History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania

This work, which has for some time attracted considerable attention from the people of Bradford County, is now ready to be placed in their hands to receive their approval or disapprobation, according, as in the judgment of the reader, it is meritorious or otherwise. The author will not deny that it is with some degree of trepidation that he presents the fruits of his labor for the criticism of the public, but he indulges the hope that a community which has been so deeply interested in its production, will be equally generous to forgive any imperfections they may discover. The writing of a history is like building a house, it is never done, but done or undone, must be used some time. No one can be more certain of the extent in which the work is undone than the author. Some things, however, he feels that justice to himself and to others require to be said.

The plan of the work is somewhat different from that usually followed in similar histories. Instead of making as little of the general history as possible, and throwing the bulk of the material into township annals, he has pursued exactly an opposite course; just as little has been put into the account of the townships as could be well done; those things only are found there which were strictly local. Great pains have been taken to insure accuracy. It has been the author's purpose if mistakes were made at all, that they should be in omitting what might be said, and not in saying what was not true; but with all the pains taken to secure accuracy, mistakes will doubtless be found. There will also be things in the book which will not be of interest to some, and others will be disappointed that other things were not mentioned. In the makeup of a book no two persons of equal intelligence will exactly agree. It must be a matter of taste and judgment with the author.

One of the things in which special interest has been taken, was to obtain a complete military record of every man who went from Bradford County into the army of the Union. A couple of years since, circulars were published in the newspapers of the county asking for information, and in many cases letters were written, making personal solicitations of friends to furnish this information from their respective neighborhoods. While in a few cases responses have been prompt, and the lists complete, or nearly so, others were sadly defective and imperfect, while in a great majority of cases no answer whatever was made to the call. In two instances, - and one of these where it was supposed most pains would be taken, and the list would be most complete, — though retained to the last moment, they were sent with only the simple names, without rank, name of regiment or company, date of muster or discharge, or any remarks of any sort whatever. To print such lists as a complete roster of the soldiers of Bradford would be an insult to the living and a reproach to the dead. The plan which the author had cherished, and which he still believes would have been far preferable to any other, was to have given the rosters at the end of each township. This, however was simply impossible. The only thing which could be done was to take Bates' Reports as the basis, making such corrections and additions as the material in hand should suggest.

Effort has been made to reach bottom facts, and the author has but little fear that any future worker will get below him. In the other things which give value to a local history, — the early settlers, the associations into which they entered, whether religious, social, or political, and statistics, — it is hoped nothing more will be wished.

The author is under personal obligations to numerous citizens of the county, who have freely and cheerfully made contributions to our history. For such contributions Messrs. O. D. Fields, of Armenia, Edward Herrick, Esq., of Athens, A.T. Lilley, of Le Roy, Dr. G.F. Horton, of Terry, C.C. Payne, of Troy, Rev. C.E. Taylor, of "Whitney's Point, O.N. Worden, of New Milford, Pa., James D. Eidgway, of Franklin, Rev. J. Jewell, of Troy, and numerous others, as well as the press generally, thanks are due. He is under especial obligations to H B. Peirce, Esq., on the staff of the publishers' historical corps, for most valuable assistance, who freely gave his time and the results of his large experience to various parts of the work, and whose suggestions and services are entitled to the thanks of its patrons.

To the publishers great credit is due for the energy, liberality, and skill they have exhibited in bringing out the work. They have, without stint or complaint, cheerfully furnished the author all the assistance in their power, and, at a personal sacrifice, have complied with his suggestions in the matter of illustrations, furnishing a considerable number of valuable portraits of old or important citizens at his request. Whatever may be thought of the matter contained in the work, the dress, illustrations, typography, and press-work are in the best style.

The History of Bradford County has passed through the fire, not of adverse criticism, but of consuming flames. In the great fire of March 26 the bindery was destroyed, and with it much of the printed history. Immediately an extra force was obtained, and the presses have been run night and day, so what would, in many instances, have seriously delayed or indefinitely postponed so large a work as this, has not deferred its publication for a single day.

 

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

I. — The Aborigines... 9
II. — Land Controversies... 29
III. — Settlements in Bradford County Previous to the Battle of Wyoming, July 3, 1778... 49
IV. — Bradford County during the Revolutionary War... 67
V. — Renewal of Settlements... 85
VI. — Indian Treaty at Athens... 91
VII. — French Settlement at Asylum... 95
VIII. — Colonel John Franklin... 101
IX. — Organization of the County, and the Erection of Townships... 107
X. — Geography, Topography, and Geology... 117
XI. — Education... 120
XII. — Churches... 126
XIII. — Societies... 169
XIV. — The Learned Professions — Law — the Bar — Medical... 181
XV. — The Press, Authors, and Books... 186
XVI. — Political History of Bradford County... 192
XVII. — Military History of Bradford County... 200
XVIII. — Miscellaneous Items... 249

HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIPS.

Albany... 260
Armenia... 264
Asylum... 267
Athens... 270
Barclay... 286
Burlington... 287
Canton... 294
Columbia... 302
Franklin... 307
Granville... 309
Herrick... 311
Le Roy... 313
Litchfield... 315
Monroe... 320
North Towanda... 324
Orwell... 326
Overton... 334
Pike... 336
Ridgeberry... 345
Rome... 349
Sheshequin... 356
Smithfield... 368
South Creek... 374
Springfield... 375
Standing Stone... 379
Terry... 382
Towanda... 382
Towanda Borough... 389
Troy... 408
Tuscarora... 418
Ulster... 422
Warren... 428
Wells... 432
West Burlington... 433
Wilmot... 435
Windham... 438
Wyalusing... 441
Wysox... 453

Roster of Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, from Bradford, County... 460
Appendix... 489
List of Patrons of the History of Bradford County... i—ix

BIOGRAPHICAL.

Col. John Franklin... 101
Stephen W. Alvord... 188
Judson Holcomb... 189
Zephon F. Walker... between 272, 273
John Shepard... 279
Hon. Edward Herrick... 280
E.P. Allen, M.D... 281
David and Clement Paine... 282
Michael Coleman... between 282, 283
Charles McDuffee... 285
Joseph McKinney... 285
Chester Stevens... 286
William S. Jayne... facing 296
Col. Irad Wilson... between 296, 297
Capt. C.S. Sellard... 299
lchabod Sellard... 299
Samuel Strait... 300
S.A. Taylor... 300
William Lawrence... 300
Wm. H. Bates... 300
Thomas Williams... 301
George W. Griffin... 301
Joel Stevens... facing 302
Peleg Peck... " 306
Adam Innis... 311
Samuel P. Woloott... 316
A.D. ... 317
Henry McKinney... 318
Ezra Rutty... 326
Chauncey Frisbie... between 328, 329
James Cleveland... facing 329
Nathan Payson... 332
Joel Cook... 333
George W. Brown... 333
Joshua Burrows... facing 341
Joseph Haigh... 343
Lebbeus Smith... 344
John Black... 344
Wilson Canfield... 344
William S. Davis... 344
Horace B. Chaffee... 344
C.S. Dusenbury, M.D... 345
Deacon Sylvester Barns... between 348, 349
Peter Vought... facing 354
Deacon Stephen Cranmer... 354
Joseph Seely... 355
Ebenezer Shaw... facing 364
Jesse Brown... " 365
Col. Franklin Blackman... " 366
J.E. Bullock... between 370, 371
Rev. Charles C. Corss... 373
Hosea Kennedy... 377
John Salisbury... 378
Russell B. Young 378
George F. Horton, M.D... 385
J.C. Adams... 390
James Elliott... 391
David F. Barstow... 399
Stephen A. Mills ... 400
William H. Foster... 401
Eliphalet H. Mason, M.D... 401
Samuel C. Houston, M.D... 402
Edward Overton, Sr... 402
William Watkins... between 402, 403
Hon. J.G. Patton... facing 402
Gen. William Patton... 403
Hon. Paul D. Morrow... 404
Horace Granger... 405
Erastus H. Smith ... 405
John A. Codding ... 406
Hon. David Wilmot... 406
John McKean... between 413, 413
Allen Taylor... " 412, 413
Alfred Parsons... " 412, 413
Dummer Lilley... facing 413
Orin P. Ballard... between 414, 415
Hon. Reuben Wilbur... " 414, 415
Uel Porter... facing 415
Major Ezra Long... 415
Silas E. Shepard, D.D... 415
Daniel F. Pomeroy... 416
Col. I.N. Pomeroy... 417
Eli B. Parsons... 417
Rev. Bela Cogswell... 421
George H. Van Dyke... 426
Simmons C. Hovey... 427
Mrs. Mary Ann Lockwood... 427
John Beardslee... 431
Nathan Young... 431
Andrew Dewing... 431
F.G. Morrow, M.D... facing 432
Gen. Samuel McKean... 434
John Ingham... facing 442
Justus Lewis... 446
John Elliott... 447
Basoom Taylor... 450
Henry Gaylord... 450
E. R. Vaughan... 451
Charles Homet... 452
Hon. L. P. Stalford... 452

 

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When this continent first became known to the European nations, it was well-nigh a solitary and unbroken wilderness. No axe had felled a tree, no plowshare had broken its soil, no commerce had traversed its great natural highways of inland seas and far-reaching rivers. Here and there, in some favored locality, might be found clustered, with the utmost irregularity, a few wigwams of the red men, the original tenants of the soil, with patches of maize, beans, and squashes, cultivated by the women; now and then might be met a party of begrimed and frightfully painted warriors, either going to or returning from some maraud; and in the autumn time might be seen companies of men, women, and children encamped at the favorite resorts of game, seeking stores of food for winter use; but the general appearance of the country was that of a vast, uninhabited, uncultivated domain of unbounded luxuriance and fertility. Bancroft remarks,* that a man might travel for weeks without meeting a single human being; that the diminution of the native population is far less than has usually been supposed; they have been exiled, not exterminated. The tribes may have been lost, but the people who composed them have been received into others. This author estimates the whole number of the aborigines within the bounds of the United States east of the Mississippi, two hundred years ago, at not far from one hundred and eighty thousand souls, which is about three times the present population of Bradford County.