USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume I > Part 69
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it required some four or five days' constant traveling. Our merchants carried their money on these trips as well as they could, mostly secreted in some way about their persons. After purchasing their goods in Philadelphia, they were ordered to be shipped to Brook- ville as "heavy freight," over the great cor- poration freight line of "Joe Morrow." Joe was a "bloated corporationist." a transporta- tion monopolist of that day. He was a whole "trust" in himself. He owned and managed the whole line, and had no opposition, on this end at least. Ilis line consisted of two Cone- stoga wagons, the bed on each at least four feet high and sixteen feet long. Each wagon was painted blue, and each was covered with a white canvas, this covering supported by hoops. The wagon was always loaded and un- loaded from the rear end. The tires on the wheels were six inches wide. Each wagon would carry over three tons of freight, and was drawn over good roads by six magnificent horses, and over bad roads by eight of such horses, and each horse weighed about four- teen hundred. The price of wagon carriage over this distance was five dollars or six dol- lars a hundredweight. This was the "fast" and heavy freight line from Philadelphia to Brookville until the canal was built to Lewis- town, Pa., when Morrow changed his head- quarters from Philadelphia to Lewistown, and continued to run his semi-annual "freight train" from Lewistown to Shippensville. Mor- row's advent into town was always a great event. He always stopped his "train" in front of the "Red Lion" hotel, then kept by John Smith. The horses were never stabled, but stood day and night in the street, three on each side of the stiff tongue of the wagon, and were fed in a box he carried with him. called his "feed trough." The harness was broad and heavy, and nearly covered the horses; and they were "hitched up" to the wagon with iron "pole" and "trace-chains." The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the Switchmen's Union, the "American Rail- way Union," and all the sovereigns and Debses put together had no terrors for Joe, for he had but one employe, a "brakeman," for his second wagon. Joe was the employed and the em- ployer. Like a "transportation king." like a "robber baron," he sat astride a wagon saddle on the hind near horse, driving the others with a single line and a blacksnake whip, to the words, "Gee," "Jep," and "Haw." He drove with one line, and when he wanted his horse to haw he would pull on the line ; if he wanted him to gee he would jerk on the line. Mor-
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row always remained in Brookville four or five days to buy our products and load his train for the home trip. He bought and loaded clover, timothy and flaxseed, feathers, old rags, tar, beeswax, wheat, rye, chestnuts, furs and dried elderberries. The western ter- ininus of his line was Shippensville, Clarion Co., Pa., and on his return from there he bought up these products. Conestoga wagons came into use about 1760.
Morrow's last trip to Brookville with his train was about the year 1850. He was an Irishman, slim, wiry, industrious, and of busi- ness habits. He was killed by the kick of a liorse at Cross' travern, in Clearfield county, Pa .- kicked on the IIth day of September, 1855, and died on the 12th. I remember that he usually wore a spotted fawnskin vest, made from the skin with the hair on. The mer- "chants in Brookville of that day who are still living (1895), and for whom Morrow hauled goods, as far as I can recollect, are Uriah Matson, Harry Matson, Judge Henderson, Samuel Truby, William Rodgers and W. W. Corbet, who now resides in or near the town ; Capt. John Hastings, of Punxsutawney; W. F. Clark, of Maquoketa. Iowa, and S. M. Moore, of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The past-the present race must tell Of deeds done by their friends of old, Who at their posts of duty fell, And left their acts and deeds untold.
The town was laid out in 1830. My father moved here in 1832. He taught the first term of school in the town, in the winter of 1832. He was lieutenant colonel in the militia, a justice of the peace, and was county treasurer when he died, in 1837, at the early age of twenty-seven years, leaving my mother in this wilderness, a widow with three small children to support and rear. In 1840 my mother taught a summer term of school in what was then and is now called the Butler schoolhouse. This schoolhouse is on the Ridgway road, in Pinecreek township, three miles from town. I was small, and had to go and come to and from this school with mother. We came home every Saturday to remain over Sunday, and to attend Presbyterian Church, service being hield in the old brick courthouse. The Presby- terians then called their church "Bethel." In 1842 it was changed to Brookville. We had no choir in the church then, but had a "clerk," who would stand in front of the pulpit, read out two lines, and then sing them, then read two more and sing them, and so on until the hymn or psalm was sung, the congregation
joining in as best they could. Of these clerks, the only ones I can now recollect were Thomas Lucas, Samttel McQuiston and John S. Lucas. I have no recollection of David's Psalms being used other than is found in Watts's version, in combination with the hymns. I recollect two of the favorite hymns at that time with this church. The first stanza of one hymn was as follows :
When I can read my title clear To mansions in the skies, I'll bid farewell to every fear, And wipe my weeping eyes.
The first stanza of the second hymn was :
There is a land of pure delight, Where saints immortal reign ; Infinite day excludes the night, And pleasures banish pain.
One by one, these early pioneer Christians have left for this "land of pure delight" to occupy these "mansions in the skies." I hope and pray that each one is now-
In seas of heavenly rest.
After returning home from the Butler schoolhouse one Saturday, I remember I asked my mother for a "piece." She went to the cupboard, and when she got there the cup- board was not bare, for, lo! and behold, a great big snake was therein, coiled and ready for fight. My mother, in horror, ran to the door and called Mr. Lewis Dunham, a lawyer, who lived in the house now occupied by R. M. Matson, Esq. Mr. Dunham came on a run, and tried to catch or kill the snake with our "tongs," but it made good its escape through a rathole in the corner of the cupboard. Rep- tiles, such as black-, rattle-, house-, and other snakes were very plenty then in and around Brookville, and dangerous, too. These snakes fed and lived on birds, mice, etc., and were very fond of milk, drinking it after the man- ner of a horse.
In a former paragraph I called Brookville a town of shanties, and so it was. But there was one exception. There was one solid build- ing. a dwelling occupied by a man named Bliss, on Water street, on or near the lot at present (1898) owned and occupied by Billy Barr. It was built of logs. The other shanties were solid enough, for they were built in a different manner from shanties now, being put together with "frame timbers." mortised and tenoned, and fastened with oak pins, as iron and nails were scarce, people being poor and
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having little or no money. Every building had to have a "raising," and the neighbors had to be invited to help "raise." Cyrus Butler, a bluff, gruff Yankee, was the captain at all raisings. He would stand off by himself, cry- ing out at the proper time, "AAll together, men, he-o-he !"
No dwelling in the town was then complete without having in the backyard an "out-oven," an "ash-hopper," a "dye-kettle," and a rough box fastened to the second story of the neces- sary, in which to raise early cabbage plants. At the rear of each kitchen was a hopvine with its pole, and each family raised its own cat- nip, peppermint, sage and tansy.
The hand of the reaper Takes the leaves that are hoary, But the voice of the weeper Wails manhood in glory.
In 1840 there was a law requiring the enroll- men of all able-bodied men between twenty- one and forty-five years of age in the militia. These were formed into companies and bat- talions, and organized into brigades, each brigade to meet once a year in "encampment," for a period of three days, two days for "muster and drill" and one day for "review." The encampments were held in May or June, and for some reason or other these soldiers were called the "cornstalk militia," because some of the soldiers carried cornstalks for guns. No uniforms were worn in most cases. The soldier wore his homespun or store clothes, and each one reported with his own pike, wooden gun, riffe or musket, and, under the inspiring influence of his accoutrements, discipline, and drill,
Each bosom felt the high alarms, And all their burning pulses beat to arms.
For non-attendance by a soldier at these encampments a fine of fifty cents was im- posed for every day's absence. This fine had to be paid in cash, and was quite a severe penalty in those days of no money, county orders, and store barter.
The first encampment I remember was held on what is now called Granger ( Jack ), Heber's farm. Brigadier General Mercer was the com- mander then. He had a curled moustache and rode a sorrel horse with a silver mane and tail. The bridle was ornamented with fine leather straps, balls and tassels, and the blue saddlecloth was covered with stars and spangles, giving the horse the appearance of a "fiery dragon." The General would occa-
sionally dismount, to make some inspection on foot, when the army was drawn up in line, and then a great race, and frequently a fight, would occur among the small boys for the possession of the horse. The reward for hold- ing him at this time was a "fippenny-bit." The camp grounds were alive with whiskey sellers and gingerbread and small-beer dealers. Whis- key was to be had from barrels or jugs, in large or small quantities. When the army was in line it was dealt out to the soldiers from a bucket with a dipper. Anybody could sell whiskey and anybody could drink it. It was worth from twelve to twenty cents a gallon. The more brawls and fistfights, the livelier, better and greater was considered the muster. The bad blood between neighbors was always settled here. Each party always resolved to meet the other on review day to fight it out, and after the fight to meet, drink together, and make up their difference. Pugilism was practiced in that day, not on scientific prin- ciples, but by main strength. The terror of all public gatherings was a man called "Devil John Thompson." Ile lived in Indiana county. and came here always on reviews. Each mil- itary company had a fifer or drummer, seldom a complete band. I have seen the late Judge Taylor blowing his fife, the only musician of and for one of these companies. This oc- curred on Main street, in front of our house; and when I look back on this soldier scene it seems to me these soldiers, from their appear- ance, must have been composed of the ragtag and bobtail of creation. An odd and comic sight it really was. To be an officer or captain in one of these companies was considered a great honor, and something which the recipient was in duty bound to thank God for in his morning and evening prayers. I cannot do this subject justice. Such was the Pennsylvania militia as I saw it, and all that remains for me to say is, "Great the State and great her sons."
In 1840 we had two big men in the town, Judge William Jack, who was sent to Congress, and who built and lived in the house on Pick- ering street now owned and occupied by Joseph Darr, Esq., and Gen. Levi G. Clover, who lived on Main street, in a house that was burned down, which stood on the lot now owned by Mrs. Clarissa Clements, and is the place of business of Misses MeLain and Fet- zer. Clover was a big man physically, a big man in the militia, a big man in politics, and a big man in business. Like most big men in those days, he owned and ran a whiskey still. This distillery was located on or near
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the property of Fred. Starr, in what is now Litchtown. I used to loaf occasionally in this distillery, and I have seen some of our old citizens take a pint tin cup and dip it full of whiskey from out of Clover's copper kettles, and then drink this whole pint of whiskey down apparently at one gulp. I might pause to say right here, that in drinking whiskey, racing, square pulling, swearing and rough and tumble fighting the old settler was "right in it." The wrestling and fighting ground then for the men and boys was the ground now occupied by the Jenks machine shop, and the highway to and from these grounds was down the alley between Ed Snyder's blacksmith shop and C. A. Carrier's store ( 1898). I have had business on that ground with some boys my- self.
In the woods in and around Brookville in 1840 there were many sweet-singing birds and beautiful wild flowers. I remember the laurel. We used to adorn our mantels and parlor fire- places with these every spring. I remember the honeysuckle. the wild rose, the crabapple tree, the thorn, and others. The aroma from many of these flowers was delightful. Hottse- plants were unknown. The garden flowers of that day were the pink ( "a flower most rare"), the lilac, the hollyhock, the sunflower and the rose. Each garden had a little bed of "sweet- williams" and "Johnny-jump-ups." The gar- clen rose was a beautiful, sweet flower then. and it is a beautiful, sweet flower to-day, and it ever will be sweet and beautiful. It is said to have been the first cultivated flower. My mother used to sing to me this hymn of Isaac Watts as a lullaby :
How fair is the rose. what a beautiful flower ! In summer so fragrant and gay; But its leaves are beginning to fade in an hour ; And they wither and die in a day.
Yet the rose has one powerful virtue to boast Above all the flowers of the field :
When its leaves are all dead and its fine colors lost. Still how sweet a perfume it will yield.
So frail are the youth and the beauty of men, Though they look gay and bloom like the rose, Yet all our fond care to preserve them is vain, Time kills them as fast as he goes.
Then I'll not be proud of my youth or my beauty, Since both will soon wither and fade, But gain a good name by performing my duty ; This will seent like the rose when I'm dead.
Up to and later than 1843 Brookville had three "natatoriums," or swimming pools, one at the head of what is now A. Wayne Cook's (lam on the North Fork, one at the "Deep
Hole," near the Sand Spring, on the Sandy Lick, and one at or underneath the covered bridge on Red Bank. In those days, from the time we had May flowers until the chilling blasts of November arrived, one of the prin- cipal sports of the men and boys was swim- ming in these "pools." We boys, in summer months, all day long played on the bosom of these waters or on the borderland. The busy men, the doctor, the statesman, the law- yer, the parson, the merchant, the farmer, the mechanic, and the day laborer, all met here in the summer eve with boisterous shouts of joy and mirth to welcome up the moon. Of course, we had some skillful . plungers and swimmers, who were as much at home in these waters as the wild ducks and geese of that day. An artist could swim on his back, on either side. under the water, float on his back, tread or walk in the water, and plunge or dive from almost any height. The beginner or boy, though, always commenced his ap- prenticeship in this graceful profession by swimming with his breast on a piece of plank, board or old slab. But alas !
Swimming sports, once deemed attractive, Haunts amidst the bloom of laurel flowers, Radiant charms that pleased my senses In my boyhood's sunny hours, Have departed like illusions, And will never more be ours.
In 1840 there was no church building in the town. Our Presbyterian preacher in the town was the Rev. David Polk, a cousin to President Polk.
Other preachers came to town occasionally in 1840, and held their services in the court- house. One jolly, aged Welshman was called Father Thomas. He was a Baptist, a dear old man, and a great singer. I always went to his church to hear him sing. I can sing some of his songs yet. I will repeat a stanza from one of his favorites :
Oh, then I shall be ever free, Happy in eternity, Eternity, eternity, Happy in eternity.
Dear old soul, he is in eternity, and I have no doubt is happy singing his favorite songs there.
A Methodist preacher named Elijah Cole- man came here occasionally. Methodist head- quarters were at David Henry's and at Cyrus Butler's. The first Methodist prayer meeting held in town was at Cyrus Butler's. It was held in the little yellow house occupied for years by Mrs. Rachel Dixon, and torn down
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by C. C. Benscoter, Esq., in 1887, in order to erect his present dwelling. In 1840 men and women were not permitted to sit on the same seat in church, or on the same side of the house.
The physicians in the town in 1840 were Dr. George Darling, father of the late Paul Darling, and Dr. Gara Bishop, father of Mrs. Edmund English. Dr. Bishop was also a Pres- byterian preacher.
In 1840 Jefferson county contained a pop- ulation of seven thousand two hundred and fifty-three people, and embraced nearly all of Forest and Elk counties. Ridgway was then in the northeast corner of our county, and Punxsutawney was a village of about fifteen or twenty dwellings.
The politics of the county was divided into Whig and Democrat. The leading Whigs in Brookville, as I recollect them, were Thomas Lucas, Esq., James Corbet, father of Colonel Corbet ; Benjamin McCreight, father of Mrs. Dr. Hunt : Thomas M. Barr, and Samuel IT. Lucas. The leading Democrats were Hon. William Jack, Gen. L. G. Clover, Judge Joseph Henderson, John Smith, Daniel Smith, Jesse G. Clark, father of Judge Clark ; D. B. Jenks, John Dougherty, Richard Arthurs and Thomas Hastings. Politics ran so high that year that cach party had its own Fourth of July celebra- tion. The Whigs celebrated at Port Barnett.
Squeak the fife, beat the drum, Independence Day has come !
Nicholas McQuiston, the miller who died at Langville a few years ago, had one of his legs broken at this celebration by the explo- sion of a log which he had filled with powder. The Democrats celebrated in Brookville, in front of the "Franklin Hotel," now the "Cen- tral." I was big enough to have a full run and clear view of this table and celebration. The table was covered with small roasted pigs, roasted turkeys, venison, pies, gingerbread. "pound-cake," ete. I was not allowed to par- ticipate in the feast, although my father in his lifetime had been a Democrat. Boys and girls were then taught modesty, patience and manners by parents. Children were taught and compelled to respect age and to defer to the wishes of father and mother. Now the father and mother must defer to the wishes of children. There was more home and less public training of children, and, as a result. children had more modesty and patience and less impudence. In 1840 children slept in "trundle-beds," and were required by their
mothers to repeat every night before going to sleep this little prayer :
Now I lay me down to sleep, 1 pray the Lord my sout to keep ; If I should die before I wake. I pray the Lord my sout to take.
This home training was a constant building up of individual character. and I believe a inuch more effectual way for good than the present public way of buikling character col- lectively. I say from experience that with the home training of that time, you may plunge an ambitious man in politics so deep that he forgets conscience, in business so deep that he forgets death and in philosophy so deep that he forgets God, but nothing can make him for- get that infantile prayer.
In 1840 our Congressman was Judge Jack, of Brookville, and our member of the Legis- lature was Hon. James L. Gillis, of Ridgway township. The county officers were: Protho- notary, Gen. Levi G. Clover; sheriff, John Smith : treasurer, Jesse G. Clark: commis- sioners, Daniel Coder, Irwin Robinson, Ben- jamin McCreight. The county was Dem- ocratic by one hundred and twenty-five ma- jority. The postmaster in Brookville was John Dougherty, and Joseph Henderson was deputy United States marshal for Jefferson county. He took the census of 1840 for our county.
Of the above-named politicians and officials, Judge Henderson is the only one now living (1895). Every day yet the Judge can be found at his place of business. pleasant, cheer- ful and intelligent, a fine old gentleman. In his many political contests I always admired, defended and supported him. One thing I be- gin to notice, "he is not as young as he used to be."
Oh, tett me the tates I delighted to hear, Long, long ago, long, long ago; Oh, sing me the old songs so futt of cheer. Long, long ago, long, long ago.
In 1840 we boys amused ourselves in the winter months by catching rabbits in box traps, the woods were full of thein, skating on Geer's pond, a small lake then located where Allgeier's brewery now stands (this lake was destroyed by the building of Mahon's millrace), skating on Barr's (now Litch's) dam. and coasting down the town or graveyard hill. In the sum- mer and fall months the amusements were alley-ball behind the courthouse. town-ball. over-ball, sock-ball, fishing in the streams and
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in Geer's pond, riding floats of slabs on the creek, swimming in the "deep hole," and gath- ering blackberries, crabapples, wild plums, and black and yellow haws. But the amusement of all amusements, the one that was enjoyed every day in the year by the boys, was the cutting of firewood. The wood for heating and cooking was generally hauled in "drags" to the front door of each house on Main street, and there cut on the "pile" by the boys of each house. The gathering of hazelnuts, but- ternuts, hickorynuts and chestnuts was an agreeable and profitable recreation. My boy associates of those days-where are they ? "Some sleep on battlefields and some beneath the sea." I can only recall the following, who are now living in Brookville ( 1898) : David Eason, W. C. Evans, Dr. C. M. Matson, Thomas E. Espy, Thomas P. MeCrea, Daniel Burns, Clover Smith, W. C. Smith and W. R. Ramsey. I understand John Craig, Frederick and Lewis Dunham, Elijah and Lorenzo Lowell, and Alexander Barr live in the State of Iowa, Richard Espy in Kentucky and John L. and Anson Warren in Wisconsin.
In 1840 every housewife in Brookville cooked over a fireplace, in which a crane was fastened so as to swing in, out, off, on and over the fire. Every fireplace had a wooden poker, a pair of tongs to handle burning wood, and a shovel to remove the ashes. The fuel used was wood, pine, maple, oak, birch and hickory. To every fire there had to be a "back log," and the smaller or front pieces were supported on "andirons" or common stones. Matches were not in use, hence fires were covered at night so as to preserve some live coals for the morning fire. Rich people had a little pair of bellows to blow these live coals into a blaze, but poor people had to do the best they could with their mouths. After having nearly smoked my eyes out trying to blow coals into life, I have had to give it up and go to a neighbor to borrow a shovel of fire. Some old settlers used "spunk," a flint, and a barlow knife to start a fire in an emer- gency like this. Spunk-punk or touchwood- was obtained from the inside of a hollow white maple trec. When matches were first brought around great fear was entertained that they might burn everybody out of house and home. My mother secured a tin box with a safe lid in which to keep hers. For some reason they were called locofoco matches.
The crane in the fireplace had a set of rods with hooks on each end, and they were grad- tated in length so as to hang the kettle at the proper height from the fire. In addition to the
kettles we had the long-handled frying-pan, the handle of which had to be supported by some one's hand, or else on a box or a chair. Then there was the three-legged, short-handled spider. It could support itself. And I must not forget the griddle for buckwheat cakes. It had to be suspended by a rod on the crane. Then there was the old bake-ket- tle, or oven, with legs and a closely-fitted cover. In this was baked the "pone" for the family. I can say truthfully that pone was not used more than thirty days in the month.
This was a hard way to cook. Women would nearly break their backs lifting these heavy kettles on and off, burn their faces, smoke their eyes, singe their hair, blister their hands, and "scorch" their clothes.
Our spoons were pewter and iron; knives and forks were iron with bone handles. The chinaware was about as it is now.
The everyday bonnet of women then was the "sun-bonnet" for summer, and a quilted "hood" for winter. The dress bonnet was made of paper or leghorn, and was in shape something like our coal scuttles.
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