USA > Pennsylvania > Crawford County > Our country and its people. A historical and memorial record of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. > Part 54
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Again, during the summer of 1795, James Dickson and his son were get- ting the ground ready for a potato patch on the tract which they settled the following year. The Indians were still hostile, and the few venturesome pioneers who cultivated patches of ground away from the fort at Meadville, found it prudent to labor in groups of two or more, one keeping guard while the others worked. As they were busily preparing the ground they heard the
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report of a gun, and seeing a flock of turkeys fly from the limbs of one of the neighboring trees, and fearing that the Indians were at hand, the laborers hid themselves in a nearby thicket. But they were reassured when they saw the form of Hugh Logue emerge from the forest, rifle in hand, and together they went to Meadville, leaving a horse they had been using at the clearing. Upon their return, a few days later, they found that the horse was missing, and beside his tracks, which disappeared in the direction of Conneaut Lake, were the prints of moccasins. The horse had undoubtedly been stolen by the Indians, and it was never recovered. Thefts of this kind were not infrequent in those days.
The end of the Indian troubles in 1796 brought several other families within the limits of Hayfield. Hugh Logue, an Irishman, settled near Dick- son. He was well advanced in years and was accompanied by a grown up family. Two brothers, Adam and Jacob Brookhouser, of German origin, set- tled upon land opposite Sagertown. William Gill had remained in Meadville for some time, and in the spring of 1796 took possession of a tract north of Dickson's. His eldest son, Robert, was in service at Erie.
The two Roderick Fraziers settled near the southeast corner of the town- ship. They were of no kin to one another, but by a remarkable coincidence bothi came to Hayfield and lived upon the same tract. The elder Roderick Frazier was a Scotchman, a bachelor, who had been in the English army at the fall of Quebec. He had located a tract on French Creek as early as 1793, but did not take possession of his land until 1796, passing the period of Indian dis- turbances in Meadville. He resided upon his farm until deatlı, living to the age of more than one hundred years. Roderick Frazier, the younger, was also a Scotchman, from near Inverness. During the Revolution he had been an English soldier, but deserted to the American side before the close of the war. In 1806 he came to Hayfield and settled upon the tract of his elderly namesake, supporting the old man in his advanced life, and purchasing the tract, part of which is still owned by his descendants.
William McElvey settled in the eastern part of the township, about a mile northwest from the Dickson farm. He was one of the earliest settlers and remained there through life. James Dunn came from New Jersey in 1797 and settled on a tract near Coon's Corners. His descendants still reside in the township. During the early days, when this county was a portion of Alle- gheny, he was a justice of the peace, and in later years became a Baptist min- ister. At about the same time Isaac and George Mason made a settlement on Brookhouser's Run, about a mile and a half northeast of Saegertown. Isaac commanded a company from Crawford County in service at Erie during the War of 1812. Their brother, David Mason, settled on the hills in the eastern part of the township. Martha Ouray lived with her brother, George Ouray, in the southwestern part at a very early date. She purchased 100 acres of
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land, and soon afterward married Daniel Kilday, an emigrant from Ireland. Philip Dunn settled on the Cussawago, David Morris in the southern part of the township, and within a few years the settlers had come in sufficient num- bers to cover the surface of the township.
A great number of the pioneers had come from the thickly settled portions of the East, and were not accustomed to use the rifle. But in a short time many of them became expert hunters, particularly the younger men. An amusing incident is related of Daniel Kilday and Robert Kilpatrick, two Irish settlers wholly unaccustomed to forest life and the sight of its wild inhabi- tants. While walking through the woods together Kilday saw an animal of some sort run up a sapling, and making toward it he cried excitedly to his companion, "Robert, Robert. we've threed a fawn." Daniel followed the creature up the tree and in spite of its savage cries and furious demonstrations, knocked it off, while his companion below beat the life out of it with a club. It proved to be a wildcat of the largest size.
James Dickson, in 1815, built the first bridge across French Creek, con- necting Hayfield with the other side. It had stone piers and hewed timbers and was afterward purchased by the county. In 1815 he commenced the construction of a flouring mill at McGuffin's Falls, in the southeastern part of the township, but it was not set in operation until 1819. After his death it became the property of his son Joseph, who operated it until 1836, when he sold it to William McGaw. In 1814 William Gill and James Dickson both started distilleries, which had a capacity of four bushels of rye per day. There was a great demand for whiskey, and Roderick Frazier and others also oper- ated stills. A little grist mill was built on Foster's Run in 1800 by George Mason, and although it was of small capacity was looked upon as a great boon to the settlement ..
In the southeastern part of Hayfield Township a large vineyard is eul- tivated by John Hartman. It is located upon a high ridge, being the highest land in that portion of the county, and is therefore freer from frost than most of the surrounding territory. Mr. Hartman first began the cultivation of grapes for profit about ten years ago, and since then the number of vines has been increased until he now devotes to that purpose between sixty and seventy acres. The Concord is the staple variety, although the Niagara and Catawba are also favorites, and other species are given considerable attention. His yearly production of grapes now averages from seventy to eighty thousand baskets, which find a ready sale in the markets of Meadville and other cities. Large quantities of wine are manufactured and sold to wholesale merchants in New York. The size and beauty of this vineyard make it one of the inter- esting features of Crawford County, the vine covered hills differing little in appearance from the picturesque scenes of southern France. Mr. Hartman has found grape raising a profitable occupation, and during the autumn his
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increasing business gives employment to a large staff of assistants. Not far from this vineyard another of smaller area is operated by Mr. Rice.
Miss Martha Ouray, who afterward became Mrs. Kilday, taught the first school in the township. It was held in 1798 in an old log cabin which stood on the Kilday farm. and was attended by the Dickson and Gill children. Mordecai Thomas taught school in the same vicinity from 1804 to 1808, and Owen David for ten or twelve years afterward. About 1804 George Andrews, an Irishman of considerable talent and ability, taught a term in the Dickson cabin. The early schools were usually held in abandoned cabins, with no con- veniences, and the teachers were poorly educated and the pupils few. In 1837 there were three schools. employing three teachers, but the number of scholars was not reported. Upward of six hundred dollars was raised for school pur- poses and both teachers and scholars were spoken of in terms of praise.
In 1896 the number of schools had increased to seventeen, with a school year of seven months. Three hundred and fifty-nine children were enrolled as pupils, at an average cost per month for each pupil of $1.34. More than $4.700 was expended for school purposes. more than half being raised by the township itself, the remainder coming from the State appropriation.
Little's Corners, or Hayfield Postoffice, is the largest village in the town- ship. There are twenty-five or thirty dwellings, several stores, several mills and factories. a church and a schoolhouse. The village was commenced more than fifty years ago and has increased very slowly. William B. Morris oper- ated a carding mill here as early as 1845. and in 1850 Sylvester Mason opened the first store.
Coon's Corners is a small village situated near the center of the town- ship. about a mile east of Hayfield. It contains a half dozen dwellings, a post- office, store and a church.
Norrisville is a settlement of about the same size, located on the west- ern line of the township.
The Norrisville United Brethren Church, formerly called the Summer- hill Church, was organized by Rev. Rittenhouse about 1853. with five mem- bers. The church services were held in a schoolhouse in Summerhill Town- ship until about 1860. when an edifice was erected near the western boundary of Hayfield. It has a small membership and is connected with the Cussawago Circuit.
Little's Corners Methodist Episcopal Society was organized at Hayfield in 1852, with nine members. by Rev. J. K. Hallock. the first pastor. The early meetings were held in a schoolhouse, but in 1853 a large meeting house was erected at a cost of $1.700. The society. though small. is in a flourishing condition. The Coon's Corners Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1844 by Rev. McClellen, with twelve members. In 1848 a frame building was erected at a cost of $700.
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An Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized at Black's Corners in 1854. by Rev. John A. Nuner. There were fourteen original members, and the first meetings were held in Burn's schoolhouse, north of the present church. which was erected in the same year at an expense of $400. Its membership is also very small.
The Pleasant Hill United Brethren Church was organized at Black's Corners in 1869 by Rev. Cyrus Casterline. There were forty original mem- bers, among them Herman Rice and John Braddish. In 1870 a church edifice was erected at a cost of $1.700, but the membership is now greatly reduced.
A Wesleyan Methodist Church was erected at Black's Corners in 1849 on the farm of Roderick Frazier. David Jones and Samuel March were among its early members.
A Methodist Episcopal class was organized on French Creek, opposite Saegertown, in 1826. Meetings were held for a short time in the cabin of Ebenezer Seavy, then for several years on the second floor of Foster's distil- lery, on the same farm, when a rudely furnished meeting house was erected two miles up the creek, in which services were held for many years. Many members left to unite with the Saegertown and other churches, and in a short time the society was dissolved
CHAPTER XII.
MEAD TOWNSHIP.
M EAD TOWNSHIP as originally constituted included all of what is now Erie and Crawford counties, and existed as a geographical division even before the organization of Crawford County. Until the month of July, 1800. Allegheny County embraced the whole of northwestern Pennsyl- vania, but at the first session of the courts in Meadville, after the formation of Crawford County, several townships were laid out, of which Mead. greatly reduced in area, occupied the central position. At that time. in addition to its present territory, it included parts of Vernon. Hayfield, Woodcock, Rich- mond and most of Randolph. In 1828 it was reduced to its present size, and it is now the second township of Crawford County in area, containing 25.683 acres, valued in 1897 at $691.914.
The land of Mead Township. like most of Crawford County, is rolling and undulating, and the soil is of good quality; and while a large portion is suitable for the cultivation of cereals, a larger part is more especially adapted to grazing and stock raising. French Creek, forming the western boundary,
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drains the larger part of it. while its tributary, Little Sugar Creek, which rises in the northeastern corner and flows south into East Fairfield Township, traverses the western portion. Hay is a staple product, and dairying and stock raising are largely engaged in. The Rev. Timothy Alden described Mead Township, in 1817, in an article in the "Allegheny Magazine." and while the boundaries have been changed since then, the general characteristics and nature of the land were pointed out as follows: "The township is agreeably varie- gated with hills and dales, but sufficiently level for all the purposes of agri- culture. Like most of the county, it is in general better for grass than for grain. For the former, no part of the United States is believed to be better adapted, and of the latter, nothing but the hand of cultivation is wanted to furnish an abundance for a numerous population. From one-seventh to one- fifthi may be considered first-rate land. Of the residue, a hundred acres in one body can, perhaps, nowhere be found so broken or so ordinary in quality as to come under the denomination of third-rate. Springs of the purest water abound in all directions, from which never failing brooks proceed to irrigate and enhance the value of every plantation in the township. Van Horn's Run, Kossewango Creek, on the western side of French Creek; Mill Run, rising in Wayne, taking a circuitous northwesterly course and passing through the village of Meadville, some of the branches of Little Sugar Creek, of Big Sugar Creek, of Oil Creek and of Woodcock Creek, on the east side of French Creek, afford many eligible sites for water works. At present there are four mills for grain, three for sawing logs, and others are begun or contemplated. Two carding machines and one fulling mill are also impelled by water."
"Of forest trees the following list. though imperfect, shows something of the variety: White oak, red oak, black oak, chestnut, hickory in all its species, beech, cherry, sycamore or buttonwood, white ash, black ash, sugar tree, dark and light, soft maple, black birch, white pine, hemlock, white elm, red elm, slippery elm, sassafras, poplar or white wood, quaking asp, cucumber. ironwood, dogwood, not the poisonous kind, called boxwood in some parts, bass or linden. sumach, konnekonik, etc. Of wild fruit there are: Crab apple, plums of several kinds, and of a delicious flavor, haws, white, red and black, whortleberries, blue and black in a few places, strawberries, very fine and abundant, blackberries, high and low in great plenty, raspberries, white, red and purple, which are excellent, wild currants, gooseberries, cranberries and nuts of different sorts in vast quantities. Hops, highbalm, ginseng, blood- root. evinroot or chocolateroot. and many other kinds of roots and herbage, of valuable properties, are the spontaneous growth of Mead as well as of other townships in the county of Crawford. Health, the greatest of all merely temporal blessings, is nowhere more prevalent than in this part of the country."
Thus favored by nature to such a marked degree, Mead Township pre- sented a most favorable field for colonization, and it was within its limits that
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the first settlers of Crawford County established themselves. It was in the spring of 1788 that David Mead, driven from his home in Wyoming County by struggles "with fortune, with the Indians, and the Wyoming boys," came, accompanied by his brother John and several others, to seek a new home and begin a new career in the wilderness beyond the Allegheny River. Here he patented a tract of land on the west branch of French Creek, about a mile north of Meadville, but in the fall of 1788 removed to take possession of the claim abandoned by Thomas Grant, who had settled upon the present site of Mead- ville. It is from David Mead, the first settler, and for many years the most influential man of the vicinity, that both the city and the township take their names. Of those who had accompanied him in 1788, John Mead and Cor- nelitis Van Horn settled in what is now Vernon Township, while James Fitz Randolph located a tract about two miles south of Meadville. The others returned to the East, finding the struggle for life in the wilderness harder than they had anticipated. But David, on the contrary, not at all discour- aged, brought out his family in 1789, and other settlers came and took up land near him. Samuel Lord, who had been a Revolutionary soldier and was a renowned Indian fighter, located upon the land now forming the north- ern part of Meadville, known as the "Mount Hope" tract. He took consider- able interest in public affairs, and kept the village store, having, in addition to the trade of the colonists, that of the Indians, whose confidence he had gained and by whom he was greatly beloved. John Wentworth and Frederick Hay- maker joined the colony at the same time and settled in the vicinity of Mead- ville.
Frederick Baum, Darius Mead and Robert Fitz Randolph arrived in 1789. The latter, who had been a soldier of the Revolution, located two miles south of the Mead settlement, and lived there with his family until his death, in 1830. He was a strong character, and his zeal in the cause of free- dom was unwavering. The following anecdote, from the Crawford Mes- senger, of July, 1830, is ample proof of this fact : In one of the alarms caused by the approach of the English to the town of Erie, during the War of 1812, he mustered a strong band of his own household, in true patriarchal style, con- sisting of his four sons, and two or three grandsons, put himself at their head, and thus armed and equipped, marched to meet the expected foc. His companion, Frederick Baum, took up a claim south of Meadville, upon French Creek, in the southwestern part of the township. His neighbor, Jolin Baum, who had the reputation of being the strongest man in the settlement, was another early resident of that vicinity.
These hardy pioneers, the advance guard of the army of civilization. had every difficulty to contend with incident to the settlement of a new conn- try, and besides had always to be on the alert to guard against the Indians. But with that spirit of enterprise which characterized the first settlers of this
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country, and the hope of procuring permanent homes for themselves and their families, which had led them to the wilderness and cheered their way through it, they selected their lands and commenced the work of converting them into farms. But their outlook was a gloomy one. They were far from any neighbors of their own race, and were but poorly supplied with the means of making a livelihood. After several years of incessant toil and hardship the prospects began to brighten, but the gloomy cloud of another Indian war soon overcast them, and the isolated infant settlements of the West were menaced with destruction. Many fled, while those who remained were exposed to constant privations and sufferings. Prior to 1795, it is doubtful if any per- manent settlement existed in the township or county, beyond the block house at Meadville, where David Mead established himself, determined to brave every danger and incur every risk rather than leave his important interests. Sheltered by the fort, he and his companions carried on the work of clearing the land and raising crops. For several months, in 1791, when the Indians were daily expected to attempt the extermination of the people on French Creek, Mr. Mead and his family resided in Franklin, that he might have it in his power to repair to the garrison in that place as a last resort. During this period his father was taken by two Indians, from a field where he was at work, and carried to the vicinity of Conneaut Lake. Some days afterward he was found, together with one of the Indians, both dead, and bearing such marks of violence as showed they had had a struggle, and it was deemed prob- able that the other Indian had been wounded in the encounter, from the fact that his companion was left unburied.
Cornelius Van Horn who, as related in a preceding paragraph, was one of the companions of Mead in 1788, figured prominently in the early history of the township, and the following story of one of his adventures has come down to us, giving a vivid illustration of the dangers by which they were continually surrounded : In the spring of 1791 Van Horn, Gregg and Ray were plowing on the island opposite the town. Gregg and Ray had crossed the river to prepare the dinner, when Van Horn, who continued plowing, saw his horses take fright at something, and suddenly turning, saw a tall Indian about to strike him with a tomahawk, and another just behind. Quick as thought he seized the descending arm and grappled with the In- dian, hugging him after the manner of a bear. While in this close embrace the other Indian attempted to shoot Van Horn, but he, no novice in frontier tactics, kept turning the Indian around in his arms so as to present him as a shield against the bullet, and thus gained time enough to parley for his life. No fine-spun diplomacy was practiced in the treaty, a few broken words of Indian on one side, and broken English on the other, resulted in a capitula- tion by which he was to be taken prisoner, together with his horses. He was pinioned and taken to a hill above the college, where they met the old
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chief and a fourth Indian. After a consultation, the chief mounted one of the horses and the prisoner the other, and pursued their way toward Conneaut Lake, while the other three returned to the island in search of further ad- ventures. Gregg and Ray had returned, and were wondering over the mean ing of the tracks in the field, when they descried the three Indians. Gregg started to run, and was pursued, killed and scalped, while Ray, who had stood his ground, was taken prisoner.
The old chief had tied Van Horn to a tree, in a sitting posture, with his arms behind him, but the thong working loose the chief pulled it obliquely up the tree to tighten it and then, thinking his prisoner securely fastened, laid himself down in the bushes to sleep. Van Horn, by raising himself a little, loosened the thong enough to allow him to get a small knife out of his cuff and cut himself loose from the tree, but he could not break the pinions which confined his arms. He made his way back to the settlement, where he met an officer from Fort Franklin, who ordered the whole colony to repair for safety to that place, lest there might be a larger force of Indians in the vicinity. Van Horn pleaded hard for permission to remain behind and learn the fate of Ray and Gregg, and as the officer's horse had been lost he was given per- mission to stay, provided he could get some one to remain with him. A friendly Indian, by the name of Gilloway, agreed to be his companion, and another friendly Indian, McKee, also remained behind in order to catch the lost horse. They found the horse, and taking some furs and skins in the canoe. embarked for Franklin. Gilloway volunteered to ride the horse, while the others went by water, but he rode it a little too far and in the wrong direction, as he was not heard of again until seen in Sandusky. Van Horn afterward had reason to think that Gilloway had tarried behind in order to murder him, but that, his plan frustrated by the determination of McKee to remain also, he had stolen the horse and decamped. Van Horn and McKee determined to return from Franklin, and in order to have an early start to pass the night in a deserted cabin a mile or two this side of the fort. The com- manding officers in vain urged the danger of an attack by the savages, but Van Horn and his comrade thought themselves competent to defend their* position. In the night, however, the officers and soldiers determined to make good their surmises and have a little fun by raising an Indian whoop and surrounding the cabin where Van Horn lay. The soldiers, listening at the door, heard Van Horn arranging with his comrade to stand by and haul them into the cabin, while he cut them down at the door with his ax. This was a kind of sport for which the party was not prepared, and they withdrew, fully satisfied that Van Horn could take care of himself.
The war was happily terminated by General Wayne in 1795, and imme- diately a great influx of colonists took place. Those who had for a time abandoned their farms returned and again took up the work of cultivation.
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Soldiers who had been granted land in payment for services either came them- selves to reside on it or transferred it to others who wished to begin life in the West. Thomas Ray, who was captured on the same day that Van Horn was taken prisoner, was taken by the Indians to Detroit, and having gained his liberty at the termination of the war, returned and settled in the north- western part of Mead Township, where he remained permanently. Others took up land in various parts of the county. David Compton, who had originally settled in Vernon Township, removed to a tract about two miles south of Meadville, where he resided during the remainder of his life. Nicho- las Lord settled on Mill Run, about a mile and a half east of Meadville, in 1795.
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