ANNALS OF
OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITYBY WAY OF GREETING AND EXPLANATION
the organization of the Borough; these articles to be typewritten and
preserved for future reference in a loose leaf book.
The whole thing seemed chimerical, and a doubt prevailed about
the continuance of the organization so that, after careful consideration, it was resolved to confine the membership to twenty-five, a
number that could be comfortably accommodated in the living room
of homes.
A few of the original members "dropped out", but their places
were taken by others. Among those received were Mrs. R. B. Robinson
(Rachel Calderwood), John D. S. Truxall, Esq. Both have rendered
valuable services. Mrs. Robinson's activities in school, church and
reform organizations make her articles authoritative, while Mr.
Truxall's research work on deeds, wills, inventories and contracts
has worn thin the old records of the Allegheny Court House. There
is an old saying something like this, "Patience earns its own reward".
We hope this is true, for at the present time there is no other reward
in sight for his loyal and long continued service.
These records uinfolded greater possibilities and achievements than
were at first contemplated, and the idea of publication of our findings
grew and resulted in the present volume.
At this time were added the names of Messrs. James Balph, Esq.,
Robert M. Ewing, Samuel H. McKee and William G. Stewart, (recently deceased) as honorary and contributing members.
Among our own members special mention is due Ilka M. Stotler
for her arduous work as Chairman of the Picture Committee.
To Ellen B. McKee and her co-workers, Mary Priscilla Lemmer
and Louise Duff Moore, are given sincere thanks for their help in
the confusing work of assembling the many sketches which compose
this book.
To those who have given continued gratuitous service as typists
we record the' following: Mildred Cowan, Florence Gribble (Mrs.
John M., Jr.) Davison, John M. Davison, Jr., Mary Priscilla Lemmer,
Ellen B. McKee, Margaret Morrow, Ilka M. Stotler.
It would take several pages to record the names of those to whom
we are indebted in various ways. We mention first the Yale University Press for permission to use an excerpt from "A Journey to Ohio in
18io," as recorded in the journal of Mary van Horn Dwight.
To the Pittsburgh Post Gazette for the article "Overland", which
appeared in their Centennial Issue July 29, 1886.
VIIIANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
kinsburg, Pa., Feb. 16, 1812, aged 45 years," to which subsequently, was added the record of his seven children, giving the
dates of both birth and death; and when the mother passed away
the following was added:"Our Mother-Sutiah MurryDied Sep. 2, i857, in the 8oth year of her age".
"This mortal must put on immoratality."
[8]
LEWIS STATTENFIELD
THE second deed executed by Dunning McNair and his wife,
Anne, was to Lewis Stattenfield. It conveyed lots 27 and 28
on the south side of Penn Avenue, and was recorded in Deed Book
18, p. 375. The property remained in possession of the Stattenfield family until 1882, when the widow of Joseph Stattenfield,
oldest son of Lewis, sold it to Dr. Frank S. Pershing.
In 1888 Dr. Pershing built the large brick house still standing
in fine condition after 50 years, and now occupied by Mrs.
Pershing. This property is an example of the stability of Wilkinsburg residents, as in the 148 years from 1790 to 1938 but three
names, McNair, Stattenfield and Pershing appear on the property
records.
Lewis Stattenfield was of German stock. At the close of the
Revolution many of the Hessian soldiers hired by the English
remained in this country permanently. Lewis Stattenfield was a
son or grandson of one of these. He was born in Chambersburg,
Pennsylvania in 178-1. The exact date of his emigration to the
West is not known, but his coming may have been due to the
influence of David Little, who had married Christiana Stattenfield, the sister of Lewis.
Lewis engaged in the tobacco business and married Elizabeth
McClure of Mifflin Township. They had five children, three sons
and two daughters. Joseph, the oldest child, born in 1818, "fol70Rippey's Tavern
LMrs. L. Stattenfield
Lewvis StattenfieldDaniel'McMullen house built in the early i8oo's
Adam'Turtler house, built al)out 1816LEWIS STATTENFIELD
lowed the river", as a number of Wilkinsburg young men did at
that period. His wife was from Wheeling and it was due to her
that the house and ground maintained its picturesqueness so that
it was often spoken of as the "English village house". The rooms
were large and one bedroom over the parlor was usually occupied
by a lodger, for Wilkinsburg was a luring place for students of
law and the ministry. Why? Might it not be because the village
girls were noted, then as now, for good looks and charm? But it
was said that any young man who found lodging in the room
aforementioned was too comfortably situated to be easily captured.
Joseph and Mary Stattenfield had three children, a son and
two daughters. The son, Frank, had a tobacco and newspaper
business; Katherine taught for many years in the Wilkinsburg
Schools and afterwards was a clerk in the Borough Office.
Ida was married in the charming old parlor to James G. Storer,
Secretary of the Borough Council for some years. They had one
son, Eugene, who married, but in the early years of medical practice died. There is no one living today of this line of the family.
Lewis, the second son of Lewis, Sr., married Arabella, a daughter of Major Abram Harbaugh. They had two children; Abram,
who died in young manhood unmarried, and Arabella, who
married into the Holmes family, prominent in the stock-yard
business.
James, the youngest son, born 1832, was a cabinet maker. He
was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in Company C, 5th
Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery. He was a member of Emory
Methodist Episcopal Church, East Liberty. His wife was Mary
McClure, granddaughter of Judge Francis McClure. She was one
of the founders of The First Presbyterian Church of Braddock,
Pa., and a charter member of the Park Avenue Church, which
afterwards merged with its mother church, the East Liberty
Presbyterian. During all her life Mary McClure Stattenfield was
devout and active in her church relations. James Stattenfield and
his wife had four children: Howard A., Lewis F., Maggie Gill
(Mrs. Dunlap) deceased, and Elizabeth S. (Mrs. Frank G. Stauffer)
71ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
who, for a time, was a resident of Wilkinsburg. James Stattenfield
died in 1903 and his wife in 1916.
Of the two daughters of Lewis I. and Elizabeth, his wife, Cynthelia did not marry. After her parents' death she remained in
the old home with her brother Joseph's family until the marriage
of her sister Mollie.
Mary (Mollie) had a more eventful career. The political affiliation of her father, Lewis I., is not known, but if he had a party
preference he would have been a loyal partisan or an antagonist to
be feared, as the following incident attests.
He was a member of Beulah Church, and his children were
baptized there and reared according to the tenets of Calvinism.
After the Methodist Church was organized in the village in 1843
some of the young people were gradually attracted to it. Joseph
Allshouse's daughter Priscilla (Mrs. John V. Kennedy) was forbidden by her father to attend the Methodist meetings, but the
services were unusual and curiosity overcame her usual obedience.
The Rev. I. C. Pershing was one of the "circuit riders" appointed
to preach in the circuit of which Wilkinsburg had become a part.
Priscilla's curiosity changed to conviction and after her marriage,
through the guidance of the Rev. I. C. Pershing, she was converted
and during a lifetime reaching to 89 years, she found peace and
happiness in the church chosen in her youth.
But Lewis Stattenfield's aversion was not to be overcome.
When his remonstrances failed to convince his daughter, Molly,
that the Methodists were a set of "shouting scavengers", whom
she was to pass on the other side of the Street with averted head,
he called to his help the Rev. James Graham of Beulah. Mr.
Graham was accustomed to obedience, but Mollie Stattenfield was
a chip off the old block, and had a mind as firm as her father's.
She took her stand for Methodism, whereupon her father told her
to return to Beulah or leave his house. She left her home and
lived for a while with friends across the river, teaching meanwhile in country schools. In the course of time she was selected to
take charge of a private school for girls that Emory Methodist
Episcopal Church in East Liberty was opening. In the church
72DAVID LITTLE
she met the Honorable Samuel Chadwick, a pillar of Methodism.
She became his third wife and found scope for her boundless
energy in home and church activities. She lived to a great age,
and spent her last years in the home of her only daughter, Bertha
Chadwick McKee (Mrs. Frederick W. McKee).
Lewis Stattenfield died in 1865, aged 84 years. He and his wife
rest in Beulah graveyard not far from the resting place of James
Graham, to whom he was so loyal in life. The church, which he
so opposed, has gone on its way accomplishing its mission; growing in influence, and having today the largest membership of the
Protestant denominations, noted for its furtherance of the brotherhood of man. This year, 1938, witnessed the second centenary
of the conversion of John Wesley to Methodism in the observance
of which nearly all denominations joined. Divisions, barriers
are breaking down, and religious unity is being accomplished
through the realization that there is but "One Spirit", and the
farewell words of the great promulgator of Methodism might well
become the watchword of all Christians: "The best of all is God
with us".
[9]
DAVID LITTLE
N 1 807 David Little and his wife, Christiana Stattenfield, came
I over the mountains from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania,
and settled in the little hamlet of McNairstown which was all
woodland.
He was a contractor and was the builder of the frame house
reputed to be the first of its kind in the village. This was the
Horner house situated where the First National Bank at Wilkinsburg now stands. He was also a cabinet maker; some of his work
is still in possession of his grandson-A. Frederick Stoner.
In the course of time David Little located himself on the S. W.
corner of Penn and Center Streets, just east of the ground owned
73ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
by his brother-in-law Stattenfield. Here he had his dwelling and
also his business house. He seemed able to adjust himself to any
occupation for now he opened a grocery and meat shop in partnership with a certain John Robinson; he also began to make coffins.
The records of this business sadly reveal the infant mortality of
the day. The account of a prominent family shows for three successive years the entry "to a little coffin". These little coffins vary
in price from $1.50 to $3.oo. There is an entry, "for his wife
$8.oo" and another, "for grandmother $7.00".
In the grocery business the entries for whiskey are numerous,
the standard price being 8 cents a quart or 31 cents a gallon.
"Cegars", 50 for 121/2 cents; Beef, 31/2 cents per lb.; Poark-?
"Shugar" 12 cents per lb.; and these prices do not vary over a
long period of time.
David Little was often called upon to act as banker. Many are
the records of loans of $5.00, $1o.oo, up to $25.00, and for as
small a sum as 25 cents. Sometimes an account is marked "settled
to date with a balance of 61/4 cents".
There are entries of money paid "for-costs in lawsuit"; and
a startling testimony of trust in a neighbor is an account running
for years until it amounted to $1500. The account of James
Horner is unique as there is no entry for whiskey.
David Little was also respected in church relations, which is
shown by his name appearing in Beulah Church records as a
member of different important committees. He was engaged to
build a fence around the graveyard; the specifications are as
minutely stated as are the day book entries, for they call for so
many nails in each panel, so many feet below ground on the level,
so many more feet on the slope, so many palings to a panel;
nothing was too small for mention. And we feel sure that it was
all well done, for the ground which the fence is to inclose is
already occupied by the quiet sleepers in those little coffins, whose
names had hardly become familiar in life.
Not least in interest in the old day-book entries are occasionally
to John     to "Sundary" pieces of Beef 121/2, and under this
comes Do-Do-Do ad infinitum, while on the opposite page there
74DAVID LITTLE
are no figures but one large word "Settled" stands out clearly.
Let us now use this book as a directory. The year is 1824.
Thirty-four years have passed since Dunning McNair received his
patent for Africa. The increase in population has been slow. The
quasi-directory reads:--
John McCrea
Wm. Steele
John Asbaugh
R. Gans
Wm. Peebles
Jas. Horner
George McCombs
Jas. McIntire
J. Albright
D. McNair
Thos. Chalfant
Alexander Thompson
James Graham
A. Hugo
Thos. Davison
Luke Crawford
Jno. Bonbright
Jas. Ross
Benj. Miller
Jno. Robinson
Wm. Herron
Jno. Vance
Jason Sloan
David Gilleland
Ananias Chalfant
Jno. Blacksmith
Jno. Irvin Miller
Jas. Wilson
Thos. Sampson
Jno. Adams
Jno. McFee
Lewis Stattenfield
Jno. Swisshelm
Jno. McClintock
Win. Sample
David Duff
Wm. Ritchey
E. Davis
And. Carson
Wm. Means
Salamon Berlin
Jno. McKean
Geo. Wallace
Wm. Gibson
Jno. Lenoley
This list includes many from the surrounding farm lands.
In later years David Little's house was a gathering place for
social doings, for five fine-looking daughters were growing to
womanhood there, and at least one son who bore his father's
name.
75ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
[10]
THE ALEXANDER FAMILY
OF WILKINSBURG
T  HE first member of this family of whom we have definite
knowledge as having settled in the vicinity of Wilkinsburg
was Hugh Alexander.
Hugh was a schoolmaster in Shippensburg May 6, 1776, and in
Carlisle, July 3, 1779. I have in my possession one of his text
books in which this information is written by his own hand.
He was also a surveyor. Proof of this is found in the surveys
made for Beulah Church property, the signature on these being
identical with the signature in the old text book.
Hugh came to Pittsburgh very soon after the Revolutionary
War, for we find him buying twenty-two pieces of real estate beginning about 1788. At this time there were five large tracts, or
estates, between the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers, the
largest of these belonging to Hugh Alexander and known as
"Lemington"-from  which name we now have "Lemington
School", and "Lemington Avenue".-These five tracts were
known as:i. Ross Tract, enrolled in Rolls Office as "Campania".
2. Lemington-Hugh Alexander.
3. Bullock Pens-Horner.
4. Swissvale.
5. Happy Plains.
Hugh died a bachelor, September 3, 1813, at his home in Pitt
Township. He surely was beloved and respected for the Pittsburgh Gazette of September lo, 1813, carried the following
notice-a very unusual thing at that time.
"Died on Friday, the 3rd instant, at his farm in Pitt Township,
at an advanced age, Hugh Alexander, Esquire. The death of Mr.
Alexander will long be remembered with great regret by his rela76THE ALEXANDER FAMILY OF WILKINSBURG
tives and acquaintances, to whom he was endeared by his amiable
disposition and many virtues. His feelings were ever ready to
sympathize with the unfortunate, who never appealed in vain
to his humanity. His prospects and hopes of futurity were of the
most consoling nature. His life was blameless-his death triumphant".
Hugh left a brother James, sister Agnes, mother Rosanna, who
had married John Blair.
Under his will, his estate eventually passed to two children of
his first cousin William Alexander of County Antrim, Ireland.
James Horner and William Steele were the executors of Hugh's
estate-this same William Steele was Burgess, Chairman and
Secretary of Pittsburgh. It is interesting to note that many
familiar names of that time appear as among those attending the
vendue. There was Timothy Warde, Jacob Ryme, Jr., John
Nevin, Thomas Greer, Jacob Negley, David Ferguson, James
Ross, Daniel Goshen, Edw. Cox, John S. Love, Phillip Grubbs,
and Christr Coffman.
About 1819, cousins, who were Hugh's heirs, came to Pittsburgh from County Antrim, Ireland, and settled in Pitt Township. They were:
I. William Alexander, b. 1777, d. 2-25-1857.
Wife, named Herrington.
Children: 1. Mary, B. 1803 in Ireland
M. 9-24-1825 to John Cochrane
D. 8-2-1873.
2. William, B. 1805 in Ireland
M. Eleanor Day.
3. Hugh, B. Aug. 1810
M. Eliza Scott
D. 10-5-1841.
4. George
5. Nancy, B.-U.S.A.--1825
M.-John Atwell.
6. Elizabeth, B. 1823
M. Robert Morrow
D. 5-24-1861.
77BY WAY OF GREETING AND EXPLANATION
To Mrs. Blanche T. Hartman, Pittsburgh, for the "Lilac Tree"
and quotations from "Adventure" and "01 Son of Mine" from her
book of poems entitled "Fringe of the Dawn."
To Hattie Vose Hall, Augusta, Maine, for unlimited use of her
poems "Songs of the Coast of Maine".
To the librarians in the Pennsylvania Room of Carnegie Library
for their willing help.
To the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.
To Miss Annie Stewart Anderson, Louisville, Kentucky, a greatgranddaughter of Dunning McNair.
To Mrs. Frances Stewart Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa., a descendant of Mrs.
Margaret Harris Stewart.
To Georgia Davis Horner, great-granddaughter of James Horner II.
To Miss Martha Graham Johnston, granddaughter of the Reverend
James Graham, for use of his private papers.
To Martha Graham Black, the custodian of histories of Beulah
Church and graveyard.
To Mrs. Eleanor McCrea Ewing for family papers.
To Rachel Miller (Mrs. Allen S.) Davison for valuable books
printed for private circulation.
To these and many others for the use of pictures, letters, diaries,
wills and deeds, which have helped to make this record of the past.
Last but not least to Ellen B. McKee for her able work in editing
the manuscript of this book.
To all we say gratefully, Thank you.
An honest attempt has been made to make statements authentic,
and earnest efforts have been put forth to give to all who so wished an
opportunity to contribute to the chronicle, but Alas! the speed of
present day life, the close quarters in which many families now live
have resulted in neglect and destruction of valuable papers, especially
of diaries and letters, which are the truest records of the past.
We do not claim that the book is flawless nor complete, but we
ask those who note omissions to make records for a possible future
volume, thus supplementing our efforts and awakening a sympathetic
bond that will make the "Annals of Old Wilkinsburg" desirable.
IXANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
II. Mary Alexander, wife of George Blackadder, later known
as Blackadore. Their children were:
i. Eleanor Fitzsimmons 4. Elizabeth Grierson of East Liberty
2. Isaac               5. Jane Riggs
3. Mary Grierson    6. John
William Alexander, the elder, came into possession of "Lemington". He was by faith a Presbyterian; in business a linen
merchant. He owned property just about where the East Liberty
Station now stands, and I believe resided there for some years.
"Lemington" passed into the hands of his son Hugh.
The Blackadores, understanding the care of the land, remained
on the farm. While not possessing Lemington, they did have onefourth of the original Hugh Alexander farm. George and Mary
Blackadore ended their days there. Their son, Isaac, continued
on the farm until the end of his life. He was noted for having the
finest apple orchard for many miles around. Also, one of the finest
libraries then in existence. His widow and children remained in
the old home all their lives. It is now occupied by Mrs. John
Blackadore, the widow of Isaac's son John, and her three
daughters.
All these Alexanders are reputed to have attended Beulah
Church. Tradition tells us how they rode there on horseback.
Unfortunately, I have not found any of their names listed there
but Hugh's does appear on the early land survey. Of course, many
of the early records having been lost, one cannot prove these
statements; but we do have the story by word of mouth.
[11 ]
THE LONG FAMILY OF PENN TOWNSHIP
ALLEGHENY COUNTY
HE Long family is of English descent. This name existed in
the reign of Edward I.
Matthew and John Long, at an early age, left England before
the Revolutionary War. Sold for passage to America, they landed
78BEULAH CHURCH, Part II
in Baltimore, where they parted never to see one another again.
Matthew fought in the Continental Army and was honored for
his bravery. After the Revolutionary War he came west to the
wilderness and settled in what is now Penn Township. Here he
built his log house and raised his family. He was a member of the
old Beulah Church and is buried in the adjoining graveyard.
John Long, son of the Continental soldier, married Rebecca
Brown. Their son, Matthew Long II, was born on the same farm
in a log house built in 1816, which is still standing. John was a
member of Hebron United Presbyterian Church, chartered in
1850, and was precentor in the psalmody for many years.
Samuel Morrow Long, son of Matthew Long II, owns this
farm in Penn Township where his son, Harry Swisshelm Long,
and family now live. This is the sixth generation to be born on
this land; it is a family which prefers the original homestead.
[12]
BEULAH CHURCH, Part II
JAMES GRAHAM, the newly elected pastor of Pitt Township
Church, was of Scotch-Irish origin. The Grahams, originally
Scotch, had emigrated from Scotland to the north of Ireland.
They were of the class of people who fought for and maintained
their convictions of religious and civil liberty. After several generations in Ireland, they came on to America in the period of emigration which almost depopulated the counties of Down, Antrim,
Armagh, and Donegal. Whole congregations led by their pastors
came by shiploads, until an English wit exclaimed, "Cousin
America has a flirtation with a parson."
These stalwart, brave men and equally brave women brought
with them the idea of government founded on church and school,
and a consuming desire to establish homes on their own land in
the free conditions of the new world.
Among these emigrants were Jared and Susannah Graham,
79ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
who settled in the early years of the 18th Century in Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania. Their son and his wife, James and Martha
Graham, moved on west into the Cumberland Valley, and took
up a tract of excellent limestone land on Condoquinet Creek,
where James Macfarlane, a relative, had preceded them and had
bought a tract of 751 /2 acres. The warrant for this farm is dated
September 13, 1748.
James and Martha Graham had six children; one daughter and
five sons, the youngest of whom was James, the future pastor of
Beulah Church. He was born October 16, 1775, and grew up on
the farm, where he was trained in the frugal habits of the time, in
a family that had morning and evening worship, and in a church
where pastor and elders visited the members of the congregation
to catechize them on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the doctrines of Presbyterianism, and the Bible.
As the boy grew he showed marked intelligence and a love for
study, so that he was sent to Dickinson College, Carlisle, where he
graduated in 1797, the celebrated Dr. Nesbit being then President.
His high standing is shown by his being the choice of the literary
society to deliver the Latin salutatory on Commencement Day.
He had decided on the ministry as his life's work and, as there
was no Theological School near, he entered the home and studied
theology under the Rev. Robert Cooper, D.D., of Middle Spring,
Franklin County, Penna. He was licensed to preach in November,
18oo; came soon afterward to Allegheny County and, as has
been already stated, was chosen pastor of the church which was
his one and only pastorate for a period of over forty years.
The following interesting story is taken from a paper read at
Beulah Oct. 9, 1904, at the Centennial Celebration of the installation of the Rev. James Graham. The paper was written by Miss
Martha Graham, his granddaughter, and read by his great-grandson, Dr. Sidney A. Chalfant:
"On the fourth Sabbath of May he preached at his newly chosen
field, in the morning from John 3:19; in the afternoon from John
6:35. He then left for his journey across the mountains to Sunbury,
Lycoming County, where the daughter of Robert and Mary Martin
80BEULAH CHURCH, Part II
was finishing her'oitfit'. James Graham and Elizabeth Martin were
married June 14. They then probably went to Cumberland County
for his farewell visit to his father and other relatives, that they
might all meet and learn to know his wife. After this they said
farewell to the aged father and received his parting blessing, knowing they would see his face no more, for he, like Jacob, was ready'to depart in peace having seen his son.' On horseback they rode,
day after day, through valleys, fording creeks and rivers, climbing
mountains and hills, rejoicing in the beauty all about them.
"On their journey they planned for their new home in the forest,
and the Lord's work among his people, and as they climbed these
mountains and talked of John Bunyan's pilgrims on the Delectable
Mountains looking into the land of Beulah, it came to them that
Beulah would be a beautiful name for their home and church.
"They lodged at night in wayside inns, or in the log houses of
hospitable settlers, the minister preaching, as opportunity offered,
on Sabbath days or in the evening. When they entered the bounds
of Redstone Presbytery there would be ministers to lodge with, and
familiar faces to meet by the way, also the kindly greetings of
parishioners who were watching for the new pastor and his bride.
"They made their home first with the family of Charles Bonner,
in a stone house about a mile from the church, the pastor taking
charge of the church on September 20.
"You ask who were the people who lived here and formed this
congregation of 112 members, where there had been preaching for
twenty-four years.
"The members of the session were: William McCrea, Charles
Carothers, John Johnston, and Thomas Wilson. There were also,
Duffs and Morrows, Longs and Johnstons, Sampsons, Horners, and
Hendersons. Colonel McNair of Wilkinsburg, Dr. John McDowell
from Troy Farm on the Monongahela River, McCulloughs from
Turtle Creek, James and Ann Milligan from Squirrel Hill. There
were others whose names you see on stones in the old graveyard,
and many not known to the present historian; stalwart men with
noble wives and beautiful children, who did well their part in life.
According to the date set by Presbytery, the installation took place
October 16, 1804. This was James Graham's twenty-ninth birthday.
He was a handsome man, tall and strong, with clear dark skin, good
81ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
teeth and black eyes that shut up when he laughed. His wife was
twenty-three and a beautiful woman.
"Presbytery opened with a sermon preached by Mr. Graham on
a text assigned to him as part of his trial for ordination, Revelation
o0:5, 6, from these words:"And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth
lifted up his hand to heaven, and swore by him that liveth forever
and ever, who created heaven and the things that therein are, and
the sea and the things which are therein, that there should be time
no longer.'
"Mr. Graham's examination was deemed satisfactory for ordination. In the service Mr. Power preached and Mr. Speer gave the
charges. Mr. Graham then took his seat with William McCrea as
his elder."
After the ordination and installation the name of the church
was changed to Beulah. What a fitting close to this most auspicious
day!
As James and Elizabeth Graham returned home that evening
could they not exclaim like the psalmist: "My lines have fallen in
pleasant places"? There cannot be a more fitting close to this
record of twenty years than the words of John Bunyan: "I beheld
until they came to the land of Beulah... In this place there was a
record kept of the names of them that had been pilgrims of old
and a history of all the famous acts that they had done."
Mr. Graham had a fine body of men forming his first Board of
Elders. To the three already mentioned, James Milligan, John
Johnston and Thomas Wilson, had been added William McCrea
and Charles Carothers. To William McCrea had been awarded
the honor, given by Presbytery, of being Mr. Graham's elder. This
honor is much valued in church circles, as it confers on the recipient thereof the privilege of attending presbyterial meetings
with a voice and vote in the proceedings. William McCrea had
come from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and purchased a
large tract of land nine miles east of Pittsburgh. This tract had
been surveyed for James Stringer in 1769; this, Stringer had conveyed to Robert McCrea in 1773, and William McCrea came into
possession of it by patent in 1807. According to the custom of the
82BEULAH CHURCH, Part II
times, a name was necessary to secure the patent and the name of
"Dundee" was conferred on it. The beautiful name carried with
it reminders of past generations of the McCrea family, extending
back to the nobility of Scottish clans in the sixth century. In 1807
William McCrea built for himself a stone house which stands today (1937) on the William Penn Highway, as a witness, one hundred and thirty years old, to the solidity and enduring qualities
of pioneer workmanship.
The other newly elected elder was Charles Carothers. It is
difficult to associate the genial characteristics of the present
Carothers family and those of three past generations with descent
from  the dour, grim  Scotch warrior, William  Carothers of
Howans, Scotland, who fought valiantly for the cause of King
David II in the 13th Century. The ruins of the Carother's Castle
still stand near the town of Annan, Dumfriesshire, Scotland.
Five centuries later, in 1 720, the warrior blood of the Carothers
revolted against the tyrannical edicts of kings on religious and
civic principles, and a certain James Carothers, with his family,
emigrated from Scotland to the north of Ireland; about 1750 all
four of his children joined in the tide of emigration to America,
where they settled in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
One of these settlers, a James Carothers, was a soldier in the
French and Indian War, fighting under General John Armstrong
in the Battle of Kittanning, September 8, 1756. James Carothers
was the father of fourteen children, one of whom, Charles, came
across the mountains and bought a farm near Turtle Creek about
1800. He joined Beulah Church and, as stated above, was elected
one of its elders in 1804. He was the precentor of the congregation, lining out and leading the singing of the psalms. His son,
Charles, succeeded him in this office. Charles Carothers, Sr., presented the congregation with its first Communion Service which
was of pewter. Later he replaced the pewter set by one of silver.
The pewter service set was given back to Charles Carothers, the
donor. Of it a token and beaker are now in possession of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh, the gift of
his great-grandson, Charles M. Carothers.
83ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
On June 1, 1809, two years after acquiring his estate of 354
acres and "usual allowances", William McCrea gave two acres and
fifty-three perches from it for a church building and a graveyard.
On June 2, 18o9, James Graham gave three acres and fifty-six
perches from his recently acquired farm of 273 acres and 130
perches and usual allowance of 6% for roads for the purpose of
erecting a schoolhouse on it. This ground adjoined Mr. McCrea's
on one side and today forms the Beulah Cemetery.
Both deeds were recorded the same day, September 18, 1813, in
Deed Book, Vol. 19, p. 88, and both state: "conveyed to James
Horner and his heirs in trust to and for the use of said congregation of Beula, Forever."
Having now a gift of ground, the congregation proceeded to
build a church of hewn logs, but the log tent was not torn down.
It was kept for overflow meetings, and for storage of saddles in wet
and winter weather; there were many of these, as few parishioners
in the early days had wagons or carriages.
Mr. Graham's sermons were preached in a spirit of utmost
conviction. On one occasion he prefaced his text with these words:
"We feel no disposition to accommodate our views of religion to
suit the disposition of hearers." After reading an excerpt from an
hour's sermon on the text: "What shall it profit a man if he gain
the whole world and lose his own soul, or what shall a man give
in exchange for his soul?" no one will be inclined to think that in
his preface he spoke other than the absolute truth.
After detailed discussion, point by point, of his solemn text, he
closes:-"How will you answer for your conduct at the day of
judgment when God will open the volume of time, turn to thy
name and read the records of thine ignorance and sloth; thy carelessness, and delays; thy broken vows; thy sins against Him, against
thy neighbor and thyself, and tell there when and where you did
most shamefully trifle with God and continued to listen to evil
spirits and wicked men in spite of warnings, entreaties and rebukes. Now gain is loss and the Lord God who made thee will
have no mercy on thee and He who formed thee will show thee
then no favor".
84BEULAH CHURCH, Part II
For a picture of the log church, as it appeared to a young girl
of nine, we are indebted to the facile pen and sensitive nature of
Jane Grey Cannon, afterwards Mrs. Jane Grey Swisshelm. She
writes: "There was a Presbyterian Meeting House two miles east
of Wilkinsburg, where a large and wealthy congregation worshipped. The Reverend James Graham was pastor and, unlike
other Presbyterians,'they never profaned the sanctuary' by singing'human compositions' but confined themselves to Rouse's
version of David's Psalms, as did our own denomination. The
church was built in the form of a T of hewn logs, and the whole
structure, both inside and out, was a continuation of those soft
grays and browns with which nature colors wood, and in its close
setting of primeval forest made a harmonious picture.
"At one side lay a graveyard, birds sang in the surrounding trees,
some of which reached out their great arms and touched the log
walls. Swallows had built their nests under the eaves outside and
some on the rough projections inside, and joined their twitter to
the songs of other birds and the rich organ accompaniment of
wind and trees.
"There were two sermons, and in the intermission there was a
church sociable, in fact, if not in name. Friends who lived twenty
miles apart met here, exchanged greetings and news, gave notices
and invitations, and obeyed the higher law of kindness under protest of their Calvinistic conscience. In this breath-taking time we
ate our lunch, went to the nearest house, and had a drink from the
spring which ran through the stone spring house."
The "nearest house" was undoubtedly Mr. McCrea's. She tells
us also: "We concealed our walking shoes under a mossy log and
proceeded to the meeting house. Others of those early days carried
their shoes to put on when nearing the meeting house, having
made the two and one-half miles distance from Wilkinsburg in
bare feet."
Mr. Graham was a hard worker. HIe managed his large farm
with the aid of two men until his sons were grown. He had the
mental power of intense concentration, for his hour-long, logical
sermons were thought out as he followed the plow. He was faithful
85ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
to his outside duties, which were many and strenuous. The long
distances to Presbytery meetings, the meetings for assistance at
ordinations, and meetings in collaborations in ministerial affairs
consumed time and strength. The parish duties were faithfully
performed, visits to the scattered farms where both parents and
children were catechized and admonished. The long funeral
sermons were preached in the house of death, followed by the
slow procession over the rough roads to Beulah graveyard. Nor
was this all, for at that time family and neighborhood difficulties,
which now go to court, were adjusted by church officers.
Apropos of a session trial, an amusing story is told of a rich,
fine looking young widow who was summoned to appear before
the Session for having smiled in church. She pertly replied to the
summons that if they wished to see her they would have to come
to her. Thereupon, two elders were delegated to visit the frivolous
church member at her home. When the delegates arrived they
found the neighborhood dressmaker with the accused woman.
The distance travelled on church business was sometimes long.
and time would be valued more highly than cavalier deportment;
so the worthy men proceeded without delay to take action on the
matter that had brought them there.
Mr. Graham was greatly displeased when he heard the elders'
report and reproved them for their lack of discretion: "Is it not
enough" he said, "for you to give information of this meeting to
your wives, each one of whom will tell it to two others, who, in succession, will do the same? But to act in the presence of a neighborhood dressmaker is inexcusable!"
Six children came to the Beulah Manse-Mary, Robert, Matilda, Eliza, James, and Priscilla. One March day the busy mother
told the little ones to be quiet for mother was sick; soon kind Mrs.
McCrea came in, and the sick woman was put to bed and the bread
she had made was baked. The sore throat did not improve with
home remedies, and the absent husband coming home that day,
a messenger was sent ten miles to Pittsburgh to bring a doctor, but
nothing could be done.
In the Pittsburgh Gazette of March 4, 1814, appeared this
86"The Call" of the Reverend James GrahamReverend James Graham
Beulah Church and Graveyard. Brick building erected 1837BEULAH CHURCH, Part II
announcement: "Died on Friday the 4th, Mrs. Elizabeth Graham,
consort of the Rev. James Graham of Pitt Township. Mrs. Graham
was an affectionate wife, a tender mother, and a devout Christian
-she lived respected and esteemed, and died lamented by all who
knew her". The bread she had made was eaten at her funeral; beside her coffin was baptized her baby, Priscilla, three months old.
So passed away the happy bride, who had come to a wilderness
home not quite ten years before.
One says with pride: "He was a soldier of the Revolution whose
heroism was yet more manifest in the conquest of the wilderness'";
but let us, the "daughters of ease", say with even greater reverence,
"She was a Pioneer Mother".
87I814-I830
[1]
LIBRARY SOCIETY OF BEULAH CHURCH
ORGANIZED JANUARY, 1814
IN JANUARY, 1814, Beulah congregation took a step forward
in community life by organizing a Library Society. James
Graham, the pastor, was elected president; William McCrea,
Charles Johnston, and David Little were appointed a Standing
Committee; and James Graham, John McDowell, and James
Johnston a committee to purchase books.
The fund for the purchase was to be obtained by selling shares
at $2.50 a share. The following rules presented and adopted for
the conduct of the society are given as follows in James Graham's
diary:--
I We agree to associate the property for exclusive use of the
members.
II $2.50 the price of one share, to be paid in advance.
iII No person admitted without the purchase of at least one
share; each member allowed books in proportion to number of
shares. One dollar to be paid annually on each share to increase
the library.
Iv Annual Meeting to be held 1st Tuesday of January to
elect Librarian; number the books; enter first cost, and make
entry of date of loan, and time of return.
v After a loan of 60o days a fine of six cents per week to be
imposed, to be paid to Librarian and added to fund for purchasing new books.
vi A Committee of 3 to be appointed at annual meeting for
purchase of books and to adjust all difficulties.
88THE LIBRARY SOCIETY OF BEULAH CHURCH
VII Association to be formed as soon as 25 shares shall be subscribed and paid for.
vIII A book lost, or if one of a set, must be paid for or replaced.
Ix Defaced or injured book must be appealed to Librarian
for decision.
x Fine of 25cts to a person not a member.
XI In case of removal of subscriber, his share may be transferred, or dividend given in books, or money value from society.
xiI Share holders admitted at any time on same terms as original members.
xIII Society to be dissolved by 2/3 vote, and books divided in
proportion to shares held.
There were 37 charter members, 31 paid in full; others paid in
installments of $i.oo, while one member paid by donation of a
book. The Beulah Church Library is said to have been the first
subscription library west of the Allegheny Mountains.
The following is a list of the first purchase of books and the
prices paid. It is solid reading. No wonder that one subscriber
kept his book out 133 days.
BEULAH LIBRARY SOCIETY
Organized January 1814
NAME
James Graham
Dunning McNair
Charles Johnson
John Johnson
Wm. McCrea
Samuel McCrea
John McCrea
William Morrow
Wm. McCrea, Jr.
John Bryson
Edward Cox
John Johnson
Daniel Henderson
Thomas Sampson
John Sampson
SHARES
2
2
1
I
1
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
NAME
Samuel Snodgrass
Joseph Irwin
Wm. Shaw
Wm. McCullough
David Little
John McDowell
David Irwin
Chas. Bonner
Wm. McCall
James Horner
Wm. Duff
Ephraim Jordan
Jas. Such
Joseph Reid
Alexander McMinn
89
SHARES
1
1
1
1
1
1
I
1
I
1
1
I
1
IANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
NAME
Wim. Parks
iWm. Lawson
Samuel Henning
John Means
SHI
ARES     NAME             Si
1        Robert Johnson
1        Lewis Stattenfield
1        Henry Morrow
1        Alexander Thompson
COMMITTEE TO PURCHASE BooKS
James Graham, John McDowell, James Johnston
The first Catalogue records the following books and- pricesAmerican
Revolution      (2)
Clark's Travels   (1)
Edwards on
Freewill        (1)
Spectator        ( o)
Goldsmith         (1)
Rambler           (3)
McKimmon's
Travels         (2)
with Atlas    (3)
Davis's Sermons   (1)
Goldsmith Manners
8c Customs      (2)
Buck's Miscellany (2)
Ransup's
"Washington"  (1)
Chataubriend,
Travels         (l)
Campbell's
Lectures        (1)
Watt's
Lyric Poems    (1)
Bonnet's Views   (1)
Biographical
$ 4.25       Dictionary      (1)
3.25    Christian Recorder (1)
American Guide   (1)
2.25    American Verses   (1)
1o.oo    Faber on
1.00      The Prophets   (1)
3.371/2  Porter's Travels  (1)
Goldsmith's
Natural History (1)
5.00    Davis'
2.00      Church History (2)
Village Sermon
3.0o      and Dialogues   (2)
2.25    Plutarch           (1)
Beatty's
3.00      Moral Science   (2)
Criminal Murder (1)
2.75    Bennett's Letters  (1)
Vicar of Wakefield (1)
2.25    Crab's Tales       (2)
Political Science   (1).75    Select Speeches   (5).621/  Finley's Observations
Binding Spectator
Newton's ~Works (i l)
The period from 1814 to 1834 was an active one in Beulah
Parish. The Library Society initiated other organizations; namely,
the Bible Association, the Weekly Religious Paper, the Sunday
90
HARES
1
1
I
2  
$
2.00
1.25
1.00
1.00
2.25
2.25
2.25
5.00
2.00
1.25
2.00
1.00.75.75
2.00
2.50
12.50
5.00
11.00ooTHE LIBRARY SOCIETY OF BEULAH CHURCH
School, and the Temperance Movement. Contacts brought about
in each one of these were of personal value educationally, and
widened the influence and reputation of Beulah Congregation in
its Presbytery and in the outside world.
The National Bible Society was organized in 1816. The Beulah
Bible Association was organized in 1819 and became an auxiliary
of the Pittsburgh Society. The Constitution of the National Bible
Society consisted of 1 o articles. Article 3 reads: Any person can become a member by paying in advance such a sum as liberality may
dictate, and $ 1.oo annually while they continue a member.
The President was James Graham
Vice President: Thomas Davison
Treasurer: John McCrea
Collectors: John Wilson
Robert Carothers
Dugal McFarland
The managers, which included the names Wm. Johnston, M.
Graham, M. Carothers, Mrs. McCrea and Mary Morrowv, were
urged to use their very best individual efforts to obtain members
to the Society.
President Graham was empowered to obtain lo bibles for distribution within the bounds of Beulah Bible Association.
In 1821 there appeared in the daily paper the following:
PROPOSAL
To Publish by Subscription in Pittsburgh, Penna.
A NEWSPAPER
to be entitled
THE PITTSBURGH RECORDER
This paper shall contain:
ist. Religious intelligence regarding Missionary educational,
tract, Sabbath School and other Benevolent Societies.
Extract from general Assembly Minutes of the Presbyterian and other Ecclesiastical Congregations in the
United States... and Christian Biography of an interesting nature.
91ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
2nd. Literary, Philosophical, Geographical, Historical extracts,
etc.
3rd. A summary of foreign and domestic intelligence, of proceedings of Congress and other legislative bodies...
Signed, JOHN ANDREWS.
Pittsburgh, Oct. 9, 1821.
CONDITIONS
The Pittsburgh Recorder will be printed weekly... the price
exclusively of postage will be two dollars per annum, to be paid
in advance either in money or in rags and such articles of produce
as may be received by paper makers to be delivered in such places
as may be agreed on... all letters to the editor must be postpaid.
Then follow names of subscribers. Again Beulah was to the
forefront:--
James Graham
Chas. Johnston
Charles Carothers
John Cratty  Jos Miller
Wm. McCrea
Jno. A. Gilchrist
Wm. McCullough
Thomas Sampson
John K. Queen
Dougal McFarland
John McCrea
Dunning McNair  Wm. Steele
Samuel Henning
Wm. Shaw
Thomas Neil
pitt township
Do
Plumb Township
pitt township
Salem X Roads West. Co.
Versailles Township
pitt township
Pitt township
Do Do
ditto
Versailles Township
Action was taken by the Synod of the Presbyterian Church and
the following distinguished men appointed a committee for
supervision: Jos. Patterson, Francis Herron, Elisha P. Swift, Rob't
Patterson, Jos. Stockton, Thos. Baird, James Graham.
The Pittsburgh Recorder was a successful venture. From it
developed the Presbyterian Banner, the loyal herald of the Presbyterian Church.
92THE LIBRARY SOCIETY OF BEULAH CHURCH
TEMPERANCE
Letter of The Rev. James Graham to the
Editor of the Advocate
Sir:
Some weeks since I attended a temperance meeting at Bethel
Ch. in Plumb township. When I arrived at the place I found the
house full to overflowing and four clergymen-one Covenanter,
one antiburgher, one Union Seceder, and one Presbyterian.
The Rev. Pastor of the Church was delivering the most intemperate address I ever heard.
He said he had proved to demonstration that Christ had drank
wine and we took him for our example. He said the Scripture
saints had drank wine and though there was no command there
was a permission to drink wine and consequently not to drink it
as a common beverage was sin... He said that the Temperance
Reform was a humbug and Satan transformed into an Angel of
light... In conclusion he read some extracts from a periodical
of the improper conduct of a temperance speaker who addressed
the people at the door of the church while the pastor was preaching in the house, evidently with the design to induce his hearers
to believe we were all fanatics, fools and madmen.
When he-the Reverend Pastor-concluded he politely invited
any minister present to express his views on the subject. Brother
McC- rose and replied to him in a speech of near 2 hours and
with considerable severity answered the pastors arguments...
and boldly charged him and the Brethren on his side with being
afraid to preach Temperance lest they would have to address
empty pews. I succeeded Mr. McC- and spent an hour in examining the Rev. G's phillipic with unusual mildness and good nature
and concluded by offering the apology I could devise for his want
of courtesy for abusing us in his own church after inviting us to
attend... but that he was so in the habit of abusing other denominations that he did it without intending it or knowing it.
Mr. C- then addressed the audience. He said... that he had
once signed a Temperance Pledge... but since he had examined
the Bible more carefully he doubted the propriety of such Associations, but if a man was fully persuaded in his own mind he would
not say he did wrong in signing a pledge.
The Rev. G- was the last speaker. He declared himself prac93ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
tically on our side for io years past but... he could not sign a
pledge because Catholics and Infidels were temperance men.
In another letter Mr. Graham writes of a meeting in a Washington Co. church where several drunken men were forbidden to
enter the church within which the pastor was attacking the Temperance movement. One of the outside men managed to elude the
guard at the door and entered. When the speaker uttered some
particularly bitter criticism of the Reform cause the fine example
of non-temperance would exclaim, with a wave of his hat, "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, you're the preacher for me!"
But there was another side to this very vital question of Temperance... and a happier one where there was no hesitation in
making a decision.
Charles Carothers had bought a new still but it was not yet
erected when he went into the village where his son Charles, Jr.
had a store. All storekeepers at that time sold whiskey. The father
told the son of his new purchase and promised him a supply when
he came back the next time, but Charles, Jr. said "Do not bring
any father, I have decided that it is wrong to drink whiskey and I
shall never sell it again." The father thought over the strange
decision on his long drive home to the farm. By the time he arrived
there he had added to his son's reasoning-" If it is wrong to drink
whiskey, then it is wrong to sell it, and also wrong to make it. I
have no use for the still". He had many applicants to buy the new
still, but he refused to sell. "No", he said, "since it is wrong to
drink, then it is wrong to sell, then it is wrong to make it, then it is
wrong for me to sell you the means of making it." The still remained unused and was finally made useless by weather and time.
A second example of quick decision against the use of intoxicants was in Mr. Graham's own family. A sewing society was
meeting at the pastor's house, and when Mrs. Graham told Eliza
(afterwards Mrs. Torrance) to bring in the refreshments she left
the room, but did not come back. Eliza said that it was the only
time that she disobeyed her step-mother. From her influence, it
is stated, the support of the Temperance movement in Beulah
Parish took root.
94THE LIBRARY SOCIETY OF BEULAH CHURCH
It was not until 1829 that a Sunday School was organized in
Beulah Church. An old member of the church wrote many years
later that she was a teacher in 1823 of a Sunday School in Sugar
Grove School House, near where Hebron Church nowv stands.
When the Sunday School was opened in Beulah Church, the older
members studied the Bible and the Shorter Catechism; while the
younger children were taught their A B C's, and how to spell and
read, for schools even at this time were scarce, and Sunday Schools
did both kinds of teaching. This school grew to 13o members in
1884 with 13 teachers and 4 officers. A mission school near Turtle
Creek had 125 members and there was also a mission school at
Sandy Creek.
From the beginning of the Reverend James Graham's ministry
in 1804 until 1826 there was no Presbyterian Church-it may be
no church-between Pittsburgh and Plum Creek excepting
Beulah. It was a parish covering a large territory. Mr. Graham was
faithful and unwearied, apparently, in the fulfillment of his
numberless duties. His congregation, scattered as it was, responded quickly and generously to all progressive movements. His
name appears on most important Presbyterial and Synodical
Committees, so that unconsciously he had become very jealous
of his rights-as the following minute from Presbytery shows:
"At a meeting of Redstone Presbytery at Saltsburg, April, 1826,
an application was presented from East Liberty praying to be
erected into a congregation. After some discussion the matter was
left open until the next day, when, after serious consideration, the
petition was granted and the Rev. Messrs. Joyce and Graham appointed to organize the new congregation. But Mr. Graham declared his intentions to complain to the Synod of Pittsburgh for
five reasons.
1. Because Presbytery refused to give his congregation a hearing.
2. Because he believed that their decision was to destroy the congregation over which he had been pastor for twenty two years.
3..........
4 4......
95CONTENTS
DEDICATION                                                         V
BY WAY OF GREETING AND EXPLANATION                                vii
PENNSYLVANIA-THE CHARTER PROLOGUE                                xxi
1743-1788
1. SETTLEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PRIOR TO 1788    1
Bibliography-John D. S. Truxall, Esq.                      19
1788-1814
ADVENTURE-Blanche T. Hartman                                      20
1. THE MOTHER CHURCH OF BEULAH, Part I-E.M.D.                   21
Compiled from "History of Beulah Church, loo years" by
the Rev. Wm. S. Miller, and "Centennial of the Rev.
James Graham" by Miss Martha Graham.
2. McNAIRTOWN-Wm. G. Stewart, Esq.                               29
3. THE DUNNING MCNAIR FAMILY-E.M.D.                              35
Compiled from "Colonel George Steuart and his wife
Margaret Harris Steuart, their Ancestors and Descendants," by Robert Stewart D.D., LL.D.; family papers of
Annie Stewart Anderson and John Horner family.
4. WILLIAM PARK-Mrs. Mary Park                                   55
5. CHARLES BONNER-M.McE.A.                                       57
Compiled from family records of the Frank Bonner
Sample, and Duff families.
6. THE MORROW  FAMILY-E.K.M.                                     61
Compiled from Morrow family history.
7. RIPPEY's TAVERN OR RIPPEYVILLE-E.M.D.                         65
Compiled from records of Robert Stewart D.D., LL.D.
XIANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
5. Because the decision implied a reflection or censure on him for
neglect of ministerial duties.
Signed, James Graham"
After a little delay, the East Liberty Church was organized
October, 1826 by the Rev. John Joyce, according to the direction
of Presbytery, with 31 members and 3 elders. Of these 31 members, several were families from Beulah.
About 60 years later an entry is made in Beulah records in
regard to this church: "Beulah, the Mother of Churches, now
rejoices how strong that child, her first born, has become".
Today how universal is the rejoicing in the fifth house of worship-that exquisite Christian Temple so recently erected on the
ground originally dedicated for church purposes.
In 1825 the Western Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian
Church was established, and donations for its support were asked.
To this request Beulah responded generously. The length of time
granted for payment of subscriptions was almost unlimited, as
attested by pledges for twenty dollars to be paid in ten years. The
list was headed by William McCrea and James Graham, each of
whom pledged $50.00. Other pledges were for $25.00, $20.00
and $5.00.
The list of subscribers follows, viz.:
1827  William McCrea            $50.oo-in  8 years
James Graham               50.oo-in lo years
James Ross                  2o.oo-in lo years
Charles Carothers          2o.oo-in  5 years
D. Gilleland               20o.oo-in io years
John Wilson                25.oo-in  8 years
William McCrea             2o.oo-in  8 years
Dougle McFarland           25.oo-in  8 years
Robert Carothers           25.oo-do,  do
John McCrea                2o.oo-in io years
William McCullough        2o.oo-do,  do
James Carothers            20.0o-in io years
1828  Jacob Negley               20.00 in io years
Margaret McCrea             5.oo-in  5 years
James Duff                   5.oo-in  5 years
96THE ART OF MEDICINE IN AND ABOUT THE VILLAGE, Part I
Mary Graham                2.50-in 5 years
Nancy Duff                 2.25Eliza Graham               2.251829 Matilda Graham           2.25-in 5 years
Samuel McCrea              5.oo-in  5 years
D. R. McNair              2o.oo[2]
THE ART OF MEDICINE
IN AND ABOUT THE VILLAGE, Part I
T may well be that the first surgeon-doctor in the Western
Pennsylvania wilderness was a Frenchman of the Fort Duquesne garrison during the French occupation (1 754-1758), which
ended with the coming of General Forbes; however, the Register
of Fort Duquesne, translated by the late Reverend Monsignor
A. A. Lambing of Wilkinsburg, makes no mention of a medical
man. It might be that the Reverend Father Denys Baron, chaplain
at the fort, combined spiritual and physical ministrations; we can
but surmise.
Conquests require armies and armies require medical care: so,
in a day when colonization was preceded and attended by warfare,
it is but reasonable to state that army surgeons of European birth
and training were the earliest Hyppocratean torchbearers in the
wilderness, if we exclude the Indian medicine man who was the
prototype of the "herb-doctor" who did a good business among
the pioneer settlers at a somewhat later date. In time the army
surgeons, one of whom was always attached to Fort Pitt, came
to minister to the needs of the sparse and migratory civilian
population.
Indeed, the most famed commandants at Fort Pitt were army
surgeons whose professional identity has been all but lost under
their military glory.
Came then General John Forbes, the sick man, painfully direct97ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
ing from his litter the cutting of the military road which bears
his name. This man-of-war was a Pittincrief Scotsman, "well-born
and bred to the profession of Physick", who, having accomplished
the construction of Fort Pitt, left none other than a brother M. D.
in charge of the new post. This was commandant Colonel Hugh
Mercer, aged thirty-nine, whose name shines brightly in the annals
of the French and Indian wars.
Brigadier-General Edward Hand, commandant at the fort in
1777, was an Irish-born and reared physician who came to this
country in 1767, aged twenty-three, as assistant-surgeon of the
Royal Irish Regiment of Foot.
"St. Clair was our commander", states an old refrain, but omits
mentioning that young Arthur St. Clair of the Scottish nobility
had been bred to a medical career at the University of Edinburgh
before selecting the army as his second love. As his is readily the
most distinguished name in the annals of Western Pennsylvania,
it deserves more than passing mention.
It was early spring 1758 when Dr. St. Clair, with the military
rank of ensign, arrived at Halifax in the command of Admiral
Boscawen, who was bringing a large fleet of ships carrying some
12,000 troops. St. Clair was placed in General Jeffrey Amherst's
army, which had orders to capture the Canadian French forts and
had plenty to do at the Plains of Abraham and other northeastern
engagements. At the close of this campaign St. Clair found himself stationed in Boston, later other eastern stations included
Philadelphia, where he married the wealthy and distinguished
Phoebe Bayard.
The year 1767 saw him commandant at Fort Ligonier and in
return for his splendid military services he acquired large tracts
of beautiful mountain land in the now Bedford and Wlestmoreland counties. In 1775 St. Clair had enlisted some 500 men from
Western Pennsylvania to take part in a punitive expedition
against the Detroit Indians but at the last moment he was ordered,
with a Colonel's commission, to take a regiment to Quebec.
Subsequent to the withdrawal of the Colonial Army from
Canada, the now Brigadier-General St. Clair was assigned to
98THE ART OF MEDICINE IN AND ABOUT THE VILLAGE, Part I
George Washington's army and served in the battles of White
Plains and Princeton. He presently earned the rank of MajorGeneral and is said to be the only Pennsylvania officer thus
honored. Washington then sent him to Ticonderoga where St.
Clair's army suffered heavy losses and was forced to retreat.
Wherefore he was severely criticized but his statement relative
thereto cannot but be a revelation of the man: "I know I could
save my reputation by sacrificing the army but were I to do so I
should forfeit that which the world could not restore and which
it cannot take away, the approbation of my own conscience."
Major St. Clair was subsequently vindicated by court-martial.
The year 1783 saw him a member of the Pennsylvania Council.
Two years later he was elected to Congress and in 1789 he was
president of that body. Under an ordinance of that year St. Clair
was appointed Governor of the Northwestern Territory, which
embraced the present states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan,
and Wisconsin. In 1791 he was at the height of his career and
likewise at the head of an army of two thousand to quell the
Indian uprisings in the Northwestern Territory; but this army
was made up of war-weary veterans, not physically fit to cope
with the rigors of another campaign. St. Clair himself was ill of a
malarial fever and so weak that he had to be carried in a litter.
The battle on the Wabash proved a disastrous defeat and St.
Clair, until then the idol, became the victim of nation-wide
hostility which led to his being superseded in command by General "Mad" Anthony Wayne.
Dr. St. Clair's military sun had set. A broken, disheartened
man, he now returned to civil life and undertook the business of
iron-master, building what was known as The Hermitage Iron
Furnace near his mountain home in the Laurel Ridge a short
distance west of Ligonier. The entrance to the stony mountain
road which leads to the site of The Hermitage is marked by a
tablet on the Lincoln Highway.
Here Dr. St. Clair manufactured castings and pig-iron and also
operated a flouring mill but these local industries did not bring
in enough money to offset his heavy debts, nor did his practice
99ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
among the mountain folk add much. In 1808 he was publicly sold
out. Although he had sacrificed his own and his wife's not inconsiderable fortune in the interest of his country, he was not at that
time able to effect the reimbursement which would have saved
his home.
Some years later a pension of fifty dollars a month was awarded
him by the government, but now that both realty and personalty
were lost to him, he was hard put to exist. A few pieces of furniture
and some books were all that remained of his previous affluence.
His next move was to start a small tavern in a four room cabin.
Here he "entertained" travelers and continued his medical services to such as called him. One day the aged doctor was driving
down the ridge on his return from the lonely mountain cabin of
a patient. He had a cerebral hemorrhage and fell to the ground,
where he lay for some hours. A neighbor, passing that way, took
the inert form home. Next day, August 3o, 1818, Dr. St. Clair
died.
His remains were interred in the historic graveyard in Greensburg, now known as the St. Clair cemetery. For some years his
body lay in an unmarked grave but in 1832 the Masonic fraternity
erected a modest monument to his memory.
Thus ended the career of Arthur St. Clair, nobleman, who in
the course of his long life had known the triumphs of fame and
glory, and the bitterness of failure.
Brigadier-General Dr. William Irvine was another Irish-born
and bred man of medicine who, from 1781 to 1783, held the post
of commandant at Fort Pitt.
Special interest centers, too, on General James Wilkinson,
M.D., who was commandant at Fort Fayette, Pittsburgh in 1 812. A
brilliant man, his career was cast in the trying hard times brought
about by the War of 1i 812, a period which strangely enough witnessed the beginning of "society", rather gay for those times. The
hospitality of Dr. Wilkinson and his charming wife was a pleasing
note strangely in contrast to the disrepute into which he fell,
100THE ART OF MEDICINE IN AND ABOUT THE VILLAGE, Part I
justly or not, on account of the "Spanish intrigues" with which he
was later charged.
A well-known name, famous or, better said, infamous in local
annals, is that of Dr. John Connolly. Oddly enough his professional title persists while his military rank of major is forgotten.
Reputedly an Irish renegade and a tool of Lord Dunmore, governor of Virginia, Connolly in 1774 took possession of the then
partially dismantled Fort Pitt and changed its name to Fort Dunmore. The aroused populace effected his arrest at Hannastown.
Freed on bail, he at once returned to Virginia and presently came
back to Pittsburgh vested with civil and military authority to
enforce the dominion of Virginia. The great confusion of land
titles in this region, of which McNairstown (Wilkinsburg) experienced a goodly share, was the well-known result of these
activities.
The more prominent medical names of Western Pennsylvania
history having been reviewed, it will now be of interest to trace,
in chronological order, the rank and file of practically unknown
and unsung army surgeons who did their sometimes ineffectual
best for humanity: coming, going, now here, now there, in the
shifting game of war.
As early as 1749 mention is made of a Dr. Lodowick Hela,
German-born and bred physician who served with the colonial
army west of the Susquehanna in Hon. William Denny's command. Drs. Otto Bodo, Snevelly (Snively), Putnam, and Prentice
are among the earliest names. Dr. Hugh Mercer is first mentioned
in 1855 at Fort Shirley in Huntingdon County. Dr. James Craik,
friend and medical advisor to General Washington, came and
went in Western Pennsylvania and did valiant duty at the disastrous Battle of Braddock's Field, 1755. With the assistance of Dr.
Captain Mercer, he cared almost single-handed for the multitude
of wounded and dying, undertook the transportation of Gen.
Braddock to Gist's plantation, near the present Connellsville,
and dressed General Braddock's wound, all the while awaiting
anxiously the coming of medical aid from Dunbar's camp at
Great Meadows. (July 9, lo, 1755.)
101ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Four army surgeons of record came with the three battalions
of the First Pennsylvania Regiment under General Forbes when,
in 1758, he captured Fort Duquesne. These four lived to tell the
tale. Two others, however, were killed in the advance battle of
Grant's Hill on September 14, 1758: Drs.  ~ McDunit and
Harris. The four who accompanied General Forbes were: surgeons John Morgan, Robert Bines, John Bond and John Blair. Of
these, surgeons Morgan and Blair were staff officers respectively
in the second and first battalions, 1757. The former received his
first appointment on May 6, 1756. Dr. ~ Prentice was surgeon's
mate. Another appointee in the second battalion, Dr.    Jamison, had previously been killed by Indians at McCord's fort in
April 1756.
As military operations widened in scope during the American
Revolution there necessarily was a great number of army surgeons
in the period 1775-1780. Of this large number four merit special
mention: Robert Johnston, George Stevenson, Nathaniel Bedford, and John McDowell.
As nearly as can be ascertained, Dr. Bedford was the only army
surgeon who came with the British troops and, going westward,
decided to remain and become a resident of Pittsburgh. Reputedly he was a gentleman of wealth and leisure. His "shop" in Birmingham, the name he gave to the large tract of land he acquired
on the southern bank of the Monongahela, became a medical
school for the local medical aspirants. Dr. Bedford, a bachelor,
died in 1814 and was interred on his own estate at the site of the
present Mt. Oliver incline. When the incline was constructed, the
remains were removed to old Trinity graveyard on Sixth Street,
where the monument can still be seen.
Dr. George Stevenson, born at York in 1759, served as army
surgeon during the last years of the Revolution. In 1794 he was
sent from Carlisle to Pittsburgh at the head of the Carlisle Infantry to assist in the suppression of the Whiskey Insurrection.
He, too, decided to remain and practiced in Pittsburgh until
1825, when he removed to Wilmington, Delaware, where he died
in 1839.
102Dr. James Carothers, early physician of village
Penn Avenue. Dr. Carother's house, to the right. Corner of
Penn Avenue and Wood Street, looking eastwvard from Wood StreetMary Agnew Carothers (Mrs. J. WT.) Milligan
Charles M. Carothers, Secretary-Treasurer of
Group for Historical Research, in costume of 1830THE ART OF MEDICINE IN AND ABOUT THE VILLAGE, Part I
In 1776 army surgeon Robert Johnston held a commission in
the Sixth Pennsylvania Battalion under Colonel William Irvine.
This body of fighting men, enlisted from Cumberland and York
counties, the former embracing practically all of Western Pennsylvania, took part in that terrible winter campaign of Trois
Rivieres and other Canadian engagements. These starving, ragged
patriots can be considered as our "home folks" and among their
names are many familiar ones, whose descendants may now be
found in Allegheny, Beaver, Westmoreland and Washington
counties.
Military records show that on January 9, 1776 a Dr. John
McDowell was appointed as surgeon's mate, with the rank of first
lieutenant in the Sixth Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the York
County contingent and together with his superior, Dr. Robert
Johnston, who, we have every reason to believe was from Cumberland County, rendered long and valiant service. In that same
battalion appear the names of Nathaniel Poyntz and Aeneas
McAlister, both being local pioneers. The former is buried in
Beulah graveyard.
The medical soldier, Dr. McDowell, is of keen interest to
Western Pennsylvanians in general and to Wilkinsburgers in particular. Not only was his an exceptional military career but he
was the first physician to locate in Pitt, later Wilkins Township,
where he became an influential and, for those times, affluent man.
Following the Canadian campaign and the fighting in New
Jersey, John McDowell was returned to Carlisle Barracks MVlarch
15, 1777, where he re-enlisted for the next three years, or the
balance of the war, in the Seventh Continental Regiment. On
February 5, 1778 Dr. McDowell was appointed chief surgeon. In
1781, still in the Seventh Pennsylvania, he came to Fort Pitt with
Colonel William Irvine who had received the appointment of
Commandant to the fort. His first local medical work was, therefore, at the fort and it is presumable that his relationship with his
superior, Commandant Dr. Irvine, was close and pleasant.
January i, 1783 finds surgeon McDowell again on expeditionary medical duty-for the last time. At the close of his military
103CONTENTS
8. LEWIS STATTENFIELD-E.M.D.                                       70
Compiled from Stattenfield records.
9. DAVID LITTLE-E.M.D.                                             73
Compiled from David Little's day books.
10. THE ALEXANDER FAMILY OF WILKINSBURGMrs. John George Daub                                         76
11. THE LONG FAMILY OF PENN TOWNSHIP-M.MCE.A.                       78
12. BEULAH CHURCH, Part II-E.M.D.                                   79
Compiled from Beulah Church history.
1814-1830
1. LIBRARY SOCIETY OF BEULAH CHURCH-E.M.D.                         88
Bible Society; The Pittsburgh Recorder; Temperance,
Western Theological Seminary
Compiled from the Rev. James Graham's papers, and
diary loaned by his granddaughter, Martha Graham
Johnston.
2. THE ART OF MEDICINE IN AND ABOUT THE VILLAGE,
Part I-I.M.S.                                                97
Frolm monograph written by Ilka M. Stotler entitled "Art
of Medicine in and about the Village." (BibliographyPennsylvania Archives; Publications of the Pennsylvania
Genealogical Society; Hale Sipe: "Indian Wars of Pennsylvania"; Fleming: "History of Pittsburgh"; Buocher:
"History of Pittsburgh"; Pittsburgh Gazette, 1814; Accounlt Book of Dr. John McDowell; Personal research
and reminiscences.)
3. THE STOTLER FAMILY-I.M.S.                                      114
4. THE HENRY CHALFANT FAMILY-E.M.D.                               120
Col. William Ludlum  Miller Family
Compiled from legal records and family history of the
Chalfant family; from records of the Paull and Irwin
Family; and sketch of Colonel W. L. Miller by his
grandson, John F. Miller.
5. THE COAL INDUSTRY IN WILKINSBURG-S.H.J. and I.M.S. 135
6. OLD CURRENCY. STANDARD OF SILVER COIN OF U.S.A.                138
XIIANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
services he received from the Pennsylvania Commonwealth his
first warrant of land in the amount of four hundred acres located
in that portion of Westmoreland County which was later erected
into Washington County. The warrant bears the date of July i,
1784. His name is also listed in the Pennsylvania Archives among
those who received depreciation pay and in this connection his
residence was given as Greensburg.
Under date of January 1 1, 1787 the following message was sent
to him from the Supreme Executive Council of the State: "In consideration of services rendered by John McDowell, late surgeon
in the army of the United States, there is granted by the said
Commonwealth unto John McDowell a tract of land lying in the
first district of donation lands, 300 acres and 6 per cent allowance,
tract number 83." That body also granted him another tract of
3oo acres in the third district of Westmoreland County under
date of January 11, 1789, known as tract number 27. Both transactions were recorded December 13, 1790 in D. B. 2, p. 256.
Having acquired a sizeable acreage, Dr. McDowell became interested in land and increased his holdings. For some reason not
quite clear, but inferentially to be near his former army associates,
Scotchmen, who were settling on the lands along the Monongahela, he now purchased from Aeneas McAlister, for the sum
of 400 pounds, a tract of 1871/ acres plus allowance. The deed,
dated Dec. 17, 1788, recorded in Allegheny County D. B. 1, p. 68,
recites the transfer in Pitt Township, Westmoreland County, to
"John McDowell of Washington County". This tract on the Monongahela River was known as Troy Farm and it was part of the
400 acre tract patented to Aeneas McAlister. Troy Farm was
bounded by the river and by properties owned by Reinhardt
Antis, Peter Rowletter, the Milligans and the McKelveys. It was
the district which Dr. McDowell was wont to designate in his
ledger as the "Scotch Bottoms". Troy Farm embraced what later
became known as the old Denniston Farm and was in the Swissvale-North Homestead-Rankin district of the present day.
Here Dr. McDowell built a commodious log house, established
himself with his wife, tended the sick of the entire district and
104THE ART OF MEDICINE IN AND ABOUT THE VILLAGE, Part I
operated his farm with the help of two slaves. The first Pennsylvania census, 1790, lists him with a family of "two males over 16,
4 free white females, and 2 slaves." It has not been ascertained
who comprised this household but it is known that at this time
Dr. McDowell had a wife and one daughter, Sarah Ann, who
married one John Read.
Presently Dr. McDowell required additional help on his farm
and to this end took over from the Overseer of the Poor an
"indentured" apprentice in the person of Thomas Ward, aged
thirteen. The legal document sealing this transaction states that
the boy was to learn farming and in return for his labor was to
be taught to "read and write and Cypher as far as the Rule of
Three" and was to receive "two sets of clothing, one of them new;
an axe, a grubbing hoe, one small pair of rings and sixteen silver
dollars." (Recorded Aug. 18, 1795, D. B. 4, p. 281.)
The medico prospered and was further interested in land. His
next venture was the acquisition by deed from the Allegheny
County Commissioners, for the consideration of l o pounds under
date of August 9, 1796 and recorded September 23, of 200 acres,
lot 68, which had been forfeited for non-payment of taxes by
Samuel Nicholson.
His final land acquisition was on December 13, 1802, recorded
in D. B. 9, p. 313, by which for a consideration of $20o he purchased a 25 acre tract adjoining the other McDowell holdings
from Catherine Thompson, executrix of the estate of William
Thompson.
As has been stated, Dr. McDowell was a man of considerable
wealth and interested in the acquisition of land. He probably
sensed that the fertile river lands would soon become valuable
and profitable on re-sales. After some twenty years of ownership
he seems to have decided to or been obliged to "unload". The first
of these transactions is a deed dated December 29, 18oo, of record
December 30 in D. B. lo, p. 162 whereby, for the consideration
of $400oo, John and Margaret McDowell conveyed to James Hope
of Westmoreland County 2oo acres of lot 83, first district of donation lands lying on the waters of the Little Beaver, Allegheny
105ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
County. There is no doubt this was part of the 300 acres he secured in 1787 in return for his military services. The receipt for
the purchase money was signed by him at Troy Farm on December 19, 1 800 and was witnessed by his friend and neighbor, George
Wallace, Esq. The second bit of business was on July 27, 1802
when, by deed recorded August 18, 1803 in D. B. 11, p. 385, he
conveyed for the sum of $200oo to Robert Smith of Westmoreland
County the remaining ioo acres of lot 83 in the first donation
district. The next transaction was a deed dated August 3, 1803
which conveyed "all interest in land granted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in Allegheny County to Samuel Nicholson in deed recorded in D. B. 5, p. 435". This was, in effect, a
return of land by repayment to the original owner, who had in
1796 forfeited it for non-payment of taxes. This transaction was
recorded in D. B.  1l, p. 371. From this action it will be seen that
Dr. McDowell was a just and kindly man. It is not known what
the financial consideration was in the "re-purchase" by Nicholson. Dr. McDowell had acquired the tract for the price of delinquent taxes to the extent of io pounds and quite likely returned
it to the original grantee for that sum and the additional expenses
when the latter had again got on his feet.
It has been stated that Dr. McDowell built a large mansion in
Braddock, wherein Lafayette was entertained in 1825 and which
later became known as the Kirkpatrick homestead. It would seem
that this property belonged to Dr. McDowell's friend, George
Wallace, Esq., who, it is held by others, built the famous dwelling.
Erroneous is the statement sometimes made that Dr. McDowell
lived near Hebron Church on the Frankstown Road. Troy Farm
seems to have been his home from the beginning to the end of
his local career and for it he had a deep and abiding love.
Dr. McDowell was a prominent and active member of the small
community. He was a member of the Beulah Congregation and
Beulah Library Association; was a Mason from the inception of
the Masonic Order and held several civil positions. Under signature of Governor Mifflin, August 17, 1781, he was commissioned
Lay Judge of the Courts of Common Pleas and Oyer and Terio6THE ART OF MEDICINE IN AND ABOUT THE VILLAGE, Part I
miner; was "Gaol Deliverer" and Justice of the Peace as relates
to criminal matters "for a term as long as you shall behave yourself". He was frequently called to witness the wills of his neighbors and to act as executor of their estates; in short, Dr. McDowell
was a man of affairs.
Of the man, John McDowell, little is known. Presumably he
was born and reared in Scotland as were so many of his contemporaries. His ledger between the years 1795 and 1802 shows the
manner in which he practiced the "Art of Physick".
Compared with medical fees of the second quarter of the nineteenth century Dr. McDowell's charges were high. Reckoned in
pounds sterling, shillings and pence, they seem to have been
computed on the basis of distance. The usual fee for an emetic
and anodyne drops for Colonel Dunning McNair was ten shillings.
Smallpox was very prevalent in the early days and to guard
against it "inoculations" were given, the method being to gTaft
the scab from a smallpox sufferer on the freshened skin-surface of
the one to be inoculated. This produced not only a strong local
eruption but even induced a very mild type of smallpox in the
person, which thenceforth rendered him immune to the disease.
As Jenner's method of vaccination, as it is now done, became
known only in 1796 and was not immediately adopted by the profession, it can be understood why "inoculations" are recorded in
Dr. McDowell's ledger. They were expensive. For inoculating
four children of J. W. Johnston in 1797 a charge of 4 pounds io
shillings was made and marked paid.
It is not difficult to imagine the spare, smallish figure of Dr.
McDowell mounting his horse at the hitching-rail in front of
his log house, inspecting his saddle-bags to assure himself that
his armamentarium of scales or balances, scarifiers, cups, vials of
paregoric, opium, tartar-emetic and pill-boxes of blue-mass and
mercurials was in order, and then proceeding along Braddock
Road to the Great Road or Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Turnpike, thence to Nine Mile Run where it flows through the
grounds of the Columbia Hospital, and from that point strik107ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
ing through the fields to the residence of Dunning McNair.
There is reason to believe that Dr. McDowell practiced up to
the time of his death and that his death was swift; possibly March
pneumonia-else why would so good a business man have left
no testament when the final call came in 1814?
Mrs. McDowell declined to serve as administratrix of her husband's estate, as the following document attests:
"To Samuel Jones, Register                       Troy Farm
March 27, 1814
"I decline the acceptance of letters of administration of the
goods and chattels, receipts and credits belonging to my late husband, Dr. John McDowell, deceased, desiring and petitioning
that letters of administration be granted to General Armstrong
and Honorable Walter Forward or either of them."
"In witness whereof, etc.
M. (Margaret) McDowell
(Seal)
Witnesses: Archibald Armstrong
S. A. Read (Sarah Ann McDowell Read, daughter)"
Speculating on the age of Dr. McDowell, it can be deduced
with a fair degree of certainty that he was between 65 and 68,
since in 1776 his first military commission was a "surgeon's mate"
rather than chief surgeon, indicating that he was at that time a
younger man, possibly between 23 and 25.
Although Dr. McDowell lived well for that day and age, there
is every reason to believe that he was essentially a man of simple
tastes. This assertion is borne out by the very brief inscription
on his slab in Beulah graveyard, an inscription that is startling in
its brevity in that day of long and flowery tombstone verbiage:
DR. JOHN MCDOWELL
LATE OF TROY FARM
The same lack of ostentation is shown in the very short obituary
which appeared in John Scull's Pittsburgh Gazette of March 25,
1814:
1o8THE ART OF MEDICINE IN AND ABOUT THE VILLAGE, Part I
"Died on Monday morning last (Mar. 2 1) at his farm in Pitt Township, Dr. John McDowell, one of the associate judges of the courts
of Allegheny County."
Nowhere is there any of that fulsome eulogy and ostentatious
grief, so characteristic of that time, to accompany an important
person to the grave. There is no mention of military glory.
It is not hard to vision the funeral cortege wending its way to
Beulah. A black-draped, carpenter-made coffin, with the symbolic
sheaf of wheat atop, borne on one of the farm wagons over winterrutted roads; the pall-bearers walking beside the casket, with
black crepe bands on their left arms; the other mourners riding
in all manner of vehicles-a long procession. Then, at Beulah, the
log-cabin church funeral service conducted by the Rev. James
Graham, whose wife had died but three weeks before. And the
pall-bearers lowering the coffin into the bare ground on leather
thongs. No pleasantly lined graves or hidden banks in those days
to spare the feelings of the bereaved. Just stark reality. And the
minister throwing the first clods of earth onto the coffin before
the grave-digger quickly began shoveling in, in the presence of
the mourners.
And what became of Mrs. McDowell and her daughter and
what was the fate of Troy Farm?
Step by step these mysteries can be traced. On April 1, 1814,
the Pittsburgh Gazette carried two announcements undersigned
by George Armstrong and Walter Forward, administrators of the
McDowell estate: "On the 8th of April next, the personal property of John McDowell, deceased, will be sold at his late residence
on the Monongahela above Pittsburgh. At the same time and
place will be sold the indentures of a negro boy now about 14
years old and bound to the age of 21, if not previously sold at a
private sale. At the same time will be leased to the highest bidder
for one year, the House, Barn, Orchard, Garden and seven Acres
of Meadow where the late Dr. McDowell resided." This notice
appeared again on the 15th of April.
The second announcement was the customary executors' notice
and then under date of August 2, 1815 daughter Sarah Ann Read,
109ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
"sole heiress of Dr. John McDowell, late of Allegheny County,"
conveyed Troy Farm for the sum of $14,000 to Magnus Murray,
who at a later date became mayor of Pittsburgh but who at this
time was the owner of a cutlery factory on Grant's Hill and also
somewhat of a speculator in land. This transaction is recorded in
Allegheny County, D. B. 21, p. 343, and was witnessed by George
Armstrong and John Young. According to the law of that day,
Mrs. McDowell as widow had but a life interest in the property
and could not give title but the daughter, also a widow, arranged
that a purchase money mortgage for the entire sale price be made
out in her mother's name. (D. B. 2 1, p. 345.)
Magnus Murray wasted no time; on September 23, 1815 the
Pittsburgh Gazette carried a notice wherein he advertised for sale
or perpetual lease "a number of small farms on the Monongahela
being part of Troy Farm, which have been laid out to suit purchasers. The terms will be very advantageous and indisputable
titles given." In this wise was Troy Farm partitioned and it was
in this way that the Dennistons acquired a section of the original
Troy Farm, they being descendants of a brother of Dr. McDowell.
Mrs. McDowell survived her husband four years. Thanks to the
records of the Pennsylvania Genealo!gical Society, which at one
time published Westmoreland County graveyard inscriptions, it
was possible to ascertain the resting place of Mrs. McDowell and
the inscription on her monument when that monument can now
no longer be found. She was interred in the old St. Clair Cemetery
in Greensburg.
MRS. M. MCDOWELL
WIFE OF DR. JOHN MCDOWELL
LATE OF TROY FARM
1818
Mrs. McDowell was Margaret Sanderson Lukens. According to
several records she was the daughter of Major Charles Lukens of
York County who in 1777 was Commander of Military Stores at
Carlisle. One record states that her mother was Margaret Sanderson (1749-1816), who married Charles Lukens in 1766. Major
Lukens died at Carlisle in 1784. If Mrs. McDowell was Major
110THE ART OF MEDICINE IN AND ABOUT THE VILLAGE, Part I
Lukens' daughter she must have been many years younger than
Dr. McDowell and probably married him between 1785 and 1787,
after he had acquired the western lands. There is also some
ground for belief that Margaret Sanderson Lukens may have been
Major Lukens' widow and married her husband's old friend, Dr.
McDowell. At any rate, they trekked westwards and built their
modest castle on the Monongahela. Troy Farm must have been
unusual for that day, judging by the emphasis which was always
placed on the name. This name carried its identity; distinguished
it in life as in the death of its occupants. To this day the name
Troy Farm has survived.
Descended from Dr. and Mrs. McDowell are at least two greatgreat-granddaughters: Mrs. Sarah Reed Watts Rose, a member of
the D.A.R., and Mrs. Julia Watts Comstock, also a member of
the D.A.R.
Dr. McDowell belonged to a number of societies which had
their origin in the period following the Revolution: among them
being the Society of the Cincinnati and the Masonic Lodge Order.
Further showing his close association with Major Lukens is the
fact that in Dr. McDowell's possession was the old Carlisle Barracks Order Book, in the unused portion of which he kept his
accounts (1795-180o2).
Bibliography in History of Dr. McDowell and the earlier medical history:
Legal research by John D. S. Truxall, Esq.
Pennsylvania Archives
Publications of the Pennsylvania Genealogical Society
Hale Sipe's Indian Wars of Pennsylvania
Fleming's History of Pittsburgh
Boucher's History of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Gazette, 1814
Account Book of Dr. John McDowell
Personal research and reminiscences.
The year 1814 saw a multitude of spring deaths,-so many, in
fact, that the conviction grows that there was an epidemic of
influenza and pneumonia similar to that experienced by the coun111ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
try in 1918-1919. Like Dr. McDowell, Dr. Nathaniel Bedford,
Pittsburgh's stylish bachelor-physician, died in 1814. He was still
listed in the Pittsburgh Directory of 1815, not as physician or
surgeon but as "gentleman", meaning that he had retired from
active practice, enjoying his handsome estate in Birmingham, his
dogs and his horses and teaching a number of young aspirants
the art and science of medicine. Of those who had studied with
Dr. Bedford, Dr. Peter Mowry was already practicing.
Other physicians listed in the small town of Pittsburgh at that
time were: Drs. Frederick Aigster, William Coxe, George Dawson, Joel S. Lewis, Morrell Barker, Edward Pennington, John
y..d7.. in 6ge eSi-Venson. There may have been several physicians in what is now East Liberty. According to the custom of that
time almost all of these men maintained continuous advertisements in the Pittsburgh Gazette, setting forth their successes and
advertising drugs and "patent" medicines in a way which would
be considered entirely unethical at the present time.
No record was found of a medical society in Pittsburgh, but
Washington, Pennsylvania, boasted of an organization entitled
the "Washington County Medical Society", which advertised its
quarterly meetings in the Pittsburgh Gazette in 1814 and evidently drew its members from the surrounding counties.
Returning to the village of Wilkinsburg. Dr. McDowell had
gone to his reward but there was another to take his place. It is
not known precisely when Dr. Robert Wilson began practicing
but he is mentioned as being the physician of the Cannon family
in 18 6. (Jane Grey Cannon Swisshelm's "Half a Century".)
At this time the Cannons were living on the Great Turnpike
(Penn Avenue) and Dr. Wilson was their neighbor at the corner
of what is now Hay Street and which then was a lane which led
direct to the home of Colonel McNair. It is not known with whom
Dr. Wilson studied but it may easily have been with Dr. McDowell. In 1825 Dr. Wilson moved to East Liberty and his practice was taken over by Dr. James Carothers.
At the extreme end of the district, Dr. James Horner, the
bachelor brother of Squire John Horner, lived on the old Horner
112THE ART OF MEDICINE IN AND ABOUT THE VILLAGE, Part I
farm on the Frankstown Road at what is now Oakwood Street,
and practiced in that section. He died in 1853 and is buried in
Beulah graveyard.
Dr. James Carothers, a native son (1797-1867), read medicine
presumably with Dr. Wilson, and between the years 1835 and
1840o enjoyed an extensive practice in which he was assisted by
Dr. John Kuhn of Penn Township, who had studied with Dr.
Carothers. Dr. Kuhn and his family later located at Salem, Ohio.
Dr. Carothers and his wife, Matilda Graham, built and occupied a handsome house which stood on spacious grounds at the
southeasterly corner of "Main Street" (Penn Avenue), on the
present site of the Caldwell and Graham store. Having no family
of their own, they adopted a niece of Mrs. Carothers, Mary Agnew
(Mrs. Milligan), whose vivacious temperament made her very
popular in the village. She was the inseparable companion of
Lidie Horner (Mrs. Franklin M. Gordon) and the two girls were
always into some kind of mischief, their chief delight being grocer
Abraham Stoner's candy barrel. It was told by Mrs. Gordon that
they once bought three cents worth of candy and, after sampling
it, were not satisfied. They returned it and received another kind,
free of charge.
Dr. Carothers was a kindly, genial gentleman of short, rotund
figure, a clean-shaven face, and a merry twinkle in his eyes. The
children of the village called him "Uncle Jim". His lady was
renowned for her austerity and pride, a combination not rare in
those days.
Continuing his practice until 1850, Dr. Carothers was elected
to the Pennsylvania State Legislature, serving several terms. During this period the family resided in Harrisburg but made frequent visits, by stage and canal, to the village, where their house
was always kept in readiness for them.
On April 14, 1867 the good doctor went "the way of all flesh"
and came to rest in Beulah graveyard. Two sarcophagus shaped
monuments in a fenced plot near the entrance of the cemetery
mark the graves of Dr. and Mrs. Carothers.
Enjoying a large practice in Penn and Plum Townships and
113CONTENTS
7. THE NATHANIELS I, II, III, IV OF THE
MONTGOMERY FAMILY-E.MCC.E.                             140
8. THE SAMUEL TAYLOR FAMILY-E.M.D.                          144
1830
1. THE STORY OF KELLY'S LANDS-Samuel Henry McKee   146
2. EDUCATION IN THE VILLAGE, Part I-Public School           149
Text by Mrs. J. D. Anderson and Ilka M. Stotler; compiled from histories of the Wilkinsburg Schools by Prof.
J. L. Allison and Dr. Fulton R. Stotler; Reminiscences of
Jane Grey Swisshelm, George E. Turner, Jane W. Boyd,
Mrs. Steinacker, Mrs. J. D. Anderson and Charles R.
Wilson.
3. LIMESTONE-M.G.B.                                         156
4. THE WILL OF FREDERICK STONER-E.M.D.                      160
5. THE ANDERSON-LUDWICK FAMILIES-M.L.M.                     164
6. THE HORNER FAMILY-I.M.S.                                 169
Compiled from Horner records.
7. THE WILLIAM MCCREA FAMILY-E.MCC.E.                       175
Compiled from Wm. McCrea family papers.
8. THE HORBACK FAMILY-I.M.S.                                182
9. THE WILLIAM BOYD FAMILY-J.W.B. and M.B.D.                186
10. MRS. JANE BOYD WADSWORTH-J.W.B.                          191
1840
1. EXTRACT FROM HARRIS' DIRECTORY 1841 (Page 153)        195
2. A BRIEF HISTORY OF METHODISM IN WILKINSBURGVernon R. Covell                                       196
3. REV. I. C. PERSHING-H.R.P.                               200
XIIIANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
occasionally attending patients in Wilkinsburg was Dr. Samuel
Schreiner, a resident of New Texas. Born in January, 1822, he
began practicing about 1843. It is not known with whom he
studied but at that time he was considered a good physician. The
arduous life of a country doctor exacted its toll and he fell a victim to apoplexy at the age of 46 years. By his patients he was
referred to as "old" Dr. Schreiner even as a young man; his grim
ways and long beard inspired the children with a lively fear of
and respect for his person. His calomel and rhubarb treatment is
still in the memory of surviving old-timers.
Dr. Schreiner died April 12, 1868. With his wife, Lucinda, who
died in 1865, he rests in the old Plum Creek Cemetery near the
junction of Route 80 and the New Texas Road, now known as the
Laird Church Graveyard, named in honor of Reverend Francis
Laird, pastor of the church, who died in 1865.
In the tangle of myrtle which prevails in Laird Graveyard the
Schreiner monuments, surrounded by small markers for the children who died in infancy, may still be seen. Strangely enough,
the marker to a son, Samuel, bears a Greek inscription. From this
it is evident that Dr. Schreiner enjoyed a classical education and
may have had a taste for the old Philosophers.
[3]
THE STOTLER FAMILY
UT for Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the attendant
Thirty Years' War which ravaged the Palatine South German States, the Stotler record in Western Pennsylvania, as well
as that of a majority of pioneer settlers of Germanic origin, would
not now be history.
Causative factors of the general exodus from the Upper and
the Lower Palatinates and circumstances attending transportation and landing of the emigrant Bavarians and Rhinelanders are
114THE STOTLER FAMILY
in all cases strangely similar. Experiences on the way and ultimate
geographical distribution are identical.
The life-struggle of Protestantism in Catholic South Germany
as well as in France for nearly two centuries was the common
cause uniting German "Eidgenosse" and French "Huguenot".
It is said that the latter title is a derivative of the former, allowing
for the difficulty experienced by the Gallic tongue in adapting
itself to the German pronunciation. Be that as it may, the somewhat more favorably situated Bavarian and Rhenish Palatines
aided their French brethren in faith with money and arms.
War could and did impoverish the German Palatine, but it
could not daunt his stubborn courage.
It may be well to consider the condition and status of the Palatine on his native soil. Those of the Upper or Bavarian Palatinate
were for the most part city dwellers in such centers of great mediaeval industrialism and education as Nuremberg, Augsburg,
Regensburg, ~Wurttemberg, and Munich. In the first three cities
flourished the famous industrial guilds representing skilled craftsmen in textiles, gold and silver, printing and bookbinding. There
were few who could not read and write. Those of the Lower or
Rhenish Palatinate were agriculturists and wine-growers.
Many of those Palatines had a heritage of military glory attested by crests and coats of arms dating from the Crusades.
Their ancestors had been members of knightly retinues who had
the privilege of employing some modification of their leaders'
heraldic devices as distinguishing features on the field of battle.
These were retained and became identified with the descendants
for all time. Some were nobles, some "commoners", but all had an
identical background.
William Penn, the Proprietor in the near future of the great
tract of land to be known as Pennsylvania, had come in contact
with the German "Sects" in the Rhenish Palatinate in his visits
to the Continent in 1671 and 1677. In the first visit he realized
the near relationship in their religious belief with that of his,-the
Quaker or Friend's Society. In 1677 he came to the southern
Rhineland with religious tracts translated into the German and
115ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Dutch language in order to better effect his promulgation of the
Quaker faith.
He was accompanied part way in the journey by George Fox
who had recently returned from the New World. William Penn
was a very weary man, broken by imprisonments and the bitter
persecution of all non-conforming religionists to the Church of
England, the Episcopal Church. In this persecution those of his
own faith had suffered most. The thought of a refuge in the New
World in which a "Holy Experiment" might be worked out was
brooding in his mind, and four years later, in 1681, his dream
became reality by the receipt of the charter for Pennsylvania, so
named by Charles II in honor of Admiral Sir William Penn. This
land was thrown open at once to people of any religious belief,
and the German people, cautiously, responded to it.
The Palatines were interested but wary, and general movements are not accomplished in a day. A handful took the venture
at once. The earliest comers were in many instances titled or
well-to-do folk who came with their servants, acquired land and
prospered from the start. This first movement, while not large,
was important and gave rise to the establishment of textile mills
in Philadelphia.
It was not long until the honest intentions of William Penn
and his Quakers were subverted by his unscrupulous colonization agents. Transporting emigrants presently became a paying
trade, bringing good money into the coffers of English ship companies. These latter soon maintained their agents in Amsterdam
and Rotterdam, inveigling emigrants by all manner of get-richquick schemes. The agents enjoyed free passage back and forth
and received a fee of from seven to ten dollars for every emigrant
over ten years of age. Many kidnapings occurred and in this wise
did Penn's plans degenerate into a disgraceful form of white slaving from which the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was not freed
until the laws of 1830 became effective.
The Palatines, who in the main had very little money, were
systematically mulcted of their small hoards. After leaving their
homes they had to pass through a number of custom-houses before
116THE STOTLER FAMILY
arriving at Rotterdam, each taking its fee. Often there were delays
of three or four weeks before reaching the port and then sometimes sailings were delayed for a like period. Their baggage was
frequently detained for one reason or another, meanwhile being
plundered for valuables.
The earliest transportation costs were from six to ten pounds
for every adult; children from ten to fourteen paid half-fare and
those under four traveled free. An additional head charge was
made for a two-foot sleeping space. The ships' captains sold the
bare necessities in food to such as had not provided sufficiently
before embarking or in case the emigrant's provisions were used
up before landing. From 176o to 1770 transportation costs had
risen to fourteen and seventeen pounds and later this rate was
raised to twenty pounds.
The state of a nearly penniless Palatine boarding the ship may
be imagined. His plight gave rise to the adoption of the "Redemption System", a plan in use in the Virginia Colony for years before
slave labor became prevalent in 1670. This system meant that
the emigrant upon his arrival in port was sold on the auction
block to anyone who paid his fare. The term of servitude or "redeeming" was not to be more than four years nor less than two
in the case of adults. Children fared worse since they could be
held until the age of twenty-one. If one or more members of a
family perished at sea more than half way over, the remaining
members were obliged to serve not only their own periods, but
also for those who had died. If the deaths occurred before half
the crossing had been completed, no passage had to be paid.
Insight into the treatment of emigrants en route reveals much
inhumanity. As reported by investigators of that time, the ships
were little better than Guinea Slavers. When provisions ran low,
due to delays, it was no uncommon practice to throw the sick or
starving overboard, so by the time Philadelphia was reached often
one-half of the human cargo had perished. Or the sick and dead
were taken ashore and the latter hastily buried at the port.
Until 18oo Philadelphia and its environs was the objective of
the immigrant, yet there had been a gradual distribution to Lan117ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
caster and Franklin Counties. Cumberland County records also
show a considerable proportion of German influx. These early
settlers took part in the French and Indian Wars and against the
latter background stands Lieutenant Casper Stattler.
Some twenty Stotlers, the present spelling being a deviation of
the original Stattler, Stadler, Stutler, or Stadtler, came to Pennsylvania between 1730 and 1770. Some may have been Redemptioners; others must have come with means as they early acquired
large tracts of land. The second generation on American soil
received extensive land grants for military service.
One Johann Adam Stadler arrived in Philadelphia on the ship
Alexander and Anne September 5, 1730. One year later came
Charlotte Stadler and two girls under 16, named Mary and
Catrina, on the Pennsylvania Merchant, commanded by the ruthless Captain Steadman. One imagines these four represented a
family, the father taking the first risk and then sending for his
wife and daughters.
There is a lapse of seven years until the coming of Christian
Stadler in 1738.
On Monday, October 18, 1749, the boat Lydia with a cargo of
Palatines from Wurttemberg docked at Philadelphia. On board
were Jacob Stattler and John Jacob Kuhn, by surmise his cousin;
this surmise being based on the present day relationship between
the Stotlers and the Kuhns. Both signed the ship's register with
the small, angular, Gothic script of that day. Tremors in the writing denote considerable motion of the ship. An oath forswearing
allegiance to the Pope was also given.
On Monday, August 13, 1750, Casper Stattler and Ulrich
Steiner (Stoner) signed the register and landed in Philadelphia
from the ship Bennett Galley. Of these two Stotlers, Jacob and
Casper, who may have been brothers, more was to be heard.
Certain it is that Casper was an Ensign with Colonel Armstrong at Fort Bedford on March 2o, 1759. He had been married
to Mary Elizabeth Scarisbrook of Philadelphia. Owing to the
troublesome repetition of names in the Stotler family it is not
certain whether the above Jacob or a son of the same name served
118THE STOTLER FAMILY
as first Lieutenant in 1777 among the Cumberland County Revolutionary recruits. Be that as it may, the names of Emanuel,
Rudolph, Samuel, Jacob, John, Casper and Henry Stotler all
appear in the military records of Pennsylvania, as do those of their
relatives by blood and by marriage as attested by the number of
Kuhns, Sniveleys, Bowmans and Alters serving in the same military companies,-all familiar names in Western Pennsylvania.
Tradition has it that a Casper Stotler and his brother Rudolph
were the earliest local settlers, locating on the Frankstown Road.
Casper is said to have come about 1759 or 1760 and died in or
about 1793. He was buried in the now Mt. Hope cemetery, where
until recent years a small, rounded headstone commemorated the
spot. This has unfortunately been removed. Some confusion results from the fact that a Casper Stotler is buried in a small graveyard in Somerset County and the Somerset County Statlers consider their Casper to have been the one who took part in the
French and Indian Wars, a claim which might equally well be
upheld in favor of the local pioneer.
Thus, most of the Stotlers in Allegheny County have descended
from two families of early settlers: viz., Rudolph and Jacob.
These were early settlers in Antrim Township of what was then
Cumberland County but which became later and still is Franklin
County. Both men were active in the military affairs of Pennsylvania and, judging from their military rank, were men of influence in their community. Rudolph was a captain in the army
during the Revolution and has a distinguished record.
Shortly after peace was declared and the colonies made independent he decided to move to the western country and settled
in Pitt Township, now Penn Township, Allegheny County in
1785. He had a large family, thirteen children,-descendants of
whom are numerous in Allegheny County.
Rudolph Stotler had a large farm on the Frankstown Road and
gave part of it to be used as a burial ground, now Mt. Hope Cemetery. Captain Stotler's relative and neighbor, Frederick Stoner,
gave the other part. After his death the farm was sold but even
today a portion is owned by his descendants.
119ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Jacob Stotler was a Lieutenant of Pennsylvania Associators
and Militia during the Revolution. He had married and acquired
considerable property before the Revolution and after the war decided to migrate westward to settle on the farm in Penn Township he had acquired in 1773. Death intervened, however, and
before he could carry out his plans he was killed in an accident
on his farm in Franklin County. His widow determined to go on
and in 1789 brought her family of seven children to her husband's
farm of about three hundred acres. This intrepid woman died in
1809, living to see her children well settled and on the road to
becoming influential citizens. One of her sons married his cousin,
Catherine Stotler, a daughter of Rudolph and founded a long line.
Her eldest son, Emanuel, purchased the homestead farm
after the death of his mother and this property descended to his
children and grandchildren, a considerable portion of it being
still held intact by his descendants.
The Stotler family has had an active part in public affairs
locally. There have been road supervisors, township commissioners, school directors, justices of the peace and numerous
records evidence their activity in the development of their communities.
[4]
THE HENRY CHALFANT FAMILY
REQUENT mention has been made of the difficulty of contact
between pioneer settlers owing to the lack of worn trails between the cabins which were back from the usual line of travel.
But, even where there were roads, traveling was difficult because
of the contour of the ground. The height of the hills made progress
very slow and hard for the horses in ascent and very nerve-racking
to the travelers in descent, where the difficulty was reversed and
the wagon tried to reach the bottom before the horses.
Anyone familiar with Turtle Creek before the erection of the
120THE HENRY CHALFANT FAMILY
Westinghouse shops will recall the few houses of the village and
the farm land spreading out in the bottom land, through which
ran the mineral colored and ofttimes muddy water of Turtle
Creek which emptied into the Monongahela River a short distance beyond; and on both sides of the level, the hills.
The long, steep and dangerous descent on the eastern side and
the short, narrow and stiff ascent on the western side are described
in a diary of 1810. The diary was written by a young girl of
eighteen who was traveling from New Haven, Connecticut to
Warren, Ohio in a two-horse springless wagon driven by Deacon
W., who was accompanied by his wife and daughter Susan,
the latter about the age of Margaret Van Horn Dwight, the writer
of the diary.
These young girls had divers experiences during their journey
of six weeks' duration, covering a distance of "near 6oo miles".
One of the least pleasant of the experiences was an "embarrassment of riches" showered upon them in the form of marriage
proposals. They had crossed the mountains the greater part of
the way on foot, their shoes were cut, their feet were blistered, but
they were filled with pleasant anticipation, for they had been told
that "Pittsburgh is but 12 miles away";-when-but let Miss
Dwight tell the story:
Nov-24-Friday morn--Turtle Creek-Penn"One misfortune follows another and I fear we shall never
reach our journeys end-Yesterday we came about 3 miles-After
coming down an awful hill we were oblig'd to cross a creek-but
before we quite came to it the horses got mired  we expected
every moment one of them would die-but Erastus held his head
out of water while Mr W- was attempting to unharness them.
gc Mrs W-- 8 Susan were on the bank calling for help-I sat by, to
see the horse breathe his last but was happily disappointed in my
expectation-No assistance could be got-till Mr W-- waded
through the water : then 2 men with 3 horses came over-We
came to this Inn  Mr W- thought it best to stay till this morning-All our company had gone on-Mr Smith invited me to ride
with his wife on to Pitts'g- I on some accounts wish I had accepted his invitation-indeed I could scarcely get beside it121ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
"We found a gentleman (Doctor I presume by his looks-) here
who was very sociable c staid an hour with us-He appear'd to be
a man of good information S considerable politeness-We found
the landlord very good natur'd Sc obliging gc his wife directly the
contrary-We find the men generally much more so than their
wives-We are 12 miles from Pitt--  here like to be-The landlord offers to keep Susan  me till spring c let the old folks go
on-We got into the slough of Despond yesterday-Sc are now at
the foot of the hill Difficulty-which is half a mile long-one waggon is already fast in the mud on it-Sc Mr W- is afraid to attempt
it himself-I think I will winter here-"
After regular stage coach schedules for travelers and mail were
established, taverns of high class were maintained as stopping
places for "refreshment for man and beast", as well as lodging
places for those who were overtaken by night in adverse weather,
or whose destination was a farm or hamlet removed from the line
of travel.
Seventeen years after Miss Dwight's journey there came to this
region a new proprietor for the log Inn in the valley of the
"slough of Despond" lying between the "awful hill" on the one
side and the "hill Difficulty" on the other. The name of the new
proprietor was Henry Chalfant.
The name Chalfant reaches back through authentic history
from the present day to the close of the 12th century in England,
and during the intervening years has appeared in England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, and United States of America.
It was two hundred years after the Norman conquest of England (10o66) that surnames or family names were first adopted.
When this began, the names were formed by several devices:from trades, such as baker, carpenter, mason, smith; or from relations, as son of (Peterson, Jamison, Johnson); or from the names
of places, where the Lord of the Manor took the name of the place,
or gave the place his name, as is often done today. The name
under consideration belongs to the third class.
English records show that in 1288 William "de Chalfhunte"
bought lands in Buckinghamshire, England from William de la
122THE HENRY CHALFANT FAMILY
Rye and Alice, his wife. The name de Chalfhunte indicates that
he was an owner of land in this locality. Coming down through
the centuries we find the name in prominent places. In 1346 there
appears on English records the name of Henri de Chalfont as
High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, whose manor house was at
Chalfont-St. Giles. Afterwards the Christian names of Henry,
Richard, William, and John appear repeatedly. These names are
still familiar in the Chalfant family today. In 1372 "the King's
precept was issued to Thomas Servale, escheator for Buck's, to
take security of Thomas de Chalfont in respect of divers lands
and tenements and advowsons in Chalfont-St. Giles." (Advowson
was a right of presentation to a church or benefice, the owner of
which right was called a patron or advocate.)
But from this orderly procession of law-abiding and law-dispensing de Chalfontes there came in the early i6th century a
William de Chalfonte who, like Jeshuran in scriptural history,
"waxed fat and kicked", for the records state that in 1511 a dispute arose between a William de Chalfonte and James Butler,
the great Irish Lord Ormonde, in which de Chalfonte "broke in
closes and houses of Lord Ormonde's tenants, carried away their
goods and depastured their lands and threatened them so that
they fled". Peace being restored in 1533, another William de
Chalfonte was appointed Mayor of Wycombe, Bucks, a few miles
from Chalfont-St. Giles, and in 1537 another William was appointed Steward of the Court at Dachet on the Thames, one and
a half miles from Windsor Castle.
In 1559 immigration to France took place in the family of a
John Chalfonte.
In 1625 a Jasper Chalfonte emigrated to Germany.
In Bucks in 1647 there appears the name of Richard Chalfonte,
tallage collector. (Tallage being any tax or imposition to raise
revenue.)
In 1630 the name of Chalfonte first appears on the Colonial
records of New England.
In closing this authentic English record of Chalfonte sojourn
in Buckinghamshire, England, extending over four centuries,
123CONTENTS
4. THE GRAHAMS-M.G.B.                                   201
5. THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OR
THE CHURCH OF THE COVENANTERS                      208
Text by Jane W. Boyd from diary of Hugh Boyd and
memories of William Boyd; Henning family records; and
from papers prepared for and read before the Covenanter
Church Societies and the Woman's Club of Wilkinsburg, by Mrs. Leatitia H. Hunter (Mrs. A. S.).
6. THE SAMUEL HENNING FAMILY-M.H.W.                     219
7. SAMUEL HENRY-Samuel Henry McKee                      222
8. MAJOR HENRY ALLSHOUSE, COLONEL JOSEPH ALLSHOUSE,
LEBBAEUS ALLSHOUSE-E.K.L.                          224
9. THE NORTHERN PIKE JOHNSTONS-E.M.D.                   228
10. DEATH OF THE REV. JAMES GRAHAM                       229
1 ia. HISTORY OF HEBRON UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHJ. Albert Morrow                                   230
1 ib. 1550-1858-THE COVENANTS-E.M.D.                     232
12. UNION OF CHURCHES-RESULTING IN THE
UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH                         237
From records of Dr. James Rankin.
13. JOHN BLACK-M.G.B.                                    239
14. ALEXANDER HAMILTON-E.M.D.                            241
15. THE VILLAGE POSTMASTERS-S.H.J.                       244
16. ABRAHAM STONER-E.M.D.                                245
17. EDWARD THOMPSON, MOORE THOMPSON-S.H.J.               247
18. ANCESTORS OF THE REV. JOSEPH HUNTER AND HIS WIFE
MARY ANNE DENISTON-L.H.H.                          252
19. JOHN AND SUSAN RICE-L.H.H.                           254
2o. THE UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH-Miss Kurtz                255
XIVANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
two things claim mention. Whether the de Chalfonte of the
twelfth century gave his name to the two parishes in Bucks or
took his name from the places is not certainly known, but Chalfonte-St. Giles, as place and name, is dear to all lovers of literature,
history and romance, for here John Milton had residence in a
small cottage while the plague raged in London in 1665 and in
the quiet beauty and pure air of the country surrounding Chalfont-St. Giles finished his great poem, Paradise Lost. And here,
also, in 1669 in the garden of the Grange took place the romantic
scene between William Penn, the Quaker, and Guglielma Marie
(Guli) Springett, as given by the late Oliver Huckel in his
Dreamer of Dreams.
"All the world loves a lover", so a digression here may be pardoned to insert beautiful Guglielma's account of William Penn's
avowal of love for her, and her response in the simple and sincere
language of the Society of Friends.
"Most delightful were these days at the Grange, with such goodly
company as Thomas Ellwood, John Milton, and dear quaint
Deborah, whom I love for her gentleness and brightness.
"And now today into this poetical and musical circle at Chalfont
suddenly walked in Will Penn, the Quaker. I had only seen him
once before for, Oh, so short a time, but he had not forgotten me.
I saw that at once. Again his deep eyes looked into mine and my
heart thrilled. HIe had come down in haste from London to see my
step-father, Isaac Pennington, about some important matters concerning our Society of Friends....
"How delightful to me was his friendly speech and sometimes
while he spoke, he looked so earnestly into my eyes.
"He stayed with us the next night also at the Grange, but I saw
little of him except as he told to all of us the story of the suffering
of Friends in various parts of England and Ireland.
"To-night, in passing through the hall, he stopped and spoke
to me, saying that he opined that God was in all this doing, and
might this not be the stranger for whom the Lord had reserved me.
What strange fancies he had! For this noble stranger cannot think
thus of me, and yet he is one whom my whole heart could love.
"It was on the third day, as I was seated in a rustic arbor of the
124THE HENRY CHALFANT FAMILY
garden knitting, that he came out, having finished business with
father, and seated himself with me and began to talk of his
dreams.... "
(WILLIAM PENN)... "God has given me these dreams to reveal my life and work
to me. I have given myself to Him and I will follow where the spirit
shall lead. To-day I want to tell thee of another dream, for all these
years in prison and out, He has given me a longing for a helpmeet. I dreamed of such an one while I was in the Tower, of one
who should share my Cross and my Crown, of one who in herself
was innocency with her open face. I thought in symbols of human
as well as of divine affection. When I beheld thee at the very first,
I knew that the Lord had led me to thee. Three days have I visited
thee, and sought the Lord for direction, and He has given me a command to love thee. For me He has reserved thee, that thou shouldst
be unto me a companion and a helpmeet in all the work that God
has for us. Thou art the fulfillment of my heart's dreams and desire.
May the Lord put it into thy heart to answer the right words."
(GULI)... "As I looked at him then, he was as handsome a youth as I
ever beheld-fresh-faced, rosy lipped, his hair parted in the middle,
and his long cavalier locks reaching to his shoulders. There was a
serious-mindedness showing in his face which indicated strong
character. His eyes had an intense earnestness; they had a determined look in them, settled and steady, but at the same time a soft
and lustrous gentleness. Surely there is character, noble and heroic,
in this man, both in ideals and actions, and surely, also, a bold and
courageous spirit and temper that will bear all trials and difficulties
with a serene and cheerful composure and an unswerving faith.
"I sat silent for awhile, meditating and waiting for the divine
light. Then I looked again quickly into his deep eyes and earnest
face. What was I to withstand the manifest leading of the Lord?
What was I to withhold help in such a time? So I put my hands into
his, as I answeredBe it unto me as thou wilt!"
Tradition says that John Chalfant, the first of the Pennsylvania
line, arrived in America on the ship Welcome, accompanying
125ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
William Penn in 1682, and received 640 acres of land in Chester
County, Pennsylvania.
Another account, which is documented, states that he arrived
in 1699 and took possession of 250 acres in Rockland Manor,
Chester County. For this tract he obtained a warrant in 1701. The
second account indicates that he did accompany William Penn,
but on the proprietary's second trip to America, landing in Chester November 30o, 1699; and it also indicates that John Chalfant
I of Pennsylvania was of the Quaker faith.
1  Henry Chalfant of Turtle Creek was the fifth son and sixth
child of Jonathan and Anne Barnard Chalfant of Chester County.
He was of the sixth generation of Chalfant pioneers in Pennsylvania.
Born in Chester County, he came to Turtle Creek in 1827. On
his way west he may have considered permanent residence in
Cumberland County for there he became acquainted with and
married Isabella Campbell Weakley, a native of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Soon after his settlement in Turtle Creek he became
what might be called the Potentate of the valley, for he was the
owner of the general store (the market center of a large territory),
the Postmaster of one of the early established post-offices of the
western country, and was also the proprietor of the long established log tavern, inn, hostel, hotel,-call it what you will,-with
a reputation of high standing. The relay and ticket station for
the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia stage-coach line was also at this
inn.
The log house became a beehive of industry. No longer could
it be said by travelers, "We found the landlord very good natur'd
S obliging Sc his wife directly the contrary"... for Isabella
Weakley Chalfant of Quaker stock and training had
"The reason firm, the temperate will,
Endurance, foresight, strength and skill,
A perfect woman, nobly planned,
To warn, to comfort and command."
During twenty years of labor as mistress of the Inn, labor she
often had to delegate to her capable sister, Miss Sydney Weakley,
126THE HENRY CHALFANT' FAMILY
(Ma) Mrs. Henry Chalfant became the mother of ten children:
John Weakley Chalfant born 1827 died 1898
William Barnard "      " 1829 " 1830
Sidney Alexander "     " 1831    1913
Anne Rebecca    "        " 1833 " 1896
Hettie Isabella   "    " i835 " 1840
Henry Richard   "      "  1837 " 1887
James Thomas   "       " 1839  " 1901
George Alexander "     "  i841 " 1904
William Lusk    ".       1843 " 1895
Albert McKinney "      " 1846 " 1915
You may note that there were but three daughters in this large
family, one of whom died when five years old. It is from the oldest
daughter, Sidney (Aunt Sid), that reminiscences of these early
days in the hospitable inn are passed down. She speaks with pride
of her own early training in domestic arts, in which she excelled;
of the precision with which, as a child of three, she moved her
little footstool from place to place in order to "lay" the knife
and fork and spoon and glass "just so" on the dining room table;
of how she learned to count in listening for the horn of the stagecoach as it came down the perilous "hill Difficulty" or the "awful
hill", each blast an announcement of the arrival of a hungry guest.
How quick the action must have been if enough places were
not laid, or when at times the overflow was so great that a run
across to the log store was necessary to borrow the pink lustre
china that was part of the store stock of tableware! Need it be
said that those same pink lustre cups and saucers are treasured
heirlooms today of Miss Evaline Macfarlane Chalfant.
"Aunt Sid" also tells of there being Indian guests at times who
left their papooses strapped to their boards and ranged along the
wall of the porch while the mothers sat down within and partook
of the tasty food. Would there be corn pone and succotash on those
days? We wonder! Of one thing we feel sure, that no tobacco pipe
was lighted by red man or white in that spotless dining room in
Turtle Creek during the years 1827-47.
Another story relevant to those days is told by Henry Chalfant
127ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Miller, a grandson of Henry and Isabella Chalfant on his maternal side, Ann Rebecca Chalfant, and a grandson of Colonel William Ludlum Miller on his father's side, Albert Gallatin Miller
of Port Perry.
"A Mr. Scudder from New York City had stopped on his way west
to visit his old friend, Colonel William Ludlum Miller of Port
Perry. It was a rainy, foggy night. The coach was very late and it
was impossible to go on to his friend's home. The city man was
skeptical about a country tavern but the driver assured him that the
beds were good and the food of the best. Everything was dark and
still about the house, but the driver quietly took a candle from a
side table, lighted it and escorted the gentleman to a bedroom. Left
alone in the dim light, Mr. Scudder, probably well provided with
money, turned to lock the door, only to find that there was no key
in the lock and no other means of making the door secure. He
pushed the washstand against the door and determined to keep
eyes and ears alert. Tired to death from the long day in the jolting
coach, like the young man from Ostend, he "did what he didn't
intend". When Mr. Scudder awakened, everything was intact.
However, there was but one disturbing element. The washstand
implored him to put it quickly in its place as it had been most
unhappy all night, owing to the disorder of the room. The combined odors of warm food brought Mr. Scudder down-stairs quickly
and thereafter the tale of his western journey, often repeatd, always
ended with,'Never, never had I eaten such a meal in all my life.'"
From the Henry Chalfant family of Turtle Creek valley there
radiate so many relationships, so many interesting personages,
that it is difficult to pass any by. But the line of least resistance is
always the easiest to follow and here the line leads along with
Mr. Scudder as he crossed the creek and wound his way up the
high hill to the home of his good friend Colonel Miller.
William Ludlum Miller was of English stock. Traditionally,
the family came from Maidstone, County of Kent, England.
About 1650 the first American representative of the family, John
Miller, Sr., arrived in Boston, Massachusetts. Soon afterwards he
joined the second group of pioneers sent by the New Haven and
128THE HENRY CHALFANT FAMILY
Connecticut colonies across the Sound to settle Long Island. He
was probably a man of position, for the settlement was named
Maidstone in his honor. The name was afterwards changed to
East Hampton. Here John Miller, Sr., and his son, John, Jr., lived
and died.
Nothing more is known of them; so, relegating them to the
category of pre-historic ancestors, the William Ludlum Miller
family begin their genealogical line in the early 18th century with
the third generation in America, i.e., William Miller, Sr., the son
of John, Jr. The wanderlust seizing him, he joined a party of
adventurers moving on to Passaic Valley, New Jersey. He settled
in Westfield, New Jersey, where he reached the office of Alderman
and lived until his eighty-fifth year. The lure of the West seizing
his son, William, Jr., he moved to the "Miami Country" of Southern Ohio and Indiana. In some section of this area he lived to the
age of ninety years. He had five sons, the third of whom was
named Noah.
Noah Miller was born in 1756. He served in the New Jersey
State troops, and the Continental Army of the Revolution. After
the close of the war he, with his wife Sarah Ludlum Marsh and
their younger children, came to Pennsylvania and settled in New
Haven, now part of Connellsville, Fayette County. Among the
children were twin sons, William Ludlum and Joseph, born February 3, 1793.
In New Haven Noah Miller, with the aid of his sons, Cornelius,
William and Joseph, engaged in building houses, boats and
bridges. There was not much opportunity for school education,
but for achievements in practical purposes the Miller men had
an enviable local reputation.
William Ludlum was noted for his skill in squaring timber
with a broad axe, and stories of his skill and accuracy in throwing
stones and other missiles were told with pride by his children.
George Miller often related the following as an illustration of his
father's marksmanship:
"On a bright moonlight night he was returning home with
George when the boy saw a possum run across the road ahead of
129ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
them and seek safety on the limb of a tree which extended high
over the road. On the boy's insistence they both alighted and, furnished with a couple of sizable stones, the champion's first missile
knocked the possum off the limb; to which, however, the animal
hung by his prehensile tail. But his reliance on this useful appendage proved vain, for the second stone ended his life story and,
eventually, his broiled carcass adorned the Colonel's hospitable
table."
In 1813, the second year of the War of 1812, William L. Miller
recruited a volunteer Company of local militia of which he became Captain. This company was not called into service. During
the administration of William Findlay, Governor of Pennsylvania (1817-182 o), Captain Miller was commissioned as Colonel.
This title seems to have been a confirmation of one probably bestowed on him by popular vote of the officers of a regiment of
militia of which Captain Miller's Company may have formed a
part. From that time to his death he was always spoken of as
Colonel Miller.
In connection with boat building Colonel Miller travelled extensively, always with open eyes and mind. In 1882, full of initiative and foresight, he began building a blast furnace, an industry
opened up in that rich region by Colonel Isaac Meeson in 1790.
The furnace was first named Findlay Furnace, which was changed
to Breakneck Furnace owing to an accident during its erection
but which did not prove serious enough to justify the forbidding
name.
Colonel Miller was a Jeffersonian Democrat, but not a politician. His only active participation in politics was as a delegate to
the constitutional convention of 1837-38. He was an intimate
friend of Albert Gallatin, the Secretary of the Treasury of the
United States during the eight years of Jefferson administration
and the first term of President Madison.
Albert Gallatin, a native of French Switzerland, had bought a
large tract of land in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, about fourteen miles from Uniontown. He had built his home on a high
bluff above the Monongahela River and named it Friendship
130THE HENRY CHALFANT FAMILY
Hill. In 1825, on the occasion of General LaFayette's visit to the
United States as a guest of the nation, the Marquis was entertained over night at Friendship Hill.
Landing in New York, General LaFayette had gone down
through the cities of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts to New Orleans;
coming north by the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, he landed in
Wheeling, then on by coach through Washington, Pennsylvania
to Uniontown. Here a great ovation took place, after which a
regiment of militia, afterwards known as the Youghiogheny
Blues, escorted the General to the home of his friend at Friendship Hill. One of Colonel Miller's hobbies was fine horses, so what
more natural than that he should furnish the lead horse for the
Marquis' coach during these festival days. On Sunday morning
the General resumed his journey to Pittsburgh by way of land
to Brownsville, and then by rowboat, with four stalwart young
men as boatmen, to Braddock, where he was the guest overnight
in the mansion house of George Wallace, Esquire, known for
many years afterwards as the Allen Kirkpatrick house. As the
procession passed along by land and water, salutes from cannon
were heard far away and many congregations in distant corners
were shocked to hear this desecration of the Sabbath day.
On Monday the triumphal procession to Pittsburgh was
formed, and during the progress an event of great interest took
place that put our little village of Wilkinsburgh on the map at
that time, as well as introducing another family in our annals.
The following is from the records of the Torrance family of
Manor Vale Farm, Westmoreland County.
"Hugh Torrance I. of Hopewell Township, Cumberland County,
Pennsylvania, was born in Ireland October io, 1701. He enlisted
and fought valiantly for his adopted country in the American
Revolution. He was well advanced in years when he entered the
army, for he is on record as receiving his honorable discharge at
the remarkable age of 83 years, just one year before his death. His
son, Hugh Torrance II., also fought in the Revolution and it is
of him that the following incident is related.
"In those days the minds of the boys were full of the daring deeds
131ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
of early border warfare and hearts thrilled with patriotic fervor
over the heroic struggle made and won for independence, scarce
half a century before, and brought very near by the presence of
their grandfather in the home, Hugh Torrance II. He had been
with Washington's Army at Valley Forge and with the brave Anthony Wayne at Brandywine, Monmouth and other battles. Of the
gallant LaFayette, he remembered seeing him when a soldier and
this is how he had the honor of meeting him as he passed along
the old state road from Braddock to Pittsburgh in 1825.
"The grandfather was on a visit to his stepson, George Gray, in
Wilkinsburgh. Desirious of seeing once more the face of this loved
General, he went out the road over which the party was to pass.
LaFayette, upon seeing the aged man with trembling hand raised
in salute, and, no doubt, attracted by the old familiar three-cornered
hat over white hair tied in a queue with a bow of black ribbon,
knee breeches, black stockings and low shoes (which style he never
changed), stopped to speak to him. On learning he had been a
soldier through the war for independence, the General invited him
to a seat in his carriage, which invitation was gladly accepted.
"Hugh Torrance's youngest son, Joseph, at that time was serving
an apprenticeship to a man by the name of Ferguson, whose shop
was in the tri-cornered lot of Smithfield and Liberty Streets. All
business places were closed for the day in honor of the General's
visit to Pittsburgh. Among others, Joseph and a friend in the same
shop started out the old Fourth Street road towards Wilkinsburg,
where the militia had gone to escort LaFayette and party into the
city. Making their way through the crowd for a better view, to his
great amazement and wonder he saw his aged father with LaFayette.
They made their way to his side, where they were introduced to the
General. While holding Joseph's hand General LaFayette said
graciously:'If you prove as good a patriot as your father, and the
growing generation the same, this will be a great nation'."
The Miller twin brothers thrived in all their varied business
undertakings, and Colonel Miller was as fortunate in his happy
marriage with Jane Torrence, January 180o.
Jane Torrence was one of the eleven children of Colonel
Joseph and Mary Paull Torrence, whose homestead on a farm
near Connellsville was called PEACE.
132THE HENRY CHALFANT FAMILY
In 1777 Joseph Torrence served as second Lieutenant in the
Seventh Pennsylvania regiment and was with Washington at
Valley Forge. In 1778 he was promoted to be first Lieutenant but
soon after resigned. He was third Sheriff of Fayette County and
a delegate to the First Constitutional Convention of Pennsylvania
during the winter of 1792-93. It was while in Philadelphia attending the convention that the future father-in-law of William L.
Miller wrote to his wife on the birth of his fifth child:
"I hope to be home soon to settle the affairs of the nations and
commotions... I must do myself the Pleasure of telling you that I
am very well and as much your Lover as the day I married you...
with frizzled locks and powdered hair your
Very huml servt Joseph Torrence"
In a similar spirit of happiness and independence Colonel
Miller writes to a niece November-1820:
"I married into one of the most respectable families in this
county and the wealthiest but my father-in-law has a very good
knack in taking care of himself and I am perfectly satisfied for I
am able to take care of myself, though he has done very well in
setting us up and is close by and is at town to see us now and then.
He is a fine old fat fellow and has always thought a great deal of me."
In 1837 Colonel Miller moved from Fayette to Allegheny
County. He bought a large tract of land at the mouth of Turtle
Creek. This tract extended over a high hill and descended to the
bank of the Monongahela River, where a town had been planned
by John Perry in 1793 and named Port Perry. Colonel Miller's
purchase included riparian rights at Port Perry and to the water
power privilege of Lock and Dam No. 2 of the Monongahela
Navigation Company. Here, in partnership with his son, George
T. Miller, he built flour, saw and woolen mills; and continuing
boat building, the firm became large miners and shippers of
coal by river to southern ports.
Colonel Miller's home, built on the high hill above Port Perry,
commanded a magnificent view of the Monongahela river and
valley. It was named Delightful Hill and was the scene of the
justly famous old-time hospitality.
133CONTENTS
21. JAMES MASON FAMILY OF MAPLE VALLEYJames Duff Mason                                    255
185o
la. JOHN ScoTT LACOCK-E.M.D.                              258
ib. JOHN V. KENNEDY-E.K.L.                                261
2. OVERLAND                                              264
From The Pittsburgh Gazette Centennial issue, July 29,
1886.
3. JAMES R. NEWELL, NEWELL INSTITUTE                     272
From the Misses Newel.l.
4. THE ANCESTORS OF DR. JOHN SEMPLE AND
MRS. SARAH SEMPLE FERGUSON-Anne Ferguson            277
5. STOCKMAN FAMILY-Katherine Hartmeyer Gribble           279
6. A PLEA FOR CARE OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS               281
7. THE JACKSON FAMILY-E.M.D.                             282
8. OLD WILKINSBURG-S.T.D.J.                              286
9. MILESTONES AND TOLL GATES-J.W.B.                      289
10. THE I. G. MACFARLANE FAMILY,
MARGARET MACFARLANE PATTERSON-E.M.D.                290
11. THOMAS DAVISON AND LUKE B. DAVISON FAMILIESE.M.D.                                              302
12. THE OLD ACADEMY-E.M.D.                                307
The Rev. John M. Hastings-E.M.D.
Compiled from papers contributed by Ernest S. Craighead, Martha Graham Johnston, John Franklin Miller,
and Mrs. Kelly MhcCombs.
13. WILLIAM ANDERSON, 1828-1905-Edna J. Anderson        318
Compiled from issues of The Pittsburgh Gazette 1850-1870.
XVANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
William Ludlum and Jane Torrence Miller had nine children,
three of whom died in infancy.
Of the others:
Noah died unmarried
George Torrence married Mary Jane Craig
Mary Paull married William F. Knox, M. D.
Catherine married Rev. John M. Hastings
Phebe Ann married Daniel F. Cooper
Albert Gallatin married Ann Rebecca Chalfant
A daughter and son were actively connected with village life:
Catherine, probably a pupil of the first Academy, and afterwards
the wife of the Reverend John M. Hastings; and Albert Gallatin
Miller, a distinguished pupil of the Hastings Academy. His son,
Henry Chalfant Miller, of the seventh generation, and his family
were residents of the Borough for some years, during which time
Mrs. Miller was active in school and civic affairs.
Three other grandsons of Colonel Miller, sons of George Torrence Miller, were closely allied with Wilkinsburg. William Sydney was a student in the Ludden Academy and pastor of Beulah
Church from 1878 to 1889, the church in which he had been baptized, been converted and taken his first communion. Colonel
Miller and all his family were members of Beulah.
John Franklin Miller and Joseph Torrence Miller, while residents of Edgewood, have been closely allied with the business
interests of Wilkinsburg: John Franklin as President of the First
National Bank and Joseph Torrence as Secretary-Treasurer of the
Pennsylvania Water Company.
Colonel Miller spent his closing years in building up the town
of Port Perry at the foot of the hill....
John Franklin Miller thus concludes his appreciative sketch of
his grandfather, Colonel Miller. "His sudden death November
17, 1867, in his seventy-fifth year, closed a life notable for industry, fair dealing, benevolence and unfaltering devotion to his
family, his country and his friends."
In 1847 the Henry Chalfant family moved from Turtle Creek
134Mrs. Henry Chalfant, and grandson
Col. William Ludlow MillerOld Stone House at Mt. Hope
First Public School House. Stood at northwest corner of Wallace and Center Steets. Built 1840THE COAL INDUSTRY IN WILKINSBURG
to a farm of several hundred acres on the hill above Turtle Creek
village on the Greensburg Pike, where he built a fourteen room
brick house. The brick was burnt in the kilns on his ground, and
the lumber also grown and prepared there. This substantial
house, which cost $2,ooo, is still standing.
In the decade of 1830 to 1840 Henry Chalfant purchased
ground in Wilkinsburg. This ground covered three blocks in the
James Kelly new plan of lots: five lots-330 feet on the south side
of the pike on the west side of Hay Street. This ground extended
through the present Ross and South Avenues to Franklin Avenue.
Henry Chalfant was a trustee of the Old Academy, a member
of Beulah Church, and in every way a worthy citizen. He died
December 14, 1862, aged 72 years. Mrs. Chalfant died March 4,
1885, aged 84 years. They are buried in Beulah graveyard.
[5]
THE COAL INDUSTRY IN WILKINSBURG
HE pioneers of European heritage who came to Western
Pennsylvania were familiar with coal and its use and, therefore, were quick to detect its presence and its abundance locally.
Coal Hill on the southern bank of the Monongahela River,
was known to the soldiery at Fort Pitt in the earliest times and
they also, had knowledge of a fire which burned some sixteen
years in a certain vein of that hill, 1765-1781.
William Scull, the map-maker, indicated the presence of coal
in Berks County and in the territory surrounding Pittsburcrgh in
a survey published by him in 1770.
George Washington's western Pennsylvania journal of October 14, 1770 also bears testimony to the awareness of coal by an
entry: "At Captain Crawford's all day. We went to see a coal
mine not far from his house on the bank of the river." (The
Youghiogheny at Stewart's Crossing nearly opposite Connellsville.)
It would seem that the Proprietory Penns also recognized and
135ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
appreciated the presence of coal, since in laying out the five
thousand acres in 1769, the following reference was made by
Thomas Penn: "I would not engross all the coal hills but rather
leave the greater part to others who will work them." The Penn
"Manor of Pittsburgh" accordingly sold the privilege of mining
coal in the "Great Seam" to anyone who would pay thirty pounds
for each mining lot, this lot extending to the center of the hill.
The Penns, then were the first owners of large tracts of coal lands.
Everyone who took up land on this frontier soon made the discovery of coal. First it was mined from the surface veins, very
superficially, with the pick and shovel and used by the "plantation" owners or sold locally at a very cheap price, since wood was
more favored as being the cleaner fuel and equally as cheap.
Presently they mined deeper and carried with them odd little
miners' sconces of wrought iron, on one end of which was a socket
for the candle while the other was fashioned with a pricket that
could be driven into the side wall of the mine, thus supporting the
light. One of these antique miners' and coopers' sconces was found
in the bed of the Turtle Creek, near the mouth and may be seen
in the museum of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.
About 1804 it became evident to coal prospectors that there was
a market for this fuel in other sections of the state and country
not thus blessed and ark-loads of it were sent down the rivers for
inland re-shipment by wagon teams and canals.
The earliest coal-shipments, therefore, were by water and
necessarily small. It was not until railroads began operating locally in the early'5o's that the coal industry became firmly established and not until 1870 was the idea advanced of building small
"coal-branch" railroads into the mines. The maps of Hopkins
Atlas of 1876 show the precise locations of these coal branches and
their connection with the main-artery railroads.
Let us take a survey of the many small mines about our village
previous to the opening of the large Duquesne and Hampton
mines. The hills around Wilkinsburg contained coal, but it is
hard to know, or find out when or where the first coal pit (or
mine, the name used today) was opened.
136THE COAL INDUSTRY IN WILKINSBURG
The mine north of Penn Avenue on Weinman Street was owned by James Kelly and was operated by his son, James Kelly. It
was on Kelly property and was opened in the 186o's.
There was one up Crab Hollow on what is now the Turner
property, near the Turner School operated by Mr. Wickerman in
1871, afterward operated by John Ward in 1879.
Another one, near the Hampton mine, on the George Johnston
farm, was operated by Martin Etter in 1872. Also, one at the
head of Coal Street (on present Maplewood Plan of Lots) operated by Murray Frey, and later by John Etter in 1875.
These mines were all Dog Mines when opened. These mines
were so named when dogs were used to draw out the cars loaded
by the miners. The Weinman mine at head of Swissvale Avenue
on the Weinman property was opened by Jacob Weinman in
188o.
DUQUESNE COAL MINE
The Duquesne Coal Mine was situated on the McKelvey farm
back of Edgewood, and was opened and operated by I. G. Macfarlane and a Mr. Coleman, about 186o, and the Duquesne Coal
Company was formed. Mr. Alexander Gordon, of the company,
was president. The mine ran through three hills and had an opening in a mining settlement called Mucklerat. Between the second
and third hill was a high trestle. The railroad siding from the
Pennsylvania Railroad to the mine joined the P.R.R. on a Y
about two hundred feet south of Elm Street, Edgewood, and ran
east up a ravine to the mine. In 188o the Company sold the mine
to the New York and Cleveland Coal Company. This was a railroad mine, no coal being sold for wagon delivery.
This mine was by far the largest in and about Wilkinsburg.
THE HAMPTON COAL MINE
The Hampton Coal Railroad joined the P.R.R. 115 feet north
of Walnut St. ran on a curve, crossing Walnut St. through corner
of property of Home for Aged Couples, across Swissvale Ave.
Rebecca St. at corner of Ella St. thence east, between Franklin
and Rebecca Streets, back of the Johnston School crossing what
137ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
is now the Ardmore Boulevard on a trestle, thence east parallel
with Franklin St. to tipple; the mine and tipple were both on the
George Johnston farm. The mine owners paid a rental to the
Pittsburgh Bank of Commerce, and also to the George Johnston
heirs for right of way through their ground.
The State Department of Mines records the mine as having
been opened in 1873, and operated by Dickson, Stewart and Co.,
Shoenberger and Co., and C. H. Armstrong. It was afterward
operated by Gottleib Vogele under lease of Jacob Weinman, who
bought his interest in the mine from the Shoenberger heirs.
The mine was about five hundred feet up the hill from the
tipple, to which an incline ran to connect the two, on which the
coal cars were run up and down by wire cable. The cars were
hauled out of the mine by mules, which had one of their eyes
covered; the eye covered in the mine, wvas uncovered when coming
to the light, and the other eye was covered as the bright light
would blind them. There was an opening to the mine over the
hill in Mucklerat, a mining village for the miners.
"On his dying bed in 1324 Marco Polo was urged to recant his
monstrous lies about coal dug out of the mountains and used as
fuel". (From "My Country and My People"-Lin Yutang)
[6]
OLD CURRENCY
AT THE time of the Revolution each colony had its own cur.  rency, and each kept afloat about as much as its public credit
would allow. It was issued in pounds, shillings, and pence. After
the Federal currency was established, the relative value of the
currency of each colony to the other was expressed in so many
shillings and pence to the dollar.
New York currency was worth eight shillings to the dollar,
while Pennsylvania currency was worth seven shillings and six
138OLD CURRENCY
pence to the dollar. A pound in Pennsylvania currency was
worth $2.67, while a pound in New York currency was worth
only $2.5o. During the panic of 1837 the city, being unable to
collect taxes or being otherwise hard up for money, issued "scrip"
or "shin plasters" as they came to be called. These were in the
denominations of $1, $2, and $3 to the extent of $3oo,ooo. This
rag currency was accepted in payment of taxes, and generally circulated. This remained in circulation until 1848, when the old
water reservoir, the "Old Basin" lot, at Fifth Avenue and Grant
Street, was laid off and sold. The proceeds were used to redeem
the outstanding "scrip".
Speaking of old coins in use in Revolutionary times, an historian says: "The difference in the value of the currency of the
different colonies explains why the old Spanish 121/2  silver piece
was called a shilling in New York and an "eleven-penny bit" or
"levy" in Pennsylvania. There being eight shillings to the dollar
in New York, the 121/2~ piece was, therefore, the equivalent of
a shilling in New York currency. The 61/4~ piece was a "fip" or
"five-penny bit" in Pennsylvania, and a sixpence in New York.
By the United States in Congress assembled August 8, 1786.
On a report of the board of treasury.
RESOLVED, that the standard of the United States of America for gold
and silver coin shall be eleven parts fine and one part alloy.
That the money unitof the United States being by the resolve of
Congress of the 6th of July, 1785, a dollar, shall contain of fine
silver 375 grains, and 64 hundreths of a grain.
That the money of account to correspond with the division of coins,
agreeably to the above resolve, proceed in a decimal ration, agreeably to the manner and forms following, viz.
Mills, the lowest money of account, of which one thousand
shall be equal to the federal dollar, or money unit........ o.oo
Cents the highest copper piece of which one hundred shall
be equal to the federal dollar..........................o.o010
Dimes, the lowest silver coin ten of which shall be equal
to the dollar........................................o.100
Dollar, the highest silver coin.........................1.000
139ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
As betwixt the dollar and the lowest copper coin as fixed by the resolve
of Congress of the 6th of July 1785 there shall be 3 silver coins and
one copper coin as follows: One coin containing 187.82/ 10oo grains
of fine silver and shall be called a half dollar; and one coin containing 75 grains and 128/1ooo of a grain to be called a double
dime, and one coin to contain 37 grains and 64/ 00ooo of a grain
to be called a dime.
That the two copper coins shall be as follows: one equal to the one
hundredth part of the federal dollar to be called a cent; and the
one equal to the two hundreth part of the federal dollar to be
called a half cent.
That there shall be two gold coins; one containing two hundred and
forty six grains and 268/looo1000 of a grain of fine gold equal to ten
dollars, to be stamped with the impression of the American eagle
and to be called an eagle; one containing one hundred and
twenty three grains of fine gold, equal to five dollars, to be
stamped in like manner, to be called a half eagle.
[7]
THE NATHANIELS I, II, III, IV
of the
MONTGOMERY FAMILY
N THE Court House of Washington County, Pennsylvania, in
Will Book I, page 53, there is recorded the will of Nathaniel
Montgomery I. In this document he mentions his wife, Jennet,
his four sons, David, Nathaniel, William and John, and two
daughters, Mary and Ann.
The Westmoreland County Survey Book I, page 14, shows a
warrant of survey to Nathaniel I, of 20o acres in Pitt Township,
Westmoreland County, dated November, 1784. On this tract was
built afterwards the homestead occupied by three succeeding
generations of Nathaniel Montgomerys.
140THE NATHANIELS I, II, III, IV of the MONTGOMERY FAMILY
The first Nathaniel was a weaver by trade. Tradition says that
he was a captain in the war of 1776, and that a certain Thomas
Carroll was in his command. This statement has not been verified,
but Thomas Carroll whom Mary Montgomery married had a
documented record of distinction.
A Virginian by birth, he was at Fort Pitt in the Virginia Militia,
prior to the War of the Revolution. In this war he served throughout, first in Captain Gray's Company, 4th Pennsylvania Line;
afterwards in Butler's and Penna. Line, and on the Canadian Expedition he was stationed at Fort Ticonderoga.
Thomas Carroll was a farmer by occupation. His name appears
on the first tax list of Westmoreland County in 1783, where he
is taxed for 200 acres of land. Of the first Nathaniel Montgomery's
descendants the line of his daughter Mary, and Thomas Carroll
is the most distinguished. Two of their sons, William and Nathaniel, went to Tennessee in 1808 to start a nail factory. William
was commissioned a major in the War of 1812. He became a
friend of Andrew Jackson, and was with General Jackson in his
daring Indian Wars. He commanded Tennessee troops at the
battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815, and later was elected,
three times, Governor of Tennessee. It is estimated that about
two hundred descendants of the Carroll-Montgomery line are
living in Penn Township and vicinity. There are, also, many
representatives in Mississippi, Missouri and Minnesota.
Nathaniel II. was born in 1756. He tells the following story of
an Indian encounter in his early manhood. He and his two brothers had cleared a small farm above McKeesport, on the "Yough"
river. One day the brothers were in a field clearing corn. They
had leaned their guns against a tree while they worked. They
were surprised by Indians who, having captured the guns, drove
them to the river where one of the brothers was shot. Darkness
saved the other two who found shelter in brush piles until daylight. They made their escape safely and afterwards applied for
patent rights and secured the farm.
The farm of 200 acres, which Nathaniel I. had bought in Westmoreland County, was inherited by Nathaniel II. and his brother
141CONTENTS
14. THE GEORGE REED JOHNSTON FAMILY-E.M.D.                   322
15. RICHARD BEATTY IV-Agnes Beatty Callahan                  324
16. PIONEER HOMES AND HOSPITALITY-E.MCC.E.                   325
17. DUFF, QUIGLEY, TURNER, KITCHEN FAMILIES-E.M.D.  333
i8. THE ART OF MEDICINE, Part II-I.M.S.                      350
186o
1. SOLDIERS' LETrERS                                       364
John H. J. Snyder; War Record of Frank Frey; George
Hirst Atkinson; James E. Quinter; Squire "Sammy"
Creelman; George Cleland; John Josiah Walker; Samuel
L. Peden
2. THE LUDDEN ACADEMY-E.M.D.                                375
3. PHILOTUS DEAN-Miss Bryant                                383
4. DR. B. C. JILLSON-William D. Evans                       384
5. THE DAVID COLLINS FAMILY-E.M.D.                          385
6. SECTIONS OF THE VILLAGE-E.M.D.                           388
7. JANE GREY SWISSHELM, THE QUEER WOMAN CRUSADER
OF WILKINSBURG-I.M.S.                                  390
Original research by Ilka M. Stotler from newspaper files
and from Jane Grey Swisshelm's "Half a Century". With
acknowledgments to Mrs. A. S. Hunter, the Misses Maude
and India Stephenson, Mr. Henry Summ and John D. S.
Truxall, Esq.
8. HUGH W. CALDERWOOD FAMILY-R.C.R.                         399
9. ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF
WILKINSBURG                                           403
Compiled from "Brief History of the First Presbyterian
Church, Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania" by the pastor, Dr.
George Taylor, Jr.; and recollections from L. B. Davison
and S. H. Jackson families.
XVIANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
John. This ground had been partly cleared by the Senior Nathaniel. Son Nathaniel was to have the western side of it, and
Thompson's Run is mentioned in the will as the dividing line.
The farm was then described as situated in Dickenson Township,
Westmoreland County. On the erection of Allegheny County in
1788, this territory formed part of it, and is now a part of Churchhill Borough.
Nathaniel Montgomery II. married Elizabeth Young. They
had four daughters, and one son Nathaniel III. The daughters,
Mathilda, Nancy and Mary married. Jane did not. Mary married
a man named Sowash or Sowasle. Mr. Sowasle after a few years
decided to emigrate to the west. On the way he was robbed and
murdered. His wife returned to her girlhood home in Pennsylvania, and soon after died. Her two daughters were reared by their
Aunts Mathilde and Nancy.
The son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Young Montgomery, in
family history Nathaniel III., born 18o3, married Mary McCulley.
They had two daughters and two sons; Nathaniel IV. and Robert.
Robert died in early youth. Nathaniel III. inherited the homestead, which is still standing, and the surrounding land.
Nathaniel IV., born in 1843, married Mary Pibb and lived
with his parents in the old home. They had two children who died
in infancy. When the second child was born in 1892, both mother
and child died, and were buried in the same casket in Beulah
graveyard.
Nathaniel IV. afterward married Marian Peterson who survived him. They had no children. Thus ended the Montgomery
line as continued through four generations of Nathaniels. The
property is now owned by the Clark heirs.
The writer of this article remembers the Nathaniel III. Montgomery family very well. Frequent calls were made to their home
to see Mrs. Montgomery, who was an invalid. She had been butted
by a ram and had a broken hip. She was always lying in a lovely
clean bed and her sweet face and beautiful patience made a lasting impression on us children, who loved to accompany our
mother there. Mr. Montgomery had a kindly manner and was
142THE NATHANIELS I, II, III, IV of the MONTGOMERY FAMILY
pleased that we little ones cared to visit his afflicted wife. He
would invariably have a big red apple for each of us when we came
out to get into the buggy.
How well I remember him in Beulah Church when he took
out his tuning fork to get pitch for the hymn, for he was the
church precentor for many years. And what a temptation it was
to turn around in our pew, just in front, to watch him, but this
was not allowed by our well-bred mother.
Before the organization of the Wilkinsburg Presbyterian
Church our pew had been occupied by the Luke B. Davison family. The little daughter was always led into church from the
carriage by her mother, but the son was allowed to stay outside
with the men and the horses until a few minutes before the service
opened. One day Mrs. Davison was ill, and when Mr. Davison took
the wee daughter's hand to take her in she asked to go alone, for
she was sure she knew just where to go. But it was early-there
were no "blazed trees to guide her" as the pews near the front
were as yet unoccupied. Being dreadfully afraid of the minister
with the very black eyes and shining teeth, she selected a pew
that seemed it and went to the extreme end. Presently the church
began to fill, and a very smiling lady with the whitest gloves, came
into the pew and greeted the little one most kindly. Doubts began
to rise and, when her father and brother came in and sat down
in the pew in front, tears were near the overflow stage. Had the
back of the pew only been an apple tree how quickly the barrier
could have been scaled! But this was church, and now black eyes
and white teeth were in the pulpit. Just then "the music man"
came in and seated himself beside the smiling lady. Oh, mourning
turned to joy! For now the embryo musician could see a magic
performance without turning her head. Since that far away day
the small girl has heard Parsifal, Tristan, Don Giovanni, Fidelio
and other great operas on their native heaths, but none brings the
thrill in memory like that of seeing "Thannie" Montgomery raise
the tune in old Beulah Church.
Small things these! Why do they cling so? Uneventful lives, the
Nathaniels I., II., III., IV. seem to have lived, but from generation
143ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
to generation it was a life of faithful performance of duty in the
light that duty presented itself to them.
It would be interesting to trace the marriages of the Montgomery daughters with the Carrolls, Johnstons, Jordans, McClures and others, but this we cannot do.
We can only mention the name of John Montgomery, who was
a member or captain of the LaFayette Blues for seven years.
[8]
THE SAMUEL TAYLOR FAMILY
N BEULAH GRAVEYARD there rests a Revolutionary soldier named
Samuel Taylor. He came west from Eastern Pennsylvania
sometime previous to 1769 and probably took out his warrant for
land when this region was open for sale. A family of Taylors was
one of the earliest of Beulah's membership, and we are led to believe that Samuel Taylor was the founder of the Taylor family in
this section.
Hugh Taylor, his son, inherited the ancestral acres, and lived
in Penn Township where he married Nancy McCowan. They
named the oldest of their six sons Samuel. Samuel J. Taylor was
an architect who settled in Wilkinsburg, married Elizabeth Duff
and had one daughter, Mary, whose story is told in a sketch of the
Taylor School.
James Harvey, the second son of Hugh, settled on a farm in
Clarke County, Missouri.
Another son, Charles Carothers Taylor, studied law, became
a well known member of the Allegheny Bar, married Elizabeth
Gamble, and had three children, a son and two daughters. The
son, Selwyn Mellon Taylor, a mining engineer, lost his life in a
vain effort to save the miners caught by the deadly fire damp in
the Hartwick mine disaster. Of the daughters, Lulu married Albert Munhall, and Laura became Mrs. Edward Fohl. The sons,
John and William, were twins, who married and lived for years
144THE SAMUEL TAYLOR FAMILY
in East Liberty. The two daughters of Hugh and Nancy Taylor,
Eliza and Sarah, did not marry.
It is Matthew, the fourth son, who remained on the ancestral
acres, who awakens an interest in lovers of old homesteads and
antiques. Dr. Marshall Taylor, Matthew's son, a retired physician,
who has built a modern house on the old Taylor farm in the
midst of its century old trees, tells this story of his father's sevenday clock. When a boy, growing up in the log farm house, the
Taylors were neighbors of a family owning an old wall clock with
a brass plate giving the date of its manufacture and name of the
maker, which was one of distinction. The clock was without a case,
and the long chains holding the weights required that it be placed
high on the wall, as the heavy weights required a firm background for steady support, which only the solid hewn logs of the
house wall could furnish. The clock had a curious attraction for
Matthew Taylor who longed to own it. Some years later the
neighbors moved to Ohio taking the clock with them. Matthew
Taylor had grown to manhood when the neighbors returned,
bringing with them the clock. Death came with its following property adjustments and it was necessary for the neighbors to sell
their farm-land, house and furnishings. The day of the public
sale Matthew Taylor wandered over "just to see who could afford
to buy the clock" for which his desire had never wavered. A proof
of the adage "All things come round to him who will but wait"
was given that day, for to Matthew Taylor the auctioneer delivered the pedigreed clock for the price of 35 cents. On examination
it was found that not only was the inscription plate of brass,
but every screw and all parts of the construction were also brass.
When Dr. Marshall Taylor built his modern house it was necessary to build a support for the prized clock. With a touch of sentiment he built an open frame, with broad supporting bases so
that the pendulum swings free in open air, and...
"As in the days long since gone by"...
"The ancient timepiece says to allForever-never!
Never-forever!
145830
[1]
THE STORY OF KELLY'S LANDS
JAMES KELLY was born in Penn Township October 31, 1794
and died in the old Dunning McNair home, known as Dumpling Hall, September 29, 1882. Dumpling Hall was so named
because it was built or at least adorned on the outside with cobble
stones embedded in mortar. The house stood at an angle, extending out into Hay Street just a little south of Rebecca Avenue,
and this old relic was torn down when it seemed best to put in
this street as an artery to the rapidly developing Third Ward
district.
During his lifetime James Kelly was widely known as one of the
large land-holders of Allegheny County. Another distinguishing
feature was that he retained to the end of his days the old Revolutionary custom of wearing his hair in a queue.
As you come into Wilkinsburg by way of the William Penn
Highway you get a vision of the extent of this vast acreage, his
holdings amounting to more than one thousand acres: Most of the
land diectly in front of you, including Edgewood, the greater
part of Wilkinsburg, a large part of the Brushton district, a large
tract in the city north of Frankstown Avenue and extending west
to Lang Avenue, known as the Belmar district or the old race
track, and north over the hill into Penn Township. James Kelly
acquired this wonderful and valuable tract of land principally
by purchase from Mark W. Collett by deed dated August 28,
146THE STORY OF KELLY'S LANDS
1833, recorded in Allegheny County Deed Book Vol. 44, page
401. This purchase contained 856 acres and shows a consideration of $12,000. He made an additional purchase from James
Ross for $2,500. Prior to October 19, 1824 these lands belonged
to Dunning McNair. McNair's interest was sold at Marshal's
sale October 19, 1824 to William Griffith, and Griffith conveyed
to Mark W. Collett, who conveyed the same to James Kelly.
It was the custom of the Land Office to distinguish each grant
or patent by a name, such as Mann's Choice, Jacob's Delight, and
often by such fantastic names as Hook-em-Sneevy, Bergen Opp
Zoom, Good Intent, or even more fantastic names. Mr. Kelly's
856 acres was made up of 178 acres, part of a tract called Bull Pens,
a tract of 266 acres called Africa, another tract of 2761/2 acres
called Isherwood, and 289 acres known as the James Ross Patent.
The Bull Pens and the tract called Africa included the greater
part of Wilkinsburg, and Isherwood covered a part of Wilkinsburg and most of what is now known as Edgewood.
Kelly disposed of parts of his holdings from time to time.
Besides numerous single lots, he sold thirty acres to John F.
Singer, thirty acres to Alexander Nimick, twenty-five or more to
John Grazier who laid out the first plan of Edgewood south of
the railroad, an eight acre tract to John Hamnett, five acres to
John S. Love and another large tract of land south of the railroad
to Moses Hampton. He also donated ten acres to the School for
the Deaf, and five acres for the Home for Aged on Rebecca and
Swissvale Avenues, besides a number of lots to various churches.
When he was overtaken by financial difficulties in 1875 and
later, he owned practically all of his original purchases, with
exceptions heretofore mentioned. His total indebtedness was a
little over $300,000. Had he made an assignment for the benefit
of his creditors he no doubt could have saved a great part of his
lands, although the conditions as to real estate were similar to
what we have just recently passed through. There was no market
for real estate except at a great sacrifice. So in 1879 everything
he owned in the way of real estate was levied upon and sold by
the Sheriff for a small fraction of its actual worth. Most of it was
147ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
bought in by the banks to satisfy their loans. Within the next
ten years these lands were subdivided into lots and sold for many
times the cost to the purchasers and are now occupied by fifty to
a hundred thousand people.
I attended the Sheriff's Sale in 1879 when all of Kelly's holdings
were sold. It was a pathetic sight to see this old man in his declining years stripped of practically everything he owned. He walked
in quietly, sat down, and watched the sale go on. The sum realized
by the sale was $116,970. Twenty-five acres on the easterly side
of' Highland Avenue, known as the Stewart tract, was sold to
Hannah Magee, wife of Attorney F. M. Magee, for $1o,ooo. The
second tract sold was fifty-five acres on Frankstown Avenue and
Lang Avenue, known as the race track and afterwards as the
Belmar district. Another outside bidder was Jacob Weinman
who purchased 266 acres for $9,300. Jacob Weinman afterwards
bought another tract which had belonged to Kelly containing 250
acres. This, together with the tract purchased at Sheriff's Sale,
gave him upwards of 500 acres, a large part of which was underlaid with the Pittsburgh vein of coal and most of the surface was
suitable for building lots. Thus was built up another large fortune out of the Kelly land.
Mr. Kelly was permitted to live in Old Dumpling Hall and
when this was torn down the bank provided his two daughters
with a comfortable home in the neighborhood and also turned
over to them several acres of land in the Belmar district which was
subdivided and sold by them. Another daughter was Mrs. Mary
McCombs, who lived on a part of the Kelly lands. Her house was
a two story frame house which stood on Frankstown Avenue
opposite where Oakwood Street enters the Frankstown Avenue
Road. The McCombs' heirs brought suit to recover this farm,
claiming it was given to their mother by her father, Mr. Kelly, in
his lifetime, and she had occupied it at and before the Sheriff's
sale and her possession was notice to the creditors of her ownership. As Mr. Kelly had not made her a deed for the property and
they were not able to produce sufficient evidence to confirm the
title, they lost their suit.
148EDUCATION IN THE VILLAGE, Part I
Mr. Kelly accumulated his immense and valuable land holdings in his early years and held them for almost fifty years.
[2]
EDUCATION IN THE VILLAGE, Part I
IIRST the church, then the school" might well be motto-general
of the pioneer settlers of Western Pennsylvania. Beulah Parish, McNairtown and Pitt Township were no exception to the
rule.
Among the Beulah parishioners was an Adam Turner. To him
tradition concedes the distinction of having been the first school
teacher in Beulah District and McNairtown.
It is said that he taught in a log house on the old Crab Hollow
road, approximately near the location of the present Turner
School. The structure was probably also his home. Just when he
began teaching is not known. We have two dates, only, to speculate on. Dunning McNair came into possession of Africa May i,
1790 and soon after "laid out a town". Evidently there were not
many inhabitants there before 1790.
In 1794 General Anthony Wayne gained a crushing victory
over the Indians at Fallen Timbers, Ohio, thereby gradually
freeing this western district from the ever present Indian menace,
but it was sometime after Wayne's victory that men left their
guns at home when traveling the tedious journey to Beulah
Church. Once a week was enough for that, and we feel sure that
the children did not go far-a-field to seek an education. Their
book learning was acquired at "their mother's knee" and their
text-books were the Bible and the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Considering these known conditions we can only conclude that just when, where, what, how many, how long Adam
Turner taught is a matter of interesting speculation. But reversing the usual direction of heredity from ancestor to descendant
149ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
to that of descendant to ancestor we are safe in asserting that what
Adam Turner did was thoroughly done.
We readily surmise that schools loomed largely in the visions
of the young minister, James Graham, who came to Beulah in
1804. For a few years he lived with the Bonner family in "The
Castle". Here he made acquaintance with Charles Bonner's sonin-law, David Henderson, "a school-master," with whom, doubtless, a church school would be discussed and as quickly as possible
organized. That schools of some sort were maintained for years
by James Graham witness his gift of land in 1809 adjoining
church and graveyard of Beulah "for school purposes" and that
in 1819 a young Irishman, Thomas Davison, "immediately on his
arrival" was pressed into school service by the never-tiring, zealous minister. Traditionally, Thomas Davison taught at Lime Hill,
on the present location of Dr. Sidney Chalfant's residence.
As the children at Dumpling Hall increased in number and
years the question of education held the thought of Colonel and
Mrs. McNair. They engaged a resident tutor for their own flock,
but it was not long before the doors of Dumplin' Hall were thrown
open to children of friends and a private school established.
Among those first favored were the Horner and Rippey cousins,
who were in time followed by others. But the question of education was not quieted by this generous act, for, when in 1812,
Colonel McNair began the sale of lots, the deed included the
"general privilege of a coal pitt and a brick yard." To these
"privileges" were added in deeds conveyed to Ezekial Reese (May
22, 1814) "the proportionable part of a lot given to said town for
the use of a seminary of learning".
March 15, 1815-in deed to Adam Turner is the statement "as
well as a proportionable part of a lott and house given for the use
of a school or schools subject to the payment of one dollar yearly
to be paid to the trustee of the same for the use of the said school
or schools;" and a deed to Sutiah Rippey February 22, 1817 cites
"... one school house and lott... given by Dunning McNair for
the use of the town with the reservation of one dollar for each lot
to be paid by the said Sutia Rippey, her heirs and assigns on the
150Second Public School Building in Wilkinsburg, Pa. Stood at 1105 Center Street.
Built I85o. Temporarily used for Summer academy
Third Public School House. The "Sheep Pen"CONTENTS
10. MusIC IN THE VILLAGE-I.M.S.                            410
11. SHORT SKETCHES                                         412
John  Sperling; August Bealafeld; Phillip  Vortish;
Samuel Buzzard; Hugh McGoogan; Mrs. Mary Schindler; Daniel T. Downes; Robert Scott; William Scott;
William  and Martha McKelvey McCracken; Christopher and James Linhart; William Montier; James
Irwin; Oliver Chester
12. GARDENS-S.T.J.                                         419
LILAC TREE-Blanche T. Hartman                              426
13. ST. JAMES ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH                        426
Compiled from an account of the church by the Rev.
Mgr. A. A. Lambing, M.A. LL.D.
14. THE HAMPTON FAMILY-I.M.S.                              432
15. HISTORY OF THE WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA INSTITUTION
FOR THE INSTRUCTION OF THE DEAF AT EDGEWOOD,
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA-I.M.S.                435
Condensed from a history begun by the Rev. John G.
Brown, D.D. and completed in 1911 by Dr. Nathaniel
Burt, then superintendent of the institution; secured by
Miss Stotler through the kindness of Professor A. C.
Manning, present superintendent of the School.(1939)
16. THE PITTSBURGH FEMALE COLLEGE-Helen R. Pershing 441
17. JOHN AND REBECCA MCFEE-E.M.D.                          444
1870
1. MRS. OLIVER WYLIE'S PRIVATE SCHOOL-M.H.W.              447
2. THE TAYLOR SCHOOL-M.MCE.A.                             448
3. PUBLIC SCHOOL, Part II-I.O'R.A. and I.M.S.             451
4. HOME FOR AGED PROTESTANT WOMEN-E.M.D.                  456
XVIINancy Anderson (Mrs. Levi) Ludwick
Steam Grist Mill, erected circa 1825.
Later owned by Levi Ludwick. Penn Avenue between Mill and Coal StreetsEDUCATION IN THE VILLAGE, Part I
first day of April, each and every year forever hereafter to the
Treasurer of a school or seminary of learning in said town for the
entire use of the same."
Thus the idea of general education in his village developed in
the thought and intention of "the propriataire".
Like the brick yard, the school house has never been located
unless the loghouse in which Adam Turner is said to have taught
was the one mentioned in the deeds, and this may have been for
it is claimed by relatives that Colonel McNair, until 1820, provided educationalty for the village.
After 1820 the private school seems to have lapsed until 1830
when Jane Grey Cannon (Mrs. Swisshelm), then but fifteen years
old, relit the educational torch and led the young. Her classes
were conducted in her mother's combination log house and general store on the Great Turnpike, (Penn Avenue) midway between the now Hay and Wood Streets on the northerly side. Hers
was the boast that she was the first in Western Pennsylvania to
teach without flogging the pupils. She states specifically that at
this time hers was the only school in the village and that "at two
dollars and one dollar and a half a term she had plenty of pupils,
young men and young women, boys and girls". "I taught seven
hours a day," she states, "and on Saturday forenoon which was
devoted to Bible reading and Catechism... I abolished corporal
punishment entirely and was so successful that boys, ungovernable at home, were entirely tractable."
In 1833 James Kelly, through purchase at eight dollars an acre,
succeeded Dunning McNair and subsequent short-time holders
in the ownership of Dumpling Hall; following in Colonel McNair's footsteps, Mr. Kelly maintained a private school for his
children and to this their young friends had access. A tutor with
the impressive name, Napoleon Bonaparte Hatch, presided. This
young man subsequently studied law; he also became known as
an amateur astronomer; in fact the late Mrs. Mary Croghan
Schenley purchased a fine telescope for him and had it suitably
mounted in Allegheny City.
Between the years 1838 and 1845 a small private class was
151ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
taught by Mrs. Mary Davis Horner, wife of Squire John Horner.
Although it was primarily for the benefit of her own little flock,
a few of the neighborhood children attended.
When the Reverend J. M. Hastings came to Beulah Church in
1846 and made his home in the village, it is said that a private
school was opened by him, possibly in his residence.
During a period of thirty years there had been growing an insistent idea of a more methodical means of education through an
organized academical course conducted by men trained for that
purpose. This at last had its beginning in 1852 under the leadership of James Huston, the history of which will be given later.
In 1824 the State of Pennsylvania took up the question of
public school education. What was virtually the first school law
in Pennsylvania was passed in 1824. This provided for the election of school directors in each borough and township and the
duties of these directors corresponded quite closely with those of
present day officials. Although no great benefit to education accrued from this law, it may be regarded as an indication of events
to come and it certainly was responsible for the Act of 1834.
As the people of the state became increasingly school-conscious,
the demand for what came to be known as the Lancasterian System of Free Schools grew ever stronger. This agitation resulted in
the passage of the Free Common School Act of 1834; but, as is
the case with progTessive measures in every day and age, conservatism waged a bitter fight and a losing fight. Objectors to the
new law were of four classes: first, the wealthy and influential who
did not relish being taxed to educate the children of others;
second, Germans, Dutch and Swedes in the eastern part of the
state who feared their native languages would be abolished; third,
those who argued that education for the masses was dangerous;
fourth, patrons of church schools who believed that secular instruction should be combined with religious teaching. All these
objectors stormed the Legislature of 1835 with petitions to repeal
the Act of 1834 and it was only through the energetic work of
152EDUCATION IN THE VILLAGE, Part I
Representative Thaddeus Stevens and Governor George Wolfe
that the Repeal Act was defeated.
The Act of 1834 had its staunch supporters locally in the persons of James Kelly, the Reverend James Graham, James Morrow,
Christopher Snively, Emanuel Stotler, Colonel Hawkins, Isaac
Mills, the Johnston and Wilson families and many others.
When this act was passed the state already possessed some four
thousand school houses which had been built and maintained by
voluntary contribution or "subscription". These schools were
open only two or three months in the year and the teachers' pay
was seldom more than ten or twelve dollars a month; frequently
not more than half those amounts.
Although the new school law provided for statewide free common school education, each community was given its choice of
adopting the measure by popular vote. The larger cities were
quickly supplied with "free schools" and even "African" schools;
the rural communities were slower in adopting them and it was
not until i 874 that the last conservative district in the state adopted
the Act of 1834. Concerning this State Superintendent of Public
Instruction Wickersham said: "For the first time in our history
the door of a public school house stands open to receive every
child of proper age within the limit of the state... Without any
controlling law on the subject and therefore necessarily without
system, prompted by the wish to obtain at least some education
for their children and limited always by the scanty means at their
command, our fathers built school houses, employed teachers and
sent their children to school as best they could and the wonder is
not that, under the circumstances, so many sections of the country
were so poorly supplied with schools, but that education was so
general."
After 1850 the progress of education was rapid but the crowning acts to make education universal were the free text-book law
of 1893 and the compulsory attendance law of 1895.
In 1840 Wilkinsburg had adopted the Act of 1834 and a
Wilkins Township Board of School Directors had been elected in
the persons of James Graham, Christopher Snively, Emanuel
153ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
-Stotler, David Gilleland, John Stoner, Squire John Horner and
James Kelly. James Graham was appointed School Examiner, a
post he retained until his death in 1845.
After Mr. Graham's death James Kelly came to the fore as
leader. He had only a meagre country school education, but he
possessed a superabundance of common sense, and money of
which he gave generously to worthy objects.
For forty years he remained a moving spirit in village education.
His first act was to furnish brick and advance money for the first
public school house in Wilkinsburg. (For this loan he was later
reimbursed by the Township.)
It was a one-room, red brick structure erected in 1840 at the
northwest corner of the present Center Street and Wallace Avenue. In this school Mr. Kelly installed as teacher his erstwhile
tutor, Napoleon Bonaparte Hatch. The one-room school served
until 1850 and when the second public school, situated also on
Center Street but nearer to the corner of the present North Avenue, had been completed, the first was abandoned to Eli Quinter
who made it his carpenter shop and coffin factory. The second
building was a two-room red brick structure with one room below
and one above. It was quite primitive compared with modern
standards; desks for teacher and pupils, made by the local carpenter, were of soft, unpainted wood. The teacher's desk, fashioned like a pulpit, was elevated one or two steps above the floor
level; a wooden water bucket and tin dipper were part of the
equipment of those germless days. The second and third teachers
were N. B. Nelson and Mr. (?) Craig. The rooms were heated by
huge "egg stoves", facing which the pupils roasted in front and
froze behind. The vacation months were May and October.
The early Township schoolhouse was primitive almost beyond
description and unlike anything that is known today. An interesting description of one is herewith quoted from a letter to Miss
Martha Johnston by Charles R. Wilson of Nisbet, Pa. "There
was an old stone schoolhouse at Mount Hope on the Frankstown
154EDUCA'TION IN THE VILLAGE, Part I
Road which I first attended about 1865. Sylvester Stotler was the
teacher that year; then it was Lizzie Collins; then Michael Hunt
who was the last teacher in that school. The building with the
side to the road, fronted on the Mount Hope Cemetery and when
the weather was cold, it was quite the custom for the mourners
at funerals to come into the school and warm themselves. The
walls were about two feet thick and there was a large fireplace
about four feet wide, in which logs were burned, but they later
closed it with brick and set a grate to burn coal. At first there were
no desks, only benches to sit on and each scholar had a board
about one foot wide and, I think, eighteen inches long, to write
on. Later, desks were installed. Carpenters made them of one
and a half inch boards. The benches were of two inch plank with
four holes at the corners into which four round pieces of wood
were driven as supports. The windows were set close to the outside of the walls, leaving a wide jamb or window-sill, where we
put hats and coats during school hours. The joists were of hewed
logs twelve inches square and the flooring was of two inch oak
plank. Near the teacher's desk was a large round stove that held
about two bushels of coal.
"This building had stood so long that the logs under the floor
had rotted and the weight of the big stove broke two of them and
let the floor down. This made the roof leak but the floor was so
well laid that after a rain three or four inches of water would
sometimes collect around and under the stove. At the door was
a flat stone, five or six feet long, two and a half feet wide and a
foot thick which served as a step or'porch' in front of the entrance.
Almost directly in front of this was the big iron gate which led
into the Mt. Hope cemetery. The first blackboard was a piece of
black cloth stretched on the wall but later, the portion of the wall
back of the teacher's desk was painted black."
One of Mr. Kelly's duties as President of the Wilkins Township School Board was inspection tours of the widely separated
schools. Mr. Thomas Russell, who was for years in the employ of
James Kelly, states that it was his pleasant job to drive Mr. Kelly
to and from the Buckeye School on the Frankstown Road to the
155ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
one room "Hannastown" in Mucklerat, thence to the "Swissvale"
School in what is now a part of Swissvale Borough.
Lida Hamilton, (Mrs. Lida Downing) was a pupil in the
Hannastown School in the i86o's. From her we quote: "How we
did love to have Mr. Kelly come to see us. He always told us a
story and it made us laugh for he had, what we youngsters thought,
a queer way of speaking. And then, living as we did in the rough
surroundings of a coal mine, he seemed to us a very great gentleman. He came in his own buggy, dressed in his blue coat with
brass buttons, or in a grey suit; with his hair always in a queue,
and carrying his broad brimmed hat. He was always immaculate.
How could he be otherwise when his wife was Sarah Ann
Horner?"
Leaving the public school for a tinle let us now consider another phase of education in the village, established about 1852, which
developed into the so called "Old Academy".
[3]
LIMESTONE
URNING limestone to make lime was one of the chief industries
in the country just east of Wilkinsburg in the first half of
the 18oo's. Many of the farms were underlaid with limestone,
which was quarried out at the level where it was found under
the hills, and burned in large kilns usually cut out of the side of
a knoll. First a thick layer of wood was laid, then a layer of limestone about one foot thick, and then a layer of coal about three to
four inches thick; then layers of coal and limestone turn about
until the kiln was full. Some of the kilns held beds forty feet deep.
As long as there was a demand for the lime, the kilns were added
to as they slowly disintegrated, often burning for weeks.
East of Wilkinsburg the high ridge on the top of the long hill
was called "Lime Hill" on account of the kilns which burned
almost constantly.
156LIMESTONE
Limestone and coal are not always found together. Each of
these minerals is found as the result of entirely different geological conditions, and, in the Pittsburgh district, were deposited
at different times. The following is a quotation from a letter from
the Department of the Interior Geological Survey: "Lime, when
pure, is an amorphous white solid, absolutely infusible, nonvolatile, and on this account, when raised to high temperature,
emits a brilliant light." Hence the expression, in the lime-light,
to express prominence or publicity.
In a region like the Pittsburgh district there was a big market
for lime. It sold for twenty cents a bushel retail, and many of the
landowners made a living by manufacturing lime; among them
William McCrea and James Graham, who had kilns on Lime Hill.
Cornelius Stotler and Andrew Sands had kilns near Rodi. Also
James Kelly had large tracts of most valuable lime-land through
the Frankstown district. He manufactured this on a large scale
and his teams hauled it down the hills to the Allegheny river to
the boats. The marks of the wheels of the heavy wagons, which
were drawn by six horses, can still be seen on the rocks that made
the road-bed in Lime Hollow.
An amusing incident experienced by the drivers of two lime
teams is related by Charles R. Wilson, now living near Williamsport, Pa. but a former resident of Wilkinsburg and a grandson of
two of the earliest settlers in the Frankstown district, Thomas
Wilson and Hugh Donaldson. Mr. Wilson says: "Sometimes the
steady pace of the horses hauling the heavy lime wagons was
quickened, to the great discomfort of the drivers. One day Cornelius Stotler had two wagons heavily loaded to take down the hill
above Rodi to the flatboat landing on the Allegheny. A storm was
brewing but time was pressing, and the drivers, Stotler and WVilson, started. They had gone but a short distance when the clouds
opened, accompanied by terrific claps of thunder and blinding
lightning. The men drew up before Stotler's blacksmith shop and
took shelter. But the sky had still another trick to play. The
horses, restless under the thunder claps and lightning flashes,
bolted outright when the swishes of rain suddenly changed to
157ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
cutting hailstones. They reared and plunged and the drivers just
succeeded in mounting the wagons as the horses started-ignoring
weight-galloping down the hill. But there was yet another factor
to be reckoned with-the wagons at the rear. For from the slaked
lime an enveloping vapor arose-and'Ye gods!''Yes,' the narrator
asserts,'there is money in lime and also heat'."
When James Graham, Jr., died at the early age of thirty-nine,
his wife, Eliza Macfarlane Graham, knew that she could not possibly manage his limestone business, so she had a sale. The six
teams of horses were curried and brushed until they shone, the
harness polished, the wagons greased, washed and touched up
with paint and all sold at auction.
It is said that when the Northern Turnpike Company was
organized, there were two routes surveyed through William
McCrea's farm: one over the hill past his lime-kiln and the other
a water grade which the engineers preferred. The water grade
route went back of Beulah Church and crossed the lowest point
of Lime Hill Ridge. Mr. McCrea said that if the new road did
not go past his lime-kiln, it could not go through his farm at all.
So the Northern Pike crossed the high ridge. Thus does the
opinion of one man affect commerce for many generations.
The lime business was carried on for many years by William
McCrea II and his son, William Bryson McCrea. The latter was
ably helped in this work by Peter Double and afterwards by his
son, William Bryson Double, a namesake of Mr. W. B. McCrea.
The relationship through these many years of father and son to
the McCrea family was that of the old world, deep-rooted loyalty
of employer to employee, and to the soil.
Peter Double, born in 1820, married in 1850 Margaret Shaeffer,
(born 1820) daughter of John Shaeffer of the Greensburg Pike.
In 1852 they moved to the McCrea farm, occupying the brick
house. They remained here ten years, during which time five
children were born, the youngest of whom was William Bryson,
born in 186o. In 1862 Peter Double and family moved to the
Ellen McCrea farm that surrounded Beulah. (Ellen McCrea
married John W. Chalfant.) During this residence of eleven years
158LIMESTONE
four more children were born. In 1873-74 Peter Double moved to
Turtle Creek. While on the McCrea-Chalfant farm a frame house
of six rooms was built, and after 79 years is still standing and occupied by the Churchill Golf Club. The original building cost
$1500. The plan for the six room house is still extant, and the
detailed exactness of it probably explains the durability of the
frame building.
William Bryson Double was baptized in Beulah Church and
was started in the way of upright living in the infant class of the
Sunday School taught by Miss Martha Graham. Grown to manhood, William B. Double married Alice Cooper and worked for
twenty years or more as teamster at the McCrea lime-kilns. He
says: "Mr. William B. McCrea had two lime-kilns close to the
Northern Turnpike-now the William Penn Highway. He operated his lime quarry just as a coal mine was operated, by a drift
in the hill, posting the hill and laying ties circling the kiln, and
placing rails on them for cars to run on. The cars were hauled by
mules down to a platform on the roadside close by a spring. The
greater part of this fine lime was used for building houses in
Wilkinsburg and East Liberty. One house of prominence was the
Peebles mansion which stood on Penn Avenue at Braddock
Avenue. The McCrea lime-kilns also furnished the lime for building the walls surrounding the arsenal in Lawrenceville. These
kilns are still standing on "Dundee" farm and the little tracks are
still there on which the cars carried the lime to the wagons, backed up toward the platform."
And still better, Mr. William B. Double is still here, (1937)
active at seventy-seven years of age and with a mind filled with
interesting memories of the past. He now makes his home at 7215
Thomas Boulevard with two daughters, one of whom taught for
some years in the Wilkinsburg Grade School.
Charles R. Wilson, in speaking of his grandfather's farm, says:
"The property now owned by Mrs. Barclay (1936) was originally
part of the Wilson farm. It was underlaid with limestone. The
limestone was purchased by James Kelly. When he began excavating an Indian burying ground was uncovered. In the graves were
159CONTENTS
5. HISTORY OF THE SHELTERING ARMS AND HOME FOR
AGED PROTESTANT MEN AND COUPLES-I.M.S.     459
6. WILLIAM H. DEVORE--E.M.D.                     463
7. THE WILLS FAMILY-Anna Wills Newell            465
8. OSCAR M. TUCKER--E.M.D.                       467
9. JAMES KELLY VS. CITY OF PITTSBURGHRobert M. Ewing, Esq.                        469
10. THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE-R.C.R.                473
11. TRINITY REFORMED CHURCH-Rebecca Fix Embley    477
12. WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION--R.C.R.    479
13. PARK PLACE STEAM LAUNDRY-M.MCE.A.             483
14. THE NEWSPAPERS-E.C.G.                         484
i88o
1. JOHN J. CAMPBELL-A.C.F.                       488
2. ST. STEPHEN'S PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCHFrances Stewart Hall                         490
3. FIRST AND SECOND YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
OF WILKINSBURG-E.C.G.                        493
4. DANIEL CARHART-E.M.D.                         495
5. BRIEF HISTORY OF WAVERLY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHD. M. Walker                                 497
6. JOHN P. EVANS FAMILY--H. S. Evans             498
7. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE
FIRST UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH-R.C.R.     500
XVIIIANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
found many pieces of pottery-arrowheads, spearheads and other
implements of war. When I was a little boy a barrel of this'junk'
stood in our yard. Piece by piece the junk disappeared until it
was all gone-taken by people who knew its value."
[4]
THE WILL OF FREDERICK STONER
AMONG the emigrants from a German Palatinate, who settled
A- in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, about the middle of the
18th Century, were the parents of honest Frederick Stoner. The
emigrants were of the Mennonite religious sect. It is not known
exactly when Frederick Stoner, the son, came west with his wife,
Barbara Whitmore of Franklin County, but in 1796 he bought a
warrant for a farm of 234 acres in Penn Township, where in addition to the strenuous work of clearing and developing his plantation, he carried on for a while his trade of blacksmith. Later he
bought other tracts of ground until he ranked as one of the large
land owners of the district in the first half of the lgth Century.
His efforts to impartially distribute his possessions by will
among his wife, Barbara, sons and daughters are evident in the
following narrative which is a simplified rendering of a very complex legal document.
"I, Frederick Stoner, considering the uncertainty of this mortal
life, and being of sound mind and memory (blessed be God for
the same) do make and publish this my last will and testament in
manner and form following, to wit:
"I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife, Barbara Stoner,
out of the ready money of which I may be possessed at the time of
my decease the sum of $1oo (if so much there be) payable immediately after my decease and all the household furniture, beds
and bedding, one horse and two cows with provender for the
same: She shall also be provided with fuel and all such necessaries
of life as she may require for her support and comfort: the said
16oTHE WILL OF FREDERICK STONER
provender, pasture, stabling, fuel and necessaries to be furnished
by my son Joseph, and she shall moreover receive the interest of
$1,ooo per annum during life to be paid by my sons, John,
Joseph, and David in proportion to the valuation of real estate
hereinafter to them respectively bequeathed: She shall also
enjoy the free use of the house and garden we now occupy as long
as she remains a widow, and no longer."
Frederick Stoner had six sons and two daughters. The sons were
Christian, Joseph, David, John, Jacob and Abram. The older
daughter, Martha, was married to Myers Stotler. Susanna and
the youngest son, Abram, were minor children in 1830, the date
of the writing of the will.
To Christian, the oldest son, his father bequeaths the farm on
which Christian now lives.
To Joseph, the second son, he bequeaths the large tract bought
from Zahringar  Stotler-that is "all that is cleared" at his father's
death.
To David, the third son, is bequeathed the purchase from
Hugh Quigley, that is "all that is cleared" at his father's death.
All this plantation is to go to Joseph and David, "excepting
what may be hereinafter bequeathed of it to son John."
To Jacob, the fifth son; in addition to what he has already received is bequeathed a tract of land in Mercer County, containing
205 acres on which he now resides.
And to Joseph and David he gives and bequeaths "all the residue of my personal estate, cash and credits, including 5 shares
in the Pittsburgh 8c Greensburg Turnpike Co., and all else not
otherwise bequeathed."
One would infer from this disposal of personal estate that
Joseph and David had been favored more than the others, but
Frederick Stoner who has thanked God, at the beginning of this
document, for his sound mind and memory now proceeds to dispose of the woodland, the uncleared part of his plantation.
Here he thinks it advisable to call in the help of three disinterested persons to divide the woodland "in a manner that may
be fair and equitable and most advantageous to both Joseph and
16iANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
David," but he particularly desires that the piece of woodland
lying below the school house, and south of the Indiana Road be
attached to David's part. And now that good memory of this man,
so anxious to be impartial in distributing this large estate, reminds him of that personal property clause and he asks that these
three disinterested persons might appraise the personal property,
so that Joseph and David may accept or refuse at said appraisement, allowing Joseph, the elder, the choice and refusal. There
seems no reason now for not stating what John, the fourth son, is
to receive.
"Unto my son John I give and bequeath five shares of stock in
the Bank of Pittsburgh-(this will was written before March
1833), a lot of ground, with all its improvements, situated on the
Pittsburgh and Greensburg Turnpike, also a generous piece of
ground "whose boundaries are clearly defined..." (note: this
piece of ground is the "exception" mentioned in Joseph's and
David's share), and includes the Distillery and all the improvements therein.
"I further give to him all the distillery apparatus and vessels belonging to Distillery; But the liquor now in the still-house of
John's cellar I reserve". He then states that John shall have building timber when most convenient and least injurious to the whole
farm, and what fuel may be necessary of fallen and dead timber.
(Joseph and David will have a voice in this matter, remember.)
And now comes an admonition to all three, Joseph, David and
John. "No part of this plantation that I now live on and do hereby
bequeath to my sons, John, Joseph and David shall be sold or
rented during their Mother's lifetime unless to one or other of
the legatees mentioned in this will, and John shall be restricted
from selling or renting without giving his son Joseph the refusal
thereof at the valuation of two disinterested persons."
He then disposes of the coal to Christian, Joseph, David and
John, but Christian is forbidden to claim any coal if he sells his
farm. Next he disposes of the fruit, the result of his own early
years of hard labor. The use of it is given to Joseph and John for
house purposes for ten years after the father's decease.
162THE WILL OF FREDERICK STONER
All very well, but Good Memory says, "There are Martha and
her husband, Abram, and Susanna. What of them?" Well, there is
all that personalty, cash and credits left to Joseph and David.
Abram and Susanna are to make their homes with Joseph and
David until 21 years old, but John and Joseph are to be their
guardians.
When Abram comes of age he is to receive a horse, saddle and
bridle; Susanna the same; but Abram is to receive at once $1oo.
John and Jacob are to pay him this amount. Then in a year's time
Abram is to receive $400 from Joseph and David, and the balance
of $2300 is to be divided between Martha, Abram and Susanna.
First payment $125 to each; next year Martha is to receive 1/4 of
$125, Abram 1/5 of $125; and Susanna 1/6 of $125. When the
sum is reduced to a certain amount Abram is left out and the
balance divided equally between Martha and Susanna. After all,
Abram who receives a total amount of $650 may have come out
best, for he at least knows what is his.
Mr. Stoner closes by declaring: "Should any difference, dispute,
question or controversy arise concerning any gift, bequest, matter
or thing in this my will the same shall be determined by two disinterested persons whose decision shall be binding and final on
all parties."
John and Joseph are appointed executors and Emanuel Stotler,
Christian Hershey and Christian Snively, witnesses.
Frederick Stoner died in 1835, aged sixty-six years. His wife,
Barbara, remained a widow and died in 1861 at the advanced age
of eighty-six.
It is said that there is no tyranny like that of a dead man's
hand, but, although, the tying together of these grown men and
women may seem tyrannical, there is clearly manifested the love
of the early settler, especially those of foreign birth, for his land.
The longing for it had been an inheritance from generations of
forefathers deprived of possessions in the Old World. Frederick
Stoner knew that he must depart, but 0! Keep the land intact and
in the family name. Alas! for the vanity of human wishes. Today,
of all the descendants of those sons and daughters, but one, Earl
163ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
H. Stoner, owns and occupies but little more than one acre of all
that fair estate.
We, who try to unravel Frederick Stoner's complex document,
must admire that sound mind and memory that God gave him,
and hope that the "disinterested parties" suggested for settlements of differences were not called in often, and that the liquor
reserved in John's cellar did not fail during Frederick Stoner's
lifetime; and we are thankful that Barbara remained a widow and
went at will through the house and garden for many years.
[5]
THE ANDERSON-LUDWICK FAMILIES
T   HE Anderson-Ludwick names stand for real pioneer stock in
our State and town; and in the Anderson line for ioo years
continuous residence in Village and Borough. An Anderson had
come to America from Ireland, and a Ludwick from Holland at
least a score of years before the Revolution; their farms were in
the same neighborhood in Westmoreland County for quite a
time, but it was not until 1870, in Wilkinsburg, that the families
were united by the marriage of Nancy Jane Anderson with Levi
Ludwick.
Five grandchildren of this couple, representing the sixth generation from original settlers, are living in the Borough today:
namely, Jane, Charles, Richard, and Mary Louise Montgomery,
children of Mary Letitia Ludwick and the late Charles T. Montgomery; and Mary Jane Gray, daughter of the late Blanche Ludwick and Dr. Earl P. Gray.
John Anderson I and his wife Elizabeth Caldwell, pioneer
settlers in Conococheague Valley, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, came to Westmoreland County soon after the Revolutionary War. He had received 500 acres in this county from the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in payment for his vwar services.
He and his family travelled from East to West on pack horses. The
164THE ANDERSON-LUDWICK FAMILIES
mother and father rode horse back and the children, at least two
of them, and the household belongings were fastened on the sides
of the horses. There were no roads until after they were settled on
the farm near Merwin, when a wagon train cut its way through
from the East bringing millstones with which to build a mill. On
this road, cut right through the Anderson farm, and from a point
half way between Merwin and Drennen there is an outlook of
marvelous beauty and extent. An autoist going over the road
April 30, 1938 asked a man native to the district, "What is the
name of this road?" "Well," was the reply, "the folks hereabouts
call it the'Terrible Road'."
Indians were prevalent in the early years and when an alarm
was given that they were on a raid the father and oldest boys who
could carry guns went scouting, while the mother and smaller
children would join hands and go silently through the woods to
the fort near Merwin, afraid to even whisper lest the Indians
might hear them. It is probable there was a block house for
refugees nearer than the fort. The nearest fort to Merwin was
Fort Hand, situated near Apollo. It was named for General Edward Hand, Commandant at Fort Pitt from April 1777 to July
1778. Frederick A. Godcharles in his DAILY STORIES OF PENNSYLVANIA states: "Fort Hand near Apollo, near Kiskiminetas, and
Fort Crawford now Parnassus were erected to protect the northern
border of Westmoreland from Indian raids. With the first mild
weather of spring the savage incursions began. They descended
the Allegheny in their canoes and scattered in little bands
throughout the country. The Puckety Creek made an attack on
farms in this region an easy matter."
On one occasion when John Anderson was taking his family
to the fort at Hannastown, he was met by a young man who warned him not to go the way John Anderson had planned because the
Indians were on that trail. The man's house had been burned and
his sister taken captive by the band. Needless to say the course was
changed. It is pleasant to record that a band of Indian traders
dealing in an Indian camp near Lake Erie recognized the captive girl and tried to attract her attention, hoping to find a way
165ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
to take her away with them. But they were too closely watched
to effect this. On their return to Fort Hand they reported where
she was. The militia stationed at these forts were frontier men
trained for scouting, so a detachment was immediately sent out.
The girl was rescued and restored to her family. The Anderson
family reached the fort in safety and remained there indefinitely.
Some time later the fort ran short of provisions and twelve men
left in search of food and other necessaries. They reached John
Anderson's house in safety, but were surprised by a party of
Indians who killed ten of the men. The slain men were buried
on the Anderson farm.
Members of the Covenanter faith in this district held their first
meetings in John Anderson's barn; from these "Associates" the
early Covenanter churches of Manchester, North Washington
and Brookland were organized. The Reverend Joseph Hunter,
the first pastor of the Covenanter Church of Wilkinsburg, was a
grandson of John and Elizabeth Anderson.
About 1838 John Anderson, a son of George, and grandson of
pioneer John, came from Westmoreland County and settled in
Wilkinsburg. He was a carpenter and contractor. At first he
occupied a log cabin that stood on ground just opposite the School
for the Deaf on Swissvale Avenue. Tradition claims the cabin as
the first log cabin built in this territory, and as such it was chosen
to appear as a frontispiece in this book.
In this pioneer cabin was born Nancy Jane Anderson, the
daughter of John and Letitia Morrow Anderson and the future
wife of Levi Ludwick. Later Mr. Anderson bought a lot from
James Kelly adjoining on the west the newly erected Methodist
Church on Wallace Avenue. Here he built his home. This property was held in the possession of his heirs until August 1, 1908
when it was sold by his granddaughters, Mrs. Mary L. Ludwick
Montgomery and Mrs. Blanche Ludwick Gray, to the Board of
School Directors of the Borough and forms part of the Wilkinsburg High School property.
Let us now return to the other pioneer family of this sketch.
Jacob and Madeline Baker Ludwick came to America from
166Alexander Hamilton house. First brick house built in the Village,
northwvest corner of Penn Avenue and Coal Street
James Horner, II, house, built on present site of First National Bank
First frame house built in the VillageMrs. John Horner and daughter Lidie
Squire John Horner
John Horner brick house, present site of May Drug Store,
southvest corner of Penn Avenue and Wood StreetTHE ANDERSON-LUDWICK FAMILIES
Rotterdam, Holland, on the good ship Edinburgh. During the
crossing a son named Jacob was born. They settled in Berks
County, Pennsylvania. Here, in 1756, another son, Conrad, was
born. Later, after the War of 1776, the family moved West and
settled in Westmoreland County. In the course of years Abraham
Ludwick, the son of sea-born Jacob, married Mary Magdelene,
his cousin, the daughter of Conrad Ludwick, who had been one
of the young soldiers of the Revolution. They had seven sons and
three daughters. During the 183o's Abraham and Mary Magdelene Ludwick moved to Jefferson County and there engaged in
farming and lumbering.
While living in Jefferson County Abraham and his wife came to
Pittsburgh to market, and during the long drive the thrifty Mary
Magdelene knit one sock on the way to Pittsburgh and its mate on
the way home. Had this worthy couple not lived before the days
of illuminated household mottoes we might suspect that the wellknown one of warning would have had a place on a wall of their
house:
"Satan finds some mischief still
For idle hands to do.",
for farming and lumbering and long distance marketing were not
sufficient to fill their time. Abraham was a tailor by trade and
his wife had a loom on which were woven rag carpets, rugs, cloth,
and bed coverlets. One of these wonderful coverlets is an heirloom treasured by Mrs. Montgomery.
About 1855 Abraham Ludwick and his very capable helpmeet
moved to Wilkinsburg where they lived the remainder of their
days. A son, David, a Civil War soldier, was killed at the Battle
of Nelson's Farm, Virginia. Two other sons, Levi and Samuel,
and a daughter Maria lived for many years in the village. A son
Harry and a daughter, Gussie, children of Samuel Ludwick, live
today (May 8, 1938) on Biddle Avenue. Maria married W. J.
Daugherty; a union of ultra-Methodism with ultra-Covenanterism, but, notwithstanding they went their respective ways and
died each in the faith, and, as far as is known, natural deaths.
Before entering the record of Levi Ludwick it may interest the
167CONTENTS
8. THE REV. M. M. PATTERSON, D.D.-Katherine Patterson 503
9. IMPRESSIONS OF NEWCOMERS TO THE VILLAGE IN 1883Jean and Hester Balph                         504
10. NATURAL GAS-Matthew H. Henning                 508
11. Jos. A. KENNEDY-E.K.L.                         511
12. OUR CLUB HOUSE-Millie S. Duff                  512
13. CHARLES RANSON COFFIN-E.M.D.                   513
14. THE CAROTHERS FAMILY, SAMUEL MCELROY, JR.E.M.D.                                        519
15. TELEPHONE SERVICE PRIOR TO 1889-Sarah E. Anderson 523
16. QUEER CHARACTERS AND BELIEFS-Mrs. E. S. LohrE.M.D.                                        524
17. JOHN WESLEY BEATrY-H.M.B.                      531
18. THE STRUGGLE FOR BOROUGH INCORPORATIONJames Balph, Esq.                             538
19. BY WAY OF FAREWELL AND EXHORTATION-E.M.D.    547
XIXANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
readers of these annals to insert here an illustration of the precision with which business was conducted in earlier days. The following story, a true one, is told of thrifty Mary Magdelene Ludwick:-When she moved from the farm to restrictions of village
life she had no thought of sitting down "with folded hands in the
twilight of life waiting for the end." No, indeed! There was a
large plot of ground about the home in the square bounded by
Mill and Coal Streets, facing on Penn Avenue and extending 264
feet to Ross: and there was a mill at hand with plenty of grain.
So a flock of chickens claimed her untiring energy. She soon had
a number of exclusive customers for eggs,-with a waiting list,
for two social distinctions among housewives were to get eggs from
Mrs. Ludwick and buttermilk from Mrs. James Kelly. One day
a carefree youngster was given a dollar and sent for the eggs.
When her basket was carefully packed and the dollar paid, Mrs.
Ludwick said:-"Tell Luke Davison he owes me a cent more on
those eggs." The eggs reached home safely but the message was
forgotten. A short time afterward Mrs. Ludwick was called from
earthly activities. Then memory awakened in the small girl's
mind, and she told her father the forgotten message. He was an
honest man but did not seem disturbed about the debt. On the
contrary, with a twinkle in his very blue Irish eyes, he said: "Well,
Mother Ludwick will have to wait for a settlement until I go to
Heaven, for I've no doubt that she took her account book with
her." This is not told in the spirit of ridicule. In those days a day
on which payment was due was the day it must be paid; the
amount specified was the amount to be paid;-there were no sliding scales, and on just such principles some of the colossal fortunes of Pittsburgh were built.
Levi Ludwick was born in Westmoreland County, February
27, 1829. When twenty-one years old he left the Jefferson County
farm to become a contractor and builder. Among his first contracts was building the first house in Irwin, Pa., followed by a
great many more in that town. In 1856 he accepted a contract for
building the inclined plane trestles and houses at the Coleman
Mine, now in the city limits. On coming to Wilkinsburg he took
168THE HORNER FAMILY
over the management of the steam grist mill which was located
on Penn Avenue, south side, near Coal Street. The mill and
square from M/ill to Coal he bought in 1866 for $5,ooo and operated the mill until his death September 2, 1887. Mr. Ludwick
was a school director while WTilkinsburg formed part of the city;
a Republican in political sentiments, and both he and his wife
ardent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church on Wallace
Avenue, of which Mr. Ludwick was for many years a steward
and trustee.
Nancy Jane Anderson, great-granddaughter of pioneer John
and Elizabeth Caldwell Anderson, was a teacher in both private
and public schools in the village. She was a belle of her days, as the
accompanying picture shows. And the letters from the boys of'61
testify that she was not only that, but that she was an influence
for good in their lives, and that the Anderson home on Wallace
Avenue was a rallying place where parents and brothers and sisters extended warm hospitality to all lonely boys and young men
of the Civil War, of whom James Morrow Anderson was one, in
Co. A, 63 Reg. P.V.
Before his marriage to this warm hearted woman Levi Ludwick
built a solid and attractive brick house for his bride at 904 Penn
Avenue. It, like the Abraham Stoner house, stands in first class
condition today, and is occupied by Mrs. Mary Letitia Montgomery, the older of the two daughters of these worthy citizens
of the village of former years.
[6]
THE HORNER FAMILY
N 1763, on October 8, before daybreak, a band of Delaware
Indians was skulking through the woods along the highway
that led between Bethlehem and Fort Allen in Allen Township,
Northampton County. They were planning to attack the home
of John Stenton in which was housed for the night Captain Jacob
169ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Wetterholt with a squad of men. The Indians were wary and
would brook nothing that might interfere with their plans.
At the same time Mrs. Jean Horner, wife of James Horner I,
was hastening along the same road to borrow some live coals from
her neighbor to light her morning fire. Too bad that her fire had
gone out the night before, but it was easier to go to the neighbor's
than to coax a blaze with flint and tinder. She sensed no trouble.
The Indians, observing her advance, held brief council. She
might betray their presence or raise an alarm. Quickly two of their
number jumped on the unsuspecting woman and killed her with
their tomahawks.
Another account, in the possession of Mrs. Eliza Horner Gordon, states that Mrs. Jean Horner was scalped by the Indians
while going to the spring for water to make breakfast for some
Philadelphia visitors who had spent the night at her home. Be
that as it may, here was tragedy indeed for the bereaved husband
and the houseful of small children, Jean Horner's remains were
carried secretly to Bethlehem and there interred in the graveyard
connected with the little stone church as soon as it was decided
that the danger from Indians was past.
At that time, James Horner II, son of James and Jean, was five
years of age. He grew to manhood, served in the Revolution, and
from 1778 to 1783 was a Ranger of the Frontiers. He acquired
a grant of land from the Penns, in recognition of his war service,
and in 1786 came westward with his future brother-in-law, Col.
Dunning McNair, to settle on his land which was located in Pitt
Township.
The James Horner farm was situated near the present city
line, at the Frankstown-Forbes Road. Here, about 1789, James
built a log house and brought to it, his wife, Mary McNair, born
1770. In this house were born their six children: David McNair;
Sarah Ann who married James Kelly; Jean Hayes, who became
the wife of Samuel McCrea; Anna Maria who married Judge
William Davis of Meadville; John who married Mary Means
Davis, sister to Judge William Davis; James D., bachelor, who
became a physician and druggist, died 1853.
170THE HORNER FAMILY
Wilkinsburg is concerned most especially with the record of
John Horner, since he always lived in the village. Together with
his family, he was prominent in the civic and social life of the
small community. He was born May 23, 1796, and obtained most
of his education at Dumpling Hall with the McNair children
from a tutor employed by Col. McNair.
When about fifteen years of age he was apprenticed to Samuel
Pettigrew, a Pittsburgh druggist, to learn chemistry and pharmacy. In later years he became a partner in the firm and the name
Horner and Pettigrew, Druggists, appeared for some years in
Pittsburgh business directories. They were located on Market St.
In 1832 John Horner married Miss Mary Means Davis, born
1808, daughter of John Davis of Meadville, himself a soldier of
the Revolution. The young couple came to make their home in
the large, rambling frame house built by James Horner II at the
corner of Wood Street and Penn Avenue, the present site of the
First National Bank. James, John's father, was now Justice of the
Peace and had his office attached to the house.
Mary Means Davis was somewhat of a "belle" and frequently
came by stage from Meadville to Pittsburgh to visit her older
sister Eliza (Mrs. McFaden) and enjoy the gaieties of the "big
city." In 1825 she had attended the Lafayette ball held here,
adorned with her high comb and silk sash with pink rosebuds
woven in the fabric; and with her white Chinese silk shawl and
French fan. Of this great event she often told her children.
It is stated that when she married Mr. Horner, her father,
John Davis, who lived on a farm near Meadville, presented her
with a fine saddle-horse as a wedding gift. This was a thoughtful
and appropriate present in those days when even the Great Turnpike between Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg was not free from tree
stumps and it is told that young Mrs. Horner had to let her
horse pick his steps very carefully as she neared the village. She
was an accomplished horsewoman, of slight and graceful figure.
It was related by her daughter, Mrs. Gordon, that it was said in
the Davis family: "If Mary only had Eliza's face and Eliza only
had Mary's figure, they would both be perfection."
171ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Mrs. Horner had the gracious manner of one who had been
reared in an educated and well-to-do family and was accustomed
to social life. She also had a native business sense; a "legal" mind
it was termed. Well-to-do Beulah parish welcomed nIrs. Horner;
she soon "found" herself into her new environment, took her
place in social and church activities and reared her family of
daughters and sons. For some years she conducted a small school
in her own house, primarily for her own children, but generously
(like Dunning McNair) she included some other children of the
neighborhood.
The children of Squire John and Mary Davis Horner were:
James III, born 1833; married Miss Margaret McFarland of
Meadville. Died 1907.
John Davis, born 1834, died 1898; Mary George, 1836; George
Kennedy, 1838-1873; Eleanor (McKelvey) 1839-1922; Matilda
Graham, 1840-1912; Eliza McNair (Gordon) 1842-1917; William,
1847-1866.
Of these, James III received his education at Allegheny College,
Meadville, engaged in business in Pittsburgh; became Justice of
the Peace in Wilkinsburg; served two terms as burgess of Wilkinsburg; had three children, Frank, John, Georgia; the latter surviving. The other three sons of John and Mary Davis Horner did
not marry. John Davis, George and William served in the Civil
War, the latter running away from home when 17 to become a
drummer boy. John Davis was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution (S.A.R.).
Of the daughters, Mary George received her education at the
Edgeworth Seminary, Sewickley, astronomy being her specialty.
Matilda Graham Horner, the second daughter, was the presiding spirit of the household. She was not only the caretaker at
home, but she was the helping hand from the highest to the
humblest in the village. As years went on she was the homemaker
for her brother Davis, and youngest sister, Mrs. Gordon.
The third daughter Ellen married John S. McKelvey, a son of
James McKelvey, a leader in Methodism in this locality and a
grandson of James McKelvey, Sr., one of the large landowners in
172THE HORNER FAMILY
Westmoreland Co., and the Swissvale and Wilkinsburg districts.
John and Ellen Horner McKelvy had six children, four of
whom are living: viz., John Semple McKelvy, attorney; Rose
(Mrs. Marshall D. McWhinney); Eleanor (Mrs. Harry W. McIntosh); and Elizabeth (Mrs. E. McK. Sanderson). The older son
James P. (deceased) became one of Pittsburgh's prominent physicians; Mary, the second daughter, died soon after her marriage
to Lewis Raisig.
Eliza McNair Horner attended the Wilkinsburg Academy and
had possibly the most varied and interesting career of the Horner
children. Early becoming interested in church and missionary
work, she was one of the organizers of the Women's Missionary
Society of the First Prebyterian Church of Wilkinsburg. Civic
and club life appealed to her. In 1898 she was one of the organizers
of the Wilkinsburg Auxiliary of the American Red Cross, even as
during the Civil War, as a very young girl, she had been busy
serving at the Sanitary Fair, making lint, etc.
She was the founder of the first Audubon Society of Western
Pennsylvania, also in 1898 the founder of the Woman's Club of
Wilkinsburg. Intensely interested in local history and of Revolutionary ancestry on both the mother's and the father's side, she
became connected with various patriotic societies such as the
Daughters of 1812, Daughters of the American Revolution and
Colonial Dames, and belonged also to the Art Society of Pittsburgh, the Travelers Club and the Colloquium Club, besides
serving on the Board of Directors of the Sheltering Arms in
Wilkinsburg.
"Lidie" Horner was a handsome girl and one of the "belles"
not only of Wilkinsburg but in Pittsburgh as well. In 1882 she
married Mr. Franklin Merean Gordon of Edgewood and was
widowed a year later. Studious and aspiring to the finer things of
life, Mrs. Gordon was much travelled and well read. She is remembered by the older residents of the village as one of the best dressed
women of the "gay nineties"; while her dignity, her bright, flashing smile and charming manner are pleasant recollections.
Returning to Squire John Horner and his wife-until 186o
173ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
they lived in the old James Horner house and when it began to
be not "stylish" enough for the young folks, Mrs. Horner quietly
went up to her old home town, Meadville, and purchased lumber
for a new dwelling. Imagine her chagrin when, on her return, her
husband told her he had already arranged to take over the brick
building standing diagonally across the street, which had been
built and occupied by his bachelor brother Dr. James D. Horner,
now deceased.
The brick house fronting on Penn Avenue was a pleasant
enough place with a side-porch of long dimensions on the Wood
Street side. It stood on the site of what is now May's Drug Store,
had a lovely old-fashioned garden surrounding it and fine tall
water maple trees lining the street both in front and at the side.
It was not long, however, until sadness struck his family. In 1866
William died; in 1868 Mr. Horner passed on; then George and
Mary.
Mrs. Horner survived until 1887. Owing to the involved land
titles and some financial difficulties between John Horner and
his brother-in-law James Kelly, Mrs. Horner had to resort to law
to claim legal title to this property. She was victorious.
After the mother's death rapid developments took place in the
real estate holdings of the Horner estate. The eastern side of
Wood Street in the block from Wallace to North Avenue was
soon filled with dwelling houses, built by the heirs. In one of
these Miss Matilda made a home for her brother Davis and Mrs.
Gordon until in 1893, when streets had been farther extended,
she bought property at the top of Centre Street adjoining the
rear of the Singer "plantation" and built a large frame house
having a charming and far reaching outlook. On Miss Horner's
death in 1912 the Horner home with its ever delightful hospitality passed into cherished tradition.
Many traits of the Horner family were as quaint and refreshing
as the characters in Cranford. They were firm, staunch friends
and hardy enemies. Their manner expressed a pleasing flattery
formerly expected of good manners and breeding characteristic
of the gentility of the old school.
174WILLIAM McCREA FAMILY
A vast kindliness, warm-hearted generosity, and native shrewdness were traits that placed the Scotch-Irish Horners in the forefront of local life.
[7]
WILLIAM McCREA FAMILY
SHORTLY after Dr. James McCosh came from Scotland to become President of Princeton College a national meeting of
the Women's Missionary Societies of the Presbyterian Church
was held at Princeton. Among the delegates to this great assembly
was Mrs. Henry B. Fry of Ohio, the wife of a minister. She was
filled with missionary zeal and held high office in an Ohio Synod.
Being honored with an invitation to meet Dr. McCosh, she greeted him in her always gracious manner in this way: "I am happy to
meet you, Dr. McCosh, for two reasons. First, to welcome so distinguished a man as you. You have honored us in becoming an
American educator. My second reason is because of your name;
McCosh was my maiden name." He grasped her hand and in his
broad Scotch brogue said, "Ah, then we are kin!" Mrs. Fry replied,
"I think not, at least my father knew his family but one generation back." "Nevertheless we are kin," he repeated, "for there is
but one McCosh clan."
So easy a solution of origin does not often await a delver in
genealogical lines. The change in spelling a name, usually the
result of a change of location, causes many complications in
straightening out origins reaching back through centuries.
In the name McCrea we meet change of spelling, change of location and centuries of time. Their clan, war cry, gathering place,
martial music, badge and motto are all preserved in the Gaelic
language and thus kept safely from the contamination of modern
interpretation. This much we know, that the name of MacRea, in
Gaelic, MacRath, meant "Son of Grace" and was of Ecclesiastical
origin, and that it appears continuously in Scotch and Irish history
175ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
from the fifth Century on through the 1 7th. The name had various spellings-in Scotland MacRea, McCrae, McCrea; in Ireland
it was spelled as MacRath, McCreath, McCreith, and in the form
of McGrath it is a common name today in Ireland.
In Scotland the MacRea clan filled the offices of chamberlains,
retainers of barons, vicars of parishes, and constables of castles. In
brief, the MacReas were warriors, ecclesiastics, and scholars.
Just when three brothers, William, John and Robert McCrea,
with whom our local history is concerned, came to America is not
certainly known, but from the scanty information given of them,
three things come out definitely in the history of William McCrea.
He came from Dundee, Scotland; he settled in Cumberland
County and while there married Susan Bryson of Franklin
County; and letters coming to him from Scotland were addressed
"Sir William McCrea".
The date of his coming west is not definitely known, but the
land records of his property, Dundee Farm, and the date of birth
of his oldest son, suggest the early years of the 1780's as probable.
A large tract of land, surveyed for James Springer in 1769, was
conveyed to Robert McCrea, the oldest of the three brothers, in
1773. The tract came into William's possession, by patent, in
1797. The birth of his oldest son, William, Jr., in the old log
farmhouse in 1785, suggests occupancy for twenty-two years before building the stone house in 1807.
Of the eight children of William and Susan Bryson McCrea we
know three sons-William, Jr., Samuel and John. The two latter
became property owners and active in the business life of the
village. William, Jr., remained on the farm. In 1807 William, Sr.,
built a stone house at the southwest corner of William Penn Highway and Beulah Road. The beauty of its setting, in the midst of
trees, and an old fashioned garden, has been destroyed by the
relentless hand of Progress, but the house, 132 years old, still
stands and is occupied.
Mr. Graham's diary reports: "July 27, 1828, buried William
McCrea." We regret that so little is known of this pioneer father
but his appointment, by Redstone Presbytery in 1804 as the
176WILLIAM McCREA FAMILY
minister's elder in Beulah church, shows confidence in his judgment and appraisement of a Christian man. His gift of ground,
for church and graveyard use, is witness of his generosity and
desire to help establish for Beulah congregation a more fitting
house for worship and consecrated ground for burial of the dead.
William McCrea, Jr., was born May 7, 1785 at Dundee Farm.
Few particulars are known of his life. He may have been of a
delicate constitution for letters are extant showing that he visited
at Bedford Springs at times to be benefited by the water. The
trip there took two days, but a break in the journey at Blairsville
gave him an opportunity to visit a brother.
The disregard to contagious diseases at that time is evident by
a quotation from a letter written by him in Blairsville to his wife:
"Martha looks very tired and worn, as she is caring for little John
who is down with scarlet fever."
He was probably the first of the McCrea family to open the rich
deposits of lime which underlaid his large acreage. He was commissioner on the building committee of the Pittsburgh and
Greensburg Pike begun in 1814 and was successful in having the
course of the Northern Turnpike changed from the original
survey in the lowland to the present line of the William Penn
Highway.
Worthy of note in his life are the following events: he succeeded
his father as elder in Beulah church; when forty years old the
bachelor, William McCrea, Jr., married Mrs. Liberty McKinney
Greer; in 1837 he supervised the building of the present brick
church of Beulah.
Liberty McKinney, born May 7, 1801 near Newville, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, married Michael Greer Nov. 15, 1827.
Mr. Greer died five months later.
Mrs. Greer returned to her father's house at Steasburg, Pennsylvania and lived there until her father's death. Three months
later, Sept. 8, 1835, she married William McCrea, Jr., and came
177ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
west to preside over the Dundee homestead twenty-four years.
She is described as a beautiful woman with dark hair and eyes, tall,
and stately in carriage. Family records state that she was of a very
sympathetic nature, always prompt in giving help to neighbors
who were sick or in want. She prepared delicacies in food for
them and in other acts helped to lessen bodily suffering, while
distressed minds were quieted by her calm manner and steadfast
trust in God. In the entertainment of guests in her hospitable
home she showed great tact, cordiality and courtesy.
On the death of her husband, after but eight years of married
life, she assumed the business cares of an estate of several farms. In
this work she was greatly helped by her neighbor, Henry Chalfant,
who had been a loyal friend of her husband, and was guardian
of her children fourteen years. There were many harassing and
perplexing periods in the sixteen years of her widowhood, but
she came through them all with dignity and success. A six year
old tenant said, "Mrs. McCrea was always a lady".
The origin of her unusual Christian name is given as follows:
An ancestress, Mary Quigley Brady, wife of Captain John Brady,
who served with Washington's army during the Revolution, became a mother Aug. 8, 1778. The child was a girl and, apparently
out of gratitude for the recent Declaration of Independence, Captain Brady named her Liberty. The unusual name has come down
through different branches of the Brady-Quigley-McKinneyChalfant and McCrea families for five generations.
The third important event in the life of William McCrea, Jr.,
was the oversight of building the brick church of Beulah in the
year 1837. This building, lo2 years old, stands today as a marvel
of workmen's skill. In 1934, when the building was ninety-seven
years old, almost immediately after the 15oth celebration of the
organization of Beulah congregation, it was discovered that the
ceiling was sinking. It was of marvelous construction and great
beauty. The architect engaged to superintend repairs said that he
would have to find old workmen for the job as younger men did
not understand old style truss construction of which the ceiling
was an example. To Mr. Dunning, the present pastor of Beulah,
178WILLIAM McCREA FAMILY
we are indebted for the accompanying drawing. He grows eloquent in speaking of the manner and success of the workmen who
restored the ceiling of old Beulah, so dear to him and many, many
others.
Both Mr. and Mrs. McCrea were generous contributors to
Beulah Church. An appraisement of William McCrea's estate in
1845, compared with that of his father's in 1828, shows a very
favorable increase in possessions in several ways; such as household furniture, cattle and horses, cultivated fields, investments in
bank, bridge and road stocks, besides the very profitable lime kiln
business carried on on his farm. The appraisement made by
James Graham, and Charles Carothers shows well furnished
houses and well stocked farms. Chests of drawers, circular bureau,
parlor settee, desk and bookcase, two copper kettles worth a dollar
and a "schillet", also a clock valued at $35, and one wind-mill $ o.
There were six horses and eighteen cows, among them "a red one
with one horn off".There were thirty-three shares in the Exchange
Bank of Pittsburgh, six shares in the Allegheny Bridge, crossing at
Hand Street. Altogether a valuation of $2,298.20.
The mortal parts of William McCrea, Jr., and his charming
wife, Liberty, lie in Beulah graveyard with that of his kinsfolk
but the memory of their lives still endures.
A daughter and son were born to William and Liberty McCrea;
Ellen Quigley McCrea and William Bryson McCrea.
Ellen Quigley McCrea was born Nov. 8, 1836, and married
John Weakley Chalfant, a son of Henry and Isabella Weakley
Chalfant, May 31, 186o. To them were born five children.
i. Mary Liberty  married  Maj. George McKee, U.S.A.
2. Isabella Campbell
3. Henry         p"    Harriet Beckwith Watson
4. Eleanor McCrea
5. Annie         t"    Walter Mitchell
The home of Ellen and John Chalfant was in Allegheny City,
179ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
but their interest in Beulah was active all through their lives. The
Beulah parsonage, standing on former McCrea ground, northwest corner of William Penn Highway and Beulah Road, is a
gift of Mrs. Chalfant to Beulah congregation.
William Bryson MIcCrea was born in the McCrea homestead
June 6, 1840. Three years after his birth his father died, and his
youthful training was intrusted to his very superior mother. He
attended the country schools for a time. Upon the opening
of the Huston Academy in 1852 he was entered as a pupil and remained in the Academy under the Hastings administration until
his early manhood, when he took under his care his inherited
share of Dundee Farm. The story of the lime industry, carried on
on farms lying miles around, is told under that heading in another
section of this book, and full of interest is the description of WV.
B. McCrea's unique manner of loading his lime for transport to
the city.
After the death of his mother the W. B. McCrea house was presided over by Aunt Betsy Wilson, his father's sister. W. B. McCrea
was a very handsome man and a dashing horseman. When he appeared on the village streets he was literally "the Cynosure of
neighboring eyes". With black hair and beard, red cheeks and
eyes of great beauty, as he caracoled down the village street on
his spirited horse of purest breed, he seemed to the young people
like a knight of olden times.
In 1866 a business trip to Washington, Pennsylvania, brought
about the marriage of Mr. McCrea. It is an interesting story as
told by his daughter, Eleanor, (Mrs. Robert M. Ewing): "A business trip called father to Little Washington, Pa. He spoke of this
to Miss Miller, a daughter of Colonel Miller of Port Perry, who
gave him a letter of introduction to the family of Colonel Samuel
Beatty, long-time resident of the college town. On meeting
Colonel Beatty's daughter, Elizabeth, mutual love at first sight
resulted, and the marriage of W. B. McCrea and Elizabeth Beatty
took place soon after on January 17, 1867.
"The snow was heavy on the ground, and a lively team of horses
hitched to a handsome sleigh brought the couple from Washing18oWILLIAM McCREA FAMILY
ton, through Mansfield (Carnegie), Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg
to Beulah, where in the sixty year old stone farm house of Dundee
Farm, Aunt Betsy Wilson was awaiting them with open arms and
the heartsome cheer of oldtime hospitality.
"The change in environment was great for my mother. Born into an outstanding family in its community, and reared in the midst
of the varied social activities of a college town, where she had attended the Female Seminary, studied music and was a member
of the choir of the First Presbyterian Church, it is not hard to
realize the attacks of homesickness that overpowered her at times.
The winter was very cold. From Dundee there was no house in
sight, and the village was two and a half miles away. Mother was
not accustomed to driving a horse and when she was obliged to
go to Wilkinsburg alone, so great was her fear of upsetting that
she drove around a square to accomplish the turn necessary to
face homeward. She told us, her children, that when she could not
control the spells of homesickness she would hide behind the
parlor door so that father could not see her cry. He was quick in
sensing the situation and then the horses would be brought out
and a trip to Washington to see her parents in the dear home
would bring solace. To cover the distance quickly the horses were
always changed at Mansfield, for at that time the hills between
Pittsburgh and Mansfield made hard travelling. I do not think
father had to do this often, for the beautiful training of grandmother Beatty had so permeated her daughter Elizabeth's life that
she soon became a capable, thrifty wife, in the house still fragrant
with the spirit of her predecessor, Liberty McKinney McCrea.
Both she and father were earnest workers in Beulah Church and
its community."
To William Bryson and Elizabeth Beatty McCrea were born
six children, one of whom died in infancy:
William Bryson, Jr., born Dec. 6, 1867, died five weeks after
marriage with Bertha Barclay.
Samuel Beatty, born Jan. 17, 1870, married Jeda Gabriel, one
daughter, Sylvia.
181ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Liberty McKinney, born June 28, 1871, died May 23, 1906.
Mary Taylor, born May 12, 1874, died May 22, 1876.
Eleanor Chalfant, born Jan. 31, 1876, married Maj. Robert
M. Ewing. Two children.
Liberty McCrea Ewing
William Findley Ewing
Liberty McCrea Ewing married Robert Evans King of Omaha,
Neb.
Their daughter, Liberty King, is of the fifth generation to bear
the unique and patriotic name, Liberty.
Elizabeth Beatty McCrea died Aug. 12, 1904. At her request she
was buried beside her mother in the family burial lot of Col.
Samuel Beatty in Washington, Pennsylvania.
William Bryson McCrea was buried with his ancestors in
Beulah graveyard beside his daughter, Liberty.
[8]
THE HORBACH FAMILY
OF WILKINSBURG
T   HE Horbachs were of hardy German stock and had come to
Pennsylvania in the great immigration sometime between
1730 and 1750. As was the case with all the early comers, they
settled first in the eastern portion of the state, York County,
to be exact.
From this locality, John, Michael, Peter, Jost and several others
of that name or approximate spellings of the same name, enlisted
for Revolutionary service. Jost Horbach was appointed captain
182I Y  I(CA~ LR~U-S S  (ON4S T1~ U(CTI ON
u1 X   T DLUSS tS'TT  ti   AV t
Typical Truss ConstructionOriginal Survey of Dundee FarmMrs. Liberty McCrea
The MtcCrea Homestead, built in 1807Major Ab)ram Horback's house, built about 1840.
The original buildillg forms the cenltral part of U. P. Home for Aged Women, corner of Penn Avenue
Mrs. Mary Horback Bennett house. Exclusive boarding house, 1850-75THE HORBACH FAMILY OF WILKINSBURG
of the Seventh Company of York County Associators and Militia
on October i, 1777 and attained distinction. He remained in the
east.
It was Jacob Horbach who pushed to the western frontier at
the early date of 1755, locating in Cumberland County, clearing
the land and fighting the Indians. He was the pioneer settler of
that name and was, possibly, the ancestor of those Horbachs who,
a century later, were large landowners and respected, affluent citizens of the village.
The name has undergone several variations in spelling and
was customarily pronounced as though spelled Horback.
In 1818 Major Abraham Horbach patented 75 acres of land in
Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County. He was at that
time not married. Shortly before 1835 he decided to locate in
Wilkinsburgh and in 1835 purchased from James Kelly, for the
sum of $7,ooo, a large tract of land. The property was located on
either side of the Great Turnpike (Penn Avenue) and embraced
those locations now occupied by the United Presbyterian Home
for the Aged, the Columbia Hospital, mercantile properties on
the southerly side of Penn Avenue and by residences, mercantile
properties and the Pennsylvania freight yards on the northerly
side of Penn Avenue, extending easterly to Hay Street. The approximate boundaries north and south were the present North
and South Avenues.
The tract comprised 54 lots and a portion of 5 other lots.
This property was ideally located both with reference to the
Braddock Road and the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia Turnpike. In
that day it had considerable value and bade fair to make the
possessor a wealthy man as it continued increasing in value.
The homestead which Major Horbach erected was one of the
show places of that pleasant summer resort, Wilkinsburgh, and
was especially mentioned in the Harris Directory of 1841. It was
a structure of red brick with a square faSade and considerable
depth, set well back in the grounds fronting on Penn Avenue. A
sweeping gravel "drive" curved to the front door. The original
front of the Horbach house may still be seen as it is now the
183PENNSYLVANIA
LEGAL DOCUMENTS do not usually awaken interest in the mind of the
general reader, but there is a document of this type in the Division of
Public Records of the Estate of Pennsylvania at Harrisburg, which
should interest every inhabitant of our great commonwealth.
This document is the Charter of the Province of Pennsylvania
dated March 3, 1681. It is written on heavy scrolls of parchment,
beautifully decorated with heraldic designs in rich colors. Its momentous contents are expressed in quaint phraseology and written in the
heavy script of its period.
It is a long document but a short excerpt will serve our purpose
which is to impress upon our minds that one of the great events in
the history of the New World was the gift of the Colony of Pennsylvania to William Penn, the Quaker.
CHARTER OF THE PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA
PROLOGUE
CHARLES THE SECOND, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, KING OF ENGLAND,
SCOTLAND, FRANCE AND IRELAND, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, C. To
all to whome these presents shall come greeting. Whereas our
Trustie and well beloved subject, William Penn, Esquire, sonn
and heire of Sir William Penn, deceased, out of a commendable
desire to enlarge our English Empire, and promote such usefull
comodities as may bee of benefit to vs and our Dominions, as
alsoe to reduce the savage natives by gentle and just manners to
the love of civill Societie and Christian Religion hath humbly
besought to leave of vs to transport an ample colonie vnto a certaine Country hereinafter described in the partes of America
not yet cultivated and planted.
And hath likewise humbly besought our Royall Majestie to
give, grant, and confirme all the said country with certaine priviledges and jurisdiccons requisite for the good Government and
safetie of the said countrey and Colonie, to him and his heires
forever.
KNOWE YEE, THEREFORE, THAT WEE, favouring the petition and
XXIANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
central portion of the United Presbyterian Home for the Aged.
The Harris Directory listed Major Horbach as "farmer" and
his granddaughter, Miss Mary Bennett, often stated that her
grandfather's "kitchen-garden" was second to none and contained
many rare herbs suitable for medicinal purposes and for seasonings. There was also an extensive flower-garden and under his
management the place prospered.
The mansion was his home until his death in 1838. The following year his property was distributed according to his will, which,
summed up briefly, was as follows: To his son John and the children of his deceased daughter, Mrs. Sallie Horbach Hurst, the
Westmoreland County holdings. To his sons, Abram, Jr., James
and Henry the Wilkinsburg properties, with certain reservations
of acres for his two daughters. Of this acreage Abram, Jr. received
the largest share. Of the twenty-eight acres reserved, his daughter
Arabella, Mrs. Lewis Stattenfield, received twenty acres and Mary,
Mrs. Calvin Bennett, eight acres on the north side of Penn Avenue-the present site of the P.R.R. freight yards.
Here, Mrs. Bennett, widowed early, undertook with her mother
to keep a boarding house in the large, rambling frame structure
which was situated on her property. Surrounding the house was
the then customary landscaping of groups of fir, pine, and larch
trees at either side of the front door; at the back was the customary vegetable garden, an orchard and flower beds.
Mrs. Bennett had been a good-looking girl and, like all the
other belles within reach of Pittsburgh, had in 1825 attended the
Lafayette Ball. On this occasion she had worn beautiful seed-pearl
ear-drops and a brooch of the same kind which had been imported
from India; a richly embroidered shawl of Chinese silk completed
the costume.
Until the 188o's the Bennett boarding-house flourished and
when Mrs. Bennett became too aged to attend to it actively, the
work passed on to her daughter, Miss Mary Bennett. Many prominent business men were among her clientele, among them Andrew Carnegie, who for some years lived here. His mother was
one of Mrs. Bennett's close friends and a handkerchief which Mrs.
184THE HORBACH FAMILY OF WILKINSBURG
Carnegie made and presented to Mrs. Bennett has been preserved
to posterity. Besides the daughter, Mrs. Bennett had three sons,
Alfred, James, and Robert. None of these ever married.
During and after the Civil War the Horbach family fell upon
hard times, having much land and proportionately little income.
Henry Horbach kept a tavern on the Penn Avenue and Hay Street
property. Of him his niece said that he sometimes paid for a load
of coal with an acre of ground.
Major Horbach's widow entered the Home for Aged Protestant
Women on Swissvale Avenue shortly after its founding in 1869
and there ended her days.
About 1855 Mrs. Bennett started her son Alfred in horticulture.
A greenhouse was built on the end of Mrs. Bennett's tract near
Pitt Street. This was the first florist shop in the village. It is said
that many rare varieties of plants and flowers were to be found
in this greenhouse and that Alfred Bennett was the importer of
"bleeding hearts". The first bloom of this strange plant, potted,
was sent by Alfred Bennett to Lidie Horner about 1858. So popular did this plant become that not many years had elapsed until
every Wilkinsburg garden had its patch of "bleeding hearts".
After her mother's death Miss Mary Bennett continued the
boarding house and in the later 188o's moved to the corner of
Fifth Avenue and "Shady Lane" into a large cream-colored frame
house which stood on a high bank in the midst of a large garden.
Hers was a stylish establishment and she had a large acquaintance
among the wealthy industrialists of Pittsburgh. Until 1900oo she
continued here. With declining health and declining years Miss
Bennett, like her grandmother, came to rest at the Home in Wilkinsburg and there ended her days. Generous to a fault, a devoted
daughter and sister, this descendant of pioneers brought up to
affluence and fashion, displayed the stern fortitude and adaptability of her race when the tide of fortune turned and she was
obliged to make her own way.
In the early 1850's the Horbach homestead was acquired by
the James Woodwell family. This house was, under both ownerships, synonymous with style and social position in the village.
185ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
[9]
THE WILLIAM BOYD FAMILY
BOIDH is the Celtic for the Scotch name Boyd, meaning fair
complexion, fair hair.
It is a name that classes itself with other familiar names of the
village, as it also carries one back through centuries to valorous
deeds, for the Boyd family had lived in the Ards district of
County Down, Province of Ulster, Ireland-a peninsula between
Strangford Lough, an arm of the sea, and the Irish Sea-since the
days when Con O'Neil deeded land to Scotch colonists prior to
161o.
A certain Colonel David Boyd was one of those colonists, and
he, prior to 16oo, had fought in a Scotch Brigade with the
Belgians and Dutch against Spain. His bravery and valor were
thus noted in history before the "Invincible Armada" attacked
England.
Down the centuries Colonel David Boyd's descendants continued to live in the Ards district, passing on the honored Christian name until in 1823 a David Boyd, whose wife was born Mary
Bryson, decided to leave the loved homeland and emigrate to
America. With his wife and seven children he came and settled
on a farm in O'Hara Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
His only daughter, and oldest child, was named Jane, and the six
boys came in the following order:-John, David, Alexander,
Hugh, James, and William.
With William this sketch concerns itself, chiefly. After spending his boyhood days on his father's farm where he received such
education as the period afforded, William Boyd came to Pittsburgh where he learned his trade in an iron foundry. He afterward went to Johnstown, Pa. where he and a partner established
an iron foundry, which, many years after his connection with
the business had terminated, became the Cambria Iron and Steel
Company, at present the Bethlehem Steel Company.
i86THE WILLIAM BOYD FAMILY
About 1840 Hugh Boyd persuaded his brother William to
come to Wilkinsburg village where he (Hugh), the oldest brother
John, and their sister, now Mrs. Jane Boyd Wadsworth, widow of
Dr. John Wadsworth, had resided for a number of years.
After coming to Wilkinsburg William engaged in the cattle
business, travelling through the adjacent counties buying and
selling stock but always making his home with his relatives in the
village until in 186o he returned with his bride to the paternal
farm;-David Boyd, Sr., his father, had died and his mother,
Mary Bryson Boyd, had moved to the village of Wilkinsburg,
where she lived the remainder of her life. The Boyd farm was a
large tract of land, and was known then as Fairview Farms.
William Boyd resided on the part of it which was located on the
west bank of the Allegheny River adjoining the little village of
Fairview opposite Verona. The tract extended back over the hills
to the now exclusive Fox Chapel district, and included the
ground of the late Rogers Field Air Port. David Boyd, an older
brother, occupied the hill or rear section.
The maiden name of Mrs. William Boyd was Louise Markle
Miller, whose home had been on a large farm on the Mt. Pleasant
Pike, near Robbstown, now West Newton, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. With the names of Miller and Markle we meet
again warrior stock; for Isaac Miller, the grandfather of Mrs.
Boyd, was a Revolutionary soldier, and her father, William
Miller, had been a member of Captain Joseph Markle's Cavalry
troops during the War of 1812. Captain, afterwards General
Markle, was the defeated Whig candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1844. It was his sister, Mary Markle, whom William
Miller married and who were the parents of Louise Markle Miller, the wife of William Boyd.
The Markles were a distinguished family. The name has undergone changes, as many do when the family moves from the old
world to the new and a change of language follows. We meet the
name first as Merklin, in the Rhenish palatinate of Alsace. Johann
Christman Merklin, born about 1678, left his native Rhine
country in early manhood because of religious persecution. He
187ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
went to Holland, where he married Jemima Wertz, the sister of
an Admiral in the Dutch Navy. They came to America in 1703,
and were probably among the great number of immigrants who
arrived here in that year to avail themselves of the large tracts of
land offered for sale by William Penn. John Merklin bought 1500
acres of that fertile land near Salem Springs, Berks County, Pennsylvania, and his family became pioneers in that distinct social
group known, erroneously, as "Pennsylvania Dutch".
Gaspard, the son of John Christman and Jemima Wertz Merklin, emigrated in 1770 to Western Pennsylvania, and settled with
Jacob Painter, afterwards a Judge, on Sewickley Creek, Westmoreland County. Their tracts of land extended several miles up
and down the creek. In 1776 Gaspard Markle married Mary
Rothermal, also of Berks County, and brought her to his house
built in the style of a fort. The place was known as the Fort of
Refuge, as to it all near settlers fled for safety in times of Indian
raids. It is mentioned among the frontier forts as Markle's Station.
With Mary Rothermal Markle's family we come in contact
again with soldiers serving in the War of the Revolution and in
all succeeding wars up to and through the Civil War of 1861. It
would take us too far afield to enter into details here, but their
deeds occupy an honored place in the history of Mrs. William
Boyd's family.
To return to her grandfather, Gaspard Markle. In 1772 he
built a grist mill on Sewickley Creek which traversed his plantation. Here was made some of the first flour west of the Alleghenies. It was transported in flat boats to New Orleans. The
Gaspard Markles subsequently resided in Spencer County, Kentucky, and upon Gaspard's death there in 1819 the citizens erected a monument to him to commemorate his early adventures in
flour making.
In 1873 William Boyd returned from his farm to Wilkinsburg,
with his wife, Louise Markle Miller, and their two daughters.
Their first child, John, had died when five years old. Here
William Boyd, having retired from business, took residence in
the old red brick house formerly occupied and owned by his
188THE WILLIAM BOYD FAMILY
brother John, and in later years by his sister, Mrs. Wadsworth.
This house, located on the north side of Penn Avenue, and now
numbered 817, was occupied by the "Wilkinsburg Gazette" for
a time, and later became Democratic Headquarters. It is again at
this time (1938) a private residence.
After three years William Boyd bought and moved to the brick
house on the southwest corner of Penn Avenue and Hay Street,
formerly known as the Seven Mile House. This house is one of
the oldest structures, if not the oldest, now standing in the
Borough.
William Boyd was a school director for many years in Sterrett
Township, of which Wilkinsburg was a part. As a tribute to my
father, the writer of this article must state that he was faithful and
outstanding in the discharge of his duties in that office. He gave
liberally of his time, which he never took into account, and his
labor and devotion certainly counted in bringing up the public
schools of Wilkinsburg to the standard established in the educational field.
tJpon the incorporation of the Borough of Wilkinsburg
William Boyd received the Democratic nomination for Burgess
in the first election for that office. Although the Borough was a
Republican district he was defeated by an extremely close vote.
William Boyd died in 1895; his wife, Mrs. Louise Miller Boyd,
following him in death in 1900oo. His family is represented in
Wilkinsburg at the present time by two daughters and two grandchildren.
Mary Boyd, the elder daughter, received her public school education in the Wilkinsburg School; later she specialized in Art,
studying in the Pittsburgh School of Design which flourished for
many years in Pittsburgh. She is a graduate of this school. Having
great talent, she received medals and many honors during her
student years, and her art works, especially in portraiture, are
prized in some Wilkinsburg and East End homes. In 1893 she
married Alfred William Duff, former Judge of the Allegheny
County Court. Mr. Duff was one of the attorneys active in the
incorporation of our Borough in 1887.
189ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Jane Boyd, the younger daughter, prominent in her historical
connection, and in the activities of the Reformed Presbyterian
(Covenanter) Church of Wilkinsburg, is also interested in all activities which support the betterment of the Borough. She received her public school education solely in the Wilkinsburg School
during the time her father was a director and graduated in the
first graduating class going out from this school in May 1882. (This
is the first year diplomas were given to the graduates of the
Wilkinsburg Public School.) Her studies were continued in the
Bishop Bowman Institute of Pittsburgh, an Episcopalian Collegiate School for Young Women, noted for its fine curriculum,
and cultured atmosphere. Later Jane Boyd graduated from Duff's
Business College, Pittsburgh.
William Boyd's two grandchildren, the children of A. W. and
Mary Boyd Duff, have carried on the traditional traits of the
Boyd-Miller-Markle-Rothermal families. Louise Duff, the wife
of James Maxwell Moore, is a graduate of the Wilkinsburg High
School, also of Margaret Morrison of The Carnegie Institute of
Technology. She taught for a while in the Borough School, and
after the World War was active for several years in the Government Marine Hospital in Pittsburgh as a reconstruction aid in
Occupational Theraphy with wounded soldiers; afterwards she
served in the U.S. Veteran's Hospital at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland.
William Boyd Duff was in active service overseas during the
World War, after which he took a postgraduate course in the
Law School of Edinburgh University, Scotland, and later attended law lectures at the Inns of Court, London, England. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and also of its Law school,
Wm. Boyd Duff is now a senior attorney with the Government
in Washington, D. C.
The brothers Hugh and John Boyd, also their mother, Mrs.
Mary Bryson Boyd, died in our village in the early 185o's. I shall
close the history of the Boyd family by stating that this family has
been represented continuously in this neighborhood for over
loo years.
190MRS. JANE BOYD WADSWORTH
[10]
MRS. JANE BOYD WADSWORTH
HE following sketch of a unique person is written by a niece,
a very active and outstanding member of our community
today (1938).
Of Mrs. Jane Boyd Wadsworth, her niece and namesake, Miss
Jane Wadsworth Boyd gives us the following intimate recollections:Auntie was the oldest child and only daughter of David and
Mary Bryson Boyd. She was born in Ireland April 26, 1799 on the
Boyd Farm in the town of Ballyblack, "Ards" district, County
Down, Province of Ulster, Ireland. When she was 24 years old
the David Boyd family, which included father, mother, daughter,
and six sons, emigrated to America. Jane, or Janet as she was called
in Ireland, had received a good education in the schools of Belfast,
and not long after reaching Baltimore, Maryland, their port of
landing, she met Dr. John Wadsworth, a physician of Philadelphia. With her great beauty (testified to by Dr. John Rea, for
some time a resident of the village) and her unusual intelligence,
romance immediately developed, and it was not long before
Janet became the bride of the young medical Doctor Wadsworth.
This happy marriage was not of long duration for on a business
trip to New Orleans Dr. Wadsworth met an untimely death. The
steamer, on which he was traveling down the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers, exploded, and all on board were drowned. Dr. Wadsworth's body was never recovered.
This was an extremely sad blow to his young widow, but she
received it courageously. She realized that she was fortunate in
having parents and brothers to assist her in her future lonely life.
Mrs. Wadsworth had other relatives, outstanding families of
the city. Among them were her cousins, Alexander and James
Laughlin, pioneer iron and steel manufacturers of Pittsburgh,
founders of the firm now known as Jones and Laughlin Steel Cor191ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
poration; and, also, the Murdochs, pioneer florists of Squirrel
Hill.
She had also many friends, among them the families of Dr.
Addison and Dr. McLeod, both men being celebrated physicians.
About this time the daughters of Dr. McLeod opened a "finishing school" on Staten Island, which was spoken of as one of the
aristocratic and exclusive schools of the period. On approaching
Mrs. Wadsworth they saw in her a suitable Dean for their young
women students. This position she accepted and filled capably for
several years.
After retiring from the school Mrs. Wadsworth spent some
time at the Boyd country home, the Fairview Farm on the Allegheny river, and then came to the village of Wilkinsburg where
she made her home with her brother, Hugh Boyd, until the
death of her brother John, who lived in the red brick house which
is still standing at 8o10 Penn Avenue. This substantial and "elegant" house had been built by John Woodside. Mrs. Wadsworth
was a "well-to-do" woman; she bought the house and the tract of
land extending eastward to Steam Mill Alley, and through the
square to Wallace Street. The years passed on and, with an eye to
business and income, Mrs. Wadsworth built a large frame house
on the eastern side of the land. In this building she showed foresight, for it was built in apartment fashion, with two apartments
on the end wings, while she reserved the center one for her own
home. This building was placed back in the grounds, while on the
corner of Penn and Mill was built a storeroom presided over for
some years by "Sammy" Creelman (later Squire Creelman). Before the store stood the Public Weigh Scales, and from this point
the Bus or "Black Maria", as many called it, started on its daily
pilgrimage "to town" by way of Fifth Avenue, or changing its
route once in a while, to go through East Liberty, formerly known
as "Noodle Doosey". William Ross was for a long time the driver
of this lugubrious vehicle, whose passengers bore the mark of an
acute, inferiority complex.
Mrs. Wadsworth was a lover of the out-of-doors and her garden,
so perfectly kept, was one of the early beauty spots of the village.
192MRS. JANE BOYD WADSWORTH
Being a relative, as has been said, of the Murdochs, the Squirrel
Hill florists, she had an advantage in securing plants and shrubbery of the finest varieties. Her large white lilac bushes and white
iris were, perhaps, the first of their kind in the village and admired by everyone; and her great variety of peonies was noted. Her
front and rear yards were laid out as flower beds in a park-like
design, and it was thought she possessed every conceivable
plant and shrub. The click of the sheep-shears could be heard
during the entire summer by those who stopped to admire this
well-kept garden; her vegetable garden was likewise kept in
perfect order.
Who does not recall her large home with two apple trees standing high on the elevation in front of it; a mass of bloom every
season; and the old, tall, long-handled pump that supplied many
in the neighborhood with delicious water?
She not only adorned her own grounds, but before and after
the building of the Covenanter Church, she was busy planting
trees and shrubbery around the new building.
My aunt was really an old lady when I first remember her as
she sat by the open fire in her living room-a fire which was kept
alive during the entire year. Seated in a rocking chair, blanketed
to make it soft and comfortable, a small shawl drawn around her
shoulders and a lace cap covering her head, her book stand at
her side-for she was a constant reader-and on the stand her oil
reading lamp with its green, old-fashioned shade, she made a picture of perfect contentment.
"Auntie" Wadsworth, as she was called by many, was one of
the outstanding women of the village. Religiously, socially and
in a business way, she took an active part in everything that stood
for advancement.
On Sacrament occasions in her church she gave over her home
to those members living at a distance. They brought their food
to cook, and stayed and made themselves comfortable in her home
during the entire period of services of several days. She practiced
the law of kindness and had friends without number. Not having
any children of her own, she was a mother in her home to at least
193PENNSYLVANIA-THE CHARTER PROLOGUE
good purpose of the said William Penn, and haveing regard to
the memorie and meritts of his late father, in divers services, and
particulerly to his conduct, courage and discretion vnto our
dearest brother, James, Duke of Yorke, in that signall Battelle
and victorie, fought and obteyned against the Dutch fleete, commanded by the Herr Van Obdam, in the yeare one thousand six
hundred sixty-five, In consideration thereof of Our special grace,
certain knowledge and meere motion, Have Given and Granted,
and by this Our present charter, for vs, Our heires and successors,
Doe give and grant vnto the said William Penn, his heires and
assigns All that Tract or parte of land in America with all the
Islands therein conteyned, as the same is bounded on the East by
Delaware River, from twelve miles distance, Northwarde of New
Castle Towne vnto the three, and fortieth degree of Northerne
Latitude if the said River doeth extend soe farr Northwards; But
if the said River shall not extend soe farre Northwarde, then by
the said River soe farre as it doeth extend, and from the head of the
said River the easterne Bounds are to bee determined by a Meridian Line, to bee drawne from the head of the said River vnto the
three and fortieth degree, the said lands to extend westwards,
five degrees in Longitude, to bee computed from the said Easterne Bounds, and the said lands to bee bounded on the North by
the beginning of the three and fortieth degree of Northerne Latitude, and on the South, by a Circle drawne at twelve miles, distance from New Castle Northwards, and Westwards, vnto the
fortieth degree of Northern Latitude; and thence by a streight
Line Westwards, to the Limitt of Longitude above menconed.
r. 974.8  }  Pennsylvania Statutes. Charter to William Penn.
William Penn was instructed by Charles II and the Bishop of London that he must pay the Indians for the 44,000 sq. miles of land,
conveyed to him by the charter, as the Indians were the native owners
of the land.
To the King, in form of fealty, there must be rendered yearly, two
beaver skins and one-fifth of all the gold and silver mined; also in
fealty to James, the Duke of York, a red rose must be sent yearly.
It was one hundred and ten years from the time of the first purchase
XXIIANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
six orphan girls till they grew up, and she also gave a home to
several boys. All boys and girls received religious training.
Being a medical Doctor's wife, she had a thorough understanding of medicine and could prescribe for any ailment. For instance,
each spring she sent a two-quart pitcher of molasses and sulphur
to her brother William's daughters, Mary and Jane, knowing
their need of a spring tonic.
Her passing on March 29, 1881 was greatly mourned by a large
circle of friends, and, in fact, almost the entire village felt the
loss of this remarkable woman.
Miss Boyd continues-"the well-kept Henry place, with its
fruit trees and shrubbery, surrounded by an Osage Orange hedge,
was to me beautiful in its position high above Penn Avenue and
Steam Mill Alley. Nor must one forget the rare old-fashioned
garden of Mrs. McWilliams of the days of long ago, located on
Wallace Avenue where the Allison School now stands. Mrs.
McWilliams labored long hours in her quaint, beautiful garden,
the like of which few have ever had the privilege of seeing.
"Adjoining Mrs. Wadsworth's property on the west was the
McAfee property. The front yard of Becky and John McAfee was
a jungle of cherry trees, beautiful in spring when white with
blossoms, shielding from view the dark, paintless one-story house
and shoemaker shop. Down by the front fence was a hedge of
sweet quince, and back of this a row of the most beautiful purple
iris.
"Almost opposite Mrs. J. B. Huff had a beautiful garden, whose
distinguishing features were masses of roses and peonies in their
seasons. This garden was made beautiful by her own toil, and her
generosity in sharing her roses still remains in the minds of many."
194840
[1]
EXTRACT FROM HARRIS' DIRECTORY OF
PITTSBURGH  1841 (Page 153)
WILKINSBURGH
W         - tILKINSBURGH iS pleasantly situated near the Pennsylvania turnpike, leading to Greensburgh, Chambersburgh and Philadelphia; the Northern turnpike leading to Blairsville, Huntington, and Harrisburgh intersects this,
near this place. Wilkinsburgh is becoming one of the most beautiful and desirable locations for country seats in our neighborhood. There is much travel through this place, especially in winter, when other transportation being closed, the freight between
Baltimore, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, is carried by wagons.
There are two Hotels, two merchants, a Post Office, a church and
school house. A large quantity of lime is made in this vicinity.
DIRECTORY OF WILKINSBURGH
Bailey, George, Farmer
Carothers, James, M. D.
Graham, Rev. James, 2 miles east
Graham, Robert, farmer 2 miles east
Horback, Major Abraham, farmer
Horner, John Esq., justice of peace
Kelly, James, farmer
Kelly, Benjamin, lime burner
McClintock, John, farmer 1 mile west
McMullen, Dave, hotel keeper
195ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Noble, Colonel William, farmer
Noble, Mrs.
Peebles, William, inn keeper and farmer
Robb, William, tailor
Robinson, Harvey, lime burner
Stoner and Boyd, merchants
Stoner, Abraham, postmaster
Swisshelm, James, merchant
Stuttonfield, Lewis, tobacconist
Thompson, H. and J., steam flouring mill
Thompson, Edward, merchant
Wilkins, Hon. William, late Ambassador to Russia.
[2]
A BRIEF HISTORY OF METHODISM
IN WILKINSBURG
HE Pittsburgh Annual Conference, held at Wellsburg, West
Virginia in 1832, appointed Rev. J. K. Miller as the preacher
in charge of Braddock's Field Mission, and during the year which
followed "Classes" or groups of members under "Class Leaders"
were organized in Lawrenceville, East Liberty, Wilkinsburg,
Swissvale, Braddock, Turtle Creek, McKeesport and other points.
While there is evidence of earlier preaching activities, this is the
first record of any organized work among the Methodist Episcopalians in Wilkinsburg. The following incident, related by
Daniel Double, who joined the church in 1838, is of interest even
if it has no historical value. One Sunday afternoon, while Rev.
Simon Elliott was on his way to fill an appointment, he found a
number of men in Perchment's Woods, near Wilkinsburg, gathering hickory nuts. He engaged them in conversation and at their
request, preached to them. This may have been the beginning of
Methodism in Wilkinsburg.
The first church building in this vicinity was a small frame
structure on what is now Braddock Avenue in the Borough of
196A BRIEF HISTORY OF METHODISM IN WILKINSBURG
Swissvale but this was abandoned for church purposes in 1843,
when the congregation, with 24 members, constructed a small
brick building on the north side of Wallace Avenue about loo
feet west of Center Street, where the present Wilkinsburg Baptist
Church is located. This was the first building erected for religious
worship within the limits of Wilkinsburg-previously the services
having been held in the school house.
For the preceding eleven years and the next twenty-two years,
the Wilkinsburg church was included with other preaching
points as part of a circuit, with one or sometimes two ordained
preachers as circuit riders, men who had a large part in spreading
the gospel in those early days in thinly populated parts of the
country. When two were appointed, the second was called the
Junior Preacher. In 1865 the Wilkinsburg Church reached the
distinction of being designated as a "Station" or independent
preaching point. By 1877 the membership had increased to 170
and the next year the building was remodeled, slightly enlarged
and a bell tower constructed.
In 1859 a bell was cast in England and later placed on the
Pennsylvania Railroad roundhouse at 28th Street, Pittsburgh.
During the riots of 1877 the building was burned and the bell
dropped to the ground. One can see a dent in the back of the bell
as it stands today, no doubt due to the heat and the fall. Through
Samuel F. McIntyre, a locomotive engineer and a trustee of the
church, the bell was given to the church by the railroad and hung
in the newly constructed bell tower. It tolled at the time of the
funeral of President Garfield in 1881, when union services were
held in the church. One day a crack appeared and its work as a
bell was over, but it hung in the belfry until it was torn down in
1905 by the Baptist congregation to whom the building had been
sold. A few years later it was given back to the Methodists and
for a quarter of a century has been in use as a flower vase in front
of the South Avenue Church.
In 1887 the growth of the community had been such that the
Borough of Wilkinsburg was incorporated and the demand for
additional room for the growing congregation became impera197ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
tive. Ground was purchased on South Avenue at the site of the
present church building and a new and larger building was erected on this site in 1892. At this time the building and property on
Wallace Avenue was sold to the Wilkinsburg Baptist Church.
Alterations and additions were made to the Sunday School section
of the South Avenue building in 19o1 to meet the needs of growing enrollment.
In the late afternoon and evening of Saturday, February 23,
1907, the entire building was burned. Nearly every Protestant
church of Wilkinsburg offered the free use of its building, but
other arrangements were made and for the next fourteen months
all Sunday services were held in the Pennwood Club Building on
Ross Avenue, and the mid-week services in the Second Presbyterian Church on Thursday evenings. The present building was
undertaken at once, the rear portion being occupied by Easter,
1908 and the completed structure dedicated February 21, 1909.
The continued growth of the Sunday School led to the enlargement and alteration of the structure in 1923, giving a very complete plant for the modern, organized Church School, as we have
come to call it in recent years.
Originally known as the Wilkinsburg Methodist Episcopal
Church, it has been the mother church of at least six other Methodist Episcopal churches during a sixty year period. In each case
the new church drew its full quota from the membership of the
sponsoring church. The list is as follows:-Homewood Avenue,
1872; Brushton, 1892; Mifflin Avenue, 1896; following which in
19go01 the name of the original organization was changed to South
Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church; Ross Avenue and Swissvale Avenue (the latter now James Street), 1905; and Laketon
Heights, 19go.
The membership of the South Avenue Church is now 16oo, and
the enrollment of the Church School 1 1o8. The combined active
membership of the seven churches, which have been listed, is
over 52o00, with 4400 enrolled in the Church Schools. During the
102 years since the first class was organized, there have been 48
different preachers and 22 junior preachers or assistants. In the
198MR,~~~~~~~~~::::........ ~ ~          ~          ~         ~         iii;;;~~!iiidiiil)ilb
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P:::::::::::::::::::: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:::::1~~~~~I:I:I:1:I:I:I:I: I   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~        ~        ~       ~..........................................  James Grahami house, Lime Hill. Built about 1840
George Reed Johnston house.
Ground nowv tused as teinniis court, in Graham Park, Pennl AvenueA BRIEF HISTORY OF METHODISM IN WILKINSBURG
early reports the membership was divided into "white" and
"colored", some years with no colored members reported and the
percent as high as four for some years. For the first ten years the
preacher was changed each year, but slowly the length of the
pastorates was increased until now there is no time limit. The
longest pastoral service was that of Dr. Sheridan Watson Bell, who
served the church for eight and one-half years. The present minister is Dr. James F. Hoffman, who was transferred to this church
from Cincinnati in June, 1932.
For more than a generation the church has been deeply interested in both Home and Foreign Missions and has contributed
largely to these causes, particularly during the Centenary and
World Service movements.
The deed for the first of James Kelly's gifts of ground for
church purposes is thought to be of sufficient interest to be given
a place here. A copy follows:
23rd May 1844, No. 195. Beginning 66' from corner Centre and
Wallace then along lot 196 N 23~ E 264' to North St., then N 670
W 60o' (?) then S along line of No. 194, S 23~ W 264' to Wallace
then along Wallace S 670 E 66' to beginning. To James McKelvey, John Perchment, James Swisshelm, Smith, James E. Sheridan,
John B. Ross, trustees in trust for the use and purposes hereinafter mentioned:
"To have to hold unto party of the second part and their successors in office forever in trust that they shall erect and build or
cause to be erected and built thereon a house or place of worship
for the use of the members of the Methodist Episcopal church in
the village of Wilkinsburg and its vicinity according to the rules
and discipline which from time to time may be agreed upon and
adopted by the ministers and preachers of the said church at their
general conference met, and in further trust and confidence that
they shall forever hereafter permit such ministers and preachers
belonging to the said church as shall from time to time be duly
authorized by the General Conference of the ministers and
preachers, as by the annual Conference authorized by the General
Church Conference to preach and expound God's Holy Word
199ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
therein, and in further trust and confidence that as often as any
one or more said trustees before mentioned shall die or cease to
be member or members of the said church according to the rules
and discipline as then and such case it shall be the duty of the
stationed minister or preacher authorized as aforesaid who shall
have the pastoral charge of the members of the church to call a
meeting of the remaining trustees as soon as conveniently may be
and proceed as directed by the discipline of said church".
On margin is written:-"It is also part of this agreement that they are not to
bury any person in any part of said lot".
Recorded Vol. 102 p. 14 the (?) May 1852.
Acknowledged before Arthur F. Gore.
Consideration $1.00oo
It is rumored that the Reverend A. J. Rich was the first minister "in charge" of the Methodist Church; to these early years can
be added the name of the Reverend J. I. McKillen. The dates of
their pastorates are not known. The following is an authentic list
of the pastors from 1854 to 1887 inclusive:
1854     S. Y. Kennedy         1868-9-70  W. P. Blackburn
i855     J. M. Rankin           1871       Thomas Storer
1856-57   L. G. McKown        1872-73    Wesley Smith
1858-59  I. C. Pershing       1874-5-6-  D. M. Hollister
i860-6i  D. I. McCready       1877-78    H. H. Pershing
1862     A. G. Williams       1879-80-81 M. J. Montgomery
1863-64  H. Sinsabaugh        1882-83    N. J. Miller
i865     Latshaw McGuire    1884-5-6   E. J. Knox
1866-67  W. W. Roup             1887       F. T. Core
[3]
Rev. I. C. PERSHING
M      ArISS HELEN R. PERSHING writes for this volume a few appreciative words of her father's (I. C. Pershing) years here in
his early manhood and ministry.
Building better than he knew, Mr. Kelly gave to the various
denominations ground for church buildings. The Methodists
200THE GRAHAMS
were the first to avail themselves of his generosity and the first
church building in the village was put up by them. The "charge"
not being able to pay for the full time of a minister it was put on
a circuit with Emory Church in East Liberty.
About 1858, the young minister at Emory, I. C. Pershing,
donning high hat and blanket shawl, walked over from East Liberty to Wilkinsburg to take charge of the small congregation. A
fine organizer, and indefatigable worker and eloquent preacher,
the young ecclesiastic soon won the hearts of the congregation
and added to its membership. The pastorate was short for soon
the preacher beloved was called to the presidency of the Pittsburgh Female College.
The babies he baptised may be among the old residents now,
but probably no one now living remembers his pastorate, but
years later he, with his family, became residents of this thriving
Borough. Many will remember Dr. I. C. Pershing, his quick step
as he walked the streets, his keen eyes (described by a child "as a
man with the snapinest eyes" you ever saw), his kindly smile, his
cheery word of greeting to "brother or sister" for to him all belonged to one big family. A few brief happy years here, and from
Wilkinsburg, where he had served the church on earth in early
manhood, he was called to service in the church triumphant.
[4]
THE GRAHAMS
WX -nHEN the Rev. James Graham came to be pastor of Beulah
VV  Church he bought a farm of 273 acres and founded a
family, some of whose descendants are now living on part of
the land.
His first wife, Elizabeth Martin, noted for her dignity and
thoughtfulness, was the mother of six children:-Mary, Robert,
Matilda, Eliza, James and Priscilla. She only lived ten years and
her husband was left bereft with a family of young children, his
201PENNSYLVANIA-THE CHARTER PROLOGUE
until the last title of the Indians to the lands of the State was extinguished. The purchases were as follows:
The purchase of 1682."    "    " 1736...." 1737 (Walking Purchase)
1 " 749
" "   1754...     " 1768..".       1784
The purchase of the Erie Triangle from U. S. 1792.
These purchases cover all of the territory in the present State of
Pennsylvania.
The gift of 660 acres, March 16, 1796, to Cornplanter and other
Seneca Chiefs on the Allegheny River above Warren is still held by
the heirs of these Chiefs. This is the only Indian land in the State.
XXIIIANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
large farm and his congregation, an impossible task for any man.
The following year he wrote to his brother in the Cumberland
Valley, asking him to speak for him to Rachel Glenn. James
Graham had known Rachel when he was in college at Carlisle.
She was beautiful, high spirited, well trained in house-wifely arts
and had a fortune. She had not forgotten him and they were
married. She had one daughter, Rebecca, and a little son,
Thomas. It has been said that a guest once asked James Graham
which was his favorite child and he said, "I had a favorite child
but God took her," meaning Rebecca, who was a beautiful child.
Pioneer life was hard on the women who had been accustomed
to more comforts in their homes. Rachel Glenn lived only five
years and again James Graham was faced with the heavy burden
of caring for his growing family without a mother to take charge
of his home.
The next year he married Martha McCullough, a capable,
young woman who belonged to his congregation. She was kind to
all his children and had two daughters of her own, Margaret and
Rachel.
The Graham house was built of logs on the southern slope of
the hill near the church. The Graham farm adjoined the church
property to which James Graham gave about 3 acres of land on
which he built a schoolhouse for his children and the neighbors'
children. The manse was a center of hospitality where strangers,
relatives and visiting ministers were made welcome.
All the daughters married. Mary to Dr. Smith Agnew, a
widower with six children. She and her brother Robert had managed a tavern in the house on the farm at the forks of the road,
which was built in 1837. This house was later occupied by their
brother James and his family. Mary was noted for her dreams,
which she always told. The night before she met her future husband she dreamed she had seen the man she would marry. He was
tall, had a black beard and was dressed in a brown suit. She went
to church with her s;ister Priscilla in Murrysville and there was the
man of her dream in the pulpit. She had only one child and
died when the child was born. This little girl, Mary, was brought
202THE GRAHAMS
up by Matilda Graham and her husband Dr. James Carothers,
who lived in Wilkinsburg all their married lives. They had no
children of their own, but their home was a center for all their
relations and friends.
Mary Agnew married John W. Milliaan of Swissvale and their
descendants all live in Pittsburgh. They had five children who
lived to maturity; Robert, Joseph, Mary, Matilda and James, and
a little girl who died in infancy.
Robert Graham never married. He left a legacy to his family,
this being a portrait in oil of his father, painted by a college
friend of his, who was a guest in the Graham home and wanted
to do something in return for the hospitality he had received.
The picture is considered a remarkable likeness. The artist's
name is unknown.
Robert Graham's life was a tragic one because his taste for
strong drink could not be controlled. He separated from his
family and lived at the Perchment Tavern for many years.
From the time Eliza, the third daughter, was a young girl she
was violently opposed to the drinking of strong liquor, which was
the custom. Finally she urged her father to call a meeting in the
interest of temperance at the church. Her friends were horrified
and thought that only bad feeling would come of it, but, on the
contrary, this meeting aroused great interest, and the result was
a crusade in the community for the cause of temperance. Her
father gave up serving liquor in his home and to the men who
worked for him.
It is true that some young men, admirers of Eliza, were not enthusiastic on the subject of temperance, and one of them was
bold enough to utter a remonstrance in these words: "Why, Miss
Eliza, you'll never get a husband if you talk like this"; to which
she replied, "I don't want a husband who does not talk like this".
The husband, who was of her way of thinking, was in waiting in
the person of the Reverend Adam Torrance of Manor Dale,
Westmoreland Co. The marriage date for the serious minded
man, nine years her senior, and Eliza Graham, twenty-two years
old, was set for November 5, 1832. The prospect of Eliza going to
203ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
the frontier home of her missionary husband in Ohio required
many plans and preparations. There were quilts to be quilted,
blankets and coverlids to be woven, a trousseau, fitting for the
new conditions of life, to be prepared; and many farewell visits
to be received and made. The kind and affectionate father would
have postponed the wedding until the spring, but at length gave
his consent and the arrangements were completed. Many were
the debates as to the mode of travel, whether it would be better
for the father to provide a horse and saddle for the bride, or a
carryall to which her horse and Mr. Torrance's could be hitched.
The former plan was finally adopted for if the weather should be
rainy, the roads would be impassable. Many were the family
councils, admonitions, prayers and instructions bestowed on the
future missionary's wife.
At length the day dawned; the groom was there after a tedious
journey on horseback; with him his best man, the Rev. J. Lowrie,
Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions. Miss Eliza Laird was
bridesmaid and the solemn ceremony was performed by the Rev.
Mr. Laird. The bride was dressed in white muslin and wore white
silk gloves. As the time of departure arrived the horses were
brought out and saddled, and two new white blankets were
placed over the saddle to render it more comfortable. The two
brothers, three older sisters and two little sisters bade a tearful
adieu; the mother and father said, "God bless you, daughter",
and they turned their faces toward a new home.
Here is a letter from the father to his daughter Eliza after she
was settled in her new home. "It will be your duty and interest to
render yourself as agreeable to your neighbors as possible. The
wife of a clergyman should treat the poorest of her husband's
parishioners with affability and kindness, especially if they appear
pious. Ministers are often involved in trouble and difficulty by the
imprudence of their wives, as, therefore, the comfort and usefulness of your husband depends in some manner upon your
conduct, circumspection and prudence is of great importance.
Endeavor to conform to the manners and customs of those around
you, should you differ in dress and manners, they may imagine
204THE GRAHAMS
you are proud or extravagant, or both, and you will of course sink
in their estimation."
Adam and Eliza had lo children. Of these only 5 grew up, namely:-Martha, Elizabeth and 3 sons, Eliakim, Graham and Swift.
Martha and Elizabeth-"Mattie and Lizzie"-married brothers,
who were ministers. Martha and her husband, the Rev. Freeman
Wallace, went to South America as missionaries; Elizabeth married the Rev. Thomas Davison Wallace. Eliakim married his
cousin, Annie Macfarlane of Wilkinsburg.
James, the fifth child of James Graham, married his cousin,
Eliza Macfarlane of Gettysburg. They were married May 24,
1842. The groom, his sister Margaret and a cousin, John McCullough, drove over in a carriage for the wedding. The bride's outfit included a good supply of bedding, a bed, linen sheets, table
cloths and napkins, washstand, sewing table, parlor table and a
bureau. These came by wagon.
Eliza was a small pretty woman, just five feet tall, with black
hair which she wore in curls. To be married she wore a white
cambric dress and a white straw bonnet with cherry blossoms. In
her outfit she had a plum colored satin dress, also a silk one the
color of "ashes of roses", and a fine merino wool dress; a long
broadcloth cloak, a paisley shawl and a small crepe shawl. She
had white kid gloves and white silk stockings; six gold finger
rings, a coral breastpin and earrings, and two pairs of plain gold
earrings.
It is said that the groom wore white silk socks and white kid
gloves at the wedding.
Eliza Macfarlane Graham's mother was an invalid most of her
life, and her daughter had been devoted to her, but she had time
for pleasure, going to parties and balls, for she had many women
and men friends. After Eliza's marriage she and her mother did
not meet again, for the latter died the next year, and Eliza put her
pretty clothes away and "wore mourning". It may be that James
Graham, Sr., considered this an unnecessary expenditure, for he
said to his daughter-in-law, "A man has to ask his wife's leave to
get rich."
205ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Eliza and James Graham, Jr. had four daughters, Martha
(Marcie), Evaline(Evie), Elizabeth(Lizzie), and Margaretta
(Maggie). James died of typhoid fever when his youngest daughter was 6 weeks old.
Through thick and thin, the town-bred woman managed her
farm and little daughters with firmness and foresight, and also
took her part in the neighborhood and community life, being
noted for her hospitality to friends and strangers, even when
money was very scarce. She had a wonderful vegetable garden
and orchard. At the close of the Civil War she sold the coal
under the farm, which greatly relieved the strain of business
affairs.
Her eldest daughter, Martha, who was not very strong, never
married but filled a prominent place in her community with her
work for her church, Beulah; she also served on the Board of
Managers for the Home for Aged Protestant Women. She taught
all her life in the Sunday School, also organized the Y.W.C.T.U.
and was president of Blairsville Presbytery for 17 years. At the
time of the Johnstown Flood she volunteered and was useful in
helping with the relief work in Johnstown. Her greatest interest
was improving and keeping up Beulah graveyard, and she lived
to see an Endowment Fund begun for this purpose.
Elizabeth-"Lizzie"-married the Rev. Pollock McNary and
lived in different western cities. They had seven children:
William, Eliza, Norah, Margaretta, Graham, George and John.
Evaline married Mr. Henry Chalfant. They had seven children
who grew to maturity: Graham, Mary, Maude, Sidney, Richard,
Frederick and Evaline; and George, who died when a child.
"Maggie", the youngest of the four daughters of James and Eliza
Graham, was, as has already been stated, but six weeks old when
her father died. She was a very precocious and observant little
girl and, perhaps, somewhat spoiled. A story is cherished in the
family illustrative of these characteristics. One day when the
sewing society was being entertained at her home, Mrs. Graham
asked Maggie to go up-stairs and look for her thimble. Maggie
sat still. After a few minutes Evie rose and went up-stairs for the
206THE GRAHAMS
thimble; whereupon Maggie, rocking in her small chair, uttered
this prophetic poem (?):
Marcie's mother's smart girl,
Lizzie's mother's pretty one,
Evie's mother's good girlBut, you'll see, when I grow up
The boys'11 all like mel
Margaretta, "Maggie", married Mr. George W. Black of Turtle
Creek. They had four children: Martha, Elizabeth, Ellen Belle,
and John.
Priscilla, the youngest child of the Rev. James Graham's first
marriage, when very young, married George Haymaker, one of
the well-known Haymaker family of Murrysville, who was for a
time a member of the State Legislature. They had a large family;
Michael, Elizabeth, Martha, Obadiah, William, Agnes, Priscilla
and Edward.
Obadiah Haymaker was killed in a riot at a gas well in Murrysville, in the early days of natural gas industry.
Margaret Graham, the older of the two daughters of the Rev.
James Graham and his third wife, Martha McCollough, married
James Huston, who was instrumental in organizing the first
Wilkinsburg Academy. James Huston died early in their married
life. He was buried in the Graham plot in Beulah graveyard. His
son, John, who was but an infant when the father died, grew to
manhood and was well started on a literary career when he died at
the home of his mother and step-father in Ione, California.
Margaret Graham Huston's second marriage was to John
Johnston, of the Johnston family on the Northern Pike. They
went to California during the gold rush and lived in Ione for
many years. They had one child named Martha Graham, who was
always called Mattie. After years of western life, Margaret
Graham Johnston, her husband and daughter, came back to
Wilkinsburg where they made their home on Wallace Avenue
near Hay Street. After the death of her parents, Mattie's home was
with her Aunt Rachel.
Rachel Graham, the youngest of the Rev. James Graham's chil207ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
dren, inherited her father's keen mind and fluent speech. She was
a successful teacher in a school in Allegheny before her marriage
to James Johnston, of the George R. Johnston family who lived
on Wilkinsburg Hill. They had no children.
[5]
THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
OR
THE CHURCH OF THE COVENANTERS
rT HE Church of this denomination in America is a lineal descendant and true representative of the Covenanter Church
in Scotland. The early Covenanters banded themselves together
in groups and were spoken of and known as Societies or Society
people. During the persecutions in Scotland members of this, the
Covenanter Church, sought refuge in America, where they could
enjoy religious freedom. The early settlements of this denomination in the early 1700's were in the eastern part of Pennsylvania,
New York, and South Carolina. The Wilkinsburg church of this
denomination had its origin in the Society meetings held in the
homes of the then few Covenanters in the village shortly after
1833.
It is known and recorded that at a very early date in 1797 the
Rev. John Black, a Covenanter student of theology and a native
of County Antrim, Ireland, where he received his early education
and later graduated from Glasgow University, Scotland, came to
America and, after teaching for a short time, resumed his theological studies in Philadelphia; completing them, he was licensed
by Presbytery in the historic Coldenham, N. Y. Covenanter
Church in 1799 and assigned to labor among the Societies in the
region beyond the Allegheny mountains in the Pittsburgh
vicinity. His first charge, however, was ministering to a people
known as the Thompson Run Society of Covenanters, twelve
miles east of Pittsburgh and one mile west of Monroeville cross208THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
roads. Here Mr. Black settled on a farm on the corner of which, on
a three acre plot, a log church was built with a graveyard surrounding it.
When the old church was taken down because of mining operations which made it unsafe for occupancy, four apple trees were
placed at the corners of the graveyard as markers in order that
the place should not be desecrated. The site of the church and
graveyard may still be seen from the present William Penn Highway, five miles east of Wilkinsburg. Mr. Black, after a short
pastorate in this church, removed to Pittsburgh and many of
the Thompson Run Society followed him; the Synod of the
Church holding the property. Society meetings and preachings had been conducted in this old log church for many years.
The Samuel Henning family and others still remember worshipping there.
After leaving the Thompson Run Society Mr. Black, in 1 8oo,
was ordained in Pittsburgh as pastor of all the Societies in the
Pittsburgh area, with Pittsburgh as the center. This seemed to be
the commencement of Covenanterism west of the Alleghenies,
although in the "Forks of the Yough" Societies meeting under
leaders are recorded as early as 1769. So the period from 1769 to
18oo marks the beginning of the Covenanter Church west of the
Allegheny mountains.
As time passed other Societies of Covenanters were formed in
neighboring districts of Wilkinsburg: viz., Deer Creek, Plum
Creek, Sandy Creek, and East End. Prior to the organization of
the Wilkinsburg Society as a church, Communion was always
celebrated in the Pittsburgh church.
The long distance to be travelled for church service became
so inconvenient for loyal and devout members of the "Seceder"
faith that the idea of a church building centrally located in Wilkinsburg was broached. Before 1845, with the increasing growth
of population, Hugh Boyd, a business man of foresight and influence in the village, approached his friend James Kelly on the
matter. Mr. Kelly was interested at once, and responded by donating a square of land in Wilkinsburg bounded by South, Center
209ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
and Mill Streets, and extending south 264 feet to the present
Franklin Avenue.
This site was selected on account of its good drainage into a
run which flowed through the rear end of this plot on its way to
the river. Quite a few years passed before the church was built on
the plot, for money was not plentiful in those days. During this
time meetings were held in Jefferson School house and other
school houses, in Mr. Kelly's barn, and later in the new Methodist
Church built in 1843.
A comical incident relating to the barn meetings is told by Mrs.
A. S. Hunter. When meetings were held in the Kelly barn it was
the duty of the young Kelly girls to round up the chickens on
Saturday night and to keep them confined until the Sabbath day
services were over. On one occasion, however, a young rooster
escaped and the next morning a new and lusty sound from the
high rafters of the barn was added to the singing of the Psalms.
Needless to say the incident did not occur again.
It is interesting to note that only $8oo cash was used in the
construction of the new church building. When the building
operations were finally begun those who could not give money
gave liberally of their time, teams and timber. To quote from an
old record: "Mr. Kelly was the largest contributor for, besides
the ground, he donated fifty dollars in cash." A list of 37 who
contributed to the church building includes many old residents:
Mr. Hawkins, father of Judge William Hawkins, George Peebles,
Benjamin Kelly, Samuel Denniston, Joseph Stoner, John McMasters, and others, none of whom were Covenanters. William Boyd,
a younger brother of Hugh Boyd, often recalled the days he spent
on horseback riding through the country soliciting contributions
from friends for the new church building, the amounts ranging
from fifty cents to one dollar. Mrs. Hunter says: "As I think of
this church of my childhood and young womanhood I do not
recall a building modern and ornate, such as that which now
stands at the southeast corner of South Avenue and Center Street;
I see rather a plain red brick church of comfortable size whose
only ornamentation on the outside was six white insets arranged
210THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
in groups of three in the front wall above the doors. In the center
inset of the lower group were these words,'Reformed Presbyterian Church, built A. D. 1845'."
With strong faith, perseverance, and sacrifice, and aided by
the generosity of Mr. James Kelly and the two brothers, Hugh
and John Boyd, Samuel Henning and a few others, the church
was built in 1845 and for three long years services were held in
the new building without an organization, with supplies when
available. At the time of the organization in 1848 the approximate
membership was between thirty and forty members. This was the
second church built in the village, the Methodist Episcopal
church having been built in 1843.
The Rev. Josiah Dodds, a student, preached the first sermon
in the building in 1845. Until the calling of a pastor several years
later, the newly organized congregation was ministered to by a
stated supply, the Rev. Thomas Hanney, for two years (18481850).
In 1847, two years after the church had been built, no deed had
been given for the ground. Hugh Boyd, knowing Mr. Kelly's
tendency to defer the execution of deeds, resolved to press the
donation to a legal close. Accordingly he, accompanied by another church member, called one evening on Mr. Kelly and said
pleasantly, "Mr. Kelly, we have come to stay until the deed is
given to us." Mr. Boyd carried the document home that night in
his pocket. So to Hugh Boyd's decision the congregation owned
a clear title to the ground.
The deed is dated July 6th, 1847 between James Kelly and
Sarah Ann Kelly, his wife, of Wilkins Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania to Samuel Henning, Archibald Euwer, and
Hugh Boyd, in trust for the Society of the Reformed Presbyterian
Congregation of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania and vicinity; $500
being stipulated as the consideration in full which the grantor
appropriates and gives as a donation to the within named Society.
The document is signed and witnessed by Nathaniel Nelson and
John Horner, Justice of the Peace.
Mrs. Hunter writes: "In 1852 my father, The Rev. Joseph
211ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Hunter, was called to the pastorate of this church and served as
pastor for thirty years until his resignation because of ill health in
1882, two years before his death. At the time my father was called
to the Wilkinsburg church it had under its care the Deer Creek
Society, which had a much older history than that of the Wilkinsburg church, for as far back as the early twenties services were
held in the log church back from Harrnarville, Pa." The Boyd
family who, on their arrival in 1823 from Ireland, had settled in
that vicinity, worshipped there before some of its members located in Wilkinsburg. William Boyd often spoke of their going to
church services there in the morning and returning home at sundown.
Mr. Hunter had a wide field that required much pastoral work.
Those were in a sense pioneer days. Mr. Hunter's daughter
Laetitia writes: "Many a time have I seen my father arrive home
on horseback, weary and travel-stained after days of visiting his
scattered membership. Traveling conditions then were very
different from our comfortable journeys of today." In relation
to the church building Mrs. Laetitia Hunter continues: "The
windows of the new church were shaded by Venetian blinds, as
was the fashion of the times. It was heated by four large stoves,
one in each corner, and as only the pulpit and aisles were carpeted,
the congregation was quite apt to have warm heads and cold feet.
An amusing incident occurred one wintery Sabbath afternoon
when Mrs. Jane Grey Swisshelm, who was a law unto herself, and
who occasionally attended the Covenanter services, discovered
she had cold feet. So, tying on her grey bonnet which she always
removed in church, she rose from her seat in Mrs. Wadsworth's
pew at the right of the pulpit, literally marched down the aisle
to the door, crossed South Avenue to rooms where she was living
at the time, returning very shortly with a piece of carpet draped
around her shoulder like a shawl, marched down the aisle again
into the pew, spread the carpet on the floor, sat down, removed
her bonnet and composed herself for the remainder of the service.
Some of those who witnessed the incident did not so soon compose
themselves.
212THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
"After my father became pastor of the church the need was felt
for a raised desk on the pulpit to hold the large Bible. No board
of sufficient width could be found and my mother contributed her
large bread board for the purpose. Covered with red plush, it was
in constant use until the church was torn down.
"Mr. Kelly was a faithful adherent and regular attendant at the
church services. He always walked up the aisle carrying his broad
brimmed hat and wearing his queue. His daughters, Jane and
Rebecca, followed him but were not permitted to enter the pew
until their father had taken an immaculate handkerchief from
his pocket and dusted it thoroughly. Knowing the ways of janitors,
I have no doubt his precautions were justified. Mr. Kelly's daughters, after their father's death, were baptized by my father and
became members of the church."
Behind and surrounding the church was a graveyard. This was
a special concession on Mr. Kelly's part, for grants to other
churches contain this clause: "No dead body is to be placed in this
ground." The Covenanter graveyard was opened about 1848. Its
use, at first, was confined to families of the church members, but
later it was available as a burial place to the villagers in general.
Not till the early nineties, when the new Borough disapproved
of it in the town, was it abandoned. The bodies were then removed by friends and the unclaimed ones were placed, by the
church, in a lot sixteen feet square in the Monongahela Cemetery,
Braddock, Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Jane Boyd Wadsworth had planted maple trees around
the Center Street or western side of the church. As they grew
they formed a grateful shade. The little ones were allowed to go
out to relax when the long service made them too restless and
tired. Under the shade of the trees they were quietly happy and
the older ones, too, loved the peaceful quiet of this place so enclosed from the outside world. Here lunches were eaten in the
summer time, followed by a walk down in the ravine where there
was a spring of delicious water and banks of mint. The lunch
period was short, only from twenty to thirty minutes, and was so
limited to bring the morning and afternoon services closer to213ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
gether in order to accommodate the members living far out in
the country.
There were quaint customs connected with the early Covenanter Church. One was lining out the psalms. When the psalm was
announced, the precentor would stand in front of the pulpit,
tuning fork in hand. He read two lines of the psalm, then started
the singing, in which the congregation joined. When these two
lines were finished two more were read and sung, and so on until
the end of the selection. Later this custom was discontinued.
Messrs. Samuel Henning, William Wills, and A. C. Coulter served
as precentors for a considerable length of time.
The communion services (or Lord's Supper) were commemorated twice a year. These were solemn but joyous times. The Friday preceding the communion Sabbath was a fast day, sacred like
the Sabbath, and the children were not allowed to go to school on
that day. Saturday had its own peculiar services which were rather
lengthy as there was preaching, exercises debarring from communion those not in good standing, and the distribution of
"tokens" to the members who were entitled to commune. During the communion season the pastor always had an assisting
minister, sometimes from a long distance. In this way the congregation became acquainted with different ministers of the
denomination.
Sabbath day of Communion was the great day of the Feast of
the Lord's Supper. A very long table, placed in front of the pulpit
for this occasion, was spread with a fine white linen cloth. It was
a beautiful sight as the communicants marched to their places at
the table singing a part of the 24th Psalm lined out by the precentor, while an elder stood at the foot of the table to receive the
tokens distributed the day before. When all were seated on both
sides of the table, a prayer and address by the minister to the
communicants was followed by administering the bread and
wine. The table services closed with singing part of the 45th
Psalm as the communicants returned to their pews. In the same
manner others were served until all the members partook of the
Lord's Supper.
214Exterior of the Reformed Presbyterian Church (Covenanter)
Initerior of the Reformed Presbtterian Church (Covenanter)Reverend Joseph Hunter
Mrs. Joseph Hullter and (ldaughter LeatitiaTHE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Monday, the closing day of the Communion season, was duly
observed with an appropriate Thanksgiving service commencing
at 10:30 A. M. Some time in the afternoon the pastor, with
the visiting assistant, made calls on the members, the conversation being principally about the communion occasion
just observed.
Religious instruction was not neglected in the Covenanter
homes in those early days. Sabbath was kept as a holy day. No
unnecessary work was done as most of the food was prepared on
Saturday. After the church services on Sabbath the children
spent the remainder of the afternoon committing portions of
the psalms and scripture verses and, last but not least, the catechism. And these, especially the catechism, were recited to the
father or mother in the evening.
Once a year family visitation came around. The minister, accompanied by an elder, would pay a pastoral visit. The pastor
would announce from the pulpit the previous Sabbath the families he would visit and sometimes two families would arrange to
meet in one of the two homes. This was always a trying ordeal
and needed preparation, as the children were catechised as well
as the grown-ups to ascertain spiritual progress.
The old church with its plain facade broken by the six insets, in
its peaceful setting of trees and God's Acre, with its green path
leading from the brow of the hill down to the spring of delicious
water and to the stream, with its banks of fragrant mint, will
ever be held in sacred memory by those who were reared and worshipped therein, as well as by many residents of the former village
still living among us.
In closing her memoirs of those past days a loving daughter
says: "May I say a word in closing about my father (The Rev.
Joseph Hunter)-his devout Christianity, his genial friendly
spirit, his tender sympathy and love for every member of his
congregation. Shortly after his passing in 1884 a little boy died
whose parents were members of the church. The bereaved mother
said to me:'I do not mind nearly so much that our boy has left
us and gone to the better land since I know your father is there.'
215ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
I understood what she meant and counted it a tribute, for father
was ever a lover of children."
The Covenanter Church in the U.S.A. is small but statistics
show that, in proportion to its size, it contributes more to religious
and other good causes than any other denomination. The Covenanters sing only psalms in church services. They do not use instrumental music, and abstain from politics on the ground that
God is not sufficiently recognized in the Constitution of the
United States. They are a faithful, loyal people, strong for every
good work in church and state.
Mention should be made of the founding in 1848 of Westminster College at Wilkinsburg, Pa., by the Pittsburgh Presbytery
of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, and of a female Seminary,
which was established in connection with it, the Rev. Moses
Rooney serving as its first President. In 1850 the location was
changed to Allegheny, Pa., where a suitable building was erected.
Dr. John Newell in 1853 succeeded Mr. Rooney as President of
Westminster College and Prof. James R. Newell became a teacher.
After ten years Westminster College was succeeded by Allegheny
City College and at a later date, in 1863, formed a nucleus for
Newell Institute. A preparatory and classical school of high standing flourished in Pittsburgh for many years under the charge of
Prof. James R. Newell.
In 1892 the first brick church which had been built in 1845 was
torn down and the present modern edifice at the corner of South
Avenue and Center Street was erected and dedicated in 1893.
The elders during the first pastorate were:
John Boyd       Winm. J. Daugherty  A. C. Coulter
Samuel Henning    David Osborne     Jas. Clark
Samuel Henry      Thos. Newell      John D. McCune
Robert Barr       Henry Dean        Wm. Price
Wm. Wills
Since the Rev. Joseph Hunter's death five pastors have occupied
the pulpit of the Covenanter Church:
Rev. W. W. Carithers, 1 883 to 1889
Rev. R. C. Wylie, 1891 to 1908
216THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Rev. R. J. G. McKnight, 1909 to 1916
Rev. J. B. Willson, 1919 to 1929
Rev. T. C. McKnight, the present pastor.
They have all been consecrated men of worth and integrity,
and the Covenanter Church in Wilkinsburg, as well as in the
United States, is still bravely bearing aloft the Blue Banner of the
Covenant given to them so many, many years ago in Scotland. In
June, 1938, the combined Covenanter Churches of Scotland,
Ireland and the United States of America celebrated the 3ooth
Anniversary of the signing of the Covenant in old "GREYFRIARS" in Edinburgh, Scotland. Many joined in the pilgrimage to that sacred shrine in 1938.
LIST OF CHARTER MEMBERS
OF THE WILKINSBURG
REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN (COVENANTER) CHURCH
Taken from the Session Book of 1848
Hugh Boyd                     Mrs. Mary Ann Andrews
Mrs. Hugh Boyd                James Sample
Mrs. Jane Boyd Wadsworth     Mrs. Rachel Sample
Samuel Henning                John Osborne
Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Henning   Robert Osborne
Mrs. Jane Ross Henning        Mrs. Margaret Creelman
Isaac Gill                    David Osborne
John Gill                     Mrs. Jane Osborne
Mrs. Martha Gill              Miss Mary Osborne
William Woodside              Eliza J. Osborne
Mrs. Ann Woodside             Mrs. Mary Gilmore
Mrs. Mary I. Gill             Mrs. Ann Linton
Adam Daugherty                John MIcKaig
Mrs. Jane Daugherty           Mrs. Mary McKaig
Archibald Euwer               Mrs. Nancy Boyd
Mrs. Mary Euwer
DEER CREEK BRANCH (COVENANTER)
Annexed to Wilkinsburg Church by 13 members
Robert Barr                   Mrs. Sarah A. Stark
Margaret Barr                 Mrs. Nancy A. Bastian
217ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Alex Stewart                     Mrs. Jane McCutcheon
Margaret Stewart                 John Boyd
Eliza Stewart                    Mrs. John Boyd (Catherine)
Robert Dunn                      Mrs. Mary Boyd
Mrs. Jane Dunn
THE OLD COVENANTER CHURCH OF WILKINSBURG
Built 1845
And its First Pastor
THE REV. JOSEPH HUNTER
1852-1882
Below the old Church was a valley,
Where a stream flowed toward the sea,
Through a carpet of peppermint spicy,
It sang of its joy to be free.
And over its stepping-stone crossing
A path led up to the spring
In the rocks, where the wayfarer weary
His paeans of praises would sing.
But the church and the graveyard behind it,
Have yielded to modern advance,
And the stream with its musical murmur,
Finds itself in a strange circumstance.
The spring now no longer refreshes
The traveller who passes that way,
Nor the many who worshipped above it,
On a quiet long past Sabbath day.
The silvery haired pastor is resting
Not far from the scene of his toil.
"His works do live after him"-blessing,
For he sowed in a most fruitful soil.
218SAMUEL HENNING FAMILY
The children he loved, and the youth he admired,
Perhaps have forgotten their friend.
But some still remember the long cheery road
Which he travelled straight through to the end.
LAETITIA H. HUNTER
[6]
SAMUEL HENNING FAMILY
MONG the parishioners of the Thompson Run Society of CoveA    nanters were John Henning and his family.
John Henning came from County Antrim, Ireland in 180o 1. He
had been a linen weaver in Ireland, but in 1807 he purchased a
farm from Jacob Shepler and to it he applied himself until his
death in 1843. The farm of 147 acres was on the Northern Turnpike in Wilkins Township, excepting a few acres which extended
into Patton Township.
Mr. Henning married Matilda Gill. In their log house, built
in the valley, were born their two sons, Matthew (1809-1867) and
Samuel (1811-1892). Two years after the birth of her second son,
Samuel, Mrs. Matilda Gill Henning died. Jane Ross became the
second wife of John Henning. She was of the Thomas Ross family
of "Campania", a plantation in the Lemington Avenue district of
Pittsburgh.
Of the two sons, Matthew left the farm in 1830 to settle in
Braddock, where he carried on a coal business.
Samuel remained on the farm, which he cultivated and developed all his active years. He married Elizabeth Ann Dodds of Butler
County, Pennsylvania, and brought his bride to the log house in
the valley. Here they lived until 1859, when a handsome brick
house, still standing, was built on the hill above.
There was no porch at the front but there were thick broad
219ANNALS OF
OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITYANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
granite steps leading to the heavy front door, framed with small
paned window panels at its sides and above, according to the style
of the day. This door opened into a wide hall running the length
of the house, from which four large rooms opened. The hall and
rooms were wainscoted up to the level of the window frames
and the mantel shelves stood high above the fireplaces. The great
beauty of the lower floor was the hall and stairway, which began
midway between the front and back hall doors. The front door
and hall, with the opening rooms, suggested a welcome and
cordial hospitality so prevalent in country houses filled with
growing sons and daughters.
To Samuel and Elizabeth Henning were born nine children,
three sons and six daughters, each one of whom received a liberal
education, beginning in the country school and continued in the
Wilkinsburg Public School and the various private schools of
the village; the Wilkinsburg and Turtle Creek Academies, Newell
Institute, Beaver College, and Lebanon University of Lebanon,
Ohio.
The oldest son, John Dodds, after graduating from Jefferson
Medical College, Philadelphia, married Mary Sterrett, a daughter of the Reverend Samuel Sterrett, a Covenanter minister living
in Wilkinsburg. They went west where he practised medicine in
Fargo, N. Dakota until his death in 19o8.
The second son, Matthew Henry, married Minnie Harman, a
niece of Mrs. William Wills. He succeeded R. O. Miller as manager of the Wilkinsburg branch of the Peoples Natural Gas
Company. Later he was transferred to Pittsburgh and became
General Superintendent; in which position he remained until his
retirement in i 92 1.
The third son, Josiah Francis, remained on the farm until the
removal of the family to Wilkinsburg in 1887. In a short time he
became connected with the firm of McKee and Koethen, title
examiners. The firm was later incorporated as the Title Guaranty Company, S. H. McKee, President. From this company Mr.
Henning retired in 1930. His wife was Stella Leysinger, a
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Leysinger of the village.
220SAMUEL HENNING FAMILY
The daughters were Matilda Jane, unmarried; Anne Elizabeth,
married Dr. Edward 0. Anderson; Mary Margaret, unmarried;
Melissa Belle, married Samuel R. Wills; Olevia Martha, married
Hugh H. Hervey; and Emily S., married William A. Minteer.
In 1887 Mr. and Mrs. Henning and family removed to 728
Wallace Avenue Wilkinsburg, where the parents resided until
their deaths a few years later. The removal from the farm was
not accomplished without careful consideration and many regrets.
Twenty-eight years of cultivation had made the "Long Lane"
brick homestead a beautiful place. The lane opening on the
lower side of the Northern Pike descended sharply to the Run.
Crossing it on a plank bridge it began its gradual winding ascent
around the hill on its right hand above the wooded ravine on its
left side. A spacious lawn before the house was cut by two broad
flower-bordered walks leading down to the driveway. The walk
to the left was shaded by a long grape arbor on either side of
which stood stately pine trees.
But the long lane had not kept away suitors. As professional
and business interests had taken the sons away from home, so the
daughters were being wooed and won, and the parents, Samuel and
Elizabeth Henning, had well earned a rest from the strenuous
farm life, and residence in the village brought him close to the
church he so dearly loved.
Samuel Henning was a deeply religious man. He was an elder
in the log church near Monroeville, and was instrumental in
organizing the Wilkinsburg Reformed Presbyterian Church in
1845, to the building of which he contributed generously in time,
teams and timber. He was elected elder at the organization of the
congregation, and served in that office until his death about 45
years later.
Matthew and Josiah Henning, desirous of voting privileges,
which were denied them in the Covenanter Church, transferred
their church membership to the United Presbyterian denomination and took an active part in the organization of the Second
United Presbyterian Church of the village, in which they afterwards held office.
221ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
[7]
SAMUEL HENRY
AMUEL HENRY came to Wilkinsburg in 1849. We know he had
Sa grocery store in what we now call the Webster Avenue district of Pittsburgh, but we do not know just when he gave up
weaving as a trade. The Pittsburgh directory of 1839 lists him as
a grocer on Coal Lane above O'Hara Street.
He continued to conduct a grocery store in Wilkinsburg in
the lower part or half cellar part of the house, which, like many
houses in the Pittsburgh district today, was set in the side of a hill.
In the odd moments of the day he could cultivate the vegetable
and flower gardens and look after the raspberry and currant
bushes and the fruit trees. Of course, there was a grape arbor just
outside the doorway; and in the garden the coral or trumpet
honeysuckle, ribbon grass, and trumpet vines, and an Osage
orange hedge along the boundary line. We transplanted many of
the plants from my grandfather's garden and for many years enjoyed the beauty of the single petal or pasture roses.
Samuel Henry's father and son, each called Samuel Henry,
died when rather young, the former in Slavenagh, County Antrim, Ireland and the latter in Havana, Cuba, while helping to
install a lighting system for the city streets. The father of Samuel
Henry had kept a diary, which we treasure highly, and so it was
only natural that his son should also keep a diary. From the
records we find he "sold his father's farm August 3, 1820 to Thos.
Simpson, auctioned our crops, stock, farming utensils and household furniture on 6th of Sept. following, intending to go to
America. On the first day of Novr. following, my wife got her left
arm broken above the wrist and was attended by Dr. McNeil,
Portlenone, who set it." According to the diary they did not
leave their father-in-law's for America until Thursday morning,
May loth, 1821. "We slept two nights in Belfast and went on
board of the ship Meridian on Saturday 1 th for Baltimore, pay222SAMUEL HENRY
ing 18 guineas passage money for my wife and two children." As
the Sea Journal gives a glimpse of the hardships encountered on
board ship, we shall select a few of the items taken from the
diary. "The ship Meridian 144 feet in length and advertised to
carry 700 tons,-cargo, salt, whiskey, linen cloth,-steerage passengers 56,-cabin passengers 7, 9 sailors, a cook and steward, Captain
John Staples and Siery and Erskine mates. The regulations for
the steerage passengers-the fire is to be made on at 8 o'clock and
to continue till 1 /2 past 9, forenoon, and then it is to be made on
at 4 in the afternoon and be put out at 1/2 past 5, so that all the
cooking is to be made in 1 hour and a half, morning and evening.
It is also requested that all steerage passengers must get their
water by 6 in the morning." Having started on the 1 2 th of May we
note from the diary that they cleared out to the ocean from Cape
Clear on Saturday, the 19th, the last day they saw Ireland. They
overtook the Primrose from Waterford for Quebec, passed the
Tuscarora from Philadelphia for Liverpool and met the Jane of
Aberdeen, freighted with sugar and rum from the West Indies
for London. Due to a severe storm they were driven southwest
1062 miles so that they were 47 days crossing the ocean, and
when they reached the Chesapeake Bay they could well say, "the
pilot came on board to our great satisfaction." "Monday, 25 June,
we cast anchor at the foot of the Chesapeake Bay for want of wind
and the tide being against us. Thursday 28 of June, 1821, in the
afternoon we first set foot on Columbus land, City of Baltimore."
During the eleven months spent in Baltimore, Samuel Henry
was busy weaving, for he states that he sold eleven linen shirts.
Thursday, gth of May, 1822, they left Baltimore for Pittsburgh,
"paying $2 per hundred for hauling to John Lang, Scotchman.
We were civily used on the way both by the wagoners and those
with whom we lodged. We had good weather all the time. We had
tolerable good health except a spell that I had. We paid 12 cents
a night for our bed. We arrived in Pittsburgh on Wednesday 22nd
of May, 1822, in the afternoon. We met with a kind reception
with friends. We stopped near 5 months in Smithfield St. in house
of Mr. Robinson at $1.25 per month of rent and Oct. 14th, 1822
223ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
we moved to Mr. Arthurs and pay $;2 per month rent and am employed at weaving satinet and broadcloth for him."
Erasmus Wilson's "History of Pittsburgh" has several references relative to the Arthurs Factory. Page 2o8-"Arthurs and
Murphy, partners in the fulling business, dissolved in August,
1815 and James Arthurs continued alone." Page 229-"James
Arthurs and Sons, Steam Cotton Factory on Strawberry, near
Cherry Alley, contained in 1825, one throatle of 120 spindles, one
mule of 168 spindles and was principally employed in the manufacture of fine yarns. 12 hands employed in the cotton factory. Adjoining was the woolen factory owned by them, where a large
country business was done and cassinets were made."
Samuel Henry was a member of the Reformed Presbyterian
Church of Wilkinsburg. Born August 16, 1787, and died June
1871. He is buried in Allegheny Cemetery, near the Butler Street
entrance.
[8]
MAJOR HENRY ALLSHOUSE
COLONEL JOSEPH ALLSHOUSE
LEBBAEUS ALLSHOUSE
AJOR Henry Allshouse came from the Rhine River region,
lMv   Germany, and settled in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, sometime prior to the Revolutionary War. Soon after commencement of the war, he enlisted in what was called the
"Associators" and took part in the battle of Long Island. He was
listed among the "killed, wounded, and missing," but was actually held a prisoner by the British Army about a year and a half.
He was commissioned a Captain in 1780 and a Major, 6th Battalion, Associators and Militia of Northampton County, in 1783.
In payment for his military service, the government gave him a
tract of three hundred acres in Northampton County. After the
224MAJOR HENRY, COLONEL JOSEPH, and LEBBAEUS ALLSHOUSE
war Major Allshouse crossed the Allegheny Mountains and
settled on a farm north of Jeannette, Westmoreland County.
He served fifteen years as a senator in the Pennsylvania Legislature. It was said by his colleagues and constituents that he was
a leader in organizing the Pennsylvania Legislature; was one of
the founders of the Democratic Party and helped frame that
party's platform, thus being in his day one of the prominent
Democratic leaders of Westmoreland County. He died in 1836.
Major Allshouse was married to Marie Kunkle from Kunkle,
Northampton County.
They had two children-Priscilla, who married Mr. Klininsmith, a state senator for many terms; and Joseph, born in 1795,
who grew up on his father's farm. In the decade 1830-1840 Joseph
came to Wilkinsburg.
In this decade another Westmoreland County man came to
the village with his family. His name was Abram Horbach-or
Horbaugh; he bore the title of Major. The Horbach and Allshouse families may have known each other in Westmoreland
County.
It was a period of change. In 1833 James Kelly had bought from
Mark Collett, an agent for an eastern land company, the Wilkinsburg estate of the late Dunning McNair. Mr. Kelly had opened
up new streets, enlarging the early plan of Dunning McNair, and
Major Abram Horbach invested in village lots to the amount of
seven thousand dollars. This transaction took place September
17, 1835, and the deed was recorded the same day in D. B. 48,
page 357. David Gilleland acted as Justice of the Peace. The
eastern terminus of this purchase was Penn and Hay streets-then
known as "The Pike and Kelly's Lane." In a diagonal line from
this corner stretching northwest across the Pike stood a red stone
with the figure 7 deeply cut in it. It had been erected in 1825 or
earlier on the opening of the great turnpike reaching across the
state from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.
The stone was one of the kind marking the miles between the
two cities. 7! Seven miles from Pittsburgh. 8! 9! and so they ran.
The corner before mentioned was just the place for a tavern, and
225ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
the Horbaugh heirs (for Major Horbach did not live many years
after coming to the village) were not long in erecting a building
there, which was named "The Seven Mile House." Standing as
it did in a large plot of ground, doubtless well-shaded by trees,
"The Seven Mile House" became a favorite resort for city families
during summer seasons. Just when the house was built is not
certainly known, nor the order of succession of its proprietors,
but for a period Joseph Allshouse was its proprietor.
Tavern-keeping was a profitable business in those days, and
Joseph Allshouse on March 31, 1852, was able to leave his leased
house and buy property for himself. The price paid was eighteen
hundred dollars, recorded in D. B. io8, page 396. Whether a
house stood on the ground cannot be positively stated. Distinction
came to him in acquiring this property for the ninety feet of
ground he purchased included lot No. 29, the first village lot sold
by Dunning McNair to Patrick Green. The owners of the ground
in 1852 were Lawson Green and Mary Green Cleland (wife of
David Cleland), a son and daughter of Patrick and Elizabeth
Green, who had inherited the ground by their mother's will.
Here were the spacious barn and stableyard necessary for horses
and wagons-market, hay and Conestoga-for droves of cattle,
sheep and pigs, their drovers and their dogs, and here was a town
pump of fine water, with its watering trough, that is remembered
by many residents of the Borough today.
Joseph Allshouse was a Colonel in the "Home Guards", a local
semi-vigilante organization formed by citizens in various communities for local protection, which in time formed the basis of
the National Guards. He married Anna Marie Minium, one of
twelve daughters in a French Huguenot family of Dauphin
County. Her father had been stolen by the Indians when four
years old and remained with them until adolescence, when observing his racial difference he made inquiry and was reunited
with his family. Anna Marie Allshouse possessed a gentle nature;
women were supposed to remain quiet in those days, but she did
object strenuously to card-playing among guests and destroyed
deck after deck, saying the devil also dealt a hand in cards.
226MAJOR HENRY, COLONEL JOSEPH, and LEBBAEUS ALLSHOUSE
Two of their six children were Lebbaeus, a soldier in the
Mexican War, and Priscilla, who married John V. Kennedy.
Colonel Allshouse died in 186o. He was interred in the village
graveyard, which surrounded the Covenanter Church, but upon
its abolishment, removal was made to Homewood Cemetery.
LEBBAEUS ALLSHOUSE
Mexican War, 1848
The list of soldiers from Wilkinsburg and vicinity taking part
in the Mexican War is not a long one. One name of honor is
that of Lebbaeus Allshouse, a son of Joseph and Anna Marie
Minium Allshouse, and a brother of Mrs. Priscilla Kennedy. The
fact that he was too young to enlist did not alter his determination
to do so, and through the influence of Colonel Coulter of Greensburg, an intimate family friend, he was finally accepted. According to the Archives of Pennsylvania at HIarrisburg, "his record
was as a private, Company E, Second Regiment of Westmoreland
County Guards; enrolled, December 24, 1846 at Greensburg, and
left for Vera Cruz January 8, 1847.
"Before they left Pittsburgh en route to Mexico they were
handsomely entertained on Dec. 28, 1846 by the ladies of Greensburg and in Pittsburgh they stopped on the steps of the St. Charles
Hotel where Capt. Johnston was presented with a sword and each
man was given a handsome Bible."
It was said that he was the first man over the wall at Chapultepec, but inquiry concerning this at Harrisburg brought the
reply; "It is not possible to verify the statement that Lebbaeus
Allshouse was the first man over the wall in the battle of Chapultepec. Such data is generally obtained from diaries, letters and
other materials." Unfortunately, the people of that period, as
well as those of every period, do not realize that they are making
history; hence, the scarcity of recorded events. "Having served
in all the important engagements throughout the war, Lebbaeus
Allshouse was one of only forty-four men of the Home Guard who
was mustered out on July 14, 1848 by Major Wright at Pittsburgh."
227ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
After the Mexican War Lebbaeus Allshouse went to North
Dakota where he married and had four children. Again he enlisted as a soldier in the Civil War. He fought in nine battles without injury, but was captured in the battle of Chickamauga and
was sent to Libby prison, where, presumably, he starved to death,
as he was never heard of after 1864.
[9]
THE NORTHERN PIKE JOHNSTONS
HE organization of the East Liberty Presbyterian Church in
T1826 and the displeasure James Graham felt about it have
been noted. But he was a sensible man and twenty-two years of
travelling over long stretches to visit parishioners must have made
him, in advancing years, sympathetic to the distant members of
his congregation. So that in 1836 when members from Monroeville expressed a request for dismissal from Beulah in order to
build a church at Cross Roads, Mr. Graham acquiesced although
the congregation of forty-seven members was made up almost
entirely of Beulah parishioners. With the forty-seven went
Charles Carothers I and his son, Robert, both of whom were
elders in Beulah. Reverend Francis Laird and Reverend James
Graham conducted all features of organization. It was a great loss
to Beulah, but the territory was large and the church needed. The
new field thus opened brought forward other groups of people,
among them the Northern Pike Johnstons.
Three Johnston brothers came from Ireland and married three
Morrows. When one asks a Johnston relative which one is which
the reply with a shrug is "Give it up".
Mrs. Lida M. Siefers, of the Borough, a granddaughter of
William Porter and Sarah Johnston, writes that Sarah Johnston
is a descendant of William and Robert Johnston, both of whom
served in the Revolutionary War, one as a Captain.
Captain Johnston is buried in the cemetery which snuggles up
228DEATH OF THE REVEREND JAMES GRAHAM
close to the walls of the Cross Roads Church now more than a
hundred years old.
Then there was Olevia Johnston, (Mrs. James D. Carothers)
who was a daughter of Northern Pike William; and Martha
Graham Johnston, a descendant of some degree of Charles who
claimed to be related through his wife to John Rogers who was
burned at the stake.
The most satisfactory Johnston is Charles Matthew Johnston
who came to the village in 1873 from three miles east and whose
wife's name was Mary Jane Trees. He was an alright man having
been a Presbyterian, baptized in Beulah, an elder there for ten
years, a Republican, a farmer and millwright. The grandfather of
Charles Matthew Johnston settled on 800 acres of land, three
miles east of Wilkinsburg, granted to him evidently for war service. Charles Matthew inherited 150 acres of this plantation,
which he farmed until his removal to Wilkinsburg in 1873. Of
his three sons and one daughter (Mrs. George Cruikshank) but
one son, Oliver N. Johnston, is the only survivor.
[ 10]
DEATH OF
THE REVEREND JAMES GRAHAM
JUNE 12, 1845
IDING home from a visit to a parishioner June 12, 1845, James
R Graham's horse was frightened and he was thrown, receiving
injuries on head and knee from which he never recovered. He
rested at the house of John Shaeffer near which the accident occurred. Thinking he was better, he got on his horse and started to
ride home, so anxious was he that his family should not be alarmed at what he thought was so slight an injury. He rode past the
house of his son, James, and said to Mrs. Graham-"I came to let
you see I am not much hurt", and then rode home and told his
family the circumstances of his accident. Soon after, he complain229ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
ed of weariness and lay down on his bed, after which he took
some slight refreshments and for a time conversed with those
about him. About eight o'clock his remarks became incoherent
and becoming sensible of it he said in a surprised tone-"Why, I
believe my memory does not serve me. I know what I wish to say
but I cannot get the word." Soon afterwards he fell asleep and
never regained consciousness, but died about the time of the
close of the Sunday service.
In the year 1804 James Graham was ordained and installed
pastor of Beulah congregation, which relation he sustained until
his death, a period of more than forty years. It is believed that no
minister of any denomination in Pittsburgh or its neighborhood
has sustained for so long a period the pastor relation unchanged.
The high estimation in which the deceased was held by the
congregation and the community at large for miles around his
residence was testified by the vast concourse of people assembled
on Monday, June 16, to follow his remains to the grave. He
was buried in Beulah graveyard. Dr. Francis Herron and the
Reverend Francis Laird who had modified his call and set him
apart to the ministry, conducted the services.
[i ia]
HISTORY OF HEBRON UNITED
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
FRANKSTOWN ROAD
NTIL the early part of 1849, the only church in this neighborhood was the Beulah Presbyterian Church. At that time it
was decided by the pastor and the majority of the elders to introduce into the service other texts than the Psalms for praise. Two
of the elders, John and James Morrow, and about thirty-six of
the congregation felt that this was contrary to their convictions,
and at a meeting at the home of Mr. James Duff, March 24, 1849,
230Mrs. Nancy MacGooghan. aged 93 years. As a young girl,
climbed to the top of high posts of the Kelly gateway to see the
first local passenger train from Pittsburgh to Brinton
go through the village in 1852
Samuel Henning. Elder in the Covenanter log church near
Monroeville, and also Elder in Covenanter Church, WilkinsburgSamuel Henry house, on site of "The Crow's Nest"Seven Mile Stone, erected 1815
Original Seven Mile House (altered), famous tavern built by Horbach family about 1840Mrs. Jaiie Boyd Wadsworth
William BoydHISTORY OF HEBRON UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
the situation was discussed, and it was decided to appoint Mr.
James Duff and Mr. Benjamin Kelly a committee to present a
petition to the Associate Reformed Presbytery of Monongahela
for a supply for preaching. The petition was presented March 28,
1849 and was granted. The following Sabbath the little band of
worshippers met at Jefferson School House and held their first
service. Dr. John Ekin officiated. From that time on Presbytery
furnished preachers, and service was held every Sabbath in school
houses, barns and so forth.
At the June meeting of Presbytery, 1850, the mission petitioned
Presbytery to be organized into a congregation, which petition
was granted, and on August 3oth the Rev. John T. Pressly, D.D.
and Elders James McMath of Puckety and Joel Monroe of Bethel
effected the organization of Hebron Associate Reformed Church.
Forty-four persons were admitted to the membership at the
time of organization: thirty-six by certificate from Beulah and
eight on profession. Those by certificate from Beulah were James
Duff, Catherine Duff, John Sampson, Jane Sampson, John Morrow, Mary M. Morrow, Sarah B. Duff, James Morrow, Sarah
Morrow, Hugh Turner, Catherine Turner, Margaret Phillips,
Martha Phillips, Samuel Simpson, Jane Simpson, Anne Simpson,
Mary Wilson, Mary Kelly, Ann Fisher, Isabel Duff, Sarah
Johnston, Eliza Ann Johnston, Margaret Johnston, Rebecca
Johnston, Francis Gilmore, Jane Gilmore, Wm. McCracken,
Martha McCracken, S. B. McClurkin, James McClurkin, Mary
McClurkin, Elizabeth McClurkin, Martha J. Johnston, Nancy
Park, Mary Muliux and Jane Morrow. Those by profession were:
John Duff, Matilda Duff, Eliza J. Duff, Sarah Long, Rebecca
Long, Sarah Sampson, Jane Swisshelm and Mary E. Crawford.
For almost eight years after the organization of Hebron the
church had no regular pastor, depending on Presbytery to supply
their preachers; but in March, 1858, at a meeting of Presbytery,
East Liberty (now the Sixth United Presbyterian Church) and
Hebron were united in one pastoral charge. They united in a call
for the Rev. H. C. McFarland. The call was accepted and in June
1858 he was installed as pastor of East Liberty and Hebron
231ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
churches. He received a salary of $350 per year from East Liberty
and $300 per year from Hebron.
At the end of six years Mr. McFarland was compelled to give
up his charge because of ill health, and the church was again
without a pastor. Supplies were heard for some time. In 1865 a
call was made to the Rev. F. M. Proctor which was not accepted.
In September 1866 a call to the Rev. David Barclay of Wheeling Presbytery was accepted, and for forty-three years David Barclay served the congregation as its pastor. At the end of that time
he resigned his office but maintained his connection with Hebron
for six years thereafter as pastor emeritus; then came the message:
"Come, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joys
of thy Lord," and he passed from our sight.
The first church building was built the same year as the organization, on a lot donated by Samuel Duff and George Wilson,
and at the same meeting at which the church was organized, a
committee was appointed to secure subscriptions for a building.
The first house of worship was a very modest frame building with
school room in the basement, costing about $1200, and it was
completed and entirely paid for before petitioning Presbytery to
organize the congregation. There was no Board of Church Extension at that time, no help was available in the form of donation or loan; but, although money was scarce and hard to get,
the congregation has never been in debt. The present structure
was built in 1883, at a cost of $5700, and was dedicated without
a dollar of debt.
[l1b]
1550-1858 THE COVENANTS
R. J. ALBERT MORROW states in the foregoing sketch that on
August 30, 1850 the Rev. John T. Pressly, D.D. and certain
elders effected the organization of "Hebron Associate Reformed
Church"; but for more than 80 years the church at Hebron has
2321550-1858 THE COVENANTS
been known as the "Hebron United Presbyterian Church". What
a long vista opens out through history to anyone whose attention is
called to this change of title. The words "Association of Covenanters", "Associate Reformed Church", "Reformed Presbyterian
Church," "United Presbyterian Church" stand for acts of loyalty
to a religious idea which was consecrated in its early years by
death through fire or water martyrdom, persecution by barbarian
methods, and hiding in the caves of almost inaccessible mountains.
Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler says that when a term is somewhat
unusual and remote from our experience and our interest, we
are apt readily to be able to assign to it a definite significance...;
but when it is a term with which we are familiar in our everyday
experience and conversation we often feel its significance and its
import, and yet find great difficulty in defining it accurately...
How many people know the significance of the church titles
given above? The titles are used every day. How many people
know that there is a bridge of time length of 300 years, reaching
from about 1550 to 1857; and a bridge in space reaching from
Edinburgh, Scotland, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., connecting the first title with the fourth?
To the Rev. W. E. McCulloch, Los Angeles, California, we
are indebted for the following-necessarily much condensed- history of the events of this period in his book, The United Presbyterian Church and its Work in America.
The revolt of the Scotch Presbyterian Church was against the
establishment of the Episcopal ritual of service, and government
by bishops and archbishops. This church the Scotch regarded as
veiled Catholicism, and by a series of covenants they solemnly
pledged themselves to oppose the change attempted by the Kings
of England during the second part of the 16th century and until
1688 when the Catholic King, James II, was deposed, and the
Protestant monarchs, William and Mary from the Netherlands,
succeeded to the throne. The Covenants were:. The Covenant of 1557, when a band of men in Edinburgh
signed a document called a Covenant by which they pledged
themselves "to apply their whole power, substance, and very
233ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
lives to maintain, set forward, and establish the most blessed
word of God."
2. The Covenant of 1580. This Covenant was signed by people of
all rank, nobles as well as by "the commons", who pledged their
lives to defend not only Christ's Evangel, but liberties of the
country, ministration of justice, and punishment of iniquity.
3. The National Covenant of 1638. This Covenant was the open
revolt of the Scotch Presbyterians against the attempt of Charles
I of England to force upon the Scotch people a ritual worship
as formulated in the Episcopal Prayer Book.
July 23, 1637 was the Sabbath appointed to introduce this
form. The riotous reception and its outcome is thus given by
Mr. McCulloch:
Hardly had the richly-robed Dean of Edinburgh begun the
reading of the ritual when ominous murmurs were heard, and an
old Scotch woman named Jenny Geddes arose and sharply exclaimed, "Deil colic the wame o' thee, thou fause thief! Dost thou
say mass at my lug?" (The devil give you a pain in the stomach,
you false thief! Do you say mass at my ear?) The redoubtable
Jenny followed her fusillade of Scotch invectives by picking up
the stool on which she had been sitting and hurling it at the
Dean's head. There followed a riot which was certainly not of
the imitation sort. Sticks and stones were used in reckless fashion
and loud cries of Pope! Antichrist! Baal! were heard.
The revolt against this usurpation of religious rights spread
throughout Scotland until on March 1, 1638 in old Greyfriars
Churchyard a vast crowd of people of all ranks of noblemen and
common people met and signed a solemn Covenant, some with
their own blood, by which they pledged themselves "all the days
of their lives to adhere unto and defend the true religion."
Years of Civil War followed, which was ended by the dethronement and execution of King Charles I. The most barbarous persecution of these people of the Covenants took place for fifty years,
with a short respite during the twelve years of "The Commonwealth".
The 28 years from i66o to 1688, covering the reigns of Charles
2341550-1858 THE COVENANTS
II. 1660-1685, and James II. 1685-1 688, are regarded as the heroic
period of the Scottish Covenanters. In Greyfriars Churchyard in
Edinburgh is the Martyrs' Monument. A part of the inscription
reads as follows:
"From May, i661, to February, i688, were one way or another
murdered and destroyed for the same cause about eighteen thousand, of whom were executed at Edinburgh about one hundred
of noblemen, gentlemen, ministers and others-noble martyrs-for
Jesus Christ."
Out of these years of greatest persecution came the Reformed
Presbyterian Church. In 1690 Presbyterianism was re-established
in Scotland. But it was not long before it was realized by the
strictly orthodox that changes were taking place. There was a
laxness in the conduct of the ministers, and the sensitive sermon
tasters detected that the sermons were not of the mental or spiritual quality which they desired from "the cloth". People of this
opinion could not agree to compromises, so they separated themselves from the re-established church and formed religious societies which they maintained for sixteen years without ministers
to conduct their services. Then two ministers, the Reverend
Messrs. McMillan and Nairne, "seceded" and joined the societies.
In 1743 they, with certain elders, formed a separate presbytery.
About 1720 emigrants of the Reformed Presbyterian Church
came to America and settled in eastern Pennsylvania. At a religious meeting at Octorara they renewed their vows, standing,
it is said, with swords pointed to the four quarters of the heavens.
In 1752, August 23, the Rev. John Cuthbertson, the first minister
of this denomination to come to America, held communion service at New Kingston, Cumberland County. There were two
hundred and fifty communicants. The service, including the
customary half hour interval between morning and afternoon,
lasted nine hours.
The home of David McNair I., the grandfather of Col. Dunning McNair, was one of the hospitable homes ever open to John
Cuthbertson. Family records state that services were held in this
home in 1752.
2351743-I788
SETTLEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
PRIOR TO 1788
The paper that follows is not intended in any way to be a complete,
original, exhaustive or scholarly treatment of the subject. Many able
men have written about the period and for the author of this paper to
claim originality or achievement in a field so well covered would be to
pretend to an ability that unfortunately is not his. The author has
made free use of the authorities in attempting to give a comprehensive
but brief account of the factors affecting the settlement of Western
Pennsylvania prior to the erection of Allegheny County in 1788. His
purpose has been to arouse, and perhaps in some instances, to create
an interest in local history, wherein Western Pennsylvania is so rich,
so that his readers will desire to examine the subject further in the
many excellent books available.
ALMOST immediately after the establishment of permanent
settlements along the Atlantic seaboard, the adventurous,
and freedom loving peoples who dared the dangers and
rigors of ocean travel and pioneer life, turned their eyes to the
western country. Always the urge was west. Of course this movement was not always rapid or consistently sustained, but in retrospect it was an irresistible tide of humanity and progress. Southwestern Pennsylvania and Allegheny County have played a large
part in the western march of civilization. Through this territory
marched the advance columns of emigrants. "Her soil is classic
in the nation's history. On it France and England strove to hold
the empire. On it the footsteps of men grand in history have left
their impress."'
The motives of the European emigrants in seeking new homes
-new beginnings-in a new world, seem to furnish the explanation of the western movement to and across the mountains. The
1. Allegheny County's Hundred Years.ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
To return to Scotland:--
There were other events connected with the Scottish re-establishment. The people whom we have been considering left the
establishment; but, on the other hand, a separation took place
caused by the church separating itself from the ministry. The
ministers had, indeed, deteriorated during the hard years, so
much so that at a meeting of the Perth and Sterling Synod in 1732
the moderator, the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, delivered "a heartsearching, conscience-awakening sermon" which kindled such
violent opposition that he was rebuked by his brother clergymen.
When his appeal to the assembly was not sustained, Mr. Erskine
was joined by three other clergymen. The four were promptly suspended from the ministry, and their pastoral relations dissolved.
The four dismissed men met the next year and organized a new
presbytery which they named "The Associate Presbytery". There
was much sympathy felt for the discarded ones. Their earnestness
and piety were so manifest in their lives that they gained adherents and this new denomination grew rapidly.
In 1753 two ministers of the Associate Presbyterian Church
came to America. They settled in the Susquehanna Valley, where
the constant tide of Scotch-Irish emigrants joined with them, and
a church, which grew rapidly, and became influential, resulted.
Both these denominations stood solidly for liberty on the opening of the War of the Revolution. Two associate ministers served
as chaplains in the army.
In 1782 these two branches of Presbyterians in America decided to unite. They were so alike in matters of doctrine and methods of government that after a number of conferences a union was
made between the Reformed Presbyterian and the Associate Presbyterian bodies in June, 1782, and the name of "The Associate
Reformed Presbyterian Church of America" was adopted.
But the Scotch-Irish race is a stubborn one, and this trait is,
perhaps, most strongly manifested in religious matters. Instead
of one church to which the union had hopefully looked forward,
there were three now in existence, for there were some members
from the Reformed Church, and some also from the Associates
236UNION OF CHURCHES
who could not assent to the union. Those from the Reformed
again formed a society and adhered strictly to the customs of their
martyr forefathers. They are spoken of most often as "'The Covenanters". The second church built in the village of Wilkinsburg
in 1845, on the corner of South Avenue and Center Street, bore
the name "The Reformed Presbyterian Church", but the members were and still are known as "Covenanters". In 1938 at the
Three Hundredth Anniversary of the signing of "The Solemn
League and Covenant", held in old Greyfriars graveyard in Edinburgh, Scotland, members of this congregation were present,
some of whom were descendants of the martyrs whose signatures
to the Covenant were written in their own blood.
The church maintained by the remnant of the Associate Presbyterians had a marvelous growth. Xenia Theological Seminary
and Westminster College were founded, new territories opened,
new synods formed, foreign mission fields in India opened, and,
best of all perhaps, the urge for union was kept alive. The subject was again broached in 1820 and the request came from the
Associates. The men and women forming each congregation were
strongly opposed to slavery and ardently supported the temperance movement.
In 1838 a conference of delegates from the Associate Presbyterian and Associate Reformed Presbyterian Churches was held
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Another conference followed in
1842, and in 1858, when the synods of both churches were in
session, the longed-for union was effected.
[12]
UNION OF CHURCHES
RESULTING IN THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
FROM the memoirs of Dr. James D. Rankin, who was pastor
of the First United Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg
for four years and later connected with the United Presby237ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
terian Theological Seminary, we extract an account of the
joyful event.
"The Synods of both bodies met by appointment in Pittsburgh
at the same time-the Associate in Allegheny City, the Associate
Reformed in Pittsburgh. Negotiations were carried on for several
days, much of the time being spent in prayer. The Associate Reformed voted unanimously for union, but the Associate held out
on one or two points and refused an affirmative vote. Then a committee was appointed by the Associate Reformed to carry to the
Associate Synod the assurance of its unfaltering orthodoxy and a
promise for continued adherence to the faith of the fathers. A committee was appointed to carry this message across the river. My
uncle, Dr. Doig, was the chairman of the committee, my father the
other ministerial member, and a tall, lank Hoosier from some point
in Indiana was the elder. They presented to the Associate Synod
this assurance and these pledges for the future. Then one of the
members moved that they accept this proffer in good faith and
vote to enter the union. The vote was almost unanimous, and the
committee started across the river, each anxious to announce the
result. They walked faster and faster, and finally began to run. The
Hoosier outran the other two, and entered the Synod. It was engaged in earnest prayer for the success of this committee. WMithout
waiting for an'amen' the man from Indiana ran up the aisle shouting,'They have agreedl They have agreed! It is almost unanimous.'
The man who was praying stopped in the middle of a sentence.
No'amen' was offered. The members sprang to their feet calling for
full news. The galleries, crowded with people, were on their feet,
and many voices were thanking God and shouting in joy. Then my
uncle and father entered, confirming in full the report. Arrangements were immediately made to consummate the union on the
following day, when the Associate Synod marched down Union
Avenue in double rank and across the old Hand Street bridge,
where they were met by the Associate Reformed Synod coming from
their church in double file. Here the lines united, and an Associate and Associate Reformed, walking side by side, led by their
Moderators, entered the City Hall, the largest building in
Pittsburgh, which, with the exception of seats for the two synods,
was packed to the doors. Many of the best people of Pitts238JOHN BLACK
burgh were in the audience. It sounded more like a Methodist
meeting. In front of the combined body, the two Moderators
clasped hands and the United Presbyterian Church was launched
on its voyage.
"It has always been a pleasure to me to remember that in that
body were my grandfather, my father and five uncles, as ministerial
members, all favoring the union, and that my father was a member
of the last committee which passed between the two bodies carrying
the assurance which made the union possible."
[13]
JOHN BLACK
JOHN BLACK was one of the many Irishmen who came to this
district in the early 1840's and became a citizen of the United
States January 17, 1844, as his American citizenship paper proves.
He settled in Turtle Creek and owned a grocery store until 1 853,
when he bought a farm from Mary and John Perchment in the
valley along Turtle Creek running on both sides of the road that
goes down to Braddock, where he built his own home. Like all
progressive men in the period of the late 40's and early 5o's John
Black and his neighbors did their part in contributing to the
construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad by supplying stone for
the road bed and the use of their teams for hauling.
About 1899 he sold his farm to George Westinghouse and his
fine meadow is now covered by the Westinghouse Electric and
Manufacturing Company and the Westinghouse Memorial
Bridge crosses the lower end of the farm.
John Black took part in the life of the community. He served
as a school director in his own locality and as a bank director in
the Monongahela Bank of Pittsburgh. He attended the United
Presbyterian Church of Turtle Creek, and that he was a man of
generous impulses and responsive to the needs of others less
239ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
blessed with worldly goods is shown by a few quotations from letters written by his and his mother's former pastor in their old
home in Conroy, Ireland.
The Rev. Mr. Ray writes describing the potato famine and the
distressing poverty in Ireland:
November 16, 1846
"There are not 20 measures of potatoes in the whole county of
Donegal... Our neighbors have gone to Australia, they write
giving a good account of the country and are doing well... May I
ask you to send for this fine girl, she is left alone, and the famine
is so great,-there has never been such distress... I hope you
maintain the worship of God in your family and that you are all
preparing for eternity."
June 20, 1847 (Ten Cents postage due)
March 8, 1848 in a letter of thanks for money assistance the
Rev. Mr. Ray speaks of the small farmers' attitude against the
lower classes; the poor rates; the pressure on tenants, and heavy
taxation in general... "Many are going to your country... Every
Wednesday I spend distributing to the Widows, Orphans and
infirm... You are the only one who has thought of Conroy... I
hope your Mother's Sun will go down like a summer evening to
rise in glory."
December 1i 8, 1851. (The famine is over and the good pastor is
longing now to feed the hungry minds of his parishioners. He tells
of his desire to raise a Library for his congregation as) "whole
weeks go by without having anything to read;" and as if in
apology for again asking help the Reverend gentleman writes: "I
believe it is a well known fact that when people receive unexpected kindness they generally go back to such benevolent characters. You stood forth the friend of widows, orphans, and the helpless in our years of great distress-far beyond my expectations was
your response."These letters show Mr. Black's kindly interest in his old friends
in their time of distress.
240ALEXANDER HAMILTON
John Black married Ellen Bailey, of Manchester, lower Allegheny, March 14, 1844. They had four daughters and a son, who
was the second child. These children were Sarah, George, Elizabeth, Ella and Belle.
[14]
ALEXANDER HAMILTON
OT SO long after James Kelly acquired the large tract of land,
formerly held by Col. Dunning McNair, and the titles to
land sales were better assured, an impetus was given to purchase,
and house building in Wilkinsburg.
The first houses, built of logs, "killed two birds with one stone",
for the material was right at hand. The house could be quickly
"raised" and every house built helped to clear the land of its embarrassment of riches in forest trees.
Those who, after a time, desired larger and more elegant houses
used stone as material, as this was also most plentiful in the surrounding hills. When mills were erected the raw logs were turned
into smoother form and frame houses began to appear here and
there. Such has been the line of development in the village until
about 1840.
In this year Alexander Hamilton, miller and farmer, bought
from John and Mary McClure of Wheeling, Virginia, 132 ft. lots
99 and i oo on Main Street, Wilkinsburg, bounded by Coal Street
and Wallace Avenue and lot 98; and 132 ft. on Wallace, lots 202203, bounded by Coal Street, North Avenue and lot 204. These
lots were 264 ft. in depth. The consideration for the whole purchase was $300.
In 1839 Mr. Hamilton had married Mary McFarland, "a village
belle", who lived in a log farm house on land afterward bought by
John Singer. The house stood near the site of the Singer man241ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
sion. Whoever has seen the Singer house has heard the tale of the
Singer ghost, but the ghost has a longer pedigree than the elegant
stone building. The following story is vouched for as true by Mrs.
Lida Hamilton Downing. The ghost had often been heard by the
McFarland family, but they, being practical and busy people,
were not disturbed by it. But two friends of Mary McFarland
spent an early spring night at the farm, and in the morning,
anxious to help, they lifted the ashes from under the coal grate
and started down stairs with the pail. Just then the ghost groaned!
The sister at the rear made a leap carrying with her her sister and
the pail. There was no time to obey the precaution "this side up
with care" nor shall we enter into further details-sufficient unto
the ghost's groan was the result thereof.
Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton lived in the log house until he bought
his land, burnt his brick at the Brushton kiln, and built his house
on the northwest corner of Main and Coal streets. The house had
a basement kitchen and cellar built on a solid rock floor of limestone; in the corner of the cellar the rock was cut to allow a stream
of pure, gurgling water to gush out for the service of the family.
The superstructure was a story and a half with solid brick walls
throughout for partitions.
There were few houses in the neighborhood so that from the
porch on the upper story a magnificent view was open. The Pittsburgh and Greensburg pike was the highway then, and the
coaches with their a-la-mode passengers, the great Conestoga
wagons, the prancing horses of the well-to-do equestrians, the
horn of the mail coach and alas! the droves of sheep and cattle
with their dogs, drivers and great clouds of dust-all passed by this
brick house, for years acknowledged to be the first of its kind in
the village.
As one mounted the long hill to the east it is said "a view could
be had to the west of the swamps of East Liberty, and to the south
could be seen a long sweep of the Monongahela Valley." Mr.
Hamilton operated the grist mill on the other side of the street,
and when a hotel was opened by Aughfry Edgar directly opposite
his house, his large grounds and barns were used as a lodging
242ALEXANDER HAMILTON
place for the hotel's overflow of farmers and their teams on their
way to the Pittsburgh market.
The Edgar Hotel was a favorite place for refreshments for
pleasure parties driving or riding out from the city, just seven
miles away.
In 1859 the coal and lime business had so developed in this
region that village property gained in value. Mr. Hamilton sold
his other holdings of land above Water Street (Swissvale Avenue)
and moved his family out to the Liddie Wallace farm on Brushton road. They remained there eight years until after the close
of the Civil War. During this time some employees at the Macfarlane coal mines boarded at the Hamilton farm. Among them was
John Stevenson, weighmaster, afterwards storekeeper, Postmaster
and School Director in Wilkinsburg. Mrs. Lida Hamilton Downing recalls that the children were frightened one day by seeing
John hurrying from his work, crying as he went by. When they
asked him, "What is the matter," he answered, "our dear President is shot, I'm going to Pittsburgh to get the news."
That same morning in a village house a man, with streaming
eyes, waving a newspaper ran through his house calling his wife:
"Nancy, Nancy Jane, they've done it, they've done it. I knew they
would. Our President has been shot, by now he is dead!"
In 1867 Mr. Hamilton again moved to one of the McKelvey
farms in the neighborhood which he occupied for fifteen years.
In 1882 he returned to his village home where he died in 1889,
aged 84 years. Mrs. Hamilton died in 1881, aged 64 years. They
are buried in Beulah graveyard.
Of their six children who reached adult age, John, Robert,
James, Martha, Rachel, Lida, the last named, Mrs. Lida Stumpenhorst Downing, is the only one living today (1937), but descendants through the generations to that of great-great-grandchildren
are living in the town and near vicinity.
Mrs. Dora Hamilton Peterkin, a granddaughter and her two
children live on a portion of the original Alexander Hamilton
property, and a great-grandson, Dr. Robert Hamilton, uses a
brick from the old house as a paper weight on his office desk.
243ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
[15]
THE VILLAGE POSTMASTERS
A POST OFFICE was first established in the village May 20o, 1840,
A under the name of Wilkinsburgh.
On June 26, 1893, the final "h" was dropped and the name of
the office was changed to Wilkinsburg.
The dates of induction into office of the ten village postmasters
and of the first postmaster appointed under the incorporated
borough follow:
1st Abraham Stoner        May 20, 1840
2nd Abram Horback, Jr.    Feb. 18, 1845
3rd Edward Thompson      Dec. 15, 1845
4th Henry Z. Mitchell    April 27, 1849
5th Edward Thompson       March 12, 1857
6th Luke B. Davison       March 28, 1861
7th James H. McKelvy     June 9, 1862
8th Abraham Stoner       April i i, 1864
gth John S. Stevenson    April 22, 1884
ioth David NMaxwell        Jan. 1l, 1886
1  James D. Carothers    Jan. 16, 1890
was the first postmaster appointed under the incorporated borough.
Before Wilkinsburg was so named by Dunning McNair in
deeds issued in 1812 letters to residents in the village were variously addressed to Bullock Pens, Nine Mile Run, McNair's near
Pittsburgh, or to the Township of which the village was at that
time a part.
POSTAL INFORMATION
Previous to 1845 the postage on letters was charged according to
the number of sheets and the distance the letter was carried, the
amount being collected on delivery. Postage rates were fixed by
act of Congress in 1792 and later modified in 1816 and at other
times. In 1843 for a distance of not more than 30 miles, the rate
244ABRAHAM STONER
for a single sheet was 6 cents; from 30-80 miles, io cents; 80-150
miles 21 /2 cents and so on according to distance, the highest rate
being 25 cents for over 400 miles. Two sheets of paper were
charged double these rates. These were inland charges and ocean
rates were proportionately higher.
In 1845 a new law was passed reducing the postage to 5 cents for
all distances under 300 miles and 1 o cents for greater distances, the
rate now being according to weight, a half-ounce being taken as
the unit.
In 1847 postage stamps of these denominations were issued and
the modern postal system fairly begun. In 1851 postage on letters
was again reduced, a uniform charge of 3 cents per 1/2 ounce or
fraction thereof being established regardless of distance, except
in cases of the extreme west and the Pacific Coast. The postage on
books, papers, and printed matter was also greatly reduced in
1851. In 1883 the letter rate was reduced to 2 cents and in 1885
the unit was made one ounce. Postal cards introduced by Austria
were first issued in the U. S. in 1873. In 1875 the International
Universal Postal Union, with headquarters at Berne, Switzerland,
began operations and as a result postal rates were made uniform
for nearly the entire world.
Apropos of postage being collected on delivery, the following
advertisement in the Pittsburgh Gazette of December 16, 18o8
is of interest:
"All in arrears for postage at this office are requested to settle
the same immediately, otherwise their respected balances will be
put in suit and no account be opened for them in future
JOHN JOHNSTON, P. M."
[16]
ABRAHAM STONER
A RAHAM STONER, the youngest son of Frederick and Barbara
ff Stoner, was born on his father's farm in Penn Township in
1811. He remained on the farm until 1839 when, furnished with
245ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
very things that impelled them to start anew-the love of freedom, the innate love for the ownership of land,-and we must not
forget the love of adventure that was inherent in our early ancestors-provided the impetus that drove them always on.
For the pioneers who advanced, first, through the eastern counties of Chester, Lancaster, Cumberland and Franklin and, later,
through Bedford County, to the counties west of the Allegheny
Mountains, the western country had a charm and a lure that was
irresistible. Thomas Hutchins, an engineer with Colonel Bouquet's expedition in 1763, said of the Western Country, "The
whole country abounds in Bears, Elks, Buffaloes, Deer, Turkeys,
etc., an unquestionable proof of the goodness of its soil."2 Quoting Gordan, an earlier explorer, Hutchins further wrote, "This
country may, from a proper knowledge, be affirmed to be the
most healthy, the most pleasant, the most commodious and the
most fertile spot of earth, known to European people."3 A few
adventurers came early into the western country to avail themselves of its gifts, and when with the removal of various obstacles,
the main horde came, the land was seized and taken up with an
avidity that has always been characteristic of such movements.
However, it is not to be supposed that the pioneers came to
the Western Country in great numbers at first. Indeed, it is said
that as late as 1757, there were no permanent homes west of the
mountains, though here and there were to be found adventurers,
traders and trappers, and doubtless some of these had blazed out
tracts of land which they hoped to hold as their own, when protective titles could be obtained.4 In this period appear a number
of well known figures: Christopher Gist, an Indian scout and
agent for the Ohio Company in treating with the Indians; Frederick Christian Post, a Moravian missionary; George Croghan
who had a trading house at mouth of Pine Creek on Allegheny
River; and John Frazer a trader from Venango, who after being
forced to flee by the French and Indians, came in 1753 to Turtle
2. Topographical Description of Va., Penna. and Md. London 1778. (Quoted by
Boyd Crumrine, Esq., in The Boundary Controversy between Penna. and Virginia
1748-1785).
3. Ibid.       4. The Old Virginia Court House at Augusta Town-1771-72.
2ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
his inheritance of $6oo, he came to Wilkinsburg and opened a
store.
In 1840 a Postoffice was established in Wilkinsburg and Mr.
Stoner was commissioned Postmaster by President Martin Van
Buren. This office he held for five years and after a short period
in Pittsburgh he went to Jacksonville, Westmoreland County,
Pennsylvania, where he served as Postmaster four years.
In 1853 he returned to Wilkinsburg and opened a general store
in the storeroom built by him in 1843. In 1846 Mr. Stoner added
to the storeroom the substantial brick house standing at 732 Penn
Avenue.
In 1864 Abraham Stoner was again appointed Postmaster, this
time by Abraham Lincoln. He held the office twenty years and
was also Treasurer of Sterrett Township. In both offices he had
the unbounded confidence of the people for in every transaction
this Abram fairly earned that familiar soubriquet of "Honest
Abe". The postoffice department was in the western corner of the
store. A crowd usually assembled at mail time. Only one thing
seemed able to disturb the even tenor of Abram Stoner's way and
that was to tap on the glass of the slowly filling boxes before the
little window for distribution was opened. Many times careless
ones were called back to the store and reminded to add the County to the address. "Remember now, remember this time you must
add the County to the address."
Abram Stoner married Rebecca Little, a daughter of David
and Christiana Little, who had come from the east in 1807 "when
the whole district was woodland".
The following six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stoner:
Eulalia Anna, (deceased) James Whitlow (deceased) Alvin Frederick, Lillian Margaret, (deceased). Two children died in early
childhood.
Today (1939) there are but five descendants living: a son, Alvin
Frederick, living in the old home on Penn Avenue; two grandsons, Reed and Frederick Johnston, sons of Mrs. Eulalia Stoner
and James McC. Johnston; and two great-grandchildren, a son
and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick E. Johnston.
246Commission for the First Post OfficeAbram Stoner store and house, 732 Penn Avenue. Storerootn built 1843, house added 1846EDWARD THOMPSON-MOORE THOMPSON
James McClintock Johnston was a grandson of General John
Johnston.
[17]
EDWARD THOMPSON
MOORE THOMPSON
U  TP TO about 1815 the majority of the settlers in the village
came from the Eastern Counties of the State, Cumberland
and Lancaster counties furnishing the largest quota.
After that time settlers came more frequently directly from the
Old World, mostly from the "Ould Sod". Among the early ones
of this class were Edward Thompson in 1818, and Thomas Davison in 1819.
Edward Thompson was born in Knocknarry, Tyrone Co., Ireland in 1804. His parents had six children-five sons and one
daughter, Mary Moore. The mother, Mary Duff Thompson, died
three weeks before the family emigrated to America. One son,
James, married and remained in Ireland; one son, Thomas, was
accidentally shot two weeks before his mother's death; another
had preceded the family emigration and settled in Philadelphia.
No trace of him was ever found by the other members of the
family. The other two sons, Edward and Moore, ultimately established themselves in Wilkinsburg.
When Edward first came to the very small village he lived in
a log cabin in Crab Hollow on what was later the Dickey farm.
To this cabin he brought his bride, Lydia Moore, and here were
born their three daughters, Nancy, Lydia, and Mary Margaret,
who figured prominently in their mature lives in social and
church activities. Here also, soon after the birth of Mary Mar..
garet, Lydia Moore Thompson died. The little babe was taken
care of by her maternal grandmother, Mrs. Lydia Findley Moore,
and the log cabin household was capably managed by Nancy
Stager, a dour creature who always wore a large black sunbonnet
and smoked a clay pipe.
247ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
The three daughters were among the many who donned their
shoes and stockings on Sundays when they came in the near neighborhood of Beulah Church, having walked the distance in bare
feet.
Edward Thompson prospered in his business. In 1839 he
bought a stretch of ground 240 or 300 feet on "the Pike" and in
1840 built a large center hall brick house for residence and business purposes; part of this house is still standing as the back of
769 and 771 Penn Avenue.
A log house built on this property in 1823 was removed at the
time of Mr. Thompson's purchase in 1839. The cabin was taken
to East Liberty and placed on Penn Avenue, near the present St.
Clair Street. It was occupied by Hugh Forsythe and his wife Mary
Perchment Forsythe. A sketch of this log house published in The
Craftsman, February 1913, says that Mrs. Forsythe was tired of the
monotony of life in Wilkinsburg, but that she was very much
attached to her home, hence the removal. Mary Perchment Forsythe was a daughter of Peter Perchment.
In 1917 the cabin was bought and again removed to the corner of
Penn and Negley Avenues where it now stands "as a memorial
to a pioneer settler and Revolutionary soldier, Captain Peter
Perchment", whose farm was on the Frankstown Road not far
east from where Wood Street, Wilkinsburg, ends in Frankstown
Avenue.
Mr. Thompson's brick house was a cheery one, with four large
rooms and storeroom on the first floor and six bedrooms on the
second, and having a side porch, on which back hall, dining room,
kitchen, and back storeroom doors opened. On the porch stood
also well and cistern pumps and cellar doors opened. This was
the dining room and sitting room; here the ironing boards were
placed in the days when stiffly starched shirts, dresses, skirts,'nities" and so forth; sheets, pillow slips, table cloths and napkins
were "de rigueur"; when even her stockings were starched, one
facetious woman says, and a man, finicky in cleanliness, said he
hated a clean bed as he couldn't stay put in it on account of the
sliding sheets. This porch had an outlook on heavily laden apple,
248EDWARD THOMPSON-MOORE THOMPSON
pear, and peach trees that helped to make the old mansion a heartsome place.
In 1835 Edward Thompson was naturalized, so that he was
eligible to succeed Abram Harbaugh as third postmaster of Wilkinsburg in 1845. In 1857 he again served as postmaster, being
fifth in line.
In the dwelling house especial interest was attached to the room
on the western side of the hall. It had a door opening into the
storeroom. When the stagecoaches rolled up with a great clatter
before the store door, the mail sacks were carried into this room
and emptied on the floor. The postmaster and his daughters
would hunt out the mail for Wilkinsburgh and the balance was
tumbled back in the bag for East Liberty i.e. Wilkins P.O. to cull
out its share.
Mr. Thompson was an elder in Beulah Church, and one of the
organizers and charter members, as were also his three daughters,
of the First Presbyterian Church, Wilkinsburg. He was a member
of the first board of trustees and the first treasurer of the church.
He was also a trustee of the Academy building, his name appearing on the deed conveyed by Thomas Mellon and his wife to this
body.
Edward Thompson died Nov. 2, 1870. When Homewood
Cemetery was opened, a large plot of ground was bought by his
heirs, and his mortal remains transferred there from Allegheny
Cemetery.
This sketch of Edward Thompson cannot close without mention of his wife's parents, William Moore and his wife Lydia
Findley Moore. Mr. Moore was born in Omi, County Tyrone,
Ireland. He became a foreman in a Bleach Green, and often accompanied the proprietor to Belfast to buy linen at the great
linen markets there. His wife, Lydia Findley, was born near
Cookstown, Ireland. In 1797 this couple with an infant daughter,
Lydia, emigrated to America; they were accompanied by a
brother (James) of Wm. Moore, and a brother (James), and two
sisters of Mrs. Moore, Nancy and Isabella Findley. The family
group settled in Lancaster, Pa., and here two daughters, Elizabeth
249ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
and Jane Moore, were born. In 18o i or 1802 Wm. Moore removed
to Pittsburgh, where two more daughters and two sons were born.
William Moore bought farm land adjoining the Murdoch farm
on Squirrel Hill and extending nearly to what is now the Schenley
Park entrance where Forbes Street makes its sharp curve.
Mr. Moore's death preceded his wife's by many years, but the
very capable widow lived on in the farm house and managed the
estate until her last daughter was married. Then being advanced
in years she gave up the home so dear to her and went down into
East Liberty to bless by her presence the home of her widowed
daughter, Mrs. Nancy Wills.
Like many of her race, Lydia Findley Moore was well informed
in the use of various herbs and gathered them in season, dried and
kept them for future use and emergencies. She had many calls for
help as it was a common saying among neighbors when sick and in
need of some cure: "go to Mrs. Moore-she will have and give
you all that is needed". She had excellent judgment in sickness
and was always willing to give a helping hand to anyone in need.
As has been said, her eldest daughter, Lydia Thompson, died
soon after the birth of her third child. Little Mary Margaret was
taken into her grandmother's home and most tenderly cared for.
There was always the closest tie between "Mary Margot" (Mrs.
S. H. Jackson) and her grandmother. "She was such a loving
grandmother; it was her custom in the latter years of her life to sit
on a low chair by a front window, her large Bible usually on her
knees; her great delight was in poring over its pages, and as she
sat there she would be the first one to see us and would reach
the door with the warm welcome,'God bless the children.' No
child ever came without a little gift for her and how pleased she
always was with it".
She and her daughters would have been charter members of
the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, organized September 28,
1828, but they yielded to the desire of Mr. James Graham, the
pastor of Beulah, not to leave the Mother Church. But they were
at the first communion celebrated in the new church and later
joined its membership.
250EDWARD THOMPSON-MOORE THOMPSON
The first pastor of this church was the Rev. John Joyce. In 1829
the Rev. William B. McIlvaine, just from Princeton Theological
Seminary, rode horseback from Lancaster, Pa., "carrying his wardrobe and library in his saddle bags on his journey to the East
Liberty Valley Presbyterian Church, where his ministry lasted
forty years".
Lydia Findley Moore died in 1851, aged 88 years. Dr.
McIlvaine, her pastor for twenty-one years, closes his eulogy over
her in these words: "She has entered into her rest; her days of
prayer have been exchanged for an eternity of praise... let us
imitate her virtues, follow in her footsteps so that we may hope to
see her again, clothed in white before the throne."
Edward Thompson's second daughter, Lydia, did not marry.
After her father's death she made her home with her sister, Mrs.
Jackson. "Miss Lyddy", as she was known to the community,
found her life's interests in her nephews, the Jackson boys, and
her nieces, Mary and Maggie Semple.
She was a worthy successor to her grandmother, Lydia Findley
Moore, for whom she was named. To her, also, the Bible was the
Sacred book, every "jot and tittle" of it. Learning long sections
of it by heart was required of her Sunday School pupils. The
writer of this article has several gift books-"rewards of merit"inscribed in her beautiful, delicate handwriting that bring back
memories, if not always of "lavender and old lace", of a subtle
something of Sunday quiet and behavior, different from the
otherness of week days.
Never did "Miss Lyddy" miss Sunday School, prayer meeting,
morning and evening service, or the Missionary Societies if she
were at all able to attend. These and her home duties filled her
life, which was placed in its proper environment.
MOORE THOMPSON FAMILY
Moore Thompson, the younger brother of Edward Thompson,
lived in Philadelphia until he was about 18 years old. When he
first came to Wilkinsburg he was employed on the McCrea farm,
"Dundee". He became a "freighter" and with his great draught
251ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
horses and Conestoga wagons, of which he had a number, carried
goods back and forth from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.
He had learned the trade of cabinet maker in Philadelphia and
pieces of his handiwork are in possession of his family and relatives. S. H. Jackson says of the articles "We have some mahogany
furniture that he made, but the pieces must have been made in
Pittsburgh for, estimating them by weight and size, it would have
cost a fortune to get them over the mountains".
Moore Thompson married Mary Sabrina Beeler, born June
17, 1826, daughter of Margaret Hoffer and David Beeler of
Squirrel Hill. Beeler Street, running from Forbes to Wilkins
Avenue, is named for this family. Mary Beeler was a member of
the Dutch Reformed Church in Pittsburgh in her girlhood, but
after her marriage became a member of the East Liberty Presbyterian Church and was an earnest worker in church and Sunday
School activities.
Mr. and Mrs. Moore Thompson had three children; a son
"Harry" (Henry Beeler, deceased); a daughter, Mary Moore,
(Mrs. Mary M. Rose) now living in Providence, R. I.; and Helen
McCrea, who died at the age of three in 1867.
While in Wilkinsburg the Moore Thompson family lived for
sometime in the brick house on the southeast corner of Penn
Avenue at Center Street. This house was afterwards known for
many years as the J. B. Huff house.
[18]
ANCESTORS OF
THE REV. JOSEPH HUNTER AND
HIS WIFE MARY ANNE DENISTON
HE Rev. Joseph Hunter, the first pastor of the Covenanter
Church of Wilkinsburg, married in the first year of his
pastorate, Mary Anne Deniston, widow of Hugh Boyd, and
daughter of Samuel Deniston and Letitia Sturgeon Deniston.
252ANCESTORS OF REV. JOSEPH HUNTER and MARY ANNE DENISTON
Woven into their history are the histories of the Andersons (whose
family history is being written by Mrs. Montgomery), the Hunters, the Denistons, and the Sturgeons.
Joseph Hunter's father, Alexander Hunter, came from Ireland
in 1798. He married Elizabeth Anderson, daughter of John Anderson and Elizabeth Caldwell Anderson. They first lived in
Westmoreland County, and later in Freeport, Pa. About 1 818 the
Hunters moved back to Westmoreland County, where they spent
the rest of their lives on the Hunter farm, part of the original
five hundred acres granted to his father-in-law John Anderson by
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Alexander and Elizabeth
Anderson Hunter had a large family of children. Their son
Joseph Hunter was born in Freeport, Pa. in 1816, and died in
Wilkinsburg January 6, 1884.
The mother of Mary Anne Deniston, wife of Joseph Hunter,
was Letitia Sturgeon, daughter of Jeremiah Sturgeon and Mary
Kuhn Sturgeon. The tradition in the Sturgeon family is that
they were French Huguenots, who after leaving France, settled
first in Holland and later, about 1700, came to Ireland. They were
among those who first brought the linen trade to Ireland. In 1720
Jeremiah Sturgeon I and his wife Ellen Douglas came to this
country and settled near Harrisburg. Their son Henry married
Letitia (or Lettice) Rice, and settled in York County. He was a
Revolutionary soldier. His son Jeremiah came to Pittsburgh in
178o, and married Mary Kuhn in 1782. He owned and lived on
two lots on the southwest corner of Wood Street and Fifth Avenue, a part of which property is still in the possession of his descendants. He was an elder in the First Presbyterian church, and
was proprietor of an inn, "The Sign of the Crossed Keys" on
Market Street. In the inn he conducted a classical school. Jeremiah
Sturgeon was buried in the old graveyard on Sixth Avenue. When
the present church was built his remains were raised, and later
re-interred under the altar of the First Presbyterian Church,
where they now rest. His daughter Letitia married Samuel Deniston. They had eleven children-Jeremiah, Mary Anne, Agnes,
Susan, Robert, Elizabeth, James Ross, Amanda, Ellen, Henry and
253SETTLEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PRIOR TO 1788
Creek on the Monongahela.5 But as early as 1745, the Eckerlin
brothers, Gabriel, Samuel and Israel, had come to the western
wilderness from the Ephrata Community and built cabins near
the mouth of Dunkard Creek in Greene County. These pious
Germans were probably the earliest immigrants who came with
the intention of making permanent settlements, but even they
remained but a few years, for in 1757, after moving to the Cheat
River, two of them were captured by the Indians and taken to
Montreal and thence to Europe, while the third returned to a
German settlement upon the Shenandoah.6 There were, however,
a number of established Indian settlements: Shannopintown at
present 31st Street, Pittsburgh; Logstown at Sewickley, Headquarters of Shingiss, Chief of the Delawares, at McKees Rocks;
and Kittanning on the site of the town of the same name in Armstrong County.
For an explanation of the delayed permanent settlement, and
the rapid settlement after 1769 the conditions prevailing in the
Western Country in the middle of the 18th Century must be
examined. There is no doubt the permanent settlement was
delayed by an unrest that existed on the frontier, caused by Indian disturbances, the French and English War and the boundary
dispute betwen Pennsylvania and Virginia. These factors added
greatly to the difficulties and dangers of frontier life and made
the immediate continuation of life decidedly uncertain. So important a role did the territory about the fork of the Ohio play in
world events,7 at that time, that consideration of these circumstances and conditions is justified. The Indian problem and the
French and English War in Pennsylvania are so closely related in
their effect upon the settlement of WVestern Pennsylvania that
they are considered together in this chapter.
It is a matter of elementary knowledge that the founder of
Pennsylvania and his proprietary and colonial successors sought
5. George Washington's Journal  Report to Gov. Dinwiddie, Nov. 22, 1753.
6. The Old Va. Ct. House at Augusta Town-1771-72.
7. A History of Pa.-Dunaway-"The French and Indian War, growing out of the
rivalry of the French and English for the possession of the Ohio Valley, originated
in Pennsylvania."
3ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Letitia. Most of them figured in the life of Swissvale, Wilkinsburg and vicinity. Several lived until recent years in the old Deniston homestead in Swissvale, overlooking the Monongahela river.
Mary Anne and her sister Agnes attended the Edgeworth Seminary for young ladies in what was then called "Sewickley Bottom". They travelled back and forth from Swissvale to Sewickley
by boat. The seminary building is still standing, though remodelled. It is used as a residence by the Quay family.
The children of the Rev. Joseph Hunter and his wife Mary
Anne Deniston Hunter were Elizabeth and Laetitia (Mrs. A. S.
Hunter).
[19]
JOHN AND SUSAN RICE
HE Annals of Old Wilkinsburg would not be complete without the names of John and Susan Rice, a quaint elderly
couple who lived in a white cottage with a sunken garden, on the
southwest corner of Penn and Center Avenues. Nothing has been
learned of their antecedents, but their friendly cooperation in
all the daily activities of the little village are well known.
The side porch of their white cottage was decorated with potted
plants, which formed a screen when the owners sat there on summer days and watched the world go by. There they received many
callers, for they had many friends.
Mrs. Rice was an immaculate housekeeper, and her old fashioned kitchen with its rag carpets was a delight in my childhood days.
No sweet pickles ever tasted as good as those which came out of
the stone crock on the bench in the corner, and surely there were
never such cats as the two which dreamed comfortably before the
stove on a cold winter day.
Mr. and Mrs. Rice had slightly different church affiliations: he
being a faithful adherent of the United Presbyterian Church, and
she being just as faithful an adherent of the Covenanter Church.
Their only child, a son, William outlived them for several years.
254THE UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH
Wilkinsburg, the village, remembers Mr. and Mrs. Rice as
kindly, old-fashioned, honest, dependable and neighborly; a type
rarely found in these later modern days.
[20]
THE UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH
T IHOUGH it is one of the oldest congregations in Wilkinsburg,
there seems to be no existing record of the earliest history of
the United Brethren Church. Services were held in the school
house as early as 1844, and desire created for a church building
through the efforts of the Rev. J. S. Holmes.
A church building was erected on Ross Street. Mrs. Daniel
Double, now (1895) living on South Avenue, laid the cornerstone.
For some cause the congregation dwindled and the house of
worship was neglected for a considerable time. After the Civil
War it was rededicated and Divine services were held in it until
1892, when the present building on the corner of Coal Street and
South Avenue was dedicated.
During the period from 1850 to 1938 the church has had seventeen pastors, the Rev. Jonathan Holmes being the first and the
Rev. J. I. L. Risler the present pastor.
[21]
JAMES MASON FAMILY
OF MAPLE VALLEY, PENN TOWNSHIP
Y GRANDFATHER, James Mason, was born in Heywood,
Lancastershire, England, October 7, 1824. He emigrated
to the United States, leaving Liverpool May 26, 1842, and landed
in New York City June 30, 1842, a voyage of thirty-five days. He
255ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
avoided the usual wearisome method of travel to reach the West
by taking passage up the Hudson river to Albany, then crossed
New York State on the Erie Canal to Lake Erie; went down the
Beaver and Lake Erie Canal to the town of Beaver, Pennsylvania,
and up the Ohio river to Pittsburgh; thus making the entire
voyage from England to Pittsburgh by water. My grandmother,
Mary Davies-Mason, came to Pittsburgh when two years old. Her
parents emigrated from Wales to Pittsburgh in 1829 and shortly
after their arrival purchased about eight acres of land somewhere
in the vicinity of the present Allegheny County Court House.
At that time the steep bluff back of the present Pennsylvania
Station evidently extended around what is now Fifth Avenue. I
have often heard grandmother say that in her girlhood days steps
were cut in the hillside to get down to the village of Pittsburgh.
Sometime before 1846 grandmother's people, the Davies family, sold their property on Court House Hill and moved out to
the country town of East Liberty. There grandfather, James
Mason, and grandmother, Mary Davies, were married June 27,
1846 and went to housekeeping in what is now the sixty-two hundred block of East Liberty.
In the spring of 1849 grandfather Mason purchased some
ground in Maple Valley, now wrongly called Mormon Valley,
Penn Township, from John B. Ross, which was part of the estate
of the late Barney Kane. This property was planted mostly in
fruit trees. It was also underlaid with coal. I have often heard my
father say that when he was a boy his father, James Mason, was
in the coal business.
After sixty-one years of married life, Grandmother Mary
Davies-Mason, born in Wales February 22, 1827, died February 2,
1907, lacking just twenty days of being eighty years of age. Her
husband, James Mason, survived her ten years; his death occurred
May 16, 1917 in his ninety-third year.
On his wife's death, Thomas Mason, a son of James Mason and
also a widower, came home to live with his father. A few years
later, Thomas' daughter, Alice, came to the homestead to keep
house for her grandfather and father. Sometime during this
256JAMES MASON FAMILY
period Alice's daughter came home for the birth of her oldest son,
Joseph Albert. Thus an unusual situation existed here-that of
five generations dwelling under the same roof.
There were active days on the Mason farm for the children of
this hale couple of English and Welsh birth. Another son,
William, father of the writer of this sketch, said that one of his
pleasantest chores when a boy was walking the long distance
from home to Wilkinsburg for the mail. William Mason, born in
1854, married Minnie Taylor in 1878. The ceremony was performed by the Reverend David Barclay, for many years the pastor
of the Hebron United Presbyterian Church.
In the United Presbyterian church paper there often appeared
stories of simple home life written by Mrs. Minnie Taylor Mason,
under the pen name of Mrs. Caleb Larrabee, who jotted down
ideas at her little desk in the kitchen whenever she had a spare
moment or two while preparing the meals for her large family.
One daughter served as a missionary in Egypt for a number of
years until her marriage and removal to England. Very soon thereafter the elder daughter, Dora, a very successful kindergarten
teacher, volunteered her services to the United Presbyterian
Church in Egypt, and has served there in Alexandria and Assiut
since 1918. The only surviving son, J. Duff Mason, lives in Regent
Square.
257I850
[ia]
JOHN SCOTT LACOCK
RADITION says that the beginning of our village was a
blacksmith shop. That may be true as the most profitable
occupations in pioneer days were blacksmithing, saddlery, and tavern keeping. Furthermore, tradition locates this
shop on the corner of the Great Road and Alliquippa's trail-today Penn and Swissvale Avenues. This also may be true as this
trail was the most direct path from river to river.
Traditional tales often glow in a luring light that authentic
ones do not possess. But, although the following account of John
Scott Lacock, one of the early blacksmiths of the village, is a true
one, it is one of interest and his "smithy" had a unique place in
village life.
John Scott, an orphan boy of Westmoreland County, was adopted by a family named Lacock, and thereafter was known as John
S. Lacock. He learned blacksmithing and came to Wilkinsburg
about 1840. He was, probably, married when he came here, for
his wife was from Somerset County, and in those days of slow and
difficult travelling young men did not go far-a-field in search of a
helpmeet.
A helpmeet, truly, was Mrs. Lacock, for in her domain she was
as capable and as well worthy of mention as her husband.
They were the parents of fifteen children, one of whom died in
258JOHN SCOTT LACOCK
childhood, while fourteen, eight daughters and six sons, grew to
womanhood and manhood in their parents' home. The house was
a brick building, back of the smithy, which stood for some years
after the shop had been torn down. The lot of ground, number
39, Kelly plan of lots, was 66 feet from the southeast corner of
Penn Avenue and Hay Street and extended 264 feet through to
Ross Street. On July 1i, 1853, Mr. Lacock bought this ground from
James Kelly for $300.00.
Back of the house was a long vegetable and flower garden which,
like the house, was always in perfect order. No weed marred its
perfection, just as no spot ever darkened the cleanliness of the
kitchen floor, "white as a bone". This floor was always spoken of
as clean enough to "eat off". Yet, with this cleanliness to be preserved and the large family to be fed, the capable mother was
ready by two o'clock in the afternoon to sit with hands folded
over the stiffly starched and exquisitely ironed ample white apron
and sprigged calico dress to receive whoever might "drop in", or
perhaps, she herself "dropped in" to discuss neighborhood events.
A little at the outside of the gate that opened into the house
yard was a town pump, that was a rallying place for the children
of the neighborhood. The small girls of the surrounding houses,
when they gathered about the pump, used to say, "I dass you to
say the Lacock girls as they come, Mary, Anna, Sarah, Curly,
Kennetta, Harriet, Gertrude, Emma". A howl of derision greeted
any hesitation in the "as they come"; the names must spin off
with the tempo and rhythm of
Maynogusto on the Kenn'beck
Nuampshire Kunkord on the Mer'mack.
These eight daughters married, and kept their houses in as perfect order and cleanliness as the model established by their
mother.
i. Mary married L. P. Wagner, one of the very early employes
in the Westinghouse Patent Department.
2. Anna    "    George Morford.
259ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
3. Sarah    "    Andrew Conn.
4. Caroline "    Alexander C. Lohr, a prominent contractor
of Wilkinsburg.
5. Kennetta"    Joseph M. McEnulty.
6. Harriet  "    William H. Kiser, for 17 years tax collector
of Wilkinsburg.
7. Gertrude "    Andrew Wyse, the first tailor in Wilkinsburg.
8. Emma   "    Coulter Bracken.
The six sons came in the following order: Thomas, William,
Lebbeus, George, James, Edward.
Thomas was the only one of importance to the young life about
the pump, and this was not on account of any virtue of his own
but because of his very pretty and energetic wife. For, during the
months of July and August, every other Saturday evening Mrs.
Tom Lacock opened her "front Room" as an icecream parlor. Icecream in those days was not looked upon with favor by anxious
mothers. Ice was not a necessity then as now, and frozen stuff was
regarded as just a "little dangerous." Two little girl pals became
very docile and obedient to their parents as the Saturday night
drew near, and when it arrived, each girl with five pennies held
tightly in clenched fist walked, with an important air, across the
street and asked for a ten cent saucer with two spoons, this being
reckoned a better bargain than two five cent saucers with two
spoons.
But the smith and the smithy!
The latter did not stand "under the spreading chestnut tree"it was on line with the street. But the smith might have been the
original of Longfellow's lines:
"Toiling, rejoicing, sorrowing
Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begun
Each evening sees its close.
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night's repose."
260MR. JOHN V. KENNEDY
As he worked over the hooves of horses, the air was vocal with
imprecations and invocations which had become just a habit. The
smith was a handsome man and a kindly hearted one. The small
boys pestered him with requests to go into the shop to exercise
on anvil and bellows to develop muscles like his.
One day a little girl, when her pal had the "quincy", having
gone to the pump for water and seeing the smith alone, took
courage to slip into the shop and ask the tall, strong smith to let
her make a "spark". With tremendous efforts on the bellows a
faint glow at last appeared and, with heart bursting with pride,
she went out into the light of common day.
Gone are the indulgent father and loving mother; gone are the
big brother, the little sister, and the ever loyal childhood friend.
Gone the tall smith with the glowing black eyes, and as a gray
haired woman, only actor left in these events of long ago, sits alone
before the deadening coals in the grate, there comes sometimes,
through the silence and the sadness, a picture of the smithy and
again is heard the kindly voice of the smith: "There, sissie, that's
enough, it's been hard work, but you've made a little glow; run
home now to your mammy".
John Scott Lacock died when he was seventy years old.-"His
was the nobility of labor, his was the long pedigree of toil."
[ib]
MR. JOHN V. KENNEDY
M /rR. JOHN V. KENNEDY was born at Nineveh, Indiana County,
Penna. in 183o. His father, Hugh Kennedy, of ScotchIrish extraction, came from the north of Ireland in 1826; his
mother, Mary Balph, was born in England. She died when John
was ten days old; then a friendly United Presbyterian neighbor
261ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
kept John until he was six years old, when his father sent him to
the farm of a bachelor uncle. When 17 years old, he came to Pittsburgh to attend school where he met Andrew Carnegie, who was
a messenger boy. They became friends, and later joined the corps
of engineers who were building the Pennsylvania Railroad from
Pittsburgh to Altoona.
In his diary, Mr. Kennedy has written: "In the early spring of
1848 the engineer corps was selected and prepared for duty; the
line of survey for the P.R.R. was commenced and revised, for, before this time, some of the line had been gone over in various
places where a too heavy grade, or a too expensive excavation was
suspected; however, some grading was done at different points,
presumably to hold the charter. The corps was ordered to Saltsburg, situated west of Blairsville on the Pennsylvania Canal. Axes,
masonry, chains, transits, tape lines and other paraphernalia were
transported to the camp. The chains were stretched along the
banks of Black Lick Creek, where brush and laurel were so thick
that it could not be passed through until the sturdy and able axe
men cleared the way, to find, when the head of the stream was
reached, the impracticability of the route. The next survey was
made up the Conemaugh River, and the third survey was made
on the present main line. On March 7, 1 8 o50, this writer made, and
put in the side hill, the first grade stake just west of the station
called Ben Venue (near Shadyside) at which point work of grading was commenced, and continued through the historic fields
of Braddock on to Altoona."
At this time Mr. Kennedy lived at the "Seven Mile House" in
Wilkinsburg where he married Priscilla Allshouse, daughter of
Col. Joseph Allshouse, the proprietor. Three months after their
marriage in 1850, they went in a Conestoga wagon to Gallitzin at
the top of the Allegheny mountains by way of the portage road
and the old canal. Gallitzin was a vast wilderness, where the
P.R.R. Company erected small frame shanties for the engineer
corps and their families. The bears and wild animals, which
prowled around these shanties in search of food, kept the women
indoors most of the day.
262John V. Kennedy
First Railroad Station (P.R.R.), Wilkinsburg-burned down 1873ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
from the first to deal amicably8 and fairly with the Indian tribes
and to purchase the lands before actual settlements were established. That this policy was not correctly interpreted or carried
out by the inhabitants of the colony should not detract from the
esteem and fairness of the founder. It was the consistent colonial
policy to purchase all Indian Titles within the borders of the
province, but the realization of this policy required a period of
one hundred and ten years.9 In 1728, James Logan, proprietary
secretary, told some Indian chiefs who complained of unauthorized settlements on unpurchased lands, "William Penn had made
it a rule never to suffer lands to be settled by his people till they
were purchased of the Indians; and that his commissers had followed the same rule."'1
During the period of one hundred and ten years, beginning in
1682, there were numerous treaties, deeds, quit-claims and releases, by which the Indians surrendered their titles and claims
to the Penns and their successors. For reasons which are not
material to this discussion, there was considerable ambiguity and
uncertainty in their terms. This of course gave rise to reasonable
doubt as to the location of the boundaries and furnished a colorable excuse to the unscrupulous who did not hesitate to violate the
spirit of the treaties. It is sufficient for the purpose here to say that
there was such indefiniteness in the preliminary negotiations and
in the terms of the instruments themselves, that there were fair
arguments on both sides, but in many instances the plain terms
were violated by overzealous or dishonest settlers, all of which
was productive of friction between the settlers and the Indians.
The latter made constant remonstrances against the settlements
8. It is difficult to reconcile this policy with the proclamation made by John Penn
in July 1764 in which he offered bounties for Indians killed or captured:-for every
male over lo years captured,$15o.oo, scalped and killed $134.00; for every female and
every male under lo years, captured $130.00, scalped and killed $50.00. Ft. Pitt was
a starting point for scalping parties and a rendezvous of adventurous scouts. Allegheny County's Hundred Years.
9. Last purchase was made in 1792 for lands in the Erie Triangle. All Indian titles
in the state were thus extinguished, but on March 16, 1796, the state gave to Cornplanter and other Seneca chiefs a tract of 660 acres on the Allegheny River above
Warren. The title to the tract is still held by the heirs of these chiefs.
lo. Quoted in note in 2 Smith's (Pa.) Laws at P. 105.
4John M. Davison
John S. Lacock blacksmith shop, 66 feet east of Penn Avenue and Hay StreetMR. JOHN V. KENNEDY
The excavating for the tunnel through the Allegheny Mountains was begun simultaneously at the east and west ends, and
when daylight was first seen through the tunnel, it gave great joy
to the men who had labored so long and hard with the great
undertaking. The work had been accomplished on a Saturday,
and the next day Mr. Kennedy, and his wife, started out to investigate the work. With tallow candles and matches in hand, they
entered the tunnel and in many places they had to crawl on their
hands and knees, but at last they reached the other end which
was distant three quarters of a mile. Thus, Mrs. Priscilla Kennedy
becomes historic as the first woman who passed through the
Gallitzin Tunnel.
From Gallitzin the grading and surveying of the main line was
continued to Altoona and beyond eastward.
"The survey along the Pack Saddle was one to be remembered,"
continues Mr. Kennedy's diary. "Footholds along that high steep
hillside were at a premium. The transit and level men would have
to be assisted to stand at their instruments while getting their
sights from pole to pole. Gliding along in a modern Pullman car
today is quite a contrast to the work and trouble encountered on
that rough and rugged slope."
Later Mr. Kennedy became a conductor traveling over the
same road that he had helped to survey, and had the pleasure of
taking out the first local train from Pittsburgh to Brinton.
Mr. Kennedy was not a politician and so was surprised when a
committee of citizens called on him and asked him to run in opposition to Wm. Boyd as Democratic nominee for the office of Burgess in the newly incorporated Borough. The Republican nominee was the Rev. Charles Smith, D.D.
About this time a young grandson was born in the Kennedy
family and "Grandpa" was asked to name the child. Mr. Kennedy
said "the child shall be christened the name of the successful candidate in the oncoming election." Dr. Smith was the winner and
in this way the name Charles was introduced into the Kennedy
family.
263ANNALS OF -OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
[2]
OVERLAND
PACK-HORSES AND INDIAN TRAILS
POST ROUTES
THE CONESTOGA WAGON AND PENNSYLVANIA CANAL
STATE RAIL ROADS OF EARLY TIMES
T ESS than a century before the shrill whistle of the locomotive
1startled the sleeping echoes of the Alleghenies all the commerce of the vast West with the Atlantic Seaboard passed over two
foot paths. One, the Kittanning Trail, was the mute prophecy of
the Pennsylvania Railroad; the other, that marked out by the
Delaware Chief, Nemacolin, was the shadowy forecast of the
Baltimore and Ohio. Leaving the old Indian village of Kittanning
on the Allegheny River, the Kittanning trail crossed the mountains in a southeasterly direction, descending on the Eastern
slope through the gorge known as Kittanning Point, a few miles
west of Hollidaysburg, thence continuing eastward to the Susquehanna. The other wilderness highway pursued almost the
route of the Cumberland National Pike of today.
In 1760 Carlisle was the most advanced post of the state. Loading their pack horses with whiskey, blankets and powder the
Indian traders climbed the gloomy Alleghenies to the little
known region beyond. It was no easy thing to make progress along
the narrow trails, newly fallen trees continually blocked the way
and the boughs of the overshadowing forest eternally switched the
traveller in the face. By 1770 the post path had become broader,
smoother and harder. The click of the ironshod pack horse had
grown familiar to the wilderness. The forest in places had shrunk
back from the bridle path, and a cabin nestled in an occasional
clearing.
OTHER PATHS WERE CUT OUT
The tide of Western Immigration set in. Long trains of packhorses loaded with stores and agricultural implements, with fur264OVERLAND
niture and cooking utensils moved towards the setting sun. The
chatter and laughter of white children were mingled with the
gruff voices of the pack traders. In the year 1 790 there were only
six freight wagons engaged in hauling goods to Pittsburgh from
over the mountains. Groceries, liquor, salt, iron and so forth all
entered town on the backs of horses. Eastern merchandise was
hauled by wagons as far west as Shippensburg or Chambersburg
in Pennsylvania, and as far as Winchester in Virginia, and from
there packed the remainder of the journey. On the return trip
from Pittsburgh the horses were loaded with furs, skins and ginseng. A pack train numbered between ten and twenty-five horses.
When two trains going opposite ways met in the narrow paths of
the mountains there was always trouble in passing and accidents
were frequent. Up to 1796 all the salt used in this region was packed across the mountains.
In 1758 General Forbes and his army of Indian fighters cut a
wagon road through the wilderness. Leaving Pittsburgh the route
went East 56 miles to Ligonier, then 105 miles to Bedford past a
few block houses and settlements, then l oo miles more to Carlisle.
From Carlisle to Harrisburg was but a short distance where the
road led directly into the settlements. This was a favorite route
of the great Conestoga wagons. The road was called a turnpike
but until about 1 8oo was hardly passable. Before the construction
of the canal the road was crowded with immigrants and long
trains of freight wagons. Six or eight horses drew each wagon. The
wheels were locked with a chain.
THERE WERE NO BRIDGES
The wagons scrambled down steep banks and forded most of
the streams. The journey from Philadelphia at first took from
twenty-five to forty days; later the wagons made the journey in
fifteen days.
It usually took two six horse teams the whole day to get a loaded
wagon up the Turtle Creek road, twelve miles from Pittsburgh.
The early price for freight between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia
was  12 cents a pound-later it was carried for 2 1/2 cents.
265ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Before the beginning of the nineteenth century there were no
stage lines. Travelling was done on horse-back and by private
vehicle. A journey between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia was the
event of a lifetime. The Conestoga wagoners and the pack traders
were roisterers of strictly democratic principles. They looked
upon the occasional travelling coach as the worthless luxury of
an effete and cast off monarchy. They frequently tore off a wheel
and dumped the coach into a gully to show their dislike of such
extravagance.
In 1786 a Mr. Brison came to Pittsburgh from New York and
established postal routes from this place to Philadelphia and into
Virginia. Up to this time the little mail of this community was
entrusted to travellers for safe delivery. For a number of years
after the post was established the mail handled was ridiculously
small. When the postman arrived here the whole town turned
out. The post bag usually contained a dozen letters and a few
newspapers. The Government did not carry papers in those days,
but the mail carrier took private contracts for them. Someone
usually read the newspapers aloud to the crowd. The post boy
was carried off and fed for his gossip, which was considerable, as
he frequently knew what was inside the letters as well as what the
papers contained.
STAGES OF YE OLDEN TIMES
In 1805 the first stage line between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia
was started. The coaches first used were far from luxurious affairs.
They were covered Jersey wagons with springs. The harness was
mostly of rope and the horses were lean and hungry looking. In
summer the passengers were choked with dust, in winter they
were frozen. Travellers walked up the steep hills and clung on for
dear life while the coach tried to beat the horses to the foot of the
hill. When the stage stuck in a rut, the passengers scrambled out
into the mud and helped pry it out. A fence rail was frequently
carried for such emergencies. As travel grew the stage lines increased their conveniences. The highways became a turnpike in
reality as well as in name. By 1820o passengers were hauled to
Philadelphia in fifty hours. The fare was $17.00.
266OVERLAND
The improved coaches carried nine passengers inside and a half
dozen outside. The Philadelphia route was through East Liberty,
Wilkinsburg, Murrysville, Greensburg and on to Philadelphia.
The line for Baltimore went through by way of Uniontown
and New Cumberland and made the distance in fifty-six hours.
The stage offices were on Wood Street. In 1837 over the Northern,
Greensburg and Somerset routes seven daily lines of stages were in
operation.
WAYSIDE INNS
This was the age of big roomy taverns with their crowds of
loungers about the front stoop and bustling landlords, roomy
fireplaces, swinging signs, and pretty waiting maids, daughters of
the tavern keeper, who never thought of being "tipped" and who
in the evening helped to entertain their traveller guests. One of
the best taverns on the road to Chambersburg was that of Colonel
Mendel at Ligonier, and Mrs. Stotler's was a good one; also at the
crossings of the Juniata; but the house noted for its table and its
refined attention to the guest was Reamer's at the foot of Sideling
Hill, the excellence of which made up for the long pull to reach
it. But the prosperity of the taverns was short-lived. The signs now
flap and creak in the wind, the loungers have almost disappeared,
and the empty halls seldom resound with the tread of the traveller
guest.
When New York state began the construction of the Erie Canal,
Pennsylvania became alarmed for its own commerce. It saw that
the days of the great caravans of the Conestoga freight wagons
over its turnpike were numbered. After much political agitation
the state authorized the construction of a canal to connect the
headwaters of the Susquehanna with those of the Ohio. On November io, 1829, the canal was finished, and in 1834 the Portage
Railroad over the mountains and the Columbia Railroad were
completed, making the best highway, by far, between the seaboard
and the great West. The State felt very proud of its work and well
it might, for even to this day no other state of the Union has
planned and completed such an extensive system of internal improvement. The canal route from Pittsburgh crossed the Alle267ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
gheny River at Tenth Street, followed the river on the North Side
to Freeport, thence to Blairsville, up the Conemaugh to Johnstown, then by Portage Road to Hollidaysburg, on east to the
Columbia Railroad eighty-two miles this side of Philadelphia.
DAYS OF THE CANAL
The Eastern Division of the Canal was long from Columbia to
Hollidaysburg. The Portage from Hollidaysburg to Johnstown
was six miles long. It consisted of ten inclines and eleven planes.
The Western Division from Johnstown to Pittsburgh was 104
miles, making a total of 394 miles.
This stupendous work cost the young state more than $14,ooo,ooo and later was transferred to the Pennsylvania Railway
Company for $9,ooo,ooo.
The commerce of the state was saved. One canal boat manned
by a man and a boy and drawn by one horse, it was found, could
carry as much freight as thirty Conestoga wagons, drawn by 1 20
horses and driven by 30 men. An impetus was given to the prosperity of the state that is felt to this day. In the score of years
following the completion of the canal it was the great highway
between the Atlantic Seaboard and the West. It was open to everybody who chose to pay the tolls of lockage. Each boat company
employed its own men and paid its own toll. Swift delivery of
freight was the first recommendation of each company for business. The Captain who could run his boat through several hours
before his rivals commanded always a high premium. The journey
usually took fifteen days. Passengers as well as freight were carried.
The freight boats were usually drawn by three mules whichwere
changed about every eight miles. The packets were drawn by
horses and travelled much faster. The boats ran or laid up on Sundays as their owners desired. The canal offices were located about
Liberty Street and the canal basins extended north and south
from the canal on Tenth Street between Seventh Street and the
River. Here all the warehouses were grouped.
AMENITIES OF CANAL LIFE
The boats that swung lazily in the basins bore the names of
268OVERLAND
Reindeer, Pioneer, General Lacock, Little Buck, Rambler, Unexpected Spy, Blacksnake and such like. The names were sometimes very amusing.
Pat Collins once ran a boat on the Middle Division that he called the Lightning Fanny. The Fanny part was the name of his girl.
The Lightning part was hitched on because he once made a trip
with his boat that beat the record. Collins didn't marry Fanny,
though, but hitched himself for life to a soap-maker's widow.
Then he changed the name of his boat to the Gliding Jane, after
the widow.
The cooks were ornaments of the canal boats. They were usually big, fat, good-natured Irish women. One of the boats used to
have painted on its stern-"Beauty and the Beast-Beauty missed
the boat but the cook's aboard." Another boat called the
"Sprite of the Spray" was marked with this legend-"Four precious souls and one cook aboard." Another boat was "The Bard
of Erie" and it also had a whack at the cook. The canallers always
roared when they read just below the Bard's name the following
-"Capacity of boat 120 tons-Capacity of cook 2 quarts." The
canallers were hard drinkers; they always took three fingers of
liquor and sometimes the thumb. Still, a toast that was popular
was:
"Here's to glorious cold water,
We couldn't run a boat without her."
THE GROWTH OF RAILROADS
The year 1823 is a memorable one in the history of the commerce of Pennsylvania for in it was the beginning of the best
railroad system that has ever been established in this or any other
country. It is only sixty-three years ago since the Columbia Railroad was incorporated to run between Philadelphia and Columbia, a distance of eighty-four miles. Yet in that time the mighty
Pennsylvania Railroad with connections has been developed.
This first railroad of the state was little more than a track for
horsecars. Freight and passengers were drawn by horses at the
astonishing speed of four miles an hour. Great was the wonder of
269ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
the good people along the line when the first locomotive, The
Black Hawk, brought all the way from England, was put on the
tracks. The time for the Black Hawk to start on its trial trip was
widely advertised and an immense crowd of people gathered.
After the usual speechifying, steam was got up and the people
brushed back from the track to give the locomotive full swing. A
big Irishman did most of the police duty, marching about the
"Masheen" and declaring that it would "fly like a bird". But the
Black Hawk, in spite of friendly pushes from behind, never shook
itself into action and was a complete failure. Other locomotives
were got, however, that were serviceable and by 1829 the railroad was in full operation.
The passenger cars run on the Columbia were not unlike a
stage coach, while the freight cars resembled coal cars. Most of
the trains had a flat car attached on which a chaise could be
placed. It was apparently not until 1836 that such a thing as a
time card was thought of. In the report of a committee "to examine into the state of a motive power on the Philadelphia and
Columbia Railroad" occurs the following refreshing bit of information concerning the independence of the primitive engineer"From the time the engine leaves the depot, and while running
the entire route, the engineer is under no control whatever, and is
under no responsibility as to his conduct or the management of
his engine. His speed is regulated by his own will; the times of his
stopping and starting appear to be according to his own convenience or caprice; he takes on his train such way cars as he
chooses, and rejects those which he does not wish to take; and the
farmer or the miller whose produce has been lying in the cars for
days, or even weeks, waiting for a chance of conveyance to market
has no mode of redress. His complaints are unheeded, the locomotive goes by, and his cars must stand on the siding until some
engineer is sufficiently obliging to attach them to his train."
It appears from another part of the report that the shippers
sometimes hitched horses to these cars and drew them to market
themselves. The railroads often supplemented their locomotive
power with horses. Complaint was made about the large crowds
270OVERLAND
that collected about trains when they started and stopped, requiring the greatest vigilance to prevent accidents.
THE ROAD BED
A report of a trip over this road says-"The engine ascended
the slope without help. Weather fair and calm. Water cold in the
tender."
The rails were of wood tipped with iron. The ends of the iron
tips were eternally turning up and invading the cars by punching
a hole through the floor. The engineer kept a sharp lookout for
these "snake heads" and often prevented accidents by stopping
the train and straightening out the unruly rail with a hammer.
On April 13, 1846 the Pennsylvania Railroad was incorporated,
in July, 1847 the division between Harrisburg and Philadelphia
was opened. On September 1 6, 1850 the division between Harrisburg and Hollidaysburg was opened and on September  o the
Western Division from Johnstown to Pittsburgh, and in 1854 the
mountain division between Johnstown and Harrisburg. The
purchase of the Columbia Railroad then gave a through line between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
The road across the mountains was built in the face of adverse
criticism from many leading civil engineers of the day, who regarded the plan as impractical. While in charge of the construction of the mountain division, Mr. J. Edgar Thompson, afterwards Superintendent of the road, met at Hollidaysburg. James
Burns of Lewiston, then State Superintendent of Public Works.
The conversation that passed between them is thus related by
Burns-"I asked him how he expected to take the cars over the
mountains. He said by locomotives. Then I saw the man was a
fool. I thought I'd find out just how big a fool he was so I asked
him just how long he expected a train to be in running from
Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. Fifteen hours he said. Then I knew
the man was a howling idiot and left him." Now the run is done
in less than nine hours. (1886.)
THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO
The father of the Baltimore and Ohio was Charles Carroll of
271SETTLEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PRIOR TO 1788
made in unpurchased or disputed areas. With each remonstrance
the situation became more tense, and upon failing to get the
satisfaction they wished, the Indians joined the French on the
latter's promise to restore the lands to them. Indian adherents
advised the proprietary commissioners to call the people back
from unpurchased lands " lest damage should be done and we
should think ill of them."'l
The gravity of the situation was realized by the authorities of
the Colony, and the government was desirous of strengthening
the alliance of the Six Nations, Delawares and the Ohio Indians;
communications by agents were frequent and the presents considerable. But controversies arising out of the treaty of 1754,
served to kindle a flame which could be extinguished only by a
deluge of blood.l2
In June 1757, the Assembly wrote Governor Denny: "It is
rendered beyond contradiction plaine, that the cause of the
present Indian incursions in this Province and the dreadful
calamities, many of the inhabitants have suffered, have arisen, in
great measure, from the exhorbitant and unreasonable purchases
made, or supposed to be made of the Indians, and the manner of
making them.-So exhorbitant that the natives complain they
have not a country left to subsist in."18
General Gage, the British Commander, also appraised the
Indian land problem, for in 1758, he wrote John Penn: "The
encroachments made upon the Indian lands, for which they could
obtain no justice, with the daily threats of more invasions of their
property, lost us the affections of the savages before, and was the
principal reason for their throwing themselves into the arms of
the French for protection and from hence arose the hostilities
they committed upon us in 1754-55 and the war that followed."'4
ii. Ibid.      12. Idem-p. 12o.        13. Ibid.          14. Ibid.
"There were two causes, differing widely from each other, which led to the first
settlement of the region now embraced within the limits of Pittsburgh. The one
was the settlement of the French on the St. Lawrence River in the early years of
the seventeenth century; the other was the formation of the Ohio Company by
Virginia capitalists." John N. Boucher in "A Century and a Half of Pittsburgh
and Her People."
5ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Carrollton, the only survivor of the signers of the Declaration of
Independence living at that time. The road was put under contract in 1827 to Ellicott's Mills. By 1833 it was on a paying basis as
the report of August 13 of that year shows. It passed through the
same stages of development as the Columbia, beginning with
horsepower and iron tipped rails. In 1 847 through cars were run
between Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh and Ohio
road, now the Fort Wayne, was begun in 1848, and in July i85  
finished to Beaver Falls and New Brighton. By 1851 the Cleveland
and Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh and Steubenville, now the
Panhandle, was organized. By 1860 the Western lines to Chicago,
Cincinnati and so forth, were in operation.
Until 1861 such a thing as through freight was unknown to
Pittsburgh shippers. Each railroad carried goods to the terminus
of its line where they had to be unloaded and reshipped on the
next roads. Each railroad company had its own freight depot,
which were generally wide apart and the freight had to be wagoned between them. In this year (i861) however, the Union Star
Freight Line, founded principally through the efforts of Wm.
Thaw, began to ship freight through over the Pennsylvania Central and the newly built Western Lines.
When the Pennsylvania Company was formed in 1870 to manage the Pennsylvania Railroad's leased lines aggregating 3,211
miles, the system of freight handling was brought very near to
perfection.
[3]
JAMES R. NEWELL
NEWELL INSTITUTE
IT IS noteworthy when three brothers attain distinction in the
same profession. This was the case with the Newell brothers:
Dr. John Newell, a Covenanter minister, scholar, and teacher of
distinction in the male department of Newell Institute, Pittsburgh; Hugh Newell, an artist, who, in addition to a class of pri272JAMES R. NEWELL
vate pupils in oil painting was, also, for nine years (1869-1878)
principal of the Pittsburgh School of Design, founded through
the efforts of art-loving business men in the city; and James R'.
Newell, the youngest of the three brothers, who, although an ordained Covenanter minister, devoted his life from boyhood to
his death to the profession of education.
Although all three men lived in Wilkinsburg for some years,
it is James R. Newell who stands out most definitely, for many
Wilkinsburg boys and girls, young men and young women had
the happiness and advantage of school days at Newell Institute.
The sketch of his life here given in part was written by a former
pupil and is contributed to this volume by Professor Newell's
daughters.
James Robert Newell was born at Newton, Ards, near Belfast,
Ireland, March 3, 1832, the youngest of a family of three boys.
Although his parents were only in moderate circumstances, they
gave each of their sons a good secular education and carefully
taught them the principles of the Christian religion.
In early youth his health was delicate and he was threatened
with blindness, which was only prevented by the most careful
nursing on the part of his mother. This the grateful son never
forgot, and even when he grew' to manhood and had school and
home cares of his own, he never failed to visit her daily. Indeed,
one of his marked characteristics was his love for his parents.
Little is known of his boyhood but he must have been a diligent
student, for at the age of sixteen he was engaged as a tutor in the
family of an Irish nobleman.
In 1849, the Newell family came to America, and landed in
Baltimore, where they had relatives. There Mr. Newell became
-a teacher in a private school. On coming to Pittsburgh, his first
-engagement was in Allegheny College, then situated on Sandusky
Street, Allegheny. The school was under the charge of the Associate Reformed Church, of which the Newell family were members:. Six years after James R. Newell's arrival in America he was
elected Principal of the Fourth Ward Public School, Pittsburgh,
and entered on his-duties:there September, 1855.'27-3ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
A pupil in this school writes at a later date: "How well we recall
the appearance of our new teacher, his bright pleasant face, his
handsome figure and winning manner-the very picture of health
and energy. Well, too, do we remember the old building... with
the inscriptions,'Male Department' and'Female Department'
respectively over the little porticoes of the eastern and western
doors. These rather suggested an insane asylum, but Mr. Newell
soon decided that the inmates were not dangerous, and a system of
co-education, then becoming popular, was adopted.
"The class room door was closed during a few moments of devotion which, whether the chapter read was listened to or the prayer
at all remembered, seemed to start the day aright and give additional dignity to our teacher. Roll call came next and spelling
was the first recitation.
"The words were pronounced by Mr. Newell and rapidly and
silently written on the slates.'Exchange' was followed by an uprising of the boys who advanced toward the girls and exchanged
slates with them. The words were then spelled correctly by Mr.
Newell, each word being followed by a tolling of mistakes-sometimes sixteen out of a list of twenty. I wonder if those boys ever
learned to spell!
"Grammar came next; definitions, then parsing in'The Lady
of the Lake.'
"How interesting he made it all. Seldom losing patience at our
stupid blunders. Yet he sometimes flung an old hat at the one who
could not tell an adjective from an adverb, and insisted that'old'
belonged to the latter division of words.
"We worked like beavers at arithmetic, just to please Mr.
Newell. Algebra became fascinating; the dry old propositions in
geometry grew interesting with the clearness brought into the
proof, and, indeed, all our studies became pleasures when he was
our guide.
"A class in composition and declamation was begun very timidly by its members. The programme for each Friday afternoon was
made up, at first, of recitations, dialogues, essays and singing by
both boys and girls, but shortly resolved itself into declamations
274JAMES R. NEWELL
by boys alone. Public exhibitions followed and popular appreciation increased until a large hall was needed for the audience, and
Lafayette Hall was secured for these occasions.
"The fame of the Fourth Ward School spread until many came
from other Pittsburgh Schools and, also, from Allegheny to attend
advanced classes. During this time Mr. Newell taught a night
school which was largely attended.
"After years of indefatigable labor in this school Mr. Newell
resigned and opened a private school for boys at 267 Penn Avenue which attracted a large majority of his Fourth Ward pupils.
In the new venture he was most ably assisted by his scholarly
brother, Dr. John Newell. This school proving so successful, he
opened a department for girls at 255 Penn Avenue, the whole
being known as Newell Institute. In 1873 he obtained a charter
for the Institute and gave his first diplomas that year. Although
the labor of conducting the Institute must have been great, he
found time to complete a course of theology and was licensed to
preach in 1867. His ministry, however, was confined to supplying
vacant pulpits occasionally, and teaching a bible class which was
largely attended.
"In 1873 he accepted an invitation to become President of The
Mount Auburn Seminary for Young Ladies, at Cincinnati, at the
same time retaining control of the Institute in Pittsburgh. He
had completed a successful year, and was entering upon a second
when death suddenly called him from his labors.
"James R. Newell was an ideal teacher both in day and in
Sabbath school. He possessed not only the faculty of imparting
knowledge but the power to command respect and order. All confusion ceased the moment he entered the school room, and his'Ready' fixed the attention of every pupil. There was no oppression of the weak, no mocking of the dull in the school. Laziness had no toleration, but real inferiority received special attention, as many a timid, shrinking pupil thankfully remembers.
Many boys and girls owe their success in after years to his generous assistance after school hours. Their triumph was his also. How
his face glowed as he came before a class with a telegram in his
275ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
hand which announced the entrance of one of his pupils into
Princeton.'I am proud of that boy', he exclaimed in his hearty
way,'he has entered without conditions.'
"Many both in school and social circles remember the beauty
of his recitations and readings of the poets; and the love for
literature and its influence on the lives of those who thus came in
contact with him was enduring."
In 1863, James R. Newell and his brother Hugh purchased
from James Kelly a tract of land up the Crab Hollow Road, a
mile or so from Wilkinsburg. There were but two houses between
this property and the village; one inhabited by a family said to be
Mormons. The brothers built homes on this land, and, with their
families, lived there for some time.
In 1856, Mr. Newell married Christina Sproul, a daughter of
Rev. Thomas Sproul, D.D. "a man of more than ordinary ability
who was connected with religious, missionary, and educational institutions in Pittsburgh and Allegheny for more than fifty years.
During his pastorate of a congregation he made pastoral visits to
six hundred members each year, and during a life of unceasing
outward activity he wrote eight books on religious subjects."
Professor and Mrs. Newell had six daughters. They also write
of the Covenanter Church in Wilkinsburg: "During church time
the half grown girls were delighted if they were allowed to take
care of somebody's baby out under the trees and so escape the long
service. But we did not escape religious instruction at home. It
was not neglected among the Covenanters in those early days. On
Sabbath day, when not at church, we children sat still reading our
Sabbath School books, or memorizing our psalms and catechism.
Every three weeks, we went through the Shorter Catechism, answering all the questions up to the Commandments during the
first Sabbath; through the Commandments the second Sabbath;
finishing the questions the third Sabbath, and then beginning all
over again."
Hugh Newell, (the artist brother, whose wife's name was Mary
Macrum), lived in an old log cabin on the premises with his family while his new home was being built.
276ANCESTORS OF DR. JOHN SEMPLE and MRS. SARAH SEMPLE FERGUSON
After several years, the entire property was sold, and both
brothers removed to Pittsburgh.
In 1871, James R. Newell purchased the Rahm property in,
Wilkinsburg, a large triangular piece of land bounded by Penn
Avenue, Hay Street and the Pennsylvania Railroad. There was
fronting on Penn Avenue, a large dwelling of some twenty rooms
which had been originally the Horbach or Seven Mile Tavern on
the Greensburg Pike. Professor Newell remodeled this house and
his brother, Dr. John Newell, who had just returned to America
after some years spent in Ireland and England, occupied one side
of it.
After the sudden death of James R. Newell in Cincinnati in
1874, followed in a few months by Dr. John Newell's death, the
existence of Newell Institute terminated. The Newell family
returned to Wilkinsburg and lived in the village for twelve
years, after which their active association with the town came to
an end.
[4]
THE ANCESTORS OF DR. JOHN SEMPLE
AND
MRS. SARAH SEMPLE FERGUSON
JOHN SEMPLE, the earliest pioneer ancestor of Dr. John Semple
and his sister, Mrs. Sarah Semple Ferguson, was born in Ireland
of Scottish ancestry. He came to America in the early years of
Pennsylvania's Colonial history, and settled on patented land of
120 acres situated in Pennsborough township, Cumberland County, in which county he served as tax collector in 1 743. There is no
record of his wife's maiden name. John Semple and his wife had
eight children, of whom, James, the third son, born March 25,
1756, was the founder of the Western Pennsylvania line. James
Semple was a revolutionary soldier of rank, being Captain of
Militia, in the Sixth Company, third Battalion, of Cumberland
County, Pennsylvania. At the close of the war he came with his
277ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
wife, Christina Taggart, to the western wilds, "beyond the mountains," where he had been given a large tract of donation land for
his war services. This land extended from the Point, at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, through Girty's
Run, now Millvale, to Wildwood. On Girty's Run he built his
log cabin, farmed his land, and in time operated the first grist
mill in his territory, as well as a snuff factory. By these industries
he accumulated considerable fortune. He was regarded as a man
of prominence and integrity, and that this was not just local
prominence is indicated by his term of service as the second
sheriff of Allegheny County.
Captain Semple was often called upon to lead groups of men
against roving bands of Indians that attacked lone cabins and
settlements. On one such occasion, while he was away protecting
others, his own cabin was surrounded and his wife and children
taken captive. When the Indians reached their camp for the
night they tied Mrs. Semple and her daughter Mary to a tree,
from which place they were forced to watch a war dance, in which
the chiefs, as they circled around the fire, brandished sticks covered with scalps of white men stretched out to dry. A daughter of
a chief recognized Mrs. Semple as the white woman who had, at
a former time, given her a red dress for her wedding, and she resolved to save the captives if possible. She took the children down
to a canoe and rowed them across the river to the Ewalt cabin;
then came back and led the captive woman with her infant child
to the canoe, which Mrs. Sample, fortunately, was able to paddle
across to the place of safety. Here, with the Ewalts, the Sample
family remained for two weeks until Captain Sample returned.
Pioneer history has thrilling stories of Indian raids, but not
many have as happy an ending as this authentic one.
Just here before passing on to the next generation it is interesting to note the change in the spelling of the family name. Originally spelled "Semple" the name was spelled Sample when the
patent was made out for the Girty's Run tract. Land titles were
frequently disputed in those early settlements and Captain
Semple thought it better to quickly adopt the mistake. All his
278I)r. John Setlple hotuse
S. H. Jackson home (left). Edward Thompson house (right)Mary Margarlet (Mrs. S. H.) Jackson and son Howard
Dr. John SempleSTOCKMAN FAMILY
descendants bear the name of Sample with the exception of Dr.
John who spelled his name in its original form. He was John
Semple.
Christina Taggart Sample died in 1829; one year later, 1830,
her husband, Captain James, followed. They had eight children.
The fifth child, Robert Anderson, born December lo, 1793, at
Wildwood, was the father of Dr. John Semple, and Sarah Semple,
who married Robert Ferguson. Robert Sample lived on his share
of the ancestral farm until 1886, attaining the ripe age of 93 years,
while his wife, Mary Simpson, lived to the age of 86 years. Robert
Sample prepared two of his four sons for college; John and
William. Dr. John Semple's career has already-been narrated.
William Sample, after graduating from Jefferson College, Canonsburg, entered the Theological Seminary to prepare for the ministry, but death cut his career short.
The character of the grand old man, Robert Sample, with his
common sense philosophy of life, and the cheer and humor of
the ever active grandma are reflected in their descendants who
live in our midst. Sarah Semple Ferguson lived on the Ferguson
farm at Allison Park until 1888, when she, with husband and six
children, moved to Wilkinsburg, first occupying the Judge Hampton homestead. Here hospitality of the most genial and generous
kind soon made "The Fergusons' " a rallying place for jolly good
times for the young people of the Boro'. Of the six children;
Eliza Jane, married D. C. Arlington, resides (1937) in Evanston,
Ill.; Louisa married C. H. Covell; Anna died July 7, 1935. Mary,
Robert, and Sara live in Singer Place, Wilkinsburg.
[5]
STOCKMAN FAMILY
NE of the results of the political revolutions spreading over
the continent of Europe in the middle years of the nineteenth century was a fresh tide of emigration to America. Espe279ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
In their struggle for the new world, the French sought to
capitalize the disaffection of the Indians arising out of the treaty
of 1754, and thus gain their support. Shortly before 1750 France
determined to assert vigorously its claim to the headwaters of the
Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, and their tributaries, and
in 1749, to give notice of actual possession, dispatched an expedition under Celeron de Bienville to the Ohio valley. Lead plates
with inscriptions asserting jurisdiction were placed at the mouths
of the larger streams. They also planned to unite Canada and
Louisiana by a line of forts, and forts were actually built at
Presque Isle (Erie), Le Boeuf (Waterford) and Venango (Franklin).
For the public purpose of making settlements at the fork of
the Ohio and of resisting the French claim, a royal grant was made
in 1748 to "The Ohio Land Company", composed of fourteen
persons, including two brothers of George Washington. A large
tract, part of which was within the present boundaries of Pennsylvania, was given to the Company in consideration inter alia
of its agreement to place one hundred families on the tract within
seven years and to build a fort and maintain a garrison for the
protection of the settlement. A storehouse was erected at Redstone Creek, now Brownsville, but the disturbed frontier prevented their bringing any large amount of goods beyond the
Allegheny Mountains. The Ohio Company was essentially a
Virginia institution and the lands granted were within the territory claimed by Virginia but disputed by Pennsylvania.
George Washington was sent in 1753-4 by Governor Dinwiddie
of Virginia to report on the situation at the fork of the Ohio and
to demand abandonment of the forts built by the French. On
receipt of Washington's report, in which the refusal of the French
to leave the territory was set out, Dinwiddie directed that a fort
be erected at the fork against threatened occupation by the French
and "possibly in protection of the Ohio Company's grant, by
which they were to erect a fort for the protection of the settlers."'l
Before the stockade was completed, the ensign in charge was
15. Allegheny County's Hundred Years.
6ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
cially was this true of people of Central Europe, among the
worthiest of whom were many Germans, desirable not only for
their thrifty, economical habits of life, but also for their moral
standards, and inherent religious beliefs.
Prominent among these were Henry Stockman and his wife,
Elizabeth Gunluch Stockman. They came from Hanover, Germany, in 1846 and settled in Allegheny City. In 1856 they removed to Wilkinsburg where they spent the remainder of their lives.
This couple came too late to share in the adventurous life of the
early pioneers, but the sea voyage across the ocean, ("Mighty
Monster") was still fraught with enough of excitement for the
inlander. The sea was so rough during the forty-two day voyage
that the young mother had to rope her children to her waist, lest
they might be washed away from her in the days of high seas, and
the slow progress made resulted in such shortage of food that
famine seemed imminent. Landing at long last in Philadelphia
they proceeded to Pittsburgh by way of canal. It was springtime;
surely their hearts pulsed with joy as they slowly and restfully
moved along through the varied beauty of Pennsylvania.
After residence in Sharpsburg, Lawrenceville, and on a farm on
the Frankstown Road, Henry Stockman bought, in 1856, about
two acres in what is now the 400 block in Peebles Street, Wilkinsburg. There was a log cabin on the ground, in which they lived.
Later they built a frame annex at the front of the log house in
which Mrs. Stockman opened a grocery store which became noted
for its homemade bread and German cakes. Her granddaughter
says: "Grandmother was a wonderful little business woman; she
made her own candies, and did her own baking; she later catered
to many of the Brace Brothers' Laundry employees by serving
meals. In addition to all this she had the German woman's quickness in using the needle and thimble, and the knitting needles,
but her hobby was quilt-making. So prettily were the colors contrasted, so striking the designs, and so exquisite the quilting that,
like the candies, cakes, pies and bread, this product of moments,
otherwise spent idly, brought a ready sale-often as high as twentyfive dollars a quilt.
280A PLEA FOR CARE OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
Mr. Stockman had, unfortunately, a crippled right arm, and was
unable to do any strenuous work. He was a well educated man,
especially in the knowledge of several languages, but this knowledge did not serve any practical use in the early days. He had
trees on his place from which railroad ties were prepared and
used in railroad building.
He was a constant student of the Bible, knowing large portions
of it by heart, and was ready with an apt quotation for many
events, especially for heavy storms. He and his wife were members
of the Lutheran Church.
Mr. and Mrs. Stockman prospered in money matters and built
a large frame house, 461 Peebles Street, at the side of their original humble dwelling on Trenton Avenue.
Nine children were born to this couple, seven of whom were
born in America. The lives of two daughters, Minnie and Louise,
have been closely allied with Wilkinsburg. Minnie Stockman
married John C. Hartmeyer of Allegheny City. Of their descendants there are living in Wilkinsburg John H. Hartmeyer,
married Louisa Hoffman; Katherine Francis Hartmeyer, married
William Henry Gribble; George Edward Hartmeyer, married
Helen Williams. Louise Stockman married George Cleland.
[6]
A PLEA FOR
CARE OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
Extract from Annual Message of the Governor of Pennsylvania
Transmitted to the Senate and House of Representatives
January 8, 1851.
M yr Y ATTENTION has been called to the large body of original
papers in the State Department connected with the
Colonial and Revolutionary history of the State, and their extremely exposed and perishing condition. These records are
worth preservation, as containing authentic information of the
231ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
actions of our fathers in the struggle for national existence.
"In the capital of Pennsylvania and with the sympathies of her
patriotic people was independence matured and declared. Her
soldiers (   ) numerous around the standard of her nation, and
there were more battlefields on her soil than in the same area elsewhere. Every memorial of those days of devotion and trial should
be faithfully preserved.
"There exists a single copy in manuscript of the Minutes of
the Revolutionary Executive Council, a document by far too
valuable to remain longer within the reach of accidents or mutilation. It would be grateful to a large body of Constituents if the
Assembly would authorize the employment of a competent
gentleman to select and arrange for publication these memorials
of an interesting epoch in the history of the Commonwealth."
[7]
THE JACKSON FAMILY
A FEATURE of interest in reviewing successive decades of de  velopment in the village is the establishment of new households by the marriages in the second and third generations in
descent from the pioneers. The McNairs, Horners and Grahams,
Littles, Turners, Duffs, Morrows, Johnstons, Chalfants, McCreas,
Carothers, Harbaughs and others have been reviewed, in varying
length and detail in the years from 1820 to 185o. From 1850 to
186o four marriages took place and households were established
that made an impress of some weight on the character of village
life.
The marriage of Nancy Thompson to Dr. John Semple in 1854
has already been noted. In 186o Cupid again shot a shaft into the
Edward Thompson family.
Wilkinsburg, it has been said, has always had a lure for young
men, and the years near the close of the eighteen-fifties were not
exceptional ones in this respect, for at this time there came to the
282THE JACKSON FAMILY
village a fine looking, exceedingly quiet young man; upright in
principle, unconsciously a philosopher, with a dry humor that
helped wonderfully to smooth over the inevitable bumps in life's
pathway. His name was Samuel H. Jackson, II. His father, Samuel
H. Jackson, Sr., had come to Pittsburgh from Philadelphia. He
was of English birth. His home during his first years in Pittsburgh
was in a frame house on Sixth Avenue, the present site of the
Duquesne Club. He afterwards moved across the river to Allegheny City, where he opened a store.
His son, Samuel H., Jr., may have had training in his father's
line of business, for shortly after coming to the village he took
over Edward Thompson's store. This was, however, but a temporary occupation, a stepping-stone to his real goal, which was that
of civil engineer. This goal he reached, and from that time was
connected successively with the Pennsylvania Railroad, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and later was chief engineer of the
Allegheny Valley Railroad for a number of years before retiring.
But if Samuel H. Jackson's connection with Edward Thompson's business was only a temporary one, a very permanent one
was made by his marriage with Mary Margaret, the youngest
daughter of Mr. Thompson. The small, beautiful, dark curlyhaired young woman, with the blue, blue, Irish eyes, and rosy
cheeks; quick-witted, fun-loving creature that she was, was just
the type to fascinate a temperamental opposite.
Their marriage, one "made in heaven", took place Feb. 23,
186o. After a short residence in Allegheny City, where their son,
Edward Thompson Jackson, was born, they came back to Wilkinsburg and lived the remainder of their lives in the brick house
in the fruit tree garden, built by Mr. Thompson on the site of
753 Penn Avenue, where the Templeton Building now stands,
Here their second son, S. H. Jackson III, was born.
Through many years of invalidism "Mary Margot" Jackson
was the light of the home to husband, children, sisters and friends.
There was a glad smile of welcome for friends, no matter how intense her suffering might be, and when she was well enough to
have them about her, the children of the neighborhood revelled
283ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
in her stories of the past, so graphically told and with such humor.
She died Christmas morning 1890, the festival day she so dearly
loved.
Mr. Jackson survived her six years, living on in the homestead
presided over by his son, Edward, and his wife, Honora Carmack
Jackson.
S. H. Jackson II had been reared in the Methodist Church, but
on the organization of the First Presbyterian Church in the
village he transferred his membership to this church in which his
wife and her family were charter members.
The vicissitudes of acquiring an education in the village were
many previous to 1880, about which time the Public School swung
into its stride. The education of the two Jackson boys may be
given as typical.
Edward attended Mrs. Taylor's "Private School", the village
Public School, Fulton Hasting's School for Boys, Philadelphia,
Western University of Penna.-now University of Pittsburgh, and
finally Duff's Business College. Thus equipped, he was connected
as bookkeeper with Arbuckle Bros., and later with the Carnegie
Steel Mills, Homestead. He was employed at the mills at the time
of the Homestead riots in 1892.
Giving up the confinement of office work, Edward took up the
insurance business in Wilkinsburg, but a milder climate had become imperative and the Edward T. Jackson family removed to
Orlando, Florida.
At the time of the organization of the Second Presbyterian
Church the Edward and Howard Jackson families joined it as
charter members, Edward serving on its first board of elders. Edward died in Florida in 1922. His body was brought back to his
birthplace and rests with the Edward Thompson kin in Homewood Cemetery. Mrs. Honora Carmack Jackson still keeps her
home in Florida.
The education of S. Howard Jackson followed the general line
of his brother's. Mrs. Taylor's, Wilkinsburg Public School, "High284THE JACKSON FAMILY
land Avenue," East End Public School, (where so many village
boys and girls spent happy days under the genial and fatherly
supervision of Professor George Fulton); Curry Business Institute, then Pittsburgh College of Pharmacy. After this bout with
education, out-of-doors seemed attractive to S. H. Jackson III
and, as Hugh Neal, a surveyor, was busy surveying extensive
tracts of land for building lots, the young druggist joined his
force, for a time. He next served as clerk successively in Fleming's,
Babt's, Ralston's and Markell c Bros. drug stores; then bought
the drug store of J. C. Ralston, corner of Wood and Ross Streets,
and entered into business by himself.
October 17, 1894 S. H. Jackson married Susie T. Duff, daughter
of Susannah T. Miller and Dr. J. H. Duff, both natives of Westmoreland County. In 1912 Mr. and Mrs. Jackson moved out the
William Penn Highway to Newlonsburg, situated between
Murrysville and Delmont, where Mr. Jackson built a brick house
on ground that had been in possession of the Duff family for over
a century; and here in the cultivation of their beautiful estate
S. H. Jackson enjoys again an exhilarating open-air life, and Mrs.
Jackson, in intervals of leisure, can sit under the magnificent oak
tree and dream dreams, or in imagination climb the family tree
until she reaches the shade of great-great-great-grandfather Nicholas Newlon, the Quaker whose ship quickly followed the Welcome
carrying William Penn on his first crossing of the Atlantic to open
a refuge for co-religionists in Penn's Woods.
The genealogy of Mrs. Sue T. Duff-Jackson is so interesting
that one longs to trace it in all its branches. Unfortunately that
cannot be done here. It gives us glimpses of a gentleman farmer
dressed in small clothes, with silver buckles, ruffles and queue,
whose costume changed into the rough dress of a "ranger" when
his country called him in 1775. His name was John McIllDuff, the
grandfather of Dr. James H. Duff. (Mrs. Jackson's father.)
On her mother's side we are first greeted by Nicholas Newlon,
an Irish Quaker of means, who followed his friend, William Penn,
to America, and was a member of the first council framing the
government of the colony. Several generations later a descendant
285ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
of the same name came west. His daughter, Mary, married Joseph
Miller. The Newlons and Millers joined in holding large tracts
of land.
A daughter of Mary Newlon and Joseph Miller, Susannah
Thomas, married Dr. James H. Duff, who had the rich experience
of a country physician joined to that of a city practice, and gained
prominence as a consulting physician.
[8]
OLD WILKINSBURG
I SIT musing by the bright fireside there come to me pictures
A    of the past, and with the soughing of the autumn trees in
the near forest is heard a reiterated refrain-Old WilkinsburgOld Wilkinsburg. Memory takes me back to the days of my childhood when my father, Dr. James H. Duff, took me with him as
he travelled to or about the straggling village, where he had been
called for consultation from our home in Westmoreland County,
and, also, beyond into the great City of Pittsburgh. Riding with
him in a top buggy was an adventure filled with thrills, the culmination of which was a safe passage over the Pennsylvania Railroad crossing at Penn Avenue. A neighbor of ours had been
struck there and many lives had been sacrificed before the menace
was removed by the building of raised tracks through the town.
Would that I had the gift of descriptive words equal to the
depth of feeling within me to picture the sleepy little town as it
came into view from the top of its eastern hill. A few courageous
householders had built on the steep hill side, but evidently their
effort had been adjudged too great for the village snuggled down
at the foot of the hill along the turnpike, so muddy in winter, so
dusty in summer. It was but a little place, slow to grow, asleep in
its quiet and monotony, and loving itself just that way. The entrance into this miniature metropolis was barred by a toll gate.
A man with sparse gray locks appeared and, after the toll was
286OLD WILKINSBURG
paid, the pole was lifted so that we could pursue our way. The
ride along The Pike (Penn Avenue) was exciting to the country
bred girl.
On the left was the grist mill presided over by ruddy faced Mr.
Ludwick. Oh! for a swing on that dangling rope, reaching from
the ground to the door of the second story.
Next on the right was the home of the village dressmaker, Miss
Beckie McFee; a little one-storied brown frame house standing
back in its large lot of ground and almost hidden by masses of wild
shrubbery, which grew still thicker around the lean-to on the
eastern side where John McFee kept house for himself in his own
way, in the intervals of shoe mending.
Next on the right was the Turner store-the typical country
store where the Junta meetings were held, and where news was
reported with a promptness anticipating radio facilities.
Next Dr. Semple's with its wonderful, drooping willow tree, its
strutting peacocks and mocking macaw.
Opposite these were the Mrs. Susan Rice and Stattenfield
houses, of the early style of pioneer architecture, built of solid
hewn logs, but now renewed with clapboards. The Stattenfield
house with its deep windows, embowered in vines, with its gable
end facing the street and its broad heavy stone slab stepping
stones had the picturesquesness of an English cottage by the side
of a village lane. Down a little way was a rival grocery store with
a pavement of bricks before it. The sign bore the self respecting
name, "A. Stoner". There were steps up to the porch before the
store door, for this store was a part of the solidly built brick house
which still stands with its shuttered windows, its thick doors and
open welcoming fire places.
Just about opposite was the Samuel H. Jackson brick house, in
which my future husband first saw the light of day; next the old
log house in which Mr. Luke Babe Davison, and James Davison
Carothers had been born. Here now lived old Mrs. McMullen,
an English woman, who in her deep poverty could yet take her
Spode china cups from the corner cupboard and offer her visitor
a "decent cup of tea." Mrs. McMullen was a tailoress of small
287ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
urchins' breeches. She owned the only small pressing board, so
necessary in her trade, and it was more borrowed than at home,
until one day it disappeared like the apple butter stirrer and
quiltin'-frames of yore.
Next came the Penn Avenue Hotel with its large stable yard,
where a halt was necessary to refresh our horses. The swinging
sign, "Rippey's Tavern", a hostelry of fame in the early 18oo's,
had disappeared, but there was still the spacious large barn and
yard filled with covered market wagons, high stacked hay wagons,
even at times a Conestoga wagon, the latter so full of mystery and
delight to the village youngster.
The large droves of sheep or cows or horses raised clouds of dust
on the Pike, filling the throats of all, so that the need for water
for the animals, and something stronger for the drovers, warranted a stop. Outside the building were benches, and inside was the
barroom, sitting room for men and boys. Many of these men stayed
over nights at one or other of the three old tavern stands, for the
roads were rough and the work heavy, and McNairstown, Rippeyville and Wilkinsburg were ever noted for hospitality to the
stranger of high or low degree. On over the hazardous railroad
tracks past the fashionable Bennett boarding house on the right,
and the elegant Woodwell Mansion on the left, and so on westward if the goal were Pittsburgh. Returning there was usually a
call at Mrs. Dr. Carothers, "a lady of high degTee" living on the
corner of Wood and Penn, the present site of Caldwell 8 Graham's
store. She was a daughter of "Father Graham", had sandy colored
side-curls and bright brown eyes, and a flow of language that
mightily impressed the little Westmoreland girl.
There was another house to "stop in at" on the left hand side
before final leave-taking of the village. This was at the Boyds, who
at the time were living in the Ward brick house, and well do I
remember the fine new carpet that Mrs. Boyd had and the sample
we took home to show to the kinsfolks.
But evening was coming on and there was a long, long trail
before we reached home; so on through Bagtown around the turn
of the hill eastward. Now came the long slow ride up the hill,
288MILESTONES AND TOLL GATES
stopping the horses to rest ever and anon; watching the little
coal cars going up and down the incline plane on our right hand
side-no horse, no mules, just what seemed like perpetual motion;
past the lime kilns at the top of the hill with their curling smoke
and smell of sulphur; then the vast country beyond, with its
rugged hills and deep valleys.
At long last the sounds and lights of home and "the end of a
perfect day".
[9]
MILESTONES AND TOLL GATES
APROPOS of the standing of Wilkinsburg in earlier days than
tX  the period described in "Old Wilkinsburg", Miss Jane Boyd
contributes the following: Mitchell's "New Traveller's Guide of
1851 Through the United States" lists Wilkinsburg on route 248
from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh via Lancaster, Harrisburg,
Chambersburg, and so on. Wilkinsburg is mentioned as the stage
stop between Adamsburg and Pittsburgh, the distance from
Adamsburg to Wilkinsburg being nineteen miles and from Wilkinsburg to Pittsburgh six miles. The distance "six miles" is a misstatement as distance in the days of turnpike travel was marked
by milestones, and the stone marked "6" stood on the Pike a short
distance east of the present Lang Avenue, Homewood.
One mile to the east of this was the stone marked "7". It gave
name to a well-knowvn tavern, "The Seven Mile House," which
stood diagonally across the street on the corner of the Pike and
Kelly's Lane, the present Penn Avenue and Hay Street. So substantially was this house built in the decade of 1840-1850 that it
stands today in the possession of the William Boyd heirs.
The milestones were hewn out of red sandstone, were oblong in
shape, with the inscription cut to the depth of one-half inch or a
trifle more. The "8" milestone was located east of the village at the
George Johnston property above the present high school athletic
289SETTLEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PRIOR TO 1788
forced to surrender to the French under General Contrecoeur,
who immediately began the erection of Fort Duquesne.l6
The details of the defeat of the British army under General
Braddock at Turtle Creek on July 9, 1755, in a campaign against
Fort Duquesne, are familiar to all residents of Western Pennsylvania and need not be repeated here. The results, however, were
far reaching and the effect upon the settlement of Western Pennsylvania should be noted. The retreat of Colonel Dunbar, Braddock's aide, was the signal for turning loose the Indians on the
defenseless frontier of Pennsylvania, and the raids extended far
into the Province. The Quaker Assembly and government were
apathetic to the campaign against the French and Indians and
even the Indian depredations failed to arouse them. It was not
until the fall of 1756, when most of the Quakers had resigned or
failed of re-election, that measures for military defense were
adopted.17 Pennsylvania then contributed militia, associators and
rangers for the defense and more than two hundred forts, a few
in Western Pennsylvania, were erected at the expense of the Province betwen 1756 and 1763.18 The destruction of the Indian
Village at Kittanning by an army under Colonel John Armstrong
hurt the morale of the Indians and encouraged the settlers to
fresh efforts.
The success of the expedition under General Forbes against
Fort Duquesne in 1758 terminated the war so far as fighting in
Pennsylvania was concerned. The French flag disappeared permanently from Pennsylvania as a result of Forbes' Expedition and
the capture of Fort Duquesne by which the power of France was
broken in the Ohio Valley must be looked upon as a pivotal circumstance in the march of events.l9 Fort Pitt was erected by General Stanwix and under the protection of a strong garrison there
was comparative quiet. There were frequent conferences between
16. The well known plan of the fort is preserved for us by a drawing made by Capt.
Strobo on the back of a letter written July 29, 1754, to Governor Morris of Pa. Strobo
had been detained as a hostage at the surrender of Fort Necessity on July 3, 1754.
17. A History of Pa.
18. Idem.
19. Allegheny County's Hundred Years.
7ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
field. Today (1939) the "7" milestone is resting in the basement of
our Borough Building, Ross Avenue. Miss Boyd also gives some
interesting information regarding the village toll gate.
A toll gate was located at the corner of Water and Main Streets,
now Penn and Swissvale Avenues, on the old Ford property,
northwest corner. I have been informed that the toll gate at Main
and Water Streets was removed about i1878 to the Levi Ludwick
property west of the corner of present Coal Street and Penn Avenue, for the reason that persons were evading paying toll by turning up Water Street to Wallace, then down Coal Street to Penn
Avenue, and vice versa. The toll collected was for the upkeep of
the roads, in other words road tax. Another toll gate was located
near the present junction of Penn and Lang Avenues, as shown on
the map of Allegheny County of approximately 1862. The record
indicates that in September, 1818, the Commissioners of the
Greensburg and Pittsburgh Turnpike Road Company called for
proposals for the erection of toll houses and gates and the employment of toll-gate keepers.
[10]
THE I. G. MACFARLANE FAMILY
N 1856 there came to the village an interesting family considerI ed either from the adult or the children's side. The parents
were Isaiah Graham and Margaret McDowell Macfarlane. Isaiah
Graham Macfarlane was always known in business circles as
"I.G."; in his family connection he was called Graham.
Several generations back there had emigrated to Lancaster
and Cumberland Counties, Pennsylvania, two cousins-James
Graham and James Macfarlane. From the former the Reverend
James Graham was descended, and from the latter, Isaiah Graham
Macfarlane.
James Macfarlane the pioneer, Scotch in origin, came to this
country from Tyrone, Ulster County, Ireland, about 1718. On
290THE I. G. MACFARLANE FAMILY
September 13, 1748, he bought a warrant for 7511/2 acres of land
on Condinquenet Creek, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania,
from the William Penn agents.
John Findley Macfarlane, a grandson of this pioneer, settled in
Gettysburg, Adams County, where he operated a tannery and
other business related to this, and where he became a leading
citizen. He married a distant cousin, Martha Graham, who was a
semi-invalid all her married life. She had an intense love for
literature, especially for fiction. She had even, it is said, written a
novel herself. She kept herself well informed on the latest publications, and was among the earliest readers, in this country, of
Sir Walter Scott. John Findley and Martha Graham Macfarlane
had four children; Eliza, Isaiah Graham, born in 1817,; James and
Eveline.
The story of Eliza Macfarlane, who married James Graham, Jr.
of Lime Hill, Beulah, has already been told by her granddaughter,
Martha Graham Black. James Macfarlane, the younger son, was
the father of James R. Macfarlane, recently deceased, for twenty
years Judge of Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.
Eveline, the youngest child, married Alexander Rieman of
Baltimore, Maryland, who on the outbreak of the Civil War became a strong partisan for the southern cause, thus creating between his family and their brother Graham, an equally strong
partisan for the North, one of those unhappy breaks in family
affection that was long in healing.
Graham Macfarlane inherited his mother's intense love for
books. Of an imaginative and romantic turn of mind, one can
but wonder what his mental life might have brought forth, had
not a tendency to lung trouble developed when he had about
reached college years, and which turned the course of his life to
an out-of-doors business. He moved from Gettysburg, Adams
County into Perry County, and established a saw mill on a mountain stream. His business called him here and there and one day,
in passing a farm house in Cumberland County in cherry time, he
spied, in a tree heavy with ripe fruit, a young woman in a red
flannel dress. At the sight of her, and she was a comely sight in291ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
deed, the latent romance in the young man's heart awakened, and
his fate was sealed. The young woman was Margaret Laird
McDowell. A perfect marriage of opposite temperaments resulted. A daughter, Margaret Macfarlane Patterson, one of their seven
children, has written: "I believe'Pa' was in love with mother to
his dying day".
Graham Macfarlane was of an adventurous turn of mind, so
when the northwest opened up its prospects in iron ore he decided to go there and investigate, for his rapidly increasing family
needed advantages and an income that his mountain home could
not furnish.
When 86 years old Margaret Macfarlane Patterson (Mrs. John
M. Patterson) wrote a paper entitled "Personal Recollections".
The charm of its simplicity and the warm-heartedness of the writer have won everyone who has had the favor of reading it. The
paper was written for her children but Mrs. Patterson has permitted us to use in the Annals whatever might seem of interest.
The first quotation pictures a quiet evening scene in the mountains.
MY FIRST ADVENTURE WHEN FIVE YEARS OLD
"In one of Pa's trips over the mountains, settling up business
affairs, before his journey west, mother and I accompanied him. I
never hear a cowbell nowadays without being carried back to that
ride through the country and up the mountains. The faint mournful sound of the tinkle of those bells remains with me."
FATHER'S WESTERN TRIP
"When father went west he had decided to go to Lake Superior
and Duluth and prospect, as they seemed to him coming places on
account of the iron ore and the fine harbor. Before leaving, father
brought his family from our mountain home to Newville, Cumberland County, for temporary residence. He stopped on his way
west to visit his sister, Eliza. She was a widow with four daughters,
living one and one-half miles from Wilkinsburg, a suburb of Pittsburgh. She was anxious to have him invest his money there and
bring his family to live near her. She knew of a fine farm, underlaid
with coal, which could be bought reasonably, as the owner's health
292THE I. G. MACFARLANE FAMILY
had failed and he was heavily involved, but father's mind was set
on the Superior trip. However, he went and looked over the farm
and was interested. (The issues of life are so easily settled or
changed.)
"When he arrived at Minneapolis, he found that the country was
so wild that the roads were not opened rightly and much of the
journey must be made on foot with a guide. Two other men wished
to go, so they changed their money into gold, bought leather or
buckskin belts and had it sewed in, and with a guide pursued their
onward way.
"Arriving at Superior they found it very primitive, but still they
had so much faith in its future that they all invested in tracts of land
in several places in the neighborhood, and thus began'Superior
taxes,' which were a bugaboo for many years. This did not seem
to my father just the place to bring his family and he returned to
Pittsburgh, closed the deal with the farmer for the coal property,
and went into the coal business. The next step was to bring his wife
and children to the neighborhood. He bought a fine brick house
from a man in Wilkinsburg, and returned to Newville to pack up
our belongings and take us all back with him. By this time there
was a new baby in the family, a little girl named for his sister Eliza,
and it was no small undertaking to bring us all over the mountains.
This was my second adventure.
"Trains of cars had been running over the Allegheny Mountains for a few years, but they were quite primitive. The engine was
the old hourglass shape, and the cars very simple. No plush and
mahogany furnishings, just plain wooden seats with slat backs and
bare wooden floor. We occupied the principal part of one car...
I must not forget our dog'Tasso.' John and Jim, our two big
brothers, did not, and we were allowed to keep him in the car
with us, tied by a rope.
"We left Harrisburg very early in the morning and arrived in
Wilkinsburg at twelve o'clock at night. Aunt Eliza had sent her man
with a spring wagon to meet us, and after a mile and a half drive
we arrived at about one o'clock at night. The town had no hotel,
and we certainly must have been a handful for her.
"The furniture arrived before us, and with the help of a couple
of cleaners we were soon established in our new home on the northeast corner of the present Penn Avenue and Hay Street. The new
293ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
house was not what we had hoped for, being inconvenient and hard
to heat, and as father needed money for his business, he sold it and
we removed to one just two doors below, or west of it. It was a
rambling house with twelve large rooms and a large garden, seemingly just intended for a house full of romping lively youngsters.
All my girlhood memories cluster around this place and the kind
friends who helped make our life pleasant there.
"The flower garden consisted of lilacs and old-fashioned rose
bushes sprinkled through the side yard, and farther back three
peach trees grew, the old-fashioned kind-white and sweet and
mealy. A ring of currant and gooseberry bushes, and three late pear
trees made a space for portulacca, lady slippers, and four o'clocks.
"The flower and vegetable gardens were divided by the stable
and outbuildings which also gave us much joy, as the horse and
cow, chickens and pets, were a continual entertainment.
"The weeping willow tree in the front corner made a lovely
situation for a playhouse, where no passerby ever thought of looking and one could have a little chair and read or visit with dolls.
"I must not forget to mention the wild cucumber tree which
was a great curiosity to us. It was an immense tree growing in a
pasture nearby and when the cone-like or cucumber-like fruit
matured about October, it was quite an entertainment for us to
go and gather up the cucumbers and play with them. They had a
strange smell, but were not edible, for we tried them. The seeds
were scarlet and when fully ripe suspended by long, slender white
threads.
"A large bake oven at the back of the house was a great institution. Here were often baked seven large sweet loaves of bread, and
rolls, pies, and gingerbread, at one full swoop-, twice a week. Help
was hard to get as the maids from the city were not willing to come
out, and the girls from the country were hard to keep in our large
family. We were often left without any one for some time, and life
was then no easy matter for our delicate mother. So we girls had
to learn to help quite early in life. In this environment we grew
and flourished.
"The field next to our house was the cow's pasture. Although it
was only rented, we called it our field and felt a real ownership in its
two ponds, and played sailing boats on them and in the summer
evenings listened to the frogs singing. Our father called them his
294Eliza McNair Horner
(Mrs. Franklin M. Gordon)
Miss Alice MacFarlane,
Pioneer Kindergartener in Pittsburgh
J udlge Ell'Itorranlce, Gra(nd  Commander of
the Grand Arrmy) of the RepublicCol. Joseph Kiddoo, vice-president of Old Wilkinsburg Academy
and colonel of Colored Regiment in Civil WVar
Old Wilkinsburg Academy. Original building (1855)
one large assembl) room in style of Methodist and Beulah churches.
Extension of four rooms built in front in 1867THE I. G. MACFARLANE FAMILY
canaries and they really were musical with their high thrill, and
occasionally a big bull frog broke in with his low bass note.
"We children climbed to the roof of the chicken coop, and from
there to the carriage house, and even to the shingled roof of the
stable at times, and had our play postoffice in the square holes in
the brick stables, as they made fine letter boxes. One would be
postmaster, and many a letter was posted and read from this office,
especially during the Civil War, when we played soldier and wrote
home or to our sweethearts.
"Brother Jim was remarkably fond of pets, and every chicken
was dear to him.'Now you went and killed my dominska hen', or'yellow rooster', was sure to be the wail, if one was sacrificed. He
must always have a dog, and after Tasso's death of old age Dan,
a liver-colored setter, took his place. Uncle James had given Jim
a shotgun when he was quite small, and he became a fine hunter,
shooting quail and pheasants on the wing. He taught Dan to hunt,
and often brought home rabbits and squirrels and other game
which Dan had helped him find. A little boy who lived next door,
Milt Davison, once begged to go with him, but Jim refused and
sent him back twice. After sometime he thought he saw a squirrel
on the fence at some distance and shot at it. The squirrel proved to be
Milt's cap, which was not thick enough to keep his scalp from being
peppered. His screams were long and loud. Jim of course took him
home at once, but it was hard to pacify his mother.
"One more incident about Brother Jim's dogs. He had two setter
puppies named Dash and Dan, just the age to love to exercise
their teeth on any old shoe or other article left lying around. I have
always been fond of hats, and my new one was a white leghorn
bound with heavenly blue velvet. It had a broad blue velvet bow,
band, and streamers, and was very dear to my heart. One day it
disappeared, after I thought I left it lying on the hall table. After
searching in every imaginable place we bethought ourselves of the
dogs, and on looking in the yard found pieces of straw and chewed
up blue velvet. The long streamers had been left hanging down, and
proved too tempting for a stray doggie slipping into the back door
of the hall. A few days after this episode Dash was stolen and never
heard of again, and Jim's lamentations were sore and loud; but I
was easily reconciled, and this brings a vivid recollection of my own
and Alice's outfit for the journey from the east to Wilkinsburg.
295ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Alice had a dark red bonnet, shirred on wire with a white ruching
around the face and little pink rosebuds in it; a dress with a little
cape trimmed with narrow fringe. Mine was a blue bonnet with
white ruching and forget-me-nots in it. Also a cape on my dress."
THE COAL BUSINESS
"As has been stated, our father came to Wilkinsburg to enter
into the coal business. He formed a Company to develop his coal,
and called it'The Duquesne Coal Co'. He superintended it, being
at the mine in the morning, and at the office in the afternoon. He
kept a little chestnut mare called Rhody for riding back and forth
to the mines. Rhody was a little beauty, as fleet as the wind and
gentle as a lamb. We girls learned to ride her, and many a lovely
ride we had. The miners called my father'the boss, I.G.'. As long
as he employed Americans all went well, but when foreigners came
they began to strike, and were anarchistic. He thought the English
laborers were the most troublesome. One night a fire broke out
in our sitting room on the first floor, and Mother always thought
it was set on fire by one of the miners. One had been there arguing
with Pa in the afternoon, and there seemed no other explanation.
She smelled smoke and ran downstairs and on opening the sitting
room door was met by the flames. She closed the door, ran upstairs,
wakened us all and got us out. There was no fire company in the
place, but fortunately there was water in the cellar underneath. Jim
ran through the village screaming fire, and men came and quickly
put it out. A large hole was burned in the floor, but no one hurt."
WAR OF THE REBELLION
"When the war broke out I was about ten years old, and I remember it rather in fragments. Most of the young boys and men in
Wilkinsburg enlisted, and many never returned. Brother John was
only eighteen years old but he begged to go. Father thought him too
young and at first refused, but later finding he was determined to
run away and go, he agreed and got him a place in the Anderson
Cavalry, a fine company of men mostly from Philadelphia. His
sword is still in the family. He was a brave soldier, but too young for
such hardships. They were nearly starved at Chickamauga; one ear
of corn a day for their horses, and one hardtack a day for their own
rations. He stayed in until the close of the war and came home an
invalid, and only lived a few years.
296THE I. G. MACFARLANE FAMILY
"The women did their work much as we did in the World War;
knitted stockings, scraped lint, and made hospital supplies, and
sent boxes with comforts for the boys. They used to meet in the
school house or churches to pack boxes. A note was sometimes
enclosed with these little bags, with the address of the sender. Sister
Lizzie enclosed one in a bag she made, and received a reply thanking
her and asking her to write to him, which she did several times.
"There was no building between our house and the nearby railroad so that when trains of soldiers passed by, we always ran out
to greet them. Their cars were so filled that even the roofs were
covered with the boys. They waved and cheered to us and we waved
and cheered in turn. Nothing was too good for them.
"But one day the word came that the'rebels were coming', and
might invade our city. They were in Gettysburg, and it would not
take long to reach us. Our father took all his coal miners and helped
raise earthworks for the defense of the city. However the Battle of
Gettysburg sent them back south, and victory came to our arms
very soon."
DEATH OF LINCOLN
"Our father almost worshipped Abraham Lincoln. One day he
returned from the city with a very sad and solemn countenance, and
told us that Abraham Lincoln was dead. He brought with him a
large roll of black goods with which to drape the front of the house.
The news had spread and groups of people were to be seen at all
the street corners of the village talking over the sad news, many
with tears running down their cheeks. The war was over, but we had
trusted in this great man to see us through the reconstruction. It
seemed that a pall hung over everything.
"During the war we went to Miss Rachel Latham's Private School
in the Academy. Our parents were among those who wanted the
Academy reopened and well they might for there were five of us
children ready for a school of this kind. Looking back I can't but
wonder how Pa met the expense of sending us to school. What
added to our pleasure was that now Alice and I took music lessons
from Miss Virginia Ludden who made her home with our family.
"There was no Presbyterian Church in Wilkinsburg until i866,
so before that we went to Beulah Church. It was two miles out in
the country and as the carriage only held four, part of the family
walked. On the way we passed Aunt Eliza Graham's house.
297ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
the Indians and the commanders of the fort. Except for these
meetings there was little of importance; there was very little emigration for reasons to be noticed later, and the traders pursued
their business with the Indians with a degree of security. The
measures and policies of General Stanwix were productive of
considerable trade with the Indians.
The treaty of Paris in 1763 terminating the war between the
English and French, however, caused new hostilities. The concession to the English by the French of the Indian lands in territory
claimed by the latter stirred up the Indians. The great chief,
Pontiac, led the red men in the war known as "Pontiac's Conspiracy". He planned to attack and destroy the forts in Western
Pennsylvania, and as part of his campaign to surround Fort Pitt
and cut off all communications with it. Colonel Henry Bouquet,
marching to the relief of Fort Pitt, defeated the Indians at Bushy
Run in Westmoreland County on August 5 and 6, 1763. The
victory was of vast importance in quelling the uprising and it
only required the Bouquet punitive expedition in 1764 into the
Muskingum (Ohio) country to bring peace.
After the capture of Fort Duquesne, the Provincial officers
were most anxious to remove the cause of friction with the Indians. Indeed, so desirous was the government of preventing any
cause of uneasiness with the Indians, that in April 1760, an act20
was passed inflicting the penalty of fifty pounds and twelve
months' imprisonment, "for hunting or following wild beasts,
etc." without the limits of the lands purchased of the Indians by
the proprietaries.
The proprietors professed not to sell any lands beyond the
boundaries of the purchases. If surveys were made over the line
without the proprietor's consent, they were illegal and void. In
1700 and again in 1729-30 acts were passed providing "that if any
person presume to buy any land of the natives, within the limits
of this province and territories without leave from the proprietor
thereof, every such bargain or purchase shall be void and of no
effect."21 For a number of years there was much litigation over
20. Chapters 456-Vol. 1 p. 227-Quoted in 2 Smith's Laws (Pa.) 124.  21. Ibid.
8ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
"Later a church was built in the village, our father being one
of the trustees and prime movers in the enterprise, and I was one
of the charter members. It was very successful from the first. Although a Presbyterian church was much needed in the village, the
members of Beulah were offended and felt it a sad blow on their
church."
The Macfarlane house was always the rendezvous for the young
life of the town. Here were taught steps of the dances learned by a
few who attended the dancing class initiated by Mrs. John Singer
and Mrs. John Rea. The boisterous plays of childhood were
changing to the refinements of the dance and "conversation".
Some Calvinistic feet were slow in learning the step and slide of
the very much disapproved waltz. The schottish was barely tolerated by orthodox parents and by the strictly orthodox ones no
dance steps were tolerated, for the words were synonymous with
the steps which led down to his Satanic majesty's stronghold.
But there was another pleasure in the Macfarlane parlor for
here was a bookcase which stood on the floor where one could
stretch full length and read whatever pleased the taste. To be
sure, there were books in other homes but they stood in orderly
rows in a case placed on top of a writing desk or a broad shelved
bureau, or in the top shelves of high closets at the sides of the
fireplace. Mr. Macfarlane was one of the first villagers to subscribe
to the Mercantile Library of Pittsburgh, and his taste was versatile. Lost in a book "with a plot" the house could have fallen
around him. His interest in a book was closely watched by the
younger generation and when he had finished it was read by his
own children who quickly passed it on to their friends. The tears
shed by the young readers of the neighborhood over Cathy and
Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights were copious.
It was in the parlor of the old house that the marriage of the
oldest daughter, Annie Mary, to "Ell" (Eliakim) Torrance took
place.
Mr. M. K. Salsbury, a wartime friend of the groom, was best
man, and Sadie Baird, a roommate of Miss Macfarlane at the
298THE I. G. MACFARLANE FAMILY
Seminary at Springfield, Ohio, was bridesmaid. From this occasion, it is said, resulted the marriage of Mr. Salsbury and Miss
Baird not so long afterward.
Ell Torrance and his wife went to Brookfield, Missouri, to make
their home. Here he opened his first law office and was elected or
appointed judge. In the early 188o's when the Minnesota boom
was at its height, the Ell Torrance family removed to Minneapolis where he became a distinguished citizen. Mrs. Torrance
survived her husband by seven years, and died in Minneapolis at
the advanced age of ninety years, Palm Sunday, 1938. The following sketch of Judge Torrance's life is taken from a Boston newspaper:
ELIAKIM TORRANCE,
OLDEST OF NATIONAL G.A.R. COMMANDERS
Eliakim(Eli) Torrance, oldest past national commander of the
G.A.R., is dead in Minneapolis at the age of eighty-seven. He served
in 19o01 and 19o02 and often boasted of having attended every national encampment until five years ago, when infirmities of age
prevented. He enlisted with the Pennsylvania Volunteers at seventeen and was a member of the military guard of honor over the body
of President Lincoln at Baltimore. Eliakim Torrance, born at New
Alexandria, Pa., on May 16, 1844, the son of the Reverend Adam
and Eliza Graham Torrance, enlisted, although under military age,
as a private in Company A of the Ninth Pennsylvania Reserves on
June 26, 1861. Save when disabled by wounds, he served in every
engagement with his regiment.
After the war Mr. Torrance read law in Pittsburgh and was admitted to the bar in 1868. He practiced in Minneapolis for about
half a century. Mr. Torrance was a delegate to the Republican
national convention in 1896. He was appointed chairman of the
Normal School Board of Minnesota in 1905 and served for twentyfive years. He was a former chairman of the State High School Board
and a trustee of the McKinley National Memorial Association. He
also was a life member of the Society of the Army of the Potomac, a
member of the board of visitors of the Military Academy in 190o2,
and chairman of the national commission of the G.A.R. on the
fiftieth anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. He was chairman of
299ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
the Minnesota War Memorial Commission. There were five thousand volumes in his Civil War library.
In 1880 the Duquesne Coal Company sold out to the New York
and Cleveland Coal Company. Mr. Macfarlane invested some of
the money received from this sale in an invention that he had
patented. He had previously bought ground that he had owned
and sold twenty-two years before on the corner of Penn Avenue
and Hay Street, and the adjacent lot on the east, both made vacant
by fire. In the center of this plot he built a handsome dwelling.
In the spacious parlor of the new house the marriage of the second
daughter, Margaret, with John M. Patterson took place.
The years spent in the new house were not so carefree as the
former ones, for the panic of 1873 had caught I. G. Macfarlane
and many others. The invention did not yield results as hoped
for and in a few years he was obliged to give up his house, and the
family was scattered. Mr. and Mrs. Macfarlane went to New York
state where he supervised the opening of a park. Alice went West
and studied the Kindergarten Method of Child Education. After
graduation from that school in St. Louis she came back East to
Pittsburgh, and was the first to introduce this system in the city
of Pittsburgh through her private school.
Hardly had the difficulties of the novel undertaking been overcome when Alice Macfarlane suddenly died. A friend wrote at
the time of her passing, "Alice Macfarlane was especially fitted
for her profession, not only had she the understanding heart which
wins childhood-'naughtiness she regarded as crudity which time
corrects'-but she was also able to help young mothers, for she
worked to develop them not only as harmonious homemakers but
for community builders as well."
The kindergarten did not end with Miss Macfarlane's death. So
great an interest had been awakened by her zeal and success that
on November 3o, 1892, a meeting of interested women was called
to discuss a project to establish an association to provide free
kindergarten schools in Pittsburgh and Allegheny. This was
300THE I. G. MACFARLANE FAMILY
effected so quickly that on January 23, 1893, the Alice Macfarlane
Memorial Kindergarten was opened in the Franklin School with
an attendance of two which in a few days had increased to sixty.
State legislation in 1897 through the efforts of Senator William
Flinn brought financial aid from the Public School Boards of
Pittsburgh and Allegheny. The wedge was in for the kindergarten
to become an integral part of the Pittsburgh Public School system.
Eliza (Lizzie) Macfarlane assisted her sister, Alice, in her school
and on the organization of the Pittsburgh and Allegheny Free
Kindergarten Association served as Secretary until her marriage
to James I. Buchanan in 19o1.
After the death of Mrs. W. A. Herron, the first president of the
association, Mrs. Buchanan became president. This office she held
a number of years until the work of the association was merged
entirely into that of the Pittsburgh Public School system.
Mrs. Patterson in her Recollections writes several times "as
our Mother was not strong we..." From this one must not infer
that Mrs. Macfarlane was a colorless member of the very active
household. By no means! Margaret McDowell Macfarlane was the
embodiment of good common sense, and her quiet influence was
paramount both in home and church affairs.
Mrs. Buchanan said one day-"I often think how we learned
from Mother'not to cry over spilt milk'. One day she punished
sister Maggie, her favorite daughter we always thought. Maggie
said nothing, until it was over and then she explained:'I didn't
do it, Mother, it was one of the other girls!' Mother for a moment
looked puzzled, and then said'I am sorry but there is no use in
regretting it now, anyway many a time you've needed a whipping
when you didn't get it'."
They early learned to suppress vain regrets, and take up the
next thing. From this early habit of looking out for themselves
there resulted four self-reliant women; quick to think, to decide,
to act with an ability to quickly comprehend essentials. Another
rule that Mrs. Macfarlane impressed on her children and intimate
friends was this:
"Always call on a newcomer in your neighborhood. Never let
301ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
her feel unwelcome. One never knows when she may need your
help or when you may need hers."
This "not very strong" woman lived to be eighty-eight years
old and was a treasured guest in her daughters' homes for a number of years after her husband's death.
Of the sons, John, as has been stated, died soon after the close
of the Civil War. James died in the far West in the 1890's. The
youngest son and child, Samuel Sterrett, studied dentistry with
his uncle, Dr. Samuel McDowell, who after living many years in
Switzerland had moved to Frankfort-am-Main, Germany, and had
there gained a large clientele. This practice his nephew inherited.
Dr. S. S. Macfarlane married Miss Ida B. Willett. Of their four
children, the youngest, Charles E. Macfarlane, and his two young
sons are the only descendants of Isaiah G. Graham and Margaret
McDowell Macfarlane now living in this neighborhood. Mr.
Charles E. Macfarlane is Chief Chemist of the Westinghouse Air
Brake Company and lives in Edgewood.
[11]
THOMAS DAVISON AND
LUKE BABE DAVISON FAMILIES
MONG the emigrants coming directly from Ireland to WilkinsA burg was a young man named Thomas Davison. He and his
wife had been three months on the sea, as the boat had been disabled and had drifted far from its course. Thomas Davison was
from County Down and probably of farmer stock, but he had received a good education, being well schooled in both Latin and
Greek, these languages being at that time necessary in any higher
course of study. He married Mary Ann Babe, the daughter of the
Rev. Luke Babe of Belfast. The departure of this young couple
to America caused sorrow in the households of both families. So
great was the grief of Thomas Davison's mother in bidding him
farewell that the young man had to break away from her and
302THOMAS DAVISON and LUKE BABE DAVISON FAMILIES
hastily left the house without his hat. Rather than incur a renewal
of heartbreaking emotion, he travelled bareheaded to the port of
sailing.
Mary Ann Babe was the only daughter of the Rev. Luke Babe,
a Presbyterian minister. He died in the city of Belfast not so long
after her settlement in America and articles from the manse, inherited by her, indicate that she came from a refined home. A few
pieces of silver, a book of prayers, and a lonely grave in Beulah
graveyard are the only material mementoes of a beautiful woman.
The pages of this book of prayers, one hundred and forty years
old, are yellow from age and the black ink has faded to brown,
but the character of the Rev. Luke Babe is revealed in the exquisite writing. The many pages of the "Daily Companion" were
copied by his own hand.
Thomas Davison had been a school teacher in Ireland, probably in Belfast where he met his future wife. On his arrival here
the Rev. James Graham, whose zeal for schools was unquenchable, at once pressed Thomas Davison into service. But the income from this profession was not sufficient to support a wife and
young son who was born October 29, 1819, six weeks after the
arrival of the parents in Wilkinsburg. The child received his
baptismal name, Luke Babe, in Beulah church. Thomas Davison
opened a store in the log cabin owned by Daniel McMullin. This
his delicately bred wife tended by day while he "kept school" in
outlying districts.
In the diary of the Rev. James Graham there is this entry: "July
29, 1828. Buried Mrs. Davison." We can picture the husband and
a nine year old boy turning from the grim ceremony in the unsheltered heat of a July day. A heart lonely for mother love was
created that day, for in old age the former boy of nine years said
to his children: "Always cherish your Mother. There is nothing
in life to equal a mother's love. I had a kind stepmother and all
honor to her. I always respected her. She was a good woman but
I was never her own." Perhaps this sense of isolation had the result
of transforming a headstrong boy into one of the tenderest of
husbands and fathers.
303ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
In 1833 Thomas Davison bought two lots from James Kelly.
They were third and fourth from the southeast corner of the
present Penn and Wood Streets and adjoined Dr. Carother's
property. It would appear that he never built on this property,
for this same year he married Rebecca Turner, daughter of Adam
and Mary Quigley Turner, and removed to East Liberty where
he opened a store and held the office of Justice of the Peace for
twenty-seven years. He was an elder in Beulah church, vice president of the Bible Society, Secretary (Clerk) of the Session, and was
often appointed by order of the Courts of Allegheny County to
serve on important township committees. His second wife bore
him two sons, John Scott and Thomas Kingan Davison, and six
daughters, the first of whom, named Mary Ann, died in infancy.
Those who grew to womanhood were Rebecca Jane (Mrs. Robert
Reed), Mary Elizabeth, Margaret Letitia (Mrs. John Cochrane),
and the twin daughters, Katherine Duff and Matilda Graham.
The twin sisters are the only surviving members of their generation. Thomas Davison died May 7, 1874.
On the day of his funeral his oldest granddaughter was left
alone at home. She was very sad for she truly loved her dignified,
handsome grandsire. She was a sanctimonious little cant, and
doubt of her grandfather's salvation was troubling her. Just how
would he be received up in Heaven, for good as he was had he not
always chuckled a little as he walked back and forth while he
listened to his granddaughter reading a chapter in the Bible-one
selected by himself? Suddenly, realization came. "Why, why, he
was laughing at the terrible pronunciation of the complacent
reader." Question, does age or any other dignifier ever entirely
destroy the humor in an Irishman's heart?
Thomas Davison's oldest son, Luke, had the proverbial wit of
his race, which his children inherited in a lesser degree. An aunt
from the austere Scotch or McCosh side of the family once asked
these children, "Do you ever thank the Lord that you were born
Irish?"
Luke Babe Davison attended the public schools of Wilkinsburg
and East Liberty, and after two years in the Western University
304THOMAS DAVISON and LUKE BABE DAVISON FAMILIES
of Pennsylvania, which he reached by shank's mare from Penn
and Sheridan Avenues, East Liberty to the forks at Butler and
Penn, where he took the bus to hlis destination, he entered his
father's store. After a few years he bought the store and served as
Postmaster for two and one half years in Wilkins Post Office (East
Liberty) during the Fillmore administration, and served a number of years as school director in East Liberty.
One day, while sitting before his store talking to his friend,
Samuel Bryson Ross, a heavy load of moving passed by. Walking
behind the wagon were two pretty, decorous young girls who
were walking out from the bus terminal to a new home in
the house built by Hugh Alexander on his plantation called
Leamington. One had a wealth of dark hair, blue eyes, and looked
timidly about her. The other, younger, had golden hair, rosy
cheeks, and cherry lips, and eyes blue as a summer sea. Luke
Davison said to his bachelor friend, "Bryson, which one do you
choose for your wife?" After a slight hesitation Bryson said, "I
think I will choose the dark haired one." The reply was, "It's well
you did for Golden Hair I'm bound to have for my wife." And so
"it came to pass", for Emma (Ammy) McCosh became the wife of
S. B. Ross and Nancy Jane (how she loathed her name) became
the bride of Luke B. Davison; she when seventeen years old and
he thirty-one.
The young wife had been born and reared on a farm at Pigeon
Creek, Washington County, Pennsylvania by a mother, Elizabeth
(Betsy) Allison McCosh, who was a most remarkable woman.
Nancy McCosh, although young, was a capable housekeeper and
an exquisite needlewoman. She had been taught to sew by counting the threads. The stitches in fine material ran two or three
down, two or three up. Today there is an example of this accuracy
in a width of underskirt having fourteen tucks-kept for sentimental reasons.
Cooking stoves were not considered a necessity in 1850, and
were not indorsed by Thomas Davison; but one was installed in
his son's home. The father and his wife were not long in receiving
an invitation from Luke, who ever overflowed with hospitality,
305ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
to come "for a meal". Nancy was in her element and "did herself
proud" on this occasion and Thomas Davison, the opponent of
anything but hearth cooking, at the conclusion of the meal turned
to his wife and said, "Rebecca, if a young girl like Nancy can
do something like this on a stove, think what you could do. We
must have one, too."
In 1858 Luke B. Davison came back to his birthplace, Wilkinsburg, and bought the house planned by Jane Grey Swisshelm for
her brother-in-law, H. Z. Mitchell, and his wife Elizabeth Cannon,
which stood on the northeast corner of the Pike and the future
Hay Street on lot No. 73, sold by Dunning McNair to Ezekiel
Reese in 1814. Mr. Davison bought from I. G. Macfarlane who
had no use for the large storeroom and here he opened a general
store. The dwelling house was large and inconvenient, but equipped with everything a house could possibly require. For instance,
on the end of the upper porch there was a bath room with a large
tin bath tub. The water for ablution must be drawn from a well
and carried up nineteen steps. It was the only bath room in town
and too good for Saturday night's needs. So-well, there were tubs
in those days and movable ones, too. Some day it is to be hoped all
the charm of this roomy house may be recorded. It was just the
kind of a house for children to grow up in.
Luke B. Davison was postmaster in 1861 and 1862; he was
school director, and Justice of the Peace for fifteen years. He was
a Republican-like James D. Carothers and Samuel McElroy,
a deep-dyed one. Abraham Lincoln was to him a god among
men, and James Kelly was a vice-god. He and his wife were
charter members of the First Presbyterian Church and among its
most active supporters in its early days. To them were born five
children:
Thomas, lived but a few days  Clara Carey
John Milton                   Samuel McCosh, died when 2
Elizabeth Mary              years old.
Clara Carey was struck by an automobile at the corner of Penn
and Wood Street and died six days afterward, January 28, 1928.
306THE OLD ACADEMY
John M. Davison was an engineer on the Pennsylvania Railroad and retired after fifty-one years of most honorable service. He
was twice married; his first wife being Caroline A. Myler. One
daughter, Kathryn Myler, became the wife of James L. Allison,
Jr. James L. Allison, Jr. and his wife had three children: Robert
James, who married Mary Rohrer of Lancaster, Pa., continues the
Allisons by one son, "the most wonderful child on earth", Robert
James, Jr.; Carolyn Myler; and James Louis III. The second wife
of John M. Davison was Emma Bryson Young. Their son, John
M., Jr., married Florence Gribble.
Elizabeth M. Davison, the oldest daughter of L. B. and Nancy
McCosh Davison, and the grandson, John M., Jr., are the only descendants of the early settlers, Thomas and Mary Ann Davison,
now living in the borough.
L. B. Davison died in 1893 in his seventy-fourth year. His wife
survived him thirty-one years and died in 1924 at the advanced
age of ninety-one years.
[12]
THE OLD ACADEMY
THE REV. JOHN M. HASTINGS
A TER the death of James Graham, Beulah congregation asked
tAPresbytery to procure supplies for them for six months.
Their request was granted. At the spring meeting of Blairsville
Presbytery, held in Indiana, Pa., a "call" was presented from
Beulah Church to John M. Hastings, a licentiate of Washington
Presbytery. He was promised a salary of $500.
Mr. Hastings accepted the call and was installed pastor of
Beulah, September 9, 1846.
This son of James and Letitia Hastings was born January 27,
1816, in Allegheny County, and was named for his distinguished
uncle, Dr. John McCluskey. To his uncle, John McCluskey
Hastings owed his education and preparation for the ministry.
307SETTLEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PRIOR TO 1788
illegal settlement. In a case before the Supreme Court of the
U. S., a conveyance by an Indian to a white man was, in an
opinion by Chief Justice John Marshall, held to be void.22
By an act passed February 3, 1768,23 after the preamble in these
words, "Whereas many disorderly people, in violation of his
majesty's proclamation, have presumed to settle upon lands not
yet purchased from the Indians, to their damage and great dissatisfaction, which may be attended with dangerous and fatal consequences to the peace and safety of this province," it was enacted,
that if any person settled on the unpurchased lands, neglected
or refused to remove from the same within thirty days after they
were required so to do, or being so removed, should return to
such settlement, or the settlement of any other person, with or
without a family to remain and settle on such lands, or if any person, after such notice, resided and settled on such land, every
such person, so neglecting or refusing to remove, or returning to
settle as aforesaid, or that should settle after the requisition or notice aforesaid, being legally convicted, was to be punished with
death without benefit of clergy. The statute was limited to one year
and on the 18th of February, 1769,24 an act was passed with a similar preamble, to punish by a fine of five hundred pounds, and
twelve months' imprisonment, any person or persons, who, singly,
or in companies, should presume to settle upon any lands within
the boundaries of this province, not purchased of the Indians, or
who should make, or cause any survey to be made of any part
thereof, or mark or cut down, any trees thereon, with design to
settle or appropriate the same to his own, or to the use of any other
person. This act was applicable until all the Indian titles had
been extinguished.
The reason for passing laws with such severe penalties will be
found in the votes of the assembly.25 The intruders who had been
removed, returned to their settlements in Indian lands. By the
communications from Sir William Johnson and General Gage,
it appeared that there were apprehensions of an immediate rup22. Johnson vs. McIntosh-8 Wheaton (U.S.) 543.    23. Chapter 570.
24. Chapter 587.  25. Vol. 6th, P. 7-8.
9ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Dr. MfcCluskey was for a long time pastor of the Presbyterian
Church of West Alexander, Washington County, Pennsylvania,
and in this village he established an Academy of superior reputation for he was a "born teacher." In this Academy his nephew
prepared for Washington College. After graduation he returned
to his uncle for his course in theology and was licensed to preach
April 19, 1843. He was connected with the Presbyterian Board of
Education when called to Beulah, his first appearance before the
congregation having been in the interests of the Board. His
Beulah pastorate lasted nineteen years, during which time great
good was done; the congregation increased in numbers and
prosperity; the membership had an average annual increase of
thirteen.
Mr. Hastings made his home in the village. He came with his
young wife-a Miss McDonald of McDonald's Station, and their
advent was an auspicious one, especially for the Wilkinsburg
members of his congregation. Through them a wholesome and
progressive impetus was given to intellectual life. It was a period
of change, this decade from 1840 to 1850.
The long list of James Kelly's benefactions to churches and institutions was headed by a gift of ground in 1843 to a Methodist
Society for a church building. Following this came a like gift to
the Association of Covenanters in 1845, and again to the United
Brethern in Christ in 1850.
New houses were being built by recent purchasers of land, for
doubtless many of those who had been attracted to the village as
a pleasant summer resort became permanent residents now that
church privileges were open to them. Church and school complement each other. The law for establishment and maintenance of
schools at public expense was in its early years of trial, but the
spirit of education incited by the public schools was growing in
many quiet communities. Academies were being organized which
offered courses in higher education than the public school afforded at that time. Elder's Ridge Academy, founded in 1839, was in
a flourishing condition; likewise, the Academy founded by the
Reverend Francis Laird at Murrysville. In the judgment of Mr.
308THE OLD ACADEMY
Hastings, Wilkinsburg had just the proper setting for an experiment of like character. His own early education and preparation
for college had been acquired in such like quiet environment.
His new house was situated on Wallace Avenue, then called
"the back street", where the Ruskin Villa now stands. To the east
was the recently erected Methodist Church; to the west stretched
unbroken fields.
In 1852 a private school was opened which was the forerunner
of the desired Academy. This school was opened by James Huston,
mentioned in his college records as a faithful student of quiet
habits and excellent character. He was the son of John and Eliza
Weakley Huston, who lived on a farm about five miles west of
Carlisle, Pennsylvania. James Huston was born on this farm June
25, 1822. Early in life he chose teaching as his profession and being
of literary taste he contributed articles to various papers. After
graduating from Jefferson College, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania,
he had charge of schools in Shippensburg, Newville, and other
towns in Cumberland County. At the same time he was Assistant
Editor of "The Pennsylvanian", a paper or magazine of some
repute.
His mother was a sister of Mrs. Henry Chalfant, and during his
college days he frequently visited at the Chalfant home where he
met and won Margaret Graham for his wife. She was one of the
two youngest daughters of the Reverend James Graham.
One evening John W. Milligan, David Dickson and Frank G.
Craighead, three former pupils of the Academy, met together and
after talking over events of their youth, they decided that their
recollections should be written down, for they greatly valued the
influence of this school on the formation of their characters. The
result of their efforts is here given as a contribution to "Annals of
Old Wilkinsburg" by Ernest S. Craighead of Edgewood, a son of
Frank G. Craighead.
OLD WILKINSBURG ACADEMY
About the year 1852 Mr. James Huston started a select school in
Wilkinsburg which was the forerunner of the afterwards famous
309ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
"Wilkinsburg Academy". It was housed in a brick dwelling which
still stands on the north side of Penn Avenue at the west corner
of Hay Street.
From the very first and throughout its entire history the
Academy was co-educational. It must be remembered that in
those days the town of Wilkinsburg was merely a small struggling
village. The Pennsylvania Railroad did not start running trains
through from Pittsburgh until December lo, 1852, and even for
many years thereafter the town was very small. The Academy in
Wilkinsburg was the only educational institute higher than
the common school in this section outside of Pittsburgh. The
people came from many miles around; as far away as Homestead,
Turtle Creek, and all the country between and out the Pike from
Wilkinsburg.
There were at first no stations on the Railroad between Wilkinsburg and Braddock so that most of the pupils had a long walk
to and from the Academy. It had the distinction of preparing
many of the local boys for college, among them W. G. Hawkins,
George Chalfant, J. W. Milligan, Mr. Patterson, James Haymaker, and many others, as well as dozens of boys and girls who never
entered college. The terms were about $2o.oo a session or half
year.
Not long after its establishment Mr. Huston's health failed
and he gave up the school. He died in 1854 and was buried in
Beulah.
The Rev. John M. Hastings, pastor of Beulah Presbyterian
Church took charge and conducted the school for a few years.
During the early part of his administration the Academy was
housed in the old Public School, a two-story brick building,
which stood at the corner of Center St. and Wallace Ave. Mr.
Hastings' first assistant was John Hamilton, a son of Duncan
Hamilton of Turtle Creek; afterwards Richard Sparrowgrove
took Hamilton's place.
About the year 1855 Mr. Hastings gave up the Academy to his
brother, Fulton W. Hastings, who conducted it in the U.B.
Church building, still standing on the corner of Coal and Ross
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-----..... 11 1.11111111.11.111.1111................................... 11.......''I'll,................................................................................. 11.......111............-.-..-.----..-............................................--.---.---.............................................................................................................. ---- -----.....................................................................................................I........I...... --.,....''I'll.... I'll,.1.... I..,.......I... I..,....................................I...............I......... 1.11''..''.........I................ 11.....-.....I.......I.....I................................................I..........I....I................... I------.... I..'',........I........-.:..,.........,.,...................,.,.,...........,......,,,.,............,.,.,.,.,.,...,.,.,.,.,.,...,.,.,.,.,.....,.",.,.,.....,...,.,.,...,.,.,.,..,.,.,".,.,.,...,.,.,.,.,.,.,.",.,'...,.,.,.,.,,.,.,.,.,.,"...,...",.,.,".,...,.,.,.,.,..".,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.."".,."..,.","...,.,.",.",".,.,,,.",.,.,.,.,.,"""".,.,.,.",."",..,.'"""""""'.,""",,.""",.,".""'II.I.I.I.I.I.I.I...,.,.,.,.,."''...,.,...,.,...o _..".%%,.__ ___.'','''''','''','''',"'"'",.""",,.".""""","",.",.,.,""",",.,.,.,.,.",.",.WVilliam Anderson, editor of Pittsburgh Gazette (Post-Gazette)THE OLD ACADEMY
Streets. His assistant was John W. Heagen. It remained there a
year or two and in the meantime they built the Wilkinsburg
Academy building, probably in the early part of 1856, on Wallace
Avenue at the northeast corner of Center St. The ownership of the
building was vested in a Stock Company. Many of the residents
of this section owned stock and naturally sent their children to
the Academy. It was a one-story brick building with a steeple and
a bell and was opened about 1856.
A memorandum of deed to Edward Thompson cites the Rev.
John M. Hastings, Dr. James M. Carothers, Henry Chalfant, Edward Thompson, Robert Milligan and David Duff as Trustees.
The price of the ground was $250.
When the Rev. John M. Hastings gave up his position as principal of the Academy to his brother, Fulton, the latter associated
with himself, as assistant principal, Joseph B. Kiddoo.
A few selections from an old prospectus awaken the imagination and make interesting a comparison between private school
expenses in 1858 and now, 1938.
WILKINSBURG ACADEMY
MALE AND FEMALE
ENGLISH AND CLASSICAL HIGH SCHOOL
The Institution is situated in the village of Wilkinsburg, seven
miles east of the City of Pittsburgh.
It is accessible by the Chambersburg and Pittsburgh Turnpike,
and Pennsylvania Central Railroad, and we can safely say no
situation could be more desirable for a salubrious atmosphere,
good water, freedom from epidemic diseases and, in short, all the
advantages of a superior location.
Page 2 gives Courses of Instruction from which we quoteJunior Class.
Town's Analysis,          Watt's on the Mind,
English Grammar, with     Natural History, Smellie's,
Parsing in Milton,      Astronomy, Olmstead's,
Arithmetic, Greenleaf's   Chemistry, Silliman's,
National,                  Rhetoric, Blair's,
311ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Philosophy, Parker's,
History of the United States,
Algebra, Davies', and
Robinson's,
Physiology and Hygiene,
Cutter's, With use of maps.
Page 3 states Terms.
Science of Government,
Young's
General History,
Geometry, Lumas' or Davies',
Roman and Grecian
Antiquities.
Primary Class-44 weeks.. $15.00
Preparatory "-".. i8.oo
Junior    " -"   ".. 22.00
Senior    "-"  ".. 26.o00
Each student is required to pay $.25 to the contingent fund at the
beginning of each session.
And then follows this statement-"Good boarding and lodging
can be obtained in the village from $2.00 to $2.50 a week; if the
tuition be not paid at the close of each session, lawful interest will
be claimed up to the time of settlement."
The Academy made a stir in the quiet little town for quite a
number of students came from the country and other towns to
avail themselves of the advantages presented by the "Temple of
Literature" and of the "good board and lodging from $2.00 to
$2.50 a week".
On the programs of the rival Literary Societies appear these
names--(1856--1859).
J. Woodwell, Wilkinsburg      J. T. Chalfant, Turtle Creek
G. K. Horner,    "              Wm. Horner, Wilkinsburg
Wm. P. Miller, East Liberty   Dallas Sanders, Homewood, Pa.
J. O. Miller, Shirland, Pa.   B. Wilson, Road Side
Jno. W. Milligan, Swissvale   J. S. Scott, McKeesport
Wm. J. Snodgrass, McKeesport   C. C. Small, Allegh. Co. Pa.
D. T. McCloy, Venice, Pa.     J. Boice, New Texas, Pa.
Jas. McKelvey, Wilkinsburg    D. T. Harvey, Manor Dale
L. Miller, Noblestown, Pa.    M. G. Euwer, New Texas
J. M. Craig, W. Alexander     C. S. Haven, Swissvale
W. S. Reese, Wilkinsburg      J. H. Woodwell, Wilkinsburg
S. Dickey, Mercersburg        S. M. Cline,         "
312THE OLD ACADEMY
J. G. Brown, Cottage Hill
F. G. Craighead, Swissvale
J. B. Duff, Allegh, Co.
J. Snyder, Salem X Roads
W. B. Elder, Elwood Farm
Jno. Macfarlane, Wilkinsburg
Jno. MCWilliams,
S. Thompson,       "
R. N. Long, East Liberty
H. R. Chalfant, Howardville
Wm. B. McCrea, "Dundee Farm"
W. H. Jeffries, Wilkinsburg
Jos. Milligan, Swiss Vale
R. G. Hare, Pittsburgh
John Reed, Canonsburg
W. G. Hawkins, Braddock
W. H. McKelvey, Greenwood, Pa.
Geo. A. Chalfant, Turtle Creek
J. H. Herriott, Hickory, Pa.
B. I. McClure, Mifflin, Pa.
J. C. Carothers, Turtle Creek
W. P. McNary, Cannonsburg
J. M. Hastings, Norwich, Ohio
J. G. Haymaker,
Westmoreland CO.
A. C. Patterson, Center Town
J. B. Gates, Kittanning, Pa.
J. S. Van Gorder, Perry, Pa.
Albert G. Miller, Port Perry, Pa.
Winm. Turner, Wilkinsburg
F. Erwin Logan,
Westmoreland CO.
Among the "Females" are listed:
Mary E. Chadwick, Maple Valley, Pa.
Josephine B. Elder, Elwood Farm, Ligonier, Pa.
Lizzie Graham, Lime Hill (Mrs. Pollock McNary)
Mattie Graham, Lime Hill
Mary E. Carothers, Wilkinsburg(Mrs. JohnW. Milligan)
Susan J. Irwin, East Liberty (Mrs. Hugh Neel)
Mary Horner, Wilkinsburg
Elly Horner, Wilkinsburg (Mrs. John McKelvey)
Tillie Horner, Wilkinsburg
Lidie Horner, Wilkinsburg (Mrs. Franklin M. Gordon)
Lizzie McKelvey, Wilkinsburg (Mrs.? Hagan)
Sarah Thompson, Wilkinsburg
Kate Beeler, Squirrel Hill
Rachel Latham, Penn Twp. (Mrs. William Cunningham)
Callie Robinson, Penn Twp. (Mrs. Henry Morrow)
Ellen Q. McCrea, "Dundee Farm" (Mrs. John W. Chalfant)
The programs given are contributed by Mrs. Eleanor McCrea Ewing (Mrs. Robert
M. Ewing) and Henry Chalfant Miller.
There was another literary production from anonymous writ313ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
ers whose names were listed as "students" on the Academy roll. It
was a newspaper bearing the title "The Rattlesnake".
Notwithstanding the dire threats of punishment to be inflicted
on one who would discover and make public the editors of the
four page sheet, the "Wise Patriarchs" were men of decision and
dignity and prompt to act where their authority was endangered
and themselves ridiculed. There was but one issue of the "Rattlesnake".
The following is the first articleTHE RATTLESNAKE
Wilkinsburg, Pa., July 28, I859
VOL. I, CHAPTER I
Now there is in the plain of Wilkinsburgh a renowned Temple of
Literature which is called an Academy, and many young ladies and
gentlemen thereunto are assembled to seek after knowledge, but
alas! Many are they who seek but do not find.
Now this Temple and the inhabitants thereof are subject to six
wise and venerable Patriarchs, called Trustees, who watches ever
and protects her interests as even a hen doth over her brood.
Now there are also in this Oreian village, partakers of the venemous worm or the juice of the eye, whereunto many of the youth
were accustomed to assemble. Oh, wicked brethren, broad is the way
that leadeth unto the house of Ezekial to drink punch and be merry.
And after the space of four and twenty days the report came unto
the ears of Johnny the Priest and from thence it spread unto the
ends of the earth. And now behold James, who is the Scribe of the
patriarchs sent forth a decree that all the nice patriarchs together
with the prince, whose surname is Fulton, and his brother Joseph,
should therein assemble upon the seventh day of the week which is
the day before the Sabbath.
CHAPTER II
And it came to pass after they had therein assembled, the haughty
prince arose. Now this man is of a proud and haughty disposition
and the young men and women loves him not, in as much as he
rules over them with a rod of iron.
And the prince spake saying: I have been sorely grieved in so
314THE OLD ACADEMY
much that I slept neither by day nor by night because these young
men went in unto the houses of Joseph and Ezekial. Now these young
men spake unto me saying: "We will no more return unto the
houses of Joseph and Ezekial but will walk in the narrow path
that leadeth unto Beulah, therefore it would be grievous to my
pocket to remove them from the walls of the Temple.
Now Joseph, whose hair was fair and not beautiful to look upon
became very fierce insomuch that the wise Patriarchs were astonished for he was a man of Beulah. He arose and spake, saying:
Often have I named and tried to terrify these wicked young men,
but still they persisted in going along the slippery way that leadeth
unto the bottle of Ezekial. Shall the authority of you wise patriarchs
be set at naught and the offenders escape unpunished? For seven
long months have I been a despiser of punch and a lover of ale, and
now, Oh! Wise Patriarens! I beseech you to be steadfast and fear
not the angry curses of the wicked young men, and now I also
implore you to drive the young offenders forever from our presence. So he, being exhausted, sat down; the rest of the wise
Patriarchs spake and said nothing.
CHAPTER III
Now it came to pass, after the space of two days about the
eleventh hour, that Johnny, the wise, and Edward, the mute, came
up before all the children of the Temple.
Now Johnny, the Priest, arose and spake unto all the children
saying: Behold the wise Patriarchs have declared that I should
speak unto you as I have never done in former times. Verily, verily
now I say unto you that these youthful offenders shall be restored
whenever genuine repentance and true sorrow shall come upon
them for this is in accordance to the wise Patriarchs, and their
servants, Fulton and Joseph. Behold the countenance of the young
ladies fell, for they were sorely displeased, because they loved the
young men very much.
CHAPTER IV
After a little time each one of the offenders returned unto his own
tent to make genuine repentance, but verily, verily, the one sayeth
unto the other, "we must have more punch from the house of
Ezekial to fill our eyes with genuine repentance." And now it came
to pass after they had made genuine sorrow for the space of three
315ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
ture with the Indians; proclamations had proved to be ineffectual, and it was earnestly required that more effectual provisions should be made for that purpose, "before it should be too
late to prevent the devastations, cruelties and effusion of blood
attendant on an Indian war, which might be experienced soon,
unless active measures were adopted, for the redress of the grievances of which the Indians complained."
However there was some emigration and to a certain extent
settlements were permitted after the victory of Colonel Bouquet
at Bushy Run in 1763 and the defeat of the Ohio Indians in 1764.
A plan of streets and lots was laid out-"the Old Military Plan"near Fort Pitt. It included the district bounded by the present
Water, Second, Market and Ferry Streets in Pittsburgh. Occupation of these lots, however, conferred no legal title. Even previous to this there were some improvements in the outlying
districts: James Goudin built a house at 11 Mile Run; five or
six families began improvements on the Two Mile Run; and
Alexander McKee made improvements on the Ohio four miles
below the Fort.26
In addition there was another type of permissive settlement.
In order to encourage settlements in the wilderness, to accommodate armies on the march, and to protect the frontiers during
Indian uprisings, army commanders were authorized to grant
military permits to actual settlers. These permits bestowed the
right to cultivate certain tracts of land, or in some instances land
warrants were issued on moderate terms; in all cases, the permits
or warrants gave preemption rights to settlers when the land was
later placed upon the market. In the journals kept by the commanders at Fort Pitt there are numerous references to such settlements; e. g., William Sheaner and Harry Shirsch made improvements in the vicinity of the Fort by order of Colonel Bouquet;
Kasper Loup improved lands four miles from Fort Pitt with per26. Allegheny County's Hundred Years-p. 16. Early settlers at this time and
shortly after included: John Carrothers, Robert Smith, Walter Denny, John Greir,
Joseph Hunter, William Ramsey, John Wilson, James Hannah, James Dean, Richard Butler, Robert Dewling, Devereauz Smith, John Wilkins, Jr., Thomas Bend, Jr.,
William Preston, Robert Harrison, Matthew Grimes, John Frankman and John
Crush.-Ibid.
10ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
days, James, the scribe of the Patriarchs cried out, saying: "let the
young men remain that they may yet learn the ways of wisdom."
And so two of the young men remain even unto this day.
As to the rest, are their deeds not written indelibly in the minds
of the Patriarchs."
This effusion is followed by an article entitled: "Address delivered Annually by Prof. Hastings".
Nor were the students exempt from comment; one item seems
apropos. The dangerous curve on Penn Avenue seems to have
been the same 80 years ago as today, for a certain student is reported in "The Rattlesnake" as having been seen going up the
hill on hands and knees to keep an engagement with the fair
co-eds at Lime Hill, or on down towards Turtle Creek, or out the
Northern Pike.
Into this quiet and happy environment came the call to arms
in 1861. The response was instantaneous. The Academy doors
were closed, for the carefree, and if "The Rattlesnake" can be
taken as an index, "Devil may care" spirit of the old Academy students had found a new course of adventure. Some boys ran away
from home to secretly enlist, among them William Horner, who
was accepted as drummer boy, although under enlistment age,
and who served throughout the war. Among the first to go "was
Joseph, whose hair was fair", and who was "a man of Beulah".
Joseph B. Kiddoo, assistant principal of The Academy, enlisted
at once in a nine months' regiment and rose to be LieutenantColonel. When the regiment was mustered out, he came back to
Pittsburgh, and being unable to secure a commission, enlisted as
a private. In a few months he was made Colonel of a colored regiment, when it was certain death for him if he were captured, and
served through the war with great distinction. He was severely
wounded in the service, and retired after the war as a MajorGeneral in the regular army. He afterwards died from the effects
of his wound.
Mrs. Custer, in Tenting on the Plains, page 193, writes thus of
the suffering of old army officers: "One day in New York on the
street my husband suddenly seized my arm and said'there is
316THE OLD ACADEMY
Kiddoo let us catch up with him'. I was skipped over gutters and
sped over pavements... until we came up panting and breathless
on each side of a tall, fine looking man, apparently a specimen of
physical perfection. The look of longing that he gave us as we ran
up, flushed and happy, startled me, and I could scarcely wait until
we parted to know the meaning. It was this: General Joseph B.
Kiddoo, shot in the leg during the war, had still the open wound
from which he endured daily pain and nightly torture, for he
got only fragmentary sleep. To heal the wound was to end his
life, the surgeons said. When at last I heard he had been given
relief and slept the blessed sleep, what word of sorrow could be
framed?"
After the Wilkinsburg Academy closed, Fulton W. Hastings
opened a school for boys in West Philadelphia. The school maintained the reputation for scholarship established by the Wilkinsburg Academy.
F. W. Hastings married the oldest of the eight charming daughters of Colonel Elder, who came from Elmore Farm, Ligonier,
and for a number of years occupied the large roomy stone house,
originally a tavern, on the bank of Turtle Creek. Directly opposite the Brinton Station House, of the Pennsylvania Railroad, was
afterwards built.
The Rev. John M. Hastings had the somewhat unique distinction of marrying four times. His first wife was Margaret Raybold,
who lived but a short time.
A Miss McDonald of the McDonald Station family was his
second wife and the mother of his two sons "Johnnie and Eddie".
These sons died, unmarried, many years before their father.
After Mr. Hastings retired from the ministry, he married the
third time. This wife was Miss Katherine Miller, daughter of
Colonel Miller of Port Perry. Soon after this marriage, Mr. Hastings built three frame houses on Wallace Avenue on the west side
of his brick residence. In the adjoining frame house, now known as
the "T. D. Turner Funeral Parlor", the Hastings family lived for
some years, then removed to Wooster, Ohio, where Mrs. Hastings
317ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
died in 1874. Some years later Mr. Hastings removed to West
Chester, Pennsylvania, where he married the fourth time; this
wife survived him.
Although the four marriages were successive ones, one of his
Beulah parishioners, for some reason best known to himself, spoke
of his pastor as "The Mormon", but the Reverend John M. Hastings could easily refute any opprobium that might be cast upon
him. He was a cultured gentleman, a scholar of high repute, and
an earnest, devoted Christian pastor.
Mr. Hastings died September 8, 1892 and was buried in West
Chester, Pennsylvania.
[13]
WILLIAM ANDERSON, 1828-1905
MONG the men who gave guiding help and influenced the early
years of the Borough of Wilkinsburg was William Anderson, member of the first council.
Mr. Anderson was not one of our pioneers, having come to
Wilkinsburg from the neighboring village, Edgewood, in 1883.
But for many years prior to moving to Wilkinsburg, the Anderson family was closely affiliated with it. They were members of
the First Presbyterian Church from its organization; the older
children, William, James and Ada, attended Prof. Ludden's
Academy and the younger children, the public school, as at this
time Edgewood had neither church nor school.
Besides Mr. Anderson's help as a member of council, his influence as an editorial writer of the most widely read paper, "The
Commercial Gazette," now "The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette," had
its effect on the people of Wilkinsburg, as well as on those in the
surrounding communities.
Of William Anderson's ancestry the earliest authentic record
states that his great-grandfather, William Anderson, was born in
County Down, Ireland, in 1722, of ancestors who had removed
318WILLIAM ANDERSON, 1828-1905
from Scotland to Ireland about 1700. The family were farmers
and weavers of linen cloth. Of the third generation, a William
Anderson came to this country from Bally Kelly in 1816. His
wife and a son having died in Ireland, he was accompanied by his
only child, Mary Ann. They landed in Baltimore and were three
weeks reaching Pittsburgh, traveling by wagon. William Anderson settled in Moon Township, Allegheny County, and married
Nancy Arnold, a native of the same district in Ireland as himself.
They had eight children, of whom William Anderson, subject
of this sketch, was their only son.
In 1839 William and Nancy Arnold Anderson moved to Allegheny City, where the husband died in 1858. He was a Democrat
and an active worker in the Washingtonian Temperance Movement; also, a member of the Associate Reformed (now the United
Presbyterian) Church. William, Jr., as a lad of 12, left school and
entered the office of the Conference Journal as roller boy, but
soon afterwards took the same position in the office of the Gazette
where he was employed seven years. In the meantime he picked
up a good education by reading the exchanges and such books as
he found at home and in the libraries of his neighbors and friends.
He was employed as a compositor on the old Christian Advocate and returned to the Gazette. After 12 years at the cases he took
up reportorial work on the Gazette.
For a time he was a member of the writing staff of the Daily
Union and the True Press but since these papers were short lived,
it was not long till he returned to the Gazette to become its City
Editor. Subsequently, he was a member of the staff of the Dispatch
but in 1867 became City Editor of the Commercial and continued
until its consolidation with the Gazette in 1877. After doing
special work for a year he was made Editor in Chief and remained
so for nearly 20o years.
Mr. Anderson in his influential position as Editor of the leading Whig organ of the West and later destined to fight many
battles for the Republican Party had his time.
On the night of his retirement when he gathered around the
banquet table at the Hotel Duquesne with his colleagues of the
319ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Gazette, he made an address in which he related interesting reminiscenses of his work.
His story of three score years in journalism tells graphically of
the vicissitudes of pioneer editors. "I have as a boy and man," said
Mr. Anderson, "spent full sixty years in a printing office. I was
roller boy in 1840 when the daily edition of the Gazette was worked on a handpress at a speed of say 250 copies an hour for one side
of the sheet, or two papers. The other side was finished some
hours later at the same rapid rate. After being folded, the papers
were ready for mailing.
"Circulation was estimated by tens of thousands in those days.
Think of the old handpress and the present machine which now
throws off with lightning rapidity the various editions of the
Gazette.
"I have seen Neville B. Craig retire in the early'40s, and
Deacon White, as he was familiarly called, was in full control of
the paper. Mr. White was a man of few words and it was agreed I
should assume the new duties of reporter. His instructions I well
remember-'Write facts, use plain English, and when you have
done that, stop. If any opinions are necessary, I'll supply them
through the editorial column.'
"The rise and fall of the Whigs, and the organization and
speedy triumph of the Republican Party were the great political
movements I witnessed during my career."
The aggression of the slave power had aroused national indignation, and the anti-slavery champions were forced to make common cause against the further extension of a hated and blighting
institution. Horace Greeley and Henry J. Raymond of New York,
Salmon P. Chase and Joshua R. Geddings of Ohio, with many
others who might be named, laid the groundwork for the organization of a national party which scored its first triumph in the
election of Abraham Lincoln.
One of the proofs of Mr. Anderson's standing as a star reporter
was his handling of the famous Lincoln speech which was made
from the balcony of the Monongahela House on February 15,
186 1, when Lincoln was on his way to Washington. Mr. Lincoln's
320WILLIAM ANDERSON, 1828-1905
speech on this occasion became a classic and is frequently quoted
from by orators who wish to pay Pittsburgh its highest compliments. Mr. Anderson wrote the speech in longhand and furnished his paper with a faithful report of that epoch-making
gathering.
Mr. Anderson was an all-round newspaperman. He served for
a long time as court reporter and in the work secured a good
knowledge of law and a friendship with many of the prominent
judges of that day.
Another close and life-long friend was George Westinghouse.
Mr. and Mrs. Westinghouse made their home with the Anderson
family in Edgewood while they were building their house in
Homewood.
Among some of the outstanding events in the history of the
community which closely touched Wilkinsburg was the riot in
1877 and the burning of the Pennsylvania Depot. As trains were
the one mode of transportation at that time, Mr. Anderson stayed
in Pittsburgh close to his desk for days, making only one trip
to Wilkinsburg by carriage owing to an important event-the
arrival of his first grandson. The disastrous flood in Johnstown
on June 1, 1889, and the Homestead Riot on July 7, 1892, were
subjects for outstanding editorials.
It was just after the Civil War that Mr. Anderson built his
home in Edgewood. It was one of the twelve houses forming the
little village.
In 1850 Mr. Anderson married Malazena Wallace, daughter of
Robert Wallace, Esq., of Lawrenceville. They had eight children.
Mrs. Anderson died in 1877.
Shortly before moving to Wilkinsburg, William Anderson
married Caroline A., daughter of John Nimon. They had no
children.
Mrs. Jane G. Edrington and Mrs. Grace W. Highberger, the
two youngest daughters of William and Malazena Anderson, continue to reside in the family home on Holland Avenue, Wilkinsburg. The widow of William Anderson, his oldest son and two of
their children are still living in Edgewood.
321ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Mr. Anderson often spoke with satisfaction of being able to
visit all of his children and their families in one day.
[14]
GEORGE REED JOHNSTON FAMILY
EORGE REED JOHNSTON, born August 7, 1798, was the oldest
Gr  son of General John and Mary Reed Johnston. He grew up
on his father's farm, and in early manhood was a river engineer
on boats running between Pittsburgh and New Orleans. In an
old directory he is also mentioned as a wheel-wright or wagon
maker in the village. He inherited a generous portion of his
father's large tract of land, through which the Great Road ran in
early days. His portion was on the hill above the village in a section known at first as "Plainfield."
George R. Johnston married Sarah Ann Little, a daughter of
the pioneers, David and Christiana Stattenfield Little. They had
eight sons: George, James Little, Robert, John (died in infancy),
John 2nd, David, William, and Jonas. Robert and John 2nd were
Civil War soldiers. Robert was killed at the battle of the Wilderness and John died from disease contracted during service.
In 1859 David Johnston married Susan Terry, born in New
York City. Their only child, Mrs. Laura Johnston Rigg, states
that "he served his country during the Civil War by compounding drugs in Fleming's Drug Store which were sent to the soldiers
in camp."
George Johnston married Margaret Elder, whose brother Robert Elder enlisted in Company A, 63rd Regiment, P.V. Of George
Johnston's line, one daughter, Mrs. Margaret Johnston Moore, is
the only child living and is a resident of the Borough. (1939.)
To James L. Johnston the Borough is indebted for the gift of
ground on which the Johnston Public School stands. He was a fine
looking man of most genial nature. In 1861 the news of his intended marriage to Rachel Glenn Graham, the youngest daugh322GEORGE REED JOHNSTON FAMILY
ter of the Reverend James Graham and wife, Martha McC.
Graham, caused surprise to the Johnston and Graham families
and their very large circle of friends, for James Johnston was spoken of as easy-going in his manner and habits, while Miss Graham,
said to be like her father in precision of speech and dignity of
manner, was his exact opposite. However, Cupid plays strange
tricks at times and the marriage was a happy one. They had no
children but children were always made welcome in their home.
An evening spent with them one winter moonlight night when
the crisp snow crackled under the feet of three village girls going
to and from the Johnston house still brings pleasure in memory.
Mr. and Mrs. Johnston then lived in a low log or frame house
on ground near the James McKelvy homestead. The fireplace was
a wide open one with crane and andirons on which blazed logs of
wood. Over the mantel hung a sampler worked by Mrs. Johnston,
having this verse stitched in richly blended colors:
While this gay toy attracts thy sight
Thy reason let it warnAnd seize my dear that raPid time
Which never can return... Rachel Glenn Graham 1837 aetat 9 yrs.
By the side of the hearth sat Mrs. James Graham with white
cap and kerchief, and on the rug lay a large shepherd dog. There
were stories for entertainment, corn to be popped, and a basket
of shining red apples for refreshment, but the evening reached its
peak in pleasure when Mr. Johnston took down his violin and
played. It is said he fell in love with Miss Graham's beautiful hair.
Could the tune that night have been "Jeannie with the light
brown hair"?
Mr. James Johnston inherited the original warrant for 620
acres of land granted by the Government to his grandfather for
revolutionary service. Having no children he gave the precious
document to his brother William who had married Emma Terry,
a sister of his brother David's wife. William's grandson who lives
in New Jersey is now the possessor of the warrant.
Jonas, the youngest son of George R. Johnston, married his
323ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
cousin Eulalia A. Stoner and their two sons, Frederick and Reed,
live in the Borough.
['15
RICHARD BEATTY, IV
ABOUT 1828 there came to America from Ayrshire, Scotland, by
i   way of County Down, North Ireland, a Richard Beatty, his
wife, whose maiden name was Stevens, and son aged four. The
man was Richard Beatty, the third in genealogical line to bear the
name; the young boy was Richard Beatty, the fourth of that name.
In a short time Richard Beatty III died about 1840. His widow
married a John Lord, but until her death she was more often
spoken of as "Widow Beatty" than as Mrs. Lord.
For a few years previous to 1848, her son Richard Beatty IV,
made his home with his mother, but shortly after his marriage
in 1848 to Eliza Wilson, he moved to Emlenton where successively he owned a Rope Walk, a trading boat running to New Orleans,
and conducted a general store.
Apropos of the Rope Walk, a member of Mr. Beatty's family,
on being asked its exact location, replied most positively, "Never,
never did father walk a rope. Why, he was lame!" It is probable
that Mr. Beatty had removed to Lawrenceville while managing
the trading boat and conducting the store. In 1867 he moved
back to Wilkinsburg where he already owned property, and
bought more land. His property is described as now facing Penn
Avenue on two sides, running from Montier Street to Ross Avenue. Here he opened a general store and later established a wholesale produce depot on Liberty near Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh. In
the city business he was assisted by his oldest son, Richard Wilson
Beatty V.
In later years Richard Beatty IV moved his family residence to
735 North Avenue, where he and his wife died. His daughter,
Miss Sarah Beatty, with a niece, now occupies the property. From
the time Richard Beatty IV was a young boy he was a devout
324PIONEER HOMES AND HOSPITALITY
Methodist, and during all his adult life he held strict Republican
views.
The children of Richard Beatty IV and his wife were as follows:
Sons-Richard Wilson Beatty, a prominent man in church and
borough affairs.
John Wesley Beatty
James Hamilton Beatty
Daughters-Eliza Jane Beatty-(Mrs. Thomas D. Turner)
Sarah A. Beatty
Agnes L. Beatty-(Mrs. Frank H. Callahan)
Ellen M. Beatty-(Mrs. Horace M. Lowry)
Mary Beatty
Today, October 1, 1939, the 5th generation of Richard Beatty
III are living in the Borough.
[16]
PIONEER HOMES AND HOSPITALITY
I HAT depths of feeling are stirred when we mention the
AV  Twords-"pioneer homes and hospitality".
The keynote of the pioneer woman's character was resourcefulness. She accepted her responsibilities and gave herself, body,
soul and spirit, to the duty of creating a home for her family. Amid
extreme poverty and hindrances caused by lack of domestic utilities, she bravely accomplished the heavy tasks of daily toil.
In the early years there was ever the over-hanging black cloud
of fear of Indian raids. When the husband left home, if only to
work in the not distant fields, there was the fear that on his return he might find his crops ruined, his one or two domestic animals slaughtered, his cabin burning and his wife and children
brutally murdered or carried off captives. And in the cabin, there
was the fear that when the husband went out he might never
come back.
Added to these stark conditions of life was the constant strain
325SETTLEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PRIOR TO 1788
mission of Colonel Bouquet; and in 1769 William Christy was
permitted "to improve for the benefit of travelers."27
The Acts of 1768 and 1769 referred to above did not extend
to persons then, or thereafter settled on the main roads, or communications, leading through the province to Fort Pitt, with the
approbation and permission of the commander in chief of his
majesty's forces, etc., or in the neighborhood of Fort Pitt, under
such permission, or to a settlement made by George Croghan,
deputy superintendent of Indian affairs, under Sir William Johnson on the Ohio, above the fort.
The preemption rights granted in these military permits were
the cause of considerable litigation,28 and the courts were frequently called upon to determine the rights of prior settlers. In
one case29 the Supreme Court said:
"During the Indian warfare, it was necessary for the accommodation of the armies on the line of their march, that such settlements should be encouraged in the wilderness. And it was reasonable, that persons who by such permission, had settled plantations,
at the risque of their lives, for public accommodation, (throwing
aside all motives of private interest, which, no doubt, had their
influence) should have the preference, when the office was open for
the sale of the lands. Such preference was accordingly given."
Finally in 1768 a treaty with the Indians of the Six Nations was
concluded at Fort Stanwix (Rome, N. Y.) for a transfer of the Indian titles to most of the land in Western Pennsylvania (The
balance except for the Erie triangle in 1792 noted above were
transferred by the treaty of 1784). There was an immediate demand for grants in the purclhased territory.30 Prior to this time
there seems to have been no uniform practice of granting lands
and in many cases the requirements were ignored. There were
27. Allegheny County's Hundred Years-p. 16. This included Grant's Hill.
28. During the first sixty years of the Allegheny County Courts, ejectment suits
involving land titles and boundaries were more numerous than at any time. Much
of the law practice of that period was devoted to such litigation and the fame of
early lawyers rested upon their powers in that field.
29. Quoted in 2 Smith's Laws (Pa.) 128.
3o. By 1790, 63,000 had settled in Western Pennsylvania. Immigration was almost
entirely suspended during the Revolution.
11ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
of child bearing, and the so often resultant infant mortality. Then
there was the intense and disheartening loneliness due to the
absence of connecting trails through the forests, and the distance
between cabins, the nearest neighbor being often three or four
miles away; and the difficulty of going to church, generally the
only center of contact.
Life was, indeed, stark and sordid but, despite all these features
for the settlers from the old world, there was an element of joy,
for the long desired land was theirs. They were young and "Hope
springs eternal in the human breast".
The campaign of General Anthony Wayne, leading the
"Legion of America" against the marauding Indians of Central
Ohio, ended the Indian menace, for, on August 20o, 1794, Wayne's
forces won a complete victory over them at Fallen Timbers, Ohio
and thereafter the region about the fork of the Ohio was safe for
settlers. Peace reigned and prosperity slowly began to flourish.
Life took on a brighter hue for these settlers had found lands
of magnificent forests, limestone rock, coal, iron and everything
with which to develop a flourishing civilization.
The earliest of the settlers were traders and trappers, but with
the opening of the Land Office in 1769 a more stable class of
settlers appeared. They were seeking large tracts of land for farming. But all alike quickly built their cabins of logs for there was
an embarrassment of riches right at hand. Later houses of stone
were built, for abundance of this material was also at hand; later,
with the erection of saw mills, frame houses were erected and still
later, those of brick.
There were scant furnishings in these early cabins. Bedsteads
were so built that one side rested on the scantling of the wall and
two legs supported the front side. Benches or stools, and a table
completed the furnishings. The bed ticks were filled with oak
leaves or straw, and sometimes cat-tails were used. And, at times,
skins of animals spread on the earthen or puncheon floor formed
the pioneer's "flowery bed of ease". Over the open fireplace from
the strong rafters were hung bags of seeds, corn, peppers, gourds,
pumpkins and various vegetables to dry for winter use.
326PIONEER HOMES AND HOSPITALITY
The room was seldom larger than 20' x 30' and one, or one and
one half stories high. In the summer time the room became very
offensive; flies, mosquitoes and fleas roved around unchecked.
At evening the light, made of refuse grease placed in a dish, with
a rag for a wick, and smoking and smelling unbearably, mingled
its flickering light with that from the hearth logs. Such was the
cabin of the pioneer woman, but it was "Home".
In the great fireplaces the pots and kettles which hung on the
cranes were better suited for prehistoric giants to handle than
for child-bearing women. These brass or copper vessels, often
holding fifteen gallons, and huge iron pots, weighing fifty pounds,
were lugged hither and yon by the housewife. It is often a boast of
the possessor of one of these antique receptacles that it has outlasted many generations of the family. Truth should add that the
number of generations was great because the generations were
short-lived owing to the weight of the antique article. Yet, with
such cumbersome utensils the busy housewives prepared meals
that would drive modern cooks to distraction.
The following menu was prepared by four friends for an entertainment in the last days of the eighteenth century: Ducks, hams,
chickens, beef, pigs' feet; tarts, creams and custards, floating
island; jellies, pickles; biscuits, corn bread; beer, porter, punch,
wine, etc., etc.Notwithstanding these unremitting tasks, it fell most frequently to the mother to impart religious training. This was not always
given with "her foot on the rocker of the cradle" but during various occupations; most often, probably, while thick slices of bread
were being cut and spread. In the Scottish families the Bible was
the text-book most often used and the Westminster Shorter Catechism was learned, willy-nilly, in every respectable household.
Lighting a fire was a tedious task in the early days. To create
a spark a tinder box, flint and steel were used. The box was filled
with tinder made of some vegetable matter. The spark, made by
the flint and steel and applied to the tinder, was blown into a
flame. Charles Dickens said, "If you have good luck, you can have
a fire in half an hour." There was also used a steel wheel with a
327ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
piece of cord and strips of wood dipped in sulphur. This method
of starting a flame was in use for many years in our grandfathers'
country houses, for matches were neither cheap nor common for
a long time after their manufacture. Candle lighters made of
colored paper or newspaper were an accomplishment of supple
fingered ladies; in this useful art Mrs. John Semple excelled. With
tapering fingers, rounded wrist and dimpled elbow, a fascinating
picture was made by those occupied in such work. Lights were
often extinguished as a matter of economy during the long prayers
of family worship.
When candle molds were introduced, the fragrant bayberry
candles-so-called Indian candles-and various other kinds were
made in great quantities. These were followed by small whale oil
lamps, glass lamps, Betty and Phoebe lamps, pewter lamps, and
lanterns, and in the course of the years carbon oil supplanted both
candles and whale oil fluid.
Often a woman would use a can of coal oil when she was in a
hurry and the wood was wet. Some even used their husband's
powder horn. One whose name has become historic thought, one
day, that she could stop the stream of powder with her thumb, as
she had often done before, but the flames followed up the stream
into the horn, which flew from her hand up the chimney; and
for years afterward people would say, "as quick as Mother Hoit's
powder horn".
St. Paul in writing to the churches in Galatia admonishes them
in these words: "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due
season we shall reap, if we faint not." St. Paul was advising them
in the conduct of their spiritual life, but is the promise not also
fulfilled in efforts for material things? For after not so many years
of struggle, patience, courage, and hard labor we find a farmer
writing the following in a paper published in 1787: "At this time
my farm gave me and my whole famile a good living on the produce of it and left me one year with another $150 for I never
spent more than ten dollars a year which was for salt, nails and
the like. Nothing to eat, drink or wear was bought as my farm
provided all".
328PIONEER HOMES AND HOSPITALITY
The years of reaping came, for in the cutting down of forests,
removal of underbrush, excess of lime, and the turning under of
leaf mold which had been decaying for unknown time, the soil
was so fertile that the region became noted for excess of production. With the erection of saw mills, houses of increased size and
comfort were built; some of the log houses had a veneer of planed
boards put over them and are standing today and occupied by
descendants of the original builder; barns and out-houses were
erected as frame buildings; but many prosperous farmers preferred stone as building material because they found it ready at
hand and because of its durability.
In these stone farm houses there was usually a large open fireplace in the cellar, in which were stored great quantities of apples,
potatoes and vegetables that would keep in a warm place. A devoted lover of her childhood home-a stone house 130 years
old and still standing today-gives a list of food stuffs stored away
for winter use: "I remember there was in the garden what was
known as the mound, where every fall my father buried beets,
cabbages, turnips, parsnips, carrots and horseradish as these
vegetables would not keep as well in the house. There were barrels
of vinegar in the cellar, tubs of ham salted in brine, kegs of pigs'
feet, souse, sausage, liverworst and pon-hoss. Large crocks of apple,
pear and peach butter; cans of lard, a large cupboard lined with
tin which was filled with all kinds of jellies and preserves so rich
that there was no need to keep the air from them. There were
also pickles of citron, mellon and cucumber and the well spiced
piccalilli. There was corned beef, salt pork and spare ribs, while
outside in the smoke house were found bacon, tongues and tailspig tails-cut in pieces and used for soups. Most houses had a
barrel of hard cider to be used for apple butter and mince meat."
Social life was primitive, but sincere and hearty. Perhaps the
fact that these people did not see one another often made their
gathering together even more hospitable. They had corn huskings, maple sugar boilings, candle makings, dried corn parties,
schnitz-in or apple butter stirrings or "bilin' ".
The night before the "bilin' " the apples were peeled and cored
329ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
ready for the morning. The two fires built outside, one for the
apples (Pippins, Rambos, Russets), the other for the cider, the
long handled stirrer, and a great pile of wood stand out vividly
through the intervening years. How good that fire felt, for apple
butter was usually made the last of October when the fruit was
thoroughly ripe. How good the apples smelt as they sputtered in
the big brass kettle over the hot fire! The friends came from near
and far and delighted in telling thrilling experiences on their
journeys, joking and teasing each other. After the "bilin'" was
completed, games were played to the tune of:
"King William was King James' son,
And of that royal race he sprung,
He wore a star upon his breast
To show that he was Royal best.
Go choose your East, go choose your West,
Go choose the one you like the best.
If he's not here, to take your part,
Go choose another with all your heart."
or:
"It's raining, It's hailing, It's cold stormy weather,
In comes the farmer drinking of his cider,
He's going a reaping, he wants a binder
I've lost my true love, where shall I find her?"
or:
"Down on this carpet you must kneel
Just as the grass grows in the field;
Salute your bride with kisses sweet,
And then rise up upon your feet."
No social gathering was complete without refreshments, and
cider, gingerbread, pies, and cakes, without stint, were greatly enjoyed. After which, a game of "throwing the stocking" or a jig or
square dance was performed if there was sufficient space-and then
home! It is said that on the homeward journey many a horse was
driven with the two lines in one hand-but no matter! "Old
Dolly" knew the road and, too, it was usually beginning to be daylight at that time.
330PIONEER HOMES AND HOSPITALITY
The early people had some of the same traditions and superstitions as the Indians, and they believed in the influence of the
heavenly bodies. Almost everyone, even today, is familiar with:
"Rain at night, sailor's delight,
Rain in the morning, sailor's warning."
"The howling of a dog during the night, and the
screeching of an owl meant misfortune."
"Evening red and morning gray,
Set the traveler on his way.
Evening gray and morning red,
Pour down rain on the traveler's head."
At communion services in Beulah church the near-by houses
were hospitably opened to guests who had come from a distance;
also the "supplies" were most warmly welcomed and entertained.
"Dundee Farms" at the foot of Beulah Lane had a goodly share of
such visitors, and amusing tales of such happy occasions were treasured and passed down. Some events greatly taxed the restraint
of the giggling "small fry" of the family. One time a very dear
but absent-minded man was passed the tureen of breakfast food
to help himself to a portion in his individual dish. He interrupted
his flow of talk only long enough to ask for cream and sugar and
the tureen stopped right there. Another time at family worship
on Sunday morning, while on our knees, the family cat came in
and took a reverent posture on the preacher's back. And again, the
Rev. Logan Semple, a cousin of Dr. John Semple of Wilkinsburg,
came out on Saturday afternoon to preach at Beulah the next day.
During the night he got up and was strolling about the grounds
when old "Cap", the family's pet dog, saw this figure in white
strolling along in the moonlight, broke his chain and ran after
him. My father was awakened by the dog barking and went down
into the yard to find this white figure on one side of a bush and
the dog on the other side.
Very early in the pioneer homes the spinning wheels and weav331ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
ing frames were set up. The wool of the sheep and the flax of the
sown fields took form in bags, a valuable means of barter. Cloth
for both men's and women's clothing, bed comforters, the latter
today prized as the most treasured antiques, were woven. Rag
carpets were also made and hooked rugs. Wonderful quilt
patterns were pieced and quilted so beautifully and intricately
that today they are show pieces in museums. Wool and cotton
socks and stockings were knit, and they had to be of heavy quality
for in many cases the men were their own cobblers.
There were singing schools and spelling matches for diversion
and still there was time to help a neighbor in misfortune; orphan
children were taken into homes where the family flock was already
large. The old and poor were not neglected. How could they do it
all-in just twenty-four hours a day?
There must have been fine workmen among the cabinet makers in the first quarter of the 1 9th century for furniture of great
beauty is found in the homes of pioneer descendants, and pieces
are still found in the most unusual surroundings. Among this
furniture are four poster beds with canopy tops; spool beds with
pegged sides, head and foot pieces for the rope cordings, trundle
beds or "trunnels"; chests of drawers with straight or curved
fronts ornamented with hand hammered iron or brass handles;
stands with carved pineapple patterned center column, drop leaf
tables with swinging legs; solid wooden chairs ornamented with
painted flowers or fruits or pastoral scenes; ladder backs, fiddle
backs, grandfather chairs with high backs and pocket at the side
for tobacco and pipe and "nusepaper", which cost 12 cents according to an entry in an account book, and a supply of buckeyes
to be carried in a pocket to charm away "Rheumatiz".
As the methods of travel improved and houses were enlarged
and more comfortably furnished, the greatest pleasure of all was
realized, and that was the reunion of families through the visits of
eastern relatives to those who had settled in the "backwoods beyond the mountains". What preparation! How great the excitement among the children to see the elegant ladies from the East
in full skirts, lace collars and cuffs or undersleeves, with little
332DUFF, QUIGLEY, TURNER, KITCHEN FAMILIES
lace caps on their heads and-jewelry! With what swelling of family pride did the McCrea children listen to the guests from Cumberland County as they spoke of the first William McCrea in
America, whose letters from his old home were addressed to Sir
William McCrea, proving that this emigrant to the new world did
not arrive with the proverbial "pack on his back". What tiptoeing among the young people on Sunday morning to see the spanking teams arrive from Port Perry with the Miller guests; from
Turtle Creek with the Chalfant and McMasters visitors from the
East; from Swissvale with the Milligans and Dennistons; from the
Northern Pike and Frankstown Road districts with the Duffs,
Johnstons, Morrows, Carothers, Wilsons and many others
equally worthy, and the more modest vehicles from near-by
Wilkinsburg.
Would these white gloved ladies from the East visiting at the
McCrea and Graham farms really be able to walk the short distance to the church or would the horse, just for this time, be taken
out of pasture that these aunts and cousins might also alight before the doors of "Aristocratic Beulah"? Be that as it may, the
welcome given to the guests was a sincere and heartsome one, for
these men and women, in plain dress and with hardened hands,
were also of ancient lineage and of high aristocracy-yea, of the
highest, for theirs was the aristocracy of character!
[17 ]
DUFF, QUIGLEY, TURNER, KITCHEN
FAMILIES
OHNSTON, Wilson, Morrow, Park, Sampson, Stoner, Stotler,
Donaldson, Richardson, Henderson, Fisher, Kelly, Carroll,
Long, Duff!
When confronted with these names it needs no table tapping to
arouse the attention of the confused and weary Annalist to the
chuckling voice of the shades of Hercules as he exclaims: "The
333ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
gods be thanked that I got through my twelve labors before John
Duff settled in Pitt Township!"
The question naturally arises: Why does the god select John
Duff from these names as an especial challenge? We shall now try
to find out.
To a great-great-granddaughter, Catherine Turner, of Penn
Township, we are indebted for the scanty information concerning John Duff's life; also, for the use of the John Duff genealogy so
carefully compiled by her.
John Duff came from Ireland about the beginning of the War
of the Revolution. He joined the Colonial forces and took part
in the Battle of Brandywine. Here he had what might be called "a
close shave" for his whiskers were shot off him by a bullet. At the
close of the war he came west and settled on a farm in Pitt Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Pitt Township at that
time included a large territory of which the present Penn Township is part. John Duff's farm was donated to him for his war
services.
John Duff married Mary Shakley; they had twelve children as
follows:
i James Duff b 1782 m. CatherineFisher
2 William  " " 1784 " MaryJohnston
3 Mary    " " 1786 " Francis Wilson
4 John    " " 1787 " Isabella Fisher
5 Margaret " " 1791 " John Park
6 George  " " 1794 " Jane Morrow
7 Alex    " " 1796 " Mary Bright
8 David   " " 1799 " Nancy Henderson
9 Esther   " " 1801o  " John Richardson
io Elizabeth"  " 1803 " James Park
11 Samuel  " " 1807 " Jane Baird Wilson
12 Mathilda " " 1813    Died in her gth year
Comparing these names with those at the beginning of this
sketch, we see that John Duff's children had married into eight
of the families mentioned above. With succeeding generations
confusion arose tracing intermarriages, but a descendant, living
334DUFF, QUIGLEY, TURNER, KITCHEN FAMILIES
today says: "Don't criticize us too much. Why, we were all related
far back, and in early days if they were going to marry at all they
had to marry each other."
Eight of these twelve children lived and died in Penn Township. One, David, who married into the Charles Bonner family,
moved to Wilkins Township.
Elizabeth Duff and James Park, her husband, moved to Butler
County, while George Duff and his wife, Jane Morrow, went fara-field in their removal to Muskingum County, Ohio.
James Duff, the first born of John and Mary Shakley Duff, was
born in the East in 1782. After coming west he bought a farm
adjoining his father's, and married Catherine Fisher, a native of
Ireland. Of their five children who grew to maturity, four were
daughters, and one a son, James II.
James Duff II, of the third generation of John Duff's family,
lived on the farm with his father. In 1841 he married Betsy
McClurkin of Plum Township. Although receiving but a limited
education in the subscription schools of his youthful days, he
made his way in life as a useful citizen. Living all his life on the
same farm, he served his community as Supervisor of roads, Tax
Collector, School Director, and Justice of the Peace. Originally a
Whig in politics, he joined the Republican Party on its organization in 1856.
Catherine, the sister of James Duff II, born January 27, 181 1,
became the wife of Hugh Quigley Turner of Wilkinsburg. With
the introduction of the name of Turner, the mind reverts through
two generations to the first pioneer of his line-Hugh Quigley and
his wife, Ann. Little is known of this couple.
The patent book of Penn Township shows that in 1785 Hugh
Quigley, an Irishman, took out a warrant for 243 acres of land
lying between Forbes Road and the Allegheny River. A creek,
rising on this man's property and emptying into the river not far
from the present town of Verona, perpetuates his name; as do
also his descendants, through his daughter, Mary, to the fourth or
fifth generation. This land was acquired, before or on the death of
Hugh Quigley, by Frederick Stoner.
335ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
many squatters who had not taken the trouble to secure legal
land titles and who by their insistence upon their rights conferred
by actual settlement, caused no small amount of strife. There was
an inferior kind of land title called "Tomahawk Right". The
settler recorded his claim to a Tomahawk improvement by
deadening a few trees near a spring and by cutting his initials in
the bark of near-by trees. The procedure had no legal value but
it established a priority of claim which was recognized by backwoodsmen when applications were later made. Such titles had a
commercial value; "to ignore them was to come into conflict with
the customs of the frontier and to invite disaster."31
To correct this condition and to eliminate some of the uncertainty of land titles, the "application system" was put into effect.
The titles were obtained usually by warrant, survey, and patent.
The advertisement32 offering lands in the Fort Stanwix purchase
sets forth the procedure:
"ADVERTISEMENT"
"The Land-Office will be opened on the third day of April next,
at ten o'clock, in the morning, to receive applications from all
persons inclinable to take up lands in the new purchase, upon the
terms of five pounds sterling per hundred acres, and one penny
per acre, per annum, quit-rent. No person will be allowed to
take up more than three hundred acres, without the special
licence of the proprietaries, or the governor. The surveys upon
all applications are to be made and returned within six months,
and the whole purchase money paid at one payment, and patent
taken out within twelve months from the date of the application,
with interest and quit-rent from six months after the application.
If there be a failure on the side of the party applying, in either
procuring his survey and return to be made, or in paying the
purchase money, and obtaining the patent, the application and
survey will be utterly void, and the proprietaries will be at liberty
to dispose of the land to any other person whatever. And as these
terms will be strictly adhered to by the proprietaries, all persons
are hereby warned and cautioned, not to apply for more land than
31. A History of Pa.-Dunaway-p. 243.
32. 2 Smith's Laws (Pa.) 168.
12ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
In Bond Book Vol. 4, page 5 are entered the names of Ann
Quigley, Thomas Wilson and Frederick Stoner, as Administrators of the Estate of Hugh Quigley, in sum of $ 1,ooo. John Wills
and William Jones signed as sureties-dated January 14, 1809.
The account shows personalty of $605.95. After payment of debts,
the balance for distribution was $14.731/2.
Hugh and Ann Quigley had at least one child, named Mary,
who married Adam Turner.
Long continued research failed to disclose the forebears of this
man, but the search was kept up until one day light broke on the
dull mind of the seeker. Why look for a Turner before Adam,
does not Holy Writ affirm that Adam was the first man! Reports
of later date state that he was the first school teacher in McNairstown, and that his log school house stood near the site of the
present Turner School, named for his descendants.
Adam Turner must have joined with this profession some
other means of livelihood, for the pupils could have been but
few; and a score of years afterwards the fees were still too small
to sustain man and wife.
Adam Turner married his pupil, Mary Quigley, and they began
houskeeping in a log house in the wilderness section of McNairstown known as Lousy Levels. To reconcile the statements of two
equally positive informants there must have been two sections
bearing this euphonious title; for one locates the Levels as back
of Dumplin' Hall, and the other places it in the ravine, formerly
between the present Ross and Franklin Avenues, through which
a branch of Nine Mile Run coursed its way.
Adam and Mary Turner had four children, three sons and one
daughter. At least two of their sons were born while they lived on
the border of the village.
On March 25, 1815, the deed for lot 30 on the south side of Main
Street, in the middle of the block between Center and Wood
Streets, was conveyed to Adam Turner by Dunning McNair and
his wife, Ann. This was but the sixth deed issued by Colonel
McNair. The consideration was $1oo.
Here Adam Turner built the log house that stood for many
336DUFF, QUIGLEY, TURNER, KITCHEN FAMILIES
years, and in which his grandson, William Turner, Sr. was born
in 1836.
Mary Quigley Turner was born to a heritage of sorrow. She was
an attractive, pretty young woman, the mother of four children,
as has been already said. While they were still young, Adam, one
evening, did not return from his search for the cattle, which were
turned loose to pasture where fancy led them, probably in the
woods along Nine Mile Run. A search found Adam's dead body
in the woods. It was unmutilated by Indian arrow or tomahawk,
or the horns of cattle. Death must have resulted from apoplexy
or a heart attack. He died early in the year 1817, for Administrator's Bond is recorded in Bond Book Vol. 4, page 234 dated April
22, 1817. The Administrators were Mary Quigley Turner and
Samuel McCrea. The bond in sum of $2,ooo was signed by Mary
Turner, Samuel McCrea; Sureties John McCrea, David Little
and Daniel Speer.
Mary Turner reared three of her four children to maturity and
when these anxieties were lightened she was attacked by that torturing, death-in-life disease-cancer, that slowly consumed her.
For years she was cared for in the home of her only daughter,
Rebecca-Mrs. Thomas Davison. She was a devout Methodist, and
as long as she was able to go about, some grandchild was always
her companion to the the evening service. She is buried in Beulah
graveyard, maybe beside her husband, though if so, no stone
marks his grave.
Of the three sons of Adam and Mary Quigley Turner, one died
in childhood; one, William, who never married, was of a wandering nature. He made a medicine of herbs, whose ingredients he
kept carefully guarded. To gather the materials for his concoction,
and to sell it gave him lawful reason for satisfying his wandering
propensities; so "Uncle Billie", as he was called, was a familiar
figure on the road, and a frequent visitor at the hospitable farm
houses in the Frankstown Road district.
Of quite a different character was Hugh Quigley, the second
son of Adam and Mary Turner. Born Dec. 31, 1809, he was only
seven years old when his father died. He was thus early inured
337ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
to poverty and a thrifty way of living. When he married Catherine
Duff it is thought that they went to housekeeping in the log house,
built on the ground bought by his father from Dunning McNair,
March 25, 1815. Here were born, at least, three of their eight
children: James, Mary and William. Here Hugh practised his
trade of shoemaker. It must have been a profitable business for on
August 19, 1854 Thomas Davison and wife, Rebecca Turner
Davison, of Collins Township, deeded to Hugh Q. Turner the
very desirable lot 89, situated on the northwest corner of the
present Penn and Center Streets on the western side of which
stood a log house. The consideration was $1,ooo. This property
remained in the Turner name until January 7, 1926 when Wm.
M. Turner conveyed it to the Wilkinsburg Hotel Company.
Hugh Quigley and Catherine Duff Turner were the parents
of eight children, viz: James, William, John, Hugh, George and
Thomas D., Mary and Isabella. Of the sons George died in childhood and Hugh Quigley met death by accident in his early manhood. The daughters did not marry. They lived to advanced years
in the homestead, a cheery, frame house built by their father to
replace the long standing log cabin.
In later years Hugh Quigley Turner opened what was probably
the first shop in the village for small accessories in sewing, such as
needles and thread, thimbles and pins, buttons, yarns, etc.
In this business grandfather and grandmother Turner enjoyed
life to the full. Nothing could have been neater, more orderly nor
warmer than this perfect little shop. Seated in large rocking
chairs, padded and cushioned by their energetic, loving daughters, this old couple-grown together as one-lived out happily
their allotted days. When grandfather Turner came forward to
serve a customer, grandma rose too, and came to the front. While
the boxes were being leisurely opened and inspected by Mr.
Turner, with spectacles tilted perilously near the end of his
nose, Mrs. Turner "passed the time of day" with the customer. It
was a grumpy individual who did not respond to grandma's
smile and the neighborliness of her little items of news.
Hugh Quigley and his wife, Kittie Duff Turner, were model
338DUFF, QUIGLEY, TURNER, KITCHEN FAMILIES
types of contented, happy, old age, and their passing left a vacancy
in village life that was regretted by all.
Of their four sons, who married and founded families, which
have continued the line of descendants to the seventh generation, we mention in order of birth: James, William, John and
Thomas D. Turner.
James Turner became a United Presbyterian minister, and as
the Reverend James Duff Turner D.D., he served the Fourth
United Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh many years, where he
was highly esteemed for his personality and power in the pulpit.
He married Rebecca Murdock. They had seven children, as follows:
Jennie T.    (Mrs. Ralph McCracken)
Minnie       (Mrs. Alex D. Munn)
Howard Q.
Laura B.     (deceased)
George
Harry?        (Died in infancy)
William Turner, the second son, a brilliant pupil of the
Huston Academy, after leaving school, clerked in a store until
1864. June 22, 1864 he entered the army from which he was honorably discharged May 3, 1865. After a few years of school teaching he opened a general store in the business building which
stood on the eastern corner of the homestead lot. No one could so
well picture this village store as "The Quiet Observer" (Erasmus
Wilson) has done in his column appearing in The Gazette Times,
predecessor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
To that paper we acknowledge a debt in the use of the following excerpt: "Turner's grocery store out in Wilkinsburg was the
center of business, as well as a gossip and news exchange for years.
It was the meeting place of the Junta that met there evenings to
settle things, political, social, or otherwise. Here were no questions of state, finance, or religion too heavy or too deep for the
Junta to tackle, and then when the political horizon was clear,
the business world serene, and the heart light, there were jokes
339ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
and songs, with now and then a tune or two on the Scotch whistle;
or an old time ballad-'Jack Monroe','The Raging Canal', or'On
the Ohio', or something of the sort.
"But everything was done decently and in order at Turner's.
Dirt of all kinds was tabooed-There were boxes and barrels to
sit on, but not to whittle, and boxes of sawdust to spit in, and
water in a big stone pitcher to drink, but no booze. Sweet cider
in season, of course, and peaches to eat in summer, and apples
and turnips in winter.
"In addition to groceries, Turner kept powder, and lead and
shot, and gun caps, and maybe a few flints for the accommodation
of the old timers who still clung to their flint-lock muskets and
horse pistols, which they had used at general muster or for shooting game, for in those good old days, when Turner's store was
the center of trade, one could jump rabbits within a stone's throw
of the store, and shoot quail and pheasant just over the hill."
After many active business years William Turner retired. He
enjoyed an open air life, was a passionate lover of flowers, and a
most successful cultivator of them. The temperate climate of the
South drew him to it. He made his residence for a long period in
Florida and Maryland. But with advancing years the lure of his
birthplace, his own hearthstone, his circle of friends, drew him
and his wife back to Wilkinsburg where they both lived to a ripe
old age.
The children of William and Mary Swank Turner are in order
of birth as followsGeorge Swank Turner (deceased)
Hugh Quigley   "
Genevieve      "    (Mrs. A. B. Coleman)
William M.    "
Howard        "
Catherine Duff  "    (Mrs. R. F. Elberty)
In the grandchild of Catherine Turner Elberty is represented
the seventh generation of the John Duff family, and also the
seventh generation of the Quigley-Turner family having con340DUFF, QUIGLEY, TURNER, KITCHEN FAMILIES
tinued residence in this town or near vicinity of Penn Township since 1785-a period of one hundred and fifty-three years.
One of the charter members of the Junta was Isaac M. Kitchen.
This original character came from Ireland when six years old.
He came to Wilkinsburg about 1868. He was a versatile man, able
to turn his hand to a number of things, but he excelled as a bookbinder. Many old bibles in Wilkinsburg, prized for the marked
passages made by "the touch of a vanished hand", show the enduring quality of the rebinding of Isaac M. Kitchen. This temperamental individual was blessed in the companionship of his
wife-a balance wheel indeed.
Mrs. Jemima McGeorge Kitchen had a mixed pedigree, her
forefathers having come from England, Scotland, Ireland and
France six generations back. One branch of her family, bearing
the French name of Algeo, had settled on Beaver Creek,
Pennsylvania. The English names of Laud and Hayton, with a
McGeorge inserted in the record, may have helped her to a sympathetic understanding of her rhymster husband, for the gift of
rhyme Isaac Kitchen undoubtedly had. The following example,
inspired by memories of the Junta, after William Turner, Sr. had
gone south, is given by W. M. Turner for insertion here.
It's Wilkinsburg your former town
The year is ninety-three:
The month is January* of renown,
The date is-Let me see!I
*coldest in 40 years.'Twas in the fall of ninety-two,
As you will understand;
That our old friend, so tried and true,
Then left his "native land".
But when he left his Kith and Kin
He took the girls and boys,
And off to "Florida" did skin
In search of future joys.
341ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
His friends he had to leave behind
The lean ones and the fat,
"Crab-hollow" had to be resigned
And so had "Muckle rat".
Cadwallader is not the sameHe pines himself away;
No place to blow on dog or game,
The blackbird or the jay.
In fact we all do miss the place
Where oft we used to beWhere Billy Boyd, with happy face
Would Tackle-Chris Magee.
And "Lauffy" too, he feels so bad
Will Turner-hardly round;
And when he sighs, he says "E God",
And looks upon the ground.
Yesl though our friend is far away
When cold, we miss him still;
We miss the boys with sledges gay,
A "Humpin" down the hill.
I'll not speak of the births and deaths,
The marriages and all"Old Sam" and "John" have lost their breath,
You'll see it in "The Call".
Then let us all be good and true
"We may be happy yet"
Some Preacher then will push us through
We'll all get there-"You bet".
Your brother Dave is hard to rile
They keep him on "The Run"
His face is lit up with a smile,
It's like the rising sun.
342DUFF, QUIGLEY, TURNER, KITCHEN FAMILIES
But that's enough, I'll change the tune,
And speak of "Sunny skies"
Of Mullard Duck and "Lazy Loon"
Of skeeters and of flies;
Of balmy air, and "Roses Red"
Of onions green, and such;
Of crocodiles, and "Raising Ned"
And going for, "The Dutch".
But when I dream, I'm almost sure
To wake up with a wishThat I was with you, on a bank
A floppin out, the fish.
Or sucking oranges, and the juice..
Of lemons soft, to squeezeOr dream of saying, "Why the Deuce,
Did I stay there, and freeze."
A parting word, That you may live;
I'll try to say it niceMy wishes best to all I give
So take a friend's advice.
In chasing bird, or butterflyOr raising sweet Pit-taters;
Just take a hint, keep very shy,
Of Snakes and Allegaters.
L'envoy
When ruminating now and then
"Old Times" appear bewitchin'
Just think upon a social friendWhose name is, I. M. Kitchin.
Mr. Kitchen was also an accomplished performer on the bagpipe. On summer evenings the Scotch-Irish dwellers in his immediate neighborhood were often transported back through time
343ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
to commune with the shades of their forefathers by the mournful
"skirl of the pipes".
But there was a serious side to Isaac M. Kitchen. This is shown
by a published pamphlet entitled "The Covenanters, their History and Influence". It is an historical address delivered by him
in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, October, 1903 on the occasion of the 1 loth anniversary of
the founding of the congregation in the Monongahela Valley.
The compiling of this article shows discrimination, clear thinking, and logical tracing of cause and sequence through the dark
centuries of the English reformation in Ireland, England and
Scotland, and the establishment of Associations of the Covenant
in Scotland and the beginning of the church in America.
The history of the Protestant Church was "a tangled web" to
unravel and was made more difficult in this case from the necessity of brevity. That Mr. Kitchen did a good work was attested by
the approval of his pamphlet by leading ministers of the Reformed Presbyterian Church and its place in the library of Geneva
College.
Mr. and Mrs. Kitchen had four children: Nannie Belle (Mrs.
Samuel Campbell Patterson) of New Alexandria, Pennsylvania;
George Eva (Mrs. David Steele) deceased; William McGeorge
(married Charlotte Laughlin); Samuel Porter, deceased.
Mrs. Nannie Kitchen Patterson writes with deep affection of
her childhood: "We were trained in strict keeping of the Sabbath
Day; it was impressed upon us that when God gave us six days for
our use, we must be faithful in giving Him one. Hence, regular
attendance at the Covenanter Church, followed in the afternoon
by the study of the catechism and memorizing the dear old Psalms.
My early training has gone right along with me, and to this day I
cannot do the things I was not allowed to do as a child."
John Turner, the third son of Hugh Quigley and Kittie Duff
Turner, was by trade a carpenter.
He was a quiet, undemonstrative man, but he did what seemed,
at first hearing, an unusual thing, which was that he reverted the
usual order of marriage among cousins. He married his mother's
344DUFF, QUIGLEY, TURNER, KITCHEN FAMILIES
cousin, Mary M. Duff, the daughter of Samuel Duff, the eleventh
child of pioneer John. But this could well be as there were twentyfive years difference between the ages of the brothers, James and
Samuel, the respective fathers of John Turner's mother and wife.
Into the John and Mary Duff Turner family, during their residence in Wilkinsburg, were born seven children:
Charles D.               Mary M., (deceased)
Catherine A.          Laura A.
Liberty J., (deceased)  Rebecca A., (deceased)
Hugh Q.
After long residence in the village, the John Turner family removed to Penn Township, where the four surviving children now
make their home.
THOMAS DAVISON TURNER
Thomas Davison Turner was born in Wilkinsburg on June 21,
1851. He was the youngest child of Hugh Q. Turner, who was
born Dec. 31, 1809, in the village that later became Wilkinsburg,
and Catherine Duff Turner born in Penn Township on Jan. 27,
181 1. Thus he was a child of the community where his parents had
lived all their lives, and of which his grandparents and great
grandparents had been pioneer settlers. He lived his entire life
on the property on which he was born and died there suddenly
after a few days' illness of pneumonia on Jan. 25, 1905.
Thomas Davison Turner received his education in the public
school of the village and the Wilkinsburg Academy. His first
work was as a helper in the general store of his brother William.
After his marriage to Eliza Jane Beatty on Jan. 8, 1878, he studied
and then practiced undertaking in Wilkinsburg the remainder
of his life, establishing in 1881 the present firm of Thomas D.
Turner. His family consists of three children, Mary E., Laura B.,
and Thomas D., Jr., who continues the business his father established so many years ago.
Thomas Davison Turner took a civic interest in his birthplace
and ever was alert to assist in the progress of the village. He was
345SETTLEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PRIOR TO 1788
they will be able to pay for, in the time hereby given for that
purpose.
"By order of the Governor,
JAMES TILGHMAN,
Secretary of the Land Office
Philadelphia, Land-Office, Feb. 23, 1769
"N. B. So long a day is fixed, to give the back inhabitants time
to repair to the office."
This procedure was not always followed; sometimes surveys
were made without warrants or in cases where the warrant had
been lost, for the surveys were not always promptly made, and on
return of the survey to the Surveyor-General a patent, or deed,
was issued upon a "warrant of acceptance". It is evident that such
loose practice and failure to observe uniform rules could be
productive of conflicting title claims.
The Braddock and Forbes campaigns advertised the western
country and a number of soldiers from both armies returned to
the wilderness to settle on the line of march.33 The names of many
former soldiers and traders appear among the applicants and
patentees; e. g. in Penn Township are the names of Wilson,
Stotler, Perchment, Duff, etc. The tales of the glories of the new
country these men carried back to their families in the east must
have fired the imaginations of their families and friends for many
of the settlers were neighbors in the east. The applications were
made by many who never came to the new western country, for
the Revolutionary war intervened and the rights conferred by
the application passed to their heirs or others; indeed it was not
uncommon for the application to be transferred through several
hands before it reached the actual settler.
In 1760 the whole area west of the Alleghenies was a vast wilderness, having no govermental bounds or government except
such as might be claimed by the Provinces of Pennsylvania or
Virginia under quasi treaties with the Indian tribes who still
asserted their territorial rights and disputed the accessation of
their lands. Indeed prior to 1788 the wilderness was without roads
33. History of Pa.-Dunaway-p. 234.
13ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
one of the charter members of the First United Presbyterian
Church of Wilkinsburg and Clerk of its Session and Superintendent of its Sabbath School until his death. When the First
National Bank of Wilkinsburg was established, he was elected
Vice President and held that office during the remainder of his
life. He was also one of the founders of The Wilkinsburg Real
Estate and Trust Company in which he served as Director.
Indeed, in all organizations formed for advancement and betterment of village life his name is found, for he was a man trusted
by his fellow men. His whole life was devoted to the service of the
community, and his Christian character and ideals were acknowledged by all who knew him. The esteem in which he was held by
the business men of the community was shown in their actionunique, before or since, in the history of Wilkinsburg-of closing
all places of business during the hours of his funeral and burial. It
was the highest honor they could pay him and an honor that has
been paid by Wilkinsburg to him alone.
A sketch of the William Turner family would be incomplete
without special mention of his wife, Mary Swank Turner. She
was the daughter of George W. and Nancy Moore Swank of
Johnstown, Pa.
George W. Swank was of German-Lutheran stock, whose forefathers had come from Lancaster County and were among the
pioneers of the Ligonier Valley, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. George W. Swank's wife, Nancy Moore, was a granddaughter of John Moore, a member of the Pennsylvania Constitutional
Convention of 1776; later he was first President Judge of Westmoreland County, and still later, a State Senator. Mrs. Turner
was a sister of James Moore Swank, who, through his success as
editor of the Johnstown Tribune, and, also as chief clerk in the
Agricultural Department in Washington, D. C., was called to
Philadelphia to become Secretary of the American Iron and
Steel Association. This position he filled for more than thirtythree years, and, through his published reports, pamphlets, and
346DUFF, QUIGLEY, TURNER, KITCHEN FAMILIES
four books on the subject of iron and steel, attained an authoritive position of international reputation.
Another brother, Thomas Swank, as editor and owner of the
Johnstown Tribune, brought it to the high position sometimes
attained by small town papers. A brother-in-law of Mrs. Turner
was Cyrus Elder of Quaker stock, an attorney for the Cambria
Iron Works, and an author of considerable repute. Living in the
environment of men of such stable, sterling qualities, and of
literary tendencies, made its mark on Mary Swank. Intellectually
she was more advanced and broader in her outlook than most
intelligent women of her day. The men of the Swank family were
staunch Republicans and William Turner was an equally staunch
Democrat. Mrs. Turner used to teasingly say to her husband:
"Will, when women get the vote you and I can stay away from
the polls as our votes will cancel each other." Books there were in
the village homes, but the fine collection she brought with her
to her new home was different. American writers now were more
freely circulated: Holland, Howells, Trowbridge, Mark Twain,
Bayard Taylor, Miss Woolson and a host of others. Especially
novel and attractive were the short story writers, both men and
women. Book people now became real people, because they
lived, not across the ocean, but in Boston, Philadelphia, the West
and other places. Almost best of all was Bayard Taylor's little
Kennet Square. Why! this last named place was almost like our
own quiet village. Wouldn't it be nice for mother to dress like
the Quaker ladies, and Oh! presumptuous thought-would it ever
be possible some day to write something else than just a letter to
grandma?
Dormant ambitions were awakening in the minds of at least
two young omnivorous readers. Striking differences in habits,
portrayed by English and American writers, were quickly noted
and compared by these two friends reading beyond their years.
The following story is an extreme example of this comparison
when one whispered to the other "I just came over to tell you
that my big sister says that lovers in America don't get down on
their knees to propose, like they say in English books-and she
347ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
knows-they are just as apt to propose on the street as any place
else". Thus, the disturbing thought of this inevitable experience,
as they imagined, was settled for two oncoming belles of the
village.
The terrible disaster of the Johnstown flood touched Wilkinsburg residents deeply, and the effort to help those in need was
instantaneous and generous. There were families in the village
that had relatives in Johnstown and anxiety and grief were heartrending. Mrs. William Turner was most heavily stricken. She lost
her sister, Mrs. Cyrus Elder, who, with her daughter (a young
woman of striking beauty), and her youngest son was drowned;
also her brother-in-law, Dr. James K. Lee.
Dr. Lee had rushed home to care for his wife, Emily, and her
mother, Mrs. Nancy Moore Swank, eighty years old. He helped
them, as he thought to safety on the third floor, and left his driver,
a colored boy, with them while he returned down stairs for valuable papers. No trace of his body was ever found.
Mrs. Lee, who was a very little woman, watched the rising
flood until she was certain that the floor would soon be covered,
then, with the help of the boy, she lifted her tall mother onto a
packing box that was stored there and the three took refuge on
the narrow platform. For hours Mrs. Lee supported her mother
and when she saw the boy nodding with the desire to sleep she
leaned over and bit him on the ear to arouse him. The water did
not quite reach up to them and after hours of waiting the three
were rescued.
At Mrs. Lee's death she willed Dr. Lee's estate, which was
large, to the city of Johnstown for the foundation of the Lee
Homeopathic Hospital. (William M. Turner was elected an Honorary Incorporator of this hospital August 24, 1937.)
Worthy of mention during this day of torture was the loyalty
of the railroad men who stuck to their posts of duty in taking the
trains over the railroad bridge, shaken by the swirling water
which was jammed with debris. There were a number of these
348DUFF, QUIGLEY, TURNER, KITCHEN FAMILIES
men-whose names are not now known to this writer; but one, at
least, was from our village-John M. Davison.
The late John Rhodes said one day with a far away look in his
eyes and a tone of utmost respect: "No one in the town helped at
that time as Floyd Ross did."
Here springs up the memory of another woman whose influence was enduring in the development of intellectual life among
those whose school days were closing. This was Mrs. Samuel Henderson, the wife of the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church.
Mrs. Henderson was serious minded. It was the period of "what
next"-"always have a goal before you"-"Hitch you wagon to a
star" type. She may have seemed exacting in her suggestions then,
but many a Wilkinsburg girl, in after life, remembered her with
gratitude for her influence in having formed in them the habit of
having, always, a really worth while book on hand.
Another, whose mental influence stands out prominently, was
Mrs. Fulton Stotler. Coming, as she did, from the broad culture
of the great art-loving foreign city of Munich, to an American
country village, and to the loneliness inherent in a strange language, she kept to her dying day the grace and dignity of manner,
the spirit, the poetry, and the philosophy of her historic past.
Our Hebrew brothers give us their records of son-of, son-of,
son-of. If we could but trace, accurately, the birth and descent of
ideas-born of-born of-born of, what a wonderful record it
would be!
"A sound like silver
crossed the air
A sound benign
a sound so fair
It bore me on
its shining wing
Above earth's dismal posturing.
It was a thought
in me did sing."
349ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
THE ART OF MEDICINE, Part II
PT[~HE doctor who came to the village in 1850 to take up Dr.
ICarother's work, was young Dr. John Semple. After his graduation from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, which had
been founded in 1825, he commenced his medical career in 1848
in Ebensburg, Cambria County. Dr. Semple seems to have been
the first college trained physician to locate in Wilkinsburg. He
was born at the old Semple homestead in Wildwood, beyond
Sharpsburg, on February 16, 1822, and began his medical studies
with Drs. Speer and Brooks of Pittsburgh.
While studying in Philadelphia he had become acquainted
with and married Miss Isabella Russell Smith, a member of an old
and artistic family. After coming to make their home in Wilkinsburg the young couple lived for several years in the Horbach
house at the southwesterly corner of Penn Avenue and Hay
Street. Here a daughter, Mary Isabella Russell Semple, was born,
but at the same time came tragedy in the death of the young
mother.
In 1854 Dr. Semple married Miss Nancy Thompson of Wilkinsburg. It is said that, while courting her, he always carried his lute
and that they enjoyed singing to the accompaniment of this instrument. Of this marriage another daughter, Margaret, was
born. She, about 1880, married John Scott and died several years
later at Dr. Semple's orange grove in Florida. Her son John was
adopted by Dr. Semple and was known to the village as John
Scott Semple.
From the first, Dr. Semple was a beloved member of the community. He was a competent physician and possessed an engaging personality, which in later years was sometimes hidden under
an assumed gruffness of manner. About i855 he built a spacious
home on Penn Avenue near Center Street, the site of the PennLincoln Hotel. The house was originally a four-square brick
350THE ART OF MEDICINE, Part II
structure but after some years a mansard third floor was added and
some extensions made at the back, which gave it a "rambling"
character. It was always painted white and well covered with
Virginia Creeper, which, together with the green shutters and
standing in the midst of spacious grounds abounding with fruit
and shade trees, gave it a restful and dignified appearance. Peacocks strutted on the front lawn, as did guinea fowls, turkeys, and
chickens in the back gardens. Parrots perched on the back upstairs veranda and canary birds sang within the house, where Dr.
Semple also had his office. It was a happy place and reflected the
spirit of its occupants.
Day and night Dr. Semple's little brown mare and "Stanhope"
buggy were on the trot, the conveyance usually driven by the
young negro houseman. Among Dr. Semple's clientele were the
Peebles, Fownes, Carnegies, and other wealthy Pittsburghers of
that day. He was known, too, at Mucklerat, Scotch Bottoms, Mormon Valley, and Crab Hollow; and his fees, whether to rich or
poor, were extremely moderate. In 1i 86o Dr. Semple's customary
charge for an office consultation was twenty-five cents: for a house
visit, fifty cents. Well-to-do even with these modest fees, he might,
with his large clientele, have amassed a large fortune had he
chosen to do so.
Dr. Semple practiced almost until the end of his life, which
came in19go. He was survived by his daughter, Miss Semple, and
his grandson, John Scott Semple.
He was a prominent member of the Presbyterian Church of
Wilkinsburg, of the Allegheny County Medical Society, the Wilkinsburg Medical Club, and also had the distinction of being a
member of the Nathaniel Bedford Medical Society which had
been organized in 1864 by a group of Pittsburgh physicians, numbering Drs. Robert Mowry, Andrew Fleming, M. 0. Jones, Harry
T. Coffey, George L. McCook, James King, William A. Hallock,
D. V. Rankin, Thomas Gallagher.
With a membership limited to ten, the tentative tenth membership was offered to Dr. Semple after a preliminary invitation
on motion of Dr. Mowry, "to attend as many meetings as he could
351ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
make convenient". One month later, March 23, 1866, Dr. Semple
was proposed for full membership and was unanimously elected.
Ever hospitable, Dr. Semple celebrated his election by entertaining the club on April 20.
Although the Bedford Medical Society was primarily a Pittsburgh organization, it is worth while to penetrate its activities as
recorded in the minutes, since it became so much a part of Wilkinsburg life during the latter'6o's and'70's that to pass over
this phase of social-professional activity would be to neglect one
of the important cultural elements of village life. The minutes of
the Bedford Medical Society, finally in possession of Miss Semple,
were presented by her, after her father's death, to the Historical
Society of Western Pennsylvania.
Dr. Semple invited to that first meeting at his home his local
medical confreres, Drs. John Rea, Carothers, and McKelvey. His
next entertainment was in the same year, around ThanksgivingNovember 23, the minutes recording that: "at 5:30 a bountiful
repast was prepared by mine host." On December 18, 1868 the
Club was invited to "a handsome entertainment given by the
ladies of Wilkinsburg at the Fair for the benefit of the Presbyterian Church," followed by the usual medical session with "an
excellent paper on Bloodletting by Dr. Semple."
By 1869 the Bedford Medical Society had become essentially
a Wilkinsburg organization both by reason of the frequency with
which it was entertained in the homes of local members and because of the distinguished local names that added to its prestige.
Professor Samuel Langley, the "father of aviation", and his
brother, Dr. John Langley, were members. They resided on Wallace Avenue. Dr. Jillson of the then "Western University" (Pitt)
likewise belonged. It is extremely interesting to note that Professor Langley read almost all of his scientific essays before this
club. Professor Langley invited the members to visit the Allegheny Observatory on April 23, 1869 and they heard an "elaborate essay" on the spectroscope, illustrated with a fine instrument.
Throughout the Bedford Medical Society minutes is charted
the Langley chronology. On May 2o, 1870 Dr. Jillson was host,
352THE ART OF MEDICINE, Part II
having as guest, Dr. Rea. The paper was by Prof. Langley on "The
Personal Equation".
An entry of October 28, 1870 records the departure of Prof.
Langley for Spain, by appointment of the U.S. government, "to
assist in making astronomical observations of the coming event
which will cast its shadow." And the comment: "Pittsburgh
should be proud in thus having one of her citizens selected for so
important a mission."
On February 24, 1871 Dr. Semple entertained the club which
"had the pleasure of welcoming back Prof. Langley after a four
months' absence with eclipse experts sent by the government to
Spain for the observation of the solar eclipse which occurred December 23, 1870." Prof. Langley read a report of this mission before the Wilkinsburg group on March 17; the club was eager to
have the report published but Prof. Langley declined the offer.
Prof. Langley also entertained the club from time to time. On
one of these occasions he read a paper on "The Doctrine of
Chance". Some of his other contributions were: "Comets", (April
5, 1872); "Hypothetical Ether", (March 7, 1873); "Fermentation", (April 11, 1873); "The Moon", (November 21, 1873).
In 1873 Prof. Langley's brother, Dr. John Langley, was made
vice-president of the Bedford Society and entertained several
times between that time and 1875. Other scientific contributions
by the Langley brothers were: "The Theory of the Microscope",
(Prof. Langley, February 27, 1874); "Water Analysis", (Dr. Langley, April 27, 1874); "The Transit of Venus", (Prof. Langley,
November 13, 1874); "An Hour With A Medium", (Prof. Langley, December 4, 1874); "The Chemistry of Nutrition", (Dr.
Langley, December 18, 1874).
November 19, 1875 Dr. Langley resigned his membership in
the Bedford Society as he was leaving to take up his duties in the
chair of General Chemistry and Physics at the University of
Michigan; he still retained an honorary membership, (locally).
Prof. Langley remained with the Bedford Society and read
papers on the following subjects: "The First Book of Popular
Science", (March 16, 1877); "Imaginary Astronomy", (December
353ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
7, 1877); "The Kinetic Theory of Gases", (March 29, 1878). On
December 19, 1879 he invited the Society to meet at the Pittsburgh Club House and on January 23, 188o he read before the
organization his paper on "Measuring Weights". This was his
last contribution.
On March 19, 1875 Dr. Riggs of Allegheny had been invited to
take the membership vacated by Dr. John Langley. In 1877 Dr.
J. C. Rea became a member. On March 4, 1881 Dr. Semple tentatively tendered his resignation as he had met with a painful accident to his face and eyes in the explosion of sulphereted hydrogen
gas. He was excused from attendance at the meetings but his
resignation was not accepted.
In the fall of 1881 the club did not convene as usual, so in
February 1i 882 a new organization was formed under the name of
"The Fortnightly Club", the members being the same as of the
Bedford Society. Special minutes were kept for this group but
the venture was a failure. The Bedford Society again resumed on
December 5, 1884, with a meeting at Dr. Semple's, but its career
was over. The last entry in the minute book is under date of
March 20, 1885.
Among the treasures of the Bedford Medical Society was a
highly prized document of which apparently all trace has been
lost. It was the certificate issued about 176o to Dr. Bedford, authorizing him to attend the lectures on obstetrics by Dr. Denman
of London. These were presumably a part of Dr. Bedford's medical course.
In 1867 Dr. Harry Neal hung his shingle briefly at the door of
a small two-room frame office on "Main" Street between Wood
and Hay Streets, but two years later he sold out and moved to
California.
Into this vacant office stepped, on May 1, 1869, Fulton R. Stotler, aged 21, the proud possessor of a crackling sheepskin from
Jefferson Medical College. Beginning the study of medicine at
the age of 16 with Dr. William Reiter of Pittsburgh, the youth
had, before starting to Jefferson, completed three years of intensive study of therapeutics, medicine, surgery, anatomy, chemis354THE ART OF MEDICINE, Part II
try, and botany with his preceptor. Behind this was a two years'
course at the old East Liberty Academy which included Greek
and Latin, mathematics, and physics. The background for this
was a little red brick school house in Penn Township.
Fulton R. Stotler was a son of Henry Bowman Stotler and
Theodosia Logan Stotler, born at the homestead in Penn Township March 16, 1848. Of Revolutionary ancestry, the Stotler family had located early on the large tract of land acquired shortly
after the close of the war for independence. The boy was shy,
quiet, and studious, much preferring to withdraw into some
corner with his book than to follow the farm routine or join in
the noisy merriment of a large family. It was his slow convalescence from dysentery at the age of 15, attended by the good old
country doctor, (Shreiner), which determined him  to study
medicine.
Now installed in the unprepossessing little office, he fearfully
and hopefully awaited the first patient. After three days he was
called to Mucklerat to attend a negress, severely ill of cholera
morbus. Luckily the patient survived. Of this and other early
cases the young medic, having little to do, kept a minute record.
The first months were hard going; not only were patients scarce,
but the older confrere, Dr. Semple, was loath to share the field.
In this day of social and professional cooperation, it is perhaps
difficult to understand the "one-man" attitude of earlier times.
However, with the coming of other competition, Dr. Semple's
hostility to the first invader promptly evaporated and there
sprang up between the two men a beautiful friendship which endured until Dr. Semple's death. By October 1876 Dr. Stotler had
saved enough money on fifty cent and one dollar fees to go to
Europe for a year's graduate study at the clinics of Vienna and
Munich.
While in the latter city, studying German, he became acquainted with Miss Elise Boxhammer who later became his wife. The
young couple built a home across from the little office on Penn
Avenue. Strangely enough, it was on the site of the old Cannon
log house where Jane Grey Swisshelm had spent her girlhood.
355ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
other than the military roads cut by Braddock and Forbes and the
Indian trails. The earliest settlers from the east came from Maryland and Virginia and the early settlers from Pennsylvania were
deflected into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and thence
across the mountains through the Cumberland Valley, using after
1755, the Braddock road. There was no road from the east
through Pennsylvania until the building of the Forbes Road in
1758. This explains to a large extent why immigration to the
western country began in Virginia and why Virginia settlers had
first foothold in the Ohio and Monongahela Valleys; and it is
a fact that for a long time Pennsylvania neglected her possessions
west of the Alleghenies and that Virginia thus obtained her
ascendancy.34
The Ohio Company had tried to induce German immigrants
to settle on its lands in order to fulfill the conditions imposed by
the charter, but "the system of English episcopacy which prevailed in Virginia and which demanded church rates from dissenters, was repulsive to them, and they preferred to settle in the
Province of William Penn."35
A large majority of the settlers came by Braddock's Road and
other passes south of it while, at least in the early period, a minority, mostly from Eastern and Middle Pennsylvania, came by
the Forbes Road. An examination of the warrantee atlas indicates
that most of the settlers in the eastern townships of Allegheny
County used the Forbes Road. This road, cut by Colonels George
Washington and John Armstrong, followed fairly closely the
Indian trail from Murrysville; The present Frankstown road
through Penn Township to Wilkinsburg is substantially upon
the location of the old military road. Many of the original settlers upon the old road are represented by descendants who still
retain at least part of the original grants, and a drive over the
Frankstown road through the lands of the Perchments, Sampsons,
Duffs, Wilsons, Stoners, Quigleys, Stotlers, Hersheys and Morrows
cannot but stir the imagination of the historically inclined.
34. Old Virginia Ct. House at Augusta Town.
35. Allegheny County's Hundred Years.
14ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
The famous Cannon spring still functioned and the banks of
lilacs and roses which adorned the Stotler lot had been planted by
Jane Swisshelm's mother almost fifty years before.
Dr. Stotler practiced in Wilkinsburg from 1869 to 1922, when
advancing years and failing eyesight obliged him to retire.
As a young man he was identified with the social life in the
village and was one of the organizers of the "Utile Dulce" Literary Society, which maintained a reading room and sponsored
lecture courses not only in the village but in Pittsburgh.
In 1887 he was elected school director from the first ward of
Wilkinsburg, a position he filled for thirty-six consecutive years.
During this time he was for many years president of the board, an
office he held several times in the Allegheny County Directors
Association and once in the State Directors Association.
After the lapse of the Bedford Medical Society in the'8o's,
several attempts were made to organize another local group, which
resulted in a Wilkinsburg Medical Club. Of this, Dr. Stotler was
for some years the president. It, like its predecessor, met at the
homes of members, papers on medical topics were read, and refreshments served, until the membership became too large. The
organization lapsed after some years. Dr. Stotler also had membership in the American Medical Society and in the Allegheny
County Society.
In 187o he commenced attending the Home for Aged Protestant Women on Swissvale Avenue and in 1882 became medical
advisor to the Home for Aged Protestant Men and Couples. The
year 1887 saw him appointed physician to the Western Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf in Edgewood.
These three institutions he served until his retirement in 1 922.
In 1923 Dr. Stotler and his family moved from the family home
on Penn Avenue to Savannah Avenue, Edgewood. Here, on
April 28, 1934, the faithful physician, who had been for so
many years an integral part of life in the village, died. Ten
months later, his wife followed him. A daughter, Miss Ilka M.
Stotler, survives.
In 1876 Dr. John McConaghy opened an office in Wilkinsburg,
356THE ART OF MEDICINE, Part II
practiced for four years, and then moved with his family to
Ligonier.
During the 1i 88o's the family of Dr. Edward Edrington of Pittsburgh became residents of Wilkinsburg, living on Penn Avenue
near the city line. Mrs. Edrington was a lineal descendant of the
Earl of Baltimore.
About 188o Dr. William E. Simpson, an eye and ear specialist,
commenced practicing in Wilkinsburg and also had an office in
the city. His wife was Miss Mumaux, a talented woman who had
studied drama and elocution and who conducted private classes
in these branches.
The year 1879 brought to the village Dr. Frank S. Pershing,
also a Jefferson graduate. He located on Penn Avenue across from
Dr. Semple, where, after some years of hard sledding, he built a
handsome combination home and office. The debonair doctor
drove a high-stepping horse and soon acquired a good practice.
Frank S. Pershing, son of Daniel and Martha (Fisher) Pershing,
was born on the farm homestead in Indiana County July 20, 1853.
He received his preliminary education in the country schools of
his native county, later attending Mt. Union College. In 1875 he
began the study of medicine which terminated with his graduation from Jefferson Medical College in 1879. In 1885 he married
Miss Katherine Endley, born in Mansfield, Ohio. Both became
active members of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Wilkinsburg. Dr. Pershing was identified with a number of social and
civic enterprises in Wilkinsburg and was one of the organizers of
the First National Bank. He remained a director of that institution until his death and had for some years been president of the
bank. He was likewise identified with the Wilkinsburg Real Estate and Trust Company. Failing health over a period of years
terminated in his death, 1927. Mrs. Pershing survives.
From 1884 to 1889 Dr. James Rankin Vincent practiced in an
office on Penn Avenue located across from the old Wilkinsbulrg
Hotel, the spot being that now occupied by stores adjoining the
old Stoner homestead. Dr. Vincent was one of a medical family
and was born at New Wilmington, Pa. in 1855. He graduated
357ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
from the Medical College of Ohio at Cincinnati in 1884 and came
to Wilkinsburg almost at once. While here he was affiliated with
the First United Presbyterian Church. About 1886 he married
Miss Fanny McLean of South Avenue, Wilkinsburg.
In 1890 Dr. Vincent moved to East Liberty where he continued
his practice until about  905, a year or so previous to his death.
His widow, residing in the West, survives.
In 1886 Dr. John Edwin Rigg opened an office on Wood Street
near the corner of Penn Avenue, on approximately the site of
the Rowland Theater.
Born on a farm in Washington County, October 13, 1855, he
was a descendant of English ancestors, his grandfather, Elijah
Rigg, being the pioneer in Western Pennsylvania. Dr. Rigg's
father was Newton Rigg, a carpenter and later a farmer residing
near Scenery Hill. Until fourteen years of age John Edwin helped
on the farm, then studied pharmacy and clerked in a drug store.
He next took up the study of medicine at the Long Island Medical College, Brooklyn, New York and at the College of Physicians
and Surgeons in Baltimore, receiving his degree from the latter
in 1879. Graduate study at Johns Hopkins and at the Philadelphia
Polyclinic followed. Dr. Rigg commenced practicing his profession in Stonerville, Pa. in 1879 and moved to Wilkinsburg in 1886.
Dr. Rigg married Miss Ida Belle Weaver, daughter of John H.
and Eliza Weaver. Five children were born: Lida, (wife of Dr. J.
Van Ballantyne); Laura Belle, (Mrs. Joseph Walter Lewis); Edna
Winrett, (Mrs. A. Todd Brown); Carl Hazlett, and Margaret
Stella.
An active career professionally, as well as in church and financial circles, was Dr. Rigg's. He at once became a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church and was for some years president of
the board of trustees. He served two terms as school director; was
one of the organizers of the Wilkinsburg Electric Light Company,
now incorporated in the Duquesne Light Company; was a director of the First National Bank and of the Wilkinsburg Real
Estate and Trust Company.
Professionally, he was a member of the American Medical
358THE ART OF MEDICINE, Part II
Association, the Allegheny County Medical Society, was president for some years of the Wilkinsburg Board of Health, lectured
for a time in the Medical Department of Pitt University, and
served several years as chief of staff at Columbia Hospital.
Toward the close of his life Dr. Rigg became afflicted with
Bright's disease, which terminated in his death on October 3,
1917.
Almost simultaneously with Dr. Rigg came Robert Wilson
Allison, M.D., born in 1859, and who had graduated from Jefferson Medical College on May 26, 1886, and the very next day located in Wilkinsburg, hanging out his shingle next door to Dr.
Rigg.
His was the usual story of the country boy of pioneer Revolutionary ancestry with professional aspirations. The first step was
his graduation from the Indiana State Normal School, now titled
the Indiana State Teachers College of Indiana County, Pa. For a
time thereafter he taught in the Dayton Academy; then he became principal of the Saltsburg (Indiana County) school. Dr.
Allison's medical studies began in the midst of his teaching career
with Dr. John St. Clair, an esteemed surgeon of that day. When
sufficiently prepared, the student entered Jefferson.
Upon locating in Wilkinsburg Dr. Allison joined the First
Presbyterian Church and soon became favorably known. An air
of gentle melancholy and sympathy became him well. It was not
long before he became acquainted with the family of druggist
Samuel McElroy and had won the hand of Miss Marcia McElroy,
who was then teaching in Wilkinsburg. They were married in
1891. One daughter, Anna (Mrs. E. R. McMillin) was born to
them.
Dr. Allison was active in professional and civic life; was vicepresident of the Wilkinsburg Bank, served for thirty-two consecutive years on the local board of public education; was a member of
the American Medical Association, and the local society. His
death came on October 26, 1926, wife and daughter surviving.
In concluding it is interesting to note the advances made in the
practice of medicine. Until 1845-46 anaesthetics, as we know
359ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
them, were unknown, although experiments with "laughing gas"
had been made during the'30's. Ether was evolved in 1845 and
chloroform in 1846. For a time the latter was considered the safer
of the two but, with the improvement in making and adminstering ether, ether became the anaesthetic of choice. Previously,
surgical operations were performed by main strength, the patient's sensibilities being blunted with opiates or whisky.
Contagion was recognized at all times and helplessly dreaded.
It was not until the "Gay Nineties" that the germ theory was accepted, and the practice of quarantining was adopted about 1898.
Absence of germ realization and the proper antiseptics account
for the frightful mortality from cholera and typhoid epidemics;
from gas gangrene and dysentery during the Civil War. Maternal
deaths from puerperal fever could also be laid to the innocently
ignorant physicians and "grannies" who carried this contagion
from house to house.
Wooden and bone-handled operating knives, which could not
be properly cleaned and sterilized, were in use prior to 1870, later
being supplanted by tortoise-shell handled instruments, which
finally gave way to the all-metal instruments.
Vinegar was considered a good disinfectant and when smallpox
or cholera was under treatment it was the ineffectual custom to
hang sheets wrung out of vinegar about therooms, in hallways, etc.
Bleeding was the favorite cure-all from pre-Revolutionary times
until well into the third quarter of the nineteenth century, the
only difference being in the method of doing it. The earliest form
was the simplest; with a scalpel and basin. Then followed a spring
scarifier-or spring lancet, either with one blade or multiple
blades. This contrivance was made of brass, oblong or square in
shape, operated by a spring trigger. It reposed, when not in use,
in a snug leather case lined with velvet, which looked much like
a jewel-case. The spring lancet came into being about 18oo and
continued until the late'6o's.
In the later'60o's and possibly before came the practice of
cupping and leeching. Cupping was performed in two ways: dry
and wet. In the dry method, the purpose was to cause local con360THE ART OF MEDICINE, Part II
gestion in order to relieve more deepseated inflammatory conditions. The process consisted of placing a small bit of paper or wick
into the "cup", which was a clear glass affair of various sizes, lighting the paper and allowing it to flame for a moment to exhaust the
air in the cup, and then clapping this swiftly and tightly against
the skin-surface. When the area enclosed in this vacuum became
red and swollen, the process could either be discontinued or, if
the operator decided that blood should be withdrawn, the cup
was removed momentarily and the vacuum again created by the
burning paper; meanwhile the multiple lancet or scalpel had been
applied. The cup was again quickly clapped into place and the
flowing blood collected within it. Cupping is said to have been
known to the earliest antiquity but it enjoyed a strange vogue in
the middle nineteenth century.
Great skill was required in this operation. It came to the notice
of physicians that the common leech might be able to accomplish
the task of blood-letting more easily and expeditiously, so during
the last period of blood-letting treatment the leech was the method
of choice. Pittsburgh druggists kept leeches in stock; these they
rented out, as required, to physicians. The practice of leeching
was practically extinct by 1880.
Tuberculosis, or consumption as it was then called, was the
greatest destroyer. Since the physician of yesteryear did not suspect that contagion was carried by germs, he took no pains to iso-,
late the patient, or to sterilize his belongings. Patient and nurse
very frequently occupied not only the same room but the same
bed. More likely than not the nurse was a member of the family,
who presently contracted the disease. Thus, not infrequently, five
and six of a family died within eight or ten years and the scourge
ceased only when there were no more to kill or when an iron
constitution was found which could withstand the germs. Meanwhile, the survivors piously tried to accept "the will of God."
To the credit of the medical profession be it said that it was
always endeavoring to experiment along scientific lines to effect
some amelioration of disease, but the progress was slow in those
earlier days.
361ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Many treatments were attempted for tuberculosis, but one of
the strangest flourished briefly in the early 1 88o's. This was called
the "gas-bag" treatment and was quite complicated for the physician and painful for the patient. The former, previous to administering a treatment, was obliged to manufacture sulphureted
hydrogen gas for some hours. This was retained in a gray rubber
bag measuring about twelve by eighteen inches, fitted with tubing
and stop-cocks by which the intake and outflow of the gas was
regulated. When the bag had been chemically inflated, the physician transported it to his patient and administered the gas per
rectum.
The 1850's to 188o's brought the faradic or galvanic battery
fad for the treatment of nerves, pains, and general debility. Like
the gas-bag, the battery was part of the equipment of every up-todate physician. It presented a sleek and polished appearance in its
brown walnut case, measuring from eight to ten inches in all dimensions. Within the case reposed a metal coil with the necessary
posts or electrodes to which could be attached the red and green
wires connecting handles and sponges to be employed on the patient. The strength of the current could be increased or diminished by means of a sliding metal rod within the coil. Current was
generated in a small double tank of copper and zinc by means of
sulphate of copper fluid. The term "being galvanized into action"
may well have originated with the super-stimulation of the
battery.
In 1887 children contracting diphtheria had slim chances of
recovery. Membraneous croup, as the disease was sometimes called, was so ominous that the mere sound of it chilled the spine
and froze the heart. The patient was at once surrounded by a tent
of sheets and given medicated steam vapors, which in itself was
good treatment as far as it went. When suffocation threatened, by
reason of obstructing membranes in the air-passages, a tracheaotomy was hastily performed by incising the larynx from without
and inserting a tube or cannula of German silver. This procedure
was designed to push aside the membrane and enable the patient
to breathe through the tube which was secured about his neck by
362THE ART OF MEDICINE, Part II
tape. It had very frequently to be removed and freed of accumulated secretions and membrane and more often than not, if membrane continued forming below the incision, the patient died of
suffocation.
Light and hope for diphtheria sufferers came in the early 189o's
with the discovery by Drs. Klebs-Loeffler of the bacillus which was
subsequently named for them. Some years later an anti-toxin was
developed which has given brilliant results.
It may well be said that every generation advances by the mistakes of the preceding one. The employment of anaesthetics and
the discovery of disease germs have been the greatest factors in
the advance of medical science within the past half-century.
Preventive medicine is the hope of the future.
363i86o
[1]
SOLDIERS' LETTERS
FTER the thrill of martial music, the glory of the flags, the
lure of the uniforms, the excitement of drill and marchI. LX. ing, the pendulum swung over to the forebodings of farewells. When they were over the village settled down to anxiety,
fear, gloom and, as time went on, to periods of despair.
But there was much to do, and it was well done. There were
widowed mothers, old in years, whose sons, their only support, had
gone. These must be provided with homes. There were young
mothers with little ones to be helped along; and after battles
there was anxious scanning of newspapers through the lists of
dead, wounded and missing, for the community was united. It
was not your grief, nor mine, but our grief whatever befell.
One humble little German woman whose only son was killed
early in the war years went insane, and through every waking
moment the moan "Mein Kind, mein Sohn" never ceased until
death gave her happy release.
The Wilkinsburg women joined with the committee of Beulah
women in making soldiers' supplies, and were also generous contributors to the great Sanitary Fair held in Pittsburgh.
There was great joy in homes when letters came, especially interesting were those written by boys who had gone out dancing
as if "on a lark" and whose illusions had been quickly destroyed.
A family in the Borough has a large and treasured collection of
364SOLDIERS' LETTERS
these letters from which quotations have been selected for insertion here.
The writers of these letters were Wilkinsburg young men, members of the 63rd Reg. Co. A., P.V. known locally as the Kelly
Guards.
"It is with the greatest plasuer i embrace thee preasant moment
of droping a few lines in this paper to you i am at a loss to now
what to right to you becaus i am afraid'that meby perhaps i might
ofend you by wrighting to you this letter but Miss  i hope that
you will not be ofended at me for doing so as to much sutch a tempt
to wright to you withought noing wither it will bexceptable or not
and if it is is not i hope that you will not think hard of me...
Miss     i can tell you that ever cense i got acquainted with you
i thought a gradle of you and the more i saw you the more i loved
you and that is the vary reason i wright to you... i want to now
if you will be agreed for me to corraspond to you or not this
question i ask and leave you to annser... and i hope that you will
annser to pleas yourself and whitch way i can not think i leave it
all with you to doe the annser of this kind letter that i have riten..."
Sincere, humble lad, you did not know how to spell out your
love, but you knew how to express in action that "Greater love
hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends."
To the girl I left behind me
We are getting fat on dirt and fire crackers. You want to know
how I like camp life-I would like it very much if we had any thing
fit to live on, but the way it goes I am chuck full of it; also in regard
to washing our shirts-we make little washing do. First we get water
-second, we set down alongside of it, third we put the shirt in the
water and set down to see if it won't wash itself, forth we wish we
were married, fifth we wish we was at home and sitting by her side
never to put our name to the paper again, for I am full of playing
soldier. May the time shortly come when we can have the pleasure
of sitting down by our father's fire-never to play soldier no more.
Another:
Well I do not know what to write that would interest you as
you are a good old Methodist and will not allow dancing. I was at
365SETTLEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PRIOR TO 1788
Beginning with the opening of the proprietary land offices on
April 3, 1769, there was such a rush of pioneers into this region
that in some districts there was no portion that was not to a more
or less extent occupied by settlers.36 This movement continued
for several years, but was suspended until 1783, because of the
war and the uncertainty of titles caused by the conflicting claims
of Pennsylvania and Virginia to the territory
Each of these states based its claim upon the terms of its royal
charter. There was much argument37 about the location of the
boundary line between the provinces but it is sufficient here to
note that both states claimed38 the territory of Western Pennsylvania including Allegheny County. Indeed there was more than
a claim, for at least from 1773 until 1780, two governments, one
of the proprietary province of Pennsylvania, and the other the
Crown Colony of Virginia, exercised jurisdiction over all the settled territory west of the Allegheny Mountains. At the same time
there were two governments each having its own full equipment
of courts, judges, juries, magistrates and constables, as well as
militia organizations.39
The Virginia colony early determined to strengthen its claim
to the territory around the fork of the Ohio, not only against the
French but also against the claims of the Penns. The building of
the fort by the Virginians awakened Pennsylvania to an assertion
of its rights to the lands west of the mountains.40 The Virginia
claim was definitely stated by Governor Dinwiddie who wrote
Governor Hamilton of Pennsylvania: "I am misled by our surveyors if the Forks of the Monongahela be within the bounds of
Pennsylvania."''41
With the rush of settlers into the western country following the
36. Old Virginia Ct. House at Augusta Town.
37. See Crumrine's History of Washington County-pp. 158-222 for full consideration of boundary claims.
38. Old Virginia Ct. House at Augusta Town. "The Country west of the Allegheny
Mountains was naturally a prize to be coveted by the Colonial jurisdictions within
reach of it."
39. Ibid.
40. Ibid.
41. Allegheny County's Hundred Years.
15ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
a dance a few weeks ago and danced like fun, but don't scold me
for it, it's the only place I've been for a coon's age. I am not half
as merry as I used to be, for I am so lonesome and homesick.
In Camp 4 miles South of
Winchester, Va.
December 1 i, 1864.
Dear Father and Mother:
It is with the greatest of pleasure that I sit down to inform you
that I am well at present and I hope that these few lines may find
you all in good health also.
I have been in front for three weeks and have been on the go
all the time. I had only been here two days until we started up the
valley on a reconnaissance and in the second days ride we found
the Johnnies about noon. We fought then until night and then
retired after finding out their strength. We found Arleep's (?) whole
army at Mount Jackson. We had nothing but cavalry and we
charged them twice and drove their cavalry each time, but their
infantry and artillery were too much for us.
The shelling they gave us was the hottest the cavalry had been
in for a long time. In our company there was one killed and two
wounded and I don't see how we got off as safe as we did for the
quantity of men they had sending missiles at us.
We are kept very busy. I have been on picket or scouting every
day since I have been up here till yesterday our regiment went out
on a scout after Mosbey (?) and my horse was too near played out
and I had to stay in camp.
Well, soldiering is a rough business, laying down on the wet
ground to sleep and almost freezing. Sometimes plenty to eat and
sometimes for a couple of days nothing at all.
We had a great feast on Thanksgiving Day. We had one
chicken for nine men's dinner. At night we got a half pint of whiskey for each man, and the boys gave more thanks for that than they
would have for a roasted ox for it made them all sing and dance
until midnight.
Well, I have not got much to write about at present for we
don't get any news out here for we are never in camp to get any
papers and if we were in, I have no "scabs" to buy any with now.
366SOLDIERS' LETTERS
I did get a paper from Pittsburgh with the list of the draft and
also I see that I was honored with a ticket to Mrs. Lincoln's Ball,
but I had a dance before I got the ticket and that to smart music.
Well, I must stop writing. Give my love to all the friends and
tell them to write to me for I like to get plenty of letters but I have
not had time to write many yet.
I will close my letter by bidding good nite. Nothing more at
present but remain your son, John H. J. Snyder.
Direct mail to:  John H. J. Snyder, 14 Pa. Cav. Co. F.
First Brga. Scout Cav. Div.
Martinsburg, West Va.
and then it will follow after us wherever we go.
I am glad to hear that my friends have turned from the wicked
way to serve the Lord, and hope you may be successful in winning
many more souls.
Another:
We have orders to move on the enemy in the morning... I
crave an interest in your prayers, that we may meet beyond the
grave...
The war record of Frank Frey (Fry) father of Jacob Fry our
worthy corner policeman, indicates how often the soldier boys
had "orders to move on the enemy".
Frank Frey, who married Margaret Garver, came to America
from Germany in 1855. He at one time owned property now
known as 1128 South Avenue, Wilkinsburg. He was a member of
St. James Roman Catholic Church, and was a Republican in
politics.
On the outbreak of the Civil War Frank Frey (Fry) enlisted
June 21, 1861 to serve 3 years in Co. H, 1 1th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers Infantry. Was in 16 battles. Captured and imprisoned in Andersonville 9 months. Honorably discharged
March 9, 1865. Member of Lowry Post 548 G.A.R.
367ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
LIST OF BATTLES
Dramesville, Va.
Mechanicsville
Games Mills
Bull Run
South Mt.
Antietam
Fredricksburg, Va.
Mun March
Gettysburg
Bristoe Station
Wilderness
Spotsylvania
North Anna
Bethes Va. Church
Petersburg
Weldon Railroad
Dec. 20, i861
June 26, 1862
June 27, 1862
Aug. 30, 1862
Sept. 14, 1862
Sept. 17, 1862
Dec. 13, 1862
Jan.    1863
July 13, 1863
Oct. 14, 1863
May  5, 1864
May  8, 1864
May 23, 1864
June  6, 1864
June 15-30-64
Aug. 18-20-64
In 1865 the tension gave way for the war closed and the longedfor peace had come. The return of the soldiers was celebrated in
various ways. They wanted a dance and as there was no hall, Mr.
Luke B. Davison, a man to whom dancing, card playing and the
theatre were anathema, opened his house which had a large parlor, for the dance. The "Kelly Guards", members of the 63rd
Regiment, Co. A. were invited by Mr. and Mrs. Davison and each
man invited his girl. In the intervals between the dances the
fiddle played over and over the selection most often called for
"The Girl I Left Behind Me".
Oysters had been asked for-soup, raw, scalloped. Oysters were
rather a novelty in the village, but so completely did Mrs. Davison satisfy the appetites of her guests on that joyful night that she
became noted for scalloped oysters and coffee and her services
were in demand for many years at the suppers given at the First
Presbyterian Church to augment the building fund.
But there were solemn thanksgivings in many homes by means
of hymns of praise and outpourings of prayer. In one household,
on such an occasion, a small girl sat by her grandmother's knees.
368SOLDIERS' LETTERS
The married daughters had come from their homes in Ohio and
New York states for the reunion to celebrate the safe return from
the war of the youngest member of the family. They were a family
of singers. After the reading of the 9oth psalm, "Lord, thou hast
been our dwelling place in all generations... Make us glad according to the days wherein thou has afflicted us..." the father,
resting his hand on the shoulder of his wife, said to the soldier
"Our Son, our Benjamin, will you raise the tune?" As they sang
the child was filled with wonder and awe. Why did Grandma cry?
She nestled closer as the hymn ended for now Grandfather was
beginning to "wrestle with the Lord in prayer."
GEORGE HIRST ATKINSON
George Hirst Atkinson was born in Pittsburgh November 6,
1831. He was married to Rosina M. Stewart July 2, 1861 and
on September 1 of the same year enlisted as an engineer in the
U.S. Navy and was assigned to the Gunboat Carondelet of the
Mississippi Squadron. Later he was transferred to the Gunboat
Pittsburgh. He was gone a year and then came home on his first
furlough and found a son, George Kerr, his first born child. He
returned to the Mississippi River and in all served four years and
two months, taking part in a number of battles, among them Red
River, Island No. lo and the Siege of Vicksburg. He was honorably retired as Lieutenant Commander of the U.S. Navy. Soon
after the close of the war he was appointed Local Inspector of
Boilers for the Port of Pittsburgh and served forty-one years in
that office. In 1877 he moved to Wilkinsburg and in 1880 to Park
Place, where he built the first house on one side of East End Avenue, the other one being that of Mr. M. K. Salsbury, who built the
first one on the other side, south of Penn Avenue.
Mother was active in the Missionary Society of the first Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg and in the organization of the
Park Place Sunday School. When Miss Smith started the Sunday
School in her home I was one of the first pupils and when it grew
too large for the home we met in the locker house in the Cricket
Grounds and then in the laundry. Mr. Salsbury, Mr. Silvey and
369ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
my father then went to Mr. Peoples who gave them ground for a
chapel, which was built by the people in this neighborhood. Mrs.
Porter, Mrs. Long, Mrs. Salsbury, Mrs. Weidman, Miss Mary
McCall and mother, along with a number of other women, were
always planning things to make money for the chapel and it was
not long until it was fully paid for. Miss McCall started a Mission
Band for children which was called The Buds of Promise.
After the chapel was taken over as a Mission of the First Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg various changes and additions to
this small beginning has resulted in the growth of the beautiful
Waverly Church.
THE QUINTER FAMILY
James E. Quinter was born in Wilkinsburg in 1843. He was a son
of Eli Quinter, a carpenter and coffin maker. He and his most
capable, kind-hearted wife owned their home on Wallace Avenue
adjoining the Academy Building. Mrs. Quinter, in addition to
being a fine housekeeper, bread baker, nurse, and boarding house
keeper was, willy-nilly, the arbiter of many disputes among the
Academy pupils, who often invaded her house and ran as a matter
of course to Mrs. Quinter with any slight bruise, scratch or torn
garment. Dear, patient, long-suffering womanI
Their son, James, when eighteen years old was one of the early
volunteers of the Civil War. He enlisted August i, 1861, as a private in Company A, 63rd Regiment P.V. and was advanced to the
rank of First Sergeant, serving three years and eleven months and
receiving his discharge July 29, 1865. During these four years he
fought in twenty-nine battles and was wounded at Spotsylvania,
Virginia, May 1o, 1864. It is stated that he was the first boy from
Wilkinsburg to be wounded.
After the war, James Quinter was in the employ of the railroad
after having worked for the Hampton Coal Mines for thirty-five
years. He married Margaret Jorden, born in Turtle Creek. They
were the parents of nine children, seven of whom are living.
Those who reside in Wilkinsburg are Mrs. Gertrude Magee of
Wood Street, Edward E. Quinter of Kelly Street, and Charles A.
Quinter of East Street.
370SOLDIERS' LETTERS
Mrs. Charles A. Quinter is a descendant of James Moore and
his wife Sarah Morrison. James Moore was an Irishman who came
to the United States in 1833. Settling first on a farm which is now
part of Churchill Borough, he later moved to the village where he
was in the employ of the Ward Stonequarry. Mr. Moore was a Republican and attended Beulah Church. The Moores had a large
family of which Mrs. Sadie Burgess of Verona is the sole survivor.
Those of his grandchildren who live in the borough are James,
Howard and Florence Van Ryn, children of his daughter Elizabeth (Mrs. Clem Van Ryn), and Mrs. Pearl Andre and Mrs.
Charles A. Quinter, children of his daughter Margaret (Mrs.
Jonathan H. Wood). Jonathan H. Wood served as a volunteer
fireman of the village and in 1890 was a member of the Borough
Council.
SQUIRE "SAMMIE" CREELMAN
William and Sophina Creelman had three sons and two daughters.
The second son, Samuel, born February 14, 1843 in the frame
house which stood for many years on the northeast corner of the
Pike and Crab Hollow road, became an outstanding citizen of
Wilkinsburg. His meager school education was acquired in the
township schools. When a young fellow in his teens the William
McCrea farm, with its lime-kiln and the many activities of outof-doors life, had a particular attraction for him and he spent
much time there loafing around. One day in September of i861
he disappeared from the farm and when next heard from he had
enlisted in Company A,  o 1 st Regiment, P.V.
He had an honorable war record, taking part in many engagements about Richmond, and on the North and South Carolina
coasts. After a three days' engagement at Plymouth, N.C. his
command was captured by the Confederates and the small remnant of it was held in Andersonville, Georgia, prison for eleven
months. Shortly after his release on parole the war ended and he
was honorably discharged. His regiment had left Harrisburg in'61 one thousand strong; but two hundred returned home.
After a course at Duff's Commercial College he engaged himself in the grocery business, followed by four years as bookkeeper
371ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
for Weinman and Sutton. This position he resigned to accept an
appointment to succeed Thomas D. Turner as Justice of the
Peace. This office he held by reelection until his death, November
11, 1906, his tenure of office having lasted twenty-five years.
"Squire Sammie" made a careful study of law and his decisions
were seldom reversed by the courts.
His little office on Wood Street near Penn Avenue was unique
and gave to its occupant individuality and local fame. Its walls
were papered with pictures of great men, both Federal and Confederate, of the late war. Here were framed newspaper copies of
President Lincoln's 1861 call for volunteers, and the Peace article
following the surrender at Appomattox, and other great historical
documents. Here were collected stacks of muskets, sabres and
rifles used on battle-fields. Here, gathered around the barrel stove,
the cronies fought over again the battles, and argued for and
against the great events of the reconstruction period.
Squire Creelman was a serious student of events of this period.
He accumulated a valuable library on biographical and historical
subjects, and on bird and plant life, for he was a great lover of
nature. This love for birds and plants may have had its beginning
in those apparently idle hours spent on the ever hospitable McCrea
farm. He was interested in all matters which concerned the newly
organized borough, in the Major Lowry Post, No. 548, as well as
in several fraternal organizations. A man with a zest for life in
its many manifestations was "Squire Sammie Creelman."
GEORGE CLELAND
George Cleland, a brother of John and Ellen Cleland, came to
Wilkinsburg from Butler County about 1840. His wife, Eliza
Cleland, was a distant cousin. This couple had at least two children; a son, George, and a daughter, Mary, who married Archibald Scott. Archibald and Mary Scott were the parents of George
H. Scott, recently deceased, who was for some years Chief of Police
in the Borough. Their daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Sadler, writes
the following brief sketch of her grandfather and uncle, George
Cleland, Sr. and Jr.
372SOLDIERS' LETTERS
George Cleland, Sr. bought property on Penn Avenue in the
ooo block and built three brick houses, one of which bears the
date of its erection, 1852. The clay for the bricks was taken from
ground at the corner of Ross and Coal Streets. He was by trade a
blacksmith, and also repaired stagecoaches. Like many of his fellow craftsmen, he had a vocabulary while about his work that was
apparently used to make the animals more docile. Notwithstanding this habit he was a religious man, a student of the Bible and
kept a well marked copy of it on a shelf in his shop, which he often
opened to read from it favorite passages to those who dropped in.
Psalm 23 was his favorite chapter.
His son, George, Jr., followed his father in his choice of trade
and at the outbreak of the Civil War was one of the early volunteers from this district. He was of a jovial nature and always ready
with a joke. This one is credited to him:Being a blacksmith he
knew that his work in the Army would be with animals and when
in the transport line the animal would probably be a mule. When
he went to register for service he was preceded by a doctor who
signed his name, followed by M.D. George Cleland gave a shrug,
and said to himself, "Guess I can do the same", and wrote George
Cleland, M.D., i.e. Mule Driver.
He returned from the Civil War October, 1864 after three years'
service. Three weeks afterwards his father, George Cleland, Sr.
died. For twenty-five years George, Jr. had charge of the Pennsylvania Railroad blacksmith shop until his 8ist year. He died one
year later.
His wife was Louise Stockman, a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Stockman. They had two children, Harry Cleland, (deceased) and Minnie, Mrs. Rice, who makes her home with her mother
in St. Petersburg, Florida. Mrs. Louise Stockman Cleland is active
and in good health at the advanced age of ninety-four years.
JOHN JOSIAH WALKER
John Josiah Walker and his wife, Sarah Ann Gould Walker,
moved from Allegheny City to Edgewood in 1867, from there to
Wilkinsburg in 1870 or i 871, where they resided the remainder373ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
of their lives. Mr. Walker bought property on Penn Avenue between Swissvale Avenue and the turn of the hill. For one year, the
family occupied the old frame Horner house, on the present site of
the First National Bank at Wilkinsburg. He and his family were
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Walker was,
in politics, an ardent Republican.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, while still residing in Allegheny City, J. J. Walker enlisted April 17, 1861, for the short term
of three months, at the end of which term "all would be over". In
September 1861, he began to raise a company of artillery at his
own expense. This company afterward became Company C, 2nd
Pennsylvania heavy artillery, in which he was First Lieutenant
until March 1862, when he resigned. In August 1862, he re-enlisted as a private in Company G, i39th Regiment, Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry. He served until December 15, 1864. He was
then commissioned captain of artillery in the regular army by
order of Mr. Stanton, Secretary of War, on detailed duty in
Georgia and Tennessee until Dec. 9, 1865. Some of the engagements in which he fought were as follows: Second Bull Run,
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Mary's Heights, second Chancellorsville, Gettysburg (three days), Mine Run, Savage Station,
the Wilderness, Sailor's Creek and Petersburg. In the battle of
the Wilderness he was wounded in the hand.
Mr. Walker's business was that of painting contractor, but this
was somewhat interrupted by services in several political offices
in the Allegheny Court House.
During the period when Wilkinsburg was part of the city of
Pittsburgh, Mr. Walker served as "magistrate", to which office he
was elected by the people. After Mr. Kelly won his suit against the
city of Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg returned to the somnolence of
village life, J. J. Walker served several terms as Justice of the
Peace. No descendant of his has lived in the borough since 1925.
SAMUEL L. PEDEN
An honor man of Company A, 63rd Regiment, P.V., was Samuel
L. Peden.
374THE LUDDEN ACADEMY
Samuel L. Peden was a coal miner whose father had come to the
village from Pittsburgh in 1828. He was a Republican and a
Methodist. His war record as given by his only surviving child,
Mrs. Nora P. Porter, is that her father enlisted as a Private, August 28, 1861, in Company A, 63rd Regiment, Infantry Pennsylvania Volunteers. In eleven months he was promoted to Second
Lieutenant July 26, 1862. Again in eleven months he was promoted to First Lieutenant July 1, 1863. One year after his honorable discharge and return home, he bought property from James
Kelly. The old homestead, his daughter writes, stands on the
present McNary Boulevard and is occupied by J. O. Ross.
Samuel L. Peden was twice married. His first wife, Mary Stephenson, died about 1874. His second wife, Mary Neff Budd, survived him thirty years for, like many of the men who returned
safely from the war, he lived but a comparatively short time. He
died April 29, 1880, and was buried in Weiland Cemetery, Hermine, Pennsylvania.
[2]
THE LUDDEN ACADEMY
s LIFE resumed its normal course there came gradually a realiafzation of change, and again, as in 1852, it was the school that
brought it about. During the war a private school had been maintained for two years by Miss Rachel Latham in the Academy
building. Miss Latham had been a pupil in the Hastings Academy,
during which time she boarded in the Hasting's home. She afterwards attended and graduated from Blairsville Seminary. In 1864
she was urged by the Principal of the Blairsville Seminary to become a member of the faculty. This offer she hesitated to accept
but on referring the matter to Mr. Hastings he advised her to
make the change, as, he said, there was a rumor that a man from
the East was coming to reopen the Academy, and if he did so she
would have no place in which to teach, nor would she be able to
hold her older pupils. She followed Mr. Hasting's advice, went
375ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
opening of the land office in 1 769, the legislature of Pennsylvania,
to fortify its claim and to provide more convenient justice, on
March 9, 1771, erected Bedford County out of the territory of
Cumberland County. As the tide of immigration increased and
large numbers of settlers passed over the mountains, Westmoreland County was erected on February 26, 1773, out of the County
of Bedford, to include the territory west from Laurel Ridge to
the boundary of the state. Immediately a court was held at Hannastown, about thirty miles from Pittsburgh.42
The organization of this court stirred the Virginians into
action. Lord Dunmore, Royal Governor of Virginia, came to
Pittsburgh, and met Dr. John Connolly, his representative. Upon
Dunmore's return to Virginia, the District of West Augusta was
created as an appendage of Old Augusta County (Staunton, Virginia, was the county seat of the latter) to include lands of present
Southwestern Pennsylvania. The district was later (1776) divided
into the counties of Yohogany, Monongalia and Ohio, with Allegheny County included in the first named. In 1774 Dr. Connolly
took possession of Fort Pitt43 for Lord Dunmore of Virginia,
affirming Governor Dinwiddie's claim.44
In the same year Governor Dunmore opened several offices for
the sale of lands in the disputed area. As an inducement to settlers
to apply to Virginia rather than Pennsylvania land agents, the
purchase price was made very low-l-o s. per loo acres-even that
was not demanded,-and a warrant was issued upon the payment
of a fee of 2 s. 6 d.45
Dr. Connolly issued a proclamation on January 1, 1774, announcing his appointment as Captain and Commandant of Militia of Pittsburgh and calling upon all presons to assemble as
militia in Pittsburgh on January 25, 1774. Dr. Connolly was
arrested by Pennsylvania officials and he in turn arrested some
42. Old Virginia Court House at Augusta Town.-p. 13. Justices and officers were
commissioned in the name of His Majesty, George III. Commissions were granted
by "Richard Penn, Esq., Lt. Gov. and Commander-in-Chief of the Province of
Pennsylvania and Counties of New Castle, Kent and Sussex on the Delaware."
43. General Gage withdrew the English garrison in 1772.
44. Supra.
45. Allegheny County's Hundred Years.
16ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
to Blairsville, and later married the Rev. William Cunningham,
a Presbyterian minister.
Rachel Latham was the daughter of English parents who had
come from Lancashire, England, and settled on a farm in Penn
Township. Her father, Abraham Latham, was one of the early
cultivators of a vegetable or truck garden farm, for which Penn
Township has since become noted. There were four daughters
and one son in the family. The parents and all the children were
members of Beulah Church. The son, James Latham, became a
well known physician of Penn Township and Wilkinsburg. Mary
Latham went to India as a missionary. In India she married a
missionary, the Reverend-    Barckley. Beulah Church contributed generously toward her support while she worked as a
missionary.
Ellen Latham, the oldest daughter, married Edward Moore, a
railroad engineer, who had the honor of driving the engine which
drew the passenger train that made the first through trip from
Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. The question so often asked by habitual travellers, "Who's at the head" may have been heard for the
first time that day on what has long been proudly spoken of as
"Old Pennsy". We salute you, Edward Moore, the first of the long
line of honorable men, who, being "at the head" have ever in
mind the many behind intrusted to your keeping.
In the fall of 1864 the Academy was reopened by the Reverend
G. Norcross who was assisted by his wife and Miss Virginia Ludden, all from the State of Maine. At the end of a year Mr. Norcross left Wilkinsburg to take charge of an Academy opened in
Sewickley, and it seemed that the village Academy would again
be closed. But a soldier returning from Texas to his home in
Maine stopped in Pittsburgh to see his sister, Virginia Ludden.
She told him of the vacancy. He was an educator and was seeking
just such an opportunity. Business matters between the waiting
trustees and the applicant were quickly arranged, and the man,
Professor Levi Ludden, went on to Maine for his wife, the school
was opened in September by Professor Ludden who was to exercise a great influence in the village the rest of his life.
376THE LUDDEN ACADEMY
Levi Ludden was the son of the Honorable Timothy Ludden
of Turner, Maine, for some years the distinguished Reporter of
the Decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine. Mark H.
Dunnell, Principal of Hebron Academy, Maine, during the years
1852-1855 says of him: "Levi was a young man of much promise
for he was actuated by honorable ambition. He had come to the
Academy to prepare for college; he was so full of kindness and
preeminent cheerfulness that he was greatly loved by teachers and
schoolmates. His love of fun made him a ready participant in
scenes and acts not quite within the lines of good discipline, but
as he entered into these for the pure love of fun it was an easy
matter for him to win forgiveness." Professor Dunnell continues,
"During these years there were at the Hebron Academy a number of young men who afterwards wrought well in their professions and statecraft. Among them were John D. Long, Secretary
of the Navy in the     Administration, Eugene Hale, U.S.
Senator from Maine for many years, and the Honorable Alfred
E. Buck, U.S. Minister to Japan; with these men Levi Ludden
kept up a lifelong friendship."
Some of the students of Hebron Academy entered Harvard,
some Bowdoin, but the greatest number entered Waterville College, Maine. In 1867 this college took the name of Colby, which
it retained until 1899 when it enlarged its borders to the standard
of a university.
Levi Ludden chose the profession of educator. He graduated
from Waterville College in 1859, his college years having been
prolonged on account of ill health and a year or two of teaching
in Auburn, Maine, High School. After graduation he taught in
Bangor, Maine, for one year (186o) as principal of the Boys
Grammar School, then one year (1861) in Milford, Maine. These
years of teaching in his native state were followed by two years in
Prince William, New Brunswick, after which he entered the Civil
War as a private in the First District of Columbia Cavalry. In 1 864
he was advanced to 2nd Lieutenant, 41St United States Volunteers, where he served until the close of the war. He was at Appomattox the morning when General Lee surrendered. In May
377ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
of that year he was sent to Texas to look after Kirby Smith. To
quote Mr. Ludden's words: "I ran away from home and friends
that I might serve my country."
The reopened Wilkinsburg Academy was well patronized for
parents were school hungry. The public school was crude, overcrowded, holding short sessions and with a primitive course of
study. And although these conditions had brought about the
opening of small private schools taught by fine women, yet parents
felt that a stricter discipline was necessary for boys and girls, many
of whom were in their "teens".
Pupils came on horseback or in light spring wagons from surrounding farms; they came on the train from Swissvale, Braddock, Brinton, Turtle Creek and beyond. At the end of the first
year the building had to be enlarged and an annex of four rooms
built of brick was added to the front of the original one story, one
room assembly hall. Until a house could be built, Mr. Ludden,
wife and little daughter occupied the two upper rooms as a
dwelling and the two lower ones were used as class rooms. The
Ludden family had their meals in a house on the east where the
very capable Quinter family lived. Trained nurses at that time
were not native to the soil, and on certain occasions of sickness
the help of Mrs. Quinter was required, so when heads were bumped or noses bled, knees skinned or dresses torn by too violent play,
as a matter of course the victim ran to Mrs. Quinter. This would
have been quite a simple affair had the victim gone alone but she
was attended by a cortege. Over the spotless kitchen floor, they
dragged their dusty, muddy or snow covered shoes. Before beginning repairs the kindhearted, long enduring woman would
give the wailing one a peach or apple or doughnut or cookie,
then turning to the open door she told the gaping intruders: "The
rest of you get nothin'. Begone!"
There was a large playground at the back of the school building and to quicken dismissal at recess and dinner time a small
door was cut in the north wall. At the west side of the playground
was a high fence with a deep ditch below it and beyond the open
space, afterwards Center Street, stood the Public School building.
378THE LUDDEN ACADEMY
Recesses and dinner hours coincided in these schools, and a terrible animosity existed between the respective pupils. Clods, snowballs in season, stones, broken bricks and lumps of coal were hurled from the west to the howls of "Academy rats, Academy rats!"
The fusillade was returned in kind from the east but the accompanying appellation has been forgotten. It is well that the fence
was high and the ditch wide or many a broken head would have
resulted.
The small door served more than one purpose. The parents had
desired discipline, for the day had not yet arrived when the
parents obeyed the child-there was ever "a rod in pickle", and
obedience to law and order had a major place on the curricula of
schools. The little door at the back soon furnished surprises, for
the boys were not long in learning that when Mr. Ludden went
out the front door, they must be quick with paper wad shooting
on their side of the room, and a quicker delivery of candy kisses
on the girls' side, for one day a boy off guard was seized by the
back of the neck and sentenced to that most ignominious punishment, i.e. to stand in a corner a half hour with his face to the wall.
One of the brightest boys in the school and certainly the most
popular was Jim Macfarlane. He was tall and slim, with twinkling
blue eyes, and slender hands with wrist knuckles always outgrowing the length of his sleeves. He was the soul of honor, but alas!
also the soul of mischief. One day this sentence was passed on him,
"Jim Macfarlane, go to the corner!" Many years have passed since
then but even to this day there comes the remembrance of a gulp
in the throat of a very small girl at that time, who has gone
through life incapacitated by not being able to get the right
word at the "psychological moment". How bewildered she was
as through the haze she tried to reason out just why this-whatever
it was-had overtaken him-whatever he was! At last the bewilderment cleared a little, and a conclusion was reached that it was
a bad mistake in the teacher. He must have forgotten that Jim
was the only one in the school who had spelled p-o, po, p-o, po,
popo c-a-t-cat, popocat, a-popocata-p-e-t-l-petl popocatapetl and
knew what the frightful thing was.
379ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
One well able to estimate Professor Ludden as an educator,
namely Professor Charles R. Coffin, says: "As to my estimate of
Professor Levi Ludden, my words may be prejudiced, for he was
my teacher in my youth in Auburn, Maine, and we were happily
associated for about a quarter century in helping boys to successful work in college.
"He was the best disciplinarian I have known without losing
the confidence and love of the students.... Such was the thoroughness of his preparatory work for college that several colleges accepted our grades for entrance without further examination.
Princeton re-examined our students but I think no one of them
failed there."
Professor Ludden was assisted in his Academy work by his wife,
Mrs. Sara Dudley Ludden, by his sister, Miss Virginia Ludden
and by the Reverend John M. Hastings. There were other teachers who came in for special subjects but the four named made the
atmosphere of the school and it was delightful. Even the smallest
child felt that he or she belonged, and was really essential. What
they learned from the very beginning was thoroughly learned. A
period on Friday afternoon was used for quiz questions. What an
incentive it was through the week, to the study of mental arithmetic and geography. Another quiz that awakened the imagination was the stories of expressions such as "mind your P's and
Q's", which was a beginning in the study of thrift and economics,
a subject frequently mentioned today.
There were exhibitions too, but not ponderous ones like those
the former Academy had. Oh no! Now were given tableaux, and
dialogues and songs. In especial favor were the tableaux, and what
an honor it was to be chosen to appear! Three of them stand out
vividly in the memory of Mrs. A. S. Hunter. When the curtain was
drawn aside for "The Diet of Worms" nothing appeared but a
large head of cabbage.
"On the Trail of a Deer" was presented by one now said by the
Wilkinsburg Gazette to have lived in the town before it was
founded. On her long train stood a boy who later presented to
the public school on Wallace Avenue the clock in its tower.
380THE LUDDEN ACADEMY
"Tischia" Hunter was selected to weep at "The Tomb of Lincoln". Her lovely white dress was ready, her attitude studied, her
twinkles suppressed at the rehearsals, when three days before the
eventful night she "took sick abed". Her mother appeared regularly at her bedside saying, "Come Laetitia, take your medicine or
you won't be able to weep at the tomb of Lincoln". The evening
came and Laetitia wept, but it was not at the tomb of Lincoln.
After four years of increasing prosperity and reputation, Professor Levi Ludden was chosen, by The Western University of
Pennsylvania, to become Principal of its Preparatory Department, organized in 1869. He added to the strenuous duties of this
office the teaching of Latin. Here, Professor Coffin says, "he so
faithfully discharged the many trusts incumbent on him in the
direction of thousands of young students that the University conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy."
In this school he was ably assisted by Professors Oscar M. Tucker and Charles R. Coffin for twenty years.
In 1889 this department was discontinued and Professor Ludden then opened a college preparatory school called "Park Institute" on the "North Side" of the City of Pittsburgh.
Though directing the Wilkinsburg Academy but four or five
years Levi Ludden's influence was forceful in the village the rest
of his life. When he bought ground on the southeast corner of
what is now North Avenue and Mill Street the villagers gasped
in surprise. Why build in a field way up on a hill when there was
still space on the front street? But like Oscar M. Tucker, Levi
Ludden liked the open spaces. On his ground he built a plain
but commodious frame house, which was always a center of
simple, sincere, cordial hospitality in which none were more
heartily welcomed by himself and his wife than pupils and former pupils.
About it as quickly as possible there bloomed a garden of great
beauty, whose flowers, as well as his unusually large and luscious
strawberries, he delighted to share with his friends.
Mr. Ludden had a passion for flowers. "For thirty-two years",
his daughter Gertrude (Mrs. C. D. Armstrong) says; "he rose at
381ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
four o'clock on Sunday morning and went to the woods for vines,
ferns and blossoming branches of bushes and trees to decorate the
First Presbyterian Church of which he was an elder." He says of
himself: "I served as Superintendent of the Sunday School twenty-five years and saw it increase from 35 to 650 and the church
grow from 29 to 1700".
In 1898 Professor Ludden retired. This closing of years of activity was hastened by increasing ill health caused by an accident.
On December 6, 1903 he died in the home of his son-in-law and
daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Armstrong, Homewood, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Professor Ludden had looked forward to a joyful reunion with
friends of early years at Hebron Centennial in 1904, but in the
Hebron Semester of that year, the magazine published by its
students, appears the following appreciative testimonial of him.
The sentences quoted are from the funeral address delivered by
the Reverend Thomas Parry, D.D. pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg. "As an educator Professor Ludden
was preeminently a disciplinarian. He had power over young men.
He had a personality which shed forth authority. He believed in
discipline, in drilling, in bringing the youth per force of exercise
into correct habits."
There are probably hundreds of men in Pittsburgh today who
could testify to Professor Ludden's influence on them in the
formative years of their lives.
After Mr. Ludden's connection with the Academy ended, his
sister, Miss Ludden, became a member of the faculty of The
Pennsylvania College for Women, Pittsburgh. She was always of
a delicate constitution and was soon obliged to retire from the
strenuous college duties. She then entered the home of J. S. Gilman, a banker in Baltimore, as governess. From there, still seeking health, she went to Ogden, Utah, where she taught in an
Academy, a Mission School conducted by the "New West Education Commission", a board of the Congregational Church. She
died in Ogden.
382PHILOTUS DEAN
The Academy was kept open for a few years after Professor
Ludden's retirement. Several unsuccessful attempts were made by
worthy men to keep it open and make it a financial success, the
more prominent of these were the Reverend Thomas Davis and
Professor A. M. Foster of the Lawrenceville family. But the
Academy day in the village was past for the public school, as has
been said, had been growing slowly but steadily in the years from
1840 to 1870. By 1870 it was swinging into its stride as the marvelous, dominating and uplifting force of American life.
[3]
PHILOTUS DEAN
HERE were other educators from the East, who had residence
in the village for periods of varying lengths while connected with Pittsburgh Schools. Among these was Philotus Dean, the
first principal of the Pittsburgh High School. He was born in
South Glastonbury, Conn., October 29, 1822. He was a"Puritan of
the Puritans". On his mother's side he was a descendant of a Mayflower passenger, Richard Warren. From his father, Amos Dean,
he was of the line of Walter Dean, who came to the New World,
from England, in 1630. Walter and his brother, John Dean, were
two of the first seven freemen who settled Taunton, Massachusetts
and his grandfather, Sylvester Dean, was one of six brothers, five
of whom were Revolutionary soldiers, the sixth being too young
for service. The men and women of the generations of the Dean
family were of the backbone of the country wherever they went,
or in whatever station in life they chose, or that fortune placed
them.
Philotus Dean in his boyhood was a favorite pupil of Elihu
Burritt, "the learned blacksmith". He entered Yale when seventeen years old and graduated when twenty-one. He then entered Oberlin College, where he finished a three year theological
course in two years in preparation for Home Mission work. After
383ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
years of great privation as a teacher and missionary in scantily
populated parts of Ohio he was called to Pittsburgh to aid
Charles Avery in his work for the negroes. This cultured and refined man, of superior intellect, entered into this work with all
the zeal of his strong nature.
In 1855 the Pittsburgh High School was organized. Professor
Dean became Principal of it and teacher of mathematics. Seventeen years passed by before his efforts prevailed over indifference
and opposition to the project of a High School Building. During
these years he gave himself unstintingly to teaching, writing and
compiling until his hopes were realized. Death cut short his
career in 1872. His wife, young son and daughter continued to
live in the village for some years, but as her children neared college age Mrs. Dean moved back to her native town Middletown,
Connecticut.
[4]
Dr. BENJAMIN CUTLER JILLSON
ANOTHER interesting family was "the Jillsons" who lived while
fAin Wilkinsburg in Mr. Hasting's brick house, corner of
Wallace and Mulberry Streets. The father was learned, the
mother most genial, and the children most interesting.
They were
Lizzie    Mrs. (Dr.) Richard Fleming of East
End, Pittsburgh.
Sallie    Mrs. (Lieutenant) Eddie B. Townsend,
Washington, D. C.
Nellie   For years a beloved teacher in "Highland" Public School
Lucy     Mrs. William K. Hart, Midvale, Pennsylvania
Of Dr. Jillson, William D. Evans of the class of 188o of Pittsburgh High School writes:
Benjamin Cutler Jillson was a direct descendant of Jno. Alden,
384THE DAVID COLLINS FAMILY
who, while serving his apprenticeship in a little cooper shop in
Southampton, England, where the Mayflower was being refitted
for her historic voyage, signed the compact in her cabin, and who
afterwards became the most famous of magistrates in Plymouth
Colony.
B. C. Jillson received his education in the common schools of
Willimantic, Conn., and in Amherst and Yale Colleges. He was a
true Puritan in spirit and in heart. Scarcely was his education
finished when his country called him to the Civil War. He served
throughout, and when the war ended he began his career as an
educator, which extended over a third of a century, all of which,
excepting two years, was spent in Pittsburgh Schools; twenty-one
years as principal and teacher in High School, and ten as teacher
of geology in the Western University of Pennsylvania.
[5]
THE DAVID COLLINS FAMILY
HE name David Collins is synonymous with Republicanism
T  and blazing abolition. Yes, a "high-church, front pew, four
square" abolitionist was he. During the Civil War when news
came of the death of one of his sons, and an attempt was being
made to express sympathy, David Collins said, "None of that!
None of that! Would that I had a dozen sons to fight for, and if
necessary, lay down their lives for our country."
Who were the forebears of this tall, outspoken man, a fighter
for his conviction of right? Originally French Huguenots, the
Collins family drifted from France to Scotland, then to Ireland,
from which country they emigrated to America soon after 1640,
this date being the traditional one given.
Cornelius Collins, the first of whom we have definite informnation, bought a farm in 1756 near Quarrysville, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and resided there until his death in 1778. He
385SETTLEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PRIOR TO 1788
Pennsylvania officers.46 Then followed a series of proclamations
and counter-proclamations relating to the respective claims.
The first session of a Virginia court for District of West Augusta
was held at Fort Pitt, renamed Fort Dunmore on February 21,
1775. The first session of a Yohogany court was held December
23, 1776. The Virginia courts were in session regularly from
April Term, 1780 while during the same period there were no
sessions of the Pennsylvania court at Hannastown. It is evident
that there were more Virginia than Pennsylvania adherents.
There was considerable turmoil, much ill feeling, and even
some armed conflict among the settlers. This condition of unrest
undoubtedly affected the settlement of the district. The Revolution, however, presented a common cause, and to some extent
allayed the ill feeling prevailing over the question of sovereignty
of the district. On May 16, 1775, both at Pittsburgh and at Hannastown, meetings were held and resolutions of resistance were
adopted. Dr. Connolly was sent to General Gage, and Lord Dunmore escaped on a British ship in Chesapeake Bay. With their
disappearance, the claims were made in behalf of the State of
Virginia rather than for the Crown Colony.
Attempts were made at various times to provide an orderly
settlement of the controversy; in 1773 the Penns petitioned the
Crown for a settlement. In 1775 the Board of Trade suggested a
temporary boundary pending the adjudication of the dispute,
but the Penns rejected it. In 1776 negotiations were started for
a settlement which was to be concluded eight years later. On
August 31, 1779, commissioners47 representing the two states
entered into an agreement48 fixing the boundary by extending
the Mason and Dixon line West five degrees of longitude from the
Delaware River, and thence due North to Lake Erie. Pennsylvania immediately and unanimously ratified the agreement. In
the meantime Virginia granted certificates or warrants in the
46. Thomas Scott was arrested for exercising functions of a Pa. magistrate and
bound over for court; Robert Hanna and James Caveat, two Westmoreland County
justices were arrested and confined in Pgh. for three months.
47. George Bryan, John Ewing and David Rittenhouse for Pa.; James Madison and
Robert Andrews for Virginia.
48. 131 U. S. Appendix 53.
17ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
married Mary Speer and among their children was one, David,
who later lived in York County, where he operated a farm and
followed the trade of blacksmith, thereby providing liberally for
his family. In the War of 1812 David I served in what was called
the "Light Horse" Company.
His wife, Dorcas Neel, was the daughter of Thomas Neel, who
with five brothers, served in the Revolutionary War. Two of the
Neel brothers later were killed by Indians near Turtle Creek,
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Thomas Neel attained the rank
of Lieutenant and at the Battle of Germantown carried his Captain (either dead or alive) on his back for a distance of about a
mile.
In early life David Collins I was a member of the Covenanter
Church and later an elder in the Presbyterian Church. He died at
the age of 62 and his widow at the age of 98.
The fourth child of David I and Dorcas Neel Collins, the subject of this sketch, was named David. He was born in Chanceford,
York County, Pennsylvania in 18o8, and in 1835 came to Allegheny County.
In 1836 he married Mary Manifold, a native of York County
and a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Manifold. Joseph, father
of Henry Manifold, was a Presbyterian elder, and his wife, Eleanor Cogle, was a Quaker preacher who walked 40 miles to Baltimore to yearly meetings when she was eighty years old. For sixteen years, after coming to this section of Pennsylvania, David
Collins "followed the river", running coal from what is now
Duquesne down to New Orleans. In 1850 he bought a farm in
Penn Township where he built a large house for his oncoming
ten children, and built also a Lancaster County sized barn. The
family were Presbyterians, members of Beulah; the daughter,
Elizabeth, became the wife of the third pastor of the church, the
Reverend James Marshall.
For three years during the Civil War Mr. Collins was a County
Commissioner. That he was a force in local politics is shown by
the following quotation from T. Mellon and His Ti?nes by the
late Honorable Thomas Mellon. (Mr. Mellon had been prevailed
386THE DAVID COLLINS FAMILY
upon rather late in the campaign to run for the office of Judge,
his opponent being Edwin H. Stowe. Mr. Stowe's delegate was
James I. Kuhn).
Mr. Mellon says: "Penn Township was a stronghold of Mr.
Kuhn, the home of his ancestry, and all the local politicians there
were related to him in one way or another. To obtain delegates
in my favor from that Township was out of the question as we
supposed, but David Collins, a popular man and warm friend of
mine in that Township, called to see me to know why no exertions were being made in my behalf; and when I informed him
the reasons... a mischievous twinkle of his eye showed he had
something in his mind... On the evening of the primary when
the election was proceeding quietly... a procession of hay wagons
appeared in the distance carrying thirty to forty voters who, when
they arrived, voted solid for Dave Collins and another of my
friends as delegates in my behalf, and they were elected by a large
majority."
Mr. and Mrs. Collins' four oldest sons were in Company A,
lolst Pennsylvania Volunteers in the Civil War. The youngest
ran away at sixteen to join the army.
David Henry Collins died at home of an illness contracted in
the service; and George Washington Collins died! in the Florence
S.C. Military prison. Stones bearing their names stand in the
quiet of Old Beulah's graveyard; and there is another witness to
these soldier boys of'61 before which one must ever bow the
head. In a little frame hanging over a fireplace in the old home
there is a piece of faded cloth, it is a blue star. Taken prisoners
after a day of terrific fighting to the remnant of a Pennsylvania
Company the word was passed: "Boys, they have taken us but they
shall never take our flagl" and the flag of Company A lolst P.V.
was cut to pieces and passed around. Such were-such are "Our
boys."
Huguenots; Indian fighters; 1776, 181 2, 1861. And the David
Collins family was but one family in this vicinity. Can it be truly
said that "this neighborhood in its first one hundred years had
no history"?
387ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
The ten children of David and Mary Manifold Collins are as
follows:
Sons     David Henry
George Washington
Clay
Joseph
Ralph
Robert A.
Daughters Rose    m   James McDowell
Elizabeth "  Rev. James Marshall
Emma
Helen    "  Samuel Brinton
Today there are living: Miss Emma and Robert A. Collins.
They own and reside on the farm bought by their father in 1850.
[6]
SECTIONS OF THE VILLAGE
T HE different sections of the village were not defined by its
residents as East, West, North or South but by more descriptive terms. There was the Crab Hollow district, so named
from the many crab-apple trees which were wonderfully beautiful in their blossoming and perfume season. There was Maple
Valley, later wrongly spoken of as Mormon Valley, where in summer-time the thick green foliage of hundreds of maple trees made
attractive resting places for Sunday wanderers and ideal picnic
spots on festival occasions, and where in autumn, preparing for
its yearly farewell, "each leaf a ripple with its separate flush," the
vivid coloring made "glow like a sunset sea."
And there was Mulberry lane where trees were grown for the
cultivation of the silkworm. From an old diary we quote:
"His sister raised silkworms and gathered mulberry leaves to feed
them. She reeled the silk and knit stockings and gloves for herself
because gloves and silk hose were indispensable for full dress occa388SECTIONS OF THE VILLAGE
sions. I... feel inexpressible satisfaction in the fact that in a remote
age and in troubled times the girls of our family felt what was due
to themselves as ladies, and made so great an effort to maintain the
outward semblances of that station in life in which it pleased Providence to place them."
Also Spitzenburg (Park Place region) and Dutchtown, the latter not definitely located but probably so named because many of
the settlers were from Central Europe.
Perhaps the strangest of these names was that of a little town
built by the Duquesne Coal Company for its miners. The story of
its origin, asserted to be authentic, is given as follows: A Scotchman just arrived from over the sea was standing by the door of
a relative when a huge rat ran across the road. Pointing to it, he
exclaimed, "Yon's a muckle rat," and by the name of Mucklerat
the place was known for many years. Today it has its own post
office, which is listed as Riley's.
Best known of all was the section immediately above the
present Swissvale Avenue. In 1825 a brick grist mill was built in
the village. This was operated by the Thompson brothers and
soon created a demand for bags, for at that time bags were the
containers for the delivery of grain and dry products. Every
farmer reserved a few acres for flax fields and looms were kept
going busily by men, women and children during the long winter
days and evenings. The bags must be the standard size of three
bushels and were made secure by twisted grape vines, for cord,
twine, and rope, like matches, were luxuries and not used at all
in remote farm districts. Three things were accepted in payment
for land: money, grain, and bags. Money was scarce, grain was uncertain; but bags, priced at times as high as fifty cents apiece,
could always be produced by the foresighted and industrious.
In 1832 three brothers came to the village from  Ireland;
William, Samuel, and John Creelman. The oldest one, at least,
was a weaver. Whatever he may have produced on his loom in
the old country, he found a profitable business awaiting him in
Wilkinsburg. His loom or looms were kept busy and from this occupation the name of Bagtown was given to this section.
389ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
[7]
JANE GREY SWISSHELM
THE QUEER WOMAN CRUSADER OF WILKINSBURG
IT IS a wintry Sabbath morning in the late 1870's; the Reverend
Joseph Hunter, holding forth from his Covenanter pulpit to
an intent, albeit half-frozen congregation.
Suddenly, a small, grey wisp of a woman shiveringly arises from
her pew, well up front, marches determinedly down the aisle and
out of the church, hurries across the snowy road to a nearby house
and soon returns with a rag rug over her arm.
Regaining her seat, she wraps the carpet about her feet and
resumes her devotions, oblivious to the fact that she has created
a disturbance and done something "queer."
All her life she has been creating disturbances and doing
"queer" things. Wilkinsburg is both ashamed and proud of her,
whose life for all her drab little figure, runs like a thread of gold
through the prosaic history of the village.
This frail human being with the straightly parted hair, severe
and querulous face, penetrating grey-blue eyes and disdain of
"form" is Mrs. Jane Grey Cannon Swisshelm.
By far the most interesting figure in Wilkinsburg, she came
and went, treading the paths of ephemeral fame, "dining with
those in high places." Yet ever was she drawn back to the village,
mingling with the townsfolk. A unique being and lonely by reason of it.
The history of Jane Grey Cannon's birth in Pittsburgh is well
known, as is the story of her career in journalism and on the lecture platform. Her achievements for women's rights, her services
as volunteer nurse in Washington City during the Civil War
are synonymous with her name. Her many humanitarian activities and her fine work in the Abolition movement are a matter
of record, as are more personal things, such as her domestic and
financial difficulties.
390Mrs. Jane Grey Swisshelm,
filrst newspaper \vwomanll, and datghterOld Swvisshelm house, SwissvaleJANE GREY SWISSHELM
In "Half a Century," her autobiography, Jane Grey Swisshelm
tells the highpoints of her varied career and, in passing, discloses
much about herself.
The world does not know, however, what an influence Wilkinsburg was in the career of this unusual woman, nor does it know
that she dwelt much and often in our midst.
Born in Pittsburgh in 1815, the following year already found
infant Jane and the Cannon family established along the Great
Road in Wilkinsburg on a site later acquired by Cranmer Coulter, and then held by the late Fulton R. Stotler, M.D.
The Cannon homestead was a whitewashed log house which
combined a dwelling and general merchandise store. In the basement was a spring of fine water, a trumpet vine clambered over
the chimney-side wall and a bank of lilacs and centifolia roses
perfumed the air.
Baby Jane's earliest recollection was of watching apple blossoms
drifting down from the tree under which she was cradled and of
recognizing Squire Horner's house "across the Common." (Site of
First National Bank.)
In that hospitable home an "African" slave, Rosanna Rattler,
presided over the kitchen, dispensing cheer to young and old
alike.
Five happy years in the village were to Jane a combination of
Dr. Wilson, the family physician, Reverend John Black, the Covenanter shepherd; Reverend James Graham and Beulah Church,
which the Cannons attended when they could not go to the city to
worship in their own church; a baby sister, Elizabeth; her father's
and elder sisters' "consumption"; money troubles; the Longer and
the Shorter Catechisms; green pastures and muddy lanes; Col.
Dunning McNair's private school for his own children and those
of his friends; reading and writing at the age of three; sewing and
knitting at the same age; being a prodigy.
Came then an interval of hard times when the Cannon family
returned to Pittsburgh, occupying the home of maternal grandfather Hance Scott, the weaver. The death of Thomas Cannon
and his two older daughters, the debts, the makeshifts for earning
391ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
a living to which widowed Mrs. Cannon was obliged to resort; the
work done by eight year old Jane and twelve year old brother
William to earn money, all these things and many more, fill the
time until Jane was twelve years of age, when she had a great and
fateful experience.
A six weeks' sojourn at Mrs. Olever's Edgeworth Seminary for
young ladies at Braddock's Fields was that experience.
Her advent at the "seminary" was startlingly dramatic and fateful in that she glimpsed briefly her future husband.
The carriage in which Mr. Olever transported the new pupils
from Pittsburgh to the "outermost darkness" that was Braddock's
Fields, became swamped by the turbulent waters of Nine Mile
Run and overturned.
The screams of the hapless occupants brought to the rescue
the Swisshelms, father and son James, who carrying lanterns, bore
the dripping victims to the shelter of their blockhouse home on
Braddock Road, restoring them with hot drinks and reassuring
words.
The while fate was having a laugh at young Jane's expense.
Jane's sojourn at Edgeworth was a brief and inexpensive one.
To defray her expenses she taught those younger than herself, but
the frail girl sickened and was sent home.
As a health resort Wilkinsburg had no equal in the early nineteenth century. Distraught Mrs. Cannon, surveying her two tubercular daughters, again pulled up stakes and came to the village,
re-opening the general merchandise store on the Great Road,
treating her patients with sunshine, milk and eggs in a manner
that would win the approval of modern medical science and thus
rescued them from an untimely end. Compared with their starved
lives in The Smoky City, the village was a veritable paradise. Here
they had a potato field cultivated by brother William, a cow,
chickens, green fields and happiness. All of them worked and they
eked out a living.
The year 1830 found fifteen year old Jane the village school
mistress, teaching "young men and young women, boys and girls
for two dollars and a dollar and a half a term." Additionally,
392JANE GREY SWISSHELM
Mrs. Cannon taught a dancing class and kept a Sunday School.
Besides, Jane and her mother tended the sick, laid out corpses
and the like. In 1851 Jane, then Mrs. Swisshelm, was in the village
when Rosanna Rattler, the Horner slave, died, beloved and
mourned by all and Jane again went about her occupation of
"laying out corpses." This was so unusual an occasion that she
immortalized it many years later in "The Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette," describing the white turban placed over the crinkly
gray hair, the white gloves she drew over the black hands and the
winding sheet wrapped about the still frame the while her tears
fell upon the black face of "one of the finest women I ever knew."
There were village jollifications, too; spelling and quilting
bees, singing schools, square dances and kissing games, the latter
repugnant to the prim girl, who always left early, but not early
enough to escape meeting James Swisshelm. He thenceforth became her "Black Knight," pressed his suit quite ardently and was
accepted by Jane, notwithstanding parental opposition on both
sides.
A strange enough marriage, that of six-foot, swarthy, black-eyed
James and five-foot one, ninety pound, blonde Jane, noisy Methodist and severe Calvinist. Was the wedding ceremony performed
in Wilkinsburg, in the log-house on Penn Avenue? There is no
record, but most likely it was so. Jane wept while dressing for the
ceremony, she tells.
What was her wedding frock? A grey silk perhaps, with small
rose sprig pattern and a bonnet to match? A mantua of cashmere
as a wrap? Who knows?
The romance, begun in 1827 in the swirling waters of Nine
Mile Run, culminated on November 18, 1836. Reverend John
Black performed the ceremony.
A stormy time of controversy now began, revolving about the
themes of mother-in-law, religion, woman's sphere and man's
rights. There was an "infare" in the Swisshelm homestead, a brief
time of attempted adaptation; flight again, back to mother and
the log-house on the Great Road in Wilkinsburg. Renewed storetending, reconciliations, quarrels.
393ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
disputed area, and to protect these titles, Virginia made certain
reservations in its ratification of July 1, 1780. The reservations
made by Virginia delayed the survey of the boundary line and
caused conflict in the district. In a letter to General George Washington, General Irvine, commandant at Fort Pitt, wrote:49 "Civil
Penn heirs, arranged with Colonel George Wood, a surveyor from
Bedford, to lay out the "Manor of Pittsburgh" in "in-lots" and
"out-lots". The first sale of lots was made to Stephen Bayard and
Isaac Craig. This may be said to be the beginning of the town of
Pittsburgh.
The settlement of the territory proceeded rapidly, not only in
the town of Pittsburgh but also in the outlying country. With the
increase of population the need for a court and local government
near Pittsburgh became apparent, and in 1788 the legislature on
petition by local residents erected Allegheny County out of parts
of Westmoreland and Washington Counties (the latter was established in 1781) and in 1789 more land of Washington County was
added to Allegheny County. From this time on the settlement of
Western Pennsylvania advanced consistently without marked
interruption, and the district played an important part in the
making of the nation.
J. D. S. TRUXALL, ESQ.
Pittsburgh
March I4, I938
49. April 20, 1782.
18ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Situated as it was on the Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Turnpike,
Wilkinsburg was the stopping place of many travellers, journeymen "pedlars," "limmers" and the like.
About 1837, one of the latter, not unlikely Jasper Lawman,
opened a temporary shop in the village, to make some money by
painting the likenesses of its "first" families, among them the
Horners, Carothers and Peebles.
Jane Swisshelm, entranced by this man's skill and also confident
of her own, now sought another intellectual escape from the unhappy lot. Securing paints from her husband's wagon shop, also
on Penn Avenue, and working on a home-sized piece of canvas,
she evolved likenesses of her husband and herself. The former
perished from too speedy drying; the latter is preserved in the
Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Crude in conception
and execution though it was, the likeness is a testimonial to Jane's
keen perception, revealing as it does, a striking resemblance to
photographs of herself in the'70's.
A migration to Louisville, Ky., then the mecca of all dissatisfied
or adventurous Western Pennsylvanians, was the next high spot
in the Swisshelm career, the one which fixed Jane's abolition sentiments irrevocably and led her to dedicate her life to the antislavery movement. The everpresent need of money led Jane to
open a dressmaker shop in the Kentucky capital. This prospered.
Her intellectual needs were appeased by teaching. However, in
1840 the fatal illness of her mother, a cancer victim, recalled her
to the city.
After Mrs. Cannon's death a serious estrangement occasioned
by her will, occurred between Jane and her husband, and after
teaching a while in Pittsburgh, she received a call to the Butler
Seminary, through her mother's cousin, Reverend Josiah Niblock.
This was a congenial post, paying twenty-five dollars a month
and enabling Jane to mingle with pleasant, well-bred people.
Now for the first time she wrote an article for a paper-an
anonymous attack on the movement to abolish capital punishment.
A small, inauspicious beginning for a journalistic career, but
394JANE GREY SWISSHELM
the success of this caustic little squib so fired Jane's Irish enthusiasm that soon she was back in Pittsburgh laying siege to Riddle,
the Editor of the Commercial Journal, with her poems, essays
and serials.
Some of these appeared in print, anonymously or under a
pseudonym, and strangely enough aroused a feeling of pride in
the heart of James Swisshelm who now urged his wife to employ
this talent and to use her own name.
Such was the beginning of a journalistic career that, after
studying the workings of a newspaper for two years by laboring
for and with Mr. Riddle, as a paid staff member of the Pittsburgh
Commercial Journal, led to the establishment, in 1845, of her
own sheet, "The Saturday Visiter," continuing ten years; led
also to her appointment in 1861 as Washington Correspondent
for Horace Greeley's New York Tribune, at five dollars the
column; motivated her to publish while in St. Cloud, Minnesota
a "St. Cloud Saturday Visiter" and gave to Western Pennsylvania
a type of writing which for caustic wit, ruthlessness, delicacy and
ardor has never been surpassed.
About i855 Mrs. Swisshelm's literary labors were interrupted
for a time by the birth of a daughter, Henrietta, known thereafter as Zoe Swisshelm-the delight of her father and the pride of
her mother.
Although the mother devoted herself earnestly to the care and
education of the child whom she dedicated to a musical career,
Jane Swisshelm remained pre-eminently the rugged individualist.
A domestic career too narrow for her wide interests and
capabilities, motherhood in no wise interfered with her own
activities.
The year 1 86 1 found her lobbying around in Washington City,
at a time when everything was at fever heat. Here she was forced
to overcome prejudice against a woman journalist; to wrangle for
herself, by perseveringly bedeviling the high and mighty, a seat
in the Reporters' Gallery in the U.S. Senate.
Ensconced in that coveted place, she gave her column in the
New York Tribune everything she had, caustically commenting
395ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
on persons and events. Sparing not the famous nor the infamous;
delving into private lives; unearthing scandals; righting wrongs;
being pre-eminently and to her undoing, the Abolitionist; making interesting and valuable friendships; glorying in her success.
Presently she over-reached herself and was recalled.
Washington, however, had not seen the last of "The Mighty
Atom" from Western Pennsylvania.
When next she appeared-very shortly-it was as a Quaker-like
angel of mercy; the unsolicited, unwanted co-laborer of Miss
Dorothea Dix, head of the government nursing service during the
Civil War.
Jane Swisshelm was rebuffed, but undaunted. Was there not
work to be done? Suffering to be alleviated? Well then, do it she
would whether or no.
Presently, by perseverance and wire-pulling, she gained a foothold as an independent nurse, washing wounds, importing crates
of lemons, reading to the sick, comforting the dying; criticising
doctors and nurses; a thorn in the flesh of the regulars; an angel
of mercy to the wounded.
Sometimes she haunted the city hopsital. At other times she
was on the boats that brought their wounded cargo down the
Potomac to Washington.
Always she was "a good soldier"-a human dynamo, enjoying,
one suspects, the thrill of notoriety. With "a sword in one hand
and the Bible in the other," she came and went.
After the war service was over, she again sought her native
haunts, sometimes living in Pittsburgh, sometimes in Wilkinsburg or Swissvale, trying to adapt herself to the peaceful humdrum of ordinary life.
Business affairs pressed. The estrangement from her husband
was now irrevocable and in 1867 she granted him a divorce, generously expressing the hope that he might enjoy "another and a
happier marriage."
A financial and property settlement, however, was in order and
as it was demonstrated that a large part of Jane's earnings had
gone into the Swisshelm farm at Swissvale, the court finally de396JANE GREY SWISSHELM
creed her the log house on Nine Mile Run to which she had come
as a bride.
Occupying this, she now concentrated on her daughter's music
studies. A "studio" was fitted up for Zoe, without windows, that
her attention might not wander. For herself she arranged a rustic
alcove in which she wrote and studied. Always her contributions
were welcomed by the Commercial Journal, later the Commercial
Gazette. A summer home near Cresson was a "health venture," as
indicated by the name "Zozonia," a combination of "Zoe" and
"ozone." Some of her writings of that time dwell upon the beauties of the place.
Came the close of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and a
European tour with piano study under foreign teachers. Then in
1873, the debut of Henrietta Swisshelm in Pittsburgh and some
of the eastern cities.
"An accomplished musician" is the verdict of one who recalls
her local appearance.
The fond mother's triumph was short-lived. Zoe, romantically
inclined rather than career-minded, presently married Mr. Henry
Allen and took up her residence in Chicago.
The no doubt bitterly disappointed and disillusioned mother
found surcease in her own work. Renting the log house, she took
a room on South Avenue, Wilkinsburg, living quietly, punctilious in attendance at the Covenanter or the First Presbyterian
Church; ever conspicuous by reason of her short-skirted Quakerlike garb and odd ways-carrying her sewing into prayer meeting;
going hatless into church; wearing cowhide boots; kind to those
"beneath" her; disdained by the "elite."
Much bitterness must have been hers, but she had staunch
friends, too, among the "intelligentsia," especially of Edgewood
and she was welcomed in such "advanced" families as the Reiters,
Dicksons, Loves and Stephensons where "suffragists" already
dwelt.
About 1875 she was appointed street commissioner for this
district and could be seen laying out and superintending the construction of Swissvale Avenue and other thoroughfares. She built
397ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
a house on West Swissvale Avenue, designed somewhat in the
fashion of a Swiss chalet.
Always she wrote; occasionally art claimed her. Returning
about 188o to the log-house, she painted a series of murals which
were the wonder of the neighborhood. These, as may be imagined
from her love of nature, portrayed trees and brooks.
Occasionally she visited in Chicago and in Minneapolis where
dwelt respectively her daughter and the children of her sister
Elizabeth Mitchell.
About 1882 the log house on Nine Mile Run was tenanted by
the Summ family who operated a dairy farm. Henry Summ, then
a twelve year old, was quite fond of "Aunt Jane" who sometimes
baked cakes for the children and "had a way with her," despite
her caustic speech and dislike for dogs. In fact the disappearance
of several canines beloved of young Summs was laid to her door.
Rather uneventful now her life was. Over, the hectic strivings,
the glory. Mostly she lived to herself, this grey little woman in the
later sixties, cooking for herself, her hair screwed into a tight
knot, wearing a blue and white check gingham apron and sunbonnet as she pattered around the garden.
But her pen could not be idle. She would write her memoirs
and give this autobiography to her friends.
In 1883 there appeared a neat little volume entitled "Half a
Century"; a limited edition of small circulation wherein this unusual woman re-created the scenes of her life.
Came June 1884, and a six weeks' visit to Chicago. On July 14,
Jane returned to Swissvale, where she wrote an abolition article
entitled "The Bloody Shirt" which appeared in the Gazette.
Her last writing-this.
Some days later, a half column on the second page of the Gazette: "Her Strength Waning," discloses a fatal "summer complaint" which on July 22nd terminated her eventful life, surrounded by hastily summoned relatives.
In that day, two types of "summer complaint" killed; dysentery
and cholera morbus. From the rapidity of the disease it would
seem to have been the latter.
398HUGH W. CALDERWOOD FAMILY
"In Her Grave" is a long, colorful account of Jane Swisshelm's
obsequies.
By her wish, the remains were "laid out" in the rustic alcove
which had been her study. Loosened, the grey hair was spread
out over the pillow. Dressed in white, she was, with a flower in
her hand. Softened in death, the stern, sorrowful face.
From far and near, on the highways and by-ways, they camethe friends-the curious-to the old log house which groaned
under the tread of countless feet.
A distinguished list of pall-bearers, actual and honorary, stood
ready, among the latter the Honorable Thomas Mellon.
Came the hour for the service and with it so terrible a thunderstorm that the house shook and the long drive to Allegheny Cemetery was delayed two hours.
"Happy the corpse the rain falls on," is an old saying.
A lonely tombstone in Section io, marks the solitary resting
place of this rare woman who dwelt once-upon-a-time in our
midst.
[8]
HUGH W. CALDERWOOD FAMILY
UGH W. CALDERWOOD was born in Fenwick, Ayrshire, ScotM land May 13i, 1820, of a long line of Scotch Covenanter ancestry. He was proud to trace his descent from Scottish martyrs
and from David Calderwood, author of A History of the Scotch
Reformation.
When he was two years of age his parents came to America
and settled in West Galway, N.Y. where he grew to manhood. He
engaged in the commission business which took him on regular
trips to New York City and Baltimore. On one of these occasions
he met, and was immediately attracted by a beautiful young Irish
girl named Margaret Core, who had come to Baltimore to visit
her sister.
Margaret Core was born in Caledon, County Armagh, Ireland
399ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
in July, 1828. Her father, John Core, was an officer in the British
Army and private secretary to Lord Caledon. Steamship travelling on the sea was still regarded as an innovation, so John Core
insisted that his daughter should make her crossing in a sailing
vessel which, under most favorable conditions, usually required
six weeks for its voyage.
A mutual affection developed between the serious Scotchman
and the vivid Irish lassie which resulted in their marriage, March
28, 1851.
Their married life was begun at Genesee Falls, New York,
where their first child was born. After several years they returned
south and purchased a farm near Bettsville, Maryland.
After a fair trial they realized that farm life was not just what
they desired, and that they were too far from the church in which
they had been reared. Mr. Calderwood decided to re-enter business life and in seeking a location found that Pittsburgh, Penna.,
offered him both opportunities that he desired. Wilkinsburg was
recommended to him as a quiet, healthful place with a prominent
church of his own faith, and to it he brought his wife and three
small children. Until he found a house, which was "gold-edge
stock" at that time, they boarded at the Seven Mile House managed by Joseph Allshouse.
At first Mr. Calderwood engaged in the cattle business, but in
1867 he opened a meat market in which he established a reputation as a merchant, and he and his family took their place as
valued citizens.
Mr. and Mrs. Calderwood regarded it as a good omen that
their first day in Wilkinsburg was Friday before Communion
Sabbath in the Covenanter Church. They soon after united with
it and were faithful members for many years, even when they
were living outside the village.
In politics Hugh Calderwood was a Republican, an ardent abolitionist, opposed to secession. He had no war record as impaired
health rendered him unfit for service in the Civil War.
Mr. Calderwood and wife lived to celebrate their golden wedding in 19 go 1.
400HUGH W. CALDERWOOD FAMILY
Of their seven children six reached maturity- (David was accidentally killed in August, 1867), and received the major part of
their education in the public and private schools of the village;
of the latter, Mrs. Oliver Wylie's successfully conducted school
and the Academy under Professor Levi Ludden's scholarly direction were prominent.
The children were1. JOHN C.-Conducted a grocery store; married Lelia Broomell
in 1885; celebrated golden wedding in 1935, had 3 children.
2. JANE E.-Married William M. Beatty Dec. 28, 1883; they
moved to Columbus, Ohio. After a few years Mr. and Mrs.
Beatty returned to Wilkinsburg, purchased property and
became permanent residents. Their daughter, Rhoda M.
Beatty, is a teacher in the Borough High School.
3. MARGARET F.-Taught a number of years in the village public
school prior to her marriage with the Rev. E. M. Coleman.
This ceremony took place on the same day and hour as her
sister's Jane's, for it was a joyous double wedding on that
December day in the "Anderson House" on Wallace Avenue.
4. RACHEL E.-Of whom more detailed account is given below.
5. AGNEs E.-Graduated from Wilkinsburg Public School. After
specializing in a business course under Prof. J. D. Anderson,
she secured, immediately, a position in the advertising department of the National Stockman and Farmer, which she
held until her marriage with Robert A. M. Steele of Wilkinsburg in 1892.
6. HUGH A.-Graduated in i888 in the first High School class of
the incorporated Borough. Studied electricity and taught
Applied Electricity for 15 years in day and night school in
Carnegie Institute of Technology. Resigned to enter business. Hugh married Clara Scott of Beaver Falls; had 2
children.
At present seven descendants of Hugh W. Calderwood and his
wife, Margaret Core, reside in Wilkinsburg. An interesting item
in regard to descendants is that from 1867 to June 1, 1938, a
401ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
period of 71 years, there were (with the exception of five years)
children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren of this worthy
couple in the Wilkinsburg Schools.
Rachel, the 4th child in this family, was also a teacher before
her marriage to Richard Bradley Robinson, who became a resident of the village in 1877 and who for 20 years was the proprietor
of a dry goods and notion store located on the present site of the
Penn-Lincoln Hotel. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were the parents of
six children1. CLARENCE A.-who met death by accident when 21 years old.
2. HUGH E.-a graduate of Geneva College; a teacher for 3 years
in Wilkinsburg High and 6 years in Westinghouse High.
After his early death in 1922 his widow with their three children moved from the east to Wilkinsburg and has been a
teacher in our schools for 15 years.
3. WILLIAM CoRE-A resident of Youngstown, 0. Electric business.
4. RALPH C.-resident of Swissvale since 1931.
5. MAURICE RICHARD-Dartmouth College 1920; served in World
War 1917-1919; advanced to 2nd Lieutenant in 1918;
founder of "Scholastic", a National High School Journal,
and other educational magazines and organizations. Residence in Wilkinsburg and New York City.
6. RACHEL M.-attended Sullins College, Va., 1921-22. Married
Melville W. Ghen of Melrose, Mass.
From the foregoing recital of association with public school
and collegiate education we can quickly understand the choice of
Mrs. Robinson as representative for two novel movements adopted in our school system.
First, the women's organizations decided that they should have
a voice in school affairs through a woman representative on the
Board of Education. They chose Mrs. Robinson to be their candidate for this position for three reasons: 1st-her interest and
experience in school affairs; 2nd-her long residence in the town;
3rd-being a property owner; this last requisite being an imperative one with the women.
402THE ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
After a dignified campaign conducted by the women, who had
chosen an advisory committee of experienced men (the women
not yet having the ballot), Mrs. Robinson was elected in November 1917, and served until July 1928, when she resigned because
of removing for a short period from the Borough.
As the introduction of the kindergarten into the school system
was one of the reforms which the women were asking, Mrs. Robinson began to work for it soon after taking her seat, but several
years elapsed before the first kindergarten was opened in the
Horner School in 1921. The wedge having been entered, other
"K.G." schools followed in rapid succession.
Mr. and Mrs. Robinson became members of the First United
Presbyterian Church in April, 1884, where Mrs. Robinson has
engaged in the church activities. She was the president of the
W.C.T.U. of Wilkinsburg for lo years, from 1905 to 1915. This
office she resigned to become president of the Allegheny County
W.C.T.U., which position she filled for another period of ten
years.
Mr. Robinson died October io, 1934.
Mrs. Robinson is the only member of Hugh W. Calderwood's
family who has been, with the exception of a very brief period, a
continuous resident of the village and borough.
[9]
THE ORGANIZATION OF
THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
OF WILKINSBURG
A EVENT Of first importance in the years immediately followi ing the close of the Civil War was the organization of the
First Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg in 1866.
The great stir in village life made by the organization of the
Methodist Episcopal Church in 1843, followed by that of the
Church of the Covenanters in 1845 and the Church of the United
403SETTLEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PRIOR TO 1788
BIBLIOGRAPHY
(From which references are made)
Allegheny County's Hundred Years. GEORGE H. THURSTON. Pittsburgh, 1888.
A History of Pennsylvania. WAYLAND P. DUNAWAY. N. Y., 1935.
History of Washington County, Pennsylvania. BOYD CRUMRINE,
EsQuIRE. Philadelphia, 1882.
The Boundary Controversy between Pennsylvania and Virginia1748-1785. BOYD CRUMRINE, ESQUIRE. Printed in "Annals of Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh", Vol. 1, pp. 505-524.
The Old Virginia Court House at Augusta Town 1771-72. BOYD
CRUMRINE, ESQUIRE. Washington Historical Society, 1905.
History of Pittsburgh. NEVILLE B. CRAIG, ESQUIRE. Pittsburgh, 1851.
19ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Brethren in Christ in 1850, had subsided. These three had done
a good work. The village had become church-minded. A Sabbath
school mission established by Dr. James Carothers and Dr. Kuhn
more than thirty years before this period, later a weekly prayer
meeting conducted by village residents, members of Beulah, and
a Catechism class so conscientiously and convincingly taught by
the Reverend John M. Hastings, pastor of Beulah, had formed the
nucleus from which the new church was the outgrowth.
It was not without a wrench of sorrow that a group of twentyseven men and women separated themselves from membership
in Mother Beulah, to found a church in a more convenient location. The majority of these men and women had been baptized
and taken their first communion in the old log church. Two, perhaps three of them, had been elders in the church. Two, Mary
and Eliza McNair Horner, bore a unique relationship to the
Beulah congregation.
You may recall the two deeds, recorded September 18, 1813,
by which Willam McCrea and James Graham in 1809 gave
ground to Beulah congregation for church, graveyard, and school
purposes. Both deeds state: "Conveyed to James Horner and his
heirs in trust for the use of the said congregation of Beula, Forever." Hence, Mary and Eliza Horner, as granddaughters and
heirs of James Horner, still had in trust the church that they were
leaving. Precious memories of Old Beulah were treasured by these
twenty-seven people and they have been carried down by their
descendants even to the fifth generation.
The names of the members regularly dismissed from Beulah,
who organized as charter members of the new church, were as
follows:
Edward Thompson
Mary M. Thompson Jackson, wife of S. H. Jackson
Nancy Thompson Semple, wife of Dr. John Semple
Dr. John Semple
Isaiah G. Macfarlane
Margaret Macfarlane, wife of I. G. Macfarlane
404THE ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
John F. Macfarlane, son of I. G. and Margaret Macfarlane
Luke B. Davison
Nancy McCosh Davison, wife of Luke B. Davison
Mary Horner
Eliza McNair Horner
Elizabeth Duff Taylor, wife of Samuel Taylor
John W. Milligan  i    children of Mr. and Mrs.
Joseph R. Milligan        Robert Milligan
Margaret Elder Johnston, wife of George Johnston
John R. Bracken
Elizabeth Bracken, wife of John R. Bracken
Sarah Miller, wife of William Miller
Isabella Miller
Miller  daughters of Mr. and Mrs.
Elizabrgaret Miller        William Miller
Martha McManus, wife of James McManus
Mary M. Deitrich
Elizabeth Young
Mary Book
Soon many citizens backed the movement for the new organization that had become the center of interest in the village.
In the month of April, 1886, John W. Milligan presented a
petition to the Presbytery of Blairsville, which met at Donegal, for
the organization of a Presbyterian Church in Wilkinsburg. The
petition was granted and on May io, 1866 a representative committee, consisting of the Rev. Messrs. Adam Torrance, Benjamin
L. Agnew, and James Davis, together with Ruling Elders Duncan
Hamilton, D. H. Shryock and John Haymaker, met in the Academy building on Wallace Avenue at Center Street. A sermon
was preached by the Reverend B. L. Agnew; at its close the presiding officer, the Reverend Adam Torrance, received the twentyseven members who had been regularly dismissed from Beulah
and organized them into a church.
Two elders were elected by the congregation: Ruling Elder
Dr. John Semple who was installed, and later became first Clerk
of the Session; and John W. Milligan who was ordained and in405ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
stalled by the Committee. It was a day of great satisfaction to these
members who had realized in this event their hearts' desires and
constant prayers. They left that meeting with a quiet determination to endure as a Church at any cost. That this determination
has been carried out may be understood from the records, which
show that the church has never received financial aid from any
Board of the Presbyterian Church but has contributed to them,
as well as to other benevolent objects, ever since the day of her
organization.
For eighteen months the congregation was ministered to by
supplies. Smiles and sometimes tears figured in the reminiscences
of the six women who canvassed the congregation each week for
sufficient money to pay the next Sabbath's "Supply". They were
Mesdames Macfarlane, Davison, Semple, Horner, Milligan and
Rea.
But the lack of a resident pastor hindered the growth of the
church, which was not proportionate to the increase of population in the village, for during this period only thirty-seven new
members were added to the roll. Nevertheless, the determination
and patient efforts of the people finally had its reward in drawing
into its membership many of the newcomers in the village; and
also, in attracting the attention of young ministers. Among those
who appeared before the congregation was the Rev. Samuel M.
Henderson, then in charge of his first parish at Pigeon Creek,
Washington County, Pa. A call was offered to him, which he accepted. Mr. Henderson began his duties the first Sabbath in October, 1867 and remained with the congregation ten years and
nine months. During these years the church became one of the
flourishing suburban churches. Two hundred and seventy-two
members were added to its roll.
For the first three and one half years the congregation worshipped in the Academy building and then the first great labor
undertaken was the building of a church on Wood Street at
South Avenue, on ground donated by Wilkinsburg's benefactor,
James Kelly, to whom was allotted a choice pew in the proposed
building.
406The McCrackein-Creelmanl house, nowv standing at 1 o105 Penn AvenueThe Mary Kelly'McCombs house. On site of log cabin built by James Horner, II about 1790THE ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The building committee-consisted of Samuel Taylor, I. G. Macfarlane, Robert Milligan, Dr. John Semple, Robert S. Davis, Luke
B. Davison, and Honorable Moses Hampton.
About a year and a half slipped by before the nine thousand
dollar brick building was completed, but as quickly as possible
the basement was fitted for occupancy and the Sunday School,
prayer meeting and church services were held there. It was a
gloomy, unattractive place but it is doubted if any boy or girl ever
outgrew the impress of those Sabbath School lessons, or that the
earnest voices of those who led in prayer in the Wednesday evening meetings ever entirely faded from the ears of memory. In
those days the shorter catechism was a sacred possession of Sabbath
School scholars and not a few, like Elizabeth Miller, won their
Bibles by repeating its answers without the correction of a single
word.
On August 29, 1869 the completed building was dedicated. The
sermon for the occasion was preached by the Reverend S. F.
Scovell, pastor of the First Persbyterian Church of Pittsburgh,
from a phrase in the Revelation of John 19:  o, "Worship God".
All the town ministers participated in the services. The church
was filled with people and the only drawback to the full satisfaction of the day was the existence of a considerable debt. No one
but those who experienced that siege of sacrifice, of self-denial,
and of hard work can ever understand the real value and the true
cost of such an undertaking. It is here that the crowns of our noble
women were set with precious jewels, for the large burden of that
debt rested upon them.
There can be but a brief summary of the different factors contributing to the slow but solid development of the congregation
during the ten years of the first pastorate.
Mr. Henderson was a man of deep spirituality, both in his
preaching and in his life. Everyone who came in contact with
him felt the power of his devout, sincere character. His sermons
were of a simplicity that made them easily understood; it was the
simplicity that comes from a deep scholarly mind. He was
thoroughly schooled in Latin and Greek, which knowledge
407ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
quickly won him appreciation in scholastic circles. He became a
member of the faculty of the Pennsylvania College for Women
and of the Western Theological Seminary; in the Seminary he
also, during an interregnum, taught a class in Biblical Exegesis.
He was Permanent Clerk of the Pittsburgh Presbytery, to the
membership of which the Wilkinsburg church had been transferred in 1878 from its original connection with Blairsville
Presbytery.
In 1878 Mr. Henderson's health failed and he resigned his
pastorate. On April 3, 1879 "he passed away quickly and quietly
in perfect peace from the Kingdom of grace to the Kingdom of
glory".
In the Session was centered the second active power during the
early years. To the two elders elected at the church's organization, viz., Dr. John Semple and John W. Milligan, were added in
1868 Robert S. Davis, John Cree and Judge Moses Hampton.
Upon the resignation of Messrs. Davis and Cree, due to their removal from the village, and the transfer of J. W. Milligan to the
newly organized church of Swissvale, Matthew McWhinney and
Levi Ludden were installed as elders.
Another item relates to the membership of the Board of Trustees, who piloted the financial ship through the sea of debt and
sacrifice during these early days. On May 26, 1866 the Trustees
who had been elected at the initial meeting of the congregation
organized as followsI. G. Macfarlane, President,
Luke B. Davison, Secretary,
Edward Thompson, Treasurer,
Robert Milligan and
John Horner as the other two members.
The original board continued for two years. The fifteen other
men who served as trustees during the first pastorate were: James
N. Rea, Robert S. Davis, J. McK. Montgomery, Robert K. Allen,
I. M. Foster, Dr. John Semple, Samuel H. Jackson, John Dickson,
J. J. Campbell, C. S. Riggs, W. G. Warren, James D. Carothers,
408THE ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
A. W. Cadman, O. J. Parker, and John S. McKelvey. Five from
this number acted as treasurers of the Church.
The increased membership, as already mentioned, brought
added interest to every department of the church work. The Sabbath School attendance more than doubled. This was due not
only to the Bible Class taught by the pastor but to the very efficient
direction of the Superintendents and the consecrated work of the
teachers. In the spring of 1866, Dr. Semple was succeeded as Superintendent by Professor Levi Ludden. In 1869, the latter was
followed successively by Robert S. Davis, Professor James R.
Newell, and R. P. Barnes. In the year 1875, Professor Ludden
again assumed the responsibility of the office, which he retained
until after the close of Mr. Henderson's pastorate.
Mr. Ludden brought to the office the trained mind of the
schoolmaster. Discipline was soon apparent in the conduct of the
school and here, as in the day school, were introduced little
methods tending to good fellowship, which impressed even the
youngest, so that they, too, felt an individual dignity in being "a
one" of Mr. Ludden's class; for this indefatigable Superintendent
was, at the same time, teacher of the Infant Department. Would
that we had a diary of that class! How he loved to tell of the
antics of his "little ones", for he loved them all!
One other organization that accomplished a great work during
the course of years was the Woman's Foreign Mission Society. A
meeting was called November 22, 1872 by the pastor's wife, Mrs.
Henderson, who was at the time corresponding secretary of the
recently organized Pittsburgh and Allegheny Committee on
Foreign Missions. The response to the call was not encouraging;
indeed, there was considerable opposition to such an organization. But the white heat of enthusiasm in this scion of a missionary family which had three members in China in mission work
prevailed over indifference and opposition. There were five
women present at the called meeting, of which the following three
were elected officers:
Mrs. Robert K. Allen, President  Mrs. S. M. Henderson, Secretary
Miss Lydia J. Thompson, Treasurer
409ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
The other two were Miss Mary and Miss Eliza Horner. In spite of
the small beginning and active opposition the society grew steadily year after year and its influence was felt in various directions,
so that twenty women responded when the Home Mission Society
was organized seven years later.
And here must end the story of the first ten years of the First
Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. The seeds
planted in fear, and doubt, and trembling have developed into
a "tree planted by the rivers of waters".
They planted better than they knew, those twenty-seven men
and women from Mother Beulah. Through the successive pastorates of the Rev. Messrs. Irwin, Moore, Parry, Lee, and Taylor the
church has been one of the unfailing beacon lights of this community-which community was founded on the solid rocks of
home, school, and church.
[10]
MUSIC IN THE VILLAGE
MI /USIC there has ever been; that most fundamental instrument of all, the human voice, has chanted and warbled its
hates and loves. The martial fife and drum supplanted the pastoral reed flute; guitar, and lute, zither and dulcimer twanged
themes of romance, the mouth organ, accordion and jew's-harp
accompanied the wanderer. Squeaking fiddles invited to the
dance. The village had its share of all. The jew's-harp was a prime
favorite; it was cheap, small and not difficult to master. It was
kept in a glass or pottery mug on the lintel of the fireplace, within
easy reach of the tired pioneer who, while sitting before the fire,
would occasionally reach up for it, adjust it to the corner of his
mouth and restfully twang some old-time song under his breath
with the aid of his forefinger vibrating the "tongue" of the
instrument.
Later, the spinet, melodeon and piano-forte graced the "parlors" of the village folk. There is no way of definitely ascertaining
410MUSIC IN THE VILLAGE
the earliest instrument used in the village. It is a fact, however,
that somewhere in the garret of the old Horner homestead, corner
of the Turnpike and Horner's Lane, (Penn Avenue and Wood
Street) reposed a discarded lute. As the Horner children recalled
it, this lute with its blue and yellow satin shoulder riband had
belonged to their grandmother about 1785 when as a young girl
she had accompanied her songs with its sweet tone.
The 182o's boasted of sweet-tinkling music boxes and a few
small-sized "square" pianos made by the Harmony Society at
Economy. Some of these very likely found their way into
McNairtown.
In her Half a Century Jane Grey Swisshelm tells of the square
dances she attended while a young girl living in the village, and
while she does not mention the nature of the music on these
occasions, it is safe to assume that fiddles supplied it. She and her
mother, Mrs. Cannon, gave dancing lessons in the village at that
time and must, themselves, have owned some musical instrument, presumably a small piano-forte, because Jane, about 18301835, had taken music lessons in the city.
In the period 1835-1845 Frederick Blume advertised his music
store at the corner of Penn Avenue and St. Clair Street in Pittsburgh. He kept in stock a surprising number of musical instruments, "suitable for military bands, as well as a large assortment
of piano-fortes of his own manufacture, warranted to stand any
climate". These he sold for cash, lower than any other establishment east or west of the mountains. (Harris' Directory, 1840.)
George J. Colbert, also a piano-forte maker, was located at 25
Sixth Street. Mellor and Co. had a music and instrument store
at 68 Wood Street and a few doors beyond them, at 88 Wood
Street, William Smith also conducted such a business in addition
to his profession as music teacher. In Old Allegheny, in 1840,
resided Henry Kloeber (Kleber), on the river-bank, a musician
and composer. Mrs. Grierson advertised her "musical seminary"
for young ladies; it was located near the Blume shop on St. Clair
Street near Penn Avenue. Here, then, was ample opportunity in
1840 for music aspirants.
411ADVENTURE
Spring-time of life
and the voice of the seal
Ho! you, who are daring
Come, follow me,
I am adventure
Setting men freeI
Spring-time of life
and the voice of the seaI
BLANCHE T. HARTMANANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
About 1851 the home of Dr. John Semple of Wilkinsburg
sheltered a melodeon and later, a square piano which in the early'70's gave way to an "upright". The Woodwells, the HarbaughBennetts and the Horners all acquired square pianos in the early'5o's. In these well-to-do homes were young ladies who would
fain learn to sing and play, but as there was no resident teacher in
the village, a city professor was engaged to make the round several times a week.
Of a chance time a "pedlar" with some strange musical device
would put up at one or the other inn and demonstrate the thing
for a few days in the hope of securing buyers.
In 1865 a man named Hutchinson, a short-time resident
Englishman, made a dulcimer. It was larger than the usual size,
was of plain and substantial make and survived the vicissitudes of
village-life to the present day. It now reposes in the museum of
the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.
After 1866, when Miss Virginia Ludden settled in Wilkinsburg, the study of piano-forte music became part of a young girl's
education. With better railroad schedules, teachers in the city
were easily available and "taking music", both vocal and instrumental, was no unusual thing, but became "part of the day's
work"-for the mother!
SHORT SKETCHES
T   HE YEARS 1863,'65, and'66 brought three worthy citizens to
the village. They were of a different race from the ScotchIrish who were so greatly in the majority. These men were of the
German race from different principalities of that country. First
came August Bealafeld, who bought property and settled on the
north side of Penn Avenue above Swissvale where he carried on
a meat market. There was no Lutheran Church in the village and
the Bealefeld family attended the German Lutheran Church in
412SHORT SKETCHES
East Liberty. Of his children but one daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth
Blackmore, who was born in the village, is living here today. She
is a member of the United Brethren Church. Mrs. Minnie Fornof,
also a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. August Bealafeld, who died but
a year or two ago, was a beautiful woman, both in face and character. Of her children her son, Adam Fornof, was for some years
a member of the police force, and has for twelve years been a
Constable in the Borough.
**   *
To the 1 ooo block, Penn Avenue, in the year 1i 866 came John Sperling with his wife, Philomena Schneider. He purchased four lots
1007-09-11-13 on Penn Avenue and began business as a shoemaker and shoe merchant, perhaps the first shoe merchant in the
town. John Sperling was a Republican and a charter member of
the Trinty Reformed Church. He was one of the four members
who mortgaged his own home to pay the mortgage on the church.
Descendants of the original settlers, John and Philomena have
had continuous residence in the village since 1866. Their son,
Charles F. Sperling, was a member of the firm of Freese and Sperling, Borough Engineers from 1898 to 192o. Since that time he
alone has filled that position.
In 1865 came Phillip Vortish and Anna Frank, his wife, from
Baden, Germany. Phillip Vortish purchased eight acres from
Louis Hirshfield of New York. This property ran from the present McNair Street to Biddle Avenue and Alfred Street, now Trenton Avenue. This ground he used for truck gardening where he
raised onions, lettuce, radishes, et cetera, and nine little blackeyed children. It was a pleasant walk along the path, leading past
James Kelly's stone house, down the slight hill to the crossing of
nine-mile run on a single plank. Always a joy excepting the Vortish dog, but "die kleine Mutter" would always come out from
her bandbox where she must have lived to preserve her immaculate cleanliness, and call off the dog so that the child could pursue
413ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
her way to the handsome home of Samuel H. Keller on Braddock
Avenue. J. G. Vortish, a son, must possess some of that little
mother's cheery view of life, for he writes: "I was born in 1873 in
Wilkinsburg, here all these years, in business 40 years, and would
like to remain 40 more." Mr. Vortish, Sr., was a Republican in
politics and he and his wife members of a German Lutheran
Church.
From Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in i 861, there came
Samuel Buzzard, whose wife's maiden name was Mary Griest.
He purchased a choice lot on the corner of Center Street and
South Avenue, where he built a home. A Protestant and a Republican, Samuel Buzzard went about his work diligently, and at
peace with all men.
Hugh McGoogan, born in Belfast, Ireland, came to this country
at the age of nineteen. He entered the Civil War and served three
years in the command of Capt. Kopp, and in the regiment commanded by Colonel Williams. His wife, Nancy Black McGoogan,
was born in Whitesburg, Indiana County, Pennsylvania. She
came to Wilkinsburg when fifteen years old. Both she and her
husband were reared in the Presbyterian faith. Hugh McGoogan
died when 78 years old, and his wife, Nancy, reached the great age
of 91 years.
Mrs. Mary C. Schindler, a daughter of Jacob Sarver, a son of
Simon and Catherine Snyder Sarver, the latter of whom was a
daughter of John Snyder, introduces a new name into the short
sketches offered by descendants of early settlers.
Mrs. Schindler's mother was Margaret France, who was a niece
of Dr. Bibby, who lived at 1022 Penn Avenue, Wilkinsburg.
Daniel T. Downes, a cousin of Mrs. Schindler, gives us some
additional information about Dr. Richard Bibby, and the France
family. "Richard and Elizabeth France came to Wilkinsburg from
414SHORT SKETCHES
England about 1874. Their only relative in America, at that time,
was a brother of Mrs. France, Dr. Richard Bibby, who lived in
Wilkinsburg and was responsible for the France family making
the trip overseas. The Bibby family had then been living in Wilkinsburg quite a few years and Richard Bibby was in charge of
the Hampton coal mines. He afterwards began the practice of
medicine and continued it until his death about 1895.
Mr. Richard France's death preceded that of his wife, Elizabeth, who died about 1915.
Mr. Downes was a son of Mary Ellen France, the oldest
daughter of the English family.
There are living today in the Borough but three of the children
of the early France settlers viz: Mrs. Margaret France Sarver,
Mrs. E. A. Waugh and Thomas France.
ROBERT SCOTT
Robert Scott and his wife, Margaret Cameron, came to Wilkinsburg from Scotland in the 186o's. Mr. Scott was an iron moulder
by trade. He bought ground from James Kelly and was one of the
early developers of Rebecca Street, his house being numbered
747. He was a Presbyterian when he came from Scotland and
shortly after arrival affiliated himself with the Republican party.
His son David and daughter Mary are among the most worthy
of the borough's residents. David was for many years an employee
of the steel works at Braddock, and Miss Mary one of the highly
valued assistants in one of the Homes for Aged People. They had
their education in the public school and Ludden Academy. David
Scott makes graphic comparisons between the schools of then and
now.
WILLIAM SCOTT
William Scott, a brother of Robert, married Mary Kelly, a niece
of James Kelly. Their home was one of the first on Rebecca
Street, standing on the corner of Mill. William Scott and wife
were Methodists and he a Republican. There were five daughters
born of this marriage, three of whom married and are nonresidents of the borough.
415ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
WILLIAM and MARTHA McKELVEY McCRACKEN
After the arrival of the Creelman brothers old neighbors from
Belfast, Ireland, came to settle in the village. They were William
McCracken and his wife Martha McKelvey McCracken. They had
four children, James, William, Stewart, and one daughter, Margaret, who became the wife of David Linton who was for more
than half a century in service with the street railway company.
William McCracken was a stone mason, a foreman in the stone
quarry operated in its later years by the Wards, father and sons.
While at work in this quarry William McCracken was killed.
The grandson of William and Martha McCracken, Samuel W.
Linton, of Wilkinsburg, tells the following story of Civil War
events. One day Mrs. McCracken, waiting for her oldest son to
come home from school or work, answered a knock at the door and
was greeted by her son Jimmie in soldier's uniform. As he was
under age the mother yielded to the inevitable, as many other
parents did, and gave her consent to his enlistment. At the gate of
the old house the warm-hearted Irish mother bade her soldier boy
farewell. He returned, but died at the early age of thirty. His
grave, marked by a stone, is in Beulah graveyard.
CHRISTOPHER and JAMES LINHART
A tract of land a few miles east of Beulah-one of unrivaled beauty
in its location-was owned by two brothers, Christopher and
James Linhart. A long lane to the right of the northern pike led to
a substantially built stone farm house, which stood near the present site of the Edgewood Country Club House. It was a lonely
situation in the early days and the neighborhood was a frequent
rallying place for marauding Indians.
The Linharts are listed among the pioneer families having an
Indian encounter, vouched for as authentic. It was told as follows-great-grandmother Linhart (that is great-grandmother to
the present generation) was alarmed one morning by the hounds,
which kept giving tongue, and knowing by this that the Indians
were near and meant trouble, she took her small children, one on
her back, the other in her arms, and ran to safety on the other side
416SHORT SKETCHES
of the Monongahela, about three miles distant. The Indians
either did not see her or seeing her thus hampered thought she
could easily be overtaken, for finding a wild hog they stopped to
kill it and when they reached the bank of the river they found
their human prey swimming in the stream near to the farther side.
Their shot arrows did not reach her and she escaped.
James Linhart was a bachelor and familiarly known as "Big
Jim". He was fond of jewelry, wore big rings, carried a gold watch
with heavy chain and swung a gold-headed cane. Arrayed in all
this finery it gave him pleasure to go to Wilkinsburg for the day
where he enjoyed two good meals and the notice he attracted.
This latter trait, just spoken of, is memorialized by his tombstone,
the most pretentious in the otherwise prevailing simplicity of
Beulah graveyard.
WILLIAM MONTIER
On the hillside above Swissvale Avenue a large tract of land was
owned by William and Sarah Knox Law Montier. It is thought
that he came from Ireland. The present Montier Street, named
for him, was the western boundary of his land which stretched
eastward over the hill until it adjoined or almost adjoined the
Johnston land. His wife and four daughters were members of Dr.
Black's Covenanter church in Pittsburgh, walking to and from
Pittsburgh every Sabbath.
William Montier was a linen weaver. A carefully guarded memento of him is a magnifying glass used for counting the number
of threads in fine linen cloth. One of his daughters, Mrs. Barron,
also had a loom but her weaving was of heavier material. For
some years her loom house was the depot for rag carpet weaving.
One cannot pass by the name of Barron without words of appreciation for Miss Mary (Minnie) Barron. Her life was devoted
to good works in an unostentatious way. To neighbors, and in
her church, the Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter) of Wilkinsburg, she was in all matters the loyal and helpful supporter.
Since William Montier's arrival in the village more than one
hundred years ago there has been a continuous line of descendants
417ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
living in the town. Two great-grandsons, William B. and Melville
Wylie, and their children represent his line today (1939).
David C. Neal, son of Hugh Neal and Susan Irwin, writes that his
earliest ancestors in the village were James Irwin and Mary Jane
Curry, his wife, who came from Broad Top Mountain in 1842.
He owned property at 442 Ross Avenue, and pursued the trade of
blacksmith. His daughter was a graduate of the Old Wilkinsburg
Academy and was one of the most beautiful girls in Wilkinsburg.
Hugh Neal was a busy surveyor in the days when the Kelly
Lands were being plotted out for sale. James Irwin died in the
Civil War and his daughter, Mrs. Hugh Neal died in giving birth
to her son, David.
OLIVER CHESTER FAMILY
In 1872 Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Chester came to Wilkinsburg from
Pittsburgh. They were English in nationality, Mr. Chester's
father having been a mission preacher in Lancashire, England.
Mr. Chester, a stair builder and carpenter, had his place of business in the city in the neighborhood of the Court House. He died
a few weeks after he moved to the village, and his widow was left
to provide for five children, one son William and four daughters.
The daughters were all capable, ambitious, handsome girls who
were not long in quickly becoming self-reliant and self-supporting who assumed the support of their mother and grandfather.
They all married. Amanda married William Adams; Molly married Jacob Boose; Clara married Charles Bailey; Emma married
William Pickford.
The Chesters were Methodists in their church affiliation. Clara
taught for some time in the public school before her marriage.
As a family they all had musical ability. Clara especially had a
beautiful voice and was a singer of local note and had a most
pleasing personality. Descendants of Oliver Chester and wife
have been continuous residents in the village and borough for
sixty-seven years.
418GARDENS
[ 12]
GARDENS
OMEONE has said that friends, books, music and gardens are
Sthe precious things of life that grow in richness as we go down
the years. In an ever changing world it is comforting to feel that
in planting and tending a garden we are carrying on a custom that
goes back to the beginning of recorded time, and are also contributing something of gracious beauty to the present and to the
future.
In these days of garden clubs many have acquired knowledge
of and experience in plant lore. Not so, I. The long botanical
names expressed in Latin and Greek are outside my ken, but "a
thing of beauty" which is declared to be "a joy forever" fortunately appeals to the senses more than to the intellect so that the
mysterious wonder of the seed in its development into the outward form of plant, leaves, buds and blooms, with its color and
perfume, brings a thrill of joyful expectancy to the hearts of
everyone.
We are told that emigrants to the New World brought with
them from their old homes the roots and seeds of favorite plants,
and from these they created in the older colonies along the seashore gardens of great beauty, patterned in the formal French
and English style. Likewise those who came on into the Western
Wilds, after having lived for a while in the Eastern countries,
brought with them seeds, roots and even plants.
When we recall the Indian raids, resulting in the total destruction of cabins, and crops, the result of so much patient labor,
tears will start in the eyes of those sentimentally inclined at the
thought of the loss of those precious plants-whose perfume formed links in memory to the home land.
But the loss was not irreparable for did the wilderness not
bloom in wild beauty? Transplanted and cared for, this flora was
developed into many of the cultivated plants of today.
419ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
The early gardens of our neighborhood were not patterned
gardens but most often a combination of vegetables and flowers.
In the one that I knew so well were daffodils, that came before
the swallows, most cheerful and sunny of all our spring flowers;
they have never lost their old time popularity and still laugh
at and sway in the bleak March wind. Peonies, the wild rose,
and petunias in their season were scattered about among the
vegetables.
A trellis over the pump, which in dry weather had its handle
standing up, was a blaze of bloom with morning-glories; even yet
I wonder if anything could be more exquisite than those flowers.
In the midst of this garden was a sweet smelling shrub-bush
whose bloom had to be bruised and crushed to bring out its sweet
scent. This bush was held in great reverence, for it had been planted by the youngest son of the older generation who had answered
his country's call and made the supreme sacrifice at the battle of
Fair Oaks, Virginia.
Across the pike was a more formal garden with walks well
guarded with boards and upright posts with cords stretched from
post to post, so that no one could tread on the flowers that bordered the walks. Tiger lilies, bleeding hearts, portulaca, four o'clocks,
bachelor buttons with many other varieties of flowers grew in
great profusion. Over the end of the old store room a trumpet
vine flourished and such was the vitality of that vine and a lilac
bush, that they still live. We were always admonished to tread
with care in this garden lest, unawares, we crushed some of the
pale sweet violets or bluettes that sprang so abundantly from
the soil, for more grows in a garden than the gardener sows. It
was a charming picture in a summer evening when the whitecapped and kerchiefed woman who owned and loved so dearly
this garden sat on the portico with the window panes back of her
shining in the glow of the setting sun. This portico was wreathed
about by a Madeira vine which had climbed until it included in
its caress the second story windows.
The hush of the eventide, the sweet odor of the roses, the twitter of the birds, and from within the tick-tock, tick-tock of the old
420GARDENS
clock.-What a tender, heartsome thing to remember through the
years.
As we wandered through the country-side, when we saw by low
lying streams masses of bouncing-bet, butter and eggs, and tawny
lilies tangled together, and great clusters of lilac bushes, we never
failed to find the trodden down door stones, fragments of the
fallen chimney, and the decaying cover of a filled-in well. Speculations ran rife as to the "why" of this desolation in the midst of
such beauty.
Again, we would come to homes distinguished for warm-hearted hospitality to friends, and strangers as well. There was one
where the Irish lady had bedded and fed the benighted boy, a
stranger who had gone astray on his journey from the city to his
home on a remote farm. Her garden and trees were a delight, as
many of her bushes and plants had been brought from her land
of the Shamrock, and had been planted so as to have the new garden look like the loved one in the distant home. This house is
still a landmark by the roadside.
On our drive to the city we passed on the left the old stone house
of the McCrea family with its enclosed garden, and its great variety of old-fashioned flowers growing about its foundation walls.
Beyond, on the right hand, was the Graham home with its wellkept lawn, and flower-bordered walk leading to the front door.
The very attractive inside porch had such a resful look that one
longed for an opportunity to rest awhile there in a comfortable
chair.
Next came the Johnston house with the fine tree-shaded lawn,
unbroken by flower beds, which were in the rear. Coming around
the curve of the steep hill we saw the village below. Harris' Directory speaks of Wilkinsburg as a summer resort. Trees and grape
vines have always been its distinctive landmark. Notable among
the latter was the great vine shading the portico on Dr. Semple's
residence, and the drooping willow tree on the lawn. The little
one story brown cottage of Miss Beckie McFee was almost hidden
from sight from the street, standing far back as it did, in a tangle
of self-sown bushes. While opposite was the clap-boarded log421I788-I8 I4
THE MOTHER CHURCH OF BEULAH, Part I
THE VILLAGE OF McNAIRTOWN
"Come over into Macedonia and help us."
T WAS in the fall of 1784 that a cry was uttered like to that
of the Macedonians to Saint Paul: "Come and help us!" This
cry came from a small group of Christians gathered about
nine miles east of the village of Pittsburgh, and was addressed to
the recently organized Presbytery of Redstone.
We read in the "Centennial Volume of the First Presbyterian
Church of Pittsburgh" this minute: "At a meeting of the Synod
of New York and Philadelphia, held in Philadelphia May 16,
1781, the Reverend Messrs. Joseph Smith, John McMillan, James
Power, and Thaddeus Dodd having requested to be erected into a
separate Presbytery, to be known by the name of the Presbytery of
Redstone, the Synod grant their request, and appoint their first
meeting to be held at Laurel Hill Church, the third Wednesday
of September next at 11 o'clock A.M." Dr. Sylvester Scoville adds:
"This is the entire minute. No bounds, no designated churches.
A point of organized force in a vast wilderness, like a portable
sawmill, set down in an unsurveyed forest. This was the first
Presbytery formed west of the Allegheny Mountains".
To this body, whose stated meetings had, at times, to be abandoned, because of fear of Indian attacks on their homes, petitions
came asking for supplies to be sent to small congregations scattered in the wilderness territory of the "Forks of the Ohio".
21ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
house of Mrs. Thompson, the daughter of Samuel McCrea and
Jean Horner. Two great blocks of thick granite stone formed the
door-steps, and in the spacious grounds were lilacs, syringas,
snowball bushes, spiraea and sweet shrubs. While through the
small panes of the deeply set windows could be seen the whitecapped lady of the house. Next to her home came the Susan
Warren house, (a sister of Mrs. Thompson) a more modern brick
house with two front doors. Crossing Center Street we came to
Mrs. Susan Rice's house, a low, one story house with two front
doors opening from a very narrow porch just on line with the
street. Here on the eastern side was a gate leading down by thick
stone steps into another tangle of self-sown bushes into what Mrs.
A. S. Hunter has named the first sunken garden hereabouts. This
ground was the cellar level of a house burned down some years
before. Great slabs of stone formed the walk past the pump, shaded by tall trees to the back door. Next to it was the Stattenfield
house, which in its surroundings and vine coverings and gable
end to the street might have stood for a transplanted English
village home.
The gardens were part of the home and very one had its individuality. The Stoner yard had its distinguishing plant in a hop
vine reaching from the boundary line on the west 66 ft. to the line
on the east at the rear on Ross Avenue.
On the same side of the Pike on the corner of the present Wood
Street was the stately residence of Dr. and Mrs. Carothers. Great
weigelia bushes grew at each side of the short brick walk leading
from the gate to the front door, which had side window sashes and
a brass knocker that shone like gold. At the back of the house on
the Wood Street side was a long flower bed of many varieties of
brightly colored flowers. On the east side of the handsome brick
dwelling was a one-story square brick building with its short brick
walk flanked by enormous sweet shrub bushes. Dr. Carothers had
retired from practice but at intervals the windows and door of
his former office were opened to air the place.
Babies in those days came as ever from Heaven, "trailing clouds
of glory" with them, but the Dr.'s office was supposed by properly
422GARDENS
trained children to be the delivery station. One day a little girl,
whose "Now I lay me down to sleep" had the added line "and
please send me a little baby sister", was going by the little brick
building when the airing was in process. She went dancing home
in perfect confidence that at last her prayer was answered. Bitter
disappointment greeted her and resentment followed that God
would not make her good enough to give her what she wanted.
Childish stuff this. But not unusual reasoning even in older
minds than hers.
But this is a digression. Across Wood Street was a brick house,
not so imposing as the Carother's, but indubitably distinguished.
This home was presided over by Mrs. John Horner. The brick
walk here had on both sides large round mounds of myrtle whose
gloom was lifted in the springtime by thousands of twinkling
blue flowers. But the charm of this ground was the bed of lily of
the valley. Stretching from line to line and extending in depth
from year to year the lily of the valley bed was a community
treasure. From this bed plants were given so freely, that today lily
of the valley flowers bloom in almost every garden of home owners. Here also a "hundred leaf" rose bush flourished. Nor must I
forget to mention the lilac bushes, said to be over a hundred years
old, on the James McKelvy farm.
Across the street was the Joseph Hunter house (still occupied
on its present site on Wallace Ave.). It was a large handsome center hall house standing in grounds well shaded by trees and shrubbery. Here were planted, among a variety of other trees, fir and
pine trees and they grew, strangers as they were, at that time, to
the village plantings.
On the same side of the street on the corner of what is now Hay
Street, which at that time was but a passageway to the stables, was
the Davison house. The eastern side of this commodious building
was covered by a hardy English ivy which wreathed the windows
of the second and third story and in which the birds built their
nests. On the western side stood two tall Lombardy poplars in one
of which was perched a bird house occupied in their nesting time
by martins.
423ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Beyond was the Macfarlane home whose ground was distinctive
in showing the only snowdrop bush in the village. Beyond was the
Bennett house and on the left hand side the Harbaugh-Woodwell
mansion with its wide spreading lawn through which the bubbling, boulder-strewn Nine Mile Run found its way. This and
the branch stream crossed by rustic bridges in the Judge Hampton property were the paddling places for favored children.
One cannot speak of gardens without including another feature
of the village homes. This was the side porch. The dust of the
main street made the front door-steps undesirable sitting places in
leisure time, and so the side porch became the desired outing
place. There was to be sure the garden, but no lawn chairs, upright or reclining, appeared there; indeed, some seemed to feel
that feet when not in motion should not come in contact with
Mother Earth. Like ice cream it was just "a little risky". No
hammocks swung between the apple trees, but there was the side
porch. Onto it opened the back hall door, the dining room and
kitchen doors, and on a platform usually at the side was the pump
with its chained tin cup. Under the kitchen window stood a
bench with a basin and soap and on the wall hung the coarse roller
towel, so long that a sweet smelling, clean spot could be found
somewhere all day long. The porch was furnished with wooden
rockers softened by quilt-covered cotton pads, as was also the wide,
six foot long settee. Here was the little stand for a few potted
plants, on whose under shelf was placed the "mending basket" with
its quilt work patch and the stocking or mitten or scarf on the
needles. Here the apples were pared, the peas shelled, the beans
strung, the corn husked-all fresh from the garden so close by.
There were many houses with these delightful porches. Such were
the Hastings and Anderson houses on "the back street" (Wallace
Avenue), the Jackson and Thompson houses, with their apple
and pear trees so wonderfully beautiful in their spring bloom; the
Hunter and Davison houses with the added luxury of an upper
porch. Mr. Davison had the original idea of placing a cot on his
upper porch and sleeping outside during the summer months. It
was prophesied that he would "catch" the rheumatism, but on the
424GARDENS
contrary he never had a twinge of that prevalent disorder in all
the 74 years of his life.
In this, as in two others of his "perverse" ideas, he was only
foresighted as when he refused to sign the deed for land from
James Kelly to the trustees of the First Presbyterian Church until
the stipulation "to be used for church purposes only" was elided,
and thereby made possible the sale of the valuable square from
Ross to South Avenues not so many years afterward; and also in
his idea of the method of teaching geography and history now used
in schools as a new method.
But again I digress. How can I close without mention of the
iris which Mrs. Wm. Boyd loved and delighted in. The bulbs
of her planting are still vigorous and blooming beautifully today.
Nor of Mrs. William Turner who said she dug in the earth for
health as well as for beauty. She was rewarded by a long life and
a door yard of famed roses and other flowers. Nor of Mrs. Robert
Kerr, who in later years cultivated and enjoyed a practical vegetable garden, so well ordered and always free from weeds, as was
also Mrs. John Lacock's with its planting together of vegetables
and flowers.
This mingling of flowers, vegetables and trees in its usefulness
and beauty impressed one with its homely simplicity. Perhaps
space was an important factor in producing this effect, for Wilkinsburg village conformed to the expressed desire of William
Penn in planning Philadelphia; "let there be space about the
house so that it may be a green, country town".
Today the old flowers, marigolds, peonies, lilies, roses, bleeding
hearts, daffodils, corn flowers, canterbury bells, even hollyhocks
and sun flowers and others of the old time favorites are being
cultivated.
At the sight of them come back the familiar faces of early years,
and with the vision awakens within me"... fair memories...
Of scenes that used to bless.
For no regret, but present song,
And lasting thankfulness."
425ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
LILAC TREE
To stop a gap in my picket fence
I planted a tree for stout defense,
To curb the intruder that came that way,
The idly curious, on a summer day.
I had not thought,'twixt you and me,
How kind a thing is a lilac tree.
I tried to raise a bold blockade
With sentinels on dress parade,
I could not shut the perfume in
By armed force or javelin.
The red-breast nested in its leaves
Its nectar coaxed the honey bees.
Its shadows danced upon my walls
A titmouse from the green copse calls,
A bit of heaven reaches me.
A lark has found my lilac tree.
[13]
ST. JAMES ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
T is difficult to determine when the earliest comers of the
iCatholic faith began making their homes in Wilkinsburg and
vicinity. For many years their number was small.
A few families lived in Swissvale, but by the time a church
building was deemed necessary, the main body of the little congregation consisted of miners at the Duquesne Coal Mines who
worked and dwelt in a district derisively known as Mucklerat,
about two miles east of Wilkinsburg.
Shortly after these mines were opened, a number of Catholics,
Irish for the most part, came from the anthracite region in the
northeastern part of the state, the first arrivals being Michael
Kennedy and John Boyle, in 1865. They were soon followed by
426ST. JAMES ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
others from that section and a few from more immediate localities. A number came directly from Ireland and before long fortyfive of these families dwelt in Mucklerat.
James Kelly had donated property for church sites to several
religious denominations of the town, and, though unfriendly
towards Catholics, he was prevailed on to present ground to them,
making the gift of a lot on the upper part of Franklin Avenue.
Although the deed for this ground is dated January 17, 1868,
James Kelly's gift was made prior to that time. The Bishop and
most of the congregation were dissatisfied with the location of
this land, and had, about 1866, begun looking for another site.
The present site of the church was the spot finally selected by
the Committee and while deliberating, the two priests stood under a large old cherry tree. When this tree was subsequently felled,
an oval frame was made of the wood, enclosing a script history of
the church. This memento long adorned the pastor's study and
finally was presented by Mgr. Lambing to the Historical Society
of Western Pennsylvania of which he was president.
Considerable subterfuge was used to secure this land, known
as lots 359 and 360 of James Kelly's plan of Wilkinsburg. Each
lot was 66 feet in width by 264 in depth, extending from Franklin
to Rebecca Avenue. The property, bought in the name of Philip
Weisenberger of Lawrenceville, was conveyed by him and his
wife on May 8, 1868 to Bishop Domenec in trust for the congregation, for the sum of $2800.
When Mr. Kelly learned the identity of the actual purchasers
he was very angry, feeling that the presence of the church would
injure the sale of his valuable adjoining property. He applied for
a court injunction but after long litigation lost his case.
Before entering upon a history of the church edifice, it seems
fitting to note a misnomer entered on the early marriage and baptismal registers: that of "Saint Philip and Saint James." Why this
name should have been inscribed during the pastorates of Fathers
Suehr and Burke has not been ascertained.
As has been stated, the number of Catholics in the parish was
small and their means limited; so, when the church was to be
427ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
constructed, outside assistance had to be sought. To this end a
resolution was passed at a congregational meeting, whereby the
person giving the largest donation should have the privilege of
naming the sacred edifice. This donor was James K. Lanahan,
proprietor and manager of the St. James Hotel which stood on
Liberty Avenue directly across from the Union Station in Pittsburgh. His gift was $50 paid to a solicitor, Edward Sweeny.
The church was dedicated under the invocation of Saint James,
Thanksgiving Day by the Vicar General Father Hickey, who officiated in the absence of Bishop Domenec, and has been noted
under that title in all directories since 1872.
Donations had been solicited almost exclusively by Edward
Sweeny of the Duquesne Mines and John Carley and Arthur
Cregan of Wilkinsburg. Occasionally on Sundays, after Mass, they
traveled on foot as far east as Irwin and as far west as Noblestown,
soliciting contributions from the coal miners.
Would that it were possible to here record the names of those
contributors!
The cornerstone was laid without ceremony. The church itself,
an unpretentious little frame structure, 30 by 60 feet, was furnished with a small organ loft within and a tiny belfry over the entrance. The total cost was $3941.98.
On the occasion of its dedication a special train was run for the
accommodation of Catholic Societies from the city and in its small
way the affair was quite elaborate.
For a brief while after its dedication the church was attended
from the Cathedral after which it was confided to the care of two
young scions of the oldest and most respected Presbyterian families of Pittsburgh, Harmar Denny and Pollard Morgan. Having
completed their studies for the Presbyterian ministry, they had
gone abroad for a European tour before their ordination. During
their travels they had become so deeply impressed with the history, teachings and practices of the Roman Church that they entered it and prepared themselves for the priesthood. Fathers
Denny and Morgan, usually the latter, were ministrants to the
little church of St. James until August 1870.
428ST. JAMES ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
The first resident pastor was Reverend Joseph Suehr, born in
a little village at the foot of the Vosges mountains in Alsace. When
he was seven years of age his parents emigrated to America and
located in Allegheny City. Their son's education was acquired
at the parochial schools, at St. Vincent's College, Latrobe, and
at St. Michael's Seminary, Glenwood, Pittsburgh. In the latter
institution and at Loretta he taught for two years. On his
ordination in 1870 he was appointed priest of the little church
of St. James.
St. James at that time was in the hands of the sheriff, but by
dint of hard work on Father Suehr's part and generous help from
the church of S.S. Peter and Paul, East Liberty, the debt was paid.
Father Suehr's promotions were rapid. On January 24, 1906, a
papal brief created him a Domestic Prelate to His Holiness, Pope
Pius X, with the right to wear the purple.
Reverend W. L. Burke, the second resident priest, was born in
the Cathedral parish of Pittsburgh and his studies were conducted
in local schools and seminaries. Ordained in 1863 when 23 years
old his pastoral duties were interrupted by delicate health. He
was appointed to St. James, June 28, 1873, following which, his
first care was to build a pastoral residence. This was an arduous
undertaking for the small congregation in the face of an approaching panic. However, the building was begun in September and
occupied the following April.
Foreseeing the growth of his congregation Father Burke secured
a lot adjoining the church property. In order to secure money for
this transaction it was necessary to sell the ground which had years
before been donated by Mr. Kelly and this could not be done
unless Mr. Kelly annulled his proviso: "to be used for church purposes only." This, Mr. Kelly forgivingly did, whereupon the
original Kelly gift on upper Franklin Avenue was sold and the
Mulberry Street corner lot purchased for $1400 by a member of
the congregation.
On this a one-story frame hall, 32 by 6o feet, was built for the
use of the congregation. It was Father Burke's wish to open a
parochial school on it, but the congregation was at this time con429ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
sidered too small and too scattered, so he was obliged, reluctantly,
to give up the project.
The work of this energetic man was suddenly interrupted by
death in September, 1885, but he will be remembered by the
flock among whom he labored long and zealously.
Father Burke was succeeded on October 15, 1885, by the Reverend A. A. Lambing, the third pastor of St. James. "Father"
Lambing, as he was intimately and affectionately called not only
by his own congregation but by the villagers in general, was descended from a long-lived and honorable ancestry. His paternal
line settled in Eastern Pennsylvania in 1749, having emigrated
from near Strassburg, Alsace, Germany. The emigrant, Christopher Lambing, died, 1817, at the age of 99 years and 2 days. One
of his sons, Matthew, drifted westwards and ultimately settled in
Manorville, Westmoreland County. Here his son, Michael, married Mary Shields whose ancestors had come in 1745 from County
Donegal, Ireland. Michael and Mary Shields Lambing had nine
children; two of them became priests; one, a Sister of Charity;
and three served as soldiers in the Civil War.
Andrew Arnold (Father Lambing) was their third child, born
in Manorville in 1842. From his records we give the successive
steps of his education. "Having worked successively on a farm, in
fire-brick yards, and in an oil refinery with some four months of
schooling each year; with a term in the Kittanning Academy and
much private reading and study, he, in 1863, entered St. Michael
Preparatory and Theological Seminary at Glenwood, Pittsburgh.
Here he studied hard, rising at three o'clock in the morning to
pursue his tasks and spending four of his vacations at hard work
to help him defray the expenses of his education". His ambition
was the priesthood. This was realized when he was ordained on
August 4, 1869 by Bishop Domenec.
He was sent successively to a teaching post at Loretta, and to
serve the little congregation at Williamsburg, forty miles distant.
His next pastoral duties were in Kittanning, Armstrong County,
with its five monthly out-missions, following which he went to
Freeport and Natrona.
430ST. JAMES ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
In July 1873 he was appointed Chaplain of St. Paul's Orphanage, Pittsburgh, and, simultaneously, was made pastor of the
Church of Our Lady of Consolation at the Point. He, also, placed
the parochial schools, which until then had been in charge of lay
teachers, under the management of the Sisters of Mercy. A Protestant Church at the corner of Ferry Street and Third Ave. was
bought, remodeled to Catholic needs, and dedicated under the invocation of "St. Mary of Mercy." Later he placed in it an altar
dedicated to "Our Lady of the Assumption at the Beautiful
River". This altar was a replica of one in the chapel of the same
name at Fort Duquesne during the French occupancy, 1754 to
1758.
The Rev. Lambing was for many years president of the Catholic
Institute, which in a sense was the predecessor of the "Pittsburgh
College of the Holy Ghost", later developed into the "Duquesne
University of the Holy Ghost."
He was the writer of newspaper articles on ecclesiastical and
historical subjects and is the author of many books. A not inconsiderable part of "The Standard History of Pittsburgh" was written by him. The Editor of that work says of him that "he has done
more than any other man to place in permanent form valuable
and fast fading records."
For many years the Rev. Lambing was president of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania; was a trustee of the
Carnegie Institute, and Carnegie Technical Schools, by appointment of the founder, Andrew Carnegie.
In 1 883 he received the honorary degree of Master of Arts, conferred by the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, and three years
later, that of Doctor of Laws.
Such, in brief, is a review of the consecrated and distinguished
lives, which guided the destiny of St. James Church of the village
of Wilkinsburg.
Beyond the year 1887 this history does not go. Of the opening
of the parochial school in 1886, of the change in size and character
of the congregation through the growth of the village, and the
influx of families connected with the Westinghouse and the Besse431A J\ALS OF
OLD WILKINSBURG
AND VICINITY
THE VILLAGE
1788-1888
Compiled by the
Group for Historical Research, Wilkinsburg
Edited by
ELIZABETH M. DAVISON
AND
ELLEN B. McKEE
WILKINSBURG, PA.
GROUP FOR HISTORICAL RESEARCH
I940ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Among these petitions was one from a church identified as Bullock Pens. We regret that no names were affixed to this petition,
for this is the first recorded mention of the church now known
and cherished as The Mother Church of Beulah.
In 1788, with the erection of Allegheny County, when Pittsburgh acquired the proud title of "Gateway to the West", immigration set in to its immediate section and lands beyond. The
character of the population began to change, for the majority
of those who came desired permanent homes. To this end patents
for large tracts of land were taken.
There were also many land speculators among those who desired patents, for trappers and traders with the Indians knew the
territory well and had quickly evaluated the future of the land
lying on the far flowing rivers. To this class belonged Andrew
Levi Levy, Sr., who made application (No. 3122) to the Colonial
Land Office on April 20, 1769 for a tract of 266 acres and allowances situate on both sides of the Great Road to Fort Pitt, in
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
The War of the Revolution was a chief factor of interference
in Levy's plans; so, after holding the patent for nineteen years,
he sold it to General William Thompson in 1788. General
Thompson died soon afterwards, and his heirs quickly parted
with the patent, numbered 3122, to Dunning McNair in 1790.
Dunning McNair had come west to remain here. He built, or
occupied a log house already built, on the Great Road. He laid out
a plan for a village and, as soon as the nucleus of a few log houses
was formed, he named the place McNairtown or McNairstown.
The stories of the village and of the six-year-old church are
bound closely together, but the growth of the church exceeded
that of the village. Let us then leave, for a time, Dunning McNair,
"the Proprietaire" with his discouraging work and return to
follow the development of Bullock Pens Church.
At first the congregation was composed of families whose farms
lay along or near Forbes Road or the Allegheny River; but its
territory was soon enlarged for it is said "the members came from
the East and the West, from the North and the South, from the
22ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
mer Steel Works, of the number of mission churches going out
from St. James, we cannot write.
We close with three lines written after the first parish church
burned, December 23, 1888; "... The citizens of the borough
generously lent a helping hand to every undertaking that was
resorted to by the congregation for the new building, a kindly
spirit that was duly appreciated by both pastor and people."
[14]
THE HAMPTON FAMILY
H AMPTON PLACE, Hampton Avenue and Barnes Street are
familiar names and localities to Wilkinsburgers. To those
of a later generation "Hampton" may be no more than a name,
but behind the name was a distinguished family of Western
Pennsylvania pioneers and it, in turn, produced a distinguished
member of the Allegheny County Bar in the person of the Honorable Moses Hampton, LL.D. When Mr. Hampton became a
resident of Wilkinsburg in 1867, he did the village honor.
Like all the famous men of the early nineteenth century, Moses
Hampton was a rural product, serving his apprenticeship to life
on a farm and at the blacksmith forge. Of English parentage, Mr.
Hampton's father allied himself with the cause of the American
patriots, served in the Revolution and at the close thereof left
his New Jersey home to claim a tract of Donation Land in Beaver
County, Pennsylvania, which had been granted him for his military service. Here, in a wilderness log cabin was born on October
28, 1803, Moses Hampton, Jr., son of Moses and Hannah Van
Natta Hampton, Quakers.
The family was accustomed to hardships and toil. For some
unexplained reason they moved, in 812, to Trumbull County,
Ohio, again cleared land and built a log house. Moses, Jr. assisted
with the farm work and helped his father, the village blacksmith.
He struggled through his early education in such schools as the
432THE HAMPTON FAMILY
district afforded and at the age of seventeen left home to enter the
Academy at Burton, Ohio, where he supported himself while
studying mathematics and the classical languages. He decided,
when nineteen, to enter Washington College at Washington, Pa.,
and made the long journey through the wilderness on foot.
Two years were spent at Washington and Moses Hampton
graduated in the class of 1824. It was his intention to study law,
but first he had to support himself and gain some financial foothold, so he applied for and secured the principalship of Lafayette
Academy at Uniontown.
Meanwhile he took up the study of law with John M. Austin
and in 1829 was admitted to the Fayette County Bar. He soon
moved to Somerset where he served as prothonotary for a short
time but his ambition was towards the large city and on June 20,
1838 his ambition was achieved with his admittance to the Allegheny County Bar. In 1839 Moses Hampton moved to Pittsburgh
and was soon on the road to fame and fortune which, in those
days of wholesale litigation in land titles, was an easier matter
than it now is. His practice grew by leaps and bounds, both because of his pleasing personality and fine appearance and by
reason of his clear thinking and honorable dealing. By some he
was held to be the equal of Honorable Walter Forward, whose
contemporary he was although a much younger man. Both were
noted for their keen wit.
An anecdote relative to this is told from Mr. Hampton's Somerset County days. During their early years at the bar, Jeremiah
Black and Hampton had been competitors in Somerset. When
Judge Hampton came to the Bench of the District Court of Allegheny County a difficult case was being tried before him and it
so happened that in making his charge to the jury he made one
error; whereupon the case was taken to the Supreme Court of
which his old friend, Judge Black, was a member. In going over
the case Judge Black regretted that so slight an error had necessitated a reversal, adding that it was "merely one of the Mistakes of
Moses" (referring to Ingersoll's Mistakes of Moses, then popular). On retrial of the case, Judge Hampton remarked that at the
433ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
former trial he had been overruled on a certain point by the Supreme Court and then proceeded to charge as suggested by the
higher court, adding "and now I trust we will have no more Lamentations of Jeremiah". (2oth Century Bench and Bar.)
In 1846 Mr. Hampton was elected to Congress from the Pittsburgh district and re-elected in 1848, serving in the 3oth and 31st
sessions. In 1853 he was elected President-Judge of District Court
of Allegheny County and was re-elected in 1863, serving in this
capacity for twenty years or until his retirement in 1874.
The degree of LL.D. was conferred upon him in 1867 by the
Western University of Pennsylvania (Pitt University).
When Judge Hampton realized the desirability of suburban
property, Wilkinsburg village appealed to him as an attractive,
dignified, quiet locality. His interest in it culminated by his
purchase on May 23, 1866 of a tract comprising 25 acres, 74
perches. This he bought from Mr. Kelly for the good price of
$10,400. The tract was bounded by the western bank of Nine
Mile Run on one side and by the Pennsylvania Railroad on the
other and on it he erected a plain but commodious frame residence which had a center hall and spacious, high-ceilinged rooms.
Not long afterwards a brick house was erected on the property
and occupied by his daughter, Mrs. R. P. Barnes. Upon the removal of the Barnes family the house was occupied by the Judge's
son, John and family.
John Hampton, let us add, the son of this distinguished father,
was one of the most brilliant lawyers of the Allegheny Bar.
The Hampton family immediately became affiliated with the
First Presbyterian Church, Judge Hampton serving as an elder
for at least ten years.
Well-to-do from a lucrative practice, the Hampton holdings
were increased by careful investments and the acquisition of
coal lands, which yielded well.
In 1874 Judge Hampton retired from active business, living
in the leisurely fashion and comfort of those times in the village
homestead. His death occurred on June 24, 1 878, five years after
that of his wife.
434WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA INSTITUTION FOR THE DEAF
Partial list of civic and national measures in which Moses
Hampton was influentialPolitics- One of the most active and efficient advocates of Whig
principles.
An original member of the Republican Party.
Congress-Elected to Congress 1846, Representative of Allegheny County, Pa.
Re-elected 1848.
1846-   Member of Committee on Commerce.
1848-   Member of Committee on Ways and Means.
Congress-While member of Congress obtained appropriation
for Marine Hospital on Ohio River below Pittsburgh,
also $75,000 appropriation for Pittsburgh P. O. this
being the first money granted for such purpose, up to
that time, to any city excepting New York.
1853-    Elected President Judge of District Court of Allegheny County.
1863-   Re-elected.
While Judge organized and perfected system of Allegheny County Work House "now (1876) a great benefaction and self supporting institution".
1873-   Retired to private life.
[ 15
HISTORY OF THE
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA INSTITUTION
FOR THE INSTRUCTION OF THE DEAF
AT EDGEWOOD, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
N THE summer of 1868 a small deaf and dumb negro boy was
I brought to a mission Sunday School connected with the Third
United Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, of which the Rev. John
435ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
G. Brown was pastor and Mr. Joel Kerr, superintendent of the
Sabbath School. Mr. Kerr, impressed with the brightness of the
boy and sorry for his handicap, began taking an interest and induced Mr. W. R. Drum, a graduate of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Deaf at Philadelphia, to teach him. Eight deaf mutes
were soon gathered and Mr. Archie Woodside of Wilkinsburg, a
mute, and graduate of the eastern institution, was secured to assist
with the teaching. There were in the Pittsburgh district a number of educated mutes; with the aid of these a Sunday School for
the Deaf and Dumb was organized as an adjunct to the Mission.
They met in the public school building on Franklin Street,
Pittsburgh.
The manual alphabet was taught to twelve or fifteen children
and as many adults. Dr. Brown was soon of the opinion that daily
instruction was a vital necessity and brought the matter to the
attention of Mr. John Wilson, a prominent member of his congregation. By a fortunate chance, Mr. Wilson was chairman of the
Central Board of Education of the city and in this way was able to
interest the Board in the idea with the result that an experimental
grant of $800 was secured. The local board of the First Ward
gave the use of a room in the school building on Short Street and
Mr. Archie Woodside and his sister, Sarah Woodside of Wilkinsburg, a hearing person but accustomed to the sign language, were
selected as teachers. Benevolent friends furnished books and
other necessaries.
In this wise the first day school in the United States for the instruction of the deaf and dumb was opened in Pittsburgh on the
first Monday in September, 1869, with fourteen pupils. The attendance soon rose to 25 or 30. Pupils came from all parts of the
city and Allegheny and it was not long before the need was felt
for a place to board pupils from greater distances. The public
school board financed the school and kind friends furnished
money to rent a nearby house. In it 1 o or i 2 were quartered. They
were for the most part children of poor parents. The school was
presently moved to the Third Ward school building on Grant
Street and the home transferred to a larger house on Wylie Ave436WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA INSTITUTION FOR THE DEAF
nue above Washington Street. Always there was an ever increasing number of rural applications. The home accommodated 25;
the school 40 or 50.
A visit by Dr. Worthington, Secretary of the Board of State
Charities, brought new results. So impressed was he after seeing
the scope and possibilities of this work that, unsolicited, he obtained from the state legislature an appropriation of $2,000 for
this purpose. It was realized that the school and home were insufficient for the needs of the deaf mutes of Allegheny County and
Western Pennsylvania. The eastern school at Philadelphia was
overcrowded and also petitioned for a western school.
At this point, in 1870, Mr. James Kelly of Wilkinsburg proposed to give a piece of land to found an institution for the Deaf
and Dumb in Western Pennsylvania provided $2o,ooo would be
subscribed to erect buildings on it. A few liberal citizens soon
pledged enough money and in 1871 a charter was obtained and
a Board of Trustees organized. Mr. Kelly then deeded ten acres
of valuable land near the Edgewood station. It was a great gift
because he had in reality refused a tender of $6o,ooo for this land.
The gift gave permanency to the undertaking and marked Mr.
Kelly as a really benevolent man. However, there was a thorn on
the rose. (Quoting from Dr. Burt's account) "Owing to the fact
that the property given by Mr. Kelly was invaded by a railroad
company, the Trustees became involved in a protracted lawsuit
with a powerful corporation." The struggle terminated favorably
but the organization of the institution was delayed for several
years. Meanwhile the day school and home continued their useful
and humble career.
In 1875 Prof. James H. Logan, "an honored graduate of the
National Deaf Mute College, Washington, D.C.," and for a number of years instructor for the deaf and dumb at Jacksonville,
Illinois, succeeded Mr. Woodside.
An appropriation of $16,ooo was finally secured in the winter
of 1876 through the exertions of Dr. Brown. Although not yet
437ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
able to erect buildings, the trustees determined to organize an institution and thus extend the benefits to all deaf-mutes in the
western part of the state. In the summer of 1877 the day-school
was closed. "This was an experiment which had attained note
and had been imitated in other cities but it was not considered sufficient for the best intellectual development of these
unfortunates."
The charter members of the Board of Trustees organized May
26, 1871 were James I. Bennett, George Black, Alexander Bradley, Rev. John G. Brown, D.D., John W. Chalfant, Rob't. H.
Davis, John H. Dalzell, Jos. Dilworth, Hon. Thos. Ewing, Benj.
L. Fahnestock, J. P. Fleming, Hon. Moses Hampton, Jas. P.
Hanna, John Harper, Jos. H. Hill, William Holmes, B. F. Jones,
James Kelly, James Laughlin, Henry Lloyd, John R. McCune,
Hon. H. K. Moorhead, Alexander Nimick, William Phillips,
Hon. Jas. P. Sterrett, William Thaw, John Wilson, John B. Jackson.
The Trustees authorized Dr. Brown and Mr. Jackson to proceed, together with Prof. Logan. They finally rented and repaired
a large brick building, formerly a hotel, and an adjoining frame
building in Turtle Creek along the Pennsylvania Railroad. It
was easy of access and the thirty-seven acres of land surrounding
it were of great natural beauty. Prof. Logan was made acting principal and his mother, Mrs. Eliza Postley Logan, was matron. Three
teachers composed the staff: Mr. G. M. Teegarden, graduate of
the National Deaf Mute School, Washington, Miss Anna Boyer
and Miss Jennie Jenkins, graduates of the Normal Department of
the Pittsburgh High School. The school was opened without any
special exercises on October 25, 1876 with an enrollment of 29
pupils. Soon there were 51 from 12 counties. In the second year
there were 77 from 13 counties and in that year instruction in
articulation and lip-reading was begun. In 1879 there were 98
from 17 counties and six instructors.
In 1880 Prof. Logan resigned. His mother automatically ceased
her duties as matron. A testimonial to Mr. Logan states that he
was "a thoroughly educated gentleman, a competent teacher and
438WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA INSTITUTION FOR THE DEAF
an earnest worker for the amelioration of the condition of the
deaf and dumb."
In 1881 the attendance was 102 and the following year 104.
The census report showed 239 deaf mutes of school age in 188o,
and owing to the overcrowded condition of the school many were
turned away. It was decided that the situation was urgent and
that a building must be erected on the property given by Mr.
Kelly.
In 1881 the Board secured from the Legislature an appropriation of $60,ooo on condition that they would raise another $6o,ooo. Of this sum they already had $41,000 by a former grant and
by subscription, and the rest of the money was soon raised. But another trouble loomed. After the previous lawsuit with the Edgewood Railroad Company they had leased the right of way through
the Kelly property. The railroad now refused to vacate the
premises in accordance with the agreement in the lease. The matter was compromised by the railroad's purchase of the property.
With the proceeds of the sale the Trustees bought 16 1/3 acres close
by in September, 1882, and made plans for building. Meanwhile,
on January 14, 1883 Prof. John A. McWhorter who had been
principal for the past two years died, and was succeeded by Dr.
Thos. MacIntyre of the Ohio and Tennessee institutions.
On July 19, 1883 the first stone of the foundation was laid for
the new building, which was planned to accommodate 250 to 300
students. The work progressed swiftly and by Christmas all but
the chapel was under roof. The Trustees were obliged to have
special water pipes laid a mile in length to receive city water;
special gas lines were also laid by the Philadelphia Company
through Wilkinsburg to supply the institution. The frame building used at Turtle Creek was moved to the grounds and made
into a school for industrial training and the entire establishment
opened October i, 1884, with a formal dedication December 17
of that year.
The work was so exacting that Prof. McIntyre broke down and
died at his home in Indianapolis September 25, 1885. No suitable
successor could for a time be found and Dr. John G. Brown, Presi439ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
dent of the Board, assumed the work, commencing his duties
August 1, 1885. One of his first acts was to beautify the lawn. A
wing for girls which had originally been in the plans but had
been omitted because of lack of funds must now be built and more
shops for printing, shoemaking, painting and other industrial
training were needed. Dr. Brown was indefatigable in petitioning for state appropriation, which he secured. Dr. Brown remained at the head of the institution until the spring of 1889 when he
resigned and Mr. Nathaniel Burt of the institution at Indianapolis
was elected.
In 1892 an industrial training school for girls was erected in
which the household arts, dressmaking, etc., were taught.
In 1889 Dr. Fulton R. Stotler was appointed physician to the
institution on the recommendation of Dr. Brown. A few rooms
in the main building were set aside for hospital use and the
matron cared for the sick in connection with her other duties.
Seasonal epidemics proved, after several years, that a separate hospital building was very necessary. William Holmes and his sister
Miss Jane Holmes had left money to the institution and the
Board took the erection of a hospital building under advisement.
Plans were submitted by Ernest Flagg of New York and in 1897 a
hospital with all modern conveniences and a trained nurse in the
person of Miss Margaret Carson Brown were added to the facilities. Later it became apparent that there was no suitable place
for convalescents and a solarium was built on the recommendation of Dr. Stotler.
On December 1 4, 1 899 a fire broke out in the boys' wing, origin
unknown, and was burning briskly in the elevator shaft at 4 P.M.
Several alarms were sent in. The Wilkinsburg company responded at once, followed by several of the Pittsburgh fire companies,
but the beautiful buildings were burned to the ground. The
neighbors opened their homes to the pupils of whom there were
300. A temporary school like a barracks was at once put up and
operating within a month. It opened March 12 with 1 17 pupils,
the remainder having been sent to their homes. These temporary
quarters were occupied two years for the era of prosperity made
440THE PITTSBURGH FEMALE COLLEGE
everything expensive in the building line and hard to get.
Messrs. Alden and Harlow secured the contract for the new
building but the cost was far in excess of the funds at hand. Dr.
John G. Brown once again canvassed Pittsburgh for more money
and secured pledges amounting to $50o,ooo. Pittsburgh public
schools and private schools contributed, as well as Sabbath schools,
and these alone raised more than $1,ooo. A benefit given by the
graduate mutes in Old City Hall netted more than $700oo and this
money was spent for an art glass window for the chapel. $92,000
was paid promptly by the insurance company.
Work was begun March 7, 1901 and the cornerstone laid on
May 16, 1901. The Board of State Charities recommended to the
Legislature to give an appropriation of $15o,ooo but the Legislature had too many appeals from all quarters. However, $50,000
was finally appropriated. Construction of the building commenced August 7, 19go01 but strikes and labor troubles frequently
interrupted. The building was completed in time to open school
September 29, 19o02, and the dedication was held May 14, 1903.
The temporary buildings were razed. A strip of land was leased
to the Borough of Edgewood for a town hall and fire department.
This added somewhat to the income and from time to time improvements were made, such as drilling an artesian well and providing an electric sterilizer. A gymnasium with swimming pool
was completed in 1910 and in i 911 the buildings consisted of an
administration building, dormitories, kindergarten, hospital,
girls' industrial building, boys' industrial, laundry, boiler house,
tool and store house and shops.
[16]
THE PITTSBURGH FEMALE COLLEGE
HE history of Wilkinsburg would hardly be complete without mention of the Pittsburgh Female College where so
many Wilkinsburg girls went to school. Founded in 1856, its
441THE MOTHER CHURCH OF BEULAH, Part I
rivers and beyond the rivers, to hear the teaching of the Bible
and to join in the worship of God. They came on horseback, the
women and children on pillions; they came in ox-carts; on foot,
in shoes or without shoes, some carrying them to put on when
they neared their destination."
These people were of that sturdy Scotch-Irish race who were
not daunted by difficulties. The men carried guns, with their
eyes ever alert for hidden savages who menaced and massacred
the white settlers until the victorious campaign of "Mad" Anthony Wayne, in 1794.
There had been, no doubt, occasional preaching at Bullock
Pens Church before the call to Presbytery in 1784. The Reverend
David McClure, a missionary to the Indians at Muskingum, Ohio,
tarried in Pittsburgh three weeks. And there were also, coming
and going, powerful pioneer preachers such as James Powers,
Doctor Finley, Joseph Smith, and Doctor John McMillan-the
last named being the teacher of the "log cabin school" at Canonsburg, which developed into Jefferson College. The services of
these men, however, seem to have been more in demand from the
groups of country folks than in the settlement at the Forks. John
Wilkins, Sr., pictures conditions there as follows: "In the middle
of October 1783, I left Carlisle and set out in the wagon with a
light gun in my hand, and arrived in Pittsburgh November io.
This was a journey, you may note, which took three weeks and
four days to complete.
"When I came here I found the place filled with old officers
and soldiers, followers of the army, mixed with a few families of
credit. All sorts of wickednesses were carried on to excess, and
there was no appearance of morality or regular order. There
seemed to be no sign of religion among the people."
Six years later, January 24, 1789, the following appeared in
the Pittsburgh Gazette-the fore-runner of the Pittsburgh PostGazette:
"BON MOT of DAVID SEMPLE, ESQUIRE:
At the last county court of Westmoreland the conversation turning on Indians, treaties, etc., it was observed by Mr. Bracken23ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
second president, Dr. I. C. Pershing, was called to the office in
1859-at that time being the minister at Emory Methodist Episcopal Church and also serving the Wilkinsburg charge. He did
not assume the office until March, 1860, which office he held until
1886. He was succeeded by Dr. A. H. Norcross and Dr. N. H.
Holmes.
Fifty-two years ago, colleges for women were not as heavily
endowed as they are at present and, as few educational institutions have been able to live without endowment, the college, like
so many others, was forced to close its doors. It had a fine class of
students-boarders coming from many states in the union- as far
west as California and from Minnesota to Texas. The day pupils
came from the best families in Pittsburgh and its suburbs.
The faculty was noted. Dr. Pershing's daughter Lizzie, who became the wife of W. C. Anderson, the well-known law writer and
compiler of Anderson's Law Dictionary, taught in the college
and for many years was its beloved vice president. One of its
teachers became an international figure, Frances E. Willard.
Others of note were Agnes C. Way, Helen E. Pelletreau, and
M. M. Johnson. It was Professor Johnson who organized the Art
Society of Pittsburgh which has had such an influence in the
cultural life of the city through the years. Its first meetings were
held in the college chapel.
Music was always taught at the college but a Conservatory of
Music was established about 1880 with a course leading to graduation. Among the teachers were Simeon Bissell, Carl Maeder,
Adolph Foerster, P. H. Dornberger and Carl Retter. Prominent
singers of an earlier day had their training here-Elizabeth Kennedy, Belle Tomer McCutcheon, Lou Young Kloman, and best
known and best loved, Jean Wallace Webster. Its young violinist,
Mamie Reuck, became well known throughout the country as
Mrs. Wilczek; and last but not least, the brilliant pianist, "Zoe"
Swisshelm, who, in the same year, won the gold medal prize in
music and literature.
Some of the pupils have done and are doing fine civic work;
largely through the efforts of Edith Darlington Ammon the Block
442THE PITTSBURGH FEMALE COLLEGE
House was saved to Pittsburgh; Mary Rachel Dibert Torrance is
well known in our city for the "good deeds which she does."
In many ways the school was ahead of its time. Back in 1872 it
had its class in "Current Events" although it was called "News of
the Week," a name used much today. Each fall there was an excursion to Altoona in order that the boarding pupils might see
the mountains. This was long before the popular week-end
excursions. A beautiful room, constituting a fourth floor to the
two lower buildings, was built. An extremely fine cabinet was
installed in this room, and a grand organ was put in the chapel,
both of these being rare in girls' colleges of that day.
Many young people from Wilkinsburg joined the crowds that
always attended the entertainments given by the students in the
college chapel several times a year, especially when Elizabeth Kennedy (Mrs. J. C. Lemmer), gold medal winner in vocal music was
to sing, or Jennie Hamnett (Mrs. James A.Wilson ) was to recite.
Other Wilkinsburg girls that I recall as students were Eleanore
Carhart, Mary L. Ludwick (Mrs. Charles Montgomery), Sarah
Walker, Lida Rigg (Mrs. J. Van Ballantyne), and Carrie Powelson, (Mrs. Edward Harms). Favorable notices appeared in the
press, often from the gifted pen of Jane Gray Swisshelm.
To the present generation the school is but a name-to their
parents, a memory. Determined that the memory should endure
and the name become a reality to their children, some years ago
an association was formed. To its membership all graduates,
teachers and pupils of the college were eligible. Later an associate
membership was formed and many loyal members are the
mothers, sisters, and daughters or nieces of former pupils. The
association each year assists a girl at Margaret Morrison College,
twenty having been so helped. There is a scholarship at Pitt
University which has been used by sixteen girls. A thousand dollars each has been given to Pitt, Margaret Morrison and Pennsylvania College for Women, the income of which is given as a cash
prize each year to the girl in the Junior class who has made most
progress in academic work.
To all members of the "Pittsburgh Female College Associa443ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
tion" it is happiness to realize that as long as these institutions
endure, at least once each year the dear old school will be remembered-as a student receives her Pittsburgh Female College Prize;
and as long as the majestic Cathedral of Learning stands, one girl
each year will be under first class training and thinking gratefully
of our association and the fine old college it memorializes.
[17]
JOHN and REBECCA McFEE
HE names John and Rebecca McFee-by common use! changed to McAfee-have appeared, now and again, in accounts of village affairs. They, and their sister Elizabeth, came to
Wilkinsburg more than one hundred years ago, with their father.
The latter had a farm near Swissvale on the bank of the Monongahela River, and was in comfortable circumstances. After an
illness, a notion seized him-which became an obsession-that he
had been mistreated by the family doctor, and he refused to pay
the doctor's bill. The doctor sued him and got judgment against
him, but he still obstinately refused to pay. The amount was small
and his neighbors wished to pay the bill. This offer he would not
accept, but allowed his farm to be sold. He then moved to Wilkinsburg and bought 132 feet on the northeast corner of Penn
Avenue at Center Street. Here, because he did not like his neighbor's fence on the east, he built one for himself on his own
ground and for many years there was a three foot alley extending
from Penn Avenue to Wallace Avenue through which the village
cows, and bad boys being sought by irate fathers, took short-cuts.
Of the three children of this very positive individual, his son
John became a shoemaker; Rebecca, a dressmaker; and the very
beautiful Elizabeth married a Mr. Young. Whether, by purchase
or inheritance, the Young family came into possession of the
corner lot on which they built an attractive frame house, which
stood on well cultivated ground.
444JOHN and REBECCA McFEE
In the course of time John developed peculiarities akin to his
father's. He neglected the care of his person until his sister Becky
told him he had to reform or move out. Like his father, he moved
-but only into his shoemaker's shop, a lean-to built on the east
side of the little low cottage. Here he worked at his trade, ate and
slept. His peculiarities increased to such a degree that it was
necessary to remove him to Dixmont where he died. After his
death, his sister Rebecca requested Mr. William Turner and another man to appraise John's estate. George Swank Turner, the
oldest son of Mr. Turner states the following: My father expected
to find nothing but shoemaker's tools, but to his surprise he found
a small fortune, for here were rows of baking powder tins stuck in
the beams supporting the roof, which were filled with $20o gold
pieces, as John was a gold hoarder. There were more than 500
silver dollars; and in the straw tick of his cot there were hidden
rolls of bills and a $ 1,ooo Pacific Railroad Bond, and other securities. This had been accumulated dollar by dollar by means of his
humble trade.
"Miss Becky" was also an accumulator, but kept her fortune in
bills sewn in her black underskirt. "Miss Becky" did a thriving
business in making the bright, plaid flannel school dresses for
girls not yet in their teens. It was a stupid youngster whose heart
did not quicken a wee bit as she opened the gate and walked up
to knock on the unpainted door, for-would "Miss Becky" be a
little late in tying on her well-filled pin cushion over her
"tummy?" Would she have to stoop to draw out the boxes from
under the bed and the chest of drawers and the bench and the
etc.? Or would she have that "pain in the hench" that prevented
these now called "reducing exercises"? Never mind, dear "Miss
Becky" with the great gold-hooped earrings and gold-rimmed owllike spectacles, and the face ever grimed from the smoking coal
grate-every child felt "dressed up" in your well-fitting, carefully
made dresses, and every parent got value received for money paid.
**   *
Just across the street from the McFee property was the brick
house with two front doors, built on what was originally part of
445ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
the Samuel McCrea property. For many years this house was occupied by the Smith family. Now there was nothing very distinctive about the "head of the house" excepting his high hat(stovepipe hat) worn at a most perilous angle. He was spoken of
as Captain Ebenezer Smith, but whatever standing the Captain
had was due to his most respected wife, son and daughters. The
latter were, what were then called seamstresses. Their patrons
came in carriages, drawn by spans of horses, with a "coachman"
on the driver's seat. Finely dressed ladies alighted with packages
of fine linen, lawn and flannel, and reels of lace insertion and edging. The Misses Smith, to "Miss Becky's" clientele, seemed to
live in a cloudland of delicacy and elegance, for these carriages
came from Pittsburgh and far away Allegheny, and the materials
were to be made by hand into garments for coming children
"trailing clouds of glory with them".
4461870
Mrs. OLIVER WYLIE'S PRIVATE SCHOOL
ABOUT the year i870 a private school was opened by Mrs. Isabella Johnston South Wylie, the widow of Rev. Oliver
Wylie, a Covenanter minister. Five children had been
born in their home, but two of whom grew to manhood, Knox
and Oliver.
Mrs. Wylie was a well educated woman-a German, French,
and Latin scholar, as well as a talented elocutionist. These accomplishments served her well when she opened her school in
her own home on South Avenue, near Center Street. The house
was a long, white frame cottage, owned by Daniel Double.
Her pupils were mostly little girls, and a few boys of ten years
of age. There were also some advanced pupils. Some of the pupils
recalled in both groups were: Melissa Bell Henning (Wills), Elizabeth Hunter, Bess Howard and Annie Howard (Wagner), Clara
Davison, Anne Kennedy (McKelvey), Elizabeth Kennedy (Lemmer), Louise and D. Garrett Kerr, Howard Hubley, and others
erased from our memories.
Mrs. Wylie was a most conscientious teacher, and a strict disciplinarian to the few older pupils. She had a theory that observation played an important part in education but this was a slow
method at times, for I recall that one little maiden never seemed
to learn by observation that when her knock at the door, at the
447ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
time of morning devotions, was not answered, she should either
quietly enter or cease her tap-tap-tap until there was silence
within.
Mrs. Wylie was the respected schoolmistress; usually dressed in
a garment with flowing sleeves, she would wrap the ends of the
sleeves around her wrists and fold her arms-thus impressing the
pupils with her dignity. When one of the students slammed the
door as she left the room, Mrs. Wylie folded her arms in her
sedate manner and remarked in a soft courteous voice; "I can
always tell a lady or a gentleman by the way they close a door."
Besides conducting this school without an assistant, Mrs. Wylie
tutored the Singer children in their home-the Singer mansion.
The following story, told by Mrs. Wylie's granddaughter, shows
the importance attached to small social occasions sixty years ago:
"The Singer boys" had a big party and Knox and Oliver Wylie
were invited. The invitation was accepted. Knox wore white kid
gloves and Oliver green ones. These their mother put carefully
away, and at the time of this writing (1935) the gloves are in perfect condition-a memento of a most significant event in village
life.
Mrs. Wylie was born in 1826, married in 1844, and died in 1878.
THE TAYLOR SCHOOL
HE Taylor School was organized about 1867 or 1868 by Mrs.
T Elizabeth Duff Taylor, who was of the fifth generation in
descent from John Gilbert Fraser and Nellie McClain Fraser, his
wife. On the concrete wall surrounding the Edgar Thompson
Steel Works, Braddock, Pa., is placed a bronze tablet bearing this
inscription:
448THE TAYLOR SCHOOL
ONE THOUSAND FEET DUE SOUTH FROM THIS TABLET
ON THE RIGHT HAND BANK OF THE MONONGAHELA, STOOD
THE FIRST WHITE MAN'S CABIN WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES.
BUILT BY JOHN FRAZIER ABOUT 1742.
HERE GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS ENTERTAINED
THURSDAY, NOV. 22, 1753 AND SUNDAY, DEC. 30, 1753
WHILE ON HIS MISSION FROM GOVERNOR DINWIDDIE OF VIRGINIA TO
WARN THE FRENCH AGAINST BUILDING FORTS IN THE OHIO VALLEY.
THE BRITISH ARMY CROSSED THE RIVER AT FRAZIER'S CABIN
ON THEIR MARCH TO FORT DUQUESNE THE MORNING OF THE
BATTLE OF BRADDOCK'S DEFEAT, JULY 9, 1755.
This part of the Turtle Creek Valley was first known as Fraser's
Fields. Mrs. Taylor's great grandfather, Charles Bonner, already
spoken of, was a Revolutionary soldier and his grave is so marked
in Beulah graveyard where he and his wife are buried. Her grandfather, Daniel Henderson, was a school master in country schools
in their near neighborhood.
Elizabeth Duff attended Blairsville Seminary for a time; then
entered Steubenville Seminary in Ohio, from which she graduated. Before her marriage to Samuel Taylor, she taught school in
Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh. Samuel Taylor was an architect and
builder; a man of keen, concentrated mind and highly esteemed
by his fellow craftsmen as well as by his fellow citizens. When the
architect in charge of building the Singer mansion died before its
completion, Mrs. Singer called Mr. Taylor to finish it. No greater
appreciation could have been given a builder, for the Singer
house was one of unusual elegance and beauty in its period.
In 1868, the public schools of Wilkinsburg-township schools
-were inadequate for the number of children in the community.
In particular there was demand for better schools for younger
children. Hence, when Elizabeth Duff Taylor announced the
opening of a school for that grade of pupil the response was immediate and gratifying.
At first the school was held in one of the front rooms in Mrs.
449ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Taylor's house, on the corner of Penn Avenue and Coal Street.
This house, altered into a duplex, still stands on Coal Street.
After a time the home became too small for the increasing number of pupils, and a school building was erected on the upper end
of the lot on the corner of Wallace and Coal Streets. Many may
remember the two cherry trees in front of the building, and the
stile over the fence to get to the playground in the home lot.
The room was uniquely furnished, for the desks were continuous around the walls, with here and there a break for sliding
through to benches having backs. The younger children were
seated on low benches in the center of the room; here, also, the
pupils stood to recite, facing a blackboard and a map of the
United States. The rate of tuition in this sparsely equipped institution was one dollar for a term of six weeks, but if there were two
pupils from one family the rate was one dollar and fifty cents for
the term.
The pupils were called in at nine o'clock and one o'clock, and
at recess by the sound of an heirloom in the family-Grandma
Duff's dinner bell used on great-grandfather Bonner's farm. This,
Mrs. Taylor rang at the door, and in the children trooped. Stoner,
Johnston, Beatty, Henning, Hamnett, Carothers, Henderson,
McAteer, Tucker, Jackson, McKelvey, Ludden, Walker, Creelman, Elder, and other families were represented.
Mr. and Mrs. Taylor had one child, a daughter, Mary G. Taylor. She was a child of striking beauty and unusual intelligence.
She graduated at Westminster College, New Wilmington, Penna.,
and then taught in the schools of Natrona and of Wilkinsburg.
After the death of her father and mother, she took a post-graduate
course at Wellesley College, Massachusetts, and soon after married
J. Stewart Crawford and went with him to his mission work in
Damascus, Syria. Here they lived in "a street which is called
Straight." J. Stewart Crawford was the son of missionary parents.
He was born and grew to early manhood in Damascus. When
ready for college, he came to America and entered Westminster
College where he met Mary Taylor. Being destined for missionary work after graduating at Westminster, and two years' attend450THE PUBLIC SCHOOL, Part II
ance in a theological seminary, he went to Ireland and completed his studies in the theological school of the Irish Presbyterian
Church.
The married life of Stewart and Mary Taylor Crawford was of
short duration, for in about three years the young wife died. She
was loved in that distant land, as is proved by the devotion of
native women converted to Christianity, who, in order to prevent
desecration of her grave by Moslems, kept watch over it until a
massive granite stone was brought down from the mountains,
hewn, and the "weighing stone" put in place in the Christian
Cemetery.
[3]
THE PUBLIC SCHOOL, Part II
ETURNING now to the public school in the village. In 1869
the attendance was 80 pupils, the younger being in the room
downstairs, the older on the upper floor. The latter class was
taught by Mr. A. Cranmer Coulter, who was highly esteemed as
a good instructor.
In 1873 and again, at a later period, John Albert Evans, (later
Judge J. A. Evans of the Allegheny County Court) served as
principal and teacher. He was a fine teacher and disciplinarian.
Succeeding Mr. Evans as principals were I. N. Stevenson, Mr.
Wilkinson (assistant principal), T. E. Wakeham, John A. Evans
and J. D. Anderson.
The pupils increased so steadily that in 1875 another building
became necessary. The original little one room brick building on
the corner of Wallace and Center was torn down and a one story
frame structure, of four rooms and passage way, was erected in its
place. It stood on posts and was built of upright stripped planks,
with flat roof. The school children dubbed it the "Sheep Pen".
Among the teachers of this period were Mrs. Rebecca J. Davison
Reed, Mrs. Williams, and the Misses Millie Tutell, Lillie Newell,
Belle Gosser, Mary Bole, Lyon and Madisons, the latter two being
451ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
ridge:'An Indian of spirit loves his squaw, builds his cabin and
goes to hunt: it is only the indolent and worthless that lurk
about agents, come to towns, and go to treaties to pass for Chiefs.
Cornplanter, for instance was a clever fellow sometime ago, but
loitering so much about Pittsburgh, particularly of late, he has
lost his character among his own people'.'I never had a high
opinion', said David Semple,'of the morals of Pittsburgh, but
I had not supposed them so utterly abandoned that a savage loses
character by association with them'."
In contrast to these pictures, the character of the congregation
of Bullock Pens is proven by its persistent appeal to Presbytery for
supplies. When this body met in the fall of 1786, two things were
to be noted: a welcome change of name from Bullock Pens to that
of Pitt Township Church; and a union of this church with the
First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh in a call to the Reverend
Samuel Barr to become their settled pastor. Mr. Barr accepted
the call after more than a year of preliminary adjustments, took
his place as pastor of Pitt Township Church with James Milligan,
appointed by Presbytery as his elder.
James Milligan lived on the top of Squirrel Hill and came, with
his wife, Ann, to this distant place to worship. He died in 1809,
aged eighty-three, and was buried in Beulah graveyard. The slab
covering his grave bears the inscription: "He died.. respected in
Church and State". Eighteen years later his wife, Ann, died in
her eighty-seventh year, and was interred in the same grave; they
had no children. We trust in her years of waiting, as the shadows
of old age deepened, that memories of their happy life together,
and the benison, "Sleep well, Beloved" comforted her lonely
heart.
In the beginning the small group of Christians met in their
log houses in winter, and in the woods in the summer. Their
service consisted of Bible reading and exposition, prayer and
singing of Psalms, and, without doubt, the study of the Westminster Shorter Catechism.
When the congregation had outgrown the limits of their small
houses, the first church building was erected. Just when this took
24ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
sisters from New England. The old two room brick building
housed the younger children and it was in the upper room that
lightning played a freak, never to be forgotten by small pupils
who witnessed it. Jane Boyd, one of those small pupils graphically describes the event: "It was in May 1876 that a violent thunderstorm occurred during which the lightning struck, with full
force, in the upstairs room of the two room little brick school
house. Miss Belle Gosser was our teacher. A class was reciting in
front of Miss Gosser's desk. I was in the center of the room at my
desk with my books open before me. The approaching storm was
very noticeable, with great blackness and zigzag lightning, with
heavy thunder. The northwest window, by the teacher's desk, was
hoisted halfway and through this opening I was watching the
storm's pranks, when suddenly what seemed a good sized ball of
fire came through that open window, passing my desk within two
feet of me, and struck the stove in the front part of the room next
to the stairway. Great excitement prevailed as smoke, soot, and
pieces of brick fell all around the stove, and great darkness and a
terrific downpour of rain came on outside. We pupils were dreadfully frightened and rushed up to Miss Gosser's desk. She tried to
quiet us but could not, and we rushed out-doors into the pelting
rain. By this time the teachers in the Sheep Pen and parents in
the neighborhood, who had seen a stream of fire coming from the
lightning struck chimney, began arriving, but not before we were
rain-soaked through and through did I, a very frightened child,
leave for home."
But on they came-an overflow of pupils-until the School
Board was obliged to rent the closed Academy building. The
original large assembly room accommodated a hundred pupils,
while three of the four rooms of the Annex were used as class
rooms and the fourth as storeroom for supplies.
Before entering on the new period begun in 1877 a few words
of appreciation of the work done by Superintendent Thomas
Wakehum seem fitting.
While Wilkinsburg was in Sterrett Township a general super452THE PUBLIC SCHOOL, Part II
intendant in the person of Thomas Wakehum, a resident of
Sewickley, functioned for some years, traveling from school to
school, supervising and holding examinations. Mr. Wakeham
was a dignified "gentleman of the old school", about seventy years
of age, with Burnside whiskers and clothed in a Prince Albert
coat. His daughter taught in the local school during the week,
Mr., Mrs. and Miss Wakeham had rooms at the old Penn Avenue
Hotel. During the summer months Mr. Wakeham conducted a
normal class for the training of teachers. A prospectus of his "Wilkinsburg Institute", held in the old Academy building, reveals a
twelve weeks' course beginning April 8, 1878. Tuition rates were
graded from twelve dollars for the normal course to four for the
primary, and a reduction of rates for payment in advance. To be
noted is this: Latin was included in the normal and academic
courses.
In 1877 Professor J. D. Anderson was elected principal. There
were now three hundred pupils with a staff of six teachers, including the principal who taught the most advanced class. The teachers were J. D. Anderson, Ida O'Rourke, Belle Gosser, Mary Bole,
Lillie Young and? Three years later in 188o more room
was needed. The lots adjoining the Academy property on the east
were purchased by the Directors and a thoroughly up-to-date
fifteen room, three-story brick structure was ready for occupancy
by September, 1882. The building was set in spacious grounds
surrounded by an iron fence. On the bell tower was a clock which
was the memorial gift of Wilson McWhinney of Edgewood. The
building was first-class in all its details of heating, ventilating and
furnishings, with an assembly hall seating 400.
In 1882 it was suggested by Mrs. Samuel McElroy that a flag
was needed for the flag pole. Three young ladies, the Misses
Martha McElroy, Laura and Margaret Johnston, set about collecting funds from the residents of the town to the amount of $46.
With this sum they bought a twenty-foot flag, also a desk and three
oak chairs for the principal's office, and presented them to the
Sterrett Township School Board. They received a note of thanks
from the Secretary of the Board, J. Logan Stotler, commending
453ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
them for their patriotism, as well as for their interest in education.
In 1882 the entire corps of teachers in the new building were:
J. D. Anderson, Mary L. Ludwick (Mrs. Chas. Montgomery),
Emma H. Wood, Elizabeth Newell, Fannie B. McLean (Mrs.
James R. Vincent), Mary Newell, Kate V. Stattenfield, Sarah A.
M. Walker, Fannie D. Beacom and Rachel F. Calderwood, (Mrs.
R. B. Robinson).
Long before 1887, when Wilkinsburg was created an independent borough, the fifteen rooms had been filled. A portion of this
large student influx may be attributed to the fact that Sterrett
Township included the districts now known as Wilkinsburg
Borough, Edgewood, Swissvale, a part of Turtle Creek and the
37th Ward of Pittsburgh, then known as Brushton.
The first election of Directors held in Sterrett Township, after
its organization as a separate Township, was in February, 1880,
and resulted in the election of J. S. Stevenson and W. H. Devore
for three years; Dr. John Semple and Matthew McWhinney for
two years; Andrew Howard and William Boyd for one year. Many
school directors deserve great praise and honorable mention for
the faithful discharge of their duties which were without remuneration. Among them, besides those already mentioned, were
Allen Kirkpatrick, Henry Chalfant, Mr. McKee, J. Logan Stotler,
Thomas A. McVey, E. W. Eisenbise, John S. McKelvey, Luke B.
Davison, John Canon and many others. Of these directors Wm.
Boyd deserves especial mention. Elected in 1873 he served until
a short time before his death in 1895. He was interested in every
detail of school work, giving freely of his time and always planning
to use the school funds to the very best advantage. This was evident in his guardianship over the school supplies for which he
set apart space in his home. Every applicant for supplies must
sign for what he received and by this method William Boyd preserved the School Board's funds.
During the erection of the three story school building in the'8o's he was appointed by the Directors to supervise its construction to which he gave his whole-hearted attention. Under his
watchful eye no duties were shirked by any workman.
454Fouii-th Putl,lic Scliool Buildilg.
Site of preseiit Horlier School, X Vallace AvenueProfessor J. D. Anderson
Mrs. J. D. AndersonlTHE PUBLIC SCHOOL, Part II
In closing this long article on "Education in the Village", Miss
Stotler deems a brief sketch of Professor J. D. Anderson is fitting,
for it was he who first organized into a system the Wilkinsburg
Public Schools.
Of Revolutionary ancestry, John D. Anderson, son of Elias and
Jane Haslett Anderson, was born in 1i 848 in West Deer Township.
His education was obtained in country schools, in "select"
schools and at the Slate Lick Academy. He first taught at Greentree, then for some years at Port Perry whence he was called to
Wilkinsburg.
The thorough scholarship exacted of students, the firm discipline of those days when corporal punishment was not yet a lost
art, and the idea that study was serious work and not play were
the factors that elevated the local schools to the foremost rank
in Allegheny County under Mr. Anderson's administration.
Mr. Anderson was the first to emphasize the importance of
good penmanship and introduced copybooks teaching the beautiful Spencerian script. Mathematics in general and mental arithmetic in particular were school hobbies of his, considering as he
did, that they were unequalled in promoting both concentration
and agility of mind. His "cup and cover", "hounds and hares",
"fish heads and tails" problems in mental arithmetic, as well as
his "catch" questions in examinations, are well remembered by
the older generation. A favorite "catch" was "which is heavier, a
pound of lead or a pound of feathers?"
Side by side with him, both before and after her marriage,
worked Ida O'Rourke Anderson, helping him to success; she who
had from the time she was sixteen years of age taught in country
schools, walking often six miles a day through snow drifts to keep
her classes going.
Aside from his utter thoroughness, Professor Anderson had a
versatile personality; stern and unyielding when he deemed it
necessary, withal a twinkling humor and an easy geniality. As a
raconteur he was unequalled. His rich natural gifts, his integrity
and the esteem in which he was deservedly held throughout his
455ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
long connection with the Wilkinsburg schools have left their
heritage for the community.
The fifteen room school house was completely destroyed by fire
in 1890. Preceding this two incendiary fires had occurred, in the
second of which school records were destroyed. The names of
many faithful teachers have been necessarily omitted, but there
is one, William T. Slater, a High School teacher, who with his
gentle manner and his crutch is affectionately remembered by a
host of "Old Grads".
[4]
HOME FOR AGED PROTESTANT WOMEN
INCORPORATED MARCH, 1871
T   HE idea of an institution, wherein aged Protestant women of
Pittsburgh and Allegheny, now the North Side, could find a
home, when all other means of support were lacking, originated
in the mind of Miss Jane Holmes, the founder. Miss Holmes' enthusiasm awakened the interest of a small group of friends, who
joined with her in forming an Association, June, 1869, for the
purpose of working out the project. At this first meeting a constitution and by-laws were adopted and a building committee
appointed.
Five acres of land in the village of Wilkinsburg had already
been donated by James Kelly. To this generous gift Mr. Kelly
added another, a spring which supplied the institution with water
until 1887.
So quickly and successfully did the building committee canvass
for money that on March 2, 1870, plans, prepared by architects Barr and Moser, were approved and accepted and a contract
made with A. and S. Wilson for a building to cost $2,500.
Somewhat over a third of the amount was still to be provided.
In discussing methods to raise this money, the memory of successful fairs held during the Civil War, not so far in the past, may have
been awakened. This method was decided on and a fair was open456HOME FOR AGED PROTESTANT WOMEN
ed in a building on Diamond Alley, Pittsburgh. It continued from
Oct. 3, 1870 until October 16. $7,592 were earned, a sufficient
amount to complete the building fund.
A special, independent charter for the organization was drawn
by Judge Edwin H. Stowe, and was granted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania March 25, 1871. On Oct. 23, 1871 the
completed building was formally opened. The dream had become
reality! A spirit of joy and thankfulness prevailed the more, as
one week previous to this auspicious day the first member of the
family, for whom this house had been made ready, came to live
in it.
As time passed, public utilities were installed, such as sewers,
water, gas, electric light, telephone; while fences, walks, and
landscape gardening made beautiful the spacious grounds shaded
by forest trees. These improvements were made possible by gifts,
many of them from the generous women composing the board
of managers.
In i881, ten years after the opening of the Home, an annex of
thirty-two rooms was added. This was achieved by a gift of $20,000
from a cousin of Miss Holmes. The giver was also a Miss Jane
Holmes of Baltimore. Miss Holmes, the founder and great benefactor of the Home passed away on October 20, 1893. She bequeathed $ 1 o,ooo to the institution; a warehouse on Water Street,
and a house on Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh. By the will of William
B. Holmes, his sister, Jane, had been given a life interest in the
Penn Avenue property, which at her death was to be deeded to
the Home for Aged Protestant Women.
Those early years passed quickly and prosperously, even
through the depression of 1893, but the year 1914 brought financial anxieties. Like all institutions during the World War years,
lack of funds, owing to the increased cost of living, and also to the
reduction in incomes, was keenly felt by the Board of Managers.
For several years the difficulty was met by the Managers themselves, all giving as they could, several very generously, but this
could not continue indefinitely.
In 1920 the President, Miss Mary L. Jackson, announced that
457ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
public aid had now become imperative and she suggested that
the Golden Anniversary of the Home, to be celebrated in 1921,
would be a fitting time to make such an appeal. The Home has
never received State aid. Again, as always, there was a generous
response.
In commemoration of the Jubilee a memorial tablet placed in
the hall was dedicated in honor of the following:
HOME FOR AGED PROTESTANT WOMEN
Incorporated March 25, 1871
Donor of Land, James Kelly
Founder of Home, Miss Jane Holmes
Mrs. Felix R. Brunot
Mrs. James Irwin
Mrs. Eliza Loomis
Mrs. Mary C. Thurston
Miss Jane Holmes
Mrs. W. P. Logan
Mrs. John Harper
Mrs. Samuel McKee
Mrs. B. L. Fahnestock
Mrs. Alexander Chambers
Mrs. Joseph Dilworth
Mrs. General Whitby
Mrs. William Thaw
Mrs. R. A. Johns
Mrs. Samuel Paisley
Mrs. John Watt
Mrs. J. Hubley
Mrs. Judge Mellon
Mrs. Doctor Dale
Mrs. W. S. Haven
Mrs. R. H. Palmer
Mrs. L. Gordon
Mrs. John Heath
Miss Matilda H. Smith
Mrs. William W. Young
Mrs. George W. Jackson
AND BENEFACTORSFulton R. Stotler. M.D. Medical Advisor 49 years
Dedicated. A.D. 1921
In the first year 12 were admitted to the Home; during the 50
years from 1871 to 1921, 391 have been sheltered and cared for.
The Home has been blessed with the supervision of kindly, efficient women in the positions of superintendents, housekeepers
and nurses, the length of tenure of these relations being witness
to the statement.
Would that it were possible to give a list of the warm-hearted,
sympathetic women who gave of their time, their judgment, their
458HISTORY OF THE SHELTERING ARMS
consideration of difficult situations as well as generous financial
help through many years. It was a work of self-denial; how great
can be realized only by one who has experienced it. Even under
the most favorable conditions human nature presents difficulties.
Patience, appreciation and sympathy were often greatly taxed to
bring harmony out of discord. Such qualities cannot be measured
in terms of dollars and cents, but this article can close happily
with quotations from residents of the Home who for years bore
heavy family cares until strength and money were all but exhausted. "Do not speak one word of pity to me on this subject", said
one who had been reared in a home of luxury, "for years I have
wondered what the future held for me when my strength failed.
That fear is quieted now and I go with the intention of passing
on all the happiness that is within me." And another: "Every day
I like this home better, and every day I wonder, why did I carry
anxieties so long when all this comfort was within my reach?"
Blessed are those who give and blessed are those who receive!
[5]
HISTORY OF THE SHELTERING ARMS
AND
HOME FOR AGED PROTES'TANT MEN
AND COUPLES
AMES KELLY was not only the great landowner of Wilkinsburg;
he was also the generous donor of land.
Who can measure how much his gifts have meant, both to the
recipients and to the distinction of the Borough? They have assured it fine churches and humanitarian institutions of the highest
type, as exemplified in the two Homes for the Aged and the
Western Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf,
all on Swissvale Avenue.
About 1870, Pittsburgh charitable circles felt the need of a
459THE MOTHER CHURCH OF BEULAH, Part I
place is not known, but we know that it stood on ground owned
by William McCrea, near where Beulah parsonage now stands
at the corner of William Penn Highway and the road leading up
to the present church of Beulah. It is described as "a tent-like
structure of logs, only a little higher than a man's head, open at
the sides, with upright logs at one end for a pulpit, and logs both
within and without for benches."
Mr. Barr fulfilled faithfully his duties as pastor to the steadily
increasing congregation, and also his presbyterial duties. Hence,
it is a pity to state that in 1788, after a year's service, he was
obliged to report to Presbytery that his unpaid salary amounted
to twenty-eight pounds, nine shillings, six pence, equal to from
one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty dollars. The
amount promised him is not exactly known, nor whether the
delinquent amount was due from both churches or from Pitt
Township alone. It was difficult to definitely estimate debt at
this time as the money in use fluctuated constantly. It is told in
the history of a Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, congregation that
in calling a pastor in 1781 it pledged him a salary of six hundred
bushels of wheat or a sum of hard money equal thereto. This
promise expressed something tangible.
The first recorded meeting of the Session of Pitt Township
Church is dated September 24, 1787. Those present in addition to
the pastor, The Reverend Samuel Barr, and his elder, James
Milligan, were the newly elected elders: Thomas Sands, James
Wilson, Thomas Wilson, and John Johnston. These men, with
the exception of James Milligan, were residents of the Frankstown Road district. They were owners of large tracts of land,
many of the settlers in this western wilderness having received
patents to hundreds of acres for Revolutionary War services.
The histories of James Wilson and Thomas Sands are not
available; thus, little is known of them at this time, but they were
unquestionably men of worth, for the office of elder in a church
required orthodox belief and sterling qualities of character.
Of John Johnston and Thomas Wilson more is authentically
known through the testimonies of numerous descendants.
25ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
suburban refuge for unfortunate women and wayward girls. This
branch of social service was a matter of especial interest to Mrs.
Felix Brunot, who, with a number of associates labored on "ways
and means."
The matter was brought to the attention of Mr. Kelly who, with
his customary open heart and hand, promptly donated a tract of
ground fronting on Coal Street and Swissvale Avenue, adjacent
to the property he had, in 1869, given for the location of the Home
for Aged Protestant Women. Thenceforward things proceeded
swiftly and in October, 1872 a red brick building bearing the
kindly name of "Sheltering Arms" stood ready to receive those
who needed its help. Besides unfortunate girls, a few aged couples
also found a haven.
A report of this institution, dated 1879, lists as Board Officers
Mrs. J. W. Spencer, Mrs. J. A. Renshaw of Pittsburgh and Miss
Eliza M. Horner of Wilkinsburg. The latter was Secretary. Her
report for that year states that fifteen persons, including six children, had found shelter and that "several had been assisted to
places, two restored to friends and three left of their own accord."
Mrs. Sharpe was matron; under her supervision the girls learned sewing and other useful occupations. Ordinary schooling and
bible study were not omitted, some of the Board members also
teaching these classes.
No salaries were paid except to the matron and a nurse. The inmates of the Sheltering Arms did the domestic work as well as the
gardening. An attractive chapel was an adjunct to the building
and in it the Reverend Messrs. Boyd Vincent, Sylvester Scovel,
Norman of Pittsburgh and William S. Miller of Beulah
Church held devotional exercises. The Young Women's Christian
Association of the East End likewise interested itself in this home;
this, together with the donations and the personal service of individuals, among whom were Mesdames Samuel McKee and Felix
Brunot, insured the energetic functioning of the endeavor. A wellstocked library of some 685 volumes was available to the inmates.
During its decade of existence, the Sheltering Arms aided some
two hundred. Since, with the advent of the'8o's, there were more
460HISTORY OF THE SHELTERING ARMS
facilities in Pittsburgh for this type of social service, the "Sheltering Arms" as such was discontinued, and in 1881 transformed into
the Home for Aged Protestant Men and Couples.
Miss Jane Holmes of Pittsburgh and her cousin, "Baltimore"
Jane Holmes, were the two who effected the transformation. Having some years previously successfully engineered the Home for
Aged Protestant Women into being, they now secured from the
Trustees of The Sheltering Arms a deed to the property and
buildings, said to have been purchased by "Baltimore" Jane. The
first officers of the enterprise were: Miss Jane Holmes of Pittsburgh, president; Mrs. James Irwin, first vice-president; Mrs.
Samuel McKee, second vice-president; Mrs. Thomas Mellon,
third vice-president; Mrs. George Morgan, treasurer; Mrs.
Thomas C. Jenkins, secretary.
The Honorable Edwin H. Stowe rendered legal assistance to
the founders in drafting by-laws and securing a charter.
In considering a home for the aged, cemetery space was a necessary requirement and to this end a committee consisting of Mesdames Thomas Mellon and George Thurston called on officials of
the Allegheny and Homewood cemeteries, with the result that
they secured a donation of nicely located burial lots.
A number of Pittsburgh churches outfitted rooms, liberal donations of household goods and money poured in and on May 25,
1882, the Home was formally opened. The dedication ceremonies were performed by the Reverend Boyd Vincent, rector
of Calvary Protestant Episcopal Church.
A domestic staff composed of Mrs. Natrip, the matron, Miss
Mary Scott of Wilkinsburg, two maids and a gardener was installed. An attending physician in the person of Fulton R. Stotler, M.D. of Wilkinsburg was elected May 12, 1882. He served
until April 3o, 1923.
Matrons serving or elected prior to 1887 were Mrs. Natrip and
Miss Louise Lardin (Mrs. George Eyster).
The difficulties which confronted the early "Board Ladies" in
attending meetings at the Home cannot well be imagined by
later generations.
461ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
The unpaved streets resembled nothing so much as a sea of mud
during the fall, winter and early spring months.
These women traveled by carriage and when the roads became
impassable, they were forced to walk from the Wilkinsburg station as the nearest point to the Home. They realized that something would have to be done, and, at the same time a small group
of public-spirited citizens who lived on what is now Rebecca
Avenue proposed to lay a boardwalk from the Home to the station. The Board ladies contributed some money to the enterprise
and presentely a walk was laid, through the work and efforts of
Robert Scott, William Scott, Samuel Steele, William Weitzel and
William Anderson. It was through Mr. Weitzel, who worked in
an Allegheny City planing mill, that the great amount of lumber
needed was obtained at reduced rates. Mr. Weitzel also hauled it
free of charge.
A few aged persons who had been quartered at the Sheltering
Arms remained as the nucleus of "Home" inmates; the first applying for admission under the new charter was an English couple
named Slade, who for many years had kept a candy store on Federal Street in Allegheny. They brought many quaint pieces of
furniture to outfit their room since, at the beginning, the inmates were permitted to furnish their own rooms if they so desired. Greatly diversified personalities found a refuge at the Home;
there were educators, an actor, a circus performer, musicians.
Among the latter may be named Mr. Reuck, a German-born
violinmaker of the Northside, whose concert violinist daughter,
Mamie Reuck Wilczek, was a feature of the'8o's and early'9go's.
It is notable that a great preponderance of earlier inmates were
of European origin; persons who had come to this country in
middle life-too late to secure an independent foothold. Romance
too, several times found its way into aged hearts, but was sternly
discountenanced by the management. According to the constitution and by-laws of the Home only those residing in Pittsburgh
or Allegheny might obtain admission, which, considering that the
ground had been donated by a Wilkinsburger, seemed a somewhat peculiar ruling, productive of much local dissatisfaction.
462WILLIAM H. DeVORE
Miss Jane Holmes retained the office of president until her
death on October 20, 1885, when Mrs. Thomas Mellon was elected to fill the vacancy.
With a Board of wealthy and philanthropic women such as
those already named and, in addition, Mesdames Max Moorhead,
Philip Reymer, James I. Bennett, George K. Stevenson, and
Misses Lavinia Gordon and Mary Davison, the Home from the
first was a well-managed institution. Such of the inmates as were
able or cared to do so were expected to do their share towards
gardening or household duties. Indoor sitting and smoking rooms
provided recreation centers and in the shady, spacious garden
long "settees" of the old-fashioned type invited to rest.
In this Home, hundreds of old folks have spent their declining
years in a peaceful freedom from care, which perhaps is the only
kind of happiness the aged know.
[6]
WILLIAM H. DeVORE
ILLIAM H. DEVORE, the son of Peter and Sarah DeVore, was
1W1 born in 1833 at Anderson Station, (now Findleyville),
Washington County, Pennsylvania. He attended the public
schools of his neighborhood and remained at home until he was
19 years old. He then went to Pittsburgh to learn the business of
undertaking with William Lemmert, a prominent man in this
line of business.
In 1853 Mr. DeVore married Margaret McLean, a foster child
of Mr. and Mrs. Blood, who lived in Lawrenceville, near the
Allegheny Arsenal. In this locality the young couple made their
first home, and here were born their two oldest children-Henrietta (Mrs. W. H. Culp), and Edward L. DeVore.
Mr. DeVore soon went into business for himself on Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh, and later moved to Grant Street near Fifth
463ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Avenue. This location he occupied until he retired from business
a few years before his death.
In 1862, he moved his residence to Wilkinsburg, where he had
bought 50 acres adjoining the Dickey farm, situated on the present Laketon Road. On the other side of his property was the
Johnston house; back of it on the hill side was a third house owned and occupied by Jacob Weinman, afterwards known as the coal
magnate of the village.
Mr. DeVore and his wife always retained their membership in
the Smithfield Methodist Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh; but their
children, ten in number, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren,
attended the Methodist church on Wallace Avenue and afterwards its successor, the South Avenue Church.
Of these ten children, but three are living today-all in California. They are: Mrs. C. P. Linhart, Mrs. George Griffith, and
Clifford DeVore.
Mr. DeVore had no interest in politics, but he was active in
fraternal institutions. He was prominent in the organization of
the DeVore I.O.O.F. Lodge in Wilkinsburg, and, of course, a
charter member. He was also in high standing in Masonic orders,
being one of the so called "Masonic pilgrims" who toured European countries in 1871; and as Knight Templar of the Duquesne
Commandery he travelled over the entire western section of his
state, in the social and business activities of the order.
He was no less conscientious in his business. He was always
alert to try and adopt methods that would improve and refine the
appearance of the dead body. It was attested by acquaintances of
his that after the hanging of Mrs. Grinder, who had a mania for
poisoning people, Mr. DeVore secured her body and kept it in a
receptacle in the basement of his Grant Street building. Here he
tried out the effects of different embalming fluids which necessitated frequent drying out of the body. It was a gruesome but
courageous experiment; a step forward in a business that today
is able to transform the lines of age and suffering into the beauty
and calm of perfect peace.
In 1890o Mr. DeVore moved into a residence on Franklin Ave464THE WILLS FAMILY
nue which he had built, at the same time developing other property on that street. He died in 19o6, aged 73 years. His wife,
Margaret, had died years earlier, aged 47 years, at the birth of
their last child.
[7]
THE WILLS FAMILY
The following sketch is of great interest as it shows most clearly the
factors that attracted a fine class of citizens to Wilkinsburg in the
decade following the end of the Civil War.
N CONNECTING my family with the history of the village of Wilkinsburg, I am able to go back only as far as my father and
mother, as my grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Wills, were
associated with the town but a few years before their death.
Grandfather and grandmother were quaint in their appearanceclinging to the old styles of a former period. Grandfather's white
locks to his shoulders, his coat with the tails reaching almost to
his ankles, high hat, and cane made a picturesque figure indeed.
My father, William Wills, was of Irish ancestry. He was born in
Allegheny City, Pa., and received his education there in the public schools. At an early age he entered, as a clerk, the firm of C.
Yeager and Co., (1 lo Market St., Pittsburgh). This store was the
pioneer department store of the city; they were importers of toys,
novelties, and dry goods. In a short time father was made a partner, and was connected with the business until his death in January, 1877.
Mother was of German descent; the daughter of Daniel and
Susan Harman of Lancaster, Pa.-Daniel Harman was a leading
merchant of that city. Mother attended the "Select Schools"(private schools) of her native city, as people of German blood
peopling eastern Pennsylvania were strongly opposed, for quite
a time, to the public school system. After the marriage of William
465ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Wills and Anna Maria Harman they lived in Allegheny City for
several years, but growing weary of the noise and bustle of city
life they decided to remove to the country. But where to go was
an important matter to decide. With growing children both
church and school must be considered. My parents were earnest
Christians, members of the Reformed Presbyterian church: at
that time the nearest church of that faith was in Wilkinsburg, and
an Academy had been lately re-opened, so Wilkinsburg was
chosen. They at once became members of the church of which the
Rev. Joseph Hunter was pastor. Father was soon elected an elder,
served as teacher of the Bible class; treasurer and precentor of the
congregation. A commodious house was built in the midst of
trees-standing alone as William Penn had desired his city of
brotherly love to be. "Let every house be placed... so that there
may be ground on each side for gardens or orchards... that it
may be a green country town... and always wholesome."
When my father built his spacious house on South Avenue and
Pitt Street, because of its beautiful setting in the midst of trees
and flowers, mother named it "Ingleside". This name clung to
it for many years until the proximity of railroad and industries detracted from its beauty and quiet so much that the home
was abandoned. We were always proud to hear "Ingleside"
spoken of as one of the distinguished residences of Pittsburgh
suburbs.
My father and mother were public-spirited citizens, eager to
further any movement for the betterment of the town.
The choice of Wilkinsburg for a suburban residence had proven a wise one, for the congenial relations of the church, and the
happy atmosphere of the home were not marred by inadequate
educational advantages. The public school of the village was
getting into "the stride"; Professor Ludden's Academy was in full
swing; the famous Newell Institute on Penn Avenue was accessible; and the Pennsylvania College for Women was in the early
years of its long and honorable career. My brother, William H.
Wills, learned the rudiments of his education from his grandfather, Daniel Wills, who included Greek among the rudiments.
466OSCAR M. TUCKER
Our parents were proud to tell of Will that when he was twelve
years old he knew the Greek verbs. Later he attended Newell Institute of the city, following which he entered Princeton College,
where he won a scholarship, and from which he graduated. He
married Mary Newell, the youngest daughter of Dr. John
Newell, D.D.
My younger brother, Samuel R. Wills, attended Roup public
school; then a private school in Allegheny; after which a private
teacher prepared him for Princeton University, which he entered.
He married Melissa Belle Henning, daughter of Samuel Henning,
an outstanding man in the Covenanter Church, and a well-known
citizen of the village.
Anna Mary Wills, the writer of this sketch, attended the public
and private schools of Wilkinsburg, the Pennsylvania College for
Women, and completed her education at Madam Cary's finishing
school in Philadelphia. She married John A. Newell, oldest son
of Rev. John Newell, D.D.
Apropos of the William Wills garden Miss Boyd in her recollections says-The Wills garden was woodsy and quaintly beautiful.
As one entered the gate, on South Avenue right in the corner by
the railroad, a path bordered on both sides with lovely flowers
led to the house entrance. All about the house was a luxurious
growth of flowers, vines and shrubs, and near by was a magnificent magnolia tree that furnished fragrance for many years.
[8]
OSCAR M. TUCKER
ARDENS old or new bring vividly to mind a lover of trees, of
G     boys and young men; of one who, so intense was his love
for nature, might have written the following lines by William
Herbert Carruth:
467ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
"A haze on the far horizon,
the infinite, tender sky,
The ripe, rich tint of the cornfields,
and the wild geese sailing high;
And all over upland and lowland,
the charm of the goldenrod,Some of us call it Autumn,
and others call it God."
Oscar Tucker and his wife, Harriet Emily Walton, came to the
village in the 1870's from Maine. He was a Republican in politics
and both he and his wife Baptists in their church affiliation.
Mr. Tucker had served in the Civil War, being Captain of a
Company from his native state. He was not addressed here by his
military title but by that of his profession, for he was one of the
educators who found his way west in the migration flood from
East to West in the decade following the war. Professor Tucker
taught in the Western University of Pennsylvania (Pitt) and
later was associated with Professor Ludden in Park Institute. A
severe illness made an outdoor life imperative for him, and,
quitting the school room, he returned to the love inbred in every
son of the State of Maine-namely, the love of the sea and the
love of the soil.
To the latter Oscar Tucker turned. He introduced here the
first tree-moving machine in Pennsylvania, and moved hundreds
of trees, large and small. His daughter, Miss Myrtle N. Tucker,
recalls that he planted and moved 32 trees for Mr. Heinz on his
property on Penn Avenue, Homewood. Some of the trees which
he moved from the woods were so large they had to be hauled
through the city streets at night so as not to obstruct traffic; this
was especially necessary in the ones he took to Sewickley.
A maple tree of great size and beauty, standing on the ground
then owned by Andrew Howard, now occupied by the Shield's
Building, 822 Wood St., at Ross Avenue, was moved by Mr.
Tucker from Wilkinsburg to Sewickley. Many dire prophecies
were uttered when it became known that the tree was to be taken
away; but its roots, wrapped up in its own earth, were listed east,
468JAMES KELLY VERSUS CITY OF PITTSBURGH
north, so that they might be placed in the direction in which they
had originally grown, and that the beautiful leafy branches might
greet the morning sun from exactly the same angle. The branches
were covered with white cheese cloth which was kept on for weeks,
and every two or three days the ground was drenched with water.
To such devoted care the great tree responded, and breathing in
the purer air of its new surroundings it lifted itself up to the sky"a thing of beauty", truly.
Mr. Tucker was among the first to purchase ground when
North Avenue was opened for development. He built a handsome
brick residence which, in later years, was bought and occupied
by the Dr. John Rigg family. It has since been enlarged into an
apartment building known as the Magnolia Dwellings, named
probably from the beautiful magnolia tree planted by Mrs.
Tucker. At the time of building Mr. Tucker began a crusade for
shade by planting rows of maple trees on each side of North Avenue from Center to Wood Street.
Today as we speed along among mountains and valleys and
water courses, with the ease and facility granted us by auto travel,
many of mature years may recall the man who opened their eyes
to the beauty of nature; its light and shade, its gentle motions,
its vivid coloring, the soughing of the tree branches, the fluttering, calling, rustling leaves, the flickering, penetrating sunlight,
and above all the hush of a prevailing spirit"Filling all created things
Like the love of God."
A great teacher was Oscar Tucker.
[9]
JAMES KELLY VERSUS
CITY OF PITTSBURGH
HE village of Wilkinsburg, for a number of years prior to its
incorporation as a borough on October 5, 1887, was looked
upon with an envious eye by the city of Pittsburgh. There was
469ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
John Johnston was born in Ireland in 1747, and came to
America about 1767 with his mother, Jane Johnston, widowed
by the death of her husband during the voyage. The husband was
buried at sea. John Johnston had received a good education in
Ireland and was a fine penman. This may have been the means of
his securing a position in the Colonial Land Office in Philadelphia. At the opening of the Revolution he enlisted in the Militia
of the Continental Army, was quickly promoted, and selected by
George Washington to serve as his Secretary.
In the history of Beulah Church this entry is made "John
Johnston, said to be a Secretary of George Washington." Any
doubt of his having filled this position is now removed by a letter
written by George Washington, which is to be seen in the museum
in the recently restored town of Williamsburg, Virginia. In this
letter George Washington says: "Should I not be here on your
arrival my Secretary, General John Johnston, who is familiar
with the subject, will meet you." Thus, after about 175 years, a
suggested doubt is removed. General Johnston was paid for his
war services by a grant of land-that of a General being six hundred acres-some of which lay along the fertile bottom land of
the Allegheny River in the Frankstown Road district. The original deed for this land is in the possession of General Johnston's
great-great-grandson.
In the periods when John Johnston and his family were not
driven away by Indian raids they cleared and cultivated portions
of his large plantation. He was a man of fine character, an elder in
Beulah Church from Mr. Barr's pastorate in 1787 to his death in
18 o. It may be that before the call of the Bullock Pens Church
to the Redstone Presbytery, he was one of the leaders in the small
group that worshipped in the woods and cabins. This, with his
office of Justice of Peace giving him the right to perform marriage
ceremonies, may account for a misstatement made by a descendant that "he was the first pastor of Beulah". John Johnston married twice. His first wife was Mary Reed, the daughter of Irish
emigrants who settled in Carlisle. By this marriage there were
five sons: George R., Alexander, John, Robert, William and two
26ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
from time to time much agitation looking to its annexation to
said municipality. It is not generally known that this village functioned for approximately two years, that is, from May 2, 1873 to
January 31, 1876, as a part of the city of Pittsburgh, and was represented in its councils by two select councilmen and one member
of common council. It appears that from a very early date the
inhabitants were divided on the question of annexation. Any
discussion of this situation would be incomplete without reference being made to James Kelly, to whom reference is made elsewhere in this volume, and it is not too much to say that he was
the outstanding opponent of any enroachment upon the ordinary
and peaceful existence of the village, and particularly was he a
bitter antagonist of any move toward consolidation.
In the early part of 1873 a numerously signed petition was presented by so-called taxable inhabitants of the district to the council of the city of Pittsburgh, requesting its annexation. Under
the provisions of the Act of Assembly of May lo, 1871, and immediately following the presentation of said petition, a numerously signed remonstrance was filed by taxable inhabitants protesting against the granting of the petition. Under the Act of
Assembly, it was provided, among other things, that the city
council might, upon the presentation of a petition signed by
three-fifths of the taxable inhabitants, enact an ordinance annexing territory. After numerous hearings in council wherein the
question was raised that three-fifths of the taxable inhabitants had
not joined in the petition, the council of the city, deeming that
the petition had been sufficiently signed, enacted an ordinance
under date of May 2, 1873, recorded May 27, 1873, in Ordinance
Book Volume 4, page 1, by which that portion of Wilkins Township, hereinafter described, was annexed to said city to be known
as the Thirty-seventh Ward. The territory described in the ordinance was as follows: "Beginning on the line of the city of Pittsburgh where the dividing line between Wilkins and Penn Township crosses the same; thence along city line south 103/40 west to
the center line of the Braddockfield Road 668 perches; thence
south 443/40 east 168 perches to a dead white oak, corner of land
470'I'hle Williamn Wills house, South Avenue.
IBuilt in the early years of the 1870'sThe Old Singer Mansion anId Park. Built about 1862 by John Singer. Cost $65,000oo.
Workmen and expensive materials shipped from Philadelphia. Still standing, Singer PlaceJAMES KELLY VERSUS CITY OF PITTSBURGH
of G. S. Bates and James Swisshelm; thence south 890 east 65.80
perches to a switch flag on the north side of the Pennsylvania Railroad; thence north 420 east 28 perches to the north side of the
Pittsburgh and Greensburg Turnpike at the corner of lands of
Creelman and George Johnston; thence north 3o0 east 205
perches to corner of lands of W. H. DeVore, Mrs. Dickey and
James Kelly; thence north 103/40 east and parallel to the city line
to the dividing line beween Wilkins and Penn Townships; thence
along said dividing line to a post in the city line to the place of
beginning."
The action of the city in enacting this ordinance was not graciously accepted by the opponents, and particularly by James
Kelly, who was a large property owner.
As a municipal election was to be held December 2, 1873, the
city council of Pittsburgh, in order to carry out the purposes of
the aforegoing ordinance, enacted an ordinance number 236
under date of September 29, 1873, recorded October 7, 1873, in
Ordinance Book Volume 3, page 407, in which the public schoolhouse in Wilkinsburg was designated as the place where an election should be held, and that H. B. Stotler be the judge, William
Fisher and William Turner, inspectors, and William Sloan and
John B. McFarland, return inspectors, respectively, "to hold
elections until the election of other officers to fill said offices."
On November 29, 1873, at No. 236 January Term, 1874, James
Kelly filed a bill in equity against the city of Pittsburgh, Henry
B. Stotler, William Turner, William Sloan, William Fisher and
John B. McFarland, wherein it was sought to restrain the defendants by injunction from holding an election for municipal
officers of said city and from levying taxes upon the lands of the
plaintiff. This being Saturday, a hearing on the application for
an injunction was fixed for the following Monday morning, December 1. It is of interest to note that on Monday morning,
December 1, two new judges were inducted into office, namely,
Honorable Thomas Ewing and Honorable J. W. F. White. Following their induction into office, they repaired to Common Pleas
Court Room No. 2 and immediately took up as their first case
471ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
the injunction hearing above referred to. The case was argued on
both sides by perhaps the most eminent lawyers at the bar at that
time. At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Ewing, speaking for
the court, made an order refusing the injunction on the ground
that holding an election on the following day would not work
irreparable injury to the plaintiff. He also said that the merits
of the case could well be determined upon final hearing.
An election was held at which Isaiah G. Macfarlane and William Anderson were chosen as members of select council, and Dr.
John Semple as a member of common council, and the following
school directors: W. F. Gardner, Levi Ludwick, W. H. DeVore,
Conrad Fix and John Fisher. The opposing candidates, who apparently represented the anti-annexationists, were James Mackey
and James S. Woodwell for select council, and Joseph B. Huff for
common council. Isaac Bole was elected constable and Samuel
Creelman, judge of elections.
Notwithstanding the fact that the bill in equity instituted by
James Kelly had not been finally determined, these officials entered upon their duties, and the municipal records show that the
members of select and common councils functioned regularly in
their several positions.
In due time an answer was filed to the bill in equity. The issue
raised was whether or not the petition for annexation bore the
required three-fifths of the taxable inhabitants.
In accordance with the established practice of that day, the
court, on February 14, 1874, appointed an "Examiner" to take
the testimony upon the issues involved and report his conclusions
to the court. The Examiner so appointed was J. M. Stoner, Esq.,
one of the leading members of the bar of Allegheny County.
Many hearings were held. The objectors raised three questions,
viz, (1) that the names of several women signers to the petition
should be stricken off, as women did not come under the legal
definition of "taxable inhabitants", (2) that other signers were not
citizens, and (3) that others were under legal age.
The contest was bitter and continued until January 25, 1875,
when the master filed his report in which he found as a fact, from
472THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE
the testimony, that three-fifths of the "taxable inhabitants" had
not signed the petition, and further still, as a matter of law, that
the ordinance of annexation was null, void and of no effect. In
the early stages of the hearing it was determined that the "women
signers" must be stricken off as a matter of law (the law in this
regard has since been changed). This was a severe set-back to the
annexationists.
On April 12, 1875, exceptions were filed to the report of the
master, and after argument before the court, the exceptions were
overruled and a formal decree entered, sustaining the findings of
the master. It should be noted that the master and the lower court
eliminated all of the defendants except the city of Pittsburgh.
On April 21, 1875 the city of Pittsburgh filed an appeal to the
Supreme Court of the state of Pennsylvania, and on January 18,
1876, the record was returned affirming the decree of the lower
court, and thereupon on January 31, 1876, an injunction was
issued against the city of Pittsburgh as prayed for in the bill of
complaint. This ended the existence of the Thirty-seventh Ward
of the city of Pittsburgh, and again Wilkins Township and the
village of Wilkinsburg returned to the same status that existed
prior to the ordinance of annexation.
[ 10]
THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE
X  TEN the township of Sterrett was formed from a portion of
WV  Tthe territory of Wilkins township, the question arose as to
the continuance of the enforcement of a special prohibitory law
passed April 9, 1870, which made Wilkins township dry territory.
By decree of the Court of Quarter Sessions under date of September 13, 1879 the township of Sterrett became a separate unit
of government, and those who favored the sale of intoxicating
beverages proceeded to make plans to have licenses granted for
the sale of intoxicants.
According to an Act of the Assembly of Pennsylvania, approved
473ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
April 3, 1872, regulating the sale of intoxicants, the power to
grant licenses in Allegheny County was given to the county
treasurer, who at that time was William McCallin.
Mr. McCallin granted three licenses in Sterrett township,
which included Wilkinsburg, and made known his intention of
granting licenses to any who might apply.
Those to whom licenses were granted violated the laws governing the sale of intoxicating liquors with regard to closing hours,
selling to minors, and selling on Sunday. The effect of this business was soon apparent in community morale, to such an extent
that the ministers and leading citizens of Wilkinsburg determined
that vigorous action must be taken to restore order, as no notice
was taken of informations and complaints made to the authorities
and as new licenses were about to be granted in our village.
In order that more effective work might be done a meeting of
a few of the citizens of Wilkinsburg assembled at the home of
Thomas R. Robinson on Wallace Street December 4, 188o for
the purpose of drafting a plan for the enforcement of the special
Prohibitory Law which was being violated by the granting
of licenses to sell liquor in the prohibitory district of Sterrett
township.
The following prominent citizens were present: The Rev. M. J.
Montgomery, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Captain
Thomas Snowden, Jacob Hubley, Prof. Levi Ludden, Prof. 0. M.
Tucker, James D. Carothers, Samuel H. McKee, Jacob Hughes,
Thomas R. Robinson, H. W. Holmes, John W. Beatty.
The Rev. M. J. Montgomery was chosen chairman and John
W. Beatty, secretary. Prof. Tucker, S. H. McKee, and John W.
Beatty were appointed a committee to draft a plan of action, and
report at a meeting to be held in the Methodist Episcopal Church
on December 8.
At this meeting it was decided to form a permanent organization: The Rev. J. C. Irwin, pastor of the First Presbyterian
Church, Prof. 0. M. Tucker, and H. W. Holmes were named a
committee to prepare a paper stating the purpose of the organization.
474THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE
This plan was reported and adopted at the next meeting. The
Preamble which follows states the purpose-Whereas, in behalf of
public morals in our community, we find it necessary to band ourselves together for more efficient action; we, citizens of Sterrett
township, whose names are hereunto annexed do now form and
establish a "Vigilance Committee" with the intention of suppressing existing disorders and preventing others. Signed-J. C. Irwin,
Levi Ludden, Charles W. McEnulty, John D. McCune, Samuel
H. McKee, W. G. Warren, Harry W. Holmes, James D. Carothers,
W. C. Hull, Frank H. Callahan, John W. Beatty, James A. Steele,
C. A. Meck, 0. M. Tucker, Samuel McElroy, Jr., Daniel Double,
John Semple, M.D., J. G. Hughes, G. A. Kiehl, John C. Calderwood, Levi Ludwick, M. J. Montgomery, Thomas R. Robinson,
William L. Cromlish, James A. Wilson, D. M. McConaghy, M.D.,
J. B. Hubley, M. McWhinney, J. P. Cline, 0. L. Shultz.
Thirty signatures were required to complete the organization,
and that number is affixed. President, M. J. Montgomery; Secretary, John W. Beatty; Treasurer, Thomas R. Robinson; Executive Committee, Prof. 0. M. Tucker, S. H. McKee, John W.
Beatty.
Hon. A. M. Brown was retained as counsel, and immediate
action planned to stop the granting of licenses in the Township,
which was clearly illegal.
The suit to restrain the granting of licenses in Sterrett township to sell for drinking purposes spirituous, vinous, malt, or
brewed liquors was filed in Common Pleas Court in January 1881.
The plaintiffs who represented themselves and the citizens of
Sterrett township were: J. C. Irwin, John Rea, M.D., A. N. Sutton,
John Semple, M.D., Andrew Howard, M. J. Montgomery, Levi
Ludden, Richard Beatty, Sr., Jacob B. Hubley, Thomas Snowden,
Thomas R. Robinson, Levi Ludwick-all of whom were residents
of the township.
The aim of these plaintiffs was:
First-That the said special prohibitory law, approved April
9, 1870, be declared to be in full force in the township of Sterrett.
Second-That the treasurer of Allegheny County be restrained
475ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
from granting or issuing any license for the sale of intoxicating
vinous, malt, or brewed liquors, or any admixture thereof within
the said township to J. HI. Brandebury, or to any other person or
persons whomsoever.
The suit was not called until April of the same year and much
delay was encountered, but the case was won: the decision of the
court being that the change of name of the part of Wilkins township, which became Sterrett township, did not change the status
of the Prohibitory law. This decision was far-reaching. When
Brushton, which was originally included in Sterrett township,
became part of Pittsburgh its prohibitory status was unchanged,
and the same ruling applied to Wilkinsburg when it became a
borough and also to Edgewood, which was included in Sterrett
township.
The organization encountered further difficulty in getting the
saloons out of the township because they continued to sell without license, as "speakeasies". Suits were filed and information
made but it was several months before these good men reaped
benefit of the court's decision.
At the meeting held October 29, 188i Prof. O. M. Tucker,
chairman of the Executive committee, reported but one liquor
saloon open in Wilkinsburg and the committee expected to report at the November meeting "not a drop of liquor sold anywhere in Sterrett township".
This became an accomplished fact. A vote of thanks was tendered to this committee, and the two attorneys, Major A. M. Brown
and Charles C. Taylor, who had ably conducted the legal business of the organization and who had given their services at a
minimum cost.
Shall we not add a note of our appreciation of these splendid
citizens of a generation ago for their arduous labors of love, and
the high ideals set for our community that it might be a safe
place for the parents of that and succeeding generations to rear
their children.
Because all licenses to sell liquor in Sterrett Township were
refused, the advocates of saloons introduced a bill in the State
476TRINITY REFORMED CHURCH
Legislature, having as its object the repeal of all prohibitory laws
in Allegheny County.
The Vigilance Committee began immediate and drastic action
to prevent the passage of this bill. A committee was appointed to
have petitions prepared for circulation throughout Wilkins and
Sterrett townships; also announcements to be made in all
churches in these townships.
Messrs. Daniel Double and James D. Carothers volunteered to
take charge of the distribution and circulation of the petitions.
Messrs. J. C. Irwin, W. H. Holmes and M. J. Montgomery were
to assist in Wilkinsburg.
Public meetings were held in all township schoolhouses.
Messrs. Irwin and Montgomery arranged for these meetings.
Messrs. Andrew Howard and Samuel H. McKee were appointed to appear before the Committee of the House in Harrisburg, at
the public hearing, also to confer with the Hon. W. E. Thompson,
who introduced the Bill presenting petitions from both townships. All the plans were carried to a successful completion and
the law saved for our township.
Mention must be made of the loyal women who helped raise
the money for both these projects by holding suppers and lawn
fetes in order to reach all who were interested in defeating the
return of the saloon to our community.
For fifty years after this victory was won the community enjoyed uninterrupted freedom from saloons until the repeal of our
Prohibitory Law in 1933, which was not effected by the vote of
the people, but by the law makers at Harrisburg.
[11 ]
TRINITY REFORMED CHURCH
T    HIS congregation was organized June 19, 1870 by the Reverend L. B. Leasure, with a charter membership of fortyeight. The congregation, having no church building for worship,
477THE MOTHER CHURCH OF BEULAH, Part I
daughters: Matilda, who married     Bailey, and Catherine,
who may have died in childhood. His second wife was Martha
Miskimmons. By this wife there were born three children: James
and Nancy, twins, and Jane. Jane married Francis Gilmore who,
after the organization of Hebron Associate Reformed Church in
1849, was installed as an elder there, which office he held until his
death. Of their three children one, Miss Martha Ann Gilmore of
Graham Boulevard, is living and enjoys relating interesting tales
of her parents and distinguished grandfather.
James M. Johnston, the twin brother, married Mary Hamilton,
a sister of Alexander Hamilton of Wilkinsburg. Two of their
sons, James M., Jr., and George, served through the Civil War.
James M., Jr., married his cousin Martha Hamilton. Their son,
Elmer E. Johnston, was a well known business man of the
Borough for many years.
George Johnston, son of James M., Sr., died soon after the close
of the war from a disease contracted in the army, chronic diarrhoea, which caused the death of many soldier boys. Of George
R. Johnston, the oldest son of John and Mary Reed Johnston, a
record will appear later.
John Johnston died at the age of sixty-three, but his mother,
Jane Johnston, lived to the great age of one hundred and six
years. A stone is erected to their memory very near the entrance
gate of Beulah graveyard. This stone was erected by his son,
George Reed Johnston.
Thomas Wilson emigrated from Ireland to America in 1767.
Three years later he built the first cabin in Pitt Township (now
Penn Township). This cabin is said to have been built "like a
fort". After clearing some land he was obliged, on account of
Indian raids, to leave it and move for protection near to the Fort.
He did not see his land again for seven years. He returned to his
farm after peace was made with Great Britain at the close of the
Revolution, and remained there until his death in 1825 at the
age of 84 years. He was for a period tax collector in Pitt Township, also was elected to serve as elder in Beulah Church during
the pastorate of Samuel Barr. He continued in the latter office
27ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
used the Academy for some time and later the Methodist Episcopal Congregation granted them the use of their building. After a
little over one year Mr. Leasure resigned.
On September 3, 1871 the Rev. T. F. Stauffer began his pastorate, and at once plans were made for erecting a chapel. Mr.
James Kelly generously presented them with a valuable lot. The
lot 66 feet in width extended along Coal Street, from Franklin to
Rebecca Avenue, 264 feet.
The corner-stone was laid October 15, 1871, and the Chapel,
completed at a cost of $4,000, was dedicated June 5, 1872. In
1874 a parsonage costing $2800 was built on the Franklin end of
the lot. Mr. Stauffer remained with the church for six years and
was followed by the Rev. J. M. Sander (1877). The panic of 1873
had brought about a very serious financial condition. The congregation was unable to pay their indebtedness; the pastor after
eighteen months resigned; the sheriff threatened to sell the
church and it looked as though the congregation must disband.
When affairs were at the darkest Mrs. Marguerite Chadwick, who
had loaned the congregation $1200, presented them with their
note for that amount. Later the Pittsburgh Synod gave them $ ooo
on their indebtedness and misfortune was averted for the time.
Then it was thought wise to sell the parsonage, which was done
at a sacrifice price of $i 60o. Property was then at a discount owing
to hard times. With all, the debt was still heavy and the sheriff's
threat hung like a pall over the church. It was then that four
members of the congregation did a heroic thing-they mortgaged
their own property to save the church. These men were: Conrad
Fix, John Sperling, John Swartz and William Weitzel. This congregation owes them and Mrs. Chadwick and Pittsburgh Synod
a debt of gratitude. The Mission was now unable to support a
pastor. Hence they asked the pastor of Zion's congregation, East
Liberty, to supply them. This arrangement was begun in January, 1879. The Rev. J. W. Knappenberger was the supply. Services
were held Sunday afternoons. The loyal people were satisfied. At
the same time they worked hard to pay the mortgage. The inspiration of this movement was Elder William Weitzel. He devoted
478WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION OF WILKINSBURG
much time and energy to managing finances and remained treasurer for over thirty years.
After four years the Rev. M. Frank succeeded as supply pastor
and continued until January 1886. Thus for nine years the Mission was supplied from Zion's Church. It was a period of trial
and uncertainty, yet the people remained true and faithful.
Although the growth of the congregation was hampered, the organization was maintained, the debt paid, and the property saved.
The Mission was now ready for a resident pastor who could
give it all his time. The Rev. J. S. Freeman, a recent graduate of
the Theological Seminary, was called and continued his labors
for almost nine years (Nov. 1886-Aug. 1895). Along all lines the
Mission developed. In 1892 it became self-supporting, after twenty years of nurture by the Board of Missions.
Wilkinsburg was incorporated as a Borough in 1887 and many
people found it a desirable place of residence. The "Little Dutch
Church", as it was familiarly called, became too small for its growing congregation. The Chapel had served its day, and a larger
building was necessary. Under the inspiring leadership of the
Rev. C. L. Alspach, (Sept. 1895-April 1900oo) the work was begun.
The corner-stone was laid in June 1896, and the building completed March 14, 1897. The new building cost $22,200oo, and it was
the recipient of a gift of an organ from Mr. Andrew Carnegie,
valued at $3000. During the following years until Nov. (1935)
the Church has prospered under the ministry of four pastors,
Messrs. Leinbach, Robb, Bassler and Corman, the membership
being now 850. May God bless and prosper the work and love of
its people for Old Trinity!
[12]
WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN
TEMPERANCE UNION OF WILKINSBURG
T    HE great moral uprising of the womanhood of America,
known as the Woman's Temperance Crusade, originated in
Hillsboro, Ohio, December 23, 1873. The movement met with a
479ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
ready response in the hearts of noble Christian women throughout that state, spreading like wildfire to surrounding states. Pittsburgh became the center of activities in this part of Pennsylvania,
and women organized prayer groups in different sections of the
city and county.
The good women of our village felt the call to enlist in the
Crusade, and organized a prayer group in the First Presbyterian
Church where they met regularly for prayer. These groups were
soon organized as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of
Allegheny County, and the Wilkinsburg group was organized
March 20o, 1874. The officers chosen were: Mrs. Samuel M. Henderson, wife of the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, President, and Miss Eliza McNair Horner, Secretary. Mrs. William
Wills of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Mrs. Henry Swift
of the Methodist Church, Mrs. John Horner, Miss Matilda G.
Horner, and Mrs. McGaw of the Presbyterian Church were some
of the original members. To be sure there were others, but their
names are uncertain owing to lost records. The same is true of
early members of the County organization. The work was carried
on until Rev. Samuel M. Henderson removed from Wilkinsburg,
when, because of difficulty in finding one who would serve as
president, the group ceased to function.
After a lapse of a number of years, a new Union was organized
through the efforts of Mrs. Clarissa Moffitt who, with her family,
had recently taken up residence in our town. Preliminary steps
were taken to organize December 14, i886, but the organization
was not completed until January, 1887. The meeting was held
in the Reformed Presbyterian Church. Miss Martha Graham
was chosen President; Mrs. W. W. Carithers, whose husband was
pastor of the church in which the meeting was held, Secretary.
Mrs. Emma Johnston Cruikshank was chosen Treasurer. Miss
Graham acted as president until she resigned to become director
of the Young Woman's Christian Temperance Union which she
was instrumental in organizing.
Mrs. Elizabeth S. George, of the Reformed Presbyterian
Church, succeeded her as president. Mrs. Carithers was succeeded
480WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION OF WILKINSBURG
as secretary by Mrs. Rachel Graham Johnston, who served for a
number of years.
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union is the oldest
woman's organization in Wilkinsburg, exclusive of church organizations, and has never ceased its work, which has been carried
on successfully for fifty years under the leadership of competent
women in the various offices and departments of work.
For a number of years we remonstrated against the granting
of a license for a saloon to be located just over the city line on
Penn Avenue. We were so successful in this movement that applicants ceased to make the attempt.
Here we pause to pay tribute to Hon. A. W. Duff, who managed
this work for the organization as our attorney entirely free of
charge. Mr. Duff's mother, Mrs. Susan Duff, was one of our loyal
and efficient members.
For more than twenty years we have co-operated with our
schools through the department of Scientific Temperance Instruction. Prizes in Essay contest and Poster Work have been given
during all these years.
At present our efficient Director is Mrs. V. V. Snyder.
Portraits of Frances E. Willard, philanthropist and organizer
of the World's Woman's Christian Temperance Union, as well
as pioneer in woman's education, have been placed in all the
school buildings of our town.
During the World War our organization did outstanding
work in the Red Cross: made and filled hundreds of Comfort Kits
and made countless bandages. Money was raised to purchase two
fully equipped Field Kitchens to send to France and contributed
to the purchase of an ambulance to be sent by the Pennsylvania
W.C.T.U.
The kitchens had the name, "Wilkinsburg Woman's Christian
Temperance Union", painted on the sides, so our town and organization were represented on the battle fields ministering to
the needs of the soldier boys.
The purchase money for these kitchens was oversubscribed to
the amount of $300.
481ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Mrs. John G. Price was president during this time.
Those who served as president during the fifty years of our life
as an organization are: Miss Martha Graham, Mrs. Elizabeth S.
George, Mrs. Clarissa Moffitt, Mrs. R. C. Wylie, Mrs. Pittinger,
who died after a few months' service, Mrs. Rachel Calderwood
Robinson, Mrs. J. G. Price, Mrs. Alvin N. Thomas, Mrs. Samuel
McDonald, Mrs. A. H. Wooldridge, and Mrs. H. P. Meeds.
We wish it were possible to name all the splendid women who
have served in other capacities during these years. However, we
cannot complete our record without mentioning Mrs. Daniel
Carhart who served as vice-president, and loved the work next to
her church; she lent her influence and extended the hospitality
of her home on different occasions; Mrs. Richard W. Beatty, a
leader in legislative work in both local and county organizations;
Miss Venie Smith who served as treasurer for more than twenty
years; Mrs. James A. Hetrick who served as corresponding secretary, recording secretary, and vice-president covering an equal
period of time.
Mrs. Franklin Gordon, who as Eliza McNair Horner, served
as secretary in our first organization, never lost her interest in
our Union. She joined the present organization and remained
a member until her death. She left a legacy of $500 to the
W.C.T.U. to carry on the work for prohibition in which she had,
for so long, been vitally interested.
The Wilkinsburg Union has furnished three of its members
to lead Allegheny County in the office of president-Mrs. R. C.
Wylie, Mrs. Rachel C. Robinson, and Mrs. Elizabeth J. GibsonMrs. J. G. Price served as corresponding secretary of the county
for a time. Mrs. R. C. Robinson was eleven years recording secretary of Pennsylvania W.C.T.U.
The Temperance Light Bearers Branch is composed of small
children up to six or eight years old. Dr. Jean Hagerty organized
this work and continued as secretary for many years, having
three hundred children enrolled.
Our Union is the largest in Allegheny County with two hundred and seventy-eight members. Officers at the present time are:
482PARK PLACE STEAM LAUNDRY
President, Mrs. H. P. Meeds
Vice Presidents, Mrs. Rachel C. Robinson; Mrs. V. V. Snyder
Recording Secretary, Mrs. Lettie C. Ege
Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. George C. Blair
Treasurer, Mrs. George Carr
Financial Secretary, Mrs. B. R. Davis
[13]
PARK PLACE STEAM LAUNDRY
T    HE first public steam laundry in the Pittsburgh district was
located in Wilkinsburg in 1879 on Albert Street, now Trenton Avenue, by Clinton N. and Napoleon C. Brace. It was known
as the Park Place Laundry, and was brought here from Titusville,
Pennsylvania.
Before the laundry was moved here the Brace brothers sent the
clothes by express to Titusville. Two or three days elapsed before
their return to Pittsburgh. The laundry office, where the packages
were left and received by the customers, was at 421/2 Sixth Street,
second floor (Pittsburgh).
The men were especially well pleased by this new venture, as
shirt fronts, then, were made of double linen and were laundered
stiff and shiny; this the good housewife could not effect despite
all her efforts to put the polish on.
When the Brace brothers brought their business here they
brought about forty or fifty employees with them. As there were
no accommodations in the town for such a number, the company
built a frame boarding house for their exclusive use. James J.
Smith, who came with the original number, is still (1935) in the
employ of the laundry.
The laundry building was a one story brick structure, about
half as large as the present one. The noise that the washing machines made in the quiet neighborhood was very disturbing, and
the vibrations, at times, shook the ornaments from the mantels
483ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
of the neighboring houses. So to quiet the disquiet, aroused in
several ways, the proprietors dug a deep cellar under the building and moved the machines down there. Water-supplied from
artesian wells was forced by steam pumps to large tanks built in
the yard.
After a time the girls from the village and vicinity were employed and the children of the district used to enjoy hearing their
very stiff petticoats rattle as they walked. This was quite the
custom on Monday, for on this day the laundry was given up to
the girls for their own personal work.
On a summer day it was a pleasant sight to see the fields roped
with clothes-lines on which were dozens and dozens of blankets
waving in the sunshine and air. It became "the thing" to escort
one's visitors to see this new and novel enterprise.
In later years the name was changed from Park Place Laundry
to Brace Brothers Laundry.
[14]
THE NEWSPAPERS
N EARLY years a weekly newspaper in a town adjoining, or near
to a city, had usually a hard row to hoe; for between its issues
the city daily papers had kept readers in touch with national,
state, and city affairs; and matters of strictly local interest had
been well discussed in social meetings, at church, school, and
quilting parties; and, best of all, in heart to heart talks in the
general store, and over the back fence. So why subscribe for a
local paper?
But there were some hopeful souls, who, while fully realizing
the uncertainties in such an enterprise, were willing to make a
beginning to establish a town paper. First on the list was Captain
Eisenbeis, who, aided by his two sons, Harry and Percy, brought
out a small weekly near the close of the 1870 decade. The paper
was called "The Independent" and was published in connection
with a job printing office on Penn Avenue near Mill Street.
484THE NEWSPAPERS
After Mr. Eisenbeis discontinued printing his paper in Wilkinsburg, Thomas Kennedy and Percy Eisenbeis, then only 13
or 14 years old, decided that the town needed some sort of a newssheet.
Therefore, in the early years of the 1880 decade, they printed a
three sheet paper called "The Wilkinsburg Star". The price,
$1.50 a year, was placed in the upper corner of the first page. They
had about fifty subscribers-several readers being McClains,
Howards, and Lowrys. They had all the boys they could get selling the weekly paper for three cents a copy.
Percy Eisenbeis obtained a printing press from his father and
set it up in the woodshed in Kennedy's yard. After a few months
the press broke down and the boys, fearing the subscribers might
sue or would want their money returned, printed their paper for
the remainder of the subscription year in Mr. Eisenbeis' printing shop in Braddock. It proved a good move, for the young publishers were free to reprint news and entire pages from the Braddock paper for the Wilkinsburg readers.
The reporters for the borough news were Jo Howard (Mrs.
Wm. G. Stewart) and Sadie Kennedy (Mrs. Irwin Porter), Tom
Howard and Bill Lindsay; and anyone else who would contribute.
The regular reporters were paid mostly in candy.
One personal news item was inserted thus: "John Walker is
still interested in the P.R.R." Readers thought John Walker was
interested in the Pennsylvania Railroad, but the young publishers knew it meant Pretty Retty Reed. For this piece of news
the boys got a good trouncing from the aforesaid John.
A number of merchants inserted advertisements, but that soon
came to an end after Mr. Lonabaugh's "ad" appeared which read:
"The place to get good meet and stake is at George Lonabaugh's."
These young editors realized little profit from their ambitious
enterprise. The most money the boys made was a $5 order from
Sam Dickey for five hundred calling cards with a flower decoration. Other orders had always been for one or at the most
two dozen calling cards, so a request for five hundred cards was
wonderful.
485ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
In 1882 a weekly paper, first printed in the office of the Braddock Herald, in Braddock, appeared in Wilkinsburg. Mr. Alexander Hamilton Silvey was the editor and owner of this newspaper. For a time the combination paper bore the title of "The
Call and Herald". Afterwards "Herald" was discontinued and
thereafter the paper was known as "The Call" and at its masthead
appeared "Established 188o". After Capt. A. H. Silvey's death the
paper was carried on by his son, T. Morgan Silvey, until in 1 918
he was obliged to remove to another climate and the career of
"The Call" ended. The subscription list and advertising contracts
were sold to its successor-"The Sentinel".
Mr. Silvey, Sr. had much to do with the inception and development of the Borough, and his son, Morgan, endeavored to carry
on his father's ideals. There was real regret when the career of
the paper closed after almost forty years' duration.
Mention must be made of Turney Knox, who was associated
with "The Call" for some time. He was a brilliant writer and the
columns of "The Call" were enlivened by interesting articles on
the early history of Wilkinsburg, and graphic tales related of its
great benefactor, James Kelly.
Two other weeklies had short terms of existence, but neither
the names of the papers nor their editors can be stated with
certainty.
During the year 1892-93 a weekly conducted by the late
William Johnston must be mentioned. Mr. Johnston afterwards
attained considerable prominence as an author and publisher in
New York City, where he enjoyed the close friendship of 0. Henry. Nor must a flash of glory in journalistic history be overlooked,
when during the sessions of the Pittsburgh Conference of the
M.E. Church, Wilkinsburg issued two daily papers.
Several years ago "The Progress" was established by Clyde
Kelly, Congressman for this district. The editor was John
McDowell and in time the name of the paper was changed to
"The Wilkinsburg Gazette".
To those who have kept pace with the development of the
newspaper under the Silveys, father and son, and Mr. McDowell's
486THE NEWSPAPERS
capable and discriminating leadership, the former name, "The
Progress", seems more distinctive and fitting. Let us all-loyal
citizens, "lend a hand" to the present outspoken editor of our
weekly newspaper as it goes marching on, for truly, has it not
been a hard row well hoed?
487ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
until his death in the twenty-first year of Mr. Graham's ministry.
How hard it is for us to realize the significance of those words,
so often repeated, "He left his cabin to take refuge...:" The
silence of the dark forest, broken only by the soughing tree
branches, the soft tread of small animals, the murmur, perchance,
of the water in the not far distant river; how each faint shadow,
imagined whisper, or slight motion might be a messenger of
death!
It was not only a life of continual watching and listening, but
one of constant anxiety begotten of fear. And then what a test
of hope and faith in the future to come back to burnt cabins and
ruined crops! Truly, they were great hearts, those men and
women of pioneer days.
The life of the church moved on regularly with encouraging
growth until June 1789, when Mr. Barr asked to be released
from the two pastorates. Trouble between pastor and people had
arisen, in which Pitt Township Church disavowed any responsibility by a "written testimony" given by unanimous approbation
of the session, and signed by John Johnston, clerk of the session.
Many years later Mr. Barr's daughter stated that the difficulty
might have been adjusted had not Mrs. Barr's health been affected
by the vigorous life of the frontier. Whatever the determining
factor, Mr. Barr was released, and for a period of fifteen years
from 1788 to 1804, Pitt Township Church continued under the
ministrations of nineteen different supplies, to four of wvhom
a "call" was made but not accepted. The most prominent name
among these was that of Francis Herron, who afterwards became
pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, which he
served for forty years.
In 1803 the long years of waiting drew to a close. Patience was
to have its reward, for at a presbyterial meeting, June 23, 1803,
James Graham appeared. He was a licentiate under the care of
Carlisle Presbytery, who had asked permission to itinerate within
the bounds of Redstone Presbytery for a time. His request was
granted and appointments were given him at Tyrone, Laurel
Hill, and Uniontown, Pennsylvania and Morgantown, Virginia.
28i88o
[1]
JOHN JAMES CAMPBELL
REBECCA BRIMMER CAMPBELL
T  J. CAMPBELL was born in Midway, Washington County,
Pennsylvania, January 28, 1846-the son of William C. and
Margaret Symington Campbell. He married Rebecca S.
Brimmer, daughter of James and Martha Brimmer, December
lo, 1868. They moved to Swissvale in 1874, where he was engaged
in the coal business.
At that time the Pittsburgh stores did not run delivery wagons
to the suburbs. Packages were delivered to the package room of
the various railroads, and from there the purchaser must manage
for himself. Sometimes this was a trying experience. For instance:
two women living on a farm beyond the James McKelvy place,
on the road leading to Hannastown, had bought thirty yards of
ingrain carpet in the city. They waited in the Pittsburgh station
for a train reaching Wilkinsburg about seven o'clock, P.M., so
that it would be dusk, at least, when the carpet roll would be
dumped out to them in Wilkinsburg. When the train and passengers had disappeared, each one "shouldered" an end of the roll,
and in this way carried it about two miles to their home. Experiences like this were not lost to the observant mind of Mr. Camp488JOHN JAMES CAMPBELL
bell. He was so frequently asked to do errands in the city that
in 1880 he began a new business-a transport or delivery wagon
between Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg. The first office in the city
was in Craighead's store, on Smithfield Street, near where Gimbel's store now stands. At first there was but one wagon a week,
then two, and gradually increasing until within three years there
were two wagons a day, and later many more. Joseph Horne,
Kaufmann, Renshaw, John Porterfield, George K. Stevenson, and
Boggs and Buhl availed themselves of this convenience for a flat
rate of five or ten cents.
In 1887, Mr. Campbell bought two acres of land in Wilkinsburg, corner of Rebecca and Water Street (now Swissvale
Avenue), where he built a new home. After discontinuing the
transport business Mr. Campbell engaged in real estate, and
afterward in the brick and stone business. He was Burgess of
Wilkinsburg from 1892 to 1897. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell were
members of the First Presbyterian Church until, on the organization of the Second Church of that denomination, they joined it
as charter members. In both churches Mr. Campbell served as
an elder.
This couple had six children, four of whom grew to maturity.
The two sons, Frank and William T., died in 1900, and 19o9. At
the time of William T. Campbell's death in 1909, he was secretary
to Mr. A. W. Mellon. The two daughters, Lou (Mrs. S. M. Brown)
and Anna (Mrs. William M. Findley), are living in Wilkinsburg,
(1937).
An item of interest relating to the growth of the Wilkinsburg
High School is given in the statement that William T., son of
J. J. Campbell, graduated in 1894 in a class numbering thirteen.
In 1934 Sam Brown, grandson of J. J. Campbell, graduated in a
class numbering almost five hundred. All of Mr. and Mrs. Campbell's children who lived to maturity-Frank (deceased), C. Lou
(Mrs. S. M. Brown), William T. (deceased), Anna L. (Mrs. William M. Findley), are graduates of W.H.S. Long may its fine
record endure!
(Mrs. S. M. Brown died Oct. 27, 1937.)
489ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
SAINT STEPHEN'S
PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH
HE organization of Saint Stephen's Protestant Episcopal
T Church was begun in 1878 by the Reverend Boyd Vincent,
at that time rector of Calvary Parish, East End, Pittsburgh.
Previous efforts for the establishment of a mission in Wilkinsburg had been made by Calvary Parish in 1 860, and again in 1865,
but these efforts were unsuccessful, owing to the small number of
Episcopalians in Wilkinsburg and vicinity.
Church services and Sunday School were first held in the basement of an abandoned hotel known as Hamilton Hall. The superstructure of this building, standing on Penn Avenue, just over
the city line from Wilkinsburg, had been destroyed by fire before
completion, and had not been rebuilt.
In 1879 Miss Mary Bennett and Mrs. David Little gathered together a small group of children and organized a Sunday School.
A. T. Rowand of Edgewood served as superintendent.
There are no written records of these efforts until July 1,
188 1, when George Hodges, a candidate for Holy Orders, came to
Calvary as assistant to Mr. Vincent. He was given charge of Saint
Stephen's. There were about twelve children in the Sunday
School and as many people at the church service which followed.
Mr. Hodges read the evening service and preached the first sermon in the Parish mission on that date.
Already Mr. Hodges gave promise of his great achievements in
Social Service, in which he took a pre-eminent place in his later
career.
He was a pioneer in relating religion to community life. Full
of energy, he walked with his head down and with the rapidity
of a steam engine. His congregation was so scattered that he tells
of walking five miles to make ten calls. But he was rewarded, for
the small number of parishioners increased until at Christmas
490SAINT STEPHEN'S PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH
there were fifty children in the Church School. The Christmas
festival this year, 1881, was the last service in Hamilton Hall. The
foundation was torn down soon afterwards. A new place must be
found. Brace Brothers' Steam Laundry in Park Place was offered
rent free.
In his diary Mr. Hodges says: "Those who wandered through
the almost unfathomable mud as far as the Laundry found a large
room, lined about the edges with ironing tables and other machinery of clothes-cleaning, often decorated with belated collars and
cuffs, and furnished on Sunday afternoons with the benches,
always worse for wear and weather, which were stored out of
doors during the week. In the winter the service and sermon and
Sunday School proceeded to the distracting and penetrating sound
of the hiss of natural gas from the furnace. Passers-by looked in
the windows; the bolder spirits gathered about the door. Employees of the Laundry came several times during most services
to draw water at a pump in the rear of the room, with much obtrusive squeaking of pump handle and slamming of door. Dogs
prowled about during the prayers; children were inspired with
misdirected curiosity. Cows never came in during the service, and
the congregation congratulated themselves on that as a happy
exemption. After the services were over and everybody was gone,
the laundry girls took possession and danced un-Sabbatarian jigs
to the music of the unhappy melodeon. All these circumstances
were arguments for a church building."
During the laundry days "cottage meetings" were held in the
homes of parishioners on Friday evenings. With the steady increase in numbers plans for a chapel were discussed and a building finally decided on. Prior to this Parish Mission a town lot
had been given by James Kelly to an organization known as "The
Church of the Atonement", on the vestry list of which are found,
among others, the names of Joseph H. Hill, Thomas Hartley, and
Professor B. C. Jillson. This organization had put its rights and
property into the hands of Calvary Parish. Being thus provided
with ground a canvass was made for securing $3100 to build a
chapel on the large corner lot bounded by Franklin, Pitt and
491ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Rebecca Avenues. The building was erected and under roof by
Advent, 1882.
Before there were windows, doors or furniture in place, the
first service was held Christmas Day, 1882. Muslin served for
glass in the windows and the place was none too warm. Mr.
Hodges and his wife were as happy over this simple wooden
building as if it had been a permanent stone church. Folding
doors towards the end of the nave closed the rear of the building
which could be used for a parish house. Gifts soon filled the needs
of a fence, outside lights, a lighting system, and memorial vases
for the altar, and a really beautiful chancel window.
Mr. Hodges was a great organizer. He formed a guild for girls
(Saint Francisca's), a club for boys (Saint Christopher's), a
Women's Aid Society, and a Chess Club for men. A sewing school
on Saturday afternoons brought together a group of seventy-five
children. Work was varied by singing hymns and as there were
no hymn books the words were stencilled in large letters on
muslin.
St. Stephen's was now a going concern. A Public Library was
not as great a success as was hoped for but a Book Club brought
to subscribers on alternate Mondays a book of fiction and one
of non-fiction. During the first year, thirteen persons were confirmed and communion was celebrated six times. Mr. Hodges
drove out from Calvary after Sunday School to hold morning
service at St. Stephen's. His preaching began to be talked about.
People said, "We cannot hope to keep him, he is too big". Calls
began to come to him and Calvary awakened to the fact that they
could not afford to lose him. He was made associate Rector of
Calvary in 1887 when he moved to East Liberty from the little
Rectory beside the Chapel where he and his wife had gone to
housekeeping.
While he still had an oversight of St. Stephen's, his own personal work there was finished. St. Stephen's now needed the full
time of a clergyman and Mr. William Heakes was called. After
the consecration of Mr. Vincent as Bishop of Southern Ohio, Mr.
Hodges was made Rector of Calvary. St. Stephen's became an in492FIRST YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF WILKINSBURG
dependent parish under its first Rector, the Rev. W. C. Rodgers,
January, 1890.
The following list gives the names of ministers and rectors of
St. Stephen's from 1881 to date (1938):
George Hodges    Ministers in charge
William Heakes
W. C. Rodgers
C. L. Bates   /
R. W. Patton
Joseph Speers   )
William Porkess, Present Rector 1938.
[3]
FIRST YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN
ASSOCIATION OF WILKINSBURG
T HE first Young Men's Christian Association of Wilkinsburg
was organized about the year 1879. Messrs. Jacob Hughes,
James D. Carothers, John W. Beatty, Fred Stoner and other men
from the different churches met to discuss the need of such an
association. They succeeded in interesting a sufficient number of
church folks in the project as there were many young men in the
village who needed just such a center for their evening leisure.
No records of the chosen officers are available now; but we
know that a small room on Penn Avenue, near Mill Street, was
rented and furnished with odds and ends from attics and storage
rooms of interested people. The equipment was meagre-a table,
some chairs, and so on; some Gospel Hymn books, and books
from overstocked libraries, old magazines and weekly papers donated by orderly housewives formed the mental attraction.
The organization was short-lived and was compelled to disband. The furniture went back to the attics-the reading matter
was probably scattered, and it was some years before another
493ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
"Y" organization was effected-to meet, alas! in its turn with
similar disappointment.
SECOND YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
OF WILKINSBURG
This organization had only its beginning in the last months of
the village period. Yet a short sketch, compiled from data given by
the only surviving charter member, Rev. Frank H. Callahan, and
from an article printed in the "Association Souvenir, Women's
Edition", August 16, 1895, claims a place in this volume.
On March 16, 1887, eight men met in the Reformed Presbyterian Church (Covenanter) to organize a Y.M.C.A. The rapid
growth of the village had made such an organization necessary.
Those present at the meeting representing different churches
were: Thomas F. Bailey, First Presbyterian; George E. Eagye,
F. H. Callahan, Methodist Episcopal; Thomas D. Turner, J. Parry
Johnson, First United Presbyterian; Samuel R. Wills, Samuel
Sloan, Covenanter; and James H. Kurtz, Trinity Reformed.
Mr. Bailey was elected president and J. Parry Johnson, secretary. A room for holding meetings was secured in Luther Barr's
house on Penn Avenue and was occupied for nearly four years,
after which for short periods the meetings were held successively
in Ralston Hall, corner of Wood and Ross; and McWhinney Hall,
corner of Wood and Rebecca. During this latter occupancy the
Association's own building on Ross Avenue was completed, and
opened to the members October 1, 1893.
Mr. Callahan states: "There was a division of opinion in the
village as to the need of a Y.M.C.A. Some minds, stressing the
devotional idea, felt that the Sunday church services and the
weekly prayer meetings were sufficient, while others appreciated
and approved the many useful activities embraced in Y.M.C.A.
associations.
"Among those who contributed $ioo toward the purchase of
a lot and the building fund were: Charles D. Armstrong, J. V.
Beatty, M. K. Salsbury, F. F. Bailey, and others, while a goodly
number subscribed smaller sums.
494DANIEL CARHART
"A library was begun by a gift of four hundred volumes from
Wyckliff C. Lyne. Educational classes in mechanical drawing,
stenography, mathematics, bookkeeping, and penmanship were
conducted by Charles B. Judd, Harry E. Carmack, Prof. L. A.
Thomas, and Prof. Arthur Van Tine.... A gymnasium was
fully equipped with modern apparatus... An open air religious
service was held on the hill facing the Home for Aged Protestant Women.... The best place for such meetings would have
been down by the station, where crowds of young men and boys
congregated on Sunday afternoons, but the'impractical pietists'
feared a disturbance there, and so withdrew to the quietude of
the hill..."
Thus equipped for spiritual, mental, and physical development
the second Y.M.C.A. started on its way.
To a period of larger growth, that of the Borough, belongs
the continuation of its record, so briefly sketched here.
[4]
DANIEL CARHART
rTHE earliest known ancestor of Daniel Carhart appears in the
Cornwall, England, records of 1420 under the name of
Thomas Carhurta and it is classed as "of Saxon origin."
Next of note is Anthony Carhart, a Cornwall gentleman, "who
used a crest and coat of arms."
In 1638 Thomas Carhart, son of Anthony, becomes secretary
to an English Colonial governor-Governor Dongan of Massachusetts.
In 1683 appears Thomas Carhart, grandson of Anthony and the
future grandfather of Daniel Carhart.
Daniel Carhart, the youngest of a family of seven, was born
January 28, 1839, on his father's farm of 345 acres near Clinton,
Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The farm was just across the
495ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
road from his grandfather's farm, which was, also, of large
dimensions.
In 1859 Daniel graduated from the Philadelphia Polytechnic
School, after which for some years he was engaged in civil engineering, among other things taking part in the construction of
the Union Pacific Railroad.
In 1868 he returned to his Alma Mater as teacher of Civil
Engineering. This position he held until 1882 when he came to
Pittsburgh and became a member of the faculty of the Western
University of Pennsylvania. In 1888 he published a textbook on
Plane Surveying, the first of his college textbooks. This book was
used in his own classes, and was recommended to other institutions. Professor Carhart was a Republican, a Mason, and
a Presbyterian.
He married Josephine Stoy of New Jersey. Mrs. Carhart was of
Welsh and of Huguenot descent. She ably seconded her husband
in all features of community life and was herself a leader in all
progressive and reform measures undertaken by the women of
the village and borough.
The Carhart home on the crest of Center Street, Wilkinsburg,
was a favorite resort of students, and no invitation from "Uncle
Dan," as he was familiarly called by them, was ever passed by.
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Carhart had five children, one of whom,
a daughter, died when five years old. Those living today are as
follows:
Charles Forrest Carhart, Youngstown, Ohio
Elnore Christine Carhart, 1410 Center St., Wilkinsburg
Anna Florence Carhart, (Mrs. Wm. C. Greenough), Albany, N. Y.
Thomas Chase Carhart, 1400 Center St., Wilkinsburg
To sum it all up, Daniel Carhart was Doctor of Science; Professor of Civil Engineering, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh; Dean
of Engineering Department, University of Pittsburgh; Author of
engineering textbooks; President of Wilkinsburg Public School
Board; Elder in First Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg.
496A BRIEF HISTORY OF WAVERLY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
[5]
A BRIEF HISTORY OF
WAVERLY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
HE Waverly Presbyterian Church had its beginning in June,
1 880, when Miss Lavinia M. Smith opened a Sunday School
in her home on Peebles Street, Park Place, for the purpose of instructing a little girl by the name of Josephine Reed, then living
in her home, and others of her playmates, whom the little girl
invited to attend Miss Smith's School.
So rapidly did the number increase that larger quarters were
sought and found on Center Alley, now known as Mifflin Way,
Wilkinsburg. Here it became known as the Park Place Presbyterian Sunday School. The next year (1881) it moved to a vacant
storeroom on what was then the Cricket Grounds, in the vicinity
of East End Avenue and Forbes Street. Here regular Wednesday
evening meetings were held for adults and a Ladies' Bible Class
was formed. This class interested itself in the work of the school
and raised money sufficient to erect a small chapel on a lot on
Waverly Lane, given by George and Mary Peebles. This chapel
was dedicated October 1, 1 882, Rev. R. B. Ewing officiating.
Twelve years later (1894) application was made to the Presbytery of Pittsburgh for a church organization which was granted,
and the church was incorporated under the name of the East End
Presbyterian Church, with fifty-two charter members.
Rev. H. O. Gilson was the first regular pastor, being installed
in 1894 and continuing to 1898. In 1897, during the pastorate of
Rev. Gilson, a new buff brick building was erected at the corner
of Waverly and Peebles Streets and was dedicated December 5 of
the same year. The pastors succeeding Mr. Gilson were Messrs.
Alfred Nicholson, A. B. Van Fossen, Charles E. Snoke, J. Kinsey
Smith, Thomas C. Pears, Jr. and Jarvis M. Cotton, present pastor (1936).
497McNAIRTOWN
These widely separated locations give an idea of the extent of
Old Redstone, and the exacting life of a "supply" in those early
years.
James Graham appeared before Pitt Township congregation
three times, after which a call was given him in the spring of 1804.
He accepted, and Tuesday, October 3, 1804 was set for his ordination and installation. He was promised a salary of 140 pounds
equal to $350 in Pennsylvania currency. After preaching to his
future charge the young man went back home over the mountains, to marry the bonny lass, who, during his absence, had been
preparing her "oitfit" to join him in the joys and sorrows of frontier life. While in this neighborhood Mr. Graham was the guest
of Colonel Dunning McNair.
[2]
McNAIRTOWN
W     l THEN, on April 3, 1769, the Land Company of the colony of
Pennsylvania, situated in Philadelphia, opened territory
for sale in its western counties, there was a rush of buyers. Among
the early ones was Andrew Levi Levy, Sr., who, on April 20, made
application No. 3122 for a tract which he named Africa. Andrew
L. Levy, Sr., was an Indian trader who had, tradition says, squatter residence in what is now Brushton. Tradition says that his
daughter was carried away by Indians but quick pursuit rescued
her in an Indian camp near McKeesport. Levy, Sr., bought this
land for speculation, but, the years of confusion before the impending revolution not proving profitable ones, he conveyed the
patent to General William Thompson of Westmoreland Co., by
deed dated June 1o, 1788, for the consideration of 45 pounds and
5 shillings, equal to $107.331/3. General Thompson died within a
year. By his will the tract passed into the possession of his heirshis widow and children, and they, by deed, conveyed it to Dunning McNair May 1, 1789, recorded September 23, 1789, in Deed
29ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
During the pastorate of the Rev. Charles E. Snoke (1909-1915),
the East End Presbyterian Church and the Grace Presbyterian
Church, located north of Penn Avenue on Brushton Avenue,
united. Upon this union the name was changed to Waverly Presbyterian Church and so remains at the present time.
During the pastorate of the Rev. T. C. Pears, Jr. 1923-1933, at
the solicitation of the Presbytery of Pittsburgh, the church changed its location from the corner of Waverly and Peebles Streets to
the corner of Forbes and Braddock Avenues, where it erected a
beautiful church of Indiana limestone, thus completing its third
building in the fifty-four years of its history.
[6]
JOHN P. EVANS FAMILY
A BOUT eighty years after the patent was taken out for Charles
Bonner's plantation, "Wheatland", the ground on which
"The Castle" stood was purchased by John P. Evans. The chain
of titles, as given by his son, is interesting enough to be recorded
here. It is as follows:
John Rodermel by U. S. Patent
John Rodermel to Charles Bonner
Charles Bonner to James McKelvey
James McKelvey to David Shields
David Shields to John Staeger
Alex Highlands, Trustee, to
John P. and Amanda Beebe Evans
Amanda Beebe Evans-widow of
John P. Evans to Frank Abramovic
498
September 20o, 1790
April 13, 1792
September 20, 1809
February 4, 1814
November 16, 1841
March 1, 1869
April 18, 1908JOHN P. EVANS FAMILY
John P. Evans was born in France, taken to Glasgow, Scotland,
in infancy and came to Pittsburgh when 17 years old. He was
connected with Zug K Company Iron Mills for many years. He
served three years and three months in the Civil War in the 14th
Pennsylvania Cavalry. He married Amanda Beebe and had five
sons and one daughter, Estelle, who married Mr. L. R. Hagan,
and who have lived in Wilkinsburg for many years.
The sons are Wm. E. Evans, Harry S., J. Reid, John J. and
Charles B. who died in 1899 when but twenty-one years old.
Of the four sons Wm. E. and Harry S. Evans lived in Wilkinsburg for many years. Afterwards they removed to the city. J. Reid
lived in Sharon, Pa., and John J. in Lancaster, where for a period
he was president of the Armstrong Cork Company. John P.
Evans was a Republican in politics and he and his family were
members of Beulah Church.
The interesting description of "The Castle" and its setting is
given by Mr. and Mrs. Evans' second son-"The dwelling house
on the place had two stories and an attic and was built in 1796as attested by an inscription under the west end eaves. The outside walls were heavy stone, strong beams served as rafters, and
the floors were made of thick unpolished oak boards. A spring
house nestled in a nook shaded by a grove of walnut trees kept
lively by generation after generation of'piney' squirrels; and
the constant stream of lime water coming out of the rocky hillside has no rival in the frigidaire products of today. The dwelling,
the spring house, the trees and the squirrels are all gone from
there now but the water still flows-with no loss of force and flavor
excepting, of course, the sentimental force and flavor of by-gone
days.
"A pioneer reaper one day hung his sickle across the low hanging limb of one of the trees, and it stayed there while the tree
quietly wrapped it in the steady growth of years until its sharp
point protruded from one side of the limb and its hand-turned
hilt from the other-but that, too, is gone-leaving no evidence
that it is anything more than a'tall story' but it is vouched for
as true, by the writer, Harry S. Evans."
499ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
[7]
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST
UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF
WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
W    THEN one begins to write the history of a church, or in fact
any organization, one must begin with recorded facts. Such
an event as the founding of a church does not just happen. Back
of it in the hearts of some persons is an earnest desire to worship
God, and to build a sanctuary for that purpose even as David
longed to build the Temple, because he felt it wrong to dwell in
ceiled houses when there was no fixed place for the worship of
God. Only those who were responsible for the founding of this
church know of the longings and prayers, the planning and
thought that went into the project before an organization was
effected and the house of worship completed.
Wilkinsburg was a small village in 1882, but it was taking on
new life. People were moving here from the city and elsewhere to
make new homes and among these were a number of United Presbyterian members. Those who were already here had their church
home in Hebron church or went to the city to worship. To the
latter this was inconvenient as at that time the train was the only
means of transportation unless one was fortunate enough to
own his own conveyance.
A request for preaching was made to Presbytery in December,
188i; the request was granted and services were held in the Reformed Presbyterian Church, corner of South Avenue and Center
Street, until the autumn of 1882, when the United Brethern
Church, then located on Ross Avenue, between Coal Street and
Swissvale Avenue, was secured for afternoon preaching and Sabbath School.
A meeting for organization was held in this building November 21, 1882 at which the Rev. James D. Turner presided. Messrs.
500ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
T. D. Turner and Z. J. McIlvaine were elected elders; Trustees,
John Bartley, William Turner for 3 years; George McKee,
Charles W. Hutchinson for 2 years; W. S. Watt, James Porter for
1 year. December 5th, Mr. Turner, who had been an elder in
Hebron Church, was installed, and Mr. McIlvaine ordained and
installed ruling elders. Fifty persons formed the charter membership.
Steps were immediately taken to secure a building lot. One
was purchased for $600 at the northwest corner of Wood Street
and North Avenue.
The building was planned with the intention of adding to it
as the growth of the church would require. Financial help was
received from the Board of Church Extension, and the members
did their utmost to raise sufficient funds to finance the project.
A suggestion was made that others outside the membership
might be glad to help with a contribution to the fund. Two active
workers, Mrs. Hutchinson and Miss Venie Smith, determined to
see what they could do among their friends in the city. One man
who was well able to help refused, saying, "You don't need a
U.P. Church out there, there is no room for it, go into the Presbyterian Church and don't be bringing a preacher there to starve
him". Mrs. Hutchinson, to whom he was talking, replied in her
spirited way, "We are going to have a church in Wilkinsburg
and we are not going to starve him either." Both her statements
proved true. They were happy to turn over to the Treasurer
$89 as the result of their first day's effort. The building cost
$3,239.5o and was dedicated August 19, 1883.
There must have been thanksgiving on their lips and joy in
the hearts of those devoted few when they were able to dedicate
to the worship of God that little church for which they had labored and prayed.
Now they must turn their attention to securing a pastor, and
how careful they must be in making their choice. Paul says in his
letter to the church at Ephesus that God gave some prophets, and
some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting
of the saints; so to this infant church there was sent a man from
501ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
God to minister to them who would lay a good foundation upon
which to build.
September 27, 1883 Rev. David Barclay, pastor of the Hebron
Church, moderated in a call for the Rev. M. M. Patterson, who
took charge January 1, 1884, and was installed March 18. He
was a faithful pastor, friend, and teacher, an untiring worker, a
welcome visitor in every home, loved by the children, honored
by congregation and community alike; his influence will long be
felt in our congregation.
Our membership grew rapidly, and in a few years it became
necessary to add to our building. At this time fifteen feet on the
west side of the original lot were donated by Mr. John Kochenderfer. The enlarged house of worship was completed and dedicated January 4, 1893 at a cost of $16,300. Upon the third anniversary of the dedication the treasurer announced that the
church was free of debt. Three weeks later, on Sabbath, January
27, 1895, the church was completely destroyed by fire, and once
more we put our shoulders to the wheel and began again.
The first Sabbath in February, 1895 preaching services and
Sabbath School were held in the Opera House on Penn Avenue.
I remember well the sermon and the text on which it was based:
also the spiritual power of our beloved pastor as he sought to encourage his people in the face of disaster, by drawing practical
help from Deuteronomy 32:11, 12 first clause. "As an eagle
stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad
her wings, taketh them on her wings, so the Lord alone did lead
him."
Services were held in the Opera House until the lecture room
of the new church was finished in December, 1895. During the
same time prayer meetings were held in the Y.M.C.A assembly
room, Ross Avenue, now occupied by the Veterans of Foreign
Wars.
In order to provide space for the erection of a more commodious church edifice, fourteen feet of ground were purchased on the
north side of the original plot.
The present building, which provided better facilities for Sab502THE REV. M. M. PATTERSON, D.D.
bath school work, a larger auditorium, offices and pastor's study,
was erected at the cost of $30,ooo.
The church was dedicated April 5, 1896.
Thirty-one men have served as ruling elders since the organization of the congregation. In fifty years of our history but two
men have served as Clerk of Session-Mr. T. D. Turner, acting
from the organization until his resignation March 30, 1904, and
Mr. S. A. Taylor, who succeeded him.
[8]
THE REV. M. M. PATTERSON, D.D.
T    HE Rev. Matthew McKinstry Patterson came to Wilkinsburg
in 1883 to become the first pastor of the First United Presbyterian Church.
Dr. Patterson was born in Elizabeth, December 3, 1845, receiving his education in the schools at Buena Vista. He taught school
at the Mansfield Academy, afterwards graduating at Westminster
College and the Allegheny Theological Seminary.
During his ministry he had but two pastorates; the first, the
combined charge of Puckety and Allegheny in Westmoreland
Presbytery, where he served eight years (1875-1883) and the second, the First United Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg, where
his services extended over a quarter of a century, (1883-1909).
His wife was Agnes Parry, born in Pittsburgh, March 7, 1848,
whom he married on December 13, 1881, in Moon Township,
where she was teaching school.
Wilkinsburg was young like the church when Dr. Patterson
came to this community. He built himself into its life. His support of righteousness and order could be counted upon at all
times and his congregation was his child.
As its first pastor and only minister during the first 25 years
of its history, he placed his imprint upon it and determined its
503ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
character as long as the congregation shall stand. Under his
guidance, it grew from a mission church to a place of leadership
in the denomination, and of wide usefulness in the Kingdom of
God.
March 28, 19o09, he announced his resignation to the congregation and was released June 29, 1909.
After his retirement he became pastor emeritus. In this honorary office his counsel and services were willingly given when
asked for, but never volunteered.
He had the warm friendship and deep respect of all classes and
conditions of people. He always paused for a moment of chat
while he asked for all the family and let drop some discriminating comment on men and events. On the vantage ground of his
porch, he would tell some humorous incidents out of his rich and
varied experience and point a moral, adorning the tale, or, he
would be toiling in his beautiful garden where he was so skillful
in coaxing into blossom gay and gorgeous flowers all summer
long. In church and prayer meeting, his presence was an inspiration and a blessing.
Herbert Patterson, Borough Solicitor, his only son, was born
in Wilkinsburg, June 1 1, 1884, and still lives in the Patterson
residence.
[9]
IMPRESSIONS OF NEWCOMERS TO
THE VILLAGE IN 1883
WE FEEL quite proud to be considered a connection of the
pioneers of Wilkinsburg but are not sure we are entitled
to such an honor. My father, mother, brother and myself moved
to Wilkinsburg in the fall of 1 883, my sister being born later.
When my father came out to look over the land before purchasing the lot, he could only drive to the bottom of the hill and was
504IMPRESSIONS OF NEWCOMERS TO THE VILLAGE IN 1883
obliged to take down part of a rail fence around a potato field to
get up to our lot, which extended from what is now Hill Avenue
to Glenn Street in the rear. At Glenn Street in the rear and across
Mill Street which was not opened up, was a rail fence enclosing a
pasture just below Mr. Carhart's place, where very fierce cows
were kept. We children were warned against the dangers of the
cow pasture.
In front of our place was a precipice between Hill Avenue and
North Avenue with no way of descending unless one were very
agile and a good athlete. Later on a flight of wooden steps was
built with a platform at intervals to allow one to ascend and
descend in comfort.
We had a very fine and extended view from our front porch,
being able to see across the river to Homestead, and I remember
seeing the tents of the militia on the hillside above the river at
the time of the serious strikes and rioting there in 1892.
My father was the first Borough solicitor and when he was
elected the town brass band came and serenaded us with torch
lights, horns and drums! Our whole front yard seemed filled with
men carrying torch lights. It was most exciting.
My brother's chief recollection of his early days here seems to
be in connection with the mud of the streets. He no doubt accumulated a great deal of it on his feet and person.
Penn Avenue was unpaved and had wooden plank sidewalks
and stepping stones at the street intersections to permit you to
get from one side to the other in muddy weather. You will recall
that Penn Avenue was the route used by the drovers when they
drove their cattle in from the country to the slaughter houses in
East Liberty. After a heavy rain, you can imagine the condition of
the streets. There must have been from eight to ten inches of
black, sticky mud.
To verify this impression, I can distinctly remember old man
Cadwallader riding down the middle of Penn Avenue in a skiff
drawn by a mule. There was a sail erected in the skiff on which
was printed "We want paved streets".
Cadwallader was a town character who ran a small greenhouse
505ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
down near the railroad, at the end of Wallace Street. For a time
a yaung Italian, who had been a roustabout with a small circus
worked for him. Pete was his name, and I believe he was the first
Italian we had in Wilkinsburg. On this occasion Pete rode the
mule, which dragged the skiff, which bore the sign, "We want
paved streets", while Cadwallader reclined in the back of the
skiff, enjoying the publicity.
Because of a tale that had been handed down to my generation,
we were interested in knowing whether there had been any stations of "The Underground Railroad" in Wilkinsburg. One
evening some friends were discussing reports that Wilkinsburg
and Edgewood had been stations of "The Underground Railway" before the Civil War. They located the Wilkinsburg Station
at the southwest corner of Penn and Center Street, and the Edgewood Station in the old Swisshelm house at the foot of Swissvale
Avenue.
These reports could not be authenticated, but the following
true tale was told and afterwards written down for inclusion in
"The Annals".
The abolition fever was running high in those days and men's
minds were filled with righteous indignation against all slaveholders, good and bad alike, when one afternoon two Southern
planters came to the Rankin Tavern on the turnpike between
Washington and Claysville. With them they had three of their
slaves who had escaped but whom they had caught before they
reached the Canadian Border. Great-grandmother Rankin, left
a widow, kept the Tavern whereby she made a living for her
large family of boys and girls. She received the Southerners and
showed them to their rooms while the slaves were put in one of
the out-buildings and securely locked in.
There was much excitement in the household over this event.
Southern slaveholders with their bloodhounds in the house, and
runaway slaves in the outhouse! In the soul of great-grandmother's sixteen year old daughter, Eliza, there was a burning desire
to do something, anything for those poor terror-stricken creatures.
If only she could help them to escape! By supper time she had
506IMPRESSIONS OF NEWCOMERS TO THE VILLAGE IN 1883
made her plans, which she told to no one except to her little lo
year old brother, Alexander. The planters, with the other guests
in the Tavern, were gathered in the dining room at the plentiful
old-fashioned supper of those days. Little Alexander was told by
his sister to stay close by the door, leading from the kitchen to the
dining room, and to watch through the cracks the movements of
the planters.
Darkness came, the owners had taken a last look at their captives and everything was quiet for the night, when Eliza stole out
to the building in which the slaves were kept and, undoing the
bolts, went in. She gave them some food which she had surreptitiously taken from the kitchen, plenty of pepper to put in their
stockings to destroy the scent, and with some general directions
as to the roads, set them free.
Early the next morning there was an uproar in the Tavern. Mrs.
Rankin was sent for and with much cursing and swearing the owners demanded of her how the slaves had made their escape. But
they could see after questioning her that she knew nothing, and
they did not think to ask any questions of the shivering young
girl and little boy, who kept very much in the background.
Fortunately it was long before the days of finger print experts.
And so the Southern planters, with their horses and bloodhounds,
departed with many threats as to what they would do to anyone
in the household if they found out that they had helped their
slaves get away.
Many months afterwards the young girl, Eliza, received a letter
from one of the negroes, stating that they had all made their way
safely over the border into Canada. XVhen she told this story years
later to her children and grandchildren, they would ask, "But
how did you do it, weren't you afraid?" and she would say, "I
don't know how I did it.-I was terrified, but the Lord helped
me". She always said that never to her dying day would she forget
the look on the faces of those planters as they talked to her mother,
and their dire threats of vengeance.
Aunt Eliza sleeps these many years in the churchyard, but
surely her good deed is remembered in Heaven.
507ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Book Vol. 1, p. 245, consideration 322 pounds, lo shillings. The
tract Africa contained 266 acres and 6% allowances for roads.
Dunning McNair, the new proprietor, acquired other tracts of
land in southwestern and northwestern Pennsylvania, but the
little village to which he gave his name was the only town he
founded.
This little hamlet was situated about two and one-half miles
west of the church of Bullock Pens (Beulah) which had been organized six years before. The hamlet nestled in a valley surrounded on three sides by hills and was about equi-distant from the
Allegheny and the Monongahela rivers.
The village plan was a simple one. The northerly line was the
present North Avenue; the southerly the present South Avenue.
The "proprietory" used the section of the Great Road, mentioned in Levy's warrant of 1769, as the central or Main Street
(Penn Avenue). To the south and parallel to it a street was
opened and named Ross, in honor of James Ross, friend of and
attorney for Dunning McNair. James Ross was a prominent
lawyer in Pittsburgh and also in the state in the last years of the
18th and early years of the 19th century.
A street to the north of Main Street was named Wallace for
Wm. Wallace, who was spoken of in deeds as "Wallace, who
claimed land, etc." The present Wood Street was a trail called
Horner's Lane running north from Main Street through the
forest to the log farm house of James Horner, situated on Frankstown Road; from Main Street a trail running south across fields
led to the mansion of the proprietor.
Tradition says that Swissvale Avenue was an Indian trail along
which Queen Aliquippa made safe escape from her camp near
McKeesport to the Indian stronghold at Kittanning, on the Allegheny river, on the night after Braddock's defeat July 9, 1755.
Each village lot had a frontage of 66 feet and a depth of 264,
running from Main Street to its parallel street. Number 1 of the
plan was at the eastern side of the village about at the turn of the
hill. The numbers ran westward on the south side of Main Street
to the present city line, joining there a large tract, patented by
30ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
This story was told to me, her grandniece, by one of her sisters.
(The Fugitive Slave Law was passed by Congress in 1850. The
Law excited heated discussion in all the States. In 1851 a serious
riot occurred in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and the arrest
of fugitive slaves often resulted in bloodshed.)
[10]
NATURAL GAS
ATURAL GAS was first brought to Wilkinsburg for general use
N    in 1885 by the Peoples Natural Gas Company, owned and
operated by Mr. J. N. Pew and Mr. E. O. Emerson of Oil City,
Pennsylvania; Mr. Pew being president of the company. Gas was
piped from the Murrysville field, about 12 miles east of Wilkinsburg. The first high pressure station was built on Ross Avenue between Swissvale and Penn Avenues late in the summer of that
year. In the fall the first low pressure station was built on Center
Street between South and Franklin Avenues. This was the first
low pressure system ever installed in Pennsylvania for the distribution of natural gas. The first shop of the gas company was an
open front wagon shed on the old Tavern stand on Penn Avenue,
between Center and Wood Streets. Late that fall a frame building
was erected on Center Street near Franklin Avenue, costing about
$25o. This was used for both shop and office for several years.
Many a cold finger the writer of this history received in the old
wagon shed while cutting pipes for service lines and the fitting up
of houses for the use of natural gas. The appliances for the use
of natural gas were, at first, very crude and made by hand by unskilled workmen. The burners for grates and cook stoves were
made of one inch iron pipe perforated on one side with two rows
of holes of one-thirty-second of an inch in size. The cook stoves
508NATURAL GAS
were connected to the supply lines by means of a one-half inch
pipe from the main line in the cellar through a hole in the floor
along the side of the stove, and a hole drilled through the side of
the stove large enough to let the one inch pipe through, with an
air mixer on the outside of the stove. The grate of the stove was
filled with broken fire brick.
Grates were fitted up in about the same manner, though usually
the pipe from the cellar to the grate was brought up under the
grate and was not as much exposed as the pipe for the range. Many
housewives of today never saw the crude fittings of former years
and do not appreciate the fine fittings of today.
Natural gas was first sold by contract, that is, so much a year
for heating and cooking according to the cubical contents of the
building. Three-fourths of the amount of the yearly contract was
collected in the six winter months, the other one-fourth in the
summer months. There was quite a rivalry between George W.
Eagye and W. H. DeVore as to which would be the signer of the
first contract for natural gas from the Peoples Natural Gas Company. Mr. Eagye won out. A few consumers used natural gas for
lights in their homes, but very few, for the old lava tip was the
only burner at that time for lighting with gas. This was very unsatisfactory, on account of the burners being so dirty. When the
Welsbach burner was invented, natural gas was used for many
years pretty generally.
When natural gas began to get scarcer and pipes had to be extended long distances to reach the source of supply, a new plan of
contracting was adopted, called the Disc Plan. This consisted in
putting a disc in the house line, usually in the union where the
service line and the house lines were connected. The disc was a
thin piece of copper perforated to conform to the number of fires
in the building to be heated. These holes were usually one-thirtysecond of an inch in size. This was not a very satisfactory way of
supplying gas, as too many of our customers would take the disc
out and punch holes in it to suit themselves. Then the present
system of supplying gas by meter was adopted by the company and
is still in force. The only change in the meter system was the dis509ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
continuance of the "quarter" meter. Gas was selling at this time at
twenty-five cents per thousand cubic feet. These meters were so
arranged that you could drop a quarter in the slot and when a
thousand cubic feet passed through the meter would shut off the
supply. A number of quarters could be placed within the meter
at one time (if the consumer was fortunate enough to have them)
and one thousand cubic feet would pass through for every quarter
inserted.
Many funny things happened during the early days of gas burning. I will relate the most serious one that I can remember. At the
time of the change from contract to meter a gentleman of the
town insisted that it was not a fair way to rate the consumer for
gas, so he had his meter removed and prepared to use coal. He had
a load of coal put in his cellar, and the first evening, upon going to
the cellar in the dark for a bucket of coal, he fell over a big lump
and broke his leg. The only thing one had to do upon meeting
him on the streets afterwards, supported by his two crutches, was
to look at him knowingly; this would cause him to swear. For a
long time he would not speak to the writer of this narrative but
he afterwards became one of his fast friends.
There was a time, too, when the only street lights that Wilkinsburg had were of natural gas. The fixtures for the lights were
made in the following manner: a three-eighths pipe was connected
to these lights from the nearest service line to the corner of the
street where the light was to be erected. This was fastened to a
stake driven into the ground to support it. Sometimes this was
placed in the yards of the homes and sometimes on the sidewalk.
On top of the three-eighths pipe was fastened a perforated tin
can, the gas passing through these holes burned around the outside of the can. We had plenty of blaze, but not much light. Many
of these lights would consume more than a cubic foot of gas per
night.
Contrast this with an outside light erected this week, December, 1934, on the outside of the Peoples Gas Company's main
building at the corner of Sixth Avenue and William Penn Way,
Pittsburgh. This lamp makes a light of 3750 candle power using
510JOSEPH A. KENNEDY
thirty-three cubic feet of gas per hour at a cost of two cents. This
lamp was illuminated by a grandson of one of the first employees
of the company in the Wilkinsburg district.
JOSEPH A. KENNEDY
SON OF JOHN V. KENNEDY, SR.
N THE years previous to the year of Grace (1887), when a resiIdent of Wilkinsburg was located by the yellow mud on his
shoes, shopping done in the city was sent out by train to the Wilkinsburg Station and "lugged" home from there by the repentant
shopper.
About 1880 a young man, Joseph Kennedy, conceived the idea
of having a local express. He built a small building on Wood
Street, about where Isaly's store is now located, on leased ground,
as it could not be purchased, and opened an express office. When
the trains came into the station his two-horse wagon stood ready
to deliver to homes merchandise or baggage from the city.
Upon purchase of the ground by Dr. R. W. Allison, Joe Kennedy closed his office and made another initial effort. It was this:
he bought a sprinkling cart which was drawn by horse power, and
most of the residents of Wood and Penn Avenue paid a small sum
of money to have the streets sprinkled to keep down the dust
from the front of their buildings. This cart was used until most
of the streets were paved.
Joseph A. Kennedy afterwards became a railroad engineer. He
had the honor of being chosen as engineer of the pay car on its
monthly trips; and, also, as being the engineer on the private train
of Robert Pitcairn (Division Superintendent). When not engaged
in these special duties, his regular run was that of engineman on
one of the through fast trains. Joseph Kennedy lost his life in 1890
by accident while on duty.
511ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
[12 ]
OUR CLUB HOUSE
PROLOGUE
An old barn by the wayside stood
Just a structure of stone and wood,
But it had sheltered in its day
A good many loads of grain and hay;
And cattle below in their stalls so warm
It had sheltered also from heat and storm.
For more than a century it stood
This sturdy building of stone and wood,
Proud of the fact as a good barn should
That it served in its way to provide clothes and food
For a family who, with honest toil,
Wrested a living from the soil.'Tempus fugit' as the poets say
And the old barn stood minus grain and hay
Its mission as a farm building done
It stood there empty in rain and sun;
Marking time till perhaps some day
It could serve again in a different way.
The Penn Hebron Garden Club had grown so fast
That it seemed to be necessary to find at last
A home where we could meet with comfort and ease
To arrange as we'd like and to use as we'd please
To promote beauty by planting and raising of flowers
Was emphasized largely by this Club of ours;
So for plans to enrich soil and eradicate weeds
We had experienced nurserymen to tell us our needs
Working hard with shovel and spade'Twas simply wonderful the progress we made.
512CHARLES RANSON COFFIN
But to show the public the result of this all
Required space-perhaps a large hall.
This started the crusade to look up a site
That suited our needs and our resources just right
The barn afore mentioned loomed up large as quite fit
To meet all our needs so we soon purchased it.
It took lots of thought and work from our crowd
But at the end of five years we're inordinately proud
That this old barn is ours, our obligations all met
The mortgage in ashes-we are now out of debt.
[131
CHARLES RANSON COFFIN
TN 1871 Charles Ranson Coffin joined the group of educators
1from the East. He came, accompanied by his young bride,
and made his home in the village for about two years. He then
bought 1/8 acres of land on the edge of the woods in the adjoining territory of expanding Edgewood.
Professor Coffin had been a pupil of Levi Ludden in Maine and
he came west to join Professor Ludden and Professor Oscar M.
Tucker in teaching in the Preparatory Department of the Western
University of Pennsylvania, now the University of Pittsburgh.
His subjects were Latin and Greek.
In writing of those days Professor Coffin gives an appreciative
estimate of Professor Ludden-"As to my estimate of Professor
Ludden my words may be prejudiced for he was my teacher in
my youth in Auburn, Maine, and we were happily associated for
about a quarter of a century in helping boys to successful work in
college. He was the best disciplinarian I have known, without losing the confidence and love of the students... Such was the
thoroughness of his work that several colleges accepted our grades
for entrance without further examination... Princeton reexamined our students, but I think no one of them failed there."
513ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Professor Coffin was for many years Secretary of the Faculty
Club of W.U.P.
To Professor and Mrs. Coffin were born five daughters and
one son. Of the daughters two, Mary Emma and Susie Gertrude
became physicians, the latter marrying a physician, Dr. F. F.
Crandall of Wooster, Ohio. Dr. Mary E. Coffin, after many years
absence returned to her birthplace and is a valued member of the
medical circle of Wilkinsburg Borough.
Alice Dunbar, the second daughter-Mrs. W. H. Kempton,
lives in Avon Park, Florida; Abbie Louise-Mrs. W. G. Heck,
makes her home in Knoxville, Pa. The fifth daughter, Julia
Evelyn-Mrs. J. W. Hollowell, died in 1921. The only son, Carole
Mayhew, died in 1895 when eleven years old.
Charles Ranson Coffin is the only one living today of that interesting group of men from New England, who had residence
in the village in the years after the Civil War. He was the youngest
of his co-brethren and now in advancing years his mind is full
of interests in the problems of the present day and a storehouse
of interesting events of the past. He recalls the book club of 1870
whose members were from Edgewood, Swissvale, East End and the
village. He speaks of the books-history, fiction and biographyread, discussed, and passed from member to member, and finally
disposed of at auction, the fund thus accumulated being used for
the purchase of new books. Of the entertainments given by its
members, and supervised by Professor Levi Ludden, to raise
funds for church needs. Outstanding among these was Mrs. Jarley's Wax Works. In this and in character sketches, given by
Baptists of the village, Edgewood and East End, some gained immortal fame, local though it may have been. There was an old
time spelling bee at which Mrs. Anna Marshall Wagley and Luke
B. Davison were left standing as single opponents, while the audience "stood with bated breath". Professor Ludden had given out
the words and when at long last Mr. Davison went down, he said
to the defeated one, "Mr. Davison, we might just as well have
stopped when Mrs. Wagley and you were left alone, for your gallantry would never allow you to spell down a lady." "No," Mr.
514CHARLES RANSON COFFIN
Davison said, "Mrs. Wagley won her honors fairly. I did not
know the word at all". To Mr. Ludden the reply seemed incredible. When Mr. Davison reached home he quickly consulted a dictionary, and was astonished to find the word one in common use.
He exclaimed, "Of course that is a familiar word to me, but I
did not recognize it with Ludden's Yankee accent."
Into such simple diversions as these the Grim Monster stalked
when the railroad wreck occurred at 28th Street, October 1o, 188o.
Death took its toll in Wilkinsburg and Edgewood homes and left
an enduring sorrow in the heart of "Our John Routh", the conductor of the "ill fated train". Are there many of his boys and
girls living today who remember him? With his huge hands, broad
face, high cheek bones and heavy eyelids he was homely indeed.
The children loved his teasing jokes and old ladies doted on him.
The trains were not many in his early day but one woman of
prominence would sit patiently in the uncomfortable station
house for hours, letting a train go by if it so happened, waiting for
"John's train" as she had confidence in no other. John Routh first
appeared at the Chalfant farm as a small barefooted boy. Kind
Mrs. Henry Chalfant, as quickly as her busy life would permit,
knit him the first socks he had ever worn, and he found a home on
the farm. He became postillion boy, riding the extra horses necessary to pull up the stagecoaches on the "awful hill," and "the hill
difficulty" on either side of Turtle Creek. Did he have the pleasure of bugling out the number of hungry guests coming to the
tavern in the valley?
On some trips the engineer of John's train rested on the sill
of his cabin waiting for the delayed signal to start, while John and
the brakeman helped a fat lady on her slow ascent up the steps
and waited until she had entered the cardoor sideways and was
established in a seat. "Step lively" was not in the vocabulary at
that time. (Note: Professor C. R. Coffin died January 16, 1940.)
Interesting as this book club and attendant features of 1870188o were, literary and debating clubs had been an early feature
of village life. In the 185o's, during the Old Academy regime,
515ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
there were flourishing and rival literary societies and lectures. A
lecture given February 25, 1858 by the Rev. J. M. Hastings and
preserved in pamphlet form is here noted. The subject of the lecture was "Woman-Her Sphere and Duties." In it the Reverend
gentleman proved most indubitably that woman's place was in the
home; her duties were obedience to her husband and the rearing
of children; her accomplishments, sewing, knitting, baking, cooking, etc. The following correspondence followed its delivery.
Beulah, March 12th, 1858.
Rev. J. M. Hastings.
Dear Sir:
We tender to you our most sincere thanks for the able
and practical Lecture prepared and delivered at our request, and
respectfully solicit the manuscript for publication, believing as
we do, that the truths and sentiments therein contained, pertaining to the "Sphere and Duties of Woman" should be extensively
circulated and approved.
Compliance with the above request, will be a source of
gratification to us in common with others.
Kate Miller
Ellen Q. McCrea,
Sidney A. Chalfant,
Martha J. Elder.
Kate Miller afterward became the third wife of Mr. Hastings.
Ellen Q. McCrea married John W. Chalfant; Martha J. Elder
married either Professor Fulton Hastings or W. W. Patrick, banker of Pittsburgh. While Sidney A. Chalfant, perhaps warned by
the code established for women of that period, and being of an
independent turn of mind, chose to remain single.
But years before this Mr. Hugh Boyd records in his diary, rare
evenings of debate on political, religious, and social questions, in
which James Kelly figured prominently. To Jane W. Boyd we are
indebted for little glimpses of the quiet, modest unostentatious
man, James Kelly, furnished by her uncle's diary. "He was against
intemperance and... worked hard to make Wilkinsburg a dry
town.... We discussed worthwhile topics and issues of the day.
516CHARLES RANSON COFFIN
October 7, 1845 James Kelly was chairman of a great Whig meeting at Reese's Hotel.... November io, 1845. Rev. Hannay here
for supper, Mr. Kelly comes and Dr. Carothers calls and all are
making all sorts of fuss about General Taylor being elected President of U.S.A."
At the time when the new version of Psalms was being introduced in Beulah: "Mr. Kelly here, he has much conversation
about Psalms and Government." Again: "Rev. Hannay, Mr. Kelly
and Mr. Nelson here, considerable discussion about the Seminary.
Mr. Kelly and Mr. Wallace against Rev. Hannay and myself."
This was the new Westminster Seminary (Westminster College)
which had its origin in Wilkinsburg. Later: "Board (Westminster Board) met at a late hour. 9 members present... Mr. Kelly
present and Mr. Crozier in the chair. After much deliberation and
some resolutions adjourned to meet in Allegheny Church. Building Committee appointed... Mr. Kelly is deeply interested in
church government and the new Westminster Seminary..."
James Kelly was a member of the famous debating group of long
ago composed of Hugh Boyd, Dr. James Carothers, Nathaniel
Nelson and others.
James Kelly's niece, Mrs. Sadie Kennedy Hare, gives an interesting glimpse of her uncle in the following reminiscence... "We
loved to visit at Uncle Kelly's house, and always tried to win his
approval, but alas! one day we failed. Wading in the run was a
delight to us town-bred girls. One day in harvest time a hay
wagon came along just as we stepped out of the water. A ride on
top of the hay was too tempting to be missed, so with shoes and
stockings in hand we climbed up the wagon. When we reached
the barn Uncle was standing near and as he helped us down his
face was grave as he said,'I would like to have my nieces always
dress and act like young ladies'."
Another picture of him is given by Mrs. A. S. Hunter: Mr.
Kelly and my father were warm friends. He was not a member of
the Covenanter Church, because he was deeply interested in politics, and our form of church government did not approve of the
ballot. But he attended church service regularly. On entering the
517McNAIRTOWN
William Elliott, the grandfather of William Peebles; then turning, the numbers ran eastward on the north side of Main Street
to the beginning point on the east.
Dunning McNair built his own log house on lot 96 on the north
side of Main Street "on a bluff" between the present Coal and
Mill Streets. He called it the "Crow's Nest".
The Crow's Nest has been located in widely separated districts
from the top of the present "Wilkinsburg Heights" to the former
Old Yellow Tavern at the corner of Penn and Braddock Aves.,
but the chain of Deed Book records proves indubitably that Dunning McNair's Crow's Nest occupied the situation given above.
The first deed given by Dunning McNair and his wife Ann
was to his brother David for a tract of 6oo acres, which included
ground of the adjoining tracts of "Isherwood" i.e. Edgewood, and
"Plainfield" adjoining "Africa" beyond the curve of the eastern
hill. The first deed for a village lot dated December 1, 1811,
recorded in Deed Book Vol. 19, page 167 for lot 29, was made to
Patrick Green, a soldier of the Revolution from Cumberland
County, Pennsylvania.
Later Patrick Green bought other lots, among them the ground
on which the tavern was built and which was known to many still
resident in the Borough as "Penn Avenue Hotel". A second deed
dated September 15, 1812 contains so many items of interest that
it is given here in full:
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS that we, Dunning
McNair and Ann McNair of Allegheny County, State of Pennsylvania, being vested with a complete and good Title and Deed for
a Tract of Land in Pitt Township of County and State aforesaid,
on part of which said Dunning McNair hath laid off a village,
called Wilkinsburgh, and hath this day for the consideration of
two hundred dollars sold unto Patrick Green Lots numbers
twenty-seven and twenty-eight in said village each containing in
front sixty-six feet and in depth two hundred sixty-four feet, with
the general privilege given said village of a coal pitt and ground
for a brick yard.
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said lots number twenty-seven
31ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
church he preceded his two daughters up the aisle where he kept
them waiting until he took from his pocket a large immaculately
clean white handkerchief with which he carefully dusted the pew.
Do these little fragments help to portray the character of the
man who gave so generously of his land and money to found
schools, churches and institutions for the care of the old and unfortunate? Of the man who donated so generously to the fitting
out of the "Kelly Guards", the Wilkinsburg volunteers of Company A, 63rd Regiment P.V.? Of the man who helped care for
those made widows and orphans by the Civil War? Can you picture the man who labored with his own hands on the farm and
in lime kilns and had foresight to value the growing worth of
land? Do you see him as "old Jimmie Kelly" or as the benefactor,
simple in his tastes, modest in self-estimation, intelligent in his
interests and knowledge of affairs-social, political, religious-an
eccentric, if you will, but James Kelly, a gentleman?
But still back in time we must go. Those early days in Dumpling Hall were not entirely devoted to conviviality, for these were
the days of the so-called Critical Period of our recently federated
government. In the distant east weighty problems were taxing
the wisdom and judgment of President Washington and the heads
of his cabinet, who designated as Secretaries had taken the place
of Committees at first tried, and now formed the President's Cabinet. No one had as responsible a duty as Alexander Hamilton,
Secretary of the Treasury, which had no money in it. His imposition of an excise tax and his defiance by the rugged men "in the
wilderness" of Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland and Allegheny Counties, is a tale which everyone knows very little about,
nor the tremendous significance of the questions involved.
But George Washington and Alexander Hamilton knew and
what is spoken of by some historians as the first attempt at secession was quelled and Western Pennsylvania and the opening
Northwest remained loyal to the Union. This question undoubtedly was discussed pro and con around the table of Dunning
McNair as he and his guests supped the beakers of toddy, the chief
ingredient of which had raised the row. The culminating year of
518The Reverend George Hodges1)r. Fltiltoii K. StotlerTHE CAROTHERS FAMILY
this difficulty was 1794. During this same period an effort was
being made to drive the marauding Indians from this and the new
Northwestern territory. After efforts, which were met by defeat,
under General Harmar and General St. Clair, "Mad" Anthony
Wayne said to President Washington, "Send me", and in Pittsburgh he organized his troops called the "Legion of America",
which at the battle of Fallen Timbers, Ohio, finally freed a
part of this district from Indian attacks. James Horner's farm on
the Frankstown Road was used as a drill ground by General
Wayne. Army officers stationed here, during these two events and
frequently entertained by Colonel McNair, may have given rise
to the statement made by his descendants that Dumpling Hall
was the headquarters of President Washington during these stirring events, but George Washington came only to Bedford and
then returned to Carlisle, Pa.
Questions like these were debated around the hearth of Colonel
Dunning McNair in Dumpling Hall one hundred and fortythree years ago. But it is radio time for news-news of what? War?
Warl War! (Note: Professor C. R. Coffin died January, 1940.)
[14]
THE CAROTHERS FAMILY
SAMUEL McELROY, JR.
THE time of the incorporation of the Borough, David MaxA  well was Postmaster. This office he held until 1890 when
James D. Carothers succeeded him as the first appointed postmaster of the Borough. There was no mistake made in the selection
of James Davison Carothers for this office.
Mention has been made of the Scotch Carothers, their loyalty
to King David, their family seat in Carothers Castle in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, whose ruins still stand near the town of Annan.
About 1720 a James Carothers followed the usual course of emigration from Scotland to Northern Ireland. In 1765 the four
519ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
children of the Scottish emigrant to Ireland came to America
and settled in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. There were
twin brothers in this group, James and Andrew, who married
sisters, Nancy and Mary Neely. James came West in the command of General John Armstrong and took part in the victorious
battle against the Indians at Kittanning Point. After the close of
the French and Indian War, James Carothers settled in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, on a farm called The Loop. He was
twice married and had a family of fourteen children. Charles,
one of the fourteen, came to Allegheny County about 1800oo and
bought a farm near Turtle Creek. He attended Beulah Church
where he served as elder and precentor. He had four sons, Robert, James, William and Charles, and one daughter, Ellen.
In 1836 Charles Carothers, Sr., and his oldest son, Robert,
went out from Beulah Church, where both were elders, and joined with thirty-seven others in organizing the Presbyterian Church
of Cross Roads at Monroeville. In the quiet graveyard surrounding the present beautiful church, father and son and many of
their descendants sleep.
James and Charles II settled in the village. James studied medicine and was the first resident physician in the village. He married
Matilda Graham, the second daughter of the Reverend James
Graham, and in 1833 bought two lots from James Kelly, situated
on the southeast corner of the Pike at Wood Street, on which he
built a large central hall house-"most elegantly furnished"which was torn down over fifty years ago to make place for Caldwell and Graham's store building. His brother, Charles II, who
had married Eliza McCowan, bought and opened a general store.
Charles II and Eliza McCowan Carothers had one son, James
Davison, who was named for "Uncle Doctor" and for Thomas
Davison, his father's friend; and two daughters, Mary who married Henry W. Sumner, and Margaret who married James W. F.
Beatty. Both Dr. James and Charles Carothers II were elders in
Beulah, and the latter also precentor. James D. Carothers married
Olevia J. Johnston.
They had three children, viz:
52oTHE CAROTHERS FAMILY
Harry McMillan (married Elizabeth Schee of Anson, Missouri).
Ella M. (married Curtis A. Graham).
Charles M. "not married-yet".
Despite his ancient lineage, which generates a certain family
pride, James D. Carothers believed most emphatically that what
a man is, rather than what his forefathers were, is the essential
thing to help the world along. With head upright, always ready to
sing (for the Carothers from early times were singers), with a firm,
rapid step, and with honest intentions, he went out to meet what
the day might bring forth.
As Postmaster he soon installed an able assistant in the person
of his son, Charles, who shortly astonished the buyers of stamps
by placing this sign at the side of the window-"Lick your own
stamps."
James D. Carothers was a deep-dyed Republican. In his allegiance to this political party he was ably supported by a friend
whose political sentiments were similar and as definitely pronounced. This was Samuel McElroy, Jr., who had settled in the
village in 1880.
SAMUEL McELROY, Jr.
Samuel McElroy, Jr., was born in Pittsburgh of Scotch-Irish
parents, who believed that a knowledge of the Bible, of the doctrines of Presbyterianism, and of the Westminster Shorter Catechism were as necessary a part of an education as the three R's.
Their son all his life was an earnest student of the Bible, and
served as Superintendent of the Sunday School of the First Presbyterian Church of the village for a period.
During the Civil War Samuel McElroy, Jr., tried three times
to enlist but was refused as his service at home as foreman of
McIntosh-Hemphill  Company in boring cannon was considered
more useful than service on the field. His daughter, Mrs. Martha
McElroy Allison, writes with pride, "My father helped to form
the Republican Party in old Lafayette Hall, and was always loyal
to the G.O.P." He was elected to the legislature in 1878 which,
at that time, was an honor in Pennsylvania. During his term in
521ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Harrisburg he was instrumental in having Bill  ol passed that
put Neville Island Dam in the Ohio River, resulting in greatly
improved navigation.
His term at Harrisburg was followed by a long, tedious illness
of typhoid fever, after which Mr. McElroy settled in Wilkinsburg
and opened the first store devoted exclusively to the sale of drugs
and the filling of prescriptions, for which he was prepared by a
course of study in pharmacy. His store was decorated with the red,
blue, green, yellow, and orange lights then used to designate its
character.
His politics were made known by a large tin coon which was
attached to the building. On one occasion a torch light procession,
augmented by political sympathizers who marched out from
Lawrenceville, honored him by marching past his store, which
was decorated by lights of many colors and flags, amid which the
tin coon shone with splendor. With the aid of a brass band it was
a great night for little Wilkinsburg. Mr. McElroy served on the
school board in the transition years, and suggested progressive
measures which he did not live to see accomplished. He died July
30, 1889.                *      
When on June 13, 1870, the Volunteer Fire Department of
Pittsburgh was replaced by an organization of paid men, Samuel
McElroy's brother, John H. McElroy, became the first paid fire
chief. On the board of officers he was ranked as engineer.
As Superintendent of the Pittsburgh Gas Company, now the
Philadelphia Gas Company, John H. McElroy received a salary
of $3oo0, then considered one of the highest paid in the city.
And here seems a fitting place to present the all too short sketch
of the first volunteer fire department of the village.
Charles W. Hutchinson, who moved from Allegheny to the
Ward House, Penn Avenue, in 1883, and later lived on South
Avenue and Mulberry Street, was captain of the Volunteer Hook
and Ladder Company when it was organized about 1885 or'86.
Leet Eagye was assistant chief.
522TELEPHONE SERVICE PRIOR TO 1889
After several years of answering the gong, which was in the
homes of the volunteers, Mr. Hutchinson felt that a younger man
should undertake the strenuous duties of chief. Thereupon, Mr.
Carskaddon became chief and Mr. Hutchinson took the position
of assistant chief.
A few years later Leet Eagye became the chief, and Mr. Hutchinson continued as assistant.
Jonas Johnston, who had a livery stable on Ross Avenue near
Hay Street, volunteered the use of his horses on condition that no
one but himself should drive them to the fires.
[ 15]
TELEPHONE SERVICE PRIOR TO 1889
TELEPHONE service from the Wilkinsburg office was opened
in 1889. Service prior to this time was given through the
East Liberty office. The original subscribers through the East
Liberty office were the following:
Peoples Natural Gas Company, Wilkinsburg, Pa.
Union Switch and Signal Company, Swissvale, Pa.
Mute School, Edgewood, Pa.
Sol Schoyer, Swissvale, Pa.
R. P. Duff, Hawkins Station
John Dalzell, Hawkins Station
Frank Kitzmiller, Hawkins Station
A. T. Rowand, Edgewood, Pa.
John Caldwell, Edgewood, Pa.
H. H. Westinghouse, Edgewood, Pa.
Brace Bros., Park Place, Pgh.
Frank Moore, Braddock Ave., Pgh.
T. D. Turner, Wilkinsburg
W. R. Stephens, M.D., Wilkinsburg
James Wilson, Wilkinsburg
Brown  Hackett, Wilkinsburg
C. P. Smith, Wilkinsburg
523ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
[16]
SOME QUEER CHARACTERS
AND BELIEFS
Ml AUCH has been said about the mud of Wilkinsburg and
rightly so for it was really very fine mud of its kind. But
there was another feature in the village quite as marked as mud
but not so frequently noted. This second feature was the freedom
of the cows in the streets and, not infrequently, on the sidewalks.
In every small town there are characters prized for their original actions or methods of speech. One of this class was John Davis
Horner. He was a small man, short of stature, light in weight, and
exceedingly quick in motion both in body and brain. It has -been
previously mentioned that he was one of the two sons of John and
Mary Means Horner who enlisted at the opening of the Civil War,
and served until its close. For a time he seems to have remained
in the West, where his older brother, James, was in business, and
then came back to his mother's home and lived in Wilkinsburg
the rest of his life.
The strongest bond of affection existed between Davis and his
sister Matilda, who was his guardian angel. He never tired of
making her the butt of his practical jokes and the leading character in his imaginative tales. To these she had but one means of
retaliation-it was to hide his shoes.
He was a great favorite with children; well-bred ones were
taught to address him as Mr. Davis, but in the intimacy of play
among themselves they sometimes lapsed into "Dave." Mr. Davis
was the raconteur of the village. His tales were often of valorous
help rendered to fair ladies, and on such occasions his language
took on the tone of knights, and courts, and romance.
One day a village lady was visited by unexpected guests. She
had no meat in the house, and no one to send out to get it but
her very small daughter, who was desperately afraid of cows. The
mother in her desire to have her table well supplied wrote a note
524SOME QUEER CHARACTERS AND BELIEFS
to the "meat man" and, forgetting her child's fear, sent her on the
errand. All went well until the child almost reached home. Now
let Mr. Davis take up the story:
"One afternoon I sat before a glowing fire musing on the adventurous past when a scream pierced the peaceful quiet of my
surroundings. Again it came and I recognized it as a female voice;
yes, the voice of one in distress. I hastened to don my shoes-gonel
Drat the women! My costume will soon be reduced to that of a
cat's panties! No wise daunted I rushed out and, turning the
corner, my eyes rested on a little one on the opposite side of the
street. On seeing me she screamed'Dave Horner, you Dave Horner!' Dave Horner to me-Dave to me-to me-but to the rescue!
Crossing the muddy street I found our little Caddie standing with
a beef steak hanging at her side, eyes streaming, and face swollen
with grief-. On seeing a rescuer approach she crumpled up with a
moan.'Oh, you Dave Horner, come, come here and kill this bull!'
Looking onward in the near distance, barring the way, quietly
chewing her cud, and switching her tail I met the surprised gaze
of one of the town's old cows."
Many grey-haired men and women of today, and even those of
a younger generation can tell interesting stories of driving the
cows to and from pasture in fields that are now closely built over
with handsome houses. A favorite field was the present 700 block
on the north side of Hill Avenue. Here stood an old, old oak tree
bathing its roots in one of the deep springs for which the hill side
was noted, and casting a shade for the afternoon siesta of the cows.
Even after the incorporation of the borough and the passage
of sanitary laws, there was indulgence and favoritism shown to
some few old residents in regard to their cows.
An interesting account of one so favored is given by her granddaughter:
"As the town grew and the fields became building lots, boys
were hired to walk the cows out of town to graze. Black's pasture
on the Wm. Penn Highway finally became the nearest pasture
land that could be rented. Many people will still remember
grandma walking out to the street, her little shawl over her head,
525COPYRIGHT 1-940,Y'TIIE GROUP FOR HISTORICAL RESEARCH
WILKINSBURG, PA.
PRINTED IN US.A.
BY DAVIS  WARDE, INC., PITTSBURGH, PA.ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
and twenty-eight and adjoining Lewis Suttonfield on the east, for
the consideration of the aforesaid sum of two hundred dollars to
him the said Patrick Green, his heirs, Executors, Administrators
and assigns, will warrant and defend by these presents to the said
Patrick Green forever. To the right property and interest in said
lots with the privileges hereinbefore stated of the use of the coal
pit and brick yard, and the said Dunning McNair doth covenant
promise and agree to and with the said Patrick Green, to warrant
and defend the aforesaid lots numbers twenty-seven and twentyeight, and the priviledges thereunto annexed to the aforesaid
Patrick Green, his heirs forever.
IN TESTIMONY whereof we have hereunto set our hands and
seals this fifteenth day of September in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred  twelve.
Witness                              Dunning McNair (Seal)
John Thompson Jun.                   Ann McNair       (Seal)
Received the within consideration of two hundred dollars in
full the day and year above.
Witness William Wallace          Dunning McNair
James Reed.
Be it remembered that on this twenty-first day of September
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twelve,
before me James Horner, Esquire, a Justice of the peace in and
for Pitt Township, Allegheny County, came the within named
Dunning McNair and Ann his wife and acknowledged the with
conveyance to be their act and deed and desired the same may
be recorded as such, she the said Ann being of full age and on
being secretly and apart from her husband by me examined
voluntarily consenting thereto.
Witness my hand and seal the day and year aforesaid.
Js. HORNER (Seal)
Recorded 21st Sept. A. D. 1812, Vol. 18, page 220.
Noteworthy in this document are the following itemsi. The assurance of McNair of being vested with a complete and
good title.
32ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
looking up the hill to see if the boy with the cows was in sight
when it came along about milking time; for next to her interest
in her family, was her garden and her cows. Up until several days
before her death in 1918, she milked her one remaining cow
which she had been allowed to keep in a little stable at the end of
her lot, on what is now Stoner Way. The Borough officials must
have permitted this violation of zoning rules because of her long
residence in the community.
"She may have been considered eccentric by some, for the manner of her dress, and the fact that she never wanted her old home
changed. She chose to use oil lamps, coal fires and water from the
well outside her door, as long as she lived. Like many old people,
fixed in their habits, she seemed to enjoy doing things in the hard
way."
The maiden name of this independent woman was Sarah
Catherine Snyder, born in 1832. In 1862, Catherine Snyder married Simon Sarver who was from the region now known as Kennywood Park. At the time of their marriage they purchased a plot
of land from James Kelly-the upper end of the looo block on
Ross Avenue, through to Penn Avenue with Swissvale Avenue
the eastern boundary.
All this land has since been sold except the lot on which they
built their house at 1023 Ross Avenue which is still (1938) in
possession of and occupied by their only surviving son, George
Elmer Sarver.
Mrs. Sarver was one of the twelve children of John Snyder and
his wife, who settled in Wilkinsburg about 1836. John Snyder
bought ground situated on the southwest side of the present Ross
and Mill Streets, extending through to South Avenue. At that
time and for many years afterwards there was a deep ravine on
the eastern side of Mill Street through which a branch of Nine
Mile Run coursed its way to the river.
This run was useful to Mr. Snyder in operating his business of
butcher in an old stone slaughter house standing on the eastern
side of the stream near to South Avenue. The stream was also
used by the boys of several generations as "The Ole Swimmin'
526SOME QUEER CHARACTERS AND BELIEFS
Hole" and the good meat furnished by John Snyder never reconciled them to the change of hue in the usual clear water on their
"day off"-Saturday morning.
But the distinguishing feature of John Snyder was not his
brick house, with its hospitable benches outside, perched above
the ravine; nor the old strong stone house below on the water,
nor his numerous children, but it was in the practice of a belief
that has come down through generations of a class of people
known as "Pennsylvania Dutch". Among these were some sects
famed for their superstitious beliefs and practices who claimed
to be able to cast spells or avert misfortunes by incantations, signs
and strange power; but there was none of that sort of thing in the
Snyder family.
Be that as it may, John Snyder was called into many homes at
times of illness, for he and his family were known for their neighborliness and willingness to help in any sort of distress. A grandson states that when he was a small boy he often accompanied his
grandfather, who, in response to a request, would drive miles into
the country to blow fire over one who had been burned or to
"strike flint" over one with the then rather common disease
erysipelas.
There were other strange practices to heal various ailments,
but these were always used with a scriptural formula and forming of signs. Some herb medicine very often aided in the cure.
This knowledge was passed down from one generation to the
next, transmitted by word of mouth from a member of one sex to
a younger member of the opposite sex. Mrs. Sarver, having learned from her father, practiced this belief. Older town people of
early days attested to her particular success in the removing of
growths when the moon was new.
Astrological signs were understood but of all the heavenly
bodies the moon was supposed to exert the greatest influence.
There were many planting rules on which the moon was brought
to bear and Mrs. Sarver always attributed her success in her flower
garden to the rigid following of them.
She had great faith in an old Almanac and also in the efficiency
527ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
of Bible verses selected by chance to aid when decisions were to
be made. Strange as these customs may seem, let us not be
hasty in our judgments on this father and daughter, for do we
not, Scotch-Irish as well as those of German stock, often quote
superstitions and unconsciously believe in them?
JOHN and ELLEN CLELAND
Many people are familiar with the remark of a self satisfied Quaker to a friend: "All the world is queer but thee and me, Joshua,
and sometimes I think thee is a little queer."
There may not have been even the one implied exception in
Old Wilkinsburg, for there were certainly many grades of queerness manifested by the worthy residents. Among the characters
thus marked were a brother and sister, John and Ellen Cleland.
They lived in a brick house of one room and small kitchen
down stairs and one bedroom above. The house had never been
completed, as a door opening from the upper bedroom into outer
space testified. This house stood on a lot 66 x 264 feet situated between the Horner property on the east and the Lacock blacksmith
shop on the west.
John wore a broad-brim-Amish-like hat as he went about his
business, which was driving a coal wagon. The shop next door was
a convenient loafing place for John, and was well placed for
Ellen's observant eye on his doings; for, according to Ellen, "John
was queer"
Ellen always wore a quilted woolen hood, tied under her chin,
summer and winter. The heat of it never seemed to disturb her
any more than the fire in the grate kept burning in the "room"
through the rounds of the seasons. Ellen baked bread for certain
families, great fat crusty loaves which, spread with butter and
"Grandma's apple butter", was the Wilkinsburg youngsters' feast
of the gods. Not everyone could buy Ellen's bread. She had her
own idea of exclusiveness, but anyone could buy her yeast. The
yeast was kept in a- large jug in a small "dug-out" under the
kitchen, the entrance to which was through a trap-door in the
center of the kitchen floor. The descent to this cave of Avernus
528SOME QUEER CHARACTERS AND BELIEFS
was a hazardous one. Lifting the trapdoor, Ellen lowered a threelegged stool to the dug-out floor; to the stool she then descended,
and steadied herself with one hand while she lighted the candle
waiting on the kitchen floor. With it in hand, and the customer's
jar under her arm, she completed her descent. No two youngsters,
even the most daring, and the village was not lacking in this kind,
could ever agree as to which corner she resorted for the lonely jug.
Other yeast jugs sometimes exploded, but Ellen's jug was trained
to silence. When she reappeared, the jar was placed on the kitchen
floor. She then mounted the stool, on which she waited to blow
out the candle and snuff the wick, and as she swung herself to the
upper region, she remarked: "Other people charge two cents for a
risin' but I put a leetle pinch of ginger in mine and must have
three".
Ellen was the information bureau of her section of the town,
and her chief confidantes were "Miss Tilly", her next door neighbor, and "Mrs. Preacher Hunter", living diagonally across the
street. No neighbor ever saw Ellen go away from home, but she
was informed of all the events that took place in the village, as
well as of many that did not.
Another queer character, before emptying her bag of gossip,
would explain, "I had a talk with the Devil this morning and he
told me...." Whether Ellen's sometimes startling tales came from
the same source is not known, but Mr. A. S. Hunter says that
when Ellen appeared her mother always said, "Run out now and
play Tishie" and this, no matter how bad she had been just before.
One day John, in the fiftieth year of his age, escaped Ellen's
observant eye and brought home a bride. Ellen's indignation was
at the boiling point as she announced the nuptials. With a hopeless shake of her head she said, "But John always was a fool."
Not long after this "Miss Tilly" heard that Mary (Mrs. John
Cleland) was not well. Gelatine was being introduced into the
village as a novelty, and "Miss Tilly", with her over-flowing spirit
of kindliness, made a bowl of it and took it over to Mary. About
two hours later Ellen appeared at the Horner door with the bowl
in her hand, and explained: "I gave it to Mary and she couldn't
529ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
eat it; then I gave it to John and he wouldn't, he just said'You eat
it yourself' but I didn't want it, so I tried it on the dog, and he
just sniffed at it, so I'm bringing it back to you."
John and Mary are faded out of the picture, but Ellen remains.
She had refuge, in her later years, in the Home for Aged Protestant Women, where, no doubt, the "leetle bit of ginger" took a
new form and added spice to her tales, while in the place that
formerly knew her, Ellen was missed.
Nor must we forget "Eliza", the milk-woman. Rain or shine,
heat or cold, sick or well, Eliza appeared, exactly at the time due,
with the milk and definite information about the weather.
"That's a fine morning", or "That's a rainy day" or "That's a
cold wind", or "That's a hot sun", and one could always depend
on the self-evident truth of her statements.
There was a self respect in these humble folks in doing well
this "one thing I do"; even the colored ash man attended strictly
to his job, as the following story attests: Zack and his skin and
bone horse were passing down the street one morning with a few
ashes in the cart. As he passed a house near the railroad, an upstairs window was hastily raised and a woman's voice excitedly
called, "Man, man, take that dead dog away from my pavement".
Zack looked down to the designated place but slowly pursued his
way, as he explained, "Lady, I'se not in de dead dawg biz'ness dis
mawnen".
The men of the town were averse to progress it has been said,
but there was one citizen there whose aversion took a practical
turn. This was Feather. Feather was Miss Matilda Horner's little
white dog, so fat it could hardly walk. When the street cars first
began running along Wood Street it was Feather's habit, if she
could escape from the house, to take a seat on the track much to
the disturbance of breakfast tables in the adjoining houses. For,
when a car stopped abruptly, every child ran to the rescue of
Feather. Every trade or occupation has its technical language they
say; profanity, for example, was associated with blacksmithing,
but when Feather stopped the wheels of progress, the air turned
530JOHN WESLEY BEATTY
blue with the maledictions and there was no blacksmith in sight
"neither".
To keep Feather from becoming too obese "Mr. Davis" took
her with him when he went up Penn Avenue to John Stevenson's
grocery store. On the way they passed a feed store where the clerk
made a great fuss over the dog. "Mr. Davis" had many friends
with whom he stopped to exchange his customary civilities, and
it was not until he was turned toward home that he realized that
Feather was missing. When he reached the feed store he inquired
of the clerk, "Did you see Feather? I can't find that dog anywhere
and I can't go home without her. I'll give any person fifty cents
who'll set me on the track of that dog." He was advised to go back
to Stevenson's and look around a bit, which he did. When he returned, Feather, who had been hidden in a bin in the back of the
feed store, had been released and the fifty cents was paid. "Mr.
Davis" in telling of his anxious search would always say: "that
man up at the feed store is the d---t man I ever saw to find little
dogs."
[17]
JOHN WESLEY BEATTY
OHN WESLEY BEATrY was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
July 8, 1851.
While the Beatty family originally came from Ayrshire, Scotland, it was from a beautiful part of County Down, the Town-land
of Ballyworphy, in North Ireland, that John W. Beatty's grandfather and his father, who was then a child, came to America in
1828.
John Wesley Beatty never saw the beautiful country in Ireland
from which his family came but it is interesting to know that all
through his life the aspect of nature he sought out especially to
enjoy and to paint was the very character of landscape to be found
in that part of Ireland.
John Wesley Beatty's father was the Richard Beatty who came
531ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
as a child to Pittsburgh about 1828, and his mother was Elizabeth
Wilson. When John was a little boy the family moved to Wilkinsburg.
John early became interested in drawing and eagerly sought
instruction and help from every available source. He used to recount those early efforts and to recall how excited he was as a lad
when some gentleman lent him from his library a book on the
technique of draughtsmanship. He copied and transcribed all
that he could of it. He also often referred to the eagerness with
which each issue of Harper's Monthly was awaited during those
years and what a wealth of valuable material for the young student of art it provided. In fact, all his life he kept the bound
volumes of that magazine and enjoyed looking through them.
There was not a great deal of help for a young student of art to
be found in Pittsburgh in those days. But by the first of January,
1874, when he would have been twenty-three years old, he must
have become an efficient engraver since he entered into an agreement at that time to work for the firm of J. R. Reed Company.
Quaint and interesting records of his pen show the direction
of his effort during that period-an old Balloon Almanac, with
amusing illustrations that he made; illustrated articles-and precise, painstaking drawings of all kinds.
During those early years a friendship grew up between John W.
Beatty and another young Pittsburgher, John W. Alexander,
that lasted all their lives and that was a source of great happinessto both men.
Writing of that friendship later in life, Mr. Beatty recalled
Alexander as a youth of seventeen, "graceful and joyous, established in a small studio in Pittsburgh together with another young
artist, Robert Burns Wilson". He remembered the two lads as
they pushed off from the shore in a tiny boat for a romantic inland voyage down the beautiful Ohio river. And again he referred
to a journey he and Alexander made one June to Ligonier where
they sketched. John Alexander left Pittsburgh to go to New
York, to work for the firm of Harper Brothers about the time
John Beatty was engaged to work for the firml of J. R. Reed Co.
532JOHN WESLEY BEATTY
In 1876 John Beatty went to Munich, Bavaria, and was enrolled
as a student at the Academy of Fine Arts. A year later his friend
Alexander arrived in Munich also. There, in association with
other art students, seeing and studying the great works of art in
the National Galleries of Germany, and stimulated by contacts
and imnpressions not to be found at that time in Pittsburgh or even
in America, Mr. Beatty's talent developed. After winning special
commendation for his "Plough-boy's Reverie" at the Munich Exposition, he was elected to membership in the National Academy
of Bavaria. This opportunity for study was all too short, and, recalled by responsibilities at home, the young man returned to
Wilkinsburg where his family then lived.
He opened a studio in Pittsburgh and continued to give his
time and effort to the study and practice of art. Many early
sketches, studies and paintings belong to that period of his life.
His perseverance and energy were indefatigable.
On December 12, 1883 he married Cora B. Hamnett, whose
home was also in Wilkinsburg. They had four children, Helen
M., John W. Jr., William H., and Katharine Elizabeth.
In 1887 he became principal of the Pittsburgh Art School and
held that position for eight years, during which he continued to
paint. During those years his subjects were for the most part
scenes from American farm life. In 1885 he painted "Return to
Labor" which was purchased by John Caldwell; and during the
years that followed his canvases took their places in the private
collections of H. H. Westinghouse, H. C. Frick, Charles M.
Schwab and many others. An etching of the painting "Return to
Labor" which he made was published by Frederick Kepple c
Company in 1888. His drawings appeared from time to time during those early years in the London Graphic, The Art Journal,
and Harper's and Scribner's Monthly Magazines.
In 1891 Mr. Beatty was instrumental in bringing to Pittsburgh
an exhibition of paintings by the Russian painter, Vassille Verestchagin, which was held at Carnegie Hall in Allegheny. This was
an unusual event for the Pittsburgh of that day, and Mr. Beatty's
first civic enterprise.
533ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
In 1895, as Secretary of the Pittsburgh Art Society, he was invited by the Trustees of the Carnegie Library of Allegheny to
assemble a loan collection of paintings to be exhibited on the
occasion of the dedication of that building; and in 1896 he was
appointed a life member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie
Library of Pittsburgh.
Immediately following this appointment he was elected Director of Fine Arts of the Carnegie Institute, Mr. Carnegie's gift
to the people of Pittsburgh. At that time there was not even the
nucleus of a public collection of works of art in Pittsburgh, nor
was the city generally regarded as a favorable field in which to
promote and develop an interest in the Fine Arts.
Under Mr. Beatty's direction and leadership the foundations of
a great institute of art were laid. The first building of the Carnegie Institute, dedicated in 1897, comprised very handsome galleries for the exhibition of paintings, and that year a most notable
loan collection of paintings was presented. It at once established
the new institute of art on the highest plane, and its director as
an able man.
While annual exhibitions of American paintings were at that
time held in various American cities, no exhibition of an international character was held annually then, nor is such an exhibition held even now, elsewhere in America. It remained for the
Carnegie Institute under Mr. Beatty's Directorship to inaugurate
an undertaking that was of great service to art in America and
that also established this museum as of international importance.
This would not have been true but for the high standard established for these exhibitions from the first. Mr. Beatty secured the
help of the most eminent painters not only in this country but
abroad, where, in England, France, Germany and other countries advisory committees were organized, through Mr. Beatty's
efforts, that comprised the most eminent artists of that day. The
International Exhibitions at Pittsburgh became famous and
gained each year in prestige and importance. Meanwhile the permanent collection of paintings was being established, and other
collections begun. With the enlargement of the building in 1907,
534johni WV. BeattyMcNAIRTOWN
2. The name of Wilkinsburg spelled with an "h" appearing in
1812, and
3. The "privilege" of a coal pitt.
4. The use of ground for a brick kiln.
5. "Adjoining Lewis Suttonfield".
6. The price of a lot $100oo.oo for 66x264 ft.
7. The testimony of James Horner in regard to Mrs. McNair"She the said Ann being of full age and on being secretly and
apart from her husband by me examined voluntarily consenting thereto".
Js. Horner
Recorded Sep. 21 A. D. 1812
Vol. 18, p. 220.
(The D. B. number 18 shows that the first purchase by Green of
lot 29, although preceding that of 27 8c 28, was not recorded until
later than this second purchase.)
In regard to item No. 1 "being vested with a complete and
good title"; In order to help finance and develop his large real
estate holdings Dunning McNair borrowed from the managers
of the Pennsylvania Population Company $22,560.50 and executed a mortgage to said corporation to secure the same, dated Dec.
23, 1797 recorded in Deed Book Vol. 7, p. 387, thus in the sale of
lots he was giving title to mortgaged property.
These transactions took place before the examination of land
titles, so that the purchasers of land in McNairstown depended on
the good faith of Dunning McNair. He, no doubt, was banking
optimistically on the future but was caught in the panic following the War of 1812, and was unable to make true his statement,
"being vested with a complete and good title".
"His good was mainly an intent
His evil not of forethought done
The work he wrought was rarely meant
Or finished as begun".
Item 3. "The privilege of a coal pitt". The location of this pit
is not known, but it is probable that Coal Street was so named
33JOHN WESLEY BEATTY
galleries for Architectural and Sculptural casts were included and
a Print Department. The educational work of the Department of
Fine Arts grew in scope and importance and lectures on art were
given in the galleries for visitors and for groups of school children.
During these years Mr. Beatty had a unique opportunity to
study and know modern art. He travelled extensively both in this
country and abroad in the interests of the annual exhibitions and
there were comparatively few eminent painters in the world
whom he did not know personally.
With the increasing reputation of the Department of Fine Arts
of the Carnegie Institute in the field of Fine Arts, and the confidence and respect that Mr. Beatty commanded among his fellow
artists, honors came in increasing number. He had served on the
Jury on Paintings for the World's Fair at Chicago in 1893; he now
served on National Advisory Board for the Paris Exposition in
go1900o; on the Fine Arts Committee for the St. Louis Exposition in
1894; for the Buffalo Exposition in 19go01; and for the San Francisco Exposition in 1915. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the American Federation of Art; a member of the
American Institute of Graphic Arts; Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, London; the Pittsburgh Artists Association; and an honorary member of the Pittsburgh Photographer's Society and of the Guild of Boston Artists.
It was through the efforts of Mr. Beatty that the Pittsburgh Art
Commission was established and he was the first president of that
Commission.
He was given the Honorary Degree of Master of Arts by the
Western University of Pennsylvania, now the University of Pittsburgh, in 19oo, and the Honorary Degree of Master of Arts by
Princeton University in 1914. In recognition of his services to International Art, the French Government in 1921 decorated him
with the Cross of the Legion of Honor.
During the years before he became Director of the Department
of Fine Arts at Carnegie Institute, and for the fifteen years succeeding that, Mr. Beatty's reputation as a painter was not extended. This may be accounted for, at least in part, by the fact that
535ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
prior to that time he did not exhibit at any of the large exhibitions although he painted some twenty-five works. These were all
sold in Pittsburgh and found their way into the private collections of the city without having been shown outside that city.
Thus it happened that when in 1909, after years of intense activity
as Director at the Carnegie Institute that allowed little leisure for
personal work, he painted a picture entitled "Plymouth Hills"
during a few holiday hours, and sent it to the National Academy
of Design's exhibition in the spring of 19lo, he really made his
first public appearance as a painter. He received within the few
weeks following letters of congratulation from more than forty
distinguished fellow painters, and at the conclusion of the exhibition the painting was purchased by William T. Evans for the
National Gallery of Art at Washington where it now is. This
painting was later exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art at
Washington, the Chicago Art Institute, the American Gallery at
the Exposition at Rome in 1912, at the Anglo-American Exposition in London in 1914, and during that same year would have
appeared at the Royal Scottish Academy at Edinburgh but for the
outbreak of the war.
Following the exhibition of "Plymouth Hills" in 191o, few if
any important annual exhibitions of paintings were held in
America in which he was not represented.
Mr. Beatty published in connection with special exhibitions
held at Carnegie Institute many essays on the subject of Art. "An
Appreciation of Augustus St. Gaudens" in 1909; "John W. Alexander: A Few Words of Appreciation" in 1916; "The Modern Art
Movement" and other essays. He published three lessons on the
appreciation of Art for young people. In 1922 Mr. Beatty published a book entitled "The Relation of Art to Nature". He left
in manuscript form at the time of his death a record of his friendship with Winslow Homer that will be published as a part of an
important book on Winslow Homer.
In 1922 MIr. Beatty was retired and made Director Emeritus of
the Department of Fine Arts of Carnegie Institute.
He died on September 29, 1924 at Clifton Springs, New York.
536JOHN WESLEY BEATTY
RESOLUTION UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED AT A MEETING OF
THE COMMITTEE ON FINE ARTS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF
THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTE
HELD SEPTEMBER 29, 1924
"Leaders in high endeavor impress their personalities upon the
communities in which they live, to such extent as they have
labored for the common welfare.
Therefore, when a man dies whose daily tasks for over a quarter
of a century have been consecrated to the ennoblement of his
community we who remembered him are faced with a poignant
sense of personal loss.
John W. Beatty was recognized not only by Pittsburgh but by
the world as one who in honor and respect led those about him
towards a wider understanding of the beauty of life.
Few men have had his privilege of knowing intimately so many
of the world's interpreters of beauty, its fine artists. Fewer have
shared with the world about them as he did the knowledge thus
gained of the things of the spirit.
His name will always be identified with the Department of Fine
Arts of the Carnegie Institute as the leader who by fine judgment
and diligent and steadfast adherence to the highest standards
raised this department of Fine Arts to a position unsurpassed in
America.
The Permanent Collection bears the indelible imprint of his
high artistic ideals and fine discrimination.
His cordial personality, his artistic nature, his fine sense of
humor, his abilities both as a speaker and a writer, and his loyalty
to his institution are qualities never to be forgotten. Therefore,
we, the members of the Trustees Committee on the Department
of Fine Arts, and the Director, desire to express our profound
regret at his death."            Signed
Taylor Allderdice.  J. D. Hailman.
W. S. Arbuthnot.   Howard Heinz.
S. H. Church.     Andrew W. Mellon.
Josiah Cohen.     John L. Porter.
Herbert Dupuy.    A. Bryan Wall.
William Frew.     Homer Saint Gaudens, Director.
537ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
"Mr. John W. Beatty's name should be enshrined among those who
have sacrificed themselves to uplift the cause of the Arts among the
people, than which no greater contribution can be made."
BENNO JANSSEN
[1i8]
THE STRUGGLE FOR
BOROUGH INCORPORATION
FOREWORD
T  WENTY-FIVE years ago, at the Silver Anniversary of Wilkinsburg's incorporation as a Borough, the writer of the present
article was requested by the committee in charge to prepare a
paper entitled "The Borough Organization and Administration",
which appeared in the "Souvenir Book-Silver Anniversary" distributed during the celebration.
From the subject assigned for the present article it is obvious
that the writer must in large measure repeat here the story told in
the Silver Anniversary book. However, the facts connected with
the incorporation of the Borough were fresher in the writer's
memory twenty-five years ago than they are at this distance of
fifty years. Besides, the great majority of participants in the first
celebration who read this story as then published are either dead
or living elsewhere than in the Borough. A new generation has
come on the scene, most of whom know nothing of the circumstances attending the creation of the Borough. For these reasons,
the writer feels justified in drawing liberally, as he has done, on
the material of his former article.
CONDITIONS PRIOR TO INCORPORATION
In beginning, it would seem proper to call attention to certain
conditions which, in effect, necessitated and brought about Wilkinsburg's incorporation.
It was early in the 70's that preference for the suburban home
538THE STRUGGLE FOR BOROUGH INCORPORATION
began to be noticeable in Pittsburgh and in Allegheny. Prior to
this period, the well-to-do, old-fashioned Pittsburgher and Alleghenian were content and happy with their city homes. These
homes usually occupied the entire width of the lot on which they
were respectively built. They were also generally located near to
or on the street line in front. Neighbors built as closely and snugly
on both sides as brick and mortar would permit, as though lovingly seeking for mutual warmth and protection. The front steps,
porch, or stoop, were side by side with those of the neighbor immediately adjoining, and in the long evenings of summer from
this common ground neighbors visited without leaving home.
From the same vantage point the ladies of the household displayed their latest in summer gowns. This was before the "seaside
resort", "summer vacation", or "summer home" had become regular and popular institutions. It speaks strongly for the amiability
of the people thus neighboring so closely, that this constant contact did not, but with rare exceptions, breed strife. The best evidence that it did not is the fact that the "spite fence" was then unknown. It was reserved for a later age and more exclusive set to
devise and put in use in the "East End," this safeguard of privacy.
Grass was not greatly prized, but if any grew on the premises, it
was carefully concealed on the rear of the lot. Shade trees were
rare on the streets, even in the best resident sections of the old
parts of either city. From the surroundings and outward appearance of the city home of that time, one might imagine some malignant conspiracy existed to banish from sight everything but the
direct handiwork of man.
About this time a few residents of Allegheny with a vision began to advocate the improvement of the old dumping grounds
of that city, known as the "Commons"; as a consequence this
waste land was in a few years transformed into what was then, and
is still, a beautiful city park. At once elegant residences were
built on the various avenues along and adjoining this park, and
for the first time the people realized how much even only a foreground of trees, grass and flowers adds to the enjoyment of living.
Everyone, however, could not live along the parks; but there were
539ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
trees and flowers and grass and plenty of vacant land just outside
the city, and the movement to the suburbs began. It may have
been a mere coincidence, but it really seemed as though the
establishment of the Allegheny parks set the people of the two
cities to thinking about, and wanting homes with country
surroundings.
Wilkinsburg was then a village of about eight hundred inhabitants. Its sole means of public conveyance to and from the city at
that time was the Pennsylvania Railroad. It will be interesting for
comparison with present rates to know that round trip tickets between Wilkinsburg and Pittsburgh cost then 34 cents.
The village had no government except that of Sterritt Township, of which it was a part. The sole function of this government
was to maintain the schools and roads. So far as affording security to property or person was concerned, the township did nothing.
Neither did it construct or maintain sidewalks, nor in any way
improve the streets (except a few township roads). There was no
street lighting, no fire protection, no sewering. The two streams
coursing through the town and joining at its southerly border
were the sewage disposal plant of the village, and in the opinion
of many of the native Wilkinsburgers this method of sewage disposal was entirely sanitary and sufficient and would be for all
time. So far as concerned the use of streets, disposal of sewage,
improvement or nonimprovement of sidewalks, care of public
health, maintaining or abating of nuisances, every citizen was a
law unto himself and did whatsoever seemed good in his own
eyes. This condition of bucolic freedom continued down until
the yeari886. In the meantime, the population of the town had
grown from about eight hundred to twenty-five hundred, the increase coming almost entirely from the cities of Pittsburgh and
Allegheny. It is not strange that these new-comers, accustomed as
they were in their former homes to paved streets, sewers, street
lights and other conveniences and necessities of city life, should
be dissatisfied with the conditions then existing in the village of
Wilkinsburg. This discontent was evidenced by many, and often
futile efforts were made to induce property owners to voluntarily
540THE STRUGGLE FOR BOROUGH INCORPORATION
cooperate in improving local conditions. Here and there in the
town board sidewalks in front of adjoining properties, or cinder
filling by the roadway or forming street crossings, showed where
a few neighbors were bravely struggling to keep out of the mud.
Between these easy spots for the pedestrian on the highways were
long stretches, where at certain seasons a skillful pilot was needed
for safe passage. The owners of the property abutting on these
mud sidewalks could not be convinced that any other walk was
needed. They could not be persuaded, neither could they be
forced to supply any other. A feeble attempt was made to provide,
by agreement and voluntary contribution, lights for the streets.
This soon proved a failure owing to unwillingness of many to
contribute. The need for street lights was questioned on several
grounds, principally that it was doubtful whether there was any
necessity for any one being out after dark, and even if an emergency arose justifying such an irregularity, a lantern furnished by
the night-walker himself was sufficient; this was the plan of street
lighting that had always been in vogue in the village and it at
least had the merit of placing the cost upon the person directly
benefited.
In various parts of the town citizens combined to build small
sewers to carry the drainage from their homes into one or the
other of the streams that pass through the town.
The people then depended upon springs and wells for their
drinking water. From what is known now of disease germs and
their origin, it seems strange that with such unsanitary conditions
the town was not visited by an epidemic of typhoid.
APPLICATION FOR CHARTER
It was evident to every thoughtful person that matters could not
continue as they were. At last, after much discussion, it was decided by a few citizens that a borough government for the town was
the thing needed. Accordingly a written petition to the Court of
Quarter Sessions of Allegheny County was drawn, praying that
the village of Wilkinsburg, as shown by the plan attached to the
petition, be incorporated as the Borough of Wilkinsburg, and to
541ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
this end that the Court refer the petition to the Grand Jury for
their determination of the facts alleged in the petition. This petition was then circulated throughout the village for signatures.
The petition was finally signed by two hundred and thirteen
persons who alleged that they were inhabitants of the territory
proposed to be incorporated. They also alleged that Wilkinsburg
had three hundred and forty-nine resident freeholders and that a
majority of these freeholders were included in the two hundred
and thirteen signers of the petition. The facts alleged in the petition were verified by the affidavit of Mr. S. H. McKee. In the incorporation of a borough the law required that the petition to
Court for incorporation must be signed by a majority of the
resident freeholders of the territory intended to be incorporated.
On November 6, 1886, the petition was presented to Court, and
on the same day the Court ordered it laid before the Grand Jury.
But the opponents of incorporation were not asleep. On the same
day they filed in Court a remonstrance against incorporation
signed by a large number of inhabitants. It is a curious and interesting fact that the signers to the petition were nearly all persons who had but recently come out from the city and purchased
lots and built homes in Wilkinsburg, while the great majority of
the remonstrants were the old residents of the town. Most of the
large owners of land were in opposition to the movement. Indeed
many of them seemed to view the coming of strangers into their
midst with suspicion and distrust.
Such hostility was expressed by a certain old resident at a public meeting called to discuss the projected incorporation of the
Borough. Said this village oracle: "I am opposed to this movement. It was started by a lot of those city'fellers' who want to introduce new-fangled city improvements at the taxpayers' expense
-such things as sewers, paved streets, public water supply, and
bath tubs-'fellers' who are too lazy to bring a tub up from the
cellar on a Saturday night". Other old residents were opposed to
changes and improvement on general principles.
Of one such, a good Scotch Covenanter client of our law firm,
I recall an amusing experience which it might not be out of place
542THE STRUGGLE FOR BOROUGH INCORPORATION
to relate here. He had vigorously opposed the Borough movement, and after the incorporation opposed improvements. He
owned several houses in the Borough which, owing to his conservative methods, were greatly lacking in modern improvements.
The tenant in one of these houses was a fellow Scotchman (but not
a Covenanter), whose native wit and enthusiasm for Shakespeare
and poetry was at times stimulated by the flowing bowl. This
tenant called upon his landlord loudly but in vain for modern
improvements in his dilapidated dwelling, finally refusing to pay
rent until such improvements were made. He was then served by
his landlord, our client, with notice to vacate at the end of the
term. This the tenant at first vowed he would not do, thus placing
the landlord, who had in the meantime rented to a new tenant,
in an awkward dilemma. In his distress he asked our law firm to
write the recalcitrant tenant, which we did, politely but firmly
threatening him with eviction proceedings. To understand the
aptness of his reply to us, it should be explained that this incident
occurred during the Spanish-American War, when talk in this
country was all of war vessels, of "small and large displacements"
and of "ponderous armament" generally. The letter follows:
"R. A.  James Balph
Attorneys at Law
Bakewell Law Building
Pittsburgh, Pa.
My very Noble and approved good Masters:
Most potent, grave and reverend Signors
Your polite but somewhat ponderous communication
of recent date has been received. Fear notl That I have leased this
old Guy's shack is most true. True I am occupying it. It is also
true I have suffered in its occupancy for almost one whole year.
But that I have at any time expressed intent to therein remain
beyond the end of my lease is false as Hell. No sirs. At the end of
the term I shall vacate the shanty. But I shall not leave it tenantless:
Small bugs and bugs of great displacement,
Hold functions nightly in the basement,
543ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
because it led to a coal pit opening on the other side of the hill
on ground later owned by Peter Perchment on Frankstown Road.
Item 4. The brick lots have never been located.
Item 5. Adjoining Lewis "Suttonfield" on the east. It is not
known certainly when Lewis Stattenfield settled in McNairstown,
but this item might indicate that he had accompanied Patrick
Green from Cumberland Co., and had already bought the property now in possession of Mrs. F. S. Pershing.
In later deeds the terms state "with a proportionable part of
two brick yards and coal pitt appropriated for use of said town".
Still later to these "preveleges" is added (May 22, 1814) "doth
hereby convey to said Ezekial Reese the proportionable part of a
lot given to said town for the use of a Seminary or Seminaries of
learning forever agreeable to the number of lots in the same".
And still later deed dated Feb. 22, 1817 "with a proportionable
part of the privileges of... one school house and lot... with a
reservation of one dollar for each lot to be paid by said Sutia
Rippey her heirs and assigns on the first day of April each and
every year forever hereafter to the Treasurer of a School or Seminary of Learning in said Town and for the entire use of the same".
Other early buyers were John and Ezekial Reese, Adam Turner, Susanna Mier, Margaret McNair, Ephraim Pentland, Wm. B.
Foster, John McCrea, S. Rippey, Redmond Grace, Henry M.
Sook, James McNall and Samuel McCrea. The sale of 33 lots by
McNair to these 15 buyers is recorded in Deed Books 18 through
to 28.
As has been stated above, the panic that followed the War of
1812 made it impossible for Dunning McNair to pay the heavy
mortgage on his property. In 1824 this mortgage had been in
existence 24 years. During this time it had been assigned by the
Penna. Population Company to William Griffith of New Jersey.
As there was no possibility of cancelling it, foreclosure proceedings were begun.
The old record states that,-"In 1821 on the 2nd May Term
in the U. S. Dist. Court of Western Pa. an amicable action in
Chancery was entered as per agreement filed Jan. 8, 1821."
34ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
These will remain to plague the renter,
As progress plagues the Covenanter.
Adieu my Lords.
The rest is silence."
It only remains to add that our client so enjoyed the reply that
he insisted on keeping a copy as a prized possession and readily
forgave the writer his unpaid rent.
Nearly all these old property owners have passed away, but they
lived long enough to see their land quadruple in value by the increase of population and by municipal improvements.
The Grand Jury to which the petition mentioned had been
referred took testimony at great length as to matters alleged in
the petition. Every fact and reason that the ingenuity of counsel
could suggest were urged before the Jury for and against incorporation. In this contest the remonstrants were represented
by John Barton, Esq., who was then one of the leaders of the
Allegheny County Bar, and the petitioners were represented
by R. A. Balph, Esq., and A. W. Duff, Esq., both residents of
Wilkinsburg.
On February 5, 1887, the Grand Jury reported that they found
as a fact that the petition had not been signed by a majority of
resident freeholders and, therefore, the prayer should not be
granted. On March 2 1, 1 887, the Court formally refused the petition because of the findings of the Grand Jury.
This was a great disappointment to the progressive element of
the community. It did not, however, cause them to relax their
efforts. Another petition was at once prepared. To avoid a repetition of the mistake as to there being an insufficient number of
signers to the petition, it was decided that only resident freeholders would be permitted to sign. Two hundred and thirty-four
persons signed the petition and it was presented to the Court on
April 1 i, 1887. The facts alleged in the petition were, as in the
case of the former petition, verified by the affidavit of Mr. S. H.
McKee, which act was a conspicuous example of persistence.
544THE STRUGGLE FOR BOROUGH INCORPORATION
The opponents of the Borough movement were no less active
than its friends. As soon as the notice was given of intention to
apply to Court for incorporation, a remonstrance paper was circulated and was signed by a large number of freeholders and was
filed in Court on April 23, 1887. On June 27, 1887, the Court
referred the petition to the Grand Jury, and again the fight was
on. For several weeks hearings were held before the Grand Jury
and many witnesses examined. In this contest the petitioners were
again represented by R. A. Balph, Esq., and A. W. Duff, Esq., and
the remonstrants by N. S. Williams, Esq., a resident of Wilkinsburg. On August 12, 1887, the Grand Jury made its report recommending the incorporation of the Borough. It was not, however, a
unanimous finding. Five members of the Jury were so deeply impressed with the case made out by the remonstrants that they filed
a minority report protesting against the finding of the majority
of the Jury. The opposition was not yet ready to submit, and on
August 27, 1887 exceptions were filed to the findings of the Grand
Jury. Not content with this, a new petition was circulated in the
town and signed by many citizens protesting against the action of
the Grand Jury, and praying the Court to refer the original petitions to another Jury.This petition or protest was presented to the
Court on September 17, 1887. Honorable J. W. F. White was the
Judge presiding in the Court of Quarter Sessions, and before him
arguments were made at length upon all the questions raised upon
the exceptions and remonstrances filed. On October 5, 1887, the
Court dismissed all exceptions filed, overruled all objections to
the Grand Jury's report, and entered a formal Decree confirming
the report.
The end so long sought was obtained at last. Wilkinsburg was
a Borough. Although the Decree of the Court was final in its
nature, the opponents to the organization of the Borough on October 6, 1887 presented another petition asking that the case be
re-opened and re-considered. This was refused. Later an appeal
to the Supreme Court from the Decree of the Quarter Sessions
Court was taken by some of the original remonstrants, but the
appeal was shortly afterwards quashed.
545ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
FIRST ELECTION
On December 3, 1887, the Court, by Decree, fixed the third Tuesday of February, 1888, as the date of the first election for Borough
officers, and appointed as his election officers William G. Stewart,
Judge, and S. B. Donaldson and A. Fred Stoner, Inspectors. Contests at the polls in Wilkinsburg, especially in the election of
Borough officers, have always been spirited. The interest in this,
the first election, was, however, special. Everyone realized that
the period of organization of the Borough's business was one of
more than usual importance and called for men in office of representative executive ability as well as integrity. Much thought
and discussion was therefore given by the electors to the selection
of these first officers. The election resulted in the choice for Burgess of Reverend C. W. Smith, D.D. Dr. Smith was editor of the
Methodist Christian Advocate, and was later a Bishop of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. There were six members of council
elected as follows: Thomas W. McCune and James A. Wilson
for terms of three years, William Anderson, Sr., and R. W. Beatty
for two years, and George W. Eagye and R. A. Balph, Esq., for one
year. Of these first members of council only James A. Wilson is
now living.
Note: Since the writing of this paper James A. Wilson died October 1938, aged
86 years
RETROSPECT
It is to be regretted that it is impracticable for the names of the
signers to the petition on which the Decree of Incorporation of
the Borough was made to be given here owing to the lack of space.
They can, however, be learned by examining the records in the
County Recorder's Office in Charter Book Vol. 1i, page 535,
where the names of all the signers to this petition appear. The
names of the objectors to incorporation cannot be known from
the record, as they do not appear in the Charter Book. The original petition under which the Incorporation Decree of Court was
made, and the remonstrance against it, are no longer on file in
the office of the Clerk of Courts. In their place in the file, on a
546BY WAY OF FAREWELL AND EXHORTATION
slip of paper marked by age, appears a receipt for these papers
from David T. Watson, dated October 2, 1889. Mr. Watson was
then one of the leading members of the Allegheny County Bar,
but has been dead for many years. Possibly, even at the late date
of that receipt, some of the disappointed objectors to the formation of the Borough were consulting Mr. Watson as to whether or
not there might be some legal means of overthrowing the new
Borough government. Mr. Watson, of course, would want to examine the original petition for some defects on which to build a
case. Finding none, he would so advise the "forlorn hope" committee from Wilkinsburg, toss the petition and remonstrance to
some remote corner of his office and turn to other business. One
can easily imagine that in this way these papers would in time
find their way to the waste basket of the janitor of Mr. Watson's
office and thus become forever lost. Thus the names of the valiant
fighters against Borough government have passed into oblivion
while the names of the petitioners are almost as completely forgotten in the pages of the old Charter Book. Such are the chances
of fortune. Such is fame.
As I rummaged through these old Court papers recording this
bitter struggle long since forgotten, and thought of present-day
conflicts, equally bitter and transient, I almost imagined I heard
behind me Dave Watson's well-remembered little chuckle, as he
murmered, "What fools these mortals be".
[19]
BY WAY OF FAREWELL
AND EXHORTATION
ABOUT five hundred feet from the boulder strewn coast of PemaAi   quid Point, Maine, there is a small square of 40 feet of
ground inclosed by a stone wall and so thickly overgrown by pine
and spruce trees that those seeking the place often pass it by.
547ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
This little spot is a graveyard set apart for the resting place of
Captain Cornelius Dunham, father of Isaac Dunham, the first
keeper of Pemaquid Point Light. Beside this stone is another of
thick white marble, marked Daniel Curtis.
Uncle Dan'l, as he was called, lived on the Curtis farm a mile
up the road. Like many of the early settlers the Curtis family had
a burial plot on their own land. Uncle Dan'l had "followed the
sea" and as the time drew near for his final setting out he asked
to be buried beside Cap'n Dunham down at the P'int. "Why
there" his family asked, "when right at the gate is your own plot
for buryin'?" "Bury me at the P'int" he commanded, "for when
Gabriel blows his horn and I come forth the first thing I want to
hear is them surges roll." Uncle Dan'l was a rough skipper of the
sea, but this intense clinging to nature by those who have lived
close to it is also beautifully expressed by that subtle poet, Emily
Dickinson.
Goodby to the life I used to live,
And the world I used to know;
And kiss the hill for me, just once;
Now I am ready to go!
It is said there are two things one cannot escape-death and
taxes. To these must be added another inescapable-ancestors.
We cannot escape them so in closing let us return to our beginning point-Old Mother Beulah, standing back from the speed
and honk of the highway in the quiet of former years. Come in
spirit at least. The ancestors have a message for you and a request.
Here are nature's lovers of early days. Here are men who felled
the trees, cleared the land, made the roads, ventured all for freedom of conscience, for home and church and school.
Here are men of 1776, and boys of 1812; here are the laughing,
dancing, singing, disillusioned boys of'61. Their message is:
Do not be deceived by those who say there are no more frontiers
to conquer. Each day brings a new frontier for "better is he who
ruleth his own spirit than he that taketh a city."
548BY WAY OF FAREWELL AND EXHORTATION
This is their request:
"O son of mine
Take heart!
The day is young.
Life's goal is ever to the swift and strong,
O son of mine
Be strong!"
The church and the village were closely related, it has been said.
Night has come, and a child, just advanced to the doubtful happiness of a room of her very own, lies listening to every sound. "Oh,
if the door only opened into mother's room instead of a few steps
down the hall, how much nicer it would be. What does that sound
mean? Just the leaves on the poplar tree. But there that is a new
one! What is that? The movement of a bird in its nest."
Just at the entrance to dreamland there comes a new soundan in sound this time. The turning of a key in the lock. Now, all
is well, for that is father locking the door. All are in! Father,
mother, brother and sisters. And the gates of dreamland swing
to in the soothing assurance that this is, yes, this is-"Old Wilkinsburg," the little village of homes.
549THE DUNNING McNAIR FAMILY
After almost four years, on Oct. 19, 1824, the United States
Marshal granted a Deed to William Griffith "for 856 acres, more
or less, of land on which Dunning McNair then lived in Pitt
Township, on Nine Mile Run adjoining lands of William Elliott,
Abdiel McClure and others." This deed is recorded in D. B. 33,
p. 317Thus ended the proprietorship or tenure of Dunning McNair.
Leaving the property for a time in the hands of its new proprietor, William Griffith, let us turn to the family histories of
Dunning McNair and his wife, Anne Stewart McNair.
[3]
THE DUNNING McNAIR FAMILY
N OLD adage says, "Do not go too far up the family tree, for
L  fear you find a member hanging on it."
In the heyday of southern aristocracy it was said, "Slaves and
northern whites have parents but no ancestry," and in the emigration years in the middle of the 18th Century a Philadelphia
Quaker wrote petulantly to a friend, "The Irish are pouring in
on us like a flood."
Despite the adage and opinions expressed above, Dunning
McNair, Scotch-Irish as he was, could claim ancestry and climb
the family tree without trepidation; nor was he alone in this, for
a glance at the ancestors of the sturdy pioneers who penetrated
and conquered the western wilderness proves that these men were
for the greater part intelligent Scotch-Irish Presbyterians of long
lineage. Not a few families traced their line through the clans and
changes of the Gaelic name in Scotland from early centuries.
Others had authentic family "Coat of Arms," and many the
plaid of the clan whose name they bore.
To a long line of descent both Dunning McNair and Anne
Stewart, his wife, could lay claim. In Scotland the McNairs belonged to a gathering of clans of which the Earls of Lennox were
35ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
the hereditary chieftains. Their gathering place was at the head
of Loch Lomond.
A John McNair was driven by religious persecution to leave
his home on the banks of the river Dee and to go to Donegal
County, Ireland, in 1690; from there his son, John, with his
family and accompanied by his mother, came to Philadelphia in
1730. His cousin, David McNair, soon followed him to America
and setttled in Derry Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
in 1732. This is proved by David's signature to a will dated December 26, 1732, which will is recorded in Lancaster County
Court House.
David McNair, the emigrant, took out a warrant for 200 acres
of land in 1737, and for ioo acres more five years later. He was a
"Covenanter" and his name is mentioned in the diary of the
Reverend John Culbertson, the first Covenanter preacher in
America. The Covenanter Society was located at Paxtang, about
thirteen miles east of the present site of Harrisburg. When Mr.
Culbertson first visited the Society in 1751 he preached and was
entertained in David McNair's house. David McNair, Sr., had at
least three sons, David, Jr., John and Alexander. With his two
older sons David, Sr., moved west into the recently erected Cumberland County, (1750), and again acquired large tracts of land.
David McNair, Jr., married Ann Dunning, September, 1756.
The marriage took place in St. James Church, Lancaster. Ann
was a granddaughter of Mary Dunning who had settled in Lancaster County previous to 1728. Among the Dunning family were
men who became officers of high rank in the War of the Revolution. At the beginning of the war, David McNair, Jr., entered
the army; he was killed in service. Tradition says he was a member of Washington's staff but this was not verified by records in
Washington, D. C. Letters of administration on his estate were
granted to his wife Ann and to John Holme.
The names of the children of David, Jr., and Ann Dunning
McNair, are given in the will of their uncle, John McNair. John
had married Mrs. Ann Davidson, a widow with four sons. His
will indicates that her death preceded his and that they had no
36THE DUNNING McNAIR FAMILY
children. The family name, McNair, was spelled in various ways
during the early centuries. In John McNair's short will three
ways are used. A copy of the document follows:COPY OF WILL OF JOHN McNAIR
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, PA.
In the name of God Amen-I John McNeare, being in a very
low state of Body but of perfect sound Mind, and calling to mind
my mortality that it is appointed for all men once to die I do
Commit my Body to the Earth and my Soul to God who gave it
My Body to be buried at the discretion of my Executors, nothing
doubting that I shall receive it again at the General Resurrection
 as to my Estate that I am now possessed of after my lawful Debts
are paid I bequeath it in the following manner,I Give and Bequeath the whole that I am possessed of to My
Brother, David McNer's sons, Robert, John, Dunnen, David,
Ezekiel Alexander and his daughter Mary to be equally Divided
among them, Provided nevertheless That if my whole estate at
my decease be Seventy pounds I do bequeath to my four stepsons
John, Samuel, William,  Mathew Davidson, Twenty pounds to
be equally divided among them and also my Iron Tools I bequeath to John and Mathew Davidson, likewise all my Bed
Clothes and All my Pewter to the same g Also I Bequeath to
David McNeare my Brother David's son my saddle and new suit
of Blue Cloathes and my new Great Coat to my Nephew Robert
McNeare also I bequeath to my nephew John McNeare my white
coate, Jacket and Watch. Also to my nephew David McNeare my
new Buckskin Breeches, Shirts and Bible. Likewise I bequeath to
my Brother Alexander McNeare one Dollar, my Hat, And Lastly
Alexander Murray and John Davidson my Trusty friends I Do
Constitute  Appoint my sole executors  Acknowledge this to
be my last Will and Testament  Allow all other Wills and Testaments by me made to become void from this forth.
In Testimony Whereof I Do set my hand and seal this Nineteenth day of May One thousand Seven hundred and Ninety.
JOHN McNAIR (Seal)
JAMES MACCREA
JOHN MORRISON
Probated at Carlisle Sept. 28th 1790. and Registered in Will Book"E"page 196.
37ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
The omission of any bequest to "Dennen" (Dunning) may have
been intentional because of Dunning's recently acquired proprietorship of Africa. Uncle John may have thought him well
enough supplied with this world's goods. It is said that Dunning
assisted his mother in the settlement of his father's estate and for
this he received about sixteen pounds sterling. Another statement
is made that it was money from his father's estate that enabled
him to buy Africa. If this is true it may account for letters from
his brothers urging him to dispose of land and give them money
of which they were in sore need, and which they evidently
thought was due them.
Dunning McNair was born July 23, 1762, in West Pennsboro
Township, Cumberland County. His parents moved afterwards
to Milford Township, the same County. In 1789 this section was
included in the newly erected Mifflin County, and on March 2,
1831, became a part of Juniata County. From the time of the
removal from West Pennsboro Township to Milford Township,
the Ann Dunning McNair plantation adjoined that of Colonel
George Stewart. As a boy Dunning worked on his mother's farm,
and acquired a good education for that time. As a young man he
served in the Pennsylvania Militia and in this service acquired
his title of Colonel.
James Horner, a former Burgess of the Borough, and a grand
nephew of Dunning McNair, states from family chronicles that
Dunning McNair came west with his gTandfather, James Horner
II, in 1786. However this may be, Dunning McNair and Ann
Stewart, the oldest daughter of Colonel George Stewart, and his
wife, Margaret Harris Stewart, were married in her father's house
April 6, 1786, and came west in November of that year. The
journey was made on horseback. About two months after their
arrival their first child, a son named David (IV) was born January
1 1, 1787, presumably in the "Crow's Nest." The child lived only
a few days.
Ann Stewart, by her marriage with Dunning McNair, had
taken upon herself a life of many cares. She was of the eighth
generation of her family in America, the first of whom, Jean de
38THE DUNNING McNAIR FAMILY
Vigne, had settled on Manhattan Island about 1616-1620. The
geneological line follows:
I. Jean de Vigne was a Huguenot from Valenciennes, France,
who probably emigrated to America to escape the persecution
of Protestants which continued for years after the St. Bartholomew Massacre of August 24, 1572. De Vigne was married
in France and his oldest child, Maria, was born there. Family
tradition locates his homestead near the present Wall and
Pearl Streets, New York City.
II. His daughter, Maria, married Abram Isaacson Verplanck in
1630. This marriage took place four years after the purchase
of Manhattan Island by the Dutch nation from the Manhate
Tribe of Indians. The price paid was $24.oo. At this time
the population of the island did not exceed three hundred.
Verplanck became a very influential man. In the conflict
which arose between the aristocratic "Patroons" holding
great tracts of land, whose aim was to establish a feudal form
of government, and the small landowners-the commoners,
Verplanck was chosen by the governor to be one of the Council of Twelve, which body was one of the early attempts to
establish a representative government in the Dutch Colony.
He became wealthy by land transactions, in which he showed
wise foresight, and his descendants were people of distinction. In 1700oo a manor house was built by a Verplanck on the
banks of the Hudson River at Fishkill, New York. This stone
house acquired historic distinction as the headquarters of
General Van Steuben during the Revolution, and from the
organization in it of the "Society of Cincinnati."
III. Abram and Maria Verplanck's daughter, Susannah, married
three times. Little is known of her first marriage beyond that
she became a widow in a short time and was left with one son,
Guyleyne Von Leijer. Her second husband was John Garland of New York City.
John Garland was of English or Welsh stock, and thus in
the two children of this marriage a new strain was added to
39ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
the French-Dutch strain of the three preceding generations.
Different records show that John Garland had a license,
which permitted him to trade not only in New York but also
up the river above New Castle, Delaware, in any vessel belonging to New York; he had also a commission to trade in
Delaware. The extension of this license to his wife, Susannah, indicates that she was a capable business woman.
John Garland's married life was also short, as he died
when about 30 years old. His will discovers the large estate of
a gentleman of that period. To his wife, Susannah, he gave.. "my riding horse, together with all my goods and debts
by bill, bond, booke or bookes, whatsoever (except hereafter
excepted). To my eldest sonne, Silvester my sword, wearing
cloathes, pistolls, and ffurniture therewith belonging. And
for my horses and mares, now running upon Staten Island,
they are to be equally divided between the said Silvester and
Mathias Garland, my second sonn, and Guyleyne Von Leijer,
a son by my wife's former husband". His estate seems to have
been complicated, for the executors named by him declined
to serve, and his wife, Susannah, to whom was granted the
office of administratrix, in response to her request, was many
years effecting a settlement.
Susannah Verplanck-Leijer-Garland married a third time
with a man bearing the prosaic name of Daniel Brown. With
him she removed from New York City to Kent County, Delaware (then part of Pennsylvania) and with her went her
sonnes, Guyleyne Von Leijer, Silvester and Mathias Garland
and John Garland's "debts, by bill, bond, booke or bookes".
iv. Silvester Garland, fourth in genealogical line from pioneer
Jean de Vigne, located in New Castle, Delaware. (Records of
his life and transactions are found in Colonial Records of
Pennsylvania, Vol. II.)
He, like his father and mother, had a license to trade with
the Indians and, in a moment of weakness, sold liquor to
them. This was illegal, as a law forbidding sale of liquor to
40THE DUNNING McNAIR FAMILY
Indians was one of the earliest acts of William Penn. For this
Silvester was placed under bond not to repeat the act. He
outlived the dishonor, for we find him one of three men
purchasing ground for the erection of the First Presbyterian
Church of New Castle. He was probably an elder of the
church at this time, 1707, but if not he was soon afterwards,
for in 1717 Garland's name appears on the list of elders of
the Presbytery of Philadelphia, which was at that time the
highest court in the Church. In 1719 the first Presbyterian
Church Synod was formed in America and Silvester Garland's name appears in the Synod's minutes. He is classed in
business directories as merchant, undertaker and agent; he
was also the owner of more than 900 acres of farm land.
In his will a new feature in family possessions appears;
namely, "to my beloved wife, Anne Garland, one third of
my estate according as the law prescribes... together with
my Negro Boy called ffrank... to son Abraham I bequeath
the silver handled sword... to son Silvester the dwelling
house and out-buildings and... also one negro boy called
Samm... to my daughter Sodt Anderson I give and bequeath
the house and lot adjoining my own dwelling house... and
one negro boy called Plim...".
Silvester was married twice. Nothing is known of his first
wife excepting that she lived about 1 2 years after marriage and
was the mother of the five children mentioned in Silvester's
will. A supposition, become belief, is that Sodt was her family
name. This name has been perpetuated under the various
forms of Sodt, Suit, Suitt, Sutia, Sutiah, Satira, and appears
in many branches of the descendants of the Garland-Anderson-Stewart-Rippey families.
Gathering all the records together we find Sylvester Garland to have been a prominent man in the financial, political,
social and religious affairs of New Castle. Increased prestige
was probably given to his position by the marriage of his
young daughter, Sodt, to the Rev. James Anderson, of Edinburgh, Scotland, who became one of the most prominent
41"Life is a story in volumes three
The past, the present, and the yet to be
The first is finished and laid away
The second we're reading every day
The third and last of the volumes three
Is locked from sight, God keeping the key."
"Those only should utter the sacred name of Progress whose souls
possess intelligence enough to comprehend the past, and whose hearts
possess sufficient poetic religion to reverence its greatness." (MAZZINI)
TO ALL THOSE
POSSESSING THE ABOVE QUALITIES
THIS BOOK
IS CORDIALLY DEDICATEDANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
men in the Presbyterian Church in its early days in America.
v. James Anderson was born in Scotland in 1678. After graduation from the University of Edinburgh he studied theology
and after ordination as a minister of the Presbyterian
Church sailed for Virginia in 1709. There he was so unfavorably received by the neighborhood to which he had been
sent, which would tolerate no religious form but Episcopacy,
that at the end of six months he went north, and, after joining the Presbytery of Philadelphia, became in 1710, the first
regular pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of New
Castle, Del. He remained there seven years, during which
time his church absorbed Huguenots, Dutchmen, ScotchIrish, Lutherans, and Reformed Presbyterians (Covenanters); and the bachelor of thirty-nine married Sodt Garland,
the nineteen year old daughter of his most prominent elder.
In 1717 James Anderson received a call (which he accepted) to be the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in
the City of New York. A Presbyterian Association had been
in existence for ten years, but it had no regular organization
nor building. Under Mr. Anderson's pastorate a church
building was erected on a lot 88 x 120 feet bounded by Wall
(on which the building faced), Broadway and Nassau Streets.
After nine years of strenuous work, increased by the heavy
debt on the congregation and the difficulty of getting a charter, owing to the opposition of the Episcopalians, Mr. Ander-:son accepted a call to the Presbyterian Church at Donegal,
Chester County, (now Lancaster County) Pennsylvania. Here
the Scotch Presbyterian came unto his own, for his congregation consisted of Scotch-Irish people-firm in Calvinistic
doctrine, self respecting men and women in easy circumstances, whose boast was that not one of them had been a
Redemptioner,-that is a person who had paid for his passage
to this country by a term of service afterwards.
The log church was beautifully situated near a magnificent spring which emptied into Little Chickies Creek; before
42THE DUNNING McNAIR FAMILY
it stood a great oak tree called "The witness Tree", around
which the patriotic Scotch-Irish members stood as they
pledged loyalty to the cause of the Revolution. A few months
before Mr. Anderson's death in 1740 two hundred acres of
glebe land were confirmed by patent by William Penn's sons
to the Reverend James Anderson and his elders, one of whom
was John Allison. Here in Lancaster County Mr. Anderson
bought a plantation of 300 acres along the Susquehanna
River, adjoining the farm of George Stewart. Important
events in the Presbyterian Church, in which he occupied
places of honor, were instituted during his pastorate, showing
that he was a leader among men. Outstanding in these events
were the following: when the large Presbytery of Philadelphia was divided into three, Philadelphia, New Castle, Del.
and New York, and the first Synod formed, James Anderson
took prominent place in the proceedings. He was chosen
three times to be Moderator of the Synod, then the highest
church body. When the establishment of a Theological
School was under consideration Mr. Anderson was chosen
by the Committee in charge to go to Europe to study conditions. In fact, in all church affairs he was a prominent member and very often the Chairman. During his pastorate at
Donegal a stone church 75 x 45 ft. replaced the original log
building. This building Stands today, though somewhat
modernized. His grave and that of his wife "Suit" Garland
are marked by thick flat stones in the graveyard of Donegal.
Mr. Anderson left a large estate, including lands on both
sides of the Susquehanna, shares in the ferry, Marietta, on the
Susquehanna River, personal property and slaves. The AntiSlavery movement had not yet begun and all people of means
in that part of the country owned slaves.
James and Sodt Garland Anderson had eleven children,
the second child, a daughter Ann, is the one who continued
the line we are tracing.
vI. Ann was born in New Castle and was a year old when her
43ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
parents removed to New York and her father assumed charge
of the Presbyterian Church. In the next ten years she was
in the environment and under the influence of city schools
and city life. When the family removed to Donegal, she was
in the midst of country life, not too far away from New Castle
and the circle of relatives surrounding her wealthy uncle
Silvester Garland, Jr., nor the New York friends to not have
frequent visiting back and forth, but the successful wooer of
this sprightlyyoung ladywas a well-to-do farmer in the person
of John Stewart, a scion of the royal house of Scotch Kings,
many generations removed.
John Stewart, who married the vivacious Ann Anderson,
was a farmer of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, whose estate
adjoined that of his pastor, the Reverend James Anderson.
He was a man of very quiet tastes taking little part in outside
affairs. He was of the third generation of the emigrant George
Stewart, whose farm, bordering the Susquehanna, was
patented by his grandfather very early in the 18th Century.
John Stewart's married life was of short duration-only fifteen years. His large estate was left to his wife and three
children: namely one son, George, and two daughters. There
was generous appropriation made for his wife, and appreciation of her executive abilities was shown by the appointment
of her and her brother, James, as executors of the estate and
guardians of the minor children.
But John Stewart evidently did not approve of the repeated marriages to which his wife's relatives seemed addicted, and so there was inserted a clause in the will that
should she marry again, before the son's majority, her portion
should pass over to him. Nothing daunted by this restriction,
Ann Anderson Stewart, in "seemly" time, married her very
rich and influential neighbor, John Allison, and took her
three children across the fields to grow up with the six Allison children already in possession. John and Ann Allison had
three children, and the twelve children seem to have lived
happily together; at least if there were occasions when a case
44THE DUNNING McNAIR FAMILY
of "yours and mine fighting with ours" occurred, history
has failed to record it.
VII. One year after attaining his majority and large inheritance,
John Stewart's son George, seventh in genealogical line, married Margaret Harris, two months younger than he. By this
marriage he made connection with a large outstanding
family, whose name is memorialized in Pennsylvania's capital city. A member of this family, John Harris, who barely
escaped being burned at the stake by Indians, ran the ferry
across the Susquehanna for many years. He had land on both
sides of the river but according to his land patent, he had
his "seat on the Susquehanna." John Harris prophesied
that the Capitol of the colony would some day be on his land
and named Harrisburg. For this purpose he deeded to the
colony of Pennsylvania four acres of land on the eastern side
of the river for a government building.
Captain Thomas Harris, the father of Margaret Harris
Stewart, was an interesting character, who held that invincible enemy death at bay for 106 years. When 80 years old
he was discovered planting an orchard of apple trees. With
the officiousness of familiarity a neighbor said: "What are
you doing that for, Captain? You'll never live to get any of
the apples." But Captain Harris lived twenty-six years longer
and enjoyed the fruit of his planting.
But these detours in genealogy have led us far afield and we
return to George Stewart. He was born in 1736 and grew up amid
pleasant and congenial groups of relatives and friends. Before a
year had elapsed after marriage, the young couple moved from
the neighborhood of Donegal to Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Soon
after that he sold the ancestral Stewart farm of 2o7 acres situated
on the Susquehanna River at Marietta for 442 pounds. Seventeen
days afterward, the farm was resold for 460 pounds. The deed
was not recorded for sixty-nine years. It is said that part of this
property had formerly been owned by a Wilkins, a forefather of
John Wilkins, Sr., of Pittsburgh.
45ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
George Stewart remained only a few years in Carlisle and then
joined his father-in-law, Thomas Harris, and brother-in-law, who
had emigrated to Cross Roads, now Churchville, near Bel Air,
Maryland. Here he bought property and was taxed as an "inholder." He remained in Maryland until 1775, when he returned to
Pennsylvania. During the fifteen years residence in Maryland, six
children were born, among them his first daughter Ann (Mrs.
Dunning McNair) in 1764.
It is generally believed that George Stewart's aversion to slavery
was the chief cause of his return to Pennsylvania. This time he
settled farther west in the beautiful Tuscarora Valley, at a place
now known as Doyle's Mills, Juniata County, Thomas Harris
occupying land on the opposite side of Tuscarora Creek, a tributary of the not-distant Juniata River.
Well may Dr. Robert Stewart, a descendant of George Stewart,
rhapsodize in these words: Here in the valley of rarest beauty
civilization had slowly advanced through settlements by families
of sterling character.... The Bells, Beales, Lyons, Grahams, Turbetts, Wilsons, Pattersons, McCoys, Irwins and others have left
their mark in every generation;... and what a grand basis and
background for human experience. What grand mountains; what
beautiful streams; what rich vegetation; what game-filled forests;... the very names of streams and mountains are musical and none
more so than the Indian ones.... The Indian who loved his land
has been memorialized in the old song so familiar:...
"Gay was the mountain song
of bright Alfarata;
Where sweeps the waters
of the Blue Juniata.
Swift goes my light canoe,
Adown the rapid river.
Fleeting years have borne away
The voice of Alfarata.
Still sweeps the river on,
The Blue Juniata."
46THE DUNNING McNAIR FAMILY
Shortly after George Stewart's settlement in the Tuscarora
Valley, the Revolutionary War broke out. He and his oldest son,
John, then seventeen, were soon deeply involved in it. Cumberland County, of which this region was still a part, had four sublieutenants, one of whom was George Stewart, with the rank of
Lieutenant-Colonel. The duty of these officers was to collect and
furnish supplies of all kinds and reinforcements for troops sent
out to guard the settlers against Indian attacks, and, also, for
state troops to fight the British.
The danger from Indian attacks is shown by one of the letters
from Colonel (afterwards Major-General) Potter:...
Upper fort penns valley
May 17, 1778Dr. Sir,
The Beare Major Myles gos to you to apply for men to Releve
Capt. Bell, I need not inform you that Keeping the strengths in
the frunteer parts is the second best menans under providance of
securing the Interiour parts of the Countrey and it has been well
Known in the outher warr* that when those who were the frunteers give way the more interer parts Ren with them I Request the
favour of you to send the Relefe in time so as we may not be left
without men there is no way of stopping the seveges but by carring war into ther Countrey.
I am Dr Sir your most
Humble Servant
Jas. Potter
Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart's field extended west to the border
of Westmoreland County and north to the border of Northumberland County; in short it was said he took an active part against!
the Indians on the border during the Revolution.
Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart became one of the wealthiest men
of his township, standing highest in the assessment rolls, at a
valuation of $18,740 and being the solitary instance of assessment
for "plate." He died at the early age of fifty, living to witness the
marriage of but one of his children. This was Anne's marriage to
the son of neighbor Ann Dunning McNair. One grandson was
47ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
born before his death but him he never saw. After his death he
was called Colonel, and this title was inscribed on the tombstone
of his widow, Margaret Harris Stewart, who died in 1815 at
"Dumpling Hall" in Wilkinsburg and was buried in Beulah
graveyard.
After this long digression covering 176 years, let us return to
Colonel McNair and his wife Anne by descending her family tree:
viz.
1. Jean de Vigne
2. Maria de Vigne Verplanck
3. Susannah Verplanck-Leijer-Garland-Brown
4. Sylvester Garland
5. Sodt Garland Anderson
6. Ann Anderson Stewart
7. Colonel George Stewart
8. Anne Harris Stewart-McNair
( 9- Dunning Robert McNair
( 9. Anna Maria McNair-Anderson
L 9. Margaret Harris McNair-Steele
lo. Wilkins George Anderson, Esquire
ii. Anne Stewart Anderson
12. Children
13. Children
Can this record be classed as ancestry?-or only parents?
In the decade of 1700-1800oo Colonel McNair built a family
mansion. The "Crow's Nest", their first log cabin residence, had
burned down. The ground on which it stood was sold in the
spring of 1818 to John Cannon, a businessman of Pittsburgh, and,
by the way, an uncle of Jane Grey Cannon (Mrs. Jane Grey Swisshelm). The new house, standing in forest land south of the Great
Road (at or near the present corner of Hay and Kelly Streets) was
built of pebble stones, many of which may have been taken from
the stony bed of a branch of Nine Mile Run which flowed through
the land. The house was two stories (with low attic), having
48THE DUNNING McNAIR FAMILY
originally two rooms, hallway and stairs on the first floor and
three bedrooms on the second. A row of slave huts at the back of
the house furnished space for kitchen and all domestic requirements. Mrs. McNair, as has been said, was born in Maryland and
lived there eleven years, so that she was to the manner born to
the service and management of slaves. It is not known just when
a frame "L" of four rooms, two lower and two upper, and a
lower and upper porch were added, giving a more spacious look
to the building.
Colonel McNair's stone house, so modest in size, was spoken of
as "The Manor House," and considered a mansion, as indeed it
was compared to the humble log cabins of his neighbors. Within
the house were oaken floors, white pine doors and window frames,
curiously carved mantel pieces, high as a man's head, and fire
places with deep grates and iron-back walls ornamented with
fancy designs; some of the frames around the grates at that period
portrayed the Lord's Supper. (One of the plainer grate frames
from the McNair "mansion" is now owned by A. Frederick
Stoner.)
There were fascinating deep window sills and small paned
window sashes, thick six paneled doors, and a stair balustrade
rail that probably owed its satiny sheen to the joyful, rapid,
straddling descent of the six McNair children and their many
friends.
The house stood in spacious, grassy grounds, through which
curved and babbled the waters of the run, which in springtime
furnished untold joy to children of that period as it did to the
small fry of later generations.
The ground was enclosed, but a high posted gateway with wide
iron gates provided ingress and egress for horses and vehicles and
later for carriages that frequented the manor house. For a manor
house indeed it became, a center of hospitality with a host of most
generous impulses and a hostess excelling in grace and amiability.
Mrs. Anne Stewart McNair, as remembered by friends, presented a fine appearance; her daughter, Mrs. Margaret Harris
Steele, says of her: "She was tall with dark hair, gray eyes, fair
49ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
complexion and had an expressive face"; a niece says: "She was
tall, slender, fine looking, and straight as an arrow"; another
niece describes her as: "pretty, amiable, and who, although living
in much finer style than any of her brothers or sisters, always
generously shared with them her kindness and hospitality." This
niece adds, "Aunt was always a welcome guest in our home in
Alexandria, Penna., when she made her horseback journeys to
visit us and other relatives elsewhere."
Miss Annie Stewart Anderson of Louisville, Kentucky, says
that there never was a picture of her great-grandfather, Dunning
McNair, but that his son, Dunning Robert McNair, closely
resembled him.
One day Colonel McNair was showing guests around the
premises as he wished them to see what a well-built house he had.
As they walked around, one of the friends remarked, "Colonel,
those stones look like big apple dumplings." "So they do," said
the others, and laughingly they christened the house "Dumpling
Hall," and thereafter it was so known.
Another version of the origin of the name is that told by
Colonel McNair's youngest daughter, Margaret Harris McNair
Steele. Mrs. Steele lived to be eighty-six years old. She was always
of a vivacious nature and liked to talk of her girlhood days in
Dumplin' Hall. She had eager listeners in her grandchildren and
those of her sister, Anne McNair Anderson, all residents of Louisville, Kentucky. The stone house in the forest land was a magic
dwelling indeed as she recreated events there. Mrs. Steele says
the house owed its name to the large apple dumplings made by
the colored cook. Would that Mrs. Steele's fireside stories had
been recorded, what pictures would unroll of the first thirty years
of the nineteenth century.
Among the guests entertained at Dumplin' Hall we find the
names of W. B. Foster, father of Stephen Collins Foster, Ephraim
Pentland, H. H. Brackenridge, General John Neville, Honorable
James Ross, John Wilkins, Sr., John Wilkins, Jr., Honorable
William Wilkins, and others of prominence. In the village
there were his three brothers-in-law: James Horner, Robert
50THE DIJNNING McNAIR FAMILY
Harris Stewart and Samuel Allen Rippey; the Reverend James
Graham, William McCrea, Dr. John McDowell, Thomas Davison, Edward Thompson, and doubtless others. During the winter
of 1794-95, when troops were stationed in Brownsville for the
maintenance of order after the suppression of the Whiskey Insurrection, there was doubtless an open door to the officers in
command, on their way to the village at "the Fork of the Ohio."
There were also guests from the East, relatives of the Dunning,
McNair, Stewart and Harris branches of the family. Letters in
the Horner family tell of the visit of Alexander McNair and his
bride to the village. They made the journey north from Missouri
"on horses of the purest breed." These they disposed of on their
arrival. After a visit of three months, they returned by water, a
much easier method of travel. Some years later Alexander wrote
to his brother-in-law, James, and Mary McNair Horner, with
whom Ann Dunning McNair made her home: "I long to have
mother see my three fine children, but I fear it might be too great
a task to entertain so many; but if we do come, would it be
possible for Dunning to make some arrangement about the land?"
Hospitable and attractive as the house was to guests, there
seems to have been a warm tie of affection between the children
as well as between parents and children. Of the latter, names of
seven are recorded as follows:
i. David (IV). b. 1787; lived but a few days.
2. David Stewart. b. 1789; died when 14 years old and was buried
in Beulah graveyard beside his uncle, Samuel Allen Rippey.
3. George Harris. b. 1795; educated as a civil engineer; went to
Missouri where he joined his uncle, Alexander McNair; died
when a young man, unmarried.
4. Dunning Robert. b. 1797; m. Catherine Steele.
5. Anna Stewart. b. 1804; m. John W. Anderson.
6. Margaret Harris. b. 18o6; m. Captain Robert Steele.
7. John Wilkins Washington. b. February 22, 1809; named for
his father's friend, John Wilkins, Jr., to which was added
51ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Washington because of his natal day. "He was brilliant and beloved" and had just begun practising law when he died, unmarried, in 1836.
Colonel and Mrs. McNair's methods adopted for the education
of their children, and generosity towards others is told in the
article, "Education in the Village."
But there was a serious side to the life of Colonel McNair. He
was spoken of as a leader of public opinion and a prominent man
who exerted a wide influence in his section of the state; in short
he was a very popular "gentleman of the Old School."
In 1799 he was elected a member of the state legislature. In
this body his ability was recognized at once, and he was appointed chairman of several committees dealing with vital questions of
the day. He presentedThe bill to abolish slavery in Pennsylvania.
The bill to provide schools for the instruction of youth.
A petition from the inhabitants of the Borough of Pittsburgh
to erect, at their own expense, a Market House on the
banks of the Monongahela at the end of Market Street.
A bill for use of lotteries in order to furnish school houses.
The petitions which he presented related for the greater part
to land transactions. As early as 1 799-1800 the division of the recently erected Allegheny County (1788) into a number of smaller
counties-each with its own county seat-was earnestly discussed,
and sometimes with great bitterness.
Dunning McNair was in favor of division but his loyal henchman, his brother David, a civil engineer, kept Dunning informed
of public opinion at home. David writes: "General John Wilkins
and Major Ebenezer Denny disapprove of division and are bound
to beat you in this." McNair was appointed Chairman of the
Committee on Division and January 9, 18oo, he presented a
bill stating proposed sub-divisions and their boundaries. Locations of county seats, taxes, and other details were discussed be52THE DUNNING McNAIR FAMILY
tween the date of first presentation and the passing of the bill
February 17. The bill for division became law March 12, 180oo.
David McNair writes March 1, 18oo,... "I have not seen anything
that Has Give Such a universal Satisfaction as your Plan of Deviding the Counties.... this is a Poppular thing and is ascribed to
You."
The great stretch of the original tract of Allegheny County was
sub-divided into Erie, Warren, Venango, Crawford, Armstrong,
Butler and Beaver. Dunning McNair's interest in the northwestern section was great for he was deeply involved in that
territory, but no matter what honors were given him at home or
abroad, the ever-growing darker cloud of debt was closing down
on him.
Letters from his brother Robert show pitiful need of money, and
later David begs him to buy his farm on Nine Mile Run that he
may be able to go to Erie County to establish himself on a farm
there. Different reasons are given to explain Dunning's difficulties,
such as: that he was not paid for the land that he sold; the panic
that followed the War of 1812; and the scarcity of money everywhere. No wonder the easy-going man, fond of display, went
under, and that his land was taken over by the Pennsylvania
Population Company, of which Judge William Griffith was the
agent. The Pennsylvania Population Company failed and the
land passed into the possession of the Holland Land Company,
heavy investors in the new counties of the northwestern territory,
for which Mark W. Collett was agent. Mark W. Collett also failed
and soon after the tract of which Wilkinsburg was in the future
to form a valuable part was bought by James Kelly of Penn Township for $ 12,ooo. Dunning McNair survived the loss of his property but a short time. His funeral was a very modest one. He was
buried in Beulah graveyard in ground held by James Horner
and the McNair family. The original grave stones were many
years later replaced by a handsome monument. This was a gift
from Mrs. Eliza Horner Gordon, a granddaughter of James and
Mary McNair Horner.
53ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Dunning Robert McNair, the fourth son in the Colonel
McNair family, was a well-educated man, with cosmopolitan and
political inclinations. He is said to have closely resembled his
father in personal appearance, "having a portly commanding
figure, and impressing one as a person of influence." He, also,
bore the title of Colonel, probably because of connection with
militia during some event.
He took an active part in Beulah Parish in 1827 and 1828. A
year after his father's death in 1825 he married Catherine Steele,
a daughter of William Steele, an Irishman who had settled in
Pittsburgh in the late 1700's. He was a lawyer and, for a time,
County Treasurer. His name appears on many legal documents
of that period. His brother, the Reverend Robert Steele, who, on
account of political complications, had to secretly escape from
Ireland in 1799, was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of
Pittsburgh from 1802 until his death in 18 10. His grave is in Old
Trinity Graveyard.
Early in the married life of Dunning Robert and Catherine
Steele McNair, they removed to Louisville, Kentucky, where he
was in Government service as mail contractor. His next residence
was in Washington, D. C., where from March 17, 1853, to July
6, 1861, during the Fillmore and Buchanan administrations, he
filled the position of Sergeant-At-Arms of the Senate of the United
States. He died in Washington in 1875.
Of the twelve children of Dunning Robert and Catherine
McNair, but two lived to maturity, a son and a daughter. The son
did not marry; the daughter, who "idolized her father," married
Andrew Coyle, Esq., of Washington, where he was socially prominent. Their descendants live in New York City.
In 1830 Margaret Harris, the younger of the two daughters of
Colonel Dunning and Anne Stewart McNair, married Captain
Robert Steele, a brother of her sister-in-law Catherine. Robert
Steele was a captain of boats running from Pittsburgh to New
Orleans. The wedding was in Beulah Church and the ceremony
was conducted by the Reverend James Graham. These two
marriages suggest that Mrs. McNair continued to live in Dump54Mrs. Dunning MlcNair,
first mistress ol1 I)mpling Hall
Mrs. James Kelly,
secontd mistress of Dumpling Hall
Col. Robert Dunninlg McNair
soIn of I)Dunning and Ann Stewart McNair
I1rs. Mlarlaret Graham Duff MIcElroy,
great- great-great granddau ghter of
Johni Gilbert anld Nellie McClain FrazierDumpling Hall built circa 1790-95 b)y Col. Duillinig McNair of McNairstown (Wilkinsburg)
Oath of AllegianceWILLIAM PARK
ling Hall for at least five years after her husband's death. Not
long after the Steele-McNair wedding, Captain Steele removed
to Louisville, Kentucky, and Mrs. McNair and her daughter
Anna accompanied them.
In 1835 Anna Maria McNair married John Williams Anderson, a widower of Louisville. John Williams Anderson was born
in Monaghan County, Ireland. His father, John Anderson, had
taken part in Curren's Rebellion. For this a price was set on his
head, and he had great difficulty in escaping to America. He
bought a farm in the neighborhood of Braddock's Field. When a
young man, John Williams Anderson went to Ohio for a time and
then joined his older brother James in business in Louisville.
John Williams and Anna McNair Anderson had seven children.
From these children and those of Margaret Harris McNair
Steele there were living, in 1905, in Kentucky and other western
states, eighty-two -descendants representing five generations of
the family of Dunning and Anne Stewart McNair. Miss Anne
Stewart Anderson, a great-granddaughter of Colonel Dunning
McNair, says: "We are proud of our family; we have always held
a high position in social and intellectual circles; but we have
never done anything remarkable in the political and religious
fields." And Mrs. Wilson, another great-granddaughter, says:
"We are thankful that the present generation has remembered
their duty to those around them."
[4]
WILLIAM PARK
AMONG the very early settlers in McNairstown were William
A  Park, and his wife, Mary McGaughey Park. They came to
America from Cookstown, Ireland, in 1793.
On landing in Philadelphia, anticipating a scarcity of domestic
animals in the wilderness, he bought a cow and her calf; then he,bought a horse and wagon; and being still in funds he laid in a
55ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
-goodly store of provisions. He tied the cow to the back of the
wagon, his wife and the calf he placed therein, and taking his
place at the head of the horse, he walked into the western wilds
in search of a home, ready for whatever adventure the future had
in store for him. He came to the village of McNairstown and lived
for a while in the one story log house situated near where the
Home for Aged Protestant Women now stands, on Swissvale
Avenue.
His granddaughter, Mrs. Mary Park, says that William Park
was a charter member of the First Masonic Lodge of McNairstown. There were two Masonic lodges in Pittsburgh in this early
period. One Lodge, Number 45, instituted in 1785 or'86, and the
Ohio Lodge, Number 1 13, instituted in 1809. One of these lodges
had its annual conclave in Wilkinsburg (McNairstown) in 1812,
and it is probable that Mrs. Park refers to this event. We can
picture the social stir in Dumplin' Hall, for there was no other
place to meet-no school house, nor church, nor public hall. It
presents Colonel Dunning McNair to us in the character of the
proprietaire, the landed gentleman of the period. William Park
seems to have been a mason by trade, for among Colonel McNair's
papers are found accounts from William Park for mason work
and for hauling stone. Could it be that this work was done in the
building of Dumplin' Hall? The date of its building is usually
given as 1790, but his great-granddaughter, Miss Annie Stuart
Anderson, of Louisville, Kentucky, gives the date as about 1795William and Mary Park were members of Beulah church.
Their five children were named Thomas, Jane, William, James,
and John. Thomas married Ellen Duff, a great-great-great-granddaughter of John and Nellie Frazer. Thomas and Ellen had three
children, James Graham, who died a bachelor; Mary, who
married a distant cousin named Park; and Robert, who died in
youth. The death of Mrs. Mary Park in Rochester, Penna., in
1935 ended this line of the Park family.
An interesting story is told by C. M. Carothers of his greatgrandmother's arrival in Wilkinsburg. A few years after the emigration of William Park and his wife Mary (Polly) McGaughey,
56CHARLES BONNER
Mrs. Park's father, mother and sister, Margaret (Peggy), followed
her to America. When they landed in Philadelphia they, like the
Parks, bought a horse and wagon to make the journey into the
wilderness. All went well apparently until they reached Somerset
where the wagon broke down. Peggy became very impatient and
decided to go on alone on shank's mare. It was not long before
her shoes gave out but, nothing daunted by weariness and blistered feet, she kept on until she came to the bend of a steep hill.
Stopping to look across the valley below, her eyes rested on a log
house. She looked longingly at the smoke coming out of the
chimney-"O, would that I was there!" was her thought, when
just beyond the house she spied a woman milking a cow. All
weariness vanished as she called across the distance, "Begora,
yon's me own sister, Pollie McGaughey."
Peggy McGaughey soon afterwards married Charles McCown
of Turtle Creek, and hence the great-grandson and the tale.
[5]
CHARLES BONNER
T    HE large Bonner house, built in 1796, was admirably suited
for housekeeping by two families, and Mr. Graham and his
wife remained here for several years, during which time his two
eldest children were born. A congenial atmosphere would be
maintained between the two families for Charles Bonner had,
also, come from a settled eastern county, York County, probably.
Charles Bonner was born in 1744 of Quaker ancestors. He
often had visits from Quaker relatives and friends from "over the
mountains"; to them he talked in "Friend's language". He did
not wear Quaker dress, but wore, as described by a great-grandson,
"the small clothes" of a Colonial gentleman, with silver buckles,
and silver buckles on his shoes.
His wife was Nancy Galbreath, a granddaughter of John and
Nellie Frazier, the earliest permanent white settlers in the
57ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Monongahela Valley. They had at least five children, four of
whom grew to maturity. One son, James, died when nine years
old, and his grave was the first opened in Beulah graveyard.
Charles and Nancy Galbreath Bonner lived for "about twenty
years" in Huntington Township in York County, Pennsylvania.
When he decided to remove to the western country, the following
testimonial signed by twenty-one neighbors was given to him:-... "that Charles Bonner his wife and family both lived in
our neighborhood in Huntington township in York County he
and his wife about twenty years and their family since their
infancy. All which time they and each of them have behaved
themselves Soberly, Honestly and Inoffenceively, and are and
always been, every one of them free from Public Scandal, and
as they are about to Remove from hence to the Back Woods we
Recommend them to all Chrystian People where it may please
God to Cast their Lot, as a family worthy of their Regard and
Esteem, the above is Certifyed under our hands this 29th day
of October 1789".
In 1789 (or the early part of 1790) Charles Bonner and his
family came to the "back woods" where, in 1792, he purchased
2501/2 acres in Pitt Township, Allegheny County, designated on
old maps at Wheatfield. On this property he built the stone house
that stood until about 1899. On account of its size, solidity, and
handsome finishings it was called the Castle.
Charles Bonner disposed of portions of Wheatfield until the
farm was reduced to thirty-eight acres. This, under certain conditions, he willed to his granddaughter, Mrs. Nancy Duff: "in
trust for the only benefit and advantage of said Nancy Duff and
her children." This will, signed and witnessed January 3o, 1832,
was not recorded until October 23, i866.
In 1798 he had purchased another tract of two hundred acres
in Plum township, which he deeded in 1803 to his son John, "in
consideration of the natural love and affection he hath for the
aforesaid John Bonner his son."
Nancy Galbreath Bonner, his wife, died when fifty years of age,
and Charles Bonner's last years were spent in the Wheatfield
58CHARLES BONNER
homestead, presided over by his daughter, Mrs. Elinor Bonner
Henderson. He was stricken with blindness some years before his
death, and many tales of early adventure told by him in those
declining years have passed down through successive generations.
The genealogies of these pioneers are full of interest considered
from various points of view. From the point of continuous residence in Wilkinsburg and vicinity, the Bonner line is one of the
longest, perhaps the longest, and is given herewith:
1. John Gilbert Frazier
2. Nancy Frazier
3. Nancy Galbreath
4. Elinor Bonner
5. Nancy Henderson
married    Nellie McClain
1"       Dr. Galbreath
f"      Charles Bonner
v"      David Henderson
t"       David Duff
CHILDREN OF NANCY HENDERSON AND DAVID DUFF
DAUGHTERS
6. Ellen Duff
6. Elizabeth Duff
6. Margaret Graham Duff
6. Margaret G. Duff
7. Elizabeth Hastings McElroy
8. Margaret Winnette Eagye
9.
ma
trried Thomas Park
"   Samuel J. Taylor
"   Samuel McElroy
Samuel McElroy
Leet Moore Eagye
)"   Howard Bardes
Children of Marg't. and Howard Bardes
Howard and Elizabeth Bardes
6. Charles Bonner Duff
6. James Bonner Duff
6. Oliver Bonner Duff
6. Oliver Bonner Duff
7. Annie Henderson Duff
7. Nellie Bonner Duff
SONS
married
"1      Martha Lang
9"      Harriet Shaeffer
p"      Harriet Shaeffer
deceased
p"      Alexander Duff
59BY WAY OF
GREETING AND EXPLANATION
IN WHATEVER MANNER this book may be received it has this justification that it has been written, if not exactly by request, at least by
suggestion that its contents were too interesting to be lost and should
be written down by those who, when children, had heard stories of
early Wilkinsburg from the lips of those who were children or grandchildren of its pioneers or early settlers.
A request in 1933 from the Wednesday Afternoon Club of Wilkinsburg for a talk on early life in the village set the ball a rolling and
after a year of delay and meditation on the subject by Elizabeth M.
Davison and S. H. Jackson, a meeting was called at the residence of
Miss Davison and a group was organized for historical research on
Old Wilkinsburg and vicinity. The members of this group as organized were: Ida O'Rourke (Mrs. J. D.) Anderson, Sarah E. Anderson, Martha McElroy (Mrs. R. W.) Allison, Cora Hamnett (Mrs. J. W.)
Beatty, Martha Graham Black, Jane Boyd, Charles M. Carothers,
Elizabeth M. Davison, Mary Boyd (Mrs. A. W.) Duff, Eleanor McCrea
(Mrs. R. M.) Ewing, Ella Carothers (Mrs. C. A.) Graham, Leatitia
(Mrs. A. S.) Hunter, S. H. Jackson, Sue T. Duff (Mrs. S. H.) Jackson,
Elizabeth Kennedy (Mrs. J. C.) Lemmer, Rose McKelvy (Mrs. M. D.)
McWhinney, Jane Taggart (Mrs. S. H.) McKee, Ellen Blanche McKee,
Mary Ludwick (Mrs. Chas. T.) Montgomery, Harry Semple Morrow,
Ella Keffer (Mrs. H. S.) Morrow, Ilka M. Stotler, Melissa Henning
(Mrs. S. R.) Wills.
From these members the following Executive Board was elected:
S. H. Jackson, President; Eleanor McCrea Ewing, Vice President;
C. M. Carothers, Sec'y-Treasurer; Martha Graham Black, Corresponding Sec'y.; Ellen B. McKee, Assistant Sec'y.; Elizabeth M. Davison, General Chairman.
This Board was to continue in office until the object of the organization was accomplished, the object being to prepare articles as
accurately as possible, on individuals, homes, churches, schools, institutions, professions and trades, customs, manners and dress in
Wilkinsburg and vicinity during the one hundred years preceding
VIIANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
CHILDREN OF ALEX. AND NELLIE DUFF
8. Ruth E.           married    Rev. J. C. McConaughy
8. James Lester      "        Grace Morrow
8. Eleanor Annie     "        T. K. Buzard
8. Hazel                "        Harry S. Long
8. Alex., Jr.        "        Florence Rhodes
9.???
Thirteen children of above
9. Thus, there are thirteen children of the ninth generation
of the Frazier-Galbreath-Bonner line now living in Wilkinsburg and Penn Township.
Alexander Duff and wife, Nellie Bonner Duff, live in the oldest
Duff homestead on Beulah road, and are active members of
Beulah Church, which their forefathers helped to found.
Charles Bonner died March 20, 1833, and was buried beside his
wife in Beulah graveyard. His gravestone, in the manner of the
times, bore the wordy inscription:
IN MEMORY OF
CHARLES BONNER
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE
MARCH 20TH, A.D. 1833.
AT THE ADVANCED AGE OF 89 YEARS.
FATHER, THOU ART GONE BEFORE US
AND THY SAINTLY SOUL IS FLOWN
WHERE TEARS ARE WIPED FROM EVERY EYE
AND SORROW IS UNKNOWN.
FROM THE BURDEN OF THE FLESH
AND FROM CARE AND FEAR RELEASED
WHERE THE WICKED CEASE FROM TROUBLING
AND THE WEARY ARE AT REST.
In 1928 the Daughters of the American Revolution removed
this old stone, which was in very bad condition, and replaced it
by another.
His name is also inscribed on a tablet dedicated to the Soldiers
of the Revolutionary War who are buried in Beulah graveyard.
GoTHE MORROW FAMILY
This tablet, a gift of the Sons of the American Revolution, was
placed on an inside wall of the church, and unveiled on September 3o, 1934, on the one hundred and fiftieth Anniversary of
Beulah Church.
[6]
THE MORROW FAMILY
AS EARLY as 1730 there came to Baltimore, Maryland, from
ff New Castle, Ireland, the earliest known branch of the Morrow family to settle in America. Traveling by way of Harris
Ferry (which is now Harrisburg), they made their way to the
Cumberland Valley and settled near Green Castle, Pennsylvania.
It was from here that two brothers, Henry and James Morrow,
came with their wives and families to find homes in the land
beyond the Alleghenies in Western Pennsylvania. These brothers
were married to sisters, Elizabeth and Sarah Hannah, daughters
of one William Hannah. The journey over the mountains was
no doubt an eventful one and surely a busy and anxious time
must these young parents have had with their numerous children
and the many duties that went with such a trip. James and Sarah
went on to settle near Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. So it is with
Henry and Elizabeth that our story is concerned. Their six children were: Ann aged twelve, Mary-nine, William-seven, Henry
-five, John-three and the baby, James, born in March. It was
from Ann that many of the stories of the preparations for the
journey and of the trip itself have been handed down. She remembered the busy days when butchering was done and meats and
other foods were made ready. Clothing and bedding were packed
and stored in the great wagon.
One can imagine that Elizabeth was glad of two daughters old
enough to "mind the baby" while she prepared the meals and did
the necessary housekeeping in their covered wagon. One wonders
whether the baby had a daily bath and one is sure there was no
61ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
bath tub such as may be found in our present day trailers. Nor
were there spinach or orange juice to prepare-just Mother's milk
for the wee traveler. Henry may have wished that his sons had
been old enough to be more able to help when one of the horses
took sick on the way and the entire party was delayed for three
days until it was safe to hitch it up again for the hard pull ahead.
Perhaps the girls did double duty while Elizabeth helped with
the horse doctoring.
Near the end of the journey, as they came down the Turtle
Creek Hill, there must have been excitement when they met
troops of soldiers returning to Philadelphia from Pittsburgh
where they had been called to quell the Whiskey Insurrection.
This sight must, indeed, have impressed the children for the
story of it has been oft repeated. It must have made the few remaining miles seem shorter and soon they were to draw up to the
new home in old Pitt Township, Westmoreland County.
The tract of more than 340 acres to which they came was called
"The Flying Shuttle". It was "situate" on the old Forbes Road
and had been purchased by Elizabeth's father, William Hannah,
from the Penns. The grant was from Thomas Penn and John, his
brother, and was secured by a patent dated 1723. Richard Penn,
whose name also appears on the patent when it was returned for
record-in 1772, was at that time Governor of the Province of
Pennsylvania. The original patent, written and printed on sheepskin, is now in possession of Albert Morrow, a direct descendant
who lives close by the old homestead site on the "Flying Shuttle
Farm". On an abstract dated 1722, it is stated that a survey was
made the following May.
With the certainty that a house was ready for their occupancy,
the tired travelers must have eagerly looked forward to their
journey's end. One pictures them scanning the country side,
wondering about their new neighbors, some of whom no doubt
they already knew frorm William Hannah. Perhaps they saw their
neighbors on the hill across the "hollow", the Taylor family,
watching their approach because the Taylors told later of having
seen the wagon come up the narrow trail to the homestead. But
62THE MORROW FAMILY
certain it is that they had not expected their first neighbors to be
so close for upon their arrival dismay must have filled them to
find the house already occupied by a man, his wife and six children. Surely here was an occasion to cause consternation to all
concerned; for how could eight more be accommodated? The
neighbors must, indeed, have been desirable or hospitable, or
just plain stubborn for the story goes that the new arrivals shared
the house and used the second story apartment of the two roomed
log house for sleeping-in that day known as the loft. This was
reached by a ladder from the outside. How long this arrangement
lasted is not known, but the story was told many times of how the
snow had to be shaken from the top bed clothes during winter
occupancy of that loft. It may have been hard to get the children
started to bed but it is unlikely that they were long in settling
down under such circumstances. Just who the first occupants of
the house were, is uncertain, but the following tax receipt leads
us to believe that Daniel Marton was the man who occupied the
house to which the Morrows came.
May 29th
Received of Daniel Marton thirteen shillings and one penny
it being the tax for a tract of land that he now lives on for the
aforesaid year in Pitt Twp.   (The signature is illegible).
The family increased, as did most families of that time, until
by 1803 there were ten children in all, the last four, Elizabeth,
Hugh, Sarah and Jane having been born in the new home. Henry
was a cooper by trade and old receipts show him to have had a
coopering shop in Greencastle. He plied this trade also in the
new home and probably kept the country side supplied with
barrels, buckets and tubs. His cooper's adze and stave shaver are
prized family relics.
The survey describes their property as "vacant hilly land", and
that it was well farmed by the father and his large family there
is no doubt for the present prosperous looking land shows no
sign of having been neglected.
That the moral, as well as the physical needs of these pioneers
in their new environment were provided for is evidenced by the
63ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
following letter of dismissal from the membership in the Presbyterian Church of East Conococheague.
"That Henry Morrow and Elizabeth, his wife, have lived in the
bounds of this congregation many years, and behaved themselves,
soberly and inoffensively, and have enjoyed the privileges of this
church and are now free from any scandal known to us, is certified
by the session."                     Signed, Thos. M. Herrin
East Conococheague, Oct. 29, 1794.
Of God-fearing, sturdy Scotch-Irish stock, we can be certain that
they lost no time in presenting this letter to the session of Beulah
Church and the family was for many years identified with that
Congregation in which Henry served long as an officer as did also
some of his descendants in later years.
Another interesting document among the relics possessed by
J. Albert Morrow is an Oath of Allegiance dated March 29, 1787,
taken by Henry Morrow while still living in the Cumberland
Valley. That he was a faithful citizen was later proved by his
interest in public affairs. He was a Democrat in politics and it is a
mark of the confidence placed in him by his fellow citizens that
he was elected tax collector of Pitt Township to collect all taxes
outside of Pittsburgh. He held the office until his death in 1844
and in 1845 his son James was elected to succeed him as tax collector in Wilkins Township, then a subdivision of Pitt Township.
All ten children married and a quaintly bound ledger, carefully
and methodically posted, carries the itemized dowry bestowed
upon each. A sample page follows:
Mch 6th 1809 Mary
To one Mare                   $50.00
To one Saddle c Bridle      17.00
To too cows                    24.00
To one bed and bedding       20.00
To one bed stead               02.00
To one Spinning Wheel        03.00
To Coopering                   02.50
To one Bible                   oi.oo
To Shelf furniture             o2.50
64RIPPEY'S TAVERN OR RIPPEYVILLE
To fore sheep                o6.oo
To one Dining table        o8.oo
To one bed stead             o6.oo
To Psalm Book                01.12/2
To Kitchen furniture       o7.121/2
$ 150.25
There seemed to be no favoritism shown as all fared about
equally and no doubt the happy young newlyweds considered
themselves well started with house completely furnished and the
barn well stocked at a total cost of one hundred and fifty dollars
and twenty-five cents. Add to this the probable dowry of the
"other half" and they were, indeed, a lucky pair. Note that a
Bible and a Psalm Book were part of each dowry.
The sons John and Henry Morrow married sisters, Jane and
Mary Johnston. Ann, the oldest, was married to William Fisher.
Mary married George Wilson, William married Mrs. Mary Neal
Wilson, a widow. James and Elizabeth married their first cousins,
Sarah and Henry Morrow. Hugh married twice-Sarah May and
then Sarah McClurg and moved to Ohio. Jane married George
Duff.
A long line of descendants who have followed various professions and trades are scattered over many states and many are
still located in the Wilkinsburg district close to the Flying
Shuttle grant, where their sturdy forefathers farmed and played
prominent parts in the building and development of a great
community that is now Wilkinsburg.
[7]
RIPPEY'S TAVERN OR RIPPEYVILLE
THE name Rippeyville, which for a time usurped that of McNairstown, is due to the existence of a noted tavern kept by
Samuel Allen Rippey and his wife, Sutia Stewart Rippey.
S. A. Rippey was born in Shippensburg, Pa., in 1767. He was a
65ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
great-grandson of Hugh Rippey, who with two brothers, John
and Johnston, and twelve other men founded in 1730, the first
settlement west of the Susquehanna River, and named it Shippensburg.
The Rippey brothers opened a tavern which became distinguished and widely'known under the name of The Branch
Tavern. This house was maintained by the Rippey family
through several generations. The Rippey family is still a prominent one in Shippensburg.
Samuel A. Rippey's wife, Sutia Stewart, was the youngest
child of Colonel George Stewart and his wife, Margaret Harris
Stewart, and was the sister of Anne, the wife of Dunning McNair.
Sutia was born Oct. 7, 1777 at what is now Doyle's Mills, Juniata
County, Pennsylvania. It is told that she visited Shippensburg in
1794, and there met President George Washington, who dined
at the "Branch Tavern" Nov. 11, 1794 when on his way west to
quell the Whiskey Insurrection. It is probable that at this time
she also met her future husband, a surveyor by profession. They
were married May 16, 1797 and accompanied Sutia's brother,
Robert Stewart, when he, with his family, emigrated west. Robert
Stewart settled for a time in McNairstown and then moved to a
part of Allegheny County, which was afterwards organized as
Butler County. The Rippeys proceeded directly to that section
and bought a tract of 2oo acres; afterwards they increased their
holdings by a purchase of 500 acres on Beaver Creek.
Just when they moved to McNairstown is not known, nor why.
It may be that both husband and wife found pioneer farming too
strenuous work and that Samuel A. Rippey, being to the manner
born in tavern keeping, availed himself of an opportunity to take
over an establishment on the Great Road in McNairstown. Mr.
Rippey did not give up his business of surveyor, however, as his
bright, capable wife proved a helper of superior quality. In 1812
Mr. Rippey died when only 45 years of age; he was buried in
Beulah graveyard. Sutia was left with seven children, ranging in
age from one month to fourteen years, and with scant provision
of worldly goods as the following inventory shows:66RIPPEY'S TAVERN OR RIPPEYVILLE
A True Inventory of the Goods and Chattels of Samuel Rippey
(Deceased) late of Pitt Township, Allegheny Co., taken the 15th
day of July 1812.
1 three year old filley                            $ 45.00
I Cow                                                 14.00
7 Sheep                                               10.50
4 Beds and Beding                                     40o00
5 Bedsteads                                           10.00
1 Bureau c Bookcase                                  12.00
4 Tables            $4.50-$3.00-$2.0oo                12.5
2 Window Curtains                  @ 1$ each           2.00
2 Stands                           @ 1$                2.00
14 Chairs (Some old and some new)                       5.75
1 Looking Glass                                        1.50
Cupboard furniture                                   5.33
Barr        ditto                                    9.0o
Kitchen    ditto                                    1o.oo
2 Old Saddles                                          6.oo
4 Pictures  2 waiters                                 1.50
The deceaseds own apparel                           15.00
1 Barrel Whiskey 32 Gs @ 331/3 cts                    10.67
5 Gs Country Gin        60                             3.00
15 Bus. Oats             25                             3.75
1 Sett Surveying Instruments                         35.00
3 Old Bags  one halter chain                          l.oo
4 Flour Barrels  2 tight ones                         1.50
1 Clothes Brush.30
1 Cutting Box 8 Knife                                3.00
1 Old Axe S Hoe.75
3 Old Trunks without locks or hinges                   1.5o
1 Grate for coals- old-                               2.00
$264.55
We, the subscribers, have valued and appraised the Goods and
Chattels within stated to the best of our knowledge.
Sworn  Subscribed before me                   DAVID LITTLE
this 26th day of September 18I2                Js. HORNER
(Inventory No. 33-1812)
67ANNALS OF OLD WILKINSBURG AND VICINITY
Sutia decided to keep on with the business; and with untiring
energy, with consideration for the comfort of her guests, and a
table of "tasty" food, with her quick tongue for command, and
repartee, the house became popular and well known as Rippey's
Tavern.
When we recall that the years from 1812 to 182o, the prosperous years of the tavern, were also the years in which Dunning
McNair issued his deeds, giving the location as Wilkinsburgh, the
name Rippey's Tavern must have been a purely local one, given
probably by frequent travelers through the place. This supposition is strengthened by the fact that no letters nor legal documents bearing the name of Rippeyville are known up to the
present time.
For eight years Sutia managed the tavern and prospered as the
purchase of six lots, Nos. 57-62 indicates. There are conflicting
reports about the situation of this ground, but counting from the
known situation of lots 71 and 72 sold by Dunning McNair to
John Reese, and lot 73 to Ezekiel Reese on the corner of the
present Penn Avenue and Hay Street, this block of six lots must
have afterwards formed the part of Major Abram Harbaugh's
Estate that was willed to his daughter, Mrs. Mary Bennett,-and
which is now owned and used by the Pennsylvania Railroad as
freight yards.
In 820o Sutia was wooed and won by a frequent guest at her
house on his way to and from Pittsburgh. This man was a
widower with one son and four daughters from the village of
Murrysville which had been settled by and named for his family.
He bore the gruesome Christian name of Jeremiah, but he was
a man of fine character and family, respected in his neighborhood
and church. He was a country merchant who, about 1830, became
so afflicted by rheumatism that he could not go up and down stairs.
It is said that a white mule that he owned was taught to kneel
for him to mount when he wished to ride. His wife assumed chief
care of the business and made the long journey of 27 miles back
and forth to Pittsburgh for supplies. On these trips she passed
Beulah graveyard. Did she sometimes stop to shed some tears by
68RIPPEY'S TAVERN OR RIPPEYVILLE
the tomb of her first husband, in memory of the romance of her
youth? She passed through Wilkinsburg, did she stop at the
Tavern and with a capable woman's pride shrug her shoulders
at the way things were managed now, in contrast to the order in
her day? Or did she pass the night in the stone mansion of Dumplin' Hall with her sister Anne? We do not know, but we feel assured that this plucky woman never lost courage.
Jeremiah Murry died in 1835. Six of the Rippey children died
before he did, and the remaining one shortly afterwards. Only
one of Sutia's children married; he had but one child who died
in early childhood. Sutia often said of herself that she was left like
a solitary tree stripped of every leaf and branch. She survived her
last brother 21 years and her husband Jeremiah 22 years.
Squire Murry was a man of considerable wealth. He made a
will in 1833, two years before his death, in his own handwriting,
but it was neither dated nor signed. In it he declares himself to
be "of sound disposing mind and memory" and the document
was said to be a model will, but as Sutia's widow's rights were
contravened by it, she contested its validity. The case came up
before the Common Pleas Court of Westmoreland Co., and afterwards, on appeal, before the Supreme Court of the State. Both
decided in her favor, and against the validity of the will. The chief
ground for the decision was that from the wording of the document, it was evident that the testator's intention was not fully
expressed. The Court's decision resulted in Sutia Murry obtaining a yearly dowry that enabled her to live comfortably the remainder of her days and also to accumulate some property.
After Mr. Murry's death she left the substantial brick house
in Murrysville which still stands on a corner facing Wm. Penn
Highway. In later life she made her home in Allegheny City with
a favorite nephew, John Harris Stewart, attending the First Presbyterian Church of which the Rev. Elisha P. Swift, D.D. was pastor. She died Sept. 2, 1857 aged 8o years and was buried in Beulah
graveyard beside her first husband. To him she had many years
before erected a stone with the following inscription:
"In memory of Samuel Allen Rippey, Esq. who died in Wil69