USA > Pennsylvania > The Historical journal : a quarterly record of local history and genealogy devoted principally to Northwestern Pennsylvania > Part 24
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WILLIAM M. QUIGLEY, a resident of Lock Haven, was born at MeEwensville, Pa .. August 10th, 1804. With his father, John Quigley, he removed to Liberty, near Great Island, June 11th, 1813, where he resided until February 22d, 1838, when he was married to Miss Harriet D. Barker, a daughter of Captain John Barker.
After their marriage Mr. Quigley and his wife took up their res- idence where the city of Lock Haven now stands, and where there were then but five houses. For many years he was engaged in lumbering, but in 1852 assumed the proprietorship of the Wood- ward. House, in Lockport, which was then, as it is now, a favorite stopping place for raftsmen. Of late years he has lived a retired life of ease, in full enjoyment of good health, with mental faculties unimpaired. He delights in relating incidents of early history, and can point out the location the first store in Lock Haven occu- pied, and recalls many happy hours spent on the platform built in the trees, on the bank of the river, by Jerry Church, the founder of the city.
WILLIAM WHITE, of Lock Haven, was born at Dunnstown, July 23d, 1805, and has spent most of his days within sight of the. city
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where he now resides. His wife, whose maiden name was Levinia Ross, is living and has reached the advanced age of 78 years. Fourteen children were born to them, nine of whom are living. Mr. White built and was proprietor of the well-known White's Hotel, at Lock Haven, which was destroyed by fire in 1869.
The closing days of his life are being spent within a short dis: tance of the place of his birth, and on fine days he may be seen walking about the streets of a busy city, on the site of which in his early days he assisted in harvesting crops which the fertile soil produced.
RIPE SHEAVES GATHERED BY THE REAPER.
HON. WILLIAM A. MCCONNELL, fourth son of John and Agnes McConnell, was born in Lycoming County, Pa., March 20, 1810, and died October 9, 1887, aged 77 years, 6 months and 19 days. He spent his early life on his father's farm, attending school in winter time, until he was twenty years of age, when he went to learn the carpenter trade, which occupation he followed for seven years. In 1836 he went West and located at Richmond, MeHenry County, Illinois, in May, 1837. He was the first settler in that township, and his nearest neighbors, the "History of MeHenry County" tells us, were at McHenry and Lake Geneva, there being but two families at each of these places. He believed that agri- culture was to be the foundation of American life, hence laid his claim, and when the land came into the market, purchased it of the government, his first purchase being 480 acres. From time to time he added to this, until he owned 1,400 acres of as choice land as there is in McHenry County. ".But his motive was not a selfish one in thus securing so much landed property, for he was looking to the future prosperity of his family that was to be, as was evi- denced by the fact that in 1872 he gave to each of his three sons as fine a farm as any man could wish, each of these farms being well stocked and having sufficient grain in their graneries for a year's use. His own residence was one-half mile west of the centre of Richmond. Here he built a log cabin in which he lived fifteen years, at the expiration of which time. he built a frame dwelling just across the road, in which he lived for twenty years. He then
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built a new house on the site of the old log cabin, in which he made his home up to the time of his death.
The McHenry County Democrat pays a handsome tribute to deceased. It says that during all the years of his residence in that county he held an exalted position in the minds of his fellow men, for he was a man of sound judgment and untarnished reputation, and was noted for correct ways of living. He was the first justice of the peace of Richmond Township, as well as in the county, which position he held for thirty-six years, and were there no other evidences of the confidence and esteem in which he was held by his fellows, this would be sufficient. But as good men are ever wanted in legislative and executive positions, he was often chosen to represent the people's interest and protect their trusts. He was the first postmaster of Richmond, receiving his appointment from President Van Buren. He was elected commissioner of Mc- Henry County in 1844, and served two terms of three years each. He served one term on the Board of Equalization and one term in the State Legislature, the first session after the adoption of the new constitution. . He served several years as supervisor of his town, and acted as chairman of the county board for fifteen years. The · Governor of the State paid him the well merited compliment of appointing him one of seven to locate the State Asylum at Kanka- kee. He settled up almost all the large estates in his neighborhood. His official acts were always characterized by honesty and faithful- ness, hence he has left his impress on the civil history of the county to such a degree that time cannot remove it. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for fifty-five years, and was also an honored member of the Masonic fraternity. He was a member of the first temperance society organized in the county, namely, the old Washingtonians.
Mr. McConnell was married in 1838, in Pennsylvania, to Miss Elizabeth Bodine, who was born in Lycoming County in 1811, and who still survives him, the pride of her children and the joy of her grandchildren. To them were born three sons-A. B., of Woodstock, John and George, of Richmond, all of whom have raised up families that are a credit to their parentage.
MRS. ELIZA LAIRD, who died at her residence in Williamsport, on the 21st: of October, 1887, was born in Williamsport, on the
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17th of March, 1809, and lived here during her entire life. Her maiden name was McElrath and her parents lived on the corner of Third and Mulberry streets, where the mansion of Governor William F. Packer afterwards stood. She was a sister of Thomas McEl- rath, who was associated with Horace Greeley in founding the New York Tribune. Mrs. Laird, who was 78 years, 6 months and 4 days old, was one of the oldest members of Pine Street Methodist Episcopal Church, Williamsport, and four ministers officiated at her funeral, viz., Rev. Thompson Mitchell, D. D .; Rev. J. H. McGar- rah, her pastor; Rev. W. A. Houck, and Rev. John Haughawout. Thomas McElrath, of New York, who is in his 81st year, was present at the funeral.
MRS. ISABELLA BRADY BRUNER, whose death occurred at Lock Haven, October 30th, 1887, was born near Muncy, in May, 1808. She was a relative of the famous Captain John Brady. On the 17th of June, 1830, she became the wife of Abraham Bruner, and in 1874 they removed to Dunnsburg, Clinton County, where they resided until 1878, when they took up their residence in Lock Haven. Mr. Bruner died in February, 1879. The Lock Haven Express says that Mrs. Bruner was the mother of nine children, three boys and six girls; Abraham. the eldest, removed to Kansas, where he still resides, and is highly respected by his neighbors. He has filled the position of treasurer of Pawnee County.
A. J. Bruner read law with H. T. Beardsley, removed to Bath, Mason County, Illinois, where he was admitted to the bar and made his profession a success. He enlisted in the war-served as lieutenant-took sick-returned to Bath and died November 20th, 1861, aged 27 years.
John B. Bruner settled in Johnson County, Illinois, enlisted as, a private and was promoted to major for valiant services. He was then elected to the Legislature, served two terms as treasurer of Johnson County, and is now president of the First National Bank at Olathe, Kansas.
The daughters are Kate, married to John Probst; Elizabeth, now Mrs. Winters: Isabella, wife of James Derr, of Williamsport; Lydia, now Mrs. Ellis Myers; Sarah, wife of James A. Bickford, and Anna M. Bruner, with whom the deceased made her home since the death of her husband.
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LEWIS ZANER was born in Columbia County, Pa., October 2d. 1804. When he married he and his wife settled in what was then the almost unbroken forest of Cherry Township, Sullivan County, in 1828, on what is now the farm of his son, A. H. Zaner. The Dushore Review, in noting his death, says that he began the strug- gle of life single handed and by patience, perseverance, economy and frugality amassed a fortune of no mean proportions. He was blunt of speech and manner, but possessed of sterling qualities of worth that won for him friends in spite of the rough exterior. He was one of the first sheriff's of Sullivan County, and was for a long time prominent in the administration of her affairs. His wife died some four years ago. After her death he removed to Muncy, where he purchased a beautiful home and surrounded himself with all the comforts which his fancy dictated and his wealth made attain - able. It was here that his last years were spent, although frequent visits to his children in Cherry made his sturdy and erect figure a familiar one on the streets. His last visit to Dushore was made but a week or two before his death. He died on Thursday, October 27th. 1887, at Muncy, of some difficulty of the stomach, after an illness of less than a week, aged 83 years and 25 days. He leaves two sons and four daughters: Adam H. Zaner, of Cherry; Levi Zaner, of Washingtonville, Pa .; Mrs. Henry Whitmire and Mrs. Jonathan Colley, of Muncy; Mrs. Amos Cox and Mrs. D. E. Dieffenbach, of Cherry. He was borne to the grave at Dushore by W. C. Garey, James Thomson, Hon. F. B. Pomroy, Hon. D. H. Fairchild and B. M. Sylvara, of Dushore, and Peter Yonkin, Sr., of Cherry.
THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL is indebted to the courtesy of Hon. .John Blair Linn, author of the Annals of Buffalo Valley, for the cut of Ludwig Derr's famous old mill, which he erected at Lewis- burg as early as 1772. This mill was one of the landmarks of that place for many years, and it attracted much attention on ac- count of its rude appearance and the historical associations which clustered around it. The last vestige disappeared a few years ago.
MR. DUDLEY A. MARTIN informs THE HISTORICAL JOURNAL that Mr. E. C. Phillips, of DuBoistown, Pa., has in his possession the rifle used by Colonel Henry Antes in the early days of the settle-
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ment of the West Branch Valley. The gun is said to possess great shooting qualities, and probably did good service in the days of '76. Mr. Phillips is a descendant of Colonel Antes and prizes the old gun very highly.
IN the latter part of June, 1835, a destructive tornado swept down Lycoming Creek. The dwelling house of Alexander Caroth- ers was unroofed and otherwise injured. His barn was literally overthrown, and his store house much injured. The barn of Oliver Watson was completely razed to the foundations, and out of a flourishing orchard of about sixty trees but one was left standing. Mr. Wilhelm also had his house unroofed. Much other damage to property along the stream was done.
TOMBSTONE RECORD.
We continue our record this month with inscriptions copied from tombstones in the cemetery at Sunbury, as follows:
In memory of BENJAMIN REAM Who Departed this Life Oct. 25, AD. 1783 Aged 15 years 9 Mos and 2 weeks.
The peculiarity about the grave of this boy is that it is covered with a piece of dark slate, shaped exactly like the lid of a coffin, and of full length. And although it was placed there over one hundred years ago, the slab is in a good state of preservation, and attracts the attention of the curious on account of its unique ap- pearance.
JAMES son of David & Rebecca Mckinney, Born Dec. 3, 1774 Died April 22, 1775 Aged 4 mos & 19 d.
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This grave-stone, according to the report of the Sexton, is the
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oldest in the cemetery. Other burials were made before this, but the graves are unmarked.
JACOB BECKER Born in Baden, Germany Aug. 1726, Died in Sunbury, Nov. 4, 1829 aged 103 years, & 2. ms.
So far as known this man is the oldest whose remains lie in this burial ground. Another curious inscription reads as follows:
This Stone is Dedicated to the memory of JOHN BLACK, who was born in Ireland in the Year of Our LORD 1735 And departed this life November 13, 1790 at 5 o'clock in the morning Aged 55 years and 7 months
IN the fall of 1831, according to an old copy of the Miltonian, "not a grain of wheat or a pound of flour" could be purchased in the borough of Milton, and many of the inhabitants were in distress for want of it. The same paper quoted wheat at $1.12 per bushel, and flour $5.622 per barrel. Complaint was made that the farmers did not thresh their crops. They were probably holding their wheat for a higher price.
THE census of 1830 showed Lycoming County to have 17,637 inhabitants. There were only five slaves in the county, and they were females. Two were under ten years of age, two were under twenty-four, and one was under thirty-six.
WHEN William F. Packer ran for Governor in 1857, he received 1,464 votes in Clinton County, and his competitor, David Wilmot, received 1,083.
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A MONTHLY RECORD.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1887, by JOHN F. MEGINNESS, in the office of the Librarian. of Congress, at Washington.
Vol. 1. JANUARY, 1888. No. 9.
HISTORY
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NORTHUMBERLAND PRESBYTERY.
BY REV. JOSEPH STEVENS, D. D.
At the stated meeting of the Presbytery of Northumberland, held at Newberry. October, 1886, a committee, consisting of Rev. Joseph Stevens, D. D .; Rev. Joseph Nesbitt, D. D. and Rev. R. L. Stewart, was appointed to prepare a history of this Presbytery, in compliance with the recommendation of the General Assembly, in view of the Assembly's centennial celebration to be observed in May, 1888. The second and third members of the committee, being closely occupied with their respective pastoral charges, complacently resigned the whole work into the hands of the chairman, who, with no small degree of reluctance and self-distrust, entered on the undertaking, which has proved laborious and difficult much beyond his an- ticipation. The trouble in obtaining early records, their sparseness, their obscurity and sometimes their inaccuracies, have occasioned much perplexity and the ne- cessity for extended research. The effort to gather up the fragments of tradition- ary history from the few living people who mingled with the original or early members of the Presbytery and knew something about its early affairs, and to reduce their often widely different statements to harmony, has also been a some- what arduous task. The ministers and church sessions of the olden time seem either to have been impressed with the conviction that the Church in these parts would never have a history worth writing, or to have been too busy with the work of their extensive charges to find time for making records. The records they did make are very concise and imperfectly written. By persevering research and patient comparison of documents and traditions, we think we have succeeded in furnishing a history that can be relied on so far as it goes: Especial attention has been paid to dates, and those here recorded may be received as the most trust- worthy that can be gleaned from existing sources of knowledge.
We beg leave to acknowledge our indebtedness for useful help in this work to
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Meginness' History of the West Branch Valley; the minutes of the Presbyteries of Donegal, Carlisle and Huntingdon; the minutes of the Northumberland Pres- bytery from 1811 to the present time have been carefully searched and drawn from ; the centennial sermons of Rev. D. J. Waller, Sr .; Rev. J. Nesbitt, D. D., and the late Rev. I. Grier, D. D .; the pamphlet of the Rev. R. L. Stewart, containing centennial discourses, &c., of the Mahoning Church; Gibson's History of the Huntingdon Presbytery, and the American Edition of Chambers' Encyclopedia.
PART I.
The centennial celebration of the Declaration of Independence in 1876 awakened a lively interest among the Presbyterians of our country, in the history of individual churches bearing the name of Presbyterian; especially of those whose organizations dated back to an early period of the country's settlement: and many historical sermons were preached, and committed to the custody of the Presbyterian Historical Society. The approaching centennial anniversary of the organization of the General Assem- bly, in the United States, seems to have awakened similar interest in the history of Presbyteries; and the General Assembly has sug- gested and recommended that the various Presbyteries which com- pose its constituency make this event the occasion of preparing cach its own history, for preservation and reference. This centen- nial of the General Assembly will occur and be publicly celebrated in May, 1888.
The Presbytery of Northumberland having, in compliance with the expressed desire of the General Assembly, appointed a com- mittee to reduce the material of its history to tangible form, the following pages contain the result of their effort:
"The Presbyterian Church in the United States was founded by Scotch, Irish, Huguenot, Dutch and German Reformed emigrants, with a few from New England." Persecution in Europe forced many to flee to the New World in the hope of finding there a home where they could enjoy entire freedom of conscience, and be able to bring up their families in the creed and form of worship to which they were attached. These emigrants sought homes in several of the colonies, but Pennsylvania seems to have been the " Land of Promise " to the larger proportion of them; especially to the Scotch and Scotch-Irish. William Penn's well-known cham- pionship of religious freedom was perhaps the attraction that drew
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them thither, offering them a guarantee that under his administra- tion they would not be disturbed or hindered in their religious worship.
The Presbyterian Church, in what is called Eastern Pennsyl- vania-east of the Alleghenies, had an early origin in the centers of population along the Delaware River and its vicinity. Pres- byterians came into this part of the New World almost cotempo- raneously with William Penn and his co-religionists, and, as is their habit wherever they locate, soon began to organize themselves into churches of the Presbyterian type. William Penn first landed on the shores of the Delaware, with a few of his co-religionists, in 1682. He had received the royal grant of the territory of Penn. sylvania about a year earlier, and the first Presbyterian church, at Philadelphia, was organized in 1698. From these centers of pop- ulation along the Delaware, Presbyterian churches gradually. but not rapidly at first, extended themselves with the advancing popu- lation towards the Allegheny Mountains into the interior of the province.
The Scotch, especially the Scotch-Irish, brought their Presbyteri- anism with them when they came to the New World. They usually settled in communities; a number of families would select such a locality as suited their fancy and plant themselves upon it; at once they would enter upon the task of clearing up farms, establishing municipal regulations, and erecting church buildings of rough material and rude architectural style, in which, with their families, they met statedly to worship the God of their fathers. They were pre-eminently pioneers, ever pushing on to new, unsettled regions, and preparing the way and the material for new settlements. The people of no other nationality pushed into the wilderness as they did. Sturdy, fearless and industrious, they soon made for them- selves comfortable homes, and built up civil and religious commu- nities of the most substantial character.
As these communities increased in numbers, churches multiplied, ministers came over from the native land of the settlers thoroughly equipped with all the learning of the age, and thus these churches were furnished with pastors capable of feeding them with the strong meat of the gospel, by which they were nourished into a noble Christian manhood. When the number of churches became
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sufficiently large in any one, or a number of contiguous communi- ties, to warrant it, a Presbytery was organized; and in this way Presbyterianism spread itself, in its organized form, gradually to the foot of the Alleghenies, and by and by reached the western limits of the territory included in the royal grant to William Penn, and the additional purchases which he had made, now the domain of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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To learn how gradual was the progress of the Church towards the interior, and westward, and how slow at first, we have only to notice the dates of the organizations of the respective Presbyteries which now occupy the interior territory of the State. The Pres- bytery of Philadelphia was organized a little later than 1700-the precise date having been written on the first page of the records, which has been lost. This Presbytery consisted of seven ministers: Samuel Davis, John Hampton, Francis Mackermie and George McNish, from Ireland; Nathaniel Taylor and John Wilson, from Scotland, and Jedediah Andrews, from New England. In 1716 the Synod of Philadelphia was formed, consisting of four Presby- teries: Philadelphia, with six ministers and churches; New Castle, six ministers and churches; Snow Hill, three ministers and churches; Long Island, two ministers and churches. Donegal Presbytery, now Westminster, was formed by act of the Synod of Philadelphia, in 1732. This Presbytery had the oversight of all the Presby- terian churches westward, east of the Alleghenies. In 1786, fifty- four years later, the Presbytery of Carlisle was formed from the territory of Donegal, lying westward from a certain line, by the Synods of New York and Philadelphia, in their united capacity, just previous to the formation of the General Assembly. From this date onward the progress of the Church seems to have been much accelerated, probably by the opening up of certain Indian reserve lands to settlement, which took place about this time. In . 1795 the General Assembly, which itself only began its existence in 1788, organized the Presbytery of Huntingdon out of territory hitherto belonging to the Presbytery of Carlisle, northward from a certain line. Sixteen years later, May 16th, 1811, was formed the Northumberland Presbytery, by the Synod of Philadelphia. out of territory belonging to Huntingdon * Presbytery. The act of
*See minutes of the respective bodies here referred to.
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the Synod of Philadelphia, by which the Presbytery of Northum- berland was constituted, as recorded on the first page of the minutes of the new Presbytery, reads thus:
WHEREAS, by a resolution of the Synod of Philadelphia, at their sessions in Philadelphia, May 16th, 1811, the request of the Presbytery of Huntingdon to be divided by the following line, viz .: Beginning at the mouth of the Mahantango Creek,* proceeding a Northwesterly course, so as to take in the West Branch of the Susquehanna at the line which divides Lycoming and Centre counties, so as to leave to the Eastward the following members, viz .: The Rev'ds Messrs. Asa Dun- ham, John Bryson, Isaac Grier, John B. Patterson and Thos. Hood and their re- spective charges, together with the vacant congregations of Great Island, Lycom- ing and Pine Creek, was granted; and it was further resolved that the above named ministers and congregations be named the Presbytery of Northumberland, and meet at the Presbyterian Church, in Northumberland, on the 1st Tuesday of October next ensuing the date of this resolution, at 11 o'clock A. M.
Presbytery met in pursuance of the above resolution, and was opened by the Rev. Asa Dunham with a sermon from Eph. ii. 5th : "But he is our peace." This passage is not found in the verse here designated, but in the 12th verse of the chapter are these words: "For he is our peace." It is hardly likely that the preacher made the misquotation, but probably the clerk committed an oversight in making up the record.
There were present at this meeting, the five ministers named in the act of the Synod setting apart the Presbytery, and four elders, viz., James Shadden, James Hepburn, Esq .. William Montgomery, Esq., and Thomas Howard. The Rev. Asa Dunham was chosen moderator, and the Rev. John B. Patterson was chosen temporary clerk. At a later period of the meeting Mr. Patterson was elected clerk for one year. The Presbytery remained without any minis- terial accessions to, or change in its original numbers till 1814. On the 23d day of August, of that year, the Rev. Isaac Grier died at Northumberland. He had been licensed, ordained and installed over the united congregations of Great Island, Pine Creek and Lycoming by the Presbytery of Carlisle.t at Carlisle, in 1793, and commenced his pastoral labors in April of the ensning year, in which charge he continued twelve years, when he was induced to move to Northumberland and take pastoral charge of the church there, and also of one or more fields in that vicinity. In connec-
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