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Moon
Township
Robert
Vance , who is thought to
have been the first permanent settler in Moon township,
settled in the vicinity of Mountour's warrant about the
beginning of the Revolution and for the protection of himself
and his neighbors, of whom several arrived within a few years,
a stockade and blockhouse were built on his land. The
Indians on the opposite side of the Ohio were very aggressive,
and made frequent predatory incursions into the territory to
the south.
Crescent
Township
This part of
the county was early know as the "Forks of Flougherty," and it
may be observed in this connection that the stream of that
name was the original western boundary of the county south of
the Ohio river.
James O'Hara and
William Woodburn were, at an early date, the
owners of extensive tracts of land in this section, and the
latter became a permanent resident in 1794. Mr. Woodburn
located on the bank of the Ohio river, just above
Shousetown. His sons were James, John and Benjamin
F.
John Ritchie came in 1804, and
settled in Shousetown. His sons were William and
John.
Ebenezer Worth came in 1804, and
located on Flougherty's run, three-fourths of a mile from the
river. His sons were James and John, both dead.
Samuel Vance lived next to
Mr. Worth, and came here about the same
time. His sons were Robert, Joseph, Samuel and James,
all passed away.
Simon Holsinger was a
resident early in this century, on the bank of the river, near
the Beaver county line. He reared several sons.
Shousetown, on the Ohio river at the
mouth of Flougherty's run, was laid out by Peter
Shouse in 1837. Few indications of it former
importance are apparent. Although little more than a
country village at the present time, this place was once of
the most active towns on the upper waters of the Ohio
river. It became such through the energy and efforts of
its founder, Peter Shouse, one of the pioneer
boat-builders of this part of the state. Born at
Reading, Berks county, Pa., October 8, 1788, of German
parentage, he removed to the neighborhood of Pittsburgh when a
young man. Here he obtained employment at a boatyard,
and was engaged in the construction of the New Orleans, the
first steamboat that ever floated on the Ohio river or
traversed the Mississippi from Pittsburgh to New
Orleans. He married in 1810, and enlisted for service in
the war of 1812. His skill as a mechanic was soon
discovered, and he assisted in building the fleet that
Commodore Perry led to victory on Lake Erie. On his
return he settled at Elizabeth, and continued his previous
occupation in that rapidly growing town. April 2, 1822,
he removed to the locality that bears his name, then a farm,
with a small log house and barn, and inagurated his career as
a boat-builder.
North Fayette
In 1788 a
blockhouse was built on the land of William
Turner, who had become a resident of the township in
1774. It is described as a substantial, well-constructed
building, surrounded by a stockade, within which a never
failing spring of water was situated. The last Indian
outrage affecting the people of this section occurred about
1780. The four children of William Turner, two sons and
two daughters, and a Mr. Fulks left their
home in the spring of the year and went over into what is now
Beaver county to make maple sugar. They completed
preparations for their stay, and had remained several days,
when a party of Indians appeared. George
Turner was killed upon the spot. Fulks might
have escaped but for the fact that he was followed by a white
dog which barked incessantly. He was overtaken and also
killed without further parley. The party then set out
with the two girls, Betsey and Polly, and their remaining
brother, William Turner. The latter
died after a short time, but the girls survived the hardships
of the journey, and reached a British post in the northwest,
where they were ransomed. One was married to a captian
in the British army, McCormic by name, and the other to a
Mr. Johnston
, who subsequently settled in Kentucky, and became an
officer on the American side in the war of 1812.
About
the year 1780 Alexander Ewing emigrated from
Cecil county, Md., with his wife and two children, and all
their worldly goods were transported by packhorses. They
were received by James Ewing, who had become
a resident of Collier township some years previously, with all
the hospitality the circumstances of frontier life at that
time would permit. They finally settled permanently in
the vicinity of Fayetteville, where the family is still
numerously represented.
Of the families that were
residents of North Fayette prior to 1820, the following are
remembered:
John Marshall and sons
Alexander, Henry, Archibald, John, William and Andrew;
John Logan and sons John, Alexander, William
and David; Archibald McBride and sons Henry,
Archibald, John, William and James; Samuel
Turner and sons John, William, Ewing
and Samuel; George Cavitt and sons
George, Samuel and William; William McElheny
and sons William, George, Marshall, Jared, Campbell, John and
James; John Cowan and sons Adam and James;
John Miller and sons Thomas and James:
Alexander Begges and sons Alexander and
William; John Short and sons James, John,
William, Alexander and Marshall; John Walker
and sons Isaac and Jacob; Huston Tom and son
Robert; Thomas Partridge and son Joseph;
John Gregg and sons Mark and Levi;
Joseph Wallace and son Harper; Thomas
Wilson and sons Reed and William; William
Cowan and sons William and Andrew; George
Kelso and sons James and John; Alexander
McFarland and sons George, Henry, Andrew, Alexander,
William and Robert: Benjamin Mevay and
son Benjamin; Joseph Walker and sons James,
Joseph, Ezekiel and Josiah; Isaac Walker;
Adam Potter and sons Robert and Adam;
Jacob Whitmore and sons Samuel, John and H.
H.: Alexander McCandless and sons William,
Phillip and George; ________ McMichael and
sons John and James; _______ Stoncipher
and sons John and Isaac; George McKee and
sons David, George and James; John Jeffrey
and sons Robert and Milton; Joseph McConnell
and son Joseph; _____ Glenn and sons Robert
and John; John Taylor and son Robert;
Joseph McMurray and sons John, William and
George; ______ Robb and sons Mark and
William; William Savage and son Henry;
William Sturgeon and sons William, Robert and
Samuel; Andrew Dickson and sons Samuel,
Joseph and James; John P. Ewing and sons
Samuel and Amos; Samuel Sturgeon and sons
James and David; William McClelland and sons
David, William, Robert and Thomas; Samuel
Thompson and sons John, Matthew, Ivester, and
William; ________ Williams and sons John and
Isaac; Thomas Hall and son James;
William Leas and sons George, Henry, Abraham
and Isaac; Isaac Messer.
Noblestown,
in the eastern part of the township, on Robinson's run, is the
oldest town in this part of the county. It was founded
by Col. Henry Noble, but the date can not be
definitely ascertained.
The following entries
appear in an old Bible in the possession of Mrs.
McClelland, of Noblestown:
Joseph
Noble was born in April, in the year of our Lord
1715, and departed this life at his brother Francis
Noble's, in St. Mary's county, Md., on Sunday, ye
24th day of September, 1780, in the sixty-fifth year of his
age. Mr. George Vallandingham departed
this life with his daughter, Elizabeth
McClelland, at the house of William
McClelland, in Fayette township, Allegheny county,
and state of Pennsylvania, on Wednesday morning, the 4th day
of October, 1810, in about the seventy-fourth year of his age,
about eight of the clock in the
morning.
Joseph Noble was the
father of the founder of Noblesburg, and George
Vallandigham, previously mentioned as a justice of
the peace, was his uncle. The mother of Henry
Noble was Mrs. Martha Noble, born in
Charles county, Md., in 1724; she died "at her own home on
Robinson's run," in 1796. The record quoted does not
state when Henry Noble was born, but he is
known to have lived in Charles county, near Baltimore, Md.,
prior to his removal to the west. He is buried in the
cemetery adjoining Robinson's run church.
"Col.
Henry Noble's merchant-mill at Noblesburg" was one of
the earliest in the county. It was a log building, with
three sets of buhrs, situated at the foot of Mill street, and
there was a sawmill adjoining.
Baldwin Township
This township
was originally (1788) included in St. Clair and Mifflin. June
20, 1842, Stephen Woods, James Scott and
William Kerr were appointed by the court of
quarter sessions to inquire into the advisability of forming a
new townhip from portions of Jefferson, Mifflin, Upper and
Lower St. Clair. The proposed territory (10,446 acres) was
accordingly surveyed. It became a separate subdivision of the
county by decree of court, February 24, 1844. Henry
Baldwin, from whom the name is derived, was one of
the most prominent of the early members of the Pittsburgh
bar.
There was a strong German element among the early
population, and this nationality predominates to the present.
John Varner, Jacob Crady, John Stewart and
William Wightman were among the earliest
settlers.
Of other early families in the township the
following are remembered: Joseph Wilson and sons James, John and
another; Harvey McDonough and sons James, Hiram H. and
William; John Carr and the son Samuel; David Kennedy and sons
Isaac and David; Henry Beltzhoover and sons Melchor, John
William, Henry, Samuel and Daniel; William Kennedy and sons
David and Samuel; John Martin and sons Samuel, James and John;
________ Brawdy and sons John, Aaron and George; Alexander
McCleary and son Alexander; James McCleary and son James;
William Moore and sons James, William and Samuel; George
Cunningham and sons David, Jesse and others; Francis Cooley
and sons Robert, John, William, Francis and Samuel; _________
Horning and sons John and Jacob; Henderson Whiteman and son
Baldwin; Thomas Verner and son Melchor; Peter Catt; Joshua
Long and sons William and Alexander; Robert Long, a
brother of Joshua, and son John; Jacob Mait; John Kincaid. The
following were residents prior to 1820, and some of them quite
early: Matthew West, James H. Hays, Johnson Glass, Thomas
Lewis, John Redman, Daniel Risher.
Early in
this century there were two gristmills in this township, both
on Saw-Mill run, one at Castle Shannon and the other at
Fairhaven. Both have gone to decay, and a steam mill has taken
the place of the one at Fairhaven. A sawmill was located near
each of these primitive gristmills. A fulling-mill stood a few
hundred yards above the mill has taken the place of the one at
Fairhaven. Both have gone to decay, and a steam mill has taken
the place of the one at Fairhaven. A sawmill was located near
each of these primitive gristmills. A fulling-mill stood a few
hundred yards above the mill at Castle Shannon, and at an
early day it was conducted by Thomas Roland, a son of
John Roland, the owner of the
gristmill.
Beck's run, Street's run and Saw-Mill run
are the most important streams. While the land is valuable for
farming and gardening, the underlying strata of coal
constitute the great source of wealth. The mines contiguous to
the Monongahela river are operated by J. D.
Risher and the estate of James H.
Hays, and in the valley of Saw-Mill run by the
Pittsburgh & Castle Shannon Railroad company, John
W. Ortman, president; E. J. Reamer,
secretary and treasurer; S. Kaufman,
vice-president, and Alexander Patterson,
superintendent. The company was incorporated September 18,
1871, and the road, extending from Pittsburgh to Castle
Shannon, a distance of six miles, was opened November 1, 1871.
Of the other railroads in the township the Pittsburgh,
Virginia & Charleston was opened in 1872, the Pittsburgh,
McKeesport & Youghiogheny November 19, 1883, and the
Baltimore & Ohio short line in 1883. The latter was
originially chartered July 3, 1876, as the Pittsburgh Southern
railroad, and was opened to Washington as a continuation of
the Castle Shannon road. The branch from Glenwood to
Finleyville, sixteen miles long, was built in 1883. The road
was sold under foreclosure November 20, 1884, and purchased by
the Baltimore & Ohio for fifty thousand dollars. It was
subsequently reorganized under the present name. The portion
of the old line between Castle Shannon and Finleyville, twelve
miles long, has since been abandoned.
The village of
Castle Shannon is pleasantly situated in the extreme
southwestern part of the township. It comprises several
hundred inhabitants, local stores and village
industries, a recently completed Odd-Fellows' hall, and a
Methodist church. Carrick postoffice has existed since
December 23, 1853; Engleart glassworks are in the vicinity,
and the hamlet at this place is sometimes referred to as
Engleartville. There are postoffices at Fairhaven and Redman
Mills. Pine Grove is a rural hamlet on the Brownsville road,
about the center of the township. There is a Methodist Church
is also an old organization, while the Roman Catholic church
is of recent origin.
There are several cemeteries, of
which the latest, Zimmerman cemetery, comprises twelve acres.
The population in 1860 was 2,746; in 1870, 3,104; in 1880,
4,373.
Bethel Township
James Miller was one of the
earliest settlers in what is now Bethel township. His
sons were Alexander, John, Joseph, and Thomas.
Alexander Miller, a brother of James, came at
the same time. He had sons, Oliver, and several others
whose names are forgotten. Both these Millers and their
sons are dead. Some of their descendants are still
here.
Robert McKee was among
the first who came. His sons were William, James and
Thomas. Two grandsons of the original Robert reside on
the old place.
Daniel Long came very
early. He had two sons, one of whom, Arthur, remainded
here till his death. Four of the sons of Arthur still
reside in this vicinity. Robert Smith
was another pioneer. Daniel and Robert were his
sons. Robert emigrated many years since, but Daniel died
here.
John Lafferty came here
early from Ireland. He died here some twenty-five years
since, at the age of ninety-six. He had five sons -
Daniel, Jackson, James, William and John. Of these, John
is still living. James Foster came
early. His son John K. lived and died here. Four
other sons died young.
William
McCullough was another early immigrant who came from
east of the mountains and settled in this township. His
sons were James, John, Thomas, Jesse, Josiah and
William. Of these, Josiah is now living at the age of
eighty-three.
Gustave Mait and
his son John are both dead.
Joseph
Higbee had sons James and Stephen. James still
lives in the township.
All these original
settlers were here prior to the commencement of the
present century, and some of their descendants would relate
anecdotes of the part which they took in affairs of the latter
part of the eighteenth century.
Brownsville
The
constant stream of westward-bound travelers gave rise to a
brisk trade in boatbuilding, though such of them as were able
usually built their own craft. This gave an importance
to the mouth of Dunlap's creek which induced Thomas
Brown to lay out a town on his "Whisky Path."
This he did in 1785, and named it Brownsville in honor of
himself, a species of vanity which is not confined to the
illustrious family of the Browns. An effort was made to
have the new town named Washington, as is clear from a deed
executed in 1787, in which the property is said to be
"situated in Brownsville, alias Washington." The year
after the foundation of the town it is said to have had a
population of six hundred, which was more than Pittsburgh
could boast of at the same time. Merchandise was at
first brought over the mountains on packhorses. Says an
early account of this means of transporation: "Two men
could manage ten or fifteen horses, carrying each about two
hundred pounds, by tying one to the other in single file;
one of the men taking charge of the head horse to pioneer, and
the other the hinder one to keep an eye on the proper
adjustmentof the loads, and stir up any that appeared to
lag. Bells were indispensable accompaniments to the
horses, by which their position could be easily ascertained in
the morning when hunting up, preparatory to start. Some
grass or leaves were inserted into the bell to prevent the
clapper from operating during the travel of the day."
But with the increas of travel and settlement of the country,
the roads underwent a much-needed improvement, which had the
effect of fitting them for heavy wagons, and which dispensed
with the more laborious and expensive packhorses. The
first wagon-load of merchandise brought over the mountains on
the souther route, or that traversed later by the National
road, was in 1789, and was for Jacob
Bowman. The wagoner was John
Hayden, a native of Fayette county, who drove four
horses, and brought about twenty hundred pounds, for which he
received three dollars per hundred. He was nearly a
month in making hte trip to and from Hagerstown, Md., a
distance of about two hundred and forty
miles.
Michael Cresap was the first white settler on the spot where
Brownsville now stands, although certain of the Browns, from
whom the town derived its name, were in the vicinity before
Cresap. He was a son of Thomas Cresap,
of Old Town, Md., who had been connected with the operations
of the Ohio Company as its agent, and who by that means became
at an early day acquainted with the country west of the
mountains. He was also with Col. Burd at the fort which
the latter built. Michael appears to have come to the
Monongahela as a trader about the year 1769, but the precise
date of his arrival can not be stated with certainty. He
became a noted pioneer, and by his knowledge of Indian
intrigues was able to rescue the settlers on more than one
occasion from an impending attack. He was quick in perceiving
the importance to which the site at the mouth of Dunlap's
creek was likely to attain as the rendezvous of emigrants to
the west, especially to "the dark and bloody ground," as
Kentucky was then called, and he accordingly secured a title
to several hundred acres of land, including that upon which
the fort stood, by what was then known as "tomakawk
improvement." He also built a house with a shingle
roof nailed on, which is believed to have been the first of
its kind west of the mountains. Although, the date of
its erection is now known, it was built most probably about
the year 1770. He also figured in the frontier Indian
wars, and has been unjustly censured for his connection with
Dunmore, and still more with regard to the murder of relatives
of Logan, the famous Mingo chief. But his character has
been vindicated by John Jeremiah Jacob, who
married his widow and wrote his
life.
Collier
Township
January 12, 1875, a petition of
citizens of Robinson, North Fayette and South Fayette was
presented in court, praying for a redistribution of the
territory comprised within their limits, whereupon J.
B. Stilley, Capt. John Gilfillan and
Alexander D. Burns were appointed to the
usual service of taking the matter into consideration. Under
date of February 26, 1875, they reported in favor of forming a
new township from the contiguous portions of Robinson and
South Fayette, one-third and one-fourth of their respective
areas, with about a half square mile from North Fayette, to
constitute the new division. At an election May 11, 1875, the
measure thus proposed was adopted by a majority of sixty-six
in a total vote of one hundred and ninety. June 7, 1875, by
decree of court, the new township was erected and its
organization forthwith ordered. The name was conferred in
compliment to Hon. Frederick H. Collier, of
the common pleas bench of the county courts.
The first
families who settled in this township were the
Ewings and Walkers.
James Ewings, the first representative of the
former, was born in Cecil county, Md., about 1730, emigrated
to the west in 1770, and built the first gristmill on
Robinson's run, if not in the county. His claim extended from
Chartiers borough to Walker's Mills, a distance of two miles,
and comprised a thousand acres. In common with a majority of
the emigrants from the slave states, he brought his slaves
with him; their labor was utilized to great advantage in
clearing the land, erecting improvements, etc.
Boatswain, a negro of exceptional
intelligence and faithfulness, was manumitted by Mr.
Ewing in consideration of his fidelity, and
established in comfortable circumstances at a locality since
known as Camp Hill. James Ewing was a strict
Presbyterian, and was identified with the early history of
Moutour's church.
Gabriel and Isaac
Walker, the first of that name in this section of
country, were born in Lancaster county, Pa., the former in
1744, the latter in 1746. They were born of Scotch-Irish
descent, and tradition asserts that their ancestors were in
the siege of Londonberry. They emigrated to the west in 1772,
and purchased land from John Henry. It was of
that general class known as "tomahawk claims," and extended
from Robinson's run to Scott's run, embracing two thousand
acres. Gabriel located near Hays crossing, on the Pan Handle
railroad, and Isaac at Walker's Mills. Supplies of ammunition
and other necessaries were brought from Lancaster county every
spring and autumn by Isaac Walker, who was a young man, and
unmarried. This was before the era of wagon-rounds, when the
packhorse was the only means of conveyance. There was a
further inducement for Isaac Walker to repeat this journey as
often as convenient; he was paying his addresses to a young
lady in Lancaster county, whom he married in 1779 - a
Mrs. Richardson, the widow of an early
settler on the Loyalhanna, in Westmoreland county.
In
Septemeber, 1782, a party of Indians, about twenty-five in
number, approached the cabin of Gabriel
Walker, and concealed themselves near by, with the
intention of surprising the family while at dinner. In the
meantime two hunters approached and entered the house, and as
they were well armed the savages thought best to defer the
attack until their departure. Visitors at that early period
were not frequent, and the hospitalities extended them
required a long time in the discussion of current events. And
so, immediately after dinner, the younger members of the
family, including William Harkins, and
indentured boy, were sent to the field, while Mr.
Walker entertained his guests. Several hours passed
in this manner, when the latter finally departed. The Indians
rapidly closed in around the unsuspecting family, but their
movements did not escape the practiced eye of Mr.
Walker. He called to his children in the field to
run, which they did, but only Harkins escaped, and the five
others were captured. Hearing the alarm, Mrs.
Walker seized the two children who were with her in
the house, and concealed herself until she could safely
proceed to the fort. Mr. Walker also escaped.
After pillaging the house and burning it to the ground,
the Indians killed the two youngest of their captives,
and set out with the three that remained, two young women and
a boy. They then started out in a northwesterly direction,
stopping that day long enough to burn the cabin of a Mr.
Breckenridge. When the course of a stream coincided with the
direction of their journey, they waded its channel; when
a fallen tree lay in their course, they walked its trunk,
making their prisoners do the same.
Harkins, after making his
escape, alarmed the family of Isaac Walker,
and they also made their way ot the fort, which was
situated a short distance above the mouth of Robinson's run.
On the following day a body of men numbering forty or fifty
collected at the scene of the massacre. Under the leadership
of John Henry they set out in pursuit, and
overtook the Indians as they were crossing the Ohio river. The
captives were taken to a British post in the northwest,
and returned upon the cessation of hostilities in 1784.
Other early residents of Collier township were
Rowley Boyd, who reared three sons;
____ Rogers, whose sons were Thomas and
James; John Nesbitt and David, Willian and
Ebenezer, his sons; Joseph Hickman,
Alexander Leggett, John
Wilkinson, Ezekial Harker,
Richard Cowan, the Hardmans,
Joneses, Moores and others.
This town was the theater of some of the violent
proceedings which occurred at the outbreak of the whisky
insurrection.
South Fayette
Township
This township, as formed in 1842, was reduced in
area to a considerable extent by the erection of Collier.
Robinson's run, Coal run, Chartiers creek and the Washington
county line constitute its present territorial limits. The
principal streams are Miller's run, an affluent of Chartiers
creek, and its branches, Fishing and Dauphin runs. One Miller,
from whom the stream is named, is said to have settled at its
mouth in 1768. He removed to Kentucky about the time that
other settlers began to arrive. Christopher
Lesnet, a German from Baltimore, Md., was probably
the first permanent settler. Moses Middleswart, James
Dinsmore and Obadiah Holmes, who were residents in
1800, apprived prior to 1785.
Mr.
Middleswart located on Chartiers creek, near
Bridgeville, where he died. His sons were Jesse, Jonathan and
Vanderveer, all of whom died childless. Moses
Coulter came about 1790, and settled near the center
of South Fayette. He had sons, John, Richard, and Goodman Y.,
the last still living at the age of eighty-four. John
Hanna was a settler near Bridgeville before 1800. His
son was William, whose sons still reside in the township.
Thomas Alexander located on Miller's run,
about two miles from its mouth, very early. His sons were
Joseph, Samuel, Thomas and John. The last is living in
Pittsburgh. Peter Hickman was also a very
early immigrant. He located near the center of the township,
where he remained till his death. His sons were Joseph, John,
Benjamin, Daniel, Steward, Moses and Nicholas, all dead.
In addition to these the following were residents
prior to 1820:
William Dickson and
sons George, James and William; George Kelso
and sons John and Benjamin; Benjamin Kelso
and sons John, George, James, Benjamin, Mark and Samuel;
William Herdman and sons Frank and Robert;
Joseph Campbell; Christopher Erick; James
Slater and sons John, James, William and Thomas;
Samuel Sterling and sons William, John and
Hugh; William McConnell and sons James,
William and Joseph; William Waters and sons
Hugh and Samuel; John Nesbitt and sons James,
Ebenezer, William and David; James Hall and
sons Henry, John and James; William
Gilliland; John Boyle and son Hugh;
Daniel South and sons Hezekiah, James, Daniel, and Benjamin;
Steward Jordan, Hughey
Morgan, John Wallace, Samuel
Brice, Samuel Steward,
Samuel Hopper, David
Herriott, James Herriott,
Ephraim Herriott, Samuel Shane,
Darby Dunlevy, Patrick
Dunlevy, Samuel and John Collins,
John, Isaac and Richard Boyce, Andrew
Fawcett, John Lesnet and Samuel
McKown.
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