Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 39

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930

USA > Pennsylvania > Indiana County > Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I > Part 39

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Landing the remaining part of the wounded now commenced, and there was at least forty two-horse wagons loaded with these unfor- tunate men. Their sufferings in this mode of conveyance appeared to be dreadful, and their groans distressing. I was now attacked with a high fever and violent headache, and had to give up my musket and knapsack and take a seat in the wagon, but the jolting al- most deranged me. I then attempted to walk, but finding my strength failing, and being behind our regiment, I lay down in front of a house in despair, not caring what became of me. The regulars passing at this time one of their officers, seeing me, assisted me to rise, and made one of his soldiers support me for a short distance. I then felt better, and able to walk without support. It was now dark.

Coming to the house at Chippewa, I found We came to a wash house opposite the village Thomas Poe lying on a blanket. He reached his hand to me and told me that he was mor- tally_wounded ; that he had but a few moments to live, and told me that he wished to be ferent companies and we all lay down on the buried on the American side of the river.

of Black Rock, and I went into it. The night was cloudy, and appearance of a storm. There were a number of stragglers from dif- floor, and I soon fell asleep, but an affray of the regulars "with some men soon ordered us out. He sent some of his men to conduct me to the meadow where our company was.

to lie down in a high fever, just as the rain began to come down in torrents. This, of all

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

nights I had ever spent, was the most dread- day was able to walk about though very ful. weak.

In the morning I found myself lying in the water two inches deep. I was so weak that I could scarcely walk. The day before, I had given my messmates my canteen, which was full of French brandy. My first thought was to get it, and determined to drink as much of it as I could, but fortunately for me my comrades had disposed of it themselves.

I now went with company to Fort Erie. This was a small fort of sods, in which were several men at work, digging and carrying sods to raise the fort higher, and repair bastions.

My messmates insisted on me going across the river until I got better. An application was made to General Porter, and I crossed to the United States, after having been in Canada nearly two months.

I went to the hospital, and Lieutenant Dick, Peter Keefer, William Edwards and myself got a tent by ourselves. Some time passed, when the British crossed the river, and at- tacked a small body of Kentucky riflemen.

The main body being at Fort Erie, we left Buffalo and went about two miles to an In- dian town, belonging to the Seneca Indians, who had removed to another about two miles left me. This he ordered to be taken from me. from this, which also belonged to them. The situation of the first mentioned village was pleasant, the houses of one story, and in a straight line, about sixteen feet square, with a porch in front the length of the house. A beautiful meadow, orchard, and small fields of wheat surrounded the village. There ap- peared to be about twelve acres of cleared land. The Indians had left this village a short time before, in consequence of some of their people catching the smallpox; they, suppos- ing that it belonged to the village, left it with all their furniture, and rush mats, which was their bedding.

Staying here one night and part of a day, we learned that the danger was over. The British, 1,100 strong, attempted to cross a small creek. The riflemen had thrown up a breastwork of logs within point blank shot of the ford, and being excellent marksmen and retired veterans, the British found it no easy matter to cross the creek, and after several ineffectual efforts, re-embarked, after having lost three hundred killed and wounded. The rifle regiment lost but few, being protected by their breastwork.

The hospital was intended for the sick and wounded of Porter's brigade. The superin- tendent and his assistant were from the Pennsylvania regiment. I suppose there might have been sixty of us here generally, though I never saw the list. There was one who had charge of the medicine chest, and like all quacks was, in his own opinion, an excellent physician. Dr. Mady, the surgeon of the Pennsylvania regiment, generally at- tended us once a day, examined the patients, and left his directions with the Irishman who gave each one his portion of medicine, but he soon began to enlarge, and took the liberty of differing from his employer, and as he distributed he gave what he thought would effect a cure. Going to him one morning for Peruvian bark, he felt my pulse and began to talk very gravely of giving me something else. I told him I would go by the direction of the physician. He insisted. I then told him that he knew nothing about medicine, was an impostor, etc. He said but little more, but in the course of the day let me know the consequences of my hasty expressions. I had still kept the tent after my companions had As I did not choose to go into the sick room, he let me know that I might find lodgings where I pleased. I took quarters in the jail in Buffalo, which was used at that time as a storehouse.

The noise of repairing old muskets, firing, etc., at this place, almost distracted me with the headache. Lieut. Dick procured boarding for me at the house of a respectable widow, named St. John, three miles from Buffalo. Her husband had died some years before, and left her five children to support. They had some property in Buffalo, where they had kept a tavern, but during the preceding win- ter the British destroyed it all except one small frame house, which they left her. I re- ceived all the kindness I could ask. Our life was economical in the highest degree, and I believe was a great means of restoring my health. In a few days I visited Buffalo and saw such of our company as were in the hos- pital. I had the company of Major Wood and Adjutant Kean, a New Yorker, and I soon began to feel at home.

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD IN INDIANA

COUNTY [By an Official]

My companions now left me. The phy- sician said my disease was dumb ague. I had Although the subject of human slavery had high fever through the night, but during the occupied the minds of the people greatly

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

hitherto, it was not until the year 1840 that doubtless be interesting to many who were in public attention was called to the matter in life then, and cannot be devoid of interest to this vicinity in a way to cause careful and the generation which have succeeded, and to considerate deliberation. About this period whom the workings of this road will be en- tirely new. meetings commenced to be held in school houses to consider the evil, and it became a matter of discussion pro and con at public assemblages of the people. The agitation of

The fugitive slave law, enacted especially for the protection of slaveholders, imposed severe penalties upon any person known to the question of slavery met with the most de- give aid or comfort to the fleeing slave. Men termined opposition from many good people, of means and property were, in many in- and at the same time was arrayed in its stances, deterred by this law from openly favor those base elements of society always giving aid to fugitives. Dr. Mitchell had found upholding the wrong against the right. been convicted of harboring runaways, and At the period alluded to, several meetings been muleted in such heavy damages and costs were held in what was known as MeMullen's as to seriously embarrass him. The United schoolhouse, in Center township. Among the speakers who addressed these meetings in States courts, whose jurisdiction extended over infractions of the fugitive slave law,

opposition to slavery were Ephraim Carpen- were extremely proslavery, and to gain favor ter, William Henry, James Moorhead and Dr. with the Southern owners were ready to bow Mitchell.

to their behests, and the slave power was so The seed sown by these pioneers of free- dom fell upon good ground and brought into the ranks of the "abolitionists" such well- known and well-remembered men as Hon. Joseph Campbell, John Allison, Sr., Alex. far-reaching and widespread that to oppose it was to incur social ostracism and political death. The rulings of the courts, conse- quently, were often one-sided and partial, and it was mainly through fear of not ob- McMullen, John Lytle, John B. Allison, taining justice that the abolitionists organ- James Hamilton, John Adair, A. C. Hall, John Ewing, J. R. Smith, and many others more or less prominent at that day in that neighborhood. Meetings in other localities rapidly followed, and the ranks of the ad- vocates of the oppressed were swelled by the addition of hundreds - John Graff, John Ewing, John Ellis, John and Alexander Sutor being among the. number. The Rev. David Blair then had congregations in Indiana, Conemaugh and West Lebanon, and his de- nunciations of the sin of slavery were con- stant, and the influence of his preaching was greatly felt in the accession of good men to the cause. ized the "Underground Railroad." Many of the slaves fleeing from bondage lived along the border counties of Virginia, and always traveling by night, and guided by the north star, their route led them through this county on their way to Canada. Once on the shores of Canada the slave stood in no awe of his master; but this was not the case within the States or Territories of the Union. In day- light the fugitives sought concealment in the thick woods or underbrush, and at night pur- sued his lonesome and toilsome journey to- wards the polar star, which to him was the beacon of hope and a ray of light which meant liberty.

A paper published in Washington, D. C., entitled New Era, was circulated extensively through the county, and its influence aided in extending the work and increasing the ardor of the opponents of slavery.

In a few years from the commencement of the agitation there was no section of the country where the abolitionists were not rec- ognized as a power, and while the members shore. The runaways were furnished with

of the party challenged debate on the subject and lost no opportunity of presenting their views, they at the same time were not slow to avail themselves of opportunities to give practical assistance to the objects of their solicitude. For this latter purpose, what was then known as the "Underground Railroad" was organized. A description of this will

The town of Indiana and the surrounding hills (then nearly all thickly wooded) was a great "depot" on the road. As soon as the presence of the fugitive was made known to the railway officials, he was taken in charge and piloted to the next station, and there delivered to the care of another "conductor," and so on until safely passed to the Canadian

food, and frequently with raiment, it being sometimes the case that they were destitute of garments. The pursuers were often close at hand, and in some instances were in the town before the train had started. Many hairbreadth escapes were made under such circumstances. One instance I recall to mind will illustrate this. At one time four or five

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

stout negroes were discovered on Caldwell's neighbors knowing nothing of the work dur- (now Gomfer's) hill, in sight of town. They

ing the watches of the night. I may as well remained there one entire day, and at dark state that the slave-hunters were informed it was deemed desirable to have them removed by some sympathizer that the negroes had been seen in the evening going in the direc- tion of Hamilton's. At two o'clock next morning the barn was surrounded by slave- catchers and carefully searched, but they were about thirty minutes too late. They were satisfied by their investigation that the ne- groes had been there. to Hamilton's barn, a mile distant. This was safely accomplished. They were given much needed food, and after eating were secreted among the hay and straw to gain rest and sleep. About eleven o'clock that night the writer heard a faint tap at the door of his house, in Indiana. Upon opening the door and peering into the darkness, I dis- They remained about the town and sur- rounding country for some time thereafter, continuing their search for the fugitives. They were kindly treated by the citizens, and appeared to be enjoying themselves very well; expressed a good opinion of the people, but said they were the most close-mouthed population they had ever seen-especially on the matter they were most interested in. They offered money for information, and counted down $200 to Samuel M. Jamison, their hotel-keeper's son, but their bribes or money availed nothing. When they an- nounced their departure for Virginia, they were closely watched, and when well out of the county the managers of the railroad so informed the conductors. and the train moved on with the result already stated. covered the form of old Sheriff James Taylor. Trembling and almost breathless he rushed into the house, closing the door in haste as though fearful of discovery. He informed me of the presence of the slaves at Hamil- ton's, and said they had scarcely crossed the pike when their pursners - six or eight in number-came along; that the slave-hunters were now iu town, and intended making a raid on Hamilton's barn before morning. He added that something must be done at once to save the fugitives; that he had property that if detected in assisting in their flight, the masters could secure, and that as I was possessed of little of this world's goods I must get them out of danger. I aroused James M. Hart (now of Saltsburg), and taking a direction opposite from Hamilton's, to mis- At another time, five fugitives were se- lead any enemy who might be watching us, creted in a dense woods on the banks of Little Mahoning creek, near Georgeville. They were closely pursued, and their masters ap- peared in the locality, and had with them a large bloodhound. Ben. Warren had the run- aways in charge. He became alarmed and took Thompson Hays, of Plumville, into his confidence. Hays, accompanied by his wife, secreted themselves in a clump of bushes, some eighty rods from where the negroes had crossed the road. In a little while one of the slave-hunters, with the bloodhound, came along the road. When the dog came to the point where the negroes had crossed, he halted and gave evidence that he had got the scent. The case was desperate, but Hays was equal to the emergency. Bringing his rifle to his shoulder, he took careful aim, and shot the bloodhound down in his tracks. The slave-hunter was badly frightened, and fear- ing the same marksman would draw a bead on him, he put spurs to his horse and galloped rapidly back the road he had come. The hunt was not resumed, and the conductor got his train away safely. walked rapidly to the residence of David Myers. At a gentle tap on his back window (a familiar signal to him), he quickly arose and piloted us through the woods and brush to "Jimmy" Hamilton's. Arousing him and informing him of the danger, we all repaired to the barn. Here the negroes were quickly wakened, and in a few minutes the "train" was under headway. "Conductor" Myers in charge, and passing laboriously but steadily through ravines and over rocks, fallen logs and other obstructions, was brought to a stand- still at the house of Conductor Jacob Myers. Here they were safely secreted for several days, until the immediate danger was past. Then they were taken in charge by John Jones and the Sutors, and then by John Ewing, near Georgeville. From here, provided with food, etc., they once more set out on their journey, with the polar star as their guide. We after- wards learned that they arrived safely in Canada, and in all probability some of them are yet living to recount to their children their perilous escape from slavery. The con- ductors, I may add, all got home before day- These are mere recitals of hundreds of sim- ilar instances of the way the underground railroad was run in this county, and which light, and next morning resumed their usual avocations, the members of their families or 13

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

only ceased operations with the removal of the cause which had brought it into existence.

Many of those engaged in this work of as- sisting fellow beings in their flight to freedom, have gone to their long reward. Others of us still linger on the sands of time. Whatever may be the judgment of posterity, of our action in this matter, it should be tempered with the knowledge that we believed we were fully justified in assisting to liberty human "When he reached the colored man's cabin, he took the slaves away to a dark wilderness, pine country, on Moss creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna, from whence, after remain- ing a week, they reached New York State in safety. beings, with human instincts and immortal inspirations and to whom liberty was as great a boon as to ourselves. We repudiated the doctrine that one man had a right to enchain in perpetual bondage and degradation his brother, and we only carried out our belief "I subsequently received a letter inform- when we assisted to liberty and freedom the ing me of their safe arrival in Chautauqua flying fugitive.

A BRANCH OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Robert Mitchell, Jr., relates the following sible."

incident : "On a Sunday night in February, 1856, seven colored men came from Johns- town by the way of Mechanicsburg, where their pursuers had preceded them two hours, to our house at Diamondsville, to which they had been directed by a colored barber at Johnstown named Williams. They were nearly exhausted with their walk and as soon as possible they were provided with supper, and about midnight were put to bed in our store-house. I awakened them about three o'clock in the morning and we started for Cherrytree by the back road, by way of Hus- tenville and Pine Flats, reaching the village by daybreak, and thence proceeded toward George Acheson's in Clearfield county.

"The only person who observed us on the pilot on the river, and he became a successful road was David Kinports of Cherrytree, who lumber merchant. He was passionately fond saw us on the hill above the village. We got of the culture of fruit, and had his Orange- within half a mile of Acheson's by ten o'clock; man's flowers, as well as the Irish hedge, so, leaving the slaves in the woods, I went to growing in his garden. Acheson's home and informed him of the He attended all the principal antislavery meetings of his time, and could entertain for colored men's troubles. He at once went to the timber and took them to his house and half an hour at a time such men as Giddings, gave them their breakfast. They went to bed Pillsbury, Garrison and others. He expended and slept till four o'clock in the afternoon. He then started with them for a colored man's great energy and determination was regarded

cabin, where they would be directed to Jason Kirk's house, who lived on the 'Grampian hills.'

"We turned and followed the party and noticed they had stopped at Gamble's mill and were about to put up for the night. We hastened to Acheson's, reaching there about eleven o'clock at night, and informed him of the close chase. Without waiting fully to dress, he, with a loaf of bread under each arm (and minus pantaloons), started for the negroes.

county, N. Y.

"In the next morning, Spalding and my- self apprised Gamble of how matters stood and he detained the pursuers as long as pos-

This is one of the many incidents which transpired on this branch of the Underground Railroad.

GEORGE ATCHESON

was the great hero of the antislavery men in this section. Born in Ireland, he was there an Orangeman, and removed to eastern Penn- sylvania, whence, at an early date, he mi- grated to the Susquehanna valley, not far from the Cherry Tree, where he was among the earliest settlers.

He was over six feet in height, of strong build, with rugged features, and was a natural orator. For many years he was a

thousands of dollars, and being a man of as the leader of the abolitionists.

Personally he was regarded with great favor by the leaders of the proslavery party, and he returned their courtesies, while he dom all the slaves who came within his reach.

He was at first a Protestant Methodist, but became a Wesleyan Methodist after the agi- tation of the slavery question.

"Meanwhile I started for home, and on the hill above Cherrytree I met eleven men never abated in his plans to hurry on to free- in hot pursuit of the slaves. I passed them, and at about a mile's distance I met George Spalding, who had a letter for me, informing me of the close pursuit of the colored men.

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

He died in 1878, over eighty-four years of James Huston, 82; Benjamin Williams, 65; John Ferguson, 76.

age.

PENSIONERS IN INDIANA COUNTY IN 1840 *

Names of pensioners for Revolutionary or other military services and their ages:

Blacklick township-Alexander Campbell, 86.

Brushralley township-James Kelly, 71.

Blairsville borough-Zebulon Doty, 85; Mott Wilkinson. 75.

Concmaugh township-James Kane, 80; John Montgomery, 80.

Center township-Joseph Moorhead, 72;

*From Census of 1840.

Green township-George Bowers. 82; Henry Kifers, 97.

Wheatfield township-Cornelius Hutche- son, 84.

Young township-John Ewing, sen., 75.

Armstrong township-Isaac Akeright, 56.

Washington township-James R. Bell, 46;

John Jamieson, 67; William McHenry, 70.

Mahoning township-John Leasure, 76: John Brady, 63; Isaiah Vanhorn, 80; Thomas Neil, 78; James Ewing, 73; James Shields, 101; John Brady, 64.

Montgomery township-William White. 84; Job Pearce, 88.

CHAPTER XVI

SCHOOLS OF INDIANA COUNTY

SCHOOLS OF OUR FOREFATHERS

The several religious denominations repre- sented by the early settlers in the State built many schoolhonses and maintained many schools, while church and school were planted together in almost every locality where a con- gregation of Christians of like faith could be collected large enough to sustain them; yet the number of schools established in this way was entirely inadequate to the accommo- dation of all the children who desired to obtain an education. Had there been a school at every church, many children lived at too great a distance to attend. But vast sections of thinly settled country were wholly without churches, and in others the churches were so scattered that they could not be reached by young children going to school. Adults frequently traveled on horseback or in wag- ons five or even ten miles to church; it was impossible for little boys and girls to walk such long distances. often through nnbroken forests. Hence arose multitudes of schools, sometimes composed of the children of a single family or of several families, and gen- erally growing into schools of little communi- ties or neighborhood schools. They were wide- ly known by the name of "pay" or "subscrip- tion" schools. In England such schools are called "voluntary schools." The establish- ment of these neighborhood schools was most rapid in sections settled by people of differ-

ent religious denominations. In communities composed of a single denomination, and in towns, church schools were generally estab- lished in preference; but as the first settlers in Pennsylvania were divided into many seets, and as these soon became very much inter- mixed, it was not long before the neighbor- hood schools greatly outnumbered the schools of all the other classes. In proportion to population, the neighborhood schools were fewest in the oldest settled parts of the State; for as the people moved west into the Cum- berland valley, along the Susquehanna and Juniata and over the Alleghenies, intermin- gling socially and in business, out of common toils, common privations, common dangers and common interests there necessarily came to be common schools. The churches in the early days were foremost in the work of edu- cation everywhere and always, but distinctive church schools were not numerous in the mid- dle or northern counties, and very few of them were established in western Pennsylvania. Ministers founded schools in these sections of the State and taught them, but they rarely formed a part of the church organization, as was so frequently the case in the older settle- ments. After the Revolutionary war, tending as it did to unite the whole people into one body, and to stimulate enterprise and quicken intellectual activity, there was a rapid increase in all parts of the State in the number of schools the people established for themselves.

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Without any controlling law on the subject for themselves were at first necessarily crude and, therefore, necessarily without system, in organization, narrow in their course of prompted by the wish to obtain at least some instruction, poorly taught, and kept in rooms education for their children, but guided only or houses often extemporized for the purpose, by the light which a rough experience in and seldom possessing any but the roughest an American wilderness furnished as to what accommodations. As a class they were infe- should be provided, and limited always by rior to the church schools, for these were gen- the scanty means at their command, our fore- erally supervised by the ministers, who sought fathers built schoolhouses, employed teachers,

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Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 39

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 930

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930