LOCAL HISTORY: Derry Township, Mifflin County, PA
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Ellis, Franklin, ed., History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata
Valleys Embraced in the Counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and
Snyder, Philadelphia, 1886, pages 532-551.
_______________________________________________
CHAPTER V.
DERRY TOWNSHIP.
532 JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
AT the time of the visit of Richard Peters, Conrad Weiser and the magistrates of
Cumberland County, in 1750, to the regions north of the Blue Mountains not yet
purchased from the Indians, for the purpose of removing all trespassers on the
land, they found no one within the limits of what is now Mifflin County.
"Squatters" were found only in Sherman's Valley, on the Big Juniata (now Walker
township, Juniata County) and in the Path Valley.
After the purchase of the lands from the Indians at Albany, in July, 1754, the
trespassers mostly returned, selected their sites and made application for land
warrants. Others also set out to explore the new purchase and to locate land on
which to settle. In the August following the treaty of July the county of
Cumberland organized four townships, "tother side the N. Mountain," viz.,
Tyrone, Lack, Fannet and Aire, or Ayr.
It is not definitely known at what date the township of Fermanagh was erected;
but from records and papers not official, it is determined that it was made a
township either late in 1754 or in 1755. It is recognized in March, 1762, by the
return of constables, and in 1763 an assessment was made of its inhabitants. The
settlers from far up the river, who had been driven out by the Indians in 1756,
had not then returned, but in the assessment of Fermanagh, in
MIFFLIN COUNTY. 533
1767, appear the names of John Armstrong, Esq., Andrew Bratton, George Bell,
William Brown, William Buchanan, Dorcas Buchanan, James Criswell, David and John
Carmichael, Thomas Ferguson, George Galloway, John Gemmel, Alexander Hamilton,
Samuel Heledy (Holiday), Thomas Holt, Stephen Jordon, Joseph Jacobs, James Lyon,
John McElhatton, Charles McGill, William McKee, Alexander McKinstry, Everhart
Martin, Edward and Cheney Ricketts, Robert Samuels, Samuel Saunders, Alexander
Stewart, Joseph Swift, Matthew Wakefield and William Wallace. These persons all
resided within the limits of what is now Mifflin County.
In this year (1767) a petition was presented by these settlers to the Cumberland
County Court, setting forth the necessity for a township, which was granted, and
at the July term the boundaries of Fermanagh and three new townships - Penn's,
Greenwood and Derry - were defined.
The limits of Derry were thus given in the court records, now at Carlisle, -
"Beginning at the middle of the Long Narrows; thence up the north side of the
Juniata as far as Jack's Mountain; thence to include the valley of the
Kishacoculus and Jack's Creek."
It will be noticed that these boundaries do not include that portion of Mifflin
County lying south of the Juniata. The territory embraced in the assessment made
in 1767 of Fermanagh township contained the names of all the settlers living on
both sides of the river in Mifflin County, and while the limits here given, as
made in 1767, do not include the territory south of the river, yet at the time
the assessment was made, in 1768, the settlers' names living there are included;
the territory must have been annexed soon after, although no record of it has
been found.
The next year, 1768, the first assessment of Derry township was made, and all
the names before given are found, and many others who had either returned or
settled during the year.
Derry township does not appear in the court records of Cumberland County until
its boundaries are given, in July, 1767. At the March term of court, 1768,
Samuel Sanders was appointed constable, and George Bell and Thomas Holt
overseers of roads. The first assessment was made in 1768, and is here given,
with the number of acres and the mills that were assessed in that year, -
William Armstrong, 200; James Alexander, 300; James Pokey Alexander, 30; John
Brown, 100; John Brown, Sr., *100; Andrew Bratton,* 300; George Bell,* 100;
Samuel Brown, 100; William Brown, *300; Jacob Burgh, 300; William Buchanan, 300;
Dorcas Buchanan* (widow), 300; Ephraim Blaine, 200; John Carmichael,* 300; James
Carswell,* 200; Daniel Carmichael,* 300; Adam Coons,* 300; Robert Crawford,* 50;
James Criswell,* 100; James Cannon, 100; Greenbery Cheney, 100; Charles Cox,*
2500; Robert Collender, 700; Bernard Casey, 1500; John Armstrong, Esq.,* 1400;
William Davis, 100; Joshua Davis, 100; Patrick Dunn, 50; Thomas Dicos, 200;
Arthur Forster, 200; Moses Fisher, 100; George Galloway 300; John Samuel,* 300;
Thomas Holt,* 100; Thomas Hunter, 100; Alexander Hamilton,* 100; Samuel
Holliday,* 50, grist and saw-mill; William Henry, 300; Stephen Jordan,* 200;
Joseph Jacobs,* 3000; James Lyon,* 300; Robert Livers, 300; Louther Mannor, 300;
Captain John Little,* 600; William McKee,* 300; Duncan McDonald, 100; John
McDonold, ---; Charles Magill,* 200; Alexander McKinstry,* 200; Eberhart
Martin,* 200; William McMeans, 200; John McCartney,* 100; John McIlhattan,* 100;
D. McClure, 300; John Montgomery, Esq., 400; Benjamin Newport, 100; John Patton,
1500; James Ross, 200; Cheney Ricketts,* 200; Edward Ricketts,* 200; Robert
Samuel,* 200; Alexander Stewart,* 100; William Samuels, 50; Samuel Sanders, 35
(this tract is the only one in the township at this date on which a patent had
been granted); James Stewart, 400; Joseph Swift,* 1300; Robert Semple, 600;
Mathew Wakefield,* 100; William Wallace* 1500; John Wallace, 900.
The names marked with a star appeared in the assessment of Fermanagh township in
1767.
The only mill at this time in the territory now Mifflin County was owned by
Samuel Holliday and was evidently built about this time, as it does not appear
assessed to him in his assessment of 1767. It was located on his fifty acres at
McVeytown, and on the site of the present Troxwell tannery. The next grist-mill
that appears in the county was in 1772, and assessed to Abraham Sanford. It was
located in Jack's Narrows, on what is now the site of Mann's lower axe-factory.
In the erection of Wayne from Derry, in 1782, it was provided that Brightsfield
Run
534 JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
should be the line from "the rise of the main branch thereof until the mouth,
and from thence in the course that it enters the Juniata directly to the
mountain," recognizing at this time (1782) the mountain range as the township
line.
The territory of Derry was first reduced by the erection of Armagh township, in
1770, making Jack's Mountain as the division line. At the July term of
Cumberland County Court, 1782, it was again reduced by the erection of Wayne
township from the upper part of Derry. It remained intact from that time until,
in January, 1812, under a Mifflin County court, it was divided by a line nearly
in the middle, running from Jack's Mountain on the north to Shade Mountain on
the south. Its limits were not again broken until 1838, when a line was run from
Shade Mountain to the Juniata River at Lewistown, and from thence, following the
river, to the county line, dividing the main portion of the township nearly in
the middle. The eastern portion remained as Derry and the western portion was
called Granville. As Derry at present exists it is about six miles square.
Jack's Mountain is its northern boundary; the Juniata River and Fermanagh
township, Juniata County, its southern; Granville lies to the west and Decatur
to the east. The Kishacoquillas Creek flows southerly, through the valley of
that name and empties into the Juniata River at Lewistown. On its banks, within
the limits of the township, are the borough of Lewistown, the town of Logan and
Yeagertown. Jack's Creek enters the township from Decatur township on the east,
and flows southwesterly, emptying into the Juniata about a mile below Lewistown.
The Lewistown and Sunbury Railroad (now under the management of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company) passes through the valley of Jack's Creek, with stations at
Lewistown and Maitland. The Mifflin and Centre Railroad passes from Lewistown
along the Kishacoquillas Creek, with stations at Lewistown, Logan, Yeagerstown
and Mann's.
The following is the assessment of Derry township for 1700, the first year after
the erection of Mifflin County, and embraces what is now Derry, Decatur and
Granville:
"Armstrong, William, 250a, 2h, 2c.
Armstrong, James, 50a, 2h, 2c.
Armstrong, Plunkett, 1h, 1c.
Alexander, John, 100a, 2h, 2c.
Abbott, John, 150a, 2h, 2c.
Arthur, Richard, h, 2c.
Buchanan, Arthur, 230a, h.
Buchanan, Robert, 236a, 1h, 2c.
Buck, Henry, h, 1c.
Bell, John, 1h, 2c.
Burns, James, 300a, h, 2c, 1 still.
Beard, Hugh, 195a, 1h, le.
Beard, Samuel, 76a, h, 1c, 100a late Campbell's.
Bogle, Robert, 300a, 2h, 3c, 50a Johnston's Estate.
Brown, Benjamin, 200a, 2h, 2c.
Brown, John, 300a, 2h, 2c.
Brown, William Esq., 210a.
Brunson, Thomas, 200a, 2h, 1c.
Bernthistle, Henry, 211, 1c.
Baum, Jacob, 100a, 2h, 2c.
Baum, John, 1 saw-mill.
Barndollar, John, 100a, 2h, 2c.
Billsland, William, 300a, 2h, 1c.
Brearly, Benjamin, 2h, 2c.
Corbett, William, 200a, 2h, 4c.
Carson, William, 100a, 1h, 1c.
Campbell, Hercules, 100a, 1h, 1c.
Collens, Henry, 350a, 1h, 2c, 20a Old Place.
Coun, Joseph, h, 1c.
Cowgill, Joseph, 1h, 2c.
Croan's land, 150a.
Dickson, James, farmer, 100a, 2h, 2c.
Dickson, James, blacksmith, 1c.
Elliott, William, 2h, 2c.
Edmiston, Samuel, Esq., 2h, 2c, 1 negro woman.
Frampton, William, 130a, 2h, 2c.
Frampton, John, 50a, 2h, 2c.
Frampton, Samuel, 350a, 2h, 2c.
Glasgow, John, 250a, 2h, 4c.
Graham, Thomas, 100a, 1h.
Gordon, William, 200a, 2h, 2c.
Gemmel, Widow, 300a, 3h, 2 negroes.
George, John, 1h, 1c.
Gregg, Thomas, 150a.
Holt, William, 100a, h, 1c.
Holt, Widow, 100a, 1h.
Hesson, Hugh, 100a, 1h, 1c.
Henderson, James, 100a, 1h, 1c.
Howe, Robert, 2h, 2c.
Imturf, Melcor, 128a, 1c.
Jones, Daniel, 200a, 2h, 2c.
Kelly, Matthew, 304a, 2h, 3c.
Kelly, John, 2h, 2c, 1 servant man for 4 years and 6 months.
King, William, 100a.
Keever, Samuel, 200a, 1h, 2c.
Keever, John, 200a, 2h, 3c.
Keever, John and Samuel, 200a.
Kishler, Jacob, 200a, 2h, 2c.
Lorrimore, Hugh, 1h, 1c.
MIFFLIN COUNTY. 535
Lashback, Henry, 100a, 2c.
McConnell, George, 150a, 1h, 1c.
McMullan, Alexander, 100a, 2h, 1c.
McGinnis, Hugh, 30a, 2h, 1c.
McMurtry, David, 300a.
McKee, William, 240a, 1c.
McKee, Andrew, 100a, lh, 2c.
McCord, James, 50a.
Magill, James, 203a.
Magill, Charles, 1h, 1c.
Magee, James, 100a, 1h, 2c.
Marten, Christopher, 150a, 3h, 2c.
Marten, Robert, 300a, 2h, 2c.
Marten, Thomas, 200a, 2h, 2c.
Montgomery, Samuel, 50a, 1h, 1 negro.
Mitchell, William, 300a, 2h, 2c, 1 still.
Mitchell, Robert, 1h.
Mitchell, Thomas, 1h, 1c.
Moore, Moses, 190a, 2h, 2c.
Means, John, 100a, 2h, 3c.
Means, Robert, 300a, 1h, 3c.
Mease, Jamcs, 230a.
Mifflin Trustees, 80a.
Oliver, John, 150a, 2h, 2c.
Patterson, Robert, 50a, 1b, 1c.
Picken, Samuel, 113a, 2h, 2c.
Parshall, Caleb, 200a, 2h, 2c,1 grist-mill.
Rotrick, George, 300a, 3h, 3c.
Rool, John, 20a, 2h, 2c.
Ryan, Robert, 150a.
Stroup, Philip, 100a, 1h, 1c.
Stroup, George, 50a, 2h, 2c.
Siglar, George, 300a, 117a, 3h, 5c, 1 saw-mill.
Siglar, John, 100a, 2c.
Strode, Joseph, 1h, 1c.
Sanford, Abraham, 90a, 1 grist-mill.
Steel, David, 200a, 2h, 2c, 1 still, 50a at Dickson's.
Steely, Jacob, 100a, 1h, 4c.
Steely, Ulrich, 100a, 1h, 2c.
Steely, Gabriel, 1h, 2c.
Skyles, John, 50a, 1h, 1c.
Smith, William, 330a, 2h, 3c, 4 negroes.
Stark, Zepheniah, 100a. 2h, 4c.
Stubel, Frcderick, 300a, 1h, 1c.
Thompson, William, blacksmith, 1h, 1c.
Thompson, William, farmer, 100a, 2h, 1c.
Thompson, William, 1h, Ic. Voight, John, 50a, 1h, 2c.
Wood, John, cooper, 50a, 1h, 1c.
Wood, John, farmer, 80a, 2h, 2c.
Woods, Jeriah, 1h, 1c.
Woods, Levi, 1h, 1c.
Wade, Thomas, 100a.
Waugh, James, captain, 1c.
UNSEATED LANDS.
Appleby of Philadelphia, 100a.
Barr, James, 50a, joining Burns and Glenn. Barr & McMurtry, 200a.
Buchanan, Thomas, Esq., 160a Narrows Mountain, south side of Charles Cox.
Baum, Frederick, 100a.
Baynton & Wharton, 600a, bound by George Siglar and James Magee.
Croan's land, 150a, Swift west and Irwin east.
Callender's heirs, 200a, joining Thomas Wade south, Melchoir Imturf west, and
Arthur Buchanan north and Juniata on the east.
Chambers, Robert, 200a, 150a, 300a.
Cox, Charles, 160a, joining Caleb Parshall on the south and John Glasgow on the
east.
Clark's land, 300a.
Cunningham, Henry, deceased, 200a on Long Meadow Run, below Cox's land.
Doyle, Felix, 100a. Gregg, Andrew, 150a.
Grove, Jacob, 300a on Jack's Creek.
Harbison, Benjamin, 350a joining a branch of Jack's Creek called Piney Run, and
150a joining Henry Cunningham and lands of Alexander, and 283a joining Narrows
Mountain and Jack's Creek.
Holt's, Thomas, heirs, 100a.
James & Drinker, 300a.
Kelly, George. 150a joining James Burns.
Lukens', John, heirs, 1000a.
McClay & Brown, 300a.
Patton, Joseph, 600a on the Long Meadow Run west of Henry Cunningham.
Rannel's, John, heirs, 100a.
Smith, William, York County, 170a. Sterrett, William, 100a.
Sample, Robert, at the Licks, 600a, McKee west; James Burns, Esq., east.
Williams, Daniel, 200a joining Burns and Kelly.
"WILLIAM CORBETT, Assessor.
"JAMES BURNS,
"ROBERT SMITH, Assistants."
In 1793 Philip Minehart was operating a saw-mill (now in Granville); Caleb
Parshall a grist-mill; James Dickson a blacksmith-shop (Kellyville); George
Sigler a saw-mill (Decatur); Abraham Sanford a grist-mill (in the Narrows).
In the next year Joseph, Strode built a grist and saw-mill at Brightfield's Run.
In 1798 the following persons were owners of mills and tan-yards : James
Alexander, grist and saw-mill (now Strunk, in Granville); Henry Berntheisel,
tan-yard in Lewistown; Philip Diehl, grist and saw-mill (Yeagertown); Peter
Gauff, old saw-mill; William Lewis, iron master furnace (Granville); Andrew
Mayes, grist-mill and old saw-mill near Lewistown; Jonathan Rothrock, saw-mill
near Logan;
JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA. 536
Philip Rothrock and John Rothrock, tan-yard (Albright's); James Mayes, grist and
saw-mill and distillery (Yeagertown); Lazarus Steely, oil-mill; Joseph Strode,
grist, saw and fulling-mill, with Jesse Evans, fuller (Granville); John Wurts,
saw and grist-mill; John Waggoner, grist and saw-mill (now Stine's).
In 1831, seven years before Granville was taken off from Derry, the
manufacturers in the township were Wm. Brown & Co., furnace, forge and saw-mill
(Logan); Caspar Dull, grist and saw-mill (now Strunk, in Granville); Robert
Forsythe's heirs, grist and saw-mill (Yeagertown); D. M. Huling, Hope Furnace
(Granville); Henry Miller, grist and saw-mill (now Stine's); James Milliken,
grist and saw-mill and distillery (near Lewistown) Isaac and Joseph Strode, saw-
mill (Granville); Henry Snyder's heirs, saw-mill.
The villages or settlements in Derry township are Logan, Yeagertown, Kellyville
and Maitland.
LOGAN.
Logan is entirely the outgrowth of the iron-works that for nearly a century have
been operating at the place. With the establishment of Freedom Forge, in 1795,
began the clustering of dwellings near it for the accommodation of workmen, and
from that time to the present it has grown with the progress of the works. In
1843 a school-house was built there and in 1868 it was replaced by another built
by the present Logan Company. For a few years after the works were begun a
company store was kept at Lewistown, and then opened at the works, which has
been kept by the different companies operating at the place. The Methodists have
had an organization for many years. Prior to 1862 it was under charge of the
Lewistown District. In that year it became part of a charge with Kellyville and
Decatur, and is now served by the pastors in charge of the district.
KELLYVILLE.
Kellyville takes its name from Moses Kelly, who for many years was a resident
and inn-keeper at the place. The land on which it is situated is part of two
tracts, one of which was warranted to John Early, August 2, 1766, the other to
Samuel Baird, March 24, 1789. The land of John Early was on the side towards the
mountain, through which Early's Run, or Hungry Run, passes. Early sold the
centre tract to Jacob Kline, who, the next day, May 26, 1790, conveyed it to
James Dickson. On the 22d of October, 1791, he sold ninety acres of it to
Matthew Kelly, who died in 1801 and left it, by will dated March 23, 1801, to
his sons George and Moses and a daughter Elizabeth. George, on the 24th of
August, 1803, conveyed his interest to Peter Ruble. Moses Kelly retained his
portion and in 1818 purchased sixty-nine acres adjoining, of Philip Rothrock.
Soon after his father's death he built a tavern on the site of Valentine
Stoneroad's residence, which was known as the "Black Horse," tavern. He kept it
until 1843, when the agitation of the temperance question became so strong it
was abandoned. He died in 1853, aged eighty-five years. He had two sons, John
and Matthew. John lived at the place several years after reaching manhood,
married and carried on for a few years a pottery in the log building formerly
the Presbyterian Church, now a part of Thompson G. Bell's residence. His wife
died at the place and is buried in the Presbyterian graveyard. He removed West,
and later joined the Mormons. Matthew moved to Union County and later to the
West. Elizabeth, a daughter of Moses Kelly, married Henry McAuley, who first
settled in Little Valley, and in 1856 moved to Kishacoquillas Valley, and he now
lives at Honey Creek Station, in Armagh township. A son, J. M., lives on the
farm at Lack's Mill's. Joseph H., another son, lives in Derry township. Anna,
another daughter of Moses Kelly, married Thomas Stroup. She has long since
passed away and he resides in Lewistown. They lived for many years at
Kellyville, where he followed the occupation of a tanner. Rebecca married James
Stewart and removed to Huntingdon County, where she still resides. The wife of
Moses Kelly was Susanna, sister of Henry Burkholder, who settled near the place
in 1802.
A portion of the Dickson tract was purchased by Philip Rothrock, May 31, 1802,
on Hungry Run, who, in the next year, erected thereon a tan-yard, where Joseph
Hoofnagle now lives,
MIFFLIN COUNTY. 537
which he operated until about 1830, when it was abandoned. He also purchased,
May 4, 1812, one hundred and thirty-eight acres of James Burns, which was the
property warranted in 1789 by Samuel Baird. It is from this tract that the
Presbyterian Church, Methodist Church and school lots were taken.
Philip Rothrock was a brother of George Rothrock, who, in 1773, settled on land
in Ferguson's Valley, which he warranted, where the Albrights now live. Philip
Rothrock operated a tannery on his brother's place for several years, until he
purchased on Hungry Run. He died October 13, 1851, aged ninety-three years. His
wife, who was a daughter of Abraham Labaugh, who settled here, survived him
until January, 1858, when she died, aged eighty-one years. Their sons were
Jonathan, Abraham, David, Philip, George and William. Jonathan and George
settled in Tennessee. Abraham became a physician, and in 1830 settled at
McVeytown, where he is still in practice. David settled at Maitland and died
there. Philip lived and died at Kellyville when a young man. William moved to
Selma, Ala., where he is still living.
CHURCHES OF KELLYVILLE. - The Presbyterian congregation of Little Valley was at
first under the charge of the Rev. James Johnston, who became the pastor of the
East and West Kishacoquillas congregation August 19, 1784. None of the names
which appear in the call to Mr. Johnston made in 1783 are of the valley, and it
was not until several years after that the valley was settled. Bcfore 1796,
however, there was a flourishing congregation, and on the 5th of October in that
year Mr. Johnson resigned from the call of the West End congregation and
remained in charge of the East Kishacoquillas and Dry Valley (as it was then
called) congregation until his death, January 9, 1820. A log meeting-house had
been built on the site of the present church; a schoolhome was built later on
the same lot. The land on which the church stood was part of the Baird tract,
and was for some years in the possession of James Burns, who was, a signer of
the call to the Rev. Mr. Johnston. It has not been ascertained when the old
church was built nor how long it was used, and it was not until 1818 that any
title to the church lot was obtained. The land passed from Mr. Burns, in 1812,
to Philip Rothrock, who held it until November 17, 1818, when he sold sixty-nine
acres to Moses Kelly, who, the same day, transferred the church lot to Francis
Boggs, Samuel Alexander and James Nixon, Esqs., trustees of the Little Valley
Presbyterian congregation. It contained three-quarters of an acre of land, and
liberty was granted by Mr. Kelly to pass and repass to a certain spring of water
near his dwelling-house for the use of the congregation. The exact time of the
removal of the log house and erection of the present building is not known; but
the log house was removed across the street and is now part of Thompson G.
Bell's residence. A. frame building was erected on the same site, which has
since been remodeled. The entrance to the church was by two doors on the north
side. A high pulpit reaching to the ceiling was on the south side. The interior
was rearranged many years ago and entrance made upon the east end.
The Rev. Mr. Johnston, who was for so many years pastor of this congregation,
was a native of Cumberland County, near Shippensburg. After completing a course
at a classical school in Chambersburg he, with his brother, joined the army. He
was at the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Trenton and Valley
Forge. At the close of the Revolution he entered Princeton College and
graduated. He was licensed to preach in 1781 by the Cumberland Presbytery. In
1783 he received a call from the churches of the Kishacoquillas Valley, which he
accepted and where he labored through his life. He married Elizabeth, a
daughter of Judge William Brown. At the meeting of the Presbytery in October,
1820, the Rev. Samuel Hill, a licentiate of the Presbytery of Roule, Ireland,
made application to be received, which was granted. The congregations of East
Kishacoquillas and Dry Valley requested the Presbytery to appoint the Rev. Mr.
Hill as a stated supply for one year, which was also granted. During the latter
part of the year the congregations united in extending him a call, which was
accepted, and on the 3d of
538 JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
October, 1821, he was installed pastor by the Presbytery. He resigned the charge
in 1825, to take charge of the First Associate Reformed Church of Pittsburgh,
but did not, and returned to the Presbytery, and later was pastor of Sinking
Valley and Spruce Creek Churches. In 1826 Joseph B. Adams, a licentiate, was
appointed as a missionary by the American Sunday-school Union, and sent to this
part of the State. The Presbytery accepted his services and he visited the
vacant congregations with abundant success, visiting, among others, the Little
Valley congregations, where he delivered a series of addresses, which had the
effect to bring together the people, not only in the cause of the church, but to
the organization of a Sunday-school. At this time meetings were held in the
school-house, which stood in the southeast corner of the yard. The families
represented were the Longs, Rothrocks, Kellys, Bells, Townsends and others. A
Sunday-school was organized in the spring of 1828, which has been continued to
the present. The Rev. James Stuart was pastor of the congregations in 1828-29.
The Rev. William Annan, of the Presbytery of Baltimore, began preaching to the
congregations of Little Valley and West Kishacoquillas in the summer of 1830. A
call was presented to him, which was accepted after he was dismissed from the
Baltimore Presbytery and his acceptance by the Huntingdon Presbytery. He
remained pastor of these congregations until April 25, 1831, when the
congregation of East Kishacoquillas extended a call to the Rev. James Nourse,
which was accepted, and Mr. Annan remained as pastor of the Little Valley
congregation until 1835, when he was dismissed to the Presbytery of Redstone. He
was an active, energetic man and aroused the people on the subject of temperance
and did much to awaken them to the dangers of intoxicating liquor. Since that
time the congregation of Little Valley has been an independent organization.
Mr. Moses Floyd, a licentiate of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, was received as
a member of Huntingdon Presbytery in April, 1837, and accepted a call from the
congregations of West Kishacoquillas and Little Valley. He was ordained as
pastor by the Presbytery at an adjourned meeting in Little Valley in the June
following. The pastors from that. time to the present have been as follows, with
the dates of their installation : Rev. D. L. Hughes, January 9, 1844; J. Smith,
November, 1848; Thomas Spears, November 3, 1855; J. B. Strain, April 10, 1860;
W. Prideaux, October 21, 1864; J. P. Clarke, J. McKean and the Rev. George
Chappell, the present pastor, who has served since 1879.
The Sunday-school organized in the spring of 1828 chose for its officers John
Bell, superintendent; Abraham Rothrock, assistant; Mrs. Henry Long, treasurer;
Miss Mary Long (afterwards Mrs. Thomas Reed), librarian. Dr. Abraham Rothrock,
of McVeytown, is the only one living.
THE DRY VALLEY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH was organized in 1832, and in the
winter of 1833-34 one acre of land was purchased of Moses Kelly by the trustees
of the church, - Samuel Martin, Samuel Price and John Williams. It was surveyed
February 25, 1834, and deed given December 26, 1835. The church was erected and
inclosed; slab and plank seats were put up. Meetings were held there for several
years before it was finished. The church was for many years in charge with the
Lewistown District. In 1862 Freedom, Decatur and Dry Valley became a district
and continued many years. It is now united with Freedom. The pastors who served
since 1861 have been, 1861, Rev. S. H. C. Smith; 1862, Rev. J. W. Leckie; 1863-
64, Rev. J. W. Houck; 1864, Rev. John Graham; 1865-66, Rev. M. L. Smith; 1867-
68, Rev. J. H. McGarrah; 1869, Rev. J. Benson; 1870-71, Rev. G. W. Dunlap; 1872-
74, Rev. Jesse R. Akers; 1875, Rev. J. A. Ross; 1876, Rev. J. W. Ely; 1878, Rev.
William S. Hamlin; 1880, Rev. J. A. Ross; 1883, Rev. S. A. Creveling.
A log school-house was built on the church lot about 1820, which stood until
1843, when the building was sold to the Freedom Iron Company and moved to that
place. A new frame school-house was erected a short distance northeast of the
present school-house.. The lot was conveyed to the directors May 26, 1847, by
Moses Kelly. This school-house answered its purpose until 1868, when the present
brick house was erected.
MIFFLIN COUNTY. 539
YEAGERTOWN.
Yeagertown is a village of about six hundred inhabitants, situated on the west
side of Kishacoquillas Creek, and about a mile above the village of Logan. It
contains a mill, store, post-office, Lutheran Church and schoolhouse. The land
on which it is situated was part of a large tract warranted to Everhart Martin
in 1755, and part of a tract warranted to Rebecca Harrison in 1767. Everhart
Martin left his estate to his son Christopher and (laughter Prudence.
Christopher Martin erected a saw-mill on the east side of the creek, above the
dwelling-house of the Cochrane heirs. The race is still visible. He sold eighty-
six acres to George Hanewalt, who, on the 6th of January, 1796, sold it to James
Mayes, who came from Northumberland County in 1789-90, with his brother Andrew,
who settled near Lewistown. James Mayes took out a warrant for two hundred and
fifty acres of land adjoining the above March 9, 1790, and April 12, 1793, a
warrant for fifteen acres. In 1798 he is assessed on five hundred and eighty-
eight acres of land and a grist-mill and saw-mill. Mr. Jeremiah Yeager has in
his possession an old fifty-six-pound balance scale which was used in the old
mill and which has stamped upon the beam "1795" as the date of its manufacture.
The mill of Abraham Sanford, which was built in 1772, and was situated on the
Narrows above, was at this time abandoned, and this was the only mill in this
section below the Narrows. William Brown, a few years previous, built a grist
and saw-mill on his place, now known as Brown's Mills. James Mayes also built at
this place the stone house and stone barn and a distillery. In 1803 this
distillery was not in use, and another was built. On the 7th of May, 1806, James
Mayes conveyed his mill property and fifty-four acres to Philip Diehl, or Dale,
reserving a water-right for his distillery. The rest of his property was soon
after sold and he removed to New Orleans. On the 31st of March, 1810, Philip
Dale conveyed the property to Robert Forsythe, of Lewistown, by whom it was
operated till his death, in 1824, with George Strunk as miller. It was held by
his heirs for several years, and was run by Campbell & Oliver, and about 1839
John Oliver came into possession. A stone tavern-house had been built at the
place by James Mayes. It was kept by Samuel Chestnut, who kept it till 1826, and
in 1827 by ----- Wilberton. In this year William Creighton (now living at
Yeagertown) and John Casner carried on shoe-making in the house now occupied by
Mr. Miller. He states that at that time they were boarding at the tavern for one
dollar and twenty-five cents per week and free use of the bar. In 1842, Jacob
Yeager, with his wife, eight sons and one daughter, came from Dauphin County,
and Yeager purchased the mill property and fifty acres of John Oliver, Jr. At
the time there was at the place the mill, the stone farm-house, stone tavern,
two distilleries (unused), a small frame building above the mill (used as a
coke-shop by Mrs. John Saeger).
On the site of the present brick house of John B. Morrison was a log cabin
occupied by Joseph Davidson, a blacksmith. An old blacksmith-shop stood above
the tavern; a short distance below was the stone house built by Francis Boggs in
1819, and then occupied by him (now owned by Alexander McClure, of
Philadelphia). About 1845, Jonathan Yeager opened the tavern and kept it for
eight years, and was succeeded by his brother Simon, who owned it until his
death, in 1876. Reuben Keller was landlord then for five years prior to this
time. Since 1876 it has not been opened as a tavern. In 1859, Jeremiah Yeager
bought the mill and rebuilt it in its present condition. The first school-house
was built in 1870 and has since received additions in 1883-85. It has now a
capacity of over two hundred pupils. A store was opened by Simon Yeager in 1857,
which was later purchased by Willis Mann and continued by his son, E. P. Mann,
who, in 1874, built the present store building opposite the tavern. A post-
office was established in 1870, with E. P. Mann as postmaster. It was continued
by him until 1878, when William Mann, Jr., & Co. purchased the store property
and have since operated the store and conducted the post-office. In 1851 a
Lutheran Church. was erected in the upper part of the village, with a seating
capacity of about four hundred. The pastors of the church also have in charge
the church at Lilly-
540 JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
ville, Decatur township. The pastors have been the Revs. C. M. Clink, Henry
Baker, Fair, ----- Truckmiller, S. G. Shannon, the present pastor, Rev. Luther
McConnell.
MAITLAND.
Maitland is a station on the Mifflin and Centre Railroad, about five miles from
Lewistown and on Jack's Creek: It contains a post-office, store, depot, school-
house and a few dwellings. A short distance from it, to the west, is the grist-
mill of Henry Stine, which, in 1798, was the property of John Waggoner, who also
was running a saw-mill. This property he sold, April 15, 1813, to Henry Miller,
who operated it until April 21, 1834, when it passed to Michael Roush, with two
hundred and forty-nine acres of land. The mill was actively engaged by him until
April 21, 1849, when the mill and land were purchased by Abraham Rothrock, who
sold it to Jacob Stine, April 13, 1858, with two hundred and thirty-four acres.
Upon the death of Jacob Stine, it passed to his son, Henry, who now owns it.
The church building of the German Baptists is a short distance above the mill.
An account of this church and its congregation will be here found.
HISTORY OF THE BRETHREN CHURCH OF DRY VALLEY AND THE COUNTY. - As will be seen,
this sketch covers not only the Brethren Church in Dry Valley, but the history
of the denomination in the county.
The organizations of the Brethren now existing in Mifflin County are, - 1. The
Lewistown congregation, sometimes spoken of as the Dry Valley congregation; 2.
The Spring Run congregation.
The former embraces the eastern part of Mifflin County, including Lewistown,
with their meeting-house or central place of worship near Maitland Station, five
miles northeast of Lewistown, on Sunbury and Lewistown Railroad, which is called
the Dry Valley Meeting-house.
The congregation consists of about one hundred and twenty-five communicants,
with Jacob Mohler and William Howe, their elders, and G. S. Myers, S. J.
Swigart, Andrew Spanogle, John M. Mohler, Albert Steinbarger and S. G. Rupert,
ministers, - Elder Jacob Molder being the oldest in office; the others follow in
the order named. The deacons are Moses Price, Henry Snyder, Samuel Richard,
Daniel Zook, Jacob Howe, Jacob Showalter and Jacob Richard.
The Spring Run congregation embraces the western part of the county, including
McVeytown, with their central place of worship in their meeting-house on Spring
Run, two and a half miles north of McVeytown Station, Pennsylvania Railroad, and
consists of about three hundred communicants, with P. S. Myers, of McVeytown, as
their elder, and Abram Myers, Samuel Musser, George H. Swigart, R. T. Myers and
J. A. Myers, their ministers; Henry Swigart, Joseph Dunmire, Adam Rupert, M. F.
H. Kinsel, John Yoder, Jacob Miller and John C. Swigart, deacons.
These two congregations are sub-divisions of what was the Lewistown District or
congregation, which was divided September 23, 1865.
The original Lewistown District embraces a part of Centre County, where the
present Lewistown congregation still have regular appointments; a part of
Huntingdon County (Stone Valley), which has been ceded to the Huntingdon
congregation; and all of Mifflin County, except Wayne township and the
southwestern part of Bratton township, which belonged to the Aughwick
congregation, to which the whole of the' Lewistown District belonged and from
which it was separated about 1800. After the sub-division of the Lewistown
District into the present districts, the Aughwick District, by arrangement,
ceded her territory in Mifflin County to the Spring Run congregation.
Of the earliest history of the Brethren in the Lewistown District but little is
known. Their work can be traced to about the time of the Revolutionary War. The
field seems to have been first worked by Henry Nearhoof, of Aughwick, and Peter
Shellenberger, of Lost Creek. The first resident ministers were Jacob Kinsel,
who settled near the present site of the Spring Run Church; Joseph Rothrock, who
lived four miles
_____
By S. G. Rupert, of Lewistown, Pa.
MIFFLIN COUNTY. 541
northeast of Lewistown; and John Hanawalt, one mile east of Mount Union. The
last named was probably the first speaker in the English language among the
Brethren in this region. He was an excellent man, decidedly original in his
habits and manner, but not a fluent speaker, and died at the age of sixty-two in
the year 1827.
Joseph Rothrock was a son of John Rothrock, who came from Northampton County
before the Revolutionary War and bought the claim of one Kishler, four miles
northeast of Lewistown, where Joseph resided until his death, at an advanced
age. He was an able German preacher and a noble example of Christian piety. He
was a minister for many years and probably the first resident bishop in the
district. His son Abraham succeeded him in the ministry and bishopric, but
afterwards moved to Kansas. Abraham was succeeded by Joseph Rothrock Hanawalt,
who presided over the congregation in 1865, when the district was divided into
its present congregations; he retained the oversight of both congregations for
some years, when he was relieved of the care of the Lewistown charge by the
ordination of Jacob Mohler.
Joseph R. Hanawalt was an able speaker in the English language and a mission
worker of untiring zeal. He was elected to the ministry September 25, 1845, and
some years previous to this the church had decided to have one-half of the
devotional exercises conducted in the English language, whereupon the membership
began to increase and prominent families became connected with the church, many
of whom could understand no German, and thus the German wore out and the English
devotions increased until about 1845, the year in which Joseph R. Hanawalt was
elected, when the whole services were conducted in the English language.
The congregation at this time had no meeting-houses and the membership was
largely scattered over the county. An arrangement was made for all the members
that had suitable houses for meeting to open them for regular stated preaching;
there being twenty places offered at various points over the congregation,the
meetings were arranged in rotation, so that the appointments at each place were
twenty weeks apart. The membership grew rapidly until, in 1858, the congregation
having become too large to be entertained in private dwellings, many having been
removed to the school-houses, the church concluded to build houses for worship.
They decided to build two houses, one in the eastern part and the other in the
western. Accordingly, in 1859 they built the present two large and substantial
houses now known as Spring Run Church and Dry Valley Church.
Joseph R. Hanawalt was heard to say, about this time, that when he first became
a member of the church there were but thirty-five members and but six of this
number living, while at this time there are about three hundred members.
Joseph R. Hanawalt was a nephew of John Hanawalt, and died in the year 1877 at
the age of sixty-seven. He was succeeded in the bishopric of the Spring Run
Church by Peter S. Myers, the present incumbent.
It is but due to say that a large drainage from this district has gone to make
up the numerous churches in many of the Western States.
And several prominent and useful ministers of the Brethren labored in these
districts at various times, who are not mentioned in the above account.
Henry Snyder, a very promising speaker, was suddenly cut off by fever in 1827,
having been in the ministry but a few years.
David Eshleman was called to the ministry in 1836 and soon removed to Clarion
County, Pa.
John Spanogle moved into the district about 1845 and labored about four years,
when he returned to the Aughwick congregation from whence he came.
Adam Young was elected to the ministry in 1859 and in a few years moved to White
County, Ind.
Reuben Myers was called to the ministry in 1849 and labored until 1863, when
death called him home. He was an able preacher and had married Henry Snyder's
daughter. She soon followed him in death.
Achibald Vandyke was elected to the minis-
542 JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
try in 1859 and labored with considerable success until 1868, when he moved to
Nebraska.
S. Z. Sharp and Samuel Myers, Jr., were elected in 1862 and in a few years moved
to Tennessee.
In 1865 George Hanawalt and John Price were called to the ministry. Price never
labored much in his office and died in 1871.
George Hanawalt, who was a son of Joseph R. Hanawalt, labored with success until
1879, when he moved to Cambria County, Pa.
John S. Hanawalt, a brother of George, was elected in 1873. He was an able
speaker, and died in 1873. W. J. Swigart was elected in 1876 at Spring Run, and
soon moved to Huntingdon, Pa. These were all residents of Mifflin County and
members of the one or the other of these two districts.
The oldest and first settlers of the Brethren in the county were Susannah and
Mary Rothrock. They were twin-sisters, and married George and John Hanawalt
(brothers). They were daughters of George Rothrock and cousins of Elder Joseph
Rothrock, noticed above. Susannah was the mother of Joseph R. Hanawalt. They
married and came to this country very young, about 1786. Susannah was baptized
about 1794, and is believed to have been the first person baptized by the
Brethren in the county. She lived to the age of eighty-two, and died in 1854.
Jacob Kinsel probably came here about the same time, and soon after Peter Fike
settled in the neighborhood and subsequently Samuel Myers and Elizabeth, his
wife, came from Lost Creek, she being a daughter of Peter Shellenberger,
mentioned above. These and probably a few others formed the first community of
the Brethren.
The church has been aided and strengthened all these years by others who were
not mentioned above and who were not ministers. There has been zeal among the
deacons and lay members worthy of note.
Joseph Kinsel, a son of Jacob and father of Mr. F. H. Kinsel, served faithfully
as a deacon for many years and died in 1854.
Samuel Myers, spoken of above and father of Elder P. S. Myers, Samuel Myers,
Jr., and R. T. Myers, ministers, was a zealous worker and supporter of the
church; his house was ever open for the worship of God and a home for the
Brethren. He served in the office of deacon from 1848 until he was relieved by
death, about 1878.
Christian Swigart, father of S. J. Swigart, W. J. Swigart and J. C. Swigart,
mentioned above, although blind for many years, has always kept his Father's
Kingdom in view, and has encouraged others more fortunate to attain a high
degree of holiness.
John Rupert, father of S. G. Rupert, mentioned above, moved into the
congregation from Aughwick in 1854, and was elected to the office of deacon in
1857. He was a faithful watchman and zealous worker for Christ and His cause,
and was taken to his reward in 1881.
Henry Hertzler who lived in Bratton township, gave his whole heart to the church
and made it his meat and his drink to do his Father's will, and was taken home
at an advanced age in about 1879.
These, with many others who put their shoulders to the wheel, their hands to the
plow and kept moving onward, have been instruments in the hands of God to
promulgate His cause and glorify His name by bringing many souls from nature's
darkness to Him who is the marvelous light.
These congregations belong to what is known as the Middle District of
Pennsylvania, which comprises all the churches from the summit of the Allegheny
Mountains on the west to the Susquehanna River on the east.
EARLY SETTLERS OF DERRY. - The valley of the Kishacoquillas attracted the
attention of emigrants who were searching for land as soon as this section was
open for settlement. One of the earliest along the Kishacoquillas Creek, south
of Jack's Mountain, was Everhart Martin, whose first warrant was dated April 2,
1755. He afterwards took out warrants for other tracts, a large part of which
came into possession of the Freedom Iron Company many years ago, and is now
owned by the Logan Iron and Steel Company. He left it by will to his son
Christopher and daughter Prudence. This land lay along the creek a short
distance below
MIFFLIN COUNTY. 543
the mountain. It is not known that Everhart Martin lived on the place. His son
Christopher erected a saw-mill on the creek opposite Yeagertown and sold the
property in 1795; the mill passed, in 1796, to James Mayes. In the assessment
roll of Derry township for 1772, on record at Carlisle, Samuel Holliday and
Abraham Sanford are the only persons assessed on gristmills. Holliday was on the
Juniata, at McVeytown, and Sanford was on the Kishacoquillas Creek, in the
Narrows. He resided at the place, and in the deed he gave to Malcolm Andre, May
12, 1796, he describes it as being the tract on which "I now reside," adjoining
lands of James Mayes, which was part of the Everhart Martin tract, and William
Brown, Esq., which was above the Narrows and known as Brown's Mills. [1] It was
also described as being at the lower side of the Narrows, including both the
east and west sides of the creek, in all fifty acres, with the grist-mill,
dwelling-house and other improvements. At this time he moved to Potter township.
He retained a part of his original tract (which was warranted October 12, 1772),
as on the 30th of September, 1800, he sold a small tract at the same place to
Jacob Steely, which Sanford had improved in 1776. At the place Lazarus Steely
had run an oil-mill from 1798, which in 1825 was still there, and had been
abandoned but a year or two previous. The stone house now used as a boarding-
house was in 1825 used as a tavern, and was kept by Adam Greer. It is in Brown
township, and now used as a boarding-house by William Mann & Co. The property on
which the mill was situated was sold by Malcolm Andre, December 10, 1802, to
Henry Long, who was a sickle-maker, and in 1803 is assessed on a sickle-factory
and as a sickle-maker. He continued the manufacture until March 31, 1815, when
he sold the property to William Brown, Esq. The grist-mill is not mentioned in
the deed from Long to Brown, and it probably was abandoned under the ownership
of Long, who turned the mill into a sickle-factory. Mr. Long retired at that
time to Dry Valley, where he purchased a tract of land containing four hundred
acres, and where he lived, and died in 1843, aged sixty-seven, leaving one son
and two daughters. John H. Long, the son, about 1829, settled at Lewistown as a
merchant. Mary, a daughter, became the wife of Thomas Reed. Eliza, the youngest
daughter, married James McGinnis Martin, son of Samuel Martin. Henry Long was
buried in the burial-ground of the Little Valley Presbyterian Church, at
Kellyville. The farm is now owned by Johnson Sigler and the heirs of J. M.
Martin.
James George came to Mifflin County in 1812, from Virginia, and settled in the
Narrows, and soon after engaged in the manufacture of guns. He afterward took as
a partner Jonas Spangler. George died in Lewistown about 1818 or 1819. Iron from
Freedom Forge was used for the manufacture of gun-barrels.
Ulrich Steely had taken up one hundred acres of land in 1788 on the south side
of Jack's Mountain, and in 1798 Lazarus Steely was assessed on an oil-mill.
Jacob Steely bought of Abraham Sanford a small part of the original Sanford
tract, which part was improved in 1776. The grist-mill of Sanford, later the
sickle-factory of Henry Long, is a stone building, now owned by William Mann &
Co., and is used as a grinding-shop, a part of the axe-factory. It is in Derry
township, the line passing just above it. William Creighton came to Freedom
Forge in 1825, and says the oil-mill was then there unused, and that Adam Greer
kept tavern in the stone house, now a boarding-house. It has a date-stone
bearing the figures 1794, and was doubtless the homestead of Abraham Sanford. It
is in Brown township.
Matthew and George Kelly, brothers, took out a warrant for one hundred and
fifty-six acres of land in the south end of Dry Valley about 1773, which was
patented October 1, 1776. George conveyed his interest to Matthew, December 20,
1788, and moved West. Matthew, by his will, left this farm to John,
_____
1 Abraham Sanford made application to the Land-Office February 23, 1767, for
three hundred acres of land in Lack township (now Turbett). At the same time he
appears as a renter of a grist-mill and the only one in the county of Juniata.
To whom it belonged is not known, nor its location. He says in one of his deeds
that he made his improvement in Jack's Narrows in 1770.
544 JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
Moses and Nancy (Frampton). The two last sold their interest to John, August 19,
1802, who the same day sold the tract to Henry Burkholder, whose sister Susanna
was the wife of Moses Kelly. He lived upon the farm till his death. He had
thirteen children, of whom Matilda, the eldest, became Mrs. Henry Book. They
settled first at Little Valley, and later near Yeagertown, where he still
resides. John settled in Decatur; Joseph first in Lewistown, and later in
Decatur. Elizabeth (Mrs. John Adams) and Anna (Mrs. John Williams, of Derry
township) were daughters.
John Alexander, the eldest son of Hugh Alexander, who settled permanently in
Sherman's Valley in 1758, was born during the troublous times, 1755-56, and it
is uncertain whether he was born in Nottingham, Chester County, or in Sherman's
Valley (now Perry County). He married Margaret Clark. John Alexander in his
youth was one who responded to the call for aid to the country in the time of
the Revolution, and participated in the battle of Trenton. Soon after this event
he was called home by the illness of his father, who died shortly after, in
March, 1777. He remained at home until about 1787, when he, with his wife and
children - Frances, Hugh and Samuel - removed to Little Valley (Derry township).
At this place he purchased of Christopher Martin a large tract of land, part of
which had been taken up by his father, Everhart Martin, in 1755. This tract is
now owned by several persons. John Alexander was one of the founders of the
Little Valley Presbyterian Church, and was a ruling elder until his death. He
lived on the tract he purchased in 1787, a quiet and prosperous farmer, until
his death, November 23, 1816, aged about sixty years. He was buried in the
churchyard of the old East Kishacoquillas Church. His widow survived him and
died in November, 1830, and was buried by her husband. Of their children,
Frances, the eldest, became the wife of Samuel Milroy in 1803 and died in 1806.
Her husband, in 1810, removed to Kentucky, and in 1814 to Indiana Territory (now
Washington County, Ind.). He was a member of the first Constitutional Convention
to forma constitution of the State and filled many important public positions,
and died in 1845, aged sixty-four years.
Hugh Alexander, the eldest son of John and Margeret, in 1806, married Elizabeth,
the daughter of Colonel Alexander Brown, whose wife, Jane, was a daughter of
James Alexander, the first of the name who settled in this valley. After the
marriage of Hugh they settled on a part of the lands in the Kishacoquillas
Valley, on part of which afterwards the seminary was erected, and which land was
given to Mrs. Alexander by her father. Here they lived and died surrounded by a
large family. He was for forty years an elder in the Presbyterian Church, and
died October 16, 1868, aged eighty-seven years. His wife survived him and died
February 22, 1871, aged eighty-three years. They had eleven children, several of
whom are living on the homestead and in the vicinity.
Samuel Edmiston Alexander, the second son of John, was born in what is (now
Madison township, Perry County) Sherman's Valley January 17, 1785. He was named
after his maternal grandfather, Dr. Samuel Edmiston, of Chester County, Pa. In
his youth he learned the trade of a carpenter. On the 28th of December 1809, he
married a cousin, Mary, the daughter of James Alexander, of West Kishacoquillas,
and settled in Derry township, on a portion of his father's tract, which was
then mostly a forest. This he cleared and made a valuable farm. He was also an
elder in the church, as were his ancestors for two or three generations, and was
also elected an associate judge of Mifflin County. They were the parents of
fifteen children, who have settled in different parts of the country, a number
of them in their native township, of whom John E. graduated at Jefferson College
in 1E39, and entered Princeton Theological Seminary and prepared for the
ministry. He was licensed in the Huntingdon Presbytery in 1842, and entered the
ministry of the Presbyterian Church.
James H., one of the sons, settled on "Fruitland Farm," a part of his
grandfather's original tract, where he still resides.
Samuel H., another son, graduated at Lafayette College in 1855, and was
principal of Kish-
MIFFLIN COUNTY. 545
acoquillas Seminary from 1856-58. He studied theology and graduated at Princeton
Seminary in 1861 and entered the ministry. He was agent of the Christian
Commission at the battle-field of Antietam. In 1864 he founded the Classical
Institute of Columbia, Pa., of which he remained principal until 1874, when he
retired to a farm near Culpeper, Va.
Thomas Clark Alexander, the third son of John and Margaret, was born in Little
Valley in 1799. He settled on the Fruitland Farm, a portion of his father's
tract now occupied by James H. Alexander. In 1831 he removed to East
Kishacoquillas Valley to a farm he had purchased of J. and J. Milliken, where he
remained until he retired from active life. His children settled in different
parts of the county, and in 1856 lie moved to Ohio, where some of them had
settled, and where he died in 1858.
George Rothrock, the first of the family of that name, took out a warrant for a
tract of land June 9, 1773, and later took up other lands, amounting in all to
two hundred acres, for which he received a patent April 7, 1775. They were
situated in Ferguson's Valley, where now the Albrights reside. His brother
Philip built upon the place, in 1798, a tannery, which he conducted until 1802,
when he purchased land and built a tannery at Kellyville, and lived there till
his death, in 1851. Jonathan, another brother, located land at Logan, on the
Kishacoquillas Creek, and built there a saw-mill. A portion of his land belongs
to the Logan Steel and Iron Company. He was a member of the State Legislature at
an early day. His son George was a miller, and was for many years at
Thompsontown, Juniata County.
John Rothrock, a son of George, the first settler, purchased the farm of his
father April 26, 1826, and March 25, 1828, he sold it to George Albright. The
tannery was continued by the Albrights until 1846, when it was bought by Samuel
Aurand, who continued it many years. It was later run by Henry Kane, and is now
abandoned.
Abraham Labaugh came to this county about 1780, and located three hundred acres
of land about three miles east of Logan, part of which is now owned by heirs of
J. McGinnis Martin.
His daughter married Philip Rothrock, who settled at Kellyville. Dr. Abraham
Rothrock, a son, relates that his mother used to tell him of their journey from
Carlisle to this county when she was a child. She, with her sister, were put in
a chaff bag, one on either side of the horse, and were so brought over the
mountains. She died in 1858, aged eighty-one years, and is buried by the side of
her husband in the Presbyterian graveyard at Kellyville.
Rachel Harrison warranted in 1767 three hundred acres near the Martin tract, and
on the west side of the creek. Robert Means settled on the place, and a part of
his tract became in later years part of the Isaac Price farm. The Harrison tract
is mostly absorbed in the Logan Iron and Steel Company's lands.
Robert Means emigrated from Ireland, and, with his family, first settled in
Bucks County, Pa., from whence he removed, in 1770, to Derry township, Mifflin
County, and erected a log house, which is still standing, on ground now owned by
his grandson, Robert A. Means. This land was at that time purchased from
individuals who held it by what was known as the "squatter's right," Mr. Means
having reached his destination by a voyage up the Juniata River in canoes, which
were lashed together for convenience. He warranted two hundred acres of land May
4, 1773, and in 1789 and 1795 warranted other lands; part of it lay along Jack's
Mountain.
His children were John, born in 1744; Margaret, in 1748; Robert, November 2,
1750; James, in 1753; Jane, in 1755; Joseph, in 1760; Mary, in 1763; George, in
1764; Nancy, in 1766; and William, in 1769.
Robert Means was married to a Miss Kelly. Both were members of the Lewistown
Presbyterian Church, which they aided in building, and both are interred in the
old burial-place on the farm of John Means. The ground originally purchased by
Robert Means, Sr., embraced four farms, including the homestead of ninety-six
acres inherited by his son, Robert Means, who was born near Newtown, in Bucks
County, and accompanied his parents on their emigration to Mifflin County, where
he devoted his life to farming pursuits.
546. JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
R. S. MEANS [portrait]
He married, on the 31st of May, 1791, Hannah McKee, who was of Scotch-Irish
descent. Their children are George, born in 1792; Margaret, wife of Philip
Corbet, in 1794, who moved to Clarion County, Pa., where her death occurred;
William, in 1796, who also settled in Clarion County on the farm located by his
father; Andrew, in 1799, who never married, but continued to reside in Armagh
township, where he followed the saddler's trade; Robert Anderson, August 8,
1801; Nancy, in 1804, wife of John McClure, who died in Clarion County; Mary
Ann, in 1806, who also died in Clarion County; Eliza, in 1808, wife of Robert
Rothrock, who removed to White County, Ind., where her death occurred; and
Hannah (Mrs. William McFarlane), still living in Lewistown. Robert Anderson
Means, on the 26th of March, 1835, married Elizabeth B., daughter of Samuel
McNitt, of Armagh township, who was horn December 16, 1813, and died September
26, 1875. Their children are Eliza Jane, born in 1836, married to Matthew B.
Taylor, of Brown township; Samuel Albert, in 1837, a farmer in White County,
Ill.; Francis Andrew, in 1839, a farmer in Derry township; Priscilla, in 1841,
wife of Henry Slaymaker, a merchant of Philadelphia; Robert Howard, in 1843, now
residing on the homestead; Mary Ann, in 1847, wife of Dr. Owen Osier, of
Philadelphia; and William, in 1851, a druggist in Lebanon, Pa. Mr. Means
received but meagre advantages of education, and was early accustomed to lend
his services in the work connected with the farm. On the death of his father he
succeeded to the homestead property, then embracing ninety-six acres, which now
includes fifty additional acres of arable land. About forty years since he
rebuilt and greatly improved the residence which he has since occupied. In
politics Mr. Means is a Democrat, but not a strong party man, and was a warm
supporter of the Union during the late war, his son Samuel Albert having served
during the early period of that conflict. Both
MIFFLIN COUNTY. 547
Mr. and Mrs. Means, many years since, became members of the Presbyterian Church
of Brown township, in which their son Francis A. is an elder.
Andrew Mayes (a brother of James Mayes, who settled at what is now Yeagertown)
settled near Lewistown, where he took out a warrant for fifteen acres of land,
May 1, 1792, and later in 1792 purchased a large tract adjoining. In 1793 he had
two hundred acres, and in 1798 had upon the land a grist-mill and an old saw-
mill. In this year he sold two hundred acres which lay on the west side of the
Kishacoquillas, adjoining lands of John Gregg and Arthur Foster. On the
remaining land he had built a stone grist-mill and a long race, which is still
used and was for a long time a feeder of the canal. The land on which the stone
mill and its successor, the frame mill, stood, is now the property of William
Willis. The property was sold by Andrew Mayes about 1811, and about 1813 came
into the possession of James Milliken, who kept it until after 1842, when it
passed to John Sterrett and the frame mill was torn down, and the large mill in
the borough took its place.
William Shaw came to this county from Watsontown in 1808, and May 28th in that
year bought of Isaiah Willis fifty-four acres of land on the west side of
Kishacoquillas Creek, and to include a small run of water. Application was made
for a tract of two hundred acres, including this, November 4, 1766, by Robert
Glenn. It passed respectively to David McAnair, James Barr, William Brown,
Robert Buchanan and Andrew Mayes before it came to Isaac Willis. Mr. Shaw
erected a tannery soon after his settlement, which he conducted many years, and
was continued by his son Robert until his death, in 1876, when it was abandoned.
A mill-seat was upon the property, and Mr. Shaw gave, in 1831, to his son-in-
law, Arthur B. Long, one-half interest in it, and they built, in 1832, Mount
Rock Mill. Mr. Long retired in 1840, and Mr. Shaw continued until his death, in
1856, when it passed to other hands, and in 1868 came to Samuel Rodgers, who
owned it until March 31, 1880, when it was sold to Andrew Spanogle, by whom it
is still owned. The mill is now operated by Spanogle and Yeager, who have
introduced the new roller process; [1] they also operate the mill at Reedsville.
Mr. Shaw had three sons and four daughters - Robert W. and Wm. F. remained on
the farm John W. settled in Lewistown as a lawyer, where he still resides; Anna
E. became the wife of Arthur B. Long, and now resides in Lewistown; Maria
married Isaac Townsend, of Little Valley; Susan married Robert Sterrett, of
Lock's Mills; and Harriet, Alfred Marks, of Lewistown.
Robert Forsythe came to this county in June, 1784, and about the time of the
establishment of Mifflin County came to Lewistown and became a merchant in the
new town. He lived there until his death, in 1824. He purchased large tracts of
land in Derry township, and in 1817 was assessed on one thousand acres of land.
He owned the mills at Yeagertown, and a large tract of four hundred acres on
Jack's Creek, which was warranted June 8, 1762, and called "Jack's Beaver Dam."
This passed to Thomas Holt in 1763, who at the same time conveyed it to Charles
and John Cox and George Armstrong. It eventually came to Charles Cox, who
conveyed it to his daughter Grace in 1789. On the 29th of May, 1790, she sold it
to James Le Roy de Chaumont, of Le Roy, Jefferson County, N. Y., who, on the
20th of May, 1816, conveyed it to Robert Forsythe. After his death the family
removed to the farm where Mrs. Matthew Forsythe now lies, and where Matthew, the
eldest son, lived and died.
Robert Forsythe, Jr., settled on the Ziegler farm, and George above the
homestead on Jack's Creek. Of the daughters, Nancy became the wife of the Rev.
Samuel Cooper; Elizabeth married Henry Taylor, of the Kishacoquillas Valley; and
Charlotte now resides with her brother George in Lewistown.
The McFaddens owned a small tract of land before 1798 below the lower lock in
the Narrows, where John McFadden was assessed on the same land in 1809, and as
an eel catcher. In 1810 he was keeping the tavern at the Woods place, which he
kept until 1822. The family
_____
1 Mount Rock Mills was destroyed by fire in the night of July 21, 1885.
548 JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
also were old residents in Granville, at or near Granville Station.
John and George Bumbaugh, in 1818, were in Lewistown as saddle-tree makers. Some
of the family, a short time after, purchased land on the turnpike to
Mifflintown, at the upper end of the Narrows. Jacob kept tavern in the stone
house which stood against the mountain. It was afterwards torn down and the
tavern was kept in a frame house, which is also gone. At or near the place was
the gate-house of the turnpike. The stone house now standing by the upper lock
was built by the turnpike company.
LOGAN STEEL AND IRON COMPANY AND STANDARD STEEL-WORKS. - The first attempt at
the manufacture of iron in what is now Mifflin County was made by William Brown,
who erected a forge in 1795 on the site of the puddle-mill at Logan. The first
reliable information concerning it is found in the court records of Mifflin
County of the August term, 1795, and is the record of a petition for a road
"from Freedom Forge, thence the nearest and best way to the river Juniata near
to or at McClelland's landing."
The landing here mentioned was at Lewistown, and was owned by George McClelland,
who, a short time later, erected the stone house that now stands between the
railroad and Kishacoquillas Creek, by the bridge on Main Street. The forge is
again mentioned in the court records of November, 1800. In 1812 the property was
sold by William Brown and the heirs of William Maclay to Samuel Miller and
Joseph Martin, iron-masters, of Lancaster, and John Brown, son of William. The
firm-name was Miller, Martin & Co. The forge was continued in operation until
1834, when it was rebuilt with one chafery and six refining fires and with a
capacity of manufacturing eight hundred tons of bloom iron per annum. It was
continued from that time until 1878, when it was torn down to give way for the
present puddle-mill, which was erected on its site.
Miller, Martin & Co., on the 12th of November, 1812, advertised in the Juniata
Gazette for workmen, "as they are engaged in building a furnace at Freedom
Forge." The furnace built at this time was erected a short distance below the
Emma Furnace, and the power was obtained from Early's or Hungry Run by means of
a race.
In 1825 a new furnace was in operation, the old one having been taken down and
the stone used in the construction of the new one on the same site. This furnace
was about twenty feet in height, with a bosh of seven feet. Blooms and bar-iron
were made. Its capacity was twelve or fifteen tons per week. There was at the
place, in 1825, a store, (of which John Evans was clerk,) and thirteen one-
story-and-a-half tenant-houses. Finley Ellis was manager of the furnace. The ore
was mostly obtained from Stone Valley, Huntingdon County, also from McNitt's
farm, in the West Kishacoquillas Valley, about three miles from the forge.
William Creighton, now living at Yeagertown, was employed at the works in 1825.
The furnace was abandoned about 1830.
On the 18th of October, 1813, the firm of Miller, Martin & Co., was dissolved.
William Brown purchased the interest of Joseph Martin, and Dr. John Watson, of
Lancaster, the interest of Samuel Miller. The firm-name under the new management
became John Brown & Co., and the works were known as the "Freedom Iron-Works."
Under this firm Finley Ellis was for many years manager. In 1827 the interest of
John Brown was purchased by John Norris, and the firm-name was changed to
William Brown & Co., and so remained until 1833. The interest of Norris was sold
to William Brown in the spring of that year. The works for several years prior
to this time had been operated by lessees, of whom were John Irvine, John Doyle
and Dr. Smith.
The company had been purchasing lands at different times, and at this time
(1833) were in possession of about eighteen thousand acres, in the townships of
Derry, Union, Armagh, Decatur and Penn's Valley, besides numerous ore-rights.
The forge and furnace tract embraced four hundred acres.
On the 13th of May, 1833, William Brown and Dr. John Watson, then sole owners,
conveyed Freedom Iron-Works and the eighteen thousand acres of land to Francis
W. Hawk and James Hall, of Lancaster County, and William
MIFFLIN COUNTY. 549
B. Norris and Samuel Patton. This company, under the name of Norris, Rawle &
Co., were operating Greenwood Furnace and Rebecca Forge (the last under lease),
on Stone Creek, Huntingdon County. On the 10th of February, 1835, they
advertised Greenwood Furnace, Freedom Forge and the lease of Rebecca Forge for
sale.
The firm was dissolved on April 1, 1835, by the retirement of Norris and Patton,
and Rawle and Hall continued. The property was not sold until November 4, 1847,
when John Sterrett became the purchaser, who, December 9th the same year, sold
it to Archibald, John and John A. Wright. November 24, 1854, the latter came
into full possession and remained until December 23, 1856, when he conveyed
Freedom Forge and about forty thousand acres of land to the Freedom Iron
Company. Joseph Thomas was president and John A. Wright superintendent, and
later president. The company erected on the island a forge and a rolling-mill
for rolling iron tires, with a capacity for manufacturing two thousand tires per
year. In the year 1866 the company was reorganized, with a view of manufacturing
steel tire, and the name was changed to "The Freedom Iron and Steel Company,"
and on the 22d of January, 1866, the property passed to the new company. In 1867
the company erected large stone and frame buildings on the island and put in the
Bessemer plant, with two five-ton converters on the English plan, this being
then the fourth in this country - the first being at Wyandotte, Mich., in 1863;
the second at Troy, N. Y., in 1865; the third at the Pennsylvania Steel-Works,
Steelton, in 1867. The first blow was made May 1, 1868, and for one year
locomotive tires, rails and forgings were made. In 1869 the Bessemer works were
dismantled, and in 1871 most of the machinery was sold to the Joliet Steel
Company, of Illinois.
The Logan Steel and Iron Company was organized in 1871, and purchased the
property of the Freedom Iron and Steel Company and began operations in November
of that year in the manufacture of charcoal pig-iron and bar-iron. The rolling-
mill and bar-mill were still on the island, and were there operated until 1882,
whena new rolling-mill was built on the west side of the Kishacoquillas Creek,
with three train of eighteen, twelve and eight-inch, and five double puddling
furnaces, three steam-hammers, an engine of five hundred horse-power and two of
one hundred horse-power each. The capacity of the mill is eight thousand tons of
finished iron per annum. Upon its completion the old rolling-mill was abandoned
and the property leased to the Standard Steel Company, who now operate it.
The Freedom Iron and Steel Company built the Emma Furnace in 1868, with nine
feet bosh and a stack thirty-four feet in height; the stack was increased to
forty-two feet in December, 1880, when the furnace was changed from charcoal to
coke. Its present capacity is four thousand tons per annum.
The old puddle-mill on the east side of the creek was erected in 1878 by the
Logan Steel and Iron Company, on the site of the old forge erected in 1795, and
was fitted with a sixteen-inch puddle-train and four double and one single
furnace. The capacity of the old and new puddling-mills is about nine hundred
tons per month.
The company also own and operate Greenwood Furnace, in Stone Creek, Huntingdon
County, which was the property of Rawle & Hall in 1835, when they came into
possession of Freedom Forge. The company employ, when in full operation, two
hundred and eighty men. A large store is at the place, and in 1882 the company
erected a large and commodious brick office, two stories in height, thirty-eight
by forty feet. The first president of the Logan Steel and Iron Company was John
M. Kennedy, of Philadelphia, who was succeeded by H. T. Townsend, now president.
R. H. Lee became superintendent of the Freedom Iron Company in 1865, and
succeeded to the same position with the Freedom Iron & Steel Company, and later
with the Logan Steel and Iron Company, which position he now holds.
The Standard Steel-Works are located on what is known at Logan as the Island.
The manufacture of steel here was begun by the Freedom Iron and Steel Company,
by the Bes-
550 JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
semer process, in November, 1868, and abandoned in 1869. The machinery was
mostly sold, in 1871, to the Joliet Steel Company, Illinois who sold part of it
the same year to William Butcher, of Philadelphia, who began the manufacture of
steel tires, and turned off the first tire February 1, 1872. The works were
fitted with twenty-eight four-pot furnaces, and had a capacity of turning off
ten tons of crucible steel per day. Mr. Butcher became embarrassed, and from
August of that year until 1875 the works were operated by creditors. The
Standard Steel Company was organized in that year, mostly by the creditors of
Mr. Butcher, and took possession of the works. Steel was manufactured until
1875, since when it was abandoned. Steel ingots have been and are used from the
Otis Iron and Steel Company, of Cleveland, Ohio.
The manufacture of steel tires is the sole business, and at present the capacity
is one hundred tires per day. It is the intention to add a new roll in this year
(1885) which will increase the capacity to one hundred and fifty tires per day.
When in full force the company employ about one hundred and twenty-five hands.
M. L. Brosius was general superintendent from July 1, 1872, to March 1, 1884,
when he was succeeded by William G. Neilson as general manager, and J. S.
Stephenson, superintendent.
SCHOOLS. - One of the earliest school-houses in the limits of the present
township of Derry was built on the land of George Rothrock (now Albright's), in
Ferguson Valley. It is mentioned in a deed of 1828, when the property passed to
the Albrights. The site has been occupied from that time and was accepted by the
school directors in 1836.
A log school-house was erected on the lot of the Little Valley Presbyterian
congregation, at what is now Kellyville, probably about 1810 The church building
seems to have been in disuse in 1827-28, and the services were held in the
school-house. It was used until 1843, when it was sold to the Freedom Iron
Company, by whom it was moved to Freedom and made into a dwelling. [1] ---
Hamilton and Major David Hough, in 1834, were appointed school directors, ---
Martin, David Rothrock, Elias Everhart, Jabez Spencer, William S. Bell and
Thompson G. Bell were teachers in the old house. A new frame house was erected
in 1843, which served its purpose until 1868, when the present brick house was
erected. The deed to the lot was given by Moses Kelly, May 6, 1847. The school
law passed in April, 1834, and at the November term following the court
appointed Joseph Matthews and David Hough as directors. The township was laid
out into five districts, - one embracing Forsythe's Mills (now Yeagertown), one
in Dry Valley (now Kellyville), one at Strode's, one at Samuel Price's and one
at Albright's. William P. Elliot, as secretary of the board, advertised, August
4, 1835, that proposals would be received from teachers until August 15th, on
which day the board would meet at the house of James Turner, in Lewistown, and
make contracts. In July, 1838, Joseph Milliken sold a lot, in trust, for school
purposes, to the school directors, adjoining land of Joseph Milliken and John
Norris. This lot is now in the borough limits. A brick school-house is upon it,
and it is used by the township. An old school-house stood formerly back of the
poor-house, which was destroyed by a tree falling upon it in 1851. About 1860
Matthew Forsythe donated a lot to the directors, and the present house on the
road to Maitland Station was erected. At what is now Maitland Station the
present school-house was built about 1860.
About 1840 Rawle & Hall sold to the directors a lot for school purposes, on the
road from Freedom Forge to the Isaac Price farm; the deed bears date June 3,
1843. A house was erected and was long known as the Old Red School-house. The
present house was erected in 1868 by the Logan Iron and Steel Company.
_____
1 Joseph Cochran, who attended at this school-house ln 1829, says of it: "The
house was a large, square room, built of hewn logs, and could seat comfortably
eighty to ninety scholars, in double rows along three sides, while the desk and
seat of the teacher occupied the centre of the west end in a line with the door
and the stove. The outer row was seated against the walls, with writing-boards
in front for those who used the pen and pencil. Long benches, with low backs,
stood nearer the stove for the little fellows who did not use the pen. A huge
ten-plate stove stood near the centre of the room between the teacher's desk and
the door."
MIFFLIN COUNTY. 551
On the road from Stine's Mill to Kellyville, and not far from the mill, a brick
school-house was erected about 1873. A school was established at Forsythe's
Mills (Yeagertown) in 1836, but was abandoned. Later, a house was built and used
until 1870, when a brick school-house was built, to which additions were made in
1883 and 1885. The township at present contains twelve schools, with six hundred
and thirty-seven pupils.
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. - The following are the names of the justices of the
peace who have served in Derry township from 1840:
1840. Joseph Hudson.
1845. Nathan Freer.
David Rothrock.
1850. David Rothrock.
1851. Simon Yeager.
1853. William Cochran.
1854. A. B. Norris.
1855. Henry Ort.
1856. M. Cunningham.
1857. Henry Kristner.
1858. Daniel Bashoar.
William Cochran.
1859. Robert W. Shaw.
James M. Martin.
1860. William Albright.
1861. Jeremiah Yeager.
1862. Samuel Earhart.
1866. James H. Martin.
1867. Hardman Phillips.
1868. Charles Stratford.
1869. James Collins.
1872. Aaron M. Stroop.
1876. T. G. Bell.
1877. Aaron M. Stroop.
1878. Benson Crownover.
1879. A. T. Hamilton.
1880. James H. Sigler.
1881. Isaac Long.
1882. James B. Downan.
1883. Jacob Rarick.