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 20
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 20
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 20
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 20
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 20
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George Bryner & Sons have a wagon-maker's and blacksmith-shop.
There are several other houses here and the farm-land around is unsurpassed for it- fertility. This place once aspired to secure the location of the county-seat.
ANDERSONBURG was long known as Zim- merman. Hon. James B. Garber, one of the associate judges of the county, has an extensive store. The hotel property now owned by Ben- jamin Beistline was the famous Zimmerman hos- telry for many years. This hotel has since been kept by Samuel Smith, who died about four years ago at the residence of his son-in-law, and by A. B. Grosh, Esq., prothonotary of the county. It is now a private residence.
A grist-mill of Abram Beistline's, near by, was long owned by Thomas Adams.
Hon. Alex. B. Anderson's heirs live on the old " limestone" homestead. Dr. George W. Mitchell is the physician of the neighborhood and lives in the village. The Andersonburg Soldiers' Orphans' School building is now owned by Hon. Martin Motzer, who purchased it from A. B. Anderson's heirs. It was built by Judge Ander-on for the purposes of an academy, and Wils so used for several years. The Orphan
School was conducted first by Judge Motzer, and afterward William Il. Hall, Esq., now of Blain, ran it successfully until it was aban- doned on account of the number of orphans be- coming too few for the number of schools in the State. It is used as a private residence; and as such is one of the finest and most attrac- tive in the county.
The first store at Andersonburg was in the old log building known as the " Barracks," on the Anderson farm. This house was occupied for some time by Dr. B. F. Grosh, the father of A. B. Grosh, Esq. Dr. Grosh owned the Thomas Martin farm, where he died in 1857. William B. Anderson, Esq., had a store in the log house and was followed by Bryner & Ernest, who, in 1863, built the present store-house. Ernest cold his interest to his partner, J. II. Bryner, and he afterwards sold to William Bower and Alexander Barnes, from whom Jos. B. Garber purchased in 1867. He is a son of Daniel Garber and a grandson of John Garber and Barbara Hollenbangh, who came to Perry County from Berks, about 1806, and purchased the farm now owned by George W. Garber, in Jackson, and at present rented by John Hench. Judge Garber is married to a daughter of Major John Zimmerman, long identified with the history of the place. Mr. Garber was a soldier in the late war, but has been in the mercantile business for twenty-one years. John A., of Madison, and Daniel B., of Carroll, are brothers.
Sandy Hill store, now owned by Jolm Bix- ler, a son of Joseph Bixler, of Saville, was built by Samuel Milligan, who also built the dwelling-house. Milligan bought the land from Samuel Ickes. He died in 1858, when Hon. William Grier rented the store-house and oe- cupied it until April, 1863, when the present owner bought the property. This is the poll- ing-place of Sandy Hill District.
In ISSI a post-office was established at Bix- ler's Mills, and named " Bixler." This wis until 1836, when the present owner, Jacob Bis- ler, purchased it, the " Tourey Mill " property. Jacob Bisler, who is a man of eighty years of age, in connection with his brother-in-law, John Flickinger, purchased the mill property
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and the six hundred acres of land attached. In a few years they divided, Bixler taking the mill and abont ninety aeres lying south of the miill, and Flickinger the remainder of the land. This soon became a thriving settlement. The mill was improved and a large woolen-factory built, taking the place of the old fulling-mill.
Jacob Bixler is a son of a Jacob Bixler, Sr., who came to Perry County from Dauphin in 1818, and built the mill near Esheol, in Sa- ville township. The Bixlers were originally from Lancaster County, where they settled on land, still in the Bixler name, as early as 1781. Jarob Bisler has long been one of the public- spirited men of the county, and was a county commissioner. Ile has always been an earnest supporter of the varions railroad enterprises through west Perry County, and has freely con- tributed of his means to aid in the building of said road. His son, James M., is carrying on the woolen-factory, and JJ. Rudy the mill.
John Flickinger was a son of Henry Flick- inger, of Saville, who came to Perry from Lan- caster County in 1812. The Flickingers are of Swiss origin, and came to America in 1761. John Flickinger died in 1872, aged sixty-nine years. E. A. Flickinger, a son, lives on the "homestead," and Jacob on the Edmiston (Lesh) tract.
KISTLER is the name of a post-office estab- lished in 1884, on the Bealtown road at the in- tersection of the Ickesburg and Blain road. There are two stores here, owned respectively by Jacob Kepner and Hiram Goode. The first- named was started about three years ago, and the latter by Henry Koppenheffer, now of Centre township, about twelve years ago. Sam- nel Hollenbangh built and owns the Goode -tore-house. The adjoining farms were owned for years by Henry Kepner, lately deceased. This post-office was named after David Kistler, Esq., who lives near and who was instrumental in securing it. The old Grove mill was at this place.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS .- The carly settle- Dients of this township deserve particular men- tion, for the reason that it was a rallying-point for the settlers of other townships when harassed is predatory bands of Indians. On the farm
now owned by Andrew Loy was the " Robi- son Fort," built by the Robison brothers as early as 1755.
Three of the brothers were William, Robert and Thomas. From Robert Robison's narrative our knowledge of the sufferings of these carly set- tlers is gathered. The " fort " was evidently more of a block-house than anything else, and was sur- rounded by a stockade. This family was here at least nine years before they secured a war- rant for the land. George Robison, on the 13th of May, 1763, took up two hundred and nine acres, including his improvement, adjoining Hugh Alexander, John Byers, James Wilson and Alexander Roddy. JJames Wilson lived on the George Hench farm. The Hugh Alex- ander tract is now owned by Jacob Bixler and John Flickinger's heirs. John Byers' tract is owned by Hon. George Stroup.
The mill of Moses Waggoner's heirs is the site of Alexander Roddy's land. (For an ar- count of the Robison brothers, see General History, page 74.) There was hardly an In- dian engagement in the western part of either Perry or Juniatia Counties that was not partie- ipated in by some of the brothers. After many encounters two of them were at last killed by the Indians, In the engagement in Saville, along Buffalo Creek, in 1763, William and Thomas Robison were both killed, and Robert severely wounded. They, in company with nine other brave settlers, were ambu-hed by double the number of Indians, near Run Gap, and while endeavoring to escape, were shot down near the creek above-named.
In July, 1756, the settlers were gathered with their families in the fort, when a party of Indians stealthily approached it, and killed a Miss Miller, daughter of Robert Miller, Mrs. Wilson, wife of James Wilson, and the Widow Gibson, and carried with them as prisoners Hugh Gibson and Betsey Henry. The men, who were engaged in reaping their crops on the farmis lying near, on hearing the firing, came to the fort as quickly as possible, but failed to meet the savages.
This fort was on the line of the Traders' Path, from Harris' Ferry westward. From the best information obtainable, it is almost cer-
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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
tain that this path crossed the Conecocheague near the Sandy Hill road, thence to " Mitchell's Sleeping-Place," in Liberty Valley, the site of the old Meminger place, and from that point by Bigham's Gap ( Bealtown) into Juniata Connty. There is a tradition that this path crossed the Conecocheague farther west than Sandy Hill, somewhere between Andersonburg and Blain, but it seems improbable that a cross- ing so difficult would be selected, when nature had provided an easier passage at a point almost as direct. Be that as it may, easy access was had to Robison's from every direction, and from the number mentioned by Robert Robison as being in the fort during the harvest of 1756, we can safely inter that not only the settlers of Sherman's Valley availed themselves of the security of its friendly walls, but many of those living in the Tuscarora Valley. From 1756 to 1761 the settlers were frequently driven to it for protection, but in the words of Robert Robison, " from 1761 to 1763 there was com- parative quiet and security from the incursions of the Indians."
Incidentally, in this connection, may be men- tioned the massacre of the Woolcomber family in 1756, as no further record of the family can be found, neither can we locate their exact res- idence. Robison says they lived south of Sherman's Creek and not far from the fort. Woolcomber was a " non-resident " Quaker and would not be warned nor accept the protection of the fort. The family were dining when the savages entered the house, and when asked to cat replied that they were after scalps and not food. Woolcomber's son, a boy of fifteen, im- mediately ran out the back-door, but not before he saw the ernel tomahawk sink into his father's brain. The sercams of his mother, sisters and brothers rang in his ears as he rau. When he reached the fort, the brave Robisons soon col- lected a band of forty meu and started to avenge the dastardly murder, but as usual, the stealthy red-skins had escaped among the hills and mountains. The location of this massacre was south of the creek and probably not more than two or three miles from the fort. From the unuiber of volunteers, it can safely be con- jectured that the capacity of the fort was con-
siderable. Of this fort, traces yet remain. The tradition of the oldest inhabitants clearly locates it in the orchard back of Mr. Loy's honse aud not far from the high bank over- looking the stream.
In the old Coutre grave-yard, which adjoins this tract, the oldest stone is the one which marks the last resting-place of Martha Robison, who died December 10, 1766. As to her rela- tionship to the brave men described above, we can only conjecture, which pleasure is left to the indulgent reader. Whether the two brothers murdered on Buffalo Creek are buried here, history is also silent. It is, however, altogether probable that they are, and likewise Miss Miller, Mrs. James Wilson and the Widow Gibson, who were killed, as stated above, during the harvest of 1756.
Every foot of ground around this old frontier fort has likely been closely scanned by hostile Indian bands, searching for " signs" that would teach them when the opportune time had arrived to surprise the " pale-faced " garri- son. The imaginative reader can picture the terror-stricken faces of the families gathered within the walls of the old fort, and recall the accounts of atrocious murders related by the assembled settlers.
When this land passed out of the hands of the Robisous cannot be stated.
Captain Andrew Loy, the present owner of this tract, is a son of Nicholas Loy who, in 1820, was assessed for three hundred aeres in Toboyne. Nicholas had seven children by his first wife,-John, one of the first owners of Hench's tannery ; Samuel, now in Kansas ; Jacob, in the West; and William, in Clearfield County, the daughters of Nicholas Loy by his first wife were married to Win. West, Jacob Stroop and John Titzel, respectively. Captain Andrew Loy and George M., of Andersonburg, were children of his second wife, both of whom are extensive owners of valuable land in Madi- son township. Andrew Loy was first married to a daughter of lohu Wormley. Andrew Loy was married, the second time, to Am Eliza Linn, a granddaughter of Key. John Lim, identified with the early history of the Coutre Church. He has by her three sons and a
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danghter, and by his first wife three sons and two daughters living. Alexander Roddy took up land now owned by Moses Waggoner's heirs, who have, on the mother's side, an inheritance in this land. Alexander Roddy first settled in Tyrone on the John Stambaugh farm, where he erected a " cabin of poles" near the spring on the pienie-grounds. At this time, which tradi- tion says was before the purchase of the land from the Indians in 1754, he was a squatter, and as such, along with others, on complaint of the Indians, was several times driven out.
It is quite certain from various circumstances that he did not. remain long on the Stambaugh tract, but the strongest evidence that he had to- cated on the Waggoner tract as early as 1755 is the fact that in March of that year he is men- tioned as a joiner to a tract which was warrant- ed to a settler who had located land just cast of' the mill tract. He did not warrant the Wag- goner tract, however, until the 13th of May, 1763. This warrant was for " one hundred and forty-three acres, inchiding his improvement and adjoining John Byards (Byers), Geo. Rob- ison, Roger Clarke, James Thorn, William Officier, in Sherman Valley." This tract was surveyed on the 21th of October, 1765, by John Armstrong, the first surveyor of Cumber- land County. The fact that settlers often lived ou tracts for years without having a warrant is well settled ; but in order to convince the du- bious the following note by Secretary Peters, attached to the warrant of James Thorn, a neighbor of Roddy's on the east, and granted on the 22d of April, 1763, says: " The land for which this warrant (James Thorn) is granted, having been settled upwards of nine years ago, the interest and Quit Rents is to commence from the Ist of March, 17544." This tract is owned by Briners. It cannot be proven the exact time when Roddy located his tract, but we can prove that he had created his mill already in March, 1763, by the fact that his "mill ruo" is mentioned as the boundary between Tyrone and Toboyne townships. This reference natur- ally compels the inference that he had been on his tract before he warranted it long enough to build a mill and dig a race, which latter mmst have been at least a quarter of a mile long.
The petition for the erection of Toboyne was presented to the Jannary sessions, 1763, in mid- winter; the deerce was granted in March, before ont-door work begins in this latitude; hence the mill was erected as early as 1762. It may have been, and likely was, erected carlier, maybe shortly after he settled on the tract, in 1755-56. The first mill was built of logs, on the site of the present stone mill, and was torn down early in the present century. Some of the logs from the old mill were used in the erection of a small log hon-e which stood on the Waggoner property until about fifteen years ago, when it was burned. This mill can justly claim to be the earliest in Sherman's Valley, and possibly Tuscarora Valley. In regard to the latter, there is a reliable family tradition that women rode on horseback from there, by way of Bealetown, to Roddy's mill and back again without any male company.
All the information here given in regard to the Roddy family was furnished by Mrs. Moses Waggoner, a descendant, whose excellent mem- ory, although she is a lady of seventy, has ena- bled us to give some interesting facts.
Alexander Roddy was a native of Chester County, and his wife was Mary, Candor, by whom he had the following issue: Mary, who married Robert Cree ; Rosanna, who married John Montgomery ; the boys were Alexander, Jr., Josiah, James, Samuel and John, born in the order named. Little is known of his sons, except that John was a soldier in the Conti- mental army, and died at Valley Forge. Mex- ander Roddy, Sr., for what reason is not known, went to Spartansburg, Va., where he died be- fore 1786, as at that date he is mentioned, among the adjoiners of a tract, as the " late Alex. Roddy." His son James became the owner of the mill, but it was sold from him by the sheriff' on the 20th of November, 1781, and Jas. More was the purchaser. On the 18th of January, 1798, James fryin bought it, but sold it, on the 27th of March of the same year, to Heury Rickard. On the Ilth of May, 1801, Rickard sold it to David Showers. Again it came nuder the sheriff's hammer, and this time Frederick Bryner became the purchaser. He built the present mill, and, in 1816, sold it to
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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
his son Henry. On the 2d of April, 1831, George Bryner, the excentor of Henry, sold it to William Miller, who sold it to JJacob Weibly and John Weidman on the 28th of February, 1837, and on the 29th of March, 1839, they sold it to Benjamin Waggoner, since which time it has been in the Waggoner name. Benjamin Waggoner died in 1850, and his heirs sold it to Moses Waggoner on the Ith of August, 1854, the same year the present large brick dwelling- honse was built.
Moses Waggoner, who died on this property in 1876, was a son of John Waggoner and Cath- arine Moses, and a grand-on of Jacob Waggoner, who came from Switzerland about 1740, and who owned the Waggoner's Gap farm, on the Cumberland side of the Blue Mountain. Jacob Waggoner had eleven children, -Elizabeth, who died in Landisburg in 1874, is the wife of John Rynard, but whose first husband was Daniel Brant; Jacob, who died in Newville in 1869; Catharine, who married David Heckerdorn, died 1811; John, who died in 1852; Mary, who died at Newville in 1847; George, of Lan- disburg, died 1872; Benjamin; William, who died in Illinois in 1871; Peter, living in Mis- souri; Henry, died in Indiana in 1835; Moses, the owner of the mill, was the youngest. His wife who is still living, was a daughter of Gil- bert Moon, whose wife was a Roddy, and in that way the old Roddy mill, after passing through many hands, is again in the possession of lineal descendants of its builder.
James Wilson joined Robison on the west, the farm being now owned by George Hench. An order of survey No. 965, and dated August 26, 1766, was found, and from the description of it as written on the order, the limits of the farm toward the south and cast were more ex- tensive than those of the present farm. It calls for "two hundred acres in Sherman's Valley, on the west side of Alexander Reddy's mill rum, adjoining the lands of' Hugh Alexander and the Widow McCreary and Barren Hill and his other land, including his improvement, in 1763, in 'Tyboyne township."
James Wilson's wife was killed by the In- dians during the harvest of 1756, and probably while passing from her house to the fort, which
was in hailing distance. Alexander McClure bought this farm about 1820-24, and here his son, Hon. A. K. McClure was born, Madison township's most distinguished son. His posi- tion to-day at the head of the Times, one of the leading Philadelphia dailies, gives him an in- fluence at once far-reaching and effective, and a field for the display of his wonderful power as a reader of events, and for that incisive prac- tical philosophy which has made him famous. He spent his boyhood and youth in this neigh- borhood. His mother was Isabella, a daughter of Hon. Win. Anderson. Alexander McClure, sold thi- farm in 1850 to Sammel McCulloch, of Juniata County, who, after a few years' re-i- dence, was accidentally killed near Neilson's, in Centre township, while driving his team to market. His administrators sold the farm to George Hench in 1857, and he is the present owner.
John Byers' tract of three hundred and ten acres, warranted July 1, 1762, is now owned by Geo. Stroup. A John Byers took up the land of Jas. Adair's heirs and others, near Cis- na's Run, and he may have been the same per- son. About 1777, Rev. John Linn purchased this farm. He was born in 1749 in Adams Coun- ty and was fitted for college by Rev. Dr. Robert Smith, of Pequea, Lancaster County. He was graduated from Princeton College in 1773. HIe studied theology under Dr. Robert Cooper, of Middle Spring Church, in Donegal Presbytery, and was licensed in 1776. Hle came to Centre Church in 1777, and remained here until his death, in 1820. His wife was Mary Gettys, daughter of the founder of Gettysburg. He had seven children, his sons being Samuel, James, John, William and Andrew, and his daughters were Anna and Polly. Samuel settled in Lan- disburg as a cabinet-maker and was a justice of the peace. He died in 1842. James was born Sep- tember 1, 1783, and, after his graduation from Dickinson College, was licensed by the Presby- tery of Carlisle on the 27th of September, 1808, and was installed as pastor of the Presbyterimm Church of Bellefonte and Lick Run April 17, 1810, which congregations he served until his death, in 1839, John was a farmer and died on a part of the mansion farm in 1857. Wil-
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liam and Andrew were also farmers and died on the mansion farm. Wm. Linn, Esq., of Landis- burg, and Mrs. Andrew Loy are children of Andrew. Annie married John Diven, who was the father of Jas. 1. Diven, of Landisburg. She died in 1838. Polly married Sammel Anderson, of landisburg. Rev. Juo. Linn died of typhus fever, caused by a cold contracted while return- ing from church. Ile was a farmer in addition to being a minister, and owned at his death large tracts of land. He had three sons,- Daniel, William and Andrew.
Andrew Loy now owns the lower farm of Rev. Linn. Hugh Alexander warranted three hundred and forty-four acres on the 3d of Feb- ruary, 1755, now the Bisler mill tract and a large portion of the farm owned by John Flick- inger's heirs. Alexander's tract was surveyed by George Armstrong in 1755. It is somewhat uncertain whether he came to Perry to live before 1757, although there is a tradition that his oldest child, Margaret, was born in Sherman's Valley in 1754, "and that in her childhood her parents fled several times from Sherman's Valley back to their old home, on the 'eastern -hore of Maryland,' from Indian raids and ro- turned to find their habitation burned." In 1752 he married Martha Edmiston, daughter of David Edmiston, of Cecil County, Md. This is no doubt the same David Edmiston who took out an order of survey, No. 1990, on the 27th of November, 1766, for three hundred aeres adjoining Hugh Alexander, and which is now owned by John Flickinger's heirs, John Bernheisel and others. David Edmiston died November 2, 1771, and never lived on this tract. About 1758 Hugh Alexander estab- lished himself permanently on his tract. He was a man of energy and intelligence, and was a member of the Provincial Conference, com- posed of delegates from the different countries of Pennsylvania, which assembled in Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, on the 18th of IInne, 1776. Ile was the representative of Cumberland County in the convention which met in the same hall on the 15th of July, 1776, and fimned the first Constitution of Pennsylvania. Hle was also a member of the first Legislature, called in pursuance of this Constitution, which
met in Carpenter's Hall on the 28th of Novem- ber, 1776. Ile died in Philadelphia while a member of this Assembly, in March, 1777, and was buried there. "Ile was a tall, strong, dark-haired man and had no fear about him." That he was a man of ability is evident from his being selected as a representative from Cumber- land County in those carly Assemblies. The honor of his work justly belongs to Madison township, Perry County, of which he was one of the earliest settlers. His children by his first wife, Martha Edmiston, were Margaret, John, Mary, David and Hugh. By a second mar- riage to Mrs. Lettice Thompson, about 1773, he had a son James and twins, William and Emily.
Margaret Alexander was born in 1754, and married, in 1772, John Hamilton, who may have been the same John Hamilton in whose name a large portion of Dr. S. M. Tudor's land and the adjoining farm of the heirs of Henry Kepner was warranted. On the death of Hugh Alexander, in 1777, his land was appraised, " in pursuance of an order of the Orphans' Court, at and for the sum of seven hundred and eight pounds, eleven shillings and nine pence beyond the costs and expenses of valuation," and the other heirs relinquishing their right of taking the same, "John Hamilton intermarried with Margaret Alexander, one of the children of said intestate, and accepted and received in the said Orphans' Court the said real estate." Hamilton held this property subject to the widow's dower until his death, in Harrisburg, in 1793, but only lived on it for a few years. For further account of John Hamilton, see sketch in Walker township, Juniata County.
Mrs. Margaret A. Hamilton, a " handsome and wealthy widow thirty-five years of age, with six minor children," in two years after the death of her first husband, John Hamilton, married Andrew Mitchell, by whom she had two children. Her second husband dying, she was again left a widow, and so remained until her death at " Fermanagh," on the Juniata, December 22, 1835, just eighty-one years from her birth in Madison in 1753. She is buried in the Pre-by- terian church-yard at Mifflintown, Juniata County. Most of her descendants are in Har-
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