Chapter 11
Pine (Including Boggs)
Part 1
Pine township derived its name from Pine creek, which flows westwardly
through the territory which it formerly embraced. Pine creek in the Delaware
language is Cuwen-hanne, i. e., pine-stream�a stream flowing through
pine-lands.A petition of divers inhabitants of Kittanning township was presented to
the court of quarter sessions of this county, December 25, 1835, setting forth
that their township was entirely too large for their convenience, as some of
them were compelled to travel from ten to fourteen miles to transact township
business, and praying for a new township to be called “Pine Creek,”
to consist of the upper part of Kittanning township. Thomas Barr, Joseph Lowry
and John Calhoun were appointed viewers, whose report, favoring the prayer of
the petitioners was read March 22, and confirmed June 20, 1836, and “Pine
Creek township” was organized with the following boundaries: “By a
line commencing at the place where the purchase line crosses the line of the
township of Kittanning at the corner of Wayne township�now the southeast
corner of Valley township�”thence by said township to Mahoning creek;
thence down said creek and the Allegheny river to the borough of Kittanning;
thence by the same to the said purchase line,” i. e., along the
northwestern and southeastern boundaries of the borough; “and thence by
said purchase line to the beginning, about equally dividing Kittanning
township.” Although “Pine Creek” is the legal name of this
township, as prayed for by the petitioners and specified in the report of the
viewers, which was confirmed by the court, the latter part of the name appears
to have been early dropped. On the title-page of the Kittanning township
duplicate for 1887 is its full name, “Pine Creek Township,” but in
the next and the subsequent separate duplicates it is simply “Pine
Township,” and such it has ever since been called. It was shorn, nineteen
years after its organization, of about half its territory by the erection of
Valley township. The present sketch of it is limited to that part of its
original territory between Pine and Mahoning creeks.(1)At the northwestern corner of this township is the junction of the Mahoning
creek with the Allegheny river. The original name of this stream was Mo-hul-buc-tee-tam,
or Mo-hul-buc-ti-ton, or more properly Mackol pakiton. When and why the change
occurred is not known. The etymology of the original name is, A-moo-chool, a
canoe, and pakiton, to throw away, the entire word meaning, where we abandon
our canoes�at the head of navigation�where the stream will no more admit
of navigating it.(2) James White, of this township, in his eighty-fifth year
related to the writer that Samuel Calhoun and Jeremiah Lochery were out
hunting along this stream in early times, when the latter was shot in the
shoulder by some Indian, who, with others, was also hunting there.A glance at the historical map of Pennsylvania shows that the Indian path
from Le B�uf�now Waterford�through what is now the southern part of Erie
county, across and down French creek, and down the left bank of the Allegheny,
terminated here, on the northern side of the creek. Hence it may be
reasonably, at least not violently, presumed that this was one of the points
where the Indians left their canoes, perhaps moored them to the second bank
which has been washed away, and proceeded on hunting expeditions up this
stream. Here, too, the English and French traders may have bartered beads,
trinkets and other commodities to the Indians for their more valuable pelts,
furs and other articles. This may possibly have anciently been a busy mart for
that kind of commerce.In this corner of this township is the minor portion of an original tract
called “Springfield.” Covered by a warrant to John Elliott, No.
3619, dated January 5, 1793. Elliott conveyed it to Archibald McCall February
24, 1795, to whom the patent was granted March 4. McCall conveyed it to Robert
Orr March 3, 1835. This point was formerly called the mouth of Mahoning. The
Orrsville postoffice was established here in May, 1838, and Anson Pinney was
appointed postmaster. Among his successors were Joseph A. Knox and Thomas
Meredith. This place was thereafter called Orrsville, so named after the owner
of the land on which the town is built. Charles B. Schotte was employed by the
owner of “Springfield” to build a hotel�the first frame structure
erected here�in 1836, which he completed the next year, and which was
successively kept by him, Pinney, William Templeton, Chambers Orr, John
Wallace and others. Schotte remembers that before its erection there was not a
vestige of another building within the limits of Orrsville. About an acre of
ground, on which is the site of that hotel, had the appearance of having been
cleared years before. He also built for the proprietor the warehouse at the
south side of the mouth of the creek, which was extended out somewhat over the
bank of the river for the purpose of conveniently receiving such freight as
might be landed here from the steamboats. James McCullough, Sr., of Kittanning
remembers having seen a log cabin here when he first descended the Allegheny
in 1820, and Jonathan E. Meredith also remembers having seen several of the
same kind, possibly fisherman�s huts, when he passed here in 1827. The only
other building along the river for nearly a mile below the mouth of Mahoning
was a log one in which Hetty Brice sold whiskey�some of its imbibers say it
was good whiskey�without suffering the penalty of selling it without
license, to some of the residents in this section and to travelers along the
road from Kittanning to Olean, after it was laid out in pursuance of the act
of assembly March 23, 1819.Although Orrsville is at the junction of two important streams, it was more
tardily settled than some other parts of this township. It ought naturally to
have been a stopping-place for rafts in the early times of the lumber trade,
for the raftsmen were provided on both sides of the Mahoning. It became a
prominent point for landing and storing freight for the upper parts of
Armstrong and portions of Clarion and Jefferson counties, and continued to be
until the completion of the low grade division of the Allegheny Valley
railroad.Next south of “Springfield” was a vacant tract, the upper end of
which extended from the river back to the hill, containing 350 acres,
according to the ancient map of original tracts, to which Peter Brice, a
colored man, acquired title by improvement, and for which a patent was granted
to him July 3, 1848. He conveyed the portion of it at Templeton Station and
the mouth of Whiskey run to John Brice August 1, 1852, who conveyed ten acres
of it to Robert Thompson September 9, 1853, for $65.Abraham Parkinson settled where Templeton Station now is in 1803, and was
assessed with 400 acres, which he abandoned.Peter Brice settled on the hill part of this tract in the spring of 1804.
There were then but very few white settlers within a circuit of several miles.
His was the only colored family here for years. The present number of colored
people here and hereabouts is sixty-five.A half century or more ago Peter Brice�s children found a pair of
pothooks, having a hinge, about four feet below the surface, near Parkinson�s,
which for some years has been called Whisky run, where the Templeton Station
now is. This run was known as Parkinson�s until after Ore Hill Furnace went
into operation, when its employ�s and others residing in the valley of this
run used whisky so freely that it was suggested the name should be changed to
Whisky run and Whisky Hollow.Next south and west of the Brice tract, between the principal portion of it
and the river, was the William Elliott tract, No. 21, May 17, 1785, surveyed
June 18, called “Mahoning Old Town Bottom,” 211 acres, according to
the original survey. It, however, like nearly every original tract, contained
a surplus. “The surveying fees paid November 8, 1787, per Wm. Elliott
�2, carried to the credit of J. B. McLean,” as one-half of this tract
was then in his district. This entire tract passed under the hammer of the
sheriff of Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, to Charles Smith, November 26,
1789. He conveyed it, September 1, 1790, to William West, and he, July 8,
1793, to Robert Elliott, who died intestate, leaving ten children, three of
whom died intestate and without issue, and one intestate, leaving a widow and
two sons. And yet William Elliott conveyed it to Richard Childerston December
16, 1797, who conveyed it to Right Elliott, and he, January 8, 1810, to David
Lauson for $800. Robert Orr, Jr., of Sugar Creek township, this county, April
16, 1818, purchased from William Elliott, one of Robert Elliott�s sons, of
the town of Sandwich, in the province of Upper Canada, his undivided share of
this tract for $233 1/3, and at other times from other heirs their interests,
amounting in all to six-sevenths of the tract. The other seventh was purchased
by James E. Brown, who conveyed it to Chambers Orr June 2, 1848, for $840.
Robert and Chambers Orr conveyed it, as containing 299 acres, to Philip
Templeton February 24, 1852, for $7,500. He conveyed 10,920 square feet of it
to Robert Thompson October 25, 1865, for $500, and 106 acres and 72 perches to
William Phillips, then president of the Allegheny Valley Railroad Company,
December 1, 1869, for $25,548, subject to the right of way of that road, which
passed by sheriff�s deed, dated September 6, 1876, to James Mosgrove for
$11,171.57. “Mahoning T.” on Reading Howell�s map of 1792 and
“I. T.” for Indian Town on the Historical Map of Pennsylvania, were
on this Elliott tract. It was a Seneca or Cornplanter town. It is not known
when it was founded�probably before 1790. When Peter Brice came here in 1804
it consisted of about thirty huts and one hundred and fifty people. The
Indians engaged in hunting and fishing and the squaws raised the corn, which
they kept in a hole about four feet deep in the ground, shaped like an earthen
dish. They were friendly to Brice and his family. The friendship was mutual,
not only between those who lived there, but others from the upper Allegheny
who sometimes stopped here. A party of the latter reached here on an autumn
day, between 1804 and 1810. After drawing their canoes out on dry land and
partaking of Brice�s hospitality they proceeded to the hills back from the
river, where they spent several days in hunting, and returned laden with game.
The river having risen in the meantime their canoes would have been swept down
stream if Brice had not secured them. When those Indians became cognizant of
the facts, and especially the kindness of Brice, they expressed their
gratification by dancing, singing and shouting. In those times bears, deer,
wolves, panthers and wild turkeys were abundant along and back from the river.
When Brice was farming a portion of the river bottom below Whisky run, fifty
odd years ago, he found many large blue, red and white beads, flint darts six
inches long, little tomahawks with round poles, and pieces of wire five or six
inches long filled with scalps of wild ducks.William Templeton was assessed with and of course occupied this tract from
1824 until 1841, with the exception that Jacob Starr was assessed with seventy
acres of it from 1827 until 1830, and John Toy with the same from then until
1841. During Templeton�s occupancy he was assessed with a distillery from
1826 until 1830, which was located where the water-tank of the A. W. railroad
now is. The house in which he lived was in the lower part of the tract, where
it is widest, between the river and the curve in the railroad, in front of
which swung for several years the sign of the Green Tree, painted by James
McCullough, Sr., on the 7th of April, 1828, which indicates that he
kept there a public house, though not assessed as an innkeeper. Chambers and
Robert Orr resided several years on this part of the tract after Templeton
removed to the mouth of Mahoning. Starr and Toy, who successively lived on the
upper portion, appear to have been the only other occupants of this tract for
many years.Another William Elliott tract, warrant No. 633, 127� acres, its shape a
rectangular parallelogram, extended lengthwise from northeast to southeast.
Its northeastern end apparently interfered with the Samuel Wallace tract No.
4149, or the latter with it. The rest of it was adjoined by the Brice tract,
or vacancy, and the James Calhoun improvement. It was first noted on the
assessment list of Kittanning township as seated in 1810. Peter Brice was
first assessed with it in 1811, that being the first year in which he
continued to be assessed until1846, and thereafter with a larger portion of
it.Adjoining that tract on the southwest and southeast was James Calhoun�s
improvement, 400 acres, as seen on the map of original tracts. His name
appears on the Toby township duplicate for 1806�assessed as a weaver, and
with 197 acres, rated at $1 per acre, one horse, and one head of cattle, $227.
His name does not thereafter appear on the duplicate for either Toby or
Kittanning township.A patent was granted to James Cochran for that Calhoun tract as containing
480 acres and 162 perches, October 9, 1833. Wm. Lowry was assessed with a
tanyard on it in 1837-8. Cochran conveyed fifty acres of it, May 9, 1845, to
James Cochran, Eathen Chilcott, A. P. Moderwell and Francis Dobbs, for $500.
They, by article of agreement, July 26, entered into a copartnership, under
the name and style of “Cochran, Dobbs & Co., for the purposes of
erecting a blast furnace and manufacturing pig metal on that fifty-acre tract,
which Cochran put in as his share of the capital stock. That copartnership was
brief, for its members conveyed these fifty acres to William and Riobert
McCutcheon, of Pittsburgh, November 21, 1845, for $1,200. Ore Hill Furnace was
erected thereon that year. It was eight and a half feet across the bosh, and
its stack was thirty-four feet high. It made 1,525 tons of mottle iron in
forty-one weeks, in 1856, out of limestone carbonate ore obtained from two
miles above it along both sides of the river and from both sides of Whisky
Hollow. The McCutcheons were its proprietors while it was in blast, and Jesse
Bell was, the greater part of the time, its manager. It went out of blast in
the spring of 1857 for the want of wood. William, who survived Robert
McCutcheon, conveyed 48 acres and 157 perches of the furnace tract, and 66
acres and 138 perches of the tract which they had purchased from Peter P.
Brice, aggregating 115 acres and 135 perches, to John B. Finlay, May 1, 1865,
for $2000, and which the latter conveyed to James E. Brown, November 15, 1866,
for $10,000.The lower portion of the land embraced in the patent to Cochran became
vested in Samuel Hutchinson in his lifetime, on which is “Barton Bend
House,” now owned by William Hutchinson. Other portions, on the hill,
belong to Cochran�s heirs.Adjoining that Calhoun improvement or Cochran tract, on the west and south,
was a regularly-shaped one whose western line extended from a point a few rods
above the sharp bend in the river to a point about thirty rods below the mouth
of Pine creek, covered by warrant No. 160 to Lieut.-Col. Stephen Bayard. It
became vested in William Turnbull, of Philadelphia, who was one of the liberal
patriots who gave their bonds,(3) payable in gold and silver, for procuring
provisions for the American army at a critical period in our revolutionary
struggle. Some time before the Indian war of 1790, as related to the writer by
James White, then in his eighty-fifth year, Turnbull built a sawmill near the
mouth of Pine creek, from which some spies took all the irons and hid them in
the woods along the little stream.It is related that a man by the name of Mawmy was associated with Turnbull�perhaps
as millwright�in building that mill.About the 1st of June, 1794, a party of Indians with hostile
intent were here, for Gen. William Jack, in his letter of the 6th,
to Gov. Mifflin, wrote that he had just received a letter from Col. Charles
Campbell, informing him that the spies had discovered a large trail of Indians
“on Pine creek above the Kittanning,” who appeared by their tracks
to be advancing toward the settlement. It was on the face of the hill on this
tract that a scouting party from the blockhouse near Fort Run discovered and
killed two of the Indians, who, as they believed, had decoyed and shot the
three scouts mentioned in the sketch of the Manor. James White related to the
writer that John Harbirm, about 1811, shot an Indian, offensive at least to
him, as he was mending his moccasin on a beam in the mill, a short distance
above the mouth of Pine creek.Turnbull, September 7, 1806, conveyed this tract, 548� acres, called
“Pine Grove,” “situate on the Allegheny river, at the mouth of
Pine run, including the forks of said run,” and another tract in what is
now Valley township, about 307 acres, to William Peart, Sr., of Oxford
township, Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania, for $4,000.Peart built a sawmill near the mouth of Pine creek in 1807, with which he
was first assessed the next year, and subsequently a gristmill, with one run
of stone, on the south side of the creek in what is now Valley township, with
which he was first assessed in 1810. This tract was on the unseated list for
the last time in that year. Two or three years later he erected another
gristmill still higher up and on the south side of that stream, which was
swept away by a heavy flood before it was quite completed. Some of the stones
of considerable size in the masonry of that mill were carried several hundred
yards below by the force of that flood, where they were visible on a small
flat many years afterward. William Peart, Sr., conveyed 300 acres and 80
perches of the northern part of “Pine Grove,” to William L. Peart,
Jr., November 16, 1821, for $1, and agreed, July 30, 1828, to convey another
parcel thereof, containing 248 acres, to William L. Peart, which agreement was
consummated after his death by his widow, Susan Peart, executing a proper
deed, October 3, 1832. Walter Sloan, who was first lieutenant of Capt. James
Alexander�s company in the war of 1812,(4) and William L. Peart entered into
an article of agreement April 2, 1830, for the sale and purchase of the latter�s
grist and saw mill, with which Benjamin Peart was first assessed in 1825, a
cabin house, barn, and 200 acres in the southeastern part of “Pine
Grove,” five acres of which were then cleared, for $800, of which Sloan
was to pay $100 in hand, and the residue in seven equal annual installments.
Peart having died without executing a deed therefor, and Sloan having complied
with his part of the contract, proceedings were instituted for the specific
performance of that contract on the part of Peart�s administrator, the
result of which was a decree by the orphan�s court of this county, directing
its specific performance, and that the administrator, Robert E. Brown,
“make, execute, acknowledge and deliver a sufficient deed” to Sloan.
These mills, assessed to Sloan in and after 1830, and since known as
“Sloan�s Mills,” are situated a short distance below the junction
of the north fork with Pine creek.Peart�s eddy is in the northwestern part of “Pine Grove,” where
the Peart�s Eddy postoffice was established July 13, 1868, Levi G. Peart,
postmaster, and changed to Brattonville, December 8,1870. In the northeastern
part of “Pine Grove,” and adjoining the 200 acres purchased by Sloan
on the northwest, are the farms of John and Montgomery Patton, 201 acres and
39 perches, being purpart C, in the partition of William L. Peart�s real
estate, which his administrator, Robert E. Brown, conveyed to them, June 24,
1850, for $1,207.46 �. Bordering on the river below the eddy is a
considerable body of land belonging to Samuel M. Peart. William L. Peart�s
executor conveyed 55 acres to Sharon M. Quigley, April 1, 1851, for $500. The
latter conveyed three acres and fifty-two perches of the lower part of his
land to George W. Wilkins, of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, August
1,1871, for $2,162.50, one-third of which the latter conveyed to Columbus
Bell, December 23, for $1,666.66, to which has been given the name of “Bellview,”
on which Wilkins & Bell erected their sawmill in August, 1871, which was
ready to be run in April, 1872, and was worked that year almost exclusively
for the Allegheny Valley Railroad company, affording employment to seven or
eight men. The planing mill, storehouse, and six tenant houses were erected in
the next winter. The barge-yard was finished the next spring. About two-thirds
of the next summer were occupied in sawing for the Allegheny Valley Railroad
company, and in building, besides, eight barges, employing twenty men. The
number of boats and barges built and of men employed gradually increased till
1876, when thirty-two boats and barges were built, 1,000,000 feet of other
lumber cut, and thirty men employed. These works now consist of saw, lath,
shingle and planing mills, and a box-factory.Between Bellevue and the mouth of Pine creek is a small tract of about five
acres, which Quigley conveyed to Hugh R. Rutherford, of Indiana county,
Pennsylvania, July 2, 1860, for $400, which he conveyed to James B. Walker
four days thereafter for $500. The latter leased this small tract December 8,
1875, to the Midland Oil Mining Association, who were to have the exclusive
right “for fifty years to bore, explore, dig for, gather, collect,
manufacture, own, remove, transport in any manner, oil, gas and water,”
and certain other privileges necessary for prosecuting the object of the
lease, and for which they were to pay the lessor one-tenth part of the
proceeds of all sales at the prices realized on the premises of all the oil
which might be obtained, or to deliver to him one-tenth of the oil obtained.
There are various other stipulations in the lease which it is not necessary
here to mention. The association, under the superintendence of J. B. Brundred,
one of its managers, commenced drilling a well in March, 1876, and prosecuted
the work to the depth of 1,700 feet without obtaining oil, at an expenditure
of $8000, and then abandoned this territory. A considerable vein of gas was
struck at the depth of 1,060 feet. Much delay and expense were occasioned by
the sticking of tools and other accidents incident to drilling such wells. The
association consisted of number of capitalists who seemed determined to
thoroughly test the territory of the regions or districts in which they
obtained their leases. They took thirty other similar leases of varying
quantities of land in this township, forty in Mahoning and Red Bank townships,
in a northeasterly direction from this well, and eleven in Perry township and
in or near Parker City, and others in other counties. Another subdivision of
“Pine Grove” is a tract containing 62 acres and 152 perches and
allowance, being allotment D in the partition of the real estate of William
Peach, which his administrator, Robert E. Brown, conveyed to James E. Brown
March 22, 1851, for $661.70. This purpart is traversed by Pine creek, the
major portion being on its north side. It is now assessed to Brown &
Mosgrove. James A. Lowrey opened a store near the mouth of Pine creek in 1852,
The first Brattonville postoffice, James A. Lowrey, postmaster, was
established here in the autumn of 1852, so named after Miss Jane Bratton
Brown, daughter of the vendee of this purpart. It was removed to the
“Barton Bend House,” on the Hutchinson land, in 1855, and was
discontinued in 1857.The Pine Creek Station on the Allegheny Valley railroad, which was extended
to this point in the winter of 1866, and the junction of Brown & Mosgrove�s
narrow guage railroad are in the northwestern part of the purpart. The Peart�s
Eddy postoffice was removed hither and the second Brattonville one was
established December 8, 1870, James Hull being the first and present
postmaster.Adjoining the southeastern portion of “Pine Grove” was an
eighty-acre tract on Lawson & Orr�s map of original tracts, in the shape
of a rectangular parallelogram; and another adjoining the latter on the east,
in the shape of a trapezoid, containing 220 acres, both designated as Samuel
Calhoun�s. The latter was called “Amherst,” the warrant for which,
No. 3831, was granted to Charles Campbell April 22, 1793, and the patent July
15, 1795. Campbell conveyed it to Calhoun March 28, 1816, for $1,000. The
minor portion of it was in what is now called Valley township. Calhoun was
assessed with it in 1806 on the Toby township list, and with one horse, at a
total valuation of $165. His name appears on the assessment list of Kittanning
township for the last time in 1827. He left a widow, who was assessed with it
in 1828, and three children, James T. Calhoun, who was first assessed with it
in 1829, Eleanor M. Calhoun and Mary Calhoun, intermarried with Tate Allison.
Mrs. Allison and her husband conveyed their interest therein to James T.
Calhoun July 11, 1839, for $119.66 2/3. James McCauley was first assessed with
102 acres of it in 1857, which he still occupies. James T. Calhoun, Eleanor M.
Walker, Tate and Mary Allison conveyed 40 acres and 113 perches to Alexander
McAllister February 23, 1864, for $60, which the latter conveyed to Brown
& Mosgrove April 14, for $1,000. Other portions of those Calhoun tracts
became vested in Robert Orr by patent dated August 9, 1842.Next east of “Amherst” was a tract covered by a warrant to John
Nicholson, No. 1152, dated April 20, 1792, containing 1,100 acres, called
“Mexico,” which Nicholson conveyed to Gen. Alexander Craig February
11, 1794. Craig conveyed it to Robert Walker, February 9, 1812, for $800.
About one-fifth of “”Mexico” was in what is now called Valley
township. It appears in the Lawson & Orr map as the Walker & White
tract. Walker settled on it in 1800; his brothers Abraham and James, then or
soon after; and David White in 1803. They came to this
“Mexico”” in the wilderness from that part of Westmoreland near
where Shelocta now stands, in Indiana county, Pennsylvania. Robert Walker was
first assessed with a distillery in 1808, which he had started the year
before. It was situated on a small run about midway between the present roads
from Kittanning and Pine Creek Furnace, and about seventy-five rods north of
the present Valley township line. James Walker was assessed with it in 1820
and a few years afterward.The first schoolhouse erected within the present limits of Pine township
was built of round logs, and was situated about ten rods below the head
branches of White�s run, at or near the center of “Mexico” or
“the Walker settlement,” in which Wright or Right Elliott was the
first teacher, having taught reading, writing and a little of arithmetic to
ten or twelve scholars there between 1805 and 1811. The second schoolhouse
within the limits of this township was on the Samuel Wallace tract, No. 4148,
about two miles a little north of east from the mouth of Pine creek, on land
now owned by John Leinweber, in which the first teacher was David White, Sr.
His scholars numbered about twenty-five, some of whom came from the west side
of the Allegheny river. His immediate successors were William White and David
Hull. One of the first schoolhouses under the common school law was a log one
on or near the site of the first one, which continued to be used until the
present one was erected, about 275 rods northeast of it.Religious services were held for some years in private houses, barns, and,
in pleasant weather, in the woods. The Associate Reformed church (commonly
called Seceder) was organized probably about 1826, by Rev. John Dickey. It was
dependent for many years on supplies. Its first pastor was Rev. John Hindman,
whose pastorate continued from April 29 1840, until May 19, 1853. Its second
pastor was Rev. David K. Duff, whose pastorate continued from some time in
June, 1856, until the summer of 1870. Since then the congregation has depended
on supplies. Each of those pastors gave this church half his time. David
White, Sr., and Francis Dill were among its early elders. The present number
of members is sixty.The first church edifice, log, 20 X 20 feet, was erected in1827, a short
distance below the site of the first schoolhouse, on the east side of White�s
run. The present frame edifice was erected on that site in 1855.(5) The ground
on which it stands was given to the congregation by William White, who
conveyed one acre and thirty-eight perches, October 9, 1832, to Noah Calhoun,
Moses Dill, William Lowry, Alexander Oliver, William Templeton and James
White, trustees of Lower Piney congregation, in trust for the use of
“Pine creek congregation,” for the nominal sum of $1.The first wagon owned by any occupant of “Mexico” was purchased
by William Moorhead, after Pine Creek Furnace went into operation.Robert Walker�he was commonly called Col. Walker, either on account of
his military services as a spy on the upper Allegheny during the Indian wars,
or his rank in the militia afterward�parceled and conveyed the major portion
of “Mexico” thus: To his brothers, Abraham Walker, 302 acres and 131
perches, April 1, 1820, for $319.98; James Walker, 402 acres, June 20. 1824,
for $266; to David White, Sr., his brother-in-law, 78 acres and 80 perches,
September 20, 1824, for $312, to whom James Walker conveyed 174 acres and 95
perches, December 8, 1827, for $600. The house erected by White in 1813, on
his first-mentioned portion, is still standing, and which has been for many
years occupied by his son James, commonly called Major White, and latterly by
his grandson, David White. David White, Sr., conveyed 94 acres and 50 perches
to Wm. White, December 11, 1827, which the latter, for “one dollar and
natural love and affection,” Wm. W. Moorehead, December 20, 1842, 28
acres and 59 perches of which Moorehead conveyed to David Rowland, March 27,
1874, for $1,248. Other occupants of that portion of “Mexico” in
this township are James Moorhead, Jacob Peters, Jacob Upperman and Abraham
Walker.The Wallis lands in this township consisted of nine tracts, contiguous to
one another, and eight of which are rectangular parallelograms and the other a
trapezoid in shape, aggregating 8,089� acres, an allowance of six per cent
for roads, according to original surveys, but in each of which, as in nearly
all others, there was probably found to be a considerable surplus by later and
more accurate surveys. On Lawson & Orr�s map of original tracts and on
their list of warrantees, the name of the warrantee of these tracts is Samuel
Wallace. He, however, spelled his surname Wallis in his letters from his home
to Timothy Matlack, secretary of the Supreme Executive Council of
Pennsylvania, in one of which, dated “Muncy Farm, Aug�t 8th,
1778″�then in Northumberland county, in which these lands then were�he
wrote:I find that from the attention paid to this county of late, particularly
with the Continental Troops, that the spirit of the people seems to be
returning to them; great numbers have returned, & I hope the majority of
them will shortly get back to their homes. Col. Brodhead�s Reg�t did great
service, & the spirited manner in which Col. Hartley is now acting will, I
doubt not, render assential service to the Country. I observe that the Council
has been pleased to order a Considerable number of militia into this County,
amongst which 300 is ordered out into Immediate service of the militia of this
County. I am at a loss to know what kind of Intelligence the Council hear.
Sure I am that if they had been well informed of the Distressed, Distracted
& Confused situation which the people have not yet recovered from, they
would have Judged it Impossible to call 300 Troops of our militia Immediately
into actual service. Experience will prove to you that what I say is right.5 o�clock, afternoon.�Since wrighting the foregoing part of this letter
we have been alarm�d with Intelligence of a reaping party of about 14 being
attack�d in the field early this morning by a party of about twenty Indians�two
kill�d & scap�d, one (the son of Cap�n Brady) mortally wound�d
& scalped, & one taken prisoner�the other ten made their escape.
Lurking partys of Indians are constantly seen about us. Several attempts have
been lately made to take off our Centenals in the night. I shall be much
obliged to you for a line by the return of the Express with a Newspaper
inclosed.I am sincerely your friend, &c.,
SAML. WALLIS
Fort Muncy, erected by Col. Thomas Hartley, in 1778, at the mouth of Muncy,
or Wolf, creek, was sometimes called Fort Wallis.These nine were a part of the fifty tracts covered by warrants granted to
him October 2, 1793, and were covered by warrants Nos. 4140-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9,
all of which Wallis, February 2, 1797, conveyed to Thomas Duncan, of Carlisle,
Pennsylvania, afterward one of the associate justices of the supreme court of
this state, who conveyed the same to Thomas Stewardson, Sr., of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, December 30, for $6,067.12�, who, by his will, dated the 20th
day of the eighth month, 1840, devised all of these tracts to his wife Anna
Stewardson. He also directed in his will that his “backlands” should
remain in the care and management of his executors, George Stewardson, Thomas
Stewardson, Jr., and William E. Vaux, and their survivors, seven years from
the day next after his death, and gave them power to sell and convey them. His
widow, “for divers good causes and consideration of $5,” conveyed
all these nine tracts to George Stewardson the “4th day of the
fourth month,” 1845.Tract No. 4147 adjoined “Mexico” on the east. The public
schoolhouse, heretofore mentioned, is in the northwest corner of it, situated
on a part of the 230 acres conveyed by George Stewardson to Samuel Mateer,
February 12, 1855, for $1,150, on which the latter settled in 1843, for
several years kept a hotel, and on which he now resides. Other portions of
this tract were in the occupancy of James and William Oliver from and after
1832, and John Oliver later. Stewardson�s executors conveyed 127 acres and
60 perches to William Oliver, June 29, 1848, for $700.50. George Stewardson
conveyed a part of this and parts of Nos. 4140-1 to James E. and John P. Brown
and James Mosgrove, aggregating 683 acres and 148 perches, March 8, 1850, for
$2,735.50. To David Dever, 122 acres, May 13, 1852, for $226.37. He conveyed
111 acres and 74 perches to John Kneas, February 12, 1855, for $778, described
as situate in “Pine Creek township.” Some of its later occupants,
that is before and since 1850, have been Robert Martin, William Stewart and
Hugh Williamson.Source: Page(s) 247-258, History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania by
Robert Walker Smith, Esq. Chicago: Waterman, Watkins & Co., 1883.
Transcribed December 1998 by Jim Wise for the Armstrong County Smith Project.
Contributed by Jim Wise for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project
(http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)Armstrong County Genealogy Project Notice:
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