History of the County of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 92

Author: George Dallas Albert, editor
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DR. JOHN DAVIDSON MILLIGAN. - The great- grandfather of Dr. Milligan, John Milligan, emi- grated from the Highlands of Scotland to America in the early part of the last century, and settled in Chester County, Pa. He here married a Miss Mary Adams, a lady of the New England Adams family. He was a miller by occupation, and owned a mill and carried on his business at his place of location in the early part of the Revolutionary war. Being in sym- pathy with the cause of the colonies, he secretly and in a clandestine manner from time to time arranged that the Continental army should get rations of his flour. Being suspected in this he was in danger from the British at the time they occupied Philadelphia and the southeastern portion of the State. A de- tachment of the army sent for that purpose finally did destroy his mill, when he joined the army under Washington, and remained there till the close of the war. After the war he came to Westmoreland County, and took up the farm afterwards owned and occupied by Col. Israel Painter, known as "the Willow Tree Farm." He afterwards removed to and occupied the farm still in the possession of some of his descendants, situated west of Bell's Mills, Sewickley township, Westmoreland Co. On this farm he died. Before his death he held for a number of years the com- mission of justice of the peace.

He left issue,-John, Alexander, and James C., of whom the latter was the grandfather of Dr. Milligan, and who was born in 1790. He married Deborah Eckels, a native of the county, of Scotch extraction. He was a farmer and carpenter, and occupied a por- tion of the Bell's Mills tract, upon which he still, with his wife, resides in vigorous old age. His family are David, Mary, James M., Margaret, George, and Ellen. James M., the father of Dr. Milligan, was born on the 1st of January, 1819, and was married to Elizabeth Davidson, daughter of Samuel Davidson, in the fall of 1849. The issue of this marriage were John Davidson, Rosetta, Sarah, and Harry.

John Davidson Milligan was born July 31, 1851, within a short distance of where he is at present located as a physician. He spent his boyhood on the

farm of his father until he was seventeen. During this time he enjoyed no further benefits of schooling than were common to the boys of his locality at that time. But having advanced as far in his education as the facilities of the common schools allowed, he prosecuted his higher studies, including the classics, under competent private tutors. In his eighteenth year he creditably sustained an examination by the county superintendent, and received a certificate to teach. He taught two terms in succession, and still pursuing his studies became a student and graduate, July 17, 1872, of Iron City College, Pittsburgh, Pa. Afterwards he again taught school in the same build- ing in which he had first gone to school. About this time he took up the study of medicine under the direction of Dr. Lewis Sutton, a practicing physician at Mendon, this county, and in 1874 attended a course of medical lectures at the Western Reserve Medical College, Cleveland, Ohio. From this institution be went to New York City, where he remained until he completed his course, and where, on March 1, 1876, he graduated from Bellevue Hospital Medical College. Returning home, he remained with his preceptor during the summer of 1876, and in October of that year again went East. On this trip, October 2d, he was married to Mrs. Martha J. Pinkerton, daughter of the late Col. Joseph Guffey, of Sewickley town- ship, Westmoreland. The marriage ceremony was performed in the Pennsylvania Room at Mount Ver- non, amid a throng of travelers, by the Rev. Mr. In- gersoll, of Washington City.

Returning to New York, Mr. Milligan remained there during the closing session of that academic year, occupying his time in the study of clinical medicine and surgery in special, together with all available subjects incidental to the curriculum of the profes- sion. After properly qualifying he returned to Mad- ison, this county, in March, 1877, where he located to pursue the practice of the profession of his choice. Here his attention to business, clear conception, and honesty of purpose soon opened out to him a field of practice second to none in this county. Soon after locating at Madison he became a member of the Westmoreland County Medical Society, and in 1878 was delegated to Pittsburgh to the meeting of the State Medical Society, of which he became a perma- nent member.

It might be expected that it would be said that Dr. Milligan is still a devoted student, and so he is. He has devoted much time and study to the treatment of infantile and puerperal convulsions, and is at present preparing a work on that subject, together with clin- ical reports on all kinds of eclampsy.

The Centennial year was one long to be remem bered by Dr. Milligan, for in that year he graduated from college, and in that same year was he married. The marriage ceremony was performed under pecu- liarly patriotic circumstances. On the 2d of October, 1876, he was united in the bonds of wedlock to Mrs.

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JA. Milligan MIR.

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L. L. Sutton

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Martha J. Pinkerton, daughter of the late Col. Joseph Guffey, of Sewickley township, this county, at Mount Vernon, in the Pennsylvania room, in the midst of a throng of travellers, by the Rev. Mr. Ingersoll, of Washington City. This wedding ceremony was an impromptu one, and was hastened on under circum- stances which, the doctor says, were patriotic as well as romantic.

Dr. Milligan is regarded as one of the foremost citizens of his community. He has filled all the offices of the borough corporation, and been selected school director; offices it is true of no distinction to a man, but capable of being made of some distinction by a man.

The Milligan family has always been consistent Whig or Republican; and in politico-clerical fields it has had one exponent well known in Western Pennsylvania. Rev. Dr. McLeod Milligan, pastor of the First Covenanter Congregation of Pittsburgh, is one of this family, and his eloquence and uncommon zeal are well known to Westmorelanders. Dr. Milli- gan has some reputation as a politician, having taken an active part in politics, and helping much to con- trol his party in local measures in this county.

The biographical sketch of Dr. Lewis Sutton, whose portrait accompanies this chapter, appears in the bio- graphical department of South Huntingdon town- ship.

CHAPTER XLV. COMMON SCHOOLS.

Condition of Early Instruction in the Early Province and State-Mr. Somerville's School at Greensburg-Country Schools - First Insti- tutes - The Superintendency and the Opinion of the, last Genera- tion touching it-First Country Schools in the North of the County- List of County Superintendents : J. S. Walthour, H. M. Jones, J. Sil- liman, J. R. Spiegel-Present Status of the Common Schools-The County Institute of 1881.

IT is not possible for us to trace up a satisfactory history of the school system in this portion of the State from its settlement, as we have no data to work from. This want will doubtless be supplied by the publica- tion of the "History of the Common School System of Pennsylvania," now in preparation by Mr. Wicker- sham, late Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Some interesting observations on the early school system of the State may, however, be obtained in Lodge's " History of the English Colonies in Amer- ica," chap. xiii. We make room for a passage :

"The Germans, as a rule, were far behind the English in point of in- formation, although they produced some distinguished men, like Ritten- house and Muhlenberg; and the same held true of the Swedes and Dutch, and in a less degree of the Irish. The German and Swedish pastors made great efforts to remedy this state of affairs by establishing schools in connection with the churches, but they met with little suc- cess. The Scotch and Irish Presbyterian clergy, more active and more seslous, fared better, and did good work with their country schools, known at this time as 'log colleges.' But the general condition of

education in the rural districts was wretched in the extreme. School- houses were few and small, and radely built of logs, and even these did not begin to appear much before the middle of the eighteenth century. The barest rudiments only were taught, and those badly and for small fees. There was little learning, loose order, and much whipping every- where. There was no public system of schools, and education was almost wholly in the hands of itinerant masters, who were frequently convicts and foreigners; and even they generally abandoned a profession where the fee of a scholar was only five shillings a quarter. The case was a little better in the towns, such as Wilmington ; but the educational efforts of the English, who were the governing race, seem, except in the case of private schools kept by individual clergyman, to have been con- fined to the capital."

We do not propose to give a biographical sketch of the life and public services of the race of defunct pedagogues in treating of this subject, any more than do we propose to make of the civil history of our county a gazetteer or directory. But the reader will readily perceive that we can illustrate any given sub- ject to better advantage by treating in detail a par- ticular branch or component part of it, and on this topic we recall a description of the "opening exer- cises" of the public school in Greensburg when Mr. Somerville was schoolmaster there, about 1830.

When the school opened Mr. Somerville passed around among the scholars taking down their names and ages, and examining the books which they had brought with them in which to pursue their studies. And here it may be premised that a series of very good readers had been compiled for the use of schools by the grammarian, Lindley Murray. They were named "The Introduction," "English Reader," and "Sequel." These readers were in common use, but after reading through them once or twice, boys were then allowed to read histories or the Holy Scriptures. On making inquiry about the books, one boy had brought Goldsmith's " History of Rome." Somer- ville said, "Let me hear you read." The boy read a few sentences, when the schoolmaster said, "Stop! take that home and bring an 'English Reader.'" The boy replied, " Why, sir, I have read the ' Eng- lish Reader' and 'Sequel.'" Somerville sternly ex- claimed, " Do as I bid you! Take that book home and bring the ' English Reader.'" Another boy had brought Grimshaw's " History of the United States." He was ordered to take it home and bring an " Eng- lish Reader." A third boy had brought the Bible. "Read a few verses," said the schoolmaster. The pupil read them. "Take that book home," cried the stern pedagogue, "and bring an 'Introduction.'" In short, he packed off Goldsmith, Grimshaw, Tytler, Plutarch, and the lives of Francis Marion and George Washington, and did not in his indignation spare even "King James' Translation of the Holy Scrip- tures." After repeated trials in reading he arranged all his scholars into three reading classes, known by the books they used, "Introduction," "English Reader," and "Sequel."

Somerville being an Englishman, and probably an usher in England, had gotten his ideas of order and system at home, and these he brought with him. He

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was generally regarded as ahead of his time, but this opinion we are bound to say was formed and promul- gated after he had left. In his teaching he appears to have laid much stress on reading, and evidently made an effort to teach the rudimentary branches well rather than hurry his pupils forward. In teach- ing reading he made his pupils read oftentimes the same sentence, that it might in the end be read cor- rectly in emphasis, articulation, and intonation. He would read aloud himself to teach them properly, and thus call their attention to their own defects.

To the shame of ridicule, he added the dread of chastisement. The public schools then, and long after, closed on Saturday at twelve o'clock. Every Saturday afternoon Mr. Somerville strolled into the woods, and returned with a number of long, two- handed rods, which he wore out on the backs of the pupils during the following week. The parents had too much good sense to object, and indeed those mostly who wished their children to succeed at school imagined they made more rapid progress. With Solomon they were orthodox, and held that " to spare the rod was to spoil the child."

All the boys who were advanced beyond a spelling- book used the dictionary of John Walker, which they were required or expected to study every day. Be- sides the ordinary method of teaching arithmetic, Mr. Somerville was among the first to arrange his pupils in classes and give instruction in mental and oral calculation. For a small compensation he, as all worthy teachers of his day, performed a great amount of labor. Blank paper and goose-quills were used in learning to write, and the schoolmaster had to set all the copies and make and mend all the pens. Thirty or forty copy-books had to be written in every day, and thirty or forty pens put in order. The school- master had often to remain after hours or go before school-time in order to get through with his irksome daily labor.

And such, we take it, does not inaptly answer for a description of the manner in which the schools of the towns were in those days conducted. In the country schools, where the people were poorer, the roads bad, and the settlements scattered, the facilities for com- mon schools were greatly inferior to those we have in- dicated. To the public spirit and the influence of good citizens and men in nearly every locality the common people of the remote districts were indebted for all the advantages they possessed, such as they were.

The qualifications of the "masters" who taught these schools were not high. Besides teaching spell- ing, reading, the Ten Commandments, and ciphering as far as the double rule of three, they were to show the youngsters how to sharpen quill-pens, and be able to cudgel the biggest and worst boy in the district. A successful pedagogue for a term of years might hope to be made a justice of the peace after many years' service. If he could survey or clerk between times he could make a living.

The following personal reminiscence of Col. John Bonnett, who lived between Laurelville and Mount Pleasant, preserves some information which we cannot afford to lose. Col. Bonnett was of French descent, of Huguenot extraction, and his only daughter was the wife of Dr. David Marchand, father of the Greens- burg family of Marchands. He was a man of ster- ling integrity, noble and generous-hearted, esteemed and respected by all who knew him, plain and unosten- tatious in his manners, but when roused had all the fire and flash of a Frenchman. His wife was a strong- minded woman of rare good common sense. They were known and generally called by the kindly name of "Uncle and Aunt Bonnett." One of his kind and generous acts probably eighty years ago or more (1800), was to set apart a plot of ground on one corner of his large plantation on which to erect a school-house, which was built by the neighbors throwing together, contributing largely towards it himself. This school-house, which was built about a mile east of Mount Pleasant, along the turnpike, served the community for many long years within a radius of five or six miles, and from a recollection extending over fifty years, was the only institution of learning there known. Quite a number from Mount Pleasant attended school there, of whom but few are now living. So celebrated was that old log school- house for the schools held in it, church and other meetings, that the late Daniel Shupe had it pho- tographed by A. N. Stauffer, of Mount Pleasant, be- fore it was torn down, and had a walking-cane made from one of the timbers. In those days the schools were supported by subscription,-no pay schools at that time,-and it was common to have a winter school for the larger ones, and' a summer school for the smaller pupils. For the benefit of the smaller pupils, Col. Bonnett planted along the road opposite the school-house two rows of cherry-trees of different varieties, two or three of which are yet standing as monuments of his noble generosity. He lived to see them grow up and bear abundance of fruit to gladden the hearts of many a child. He seemed to live to impart good to others. The Bonnett farm is now known as the William Barnhart, Sr., farm.

In the Gazette for March 25, 1825, is the following communication, which is of interest, as it reflects the public sentiment at that time on the matter of popular education.

A correspondent writes us, so the editor says, from Rostraver township, in this county, as follows :

"MR. EDITOR,-It is requested that you would publish in your paper that the citizens of Rostraver township at their township election-ground agreed unanimously, by a publick vote, not to elect schoolmen for muld township."

The editorial comments upon this bit of informa- tion were in the following order :

" At an election in this borough fifteen votes were given for school- men. No previous notice, agreeably to the school law, was given by the inhabitants. We know of no law or act of any legislative body so un-

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popalar as this law has proven to be in this county. At the election in Hempdeld township a scene of confusion and tumult occurred which is represented as having been frightful. A person who witnessed part of it states that if any advocate of the school law had openly avowed himself as rach he would have been literally torn to pieces. Expressions to this effect were uttered by several persona.

" Disorder on occasions of this kind is generally confined to a few in- dividuals who drink too freely, but in this instance it Is not a little our- prising to find a great majority of the people present openly opposed to the adoption of any measure having the least relation to the law in question. A greater number of persons were present than ever congre- gated at the same place before.

"In Unity township, and, indeed, in every other township from which we have heard, a very decided dieapprobation of the provisions of this law was manifested by the people. What could have produced such an unanimity of opinion upon the subject it is difficult for us to conjec- ture."

FIRST INSTITUTES.

At the June meeting, 1853, of the Westmoreland County Teachers' Association, John H. Hoopes, S. P. Shryock, and S. W. Greer were appointed a com- mittee to prepare an address to the teachers and parents of the county on behalf of the association. The committee thereupon prepared and published in the county papers in July, 1858, the address, the opening portion of which is here given :

"During the session of the 'Conemangh Teachers' Institute' at Blaireville, Indiana Co., last October, a number of teachers from this county believing it high time to form a County Teachers' Association, held a meeting preliminary to such an organisation, A committee was appointed to draft a constitution, and another to publish a ' call' for a meeting at New Alazandris on the 21st of November. Unfortunately this committee called the meeting for the 24th of December, and when the time (as fixed upon by the preliminary meeting) arrived only about twenty-five teachers were in attendance. These believing it proper to proceed to business, organised by adopting a constitution and electing officers, styling their organization as the ' Westmoreland County Teach- ers' Association.' After a spirited meeting of two days the association adjourned to meet at Madison on the 24th of June following. Those present believed that the most serious obstacles in the way of forming . union had now been removed, and that the meeting in June would be . joyous gathering of all the teachers in the county.

" The 24th of June came; timely notice in the public papers had been given of the meeting to be held on that day, and only eight teachers were in attendance. We confess it is with regret we publish this fact, but it is even so, that of more than two hundred professing teachers in this county only sight were interested enough to meet and consult together concerning the interests of their profession and for the welfare of those under their care. We are aware that the time was not the most favor- able, being just at the commencement of harvest; but, making all due allowances, we think at least one hundred teachers might have been in attendance. Even that number would have been a poor representation of the county, but would have added permanency to the association."

This statement of facts gave opportunity and occa- sion for the committee to describe at length the pecu- liar relations existing between the teacher and the people, and to deprecate the apathy of the profes- sional instructors and their lack of enterprise and gression. A very eloquent and hearty appeal was made to the regular teachers to induce them to organ- ize, first in township associations, and again more especially in a county association, and it was asserted, with great truth, that whenever they should do so the body of the people, and especially the friends of pop- ular education, would come out and boldly and not timidly co-operate with them and assist them in their labors and in their efforts to elevate the standard of their honorable profession.

The parents were specially requested to urge upon the teachers to effect local organizations, and to visit the schools. "There is," said the address, " too little visiting on the part of the parents; it is a duty you owe your children and their teachers; every good teacher will always welcome the parents of his pupils."

The announcement was then made that a special meeting of the County Association would be held at Adamsburg on the first Friday of September, and a stated meeting at New Salem on the last Friday of November, and that the "Conemaugh Teachers' In- stitute" for the instruction of teachers would meet at New Alexandria on the 24th of October, and con- tinue in session one week.

The common-school system, so far as regards its status in Westmoreland County, had in John H. Hoopes one of its most outspoken, ardent, zealous, and able friends and propagandists. Every move- ment in the interest of popular education was ably and warmly espoused and. advocated by him, and he had a very happy faculty of presenting all the argu- ments in a practical as well as in an interesting manner.

We think we do a favor to those who take an in- terest in this subject in recalling now some of his public expressions on the subject, which to the read- ers of that day were new.

The following is taken from one of his contribu- tions to the Greensburg Democrat, in the issue of Sept. 6, 1855. As it is a teacher's opinion and a teacher's reflex of public opinion, and so ably delin- eates the situation of his profession at that day, we cannot think that our time and space are lost in giving it :

" TEACHERS' INSTITUTE.

" At last weare to have a Teachers' Institute in Westmoreland, even in the town of Greensburg, and we do hope that our teachers e ma- jority of whom, for the first time, will have an opportunity of partici- pating in an institution established for their own benefit, and located in a central part of the county easy of access-will come up, enroll themselves as members, and take an active part in the proceedings.

"Teachers' Institutes in Pennsylvania are of recent origin, but were established as long since as 1840 in New England and Ohio. The object is to afford teachers an opportunity of assembling together and receiving instruction in the branches of education taught in public schools, and also in the theory and practice of teaching, the latter being an essential qualification to success, and one in which too many are sadly deficient.

" Another advantage is also derived from these meetings: teachers are thus afforded an opportunity of meeting together and exchanging views on & subject which should interest them more than any other. This alone is well worth the cost, and is of incalculable value. The teacher who has never yet met in association with his fellow-laborers and con- versed on the duties of his profession has but little idea of the informa- tion derived from much intercourse.

"During the summer of 1863, Messrs. J. M. McElroy and J. M. Bar- nett, assistant principals of Elder's Ridge Academy, and a few other enterprising teachers made arrangements for holding an Institute at Blairsville, at which place in October of that year a large number of the teachers of Westmoreland and Indiana Counties met and organized the 'Conemaugh Teachers' Institute.' Several distinguished educationalists from abroad were present as instructors, and after a spirited session of one week the Institute adjourned to meet at New Alexandria in October of the next year.

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History of the County of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 92

Author: George Dallas Albert, editor Publication date: Publisher: Number of Pages:

Author: George Dallas Albert, editor
Publication date:
Publisher:
Number of Pages: