History of Crawford County, Pennsylvania

The material that comes within the legitimate scope of a history of Crawford County may appear commonplace when compared with that which is embodied in national history; nevertheless the faithful gathering and the truthful narration of facts relating to its aboriginal and pre-American period, the coming of the white race to occupy its soil, and the dangers, hardships and privations encountered by its pioneers while engaged in advancing the standards of civilization, together with its subsequent moral and material growth and development, is a work of no small magnitude.

The first settlers who acted so important a part in this portion of the State, and who heretofore have been the sole custodians of much historical knowledge essential for such a work as this have all passed away, but fortunately a few of the men who bore the burdens of the pioneer, left to their children a written record of early days in Crawford County, thus preserving for future generations the history of the first American settlement in the Valley of French Creek. In connection with these records the descendants of the pioneers in every part of the county have been interviewed, and their recollections given due weight in the compilation of its history.

For the convenience of its readers the book has been divided into parts. The outline history of the State was prepared expressly for us by Prof. Samuel P. Bates, a well known author of Meadville. The history of Crawford County and the City of Meadville was written by Mr. R.C. Brown, of Chicago Ill.; while the history of the City of Titusville and the several townships of the county was compiled by Mr. J.B. Mansfield, of Ashland, Ohio. The biographical sketches which appear in the latter part of the book are purely complimentary, and a proof of each sketch was submitted by mail to the subject for correction.

The most authentic publications bearing on early events in Northwestern Pennsylvania have been consulted, and the State and county records have also been freely utilized as reliable sources of information. The scarcity in many instances of authentic local data, has been overcome by a systematic and careful research of family manuscripts and the old newspaper tiles, dating back to 1805, from which were gathered many of the most important local events that have transpired during the past three-equarters of a century. The private papers of Gen. David Mead, "Reminiscences of the Olden Time," by the late John Reynolds, Esq., the recollections of the late John Dick, Esq., the autobiography of Cornelius Van Home, Esq., Mr. Alfred Huidekoper's "Incidents in the Early History of Crawford County, Penn.," and the address of William H. Davis, Esq., on the history of the county, delivered in 1848, before the Meadville Literary Union, were all of invaluable aid to the county historian.

The series of articles contributed to the press by the late Thomas Ruston Kennedy, Esq., were, too, of great assistance to the same writer, which can also be said of live lectures on the Holland and Pennsylvania Population Land Companies, the churches, schools, agriculture and internal improvements of the county, which were respectively prepared and delivered in Meadville, by Alfred Huidekoper, Esq., Rev. Richard Craighead, Prof. Samuel P. Bates, Joshua Douglass, Esq., and Hon. William Reynolds, each of whom extended to Mr. Brown kindly advice and generous sympathy from the inception until the close of his labors.

Among others whose assistance we desire to acknowledge, are the late Judge David Derickson, Hon. Hiram L. Richmond, Rev. J.V. Reynolds Hon. G.B. Delamater, Col. Alexander Power, David M. Farrelly, Esq., Joseph Dickson, Esq., Dr. Edward Ellis and Mrs. Jane Bemus, while the county officials and the leading members of every profession and calling throughout the county were always willing to lend a helping hand in furthering the labors of the historians. Special acknowledgments are due to Francis C. Waid, Esq., of Woodcock Township, for his generous and munificent patronage to the work, and the unqualified interest he has displayed in its welfare. The publishers avail themselves of this opportunity to thank all who have thus aided in the preparation of the work; for whatever of merit the history of Crawford County contains is due, in a large measure, to their assistance.

We undertook the publication of a history of this county, upon the advice and encouragement of a goodly number of the leading members of the "Historical Society of Crawford County," and after more than a year of unceasing toil we present the book to our many hundred patrons, with the belief that we have fulfilled every promise made in our prospectus, and with the satisfaction of knowing that we bring what we guaranteed.

 

Table of Contents

PART I.
HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CHAPTER I. — Introductory 15-23
CHAPTER II. - 22-23
CHAPTER III. - 33-35
CHAPTER IV. - 35-41
CHAPTER V. - 41-50
CHAPTER VI. - 51-61
CHAPTER VII. - 61-69
CHAPTER VIII. - 69-75
CHAPTER IX. - 75-89
CHAPTER X. - 89-97
CHAPTER XI. - 98-104
CHAPTER XII. - 104-114
CHAPTER XIII. - 114-121
CHAPTER XIV. - 122-131
Gubernatorial Table 132

PART II.
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

CHAPTER I. — Archeology 137-142
CHAPTER II. — Indian History 142-153
CHAPTER III. — French Navigators, Etc. 154-169

CHAPTER IV. — Pioneers of French Creek 170-181 CHAPTER V. — Indian Depredations 181-191
CHAPTER VI. — Northwestern Pennsylvania 191-205
CHAPTER VII. — Topographical Features of Crawford County 205-225
CHAPTER VIII. — Lands 226-235
CHAPTER IX. - Agriculture 236-246
CHAPTER X. — Primitive Appearance of Crawford County 249-262
CHAPTER XI. — Internal Improvements 263-286
CHAPTER XII. — The Burr Conspiracy, etc. 286-294
CHAPTER XIII. — Judiciary 295-311
CHAPTER XIV. — Official Roster 311-320
CHAPTER XV. — Education, etc 321-330
CHAPTER XVI. — Military History 331-343
CHAPTER XVII. — Crawford County in the War of the Rebellion 344-365

PART III.
MEADVILLE AND TITUSVILLE.

CHAPTER I. — Meadville 371-389
CHAPTER II. — Religious History 389-403
CHAPTER III. — Schools of Meadville 404-426
CHAPTER IV. — Newspapers, etc 426-443
CHAPTER V. — Meadville, Concluded 443-462
CHAPTER VI. — Titusville 462-475
CHAPTER VII. — Titusville, Concluded 476-491

PART IV.
TOWNSHIP HISTORIES.

CHAPTER I. — Athens Township 495-501
CHAPTER II. — Beaver Township 502-505
CHAPTER III. — Bloomfield Township and Borough of Riceville 505-513
CHAPTER IV. — Cambridge Township and Borough of Cambridgeboro 513-521
CHAPTER V. — Conneaut Township 522-526
CHAPTER VI. — Cussewago Township 526-532
CHAPTER VII. — East Fairfield Township and Borough of Cochranton 533-540
Borough of Cochranton 535
CHAPTER VIII. — East Fallowfield Township 541-545
CHAPTER IX. — Fairfield Township 546-552
CHAPTER X. — Greenwood Township and Borough of Geneva 552-559
Borough of Geneva 556
CHAPTER XI. — Hayfield Township 559-564
CHAPTER XII. — Mead Township 564-575
CHAPTER XIII. — North Shenango Township 576-579
CHAPTER XIV. — Oil Creek Township and Borough of Hydetown 579-585
Borough of Hydetown 584
CHAPTER XV. — Pine Township and Borough of Linesville 586-595
Borough of Linesville 591
CHAPTER XVI. — Randolph Township 595-601
CHAPTER XVII. — Richmond Township 601-605
CHAPTER XVIII. — Rockdale Township 605-612
CHAPTER XIX. — Rome Township and Borough of Centreville 612-620
Borough of Centreville 616
CHAPTER XX. — Sadsbury Township and Borough of Evansburg 620-625
Borough of Evansburg 623
CHAPTER XXI. — South Shenango Township 625-630
CHAPTER XXII. — Sparta Township and Borough of Spartansburg
Borough of Spartansburg 633
CHAPTER XXIII. — Spring Township and Boroughs of Conneautville and Spring 635-652
Borough of Conneautville 642
Borough of Spring 650
CHAPTER XXIV. - Steuben Township and Borough of Townville 653-658
Borough of Townville 656
CHAPTER XXV. — Summerhill Township 658-662
CHAPTER XXVI. — Summit Township 662-667
CHAPTER XXVII. — Troy Township 668-672
CHAPTER XXVIII. — Union Township 672-675
CHAPTER XXIX. — Venango Township and Borough of Venango 675-680
Borough of Venango 678
CHAPTER XXX.— Vernon Township and Borough of Vallonia 680-685
Borough of Vallonia 684
CHAPTER XXXI. — Wayne Township 685-688
CHAPTER XXXII. — West Fallowfield Township and Borough of Hartstown 689
Borough of Hartstown
CHAPTER XXXIII. — West Shenango Township
CHAPTER XXXIV. — Woodcock Township and boroughs of Blooming Valley Saegertown and Woodcock 695-705
Borough of Blooming Valley- 699
Borough of Saegertown 801
Borough of Woodcock 803

PART V.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

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William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, had felt the heavy hand of persecution for religious opinion's sake. As a gentleman commoner at Oxford, he had been fined, and finally expelled from that venerable seat of learning for non-conformity to the established worship. At home, he was whipped and turned out of doors by a father who thought to reclaim the son to the more certain path of advancement at a licentious court. He was sent to prison by the Mayor of Cork. For seven months he languished in the tower of London, and, finally, to complete his disgrace, he was cast into Newgate with common felons. Upon the accession of James II, to the throne of England, over fourteen hundred persons of the Quaker faith were immured in prisons for a conscientious adherence to their religious convictions. To escape this harassing persecution, and find peace and quietude from this sore proscription, was the moving cause which led Penn and his followers to emigrate to America.