelphia. He married Miss Rachel Stoner, who was born in Maryland. Their children were Henry, George, Christian, Jacob, John, William, Polly, Eve, Betsey, Katy and Peggy. He served in the War for Independence, after which he moved to Nicholson township, Lu- zerne County, Pa., where he bought a farm on which he lived until his death. George was born in Philadelphia and was ten years old when his father moved to Luzerne County. He also became a farmer and married Sally Scott, daughter of Zara and Sybil (Sackett) Scott. He emigrated to Lenox township, Susquehanna County, Pa., where he died in 1863, his wife in 1864. Their children were Rachel, Miles, John, Cynthia, Lucy A., James, Mary, Elizabeth.

To Jacob L. and his wife have been born Ann M., September 17, 1833; married S. Hud- son ; one child; Josephine L., born June 25, 1833. Mary M., born November 27, 1835; married A. R. Edgett ; one child, Lillian I, born May 4, 1858 ; she married Rev. E. H. Whitman ; one child, Nellie E. George N., born November 27, 1837; he married Jane Jenkins; children, Edward L. and Willie. Jennette, born September 7, 1839; married J. R. Smith ; child, Charles D. Hethacott M., born June 18, 1841. Edwin R., born July 2, 1842; married Agnes Shuster; children, Gracie, Judson, Arthur. James R., born August 18, 1845; married Teressa Weinmyer; children, Charley, Miles, Henry, Pauline. Sarah J., born May 22, 1848 ; married Walter Carr ; one child, Sadie. Anna M., the oldest daughter, married for her second husband William Hoyle ; children, William, Mary, Samuel, Grace, Katie and Robbie.

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WAYNE, PIKE AND MONROE COUNTIES, PENNSYLVANIA.

CHAPTER XVII.

SOUTH CANAAN TOWNSHIP.

CANAAN was one of the original townships erected at the setting off of Wayne from North- ampton County, in 1798, and at that time em- braced a large area that has since been cut up into several townships and a borough. Portions of this mother township were settled early in the history of the county, the first being in what is now Salem, and subsequent ones in Clinton and Lake. The clearings of new settlers were, of course, centripetal to these localities, and early in the present century, the first one had become strong enough for independent existence, and the excision of the territory now embraced in the townships of Salem and Lake took place. This was in 1808, and a small area which sub- sequently became a part of Cherry Ridge was included in the separation. This left a town- ship bounded on the north by Mount Pleasant, east by Dyberry-Cherry Ridge not having then been erected-south by Salem and west by Luzerne County. A large slice of the northern section was then set off as Clinton, in 1834, Waymart was constituted a borough in 1851, and the next year, the Court of Quarter Ses- sions divided the remaining territory into two townships, the new one being called South Ca- naan. The township then contained one old settlement in the fertile valley of the Middle Creek, and much land still heavily timbered with virgin forest, broken only here and there with a little clearing. It had fair soil, good water-powers, and well-broken roads. At the time its history as an independent township commenced, the greatest hardships of pioneer life were over, and since that time, it has grown to be a prosperous community, with little of special interest in its local history. The present chapter will deal chiefly with events that trans- pired long before the excision from old Canaan took place, while the cotemporaneous history of the area now included in the newer townships above referred to will be found under those headings.

Henry Curtis was one of the first settlers, and located on Middle Creek about 1804. He was

a German by birth, and after having served for several years in the army of his native country, he came to America, and enlisted in the Conti- mental army three years before the close of the Revolutionary War. He married Mirilla Swin- gle, and their children were Jeremiah, or Hans, as he was best known, and Mary, the wife of John S. Reed.

Hans Curtis married Polly, a daughter of Adam Wagner, and lived on the homestead, the farm now occupied by J. Brooks. Hans had many children, and the township is filled with his descendants. His children were: Rhoda, the wife of Henry Spangenberg ; Aaron, Pris- cilla, who married Moses Shaffer, 2nd ; Mary Ann, who first married Samuel Shaffer and af- terwards Lewis Lobshire ; Elizabeth, the wife of Samuel Swingle ; Moses, a resident of Hones- dale; Rua, the wife of G. W. Barnes, of Man- chester ; Angelina, who married Charles Far- rell, and Caroline, the wife of Rufus Frisbie. Hans Curtis married a second time, choosing Elizabeth Hoadley for his wife. Two children were born of this marriage, Charlotte, the wife of Thomas Dershimer of Dunmore, Lackawan- na County, and Solomon, who lives in South Canaan township.

Hans Ulrich Swingle was another German, who had settled in the western part of the town- ship a year previous to Curtis' arrival. Mr. Swingle married Polly, a daughter of John Shaffer, and had six sons and four daughters. The latter were Kate, the wife of George Ens- lin ; Morilla, who married Henry Curtis ; Chris- tina, the wife of Silas Woodward, and Mary, who married Moses Shaffer. The sons were John, Jeremiah, Conrad, Jacob, Henry and Frederick, whose children are given below :

John Swingle, the eldest, married Catherine Moore, and settled where Hanson McMin now lives. His children were Elizabeth, the wife of Jonathan Nickerson ; John, Ephe, who mar- ried Justus Cobb; Conrad. His second wife was Catherine Shorter, and the children of this union were : Andrew ; Polly, the wife of Jo- seph London ; Catherine, the wife of Peter Manes ; Christiana, the wife of John Turner ; Susan, who married Samuel McLean ; Sarah, the wife of Stephen Sharpstine; and Joseph.

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His third marriage was with Barbara Burleigh; from this union were born Ephraim, Margaret, the wife of Alfred Foot; Caleb, Joshua, Anson, Westley and Jane, the wife of Jonas Seeley.

Jeremiah, the second son of Hans Swingle, had by his first marriage only one son, Henry. By his second wife, Patience Bunting, were born Abraham and Israel.

Conrad, the third son, married Lucy Bunting, and their children were John, Mary, the wife of John Cobb, for whom Cobb's Gap was named ; Daniel, Joseph, still living in his eighty-sixtlı year, with his grandson, Elisha Swingle ; Sam- uel, a resident of Salem, aged eighty-three ; Moses, now in his eighty-first year ; Sally, the wife of George Ansley; Isaac, Michael, David and Jonathan, twins; Lucy, the wife of George Swingle; and Elizabeth, who married Simon Swingle.

Jacob, the fourth son, married Ephe Shaffer, and their children were Nancy, the wife of Ly- man Kennedy ; Julia, who married Joseph Bryant ; Harmon ; Emmaline, the wife of John Bates ; Richard; Abby, who married an Arnold ; Austin ; Adaline, the wife of Joseph Swingle; and Cynthia.

Henry, the fifth son, married Elizabeth Ens- lin, and had four children. They were, George, Clarissa, the wife of Owen Bronson ; Simeon and Sally, the wife of William Benton.

Frederick, the sixth son, married Susan Ens- lin, and his children were Charles, Elijah B., Leonard, Annie and Polly, the wife of Richard Beirs.

Adam Wagner was of Pennsylvania German extraction, and came to Wayne County from Maryland, in 1783. He first moved into a sugar house, built of logs and covered with bark, upon the farm now owned by Edgar Wells, and afterward located on the farm where Jonathan Swingle lives, in which place he died in 1793. He married Polly Wheatcraft, and his children were Rebecca (the wife of Joseph Jaggers), Sally (who married John Swingle), Otho, Rachel (the wife of Samuel Shaffer) and John.

John Shaffer was a German who settled in Orange County, N. Y., about the time the Revolution broke out, and there married a Miss

Forbes. With his wife and their obedient son, John, he moved to Wayne County in 1783, and located on a tract of land on Middle Creek, below the old North and South road. Here his second son, Moses, the first child in the town- ship was born, as were his other children,- Samuel, Susan (the wife of Joshua Berleigh), Effie (married to Jacob Swingle), Betsy (the wife of Edward Doyle, of Buckingham), Polly (the wife of Samuel Chumard). Catherine, the other daughter, was the eldest of the family. She married James McLean. John, the eldest son, married a Miss Forbes, and his children were Lydia (who married Alexander McMul- lin), Mary, Emma and John. Moses, the second son, married Mary Swingle. Their children were Jacob, Fannie (the wife of Aaron Curtis), Samuel, John, Sallie (who married John Cobb), Millie (the wife of Adam Wagner), Catherine (the wife of James Glen), Sylvester and Mary, who married Abraham Jaggers. Samuel, the third son, was married to Rachel Wagner, and was the father of Elizabeth (the wife of John Spangenberg, Moses, Abraham, Eli, Lydia (the wife of Simon Enslin), Amy (married to Daniel Everts), Mary (married to Henry Reed), Berzilla, Joseplı, Rachel, Alexan- der and Martha (the wife of Francis Enslin).

James McLean was a native of Ireland, and was in the British army at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Soon after that, he deserted, and took up arnis in the cause of American liberty. At the close of the war he moved to Canaan township, and located on the place afterward occupied by Nelson Bennett. He married Catherine Shaffer, and was the father of Samuel McLean, of Cherry Ridge ; John (who died in Salem, fifty years ago), Christiana (the wife of Patrick Falconer), Hannah (the wife of Noah Cobb), Lavinia (married to Otlio Swingle) and Mar- garet (who first married John Wagner, then Henry Swingle, and last, Stacy Chumard). Mrs. Chumard is still a resident of the town- ship, and is, at eighty-five years of age, in possession of all her faculties, and full of in- teresting reminiscences.

Amos Bronson and his brother came from Schoharie, N. Y., about 1800. The latter was an ingenious, tough, self-taught mill-wriglit.

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WAYNE, PIKE AND MONROE COUNTIES, PENNSYLVANIA.

Amos married Eunice Lyons, and had six children. They were Daniel, Noah, Owen, Lyman, Mary (the wife of John Spangenberg, who is now living with Marcus Day, in her ninety-four year) and Rowena.

Samuel Chumard settled on the place after- ward occupied by Hezekiah Leach, about the beginning of the present century, or possibly a little before. He came from New York State, and was of French descent. He married Polly Shaffer, and their children were William, Stacy, Eliza (the wife of John Lee) and Horace. George and John Chumard, who were the brothers of Samnel Chumard, were also early settlers.

George Enslin, who was one of the early set- tlers, came from Newport, Pa., and located on the property now occupied by lis descendants. He married Kate Swingle, and his children were Simon, Jacob, George, Frederick, Elizabeth (the wife of John Burleigh), Christina (the wife of David Freeman), Sarah (the wife of John McLean), Polly (who married Moses Swingle) and Susanna (the wife of Jacob Shaffer).

Adam Frisby was a native of Connecticut, when much of the township was yet a wilder- ness, and cleared up a farm on which were born his four sons,-Solomon, Hiram, Philemon and Chester. Solomon married Charlotte,the youngest daughter of Jesse Morgan. Hiram moved to Carbondale, and lived in the first house ever built in the place. He it was who was said to have taken the first coal to market over the mountain to the Lackawaxen. Widow Frisby, who will be remembered by some of the old residents of the connty, was a sister-in-law of Abram. Though a superior woman, she was possessed of many peculiar beliefs. One of these was that it was a sin to kill any living creature. Her clothing was all made from wool taken from living sheep ; her shoes were made front the hide of some animal that had died a natural death ; her food was strictly vegetable, and she did all she could to prevent the slaughter of the cattle of those who lived in her neighborhood. She died in Connecticut some years ago.

Justus Cobb was a brother of Asa Cobb, for whom the Cobb's Gap was named. Both were sons of Joseph Cobb, who came from Connecti-

cut early in the history of the county. Justus married Ephe Swingle, and settled near Jona- than's Gap. Their children were Elizabeth (the wife of Moses Swingle), Catherine (who married Samuel Swingle), Justus, Abigail (who married a Swartz), Charlotte (the wife of Zacha- riah Emory), Benjamin and Jane.

George Morgan was a son of Jesse Morgan, of Salem, and lived to be nearly one hundred years old. He first married a Miss Hall, and his children were George, Horatio, David and Lucy. His second wife was Deborah Headly, and by this union were born Abel, Elliott, Marvin, and two daughters who married Justus Cobb, Jr. and William Swingle.

Daniel Jaggers came from Philadelphia, about 1807, accompanied by his son Joseph ; the latter married Rebecca Wagner, and their children were Hannah, the wife of Israel Seeley ; Betsy, the wife of Harrison McMin; Nancy, who married William Coleman ; Phoebe, the wife of Lewis Butler ; Rebecca, who married Samuel Shaffer ; Abraham, Eunice, the wife of Ranford Smith ; Susan, the wife of William Williams; Rachel, who married Thomas Glen, and John. Most of theni are now dead.

Among the other early settlers may be men- tioned George Rix, who was in the township before 1805, and was always known as “ Cap- tain," and was a prominent man in his day ; Levi Sampson, who lived on the place after- wards occupied by John B. Tuthill ; William, Elijah and Ward W. Sampson ; John Spangen- burg, a brother of Esquire Thomas Spangen- berg, of Bethany; Wareham Day, Vene Lee and others.

EARLY INDUSTRIES .- Of course one of the first needs of the early settlers was some means of reducing their grain to meal without the de- lays and difficulties of a long journey through the woods to Puddey's, Milford or Slocum Hollow. At all of these places there were mills at a very early date, and even after there were others nearer by, trips to these points were not infrequent. There was a mill, too, at Wilson- ville, and this drew a fair share of patronage from Canaan. The first mill in the township of which there is any record, was a small hand- mill that did duty for the neighbors in the vi-

WAYNE COUNTY.

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cinity of Hans Ulrich Swingles. It was about three feet in diameter, and had a hard quartz stone that was turned by a crank and a home- made gear. It took two men nearly a day to reduce a single bag of corn to very inferior meal by the aid of it; but it was superior to the mortar and pestle, and made those who lived near by in a measure independent of the more pretentious machinery in adjacent town- ships. About 1800 John Shaffer put up a reg- ular grist-mill, with one run of stone and a hand bolter. It stood near the site of the pres- ent mill in Shaffer Hollow, and the old founda- tion can still be seen. The year before this, there had been a mill for grinding corn erected west of Learch's, where Mitchell's carding mill now stands, by Conrad Swingle ; but it was but little better than the hand mill of his father. The Shaffer mill did duty with slight improve- ment until about 1835, when it was rebuilt by Moses Shaffer, who put in a new run of stone ; and then, about 1839 or 1840, sold it to Henry Kenner, of Bucks County. After this it passed into the hands of Jairus Buckingham, George Enslin, P. W. Learch and L. A. Robinson & Company, in succession.

It was again rebuilt in 1856, by P. W. Learch, a new dam and walls being erected. In 1876 it was sold to G. W. Kipp, who, in turn disposed of it to Abraham Keiser, in 1883. It has four run of stone, driven by an overshot wheel on a ten foot radius, and runs chiefly on custom work in buckwheat flour and feed.

What is known as the Keiser mill was built by Howell & Jessup, in about 1843. After running it for a number of years, it was sold to a man named O'Donnell, who soon disposed of it to H. S. Blose. The latter sold it to Wil- liam Benson, and then took it back again, and sold it to - Matthew. It was then bought by John McCuoid, John Tobin aud Thomas Swingle, who, in 1882, sold it to John Keiser, the present owner. It has four run of stone, and is driven by an overshot wheel, on a radius of seven feet. Its daily capacity is about one hundred and fifty bushels. Mortimer Arnold is the present miller.

About 1835, John Jessup and Gabriel How- ell started a carding machine on Middle Creek,

near the site of the old Conrad Swingle corn- mill. It was a small affair, but proved a lu- crative investment, and was soon improved to meet the requirements of the neighborhood ile the matter of blankets and yarns. Elias Comp- ton was the next owner, and after him came Selah Davis and Henry Osborn. The latter took possession in 1850, and remained several years, but found the business so decreased that he became discouraged and sold to T. K. Fox. Matthew Mitchell, the present owner of the plant, came from Rheinbeck, N. Y., a few years ago, and has added some improvements to the plant. It now consists of three carding machines, one jack, one hundred and twenty spindles, two hand-looms and one picker. Both steam and water are employed as motive power, and there is a dye-house attached to the estab- lishment.

Some years before the war, William Carlo started a shovel-handle factory at Shaffertown, which, like many similar establishments in other parts of the county, did not prove a per- manent success. It was afterwards owned in succession by James Buckingham, George Frce- man and William B. Swan ; and the latter sold the property to C. C. Shaffer, who converted it into a planing-mill, in 1866. It is still in op- eration, and supplies a large local trade.

SOUTH CANAAN CORNERS .- This hamlet, locally known as "Learch's Corners," is the only post-office in the township, and is also the principal center. Here it is that the churches are located, and here is the hotel, the store, the mill and the druggist. P. W. Leareh, from whom the place takes the name by which it is now best known, moved from Easton in 1836, and built the hotel now kept by his son. He was a man of much enterprise and business ea- pacity, and was prominent in the building of turnpikes, and many other publie improve- ments. He married Ann Warters, a lady from New Jersey, and their children were John, Margaret, the wife of T. K. Varney ; Henry, Spencer C., and Annetta. John Learch mar- ried Rena, the daughter of Hon. Phineas Ar- nold.

The first store in the place was kept by a man named Buland, who had a small shop near

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WAYNE, PIKE AND MONROE COUNTIES, PENNSYLVANIA.

the Methodist Protestant Church for a year or two. Gabriel Howell then built the store now occupied by Swingle & McMin, and was after- wards succeeded by P. W. Learchi, Learch & Varney, Learch & Carter, T. K. Varney and the present proprietors.

THE POST-OFFICE .- The first postmaster in South Canaan was Jolin Jessup, who was ap- pointed in January, 1837, when the office was established. He served until 1852, when P. W. Learch was appointed his successor. Mr. Learch served until 1878, when he died, and T. K. Varney succeeded to the place which he held for four years, and then the present incum- bent, B. Frank Swingle took the office. There is a daily mail from Honesdale.

THE ALLEN MURDER .- The murder of Solomon Tice by Peter Alleu, which occurred at Bethany, October 18, 1808, and is referred to in the chapter of that borough, was an event of much interest in the history of South Canaan, since both the nien belonged in that township, and were well-known characters. Mrs. Stacy Chumard, who was a girl at the time, says that she can remember the event distinctly and the impression it made on her when she heard of the tragedy. She knew both the men, and they were frequently at her father's house. Allen was quite poor, and could not afford to dress as well as the men with whom he asso- ciated, and this gave Tice, who was a great tease, a subject for constant amusement at the expense of his less fortunate neighbor. He used to call him " Lousy Allen," and would call out the name whenever the latter came in sight. Several times the men quarreled, but never came to blows over the epithet, so far as she knew. She remembers that on 'several oc- casions Tice went up to Allen with a snuff-box in his hand, and snapped it so that the sound would simulate the killing of vermin. Tice also had a way of annoying all the children in the neighborhood, and Mrs. Chumard was much afraid of him. She says that the day of the murder her father had been to general training at Bethany, and did not return until late in the evening. When he came in, the first words he said were " Lavinia, Tice can't plague you any more." "Why," she asked. "Because Pete

Allen killed him to-day with a knife." "I think," added Mrs. Chumard, as she recalled the circumstance, " that I was glad of it; for I disliked Tice very much, and did not realize the tragedy which had taken place."

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History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania, Part 93

Author: Mathews, Alfred, 1852-1904. 4n Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co. Number of Pages: 1438

Author: Mathews, Alfred, 1852-1904. 4n
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co.
Number of Pages: 1438