USA > Pennsylvania > The Historical journal : a quarterly record of local history and genealogy devoted principally to Northwestern Pennsylvania > Part 15
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36
JOHN HAMILTON.
PINE CREEK, P.A., July 29, 1887.
COLONEL JOHN G. FREEZE, of Bloomsburg, Columbia County. has in his possession a deed, dated April, 1793, made by the " Cor- . poration for the relief of poor and distressed Presbyterian minis- ters, and the poor and distressed widows and children of Presby- terian ministers, their successors and assigns forever." The farm is yet in. the ownership of the then Grantee, Robert Finney.
I
157
THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL.
THE OLD FIREPLACE.
BY J. N. MATTHEWS.
THE blessed old fireplace! how bright it appears, As back to my boyhood I gaze, O'er the desolate waste of the vanishing years, From the gloom of these lone latter days; Its lips are as ruddy, its heart is as warm To my fancy, to-niglit, as of yore,
When we cuddled around it and smiled at the storm, As it showed its white teeth at the door.
I remember the apple that wooed the red flame Till the blood bubbled out of its cheek,
And the passionate popcorn that smothered its shame Till its heart split apart with a shriek; I remember the Greeks and the Trojans who fought, In their shadowy shapes on the wall, And the yarn, in thick tangles, my fingers held taut, While my mother was winding the ball.
I remember the cat that lay cozy and curled By the jamb where the flames flickered high,
And the sparkles-the fireflies of winter-that whirled Up the flue, as the wind whistled by ; I remember the bald-headed, bandy-legged tongs, That frowned like a fiend in my face,
In a fury of passion, repeating the wrongs, They had borne in the old fireplace.
I remember the steam from the kettle that breathed As soft as the flight of a soul,
The long-handled skillet that spluttered and seethed With the batter that burdened its bowl; I remember the rusty, identical nail Where the criminal pot-hook's. were hung ; The dragon-faced andirons, the old cedar pail, The gourd and the peg where it swung.
But the fire has died out on the old cabin hearth, The wind clatters loud thro' the pane, And the dwellers-they've flown to the ends of the earth. And will gaze on it never again ; A forget-me-not grows in the moldering wall, The last, as it were, of its race, And the shadows of night settle down like a pall On the stones of the old fireplace.
THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL.
Two Dollars per Annum, in Advance. Single Numbers, Twenty Cents.
A monthly publication, devoted entirely to the preservation of scraps of local history in Northwestern Pennsylvania, with reference occasionally to statistics, finance and manufactures.
Address all letters and communications relating to literary matters, subscrip- tion or advertising to
JOHN F. MEGINNESS, Editor and Publisher, WILLIAMSPORT, PA.
WILLIAMSPORT, SEPTEMBER, 1887.
JOSEPH BARNETT.
Joseph Barnett was the patriarch of Jefferson County. He had done service on the West Branch under General Potter dur- ing the Revolution; and also under the State against the Wyoming boys. After the war he settled in Northumberland County (now Lycoming), at the mouth of Pine Creek ; and very likely was one of the Fair Play men, because he lost his property by the opera- tion of the common law. which superseded the jurisdiction of fair play. Again, in 1797, he penetrated the wilderness of the upper region of the West Branch by the Chinklacamoose (Clearfield) path, and passing the headlands between the Susquehanna and the Allegheny, arrived on the waters of Red Bank, then called Sandy Lick Creek. He had purchased lands there of Colonel Timothy Pickering & Company. He first erected a saw mill at Port Barnett. as he called it, at the mouth of Mill Creek, about two miles east of Brookville. Here his descendants still reside. His companions on this expedition were his brother, Andrew Bar- nett, and his brother-in-law, Samuel Scott. Nine Seneca Indians, of Cornplanter's tribe, assisted him to raise his mill. Leaving his brother to look after the new structure, he returned to his family in Lycoming County, intending to take them out to his settlement in the wilderness. But Scott soon followed him, bearing the melancholy news of the death of his brother Andrew, who was buried by the friendly Indians and Scott in the flat opposite where a tavern afterwards stood. This news discouraged him for
159
THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL.
awhile ; but in 1799 he removed his family out, accompanied again by Scott. They fell to work and sawed lumber and rafted it down to Pittsburg, where it brought in those days $25 per thous- and. The usual adventures and privations of frontier life attended their residence in that wild portion of the State. The nearest mill was on Black Lick Creek, now in Indiana County. Mr. Bar- nett knew nothing of the wilderness south of him, and was obliged to give an Indian $4 to pilot him to Westmoreland. The nearest house on the path eastward was Paul Clover's ( grandfather of General Clover), 33 miles distant on the West Branch, where Cur- wensville now stands; westward Fort Venango was distant 45 miles. These points were the only resting places for travelers through that unbroken wilderness. What a change has been wrought in ninety years !
The Senecas, of Cornplanter's tribe, who resided on their reservation on the upper waters of the Allegheny, were peaceable and friendly neighbors, and often extended their excursions into this region. where they encamped two or three in a squad, and hunted deer and bear. In the spring they took the hams and skins to Pittsburg, where they traded them for provisions and clothing. Their rafts were constructed of dry poles, upon which they piled up their meats and skins in the form of a haystack. They were always friendly, sober, and rather fond of making money. During the war of 1812 the settlers were apprehensive that an unfortunate turn of the war upon the lakes might bring an irruption of savages upon the frontier, through the Seneca nation, but it never came.
Sherman Day, when he visited the place of Barnett's settlement forty-five years ago, informs us that old Captain Hunt, a Muncy Indian, had his camp for some years on Red Bank, near what is now the southwestern corner of Brookville. He got his living by hunting, and enjoyed the results in drinking whiskey, of which he was inordinately fond. One year he killed 78 bears. The skins were worth about $3 each. and he expended nearly all the pro- ceeds for his favorite beverage.
Samuel Scott resided there until 1810, when, having scraped together, by hunting and lumbering, about $2,000, he went to the Miami River and purchased a section of fine land, which made him rich.
160
THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL.
Joseph Barnett, who remained in the new settlement, succeeded in carving out a home for himself and family. When the county of Jefferson-which had been erected in 1804-was ready to transact its own judicial business in 1824, he was appointed one of the first three commissioners, and the first meeting of the board was held at Port Barnett. Settlements were small and far between for many years. In 1840 the population of Brookville was 276: in 1880 it had reached 2,136. The name of Joseph Barnett has been honored by calling a township after him, and it is not likely that the memory of the sturdy pioneer from the West Branch, of nearly a hundred years ago, will soon be obliterated.
OLD TIME IRON FURNACES AGAIN.
The article on "Old Time Iron Furnaces," in the August num- ber of THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL, reminds me that I have quite a bundle of papers relating to the business of Robinson, MeNickle & Beltzhoover, who owned a furnace near Harmony. Butler County. The members of the firm were William Robinson, Jr., of Alleghe- ny : John McNickle and Daniel Beltzhoover, of Pittsburgh. The firm was embarrassed by a debt of $1,160, dne to Thomas Brad- ford, of Philadelphia, for which they executed a bond drawn up and witnessed by James Hall, June 16, 1819. On the 14th of June, 1826, Beltzhoover wrote to Richard Biddle, attorney for Bradford :
Our letter to you of 4 Nov. on the subject of Mr. Bradford's claim & the promise therein contained of payment of part thereof on the 26 May, was predi- cated on a contract which we have with Government for 5,000 cannon Balls. We had confidently calculated that the contract would before this time been filled, but owing to the Government agent not sending on the guages by which we were to be regulated in the size, it was impossible to push the making of them without the risk of having the Balls condemned. We have only 700 finished & received no part of the pay. We are proceeding now to finish as we are in possession of the guages & of course no time will be lost in closing the contract. It was all we calculated on to enable us to pay Mr. B. & in this we have been disappointed. It is our wish to discharge the Debt, but this can only be done thro' the opera- . tions of our works, & a coercion for payment would no doubt to us be extremely ruinous and perhaps jeopardize the debt of Mr. B. You know that we are doing every[thing] that is possible to discharge all our debts, & trust that our credi- tors will not press us in such a manner as to take the means out of our hands of so doing.
161
THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL.
The following note, addressed to William Robinson, Jr., and post-marked Harmony, Pa., probably gives the date of the final closing of the furnace :
" MR. ROBINSON :
The furnace blew out on the 24th inst., and we have 3,000 balls ready for in- spection. I have written to the Major asking him to send out and have them in- spected. Mr. Robinson, come out yourself next week, I wish to see you very much. I have not rented the furnace yet. I shall expect you here next week.
Your Friend,
"FEB. 27th, 1827."
D. BELTZHOOVER."
The following letter is in the handwriting of William Robin- son, Jr. : .
"PITTSBURGH, March Ist, 1827. " RICH'D BIDDLE, ESQ.,
Sir : We have been advised that a process in the case of Mr. Bradford has been issued and is about to be served on us which will inevitably lead to our ruin & the loss of your client's debt if persisted in. No alternative will be left us but a resort to the insolvent lairs, & we conceive it our duty to Mr. B. as well as to ourselves to apprise you of the consequences. The means by which Mr. Beltz- hoover intended to discharge this claim have never yet been realized it is calcu- lated however to a certainty that the present month will complete the contract for the Balls, & as soon as a shipment can be made to Orleans of them Govern- ment will pay for them, this fund Mr. Beltzhoover has always held applicable to Mr. Bradford's debt. We trust therefore you will see it to the interest of your client to suspend these proceedings as we are confident if he were in possession of the circumstances he would not hazard the loss of his claim by pushing us to in- solvency.
Resp'y Y'r. Obt. Sts. ROBINSON, MUNICKLE & BELTZHOOVER."
The whole correspondence is interesting-showing the difficul- ties encountered by the early furnace-men-but too voluminous to publish in THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL.
ISAAC CRAIG.
ALLEGHANY, July 18, 1887.
NORTHUMBERLAND County was crected March 27, 1772. At that time it took in territory enough for a state. To-day it con- tains 462 square miles, or 295,680 acres. It borders on the Sus- quehanna River for 22 miles above and for 21 miles below the town of Northumberland.
162
THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL.
MR. HAMILTON'S JOURNAL.
Mr. Francis T. Carpenter, of Jersey Shore, writes: I have been much interested in the journal of my old friend, John Hamil- ton, kept during his voyage by canal to Philadelphia in 1839, as published in THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL for August. He speaks of the freezing up of the canal November 21st of that year. I well remem- ber that occurrence. I had a short time previous to that date driven from this place to Marshalton, Pa. There I bought seven fine South- down sheep. These I had sent to Philadelphia by wagon, and shipped to Jersey Shore by canal, on a boat owned and run by Captain Robert Baker, now of Williamsport. Having sold my horse and buggy, I returned home by stage, and a very cold, tedious ride it was, and anxiously awaited the sheep. But, that very November 21st the boat was frozen in near Milton. This was before the existence of a telegraph, except perhaps in the busy brain of a Morse, and not till Captain Baker came home could he report the ice-bound sheep. With a team and wagon I drove across the mountain and brought them to Jersey Shore. These black-faced, round-bodied, short-tailed sheep awakened much in- terest and curiosity, as they were the first Southdowns brought to this part of the country. Their parents were imported from some of the finest English flocks. Their tender, delicate flesh helped to correct the prejudice against mutton.
ATTENTION is called to the personal journal of Hon. Samuel Maclay, commenced in this number of THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL. The commission to which he belonged was composed of three ex- cellent men, and the work assigned them was important. because very little was known at that time about Western Pennsylvania. The journal, which is interesting in its details, will serve to show the reader of to-day the privations that the pioneers were called upon to endure. The commissioners not only surveyed and cx- plored the West Branch, the Sinnemahoning and other streams, but they crossed the mountains to the Allegheny River and as- cended the Conewango to its source, Chautauqua Lake. Oi their way up they fell in with Cornplanter and his tribe. Erie. LeBœuf, Fort Franklin and many other places were visited. They
163
THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL.
surveyed the Kishkiminetas and explored the almost impenetrable wilds of the Conemaugh, closing their work in the autumn of 1790. The journal does not flag in interest from the beginning to the close. It never was printed in full before, which makes it more valuable at this time. At least two issues more of THE HISTORI- CAL JOURNAL will be required to complete it.
NEARING THE END OF A CENTURY.
NEXT to Adam Hart, who has been in his 100th year since the 6th of May, Mrs. Catharine Barto is one of the oldest residents of Lycoming County. She was born in Buffalo Valley, near Lewis- burg, in 1792. and is 95 years old. Her father's name was George Tellers. In 1817 she married Daniel Barto. and in 1820 they moved to a farm in Penn Township, Lycoming County. Her husband died in 1867. She lived in the same place where they settled up to 1881, when she went to reside with her son George, who died a few weeks ago. At the present time she lives but a short distance from her old home with her daughter, Mrs. Bartlow. Her living descendants number 114.
JOHN WARNER, of Pennsville, Lycoming County, celebrated the 90th anniversary of his birth on the 17th of July, 1887. He is one of the oldest residents of Muncy Township. He was born in 1797, one year after the erection of Lycoming County, and has always lived in the West Branch Valley. Reared a Quaker, he has been a consistent member of the Society of Friends throughout his long life. His living children are, Henry E. Warner, of Wil- liamsport; Thomas A. Warner, Mrs. Mary Mendenhall, Mrs. Rachel Parker and Mrs. Whitacre, with whom he lives. The wife of the venerable and respected patriarch died many years ago.
MRS. ELIZABETH GILDAY, of Jersey Shore. is the widow of Thomas Gilday, and daughter of Thomas and Eve Updegraff. She was born April 10, 1803, at the homestead on Long Reach, where she was raised. She is the mother of a large family, and after a life of toil and care, of privation and affliction, she is passing the sunset hours in quiet contentment, blessed by the tender love and self-denying care of a devoted daughter. Mrs. Gilday's sight is so well preserved that she can read comfortably, and much of her time
164
THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL.
is thus occupied. Through her long life the Bible has been her comfort, and a Testament, in large print, supplied by a kind friend, has been read through many times.
MRS. MARY J. MCCLINTICK, of Lamar Township, Clinton County, was 83 years old April 12, 1887, and is remarkably agile for one of her years. She is always lively, in good spirits, and enjoys telling of the days when the loom and the spinning wheel were part of the furniture of every house, and home-made linen and flannels were good enough for anybody to wear. The Loek Haven Express says: " Mrs. McClintick is the mother of eight children, five of whom are living. viz: John W. lives on Cedar Run : Samuel in Lamar Township; Andrew and Close in Centre County, and Mrs. William Furst in Lamar Township. One son, Perry, died shortly after the war from disease contracted while in service. Forty-eight young men and women address her by the revered name of grandmother, while twenty-six of the rising generation call her great-grandmother."
MRS. MARTHA WILLIAMS, aged 90, attended the funeral of her sister, Mrs. Laura Downing, in Plymonth Township, Luzerne County, July 20. 1887. Mrs. Downing was 86. Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Downing were daughters of Samuel Carey, who was cap- tured by the Indians at Wyoming, and was held captive by them for six years. He lived to be 93 years old, and was over 80 when his daughter Laura was born.
JAMES PRESTON, at the age of 92, works in the Turkey Rnn coal mine at Shenandoah, and no man in the mine can do a bigger day's work. He is the father of 36 children, 33 of whom are boys. He came from Ireland and settled in Schuylkill County before anthracite coal was discovered.
COLONEL HENRY ROYER, of Miles Township, Centre County. Pa., was 91 years old on the 16th of April, 1887. He is the picture of health and is in the enjoyment of all his faculties: liberal-minded and intelligent, he has always been to the front when anything was to be done to promote the educational. material, or religious interests of Brush Valley. As a repository of local history of Miles and Haines Townships, he has been invaluable to -those of us who have endeavored to preserve all that was valuable in that direction.
:
165
THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL.
Colonel Royer's grandfather, Christopher Rover, came from the Palatinate and settled in Lancaster County. The old great-grand- mother came over at the same time. She felt sadly in coming to a new country where there would be no church or ministers. The captain of the vessel. a good man. consoled her by saying "one could worship in the heart under a tree." The first sermon she heard in the new country was under an oak tree on. the present site of Lancaster City.
Christopher Royer and his wife were both buried at Rap's church, Lebanon County. Their son, John George Royer, born in Bethel Township. Berks County, December 12, 1750, came to Brush Valley in 1811, and died there July 30, 1822. Four of his children grew up: Catherine, who married John Kern; Elizabeth, married Josiah Gift; Christena died single, and Colonel Henry. born within four miles of Millerstown, Berks County (Bethel Township), April 6, 1796.
When they came to Brush Valley, in 1811, there was but one house in Rebersburg ( beside the church ), the house in which Judge Sam- uel Fraaks now lives. The hotel, which was older, was burned down. Colonel Royer owns the old homestead and farm of his father. It lies west, north, and adjoining Rebersburg, being the home and place where Conrad Reber lived, who also laid out the western part of Rebersburg in 1809, and after whom the town was named.
In these seventy six years Colonel Royer has been an eye witness of all the important changes that have occurred in the valley. When he came little land was cleared: the trees between his home and the site of Rebersburg had been "circled," and were dead. He remembers all the old settlers. But to relate his recollections would be only to go over what Professor Henry Meyer has so ably set forth in his contribution to the history of Centre County. The Colonel thinks himself well, physically, as he can walk up from town, half a mile. to his farm and back almost daily, and he drives to Millheim and Coburn. or out the valley, six or seven miles, to visit his daughter, Widow Kryder. His memory is good ; he gives exact dates and relates in detail all the incidents of his life with no apparent effort. He spends his time principally in reading : reads and writes both in English and German, and is without ques-
166
THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL.
tion one of the most remarkable men for absolutely unimpaired faculties that I have ever heard of. He expects to bury all us historians.
Colonel Royer was married in the holidays of 1821 to Miss Mary Gross, of New Berlin. She was born September 20, 1800, and died June 25, 1883. They had five children: George, who died in 1881; Elizabeth, married Thomas Wolf: Phoebe, married Daniel Brungart, of Rebersburg; Elvina, married Aaron Creep, of Sugar Valley, and Isabella, widow of J. P. Kryder.
Colonel Royer's signature, made yesterday in German and Eng- lish, I enclose to show there is no tremor in his hand.
JOHN B. LINN.
BELLEFONTE, PA., July 30, 1887. Mer. 96°.
RIPE SHEAVES GATHERED BY THE REAPER.
FREDERICK DERR, who died at his home in Madison Township, Columbia County, June 23, 1887, was born October 12, 1804. on the farm where he expired. The farm was bought by his father, George Derr. of the first occupants, the Sutfin brothers, the deed being executed in 1817. George Derr was born in 1777. and had three children, Frederick, Margaret and Jane. He spent his life on this farm and died at the age of 81 years. His son. just de- ceased, was in his 83d year.
GEORGE DOREY died at his home in Philipsburg on the 20th of July, 1887, aged 97 years, 1 month and 11 days. Deceased was horn in Nittany Valley June 10, 1790, and went to Philipsburg in 1851. He was a soldier of the war of 1812. He leaves two sons and five daughters : Mrs." Mathias Plank. Philipsburg: Mrs. George Ebbs, Houtzdale; Mrs. Elizabeth Laird, Rush Township: Mrs. Catherine Baer, and Mrs. Mary Farley, White Deer Valley, Lycoming County; George Dorey, Coalport, and Wesley Dorey, Clearfield.
JOHN KINCAID, who died at his farm house in Chillisquaque Township, Northumberland County, on the 30th of July. 1887. was born September 27, 1819. He received a good education and afterwards studied law with James F. Linn, Esq., of Lewisburg. but never followed his profession. He engaged in farming, and
167
THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL.
when his parents died he fell heir to their valuable farm in Chil- lisquaque Township. Mr. Kincaid owned a fine library and was a great reader. He died a bachelor.
HON. GEORGE A. FRICK, who died at Lewisburg on the 2d of August, 1887. was born May 16. 1821, in Northumberland County. In his early days he attended school at an academy in Lewisburg, and afterwards studied law and became a prominent member of the bar. He served a term in the Legislature from Northumber- land County. and took an active part in politics. Many years ago he had a severe fall, which caused him to lose his hearing, and he was a constant sufferer ever afterwards. About thirty years ago he gave up his profession and removed from Northumberland to Lewisburg, where he engaged in other business. Mr. Frick came from one of the oldest and most distinguished families in the early history of Northumberland County.
MRS. MARY POLLOCK died at her residence in Williamsport August 9, 1887. aged 91 years, 10 months and 24 days. Deceased was born in. Milton September 15, 1795, and was a sister of the late Judge James Armstrong, of Williamsport, and Dr. William Armstrong, now of Philadelphia. In early life she married Fleming W. Pollock, brother of ex-Governor James Pollock and the late Dr. Samuel Pollock. Mrs. Pollock was a remarkable lady in many respects, and was widely known and universally respected. She was the mother of seven daughters.
CAPTAIN CHARLES MORTIMER MANVILLE, who died at his home in Towanda, July 16, 1887, was born at Moundsville, West Vir- ginia, in June, 1807. The 'Review says that his father, Adrian Manville, one of the pioneers of Orwell, was a native of Con- necticut: and his mother, a sister of Mrs. Dr. Barstow, of Wysox, was the daughter of a Revolutionary soldier, Captain Samuel Woodruff, who also came from New England. He spent his de- clining years at Wysox with Mrs. Barstow, where he died and was buried. The father's restless spirit of emigration drove him from Pennsylvania to New York, and thence to Western Virginia. At . Moundsville, on the banks of the Ohio, the early life of Captain Manville was passed. Here he obtained such education as he could get through his mother's assistance and his own diligence. Upon the death of his father, the family returned to Pennsylvania and
168
THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL.
settled in North Towanda. In his younger days he had nearly prepared himself for the legal profession, but the vortex of unpro- fessional life drew him away from that most exacting mistress, the law. The ready wit, for which he was distinguished, his keen analysis of character and his inimitable talent at mimicry, would have rendered him a formidable antagonist and an invaluable partisan in this arena of forensic disputations. During the war he was appointed provost marshal, in which capacity he showed him- self worthy of his Revolutionary ancestry.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.