USA > Pennsylvania > Crawford County > Our country and its people. A historical and memorial record of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. > Part 50
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A German Lutheran Church was formed in Cambridge about 1869. It
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was a division from the congregation at Drake's Mills, and maintained services many years, although there was no regular place of meeting. In 1882 the difficulties were adjusted and it again united with the Drake's Mills Churchi.
A Universalist Church was organized many years ago north of French Creek and a frame church built. It flourished for some time, then became too weak to maintain services, and went out of existence. In 1875 it was re- organized and services were once more established, but in 1881 they were again discontinued, and have never been resumed.
In 1897 a Catholic congregation was organized at Cambridge Springs under the ministrations of Rev. Father James J. Dunn, of Meadville. The meetings are held in a house on McLallen Street, no regular place of worship having yet been erected.
CHAPTER V.
CONNEAUT TOWNSHIP.
A T THE first session of the court in Meadville, in 1800, the county was laid out in townships, and one of these, Conneaut, was given the follow- ing boundaries : "Beginning at the northeast corner of Shenango Town- ship, thence northwardly the breadth of eleven full tracts; thence westwardly the length of eight tracts, together with the breadth of one tract, to the western boundary of the State; thence by the same southwardly to the northwest cor- ner of Shenango Township; thence by the same to the place of beginning." It thus formed the central one of the three townships on the western border. and contained what is now the southern half of Conneaut. all of Pine, and parts of Sadsbury, Summit, Summerhill and North Shenango. In 1829 Con- neaut was reduced to its present limits by the re-establishment of the township lines. On the north it is bounded by Beaver and Spring, on the east by Sum- mit and Summerhill, on the south by Pine and North Shenango, and on the west by the line of division between Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The surface of Conneaut Township is level or gently rolling. and is watered in the western part by Paden Creek and other small streams, and in the eastern part by Mill Creek. These streams both flow south and enter She- mango Creek in Pine Township. The soil is a gravelly loam and produces good grass and grain in abundance, hence grazing and stock-raising form the princi- pal occupations. The land was covered by a dense growth of oak, hemlock, beech and other varieties in the early days, but the larger part is now cleared and in a state of cultivation. The name of the township was doubtlessly derived
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from the lake in Sadsbury Township, or possibly from Conneaut Creek, although neither were within the original boundaries of Conneaut Township. The name is an Indian word, meaning "The Snow Place," and it is supposed that they gave this name to the locality from the fact that the snow remained frozen upon the ice of the lake long after it had melted and disappeared from the surrounding land. The township has an area of 24,492 acres.
Settlements were made in Conneaut Township during the latter part of the last century, but it is difficult to ascertain the precise year, or who was the first to arrive. Wm. Shotwell, one of the first settlers, if not the first. located near the center, but did not remain long. Several settlements were made about the year 1798, among those who came at this epoch being William and Thomas Rankin, Obed Garwood, Isaac Paden, Samuel Patterson, Robert Martin, James Martin and Wm. Latta. The Rankin brothers hailed from Ireland. William located at Penn Line and cleared a large farm there, on which he resided during the remainder of his life. Thomas took up land about a mile and a half to the south of that place, where he cleared a farm and erected a saw mill, but eventually removed to Indiana. Garwood came from Redstone, Pa., and cleared a large farm in the southern part, on which he resided until his death, and which is still in the hands of his descendants. Isaac Paden was also from Redstone and located in the southwestern part of the township, where he became a lifelong resident. The grist and saw mill which he erected was probably the first one built in the township. Patterson, who came from New Jersey, settled on the present site of Steamburg, cleared a large farm and spent the remainder of his life there. Latta and the Martins were Irishmen. Robert Martin located at Steamburg, while James Martin and Latta settled at Penn Line. The first frame building in the township was a barn erected by Latta.
With the exception of a narrow strip along the western line, which be- longed to the American Land Company, the township was the property of the Pennsylvania Population Company. In the summer of 1797 Jabez Colt, the agent of the latter company, in order to start a stream of immigration towards these lands, engaged the services of a half a dozen sturdy young emigrants and settled with them in the eastern part of the township, at a place afterwards known as Colt's Station. Here they remained for several years, but other set- tlers failed to come, or at least not in the numbers that had been hoped for, so the settlement was abandoned, the land agent making the same experiment later on in Pine Township. But the records of the company show that a large quantity of land was taken up before 1800, though a number of abandonments and assignments are noticeable in this township. The pioneer privations were severe and continuous. The country was heavily timbered, and with the rude implements then at their command for tilling the soil-such as are suggested by the wooden plow-the early settlers experienced much difficulty and arduous
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labor in clearing their land and putting in their crops. Frequently before this could be accomplished much suffering was undergone, and the problem of ob- taining the necessities of life became so difficult of solution that they were often reduced to the very verge of starvation. On this account many.of those who had settled here in the early days sold their claims for what they could get or abandoned them entirely and left the country. The discontent was also in- creased by disputes with the land company. Many were in such straitened circumstances that they did not move until obliged to do so by fear of starva- tion. It is related that potatoes which had been planted were dug up again and used for food by the despairing colonists.
Samuel Potter was from Elizabethtown, N. J., and settled in the northern part as early as 1799. He came the entire distance with an ox team, part of his journey lying through the virgin forest, where his only guide was the line of blazed trees. He took up a claim, planted some crops and erected a log- house and spent the summer on his new property. In the fall he returned to New Jersey, but the next year canie back to Conneaut Township, where he spent the remainder of his life. During the War of 1812 he was drafted and served three months at Erie. About 1800 Samuel Brooks came from Red- stone and settled in the eastern part. He brought his worldly possessions up French Creek to Meadville on a flatboat, and thence by land to Conneaut Township. After a year's residence hie removed to a tract a mile further on, and here he finally settled, taking up and clearing 266 acres. At that time deer, bears and wild turkeys were abundant in the neighborhood. Meadville was the nearest trading place, and Mrs. Brooks took her butter to that place to sell. She would start early in the morning, with two tubs of butter upon her horse, and would return the same day, selling the product of her labor at about six cents a pound.
Henry Frey was a lifelong resident of the southern part of the township, having removed there from York County in 1800. He was of German extrac- tion and followed the trade of shoemaking. He was an ardent Methodist, and had sixteen children, fifteen of whom lived to maturity, and his descendants still reside in the same vicinity.
Previous to 1830 the settlement of the township proceeded slowly. But as the lands were cleared, and the surface became drier and more tillable, crowds of settlers came flocking in and the township was soon covered with well-stocked and highly improved farms. Isaac Paden built a saw and grist mill on Paden's Run, but it was a small affair and could only be operated when a sufficient head of water had accumulated to run the mill. Another early grist mill was operated by Obed Garwood.
In consequence of the extremely sparse settlements the educational ad- vantages of the inhabitants were very poor. A school, probably the first in the township, was taught in 1810 by Samuel McGuire, an Irishman, near the de-
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serted Colt's Station. In 1812 Samuel Garwood taught a school in the south- * ern part. In 1818 a schoolhouse was built two miles south of the center. It was a rude log building, constructed entirely without nails, with mud chimney, puncheon floor, and windows cut through the logs, with greased paper in place of glass. Messrs. Smith, Spaulding and Marshall were the early teachers. Wages were about $8 per month and were paid in pork, butter, potatoes and other farm produce. A similar house was built at Penn Line in 1820, and an- other in the eastern part during the following year.
In 1837 the number of schools had increased to ten, and twenty teachers were employed. Four hundred and ten scholars were in attendance, and the average length of the school year was five and one-fourth months. Yet the money expended did not amount to $500, which can be understood when it is known that a female teacher was paid $4 a month. The teachers were re- ported as being of good character; teaching reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and the use of maps. The progress of the scholars, according to the report, exceeded the expectations of the directors, and the chief defect of the system was pointed out as being want of pay to the directors and the "lack of power of the directors to levy taxes on sub-districts to build schoolhouses therein."
In 1896 the number of schools had been increased to fourteen and the length of the session to seven months. The number of teachers, however, had fallen to fifteen and the number of pupils to 303. But the average of the sal- aries paid to female teachers had increased to $24 instead of $4, while the total amount expended for educational purposes during the year was almost $4,000.
Summit, or Center Road Station, as the postoffice is called, is on the line of the Erie and Pittsburg Railway, which passes north and south through the eastern part of the township. Summit is the only station in Conneaut Town- ship, and is about half way between the northern and southern boundaries. A store, the postoffice and several dwellings constitute the settlement.
Conneaut Center is a small place about two miles west of Summit, near the center of the township. The Congregational Church and a postoffice are located here.
Steamburg is a hamlet of fifteen or twenty dwellings in the northern part of the township. It contains the Methodist Church, a schoolhouse, store, one or two shops, and a postoffice.
Penn Line is a hamlet of about similar size in the western part of Con- neaut, consisting of a dozen or fifteen dwellings scattered along the road east- ward from the state line for half a mile. A store, hotel, two or three shops, and a schoolhouse are located here, besides a postoffice.
Among the early settlers in this region were many of the Quaker per- suasion, and a Society of Friends was organized at an early day. There were about thirty members, among them being Stephen and Joseph Fish, Cor-
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nelius Lawson, Amos Linc, William Hill, David Ladner, Peter Thorne, Isaac Paden, John Rushmore and others. For some time the meetings were held in the house of Mr. Lawson, but in 1840 a log church was erected. The society did not flourish, and a few years later it was disbanded. The old church burial ground is still preserved.
Frey's chapel was organized as a branch of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1818, having an initial strength of eight members. The early meetings were held in the cabin of Henry Frey and later on in the schoolhouse. In 1851 a spacious church edifice was erected in the southern part of the township at a cost of $1.500. The congregation, which is small but prosper- ous, was formerly attached to the Espyville circuit, but is now a part of the Linesville.
The First Congregational Church of Conneaut was organized in 1833 by Rev. Peter Hassinger, with a membership of seven. A meeting house was erected at Conneaut Center in 1841, which was in use until 1873, when the present church was erected at a cost of $2,500. Rev. Hart was the first pastor. The membership is not large.
The Steamburg Methodist Episcopal Church was organized by Rev. R. C. Smith, its first pastor, in 1867, with a membership of twenty. In 1870 the frame church edifice was erected at a cost of about $1,500. The society was at one time part of the Linesville circuit, but is now attached to Spring. The membership is very small, not much exceeding the original number.
CHAPTER VI.
CUSSAWAGO TOWNSHIP.
C USSAWAGO was one of the townships created by the Court of Quarter Sessions at Meadville in 1800. Its original boundaries were described as follows : "Beginning at the northeast corner of Sadsbury Township ; thence north to the northern line of Crawford County; thence west until it strikes the northeast corner of Beaver Township; thence south along the same to the northwest corner of Sadsbury Township; thence east to the place of be- ginning." As thus laid out it included the western part of what is now Cussa -. wago, the eastern part of Spring, the northeastern part of Summerhill and the northwestern part of Hayfield. Upon the revision of the township lines in 1829 its boundaries were established as they exist at present, the eastern por- tion being taken from Venango Township.
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Cussawago lies upon the northern border of the county, a little west of the center. It is one of the largest townships in the county, containing 23.775 acres. The surface is a rolling upland, the highest point being about two hundred feet above the surrounding country. Cussawago Creek flows south- ward through the western part of the township, and, with its tributaries, drains this and the central portions. The eastern part is watered by several small streams flowing eastwardly into Venango. The name Cussawago is derived from the name of the creek, and according to the pronunciation of the cele- brated Indian chief Cornplanter it should be spelled Kos-se-watt-ga. Tradi- tion states that the Indians, upon coming to the creek for the first time, dis- covered among the limbs of a high tree a large blacksnake, with a white ring around his neck. The snake exhibited a wonderful protuberance, as if he had swallowed a rabbit. Hence the name Kossewauga, which means literally "big belly," was applied to the creek.
The valley of Cussawago Creek, south of the center of the township, is somewhat swampy, and, in consequence, is heavily timbered and less im- proved. In the eastern part of the township, north of the center, is a fine plateau, and a more extensive one lies in the southwestern part. The soil in the valley of the Cussawago is a highly productive, gravelly loam, interspersed occasionally with a mixture of clay and sand, the first range of farms upon each side being free from stones. The land upon the uplands consists generally of a good quality of clay loam and sand, and occasionally of gravelly loam. Ag- riculture is the chief occupation of the inhabitants, attention being directed principally to dairying and stock raising, though grain is raised in sufficient quantity for home consumption. Several saw mills, planing mills, cheese fac- tories and other industrial establishments, exist in various parts of the town- ship, so that manufacturing may be counted as one of the branches of industry.
Cussawago was one of the earliest settled portions of the county. The tracts in the northern part were located by individuals, while much of the southern part was owned by the Holland Land Company. John Collins is said to have had the honor of being the first settler. as he came as early as 1792. but was forced to leave soon afterwards on account of the Indian hostilities. About 1797 he came back and settled a short distance west of Mosiertown, but afterwards removed to the southern part of the county. Robert Erwin came to the township in 1795 and settled on the John Mead tract, about two miles south of Crossingville. He was an Irishman, of the Baptist persuasion. and had a great reputation as a hunter. He built a log house and remained a resi- 'dent of the township throughout life. He married in 1802, and for some time the young couple had hard work to get along. In 1797 Alexander and John Swaney, John Chamberlain and John Clawson came into the township. The Swaney brothers were natives of Ireland, and after three years' residence in Northumberland County they came here in the spring of 1797. Alexander
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bought 1,600 acres of land and built a log cabin on each 400 acres, in which he settled his relatives. They bent their united efforts towards the work of making improvements, and in a few years they were able to support a school composed of their own children. It is related that during one winter the school was attended by thirty-six children, all of whom were first cousins. Many of their descendants still reside in the township. John Chamberlain was a native of New Jersey, and resided for some time in Sussex County. He came to Crawford County later on and settled about a mile southwest of Cross- ingville. Here he built a cabin of such logs as he and another man could roll up. The chimney was constructed of sticks and mud, and the door, floor and roof of split poles. The windows were holes cut through the logs, covered with greased paper as a substitute for glass. With the aid of his gun he pro- vided meat for his family from the game which abounded in the vicinity, and for flour he was obliged to take his grist to Meadville, taking a bushel of grain on his back, having it ground and returning all in the same day. Wild beasts were numerous and troublesome and were continually attacking the stock. After a few years' residence he built a house of hewn logs, and when it was raised the settlers were so few and scattered that men came from Meadville. among them the county judge. Mr. Chamberlain was a deacon in the Baptist Church, and was a lifelong resident of Cussawago. John Clawson was a Quaker, and came from New Jersey and settled in the central part of the town- ship. He was a farmer and remained permanently upon the farm he first settled.
The life of the pioneers in Cussawago Township differed little from that of the other sections. They came long distances, on foot or in wagons, and built small cabins in the wilderness, where they for many years endured all the hardships incident to a frontier life. For some years very little grain or vege- tables were raised, the settlers depending almost entirely for sustenance upon the venison and other game with which the forests were filled. During the first year the grain had to be carried to Meadville to mill, and later on to Alden's Mills, now Saegertown. At some times food became very scarce, and in- stances are recorded where, as in other sections, the settlers were obliged to dig up the potatoes they had planted in order to keep starvation away. Wild ani- mals filled the woods, and packs of wolves prowled through the wilderness and made inroads on the sheep and cattle unless they were well protected. Panthers were not unusual, and they would often follow a belated settler, with their catlike tread, on his way to his cabin, or frighten the children at play in the woods. It is related that Mrs. Thickstun, while on her way through the woods to visit her neighbors, the Collums, when almost arrived at her destina tion, heard a shrill cry like that of a child in distress. She hurried on, while the dog that accompanied her skulked at her heels. She told Mr. Collum of the scream she had heard, thinking that his child might have been playing in the
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woods and fallen into danger. The child was asleep in the house, but Mr. Collum, curious to know the origin of the cry, took his rifle and went into the woods. The report of the gun followed almost immediately, and he soon re- turned with a large panther, the author of the doleful cries.
Jacob Hites came from Philadelphia County in 1798 and settled in Cussa- wago. He built a cabin of rough logs, exhibiting the devices employed in the construction of houses at that period. Michael Greely, from Virginia, occu- pied the farm north of him. Several families located in the vicinity of Cross- ingville, mostly natives of Ireland, and Roman Catholics, among them being Patrick and Bartholomew McBride, Miles Tinny and John Donohue. Tinny had settled in Northumberland County upon first coming to this country, and had there married a daughter of Bartholomew McBride, and came to Cussa- wago with him. Many of their descendants still reside in the township. Grove Lewis, a native of Bucks County, removed with his family to Meadville in 1798 and a year later came to Cussawago. The land cleared was not suffi- cient to support the settlers, and great privations were suffered. At one time they were obliged to resort to bread made from sifted bran. Many of the necessities of life could be obtained no nearer than Pittsburg, a barrel of salt costing $20. Mr. Lewis was a soldier in the War of 1812 and afterwards re- ceived a pension of $2 a month. John McTier came on foot from Cumberland County with his wife and three children, carrying one of them in his arms. He settled in Cussawago in 1799 and immediately commenced the erection of a log cabin, which he roofed with poles, brush and moss. As he was not skilled in carpentry he did not attempt to make a door, but went in and out in Robin- son Crusoe style, ladders being placed within and without the wall, which was thus scaled. It also lacked a chimney. so the fire was built in one corner of the cabin and the smoke passed out overhead. They spent a year in this rude cabin, after which a more comfortable log house was built.
Lewis Thickstun brought his family from New Jersey and settled in Cus- sawago in 1802. He also brought with him a cow and two wagons, one drawn by horses and the other by oxen. He purchased a farm a short distance north of Mosiertown and remained upon it during the remainder of his life. He was an early member of the Baptist Church and left a family which is still represented in the township. Francis Ross was an Irishman and was known as an inveterate swearer. He had acquired the habit in early life and it had become so fixed upon him that he could not enunciate a sentence without ac- companying it with a string of profanity. In his later years he united with the Baptist Church and endeavored to conquer his besetting sin, although with the greatest difficulty. It is related that often while plowing in the fields he was heard to utter a series of most shocking oaths ; but, struck by his weakness, would the next minute fall upon his knees in the furrow and in fervent prayer
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implore forgiveness. It is not stated whether lie ever completely conquered this fault.
Thomas Potter and his two sons, Aaron and Job, came from Connecticut in 1816 and took up 800 acres of land near Potter's Corners. In 1818 he built a saw mill and in 1821 a grist mill, both being the first of their kind in the township. They were located in the southwestern part, on Cussawago Creek. Robert Erwin operated an early saw mill near Crossingville, and had a distillery and a little corn cracker at the same place. Martin Clawson was also the pro- prietor of a saw mill. The industrial works of the township have not in- creased very largely, and now consist of a few scattered saw mills, shingle mills and cheese factories.
David Owen taught the first school in 1804 in a log cabin a mile south- east from Mosiertown, and it was attended by fifteen pupils. A Mr. David was an early teacher in the settlement. Joshua Pennell taught a term in 1810, and a laughable incident is related of him. He laid down as the first rule of his school that the scholars should acquire the habit of thinking twice before speaking, and he enforced it particularly with Zeph Clawson, who often spoke rashly and unthinkingly. As the master was standing one day with his back to the fire Zeph suddenly accosted him with, "Well, master, I think-" "That's right. Zeph; now think again before you speak," interrupted Mr. Pennell. Zeph kept silence until the teacher said, "Well, Zeph, now speak." "Your coat is on fire." was the meek response, and, turning about, he found his clothes in a blaze. The lad was allowed to follow his natural way of speaking there- after. Schools were taught regularly in several parts every winter from 1820 to 1835, when the public school system was adopted. Cobb's spelling book, Daboll's arithmetic, the Western calculator, the English reader and the New Testament were the text-books used, until in 1836 Kirkham's grammar was cautiously introduced.
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