Chapter 13, Section 4 – Cowanshannock, History of Armstrong County Pennsylvania

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Chapter 13, Section 4
Cowanshannock

Stephen De Tancy, an early settler in this region, used to relate, in his
lifetime, that a white family was captured by a party of Indians in what is
now Indiana county, before the Indian troubles were allayed. A party of
whites, having pursued, overtook them near the head of the third run west of
the Indiana county line which empties into the “Little Cowanshannock
creek,” near the present site of the Dunkard church. The point where
those hostile parties met and where, in the encounter between them three
Indians were killed and the white captives recaptured, was probably in the
northern part of this Le Roy & Co. tract, about 230 rods south of the
present site of the Barnard postoffice.

Adjoining the last-mentioned tract on the north and west was the Samuel
Bryan one, warrant No. 679, of which John Hannegan was first assessed with 165
acres in 1823; Samuel Scott with 100 acres in 1834; David McPherson with 107
acres in 1838, who afterward conveyed it to George O. Barnard; William
McIntire with 100 acres in 1837. This tract became vested in Samuel F.,
William H. and John C. Smith and Lewis R. Phillips and their wives, to whom
the patent therefor was granted January 18, 1838. They by their
attorney-in-fact conveyed 50 acres and 119 perches of it, July 25, 1839, to
John Hays for $200, and 66 acres, January 2, 1843, to George A. Barnard for
$150, on which is the public schoolhouse, and on which also is his residence,
where for several years he kept a hotel. This point has been known for thirty
or more years past as “Barnard’s.” It is on the public road,
formerly a turnpike. Extending from Kittanning to Smicksburgh, James Patrick
was first assessed with 125 acres in 1841, and John McFarland with a brickyard
in 1842. The territory embraced within the Samuel Bryan tract is traversed by
the Cowanshannock creek, the major portion of it being on the northwest side.

On the north and east of the last-mentioned tract was the LeRoy & Co.
No. 3095. Its territory now lies in this and Wayne townships and Indiana
county. James Kirkpatrick settled on it as early as, if not earlier than,
1800. On or about September 20, 1807, that pioneer settler, mounted on one of
his four horses, might have been seen wending his way along paths through the
dense forest, across Crooked creek and the Kiskiminetas, to Greensburgh. Why?
It had been advertised in October, 1806, in certain papers published in
Philadelphia and Greensburgh, that the tract on which he had made his home
would be sold, as the law then provided, by the sheriff of Westmoreland
county, unless the county taxes assessed thereon for the years 1798, 1800,
1802, 1804, 1805, and the road taxes for 1803-4-5 should be paid within three
months from the date of the advertisements. On September 24, 1807, that entire
tract, containing 847 !/2 acres, wa sold by John Sloan, sheriff, for unpaid
taxes, aggregating $9.43, to James Kirkpatrick for $44, he having been the
highest and best bidder. He conveyed 158 ¼ acres of it to Moses Kirkpatrick,
June 30, 1829, for $100; another portion to John Simpson and his wife about
the same time and agreed to sell another portion off the east end to Thomas
Haughenberry and his wife. He conveyed the rest of the tract, November 30,
1829, to David Kirkpatrick. The grantor and his wife Mary, as mentioned in the
deed, were then aged, infirm and incapable of providing for their worldly
maintenance. So, by their own choice and for the great love and affection
which they had for their son, David, and for his past kindness to and
affection for them, and for the further consideration that he should bind
himself to provide for them sufficient maintenance and such comforts as they
were entitled to during the natural life of each of them, they invested him
with all their right, title and interest therein. Whatever interest he thus
acquired has descended to his linear heirs. On the map of original tracts
appears a smaller tract, carved out of that larger one, on both sides of the
Cowanshannock, containing 100 acres and 77 perches, the larger portion of
which is now in Indiana county, and bearing the name of James Kirkpatrick,
which is probably the quantity he reclaimed and cultivated. The Barnard’s
postoffice, in the western part of this smaller tract, was established July
11, 1861- its first and present postmaster being John T. Kirkpatrick who was
first assessed as a merchant at that point in 1858. David Kirkpatrick built a
gristmill on tract No. 3095 in 1837, which he conveyed to George A. Barnard in
1845-6.

Next west of the two last-mentioned original tracts was the Hiltzimer, No.
5146, included in the Brodhead purchase and devise, noticed in the sketch of
Wayne township. John Rutherford must have settled on this tract in 1819, as he
was first assessed with 150 acres of it in 1820; from 1823 until 1834, with
200 acres. Jacob Peelor was first assessed with 300 acres of it in 1826, to
whom Rebecca J. Johnston conveyed the same, January 17, 1828. He conveyed,
December 12, 1832, the tract which he had thus purchased, containing 323 acres
and 54 perches, to John Rutherford for $533.50. In this last deed it is
described as “beginning at a white-oak corner in the line of Samuel
Bryan,” west 120 perches, and on which Rutherford was then living.
Rutherford conveyed 38 acres of it, May 21, 1833, to James Mc Farland, who
conveyed the same , March 14, 1835, to James Brice for $100. Rutherford agreed
with his son James to convey to him 60 acres and 14 perches thereof, on which
the latter then lived, for $152.75, but died without executing the deed
therefor, which his executors did, April 21, 1835, by virtue of a decree
granted by the court of common pleas of this county, for the specific
performance of that agreement, and which James Rutherford, conveyed to James
Brice, April 30, 1835, for $167.75. Brice conveyed these two last-mentioned
tracts, aggregating 99 acres and 14 perches mor or less, to Jacob Lias, May
11, 1853, for $800, on one or the other of which he has within the last few
years made several fish-ponds, which are situated in the forks of the two
branches forming the fifth northern tributary to the Cowanshannock west of the
Indiana county line. Pond No. 1 is 20×20 feet; No. 2 is 24×44 feet; No. 3 is
20×24 feet. Each pond is supplied from a spring of pure cold water. They are
well arranged, and contain about 5,000 trout and perch, which are in a
thriving condition. Lias obtained his first stock from Seth Green & Co.

The Cowanshannock portion of this Hiltzimer tract will be otherwise
recognized as that of portions of which William J. Burns, William T. Burns, S.
Cassiday, D. Whitacre and J. Borland are present owners, and on which Hugh
Rutherford commenced his trade as a tailor in 1837.

George Roberts, of Philadelphia, merchant, in or about February, 1795,
purchased twelve original tracts the territory of which is now within the
limits of this section of this township, aggregation, according to the
original surveys, 3404 ¾ acres, patents for which were granted to him March
28, the same year, which, with other tracts elsewhere in this and in other
counties, by his will dated December 13, 1800, he divised to his sons George
and Hugh Roberts and three others of his lineal heirs. Among the latter was
Elizabeth F. Roberts, whose share, or undivided one-fifth part, of those lands
then unsold, and one-fifth part of all the purchase money then remaining due
and unpaid, she conveyed April 25, 1836, to her nephew, George Roberts Smith,
in consideration of natural love and affection and the sum of $1. Those and
other tracts are designated in her father’s will as “unimproved and
back lands.”

The following tracts are included in the Roberts purchase:

The John Denniston tract, No. 3830, called “Abington,” which
contained, according to the original survey, 170 ½ acres. William and John
McFarland were first assessed with portions of it in 1838. They had probably
settled on it in 1836 or 1837.

The John Sloan tract, No. 5639, called “Stanton,” 226 ½ acres,
with a protion of which Peter Brown was first assessed in 1822-3.

The Roberts heirs conveyed parts of these two last-mentioned tracts,
containing 201 acres and 46 perches, to James Cunningham June 17, 1837, for
$362.

The John Denniston tract, No. 3829, called “Dublin,” 180 ¾
acres, with 180 ¼ acres of which William Abercrombie was first assessed in
1834, and John Gallagher, with 50 acres, in 1838. This entire tract was
conveyed by those heirs to William Patterson, April 16, 1838, for $285.

The Joseph Cook tract, No. 5637, called “The Grove,” 383 acres
with 80 acres of which Richard Crim and Thomas Duke were each first assessed
in 1836. Ninety-three acres and 139 perches of it were conveyed by those heirs
to Samuel Patterson, April 16, 1836, for $125, and on October 30, 1839, 80
acres and 112 perches to Richard Crim for $161, and 205 acres and 80 perches
to William McFarland for $411.

The Joseph Cook tract, No. 5636, called “Wheatfield, ” 447 ¾
acres, with 184 acres of which Robert Stoops was first assessed in 1833. The
Roberts heirs conveyed 164 acres of this tract to Allen Foster, April 16,
1836, for $328, and 183 acres and 100 perches to John Simpson, November 24,
1838, for $367.

The Aaron Wor tract, No. 5483, 447 acres, with 108 acres of which Stewart
Fitzgerald was first assessed in 1831, and Robert Adams with 97 acres in 1837.
The Robertses conveyed 320 acres off the west end of it to James Simpson,
Noveumber 20, 1830, for $640, and 128 acres and 26 perches to Isaac Simpson,
December 19, 1834, for $288.97.

The John Craig tract, No. 3652, called “Leeds,” 245 acres of
which Alexander Foster purchased May 24, 1828, for $612.50. Craig’s run
traverses it in a southerly course nearly through, al little west of, the
center.

The John Denniston tract, No. 3618, 309 acres, with which Robert McElwain
was first assessed in 1828, and with the Robertses had conveyed to him January
30, 1827, for $675. He conveyed the same as containing 401 acres and 109
perches to Samuel R. Ramage, April 3, 1836, for $4,000, which he conveyed
January 20 and 28, 1848, and April 4 and 10, 1850, to Alexander and James
Dixon, John Walker, William Dill and John McCouch, as containing 423 acres and
53 perches for $5,056.82. John McCouch conveyed the 150 acres which he had
purchased to John McCauley, March 31, 1857, for $3,000, or at an advance of
$750 since April 10, 1850.

The William Denniston tract, No. 3620, called “Hopewell,” 220
acres, on which William and Thomas McElhinney settled in 1830. It was conveyed
to them by the Robertses May 12 of that year for $450. The first store within
the limits of this township was opened by them on this tract in 1831. They
were assessed for the first time as merchants in 1832, and the last time as
such in 1833. They probably kept that store open about three years. William
McElhinney conveyed his undivided half, except 20 acres therefrom sold to
Archibald McGaughey, to James McElhinnney for $220, and James and Thomas
McElhinney conveyed their interests to Rev. Bryan B. Killikelly, September 23
and 27, 1844, for $1,537, who conveyed the entire tract, 221 acres, to William
and Joshua Hall, February 1, 1865, for $1,779.20.

The John Denniston tract, No. 3622, called “Deerry” – probably a
clerical error for Derry- 239 acres, with 120 acres of which Andrew Stewart
was first assessed , and James McGaughey with 80 acres, in 1835. The Robertses
conveyed the whole tract as containing 280 acres and 21 perches to James
McGaughey, April 16, 1836, for $490.21.

The Samuel Denniston tract, No. 3621, called “Alexandria,” 255 ½
acres, with 190 of which William McGaughey was first assessed in 1838. W. Hall
and J. Peoples are present owners of portions of it.

The William Findley tract, No. 5638, called “Fidelity,” 100
acres, on which John McAlfoos settled in 1834, to whom the Robertses conveyed
120 acres and 134 perches, December 23, 1836, for $188.50; to Samuel
Patterson, April 16, 1836, 55 acres and 54 perches, for $101.37, and December
23, 106 acres and 114 perches for $50; of which Peter Brown purchased 50 acres
and 32 perches April 20, 1837, for $225, on which Peter Brown, Jr., was first
assessed with a tannery in 1862, which is still in operation.

The Findley lands, besides the last-mentioned tract, which Findley conveyed
to Roberts, consisted of the four following:

The William Findley tract, No. 751, called “Williamsburgh,” 409
acres and 140 perches, bordering on the purchase line and Valley township, 313
acres of which were first assessed to Daniel River in1828, and 311 acres to
James Elgin in 1831. The patent to Findley for this tract is dated May 27,
1796. By his will, dated March 20, 1820, he devised this and other tracts to
his children- John Findley, Elizabeth Patterson, Eleanor Caruthers and Mary
Black. John Findley was authorized, February 1, 1828, by all parties in
interest, except Elizabeth Patterson, who appointed her son, Findley
Patterson, to divide and convey these lands, and, on the 7^th of
March, all the devisees released the undivided one-fourth part to one another.
John Findley, May 25, 1830, conveyed 311 acres of “Williamsburgh” to
James Elgin for $900, who by his will, dated January 2, 1834, devised it to
his son, Samuel Elgin, in whose possession the major part of it still (1876)
remains. Huskins run empties into the Cowanshannock on the south side at or
near the center of “Williamsburgh”, about fifty rods slightly east
of south from Samuel Elgin’s residence. There is a tradition respecting John
Huskins, who, it is said, gave this stream its early name, which, the writer
thinks, is a mixture of truth and error. It is traditionally related that he
was employed by Penn’s agents to aid in making treaties with the Indians;
that the condition of one treaty was that the Penns were to have as much land
as a man could walk over between sunrise and sunset, starting from a point on
the west branch of the Susquehanna, formerly called Canoe Place, now Cherry
Tree, and proceeding westward; that Huskins, having the reputation of being a
great walker, was employed for that purpose’ that, with Indian guides to
halt him at the proper time, he started for the above-mentioned point on the
Susquehanna at sunrise on a certain day, and , having passed over hills and
valleys along the purchase line, and having arrived at that part of “Williamsburgh”
near the Boyer’s sawmill, he and the Indians collected, through the night, a
quantity of stones and piled them up around a tree, some of which are still
there; that the Indians, being wearied, exclaimed, “White man, big
walk!” and that on the next morning Huskins went to that stream and
christened it “Huskins run.” When that event occurred is not known.
One thread of error woven into the web of that tradition is, that the quantity
of territory between the Susquehanna and the Allegheny was to be ascertained
by a day’s walk, for the boundary line of the purchase of 1768 between these
two rivers was agreed upon and clearly defined in the treaty made oat Fort
Stanwix.⁸ “Huskins run” is mentioned in the report of the
viewers who laid out Plum Creek township in 1809, to designate a point in its
western boundary line. The name of this run is, then, quite ancient, and it is
probable that John Huskin originated it. He may, perhaps, have accompanied the
surveyor who ran the purchase line, or he may have traversed this region at a
later period. However that may be, the narrators of his expedition have, at
one time or another, confounded the walking purchase⁹ of 1737 with
the later one of 1768. Another probable thread of error in that web is, that
the walk from one to the other of the above-mentioned points was a
“big” one for hearty foresters of those times, who were thoroughly
accustomed to traveling on foot, the distance between these points being about
thirty miles.

The William Findley tracts, Nos. 3833, 197 ¾ acres, and No. 3658, 100
acres, contiguous to each other, the former lying between “Williamsburgh”
and the latter, No. 3658, was probably first occupied by Daniel in 1825, he
having been first assessed with it in 1826. Thomas Patterson, a son-in-law of
William Findley, was first assessed, in 1830, with 340 acres, as of No. 3833,
but of course included portions of one or more other Findley tracts. His sons,
John and Findley Patterson, were jointly assessed the next year with the same,
and the latter as a merchant, and thereafter separately, the former with 125,
and the latter with 200 acres, until 1834; in 1835, John was assessed with 345
acres of the McClenechan tract, No. 515, and the next year with the same and
75 acres of No. 3658.

John Patterson settled on No. 3833 in 1829, and gave the name of Rural
valley to that part of the Cowanshannock valley east of Laurel Grove, formerly
called the Narrows, but now Greendale. He resided there until his removal to
the portion of the Pickering & Co. tract, No. 11, which he purchased, as
hereinafter mentioned, in 1836. The Rural Valley postoffice was established
May 19, 1830, and he was its first postmaster, keeping the office at his
residence.

Findley Patterson moved farther down the Cowanshannock in 1834-5. Ebenezer
Smith, of Cross Creek township, Washington county, Pennsylvania, soon
thereafter became the purchaser of a considerable body of these Findley lands,
it having been represented to him that the erection of a gristmill and other
improvements in their vicinity would induce those in quest of new homes to
settle in this part of this beautiful valley. Thomas and Elizabeth Patterson,
by Findley Patterson, their attorney-in-fact, conveyed to him 88 acres and 99
perches of No. 3658, March 30, 1835, for $1,070; and John Patterson conveyed
to him 156 acres and 84 perches of tract No. 3833, May 23, the same year, for
$1,500, making a total of 245 acres and 23 perches, which had been allotted to
Thomas and Elizabeth Patterson in the above-mentioned partition. Smith settled
thereon in 1837, and lived in the house on No. 3833 theretofore occupied by
John Patterson. He purchased, February 25, 1843, 29 acres of ”
Williamburgh” from Samuel Elgin, for $125. He sold about eight acres of
the latter to John Boyer, February 5, 1843, for $8, and 125 acres and 11
perches of No. 3833 to Samuel Elgin, February 19, 1848, for $800, for two days
before which he had conveyed 246 acres and 19 perches to Robert McFarland for
$5,045, and removed thence to McKeesport, Allegheny county. That farm is
designated in Rogers’ Geology of Pennsylvania as the ” Smith
tract.” ( Vide sketch of Elderton.)

John Findley had dedicated two acres of tract No. 3833, adjoining “Williamsburgh,”
prior to Smith’s purchase, for a site for a schoolhouse, common
burying-ground and a meeting-house, or meeting-houses, and conveyed the same,
November 27, 1836, to William McKean, Robert McIntosh, James Elgin and Findley
Patterson, in trust for those purposes, giving an equal right to the
Presbyterians of the General Assembly church, the Associate Reformed or the
Associate church to build, if they so wished, their respective houses of
worship thereon, granting to the congregation that should first do so full
liberty to choose the site, provided that they should do so in such manner as
would not render it impracticable for either of the other denominations to
erect their church edifice thereon. His grant was qualified by the restriction
that those two acres should not be sold for or dedicated to any other purposes
than those above mentioned.¹⁰

The Robert McClenechan tract, No. 515, drawn by lottery, 328 ¾ acres, the
warrant for which was granted to McClenechan, of Chester county, Pennsylvania,
May 19, 1785, and the patent August 17, 1787. He conveyed this entire tract,
March 15, 1796, to William Findley. In the partition between the latter’s
heirs it was allotted to his daughter Eleanor Caruthers, and it was first
assessed to her husband, Richard E. Caruthers, in 1830, 100 acres and 116
perches of which they conveyed to William F. Caruthers, January 6, 1842, for
$1.

The northern tributaries of the Cowanshannock in this part of the township
are: Elgin’s run, traversing ” Williamsburgh,” so named by James
Elgin, who first traced it from its mouth to its head: Hill’s run,
traversing tract No. 3833 so called because it rises in and flows through at
least a part of the Hill settlement north of that tact; Rose run, traversing
tract No. 3658, so called because of the great quantities of wild roses that
erst fringed its banks.

Source: Page(s) 286-309, History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania by
Robert Walker Smith, Esq. Chicago: Waterman, Watkins & Co., 1883.
Transcribed December 1999 by Pamela Clark for the Armstrong County Smith
Project.
Contributed by Pamela Clark for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project
(http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)

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