USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume I > Part 71
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The first complete set of borough officers were elected in 1837, and were as follows :
Burgess, Thomas Lucas; council, John Dougherty, James Corbet, John Pierce, Sam- uel Craig, William A. Sloan ; constable, John McLaughlin (this man Mclaughlin was a great hunter, and could neither read nor write ; he moved to Brockwayville, and from there went West) ; school directors, Levi G. Clover, Samuel Craig, David Henry, C. A. Alexander, William .\. Sloan, James Corbet.
In 1810 the borough officers were :
Burgess, William Jack; council, Elijah Ileath, John Gallagher, Cyrus Butler, Levi G. Clover, John Dougherty, William Rodgers ; constable, John Dougherty.
Of these early fathers the only one now living (1895) is Maj. William Rodgers. He resides about a mile from town, on the Corsica road.
In 18440 the "itch" was in Brookville, and popular all the year round. As bathtubs were
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tinknown and family bathing rare, this itch was the seven-year kind. Head lice among the people and in the schools were also com- mon. Had I been familiar with Burns in my boyhood, many a time, while seeing a louse crawl on and over a boy or girl in our schools, I could have exclaimed,
O, Jenny, dinna toss your head An' set your beauties a' abraed ; Ye little ken what cussed speed The beast's a makin'.
The only cure for lice was to "rid" out the hair every few days with a big, coarse comb, crack the nits between the thumbnails, and then saturate the hair with "red precipity," using a fine-toothed comb. The itch was cured by the tise of an ointment made of brim- stone and lard. During school terms many children wore little sacks of powdered brim- stone about their necks. This was supposed to be a preventive.
In 1840 the only music books we had were "The Beauties of Harmony" and "The Mis- souri Harmony." Each of these contained the old "buckwheat" notes of mi, fa, sol, la. Everyone could not afford one of these books. Music teachers travelled through the county and taught classes. \ class was twenty-six scholars, a terîn thirteen nights, and the tttition fee fifty cents for each schiolar. Teachers used "tuning-forks," and some played a violin in connection with the class-singing. The teacher opened the singing by exhorting the class to "sound your pitches, sol, fa, la." Dr. George Darling taught in 1835-36.
In 1840 Billy Boo, an eccentric, intelligent hermit, lived in a hut on the farm in Rose township now occupied by William IIughey. Although he lived in this hut, he spent most of his wakeful hours in Brookville. He was a man of good habits, and all that he would tell. or any one could learn of him or his nativity, was that he came from England. He was about five feet, five or six inches high, heavy-set, and stoop-shouldered. He usually dressed in white flannel clothes. Sometimes his clothing. from being darned so much, looked as if it had been quilted. IIe lived upon the charity of the people and by picking up a few pennies for some light gardening jobs. He died as a charge on Brookville bor- ough in 1863.
In 1840 Jefferson county had seven thou- sand, two hundred and fifty-three people, and the county contained thirteen towns, town- ships, and boroughs, to wit : Brookville, Rose, Washington, Snyder, Ridgway. Eldred. Tio-
nesta, Barnett, Jenks, Pinecreek, Porter, Perry and Young. The output of coal that year was two thousand, five hundred tons; number of miners employed, two. The sale of furs and pelts brought a total of one thousand and twenty-nine. Number of tanneries, six ; num- ber of men employed, seven. Number of dis- tilleries, two. Number of gristmills, fourteen. Number of sawmills, sixty-eight. Number of stores, nineteen. Maple sugar, twenty-seven thousand and sixty-seven pounds. Value of lumber output, fifty thousand, six hundred and three dollars.
Indian relics were found frequently on our hills and in our valleys in 1840. They con- sisted of stone tomahawks, darts, arrows. and flints.
Prior to and during 1840 a form of legalized slavery was practiced in this State and county in regard to minor children. Up to 1860 poor or destitute children were "bound out" or indentured by the poor overseers to masters or mistresses, boys until they were twenty-one years of age and girls until they were eighteen. Parents and guardians exercised this privilege also. All apprentices were then bound to me- chanics to learn trades. The period of this indenture was three years. The law was severe on the children, and in favor of the master or mistress. Under these conditions cruelties were practiced, and children and ap- prentices tried to escape them. Of cotirse, there were bad children who ran away from kind masters and mistresses. The master or mistress usually advertised these runaways. I have seen many of these in our papers.
ONE CENT REWARD
Ran away from the subscriber on the 5th inst., an indentured apprentice to the tailoring business. named Michael Stine, of German descent. His clothing consisted of a straw hat, flannel roundabout. black cloth pantaloons, and coarse shoes. Any per- son returning said runaway shall receive the above reward, but neither thanks nor charges.
BENJAMIN MCCREIGHT.
Brookville, March 7, 1837.
THREE CENTS REWARD .- Ran away from the sub- scriber on the 16th inst., an indentured apprentice to the blacksmith business, named Samuel Espy, aged 17 years ; had on a snuff-colored hat, coat and pants. and a pair of hoots. All persons are cautioned against harboring or trusting him on my account. The above reward will be paid in silver for his de- livery at my shop in Brookville.
R. BRADY.
Brookville, 1855.
In the forties the election for State officers was held on the second Tuesday of October
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
of each year, and in the absence of telegraphs, railroads, etc., it took about four weeks to hear any definite result from an election, and then the result was published with a tail to it, "Pike, Potter, McKean, and Jefferson to hear from." It is amusing to recall the reason usually given for a defeat at these elections by the unsuccess- ful party. . It was this : "The day was fine and clear, a good day for threshing buckwheat ; therefore our voters failed to turn out." The. editor of the defeated party always published this poetic stanza for the consolation of his friends :
Truth crushed to carth will rise again, The eternal years of God are hers, While error, wounded, writhes in pain, And dies amidst her worshippers.
In a Presidential contest we never knew the result with any certainty until the 4th of March, or inauguration day.
In 1840, according to the census, the United States contained a population of 17.062,666 people, of which 2,487,113 were slaves. The employments of the people were thus divided : Agriculture, 3.717,756; commerce. 117,575; manufactures and trades, 791.545 ; navigating the ocean. 56,025: navigating rivers, canals, etc .. 33,067 ; mining, 15.203: learned profes- sions, 65.236.
The Union then consisted of twenty-six States, and we had two hundred and twenty- three congressmen. The ratio of population for a congressman was 70,680. In this com- putation five slaves would count as three white men. although the slaves were not allowed to vote. Our territories were populated thus : District of Columbia. 43.712 : Florida. 54.477 : Wisconsin. 30.945: Iowa, 43.112. The chief cities and towns were thus populated :
New York
312,710
Philadelphia
228,601
Baltimore
102,313
New Orleans
102,193
Boston
93,393
Cincinnati
46,338
Brooklyn
35,234
Albany
33.721
Charleston
20,261
Washington
23,364
Providence
23,171
Louisville
21,210
Pittsburgh
21,115
Lowell
20.796
Rochester
20,191
Richmond
20,133
Buffalo
18,210
Newark
17,203
St. Louis
16,469
Portland
15.218
Salem
16.083
Brookville
276
The population of Brookville had increased to 3,003 in 1910.
llousehold or family goods were produced in 1840 to the amount of $29,230,380. Total amount of capital employed in manufactures, $267.726.579.
In 1840 it was the custom for newspapers to publish in one of their issues, after the ad- journment of the Legislature, a complete list by title of all the enactments of that session.
In the forties fruit was naturally scarce and inferior in these woods, and, as "boys were boys" then all kinds of means, both fair and foul, were resorted to by the boys to get a fill of apples. Johnny Lucas, Johnny Jones, Yankee Smith, and Mrs. Fuller used to bring apples and peaches into the village and retail them out on the street. I have seen this trick played frequently on these venders by two boys : A boy would go up to the wagon, hold- ing his cap with both hands, and ask for a six- pence worth of apples or peaches. The vender would then count the apples and drop them into the cap. The boy would then let go of the cap with one hand as if to pay, when boy No. 2 would snatch the cap and apples out of his hand and run for dear life'down the street and into the first alley. The owner of the cap, in apparent anger, would immediately take after this thief, forget to pay, and in the alley help eat the apples.
In 1840 "shingle weavers" brought their shingles to Brookville to barter. A shingle weaver was a man who did not steal timber. He only went into the pine woods and there cut the clearest and best tree he could find, and hauled it home to his shanty in blocks, and there split and shaved the blocks into shingles. He bartered his shingles in this way: He would first have his gallon or two- gallon jug filled with whisky. then take several pounds of Baltimore plug tobacco, and then have the balance coming to him apportioned in New Orleans molasses, flitch, and flour. Many a barter of this kind have I billed when acting as clerk.
Every family had a "hominy block." This consisted of a block about four feet long. hewed from the trunk of a large hardwood tree, set on end and hollowed out to the depth of fifteen inches, the edges about one and one half inches in thickness.
Timothy Pickering & Co .. Leroy & Link- lain, Wilhelm Willink, Jeremiah Parker, Hol- land Land Company. Robert Morris. Robert Gilmore. William Bingham, John Nicholson, Dr. William Cathcart, Dr. James Hutchinson, Henry Geddis. Jonathan Mifflin, Henry
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Syphert, Richard Summers, Dr. William Smith and a few others, about fifteen or twenty in all, owned about all the land in Jefferson county. This goes a great length to disprove the demagogy you hear so much about now- adays, the few owning and gobbling up all the land. How many people own a piece of Jef- ferson county to-day ?
It is with some pride I here record that Gen. Alexander Hamilton and Robert Morris were landowners in what is now Jefferson county. Robert Morris was of English birth, and immigrated to America when young, locat- ing in Philadelphia. He was patriotic, was a member of the Continental Congress, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and was elected United States senator in 1788. In 1780, when Washington's army was threatened with starvation, Morris sent to the front three million rations, and three hundred hogsheads of New England rum. Morris financed the Revolution and opened the Bank of North America in Philadelphia on January 7, 1782. During the Revolution Morris aided the Con- tinental army by cashing land certificates is- sued for pay to the soldiers by Congress in lieu of money. Thus the financier became owner of an enormous acreage of what were called "depreciation lands" in Pennsylvania. They got this name because the certificates therefor were always "depreciating" in value. After the close of the war Morris bought still more wild land, in anticipation of a rush of immi- gration, and thus he overreached himself and lost everything. He spent several years in debtor's prison in Philadelphia and died in poverty in 1806. The country that owed her freedom more to his money chests than to Washington's military genius did nothing to aid him in his extremity. He was an able writer and eloquent orator.
I reprint here a large portion of the pro- ceedings of an old-time celebration of the Fourth of July, in 1843, in Brookville. We copy from the Backwoodsman, dated August 1, 1843, then edited by George F. Humes. The editorial article in the Backwoodsman is copied entire. The oration of D. S. Deering, all the regular toasts, and part of the volunteer toasts are omitted because of their length. Editor Humes's article was headed :
"FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION
"The citizens of Brookville and vicinity celebrated the sixty-seventh anniversary of American independence in a spirited and be- coming manner. The glorious day was
ushered in by the firing of cannon and ring- ing of bells. At an early hour the 'Independent Greens,' commanded by Capt. Hugh Brady, formed into parade order, making a fine ap- pearance, and marched through the principal streets, cheering and enlivening the large body of spectators, whose attention appeared to be solely drawn to their skillful rehearsals of military tactics ; and, after spending some time in a course of drilling, joined the large as- sembly, without distinction of party or feeling, under the organization and direction of John McCrea, Esq., president of the day, and Sam- uel B. Bishop and Col. Thomas Wilkins, mar- shals ; when they proceeded to the courthouse, where the Declaration of Independence was read in a clear and impressive tone by L. B. Dunham, Esq., after which David S. Deering, Esq., delivered an address very appropriate to the occasion, touching with point and pathos upon the inducements which impelled our fathers to raise the flag of war against the mother country. The company then formed into line, and proceeded to the hotel of Mr. George Mclaughlin, at the head of Main street, where they sat down to a well-served, delicious, and plentiful repast, the ladies forni- ing a smiling and interesting 'platoon' on one side of the table, which added much to the hilarity of the celebration. After the cloth was removed, and the president and com- mittees had taken their seats, a number of toasts applicable to the times, and as varied in sentiment as the ages of the multitude, were offered and read, accompanied by repeated cheering and a variety of airs from the brass band, thus passing the day in that union and harmony so characteristic of Americans. It was indeed a 'Union celebration.'
"VOLUNTEER TOASTS
.
"By John McCrea: Our Brookville cele- bration-a union of parties, a union of feeling, the union established by our Revolutionary fathers of '76. May union continue to mark our course until time shall be no more.
"By W. W. Corbet : Liberty, regulated by law, and law by the virtues of American legis- lators.
"By William B. Wilkins: Henry Clay-a man of tried principles, of admitted compe- tency, and unsullied integrity ; may he be the choice of the people for the next preside:« y in 1844.
"By Evans R. Brady: The Democrats of the Eric district-a form, locked up in the chase of disorganization; well squabbled at
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
one side by the awkward formation of the dis- trict. If not locked tight by the side-sticks of regular nominations, well driven by the quoins of unity. and knocked in by the sheep's foot of pure principles, it will be battered by the points of Whiggery, bit by the frisket of self- interest ; and when the foreman comes to lift it on the second Tuesday of October, will stand a fair chance to be knocked into pi.
"By Michael Woods: Richard M. John- ston, of Kentucky-a statesman who has been long and thoroughly tried and never found wanting. His nomination for the next presi- dency will still the angry waves of political strife, and the great questions which now agi- tate the nation will be settled upon democratic principles.
"By llugh Brady: The Citizens of Jeffer- son County-they have learned their political rights by experience; let them practice the lesson with prudence.
"By B. T. Hastings : The Hon. James Buchanan-the Jefferson of Pennsylvania and choice for the presidency in 1844. His able and manly course in the United States Senate on all intricate and important subjects entitles him to the entire confidence and support of the whole Democracy.
"By Andrew Craig: Henry Clay-a worthy and honest statesman, who has the good of his country at heart, and is well qualified to fill the presidential chair.
"By A. Hutcheson : American Indepen- dence-a virtuous old maid, sixty-eight years old to-day. God bless her.
"By David S. Deering: The Declaration of Independence-a rich legacy, bequeathed us by our ancestors ; may it be transmitted from one generation to another until time shall be no more.
"By the company: The Orator of the Day. David S. Deering: may his course through life be as promising as his commencement.
"By D. S. Deering: The Mechanics of Brookville-their structures are enduring monuments of skill, industry, and persever- ance.
"By George F. Humes: The American U'nion-a well-adjusted form of twenty-six pages, fairly locked up in the chase of precision by the quoins of good workmen. May their proof-sheets be well pointed and their regular impressions a perfect specimen for the world to look upon.
"By John Hastings : James Buchanan-the able defender of the rights of the people and the high wages candidate for the presidency
in 1844. His elevation to that post is now without a doubt."
In 1840 the mails were carried on horseback or in stagecoaches. Each carrier had a horn which he blew when nearing an office. Com- munications of news, business or affection were slow and uncertain. There were no envelopes for letters. Each letter had to be folded so as to leave the outside blank and one side smooth, and the address was written on this smooth side. Letters were sealed with red wafers, and the postage was six and a quarter cents for every hundred miles or frac- tion thereof over which it was carried in the mails. The postage on a letter to Philadelphia was eighteen and three quarters cents, or three "fippenny bits." You could mail your letter without prepaying the postage (a great ad- vantage to economical people), or you could prepay it at your option. Postage stamps were unknown. When you paid the postage the postmaster stamped on the letter "Paid." When the postage was to be paid by the per- son addressed, the postmaster marked on it the amount due, thus: "Due, 614 cents."
In 1840 nearly half of our American people could. neither read nor write, and less than half of them had the opportunity or inclina- tion to do so. Newspapers were small affairs, and the owners of them were poor and their business unprofitable.
The candles used in our houses were either "dips" or "molds." The "dips" were made by twisting and doubling a number of cotton wicks upon a round, smooth stick at a dis- tance from each other of about the desired thickness of the candle. Then they were dipped into a kettle of melted tallow, when the ends of the sticks were hung on the backs of chairs to cool. The dipping and cooling process was thus repeated till the "dips" at- tained the proper thickness. This work was done after the fall butchering. "Molds" were made in tin or pewter tubes, two, four. six, eight, ten or twelve in a frame, joined together, the upper part of the frame forming a trough, into which the molds opened, and from which they received the melted tallow. To make the candles, as many wicks as there were tubes were doubled over a small round stick placed across the top of the frame, and these wicks were passed down through the tubes and fastened at the lower end. Melted tallow was poured into the trough at the top till all the tubes were filled. The molds were usually allowed to stand over night before the candles were "drawn." The possession of a set
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
of candle-molds by a family was an evidence of some wealth. These candles were burned in "candlesticks," made of tin, iron or brass, and each one had a broad, flat base, turned up around the rim to catch the grease. Some- times, when the candle was exposed to a cur- rent of air, it would "gutter" all away. A pair of "snuffers," made of iron or brass, was a necessary article in every house, and had to be used frequently to cut away the charred or burned wick. Candles sold in the stores at twelve to fifteen cents per pound. One candle was the number usually employed to read or write by, and two were generally deemed sufficient to light a store, one to carry around to do the selling by, and the other to stand on the desk to do the charging by.
Watches were rare, and clocks were not numerous in 1840. The watches I remember seeing in those days were "English levers" and "cylinder escapements," with some old "bull's-eyes." The clocks in use were of the eight-day sort, with works of wood, run by weights instead of springs. Along in the forties clocks with brass works, called the "brass clock," came into use. A large majority of people were without "timepieces." Even- ing church services were announced thus: "There will be preaching in this house on evening, God willing, and no prevent- ing providence, at early candle-lighting."
In 1840 the judge of our court was Alex- ander McCalmont, of Franklin, Venango county. Our associate judges from 1841 to 1843 were James Winslow and James L. Gillis. Our local or home lawyers were Hugh Brady. Cephas J. Dunham, Benjamin Bartholomew. Caleb A. Alexander, L. B. Dunham, Richard Arthurs, Elijah Heath, D. B. Jenks, Thomas Lucas, D. S. Deering, S. B. Bishop, and Jesse G. Clark. Many eminent lawyers from ad- joining counties attended our courts regularly at this period. They usually came on horse- back, and brought their papers, etc., in large leather saddlebags. Most of these foreign lawyers were very polite gentlemen, and par- ticular not to refuse a "drink."
Moses Knapp, Sr., was our pioneer court crier. Elijah Graham was our second court crier, but I think Cyrus Butler served in this capacity in 1840.
In 1840 there was no barber shop in the town. The tailors then cut hair, etc., for the people as an accommodation. My mother used to send me for that purpose to McCreight's tailor shop. The first barber to locate in Brookville was a colored man named Nathan Smith. He barbered and ran a confectionery
and oyster saloon. He lived here for a num- ber of years, but finally turned preacher and moved away. Some high old times occurred in his back room which I had better not men- tion here. He operated on the Major Rodgers lot, now the Edelblute property.
Then "Hollow Eve," as it was called, was celebrated regularly on the night of October 3Ist of every year. The amount of malicious mischief and destruction done on that evening in Brookville, and patiently suffered and over- looked, is really indescribable.
The presidential contest in 1840, between Harrison (Whig) and Van Buren (Demo- crat), was perhaps the most intense and bitter ever known in this nation.
The first exclusive drug store in Brookville was opened and managed by D. S. Deering, Esq., in 1848. It was located in a building where the Mcknight building stands, on the spot where McKnight & Son carry on their drug business. The first exclusively grocery store in Brookville was opened and owned by W. W. Corbet, and was located in the east room of the "American Hotel." The first ex- clusively hardware store in the town was opened and owned by John S. King, now de- ceased. Brookville owes much to the sagacity of Mr. King for our beautiful cemetery.
In the forties the boring of pitch pine into pump logs was quite a business in Brookville. One of the first persons to work at this was Charles P. Merriman, who moved here from the East. By the way, Merriman was the greatest snare drummer I ever heard. He also manufactured and repaired drums while here. He had a drumbeat peculiarly his own, and with it he could drown out a whole band. He introduced his beat by teaching drumming schools. It is the beat of the Bowdishes, the Bartletts and the Schnells. It consists of single and double drags. I never heard this beat in the army or in any other locality than here, and only from persons who had directly or indirectly learned it from Merriman. Any old citizen can verify the marvelous and won- derful power and skill of Merriman with a drum. No pupil of his here ever approached him in skill. The nearest to him was the late Capt. John Dowling, of the One Hundred and Fifth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. It was the custom then for the different bands in the surrounding townships to attend the Fourth of July celebrations in Brookville. The Monger band, father and sons, from Warsaw township, used to come. They had a peculiar open beat that old Mr. Monger called the 1812 beat. The Belleview band came also; it was
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
the Campbell band, father and sons. AAndrew C. and James ( 1895), after going through the war, are still able on our public occasions to enliven us with martial strains. The Lucas band, from Dowlingville, also visited us in the forties. Brookville had a famous fifer in the person of Harvey Clover. He always car- ried an extra life in his pocket. because he was apt to burst one. When he "blowed" the life you would have thought the devil was in it sure.
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