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. 2 > Part 22
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. 2 > Part 22
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. 2 > Part 22
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. 2 > Part 22
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. 2 > Part 22
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PRESBYTERIAN-In 1832 a Presbyterian con- gregation was organized in the old log church at Laurel Run, with Nathaniel Todd as pastor. Mr. Todd at the same time taught in the Mif- flinburg Academy, and upon his quitting that business, and consequently removing from the valley, the congregation was without a preacher, and his place was never supplied. In 1812 G.
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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
W. Thompson, of New Berlin, preached at several points in the township, as Lanrel Run, White School-house, ete., and organized a con- gregation at Hartleton, which has had a con- tinned existence since that time.
MirnoDIST .- Occasionally the Methodist cir- enit-riders of Northumberland Circuit, on their way to or from Peut's Valley, would preach at IJartleton in the old school-house, but there does not appear to have been any regular preaching by the Methodists at any other point in the town- ship until about 1834 or 1835, when Henry Tarring, who was then preacher in charge on the Northumberland Circuit of the Baltimore Conference, commenced preaching at the White School-honse, and formed a small class there, of which William Reed and wife, Benjamin Good- lander and wife and John Lincoln and wife were members. The Methodist itinerants of' the Northumberland Cireuit continned to preach. at that place and also at a school-house which stood on the Penn's Creek road, below the fin- nace, umtil. in 1852, a piece of land was donated by John Lincoln and wife, on which a Metho- dist Church was erected, the same year, called Lincoln Chapel. There is also a burying- ground on the church property.
EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION .- The first preaching by the ministers of the Evangelical Association was done in the school-honses, and sometimes in private houses. In 1866 the school-honse on the turnpike west of John Dichl's was bought by members of the Evangelical Association, and has ever since been used as a preaching-place by the preachers of that associ- ation. In 1880 a church was built in "Tight End," on land of Andrew Hyronimus, along the public road, which is a union church and free for the use of all Protestant denominations, but has thus far been used almost exclusively by the Evangelicals.
The Dunkards also have a meeting-house near the old Kiester school-house and grave- yard, built in 1863 on land of John Showalter.
EARLY SETTLERS .- Many of the early set- tlers were tenants of Hartley, Maclay, Ship- pen and others who owned large bodies of land in the townships, but did not reside therein themselves, and many removed long ago to the
valleys of the Ohio and Mississippi. Of others nothing definite is known as to the place of their abode and subsequent history, and no men- tion of their names will be made in these notes.
Ingh Beatty lived north of Hartleton, where John Boyer has been living for many years. George Boop lived on the farm now owned by Benjamin Fry. He had a large family of sons and daughters (sixteen), some of whom moved to the West, and several of his sons and a legion of his grandchildren now constitute a part of the population of Hartley. John Boyer lived where Jacob Boop now lives; he moved West over fifty years ago.
Christian Brancher came from North- ampton County (now Lehigh) in 1810, and purchased the property that had been Wier- bach's at the time of the Revolution. He died there in 1812, aged eighty-four years, and left two sons, Jacob and George. The latter died in 1874 on the place where his father had set- tled, leaving sons,-John, David C. and Sam- uel E., all of whom are living in the townships and are successful farmers. He also left three daughters,-Polly, married to John Knerr, living near Lanrelton; Abigail, married to Daniel S. Smith, living on the old homestead ; and an older daughter, married to Henry Hoff- man, who, a few years ago, removed to Michigan. Jacob Brancher died in 1870, in his eighty- sixth year, without posterity.
John Brown came, in 1785, and lived on the farm now Bowersox's, on Penn's Creek, where he died in his seventy-second year. He is buried in the cemetery at Laurelton. He left a son Jolm, who died in 1846, in his sixty-first year, without posterity. Brown's school was named after him.
George Catherman owned the major part of the farm now Halfpenny's. The place where his cabin stood has for many years been plowed over ; a couple of old apple-trees still stand to point out its position. He left a large family ; many of his posterity still reside in the county. Jacob Catherman, a brother of George, lived where William Swengle now lives, and built the stone house still standing there. He had a large family and his descendants are almost like the sands of the sea in number.
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William Caldwell was the owner of the farm which during the Revolution belonged to John Shively, who was captured by the Indians and never heard of afterwards. In 1813 he sold it to John Fisher. This is the place where R. V. B. Lincoln, Esq., has resided for the last forty years.
George Coryell was a tenant on land of Ma- clay's ; he was a native of New Jersey and had served in the Revolutionary army until near the end of the war. He was a brother-in-law of Richard Van Boskirk, of Mifflinburg, and came to Buffalo Valley in 1793. He was ad- jutant of Colonel George Weirich's regiment in 1814. He was a carpenter by trade and built many houses and barns in Buffalo Valley. He made frequent removals from one place to an- other, and died in Western Pennsylvania about 1838. John B. Coryell, Esq., of Williamsport, is one of his grandsons.
John Copeland was a laborer who lived in one of the cabins of what was then called "Slabtown."
Philip Dale owned a large farm, on which was erected the first brick house in the town- ship ; he was a son of Christian Dale, who was one of the first settlers and prominent citizens of College township, Centre County. ITis farm has been divided into four farms, now owned by Henry Dorman, H. E. Smith, S. C. Shirk and S. E. Brancher.
In 1792 William Donglass was a tenant of Colonel Hartley's, afterward of Maclay's ; he moved West after the close of the War of 1812.
James Divens, a weaver, lived near Laurel Run Church and sundry other places in that neighborhood. Ilis posterity in the female line are still resident in the county.
Francis Douglass was an eccentric character of Scottish descent, who lived on a small lot near the mountain, now Mook's.
Ludwig Dorman owned the farm, now Cor- nelins Kaler's, on the south side of Pen's Creek, opposite to R. V. B. Lincoln's. His grandchildren, David, Henry and Samnel Dor- man, are residents and land-owners of Hartley ; other descendants of his are scattered through Union, Centre and Clinton Counties.
John Fisher lived on the farm immediately
west of Lincoln. He also had a distillery on his farm, the remains of which are still visible. He owned the three farms now owned by R. V. B. Lincoln. He was an enterprising man, and ran arks down the ereck and river to Baltimore, laden with flour, grain, whiskey and other pro- ductions of the country. His ventures in this line were not attended with success. He lost several whole cargoes of produce, which so crip- pled his resources that he was eventually forced to dispose of his landed estate. He removed to Illinois about 1838.
Peter Fisher was the father of John Fisher ; he built the first mill near the mouth of Laurel Run, on the bank of Pem's Creek, in 1797 (now Albright's).
Jolin Forster lived north of the turnpike, near the mountain, where he had a small saw- mill, all vestiges of which have long ago dis- appeared. He was a son of Major Thomas Forster, of the Revolution.
Jacob Frederick was a tenant on Lawyer Hall's farm, now and for many years owned by William Young. The Fredericks living north- west of Hartleton are his grandsons and great- grandsons.
Enoch Fry was an Irishman; he lived up the valley, near the present home of Jolm F. Cather- man. He owned the property now belonging to the children of Robert Miller, deceased. He, with all his family, moved West.
John Gerry was a tailor, who lived at Slab- town. Adam Getgen lived on the place after- wards known as John Fillman's, now Joseph Sanders'.
John Glover, Sr., was one of the first settlers in the township; he was born in Ireland in 1745 ; came to America in 1766; settled in Hartley in 1772 ; lived there with his wife and children, enduring the privations of pioneer life, until the time of the big runaway in 1778, when he left and did not return until 1789. Hle died in 1825; is buried in the Laurelton grave-yard. In 1801 he was taxed with one Have. John Glover, Jr., son of John Glover, was born near Winchester, Va., in 1782. Ile succeeded his father in the ownership of the farm. In 1822 he was appointed by Governor Heister a justice of the peace, and served in that
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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
capacity until the Constitution of 1838 removed him. He was in 1839 elected register and re- corder for Union County. He died in 1862, aged eighty years. His children were sons,- Andrew, William, John, George, Thomas, Robert V. and James; and one daughter, Sophia, married to Dr. Uriah Reed, of Jersey Shore, l'a. Of his sons, Andrew was appointed justice of the peace by Governor Rituer, in 1837. William was sheriff of Union County from 1837 to 18440 ; subsequently removed to Illinois, and there died in 1751. John lives on a small farm near Hartleton. Thomas went West; married there and died in Wisconsin. George became the owner of the old Glover home and part of the land, where he died in 1885. Robert V. has been engaged in the mercantile business at Hartleton for the last forty years, and James lives near Laurelton, on a part of the original Glover farm.
Abbot Green was the youngest son of Captain Joseph Green, who was a settler in the valley prior to the Revolution, and a prominent citizen in those stormy times ; at the time of his death he was living at a saw-mill on the south side of Penn's Creek, near the mouth of Weiker Run.
Here young Green grew to manhood, with very meagre educational advantages, in the spring of the year running arks and rafts down the creek and river. In 18! ! he was keeping a store in Hartleton. He subsequently removed to Lewisburgh and took contracts upon the public works then being constructed by the State. Among other works he built the dam across the Susquehanna River at Clark's Ferry, which for a long time went by the name of Green's Dam. In 1839 he was elected major-general of the Eighth Division of the Pennsylvania militia. He died in 1851, aged sixty-eight years. ITis sons were Joseph, Dr. G. W., Robert B. and John A. The first three erected the furnace in White Deer township called Forest Iron- Works, afterwards known as Kanfhman's. Of General Green's two daughters, the elder was married to Hon. John Walls, of Lewisburgh, the younger to John Guyer, an eminent preacher in the Methodist Church.
the Middleswarth farm and others and was the property of a non-resident owner, an English- man.
George Gwym's place now constitutesa part of the farm of Adam Musser ; the buildings were back of the buildings on the Musser place ; they have long ago been demolished.
Martin Heise was an carly settler ; he lived on the south side of Pem's Creek, nearly oppo- site to Lincoln's ; he died at a great age, some- where in the nineties.
Solomon Heise lived a little east of Knauer's mill, on the road to New Berlin, where the farm buildlings of George P. Ruhl now stand. Ile went back to Lancaster County, from which he originally came.
The Hendrickses all lived in the upper end of the valley (" Tight End"); they were lumber- men and raftsmen.
Ezekiel Jones, in 1804, bought out Thomas Frederick, whose name appears upon the assess- ment roll in 1782. The Frederick place was one of the earliest settlements west of Laurel Run. Jones was sneeceded by William Forster about 1831. Forster lived there until his death, in 1853.
Mrs. Mark Halfpenny, of Lewisburgh, Mrs. Dr. Scebold, of Hartleton, and Mrs. William (Judge) Whitmer, of Sunbury, were daughters of William Forster. William Forster, who still lives near the State College in Centre County, is his oldest son. His second son, Captain R. M. Forster, of the One Hundred and Forty- eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Volumteers, lost his life in the battle of Gettysburg.
Peter Kauffman lived where his great-grand- son Sanders now lives, in Lewis township.
Levi Jones lived on Shippen's lands. These lands extended along Penn's Creek from a short distance above Berlin Iron-Works to Thomas' saw-mill, a distance of nearly three miles. The farms of George Boop, Lewis Badger, Jo-iah Boop (deceased), Harrison Bingman, Daniel Horner, with other smaller lots, have all been taken from the Shippen domain.
Henry Kiester lived on the south side of Penn's Creek, oppo-ite to Albright's mill. After some years he removed bis mills to Penn';
Benjamin Gundy Eved where Henry Stitzer now lives; the tract was a large one, embracing | Creek, where the water-power was at all times
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abundant. His descendants are numerous and -till eling with the tenacity of life to the nar- row strip of rugged land between Penn's Creek and Jack's Mountain
John Kister (blacksmith) was a descendant of George Kiester. His farm is now owned by his son-in-law, Christian Schnure.
John Kiester (P. C.), was the owner of the place now known as the Berlin Iron-Works, where he had settled in 1792 and had a saw- mill and some land cleared and under cultiva- tion.
Peter Klingaman lived in the northern part of Lewis township in the neighborhood of where his descendants of the third and fourth generations still reside.
George Kleekner owned a few acres of land on Thorn Run, on the road leading from Lin- coln Chapel to the Pem's Creek road. Some of his posterity still reside in the county.
William Klockner was a brother of George and owned the place now owned by (, HI. Has- senplug ; his descendants still reside in the county.
Abraham Kleckner, Isaac Kleckner and John Klockner were brothers of George and William, above-named, but no relatives of the Kleckners who settled on the Captain Irvine tract, near Milllinburg.
Baltzer Klinesmith lived on the cast end of Paddy's Mountain, abont one and a half miles from Laurelton ; he was the son of the Baltzer Klinesmith who was killed by Indians in 1780, and the brother of the two Klinesmith girls who were taken prisoners at the time of the murder of their father. The buildings where Klinesmith lived have been allowed to tumble down and none have been erected in their stead. The land is owned by Mrs. J. N. Pontius.
James Madden and Joseph Madden were brothers, who resided in Hartleton. The former was, in 1817, appointed postmaster there, and in 1826 and 1827 elected member of the Legis- lature of Pennsylvania, in 1831 was appointed a justice of the peace, and in 1816 deputy sur- veyor of the county. He died in Hardleton in 1855.
James MeCally was a tenant farmer, who, in later years, lived for a long time on the Marlay
farm in Buffalo township, then owned by Gen- eral Abbot Green.
Joseph Miller, Sr., owned the land now con- stituting the farm of Frank Charles and the castern farm of James Glover. John Miller, Joseph Miller, Jacob Miller and Henry Miller were his sons. Jacob and John lefi the valley abont 1812. Joseph and Henry continued to reside in the township until their deaths. Joseph died in 1867, aged seventy-six years, and Henry died in 1874, aged eighty years.
Thomas Miller was a wagon-maker who lived in Hartleton. He was celebrated as a bear hunter. The front of his shop was ornamented or disfigured by a row of bears' paws nailed against the wall, extending across the entire front,-the trophies of his success as a bear hunter.
Peter Miller was the son of Sebastian Miller, who moved on Hartley's land, wear Swengle, in 1793. Ile had a saw-mill on the south side of Pom's Creek, where he lived many years. He died in 1872, in his ninety-second year. Andrew Miller, of Lewis township, is one of his sons.
Jonas Miller, a brother of Peter, lived ou land now owned by his son-in-law, John Showalter. The old buildings have all been demolished and new ones erected on an adjoin- ing property. Ile died from injuries received from an enraged animal which had been wounded in an attempt to slaughter it for beef. Of his sons, S. S. Miller and Jonas T. Miller reside in Laurelton. The place assessed in the name of John Orwig is the place now owned by Daniel Knauss.
The place assessed in the name of Thomas Pawley is the place now owned by Aaron Has- singer, formerly owned by Christopher Reif. While Reif was the owner he erected a foundry and other shops for the manufacture of a clover- hulling machine of his own invention. Mr. Reif sold his property after the War of the Re- bellion was over, and removed to Tennessee.
Conrad Paul was, in his day, the boss car- penter of the settlement ; nearly all the good barns built in his day were constructed by him. At the time of his death he owned the lot near to the Brown school-house, now owned by George Catherman, blacksmith.
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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
Michael Peters came from Lancaster County prior to 1796, and bought a large slice of the Hartley lands. His mansion was situated along the public road and turupike, being the first honse west of Hartleton. His purchase em- braced the Whitmer farm, the Elias Orwig farm, lots of R. V. Glover, the farm of Daniel Long and part of the farms of I. E. Smith and Henry Dorman. He started a tammery on his farm, and for a series of years continued the mannfacture of leather. The abandoned tan- nery has been turned into a dwelling, and is the home of John B. Smith. Mr. Peters had one son and two daughters. His son, also named Michael, after the death of his father, became the owner of the greater part of his father's land, and, after some years of a free-and-easy life, sold the property and removed to the neighborhood of Bellevue, Ohio, where he died. Of his daughters, the oldest married Jolm Wilt, and after his death she married Cornelius Pell- man ; the younger was the first wife of Daniel Beckley, ex-sherifl' and prothonotary of North- umberland County.
Calvin Preston was a millwright who lived at different points in the township, but mostly in the neighborhood of Lanrel Run. He had a son Inther, who followed the same avocation that his father did, and assisted in building the mill at Laurelton, in 1839, and soon afterward went West.
Peter Rote was a son of George Rote, who lived on the land now occupied by the lower end of Mifflinburg. Peter was the father of Captain John Rote, who lived in the upper end of the valley, and was a successful farmer. The captain had a terrible hatred of Indians, and the sight of one invariably aroused his ire. His uncle and aunt had been captured by Indians at Mifflinburg, but in course of time got back to their home. On one occasion, while attending a show in which some real Indians were per- forming, he was with difficulty kept from en- tering the arena and engaging in a conflict with them. He died, leaving; a large family of child- rett, come of whom, and their descendants, are at the present time residing in various parts of the county.
Narrows, and had a tavern, mill and distillery there (see Hartley township).
Henry Royer lived where Abraham Hufnagle now lives, and at other places in the township, and spent the evening of his life in Hartleton. Mrs. George Dale, Mrs. Samuel Hartman and Mrs. Jesse Williams are his daughters.
John Shively was one of the sons of Christian Shively, who settled near White Springs, in Limestone township, before the Revolution. He lived on the farm now belonging to Jacob Klose, along Penn's Creek, in Lewis township.
Henry Shoup had a carding and fulling-mill, distillery, etc. This is the place afterwards known as Huntington's. All vestiges of the distillery have long since disappeared; the card- ing and fulling-mill has been abandoned, the dwelling-house burned down by accident and not rebuilt, and the old log barn is fast erumb- ling away.
John Thomas kept a store and tavern in Hartleton, where Daniel Long now lives.
George Weikert owned the farm afterwards known as Goodlander's; he sold out and moved to Ohio ; his name is perpetnated in Weiker Run and the post-office of Weikert.
Jacob Weiker was a brother of George ; he lived across the creek from George's, at the saw-mill formerly Green's, more lately Mars- ton's.
John Wilson was the son of Peter Wilson and Jane Gilbreth, who removed from York County into Buffalo Valley before the Revolu- tion, and retired with the great runaway of 1778. In the assessment of 1775 he is assessed with thirty aeres of land cleared, two horses and two cows. "He returned after the war, and Jolin married Nancy Forster, a daughter of Cap- tain Joli Forster, of Buffalo township. They lived for some years on the old Hayes farm (of late Strickler's), about two miles west of Mifflin- burg, and afterwards moved upon Hartley's land, and thence, about 1815, to Hartleton. He was commissioned a justice of the peace in 1813, by Governor Simon Suyder. He died in 1836, aged seventy years. His wife died in 1852, aged eighty-five. Their children were Jane, married to Jobu Ray, the first sheriff of Union
Henry Roush lived at the Penn's Valley | County; James, died in Philadelphia; John F.,
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for a long time a leading citizen of the conuty, a resident of Hartleton, county commissioner trom 1832 to 1835, died in 1859, aged sixty- six years; Mary, married to Simon Shaffer, who, along with Robert P. Maclay, represented Union County in the Legislature of Pennsylvania at the session of 1833-31 (one of their sons, J. Wilson Shaffer, was a stable boy at the Berlin Iron-Works abont 1815. He moved West and entered the war for the Union, served on the staff' of General Butler and retired from the war at its close with the rank of brigadier-general, and in 1869 he was appointed by President Grant Governor of Utah, and died while in the discharge of the duties of that office in 1871); Peter Wilson, for the last sixty years living at Spring Mills, Centre County, Pa ; William, died in Illinois many years ago; Alexander, died in Marietta, Pa .; Naney, living in Hartle- ton ; and Dorcas, married to J. Boude Barber, of Illinois, now deceased.
Leonard Smith owned the place now D. O. Bower's, where he had a saw-mill ; Melchior Smith, a brother, had a hemp-mill on Laurel Kun; they lived on adjoining farms, are both sons of Melchior Smith, a German, who had settled there in 1792. Their posterity still reside in and about Laurelton.
John Spigelmyer bought some of the Hartley lands and settled where Swengle Station and post-office now are, in 1802 (see Lewis town- ship).
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John Stitzer was a blacksmith at the cross- roads where J. S. Halfpenny now lives, in lewis township. John Stitzer, Jr., who lived in Mifflinburg for many years, and kept hotel at the stand now Deekard's, was one of his sons. Another son was David Stitzer, who was also a blacksmith, and carried on the smithing busi- ness in connection with keeping a tavern at the cross-roads above-named. Contiguous to this tavern was the farm of George Catherman. Stitzer's landed possessions gradually increased it- those of the adjoining farmer decreased, until the tavern-keeper had obtained all the fields of the neighboring farmer. The old tarm buildings were torn down and no vestige of' them remains. David Stitzer succeeded Henry Roush at the foot of the Penn's Valley
Narrows and kept a tavern there until he died, in 1867, aged seventy-one years.
Adam Wilt came from Cumberland County in 1799; his father had bought the Narrows property of Michael Shirtz a short time before. Wilt kept tavern and owned the mill there for some years, until he was succeeded by Henry Roush, about 1812 or 1813. He was also a surveyor, and in 1813 was appointed a justice of the peace by Governor Snyder. He was noted for his skill and dexterity in running an are, and is said to have been the first man who took one successfully through the Conewago Falls. After leaving the Narrows he resided on his farm until 1826, when John Lincol became the owner thereof, and Wilt moved to Hartleton, where he died in 1830.
Jolin, Samuel C. and David C. Wilt were three of his sons. The first-named married the oldest daughter of Michael Peters, and lived on and cultivated the farm now Whitmer's. He was considered a model farmer in his day ; was elected a justice of the peace and served as such ; also was county commissioner from 1849 to 1852 ; as one of the county commissioners, he subscribed two hundred thousand dollars to the stock of the Susquehanna Railroad Company, which cansed a great furor in the county. This subscription was the occasion of the convening of the largest publie meeting ever held in New Berlin. Mr. Wilt died in 1858, fifty years old. Samnel C. Wilt lived the greater part of his life in Hartleton, was for many years a justice of the peace, and was killed in 1882 by a fall from a pear-tree in his yard. Daniel C. Wilt is a resident of Millheim, Centre County.
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