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Ki io>y.^s- ?
HARVARD
COLLEGE
LIBRARY
6
OTZINACHSON ;
o«.
A HISTORY OF THE
WEST BRANCH VALLEY
or THI
SUSaUEHANNA:
BXBRACIHO
A FULL ACCOUNT OP ITS SETTLEMENT — ^TRIALS AND PRIVATIONS
ENDURED BY THE FIRST PIONEERS — FULL ACCOUNTS OF
THE INDIAN WARS, PREDATORY INCURSIONS,
ABDUCTIONS, MASSACRES, &C.,
TOOBTHSB WITH
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FAIR PLAY SYSTEM ;
AND TRB
IirrBESPBRKBD WITH
■lOORAPHICAL SKBTCHSB OF SOME OF THB LEADING SETTLERS, FAMILIES, ETC.,
TOGETHER WITH PERTINENT ANECDOTES, STATISTICS, AND MUCH
VALUABLE MATTER ENTIRELY NEW.
BY J. F. MEGINNESS.
PHILADELPHIA :
PUBLISHED BY HENRY B. ASHMEAD,
OEOBOE 8TBEET ABOVE ELEVENTH.
1867.
'V.'biicits. ?'
UNiVbRSITY
/SS')
y
V
r.
/-
■ » #•
/
»/, ^ ■ ,■ ■ , -
Entered Meordlng to Act of CongreM, in the year 1856, by
J. F. MEOIKNESS,
in the Clerk^B Oflice of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern
District of Pennsylrania.
inXBT B. A8H1IBAD| BOOK AND JOB PBINTKB,
OSOBOB TORT ABOVB ILITSVTH.
; ^
TO
COL. ROBERT CRANE,
OP
JERSEY SHORE, LYCOMING COUNTY, PA.,
THIS WOBK IB BISPICrrULLT
AS A TOKEN OF RESPECT AND ESTEEM.
PREFACE.
Thb design of this work is to lay before the people of the West Branch
Yallej, and adjacent country, as full and accurate a history of the difficulties
and priyations endured by the early settlers, as we possibly can at this late day.
It is to be regretted that the work was not undertaken years ago, when the
old pioneers were living, and in the full enjoyment of their intellectual facul-
ties ; when all the facts could have been •collected and arranged with com-
parative ease and accuracy. But the enterprise has been neglected, till all,
with two or three exceptions, of the survivors of the Revolutionary period,
have been consigned to the tomb.
Few people now living in this beautiful and romantic vale, are aware that
it has been the scene of some of the most thrilling and bloody events in the
early history of Pennsylvania ; and that it is a fruitful field for the researches
of the historian, and possessed of sufficient material to make an exciting and
entertaining work.
The vale of Wyoming has been immortalized in song and story — the poet
and the historian have given it a world-wide notoriety : the Valley of the blue
Juniata, " where wild roved an Indian girl," has been the theme of polished
pens, and is known throughout the Union ; but the picturesque Valley of the
Otzinachson, as prolific as any of them in material, has been neglected, aud is
comparatively unknown.
Much labor and expense have been devoted to the preparation of this work,
and although every available effort has been made, and the co-operation of
numerous well-informed persons been secured, it L-i acknowledged that many
A i PREFACE.
errors will undoubtedly be detected. But upon the whole, it is believed thar
a greater amount of matter has been collected, and presented to the people,
than has ever been published before respecting this Valley. The dates of surveys,
early settlements, &c., may be implicity relied upon, as they have been taken
teom the official documents ; the accounts of the massacres, captivities, &c.,
are as correct as they can well be found at this late period. In fact, everything
entering into the composition of the work, has been carefully digested, and
the authorities sifted with care.
Much valuable matter has been contributed by literary gentleman — residents
of the Valley — who have manifested a lively interest in the work, and to whom
I acknowledge myself deeply indebted. The assistance derived from the fol-
lowing gentleman, I cannot appreciate too highly : James F. Linn, Esq., Mr.
0. N. WoBDiN, J. F. WoLFiNGiB, Esq., Gio. A. Snyder, Esq., Mr. Thomas Wood,
A. H. McHenby, and H. L. Dieffenbach, Esqrs. All of my infDrmation in refer-
ence to land titles, names of early settlers, boundaries of treaties, &c., is de-
rived from Mr. McHenry, who, probably, is in possession of more facts of this
kind, than any other man living in Northern Pennsylvania. Having devoted
more than twenty years of his life to surveying, the study of land titles, and
the acquisition of historical facts, he now possesses a vast fund of valuable in-
formation. With the assistance of these gentlemen, and numerous others, and
all the available documents of the State, Pennsylvania Historical Society,
Philadelphia Library-, &c., I feel that I have succeeded as well, at least, as any
that have preceded me.
But, notwithstanding all the care and research, as I have already observed,
many errors will no doubt be detected by the careful reader. It is my desire
that those who may discover errors, of any kind whatever, will inform me of
them immediately, so that if a future edition should be put to press, they may
be corrected.
It has been the constant aim of the writer to preserve a plain, concise, and
unostentatious style, without any attempt at fine writing or rhetorical flour-
ishes, confidently believing that the people would be better pleased with such
an effort, than if it was done up in the style of romance and the garb of fic-
tion. This work is historical — nothing but facts have been narrated ; and
whenever a doubt arose about an event or circumstance, such an intimation
has been given.
J. F. Mbginness.
Jertey Shore, Pa., Nov. 1, 1856.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
The West Branch Valley — Indian Name of the River — Reflec-
tions— ^The Climate, 17
I
CHAPTER II.
The Aborigines of the Valley — ^Their Names, Character and
Disposition, 20
CHAPTER m.
Indian Towns of the Valley — ^Their Places of Burial — Mounds —
Remains of Fortifications — ^Discovery of an Indian Pottery —
Curiosities — War Paths, 25
CHAPTER IV.
Indian Treaties — Purchases embracing the Sus(£Uohanna — Boun-
dary Lines — Surveys — Manor of Pomfret — Muucy Manor —
Surveys at Lycoming Creek — Special Grants to the Officers
of the French War, &c., JJj;
CHAPTER V.
Land History Continued — ^Notice — ^The Act of 1835 — Copy of
an Application — Surveys along the River — Mistakes — Haw-
kins Boone — Commencement of the Warrant System, . . 41
CHAPTER VI.
First English in the Valley — ^The French — Count Zinzendorf—
Rev. David Brainerd — Visitors to Long Island in 1745 — ^The
Indian Chief gets drunk and falls into the Fire, 48
VUl CONTENTS.
CHAPTER Vn.
First House Built by White Men at Shamokin — Its Size — First
Settlers — Murder of Armstrong — Shikellcmj — His Death and
Character — Conrad Weiser sent to condole with his Family, . 54
CHAPTER VIII.
Settlement on Penn's Creek — ^Names of the Settlers — French
and Indian War — Massacre of the Settlers — Harris' Party —
Bloody Fight — The Linden Tree — Story of Duke Holland,
showing the wonderful sagacity of an Indian, 00
CHAPTER IX.
Andrew Montour visits the Great Island — Proclamation of Gov.
Morris — A Reward for Indian Scalps — Shamokin abandoned
and burned by the Indians — Reflections, 69
CHAPTER X.
Colonel Clapham sent to build Fort Augusta — His Instructions —
Difficulties at Fort Halifax — His Arrival — Troubles Continue
— Meeting of the Officers — The Coloners Pithy Letter to
Governor Morris, 75
CHAPTER XI.
Building of Fort Augusta Continued — Report of the Goods on
Hand — Story of the Bloody Spring — Description of the Fort
— Captain Hambright's Expedition up the West Branch —
Materials of War on hand in the Fort in 1758 — ^The French
Expedition — Job Chilloway, i^3
CHAPTER XII.
The Magazine at the Fort — Reinforcements — Shikellemy — ^The
Liquor Trouble — Colonel Burd's Spicy Letter — Speech of
King, the Indian Chief — ^The Indians want an honest man to
keep Store — Expedition from Cumberland County — ^They go
to the Great Island, 92
OONTENTS. 1\
CHAPTER Xin.
The Isle of Que — ^The French Name — Indian Relics — An Exten-
sive Burying Ground — The First Settlers — The Weisers — An
Indian's Revenge — .John Snyder — Anthony Sclin, the Founder
of Selinsgrove — His History — Unexpected Arrival from
Europe, 1»1)
CHAPTER XIV.
First House in Selinsgrove — Jimmy Silverwood, blaster of the
Seven Islands — Story of Gahl, the Physician — Discovery of
his Secret — Tommy Price — His Remarkable Escape from an
English Prison in Nova Scotia, ... - lOG
CHAPTER XV.
Murder of Ten Indians by Frederick Stump— Great Excitement
throughout the Province — Proclamation of Governor Penn —
His Arrest and Confinement in Carlisle Jail — Rescued by a
Mob-^His Description — Final Escape and Death, . . . .111
CHAPTER XVI.
Organization of Northumberland County — Its Original Boun-
daries— Sunbury Founded — Names of the Settlers along the
River — Troubles and Privations — The Grant Family — Doctor
Plunkett — Sketch of his Life — Anecdotes, 120
CHAPTER XVn.
Derr's Old Mill still standing at Lewisburji: — Settlement on War-
rior Run — Names of the Settlers — Mrs. Dcrrickson — First
Court in Northumberland — Names of the Officers — Original
Townships — Names of the Constables — First Grand Jury —
Maclay's Spicy Letter, 129
CHAPTER XVni.
Connecticut Settlement at Muncy — Tlie Townships of Judea
and Charleston — Difficulties^ — John Vincent a Justice — Procla-
mation of Governor Penn — Troubles Increase — Zebulon Butler
appointed a Justice — Governor Penn informs the people not
to mind Him, 138
X CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XIX.
Troubles Continue — ^Arrival of an Aimed Force at Warrior Run
from "Wyoming — Deposition of Peter Smith — Settlers driven
off by Colonel Plunkett — Great Excitement — ^Plunkett's In-
vasion of Wyoming — Hb Defeat and Sudden Retreat, ' . . 14^i
CHAPTER XX.
Indian Name of Muncy Creek — Muncy Manor — ^Names of the
Settlers upon it — Muney Farm — ^Number of Acres in it — Mon-
tour's Reserve — Indian Names of Loyal Sock and Lycoming —
Eel Town — ^Newalegan's Cabins, &c., 155
CHAPTER XXL
Settlements West of Lycoming Creek — ^Names of the Settlers —
Proclamation of Governor Penn — ^No attention paid to it — The
Disputed Territory taken up — ^The Hughes' and Toner Settle
near Pine Run KJO
CHAPTER XXII.
Names of the Settlers Continued — The Venerable Mrs. Hamil-
ton— ^Fair Play Men — ^Their Manner of Doing Business —
Mode of Ejectment — The Case of Clark — A Magnanimous
Savage — ^Anecdote of Peter Rodey — First Wedding, . . .107
CHAPTER XXIII.
Pleasant Prospects — Conference with the Indians at Fort Augusta
— ^They Retire — Derr <<Dreets'' Them — Brady Upsets the
Barrel of Liquor — Committee of Safety — Names of Officers —
Petition to the Central Committee — Serious Difficulty with
Captain Robb, of Muncy Township — Explanation, . . . .173
CHAPTER XXIV.
Young Samuel Brady at Boston — His Father Wounded at the
Battle of Brandywine — ^Discussion on Independence at Nor-
thumberland— ^Doctor Plunkett — ^Names and Localities of the
Forts in the Valley — Colonel Antes — Anecdote of Job Chillo-
way — His Wife Betsey — Murders, 184
OONTENTS. XI
CHAPTER XXV.
Dedarfttioii of Independence on Pine Greek — Singular Ooinoi-
dence — ^Bloody Tragedy Oppoeite Antes' Fort — ^Dewitt's Escape
— Brown's House Burnt on Loyal Sock — Cruel Murder of Ben-
jamin— Cooksey Long's Adventure — ^Pillage and Murder —
The Lidian at Beed's Fort— An Ingrate Wretch, .... 192
CHAPTER XXVI.
Murder of Winter's Party — Settlers carried into Captivity —
Capture of Andrew Armstrong and his Son — ^Escape of his
Wife — ^A hard case for her to Decide — ^The Surprise at Pine
Creek — Escape of John Hamilton — ^The Covenhoven Family —
Captain Berry's Expedition — Surprise at Loyal Sock — ^Death
of James Covenhoven — Escape of Robert, 201
CHAPTER XXVn.
Murder of Shoefelt and Thompson — Colonel Hosterman's Party
— Cruel Massacre where Williamsport now Stands — ^Peter
Smith and his Daughter — One Brave Man — ^Arrival of Col.
Hepburn — Horrible Appearance of the Dead — ^King's Wife —
Ordered to leave the Country — ^The Big Runaway — Colonel
Hunter's Appeal, 211
CHAPTER XXVm.
Arrival of Colonel Broadhead — Settlers return and cut their
Harvest — Wallis' Letter — Melancholy Death of Young Brady
— Orief of his Mother— Death of the Chief, Bald Eagle-
Reinforcements — More Murders — ^Escape of Mrs. McNight
and Child — Cruel Scalping of Mrs. Durham — Her Recoveiy, 220-
CHAPTER XXIX.
Colonel Hartley's Expedition — ^Departure from Muncy — ^Follow
the Sheshequin Path — ^Bad Travelling — Signs of Indians — ^A
Skirmish — ^Towns Destroyed — Large Body of Tories — March
from Wyalusing — ^A Severe Battle — KiUed and Wounded, -Ac., 280
XU OONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXX.
Colonel Hartley leaves the Valley — ^Dcath of Captain Brady —
Neglected state of his Grave — Samuel Brady's Vow — Captain
"Walker's Letter — MoClay's Proposition to Hnnt the Indians
with Dogs — ^Battle near Mnnoy — A Tradition: — Warrior Spring
— ^Nature's Hotel — Fort Muncy Evacuated Again — Terrible
Scenes of Murder and Devastation Follow^ 2
CHAPTER XXXI.
Covenhoven as a Spy — Discovers the Enemy — ^Returns and gives
the Alarm — ^The Flight — They Approach and Bum Fort
Muncy — Fort Freeland Invested — ^The Battle and Surrender
— Captain Boone's Spartan Band — List of the Killed — The
Women and Children — Death of John Montour — His Burial
at Painted Post, 2
CHAPTER XXXU.
Daniel Vincent's Eletum from Captivity — Meeting between Him
and his Wife — Captain Lytle's Wife Returns to Warrior Run
—Is Deceived, and Marries another Man — The Captain Re-
turns— ^Arrival of Troops — Captain Robinson — His Letter —
More Murders — Scalping of Catherine Storm — Escape of her
Comrade — ^Killing of Tate, &c., 2.
CHAPTER XXXni.
Interesting Account of the Captivity and Escape of Captain
James Thompson — His Sufferings in the Canoe — Capture of
Mary Young at the same Time — Her Return — ^The Mare and
the Colt — ^A Singular Circumstance — ^The Klinesmith Family
— Capture of the Two Sisters — One of them kills an Indian,
find both Escape, 2(
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Murder of Sergeant Lee and John Walker — Captivity of Mrs.
Lee and Two Children — Her Cruel Death — Pursuit of the
Savages — ^Burial of the Dead — An Incident at Lee's Funeral —
Recovery of Young Lee — ^Van Campen — Severe Battle on Bald
Eagle — ^Defeat and Captivity — ^Narrow Escape, &c., ... 21
OONTENTS. XIU
CHAPTER XXXV.
Ulrich and the Friendly Savages — ^The Stock Family — Murder ^
of Mrs. Stock — Her Heroic Defence — ^Parsuit of the Indians
— ^The Sarprise and Slaughter by the Whites — Lieutenant
Cooke's Sufferings — Captain Boyd and Boss — The Latter
Burned at the Stake near Sinnemahoning — Boyd's Life b
Saved by a Squaw — Huling's Jump, the Greatest on Record, 281
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Capture of Robert Lyon — Carried to Canada — ^Unexpectedly
Meets his Brother — ^Hb Faithful Dog Follows Him and Re-
turns— ^Arrest of a Tory — ^Hb Death — Grove's Encounter
with Indians on Sinnemahoning — A Bloody Deed — Dies in
Nippenose Valley — Adventure in the Genesee Country —
Peter Pence, 289
CHAPTER XXXVIL
The Treaty of 1784— The Real Tiadaghton made known-
Hughes, Dougherty, Toner and Sweeny's Difficulty about
Land— Settlers of 1785— Dr. Davidson— Colonel Hugh White
— Copy of hb Commission — Sketch of the Montour Family —
Their Grants of Land, 297
CHAPTER XXXVm.
Early Settlers in Northumberland — Dr. Joseph Priestly — Sketch
of his Life — ^Thomas Cooper Settles there also — His History
— ^Imprisonment under the Sedition Law — ^Appointed Judge —
Removed by Governor Snyder — ^Amusing Anecdote of Jack
Glover and the Judge, 807
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Hbtory of Governor Snyder — Mrs. Carson — Sketch of her Life —
Bold Scheme to Abduct the Governor's Youngest Son — Her
Imprisonment and Death — Joe Disbury, the Wonderful Thief
— Hb Trick on the Farmer — Finally Sentenced to Twenty-one
Years' Imprisonment — Serves out his Time and Returns, . . 313
XIV CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XL.
John Hannah — His Whims and Oddities — Gkts into Trouble
with Jadge Cooper — Had occasion to change his Opinion —
Pnmpkin Flood — Indian Tradition that a Big Flood Occurred
every Fourteen Years — Facts in the Case — ^Whiskey Riot in
Northomberland — ^The Powerful Negro, S'12
CHAPTER XU.
Sketch of the Life of Colonel John Kelly — ^Distinguishes Him-
self in the Revolutionary War — ^Returns to Buffalo Valley —
Buries the Dead at Freeland's Fort — Anecdotes — His Opinion
of Evangelizing the Indians — Death and Burial — Monuments,
&c. — History of Colonel Hartley, the Scholar, Soldier, and
Statesman, 331
CHAPTER XUI.
The Brady Family — Greneral Hugh Brady — His Life and Public
Services — ^Description of their Trials in Buffalo Valley — The
young Lad at Brandywine — Hugh's Description of his Brothers
— ^Death of the Mother at the early age of 48 — An Ancestry
to be proud of, 337
CHAPTER XLin.
George Kremer — Sketch of his Life — Sent to the Legislature —
Becomes a Member of Congress — Jackson, Clay and Adams —
The Celebrated Letter — Charge of Corruption — ^Tremendous
Excitement — Kremer becomes a Lion — Finally Declines and
Sinks into Obscurity — His Character, 344
CHAPTER XUV.
Robert Covenhoven — His Age and Death — Peter A. Carthaus —
How he got his Wife in Wilmington — His Improvements —
The Dinner Party at Judge Potter's in Bellefonte — Peter and
the Devil — Missionary sent to Sinnemahoning — Attempts to
Preach— The Finale, 350
CONTENTS. XV
CHAPTER XLV.
Esther McDowell found before the Cabin Door of Martin Reese —
A Robbed and Injured Female — Great Excitement Prevailed —
She turns out to be an Impostor — A Humbugged Community —
History of the Walker Tragedy on Pine Creek — Statistics of
Lycoming Connty, 35^
CHAPTER XLVL
Arrival of the Tomb Family on Pine Creek — The Woman and
the Panther — ^A Qreat Hunter — Taming the Blue Dun —
Catching a lave Elk — Hunting Expeditions — Abundance of
Elsh — Immense Quantities of Snakes — An Adventure with a
Bear — ^Narrow Escape, 3C.i
CHAPTER XLVn.
Sketch of Sunbury and Northumberland — ^Blue Hill — John
Mason — ^The Leaning House — His Grave — Churchville —
Sodom — Origin of the Name — List of the Sheriffs of Nor-
thumberland County — Statistics — ^The Coffin Fight — A Legis-
lator of the Olden Time — Anecdotes, , o7t
CHAPTER XLVIII.
Early History of Lewisburg — Valuable Facts — Religious Denomi-
nations— History of the University — Division of the County —
Statistics of Union County — A Deed that dates back to the
Creation of the World — Sketch of Flavel Roan — Anecdote, . oS">
CHAPTER XLIX.
Interesting History of the Presbyterian Church at Buffalo Cross
Roads — ^Names of Pastors, &c. — The Raining Rock — ^The
Indian Garden — Salt Works — An Old Graveyard — Conclusion
of the Annals of Union County, with a Remarkable Case of
Witchcraft in 1825, . . - 40o
CHAPTER L.
First Settlers in Milton — Names of the First Borough Officers —
Schools — Religious Denominations — Names of the Pastors —
XVI CONTENTS.
Literary Associations — ^Wlien Organized — Benevolent Asso-
ciations— Chronological Table of Events — Improvements,
Population, &c., 412
CHAPTER LI.
Modem History of Muncy — Early Times of Williamsport —
Trade and Improvements — Immense Lumber Depot — Rail
Roads — Lycoming Creek — ^Villages — Larry's Creek — Jersey
Shore — Its History — Nippenose Valley — True Origin of the
Name, 422
CHAPTER UI.
Phelps' Mills — Lumber Trade of Pine Creek — ^The Big Island —
Early History of Lock Haven — ^The Town Founded by Jerry
Church — ^Interesting Sketch— His Folly — Population — The
Lumbering Business — ^The Boom Erected — Extraordinary
Facilities for Lumbering — ^Rail Roads, Canals, &c. — Future
Prospects — Statistics — Steamboats, &c., 438
CHAPTER Lin.
History of the Newspapers of Sunbury, Northumberland, Lewis-
burg, Milton, McEwensville, Muncy, Williamsport, Jersey
Shore, and Look Haven ; showing their names, when estab-
lished, by whom, how long continued, &c., 452
APPENDIX.
History of the Northumberland Baptist Association, . . . .465
Summary History of the M. E. Church in the West Branch
Valley, 471
The Indian Hunter of the Susquehanna, 488
HISTORY
OF THB
WEST BRANCH YALLEY.
CHAPTER I.
THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY — INDIAN NAME OP THE RIVBR —
REPLECTIONS — THE CLIMATE.
On taking up this volume, the reader will probably
ask, "Where is the West Branch Valley?" Anticipating
such an interrogatory, it is thought advisable to define
its geographical position, previous to entering upon a
history of its first settlement.
The Susquehanna river flows through the interior of
Pennsylvania. Two large streams running in opposite
directions, unite at Northumberland, and form the main
river. They are called the North and West Branches.
The North Branch has its source in Otsego Lake ; the
West Branch rises near the head waters of the Alleghany
river, in the mountains of the same name. It flows
almost in an easterly direction till opposite Muncy, when
it sweeps around Bald Eagle Mountain, and runs directly
2
18 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
south to its confluence with the other stream. The
length of this branch is about two hundred miles. The
Aborigines called it the Otzinachson — hence the title of
this book.
The Valley of the West Branch begins at Northumber-
land, and properly ends at Lock Haven. At this point
the river bursts through a bold ridge of the Alleghanies,
which rises from the water's edge to a great height.
The Valley is not wide. Several smaller ones put
into it at various points, the most extensive of which is
Buffalo. The spurs of the Appalachian chain are visible
on every hand, lending an additional charm of beauty to
the receding landscape. The scenery is varied, wild and
picturesque ; and it is impossible to form a correct idea
of its variegated beauties without visiting the spot. The
Valley is in a high state of cultivation, containing some
of the finest farms and most flourishing towns in the
interior of the State. It is embraced in the counties of
Northumberland, Union, Lycoming and Clinton.
What a contrast does the beautiful vale of the Otzin-
achson now present, to the time when it was inhabited
by the Aborigines ? Let us, in imagination, look back
to the period when the red man dwelt on the banks of
the stream — roamed in the forest, or hunted the deer
and the elk on the declivities of the sun^ounding moun-
tains : when he built his humble wigwam in some shady
dell, beneath the wide-spreading branches of the mighty
oak. It was indeed a happy scene — his young papooses
gamboled in their rude simplicity on the banks of the
murmuring rivulet — the squaws cultivated their patches
of corn and chanted songs of the spirifc-land — ^and the
dusky warrior plied his birch-bark canoe over the crystal
waves of the beautiful Otzinachson. Happy scene !
BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 19
This Valley was then a fairy land — ^an Indian paradise
the cherished home of the rude, yet nohUj children of the
forest. But mighty changes were destined to occur —
tragedies calculated to cause a thrill of horror to run
through the frame, must transpire before their cup of
destiny is filled.
The Valley has entirely changed, and the last red man
has long since been gathered to his fathers. Highly
cultivated farms occupy the spot where the Indian vil-
lage stood, and the busy hum of enterprise is heard on
every hand. In summer time the luxuriant grain waves
over the graves that contain the cherished remains of
their ancestors, and the rude hand of civilization has
defaced the last mementoes reared to perpetuate their
memory.
The climate of the Valley is truthfully portrayed in
the following lines : —
** Beneath the temperate zone this vale doth lie,
Where heat and cold a grateful change supply.
To fifteen hours extends the longest day,
When Sol in cancer points his fervid ray.
Yet here the winter season is severe ;
And summer's heat is difficult to bear :
But western winds oft cool the scorching ray,
And southern breezes warm the winter's day.
Tct oft tho' warm and fair the day begun,
Cold storms arise before the getting sun,
Nay oft so quick the change, so great its pow'r,
As summer's heat, and winter, in an hour !"
20 fflSTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
CHAPTER II.
THE ABORIGINES OP THE VALLEY — THEIR NAMES, CHARACTER
AND DISPOSITION.
From the most reliable accounts we have of the
Aborigines of the Valley, it appears that various tribes
inhabited it at different periods; and from traces of
fortifications found at various points, it is evident that
it was once peopled by a superior race, of whom we
have not the least account.
The earliest tribes of which we have any account,
that dwelt among the forests of New Jersey, Penn-
sylvania and Delaware, called themselves the Lenni
Lenape, meaning the original people. This was a
general name comprehending a number of tribes, quite
distinct in their character, yet speaking the same lan-
guage and meeting around the same council fire. The
dialect spoken by them was termed the Algonquin.
Their grand council-house extended from the eastern
bank of the Hudson river to the Potomac in Virginia.
The Lenni Lenape nation was divided into three prin-
cipal tribes, embracing in its subdivisions the Unamis,
or Turtle tribes ; the Unalachtgos, or Turkeys, and the
Monseys, or Wolf tribes. The former occupied the
country along the coast, between the sea and the Kit-
tatinny or Blue Mountain. They were generally known
mSTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 21
among the whites as the Delaware Indians. The Mon-
seys or Wolf tribes, the most active and warlike of the
whole, occupied the mountainous country between the
Kittatinny mountain and the sources of the Susque-
hanna and Delaware rivers, kindUng their great council
fire at the Minisink flats. These three principal tribes
were again subdivided into a variety of subordinate
clans, assuming names suited to their character or
station. The Lenni Lenape were afterwards conquered
by the Six Nations, and became 'subject to them.
Another great tribe, called by the French the Iroquois,
but calling themselves the Aquanuschioni, or ^^ united
people," desen^e particular attention, as they afterwards
became identified to some extent with the history of
this valley. They were called Mengwe by the Dela-
wares ; Maquas, by the Dutch ; Mingoes, by the English
and Americans. They were a confederate nation, con-
sisting of Mohawks, Oneida, Onondago, Cayuga, and
Seneca. They were originally known by the title of
the Five Nations. In 1712, the Tuscarora tribe was
forcibly expelled from the interior of North Carolina,
and flying northward was taken in and adopted as the
Sixth tribe, making what was afterwards known as the
Six Nations.
The Ihnguage of all these tribes, excepting the Tusca-
roras, was radically the same, and different from the
Lenni Lenape. Their domain stretched from the bordera
of Vermont to Lake Erie, and from Lake Ontario to the
head waters of the Alleghany, Susquehanna, and Dela-
ware rivers. This territory they styled their long house.
The grand council fire was held in the Onondago valley.
The Senecas guarded the western door of the house, the
Mohawks the eastern, and the Cayugas the southern, or
22 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
that which opened upon the Susquehanna. The Mohawk
nation was the first in rank, and to it appertained the
office of principal war chief; to the Onondagos, who
guarded the grand council fire, appertained in like man-
ner the office of principal civil chief, or chief sachem.
The Senecas, in numbers and military energy, were the
most powerful.
The Seneca tribe frequently inhabited the valley of
the. West Branch, and used it as a favorite hunting
ground. The Cayugas also came here and dwelt for
a time. It seemed that the beautiful vale in later
years was set apart for hunting purposes, and when the
whites commenced encroaching upon these lands, the
wrath of the Indians was speedily aroused, and they
committed those bloody tragedies which were of so
frequent occurrence.
The Mousey tribe, distinguished for their warlike
character, also dwelt in the valley of the Otzinachson,
and their name is now perpetuated in the beautiful
village of the same title. Above Lock Port a short
distance, is a level spot of land, known at this day by
the name of " Monseytown," where tradition has it that
an Indian village belonging to this tribe was located.
The remains of their corn-fields were pointed out for a
long time after the white settlers came and took posses-
sion of the country.
But the Aborigines of the Valley have long since
disappeared, and scarcely a trace remains to indicate
their former existence. The last straggling relics of the
various tribes, that frequently passed through this way,
long after they had evacuated their favorite hunting
grounds, to cast a last lingering glance upon the spot
they loved so well, and drop a tear upon the little
HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 23
mound that enclosed the bones of their ancestors, are
gone forever.
Notwithstanding the Indians were denominated sava-
ges, and possessed of much ferocity, they were a noble
race. They were the unsophisticated children of nature,
and a close examination of their character discloses
noble traits that are worthy of emulation by the more
refined nations of the world. They considered them-
selves created by an almighty, wise, and benevolent
Spirit, to whom they looked for guidance and protection.
Many of them were in the habit of seeking some high
elevation, where they could commune with the " Great
Spirit," and contemplate with awe and veneration the
beauties of the surrounding landscape. While they paid
their humble adorations at the shrine of the Great
Manitou, they were not unmindful of their duties to
one another. They looked upon the good things of the
earth as a common stock, bestowed by the Great Spirit
for the benefit of all. They held that the game of the
forest, the fish of the rivers, and the grass or other
articles of spontaneous growth, were free to all who
chose to take them. They ridiculed the idea of fencing
in a meadow or a pasture. This noble principle hiid a
tendency to repress selfishness and foster generosity.
Their hospitality was proverbial. The Indian considered
it a duty to share his last morsel with a stranger.
When the first settlers arrived, the Indians received
them with open arms, supplied them with food, and
shared with them the rude comforts of their humble
wigwams. They were actuated by the noblest impulses
of the human heart, and considered it their duty to take
the white strangers in and minister to their wants. But
how was this noble spirit of generosity repaid? By
26 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Europeans — French — ^who had adopted the Indian cus-
tom; and the celebrated Madame Montour. Its exact
location is not known.
Shikellamy had a small town at, or near, the mouth of
Warrior Run. The Monsey tribe also had a village on
the beautiful flats near the present town of Muncy.
Conrad Weiser, the Indian interpreter and agent,
mentions that he once made a journey to the town of
Otstuagy, forty-five miles above Shamokin, for the pur-
pose of assisting the Indians to fence in a cornfield. It
was a town of some note, and stood on both sides of
Loyal Sock Creek. The trading establishment in after
years stood on the east side of the creek, between the
village of Montoursville and the river. It was inhabited
by the Delawares.
An Indian town also stood on the site now occupied
by Dunnsburg. Another called " Patterson's town," was
located opposite the mouth of Chatham's Run.
The next most important one was located on the level
bottom a short distance above Lock Port, and belonged
to the Monseys. They also cultivated corn here. Traces
of their village were perceptible long after the arrival of
the whites, and some of the oldest inhabitants remember
the little hillocks where the com grew. The place is
known at this day by the name of the " Monsey Town
Plats."
An extensive Indian burying ground was located at
the upper end of Sunbury, where it seemed that hun-
dreds, and for aught we know, thousands of Indians had
been consigned to the grave from time immemorial. Years
after the white settlers came they found large quantities
of Indian relics and implements of war, consisting of
stone hatchets, pipes, wampum, &c., that were displaced
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 27
by the spring freshets in the river, which washed away
the banks. Skeletons, too, in a perpendicular position,
were thus exhumed in great numbers.
The hills around Shamokin, in various places, bear
marks of having been excavated, but for what purpose
it is now impossible to divine, and nothing is left but
vague conjecture. It is alleged, by some, that the Indians
were possessed of the knowledge of some kind of mineral
which they used in considerable quantities.
P. B. Masser, Esq., of Sunbury, describes the remains
of what appeared to have been a small furnace, covered
by a mound, that was dicovered near the Bloody Spring.
It was examined by him in 1854. The bed appeared
to have been about six feet square, and constructed of
stone. It bore every trace of having been subjected to
the action of an intense fire, as the sand was baked and
blackened in such a manner as not to be mistaken. On
giving it a careful examination, several smaU particles
of gold were discovered, which he still retains in his
possession. A tradition is preserved that three English-
men, at a very early period, came here and erected the
furnace.
An extensive Indian burying ground existed on the
farm of Mr. Nesbit, opposite the mouth of Buffalo Creek.
It consisted of a large mound, twenty-five or thirty feet
in diameter. Mr. Nesbit remembers when it was opened,
and states that in the bottom was a floor of flat stones,
on which the bodies appeared to have been placed in a
sitting posture; which he inferred from the fact, that
the skulls were all on the top of the other bones. When
exposed to the air they soon crumbled into dust. The
mound contained no implements of war, only a few
stone pipes ; and on the summit, an ash tree was grow-
28 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
ing, which was hollow, and outside of which the concen-
tric circles indicated it to be seventy years old.
About 1833, or earlier, an oak was felled on the north
side of Muncy mountain, the growths of which showed
it to be four hundred and sixty years old ; and to have
been marked by a cutting instrument three hundred and
ninety years ago.
The next most extensive deposit of the dead, was
on the Muncy Farm, or what is now known as " Hall s
Farms," a short distance below Williamsport. A mound
had been thrown up, and apparently filled with hundreds
of bodies. In 1835, Mr. Fowler, the Phrenologist, visited
it and carried away a number of skulls.
Traces of extensive burying grounds were visible, till
within a few years, on Pine Creek, on the farm of Mr.
Harvey Bailey on one side, and that of Mr. S. Simmons
on the other. From the most reliable accounts I can
glean respecting them, it seems that unusually large
numbers were deposited there. On one side of the
creek, a large trench was evidently dug and filled with
a great number of dead, thrown promiscuously together,
from the appearance of their remains, when laid bare by
the action of the waters. Those buried on Bailey's
farm seemed to have been deposited with a great deal
of care and affection.
A tradition is preserved, but in a very vague and
unsatisfactory manner, that two hostile tribes met and
fought a desperate battle at this point, which well nigh
proved a war of extermination ; and the few survivors
buried the dead in the trenches, which the waves of
Pine Creek in after years exposed to view. The man-
ner in which they were buried, and the large number,
would naturally lead us to such a conclusion, but still
BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 29
we have not the least authentic evidence that such was
the fact.
On the high point of the mountain, not far from the
residence of Mr. Jesse Vickers, on Pine Creek, is the
remains of seven mounds, formed out of stone, and
evidently placed there by human hands. They are
about two hundred yards apart, and in a straight line
up the ridge. They have been torn open for years.
Nothing is known respecting them. The view from this
point of the valley of Pine Creek, both up and down,
is beautiful. Doubtless they were erected for burial
purposes.
On digging the canal through the rocks near Liberty,
several skeletons were discovered, with Indian camp
kettles, in a tolerably good state of preservation. They
were sent to Peale's Museum in Philadelphia.
A burying ground evidently existed where Lock
Haven now stands, as the workmen in digging the
canal, disinterred the remains of great numbers.
In 1854, James Wilson and A. H. McHenry, of Jersey
Shore, discovered what was evidently an extensive Indian
pottery, about five miles up Quinn's Run. A large de-
tached rock stood at this point, underneath which was a
cave sufficiently large to shelter thirty men. It con-
tained a great quantity of muscle shells. From appear-
ances around the rock, the people came to the conclusion
that some kind of mineral had been taken out. These
gentlemen examined the ground, and found great quan-
tities of broken pottery buried in a heap, and unmis-
takable traces of a hearth, where they had been baked.
A double curbing of stones was nicely set in the
ground, in the form of an ellipsis, about ten feet in
diameter, where the kiln was erected. Charcoal, and
30 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY,
other remains of fire, were distinctly visible. The mus-
cle shells were carried there, pulverized, and mixed in
the clay, which formed their pots. On examining broken
specimens, the pulverized shells can be perceived in the
form of small glistening particles. Various specimens
of their broken pottery was collected by Mr. McHenry,
and are now in his possession. Doubtless this was the
manufactory at which all the pots for the inhabitants of
the Valley were made. The clay existed here also.
At another time Mr. Wilson discovered a number of
crucibles, at a place called the " Rock Cavern," on Tan-
gascootack Creek, that had evidently been used for
smelting some kind of mineral.
That the Valley of the West Branch was inhabited by
a superior race, of whom we have no account, appears to
be evident. Traces of peculiar fortifications, resembling
those found in some of the Western States, are yet to be
pointed out. One of these existed on the farm of Mr.
Shoemaker, on the north side of Muncy Creek. It was
square, and consisted of embankments thrown up in
regular order, covering about one-fourth of an acre. A
similar one existed on the farm of Gov. Shultz, below
Williamsport. On the other side of the river, nearly
opposite the mouth of Lycoming Creek, was found
another, resembling the one on Muncy Creek, traces of
which can probably be seen to this day. Mr. Shoemaker
of Muncy, now an old man, but with memory bright
and mind unimpaired, informs me that years ago he
made a personal examination of this latter fortification,
and found all the embankments well defined. Large
trees were growing upon them however, the concentric
circles of which would indicate mnny hundred years'
growth, and entirely preclude the idea of their having
HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 31
been thrown up by the Anglo Saxon race. Mr. S. also
states that many years ago he made inquiry of an old
Seneca chief concerning them, but all the information
the old Indian could give, was that he had it from his
ancestors that they were erected by the white Indians.
Of them we have no definite knowledge whatever.
On Mr. Simmons' farm, where the extensive Indian
burying ground existed, are the remains of an ancient
circular fortification, more properly resembling those
found near CircleviUe, Ohio. Nearly all trace of it is lost
by the action of the elements and the plow of the indus-
trious farmer. In a few years more it wiU not be visible.
Several years ago a singular curiosity was plowed up
in Wayne township, Clinton county. It consisted of a
female figure in a sitting posture on a pedestal, sculp-
tured out of a very hard block of stone, about six inches
in length, and highly polished. The work was neatly
executed, and was evidently done by a superior work-
man. The figure was beautifully formed, and the tissue
of a fine veil thrown over the face could be distinctly
seen, traced in the hard stone. It passed into the hands
of a gentleman of Jersey Shore, who deposited it in the
Lancaster Museum. By whom was it made ?
A sword was plowed up a year or two since on the
farm of Mr. Callahan, on Pine Creek, which evidently
is an old English blade. It was imbedded in the giound
in nearly a perpendicular position. It was probably
carried there by Indians, as we have no accounts of
English troops passing that way at any time. It was
very much corroded by rust, and had undoubtedly laid
in the ground for a long time. It is now in the posses-
sion of Dr. Lyman of Jersey Shore.
The Indian War Paths, leading through the Valley,
and out of it, ran as follows :
32 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
The Shamokin Path continued up the river by the
mouth of Warrior Run, and Shikellamy's town, thence
through the gap in the Muncy hills to the town of
Muncy, where the main road now passes.
The Wyoming Path left Muncy and ran up Glade Run,
then over to Fishing Creek, near where Millville now
stands — crossed the creek and went through Huntingdon
Valley, and Nescopeck Gap, up the river to Wyoming.
The Wyalusing Path continued up Muncy Creek to
the head, then crossed to Loyal Sock, half a mile from
where the Berwick turnpike now crosses, then passed
near where Dushore now stands, and struck the Wyalu-
sing Creek near the north-east comer of Sullivan county,
thence up to the flats.
The path from Muncy up the river, crossed Loyal
Sock at Montour's Island, near where the canal now
runs, thence up to Bonser's Run, and on up along the
river to Sinnemahoning.
The Great Sheshequin Path ran up Bonser's Run, then
over to Lycoming Creek, near the mouth of Mill Creek,
thence to the head of Lycoming at the Beaver dams,
thence down Towanda to Sheshequin flats.
Another Great Path started from Shamokin and
passed up through the ravine a few yards below the
bridge at Blue Hill, and continued up along the river
through Buffalo Valley, then passed around the rocks
and entered White Deer Hole Valley ; thence along the
south branch of White Deer Hole Creek, near where
Elamsport now stands, and over the mountain into Nip-
penose Valley. Then out of the head of the Valley
through the mountains, and on via Bald Eagle's Nest, at
Milesburg, to Kittanning.
These were the principal Paths of the Valley, and
are laid down correctly.
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HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 33
CHAPTER IV.
INDIAN TREATIES — PURCHASES EMBRACINQ THE SUSQUEHANNA
— BOUNDARY LINES — SURVEYS — MANOR OF POMFRET — MUNCY
MANOR — SURVEYS AT LYCOMING CREEK — SPECIAL GRANTS TO
THE OFFICERS OF THE FRENCH WAR^ AC, AC.
I NOW come to speak of the various treaties and
purchases made from the Indians by the Proprietary
Government, which will be found to embody much new
and valuable information, not given in works heretofore
written.
On the 3d of September, 1700, the sachems of the
Susquehanna Indians, deeded to William Penn, the said
river Susquehanna, and all the islands therein, and all
the lands lying on both sides of it, " and next adjoining
to the same, to the utmost confines thereof." The sale
was confirmed to Col. William Dongan, Earl of Lime-
rick, and formerly Governor of the Province of New
York, who acted as the agent for William Penn in this
transaction. The deed may be seen in Book F., Vol. 8,
page 242.
This was the first deed conveying lands about the
forks of the Susquehanna. It does not appear to> have
been the design of William Penn, at the time of this
purchase, to soon settle the land, but it was evident that
his design in purchasing, was to secure the right of way
by the river through the Province.
3
34 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
On the 11th of October, 1736, a conveyance was
made to John Penn, Thomas Penn, and Richard Penn;
and signed by twenty-three Indian Chiefs of the Onon-
dago, Seneca, Oneida, and Tuscarora Nations, for all the
said river Susquehanna, "with the lands lying on both
sides thereof, to extend eastward as far as the head of
the branches or springs which run into the said Susque-
hanna, and all the lands lying on the west side of said
river to the setting of the sun, and to extend from the
mouth of said river northward up the same to the
hills or mountains called in the language of the said
nations Tayamenarackta^ and by the Delaware Indians
the Kakaehianamin hills."
This purchase is from the hills at and opposite the
town of Dauphin, nine miles above Harrisburg, and
south to the boundary of the Province.
But notwithstanding the purchase reaching from the
west side of the Susquehanna to the setting of the sun,
a large portion of the same territory was included in
another purchase, made on the 5th of November, 1768,
at Fort Stanwix. This deed conveyed all the land
beginning on the north boundary line of the Province,
to the east side of the east branch of the Susquehanna
at the place called Owegy, and running with the said
boundary line down this branch till it came opposite
the mouth of a creek, called by the Indians Awandac,
(Towanda) then across the river, and up said creek on
the south side thereof, and along the range of hills
called Burnett's hills by the English, and by the Indians
y on the north side of them to the head of a creek
running into the West Branch, called Tiadaghtoriy and
down it to the river ; then crossing and running up the
south side, to the forks which lie nearest a place called
HI8T0BT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 35
Kittanning, on the Ohio ; from thence down the Ohio to
the western bounds of the Province ; thence around the
southern boundary to the east of the AUeghanies^ to the
line of the tract purchased in 1758, by the said Proprie-
tary, and from thence along the line of a tract purchased
in 1749, around to the place of beginning. Those who may
have the curiosity to examine this deed in full, can find
it recorded at Philadelphia, in the Roll Office, in Book of
Deeds No. 3, page 23.
From the boundaries laid down, it included some six-
teen miles in width of the Province of New York, from
the Delaware to the Susquehanna.
On the 16th of June, 1786, David Rittenhouse and
Andrew EUicott were appointed Commissioners to run
the northern boundary of this State. On the 11th of
May, 1787, John Adlum was employed by order of
Council, as a Surveyor, to attend the Commissioners
appointed to run and mark out the line. In the spring
of 1787, Mr. Rittenhouse resigned on account of ill
health, which was much regretted, as he was a man of
science. Col. Andrew Porter, the father of Ex-Gov.
Porter, was appointed Commissioner in his place, on the
31st of May, 1787. In November of the same year
they made their report to the Governor, that they had
finished running the line. This line was run on the
forty-second degree of north latitude, which intersected
the Susquehanna, sixty-one miles from the Delaware,
and five and a half north of Tioga Point.
From the head of Towanda along the north side of
the hills called Burnett's Hills, would undoubtedly be
the range now known as the Elk Mountains ; and fur-
ther west the Briar Hill, &c. This is an unbroken moun-
tain, till it is pierced by the second fork of Pine Creek,
36 BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH TALLET.
the stream called Tiadaghton. This arrangement would
harmonize the language used in the deed. No other
stream would answer; the head of the main branch of
Pine Creek being some thirty miles north-west of the
head of the second fork, which could not be reached by
foUowing the range of hills mentioned above, from the
head of Towanda. The range of mountains extending
westward from the head of Towanda Creek, crosses the
main branch of Pine Creek one mile below the Big
Meadows, at the mouth of the third fork, and fifty-five
miles from the river.
From this geographical arrangement of the country, I
can come to no other conclusion, than that the stream
described as the western boundary of the purchase of
1768, on the north side of the West Branch, was the
small stream now known as Yarnell's Creek, and down
the same to the second fork of Pine Creek, and thence
to the river, a distance of about fifty-three miles. The
boundary, then, according to the deed, passed up the
south side of the river to the forks of the West Branch
at the Canoe Place, which is now the comer of Clear-
field, Cambria, and Indiana counties. The line from
this to Kittanning was run by James Galbraith, accord-
ing to orders of Surveyor-General Lukens, bearing date
AprQ 17, 1768.
Having disposed, for the present, of the Proprietaries'
Purchase of the Indians at the treaty of Fort Stanwix
in 1768, I now propose to speak of the surveys made
within that purchase. The first surveys made for the
Proprietaries were called Manors, and in accordance
with the custom established by William Penn, and con-
tinued by his sons, till the close of the Proprietary
Government. Commencing on the south side of the
mSTORT OF THE WEST BBANCH VALLET. 37
purchase^ I find a warrant directed by John Lukens,
Surveyor-General, to William Maclay, a deputy for the
district immediately south of this, and within the Pur-
chase of 1754. It was dated December 27, 1768, on
which Mr. Maclay surveyed on the 18th of February,
1769, a tract of 1328 acres, about one mile above the
mouth of Penn's Creek, adjoining, on the south, the line
dividing the Purchase of 1754 from that of 1768, and
extending up the Susquehanna, 966^ perches.
About the same time another survey was made at
Shamokin, in pursuance of a warrant from John Penn,
Lieutenant-Governor, for a tract embracing 1060 acres,
and called the Manor of Pomfret. This tract was sur-
veyed nearly in the form of a square, and included the
land on which Sunbury now stands.
The next is the Manor of Muncy, which was recom-
mended by Job Chilloway, a friendly Indian. It was
the most important point on the West Branch to the
Proprietaries, on account of the fine location, the rich-
ness of the soil, and the centre point of several great
War Paths, leading east, west, north and south. The
warrant was issued by John Penn the 25th of December,
1768, and a survey of 1615 acres was soon made, nearly
in a square form.
On the 31st of January, 1769, a warrant for 1000
acres was issued by the same, and as a portion of it has
been the subject of much litigation, I copy it verbatim :
4 L. 8. > " Pennsylvania, m.
BY THE PROPRIETARIES.
These are to authorize and require you to survey and lay out, or
cause to be surveyed and laid out for our use, the quantity of one thou-
38 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
sand acres of land, viz. : — ^Five hundred acres thereof at the mouth
of a creek known hy the name of Ljcoming, and extending thence
down and upon the river Susquehanna, and the other five hundred
acres in any part of the purchase lately made at Fort Stanwix of the
Six Nations, that shall not interfere with any previous warrant, and to
make return of the same in our Secretary's Office; and for the
80 doing this shall he your sufficient warrant. Witness, John
Penn, Esq., Lieutenant-Governor and Commissioner of Property of
the said Province, who hy virtue of certain powers from said Proprie-
taries, hath hereunto set his hand and caused the seal of the Land
Office to be affixed at Philadelphia, this thirty-first day of January,
one thousand seven hundred and sixty-nine.
To John Lukens, Esq., Surveyor-General.
John Penn.
To William Scull, Deputy Surveyor.
Execute this warrant, and make return of survey into my office.
John Lukens, S. G.
N. B. The last above mentioned 500 acres may be surveyed in
the forks of Susquehanna between two runs a little above the head of
Shamokin Island, or at the place called the Narrows, running a mile
or more along the river and back to the hill called Hrnce Michael's
Pkce.
John Lukens, G. G.
February 3, 1769.
P. S. If the land at Lycoming should be found to belong to
Andrew Montour, lay out on this warrant 500 acres at any place
thereabouts not already appropriated. '^
This is a true copy of the warrant issued by the
Surveyor-General to his Deputy, filed in the office of the
County Surveyor of Lycoming.
On the 22d of February, 1769, there were surveyed
on this warrant, 180 acres, including the mouth of
Mahoning Creek, and the land where the town of Dan-
ville now stands, by William Scull, Surveyor-General.
On the 28th of the same month, 320 acres were sur-
mSTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 39
veyed on the same warrant, at the mouth of Buffalo
Creek, by William Maclay, Surveyor-General.
On the 20th of March, 1769, 579 acres were sur-
veyed on this warrant at the mouth, and on the east
side of Lycoming Creek, running down the river, which
includes at the present time, the farms owned by Oliver
Watson, Esq., and Judge Grier of the Supreme Court.
Thus ended the surveys of Manors in 1768.
In relation to Manors it seems to have been a policy
settled by William Penn, at an early period of the history
of land affairs, to reserve out of each purchase from the
Indians, one-tenth of the lands, to be selected and laid
out before the Land Office was opened for the granting
of applications or warrants to individuals, which was
intended as the property of himself and successors.
This is inferred from a warrant issued by William Penn
on the 1st of September, 1700, to Edward Pennington,
then Surveyor-General, to survey for the Proprietor,
500 acres of every township of 5000 acres. This prac-
tice was continued, with some variations, up to the
period of the American Revolution.
At different times, between the confirmation of the
Purchase of 1768, and the opening of the Land Office,
a number of special grants to various individuals, for
valuable services rendered the Proprietaries, were made ;
amongst which was one on the 29th of October, 1768,
to Andrew Montour, who had proved himself trus^
worthy and of eminent service to the Government.
On the 4th of February, 1769, a special application
was issued in favor of the Rev. Dr. Francis Allison,
being No. 2, for 1500 acres, and a survey was speedily
made, of 1620 acres, above the mouth of Bald Eagle
Creek, on that beautiful flat land. An Indian town
also stood there.
40 HISTORY OF THE WEST BBANCH VALLET.
The next of these special grants, was the lands to the
officers who had served in the French and Indian wars
of 1755-8. This survey was made in the month of
March, 1769, by John Lukens, commencing on the
western boundary of Dr. Allison s tract, and embracing
the land along the river and Bald Eagle Creek, for some
distance. Ensign McMeens had a tract of 216 acres,
Lieut. Hunseeker 282, including the site of the town
of Flemington; Capt. Green, 524 acres, including the
mouth of Fishing Creek.
After these special grants were disposed of, prepara-
tions were made for the opening of the Land Office.
In order to give a better understanding how business
was transacted at that day, and applications granted, I
copy the advertisement of the Secretary of the Land
Office as follows :
" The Land Office will be opened on the third day of April next,
at 10 o'clock in the morning, to receive applications from all persons
inclinable to take up lands in the New Purchase, upon terms of five
pounds sterling per hundred acres, and one penny per acre per annum
quit-rent. No person will be allowed to take up more than three
hundred acres, without a special license from the Proprietaries or
(Governor. The surveys upon all applications are to be made and
returned within six months, and the whole purchase-money paid at
one payment, and patent taken out within twelve months from the
date of the application, with interest and quit-rent from six months
after the application. If there be a failure on the side of the party
applying, in either proving his survey and return to be made, or in
paying the purchase-money, and obtaining the patent, the application
and survey will be utterly void, and the Proprietaries will be at liberty
to dispose of the land to any other person whatever. And as these
terms will be strictly adhered to by the Proprietaries, all persons are
hereby warned and cautioned, not to apply for more land than they
will be able to pay for, in the time hereby given for that purpose.
]Jy order of the Governor.
James Tilghman,
Secretorj of the Land Oflloe.
PhiUdelphla Land Oflloe, Feb. 8S, 1700.
BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALUST. 41
CHAPTER V.
LAND HISTORY CONTINUED — ^NOTICE — ^THE ACT OF 1835 — COPY
OF AN APPLICATION — SURVEYS ALONG THE RIVER — MISTAKES
— HAWKINS BOONE — COMMENCEMENT OF THE WARRANT
SYSTEM.
NoTwiTHSTANDiNO the stringency of the conditions
enjoined upon those taking up lands, it is satisfactorily
ascertained that they never were altogether complied
with. When the system became practical, and the
conditions were not fully complied with, the Proprie-
taries did not insist upon forfeitures being made. The
conclusions, however, are plain, from the following
notice issued by the Surveyor-General in 1774 :
'' That as the several Deputy Surveyors propose giving due attend-
ance in their respective districts throughout the Province the present
summer, all persons who have entered applications for land, and have
not got them surveyed, are herehy desired to attend the Deputy-
Surveyor in Whose district the land may he, show the same, pay the
charges for surveying, in order that the same may he returned into
the Surveyor-General and Secretary's Offices, in order for Patenting,
(agreeable to an advertisement lately published by the Secretary of
the Land Office,) by order of his honor the Governor.
John Lukens, S. G."
It may as well be remarked here that, in many
instances, the conditions of the advertisement never have
been, to this day, complied with, so far as relates to the
42 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH TALLET.
patenting of lands. The various acts passed by the
Legislature to bring about a compliance, were in a great
measure unheeded, and never enforced. In 1835, an
act was passed that it was supposed would induce per-
sons holding unpatented lands to avail themselves of
its lenient provisions at once, as an effort had been
making for more than sixty years to urge landholders
to comply with the conditions they had agreed to on
taking out their warrants, knowing, as they did, what
was required of them. The act constituted the Board,
or a majority, of the County Commissioners to appraise
all such unpatented lands ; and they were directed to
make a table of rates, numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4, and all
lands valued at $10 per acre and upwards, should be
rated No. 1, — all valued at more than $7, and less than
$10, should be rated No. 2, — all valued at over $4, and
not over $7, should be rated No. 3, — ^all valued at $4,
or less, to be rated No. 4 : provided, that in making the
valuation of lands, the value of the buildings thereon
should be deducted. The next section provided that
all lands rated No. 1, shall pay the amount of the pur-
chase-money, with 6 per cent, interest per annum
thereon ; No. 2, the purchase-money and 4 i per cent,
interest ; No. 3, the fee money, and 3 per cent. ; and
No. 4, the original purchase-money without interest.
This act was to continue in force three years, but at the
expiration of that time it was extended, and has been
extended from year to year, up to the present time.
Yet thousands of dollars are due the Commonwealth for
purchase-money, interest and patent fees, in those coun-
ties that existed under the Proprietary Government.
In reference to the advertisement of the Secretary
of the Land Office, the time having arrived, prepara-
HI8I0RT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 43
tions were made for the commencement of business.
Location books were opened, and the tract applied for,
numbered and described. It being understood that great
numbers would attend ready to give in their locations
at the same time, it was decided by the Governor and
his agents, that the most unexceptionable method of
receiving the locations, would be to put them altogether
— after being received from the people — ^into a box,
mix them well together, then draw them therefrom and
number them as they came; this plan it was thought
would determine the preference, without any show of
partiality.
Below I give a copy of an application, as they were
then issued : —
« No. 1085.
George Grant, hath made application for three buDclred acres
of land, on the north side of the West Branch of Susquehanna,
joining and above the Honorahle Proprietors land at Muncj Creek,
including Wolf Run.
Dated at Philadelphia, this third day of April, 1769.
To William Scull, Deputy Surveyor ; you are to survey the land
mentioned in this application, and make return thereof into the
Surveyor-General's Office, within six months from the ahove date;
and thereof fail not.
John Lukenb, S. G."
When the office was opened on the 3d of April, 1769,
there was issued on that day, 2782 applications, directed
to the Surveyor-Generals in their respective districts
embraced in the purchase of 1768, including the terri-
tory from Lycoming to Pine Creek. But before the
surveys were made, the Proprietaries issued an order
prohibiting any surveys being made west of Lycoming
Creek, on the north side of the river, as the Indians
claimed that territory, and expressed much dissatisfac-
44 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
tion.* A large number of applications had, however,
been issued for lands between these two streams, and
placed in the hands of the Deputy Surveyor, (the ori-
gihals are now in the office of the Deputy Surveyor of
Lycoming county,) but were not made in accordance
with the order. There was no action taken upon them
till after the treaty of 1784, when the dispute was
settled, and which will be referred to in another part
of this work.
Instructions were also issued by the Surveyor-General
to the Deputy, accompanying the application. Four
Surveyors were appointed by the Commissioners of
Property, for the surveying of the lands embraced in
the treaty of 1768. Their names were, William Gray,
for the south-eastern part; Charles Stewart, for the
north part, up the North Branch ; William Scull, for the
north side of the West Branch above Chilisquaque ;
and Charles Lukens, for the south side, bounded on the
south by the treaty line of 1754, and east by Buffalo
Creek. His district also extended to the head waters of
Bald Eagle Creek, and embraced the following valleys :
Bald Eagle, Nittany, Sugar, Nippenose, White Deer
Hole, White Deer, and the upper part of Buffalo.
Surveys had, however, been made by Thomas Smith,
Deputy Surveyor of Cumberland county, in what is
now Clearfield, in June, 1769. As soon as the appli-
cations were issued, the Surveyors were put to work.
In the same month and year they were in White Deer
Hole Valley making surveys, and on the 1st of July, in
Black Hole Bottom; on the 4th, 5th and 6th, in Nippe-
nose. The first survey in this Bottom, was made on
the application of Elizabeth Brown, numbered 44, and
* ThU wiU be explained in its proper place.
HI8T0RT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 45
included the mouth of the Creek. It was made on the
4th of July, 1769.
On the 7th of the same month, the first survey was
made in Nippenose Valley, on the application of Ealffh
Foster, and embraced the tract where Sanderson's Mill
now stands. On the 8th and 9th, surveys were made
along the river in what is now Wayne township, CUnton
county, and so on up.
In the month of October, 1769, surveys were made
along the river, in the vicinity of Mosquito Creek, and
various other places. This was in Charles Lukens'
district.
. In William Scull's district, we find them making sur-
veys on Muncy Creek, including the land adjoining the
borough of Hughesburg. The other surveyors were
progressing with their work in a proportionate degree.
Applications were issued until the 31st of August,
1769, when they amounted to 4000. Surveys were
never made, probably, on half of the applications issued,
but as often as four or five times on the same tract.
Priority seems to have been given in these cases,
according to the prescribed rule for the regulation of
such errors, and the first application generally prevailed.
There were some five or six applications for the lands
of John Cox, three miles above the mouth of Buffalo
Creek, including an Indian town, and those of Elizabeth
Brown, in Nippenose Bottom. Many of these applica-
tions were surveyed on other tracts — several opposite
the Long Island were surveyed in Nippenose Valley,
and some of them in Buffalo Valley. A tract was
generally found to suit the application. These applica-
tions only cost a dollar for office fees, and a trifling
sum to the first explorer or guide to the land, who was
46 HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
generally an expert woodsman, who sought out the best
locations. Some lines were run and marked in order
to define their locations to a particular spot. Hawkins
Boone was the principal explorer and woodsman in Bald
Eagle, Nittany, and other valleys. In some of his notes
taken at the time, he mentions the Bald Eagle's Nest,
near Milesburg, and a settler there named Huff, who
had cut logs to erect a cabin. He was one of those
early adventurers from Cumberland county, mention of
whom will be made in the proper place.
The application of Andrew Hackett, included "an
old Indian cornfield, near a mile from where Bald Eagle
Creek cuts through the hill, and where the Frankstown
road leads through to the Great Island." What kind of
a road existed at that time will afford some conjecture.
In many cases the tracts were described by letters
cut on a tree, standing in a particular place, or deer
Ucks included, by which means they could be identified.
Many of the surveys made on these applications
were not found for many years afterwards, as the people
were soon compelled to abandon the frontier, and in
many cases never returned. The location of many of
these surveys is not determined to this day.
The year 1769 closed the application system, and in
1770, the Proprietaries commenced the issuing of war-
rants, which was pretty much on the same principle.
Conditions, however, were fully set forth in the warrants,
signed by the Governor, with the seal of the Land Office
affixed. The original was filed in the Surveyor-Generars
Office, and a copy directed to the Deputy in the district
where the land was supposed to lie. When it was
doubtful where the land was, they were in many cases
directed thus: "To the proper Deputy Surveyor." I
HI8T0RT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 47
had intended to give a copy of a warrant herewith, but
the limits of this work will not permit of it.
Here I shall close the remarks in reference to the
original surv^eys, warrants, &c. Much more valuable
information could be given, as the subject is not half
exhausted. Allusion will be made again to the disputed
territory, and the last treaty at Fort Stanwix.
48 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
CHAPTER VI.
FIRST ENGLISH IN THE VALLEY — THE FRENCH — COUNT ZINZEN-
DORF — REV. DAVID BRAIN ERD — VISITORS TO LONG ISLAND IN
1745— THE INDIAN CHIEF — GETS DRUNK AND FALLS IN THE
FIRE.
The Valley of the West Branch was visited at a very
early period by adventurers, and Indian traders. The
government also sent special messengers on several
occasions to confer with the heads of the various tribes.
The earliest account on record that I have been able to
find, that relates to the Susquehanna and Shamokin,
dates back as early as 1728. Gov. Gordon lays down
certain instructions to Smith and Petty, who were
about to make a journey to Shamokin. In this letter
of instructions, the Governor particularly requests them
to call upon his Indian friends Alummopees, Opekassel,
Shachalawlin, and Shikellemy, and give them his par-
ticular regards. The latter of these chiefs, it is known,
resided at Shamokin.
It appears that the Governor esteemed these Indians
very highly, and hoped to hear from them soon. He
also stated that he had learned of some injury being
done them by the whites, whom he intended to punish
if found out, as he could not tolerate any violations of
good faith.
The same month, September, Wright and Blunstone
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 49
reported to Gov. Gordon, that they had learned from
an Indian, that one Timothy Higgins had been hanged
at Shamokin, but for what cause was not stated. He
was the servant of an Indian trader named Henry
Smith, who, it appears, had penetrated into that region.
The report of the hanging, after being investigated by
Smith and Petty, turned out to be incorrect.
In the following year, 1729, Gov. Gordon wrote a
letter of condolence to Shickelemy, and other chiefs at
Shamokin, on the death of Carundawana. He also
spoke feelingly of the death of a son of Shickelemy,
which took place about that time, and sent a shroud
to bury him in.
In the year 1730, a letter was received by the
Governor from a number of Delaware Indians, describ-
ing the manner in which a white man received serious
injury. The report stated that John Fisher and John
Hartt, two of the Shamokin traders, accompanied a
number of their tribe down the river on a hunting
excursion. After having proceeded over one hundred
miles, the Indians proposed to fire-hunt, by making a
ring. The white men would go along with them,
although they tried to dissuade them from it, alleging
that they did not understand it, and might receive some
injury. But they persisted in going. In the excite-
ment of the hunt, John Hartt was shot in the mouth,
the bullet lodging in his neck, which killed him.
The French had penetrated into the valley of the
West Branch in considerable numbers before the arrival
of the English, having came through from the Lakes.
Rev. David Brainerd speaks of a number of Europeans
found by him at the town of Ostanwackin, who had
adopted the Indian method of living; amongst whom
4
50 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
was the celebrated Madame Montour, a French woman,
who was married to Carundawana. She was previously
married to Roland Montour, a chief of the Seneca tribe,
by whom she had several sons, that figure conspicuously
in the history of the Valley.
Loskiel, in his history of Moravian Missions, states
that on the 28th of September, 1742, Count Zinzendorf,
accompanied by Conrad Weiser, Martin Mack and his
wife, and two Indians, named Joshua and David, after a
long and tedious journey through the wilderness, arrived
at the town of Shamokin. The chief, Shickelemy,
stepped out and gave them a hearty welcome. A
savage presented the Count with a fine melon, for which
the latter gave him his fur cap. Zinzendorf immediately
announced himself as a messenger of the living God,
come to preach unto them grace and salvation. Shick-
elemy replied that he was happy to receive and enter-
tain an ambassador from the Great Spirit, and would
afford him all the assistance in his power. As a proof
of his integrity, it is stated that on one occasion when
these pious missionaries were about going to prayers,
the Indians were making a terrible noise with drums
and singing, the Count sent word to Shickelemy, who
immediately ordered silence.
The Count, after remaining a short time in Shamokin,
crossed the river with a part of his company, and pro-
ceeded to the town of Ostanwackin, on the West Branch,
where they were kindly received and entertained for
two days, by Madame Montour.
Rev. David Brainerd visited Shamokin in 1745, for
the first time. He endured much suflfering, being in
delicate health. He was kindly received, and enter-
tained in true Indian style, but had little satisfaction
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 51
on account of the heathenish dance that occurred in the
hut where he was obliged to lodge. After preaching to
them, he went down to Juniata Island.
He returned to Shamokin in August, 1746, and
preached to the Indians. The following extract is from
his journal :
" Sept. 1. — Set out on a journey towards a place called the Great
Island, about fifty miles from Shaumoking, on the north-western
branch of the Susquehanna. At night lodged in the woods.
Sept. 2. — ^Rode forward, but no faster than my people went on
foot. Was very weak on this as well as the preceding days. I was
so feeble and &int that I feared it would kill me to lie out in the open
air; and some of my company being parted from us, so that we had
now no axe with us. I had no way but to climb into a young pine
tree, and with my knife to lop the branches, and so make a shelter
from the dew. But the evening being cloudy, with a prospect of
rain, I was still under fears of being extremely exposed ; sweat much,
so that my linen was almost wringing wet all night. I scarcely ever
was more weak and weary than this evening, when I was able to sit
up at all. This was a melancholy situation; but I endeavored to
quiet myself with considerations of my being in much worse circum-
stances amongst enemies, &c.
Sept. 3. — ^Rode to the Delaware town ; found many drinking and
drunken. Discoursed with some of the Indians about Christianity ;
observed my interpreter much engaged, and assisted in his work. A
few persons seemed to hear with great earnestness and engagement
of soul. About noon rode to a small town of Shauwaunoes, about
eight miles distant ; spent an hour or two there, and returned to the
Delaware town, and lodged there. Was scarce ever more confounded
with a sense of my own unfruitfulness and unfitness for my work
than now. 0 what a dead, heartless, barren, unprofitable wretch did
I now see myself to be !
Sept. 5. — Qot to Shaumoking towards night ; felt somewhat of a
spirit of thankfulness that Grod had so far returned me.
Sept. 8. — ^Left Shaumoking, and returned down the river a few
miles. Had proposed to tany a considerable time longer among the
Indians upon the Susquehanna, but was hindered from pursuing my
52 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY,
parpo^ie ftt)in sickness that prevailed there, the feeble state of mj own
people that were with me, and especially my own extraordinary weak-
ness, having been exercised with great nocturnal sweats, and a cough-
ing up of blood, almost the whole of the journey. I was a great
part of the time so feeble and faint, that it seemed as though I never
should be able to reach home ; and at the same time very destitute
of the comforts, and even the necessaries of life.''
In the year 1745, says Loskiel in his history of
Moravian Missions, Bro. Martin Mack and his wife went
to Shamokin, where they staid two months. During
this time they not only suffered much iUness, and trou-
bles of various kinds, but frequently were eye-witnesses
to the most horrible and diabolical abominations, prac-
tised by the savages more in this place than any other.
Several times they were in danger of being murdered
by drunken Indians. Yet their fervent desire to gain
souls for Christ, inspired them with such consolation,
that, according to Mack's own statement, their hard fare
in an Indian cottage afforded them more real pleasure,
than all the luxuries of the most sumptuous palace
could have done. They spent a part of their time in
assisting the Indians to cultivate their com.
From Shamokin they went on a visit to Long Island,
where they were received with much kindness, especially
by the chief. His drunkenness seemed to the Mission-
aries to be the greatest obstacle in the way of the Gospel.
He got so dinink one evening that he fell into the fire,
and burnt the flesh off one of his hands. They then
returned to Shamokin.
In 1748, Shamokin was visited by Bishop Camerhoff,
and the pious Zeisberger, who came for the purpose of
establishing a Moravian Mission. They also speak of
making an excursion up the river as far as the Long
HISTORY OF THE WEBT BRANCH YALLET. 53
Island, opposite Jersey Shore, and the Great Island, a
few miles above.
These were the principal English adventurers, of whom
I have any account, that first penetrated the wilds of
the beautiful Otzinachson Valley, previous to the first
permanent settlements. It is to be regretted that some
of them did not leave behind them a full account of
the appearance of the country at that day, and the
various Indian towns with which the valley abounded.
64 mSTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET*
CHAPTER Vn.
FIRST HOUSE BUILT BT WHITE MEN AT SHAMOKIN — ^ITS SIZE —
FIRST SETTLERS — MURDER OF ARMSTRONG — SHICKELEMT —
HIS DEATH AND CHARACTER — CONRAD WEISBR SENT TO CON-
DOLE WITH HIS FAMILY.
The first house erected at Shamokin was by Conrad
Weiser, for the Indian Chief Shickelemy, who employed *
him to build it. In Mr. Weiser's letter to James Logan,
dated September 29ih, 1744, he says :
" Sir : — ^The day before yesterday I came back from Sbohomokin,
where I have been with eight young men of my country people, whom
Shickalemy hired to make a locke house for him, and I went with them
to direct them. We finished the house in 17 days; it is 49 i foot
long, and 17 i wide, and covered with singels.''
This was unquestionably the first building, after the
English plan, that was erected at that place — one hun-
dred and twelve years ago. It was no doubt built of
rough logs notched together, and the shingles with which
it was covered, were probably what would be denomi-
nated at this day, clapboards.
For what purpose such a building was designed by
Shickelemy, is not stated, further than it was a ^^ locke
hausey' in which, it is inferred, he intended to incarcerate
some of his refractory subjects.
At the time Mr. Weiser was building the house, the
fever was very bad among the Indians, and five or six
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 55
were carried off whilst he was there. Alumoppees, the
Delaware King, was prostrated for a long time previous,
but finally recovered.
The first settlement made at Shamokin, was in the
spring of 1747, by Martin Mack and his wife, who had
visited the place in 1745. They were from the Mora-
vian settlements below. Previous to their arrival, John
Hagin and Joseph Powell, of the Mission, had built a
house there, which, I presume, was the second one
erected.
As Shamokin was an important point for the Indians,
and used as a depot, or tarrying-place, for their war
parties against the Catawbas of the south, they were
very anxious to have a blacksmith to save them the
trouble of long journeys to Tulpehocken or Philadel^
phia, to get their implements of war repaired. On appli-
cation to the Provincial Government, their request was
granted, on condition that he should remain with them
no longer than they proved friendly to the English. As
all was peace and harmony among the two nations at
that time, of course they assented to the proposition,
and a gentleman named Anthony Schmidt, from the
mission at Bethlehem, had the honor of being the first
representative of Vulcan at Shamokin.
In the spring of 1744, the first aggravated case of
murder occurred on the Juniata. When John Arm-
strong, an Indian trader, and his two servants, James
Smith and Woodworth Arnold, were inhumanly and
barbarously murdered by an Indian of the Delaware
tribe, named Musemeelin. The atrocity of this murder
was so aggravating, that a Provincial Council was held
to take the matter into consideration, and it was finally
resolved that Conrad Weiser should be sent to Shamokin
56 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
to make demands, in the name of the Governor, for
those concerned in the affair.
Mr. Weiser arrived at Shamokin on the second day
of May, 1744, and delivered the Governors message to
Alumoppees, the Delaware Chief, and the rest of the
Delaware Indians, in presence of Shickelemy, and a few
more of the Six Nations.
Alumoppees replied that it was true, that the evil
spirit had influenced some of his tribe to commit the
murder, and that he was very sorry it had occurred;
they had taken the murderer and delivered him to the
friends of the deceased to be dealt with according to
the nature of the deed.
After the conclusion of the address by Alumoppees,
Shickelemy arose and entered into a full account of the
unhappy affair, which is very long and interesting. When
the conference with the Indians was ended, a feast was
prepared, to which the Governor's messengers were in-
vited. Mr. Weiser states that there were about one
hundred persons present, to whom, after they had in
great silence, devoured a fat bear, the eldest of the chiefs
made a speech.
The Moravian Mission was kept open till Braddock's
defeat in 1755, when the alarming aspect of affairs
caused the brethren to abandon it and fly to Bethlehem.
What success they had among the Indians is nowhere
positively stated, but it is presumed that they succeeded
in converting several. As late as 1756, an individual
named Grube, is spoken of as going up the river to
Qtienishachskackki — ^where Linden now stands — to see
some baptized Indians that lived there. They also fre-
quently made excursions to Long Island and Great
Island.
BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 57
Shickelemy was a chief of the Cayuga tribe, who was
stationed at Shamokin to rule over the Indians. He
was truly an excellent and good man, possessed of many
noble qualities of mind, that would do honor to many
white men laying claims tq greater refinement and intel-
ligence. He was possessed of great dignity, sobriety
and prudence, and was particularly noted for his extreme
kindness to the whites and missionaries. He was the
most intimate and valued friend of Conrad Weiser, who
entertained great respect for him. On several important
occasions he attended the sittings of the Pi'ovincial Coun-
cil at Philadelphia, and performed embassies between
the government of Pennsylvania and the Six Nations.
Conrad Weiser visited him frequently at his house in
Shamokin, on business for the government, and was in
turn visited by him at Tulpehocken. He had several
sons, one of which was " Logan, the Mingo Chief," and
another named ToffhneghdoaruSy who assumed the duties
of chief, after the death of his father. He was the
eldest.
Shickelemy died in 1749, and in his death the whites
lost the best and truest friend they ever had among the
tawny sons of the forest. Loskiel, who knew him well,
thus describes his character :
^' Being the first magifitrate and head chief of all the Iroquois In-
dians living on the hanks of the Susquehanna, as far as Onondaga,
he thought it incumhent upon him to be very circumspect in his deal-
ings with the white people. He mistrusted the hrethren at first, hut
upon discovering their sincerity, became their firm and real friend.
Being much engaged in political affairs, he had learned the art of
concealing his sentiments; and, therefore, never contradicted those
who endeavored to prejudice his mind against the missionaries, though
he always suspected their motives. In the last years of his life he
became less reserved, and received those hrethren who oame to Sha-
58 HISTOEY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
mokin into his house. He assisted them in building, and defended
them against the insults of the drunken Indians ; being himself never
addicted to drinking, because, as he expressed it, he never wished to
become a fool. He had built his house upon pillars for safety, in
which he always shut himself up when any drunken frolic was ^oing
on in the village. In this house Bishop Johannes Von Watteville
and his company visited and preached the Oospel to him. It was
then that the Lord opened his heart ; he listened with great attention ;
and at last, with tears, respected the doctrine of a crucified Jesus, and
received it in faith. During his visit in Bethlehem, a remarkable
change took place in his heart which he could not conceal. He found
comfort, peace, and joy, by faith in his Redeemer, and the Brethren
considered him as a candidate for baptism ; but hearing that he had
been already baptized, by a Roman Catholic priest, in Canada, they
only endeavored to impress his mind with a proper idea of his sacra-
mental ordinance, upon which he destroyed a small idol, which he
wore about his neck. After his return to Shamokin, the grace of God
bestowed upon him was truly manifest, and his behavior was remark-
ably peaceable and contented. In this state of mind he was taken
ill, was attended by Br. David Zeisberger, and in his presence fell
happy asleep in the Lord, in full assurance of obtaining eternal life
through the merits of Jesus Christ.''
Conrad Weiser was ordered to visit Shamokin in April,
1749, on business for the government, in reference to the
death of Shickelemy, and he wrote to Governor Hamil-
ton, that he had met the eldest and youngest son of his
deceased friend, at the trading house of Thomas McKee,
some twenty miles down the river, who informed him
that all the Indians had left Shamokin for a short time,
on account of the scarcity of provisions. Here he de-
livered the message from the Governor to the young
men, and three others of the Six Nations, one of whom
was Toganogon^ a noted Cayuga. In reference to the in-
terview, he says :
^< All what I had to do was to let the children and grand-children
of our deceased friend, Shickelimy, know that the Governor of Pen-
mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 59
silvania and his Council condoled with them for the death of their
father, which I did accordingly; and gave them a small present, in
order to wipe off their tears, according to the custom of the Indians ;
the present consisted of six Strowd Matchcoats and seven Shirts, with
a string of Wampum ; after this was over, I gave another string of
Wampum to Tagheneghdoarus, Shickelimj^s eldest son, and desired
him to take upon him the care of a chief in the stead of his deceased
father, and to be our true corespondent, untill there should be a meet-
ing between the Governor of Pensilvania and some of the Six Nation
Chiefs, and then he should be recommended by the Governor to the
Six Nation Chie& and confirmed. If he would follow the foot steps of
his deceased father. He accepted thereof, and I sent a string of
Wampum by Toganogon, (who was then seting out for Cayuckquo) to
Onantago to let the Counsel of the Six Nation Know of Shickelim/s
death and my transaction by order of the Governor. There was a
necessity for my doing so."
60 HISTORY OF THE WEST BBANCH VALLEY.
CHAPTER VIII.
SETTLEMENT ON PENN'S CREEK — NAMES OP THE SETTLERS —
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR — MASSACRE OF THE SETTLERS — HAR-
RIS' PARTY — BLOODY FIGHT — THE LINDEN TREE — STORY OF
DUKE HOLLAND, SHOWING THE WONDERFUL SAGACITY OF AN
INDIAN.
When the first settlements were made at Shamokin^
and on the west side of the river at Penn's Creek, these
lands were embraced in the limits of Berks and Cumber-
land counties. Berks was organized in 1752, and took
in all the region of country on the east side of the river
as far northward as the limits of the Province. Cumber-
land was formed in 1750, and took in all the lands on
the west side of the river.
The feeling of amity that had existed between the
whites and Indians for a period of upwards of seventy
years, was about to be broken, and a spirit of hatred
and revenge began to manifest itself. The Indians be-
came dissatisfied with the whites on account of their re-
cent treaties, wherein they discovered that they were
cheated and deceived. The evil passions of the Indians
once aroused, they were capable of committing the most
horrid and fiendish crimes. Once they were estranged
from the English, they united with the French, and
shortly afterwards followed those terrible massacres, dur-
ing the French and Indian wars.
HI8X0BT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 61
As early as 1745, an extensive settlement was made
at Penn's Creek, a few miles below Shamokin, on the
west side of the river. The settlers were mostly Scotch-
Irish, from the Kittatinny Valley. They pitched their
tents in the wilderness, on the inviting land around the
stream, and commenced to open up little patches of
ground. They wdte hardy and industrious — well calcu-
lated to endure the sufferings to be encountered in a new
country, among painted savages and wild beasts. They
enjoyed none of the comforts of refined life — they were
the hardy pioneers of civilization.
The proud savage viewed the gradual encroachment of
the whites upon his favorite hunting grounds with feel-
ings of distrust. He had been to them a friend — ^had
extended to them the hospitalities of his humble wig-
wam, and ministered to their wants. But they had
cheated and deceived him in return. His proud nature
could not endure such treatment — ^it was inconsistent
with his views of justice and right. He turned away
from them with feeUngs of scorn, deeply tinctured with
the malignancy of vindictive passion.
The names of a few of the first settlers at Penn's
Creek have been preserved, and are as follows : Jacob
Le Roy, George Auchmudy, Abraham Sourkill, George
Snabble, George Gliwell, John McCahan, Edmund Mat-
thews, John Young, Mark Curry, William Daran, John
Simmons, George Aberheart, Daniel Braugh, Gotfried
Fryer, Dennis Mucklehenny, George Linn, and several
others.
The settlers soon became alarmed at the dark clouds
that were fast gathering, and threatening them with dan-
ger. Actual hostilities between the French and their
Indian allies, had already commenced with the English.
62 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
An awful crisis was approaching — the frontier settlers
were in a panic. The Indians, true to their character,
when enemies, struck whenever an opportunity presented
— neither sex nor age was spared — ^the vindictive savage
knew no pity.
Petitions were sent in to the Provincial Government
praying for protection on the frontiers. The government^
seriously alarmed, made some attempt to devise a plan
for protection, but it availed but little.
In 1755, the disastrous defeat of Braddock occurred
on the banks of the Monongahela. This unfortunate and
unexpected event, cast a pall of gloom over the minds of
the settlers, and they feared the worst consequences.
True to their expectations, scarce three months had
elapsed after this event, till a body of Indians from the
West Branch, fell upon the settlement at Penn's Creek.
The attack was made upon the 15th of October, 1755,
and every person in the settlement, consisting of twenty-
five, including men, women and children, with the excep-
tion of one man, who made his escape, though danger-
ously wounded, were either killed or carried into capti-
vity. The scene of havoc and devastation presented in
this once happy settlement, is described to have been
mournful in the extreme. They barbarously kiUed and
scalped a large number, and carried the rest into capti-
vity. Their houses were burned, and their fields laid
waste. A number of settlers near the scene of the mas-
sacre, immediately came up to bury the dead. They
describe the scene as follows :
" We found but thirteen, who were men and elderly women. The
children, we suppose to be carried away, prisoners. The house where
we suppose they finished their murder, we found burnt up ; the man
of it, named Jacob King, a Swisser, lying just by it H^ lay on his
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 63
back, barbarously burnt, and two tomahawks sticking in his forehead;
one of those marked newly W. D. We have sent them to your
Honor. The terror of which, has driven away almost all the back
inhabitants, except the subscribers, with a few more, who are willing
to stay and defend the land ; but as we are not at all able to defend
it for the want of guns and ammunition, and few in numbers, so that
without assistance, we must flee and leave the country to the mercy
of the enemy."
Jacob King, alias Jacob Le Roy, who was so inhu-
manly butchered, had only lately arrived from Europe.
At the time of his murder, his daughter, Anne Mary Le
Roy, and some others, were made prisoners and taken to
Kittanning, where she was kept a captive for about four
years.
This massacre spread terror and consternation through-
out the settlements ; and on intelligence being received
below, about the 20th of October, a party of forty-five,
commanded by John Harris, set out from Harris' Ferry,
(now Harrisburg,) and proceeded to the scene of the dis-
aster, where they found and buried a number of the
mangled bodies of the victims also. From this place
they proceeded to Shamokin to see the Indians and pre-
vail upon them, if possible, to remain neutral. /This
visit, it is alleged, they were persuaded to make by John
Shickelemy and Old Belt. Their reception at the vil-
lage was civil, but not cordial, and they perceived, as
they thought, that their visit had disconcerted the sa-
vages. They remained there till the next morning.
During the night they heard some Indians, about twelve
in number, talking to this purpose: "What are the
English come here for ?" Says another : " To kill us I
suppose ; can we then send off some of our nimble
young men to give our friends notice, that can soon be
here ?" They soon after sang the war song, and four
64 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Indians went off, in two canoes, well armed— one canoe
went down the river, and the other across.
In the morning they made a few presents to the In-
dians, who promised to remain neutral, and assist them
against a large scalping party of French and Indians,
that they had learned were on their way across the Al-
leghany mountains to attack the settlements. Tiiey
were distrustful of the good faith of the Indians, after
what they had heard the previous night, and were anx-
ious to get away. Before leaving the village on their
return, they were privately warned by Andrew Mon-
tour, a half breed Indian interpreter, not to take the
road on the western side of the river, but continue on
down the eastern side, as he believed it to be dangerous.
They, however, disregarded his warning, either relying
on the good faith of the Indians at Shamokin, or sus-
pecting that he intended to lead them into an ambuscade,
and marched along the flats on the west side of the river.
The fording place across Penn's Creek was then at the
place where the stream divides, one part passing south,
the other and main embouchure turning nearly due east,
towards the Susquehanna — this was the branch which
HaiTis and his party were to pass. The northern shore
of the creek, where they entered the water, was low;
on the southern side — the head of the Isle of Queu —
was a high and steep bank, near, and parallel, to which
was a deep natural hollow where the savages, some
thirty in number, lay concealed. Before the whites,
partly on foot, and partly mounted, had well time to as-
cend the bank, the savages rose and fired on them. Four
were killed. Harris states that himself and about fif-
teen of his men, immediately took to trees and returned
the fire, killing four Indians, with the loss of three more
HISTOBT OF THE W£8T BRANCH YALLET. 65
men. They retreated to the river, and passed it with
the loss of four or five men drowned. Harris was
mounted, and in the flight was entreated by one of the
footmen, a large fat man, and a doctor, to snflFer him to
mount behind him. With some unwillingness he con-
sented (fortunately for himself,) and they entered the
river. They had not got entirely out of rifle distance,
when a shot struck the doctor in the back, and he fell
wounded into the river, from whence he never rose. The
horse was wounded by another shot, and failing, Harris
was obliged to abandon him and swim part of the way.
The remainder of the party after several days of toil-
some marching through the rugged country, reached
home in safety.
To mark the spot where this fight occurred, a party
who came up to bury the dead, drove a wedge through
the body of a Linden sapling, standing on the ground.
This tree a few years ago was some eighteen or twenty
inches in diameter, and still retained the marks of the
wedge, about five or six feet from the ground.
The next day a party of Indians from Shamokin
went down to where the engagement had taken place.
They informed David Zeisberger that they found three
white men killed, lying near together ; and on the river
side they foimd another dead man, not shot, but sup-
posed to have been drowned trying to escape ; a short
distance further they discovered a suit of women's
clothes, with a pair of new shoes, lying near the river,
which they thought must^have belonged to some one
who endeavored to escape by crossing the river. They
then followed the trail further into the woods, where
they espied a sapling cut down, and near by a grub
twisted. They were certain these marks indicated
5
66 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
something, and on carefuUy searching around discovered
a parcel of leaves carefully raked together, upon remov-
ing which they found a fresh grave that contained an
Indian who had been shot. He was well dressed : all
the hairs of his head were removed, with the exception
of a small tuft on the crown, which indicated him to be
a French Mohawk.
They also found a glove, all bloody, lying by a tree
that was much shot, which they supposed to have
belonged to Thomas McKee, an Indian trader. From
here they went down to George Gabriers farm, where
they saw Indian tracks in the plowed ground. His
com was burnt and destroyed, and no person about.
As the enemy was prowling around the settlements,
watching an opportunity to murder and scalp, it is
impossible to imagine the fear and consternation that
seized the inhabitants. Their only safety was to flee
and leave all to the enemy. They had in vain looked
for relief from the Government. Houses that had been
occupied, bams that had been filled with the fraits of a
rich and plenteous harvest, and newly sowed fields, and
standing com, were all abandoned to the mercy of the
savages.
A friendly Indian named Duke Holland, of the Dela-
ware tribe, who was much esteemed by the whites, was
about the settlement at the time of the massacre. The
surviving whites in their rage, partly resolved to satiate
their revenge by murdering him. This Indian, satisfied
that his nation was incapable of committing such a foul
murder in time of profound peace, told the enraged
settlers that he was sure the Delawares were not in any
manner concerned in it, and that it was the act of some
wicked Mingoes or Iroquois, whose custom it was to
HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 67
involve other nations in wars with each other by clan-
destinely committing murders, so that they might be
laid to the charge of others than themselves. But all
his representations were vain; he could not convince
exasperated men, whose minds were fully bent on
revenge. At last, he offered that if they would give
him a party to accompany him, he would go with them
in quest of the murderers, and was sure he could dis-
cover them by the prints of their feet and other marks
well known to him, by which he would convince them
that the real perpetrators of the crime belonged to the
Six Nations. His proposal was accepted ; he marched
at the head of a party of whites, and led them into the
tracks. They soon found themselves in the most rocky
parts of the mountain, where not one of those who
accompanied him was able to discover a single track,
nor would they believe that ever a man had trodden on
this ground, as they had to jump over a number of
crevices between the rocks, and in some instances to
crawl over them. Now they began to believe that the
Indian had led them across those rugged mountains in
order to give the enemy tinie to escape, and threatened
him with instant death the moment they should be
fully convinced of the fraud. The Indian, true to his
promise, would take pains to make them perceive that
an enemy had passed along the places through which
he was leading them ; here he would show them that
the moss on the rock had been trodden down by the
weight of a human foot, then that it had been torn and
dragged forward from its place ; further, he would point
out to them that pebbles or small stones on the rocks
had been removed from their beds by the foot hitting
against them, that dry sticks by being trodden upon
68 mSTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLBT.
were broken, and even that in a particular place, an
Indian's blanket had dragged over the rocks, and re-
moved or loosened the leaves lying there, so that they
lay no more flat, as in other places; all which the
Indian could perceive as he walked along, without ever
stopping. At last arriving at the foot of the mountain,
on soft ground, where the tracks were deep, he found
that the enemy were eight in number, and from the
freshness of the foot-prints, he concluded that they must
be encamped at no great distance. This proved to be
the exact truth ; for, after gaining the eminence on the
other side of the valley, the Indians were seen encamped,
some having already laid down to sleep, while others
were drawing off their leggings for the same purpose,
and the scalps they had taken were hanged up to dry.
^^ See !" said Duke Holland to his astonished com-
panions, " there is the enemy ! not of my nation, but
Mingoes, as I truly told you. They are in our power ;
in less than half an hour they will all be fast asleep. We
need not fire a gun, but go up and tomahawk them.
We are nearly two to one and need apprehend no
danger. Come on, and you will now have your full
revenge !" But the whites overcome with fear, did not
choose to follow the Indian's advice, and urged him
to take them back by the nearest and best way, which
he did, and when they arrived at home late at night,
they reported the number of the Indians to have been
so great, that they durst not venture to attack them.
This story is said to be strictly true by Heckewelder,
the Indian historian, and is illustrative, in a nice degree,
of the wonderful sagacity and cunning of the Indians.
HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH Y ALLEY. 69
CHAPTER rx.
ANDREW MOKTOUR VISITS THE GREAT ISLAND — PROOLAK ATION
OP GOV. MORRIS-— A REWARD FOR INDIAN SCALPS — SHAMOEIN
ABANDONED AND BURNED BY THB INDUNS — REFLECTIONS.
The consternation and excitement that prevailed
throughout the country, at the time of the massacre
on Penn's Creek^ is better imagined than described.
The most exaggerated rumors were put in circulation,
many of which were devoid of all truth. But, notwith-
standing, they had reasons to be alarmed, as the danger
was really great
About the latter part of October, 1755, Andrew
Montour, and an Indian named Monagatootha, were
sent for by the Delawares to visit them at the Great
Island. They started up, accompanied by three other
Indians. On arriving there they found six Delaware
and four Shawanese, who informed them that overtures
had been made them by the French. Large bodies of
French and Indians had crossed the Alleghany moun-
tains, for the purpose of murdering, scalping and burning.
This Montour reported to the Provisional Government,
and also recommended the erection of a fort at Shamokin.
It was the intention of the French to overrun this
portion of the country, and erect fortifications at different
points, making Shamokin their head-quarters.
In the latter part of October, 1755, a few weeks after
70 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
the big massacre, the Indians again appeared in con-
siderable numbers around the Shamokin region; and
during the following month committed several barbarous
murders upon the remaining whites. No particulars,
however, are preserved, and notwithstanding the most
careful research, I have been unable to gather them.
During the month of November, at a Council held at
Philadelphia, the old Indian Chief Scarroyady, was pre-
sent, and gave some interesting information. It was to
the effect that two messengers had recently come from
Ohio to the Indian town at Big Island, where they
found a white man who accidentally happened to be
there. These Indians were very much enraged on
seeing him, and insisted upon having him killed. The
other Indians would not permit him to be injured,
stating that they would not kill him nor allow them to
do it, as they had lived on good terms with the English,
and did not wish to shed blood. These messengers
were sent by the French to estrange these friendly
Indians if possible.
In 1756, the Governor of the Province of Pennsyl-
vania, on account of the hostility of the Indians, was
obliged to issue the following proclamation, which I copy
from the 7th volume of the Colonial Records, page 88 :
"A PKOCLAMATION.
<' Whereas, the Delaware tribe of Indians, and others in confederacy
with them, haye for some time past, without the least provocation,
and contrary to their most solemn treaties, fallen upon this proTince,
and in a most cruel, savage and perfidious manner, killed and butchered
great numbers of the inhabitants, and carried others into barbarous
captivity; burning and destroying their habitations, and laying waste
the country. And whereas, notwithstanding the friendly remon-
strances made to them by this Government, and the interposition and
HISTORY OP THE WEST BBANCH VALLEY. 71
positive orders of our faithful friends and allies the Six Nations, to
whom they owe ohedience and subjection, requiring and commanding
them to desist from any further acts of hostility against us, and to
return to their allegiance, the said Indians do still continue their
cruel murders and ravages, sparing neither age nor sex; I have,
ihereforci by and with the advice and consent of the Council, thought
fit to issue this Prochunation ; and do hereby declare the said Delaware
Indians, and all others who, in conjunction with them, have com-
mitted hostilities against His Majesty's subjects within this Province,
to be enemies, rebek, and traitors to His Most Sacred Majesty; and
I do hereby require all His Majesty's subjects of this Province, and
earnestly invite those of the neighboring Provinces to embrace all
opportunities of pursuing, taking, killing, and destroying the said
Delaware Indians, and all others confederated with them in commit-
ting hostilities, incursions, murders, or ravages, upon thb Province.
'^ And whereas, many Delawares and other Indians abhorring the
ungrateful, cruel and perfidious behavior of that part of the Delaware
tribe and others that have been concerned in the late inhuman ravages,
have removed into the settled and inhabited parts of the country, put
themselves under the protection of this and the neighboring govern-
ments, and live in a peaceable manner with the King's subjects; I do
there/are dedare, that the said friendly Indians that have so separated
themselves from our said enemies and all others who shall join or act
with us in the prosecution of this just and necessary War, are ex-
pressly excepted out of this Declaration, and it is recommended to all
officers and others to afford them protection and assistance. And
whereas, the Commissioners appointed with me to dispose of the sixfi/
thousand pounds lately granted by act of General Assembly for His
Majesty's use, have, by their letters to me of the tenth inst., agreed
to pay out of the same the several rewards for prisoners and scalps
herein after specified; and, therefore, as a further inducement and
encouragement to all His Majesty's Liege People, and to all the seve-
ral tribes of Indians who continue in friendship and alliance with us,
to exert and use their utmost endeavor to pursue, attack, take, and
destroy our said enemy Indians, and to release, redeem, and recover
such of his Majesty's subjects as have been taken and made prisoners
by the same enemies ; / do hereby declare and promise, that there
shall be paid out of the said sixty thousand pounds to all and every
person and persons, as well Indians as Christians not in the pay of
72 HISTORY OP THB WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
the provinoc, the several and respective premiums and bounties fol-
lowing, that is to say : For every male Indian enemy above twelve
years old who shall be taken prisoner and delivered at any forts gar-
risoned by the troops in the pay of this Province, or at any of the
County towns, to the keepers of the common jails there, the sum of
one hundred and fifty Spanish dollars or pieces of eight; for the
scalp of every male Indian enemy above the age of twelve years, pro-
duced as evidence of their being killed, the sum of one hundred and
thirty pieces of eight ; for every female Indian taken prisoner and
brought in as aforesaid, and for every male Indian prisoner under the
age of twelve years taken and brought in as aforesaid, one hundred
and thirty pieces of eight ; for the scalp of every Indian woman, pro-
duced as evidence of their being killed, the sum of fifty pieces of
eight ; and for every English subject that has been taken and carried
from this Province into captivity that shall be recovered and brought
in and delivered at the city of Philadelphia to the Governor of this
Province, the sum of one hundred and fifty pieces of eight, but no-
thing for their scalps ; and there shall be paid to every officer or sol-
dier as are or shall be in the pay of this Province who shall redeem
and deliver any English subject carried into captivity as aforesaid, or
shall take, bring in and produce any enemy prisoner, or scalp as afore-
said, one half of the said several and respective premiums and
bounties.
Given under my hand and the Great Seal of the Province, at
Philadelphia, the fourteenth day of April, in the twenty-ninth year
of His Majesty's reign, and in the year of our Lord one thousand
seven hundred and fifty-six.
" ROBERT H. MORRIS.
^* By His Honor's Command,
RiOHARD Peters, Secretary.
GOD SAVE THE KING."
From this document it will be perceived that the
whites were encouraged to scalp the Indians, by a re-
ward offered by the Governor. It is thought to have
been very barbarous for the Indians to scalp the killed^
but at the same time it is not generally known that the
English were hired to do the same. Such being the
HIBIOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 73
fact then, axe the Indians to be blamed for their conduct?
Certainly not. But it will be argued, probably, that
they first commenced the barbarous practice. Granting
such to be the fact, was that any reason that people
claiming to be eidightened, should adopt the custom of
savages ?
About this time the Indians abandoned the town of
Shamokin, probably on account of fear of the English,
who were expected there in considerable force, to erect
a fort, and make preparations for the defence of the fron-
tier. On the third of June, 1756, a scout, consisting of
George Allen, Abraham Loverhill, James Crampton,
John Gallaher, John Murrah, and Robert Egar, were
sent up the river to reconnoitre the enemy at Shamokin.
They reported that they arrived there on Saturday
night, and not observing any enemy, went to the place
where the town had been, but found all the houses con-
sumed, and no trace of it left. They remained there
till ten o'clock the next day, but observed no signs of
Indians.
Shortly after the massacre on Penn's Creek, the Mo-
ravian Mission at Shamokin was broken up, and the
settlers fled to Bethlehem. This they were compelled
to do in order to save their lives, as the Indians were
very rude, and probably would have murdered them if
they had remained much longer.
Thus was the ancient town of Shamokin destroyed
by its own inhabitants. It seemed that they were anx-
ious to obliterate all trace of their settlement at this
point, when they found that the whites were encroach-
ing so rapidly upon their lands. Like the Russians,
they were determined to leave nothing behind, that
could be of any benefit to the enemy.
74 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLBT.
Shamokin having been such an important point among
them from time immemorial, no doubt they left it with
regret, and the dusky warrior as he turned into the
forest, could not refrain from looking back at the spot he
loved so well, that was to be abandoned forever. The
flames of the burning wigwams lighted up the gloom of
the surrounding wilderness — ^the little pappooses dung
closer to their mothers, and looked wistfully around.
This closed the first act in the drama. The curtain will
rise upon a new scene.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 75
CHAPTER X.
COL. CLAPHAM SENT TO BUILD FORT AUGUSTA — HIS INSTRUC-
TIONS— DIFFICULTIES AT FORT HALIFAX — HIS ARRIVAL —
TROUBLES CONTINUE — MEETING OF THE OFFICERS — THE COL/S
PITHY LETTER TO GOV. MORRIS.
It being fuUy detennined by the Provincial Govern^
ment to erect a fort at Shamokin, instmctions were
issued to Col. William Clapham, by Gov. Morris, in
June, 1756, as follows :
'^ Herewith you will also receive two Planns of Forts, the one a
Pentagon, the other a Square with one Ravelin to Protect the Curtain
where the gate is, with a ditch, covered way, and Olacis. But as it
is impossihle to give any explicit directions, the Particular form of a
fort, without viewing and Considering the ground on which it is to
stand, I must leave it to you to build it in such form as will best
answer for its own Defence, the command of the river and of the
Country in its neighborhood, and the Plans herewith will serve to
shew the Proportion that the Different parts of the works should bear
to Each other.
'' As to the place upon which this fort is to be erected, that must
be in a great measure left to your Judgment ; but it is necessary to
inform you that it must be on the East side of the Susquehanna, the
Lands on the West at ye forks and between the branches not being
purchased from the Indians, besides which it would be impossible to
relieve and support a garrison that side in the winter time. From all
the information that I have been able to Collect, the Land on ye south
side of the east branch, opposite the middle of the Island, is the highest
of any of the low land thereabout, and the best place for a fort, as the
Guns you have will form a Rampart of a moderate highth^ command
76 HI0TOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH YAUiBT.
the main river; but as these InformationB come from persoiiB not
acquainted with the nature of such things, I am fearfoll they are not
much to be depended on, and your own Judgment must therefore
direct you.
'' When you have completed the fort you will cause the ground to
be cleared about it, so to a convenient distance and openings to be
made to the river, and you will Erect such buildings within the fort
and place them in such a manner as you shall Judge best.
'' Without the fort, at a convenient distance, under the command
of the Guns, it will be necessaiy to build some log houses for Indians,
that they may have places to Lodge in without being in the fort
where numbers of them, however friendly, should not be admitted
but in a formal manner, and the guard turned out, this will be
esteemed a compliment by our friends, and if enemies should at any
time be concealed under that name, it will give them proper notions
of our vigUance and prevent them from attempting to surprise it.
'' As soon as you are in possession of the Ground at Shamokin, you
will secure yourself by a breastwork in the best manner you can, so
that you ever may work in safety, and you will inform me of every-
thing committed to their care.''
This extract embraces the principal part of the instruc-
tions relating to this point, and may be found at length
in the Archives of the State, page 668.
When Col. Clapham received these instructions, he
was at Fort Halifax, at the mouth of Armstrong's Creek,
thirty-two miles below Shamokin, with a body of several
hundred men. He had a number of mechanics also
engaged in building boats for the transportation of their
provisions, and munitions of war. These boats were
pushed against the current. Navigating the river at
that time, and in such a manner, was very laborious Its
well as dangerous ; for the savages were constantly on
the look out to surprise them. He also manufactured
carriages at this place for his cannons, but the number
is not given. It is inferred, however, from letters, that
he had a number of pieces.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 77
It appears that the Colonel had some difficulty with
his men here, on account of pay already due them. Not
being able to pay them, on account of the scarcity of
funds, some of the soldiers, and the bateau-men, became
very obstreperous, and refused to perform their duty.
The latter were Dutchmen, according to his account,
and twenty-six in number. They were arrested, and
confined for mutiny.
The march was continued under great difficulty, and
in July, 1756, the Colonel arrived at Shamokin with
a command of about four hundred men. Temporary
breastworks were hastily thrown up for their better
protection, and preparations made to build a fort with-
out delay. The men, however, were much dissatisfied
about their pay, and it was with great difficulty that
they could be restrained from returning. Matters finally
assumed such a serious aspect, that on the 13th of July,
a council was held in the camp, to take into considera-
tion what was best to be done. As it shows clearly the
troubles encountered by the commander, and forms an
important feature in the history of Fort Augusta, I copy
it entire, as follows :
'* Present — all the Officers of Colonel Clapham's Kegiment, except
Capt. Miles, who Commands the Garrison at Fort Halifiu.
<*The Subalterns complain, that after expectation given them by
several Gentlemen, Commissioners, of receiving seven Shillings and
Six Pence each Lieut., & five Shillings & Six Pence each Ensign per
day, the Commissary has received Instructions to pay a Lieut, but five
shillings and six pence, and an Ensign four Shillings.
'' Capt. Salter affirms, that the Gentlemen Commissioners assur'd
him that the Subalterns pay was Augmented from five Shillings and
six pence, and four Shillings to the sums mentioned above.
*' Lieut. Davies reports, that Mr. Fox assured him that the pay of
a Lieut in this Segiment woud be Established at seven Shillings &
78 HI8T0RT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLBT.
six Pence per Day, and that Mr. Peters, the Provincial Secretary, told
him the same as a thing concluded upon, but hinted at the same time
that he might expect but five shillings and sixpence per Day, before
he came into the Kegiment
<< Lieut. Garraway says, that Mr. Hamilton told him at Dinner, it
Mr. Cunninghams, that the Pay of a Captain in this Begiment was
to be ten Shillings, a Liutenants seven Shillings & six pence, & an
Ensigns five Shillings k Sixpence.
<< Capt. Lloyd says, that Mr. Hughs, one of the Gentlemen Commis-
sioners told him the same thing.
<' The Gentlemen Officers beg leave to Appeal to his Honor, the
Governor, as an Evidence that that Opinion Universally Prevailed
thro' out the Regiment, and thinking themselves unjustly dealt wth
by the Gentlemen Commissrs., are Unanimously Determined not to
Honor their most hearty and sincere thanks for the Favours received,
the grateful impressions of wch they shall never forget, and at the
same time request a permission from your Honor to Resign on the
Twentieth day of Angst next, desiring to be relieved accordingly.
'' [Signed] Levi Trump, Patrick Davis, Daniel Clark, Chas. Gam-
way, Asher Clayton, Wm. Anderson, John Hambright, William
Plunkett, Sam. Jno. Atlee, Chas. Brodhead, Wm. Patterson, Joseph
Scott, John Morgan, Samuel Miles, James Bryan, Pat Allison."
From this document, which may be found on page
700 of the Pennsylvania Archives, and volume first, it
will be perceived that considerable difficulty existed
between the government and the officers, which threat-
ened seriously to impair the harmony that should exist
between them.
James Young, who appears to have been a paymaster
in the service of the government, visited Shamokin about
this time, and found great confusion and dissatisfaction
existing among the officers. On the 18th of July, 1756,
he wrote a long letter to Gov. Morris, detailing the trou-
bles in the camp. Col. Clapham, he states, was much
displeased, on account of there not being a sufficiency of
money forwarded to pay the troops. He complained
mSTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 79
loudly^ of what he termed his ill usage, and went so far
as to threaten to leave the service, and join the Indians,
if something was not done soon.
Young, it appears, did not pay any of the officers, on
account of their claiming more than he was instructed
to allow them. All of them, with the exception of three
or four, had been under arrest by order of the Colonel,
and released at his pleasure without trial. He much
doubted the propriety of building a fort at this point, as
there was great danger of it being deserted by the men,
and given up to the enemy.
On the same day Colonel Clapham and James Burd,
wrote a long letter to Governor Morris, setting forth their
grievances as follows : —
" Shamokin, July 18tb, 1766.
^' Sia; I am desir'd herewith to Transmit to your Honor the re-
sults of a Council held at the Camp at Shamokin, July the 13th, in
consequence of a disappointment in the Pay of ye Subalterns, from
wch it will appear to your Honbr that they think Themselves ill-
treated by the Gentlemen Commissioners, whose Honor they rely'd
on and several of whose promises they recite in Regard to their Pay,
and that they are unanimously determined to resign their Commis.
sions on the 20th day of August next if the respective Promises and
Assurances of the Gentlemen Commissioners on that Head arc not
fully Comply'd with before that time.
'^ 1 further beg leave to address your Honor wth a Complaint in
behalf of myself, and the other Captains and Officers of this Regi-
ment. I had the honor to receive from you, Sr., a Commission as
Captain in the Regiment under my command, dated March the 29th,
for which the Gentlemen Commissioners, notwithstanding it was re-
presented to them, have been pleased to withhold my pay and As-
sign'd as a Reason that a man can execute but one Office at a time,
and ought to devote his whole service to it, which is not only an un-
just remark, but affronting to all Gentlemen who have the Honor to
hold directly from his Majesty or from any of his Majesty's Officers
more than one Commission at the same time, by supposing them de-
80 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLBT.
ficient in some part of their Daty, and is virtually an inveotiYe agunit
the Government of Great Britain itself. They have likewise been
pleased to deal with Major Burd upon the same principles and \wn
paid him only as a Captain^ which must be confessed is a very con-
cise method of reducing without the Sentence or even the Sanction of
a Court Martial.
<' The several Captains think themselves affronted by the Gom-
missrs Instructions to the Commissary to pay but two Serjeants and
forty-eight Private Men in each Company, notwithstanding two Cor-
poralls and one Drummer were appointed in each Company by your
Honor's express Command, this instruction appears to them also as a
contempt of your Honor's Orders, and have accordingly paid these
non-commissioned officers out of their own Pockets.
" I entered into this service at the Solicitation of some of the (Gen-
tlemen Commissioners, in Dependence on Promises, which they have
never performed, and have acted ever since not only in two Capacities
but in twenty, having besides the Duties of my Commissions as Col.
& Captain been obliged to discharge those of an Engineer and Over-
seer at the same time, and undergone in the Service incredible Fa-
tigues without Materials and without thanks. But as I am to be paid
only as a Col. I intend while I remain in this Service only to falfill
the Duties of that Commission, which never was yet supposed to in-
clude building forts and ten thousand other Services which I have
performed, so that the Gentlemen Commissioners have only to send
Engineers, Pioneers and other Laborers, with the necessary Teams
and Utensils, while I, as Col. preside over the Works, see that your
Honor's orders are punctually executed, & only Defend the Persons en-
gaged in the Execution of them. In pursuance of a resolution of your
Honor and the Gentlemen Commissioners to allow me an Aid-De-
Camp who was to be paid as a Supernumerary Capt. in the Regi-
ment ; I according appointed Capt. Lloyd as my Aid-De-Camp on
April 2nd, 1756, who has ever since acted as such in the most Fa-
tiguing and disagreeable Service on Earth, and received only Gap-
tain's Pay.
*' Your Honor was pleased to appoint Lieut. Clayton Adjutant to
the Begiment under my command by a Commission, bearing date the
24th day of May, 1756, but the Gentlemen Commissrs have, in De-
fiance of all known rules, resolved that an Officer can Discharge bat
one duty in a day, and have paid him only as a Lieutenant. Im-
powered by your Honor's orders, and in Compliance with the Ezigen-
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 81
cics of the Services, I hir'd a number of Battoe men at 2-6 per day,
as will appear bj the return made herewith to your Honor^ and upon
demanding from the Paymaster Greneral money for the Payment of
the respectiye Balla4»ces due to them, was surprized to find that the
Commissy had by their instructions restraing him from Paying any
incidental Charges whatever, as thinking them properly Cognizable
only by themselves.
<< 'Tis extremely Cruel, Sr, and unjust to the last degree That men
who cheerfully ventured their lives in the most dangerous and Fa*
tiguing services of their Country, who have numerous Families de-
pendant on their labor, and who have many of them while they were
engaged in that service, suffered more from the neglect of their
Farms and Crops at home than the Value of their whole pay. In
short, whose Afiairs are ruined by the Services done their Country
should some of them receive no pay at all for those services, if this is
the case I plainly perceive that all Service is at an end, and foresee
that whoever has the command of this Oarrison will inevitably be
Obliged to Abandon his Post very shortly for want of a Suply of
Provisions. Your Hour will not be surprized to hear that in a i^ov-
emment where its Servants are so well rewarded I have but one Team
of Draught Horses, which, according to the Commissioners remark,
can but do the Business of one Team in a day from whence you will
easily Judge that the Works must proceed very slowly and the Ex-
pence in the end be proportionable.
<< Permit me, Sr, in the most grateful manner to thank your Hour
for the Favour conferred on me and on the Regiment under my Com-
mand which I am sensible were meant as well in Friendship to the
Province as myself. I have executed the trust Keposed in me wth
all Possible Fidelity and to the best of my Knowledge, but my en-
deavours as well as those of every other Officer in the Service have
met with so ungenerous a Return so contracted a Reward that we can
no longer serve with any Pleasure on such terms. And if we are not
for the Future to receive from your Hour our Orders, our Supplys
and our Pay beg Leave unanimously to resign on the Twentieth of
August next, & will abandon the Post accordingly at that time, in
which Case I would recommend it to the Gentlemen Commissioners
to take great Care to prevent that universal Desertion of the men
which will otherwise certainly ensue.
'< Thus much I thought it necessary to say in my own Vindication,
6
82 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
and I am besides by the rest of the Gentlemen requested to add, ti
they have still further cause of Camplaint from a Quarter where tl
little expected it, & are conscious to themselves they never desen
; it, esteeming much lighter their Treatment from ihe other Gcntleni
; Commissioners in regard to their Pay than the ungenerous Reflectic
^ of one of those Gentlemen on the Conduct of an Expedition wbi
4 it too plainly appears it was never his Study to Promote, and f
Appeal to their Country and to your Honor for ye Justice of th
Conduct in the present Step.
" 'Tis wth utmost concern & Reluctance that the Gentlemen of tl
m Regiment see themselves reduced to the necessity of this Declarati
and assure your Hour that nothing but such a Continued series of J}
couragements could have ever extorted it from those who hope that th
' have not used any Expressions inconsistent wth that high Regard th
■ have for your Honor, and beg leave with me to Subscribe themselv
! " Your Honor's
\ Most obedient humble Servant,
I WILL'M CLAPHAM,
JAMES BURD."
Notwithstanding these complaints, government w
slow to supply the wants of the soldiers, occasioned i
doubt by the scarcity of funds and provisions. Tl
command of Colonel Clapham still remained at Sham
kin, and on the 14th of August, 1756, he again writ
to Governor Morris that their wants were still unsu
plied, and that they only had about half a pound
powder to each man, and none for the cannon. The
stock of provisions was also low — winter was approac
ing, and the prospect of famine stared them in the fac
unless a supply was laid in. Boats had been despatc
ed to Harris' for flour, but they encountered so mu<
danger in passing down to Halifax, that their safe retu:
was almost despaired of.
In this same letter the Colonel informs the Govemc
that he was obliged to put Lieutenant Plunkett und
arrest for mutiny, and only awaited the arrival of tl
Judge Advocate, to have him tried by Court Martial.
t,
i!
1
j
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 83
CHAPTER XI.
BUILDING OP PORT AUGUSTA CONTINUED — REPORT OP THE GOODS
ON HAND — STORY OP THE BLOODY SPRING — ^DESCRIPTION OP
THE FORT — CAPTAIN HAMBRIGHT'S EXPEDITION UP THE WEST
BRANCH — MATERIAL OP WAR ON HAND IN THE PORT IN 1758
— ^THE PRENCH EXPEDITION — JOB CHILLOWAY.
Notwithstanding the difl&culties that existed in the
command of Colonel Clapham, and the threats of the
oflficers, that they would throw up their commissions, and
abandon the post by the 20th of August, if they were
not paid, it nowhere appears that any of them carried
this threat into execution. The commanding officer, no
doubt, on more deliberate and calm reflection, came to
the conclusion that they had a savage and wily enemy
to contend with, and that it was absolutely necessary for
their otm preservation, that defences should speedily be
erected, to guard the frontier against their incursions. In
view of this, and the more patriotic feelings that tri-
umphed over the minor considerations of personal bick-
erings, the work of erecting Fort Augusta steadily pro-
gressed. In September, they received some supplies
from below, which tended to revive their drooping spirits.
Previous to this, the men were placed upon short allow-
ances of flour.
Peter Bard writes to Governor Morris, September 14th,
1756, and states, that ^^the fort is now almost finished,
84 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
and a fine one it is ; we want a large flag to grace it."
They had labored, it appears, indefatigably, for some six
weeks upon the works. The commanding officer was in
a better humor, and about this time informs Benjamm
Franklin, that in his opinion, this post is of the utmost
consequence to the Province, and that it is defensible
against all the power of musketry. From its position,
however, he feared that it was more exposed to a de-
scent on the West Branch, and recommended that it be
made stronger.
It may be interesting to the people of Sunbury, to
know what kind of provisions, the quantity, and the
materials of war, were possessed by the garrison of Fort
Augusta one hundred years ago. In view of this, I
transcribe the first report of the Commissary, Peter Bard,
made in September, 1756, as follows :
Provisions in Store, September ye Ist.
46 bbs. beef and pork. 5 Do. of peas.
9 Do. of flour. 1 Bullock.
Brought up September ya Ist.
3 cwt. powder* 11 frying pans.
6 Do. of Lead. 1 Stock Lock.
02 Pair Shoes. A Lump of Chalk.
4 Lanthorns. 27 bags flour about 5000 cwt.
1301 Grape shot. 4 Iron Squares.
46 hand granades. 12 Carpenter's Compasses.
58 Cannon ball. 1 ream writing paper.
50 blankets. 4 quires Catoridge Do.
4 brass kettles. Some match rope very ordinary.
6 falling axes. 33 head of Cattle.
The Indians watched them very closely, and it was
not safe to venture far from the main body. About this
time a soldier was murdered and scalped, a short distance
HISTORT OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 85
down the river. His body was afterwards found and
buried by Captain Lloyd and party.
One of the men attending the cattle outside of the
fort, on Sunday, went to a very fine spring, half a mile
distant, to get a drink. Whilst in the act of drinking, he
was shot by Indians, and immediately scalped. A party
came out and pursued them, but without success. This
occurred in September, 1756.
This is supposed to be what is known at the present
day as the " Bloody Spring," at the upper end of Sun-
bury. A tradition is handed down by the old settlers,
that several men were shot here in harvest time, where
they had gone to eat their dinner. The story is related
that the blood of the murdered men ran into the spring
and colored the water a crimson hue ; and when their
fiiends came and found them, they named it the " Bloody
Spring," in commemoration of the tragical event. The
name is preserved to this day, and many curious legends
are related concerning it. It is on the original Grant
farm, now owned by Peter Baldy, Esq. The peculiar
rocks around the Spring have been disturbed in buUding
the railroad, and much of its romantic beauty is lost.
Whether there was more than this one man murdered
here, there is no account upon record. This single mur-
der is well authenticated, however, and it is supposed
that it alone gave rise to the name.
About this time William Denny was appointed Gov-
ernor of the Province of Pennsylvania. Colonel Clap-
ham wrote him a long letter, stating the condition of the
garrison, and the amount of pay due them. Many of
the soldiers left families that had become very destitute,
and the government should do something to alleviate
their wants. The Colonel stated that he had advanced
86 HISIOBr OF THE WEST BRAIfCH yALI<ET.
aU the money he coald raise, besides borrowing, and now
was without a single farthing in his pocket His men
frequently deserted, and no wonder. At this time he
had three hundred and twenty under his command, which
was an inadequate number to protect the frontier, and
carry on the work on the fort at the same time. One
himdred men were constantly employed in transporting
provisions for the rest ; and yet, owing to the difficulties
they had to encounter, they never were able to get much
of a supply ahead ; and it was very necessary that a
stock of provisions to last six months should be on hand.
A short time after this, in another letter to Governor
Denny, Colonel Clapham says, in conclusion :
^^ Two bushels of Blue Grass Seed are necessary wherewith to sow
the Slopes of the Parapet & Glacis, and the Banks of the Biver — ^in
eight or ten Days more the Ditch will be carried quite round the Parapet,
the Barrier Gates finished and Erected, and the Pickets of the Glacis
completed — after which, I shall do myself the Honor to attend your
commands in person/^
In due course of time Fort Augusta was completed,
and was one of the strongest, as well as most important,
of all the frontier forts built at that gloomy period of our
history. The following description of it is taken from
the original dramng in London, a copy of which may be
found in the State Library at Hanisburg, and is un-
doubtedly correct in every respect :
" Fort Augusta stands at about forty yards distance from the river
on a bank twenty-four feet from the surface of the water. The side
which fronts the river is a strong pallisade, the bases of the logs be-
ing sunk four feet into the earth, the tops hollowed and spiked into
strong ribbond which run transversely and are morticed into several
logs at twelve feet distance from each other, which are larger and
higher than the rest, the joints between each pallisade with five logs
well fitted on the inside and supported by the platform — ^the other
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 87
three sides are composed of logs Idd horizoBtallyy neatly doyetailed
and tmnnelled down, they are squared ; some of the lower end three
feet diameter, the least from two feet and a half to eighteen inches
diameter, and are mostly white oak/'
Doubtless the action of the water has considerably
worn away the banks, from what they were at that day,
for it is now less than " forty yards" from the spot where
the fort stood to the bank of the river.
On the 8th of November, 1756, Colonel Clapham in-
forms the Governor, that about fifty miles above Fort
Augusta, on the West Branch, was a town containing
ten Indian families, from whence parties were continually
annoying them, and that it was some of these Indians
that killed the man at the Bloody Spring. These In-
dians having once lived at Shamokin, were well ac-
quainted with the country, and from their knowledge of
all the defiles in the neighborhood, could lay in ambush,
sally forth and commit depredations, and escape with
impunity. They at length became so mischievous that
Colonel Clapham resolved on sending a force against
them for the purpose of their destruction. Captain
Hambright was selected for the performance of this duty.
His instructions were as follows :
" Sir : You are to march with a Party of 2 Seijts, 2 Corporals &
38 Private men, under your command, to attack, burn and destroy,
an Indian Town or Towns, with their inhabitants, on the West Branch
of Susquehanna, to which Monsieur Montoure will conduct you, whose
advice you are directed to pursue in every Case. You are to attack
the Town agreeable to the Plan and Disposition herewith given you,
observing to intermix the men with Bayonets equally among the three
Partys in the attack, and if any Indians are found there you are to
kill, Scalp, and captivate as many as you can, and if no Indians are
there you are to endeavor to act in such manner, and with such Cau-
tion, as to prevent the Discovery of your having been there by any
88 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Party, which may arrive Shortly after you, for which Reason you are
strictly forbid to burn, take away, Destroy or Meddle with any thing
found at such Places, and immediately dispatch Monsieur Montour
with one or two more to me with Intelligence ; when ye come near
the Place of action you are to detach Monsieur Montour, with as
many men as he shall Judge necessary to reconnoitre the Parts, and
to wait in concealment in the mean Time with your whole Party till
his Return, then to form your measures accordingly; after having
burnt and destroyed the Town, you are in your Retreat to post an
officer and twelve men in Ambush, close by the Road side, at the
most convenient Place for such Purpose which may offer, at about
Twelve miles Distance from the Place of action, who are to surprise
and cut off any Party who may attempt to pursue, or may happen to
be engaged in Hunting thereabouts, and at the same Time secure the
Retreat of your main Body.
" Tis very probable, that on these Moon Light Nights, you will find
them engaged in Dancing, in which case embrace that Opportunity,
by all means, of attacking them, which you are not to attempt at a
greater Distance than 20 or 25 yards, and be particularly carefull to
prevent the Escape of the Women and Children, whose lives Humanity
will direct you to preserve as much as possible ; if it does not happen
that you find them Dancing, the attack is to be made in the morning,
just at a season when you have Light enough to Execute it, in which
attempt your Party are to march to the several Houses, and bursting
open the Doors, to rush in at once ; let the Signal for the general
attack be the Discharge of one Firelock, in the Centre Divisions.
" If there are no Indians at the Several Towns, you are in such
case to proceed with the utmost Caution and Vigilance to the Road
which leads to Fort Duquesne, there to lye in Ambush, and to inter-
cept any Party or Partys of the Enemy on the march to or from the
English Settlements, and there to remain with that Design till the
want of Provisions obliges you to return.
" I wish you all imaginable Success, of which the Opinion I have
of yourself, the Officers and Party under your Command, leave me no
Room to doubt,
" Your Humble Servant,
"William Clapham/'
Where the Indian town was located, alluded to in the
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 89
above instructions, I have been unable to ascertain;
notwithstanding the most careful research, as aU traces of
it were undoubtedly obliterated more than three-quarters
of a century ago. The probability is, however, that it
might have stood at the mouth of Loyal Sock Creek.
As to the success of Captain Hambright's expedition,
and whether he burned the town, and scalped the
inhabitants, is no where pointed out. If he executed
the orders, he undoubtedly made a report, which would
give his operations in detail, but I have searched for it
in vain. An accurate report of such an expedition, up
this river at that early period, would certainly be possessed
of deep interest ; and if it ever was made and lost, it is
to be very much regretted. But as it is, we have to con-
tent ourselves with nothing but conjecture concerning it.
Considerable suffering was experienced among the
garrison at Fort Augusta for the want of a physician, as
no one had been provided for that post for a long time.
In 1757 or 1758, Major James Burd succeeded Col.
Clapham, in the command of Fort Augusta. At this
time they had the fort placed in a good condition, to
resist the attack of an enemy. Below I annex a copy
of the report of military stores, made December 6, 1758,
by Adam Henry :
"12 Pieces of Cannon in good order.
2 Swivels in good order.
4 Blunderbusses in good order.
700 Rounds of cannon balls.
123 Bags of grape shot.
383 Cartridges of powder, made for cannon.
112 Cartridges of powder, made for swivels.
12 Barrels of powder.
46 Hand granades.
29 Rounds of cut shot''
90 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
With this amount of materiel of war on hand, there
is no doubt but the gairison would have made a formid-
able show of resistance.
About this time Major Burd received intelligence that
the French had commenced to build a fort at a place
called by the Indians, Achtschingi Clammuij which the
whites corrupted into Chingleclamoose. This was on the
site now occupied by the flourishing village of Clearfield.
The design of the French in erecting a fortification at
this pomt, was with the view of making it a depot, from
whence they intended to start on an expedition against
Fort Augusta. The expedition was fitted out, and passed
down the West Branch on rafts and boats. Tradition
says that it numbered about eight hundred French and
Indians. Be this as it may, it is pretty well authenti-
cated that they came to the point of the high hill, over-
hanging the river, and directly opposite the fort, from
whence the French engineers took such observations as
satisfied them, that no effective attack could be made
against it without the aid of cannon, which they were
unable to bring with them through the wilderness.
The French did not remain long, but the Indians con-
tinued about the hill for several days, amusing them-
selves by trying to shoot poisoned arrows across the
river with powerful bows. The distance was too great^
however, and their missiles fell short of the mark. They
occasionally expressed their supreme contempt of the
whites by turning up their posterior extremities in an
insulting manner. A round shot was fired from the fort
one day, and cutting off a large limb immediately over
their heads, so frightened them that they suddenly
abandoned this kind of amtisementy gave a terrific whoop,
and scampered off into the woods.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BBANCH TALLET. 91
Peace having been concluded with the Delawares and
Shawaneese, the Governor of Pennsylvania invited them
to make a settlement at Shamokin. It was to be under
the charge of Thomas McKee, the Indian trader, who
writes that he had arrived with the Indians, "who had
drunk much on the road ; and had mostly gone on, but
few staying.'' Conrad Weiser afterwards recommended
a trading house here.
On the 20th of January, 1758, Capt. Joseph Shippen
writes to Major Burd, who appears to have been absent,
probably at the seat of government, that several small
parties of Delaware Indians had arrived at the fort, with
skins to trade at the store. Among them also came old
King Neutimus, Joseph, and all their families, amounting
to forty-three in the aggregate.
Job Chilloway also came here, from the Monsey coun-
try, about this time. He spoke the English language
well, and gave the Captain some important information.
Job was a firm friend of the English, and always proved
true. He was bom and bred at a place called Egg-Harbor.
He had a brother Bill. He informed Capt. Shippen that
the Monsey tribe, on the West Branch, were determined
to continue the war against the English. He intended
to return to the Monsey country in a few days, to bring
away his eiSects, when he would live among the whites.
Job Chilloway acted a conspicuous part in the history
of the Valley, and proved himself of great use on several
occasions. Further mention will be made of him at the
proper place.
92 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLBT.
CHAPTER XII.
THE MAGAZINE AT THE FORT — REINFORCEMENTS — SHlKELLEBlY
— THE LIQUOR TROUBLE — COLONEL BURD'S SPICY LETTER —
SPEECH OF KINO, THE INDIAN CHIEF — THE INDIANS WANT AN
HONEST MAN TO KEEP STORE — EXPEDITION FROM CUMBER-
LAND COUNTY — THEY GO TO THE GREAT ISLAND.
Time passed on. Nothing very remarkable occurred
at Fort Augusta for several years. We have accounts
of various Indian meetings being held here, however,
speeches made by the chiefs, and other business trans-
acted.
Captain Gordon, who acted in the capacity of Engi-
neer, recommended that a substantial magazine should
be erected in one of the bastions of the fort. His de-
scription of the manner in which it should be constructed
is very precise, and as it is in a tolerably good state of
preservation, I copy his specification as follows :
"A Magazine ought to be built in the South Bastion, 12 bj 20 feet
in the clear, also a Laboratory of the same dimensions in the East
Bastion. The Wall of the Magazine to be 2 J Foot thick, with three
Buttresses, 2 Foot thick at the bottom, levelling to 9 inches at Top,
in each side. The breadth of Buttresses, 3i Ft. The Magazine to
have an arch of 2 J Brick thick, and to be under ground within IJ
Foot of the Top of the Arch. The Walls seven foot high from the
Level of the Floor, and to have a Foundation 2 Foot below the Floor j
great care taken to lay the Joists, and to fill up between with Ruble
HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 93
Stone and Gravel; rammed; the Joists to be covered with Plank 2}
inch thick. An Air Hole 1 foot Square to be practised in the Gavel
end, opposite the Door. The Passage to the Magazine to have a zig-
zag, and over the Arch some Fine Plaister laid, then covered with
Fine Gravel and 4 foot of Earth a Top.
'' The Laboratory likewise to be arched, but with li Brick, and
without Buttresses.
'< A Fraise ought to be compleated round the Fort, to be introduced
upon the Horizontal Line, at 20 Degrees of Elevation, or as much as
will be sufficient to discover it underneath from the Flanks. This
Fraise to be 2 i feet in the Ground, 3i without, not to exceed 5 inches
in Thickness, the Breadth from 4 to 7 ; a number of these Fraises
ought, before set in the Wall, to be tunnelled on a Piece of Slab or
Plank, of 5 inches broad, within 6 inches of the ends, which gives
an inch at the end clear of the Slab ; the distance from one another,
2}. After made f&Bt to this Slab, to be introduced in the Wall, and
the Earth ramm'd well between. When the Earth is well fixed and
the whole set round, or a considerable way, another Piece of 3 inches
broad and 2 thick, should be nailed al along close to the wall, which
will bind the whole very fast together."
This document bears date, May 6th, 1758. It is ren-
dered more interesting at the present day, as the magar
zine can yet be seen. It will probably last for many
years to come.
In July following, a small reinforcement arrived at the
fort. The total number of available men, including
officers, in the garrison, at this time, amounted to but
one hundred and eighty-nine. They were pretty well
supplied, however, with munitions of war, and could have
made a formidable stand against superior numbers.
The commanding officer received instructions to con-
fine all the French deserters, that had been enlisted as
soldiers, and send them under guard to Lancaster jail.
This was to prevent them from again joining the French,
on their expedition from Chingleclatnoose.
About this time a new flag staff, seventy feet in height^
94 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEF.
was erected, but unfortunately their old colors were en-
tirely worn out, and they had to wait some time for the
arrival of new ones.
John Shikellemy, who, during the French and Indian
war, had became estranged from the English, appears
again about Shamokin in 1759 or 1760. The Governor,
it seems, sent him a string of wampum, and solicited his
attendance at a council to be held at the fort. He also
extended to him his hand, thanked him sincerely, and
greeted him as a friend. This was to gain his esteem,
for Shikellemy had been a little treacherous. He at-
tended the conference, and, after it was over, requested
some provisions to last him home. They gave him a
hundred weight of flour and some meat, and he started
in fine sphits.
Nothing further of any importance is reported to have
transpired about the fort, till July 12th, 1762, when
quite an excitement was raised on a report of liquor be-
ing furnished the Indians. The Indian Agent informed
Lieutenant Graydon, who had command in the absence
of Colonel Burd, that he had detected his (Col. Burd's)
storekeeper in selling liquor to them, and had sufficient
proof to convict him. He demanded of the Lieutenant
that the liquor be seized, and as the instructions from the
Governor were strict, he was obliged to do it. The store-
keeper, however, denied the fact. It appeared that Mr.
Holland, Colonel Burd's good friend, had been posted at
a " peep hole" made in the wall, in the adjacent house,
from whence he could see in the Colonel's store ; and the
proof was that he saw some squaws in the house with
the storekeeper — ^that one of them asked for rum, and
showed a dollar, on which the door was closed, and the
rum delivered to her. Lieutenant Graydon was accused
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 95
of being in the store at the same time. He was very
much incensed about it, and admitted having been there,
but saw no liquor sold to them. He forthwith informed
Colonel Burd of the accusation, who wrote from Lancas-
ter under date of July 18th, 1762, as follows :
'' I am pestered with that fellow Nathaniel Holland^ Clerk to the
Indian Store at Fort Augusta. He has accused Mr. Dennis McCor-
mack, my clerk, for Issuing Provisions at that place, with having car-
ried on a trade with the Indians, in Consequence of which he has
seized all the Bum in Store, and he farther says that this Clandestine
Trade is carried on by my Particular orders. Mr. Holland has sent
an Express to Philada., and Mr. McCormack has come down to me
here, and in order that this letter may come to your hand soon and
safe, I have sent him with it to you.
« Inclosed is Mr. McCormack's Deposition, which was taken here,
as I intended to have sent him back to Augusta, if I could have for-
warded my letters by a safe hand to Philadelphia, but failing of this
I am under the Necessity of sending himself.
" Now Sir, as to a trade being carried on with the Indians By me,
for me, by my Clerk, by the Officers, or Garrison of Fort Augusta, or
in any manner, or way whatsoever, at Fort Augusta, to my know-
ledge, I hereby declare to be absolutely False, & to the truth of this
I am ready & willing to take my oath in any words that the Commis-
sioners, or even that Scoundrell Holland would Commit to paper, and
further, I can procure if Necessary the oaths of the Officers and G-ar-
rison of Augusta to the same purpose, & of every person living on
the Susquehanna from Harris's to Augusta, that I never brought a
skin or any other Indian Commodity whatever to their knowledge from
Augusta.
" You will observe by the Deposition that Mr. McCormack did
want of an Indian Squa a thin Indian dressed winter Skin to line a
pair of plush britches for himself which he was getting ; if this is
the ground of the Complaint it must appear to His Hour the Govr &
Commissrs to be intirely malitious in Holland, & not from a well
grounded zeal of serving his Country.
'' It Really vexes me much to be eternally plagued in this manner
by Holland, and the more so that it is an accusation of the highest
96 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
breatch of trast for me to break a well known Law of tbat Goveni-
ment whose bread I daily eat.
" I must therefore beg your friendly offers in laying the state of
the case clearly before the Governor if Necessary; and if this affair
is mentioned to my disadvantage, that you would represent it oa it
really is, & you are fully at liberty to show this letter to any Person
whatsoever, as I shall support it in every particular, &c."
From the tone of this letter it will readily be inferred
that Colonel Burd was not in the best humor when he
wrote. How the matter was finally adjusted, or whether
anything further grew out of it, does not appear upon
record.
At a conference with the Indians, held at Lancaster,
on Monday, the 23d of August, 1762, Gov. Hamilton
presiding, Thomas King, one of the chiefs and repre-
sentatives of the Six Nations, rose and said :
'' Now all the different tribes of us present, desire that you will call
your soldiers away from Shamokin, for we have concluded a peace,
and are as one brother, having one head and one heart.
" If you take away your soldiers, we desire you would keep your
trading house there, and have some honest man in it, because our
cousins follow their hunting there, and will want a trade. This is
the way for us to live peaceably together.
" Brother Onas : (The name for Penn.)
" I must tell you again these soldiers must go away from Shamokin
fort ; I desire it, and let there only be traders living there ; you know
who are the honest people ; we desire that only honest people may live
there, and that you will not be too hard with us, when they may buy
our skins and furs, and such things as we may have to sell. This will
be the way for us to live peaceably together ; but for you to keep
soldiers there, is not the way to live peaceable. Your soldiers are
very often unruly, and our warriors are often unruly, and when such
get together they do not agree, for as you have now made peace with all
our nations, there is no occasion for soldiers to live there any longer."
There is no doubt that the Indians would have been
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 9
much gratified to have had the garrison removed from
Shamokin, as it was a cherished spot where they loved
to dwell, and where reposed the mouldering bones of
their ancestors. The proposition to place an ^^ honest" man
there to keep a store, is a scathing commentary upon the
probity of the whites, in their dealings with these dusky
children of the forest. Judging from the manner in
which they dealt with them, it is doubtful whether a
man could have been found that would have conducted
business in accordance with this old Indian's idea of
^' honesty r It seemed that they were destined to be
cheated on every occasion, and in the most shameful
manner too.
The soldiers were not removed from Fort Augusta.
Such a course would have proved very bad policy, for
the cup of the Indian's destiny was not full, and bloody
scenes were yet to be enacted, before he turned his face
for the last time upon the blue hills of Shamokin.
In 1765, a number of men from Cumberland, in the
neighborhood of Carlisle, went up to Shamokin, for the
purpose of murdering what Indians they might find
there. On the alarm being given, they hastily collected
their families together and fled.
They came to Shamokin, and appeared on the oppo-
site side of the river, next the Blue Hill. Three of
them, says Lieut. Graydon, came over to the fort and
reported that they were from Cumberland county, and
that there was fifty of them in company. They alleged
that their object was to look at the land on the river,
and at the Great Island, where some of them proposed
to go and settle. Some of the party returned before
they got that far — others went on to the Great Island.
Some of them settled where Lock Haven now stands.
98 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY,
<< We cannot conjecture/' continues the Lieutenant, '' what these
people's intentions were, but they seemed very inquisitiye abont
Indians, which made us suspect that they had a design agiunst thooe
who were about us."
The names of the three men that came over to the
fort were, John Woods, James McMein, and James
Dickey.
About this time a niimber of Indian families intended
settling on the Great Island, and erecting cabins.
Whether they went is not definitely known, but it is
supposed they did.
William Maclay seems to have been the next com-
mander of Fort Augusta, and Col. Hunter suc<)6eded
him. The time when Col. Hunter assumed the com-
mand is not stated, but it was probably about 1770.
f
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 99
CHAPTER XIII.
FHE ISLE OF QUE — THE FRENCH NAME — INDIAN RELICS — AN
EXTENSIVE BURYING GROUND— THE FIRST SETTLER — THE
WEISERS — AN INDIAN'S REVENGE — JOHN SNYDER — ANTHONY
SELIN, THE FOUNDER OF SELINSGROVE — HIS HISTORY — UNEX-
PECTED ARRIVAL FROM EUR'OPE.
Settlers continued to come in slowly from 1765 up
to 1770, and locate along the river, in what was called
the " Shamokin region." The post at Fort Augusta was
an inducement for them to venture into the wilds of the
wilderness, as it served as a place of protection whither
they could fly in time of danger. [For many interesting
reminiscences in the early history of Selinsgrove, and
the Isle of Que, I am indebted to George A. Snyder,
Esq., a son of Governor Snyder, who settled there in
1785.]
The Isle of Que was a favorite place with the Indians
more than a hundred years ago. The name is evidently
a misspelling, being in fact Isle a Queues (Tail Island) a
title whict was undoubtedly given by the French traders,
who used in former times, before the arrival of the
whites, to descend the Susquehanna from Canada, to
traffic with the Indians of this neighborhood. Why this
Qame was given, it is now impossible to ascertain. It
was probably a translation of the Indian name long
since forgotten.
100 mSTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
This beautiful and fertile island consists of a sandy
alluvion, resting upon a compact clay, and appears to
have been formed by the wash of the Susquehanna,
after the occupation of the country by the Indians, for,
(when the canal was being dug,) on arriving at the clay
bed, numerous hearths of stones, with charcoal remain-
ing in the interstices, were found, near which were frag-
ments of Indian pots made of talc^ stone hatchets, arrow
heads of flint, &c., precisely such as were found in use
among the savages, on the arrival of the whites in
America.
Had the inquiry been made by the first settlers, it is
not improbable that some account of the inundation by
which the island was formed, might have been given by
the Aborigines. A thousand years, however, would Dot
be too remote a date to assign to the event. The oaks,
buttonwoods, and other trees on the isle, have long since
attained the largest size to which they ordinarily reach ;
and the vegetable mould is of a thickness which proves
that vast quantities of trees, and other plants, must
have perished ; consequently, many centuries must have
elapsed since the isle was a barren sandbank.
At the early period of which I speak, game was plenty
in the forest, and fish were taken in abundance in the
river. A tradition is handed down that the place was
very unhealthy at a certain season of the year, and the
Indians generally left the place about the beginning of
August, and retired to the hilly country, where they
remained until the fall of the leaf During the inter-
vening period, the only human being to be seen, was
occasionally a hunter, whom the game had drawn from
the hills, and who always avoided sleeping in the low
ground. The children were carefully kept in their
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 101
mountain retreats, for the malaria was particularly fatal
to them.
The general burying ground of the Indians was on
the Isle of Que, near its southern extremity, and must
contain hundreds, nay thousands of bodies ; for the skele-
tons have been found over a quarter of a mile in length
and breadth. In digging for the foundation of Christian
Fisher's house, seven skeletons were found, and at the
other end of the lane leading from said house to George
Fisher's, several more were found. Others were dug up
at various places between the above-mentioned points.
The country, after it came into the hands of the
whites, continued to be sickly, but for how long I am
unable to tell. It became healthy, however, and so con-
tinued until the year 1800, when agues became very com-
mon, and the proper treatment of bilious diseases being
little understood, many cases of obstinate and lingering
sickness occurred.
The first white settler on the Isle of Que, is believed
to have been Christian Fisher. Christian, in his youthful
days, was not what his surname would indicate. In fact
he was a hard goer, a prime hand at a fight, a horse race,
or a drinking bout. At length his father finding remon-
strances unavailing, notified him that he must now shift
for himself. At the same time he offered him the fee
simple of a large tract of land on the Isle of Que — ^then
in the heart of the wilderness — which Christian accepted.
Having tied himself for better or for worse, to the
daughter of one of his neighbors. Christian set out, his
whole worldly wealth consisting of a horse, a rifle, an
axe, and a bed. With these he landed on the " isle, far
off and alone" truly, though neither on a " blue summer
ocean,"' nor in any other respect resembling the isle of
102 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Tom Moore's fancy. Christian's bed was spread for the
first night at the foot of a tree. Next moming he comr
menced a hut, in which for a year or two he found shel-
ter, and commenced cultivating and populating the isle.
His descendants, in considerable numbers, continue to
flourish in this vicinity, and his tract of land, divided
into smaU farms, makes many of them pass for rich
men.
Conrad Weiser, grandson of the celebrated Indian
Agent and interpreter of that name, was an early settler
here also. He was a great landholder, owning in con-
nection with his brother Jabez and his cousin Benjamin,
a tract about twelve miles long on the river, and of seve-
ral miles in width from east to west. Conrad being well
acquainted with several of the Indian languages, and
possessing their confidence, through his honesty and fair
dealing, was much esteemed by them. He died about
the year 1802, leaving his family in good circumstances,
as to landed property, which, had they properly taken
care of, would have been, by this time, of great value.
Jabez Weiser, it appears, never resided in this part of
the country, although he owned a large body of land.
Benjamin lived on the Isle of Que, and must have been
fond of shade, for he suflered the elder bushes to grow
up around his cabin until it was entirely concealed from
the view of the passer-by. You might, perchance, on
walking along the shore of the river, says Mr. Snyder
in his reminiscences, have observed a narrow path lead-
ing from the water s edge into the forest. Following this
through the thickly growing elders and other shrubs, the
traveller would find himself suddenly brought up by
Benjamin's door, for the shrubs grew so closely around
the house that there was not room for a cat to run
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 103
around after her tail^ anywhere nearer than on the pebbly
beach of the river.
Jacob Fry, of Middletown, Dauphin county, was a
trader frequently associated with Conrad Weiser, senr.,
in his dealings with the savages. John Esh, a tall and
very strong young man, was for some years in Fry's em-
ploy. After the removal of the Indians from their last
foothold in the north of Pennsylvania, Esh removed to
Kentucky, and settled near KnoxviUe, where he was
murdered by an Indian. The savage was given up by
his tribe to the civil authorities, tried and sentenced to
deftth. Before his execution, he stated that he had com-
mitted the murder out of revenge, Esh having flogged
him on the Susquehanna, and that he had travelled three
hundred mUes to eflfect his purpose.
John Snyder, brother to the Governor, was one of the
early settlers on the Isle of Que. He was a man of
great strength and resolution, but addicted to gaming.
A short time before the Revolutionary War, an oiBSicer of
a body of British soldiers who were stationed in Lancas-
ter, happened to make some insulting expressions con-
cerning the Americans, in John's presence. He not only
repelled his insults, but attacked and flogged him sound-
ly. The consequence may readily be guessed. A num-
ber of British soldiers pursued him with fixed bayonets,
determined to wash out the insult to their commander in
blood. John was, however, too swift for them, and
effected his escape. This occurred in his nineteenth
year.
He settled on the Isle of Que, on which, and the main
land, he owned a large tract of land. He was consider-
ed rich, and might have been richer, but for his inordi-
nate love of gaming. He was the original proprietor of
104 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Selinsgrove. Soon after the town was laid out, he wa-
gered one of the lots upon the result of a horse race at
Stumpstown, but was unfortunately thrown from his
horse and killed. This lot was for many years known as
the ^^ unfortunate lot."
Anthony Selin, the founder of the present town of
Selinsgrove, was a Swiss, who bore a captain's commis-
sion in the American army during the Revolution. When
the war was over he came to this part of the country —
then called Shamokin — and being a handsome, active
young man, captivated the affections of a young lady
named Agnes Snyder, who was a sister of the Governor's,
and married her. This happened near the time of John
Snyder's unfortunate death. * Simon Snyder and John
Miller were appointed administrators of the estate of
John Snyder, and after a few years found that the estate
was encumbered with debt to such a degree that it be-
came necessary to sell the whole of it. This was ac-
cordingly done, and Selin became the purchaser, at a
price which was then considered high. John Snyder s
widow had, meantime, married a man named Jacob Ken-
dig, who lived upon the fine farm lying at the eastern
end of the long bridge across Penn's Creek, about one
mile above Selinsgrove.
Selin, finding that the draft of John Snyder's town
would not fit the ground, caused the whole to be resur-
veyed and laid out anew, and named it Selinsgrove.
What name John Snyder had given, or intended to give
the town, does not appear.
Selin had two children, Anthony Charles and Agnes.
After he had lived for some time on the farm adjoining
the northern line of Selinsgrove, a young Swiss, of about
seventeen years, made his appearance and saluted him
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 105
with the endearing name oi father I and indeed it proved
that master Zifhareus Selin, was veritably the son of
Anthony; and that his mother, lawful wife to the said
Anthony, was alive, and living amid the romantic moun-
tains of Switzerland, and sent her respectful compliments
to her truant husband !
Selin's mortification and distress on this occasion was
so great, as to produce a fever, which shortly resulted in
his death. Fortunately for the children, Anthony and
Agnes, their half brother, Zifhareus, was not of sound
mind. Had he been, he would probably have remained
here long enough to establish himself in the possession
of his father's estate. His claim could not have been
contested, for Selin had acknowledged him. Being, how-
ever, but little removed from absolute idiocy, he only
claimed and received his father's " Decoration," as mem-
ber of the Cincinnati — and contented with this high and
important acquisition, he set out for Europe. He never
afterwards returned to claim his inheritance, and in fact^
was never heard from, so that it is impossible to say
whether he arrived at his home, or perished at sea.
106 HISTOBY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY,
CHAPTER XIV.
FIRST HOUSE IN SELINSGROVE — JIMMY SILVERWOOD, " MASTER
OP THE SEVEN ISLANDS" — STORY OP GAHL, THE PHYSICIAN-
DISCOVERY OP HIS SECRET — TOMMY PRICE — HIS REMARKABLE
ESCAPE FROM AN ENGLISH PRISON IN NOVA SCOTIA.
The first house built in the town of Selinsgrove, was
erected by a man named Kern^ a clockmaker. At what
time it was built I did not leam^ but presume it was at
a very early period. It stood on the street leading to
the Isle of Que, and was a few years ago still in the
possession of his widow, who, after his death, married a
man named Rhoads. When asked why he had not built
upon the main street of the town plot, Kern answered
that it could be of no advantage to him, for there never
would be a street there. This occurred immediately
after the town had been laid out, and the whole ground
was as yet covered with a forest of pines, and a dense
underbrush.
The cluster of islands, in the Susquehanna, opposite
the Isle of Que, were first settled and cultivated by old
Jimmy Silverwood, an Englishman, who used pompously
to entitle himself " master of the seven islands ;" which
title borne across the Atlantic in his letters, gave his
English relations and friends an undue idea of his wealth
and consequence. Could the old man have transferred
his islands to England, their extent and fertiUty would
have made their possessor a rich landholder ; and even
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 107
here, had he known how to take care of his property, he
might have became a man of considerable fortune.
Soon after Silverwood came into possession of the
islands, the country began to be filled with people, and
shad became a good article in the home market, and Sil-
verwood's islands presented several excellent localities
for fisheries. Immense numbers were caught; three,
four, and five thousand at one haul of the seine being not
uncommon — and even at the low price of six dollars per
hundred, they were a source of profit. Silverwood made
money, but, alas ! he did not make provision for the fu-
ture ; he spent, and suffered his sons to spend, as if the
shad fisheries were an inexhaustible mine of wealth. Of
course he died poor, and left a poor family behind him.
These islands were originally covered with a heavy
growth of excellent timber, and almost entirely free
firom underbrush. The banks were clear, and presented
no obstruction to the vision, besides their steepness, and
the overhanging, in some parts, of the sod sustained by
the roots of the huge trees. Cultivation has, however,
worked material changes here. The trees having been
cut away, the banks have become more sloping, by the
crumbling of the upper portion. The cattle being kept
off* by the fences and the care of the farmer, seeds of
divers sorts of trees have lodged and been permitted to
grow, and the islands are now surrounded by an impene-
trable thicket, presenting in sunmier an encircling wall
of the liveliest verdure. But for their loneliness and
seclusion, I know of no more desirable residence than
these islands would' furnish.
At an early period a man named Gahl, who afterwards
became the first curer of agues and intermittent fevers
in the Shamokin region, came and settled with his
108 mSTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
father near where Sunbury now stands. The old man
purchased a farm soon after his location; and before
Peter commenced practice as a physician, his mother
died. The intelligence having been spread, many of the
neighbors called at the house to condole with the
afflicted husband, but found no living being at home.
After waiting for some time, the old man came in from
the fields, where he had been at work, set down for a
few minutes, and then rose to return to his work, saying,
" Well, neighbors, just try and amuse yourselves as well
as you can till Peter comes in, and then he'U play the
fiddle for you !"
When agues in that region of country became com-
mon, and the proper treatment of bilious diseases being
little understood, many cases of extreme and lingering
sickness occurred. The physicians generally adminis-
tered Peruvian bark, but not being aware of the necessity
of previously freeing the stomach from bile, the bark
frequently failed of the desired effect. Peter Gahl, who
was a J^rench West Indian, commenced the practice of
medicine. Although an arrant quack, he was the only
person who generally succeeded in curing agues and
intermittent fevers, having probably acquired his know-
ledge in St. Domingo. His remedy he kept a profound
secret, and the other physicians of the country were too
little acquainted with chemistry to be able to discover
the real nature of his nostrum, through the disguise in
which he had shrouded it. The remedy was contained
in a gallypot, and the directions to the patient were that
he should take the contents in three rather unequal
portions, on three consecutive days. The first day's
dose made the patient vomit, the second purged him,
and the third and largest dose produced the cure.
HI8T0BT OF THE WEST BBANCg TALLET. 109
The composition of this prescription was discovered
in a singular manner. There was, about that tune, livmg
with Simon Snyder, a nephew, a rough lad of fifteen or
sixteen, named George Kremer, who, on one occasion,
was sent to Gahl to procure some of the famous medi-
cine. It so happened that he had none ready, and
therefore mixed a gallypot full in George's presence.
George, who was naturally a remarkably shrewd boy,
was attentive to the process, and asked the name of
each ingredient used. Gahl, unsuspectingly told him
the names, which George did not fail to remember.
First in the gallypot was an ounce of bark, above this
was a portion of some active cathartic — calomel and
jalap— and at the top was an emetic. A little essence
of cinnamon was added to disguise the nature of the
ingredients. The next time that Dr. Young, Snyder's
family physician, came to the house, the important secret
was imparted to him. He forthwith imparted it to his
brethren of the medical profession, and they were soon
able to treat agues and fevers more successfully than
Gahl. Being acquainted with medicine as a science,
they were able to apply the remedy more judiciously
than the ignorant West Indian.
Tommy Price, another old settler, lived on Water
street, Selinsgrove. In his younger days he had been a
soldier, and on one occasion was made prisoner by the
British, and carried to Halifax, in Nova Scotia. There
being a vast extent of forest intervening between Nova
Scotia and the nearest American settlements, it was not
deemed necessary to be particularly watchful on the
land side. Of which circumstance. Tommy taking advan-
tage, eluded the sentries and made for his home. Travel-
ling westward, he was stopped by the waters of the Bay
110 HISTORY QP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
of Fundy, but not being discouraged by this check, he
travelled round the head of the bay, and after a journey
of many hundreds of miles, through a wilderness, during
which he was exposed, without anns, to the mercies of
savages, and wild beasts, he arrived at the settlements
in New England.
After the Revolutionary War he came to Selinsgrove,
where he built a small log-house, and resided during
the balance of his life. Notwithstanding the decision of
character indicated by Tommy's remarkable escape from
Nova Scotia, he was a very idle personage — ^in fact an
inveterate fisherman, and would sit on the bank of the
creek for hours, patiently waiting for a nibble.
In due course of time, Tommy died and was buried.
Some days after his death, some one on seeing the
widow looking very sad, inquired of her, " Well, Rosina,
what is the matter?" "Oh!" said she, whining and
shaking her left foot, "Tummas is ded and Fs got de
agee !"
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. Ill
CHAPTER XV.
MURDER OP TEN INDIANS BY FREDERICK STUMP — ^EXCITEMENT
THROUGHOUT THE PROVINCE — PROCLAMATION OF GOV. PENN —
HIS ARREST AND CONFINEMENT IN CARLISLE JAIL— RESCUED
BY A MOB — HIS DESCRIPTION — FINAL ESCAPE AND DEATH.
Peace having been restored with the Indian tribes,
settlers gradually came forward, pitched their tents in
the wilderness, and commenced to make improvements.
Nothing unusual occurred till early in the winter of 1768,
when an event transpired that caused great excitement
in the settlements around Shamokin, and gave the
Governor great uneasiness.
It appears from the records of that early period, that
a man named Frederick Stump, a German of Penn's
township, in the county of Cumberland, (now Snyder,)
not far from where SeUnsgrove stands, and near the
mouth of Middle Creek, did, in violation of the public
faith, and in defiance of all law, inhumanly and wickedly
kill, without any provocation, four Indian men, and two
Indian women, in his own house, on Sunday, the 10th
day of January, 1768. Not content with this inhuman
murder, he went the next day to an Indian cabin four-
teen miles up the creek, and there barbarously put to
death, and burnt, an Indian woman, two girls, and a
young child !
112 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
As soon as this cool, deliberate, and bloody murder
became known, the most intense excitement prevailed
throughout the country. The people were astounded at
the magnitude and relentless barbarity of the act. The
Indians, who were friendly, and had come from the
Great Island, and pitched their rude wigwams on the
creek, in order to be near and claim the protection of
the whites, had given him no cause for thus barbarously
murdering them. The whites were alarmed, too, for fear
that when the sad intelligence reached the friends of
these Indians, that they would rise up and commence to
burn, murder and scalp all that they could find, in order
to be revenged.
Stump had an accomplice in this bloody tragedy, named
John Ironcutter, who acted in the capacity of a servant
to him. He was a German also.
A few Indians being in the neighborhood, on repairing
to the spot, found the remains of their friends, and being
apprised that Stump w^as the murderer, forthwith pro-
ceeded to look for him. He fled to Fort Augusta, and
entering a house in the occupancy of the mother and
aunts of the late Mrs. Grant, claimed their protection ;
alleging that he was pursued by Indians. The ladies,
noticing from his countenance that all was not right, at
first refused to have anything to do with him, fearing
that the Indians might come and murder them, too^ on
finding him secreted in the house. He begged so pit-
eously, however, for protection, that they relented, and
snugly stowed him away between two beds. But a few
minutes elapsed before the arrival of the infuriated In-
dians, who had tracked him to the house. They inquired
if he had been seen there, and blustered and threatened
considerably, but the ladies insisted that they knew no-
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 113
thing about him, when they were reluctantly compelled
to depart without finding him. Before leaving, however,
they picked up a cat, pulled out all her hair, and tore
her to pieces before the family, by way of illustrating
how they would have treated Stump if they had caught
him!
The only excuse Stump had to oflFer for the murder,
was, that the Indians came to his house on Sunday eve-
ning in a state of intoxication, and were somewhat dis-
orderly. He endeavored to persuade them to leave, but
they refused to do it, and being apprehensive that they
intended to do him some harm, killed them all ; and in
order to conceal their bodies, dragged them down to the
creek, made a hole in the ice, and threw them in. Fear-
ing that the killing of them might come to the ears of
some of their friends near by, he went the next day
fourteen miles up the creek, to two cabins, where he
found one squaw, two girls, and a small child, whom he
killed, and setting fire to the cabins, consumed their
bodies !
The intelligence of this inhuman butchery coming to
the ears of John Penn, Governor of the Province, ac-
companied by numerous depositions, so shocked him, that
he felt himself in duty bound to have the murderer
speedily brought to justice. The matter was laid before
the Council, then in session in Philadelphia, and resolu-
tions were passed instructing the Governor to write to the
magistrates of Cumberland county, requiring them to
exert themselves, and have him arrested immediately.
Also, to acquaint the sheriffs of the adjoining counties of
Lancaster and Berks, to be on the lookout, and aiTest
him, should he come into their districts.
The Council further advised the Governor to write to
8
114 mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH TALLEF.
General Gage and Sir William Johnson, acquainting them
with the unhappy event, and request them to communi-
cate the same as soon as possible to the Six Nations, in
the most favorable manner in their power, to prevent
their taking immediate revenge for this great injury
committed on their people ; and to assure them of the
firm and sincere design of the government to give them
full satisfaction at all times, for all wrongs done to tliem,
and that they would leave nothing undone to bring the
murderer to condign punishment.
On the 19th of January, 1768, Governor John Penn
addressed himself in a long letter to the magistrates of
Cumberland county, giving them the necessary instruc-
tions how to act. Amongst other things, he says : —
'' I am persuaded (Gentlemen, tliat tlie Love of Justice^ a sense of
Duty, and a regard for the Public Safety^ will be sufBcient induce-
ments with you to exert yourselves in such a manner as to leave no
measures untried which may be likely to apprehend and bring to pun-
ishment the Perpetrator of so horrid a CrimC; which, in its conse-
quences, will certainly involve us again in all the Calamities of an In-
dian War, and be attended with the Effusion of much innocent Blood,
unless by a proper Exertion of the Powers of Government, and a due
Execution of the Laws, we can satisfy our Indian Allies that the
Government does not countenance those who wantonly Spill their
Blood, and convince them that we think ourselves bound by the
Solemn Treaties made with them. I have this matter so much at
heart, that I have determined to give a Reward of Two Hundred
Pounds to any Person or Persons who shall apprehend the said Frede-
rick Stump, and bring him to justice,'' &o.
A similar letter was also forwarded to the magistrates
of Berks and Lancaster comities, enjoining upon them
the necessity of acting with promptitude, should the
murderer escape into their territory.
Accompanying this letter was a public proclamation.
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 115
issued in a fonnal manner, bearing the broad seal of the
Province, in which it was strictly commanded, "that aU
Judges, Justices, Sheriffs, Constables, Officers Civil and
Military, and aU other, his Majesty's faithful and Liege
Subjects within this Province, to make diligent search
and enquiry after the said Frederick Stump, and that
they use all possible means to apprehend and secure him
in one of the Public Gaols of this Province, to be pro-
ceeded against according to Law."*
Governor Penn also sent a message by an Indian
named Billy Champion, to Newaleeka, the chief of the
Delawares, and other Indians, residing at the Great
Island, acquainting them with the cruel murder of their
friends ; and assuring them that the most speedy mea-
sures would be taken, to have the ends of justice accom-
plished. For carrying this message, the Council allowed
Billy for his services, a " blanket, a shirt, a hat, a pair of
shoes, a pair of Indian stockings, a breech cloth, and four
pounds two shiUings and six pence, in cash."
Stump was finally arrested and lodged in the jail at
Carlisle. The account of his capture is given as follows : —
" Captain William Patterson, lately in tlie Provincial service, now
living on Juniata, about twenty miles from Frederick Stumps, hear-
ing of the murder committed by him and his servant, on the bodies
of a number of Indians, engaged nineteen men, at two shillings and
six pence per diem wages, to go with him to take them. On their
approach, Stump fled to the woods ; but Patterson pretended to the
people in the house, that he came there to get Stump to go with them
and kill the Indians at the Great Island ; this decoy had the desired
effect. Some one went out, found and brought Stump to the house.
On his coming in, Patterson arrested, bound and brought him, with
his servant, John Ironcutter, without delay, to Carlisle jail, where he
was lodged on Saturday evening, the 23d of M^reh, 176^." ^ ^^
I
Thus it seemed that the ends of justice were about to
116 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
be accomplished, and the murderers receive the punish-
ment which they so justly deserved. A difficulty, how-
ever, arose among the magnates of the law at Carlisle,
about where he should be tried.
It was intended to take him to Philadelphia for trial,
and a discussion arose upon this point. The account is
continued as follows :
'' The Court just then concluding, all the justices were in town.
The Monday morning following, the sheriff was preparing to carry
him to Philadelphia, agreeable to the express mandate of the chief
justice's warrant ; but a doubt arose amongst the justices and towns-
people, as is pretended, whether the sheriff had a right to remove him,
he being committed to their jail by two justices, Armstrong and
Miller. But the truth was, they apprehended a design to try him at
Philadelphia, though the chief justice's warrant expressly commanded
that he should be brought down for examination — and thereupon the
sheriff was directed to proceed in his duty.
« Wednesday, several justices again met, to consult about sending
him down ; while they were consulting, about forty of the country
people assembled, and marched near the town, declaring they would
take him out of jail, as they understood he was to be taken to Phila-
delphia. A gentleman advised them not to go into town, but send in
two of their party, to know the sentiments of the magistrates on that
head. The two messengers came into town, and received assurances
that Stump should not be sent to Philadelphia, but receive his trial
at Carlisle, upon which the messengers returned, and the company
dispersed, and went to their respective dwellings.
'' Thus matters quietly rested until Friday, when a company from
Sherman's Valley, about fifteen miles from Carlisle, and Stump's
neighborhood, assembled, and came near the town, about eight of
whom came in by couples; the first two that entered the prison,
asked the jailer for a dram, or some liquor ; which he went to get for
them, and when he brought it, the others entered. They directly
drew a cutlass, and presented a pistol, swearing they would kill him,
if he resisted, or made the least noise ; the same care was taken as
to the jailer's wife. Immediately came up the general company, of
about sixty armed men, and surrounded the jail ; the rioters within
HISTOBY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 117
had a sledge, crowbar, and axe, with which (as some say) they broke
the inner jail door ; while others assert, that they had procured the
keys of the dungeon from a girl in the jail. They proceeded down to
the dungeon, where Stump lay handcuffed, the chain which fastened
him to the floor having been taken off two days before. They then
brought him up. In the meantime came the sheriff, Col. John Arm-
strong, Bobert Miller, Esq., and Parson Steel, who were admitted
within the circle of armed men round the jail, but not knowing of
others being within, went on the steps of the jail, and declared they
would defend it with their lives. By this time those within came
with Stump to the door — ^the sheriff seizing him, when one of the
men made a thrust with a cutlass, which passed close by his throat,
and immediately the whole body surrounded the sheriff and justices,
and carried them to the middle of the street, but happily did not
touch a hair of their heads, and went off with Stump, greatly shout-
ing ; but first took him to a smith, whom they obliged to cut off his
irons. The sheriff and justices immediately went after them, and
overtook one-half of the company ; but the rest, with Stump, were
gone over the hills to Sherman's Valley.
'* Some of them declared they would give Mr. Patterson the interest
of his £200 reward, which should not be of any service to him, and
great danger was apprehended to his person and property, for his
upright and spirited behavior in the cause of virtue and his countiy."
Ironcutter was also rescued at the same time^ and
carried oflf with Stump.
This violent demonstration, on the part of the people,
against the enforcement of the civil law, as may be
expected, caused a tremendous excitement throughout
the Province. The Governor was astounded, and scarcely
knew how to act. Not daunted by the violence of the
people, a party, composed of the sheriff, clergy, magis-
trates, and several other reputable inhabitants, speedily
assembled and proceeded to Sherman's Valley, to remon-
strate with those that rescued Stump, against such law-
less proceedings. They represented to them the dan-
gerous consequences of such conduct, and the bad
118 HISTOEY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
example they were setting. They manifested some
contrition, and partially promised to return him in three
days. They did not do it, however.
The people of the frontier were very much alarmed
at this lawless demonstration, and many of them left
their homes. Captain Patterson being threatened by
the rescuers of Stump, was obliged to keep a guard in
his house night and day.
The reasons given by the mob for their conduct, was,
that the government always manifested a greater concern
at the killing of an Indian than a white man. That
numbers of the whites had been barbarously murdered
and no lamentations were made, nor exertions of the
goverment to bring their murderers to justice. That their
wives and children must be insulted by Indians, and a
number of them receive the fatal blow, before they cUxre
say it is war. In view of this they were determined no
longer to submit.
Governor Penn ordered proceedings to be instituted
against those who had thus violated the law, and forcibly
rescued Stump. Testimony was speedily obtained against
twenty-one of them, including the ringleaders, and war-
rants issued for their arrest. Whether they were arrested
does not appear.
The most positive instructions were issued by the
Governor for the re-arrest of Stump and Ironcutter,
and a warrant from the chief justice forwarded to
the authorities, to convey them to Philadelphia, accom-
panied by a second proclamation, offering an additional
reward of two hundred pounds for Stump, and one
hundred for Ironcutter. He also caused a description
of their persons to be published, to assist in their appre-
hension.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 119
The description of the culprits is as follows, and is
copied from the official records of the State :
<' Frederick Stump, bom in Heidleborg township, Lancaster county,
in Pennsylvania, of Oerman parents. He is about 33 years of age,
5 feet 8 nches bigb, a stout fellow, and well proportioned ; of a brown
complexion, thin visaged, has small black eyes, with a downcast look,
and wears short black hair; he speaks the German language well, and
the English but indifferently. He had on, when rescued, a light
brown cloth coat, a blue great coat, an old hat, leather breeches, blue
leggins and moccasins.
''John Ironcutter, bom in Ckrmany, is about 19 years of age, 5
feet 6 inches high, a thick, clumsy fellow, round shouldered, of a dark
brown complexion, has a smooth, full face, grey eyes, wears short
brown hair, and speaks very little English. He had on, when rescued,
a blanket coat, an old felt hat, buckskin breeches, a pair of long
trousers, coarse white yam stockings, and shoes with brass buckles.''
After their rescue they came back to the neighborhood
in which the murder was committed. From thence
Stump went to his father's, in Tulpehocken. Ironcutter
was carried off, and secreted by some Germans. After-
wards they escaped to Virginia, and never were arrested
again. Stump, it is said by an old settler, died there
only twenty-five or thirty years ago, at a very advanced
age. So ends the history of Stump, the Indian killer.
120 mSTOBY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
CHAPTER XVI.
ORGANIZATION OP NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY — ^ITS ORIGINAL
BOUNDARIES — SUNBURY FOUNDED — NAMES OP THE SETTLERS
ALONG THE RIVER — TROUBLES AND PRIVATIONS — THE GRANT
FAMILY — DR. PLUNKETT — SKETCH OP HIS LIFE — ^ANECDOTES.
The County of Northumberland was organized, March
12th, 1772, out of Lancaster, Cumberland, Berks, North-
ampton and Bedford. It embraced a large extent of
territory. The following description of its boundaries is
from the first section of the act erecting it :
^^ That all and singular the lands lying and being within the boun-
daries following, that is to say, beginning at the mouth of Mahon-
tongo creek, on the west side of the river Susquehanna, thence up
the south side of said creek, by the several courses thereof, to the
head of Kobert Meteor's spring; thence west by north to the top of
Tussey's mountain ; thence south westerly, along the summit of the
mountain to Little Juniata ; thence up the north-easterly side of the
main branch of little Juniata, to the head thereof; thence north to
the line of Berks county; thence east along the said line, to the ex-
tremity of the Province; thence east along the northern boundary, to
that part thereof of the Great Swamp; thence south to the most
northern part of the Swamp aforesaid ; thence with a straight line to
the head of the Lehigh, or Mill creek; thence down the said creek
80 far, that a line run west south-west will strike the forks of Mahon-
tongo creek where Pine creek falls into the same, at the place called
the Spread Eagle, on the east side of the Susquehanna, thence down
the southerly side of said creek to the river aforesaid ; thence down
and across the river to the place of beginning."
mSIOBT OF THB WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 121
It was directed by the Provincial authorities, that the
courts be held at Fort Augusta, till a Court House, and
the necessary public buildings, could be erected. A com-
mittee composed of William Maday, Samuel Hunter,
John Loudon, Joseph WaJlis, and Robert Moody, were
appointed to purchase a piece of land, in some convenient
place in the county, subject to the approval of the Gov-
ernor, on which to erect a court house and jail.
Joshua Elden, James Patten, Jesse Lukens and Wil-
liam Lukens, were appointed '' to run, mark out and dis-
tinguish the boundary lines between Lancaster, Cum-
berland, Berks, Northampton, Bedford, and Northumber-
land counties."
At that time Northumberland embraced all of the
West Branch Valley, as far as Lycoming creek. The
river above that point was the boundary on the south
side. The north side was in dispute. Most of the ter-
ritory was a dense forest, where the red man had roamed
with untrammeled freedom, from time immemorial, but
the onward march of civilization was about to drive him
from these favorite haunts, and compel him to seek a
new home in distant wilds. He sullenly retired from the
cherished scenes of his childhood, after being overcome
by the superior numbers and intelligence of the race that,
it seemed, were destined to dispossess him. Such seemed
to be his fate. But the vindictive passions of his savage
breast were aroused, and he fought for his home and
hunting grounds. It was natural that he should do so^
the present race of whites, claiming a greater amount of
refinement and intelligence, would do the same. They
would scalp, too, before they would surrender their
hearths and firesides to another race, and leave all the
endearing associations of home. The territory of the
Indian was acquired hy purchase and aggression, trea-
i
122 HISTORY OF THB WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
chery and duplicity. His noble nature knew no guile-
he thought the white man was honest ! Alas ! what a
sad mistake.
The territory on the north side of the Otzinachson—
now called the West Branch — ^was not included in the
purchase of 1768, at Fort Stanwix, further west than
Lycoming creek, which was supposed to be the Tiadagh-
ton of the Indians. The mistake was not discovered till
at the treat}" of 1784, held at the same place, when the
Indians informed the Pennsylvania Commissioners that
what the whites called Pine creek, was the reed Tia-
daghton.
The town of Sunbury was laid out in the same year
that the county was erected, 1772, by John Lukens, the
Surveyor General, on the beautiful plain one mile below
Fort Augusta. He erected a frame house, which was,
probably, the first building put up in the town. William
Maday, of whom mention has already been made, shortly
afterwards erected a stone building, which is still stand-
ing, fronting on the river.
At this time Mungo Reed resided on what was then
called Shamokin island, near the confluence of the two
rivers, and a few yards above the fort. Thomas Grant
and Colonel Hunter, commander of the fort, lived on two
farms which they had taken up close by. Robert Mur-
dock also had a farm here. These gentlemen are con-
sidered among the first bona fide settlers at this point,
who formed the nucleus around which the other immi-
grants clustered.
The Grant family were identified, to a considerable ex-
tent, with the history of the eventful period of the Re-
volution. Mr. Grant was a Captain in the Revolutionary
War, and had command of a frontier fort. His widow
mSIOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 123
was a remarkably fine woman, of great mind and resolu-
tion, and universally esteemed and beloved by all who
knew her, for her many social virtues. She is well re-
membered, and feelingly spoken of, by many of the old
people now living. When Sherman Day visited her,
about 1840, he describes her as a venerable old lady,
living in a fine mansion, surrounded by her children and
grandchildren. Her memory extended back for a pe-
riod of eighty years, yet she did not appear to be over
fifty.
Robert Martin, originally from New Jersey, wafi the
father of Mrs. Grant. He first settled at Wyoming
under the Pennsylvania title, but being unable to live
there in peace, abandoned his farm, and removed to
Northumberland. He erected a house, and kept tavern
here, previous to the purchase of 1768. His house, at
that time, was the only one to be seen about Northum-
berland Point, or even on the other side, except in Fort
Augusta. He was undoubtedly the first settler on the
site of Northumberland, near eighty years ago. After
the purchase of 1768, his house was thronged with
numerous speculators, pioneers, surveyors, and adven-
turers, who came to view and settle upon the lands of
the West Branch.
Colonel Hunter is distinguished in the history of that
period. He had command of Fort Augusta during the
time of the Revolution, when it was the great point to
which all the settlers of both Branches converged, when
compelled to abandon their homes in the wilderness, by
the attacks of the savages. All the forts erected along
the West Branch were under his supervision, and the
duties that devolved upon him were great. He may be
considered the watchful guardian of the frontier. Scenes
124 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
of the most thriUing character were enacted at that
period.
A fine brick mansion now stands on the identical spot
formerly occupied by the fort. It is owned by Miss
Hunter, a lineal descendant of the old Colonel. Truly,
it is built on sacred ground.
In 1772, according to the best and most reliable in-
formation that I have been able to collect, there was but
one house where Sunbury now stands, one at Fort Au-
gusta, and one on the Grant farms, one on Shamokin
island, one in Northumberland, and but four between
that point an4 where Milton now stands, where there
was one. Between Milton and Muncy hills there were
six families, and not more than eight or ten on the
river above.
Captain Lowden, and a Mr. Patterson, it appears, be-
came owners of the land at Northumberland. They
afterwards sold a part to Reuben Haynes, a brewer firom
the city of Philadelphia, who laid out the town of
Northumberland, in 1775. This was at a very gloomy
period of our history, and it made but slow progress for
several years. The settlers were often compelled to
abandon their homes, and fly to Fort Augusta for pro-
tection.
Ludwig Derr, a German, settled in Buffalo Valley,
where Lewisburg now stands, about 1772 or 1773. A
patent for a tract of land containing three hundred and
twenty acres, was granted to Richard Peters, August
11th, 1772 ; and on the 17th of November, 1773, it was
deeded to Ludwig Derr.
Colonel John Kelly, a distinguished hero of the Re-
volutionary period, settled in Buffalo Valley, as early as
1768, immediately after the purchase from the Indians.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 125
He was one of the first pioneers in this region, and en-
dured many hardships.
Captain John Brady, with a large family, also immi-
grated to the West Branch, about 1772, and located
opposite where Lewisburg now stands. This family was
one of the most remarkable that ever resided in the
romantic vale of the Otzinachson, and their history,
replete with some of the most daring and thrilling events,
will occupy a large space.
The following persons were also among the early
settlers : — Samuel and Joseph Wallis, William Hutchin-
son, Cornelius Atkinson, Moses Kirk, John and Robert
Eson, Captain Gray, Robert Frait, Walter and William
Clark, William Wilson, Robert Clark, James Steedman,
Scotts, &c.
Captain Simpson was among the first settlers in
Sunbury. He participated in the disastrous battle of
Wyoming. His descendants still live there.
Paul Baldy also located here at a very early period.
He erected a log-house, and it is related by some of the
citizens of the present day, that he traded with the
Indians through the cracks of the building, not daring
to permit them to enter at the door.
Of the troubles and privations endured by those set-
tlers, we can scarcely form a just conception. It is
related that during the time of the Indian wars, when
hideously painted savages skulked like demons through
the forest, many of the first settlers about Sunbury,
were often obliged to take their families in canoes, and
moor them in the middle of the river during the night,
to escape the scalping knife of the ever-vigilant foe.
Contrast those times with the peace and comfort now
enjoyed, gentle reader, and rejoice that you did not
live at that day.
126 HISTORY OF THE WEST BBANCH VALLET.
Amongst the early settlers at Sunbury^ it must not
be forgotten to mention the name of Dr. William Plun-
kett, sometimes called Colonel Plunkett, for having com-
manded an expedition against Wyoming, and also one
against the Connecticut settlers on the West Branch.
The Doctor, as he was familiarly called, was quite a
character at that time, and was extensively known. He
is said by some to have been an Englishman^ and, by
others, an Irishman.
Many anecdotes are related concerning him, one of
which is, that once upon a time in England, in a public
house, he was in an adjoining room, where a number of
gentlemen were assembled, with several friends^ talking
in a loud tone of voice. One of the gentlemen in the
adjoining room, observed to his companions, that he did
not believe the loud-talking man could tell the time of
day by the watch, and taking a valuable one from his
pocket, sent it in with his servant to see. The servant
informed the Doctor of his errand. Being somewhat
irritated, he took the watch, and assuming a very defiant
attitude, held it out and exclaimed : " Here is a watch,
sent to see if / can tell the time of day by it ; will the
owner please step forward, and / tvUl soon inform him T
The gentry became alarmed at his bold appearance, and
the owner was afraid to make himself known, fearing a
flogging for thus trying to insult him. " As nobody will
own the watch," said the Doctor, '^ I will keep it/' and
quietly putting it in his pocket, went about his business !
The Doctor was compelled to leave Europe rather
abruptly,* for being concerned with one James Maclean,
in committing a robbery on Lord Eglintoun. He was
arrested and thrown into prison, but escaped, and was
* Miner's History Wyoming, page 179-80.
L
HI8I0BT OF THE WEST BRANCH YAUET. 127
smuggled on shipboard in a barrel^ and brought to
America.
His loyalty to the king was so great, that "neither
the blandishments of ambition, the persuasions of in-
terest, nor the terrors of proscription could shake him
for a moment." Up to the day of his death he never
took the oath of allegiance, which would concede the
death of royalty in America. Being free-spoken and
fearless, he was frequently assailed. He went armed
with the loaded butt of a riding whip, prepared to defend
or chastise. Previous to the Revolution, he acted for a
time as a Justice of the Peace. His manner of inflicting
punishment was odd, if not arbitrary and severe. As
the old English whipping-post and stocks were never
erected in Sunbury, the Doctor had a stout worm fence,
and he sometimes placed the neck of the culprit between
the rails, making them both pillory and stocks at the
same time ! He was for many years one of the Associate
Judges of Northumberland county.
Plunkett was afterwards recognized in America by a
person who had known him in England, and who kept
his secret. He regretted this action, as one of his youth-
ful crimes, and afterwards became a very useful member
of society. His services as a physician were invaluable
on many occasions, in the dressing of wounds.
The Doctor is said to have been acquainted with
several Indian languages, and when travelling up the
river one day on a lonely path, met an Indian. He
addressed him in all the languages he was master of, with-
out making him understand ; when, as a last alternative,
he spoke to him in English, and strange enough the
Indian understood him. He inquired what tribe he
belonged to, and on being informed, exclaimed, " Very
128 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
had; very lad tribeP The Indian in turn asked him
what nation he belonged to^ and on being informed that
it was the English^ looked him in the face and said,
''Ahy berry bad tribe j berry bad indeed^ mare ladder dm
poor Indian r
The Doctor was an old bachelor, and lived to a great
age. Some say that he became blind. He died at
Sunbury in 1801 or 2,
mSTOBY OF THS YiTEST BRANCH VALLEY. 129
CHAPTER XVII.
DERB'S old mill still standing at LEWISBURG — SETTLEMENT
ON WARRIOR RUN — NAMES OF THE SETTLERS — MRS. DERRICK-
SON — ^FIRST COURT IN NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY — ^NAMES
OF THE OFFICERS — OBIOINAL TOWNSHIPS — ^NAMES OF THE
CONSTABLES — ^FIBST QBAND JURY — MACLAY'S SPICY LETTER.
LuDWio Derb, who located where Lewisburg now
stands, had a trading house and did an extensive busi-
ness with the Indians. He also erected a small mill on
what is now known as Wilson's Run, which, it is worthy
of remark, is standing at the present day in a good state
of preservation. It is the only continental mill standing
in the valley, the others having been burned during the
" Big Runaway," or since destroyed. It is a small square
building, constructed of roughly hewn logs. A large
building has been erected alongside of it, which is used
as a mill now, the old building being used for the
reception of grain. The mill is owned by John Brown.
Derr also had a sawmill here, but all trace of it is gone.
Derr's mill was an important place for many years among
the settlers. They often came forty miles from above
to get a small grist of flour. Two or three settlers
would unite, take a canoe, push down to Derr's mill, get
their flour and return in three or four days to their
families. They were obliged to go armed, and exercise
great caution in order not to be surprised by the savages.
9
130 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
Meanwhile their families awaited their arrival with great
suspense, and when the canoe hove in sight with its
scanty supply of flour, joy and gladness rang through
the humble dwelling. Then again how often were they
disappointed, on receiving the sad intelligence that the
husbands and fathers were killed and scalped, and the
little children were obliged to go supperless and father-
less to bed.
I now come to an important point in the history of
the West Branch Valley, viz : to give an account of the
first white settlement on Warrior Run, where Fort Free-
land was erected, and where some bloody scenes were
enacted. I am pleased to be able to give a correct
account, having obtained the particulars from Mrs. Mary
Derrickson,* a daughter of Mr. Cornelius Vincent, one
of the original settlers.
In 1772, they immigrated from Essex county, New
* On visiting this venerable old lady in July, 1856, 1 found her with a
mind bright and unimpaired, and able to relate the thrilling scenes enacted
at Fort Freeland, with remarkable accuracy. She could give the dates of
the occurrences, and remembered the incidents of the battle, the names of
the principal actors, and everything else of importance, in a manner that
was truly astonishing. She was the sister of Bethuel Vincent, a name
well remembered throughout this region of country. She was very small
at the time of the taking of the fort in 1778, but being a sprightly child,
everything was so strongly impressed upon her mind, that death alone can
obliterate it. Her father had five sons and four daughters. The sons
were named, Isaac, Daniel, Bethuel, Benjamin, and John ; the daughters,
Sarah, Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Mary. Of this number, but two or three
survive. Mary, of whom I obtained this information, is in her 78th year,
and enjoying the comforts of a hale old age, surrounded by her children
and grandchildren. She is a woman of extensive and varied information,
free to converse upon the topics of the day. The only disadvantage under
which she labors is a slight deafness. The name of the Yincents is
inseparably associated with the history of this Valley. Their descendants
are very numerous. Mrs. Derrickson resides in the family of her son-in-
law, Jacob Sensenbach, of Williamsport.
mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLE7. 131
Jersey. Their names were : Jacob Freeland, John Vin-
cent, Cornelius Vincent and Peter Vincent, with their
families. The next year they were reinforced by Timo-
thy Williams with a very large family, together with
Samuel Gould and family. Freeland settled on Warrior
Run, a few miles above its mouth. The Vincents set-
tled one mile below the mouth, on the river. This was
the first nucleus of a settlement formed in this part of
the country, around which other settlers clustered, till
they had quite a little community.
These hardy pioneers pitched their tents in the wil-
derness, and commenced to make improvements. They
were men of nerve, resolution and daring, and soon be-
came inured to the hardships and privations incident to
the settlement of a new country.
In 1773, Jacob Freeland commenced to build a small
mill on Warrior Run, having brought the necessary irons
with him the previous year from New Jersey. The mill
was completed, and proved a valuable acquisition to the
settlement. The fort was built ^n 1775, about half a
mile north-east of where the Warrior Run Church now
stands. It was a Stockade fortification, not very strongs
and destitute of cannon.
About this time, 1772, the Connecticut people from
Wyoming, commenced to settle on the West Branch,
about the Muncy flats and vicinity. As the diflSculties
that took place between them and the Pennsylvanians
were long and serious, it is thought best to devote a
chapter or two exclusively to them.
The first Court in Northumberland County was held
at Fort Augusta. Thinking that the record, together
with the names of those concerned as officers, jurymen,
&c., would be interesting at the present day, and also
132 HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
show who were the first setUers, I have transcribed it
from the old books of the County, in the office of the
Prothonotary at Sunbury. It is as follows :
RECORD OP THE FIRST COURT.
^^ At a Court of private sessions of the peace held at fort Augosta
for the County of Northumberland on the ninth day of April in the
twelfth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third by
the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, de-
fender of the Faith, and in the year of our Lord God one thoofiand
seven hundred and seventy-two, before William Plunkett, Esq., and
his Associate Justices assigned, &c., within the said County of North-
umberland, viz :
^' A Commission from bis Honor the Governor, bearing date the
24th day of March anno domini one thousand seven hundred and se-
venty-two, appointing William Plunkett, Turbutt Francis, Samuel
Hunter, James Potter, William Maclay, Caleb Graydon, Benjamin
Allison, Robert Moodie, John Lowdon, Thos. Lemon, Ellis Hughes
and Benjamin Weiser, Esqrs., Justices of the Court of General Quar-
ter Sessions of the Peace and jail delivery for the said County of
Northumberland was published in Court.
<^ On motion made, the said County of Northd., or as much of the
Extent of the same as is now purchased from the Indians, is divided
into the following townships, to be hereafter called and known by the
names of Penn's twp.* — Augusta twp. — Turbutt twp. — Buffalo twp.
— ^Bald Eagle twp. — Muncy twp. — and Wyoming twp., each described
and bounded as follows :
"DESCRIPTION OF BUFFAXO TOWNSHIP.
" Beginning at the mouth of Penn's creek at the head of the isle
of Que, thence up the same to the forks, thence by a north line to
the West Branch of Susquehanna, thence down the West Branch of
Susquehanna to the forks, thence down Susquehanna to place of be-
ginning.
"DESCRIPTION OF BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP.
" Beginning at the forks of Penn's creek, thence by a north line
* The descriptionB of Penn's, Augusta, and Wyoming townships, are
omitted, as not being pertinent to the Yalley of the West Branch.
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 138
to the West Branch of Susquehanna, thence np the same to where
the County line crosses it, thence by the County line south to the
head of little Juniata, thence down the same to the end of Tussey's
mountain, thence along the top of the same easterly to the place of
beginning.
" DESCJRIPTION or TTJRBUTT TOWNSHIP.
'^ Beginning on the east side of Susquehanna at Fort Augusta,
thence up the easterly side of the N. E. Branch to the old line for-
merly run for a division between Berks and Northampton counties,
thence by the same line North West to the top of Muncy hill, thence
along the top of the same westerly to the West Branch of Susque-
hanna, and crossing the same to the west side and down the same to
the junction of the branches, and crossing Susquehanna to the place
of beginning — so as to include the forks and island.
"DESCRIPTION OP MUNCY TOWNSHIP.
" Beginning on the west side of the West Branch of Susquehanna,
opposite the end of Muncy hill, thence up the West Branch to oppo-
site the mouth of Lycoming,* thence crossing the branch, up Lycom-
ing to the heads thereof, thence by a south-east line to the Muncy
hill, thence along the top of the same to the West Branch, and cross-
ing to beginning.''
The names of the Constables appointed for these
respective townships, on the same occasion, were as
follows :
" Turbutt twp. William McMein.
Buffalo " Robert King.
Bald Eagle " Samuel Long.
Muncy " James Robb."
This appears to have been all the business transacted
at this Court — which was of a preliminary character —
at least nothing else appears upon the record.
The second Court was held at the same place in Au-
* The reader will obserre that Lycoming was the line of the County on
the north side of the river, and was supposed to be the Tiadaghion of the
Indians.
134 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
gust following, of the same year. The record runs as
follows :
'' At a Court of General Sessions of the Peace, held at fort Au-
gusta for the County of Northd., the fourth Tuesday in August, ia
the twelfth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord, Geo. the Third,
by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Eong,
defender of the faith, &c.. Before William Plunkett, Esq., and his
Associates, Justices assigned, &c., within the said County of Northd.,
viz:
'' Upon petition to the Court, Adam Haveling, Marcos Hulings,
Jr., Martin Kost, Scmuel Weiser; and John Alexander, are recom-
mended to his Honor the Governor for his license to keep public
houses where they respectively dwell in this County, they giving bond,
&c., agreeable to the laws of this Province in such cases made,&c."
The first Grand Jury in the County was empanneled
at this Court. Their names are given below. I copy
from the record :
" George Nagel, Esq.,* High Sheriflf for the County aforesaid, re-
turned his writ of venire to him directed, with the panel annexed,
which being called over after proclamation, made the following per-
sons appear, who were accordingly sworn on the grand inquest for our
Sovereign Lord the King, for the body of the County.
John Brady, Foreman, Geo. Ban,
Geo. Overmyer, And. Heffer,
John Bhowick, Hawkins Boon,
Leonard Peter, George Wolf,
Gerhard Freeland, William Cook,
John Jost, John Kelly,
William Grey, James Poke,
Ludwig Derr, John Walker.
ij
At the November Sessions of 1775, the report for the
fint road, up the river, was received as follows :
* George Nagel was Sheriff of Berks county when Northumberland
was organized. He, however, served in Northumberland, tiU William
Cook was elected in October, 1772.
HISIOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 136
''The report of Henry Antes, Gookson Long, Samuel Horn, Alex-
ander Hamilton, Jonathan Albridge, and Samuel Harris, the six men
appointed at August Sessions to view and, if they saw cause, to lay
out a Bridle Road £rom the mouth of Bald Eagle oreek to the town
of Sunbury, was read in Court, by which it appears that they have
thought it necessaryj and have according laid out a Bridle Road as
follows : ' Beginning at a post at the mouth of Bald Eagle Greek,
thence north 81 d^.,' &c., on to a Black oak on the Weti Branch of
Susquehanna opposite the town of Sunbury/'
These names also go to show who were among the
first settlers of the County at that early period, some
eighty-four years ago. Of these men, not one is now
living — ^they are all numbered with the dead, and the
wild flower blooms on their graves.
It may be interesting to belligerent gentlemen of the
present day, to state that the early Courts of Northum-
berland county, only fined a man^t;^ shillings for assault
and battery. The luxury of fighting being so cheap then,
it was very much indulged in, and sparring matches were
common. Such a law would suit the chivalry of this
period. They could cane one another to their hearts'
content at a very trifling expense !
They appear to have had some trouble at Fort Au-
gusta, in reference to their public buildings, and the
want of a jail, as may be inferred from the following
spicy letter, written by William Maclay, to J. Tilghman,
April 2d, 1773 :—
'^ Sir : I inclose to you a Letter from three of the Trustees for the
publick Buildings of this County, respecting some measures which
we have lately fallen on to rescue us from the soandal of living in-
tirely without any Place of confinement or punishment for Villains ;
Captain Hunter had address enough to render abortive every attempt
that was made last summer, for keeping a regular Jail, even after I
bad been at considerable expense in fitting up this Magazine, under
136 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY,
which there is a small But compleat Dungeon, I am sorry to inform
you That he has given our present Measures the most Obstinate Re-
sistance in his power and impeded Us with every embarrassment in
the Compass of his Invention, we know nothing of the Footing on
which Captain Hunter has possession of these Buildings, and only
beg that the County may be accommodated with this old Magazine,
with the addition proposed to be made to it, and with the House in
which I now live, to hold our courts in ; I have repaired the House
in which I now live. But expect to have an House ready to remove to
in Sunbury, before our November Court. As the present repairs are
done intirely by subscription, you will readily guess that Captain
Hunter is not among the number of subscribers. As there are many
pieces of old Iron, &c., which formerly belonged to the fort, not of
any use at present, the Trustees propose using any of them which can
be converted to any advantage, for Grates, &c., for our temporary
Gaol, unless they receive contrary Directions from Philada. If Hell
is justly considered as the rendivous of Rascals, we cannot entertain
a doubt of Wioming being the Place. Bum'd Hands, cut Ears, &c.,
are considered as the certain certificates of superior merit ; we have
certain Accounts of their having had several meetings lately to chuse
a Sovereign and settle the State, &c., for it seems they have not now
any Dependance on the Government of Connecticut. The Time of
the Descent on the West Branch, Fort Augusta, j^c, is now fixed for
May next ; I have no Doubt but the Desperate Tempers of these
People will hurry them into some tragical affair, which will at last
rouse our Government, when it may be too late to repair the mischief
done by them. At the same time I am told there are some among
them, who would willingly become quiet subjects, and are afraid to
own their sentiments. Patterson has the other day been offered
1200 0 0, for the same number of acres, not far from your Land. I
would not have you sell. Poctor Plunkett goes down in a few days ;
'tis likely I may send another long letter by him-t
'' And am with the greatest Esteem,
Sir.
Your most Obedient humble Servant,
WM. MACLAY."
It appears that Mr. Maclay had a particular aversion
to the settlers at Wyoming, and regarded them as the
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 137
most arrant knaves. This is illustrative of the feeling
that existed between the two parties.
As to the particulars in reference to the difficulty with
Colonel Hunter, they are nowhere preserved, or, at least,
I have been unable to find them.
138 BISTORT OF THE WEST BBANCH VALLEY.
CHAPTER XVni.
CONNECTICUT SETTLEMENT AT MUNCY — ^THE TOWNSHIPS OF JUDSA
AND CHARLESTON — DIFFICULTIES — JOHN VINCENT A JUSTICE
— PROCLAMATION OF GOVERNOR PENN — ^THE TROUBLES IN-
CREASE— ^ZEBULON BUTLER APPOINTED A JUSTICE — QOVERNOR
PENN INFORMS THE PEOPLE NOT TO MIND HIM.
The Connecticut settlement at Wyoming was extend-
ed to the West Branch at a very early period. As early
as 1769, says Colonel Franklin in his journal, the Sus-
quehanna Company passed a vote to send on 540 set-
tlers, 300 of whom were to have lands as a gratuity on
the West Branch. The settlement was made on the
beautiful rolling plain around where Muncy now stands,
and was called the " Muncy Settlement." Two town-
ships were surveyed here as early as 1771. One was
named Charleston,'^ and the other Judea. The names of
the actual settlers are lost.
This settlement was not at first included in the limits
of Westmoreland, by the Connecticut grant, which ex-
tended only fifteen miles beyond the North Branch — ^not
reaching within twenty miles of Muncy. In May, 1775,
an act was passed by the Connecticut Council to extend
the limits of the town of Westmoreland, as far westward
as the line fixed upon with the Indians at the treaty of
Fort Stanwix, in 1768. This, then, included the set-
* Miner's Hist. Wyoming, p. 166, 7, 8.
HI8T0BT OF THE WEST BBANGH VALLE7. 139
ilements on the West Branchy as fax up as Lycoming
creek.
The name of John Vincent appears as one of the
actors in the Connecticut, or Wyoming, troubles on the
West Branch. In 1775, he was appointed a Justice of
the Peace for Litchfield county. In August of the same
year, it is alleged that said Vincent, with several others,
went to Wyoming, and requested a number of people to
go on to the West Branch and settle, in order to extend
the jurisdiction and authority of Connecticut to that
place as soon as possible. In answer to his appeal,
William Judd and Joseph Sluman, Esqrs., with a company
of about eighty others, proceeded to the West Branch
in September, and commenced to make a settlement.
A bad feeling existed between the Connecticut settlers
at Wyoming, and those of Pennsylvania. The latter
looked upon the former as invaders of a territory that
in no wise belonged to them, and their settlements were
viewed with a jealous eye. Serious difl&culties ensued
between the two parties, which assumed quite a bellige-
rent attitude, and in one or two instances resulted in loss
of life. It is very diflficult, at this late day, to get a
correct version of the troubles that ensued, as but little
was written and preserved concerning them. Some ac-
count is found in the Colonial Records, and in Miner's
History of Wyoming, but neither of them give the de-
tails in full. I shall endeavor to give an account of these
difficulties, in accordance with what data I have been
able to collect.
The feeling of jealousy assumed such a pitch, that the
inhabitants of Northumberland remonstrated against the
Connecticut claimants, and went so far as to send in a
petition to Governor Penn, as follows :
140 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
'^ That your Petitiuners being seated, in ConBequence of regular
Purchase from the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania, in the said County
of Northumberland, within the known Limits, and under the Protec-
tion of the Laws of the Province of Pennsylvania, have neverthele^
been under the necessity of Combatting and struggling with many
Difficulties and Embarrassments of so alarming a nature as scarce to
be paralleled in the History of any Civilized Country; that the Colony
of Connecticut sets up a Claim to the lands seated, improyed| and
rendered Valuable by your Petitioners' Labour ; happy might your
Petitioners be, would those Claimants bring their Pretensions to some
Tribunal whose decision would equally bind both Parties, but with
them Violence usurps the Place of Argument, and force, of Legal De-
cision ; that about two years ago a number of your Petitioners were
in a Hostile manner ousted of their Possessions at Wyoming, and
Cruelly Stripped and Plundered of their Effects; that, not content
with the acquisition of Wyoming and the Parts adjacent, sundry at-
tempts have been made to extend their Conquests. A large Body of
Armed Men from Connecticut in June last attempted to disposess the
Inhabitants of the West Branch of Susquehanna, and, though pre-
vented, it was not without much Fatigue, Ezpence, and Great Danger
of Bloodshed; these People, lawless among themselves, afford an
Assylum and secure Retreat to disorderly Persons, not only of this
Government, but of all the neighboring Provinces, by which acces-
sions, and the Constant Countenance of the Colony of Connecticut,
their numbers have of late greatly increased ; that the avowal of their
Intentions is uniformly the same, especially since the account from
Connecticut that ^ the Government has openly espoused their Cause,
and taken them under their Protection/ Deplorable indeed must be
the situation of your Petitioners, if called on to defend by Force of
Arms their Infant Settlements against the Power of a whole Colony;
that the Consequence must be ruin to their fortunes and families in
their Present distracted Situation ; as common subjects of the Pro-
vince, and entitled to the protection of the Laws, your Petitioners
cannot help looking up to your Honor for the aid of Government;
they have hitherto maintained an unequal Contest, possessed of pro-
perty themselves, they have been obliged with arms in their hands to
defend it against those who had no property, subject themselves to
Law, they have had to Contend with those who refused Subjection to
any Law, and have not been able to reduce them to order, which is
confessing a Weakness they can no longer conceal ; that the whole
mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 141
Posse of the Oounty is not suffioient to enforce the Laws at Wyoming,
as the Inhabitants have not hitherto been able to prevent the Conti-
nuance of the Conneoticat Intruders in that Part of the Proyince
contrary to Law, and the Repeated Proclamations of GloYemmenty
they fear their utmost Efforts will not be sufficient to keep their Pos-
sessions without the Interposition and Protection of the LegislaturCi
which, therefore, they Implore, and from the Known Clemency and
Justice of the administration, consider themselves as having reason to
expect.'*
This petition was signed by the magistrates^ grand
jury, and other principal inhabitants of Northumberland,
and laid before the Board of Council, by the Governor,
in session at Philadelphia, December 9th, 1773. After
receiving due consideration, it was the opinion of the
Council that it should be laid before the Assembly,
accompanied by a message from the Governor, to
enforce it.
On the 14th of December, the message from the
Governor was laid before the Assembly, and reads as
follows :
'^ Gentlemen : — ^The distresses of the Inhabitants of the County of
Northumberland, expressed in their Petition, which will be delivered
to you by the Secretary, appear to be of a very alarming Nature, and
justly to call for the particular attention of this Government.
<< The Insolent Outrages of a set of Men who have long bid defi-
ance to the Laws of the Country, and have afforded Protection to
Offenders of the most Heinous Kind, ought not. Certainly, in a Well
regulated Society, to be suffered to pass with Impunity; but when
these men embody themselves, sally forth with arms in their Hands,
and in a Warlike Manner attempt to dispossess the peaceable Inhabit-
ants of the County lately laid out and Established by Act of Assembly,
within the known bounds of the Province, it is a procedure of so dan-
gerous a Tendency as not only to threaten the Destruction of that
In&nt County, but strikes at the Peace of the whole Province.
<' I think it therefore Incumbent on me. Gentlemen, to recommend
this Matter to your most serious Consideration, and to request you
142 mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
will Fall upon such Measures as will Strengthen the Hands of Govem-
ment on this Extraordinary and Alarming Occasion, repel the Violence
of these lawless Intraders, and afford the Petitioners that Immediate
Protection and Belief which Necessities and Situation Bequire.
"JOHN PENN."
A long and spirited correspondence took place between
the Governor of the Colony of Connecticut, and John
Penn, in reference to the pending difficulty, which may
be found at length, commencing on page 118 of Volume
X., of the Colonial Records. All propositions to settle
the difficulty proved unavailing, and the Assembly finally
instructed the Governor to issue a proclamation to the
magistrates and officers of Northumberland county, to
be vigilant in the discharge of their duty, and see that
the intruders from Wyoming no longer impose upon
the Pennsylvania settlers. The proclamation is long
and quite spicy. It may be found on the 153d page of
the same volume.
It appears that Zebulon Butler, of Wyoming, had
issued a notice and distributed it through Northumber-
land county, that he was appointed a justice by the
authorities of Connecticut, whereupon Governor Penn,
in his proclamation, most strictly forbids the people to
pay any attention whatever to him, as he has no right
to act in this Province.
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 143
CHAPTER XIX.
TROUBLES COKTINITE — ^ABRIVAL OF AN ARMED FORCE AT WAR-
RIOR RUN FROM WTOMING — DEPOSITION OF PETER SMITH —
SETTLERS DRIVEN OFF BT COLONEL PLUNKETT — GREAT EX-
CITBMBNT — PLUNKETT'S INVASION OF WYOMING — HIS DEFEAT
AND SUDDEN RETREAT.
The spirit of the respective parties ran high. The
Connecticut people were determined to occupy the
valuable lands of the West Branch, and the Pennsyl-
vania settlers were determined that they should not.
The former claimed the land as belonging to them, and
the latter insisted that they had no right to it, and
determined to resort to force for their expulsion, if
they did not peaceably leave. A crisis was inevitably
approaching which could not be averted. The authori-
ties of Pennsylvania had issued instructions to the
officers of Northumberland county, which could not be
mistaken.
On the 22d of September, 1775, William Maclay
vmtes from Sunbury to J. Shippen, Jr. The following
extract from his letter is in reference to the Connecticut
troubles :
'^ The Congress at the last meeting ordered the Memorials respecting
the Connectiout Intnudon, to lye on their Table to the next Meeting,
on the 6th of Sepr, in the mean Time their Del^ates were directed
144 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
to enjoin a Peaceable Behaviour on their People ; the 5th of Sepr is
come and past, the Injunction therefore is no longer binding, accord-
ing to their mode of reasoning — ^we never had more rumor about
them, and their Designs ; Sam Wallis haa just now been with me
respecting the Conduct of one Vincent, who lives near Mr. Modie —
this man was some time ago appointed a Connecticut Magistrate, and
is now at Wioming, in order to pilot down 300 of them to the West
Branch, his son was with him, and is returned, and gives out, that
his Father only waited untill the Armament would be ready. Wallis
says he has taken some Pains to examine into the story, and for his
part veryly believes it to be true ; if so, we shall soon hear of them,
they have lately been at great pains to enlist their Adherents among
Us into the 24th or Butler's Regiment. It b highly probable that
every motion of the People at Wioming, is in Consequence of Orders
from the Colony of Connecticut, if so, it is incontrovertible That thej
intend, perfas nefasque, to possess themselves of the Country. It
seems mysterious They should be so intent upon pushing their In-
oroachments so far Southward into the Pennsylvania Settlement,
while the Lands west of Wioming, large and quite unoccupied, are
quite disregarded ; perhaps a west Line &om the most Southern Set-
tlement they can effect, by Art or Force may be contemplated by
them, as the Boundary of their future Empire, That is, in case they
intend to leave Pennsylvania a name or Place at all among the
Colonys."
It appears that his fears were justly founded that an
armed body of men, from Wyoming, were about to make
a descent upon the West Branch. The following letter,
however, from J. Sluman and WiUiam Judd, two of the
Connecticut leaders, addressed to William Plunkett, at
Sunbury, on the 25th of September, from Warrior Run,
would not tend to create that impression. But it was
doubtless intended to deceive them :
" Sir, — This acquaints you that we arrived at this place on Saturday
Evening last, with a number of other men, purposing to view the
Vacant Lands in this Branch of the Susqhh River, and to make a
Settlement on the Vacant Lands if we find any place or places that
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 145
shall be agreeable. And as this may be a matter of much Conversa-
tion among the present Inhabitants, we are willing to aoqnaint yon
the principles on which we are come. In the first place we Intend no
Hostilities, we will not Disturb, Molest or Endeavor to Dispossess any
Person of his property, or any ways abuse his person by Threats or
any action that shall tend Thereto. And as we are Commissioners of
the peace for the Colony of Connecticat, we mean to be governed by
the Laws of that Colony, and shall not Refuse the Exercise of the
Law to those of the Inhabitants that are now Dwellers here on their
Request, as the Colony of Connecticut Extended last May their Juris-
diction over the Land. Finally, as we are Determined to govern our-
selves as abovementioned, we Expect that those who think the Tittle
of this Land is not in this Colony, will give us no uneasiness or Dis-
turbance in our proposed settlement."
Contrary to the declarations expressed in this com-
munication, ^^ tJud we intend no hostilities j* but one or two
days elapsed before intelligence reached Siinbury, that
an armed force, supposed to consist of three hundred
men, had, arrived at Freeland's Mill,* on Warrior Run.
It was supposed to be a detachment from Colonel But-
ler*s regunent, and made up of "Connecticut intruders,"
as they expressed it. They brought neither women nor
children, and, immediately on their arrival, commenced
intrenching themselves in a strong position.
The report of the arrival of this armed band, spread
through the thinly settled county, with the rapidity of
wild fire. Preparations were speedily made to resist
them with force of arms, if necessary. A company of
fifty men immediately left Fort Augusta, to unite with
other companies, from various parts of the county, to
'^meet and demand the reason of this intrusion and hos-
tile appearance."
The following deposition of Peter Smith, taken before
* Vide Pennsylrania Archives, Vol. III., page 662, 3, 4, 5.
10
146 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
Robert Robb, Esq., one of the Justices of the Peace for
the County of Northumberland, will throw some addi-
tional light on this matter :
'' Northumberlaiid County, ss.
'^ Before me, one of his Majesty's Justices assigned to keep the
Peace for said County, personally appeared, Peter Smith, who being
sworn according to Law, Deposeth and saith, that on the evening of
Monday, the twenty-fifth of September last, this Deponent went to
the house of Gkurret Freeland, of the Warrior's Run, and there saw a
number of men from Wyoming on Guard in a School house, who
pressed him much to join with them, and acquainted him that they
were come to enforce the Connecticut Laws, and Settle the Vacant
Land, and sundrie fair promises to him if he would join with them.
This Deponent saith he was then advised to go to the house of John
Vincent, on the Warrior's Run, which he did, and there saw a num-
ber of men paraded and under arms, amongst whom was one they
called the Major, who informed the men that he expected they would
be attacked that night or the next Morning, and exhorted ihem to
stand together like men, that they were come to enforoe the Connec-
ticut Laws, & Settle the Vacant Lands, and that they would do it
or die every man on the spot, and for the honor of their Country,
that they would behave better than a party of them that had gone
before some time ago, who run away or were taken prisoners, and
also if this party were too small to effect their design, they would
send to Connecticut, and their Government would send them Two
Thousand men. He the said Major, advised the men to sleep with
their arms by them, and their Pouches and Horns about their Necks,
that they might be ready in a minutes notice. And further, this
Deponent heard one whom he took to be a Captain, speak to Major
Judd, and say that there was a fence that would be much in the way,
if they were obliged to draw up their men in that place, and that he
thought it would be proper to move it away, and Major Judd said he
would speak to Mr. Vincent about it, so he bid the men good night,
and went into the house. This Deponent followed him into the
house, and desired to speak with him ; Major Judd asked if he, this
Deponent, and was answered he was no foe ; then Major Judd read
this Deponent a number of Papers, which he said was orders from
Government, the contents of which this Deponent cannot recollect ;
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 147
he then said if he would join with him, he would warrant him a hun-
dred acreS; as also every one that would do so and come under their
Laws, which this Deponent refused, so the Major said they that are
not for us, are against us, and likewise said the Major, those that will
not joyn us if we get the Land, we will use them accordingly ; This
Deponent then said, that if he could not get Land without fighting
for it he would take what he had and leav the parts entirely/'
This deposition was duly signed, and swom to, the 5th
day of October, 1775.
Whatever became of this large force, or whether it
was an exaggeration, is nowhere stated. It is evident
that some mistake must exist, or the facts have been
grossly perverted. Mr. Miner, in his history of Wyo-
ming, when speaking about the difficulties on the West
Branch, does not allude to an armed force having been
despatched there.
strange as it may seem, after having positive evi-
deuce that a large body of armed men actually came
from Wyoming, Mr. Miner goes on to state, that in Sep-
tember the ^^ settlement was comparatively small and
unsupported, and offered an inviting prize to the cupidi-
ty of those who, at some risk, shoidd think proper to
seize it. And that in the same month, September,
1775, Colonel Plunkett, under orders from the Govern-
ment, detailed a strong force from the Northumberland
militia, and marched to break up the settlements at
Charleston and Judea. The spirit or extent of resist-
ance, is no where preserved, but is presumed to have
been inconsiderable. One life was lost, and several per-
sons of the Connecticut party were wounded. It has
not been ascertained whether any loss was sustained by
the Pennsylvania troops. After burning the buildings,
and gathering together, for distribution among the vie-
148 mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
tors, all the moveable property, the men taken were
marched as prisoners, and confined in Sunbury jail;
while the women and children were sent to Wyoming,
where most of them had relations and friends.
Where was the brave Major Judd, who harangued
his men so valorously a few days before at Warrior
Run, and desired them to fight till they would die, be-
fore they should yield to the Northumberland militia ?
Where was he, with his warlike party, that the resist-
ance oflfered to Colonel Plunkett should have been " in-
considerable ?" He must have been there, for Colonel
Franklin states in his journal that he was taken prisoner
with Joseph Sluman, Esq., and sent to the Philadelphia
jail!
Franklin's account of this alBfair was, that Plunkett
had a force of about five hundred men, and that the
Connecticut folks were only about eighty strong. He
is evidently in error, too, for it is doubtful whether so
large a force could have been raised on the West Branch
at that time. I am satisfied that the accounts on both
sides were very much exaggerated. But it is neverthe-
less true, that Plunkett did march against them and
drove them ojBf by force. Numbers were carried to Sun-
bury and imprisoned. Plunkett acted under the in-
structions of John Penn, Governor of the Province, who
ordered that the laws must be obeyed, and that all
expence incurred in this duty would be defrayed by the
government.
Thus was the Connecticut settlement on the West
Branch broken up, and never afterwards renewed, leav-
ing the disputed territory in full possession of the Penn-
sylvania claimants.
On the 27th of October, 1775, the Assembly of the
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 149
Province of Pennsylvania, having had the subject of
these troubles under consideration, came to the conclu-
sion that the settlers had done their duty, and resolved,
*^ That the Inhahitants of the County of Northumberland^ settled
under the Jurisdiction of this Province, were justifiable, and did their
duty in repelling the said Intruders, and preventing the further Ex-
tension of their settlements," &c.
Great excitement prevailed on both sides, and a num-
ber of boats belonging to Wyoming, and trading down
the river, were seized as they passed Fort Augusta, and
their cargoes confiscated. Colonel Plunkett, probably
elated with his late success, commenced making prepa-
rations to march against Wyoming itself, for the pur-
pose of driving the settlers therefrom.
On receipt of the contemplated invasion, the greatest
excitement prevailed throughout the settlement at Wyo-
ming, and an agent was sent to lay the condition of
things before Congress, and solicit their friendly inter-
position. Preparations, however, were made to resist
the expected attack, and every man capable of bearing
arms, was directed to hold himself ready at a moment's
notice. It was in the winter time. Between two and
three himdred men enrolled themselves.
On the 20th of December, the invading army was
reported to be approaching the settlement as rapidly as
they could, considering the great quantities of ice in the
river. The prayers of the people went up, in humble
petitions, for the ice to prevent their further progress.
About this time Congress interposed, and adopted the
following important resolution :
'' Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Congress and it is accord-
ingly recommended, that the contending parties immediately cease all
150 mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
hostilities, and avoid every appearance of force until the dispute can
be legally decided. That all property taken and detained, be imme-
diately restored to the original owners; that no interruption be given
to either party, to the free passing and repassing, if behaving them-
selves peaceably, through the disputed territory, as well by land as
by water, without molestation of either persons or property ; that all
persons seized and detained on account of said dispute on either side,
be dismissed aiid permitted to go to their respective homes, and that
things being put in the same situation they were before the late un-
happy contest, they continue to behave themselves peaceably on their
respective possessions and improvements, until a legal decision can be
had on said dispute, or this Congress shall take further order thereon,
and nothing herein done, shall be construed in prejudice of the claim
of either party."
This important resolution did not come in time to
arrest the attack of Plunkett and his army on Wyoming
— ^he had arrived on the 23d of December, near to the
settlement. The account of the battle is given as fol-
lows by Mr. Miner in his History of Wyoming :
'^ Col. Zebulon Butler, who commanded the Yankees, by the most
strenuous exertions had mustered about three hundred men and boys,
but there were not guns enough to arm the whole, and several ap-
peared on the ground with scythes fastened upon handles projecting
straight as possible; a formidable weapon in the hands of an active
soldier, if they should be brought to close quarters, but otherwise
useless. These weapons the men sportively called ^ the end of time.'
On the night of the 23d, he encamped on a flat near the union of
Harvey's creek with the river. From this point he despatched Major
John Gkurrett, his second in command, to visit Col. Plunkett with a
flag, and desire to know the meaning of his extraordinary movements,
and to demand hb intentions in approaching Wyoming with so im-
posing a military array? The answer given was, that he came peace-
ably as an attendant on Sheriff Cook, who was authorised to arrest
several persons at Wyoming, for violating the laws of Pennsylvania,
and he trusted there would be no opposition to a measure so reasonable
and pacific. Maj. Garrett reported that the enemy outnumbered the
Yankees more than two to one. ' The conflict will be a sharp one,
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. I5l
boys/ said he. ' I for one am ready to die, if need be, for mj coun-
try.' Things wore a different aspect from what they had done for-
merly. Men then, were almost the only inhabitants. Now the Val-
ley abounded with old men, women and children, brought out by the
confidence inspired by three years of peace and prosperity. It was a
season of gloomy apprehension.
** Col. Butler was humane as he was brave — ^polite as he was un-
daunted. Several positions existed below the Nanticoke falls where
the river leaves the valley, and takes its way for four or five miles be-
tween precipitous mountains, where a stand might have been made
with almost certain success. It was thought better, however justifia-
ble as would have been such a course, to wait the attack within the
valley itself. Orders were also given to this effect — not to take life
unless rendered unavoidable in self-defence. Leaving Ensign Mason
Fitch Alden, with eighteen men on the ground where he had bivou-
acked, Col. Butler retired on the morning of the 23d, and detached
Gapt. Stewart with twenty men across to the east side of the river,
above the Nanticoke &lls, with orders to lie in ambush, and prevent
any boat's crew from landing on that shore.
'* On the morning of the 24th, about 11 o'clock, Ensign Alden was
apprised of the approach of Plunkett and his army, who came up
with martial music playing. Keeping at a respectful distance, no shot
was fired from either side, and Alden joining Col. Butler, reported
the approach of the foe.
" Displaying his columns on the flat just abandoned by the Yan-
kees, Col. Plunkett directed a spirited advance in pursuit of Alden,
not doubting but the main forces of the Yankees were near, and the
hour of battle had come. In less than thirty minutes the advancing
line was arrested by the word. Halt ! and Plunkett, who was in the
front a little on the right, observing Col. Butler's position, was heard
to exclaim, * My God I what a breastwork I'
'^ Harvey's creek coming in from the north, cuts the high moun-
tain which here approaches the river, deep to its base. A precipitous
ledge of rocks, from near the summit, runs southerly to the river,
presenting to the west by south a lofty natural barrier, for a mile along
the ravine; and where the defence was not perfect. Col. Butler had
made it so by ramparts of logs, so that it would require a powerful, as
well as bold enemy, to dislodge him. Nothing could have been more
perfectly military than the selection of the spot, and the whole prepa-
rations of defence. So it was regarded by hb soldiers. Mr. John
162 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Carey says in respect to the conduct of Col. Butler, in all that affair :
< I loved the man — ^he was an honor to the human species/ Such a
declaration speaks the merits of Col. Butler in language more impres-
sive than the most lahored eulogium. To take life was not the object,
but orders were given for a general discharge all along the line of the
defence by platoons, so as to impress Col. Plunkett with a proper idea
of the strength and spirit of its defenders. No one was hurt, but
considerable confusion was seen to prevail in his ranks as Plunkett's
men recoiled from the formidable breastwork. A boat was forthwith
despatched by him, with a number of soldiers to the opposite shore,
it being the intention of the invaders to cross over and enter the set-
tlement by a way apparently less obstructed, for Sheriff Cook to serve
his civil process. The passage of the boat and crew was watched by
both parties with intense anxiety. A few minutes decided its fate.
As it approached the shore, Capt. Stewart opened a fire, which wound-
ed one man, and killed a dog that was on board, probably spe-
cially aimed at, when instantly pulling their oars with a will, the
men gained the suction of the falls, through which they sped among
the breakers with the rapid flight of an arrow, fortunately without
further injury.
'^ Thus closed the battle for the day. Col. Plunkett retired and
encamped on the ground occupied by Col. Butler two nights pre-
viously. Early on the ensuing morning the contest was renewed. Col.
Plunkett returning to the attack, and determining to outflank the
Yankees, while at the same moment he would storm the breastwork.
His troops displayed ; they approached the line of Yankee defence,
covering themselves by trees and loose rocks which lay below, and
opened a spirited fire all along the line. While he thus assailed Col.
Butler in front, a detachment of his most determined and alert men
was sent up the mountain on the left, by a rapid march, concealed as
much as possible, to turn the right flank of the Connecticut people.
But this danger having been foreseen, and guarded against, the flank-
ing party was repelled. During this contest several lives were lost,
and a number on both sides wounded, how many, no record has been
kept. A son of Surveyor General Lukens fell in the engagement ; a
fine young man deeply lamented on all sides ; but it was the fortune
of war.
" A circumstance truly affecting grew out of this battle. A great
portion of the male population on the upper waters of the Susque-
hanna, it is known^ in after times sawed lumber during the winter,
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 153
and descended with it in rafts to market in the spring. The most
cordial good understanding had for many years subsisted between the
Yankee raftsmen and the inhabitants below ; the hitter being remark-
able for their hospitality and kindness. A person who was in the
battle saw one of Plunkett's men approach with great intrepidity very
near the Yankee line^ who, taking shelter behind a rock to load, would
step out and fire wherever he could bring his rifle to bear. Already
several men had fiedlen — the blood was up ; it had become a matter of
life or death, and the aims became more close and deadly. The re-
lator watched the opportunity, and as the head of Plunkett's brave
soldier rose above the rocks, he fired, and the man fell. After the
battle was decided, going to the place, the relator found a hat-band
cut by a bullet ; the man and the hat were gone.
'' Being down the river on a raft, many years afterwards, and stay-
ing all night with a fine hospitable old gentleman, they talked of Wy-
oming, and the ancient troubles there. * I lost a beloved son in the
Plunkett invasion,' said the aged father, as a tear fell. ' See here,'
producing a hat perforated by a ball, ' the bullet must have cut the
band.' The narrator said he never before experienced the depth of
the calamities of war — the scene was most painful. Of course he
did not avow the deed, but most deeply deplored it, although never
doubting he was doing right at the time, and under the circumstances,
in defending his home from the invaders.
" Finding Col. Butler's position too strong to be carried by storm.
Col. Plunkett concluded his rash enterprise by a retreat. On Christ-
mas day he withdrew his troops, they marching as they had come up,
on the west side of the river. In the mean time, a party of the Yan-
kees followed on the east side, with a view to capture one of the boats,
but Mr. Harvey, who was a prisoner on board, calling to them not to
fire, for they might injure their friends, they returned and left the
retreating army to pass down without further pursuit.^'
Thus ended the memorable Plunkett invasion of Wy-
oming, in December, 1775. It was certainly ill-timed,
rash, and injudicious, but such was the character of the
man, " when invested with a little brief authority." He
returned to Fort Augusta with his army, considerably
chop fallen in spirits, and a worse opinion of the " Yan-
kee intruders" than ever.
154 HISTO&r OF THS WEST BRANCH VALLBT.
The difficulties between the two States, Connecticiit
and Pennsylvania, after long, intricate, and tedious Etir
gation, were ultimately decided in favor of the latter, in
1801 ; and so the trouble ended.
HI8TQKI Off XHS WB8T BBANOH YALLET. 165
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HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRAKGH YALLET. 165
CHAPTER XX.
INDIAN NAME OF MUNOY CRBBK — MUNCY MANOR — ^NAMBS OF THE
SETTLERS UPON IT — MUNCY FARM — NUMBER OF ACRES IN IT —
MONTOUR'S RESERVE — INDIAN NAME OF LOYAL SOCK AND LYCO-
MING— ^BEL TOWN, NEWALBGAN'S CABINS, AO.
A pdboe of land was surveyed on the flats south of
Muncy Creek as early as 1768, and called the "Muncy
Manor." It contained sixteen hundred and fifteen acres
and allowances, and belonged to the Proprietaries of
Pennsylvania. It was probably first occupied by the
Connecticut settlers from Wyoming.
It is worthy of mention that on the arrival of the
first white men at this point, they found a fine meadow
near the mouth of Glade Run, on the south side.
The Indian name of Muncy Creek — at least the one
given the oftenest in the old papers — ^is what may be
denominated a ^^ hard one." It was called OccohpocJienyj
and by some tribes Loneaerango. The level land around
the south side of the creek was called Oceohpoekeny flais.
Pronounced, Oko-po-cheny.
Orders were given by the Proprietaries of the Muncy
Manor, on the 15th day of May, 1776, to have it divided
into farms or lots. The survey was made, and an excel-
lent draft executed, which is yet in a good state of
preservation. The following is the report of the sur-
156 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
veyors, giving the size of the lots, and the settlers
thereon, which accompanies the draft. It may be relied
upon for correctness. It is a valuable, as well as inter-
esting, document :
''No. 1. — Containing Three hundred acres and 189 perches and an
idlowance of six per cent. &c. Settled on and improved by Mordecai
McKinney.
''No. 2. — Containing Two hundred and ninety-nine acres ft an half
and allowance, &c. Settled on ft improved by Peter Smith ft Pkoliu
Sheep.
"No. 8. — Containing Three hundred acres and seventyHsix perches,
and allowance as afd. Settled on and improved by John Brady.
No. 4. — Containing Three hundred acres & 61 perches & allowance,
&c. Settled on and improved by Caleb Knapp.
"No. 5. — Containing Three hundred & one acres & 105 perches k
allowance, &c. Settled on and improved by John Scudder who is
displeased with the manner in which it is laid out alledging there is
not Timber sufficient on it for Fencing &c. and desires his Lott may
be laid out agreeably to the red lines (which contains Two hundred k
fifty-four acres & 74 perches & allowce &c.) which would greatly lesson
the value of the Lott Brady possesses — ^The S 30 E Line runs thro'
of Brad/s Improvement & takes near all the Bail Timber from Bra^
dy's Lott, that is on the south side of the Glade Run, so that upon the
whole we judge it most convenient, and to the general advantage of
the Plantations that the black line show'd remain as the Boundary
between Brady & Scudder, we have therefore laid down Scudder's
complaint that it may be judged of by His Honour the Grovemor.
"It is by no means convenient that any of the Plantations showed
cross the Creek as the banks on the north side are high, and the Creek
in time of Freshets flows so very Considerable that it is thereby ren-
dered impassable for several days — It is settled on & improved by
Jerome Vanest & John Young as described in the Draft &c. — ^in
Young's Improvt, thirty acres & in Vanest's sixtyrseven acres."
Signed,
Jo. J. Wallis,
Jno. Henderson.
To Jno. Lukens^ Esqr., Surv'r General.
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 157
The large tract of land called the Muncy Farm, but now
better known as "Hall's Farms," contained thirty-nine
hundred acres, and originally belonged to Samuel Wallis.
Fort Muncy was built on it, near where the old mansion-
house stands, on Carpenter's Run. In 1802, it was sold
at sheriff's sale, as the property of Samuel Wallis, by
Sheriff Vanderslice. It is now divided and subdivided
into numerous farms, all owned by Mrs. Hall.
Andrew Montour, the Indian interpreter and agent,
who always proved friendly to the whites, and was
much esteemed by them, had a grant of land, from the
government, at the mouth of Loyal Sock Creek. It con-
tained eight hundred and eighty acres, including both
sides of the creek, and was given to him in consideration
of his valuable services. It was surveyed the 3d of
November, 1769, and called "Montour's Reserve." The
name of Andrew Montour is perpetuated in the beautiful
and flourishing village of MontoursviUe, which is located
upon his "Reserve."
As early as 1769, Thomas Brown settled and made
an improvement two miles up Loyal Sock. He was one
of the fird settlers in that region. The Indian name
for the creek was Stonehauge.
A large and populous Indian town was located at the
mouth of Loyal Sock Creek, on the north side. It is
r apposed to have been the Otstuagy, mentioned by Conrad
Weiser. The land here was applied for by John Campbell.
Joseph Bonser was an early settler above Loyal Sock,
on the small stream that still bears his name. At the
point where the great Sheshequin path intersected the
nm, Rev. David Brainerd first met, and preached the
Gospel, to the Indians west of Muncy hills. This was
in 1746 — ^more than one hundred years ago.
158 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLE7.
A manor, containing five hundred and seventy-nine
acres, was surveyed on the east side of Lycoming Creek,
the 20th of March, 1769, by William ScuD, for the
Proprietary, John Penn.
A man named Thompson, settled at an early day on
Lycoming Creek, about five miles fi'om the mouth, where
an Indian village called Eel town stood. It was in a
sharp bend of the stream. A settlement was also made
at a place called Newalegan's cabins, one mile above Eel
town, at an early period.
The Indian name for Lycoming Creek appears to have
been Lacormck. It is spelled various ways in the old
papers, however, but this appears to have been the most
generally used. Hence it will readily be perceived how
easy it was for the whites to corrupt the name into
Lycoming.
It would have been much better to have preserved
the original names of the streams, as there is always a
peculiar beauty about them that is to be admired. These
names, although they may appear outlandish to some,
and hard of pronunciation, always had a meaning which
was significant. I regret exceedingly that I am unable
to give the translation of any of them. I will give a
few of the names of those persons who made early im-
provements on the south side of the river.
In 1768, Edward Burd, settled and made a smnll
improvement on the river, five miles above the mouth
of Buffalo Creek. His claim included an Indian town,
probably where New Columbia now stands.
Richard Steel made an improvement in White Deer
Hole Valley, before 1769. An Indian named Cochnehaw^
had a wigwam, for a long time, near the mouth of White
Deer Hole Creek, for hunting purposes. An Indian
HI8I0BY OF THE WEST BBANGH VALLET. 159
town, and the remains of a fortification, also stood on
Bkck Hole Bottom. At this time White Deer Creek
was called White Flint Creek.
Edmund Huff, as early as 1768, settled and made an
improvement on the land now embraced in the farm of
General McMicken, in Nipponese Bottom.
As Lycoming Creek was the boundary of the Province
on the north side of the river, and occupied by the
Indians, it is thought best to devote a chapter or two to
that portion, and enumerate the names of the principal
original settlers who took possession of the land in
violation of the laws of the State, as forming a very
interesting part of the work.
160 HISTOBT OF THB WEST BRANCH VALLET.
CHAPTER XXI.
SETTLEMENTS WEST OF LTCOMING CREBE — ^NAMBS OF THE SBT-
TLERS — PROCLAMATION OP GOVERNOR PENN — NO ATTENTION
PAID TO IT — THE DISPUTED TERRITORY TAKEN UP — THE
HUGHES AND TONER SETTLE NEAR PINE RUN.
That portion of the West Branch Valley above Ly-
coming Creek, had frequently been visited by the Scotchr
Irish rangers from Eattatinny Valley, long before any
permanent settlements were made, in their excursions
after the Indians ; and they did not fail to notice its
romantic beauty and extreme fertility. No sooner was
the purchase of 1768 known, than a crowd of hardy
adventurers pushed westward, to occupy the land.
So great was the pressure when the land office was
opened in April, it was found necessary to decide the
priority of location by lottery. The purchases were also
limited to three hundred acres for each individual, at £6
per 100 acres, and one penny per acre quit-rent. An
allotment was also made of 104,000 acres of land to the
officers of the Provincial regiments who had served
during the Indian campaigns, and were desirous of set-
tling together. About this time the dispute arose whe-
ther Lycoming was the Tiadaghton of the Indians, or
Pine Creek, which was the boundary of the purchase,
mentioned in the treaty. The question remained unset-
tled for sixteen years. During this time it was not the
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 161
desire of the government that the land should be occu-
pied for fear of insulting the Indians, and inciting them
to violence.
Notwithstanding this fact, however, the temptation was
too great, and settlers commenced locating upon the dis-
puted territory, and made improvements. Joseph Haines
appears to have been the first settler, at the mouth of
the creek, on the west side. He located there in 1773,
and made an improvement.
Captain Simon Cool settled at the mouth of Larry's
Creek in 1772. This creek, it may as well be men-
tioned here, inherits its name from an Indian trader
named Larry Burt, who was married to an Indian wo-
man, and had a cabin, which stood a few yards above
where the bridge now crosses the stream. It is nowhere
stated at what time he located here, but it is presumed
to have been about 1770. In 1768, John Henry made
an improvement nearly opposite the mouth of Nippenose
Creek.
As early as 1770, James Armstrong settled on the
land at the upper end of Jersey Shore, now embraced
in the farm of Mark Slonaker, Esq., where he erected a
cabin and cleared a patch of ground. In 1773, James
Alexander ascended Pine Creek, to where Henry Tomb
now resides, and made an improvement.
In 1773, Robert King, John King, and Adam King,
came and settled on the west side of Pine Creek, where
they only remained about a year, when they abandoned
the place under the impression that the land was not
good, and located below Larry's Creek on the hills. They
were much mistaken. The land above Pine Creek at
that time was destitute of large timber, and covered with
11
162 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
small bushes and underbrush, familiarly known as
^' barrens." Now, this beautiful plain contains some of
the best farms in the State.
WiUiam McElhattan settled on the south side of the
river, on the stream of water now bearing his name, at a
very early period. Mention is made of him having a
small mill there in 1771-2. This was in Northumber-
land county, it will be observed.
In 1772, an improvement was made opposite the
Great Island, by Samuel Harris. On the 20th of No-
vember, 1774, he conveyed it to William Dunn. The
tract embraced three hundred acres, and included the
Indian village, which stood, probably, where Dunnstown
now stands. Dunn also became the owner of the island,
which was a famous place with the Indians. It contains
three hundred acres.
The earliest settlement, of which I have any account,
that was made up the river on the south side, was by a
man named Clarey Campbell, from the Juniata. His
cabin stood on the river, in the upper part of Lock
Haven. In 1776, a trial took place between him and
William Glass, who claimed his land. Charles Lukens,
Deputy Surveyor of Berks county, being a witness, tes-
tified as follows : " When I went up in March, 1769, to
make the Officers' Surveys, I found Clarey Campbell liv-
ing on this land with his family."
John Long, a silversmith, from Juniata also, settled
above and adjoining Clarey Campbell, about the same
time.
Two families settled about the mouth of Young Wo-
man's Creek, as early as 1770, or 1771, and made some
improvements. One of their names was Reed.
mSTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 163
The settlements on the north side of the river, and
west of Lycoming Creek, were made in violation of the
laws of the Province, on land yet impurchased from the
Indians. It seemed that the hardy adventurers of that
period, knowing the danger that they would incur, could
not resist the temptation of taking possession of these
beautiful lands. The Indians looked upon these en-
croachments with alarm. They beheld their favorite
hunting grounds taken and appropriated by the whites.
True to the Indian character, they remonstrated, but in
vain. On complaint being made, the Provincial Govern-
ment became alarmed, and at a meeting of the Council,
held at Philadelphia, the 18th of September, 1773, re-
ference was made to this matter, as follows :
'^ The Governor informed the Board that he had received Informa-
tion that several Families had lately seated themselves on Lands on
the North side of the West Branch of Susquehanna^ beyond the
Boundaries of the last purchase made of the Indians at the Treaty of
Fort Stanwix, and it being Considered that the making settlements on
the Indian's Lands would create Great uneasiness among them, and if
not immediately removed, and prevented for the future, might be at-
tended with Fatal Consequences, it was the opinion of the Board that
a Proclamation, commanding the Magistrates and other Peace Officers
to enforce and Carry the Laws for preventing Persons settling on any
of the unpurchased Lands in this Province into Execution, against
all Persons who had already made any such settlements, or should
hereafter Transgress the same Law 3 The Secretary was accordingly
directed to prepare a Draught of a Proclamation for that purpose.'^
The Proclamation was immediately drawn up by the
Secretary, and approved by the Governor, on the 20th
of September, 1773. Orders were given forthwith, to
have it published throughout the Province. It is given
as follows, in full :
164 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
" By the Honourable John Penn, Esquire, Governor and Comman-
der-in- Chief of the Province of Pennsylvania, and Counties of
New- Castle, Kent, and Sussex, on Delaware.
"a proclamation*
<< Whereas, I have received information that several 111 disposed
Persons, in Disobedience to His Majesty^s express orders, and in di-
rect Violation of the Laws, have Lately presumed to seat themselres
upon Lands within the Limits of this Province, not as yet purchased
of the Indians : And Whereas, the making such Settlements doth
greatly tend to irritate the minds of the Indians, and may be prodac-
tive of dangerous and Fatal consequences to the Peace and Safety of
His Majesty's good Subjects : Arid Whereas^ by an Act of General
Assembly of this Province, passed in the ninth year of His Majesty's
Reign, for preventing Persons from Settling upon Lands not par-
chased of the Indians, it is enacted, ' that if any Person or Persons,
after the Publication of this Act, either singly or in Companies, shall
presume to settle upon any Lands within the Boundaries of this Pro-
vince, not purchased of the Indians, or shall make, or cause any Sur-
veys to be made of any part thereof, or mark or cut down any Trees
thereon, with design to settle or appropriate the same to his own, or
the use of any other Person, or Persons whatsoever, every such per-
son or persons so offending, being legally Convicted thereof, in any
Court of Quarter Sessions of the County where such offenders shall
be apprehended (in which said Court the said offences are hereby
made Cognizable,) shall forfeit and pay for every such offence the sum
of Five hundred Pounds, and suffer Twelve Month's Imprisonment,
without Bail or Main-Prize, and shall moreover find Surety for Good
Behavior during the space of twelve Months from and after the Ex-
piration of the Term of such Imprisonment. I have therefore thought
Proper, by and with the advice of the Council, to issue this my Pro-
clamation, hereby strictly enjoyning and requiring all and every Per-
son and Persons, already settled or Residing on any Lands beyond the
Boundary Line of the Last Indian Purchase, immediately to evacuate
their illegal Settlements, and to depart and remove themselves firom
the said Lands without Delay, on pain of being prosecuted with the
♦ Vide Vol. X. Col. Records, and 95th page.
BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 165
utmost rigour of the Law. And I do hereby prohibit and forbid idl
His Majesty's Subjects of this, or any other Province or Colony, on
any pretence whatsoever, to intrude upon, Settle or Possess any of the
aforesaid unpurchased Lands, as they will answer the Contrary at their
Peril. And I do also hereby strictly Command and require all Ma-
gistrates, Sherifib, and other Peace officers within this Province, to
enforce and Carry into strict execution the said Act of General As-
sembly, as well against the present offenders in the Premises, as all
others who may hereafter Transgress the same.
*' Given under my Hand, and the Great Seal of the said Pro-
vince, at Philadelphia, the twentieth day of September, in
the thirteenth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord
George the Third, by the Grace of God of Great Britain,
France and Lreland, King, Defender of the Faith, and so
forth, and in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hun-
dred and seventy-three.
"JOHN PENN.
'' By His Honour's Command,
" Joseph Shippen, Junior, Secretary.
"GOD SAVE THE KING."
Notwithstanding this proclamation, and the punish-
ment that was to be inflicted upon all who violated it,
it appears that not the least attention whatever was paid
to it, and settlers quietly came in, and seated themselves
upon the forbidden lands. Whether any arrests were
made, does not appear, but it is presumed there were none.
In 1774, after this sharp proclamation had been
issued, Thomas Ferguson settled west of Lycoming
creek, on the farm now owned by Jaiifes Grier. A
family of Kings, named William, Joseph, and Reeder,
also settled near the mouth of the creek. Edmund Huff
settled one mile above the mouth, in the same year.
William McMein located here in 1774. Henry Dough-
erty came in 1775, and made some improvements.
In the same year, 1775, Andrew Armstrong settled
166 mSTOBY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
at a place called the " hig spring ^^ below Linden, on the
farm now occupied by Colonel A. Stewart.
John, James, and Thomas Hughes settled a short dis-
tance west of Linden in 1774. Bratton Caldwell, after-
wards noted as a fair play man, settled where John
Hughes now resides, the same year. John Toner also
settled in this neighborhood in 1773.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 167
CHAPTER XXII.
NAMES OF THE SETTLERS CONTINUED — ^THE VENERABLE MRS.
HAMILTON — FAIR PLAY MEN — THEIR MANNER OF DOING
BUSINESS — MODE OF EJECTMENT — THE CASE OF CLARK — A
MAGNANIMOUS SAVAGE — ^ANECDOTE OF PETER RODBY — FIRST
WEDDING.
Michael Seely settled and made some improvements
as early as 1775, about half a mile below whei^ Jersey
Shore now stands, on the bank of the river. During
the same year, Jacob Mattox settled on the land now
occupied by the town, and made an improvement also.
George Morrison settled on the land embraced in the
farm of Mrs. Ferguson, at the upper end of the town, in
1774. About the same time, Thomas Nichols settled
and made an improvement on the small stream now
bearing his name, and emptying into Pine Creek.
Benjamin Walker settled on the flat on the west side
of the first fork of Pine Creek, near where the M. E.
Church now stands, as early as 1775, and made an im-
provement.
Francis Clark settled on the farm now owned by
John Pfouts, a short distance above Jersey Shore, in
1774. Mention will be made of him again.
Edward McMasters settled on the point of land on
the west side of Pine Creek, in 1774. Robert Plunkett
168 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
also made some improvements there the same year, on
what is now known as the Crist and Simmons farms.
McMasters, it appears, left the settlement in 1775, and
immediately joined the American army at Cambridge.
Amongst other early settlers along the river, above
Pine Creek, may be mentioned the following : William
Campbell, Alexander Donaldson, Alexander Hamilton,
John Jackson,* Adam Carson, Henry McCracken, Rev.
Cornelius Kincaid, Adam Dewitt, and James Parr, after-
wards Captain Parr, in the Revolution.
I have been more particular in giving the names of
the settlers west of Lycoming Creek, and the time they
came, than at any other point, from the fact that this was
the disputed territory, and not recognized by the Pro-
vincial government. From this fact originated the Fak
Play system, which forms such an interesting feature in
the history of the Valley. These names and dates may
'**' Four miles above Jersey Shore, on the right of the main road leading
to Lock Haven, resides the venerable Mrs. Hamilton, in the 89th year of
her age. She was the daughter of Mr. Jackson, and came to this place
in 1773, from Orange county, N. Y., where she has lived till the present
time. She became the wife of Robert Hamilton, who is now dead.
When I visited this venerable old lady in June last, I found her with
her faculties bright and unimpaired, and as free and communicatiye as a
woman of fifly. She is an extraordinary woman, possessed of a strong
mind and very retentive memory. The scenes of the " Big Runaway/'
and the privations endured at that period, were fresh in her mind, and
she could relate them with remarkable accuracy and minuteness. All
the old settlers, already alluded to, were acquaintances of hers, and she
feelingly spoke of them. She is the only survivor, and gave me much
valuable information.
Mrs. Hamilton is a woman much esteemed and respected by a large
circle of acquaintances, for her many virtues and social qualities which
she possesses in an eminent degree. She is living in her mature old
age in comfortable circumstances, surrounded by her numerous descend-
ants, who are amongst the most respectable citizens of this part of the
Valley.
HISTOBY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 169
be relied upon as being strictly correct, as they were
taken from the official papers. Many more names
might be given, but these are deemed sufficient.
As I have already stated, this part of the Valley
being in dispute, and supposed to belong to the Indians,
the settlements were made in direct opposition to the
proclamation of the Governor, and the laws of the Pro-
vince, quoted in the foregoing chapter. Such being the
fact, then, they were considered a class of outlaws, liv-
ing beyond the pale of civilization, without any govern-
ment or organization.
In view of this fact, and being impressed with the
necessity of entering into some measures whereby an
organization and code of laws could be eflFected and
adopted for their better government and preservation,
as an ^independent republic in the midst of the wilder-
ness, the Fair Play system was first adopted.
The following note, from the 195th page of the second
volume of Smith's Laws, gives a very clear idea of the
fair play system :
"There existed a great number of locations of the 3d of April,
1769, for the choicest lands on the West Branch of Susquehanna,
between the mouths of Lycoming and Pine Creeks, but the proprie-
taries from extreme caution, the result of that experience, which had
also produced the very penal laws of 1768 and 1769, and the procla-
mation already stated, had prohibited any surveys being made beyond
the Lycoming. In the meantime, in violation' of all law, a set of
hardy adventurers had from time to time seated themselves on this
doubtful territory. They made improvements, and formed a very
considerable population. It is true, so far as regarded the rights of
real property, they were not under the protection of the laws of the
country ; and were we to adopt the visionary theories of some philoso-
phers, who have drawn their arguments from a supposed state of na-
ture, we might be led to believe that the state of these people would
have been a state of continual warfare ] and that in contests for pro-
170 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
perty the weakest must give way to the strongest. To preyent the
consequences, real or supposed, of this state of things, tkey formed a
mutual compact among themselves. They annually elected a triha-
nal, in rotation^ of three of their settlers, whom they called yatr-j>^^
meriy who were to decide all controversies, and settle disputed boun-
daries. From their decision there was no appeal. There could be
no resistance. The decree was enforced by the whole body, who
started up in mass, at the mandate of the court, and execution and
conviction was as sudden and irresistible as the judgment. Eveiy
new comer was obliged to apply to this powerful tribunal, and upon
his solemn engagement to submit in all respects to the law of the
land, he was permitted to take possession of some vacant spot. Their
decrees, were however, just; and when their settlements were recog-
nized by law, and fair play had ceased, their decisions were received
in evidence, and confirmed by judgments of courts."
Many of the names mentioned in this, and the pre-
vious chapter, were prominent fair play men. They
had a regular code of laws for their own government,
but it has been lost. I have made the most diligent
search and inquiry for it, but it never was preserved.
This is to be much regretted, as it would now be looked
upon as an interesting document.
It is stated in some authorities that the place of
holding the fair play courts, was where Chatham's mill
now stands, on the stream of the same name, some
distance below Lock Haven. But it is pretty clearly
established that they had no regular place of meeting,
or stated periods either, for the transaction of business.
The court could be convened at any place within the
territory over which it exercised jurisdiction, and on
short notice, to try any case that might be on hand.
In other words, the sittings of \h^ fair phy courts were
convened to suit the exigency of the case, without
regard to time or place.
When any person in the territory of the fair play men.
HISTORY OF THE WEST^ BRANCH VALLEIT. 171
refused to be governed by their decisions, and the laws
they had established for their guidance, it is stated that
he was immediately ejected from the district by being
placed in a canoe and rowed down to Lycoming Creek,
the boundary of civiUzation, and there sent adrift.
Many interesting cases, settled by the fair play men,
together with anecdotes, are related. Joseph Antes,
Esq., son of Colonel Antes, relates the following: —
Francis Clark, who, the reader will remember, was men-
tioned in the previous chapter, settled on the land now
owned by John Pfouts, a short distance above Jersey
Shore. By some means or other he got a dog in his
possession that belonged to an Indian. On learning
where the dog was, the Indian complained to the fair
play men that he had stolen it. They forthwith had
him arrested and tried for the alleged theft. He was
convicted, and sentenced to receive a certain number of
lashes. It was decided by lot who should flog him, by
placing a grain of com for each man, together with one
red grain, in a bag, and drawing them therefrom. The
man that would draw the red grain was to do the whip-
ping. It was drawn by Philip Antes, and preparations
were immediately made to carry the sentence into execu-
tion. On seeing that the punishment was about to be
inflicted, the Indian, who seems to have been a very
magnanimous savage, became sympathetic, and made a
proposition that if he would abandon the land where he
had settled, the punishment should be remitted. A few
minutes were allowed him for consideration, when he
acted upon the suggestion, and left. He settled in
Nipponese Valley, in 1795.
He conveyed the land he had taken up to Andrew
Boggs, who afterwards disposed of it to Samuel Camp-
bell, and he conveyed it to James Foster, &c.
172 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLBT.
An anecdote is related — ^which is illustrative oi fair
play principles — that once upon a time when Chief Jus-
tice McKean was holding Court in this district, he
inquired, partly from curiosity, and partly in reference
to the case before him, of a shrewd old Irishman, named
Peter Rodey, if he could tell him what the provisions
of the fair play code were. Peter's memory did not
exactly serve him as to details, and he could only conr
vey an idea of them by comparison, so, scratching his
head, he answered :
" All I can say is, that since your Honor's coorts have
come among us, fair play has entirely ceased, and law
has taken its place."
This sharp rejoinder created a good deal of merriment
in court, and the judge was satisfied to ask no more
impertinent questions, reflecting upon the legal tribunal
over which Peter had in turn presided.
The first wedding west of Lycoming Creek is said to
have taken place in the winter of 1775. The parties
married were Bratton Caldwell, and Miss Elcy Hughes.
The wedding took place at a cabin on the farm now
owned by Colonel George Crane. The party crossed
the river on the ice, and had quite a jollification on the
occasion.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 173
CHAPTER XXm.
PLEASANT PROSPECTS — CONFERENCE WITH THE INDIANS AT FORT
AUGUSTA — THEY RETIRE — DERR "DRBETS" THEM^— BRADY
UPSETS THE BARREL OF LIQUOR — COMMITTEE OF SAFETY —
NAMES OF OFFICERS — PETITION TO THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE —
SERIOUS DIFFICULTY WITH CAPTAIN ROBB, OF MUNCY TOWN-
SHIP— EXPLANATION.
The settlements rapidly extended up the valley —
houses were built — fields were cleared, and improve-
ments made. Everything betokened peace and pros-
perity. Although the hardy pioneers had many privar
tions to endure, they were contented, and labored
assiduously to clear the ground and sow their fields.
They looked forward with joy to the ripening of their
crops, when they would be able to obtain flour and
provisions of their own raising. They had brought
their families to the valley, and where the pappooses
of the Indians had played under the wide-spreading
branches of the mighty oak, the white children now
sported, and made the forest resound with the melody of
their voices. The axe of the sturdy pioneer resounded
on every hand, and the crash of the falling monarchs of
the forest, that had withstood the storms and tempests
of ages, caused the wild beasts to start from their lairs
and plunge further into the gloomy depths of the wilder-
ness. The proud Aborigine beheld the onward march
174 HISTORy OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
of civilization — ^he plainly saw the tracings of myste-
rious characters by the hand of destiny — ^he turned
aside and groaned in spirit that he must soon depart
towards the setting sun, and bid farewell forever to the
cherished scenes and happy associations of his youth.
It was a hard lot, but such was the decree of fate.
The valley filled up very rapidly with settlers from
one end to the other. All was hope, and excitement.
Contrasting their pleasures and enjoyments, with the
hard lot fate had in store for them, how appropriate
are the following beautiful lines from Gray :
" Fair laughs the morn, and soft the zephyr blows,
While proudly riding o'er the azure realm
In gallant trim the gilded vessel goes,
Youth on the prow, and pleasure at the helm ;
Regardless of the sweeping whirlwind's sway.
That, hushed in grim repose, expects his evening prey.**
But the settlers on the West Branch Valley were not
to remain long in this happy state of mind. The war
of the Revolution had now commenced, and the clangor
of arms resounded in the east. Soldiers were wanted
to fight the battles of liberty and freedom. The whole
country was in a state of confusion, which extended to
this region, and materially affected the settlements. As
the colonies were weak, and had a powerful foe to con-
tend with, almost superhuman exertions were made
to repel the invaders. It was also feared that they
would tamper with the Indians, and once more incite
them to deeds of violence and bloodshed. This was a
fearful anticipation, but hope, the anchor of the soul,
could not roll back the cloud that hung suspended over
the frontiers. Their anticipations were too true.
At this time the Seneca and Mousey tribes were in
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 175
considerable force, and Pine and Lycoming Creeks were
almost navigable to the State line for canoes. Fort
Augusta at that time was garrisoned by about fifty men,
under Col. Hunter. They were called " a fearless few^
Captain John Brady, at this time, suggested to his
friends at Fort Augusta, the propriety of making a treaty
with the Seneca and Monsey tribes, knowing them to be
at variance with the Delawares. By doing so, it was
thought that their friendship and assistance might be
secured against the Delawares, should they commence
any inroads upon the settlements. His proposition was
approved of, and petitions were sent to the Council pray-
ing that Commissioners might be appointed, and Fort
Augusta designated as the place of holding the con-
ference. The request was granted, and Commissioners
were appointed. Notice was given to the two tribes, by
Brady and two others, selected for the purpose.
They met the chiefs and laid before them the propo-
sition. They appeared to be delighted, and listened to
the proposal with pleasure. After smoking the pipe of
peace, and promising to attend at Fort Augusta on the
appointed day, they led them out of the camp, shook
hands with them cordially, and parted in seeming
friendship.
Brady, who was very shrewd, feared to trust the
friendship so warmly expressed, and took a different
route in returning with his company, to guard against
being waylaid and surprised.
On the day appointed for holding the treaty, the
Indians appeared with their wives and children. The
warriors numbered about one hundred, and were dressed
in their war costume. Care had been taken to make
the fort look as fierce as possible, and every man was at
his post.
176 HISTORY OF THE WEST BBANOH VAIXEY.
In former treaties, the Indians had received large pre-
sents, and were expecting them here ; but finding the
fort too poor to give anything of value, (and an Indian
never trusts,) all efforts to form a treaty with them
proved abortive. They left the fort, however, apparently
in good humor, and well satisfied with their treatment,
and taking to their canoes, proceeded homeward. The
remainder of the day was chiefly spent by the ofiElcers
and people of the fort in devising means of protection
against anticipated attacks of the Indians. Late in the
day, Brady thought of Derr s trading house, and fore-
boding evil from that point, mounted a small mare he had
at the fort, and crossing the North Branch, rode with all
possible speed. On his arrival, he saw the canoes of
the Indians on the bank of the river near Derr s. When
near enough to observe, he saw the squaws exerting
themselves to the utmost, at their paddles, to work the
canoes over to his side of the river ; and that when they
landed they made for thickets of sumach, which grew in
abundance on his* land to the height of a man's head,
and very thick upon the ground. He was not slow in
conjecturing the cause. He rode on to where the
squaws were landing, and saw that they were conveying
rifles, tomahawks and knives, into the sumach thickets,
and hiding them. He immediately jumped into a canoe
and crossed to Derr's trading house, where he found the
Indians brutally drunk. He saw a barrel of rum stand-
ing on end before Derr's door, the head out. He
instantly overset it, and spilled the rum, saying to
Derr, "My God, Frederick, what have you done?"
Derr replied : " Dey deUs me you gif urn no dreet town on
* The reader will remember this was where Brady first settled when
he oame to the Valley.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 177
de fort J 80 dinks as I gif urn one hersj ais he go home in
bease /"
One of the Indians, who saw the rum spilled, but was
unable to prevent it, told Brady he would one day rue
the spilling of that barrel. Being well acquainted with
the Indian character, he knew death was the penalty of
his offence, and was constantly on his guard.
Next day the Indians started off. They did not soon
attack the settlements, but carried arms for their allies,
the English, in other parts.
As the Revolution had become general, the most ac-
tive preparations were made to devise means of defence.
Companies of volunteers were raised, and every laudable
effort used to induce the patriots of that period to march
to the defence of their country. A central Committee
of Safety was established at Philadelphia; and Com-
mittees in the various counties were organized and under
the control of the Central Committee. The subordinate
Committees were in correspondence with the Central
one, and kept it posted up in every movement in their
respective districts.
A Committee of Safety for Northumberland county
was appointed. They held regular meetings, and kept a
record of their proceedings in a large book, kept for the
purpose. This book was given to Joseph G. Wallace, of
Lewisburg, (deceased,) many years ago, by his uncle.
Captain Gray, a Revolutionary hero. It contained the
names of the principal men of the County, the business
transacted at their meetings, &c., which was very inter-
esting. This book, it is to be regretted, has been car-
ried off and probably lost. The family should spare no
efforts to recover it, and preserve it as a precious relic
of the olden time.
12
I
178 HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLBT.
Sherman Day examined the book some fifteen years
ago, when he was collecting materials for his " Histori-
cal Collections of Pennsylvania/' and made a few ex-
tracts from it. He was compelled to be as brief as
possible, as the limits of his work would not permit of
lengthy extracts. To him, then, are we indebted for aO
that has been taken from that interesting, as well as
official document.
From it I learn that on the 8th of February, 1776,
the following gentlemen, being previously nominated by
the respective townships to serve in the Oommdttee for
the space of six months, met at the house of Richard
Malone, at the mouth of Chilisquaque Creek : For
Augusta township, John Weitzel, Esq., Alexand^
Hunter, Esq., Thomond Ball ; Mahoning township, Wil-
liam Cook, Esq., Benjamin Alison, Esq., Mr. Thomas
Hewet; Turbut township. Captain John Hambright,
Wm. McKnight, William Shaw; Muncy township,
Robert Robb, Esq., William Watson, John Buckalow;
Bald Eagle township, Mr. Wm. Dunn, Thos. Hughes,
Alexander Hamilton; Buffalo township, Mr. Walter
Clark, Wm. Irwin, Joseph Green; White Deer town-
ship, Walter Clarke, Matthew Brown, Marcus Hulings.
Captain John Hambright was elected chairman, and
Thomond Ball, clerk. The field officers of the battaUon
of the lower division of the county, were Samuel Hunt-
er, Esq., Colonel ; Wm. Cook, Lieutenant Colonel ; Cas-
per Weitzel, first Major ; Mr. John Lee, second Major.
Those of the upper battalion appear to have been Wm.
Plunkett, Colonel ; James Murray, Lieutenant Colonel ;
Mr. John Brady, first Major; Mr. Cookson Long, second
Major.
Each Captain was ordered to return at least forty pri-
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 179
vates. Each battalion consisted of six companies. The
Captains of the lower battalion were Nicolas Miller,
Chas. Gillespie, Hugh White, Wm. Scull, James
McMahon, Wm. Clarke, and afterwards, Captain John
Simpson ; and of the upper, or Colonel Plunkett's bat-
talion, Henry Antes, Esq., Samuel Wallis, John Robb,
Wm. Murray, Wm. McElhatten, Simon Cool, David
Berry.
Many of the prpceedings consisted of forms possessing
no special interest. Reference was frequently made to
their difficulties with Wyoming.
On the 13th of March, 1776, in their despatch to the
Committee of Safety at Philadelphia, they made certain
complaints of grievances, suffered in their infant settle-
ment, on account of so many recruiting officers sent
among them. On the 27th of the same month, they sent
in the following petition :
'^We are now, gentlemen, to inform you of what we think a
giieyance to this young and thinly inhabited county, viz : A constant
succesdon of recruiting officers from different counties in this Pro-
vince. Our leal for the cause of American Liberty has hitherto pre-
vented our taking any steps to hinder the raising of men for its ser-
vice; but finding the evil increasing so fast upon us as almost to
threaten the depopulation of the county, we cannot help appealing to
the wisdom and justice of your committee to know whether the quota
of men that may be demanded from this county under their own
officers is not as much as can reasonably be expected from it. Whe-
ther— at a time when we are uncertain of peace with the Indians,
(well knowing that our enemies are tampering with them) and a claim
is set up to the greatest part of the Province by a neighboring colony,
who have their hostile abettors at our very breasts, as weU as their
emissaries among us — is it prudent to drain an infant frontier county
of its strength of men ? and whether the safety of the interior parts
of the province would not be better secured by adding strength to the
frontier? Whether our honourable assembly by disposing of com-
180 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
missions to gentlemen in different counties to raise companies, which
are to form the number of battalions thought necessary for the de-
fence of this province, did not intend that the respectiye Captains
should raise their Companies where they were appointed, and not dis-
tress one County by taking from it all the men necessary for the busi-
ness of agriculture, as well as the defence of the same. From our
knowledge of the state of this County, we make free to ^ye oar o]a-
nion of what would be most for its advantage, as well as that of the
province — ^between which we hope there never will be a difference —
and first are to inform you of the poverty of the people, many of
whom came bare and naked here, being plundered by a banditti who
called themselves Yankees; and those who brought some property
with them, from the necessary delay of cultivating a wilderness befon
they could have any produce to live upon, together with the neoessitj
of still continuing the closest application to labor and industry for
their support, renders it morally improbable that a well disciplined
militia can be established here, as the distance which some men are
obliged to go to muster is the loss of two days to them ; which not
being paid for, they will not, nor indeed can they, so often attend
as is necessary to complete them even in the manual exercise. We
would recommend that two or more companies be raised, and put in
pay for the use of the province, to be ready to march when and where
the service may require them, and when not wanted for the service of
the public at any particular place, to be stationed in this county, in
order to be near and defend our frontiers should they be attacked by
our enemies of any denomination ; the good effect of which we imagine
would be considerable — as, though they may be too few to repel, they
may stop the progress of an enemy until the militia could be raised to
assist them. Should this proposal appear eligible, please to inform
us thereof, and we will recommend such gentlemen for officers as we
think will be most suitable for the service, and agreeable to the peo-
ple. We are, gentlemen, with due respect, &c.
Signed for and in behalf of the Committee."
JOHN HAMBRIGHT, Chairman.
It is believed that the Committee partially acceded to
the requests of the petitioners, as companies were after-
wards stationed in the Valley.
The Committee changed once in six months, when
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 181
only a part of the former members seem to have been
re-elected. They often met at Laughlan McCartney's, a
member of Mahoning township.
On the 10th of September, 1776, the Committee
learned that Levy & Ballion had a quantity of salt on
hand, which they refused to sell for cash — as it seems
they had been ordered by a former resolution of the
Committee — whereupon they ordered Mr. William Sayers
to take possession of it, and sell it at the rate of fifteen
shillings per bushel, and not above half a bushel to each
family, and return the money to the Committee.
This Committee also attended to receiving from the
Philadelphia Committee, their share of arms and ammu-
nition, iron, and salt, for this County, and distributed it
very carefully among the soldiers and people.
Captain Robert Robb, of Muncy township, formerly
one of the Committee, seems to have given them a deal
of trouble. He was charged with having in his posses-
sion, " a paper supposed to be from Lord Howe, con-
cerning conditions of peace," of which said Robb said,
^^ this is the very thing I would be at ;" and said further,
that " Mr. Frankling (Dr. Franklin,) was a rogue, he well
knew, and that he had led the government into two or
three scrapes already known to him ; also, it was thought
Frankling had a pension from home ; likewise it was
thought the Convention was bribed." Also, that said
Robb says, "that Lord Howe used the members of
Congress politely that was sent to treat with him, but
that they used him ill."
It appears that the Committee ordered, that Robb
should " either take his gun and march with the militia
of the County into actual service, to prove his attach-
ment to the American cause, or else be confined until
released by further authority."
182 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Colonel James Murray was appointed to arrest and
confine him ; who, having full confidence in Robb's pa-
triotism, and " out of lenity to said Robb's family, saw
fit to appoint the mansion house of said Robb as a pri-
son for him, on a promise of his good behavior for the
future.''
Robb, however, seems to have practised good beha-
vior— 08 he understood it ; for when one Peter Smith had
intruded himself several times into the company of Robb
and another gentleman, who were ^^ drinking a half plat
together," Robb knocked him down, and braised him
severely — and thereupon further " said, that the Com-
mittee were a set of rascals — some of them were rob-
bers, some were horse thieves, and some of them were
murderers — and further saith not."
This so incensed the Committee, that they ordered
Colonel Murray to take him to Philadelphia ; Murray
resigned, however, and two other men were appointed to
perform the unpleasant duty.*
Here, Mr. Day ceased with his extracts from the re-
cord, and it is not known how the difficulty was settled,
or whether he was taken to Philadelphia. It is to be
regretted exceedingly, that the book was suffered to
be carried off, as it would unquestionably have thrown
much light upon that interesting period of our history.
From the records of the same Committee, it appears
that a great scarcity of grain prevailed in 1777. In
* There appears to be some mistake with this affair, and since writing
the above, I have learned that Robb yoas a patriotic citizen ; that the dif-
ficulty grew out of the Committee wishing to force him into some mea-
sures in reference to the local dispute with Wyoming. He was taken a
prisoner to Lancaster, where, after the matter was explained to the au-
thorities, he was honorabli/ acquitted and returned. I am happy to make
this correction, in justice to his descendants, who are very respectable and
patriotic citizens of the same township.
HI8T0RT OF THE WEST BBANCH YALLBT. 188
February of the same year, they ordered, "that no
stiller in Md Eagle toJship d,dl buy «>y Lre gr«»,
or still any more than he has by him, during the sea-
son."
It appears that they were somewhat inclined to mo-
rality, too, and exercised their authority to stop " a cer-
tain Henry Sterret, of the same township, from profan-
ing the Sabbath, in an unchristian and scandalous man-
ner, causing his servants to maul rails, &c., on that day,
and beating and abusing them if they offered to disobey
such his unlawful demands."
Sterret, probably, resided on Long Island, opposite
Jersey Shore, at this time, when the Committee were
compelled to have a change effected in his morals.
No doubt, they had their hands Aill to attend to the
affairs of the County at that time, and the history of
their proceedings would be fiill of i^terest to the people
of the present day.
184 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
CHAPTER XXIV.
YOUNG BAM BRADY AT BOSTON — HIS FATHER WOUNDED AT THE
BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE — DISCUSSION ON INDEPENDENCE AT
NORTHUMBERLAND — DR. PLUNEETT — ^NAMES AND LOCALITIES
OF THE FORTS IN THE VALLEY — COLONEL ANTES ANECDOTES
OF JOB CHILLOWAY — HIS WIFE BETSEY — MURDERS.
Although the settlements on the West Branch were
comparatively weak, the call for men, for the Revolution,
was nobly responded to, and volunteers flocked to the
American standard. Captain John Lowden raised a
company of volunteer riflemen, seventy in number, all
unmarried, and marched to Boston. Young Sam Brady,*
son of John Brady, was one of the number. It was the
intention of the Captain that he should be an officer, but
his father objected, saying, " let him first learn the du-
ties of a soldier, and then he will know how to act as an
officer."
Whilst the riflemen lay in the vicinity of Boston,
many skirmishes took place. On one occasion, Lowden
was ordered to take some able-bodied men, and wade to
an island, and drive off* some cattle belonging to the
enemy. Brady was considered too young for the ser-
vice, and was left behind ; but to the astonishment of
* For full particulars of the daring exploits of yoaog Brady in the
West, the reader is referred to the articles of Kishkeminetas in the 9th
and 10th volumes of Hazard's Register.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 185
the Captain, he followed, and was the second man on
the island. In 1776, he was appointed a 1st Lieutenant
in Captain Doyle's company from Lancaster county. He
was with the army in all the principal engagements, till
after the battle of Monmouth, when he was promoted to
a Captaincy, and ordered to the West under General
Broadhead.
During the same year, his father was appointed a
Captain in the 12th Pennsylvania regiment, and was
badly wounded at the battle of Brandywine, after which
he returned home.
At this time, the question of Independence, or no In-
dependence, became so warm at Northumberland, that it
was decided to have a discussion on the subject. A
scaffold was erected, near where the market house now
stands, and the discussion took place. Colonels Cooke
and Hunter took the stand on the side of Liberty and
Independence, and Dr. Plunkett and Charles Cooke took
the side of loyalty. Considerable warmth was manifest-
ed on both sides.
In 1778, Cooke received orders to join General Wash-
ington with his reghnent, which was composed in part of
three companies, raised in Northumberland county, com-
manded by Captains Gray, Buyers, and Brady.
In 1779, Colonel Cooke asked leave to resign his
Commission, on account of ill health, occasioned by a
pulmonary disease. He was appointed Commissary,
however, for the army of the north, which office he held
during the war. He died in 1804.
Charles Cooke and Dr. Plunkett, on account of their
loyal sentiments, were ordered by the government to
leave the country in ten days. Not being prepared to
leave on such short notice, they kept themselves secreted
186 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH TALLST.
for a long time. Colonel Cooke accompanied his brother
Charles to New York, to sail for Europe. There they
exchanged watches as a token of remembrance of each
other. Charles was afterwards sent as an ambassador
from England to France.
As the struggle for Liberty increased, and the infant
Colonies were straining every nerve, a new danger^ of a
very alarming character, began to exhibit itself on the
northern and western frontiers. The British had tam-
pered with the Indians, and induced them to take up the
hatchet against the whites. A stipulated price was also
paid for scalps, as an inducement for them to kill and
destroy. The West Branch VaUey was an exposed and
defenceless frontier, at the mercy of the infuriated sa-
vages. Great consternation prevailed among the in-
habitants, and the government was petitioned for assist-
ance.
It was found necessary to construct forts at different
points, where small bodies of men were stationed, to
guard the settlements. On an alarm of Indians being
given, the settlers fled to these stations, for refuge and
protection. Colonel Hunter commanded at Fort Au-
gusta.
Freeland*s Fort, it will be remembered, was built on
Warrior Run, in 1773. A small stockade was erected
one mile above Milton, and called Fort Schwartz. This
was probably in 1 777-8. Boon's Fort stood at the mouth
of Muddy Run. It was commanded by Captain Boon.
Fort Menninger was at the mouth of Warrior Run. Fort
Rice was on Chillisquaque Creek, near where Washing-
tonville now stands ; it became the frontier Fort, and held
out until the close of the war.
John Brady, who had removed from opposite Lewis-
HI8T0BT OF THE WEST BRANCH TALLE7. 187
burg, and settled on the Muncy manor, erected a small
fortification for the protection of his own family, and that
of his neighbors, on the south side of Muncy Greek, near
where the town now stands. It was caUed Fort Brady,
and has often been confounded with Muncy Fort, The
latter, as I have already observed, was erected on the
Muncy farm, some miles above the town, near the old
mansion of Mrs. E. Hall. It was often called Fort
WaUis, after Samuel Wallis, who took up the land, now
embraced in Halls' farms. It was quite an important
place.
A small enclosure was erected near the mouth of Ly-
coming Creek, where Jaysburg stands, and called Fort
Huff, after a settler of that name.
Lieutenant Colonel Henry Antes,* a famous character
in the history of the Valley, erected a fort on the high
ground, near where the mill now stands, at the mouth of
Nipponese Creek, a short distance above Jersey Shore,
in the summer of 1776. It was a very important place
during the terrible times previous to the big runaway^ and
was a picketed enclosure, defended by a regular garrison
of militia. He also bmlt a mill on the site occupied by
the present one. It is related that when they were
building it, they made their flour by grinding the wheat
in an oW iion coffee mill, and remov^the bran with a
hair sieve. One man was kept mnding nearly all the
time. The old coffee mm was pressed m the family for
many years.
* Colonel Antes was born in 1736, near Philadelphia. He was distin-
gaished daring the war for his services at this point. He had a large
number of children. Jos. Antes, £sq., is the youngest now surviving.
He died, July 13th, 1820, aged 83 years and nine months. His descend-
ants are quite numerous.
188 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH TALLKT.
Hem's Fort was built on the south side of the river, a
short distance below the mouth of Chatham's Run, on
what is now known as Crispin's Run. In 1777, Eliza-
beth Carson was outside of the fort ; an Indian, lying
in ambush, fired upon her — the bullet passed through
the folds of her dress, making fourteen holes, and left
her uninjured !
Reed's Fort was erected on the site now occupied by
J. Grafius' house in Lock Haven. It was a place of
some importance at first, being the most advanced on
the frontier. It was commanded by Colonel Long,
familiarly known among the old settlers as " Cookey"
Long.
Adam Carson had a small fortification, midway be-
tween Reed's and Harris' Forts, on the same side of the
river, but it was almost immediately abandoned on the
commencement of the troubles, on account of water.
These were the fortifications of the West Branch Val-
ley. It is true, that they scarcely merited the name,
with the exception of one or two, and were destitute of
cannon, but they served admirable purposes at that time.
The settlers were obliged to abandon their rude cabins,
their little fields of grain, and seek refuge within these
enclosures from the scalping knife of the savage. The
women and children remained in the forts, whilst the
men, in armed companies, would venture to their fields
and houses, and cut their crops. Those who refused to
seek the forts, generally paid for their rashness with
their lives.
These, indeed, were terrible times, and the quiet occu-
pants of this beautiful and fertile Valley, at the present
day, cannot form the most remote conception of the pri-
vations and sufferings that were then endured. It was
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 189
unsafe to venture any distance from the forts^ unarmed
and alone. The wily Indian lurked in ambush— quietly
he watched his approaching and unconscious victim, till
within range — then the sharp crack of his rifle awoke
the echoes of the forest — ^his victim fell pierced through
the heart — a savage yell followed, and the scalp was
rudely torn from his head, and borne oflF in triumph.
In the year 1777, a company of men under Colonel
Kelly, were stationed for three months on the Great
Island, to guard the advanced settlements. Nothing re-
markable, however, occurred at that time. Moses Van
Gampen, afterwards a distinguished Indian killer and ad-
venturer, was among them. This was his first service.
Previous to this year, in 1776, the Indians at the
Great Island, removed their squaws and children, and all
their effects. They also cut down their corn and de-
stroyed everything they could. During the next year,
they had abandoned the entire VaUey, and retired back
in the wilderness, where they were making preparations
to fall upon the settlements.
Job Chilloway, a friendly Indian, who frequently vi-
sited Fort Antes, informed the whites that the Indians
would shortly make a descent upon the Valley. Job
frequently gave valuable information, and always proved
to be what he pretended — a friend to the settlers. At
this time he was compelled to leave his hunting cabins
in Nippenose and Sugar valleys, and remain about Fort
Antes, for fear of the Indians, for they would have mur-
dered him also. Job had a handsome young squaw
named Betsey, for a wife, but she was treacherous to the
whites, and would give all the information she could to
the Indians. This was a source of much vexation to her
husband, and at length he was compelled to inform them
190 BISTORT OF THE WEST BBAKCH VALLET.
to keep her as much in ignorance as possible, as she
could not be trusted. She was continually roving about,
and would frequently make journeys to Philadelphia
alone, and return loaded with trinkets and finery. She
finally abandoned her husband, and joined the Indians.
Some say, she never returned, and others that he got
her again.
Job Ghilloway is described as being '^ a tall, muscular
man, with his ears cut so as to hang pendant, like a pair
of ear-rings." He lived much in the Juniata Valley. In
his old age he was much addicted to strong drink. He
is said to have been found dead in his cabin, about the
close of the last century. He went with Colonel Potter's
regiment to Delaware — ^rendered essential service, and
was in the company commanded by Lieutenant Daniel
McHenry, at the battle of Red Bank.
Shaney John, one of his compatriots, is often alluded
to by the old people. He was a friendly Indian also.
After the Revolution he firequently visited Robert
Hamilton, above Pine Creek. He is said to have been
very pious, and what was peculiar about him, always
removed his shirt before saying his prayers, on retiring.
Mr. Joseph Antes relates an anecdote about Job,
that he heard from his father. One day he was walk-
ing about the fort, and discovered a sentinel— one of
the outposts probably — asleep, leaning against a tree.
Quietly slipping up behind him, he reached around the
tree and grappled him like a bear. The man could not
see who it was, and was terribly frightened, and strug-
gled hard to get away. On seeing it was Job, he begged
him not to inform Colonel Antes, as the punishment for
such an offence would be severe. Job promised that he
would not He also censured the man for being so
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANOH VALLEY. 191
careless, and informed him that he might have been
killed and scalped. "Yes," replied the sentinel, "I
might have been caught by an Indian, and killed and
scalped before I had known anything about it."
"It was an Indian that caught you," replied Job,
*^ but you may thank God he was your friend !"
This circumstance so amused Job, that he would fre-
quently burst out into the most violent fits of laughter
during the day, which attracted the attention of Colonel
Antes. He inquired what amused him, but no persua-
sion or offer of reward would induce him to tell. At
length he informed the Colonel that a curious circum-
stance had occurred with one of his men, but he had
pledged his word not to tell. He informed him, how-
ever, that he could detect it in the countenance of the
man when they were paraded. They were scrutinized
sharply, and this man at last confessed to his commander.
He did not punish him, but gave him some wholesome
advice not to be caught so again.
192 HISTORY OF THB WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
CHAPTER XXV.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE ON PINE CREEK BINGTJLAK
COINCIDENCE — BLOODY TRAGEDY OPPOSITE ANTES* FORT — DI-
WITT'S escape — brown's house burned on LOYAL SOCK-
CRUEL MURDER OF BENJAMIN — COOKEY LONQ'S ADYBNTURS,
PILLAGE AND MURDER — THB INDIAN AT RBBD*S FORT— AK
INGRATE WRETCH.
Early in the summer of 1776, the leading fear pky
men, and settlers, along the river above and below Pine
Creek, had received intelligence from Philadelphia, that
Congress had it in contemplation to declare the colonies
independent, absolving them from all allegiance to Great
Britain. This was good news to the little settlement
up the West Branch, that was considered out of the
jurisdiction of all civil law, and they set about making
preparations to endorse the movement, and ratify it in a
formal manner. Accordingly, on the 4th day of July,
1776, they assembled on the plains above Pine Creek
in considerable numbers. A good supply of "old rye"
was laid in as a sine qua non on this momentous occasion.
The subject of independence was proposed, and freely
discussed in several patriotic speeches; and, as their
patriotism warmed up, it was finally decided to ratify
the proposition under discussion in Congress, by a formal
declaration of independence. A set of resolutions were
drawn up and passed, absolving themselves from all alle-
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 193
giance to Great BritaiD, and henceforth declaring them-
selves free and independent I What was remarkable
about this declaration was, that it took place about the
same time that the Declaration was signed in Philadel-
phia ! It was indeed a remarkable coincidence that two
such important events should take place about the same
time, hundreds of miles apart, without any communica-
tion. When the old bell proclaimed, in thunder tones
to the citizens of Philadelphia^ that the colonies were
declared independent, the shout of liberty went up from
the banks of Pine Creek, and resounded along the base
of Bald Eagle mountain.
The following names of settlers that participated in
this glorious festival, have been collected :
Thomas, Francis, and John Clark ; Alexander Donald-
son, William Campbell, Alexander Hamilton, John Jack-
son, Adam Carson, Henry McCracken, Adam Dewitt,
Robert Love, Hugh Nichol, and many others from below
the creek not now remembered.
One fine Sunday morning in June, 1777, Zephaniah
Miller, Abel Cady, James Armstrong, and Isaac Bouser,
left Antes' Fort with two women, and crossed the river
to milk the cows that remained on the opposite side, on
what is now known as Pfouts' farm. The settlers all
around here had fled to the fort for safety.
When they landed, all the cows were found but the
one with the bell, which they heard back in the bushes.
The idea never occurred to them that Indians were
about. They were there, however, and managed to
keep this cow back about thirty rods from the river, so
that they would be obliged to come for her. Cady,
Armstrong, and Miller, started after her. As soon as
they went back there, they were fired upon and severely
-I o
194 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH TALLEY.
wounded. Miller was scalped immediately. Cady was
also scalped and left weltering in his blood. Armstrong
was severely wounded in the back of his head^ but ran
a short distance.
As soon as the firing commenced, the women ran with
Bouser and secreted themselves in a rye field close by.
The garrison in the fort were alarmed, and rushed forth
immediately, regardless of the orders of Colonel Antes,
who feared it might be a decoy to draw them away firom
the fort, when it would be assailed from the other side.
They paid no attention to his orders, however, and seiz-
ing upon the canoes, crossed the river immediately to
the relief of their comrades. They went and found
Miller and Cady where they fell. Cady was not dead.
They carried him to the river bank, where his wife met
him. On seeing her he reached out his hand and imme-
diately expired. He had recently returned from the
army, and was one of the original settlers along the river.
Armstrong was taken over to the fort, where he lingered
in great agony till Monday night, when he expired.
A party immediately pursued the Indians, and coming
on them at a place called the " Race Ground," they stood
and fired — then broke and fled — ^pursued by the whites.
They ran across what is now the upper part of the town
of Jersey Shore, and escaped into the swamp, a short
distance above where Lawshe's Tannery now stands.
The whites fired upon them several times, and probably
did some execution, as marks of blood were visible
where they had apparently dragged away their killed
or wounded.
In the winter of the same year, three men left Horn's
Fort, and proceeded across the river to the Muncy town
flats, above Lockport. They were fired upon by a lurk-
ing party of Indians, and one man killed near Sugar
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 195
Run. The other two fled, and were pursued across the
ice. One of them, named Dewitt, in the hurry of the
flight, ran into an air hole. He caught hold of the edge
of the ice, however, and managed to keep his head ahove
water. The Indians were afraid to venture too near.
They commenced firing at his head, hut watching the
flash of the gun, he dodged under water like a duck,
and eluded the ball. Several shots were fired at him,
when, thinking he was dead, they left. Dewitt, in an
exhausted state, succeeded in crawling firom the water
on the ice, and escaped to the fort.
The other man having crossed to the south side of the
river, was pursued by a single Indiati, who gained on
him rapidly. He had a gun which was supposed to be
worthless, but as the Indian neared him, he turned and
pointed it at him, thinking to intimidate him, but did'nt
pull the trigger. This he repeated several times, when
the savage thinking it was unloaded, would point his
tomahawk at him in derision, and exclaim, "jt?ooA, pooh.^
The pursuit continued, and the Indian came up close,
feeling certain of his victim. As a last resort, he
instinctively raised his gun, as it were, and puDed the
trigger, when, to his astonishment, it went off* and shot
the Indian dead. He escaped to the fort in safety.
A party turned out and pursued the Indians as far as
Toungwoman's Creek. They noticed that they had car-
ried and dragged the body of the dead Indian all the
way with them, from the marks in the snow.
The next attack made by the Indians in the autumn
of 1777, was on Loyal Sock Creek, on the families of
Brown and Benjamin.* Daniel Brownf it will be remem-
* The Benjamin family lived back of WiUiamsport; the Indians oame
and attacked them. Three brothers, and a small sister, were carried into
196 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
bered by the reader, settled at a very early period at this
place. He had two daughters, married to two brothers,
named Benjamin. On the alarm of the approaching
Indians being given, the Benjamins, with their wives
and children, took refuge at the house of Mr. Brown,
and made preparations to defend themselves. The
enemy came, and assaulted the house. A brisk resist-
ance was maintained for some time, during which an
Indian was killed by a shot from Benjamin's rifle.
Finding they could not dislodge them, they set the
house on fire. The flames spread rapidly, and a horrid
death stared them in the face. What was to be done ?
Remain inside and be burned, or come forth to be
despatched by the tomahawks of the savage? Either
alternative was a fearful one.
The Benjamins at length determined to come forth
and trust themselves to the mercies of the Indians.
Brown refused, and remaining in the burning building,
^ith his wife and daughter, was consumed with them,
preferring rather to meet death in this way, than fall
into the hands of the enemy and be tortured in a horri-
ble manner.
When the Benjamins, with their families, came forth,
one of them was carrying his youngest child in his arms.
The savages received them at the door. A big Indian
brandished his tomahawk aloft, and with a fiendish yell
oaptivitj. Their names were William, Nathan, and Ezekiel. The name
of the sister is not now remembered. The boys returned in a few jears,
but the sister remained. She grew up among them and married a chief,
and had several children. Years after peace was made, WiUiam went
after her, and brought her to Williamsport, where she remained some time,
t)ut in a very unhappjr state of mind. Mr. Calvert, of Jersey Shore, re-
members seeing her, and states that she was very wild, and shunned all
society. It was difficult to get a view of her face. On account of her
unhappinessy she was permitted to return to her Indian comrades.
fflSTOEY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 197
that made the forest resound, huried the glittering steel
in his brain. As he fell forward, his wife, with a shriek,
caught the little child in her arms. His scalp was imme-
diately torn from his head, and exultingly shook in her
face. The remainder of the survivors were carried into
captivity. This bloody massacre occurred on what is
now known as the Buckley Farm, on Loyal Sock.
A man named Cook, with his wife, were taken by the
same party, and carried into captivity.
The report of these murders spread terror throughout
the settlements along the river. Most of the families
fled to the diflTerent forts for protection, leaving their
houses, fields and cattle, to the mercy of the savages.
About the close of the year, the Indians killed a man
named Saltzman, on the Sinnemahoning. About the
same time, another named Daniel Jones, who owned
what the settlers called " the little mill," on a stream
this side of Farrandsville, was murdered also, with
another man. His wife escaped to the fort. These
settlers had been warned to leave, but refused to do it,
alleging there was no danger. Their lives paid for their
incredulity.
At this time Colonel Cooksey Long gathered a com-
pany of about twenty men, and went up to Young-
woman's Creek, to look for Indians. They suddenly
espied a number of warriors on the opposite side, march-
ing along in file, painted and dressed in war costume.
The whites being undiscovered concealed themselves.
The men were very anxious to select each his man, and
fire upon them, but the brave Colonel refused. There
was not more than twenty or thirty Indians, and the
whites could undoubtedly have done good execution.
The Colonel remained in his concealed position till
198 mSTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
they had passed by, when he returned to the fort, and
reported that a large body of savages were approaching.
It was probably one of the scalping parties.
Notwithstanding the utmost vigilance, a man was
killed on the 23d of December, 1777, near the mouth of
Pine Creek ; and about the 1st of January, '78, one was
killed two miles above the Great Island. Their names
are not now remembered.
Petitions having been sent in to the Council, praying
for some plan to be devised for the defence of the in-
habitants of the Valley, instructions were at length for-
warded to Colonel Hunter, ordering out the fifth class of
the militia of the County. On the 14th of January,
1778, Colonel Hunter writes to President Wharton, and
informs him what orders he had given. Colonel Antes
also came down to Fort Augusta to consult what was
best to be done, as parties of Indians were constantly
seen prowling around. Three companies of Colonel
Long's battalion were ordered to hold themselves in
readiness at a moment's warning, subject to the order of
Colonel Antes.
The party of Indians that murdered the man about
the 1st of January, above the Great Island, were eleven
in number. They were pursued by Antes' conunand,
and as a light snow had fallen, were tracked easily.
The whites came up with them, and succeeded in killing
two. The rest fled, and could not be overtaken, although
they followed them for a long distance.
Arms were very scarce. Colonel Hunter informs
President Wharton, on the 28th of March, 1778, that
he had endeavored to purchase " some good guns," but
could get none. Two rifles and sixty ordinary muskets
were all the public arms in the County at that time.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 199
It is supposed, however, that nearly all the settlers had
private arms of their own. AU the guns worth repair-
ing were being put in order, and, says Colonel Hunter,
" I have promised the gunsmiths their pay for so doing."
It appears that the fifth class of militia, as they were
called, were only to serve two months. As soon as
their term expired, the sixth class were ordered to re-
lieve them. The people complained that if no troops
were stationed above Muncy, they would be obliged to
abandon their settlements, and go down the river.
On the 5th of May, Colonel Hunter writes, that he
could get no provisions to buy for them. AU that could
be obtained was some beef and pork, that had been pur-
chased, by Colonel Hugh White, for the Continental
stores. Of flour there was a small quantity.
About this time Colonel John Kelly's battalion was
ordered to Penn's Valley, to perform duty for two
months, where Jacob Stanford, his wife ^d daughter,
were inhumanly killed and scalped, and his son, a lad of
ten years, carried into captivity.
Some time in the year 1778, an Indian suddenly ap-
peared on the bank of the river where Lockport now
stands — Shaving come down the deep ravine at that place
— ^and made signs to the garrison at Reed's Fort to come
with a canoe, and take him over. They feared, however,
that he might be a decoy, and refused to venture for
him. He insisted, however, and to show his good in-
tentions, waded out into the river as far as he could.
One of the women, supposed to be Mrs. Reed, seeing
that none of the men would venture, jumped into a
canoe, crossed over alone and brought him with safety.
He proved to be a friendly Indian, and had travelled a
long way to warn the settlers that a powerful band was
200 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
preparing to make a descent upon the Valley, for the
purpose of exterminating the settlements.
Being much exhausted, and feeling perfectly safe,
after delivering his message, he went and laid down to
seek some repose, and was soon buried in a profound
slumber.
A number of men about the fort were shooting at a
mark, amongst whom was one named Dewitt, who was
slightly intoxicated. Loading his rifle, he observed to
some of them that he would make the bullet he was
putting in, kill an Indian. Little attention was paid to
the remark at the time. He made good his word, how-
ever ; and instead of shooting at the mark, fired at the
sleeping Indian, and shot him dead ! A baser act of
ingratitude cannot well be conceived. The murder was
unprovoked and cowardly, and rendered doubly worse,
from the fact that the Indian had travelled many miles
to inform them of their danger !
The garrison were so exasperated at this inhuman and
ungrateful act, that they threatened to lynch him on the
spot ; when, becoming alarmed, he fled, and was suffered
to escape. He never was heard of more, and probably
fell, as he richly deserved, by the tomahawk of the
enemy.
A party of Indians having penetrated into Buffalo
Valley, and secured a large amount of plunder, were
hotly pursued by Lieutenant Moses Van Campen, with
a party of men. They came so close upon them that
they were obliged to abandon their ill-gotten booty, at a
large spiing near the residence of Mr. George Brown,
back of Jersey Shore. It is stated that several valuable
articles, such as silver tankards, &c., were recovered at
this place.
■ tr
rf
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 201
CHAPTER XXVI.
MURDER OP winters' PARTY — SETTLERS CARRIED INTO CAP-
TIVITY— CAPTURE OP ANDREW ARMSTRONG AND HIS SON —
ESCAPE OP HIS WIPE — ^A HARD CASE POR HER TO DECIDE —
THE SURPRISE AT PINE CREEK — ESCAPE OP JOHN HAMILTON
— THE COVENHOVEN PAMILY — CAPTAIN BERRY'S EXPEDITION
— SURPRISE AT LOYAL SOCK — DEATH OF JAMES COVENHOVEN
— ESCAPE OF ROBERT.
In the summer of 1778, William Winters, who was
an early settler, came up from Berks county with seve-
ral men to cut hay, in a field a short distance above
where Williamsport now stands; with a view of bringing
up his stock that fall. There were some ten or eleven
men in the company. Six of them were in the field,
near the river, mowing, when a party of Indians sudden-
ly appeared, and shot and scalped them all in a few
moments. The others were at the cabin, which stood
near where the public road now passes ; Winters was
preparing dinner, when the sharp reports of the rifles,
and the exultant yells of the savages were heard. Being
satisfied that their comrades were killed, they immedi-
ately fled, and secreted themselves in the woods till
night. The Indians not suspecting that any others were
near, passed on. In the night. Winters and his men
ventured forth and went to the meadow, where they col-
lected the bodies of the murdered men in a pile, and
202 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
instead of burying them, covered them carefully with a
large quantity of freshly mown hay. Then proceeding
as quickly as possible to the river, they raised their
canoes that had been sunk to conceal them, and sorrow-
fully commenced their return.
The following spring he returned with a body of
armed men, and strange to relate, found the bodies of
the six men undisturbed, just as he had placed them,
and in a remarkably good state of preservation. Very
little, if any, change having taken place.
Their bodies were taken, and carefully buried in what
is now the old Lycoming graveyard. Probably they
were the first interred there.
An Indian war had now commenced, and was raging
along the Valley. All improvements were at an end,
and most of the settlers' houses burned, whilst the terri-
fied inhabitants were fleeing from the country.
In May, the sixth and seventh classes of Colonel
Long s battalion were ordered to be embodied by Colo-
nel Hunter, and scout along the frontier, until the sixth
and seventh classes of Colonel Murray's and Hosterman's
battalions should arrive at the Great Island, to cover
the frontier there.
Colonel Hunter writes to Mr. Wharton, President of
the Council, under date of May 14th, 1778, as follows,
concerning these detachments :
'' These last Classes would have marched before this time only for
want of Provisions, as for meat there is very little to be had in this
County, and that very dear; Bacon sells at 4« 6c^ ^ pound, and flower
at three pounds ten shillings ^ Hundred wt. I have ordered some
People that lives nigh the Great Island to preserve Shad and Barrel
them up for the use of the Militia that will be stationed there this
summer.
mSTOET OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 203
Col. William Cook will undertake to provide Provisions for the
Militia of this County, in case he was supplied with Cash at this pre-
sent time, as he would go to some other County to purchase some
meat, for I am certain it will be Very much wanted, in case the
Savages Commence a war with the frontiers, aU must turn out to pre-
vent if possible, such a Crual Enemy from makeing inroads into our
part of the Country. We are scarce of Ouns, not more than one half
of the Militia is provided with Arms, and a number of them Very
Ordinary ; Our Powder is Exceeding Bad, and not fit for Rifles in
any shape. And as for Flints we can get none to Buy ; all this I
think proper to acquaint the Council with, &o."
On the 16th of May, near the mouth of Bald Eagle
Creek, three men who were at work putting in a small
field of com, were attacked by a party of Indians, killed
and scalped. Two days following this, near Pine Creek,
a man, woman, and child, were taken prisoners, probably
by the same party, and carried oflf.
On the 20th of the same month, two men, and seven
women and children, were taken from one house, near
Lycoming Creek. They were aU carried away as pris-
oners.
About the same time, three families, consisting of six-
teen in number, were killed and carried away from Loyal
Sock. A party that went up from Wallis' only found
two dead bodies, from which they supposed the re-
mainder were taken prisoners. Their houses were all
reduced to ashes.
It is to be very much regretted that the names of all
those mentioned above, who were killed or carried into
captivity, were not preserved.
About this time, Andrew Armstrong, who settled at
the " big spring," below where Linden now stands, was
visited by a party of Lidians. They came very sud-
denly. On the alarm being given, Mrs. Armstrong, who
204 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
was enciente^ slipped under the bed. The Indians en-
tered the house, and seizing Annstrong, his little son,
and a woman named Nancy Bunday, made preparations
tocrry them away. ArLtro,^ Wd J A tola,
still, which she did, and escaped. They were in a
great hurry, on account of a small body of men being
stationed a short distance below, and did not take time
to fire the building. They turned up the creek with
their prisoners. Mrs. Armstrong crawled from her hid-
ing place, and looking out of the window, beheld her
husband and little son disappear in the forest with them.
Years rolled away, and no tidings were had from An-
drew Armstrong. No doubt they had cruelly murdered
him. The little son was also given up for lost, and the
mother had ceased to mourn, and became resigned to her
hard lot.
Many years after peace had been restored, and the
settlers had returned to their homes, an aged Indian,
with a young man by his side, bearing unmistakable
signs of having white blood in his veins, knocked at the
cottage door of the widow Armstrong, one pleasant au-
tumn afternoon. He alleged that this was her son that
had been carried off years ago, when a mere child. But
he was grown to manhood, and partook so much of the
character and disposition of an Indian, that she could
not recognize him as her long lost son. The scenes of
that sorrowful day were brought fresh to her mind, and
her heart yearned for the little flaxen haired boy. Could
this noble youth, of athletic form, and piercing eye, be
he ? Could he be so changed ? Thus she reasoned.
She could not feel positive that he was her son — ^neither
was she certain that he was not. If she was to own him,
and he was not hers, she never could extend to him the
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 205
alTections of a mother ; and if she turned him away, and
he was her son, oh ! what remorse of conscience would
she feel. A terrible conflict was going on in her mind.
She never could bring herself, however, to believe that
he was in reality her boy. Doubts still remained in her
mind. He remained about the settlement for some time,
but had aU the manners and habits of an Indian, and
never seemed to readily embrace the usages of civilized
life. He finally left the neighborhood, on finding that
she would not recognize him as her son, and returned
to his tawny comrades of the forest. He never came
again.
It was evident that white blood coursed in his veins,
but he was in every other respect an Indian. Many of the
old settlers believed that he was, in reality j the lost boy.
About this time, in the same year, four men, named
Robert Fleming, Robert Donaldson, James McMichael,
and John Hamilton, started from Fort Antes, to go to
Horn's Fort, in a canoe. Nothing occurred till they
came opposite the mouth of Pine Creek, when they were
suddenly fired upon by a party of Indians, who lay con-
cealed in a sink hole on the south side of the river, and
all were killed but Hamilton. He immediately sprang out
of the canoe into the water, and keeping it between him
and the Indians, by holding on with one hand, managed
with the other to work his way across the river. Several
shots were fired at him without effect. He managed to
dodge his head behind the canoe. As soon as he reached
the shore, he sprang out and ran through the " barrens,"
till he came opposite to Fort Antes, where he cried for
assistance, and was speedily brought over. Nearly all
the clothing was stripped from his body in his rapid flight
through the bushes.
206 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
The same day that this melancholy affair took place,
a party of men were driving some cattle down firom above
the Great Island. Crossing the plains near where Liberty
now stands, they were fired upon by a party of Indians.
The whites immediately returned the fire, when an In-
dian was observed to fall, and was carried off. A man,
named Samuel Fleming, was shot through the shoulder.
The Indians fled very precipitately, and abandoned a
large amount of plunder, principally consisting of blankets,
which fell into the hands of the whites.
Andrew Fleming settled on Pine Creek, in the vicinity
of where Matthew McKinney's house now stands. On
Christmas-day, 1778, he took down his rifle, and observ-
ed to his wife, that he would go and kill a deer. He
started up the ravine, and had not been gone long, before
the report of a gun was heard. The day wore away and
he did not return. His wife became alarmed at his pro-
tracted absence, and feared that evil might have befallen
him. Proceeding up the ravine to look for him, she sud-
denly perceived three savages skulking in the bushes,
and her worst suspicions were at once aroused. Return-
ing hastily, she gave the alarm, and a number of neigh-
bors collected, and proceeded to search for her husband.
They had gone but a short distance, when they came to
his dead body. Three balls had passed through him, —
one having entered his eye. The scalp was removed. It
was supposed that the guns had been fired simultaneous-
ly, making but one report.
About the commencement of the Revolution, the fa-
ther of Robert Covenhoven, immigrated from New Jer-
sey, and settled on Loyal Sock Creek. He had three
sons, named respectively, James, Thomas, and Robert.
The latter became distinguished as a guide, a spy, and
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 207
Indian killer ; and was in several battles of the Revolu-
tion. Shortly after coming to this Valley, the old man
lost all his eflFects by a sudden freshet in the creek.
Late in the year 1777, Robert returned to the West
Branch, from the Continental army, his term of enlist-
ment having expired. His extensive knowledge of the
country, the character, habits, and disposition of the
Indians, acquired whilst serving with surveying parties,
was of great service, and he was disposed to make good
use of it for the benefit of the settlement.
An old man named Wychoff, who appears to have been
an uncle to the Covenhovens, also settled about Loyal
Sock. He was a Tanner by trade, and soon erected a
rude tannery, and commenced making leather for the
settlement. One day, in the summer of 1778, the Co-
venhoven boys were mowing in a meadow, and the old
man Wychoff, was at work in his tannery. A dog sud-
denly commenced barking, and exhibited great symptoms
of alarm ; he would run towards the woods, snuff the
air, and return. The boys were satisfied that Indians
were lurking near. They took their rifles and warned
the old man to leave; this he at first refused to do,
alleging that there was no danger. They finally induced
him to go with them ; they had not proceeded far, till
one of them hissed the dog, when he bounded into the
bushes, and seized an Indian by the leg, where he was
lying concealed. He rose immediately, and shot the
faithful animal. The whites, who were in all, six in
number, immediately jumped to trees — ^the Indians did
the same, and the firing commenced. Wychoff, who was
very much hump-backed, got behind a tree that was too
small to hide all of his person. Fortunately for him,
another small tree stood between him and the Indians,
208 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
and as they fired at him, their bullets struck this tree,
and made the bark fly around Robert Covenhoven who
was near. He yelled at the old man to stand up straight,
or he would be hit. As he was loading his rifle, his
ramrod was shot in two, but luckily he had a wiper, with
which he rammed down the bullet. Just at this mo-
ment, he observed an Indian stealthily creeping round
to get a fair shot at old Wychoff*; watching him closely,
till he attempted to crawl over a log, he fired, and shot
him through the body. He sprang in the air, gave a
tremendous yell, and fell. His comrades rushed up and
bore him ofi*, when the whites made away as rapidly as
possible. He appeared to be the chief, or commander of
the party, and no doubt it was lucky for the whites that
he was shot.
The danger became so great, and such a panic seized
the inhabitants, that nearly all of them about Muncy
fled to Brady's Fort. Those above that, up to Lycom-
ing creek, took refuge at Wallis'. All above Lycoming
and Pine creeks, were at Antes' and Horn's Forts. The
inhabitants of Penn's Valley, gathered to Potter's Fort
Those below the Muncy Hills, to Chilisquaque, were as-
sembled at Freeland's and Boon's Forts, and Sunbury.
Those in White Deer, and Buffalo Valleys, fled to the
river, and forted themselves at various points. This took
place in the summer of 1778.* Colonel Hunter, in a
letter to John Hambright, says, that it was very distress-
ing to see the poor settlers flying and leaving their
homes. The immigrants from New Jersey, who had
come up that spring and winter, set off* again as rapidly
as they could travel to their old homes.
Colonel Hepburn, afterwards Judge Hepburn, was sta-
* See page 570 of Penna. Archives for 1777-8.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 209
tioned for a while at Muncy Fort, and commanded it.
Colonel Hosterman, Captain Reynolds, Captain Berry,
and others, were sent up soon after, to assist in protect-
ing the frontier.
A number of horses had strayed away, and were sup-
posed to have gone to Loyal Sock. Captain Berry was
ordered to take a company of twelve men, and look after
them. Robert Covenhoven, his two brothers, James and
Thomas, and his uncle, William Wychoflf, were in the
expedition. They proceeded to Loyal Sock, where, it
appears, they separated. Peter Shoefelt, William Wy-
choiT, and a man named Thompson, went above the creek,
towards Williamsport, to Thompson's house, for the pur-
pose of saving some of his property.
The remainder of the party continued up the creek.
They proceeded cautiously through the narrows, but saw
no signs of Lidians. Not finding the horses, it was con-
cluded to return. Covenhoven was suspicious that Li-
dians were about, and advised Captain Berry not to re-
turn by the path they had come, as he feared an ambus-
cade. Berry thought there was no danger, and paid but
little attention to him, who still insisted on taking another
route over the mountain. Berry at length accused him
of cowardice, and being needlessly alarmed. This irri-
tated him very much, but he insisted no more, and going
to his brothers, communicated to them his fears that they
would be attacked by the enemy and probably all killed.
He requested them to keep a sharp lookout, and if the
flash of a gun was seen, to jump to trees immediately.
They travelled on without any molestation, tiU they
came to the narrows, and true to Covenhoven's expecta-
tion, were suddenly fired upon by a party of savages in
ambush. Most of the party, including the reckless
14
210 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Capt. Berry, were shot down. James was shot through
the shoulder, and disabled. He cried to Robert that he
was wounded, and could do nothing, who immediately
told him to run across the creek, and he would try and
cover his retreat. He succeeded in getting to the oppo-
site side, when a ball struck him on the back part of the
head, and he fell back on the edge of the creek dead.
Robert ran for life, and jumped into an old tree top,
where he loaded his rifle. He had not been there many
minutes, till a big savage came and stood on a log within
a few feet of where he lay, looking all around and up
the hill. He watched his eye, and was prepared to shoot
the moment he was discovered, and then run for his life.
Had the Indian but cast his eye down at his feet, he
would have beheld Covenhoven. He soon ran back over
the creek, where they were scalping the killed. The
shrieks of the wounded, and the yells of the savages,
were terrible. Covenhoven soon crawled out of the tree
top, and worked his way carefully up the mountain. An
open spot of ground was before him, which he dare not
cross, for fear of being seen and pursued. Coming to
where an old tree had been blown out of root, he lay
down in the hole and remained there till dark, when he
started across the hills and reached Wallis' Fort in safety,
and reported to the garrison the melancholy fate of the
expedition.
His brother Thomas, with several others, was taken
prisoner and carried into captivity. He returned after
the war.
fflSTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 211
CHAPTER XXVIL
MURDER OF SHOEFBLT AND THOMPSON — COLONEL HOSTERMAN'S
PARTY— CRUEL MASSACRE WHERE WILLIAMSPORT NOW STANDS
— PETER SMITH AND HIS DAUGHTER — ONE BRAVE MAN — ARRI-
VAL OF COLONEL HEPBURN — HORRIBLE APPEARANCE OF THE
DEAD — king's wife — ORDERS TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY — THE
BIG RUNAWAY — COLONEL HUNTER'S APPEAL.
When Wychoff, Thompson, and Shoefelt came to
Thompson's house, it is said they hitched their horses—
for tJiey appeared to have been riding — and went in and
commenced cooking their dinner. The Indians having
been quietly observing the movements of the two par-
ties, sent a party to capture them. When they came in
sight, the horses snorted and gave the alarm. Seizing
their rifles, they attempted to run for the woods, but the
Indians were too quick, and firing a volley, killed Thomp-
son and Shoefelt, and shot Wychoff through the shoul-
der, wounding him severely. He was taken prisoner,
and returned after a captivity of two years.
A story is related in connection with this tragical
affair, but with how much truth I cannot say, that when
Wychoff was taken prisoner, he was quite bald headed ;
but when he returned from captivity, he had a fine head
of hair.
On the same day that this sad disaster befell Captain
212 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Berry, Colonel Hosterman,* with Captain Reynolds, and
a party of thirteen men, set out from Muncy Farm, to
go to Antes' Fort and the Great Island, with anmmnition
for those places. When they came to Loyal Sock, they
heard considerable firing and yelling up the creek. They
supposed it to be nearly a mile distant, and proceeded as
rapidly as possible in that direction. When they came
to the place where they supposed the firing to have been,
no Indians were discovered. They had probably seen
them and made ofi*. A noise was heard by them, how-
ever, as of some one striking on a hollow tree with a
club, some distance ahead. A stroke appeared to be
given for each man in the party. They then returned,
and continued on to the residence of Thompson. When
they arrived, the barn was on fire, but the house remain-
ed untouched. Thompson's powder horn was found near
the house, with a bullet hole through it, and several moc-
casin and shoe tracks were observed. Nothing could be
seen or heard of Thompson, Shoefelt, or Wychoff ; the
three men that were known to have gone there. Before
they came to the house, however, they heard the death
yells, and one that they took to be for a prisoner, given
by Indians in the woods, which now impressed them with
the idea, that the three men were killed or taken pri-
soners.
On the same day, the 10th of June, 1778, Peter
Smith,f his wife and six children ; William King's wife
and two children; Michael Smith, Michael Campbell,
* See Penna. Arohives for 1777-8, page 589.
f Colonel Hosterman, in his letter giving an account of this afikir,
states that the party in the wagon were travelling to Lycoming. This is
evidently an error, as the settlers had mostly fled at this time, and they
were probably flying also, and trying to reach fort Muncy.
HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 213
David Chambers, Snodgrass, and Hammond ;
being seven men, two women, and eight children in all,
started from Lycoming Creek to go to Muncy fort in a
four horse wagon. They had got but a short distance,
when they were met by a messenger and informed that
considerable firing had been heard about Loyal Sock
that day, and it was not considered safe for them to pro-
ceed. Peter Smith informed the messenger that he
would not be stopped by the firing, and would continue
on. He returned and reported Smith's intentions,
whereupon a party pushed on to meet them. This
party is supposed to have been Colonel Hosterman's.
It was near night, however, and they did not reach
them.
When the men with the wagon, and the women and
children, reached the spot of ground now said to be oc-
cupied by Hall's foundry, in Williamsport, they were
fired upon by a body of Lidians, supposed to have been
about twenty in number. At the first fire Snodgrass
fell dead. The Lidians only discharged two guns, when
they made a rush, tomahawk in hand, for the wagon.
They were not observed till the fire had been given,
when the remaining white men immediately jumped to
trees, and commenced fighting for their Uves and their
women and little children. The Lidians closed in and
endeavored to surround them, when all the men, with
the exception of Canipbell, ran, and abandoned the de-
fenceless women and children to the horrible fate that
awaited them ! A little boy escaped, and running to
Lycoming, informed some men there of what had hap-
pened. The men that escaped, state that they looked
back, and saw the savages tomahawking the women and
children; and Campbell was closely engaged with an
Indian fighting nobly.
214 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
Peter Smith ran into a rye field close by, and on look-
ing back perceived something following him ; supposing
it to be an Indian, he ran as fast as possible, but on
climbing the fence discovered that it was his little
daughter, who, with arms stretched towards him, was
following as fast as she could, and imploring him to wait
and save her ! It is scarcely necessary to add that the
flying father's heart was deeply touched, and waiting a
moment, snatched the child up in his arms and fled for
life ! He escaped to fort Muncy. What became of the
other men is not stated.
When the boy gave the alarm at Lycoming, they mis-
understood him, and thinking it was a canoe that had
been attacked in the river near where they lived, ran
there at once. It was now dark, the massacre having
occurred about sundown, when Colonel Hepburn, with a
party that had started out, on the alarm being given by
the fugitives flying from Loyal Sock, came to the spot.
They found the body of Snodgrass and another, but it
was too dark to do anything, and they pushed on to
Lycoming Creek, where they remained till morning.
The next day, being the 11th of June, they returned to
the scene of the massacre, and there beheld a revolting
and horrible sight. Peter Smith's wife was found shot
through the body, stabbed, scalped, and a knife by her
side. William King's wife was tomahawked and scalped,
but still survived, and was sitting up when they came.
Her husband came to her, when she leaned on him, and
almost immediately expired. She appeared to be sensi-
ble, but could not speak a word, and presented a sicken-
ing sight, her face being covered with clotted blood.
A little girl was found killed and scalped, and a boy
the same. Campbell was found killed, stabbed, and
scalped — he had also been shot in the back, and a knife
BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 215
was sticking in his body. Everything around him in-
dicated that he had maintained a fearful struggle with
superior numbers, and sold his life as dearly as possible.
An Indian gun was found near him broken to pieces.
His gun was gone. What became of the remainder of
the children is not stated, but they were probably car-
ried into captivity. The Indians took but a few things
out of the wagon, which they left standing. They pro-
bably took the horses.
A party under Captain Shaffer, it is stated, went to
Thompson's house and searched for him. At length
they found him and Shoefelt outside of a field among
some pine grubs. Thompson had been shot through the
side — Shoefelt was shot through the shoulder — they
were both scalped, and lay but a short distance apart.
They appeared to have been so near Thompson when he
was shot, that his jacket was burned.
This was indeed a bloody day — the savages glutted
themselves with murder and plunder, and returned in
triumph. A gloomy pall seemed suspended over the
infant settlement, and weeping and wailing was heard
on every hand. Children were murdered before their
parents' eyes ; husbands were compelled to witness the
horrid deaths of their wives — and in turn children were
compelled to gaze upon the mangled bodies of their
parents. Neither age, sex, nor condition was spared.
The wails of helpless infants ; the imploring cries of de-
fenceless women, failed to awaken a chord of pity in the
adamantine bosom of the tawny savage — ^he laughed
their pitiful appeals to scorn, and with a fiendish grin of
pleasure, plied the knife, and tore the reeking scalp from
their heads.
How many of the present inhabitants of the beautiful
216 mSTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLEF.
and flourishing town of Williamsport, are aware that on
the 10th day of June, 1778, such a fearful and bloody
tragedy was enacted upon the site of that town, and the
cry of helpless innocence mingled with the whoop of the
savage, awoke the echoes of the forest, and ascended to
the azure-realms of heaven ?
On the intelligence of these murders reaching Colonel
Hunter, at fort Augusta, he became alarmed for the safe-
ty of those that remained above fort Muncy, and sent
word to Colonel Hepburn to order them to abandon the
country, and retire below. He was obliged to do this, as
there was not a sufficiency of troops to guard the whole
frontier, and Congress had taken no action to supply
him with men and supplies. Colonel Hepburn had some
trouble to get a messenger to carry the order up to
Colonel Antes, so panic-stricken were the people on
account of the ravages of the Indians. At length
Robert Covenhoven, and a young millwright in the em-
ploy of Andrew Culbertson, volunteered their services,
and started on the dangerous mission. They crossed
the river and ascended Bald Eagle mountain, and kept
along the summit, till they came to the gap opposite
Antes' fort. They cautiously descended at the head of
Nippenose Bottom, and proceeded to the fort. It was
in the evening, and as they neared the fort, the report
of a rifle rang upon their ears. A girl had gone outside
to milk a cow, and an Indian being in ambush, fired
upon her. The ball, fortunately, passed through her
clothes, and she escaped unharmed. The word was
passed on up to Horn's fort, and preparations made for
the flight. Great excitement prevailed. Canoes were
collected, rafts hastily constructed, and every available
craft that would float, pressed into service; and the
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 217
goods, and also the wives and children of the settlers,
placed on board. The men armed with theiir trusty
rifles, marched down on each side of the river to guard
the convoy. It was indeed a sudden, as well as melan-
choly, flight. They were leaving their homes, their
cattle, and their crops, to the mercy of the enemy, and
fleeing for their lives. Nothing occurred worthy of note,
during the passage to Sunbury, as the Indians did not
venture to attack the armed force that marched on
shore. It is said that whenever any of their crafts
would ground on a bar, the women would jump out, and
putting their shoulders against it, launch it into deep
water.
The settlements above Muncy Fort were all aban-
doned, and the Indians had full possession of the coun-
try once more. Companies came up as soon as possible
to secure and drive away their cattle. They found the
Indians burning and destroying. When they came to
Robert King's improvement — ^where Robert King, Junr.,
now lives — they found the remains of his house and bam
yet smoking. Passing on to Antes' Fort, they found the
mill, containing a quantity of wheat, and the surround-
ing buildings, reduced to ashes. As the smouldering
embers were not yet extinct, the air for some distance
around, was tainted with the odor of roasted wheat.
They gathered up what cattle they could as soon as pos-
sible, and drove them ofi* from this scene of desolation.
Fort Muncy, Freeland's Fort, and all the intermediate
points, were abandoned about the same time. Thus was
the Valley of the West Branch evacuated. This flight
was called by the people of that period, the " Big Runr
away I' a name which it bears to this day.
Shortly after the Big Runaway^ the attention of the
218 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
savages was attracted to the memorable descent upon
Wyoming, which took place the 3d of July, 1778. But
few remained on the West Branch, nearly all having
gone to participate in that bloody massacre.
Petitions were immediately drawn up and signed, and
letters written, importuning the government to send
troops to Northumberland county, to protect the settlers
whilst they returned to cut their harvests. The harvest
was ripe — ^the settlers had fled, and dare not return with-
out an armed force. What else could they do ?
On the 12th of July, Colonel Hunter drew up and
forwarded the following pathetic appeal to the Executive
Council, which will be read with interest :
" To His Excellency The President and The HonhU The Executitfc
Council o/tJie Commonwealth o/ Pennsylvania,
^' The Calamities so long dreaded, and of which je have been more
ihan once informed must fall upon this County if not assisted bj
Continental Troop or the Militia of the neighboring Counties, now
appear with all the Horrors attendant on an Indian war ; at this date
the Towns of Sunbury and Northumberland on the Frontiers where
a few Virtuous Inhabitants and fugitives seem determined to stand,
Tho' doubtful whether To-morrow's sun will rise on them, freemen,
Captives or in eternity. Yet relying on that being who never for-
sakes the virtuous, and the timely assistance of the Government,
which they have with Zeal and vigor endeavoured to support, they
say they will remain so long as they can without incurring the cen-
sure of suicide. The Carnage at Wioming, the devastations and mur-
ders upon the West branch of Susquehanna, On Bald Eagle Creek,
and in short throughout the whole County to within a few miles of
these Towns (the recital of which must be shocking) I suppose must
have before now have reached your ears, if not you may figure your-
selves men, women, and children. Butchered and scalped, many of
them after being promised quarters, and some scalped alive, of which
we have miserable Instances amongst us. People in crowds driven
from their farms and habitations, many of whom have not money to
purchase one day's provisions for their families, which must and has
i
HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 219
already obliged many of them to Plunder and lay waste the farms as
they pass along. These Calamities must if not speedily remedied by
a reinforcement of men from below inevitably ruin the ^ntier^ and
incumber the interior Counties with such numbers of indigent fugi-
tives unable to support themselves as will like locusts devour all be-
fore them. If we are assisted to stand and save our crops, we will
have enough for ourselves and to spare, you need be under no appre-
hension of any troops you send here suffering for want of provisions
if they come in time, before the few who yet remain are obliged to
give way, with men it will be necessary to send arms and ammuni-
tion as we are ill provided with them. Gentlemen, ye must all know
that this County cannot be strong in men after the number it has
furnished to serve the united states. Their applications to us for
men were alwajrs complyed with to the utmost of our abilities and
with the greatest alacrity ; should our supplications now be rejected I
think the survivors of us, (if any) may safely say that Virtue is not
rewarded, I have only to add that A few Hundreds of men well armed
and immediately sent to our relief would prevent much bloodshed,
confusion and devastation through many Counties of this State, as
the appearance of being supported would call back many of our fugi-
tives to save their Harvest for their subsistence, rather than suffer the
inconveniences which reason tells me they do down the Country and
their with their families return must ease the people below of a heavy
and unprofitable Burthen. These opinions I submit to your serious
Consideration.
" Signed.
" SAMUEL HUNTER.
« Sunbury, 12th July, 1778."
220 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
CHAPTER XXVm.
ARRIVAL OF COLONEL BROADHEAD — SETTLERS RETURN AND CUT
THEIR HARVEST — WALLIS' LETTER — MELANCHOLY DEATH OF
YOUNG BRADY — GRIEF OF HIS MOTHER — DEATH OF THE CHIEF
BALD EAGLE — REINFORCEMENTS — MORE MURDERS ESCAPE
OF MRS. M'NIGHT AND CHILD — CRUEL SCALFING OF MRS. DUR-
HAM— HER RECOVERY.
Colonel Broadhead having been ordered to the assist-
ance of the settlement at Wyoming, and on his arrival
at Sunbury, finding it was too late to be of any service
there, marched his command up to Fort Muncy, and took
possession of the deserted country. The appearance of
an armed force, and the assurance of protection, induced
most of the settlers to return and cut their grain. The
Colonel was very active in scouring the country, and
stationing men at various points, for the protection of the
harvesters. He despatched a Captain, and twenty-five
men, to take post at General Potter s fort, in Penn's
Valley, and protect the reapers there. This left him
one hundred and twenty at Muncy.
On the evening of the 23d of July, an Indian was
discovered by one of the sentinels approaching the fort,
in a skulking manner. He fired on him at the distance
one hundred and fifty yards, when he made oflT.
Samuel Wallis, (who appears to have returned also,)
mSTCmr OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 221
writes to Colonel Matlack, on the 24 th of July, from
Fort Muncy, and finds a great deal of fault with Colonel
Hunter ; who, he alleges, on hearing of the massacre at
Wyoming, became alarmed and ordered all the troops off
the West Branch. This move created so much alarm,
that a great number of the people of Sunbury fled, and
when he (Wallis) reached that place with his family, he
found that Colonel Hunter had removed his family and
effects, and was ready at a moment to fly himself; and
had it not been for Colonel Broadhead, he is of the
opinion, not ten families would now have been found in
the county. He was exceedingly anxious to have some
regular troops sent up, as he had no dependence in the
militia. Concerning them, he says :
^' Such oonfuBion has already happened by trusting to the Militia
here, that I can & do declare for myself, that I will not stay a single
moment longer than I can help after heing assured that we are to be
protected by them only. We were amused some time ago by a re-
solve of Congress for raising 100 six months men in this County, k
Col. Hunter was pleased to assure the Counsil that the men would be
readyly raised, when he at the same time knew, k was pleased to de-
clare, in private conversation, that it was Impossible to raise 100 men
amongst People so much confused and alarmed. This kind of Con-
duct from Col. Hunter, as well as a number of our other leading men,
has brought us to the pass you now find us, & unless some speedy In-
terposition in our behalf, I do again with great Confidence assure you
that we shall be no Longer a People in this County, & when the mat-
ter will end GK)d only knows."
Such was the independent, yet mournful tone of Wal-
lis' letter, which no doubt gave a pretty correct account
of the state of affairs.
General Potter returned to Penn's Valley, on the 25th
of July, having been absent on duty, and immediately
writes that the people are pretty generally returned and
222 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
cutting their harvest. The loss sustained to the county,
by the Biy Runawat/j he sets down at £40,000.
The appeals of the people to Congress, were not all in
vain, and that body at length ordered Colonel Hartley to
the West Branch, with his regiment. He arrived in
August, and immediately took measures for strengthen-
ing the fort on Muncy Farm. A body of militia were
ordered out in the county, amounting to three hundred
men. The people seemed much encouraged, and return-
ed m greater numbers.
Nothing unusual occurred till the 8th of August, when
a party of Inflians fell upon a number of reapers, a short
distance below Williamsport, and cruelly murdered young
Brady. The circumstance is about as follows :
A Corporal and four men, belonging to Colonel Hart-
ley's regiment, and three militiamen, were ordered about
two miles above Loyal Sock, on the 8th of August,
1778, to protect fourteen reapers and cradlers, who
went to assist Peter Smith, the unfortunate man that
had his wife and four children murdered about a month
previous, to cut his crop. Smith's farm was on Turkey
Run, not far from Williamsport, on the opposite side of
the river.
James Brady, son of Captain John, the younger bro-
ther of Captain Sam. Brady of the Rangers, was with
the party. According to custom in those days, when
no conmiissioned officer was present, the company gene-
rally selected a leader, whom they styled "Captain,"
and obeyed him as such. Young James Brady was se-
lected Captain of this little band of about twenty men.
On arriving at the field they placed two sentinels at
the opposite ends, the sides having clear land around.
The day being Friday, they cut the greater part of the
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 223
grain, and intended to complete it the next morning.
Four of the reapers improperly left that night, and re-
turned to the fort. A strict watch was kept all night,
but nothing unusual occurred. In the morning they all
went to work ; the cradlers, four in number, by them-
selves, near the house ; the reapers in another part of
the field. The reapers, except young Brady, placed
their guns round a tree. He thought this was wrong,
and placed his some distance from the rest. The morn-
ing proved to be very foggy, and about an hour after
sunrise, the sentinels and reapers were surprised by a
number of Indians, under cover of the fog, quietly ap-
proaching them. The sentinels fired and ran towards
the reapers, when they all ran, with the exception of
young Brady. He made towards his rifle, pursued by
three Indians, and when within a few yards of it was
fired upon by a white man with a pistol, (probably a
tory,) but falling over a sheaf of grain, the shot missed
him. He rose again, and when almost within reach of
the rifle, was wounded by a shot from an Indian. Here
another sentinel fired his gun, but was inmiediately,
with a militiaman, shot down. Brady succeeded in
getting his rifle, however, and shot the first Indian
dead. He caught up another gun, and brought down a
second savage, when they closed around him in num-
bers, but being a stout active man, he struggled with
them for some time. At length one of them struck a
tomahawk into his head, when he fell, and was wounded
with a spear* in the hands of another. He was so
stunned with the blow of the tomahawk, that he re-
* Penna. Archives for 1777-8, page 689 ; and page 307, ix. vol. Hazard's
Register.
224 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
mained powerless, but strange as it may seem, retained
his senses. They ruthlessly tore the scalp from his
head as he lay in apparent death, and it was a glorious
trophy for them, for he had long and remarkably red
hair.
The cradlers, who it appears were in a low spot, in a
distant part of the field, on hearing the alarm^ ascended
an eminence and partly beheld this unhappy affair.
The Indians, as soon as they accomplished their bloody
work, left instantly, probably fearing an attack from the
whites.
The Corporal and three men, with the cradlers, pro-
posed to make a stand, but the others thought it impru-
dent, and they all immediately left. The cradlers being
acquainted with the country, took the nearest way to
Wallis' ; the Corporal and his three men pushed ri^t
down the road. At Loyal Sock they were fired upon
by a party of Indians, probably the same that killed
Brady. They returned the fire, when the Indians fled,
and they retook three horses from them, and brought
them to the fort in safety.
After Brady was scalped, he related that a little
Indian was called and made to strike the tomahawk into
his head, in four separate places. He was probably
taking lessons in the art of butchery.
After coming to himself, he attempted, between walk-
ing and creeping, to reach the cabin, where an old man.
named Jerome Vaness, had been employed to cook for
them. On hearing the report of the guns, he had hid
himself, but when he saw Brady return, he came to
him. James begged the old man to fly to the fort, say-
ing, "the Indians will soon be back and will kill you."
The worthy man positively refused to leave him alone,
i
HTSTOEY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY, 225
but stayed and endeavored to dress his frightful wounds.
Brady requested to be assisted down to the river, where
he drank large quantities of water, when he still insisted
on the old man leaving him and trying to save himself,
but he would not do it. He then directed his faithful
old friend to load the gun that was in the cabin, which
was done, and put into his hands, when he laid down
and appeared to sleep.
As soon as the sad intelligence reached the fort. Cap-
tain Walker mustered a party of men and proceeded to
the spot. When they came to the river bank, Brady
heard the noise, and supposing it was Indians, jumped to
his feet and cocked his gun. But it was friends. They
made a bier and placed him on it, and brought him
away. He requested to be taken to Sunbury to his
mother. His request was granted, and a party started
with him, amongst whom was Robert Covenhoven. He
became very feverish by the way, and drank large quan-
tities of water, and became partly delirious. It was late
at night when they arrived at Sunbury, and did not in-
tend to arouse his mother, but it seemed she had a pre-
sentiment of something that was to happen, and being
awake to alarms, met them at the river and assisted to
convey her wounded son to the house. He presented a
frightful spectacle, and the meeting of mother and son is
described to have been heart-rending. Her heart was
wrung with the keenest anguish, and her lamentations
were terrible to be heard.
The young Captain lived five days. The first four he
was delirious, on the fifth his reason returned, and he
described the whole scene he had passed through very
vividly, and with great minuteness. He said the In-
dians were of the Seneca tribe, and amongst them were
15
226 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
two chiefs ; one of whom was a very large man, and
from the description was supposed to be Complanter;
the other he personally knew to be the celebrated
chief Bald Eagle, who had his nest near where Miles-
burg now stands.
On the evening of the fifth day, the young Captain
died, deeply regretted by all who knew him, for he was
a noble and promising young man. Vengeance, ^^not
loud, but deep," was breathed against the Bald Eagle,
but he laughed it to scorn, till the fatal day at Brady's
Bend on the Alleghany *
Small parties of Indians were continually skulking
about, and it was very unsafe to venture from the forts.
Having gained so much plunder recently, it seemed that
they had become bolder, and conmiitted greater depreda-
tions with impimity.
On the 20th of August, Colonel Hunter writes, that
in accordance with the resolution of Congress, and the
instructions of the Council, he had succeeded in raising
a company of volunteers to serve six months, and had
appointed the officers. The Company was now doing
duty, and numbered about sixty men. The expense of
raising the company was considerable. Each man that
fm-nished himself with a good rifle and accoutrements,
was to have eighty dollars; this was the basis upon
which it was raised.
* Several years afler the death of James Brady, a large party of Senecas.
under the command of Complanter, were marching along the AU^hanj
river on their way to Bald Eagle's nest. Captain Sam. Brady recognized
the Bald Eagle that day, and fired at him. When the battle was over he
searched for his body and found it. The ball had pierced his heart, and
the blood of the young Captain at Loyal Sock was fatally avenged by the
hands of his brother on the banks of the Alleghany. — Hazard's Register,
page 237} vol. iz.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 227
The militia who had served their turn, complained
loudly about their pay. Most of them were very poor
on account of losing all their property, particularly those
about Loyal Sock.
At this time, one hundred men belonging to Colonel
Hartley's regiment ; two hundred and twenty of Lancas-
ter County militia ; one hundred and seventy of Berks
County ; and one hundred of the Northumberland militia,
and between sixty and seventy of Captain James Mur-
ray's company of six months' men, was the number of
men enrolled in the Valley — amounting to upwards of
seven hundred. This was a pretty effective force, and
it was stationed to the best advantage, throughout the
County, by Colonel Hartley.
On the first of September, Colonel Hartley informed
the Executive Council, that he considered it highly im-
portant to have a small body of horse ordered to the
County. He also wrote to the Board of War, requesting
them to be sent.
From his letter, we learn that Captain Walker had
succeeded in making the necessary repairs at Fort Muncy,
and had a four pounder mounted on the walls. He had
also succeeded in inducing some of the people to put in
their fall crops.
Three German militia men, without arms or permis-
sion, went out from the fort, on the last day of August,
to dig potatoes. Although they were in sight of the
garrison, they were immediately attacked by the savages,
who were lying in ambush. The Indians discharged all
their guns at once. One militia man was killed and
scalped, and another was seized and had a hard strug-
gle with a stout Indian, for a few minutes, when the
garrison came to his relief.
228 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Some days before this affair — ^the 23d — a man named
Cottner, was killed near the fort, and on the same day,
Captain Martel was wounded. From these circumstances
it can be inferred how exceedingly dangerous it was to
venture out of the fort in those days. A large number
of the descendants of Cottner still live about Muncy.
When the settlers at Fort Freeland retmned after the
Big Runaway, Jacob Freeland picketed in half an acre
of ground around the fort, into which the people all col-
lected with their families.
Some time in the autumn of 1778, Mrs. McNight,and
Mrs. Durham, with small children in their arms, and
mounted on horseback — with a number of men on foot
— started from Freeland's Fort, to go to Northumber-
land. They met with no interruption till they had got
one mile below the mouth of Warrior Run, when they
were unexpectedly fired upon by a party of Indians.
Mrs. McNight's horse suddenly wheeled and galloped
back. She came very near losing her child, but caught
it by the foot, and held it firmly, dangling by her side,
till the frightened horse brought her to the fort. Mrs.
Durham's infant was shot in her arms, when she fell
from the horse. She was immediately scalped and left
for dead.
Two young men, sons of Mrs. McNight, ran, on the
alarm being given, and tried to secrete themselves under
the bank of the river. Their place of concealment, how-
ever, was discovered by the Indians, and they were
taken and carried into captivity.
Two men, named Peter and Elias Williams, were the
first to find Mrs. Durham. On coming up to where she
lay, they were greatly surprised to see her rise up and
call for a drink of water ! She had received no other
k
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 229
injury, save the loss of her scalp. They took her to
Sunbury, where her wounded head was dressed by Dr.
Plunkett. It was a long time before it healed up com-
pletely. She finally recovered, and lived till within a
few years. Many of the settlers about Warrior Run re-
member her well.
230 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
CHAPTER XXIX.
COLONEL hartley's EXPEDITION — DEPARTURE FROM MITNCY—
FOLLOW THE SHESHBQUIN PATH — BAD TRAVELLING SIGNS OF
INDIANS — A SKIRMISH — TOWNS DESTROYED — LARGE BODY OF
TORIES — ^MARCH FROM WYALUSING — A SEVERE BATTLE-
KILLED AND WOUNDED, &C.
In September, 1778, Colonel Hartley planned an ex-
pedition to Tioga and the North Branch, to destroy some
Indian towns, and break up some of their principal
places of rendezvous. The following is his report of the
expedition, which will be found to be very interesting :
ADDRESS OF COLONEL HARTLEY TO CONGRESS, 1778.
" With a Frontier from Wioming to Allegany, we were sensible the
few regular Troops we had could not defend the necessary posts. We
thought (if it were practicable,) it would be best to draw the Princi-
pal part of our Force together, as the Inhabitants would be in no
great danger during our absence. I made a stroke at some of the
nearest Indian towns, especially as we learnt a handsome detachment
had been sent into the Enemy's Country by the way of Cherry Val-
ley. We were in hopes we should drive the Savages to a greater dis-
tance.
<< With Volunteers and others we reckoned on 400 Rank & File for
the expedition, besides 17 Horse, which I mounted from my own
Kegt., under the oonunand of Mr. Carbery.
<< Our Rendezvous was Fort Muncy, on the West Branch, intend-
ing to penitrate, by the Sheshecunnunk Path,* to Tioga, at the Juno-
* Sheshequin Path, struck up Bouser's run below WiUiamsport, and
came out on the head waters of Lycoming.
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 231
tion of the Cayuga, with the main North-East Branch of Susquehan-
nah, from thence to act as circumstances might require.
" The Troops met at Muncy the 18 Septr., when we came to count
and array our Force for the Expedition, they amounted only to about
200 Rank & File. We thought the number small, but as we pre-
sumed the Enemy had no notice of our Designs, we hoped at least to
make a good Diversion if no more, whilst the Inhabitants were saving
their grain on the Frontier.
'^ On the morning of the 21st, at four o'clock, we marched from
Muncy, with the Force I have mentioned, we carried two Boxes of
spare ammunition and Twelve days Provisions.
<^ In our Bout we met with great Bains & prodigious Swamps,
Mountains, Defiles & Bocks impeded our march, we had to open and
clear the way as we passed.
" We waded or swam the Biver Lycoming upwards of 20 Times.
I will not trouble your honourable Body with a tedious Detail, but I
cannot help observing that, I immagine, the Difficulties in Crossing
the Alps, or passing up Kennipeck, could not have been greater than
those our men experienced for the Time. I have the pleasure to say
they surmounted them with great Besolution and Fortitude.
'^ In lonely woods and groves we found the Haunts and Lurking
Places of the savage Murderers who had desolated our Frontier. We
saw the Huts where they had dressed and dried the scalps of the help-
less women & Children who had fell in their hands.
<< On the morning of the 26th our Advance Party of 19 met with
an equal Number of Indians on the Path, approaching each other, our
People had the first Fire, a very important Indian Chief was killed
and scalped, the rest fled.
" A few Miles further we discovered where upwards of 70 Warriors
had lay the night before, on their March towards our Frontiers, the
Panick communicated, they fled with their Brethren.
" No Time was lost, we advanced towards Sheshecunnunck, in the
Neighborhood of which place we took 15 Prisoners from them, we
learnt that a Man had deserted from Capt. Spalding's Company at
Wioming, after the Troops had marched from thence, & had given the
enemy Notice of our intended Expedition against them.
" We moved with the greatest Dispatch towards Tioga, advancing
our Horse, and some Foot in Front, who did their duty very well ', a
number of the Enemy fled before us with Precipitation, it was near
232 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLEY.
dark when we came to that town^ our Troops were much &tigaed; it
was impossible to proceed farther that Night.
<< We took another Prisoner, npon the whole Information^ we were
clear the Savages had Intelligence of us some days — ^That the Indians
had been towards the German Flats — ^had taken 8 scalps ft brought
of 70 oxen intended for the garrison of Fort Stanwix — ^Thal on thm
Return they were to have attacked Wioming and the settlements on
the West Branch again — That Colo. Morgan or no other Person had
attempted to penetrate into the Enemy's Country, as we had been
given to understand, and that the Collected force at Chemung would
be upwards of 500, & that they were building a fort there.
^' We also were told that young Butler had been at Tioga a few
Hours before we came — ^that he had 300 Men with him, the most of
them Tories, dressed in green — ^that they were returned towards
Chemung, 12 Miles off, & that they determined to give us Battle in
some of the Defiles near it.
'^ It was soon resolved we should proceed no farther, but if possible,
make our way good to Wioming. We burnt Tioga, Queen Hester's
Palace or Town, & all the settlements on this side ; several Canoes
were taken and some Plunder, Part of which was destroyed.
'' Mr. Carbery with the Horse only, was close on Butler, he was in
Possession of the Town of Shawnee, 3 Miles up the Cayuga Branch,
but as we did not advance, he returned.
'^ The Consternation of the Enemy was great, we pushed our good
Fortune as far as we dare, nay, it is probable the good countenance
we put on saved us from destruction, as we were advanced so far into
the Enemy's Country & no return but what we could make with the
sword. We came to Sheshecunnunk that night.
<< Had we had 500 Regular Troops, and 150 light Troops, with one
or two Pieces of artillery, we probably might have destroyed Chemung,
which is DOW the recepticle of all villainous Indians & Tories from the
different Tribes and States. From this tfiey make their Excursions
against the Frontiers of N. York and Pennsylvania, Jersey & Wio-
ming, & commit those horrid Murders and Devastations we have heard
of. Niagra and Chemung are the assilums of those Tories who oannot
get to New York.
" On the Morning of the 28th, we crossed the River and Marched
towards Wyalusing, where we arrived that night at eleven o'Clook ;
our men much worn down— our Whiskey and Flour was gone.
mSTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 233
<< On the Morning of the 29th we were obliged to stay 'till eleven
o'clock to kill and cooke Beef. This necessary stop gave the Enemy
Leasnre to approach.
^' Seventy of our Men^ from real or pretended Lameness, went into
the Canoes, others rode on the empty Pack Horses, we had not more
than 120 Rank & File to fall in the Line of March.
'' Lt. Sweeny, a valuable officer^ had the Rear Guard, consisting of
30 Men, besides five active Runners under Mr. Camplen. The ad-
vanced guard was to consist of an officer & 15. There were a few
Flankers, but from the Difficulty of the ground & Fatigue, they were
seldom of use.
'^ The rest of our Little army was formed into three Divisions, those
of my Regmt composed the first, Capt Spalding's the 2d, Capt Mur.
row's the 3d. The light Horse was equally divided between front
and rear. The Pack Horses and the Cattle we had collected, were to
follow the advance guard.
"In this order we moved from Wyalusing at twelve o'clock, a
slight attack was made on our Front from a Hill, half an Hour after-
wards a warmer one was made on the same quarter, after ordering the
2d and 3d Divisions to out Flank the Enemy, we soon drove them,
but this, as I expected, was only amusement, we lost as Little time
as possible with them.
" At two o'clock a very heavy attack was made on our Rear, which
obliged the most of the Rear guard to give way, whilst several Indians
appeared on our Left Flank. By the weight of the Firing we were
soon convinced we had to oppose a Large Body.
''Capt Stoddard commanded in Front, I was in the Centre; I ob-
served some high ground which overlooked the Enemy, orders were
immediately given for the first & 3d Division to take Possession of it,
whilst Capt Spalding was dispatched to support the Rear Guard. We
gained the Heights almost unnoticed by the Barbarians, Capt Stod-
dert sent a small Party towards the Enemy's Rear; at this critical
moment Capts Boone & Brady, & Lt King, with a few Brave Fellows,
landed from the Canoes, joined Mr. Sweeny, and renewed the action
there. The War Whoop was given by our People below and commu-
nicated round, we advanced on the Enemy on all sides, with great
shouting & Noise, the Indians after a brave resistance of some minutes,
conceived themselves nearly surrounded, fled with the utmost Haste,
by the only passes that remained, & left ten dead on the ground.
234 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
" Our Troops wished to do their duty, but they were much OTercome
with Fatigue, otherwise (as the Indians immagined themselyes sur-
rounded), we should drove the Enemy into the River.
<' From every account these were a select body of warriors, sent
after us, consisting of near 200 Men. Their Confidence and Impetu-
osity probably gave the victory to us.
''After they had drove our Rear some Distance their Chief was
heard to say, in the Indian Language, that which is interpreted thus :
my Brave JVdrrwrs we drive them, be bold and strong, the day is
ours, upon this they advanced very quick without sufficiently r^ard-
ing their Rear.
" We had no alternative but Conquest or Death, they would have
murdered us all had they succeeded, but the great Ood of Battles pro-
tected us in the day of Danger.
" We had 4 killed and 10 wounded. The Enemy must have had
at least treble the number killed & wounded.
''They received such a Beating as prevented them from giving us
any further trouble during our March to Wioming, which is more
than 50 Miles from the place of action.
" The officers of my Regiment behaved well to a Man. All the
party will acknowledge the greatest merit and Bravery of Capt Stod-
dert, I cannot say enough in his favor, he deserves the Esteem of his
Country.
"Mr. Carbery with his Horse, was very active, and rendered im-
portant services, 'till his Horses were fatigued.
" Nearly all the other officers acquitted themselves with Reputation.
" Capt Spalding exerted himself as much as possible.
" Capt Murrow, from his knowledge of Indian affairs, and their
Mode of fighting, was serviceable. His Men were Marksmen and
were useful.
"The men of my Regt were armed with Muskets & Bayonets, they
were no great marksmen, and were awkward at wood Fighting. The
Bullet, and three Swan shot in each Piece, made up, in some measure,
for the want of skill.
" The' we were happy enough to succeed in this Action, yet I am
convinced that a number of Lighter Troops, under good officers, are
necessary for this Service. On the 3d the Savages killed and scalped
8 men, who had imprudently left the garrison at Wioming to go in
search of Potatoes.
fflSTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 235
<< From our observations; we imagine that the same party who had
fought US; after taking Care of their Dead & Woundedj had come on
towards Wyoming, and are now in that Neighborhood.
'^ I left half of my detachment there with five of my own officers;
should they attempt to invest the place when their number is increas-
ed; I make no doubt but they will be disappointed.
** Our Garrisons have plenty of Beef & Salt; Tho' Flour is scarce
at Wioming.
^' I arrived here with the remainder of the detachment on the 5th;
we have performed a Circuit of near 300 miles in about two weeks.
We brought off near 50 Head of Cattlc; 28 CanoeS; besides many
other articles.
^^ I would respectfully propose that the Congress would be pleased
to send a Connecticut Regiment to Garrison Wyoming as soon as pos-
sible; it is but 120 miles from Fish Kills. I have done all I can for
the good of the whole. I have given all the support in my Power to
that Post; but if Troops are not immediately sent; these Settlements
will be destroyed in Detail. In a week or less a Regiment could
march from Fish Kills to Wyoming.
<' My little Regiment, with two Classes of Lancaster and Berks
County Militia; will be scarcely sufficient to preserve the Posts from
Nescopake Falls to Muncy; and from thence to the Head of Penn's
VaUey.
<' I am with the greatest Respect,
Your most obedt.
Humble Servt;
THOS. HARTLEY; Col."
<* Sunbury; Octr. 8th; 1778."
An unanimous vote of thanks was passed by the Exe-
cutive Council, for Colonel Hartley's " brave and pru-
dent conduct in covering the North Western frontiers/*
&c. See Col. Rec, Vol. XI., p. 640. And, for this re-
port, see Archives for 1778-9, p. 5.
236 msTOBT OF the west branch yallet.
CHAPTER XXX.
COLONEL HARTLEY LEAVES THE VALLEY — ^DEATH OF OAPTAIH
BRADY — NEGLECTED STATE OF HIS GRAVE — SAMUEL BBADY'S
VOW — CAPTAIN walker's LETTER — M'CLAY'S PROPOSmOH TO
HUNT THE INDIANS WITH DOGS — BATTLE NEAR MUNOT— A
TRADITION — WARRIOR SPRING — ^NATURAL HOTEL — ^FORT MUH-
OY EVACUATED AGAIN — TERRIBLE SCENES OF MURDER AND
DEVASTATION FOLLOW.
On the 7th of October, 1778, two seqeants belonging
to Colonel Hartley's regiment, stationed at Money, were
surprised by the Indians a short distance from the fort,
and one of them killed and scalped. The other was
supposed to have been taken prisoner and carried off, as
he could not be found.
As Colonel Hartley had left a portion of his regiment
at Wyoming, the West Branch was again destitute of
the requisite number of troops to guard the settlers, and
it was necessary that a fresh supply should be sent. The
volunteer company raised for six months' service, and
commanded by Captain Murrows, had refused to do their
duty, till the sum of eighty dollars per man, promised
them by the government, was paid.
In view of this state of affairs, and the urgent neces-
sity for fresh troops to be sent to protect the Valley firom
the daily inroads of the savages, a number of prominent
citizens were induced to request Colonel Hartley to send
:.; j£--i
W'
niW.-«;>^ P'
HISTORY OF THB WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 237
Colonel Antes, Captain Chambers, and Mr. Maffit, as
Commissioners to the Executive Council, to lay their
grievances before that body, and solicit timely assist-
ance.
During the month of November, the savages were
very bad. They burnt and destroyed much on the North
Branch, and on the 9th, a body, consisting of seventy
warriors, came to the forks of Chilisquaque, and took
several prisoners.
About the close of the year 1778, Colonel Hartley
left the West Branch for another field of duty. His de-
parture from the command of the troops was very much
regretted by Colonel Hunter, and others, as he had done
more for the country during his stay, than any other
person. Colonel Hunter complained that his lot, as com-
mander of the militia, was a hard one ; and that the mi-
litia of this County were harder to govern than any
others, and never could be brought under the same de-
gree of discipline as regulars.
He also informed President Reed, at the same time,
that agreeably to the resolution of Congress, and the in-
structions of Council, to raise a Company of volunteers
to serve six months, he had appointed the following
officers : James Murrows, Captain ; Robert Arthur, 1st
Lieutenant; Samuel Fulton, 2d Lieutenant; William
Reed, 3d Lieutenant ; and Andrew Donaldson, Ensign.
Their term of service was about to expire, and Captain
Murrows had gone to the Board of War, with the muster
roll, to receive their pay. Some of the men had paid as
high as thirty pounds for a good rifle, hence the govern-
ment should be prompt in paying them.
Captain John Brady, it will be remembered, command-
ed the fort which bore his name, near Muncy Creek. It
238 BISTORT OF THE WEST BBANCH VAIXEt.
was merely a local affair, and garrisoned by the inhabit-
ants for their own protection.
In April, 1779, it became necessary to go up the river
some distance, to procure suppUes for the fort, and Cap-
tain Brady, taJdng with him a wagon, team, and guard,
went and procured what could be had. As he was return-
ing in the afternoon, riding a fine mare, and near where
the road forked, being some distance behind the team,
in conversation with Peter Smith, he suggested the pro-
priety of taking a diflFerent route from the one the wagon
had gone, as it was shorter. They travelled together,
till they came to a small stream of water, where the other
road came in. Brady observed,* " this would be a good
place for the Indians to secrete themselves." Smith said,
"Yes." That instant three rifles cracked, and Brady
fell dead ! The mare ran past Smith, who threw himself
upon her, and was carried to the fort in a few seconds.
The garrison hearing the report of the rifles, ran out, and
on seeing Smith coming at full speed, anxiously inquired
for Captain Brady. His wife was amongst the foremost,
and feared the worst. Smith replied, " in heaven or heil,
or on his road to Tioga .'" Meaning he was either killed
or taken prisoner by the Indians.
The men immediately ran to the spot, to which the
wagon guard had also been attracted by the firing, and
found the brave Captain lying in the road, his scalp taken
off, and his rifle gone. The Indians were in such haste,
that they had not taken either his watch or shot pouch.
This was a hard stroke on Mrs. Brady, bowed down
as she was in mourning for the death of her beloved son
James, the previous year. Now, her husband and pro-
* See the article by Kiskeminetas, Vol. IX. Hazard's Register, p. 307.
fflSTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 239
tector was cruelly murdered by the same relentless hand.
Truly, her lot was hard.
The Peter Smith in company with him, was the same
whose wife and children were killed near Lycoming,
and on whose farm his son James was so barbar-
ously murdered, when assisting to cut his harvest. It
seemed that bad luck attended this unfortunate man
wherever he went.*
The place where Captain John Brady was killed, was
little more than a quarter of a mile from the fort, by the
old path, and near where the main road, from Muncy to
Winiamsport, now crosses Wolf Run. He was taken
and buried in the graveyard on Muncy Farm. For
many years, all trace of the hero's grave was lost, and
his son. General Hugh Brady, frequently sought for it
in vain. One of his daughters, the wife of Major Backus,
was providentially made acquainted with the spot, during
a visit a few years ago, where her grandfather was in-
terred. An old Revolutionary soldier, named Henry
Lebo, who was well acquainted with the Captain, and
served in his company, had known and marked the spot,
and on his death-bed, described it, and requested to be
buried by his side. His request was granted ; and there
lie side by side, the Captain and his brave compatriot.
The grave, I am sorry to say, is shamefully neglected,
and can only be found by the marks of the latter. The
people of Lycoming county, cannot show a better ap-
preciation of true patriotism, than by erecting an humble
slab, at least, in perpetuation of the memory of the gal-
lant Brady. Let the sacred spot where his ashes re-
pose, be marked in this way, with a tablet on which to
inscribe the many virtues of the noble dead.
* After the war, Smith is said to have settled in the Genessee Country,
and become a wealthy man. Gk>od luck returned.
240 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
The death of Brady took place on the 11th of April,
1779. His son Samuel was at Pittsburg when the sad
intelligence reached him. He also mourned the death
of his brother James, but this news served to fill his
cup of sorrow, and, in the first phrensy of grief, he
is said to have raised his hand on high, and swore:
^^ Aided by Him who formed yonder Sun and Heavens j I
will revenge the murder of my father; nor while I Uve wOl
I ever be at peace with the Indians of any tribe r This
fearful vow was uttered in the first moments of anguished
feeling, but it was never efiaced from his memory. He
became a devoted man-killer, reckless of all sympathy,
and destitute of all humanity towards the Indian race.
The vow was fearfully fulfilled, and many a dusky war-
rior bit the dust. His daring adventures on the Alle-
ghany would fill a volume. They may be found at
length, in the numbers by Kiskeminetas, in the ninth
and tenth volumes of Hazard's Register.
On the 17th of April, Captain Andrew Walker, who
commanded Fort Muncy, writes to the Executive Coun-
cil, giving them an account of the repairs done to the
fort, and the sufferings endured by the garrison. His
letter is quite interesting. I quote the greater part of
it, verbatim^ as follows :
"On the 2(i of Augt, wee ware ordred by Colonel Hartley to build
this Fort ; wee Immeadiately hegon and Finnish'd hy the 18th of
Sepr, with these Exceptions — There was but one row of Abbeties
round it; wee had built Neither Barrack's Store or Magazine.
"On the 20th of Sepr, the Garrason, which Consifted of 1 Capt,
2 Subs; 4 Sergts, & 60 Rank and File, ware drawn out (Except 1
Subn & 18) on an Expedition under the Command of Col. Hartley —
on the 9th of Sepr wee Again marched into it; bad weather comeing
on we began our Barraks Magazine, Storehouse, &c; when this was
Finesh'd, wee ware Comfortably Prepared Again the winter ) but in
the Spring I found the Works much Impoared; I then set the Oar-
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 241
reson to Repair the Works, and raised them Eighteen Inches ; Then
wee put two rowes more of Abberties round the works — this is Just
now Finesh'd ; it is to be Observed that in the Course of this time,
one third of our men ware Constantly Imployed as Guards to the
Inhabitants, and, I may Aferm, in Harvest the one halfe ware Im-
ployed the same way, nor can anny man in the County say he ever
asked a guard (when he had a Just Occation) and was denied. Dure-
ing this time the Troops ware not supplied even with Eation Whiskey^
allmoste Neaked for want of Blankets and Cloathes, and yet I have
the Satisfaction to infoarm you they done their Duty Cheerfully. I
from time to time did promise them some Compensation for their
Treble and Industrey. The works are now finished, and, in my
oppinion, Taneble again anny nomber our Savage Enemy can bring
again it ; as to my own part, I begg lave to observe That I neither
clame Meret or Reward for what I have done — it's anough that I
have done my Duty. Yet, Sir, as I have Promised these men a Com-
pensation for there Industry, I begg you will Please to lay before the
Hon'ble Councel, the Inclosed Plan, which will Inable them to Judge
wheather the Troops deserve a Reward for their labour or not
<< The sole cost this fort is to the States is, to building two Roomes
for the Officers. Makeing the gate & two Sentry Boxes.
" (Signed)
ANDW. WALKER,
Capt. Com'g Fort Muncy."
Captain Walker certainly deserved much credit for
his services at this post, and although he claims neither
"Meret or Reward," was eminently entitled to some-
thing. Whether government gave him a vote of thanks,
even, does not appear.
On the 26th of the same month, a party of Indians,
supposed to be thirty or forty in number, suddenly
appeared in the vicinity of Fort Freeland, and succeeded
in killing and capturing seven men belonging to that
place. Among those taken prisoners was James McNight,
Esq.,* one of the Assemblymen for the county of Nor-
* See Pennsylvania Archives for 1778-9, page 346.
1 a
242 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY,
thiunberland, and probably the husband of Mrs. McNight,
who made such a narrow escape from the Indians, some-
time before.
The same day a party of thirteen men went in search
of their horses, about five miles from Fort Muncy.
They were fired upon, probably by the same party
of Indians, and all killed or taken prisoners, except
one man, who made his escape. Captain Walker, on
hearing the firing, immediately turned out with a com-
pany of thirty-four men, and proceeded to the spot,
where he found the. bodies of four men lying dead,
and their scalps taken.
It appeared that great preparations were making by
the various tribes to unite, and make a sudden descent
upon the valley in overwhelming numbers, and exter-
minate the infant settlements at one fell swoop. They
seemed to be resolved upon their destruction, and the
people were justly alarmed, for in all probability, if
strong measures were not taken to guard against it, the
tragedies of Wyoming would be re-enacted in the beau-
tiful vale of the Otzinachson.
The great danger, and the urgent necessity of speedy
action, induced William Maclay to submit a proposition
to Council for employing dogs to hunt the savages. The
following extract is taken from his letter, bearing date
the 27th of April, 1779 :
<< I have sustained some Ridicule for a Scheme which I have IcHig
recommended^ Viz.^ that of hunting the Scalping parties of Indians
with Horsemen & Dogs. The iminent Services which Bogs have
rendered to our People in some late instances, seems to open People's
Eyes to a Method of this kind. We know that Dogs will follow
them, that they will discover them and even seize them^ when hunted
on by their Masters.
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 243
'' History informs us That it was in this Manner That the Indians
were extirpated out of whole Country's in South America. It may
be objected That we have not Proper Dogs. It is true that every
new thing must be learned; But we have, even now. Dogs that will fol-
low them, and the arrantest Cur will both follow and fight in Company.
I cannot help being of opinion that a Single Troop of Light Horse,
attended by Dogs, (and who might occasionally carry a footman be-
hind them, that the pursuit might not be interrupted by Morasses or
Mountains,) under honest and active officers, would destroy more
Indians than five thousand Men stationed in forts along the Frontiers ;
I am not altogether singular in this opinion, could not such a Thing
be trycd ?"
This letter was written from Sunbury. It nowhere
appears how his views were received by the Executive
Council ; but it is certain that the Bcheme was never
adopted and " tryed."
About this period a battle was fought near the summit
of the Muncy Hills, on the War Path leading from Muncy
to Shamokin, between a party of Indians and whites
that accidentally met there. It is said the whites be-
haved gallantly, and gained a complete victory. They
were under the command of William Patterson, grand-
father of the late J. Potter Patterson, of Muncy. The
numbers engaged on each side, and the losses sustained,
it is to be regretted, have not been preserved. Toma-
hawks, and other relics of the contest, have often been
found on the spot.
A tradition is handed down to this day, that at a very
early period, a party of Indians massacred a white man
on this spot, by burning him at the stake. They stuck
his body full of pitch pine splinters, and danced around
him in fiendish glee, awaking the echoes of those dismal
mountain solitudes with their demoniac yells. A little
superstition is also blended with the tradition, to the
244 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
effect that no herbage has ever been known to grow in
the circle where the terrible deed was consummated.
The Indians that met the whites on this lonely path,
had lain the previous night, at the Warrior Spring, near
Fort Brady. It was a great place of resort, and rose in
the bank of the river near where Port Penn now stands,
and is the largest head of spring water known in the
Muncy Valley at the present day. The quality of the
water has no superior, both for its low degree of tem-
perature, and crystalline appearance.
At this spring, old Egohowen, a Muncy Chief, and his
'compatriots, exhibited their hospitalities to Newaleeka,
of the Great Island, and his other allies and friends. It
was one of Nature's Hotels, at the head of Muncy Rip-
ples. The Elm tree that overhung the shore was both
hitching-post and manger, whilst the voyageur was regaled
at the gravelly bar.
The ravages of the Indians had become so great on
both branches of the Susquehanna, that it was resolved
to march a large army into their country, and destroy
their villages and cornfields. It was thought that by so
doing, their arrangements would be so disconcerted that
they could no longer carry on their system of warfare
with advantage, and would be compelled to abandon their
designs. The command of the expedition was given to
General Sullivan, and it proved pretty successful. He
marched up the North Branch in June.
General Sullivan required all the available troops that
could be spared for him in this Valley. In view of this,
the garrison was withdrawn from Fort Muncy, being the
second time it was evacuated during the Revolutionary
war; and the settlements above Freeland's Fort were
again left in a defenceless and unprotected condition.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 245
But few settlers remained, however, to trust themselves
to the roving bands of savages.
The troops were scarcely withdrawn from this post
till the enemy appeared in considerable numbers, and
commenced to bum, murder, and destroy everything
before them. On the third of the month, (June, 1779,)
they killed two men, and took three prisoners, at Lyco-
ming Creek. Their names are not given. Following
up their work of destruction, they burned the widow
Smith's mills, and killed one man, on the 8th. These
mills are said to have stood where the White Deer Mills
now stand. The irons were discovered a few years ago
in a slough near the river.
On the 17th they penetrated near Fort Brady, where
they killed two men, and took three prisoners ; burned
Starrets' flouring mill, and all the principal houses in
Muncy township. This mill stood where the Muncy
mills now stand, near the centre of the valley. Desola-
tion and blood marked their course. Many families
were carried into captivity, amongst which was the
family of Joseph Webster, who lived on Muncy Farm.
Four of his children were attacked. The eldest, a son,
was killed, and the others, two daughters, and a son,
were carried into captivity. Some of the descendants
reside near Muncy at the present time.
Pushing on their ravages with impunity, they appeared
near Fort Freeland on the 21st, and surprised several
men at work in a cornfield. A son of Jacob Freeland,
and Isaac Vincent, were killed ; and Michael Freeland
and Benjamin Vincent taken prisoners.
It is related of young Freeland, that on the alarm
being given, he ran towards a stone quarry, but was
pursued and speared in the thigh. He fell near the
246 msiOBT OF the west branch vallet.
edge of the quany, when the Indian pounced upon hun,
but suddenly rising with him on his shoulders, pitched
him'' over the precipice, and would have escaped, but
another Indian came running up, and killed him.
Great alarm existed among the few remaining settlers,
and they scarcely knew what to do. Savages lurked
behind every bush, and no man was safe when absent
from the Fort. It was also rumored that an extensive
body of British and Indians were making preparations to
descend upon the Valley, whilst Sullivan was marching
up the North Branch, and penetrate to Fort Augusta,
kill and burn everything before them, and take posses-
sion of that stronghold.
A recital of the bloody scenes that followed must be
reserved for another chapter.
HISTORY OF THB WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 247
CHAPTER XXXI.
COVBNHOVEN, AS A SPY — DISCOVERS THE ENEMY — RETURNS
AND GIVES THE ALARM — ^THE FLIGHT — ^THBY APPROACH AND
BURN FORT MUNCY — FORT FREBLAND INVESTED — THE BATTLE
AND SURRENDER — CAPTAIN BOON'S SPARTAN BAND — LIST OF
THE KILLED — THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN — DEATH OF JOHN
MONTOUR — HIS BURIAL AT PAINTED POST.
As the rumor of the approaching body of British and
Indians increased, it was determined to send an active
man, well acquainted with all the paths and defiles, as a
spy, to see what intelligence he could glean of their
movements. Robert Covenhoven, who was then acting
as a guide and scout for the garrison, being an ex-
pert woodsman, was selected for the dangerous task.
He started alone, preferring no company, as he thought
he could better elude observation, than if accompanied
by several men, who might not obey his instructions.
Purposely avoiding all the Indian paths, he shaped his
course through the wilderness, towards the head waters
of Lycoming Creek, and travelling all night, soon arrived
in the vicinity of the enemy's camp. Secreting himself
in a secure position, he lay, during the day, and heard
several hundred shots, from which he judged that they
were cleaning their guns. Being satisfied that a large
body was about to advance, he started back over the
248 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
ragged mountains, hungry and fatigued, and made as
rapid progress as the nature of his path would admit.
Striking an Indian path near Loyal Sock, it forcibly oc-
curred to him that he might meet Indians if he continued
in it, and stepping out behind a tree to rest himself, had
been there but a few minutes, till two Indians rapidly
passed him, humming a tune as they went. Had he
continued on without stopping, they would have met
him.
When he arrived at the settlements, he gave the
alarm, and the terrified women and children were hastily
put in boats, and sent down to Fort Augusta, under his
charge. Fort Meninger, at the mouth of Warrior Run,
was abandoned, and intelligence sent up to Freeland's
Fort, to make preparations to leave as soon as possible.
Thinking, probably, that he was magnifying the danger,
they were slow to move. The garrison at Boon's Fort,
at the mouth of Muddy Run, also remained behind.
In the meantime the enemy, consisting of about three
hundred British and Indians; the former under the
command of Captain McDonald, and the latter under
Hiokoto, a veteran brave of the Seneca tribe, were
rapidly advancing. They burned fort Muncy on their
way down, and laid the country waste.
They approached Fort Freeland, and appeared there
early on the morning of the 29th of June, 1779. The
inhabitants were not aware of their being so near, and
fancied themselves secure. Delusive fancy !
About dayhght, on the morning of that memorable
day, an aged man, named James Watt, left the fort to
look for his sheep, and had proceeded but a short dis-
tance in the direction of the creek, when an Indian,
named John Montour, who was lying in ambush, sud-
raSTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLE7. 249
denly sprang upon him, and attempted to drag him oflf,
but Watt resisted and cried loudly for assistance. The
Indian then felled him with his tomahawk, and attempt-
ed to scalp him, when he was wounded in the back by
a rifle ball fired from the fort, which compelled him to
fly. Two young men were also out at the same time,
but immediately ran in. One of them stopped in the
gate to look back, when a ball struck him in the fore-
head. The other pulled him in and closed the gate.
Thus the attack commenced.
The fort only contained twenty-one effective men,
and a large number of women and children. The names
of a few are given as follows : Captain John Lytle, John
Vincent, Cornelius Vincent, Daniel Vincent, Bethuel
Vincent, George Pack, Elias Williams, Henry Gilfil-
len, &c.
As soon as the attack began, Mary Kirk and Phoebe
Vincent, commenced to run bullets, and continued as
long as they had a dish or spoon that would melt.
Heroic women !
The savages set up a terrible yell, and advanced to
the attack, under cover of trees, bushes, &c. Those in
the fort also maintained a stout resistance, and fired
vigorously upon the enemy, but with little effect. After
continuing the assault for some minutes, and finding
that little impression could be made upon the works,
Captain McDonald hoisted a white flag, and proposed
terms of capitulation. Captain John Lytle, accompa-
nied by John Vincent, went out and held a conference
with McDonald, who proposed the following terms :
1. That Lytle should give up the fort, without further
resistance.
2. That for so doing, McDonald would take no prison-
250 mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
era but the able-bodied and efficient men, and all the
women, children, and old men, would be permitted to
leave the place, without danger or molestation.
In the event of refusing these terms, McDonald stated
that he should renew the attack, and if his party were
victorious — as he doubted not they would be—it would
be out of his power to prevent a general massacre of all
who were found in the fort, not excepting the women
and children.
Thirty minutes being allowed Captain Lytie to de-
cide on the expediency of acceptii^ the proposed terms,
he immediately returned to the fort for consultation with
his friends. The fortification was poorly constructed,
being nothing more than three logs laid one upon an-
other, and it covered more space than there were men to
man it. The garrison, therefore, believing there was no
possible chance for success, if a battle ensued, resolved
to surrender the fort, as soon as the thirty minutes ex-
pired.
These thirty minutes were not, however, spent in
idleness by the females in the fort. Every woman put
on as much clothing as she could possibly wear, taking
care also, to load her pockets with every little thing of
value that she could lay hands on. William Kirk, a
young man of feminine appearance, was dressed in
female costume, by his mother, and escaped with the
women. This is the only case of this kind that actually
took place, although several have been published.
It was about nine o'clock in the morning when the
articles of capitulation were signed, and the prisoners
marched forth. McDonald was true to his word, and
no massacre took place.
As soon as the Indians took possession of the fort.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 251
the squaws began to display their inherent mischievous
disposition. They took all the feather beds they could
find, ripped them open, emptied the feathers in a heap,
set them in a blaze, and danced around them with tre-
mendous yells of satisfaction. They then packed the
ticks full of clothes and goods, destroying everything
that was too unwieldy for removal, preparatory to their
retreat. One of the squaws, in passing a white girl,
snatched a handkerchief from her neck, and refused to
give it up. McDonald very generously gave the poor
girl his own, in lieu of it, and appeared to be much exas-
perated against the thievish disposition of the savages,
which he found impossible to control.
The Indians having rifled the fort of all that was val-
uable, and having gathered together all the provisions
they could find, proceeded to the creek below the mill —
the squaws riding away on the side-saddles they had
stolen, in mockery of the white females — where they
kindled their fires, cooked their meats, and made prepa-
rations for a sumptuous repast. Their enjoyment, how-
ever, was of short duration.
News of the attack having spread around the neigh-
borhood, and the firing being distinctly heard at Boon's
*
Fort, caused Captain Hawkins Boon to set himself
vigorously to work to collect a party and proceed to
the assistance of the garrison. In a short time he col-
lected together thirty-three as daring patriots as ever
fired a gun, out of the Chilisquaque settlement, and
marched to the scene of action.
About 11 o'clock, whilst the Indians were enjoying
their meal, this Spartan band reached the opposite side
of the creek, within seventy-five or eighty yards of
the enemy, without being discovered. Each man was
252 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
cautioned to take sure aim, and when all were ready, at
a given signal they fired, and at least thirty of the
savages fell dead without a moment's warning. As soon
as they could reload, they crossed the bridge, and made
directly for the fort, but when they had run about half
way across the meadow, they discovered it to be on fire.
As this was evidence that the fort had been abandoned,
Boon ordered a retreat to the woods, where he felt con-
fident that he could better cope with the savages in
their own peculiar way. The Indians seeing the white
men so few in number, endeavored to cut off this retreat
by throwing themselves before the bridge, but they were
unsuccessful. One of Boon's men, named Dougherty,
made a short cut for the creek, and while endeavoring
to cross it, got entangled in some vines. While in this
situation, an Indian called to him to surrender, but he
answered with an oath that he would not, and taking
his hunting-knife, with a few vigorous blows, cut his way
out, and reached his companions in safety, who gave him
a hearty cheer.
A brisk fire was now kept up across the creek, until
two o'clock in the afternoon, the whites fighting against
the odds of nine to one ! They stood their ground nobly,
until seventeen of their number, including the brave Cap-
tain Boon, were slain, when the survivors gave up the
fight, and each man made the best escape he could.
AU of these brave feUowS were closely hunted by the
savages, and several of them made very narrow escapes.
A man named Doyle, darted in among a bunch of hazel-
bushes close by where he had been fighting, and remained
in safety until night, although Indians passed several
times within a few feet of him.
During the fight, William Hood and Major McMahon,
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 253
crossed the creek to where the women were collected
together, spoke a few words with them, and retreated
with safety.
Samuel Brady, brother to Captain John, who was
killed at Wolf Run, and the uncle of the celebrated
Samuel Brady of the Rangers, was at Fort Freeland
the day of its capture. He was determined not to be
carried off as a prisoner, and watching an opportunity,
suddenly dashed into the hazel-bushes and ran for life.
He escaped through the bushes and came upon a plain,
hotly pursued by several Indians. He was determined,
as he was afterwards heard to say, to "make his eternal
escape r
After running a considerable distance, he looked back
and found himself pursued by two Indians, one a large
dangerous looking fellow, the other of small stature.
He renewed his speed, and was getting along pretty
well, when his foot slipped into a hole, and he fell down.
The large Indian was foremost, but Brady had fallen
with a loaded rifle in his hand, with which he shot at
the savage, who gave a wild yell and fell dead. The
other, fearing that there might be more rifles about,
gave up the pursuit and returned. Brady yelled after
him at the top of his voice — " You murdering thief— you
didnt know it was Brady r
The only one of the band taken was Henry Gilpin,
who was caught the next day in a dUapidated fort—
probably Fort Muncy — while in the act of milking a
cow to obtain some nourishment, which he had not
tasted for twenty-four hours. He was tomahawked on
the spot.
The survivors of this Spartan band took an active
part in the skirmishes which took place during the re-
254 HISTORT OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
mainder of the war. Many of their descendants still
reside in Chilisquaque, and no doubt inherit the same
patriotism and love of liberty, that distinguished their
heroic ancestors.
The following is a list of the names of those killed
in the fort : — James Watt, John McClintock, William
McClung, James Miles, Henry Gilfillen. The names of
all the killed in Captain Boon's company are not now
remembered. The following is a part of them : — Capt.
Boon, Capt. Samuel Dougherty, Natte Smith, John Jones.
Edward Costikan, Ezra Green, Samuel Neel, Matthew
McClintock, Hugh McGiU, Edward Woods.
Fifty-two women and children, and four old men, were
permitted to depart for Sunbury, by Captain McDonald.
Great consternation prevailed throughout the country
after this battle, and the road leading to Fort Augusta
was filled with the terrified and unprotected women and
children. John Vincent was one of the old men allowed
to remain — ^his wife was a cripple, and unable to walk.
He carried her to the lower end of the meadow, and laid
her down, where they remained till morning, without any
covering; during the night it rained on them. He caught
a horse that came to them, and making a bridle out of
hickory bark, succeeded in getting her to Sunbury.
The enemy burned and destroyed all the houses,
bams and stacks of hay, leaving behind them one dread
scene of devastation and ruin, which remained untouched
for several years, as a memento of their cruelty.
The first night after the surrender, the prisoners were
confined in an ash-house near Muncy. One of them had
attempted to escape during the day, and was placed on
the second floor of the building, when John Montour
came in and pointed his gun at him, as if about to
i
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 255
shoot. He was followed by old Catreen — ^his sister —
who exclaimed to him, "Ah! you debil, you tschot me."
Frightened until his knees knocked together, he replied,
"No, I never shot anybody." "You lie, you debil; I
got my wrist cut by you," and she waved her tomahawk
as if about to hurl it at his head. " I've a good mind to
scalp you," she continued, after looking at him until she
thought him sufficiently frightened not to attempt run-
ning away again. It is said that such was the fright he
received at this time, that for years he could not divest
himself of the idea that the rustling of the leaves as he
passed through the woods, was the noise of the tread of
the Indian in pursuit.
John Montour suffered much from the wound he
received when attempting to scalp old Mr. Watt, and
finally had to be carried on horseback. The second or
third day he is said to have died. A post was erected
near his grave, and painted red, and the place to this
day is known by the name of the "Painted Post."
Montour was a distinguished warrior, and his death was
much regretted by the Indians.
256 HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
CHAPTER XXXn.
DANIEL Vincent's return from captivity — meeting between
HIM AND HIS WIFE — CAPTAIN LYTLE'S WIFE RETURNS TO WAR-
RIOR RUN — IS DECEIVED, AND MARRIES ANOTHER MAN — ^THI
CAPTAIN RETURNS — ARRIVAL OF TROOPS — CAPTAIN ROBINSON
— HIS LETTER — MORE MURDERS — SCALPING OF OATHARINB
STORM — ESCAPE OF HER COMRADE — KILLING OF TATE, AC.
The enemy seemed contented after capturing Free-
land's Fort, and did not continue their ravages any
further down the river. It is not known why they
retreated so precipitately, as the expedition was obvi-
ously planned for the purpose of trying to capture Fort
Augusta; and had they advanced rapidly against it,
after the fall of Freeland's Fort, there is but little doubt
that they would, with their superior numbers, have given
it a hard brush.
Of the Vincents, Bethuel, Cornelius, and Daniel, were
taken prisoners. Benjamin, a lad of only eleven years,
was taken at the first attack on the 21st of July. He
remained in captivity for five years, when he returned.
The captives were taken to Tioga river, thence into
the Genessee country, and from there to Niagara, and
Lower Canada. The country through which they passed
was one vast wilderness, and they did not see a white
man's dwelling, after they left Lycoming Creek, until
mSTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH YALLST. 257
they arrived at Fort Niagara. A little beef without
salt, roasted on the end of a stick, was their chief article
of food. They were treated as well as they had reason
to expect, and much better than many others in similar
situations.
Daniel Vincent had been recently married, and after
the capture, his wife, full of sorrow and grief, worked
her way back to New Jersey, to her father's house.
Three years rolled away, and no tidings came from her
captive husband, but she still hoped to see him again.
One evening in winter time, a sleighing party wero
about leaving a house in New Jersey to go on a short
excursion. The young wife had been induced to go
with them, for the first time. As they were on the eve
of starting, a neighbor, in company with a roughly
dressed man, with a heavy beard, rode up. He inquired
for Mrs. Vincent, and informed her that here was a man
that could tell her something about her husband. The
stranger stepped forward and shook her warmly by the
hand, and entered into conversation with her. She
made many anxious inquiries respecting him, when, find-
ing that she did not recognize him, on account of his
changed appearance, he could restrain his pent up feel-
ings no longer, and calling her by name, exclaimed, ^^Do
you not know your husband; I am he?'' With a shriek
of joy, she bounded into his arms, and wept tears of
gladness.
Cornelius, the father of Daniel, returned about the
same time from captivity. He was heavily ironed, for a
period of eighteen months. When he died, the marks
of the British fetters were still plainly visible on his
ankles.
Previous to the return of the captives, some of their
17
258 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
wifes Yentured back to their desolated homes. Amongst
these — ^it is said by a writer on the 88th page of the
tenth volume of Hazard's Register — came the wife of
Captain Lytle, and her children, in company with a
single man of good reputation, who was a cropper. After
some time, this man became attached to Mrs. Lytlg^ and
in consequence, made proposals of marriage, which were
rejected with a declaration of her determination never to
accept the addresses of any man, while in her breast she
could cherish the fond hopes of the return of her hus-
band from captivity. To effect his purpose, certain let-
ters were circulated, stating thai Captain L. was cer-
tainly dead at the time ; and after giving her time to
mourn the death of her husband, still alive, the young
man resumed his addresses, which were then accepted,
and they were finally married. But time at length re-
leased Captain L. from captivity, and wit^ fond antici-
pation, hastened his return to the caresses of his wife
and little children, from whom he had been so long se-
parated. But what were his feelings when he first heard
of the marriage of his wife to another man ? It is said
that he refused to see her, imtil an understanding was
effected by some well-disposed persons, who investigated
the matter, and discovered that the letters were basely
forged for the purpose of deceiving her. On being satis-
fied of this fact. Captain Lytic became reconciled to
his wife, and her deceiver was compelled to fly, in order
to escape the rigor of the law. Captain Lytic and fam-
ily resided in the Warrior Run settlement for a number
of years. He has been dead for half a century.
The distress of the inhabitants was great, and on the
30th of July, Colonel Hunter writes, that Northumber-
land town was the frontier the previous night. The en-
tire Valley of the West Branch was abandoned.
HISTOBY OF THE WSST BRANCH YALLBT. 269
Preparations were speedily made to follow the enemy,
for the purpose of trying to recover some df the cattle,
as they had driven all away they could find. On the 3d
of August, Colonel Matthew Smith arrived at Sunbury,
with sixty Paxton boys, and several more companies
were expected from neighboring counties. These de-
tachments came without special orders from the Execu-
tive Council. By the 5th, they numbered five hundred
strong, and marched immediately for Muncy, under com-
mand of Colonel Smith, determined to seek the enemy.
But they had retired far in the wilderness, beyond the
reach of all pursuit.
General Sullivan having commenced his march into
their country, attracted their attention, and they were
compelled to fly before him, and abandon their towns.
He destroyed everything in the shape of Indian wig-
wams, cornfields, &c., which so disconcerted them, that
but few predatory bands appeared on the West Branch
for a year or two. The blow given them by Sullivan,
was such a severe one, that they never finally recovered
from it.
In the fall of 1779, Henry McHenry,* with a party
of ten men, came to Loyal Sock from Fort Rice, to thresh
some grain. Sentinels were carefully posted. McHenry
was one, and took up his position in a thick clump of
bushes. He soon observed an Indian creeping along on
his hands and feet, to get a shot at the men in the bam.
Watching an opportunity, he fired and shot him through
the small of the back, when he . sprang off* a short dis-
tance and fell. His comrades were observed to carry him
off*. They did not return.
During the year 1780, we have but few accounts of
♦ See Archiree for 1781-3, p. 70.
260 HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Indian depredations. The inhabitants, encouraged by
the prospect of protection, and the absence of the enemy,
again returned slowly to their deserted homes, and com-
menced improving.
On the 14th of July of this year, however, one man
and three children were murdered by Indians, near the
mouth of Buffalo Creek ; and on the following day. Cap-
tain McMahou was taken prisoner, by an Indian and tory,
six miles from Northumberland, on the West Branch,
but he escaped by killing the tory when the Indian had
gone to his company, that lay near at hand. This tory
was Captain Caldwell, a noted villain.
Early in the spring of 1781, Captain Robinson came
to the county, and commenced raising a company. Gen-
eral Potter also returned about the same time, and on
the 12th, he writes to President Reed, that RobinsoB
had succeeded in enlisting forty men, but many of them
were so destitute of clothing, that they were unfit for
duty. Not a blanket was found among them !
In the month of March, a small band of savages pen-
etrated into Chilisquaque or Buifalo Valley, and attacked
an old man, his son and daughter. The boy was shot
d^ad^ and scalped, and the girl made a prisoner. The old
man had a stick in his hand, with which he stoutly de-
fended himself against one of the Indians, who had a
tomahawk, and made him drop his weapon. Colonel
Kelly, and a few of his neighbors, being in a house at a
short distance, heard the alarm, and came running to his
assistance. They obliged the Indians to fly so suddenly
that they left the young girl, and all their blankets, and
the brave old gentleman with his stick, behind them.
They outran Colonel Kelly and his party, and got off
safe. The name of the old man is not given in General
HISIORT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 261
Potter*s letter,* and I have been unable to ascertain it.
On the 8th of the same month, a party came to the
house of a man named Darmes, about five miles from
Sunbury, on the Sabbath-day. Immediately on enter-
ing, they shot Darmes, and plundered the house of every
thing valuable. There were four women there, and a
number of children ; and what is strange, they took all
the plunder, leaving them behind. They were pursued
early the next day, but eflFected their escape.
Colonel Joseph Solomon, living about five miles from
Northumberland, on the main road leading to Danville,
was surprised by the same party of Indians and made
prisoner. His wife escaped to the woods, where, that
night, she brought forth her first born ! A hired girl
escaped by running up stairs, and shutting down a trap
door.
They travelled with Solomon four days, when they
met another party of Indians, and turned him over to
them. One of them was called Shenap, and said,
" Solly, you shan't be hurt." They soon fell in with a
large body of savages, who had another prisoner, named
Williamson. They were to run the gauntlet. William-
son refused, and was beaten to death. Solomon started
very rapidly, and plunged through fearfully, receiving
but a few trifling bruises, when Shenap came up, and
shaking him by the hand, laughingly said, " Solly, you
run like dcbil — ^you run like boss."
He was exchanged in a short time, and returned to his
home in safety. He lived and died on Fishing Creek,
and left a very respectable family.
On the 15th of June, 1781, Captain Thomas Robin-
son wrote to President Reed, as follows :
* He was the father of A. H. McUenry, Esq., of Jersey Shore.
262 msTORT OF the west branch yallet.
^^ I take this opportunity of adreesing your Excellency and Govn-
oil in order to Inform you of the Present state of my Company. I
have used every exertion in Recroiting that my Cercumstances would
admit of. I Have Engaged 52 men During the war the want of ne-
cessary Clothing and money puts it out of my Pour to Render that
service to this Distressed part of the Country I Could otherwise do
most of them are naked they have not a sufficiency to Cover them-
selves. Blankits they have none. I Hope Council by this time will
be able to afford me sufficient Clothing and what money is due them
to the first of June this will not only be Doing Proper Justice to the
Company but will enable me to fill my Company very soon. Lieut.
Grove has Raised 17 men for seven months. Mr. Saml. McGrodej
has Raised 20 men for the same time and has been extreamely active
with them. I have with the advice of Gen. Potter nominated him as
a Lieut, to command that Detachment I hope this will meet with your
Excellences approbation. I Have Raisd 14 men for 7 months and a&
we have mostly Been Devided in small Detachments it was Impossi-
ble for Mr. Yancamp & myself to Do the necessary duty. I have
therefore with the advice of Col. Hunter and the approbation of Gtni.
Potter nominated Mr. Sam'l Quinn as an Ensn he has been Doing the
Duty of an officer since the first of May this I Hope will also be ac-
ceptable to you if the number of our men would admit, it would be
more agreeable to me to Confer the Rank of Lt on him. The Coun-
try being without a Pay master I suppose severals will be applying
for that office whose abilities will not allow them to do that Duty, if
your Excellency should think proper to confer that office in addition
to the other on the Bearer Mr. Quinn I know he can Execute it with-
out preventing him from doing Duty as an officer or at least to the
appointment of Paying my men and the Present Temporary troop^i
in the County I think allowing him some Pay for the Extra Duty will
be Cheaper to the County than appointing one merely for that Pur-
pose— another thing I Beg Leave to Inform your Excellency and
Earnestly beg your attention thereto is the appointment of a surgeon
there is not one in the County not within forty miles that I know.
Some Incouragement given for that Purpose a Surgeant might be had.
I know of none that would be willing to Com here but Michael Jeu-
neys or Doctor Smith of Lancaster County.
<< One thing more I Beg your attention to is the Establishing the
Posts in this County. I have for sometime had in Contemplation to
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLBT. 263
Rebuild Fort Munoj, this Cren. Potter is extremely fond of and looks
upon it as the most advantages Post in the County for many Reasons ;
should this meet with your approbation, I Request your Instructions
therein by the Bearer in this and aney other thing necessary for me
to know.
(" Signed)
" THOMAS ROBINSON, CAPT.
P. Rangers."
Captain Johnson came to Sunbury, on the 18th of
July, with twenty-six militiamen, to serve the balance
of their time in the County. Fourteen of them were
destitute of guns, and no ammunition could be furnished
them, even if arms could be secured. Colonel Hunter
wrote respecting them, that they had " no stores of any
kind, not even provisions."
A few miles above Northumberland, on what was
known as Judge McPherson's farm, resided a man named
John Tate ; probably in 1780 or 1781. A large field of
flax grew near the house. It was harvest time, and a
number of men were engaged in the field, some distance
from the house. The path ran by this field of flax,
where a party of Indians came out and laid to watch for
the men returning from dinner. Owing to some cause
or other, they went to the field another way, and they
missed their victims. Waiting for some time, they at
length rose and went to the house, where they found a
young woman named Catharine Storm, and another, en:
gaged in spinning flax. Miss Storm was knocked over,
with a tomahawk, and scalped ; the other girl secreted
herself behind the door and escaped. They then went
to the field, and killed Tate.
Catharine Storm was not killed by the blow of the
tomahawk, only stunned. She finally recovered, and
264 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
lived for many years. No hair grew on her head where
the scalp was removed.
A law having been passed for the furnishing of sup-
pliesy and the levying of tax from each County, it was
found to require more tax from Northumberland than
could be raised from the sale of all the property in the
County. William Clark and William Antes, the Com-
missioners, immediately wrote to President Reed of the
Council, as follows :
^' Believe us, sir, it is with the utmost pain, and jet greatest tratb,
that we are ohliged to declare our utter inability to Comply with the
Demands of that Law. We now know that all the inhabitants in
this County are not Equal in number to those of some Townships in
the interior Countys. Those who have property sufficient to support
themselves are removed and gone. Shall then the Quota of the County
be Levyed on the miserable few that remain. Their whole personal
property, if removed to a place where hard Cash could be had for it^
and sold, would not pay the tax. The old returns will not do, as a
Rule to lay a Tax on Asentecs. The improvements are grown up,
burnt or destroyed, the personal property removed and now paying
tax in the lower Countys. As to the men for the Supply of the Fed-
eral Army, (if those already inlisted are excepted) they are not to be
here without taking the heads of Familys, and those we well know,
cannot be had, as no money whatever would induce them to abandon
their Familys in our Situation. We Sincerely wish to render a Ready
Obedience to all Laws of the State, But in our Circumstance^, it in-
tirely puts it out of our power. We beg you. Sir, to Consider this
as the Language of Genuine Truth, Extorted from us by Distressing
Necessity," &c.
This letter shows in plain language, the miserable
condition of the settlers in this beautiful Valley, three
quarters of a century ago. It shows the promptings of
honest hearts, clothed in the language of "genuine
truth."
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 265
CHAPTER XXXIII.
INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF THE CAPTIVITY AND ESCAPE OF CAP-
TAIN JAMES THOMPSON — HIS SUFFERINGS IN THE CANOE —
CAPTURE OF MARY YOUNG AT THE SAME TIME — HER RETURN —
THE MARE AND THE COLT — A SINGULAR CIRCUMSTANCE — THE
KLINE8MITH FAMILY — CAPTURE OP THE TWO SISTERS — ONE OF
THEM KILLS AN INDIAN, AND BOTH ESCAPE.
Captain James Thompson was an early settler in
Buffalo Valley, and during a predatory incursion of
savages, was taken, and carried into captivity. Several
incorrect publications of his sufferings have been made,
but the following is believed to be correct, as it was
taken down from his own lips, in 1832, by James F.
Linn, Esq., of Lewisburg, and entered in his journal.
Some time previous to his capture, he had removed
his wife and children to Penn's Creek, for greater secu-
rity against the Indians. In March, 1781, he was going
from Lewisburg (then Derr's town,) to his farm, prepara-
tory to moving down the country. On the road between
the farms of John Linn and Colonel John Kelly, he was
suddenly surprised by four Indians, and compelled to go
along with them. When they came to the hollow, half
a mile from Kelly's house, they discovered a fresh track
in the soft clay. One of the Indians exclaimed, ''Squawk
Two of them immediately set off* on a run, and two re-
mained to guard him, one behind and one before. They
266 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLBT.
soon heard a female scream, when the one behind struck
him on the back with his gun and cried, " Waugh^ (run.)
They started off on a run, and on coming to the top of
the hill, saw the other two with a woman, when they
pushed off immediately for an Indian town on Towanda
Creek.
They crossed the White Deer, and other mountains,
north of Buffalo VaUey, and came to the river near the
mouth of Lycoming Creek, which they crossed in canoes.
During the night they tied his arms behind him, and
fiaistened the cord to grubs in the ground.
One night while encamped on Lycoming Creek, not
being tied very securely, he succeeded in releasing his
arms. Two of the Indians lay on one side of the fire
with the girl,* and two on the other side with him. He
first endeavored to get one of their tomahawks, but he
discovered that they were all lying on their arms. He
then got a stone, which they had used for crushing com,
and raised on his knees, preparatory to giving one of
them a mortal stroke on the temple, and securing a toma-
hawk. But on account of his head being wrapped in a
blanket, he struck too high to effect his object. The In-
dian gave a yell, which awoke the other. He now at-
tempted to run, but the cord, with which he was tied,
and stretched between the two grubs, intercepted him,
and as he stepped back to get around it, one of the sa-
vages caught him by the collar of his coat, and in the
struggle, tore it to the bottom. He drew his tomahawk
to strike him on the head, but desisted, and spoke to the
one he had wounded in his own language, and then drew it
again, desisted, and spoke to the wounded Indian, and
* The name of the young woman was Mary Young, the daughter of
Matthew Young, who lived on a farm adjoining Captain Thompeon't.
BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 267
then drew it the third time. He expected to receive it
this time, and was resolved to try and catch it and wrest
it from his hand. But they finally concluded not to kill
him, reserving him for a more formal execution. They
then tied a hollow gourd containing shot, to his waist,
telling him this was his death warrant.
He could have easily escaped himself, but his object
was to kill the Indians, and thereby rescue the young
woman also, but he failed in the attempt.
After this they tied him so tight that he lost all feel-
ing in his hands and arms. They continued on towards
their place of destination. One day they shot a wild
turkey, and taking out the entrails, rolled them round a
stick without any cleaning, roasted them in the fire, and
gave them to the prisoners to eat. Before this they had
only a few grains of com per day, and this change of
diet, said Mr. Thompson, was quite a delicacy !
When they got to Towanda the Indians became less
careful, thinking he would not attempt to run away
again. In the evening they made him gather wood for
their night fires. On one occasion when gathering wood,
he managed to go further away for each load, till he got
as far as he thought it was prudent to try, and watching
an opportunity when they were not observing him,
darted off into the woods as fast as he could run, with
twenty-two grains of com in his pocket, for provision, to
travel a journey of many miles through the wildemess.
He said he could have made his escape on several
occasions before, but he could not think of leaving Mary
Young a prisoner with them. She frequently told him
to escape, and not try to rescue her, as it would only
defeat both. She was resigned to her fate.
He took a different route at first from that toward home.
268 msTORT OF the west branch valley.
to deceive the Indians in pursuit. In running, he stepped
on a rotten stick, which broke, and made a noise ; at the
same time he heard two trees rubbing together with the
wind, which he took to be the Indians in pursuit. Being
terribly frightened, he ran into a pond, and hid himself
in the brush, with nothing out but his head, where he
lay till he was satisfied they were not coming that way.
He then proceeded on his journey, keeping along the
mountains, lest he might meet Indians in the valleys.
One night he ran almost into an Indian encampment
before seeing it. He went a little higher up the hill,
where he could plainly see the Indians pass between him
and the fire. At another time he came very near an
encampment, when an Indian gave a yell. He supposed
he was discovered, but squatted down immediately and
remained quiet in the bushes ; in a short time one of the
Indians commenced chopping wood, when he knew they
had not seen him, and carefully passed around them.
He struck the West Branch a few rods above where
they had crossed it going out, and found one of the
canoes on the bank, the river having fallen. Being
so weak, he was unable to push it in, but getting two
round sticks under it for rollers, w4th the aid of a hand-
spike, succeeded in launching it. On getting in, he dis-
covered the other canoe sunk, when he went to work and
bailed it out, and lashing the two together, started with
two paddles on his voyage. He rowed to the middle of
the river, so that if the Indians should pursue him and
shoot, they would not be so likely to hit him. One of
his paddles accidentally dropped out and floated off,
which he regretted very much, but, on getting into an
eddy, it came floating up to his canoe, and was recovered.
When his craft got opposite to where Watsontown
HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 269
now stands^ he was discovered, and relieved by some
friends. He was so weak that he lay in the canoe, and
waved his hand to them on shore, which attracted their
attention. When taken out, he was so weak that he
could not relate his adventures, for several days, having
to be nourished with sweet milk till he gained strength
sufficient to talk. After getting able to walk, he went to
his family, and removed to Chester county, where they
remained till the close of the war.
The Indians took Mary Young to their towns, and set
her to hoeing corn. An old negro, who was also a pri-
soner, told her to dig up the beans that were planted
with the corn, and they would think her too dumb to
learn agriculture, and sell her to the English. She took
his advice, and was eventually sold to an English Cap-
tain, with whom she remained several years, when she
was liberated and returned home. Having been so much
exposed during her captivity, her constitution was so
shattered that she survived her return but a short time.
On their way out, she was obliged to wade through deep
creeks, and, as the weather was very cold, her clothes
were often frozen into a solid mass of ice.
She informed Captain Thompson that two of the
Indians pursued him part of two days, but returned
without success. They regretted his escape very much,
as they intended to torture him. The wounded Indian
left them soon after his escape, and she never heard of him
afterwards, but supposed he died, as he was badly injured.
Captain Thompson informed Mr. Linn at the same
time, that he went with his step-father, — who drove a
team, — ^to Fort Cumberland the time of General Brad-
dock's disastrous campaign. He was then a lad of only
ten years of age.
270 mSTORT OF THB WEST BRANCH VALLBT.
At that time he saw a woman, a cousin to James
Cornelius, who resided in Buffalo township, that had
been taken a prisoner by the Indians during the French
war. When they had taken her a great distance from
home she managed to effect her escape, and made her
way through the woods alone. The first day she came
up with a mare and colt, and getting on her rode all day.
When night came she turned her out to pasture, laid her-
self down by a log for the night, and never expected to
see her again. When she awoke in the morning, the
mare and colt stood by her side ! She rode her all that
day, and turned her out to graze whilst she slept, but
the next morning the faithful animal was there, as usual,
to receive her rider. She rode her each day till she
arrived at the fort. By some, this peculiar circumstance
would be termed an interposition of Divine Providence,
to preserve the life of the woman. It is also stated that
when she came to the fort the mare would allow no other
person to approach, and when she was turned out to
graze that night, made her escape, and was never heard
of again.
In 1832, Captain Thompson went to reside with his
son-in-law, Boyd Smith, in Jersey Shore, where he died
in 1837, aged 93 years, and was buried in the graveyard
now embraced in the limits of that borough. He was a
fine old gentleman, and is distinctly remembered by a
large number of people.
Early in the spring of 1782, Captain Robinson was^
ordered to Fort Muncy with his company, for the pur-
pose of rebuilding and repairing that fortification. His
head-quarters were at this station, and he rendered
valuable services to the country, by the vigilant watch
he kept on the Indians. Scouts were constantly kept
BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 271
out, and whenever a body of wandering savages appeared,
they were pursued immediately, and obliged to fly.
In October of this year, a small body of savages came
to the house of John Martin, in the Chilisquaque settle-
ment, near the residence of Colonel James Murray, and
barbarously murdered him and his wife. They also took
from the house two young women, and a little girl, seven
years of age, and carried tliem off.
On the 24th of the same month, two men named Lee
and Caruthers, were sent out as spies from Fort Rice.
They w^ere waylaid, and fired upon. Lee was killed, and
Caruthers taken prisoner.
About this time there lived near where the town of
New Berlin now stands, a family named ELlinesmith.
A small party of Indians coming upon their dwelling,
whilst the males of the family were busy in the harvest
field of a neighbor, plundered the house, and carried
away two of Klinesmith's daughters, one sixteen, the
other fourteen years old. The party retreated to a
spring north of New Berlin — now called the Still-House
Spring — ^where they halted, and, not satisfied with the
trifling mischief they had done, left their prisoners and
booty in the care of the oldest man of the party, whilst
the main body proceeded to the harvest field, in the hope
of getting some scalps to carry home as trophies of their
success.
The old man lighted his pipe, and sat down at the foot
of a tree, keeping an eye upon his prisoners. After
some time the rain began to fall, when Betsey, the
eldest girl, intimated to the sentinel that she meant to
cut down some branches from the trees, and cover a
small bag of flour which the Lidians had brought from
her father's house. The Indian, little suspecting her
272 HISTOBY OF THE WEST BRANCH YA14JSY.
real intention, assented, and permitted her to take one
of the axes or tomahawks. She pretended to be very
busily occupied with her task, but contrived to get be-
hind the old man, and buried the axe in his head !
By this time the scalping party, finding the harvest-
ers too numerous and well armed for their purposes,
were on their return, and had already approached near
enough to hear the groan or cry of the old Indian as he
fell. The girls fled — the savages pursued, and fired.
The younger girl, just as she was in the act of springing
over a fallen tree, was pierced with a bullet, which en-
tered below the shoulder blade, and came out at the
breast. She fell, and immediately rolled herself under
the log, which at that point was raised a little from the
ground. The savages sprang over the log, in chase of
her sister, without observing that any one lay under it.
Betsey being a strong and active lass, gave them a
hard run, so that the harvesters, alarmed by the firing,
came to the rescue in time to save her, and change the
pursuers into fugitives. They found the little girl under
the fallen tree, much terrified and weakened by loss of
blood, but fortunately not dangerously wounded, the ball
having passed through her body without touching any
vital organ. She recovered, and afterwards married a
man named Campbell. Becoming a widow, she married
again. Her last husband's name was Chambers. Betsey
also married, and, with her husband, removed to one of
the Western States.
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HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 273
CHAPTER XXXIV.
MURDER OF SERGEANT LEE AND JOHN WALKER — CAPTIVITY OF
MRS. LEE AND TWO CHILDREN — HER CRUEL DEATH — PURSUIT
OF THE SAVAGES — ^BURIAL OF THE DEAD — AN INCIDENT AT
lee's FUNERAL — RECOVERY OF YOUNG LEE — VAN CAMPEN —
SEVERE BATTLE ON BALD EAGLE — DEFEAT AND CAPTIVITY —
NARROW ESCAPE, &C.
About the close of the Revolutionary war, Sergeant
Lee and family resided in Dry Valley, a few miles above
Northumberland, on a farm, since in the occupancy of a
man named Irely. The Indians hated Lee, alleging
that he had cheated them in a trade, and they had long
thirsted for an opportunity to be revenged.
Towards the close of a fine summer day, probably in
1781, a party of savages entered the Valley, and pro-
ceeded in the direction of his house. Not far distant
from where he resided, they passed an elderly man and
woman sleeping in the woods, but so intent were they
on surprising Lee, that they did not molest them, for
fear of raising an alarm.
Lee's family, with one or two other persons, were
quietly taking their tea, without any suspicion of the
fate which awaited them ; when the Indians suddenly
burst in upon them. A young woman named Katy
Stoner, escaped up stairs, and concealed herself behind
the chimney, where she remained undiscovered. Lee
18
274 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
was instantly tomahawked and scalped, and an old man
named John Walker, shared the same fate. A Mrs.
Boatman and daughter were also killed. Mrs. Lee,
with her small child, and a larger one, named Thomas,
were led away captives. The savages took the Great
Path leading up that side of the Valley, crossed the
White Deer mountains, came to the river, and crossed
over.
One of Lee's sons, named Robert, happening to be
absent at the time, escaped the fate of his parents. He
was returning, however, and came in sight of the house
just as the Indians were leaving it, but they did not
observe him. Knowing that they were there with evQ
intentions, he immediately turned and fled to Northum-
berland, where he gave the alarm. A party of about
twenty men* were hastily collected by Colonel Hunter
at Fort Augusta, and started in pursuit. On arriving at
Lee's house, they beheld the sufferers writhing in agony.
Lee was not dead, and Mrs. Boatman's daughter also
survived. Litters were hastily constructed, and they
were sent to Fort Augusta, where Lee soon expired in
great agony. Miss Boatman finally recovered, and lived
for many years afterwards.
Colonel Hunter, and his party, without delaying to
bury the dead, pushed after the savages as rapidly as
possible, with a view of overtaking them. They came
in sight of them above Lycoming Creek.
La crossing the mountains, Mrs. Lee was accidentally
bitten by a rattlesnake on the ankle, and her leg
became so much swollen, and pained her so severe-
ly, that she travelled with great difficulty. Finding
* Henry MoHenry, the father of A. H. McHenry, of Jersey Shoi^ ms
in this expedition, and gave an account of it to his son.
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 275
themselves pursued, they urged her along as fast as
possible, but she failed rapidly. When near the mouth
of Pine Run, some four miles below Jersey Shore, she
gave out, and seated herself on the ground. The whites
were rapidly approaching, and the Indians were afraid
she would fall into their hands. One of them stealthily
slipped up behind her, and placing the muzzle of his
rifle close to her head, fired. The whole upper portion
of her head was blown off! One of them then snatched
up her little child by the heels, and hastily dashed it
against a tree, when they fled with renewed speed, and
crossing the river at Smith's fording, ran up through
Nipponese Bottom.
When Colonel Hunter and his men came up to where
the body of Mrs. Lee laid, it was yet warm, and the
brains were smoking ! The sight was a horrible one to
look upon. The child was but little injured, and was
found moaning piteously, and staring wildly around.
Crossing over the river as rapidly as possible, they
pursued the Indians up through the Bottom, and were
so close on them, that when they came to Antes' Gap,
they separated and ran up both sides of the mountain,
into the swamp. Colonel Hunter considered it impru-
dent to follow them into the interminable thickets of
the swamp, for fear of an ambuscade ; and being much
exhausted, they reluctantly gave up the chase, and slow-
ly returned. Passing down, they buried the body of
Mrs. Lee, and cared for her child. When they came to
Lee's house, they halted, and buried the dead there. A
hole was dug alongside of Walker, and his body rolled
into it.
When Lee was buried at Fort Augusta, a little circum-
stance occurred worthy of being related. Two soldiers,
276 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
having a spite at each other^ were selected to bear one
end of the cofl&n. On the way to the grave they got to
quarreling, and commenced kicking at each other under
the coJBEm. John Hunter, the Adjutant, perceiving their
conduct, seized a rattan and gave them a sound thresh-
ing. This was a curious performance to take place at t
funeral, and over the coffin !
Toung Thomas Lee, who was taken prisoner and car-
ried into captivity, was not recovered for many years
afterwards. The son who gave the alarm on the fatal
day of the murder, made arrangements with certain
Indians to bring his brother to Tioga Point, where he
was delivered to his friends. Such was his love of
Indian life, however, having been raised amongst them,
and being very reluctant to return, they were obliged to
tie him, and place him on board a canoe. When near
Wilkesbarre, they untied him, but as soon as the canoe
touched the shore, he was out, and off like a deer. It
was several hours before they succeeded in taking him
again. On arriving at Northumberland, he evinced all
the suUenness of a captive. Indian boys and girls, near
his own age, were made to play about him for several
days, before he showed any disposition to join with
them. At last he began to inquire the names of things,
and by degrees became civilized, and obtained a good
education.
Nearly all the old people, yet living on the West
Branch, are familiar with the names of Moses and Jaco-
bus Van Campen. They were remarkable adventurers,
as well as noted Indian killers, and distinguished them-
selves in many a well fought battle. Their services were
very valuable in the protection of the frontiers.
In 1838, Major Moses Van Campen was living in the
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 277
town of Dansville, N. Y., when he applied to the govern-
ment for a pension. His petition to Congress is -a very-
interesting document. The following extract relates to
the Valley of the West Branch :
" In February, 1781, 1 was promoted to a Lieutenancy, and entered
upon the active duty of an officer by heading scouts ; and as Capt.
Kobinson was no woodsman nor marksman, he preferred that I should
encounter the danger and head the scouts. We kept up a constant
chain of scouts around the frontier settlements, from the North to
the West Branch of the Susquehanna by the way of the head waters
of Little Fishing creek, Chilisquaque, Muncy, &c. In the spring of
1781 we built a fort on the widow McClure's plantation, called
McClure's fort, where our provisions were stored. In the summer of
1781, a man was taken prisoner in Buffalo Valley, but made his es-
cape. He came in and reported there were about 300 Indians on
Sinnemahoning, hunting and laying in a store of provisions, and
would make a descent on the frontiers ; that they would divide into
small parties, and attack the whole chain of the frontier at the same
time, on the same day. Col. Hunter selected a company of five to
reconnoitre, viz. : Capt. Campbell, Peter and Michael Groves, Lieut.
Cramer and myself. The party was called the Grove party. We car-
ried with us three weeks* provisions, and proceeded up the West
Branch with much caution and care. We reached the Sinnemahon-
ing, but made no discovery but old tracks. We marched up the Sin-
nemahoning so far that we were satisfied it was a false report. We
returned ; and a little below the Sinnemahoning, near night, we dis-
covered a smoke. We were confident it was a party of Indians, which
we must have passed by, or they got there some other way. We dis-
covered there was a large party — how many wo could not tell — ^bnt
prepared for the attack.
'' As soon as it was dark we new-primed our rifles, sharpened our
flints, examined our tomahawk handles ; and all being ready, we wait-
ed with great impatience till they all lay down. The time came, and
with the utmost silence we advanced, trailed our rifles in one hand,
and the tomahawk in the other. The night was warm : we found
some of them rolled in their blankets a rod or two from their fires.
Having got amongst them, we first handled our tomahawks. They
rose like a dark cloud. We now fired our shots, and raised the war-
278 BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANOH YALLET.
yell. They took to flight in the utmost confiision, but few taking
time to pick up their rifles. We remained masters of the ground and
all their plunder, and took several scalps. It was a party of 25 or
30, which had been as low down as Penn's creek, and had killed and
scalped two or three families. We found several scalps of diflerent
ages which they had taken, and a large quantity of domestic cloth,
which was carried to Northumberland and given to the distressed who
had escaped the tomahawk and knife. In Dec. 1781, our Company
was ordered to Lancaster. We descended the river in boats to Mid-
dletown, where our orders were countermanded, and we were ordered
to Heading, where we were joined by a part of the third and fifth
Pennsylvania regiments, and a Company of the Congress regiment.
We took charge of the Hessians taken prisoners with Gen. Burgoyne.
In the latter part of March, at the opening of the Campaign in 1782,
we were ordered by Congress to our respective stations. I marched
Robinson's Company to Northumberland, where Mr. Thomas Cham-
bers joined us, who had been recently commissioned as an ensign of
our Company. We halted at Northumberland two or three days for
our men to wash and rest. From thence Ensign Chambers and my-
self were ordered to Muncy, Samuel WallLs' plantation, there to make
a stand and re-build Fort Muncy, which had been destroyed by the
enemy. We reached that station and built a small block house for
the storage of our provisions. About the 10th or 11th of April,
Capt. Robiuson came on with Esquire Culbertson, James Dougherty,
William McGrady, and a Mr. Barkley. I was ordered to select 20 or
25 men, with these gentlemen, and proceed up the West Branch to
the Big Island, and tbcncc up the Bald Eagle creek, to the place
where a Mr. Culbertson had been killed. On the 15th of April, at
night, we reached the place and encamped. On the morning of the
16th we were attacked by 85 Indians. It was a hard fought battle.
Esquire Culbertson and two others made their escape. I think we
had nine killed, and the rest of us were made prisoners. We were
stripped of all our clothing excepting our pantaloons. When they
took off my shirt they discovered my commission. Our commissions
were written on parchment, and carried in a silk case hung with a
ribbon on our bosom. Several got bold of it ; and one fellow cut the
ribbon with his knife, and succeeded in obtaining it. They took us a
little distance from the battle ground, and made the prisoners sit down
in a small ring ; the Indians forming another around us in dose order,
each with his rifle and tomahawk in his hand. They brought up five
HI8I0BY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 279
Indians we had killed and laid them within the circle. Each one re-
flected for himself — our time would probably be short ; and respect-
ing myself^ looking back upon the year 1780, at the party I had killed,
if I was discovered to be the person, my case would be a hard one.
Their prophet, or chief warrior, made a speech. As I was informed
afterwards by a British Lieutenant, who belonged to the party, he
was consulting the Great Spirit what to do with the prisoners — whether
to kill us OB the spot, or spare our lives. He came to the con-
clusion that there had been blood enough shed ; and as to the men
they had lost, it was the fate of war, and we must be taken and adopt-
ed into the families of those whom we had killed. We were then
divided amongst them, according to the number of fires. Packs were
prepared for us, and they returned across the river, at Big Island, in
bark canoes. They then made their way across hills, and came to
Pine creek, above the first forks, which they followed up to the third
fork, and took the most northerly branch to the head of it — and
thence to the waters of the Grenesee river."
Van Campen and his fellow-prisoners were marched
through the Indian villages. Some were adopted, to
make up the loss of those killed in the action. Van
Campen passed through all their villages undiscovered ;
neither was it known he had been a prisoner before, -and
only effected his escape by killing the party, until he had
been delivered up to the British, at Fort Niagara. As
soon as his name was made known, it became public
among the Indians. They immediately demanded him
of the British officer, and offered a number of prisoners
in exchange. The commander on the station sent forth-
with an officer to examine him. He stated the facts to
the officer concerning his killing the party of savages.
The officer replied, that his case was desperate. Van
Campen observed, that he considered himself a prisoner
of war to the British ; that he thought they possessed
more honor than to deliver him up to the Indians to be
burnt at the stake ; and in case they did, they might de-
280 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLBT.
pend upon a retaliation in the life of one of their officers.
The officer withdrew, but shortly returned, and informed
him, that there remained no alternative for him to setc
his life, but to abandon the rebel cause, and join the
British standard. A further inducement was offered, that
he should hold the same rank in the British service that
he now possessed. The answer of Van Campen was
worthy the hero, and testified that the heart of the pa-
triot never quailed under the most trying circumstances :
** Noy sir J no — my life belongs to my country ; give me the
itakey the tomahawk^ or the scalping-knife^ before I mil dis-
honor the character of an American officer r
In the month of March, 1783, Van Campen was ex-
changed by the British, and returned home. He was
immediately ordered to take up arms again, which he
did, and joined his company the same month at North-
umberland. About that time Captain Robinson received
orders to march with his company to Wyoming. Van
Campen and Ensign Chambers accompanied them, and
renfained there till November of the same year, when
the army was discharged, and they retired, poor and
penniless, to the shades of private life.
HI8T0BY OF THE WEST BBANCH VALLEY. 281
CHAPTER XXXV.
ULRICH AND THE FRIENDLY SAVAGES — THE STOCK FAMILY —
MURDER OF MRS. STOCK — HER HEROIC DEFENCE — PURSUIT OP
THE INDIANS — THE SURPRISE AND SLAUGHTER BY THE WHITES
— LIEUTENANT COOKE'S SUFFERINGS CAPTAINS BOYD AND
ROSS — THE LATTER BURNED AT THE STAKE, NEAR 8INNEMA-
HONING BOYD'S LIFE IS SAVED BY A SQUAW — HULING'P
JUMP, THE GREATEST ON RECORD.
An old settler near Selinsgrove, informed Mr. Snyder,
some fifteen or twenty years ago, that when his father,
Mr. Ulrich, came to the country, several Indians still
remained in the neighborhood. They came frequently
to their house, and were always treated with great kind-
ness. They had a particular liking for bread and butter,
which was never refused them. In return, they brought
game, m^iple sugar, and Indian baskets. By this kind-
ness shown them, TJlrich's family acquired the affection-
ate attachment of these swarthy children of the forest;
a feeling which was of infinite service to them, and in
all probability, was the shield between them and the
tomahawk.
On one occasion, when two Indians came to the house
of Mr. Ulrich, his son George, a small lad, was much
amused at the manner in which one had beautified him-
self. He had painted a bright red circular patch about
his mouth, leaving the remainder of his face plain. He
282 HI8T0BT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLBF.
observed the lad laughing at him, when he said : " Well,
little George, what are you laughing for? You are ad-
miring my handsome mouth, I suppose?" This was
spoken in German, which these Indians had learned from
their intercourse with the whites in that settlement.
These Indians, on one occasion, requested Mr. Ulrich
to leave, as a large party of hostile Indians were expect-
ed to attack the settlements. "You are our friend,"
said they, " and we are desirous of saving you — so you
had better go to your friends in Tulpehocken." He in-
formed them, that he could not leave his crops to be de-
stroyed, and would rather take the risk of staying where
he was. " I will send my children to Tulpehocken,"
said he, " and trust to your friendship." They warned
him to be on his guard, however, and promised to do
what they could to save him from their red brethren.
They counselled him to keep as much as possible within
doors, and promised to drive his cattle homewards, if they
found them straying too far in the woods. They could
not warrant his safety, however, for the red man, when
out on a scalping party, is not easily restrained. The
war parties came and ravaged the country, but dining
the continuance of hostilities, Ulrich remained undis-
turbed.
One of the most remarkable murders which occurred
at that time — about 1781 — was that of the Stock family,
who resided about two miles west of Selinsgrove. Stock
was particularly disliked by the Indians, on account of
his harsh and inhospitable conduct towards them.
On the day of the murder. Stock and three of his
sons, were occupied in clearing a field in a deep narrow
valley, about a mile from the house ; when a scalping
party of about thirty Indians was drawn by the sound
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 283
of the axes to the edge of the hill, overlooking the field
where they were at work. Seeing that there were four
stout men, armed, and on their guard, they passed on
without molesting them, and proceeded to the house.
In a field near the dwelling, they found another son,
ploughing, whom one of the party shot and scalped, while
the remainder entered the house, where they found none
but Stock's wife and her daughter-in-law, recently mar-
ried. The mother, a strong and courageous woman, es-
caped from the house, and defended herself with a canoe
pole, as she retreated towards the field where her hus-
band was. She was, however, killed by a tomahawk,
thrown by one of her pursuers, and scalped. The house
was hastily plundered, and the young woman carried off.
It appeared by the footprints, that her strength failed
from terror, in a newly ploughed field through which they
were leading her, when two Indians took her between
them, and supported her until they got into the woods,
about one hundred yards from the house, where they
killed and scalped her.
When Stock returned home, he found his house plun-
dered, his son lying on his face in the field, dead — the
young woman in the woods, inhumanly butchered, and
his wife, with a deep wound in her forehead, lying on her
back, with the canoe pole by her side. What a sight for
the husband and father !
The neighborhood was quickly alarmed, and three ex-
perienced Indian fighters, named Grove, Pence, and
Stroh, set out in pursuit of the enemy. The speed with
which the Indians travelled, and the care required to
keep on their trail, and avoid an ambuscade, prevented
the w hite men from overtaking them, until they had got
into the State of New York, somewhere on the head
284 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
waters of the North Branch, where they found the party,
encamped for the night, on the side of a hill covered with
fern. Here the Indians fancied themselves safe. The
distance they had travelled in safety, warranted them in
believing that they had not been pursued, and they there-
fore kept no watch. Grove, leaving his gun at the foot
of the hill, crept up through the ferns, and observed that
all their rifles were piled around a tree, and that all bat
three or four were asleep. One of them, a large and
powerful man, was narrating in high good humor, and
with much impressive gesticulation, the attack on Stock's
family, and described the manner in which Mrs. Stock
defended herself. Grove lay quiet until the auditors
fell asleep, and the orator, throwing his blanket over his
head, slept also. He then returned to his comrades,
Stroh and Pence, informed them of what he had seen,
and concerted the plan of attack, which was put in exe-
cution, as soon as they thought the orator and his hearers
fast asleep. They ascended the hill, when Grove plied
his tomahawk, while Stroh and Pence took possession of
the rifles, and fired among the sleepers. One of the first
to awake was the orator, whom Grove despatched with
a single blow, as he threw his blanket from his head, and
arose. How many they killed I do not know, but they
brought home a* number of scalps. The Indians think-
ing they were attacked by a large party, fled in all di-
rections, and abandoned everything. A white boy, about
fifteen years of age, whom they had carried off, was
rescued and brought back.
The survivors having fled, they selected of the best of
the rifles, as many as they could conveniently carry,
destroyed the remainder, and made their way to the Sus-
quehanna, where they constructed a raft of logs and em-
HISTORY OF THS WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 285
barked. The river was so low, that their descent was
both tedious and slow, and their raft unfortunately strik-
ing a rock at Nanticoke Falls, went to pieces, and they
lost all of their rifles and plunder. From this place they
returned home on foot in safety.
In 1781, the people of Northumberland were much
alarmed on the report of a body of Indians having been
seen in the neighborhood. They were inlormed of their
approach by a man named Frank Grey, who was riding
to town, but perceiving a couple of Indians jump a fence,
turned and rode swiftly in another direction, and gave
the alarm to a party of men working in a field, a short
distance up the North Branch. They inunediately fur-
nished Pompey, an old negro belonging to Captain Cook,
with a gun, and started him to give the alarm in another
direction. Going along the river, he perceived two In-
dians standing under the bank, leaning on their rifles,
and pointing in the direction of Fort Augusta. Pompey
ran back very much frightened, when David Steedman
jumped into a canoe, crossed over, and went down and
informed the people in the fort. The following day, John
Hamilton was shot, whilst at work, in a field, a short dis-
tance from town.
About the same time. Lieutenant John Cook of Nor-
thumberland, a full cousin of Colonel Cook, belonged to
the company of Captain Boyd. The Captain started
with a company of about forty men on an expedition to
the Juniata to look for Indians. They were suddenly
surprised by a large body in ambush, and fired upon.
A smart engagement took place, but the whites were
overcome by superior numbers, and after losing several
men, were compelled to fly. Cook received several
wounds, and was taken prisoner. Four Indians took
286 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
him in charge^ and started off, he knew not where. On
the third night of his captivity they began to amnse
themselves by burning his legs with firebrands^ and as
he was much exhausted from loss of blood from his
wounds, was scarcely able to move. After travelling
through the wilderness for about twenty days, fed on
the entrails of wild animals, they brought him to Niagara.
He was brought out one day to run the gauntlet, but
being unable to run, as his legs were so badly burned,
the savages at length took mercy on him, and let him
off. He was then confined in prison till he was finally
exchanged and returned. He is said to have had an ex-
ceedingly sharp pair of legs from the knees down, pro-
bably occasioned by the burning.
Previous to this, Cook captured an Indian near Nor-
thumberland, and brought him to town a prisoner. The
scuffle between them was animated and severe, but he
succeeded in getting the Indian s gun, tomahawk, and
knife away from him, and finally overpowered him.
The Indian remained at Northumberland for many years,
and became quite civilized. Cook died in March, 1822,
aged seventy-six years.
Several accounts of Captain Boyd's captivity have
been published, but are said to be incorrect. The fol-
lowing account was furnished me by Mr. Jacob Cook,
of Muncy, and is claimed to be con-ect :
After the defeat of Captain Boyd's party, he tried to
make his escape by running, but was pursued and re-
ceived three severe gashes in his head with a tomahawk,
when he was taken. The Indians immediately struck
across the country, and came to the West Branch, near
the mouth of the Sinnemahoning Creek. They also had
another prisoner, named Ross^ who was wounded very
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 287
"badly. Being unable to travel further, they determined
to massacre him in a very cruel and inhuman manner.
He was fastened to a stake, and his body stuck full of
pitch pine splinters, when fire was applied, and they
danced round him, making the woods resound with their
hideous yells. His tortures were terrible, but at length
death put an end to his sufferings.
During this time Captain Boyd, faint from the loss of
blood, was tied to a small white oak sapling, and com-
pelled to be a silent spectator of the diabolical scene.
His turn was to come next, and he summoned up cour-
age, and quietly resigned himself to his fate. Whilst
these incarnate fiends of Pandemonium were making
preparations to torture him to death by inches, he sang
a very pretty Free Mason song, with a plaintive air,
which attracted their attention, and they listened to it
very closely, till he was through. At this critical mo-
ment an elderly squaw came up, and claimed him as her
son. The Indians did not interfere. She immediately
dressed his wounds, and attended to him carefully dur-
ing their journey to Canada. She accompanied him to
Quebec, where he was placed in the hospital, and attend-
ed by an English surgeon, and rapidly recovered. He
was then turned out into the street without money or
friends. As he passed along, a large sign, with the let-
ters, " Masonic Inn," painted on it, attracted his atten-
tion, and observing the landlord standing in the door,
gave him the sign of the Order, which was recognized.
He was kindly taken in, and cared for till he was ex-
changed. The wounds on his head occasioned him to
keep up a continual winking.
The old squaw who was the means of preserving his
life, belonged to the Oneida tribe. Boyd remembered
288 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
her as his best friend, and often sent her presents of
money. On one occasion he made a journey personally
to visit her. Boyd died in Northumberland.
A story is related,"*" that about the time of the Indian
troubles, a man named Marcus Huling, living in the
town of Northumberland, was on the west side of the
river, when he was suddenly chased by a number of In-
dians. He ran as swiftly as he could towards the pre-
cipice at Blue Hill, but they gained so rapidly upon hina,
that he expected to be taken there. They also fancied
him secure in their grasp. Being drove to the edge of
the frightful precipice, with the savages yelling in his
rear, he determined to make the dreadful leap, preferring
to die in this manner, rather than fall beneath the toma-
hawk of the Indian. Seizing a large branch of a tree in
his hands, he jumped over, and landed some ninety feet
below, on a shelf of the rock, unhurt ! From this point
he jumped fmiy feet further, and escaped with only the
dislocation of his shoulder. The savages were obliged
to run round for a mile, when he escaped. This jump,
if true, is certainly the greatest one on record. It is
supposed the branch broke his fall, and saved his life.
Huling, on being asked about it, replied, that he "jump-
ed for a great wager — he jumped for his life !"
* By Jacob Cook, Esq., of Munoj.
HISTORT OF THE WEST BBANCH VALLET. 289
CHAPTER XXXVI.
CAPTURE OP ROBERT LYON — CARRIED TO CANADA — TJNEXPECT-
EDLT MEETS HIS BROTHER — HIS FAITHFUL DOQ FOLLOWS HIM
AND RETURNS — ^ARREST OF A TORY — HIS DEATH — QROVE'S
ENCOUNTER WITH INDIANS ON SINNEMAHONING — ^A BLOODY
DEED — ^DIES IN NIPPBNOSE VALLEY — ^ADVENTURE IN THE
aSNBSEE COUNTRY — PETER PENCE.
Somewhere about the close of the Revolutionary wax,
Robert Lyon'*' was despatched from Fort Augusta to
Wyoming, with a canoe loaded with supplies for a com-
pany of men stationed at that point. In the afternoon
of the first day he landed his canoe at the mouth of
Fishing Creek, and leaving his dog and gun in it, has-
tened to the house of Mr. Cooper, who had two very
interesting daughters, one of whom he had taken quite
a fancy to. He had scarcely seated himself in Mr.
Cooper's house, and entered into conversation with his
intended, till he observed her sister leave the house.
At this moment an inward monitor seemed to warn him
of approaching danger, and but a few minutes elapsed
till three hideously painted savages rushed in at the
door. The only weapon within reach that he could lay
his hands on, was a dull case knife, lying on the table.
* I am indebted for this information reepeeting Mr. Lyon, to Jacob
Cooke, Esq., of Muncy, as well as seyeral other interesting reminiscences.
19
290 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
This he 'seized and endeavored to defend himself. The
three Indians attacked him, and a dreadful struggle en-
sued. He managed to floor two of them, when the third
one sprang upon his back, and endeavored to pinion his
arms. The old case knife was used vigorously, and he
tried, with all his strength, to thrust it into their bodies^
but it was too blunt. If he had been in possession of a
good knife, there is but little doubt he would have des-
patched all three. In the midst of the struggle, four
more Indians came to the door, and one of them cried
out in English, " Give up, Lyon, you sha nt be hurt '
Seeing the number increasing, he yielded, and suffered
himself to be bound and led away.
The first night he was bound hand and foot^ and placed
between two Indians, in a thicket of underbrush, about
seven miles from where he was captured. The notorious
Shenap commanded this marauding band ; he could talk
English sufficiently plain to be easily understood, and
informed his prisoner that his life would be spared, bat
he would be compelled to run the gauntlet, when they
got to the end of their journey.
After many days of toilsome traveling, through swamps,
and over hills, Lyon became much exhausted, and his
wrists and ankles became very sore and much swollen,
from the effects of the cords used in tying him at night.
At length they arrived at the Niagara river, about three
miles above where the town stood. He was placed in a
canoe, and conveyed down to the village to run the
gauntlet. A long row of warriors, squaws, and young
ones, were drawn up ready for the amusement, armed
with clubs, stones, and all manner of weapons. Shenap
pointed to the door of the Council House, and informed
him if he reached it^ he was safe^ and encouraged him to
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 291
run rapidly. Lyon was well aware of his situation, and
knew that if he attempted to run round them, his life
would be the forfeit. He plunged in between the two
ranks, knocking and kicking them about at such a fu-
rious rate, that he only received two or three light
strokes, and arriving at the goal, was safe.
After the race was over, he was taken and placed in
prison, where he remained about two weeks, without
seeing the face of any person, save his keeper, when he
was visited by a very gentlemanly officer, clothed in the
uniform of the British army, who asked him many ques-
tions concerning himself, his brothers, sisters, &c. Lyon
informed him that he was an Irishman by birth, and
when a small lad had come to America with his brother
Benjamin, but what had become of him he was unable
to say. At this juncture the officer abruptly turned
away and left, without saying another word. When the
keeper came, he inquired if he had been visited by an
officer, and on being answered in the affirmative, said,
"You will fare well; that officer is your otvn brother!'^
He was thunderstruck, as it were, and could scarcely
believe that such was his good fortune as to fall into the
hands of his long lost brother so imexpectedly. He had
not seen him since he was seven years of age, and had
almost entirely forgotten him. In three days' time he
was released from prison, and set at liberty.
Whilst he was confined, the jailor informed him that
a large yellow dog had come to the door of the prison,
and remained there manifesting much uneasiness. From
the description, he knew him to be his own faithful ani-
mal, that he had not seen since he left him with his rifle
in the canoe at Fishing Greek, and was satisfied that he
had followed him through the wilderness to this place.
292 BISTORT OF THE WEST BBANCH VALLEY.
He desired the keeper to take charge of him, which he
promised, but he disappeared suddenly that night.
The people of Northumberland and vicinity, had not
learned the fate of Lyon, and wondered what had be-
come of him. One day, his dog came to the house of
Mr. McKee, in Buffalo Valley, apparently much distress-
ed and half starved. He acted very strangely, and seemed
as if he wanted to tell them something. The faithful
animal was returning from the door of his master's pri-
son in Canada, to inform them of his captivity, biU he
WCL8 not gifted with the power of speech^ and had to mani-
fest his errand by signs ! They offered him food, but
he refused to eat. Mr. McKee knew the dog, and judg-
ing there was something wrong, mounted his horse and
rode to Northumberland to make inquiry, where he
learned that Lyon was supposed to be a captive.
When Lyon returned home, his noble dog was lymg
behind the house, but he scented him when forty yards
distant, and running to meet him, placed his paws on his
shoulders, and licked his face with gladness !
The fact of Lyon having disappeared so mysteriously
from the house of Cooper, together with other evidences,
convinced the people that he was a tory, and endeavor-
ing to further the interest of the enemy. A party of
men from Northumberland, proceeded to his house and
arrested him as a traitor, and placed him in a boat to
convey him to Sunbury jail. On their passage down, a
rifle belonging to a man named Doyle, was accidentally
lost overboard. Doyle in his fury, accused Cooper of
throwing it in, which he denied, and an altercation tak-
ing place, he seized a hatchet, and burled it in Cooper's
skull. The unfortunate man lived about twenty days,
when he expired in prison.
HI8T0B7 OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 293
Lyon afterwards married a young lady of another
family, and resided in Northumberland county till his
death, which took place in 1822. He left two sons ;
one named Robert, still survives, and lives on the main
road leading to Milton, about five miles above Northum-
berland.
In 1781 or 1782, a party of Indians suddenly made
a descent upon Buffalo Valley, and succeeded in killing
and scalping one or two. To avenge this outrage. Cap-
tain Peter Grove, Lieutenant Cramer, William Campbell,
and Michael Grove, followed them, resolved not to re-
turn without at least some scalps, even if they had to
pursue them to their towns. In the afternoon of the
third or fourth day after they had left Northumberland,
they came in sight of the Indians. At this time
they were between the Great Island and Youngwomans-
town, and ascertained them to be forty or fifty in
number.
As the Indians did not consider themselves sufficient-
ly safe to kindle their fires that evening, our heroes de-
layed their attack on that account, and patiently awaited
a more favorable moment. They stealthily pursued them
all the next day, resolved to attack them the first favor-
able opportunity, notwithstanding their numbers. This
was afforded them that evening, when the Indians en-
camped on the bank of Sinnemahoning Creek, about
twelve miles from its mouth, and fancying themselves
secure, kindled their fires for the first time.
The desires of the pursuers were now accomplished,
and silently creeping up, they observed the number of
Indians, the position of their arms, and the manner in
which they had retired to rest. They now patiently
waited till they were all wrapped in sleep before com-
294 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
mencing the attax;k. One old Indian annoyed them ven^
much. He was troubled with a severe cough, and fre-
quently rose up and looked carefully around, seeming
from his peculiar actions, to anticipate danger. At
length the old man fell asleep, when they commenced
creeping up, intending to use their tomahawks first. One
of them unexpectedly crawled over an Indian, who had
laid himself down some distance from the rest, and the
old man also rose up at this moment. Finding them-
selves discovered, they rushed on them. Michael Grove
with a powerful stroke of his hatchet, clove the skull of
the old Indian in twain, and dexterously striking it into
the back of another, was unable to withdraw it, when
the Indian drew him over the bank into the creek, where,
however, he succeeded in killing and scalping him. They
plied their tomahawks to the best advantage, and then
used their rifles. Several Indians were killed, when
they fled to the opposite side of the creek, and finding
that the attacking party was small, commenced a brisk
fire, and being between them and the light, had the ad-
vantage, which prevented them from returning to scalp
the killed. They bore off two scalps, however, and com-
menced their retreat immediately. To avoid pursuit,
they waded down the creek to its mouth, and taking the
hills, continued to where Lock Haven now stands, when
they passed up over " Proctor's Farm,"* to the summit
of the Bald Eagle Kidge, and continuing along it for se-
veral miles, reached their homes in safety.
Grove was a celebrated Indian killer, and many a sa-
* The traveller along the river, when near the Great Island, will observe
a large bare spot of land covered with stones, on the north side of Bald
Eagle Mountain. This is called " Proctor's Farm," and takes its name
from a land speculator, who first owned it.
HIOTORT OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 295
vage was made by him to pay the death penalty. He
was an inveterate hater of the race, and never let an
opportunity slip to give one of them a passport to the
spirit-land. He was one of the first settlers in Buffalo
Valley, about two and-a-half miles east of Mifflinburg. If
all his daring deeds, hair-breadth escapes, and remarkable
adventures had been preserved, they would fill a volume.
But they are obscured by the dark curtain of eternity.
Visiting a daughter who resided in Nipponese Valley,
at an advanced age, he was suddenly taken ill, and
shortly afterwards expired. He was attended in his last
moments by Dr. A. Davidson, of Jersey Shore, to whom
he related the bloody affair on Sinnemahoning, and gave
a vivid account of his killing the old Indian. This was
the only act of his life that worked upon his mind, and
he seemed to manifest some contrition of spirit for the
unceremonious manner in which he had launched the
spirit of the old man into eternity. His death took
place about 1827.
Another adventure of this Indian-hunter is preserved,
which I will here relate :
On one of his hunting excursions he wandered into
the Genesee county, where he lost himself, and was
under the necessity of entering an Indian village for
information. During his conference with them, he re-
marked that the attention of the Indians appeared to be
directed very particularly to his hunting-pouch and horn.
These articles he had taken from a renowned warrior,
whom he had slain some years before ; and he now con-
jectured that he was of this tribe, and they knew who
they had among them, and would certainly have blood
for blood, if an opportunity offered. Grove kept his
countenance and his counsel, and, having received his
296 HISTOBY OF THE WEST BBAKCH YALLBT.
directions, set out. He walked very quietljr and uncon-
cernedly away, but so soon as out of sight, put forth his
speed and strength — in which he had never found his
superior — and fairly outran his vindictive foes. This
he considered the most imminent danger to which he
had ever been exposed.
There was another remarkable hunter and Indian-
killer in this valley, named Peter Pence, of whom many
wonderful stories are related. He is described by those
who remember him, as being a savage-looking customer,
and always went armed with his rifle, tomahawk and
knife, years after peace was made.
The accounts of his adventures with the Indians being
in such a vague and unsatisfactory form, I have con-
cluded to omit them altogether, rather than detail them
incorrectly. I much regret this, since I made some
effort to get a correct sketch of them. It is said that
an account of his life was published some thirty years
ago, and is remembered by some, but the most careful
research has failed to develop it.
■ •-*■■.>■ : ■■».■'■;
■'.V .
T
■ .'-.
. r
HISTOBY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 297
CHAPTER XXXVn.
THE TREATY OP 1784 — THE REAL TIADAGHTON MADE KNOWK —
HUGHES, DOUGHERTY, TONER, AND SWEENY'S DIFFICULTY
ABOUT LAND — SETTLERS OP '85 — DR. DAVIDSON — COLONEL
HUGH WHITE — COPY OF HIS COMMISSION — SKETCH OP THE
MONTOUR FAMILY — ^THEIR GRANTS OF LAND.
I NOW come to the close of the Revolutionary war,
and the treaty of Fort Stanwix. The troubles and diflSr
culties incident upon the bloody Indian wars, are about
to cease, and peace — ^happy peace — ^usurp her reign once
more. The struggle for freedom is over — ^the battle has
been won, and the flag of American Liberty is unfurled
to the breeze in this Western World.
The last treaty at Fort Stanwix, with the Indians,
took place in October, 1784.* One important feature of
this treaty, was the settlement of the difl&culty that had
existed for some sixteen years between the whites, in
relation to the boundary line embraced by Tiadaghton.
It will be remembered that some contended that Lyco-
ming Creek was the line, and others that it was Pine
Creek.
At this treaty the Pennsylvania Commissioners were
specially instructed to inquire of the Indians, which
stream was reallif the Tiadaghton, and also the Indian
* See Smith's Laws, Vol. II., page 123. Fort Stanwix was located on
the site now occupied by the town of Rome, in the State of New York.
298 BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLE7.
name of Burnett's Hills, left blank in the deed of 1768.
The Indians informed them Tiadaghtcm was what the
whites called Pine Creek, being the largest stream
emptying into the West Branch. As to Bumetfs JSilky
they called them the Lonff MountainSy and knew them
by no other name.
At this treaty a purchase was made of the residue
of the Indian lands within the limits of Pennsylvania,
and the deed signed by the chiefs of the Six Nations,
is dated October 23, 1784. The boundaries are thus
described :
'' Beginning on the south side of the river Ohio, where the western
boundary of the State of Pennsylvania crosses the said river, near
Shingo's old town, at the mouth of Beaver Creek, and thence hy a
due north line to the end of the forty-second and beginning of the
forty-third degrees of north latitude, thence by a due east line sepa-
rating the forty-second and forty-third degrees of north latitude, to
the east side of the east branch of the river Susquehanna, thence by
the bounds of the late purchase made at Fort Stanwix, the fifth day
of November, Anno Domini, one thousand seven hundred and sixty-
eight, as follows : Down the said east branch of Susquehanna, on the
east side thereof, till it came opposite to the mouth of a creek called
by the Indians, Awandac, and across the river, and up the said creek
on the south side thereof, all along the range of hills called BumetCs
Hills by the English, and by the Indians , on the north side
of them, to the head of a creek which runs into the west branch of
Susquehanna, which creek is by the Indians called Tiadaghton, but
by the Pcnnsylvanians, Pine Creek, and down the said creek on the
south side thereof to the said west branch of Susquehanna, then cross-
ing the said river, and running up the same on the south side thereof
to the fork of the same river, which lies nearest to a place on the river
Ohio, called Kittanning aforesaid, and then down the said river Ohio,
by the several courses thereof to where the western bounds of the said
State of Pennsylvania crosses the same river, at the place of begin-
ning."
At a treaty held at Fort Mcintosh, with the Wyandott
HISTOKT OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 299
and Delaware Indians, by the same Commissioners,
January, 1785, a deed was executed by those nations,
for the same lands, in the same words, with the same
boundaries, dated January 21st,. 1785. Both of these
deeds, with the treaties, or conferences, are printed at
large in the appendix to the Journal of the Assembly
for February, 1785.
Thus, in a period of about one huqdred and two years,
was the whole right of the Indians to the soU of Penn-
sylvania extinguished. The Legislature, at the time of
this last treaty, being apprehensive that the directions
given to the Commissioners to ascertain the precise
boundaries of the purchase of 1768, might produce
some inconveniences, passed an act as follows :
'^ That the said directors did not give^ nor ought not to be construed
to give to the said commissioners^ any authority to ascertain, defi-
nitely, the boundary lines aforesaid, and that the lines of the purchase
so made, as aforesaid, in the year one thousand seven hundred and
sixty-eight, striking the line of the west branch of Susquehanna, at
the mouth of Lycomick or Lycoming creek, shall be the boundaries of
the same purchase, to all legal intents and purposes, until the general
assembly shall otherwise regulate and declare the same/'
This last accession of lands was called by the whites
the "New Purchase," and when the land office opened
in 1785, settlers rapidly flocked to the West Branch
above Lycoming Creek, to take up the choice lands in
that region. Nearly all the original settlers, or squatterSj
on this disputed territory, previous to the "Big Run-
away," now returned and claimed their lands.
The dispute about this territory being settled, some
trouble was likely to arise with the original settlers. In
view of this, the Legislature passed the following act,
which may be found in Smith's Laws, Vol. II., page 195 :
300 mS^ftT OF THE WEST BRANCH YAIJLET.
<^And whereas diyen persons^ who have heretofore oocapied and
ooltivaied small tracts of lands, without the bounds of the purchase
made as aforesaid in the year 1768, and within the purchase made or
now to be made, have, hy their resolute stand and sufferings during
the late war, merited, that those settlers should have the preemption
of their respectiye plantations, it is enacted, that all and every person,
or persons, and their legal representativesy who has, or have heretofore
settled, on the north side of the West Branch of Susquehanna, between
Lycamick or Lycoming Creek on the east, and Tjadaghton, or Pine
Greek, on the west, as well as other lands within the said residuary
purchase from the Indians, of the territory within this State, (except-
ing always the lands hereinbefore excepted,) shall be allowed a right
of pre-emption to their respective possessions, at the price aforesaid/'
No person was to be entitled to the benefit of this pre-
emption act, unless he had made an actual settlement
before 1780, and no claim was to be admitted for more
than 300 acres of land, &c., and the consideration there-
of tendered to the Receiver General of the Land Office,
on or before the 1st of November, 1785.
Several cases of litigation took place between some of
these settlers, that were decided under the pre-emption
clause. The first was John Hughes, against Henry
Dougherty, tried in 1791. The plaintiflf claimed under
a warrant of May 2d, 1785, for the premises, and a sur-
vey made thereon the 10th of Jan., 1786. On the 20th
of June, 1785, the defendant entered a caveat against
the claims of the plaintiff, and on the 5th of October fol-
lowing, took out a warrant for the land in dispute, on
which he was then settled. Both claimed the pre-emp-
tion of 1784. The facts given in evidence are as follows :
^' In 1773, one James Hughes, a brother of the plaintiff, settled on
the land in question, and made some small improyements. In the
next year he enlarged his improvement, and cut logs to build a house.
In the winter following, he went to his father's, in Donegal, in Lan-
caster Co., and died there. His elder brother, Thomas, was at that
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 301
time settled on the Indian land, and one of the &ir play men, who
assembled together and made a resolution, (which they agreed to en-
force as the law of the place,) that ' if any person was absent from his
settlement for six weeks, he should forfeit his right/ ''
In the spring of 1775, Dougherty came to the settle-
ment, and was advised by the fair play men to settle on
the premises which Hughes had left. This he did, and
built a cabin. The plaintiff soon after came, claiming it
in right of his brother, and, aided by Thomas Hughes,
took possession of the cabin. But Dougherty collecting
his friends, a fight ensued, in which Hughes was beaten
olT, and he remained in possession. He continued to im-
prove ; built a house and stable, and cleared about ten
acres. In 1778 he was driven oflF by the enemy, and
went into the army. At the close of the war, both par-
ties returned and claimed the land. After hearing the
argument, the jury decided in favor of Dougherty.
The next case was between John Toner and Morgan
Sweeny. Toner went upon the Indian land in 1773,
and made a settlement ; but he exchanged it for another,
on which he continued, with a view to make a settlement
for his family, till the war broke out, and there was a
call for soldiers. He inclined to list, but was afraid of
losing his land, and his friends attempted to dissuade
him. However, they promised to preserve his settle-
ment for him, and he enlisted.
In 1775, Sweeny went up, and there was some con-
tract in writing, by way of lease, between him and
Toner, and by virtue of that he entered into possession
of the premises. The terms of the lease were, that he
should make certain improvements on the place for the
benefit of Toner. This lease was deposited in the hands
of a third person, and Sweeny's wife, by a trick, got
302 mSIOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VAIXET.
hold of it^ and she and her husband determmed to des-
troy it, and so make the place their own. They con-
tinued there till driven off by the Indians. During all
this time, Toner was absent from the settlement, but in
the service of his country. The suit was decided in
favor of Toner.
The Valley rapidly filled up with settlers — improve-
ments were made, bams and houses erected, and in a
short time peace and plenty abounded.
Amongst some of the settlers, after the war, I will
mention the names of Stewart, Davidson, and White.
Samuel Stewart came with his father, and settled on
the river, in Nippenose Bottom. He became quite a
leading man in after years, and was one of the first
sheriffs of Lycoming county. He fought a duel, with
pistols, opposite the town of Lewisburg, with John
Binns, a printer of Northumberland. Neither one was
iigured. Mr. Stewart lived till an advanced age, and
only died a few years ago.
Dr. James Davidson settled a short distance below the
mouth of Pine Greek in 1785. He was a surgeon in the
army during the Revolutionary period, and was present
at a number of battles. A case of surgical instruments
used by him at the battle of Eutaw Springs, is now in
the possession of his son, Dr. A. Davidson, of Jersey
Shore. They are carefully preserved as a valuable relic
of that dark and gloomy period. Dr. Davidson was a
useful man in his time, and filled several important
offices. He was one of the first Associate Judges of
Lycoming County, and afterwards a member of the
State Legislature. For many years he enjoyed an ex-
tensive practice of medicine, and was beloved and re-
spected for his many acts of benevolence and humanity.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 303
His death occurred in 1825, at the age of 73, when his
mantle descended upon his son, who has been a success-
ful practitioner forty years, and yet enjoys the confi-
dence and respect of the community.
Colonel Hugh White,* who held a commission in the
army of the Revolution, settled, about this time, some
five miles above Jersey Shore. He acted for some time
* A correct copy of Colonel White's commission, as Captain, is herewith
Appended, to show the manner and stjle of commissioning meritorious
individuals at that day. The original document is now in the possession
of his son, Henry White, of Williamsport :
" Pennsylvania 8$,
IN ASSEMBLY.
April 19th, 1776.
To Hugh White, Esq.
WE reposing especial Trust and confidence
in your Patriotism, Valour, Conduct and Fi-
delity, DO, by those Presents, constitute and
appoint you to be Captain of a Company of
Foot in the 1st Battalion of Associators in the
County of Northumberland, for the Protection
of this Province, against all hostile Enterprizes, and for the Defence of
American Liberty. You are therefore carefully and diligently to dis-
charge the Duty of a Captain as aforesaid, by doing and performing all
Manner of Things thereunto belonging. And we do strictly charge and
require all Officers and Soldiers, under your Command, to be obedient to
your Orders as their Captain. And you are to observe and follow such
Orders and Directions, from Time to Time, as you shall receive from the
Assembly during their Sessions ; and, in their Recess, from the present or
any future Committee of Safety appointed by the Assembly of this Pro-
vince, or from your superior Officer, according to the Rules and Regula-
tions for the better Government of the Military Association in Pennsyl-
vania, and pursuant to the Trust reposed in you. This Commission to
continue in Force until revoked by the Assembly, or by the present or
any succeeding Committee of Safety.''
Signed by Order of the Assembly,
JOHN MORTON, Speaker.
He proved himself a ftuthful, as well as valuable Officer, and subse-
quently rose to the rank of ColoneL
304 mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
in the capacity of a Commissary^ and mention is fre-
quently made of him in the Colonial Records. He was
an active, as well as useful man, in his time, and was
untiring in his efforts to provide supplies for the starv-
ing army of Washington. He is described, by those
who remember him, as being an exceedingly polite and
gentlemanly man. He died in 1822, at the age of 85 —
from injuries received by being thrown from a horse —
leaving behind him ten sons and two daughters, who are
amongst the most respectable and leading citizens of the
Valley.
Colonel John Chatham took up land in 1785, and
settled at the mouth of Chatham's run, where Judge
Crawford now resides.
1 might mention many others, and give interesting
biographical sketches of their lives, but the limits of this
work will not permit of it, and I must forego that plea-
sant duty, and hasten on to more general topics of his-
tory.
THE MONTOUR FAMILY.
Of the Montour family I have failed to glean much of
the history, as they flourished at such an early period,
that no record appears to have been kept of them. John
and Roland Montour were two roving braves of the
Seneca tribe. They also had a sister named Catrina,
who was a remarkable woman, and unrelenting, like her
brother John, in her hatred to the whites.
Roland Montour married a French woman, by whom
he had three sons, Andrew, Henry, and Robert. If
they had any more children, mention is not made of
them. They lived at Shamokin when that place was
first visited by the English. The two brothers are
mSTORT OF THE WEST BBANCH VALLEt. 805
described to have been men of fine proportions — ^noble
specimens of the Indian race — and inveterate haters of
fhe English.
Roland appears to have died at quite an early period,
and his widow, who always went by the name of
Madame Montour, shortly afterwards married another
Indian, named Carondowana, alias Robert Hunter, but
soon afterwards lost him in a war against the Catawbas.
Madame Montour was a remarkable woman, and contra-
ry to the disposition of her husband, very friendly to
the English. When Count Zinzendorf visited Shamokin^
he crossed the river and went to the town of Oston-
wackin, where she resided, and was very kindly received
and entertained by her for several days.
John Montour was frequently engaged in predatory
incursions against the settlers on the West Branch, and
was at the taking of Fort Freeland, where he received a
wound that proved mortal. He is said to have been
buried at the " Painted Post." Catrina was also there.
She had a village on the banks of Seneca Lake.
Whatever became of Madame Montour, is not stated ;
but it is probable that she lived and died at Shamokin,
from the fact that her sons became the fast friends of the
English. Her sons were what was called, " French half-
breeds." They became the friends of the whites on
their first arrival, and always remained steadfast through
the trying wars that ensued. Having acquired the Eng-
lish language, they soon became interpreters, and were
employed by the government in that capacity. After a
long and tried apprenticeship, they were found to be
genuine friends, and never were known to betray the in-
terests of their employers. For their fidelity and satis-
factory performance of duty, they were much esteemed,
20
306 mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
and as a recompense for their services, the Colonial Gov-
ernment made them large grants of land. Andrew had
a tract at the mouth of Loyal Sock, and the village there
now bears his name. Henry had a tract in Ghilisqua-
que,* and the other, I believe, had a grant westward,
near the Ohio river.
The name of these two Seneca warriors is perpetuated
in the iron mountain, called, ^^ Montour's Badge," that
runs from Northumberland to Danville.
* See Jadge Huston's Land Titles of Pa., p. 319.
HI8T0BT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 307
CHAPTER XXXVm.
BARLT SETTLERS IN NORTH UMBERLil^ND — DR. JOSEPH PRIESTLT
— SKETCH OF HIS LIFE — THOMAS COOPER SETTLES THERE ALSO
— HIS BISTORT — IMPRISONED UNDER THE SEDITION LAW —
APPOINTED JUDGE — REMOVED BT GOVERNOR SNTDER — AMUS-
ING ANECDOTE OF JACK GLOVER AND THE JUDGE.
Northumberland^ which had been partially abandoned,
v^as re^ccupied by the returning inhabitants, in 1785.
It soon became the stopping place of several distinguish-
ed exiled foreigners, who came and resided here, amongst
whom may be mentioned Mrs. Dash, Mr. Russell, Dr.
Priestly, and Dr. Cooper.
Mrs. Dash was a very enterprising woman. She was
the wife of an English banker, who failed in business ;
and whilst he was settling up his affairs, she came out
to America, in 1794, with her three daughters, and pur-
chased a farm of about one hundred acres of land, near
Northumberland. She immediately had some twenty
acres cleared, and sown in wheat — had a comfortable
stone cottage erected, where she "welcomed her husband
on his arrival. Verily, she was a wife worth having.
Mr. Russell was an Englishman, who resided here,
and purchased, in connection with a number of land spe-
culators, large tracts of land in the north-eastern counties
of this State.
Dr. Joseph Priestly, the distinguished philosopher and
308 HI8T0BT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
theologian, spent the latter years of his life in Northum-
berland. His sons preceded him to America, and coming
to the Susquehanna, made a large purchase of land^ with
a view of making it the asylum of English Dissenters,
and other distinguished European exiles. Many Eng-
lishmen, friends of Dr. Priestly, removed here about the
same time, amongst whom was Dr. Cooper.
Dr. Joseph Priestly was born at Fieldham, in Eng-
land, in March, 1733. His father was a clothier of the
Galvinistic persuasion, in which he was also himself
brought up. After he had attained a respectable d^ree
of classical acquirement, he was finally placed at the
Dissenters' academy at Daventry, with a view to the
ministry. He spent three years at this school, where he
became acquainted with the writings of Dr. Hartley, and
was gradually led into a partiality for the Arian hypo-
thesis. He became minister of Needham Market, in
Suffolk, but falling under the suspicion of Arianism, he
left there and took charge of a congregation at Nantwich,
to which he joined a school. In 1761, he was appointed
tutor in the languages at Warrington academy. Here he
published his essay on government, and several other
useful works on education and history. His History of
Electricity, published in 1767, procured him an admis-
sion into the Royal Society ; he had previously obtained
the title of doctor of laws from the University of Edin-
burgh. In the same year he took charge of a church at
Leeds, where his opinions became decidedly Socinian.
Here his attention was first drawn to the properties of
fixed air, and he also composed his work on Vision, Light,
and Colors. In 1773, he went to live with the Marquis
of Landsdown, as librarian or literary companion. He
travelled over Europe with this nobleman, and also occu-
mSTOBT OF THE WEST BBANCH VALLEY* 309
pied himself with scientific pursuits. In 1773, he fur-
nished a paper in the Philosophical Transactions, on the
different kinds of air, which obtained for him a gold me-
dal. This was followed by three volumes, the publica-
tion of which forms an era in the history of aeriform
fluids. He published several metaphysical works, and
an edition of Hartley's Observations on Man, to which
he annexed a dissertation savoring strongly of Material-
ism. This doctrine he still more forcibly supported in
his Disquisitions on Matter and Spirit, 1777. These
works resulted in a dissolution of the connection between
himself and his patron, and he took charge of a dissent-
ing congregation at Birmingham. At length, when seve-
ral of his friends at Birmingham were celebrating the
destruction of the Bastile, a mob assembled and set fire
to the dissenting meeting-houses, and several dissenters'
houses ; among which was that of Dr. Priestly, although
he was not present at the celebration. He lost his valua-
ble library and apparatus, and although he obtained a
legal compensation, it fell far short of his loss. On
quitting Birmingham, he succeeded his friend, Dr. Price,
as lecturer in the dissenting college at Hackney, where
he remained some time in the cultivation of scientific
pursuits, until he was goaded by party enmity to seek
an asylum in the United States. He arrived at North-
umberland, and fixed his residence there, in 1794. Here
he dedicated himself for ten years to his accustomed
pursuits, imtil his death on the 6th of February, 1804,
in his 71st year.
Dr. Priestly was an ardent controversialist, chiefly in
consequence of extreme simplicity and openness of cha-
racter; but no man felt less animosity towards his oppo-
nents, and many, who entertained the strongest antipa-
310 HI8I0BT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
thy to his opinions, were converted into friends by
nrbanity in personal intercourse. As a man of science,
he stands high in the walk of invention and discovery:
he discovered the existence of oxygen gas, and other
aeriform fluids. As a theologian, he followed his own
convictions wherever they led him, and passed through
all changes, from Calvinism to a Unitarian or Socinian
system, in some measure his own ; but to the last, re-
mained a zealous opposer of infidelity. In his family,
he ever maintained the worship of God. His woi^s
amount to about seventy volumes, or tracts ; and emr
brace essays on history, politics, divinity, (practical and
controversial,) metaphysics and natural philosophy. His
life, edited by his son, was published in 1806. The me-
moirs are written by the Doctor himself, down to the
year 1795, and are embraced in two volumes.
The descendants of Dr. Priestly still reside at North-
umberland. J. W. Priestly, Esq., Cashier of the North-
umberland Bank, is one of his grandsons.
Thomas Cooper,* another distinguished Englishman,
who came and settled in Northumberland, was bom in
London, October 22, 1759. Having been educated at
Oxford, he became a proficient in Chemistry, and acquired
a knowledge of the Law and Medicine, and brought these
acquisitions to America, where he joined his friend Dr.
Priestly, having been driven from England by the part
which he took in reference to French politics, in becoming
the agent of an English democratic club to a revolution-
ary club in France, and writing a pamphlet in reply to
an attack on him by Burke, which was threatened with
prosecution. In the United States, he became a Jeffer-
sonian politician, and attacking Adams in a newspaper
* Set Enoyclopfoiia < f American Literature, Vol. II., Page 331.
HI8I0RT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 311
communication, which he published in the Pennsylvania
Reading Weekly Advertiser of October 26, 1799, was tried
for a libel under the sedition law in 1800, and sentenced
to six months' imprisonment, and a fine of four hundred
dollars.
The Democratic party coming into power, Governor
McKean appointed Cooper, in 1806, President Judge of
the Common Pleas District, embracing Northumberland
county. He filled the office with energy, but was re-
moved from it in 1811 by Governor Snyder, at the
request of the Legislature, on representations chiefly of
an overbearing temper. He afterwards became Pro-
fessor of Chemistry in Dickinson College at Carlisle,
and subsequently in 1816, held a Professorship of Min-
eralogy and Chemistry in the University of Pennsylvania,
and shortly after, in 1819, became at first. Professor of
Chemistry, then, in 1820, President of the South Caro-
lina College. He also discharged the duties of Professor
of Chemistry and Political Economy. Returing from
this post on account of age in 1834, he was employed
by the Legislature of South Carolina in revising the
Statutes of the State. He died May 11, 1840, at the
ripe old age of eighty-one.
Judge Cooper was a man of letters, and the author of
several valuable works. But being so petulant, he was
much disliked by those who had business with him.
When he was Judge at Northumberland, he used to fine
a man one doUar for the most trifling offence, and the
attorneys disliked him very much. The following anec-
dote concerning him is related :
Jack Glover was a singular genius that used to attend
the courts at Sunbury, whither business sometimes took
him, and whither he more frequently took business.
t'll2 HI8I0&T OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
Jack was apparently possessed with an uncontrollable
propensity to make a noise. When he had been expelled
by the constable from the court-house for his loud talk-
ing, he would go to the hucksters shop, purchase a bag of
chesnuts — ^perhaps a bushel — shoulder it and march to
the court-house, followed by all the idle boys of Sunbury.
When anived there he would cut a hole in the bottom of
the bag and run round the house ; then came the scram-
ble, the uproar and the battle ; out came the constable,
and then came the chase, until Jack was run down,
brought before Judge Cooper, fined, and imprisoned for
twenty-four hours.
On one of these occasions. Jack having served out his
time, came into the court-house in the morning very much
intoxicated, and as usual made himself rather too con-
spicuous for his own good.
" Bring that man before the Court," cried the Judge.
Jack was brought up, when Cooper peered at him through
hLs eye-glass, and exclaimed :
" Ah, Jack ; is that you — drunk again ! The Court
fines you one dollar, and sentences you to be imprisoned
for twenty-four hours !"
" P-1-e-a-s-e your Honor," replied Jack, " it is hard to
be pimished twice for the same offence !"
" Ah, Jack ; but you are dnmk to-day again," retorted
the Judge.
" P-1-e-a-s-e your Honor," said Jack, " I hav'nt been
sober yet."
The Judge was posed, and after studying a moment,
said :
" Well, well. Jack ; get about your business, and try
to keep quiet if you can."
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HISTOBY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 313
CHAPTER XXXIX.
HISTORY OP GOVERNOR BNYDER — MRS. CARSON — SKETCH OP HER
LIFE — BOLD SCHEME TO ABDUCT THE GOVERNOR'S YOUNGEST
SON — HER IMPRISONMENT AND DEATH — JOE DISBURY, THE
WONDERFUL THIEF — HIS TRICK ON THE FARMER — FINALLY
SENTENCED TO TWENTY-ONE YEARS IMPRISONMENT — SERVES
OUT HIS TIME AND RETURNS.
Simon Snyder was born at Lancaster, November,
1759. His father was a respectable mechanic, who
immigrated to Pennsylvania from Germany, about the
year 1768. The maiden name of his mother was Knip-
penberg, born near Oppenheim, Germany. On the 24th
of April, 1774, his father died at Lancaster. In 1776
he left Lancaster, and resided at York upwards of eight
years, where he learned the tanning and currying busi-
ness. As a proof of his early integrity, it may be men-
tioned that he served four years to learn this business,
without being bound by written contract. At this place
he learned at a night school, kept by John Jones, a mem-
ber of the Society of Friends, during eight winter months,
arithmetic ; and made some progress in the mathematics.
Often at the midnight hour, after a hard day's work, he
was found engaged in the pursuit of knowledge ; and his
Sundays were almost always devoted to study.
In July, 1784, he removed to the county of Northum-
berland, and settled in the town of Selinsgrove, where
he shortly afterwards opened a store, and became the
314 HIBIOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VAIXET.
owner of a mill. He soon became useful as a scrivener,
and as the friend of the poor and distressed; and so
generally was he respected for his modesty and unas-
suming worth; that he was unanimously elected by the
freeholders of a large district of country, a justice of
the peace. In this capacity he continued to officiate for
twelve years, under two commissions. The first was
granted under the constitution of 1776, and the second
under the constitution of 1790. So universally were
his decisions respected, that there never was an appeal
from any judgment of his to the Court of Common Pleas,
and but one writ of certiorari was served on him during
all that time.
Though the inhabitants consisted of that description
of persons, amongst whom quarrels and disputes are very
frequent, yet so great was his personal influence, and so
strenuous his efforts to reconcile contending parties, that
he generally prevailed ; and so great was his influence,
that during the whole period of his administration, of
the many actions for assault and battery brought before
him, he made return to the court of but two recognizances.
These are evidences of an extraordinary degree and ex-
tent of public confidence in the judgment and general
good character of Mr. Snyder, which his whole life
proved to have been well deserved.
In 1789, he was elected a member of the convention
which framed the constitution of this State. Though
but a novice in politics, his votes point him out as the
supporter of those principles best calculated to promote
the happiness of the free people of this country.
In 1797, he was elected a member of the Legislature^
and in 1802 became speaker of the House of Represen-
tatives. As speaker, he presided with much dignity.
HI8T0BT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 315
with a full knowledge of his duties, and a most accurate
recollection and prompt application of the rules of the
House.
With him originated the arbitration principle, first
incorporated with other wholesome provisions for the
adjustment of controversies brought before justices of
the peace, in a law commonly called the $100 act. After
a few years' experience, this salutary principle was en-
grafted upon our judiciary system. By this truly patri-
archal mode of deciding controversies, more cases are
decided than by ordinary mode of trial by jury.
He continued to preside in the chair till 1805. During
that session he was taken up as a candidate for Governor,
and ran against Thomas McKean, who was re-elected by
five thousand majority.
In 1806, Mr. Snyder was again re-elected to the House
of Representatives, and again chosen speaker, and was
re-elected to both stations in 1807.
In 1808, he was again taken up as a candidate for
Governor, and after an arduous contest, was elected by
a majority of 28,000. In 1811, he was re-elected ; and
also in 1814. His conduct during the war of 1812, was
patriotic, and worthy of a Governor of Pennsylvania.
In the session of 1813-14, a very large majority of
both houses passed the bill to charter /or/y hanks! The
candidate for Governor was at that time nominated by
fhe members of the Legislature. Having assembled in
caucus for that purpose, it was remarked after the meet-
ing had been organized, that the bill to charter forty
banks was then before the Governor, and that it would
be prudent to make no* nomination till it was seen
whether he would sanction it.
Within three days (Jovemor Snyder returned the
316 HIBTOBY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
bill, with his objections, and it did not pass that session.
His independence was the theme of universal praise, and
he was that year re-elected by a majority of near 30,000.
Having served the constitutional period of nine years,
he retired to his former place of residence in Selinsgrove,
where, at the next general election, he was elected a
Senator of the State of Pennsylvania, and served one
session.
The last half yeiir of his life was evidently very
unhappy. His long residence at the seat of govern-
ment, during which he had not the leisure necessary for
managing his extensive estate, and the liberal assistance
afforded by him to his relatives and friends, had greatly
embarrassed his affairs ; and the death of his son Frede-
rick taking place at this time of anxiety, broke his spirit
and prepared his system for the disease which finally
carried him off. He died in November, 1819.
During the time Simon Snyder was Governor, a bold
scheme was concocted by a woman to abduct his youngest
son, and retain him as a hostage, till a pardon was granted
which she sought. The account of this affair forms an
interesting feature in the life of the Governor ; and in
order to elucidate the case more clearly, it is necessary
to give a sketch of the woman also.
Mrs. Ann Smith, alias Carson, was in many respects
a remarkable woman, and during her life made consider-
able noise in the world. She was first married to a sea
captain named Carson, and during his last voyage, which
lasted something over two years, she pretended to
believe that he was dead, and married a man named
Smith, who had been a lieutenant in the army. Shortly
after the marriage Carson returned, and of course took
possession of his house and wife, and gave Smith notice
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 317
to quit. The latter, however, manifested a disposition
to keep possession of the woman. The parents and
friends of Mrs. Carson endeavored to accommodate mat-
ters, and had at length succeeded, as they imagined, in
prevailing upon her to renounce Smith. The latter,
however, coming into the house of Carson one day,
when Mrs. Carson's parents and one or two other friends
were present, was ordered by Carson to leave the house.
The order being disregarded, Carson advanced towards
him and repeated the command, when Smith turned to
Mrs. C. and said, "ShaU I go, Ann?" "No: stay," was
her reply ; upon which he drew a pistol and shot Carson
dead ! For this oflTence he was tried and executed.
Pending the sentence of death, Mrs. Carson wrote to
Mrs. Snyder, praying her to interfere in behalf of Smith,
and be instrumental, if possible, in procuring from her
husband a remission of the sentence. She likewise got
up a petition to the Governor for the same purpose,
tolerably well filled with respectable names. The appli-
cation, however, signally failed.
Being disappointed in her efforts to procure a pardon
in the usual manner, she had recourse to a bold, as ^ell
as quite romantic, scheme. The plot was discovered,
however, and the Governor speedily apprised of it. It
was as follows :
Governor Snyder was at Selinsgrove, where he usually
spent the summer months, wheh letters arrived from
Philadelphia, notifying him that Mrs. Carson, in conjunc-
tion with two or three associates, was on her way to
Selinsgrove for the purpose of seizing his youngest son,
and detaining him as a hostage for the life of Smith.
This scheme so pleased her that she could not keep it a
secret, but boasted of it till it reached the ears of the
civil authorities.
318 HISIOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLKI.
On receipt of the intelligence^ the Ooyemor imme-
diately set out for Harrisburg^ leaving his three sonsi
Henry, George and Frederick, to guard the house. On
his arrival there, his friends put themselves on the
watch, and after two or three days, Mrs. Carson and two
men arrived, and were recognized. They were permitted
to proceed as far as Hunter's Falls, ten miles above the
Capitol, where they stopped for the night at the public
house of Mr. Armstrong. One of them opening his
trunk in the bar-room, displayed three pistols to the by-
standers. Armstrong remarked, ^^ You are well armed."
^^ Yes," replied the man, ^^if I had one of these pistols in
my hand, and Governor Snyder in the other, the ques-
tion of Smith's pardon would soon be settled."
They then proceeded to make many inquiries about
the age of the Governor's yoimgest son, whether he was
going to school, and divers other particulars. Soon after
the party had retired to rest, a constable and posse
arrived from Harrisburg, and arrested the whole three.
On searching their trunks, a good stock of gimblets,
saws, screw-drivers, and other house-breaking tools,
were found.
It was now ascertained that the male conspirators had
been but recently liberated from the penitentiary. The
conspiracy to capture the young man having been clearly
proved, the two men were soon safe within the walls of
the penitentiary again. Mrs. Carson was convicted and
sentenced to one of the city prisons of Philadelphia,
where she had not long remained till she contrived a
plan for her escape, which probably would have proved
successful, but for her uncontrollable propensity to talk.
She boasted in the presence of her keeper, that she pos-
sessed the means of effecting her escape at any time she
HI8T0BT OF THS WEST BRANCH YALLET. 319
thought proper. The keeper rightly judging that his
empire was rather less pleasant than a state of freedom,
grew suspicious and inquisitorial ; and it was not long
before he found the impression of his prison key upon a
piece of soap which she had sent out with her clothes to
the washerwoman. She was accordingly very carefully
looked to, and served her time regularly.
Some years after these occurrences, she was convicted
of passing counterfeit bank notes on an extensive scale,
and sentenced to the penitentiary, where she died.
There was a notorious character named Joe Disbury,
who flourished about Selinsgrove and Sunbury, near the
dose of the last century, concerning whom many inter-
esting stories are related. He was possessed of prodi-
gious strength, and had few superiors in running and
skating, and in thieving and lying, was considered a
match for the prince of darkness !
So bold was he, that he has been known to enter the
kitchen of a house when the family were in bed, kindle
a fire, cook a meal, and eat it at his leisure before de-
camping. On one or two occasions he was interrupted
in this agreeable occupation, but such was his reliance
on swiftness and stratagem that he cared little for that.
As Joe could tell tremendous tales about the Indian
wars in which he had performed numberless incredible
feats of heroism, he was a welcome guest of a long
winter's evening, at the fireside of those who did not
know him well. But he seldom suffered them to remain
long in ignorance of his character and propensities — that
is, if they had anything worth stealing in the house.
One day, when the river was tolerably high, Joe called
on one of the lovers of the marvelous, and told him how
the Indians, once upon a time, when hard pressed by
820 HISIOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
their white pTirsuers, had buried a quantity of money,
plate, watches, &c., on a certain island nearly opposite
the house of his eager hearer ; and that he thought he
could find the exact place where the treasure was depo-
sited. It was, therefore, agreed that the farmer should
take Joe to the island in his canoe, and that they should
^' share the labor and the spoil." To the island tiiey
went, and dug divers holes without success, though Joe
cheered his companion with assurances that the treasure
must be at last discovered. Having worked until they
were hungry, Joe proposed to return in the canoe to the
house for refreshments, while his companion waited for
his return. He went to the house, procured a loaf of
bread, a piece of cold meat, and a bottle of whiskey,
and stepping into the canoe, left the credulous farmer
digging on the island, and set off on a voyage of dis-
covery down the river, " and in those parts was never
heard of more."
Joe became at length so notorious for his crimes, that
the whole country was on the qui vive ; he was finally
taken and imprisoned in Sunbury jail, from which, how-
ever, he quickly escaped, and was honored by having a
reward offered for his apprehension by the sheriff. He
fled to the Isle of Que, and took refuge in a dense thicket
of laurel that then grew on the isle, where he fancied
himself secure.
He might have remained undiscovered and escaped,
but for his inordinate love of perpetrating jokes, which
proved his ruin at last. Lying on the watch near the
main road cut through the thicket, Joe heard the tread
of a horse, and slyly peeping from his covert, espied the
sheriff's wife, on horseback, approaching him. Stepping
into the road before her, he pulled off his hat, made a
very polite bow, and again disappeared in the thicket.
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 321
The lady pushed on to Selinsgrove, giving the alarm
as she went, and Joe was, after much chasing, ferreted
out and captured by George Ejremer. Fancying himself
secure in that hiding place, he for a moment forgot his
caution, and Kremer, having been led by Joe's evil
genius to the spot, almost at the same moment, was en-
abled to seize him.
He was remanded to jail — ^had his trial on three sepa-
rate indictments, and was convicted on each. The Judge
on summing up, sentenced him to seven years, imprison-
ment on each oount. " That, may it please your honor,"
said Joe, with great coolness, " makes just twenty-one
years r
He served out the long term of his imprisonment, and
again appeared in the neighborhood of his former ex-
ploits, an aged man, but as merry as a cricket. His long
confinement Jiad not served to eradicate his inordinate
thievish propensities, and he would steal whenever he
had an opportunity. What became of him is not known
by the writer.
21
322 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
#
CHAPTER XL.
JOHN HANNAH — HIS WHIMS AND ODDITIES — GETS INTO TROUBLE
WITH JUDGE COOPER — HAD OCCASION TO CHANGE HIS OPINIOK
— PUMPKIN FLOOD — INDUN TRADITION THAT A BIO FLOOD
OCCURRED EVERY FOURTEEN YEARS — ^FAOTS IN THE CASE —
WHISKEY RIOT IN NORTHUMBERLAND ^THE POWERFUL
NEGRO.
An Irishman^ named Jobii Hannah, settled in North-
umberland many years ago, and established himself as a
dealer in flour, horse-feed, and various other necessaries
for man and beast. He was prudent, attentive to busi-
ness, and economical, and of course grew rich apace.
Being a confirmed bachelor, however, he was addicted
to peculiar whims and fancies. One of his notions was
to entertain a great dislike to Free Masons in general,
and to speak all manner of ill of them in the broadest
and most sweeping terms; though there were many
Masons among his most esteemed friends and customers.
His chief whim was to wear the dress, and stoutly pro-
fess the principles, of the Quakers, though he could not
brook an afiront, and was one of the most belligerent
gentlemen in the State. Possessed of great physical
strength, and a willing disposition to use it, there were
but few found willing to risk a second encounter with
him.
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 323
When Judge Rush left the bench in Northumberland
county, and Cooper succeeded him, John expressed
great pleasure at the change. As he had his Irish pre-
judices and prepossessions hanging thickly about him, he
did not like the informal and unostentatious manner in
which justice was administered in America. He would
have liked to see the bench crowned with wigs, and
surrounded by an array of armed police, as he had been
used to seeing it in the " ould coontry."
It being announced that Cooper was appointed, and
that he would on the next Monday take his seat^ John
drew his hands from his capacious pockets, rubbed them,
chuckled, and said exultingly, " Now, be the power iv
the Vargin Mary, ye'll see bisiness done in the right
style. The Americans are not fit for judges ; they dinna
how to presarve orther, but now ye'll see what a quiet
Coort an ould coontry Judge will kape."
On Monday morning, John put his hands into his
huge pockets — ^whence he had extracted them for the
purpose of eating his breakfast — and straightway walked
over to Sunbury, full of the grandest ideas of his new
dispenser of justice. He walked into the Court House
without thinking for a moment that his honor would
take oflfence at his covered head. The Judge, however,
quickly noticed him, and called, " Constable, Constable,
there is a man with his hat on — ^bring him before the
Court." John was forthwith marched up. The pur-
blind Judge took aim with his glass, and recognizing an
old acquaintance, repented somewhat of his projected
severity of tone, and said peremptorily, though not an*
grily, " John 'Annah, pull 'hoflf your 'at."
John declined the proposal, saying something about
the '^ 'at" being his own, whereupon the Judge's wrath
was provoked, and he cried aloud —
324 HmOBT OF THE WE8T BBAHCH YAUEY.
^* John 'Annah, the Court fines you one dollar, and
sentences yon to tweniy-fonr hours imprisonment. Take
him to jail, Constable 1"
John Hannah's exalted opinion of European Judges
ceased to exist from that day ; and at the expiration of
his sentence, he returned home a wiser, if not a better,
In 1786 a great flood occurred in the Susquehanna,
which endangered the towns of Sunbury and Northum-
berland to a considerable extent. It is stated that a
heavy rain commenced to fall on the 5th of October of
that year, and on the foUowmg day grew more violent
The river rose rapidly, and that night forced itself over the
banks, carrying everything before it Many houses were
soon surrounded by the rushing flood, and the inmates
were unable to escape therefrom. A man and his wife,
near Fishing Creek, on the North Branch, were drowned,
together with a son ; the daughter, a girl about seven-
teen years of age, becoming terrified at the rising waters,
took three young children and fled to the hills, and es-
caped the fate of her unhappy parents, and brother, who
remained.
The waters rose with the greatest rapidity all Friday,
making, in the fore part of the day, nearly twelve in-
ches perpendicular, in the space of an hour ; the rain
continued, but not with the same violence. The condi-
tion of the town of Sunbury was truly alarming ; its situ-
ation on an island occasioned by a gut from the main
branch, emptying into Shamokin Creek below the town,
rendered an escape impossible.
In the lower part of the town the water was up to the
first story of many of the houses, so that the inhabitants
were obliged to land with their canoes on their stairs, or
fllSTOEY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 325
at the upper window. A few acres in the middle of the
town, on which were three or four houses, being situated
higher than the rest, showed above the water. The
Register and Recorder was obliged to abandon his house,
and it was feared the records of the county would be
lost.
The town of Northumberland suffered considerable
loss, an unfinished ferry-house, erected on the point at
the confluence of the two streams, was carried off. The
sufferings of the farmers on the creeks and along the
river, was great, their fences, bams, &c., being swept off.
A tradition existed among the Indians, that a great
flood occurred in the Susquehanna at regular intervals
of fourteen years, swelling the waters six or seven feet
above the average height of the freshets of the interme-
diate time. Subsequent experience seemed to verify
this, and prove that the Indian tradition was founded on
correct observation. The first regular flood on record,
among the whites, occurred in 1744 ; the second in 1758;
the third in 1772; the fourth, known as '^he great
pumpJcin fresh,' happened in 1786 ; and the fifth took
place in the spring of 1800, after a heavy rain, which
continued three days and three nights, and carried off a
tolerably deep snow ; and the sixth occurred in August,
1814, occasioning much damage along the course of the
stream. According to the rule, another should have fol-
lowed in 1828, but the freshets of that year were nowise
remarkable — ^leaving the inference that the Indian rule
of a flood every fourteen years, had failed and run out.
Whether this failure has been caused by the clearing of
the country, the extension of agriculture, and the altera-
tion in our climate ; or whether these causes have merely
extended the period ; or, finally, whether the regular re-
cxurence of the great floods was not altogether fortuitous,
326 msTORT OF the west beanoh yaixet.
I shall leave for the investigatioDs and decisions of those
inclined to constract theories and philosophise. There
is no doubt but the old Indian tradition was well fonnd-
edy and the fact of those floods occurring at the stated
periods, would go to confirm it Perhaps the great flood
of 1817 ought to be considered the first doTiation firom
the rule, which has occurred at irregular periods down
to the flood of 1847, well remembered by the people of
the Valley. K the rule holds good, the next great flood
will be about 1869.
Each of these floods is stated to have swelled the
river to an average height of at least six feet above ordi-
nary high water mark.
Some years after the conclusion of the Revolutionary
war, Captain McDonald, the officer that commanded the
British and Indians at the taking of Fort Freeland, hav-
ing occasion to visit Washington, ventured to travel firom
Canada, down Lycoming Creek, and pass the site of the
old fort where he achieved such a victory. Coming to
Northumberland, he concluded to tarry there for the
night, and had his horse put up for that purpose. To-
wards night it leaked out that the stranger was the
famous Captain McDonald, and groups of men were ob-
served putting their heads together, and talking in a
serious manner. Becoming alarmed at these demonstra-
tions, and fearing that they were concocting a plan to
give him a coating of tar, the brave Briton quietly hired
a man to row him down the river in a canoe, and left
immediately, as the saying is, " on suspicion.*' Whether
the citizens seriously meditated anything, is not positive-
ly known, but he felt guilty, and did not like their ac-
tions. His horse remained unclaimed in the possession
of the landlord for near a year, when he was sold for his
keeping.
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 327
In 1794 quite a diflSiculty took place at Northumber-
land, familiarly known as the " Whiskey Insurrection."
The participants hoisted a Liberty Pole, which stood at
the south-east cornel: of Second and Market streets.
The Arsenal, or place where the public arms were stored,
stood close by, and was under the charge of Robert
Irwin. The pole was driven full of nails from the
ground, ten feet upwards, so that it could not be cut
down.
The insurrectionists took possession of the Arsenal,
and distributed arms to the people, who resisted the law.
Matters became serious, and it was feared that a bloody
scene would ensue. A guard was placed round the pole
day and night. Those friendly to the government could
not stand the outrage any longer, and were determined
to give battle, and protect the house and property of
Captain John Brady, Jun., who was the district Mar-
shal. The swords of the officers that had been sheathed
since the war, were drawn from their scabbards, to pro-
tect the laws and the government. As the trouble in-
creased, a collision was considered inevitable, if some-
thing was not done ; many of the more peaceably dis-
posed persons, together with the ladies, interfered to
prevent shedding of blood. Matters remained unsettled,
however, for several days, till the arrival of an armed
Company of ninety-nine men and officers, from Lancas-
ter, under the command of Captain Robert Cooke.
The pole was still guarded, and the Marshal's procla-
mation to clear the streets unheeded. The mob being
well armedy seemed determined to maintain the position
it had taken. Cooke ordered them to disperse, which not
being obeyed, he commanded his company to charge
them at the point of the bayonet. The order was exe-
328 msTOBT OF the west bbahch yallet.
catedy and tho bayonets were alreadyat their breasts^
when they broke ancTfled in all directions. An axe was
called for to cut the pole down. Barney Hoobley's wife
came running wiih one, when she was met by Jacob
Welker's wife, who resisted her, and a desperate fisticuff
ensued between these two women about the axe. The
battle was a hard contested one, but Mrs. Hoobley, who
was the least of the two, succeeded, and the pole was
cut down. These ladies were sisters, and much respected
by the people.
Several of the ringleaders in this insurrection, were
arrested and conveyed to Philadelphia, to stand their
trial for resisting the laws of the United States. They
were tried, convicted, and sentenced to pay a fine of one
hundred pounds each, and undergo an imprisonment of
six months.
The following persons were convicted and sentenced :
Robert Irwin, Daniel Montgomery, John Frick, William
Bonham, James Mackey, Sen., and S. McKee.
When they were marched into the presence of General
Washington, the old hero was so affected that he shed
tears. He pardoned them all at the end of twenty days,
and they returned home, deeply impressed with the good-
ness and magnanimity of that great man.
In the spring of 1793, Captain John Cooke, son of
Colonel Cooke, raised a company of one hundred and
twenty men, in Northumberland county, and marched
under General Wayne to the Miiami, and participated in
that bloody campaign. He returned in the autumn of
1794, with but twenty of his brave volunteers! He
escorted General Wayne into Philadelphia, and was
introduced to Washington by him. He died in 1824,
aged fifty-nine years.
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 329
The Duke of Rochefoucauld Liancourt, a distinguished
French traveller and exile, visited Dr. Priestly at Nor-
thumberland in 1795, and tarried several days. He
afterwards published an account of his travels in Ame-
rica, and spoke of Northumberland as follows :
*' The average price of lands about the town is $20 to $24 per acre,
near the river. Farther up the river from $4 to $6. Town lots sell-
ing at $48 to $50. Houses chiefly built of logs — two only of stone,
and one of brick, ' large and convenient,' lately sold at $5,200, and
rented for $80 — ^the highest rent in town. The inhabitants mostly
foreigners — Irish, Dutch, and English; and Germans about Sunbury.
People here were much in favor of the Whiskey insurrection. The
island of 250 acres is now the property of an aged man, who lives on
it in a small log-house. He bought it some seven years since for
$1,600, and lately refused $3,300."
More than half a century ago, there resided in Nor-
thumberland, a gentleman named Jenkins, who owned a
slave called ^Sias^ (Josiah.) He is said to have been
a negro of Herculean strength, and almost incredible
agility, over whom his master could exercise but little
control. Some of the most wonderful anecdotes, and
feats of strength, are related about black 'Sias, still
fresh in the memories of the oldest citizens.
He occasionally officiated as a waterman, and when
grog got the headway, or the whim seized him, he would,
with a single jerk, snap off the stem of an oar-blade where
it worked on the pivot ! These stems are made of a pine
log about ten inches in diameter, and from twenty-five
to thirty feet in length.
On one occasion, being pursued by the constable and
posse, he escaped by leaping across a deep mill-race, a
distance of about thirty feet! He was subsequently
seized, convicted and imprisoned. During the winter —
330 HIBIOBT OF THE WE8T BBAHOH YALLBT.
for hifl conviction took place late in the year — ^he escaped
from prison in the evening, secured a pair of skates,
went to Harrisburg and got a fiddle he had left there,
and returned to Northumberland before morning !
On another occasion, it is saidj that he skated to Har-
risburg, stole a loaf of bread, which a woman on the
river bank had just taken from the oven, put it under
his coat, and returned to Northumberland before it had
grown cold ! ! The distance was about fifly-five miles.
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLBT. 331
CHAPTER XLI.
SKETCH OF THE LIPE OF COLONEL JOHN KELLT— DISTINGUISHES
HIMSELF IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR — RETURNS TO BUFFALO
VALLEY — BURIES THE DEAD AT FREBLAND'S FORT — ANECDOTES
— HIS OPINION OP EVANGELIZINQ THE INDIANS — DEATH AND
BURIAL, MONUMENT, AC. — HISTORY OP COLONEL HARTLEY,
THE SCHOLAR, SOLDIER AND STATESMAN.
John ELelly was a native of Lancaster county. He
was born in February, 1747. After the purchase from
the Indians, by the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania, in
1768, he left Lancaster county and settled in Buffalo
Valley. Here he endured the hardships common to all
settlers in new countries. He was well calculated for a
new settlement, however, being about six feet two inches
in height, well proportioned, vigorous and muscular, with
a body inured to labor, insensible of fatigue, and fearless
of danger.
He was a Major in the Revolutionary war, and distin-
guished himself in the brilliant actions at Trenton and
Princeton.
In the course of one of their retreats, the commander-
in-chief. Colonel Potter, sent an order to Major Kelly, to
have a certain bridge cut down to prevent the advance
of the British, who were then in sight. The Major sent
for an axe, but represented that the enterprise would
S32 BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
be very hazardous. Still the British advance must be
stopped, and the order was not withdrawn. He said he
could not order another to do what some would say k
was afraid to do himself — ^he would cut down the bridge.
Before all the logs on which the bridge lay were cut oS,
he was completely within the range of the British fire,
and several balls struck the log on which he stood. The
last log broke down sooner than he expected, and he fell
with it into the swollen stream. The American soldiers
moved on, not believing it possible for him to make his
escape. He, however, by great exertions, reached the
shore, through the high water and the floating timber,
and followed the troops. Encmnbered as he must haTe
been with his wet and frozen clothes, he made a prisoner
on the road of a British scout, an armed soldier, and
took him into camp. History mentions that our retreat-
ing army was saved by the destruction of that bridge;
but the manner in which it was done, or the name of the
person who did it, is not mentioned. It was but one of
a series of heroic acts, which occurred nearly every day;
and our brave soldiers were more familiar with the use
of the sword than the pen.
After his discharge, Major Kelly returned to his farm
and his family, and during the three succeeding years
the Indians were very troublesome to the settlements
on the West Branch. He became Colonel of the Kegi-
ment, and it was his duty to guard the Valley against
the incursions of the savages. When the "Big Run-
away" occurred. Colonel Kelly was one of the first to
return. For at least two harvests, reapers took their
rifles to the fields, and some of the company watched
whilst others wrought.
At one time Colonel Kelly had the principal command
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 333
of scouting parties in the Valley, and very often was out
in person. Many nights he has laid on the branches of
fallen trees to keep himself out of the mud, without a
fire — because it would have indicated his position to the
enemy. He became well skilled in Indian warfare, and
was a terror to their marauding bands.
One circumstance in his life deserves particular notice.
So greatly was he feared by the savages, that they were
resolved on his destruction, and being too cowardly to
attack him openly, sought his life by stealth. One
night he had reason to believe that they were prowling
around. Rising early the next morning, and looking
through the crevices of his log-house, he ascertained
that two of them, at least, were lying with their arms
in such a position as to shoot him when he opened the
door. Being of a quick turn of mind, he determined to
thwart their design, and fixed his own rifle, and took a
position so that he could open the door with a string,
and watch them at the same time. The moment he
pulled the door open, two balls came into the house, and
the Indians rose to advance. He immediately fired and
wounded one, when they both retreated. After waiting
to satisfy himself that no others remained, he followed
them by the blood — ^but they escaped.
After the capture of Freeland's Fort, Colonel Kelly,
with a company of men, went up to bury the dead. On
the way, along a narrow path, a deer started up. The
man immediately behind him was a great ^^Jkt hdlyj^
but on hearing the noise, instinctively seized Kelly's
coat-tail, and held on. On learning that the noise was
not occasioned by Indians, he exclaimed : '^ Lord Gody
John, what a soldier you are r
The Colonel was a fearless man, and not to be intimi-
334 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
dated by trifles. A neighbor once tried his bravery bj
painting himself like an Indian, and hiding behind a log
to await his return from a scout up Spruce Run. Wh^
Kelly came opposite the log, he raised his head, but was
ahnost immediately detected, and Kelly's gon was IcTd-
ed upon him, and he would have received the contents^
had he not made himself known speedily.
For many years. Colonel Kelly held the office of a
magistrate. In the administration of justice, he exhib-
ited the same anxiety to do right, and disregard of sel^
which had characterized him in the military serrice of
his country. He would at any time forgive his own fees,
and, if the parties were poor, pay the constable's cost> to
procure a compromise.
He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and a
devout Christian, but to show the strong force of habit
in men, I wiU relate an anecdote concerning him.
About forty years ago, a mission was set on foot in
the Northumberland Presbytery, to evangelize the sa-
vages. Colonel Kelly was called on to make a contribu-
tion. He said he would not give a cent to send preach-
ers to the Indians, but he would give any sum requiredj to
buy ropes to hang them !
He died the 18th of February, 1832, universally hon-
ored and respected, at the good old age of 88, and was
interred in the Old English burying-ground in Lewi&-
burg. On the 8th of April, 1835, amid a grand military
display, a plain monument was erected to his memory,
and an appropriate oration delivered by James Merrill,
Esq.
Early in the spring of 1856, the monument, together
with his remains, was removed to the cemetery, west of
the town. It is said that a few large bones were all the
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 335
visible memorials of the once powerful Indian fighter —
the brave compatriot of Washington in the glories that
followed the darkest night of our country's history.
Colonel Kelly left several sons, who reside on the old
farm^ and vicinity, about seven miles from Lewisburg.
They are highly respectable and intelligent men, and in
every respect worthy of their illustrious father. His
name is also perpetuated by one of the most fertile and
productive townships on the banks of the Otzinachson.
Colonel Thomas Hartley, whose name frequently oc-
curs in the history of this Valley, and who was station-
ed for a while at Fort Augusta, was bom in Berks coun-
ty, in 1748. He received the rudiments of a classical
education in the town of Reading, and went to York, at
the age of eighteen, where he commenced the study of
law, under Samuel Johnson. He pursued his studies
with great diligence for three years, when he was ad-
mitted to the bar, and commenced the practice of his
profession in 1769.
Young Hartley was early a distinguished and warm
friend of his country, and signalized himself both in the
cabinet and field. In 1774, he was elected by the citi-
zens of York, a member of the Provincial meeting of
Deputies, held at Philadelphia, in July of the same
year. The subsequent year he became a member of the
Provincial Convention, held in the same city.
The clangor of arms now began to resound in the east.
Hartley espoused the cause of Liberty, and soon distin-
guished himself as a soldier. The Committee of Safety
recommended a number of persons to Congress, for
Field Officers of the sixth battalion ordered to be raised.
Congress, on the 10th of January, 1776, elected Wil-
liam Irwin, as Colonel ; Thomas Hartley, as Lieutenant-
336 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALIJB7.
Colonel; and James Dunlap, as Major. Hartley was
soon afterwards promoted to the full degree of Colonel
After three years' service, he wrote to Congress, ask-
ing permission to resign his commission. His resigna-
tion was accepted. In 1778, he was elected a memto
of the Legislature from York county. In 1783, he was
elected a member of the Council of Censors. In 1787,
he was a member of the State Convention, which adopt-
ed the Constitution of the United States.
In 1788, he was elected a member of Congress, and
he continued a member of that august body for about
twelve years.
In 1800, Governor McKean commissioned him a Ma-
jor General of the fifth Division of the Pennsylvania
Militia. Soon after receiving this appointment, he died
at York, on the 21st of December, 1800, in his fifty-
third year.
The name of this distinguished scholar, soldier and
statesman, is perpetuated in the enterprising town of
Hartleton, in Snyder county.
i
mSTOBY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 337
CHAPTER XLII.
THE BRADY FAMILY — GENERAL HUGH BRADY — HIS LIFE AND
PUBLIC SERVICES — DESCRIPTION OF THEIR TRIALS IN BUFFALO
VALLEY — ^THE YOUNG LAD AT BRANDYWINE — ^HUGH'S DESCRIP-
TION OF HIS BROTHERS — DEATH OF THE MOTHER AT THE
EARLY AGE OF 48 — ^AN ANCESTRY TO BE PROUD OF.
Perhaps there was no family on the West Branch,
more identified with its history, and deserving of a more
extended notice, than the Brady family. It furnished
some of the most remarkable men of that period— men
whose deeds of heroism and daring, would fill a volume,
and should be emblazoned on the broad page of History.
The descendants of this illustrious family, now living
throughout the Valley, are numerous, and respectable
members of society.
Many writers, in speaking of the Bradys, have ran
into errors, on account of several of the same name, and
confounded them in such a maimer as to render it ex-
ceedingly annoying to their descendants. I flatter myself,
that I will be able in these pages to give a correct sketch,
as I obtain the facts from the papers of General Hugh
Brady, who died at Detroit, in 1851. Concerning him-
self, and the family, the General says :
'^ I was bom on the 29th day of July, 1768; at the Standing-
Stone, in Huntingdon oountj; Pa., and was the fifth son of John and
22
338 HISTOBY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Mary Brady. They had six sons and four daughters. My brothers
all lived to be men, in every sense of the term, and at a period when
the qualities of men were put to the most severe and' enduring teste.
While I was yet a child, my father moved on to the West Branch, and
pitched his tei^t about eight miles above Northumberland. At this time,
titles to wild lands could be obtained by erecting a log house, and
girdling a few trees, by way of improvement, or cultivation. In this
way, my father, John Brady, took up a vast quantity of land ; and,
had he not fallen in the war of 1776, would have been one of the
greatest land-holders in the State. But, owing to the dishonesty and
mismanagement of those connected with him, his family received but
little benefit from his exertions. Soon after the commencement of
the war of 1776, he was appointed a Captain in the 12th Pennsylvania
Begiment ; and in a few weeks having recruited his Company, joined
the army and remained with it till after the battle of Brandywine.
At this time the Indians had become very troublesome in the set-
tlements on the Susquehanna — so much so, that application was made
for regular troops to protect the frontier. Gen. Washington not being
in a condition to spare any troops at that moment, ordered home Capt.
John Brady, Capt. Boone, and Lieuts. John and Samuel Dougherty,
to use their influence in inducing the people to sustain themselves
until he could afford them other relief. And nobly did they execute
his design. All that brave and experienced men could do, was done
by them, even to sacrificing their lives in the defence of their country;
for, in less than two years from that date, Capts. Boone and Brady,
and Lieut. Samuel Dougherty, had fallen by the hands of the savages.
Ten months before the death of Capt. John Brady, his son James had
fallen, (an account of which has already been given.) Another son,
Samuel, was then an officer in the U. S. Army. John was then at
.home, in charge of the family, and in his sixteenth year.
After the fall of Capt. Brady, my mother removed, with her
family, to her father's place in Cumberland County, where she arrived
in May, 1779, and where she remained till October of that year. She
.then removed to Buffalo Valley, and settled on one of our own farms.
We found the tenant had left our portion of the hay and grain, which
«wa6 a most fortunate circumstance. The winter following — 1779 and
*80 — was a very severe one, and the depth of snow interdicted all
traveling. Neighbors were few, and the settlement scattered — so that
the winter was solitary and dreary to a most painful degree. But,
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 339
wliilst the depth of the snow kept as confined at home; it had also the
effect to protect us from the inroads of the savages. But^ with the
opening of the spring the savages returned, and killed some people
near our residence. This induced Mrs. Brady to take shelter, with
some ten or twelve families, about three miles from our home. Pickets
were placed around the houses, and the old men, women, and children
remained within during the day ; while all who could work and carry
arms, returned to their farms, for the purpose of raising something to
subsist upon. Many a day have I walked by the side of my brother
John, while he was plowing, and carried my rifle in one hand, and a
forked stick in the other, to clear the plowshare !
Sometimes my mother would go with us to prepare our dinner.
This was contrary to our wishes ; but she said that, while she shared
the dangers that surrounded us, she was more contented than when
left at the fort. Thus we continued till the end of the war, when
peace — happy peace — again invited the people to return to their
homes.
In 1783, our mother was taken firom us. In '84 my brother John
married, and soon after, my eldest sister followed his example. All
the children younger than myself, lived with them. I went to the
western country with my brother Capt. Samuel Brady. He had been
recently disbanded, and had married a Miss Swearingen, in Washing-
ton County, Pa. He took me to his house at that place, and I made
it my home until 1792, when I was appointed an Ensign in Gen.
Wayne's army. Previous to this my brother had moved into Ohio
County, Ya., and settled a short distance above Charles town. At
that day the Indians were continually committing depredations along
the frontier.
I joined with several parties in pursuit of Indians, but only met
them once in action. In 1792 I was placed in a rifle company com-
manded by Capt. John Crawford."
The General participated in the campaign that follow-
ed under Wayne, and he gives an interesting description
of it, but as it is not in the province of this work, I am
obliged to omit it. At the conclusion of the war, he re-
turned and visited the widow of his brother, Captain
Samuel, in Virginia, who had died some time previous
840 BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
Having been absent for ten years, he had a desire to see
his . brothers and sisters, and having resigned his com-
mission in 1795, started for home. Remaining some
time in Kentucky and Virginia, he finally arrived at
Sunbury in 1797. He thus continues :
'< I reached home about the 2l8t of July. I went first to Capt
William Gray's, my brother-in-law. My sister, Mrs. Gray, came to
the door, and, as I enquired for Mr. Gray, she put on rather an im-
portant look, and replied — ' I presume you will find him at the store'
— and turned into the parlor. I was about turning on my heel, when
I heard steps in the entry, and, turning round, I saw my sister
Hannah. She immediately raised her hands, and exclaimed — ' My
brother Hugh I' and flew into my arms. This was not a little sur-
prising, as when she saw me last, she could not have been more than
eight years old. She know mc by my resemblance to my twin sister
Jane. I found my connections all living happily, and moying at the
head of society. I passed a happy three or four months with them,
when I became weary of an idle life, and began to look for my pro-
mised fortune,"
He remained with them till the winter of 1798-9,
when he was appointed a Captain in Adams' army, and
in less than two years was disbanded. He then went
with his brother William to make an improvement aear
Pittsburg. In 1805 he married, and resided there till
1810, when he returned with his family to Northumber-
land, and remained till the war of 1812, when he again en-
tered the army, and distinguished himself in the brilliant
actions at Lundy's Lane and Bridgewater, where he Was
severely wounded. He subsequently rose to the rank
' of Brevet Major General in the United States Army,
and his name stands indelibly recorded in the annals of
his country's fame. He died in 1851. A beautiful and
pathetic poem, on his death, was written by Rev. George
Duffield, a few verses of which I give as follows :
mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 341
*' A woe is on the Nation's soul,
And soldier-hearts are sad and sore,
As through the land the tidings roll —
Our gallant Brady is no more !
** But fife, nor drum, no more shall wake
The Warrior from his dreamless sleep ;
Life's battle fought — the victory won —
His feet now press Fame's highest steep."
" Then kindly wrap the Nation's flag
Around the Hero's honored clay —
Fit shroud for soldier such as he,
Who knew no joy save in its ray 1"
" And manly eyes may weep to-day,
As sinks the Patriot to his rest ;
The Nation held no truer heart
Than that which beat in Brady's breast 1" •
Speaking of his brother James, who, the reader will
remember, was killed below Williamsport, he says :
<< James Brady was a remarkable man. Nature had done much for
him. His person was fine. He lacked but a quarter of an inch of
six feet, and his mind was as well finished as his person. I have ever
placed him by the side of Jonathan, son of Saul, for beauty of person,
and nobleness of soul, and, like him, he fell by the hands of the Phi-
listines.''
He makes allusion to his brother John as follows :
"My brother John, in his fifteenth year, was in the battle of Brandy-
wine, and was wounded. On the retreat, he would have been cap-
tured, had not his Colonel (Cooke) taken him up behind him.
John had gone to the army with my father, in order to take home
the horses ridden out, and was directed by my father to return. But
John heard from Ensign Boyd, that a battlo was expected to be fought
soon. He, therefore, remained to see the fun ; and when my father
took command of his company, on the morning of tlio battle, he found
John in the ranks, with a big rifle by his side. My father was wound-
342 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
ed in the battle ; Ensign Boyd was killed ; and John received a wound
daring the retreat.
As one good turn deserves another^ two of m j brothers many yeais
after, married two of the Colonel's daughters."
He thus describes his brother Captain Sam.^ the great
warrior and Indian-killer :
<< Never was a man more devoted to his country, and few — ^very
few — have rendered more important services, if we consider the ni-
ture of the service, and the part performed by him personally. He
was 5 feet 11} inches in height, with a perfect form. He was rather
light — his weight exceeding, at no time, one hundred and sixty-eight
pounds. As I have said before, there were six brothers, viz : Samuel,
James, John, William P., Hugh and Robert. There was but half u
inch difference in our heights. John was six feet and an inch, and I
was the shortest of them all. Is it not remarkable that I, who was
considered the most feeble of all, should outlive all my brothers, after
having been exposed to more dangers and vicissitudes than any, except
Samuel ? Is it not a proof that there is, from the beginning, ^a day
appointed for man to die ?' It is said — ' the race is not to the swift,
or the battle to the strong ; but safety is of the Lord.* That has ever
been my belief."
Captain Sam. Brady was a remarkable man^ and in
many a bloody skirmish. He was in the surprise at
Paoli, and made a narrow escape. As he jumped a
fence, the skirt of his great coat, was pinioned to the rail
by a bayonet in the hands of a British soldier, who made
a thrust at him. He afterwards was appointed to a
Captaincy, and given the command of a Company called
the Rangers. He was under General Wayne, and ren-
dered efficient service in protecting the frontiers. He
continued to command them to the time of his death,
which occurred on Christmas day, 1795, in the 39th
year of his age. He left a widow and two sons.
Mary Brady, the mother of this illustrious family,
mSTOBY OF THE W£ST BRANCH VALLEY. 343
weighed down with grief and care, died in 1783, at the
early age of forty-eight, and was buried in the old Eng-
lish Burying Ground in Lewisburg. Her son John, the
heroic lad, who remained and fought with his father at
Brandywine, died at the same age, in 1809, and was laid
by the side of his beloved mother.
In the spring of 1856, their remains were taken up
and deposited in the Cemetery, where they will probably
remain till the Archangel's trump shall awaken them to
glory and to life again.
The numerous descendants of this heroic family in the
enchanting vale of the Otzinachson, have just reasons to
feel proud that they sprung from such a noble ancestry;
and he who can stand up at this day and say that the
patriotic blood of Mary and John Brady courses through
his veins, should scorn to tarnish that immortal name by
a base action. ,
Within a year or two, a township in Lycoming County
has been formed out of Washington, and named Brady,
in commemoration of the revered name.
344 HIBTOBY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
CHAPTER XLin.
QEORGE KREMER — SKETCH OF HIS LIFE — SENT. TO THE LEGISLA-
TURE— BECOMES A MEMBER OF CONGRESS — JACKSON, CLAY
AND ADAMS — ^THE CELEBRATED LETTER — CHARGE OF CORBUP-
TION — TBEMENDOUS EXCITEMENT — KBEMEB BECOMES A UON
— FINALLY DECLINES AND SINKS INTO OBSCURITY — HIS CHA-
RACTEB.
George Kremer, well remembered by the older resi-
dents of the Valley, became quite distinguished in the
political world, and attracted considerable attention. A
biography of his life and public services may prove in-
teresting at this period. For the material facts, I am
indebted to George A. Snyder, Esq., who is competent
to detail them correctly.
George Kremer was the nephew of Governor Snyder,
and came to reside with him when a mere lad. He was
very ill-formed, but not the least ashamed of his ugli-
ness, and rather inclined to feel proud of his distinction
in this respect. He grew up to be stout, and soon be-
came able to fight his own battles, in an age and a dis-
trict where broils were of daily occurrence. This re-
gion, then called by the general name of Shamokin, was
in those days the frontier, and looked upon by the
dwellers on the sea-board, as we look upon Iowa and
Kansas at the present time. It served as a place o^ re-
HISTORY OF THE WEST BBANOH VALLET. 345
t
fuge for all runaway and desperate characters from the
south-eastern counties. The sheriff and constable sel-
dom ventured into the wilds on this side of the river,
which acquired the significant title of RascaVs creek !
George was remarkable for shrewdness, no less than for
courage and bodily strength, and he became in a short
time, a person of great influence among the hardy inhab-
itants of the new country. In addition to his other
good qualities, he was strictly honest, and his word was
his bond. Whatever he did, he did it with all his might.
With such quaUfications and endowments, it is no matter
of wonder that he became a leading man so soon as he
embarked in politics.
After serving several terms as a member of our State
Legislature, he was elected to Congress, and here ac-
quired the distinction which he enjoyed.
In 1825, it having been ascertained that neither of
the candidates for the Presidency had received the con-
stitutional majority of votes, the matter was referred to
Congress. Mr. Adams, General Jackson, Mr. Clay, and
Mr. Crawford, were the candidates, and as the choice of
Congress lay between the two first, there was, of course,
considerable intriguing on the part of the two latter
and their friends. The friends of Jackson finding that
Mr. Clay and his friends were decidedly hostile to their
candidate, and, indeed, made no secret of their aversion
to him, resolved, after in vain trying the arts of persua-
sion, to resort to intimidation. They caused a letter to
be written and published in the Columbian Observer^ of
Philadelphia, which stated that a corrupt bargain had
been made between Messrs. Adams and Clay, in pursu-
ance of which the latter was to transfer his vote, and
the vote of his friends to Mr. Adams, who was to make
him Secretary of State as his reward.
346 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
On the day after the appearance of the letter, Mr.
Clay, then Speaker of the House of Representatives,
moved that a committee be appointed to inquire into the
truth of this charge. Mr. Kremer seconded the motion,
stating that he was ready with the proofs, and willing to
meet the inquiry. The motion was opposed by Mr.
McDuffie, and some others — friends to Jackson — on the
ground that there was not sufficient reason to consume
the time of the House in investigating a frivolous news-
paper charge — a charge which no one acquainted with
the parties concerned, would believe. Mr. Clay had
even insisted on his right to clear his character from the
stain thus publicly attempted to be fixed on it^ and Mr.
Kremer eagerly seconded him, exulting in the anticipated
certain confounding of the Clay and Adams party.
Not one, however, of those who had put him upon
writing the letters, supported him, or manifested any
anxiety for the proposed inquiry. The committee was
appointed. On the evening of the same day, Kremer
discovered that his friends could furnish him with no
evidence to support his charge, and that he must get out
of the scrape as well as he could. On the succeeding
day the committee notified him they were ready to pro-
ceed, in answer to which he wrote a long letter to the
chairman declining to appear, alleging that as he had
made no formal charges, the committee could have no
jurisdiction — that his charge was made for the public,
&c. This special pleading was so nearly identified with
the argument of Mr. McDuifie on the preceding day — in
the motion for inquiry — as to lead some to suspect that
he (Mr. McDuffie) was its author ; but the character of
Mr. McDuffie forbids us to harbor any such suspicion.
It was probably the production of Mr. Ingham, who, as
afterwards appeared, was Kremer's chief prompter in
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 347
this business. It was natural for him to adopt Mr.
McDuffie's arguments, being the best, and indeed only
mode of getting clear of the difficulty.
One might have supposed that this disgraceful retreat
would have convinced the whole public of the falsehood
of BLremer's charge ; but political faith covers mountains,
and the charge was eagerly entertained and reiterated
by the disappointed partisans of Jackson. Kremer him-
self, as appears from the testimony of Mr. Crowninshield,
doubted, at the last, and had a letter of apology ready
for Mr. Clay, which Mr. Ingham found means to suppress.
Such was the eagerness with which the Pennsylvanians
received the corruption story, and such the cloud of
incense with which Kremer was fumigated, that it is no
wonder that his brain was effected, and he reaUy believed
himself the saviour of his country's liberty ! His vanity
became excessive, and as Cicero of old continually rung
the changes in his latter orations, on the names of Len-
tulus, Cethugus, and Catiline, so Kremer made corrup-
tion, and his famous letter, the eternal burden of his
song. He fancied that he smelled corruption in every
breeze that blew along Pennsylvania Avenue, and had
Mrs. Adams invited him to tea, he would have fancied
he discovered corruption in her card.
On his return home he visited Philadelphia, Harris-
burg, and other places, where he was feasted and flat-
tered by the Jacksonians, until he believed himself to
be, what they pretended to think him, one of the most
remarkable men of the age.
Finding that the corruption story was unsparingly
used against him by the Jacksonians, notwithstanding
the way in which they had backed out of the charge ;
and that even General Jackson had condescended to
MS HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLBT.
lend the authority of his name to this shameless calum-
ny, Mr. Clay took the trouble to collect the letters, cer-
tificates, and affidavits of almost every one who could
have any knowledge of the matter in agitation, and pub-
lished them in a pamphlet. These testimonials, coming
from upwards of fifty persons of all parties, formed a
most triumphant refutation of the corruption story. But
it was all in vain for Messrs. Adams and Clay ; the popu-
lar mind had been roused to phrensy, and was utterly
inaccessible to all reason. Jackson was elected in 1828
by a decided majority, and Kremer, having answered
the purpose of the party, was forgotten at once. Too
honest to take a part in the intrigues of his fellow-parti-
sans at Washington, he could not make himself of any
further use to them, and was pushed aside to make room
for those who knew how to make the best use, for selfish
purposes, of his services.
For some years after he was left out of Congress, he
continued to make speeches at public meetings, the bur-
den of which was corruption, and — ^'M?/ letter to the
Columbian Observer /" His action, in speaking, was ve-
hement and ungraceful — his voice loud, and his accentu-
ation false and ranting, such as schoolboys are apt to
acquire under the tuition of an injudicious teacher. His
honesty and zeal no one doubted, but designing dema-
gogues contrived, by dexterous management, to keep
him back, as he was too straightforward for them, and
if admitted to their counsels, would mar the harmony of
their best laid plans, by denouncing their selfishness and
imfair dealing. There was neither selfishness nor mean-
ness about him ; and had he condescended to cringe to
the party leaders in 1828-9, when his name was in the
mouth of every one ; or had he intimated that his influ-
HI8T0BT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 349
ence might possibly be turned against Jackson, there is
no doubt but that he could have obtained the highest re-
ward in the form of political preferment. Indeed it was
matter of wonder and remark, among his unsophisticated
constituents, that he remained without office. They lit-
tle thought that their favorite was altogether thrust
aside by the throng of hungry office-hunters, who assaU-
ed the President with their importunate cries for the
spoils of victory. He was not blind to the intrigues and
foul play going on at the seat of government, for on his
way home once, he met an acquaintance whom he mis-
took for one of his own political cast, and to whom he
said :
" Adams and Clay were carrupty but their corruption
was child's play to what is going on at Washington
now !"
350 HI8T0RT OF THE WEST BBANCH YALLET.
CHAPTER XLIV.
ROBERT COVENHOVEN — HIS AGE AND DEATH — PETER A. CAR-
THAUS — HOW HE GOT HIS WIFE IN WILMINGTON — HIS IM-
PROVEMENTS— THE DINNER PARTY AT JUDGE POTTER'S, IN
BELLBPONTE — PETER AND THE DEVIL — MISSIONARY SENT TO
SINNEMAHONING — ATTEMPTS TO PREACH — THE FINALE.
Robert Covenhoven, of whom mention has already
been made in several places, was born of Low Dutch
parents, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The name
has since been corrupted to Crownover, and by it his
descendants are known at the present day.
In his youth, Robert was much employed with sur-
veying parties on the North and West Branches, in the
capacity of hunter and axeman. By this means he
acquired his great familiarity with all the paths and
defiles of the wilderness, which rendered him so valua-
ble afterwards as a scout and guide. It is needless to
add, that the graduate of such a school was fearless and
intrepid — skilled in all the wiles of Indian w^arfare, and
possessed of an iron constitution.
At the commencement of the Revolution, he joined
the standard of General Washington, and participated in
the brilliant actions at Trenton and Princeton. In the
meantime the family had left the arid sands of New Jer-
sey, and sought a home on the West Branch. His
father joined the army, and Robert was permitted to
HISTOET OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 351
return and protect his mother. Most of his adventures
have been given already in their proper place. He was
one of those men who were always put forward when
danger was to be encountered, but always forgotten
"when honors and emoluments were to be distributed.
Nevertheless, he cheerfully sought the post of danger,
and never shrunk from duty. Few men in those peril-
ous days passed through more deadly encounters, or had
more hairbreadth escapes.
He was very useful to General Sullivan as a spy and
a guide, in his celebrated expedition up the North
Branch in 1779, to the Indian country. It is said that
he was in the unfortunate company commanded by Lieu-
tenant Boyd, and was one among the few that escaped
the dreadful massacre.
When the din of battle ceased, and peace was restored
to the land, Covenhoven came and settled permanently
on the West Branch. His old farm is four miles below
Jersey Shore, on the right of the road, and is owned at
the present time by William McGinness, Esq. He re-
sided there till declining age admonished him to relin-
quish the pursuits of the agriculturist, and seek a more
quiet and sedate Ufe. For a part of the time he resided
with his son-in-law. Colonel George Crane, near Jersey
Shore ; and the other part in the family of Mr. Pfouts,
another son-in-law, near Northumberland, where he died
in October, 1846, at the ripe old age of 90 years, 10
months, and 22 days. His remains were deposited in
the grave yard at Northumberland.
PETER A. CARTHAUS.
Who has not heard of the " Carthouse^'' as it is fami-
liarly termed by the up-river folks ? The title is derived
352 HI8T0RT OF THE WEST BBANCH YALLET.
from a remarkable old Dutchman, whose name is given
above. A short sketch of his life may not prove unin-
teresting.
When Peter A. Carthaus landed in the United States,
he was a widower of some forty-five years of age, with
a number of little children. In Wilmington, Del., he
saw a very pretty lady of some eighteen or nineteen
summers, and was immediately smitten with her charms,
and grew very matrimonial in his ideas. He applied to
the lady's father, who, of course, thought some little
upon the subject of the disparity of years, and the num-
ber of pre-existing issue. But Peter was very rich, and
his dollars were broad enough to hide all his imperfec-
tions— age, children, stinginess, ugliness, boorishness,
&c., with which he was endowed. The prudent father
did not, however, neglect the main chance — ^he insisted
on a marriage settlement of $20,000. Peter made fisices
— ^he was a capital hand at driving a bargain, and so was
the father. After considerable parleying, Peter, sorely
straitened between his love of money, and his desire for
matrimony, consented to a settlement of §15,000. He
got his wife, but never forgave either her or her father,
for getting, what he termed, so good a bargain out of
him!
He carried his new wife, escorted by his numerous
small children, triumphantly home to his paradise in the
wilds of Clearfield Coimty, where the Wilmington beauty
was each night lulled to rest by those forest nightingales,
the wolves ! How time passed with her, history saith
not, but we may readily divine the feelings of a city
belle, espoused to a bear and serenaded by wolves !
Shortly after his arrival in this country, he purchased
a large tract of land in Clearfield County, which was
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 353
found to be well supplied with iron ore, coal, timber, &c.
Being possessed of plenty of capital, he resolved to be-
come richer by means of the aforesaid ore. Accordingly
he laid out many thousands of his dollars in erecting a
furnace, a forge, a large grist mill, a convenient wharf,
and several large houses, all of stone. Being built in an
unsettled country, they cost an immense sum of money.
Peter manufactured iron, but behold ! there was no way
to get it to market — he made ready his mill, but alas !
people grew no grain in the woods, and of course his
toll-dish was not often filled. His works were very
complete, but soon fell into disuse, and rapidly went to
decay. They yet stand in a dilapidated condition, a
monument of his folly — and the place is universally
known by the name of the " Carthouse''
Many amusing anecdotes are related of Peter, a few
of which I will give, to illustrate more fully his cha-
racter.
About a year after his marriage, the father of his
pretty wife, accompanied by ten or twelve brothers,
sisters, . cousins, uncles, aunts, &c., paid a visit to the
happy couple, to witness their connubial happiness, eat
venison, and listen to the music of the Clearfield night-
ingales. No sooner were they safely landed in Cart-
haus' paradise, than Judge Potter, one of the most
hospitable and friendly of men, paid his respects to the
new-comers, and invited them to dine with him at his
residence in Bellefonte. They went, of course, and par-
took of the Judge's meat and drink, in company with
twenty or thirty of the most respectable persons of the
vicinity. When the cloth was removed, and after the
wine had begun to loosen the tongues and warm the
hearts of the company, some one, meaning to compliment
23
354 HISTORY OF THE WEST BBANGH YALLET.
the fair Mrs. Garthaus, remarked to Peter, that he be-
lieved the Wilmington ladies were very handsome.
" Yes," growled Peter, " dey ish very pretty, but d^
sell dem d h high f "
Peter once went to the house of Governor Snyder, in
Harrisburg, with the model of a boat which he had con-
structed. It had a water wheel at the head, connected
with which ^as a lever, to the ends of which were at-
tached poles, whereby the boat was to be shoved against
the stream. It is unnecessary to attempt a more minute
description of the contrivance — suffice it to say, that it
was constructed upon the very philosophical principle
that the force of the current would turn the wheel,
which would set the lever and poles in motion, and pro-
pel the boat against the stream. Something like mount-
ing a chair to look over the top of one's own head !
Once upon a time he had occasion to go to Bellefonte,
where a newly-established wagon maker had just finished
a large wagon, the outside whereof was painted sky-blue,
and the inside a beautiful pink ; and Peter was in rap-
tures with the glorious sight. To his eager inquiries,
and offers of purchase, he was answered that this jewel
upon four wheels had been made to order, and was not
to be had. " Make me a new one den directly, as pretty
as dis," said Peter. The promise was given, and in due
time performed, though to the impatient Peter the time
seemed long enough to build fifty wagons. The wagon,
in all its splendor, was sent home, and its first errand
was into the woods for a load of charcoal. There being
no road, the vehicle had to wind its devious course
among the forest trees, between two of which it got
inextricably jammed with its dusty cargo, on the way
homeward. Peter backed his horses and swore — ^he
HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 355
and his man next applied their shoulders to the wheels,
and swore again ; but neither backing the horses, nor
pushing with the shoulders, sufBced, when he wished
the devil might come and burn his wagon, and unhitch-
ing his horses went home to supper. The next morn-
ing, with a reinforcement of horses and men, and a suili-
cient reserve of curses, Peter returned for the wagon.
But alas ! the charcoal had not been rightly looked to —
a spark lurked in the huge mass — the night wind fanned
the flame, and on his arrival he found nothing but a heap
of ashes. His first impression was, that the devil had
taken him at his word, and he yeUed with mingled tensor
and wrath, tiU the woods resounded to the echo !
Whilst up in this region, I may as well relate another
am'using circumstance, which is said to have been a fact.
It relates to a settlement on the Sinnemahoning Creek
at quite an early day, when morals and religion were
little known and practised there. Some humane per-
sons having heard of the heathenish condition of the
people, straightway made arrangements to send a mis-
sionary amongst them, for the purpose of .enlightening
them. In due course of time he came, and made arrange-
ments to convert the heathen. The account of the mis-
sion is described as follows :
"ALL IS VANITY, SAITII THE PREACnER."
There is a place called Sinnemahone,
Of which but little good is known :
For sinning, ill must be its fame,
Since Sin begins its very name.
So well indeed its fame is known,
That people think they should begin
To drop the useless word Mahone,
And call the country simply, Sin!
356 HI8T0BY OF THE WEST BRANCH TALLB7.
Bat to my tale — Some yean agone
The Presbytery — ^having heard
Of the sad state of Sin — ^resolved
To send some one to preach the word»
And Mr. Thompson was bid see then
To the conversion of the heathen.
I shall not linger long to tell
Of all that on the way befell ;
How he was lost among the bashes,
And floundered through the reeds and rashes ;
Or how, when hungry, down he sat
To corn-cobs fried in 'possum fat I
How his black coat's unusual hue,
Caused a grim hunter to pursue
And cock his gun to blow him through,
Believing, as I've heard him swear.
Our missionary was a bear.
" 'Tis true," he said, " I never counted
On seeing such thing as a bear
Upon a good stout pony mounted ;
But yet I can with safety swear
That such a very wondrous sight.
We might expect by day or night.
Rather than, in our hills, to note
A parson with a rale black coat V*
The news soon spread around the land.
That Parson Thompson, on next Sunday,
Would in the school-house take his stand.
And preach to them at least for one day.
The Sunday came, and with it came
All of the ragged population ;
Men, women, children, dogs to hear
The tidings of salvation.
The women came in linsey-woolsey.
And tall wool hats increased their stature ;
The men in shirts and leather leggins ;
The brats and dogs in dress of nature I
The men who seldom stop at trifles.
Brought tomahawks and knives and rifles.
mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 357
Service began — ^the parson wondered
To hear the singing that they made—
Some Yankee Doodle — some Old Hundred.
The hounds, astonished, howled and thand'red
Until the forest shook with dread.
The singing o'er — the prayer was said,
But scarcely had the text been read.
When, panting with fatigue and fear.
Rushed past the door a hunted deer ;
Prayer, hymn and text, were all forgot, —
And for the sermon mattered not, —
Forth dashed the dogs — not one was mute —
Men, women, children, followed suit.
The men prepared the deer to slaughter, —
The girls to head it to the water.
None staid but lame old Billy French,
Who sat unwilling on his bench.
Not for the sake of hymn or prayer.
Did Billy keep his station there ;
But, as he said, with rueful phiz —
" For a darned spell of roomatiz /"
The Parson groaned with inward pain,
And lifting up his hands amain.
Cried, dolefully, " 'tis aU in vainr
Up starting nimbly from his bench,
'''Tisnot in vain,'' cried old Billy French,
** When my good hound old Never-fail,
Once gets his nose upon the trail.
There's not a spike buck anywhere.
Can get away from him, I'll swear /'*
358 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
CHAPTER XLV.
ESTHER M'DOWELL FOUND BEFORE THE CABIN DOOR OF MARTIN
REESE — A ROBBED AND INJURED FEMALJS — GREAT EXCITS-
MENT PREVAILED — SHE TURNS OUT TO BE AN IMPOSTER — ^A
HUMBUGGED COMMUNITY — HISTORY OP THE WALKER TRAGEDY
ON PINE CREEK — STATISTICS OP LYCOMING COUNTY.
About the year 1803, a remarkable circumstance
transpired at the upper end of the borough of Jersey
Shore,* well remembered by all the old people living at
that time. Pine trees, in considerable numbers, were
then standing on the spot which I now speak of. An old
Dutchman, named Martin llecse, had built a cabin near
where the public road crosses the canal, on the farm
now owned by Mark Slonaker, Esq., and made some
improvement. Rising very early one frost}' morning
in October, he was sm*priscd on going to his door, to
tind a beautiful female in a state of nudity, with her
hands tied behind her back, and a gag in her mouth,
standing in front of the cabin, against a tree. He
relieved her from this uncomfortable position as soon
as possible, and tendered her the hospitalities of his
humble cabin. She appeared to be completely chilled
through with the cold, and could scarcely speak for
* iSherman Day, in his Historical Collections of Pennsylvania, falls
into a great error in stating that this circumstance occurred near WUliams-
port. Such is not the fact; it occurred as stated above, at Jersey Shore.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 359
some time. On recovering sufficient strength, she related
that she had been travelling on horseback from her
father's house in Montreal, to visit an uncle that resided
in Kentucky, in charge of a young man named Benjamin
Connett, who was sent expressly to attend her. But
having a large amount of gold in her possession, an evil
spirit prompted him to rob her; and in a lonely spot
near Pine Creek, he presented a pistol to her breast,
compelled her to dismount and deliver up what money
she possessed ; when he immediately stripped her, tied
her, and left her in this shameful and denuded condition,
to starve with hunger or be devoured by wild beasts.
She had remained in that condition nearly all night,
when, after the most desperate struggles, she had re-
leased herself and made her way to his cabin. After
being refreshed, she willingly went with the family to
the spot, and pointed out the place v, here she had been
tied, and the path she had beaten lound the tree trying
to free herself.
There was something artless in her appearance ; and
her modest demeanor and delicate frame, left no doubt
in the minds of those who saw her. that her statements
were true, and that she had been foully dealt with.
She appeared to be overwhelmed with distress at the
thought of her situation among strangers. She gave
her name as Esther McDowell.
Rev. Mr. Grier, father of Judge Grier of the Supreme
Court, resided close by, and took her into his family and
kindly provided for her wants. A great deal of sympa-
thy was excited in her behalf, and the neighbors vied
with each other in making her presents of clothing.
Several gentlemen, now living, presented her with valua-
ble silk dresses, and other articles, which she accepted,
and kindly thanked them for their liberality.
360 HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VAIUHT.
Meanwhile the news spread throughout the country,
and the public indignation was highly excited against
the villain Connett. Handbills^ offering a reward for his
apprehension, were put in circulation, and the chivalry of
the West Branch started in all directions to look for the
scoundrel. He had twenty-four hours' starts however,
and being well mounted, eluded all observation and
effected his escape.
The artless girl remained in the neighborhood, caressed
and entertained by the sympathising people, who could
not do enough to alleviate her wants. Her manners
were so simple', her actions so lady-like and refined, and
her description of the thief so minute, that no doubt was
left of her being badly treated. Letters in the mean-
time were despatched to her father at Montreal, but
weeks elapsed and no answer came. Still the public
confidence in her was unshaken.
The intelligence having spread far and near, strangers
in great numbers flocked to see her, and loaded her with
presents. They were always fascinated with her beautj',
her simple and captivating charms. Being at the hotel
kept by Duffies, at Larry's Creek, a gentleman named
Hutchinson, from Milton, called to see her. She eyed
him closely, and seemed to keep shy of him, which
attracted his attention, and he thought he detected
something familiar in her countenance. Ho requested
to have some private conversation with her, which she
positively refused, when he exclaimed, calling her by
name, — " / believe you are the identical young man that
once worked for me in Milton as a journeyman iaHor /"
This was a poser, and she became greatly excited, which
aroused a suspicion among the people that she m^ht be
an impostor. And such it ultimately turned out to be.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 361
The pretty Esther McDowell had deceived and hum-
bugged them in a shameful manner, and never was robbed
as she represented.
A bundle of men's clothing had also been found near
the spot where she was found, secreted in a hollow log,
which went to confirm the suspicion. At length she
confessed that such was the fact — that she had been
playing the impostor, being of a romantic turn of mind,
and had actually passed herself off as a young man, and
worked as a journeyman tailor.
It was now remembered that a young man answering
her description, had crossed the White Deer Mountains
into Nippenose Valley, and staid over night with the
family of a farmer. The evening of that day she (he)
came to the house of Joseph Antes, Esq., where Major
McMicken now resides, and he ferried her over the river,
when she doffed her male attire and placed herself in the
position in which she was found.
Whatever became of her is not distinctly known,
though it is asserted that she left the country soon
afterwards, and went to the West under another name,
where she shortly afterwards married and became a
highly repectable woman.
The case of Esther McDowell afforded much amuse-
ment for many years among the people, and when the
subject is broached to the old people at the present day,
their mirthfulness is at once excited, and they recount
the circumstance of being so nicely humbugged with
considerable gusto.
About the year 1790, a circumstance occurred on
Pine Creek, a few miles above Jersey Shore, known as
the " Walker Tragedy," which was a bloody, as well as
an aggravated case, on both sides. Three brothers,
362 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
named Benjamin, Joseph, and Henry Walker, Kved on a
farm not far from the mouth of the creek. Their father,
John Walker, was barbarously killed and scalped near
Turtle Greek, the same time the Lee family was mur-
dered.
About the time I speak of, two Indians— one a mere
youth, and the otlier a middle-aged man, tall and well
proportioned — came into the neighborhood. They re-
mained for some time. Being at a public house, called
Stephenson's Tavern, near the mouth of the creek, on a
certain occasion, where a number of people were con-
gregated, amongst whom was the Walkers, they became
intoxicated and performed many antics. The old Indian
threw himself down before the Walkers, and went through
several performances, exhibiting the most horrid grim-
aces and contortions of the face, remarking to them : —
" This is the way ymr father acted wlien I killed and
scalped hhn .'"
The brothers were aroused at this savage and tanta-
lizing demonstration. The murderer of their beloved
father stood before them, and in mockery and derision,
exhibited his death struggles. Their blood boiled with
indignation, and they swore vengeance upon the savage
fiend, and would have rushed upon him at the time and
put an end to his existence, but were restrained by the
crowd. That evening they persuaded a man named
Samuel Doyle, to accompany them a short distance uj)
the creek, where they planned the destruction of these
Indians. Coming upon the encampment, they made
known their intentions. The young Indian, who was a
noble youth, remonstrated, cried, and begged for his
life, stating that he was not concerned in the murder of
the old man, but his pleadings were all in vain, and he
fflSTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 363
was immediately tomahawked. They then attacked the
old man, and a fearful struggle ensued with knives and
tomahawks. He fought desperately for his life, and
severely woimded two of the Walkers, and probably
would have killed them, had they not succeeded in
shooting him through the head. Their bodies were then
taken and sunk in the creek not far from where Phelps'
Mills now stand.
The people wondered at the sudden disappearance of
the Indians from the neighborhood, and suspicion pointed
to the Walkers, but the people considered that they got
what they deserved, and it was soon forgotten. In
course of time a freshet came, and washed their bodies
ashore on a gravel bar near where Mr. H. Bailey now
resides. Complaint was made to the Walkers, and, it is
said, they went and buried them.
The murder now became the subject of much conver-
sation through the neighborhood ; some alleged that they
were justifiable, xmder the circiunstances, in committing
the deed ; and others that it was in time of peace, and
a violation of the civil law. Thus matters rested- for
some time, till at length it came to the ears of the autho-
rities, and proceedings were at once instituted against
the murderers. So flagrant a violation of law, and the
treaty now existing between the whites and Indians,
could not be permitted to go unpunished. The sheriff
was ordered to arrest them, atid confine them in Sun-
bury jail for trial. They had good friends, however,
and were advised of his coming in time to escape from
the country. A reward was offered for their apprehen-
sion, but they never were taken.
Doyle was not so fortunate — ^he was taken and incar-
cerated in jail, charged with participating in the bloody
364 msTOBT OF the west bbanch yallot.
tragedy. His trial came on — great excitement pre-
vailed throughout the country, and hundreds were pre-
sent, determined to rescue him in case of his conviction;
alleging that he had been forced into it, and that it was
right to kill the savages, under the circumstances. He
was acquitted, however, and returned in triumph to his
home. The Walkers were seldom heard of, not daring
to venture back into the country.
When the intelligence of the murder of these Indians
reached their friends west of the Alleghanies, they were
highly incensed, and true to the vindictive character of
the savage, resolved on revenge. Preparations were
immediately made to invade the settlement ; and it is
said that a large body of warriors were on their way,
when the Chief, Gomplanter, on learning that the autho-
rities sought the murderers for punishment, considered
it best to recall them, and despatching one of his swift
footed young men, ordered them to return. They were
bound to obey him, and reluctantly gave up the expe-
dition.
The County of Lycoming was taken from Northum-
berland, by the Act of the 13th of April, 1795. It is a
large County, embracing an area of about 1500 square
miles, and is one of the most important in Northern Penn-
sylvania. According to the census of 1850, the popula-
tion was 26,257. It has probably increased at the rate
of six per cent, since that time. It also contained
113,264 acres of improved land; and 90,997 unim-
proved. The cash value of the farms was estimated at
$4,110,234 ; and the value of farming implements, ma-
chinery, &c., at $164,611. At that time the County
contained 4,066 horses; 14,230 sheep; 4,940 milch
cows. Total value of aU live stock, $429,332. Bushels
mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 365
of wheat raised, 285,925; rye, 95,274; Indian com,
262,456. The County also contained 4 Baptist, 1 Epis-
copal, 1 Friends, 1 German Reformed, 8 Lutheran, 15
Methodist, 8 Presbyterian, 2 Roman Catholic, 2 Union,
and 1 Minor Sect, Churches; the aggregate value of
which was $63,000, with accommodations for 15,815
hearers.
This estimate was for the year ending the 1st of
June, 1850, when the last census was taken. There has
been a considerable increase since that time.
366 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BKANCH YALLET.
CHAPTER XLVI.
ARRIVAL OF THE TOMB FAMILY ON PINE CREEK — ^THB WOMEN
AND THE PANTHER — A GREAT HUNTER — ^TAMING THE BLUE
DUN — CATCHING A LIVE ELK — HUNTING EXPEDITIONS — ABUN-
DANCE OF FISH — IMMENSE QUANTITIES OF SNAKES AN AD-
VENTURE WITH A BEAR — ^NARROW ESCAPE.
Amongst some of the earliest settlers on Pine Creek,
after peace was declared, was the Tomb family. Philip
Tomb, one of the descendants, known as a great hunter
and adventurer, recently published a work entitled,
" Pioneer Life : or. Thirty Years a Hunter," which con-
tains some remarkable statements. I shall quote libe-
rally from it in reference to the Pine Creek region.
Speaking about the arrival of the family, Mr. Tomb
says:
" In 1791, my father purchased some land seventy miles up the
West Branch, in the wilderness. He hired men and paid them in
advance to build a house. They did not fulfil their contract, but hav-
ing raised and enclosed it, left it without «himney, door, window, or
floor, while the bushes, ten feet high, were left standing in the mid-
dle of the house. On the first of November my father started for his
residence, and loaded a keel boat with provisions sufficient for one
year, irons for a mill, and a supply of clothing. He was six days
going fifty miles. He then arrived at the mouth of Pine Creek, six
miles from his destination, but could proceed no farther with his boat,
on account of low water. He then hired ten canoes, and started with
such articles as he most needed. He arrived at his house the 20th of
November. It was very cold — the men had been dragging the boats.
HJSTQRY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 367
and the women were nearly frozen. When within two miles of the
honsc, two of the men who assisted in building it^ asked the privilege
of going ahead to make a fire. When we arrived in sight we saw a
large fire, which revived our spirits greatly, for the snow was falling
rapidly, the wind blew cold, and we were chilled through. A hole
had been left for a chimney, and a fire built on that side of the house,
and when we arrived the men were cutting out the brush. My father
asked why things had been left in this state. They replied that they
could not induce the other men to proceed any farther with the job.
Father was inclined to be angry, when my mother interposed, and said
if we could get through the first night it would do. We soon became
warm, had our supper, went to sleep and passed the night very com-
fortably. The next morning all hands went to work and made a floor
and chimney, and plastered the house, which was accomplished in two
days. On the 25th my father commenced his mill. He had to hew
and split out all the timbers to be used for building. He had also a
race to dig and a dam to build, and he had it all finished by the first
of March.
At that time game, such as bears, elk, deer and wild turkeys were
very plenty in that section of the country. I had two brothers old
enough to hunt, but they had no gun except an old musket which my
father had used while training. In the morning we would frequently
find the deer feeding within twenty rods of the house. Sometimes
we would see a drove of elk, fifteen or twenty in number, crossing the
creek. At other times we saw bears traveling back and forward.
But we had no hunters among the six men, and no gun but the old
musket, and that was out of order. On the 5th of December two of
our nearest neighbors — ^who lived twelve miles distant — came to see
us, bringing two guns and two dogs, but .no ammunition. There was
no powder or lead in that part of the country, except what my father
had, and he supplied them what they needed. They then hunted
about two days for my father to procure him a supply of wild meat.
They killed four deer, and two fat bears."
Speaking about the incoiiveiiiences of obtaining flour,
before his father's- mill was in running order, he says :
'' The nearest grist mill was thirty miles distant, and no road or
other means of getting to it — nor had we any grain except a little
which we raised in the same manner as the Indians. Every family
368 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
had what was called a 'family hlock' or mortar^ into which they
pounded their com into meal and samp/'
Wild animals were numerous and dangerous at that
time; judging from the followmg adventures, which he.
relates :
'^ A woman belonging to a family^ living half a mile above the first
fork, was washing at the creek, accompanied by four or five small
children, when one of them looking up exclaimed, ' What a handsome
big red dog is coming I' The animal stopped within fifty feet of the
children, and stood looking at them. Another boy cried, ' It isn't a
dog; it is a panther V At that moment a cat came out of the house,
and attempting to run up a tree, was caught by the panther and de-
voured. The family hurried into the house, closed the door and es-
caped. Shortly afterwards a man came along with a dog and gun,
and shot the panther. It measured four and a half feet in length."
^^ Two miles from that place, on the main creek, lived a fiimily con-
sisting of a man and three females. The house stood on the flat lying
between the river and the rocky bluff, which rose to the height of
fifty feet. In the month of January the man was absent teaching
school, and no one was left at home but the women. One of the
women, on going to the creek one morning for a pail of water, heard
a scream like the voice of a woman in distress. She hastened back
and told the others. They all went to the door to ascertain the cause,
when they saw an animal moving towards them, which they at first
took for a dog. When it approached near enough, they saw, to their
horror, that it was a panther. They retreated into the house and
closed the doors. Three geese which belonged to the feimily, were on
the ice of the creek — ^the panther captured one and carried it off.
After he had been gone some time they went out together and pro-
cured wood and water enough to last till the next day. The next
morning at the same hour the panther returned, uttering the same
terrific cries, and carried away another goose. On the third morning
he came and took the last one. He had become acquainted with the
vicinity, and the terrified women knew not what to do. Their near-
est neighbor was two miles distant. In order to prevent the animal
from entering by the chimney, they covered it with boards, and kept
up a fire all night. He returned the next morning, when they let
mSTORT OF THE WEST BBANOH VALLET. 369
oat their dog. The panther dosed in with him, drove him against
the door, and after a short struggle killed and carried him off. The
following morning a man named Rice Hamlin, happened to come to
the house — he found the women almost frightened to death. On
looking for the panther he discovered and shot him. He weighed two
fiundred pounds/'
He describes an elk hunt as follows, which will be
read with interest :
** In August, 1796, my father, Jacob Tomb, Jerry Morrison, and
myself, started on an elk hunt. Taking provisions with us we pushed
up to Round Island, but found no elk there. Morrison proposed to
go to Stony Lick, near the second fork of the creek. All hands con*
sented. When we arrived near the place, tracks were discovered.
We followed them some distance, and found that one of them had
been attacked and killed by a panther, and completely disemboweled.
We skinned and salted the elk in the skin and placed it between two
logs, and resumed our route. Early the next morning we heard the
roar of an elk, and on proceeding to look for him found a large one,
which we killed and salted. It weighed five hundred pounds. The
horns were upwards of six feet in length, and had eleven branches,
six on one, and five on the other.
'^ When they finished salting the meat, Morrison proposed to go
over to Mud Lick himself and look for elk, leaving me and my father
to watch Stony Lick. We went and concealed ourselves behind a log —
my father commenced mending his moccasins, and directed me to
watch. A small stream ran below me, containing some large trout.
It occurred to me if I could build a dam across the stream I could
take some trout. Slipping down, I threw an old log across, made a
dam, and in a few minutes had threw out thirty large trout My
father on finding me asked if that was watching the lick, I told him
I wanted some trout for supper. While I was stringing my fish I
heard a stone rattle about a hundred yards below, and on looking up,
beheld a panther gazing at me ! I sprang up the bank and informed
my father what I had seen. Telling me to keep quiet, and make the
dog lie down, he stationed himself behind a root having a hole in it,
throi^ which he pointed his gun and awaited the panther's approach.
When it came within three rods of us, it paused, with its fore feet on
the bank, and its mouth open, displaying a formidable array of glisten-
24
370 HI8T0RT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLBT.
ing teeth. My father fired, and it fell dead. It was a very large
one."
The following description of taming a vicious horse,
and captinring an elk alive, is very interesting :
'<In 1799, my father being at Irving Stephenson's tavern at the
mouth of Pine Creek, found a large collection of men there. A
horse called the Blue Dun, was kept there. It was a very large and
powerful horse, and it was with difficulty three men could take it from
the stable. My father witnessed the operation and laughed, saying
he could take it from the stable without any assistance. The otheis
, disputed this stoutly, saying the horse would kill him if he attempted
it — ^upon which he offered to bet twenty dollars that he coold do it
The bet was taken and the money staked, when he went in to the
horse, struck him a few times on the flank, completely subdued him,
brought him forth, and rode him round to the surprise of the crowd,
and took him back, and won his money.
^<The whole party began to drink pretty freely and talk about elk
hunting. Stephenson asked my father if he could take an elk alive.
He replied that he could, when Stephenson offered to bet him on it
My father asked him what he was willing to bet. He said he would
bet 250 pounds. It was accepted. Stephenson pledged a house, lot
and tanyard worth the amount, and my father gave seven hundred
and fifty dollars' worth of lumber, and two satisfactory sureties as
security for the performance of the contract. The elk was to be
between fourteen and sixteen hands high, caught alive, and brought
home by the first of March, allowing some six months to take it in.
Articles of agreement were duly drawn. It was then considered im-
possible to take an elk alive.
'<The first of January, 1800, he prepared for his hunt, and started,
taking two of his boys and a man named Maddock, with a horse, four
dogs, and ropes sufficient to hold an elk. They ascended the ice eight
miles to Morrison's, and desired him to go along, but he declined,
alleging that an elk was a very powerful and dangerous animal, and
its capture alive attended with a good deal of peril. The party con-
tinued on. The weather was very cold, and snow began to fall. On
the second or third day an elk was found and the pursuit commenced.
He ran for many miles back and forth across the creek. The plan to
take him was to throw a rope over his horns when he got on a rock to
BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLBT. 371
fight the dogs. He was finally hunted so severely that he took refuge
on a large rock in the evening. A fire was built near the rock and
kept up all night. The next morning, after considerable manoeuver-
ing, a noose was finally thrown over his horns, and the rope made fast
to a tree. The dogs were set on behind to drive him off the rock, and
when he came to the edge a sudden pull was given which jerked him
off. He plunged and fought tremendously, but they succeeded in
getting another rope on him, and fastening it some distance ahead
managed to drive him down the hill, by untying and fastening alter-
nately. This was a slow as well as difficult process, as he was con-
stantly becoming entangled in his struggles. The ropes were unloosed,
and two men to each end and a dog let loose to keep him going. When
be went too fast, we could check him by snubbing the rope round a
tree. He started and walked very gently till he reached the creek,
which was covered with ice. We fastened one rope across the creek,
keeping the other in our hands, and drove him upon the ice when he
slipped and fell. We all went to the other side and dragged him
across. As soon as he gained a footing he sprang up and walked to-
wards us. We then fastened the ropes in opposite directions to give
him no play, and as it was four o'clock in the afternoon, determined
to let him remain here until we could bring a horse from Morrison's
to take him home. The horse being brought the next day, we cut a
road through the underbrush about one mile to the big creek. We
now secured him close up to a tree, and placed a large rope about
forty feet long over his horns, down near to his head, and then tied a
smaller rope to the upper part of each horn. We then attached the
horse to the large rope behind, and one of the hands started the horse.
When he first started he plunged about considerably, and became
entangled in the rope. At the end of three hours we reached the
creek, a distance of one mile. Here we met with no further obstruc-
tion, as the ice was slightly covered with snow, and he found a good
footing. We proceeded without much more trouble to Morrison's,
and placed our captive in a stable. A heavy rain now came on and
broke up the ice in the river — our horse ran off and was drowned, and
we took the elk down on a fioat. Stephenson was informed of the
capture, when he cheerfully gave up the stakes.
'< This was the first grown elk caught alive on the waters of the
Susquehanna. It was sixteen hands high, and had horns five and
a-half feet long, with eleven branches.''
372 BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
Philip Tomb, who was along in this expedition, after-
wards became a very successful elk hunter, and took
several alive.
Fish were very plenty in those times, in the creek, as
we would naturally conclude from the following account
by Mr. Tomb, of taking them in a fish basket :
"We were bo abundantly supplied with fish from this Bouroe that
we used them to feed our hogs, and found them yery usefvd for that
purpose. A slight rise coming in the creek, the eels began to run Terj
fast, and the other fish came in so rapidly as to dam up the water, and
let the eels go over the sides of the basket. Finding that we were
losing many eels in this way, my brother brought the canoe and placed
it under the basket and raked the eels in as they came. In about ten
hours the creek had rose so high as to oyerflow the basket and put an
end to our operations. We had then carried out about twelve iro^
loads of tuckers, three barrels of eels, and two barrels of salmon and
rock fish, besides throwing a great quantity out of the basket to ke^
it from overflowing."
This may be considered a pretty large fish story,
nevertheless Mr. Tomb relates it as a fact in his work.
Fish were very numerous in those days before the river
was obstructed by dams, booms, &c.
Rattlesnakes were very numerous also, in those days.
He speaks of them thus :
''In 1794, Mr. Jas. King and Mr. Manning went on an exploring
expedition up the creek. They found the rattlesnakes so numerous,
that they were obliged to anchor their canoe in the creek and remain
in it over night. About the third day they arrived at the larger
rock on the west side of the creek, and found as many as thirty snakes
lying on it sunning themselves. They pushed their canoe to the
other shore, and when passing the smaller rock, they discovered on
the top, a pile of rattlesnakes as large as an out-door bake oven !"
This is undoubtedly a pretty tough snake story,
although they were very numerous, and were a great
annoyance to the settlers for many years.
HI8T0RT OF THE WEST BBANOH YALLET. 373
King and Manning proceeded as far up as the Big
Meddows, that had evidently been an Indian cornfield.
They found a plum orchard there, supposed to contain
lEibout twenty acres, bearing plenty of fruit.
He states that there were six rattlesnake dens on
Pine Creek. Some distance up the creek was a large
rock, about forty feet long by fifteen wide, called Rat-
tlesnake Rock. On this the snakes would often lie in
piles.
Being engaged lumbering some twenty miles up the
creek, Mr. Tomb once had an adventure with a bear,
which he describes as follows :
•
''A large bear was passing near where I was at work. I threw
stones at him, bat he paid no attention to them and kept on his
course. I was thinking of retreating, when I thought I would throw
one more ,* and picking up a large stone, threw it and hit him on the
forehead. He raised up, uttered a savage growl, and rushed towards
me. I ran to the logs, caught up my axe and sprang upon a pair of
timber wheels. Before springing on the wheels, I looked round and
he was close at my heels. I raised my axe, intending to plunge it
into his brain ; but in the excitement missed my aim, and the handle
struck his feet, which caused him to give another cry of pain. I was
now on the wheels, and taking off my hat shook it at him, causing
him tb step back a little. I saw death staring me in the faoe. In a
short time he moved off. I never was so badly frightened in my life."
His work is filled with marvelous stories about hunt-
ing and trapping, and much more might be selected, but
the foregoing must suffice. He mentions having disco-
vered a remarkable cave near Tumbling Run, with square
rooms, stone benches, &c., bearing unmistakable signs of
having been cut by hand. Considerable inquiry has re-
cently been made concerning it, but no person in that
neighborhood seems to have any knowledge of its ex-
istence.
374 HI8I0RY OF THE WEST BBANCH VALLET.
CHAPTER XLVII.
SKETCH OF SUNBURT AND NORTHUMBERLAND — BLUB HILL —
JOHN MASON — THE LEANING HOUSE — HIS QRAVE — CHURCH-
VILLB — SODOM — ORIGIN OF THE NAME — LIST OP THE SHE-
RIFFS OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY — STATISTICS — THE COF-
FIN FIGHT — A LEGISLATOR OF THE OLDEN TIMS — ^ANECDOTES.
SuNBURY is one of the oldest towns in Northern Penn-
sylvania. . Fort Augusta having been erected here one
hundred years ago, rendered it in early times, and dur-
ing the B^yolutbn, a place of great importanc;, from ite
central position at the confluence of the North and West
Branches of the Susquehanna. It was the grand depot
for troops and supplies for all this region— was the point
from which the emigrants radiated. Being located, too,
on a beautiful rolling plain, with excellent facilities for
water communication, and contiguous to the immense
coal fields, Sunbury at one time seemed destined to be-
come a great central emporium of trade. All such anti-
cipations, in course of time, were dispelled, and for a
long time the wheels of Progress seemed stayed, and
the town remained in statu quo.
Within a few years, Sunbury has been roused from
its Rip Van Winkle sleep of half a century, and has
taken a fresh start in improvement. Being the con-
verging point of several impoi'tant railroads, a new im-
petus has been given to business, fresh energy seems
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 375
infused into the citizens, and it bids fair to be an im*
portant place ere many years. It is the starting point
of the Sunbury and Erie Raikoad, which runs through
the entire length of the West Branch Valley. The
Susquehanna Railroad also terminates here, and a rail*
road to Mount Garmel and Shamokin, is in operation.
Immense quantities of coal are shipped here. It also
possesses fine advantages for water power, and I know
of no place in the State better adapted, from its location,
means of communication, and natural facilities, for the
erection of saw mills, manufactories of cotton, iron, &c.
As the majority of buildings were erected years ago,
and the people not having kept pace with the improve-
ments of the age, of course the style is somewhat quaint,
and antiquated in appearance. The buildings are sub-
stantial and comfortable. The Court House, and other
public buildings, are of brick. The latter stands in the
centre of a square or diamond. The town contains some
fourteen stores, and a number of good hotels. Supreme
Court, of the Eastern District, sits here. According to
the census of 1850, it contained a population of 1218.
It has increased much since that time.
An old gentleman resides here named John Colsher,
Esq., in the 96th year of his age, with memory bright
and unimpaired. He is a remarkable man— can write
a plain legible hand, tell a good joke, and walk around
the streets as comfortably as many men of younger
years. He has never worn glasses in his life, and can
see to read well — ^he can hold his arm outstretehed for
several minutes, without the slightest tremor.
A fine bridge is thrown across the North Branch at
this point, and a few yards below it, a fine structure has
recently been erected by the Sunbury and Erie Railroad
876 BISTORT OF THE WEST BBAKOH YALLKT.
Company. A large dam was placed in the river here,
by the State, for the benefit of the canal.
The site of Fort Augusta is occupied by a fine brick
mansion, one mile above the town, owned by Miss Hun-
ter. Every vestige of the fort is gone, with the excep-
tion of the magazine, which can be seen in the yard,
resembling a cave. It is used for various purposes.
Many relics of the olden time are plowed up every
year on this farm, consisting of hatchets, gun barrels,
cannon balls, camp kettles, &c. But the most interest-
ing of all, is a little article called a " Crovfifootr This
was a piece of iron made with three prongs, very sharp,
and barbed at the points, and so constructed, that when
thrown on the ground one of them would point upwards.
Ghreat quantities were made and strewn around the fort
for the Indians to step on. They would go through a
moccasin, and penetrate the foot for an inch. They were
quite an ingenious contrivance, and capable of inflicting
great pain. Bushels of them are plowed up at the pre-
sent time.
Shamokin Creek empties into the river at Sunbury,
and fourteen miles up the Creek is located the town of
Shamokin, which is growing rapidly, being in the coal
region. Sunbury should have been called Shamokin, as it
stands where the original town of that name was situated.
Passing over the river we come to Northumberland,
located in the forks of the two branches. It is a very
old town also, and has not improved much for many
years, although it has had immense advantages.
Northumberland was incorporated as a borough in
1828. It contains four churches — Old and New School
Presbyterian, German Reformed and Methodist. The
Bank of Northumberland, a very old and popular insti-
HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 377
tution, is located here. According to the census of 1850,
it contained 1041 inhabitants. The citizens are intelli-
gent and refined, and probably more newspapers are taken
here than in any other town of similar size in the State.
Extensive wharves for shipping coal have recently been
erected here by Messrs. Cochran, Peale & Co. They
are deeply interested in the coal trade, and send large
quantities to Elmira. I believe they were the first to
send coal to the Empire State over this road.
The first iron foundry in the Shamokin region, was
established here in 1827-8. An ingenious workman
from New York, named David Rogers, came to the place,
bringing with him a quantity of patent scale-beams, of
which he was the inventor, or owned the right for this
portion of the State. Mr. Shannon assisted him in
erecting a small foundry for the purpose, specially, of
casting the necessary irons. As he succeeded very well,
it was his intention, in conjunction with Mr. Shannon,
to enlarge the business, and make other and larger cast-
ings. Owing to cruel and wicked tricks played on him,
Rogers became deranged and left his plans, and the
business was discontinued, Mr. Shannon not being ac-
quainted with the business.
The locahty is inviting to the recluse. The country
expands behind the town in a semi-circular form, rising
in gentle swells towards Montour's ridge. Opposite the
town, in the North Branch, is a long and beautiful island,
called Lyon's Island. A fine bridge crosses the West
Branch at its mouth, with the towing path for the Canal.
At the western end of this bridge rises the high and pre-
cipitous sandstone of " Blue Hill," from which a mag-
nificent prospect is enjoyed of the valleys of both rivers,
378 msTORT OF the west branoh yallet.
whilst the town lies hundreds of feet beneath you,
spread out like a map. The precipice of Blue Hill is
several hundred feet in perpendicular height. The town
is well laid out, with spacious streets, and to those who
love quiet and seclusion, is a pleasant place to reside.
A traveller visiting this region a few years ago, thus
describes a scene he beheld : —
'^ I ascended a hill called Mount Pleasant this morning, just as the
sun was rising. The scene was enchantinj; — at my feet as it were,
lay the borough (Sunbury) in quiet repose, embowered in shade and
foliage, and surrounded on three sides with rich fields, pastures and
herds. In front of the town was the river, which being raised bj the
Shamokin dam, looked like an immense mirror, or a glassj like,
more than like a river. On the opposite side of the river, the land
rose abruptly into a craggy mountain : looking further up the stream,
I saw two branches gradually approach each other, till they met and
mingled their waters. Over each of these were long bridges leading
to and from the village of Northumberland, back of which and be-
tween the two branches, the country rose gradually from the plaiii,
till it became almost mountainous, yet covered to the very tops with
fields, pastures, flocks and herds. Turning again to the left, and
looking down the Susquehanna, a sort of vista was presented, bound-
ed on each side with romantic hills, and finally appearing to end in
the blue tops of the mountains. Never have I beheld a more varied
or beautiful landscape than was here presented."
Travellers passing up the West Branch, on leaving
Northumberland, will observe two small square buildings,
or towers, on the edge of the high precipice of Blue Hill^
overlooking the country for miles around. One of them
leans over the precipice, apparently ready to fall and be
dashed to pieces on the rocks below. A single breath
of air would apparently blow it over. It inclines proba-
bly at an angle of 35°, and strange as it may seem, was
HISTOBY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 379
built in that manner, by an eccentric individual named
John Mason. The building is firmly fixed on a solid
foundation, and fastened down with strong iron bolts, or
it would have been precipitated over the rocks long ago.
It had a railing around the top, and visitors could go
up and view the prospect ; but few had the nerve to
approach the edge and gaze below. The other building
stands a few yards from this one, and not so near the
edge. It was finer, much higher, and had an observa-
tory on the top, where visitors could go with perfect
safety. It does not lean like the other. The view
afforded from this height is superlatively grand, and no
just conception of its beauty can be formed, without visit-
ing the spot.
John Mason owned the land here, and had these build-
ings erected to gratify his peculiar whims, being quite
eccentric. He was reputed wealthy, but would always
travel to Philadelphia and other places on foot, and many
anecdotes are related of him. Being an old bachelor, he
lived hermit-like, on this high elevation ; but the pecu-
liar oddity of his buildings attracted large numbers of
visitors. He had finely laid out grounds around them,
and seemed to enjoy himself well. He died in 1849. — :
The buildings are neglected, and rapidly going to decay ;
one of them is quite dilapidated, and cannot be ascended
with safety.
Immediately in rear of the leaning building, under the
wide-spreading branches of a chestnut, is the grave of
the eccentric John Mason. The hand of affection has
fitted it up with care, and planted sweet-flowering shrubs.
On visiting the spot in June last, I copied the following
inscription from the neat tomb stone, placed at the head
of the grave :
380 HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
JOHN MASON
of Blae HiU
Bom in Philada, Dec,
7th 1768
Departed this Life
At Long Reach Farm
Near Newberry
Lycoming Co. April 25th
1849
Aged 80 yearS; 4 mos.
and 18 days.
In 1833, a town was laid out at the end of the bridge
opposite Lewisburg, and named Ghurchville, by an indi-
vidual well known as Jerry Church. Respecting tlus
town, Mr. Church, in his Autobiography, says :
''The next town we made our appearance (he was accompanied by
his brother;) in was Lewisburg, formerly called Derrstown. We then
made a purchase of one hundred and twenty-five acres of land, of
General Green, at forty-five dollars per acre, lying on both fddes of
the cross-cut, from the end of the bridge to the Pennsylvania canal,
opposite the town of Lewisburg. Having been in the habit of making
towns, we concluded that we could make one most anywhere, and we
thought we would try a small one in opposition to the one on the other
side of the river — Lewisburg. However, we did not frighten them
much as a rival, but we got their feelings raised and blood up, so that
they bought of us at beautiful prices. There was one gentleman who
purchased seventeen acres at one hundred dollars per acre, the next
day after we had bought it at forty-five. We laid out the balance
into streets, alleys and out-lots, and called it Church ville. We sold
out the whole purchase in two weeks, and made some money, bat not
much of a town. It was a very pleasant place for a town, but there
were no houses built in it but one, I believe, and that was a hotel ;
and in order to let the people know that that was the town of Church-
ville, the proprietor of the house had the name written on a large
sign — 'Churchville Hotel,' and I am very thankful to the gentleman
for keeping up appearances."
The original plot of this town is now in the possession
of James F. Linn, Esq., of Lewisburg.
BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
381
East of this place, a mile or two, is a small straggling
village called Sodom. It takes its name from an Irish-
man named Lot Carson, who lived here, and frequently-
imbibed large potations of whiskey. On one occasion
he got intoxicated and tumbled into the well in the even-
ing, where he remained till morning, when he was taken
therefrom a corpse. The place was afterwards called
Sodom, because Lot had resided there. There was pro-
bably a wide difference between the two men, however.
The following table will show the names of all the
l%eri£fs of Northumberland county, and the time elected,
from its first organization down to the present day. The
facts are obtained from the Prothonotary's Office in Sun-
bury, and are correct :
MAMXS. TIME
KLKCTED.
NAMK8.
TIMK BLKOTID.
Geo. Nagel,* (from Ap'l to Oct.
) 1772
Thomas Painter,
1812
WiUUm Cook,
1772
Walter Brady,
. , 1816
William ScaU,
1775
William Shannon,
1818
Jonathan Lodge,
1776
James R. Shannon,
1821
James Crawford,
1779
Martin Weaver,
1824
Henry Antes,
1782
Jacob McEIinney,
1827
Thomas Grant,
1785
Peter Lazarus,
1830
Martin Withington,
1788
Henry Reeder,
1833
Flavel Roan,
1791
George W. Eeihl,
1836
John Bradjr, Jr.
1794
Henry Gosler,
1839
Robert Irwin,
1797
Felix Maurer,
1842
Henry Yanderslice,
1800
T. A. BUlington,
1845
Andrew Albright,
1803
James Covert,
1848
Jared Irwin,
1806
W. B. Kipp,
1851
Daniel Lebo,
1809
Henry Weise,
1854
According to the census of 1850, Northumberland coun-
ty contained 23,272 inhabitants. Number of acres of im-
proved land, 135,086; unimproved, 62,682. Cash value
of farms, $5,766,803 ; total value of farming implements
* Nagel was Sheriff of Berks county when Northumberland was strieken
ofi^ but senred in the latter, tiU the election of Oook.
882 HI8T0RT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLBT.
and machinery, $242,407. The county also contamed
525 horses, milch cows, 5,794, sheep, 9,980; total yaloe
of all live stock, $548,073. Bushels of wheat raised,
289,522, rye, 120,354, com, 282,087. The county also
contained 7 Baptist, 2 Episcopal, 11 German Reformed, 8
Lutheran, 9 Methodist, 13 Presbyterian, and 1 Romsn
Catholic, churches ; the total value of which was esti-
mated at $103,000, with a capacity for 17,910 auditors.
During the time of the construction of the canal,
quite an amusing incident occurred on the farm of Mr.
Nesbit, opposite Lewisburg, denominated the ^'G<^
fight." Mr. N. describes it as follows :
^* One foggy morning as I was plowing, and came to turn my horses
on the side of the field next to the river, I espied a coffin lying in the
middle of the road. I at once came to the conclusion that it had
been lost by some of the Irish canal-laborers on their way to the
Catholic burying ground in the neighborhood of Milton. CxxMsmg
the fence, I drew it aside out of the way of wagons, concluding that
they would soon discover their loss and return for it. I had not
waited long before I saw them on their way back ; but unluckily tt
the same time, another company with a corpse in a cart, going to the
same cemetery, met them nearly opposite the place where the last coffin
lay in the fence-comer ! Without a ''good morning," the losing partj
of disconsolate mourners accTised the advancing party of having stolen
t?^e^r corpse — ^for the pleasure of acting the mourners and tasting the
joy of grief and a little whiskey — and before I could make them hear
my voice, the lie was given, and copious volleys of blows, kicks and
curses were exchanged. It was for sometime in vain that I shouted—
but having at length turned the attention of one of the females to the
lost coffin, order was gradually restored — they shook hands — i4>olo-
gized for the mistake, took a friendly drink together, and marched on
very amicably to perform the last rites for their dead !"
Many years ago, when Northumberland county em-
braced a great extent of territory, and when it was
found necessary for our State Legislature to resolve that
HIBIORT OF 1BE WBST BBANCH VALLST. 388
no member of their body should come to the House bare-
dfootedy nor be allowed to eat his bread and cheese on the
State-House door-steps, there was sent, as a representa-
tive from this county, one Jacob FoUmer, Esq., who faith-
fully represented a constituency possessed of more prac-
tical wisdom than book-learning. Jacob, however, thought
himself, by virtue of his office, entitled to be critical upon
occasions. He one day called at the lodging of one of his
co-laborers for the public good, to look over some memo-
rial relative to the building or incorporating of a church.
As it was to be presented on that day, he was naturally
anxious that the matter should be in good shape — so as
to do no discredit to him — for he intended to support
the application. Carefully scanning the paper, his criti-
cal eye fell on the barbarous word '^gurggh^' (meaning
church.) "Ah!" cried he, "you must take better care
of your spelling — ^you have put a double G, where there
ought to be but one, this way — 'gurgh^ — that's the way
I speU it !"
During one of the winter's of his service, there were
two or three lawyers — ^young men — who, a littie vain of
their learning, interlarded their speeches with long quo-
tations from the Latin authors. This gave some offence
to Jacob, who thought, and very justly, if he was to be
reasoned with, it ought to be done in a language that he
could understand. He, therefore, in his reply, com-
menced by remarking, that as it was the fashion to make
speeches in unknown tongues, he must be excused if he
spoke in the Delaware Indian dialect, for he could not
pretend to anything so " high lamed'' as the Philadelphia
lawyers spoke. He accordingly drew very liberally on
his stores of savage cla^malUy. The effect was quite
decided — " the Latin fled and never was heard of more."
I. ^•
tr' '
. A.
«>SAr
c. ^
. *-', ■
*-
.1
■ ' "'."'•■t •
p.* -i» _ . ..-■
■■ ••J
■ ■ I
* -
■ ^ ■ ■ ' ' I • ■
.•■■ . ■ . ■■ t •-■ ■ ^ . '
■ ■- ; V.' :■ ■ ■ I.".' *■ . •■ • ■ .■■ ■
. ^ ...
HIBTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 385
CHAPTER XLVin.
EARLT BISTORT OF LSWISBURO — ^VALUABLE FACTS — BBLIGIOUS
DENOMINATIONS — HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY — DIVISION
OF THE COUNTY — STATISTICS OF UNION COUNTY — A DEED
THAT DATES BACK TO THE CREATION OF THE WOBLD — SKETCH
OF FLAVEL ROAN — ^ANECDOTES.
A PATENT for the land on which the borough of Lew-
isburg* is located, was granted to Richard Peters, August
11th, 1772, for 320 acres. On the 17th of November,
1773, Peters transferred it, by deed, to Ludwig Derr.
In 1785, Derr laid out the plan for the town. It was
then called Derr's town. Derr died in Philadelphia in
November, 1785, where he had gone to sell lots, leaving
an only son, George Derr. On the 20th of December,
1788, he transferred the town plot, embracing 128 acres,
to Peter Borger, excepting seventeen lots, and all lots
that his father had sold by deed, or written agreement.
January 2d, 1789, Borger disposed of the same, with the
same reserve, to Carl Ellinckhuysen, of Amsterdam,
Holland. On the 8th of May, 1789, Ellinckhuysen, by
letter of attorney, authorized Borger to sell lots for him ;
who, as attorney-in-fact, sold, mortgaged, and disposed
of lots, for about eighteen months, when he was super-
seded by a letter of attorney to the Rev J. Charles Hil-
* For the facts in relation to the history of Lewisburg, both ancient and
modern, I am indebted to James F. Linn, Esq., of that place.
25
386 HISIOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALfMT.
bum^ a Catholic Priest, dated September 30th, 1790.
He also sold and mortgaged lots, so that in consequence
of mistakes, or something else, many lots now haie
three or four distinct written titles.
About this time Carl Ellinckhuysen sent his son, Mat-
thias Joseph Ellinckhuysen, to America, and put him
under the surveillance of Hilbum, the Priest. Being
dissipated, he ran his course rapidly, and died on the
17th of July, 1792, aged 38 years and 3 months, ffis
widow, Clara Helena Ellinckhuysen, married John
Thomburgh, who also soon died. They were both buried
in the old grave yard on Market street ; the tombstone
of the latter is entirely gone ; that of the former is bro-
ken in three pieces. It contains the following inscrip-
tion, which I have copied as, perhaps, the only means of
perpetuating it. Not a brick is left of the wall which
formerly surrounded his grave. Surely that tomb-stone
is worthy of preservation, for the honor of the town, as
well as a relic of the olden time. But to the inscrip-
tion:
Here Licth
the body of
MATHIAS JOSEPH
ELLENKHUSEN
who departed this Life
July 17, 1792, aged 38
Tears and 3 Months.
Since it is so we all must Die
& Death no one doth spare
So let us all to lesus Fly
& seek for refuge their
A large brick church now stands on the site of his
grave. Mrs. Thomburgh married a man named Moore,
and removed to Erie^ where she died.
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 387
The proprietors thus dying, and removing away, and
the lot owners living principally in Philadelphia, and not
paying attention to their claims, the citizens fenced up
the lots, with the view of holding them by possession right.
In 1814, Robert E. Grifjf th, of Philadelphia, brought an
ejectment for a large number of lots, which was defeated
in the Supreme Court in 1823, on account of the defec-
tive proof of the execution of the letter of attorney to
Peter Borger. The ejectments were renewed in 1824 ;
and from 1827 to 1832, the cases were all compromised,
by the defendants paying a small sum to the plaintiff for
each of the lots. In 1841, George W. West, and others,
brought an ejectment for one hundred lots against John
Lawshe and Charles Beyer, neither of whom were in
possession of any of the lots. The writ was set aside for
informality, and never renewed, which was the last diffi-
culty in lot titles, originating out of the Ellinckhuysen title.
In consequence of this defect of title, very few build-
ings were erected previous to 1830, which proved an
advantage to the place, as by that time, those who built
were able to erect much better edifices than they would
have erected years before. Hence the reason of Lewis-
burg having such good buildings, and being such a clean-
ly town.
In 1826, there were two wooden church edifices; the
Methodist Episcopal, which now constitutes a part of
Geddes & Marsh's foundry, on the comer of Front and
St. Lewis streets, and the Christian, near the north end
of Fifth street.
In 1812, a M. E. Church was organized; Messrs.
Dawson and Ross had preached occasionally in the place
for some months before. In 1818,, the Saints, with the
assistance of other denominations, erected the house
388 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRAKGH VALLEY.
spoken of above. In 1832, they erected a brick chapel
on Third street, which they took down in 1854, and
rebuilt it. Rev. Mr. Dashalle is now the pastor.
In 1833, a colony from the old Buffalo Church, at
Buffalo X Roads, was organized, by the name of the
Lewisburg Presbyterian Church, and the same year
erected a brick chapel on the N. W. comer of Front and
St. Lewis streets. A few years ago, an old deed to
trustees, for the use of a Presbyterian Church and grave
yard, for the lots occupied by the English grave yard
on Market street, was found among the old papers of
William Wilson, late of Kelly township, deceased, on
the grant of his son William of this place. The Presby-
terians of Lewisburg and vicinity, during the summer of
1856, erected a magnificent brick church on the site of
this old grave yard. The Rev. P. B. Marr was the first
pastor, who was succeeded in the autumn of 1852 by
the Rev. James Clark, D. D., who is the present pastor.
In 1834, the German Reformed and Lutherans erect-
ed a brick Union Chapel on the German grave yard, on
the corner of South Third and St. Lewis streets. In
1847, the German Reformed seceded from the Union,
and built a brick chapel on the comer of North Third
and St. John's streets. The Rev. J. H. Fries was the
first pastor, who had preached here many years before,
1834, in a log school house on tie German grave yard,
succeeded by the Rev. R. A. Fisher, and others, till
1844, when the Rev. Henry Harbaugh was installed
pastor, who was succeeded, in 1850, by the Rev. D. T.
Heisler, who was succeeded, in 1853, by the Rev. Ben-
jamin Bousman, the present pastor.
The Lutherans having bought out the interest of the
German Reformed, to the church on the grave yard lots,
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 389
in 1852, took down the old church, and rebuilt a brick
chapel on the same lot. The Rev. R. A. Fink is the
present pastor.
The Christian Society was organized in 1820, under
the auspices of the quite celebrated Elijah Bacon.
While he was in the South, collecting funds to erect a
meeting house, Messrs. Bussell and Badger took his
place, changed the mode of worship from a room withotd
seats, to that of one with seats, and in 1822 erected a
wooden chapel on the north end of Fifth street. In
1854 the society purchased a lot on Third street, north
of Market, and built thereon a brick church of very res-
pectable appearance.
In January, 1844, the Baptists organized a church in
this place, and in 1845, built a chapel on South Third
street, in the cupola of which is placed the town clock.
Rev. Isaac W. Hayhurst is the present pastor.
At a meeting of the Northumberland Baptist Associa-
tion, held in Milton, August 1832, it was
" Resolvedj That the exigencies of our denomination require that
an effort be made to establish a Manual Labor Academy in the inte-
rior of this Commonwealth, for the education of our sons, and to fur-
nish facilities for Literary and Theological improvement to brethren
who may have been approbated to preach.''
In October, 1834, however, the Association waived
their plan, by passing a Resolution, highly approving of
an effort then put forth by the Philadelphia Association,
to establish a Literary and Theological Institution at
Haddington, near Philadelphia. In 1835, a similar Re-
solution was again adopted.
The Philadelphia effort, however, proved an entire
failure; and in August, 1845, the Northumberland Asso-
ciation resumed their original design. They Resolved,
390 HISTORY OF THE WS8T BBANCH VALLBT.
(through a committee for the purpose^ composed of Re?.
Charles Packer, Dr. W. H. Ludwig, Rev. Joel £. Brad-
ley, Rev. J. Green Miles, and Dr. James Moore, Sr.,)
in favor of establishing, '' In Central Pennsylvania, t
Literary Institution, embracing a High School for male
pupils, another for females, a College, and also a Theolo-
gical Institution, to be under the control of the Baptist
denomination.'' Committees were appointed to cany
out the object
In the fall of 1845, Stephen W. Taylor, LL.D.,t
devoted and successful educator of Hamilton, N. Y., was
employed as a General Agent, and drew up, and in the
winter of 1846 obtained from the Legislature of Penn-
sylvania, a liberal charter for the ^^ University of Lswis-
BURO."* Rev. Messrs. Eugenie Kincaid and WiUiam
Shadrach, were subsequently appointed Canvassing
Agents, and in 1849, had raised, by subscription, the
sum of $100,000 as an endowment for the University;
of which $20,000 were from the funds of the Associa-
tion. Additional sums were subsequently secured for
the endowment of Professorships, giving it a solid foun-
dation and permanency of financial condition, hardly
surpassed by any literary institution in the State. A
large Academic building was afterwards erected at an
expense of $8,000, and the west wing of the main edifice
at an expense of $12,0C0.
The plan for the main University Edifice was kindly
presented by Prof. Thos. U. Walker, Ph. D. The central
edifice and the east wing will be erected this year. The
buildings are of the best and most approved models. —
Located in a native grove of unequaled beauty, on a
* I am indebted to 0. N. Worden, Esq., for the history of the Universi-
ty, from the first inception of the design, to the present time.
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 391
gentle hill oYerlooking the boroughs of Lewisburg, Mil-
ton and other towns— -on every hand firuitful fields,
bounded by mountains in the distance — I know of no
more attractive or delightful view from any " Hill of
Science/' than that to be furnished from the elevated
dome of the University Buildings.
In the fall of 1846, Prof. Taylor commenced a High
School, with a handfull of pupils, in the basement of a
house of worship, and soon organized a Freshman class.
Other instructors were engaged, and in 1851, President
Taylor had the satisfaction of graduating the first class
of six young men ; when he resigned, having accepted
the Presidency of Madison University, Hamilton, N. Y.
He was succeeded by Howard Malcom. The Institu-
tion is now in successful operation, under the direction
of a learned and substantial faculty, composed of the
Rev. Howard Malcom, D. D., President, and the Rev.
Geo. R. Bliss, D. Ph., Charles E. James, D. Ph., and
Justin R. Loomis, D. Ph., as assistant Professors in the
Collegiate Department. In 1855, Thomas F. Curtis, A.
M., was appointed Professor of Theology. H. D. Walk-
er, A. M., is Principal of the Academy. The University
Female Institute, under the charge of Miss. A. Taylor,
is located in town. There are three or four teachers in
this department.
Between the town and the University ground proper,
the flat is beautifully studded with the dwellings of the
various Professors, and other private residences, con-
structed in a unique and attractive style of architecture.
There are several Literary and other Societies con-
nected with the University and Institute. Also a supe-
rior Philosophical Apparatus, interesting Cabinets, and
Museum — a Library of over 3000 volumes, a Man-
392 HI8I0BT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
niken for physiolo^cal studies, and in fact, as large a
store of advantages for acquiring a good education as at
any other institution of a similar age. It has been
blessed with a large share of prosperity, and promisefi
lasting benefits to the favored country by which it is
surrounded and nurtured.
The log cabin Academy, in Lewisburg, was built aboat
the year 1805, by a joint stock company, on the corner
of the English Graveyard, where it now stands a monu-
ment of olden times.
In the year 1839, a new joint stock company built
the brick Academy on the comer of North Front and St
Mary streets. In September, 1845, it was sold to pay
a debt, and purchased by six individuals, who have since
sold out their interest, and it is now owned by the pre-
sent Principal, Mr. John Randolph, who has in it a
flourishing school. James McClure, Esq., Rev. Hu^
Pollock, John Robinson, Esq., Rev. Samuel Shaffer, and
Robert C. Ross, were successively the conductors of it
previous to the present incumbent.
James Black, John Metzger, Henry Spyker, George
Links, and Hugh Wilson, were among the earliest mer-
chants of the place. In 1826, nearly all the business
was done by William Hays and Alexander Graham. —
Daniel Beyer and Jacob Bogar had small stores, but
they both died that year, after which a number from a
distance came in and erected stores. There are now
nine dry goods stores, three drug stores, one hardware
store, and a number of other establishments, in the
town.
Union County was formed out of Northumberland by
the act of 22d March, 1813. Seth Chapman was the
first President Judge, and Hugh Wilson and Bo-
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 393
lender were the first Associate Judges. 'Ellis Lewis
succeeded Judge Chapman in 1832, and he was suc-
ceeded by Judge Wilson in 1842, who presides at the
present time.
Under an act of Assembly, passed March 2d, 1855,
Union County was divided. The division is called Sny-
der, in honor of the Governor, and embraces Middleburg,
and the southern part of the old County of Union. The
question of division occupied the minds of the people for
several years, and was stoutly contested on both sides.
The excitement engendered at the time will long be re-
membered by the people.
Lewisburg became the capital of Union County by
baUot, and on the 3d of December, 1855, the records
were removed to the new seat of justice. The first
Court was held in the basement of the M. E. Church,
commencing on the 17th of December, 1855.
By private subscription, a Court House and Jail are
being erected in Lewisburg, and are expected to be com-
pleted in time for December term of Court, 1856. The
building will be a model of neatness. It is one
hundred feet front, and fifty feet back. The first story
will contain the cells for prisoners — the second story the
County Offices — the third story the Court and Jury
rooms.
According to the census of 1850, Union County con-
tained 132,049 acres of improved land, and 74,881 un-
improved. The cash valuation of farms was $5,800,718.
Value of farming implements, machinery, &c., $184,087.
The County also contained 5,295 horses, 6,283 milch
cows, 9,931 sheep, and 13,G16 swine. Total aggregate
value of all live stock $471,390. Bushels of wheat
raised 353,095, rye 78,304, and corn 180,563. The
394 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
County also contained 1 Baptist, 1 ChristiaDy 10 Ge^
man Reformed, 13 Lutheran, 9 Methodist^ 1 Moravian,
4 Presbyterian, and 1 Union, Churches, the aggregate
value of which was $78,200, with accommodations for
17,800 people. The population of the County was
26,083. Lewisburg had 2,012, which is more than
doubled at the present day.
The County having been divided, since the above cen-
sus was taken, a great change has been effected in the
figures, yet there has been a gradual increase.
Buffalo Valley is one of the best wheat-producing re-
gions in Pennsylvania, and contains as fine farms as can
be found anywhere. Lewisburg is the grand depot for the
trade of this, as well as several other extensive valleys,
and does an immense business. Thousands of bushek
of wheat are annually shipped at this point.
The following indenture, which, upon examination, will
be found to be a curious instrument, is a bona fide docu-
ment, the original copy of which is still preserved in
Lewisburg. The ground referred to is now part of the
lot occupied by the Foundry of Messrs. Geddes & Marsh,
which was formerly the Methodist House of worship. —
It is certainly a rare curiosity in the conveyancing line.
It is doubtful whether any other town has as clear a
chronicle of possession from the original parents of man-
kind, downwards — and question if any borough in
America has the " documents" to prove itself as venera-
ble as Lewisburg :
Silts Xnll0lttUr0 — Made the ninth day of October, in the
year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three. Be-
tween Clara Helena Ellinkhuysen, of the town of Louisburg, in the
township of Buffaloe, in the county of Northumberland and couimon-
wealth of Pennsylvania, widow, of the one part, and Flavel Roan, of
fflSTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 395
the town of SuDburj, in the count j and commonwealth aforesaid.
Esquire, of the other part. Whereas, the Creator of the earth, by
parole and livery of seisin, did enfeoff the parents of mankind, to wit,
Adam and Eve, of all that certain tract of land, called and known in
the planetary system by the name of The Earth, together with all and
singular the advantages, woods, waters, water-courses, easements,
liberties, privileges, and all others the appurtenances whatsoever
thereunto belonging, or in any wise appertaining to have and to hold
to them the said Adam and Eve, and the heirs of their bodies lawfully
to be begotten, in fee-tail general forever, as by the said feo&ient
recorded by Moses, in the first chapter of the first book of his records
commonly called Genesis, more fully and at large appears on reference
being thereunto had : And Whereas, the said Adam and Eve died
seised of the premises aforesaid in fee-tail general, leaving issue, heirs
of their bodies, to wit, sons and daughters, who entered into the same
premises and became thereof seised as tenants in common by virtue of
the donation aforesaid, and multiplied their seed upon the earth : And
Whereas, in process of time, the heirs of the said Adam and Eve
having become very numerous, and finding it to be inconvenient to
remain in common as aforesuid, bethought themselves to make par-
tition of the lands and tenements aforesaid to and amongst themselves,
and they did accordingly make such partition : And Whereas, by vir-
tue of the said partition made by the heirs of said Adam and Eve, all
that certain tract of land called and known on the general plan of the
said Earth by the name of America, parcel of the said large tract, was
allotted and set over unto certain of the heirs aforesaid to them and to
their heirs general in fee-simple, who entered into the same and be-
came thereof seised as aforesaid in their demesne as of fee, and peopled
the same allotted lands in severalty, and made partition thereof to and
amongst their descendants : And Whereas, afterwards, (now deemed
in time immemorial,) a certain united people called '^ The Six Nation
of North America," heirs and descendants of the said grantees of
America, became seised, and for a long time whereof the memory of
man runneth not to the contrary, have been seised in their demesne
as of fee, of and in a certain tract of country and land in the north
division of America, called and known at present on the general plan
of the said north division by the name of Pennsylvania: And Whereas,
the said united nations, being so thereof seised, afterwards, to wit, in
the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty-eight, by
their certain deed of Feofifment with livery of seisin did grant, bar-
396 HI8I0RT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
gain, selly release^ enfeoff, alien, and oonfirm unto Thomas Peim aii
Baohard Penn, otherwise called The Proprietaries of Pennsylfasii^
(among other things) the county called Buffaloe-Valley, sitnale m
the South side of the west branch of the river Sasquehanoa, panel d
nid country called Pennsylvania, to hold to them the said Propiieli-
ries, their heirs and assigns forever, in their demesne as of fee, s ty
the same Feoffment more fully appears; which last mentioned tnoiof
ooontry was afterwards, with other tracts of country, by Uie said Pt»>
prietaries by the advice and consent of their great ooundl in genenl
assembly met, erected into a county called Nortbumberlsiid afoienU,
of which the said Buffaloe valley was and is parcel by the name of
Buffiiloe township : And Whereas, the said Proprietaries^ by their
letters patent bearing date the eleventh day of August, in the year cf
our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-two, did grant aad
oonfirm unto a certain Eichard Peters in feennmpie a certain pared of
the said township, called Prescott, situate at the mouth of Spriig
Bun, adjoining and below the mouth of Buffaloe creek, on the tmA
aide of the west branch of Susquehanna aforesaid, in the townshf
and county aforesaid, by metes and bounds in the said letten sat
forth, containing Uiree hundred and twenty acres and allowanoe, Ae^
as by the same, letters patent inrolled at Philadelphia in patent book
AA., vol. 13, page 265, more fully and at large appears: And
Whereas, the said Richard Peters, by his certain indenture beariag
date the seventeenth day of November, in the year of onr Lord 1773,
did grant, bargain and sell the last mentioned tract and parcel of land,
containing 320 acres and allowance, with the appurtenances, uoto a
certain Ludwig Dcrr in fee-simple, as by the same deed recorded ia
the office for recording of deeds in and for the county of Philadelphia,
in deed-book No. 22, page 444, appears at large on reference there>
unto had : And Whereas, the said Ludwig Derr, being so seised
thereof, did lay out a town called and known by the name of Lewi»-
burg, consisting of three hundred and fifty lots or parcels of land, with
suitable and proper streets, lanes and alleys, containing about one
hundred and twenty-eight acres, parcel of the said tract last her»B-
before mentioned, as by the general plan of the said town appears:
And Whereas, the said Ludwig Derr afterwards died intestate, (having
previously disposed of divers of the said lots to divers persons,) leaving
a widow (who is since deceased,) and issue, his only child George, his
heir at law : By Virtue and reason whereof the lands,* tenements and
hereditaments aforesaid, whereof the said Ludwick was seised at the
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. . 397
time of his death, and which he had not aliened, descended to and
became Tested in the said George Derr in fee-simple, who entered into
the same and became seised in his demesne as of fee : And Whereas,
the said Oeorge Derr being so thereoff seised, by his certain indenture
bearing date the twentieth day of December, in the year of our Lord
1788, did grant, bargain and sell all his estate and interest in the
town aforesaid, with the appurtenances, unto a certain Peter Borger
in fee-simple, as by the same deed recorded in the office for recording
of deeds in Philadelphia, in deed-book No. 22, page 442, and at Sun-
bury in Northumberland county aforesaid, in deed-book D, page 397,
appears : And whereas, the said Peter Borger, and Florinda his wife,
by their certain indenture bearing date the second day of January, in
the year of our Lord 1789, did grant, bargain, sell and confirm the
town, lots, lands, tenements and premises whereof they were so seised,
unto a certain Carl Ellinkhuysen of the city of Rotterdam, in the
province of Holland, in the United Netherlands of Europe, merchant,
in fee-simple, as by the same deed recorded in the office for recording
of deeds in and for the county of Northumberland, in book E, page
231, &o.f appears : And Whereas, the said Carl Ellinkhuysen, being
seised of the premises aforesaid by virtue thereof, by his certain deed
in writing cxdled a letter of attorney, sealed and delivered, bearing
date the eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord 1789, did con-
stitute, appoint, and authorize the said Peter Borger (among other
acts and things) to sell, dispose of, and convey and assure to such
persons as should agree for the same, all such lots of land in the said
town as the said Peter Borger should deem expedient, as by the said
letter of attorney recorded at Philadelphia in letter of attorney-book
No. 3, page 84, reference being thereto had appears : And Whereas,
the said Carl Ellinkhuysen (by his said attorney, Peter Borger, con-
stituted as aforesaid, unrevoked,) by certain indenture bearing date
the twenty-fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord 1790, did grant,
bargain, and sell unto Matthias Joseph Ellinkhuysen, late husband of
the said Clara Helena Ellinkhuysen, and to the said Clara Helena,
wife of the said Matthias Joseph, All that certain lot or piece of land,
(among other things,) parcel of the said town, not disposed of by the
said Ludwig Derr, situate in the said town of Louisburg, and known
on the general plan of the said town by the number 51, to wit, fifty-
one, containing in breadth on Front street and Walnut alley sixty-six
feet, and in depth on St. Louis street and lot No. 52, one hundred and
fifty-seven feet and six inches, bounded on the south by Front street
398 . HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
aforesaid, on the north by the said Walnut alley, and on the east by
lot No. 52 aforesaid, To Hold to them the said Matthias Joseph Ellink-
huysen and Clara Helena his wife, their heirs and assigns forever : By
Virtue whereof, the said Matthias Joseph Ellinkhnysen and Clara Hele-
na his wife, became seised in their demesne as of fee of the lot of ground
aforesaid; with the appurtenances in Joint Tcnantcy, to wit, to them
and to the survivor of them, his or her heirs and assigns for ever, as
by the said deed recorded in the ofBce for recording of deeds in and
for Northumberland county, in book E, page 84, reference being there-
unto had more fully and at large appears : And Whereas, afterwards,
the said Matthias Joseph Ellinkhnysen died seised as aforesaid of the
premises aforesaid, leaving the said Clara Helena his wife, By reason
whereof, the said Clara Helena Ellinkhnysen became sole seised of the
same premises in her own right and demesne as of fee : NOW, This
Indenture Witncsseth, that the said Clara Helena Ellinkbuysen, for
and in consideration of the sum of sixteen pounds and ten shillings,
lawful money of Pennsylvania, to her in hand well and truly paid by
the said Flavel Roan at the execution hereof, the receipt whereof is
hereby acknowledged. Hath granted, bargained, sold, aliened, enfeoffed,
released and confirmed, and by these presents. Doth grant, bargain,
sell, alien, enfeoff, release and confirm unto the said Flavel Roan, his
heirs and assigns. All that the aforesaid described lot of ground.
Together with the appurtenances, rights, easements, liberties, privi-
leges, and hereditaments whatsoever thereunto belonging, or in any
wise appertaining, and the reversion and reversions, remainder and
remainders, rents, issues and profits thereof. To Have and To Hold
the aforesaid described lot or piece of ground numbered as aforesaid
51, hereby granted, or meant, mentioned or intended so to be, with
the appurtenances, unto the said Flavel Roan, his heirs and assigns,
to the only proper use, benefit and behoof of him the said Flavel Roan,
his heirs and assigns forever. In Witness whereof, the said parties to
these presents have hereunto set their hands and seals, interchangeably
the day and year first above written.
CLARA HELENA ELLINKHUYSEN.
G. B. Van Capel, [l. s.]
Sealed and delivered in the presence of
Jno. Hayes,
Jno. Tuornburgh.
[Purchase money received as above — acknowledged before Wm.
Gray, J. P. — and recorded by J. Simpson, at Sunbury, Deed-book F,
page 280, 3d Nov. 1793.]
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 399
The author of this curious " Indenture" was Flavel
Roan, a witty and rather eccentric gentleman, the son of
a clergyman in Lancaster. His education was good,
and his penmanship superior. It is said that he kept a
trading house near the mouth of Buffalo Creek, at a very
early day. He was one of the first sheriffs of Northum-
berland County, and subsequently one of the original
commissioners of Union County. He died among his
kindred, the Clingans, and was buried at the Buffalo x
Koads.
Many anecdotes are related concerning him, one of
which I will give. He was travelling in Union County
once in company with John Strubble, when the conver-
sation turned upon making rhymes, and it was proposed
that each should make a couplet, and submit it to the
landlord, where they intended to stop that night, for
his decision, and the one having the least merit, should
^pay the bill for both. Rising early the next morning,
they proceeded to a large spring to perform the neces-
sary ablutions, when Strubble commenced his rhyme
thus :
" Our forefathers who were so wise,
First drank their bitters, then washed their eyes."
Whereupon Flavel Roan struck in as if by inspira-
tion—
" But we, the younger race, wiser still,
First wash our eyes, then drink our fill !'*
The landlord decided that Strubble lost the bet — the
bill was paid, and they both departed.
400 mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
CHAPTER XLIX.
iirrBRBSTiNa history of thb Presbyterian church at buf-
falo X ROADS— NAMES OF PASTORS, ELDERS, &0. — THE
RAINING ROCK — ^THE INDIAN GARDEN — SALT WORKS — AN OLD
GRAVE YARD — CONCLUSION OF THE ANNALS OF UNION COUN-
TY, WITH A REMARKABLE CASE OF WITCHCRAFT IN 1825.
The Presbyterian Church at Buffalo x Roads, is pro-
bably the oldest in the West Branch Valley, the history
of which dates back before the Revolution. For the
facts in the following interesting sketch of its history, I
am indebted to an article published a few years ago, in
the Family Presbyterian, by Rev. Isaac Grier.
On examining the records of Carlisle Presbytery, I
find that it was organized by the Synod of N. Y. and
Philadelphia, in 178G. It appears, on reference to the
Minutes of that Synod for May 1765, that owing to
difficulties in the Presbytery of Donegal, they deter-
mined to create the members living on the West Branch
into a new Presbytery, to be called the Presbytery of
Carlisle. We find there the following record : ^* The
Synod having maturely considered the situation of
affairs in the Presbytery of Donegal, agreed to erect the
members of that Presbytery, that Uve on the western
side of the Susquehanna, into a new Presbytery, to-
gether with the Rev. Andrew Bay, by the name of the
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 401
Presbytery of Carlisle, and appoint that their first meet-
ing be at Philadelphia, the 23d of May, 1765; and the
remaining members are hereby annexed to the Presby-
tery of New Castle." This caused considerable dissatis-
faction among some of the members of the old Donegal
Presbytery, and the next spring, 1766, a petition was
presented to the Synod, requesting them to review their
decision ; and after various plans were proposed and de-
bated, the Presbytery of Donegal was restored to its
former state. So it appears that this Presbytery existed
at that time for only one year, and was not again or-
ganized till the spring of 1786, when the Presbytery of
Donegal was divided into two Presbyteries, one to be
known by the name of the Presbytery of Baltimore, and
the other the Presbytery of Carlisle. From this it ap-
pears that the congregation of BuiFalo, if organized in
1773, must have been organized by Donegal Presbytery.
From the records of the various Synods, I find that
as early as 1774, supplies were sent more than fifty
miles higher up the West Branch. At the meeting of
the Synod in May, 1774, ^^a petition was brought in
and read from the Bald Eagle settlement, up the West
Branch, earnestly praying for supplies to be sent to
these parts. Mr. Latta is appointed to supply up the
West Branch five Sabbaths in the months of October
and November, and Mr. Samuel Dougal, a probationer
under the care of New Castle Presbytery, seven Sab-
baths in July and August." The earliest appointment
of supplies for this part of Pennsylvania by the Synod,
that I have been able to find, was in the spring of 1770,
at a mieeting in New York city, where it is stated,
" Messrs. Elder, State, and Steel, are appointed to sup-
ply between Augusta Fort, and Juniata, and places ad-
26
402 HI8I0BT OF THB WB8T BRANCH YALLSY.
jacent^ each two Sabbaths before next Synod." A07
earlier supplies must have been under the appointmoiti
for the frontier settlements and Indians.
According to Mr. Hood*s statement, Buffalo was ot
ganized in 1773, and James McClenahan and Samod
Allen were its first ruling elders ; the former had been
ordained in Deny, Dauphin county, and the latter ii
Silver Spring, then under the pastoral care of Mr.
Waugh. These gentlemen continued to officiate ai
elders, and the congregation to receive supplies, \a&
1781, when it was broken up on account of the coimti;
being overrun by Indians.
In 1783, the people returned, ajid in the same jm
Mr. McClenahan died ; and as Mr. AUen had died wluk
the people were away, the congregation was without
elders till 1786, when Matthew Laird, who had beeni
ruling elder in Big Spring, came to reside in the congre-
gation.
In 1787, they were visited by Mr. Hugh Morrison,!
probationer from Ireland, to whom they gave a call, and
he appears to have been their first pastor. The names
of the prominent pew holders at that time, were as fd-
lows : Robert Clark, Samuel Maclay, Christopher John-
son, James Forster, Andrew Forster, William Irwin,
John Reynor, W. Marshall, Jonathan Holmes, Alexan-
der Kennedy, Geo. Knox, John Linn, James Magee,
Col. John Kelly, William McClenahan, James Fleming,
Walter Clark, David Watson, Richard Shearer, Capt
W. Gray, W. Wilson, Matthew Laird, Robert Fruit,
John and James Thompson, Joseph and James Koadi,
Christopher Baldy, Thomas Hutchinson, Flavel Roan,
Andrew McClenahan, Paschal Lewis, Joseph Grier, Wl-
liam Linn, &c. The names of the following persons
mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 403
were pew holders at an earlier date : James McClelland,
Col. W. Chamberlin, Robert Forster, Alexander Steele,
Matthew Irwin, Robert Chambers, James Black, Hamil-
ton Shaw, Roan McClure, Samuel Dale, Gideon Smith,
Thos. Howard, Thos. Elder, Patrick Mecklin, Hugh
Wilson, and Hugh Wilson, Jr., Nathaniel Strahan, Gar
briel Morrison, &c.
In the records of the church for May 22d, 1788, is
the following : " Carlisle Presbytery reported that they
have ordained to the work of the gospel ministry, Mr,
Samuel Wilson, in the pastoral charge of Big Spring
congregation, and Mr. H. Morrison in the charge of
Sunbury, Northumberland, and Buffalo Valley." As
this report was made in May, 1788, it Ls probable that
he was installed in the year '87, when he first visited
them. Shortly after he came, there was an election for
elders, and Walter Clark, John Linn, William Irwin,
David Watson, John Reynor, and Joseph Allen, were
chosen, and ordained ruling elders. Messrs. Clark and
Allen, some years after, removed to the West, the others
continued to act as elders till their death. About the
year 1795, Mr. Clingan was added to the session. The
Presbytery of Huntingdon was organized this year, and
the congregations in this section of the State fell within
its bounds.
Mr. Morpson continued pastor until 1801, when the
relationship existing between him and the members was
dissolved, on account of a difficulty that had existed for
more than a year. Had temperance societies existed in
those days, there would not have been so much drinking,
probably, at weddings ; and clergymen would not have
been charged with taking too much !
In 1802 or 3, the congregations of BuiGFalo, and Wash-
404 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BBANCH YALLET.
ington, in White Deer Valley, were visited by Mr. James
Magraw, a licentiate of the Presbyiery of New Castie, to
whom they gave a call, but he did not accept.
Mr. Morrison died in Sunbury, on the 15 th of Sep-
tember, 1804, and was buried in the lower graveyard.
In the winter of the same year, Mr. Thomas Hood, i
licentiate of the New Castle Presbytery, visited the two
congregations, to whom they gave a call that somma,
which he accepted at the fall meeting of the Presbyteiy.
and was at that time dismissed to put himself under the
care of the Huntingdon Presbjrtery, at Spring CreA
April 16, 1805, and was ordained and installed Oct 2dy
of the same year. Soon after Mr. Hood's setUement ii
Buifalo, Thomas Howard, Andrew McClenahan, James
McClelland, and Samuel Templeton were elected vA
ordained ruling elders.
At the next election, some years after, Thomas Cliuf
an, James Geddes, and Robert Forster, were choeen
and ordained.
In 1816, the congregation erected a stone Chapel, the
original house of worship being a small log building.
In 1832, Samuel Barber, William Forster, and Robert
G. H. Hayes, were elected and ordained ruling elders.
In the spring of 1808, Mr. Hood commenced to preacli
one fourth of his time in Mifflinburg, leaving but one
fourth to Washington. In 1812, he received a call from
the church at Milton for one fourth of his time, the por-
tion which he had given the four years previous to
Mifflinburg, and he was installed in Milton, Oct. 1812.
The people of Milton had made application to the Pres-
bytery of Huntingdon, in the spring of 1811, to be
organized into a Church, which was not granted at that
time, and before the next meeting, the Presbytery of
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 405
Northumberland was organized, and the application was
renewed at their first meeting in Oct. 1811.
As it may be satisfactory to the reader to see the
Minute of the Synod, organizing the Northumberland
Presbytery, I shall copy it It reads as follows :
'^ By a resolution of the Synod of Philadelphia at their Sessions,
May 16; 18 11, the request of the Preshytery of Huntingdon, to be
divided by the following line, was granted, viz. : — Beginning at the
mouth of Mahantango Creek, proceeding a Northwesterly coarse so
Ii8 to strike the West Branch at the line which divides Lycoming
and Centre counties, so as to leave to the eastward the following
members : The Rev. Messrs. Asa Dunham, John Bryson, Isaac Grier,
John B. Patterson, and Thomas Hood, with their respective charges,
together with the vacant congregations of Great Island, Pine Creek,
and Lycoming. And it was further resolved, that the above named
ministers and congregations be named the Presbytery of Northum-
berland, and meet at the Presbyterian Church in the tovm of North-
umberland, on the first Tuesday of October next, ensuing the date of
this resolution, at 11 o'clock, A. M."
Presbytery met in accordance with the above resolu-
tion, and was opened by the Rev. Asa Dunham with a
sermon from Eph. 2 : 14. The members that constitu-
ted that Presbytery, were the Rev. Messrs. Dunham,
Bryson, Grier, Patterson, and Hood ; with the elders,
James Sheddan, James Hepburn, William Montgomery,
and Thomas Howard. As the Presbytery of Hunting-
don had not granted the request of the people of Milton,
and a part of White Deer township, to be organized into
a Church in Milton, at the first meeting of the North-
umberland Presbytery, the application was renewed by
Messrs. Bethuel Vincent and James P. Sanderson. —
Presbytery agreed to meet in Milton on the first Tues-
day in December, to take the matter into consideration,
and hear the parties both pro and con. At that meeting,
406 smoBLY ow the west branch yallet.
Messrs. Vinoent and Sanderson appeared again in b^
half of the people desiring an organization, and Mesen.
James Moodie and Joseph Kerr appeared in hehalf of
those opposed to it^ and laid before Presbytery a le-
monstrance. The Presbytery granted the request, and
a Church was organized in Milton. The next spring a
call was made for one fourth of Mr. Hood's time, and
he was installed. In 1819, he retired firom the charge
of the Washington congregation^ and devoted the whok
of his time between the congregations at Buffalo and
Milton.
At the installment of Mr. Hood, there were sixty
members in Buffalo Church; the largest number added
at any one time^ was thirty-five^ in the faU of 1824. la
the year 1828, there were two hundred and seventy-
three members. At the time Mr. Hood left, the mem-
bers were reduced to fifty-eight, owing to the organization
of four or five other Churches, chiefly formed of members
from Buffalo Church.
- Mr. Hood retired from the pastoral charge of Buffalo
Church in April, 1835, and died in Lewisburg, March
17th, 1848, at a good old age.
Rev. Isaac Grier supplied the pulpit from 1835 to
the spring of 1853, when he left, and the Rev. Philip
W. Malick supplied it one year, when he returned in
the spring of 1854, was installed, and is officiating at
the present time.
In 1846, the stone building was taken down and the
present beautiful brick edifice erected in its stead. So
ends the history of the Church at Buffalo x Road.
Dr. Robert Vanvakah, of Buffalo x Roads, and Dr.
Charles Beyer, of Lewisburg, were the first prominent
physicians in Buffalo Valley. They both died at an
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 407
advanced age : the former April 18, 1850, and the latter
September 30, 1830.
The "Driesbach" German Reformed and Lutheran
Churches, four miles west of Lewisburg, were organized
about the close of the last century. A log building was
first erected : in 1844, its place was supplied with a
neat brick building. Rev. J. H. Fries, and Rev. Geo.
Heim, preached there for many years. The Lewisburg
German Reformed Church was a colony from it.
The oldest mill on Bufialo Creek is six miles from
Lewisburg. It was built by a man named Bear at an
early day, and is owned at the present time by the heirs
of John A. Vandyke. It is supposed to be as old as
Derr's miU:
A large Furnace was erected at the mouth of Turtle
Creek in 1854-5, by Messrs. Beaver, Geddes, Marsh,
& Co., and is doing a profitable business.
There is a place called the " Indian Garden," about an
acre of cleared land, surrounded by thick woods, on
Thomas Howard's farm, three miles above Lewisburg,
on Bufialo Creek. Indian relics, such as darts, &c., have
been found in great abundance. A few years ago, what
was supposed to be the thigh bones of a Mastadon, were
found on the same farm, in digging a ditch through a
meadow.
On David Linn's farm there used to be what was call-
ed the " Raining Rock." A rock projected about six feet
over the Creek, and about the same distance above the
water, and about ten feet long, from the whole face of
which — except in very dry weather — there flowed con-
tinued streams and drops of water. It was destroyed
by the opening of a stone quarry a few years ago.
There is a remarkable " Sink Hole," three miles from
town, on Dale's hiU. It has been descended to a great
408 HISTORY OF THE WEST BBANGH VALLEY.
depth without finding bottom, and a stone thrown in
can be heard rumbling for a long time.
In quarrying limestone, near Winfield, in Dry Valley,
a few years since, a large cave was discovered, filled witli
beautiful stalactites.
There is a graveyard on the banks of Turtle Credc,
near Jenkins' Mill, that all recollection of who was buried
there is lost, with the exception of a boy killed by the
running away of a plow-team, some sixty years ago.
In 1822-3, there was a joint stock company raised
to erect Salt Works, eight miles north-west of Lewisboig.
They bored a hole into the earth some 600 feet, from
which has run a constant stream of water ever since.
It produced no salt, but has a strong sulphurous taste.
I have no doubt its medicinal qualities are as wholesome
as some of the far-famed watering places.
The parents of John Foster, Esq., of Buffalo x Roads,
lived at an early day on Buffalo Creek, nearly opposite
Vanvalzah's Mill. He remembers many incidents of
Indian history, one of which is as follows : — One night
the family were alarmed by Indians, and fled to a rye
patch adjoining the house, where they passed the night.
A small dog, that was usually very vociferous at night,
stayed with them and made no noise. The family
always considered it a special act of Providence. Next
morning plenty of Indian tracks were found around the
house. It was a log building, and is standing at the
present day.
I might give many more interesting reminiscences of
Buffalo Valley, as it is a fruitful field, but the limits of
this work forbid it. I will, however, give a remarkable
case of witchcraft, by way of concluding the annals of
Union county.
About the year 1825, a remarkable farce of witchcraft
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 409
"was played in the family of a man named Kern, in
Beaver township. He had a wife and two daughters,
and followed the occupation of farming. In his imme-
diate vicinity lived a man named Romig, who, from some
unknown cause, became a hypochondriac, and the impres-
sion got abroad that he was bewitched. Soon after this
the milk in Kern's spring-house became sour, within a
few hours after it was placed there. This occurred daily
until the farce was concluded, which was in two or three
weeks. The next act played was of a more remarkable
character. Kern's tables, and kitchen furniture, were to
be seen flying in all directions, thrown, it was supposed^
by supernatural means. Knives, forks, spoons, ladles,
&c., never remained more than five minutes on the dres-
ser after having been placed there, but-were thrown in
various directions about the house; and, as the more
believing portion of the neighbors asserted, it was no
uncommon thing to see them thrown through the solid
wall of the house without leaving any mark of their
passage in the wall ! A peddler, who stopped for the
purpose of trading some of his notions to Kern, asserted
that he had not been in the house ten minutes, before hjs
hat and dog were thrown through the wall of the kitchen,
into the adjoining yard ! It is not to be presumed that
he was influenced in propagating this story by the hope
of assembling a crowd around his wagon.
During these transactions, Kern had a numerous
crowd daily at his house j and on Sundays there was
a gathering at his door, such as the most eloquent
divine would have failed to assemble. Of these, the
major part came prepared to believe all they saw and
all they might hear ; of course there was no lack of true
stories. The unbelieving portion of the visitors — a very
410 HISTORY OF THE WEST BBANCH YALUBT.
dmall number, for men of sense generally staid at home-
kept their eyes open, and readily discovered that the old
woman and the daughters were the witchto, and threw
the knives, forks, &c. A witch doctor was called, who
proceeded, with great solemnity, to expel the evil spirit
Divers ma^cal and mysterious rites were performed,
exorcisms were chanted, and texts of scripture nailed
to every door and window in the house. The witches,
however, set the doctor at naught, and baffled all his
schemes.
At length a party of young men, residing in New
Berlin, resolved to try their skill at taking evil spirits.
One of them having procured a mask, a huge flaxen wig,
a pair of furred gloves, and other necessary apparatus,
set out with the rest, in the afternoon, and arrived at
Kern's early in the evening. At their request^ the
witches performed, to their great satisfaction, untU a
late hour. At length, when all the visitors, except the
young witch doctors, had left the house, it was resolved
to commence operations. They desired to see how
the witches acted above stairs, and were accordingly
conducted up the ladder, accompanied by the whole
family. In the meantime, one of the party who had a
remarkably hoarse and deep-toned voice, and who was
to act the part of the Devil, was notified by a precon-
certed signal — ^for he had not entered the house — ^to
prepare for action. He accordingly put on his wig and
mask, which he rubbed with phosphorus, and wrapped
himself in a buffalo skin. The party up stairs were well
provided with squibs. One of them had a piece of phos-
phorus, with which he wrote on the wall such words as
"Devil," "Hell," &c., in a number of places. The signal
being given, the candle was extinguished, the squibs dis-
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 411
tributed most copiously, and the horrid words on the wall
shone out in liquid fire ! The barrels and furniture in
the room were trundled about the floor, and an astound-
ing uproar was kept up for some minutes. Presently a
terrific roar was heard from below; all parties ran to the
stair-door, and saw at the foot of the ladder his grim
majesty in all the terrors of flames, flax, fur and horns.
Satan made an appropriate speech on the occasion, and
then retired. His address was followed by a most edify-
ing exhortation by the wag of the party on the sin of
deceiving, and the danger of another visit from old Nick,
if the present practices should be persisted in. The
terrified witches made a full confession, and so ended
the enchantment.
As the people became enlightened and refined, the
belief in witchcraft declined. Ignorance and supersti-
tion go hand in hand.
412 HI8T0BT OF THE WEST BRA5GH YALLET.
CHAPTER L.
VIB8T SETTLERS IN MILTON — NAMES OF THE FIRST BOROUGH
OFFICERS — SCHOOLS — RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS — NAMES OF
THE PASTORS — LITERART ASSOCIATIONS — WHEN ORGANIZED-
BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATIONS— CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF EVENTS
— IMPROVEMENTS — POPULATION, tc.
For the infonnation in this chapter^ I am indebted to
J. F. Wolfinger. Esq., who has kindly furnished it.
In 1772, the place where the town of Milton now
stands was covered with a dense forest, and no soond
was heard save that of the wild beast or bird, or that of
the Indian as he roamed over the grounds in quest of
prey, or paddled his light canoe over the rippling waters
of the Otzinachson.
In 1775, Marcus Huling built a log cabin near the
western curve of Limestone Run, and occupied it as a
tavern stand. His son, Marcus Huling, Jr., also erected
a similar cabin on the river bank, near Broadway, and
occupied it as a blacksmith shop. These were the first
buildings erected by the white man. When the British
and Indians, under McDonald, captured Fort Freeland
in 1779, they burned these buildings, and the Hulings
took their canoes and fled to Duncan's Island.
In 1780, another and larger log house was erected on
the site of Milton, and occupied as a fort, by a little band
of soldiers stationed there to guard the slowly returning
fflSTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 413
settlers. In 1790, Andrew Straub, millwright, from Lan-
caster county, and one Christian Yentzer, purchased at a
SheriiF's sale, among other lands adjoining, all the ground
forming that portion of Milton south of Broadway. It
was sold as the property of Turbutt Francis, deceased,
one of the early Associate Judges of Northumberland
county Courts. In 1791, Yentzer conveyed aU of his
interest to Straub, who, in 1792, laid out the town of
Milton, and built a small log grist-mill on Limestone
Run, then diverted from its original course to the river,
for the accommodation of the future town and people.
August 11th, 1795, all that portion of the town north
of Broadway was laid out by its proprietor, James Black,
of Sunbury. The town for some years continued to in-
crease rapidly, and enterprising settlers from New Jer-
sey, and the Counties of Chester, Delaware, York,
Lancaster and Berks, in our own State, flocked in. —
Bethuel Vincent was also one of the early settlers.
On the 26th of February, 1817, Milton was incorpo-
rated into a borough by the Legislature. The first
borough officers elected in pursuance of this act, were as
follows :
Chief Burgess, - - . Arthur McGowan.
Assistant Burg ess , - - Robert McGuigan.
cy . /. r> -7 1 SvLO. Jones,
Supervisors of Roads, - | David Derrickson.
High Constable^ . - . James Sharp.
Constable, ... - Joseph Hartman.
Toum Council — Joseph Rhoads, Daniel R. Bright,
Samuel Hepburn, Daniel Scudder, Christopher Woods,
George Eckbert and Thomas Comly.
The first settlement of the borough accounts was
made on the 29th of April, 1818, from which it appears
414 HI8T0BT OF THE WEST BBANOH YALLBT.
that the taxes levied and collected for the year 1817,
amounted to $739 04 i
Expenses for same year ... 691 56 i
Leavmg a balance in the Treasury of - $ 47 48.
The taxes of 1817 were oppressively high, to raise
funds in order to repair the heavy damage done by the
great Limestone Run flood, which occurred on the 9th of
August, 1817, and destroyed the Front street bridge,
and washed out the great ravine now crossed by it —
The mill and several houses were swept off. The burst-
ing of a water spout is supposed to have occasioned such
an immense flow of water. The Legislature granted the
borough $5000, and the County a larger sum, to aid in
replacing the bridge.
The first educational institutions in Milton were an
old log school house, erected on Lower Market street in
1796, and a frame building on Broadway in 1802. —
Here most of the children of the first settlers obtained
what little education they got. The first German set-
tlers had a school for the instruction of their children in
their own language, but it gradually dwindled away for
the want of support.
About the year 1816, Joseph D. Biles began to in-
struct the sons of a few of the wealthier families, in the
Latin and Greek languages, in the old Broadway school
house, which thenceforward received the more dignified
title of " The Milton Academy." The venerable log
school house of Lower Milton was, in 18S8, removed to
Eckbert's mill and converted into a blacksmith shop ;
while its younger rival, the old frame Academy, was also
removed from its site in 1849, by the colored people and
converted into " The African Church." In place of these
buildings, fine brick school houses were erectod.
mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 415
The higher and more successful Milton Academy was
erected in 1823, on a rising ground, and still stands^
where the Rev. David Kirkpatrick taught the classics
with brilliant success to many, if not most, of the pro-
fessional characters throughout the West Branch Valley.
But the glory of this good old institution has departed
never more to return, until another Kirkpatrick is found
to take the youth by the hand and lead them gently up
the rugged hill of science.
The Lancasterian school house was erected in 1830,
and so called because it was designed to introduce the
Lancasterian system of conducting schools, which was
soon abandoned for want of support. The Prospect Hill
school house was erected on a high and beautiful piece
of ground near the northern limits of the town. The
present schools are respectable, but fall far short of what
they ought to be for such an enterprising town.
The Churches consist first of the English Protestant
Episcopal church, called Christ Church. They had a
log meeting house erected in 1795, in Morris Lane, but
long since torn down and supplied by a new brick church
of the same name, erected in upper Market street in
1849. The Methodist Episcopal Church, likewise a log
building, was erected somewhere between the years
1802-15, and torn down about 1834, and a new brick
edifice substituted.
The German Reformed, German Lutheran and English
Presbyterian church, a union, styled " The Harmony
Church," was commenced in 1817, and finished in 1819.
It was considered a building of much splendor for that
time. It is still standing on the eastern end of Maho-
ning street, where the three respective congregations
worshipped till 1832, when the English Presbyterians
416 HIBTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
withdrew, and in 1837-8, built themselves a new brick
church on Front street, which was recently torn down
and a magnificent edifice erected in its stead, daring the
summer of 1856. *
After this, the German Reformed and Lutherans wo^
shipped in the Harmony Church, on alternate Sabbaths,
till 1850, when the Lutherans also withdrew and built
themselves a new brick church.
In addition to these Churches, there is the Associate
Reformed Presbyterian Church, erected in Church Lane
in 1820, and afterwards called the Seceder, and then the
Covenanter Church — but recently sold to the Sunbuiy
and Erie Railroad Company, and supplied in 1854, by a
new brick building in Walnut street, now styled The
First Reformed Presbyterian Church.
The Baptist Church, a brick edifice, was erected in
1829, in Church Lane, and is still standing. The Ro-
man Catholic Church, likewise a brick buUding, was
erected in 1844.
The Rev. Caleb Hopkins was the first and, indeed,
only settled pastor of the old Episcopal Church, for his
successors, the Revds. Elijah D. Plumb, Wiltber-
ger, Smith, Carter, B. Eldridge, Wistar Mor-
ris, William Montgomery and John G. Furey, were only
supplies for a short time. They have no pastor now.
The first regular pastor of the German Reformed
Church, was the Rev. Justus Henry Fries, and his suc-
cessors were, the Revds. Martin Bruner, Samuel Gute-
lius, Henry Wagoner, Daniel Gring, Henry Harbaugh,
Ephraim KiefFer, Edwin M. Long and Albert G. Dole,
the present pastor.
The first regular pastor of tlie German Lutheran
Church, was the Rev. Philip Repass. His successors
BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 417
were the Revds. Frederick Waage, — -^ Grarman, Chas.
P. Miller, John George Anspach, Charles F. Stoever,
Eli Swartz, Frederick Ruthrauff, John J. Reimensnyder,
and Christopher C. CuUen, the present pastor.
The first regular pastor of the Presbyterian Church
was the Rev. Thomas Hood. His successors were the
Revds. James Williamson, David Longmore, D. D., and
James C. Watson, D. D., the present pastor. All the
other occasional preachers were supplies.
The first regular pastor of the Associate Reformed or
Seceder Church, was the Rev. Geo. Junkin, D. D., his
successors were the Revds. William Wilson, John Mc-
Konley, John Agnew Crawford, Matthew Smith, and
William Theodore Wiley, the present pastor. All the-
others were suppUes.
The first regular pastor of the Baptist Church was the^
Rev. Eugenic Kincaid, his successors were the Revds..
Geo. Higgins, Thomas Brown, David C. Waite, Collins
A. Hewit, J. E. Bradley, and Howard Malcom, D. D..
the present pastor.
The names of the pastors of the M. E. Church cannot
be given for the want of correct data. This is much re-
gretted.
The first regular priest of the Catholic Church was
John C. Flannigan, his successors were John Hannigan,
O'Keefe, Eanney, Daniel Sheridan, Basil
Shorb, and George Gostenschnigg, the present one in
charge.
Among the early literary associations, may be named
the Franklin Reciting and Debating Society, established
about the year 1816, in which such spirits as Joseph B.
Anthony, James Armstrong, William Cox Ellis, Elijah
Babbitt, Daniel Scudder, William H. Wilson, and their
27
418 HISTOBT OF THE WEST BBANCH YALLET.
youthful associates, measured their intellectual strength,
and gave free scope to their wit, fancy and eloquence. —
The Philomaithean Society, was formed in 1821. The
next was the Milton Book Society, formed in 1822,
which gave rise, the same year, to the Milton Circulating
Library. This was followed in 1828, by the Milt(m
Library Association, the members of which contributed
one dollar each annually to keep up a regular and fresh
supply of the best library books for the benefit of them-
selves and families. The next was the Franklin Junto,
a debating society, organized in 1832 ; and the Milton
Lyceum, for lecturing purposes, formed in 1837. The
Milton Literary Association, organized in 1840^ was de-
signed to purchase and encourage the reading of the
standard literary periodicals of the day, by its members
and their families. At a more recent date, the Franklin
Institute of Milton was formed for the purpose of encou-
raging lawyers, physicians and literary men generallj,
to meet together to listen to lectures, participate in de-
bates, &c.
The earliest known Benevolent Association was the
Milton Bible Society, organized in 1815. The Auxiliary
Missionary Society of Milton, was formed in 1824, and
the Milton Tract Society in 1828. These Societies were
designed to distribute the Bible and Tracts, and also aid
in sending Missionaries from our land to preach the Gos-
pel to the heathen. The Milton Temperance Society
was organized in 1830 — the MQton Reformed Tempe-
rance Society in 1835.
The Milton Sabbath Association was formed in 1844,
in order to promote the better observance of the Sab-
bath; and the Milton Female Bible Society in 1845,
still in active operation, for the distribution of the word
of God.
mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 419
The foUowing larger, or more general, Societies have
been located at this central point, to wit : The Susque-
hanna Bible Society, organized in 1815 — ^the Northum-
berland Missionary Society in 1818 — the Milton Sunday-
school Union in 1827, and the Susquehanna Tract So-
ciety in 1828. These Societies were designed to aid in
exploring and supplying the Bible throughout the Val-
ley, and the adjoining counties of Union, Lycoming and
Columbia, and to supply the destitute with preachers.
The various Sunday-schools of this wide region, in-
cluding those of Milton, met in one harmonious Union
for several years. Reports were received from each
school, giving its name, number of scholars and teachers,
supply of books, present condition and future prospects,
&c., and then forwarded, in the shape of a general report,
to the American Sunday-school Union, at Philadelphia.
T^e honor of originating, and giving life and energy to
these noble institutions, belongs exclusively to the Pres-
byterians of this region, acting through their ecclesiasti-
cal court, styled The Presbytery of Northumberland,
which then enrolled among its members such venerated
names as those of the Rev. John Bryson, Rev. John B.
Patterson, Rev. Thomas Hood, Rev. George Junkin,
D. D., and Rev. Dr. Kirkpatrick. But of all these, the
Rev. Dr. Junkin was evidently the master spirit, who
set the wheels of Christian improvement and social re-
form in motion ; and although he was at times severe,
and perhaps extra strict, yet the citizens have reasons
to rejoice at the results of his persevering labors.
The first Sunday-school was established by a little
band of Presbyterian ladies, about the year 1815 ; and
the first Infant Sunday-school established here in 1826,
was a PiFesbyterian one. The Northern Temperance
420 mSTOBY OF THE WEST BBANCH YALLBT.
Conventions, commencing with that held at Danville in
1841, and afterwards held at Milton, Lewisburg, New
Berlin, Northumberland, Muncy, Williamsport and Lock
Haven, were also of Presbyterian origin, originating out
of a resolution offered by Mr. Wolfinger, before the Mil-
ton Temperance Society, in 1840.
The following chronological table will serve to show
the dates of some of the leading events in Milton :
1815 — George Eckbert's water power grist mill erected.
1816 — The Northumberland, Union and Columbia Bank,
commonly called the Old Milton Bank, es-
tablished.
1816 — Miltonian newspaper commenced by Gen. Frick.
1818 — New bridge- built on Front street by James
Moore.
1820— Population of Milton 1015.
1822 — Lightning strikes the Harmony Church, doing
much damage.
1825 — Great hailstorm.
1830 — First Furnace or Foundry erected by Joseph
Rhoads.
1830 — West Branch Canal completed to Milton.
1830 — John Deeter runs the first canal boat, named the
West Branch, to Northumberland.
1830— Population 1352.
1832 — Bridge across the river completed.
1885— Steam Grist MiU erected by F. W. Pollock.
1840— Population 1508.
1841 — First Steam Saw Mill erected by Evans &
McCleery.
1841 — Bounds of Milton diminished.
1845 — Second Foundry erected by White & Mervine.
HI8I0BT OF THE WEST BRANOH VALLET. 421
The town of Milton is twelve miles from the junction
of the two rivers, and has always transacted a large
amount of business, especially in grain. The farmers of
this region, at an early day, had to transport their grain
during the winter on sleds to Reading. After the place
had sufficiently increased in population to have boat-
builders and boatmen, they commenced running it to
Baltimore in boats on the river. After the completion
of the canal, they preferred to send it to Philadelphia,
which was a better market.
Since the completion of the Gatawissa, and Sunbury
and Erie Railroad to this point, the price of real estate
has greatly advanced, and lands that could have pre-
viously been bought for ^50 and ^75 per acre, now
readily bring $100 and upwards.
The country around Milton is very extensive as well
as fertile — the principal commodity raised is wheat.
The surrounding country is rolling, and contains beauti-
ful and diversified scenery.
The town is rapidly improving, and numerous fine
brick buildings are erected annually. It is weU supplied
with first class stores, and excellent hotels.
His Excellency, the Hon. James Pollock, Governor of
the State, resides in Milton.
The population in 1850, was 1649, and at the present
time it is considerably over 2000.
422 HI8T0BT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALI£T.
CHAPTER LI.
MODERN HISTORY OF MUNCY — EARLY TIMES OF WILLIAHSPORT
— TRADE AND IMPROVEMENTS — IMMENSE LUMBER DEPOT-
RAILROADS — LYCOMING CREEK — VILLAGES — LABRY'S CREEK
— JERSEY SHORE — ITS HISTORY — NIPPENOSB VALLEY — TRUE
ORIGIN OF THE NAME.
McEwENSViLLE, named after Alexander McEwen, is a
flourishing village^ on the main road to Miincy^ three
miles north of Milton^ in a rich and well cultivated
country. It does not improve much, being an old place,
and contains about fifty dwellings, and several fine
churches. It also contains several stores, and a good
hotel. A very excellent and popular institution of
learning is located here. The principal, at the present
time, is C. Low Ryneirson.
New Columbia is a pleasant little village, one mile
above Milton, on the Union county side of the river.
It is said that an Indian town once stood here.
Watsontown, named after a Mr. Watson, is on the
river, a short distance above the mouth of Warrior Run.
It contains upwards of 40 dwellings, several stores, &c.
Uniontown is a smart village, on the west side of the
river, in Lycoming county, on the road to Williamsport
over the mountain. A fine bridge of recent construc-
tion, connects it with the other side of the river.
The town of Muncy is located in the rich and fertile
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 423
valley bearing the same name, about one mile from the
river. It was first commenced in Penn's Manor, by
Benjamin McCarty, in 1797, and called Pennsboro',
which name it bore till its incorporation in 1826, when
the title was changed. In 1832, the population was
479, in 1850, 910, and at the present time about 1500.
It contains five licensed hotels, and fifteen stores.
The first building, for public worship, was put up in
1825, and dedicated by the name of the Union School
House, denoting that it was for the use of all denomina-
tions, as well as for school purposes. In 1829, the first
Methodist Episcopal Church was erected. It was a
single story frame building, and was displaced in 1854 for
the present elegant brick edifice. The Episcopal Church
was erected in 1831, to which, in 1855, was added a
neat and commodious parsonage; and preparations are
now being made to substitute a new church for the ol^
one*
In 1834, the Presbyterian, in 1841, the Baptist, and
in 1851, the Lutheran, Churches were erected.
The Lycoming Mutual Insurance Company went into
operation in 1840, and by their twelfth annual report it
appears that they have property insured to the amount
of $24,818,758 56, with a capital of $2,134,872 00.
The Muncy canal is a side cut from the West Branch
Canal to the borough, about one mile in length, built by
an incorporated company in 1848, at a cost of about
$3000.
Penn's Plank Road connects Muncy with Hughesville,
five miles distant. It was built in 1853.
The Muncy bridge, crossing the river, was erected in
1854, at a cost of $27,000.
Hughesville is an incorporated borough, located at the
424 BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET.
point where Big Muncy Creek enters into the hill coun-
try, and contains several hotels and stores, and a Metho-
dist and Lutheran Church. Considerahle business in
done in the lumber trade. John Lukins Wallis, claimed
to be the first white male child bom north of Muncy
Hills, resides here. He is an old man.
Pennsville is situated about three miles north of
Muncy, and has a store and one hotel. It is noted for
being the centre of the Friends' settlement here, and
their church stands at the west end of the village.
Muncy Creek, about three miles from its junction with
the river, separates into two branches, called Big and
Little Muncy. Both branches extend into some of the
best timber lands of the State, where numerous saw
mills have been erected ; and it is estimated by those
capable of judging, that from twelve to fifteen millions
of feet of lumber are manufactured annually.
The hills on the north of Muncy are often regard-
ed as the base of the Alleghany mountains, but really
are of a different formation, and separated by a valley
called Mill Creek, which is from one to two miles wide ;
on the north of which the Allcghanies rise up in majestic
grandeur far above all other hills.
The geological formation of Muncy Valley, by Rogers'
system, consists of stratas V. VI. VII. VIII. and IX.,
proceeding from the mouth of Muncy Creek northward,
to the base of the Alleghany mountains; and east or
south it is limited by passing the out crop of the same
stratas to No. VIII., which is the formation of the Muncy
Hills — and west, notwithstanding its elevation, the Bald
Eagle mountain is found to be only No. III. This sin-
gular elevation of No. III., which comprises the Bald
Eagle throughout its range to HoUidaysburg, commences
BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 425
opposite the mouth of Muncy Creek, and the conse-
quence is, .that each strata laps in a semi-circle round its
east base, thereby making the rocks on the north-east
and south dip in opposite directions. No. V. is princi-
pally covered by the bottoms and river, which probably
conceals the corresponding locality of the valuable iron
ore of Montour's ridge, which has only been discovered
in small quantities. No. VII. composes the best farm
land of the valley, and is as valuable as the limestone
deposit. Lead, in small quantities, has been taken out
at the Lime Bluffs, about three miles from Muncy. It
was found in the white seams between the rocks. This
fact gives strength and probability to a tradition from
the Indians, that they knew a valuable mine of lead on
Glade Run, within a short distance of the town. It was
said that they visited Muncy to get supplies of the ore,
but refused all knowledge of its location to the whites.
The confidence reposed in its existence was so strong by
the early settlers, that considerable time and expense
was incurred in efforts to find it. If at any future time
a discovery shall be made, it will no doubt be where for-
mation No. VI. crosses said run, which is now known to
be in the locality of this tradition.
A discovery has lately been made of what is believed
to be valuable deposits of iron ore in Muncy township,
about eight miles north of the town, in formation IX. ;
and in the same, on Big Muncy Creek. In Shrewsbury
township, two or more locations of copper ore have been
known for several years, from which small quantities of
the metal have been manufactured.
It has been suspected strongly that coal exists in for-
mation VIII., and examinations were made about twenty
years since, in the shales at the base of Muncy Hills, on
426 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
the south side of the valley, but only traces were found,
and as no coal was known to exist in that formation by
geologists, search has been abandoned.
Montoursville, on the banks of Loyal Sock Creek, has
grown to be a very pleasant, enterprising village. The
buildings are mostly of brick, and constructed in a neat
and tasty manner, and show off to a fine advantage. It
contains a population of about 350, and is well supplied
with hotels, stores, churches, &c. The origin of the
name has already been given.
Williamsport,* the county seat of Lycoming, is elipbly
situated on the left bank of the river, forty miles above
its confluence with the North Branch. It was laid out
and selected as the seat of Justice, at the organization
of the County, in 1795, under the auspices of Michael
Ross, who was then proprietor. At that time it con-
tained but a few houses, and trees were growing where
the best part of the town now stands. Ross, at that
time, owned about 600 acres.
The first innkeeper was named James Russell. A
mistake has originated by supposing that he was the first
settler. John Moore was the second innkeeper.
The town is well built, the streets are all wide, cross-
ing each other at right angles, and the side-walks well
paved and adorned with beautiful shade trees. The
buildings exhibit a wide diversity of taste, but most of
them are well arranged, and many are models of archir
tectural beauty. The Court House, and public square
on which it is built, reflect great credit upon the taste
and enterprise of the citizens. It is a brick edifice, and
was commenced in 1801, and completed in 1803. The
* For many items in the history of Williamsport, I am indebted to J.
W. Barret, Esq.
■'ill
gi^^
1 •
■is • '
-.'/
^ if
,r.
•-V
'. -. i*
'•r
426
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH
the south side of the valley, but
and a*^ -•^ was known t^
i»
;.- ■: ; »
• (
I i ■ . ■ ■ ' ■ -
l :»■:■
i' ^\'.^.
• > , • I
. ..( ■'■- '
, lllllltll'LlUl.,.
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 427
area in front is covered with a substantial brick pave-
menty and adorned with handsome shade trees ; while
the Court yard is neatly laid out and surrounded with a
beautiful iron railing, and the ground planted with trees
and shrubbery in great variety.
The first Court was held in the house of John Win-
ters, near the old Lycoming grave yard. Mr. Winters
was one of the early sheriffs, and had a family of twenty-
two children ! The second Court was held in Septem-
ber, 1796 — and for several years afterwards — ^in the old
log building on the comer of the street opposite the resi-
dence of General Packer. It yet stands, in a good state
of preservation. The first presiding Judge was William
Hepburn, with Dr. James Davidson, Robert Fleming,
and John Adlum, as Associates. Gov. McKean also
presided in that venerable old building.
Williamsport has improved very rapidly during the
last four or five years, and now contains four first class
hotels, three taverns, eight eating saloons, six ice-cream
saloons, and sixty-eight stores, including those of every
style and variety, among which may be found some
rivaling in size and splendor, as well as amount of trade,
many of our city establishments.
There are located here three Foundries and Machine
Shops, with appliances and facilities for manufacturing
all kinds of machinery, steam engines, &c. ; two steam
Tanneries, a hot blast Anthracite Furnace,* with a car
pacity for making 140 tons of iron per week; two exten-
sive steam Planing Mills, for the manufacturing of sash,
blinds, doors, &c. ; one Flouring Mill, with a capacity for
making one hundred barrels of flour per day.
Besides these varied interests, Williamsport is the
* Since burned down and entirely destroyed.
428 HIBTORT OF THX WEST BRANCH TAUJnr.
centre of an extensive lumber trade^ and the facilitiee
for its manufacture in the vicinity are nniiyaled. With-
in three miles of the borough are nine steam saw milb;
and just above and within the borough limits^ are two
mammoth water-mills, one containing eighty-eight, and
the other one hundred saws. The latter is capable d
manufacturing 60,000 feet per day. Some idea of this
heavy interest may be formed from the raw materials
annually lodged in the boom, some three miles abore
town. It is estimated that over 200,000 logs were
lodged therein at the last spring freshet^ and that to con-
vey the same to the several mills, manufacture and
deposit it upon the bank of the canal ready for transpcNr-
tation, will give employment to 1000 men during tiie
whole year. At the usual estimate of population, H^
would give support to 5000 persons, and produce from
forty to fifty millions of feet of lumber for the market
Williamsport enjoys admirable business facilities from
its location upon the line of the Canal, and at the inter-
section of several lines of railroad. It may be regarded
as the terminus of the Williamsport and Elmira Railroad,
and the Catawissa, Williamsport and Erie Railroad,
whilst the Sunbury and Erie Railroad, now in process
of construction, passes through it ; Williamsport being
the only intermediate point made in the charter. These
facilities have had their influence in promoting the
growth and prosperity of the borough. In 1840, the
population was about 1300 ; in 1850, 1615; June 1st 1855,
4043, and the present population is not less than 5000.
In 1833, Jeremiah Church purchased a farm adjoining
Williamsport, containing about one hundred acres, and
laid it out in town lots, and called it ^^ Church's addition
to Williamsport."
mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 429
From the continuous advancement of every interest,
it is probable that the time is not far distant when it
will burst its present barriers and expand to the fuU pro-
portions of an inland city.
Williamsport contains one Old School, and one New
School Presbyterian Church, one Methodist, one Episco-
pal, one German Reformed, one English Lutheran, one
Catholic, one Evangelical, and one African Church;
whilst the Baptists and Unitarians have each their adhe-
rents, and hold regular services.
Due attention is also given to education, Dickinson
Seminary is located at this place, and enjoys a liberal
patronage. The last catalogue gives 419 students for
the past academic year, and the institution holds a high
rank among the Seminaries of the State.
The public Schools of Williamsport rank deservedly
high. A large brick building is in course of construction,
designed to accommodate all the schools of the borough ;
and the School System bids fair to be properly appreci-
ated and rendered highly efficicat.
The West Branch Bank, with a capital of $200,000,
is located here. A. UpdegraflF, Esq., is President.
Supreme Court, for the Western District, sits in Wil-
liamsport a portion of the time.
A fine bridge is thrown across the river at this point.
The railroad bridge is also a substantial structure.
Preparations are now making to have the town lighted
with gas, and the necessary buildings are in course of
construction. Arrangements have also been entered into
for supplying it with water, to be conducted across the
river in a pipe, from a mountain spring.
Williamsport is distant from Washington 220 miles,
Philadelphia 197, Harrisburg 90, Ehnira 78, Niagara
430 HI8T0BT OF THB WEST BRANCH YALLBT.
Falls 244, New York 287 ; all of which points can be
reached by railroad.
What it is destined to be in the fature^ it is difficult
to predict ; but if energy, intelligence and moral worth
do not prove unavailing, we may safely anticipate for it
a high and proud pre-eminence.
Newberry is a small village two miles west of THl-
liamsport. It contains Methodist and Presbyterian
Churches ; three hotels, several stores, and two very ex-
tensive flouring mills. It was laid out about the same
time with Williamsport, and was a competitor with it
for the honor of the County Seat. Jaysburg, a small
village nearer the river, was also intended for the County
Seat, and quite a strife existed among the various rivak
till the location was definitely fixed on.
The conunencement, at this point, of the old road to
Painted Post, commonly known as the Block House road,
gave to Newberry considerable importance at an early
day. The road was laid out by Mr. Williamson, an
agent of Sir William Pulteney, about the year 1795.
Lycoming Creek empties into the river near this point.
Four furnaces, two forges, and one nail factory, are loca-
ted on the Creek, and large quantities of iron are manu-
factured. Iron ore of a very superior quality, exists in
great quantities in this region; and a few years ago,
when the United States Government talked of establish-
ing a National Foundry for the manufacturing of cannon,
it was strongly argued that this iron was better adapted
to such purposes than any other, and it was contended
that the Foundry should be established at this point. —
The project failed, however, or Lycoming would proba-
bly have been selected.
Bituminous coal is taken out in considerable quantities,
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 431
and salt is said to exist here also. Large quantities of
lumber are manufactured annually, but iron is the great
staple.
The Valley of Lycoming Creek is quite an important
region, surrounded by rugged mountains, however, but
possessing some of the most charming and diversified
scenery in the country. It is traversed by the Elmira
railroad, making it easy of access from the north or
south.
Linden, a small village at the mouth of Quenishachr
shachki Creek, contains two stores, two hotels, one church,
and a number of dwellings. It is six miles from Jersey
Shore.
Larry's Creek, emptying into the river two miles be-
low Jersey Shore, is quite an important stream. An en-
terprising village, called Salladasburg, is located four
miles up the Creek. It is supplied with stores, hotels,
two churches, and a number of shops of various kinds.
One of the largest Tanneries in the State is located here.
It is owned by Messrs. John A., James, and Matthew
Gamble, of Jersey Shore.
The Larry's Creek plank road, commencing at the
mouth, and running through to Englishtown, on Little
Pine Creek, passes through the village. It is eighteen
miles in length, and cost $36,000.
A large amount of lumber is manufactured annually
on this stream. The number of saw mills on the Creek,
and its tributaries, amount to over thirty. Several of
them are driven by steam. The first saw mill was
erected by Capt. Isaac Seely, at the mouth of Seely's
Run, in 1785. The first grist mill was erected on the
site now occupied by Hillier's Woolen Factory, in 1788,
by Andrew Stroub.
432 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
Iron ore also exists in considerable quantities on the
Creek, and has been mined to some extent.
All the lumber is hauled to the Canal and piled there,
where it is loaded into boats and conveyed to Baltimore,
Philadelphia and Reading. It is estimated that from
ten to fifteen millions of feet are manufactured annually.
Jersey Shore, fifteen miles west of Williamsport, is an
enterprising village of near two thousand inhabitants. —
The land on which the town stands was purchased^ after
the treaty of Fort Stanwix, by Jeremiah and Reuben
Manning, who came from New Jersey — whence the name
which it took in after years. They laid out the town
and called it Waynesburg, but so accustomed were the
people to calling it Jersey Shore, that the name was
never eradicated, and in 1826, it was incorporated as the
^ borough of Jersey Shore.
In 1800, the toum consisted of four houses. The first
public house was opened in that year by Gabriel Morri-
son. It improved slowly for a number of years. At
the present time it contains three hotels, four eating
saloons, fourteen stores, one iron foundry, two tanneries,
and a large number of shops. The store rooms are,
without exception, the most elegant to be found in any
town in Northern Pennsylvania. Immense quantities of
goods are annually disposed of.
Within a radius of six miles from Jersey Shore, there
are six excellent flouring mills. Several of them were
constructed at great expense, and furnished with all the
modern improvements in machinery, for the manufactu-
ring of flour.
The first Church was erected by the Methodists in
1830, where they continued to worship till 1845, when
they erected a more elegant and imposing structure on
HI8T0BT OF THE WBBT BEANOH YALLBT. 433
Main street The old building is now occupied by the
Africans, as a Church.
In 1832, the old brick Church, now occupied by the
High School, was erected by the Presbyterians and
Baptists, and called a ^' Union Church," where both con-
gregations continued to worship till 1844, when the
latter erected the fine frame edifice on Main street, now
occupied by them.
The old building was occupied by the Presbyterians
till 1850, when they also erected a more elegant brick
Church, on Main street.
The first Presbyterian preacher in this part of the Val-
ley, was Rev. Isaac Grier, who came in 1791, and took
charge of the Pine Creek Station. He was the father
of Judge Grier, of the Supreme Court, who was bom
near Jersey Shore. He was succeeded by John H.
Grier, who took charge of the Pine Creek and Great
Island Stations in 1814. He officiated as pastor, at the
former place, for eleven years, and thirty-seven at the
latter ; Rev. D. M. Barber was a co-laborer with him for
nine years. They both were succeeded by Rev. Joseph
Stevens, the present pastor, in 1851.
These two persons, though of the same name, were
not related. Rev. John H. Grier was bom in Bucks
County in 1788, and is a licentiate of the Presbytery of
New Castle. He resides in Jersey Shore, much esteem-
ed and respected by his numerous friends. The old
gentleman has always been exceedingly popular witii the
young folks, and whenever the marriage ceremony is to
be performed, his services are generaUy sought. Up to
the 1st of September, 1856, he had married /enir hundred
and sixty couples !
The first regular pastor of tiie Baptist Church was
28
434 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
Rev. George Higgins. His successors were the Revds.
Charles Tucker, Cyrus Shuck, George W. YouDg, J.
Green Miles, and Allan J. Hires, the present pastor.
The West Branch High School or Seminary for young
ladies and gentlemen, is located at this point. This in-
stitution was founded by the Presbyterian Church of
Jersey Shore, in 1852, and although its origin is of such
recent date, and it has had to contend with the diffi-
culties which usually beset the career of every young
institution, yet it has made very commendable progress,
find attained a high position among the schools of the
higher order in this section of the country.
This school is designed to give pupils of both sexes
an efficient education, in all the higher branches of the
English language, with an especial aim at fitting them
for respectably discharging the duties of practical life ;
and also to prepare young men for any of the advanced
classes of College. The male and female departments
are in organic connection; but each has its separate
rooms, and intercourse is not allowed, except by special
permission of the Principal. The course of instruction
is complete and thorough. With regard to the efficiency
of this school, I take the following from the Pennsylva-
nia School Journal for November, 1853.
'^ We had the pleasure of attending the semi-annual examination of
the Students of the West Branch Seminary on the 26th, 27th, and
28th days of September. This examination^ in justice to the teachers
and pupils, deserves more than a passing notice. It was continued a
sufficient length of time to test the proficiency and accuracy of the
students. The examinations were thorough. The pupils gave abund-
ant evidence that they were well acquainted with the different studies
to which they had given their attention during the Session. We
have never attended an examination where the students answered more
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HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 435
accurately or correctly. Time and space will not allow us to enter
into details of the different classes examined. Among them we were
particularly interested in the examination of the classes in practical
Geometry, Physiology, and the classes in the Bible. We heard classes
questioned for the space of an hour which did not miss a single ques-
tion ; be it said to the honor of the West Branch Seminaiy, this we
never heard before."
The buildings of this school are correctly exhibited in
the engraving given in this work. They consist of a
Seminary building conveniently arranged for the purpo-
ses of instructing the pupils, hearing recitations, keeping
the Library and apparatus, and public examinations, &c j
and also a boarding house of fine appearance, well
arranged, and capable of accommodating from eighty to
one hundred pupils. This latter building has been re-
cently erected by the liberality of the citizens of Jersey
Shore and vicinity, and is highly creditable to their zeal
in the cause of education, and to the town. The Board-
ing house is managed by a Board of Managers separate-
from the Directors of the School. The Principal and
his assistants board in the establishment with the pupils,,
and have the constant supervision of them. The present
Principal is the Rev. William W. Howard, a gentleman
of fine abilities, and large experience in conducting such an
institution; in every respect abundantly qualified for
his position, and eminently successful in the business of
educating youth.
The common schools of the borough are carefully at-
tended to, and a large brick building was erected some
years ago for school purposes. It embraces several
rooms, with a commodious hall for town purposes.
A beautiful Cemetery, on a commanding eminence, to
the west of the town, was laid out and arranged in 1854,
436 BISTORT OF THB WB8T BBANOH TALLET.
by Mark Slonaker, Esq. It will soon make one of the
handsomest in the country. Mr. S. deserves great credit,
and the thanks of the people, for this much needed im-
provement.
Jersey Shore, at one time, bid fair to be an important
place, and had opportunities, and enjoyed facilities, tkt,
if embraced, would have tended to place her in a pie-
eminent position. Being the central depot for the im-
mense lumbering regions of Pine and Larry's Creeks,
her trade was good, and if mills had been erected at this
point, the town would rapidly have grown in wealth,
population and importance. Her chances are excell^
yet. Large deposits of iron ore are found to exist in
the adjacent hills, with plenty of limestone^ and compi^
nies have already commenced working them. They are
contiguous to the Canal, and every opportunity desired
for easy shipment, and favorable locations for the erec-
tion of furnaces are found here. In fact, advantages ex-
ist here, worthy of the careful consideration of capitalists
and iron manufacturers.
Long Island, opposite Jersey Shore, was quite an
important place with the Aborigines. It is a beautiibl
spot of ground, composed of rich alluvial soil, and highly
.produotiye. It makes a beautiful farm. — There is bnt
little doubt that the island originally extended nearly,
if not altogether, as far down as Stewart's Ripples.
Then it was emphatically a lor^ island.
A few miles south of Jersey Shore is a very peculiar
valley, called Nipponese. It is an oval basin surround-
ed by a chain of high mountains, containing about 13,000
acres. The land is good, and produces heavy crops of
wheat. Limestone abounds in great quantities, and the
valley underneath is evidently fiUed with fissures and
BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 437
cavems to a great extent. The name is corrupted from
an old Indian called Nippenucy, who had his wigwam
there, and in the Bottom of the same name, where he
lived and hunted alternately. This is the true origin of
the present title.
The first improvement was made in 1776, by John
Clark, on the farm now owned by David Shaw. He was
driven off with his family during the war, but returned
in 1784.
John and William Winlin lived in the Valley in 1790.
They commenced to sink a well, and after digging some
distance came to a flat rock that resisted all further
progress. One of the workmen commenced striking on
it with a sledge, when a hole was broken through, and
there appeared to be a large cavern underneath. A
plummet, thirty feet in length, was let down, without
finding bottom. They became alarmed and fiUed it up
again.
The Valley is very thickly populated, and contains
several villages and hamlets, with stores, hotels, church-
es, mills, &c.
Most of the streams, running down from the moun-
tains, sink and disappear under the Valley. There
appears to be only one place of outlet, called Antes'
Creek, through the Gap of the same name. It is a small
stream, abundantly filled with trout, notwithstanding
they are constantly fished for, and great numbers caught ;
yet the supply seems inexhaustible. It is supposed that
they multiply in great numbers under the Valley, and
come forth in the Creek. The theory, it must be ad-
mitted, looks plausible.
438 BISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
CHAPTER LH.
PHELPS' MILLS — LUMBER TRADE OP PINE CREEK — ^THB BIG
ISLAND — EARLY HISTORY OF LOOK HAVEN — THE TOWN POUND-
ED BY JERRY OHURCH — INTERESTINO SKETCH — HIS POLLY-
POPULATION — THE LUMBERING BUSINESS — THE BOOM ERECTED
— EXTRAORDINARY FACILITIES FOR LUMBERING RAILROADS,
CANALS, &C. — FUTURE PROSPECTS — STATISTICS STEAMBOATS.
Two miles west of Jersey Shore, we come to Phelps'
Mills on Pine Creek. Operations were commenced here
in 1847, and the following year, a large saw mill was
started. Within the last two or three years, quite a
village has grown up, wearing a business aspect. In the
spring of 1856, the company put in operation a large
steam saw mill for manufacturing boards, shingles, lath,
palings, &c. The two mills number, in the aggregate,
sixty-four gang and English saws, with eight circulars.
They are capable of making 8,000,000 feet of lumber
per annum. The Company also erected a fine flouring
mill, and two miles further up the Creek they have
another. They have a fine store in the village, and a
Church has been recently erected. A neat and substantial
bridge has been thrown across the Creek, at an expense
of nearly $5,000, which was borne exclusively by
the Company, for their own, and the accommodation of
the surrounding country, free of toll. All the buildings
erected, are beautiful frame edifices. See engraving op-
posite title page.
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 439
This is the most extensive lumbering establishment
on Pine Creek^ and the site is one of the best in the
country. They have excellent facilities for the harbor-
ing of their logs — ^have extensive booms ; and, in fact,
every natural and artificial advantage to be desired. A
railroad has been built to the Canal, a distance! of two
miles, where their lumber is transported and deposited
upon the wharf ready for shipping. Since the starting
of their "first mill in 1848, to the present time, they have
sent 22,000,000 feet of lumber to market.
Mr. J. G. HowABD, an eastern gentleman of much ex-
perience, has control of the sawing department.
The general agent and superintendent for this immense
establishment, is E. B. Campbell, Esq., who is well fitted
for the station. Few men, probably, could conduct the
business as successfully and satisfactorily, as he does.
He seems to be in his sphere.
The village is named after the late Anson G. Phelps,
of New York, who is well remembered throughout the
United States for his many acts of public and private
benevolence. While living, he was the head of the firm.
The present head is Willum E. Dodge, Esq., a very
worthy man, and a philanthropist.
The Company have it in contemplation to make fur-
ther improvements at this point. They are also interested
in extensive operations in different parts of the United
States, and in Europe. These works have been a material
benefit to the country, and they give employment to
upwards of seventy men.
One mile below this establishment is another large
mill, owned by McEldry, Trump & Co., of Baltimore.
They run about thirty-eight saws, with a capacity of
about 4,000,000 feet per annum.
440 HI8T0RT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLRT.
Pine Creek is a great lumbering region, and is dotted
with saw-mills. The total number on the creek, and its
various tributaries, is about one hundred and thirty-four;
and not less than 60,000,000 feet of lumber, including
boards and logs, are run out to market annually.
A few miles above the First Fork, is another extensive
mill, owned by Stoddard, Magraw, & Co., with a run of
thirty-eight saws, and a capacity of 4,000,000 feet per
annum.
These three mills are the leading ones on the stream.
There are other good ones of a less capacity, and I regret
that I cannot notice them in detail.
At the Forks of Pine Creek, twelve miles from the
mouth, is a pleasant and flourishing village named Water-
ville, containing two hotels, two stores, church, shops,
&c. The location is very pleasant. The scenery along
the creek is wild and diversified.
Charlton, on the road to Lock Haven, is a small village
containing one store and a tavern.
New Liberty is a place of similar size, containing one
store and tavern, and ten or twelve dwellings.
Dunnstown, near the Great Island, was laid out in
1794, by William Dunn, in the hope that it might become
the county seat of Lycoming. He was disappointed,
however, and the town never improved much. In later
years, an effort was made to have the capital of Clinton
located there, but it failed.
The Great Island was a very important place with
the Indians one hundred years ago. It was to them a
perfect Paradise — an elysian home — ^where they loved
to dwell and offer up their orisons to the Great Spirit.
No lovelier spot can be imagined — a luxuriant alluvial
soil — ^wide-spreading trees— enchanting scenery — ^hum-
HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH YALLET. 441
ble wigwams — ^the smoke gracefully curling on the
breeze. Near this lovely spot, encii'cled by the crystal
waves of the Otzinachson, on the opposite side, was a
village where the Chief, Bald Eagle, frequently dwelt.
The mountain range from Lock Haven to Muncy, takes
its name from him.
The Great Island contains about three hundred acres
of very fertile land, in a high state of cultivation. It is
divided into two farms. The first settler was William
Dunn, who purchased it, according to a tradition, from
the Indians, for a barrel of whiskey, a rifle, and a hatchet !
It would take a great many such articles to buy it now.
It is also said that the Indians became dissatisfied with
their sale, and frequently laid on the rocks on the north
side of the river, watching an opportunity to shoot him.
They never succeeded. One of the farms at the present
day is owned by William Dunn, a grandson. Two fine
bridges have recently been erected, connecting the island,
on both sides, with the main land.
Lock Port is a small village on the river, directly
opposite Lock Haven, containing two hotels, two stores,
&c. It is an important point with the lumbermen during
the spring freshets. A substantial bridge crosses the
river to Lock Haven.
The flourishing town of Lock Haven is located on the
south side of the river, on the beautiful undulating plain,
at the mouth of the rich and fertile valley of Bald Eagle.
It will be remembered that the land in this vicinity was
embraced in the grant to Rev. Dr. Allison, by Richard
Penn. Judge Fleming, and the McCormicks, were among
the earliest settlers, and were heirs of Dr. Allison. Wil-
liam Reed had a cabin on the site of Lock Haven in
1778. His neighbors were Cpoksey Long, 'Squire Flem-
ing, and a man named McCormick.
442 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH YALLBT.
The present enterprising town owes its patemitjto
Jerry Church, who seems to have a sort of mania fe
founding towns. Its early history is very interesting.
I copy from Mr. Church's Autobiography, as follows :
'^ After I arrived at New Camberland, where m j brother B4)bot
lived at that time, and had stayed a few days to rest myself, I left aad
went up to a place called Milton, on the West Branch. I there found
a younger brother by the name of Willard Church, who had come don
from the State of New York into the old Keystone State to tiy Us
fortune, and was ready for anything that presented itself that he eoold
do without capital. He told me that he knew of a splendid place for
a town, if we could get the land. He said it was located at the beid
of the West Branch Canal, on the pool of the Dannstown dam, sad
they were working on the Spring Creek and Bald Eagle cioss-cnt tbt
emptied into the pool, and run through the place or farm, that we
must purchase. I asked him how much he thought it worth per acre.
He said he thought it worth one hundred and fifty dollars an acre for
as much as we would want for the town lots, and that would be about
fifty acres. I told him that was a beautiful price to think of giving;
and, in particular, when we had not much money. He said thai if
I would go with him and look at it and make the purchase, be
would risk his capital at any rate. I concluded that I would go np
and view the place. So we got aboard of the stage and went up to
Williamsport, and from thence to Dunnstown, twenty-eight miles,
crossed the river at that place, went up about one mile on the oppo-
site shore, and put up with a man named Develin, who lived on the
farm as a tenant. The farm belonged to Dr. John Henderson, of
Huntingdon, and there were two hundred acres in the tract. We
took a walk over the premises, and found it to be a delightful ^t;
two hundred acres pf the best kind of ground, beautifully located
between two rivers, the Susquehanna and the Bald Eagle, and the
scenery nature had formed around it, could not be excelled in the
State. I stood and looked at it with delight, and told my brother
that we must have it in some way.
" We then left the place, and went down to Williamsport. There
I met with a gentleman lawyer who I had been some time acquainted
with, and I told him that I had been viewing up at or near the .Big
Island, and would like to purchase it if I knew where to get the
money; and also told him the object: that I intended to lay oat a
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 443
town on it, if I could obtain it. He said he thought the money could
be got, and he would be willing to be a private partner — what I would
call a sleeping partner. He proposed to put one-third of the purchase
money in, and give me a letter to Dr. Henderson to that effect. I
then left Williamsport and went to Huntingdon to see the Old Doctor.
When I arrived there I called on him, and introduced myself, and
handed him the letter the lawyer had given me at Williamsport.
That informed him what my business was. He replied, that it ap-
peared by the letter that I wished to purchase his farm, near the Big
Island, or a part of it. I told him that was my intention, if we could
agree. He then said he would not sell a part. If he sold any it must
be the whole farm, and he had his price set and could not be changed.
I asked him what it was. He said $20,000, and not a dollar less. I
told him it was a beautiful sum for one farm. However, I said I had
made up my mind to give him $18,000, if I could make the payments
to suit him. I told him also that I was not rich, and had not the
money, even at that price, in hand. He then repeated that his mind
was made up not to take anything less than he had above stated. I
saw that there was no use to parley any longer, so I told him that I
would close the bargain, if the payments I could make would suit him.
He asked me how I wished to make them. I told him that I could
pay $5,000 in hand, or when I took the property in possession, and
the balance in two years. He said thai would do, but he could not
give me full possession until the Ist of April, 1834. This was in
October, 1833. I gave the Old Doctor a fifty dollar bill to bind the
bargain, and then went into a lawyer's office and had our bonds made
by a gentleman by the name of Steel — a very honest man, considering
all things.
^' After we had all our writings finished, and took a few glasses of
old rye, we got aboard of the stage and went to Bellefonte, and from
there down to the river Susquehanna, on the property. The Dr. went
with me in order to give the tenant notice that he must leave by the
first of April — ^that the property was to pass into other hands, and was
no longer his — that he had sold the farm to Jeremiah and Willard
Church. I got permission of the Dr. and the tenant to plot out a
town on paper, and make a sale, if we thought proper, immediately,
and give our titles and possession on the fifst day of April. We did
so, and called the town Lock Haven. We made a public sale on the
4th of November, 1838, and sold a number of lots, receiving ten per
cent, on the purchase money, and the balance on the Ist of April.
444 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
That was the time we were bound to meet our old friend the Dr., snd
I knew by the cut of his jib, that he would be on the ground at tb
proper time.
<< I then called on mj sleeping partner for his share of the puidiiBe
money, but I oonld not wake him up for any part of it. He sent ae
his resignation in writing, stating that he had changed his mind «
the subject, and could not put up the money, but wished to be ex-
cused from any further liability. A beautiful note to write at that
stage of the game ! However, I told my brother we must trj and
make the payment ourselves ; we had gone so £ar with it, there mi
no backing out ; that he must watch while I would pray. I sdd I
would go to Williamsport and try to make a raise of money to meet
the Dr. on the first day of April, which was then drawing veiy near,
and I was very doubtful whether we could meet our engagements or
not. Accordingly, I went down to Williamaporty and there met witk
a gentleman who had money. I told him that I wanted 93,000 for a
few weeks, and that I would giv^ him for the use of it, $500, and 1m
let me have the money. I was very thankful for the aocommodatioii,
for it saved my credit, and that was worth more to me at that time
than the S500 were. In that way we met our first* payment llieB
we made all the sales we possibly could in town lots, and the back
land we sold to a gentleman from Chester County, by the name of
James Jeffries. He paid us about 99,000 in cash at one time, and
that saved us the second time with the Doctor.
^' About that time my brother married a lady near Milton. His wife
had an interest in a store with her brother, Robert Montgomery. Of
course my brother became a partner in the store, in the town of Mil-
ton, as large as life. They concluded they would move their store to
our new town of Lock Haven, and did so ; but it did not last long.
They had to break the first year. They all lived together, and too
fast for their income ; so the sheriff came on them to show cause why
they did not pay for their goods. They could not show any reasona-
ble excuse, only that they had not the money; so the sheriff seized the
goods and sold them for what he could get, and turned them out to
the mercy of the world. My brother had all his interest in the town
of Lock Haven sold for his debts, together with his dear brother-in-
law's, and both were left even with the world once more. My brother
then left the new town and went to the west, to the state of Missouri,
and settled down with his family.
^' I then undertook to manage the town of Lock Haven myself All
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 445
my sleeping partners liad left me, and I had to be all the society there
was at that time in town. If there was any mosic to be played, I had
to be a full band myself, having no person to assist me. I now un-
dertook to divide the Counties of Lycoming and Centre, and make a
new County to be called Clinton. I had petitions printed to that
effect, and sent them to Harrisburg, to have them presented to the
Le^Iature, and then went down myself to have the matter repre-
sented in good order. My friend John A. Gamble, was our member
from Lycoming at that time, and he reported a bill. The people of
the town of Williamsport, the County seat of Lycoming, and Belle-
fonte, the County seat of Centre County, then had to be up and be
doing something to prevent the division ; and they commenced pour-
ing in their remonstrances, and praying aloud to the Legislature not
to have any part of either County taken off for the purpose of making
a new one, for it was nothing more or less than some of Jerry
Church's Yankee notions. However, I did not despair. I still kept
asking every year, for three successive years, and attended the Le^-
lature myself every winter. I then had a gentleman who had become
a citizen, by the name of John Moorhead, who harped in with me — ^a
very large portly looking man, and rather the best borer in town ;
and, by the by, a very clever man. We entered into the division
together. We had to state a great number of facts to the members
of the Legislature, and perhaps something more, in order to obtain
full justice. We continued on for nearly three years longer, knock-
ing at the mercy seat, and at last we received the law creating the
County of Clinton. In the year 1839, the County was organised by
the Hon. Judge Bumside.
^' I then concluded that having a county seat and law and justice so
handy, we could get judgment against our neighbors almost any time.
However, I was mistaken about that, for when I went to law I could
not obtain it, in consequence of not having just claims, as the lawyers
told me. I then concluded I would change it, and have a suit on jus-
tice alone, which I could not obtain according to law. I soon found
out that the less a person has to do with law and attending courts, the
more money he can have in his pocket, and the happier man will he be.
^' We had three Commissioners appointed to locate the County seat.
Their names were Col. Cresswell, Maj. Colt and Joseph Brestel.
These gentlemen met at Lock Haven, and viewed the different places
that were offered for the County seat, but there was none to be com-
pared to Lock Haven. So they made up their minds that Lock Haven
446 HISTORT OF. THE WEST BRANCH VALLBT.
should be the place, and selected the square for the public buildrngs.
My friend Moorhead was displeased with the location, and had a q»e-
pial law passed allowing the Commissioners to alter the location, fat
his own interest and others, without mj knowledge, and offered a
bonus to the County to have it moved into another part of the town.
But it would not do. The people sustained me ; and t^e square I had
located in the first place was retained. We went on and built &e
Court House, as good a one, perhaps, as any in Northern Pennsylva*
nia. The inhabitants numbered about 700 at this time, vis., in 1844.
Ten years ago t^ere was but one house, and probably about a dosen
inhabitants in the place, and now (1845) it is a beautiful village, and
a place of considerable business. It has seven retail stores and gro-
ceries, one drug and two candy shops, three preachers, two meeting
houses, (and one 'Jerry Church,') six lawyers, two doctors, and two
justices of the peace, and the balance of the inhabitants are what I
call a fair community."
The first County Commissioners were Col. EHeckner,
Col. Hugh White, and Robert Bridgens. Mr. Church
made a donation of the land for the public buildings. It
was his design to remain here. He says :
'^ I stated in the commencement of this little book, (His Life,)
< that I intended to stop at Lock Haven for the present.' 1 will here
further describe some of my works at that place. In order to cany
out my originality, I built an ofl&ce in the town, standing eight feet
above the ground, on thirteen large posts, or pillars, to represent our
thirteen Continental States. In the first place it is made by placing
thirteen large pine trees, five feet in the ground, and thirty feet long,
in their natural state, with the exception of taking the bark off, and
painting them in imitation of marble, with a fourteen feet room formed
inside of the posts, so as to form a balustrade all around it ; and the
roof projecting over so as to protect the building. I concluded when
I was making it, that it was an odd looking ofiice, and different from
any one I had seen in this country. And as I was no lawyer, and
could not expect any notice or business in that way, I concluded that
I would build my office so that clients might look at it without any
expense. If I am not very much mistaken, they would make as much
at that, as they would if I had been a lawyer myself. I had a num-
ber of scientific gentlemen to view the little building, and they always
HISTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 447
asked wliat order I intended it to be. I told them I never did any
thing according to order — it was all a matter of taste — ^that I never
learned anything by note, and therefore, could not inform thorn any
more, than that it was my own order, and that appeared to satisfy
their inquiries always. I had always concluded that there was no
chance for me to have any kind of a monument erected in remem-
brance of me, unless I should place some of my odd matters and
things before the public myself, so. that they could not all pass by
without observing that some person had been there before.
^' I had a summer seat built in the first place, at Lock Haven, so
that if I got tired I could go up and take a rest. It was formed in a
cluster of black walnut trees. It was twenty-live feet from the ground,
forty feet long, and seven feet wide, placed so as to be supported by
the trees, bannistered, and a seat running all around, and winding
stairs up one of the trees. And I must say, that when I went up on
to the upper seat I felt like a bird. I had it painted by a German
painter, and I told him I would like to have it made like marble ,* but,
as he did not understand English very well, he made it what I call
Dutch marble f all full of white and black spots. The natives of that
country thought it was a wonderful thing, that I should throw away
my money so, to make a nice seat to sit on, and asked me why I did
so. I told them that I sat far more comfortable on that seat, than I
could on a bag of dollars. So they gave it up. It has ever since
gone by the name of < Church's folly.' However, all were willing to
take a seat with me now and then.''
Mr. Church did not remain long in Lock Haven ; in
1846, he went to the west, and has already founded two
or three diiFerent towns. Ten years have produced a
great change in Lock Haven. His ** summer seat'' is
gone, but the unique looking office yet stands, in a good
state of preservation, near the Court-house. It is occu-
pied by a family — is quite a curiosity, and goes by the
name of "Jerry Church's folly."
The following sketch, of the history of Lock Haven
since 1850, is from the pen of H. L. Dieflenbach, Esq. :
'<In 1850, the population of Lock Haven did not exceed 800. At
the present time it is estimated at from 2,500 to 3,000, not including
448 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
the adjacent villages of Lock Port and Boyd's HiU. This &et sA-
ciently indicates the rapidity of its growth^ which is profpreanng wA
more speed at the present time than at any former period. Tboe
are now four large steam saw-mills— exclnsiTe of the one at Berfi
Basin — in suocessfiil operation.
''There are also two large steam mills on the canal hekmhoA
Haven, which depend npon the Boom, at the latter place, for Ikir
supplies, and are capable of mann&ctnring 5,000,000 feet per anm.
Bnt while the capacity of aU the milk may safely be estimated it
from fifty to sixty millions of feet annually, their actual work has bH
as yet much exceeded 30,000,000.
'' A company of gentleman interested in the lumbering bnsiBeB,
have made a fine basin, which is filled from tho Bald Eagle OusI,
immediately adjoining the town, and which covers several aens of
ground, with high natural banks on both sides. It is estimated tbt
this basin will hold 2,000,000 of feet of saw logs. The eompaaj m
also authoriied to connect their basin, by canal, with the boost $ai
river, thus affording extraordinary &cilities for lumbering opentitBi.
Another large basin, covering ten to twelve acres, could be eoa-
structed, at small cost, extending from the canal to the Bald bgie
Greek, about one mile above its confluence with the river.
<< Clinton Harbor, the large basin below Lock Port, half a nile
below Lock Haven, and directly on the West Brandli Canal, froa
which it receives its water, will contain 1,500,000 feet of saw kp,
and has abundant facilities for additional saw-mills or other mana&^
turing operations.
^' For a hundred miles west of Lock Haven, there is but littk «
tillable land along the West Branch, or its tributaries; but this mono-
tainous district is well covered with a great variety of the finest timber,
and abounds in excellent veins of bituminous coal, iron ore, and fire
clay. The principal business of the lumbering and mining operatioB0
is transacted at Lock Haven ; and from this point all supplies most
necessarily be obtained. The valleys around the town abound is
limestone, and hence all the facilities for the manufacture of iron may
readily be obtained at this point.
<^ The principal cause of the rapid growth of Look Haven heretofore,
however, must be attributed, besides the proverbial energy of its citi-
zens, to the manufacture of lumber, and the facilities it affords for
that purpose. Lumense quantities of timber are floated into the pool
of the Dunnstown dam, on which the town is located, by every flood.
mSTOBT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 449
In consequence of the demand of rafting hands at such periods, and
the comparatiye certainty of obtaining a market at or from this point,
the rafis are usually tied up here until all or nearly all the lumber
from above is brought down. Being at the head of the market, where
such immense quantities are landed on every flood, lumber dealers
oould name no better place for making advantageous purchases.
'^ In the fall of 1848, Col. Johnson, of New Hampshire, who had
purchased considerable quantities of timber land in Clinton county,
suggested to some citizens of Lock Haven, that if they would obtain
a charter for a company, a boom could be constructed in the river
above the town, which would attract lumber manufacturers, and, be-
sides proving a profitable investment, would give an impulse to the
growth of the town, which would in time make it the principal town
in this part of the State. The gentlemen to whom the suggestion
was made, obtained the charter — not, however, without vigorous oppo-
sition on the part of some '' old fogies," who could see nothing but
private speculation in the effort — ^and soon afterwards transferred it^
without price, to Peter Dickinson, Esq., one of the most enterprising
and accomplished business men in Lock Haven, upon the sole con-
dition that he would erect the boom within a given period. Faithful
to his contract, Mr. Dickinson soon had the boom built and filled with
logs. From this period the rapid growth of Lock Haven commenced —
property doubled, trebled and quadrupled in value, and soon the fields
aiound the town were dotted with houses, and the streets filled with
an industrious, energetic and prosperous population. The boom was
sold last spring to a stock company, and is now valued at 9100,000.
At some periods it contained nearly 200,000 saw logs — thirty-five to
forty millions of feet of timber.
<< The Lock Haven Bank, with a capital of 9200,000 paid in, is in
successful operation. L. A. Mackey, Esq., is President.
^< One of the largest and finest hotels in the State — ^the Fallon
House — is now being erected in Lock Haven, and is nearly com-
pleted. It is estimated to cost upwards of $26,000.
'^ There are two public halls in the place— K)ne large three-story
building erected by Clinton Lodge of Odd Fellows, at a cost of near
95,000 — one large and elegant Presbyterian Church, and three other
very fine ones in the course of erection — a large and commodious Court-
house, and Academy, and a Common School building, two stories
high, containing four large rooms, the ample grounds of which are
29
450 HI8TQET OP THE WB8T BRANCH TALLBT.
oielofled by a neat higli fenoe. This sebool is conducted on the mm
graded plan, and has the reputation of b^ng one of the best cot-
ducted schools in the State.
<' There is also a large steam flouring mill, a large foondiy, a
planing mill in course of erection, and other manufactories osdd ii
towns, in successful operation. The mercantile business is carried on
with great success, and immense quantities of goods are annuallj boU.
There are eighteen stores in the place. The yarions mechanical aril
are also pursued with great energy and success.
'' The Bald Eagle Canal, commencing at MUesbnrg, Centre ooimtj,
intersects the West Branch Division of the Pennsylyania Canal al
Lock Haven, and a steamboat plies regularly between the kiitcr
place and Queen's Run,* Farrandsville and Tangasoootack, the pim-
oipal points for lading boats with bituminous coal and fire brick
The Sunbury and Erie Bail-road will soon be finished to these pcnntB.
Ample arrangements, too, have been made to construct Uie Lock
Haven and Tyrone Rail-road, as soon as the Sunbury and Erie is
finished to the former place. This will give Lock Hayen an easten,
western, and north-western rail-road connection ; and the Sunlraiy
and Erie wUl traverse one of the richest mineral and agricultural
valleys in the State. The principal depot of the l^rone Rail-road
will necessarily be at Lock Haven, as will probably that of the Son-
bury and Erie road.
'^ The citizens of Lock Haven will not admit that there is another
town in the State so favorably located in all respects for every variety
of business, and especially for large business operations. Time alone
can test the accuracy of this judgment ; but, even the rival towns are .
free to admit, that Lock Haven, at least, possesses extraordinaxy
fitcilities for business.''
According to the census of 1850, Clinton county con-
tained 11,207 inhabitants — 44,982 acres of improved
land, and 38,229 unimproved. Cash value of the farms
$2,028,610 — value of farming implements, machinery,
&c., $73,555. The County also contained 1,795 horses,
2,413 milch cows, 6,116 sheep. Total value of ail live
* The proper bame of this stream is Quinn's Run. It was named after
Samuel Quinn, a Survojor, who had a camp on it in 1788.
HISTOKF OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 451
stock $201,530. Bushels of wheat raised 191,065, rye
36,798, com 115,760. The Churches were as follows :
Two Baptist, 1 German Reformed, 2 Lutheran, 6 Meth-
odist, 3 Presbyterian and 1 Union. Total value of
church property $21,280 — aggregate accommodations
4,700.
A steamboat named the Farrand, plied on the river
between FarrandsviUe and Muncy in 1831-2. On her
first trip in 1831, she brought up some sixty men,
amongst whom was S. G. Allen, of Jersey Shore, on
their way from the east, to commence operations at
FarrandsviUe. Mr. Allen had charge of the company of
workmen.
452 HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH YALLET.
CHAPTER Lin.
HISTORY OF THE NEWSPAPERS OF SUNBURY, KORTHUMBERLASS,
LEWISBURO, MILTON, M^EWENSVILLE, MUNCnT, WILLUKSPOBXi
JERSEY SHORE AND LOCK HAVEN ; SHOWING THB TIME WHIS
ESTABLISHED, BY WHOM, THEIR NAMBS, HOW U)SQ 005-
TINUED, ETC.
[NoTK. — When this work was commenced, it was not desigpned to gire a Us-
torjr of the newspapers ; and the proposition has only been entertained for a
few weeks, hence the facts have been hurriedly collected, and some errors maj
occur ; but, it is believed that the history of the leading papers is correct-
Many papers published at an early period, and continued for a short time, ban
almost been forgotten, and in many instances the files have been lost I am
indebted mainly for the facts to publishers in the respective localities.]
The first newspaper published in Sunbury, was caDed
the FreyheUsvogel, printed in the German language. It was
established in 1800, by a gentleman named Breyvogel,
during the exciting presidential contest between JeflTer-
son and Adams, and continued but one year, when it
was suspended.
The next paper was called The IHmeSy and established
by William F. Byers, in 1812. It was printed in English.
The career of this paper was attended with many changes
and vicissitudes. At the end of three years Byers reti-
red from it, and it passed through a great many diflTer-
ent hands. Samuel J. Packer was interested in it at
one time, and W, F. Packer at another. The name
HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 453
was finally changed to the Gazetteer^ by William Shan-
non. It expired in 1833.
The old Ramage press, and materials, remained for a
long time as rubbish in an upper room of a building
belonging to the Shannon family, and were finally bought
by H. B. Masser, Esq. It is quite a curiosity, in com-
parison with the presses of the present period.
In 1812, about three months after the commencement
of the TimeSy John Gt. Youngman — ^whose uncle, Gotleib
Youngman, printed the first paper in the city of Reading
— KJame firom Baltimore, and established the second Ger-
man paper, called the Northumberlaad Republican. This
name was continued four years, when it was changed to
the North Western Post^ Sunbury being considered
quite a north western town at that time.
This name was continued till the commencement of
the construction of the Canal, when,, to suit the feelings
of the times, it was re-christened the Canal Boat. With
this name the publication of the German paper was dis-
continued, and an English paper, called the Working-
meris Advocate^ started in 1832. In 1838, it was enlarged
and the name changed to the Gasette^ which title it con-
tinues under at the present time.
From 1812, up to the present time, John G. Youngman
has been connected with the Gazette printing office,
under the the various names which the paper has under-
went. In 1840, Geo. B. Youngman took charge of the
editorial department of the paper, and was succeeded in
1855, by John Youngman, the present editor.
There were two other papers published in Sunbury,
the dates of which I cannot ascertain. One was called
the Beacon^ by George Lathey, and the other by Ezra
Grassman, called the Emporium. Mr. Grassman is now
ah extensive printer in New York.
454 msiOBT OF the wbsit bbakgh vallbt.
In 1840, the Sunbury American was established by E
B. Masser and Joseph Eisely. Mr. Eisely went oat of
the establishment in 1849, and since then Mr. Masser
has been sole editor and proprietor. The same geniie'
man is also pnbUshing a German Ameriean, started about
twelve years^ ago.
On the 1st of January, 1856, Bachman k Co., com-
menced printing the Chrman Democrat. At the present
time there are two German and two English papers pub-
lished in Sunbury.
The first paper in Northumberland was called the
Northumberland Gazette, and established in 1797 or 1798,
by Andrew Kennedy, and continued till 1819 or 1820.
The Republican Argus was commenced by John Binns
in 1803, and discontinued in 1816 or 1817. He is
well known to the old people of the Valley. He
afterwards published a paper in Philadelphia^ where be
is now living, at an advanced age.
The first paper established in Lewisburg was called
the News-Letter y by William Carothers, in 1824-5. It
continued about eighteen months. It was followed by
the Unim Hickory ^ by the same publisher, and con-
tinued from May 5, 1829, till April 13, 1830.
Next came the Lewisburg Journal^ by Daniel Got-
shall, who controlled it from May 1, 1830, till February
18, 1833, when it passed into the hands of Geo. M.
Miller and Edward S. Bowen. It was discontinued
February 22, 1834.
On the 20th of June, 1835, G. R. Barrett, Esq., start-
ed the Lewisburg Democrat^ which lived till May 1836.
The next was the Leunsburg Standard, by D. G.
Fitch, who published it till the 1st of September, 1839,
when it passed into the hands of H. L. Diefienbach,
Esq., a forcible writer, who, at the end of three months,
mSTOBY OF THE WEST BRAKOH yALLEY. 455
discontinued it and took charge of a paper in a neigh-
boring county.
Jonas Kelchner soon after commenced the publication
of the People' 8 Advocatey which was discontinued April
12, 1841, "for reasons best known to ourselves," as Mr.
K. remarked in his valedictory.
September 4th, 1841, The Independent Press made its
appearance, edited for a time by S. K. Sweetman, and
then Sweetman & Maize, and also Sweetman & Busch.
Its career was terminated, Dec. 16, 1842.
After a vacancy of some months, W. B. Shriner & S.
A. Burkenbine, started the Lewisburg Chronicle^ Septem-
ber 23, 1843. March 16, 1844, Mr. Burkenbine retired
discouraged. Mr. Shriner plucked up courage and con-
tinued the paper, which waef printed a part of the time
for him by Samuel Shriner, till December 25, 1847,
when he sold out to 0. N. Worden, who conducted it
till January 1st, 1850, when H. C. Hickock became
principal editor, and continued till 1855, when he was
appointed Deputy Superintendent of Common Schools
by Gov. Pollock.
Mr. John R. Cornelius, soon after, became associated
with Mr. Worden in the publication of the paper, by
whom it is continued at the present time, and seems
established on a permanent basis.
In 1845, R. I. Nesbit & Co., published The Siimarist,
a small sheet devoted to fun. It had a ^' short but
a merry life."
In January, 1850, Rev. Henry Harbaugh issued The
Guardian, a monthly magazine, devoted to social, litera-
ry and religious interests of young men and ladies. It
was printed in the Chronicle office by 0. N. Worden, for
one year, when Mr. Harbaugh removed to Lancaster,
where he still continues its publication.
456
H18T0RT OP THE WEST BBAKCH VALLBT.
About September, 1850, the Lewishurg Democrat made
its appearance. It was edited and published by Samnd
Shriner. It was discontinued in 1854. In the summer
of 1855, a few numbers were issued by Messrs. D. C.
Elitchen and John Harbeson, when Mr. Harbeson re-
tired. Mr. Elitchen continued the publication a few
weeks longer, y^hen he retired, and transferred his sab-
scription list to the Argus, a rival paper.
In 1851, The Union Weekly Whig was started by R.
I. Nesbit and Daniel Bower. Mr. Bower soon retired,
when it was continued about a year by Mr. Nesbit alone.
July 31, 1855, The Union Argus was commenced by
F. M. Ziebach and Peter Stout At the end of two (X
three months Mr. Stout retired, and was succeeded bj
J. Merril Linn, who continued a few months, when he
was succeeded by H. W. Grotzer, as associate editor. It
is now published by Ziebach & Crotzer, and has entered
on its second year.
In April, 1856, The American Flog^ of New Berlin,
was discontinued, after ten months' publication, trans-
ferring its subscription list to the Lewisburg Chronicle.
The first newspaper in Milton, was The MUtonimj
established in 1816, by Gen. Frick. The following table
will show its history at a glance :
by Henry Frick.
by Henry Frick k Montgomery Swenj.
, / Henry Frick, Robt. Bennett k Jno.
°^ \ W. Corrcy.
by H. Frick k R. Bennett,
by Henry Frick alone again.
by H. Frick k Jno. H. Brown.
by John H. Brown.
by John Frick k Edward B. Hunter.
by John Frick alone.
by John k Robert M. Frick.
by Robert M. k Henry Prick, Jr»
by Henry Frick, Jr.
by John Robins.
September
21,
1816 to April 21, 1827,
April
21,
1827 to AprU 16, 1831,
April
16,
1831 to April 20, 1833
April
20,
1833 to Oct. 18, 1834
Oct.
18,
1834 to June 3, 1837
June
3,
1837 to June 3, 1840
June
3,
1840 to Jan. 1, 1842
Jan.
1,
1842 to May 5, 1843
May
12,
,1843 to July 14, 1843
July
14,
, 1843 to Dec. 31, 1852
Jan.
7,
, 1853 to Aug. 26, 1853
Sep.
2
, 1853 to Jan. 1, 1854
Jan.
1
, 1854 to present time,
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 457
The next in order is The States Advocaie^ established
in 1826. Its history is as follows :
Febraary, 26, 1826 to Aug. 13, 1829 by William Tweed k B. H. Kincaid.
August, 13, 1829 to Aug. 15, 1833 bj William Tweed alone.
August, 15, 1833 to Nov. 13, 1834 by William Tweed k Jonas Kelchner.
November, 13, 1834 to Not. — , 1838 bj Jonas Kelchner alone, when he re-
moved the press to Lewisburg.
The West Branch Farmer and True Democrat^ was
commenced September 3, 1834, by Montgomery Sweny,
and continued two or three years.
The Northumbrian was established, Nov. 20, 1837,
by Hamlet A. Kerr, and discontinued in a short time.
It was a very neat paper.
Tho Milton Ledger was established in the summer of
1838, by McGee & Wilson. In 1839, Wilson retired,
and was succeeded by Mr. Ceilings. They .were suc-
ceeded by H. L. Dieffenbach in Dec. 1839, who left it
in March 1843. John M. Porter then became publish-
er, and was followed by Brewer & Armstrong in 1844.
They were succeeded a short time by a man named
Frank, when the paper ceased to exist.
December, 1844, The Advocate and Day-Spring^ a
temperance paper, was started by Rev. W. H. T.
Barnes, who continued it about two years, when he
went to Mexico, during the war, and died at Vera Cruz.
April 17, 1852, the first number of The Milton Demo-
crat was issued by John R. Eck, by whom it is con-
tinued at the present time.
About 1849 or 1850, a paper called the West Branch
Intelligencer was started in McEwensville by a gentle-
man named Case. It lived about eight months and
then expired.
The first paper established in Muncy was called The
458 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Muncy Telegraph. It was commenced the 9th of Octo-
ber, 1831, by J. Potter Patterson, and continued by him
till the 7th of April, 1835, (the time of his death,) when
J. K. Shoemaker took the establishment, and continned
the paper till 1841.
The Muncy Luminary was commenced April 10, 1841,
by W. P. I. & G. L. I. Painter, who continued together
till 1846, when the former withdrew. It has been con-
tinued to the present time by G. L. I. Painter.
During the summcF of 1844, a paper called The OUte
Branchy was started by J. M. Newson. It was discon-
tinued at the end of a year.
Next in order we come to notice the papers of Wil-
liamsport. The Lycoming Gazette is the oldest existing
paper in the valley, having been published for over half
a century, without change of name or suspension. Many
other papers have been established in Williamsport, but
after living for a brief period, they ceased to exist, and
have been forgotten, whilst the Gazette continues on in
the even tenor of its way.
The early history of the Gazette is involved in much
mystery, as no regular files, from the commencement,
are to be found. After 1821, the exact dates and changes
can be given accurately, as the files are preserved from
that time. After much research and inquiry, I have
obtained the following account, which is believed to be
very nearly correct :
The Lycoming Gazette was established in 1802, by
William F. Buyers, who continued alone till about 1808,
when William Brindle became associated with him as a
partner. Buyers then appears to have retired, and I.
K. Torbert took his place, and the publication of the
paper was continued for some time under the firm of
• HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY. 459
Brindle and Torbert. Brindle having retired, Torbert
continued alone till 1819, when Ellis Lewis — ^now Judge
of the Supreme Court — ^became a partner with him.
How long they continued together is not known, but
Torbert appears to have retired in the meantime, and
Lewis conducted the paper alone till July 1821, when
he disposed of the establishment to T. Coryell, who con-
tinued it alone till the 1st of August, 1823, when it was
purchased by Henry Miller and John Brandon. It was
continued by them till the 1st of August, 1827, when
MiUer retired, and James Cameron became associated
with Brandon. This firm dissolved on the 19th of
December, 1827, when W. F. Packer purchased Came-
ron's interest, and the paper was published by Brandon
and Packer till the 17th of August, 1829, when Packer
became sole owner and publisher. He continued alone
till December 19, 1832, when John R. Eck became a
partner with him, and they continued together till May
11, 1836, when Packer retired, and Eck conducted it till
the 21st June, 1837, when it was consolidated with the
Chronicle — a rival paper — and continued by John R.
Eck and C. D. Eldred, under the title of the Gazette and
CkronicUy till May 9, 1838, when Eck again became sole
editor,' and continued till the 20th of Jime, 1838, when
Eldred became the owner, and it was published by him
under the title of the Lycoming Gazette, till the 13th of
August, 1840. At this time, C. W. Fitch purchased the
establishment, and published the paper till February 10,
1842, when John P. Carter became associated with 1^,
and they continued it till May 7, 1842, when Fitch
retired and Carter became sole publisher. He continued
the paper till February 11, 1843, when John B. Beck
became a partner with him. This firm lasted till the
460 mSTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLST. '
4th of March^ 1843, when Beck became publisher, aod
Carter editor, which arrangement continued till Noveii-
ber 18, 1843, when Carter retired, succeeded by Hamlet
A. Kerr, (Beck still publisher,) who edited ihe fspa
till August 17, 1844, when he retired^ and the fim
changed to Beck & Co. On the 24th of June, 1846, C
D. Eldred, (who formed the Co. with Beck,) becaiae
editor and publisher, and continued till Februaiy 17,
1850, when P. T. Wright became associated with hiB,
and continued till February 17,' 1851, when Eldred i^
tired, and Wright continued the paper Itill February 17,
1855, when J. W. Clark became a partner. This firm
lasted till August 17, 1855, when Wright retired. Qwk
continued the paper till February 17, 1856, when he was
a
succeeded by Atwood and Wilson. The latter retired
on the 18th of August, 1856, and it is continued at the
present time by N. L. Atwood alone.
This is a correct history of this old paper since 1821 —
previous to that time the periods when changes took
place had to be guessed at, but the names of the pub-
lishers are correct.
The Lyeoming Advertiser was commenced in 1815, by
Simpson and Gale, and continued about six months.
The Lycoming Chronicle was started September 26,
1829, by A. Boyd Cummings, and continued till January
9, 1833, when he was succeeded by Alexander Cum-
mings, Jr., now of the Philadelphia Bulletin^ and pub-
lished by him till September 7, 1836, when C. D. Eldred
became a partner. This firm continued till April 12, 1837,
when Cummings retired, and Eldred conducted the paper
till it was consolidated with the Gazette, June 21, 1837.
1 have been unable to find complete files of the follow-
ing papers which had but an ephemeral existence, and
HISTORY OP THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY, 461
the information had to be obtained from the old citizens,
and the dates guessed at.
TJie Free Press was commenced in July, 1836, by R.
F. Middleton, who published it about one year, when it
lyent into the hands of Cramer and Reed. It was also
published by Loehr and Middleton. Discontinued about
1838.
The publication of The Freeman was commenced about
1839, by John R. Eck, and continued tiU 1840, when W.
P. and James R. Coulter, purchased the materials and
commenced the publication of the West' Branch Repulh
Uean, which lived till about 1842. About this time the
materials were purchased by John Sloan, who started
the Lycoming Sentinel. It lived about one year, when
The North Pennsylvanian was established by John F.
Carter, who let it die in about six months.
The Jackson Democrat was started in 1845, by J. M.
Newson and G. W. Armstrong. It was afterwards pub-
lished for a short time by S. S. Seely, and by Q. W.
Armstrong. It lived about a year.
The Lycoming Democrat was started June 4, 1851, by
John F. Carter. June 28, 1851, John R. Eck became a
partner, but retired November 29, 1851, when it was
continued by Carter till the fall of 1852, when it was
discontinued, aged a year and a half.
The Independent Press was established out of the ma-
terials of the Democrat, in 1852, by J. W. Barrett. In
the fall of 1855, he disposed of the concern to a company,
and F. A. Van Cleve became the editor, who discontinued
it after issuing a few numbers. No paper was issued till
the spring of 1856, when the publication was resumed
by Barrett and Butt. Barrett retired, Oct. 18, 1856,
and was succeeded by Jesse Fullmer.
462 HI8I0BT OF THE WEST BBANCH VALLBT.
The first paper in Jersey Shore was started <m tk
8th of January, 1827, by Daniel Gbtshall. It was caW
the West Branch Courier, and continued till about 1830.
In 1828, a little sheet, called The No%ej was com-
menced by William Piatt, Jr. It was printed in fte
office of the Courier, and continued but a short time.
Alexander Hamilton conunenced the publicaticm rf
The Anti-Masontc Advocate, about 1830^ and continaed
it till the winter of 1834, when he was succeeded by
Loehr and Middleton, who discontinued it in 1835.
No paper was then published till January 1846, what
The Jersey Shore Republican'wsa established by S. S. Sedf,
who continued it till October, 1850^ when the office wtf
destroyed by the big fire of that year. The town im
again without a paper till June, 1851, when the Repub-
lican, in an enlarged form, was reyived by its old pub-
lisher. In September, 1851, R. Baker became associated
with Seely in the publication of the paper^ and it wis
continued by them till June 9, 1852, when Seely dis-
posed of his interest to Jacob Sallada, Jr., and it wk
published under the firm of Baker and SaUada, till June
9, 1854, edited by J. F. Meginness ; when both Sallada
and Meginness retired, the former having disposed rf
his interest to R. Baker, who became sole owner. On
the 9th of June, 1855, R. Baker associated with him his
son, F. A. Baker, as a partner in the establishment, and
it is continued at the present time under the firm <tf
R. &. F. A. Baker.
On the 29th of June, 1854, the first number of Tk
News Letter was issued by Seely & Meginness, by whcwn
it was continued till the 30th of August, 1855, when
Meginness retired, and Seely became sole publisher. —
On the 6th of December, 1856, James Jones became
HISTORT OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLET. 463
associated with him as a partner. Jones retired from
the firm on the 18th of September, 1856. Seely contin-
ues it alone.
The National Vidette was commenced on the 15th of
May, 1855, by H. J. B. & L. J. Cummings, by whom it
was continued for a period of six months, when H. J. B.
Cummings retired. A few numbers were issued by L.
J. Cummings, when he retired also, and the paper ceased
to exist. On the 25th of September, it was resuscitated
by James Jones.
The first paper started in Lock Haven was called The
JEagUy by William A. Kinsloe. This was in August,
1838. It advocated the formation of a new county to
be called " Eagle." When the county of Clinton was
formed in 1839, the name was changed to The Clintonian.
At the close of the campaign of 1840, it was suspended.
In a short time it was resuscitated, however, by 'Robert
McCormick and J. B. G. Kinsloe — ^brother of the former
— and the name changed to Clinton County Whiff. Kin-
sloe soon went out, and was succeeded by I. B. Gara,
who remained with McCormick for a short time. In
1843, W. P. Coulter and John W. Ross became the
publishers. In the spring of 1845, Ross was alone,
Coulter having retired. About the 1st of May, 1845,
I. B. (hxB, took the paper again and continued it until
the 6th of November, when he retired, and H. E. Shoe-
maker became the publisher, and continued till the 17th
of October, 1847, when the press and materials were
taken to Jersey Shore. In December, 1849, Adam J.
Greer brought on a new establishment, and on the 26th
of the same month issued the first number of a new pa-
per, entitled The Clinton Tribune. He was assisted in
its publication by H. E. Shoemaker. At the close of a
464 HISTORY OF THE WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
year, Greer sold out to R. W. Rothrock, who continued
the paper tiU the 6th of April, 1852, when Col. W. T.
Wilson became a partner. On the 1st of September id-
lowing, Rothrock retired, having disposed of his interest
to his brother, W. P. Rothrock. Wilson conducted the
paper till the 15th of February, 1863, when he sold out
to C. Gather Flint, and his brother H. M. Flint, but h
name of the former only appeared at the head of the
paper. On the 18th of July, 1863, C. Gather Flint refr
red, and was succeeded by his brother, who continued
the paper till the 10th of October, 1864, when he retired,
followed by Daniel Bower, who continued a short tim^
when Thomas Martin cafie, and changed the name to
The Watchman. Mr. Martin retired from the paper on
the 3d of October, and was succeeded by D. S. Dunham.
The Clinton County Democrat was started by Wilbur
& Shriller, in 1839 or '40, and continued a year or two.
In 1843j^it was revived by John R. Eck.
The Clinton Democrat was published till the faD of
1844, by S. S. Seely. In December of that year it
passed into the hands of H. L. DielTenbach, who, in June,
1845, united the two rival papers. On the first of Jan-
uary, 1850, he sold out to Geo. A. Crawford, who, at
the end of one year, received Lyons Mussina as a partr
ner. At the end of two years Crawford & Mussina
were succeeded by Henry Frysinger, who continued two
years, and then gave way to Atwood & Wilson, who
also continued two years, and were succeeded on the Ist
of January, 1856, by James W. McEwen, the present
editor.
APPENDIX.
HISTORY
OVTHB
NORTHUMBERLAND BAPTIST ASSOCIATION.
BY 0. N. WORDBN.
It is believed there were some members of the Bap-
tist denomyiatioQ in the West Branch Valley, before the
Revolution, emigrants from New Jersey, and the lower
counties. In the Minutes of the Philadelphia Associa-
tion for the year 1774, it is stated that "letters from
well disposed persons in Tolbert, in Northumberland in
the Province of Pennsylvania," were read, and it was
"voted that Brothers David Sutton, William Worth and
Rlkana Holmes, are to visit the inhabitants of Tolbert
township, at times to be fixed upon by themselves." In
1775, " supplies were granted to Tolbert township, Bal-
timore town. Oyster Bay," and other places.
We observe no further notice of -Baptist labor in this
region until 1792, when the same Association recom-
mended that " Elders Patten, Clingan, and Vaughn,
agree to travel for three months in the ensuing year,
about Juniata and the West Branch of Susquehanna, to
30
466 AP»NDIX.
preach the Gospel to the destitute ; and this AssodatMi
recommend that a sufficient sum be subscribed bj die
Church, and paid immediately into the hands of Cdonel
Samuel Miles, to bear their expenses."
In 1794, the Association record that ^A lette
was received and read from the Church in Buffalo Val-
ley, in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, request-
ing to be received into this Association. Postponed, no
messenger appearing to receive the right hand of fdlow-
ship."
In 1796, ^^a Church newly constituted at Shemddn
(in 1794,) was received into the Association, and the
Churches recommended to aid them in building a meet-
ing house." That year, the Church reports 34 baptised,
8 received by letter, 1 deceased, 50 whole numbw —
John Patten, pastor. In 1799, the Churches of the
Association contributed $60 02 to ^^ aid the Shemokin
Church ;" and the same year, 46 baptisms were reported,
and a membership of 101, under Elder Patten's pastond
care.
It is supposed that " Tolbert," or « Talbert," and Tur-
but, are the same names, and that scattered through the
then large township of Turbut, were several persons of
Baptist sentiments. Some of them, it is known, were
driven from the present township of Shamokin, back
into ''• the Jersies" during the Revolution.
There were also a few Baptists, and preaching stations,
in Buffalo Valley, after the Revolution, but whether a
church was really formed there, (as. would appear from
the foregoing extract,) or whether those composing it
were the same as inmiediately afterward organized in
Shamokin, is not clear from the record. There is no
knowledge of any Baptist church in what is now called
NORTHUMBERLAND BAPTIST ASSOCUTION. 467
BuffiEdo Valley, uatil the formation of the Lewisburg
diurch, in 1844.
The Shamokin church is the fruitful mother of most
of the churches from Milton eastward, in Northumber-
land County.
In 1808, Elder Thomas Smiley, originally a Seceder
from Virginia, organized some scattered Baptists into a
church in White Deer Valley, Lycoming County, where
he fii^rved for twenty-three years, until his death in
1832. His remains lie unmarked in the grave yard in
fix>nt of the third meeting house built by this church.
The phurch-book kept by Elder Smiley, is a repository
of ecclesiastical and personal history, local and general,
and from this source a considerable portion of the infoiv
mation contained in this article has been derived.
About 1817, a^ church was formed on the head waters
of Little Muncy Creek, of which Elder Henry Clark,
late of White Deer, was pastor, reporting 8 baptized,
and 14 members in all. This church, with the White
Deer, joined the Chemung Association, extending up«
the head waters of the Chemung river in New York
State.
In 1820, the Northumberland Baptist AasodoHon was
formed, comprising the Shamokin, White Deer, and Lit-
tle Muncy churches, which had obtained letters of per-
mission from their respective Associations for that
purpose. They convened in a meeting-house in M(N:e-
land township, Lycoming County, and for the benefit
of those who are curious in such matters, as well as for
future reference, we have thought proper to subjoin the
following table, giving the names of the churches, and
the delegates or messengers from each church present at
the organization of the Association :
468 AFFBHDIX.
3 J
'^ ^ ^ '2 'i
GhUBCHEB. ME88ENGEB8. m ^ >^ 'S I
S* S "^ M
pq S S H p ^
Shamokin, John Woolverton, 3 0 3 2 0^
John Moore.
Charles Saxton.
Isaac Woolverton.
David Kelly.
Oideon Chamberlain.
White Deer. Thomas Smilet, * 0 0 0 0 1 14
John Lewis.
John Oakes.
Philip Gibbon.
Little Muncy. Henbt Clark, 8 8 0 0 0 26
SiJUu E. Shepard.
James Moore.
Biohard IXemutt
James Halit
Powel Bird.
6 3 8 2 1 124
The progress of the Association, since its organizatioii
thirty-six years ago, in that then wild part of the coun-
try, may he inferred from the following condensed tahular
summary, which has been carefully compiled from its
Annual Minutes, and which may be relied upon for cor-
rectness. The table, upon examination, will be found to
embody much valuable information, and may be interest-
ing to those members of the Baptist persuasion who are
anxious to post themselves up in the statistics of their
Church :
NORTHUMBERLAin) BAfTIST ASSOCIATION.
469
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pretiEB
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470 APPENDIX.
The Summary of Changes among the Membership for
thirty-six years^ is as follows :
Beceiiiced by Baptism, ... 3338
Do. by Letter, - - - 847
Do. by Restoration, - - 113
Dismissed by Letter, - - - 1579
Excluded or Erased, ... 651
Deceased, ..... 318
The Association was an early and aotiye adyocate of
special efforts for Revivals — of Temperance— of Foreign
and Home Missionary enterprises — and of all means cal-
culated to benefit the human family. The churches are
nearly all supplied with houses of worship, yet have
rarely been blessed with a ^^ stated ministry'' of long
continuance. The instability of the pastoreJ relation,
(from whatever cause,) and the constant losses by emi-
gration to the westward, have caused the churches to be
less efficient than the large numbers from time to time
added to them by baptism, would seem to promise. No
church formed within the bounds of tKe Association has
become utterly extinct, although several are very feeble,
and nearly half of them are without pastors.
I-
SUMMARY HISTORY
•rnn
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHUECH
UTHB
WEST BRANCH VALLEY.
Bt a. H. MoHBNRT.
At tbe dose of the war of the Revolutioii, in which
the West Branch Valley had become almost entirely
depopulated, the people, upon receiving the joyful news
of peace, began to make preparations to return, and re-
possess the territory from which they had been driven
by the Indians in 1777-8-9. They began to return in
the autumn of 1784, and established themselves perma-
nently in the West Branch, Bald Eagle, and Penn's Val-
leys ; and subsequently in Nittany Valley.
At that early period, but little information is to be
had respecting the formation of any church, or ministe-
rial effort, amongst the people, in these respective val-
leys. I remember, some ten years since, of seeing the
original manuscript of a subscription, dated 1784, the
funds of which were — as set forth — ^for the support of a
Presbyterian minister, to preach at Mahoning, (now
Danville,) Warrior Run and Muncy. It was among the
472 APPENDIX.
papers of Gen. William Montgomery, dec*d, and appeir-
ed to have been carried into effect. But as regards tlie
Methodist Churchy the first authentic information of
their efforts to promote the Gospel in this region, is
from the Minutes of the Conference held at BaltimoR}
May 6, 1791 * A new Circuit — wiih others in different
parts — called Northumberland, was formed, and two
preachers appointed, viz : — Richard Parriott and Lewis
Browning. The county had previously been explored
by the former without receiving or asking any compen-
sation for his services or expenses. This Circuit, from
the time of its formation, till 1806, Extended over tiie
following territory : From Wilkesbarre down the Vallej
of the North Branch to Northumberland — ^then up the
West Branch, including White Deer Hole Valley, and
up the Bald Eagle about four miles above Milesbarg,
and the same distance up Spring Creek from Bellefonte,
to Penn's Valley, near, and south of Potter's Fort^-
thence by the old horse path to Buffalo Valley and
Northumberland.
Each preacher traveled around this Circuit in four
weeks, preaching every day except when the distance
was too great, as from Penn's to Buffalo Valleys, thus
supplying each appointment once in two weeks. Dur-
ing the first part of the year 1791, there was no regular
preaching place from Northumberland to Lycoming
Creek, which was at the house of Arad Sutton. This
house, or a part of it, is yet standing on the east bank
of Lycoming Creek, on the main road from Williamsport
to Jersey Shore, and is now owned by Oliver Watson,
* This year was distinguished by the death of that eminent man of
Qod, and founder of Methodism, the Rev. John Wesley — also, by the es-
tablishing of Methodism in Canada.
HISTORT METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 473
Esq., of the former place. At this place was formed
the first society above Northumberland. After a lapse
of sixty-five years, it would not be expected to find
many of the members of that society living ; yet two
still survive, viz : Letitia Williams, of Montoursville, aged
82 years 1 month, and Rebecca Smith, of Lycoming
township, aged 94 J years. She came to Lycoming in
1774. Mrs. Williams did not join the society till about
1795.
The names of the members of the first class are given
entire, as follows :
James Bailey — ^Leader. Eye Updegraff.
Rhoda Bailey. Susanna Updegraff.
Amariah Sutton. Hannah Sutton.*
Martha Sutton. Rebecca Smith, (living.)
John Sutton. Alexander Smith.
Dorothy Sutton. Ebenezer Still.
Harman Updegraff. Lois Still.
Letitik Williams, (Hying.)
Soon after the organization of this class, societies
were formed at various other points. At Larry's Creek
was one of the earliest above, or perhaps at a yet earlier
time. Antes' on Bald Eagle.
In the month of August, 1806, a Camp Meeting was
held on Chilisquaque Creek, half a mile from the river.
This was the fird Camp Meeting held in this section of
the State.
I herewith give the names of the Preachers appointed
from time to time, on the several Circuits and Stations,
embracing the West Branch Valley.
* Died April, 1855, in Indiana, aged 94 years 4 montha.
474 AFPBNrax*
1791— Baltimore Diaftriet, NorthnmlmlMid (Srenk —
Biehard Pkmriotty Lewis nroimiiig,
1791— Baltimore Distriel^NelBon Beed, P. E. NorOi-
omberland CSieuii — ^Bidiard Purioi^ Ijewis
Browning, - - 260
1792— Baltimore Diatrioi—Nekon Beed| P. E. Northum-
berland GirooilH-JameB GampbeU, William Col-
bert, 170 1
1798— Wyoming Distriot— Valentine Cook, P. E. Nor-
thumberland Girooitr— James Campbell, James
Paynter, 810 1
1794 — Another change this year. The District was com-
posed of Bristol, Chester, Lancaster, Northom*
berland and Wyoming. Valentine Cooke, P. S.
Northnmberhind Cirenit — ^Robert Manley, John
Broadhead, 810 3
1795— Wyoming, Tioga and Seneca District— Valentine
Cook, P. E. Northumberland Circuit — James
Ward, Stephen Timmons, .... 260 1
1796— Philadelphia District— Thomas Ware, P. E. Nor-
thumberland Circuit — John Seward, Richard
Sneath, 264 2
1797— Philadelphia District— Thomas Ware, P. £. Nor-
thumberland Circuit — John Lackey, Daniel
Higby, - 231 1
1798— Philadelphia Districtr-Thomas Ware, P. E. Nor-
thumberland Circuit— J^ohn Lackey, John
Leach, 229
1799 — ^This year they were connected with Albany Dis-
trict— Wm. McLenahan, P. £. Wyoming and
Northumberland connected, and three preachers
formed a six weeks' circuit, viz. : James Moore,
Benjamin Bidlack and Daniel Stevens. Nor-
thumberland 244 members, Wyoming 193.
1800 — Connected with Philadelphia, &c. — Joseph Everett,
P. E. Northumberland and Wyoming, Ephraim
Chambers, Edward Larkina and Asa Smith.
Northumberland 215, Wyoming, ... 190
BISTORT IfETHODIST SPJSGOPAL CHURCH. 475
\ No. of Itanben.
White. Colond.
1801 — ^ThiB year, for the first tuQe, the field wa« divided
into regular and fixed districta.
• Philadelphia Bistriot — Joaeph Everett, P. E.
Northumberland Oireuit— Johnson Dunham, Gil-
bert Carpenter, ...... 175
1802 — ^Philadelphia Conference, Philadelphia Diatriot,
Northumberland Oirouit — ^Anning Owen, Jaa.
Aikena, 261 2
1808 — ^Philadelphia Conference, Susquehanna Distriet,
Northumberland Circuit — Daniel Ryan, James
Ridgeway, 480 8
1804 — ^Baltimore Conference, Susquehanna District-
James Smith, P. E.
Northumberland Circuit — ^Thomas Adams, G-ideon
Draper, - - 400 2
1805 — ^Baltimore Conference, Susquehanna District —
Anning Owen, P. £.
Northumberland Circuit — Christopher Fry, James
Saunders, - - 518 5
1806 — Susquehanna District — ^Anning Owen, P. E.
Northumberland Circuit — ^Robert Buroh and John
Swartzwelder, 841 1
Lycoming — ^nmothy Lee, Jesse I%iinel, - - 522 8
1807 — ^Baltimore Conference, Susquehanna IMstrict-—
Anning Owen, P. E.
Northumberland Circuit — ^Nicholas Willis, Joel
Smith, 480 1
Lycoming — James Charles, William Wolfe, - 580 10
1808 — Philadelphia Conference, Susquehanna District-
James Herron, P. E.
Northumberland Circuit — ^Thomas Curren, John
Rhodes, 582
Lycoming — ^Anning Owen, Daniel Stansbury, - 653 14
1809 — Philadelphia Conference, Susquehanna District —
(Hdeon'Draper, P. E.
Northumberland District— Timothy Lee, Loring
Ghrant, - - 58«
Lycoming — John Rhodes, Jacob Bamhart, - 657 14
476 APPENDIX.
Vo. of
WhitoL ColOTi
1810 — Genesee Conference, Snaqnehanna Distriei —
Gideon Draper, P. E.
Northumberland District — Abraham Dawson, %
Isaac Poffer, 622
Lycoming — ^Timothy Lee, Samnel Ross, - - 428
1811 — Genesee Conference, Susquehanna District —
Gideon Draper, P. £.
Lycoming — George Thomas, Abraham Dawson, 472 2
Northumberland — ^B. G. Paddock,* J. H. Baker,
R. Lanning, ..... . 588 1
1812 — Genesee Conference, Susquehanna District — Qeo.
Harman, P. £.
Lycoming — John Hazzard, James S. Lent, - 481 1
Shamokin — James H. Baker, James Hickcoz, 189
Northumberland — George Thomas, Ebeneier
Doolittle, .588
1818 — Genesee Conference, Susquehanna District — G^eo.
Harman, P. E.
Lycoming — George Thomas, Israel Cook, > 480
Shamokin — Abra. Dawson, Nathaniel Reeder, 188
Northumberland-Joseph Kinkead, Israel Gham-
beriin, 483 6
1814 — Genesee Conference, Susquehanna District — Geo.
Harman, P. E.
Lycoming — Peter Jones, James Bennett, - 824 4
Shamokin — Marmaduke Pearce, - - - 152
Northumberland — John Hazzard, Abraham
Dawson, ...... . 467 2
1815— Genesee Conference, Susquehanna District — Mar-
maduke Pearce, P. E.
Lycoming — John Thomas, Wyatt Chamberlain, 429
Shamokin — Benjamin Bidlack, ... - 159
Northumberland — Renaldo M. Everetts, Israel
Cook, 416
1816— Susquehanna District — Marmaduke Pearce, P. E.
Lycoming— Israel Chamberlain, Renaldo M.
Everetts, 420 1
BISTORT BfETHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 477
No. of MfifmlMn.
White. Colored.
Shamokin — ^Benjamin Bidlaok, - - - . - 170
Northumberland — John Thomas, Alpheus Davis, 501
1817 — Susquehanna District — Marmaduke Pearoe, P. E.
Lycoming — John Thomas, John Rhodes, - - 407 10
Shamokin — Abraham Dawson, - - - - 106
Northumberland — ^Benj. Bidlack, Peter Baker, 456
1818 — Susquehanna District — Marmaduke Pearce, P. E.
Lycoming — John Bhodes, Benjamin Bidlack, - 418 6
Shamokin — ^Israel Cook, .... 181
Northumberland — G-ideon Lanning, Abraham
Dawson, 422
1819 — Susquehanna Districti— George Lane, P. E.
Lycoming — ^Israel Cook, Thomas McGee, - 413 6
Shamokin — ^Elisha Bibins, .... 138
Northumberland — J. Rhodes, Darius Williams, 470
1820 — Northumberland — John Rhodes, Israel Cook, - 551
Lycoming — John Thomas, Robert Menshall, . 481
Shamokin — ^Marmaduke Pearce, - - - 217
1821 — ^Northumberland District, Baltimore Conference —
Henry Smith, P. E.
Northumberland — Ma. Pearce, J. Thomas, . 551
Shamokin — John Rhodes, .... 280
Lycoming— Robt. Menshall, Jacob R. Shepperd,
1822— Northumberland Districtr— Henry Smith, P. E.
Northumberland — J. Thomas, Mor4,ecai Barry, 682 2
Shamokin — John Rhodes, .... 300
Lycoming — Robert Caddon, William McDowell, 471 10
1823— Northumberland District— Henry Smith, P. E.
Lycoming — Robert Cadden, Nathaniel Mills,
Jno. Thomas, Sup., 477 8
Northumberland — Jacob R. Shepperd, Mordecai
Barry, - - 600 1
Shamokin— David Steel, - - - - 306
1824— Northumberland District— Henry Smith, P. E.
Lycoming — John Thomas, Thomas McGee, - 576 10
Northumberland — ^R. Caddon, F. McCartney,
R. Bond, 675 8
Shamokin — Jacob R. Shepperd, ... 307
478 AFBomoL
1825— NortkumberUnd Biit— MumMhike Peuee^ P. B.
Bald Bag^e-^okn Rhodes, (ibis j«Mr extended
to Oieat Iflkod.) * - - . . 843 10
Lyooming^ThoBMit MoGee^ FrMcio M oOart-
ney, • - - - • • - - 644 IS
NorthiimbeflMidr-iU)bt CMkks, BiA'd B^ 683
Shamokiii— John llMMuiy • . . -287
1826— Northomberhmd Diflt-^lCarmadnke Pnroey P. E.
Shamokin — John Tuiej)iill, ... 266
Northamberland--John Thomasy Geo. Hildty • 691 ^
Ljooming — ^Amoa Smith, John Boweii, - • 580 12
(Bald Eagle ohanged to BeUefoBte)— John
Boadt, ...... . 846 6
1827— Northomberland IMat— Mannadnke Peam, P. S.
Shamokin — Jonathan Hnnroe, ... 287 3
Northumberland — John ThomaSi Darid SluiTer, 657 3
Ljooming — John Bowen, Henry Taning^ • 706 8
Bellefonte—Amoa Smith, Bdwaid & Allett - 864 11
1828— Northumberland Diat— Maimadnke I^Mme, P. E.
Shamokin — ^Henry Tarring, - - . . 816 3
Northumberland — Ghas. Kalbns, Wm. James, 660 2
Lycoming — ^Edward £. Allen, Robt. Kemp, - 708 10
Bellefonte — Amos Smith, Dayid Sharer, - 402 16
1829— Northumberiand Diatriot— Dayid Steele, P. E.
Shamokin — ^l^dward E. Allen, • - . 840 3
Northumberland — James W. Dunahay, Joaiah
Forest, 820
Lycoming — ^William Prettyman, Charles Kal-
bus, 692 7
Bellefonte— S. Ellis, James H. Brown, - - 450 6
1830— Northumberland Districtr— David Steel, P. E.
(Shamokin changed to Sunbury,) Josiah For-
est, - - 428 5
Northumberland — James W. Dunahay, Alfred
B. Eskridge, 1030
Lycoming — ^William Prettyman, James H.
Brown, ------- 776 17
Bellefonte — Isaac Collins, Oliver Ega, - - 549 9
mSTORT BfETH(n>I8T flPIBOOPAL CHURCH. 479
No. of Membtn.
White. ColoMd.
1881— Norihamberland DistrietH-David Steel, P. E.
Sonbory — Oliyer Ega, Jamee H. Browii| - 455 2
Northamberland — ^David Sliaver, ... 273
Lyeoming — James W. Dnnahaj, William Ev-
ans, 676 20
Bellefonte — Samuel Brysoiii A. BriUaiiii - 566 9
[A new circoit taken o£f Northumberland this year,
and called Berwick.]
1832— Northamberland Bistrioi— David Steel, P. E.
Sanbnry— Wesley Howe, J. Clark, - - 530 8
Northamberland — ^H. Pearoe, Joeiab Forest, * 611
Lyeoming — ^D. Sbaver, John B. Tallen^e, - 521 10
Bellefonte— S. Ellis, James Sanks, - - 656 7
1833 — Northamberland Distriet — ^William Pretlyman,
P. E.
Sunbury — ^Thomas Taneyhill, John B. Tallen-
tyre, . - - - - - - - 680 8
Northamberland— Josiah Forest, J. Beed, jr., - 611
Lycoming— S. Ellis, Oliver Ega, - - - 521 10
Bellefonte — B. Barnes, James Sanks, - - 656 7
1834 — ^Northamberland Dbtriet— William Prettyman,
P. E.
Sanbaiy — ^Thomas Taneyhill, John Oayer, • 478
Northamberland — ^Henry Tarring, Oliver Ega, 624
Lycoming — James Sanks, Joseph S. Lee, - 587 15
Bellefonte— David Shaw, J. Forest, - - 715 8
1835— Northamberland Pbtrict — William Prettyman,
P. E.
Sanbnry — Oliver Ega, J. Anderson, - - 486
Northamberlandr-Henry Tarring, John Ouyer,
B. Beers, T. Myers, 627
Lycoming — James Sanks, S. Ellis, - - 518 16
Bellefonte — J. Forest, A. 6. Chenowith, - 558 4
1836 — Northamberland District — William Prettyman,
P. E.
Sanbnry— Oliver Ega, O. C Gibbons - - 586 8
Northamberland — Charles Kalbos, J. T. Cha-
ncy, 644
480 APPRNDIK.
vo. of
TBAE. I
WMto. Colond.
Lycoming — ^Thomas Taneyhill, Isaac T. Strat-
ton, - 589 17
Bellefonte — John Rhodes, Thomas Myers, - 560 3
1837 — ^Northumberland District — John Miller, P. E.
Sunbnry— Heniy Ot. Dill, Charles B. Brown, - 531 3
Northumberland — Charles Ejilbns, John Hall, 460
Lycoming — ^Thomas Taneyhill, Isaac T. Strat-
ton, 590 11
Bellefonte--John Rhodes, R. W. H. Brent, - 581 1
1838— Northumberland Districir— John Miller, P. E.
Sunbury — Henry G. Dill, John W. Hangha-
waut, 494
Northumberland — James Sanks, Isaac T. Strat-
ton, 531
Lycoming — James Ewing, George L. Brown - 647 11
Bellefonte — ^Thomas TaneyhiU, George Guyer, 540 1
1889— Northumberland Districir— John Miller, P. E.
Sunbury — John Rhodes, William Hirst,
Northumberland — James Sanks, Isaac T. Strat-
ton, 580
Lycomitig — James Ewing, George Guyer, - 694 12
Bellefonte — Thomas Taneyhill, George Bergs-
tresser, 552
1840r-Northumberland District— John Miller, P. E.
Sunbury — John Rhodes, John Ball, - - 554
Northumberland — Thomas Taneyhill, William
Hirst, 611 2
Lycoming — Charles Kalbus, John W. Haugha-
waut, - 794 10
Bellefonte— William Butler, S. V. Blake, - 723 2
1841 — ^Northumberland District — Gkorge Hildt, P. E.
Sunbury — John Ball, Gideon H. Day, - - 550
Northumberland — Thomas Taneyhill, James W.
Miles,* 411 5
''^James W. Miles remained but a short time. About the month of Julj,
Northumberland and Milton were again united, and were supplied the balance
of this jear, (1842,) bjTanejhill| Brown, and Hirst.
HISTORT METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 481
No. of Membon.
White. Golon4.
Ljcoming — Robert T. Nixeu,* John W.
Haughawaut 915 10
Bellefonte— William Butler, Elisha D. Owen, 829 10
Milton — John Bowen, William Hirst,
1842— Northumberland District— Oeorge Hildt, P. £.
Sunbury— George Bergstresser, Wm. S. Baird, 640
Northumberland — James Ewing, William R.
Milk, 564 1
Lycoming — George Oujer, Ephraim McCollom, 574 9
[March of thia year, the Lycoming circuit was
divided at QuerUthachshaehki creek, (near Linden,)
and the new circuit called West Branch. It took
in Nippenose valley, Wayne township, Dunns-
burg, and up Pine creek to the First Fork. In
1843, it was extended up this Fork as far as Eng-
lish Centre.]
West Branch— William Hirst, I. H. Tonence, 713
Bellefonte— Francis M. Mills, W. T. I). Olemm, 794 8
Milton — John B9wen, Thomas M. Reese, - 527 5
1848— Northumberland Districtr-George Hildt, P. E. *
Sunbury — Alem Brittan, Jacob Montgomeiy, 626 1
Northumberland — James Ewing, W. T. 1).
Clemm, - - 515
Milton — George Guyer, George A. Co&y, - 515
West Branch — William Hirst, James Gayer, - 647
Bellefonte— F. M. Mills, Ephraim McGoUom, 772 2
Lycoming — John Bowen, W. R. Mills, - - 612 9
1844— Northumberland District— George Hildt, P. E.
Sunbuiy — ^Alem Brittan, John W. Tongue, - 609
Northumberland — ^B. H. Crever, James Guyer, 482 8
Milton — George Guyer, Alfred Wiles, - - 517
[March, 1844, Lycoming Circuit was again divided
at Loyal Sock, and the new circuit called Wil-
liamsport It extended westward as far as New-
berry, and northward as far as Ralston, on
Lycoming Creek, and southward to Bald Eagle
Mountain.]
^ In July of this year, R. T. Nixen left the circuit, on account of ill health,
and George Guyer was appointed to supply his place.
31
482 APPENDIX.
Ho. <tf Meabcn.
TBim. White. Cokni.
WilliamBport — John Bowen, - - - - 280
Lycoming — J. A. Ross^ John J. Pearce, - 480
West Branch*— Thomas Tanoyhill, S. G. Hare, 580
[March, 1844, Bellefonte Gircnit was divided at a
point in Nittanj Valley, about three miles below
Washington Furnace, and at Mill Hall, in Bald
Eagle Valley, and the new circuit called Lock
Haven. It included the east part of IHttany and
Bald Eagle Valleys to the mouth of Bald Eagle
Creek, and the West Branch Valley from Lock
Port on the east, and westward to and including
Cook's Run ; also including Kettle Creek Valley.]
Lock Haven— W. R. Mills, John W. Elliott, 274 I
1845 — Northumberland District — Samuel Biyson, P. £.
Sunbury — John W. Haughawaut, Jacob S.
McMurray, - - - . - - 655 1
Northumberland — B. H. Grerer, N. 8. Buck-
ingham, • - 414
Milton— Alem Brittan, £. F. Busey, ' - - 518
Williamsport — Maybenry Gk>heen, - - • 281 2
Lycoming — J. A. Ross, John W. Elliott, - 475
Jersey Shore — Thomas Taneyhill, J. W. Tongue, 580
Lock Haven — P. B. Reese, (no report.)
1846— Northumberland District — Samuel Bryson, P. E.
Sunbury — J. W. Haughawaut, Thos. Bamhart, 510 1
Northumberland — ^P. B. Reese, J. J. Pearce, - 440 1
Milton — Alem Brittan, J. W. Tongue, - - 520
Williamsport — Mayberry (xoheen, - - - 310 2
Lycoming — James Ewing, W. L. Murphy, - 440
Jersey Shore — Joseph A. Ross, Chas. Maclay, 855
Lock Haven-^ohn Stine, .... 350
1847 — Northumberland District — Samuel Bryson, P. E. *
Sunbury — Peter McEnally, H. Huffman, - 458 1
Northumberiand— W. R. Mills, J. W. Elliott, 440
Milton— H. G. Dill, J. J. Pearce, - - - 456
Williamsport — John Guyer, Charles Maclay, - 410
Jersey Shore — Joseph A. Ross, N. S. Buck-
ingham, 795
* On the 19th of August, 1844, the name was changed to Jersey Shore.
BISTORT METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 483
No. of Memben.
LB. Wblto. Colored
Lock Haven — J. W. Haughawaut, - - 845 3
LycomiDg — James Ewing, - . - - - 4^2
48 — Northumberland District — Samuel Bryson, P. E.
Sunbury — James Ewing, J. P. Simpson, - 491
Northumberland — J. S. Lee, S. A. Wilson, - 446
MUton— H. G. Dill, B. B. HamUne, - - 447
Lycoming — John Stine, Thomas Bamhart, - 359
Williamsport — John Ouyer, Charles Maolay, - 430
Jersey Shore — S. L. M. Conser, I. H. Torrence, 667
Lock Haven — J. W. Haughawaut, ... 334
49 — ^Northumberland District — John A. Gere, P. E.
Sunbury — James Ewing, William Gwynn, - 705
Northumberland — J. S. Lee, B. B. Hamline, - 452
Milton — M. G.. Hamilton, David Castleman, - 552 1
Lycoming — John Stine, ... - 366
Williamsport— H. G. Dill, Samuel Wilson, - 385 2
Jersey Shore — John Guyer, Thomas Bamhart, 616
Lock Haven — ^I. H. Torrence, * - - 42S
50 — Northumberland District — John A. Gere, P. E.
Sunbury — John Stine, William Gwynn, - - 683
Northumberland — S. L. M. Gdnser, H. W.
Bellman, 341 2
Milton— M. 6. Hamilton, (Station,)* - - 160
Lewisburg— John Guyer, (Station,)*
Lycoming — ^Thomas Taneyhill, Justus A. Me-
lick, 460
Williamsport— H. G. Dill, A. M. Bamita, - 436 2
Milton — John Moorhead, - - - - 300
Jersey Shore — G. H. Day, Thomas Bamhart, - 687
Pine Creek— W. E. Buckingham, - - - 220
Lock Haven— I. H. Torrence, A. T. Ewing, - 416
' This year, these two Stationp were connected with Huntingdon District,
rhich T. H. W. Monroe was Prvsiding Blder.
• 450 100
. 299
81
159
66
175
92
342
43
484 APPENDIX.
1851— Northumberland District — John A. Gere, P. £.
.Sonbuiy — John Stiney Albert Hartman,
Northumberland-^. L. M. Conser,
Lewiflbiirg Station — John Gayer, -
Milton StaUon— P. B. Beeee,
Milton Cirooit — John Moorhead, W. B. dark,
Lycoming — ^Name tshanged to Money.
Muncy — ^Thomas TaneyhiU, F. M. Sloaser, - 327 U
Williamsport — ^ThompBon MitcheU, B. B. Ham-
line, 378 54
Jersey Shore — G. H. Day,* B. Hi Crever, - 511 43
Pine Creek— John H. C. Dosh, W. E. Buck-
ingham, 149 47
Lock Haven — Joseph 6. McKeehan, H. W.
Bellman, 406 73
1852 — Northumberland District — John A. Qere, P. E.
Sunbury— Jos. A. Ross, T. M. GroodfeUow, - 346 112
Northumberland — John Moorhead, F. M. Slusser, 319
Lewisburg Station — S. L. M. Conser
Milton Circuit — John Stine, Joshua Kelly,
Milton Station — P. B. Seese,
Muncy Circuit — Jos. S. Lee, J. Y. Rothrock,
Williamsport Station — ^Thompson Mitchell, B.
B. Hamline, 392 37
Jersey Shore — B. H. Crever, J. J. P^arce, - 494 119
Pine Creek— J. H. C. Dosh, W. C. Gantt, - 180 60
Lock Haven — ^I. G. McKeehan, A. G. Muriatt, 377 66
1853— Northumberiand Dist.— Thos. B. Sargent, P. E.
Sunbury — Jos. A. Ross, .... 500 ^
Northumberland — ^Thos. Bamhart, J. Y. Roth-
rock; 287 191
Lewisburg Station — S. L. M. Conser, - - 289 60
Milton Station — J. S. McMurray, - - . 203 5
Milton Circuit — John Stine, S. Barnes, - - 371 55
♦ About the let of May, Mr. Day was appointed General Agent for
Dickinson Seminary, at Williamsport, and immediately entered upon the duties
of his appointment ; and B. H. Crever became preacher in charge, and J. J
Pearce preacher of the Jersey Shore Circait.
190
90
331
95
214
16
320
80
BISTORT UmnONST EPISCOPAL CHUBCH. 485
ll«mb«rt.
Prob.
. 860
30
. 287
6
■ 880
39
- 204
38
- 172
23
. 107
3
• 404
15
Mnncy— T. H. Switzer, E. Eakle, -
Williamsport Station — J. France,* -
Newberry — Job. S. Lee, Thos. Sherlock, -
Jersey Shore Station — P. B. Reese,
New Liberty — John H. C. Dosh, -
Pine Creek — ^I. G. ttcKeehan,
Lock Haven— J^. J. Pearce, W. C. Oantt,
[In If arch, a new District was formed, called Belle-
fonte, taken fh>m Northumberland and Hunting-
don Districts. There were included within this
District, three Circuits, and one Station, that
were nearly all within the West Branch Yallejr,
viz. : — Pine Creek, Lock Haven, Great Island,
or New Liberty, and Jersey Shore Station.]
1854— Northumberland Dist.— Thos. B. Sargent P. E.
Northumberland — ^Thos. Bamhart, - •
Sunbuij — J. G. McKeehan, James Gums,
Lewisborg Station — ^Benjamin B. Hamline,
Milton Station — J. 8. McMurray, ...
Milton Circuit— Thos. Taneyhill, G. C. Maybee, 345
Muncy — ^T. H. Switcer, Samuel Barnes, -
WiUiamsport Station — John Stine, -
Newberry — J. S. Lee, J. Y. Bothrock, -
1854— Bellefonte Dist.-nJohn Poisal, P. E.
Jersey Shore — John W. Elliott,
Great Island — George Warren,
Lock Haven — Justus A. Melick, -
1855 — ^Northumberland Dist.— T. B. Sargent, P. E.
Sunbuiy — J. G. McKeehan, B. P. King,
Northumberland — Joseph A. Boss,
Lewisburg — ^B. B. Hamline, - - -
Milton Station — Franklin Dyson, -
Milton Circuit — Thos. Taneyhill, -
Muncy — Joshua Kelly, Thos. Sherlock, -
Williamsport Station — John Stine,
Newberry — J. S. McMurray, C. C. Maybee,
•
*In the month of September, of this year, the health of Mr. France failed,
and his place was filled the balance of the year by Bdward E. Allen.
871
48
450
9
230
30
181
3
345
45
314
30
260
40
859
36
208
14
172
38
865
78
424
79
130
90
229
19
155
25
335
24
840
48
275
12
342
62
486 AFFKNPIX.
1855— Bellefonte Kst.-nJohn Poisal, P. E.
Jersey Sbore--Johii W. Elliott, - - - 178 12
Rne Greek— Albert Hariman, W. M. Showal-
ter, 91 24
Great laUnd — reorge Warren, - - - 181 SI
Look Haven-nJ. Melick, T. A. Gotwalt, - 344 18
BOUNDARIES OF SOME OF THE OLD CIRCUITS, Ac.
In 1806^ Lycoming Circuit embraced aU of that part
of Northumberland Circuit west, and south, of the town
of Northumberland.
In 1812, Shamokin Circuit embraced all the territon'
east of the Susquehanna to the Broad Mountains, soatb
to Mahantongo Creek, and north to Nescopeck Creek.
In 1815, Bald Eagle Circuit was formed out of the
Lycoming Circuit west of Beech Creek, and in 1825 it
was extended east to the Great Island.
About 1827, Northumberland Circuit was extended
west, taking from Lycoming Circuit all the territor}' to
Muncy Hills, north of the river, and all that south to the
mouth of White Deer Creek.
About the close of the year 1831, another part was
taken from Lycoming, and added to Northumberland,
taking in Washington and Clinton townships, Lycoming
County.
Having pursued the progress of the Church for a pe-
riod of sixty-five years, — ^from May 1791, the time of the
organization of the Northumberland Circuit, with two
preachers — we find in March, 1856, the same territory
divided into twenty-five Charges, viz : — 18 Circuits, 6
HISTORY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 487
Stations^ and 1 Mission^ with a membership of 7170 in
full connection, 1063 on probation, and 11 colored mem-
bers, making a grand total of 8244^ with 43 travelling or
stationed pi^achers.
The membership, in what is denominated the West
Branch Valley, from Sunbury to Lock Haven, in March,
1856, was as follows : 3223 members, 21 preachers, in*
eluding 1 Presiding Elder, with 37 Churches.
C^e |nbian Hmtttr of % S^mtpu^wm.
The following interesting sketch, of some of tlie
adventures of Capt. Bradj^ was originally published in
the BlatrsvUle Appalachian. The manuscript was found
among the papers of a near relative of Brady, and is the
narrative of Peter Gbove, an ancient hnnter and ranger
of the Susquehanna, detailing a series of thrining enter-
prises against the Indians by Bradj, in which he parti-
cipated. Their adventures extended through the pre-
sent counties of Huntingdon^ Clearfield, Centre, Ly-
coming, Clinton^ and Union.
The incidents are related in so probable and likely a
manner, that there can be but littie doubt of their actual
occurrence. No dates are given, but it is quite likely
that the year following Broadhead's expedition up liie
Alleghany river may be assumed.
It will be observed that Peter is fond of repeating the
name " Sam," and uses it with mmecessary frequency.
But the person who copied the manuscript for the press,
did not feel at liberty to alter or vary from the original,
except in the arrangement of paragraphs, (the original
consists of one,) correction of errors in spelling, and, in
a few instances, supplying a word where it was evident-
ly required to perfect the sense, and had been omitted
through mistake.
INDIAN HUNTEB OF THE SUSQUEHANNA. 489
ADVENTURES OF CAPT. SAMUEL BRADY.
A Story CLS related hy Peter Grove, a man well knoum for his hra^
very as a Warrior and Hunter , on the Susquehanna, at an early
day.
The old gentleman says, at one time when Grove
called at my house for refreshment, after four weeks'
hunt up the river, I persuaded him to remain over
night, which he did with a good deal of reluctance.
His character was to be moving to nightfall, then it
made no diflTerence to Grove where he was.
In that evening's conversation, I inquired of him if
he had ever seen Captain Samuel Brady, of the Rangers.
He rose from his seat ; his eyes glistened with pleasure.
His countenance evinced to me I had struck a string on
which he liked to dwell. He replied, " Oh, yes ! — Poor
Sam is dead, so they tell me," and seated himself, his
countenance changing to a cast or two past its natural
gravity, to gloom and deep thoughtfulness.
After meditating for a short time, he cast his eyes
around the room, with quickness, arose, put up his rifle,
which was standing in the corner, placed it on the hooks,
walked to the door, called up his dogs, gave them- some
food, and bade them go back to the canoe, which com-
mand they promptly obeyed. He then returned to the
fire, then stirring it up, got his blanket and spread it
upon the floor, and rested upon it with peculiar compo-
sure. " Yes," said he, " Mr. Porter, I have seen Sam,
(so I always called him, except in the presence of
strange officers.) I could tell you many of Sam's ex-
ploits, but one or two will suffice for the present even-
ing. It gives me great pleasure to relate these thin^
to a man that appears to take interest in our welfare.
490 AFPENBa.
The day was, when we were all as brothers along these
waters. I see a change, but I shall not long hare to
witness these unfiriendly habits.
^^ I was well acquainted with John Brady, who was
killed at Wolf Run— the father of Sam. Also with sll
the boys. John, the brother of Sam, was wounded at
Brandywine, fighting by the side of his father, at the
age of sixteen. James was killed by the Indians, and
after the murder of Sam's father and brother, there was
ugly play between the Bradys and their friends, and the
Indians.
^^ There was an uncle of Capt. Sam's whose name was
also Sam Brady ; and to distinguish them we called him
^ Uncle Sam.' He was a man of the largest size, and of
great activity ; a great Mend to liberty, and he proved
it, for many a red coat he gave a deeper dye ; and many
a lowering savage he laid low.
^^ It was him that taught the boys in their youth, to
run, jump, swim, shoot, and all exercises that he thought
would be of use, in case the storm would burst that was
then gathering over our country. It did bursty and
Uncle Sam's country was rewarded for his pains, in the
service of his nephews.
"Brave Uncle Sam! — ^long may you live! for you
were a protector to the unprotected 1
" I had been up through Pennsylvania on a hunt and
lookout, and I discovered Indian signs ; and, from what
I saw, was convinced that there were Indians between
the West Branch (of the Susquehanna) and the Juniata
river. I returned with all speed to Buffalo, (valley we
presume,) to communicate to Captain J. Poster and
others, my suspicions, that the Indians were working
around us.
INDIAN HUNTER OV THE SUSQUEHANNA. 491
" On my way down I had discovered a man's track,
at different times, which astonished me, for I had taken
a route I thought no man woulfl have travelled, red or
white, except ancy and he was far distant west of Alle-
ghany.
^^ I observed the size of the track, and the length of
the step — a thought struck me. But it cbuld not be !
^^ I found after I got into the valley, and on the path,
that the traveller ahead had deviated from his path,
which gave me great uneasiness, and caused me to quit
the path and take another route through the woods.
^^ I called on Capt. John Foster, and informed him of
the discovery I had made. His countenance was fired
in an instant. He was a brave, strong, and active man,
ever ready to perform his duty. His rifle was a fatal
one to the enemies of his country. I have seen it so in
many instances.
" The Captain observed to me, ^ Peter ! Peter ! I fear
there has been sad work west of the mountains. The
tracks you saw on the path coming down, must have
been the tracks of one of Brady's Rangers.' * No, Cap-
tain,' I replied, ' there is no man Uving who would have
taken the route I did, but Sam, himself.' ' They could
have travelled it by his direction,' said the Captain.
* No, never,' I replied. ^ Well, well, Peter ! we will not
differ long ; to-morrow we will know. So go to the top
of the ridge, and discharge your rifle three times. They
(i. e. Foster's spies) will collect in a short time.'
^ I did as I was directed ; and in a short time twenty
of our men made their appearance. The Captain in-
formed them of the discovery I had made, so far as
related to the Indian signs, but nothing in relation to
his apprehensions about the West. After he had given
492 AFFSNDDL
them their orders to keep strict watch about their
houses, for the night, and to be ready to march in the
morning, at a moment's warning, he dismissed them for
the night
^^ When they were gone, the Captain observed to me,
^ Peter, we must go to the Widow Brady's, and I think
we will there find one of the brave fellows firom the Al-
leghany river.
^^ When we approached the house, our path was crossed
by a man, whom the Captain hailed in a low tone of
voice. The man advanced to us — but what was oar
surprise to find in him the brave Sam Brady.
^^ Our surprise I have not language to tell you. He
accoutred as a hunter — ^his blanket on his back. He had
just arrived ; having been detained by avoiding the path,
and hearing the shots I had fired so soon after my arri-
val at Foster's.
^^ He and the Captain walked aside, and after a mo-
ment's absence, returned, and we made the best of our
way back.
" I observed to Sam, * will you go to see your mother
and children?' *No, Peter,' said he, *I understand
they are well yet, and for their preservation I must be
oflF.' This brought tears to my eyes, and I cannot now
relate it without weeping. To think of the hardships he
had undergone, of his long absence, and widowed moth-
er— her little, fatherless flock, who had been made so by
the merciless savages, during his absence. Yes, sir,
these scenes are now forgotten by many, but they are
yet fresh in my memory ; and while my heart beats, I
cannot forget them.
" We travelled back in silence, save that our brave
Captain Foster's feelings gave way, and he moaned
INDIAN HUNTER OF THE SUSQUEHANNA. 493
aloud. When we got into the house, ^Weep not, breth-
ren/ observed Sam to us, ^ It is better that my mother
and the family should be ignorant of my being in this
part of the country, for by to-morrow's dawn we must
be off, at least I, and one man, with your permission.
Captain.' * Give us the news, first, from the West,' re-
plied Captain Foster, stepping up to Sam, and laying
his hand on his shoulder. ^ And tell me,' says I, ^ how
old Uncle Sam is — or is he yet alive ? ' * Yes, Peter,'
said Sam, ^ and spoiling a great many countenances in
that part of the country.' ^ We seldom hear of him,' I
said, * since you got a command.' ^ You know, Peter,'
said Sam, ^ he always goes in a gang by himself, and
picks those whom he knows to be leaders. You wish to
have news. I have none, but that we are fighting when-
ever we meet, and we generally beat them.'
" The Indians have disappeared of late to the number
of one hundred and fifty. They have some grand project
in view ; and my opinion is, it is a descent on this part
of the country. This is a conjecture of my own, and
has caused me to cross the mountains at this time. —
They have been informed of men having been drawn off
from this section of the country ; and, by quitting the
Alleghany in small parties, they expect to surprise you,
and disappoint us. I crossed the trail of thirty west of
the Mountains ; I crossed it again near the Standing
Stone, and on this side of the Juniata. I am convinced
of their leading to the ^ Bald Eagle's Nest,' but they must
now be on the waters of the Juniata, hunting, and re-
freshing themselves.
" The party I trailed is headed by two brothers —
young warriors of uncommon skill and bravery. I be-
lieve they were both present at the murder of my friends.
494 APPENDIX.
and they have sworn vengeance against me and my kin-
dred. Since I was here, Uncle Sam and I have caosed
their nation to bleed in its most vital parts.
^^ The Panther and the Blacksnake, who are the lead*
ers of the party nearest us, are men of uncommon strength
and action — ^first-rate rifle shots, that seldom fail at two
hundred yards. The Panther and the Blacksnake shall
never taste the waters of the AUeghar^ again !
^^ Two weeks before my departure for this part of the
^untry, I was dogging them, and lay so close to their
fires as to witness them go through the tragic scenes of
my father's and brother's death. This induced me to
think they were engaged in those murders. On the
night I mentioned, I had determined to send the Panr
ther to another world, but a squaw placed herself by his
side with a papoose in her arms, and in such a position
that I should have sent them along as company. But
no blood but that of a warrior shall ever stain my skirts.
It was hard to let them slip, for he boasted in his dance
that the day would come when he would dance the
death of Uncle Sam and I^ So I determined he should
fall by my hand. The Blacksnake danced the Susque-
hanna murders, and vaunted the exploits he would per-
form on his next visit. The death of my mother and
children was threatened; after which I would weep
through the woods, and he would take me prisoner ; and
how he would triumph over me.
" Blacksnake ! — the day is not far distant when you
shall coil around the pit of your own stomach, and vomit
blood for the wolf and panther to roll upon !"
" Sam cast his eyes upward, and with devotion I never
before witnessed, called upon God who had preserved
his kindred and neighbors, to look down with an eye of
INDIAN HUNTER OF THE SUSQUEHANNA. 495
mercy upon our devoted country. ' My brethren/ said
he, ^ it is in Him alone I confide for the preservation of
our country. It appears to me Government has given
us up as unworthy of its protection.'
"^No, Captain,' replied Foster, 'Gen. Potter says
that in a conversation he had with Gen. Washington, re-
specting the frontiers ; Gen. Washington remarked ' you
have an army in Captain Sam Brady and his Rangers.' "
" * I hope,' replied Sam, * they have a devotion not
excelled by any now combating for the rights of man'.
Oh ! may Liberty blossom ! Her roots shall be watered
by crimson streams ! Her branches may yet flourish in
the wilderness ! Future generations may enjoy the
fruits of our labors, and our names live in the memory
of our countrymen. We have a warfare never before
witnessed. Degenerate Britons ! why do you excite a
savage people to acts that must draw upon them the
vengeance of the living God ! '
^^We made the necessary preparations that night;
Sam and I were to march as soon as he thought best.
" Before we lay down, he asked me for my rifle. * Is
she good, Peter ? ' ^ Yes — no better.' ' Who owns the
gun I heard the reports of, this evening ? ' * You have
her in your hand.' ^ She will do,' says Sam, handing
her back to me.
^^ We lay down, and Sam soon fell into a sound sleep^
but I could not rest.
^^ About two hours before day, Sam sprang to his feet
with the nimbleness of a cat, crying ^ Arise, Peter, we
must be ofi*.'
^' Captain Foster bounced from his bed, with the force
of a horse. ^ You come down heavy. Captain,' says I.
< It is the way I awake my family,' says he. And it
496 APPENDIX.
was not long till we had a proof of their early lising.—
Our breakfast was on the table in a crack ; and a put
of our treat was a cup of coffee — a thing which Sam hi
not tasted for six months. It made him speak ; he hi
been silent from the time he bade me arise, till we had
placed ourselves around the hospitable board of oar hu-
mane and gallant Captain Foster.
^^ I observed Sam's countenance had a smile upon it
' You look pleased/ said I. ^ And I am pleased/ said
he, ^ that you have yet some of the comforts of life with
you in this country.
" ^ They are few,' observed Foster, ^ but while we haie
them, we will not deny ourselves. I hope the day is
not far distant when comforts will abound in this land ;
and though we may not live to see it^ I trust in Gh)d our
children will. Then, with the fullest confidence in His
Providential care, let us thank him for what we have.'
^^ After we rose from the table, the Captains laid their
plans. They were to be secret with us. Sam and 1
were to go and kill some meat, and have it collected f(V
the party, at a run in Penn's Valley, called Elk ran;
also at Spruce Creek, or a place called * The Clear Foun-
tains.'
" Foster was to start, after two days, with fifteen
men, and send the remainder up the river as far as the
mouth of the Bald Eagle.
" Our arrangements being completed, we bade . the
little flock farewell. I observed that when Sam bade
the lady of the house to be kind to his mother, he wept
And he wept not alone, for our hearts sympathized with
his, and we all with one voice called on God to he a hus-
band to the widow, and a father to the fatherless.
^' I bounced out of the door, and got into the path.—
INDIAN HUNTER OP THE SUSQUEHANNA. 497
Sam sprang from the door to the middle of the enclosure,
and from thence over the fences into the path before me.
I do believe the fence was eight feet high. He could
spring like, a panther, and run like a buck.
"We got to Elk Run in time to dress a deer apiece.
The next morning we killed five, and moved off in time
to reach the Fountains that day. Here we hung up some
meat, after which we took the scout.
"We soon found ^signs' after we got to the Juniata
hills. We were to return to the Fountains and let Foster
know, as soon as we had discovered the lurking places
of the Indians.
"When at our fire at night, Sam related to me some
astonishing feats performed by him and his men. It was
seldom he would speak of himself — he left that for others.
He took great pleasure in relating the hair-breadth escapes
of his brave companions.
" One evening while at rest, we were disturbed by the
screams of a panther. I wanted to go and kill it, but
Sam told me, * Peter, beware of that fellow — I have heard
Ms screams west of the mountains P
"He covered what little fire we had, and told me to
follow him. We slipped through the woods in a difierent
direction from where the panther was, and on the top of
the ridge lay down. Sam slept sound until his usual
time of awaking, which was about the time I generally
fell asleep. But sleep was far from my eyes, which he
discovered. ^ Peter,' said he, 'you are alarmed at the
hints I gave you yesterday and last night.' (We had
found some meat of a very fat deer, and I wanted to
take a piece to cook for supper; but he forbid me, saying,
never touch th^ meat.) ' K you had eaten their meat,
you never would have seen this morning's sun rise. I
32
498 APPENDIX.
lost two brave fellows — ^youug men who had come on,
voluntarily, to join us ; they were from Virginia. In my
precautions to them, I neglected to charge them respect-
ing the danger in eating the meat hung up by the Indians.
It is a contrivance of the warrior Wamp, who is with this
party. It would have proved a fatal thing to us, had I
not discovered its effects on one of their own dogs, and
two wild cats that I found lying dead by the meat that
they had hung up.'
" * Blast me,' said I, ' but I will Wamp him to the d — ^1,
if ever I get my eyes on him.' ' We will see, then, to-
night,' said he. ^This day we must travel with the
greatest precaution.'
'^ We struck into a run that led into the river, in a
winding direction, through the hills. We had not ad-
vanced far when we discovered meat hung up; we
examined it, and found that it had been killed the day
before.
" We then concealed ourselves in the laurel, and while
in the laurel, says Sam — ' I thought I was not mistaken
in the Panther ; he and some of his party have been to
Sinnemahoning, and are now just returning. They are
in this neighborhood, and they will be here for this meat
to-day. We must dog them to their camp, and ascertain
their numbers.'
" I asked Sam why these devils delighted in murder-
ing their old neighbors ? ' They are encouraged by wicked
men,' he replied, ' in the service of the King of England.'
^ That can't be, Sam,' said I ; Hhe Indians have got to be
devils in human shape. Oh, God ! Little did I think,
when Wamp lay sick with the small-pox, that he would
be so wicked. Your brother James and I killed his
winter meat, for he was not able to hunt. We divided
INDIAN HUNTEB 0¥ TEE SUSQUEHANNA. 499
with his family, Logan and his squaw; also, the Eagle
and his people ; and now he would poison me with what
I gave him to keep him alive. Logan is true, but the
EsLgle is off. ^Yes/ said Sam, ^he is out of sight, but
not without marlfing uncle Sam, by shooting off the
lower part of his ear. They were watching each other,
and as uncle Sam peeped round a tree. Eagle fired, but
it was his last shot. The nert moment he was wallowing
in his own blood — ^his head cleft with the force of the
tomahawk.'
" ^ I am determined to kill Wamp. You must kill the
man I point out. And when with me in ambush, you
must watch my motions.' Which I did. His countenance
would tell me, without an order, when he desired to strike
a fatal stroke.
^^ We espied three Lidians coming; two squaws, and an
old man, who was a camp-keeper. They had not got to-
the meat before I discovered that Wamp's squaw was
with them ; which I told Sam. He told me there were
twenty choice warriors he knew. ' There must be about
thirty. Their spies must be Wamp, Hawk, Muncy, Snow,
and Greatshot. They must fall first, and before they
form a junction with the Sinnemahoning party, they wilL
be but few.'
^^We watched their movements, and in the evening
discovered their fire. They thought themselves in per-
fect safety; their fires were brisk, which is a thing
uncommon.
^^ After looking at them firom the top of a hill, Sam
observed — * Providence is smiling upon us — a good light
for us, but bad for them.'
*^ While they were yet moving about the fire, Sam told
me to ' come on.' ^ Won't you wait till they lie down V
said I. ^ No, now is the time/ said he, 'follow me/
500 APPENDIX.
" We advanced to a tree-top, and there we stayed till
we had counted every man, and Sam told me the name
of every one. The Panther he particularly pointed out
Also the Blacksnake. We saw them step to the fire
together ; and two better-proportioned men never stepped
the earth. ^Now/ says Sam, ^we could drop them.'
*Well,' said I, ^let us do it. Give me the right hand
fellow, and I'll insure him bounce into the air ten feet'
With that they wheeled off. * Their time is not yet,'
said Sam. ' There comes the Panther, with his rifle.
Peter, draw on that warrior that is resting his arm on
his gun ; that is Wamp. Hold, Peter, that old man will
save the Panther once more. I will let him go; it would
be too nice work, through the blaze of that fire, to graze
the old man and kill the Panther. Make ready, and Jb'e f
^^ I saw them both bound, and light in the fire. In an
instant the war-whoop was ringing through the hills.
Sam held me by the arm for the space of a minute, then
dropped down; I did the same, and twenty bullets
whistled over us.
" We bounced to our feet ; they were all in a bustle.
'Now, Peter, follow me, and load as you run.'
^* We had not gone a hundred yards, when Sam stopped
and bade me run in a line with the North Star. I went
A short dlBtance and halted. In a few minutes, Sam
rushed by me with the speed of a frightened deer. I
took after him, but soon found my error in not obeying
his order. He was out of hearing in a crack, and the
warriors at my heels. I thought I could run with any
man, l)ut that night I was convinced how inferior I was
to my savage pursuers and my brave leader. They
were coming up fast, when I heard a whoop ahead, (not
like Sam's,) which induced me to believe I was sur-
rounded. There was no reply to the whoop ; and this
INDIAN HUNTEB OF THB SUSQUEHANNA. 501
oreated in me strange thoughts. I turned from the
course, and lay down by the side of a large tree that
had fallen out of root. I had just got placed, when four
warriors bounded over the body of the tree, within a few
feet of my place pf concealment. They rushed through
with the force of elks and the swiftness of arrows. Soon
after they left me, I heard the report of a rifle, which I
feared had laid my brave leader low. But soon after I
heard the strange whoop, at a greater distance, and I was
induced to believe that Sam whooped in that strange
way to deceive the Indians in his race ; to let me know
that he was safe, and that he considered me so. The
shot they fired was to lead him to think they had killed
me, and by that means get him to risk his life for his
companion.
'' In an hour they returned from the chase, and passed
within fifty yards of where I lay. I understood their
talk, and heard them say they thought we were firom
the mouth of the Juniata; that we had some place
appointed to meet in the night, and would then take the
right course for home.
. "When they got by me a little, they halted. The
talk then was as to which course I had taken. They
concluded it was the swiftest runner they had neared so
fast, and that I only then laid out my strength at that
place.
"After they had disappeared, I got up and steered
the course Sam had directed; but had not gone far
before I met Sam. He complained of my not obeying
his orders. I told him I had thought I could run as
fast as him, or the Indians, but I was convinced that I
couldn't. ^No,' said Sam, 'neither is there a man living
that can beat me running through the woods. Peter, I
602 AFPSNDIX.
would be doubtful of your speed in diaylight/ ^Fear
not) Sam, I will obey you after this ; and would like to
try them fellows to-morrow night again.' * We will let
them rest to-night,' said he ; ^ to-morrow we will try them
again.'
" We then went to hunt a place to rest ourselves, and
prepare for to-morrow's work. We had not travelled
far until we found a place every way calculated for our
purpose.
<< We then examined our arms. I repaired my moc-
casins, and, after refreshing ourselves, we returned to
where we had a view of the enemy.
^^ ^ I think, Peter, I sent the Hawk after the Eagk!
*Yes, Sam, and Wamp has accompanied him.' ^They
fell in the fire, which was in our favor. I knew they
would do so, from the positions they stood in. Yon
should never attempt to load or run when you fire upon
them as we did to-night. The first thing they do, after
the report of the gun, is to give the war-whoop ; there
is then a few minutes meditation with them ; they then
direct their pieces for where the flash was. Therefore
it is better, after night, to stand in ambush and shoot.
You can have a better view of them and who they are ;
you can discover when they raise their rifles, and then,
as we did to-night, drop to the earth, and you are safe
from that round. The instant the report of the guns is
heard, bounce and be off. You then have the advantage
of the smoke between you and them ; and also the con-
fusion of re-loading their guns, which will be heard above
the sound of your feet. By observing these rules, I
Have picked out five choice shots in one night. We got
through well, to-night ; but I was determined the Pan-
ther's earthly career should be at an end to-night, if he
INDIAN HUNTER OF THE SUSQUEHANNA. 603
joined pursuit, which he did. I passed you without
observing where you stood, and that ruined my calcula-
tions. I thought you were ahead, until I ran as far as I
tiiought you could have reached, takii|g your speed into
consideration. The whoop I gave to let you know I was
ahead and safe. You say it is a strange one to you. It
is the way they jnimic our young warriors, and was* such
as they would not take for mine. They will think I was
a young hand, and the other they will take for you, when
they see your tracks where we crossed the run.'
" We both fell asleep, but before day Sam waked me
up. We moved to a more favorable position to watch
their motions, and at daylight we saw them packing
their things for a move.
"My heart was wrung to tears with the cries of
Wamp's squaw. But after considering that we had
always treated Wamp as a brother, and that he would
conduct a party to destroy his old neighbors and best
friends, the companions of his youth, (for we had often
hunted with Wamp,) I did not regret his death. I well
knew she would soon forget poor Wamp, and find a com-
panion in the person of some other warrior.
" They moved off, as we expected, in a direction for
the Eagle's Nest.
" After they had got out of view, we took a circuitous
route, and got to a spring which we expecteW they would
refresh at. After we had got ourselves fixed, Sam in-
quired of me how far I thought we were from the Clear
Springs. I told him, ^ not more than eight or ten miles.'
" After sitting silent for a short time, Sam observed
to me, * If you are willing, Peter, we will take a shot at
them here, win or lose.' I told him I was. He then
gave me his commands, pointed out the course I was to
504 APPENDIX.
run, and stated what he thought the distance would be,
which was one hundred and fifty yards.
" ^ Now, Peter, this will be quick work. They have
but two guns that can hurt us above one hundred and
fifty yards, so you may see we have twenty-five yards
to gain before we are safe from their shortest shots. We
will drop the Panther and the Blacksnake, but you
must shoot the man I point out, be he whom he may.'
I told him I would be particular.
" They soon made their appearance, descending the
hill to the spring.
"The Panther led the way — terrible in appearance.
Their step was hurried and unsteady, which proved
their uneasiness of mind, and anxiety to join their bre-
thren.
"We heard the Blacksnake say, as he came up, *We
will not delay long here ; to-morrow night we must be
with Jacket's party.'
" ' You see that man that is talking ?' * Yes, I do.'
^ That is your mark. The signal will be the pressing of
my foot against yours ; when it stops, the trigger must
go. Hold, Peter! The Panther is preserved again, the
papoose is on his lap, and the squaw holds his gun. He
must again slip. I have his brother,' and with that, oflf
goes our rifles, and we to our heels.
" I led the way, which raised my pride. I was deter-
mined Sam should not pass me. I never looked behind
until I had made not only twenty-five yards, but five
hundred, good measure. I then looked down the hill
and saw Sam coming, bounding over the bushes with
the ease of a buck, and at least two hundred yards be-
hind me.
"I could not help but laugh, to see Sam coming.
INDIAN HUNTEB OF THB SUSQUEHANNA. 505
But my laugh was soon changed by the appearance of
the whole party, (excepting the two squaws and an old
man, who remained with the children.) They came
like as many wild horses.
"One was advanced far ahead of the rest, and I
thought it was best to be off, if I wanted to keep the lead,
and save my credit. When I got to the top of the hill,
I turned round and discovered that they were coming
up with me, fast. I heard them holla, ' Petey, Petey,
Petey,' which was the name they had for me. I dashed
down the other side of the hill from where they were ;
and when I thought I had made my distance again, I
halted. I looked back, and, to my surprise, spied the
Panther on the ridge, not three hundred yards from me,
and Sam was out of view.
" The first thought that struck me was, that Sam had
met his fate ; and I had just determined to await mine,
and avenge his, by the death of the Panther, when I
heard the report of Sam's rifle. I saw the Panther
bounce into the air, and behold Sam run up to him and
speaking for a moment. Then he snatched up his rifle,
and with the speed of the eagle's flight he passed me.
The Indians in an instant sent a volley of balls after us,
and in an instant after, it was returned by the brave
Capt. Foster and his party, who rushed by like hungry
wolves. Then it went belter skelter ; crack after crack
we had it from behind the trees. But the Indians had
to turn out and receive the messengers of death; for
Sam, ever ready and thoughtful, had connected a fire
round and got between them and their baggage. It was
then the Indians gave way to despair, and rushed
through the woods for life.
"We found ten on the ground, besides Blacksnake
and Greatshot, whom Sam and I had shot at the spring.
506 APPENDIX.
'^We found the Panther dead, but the Blacksnake
was yet alive, and vomiting blood. We took the old man
and squaws prisoners, whom Captain Foster released.
We made all dead shots that day.
^ The Indians were buried as well as we could bury
them. Our men all escaped with sound hides.
'^ I shall always think Foster and Sam had laid the
plau'to meet at the spring. But Sam told me, after the
battle, that the Captain had got uneasy about us. He
had heard the reports of our guns the night before.
^^ The men told me the Captain had been absent the
night before. As it was, we had defeated the Indians,
which was all we desired.
^^ I well remember the looks of the Blacksnake, and
old man. When Sam stepped to them, the Chief looked
with astonishment ; with a sullen composure, he named
* Sam Brady,' and departed.
" * He is gone/ said Sam, ' to appear before that bar
where his brethren and I will have to be judged for the
deeds done in the body.'
" Sam examined the prisoners' stock of provisions,
which he did not consider sufficient to last them to
where they could be provided for. He added of ours
to their stock until he thought the supply amply suffi-
cient. He then told them if they would go to one of
the forts and remain until a treaty was made, they
would be well treated ; but if they did not, they must
expect great difficulties before they again found their
people. He gave the old man a rifle and plenty of
ammunition, and bade him travel for Chinklecamoose.
We then marched for the Nest, (Bald Eagle's,) and
reached it by ten o'clock at night.
^^ The Indians were far ahead of us, and our rest was
INDIAN HUNTEB OF THE SUSQUEHANNA. 607
bat short ; we were kept on the move by that industri-
ous warrior, Sam. By ten o'clock the next day, we
were on the waters of Panther Run — ^now called Beech
Creek.
"After we had crossed the creek, Sam, Bob Lyon,
and myself started on ; we went at a quick pace, and
found, by signs, that we were coming up with the Indians.
" At nightfall, we went to the highest peak near us ;
from thence we could see the fire of our party far behind
us, and that of the enemy before us about three miles.
We saw another light in the direction for the Sinnema-
honing. Also, a •glimmering light, on the ground, about a
mile from the furthest light, and to the left oiP our line of
march. Sam appeared to observe the small light parti-
cularly. He was silent for a long time. At length he
arose and told us we would go nearer the first Indian
Hght.
" * There are,' said he, ' two Indian lights before us ;
the small light has disappeared ; I suppose it was a star.'
" We went within half a mile of the Indians' fire, and
to where we had a fair view of them. There were but
five of them, and they were all standing up. ^ It would
be hard to get a shot at them to-night,' said Sam ; ^ they
are keeping a sharp watch, and wiU soon be off to the
bush.'
" We lay down. I looked in an hour afterwards —
there was a large fire, but the Indians had disappeared.
"Lyon observed this and awakened Sam, and told
him we had better go down to the fire, it would be more
comfortable.
" ^ K we do,' says Sam, ^ we will perhaps find our-
selves placed alongside of a fire before morning that
would not feel any better than these cold rocks.'
508 AFFENDDL
'^ In the morning we started by sonrise, and bad not
advanced far when we discovered a man descending t
bill in front of ns. Sam asked me who wonld be the
spies from the other party. I told him I thought Peter
Vincent would be the only man out from that party, and
that must be him. We soon met. He was much sur-
prised to meet Sam, as all the party were, the day be-
fore*
^^ He informed us that the Indians were collecting at
Upper Youngwoman's Creek; that there were some
hunting on the Sinnemahoning, and up Kettle Greek;
that their party were waiting at Muncytown until they
could hear^from us.
^^^You have had a brush with them, I think, from
their movements,' said Vincent, ^ I saw ten this morning
who appeared to be limber in their joints ; they walked
slowly and in silence, as if they thought the race over,
and they were mourning their departed friends.'
"Vincent hated them beyond my power of expres-
sion.
" We were soon led off by Sam, at a smart gait, and
in a different direction. In about two hours we reached
a run that formed a gap in one of the many mountains
in that part of the country. We climbed up the side of
the mountain next the run. We had but just placed
ourselves to take a view, when Vincent spied them —
told us he saw them, and pointed to the direction in
which he saw them coming.
" Sam led off and descended the mountain to where
he thought they would pass. We then got our orders,
and placed ourselves in ambush.
" The direction we were to run, if there were more
than twelve, was down a descent, and along a deer path
INDIAN HUNTER OF THB SUSQUEHANNA. 509
which wound around the side of the mountain. If there
were twelve or any number below it, we were to take
trees which we had picked out— every man knowing his
tree. After the second fire we were to close with the
Indians.
" I noticed Lyon looking at the stock of his rifle, very
attentively. Says I, *Bob, is there any thing wrong
with your gun?' He had fell that morning, and I
thought he had cracked it. ' No,' said he, ^ I am look-
ing to see how it will do to club with. I have had two
hard races, in consequence of breaking my gun in these
d d closing scrapes.'
" We took our stations, and they soon came ; but, to
our surprise they were fifteen in number. They moved
in the utmost silence within seventy yards of us. Yin-
cent was next to Sam, and I was next to Vincent, con-
sequently Lyon was to take the ninth man. The pressure
of the foot was from Sam ; it continued for the space
of a minute, when off goes our rifles, and we to our
heels.
^^ I was again in the lead, and before I heard a shot
from the enemy I was two hundred yards around the
dde of the moLwn. I looked ^i and sa. Lyon
at my heels, bounding like a Conestoga horse. Vincent
was a short distance behind him, and Sam was hid from
me by the mountain, as I supposed ; he always would
be hindmost, and generally stayed till he saw what they
would do.
^^ By turning my head to look, it caused Lyon to look
around also and brought me so close to the body of a
tree which lay across the path, that when I jumped, the
toe of my moccasin touched a knot on the body of the
tree, and I fell across the path, and out of Lyon's sight.
510 AFPBNDDL.
When he turned his head I was gone. He sprung oyw
the log, and lit fair on my shoulders ; he lost his balance,
and fell with his head against the root of a tree.
'^ In the meantime Vincent came on ; he cleared me,
but Bob in his struggle, threw up his leg, which Vincent's
foot took and he went cantering down the mountain
like a bear, on all fours.
'^ I was not able to rise for some time, and when I did
rise to my seat, I saw Bob getting up and rubbing his
head with both hands, and with a rueful couhtenance he
says, ^ Grove, what made you lie across the path V
With this Vincent came up in a terrible rage, saying,
^ And what the plague did you trip me for ? I saw you
laughing as I ran by you.'
" * You are d — dably mistaken, Vincent,' said Bob. —
(They were both hard swearers, and Vincent was a man
of quick and violent passion.) * Come,' says I, * this is
no time to wrangle ; let us be off, or the Indians will be
upon us.' *Dam them, let them come,' says Lyon,
^ they will find the work half done with me, for verily I
believe my skull is cracked.' ^ It was darn thin,' said
Vincent, * ever since I knew you.'
" At this, Sam bursted out laughing. I thought he
would never get over it. He had seen Vincent take the
pitch, and concealed himself, — ^knowing Vincent's temper.
" * It must have been Bob's grinning v^ith the pain in
his head you took for laughing, Peter,' said he to Vin-
cent. * I don't know,' said Vincent, * but one thing I do
know ; I took a darned hard fall from his foot.' We
were soon reconciled.
" The Indians took off — ^leaving their dead — four in
number. We laughed about an hour ; and I have often
laughed out when by myself, when this came into my
mind.
INDIAN HUNTER 0? THE SUSQUEHANNA. 511
•
" We returned, but had not travelled far before we
met our party, which hafl been fired upon by one of
their spies, but no harm was done. Capt. Foster would
not let our men pursue, for fear of being ambushed.
'^ We encamped and set our watches. This was the
first night Sam and I had the benefit of a good fire, since
we left the Clear Fountains.
^^ Sam was a great quiz, and therefore, we had made
him promise not to tell our tumbling scrape to the party.
But it was too good for him to keep. Vincent could not
stand it so well as Lyon and I, which made Sam more
severe on him. Vincent told Sam that he thought him
a better warrior since he had been over the mountains
— ' But,' said he, * the older you grow, the darned sight
bigger fool you are.'
^^ In the morning the watch told us they had seen
lights on the river hill, and one that appeared at a great
distance, and was soon out of sight. Vincent said he
had observed that light the two preceding nights. There
were many remarks about that light from the men ; but
I noticed that Sam and Foster said nothing about it.
" Sam, Vincent, Lyon, and I, started for the river. — -
After travelling for an hour together, we parted ; Vin-
cent and Lyon steered for Youngwomanstown, and Sam
and I for the Sinnemahoning.
" As we parted, Sam said, * Vincent, try and keep
your feet.' * I'U take care,' said Vincent, * that Lyou
don't take them if it comes to running.' Bob hallooed —
^ This darned critter will tomahawk me to-night.'
^^ We struck the river between the mouth of the Sini-
nemahoning and Kettle Creek. The mountain is high.
We sat down and took a view of the country, which is
mountainous and broken. The mountains butt in dose
512 AFFBNBDL
to the water's edge, with here and there a small bottom.
The Indian path runs along. the opposite side of the riv-
er from where we were seated. The country had a
dreary aspect, beyond anything I ever saw.
^' We sat in silence for some time. Sam says, after
we had taken a view of things, ' Peter, it seems hard
we can never leave the savages in peacefrd possession of
this country, which appears so rough and terrible to us,
but so well adapted to their habits of life. It appears
to me as if the Great Creator of the Universe, who pro-
videth for all creatures, had formed this for their partic-
ular use ; those small bottoms to raise their com, the
river their fish, and the mountains their deer.' ^ Yes,
Sam, and if they would quit murdering our families and
friends, and stand by us in obtaining the object for
which we are now fighting, they would find us brothers,
and they might roam in safety through the land.'
" ^ Now, Grove,' observed Sam, ' we wiU soon be with-
in the range of some as brave warriors as ever stepped.
We must proceed with the utmost care, and if we are
surprised do as you see me do ; and my orders obey. —
If you are shot, I will stand by you till you die, or die
in your defence. But I will not cross that river until
you promise me that if I fall by a bullet, you will leave
me to my fate and risk nothing for me. Bear to my
friends the tidings of my death ; tell them I fell fighting
for the rights of my oppressed country, and in defence
of the unprotected inhabitants of Pennsylvania.' ' This
is hard for me to do,' said I, ' I would rather stick to
you to the last.' Sam replied, ' I will not cross on any
other condition.' I made the promise, determined to
stick to it, as I knew Sam was determined to stick to
his to me.
INDIAN HUNTER OP THE SUSQUEHANNA. ' 513
^^ He then opened his wallet^ from which he drew a
bundle that he opened and spread upon a stone. He
then painted my face and hands, and after he was done
he handed me a smaU looking-glass to see myself. There
I was, a complete Indian, painted for war^ with the mark
of my tribe.
'^ I gave him the glass, and as quick as a cat could
wash herself, Sam was painted. His mark was diflTei^
ent from mine ; he told me the meaning of the marks.
We now ate some jerk, and prepared for a move.
" Sam looked down the mountain — * Peter,' said he,
^ here is the Rubicon' — ^he then looked up and down the
liver — ^ and, as Caesar said, * the die is cast.'
" We crossed the riv.er at a ripple near the mouth of
fhe run, and on the path, and along the beach, we saw
^ signs.' We rushed into the bushes, and put to the top
of the mountain, to where we had a view of the sur-
rounding country far up the run. Sam told me he had
a camp far up this run. *****
" We avoided the path, and all soft ground. Sam was
in the lead, as usual, when four bullets went whistUng
past our heads, and rattled in the leaves far beyond us.
Sam bounced into the air and fell as if to rise no more
until the day of the resurrection — from what cause I
know not. I was by his side and ready for the enemy.
They came bounding like panthers, two abreast. I got
the touch of the foot. Whang goes our rifles. The first
two dropped — giving the death scream ; in a crack we
were engaged with the other two, whom we soon laid
dead at our feet, and we were off for the Sinnemahoning.
" We had not run far when we heard whooping, which
Sam answered, and made motions to these Indians which
way their enemy ran. They took us for their own people.
33
614 APPBNWX,
We continued our own course for a ehort time, tiU we
were hailed again ; we made no answer, but altered our
course and travelled at a slower pace.
^^Says Sam, Hhis shirt that Mr. Foster gav^ me, had
nearly cost us our lives. The collar is too clean, which
I saw when I looked in the glass ; I intended to color it^
but forgot to do so/
^^ I looked at the shirt, and saw that it was bloody.
'Sam,' says I, ^you are wounded, let me look,' which I
did. He was grazed by a ball, but would not let me say
it was a wound, Many a deep scratch Sam got, but
would never acknowledge he was wounded, while I was
with him.
^^We struck the Sinnemahoning at the lead mines or
^copperas works,' ascended the highest mountain m the
neighborhood, and stopped for the night. We had shot
a deer and cut out the rounds of it, aad, by making a
low fire among the rocks, we feasted well. After our
feast, we put out our fire, and moved away from where
it was. Then we climbed into a tree, for the purpose of
watching for lights.
"We saw lights descending the Sinnemahoning, and
reflections of lights on the river, (Susquehanna,) up
against the clouds. Also, one light over on the run
where we had the last skirmish. And north of that
light we saw the faint glimmer, for a minute, when it
disappeared, and we saw it no more.
" Sam heaved a sigh when the small light flashed ; it
appeared to me to be far above the earth, and caused me
to think strange thoughts ; but I trusted in Sam's spirit,
and was not afraid. I asked Sam what he thought they
were about. He said they would now coUect in a body,
and descend the river to murder and ravage the country,
or re-cross the mountains to the Alleghany river.
INDIAN HtNTEB OF TBE SlTaQttEHANNA. 515
•
i "Sam named to me a chief, (whom I will not now
I name,) who he said Was the deepest villain amongst
them. He was cowardly, avaricious, and cruel. He
was well known as one of the murderers of his brother
James. Had taken his scalp, and owing to his cowardice,
had lived to this day. Said Sam, 'many of the whites
believe he is firiendly inclined. He wears the mantle
of peace before them ; but I have seen his cloven foot.
And if he ever dares to stand in battle where I am, he
shall bite the dust, and know who caused him to do it.
But he ever keeps a strong party of his warriors around
him. He is more afraid of me than he is of the bad
spirit. He knows if he ventures from safety, uncle Sam
or I has him. Then he is lost to his people, though they
should suffer famine.' We descended the tree and lay
down to rest. Before day we were off, and soon came to
the run where the Indians had fired on us the day before.
We found they had started in the night. We kept west
and north of their trail. We crossed the Kettle (creek)
about three miles above the mouth, and by four o'clock
wft were on the highest land between Kettle Creek and
Youngwoman's Creek. We pushed on with speed ; also
in different directions. We slipped through the bushes
until we got to where we could count their number,
which was one hundred and twenty-five.
" ' This is a fearful odds,' says Sam, ' what will be the
number from Fort Augusta ?' I told him about fifteen.
Vincent told us Captain Color was on Pine Creek when
he left the party, for the first scout; that Reed had
killed two of their spies up the creek; and that the
party would remain there until we sent them word.
^^ Sam and I then lay down. About the middle of the
night we got up^ and aU the fireS'Were oiit ^Now, Pet^/
516 APPENDIX.
said he^ ^ they are for the other side of the mountains.'
I told him I thought not. ^ We will soon see/ siud he.
^^We travelled so as to intercept them or cross dbdr
trail by daylight, if they had steered for the Allegfaany.
^^ At daylight we spied them. Sam told me we must
get in front of them, which would be fast traveUing.
They went on at a quick pace. We put off, and eoon
got even with them. We were hailed by one of them
that was on the scout. Sam stopped and looked at him,
telling me to keep moving on. He soon came up to me.
* That fellow is deceived,' said Sam. With that we heard
the cr&ck of a rifle — another, and all was silent for the
space of a few moments.
"We stepped by the side of two trees that stood close
together. We saw the Indian running to join his com-
panions that had hailed us. I told Sam I could drop that
lad. * He will stop presently,' which he did> by a tree.
" We now heard the firing of rifles in the rear of the
Indians. Sam took off, and I after him. We were hailed
three times, which we both answered, without ever turn-
ing our heads. We stopped behind trees in line with
the Indians, and in front. We waited until they were
within one hundred yards, when I got the signal from
Sam. We fired and kept our station. We heard two
rifles go off on their left, and three on their right. The
Indians halted; we re-loaded and fired again. The
Indians gave the war-whoop, and the bark of the trees
behind which we stood whistled round our ears. We
wheeled to run, when we spied two Indians running for
life. We made for them; they stopped, and in an instant
they were* laid low, but not by us. We wheeled again,
and just in time to have a chance for our Uves — ^three
Indians^ of unconunon size, were in the act of tomahawk-
INDIAN HUNTEB OF THE 3U6QUEHANNA. ,617
ing US. I punched the muzzle of my rifle in the stomach
off one, which caused him to bend forward, and with my
tomahawk I laid him. One of the others bounded against
me with the force of a wounded buck, which knocked me
off my feet^ and I lit on my knees. He was shot through
the heart. Sam and a mighty warrior were standing
with their tomahawks hooked, and * ♦ * » ♦
[The manuscript is here mutilated. Three inches, or
about twelve lines, are lost. At the top of the next
page, the narrative thus proceeds :]
" ' De vir — with that he tore the scalp off. I looked
at Sam ; his whole frame shuddered.
" In the meantime, up comes Vincent holding up his
arm with his hand full, saying, ^ here, Sam ;' with that
Sam takes off, and Lyon tells Vincent, * you're a darned
hog.' The latter replied, ^ hold your tongue, or by thun-
der I'll skin them every one, and send their skins to the
fort.' ^If you do,' says Lyon, ^ITl shoot you the first
time you come down to the Point.' (Northumberland.)
"Uncle Sam and Vincent were great friends, and
hated the Indians about equally.
" We now went to the river. We found the Indians'
canoes, which they had not destroyed. We remained
four days. The second day, Sam disappeared, and I
never saw him again till after the war.
" I was walking down the street in Carlisle. I heard
he was there. I spied a number of gentlemen coming
up street. I knew Sam by his walk ; he was walking
alongside of the brave and humane General Potter.
As Grove spoke it, (saith the MSS.) I will give it to
you:
" ^ I thought Sam youm darned brout. I see he look
on the side of his het to me. I hat mine hundin shirt
618 ARENDIX.
on, and rifle gan on my sholder. All the shentlemens
bat Sam and General Better look on the odder side of their
hets. Sam look pig — ^I get tarn mat I go to dum up
anoder street, Sam say, 'ma, ma,' I does shtop and say
^ma.^ Sam jumb to me in doo jumb. Well, it dook all
bnt Better a long dime to walk. Sam and de General
dake me to a dabren, where we had one d — d hard frolic
on wine— €fe (General hay far allT
[It was now nearly day — ^my wife and children gath-
ered aronnd him while he related these expeditions.]
"I told Grove, if he would call, I would write this
down ; it might be of use in a future day. He called
at different times, and I continued the subject until I
got it all, which I reservedy believing the day would come
when it would be wanted.^
Grove related to me his massacreing the Indians on
the ♦ ♦ ♦ You shall also have it if you give ♦ * * ♦
[And here it ends — the lower end of the page being
off, as before observed.]
THE END.
I •
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