History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 1, Part 18

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885, ed; Hungerford, Austin N., joint ed; Everts, Peck & Richards, Philadelphia, pub
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Peck & Richards
Number of Pages: 776


USA > Pennsylvania > Juniata County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 1 > Part 18
USA > Pennsylvania > Mifflin County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 1 > Part 18
USA > Pennsylvania > Snyder County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 1 > Part 18
USA > Pennsylvania > Union County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 1 > Part 18
USA > Pennsylvania > Perry County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 1 > Part 18


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).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60


Captain David Moreland, who purchased this land from the Blains, was an historie per- sonage, having acquired his military title in the


War of 1812, when he commanded a company. In 1811 he is assessed with a grist-mill and his ocenpation as a merchant. In 1815 he bought from Blain the farm now owned by Suntel Woods; in 1820 he was assessed with three hundred and ninety-five aeres, valued at seven thousand nine hundred dollars; a grist-mill, valued at two thousand five hundred dollar; and for bis occupation as a merchant, at three hundred dollars. He was born in 1771 and was of Irish extraction ; he died October 25, 1821, and is buried in the Blain Presbyterian grave-yard. His wife was Elisabeth, the daughter of John Lemon, who owned what is now the Abram Hostetter farm, in Jackson. Ilis children were Diana, Sarah, JJohn, David, Lemon, James, Mary and Alexander.


Diana married Dr. Gitt, and died in Missouri. Sarah married Anthony Black, a son of George and Margaret Black, and after the death of her Imsband, in 1811, she moved to Landisburg, where she died. John married Mary Hetrick, of Cumberland, and lived on the Samuel Woods farm, which he and his brother owned ; he moved to Iowa, and died there abont 1873. David married Sarah C. Hollingshead, of Phil- adelphia, in 1833, whose brother, Joseph Hol- lingshead, was the manager of the Oak Grove Furnace. David Moreland is yet living at Blain, but his wife died two years ago. His two sons, William and James, are engaged in the tinware and stove business in the village, and his daughter Mary is the wife of E. B. Lesh, a merchant of Americus, Kansas. Lemon married Margaret, the daughter of a Mr. Don- nally, who lived in New Germantown. Ile lived at Beavertown, Ickesburg, Sterrett's Gap, and finally moved to Iowa, where he is yet, living. James married a lady of Cumberland County, then moved to lowa and is yet living. Mary married Rev. George Porter, who was a former pastor of the Blain Presbyterian Church. They also lived for a time in Millers- town, then moved to lowa, where her husband died. She is yet living in Tipton, in that State. Alexander went to Jackson, Mo., when a young man, where he married a wealthy lady of strong Southern proclivities. He was a mer- chant, but when the late war broke out was a -


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supporter of the Confederacy and enlisted ; he was promoted and when Lee invaded Pennsyl- vania, in 1863, he was along as a commissioned officer. He died since the war at his home in Missouri.


The history of the Stokes mill is not clear ; in 1778 James Blain was assessed with a grist- mill, and the natural inference is that he built this mill, which is on the land taken up by him. In 181 1 David Moreland is assessed with a grist-mill. This is the mill he owned, and from that date to the present its history can be traced. The contemporary history of the neigh- borhood attributes its erection to William Douglass, and it is so stated in Mr. Wright's history of the county. If such is the case, where was the grist-mill situated for which James Blain was assessed in 1778? William Donglass owned the mill before Moreland and may have purchased it from Blain. He was a prominent citizen of the township and was the first postmaster in the vicinity, the office being called " Douglass' Mill." Donglass also owned the " MeNeal farm," now owned by Samuel Woods. The mill and the farm have been owned by the same parties, viz : Blain, Doug- lass, Moreland and Black. The farm then passed into the hands of James MeNeal, who conducted for years the large tannery that was at the north end of the village. Sam- uel Woods bought this farm when it was sold four or five years ago. Ile is a brother of William Woods, who lives on the western edge of the town, and a son of F. W. Woods, who died some years ago. The mill is now owned by Isaac Stokes, who has entirely rebuilt it and furnished it with improved machinery.


William Blain, who lived on the Solomon Bower farm, was contemporary with James. They were officers in the same militia company of 1777, William being the captain and James the first lientenant. In 1778 he was assessed with a still. In connection with James he war- rauts, on the 8th of June, 1792, "two hundred and fifty acres adjoining Samuel Lyons, Jr., George Carseadden and Conecocheague Mt." This land is owned by Solomon Gray, Henry Trostel and Joshna B. Comp, in Madison. William Blain died during the winter of 1792-93,


as is shown by a warrant granted on the 16th of April, 1793, to Allen Nesbitt, in which " the heirs of William Blain, dee'd," are named as joiners.


Ephraim Blain took up one hundred and nine- teen aeres on the 20th of' JJune, 1763, which land is now owned by George W. Garber and others.


Alexander Blain located one hundred and thirty-one aeres in Madison in 1766, which now belongs to John Garber. The farm, or part of it, owned by William Kline he located on the 7th of February, 1793. Alexander Blain was a neighbor of William Anderson.


Adjoining James -Blain's Jand, and including that part of the village west of Main Street, as well as portions of the farms of William Woods, Daniel and Simon Smith, George W. Garber and Isaac Stokes, was a tract warranted on the Bd of June, 1762, by Abraham Mitchell, con- taining two hundred and forty-four acres, and the central part is owned by George W. Garber, who is a consin of Judge Garber, of Madison, and both are grandsons of John and Barbara Garber, who came into the township iu 1806, and bought the farm owned by George W., lying abont a mile east of Blain. John Garber pur- chased from Thomas Robison. His children were George, John, Daniel, Joseph, Elizabeth, Mary and Susan. George married a daughter of Philip Stambaugh, and the present George W. is one of their children. Judge Joseph B. Garber is a son of Daniel by his second wife, Mary, daughter of Abram Bower. He lived on the farm owned by John Hench's heirs, in Madison, which he purchased from his father- in-law. John Garber is yet living on a farm on the Blain and Sandy Hill road.


The relationship of this family is very large, and most of them are farmers.


The farm ou which William Woods lives was purchased by him from Isaac Buttorf, the latter buying from William Bowers, the father of David Bowers, of New Bloomfield, and he from the Rinesmith brothers, and they from Jacob Kramer. George W. Garber's farm, lying just south of Woods', was owned formerly by James Adams.


The northwest part of Blain is on land war-


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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.


ranted by James Morrison on the 9th of Sep- tember, 1766, the tract containing one hundred and ninety-four aeres. William Hall, Esq., Owns the homestead and a large portion of the land. Henry Rinesmith, Daniel and Simon Smith also own a part of the Morrison land. Morrison died about 1827. Arnold Fanghs, of Toboyne, owned the property for a time; then it was owned for years by Captain Gutshall, who sold and went to the West. William Hall has owned it for about ten years. He was for several years the manager of the Andersonburg Orphan School. He is a son of Daniel Hall and a broth- er of Benjamin Hall, of Carroll, and of Mrs. Jacob Flickinger, Mrs. Isaac Hollenbangh and Mrs. Joseph Walker, all of the county.


The William Woods farm, on which his son George lives, was taken up by Alexander Mor- row ( Murray) on the 9th of September, 1766, who died on this farm carly in the present cen- tury. Ilis sons sold it to Bailey Long and then went West. In 1814 Long is assessed with a grist-mill, but in 1820 Joseph Woods, a brother, of Wayne, and an unele of the present owner, owned the farm. His hair- sold to William Woods, who has greatly improved it. William the tract of one hundred and thirty-seven acre Woods is married to a daughter of George M. Loy, of Madison township.


Edward Book, Jacob Seager and Solomon Gutshall own the land taken up in 1966 by Robert Murray. The Book farm was owned for many years by Andrew Trostel. Murray, like so many of the old settlers, sold his farm and sought a new home in the Mississippi Val- ley. Edward Book is a minister in the German Baptist Church. On the 1 1th of August, 1766, Joseph Huston warranted two hundred and fifty-four acres, now owned by Henry Wentz, David Gutshall, David Book and Bernard Roth's heirs. James Adams, by order of survey No. 1178, on the 9th of September, 1766, took up " one hundred and sixty-eight acres, incluid- ing improvements, adjoining lands of Anthony Morrison and Alexander Murray." Solomon Bower, John Stambangh's heirs, Mitchell Drom- gold and William Woods are the present owners of this land. Solomon Bower bought his farm from his father, Solomon Bower, Sr., and he, probably, from the Adams heirs. The present


owner was, some yearsago,a county commissioner. Ile is a brother of William Bower, who died in Blain in the fall of 1885, and of Mrs. William Zimmerman, of Madison, and Mrs. George Shu- man, of Landisburg, who also died some months ago. The Bower family is widely connected and well-known.


William Inston, on the 25th of JJune, 1769, took up a tract, which is now owned by the above-named owners of the Joseph Huston tract.


John Montgomery, on the 20th of June, 1763, warranted "two hundred acres adjoining John Mitchell, Anthony Morrison, James Blain and Alexander Murray, on a small branch of Sher- man's Creek."


John SIunnan, David Boydand George Bistline own a tract of one hundred and eighty-two acres taken up on the 28th of April, 1767, by William Forrest, John Wilt, William Hartman and George Bistline, the William Nesbitt tract of two hundred and seventy-four acres taken up on the 23d of February, 1767; and John Shu- man the John Nesbitt tract of one hundred acres in 1767 : Thomas Bradfield and Daniel Leiby taken up by Andrew Moore in 1767.


The John Watt tract of one hundred and sixty-two acres, warranted on the 29th of July, 1762, i- owned by George W. Briner and Solo- mon Bistline.


John Whiting and Adam Boal located one hundred and seventy-nine aeres on the 8th of June, 1759, which land is now owned by Daniel Gintshall's heirs. This land has been in the pos- session of the Gutshalls for many years, Daniel having purchased it from his father.


Peter Grove took up three different tracts,- on the 29th of July, 1762, two hundred acres, now owned by George Holtz and John Tressler; the 30th of May, 1763, two hundred acres, ad- joining John Ray and Archibald Ross, now owned by William Woods, and known as the "(less and Kreider " property ; and September 1, 1768, one hundred and eighty-six acres, "on Sherman's Creek and Brown's Run." Holtz and Tressler purchased from John Patterson, and (less from a Mr. Brown.


William and Daniel Gutshall bought a traet


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PERRY COUNTY.


from Jacob Bryner, which was located by John Rhea on the 9th of September, 1766.


The John Rhen tract of one hundred and ten and a half acres, warranted on the 3d of June, 1702, is now owned by Jacob Briner, whose father, George Briner, and grandfather, Jacob Briner, have been the owner- since 1807. The Briner tract was long owned by the Hunter family. During the Indian troubles two of the Hunter children were captured, a boy and girl; the girl escaped and came back, but the boy never returned. Many years after he wrote to George Black from the far West and made in- quiry concerning the disposition of his father's estate. Geo. S. Briner, of New Bloomfield, for six years register and recorder of the county, is a son of the above George Briner.


West of the Blain on the New Germantown road where James Anderson now lives, Anthony Morrison warranted two hundred and one aeres on the 9th of September, 1766. This farm then included parts of the Jacob Clanser and David Hollenbangh tracts. It was long owned by George Black, the father of John Black, and Mrs. Roddy, of New Bloomfield, and is known vet as the " Black homestead." George was a sou of George Black, of Raccoon Valley, Tus- carora township, a family whose history is identified with the earliest history of the county. George Black, of Jackson, married Margaret, the danghter of Anthony and Eleanor Morri- son, on the 16th of April, 1781, and shortly afterwards purchased the Morrison farm. Mr. Morrison made his home with his son-in-law, Black, where he died abont 1827. He is de- seribed as a " large and corpulent man," and in his old age became blind.


George Black also warranted several tracts of land in the township,-one for " fifty acres ad- joining James Adams and Anthony Morrison," on the 3d of February, 1790 ; also " three hundred and fifty acres adjoining lands of James Morrow, Geo. Black and Thomas Forster," on the 15th of March, 1803.


children,-Jonathan, George, John, Thomas, Samuel, Margaret, Nancy, Susanna, James and William.


Anthony married Sarah, a daughter of Cap- tain David Moreland. He was an enterprising citizen of the township and owned considerable property. The " MeNeal" farm and Stokes' mill were owned by him. He was a store-keeper in 1825 and in 1830, and was the second post- master of the village. In his younger days he taught school at Mount Pleasant. In 1839 and 1840 he started the "silk enterprise" and erected for this purpose the " Daniel Gntshall " house at the eastern end of the village. In 1840 he got the name of the post office changed from Donglass' Mill to Multicaulisville, "to commemorate his great speculation in the morus multicaulis, or Italian mulberry-tree, which he was engaged in selling " and from whose leaves the silk-worm ( Bombyr mori) extracts the silken prodnet. The preparations made for the busi- ness were extensive and many trees were plant- ed, but on the 16th of May, 1841, Mr. Black died and the enterprise with him. Silk was actually made, but after his death the business was dropped, and in 1842 most of the trees were dug up. His children all live in the county, except David, who started a large tannery in Bedford County, where he lives. John, the second child of George and Margaret Black, died in his infancy, in 1792. Mary married Thos. Hunter, then moved to Ohio. Eleanor married Thomas, the eldest son of Robert and Mary Clark, on the 30th December, 1809, and moved to Ohio, where her lisband died in 1846, after which she married a Mr. Blain. She died in 1871. Jonathan, born in 1793, married his consin, Abigail, danghter of James Black, of Raccoon Valley ; then moved to Ohio, where he died about five years ago. George, born in 1795, was unmarried and lived on the old place, where he died in 1868. John, born in 1797, was also never married. He lived in Jackson until threeor four yearsago, when he came to New Bloomfield, where he now lives in the enjoyment of good health and spirits, with mind unim- paired and full of pleasant reminiscences of the "olden times." He has furnished much valna-


George Black had four children by his first wife, Margaret Morrison,-Anthony, John, Mary and Eleanor. After her death he mar- ried Jane, a daughter of George and Susanna MeMillen, of Madison, and had by her ten ble information concerning the early settlers.


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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA


Thomas, born in 1800, married Margaret, the daughter of John Zimmerman, and lived and died in Perry County. Samuel, born in 1802, married Margaret Okeson, and after living a while in this county moved to Juniata, where he died in 1881. Margaret, born in 1804, mar- ried William Clark, moved to Ilinois and died in 1875. Nancy, who lived with her brother, John, in New Bloomfield, was born in 1806, became the second wife of Sheriff Josiah Roddy, who was a son of old Alexander Roddy, of Madi- son. W. Il. Roddy, of Landisburg, is a son of Josiah Roddy by his first wife, Nancy Light- ner. He was married to his second wife, Nancy Black, abont 1832, and had by her two sons,-T. Rush, born in 1833, who married Mary C. Got- walt and practiced law in New Bloomfield, where he died 1863; and Geo. B. Roddy, born in 1836, who married Martha E. Ege, and had two sons now young men grown : George B., who graduates from Princeton College in the class of 1886, as an " honor-man," and Joseph S., who is living with his mother in New Bloomfield. Geo. B. Roddy was a farmer, and died in 1867. This later genealogy is given in full on account of the historic families represented and because of the fact that the Roddy name is borne by only three persons in the county who can claim descent from the Alexander Roddy of 1756. Susanna, born in 1809, married Samuel Oke- son, of Juniata County, where she died some years ago. James, born 1811, went to Ohio, where he married and lived and died. William, born about 1813, was unmarried, lived on the "old place," where he died in 1838. The Black family is remarkable for the longevity of its members. The history of this family in Jackson will be best understood by referring to the "History of Tuscarora Township," where they first settled.


South of Blain, Ann Boal, on the 15th Sep- tember, 1766, took up one hundred and ninety- six acres, and on the 30th September, 1765, Thomas Hamilton two hundred and twenty-two acres. These tracts are now owned by David Rowe, S. K. Baltozer, Jacob Snyder, William McCardel, Abram Trostle and John Shannon. The Baltozer family came into this township from Berks County about 1802.


Daniel Henry, Peter Gutshall, Samuel Ber- rier's heirs and James Dobbs own the William Dobson tract of one hundred and sixty-eight acres, taken up on the 10th November, 1766.


The Robert Miller tract of three hundred and thirty-three acres, and lying along the Blain and New Bloomfield road, was taken up in 1766. This land is now highly cultivated and im- proved, and is owned by William Wentz, An- drew Shreffler's heirs, Hon. Geo. Stroup, Abram Bower's heirs and David McKee. The Robert Miller who owned this land is likely the same person mentioned by Robert Robinson, who-e daughter was killed just outside their fort dur- ing the bloody harvest of 1756, and to which reference has several times been made.


Robert Adams, Sr., was one of the earliest settlers in the township, and the land now owned by John Adams and brother (Stinson) is a part of the original tract. This land was located before 1767 aud has been in the Adams name ever since. Only two warrants of Robert Adams were found, one dated 16th of June, 1774, for " 50 acres north of his former land, and bounds Alex. MeIncer on the north ; " also, on the 2d of March, 1775, " 100 (hundred) acres joining widow Miller, Alex. MeIneer, Geo. Kinkhead, Robert Pollock and his other lands." The children of Robert Adams were Thomas, Robert, Sallie Clark, Elizabeth Wallace, Polly Reed.


Alexander, Ephraim and David were children of Thomas Adams.


Stinson (a bachelor, who died on the place in December, 1885, aged eighty-two years), Alexander (who died some years ago), John (who is yet living), Jeniza, Cynthia, Mary and Dr. Samuel Adams, of Texas, are all children of Robert Adams, Jr. The Jacob Graff tract of two hundred and eight acres, taken up in 1775, is now owned by George Holtz, John Stump, lolm C. Snyder and John Swartz's heirs. South of Sherman's Creek Alexander Rodgers took up two hundred and seventy-four acres in 1789, and one hundred and sixty-four acres in 1790, which land is owned by Moreland brothers, Samuel A. Smith, John Gutshall and Christian Stricker. This is said to have been one of the oldest-settled tracts in the upper


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townships. John Bower and William Stam- baugh own the Samuel Ross traet, warranted on the 27th of August, 1784.


Joseph and George Wentz own the Allen Nesbitt tract. Nesbitt was an ensign in Caplain Blain's company of militia in 1777. Some of his descendants are yet living in Madison town- ship. Michael Wentz was the first of the natte in this township. He came here in ISII, hay- ing lived for one year in Tyrone. He had nine children ; one of his daughters, Susan, married Daniel Garber. His son Daniel married Cath- erine Bloom, and lived and died in Jackson township. Jacob married Rebecca Bower; Peter lives in Ohio ; Henry married Elizabeth Sheibley, and also lives in Ohio; George and Joseph live in the township.


Across Bower's Mountain, in Henry's Val- ley, several warrants were taken out shortly after The Revolutionary War-one by David Dield, on the 31st of January, 1787, for - 300 acres, including an improvement on the Laurel Run, adjoining Elk Hill, including a bottom called Nettle Bottom ;" another, by Philip Christian, in 1788, for two hundred acres. Henry's Valley, in the old county draft of sixty years ago, was called by the classic name of " Pandemonium."


Much of the George Kerseadden land, taken up in 1797, is now owned by Jeremiah Hench, William B. Gray. Cornelius Baker, Solomon Gintshall and John Kistler.


The William Harkness tract of one hundred and seventeen acres, taken up on the Ist of De- rember, 1766, is now contained in ex-Sheriff Jinues Woods' farm, just on the southern edge of the town of Blain, and in that of Henry Bistline.


Agriculture is the chief industry of the citi- wns of this township. Cattle-raising is also quite a business on the larger farms. Why the first settlers should leave this locality to seek unknown land in the West is a mystery, and ean only be explained on the theory that they were a restless people and fond of adventure.


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In Henry's Valley is a large steam tammery, how owned by the All brothers, of Cumberland County. It was erected by I. J. McFarland, about 1850. James Marshall afterwards owned


it for some years. Then Samuel Lupfer, brother of Israel Lupfer, formerly of Toboyne, bought and run it for a number of years. The Ahl brothers purchased it from Lupfer, who moved to Suyder County.


BLAIN BOROUGH.


This town was incorporated by a decree of the court dated November 3, 1877, the boundaries to be as follows :


" Beginning at a post on the lands of James Woods, Esq .; thence by lands of D. Gntshall, Jas. F. McNeal and Samuel Woods, north twenty-seven degrees west, two hundred and twenty-four perches to a post; thence by lands of William Hall and others, sont fifty-one and a half degrees west, one hundred and sixty-six perches to a post ; thence by lands of W. W. Woods and Isaac Buttorf, south twenty-six and one half de- grees cast, one hundred and eighty perches to a post ; thence by lands of Isaac Buttorf and Isaac Stokes and James Wood, Esq., worth sixty-seven degrees east, one hundred and sixty four perches to a post and place of begining. That the annual borongh clee- tion shall be held at the public school-house in said borough on the third Tuesday of February, in accord- ance with and subject to all the provisions of the laws regulating municipal elections, and said borough shall be a separate election and school district; the court further decree and fix the first election of said borough for the election of the officers provided for by law, to be held at the public school-house in said borough on the third Tuesday of February, A.D., 1878, between the hours of seven o'clock A.M. and seven o'clock p.M. of said day; and designate Geo. 11. Martin, Esq,, to give notice of said clection and the manner thereof; and the court further deerce that Wilson Messimer be the judge and Samuel Woods aud James B. Moreland be the inspectors of said elections."


The change of polling-place was made by a decree of court on August 4, 1879.


The first post-office at this place was called " Douglass' Mill," after Wm. Douglass, who owned the Stokes mill early in the present cen- tury. He built and owned the stone house at the castern end of the town, now owned by Jeremiah Hench. In 1840, Anthony Black got the name of the post-office changed, to which reference was made in the sketch of the Black family. He built the frame house in which Daniel Gutshall's heirs now live.


In 1816, Francis W. Woods, father of Wm. and Samuel Woods, sold three acres to Dr. Win.


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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.


Ilays, which he divided into twelve lots and sold them ont to different parties. This land lay on the eastern side of the town and was a part of the James Blain tract warranted ju 1765. John Black says that the house and blacksmith-shop now owned by ex-Commissioner Daniel Sheaffer, were created by Solomon Bower, the father of Solomon Bower, of the township. The old log Presbyterian Church on Church Hill had been built many years before, and also the "German Meeting-Honse" (the I'mion Church) was built early in the century.


In 1846, John Seager and William Shively built a honse. Captain David Moreland and Anthony Black were the postmasters after Douglass. In 1846, when the town was laid ont, James and F. W. Woods got the name of; the post-office changed to its present name of Blain. It is now one of the neatest and best- built towns in the county. Its situation is charming, and its wealth and refinement above the average of towns of its size. Blain is twenty miles west of New Bloomfield and twenty-five miles from the railroad at Newport, with which it is connected by a daily stage. The public school-house was built abont fifteen years ago as an Odd-Fellows' Hall, but was bought abont eight years ago for a school-house. There are two schools in this building. The first school- house was on Church Ilill, near the present old stone house. It was standing in 1815, but was built many years before. Win. Smiley was one of the carly teachers; his wife's name was Gainor Harris, and she also was a teacher. There was a school-house near the "German Meeting- House," where the Union Church now stands, and in this building Mrs. Smiley taught while her husband was teaching in the Church Hill honse.




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